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Freelancer: Post-Apocalyptic/Fantasy RPG signups

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SomethingRandom113 That Friend Nobody Likes from R'lyeh, the Pacific Ocean Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
That Friend Nobody Likes
#1: Mar 26th 2018 at 4:27:46 PM

"So, You All Meet in an Inn off the battered, well-worn remains of I-74 in what was once the state of Illinois..."

Welcome to the Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy world of Freelancer! Freelancer is basically what would happen if you took Shadowrun, slid it a few notches closer to the "Idealistic" end on the Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism, replaced all of the Cyberpunk elements with After the End elements, and set it exclusively in the ruins of North America, as opposed to the whole world. You'd probably get a setting somewhat similar to Freelancer. You're still playing a mercenary, but, due to the differences in setting, your job description is a bit different than it would be in the gritty Cyberpunk world of Shadowrun. For one thing, you aren't being hired by Megacorporations, but by paramilitary or paragovernmental factions. Also, your job is probably going to be more combat-oriented, so pack your shotgun or bastard sword.

The Infodump: Apocalypse How did the world end? Well, it ended in stages. Here they are:

  • 2019: The Magic (Begins to) Come Back!: A rash of events, both large and small, benign and dangerous occur which the mainstream scientific community is at a loss to explain. More "Sensitive" individuals (about 15% of the population), unused to the presence of magic, begin to feel and act strangely. "New Age" and Neopagan religions receive a surge in popularity, and many of the more "Wacky" followers of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) begin to preach that the end is near (they're actually partially correct, but not in the way that they think).
  • 2020: Weather Gets Weird (Really, really weird): The weather begins acting up. Summers get are hotter and drier and winters are colder and snowier (rainier closer to the equator). Several scientific explanations are offered, but they crumble when examined closely. Freak weather events, both harmless and disastrous occur with more frequency and in different areas than usual.
  • 2020: Holy Crap, Look at the Moon!: The moon inexplicably gets closer to Earth, weather patterns get even weirder, but human civilization is mostly unscathed.
  • 2021-2022: War Brews: Due to the already strained political situation, magic-affected behavior among some political and military leaders, and the strain put on human civilization by things like the weather, the inexplicable events, and the moon's closer orbit to Earth, World War III becomes a real possibility as international relations, already fragile, crumble like a charcoal log somebody started messing with.
  • 2023: (Literal) Dehumanization Results in all Hell Breaking Loose: About halfway through 2023, about 60% of the population begins to slowly (3 days are the average) and rather painfully transform into fantasy creatures. About a day after the transformation begins, various world governments, believing the (as of yet still incomplete) transformations to be the result of biological weapons, declare war on various other world governments. Atomic weapons are not deployed as of yet, but many fear they will be used soon. As a result of the war, inexplicable transformations, and general worry, protests and even full-on riots become commonplace.
  • 2024: "Strange" Behavior Subsides, But Chaos Continues: Various "sensitive" individuals become accustomed to the prescence of magic and "strange" behavior finally subsides. However, World War III rages on, as do the protests and riots. Hate crimes against the still newly-transformed elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings/hobbits, and goblins begin to be common, and really weird conspiracy theories begin to gain popularity.
  • 2024: Fantasy Creatures Emerge From Hiding: Although people are now (somewhat) used to the idea of elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings/hobbits, and goblins existing, they figure that since random people didn't transform into dragons, giants, or trolls, that said creatures don't actually exist. They're proven wrong as, in late November, magical creatures all over the world begin to emerge from hiding as magic once again bathes the world.
  • 2025: The Nukes Are Dropped: Well, it was inevitable pretty much as soon as World War III began, and, in early January of 2025, the nukes are finally dropped. Less are dropped than expected, and only a few dozen cities are vaporized, so most of the world governments are still functional, if heavily damaged, but little does everybody know that the shit is only beginning to hit the fan.
  • 2025: The First Mages Go Public: Pretty much as soon as humans finished their transformations into iconic fantasy races, most people figured that if there are fantasy creatures, and if there are bizarre, inexplicable events, there's probably magic. So, of course, people set out to figure out how to do it. Magic is hard to learn, but there'd probably been mages around at least since 2024, and possibly all the way back in '19 when this lunacy started, but they didn't go public until the nukes began to fall and they realized they might die before they got their 15 minutes of fame.
  • 2025: Plagues (Three Different Ones): Somehow, three superviruses break out simultaneously in different places all over the world. On North America, some sort of Superflu devastates the population, while a "Rage Virus" sends infected into a psychotic frenzy all over Europe and a disease that's a lot like Ebola but much, much worse ravages Africa.
  • 2026: Out of the Fire and Into the Fucking Volcano: With all hell already loose, all pandemonium breaks loose when, over the course of 2 weeks, The United States, Britain, and Russia begin to use their still-experimental psychic warfare technology that they've been working on since the Cold War. About 99.999% of the global population is given a horrible headache, 90% of the global population is temporarily incapacitated or driven insane, 30% are given permanent mental illnesses, and 5% die due to the psychic trauma. In a rare lucky break, a disproportionate amount of those killed are infected with one or more of the superviruses, and the global pandemics subside.
  • 2027: Positive Side-Effects of Getting Your Brain Fried: Amidst the collapse of humanoid civilization, some people begin manifesting Psychic Powers. Scientists are too busy trying to save the damn world to argue the difference between magical and psychic abilities.
  • 2029: Superflu Vs Rage Virus: Resurgence: Although super-Ebola is gone, the superflu and rage virus begin to make a comeback. Most governments that haven't already collapsed by now collapse.
  • 2032: The Viruses Finally Lose Some Steam: The superflu has already ravaged pretty much everyone who isn't immune, so it goes extinct. Due to the low population, the rage virus, although still a threat, becomes much less so.
  • 2037 AD/0 PE: Goodbye, Guys!: The last remaining national government collapses. Chaos has already ensued, but it escalates.
  • 1: The Magic Finally Finishes Coming Back!: The magic is finally completely back in our world. Only about 5% of the world's pre-apocalypse population (between 350 and 400 million people) is around to care, though.
  • 68: You Are Here: The current year.

Races:

A quick description of the races and their physical appearance and capabilities.

    open/close all folders 

    Humans 
You (probably) are one, so no need to describe them. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: Pick an additional skill.
    Elves 
Elves look like humans, but tend to be taller and thinner, with catlike slanted eyes and pointed ears. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: You have acute hearing and low-light vision. In addition, quick, agile, and light on your feet. Racial Penalties: You are not as tough as the other races, can't take quite as much damage, and fall ill more easily.
    Dwarves 
Dwarves look like humans, but are shorter (Averaging about 4'8") and stockier. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: You have poison resistance and night vision. In addition, you are tough and have a high pain tolerance. Racial Penalties: You are heavy and not very agile.
    Orcs 
Orcs look like humans, but have a minor underbite, and their canines are long and pointed. Their eyes are typically brown, green, or yellow, although blue still sometimes appears. Their eyes are also reflective, like a cat's. They are slightly taller, on average, than humans. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: You are strong and tough, and have night vision. Your bite is also more dangerous than most humanoids' bites due to your tusks. Racial Penalties: You are bad-tempered and not very charismatic.
    Halflings/Hobbits 
Halflings, or "Hobbits" as they are sometimes called, look like humans, but are short, even shorter than dwarves (on average, they're about 4'2"), and have tough, furry feet. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: You have low light vision, and are small, agile, and mentally resilient. Racial Penalties: Your size is not always to your advantage (dwarves are only as strong as humans because they're so stocky and dense), and you are a Big Eater.
    Goblins 
Goblins are perhaps the most changed of all the non-human humanoids. They have long, pointy ears (even longer and pointier than those of elves), long faces, slightly pointy teeth, and large, bulging eyes, typically orange, yellow, or green, and reflective, like orcs' eyes. They are typically a few inches shorter than the average human. Racial Benefits/Capabilities: You have very keen senses (more sensitive than elves), night vision, and are quick and light on your feet. Your bite is also more dangerous even than that of an orc. Racial Penalties: You are scrawny and sensitive to light. You are also scary-looking.

CHARACTER CREATION SHEET

  • Name: What you are called. Depending on where you live and how much they've changed, it could be anything from "Todd Johnson" to "Head-Taker". Feel free to write any nicknames here as well, so long as they're in quotation marks (such as Todd "Head-Taker" Johnson).
  • Age: Your character's age. All races, even elves, age at about the same rate.
  • Race: Are you a Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Halfling, or Goblin?
  • Appearance: What do you look like?
  • Personality: How does your character act? Are they brash? Quiet? Sarcastic?
  • Skills: Choose three skills (or four if you are a human). Your character is very good at these three (or four) things. Skills can be anything so long as it isn't too broad or too narrow. "Survival" and "Fighting" are not acceptable skill choices, but "Wilderness Survival", "Scavenging", "Firearms" and "Brawling" are acceptable skill choices. Please elaborate as well. Describe how and why they're so skilled in that area. Needless to say, you can't take a skill twice. Your character can do things that aren't listed as skills, but they aren't as good at those things.
  • Powers: If you don't wish to have powers, pick another skill. This stacks with human racial bonus skills. If you do wish to have powers, choose Psychic, Mage, or Knack. People can have more than one power, but I'm not letting you do so for the sake of game balance.
    • Psychic Abilities are abilities that are supernatural, but are more scientific than knacks and "Different" than magic. In fact, it's debatable whether they're truly supernatural or just based on a scientific law we haven't discovered yet. The scientists who worked on the psychic warfare projects knew, but they're all dead. Choose a psychic ability. It could be Telepathy, Telekinesis, or Pyrokinesis, but, as with skills, you are limited only by your imagination and what I deem acceptable. Remember to elaborate!
    • Mages are individuals capable of shaping and manipulating magic. They are the most powerful and versatile of the powers, but often require intense concentration, words and gestures, and more time than psychic abilities or knacks. Choose a type of mage. It could be Wizard, Shaman, Pyromancer, or Necromancer, but, as with skills, you are limited only by your imagination and what I deem acceptable. Mage types govern what you can do and how you can do it. A pyromancer would be better than a shaman when blasting enemies with fireballs, but would be stumped when attempting to commune with spirits. Remember to elaborate!
    • Knacks: are innate magical abilities not connected to race. Unlike Psychics or Mages, people with knacks do not need to concentrate to use their powers, their knacks are perpetually "on", as it were. Nor do they require any special words, gestures, or components to work. Think of them like magical versions of skills. They can be anything from Radiation Resistance to Enhanced Strength to Magic or Psychic Resistance, but, as with skills, you are limited only by your imagination and what I deem acceptable. Remember to elaborate!
  • Racial Abilities: List the Racial Benefits/Capabilities and Racial Penalties here. Be concise.
  • Gear: Tools and weapons. If it's something crazy or too many things, I'll not allow it, but otherwise you're probably okay. You should also keep track of rations and ammunition, but you don't have to be precise, just say "Many", "Few", etc,. Also, when choosing weapons, remember that, although guns do more damage, they're loud, unreliable (because most of them are really old and/or poorly made), and ammunition and replacement parts are expensive.
  • Backstory: What was your character's life like?

edited 1st Apr '18 4:32:14 PM by SomethingRandom113

Umm... so, I was here, I guess. If I wasn't, someone hacked my account. So, yeah.
SomethingRandom113 That Friend Nobody Likes from R'lyeh, the Pacific Ocean Since: Aug, 2017 Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
That Friend Nobody Likes
#2: Mar 29th 2018 at 1:56:47 PM

Since nobody seems interested in freelancer, I'm just going to move on. You can still sign up if you like, but I won't be checking that often. NOTE: This DOES NOT mean I'm giving up on it, just that since it seems nobody is interested, I'm no longer actively checking up on it or promoting it. I'll still check up on it once and awhile.

edited 1st Apr '18 4:30:56 PM by SomethingRandom113

Umm... so, I was here, I guess. If I wasn't, someone hacked my account. So, yeah.
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