Hey there, if I pinged you that is because you had expressed interest in play-testing Realm of Bastions (TTRPG). If you are interested and want to make a character go for it, I'll be capping the amount of people in a single play by post campaign to 4 so if there is more interest I'll run more than one.

Included in the post and subsequent comments will be a game description, lore description, mechanic description, character generation process, and relevant materials for that.

As always if you have interest in reading the whole (250) page .pdf please message me and I'll give the download link.

The Realm of Bastions core rule-set will always be pay what you can as it is important to provide this to anyone who is interested in playing.

Realm of Bastions is a classless & race-less table top role-playing game that promotes shared story-telling. The world that it is based on explores many conflicts in society that are relevant even today, and the encounters may bring up a range of emotions. The Realm of Bastions is aesthetically inspired by Western, Science Fiction, and Fantasy genres exploring some conflicts present in those genres.

The Realm of Bastions is similar yet distinct from the modern world, and will contain themes relating to Technology vs. Magic, tradition vs. innovation, oppressors vs. oppressed, urban vs. rural, among others.

Each Encounter can be designed collectively as an entire group, a single person, or any number in between. The game is designed so that every part of the table top role playing experience can be done so through the Encounter building tools.

The intent of the game is to build friendship through the experiencing of challenging, gritty Encounters while role-playing characters that are capable yet vulnerable. Each player will make difficult choices with their character both in a narrative sense as well as within the mechanics of the game itself.

The game uses a large amount of options to create Actors and then Encounters for which to role-play these characters. The group of players then weave these Actors and Encounters together to create a shared narrative while progressing the Abilities of the Actors.

In the Play by post I will be creating the encounters, I will use another post as the "play by comment" post, this one is where I would like your character to be posted.

In the format of:

Name:

Statistics

Body:

Mind:

Spirit:

Current/Max Stamina: /

Life Paths Experienced:

Active Ability Pool:

Physical Inventory:

Mental Inventory:

Faction Limit:

Faction Points:

Dosh:

Equipment/Items:

Abilities:

Background

For each Life Path experienced please include one to two sentences describing the way the Life Path contributed to the development of the character. In addition please include a physical description of the character.

I'll provide a sample character to help make this more clear.

This is one of the first few times I have run this with others so please be patient and ask as many questions as you can they help me!

  • quartz242 [she/her]
    ·
    3 years ago
    Factions pt.4

    Zeu’Ka [NE]

       Life in every facet is organized around the cabal in Zeu’Ka, a group of shifting number all of which are the most renowned users of Fire Magic and Materials Technology in Bastion.  The Cabal is dedicated to maintaining the Avatar of Fire that dwells within the Dragon’s Maw Volcano. Once in awhile a member of the Inner Cabal is chosen to merge with the Firebird, this sacrifice is considered a great honor. Their buildings are carved out of the volcano itself with most living outside the Volcano finding sustainment where possible on the side of the Volcano or in the Volcanic Mud Flats.  There is a massive corridor from the center of outer Zeu’Ka leading inward to a gargantuan blast furnace fueled by the Volcano.  The Cabal and their attendants dwell in branching corridors and rooms from this large central passage.  The Cabal requires 2 hours of labor each day from each citizen of Zeu’Ka and that the land belongs to the Firebird and as long as those who live in Zeu’Ka steward the land they will not be consumed by the Dragon’s Maw. Visitors are uncommon but the people of Zeu’Ka are quite welcoming knowing how inhospitable the surrounding terrain can be.  The Cabal on the other hand strictly forbid outsiders into the Dragon’s Maw .

    Skyward Monolith [E]

    The skyward monolith faction is led by the monoliths creator, led isn’t the operative word as the few humanoids that reside full time at the monolith pay quite a large amount of dosh to do so. Enjoying absolute freedom and protection as long as their payment continues.

    Majority of the entities in, on, and under the monolith are constructs of pneumatic, hydraulic, air magic, and water magic. All of the physical and mental labor required to sustain the monolith is done by this synthesis of magic and technology. The ground level of the monolith is where the few residential spaces are to be found while the rest of the above ground monolith is used to create and maintain the automatons. With the flat top of the monolith serving as the dock for the airships.

    Beneath the monolith is a gargantuan drill that slowly bores deeper into the earth, the minerals extracted to continue the monoliths growth higher into the sky. The creator has not been seen in many years and in fact perished in creation of the physical computer that exists directly below the residential suites and above the sorting mechanism for the giant drill.

    This physical computer is animated by a sentient incarnation of steam that arose from t he magical energies expended by the creator that resulted from their death, absorbing the consciousness of the creator as well as their magic. From within the physical computer the elemental orchestrates the skyward monolith.

    This is the only place in the Realm of Bastion where Automatons are common, elsewhere they are quite the rarity and most are afraid and wary of them not understanding how they work or considering them agents of the Inventor. Any Actor that has their first three Life Panels at the Skyward Monolith can be “Rogue Automatons” that have broken out of the Inventor’s programming stream.

    Phen’Ka [SE]

       The south eastern ka is a loose collection of clan leaders specializing in a distinct area both physically and in the economic niches they occupy.  The largest region of the Realm even after sustaining losses in territory during the Second Desert War, the lost territory would become the Skyward Monolith.  The leaders convene frequently to discuss matters related to each clan and decide collectively on the best course for the collective, in occurrences of dispute the leaders that are involved in the disagreement choose representatives to travel through the marsh to the mountains of madness to return with insight that decide the matter.  If only one representative returns the matter goes the way of that clan leader.  Some of the larger clans include; those who know the hunt, those who know the plants that heal, those who know the earth. Although a recent surge in demand for hallucinogen among inner bastion has resulted in those who know the plants that hurt, and those who know the water gaining influence.  Similar to the Tou’Ka each Clan has their own village build out of logs from the trees that grow on the highlands between the Fens of Madness and where the Desert of Zol’Ka begins.

    Zol’Ka [S]

       What was once an amazing desert city is now dwelling underneath the sands in a system of caves.  Zol’Ka is controlled by an ascendant ‘Ka earth mage, arguably the strongest in bastion yet unknown to most as the means by which this mage usurped power was the decimation of the population including any resident magic users near the ascendants power. This occurred at the end of the Second Desert War as the previous rulers of Zol’Ka had dedicated all their resources with Bastion City to take Phen’Ka territory.  Now the remaining members of the Zol’Ka tend to fungal farms in the caverns beneath the abandoned acropolis while the ascendant and chosen few enjoy the luxury of life in desirable caverns and access to the surface while the rest toil away hidden from Bastion by the ascendants ability to manipulate the worm tunnels. Desiring at most to remain hidden from hidden from the rest of Bastion so that their benefit at the exploitation of the Zol’ka.  Beyond that seeking luxury goods from other parts of Bastion while maintaining their subterfuge.  Since most of the city was abandoned as a facade the ascendant ensures that occasional discoveries of artifacts and the more occasional death maintains the ruse.  One of the largest means of income is the Great Ka’Mel Drive when people from all over the realm come to Zol’Ka to purchase Ka’Mels from the Chosen in charge of rearing these beasts to drive them across the vast Desert to Bastion City.

    Ot’Ka [SW]

       The southwestern ka are led by an elected representative of all the Ot’Ka.  This representative then delegates responsibility of the aspects of Ot’Ka civilization to advisors.  From sky ship trade to city planning, to defense from earth & sky to housing and food distribution even the periodic Dosh distribution.  All those born in Ot’Ka are allotted housing by the domestic advisor with desirable regions given to preferred parties.  While the advisor of commerce determines stall placement within the hub.  The representative is elected every 6 years and cannot serve consecutive terms.  The current representative is quite accommodating of Bastion City  and there are rumors of a connection between the representative and Daro group.  After the representative and their advisors the associated vendors group has the most influence here, followed by the independent sky fliers who work for no-one but themselves and their client.

    Den’Ka [W]

    The western ‘Ka are led by a ascended mage of water who gains their power via a ritual that merges the consciousness of the ascendant with the sentient element of water that is the lake be neath the city. Working in synergy with each other the inhabitants here and the elemental sustain life here. The ascendant rarely interacts directly with the inhabitants mostly existing as a protector of the city and lake. The inhabitants are collectivized in the aspect of the city in which they ply their trade. From hydraulic technology, to water magic, to cultivating the edible lake flora to maintaining the balance of fauna within the lake guided by the lake elemental. While the ascendant is not concerned about Bastion City’s trade blockade some inhabitants are. Especially the trade syndicate which is seeking to have a new ascendant named, one more sympathetic to letting Bastion City’s influence the Den’Ka in exchange for money & power.

    Bastion Exiles

       The outcasts of Bastion are scattered throughout the Outers.  Since it is a harsh environment most do not survive but those that do tend to be exceptionally strong and resilient.  Those that are able to find life within an outer bastion settlement tend to be quite loyal to that settlement despite most ‘Ka folk’s derision.  Often times this faction is the most likely to engage in piracy both sky and ground through sheer desperation. They all have the mark of exile but most tend to try and cover it up in one way or another resulting in adorned faces & heads.  Those that tend to find pride in the mark tend to be the most vicious pirates exacting their vengeance from the bastion merchants.  If any could make claim to lead the exiles it is either the Sky Pirate Ombtu, a wind mage ascendant who captains the small sky-ship “The Flourish”  a truly unique design of unknown origins that is flown by magic alone.  The other is the Desert Bandit King Aloxes, who often targets the Train between Bastion City and Tou’Ka or the , Ka’Mel drive up from Zol’Ka.  Rumor is that Aloxes has an encampment somewhere in the desert north west of Bastion City, but those are unconfirmed.

    Critters

    The knowledge of outer bastion critters is woefully short as most of it is third hand from merchants who trade with the 'Ka. The critters of inner and middle bastion can be found in their respective areas as well as the ones described here. Critters can use the Body attribute instead of the stated attribute in any ability and are all Unarmed.