Fate/First Song sign-up

[Ruler]

Fate/First Song

“Gather here, Masters; may you craft a tale of blood and glory.”

The Holy Grail War. A struggle between seven teams of two- half human, half timeless spirits. It is a war where seven mortal people, often modern wizards, take on the role of a Master summon themselves a Servant. What is a Servant, you ask? To put it simply, these are figures of legend and fame, heroes from both mythology and recorded history. They are summoned in to one of seven classes-

Saber, Knight of the Sword

Lancer, Knight of the Lance

Archer, Knight of the Bow

Rider, Mounted Knight

Caster, Magus

Assassin, Silent Killer

Berserker, Mad Warrior

With these powerful beings on their side, the seven Masters set out to defeat one another in combat, either by destroying opposing Servants or the Masters themselves. Carnage, for a cause... as the last team standing finds themselves at the foot of the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is a mystery, not yet fully comprehended by mages. Once filled with the souls of six defeated Servants, it gains the ability to grant the final Servant and Master team their wish. Masters may wish for power, riches, love, what have you... Servants themselves often yearn to fix their bloody past life. This is the nature of the Holy Grail War, a competition between tragic souls who each seek final penance as they cooperate with the various motives of their human Masters. Some teams find more synergy among themselves than others,

but all who participate know that cooperation is crucial in winning this war...

Setting

The year is 1990. The Holy Grail War takes place in a metropolis called Forway, dotting the east coast of the United States. Mages tend to avoid the city of Forway, as it has built a reputation of murder and deceit. The seven Masters who gather here for the War must learn to brave the rumored terrors of the misty city, as the reward is very much worth the risk. Forway is divided into two parts:

Along the coast lies the heavily urbanized district. Stretching seven miles up the beach, this section of the city reaches for the heavens with countless skyscrapers, designed for both business and residential means. The very edge of the coast is lined with warehouses and ship docks, as one would expect. Important locations in the Urban district include,

Kanyon Hotel to the northeast,

Tarry Market east of center,

Serenity Gardens (hotel) to the south,

Ready Days Motel to the southwest,

and the menacingly tall Oracle Tower dominating the west-northwest.

Masters not native to the city need a place to stay, of course, and a popular destination includes the hotels of the Urban district. However, a Master must be wary of his opponents at all times, and sharing a hotel with another Master may prove deadly. Oracle Tower is a special location, with great significance in the Holy Grail War; unfortunately, Masters are not wise to this significance, as a magic barrier protects the building, prohibiting entry from all not marked for access.

As the Urban district stretches westward, about four miles off the coast, the city slowly begins morphing into a Suburban area. Sprawling homes build between the tall trees, this area is filled with residences and other small businesses, such as grammar schools and food establishments. To the far west of town sits the ruins of an old city, now mostly renovated. The very edge of the ruins remains in place though, its stone rubble verdant with moss and age as the neighboring forests grow through the ancient structures.

Important locations in the Suburban area include,

Hartmann’s Park in the center,

Stairway School to the south,

Old Town Ruins to the west,

Forway Church to the northeast,

and the Forway National Forest surrounding the north, east, and south borders.

Important Terms

This is a brief glossary of words used in this material. Feel free to ask me for specific clarification if you’re feeling confused (via PM if you can), or try consulting the Type-Moon wiki. However I am streamlining some elements of the Fate series for the sake of this roleplay, and what I use here may be modified from the source material.

Master:

Humans chosen to participate in the Holy Grail War. Most of them are magi (mages), capable of magecraft (spells and enchantments), but that is not always the case. A Master needs to survive the war with his Servant in order to claim the Holy Grail. They are constantly providing their Servants with the magic energy needed to stay materialized- this is often a non-issue, as even moderate use of a Servant’s power won’t burn out a Master, but certain classes and abilities can drain magic power faster than a Master wishes.

Servant:

Heroic spirits from history and mythology, summoned to the modern world as warriors of immense power. Only a Servant can face another Servant in true combat, as they are impossibly strong when compared to humans (including magi). Servants summoned to the world are instantly granted general knowledge of modern times, to prevent culture shock and manipulation via technology. Servants also possess the ability to revert to an invisible spirit form, for the sake of moving around unnoticed by the public, but they cannot fight in this state. A Servant is summoned into one of seven classes:

Saber:

Knight of the Sword, often regarded as the strongest class. Heroic spirits of this class must have been known for their extraordinary ability with a sword, or wielding a famous blade. All Sabers possess outstanding Magic Resistance, and are rarely harmed by modern magi. They also possess great Riding ability, often capable of riding any non-magical animal or vehicle.

Ex. King Arthur, Sir Gawain, Siegfried

Lancer:

Knight of the Lance, a very agile class. These heroes must have wielded some sort of polearm in their lifetime (not necessarily lances and spears). Lancers are common among the heroes of Ireland, but there are many from different origins. Lancers also possess decent Magic Resistance.

Ex. Cú Chulainn, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, Vlad III

Archer:

Knight of the Bow. Archers are masters of ranged combat, and may wield ranged weapons other than bows. Alongside Magic Resistance, Archers possess the skill of Independent Action, which makes them capable of operating apart from their Master, or without one at all for a certain time.

Ex. Gilgamesh, Robin Hood, Atalanta

Rider:

Mounted Knight, a class with great speed and firepower. These heroes were known for having ridden a mount of some sort, be it the Pegasus or a chariot. Their Riding skill makes them instant masters of controlling any sort of mount they come across, even magical or divine beasts.

Ex. Medusa, Alexander the Great, Francis Drake

Caster:

Magus, far more powerful than any magi living today. During their lives, Casters must have been involved with the supernatural in one form of the other, often occultism or perhaps ancient sorcery from the Age of Gods. They have the abilities to craft magical objects with their Item Construction skill, and can use Territory Creation to from spaces that enhance their spellcraft.

Ex. Medea, Gilles de Rais, Tamamo-no-Mae

Assassin:

Silent Killer, the class for spirits who excelled at killing stealthily. They are generally weaker than other spirits, especially those placed in one of the three Knight classes, so they use their skills to pick off enemy Masters. Assassins possess remarkable prowess in Presence Concealment, a skill that hides their being from all other beings until they move to ready an attack.

Ex. Hassan-i-Sabbah, Sasaki Kojirou, Jack the Ripper

Berserker:

Mad Warrior. Berserker spirits are heroes who have succumbed to blind rage or madness in their lives, even if it was only temporary. They are often weaker spirits in their base forms, but can match or even surpass other classes when under the effects of Mad Enhancement, which breaks their sanity in exchange for increasing parameters. Easily the most difficult class of Servants to control, they are also known as the most draining- an active Berserker under the effects of Mad Enhancement can swiftly drain the magic power of his Master, ruining both their chances at winning the Holy Grail.

Ex. Heracles, Lu Bu, Spartacus

Noble Phantasm:

The unique weapons and abilities of Servants. Noble Phantasms are specifically the items and concepts that have allowed figures of myth to become Heroic Spirits valid for the Holy Grail War. Servants generally limit the use of these weapons, as once the name or nature of a weapon is known, the Servant’s true identity may be deduced and therefore their weaknesses. However these weapons are often very deadly, and in order to win the Holy Grail, one cannot expect to keep their true powers sealed for the duration of the war. A Servant cannot afford to simply use their greatest weapons at all times, however, as activation of most Noble Phantasms drains magic energy from the Servant’s Master. Noble Phantasms are not always physical weapons, they may sometimes be concepts or ideas that embody the Heroic Spirit, which can grant passive enhancements or protection from harm.

Ex. King Arthur’s Excalibur, Alexander the Great’s chariot Gordius Wheel, Heracles’s “extra lives” granted by his Twelve Labors

Command Spells:

Mystic Tattoos which form on the hands of Masters. They are three seals that form a design, and exist to show the Masters’ authority. A Master can use his Command Seals to give his Servant an order, and the more specific an order is, the more compelled a Servant is to carry it out. If a Master uses all three of his seals, he technically has no authority over his Servant, but they may continue to work together if their goals and relationship calls for it. The design created by the three tattoos often symbolizes an aspect of the Master’s personality and being.

Servant Statistics:

Every Servant has parameters and skills measured and ranked on an E-through-A scale, with an even higher EX rank for impossible levels of power. The parameters are,

Strength: Physical strength of a Servant. Even rank E is ten times stronger than a human strongman.

Endurance: The vitality and toughness of a Servant. Basically the physical resistance.

Agility: How fast and dexterous a Servant is.

Mana: The amount of magic power a Servant can handle.

Luck: The quality of a Servant’s luck, affects various things.

An example Servant Stats sheet would look something like,

Servant Saber

Name: King Arthur

Alignment: Lawful Good

Strength: A

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Mana: A

Luck: A+

Skills:

Magic Resistance: A

Riding: B

Charisma: B

Instinct: A

Prana Burst: A

Noble Phantasms:

Excalibur: Anti-Fortress, A++

Invisible Air: Anti-Unit, C

Avalon: Support, EX

Obviously King Arthur was an exceptionally powerful Servant so don’t expect most to look like this.

Other Information

For various explanations that don’t need a glossary entry. Can be filled as demanded.

Magecraft:

Sometimes known colloquially as “magic”, magecraft is the ability to manifest magic power in physical form. True magic would be the recreation of miracles, but the abilities of all modern magi are nowhere near the level of actual magic. Instead, a magus can perform simple, sometimes predictable techniques with their power: create illusions, form a fireball, create familiars. There could be some magi with more abstract abilities, but a general rule is that the magic power of modern magi is relatively small-scale, especially compared to the magi of the Caster class.

If a player is seasoned in the realm of Fate series (Nasuverse) magecraft, they can have more intricate abilities if you really know what you’re talking about. But for the most part, it is a fairly confusing concept, so I’d like to keep it streamlined for this RP.

Nature of this RP

I feel this warrants a short explanation. The Holy Grail War is, first and foremost, a deadly competition. Translate that to RP terms: this is a PvP roleplay. Now, that doesn't mean your characters will absolutely die- you could be the winner, after all! But it must be understood that by playing a Master/Servant, you run the risk of having your characters killed. Of course, this can be done gracefully, and we can end up writing a thrilling story. If you play for the sake of the narrative and story, I assure you that you'll have a better time here than participating solely for the fights. That doesn't mean I want to discourage the fighting, though, quite the opposite in fact! The fighting is what drives the RP, in a sense. We'll just need a dash of tact to keep it from becoming an argument over power-levels or some such.

How To Join

Simply PM me a Master character in order to join this RP. DO NOT POST AN APPLICATION IN THIS THREAD. For the time being, the thread is for questions and discussion only. And obviously, if I receive more than seven applications, some may not make the cut. I could allow more characters to participate, as Irregulars, but only if an applicant has an understanding of the Fate series beyond the information I’ve explained in this RP.

For your application I’m looking for,

Name: Character’s name

Appearance: What they look like, try for one paragraph of descriptions at the very least.

Personality: How the character acts- at least one solid paragraph here.

Biography: Your character’s history. Make sure to include how they became a Master for the Holy Grail War, be it a mage seeking the Grail or some random person who happened to be in Forway at the time of selection. Two paragraphs here, nothing less.

Magecraft: The magical powers used by your character- can be blank if they aren't a mage. This can be bare-bones as long as the idea is understandable.

Once the Masters are accepted, you will be assigned one of seven Servant classes, and we will work on that character via PM.

Accepted Players

1. Ether

2. Snowy_One

3. seph1212

4. Furetchan

5. scorri

6. Click This

"Go now, Masters! Summon your Servant and claim glory!"

Holy Grail War, 1975

Saber rose from the ground, gritting his teeth as he brushed dust off his robes. His furrowed brow stared intensely at the opposing figure, a woman standing atop a low-roofed building, armed with an ornate officer’s sword and a small torch. She was Servant Archer, from what Saber could tell, a conclusion made from the sighting of four cannons lined up alongside the female Servant. The cannon fire was dangerous, wave after wave with little to no pause between shots. What kind of Servant would possess a Noble Phantasm like that?

“Dispara!” Yelled the Archer, hoisting her torch to the sky. As the flame in her hand flickered in the night, the fuses of all four cannons lit without direct contact. And with that, a heavy boom rang through the suburban streets, bringing with it a flash of fiery light. During the short moments that the cannons fired, Saber was able to make out more and more details on Archer’s person- she was of moderate height, a woman with a stern face and dark eyes. She wore some kind of uniform... yellow jacket and pants, with a black and white hat. Who was she? No one that Saber would ever be able to recognize, in any case. The swordsman himself did his best to dance with the wind, swaying his rusty-looking broadsword as he rode the breeze to avoid the cannon fire. He couldn’t get close enough to properly engage the enemy Servant as those cannons bombarded his position in narrow street... Hell, Saber couldn’t even use his own projectile attack to trade blows. Not only was he downwind from Archer, his air blades would only reach so far... but there may yet be a solution.

“I trust you’re having fun, sir Saber?” Chuckled Archer, raising her arm to signal another wave of cannon fire. The show before her was most pleasing; she knew it was only a matter of time before Saber tripped and succumbed to her relentless cannons. What a thrill, to keep the supposedly strongest Servant class on his toes! She was literally forcing him to dance by shooting at his feet, and he could do nothing about it. “You must be tired, dear! Pray, take a moment to rest, why don’t you? I promise my cannons will deliver you to a most restful slumber.” Saber couldn’t stand her mockery, but he knew he deserved it. To be strung along by this woman for so long, not able to maneuver properly in this street, it was all so... vexing.

A deep wind flowed from Saber, as he exhaled from the core of his being. ’I finish this... now.’ Every movement he made had to be timed perfectly, utilizing the virtually non-existent yet crucial breaks in Archer’s cannon fire. Saber’s vigilance and perception was enhanced by his Eye of the Mind skill, which gave him an inhuman feel for battle- a sixth sense to calculate predicaments and avoid danger in times of utter peril. It was this ability that allowed him to cut a hole through Archer’s strategy, giving him a split-second of opportunity. Archer smirked at the still Saber, raising her arm and...

In an instant, the street was blasted by winds of terrifying force. Archer stumbled backwards in shock, watching as her cannons fired towards Saber only for the lead projectiles to be deflected by a gale whipping around Saber. The swordsman summoned an inner force so powerful, it literally vibrated through his lungs as a bellow for the ages, before his sword began screaming in the wind. Green rust, which covered the blade like a layer of damaged skin, peeled back in the razor winds to reveal the sword’s original form- a brilliant, spotless broadsword engraved with glowing white Asiatic writing. Saber held his sword high, as Archer watched on in horror at the swordsman’s second wind... “Wha-?! How could he-?!” She exclaimed, her voice choking at the sight of truly awesome power. As effective as she was at keeping a Servant at bay, Archer was still a young Heroic Spirit in the grand scheme of history, and nothing she could muster would ever be able to defy the supernatural power of ancient heroes.

“RRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!” Saber stood strong in his position, his muscles nearly petrifying in order to maintain the unimaginable pressure created by his sword. The winds focused on the blade, forming a terrible twister with the sword at the root. It was as if the concentrated hurricane was an extension of the sword, ready to shred and annihilate with razor gales and mountainous air pressure...

“SWORD!” Saber roared, his attack reaching its peak, “OF HEAVEN’S...!!” Saber slammed his sword down, letting his gale rip through the streets... even from range, Archer was engulfed, and she could do naught but accept her fate.

“CLOUDS!!!”

…

Elsewhere in the city, Servant Lancer stood before a true juggernaut of a Servant. It had to be Berserker, the man was absolutely bloodthirsty- Lancer could feel the earth tremor with every heavy swing of Berserker’s dark, sanguine sword. The spearman himself could do nothing but keep his shield raised, as ever poke he could manage to land from behind his bulwark was seemingly ignored by the mad Servant snarling at the bronze-clad Lancer.

Berserker, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. Not that he could understand what was happening, of course; his Mad Enhancement skill robbed him of the ability to think for himself, to process what has happening around him. All he could do was follow the will of the cursed blade in his hand...

’Killkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkill

KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL

KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL’

His mind and body became one with the butcher sword. It was a madness like no other, yet at the same time, Berserker was very focused and aimed. Lancer couldn’t believe it... the madman bombarding his shield better resembled a force of nature, rather than any historic warrior. He wasn’t sure if he could hold on.

Persia was nothing compared to the power of this beast.

From a fifth-story window overlooking the street of the Servants’ battle, Berserker’s Master couldn’t help but grin. Her wicked old teeth reflected the yellow moonlight, while her face lingered in the shadows. Any time now, she was sure Lancer’s shield would falter to her archetypal Berserker. She could sense the strength draining from the spear-wielding warrior... as could Berserker. Every strike of his sword against the surprisingly effective defense of Lancer’s shield garnered more and more give, and it was only a matter of time before Berserker gained fantastic ground against his opponent. Lancer had no reason to contest such a claim, to be sure; he felt the effects of Berserker’s onslaught first-hand. His tireless life training obviously wasn’t enough to prepare him for a confrontation with a professional Berserker, a man who actually devoted his martial training to the art of mad combat. And that bloodthirsty sword wasn’t making things any easier... But wait.

That had to be the key. If Berserker didn’t have that sword in his hands, Lancer could likely have a chance to fight back... but was there any clear way to disarm the rabid warrior? A plan began to formulate in Lancer’s mind. He would need to employ his greatest defensive Noble Phantasm, but time it just right, so that the collision between his power and Berserker’s swinging blade could catch Berserker at just the right moment, repelling the madman and his sword. Lancer was low on energy, however... even with his A-Rank Endurance, the fury of Berserker’s unending attack proved to be quite draining for the defensive side of the conflict. It was the only way out, though, and Lancer couldn’t afford to skip the chance.

’Now!’

Immediately after Berserker recovered his swing from colliding with Lancer’s shield, the bronze-armored hero put his plan into motion. “PHALANX!” He roared, calling out the activation of his Noble Phantasm. In an instant, the air between Lancer and Berserker was filled with bronze shields like Lancer’s personal armament, creating a gapless, impenetrable wall of metal. This Barrier-type Noble Phantasm came with a high cost of magic energy, and was designed for use against an enemy’s Anti-Army Noble Phantasm, but Lancer had no choice but to deploy it now. And his efforts were not in vain... the mad Berserker, unable to comprehend the mighty defense before him, did not let up on his hammering swing of the blood-red sword, causing the blade to crash mightily against the bronze bulwark. Lancer’s Noble Phantasm’s aspect of repelling enemy attacks came into full effect, as Berserker himself bounced backwards while the sword in his hands slipped away from its master (or, perhaps, the sword itself was the master).

Lancer breathed heavily as the shield wall dismantled before him, catching his breath and trying to muster up a second wind to strike against Berserker in the moment of weakness. However, the mood of the scene drastically changed as Berserker pulled himself upwards, and looked to Lancer... with a human expression in his eyes. His brow furrowed, his head cocked, and Berserker opened his mouth to as a silent question. Lancer himself was bewildered as it was apparent that his opponent was freed from the nightmare that is Mad Enhancement. He reached forward, calling out to his now-sane foe, hoping that he could...

“N-!”

Berserker looked down, discovering a bloody sword emerging from his chest. It was only fitting that his own blade would end his life... after all, it was a cursed sword, driven to cause ruin. It aimed to take a life, no matter what, even if the life belonged to its wielder... With that, the evil glow of the sword faded, as did the light of life in Berserker’s eyes. Lancer dropped his own spear out of exhaustion as he reflected upon his opponent’s situation. Maybe Berserker didn’t deserve such a death... if only he didn’t have that sword. He could have been something much greater than a slave to an evil weapon. And yet, Lancer refused to cry foul. Berserker was his opponent, after all, and finally fell into destruction.

Two Servants in the Holy Grail War remained.

Edited April 5, 2013 by Ruler

[roymbrog]

I have a couple of questions.

When people sign up and are accepted, are you going to list them here so we know who's joining? (just the RPer, I can understand why the masters would stay out)

How much choice would we get in regards to servants? And would we be controlling both halves of the pair? There was a Fate RP someone tried here a few years ago and the servant-master pairs were two different RPers. I'm considering these two questions related, because if RPers are assigned heroic spirits there could be an issue of whether or not they would enjoy RPing that servant's class or personality.

How much are you planning to stick to the source material regarding the grail's nature? I've read F/SN and watched Fate/Zero if that helps.

[Click This]

A Fate roleplay where a single roleplayer controls their master and their servant gets old real fast. All the Fate roleplays I've played have fourteen players, give or take one, and each roleplayer either plays a master or a servant.

[Ruler]

A Fate roleplay where a single roleplayer controls their master and their servant gets old real fast. All the Fate roleplays I've played have fourteen players, give or take one, and each roleplayer either plays a master or a servant.

Splitting teams causes more problems than you'd think. A lack of communication and inactivity can stall an RP (it's harder to fix than having a single player-team inactive), or partners can conflict with each other OoC. I've played both styles of Fate RP's, and have generally enjoyed the seven-player form better for the most part. But obviously that's mostly due to the people I've RPed with- I'm quite uninformed when it comes to the people around here. Let me ask you, would you believe a 14 player RP would work better here? I'm not entirely opposed to the idea. I just generally prefer to work quality over quantity. However, if I can find quality AND quantity here, then this can be a 14 player RP.

I do have a couple of concerns though- firstly, people are generally more drawn to the Servant aspect of the series than the magi. So I feel as if I'd find more demand for Servants when I can generally only have seven, and have only three or so players with eager Masters.

Secondly, it's just flat-out harder to gather fourteen players rather than just seven. I'd absolutely love to have fourteen people on board with me though!

If I can hear feedback from others, concerning whether or not I should split teams, that'd be great!

I have a couple of questions.

When people sign up and are accepted, are you going to list them here so we know who's joining? (just the RPer, I can understand why the masters would stay out)

How much choice would we get in regards to servants? And would we be controlling both halves of the pair? There was a Fate RP someone tried here a few years ago and the servant-master pairs were two different RPers. I'm considering these two questions related, because if RPers are assigned heroic spirits there could be an issue of whether or not they would enjoy RPing that servant's class or personality.

How much are you planning to stick to the source material regarding the grail's nature? I've read F/SN and watched Fate/Zero if that helps.

1. If they're absolutely accepted, yes I'll list the RPer's name. However if I'm debating between three or four they won't have names up until I select who gets in.

2. For Servants, any hero not used by Type-Moon (barring the four scrapped designs from F/Apocrypha) and not a pure god is valid. Accepted players get to pick the Servants themselves, so they're not designated (I may assign classes based on random draw if there's high demand for specific classes however). And the current plan is to have seven players controlling both halves of a team by themselves. If I can find interest in a fourteen-player set up though...

3. This is an alternative setting from what F/SN and F/Z set up (meaning, no Angra Mainyu). For all intents and purposes, the Grail of this RP is really just the wish-granting container as the overarching plot is going to focus on outer forces rather than the nature of the Grail. Is the Great Grail a thing? Technically yes, but it's something of a hidden nature that won't be focused upon (instead, a Master could take it upon himself to explore this facet of the war.

[Click This]

I'm rather new here so I can't say much for the amount of roleplayers. As with you, I rp'd with a certain group of people, and the 14-player style worked better for us.

And personally, masters>servants for me. I can do so much more personality and background-wise than a historic figure.

I'll join if others do; but I'm already in a Fate roleplay elsewhere. :P

[Ruler]

Alright, Click This, thank you for the advice! I hope you do end up joining this roleplay, you can never have too much Fate in your life! actually that's a lie

Update:

Added accepted players section, and the first accepted player. Hoping I can find more within the next few weeks! I know I'm a new face here, but I've been roleplaying for years in various forms. If anyone's even a bit curious, feel free to ask for clarification on any detail!

Also I've added a Nature of the RP bit under Other Information, just to clarify how the PvP aspect balances with narrative and storytelling.

[Nanami Touko]

I uh

don't know the first thing about Fate/Stay/Anythingrelatedtothat so would it be a bad idea for me to want to join???

[Ruler]

Nope! If I caught a newcomer's interest, that means my RP is doing it's job. You're more than welcome to join! If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

[Nanami Touko]

I think I'll ask here just in case someone else has the same questions, because there's a pretty big question that's gnawing at me.

How is combat going to work? I read what you said about the nature of the RP, but that seems to be trusting that everyone in the RP won't godmod. I'm not saying the RPers on this site would, most all I've written with have done exactly the opposite, but it seems like it'd be slightly difficult for a fight to come to a conclusion that both parties would be satisfied with. If there were stats and dice rolls, it'd be slightly up to chance, so I'm wondering if you're willing to take the time to write up some combat formulas?

I would also like to add that I also think the 14 person thing would work better. The people here work pretty well together save for a very select few, so it'd probably work out well. Just getting enough people might be a problem, though.

Edited February 19, 2013 by seph1212

[Snowy_One]

I've been involved in one of these RP's before and... It didn't turn out well to put it mildly. I may be willing to risk it again, but I would like some assurance you don't go rule-nazi on us. If you can, I'll join. I also will be sending you a PM in a short-bit with a sign-up in the event of things working out.

[Ruler]

Well combat isn't going to have formulas or numbers or anything like that, it'll be done just through prose. You write up the details of your characters' thoughts, words and actions, and the other player responds as if it's dialogue, in a sense. I'll have all the Servant statistics (only literal Strength etc ratings) available to see so people have a general idea of how the fight will flow (e.g. "My Lancer can't hold his spear against the brute strength of Berserker!" etc) and on top of that each Servant has specific powers and abilities that can come into play, such as King Arthur!Saber releasing her annihilating Excalibur as a finishing blow.

And yes, I'm placing a lot of trust into the cast... I'm really hoping that I can get the message of fighting for the story rather than the for the sake of victory to get across. I may have to settle a dispute once in a while, but if every player understands that they may just have to take a fall once in a while then things should go relatively smoothly. And things would be even better if I rarely if ever see combo breaking, or god forbid speed hacking/time travelling.

Would it help if I wrote up an example post? Or heck, I may write a snippet of a previous custom HGW.

@Snowy_One: Clarify what you mean by "rule nazi". I believe in fair play first and foremost (even with the possibility of world-shattering powers in this setting) and really just want everyone to come together and write a story while smacking swords into each other's faces.

Edited February 19, 2013 by Ruler

[Nanami Touko]

I'm the last person to godmod something lololol

Alright, that seems fine. An example might be neat. Since I know nothing of the show/lore it might help me understand a bit more of what's expected of us RPers o3o

[Snowy_One]

Well, the first one I tried I went in to with no understanding of F/SN and ended up breaking some rule (I still don't know what rule) by wanting my character to start off with Joan of Arc as his champion and ended up winning my first battle against Khan by having my master shoving him off a cliff while his back was turned and fighting Joan. Somehow that broke the rules and I was told to leave the RP in a rather nasty manner involving my character getting shot up by three SWAT teams. Also, something about a buffalo talisman, but I forgot the details about that a LONG time ago.

[Ruler]

haha well I can't say what you did is against any rules, if I understand Khan to be a Master than that's just his fault. It's a crappy end that doesn't make for good storytelling but it's not against any rules. Now, if you try to have your Master pull a fast one on a Servant... well that'll never work, if only because Servants are vastly stronger than Masters.

[Click This]

I keep my word, and since people are joining, I'll have a master CS for you sometime in the next couple days.

[Nanami Touko]

I didn't get my example, but I think I'll join CT and have one for you in a few days as well '3'

[roymbrog]

Ack, I better hurry up then if people are joining. Being sick isn't helping matters though.

[Ruler]

I didn't get my example, but I think I'll join CT and have one for you in a few days as well '3'

heh, sorry, I haven't even started writing the example and even then I know it'll take a bit of time. I'll have something up within the next couple of days or so.

[roymbrog]

Ack ack ack

I'll try to have a sign up done this evening >___<

[GoD]

Okay I'm gonna ask a few things because I played the entirety of Fate Stay Night and Fate Stay Extra.

1. How will RP-ing work? Do we have to make a bunch of paragraphs for every post we make?

2. What role will you, the DM, play in the RP?

3. We should not be able to use Servants that have already been used by Type-Moon?

On to the actual RP:

You will only be able to list the players, not the which servants they have and what their stats are right?

2. I'm going to guess that if we survive an encounter with an enemy servant, you will add their stats to our.... info sheet?

3. Are alliances allowed? Like in the Visual Novel?

4. Besides fighting the other servants and Masters is there another form of plot?

5. I know there are more classes besides the initial 7. You're not using the others why?

Sorry for all of the questions

[Ruler]

Ack ack ack

I'll try to have a sign up done this evening >___<

there's no rush.

Okay I'm gonna ask a few things because I played the entirety of Fate Stay Night and Fate Stay Extra.

1. How will RP-ing work? Do we have to make a bunch of paragraphs for every post we make?

2. What role will you, the DM, play in the RP?

3. We should not be able to use Servants that have already been used by Type-Moon?

On to the actual RP:

You will only be able to list the players, not the which servants they have and what their stats are right?

2. I'm going to guess that if we survive an encounter with an enemy servant, you will add their stats to our.... info sheet?

3. Are alliances allowed? Like in the Visual Novel?

4. Besides fighting the other servants and Masters is there another form of plot?

5. I know there are more classes besides the initial 7. You're not using the others why?

Sorry for all of the questions

1. Yeah, I expect at least a paragraph.

2. I play important NPCs such as the Administrator of the Holy Grail War and other characters.

3. No servants from Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Zero, or Fate/Extra are acceptable. I will allow Fate/Apocrypha servants if you use a different class from their canon container.

---

1/2. Nope, when the RP starts I'll post the names of the Masters and their Servant classes. And when Servants fight each other I'll post their basic statistics, such as Strength Agility etc., as Masters will be able to "see" the basic parameters of other Servants unless the Servant possesses some kind of ability that hides his status (like Berserker in Fate/Zero). I'll only post skills as the skills come into play, and NP's when they're used. Names won't be revealed unless a Servant identifies himself or someone makes an accurate deduction.

3. Of course alliances are allowed! Just make sure it's all sorted out in-character.

4. Absolutely there is another plot. It'll be revealed with each of my in-character posts.

5. Because the other classes have no place here. Avenger isn't a thing in this "universe" (beyond the fact that only one person qualifies for that class), Saver/Saviour is just a Moon Cell final boss fluff, and generally the war is only fought with the seven specific servants.

[GoD]

Wait so when the RP starts, everyone will know which Servant we have?

If not then when we talk to the Servants, do we have to use their class names or some form of [Redacted] to identify them?

Finally, the stats and servant abilities will be balanced correct?

[Ruler]

Yeah, the players will know which masters have which servants. Of course such meta knowledge doesn't apply to the actual characters so I wouldn't think it's an issue. Servants should be referred to as Saber etc., unless that player is comfortable with revealing the name of their Servant.

As far as balancing goes, yes, things will be balanced by me. Of course, parameters are still dependent on each hero's identity, so if someone summons Karna and the rest have younger, more mortal servants, things are gonna be tipped in Karna's favor (no one's summoning Karna, that's just an example). I will probably do a final balancing act once all servants are decided though, in the event that there's too much disparity.

[Snowy_One]

When will this be starting? Did roy send in a sign-up? Will we need all seven or are five acceptable?

[Ruler]

I only have four applicants at the moment. I can start with five, and if I get it soon the RP will start within a week after that point. I'd also be willing to wait up to two weeks if I can find promising applicants for masters 6 and 7. At this point I'm thinking at least Assassin and its Master will be NPC's as the trend between all applicants so far shows a disinterest in the Assassin class.

Edited February 23, 2013 by Ruler