Restoria Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
restoriamods) wrote2021-01-17 12:06 pm
restoriamods) wrote2021-01-17 12:06 pm
FAQ
FAQ
Premise & Arrival
What is Restoria?
Restoria is a (voluntary) jamjar game for original characters only. All characters - known as Travelers - are brought into the game by The Calling and assist in preventing the multiverse from being eaten by a cosmic being known as the Devourer, which is aided by a corrupt faction known as the Enders. There will be fantasy and sci-fi elements, action/adventure possibilities, influence by characters’ worlds on the setting, and emphasis on characters building deep bonds with both each other and the world of Restoria in order to save the multiverse. There is a loose metaplot which will be steered towards one of several imagined conclusions by character participation, event engagement, and player interest.
Events will consist primarily of regular quests to facilitate metaplot, world exploration, and resource gathering; a seasonal game-canon TDM; and monthly character mingles.
What are bonds?
ICly, "bonds" are close friendships and partnerships established between Travelers - and between Travelers and the world of Restoria - via frequent interaction with peers, Natives, and the setting. The more one character interacts with another, the more they will begin to feel energized in their presence. Natives will also refer to the "bonds" that intangibly connect the web of the multiverse, and which allow Travelers to arrive in Restoria and harmonize with the planet's energies, drawing new power from the world itself and feeding back their own energies. Bonds strengthen Travelers, Natives, and the very world of Restoria itself, ensuring the continued existence of the multiverse with Restoria at its center.
OOCly, characters build and maintain their bonds through consistent threading with characters both within and outside of their own Houses (factions), which will be tracked. In other words, longstanding CR comes with rewards, which we call Bond Boosts! Those rewards can be power regains or unique setting-specific powers, such as telepathy, power sharing, and elemental abilities. Read more about bonds and Bond Boosts here.
What makes Restoria unique for OCs and OC players?
Glad you asked! Restoria was conceptualized as an ideal place to have judgment-free fun with our some of our most indulgent of OC ideas, with app requirements that aren't too stressful for those of us lacking an extensive RP or writing/worldbuilding history with said OCs. While there are some limitations on appable characters to ensure a fair and comfortable environment for everyone, Restoria welcomes original characters from all walks of life: canon/fandom, D&D and MMORPG, high fantasy, sci-fi, supernatural, modern, mundane, and so on.
Furthermore, Restoria aims to maximize creative input from our talented playerbase, because obviously OC players love writing! You will find opportunities to share aspects of their characters' worlds with the other players in the game via "merging", with the potential to further incorporate their worldbuilding into the game setting itself via eventual nexus/worldhopping mechanics.
Have you ever wanted to invite other people's characters into your OC's world? You can!
Do you love thinking up events and conflicts? Submit a Quest!
And for players who love character creation, why not consider dreaming up a Restoria native as a secondary character, or even an Ender? We'll help!
How do characters arrive in Restoria?
Characters will hear a voice calling to them and then feel themselves falling through time and space before awakening among the roots of the Tree of Harmony in the Greenhouse of Unity (yes, Restorians do enjoy emphasizing bonds and unions). The tree is in the center of the auditorium where the Sentinels of Restoria will greet them. Travelers will find dire injuries and death blows have been mysteriously healed - though scars and disfigurements may remain, at the player's discretion.
Then they will be guided to the Hall of Travelers. There they will be told the reason they have been brought to Restoria, given a brief interview, and then presented with a choice: stay and save the multiverse, or return back to their own world. Only Travelers who have chosen to stay will move on from there. Those who refuse will be guided back to their own worlds.
What if my character would argue or put up a fight?
Bye! The Sentinels of Restoria will not expend precious limited resources on maintaining an interplanar bond with an unwilling or uncooperative Traveler. They will be patient in explaining the dire circumstances of the multiverse, but only to a point. We suggest apping a character who will have some motivation to preserve their world (or at least one who is willing to lie and play along!).
What characters can be brought to Restoria?
As this is a game For Original Characters Only, only characters that are completely of your own design will be accepted.
This does not mean the setting must be original (Canon OCs are allowed!), but the characters themselves cannot be an official character in the canon. If the character has an official name, visual depiction, dialogue, or a direct reference in canon somewhere, then we would not consider them an OC. In other words, malleable protagonists (such as the Warrior of Light from FFXIV) and minor background characters that you have embellished will not be accepted. If you're still uncertain, feel free to ask!
What types of Canon OCs are allowed?
In regards to Canon OCs, the characters cannot have close ties - think familial or best friendship - to any canon character, nor any direct influence on the official canon story. There should be no information about your character that would directly conflict with or contradict the canon or events in canon as we know them. A good rule of thumb is: if there is something in or about your character's story that would be expected for an incoming Canon OC castmate to know (beyond a surface level "a fellow adventurer from X guild" or "a student at X school"), then it should be edited out. This rule applies regardless of the obscurity of the canon or the likelihood of getting castmates.
Here are some helpful examples, using familiar canons, of what would not and would (respectively) be acceptable to app:
❌ An imagining of Szeto, a previous Avatar with little known canon information.
⭕ A heretofore unrevealed and unnamed Avatar from the past.
❌ Your customized Pokemon Sword & Shield protagonist, who followed the game story and became Champion.
⭕ A skilled Pokemon trainer from the Galar region who has won a few tournaments.
❌ Inuyasha and Kagome's long-lost second daughter.
⭕ A demon from Koga's wolf clan of your own imagining.
In that same spirit, Canon AUs are also not allowed, including future universes, fix-its, and "what-if" AUs. "[Canon] But Everyone Is An OC" universes are also not permitted, as they would be confusing to Canon OCs of that canon. Now, if you would like to create an original setting based off of a version of a canon setting, with everything renamed and expies of the canon characters that are Not Those Characters... well. We're not gonna tell you how to worldbuild for your OC.
Are table top RPG games considered a Canon?
Those with published settings, such as Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance, or Norrath from EverQuest, are considered canons for the purposes of this game. Whether table top, video game, or an MMO, these with official published canon settings all have people, places, and events that characters would be expected to be aware of. All characters from one of these published canon settings will fall under the same rules as any other Canon OC, listed above.
If you would like to adapt your table top or MMO character to make their setting unique ("serial numbers filed off"), that is also acceptable.
How much AU is a Canon AU for published settings from TTRPG and MMOs?
No canon set information can be altered, but if there is an allowance for making up cities, people, etc., go for it! We are more than okay with you creating alternate city names and adjusting your character's backstory so that it exists within these published settings but would not cause overlap or interference with another character's life/backstory in that setting. The world is huge and even in real life, significant events happen every day that we don't know about!
If you have major world changing events such as massive wars, destruction, or an apocalypse happening, then you may need to tone those down. However, as long as the events are things someone else could reasonably not know and thus no other player would have to adhere to the events of your campaigns, then it's fair game.
It is also possible to take your character from a canon point before the major AU events occur in their campaign. If it hasn't happened yet in their "canon," then it doesn't count!
So characters from self-made settings using table top mechanics are not Canons?
If you have created the world and setting yourself, even if you borrowed the game play mechanics of a table top game during your campaign, then you are in the clear! This is your original setting and these Canon OC rules don't apply to you.
Can I app a character with CRAU from a previous game?
Due to our game lore, we are not accepting CRAU from other jamjar-type games.
Is there an age limit to what characters can be apped?
Character age can range depending on their suitability, but we are capping the age to no one under 10 years old physically and mentally. If your character reads like they will have trouble functioning independently in the setting due to their mental or physical age, we may ask you to rethink apping them. ICly, the Sentinels would send such characters directly home.
What can characters bring with them into the game?
Characters can bring anything immediately on their person or that they are holding and Two more items that they have a strong bond or connection to. These items can be no bigger than a motorcycle. This inventory can include tools, machines, weapons, or even a pet/familiar. Note also that AC rewards can be used for characters to request items from home.
Pets, familiars, and vehicles should be no larger than a pony upon arrival, with shrinking occurring if necessary. A size regain item can be purchased in the Shop with AC rewards.
My character is a vampire/werewolf/merperson/alien/robot/etc and needs special resources to survive (food, blood, energy, etc). How will this be handled?
The Sentinels and the Houses will provide synthetic substitutes, or players can assume that characters are sustained by the magical core energy of their House.
Additional options may be provided as the game develops.
My character is a ghost/spectre/shade/etc and has no physical body. Will they get one?
Characters all must be able to interact with the setting and other characters in the setting to be appable, but those without a corporeal form will have the option to gain the ability to have a physical form. However, that form will be even more influenced by the House they have chosen than other characters are at first.
My character's physical form is dependent on their magic/power/deity, how will they be affected by the power nerfing?
If a character has a set way in which they are presented and use magic or their connection to a higher being to maintain that form, they will arrive in game without this, but after a few days the magic will even itself out and they will appear as they typically do.
The magic of Restoria will not stop someone from looking as they have envisioned themselves nor will it prevent someone who has been cursed in their world from the full effects of that curse (a character cursed to look like an ogre will still look an ogre), but they may find the rest of their magic/abilities even more limited to make up for so much power going into their physical presentation. Those whose appearance are affected by a curse or something similar can also gain the ability to return to their natural form.
How many characters can you app at once? How many characters can you have in game?
Players can app two characters in one app cycle. Players can have up to three characters in game at the same time.
Setting
What type of setting is Restoria?
Restoria is a fantasy world with sci-fi and magitech elements, inhabited by an old world sentient species that have evolved to the point of natural immortality. The planet exists in a universe separate from the universes of all the characters that will be called there, functioning as the center of the webbed bonds of the multiverse. The Natives of Restoria place a great emphasis on the importance of harmony and cooperation, such that violence, belligerence, and any verbal or physical display of discord are frowned upon.
The world of Restoria - and with it, your universe - is under siege by an entity known as the Devourer, which draws its strength from the immense energy released by the fission of spiritual and interplanar bonds. The Devourer is aided by a faction known as the Enders, who have gathered from many worlds and endeavor to prepare the Devourer's next meal for consumption. Their individual motivations are many, but their success could mean an end to the very concept known as the "multiverse."
Read more about the people of Restoria, the Enders, and the Devourer here. And you can read more about the planet of Restoria here.
What happens if my character is at odds with the ethos of Native Restorians?
Naturally combative or argumentative characters may find the Restorians' insistence on harmony above all to be stifling, but Natives know from experience that Travelers will need time to adjust to their ways. Travelers can expect to be treated with a somewhat paternalistic understanding that they just need more time. Flagrant displays of belligerence may be punished with tedious tasks and/or a "time out" to meditate in the Conservatory at the Greenhouse of Unity, or in the Sanctuary of their House.
What parts of the setting do characters have access to?
Characters have access to all the locations described on the locations page, but some of that access may be limited. More locations will be revealed and opened to characters as the game progresses!
Where will characters live?
For their first month, all characters will stay in a dormitory at the Hall of Travelers, where they will share a room with another Traveler and enjoy communal areas for cooking, eating, and entertainment. Dorm residence may be temporary or permanent, and Travelers will still be able to enjoy access to the City and Sanctuary of their House via conveniently located Travel Ports.
After one month, characters may choose to live in the city of their House. Each House has its own City on opposite sides of the Twilight Strip, where Travelers will be given the option to reside in simply furnished, apartment style housing and basic amenities free of charge.
Information about Traveler Housing can be found on the locations page.
How do characters survive? How do they get food and basic supplies?
All Travelers will be afforded basic housing, supplies, and necessities. Food is provided by the cafeterias of their dormitories. All meals are vegetarian, though synthetic meat can be provided to individuals who must have it.
If characters would like additional luxuries or specialized supplies they can pay for them with the money they earn "IC" through working on a job around their House or completing Quests. "OOC" this will be gained as additional AC rewards.
Can my character find/build their own house or move out of the city?
As the planet is tidally locked, the territory outside of the major Restorian cities in and around the Twilight Strip is largely incompatible with life. One will find frozen mountains on the Cloud side and vast, barren desert on the Stone side, with extreme temperatures and storms limiting travel and homesteading. Likewise, the Umbral Forests are similarly inhospitable, as the Enders are an ever-present threat. To maintain safety and strength of bonds, most Restorians live within the House cities and they highly suggest the same to Travelers.
However, with a little savings - i.e., banked threads - characters may be able to purchase private housing within their city.
What plantlife and animals does Restoria have?
Animals and plants are generally not unlike what you would find on earth and in the fantasy worlds of some other canons, though with certain adaptations that seem as if they have merged with crystal or plantlife. As Restoria has been influenced by other worlds, some plants or benign animals might even be recognized by Travelers.
All flora and fauna in Restoria are benign and peaceful unless they have been stated otherwise by the mods, but there are more chances for dangerous species to appear from within the Umbral Forest.
Read more about flora and fauna here.
How will "merging" affect the setting?
Characters' worlds will begin to influence the setting of Restoria the stronger their bonds to each other become. This means that the more players thread and build CR, the greater the rewards, including setting-specific powers and the ability to have influences from their character's world show up. This could mean a location suddenly exists, or creatures start to appear, or many other ways they could bring an influence into Restoria.
More information will be announced in coming developments!
These locations look like they are quite a distance apart. How will characters travel between them?
Characters will be able to use Travel Ports. They are similar to bus stations (including a Travel Schedule), only they instead teleport groups to other Travel Ports. These Travel Ports can go somewhere within their City or to the other City or to the entrance of the Greenhouse of Unity.
Please make sure your character is at the correct Travel Port at the right time if they want to go to their desired location on time! If not, they may miss the Port and have to wait until the next scheduled time. Using Travel Ports also costs money, but a permanent pass can be purchased as a reward!
Okay so Restoria has a currency. What's that about?
The currency of Restoria is called Reore (represented by this symbol: 💎).
Reore are sparkling coins made of crushed gems and precious stones that have lost their magical properties (usually having been used up for magic spells and the Calling). They are very thin, lightweight, but hard to break. They range in size and value from a 1 reore, a 5 reore, a 25 reore, a 50 reore, and a 100 reore.
Reore come with preset holes in them as it is tradition to accessorize your clothing with your money. Necklaces, bracelets, belts, and other accessories that are magically protected to prevent easy damage or theft while showing off a person's wealth. If you want to buy lunch, you can take a few reore off your bracelet to pay for it.
Factions
Is my character required to select a House if they don't jibe with either?
Yes, for now characters will be required to choose between Stone or Cloud. Depending on the direction of the game's development and the types of characters that arrive, there may be opportunities in the future to join other Houses or factions. We are not considering player created factions at this time, including neutral factions.
Can we switch Houses in the future? How?
Switching Houses is not considered lightly, but it is possible for both Travelers and Natives. Contact the mods to have your character's House changed. All accrued powers and benefits of their previous House will be lost, and it may cost Reore to relocate.
Can my character join the Sentinels, the Enders, or the Lost House?
Not yet. If there appears to be IC interest in this, we are willing to make it happen!
Can my character visit the other House?
A Travel Port can take characters between the City of Stones and the City of Clouds easily, and they are free to sightsee whenever they like! However, someone of that House will have to sign them in if they'd like to enter the Housing or Sanctuary. Unfortunately, Travel Ports to the Lost City are offline for now.
What is a Sanctuary?
The Sanctuary is the primary place of worship, study, and training of a House. Both Stone and Cloud have their own unique sanctuary that is exactly suited to their philosophy. Travelers and Restorians alike may go there to visit a House's stores of knowledge, train both new and old abilities, and recharge their spiritual energy (in some cases, literally). They also serve as centers of healing. Injured characters can be taken to a Sanctuary to receive medical care.
The Greenhouse of Unity functions as the Sanctuary for the Sentinels of Restoria and the Hall of Travelers.
Technology
What level of technology does Restoria have?
The setting is fantasy with sci-fi magi-tech, but it differs depending on the location. The City of Clouds is more technologically advanced in general with its airships and elevators and floating restaurants, but the City of Stones has a natural practical style to it. The Greenhouse of Unity is a mix of both. The Lost City Ruins also has debris and scrapped wreckage showing remnants of a city that once had a lot of technology, but it is hard to recognize all of it.
At the same time there is basic technology for everyone, from the Travel Ports (teleportation bus stations) to the holographic tech of the communication devices.
What do the communication devices do?
The communication devices are holographic fusion of magic and technology. They project audio, visuals, text and more depending on how well Travelers intune themselves to their House. Each device is unique to the house and user. The devices can be used to communicate with a specific person, to a private Web for your House, or to the Traveler's Web at large.
More information about the communication devices can be found here.
What is the Traveler's Web?
The communication network of all devices owned and operated by Travelers and those assisting them in Restoria. There are also Webs specific to House of Stone and House of Cloud's communication devices.
What happens if we break our communication device?
The communication devices are very hard to break as they are highly advanced magical technology, but damaging yours can lead to after effects. Your device is intune to your unique signature and breaking it may mean it cannot connect with you as fully as it once did and features may no longer work properly.
This can be mended but it would cost a large amount of Reore, so do take care of your communication device.
Game Mechanics
How does time work in this game? What timezone is it in?
The game works on a 1:1 real life to game time ratio using Eastern Standard Time (EST/GMT-5).
What is the app cycle for this game?
The game will have rolling applications, meaning that applications are always open and character arrivals are staggered. New applications will be processed once a week. New test drive memes will be posted seasonally.
Will there be a player or character cap?
Yes. There is a cap of 40 characters, subject to change based on game progress. Native Restorian OCs and characters who join the Enders will not count towards this cap.
Are test drive threads canon? Can current players use them?
They are canon and count toward AC rewards. Current players may toplevel on the TDM, but please be mindful to tag out!
What are players required to have on their journals?
All characters are required to have a basic Character Profile and Permissions on their journals before they are accepted into the game communities. Character Profiles help people understand your character and the setting they come from, while Permissions posts are important for clearly establishing our boundaries and ensuring a comfortable playing environment for everyone. Optional templates for both are available here, but these posts can be in any format or length you like.
An IC Inbox and HMD are also recommended, but not required for acceptance!
Why and how will power nerfing function?
Power nerfing is intended to provide a more even playing field, prevent game breaking, and to help motivate characters to be proactive in their building of bonds because doing so will allow for power boosts and regains. ICly, it will take time for characters to become attuned to the natural energies and resonances of their new world. Stronger bonds among Travelers will hasten the return of powers.
There is a section about power-nerfing on the application as we will allow you to detail how you want your character's powers to be nerfed. This will not be strict and we leave most decisions to player judgment, but we reserve the right to veto powers or suggest adjustments.
What type of powers need to be nerfed?
Nerfing is considered on a character by character basis. If your character is an incredibly powerful Superman or Son Goku type, you will need to think of how those powers will be toned down upon entry. However, "standard" superhuman strength and supernatural abilities are acceptable entry-level powers. If you think a power does not need nerfing, simply justify on your application why the power is fair and not game-breaking. Nerfing should leave characters plenty motivated to form strong bonds with others in order to regain and maintain their powers.
Note that this refers specifically to powers and special abilities. A character with a PhD in genetic bioengineering does not need to nerf their knowledge, but they may not have the tools and access to put it to use.
Due to our game lore, universe and dimension-hopping powers must be permanently nerfed.
How do we tag our characters?
Character tags will be "player: character name".
What about if a character dies in game?
If a character dies, they can be brought back to life by the Sentinels and powerful magic, but at the cost of the use of precious resources. There will be consequences and after effects that are individual to each character based on the who, what, where, when and why.
Death is not to be taken lightly in Restoria. If you plan to kill your character in game please discuss this with the mods, unless otherwise specified in an event description.
What if my character wants to go back home?
While the Sentinels understand moments of homesickness and uncertainty, if a character is absolutely certain that they do not want to remain in Restoria, the Sentinels will send the character back home. They would not want to keep anyone there who is not invested in building the bonds to save the multiverse.
As the game progresses, characters will have the opportunity to earn the ability to come and go between their own world and Restoria - and even take other characters with them!
What about if I need to drop or hiatus?
For drops, characters either choose to return home or disappear because the bond that the Sentinels created to bring them has broken. Hiatuses may be the result of a weakened bond resulting in a temporary disappearance (stasis), or your character has chosen to go off to another area for a mission away from the Cities (autopilot).
What are the game's activity requirements?
The game has a check-in AC form that will be open for one week at the beginning of each month and threads can be turned in to gain AC rewards. Players who will not be available during that week can post a hiatus in advance.
More information about Activity Check can be found here.
How will the rewards for threads work?
Completed action threads (including network threads that turn to action) between characters can be turned in to provide power boosts to the characters based on whether the threads are considered inter-House CR or intra-House CR. A thread is considered complete when the scene reaches a natural conclusion without being dropped by either party. Quest threads may be eligible for their own rewards.
Complete OR incomplete threads with at least 5 posts from your character (network or action) may be turned in for items from the Shop. More information about Rewards and Boosts can be found here.
IC Rewards accrued from Quest threads (reputation, skills, 💎 Reore) are not tracked by mods, but feel free to incorporate them into your character's in-game development!
Can we post nsfw content/use nsfw content for rewards?
Yes, just be sure to post clear content warnings on nsfw or potentially triggering content (smut, gratuitous violence, abuse, etc.) on both log posts and reward requests.
NAVIGATION
Question re: accommodations
no subject
All communication devices are holographic magi-tech with individual flare depending on the House.
The House of Cloud Amulets function based on the mental focus of the user. Someone who is blind or deaf can send their thoughts as audio, visuals, or text or activate the recording function to send audio or visuals.
The House of Stone Cuffs function based on the physical nature of the user. They touch the stone with their bare fingers and can activate audio, visual, or text features.
All Housing and amenities within the cities have accessibility features that can be adapted to each individual's needs.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
How to handle TTRPG 'canon'?
I'm just thinking about my D&D character who is in the Forgotten Realms setting. We just finished a long-running plot about shapeshifters killing and replacing the leadership of the city of Waterdeep (a major city in the setting) by killing the shapeshifters, and having an NPC ally become leader of the city, with one of the PCs retiring to be a major political figure.
Now, needless to say, this didn't happen in the canonical Forgotten Realms, or in anyone else's game set in the Realms. So if someone else brings in a PC from their Forgotten Realms-set D&D game, they might go 'I'm a noted scholar of Waterdavian history and have lived in Waterdeep all my life, and I never heard of that'. I can think of four answers:
1. TTRPG settings are like actual Earth. There will probably be many characters from a version of Earth that has an alternate history, secret history, or different versions of a future Earth. No one will be surprised if their settings mutually contradict and they have to deal with alternate timelines. If five different urban fantasy characters can argue about the rules for vampires, and five different SF characters can argue the state of the Earth circa 2200, five different TTRPG characters can have contradictory accounts of history.
2. TTRPG settings are like narrative canons. If tabletop RPG characters are making major alterations to the setting that other characters would know about, they fall under the same rules that a canon OC from a canon with a fixed story does. People who want to play such characters have to rub the serial numbers off enough to have a technically-original world.
3. People playing from TTRPG settings could just talk to the other players that might app in like grown-ups and agree on a shared set of events beyond those that are explicit canon.
4. Assume that any TTRPG setting has so many PCs running around that world-altering events happen on a regular basis, so no one in the setting is surprised to find out one happened without them knowing about it.
(Okay, the last was mostly a joke.)
no subject
D&D and other Table Top games will be treated as a canon just as an RPG video game or MMO is. Having multiple versions of them altered by players would fall into the Canon AU rule, which is not allowed. We apologize for not making the answer to this clear above and will adjust it to be more specific.
no subject
Also, operating under the assumption that the combination of bringing pets and the size limit means mounts are allowed (correct me if I'm wrong, of course): are there stables or something where characters could house large animals?
no subject
This would depend on the size of the mount. As long as the mount is no bigger than the size of your average motorcycle, they are a-okay! If you would like them to be brought in anyway, then they will be shrunk down to the general size of a motorcycle upon entry as that is the size of the animal housing that the cities maintain.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
If the connection is so intricate that is does need to be completely nerfed, the characters will be able to do ability gains over time that are virtually identical to what they had before.
no subject
no subject
If you are not sure, consider explaining in the Canon OC Suitability section of the app.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject