BACKSTORY:
In another universe, time and space have no true end, and reality is as amorphous as water. There is a world in the center of this universe, a cradle of life from where all other life originated. Over the span of forgotten millennia more worlds rose into being, and more life sprang up from nothingness. On each of these worlds, creatures great and small were born, trees grew from the soil, mountains pierced the heavens, and deep oceans were formed. Finally, a race of intelligent beings appeared, the Avanti. They were children of the progenitor world, the world they called Dea, and they appeared only on this world. They grew and learned, discovering the forces of magic and nature, the abilities within their bodies and minds as well, they learned the arts of war, and the secrets of technology, some mastered the spirits of the supernatural and others the beasts of the wild, while some attempted to perfect themselves, and a number were engulfed in the conflict between the ancient universal forces of good and evil, becoming avatars of either side. Using their magic they spread out , building cities and civilizations, creating cultures, and realizing that they were immortal. They were destined to shape the fate of Dea, as well as every other world.
It was then that the most powerful of the Avanti did something they never knew they could: they became Gods. These Gods were arrogant but powerful, with little respect for their former brethren. Each of the Gods took dominion over a different world and warped it as he or she saw fit. The Avanti could do nothing to stop this and they were forced to watch as everything around them was changed to suit the desires of "higher beings". Seeing this affront to their omnipotence, the True Gods destroyed the Avanti-turned-divine beings and robbed the entire Avanti race of their immortality. The True Gods decreed that for abusing their gifts, their punishment would be to live in the worlds they themselves had created, knowing that they were now flawed and fallen from grace.
Years passed and life for the Avanti changed, they now were born and died as time willed it, no longer could they withstand the touch of eternity. They were robbed of their great might and intellect, and much knowledge was forgotten. For their race it was like a whole new existence, without their immortality and the powers that went with it, they were forced into a life they were not ready for. While some could adapt, others could not, and some civilizations fell into despondency or even ruin, while a few prospered. Nevertheless, the Avanti continued to inhabit each world, trying to regain their lost divinity.
CURRENT STORY:
As they slowly began to rebuild their broken existence, some Avanti started to remember how to alter reality and use it as they wanted. Gradually this ability would spread throughout the ranks of the Avanti, until one day a man named Mantalus stood out as the most gifted among them. His natural talent and innate power was unmatched, and thus he became far too arrogant, believing himself to be supreme and all powerful. It must be said that he never forced his will upon his people, but he was driven by his pursuit of mastery over the entire universe, and in the end that would decide the fate of them all.
Finally, Mantalus attempted to do the impossible: he tried to unweave the very fabrics of the universe in order to reshape them and forever change all of reality. It was his intention to restore the immortality of him and the entire Avanti race, while at the same time forcing the True Gods into nonexistence. In his foolishness, he was overwhelmed by the cosmic forces at work and his attempt ripped a hole in time and space. He was irrevocably drawn into the vortex which he had formed, as it spread outward to evelope all the worlds around it. It seemed certain that this would bring the end of the universe as it was known, but that was not so. Somehow, the vortex that Mantalus had created didn't absorb the worlds but instead merged them. The world of Dea served as a template to this cosmic mold as, one by one, all of the other worlds became part of it, like pieces of clay being integrated into one large piece. No longer was Dea a world of only blue oceans and grassy plains, now Dea was home to the endless deserts of Thas, the lush forests of Manna, and the icy wastes of Kyr, to name a few.
The Avanti were unharmed but astonished by these events. Their homeworld was now a confluence of various strange places, with the unusual creatures to match. Now their lands were littered with alien beasts and supernatural forces they had never encountered before. It was as if this once blessed race had been damned all over again, all because of a single arrogant man. Just as before, the Avanti learned to adapt to this situation, but now something was different. Reality in their world was unstable and constantly changing in ways. All Avanti naturally had some control over the forces of reality now, and their culture came to resemble what it had once been. Their immortality was still out of reach, but they were undoubtedly one step closer to it.
And so begins your quest, a quest not only for power and enlightenment, but also to regain your own status as a divine being.
GAME STYLE:
This game is a Role playing game, with many action elements. I have already described the game's backstory, now i will explain a bit more to clarify the style of the game. As far as being a RPG goes, this game will be very open ended. I say this because i do not intend for it to follow a very tightly knit story, even if that would be possible to do. The game revolves around travelling to numerous vastly different lands and exploring as well as completing quests there. The game will have a very diverse class system since only the Avanti race will be available for choosing. But it is important to note that Avanti's abilities change according to how you wish to alter reality. I will also explain more on this later.
The action part of the game will be in the combat portion. I considered making this game along the lines of something like final fantasy or, even better, knights of the old republic, but i've decided an action approach would be more fun and provide more freedom. When i describe actual gameplay i will go into this.
CLASSES:
Since you only play as the once immortal Avanti race, character abilities and diversity arise from your class(es). Once you have reached an appropriate level you may add on a second class (perhaps more, but i haven't really thought this out completely yet). This is a list of the classes plus a short description of each. First are the "combat" classes, then the "diverse" classes, and finally the "ability" classes. Just keep in mind that all of the strengths and weakness of each class might not be listed. There are 26 classes.
COMBAT CLASSES
the EXALTED: the warrior class and master of all types of weapons and armor. Exalted gain awe-inspiring skill for melee as well as ranged combat, and also advance quickly in defensive abilities. Their fighting skills would translate into mastery of weapons and the forces around them. Melee mastery could allow the warrior to send a wave of force outward from his blade, attack with a fierce barrage of blows, or deliver strikes powerful enough to knock enemies backward or lift them into the air. Ranged mastery could let the warrior pin enemies to a wall with arrows, fire penetrating arrows or shots that rebound off of walls, or even fire at many targets at once.
the GRACEBLADE: another combat class, this class relies less on power and more on speed and agility. The Graceblade is a master of two weapons or dual weapons (like a double-bladed staff) and doesn't use any type of weapon but blades (swords, knives, etc.). The Graceblade can become a whirlwind of blades or deliver evasive attacks. Their supreme agility also allows them to easily dodge attacks, perform acrobatics, and run on or rebound off of all types of surfaces. They are also highly adept at fighting multiple enemies at once and can toss their blades which will then return to their hands.
the TRANSCENDANT: this class focuses on physical perfection. The Transcendant gains strength and stamina that is rarely surpassed, as well as amazing speed. Their bodies become nearly invunerable as they gain power, and they can move and attack at lightning speed or propel themselves through the air with great force. They are also capable of firing beams of energy from their eyes (think of them as toned down Super Man's). Their only real weakness lies in their finite energy supply. Every feat of mighty lifting, blinding speed, or invincibility detracts from their energy and they become utterly powerless without it.
the BANESLAYER: a hunter and slayer of certain creatures. A Baneslayer chooses which creatures it will hunt (such as Dragons, Undead, Giants, Demons, etc.) and gains considerable power when facing these creatures. Don't think that the Baneslayer is not also a formidable opponent to other enemies, they are skilled fighters. But their true abilities lie in their weapons that are bound to their souls. These weapons are enchanted with runes that give them various abilities and, of course, aid them in destroying their Bane creatures.
the JUGGERNAUT: an unstoppable warrior that sacrifices speed for brute force. The Juggernaut is one of the most physically powerful classes in the game, but is very slow and cumbersome. They often wear heavy armor and sometimes wield extremely heavy but devastating weapons. Usually they fight with their enormous fists and immeasurable strength. They are so strong that they are able to send tremors through the ground or smash through stone buildings with little to no trouble. Their main weakness lies in their untrained minds, they are very susceptible to any mental attacks, and their poor speed and agility can sometimes be a problem.
the PRAETOR GUARDIAN: an warrior that gains superhuman abilities through the use of sacred armor. The Praetor is gifted enough to wear Guardian Armor, which is a sort of exoskeleton that boosts all of the wearer's abilities and has other benefits. The Praetor can summon the armor with little effort and concentration and gains highly enhanced senses. The armor is also equipped with long arm blades for combat, and special retractable wings for flight. Very powerful with armor, but not that powerful without it, as they may only use it for limited spans of time.
the METAMORPH: a shapeshifter that can alter its physical form. The Metamorph is a complex but interesting class, as it can change its shape almost at will (change occurs faster the more experience the metamorph is). This shapeshifting can occur in the form of claws or gills, a pair of wings or a tail, possibly as a drastic change in height, weight, and an alteration of cosmetic features like hair, eye color, and skin color. Additionally, the Metamorph is fully skilled with using any of its natural weapons, whether they be fists, fangs, or body spikes. With skill and imagination, the Metamorph is a very powerful class.
the ABOMINATION: a brutish monster with a host of destructive powers. The Abomination is a powerful fighter equipped with many natural abilities. It is something akin to an Ogre or Troll: a creature of large size and brute strength. Of course the Abomination is not only physical strong, it has defensive abilities such as regeneration, hard skin, cold or heat resistance, and also perceptive skills like enhanced vision and hearing (including night vision), the ability to track by scent or smell nearby foes. In addition, the Abomination can easily survive in the wild and can often communicate with ferocious beasts (not peaceful ones).
DIVERSE CLASSES
the DRAGON SCION: a warrior/magic user that gains many draconic traits. The Dragon Scion is highly skilled with swords, spears, and even bows, but its true strength lies in its ties to dragons. A Scion will develop scales and draconic horns, claws, and wings. Along with the augmented abilities this brings, they also gain a powerful breath attack of a chosen element (fire, electricity, cold, acid) which gets more powerful over time. Finally, the Scion can use some magic and at higher levels may summon a dragon mount.
the SOUL REAVER: a warrior of darkness that feeds off the essence of living things. A Reaver has a variety of abilities: some that relate to combat, some for stealth, and some that are magical. Reavers gain power by draining the life from enemies, and can instantly manifest spectral weapons, most commonly a sword or scythe, if they are unarmed. Their dark gifts imbue them with almost vampiric traits such as enhanced strength, speed, and leaping ability.
the PHANTOM WARRIOR: a dead avanti that has joined with a phantom and returned as an undead being. Phantoms are balanced between fighting and magic use. They possess high strength and skill with weapons, but can release magical blasts and place curses on their enemies. Their most important abilities would be their abilities to enter the Spirit World and to actually summon Spirits into the living world to protect them or fight for them.
the TEMPLAR: one who wields psionic abilities but has been trained by the temple in combat. The main weapon of the Templar is the Quantablade, a weapon of pure energy triggered by the Templar's own psychic ability (the quantastaff, quantawhip, and quantabow also exist). They are quite skilled in psychokinetic powers and can manipulate the energy of their quantablades in various ways by extending, widening, or even projecting the blade.
the STRIDER: an expert in traversing time and space. The Strider is part scout/part navigator/part fighter. They can open portals through space and teleport themselves or others. They also have some measure of control over time, they can speed it up or slow it down in a small area, and put enemies in temporal stasis. It isn't beyond their powers to phase through physical objects either, they can become intangible with ease. And of course their powers have some creative offensive uses as well, a Strider can projectile powerful force bullets that rip through space, or cause a target to age and decay. They can easily jump short distances through time if they need to also.
the ARCHON: a divine warrior with angelic powers. The Archon become very angelic and gains glowing eyes, feathery wings, and a divine aura of light. They are good in nature but some have been known to be lured by evil and become "fallen angels". They are crusaders of the light and are enemies of Hellions. Their powers include projecting searing light, healing wounds, blasts of divine energy, and engulfing their weapons in divine fire.
the HELLION: an infernal warrior with demonic powers. The Hellion gains devilish traits such as charred skin, horns, demonic wings, and possibly even hooves or a tail. They are completely evil but there are a small few that have turned from that path and become "redeemed". They are destroyers and deceptive killers. Their powers include making waves of hellfire, afflicting enemies with disease, immolating their foes in black flames, and summoning lesser demons.
the SAVAGE LORD: a master of nature and wild animals. The Savage is half Druid and half Berserker. His powers extend to communicating with and commanding animals or wild beasts, as well as being able to take on the form of them. The Savage is peaceful at heart yet full of the fury of nature, that is why they fight with ferocious strength in battle when they have to. Their rage grants them immense strength and endurance at the expense of defending themselves. They have limited control over plants and natural surroundings.
the NIGHTMASTER: a deadly assassin with mastery over shadows. The Nightmaster is a master of stealth and silent killing, but is also a formidable fighter. Their trademark weapons are shuriken, poisoned daggers, or shadow tears (2 large crescent shaped blades which all Nightmasters are trained in). Nightmasters are able to easily camouflage themselves in shadows and move silently, the more powerful ones can even bend and warp shadows in various ways, sometimes to attack enemies with shadow tendrils or slashing claws.
the ANIMA DISCIPLE: a martial artist that focuses on self discipline and spiritual powers. The Disciple is a good melee fighter, able to use various styles of martial arts and throw attacks, as well as nunchaku, sai, and staff (essentially something like a monk). The thing that sets them apart from other classes is their link to their own spiritual awareness and chi (or ki). Because of this they have very potent senses and can often sense distant events or detect an attack before it comes. The Disciple can also release stored spiritual energy in chi blasts or use it to power up his own unarmed blows. Additional spiritual abilities allow the Disciple to become nearly weightless and run on water or glide through the air.
ABILITY CLASSES
the ARTIFICER: an expert with machinery and crafting weaponry and devices. Essentially an engineer type class with some ability in combat. The Artificer excels in creating mechanical devices such as revolving pistols, archaic shotguns, spearshooters, and gunpowder bombs. At higher levels they are able to produce advanced armor and enchanted firearms, or mechanical melee weapons like retractable wrist claws or an extendable whip sword. Experienced Artificers can craft various types of Machines and Golems to serve them.
the SENTINEL: a protector and healer with magical abilities. Sentinels are something akin to priests or clerics. Their skills emphasize healing, creating protective shields, resurrecting the dead, and empowering allies. The Sentinel is also a somewhat capable fighter, usually wielding blunt weapons and wearing heavy and durable armor. Sentinels also possess some offensive powers like creating wards that blast enemies with energy beams or a retribution sigil that damages any enemy that hurts the Sentinel.
the PSION: a master of psionics with vast mental powers. The Psion makes use of psychic powers and is not much of a fighter, this reliance on mental abilities is a weakness, but it is balanced out by the Psion's incredible powers. Psychokinetic disciplines extend to telekinesis, pyrokinesis, electromagnetic manipulation. Telepathic disciplines include mental domination, memory alteration, persuasion, and various psychic attacks. With these powers, the Psion also possesses enhanced intelligence.
the ELEMENTAL FORCE: a magic user that commands the elements. The Force can call upon the elements at will, whether to attack enemies or defend himself. From fireballs to blizzards, earthquakes to whirlwinds, the Elemental Force has a high degree of control over the environment. The Force may also transform into a chosen element (fire, water, ice, stone, wood, lightning, wind, metal, crystal, mist, plasma) and gain immunity from that element plus additional abilities (flight, swimming, etc.)
the NECROMANCER: a magic user with control over the dark forces of death and the undead. Necromancers are almost always evil for a good reason. They deal with evil spirits and dark magic, mastering the arts of raising the dead to serve them and slaying the living in gruesome manners. They can even directly attack enemies with plagues, afflicting weakness or blindness, a hail of bone shards, a disintegrating touch, or poisonous mist, among many other powers. They may be physically weak, but between their dark magic and their undead servants, they are quite powerful.
the REALITY SHAPER: a weaver of the forces of the universe. Shapers are the ones that can directly alter existence as it is (like Mantalus). They have great power, but this power is dangerous. With this power they can basically duplicate the powers of another class, but each time they use their abilties there is a chance of failure AND they have a limited pool of points to do this with over a time period, they can go over the pool but if they do so they are in danger of being drawn into nonexistence as they are absorbed in a somewhat similar way to Mantalus, sucked out into oblivion. The pool replenishes over time and they are not in danger as long as they don't overuse their powers. Otherwise they are definitely a powerful, but unstable, class.
the ENTROPITE: a master of insanity and chaotic forces. The Entropite uses his abilities to affect the minds of others, instilling fear, pain, confusion, and even madness in them. Very few can resist the powers of an Entropite, but they are also highly susceptible to some form of madness themselves. Entropites also master the forces of entropy. By doing so they can weaken the abilities of other and cause them "misfortune" as bad things happen around them or their powers fail. Lastly, they have a talent for illusions, which at higher levels can cause physical harm.
the SUMMONER: one who calls upon planar beings known as Planariels to serve and fight. The Summoner is not all that powerful by him or herself, but with the aid of their summoned servants, they are a force to be reckoned with. They are able to call upon the Planariels in battle or at other times to make use of their abilities. Planariels are most commonly themed around elements (with different Planariels of the same type representing a higher level of Planariel) and others are based upon other universal forces. An Earth Planariel, for instance, can lift very heavy objects such as boulders to clear a blocked path, while an Ice Planariel could freeze a bridge over a river to cross. Higher level summoners may call upon more than one Planariel at a time (up to 3 weaker, 2 medium, or 1 strong).
Once again i want to say that each class is pretty different from the others, some might be a bit similar but they emphasize completely different abilities. Of course your characters would look pretty damn cool as well, and you would be able to alter their appearance to a limited degree. As stated earlier, you can gain a second class and the abilities will merge, altering your appearance somewhat. It would be important to prevent players from abusing this though, as some might figure "mixing a Psion and a Juggernaut would get rid of the weaknesses of both and leave the strengths". So some pairings might be restricted or altered in some way.
GAMEPLAY:
Well the game would be completely real time and you would control your character in a third person view. A jump button would be necessary of course, and an attack button (which could be trigger buttons). But i think the system for using the many abilities available would be similar to the one in Dungeons and Dragons Heroes where you can slow the action and assign abilities to your buttons on the fly (which might be the face buttons). After hearing about the many different abilities of each class, you can see that it would be necessary to allow the player to switch abilities quickly.
I don't really know if party members would exist in the game. I've considered it as more of a solo experience. I don't know how well this would translate into a videogames considering it's more of a "pen and paper" roleplaying game i was designing. But they did it with D&D a few times so whatever. Alternatively if the real time system didn't work then it would be possible to have it "semi" real time like in Star Wars: KOTOR. It is a good system that allows you to make decisions quickly or pause it if you can't handle it.
I think the main appeal of this game would be in the whole art design area of it. Design for characters, monsters, weapons, spells, etc. would have to be extremely cool and at the very least the graphics would be atmospheric even if they're not of the same quality as Otogi or Crimson Skies. Things like dust, fog, rain, ambient lighting and shadows, all of it would be important to the experience. Sometimes the details mean more than the rest. Also, the music and sound would have to be good because that is one of the most important elements to me. Different music would be necessary for the different regions: deserts, mountains, wastelands, forests, swamps, temples, cities, etc. You can probably imagine for yourself what i mean, but i'd want it all to have an exotic flair, not just sound like any normal rpg. That would definitely not be what i have in mind.
To give gamers the full experience all of the environments would have to be very detailed. There should be forests with towering trees and wildlife, small beams of sunlight filtering through the dense branches and leaves. There should be swamps where you must wade through dark water at the waist, peering through the fog to see where those strange lights ahead of you are coming from. And there should be towns where people go about their business rather than standing in one spot or just pacing back and forth waiting for you to talk to them, chimneys should smoke, carriages should ride through the street, and pickpockets should prey on old women and be chased by guards. Tell me such an experience wouldn't give you the feeling that you're playing in a world that isn't just there as an excuse for you to run around collecting gold and killing monsters big and small.
I suppose what i'd like to do with this game is to give the player a vast world to wander and experience for themself. One player might experience a different game because of the class he chose and the path he took. I don't want a player to HAVE to fight this monster to get to this area, or kill that dragon to get that item. A player should be able to get through the game without seeing every single thing and have some visible impact on the environment. Don't mistake this for one of those "this game should let you do anything" games, it's not. Just interpret what i'm saying as providing players with a large world and freedom of movement like an Online RPG but providing enough quest variety and story progression to relate it to a traditional RPG. rather ambitious? yes. impossible? certainly not.
So basically you'd travel between regions and complete quests. While you could travel to key areas through a world map or something, it would be nice if the areas were large enough that you could really feel like you're exploring an open land. Of course this may become tedious after a while so there would be alternate modes of transportation ranging from horses, dragons, and other types of mounts, to personal flight or teleportation. I'm sorry that i didn't detail much of the story or enemies but that's only because i have mere ideas that aren't complete yet. As they come to me i'll record them and edit this idea.
All i have to say about the story, is that i'm trying to avoid one of those linear and cliched "you have to save the world" stories. This story has a purpose and a goal, and just because the whole fate of the world and everyone in it doesn't depend on you, that doesn't make it any less epic or important (it actually makes it somewhat more realistic). I do intend to create some type of story, but only if people respond positive to the idea. I guess the best game to list as my major influence is the up and coming FABLE, which will supposedly be a truly amazing roleplaying experience due to its freedom and interactivity.
Thank you for reading my idea. I haven't posted since June since i've been busy and the site wasn't letting me put stuff on for a while, not even comments. If this gets feedback then i'll add on to it and flesh it out some more. It's good to be back, let me hear your opinions people. Also, be sure to check out some of my older posts if you can.
To create this idea i drew from almost every source i'm exposed to(all my favorites): comic books such as x-men, various anime, magic the gathering, the matrix, street fighter, otogi&shinobi, warcraft, legacy of kain, final fantasy and other Square rpg's, lord of the rings, star wars, dungeon and dragons, white wolf games, fallout
