Improving upon Lungs's original game. Thanks to mishie and Jon for ideas

A PbP RPG...​

Please note that this game will include descriptions of violence and death - while it will not be extremely graphic, if you're uncomfortable with these themes, please be warned and use your best judgment on whether this game is appropriate for you!

This game will also assume that you are familiar with the Nasuverse, but it's not necessary in order to participate. However, take note that this game will be spoiler territory for the series, so beware! The Game Host will be happy to answer questions if something is unclear.

Plot:
The Holy Grail and the Heaven's Feel existed well before the world had ever heard the name Shirou Emiya... What took place during those many years of bloodshed? And what about the years that ensued? Now, we will hear the story of one group of Masters and Servants who fought to the death for the chance to fulfil all their wishes.

Welcome to the Xth Holy Grail War! Set in an enclosed city, the Holy Grail War will pit young Mages and their seven Servants against one another in a fight to the death. This barbaric brawl is held at regular intervals, first organised by a triad of magical families. The seven classes of Servants vary and therefore the abilities of the Mages and Servants chosen will also vary. But the Mages are not always what they seem, and there are many ways to win. Servants may defeat their opponents through brute force, through stealth or through cunning; the possibilities are almost endless. Who will be the one to outlast their competitors in the arena and attain the Holy Grail?

Once in the arena, Mages may gain a better idea of their chances of survival. Until the War officially begin, players will not know what shape and form their arena will take. This is determined by the Grail and may be anything from desert to rainforest or a city. It may be wise to have skills that would be useful in almost any situation, but a highly specialised Servant lucky enough to land in a suitable arena could easily dominate the field. Further adding to the players' uncertainty, no-one but the Game Host will know what lies waiting at the center of the arena. In the center, weapons, tools and other supplies will be strewn...

Perhaps the least predictable variable of all will be the interaction between the Masters themselves. Forming an alliance may be essential for survival, but the chance of betrayal always lurks in one's mind. Going it alone may be more dangerous, but at least you know who you can trust. It's highly uncommon, but there have even been instances where one person has, for whatever reason, shown mercy to another in the past. But, as we all know, in the end there can only be one winner...

Throughout the War, people who are popular among the NPCs may be sent gifts by sponsors. These gifts will aid Masters and Servants in their quest for victory - or possibly just narrowly save them from the clutches of death. But the NPCs can be fickle and there's no telling what kind of mage will be favoured. Will they cheer for a seemingly unstoppable force? Will they be charmed by a smooth talker with a winning smile? Will they hope that the underdog pulls through? Only time will tell. So, to all of you:

May the Holy Grail War begin!​

Sign-Ups:
Post the first 5 sections of your sign-up in this thread. Also, in this RPG, you will be RPing as mainly as the Master but also as the Servant.
Master:
Name (if possible, try to keep in the theme of your character and Servant)
Age (12-19)
Gender
Servant Class
Appearance (include an idea of height, weight and body type)
PLEASE PM THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OF YOUR SIGN-UP TO THE HOST, DO NOT POST THEM IN THIS THREAD
Personality
History (include some backstory as to why they are motivated to participate in the Holy Grail War. What is their one true wish?)
Magecraft familiarity (choose only one - your own natural talent or previously honed ability: Reality Marble, High Speed Divine Words, Alchemy, Mystic Eyes)
Base Statistics
Rank the following in order of importance: Prana, Hunger, Thirst.

PLEASE PM THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OF YOUR SIGN-UP TO THE HOST, DO NOT POST THEM IN THIS THREAD
Servant:
True Identity/Name
Appearance
History
Personality
Base Stats
-Brief Description of 3 Attacks/Abilities and 1 Noble Phantasm Attack.

The Host reserves the right to reject a SU at any time if he believes it is overpowered.

Base stats:
Each character, both Master and Servant, is required to have a base statistic in the following categories: Strength, Agility, Survivalism, Endurance, and Intelligence. Each stat begins at the minimum of one point. You also get 10 further points to distribute as you wish for your character to a maximum of 5 in any one category. Thus your total base stats should add up to 15. (For example, you may have the following base stats: Strength - 4, Agility - 5, Survivalism - 1, Endurance - 2, Intelligence - 3.)

Servants get an extra 15 points, on top of the original 15 points, to distribute along the five statistics. Servants can go beyond 5 points per stat but must not exceed 10 points per stat. On top of the five Base Stats, they also have an extra statistic called "Noble Phantasm" into which you can distribute points.

Strength (筋力): Bodily might in terms of power. It is also the primary modifier used for Combat, but not the only one.
Agility (敏捷): Quickness and speed of reaction. The primary modifier for determining whether you will be able to escape a combat or move from one area to another.
Survivalism (魔力): Your ability to adapt to new circumstances. This value debuffs incoming attacks and also increase your RNG chances of encountering items or finding food. Survivalism also improves your ability to adapt to natural disasters and other attacks. For Servants, a high Survivalism value will allow you to have Independent Action and survive even when your Master perishes.
Endurance (耐久): How much damage one can withstand. It will go down if Thirst and Hunger (for Masters) or Prana (for Servants) is not quenched. If your Endurance value reaches zero, you will perish. Think of this value as analogous to Hit Point. Almost, but not quite. In reality, it affects your dice rolls: high endurance decrease the chances of rolling Death.
Intelligence (賢): The quality of one's cognisance and perceptiveness. High intelligence will allow increase your luck by improving your dice-rolls during combat, especially ranged combat. It also will increase your RNG chances of observing your surroundings. This can manifest in your ability to discern other Servants' true identities.

Servant-only:
Noble Phantasm (宝具): The strength of the Noble Phantasm one owns. A Noble Phantasm is a special ability that can only be unlocked for one encounter during the RPG. It is unlocked by muttering your Servant's true name. NP values stack with Strength values in combat.

Please PM these stats with the private section of your sign-up.

The Servant Classes:
Sabers are chivalrous warriors of a knightly tradition. They receive a Strength bonus, but suffer Prana deprivation more quickly.
Lancers are agile connoisseurs of long-ranged melee weapons such as spears. They receive an Agility bonus.
Archers are the stalwart masters of projectile attacks. Their autonomy and resilience to Prana deprivation grants them a Survivalism bonus.
Riders are known for riding mounts, living beasts or human constructs. They receive a NP bonus.
Casters are adept in magecraft and the written word. They receive an Intelligence bonus.
Assassins are specialised killers of stealth. They receive an Intelligence bonus and Survivalism bonus, but suffer a penalty to their Endurance.
Berserkers are heroes who have gone berserk in their lifetime. They receive an Endurance bonus and a NP bonus called "Mad Enhancement", but receive a penalty to Intelligence. Their NPs also trigger a decrease in Survivalism while the NP is active.

In the Arena:
Each player will specify the actions they wish to perform in their roleplay. The success of these actions will be determined by dice rolls (performed by the Host) and will be affected by your character's base stats. For example, a high Intelligence stat would improve your character's chances of throwing a knife accurately, while a high Endurance stat may enable your character to survive an injury that would otherwise be fatal. Players may attempt Environment (to detect "natural" dangers in their surroundings) and Awareness (to detect the presence of other characters) checks, both of which are boosted by high Survivalism.

Be aware that the other Servants are not the only potential threat to your character - Masters must also eat, drink and sleep in order to survive. If a player goes for a length of time without fulfilling these basic needs, it will begin to affect their ability to perform other actions and may even result in death. Players who prioritise Hunger and Thirst over Prana in their SUs will be able to go longer without sustenance.

Prana is the ability of a Master to magically nourish their Servant. Sated hunger and thirst maintain high Prana levels, which sustain the Servant. When Prana goes down, the Servant will get correspondingly weaker. Prana is affected by things such as fatigue, Endurance, and Hunger/Thirst. Prana can also be replenished through obtaining certain items, such as ancient tomes.

If a player prioritises Prana over Hunger/Thirst in the Master's SU, Servants will maintain optimal Strength for a longer period, even during Prana Deprivation.

Each player will be regularly reminded of their character's Hunger, Thirst, and Prana requirements.

Combat:
Combat, as with other actions in the arena, will be determined by Host's dice rolls. If players are engaged in combat, their roleplay will be more fast paced in order to determine the outcome of the fight as quickly as possible (i.e., Game Maker will conduct more rapid fire replies with players in combat; players who are exploring the arena or at rest may get slower replies). Each weapon will have a different base damage level (e.g., a sword will do more base damage than a dagger).


NPCs:
NPCs can be a boon or a pest. Many carry precious Food, Water, and other essential items. Some may even be competing in the Holy Grail War against you! One of the unsaid goals of the RPG is to identify the NPCs who are Masters and eliminate them. Moreover, the Host, imbued with the power of the Grail, has the power to affect the game-space. Players who put effort in their RP posts and/or impress NPCs may have more access to items that will aid their quests.

Remember, you must eliminate the NPC Masters or else all of you will automatically lose the War!

Notes:
Since this is technically a PbP RPG, each "post" will count as a turn of sorts. You can post a turn when either the Host has posted or at least two other players have posted since your last post. In each turn, you can decide a variety of options, since this RPG is pretty relaxed. One of the most common options will be to move from one Hex to another. No automatic teleportations from a Bakery to a Swimming Pool: if you want to attack somebody, you'll have to reach them first.

Those with high Agility will be occasionally be granted the ability to move two Hexes in one turn. The Host also reserves the right to throw random challenges or obstacles to make the game more interesting. It won't be for mishie to somehow game the system and beat everybody to death within a week.

Please note that these games are not set at any particular point in time, but they are taking place well after the 5th Holy Grail War. As such, please do not use any character from Nasuverse or make your character a relative of any of the trilogy's characters. In short, OCs only!

Servant Classes will be selected on a first come, first served basis. No Reserves. There will be a maximum of 7 players, but in the event that we don't reach that number, sign-ups will close after a 24-hour warning from the Host. And yes, some of the Servants are deliberately left unbalanced - that's just how it is in the Nasuverse.

Your character's personality, backstory and abilities are to be PMed to the Host in case anybody wishes to employ a secretive or outright deceitful tactic. If your character is going to act differently from the way you have written them at any time, you must let the Host know that you are deliberately misrepresenting yourself (so we can tell your tactics apart from out-of-character roleplaying).

Alliances can be formed at any time before Summons are first made. The forming of an alliance may be public or private. However, if players form an alliance, all other players will be made aware that those players are having a private conversation and may suspect what you are doing. Once Summons are made, alliances can only be formed with players in the same area as your character (i.e., you must reasonably be able to hold a conversation). Alliances may not be kept secret from the Host - please CC the Host in any PM conversations between characters. Don't cheat, okay?

The Host may introduce hazards into the arena at any time, however, they will not deliberately attempt to kill a player unless they are found to be breaking the rules.

The Map: I will not reveal the entire map, with the Hexes (like from Civ V), at any time. You will be informed of who is in your Hex and the Hexes adjacent to yours. Part of your sleuthing will be the construct a full map of your own. Don't walk into a trap!

Fate Night/Kill.

 

Master
Name: Ikari Kensei
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Servant Class: Saber
Appearance: Lanky, runner's build. 5"7, 130 pounds. That's 60 kilos, 1.7 metres tall. Black hair, brown, round eyes. Fair Asian complexion. Appears expressionless and uncaring at almost all times.

From the looks of it, you're the host, though I'm not sure if you're just posting an idea. Regardless, what're the districts?

 

It seems odd that Servant Class would be public right from the get-go... Isn't that practically half the mystique of the Fate series anyway? (ignoring people like Lancer and Saber who were really obvious about things)

Anyway, oooh, how I wish I could play, Zeitgeist, if nothing else than to get retribution for poor Agnes. Smile would smile upon me, I'm sure. Alas, too busy right now to be effective.

The game does seem quite fun though. Good luck guys! Also, I suppose your Survivalism stat is an analogue for the Mana stat?

 

Districts was a remnant from another RPG. Removed those references.

Can you put a bit more effort into your SU? I mean, I hate to be picky, but RPGs are fun when you have more... description and life?

---------- Post automerged at 05:15 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:09 AM ----------

I decided to make Servant Class (not True Names, though) public since A.) they're ridiculously obvious and B.) they make Sign-Ups far easier. I wanted to simplify the elements of the original Lungs game that were frustrating and add depth to the lacking areas.

Also, even if you don't play or RP, you can still participate. Observers of this game will be able to influence the game by acting as "sponsors", almost, and voting to allow an NPC to give a Master/Servant an essential item like Food or Drink. This ability will be moderated by the Host, obviously, and will only be exercised in appropriate circumstances.

Your thoughts?

 

Master
Name: Kaito Hisakawa
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Servant Class: Archer
Appearance: Rather tall (6'2" - 1.88m) and lightly muscled at around 200 lbs. (91 kg.), Kaito is dark haired and light skinned runner. He has sharp, intelligent-looking features, and his green eyes sparkle with wit, further betraying a keen mind. Propensity for fairly plain clothing.

Edit: I'm not terribly familiar with the Nasuverse (ie I've read some wiki stuff and the fanfiction that has been posted as crossovers with Fate/Stay Night on DLP); is the stuff about there being items in the center of the arena, making alliances, variable arenas, etc. holdover from what I'm assuming was a Hunger Games RPG, or are all of those things elements of Nasuverse as well? I assumed it was just holdover until you mentioned sponsorship as being an actual game element, so now I'm less sure about it (although I can see the alliances being a thing). Can you clarify, please?

 

I'm so tempted to do this, but honestly I'd have no idea what I'm doing at all. The original Fate Night/Kill was one of my favorite things to watch so at the very least I'm going to be an observer for this one.

 

Another point/question: an additional 15 points to distribute for a servant would allow them to max all stats at 5 with 5 points remaining. Should we assume there is no cap on what the Servant's stats can be raised to?

 

Servants can go beyond 5 per stat but must not exceed 10 in any given stat. Items being at the center and alliances are a part of the Nasuverse and will enrich the game.

 

Does the Noble Phantasm always stack with Strength in combat, or only when it is activated for the one encounter?

 

Yeah. Sorry. I wrote something and I suddenly realised that I had a one-off early morning class to get to that was quite important, so I kinda posted bare bones. I already sent you an updated writeup, though I'll still be making a few changes to the public view one when I have a bit more time this afternoon.

 

Only for one encounter. Also, NPs can only be used once per game.

Ashan, you sent me two NPs. Please remove one of them. Also, try to avoid discussing "ranks" like A or B.

I'll accept both of you for now, although I'd prefer if your Descriptions are at least two sentences longer.

 

Master
Name: Claudia Vogel

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Servant Class: Assassin

Appearance: Claudia is of below average height for her age, resting at 5 foot 1 inch. She has a mostly slender figure, and she weighs a healthy 42 kg. Her build is distinctly athletic, and Claudia regularly participates in her schools track and field events, personally favoring track. Despite being well into puberty, her build can easily be mistaken for that of one much younger, which ultimately rests as quite a sore spot for the young adolescent.

Claudia's hair is of a light blonde color, and is typically worn tied back in a small ponytail, the tip of which rests roughly at the nape of her neck. She ties the hair back using a long, deep blue ribbon, which is adorned at the edges with a small, silver fortissimo sign. The ribbon is precious to her, being an heirloom of a since deceased grandmother, and she very rarely leaves it anywhere but on her person. Her eyes are striking blue, a strong trait of her Germanic heritage, and they possess a certain degree of analytical coldness. Her facial features are rather sharp, almost taut, and normally only serve to accentuate the impression given by her eyes. Her cheekbones are high, certainly not unattractive, and her lips are quite thin. She very rarely wears make up, likely stemming from her athletic background where such adornment is considered impractical. She does, however, have a small ear piercing in each ear, small silver treble clefs adorning each lobe. Her nose is demure, and proportional, her most striking facial features being the aforementioned eyes and cheekbones.

Claudia talks with a soft, levelled voice, and she possesses no thick accent. Her tone is typically quite calming, but she is not averse to raising her voice to prove a point.

Claudia wears rather plain clothes. Her standard attire consists of a somewhat loose fitting blue t-shirt, which is adorned at the neck with a small, repeating pattern of silver waves. Over this she wears a rather plain, green hooded jacket. The jacket is normally worn open for comfort, and is notably a size or two big for her frame, each sleeve having to be rolled up to just below her wrist, revealing that she wears a small silver bangle on her right wrist. The bangle is a thin piece of metal, but the centrepiece of the jewellery is a small fortissimo sign, much like the one adorning her ribbon, around which the rest of the bangle is coiled. The bottom of the jacket hangs down beyond her waist, the most telling sign that it is slightly too large for her. Claudia very rarely wears the jacket zipped up, and is largely nonplussed by the cold. In contrast to the jacket she wears, her jeans seem arguably too small, clear hugging the skin tightly and framing her slender legs. The jeans are denim, and their dark blue colour directly contrasts with the sky blue of her t-shirt. The jeans are worn alongside a thin, leather belt, the buckle of which is once again a small, silver fortissimo sign. The hem of the jeans rest just above the ankle, and allow others to see that Claudia typically wears no socks, as she finds the breeze which encircles her feet through her shoes as a consequence both comfortable and calming. Her shoes themselves are dark brown, leather deck shoes - a striking contrast to the rest of her rather standard attire.

 

The more people, the merrier! Sign up!

Saber: Ikari Kensei (Ashan) - ACCEPTED
Lancer: OPEN
Archer: Kaito Hisakawa (Typhon) - ACCEPTED
Rider: OPEN
Caster: OPEN
Assassin: Claudia Vogel (Caligula) - ACCEPTED
Berserker: OPEN

 

I am also tempted to join in on the Rider position.

Any rules on who the servant is, back story, or the like?

 

Only rule is that the Servant cannot be preexisting one. Also, try to avoid making the backstory linked to any canon characters in the Nasuverse. Essentially, create an OC.