Random Thread 2: Social plane shifting?

[Arch Lich Burns]

The unfrtunate thing about that list is most itsms are very similar to each other. I know a person who rolls on that constantly due to an item (different from dnd game).

[Theis2]

Sorry about my limited interaction in the games I'm in. I've had some long shifts and they have been increasingly early, so much of my spare time have turned to sleep earlier than usual. Had to get up at 3 am today just to barely make it in time >.<

[Inspired]

Incoming transmission ...

I noticed that starting new games nowadays is not easy. 
The more complex the rules are, the less people bother.

So I'm proposing a simple game:

Borglins.

Each player controls a robot goblin. It happens via posts. 
It's a (self)discovery game, and it is supposed to be lighthearted.
I'm not posting rules, you will have to figure them out, if needed.
So feel free to goof around with the actions!

To join, you have to create your own robot, which is easy and fun! (Link below)
It has to be vaguely humanoid, though (can be goblin shaped too, but not necessarily).

Transmission ended.

Search for "Build a Robot 3.0". It's a NewsGrounds flash app, but can be reached via many sites, for example: http://www.supergames.com/build-a-robot-30.html. Once you are satisfied with your creation, just make a screenshot of it, and post.

The background music is obnoxious a bit, but you can turn it off.

I do not plan on drawing in this game, but if you have the patience to fiddle around with your borglin, feel free to do so!

I'm gladly accepting any opinions and remarks, regardless if you plan to play or not!
(I can also make you a borglin if you don't want to draw yourself, but no complaints then! )

For fluff here is the background story of the borglin on the picture above:

► Show Spoiler

Model: Galactic Valkyre 0-Time Repair Unit, Model #14, or for shorts: GV0R-14 , with the V leaning towards right as if it were a capital L.
Unit Responds to the Name: Gloria (see model above)
Manufacturing date: 2801
Technology: Modern Robotics, Experimental

Capabilities:

• 1 front-side camera with broad light spectrum tolerance, heat camera.
• Audio input and output also in broad spectrum.
• Tactile sensors on "left arm", several sensors all around the body.
• Water, corrosion, acid resistant plating, may provide mild defense against kinetic damage.
• Equipped with a nano-bot gun (Right "Arm"), that can unleash a swarm of nano-sized robots that can repair other robots and plated vehicles.
• Developed AI, with a huge database of communication protocols (both artificial and "flesh" creatures) and blueprints (for reparation)

Story:
Gloria is one of the newest generation of reparing borglins. The amount of robots in the realm has exploded exponentially in the past hundred years and it is more cost efficient to have dedicated units for repairing than to hire robo-mechanics or add the self-repair capabilities to every unit. Still, even with the presence of this new generation of "medics", many of the older models end up wasted, contributing to the already enormous pollution of the galaxy.

Gloria has been assigned to a space platform orbiting Mars, repairing mostly the utility robots of the platform, and occasionally the armed units that patrol the planet below. After a militant party razing and ultimately destroying the station in 2804, Gloria ends up on Mars among the garbage heaps of a human populated city on the surface. With no apparent tasks to do and with a possible damage in her central unit, she ends up developing some kind of self-consciousness (personality), which is an exhilarating experience. Also, she is very lonely.

Note that you don't have to make a story for your borglin just yet, that is what the game will be about! You can make some vague guidelines, though.

[spiderwrangler]

Cool, that's a really interesting backstory thanks for sharing it!

Some other past characters of mine:

Balar Forgebellows, a thoroughly unlikable dwarf bard.

► Show Spoiler

He was the result of random rolling, moderate Charisma, decent Dex, really high Con.

Personality:
• I eat like a pig and have bad manners.
• I don't like to bathe.

Ideal:
• The low are lifted up, and the high and mighty are brought down. Change is the nature of things.

Flaw:
• People who can't take care of themselves get what they deserve.

He was also proficient in brewer's supplies and a mean drunk. I may have twisted him into a bit of a horrid person as a response to having just lost Breldo in a TPK. Balar didn't want to be going into that stinking dungeon after fools that got themselves killed, and certainly didn't want to have to save the hides of the losers they sent with him (he nearly abandoned them down there to die). After one session I told the DM I needed to make a new character.

Kreldoran Stargazer

► Show Spoiler

A dwarf Divination Wizard with the Sage: Astronomer background. He was very academic, but had discovered horrible portents of the future through his study of the night sky. Kreldoran was 367 years old (average dwarf expectancy is 350), but a surprisingly tough old wizard (14 STR, 19 CON), but absent minded and horrible at bothering to learn people's names (6 CHA).



He had an owl familiar named Fiona, a pony that pulled his cart named Fergus, and an unseen servant named Stephan that he constantly berated and cursed at. Since no one else can really see Stephan, it seems he's having arguments with himself most of the time. Stephan puts up his tent and makes his tea for him, and tends to Fergus. He tries his best.

Divination wizards are pretty interesting, after a long rest they roll 2 d20s and record the numbers, which can be substituted for other rolls by them or someone else during the day. I only ended up playing a few sessions with him before we shifted campaigns to a homebrew world, but he was pretty fun.

Krozk

► Show Spoiler

This was something that I wrote up for my gatorman hillbilly barbarian, the DM asked us to write up a paragraph or two describing our new characters, and this is what I sent him. He later read it aloud at the session that served as a player/character memorial to my fallen hero.

<To the employees of Fantas-e-harmony, just a heads up should any customers be interested in the following profile. The Krex that strode through the front of my storefront was not the typical customer that we get here at Fantas-e-harmony, but he was quite insistent on filling out a dating profile. And when someone that big carrying a huge axe insists he wants to pay you to be a customer on your dating board, you listen. I tried handing him one of our typical forms to fill out, along with a quill and ink, but after he snapped the quill and knocked over the ink, he told me he couldn't read or write anyway, and that I should "write his answers down good". Ever one to oblige, I have included his answers below, exactly as he said them, he insisted I not 'sissy them up' by changing his tone. I've done my best to capture his demeanor. If any of our customers are looking for the big brutish types, it might be better to suggest #234, #437, #189, or #542, as those might suit their particular needs better.>



Profile: #683

My name is: "Krozk. Krozk the Scarred, follower of Pyrinax the Fury."

My religion is: "Why aren't you listening? I follow the Almighty Pyrinax!"

I am from: "The swamp."

My height is: "Big." (Judging from how he had to crawl in the door, I'd guess around 10 feet.)

My weight is: "Also big." (No clue... 800??)

My eyes are: "In my head." (Yellowish.)

My hair is: (None, skipped this one.)

My highest level of education is: "I'm good at fighting." (Likely low or nonexistent.)

My occupation is: "Being big and strong." (Guessing that might mean muscle for hire?)

My opinion on having children is: "They're fattening, but as long as you don't eat too many."

The one thing I am most passionate about: "Pyrinax, and fighting."

The most influential person in my life has been: "Does Pyrinax count? Probably Unka Krobarth. He teached me how to fight so good before he got old."

My friends describe me as: "Big."

The first thing people notice about me: "I'm big and have big muscles."

The one thing I wish people would notice more about me: "Ummm... I have a nice tail. And can play the swamp lute pretty good."

I am looking for: "Someone who appreciates me for me."

Five things I couldn’t live without: "Food. Water. My axe. Pyrinax. That's five, right?" (One more.) "Oh... ummm you if you're lucky? I meant 'you' whoever is reading this, not you, you." (Thank goodness.)

The one thing I am most passionate about: "Pyrinax!" (Surprise, surprise.)

The three things which I am most thankful for: "Pyrinax, being big and strong, being good at fighting, being chosen to honor Pyrinax by being big and strong and good at fighting."

More about me: "Ummm, I have a lot of passion. Oh, and I have a cloaca, so you gotta be good with that if we're gonna get it on. I'm a good snuggler, but am never the little spoon."

The most important thing I am looking for in a person: "Gotta be down with being second to Pyrinax. If you can't do that, it isn't gonna work out."

You should contact me if: "You have some Krex in you... or if you'd like to have some Krex in you. Do you get it? That's a joke... About sex."

[thinkslogically]

I think I love Krozk! There is always a place for the big dumb brute in the party and he sounds like a ton of fun

[spiderwrangler]

Yeah, he was pretty great.

► Show Spoiler

In the setting there are Ten Dragons that are the main worshiped deities, as part of the ritual to his god, each year one person in a village is chosen to be cut by each other person in the village, clerics on hand to prevent the living sacrifice from dying during the process. The blood is collected and offered up to the red dragon deity. That was his defining moment, and he's covered with a scarred pattern from his year as the offering. His subrace is treated as less than the others, and it's entirely possible that he was chosen because he was big and had lots of blood more than as any intended honor to him. He lived in the swamp and had a hand cranked fanboat that he used to take his crayfish, shrimp and other stuff he caught in the swamp into town.

The other subrace at the top of the social ladder run all the government and military, and he was banned from selling his goods in town, during which he got in a bar fight with one of the military squads (threw a couple barstools, a table and used the guy as a club to hit his own men).

Fled the town, but got ambushed by the military of a different nation making an incursion on his swamp. Managed to pull under and drown/thrash two of them before they drove him off and burnt out his cabin.

Made his way to the island where the summit of nations is held every few years, the guy he fought with in the bar is supposed to be leading the contingent from his nation there, so he got there early, with the intention of killing the guy (no plan, just a promise). The island gets over run with squatters and worse, there aren't any permanent settlements in between meetings. Mercenaries are hired on to clear it for the summit, but there was an evil woods wizard that mucked everything up this year. Krozk ends up dying in the final battle against the guy, and his nemesis from back home claims Krozk's body (as a zealot barbarian, resurrection spells are free if you can find someone to cast it... we just didn't have anyone in the party that could). They also refuse to acknowledge him or honor him. The rest of the party is honored, but he's just referred to as a "fallen member" of their party.

One of the original members of the party is having none of this (she was the one he was probably closest to, he gave his share of the coin to her because he wasn't good at counting. She gave him just enough to buy what he wanted when he wanted it... mostly crayfish stew and other food. Krozk didn't drink, but had a hearty appetite). She has staged protests, called out the guy, and has probably come pretty close to causing an international incident, without any support from my new druid character, who doesn't know and has no reason to care about some gator's legacy...

His catchphrase was, "Hi. I'm Krozk." in a deep rumble to anyone the party met. He was big, dumb, and a sweet, sweet mountain of rage and fury. I'll miss him.

[thinkslogically]

Awwww! THat's a great story I hope your party friend does cause an international incident and eventually gets him remembered properly

[M0rtimer]

Slight heads up since I've seen you guys talk about it here before- I've made a global sticky concerning the annoying bug that has afflicted some of us. I'd appreciate checking out the sticky if you had the issue before

I think the most important thing to trying to fix this will be to collect a list of all posts that were affected by it and see if there's some kind of connection, but who knows- Might find something out of the info regardless.

[Rodgeir]

I filled in the form. It is hard to remember exactly when it happens, but when it does it seems to happen for a shortish period to all posts I make before going away.

[M0rtimer]

Yeah, I've also been thinking there seem to be "periods" where it's more active..? We'll have to see, though. Thanks for filling in

[thinkslogically]

This is awesome - I've managed to end up with all three of my forum d&d characters unconscious at the same time

Clearly, I am not making good decisions for them this week...

[Dlover]

At least one of those was just bad rolls. So Lady Luck is working against you at least in part.

[Theis2]

Sundered way was 5 bad rolls in a row granted 3 of those were a save against the same effect

[Dusk9]

Meanwhile, Jax is just napping on a couch. So exciting!

[Dlover]

Lady Luck really wants to mess with Thinks, then. XD

[Rodgeir]

Don't know exactly what is happening in the Sundered Way but I suspect that Tess is in way more trouble than Ves! A this moment anyhow.

[thinkslogically]

Yup, I suspect so too. Jax is one long rest down from everyone else and needs his beauty sleep

[spiderwrangler]

At least Jax is sleeping mostly by choice!

[Dusk9]

I'll be honest, if Jax hadn't gone back for a sleep then, I was going to start giving him levels of Exhaustion

[thinkslogically]

That's fair he's been quite adventurous the past couple of days!

[Theis2]

Just a fair warning that I will take a short trip to japan tomorrow and I have no idea how my internet access will be during my stay there for about a week. I'm sure you will hardly notice the difference though as I am already quite horrendous at posting but now I have a good excuse for once!

[Tea]

In the spirit of all-hollows-eve, time to quit ghosting and actually participate in the forum again. Hello all!

[Dlover]

o/ Hello Tea! How've things been?

[SamWiser]

Hi, Tea! Long time no see.

[Tea]

How've things been?

Been quietish. Transferred to a 4-year college (yay!), but since I'm coming in halfway I don't have this school's particular prerequisites so this semester has been a lot of jumping through hoops and placement tests. On the other hand, I finally feel like I'm moving in a direction that I can turn into a career. Let's see....otherwise....I keep trying to come up with ideas I can keep hold of long enough to develop a workable campaign and try my hand at this dungeon master thing but I also get distracted easily.

Hi, Tea! Long time no see.

I rhyme!