Behemoth-Leviathan (PostApoc/Mecha/Kaiju/TeamUp) - Brainstorm/Interest

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We don't know the year, we don't know the time. All we know is the war, and how we have been 'holding the line' for centuries. Legends tell of how, in the distant past, Humanity possessed a Golden Age, of science and reason. But it collapsed, when the gods decided that the time of progress was ended, and that now was a time of decay.

Terrifying, otherworldly creatures rose from the sea - the Leviathans. The weapons of man were nothing, and countless cities were destroyed. When weapons failed, the cities of man were given motion and strength - floating on the sea, built into mountains, or resting on the clouds. But the Leviathans never stopped searching the ruined Earth, and slowly picked off our cities, one by one.

The last great weapons were the Behemoths - giants of flesh and steel and aether, built from the meat and bones and shells of the few Leviathans we succeeded in slaying. Each city only has a few Behemoths, piloted by the few with the ability to 'meld', as part of a team. So it is, that the city of Shaleden floats across the Great Pacific, protected by three solitary Behemoths, against the stuff of nightmares...

So! Um, yes! It's a post-apocalyptic team-based Humongous Mecha Vs Giant Monster RP in which teams of players must pilot the 'Behemoths' in order to defend Shaleden from an increasing number of bizarre Abominations. Essentially, think Pacific Rim meets Neon Genesis Evangelion meets Gears Of War meets Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (with the Ocean Punk elements).

The focus would be on the characters, for the most part, and their lives outside of the Behemoths. Though of course, there will be plenty of hungry Leviathans, and not to mention other desperate cities...

There would be three (possibly four) Behemoths, each with a different design and abilities, and each would have a team of three to pilot it. One (or two, in-sync?) functions as the pilot through motion controls, while another controls a number of secondary functions and equipment, as well as monitoring the status of the Behemoth.

This thread is to see if people are interested and if anyone has any good ideas or suggestions.

To start, the Leviathans come in several varieties, each vastly more powerful than the last:

• Kaiju - Lowest Tier, still able to level a city single-handedly, but can be injured or slowed by powerful conventional weaponry and are generally easy enough to deal with by a single Behemoth. Their diamond hard and semi-ethereal shells/skin/feathers/claws/teeth/bones serve as the primary building materials for future Behemoths, since these are the only materials that can reliably destroy Leviathans with relative ease (of any tier).

• Titan - Middle Tier, avoided as much as possible. Titans range from simply being 'really massive and powerful Kaiju' to 'mind-distorting Eldritch Abomination', but all of them contain both fully physical and ethereal components: meaning, indeed, that they can be slain, albeit with difficulty. However, conventional weaponry is at best a distraction, and slaying a Titan often requires tight coordination between multiple Behemoths. If two or more of these show up, it's pretty much the end of the city, no question.

• Ragnarok - Highest Tier. Thankfully, very rarely seen and poorly understood, always avoided regardless of cost, morality, or other commitments. Either completely incorporeal, or otherwise so impossibly vast as to be practically indestructible. Behemoths cannot harm them. Weaponry cannot harm them. Other Leviathans avoid them like the plague. Believed by some that, if two Ragnarok-scale Leviathans were ever to meet, the world would end.

edited 21st Jul '13 1:11:32 PM by Eventua

Kinda curious.

edited 13th Jul '13 7:19:01 PM by SixthSaint

Buuutttsss...! -beats head against the wall-

I'mma holler a mod, my bad.

Well, you said Pacific Rim, so I can't really say no to any'a this.

Let's do it.

Eee, people are interested! Remember, if you've got any suggestions or ideas, it'd be much appreciated!

Still trying to decide what roles you'd have on a Behemoth team. I'm thinking:

• Two pilots - using special 'plugsuits' to combine their thoughts and thus control the Behemoths movements, since its too much strain for one human to take. They need absolute concentration, they need to have a deep understanding of each others minds, and they need to be physically capable. Needless to say, finding two compatible individuals is a serious problem.

• Coordinator - sitting at a 'cockpit' located at a small 'hump' on the back of the Behemoth, the coordinator is given status updates on the Behemoth's systems and is in control of various secondary systems that don't match up with anything on a human body (and thus rendering them uncontrollable by the pilots). The coordinator can thus produce force-field like energy barriers from various locations on the Behemoth (and even project them outwards, a bit like an AT Field), activate inbuilt weaponry, and is also tasked with coordinating the repair teams and receiving information from headquarters.

• Repair teams - the Behemoths have limited regenerative abilities and are extraordinarily large, but they do generally take a serious beating and contain numerous mechanical components that *don't* regenerate. Since keeping a Behemoth healthy is the key to not getting several million people killed, the Behemoths contain internal networks of mechanical tubes and ladders, which are used by small but well-trained repair crews to get around quickly, allowing them to fix or replace the Behemoths mechanical components and to perform emergency surgery on severely-damaged organic areas.

As for the city, Shaleden is quite 'long', being more like a ridiculously massive old oil tanker (overgrown with vegetation) than an actual city. The engines give off a lot of excess heat and are heavily defended, so most of the wealthy live up that end, while the poorer masses are located towards the front. The underside of the city is built out of Kaiju shells to help avoid rusting and to protect them from underwater ambushes, and there are a series of massive guns at the front, as well as numerous secondary armaments.

Its primary exports are fresh fruit and vegetables (there's not enough room to waste any on cattle or other meat sources, so they have something of an excess of plant matter), fish and shrimp, and Kaiju components (living out on the sea is particularly dangerous, but highly lucrative).

Its run by an elected mayor who is advised by his (or her) 'council of five', each of which speaks on behalf of a different aspect of the city:

• Agriculture (food and fresh water)
• Engineering (maintaining the city, research and development)
• Defense (both conventional and Behemoth)
• Cultural (peoples opinions, art and entertainment etc.)
• Economic (trade, diplomacy, jobs etc.)

Lastly, characters would be from various ethnic groups - Shaleden was likely built in the area now known as Old Asia, but due to its nomadic existence and great age, it will have gathered people from various walks of life, cultures and nationalities.

edited 16th Jul '13 5:40:42 AM by Eventua

This has our interest.

Question: Will the Leviathians speak?

edited 15th Jul '13 8:54:31 PM by Insano

Some of them, particularly the more ethereal varieties, may do so. If they do, though, don't expect the experience to be very pleasant for the poor sap they're talking too, and don't expect the information gained to be massively helpful.

Regarding the Behemoths, Shaleden originally had four, but a while ago, they were attacked by an aerial Titan-class Leviathan named Shibalba that used powerful telekinetic abilities to generate a massive waterspout in order to sink Shaleden. The four behemoths onboard managed to defeat it, but one of them (Sapphire Edge) was severely damaged and the crew killed, and another one (Iron Lightning) was dragged deep underwater and crushed by a deep-sea Leviathan.

That leaves three Behemoths, one of which (Sapphire Edge) needs a new crew!

The three Behemoths are thus:

• Deep Blue, created primarily from the remains of an eel-like Kaiju-class Leviathan. It isn't as tough as most Behemoths, but is relatively quick and extremely agile underwater. Armed with a massive, Leviathan-hewn harpoon that fires armour-piercing torpedoes, and possessing retractable wrist and ankle blades, Deep Blue is primarily an interceptor - on numerous occasions, it has slain Kaiju long before they even reached the city. While this does mean it's nearly constantly getting damaged, it's pilots are also extremely experienced and it has the highest kill count of the lot. Deep Blue is based near the front of Shaleden, deep within the bowls of the city, where it can be rapidly deployed underwater to make the best use of its skills and equipment.

• Aquamarine. A Behemoth of a similar mold to the recently destroyed Iron Lightning, Aquamarine is crystalline and is possibly the most 'high-tech': while it's slow, shorter and bulkier than most Behemoths, it also possesses a massive variety of support functions (such as forcefields, electromagnetic pulses, and anti-Kaiju tesla cannons), mostly controlled by the coordinator, and can shrug off blows that would seriously damage the others. In a melee fight, meanwhile, its massive, diamond like fists and arm-mounted rail gun make it a devastating opponent. If they get past Deep Blue, they'll soon wish they hadn't. Aquamarine is based towards the rear of Shaleden, by the engines and wealthier districts, and does not leave the boat.

• Sapphire Edge. If Deep Blue is offensive and Aquamarine is defensive, then Sapphire Edge is designed to move between the two. Possessing the most complex hand systems and fine motor control, it is provided with a variety of handheld weapons that function like massively suped-up versions of the equipment used by ordinary humans. In addition, it possesses a series of small, secondary drones designed to gather information and target weak-points, giving it a 'reconnaissance' role as well. Though severely damaged, Sapphire Edge was mostly repaired using pieces of the felled Titan, and it is suspected that such psychokinetic material may produce... interesting, effects in Sapphire Edge. But first, they need new crew members for it.

The plot will thus revolve around the training and recruitment of the crew for Sapphire Edge, though you are free to apply for positions on the other two, just be aware that 'veterans' will mostly be in teaching roles, not focus points. This does mean that not all players will get to kick monster rear at the same time, but should hopefully enhance the character drama well enough.

Sign-ups are now open: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13739780520A60593400&page=1#1

edited 16th Jul '13 6:06:11 AM by Eventua

I have a question: What level of technology are we dealing with? Are people using iPhones to talk to each other, or shortwave radios? Is there a huge discrepancy between the upper and lower class when it comes to tech? Are there cybernetics?

edited 16th Jul '13 12:06:51 PM by KarlKadaver

Ah, should have mentioned. Although there is a degree of Schizo Tech and the setting it post-apocalyptic, the 'golden age' was much more advanced than nowadays.

Some of the larger stationary cities, for example, maintain a space program (the primary job of which is to maintain and launch satellites, for example) - there is thus internet and satellite imagery, though these are much less reliable than normal (since transmitters are fragile and being out at sea while you're getting attacked by giant monsters tends to screw with your internet connection).

Cybernetics and prosthetics are available, but vary a lot from location to location and depending on how wealthy you are.

Overall, Shaleden will probably be equivalent to the early 2000's - albeit with less reliable internet connections. Clumsy prosthetics are available, but health care is overall fairly expensive and expensive surgeries tends to be limited to the wealthier members of society.

Ah. Okay, thanks! That helps a lot.

Now for some more information regarding Sapphire Edge, the Behemoth the player characters will be training to ultimately crew.

Role (strengths): Reconnaissance, mobility, support for other Behemoths depending on situation, versatile, adaptable, easy to control due to very human shape and structure

Weaknesses: Less durable, not as strong in melee (offset by handheld melee weapons), lacks effective inbuilt weaponry

Appearance: http://fav.me/d6drfjc

Height: 104 feet

Width: 28 feet (at the shoulder)

Details: The fourth/fifth Behemoth commissioned and maintained by Shaleden (after Iron Lightning, Deep Blue and Chaos Theory/Aquamarine, in that order), Sapphire Edge was created at least partially as an experiment - to see if it was possible to create a Behemoth with fine motor control, by splicing additional human DNA into the composition normally used to 'grow' the additional Leviathan musculature needed to maintain such a massive organism. Thankfully, the experiment was a success, thus making Sapphire Edge one of the first 'human' Behemoths.

Unfortunately, while humans are able to use tools (including weapons) with great effectiveness, they are fundamentally not very powerful themselves - likewise, Sapphire Edge lacked the agility and speed of Deep Blue, but was also not particularly durable like Iron Lightning or Aquamarine. When the legendary Titan-class Leviathan Shibalba created a massive waterspout in the hope of sinking the city, Sapphire Edge's variable, portable weaponry proved ineffective, and it was dragged towards the Leviathan's many tentacles, tearing away at its armour with ease. It was saved at the last moment by the efforts of Iron Lightning, which used its grappling launchers to drag the severely damaged Behemoth back to the city - and in the process, was dragged down into the depths instead, crushed by the pressure and the jaws of the terrible Leviathan.

Unfortunately, the desperate act was not enough to save Sapphire Edge's crew, who all died from either severe concussive injuries or being drowned by the massive influx of water that leaked through the shattered armour. Now, the Behemoth suffers from not only severe injuries and not having a crew, but also must deal with the fact that few have confidence in its capabilities - to many, Sapphire Edge seems like an expensive liability.

Time will tell if that is the case, or if the new recruits can prove its worth saving. And by 'time', I mean 'the short amount they have left because dang it the engines are damaged and Shaleden is now resting in Leviathan infested waters'.

edited 17th Jul '13 2:14:05 PM by Eventua

A rough timeline of the world, at least according to the people of Shaleden, is as follows:

• Before the age of decline, there was the Golden Age, a period of progress. Although humanity's efforts brought ruin upon themselves and upon the environment, their knowledge of the world - and in turn, their knowledge of how to manipulate it through machines - increased exponentially. It is unknown how long it went on for, but humanity has evidently started to colonize space, at least to a degree, and had made astounding progress towards such things as intelligent A.I.s and exploring the depths of the oceans. Ultimately, the Golden Age ended centuries ago - with the arrival of the Leviathans and the panic that followed, humanity found itself forced to develop a counter-measure.
  • Their plan was two-pronged. The first was to create a variety of ways to simply keep the people out of the way of the Leviathans - different nations and cities took different approaches. Be they mounted upon great wheels or huge rail tracks like a train, lifted far above the clouds, released onto the ocean or simply fortified to the point that the Leviathans could not crack their great walls, the primary solution was simply to abandon smaller villages and towns, to crowd together, to stay away from the monsters.
  • The second was a weapon, that could consistently slay the Leviathans. While some had been felled by sheer weight of firepower, or nuclear bombs, or orbital strikes, these were all unreliable, expensive, time-consuming or generally destructive to the surrounding area. With no end in sight to the menace of the beasts, it became apparent that such methods would not prove effective forever. However, upon analyzing the flesh and bones of the Leviathans, it became apparent that these could be used for... other, things. By fusing Leviathan and human DNA, and implanting them with the bio-mechanical, spherical 'core' (as well as the large, four-faced 'brain') of a Leviathan, they could effectively 'grow' giant monsters of their own. The early experiments were difficult to control and almost as destructive as the thing they were supposed to slay, so a solution was crafted - through the use of further genetic modification, chemical stimulation, and most importantly a kind of 'digital-neurological fusion', they could 'tame' these artificial Leviathans by using human pilots (two - one for each pair of 'faces' to the Leviathan brain), forcing the beast to mimic the pilot movements. Thus was born the first Behemoth, known as Small Beginnings. Although weak, slow and lacking either inbuilt equipment or the finesse for giant weapons of its own, it only succeeded in slaying a single Leviathan before dying of its injuries. But with that first victory, humanity regained something it had lost - hope.

• But regardless, thus ended the Golden Age, and so began the Age of Decline. The Age of Decline has lasted for centuries, as cities use a mixture of Behemoths and giant weapons armed with anti-Leviathan weaponry (such as rail-guns that fire giant bullets made of sharpened Leviathan teeth) to defend themselves and, occasionally, wage war. Much of the old knowledge has been lost, so most cities simply scavenge what they can. While many cities have some form of 'internet', how effective it is varies a lot - a few of the more heavily defended in-land cities maintain the satellites and 'cloud', offering their digital services (forums, data storage, chatrooms etc.) to other cities for an annual fee.

• Shaleden has been around for the last 89 years, being a relatively new city created when the coastal trade city of Shanghai grew too over-crowded. As far as anyone knows, only one person still living on Shaleden remembers its launch, though others know of it from school or history books. At launch, it had two Behemoths - Iron Lightning and Deep Blue with a third (the brutish and hodgepodge Chaos Theory) being bought from another city around 72 years ago. When Chaos Theory was heavily damaged and its brain destroyed in a battle just 4 years later, the leftovers were repaired and given a new brain and much more advanced support systems - dubbed Aquamarine, it proved itself a stalwart defender. So effective was it, that a new Behemoth would not be created or bought until just a few years before the start of the RP.

• Sapphire Edge was the fifth and most recent Behemoth created, as an experiment to create a Behemoth with much finer motor control. The experiment was a success, and the Defence branch put aside a fair bit of its funding to the creation of massive, handheld weaponry that Sapphire Edge could use. In its first mission a few months ago, it succeeded in eliminating a powerful Kaiju with a single shot, and injured a second. On a second more recent occasion, its reconnaissance skills proved invaluable in targeting the weak-points on another Kaiju that Iron Lightning finished off with ease.

• Three days ago. That's when the Titan-class Leviathan Shibalba rose from the depths. Using information gathered through radar and Sapphire Edge, the plan was simple - Aquamarine would defend Iron Lightning and Sapphire Edge while they distracted the creature's attention (since it was discovered that despite its telekinetic power and razor sharp tentacles, it could only focus either in a narrow area above it, or in a wide area below it). The hope was that Deep Blue could kill it, from underneath.
  • The plan worked, but Sapphire Edge was too slow and too lightweight, being grabbed and pulled towards the gnashing jaws, the armour whipped up by the winds of the tornado and the needles of the tentacles stabbing through flesh and bone. Iron Lightning's pilots, desperate to save the crew, used their grappling launchers to rescue it - they proved powerful enough, but were caught off guard and knocked from the bow of the city, where they were utterly crushed.

• The city mourns its situation, but time is of the essence, and so the message went out throughout the city - through pamphlets and radio and word of mouth - that all who were brave and skilled enough, should meet in the city central plaza, for briefing and tests and training. Ultimately, the dead can be mourned when there is no longer quite such a constant risk of Leviathan attack.

edited 17th Jul '13 2:25:18 PM by Eventua

I'm interested in this (probably cause I just seen Pacific Rim). I like the Evangelion-esque aspects of it. I'll post a sign-up within the next few days.

I want to raise a question - should we keep the 'two pilot system', like Pacific Rim?

Or should we reduce it to one Pilot per Behemoth?

Could you describe the 5 most recent Leviathans please?

One I would like to officially declare interest.

Two I personally like the two person control system.

edited 2nd Aug '13 10:39:55 PM by DontLookBack

I wondered purely because the whole 'Pilot/Coordinator/Repair Crew' thing still keeps the focus on teamwork, but doesn't require as many slots to fill, or something? Truth be told, I feel I should do so as part of a reboot: instead of mostly being rookies who are just learning and occasionally get to be in the big stompy monster robot, it should just be about the crews of Deep Blue and Aquamarine - any players who join later could be Sapphire Edge's back-up/student crew, maybe?

This is just a maybe, though.

Regarding the previous 5 Leviathans, from most to least recent:

• Shibalba, Titan-class, appeared somewhat like a tube ringed with teeth and tentacles, and an elongated, pulsating brain. Its powerful mind could unleash terrifying telekinetic forces - whipping up the water above it into a massive whirlpool that threatened to sink Shaleden and devour it. Devoured Iron Lightning and severely damaged Sapphire Edge. It was killed by Deep Blue, which stabbed it through a much softer patch at the very 'tip' of its cone-shaped brain and ruptured it.

• Raspelon, Kaiju-class, a many-segmented, shrimp like beast that spat a deadly acid in a toxic spray around itself, crippling the more melee orientated Aquamarine, Iron Lightning, and Deep Blue. Was killed by Sapphire Edge, which used its rail-rifle to punch through the joints of its armour.

• Venom and Carnage, both Kaiju-class. Parasitic, amoeba like Leviathans that attacked from both directions. One attached itself to Aquamarine, the other to Deep Blue - they were destroyed, with difficulty, by the remaining Behemoths: Iron Lightning forcibly tore Venom to pieces before electrifying it, Sapphire Edge detonated an old oil rig onto Carnage, burning it away.

• Chime, Kaiju-class. Balanced on giant, iron stilt like limbs, it fired bolts of burning light that tore through Shaleden's defences like butter and threatened to sink it. Defeated through a true team effort - while Sapphire Edge and Iron Lightning redirected their batteries and organs to reinforce Aquamarine's forcefield (that it used to contain the monster and prevent further attacks), Deep Blue used its legs to strike it from beneath, impaling it.

So I should place Rukhsana and Sergei on the backburner? D:

Eh... I dunno? I'm still not sure. I've kind of been making up a lot of this stuff as I've gone along, and a lot of the people who showed interest seem to have stopped.

Those things combined (along with the fact that having the characters actually be able to, you know, control the Behemoths from the start rather than 'learning it') suggest to me I should just restart this thing. No reason you couldn't reuse your characters, though!

Ok, question.

So you have repair teams, right? I'm thinking about signing up a repair person. However, you need to be able to repair internal and external things on the Behemoths, otherwise that fancy cannon you installed that broke is dead weight (you at least need something to remove it, right?)

So you need a repair bot. Something small enough to be fast and maneuverable, but large enough to apply quick repairs to the outside. Fine control is better not done by AI (what if it breaks down? What if a Kaiju can disrupt or COR Rupt the system?), so said bot needs a pilot, and someone able to do repairs.

Basically, what I'm saying is this: A Methuss (if you didn't watch that before, then here's all you'll need to know and more about it - in brief, small, lightly armored, easily repairable, and in the SRW games always is a repair unit), and the person piloting it being able to use that for quick outside repairs as well as working on the inside. Not exactly glamorous, but better than a basic mechanic.

Hmm... since I'm going to be rebooting this, then...

What I'll do, is I'll keep this thread open (but I'll reboot the sign-up thread).

As for the idea for external mechanics...

Sounds excellent! Speaking of crews, I'm thinking... each Behemoth crew could have different ratios, perhaps?

Every Behemoth needs a pilot as a bare minimum - essentially, the partially formed, hybrid human-Leviathan brain that every Behemoth possesses in its skull is purely primal and destructive - hence, the clearer thinking human mind is needed to restrain it and in turn control its movements. However, the mind of a Leviathan is strong, and so a single pilot always runs the risk (especially if disorientated, drunk or tired) of succumbing to its pressure, sending the Behemoth on a rampage. Hence, most Behemoths have two pilots operating in time with each other: so long as their minds are compatible, it makes it harder for the Leviathan brain to reassert itself.

Occasionally, larger cities may use three pilots per Behemoth, but such tight relationships between three people at once are hard to find.

From there, most Behemoths have a single coordinator, who handles all of the 'doesn't match up to a human body' stuff that would be too distracting for pilots - such as messages from headquarters, built in weaponry, forcefields, status updates, relaying orders to the rest of the crew etc. No known Behemoth has more than one coordinator, though some have more stuff to coordinate.

Lastly, some (but not all) Behemoths will have two mechanics, both also trained in surgery and electronics. One crawls around inside to repair internal damage, while the second pilots a specialized, jet-pack equipped armoured suit. Though unarmoured and easily crushed by even kaiju-class Leviathans, they instead simply keep and eye on the outside, fixing up the Behemoth from the outside.

Sooo...

Five. Two pilots, two mechanics (one internal, one external) and one coordinator. Sound good? There are two Behemoths too crew (Aquamarine and Deep Blue) so that's a need for ten characters... sound good?

edited 8th Aug '13 5:21:25 AM by Eventua

I'm interested, is their any position perhaps that requires tactics and strategy? I like the idea of using some kind of guerrilla warfare, be it from a station or in the Behemoth itself, perhaps a 6th character that is the captain/commander of each? Making the decisions and what not. If not, if thiers a base commander type tactician position, im all for it

On-board each Behemoth, the coordinator is effectively the leader - besides relaying orders from headquarters within the city, they also get status updates on how healthy the Behemoth is and incoming threats/warnings/targets etc.

Outside, there *is* a Mission Control type character who runs things, but due to being the primary source of new information and having knowledge of the city's secrets, he/she would have to be an NPC, I'm afraid.

ALSO

I will post the new sign-ups in just under a week's time, when my relatives go back home.

Any positions that a degree of strategy could be implemented into? Other than being a pilot and knowing how to fight close up, i could do that if their are none though.

Hmm... well, the Behemoths operate as part of combined arms. Since a slain Leviathan often has a lot of excess materials left over after the Behemoths have been repaired, some of those will be used in construction materials - and more often than not, things like claws, teeth and quills will be used as anti-Leviathan ammunition for cannons and planes.

For that reason, I guess you could be one of the tacticians for the Behemoth support forces?