Channelknight Fadran

When I said this what I was referring to was an extremely loose categorization system that D&D happens to have a similar setup to. Never anywhere did I say we were switching to any TTRPG, never anywhere did I say that GURPS was bad, and never anywhere did I give any indication for you to belittle myself and countless others for having a preference.

You were the kid until Demi came in. Now you’re both the kid. And no. We cannot. Not only was I never intending to implement any form of gameplay mechanic from D&D in the first place, but also you’re being a jerk about it which is an immediate no.

Listen kid you can’t just jump into my thread, diss my favorite game, slap down a business card for something else, and then leave. Not without explaining your case - not without being at least a tiny bit polite about it.

That was the least cohesive assertion I have ever seen

Well, basically, we’d be getting rid of the elements and replacing them with more archetypal things (think “evoker,” “summoner,” “elementalist,” “manipulator,” etc.) We’d effectively push towards a vaguely D&D-ish meta so that our current magic systems can really just exist as themselves without having to worry about conforming to any detailed meta system. The Stellari draw power from celestial bodies and use it to manipulate their surroundings; Soulcagers capture spirit energy and imbue it into their other magics. Simple as that.

“Huh.” He’d never heard of that part before. “Though what I meant was the mechanics behind it. Do you know how your magic works?”

“Definitely. But before that, can you tell me how your powers work?”

@Shining Silhouette, there's a Demon King dead-set on conquering your kingdom.

In a desperate move, the Inventor's Triumvirate of Realmingsburg brings its allies, technology, and sleeper agents to bear to answer the Gehestian threat. The Inventor's Triumvirate succeeds in destroying the Gehestian fleet, and the Gehestians withdraw from Realmingsburg. The Gehestian fleet takes heavy damage in the battle, and several ships are set ablaze. With the Gehestian threat removed, the Triumvirate continues to explore the northern continent. It discovers a large landmass called Jharkov, and settles there. Jharkov becomes a neutral territory, where various nations can trade without fear of war. Now my army is twice destroyed.

@NerdyAarakocra, your turn

Now conquered by the Gahestian Empire, the Vandoran survivors begin planning a revolution. Their plan is to assassinate the Emperor, and overthrow the Gahestian Empire. However, the Gahestian army catches wind of their plot, and they capture all members of the revolutionary movement. The Emperor has the rebels executed, and declares that the Gahestian Empire will continue to expand its borders. And then I stopped the AI so I wouldn't continue conquering the world.

@CalanoCorvus, it's your turn

Not-Luxembourg, furious with the Nam-Ed invasion of their ally, releases tens of thousands of monsters in the Nam-Ed capital. The monsters cause widespread destruction, and many of the Nam-Ed citizens are killed. The Nam-Ed army attempts to retaliate, but their enemies are too powerful. The Nam-Ed Army retreats back to the safety of their fortresses. The Nam-Ed Emperor then calls upon the assistance of the Gahestian Empire. The Gahestian Empire sends several thousand soldiers to the aid of the Nam-Ed Empire, but they soon find themselves under attack by the monster horde. The invading monsters are more numerous than expected, and they quickly overwhelm the Gahestian Empire's forces. The Gahestian Empire is defeated, and the Emperor flees back to his capital. The Nam-Ed Empire, now without an ally, is faced with a looming threat. The Nam-Ed Emperor decides to join forces with the Demon King, and they enter into a pact. The Demon King agrees to invade Psmithania and Lynara in exchange for the location of the royal family of Lalaia. He also asks if the Emperor would be willing to allow him to build a castle near the Gahestian capital. The Emperor reluctantly agrees to the request, and the Demon King prepares to launch his invasion.

Now ruler of the mighty Kingdom of Nam-Ed and the Eakirandi Empire, the Gahestian Empire turns its efforts towards stablizing their new regions. They attempt to establish a feudal system of lords from their new lands, giving them partial autonomy in return of total annexation into the Gahestian Empire. To reinforce their claims over territories, they send out their best military commanders to subjugate nearby nations. While their armies begin to expand, their economy grows stagnant. This creates a feeling of discontent among their subjects. This discontent leads to a civil war. The civil war is quickly put down by the Gahestian Empire, but not before more than half of the Gahestians were killed. The Gahestian Empire now finds itself in turmoil, and some of its leaders have begun to turn on each other. In order to stabilize the situation, the Gahestian Empire announces its intent to expand its borders, and conquer even greater swathes of land. Once again, the Gahestian Empire faces rebellion, and this time, the rebels are led by the former king. King Sharnak dies after being poisoned by his brother, the current emperor. His son, Prince Kestel, ascends to the throne. Kestel is a ruthless dictator, and he uses the Gahestian Empire's army to crush any dissenters within the kingdom. After consolidating his power, he declares himself Emperor, and begins to reorganize the Gahestian Empire. The new Emperor plans to use the Gahestian army as a tool to conquer neighboring kingdoms, thereby expanding the Gahestian Empire's territory. With the aid of the army, he conquers Yhaunn and its surrounding territories. The Emperor then moves on to conquer the city of Xaipo. The King of Xaipo, who was unaware of the threat, is captured by the Gahestian Army. The Emperor then marches toward the capital of Sociana and Adoral-Can. Both cities are easily conquered, and the Emperor's forces march north towards Lalaia. Lalaia, which is ruled by a bandit chieftain named Ralio, is easy prey for the Gahestian army. Ralio is captured, and the Emperor then moves on to conquer Adoral-Can. The city is swiftly taken, and its inhabitants are massacred. The Emperor then sends his armies south towards Vastai. However, his campaign is halted when he is confronted by a large group of mercenaries hired by the city. The mercenary leader is known as The Demon King, and he managed to defeat the entire Wrizrecan army single-handedly. The Demon King is able to repel the armies of the Gahestian Empire several times during his campaign against them, but his forces prove unable to break through the defences. The Demon King then meets the Emperor, and both men agree to meet at the ancient ruins of Tumuron to discuss the issues plaguing their respective countries. The two leaders meet, and the Gahestian Emperor reveals how he intends to use his army to expand the Gahestian Empire's territory. The Demon King, on the other hand, explains how he plans to invade Psmithania and Lynara using his mercenaries. The two leaders come to an agreement. They decide to form an alliance, and they promise to work together to prevent either country from being overrun by the other.

“Okay. Who can tell me what kind of wizard I am?” He figured kicking things off with a pop quiz was fine.

Quendi didn’t let her guard down as they left. She really didn’t trust this Wanderer. * * * They still had a few waking hours left, so as soon as they’d finished setting up camp, Vance started examining the mansion. The entryroom was absolutely massive, complete with an array of marble columns, shining wooden balconies, glittering chandeliers, and about five gazillion magical wards just waiting for someone to trip them. They were well-hidden, and the aura of magic they gave off was near indistinguishable from that of the rest of the mansion itself—so far he’d basically just been tossing rocks around to trip the most volatile ones and spending minutes at a time trying to detect the others. “Lesson six,” he continued, cautiously pulling up a rug to look underneath. “This one’s a tad finnicky, so pay attention.” @The Halcyon Girl @Mr. Misting @The Aspiring Archivist

Taking immediate advantage of Serenitas-controlled Siwuuila, the Queen orders troops to march to the now-adjacent Sociana and Adoral-Can in yet another unprovoked invasion. Under the command of General Huke, the army of Serenita descends upon the Socian capital of Xaipo, resulting in a swift victory over the Socian forces. The Queen then proceeds to conquer Adoral-Can, successfully defeating its army in battle. On the way back to Siwuuila, the army is ambushed by a large group of mercenaries hired by the city of Lalaia. The mercenary leader is known as The Demon King, and he managed to defeat the entire Wrizrecan army single-handedly. Huke is killed in the ambush, and the queen is captured. The Demon King takes the queen to his base in the mountains, along with a small escort. As soon as the Queen is brought to the camp, she manages to escape her captors and make her way into the woods. She is found by a group of Elves who lead her deep into the forest. There, the elves reveal themselves as agents working for the Queen. They explain that they must hide the queen, since the Demon King has sworn to kill anyone who gets too close to her. The Elves take the Queen to a remote village where she is given shelter. The Demon King decides to attack the village, killing any members of the village who dare to come near him. He continues his assault on the town until he discovers that the Queen is hiding inside one of the houses. At this point, he stops attacking the village, and returns to Siwuuila. The Queen remains in the village, and she eventually makes contact with the people there. A few months later, a band of Wrizrecan soldiers enters the village in search of the Demon King. They capture the Queen, and bring her back to the Demon King's castle. The Demon King immediately orders her execution. The Queen, however, manages to use her abilities to convince the Demon King to spare her life. She then convinces him to grant her an audience. During their meeting, she explains to the Demon King that the Eshaelan Empire is behind the wars between Psmithania and Lynara. She also tells him about the Kingdom of Siwuuila, and how it will help unite the Eshaelan Empire. The Demon King agrees to help the Queen, and promises to send troops to aid in her quest. Dang. Power turn. Two countries and an alliance.

@Sequence

The king of Lynara extends an arm of peace and invites a trade system with Psmithania. The king of Psmithania accepts, and opens up his nation to foreign merchants. In exchange, the king of Lynara receives gold and supplies to help his country rebuild after the war. Soon, Lynara and Psmithania establish a prosperous trading relationship. I can't believe that worked. The Wrizrecan Empire focuses on combining their magic with technology to give them an edge over their enemies. Their scientists and engineers develop several different types of weapons and defenses. One such weapon is a giant cannon. The cannon is capable of firing huge balls of fire. The ball of fire is the size of a house. The cannon is placed on a ship, and used to bombard enemy ships. The Wrizrecan navy begins to expand its influence, and soon, the empire controls most of the ocean. The Wrizrecan Empire now faces two problems: their lack of water resources, and their inability to defend against naval attacks. The government orders the construction of a series of underwater tunnels that connect all of the major oceans. The tunnels are filled with magic, allowing the empire to use them as a defense shield. The Wrizrecan Empire expands its control across the seas, and many other nations fall under its dominion. You now have two new resources: beeg gun and control of the northern ocean.

@The Wandering Wizard, @Shallan Stormblessed... whichever