ITT: We Are Monsters on a Spooky Quest - Discussion

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Discussion thread for the upcoming ITT, We Are Monsters on a Spooky Quest. Starting tomorrow...    Friday the 13th!   

Edited by DrNoPuma on May 13th 2022 at 7:07:35 AM

Gengars are so Creepy Cute. :D

Good a place as any to shove some NPC concepts, I suppose.

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• Name: Zander Pike

• Gender: Male

• Species: Human

• Age: Nobody knows for sure, but he gives off the vibe of someone in late middle age.

• Appearance: A huge, brawny man, usually the largest person in any given room. He has a hard, sallow face, with skin so pale it's almost chalk white framed by long, limp black hair and a thin layer of similarly dark Perma-Stubble. His eyes are a vibrant blue, but those who've made eye contact with him and lived to tell the tale speak with a shiver of how cold and lifeless they are. He wears heavy leather armour and furs that make him seem even larger, and is usually seen carrying a longsword infused with silver.

• Backstory: Nobody is sure where Zander Pike comes from, or what motivated him to begin his crusade. He simply showed up one day, killing any monsters that crossed his path and terrifying plenty of people besides, and has carved a bloody swath through the setting ever since. He does not talk about his origins, and will curtly tell anyone who inquires about them to go away - an order that, thanks to his reputation, is always followed as quickly as possible. Something that is known for certain is that he has a history with "The Ravager", a werewolf Serial Killer whose true identity remains unknown - and he's convinced one Rosamund Sveynsdóttir, among the few non-humans to have faced Zander and lived, is his mark...

• Personality: Even other monster hunters think Zander Pike is a terrifying extremist nutjob. He claims to have a "greater purpose" he is working towards, but it's generally accepted that the primary reason he kills is the clear joy he takes in violence. When he's not reveling in bloodshed, Zander is a cold man with limited emotional range and even fewer interests - monster hunting, as far as anyone can tell, is his entire life. He takes a dim view of anyone who isn't living a hard life of total devotion to a grim purpose, dismissing them as "soft".

• Strengths: Massive physical strength, considerable skill with a sword. A master of psychological intimidation - and many are terrified at the prospect of facing him to begin with. Nearly unbreakable will. Silver-lined weapon and armour can interfere with enemy magic thanks to silver's anti-magic properties.

• Weaknesses: Prone to fixating on one target to the exclusion of others. Lacks any sort of magical or ranged combat ability. Lacks meaningful social ties, and even the few who travel with him wouldn't necessarily jump to help him.

• Misc:
  • Obviously, Zander's purpose is to be Rosamund's Arc Villain. I have a bad habit of overcomplicating my RP plots and then ending up unable to resolve them, so this guy's a conscious effort to do something a bit simpler.
  • Voiceclaim: Steven Hartley

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• Name: Sennen Ashworth

• Gender: Female

• Species: Human

• Age: 24

• Appearance: In contrast to Zander, Sennen is small, lithe and agile-looking. Her hair is bright red, long and wild, and her green eyes perpetually glitter as if laughing at a joke you haven't heard. She favours a rapier and a flintlock over Zander's hefty two-handed swords, and wears light clothing no different to what you'd see on the average villager in a small backwater town, for ease of movement.

• Backstory: Sennen Ashworth was a trader's daughter, seemingly destined for an ordinary life. Sennen herself was a free spirit who detested the idea of growing up to be an ordinary, boring adult; most of her time as a young girl was spent outdoors, seeing what interesting things she could find in the nearby wilds, much to her parent's consternation. Ironically, it was this habit that saved her life - when the Ravager slaughtered the Ashworths in their home, Sennen was away at the time. She returned to a scene of devastation, and amidst the grief that followed, she vowed to get her revenge.

It was Zander Pike, never far behind his eternal nemesis, who offered Sennen a chance to avenge her family. She was wary, able to tell even without knowing who he was that Zander wasn't great news himself, but she knew another chance to hunt the Ravager might never come, and so she agreed. Since then, she's served as a kind of squire to Zander, training in combat under him and assisting him in battle. She grows increasingly wary of her mentor's obvious unhinged tendencies, but the only thing she wants more than to leave him behind is to find and kill the Ravager, and he's the only one who seems to have any idea how to track the mysterious lupine killer. Thus, reluctantly, she continues to follow Zander wherever he may go.

• Personality: An endless wellspring of exuberance, Sennen charges rooms with energy to the same degree that Zander chills them. Chatty and snarky with limited impulse control, she's the kind who speaks her mind without really thinking and remains oblivious to the offense she might cause. She hates being confined in one space for long, and considers the constant travel a rare perk of life on the road with Zander. You may wonder why she even sticks with him, until she's reminded of the fate of her family and shows off her darker, vengeful side.

• Strengths: Quick-footed and equally quick-witted. Much more of a "people person" than Zander, she can make negotiations he'd never bother with in the first place.

• Weaknesses: Her impulsiviness has led her to make more than a few bad decisions. Her raw physical strength is unimpressive.

• Misc:
  • Another old friend? Another old friend.
  • Voiceclaim: Jodie Whittaker

be nice to benjamin it's not his fault he got beat up by a microbe

why did y'all not show me the link for this

He can, however, feel sad, like when his wife left him.

Sorry, but I did put the links for each thread at the top a few days ago.

Edited by DrNoPuma on May 15th 2022 at 8:42:59 AM

Gengars are so Creepy Cute. :D

Two things, a statement and a question.

1. I drew these cartoony spiders/spider-like beings in my sketchbook today. May be useful for the upcoming spider-filled swamp. (If these are too goofy for your ideas and don't mind looking at pictures of spiders, feel free to PM me for all of my weird knowledge on spiders and other arachnids.)

2. Is there any specific time period/tech level limit expected for the setting? Just want to make sure to avoid any quibbles down the line.

Welcome to Ideal's World

Those are good! Very creative! The spiders in the upcoming swamp are meant to be monstrous flesh-eaters. Are you okay with your spiders being like that?

The setting is kind of an Überwald, so I would say the technology is 19th century at the latest.

Gengars are so Creepy Cute. :D

My spider designs may have been a bit more friendly design-wise, but if you want to use them as inspiration, it's fine!

EDIT: Made a page of more intimidating designs for inspo.

I don't know why the image rotated on uploading.

Edited by plakythebirb on Sep 13th 2022 at 11:30:42 AM

Welcome to Ideal's World

Finally got around to drawing a polished reference of my character.

Welcome to Ideal's World