Post by lordfhalkyn on Jul 15, 2018 20:26:55 GMT
"Blood leads only to blood, and violence begets violence. Nothing more. Revenge is simply another name for murder."
-King Deghinsea
"From the very beginning, every last one of you has underestimated us. Will you never learn? Your refusal to recognize our strength will forever keep victory at arm's length."
-Ike
"Were my heart my master, I would do exactly as you say. But what sort of knight abandons his kingdom -his king!- now, when they need him the most? Would you have me toss away the life I have built as if it meant nothing at all?"
-Camus
"The strong are always alone because no one thinks they need any help. But that's not true at all. There have been many times when I wished... that I had someone at my side, someone to help guide me through tough situations. But I'm no longer a child, and I can't get away with saying such selfish things."
-Leo
"A throne gained by blood shall be lost by the same."
-Fhalkyn
-King Deghinsea
"From the very beginning, every last one of you has underestimated us. Will you never learn? Your refusal to recognize our strength will forever keep victory at arm's length."
-Ike
"Were my heart my master, I would do exactly as you say. But what sort of knight abandons his kingdom -his king!- now, when they need him the most? Would you have me toss away the life I have built as if it meant nothing at all?"
-Camus
"The strong are always alone because no one thinks they need any help. But that's not true at all. There have been many times when I wished... that I had someone at my side, someone to help guide me through tough situations. But I'm no longer a child, and I can't get away with saying such selfish things."
-Leo
"A throne gained by blood shall be lost by the same."
-Fhalkyn
Many thousands of years ago, the last emperor of Nakahanto- a cruel, capricious, idiotic tyrant- was slain when his feudal lords, the Daimyo, rebelled against him. The Poke Emblem- a mystical item of great power, marking its bearer as Emperor- was divided in three, each piece entrusted to a Daimyo. However, in today’s greedy, amoral times, the three Daimyo have decided to rebuild the Poke Emblem once more, and are turning the powers of their respective portions against each other to earn the right unite the shards. Uniting the shards isn’t simply a matter of gluing the pieces together, however- a special ritual must take place in a holy sanctum to rebuild the Poke Emblem.
A holy sanctum housed in your province…
Welcome to Poke Emblem! Your characters are heirs, servants, or samurai of a Daimyo and his/her province (both of which will be generated after the players have been chosen.) Your lands serve as the battlegrounds for the armies of the other three Daimyo, each seeking to unite the Poke Emblem into one, as well as to claim the holy ground upon which they can put the Emblem back together. Your people suffer as the armies of the other three Daimyo march across it, slaughtering anything in their paths. Your Daimyo, his/her resources stretched thin, has assembled you as an elite force, and tasked to you drive the warring Daimyo out of his/her lands- and if possible, retrieve their shards of the Poke Emblem.
But Nakahanto is an ancient land. Arceus only knows what nightmares this violent conflict will awaken… or what nightmares inspired the fighting…
A holy sanctum housed in your province…
Welcome to Poke Emblem! Your characters are heirs, servants, or samurai of a Daimyo and his/her province (both of which will be generated after the players have been chosen.) Your lands serve as the battlegrounds for the armies of the other three Daimyo, each seeking to unite the Poke Emblem into one, as well as to claim the holy ground upon which they can put the Emblem back together. Your people suffer as the armies of the other three Daimyo march across it, slaughtering anything in their paths. Your Daimyo, his/her resources stretched thin, has assembled you as an elite force, and tasked to you drive the warring Daimyo out of his/her lands- and if possible, retrieve their shards of the Poke Emblem.
But Nakahanto is an ancient land. Arceus only knows what nightmares this violent conflict will awaken… or what nightmares inspired the fighting…
Necessary Information
Trainer level: 3. You have had some combat experience, as your lands are under siege.
Starting Pokemon: You start with two Pokemon: One level 10 (your starter), and one level 5.
The following restrictions apply:
• Legendary, mythical, and pseudolegendary Pokemon are not allowed.
• Fossil Pokemon are not allowed.
• Pokemon must not be obviously modern (like Porygon or Rotom)
• You should at least try to make your Pokemon fit in with a feudal Japanese setting.
• Starting Pokemon must be either first or second forms. No final forms yet!
• One of your starters may be sapient, if you wish.
Starting Cash: $5000.
Prohibited Splatbooks:
• DPDoM
• BatD (DM’s permission only)
Class Prohibitions
• Anything from DPDoM
Starting Pokemon: You start with two Pokemon: One level 10 (your starter), and one level 5.
The following restrictions apply:
• Legendary, mythical, and pseudolegendary Pokemon are not allowed.
• Fossil Pokemon are not allowed.
• Pokemon must not be obviously modern (like Porygon or Rotom)
• You should at least try to make your Pokemon fit in with a feudal Japanese setting.
• Starting Pokemon must be either first or second forms. No final forms yet!
• One of your starters may be sapient, if you wish.
Starting Cash: $5000.
Prohibited Splatbooks:
• DPDoM
• BatD (DM’s permission only)
Class Prohibitions
• Anything from DPDoM
Setting Information
On playing Sapient Pokemon:
Based heavily on Feudal Japan- imagine Hoshido from Fates/Birthright as the singular setting of those games. I know virtually zilch about feudal Japan, and while I’ll try to learn enough to accurately represent the culture, I ask the Japanese and the weebs among us to show mercy if I err. Also, this means you ought to pick Japanese names for your characters.
The names of Pokemon species are in English. Because I don’t know the Japanese names.
The upper pantheon and Arceus rarely descend to meet with mortals, preferring a hands-off approach, though a few (like Ho-oh and Lugia) will meet with those who navigate their dangerous lairs. The lower pantheon, however, is much more commonly encountered by humans- many make their homes in large, well-established shrines.
Ancestor worship is known and permitted- most houses have small shrines dedicated to the family's ancestors- though Nakahantoese ancestor-worship is considered much more refined and acceptable than the glorified primal-scream therapy the Cubone engage in. If allowed to take a class from BatD, you may choose to take an ancestor as your god. You may choose any single domain for that ancestor, with the following exceptions: Concept, Creation, Devourer, Glitch, Hivemind, Matter, and Symbiotic. Ancestors are always considered members of the lower pantheon.
Terms
• Daimyo: Feudal Lords of Nakahanto, they are the equivalent of barons in Medieval Europe.
• Province: lands ruled by a Daimyo. They are the equivalent of duchies in Medieval Europe. Nakahanto recognizes four provinces- Higashimori, Nishitoshima, Hokuzen, and your own (which you will name and design on Discord before Chapter 1.)
• Samurai: the equivalent of knights in Nakahanto, samurai are supposed to live by a code of conduct known as Bushido, though their adherence varies from person to person. All Daimyo are samurai.
• Ashigaru: a disparaging term referring to conscript soldiers, mercenaries, ablative meat, and cannon fodder.
Technology
• Apricorn balls only. A combination of special berries, psychic energy, and some mumbo-jumbo!
• TMs/HMs: These take the form of scrolls of profound wisdom. When read by a Sapient Pokemon, or read to a non-sapient Pokemon, that Pokemon must go to a quiet place and meditate on the contents for at least an hour. These scrolls can be used repeatedly, but are only found in monasteries, and are never for sale. Stealing them is not recommended.
• Tanegashima- matchlock rifles based on black powder- are used, but they are unreliable, and are considered dishonorable weapons only a peasant or disreputable ashigaru would use.
o They are long-range crude weapons, representing their inherent unreliability and the fact that the art of gunsmithing is still new.
o When they “miss,” they instead misfire. When a natural one is rolled, they explode, causing everyone and everything within a blast 2 (centered on the rifle) to take damage as though they were hit by the rifle’s attack.
• Royal Jelly: Produced only by Vespiquen. Consuming one grants a digestion buff that lets the user regain a tick of hit points for 5 rounds. A human or Pokemon can only benefit from this benefit once per day. If consumed by a non-sapient Vespiquen, it instead cocoons itself for 24 hours, after which it emerges as a sapient Vespiquen, eager to learn about the world.
• Fossils can be brought back by special rituals known only to certain shrine caretakers.
• Planters and egg warmers don’t exist. Carry the egg with fire types, and plant your berries in the back of a Torterra.
The three great Daimyo are as follows:
• Hikaru: Daimyo of Higashimori. A knowledgeable woman in her thirties, she reluctantly took the throne when her husband Matsumoto died in the fighting over the Emblem. Her beauty is statuesque, her poise elegant, her skills undeniable- but her eyes are lifeless, for when her husband died, her five children were slain trying to avenge him. She hopes the Emblem has the power to bring her dead family back, but until then, is able to use her shard to turn nature itself against her enemies- a visible manifestation of her grief and rage.
• Daichi: Daimyo of Nishitoshima. A fair-minded young man, Daichi is known as Daichi the Just to his supporters, and Daichi the Just-Born to his detractors (he’s only sixteen.) Nevertheless, he has made a reputation for himself as an excellent fighter and a fair-minded ruler. He has observed the abuses perpetrated by his father (whom he slew for his throne) and by other Daimyo as well, and seeks to unite the provinces into a great empire with himself as emperor- whether the others want it or not. As he awaits his coronation, he uses his fragment to enhance the physical and mental attributes of his servants and soldiers, freely granting them his favor.
• Takehido: Daimyo of the Hokuzen Province. Not a human, but a Haxorous, Takehido and other sapient Pokemon were persecuted by the former, cruel, Daimyo. Takehido personally slew the man and took his place, and now has a serious axe to grind against those who threaten, abuse, or enslave Pokemon. Through the war, Takehido has come to view humans as inherently unfit to rule, and seeks to use the Emblem to topple humanity from the positions and replace them with Pokemon- until humans prove themselves ready to rule, of course. In the meantime, the power of the fragment he took from the dead Daimyo gives him the ability to enslave his foes; needless to say, this goes against his beliefs and he uses this power only as a final resort.
Provinces
• Higashimori: A province consisting mainly of forest, Higashimori boasts a high population, large amounts of food, and terrain so dangerous it can destroy armies. However, it largely consists of wood, meaning a single fire can potentially burn this province to the ground.
• Nishitoshima: A chain of islands just offshore, Nishitoshima is relatively self-sufficient, and is quite populous. But the islands’ isolation makes them vulnerable- if anything happens to its ships or docks, it will be cut off from the mainland.
• Hokuzen: A mountainous province, Hokuzen has a low population, nonarable land, and a hostile environment plagued by Cubone tribes. However, it is also home to more dragon types than usual, and boasts some of the strongest fortifications in Nakahanto.
• Your province: A centrally located province located on the mainland between the other three provinces, which will be created by the players.
The names of Pokemon species are in English. Because I don’t know the Japanese names.
The upper pantheon and Arceus rarely descend to meet with mortals, preferring a hands-off approach, though a few (like Ho-oh and Lugia) will meet with those who navigate their dangerous lairs. The lower pantheon, however, is much more commonly encountered by humans- many make their homes in large, well-established shrines.
Ancestor worship is known and permitted- most houses have small shrines dedicated to the family's ancestors- though Nakahantoese ancestor-worship is considered much more refined and acceptable than the glorified primal-scream therapy the Cubone engage in. If allowed to take a class from BatD, you may choose to take an ancestor as your god. You may choose any single domain for that ancestor, with the following exceptions: Concept, Creation, Devourer, Glitch, Hivemind, Matter, and Symbiotic. Ancestors are always considered members of the lower pantheon.
Terms
• Daimyo: Feudal Lords of Nakahanto, they are the equivalent of barons in Medieval Europe.
• Province: lands ruled by a Daimyo. They are the equivalent of duchies in Medieval Europe. Nakahanto recognizes four provinces- Higashimori, Nishitoshima, Hokuzen, and your own (which you will name and design on Discord before Chapter 1.)
• Samurai: the equivalent of knights in Nakahanto, samurai are supposed to live by a code of conduct known as Bushido, though their adherence varies from person to person. All Daimyo are samurai.
• Ashigaru: a disparaging term referring to conscript soldiers, mercenaries, ablative meat, and cannon fodder.
Technology
• Apricorn balls only. A combination of special berries, psychic energy, and some mumbo-jumbo!
• TMs/HMs: These take the form of scrolls of profound wisdom. When read by a Sapient Pokemon, or read to a non-sapient Pokemon, that Pokemon must go to a quiet place and meditate on the contents for at least an hour. These scrolls can be used repeatedly, but are only found in monasteries, and are never for sale. Stealing them is not recommended.
• Tanegashima- matchlock rifles based on black powder- are used, but they are unreliable, and are considered dishonorable weapons only a peasant or disreputable ashigaru would use.
o They are long-range crude weapons, representing their inherent unreliability and the fact that the art of gunsmithing is still new.
o When they “miss,” they instead misfire. When a natural one is rolled, they explode, causing everyone and everything within a blast 2 (centered on the rifle) to take damage as though they were hit by the rifle’s attack.
• Royal Jelly: Produced only by Vespiquen. Consuming one grants a digestion buff that lets the user regain a tick of hit points for 5 rounds. A human or Pokemon can only benefit from this benefit once per day. If consumed by a non-sapient Vespiquen, it instead cocoons itself for 24 hours, after which it emerges as a sapient Vespiquen, eager to learn about the world.
• Fossils can be brought back by special rituals known only to certain shrine caretakers.
• Planters and egg warmers don’t exist. Carry the egg with fire types, and plant your berries in the back of a Torterra.
The three great Daimyo are as follows:
• Hikaru: Daimyo of Higashimori. A knowledgeable woman in her thirties, she reluctantly took the throne when her husband Matsumoto died in the fighting over the Emblem. Her beauty is statuesque, her poise elegant, her skills undeniable- but her eyes are lifeless, for when her husband died, her five children were slain trying to avenge him. She hopes the Emblem has the power to bring her dead family back, but until then, is able to use her shard to turn nature itself against her enemies- a visible manifestation of her grief and rage.
• Daichi: Daimyo of Nishitoshima. A fair-minded young man, Daichi is known as Daichi the Just to his supporters, and Daichi the Just-Born to his detractors (he’s only sixteen.) Nevertheless, he has made a reputation for himself as an excellent fighter and a fair-minded ruler. He has observed the abuses perpetrated by his father (whom he slew for his throne) and by other Daimyo as well, and seeks to unite the provinces into a great empire with himself as emperor- whether the others want it or not. As he awaits his coronation, he uses his fragment to enhance the physical and mental attributes of his servants and soldiers, freely granting them his favor.
• Takehido: Daimyo of the Hokuzen Province. Not a human, but a Haxorous, Takehido and other sapient Pokemon were persecuted by the former, cruel, Daimyo. Takehido personally slew the man and took his place, and now has a serious axe to grind against those who threaten, abuse, or enslave Pokemon. Through the war, Takehido has come to view humans as inherently unfit to rule, and seeks to use the Emblem to topple humanity from the positions and replace them with Pokemon- until humans prove themselves ready to rule, of course. In the meantime, the power of the fragment he took from the dead Daimyo gives him the ability to enslave his foes; needless to say, this goes against his beliefs and he uses this power only as a final resort.
Provinces
• Higashimori: A province consisting mainly of forest, Higashimori boasts a high population, large amounts of food, and terrain so dangerous it can destroy armies. However, it largely consists of wood, meaning a single fire can potentially burn this province to the ground.
• Nishitoshima: A chain of islands just offshore, Nishitoshima is relatively self-sufficient, and is quite populous. But the islands’ isolation makes them vulnerable- if anything happens to its ships or docks, it will be cut off from the mainland.
• Hokuzen: A mountainous province, Hokuzen has a low population, nonarable land, and a hostile environment plagued by Cubone tribes. However, it is also home to more dragon types than usual, and boasts some of the strongest fortifications in Nakahanto.
• Your province: A centrally located province located on the mainland between the other three provinces, which will be created by the players.
On playing Sapient Pokemon:
Sapient Pokemon
Sapient Pokemon are constructed like human characters; however, unlike humans, they gain moves from leveling up and cannot gain moves from Features; they don’t reassign their stats when they evolve. What follows are a list of typically sapient Pokémon and evolutionary lines. If you want something beyond this, it will be treated on a case-by-case basis. Humanoid or human-like Pokemon (mainly fighting and psychic types) have a better chance at approval.
Sapient Pokemon are constructed like human characters; however, unlike humans, they gain moves from leveling up and cannot gain moves from Features; they don’t reassign their stats when they evolve. What follows are a list of typically sapient Pokémon and evolutionary lines. If you want something beyond this, it will be treated on a case-by-case basis. Humanoid or human-like Pokemon (mainly fighting and psychic types) have a better chance at approval.
- Treeko line: the “People of the Trees” have long welcomed humanity and allowed them to take of the forest, on the condition that their deep forest homes be left alone. Humans have by and large accepted this rule, but more than a few Pawniard armies have been lost when their leaders got greedy. Members of this line serve as archetypical rangers. Treeko tend towards the impish personality, while Grovyle are more reckless. Sceptile are master warriors and rangers, eagerly sought for a variety of reasons.
- Ralts line: everyone has heard the tales of the faerie folk, but few have seen them. Fewer still can claim friendship with them. Shy and reclusive, their villages lurk in the furthest reaches of the wilderness, far from humanity. Their young- Ralts and Kirlia- are rarely, if ever, allowed into the outside world, and their existence is usually conjecture. Gardevoir and Gallade, however, are seen possibly once in a lifetime. Gardevoir mature into powerful witches and wizards, while Gallde are the archetypical honorable samurai or ashigaru.
- Braixen/Delphox: Sometimes, when Fennekin evolve, they spontaneously gain the intelligence of a human adolescent and the power of speech; whether this is the blessing of a mad god or the results of an experiment by a long-forgotten wizard is unknown. Sapient Braixen frequently are magic users or some form of spellslinging samurai. These roles continue as the evolve into Delphox, granting increased intelligence and greater chances for social advancement, though a significant minority become shrine caretakers, putting their mystical powers to use divining the will of the gods.
- Pawniard line: Magically granted sapience to serve as a powerful class of slave-soldiers for humanity long ago, Pawniard and Bisharp have since won their freedom. Bred for was as they are, many have fallen back on this as a way to survive, serving as the loyal armies of Daimyo in return for shelter, or else forming bands of ashigaru for anyone with the coin to hire them (the Band of the Sawk is particularly infamous.)
- Vespiquen: the result of alchemy gone wrong (or right, depending on your view), a particular wizard was able to derive a substance from a wild Vespiquen he dubbed “royal jelly,” which he then used to make that Vespiquen sapient. That first sapient Vespiquen took the secret, slew her creator, and made sapient a large number of her sisters. The Vespiquen then marched on the emperor at the time and demanded the right to be accepted as sapient members of society. Though the Vespiquen could have been easily crushed, the emperor saw little reason to refuse, and today, Vespiquen are the only ones who know how to create royal jelly. A Vespiquen does not become sapient upon evolution; it must ingest royal jelly first, leaving sapient Vespiquen to wonder if they want to risk creating a potential rival by adding another member to their sorority.
- Cubone line: though long derided as backwards and barbaric, largely due to their violent tribal attitudes, sapient Cubone actually have a rich culture of animistic beliefs. Believing that spirits reside in all things, they hold that gods are simply super-powerful nature spirits (Kyogre, for example, is merely an exceedingly powerful water spirit; a Magikarp spirit, if strong enough, can take its place.) Led by their shamans (Alolan variants), Cubone mercilessly wage war for plunder and glory, hoping to please their ancestral spirits and prove their worthiness to them. The most powerful shamans can actually take the form of other Pokemon, which they use to spy on their enemies (Sapient Alolan Marowak, in this setting, learn Transform at level 40.) They deride sapient Pawniard and Bisharp as “bootlickers.”