[OOC] Neon Knights - setting and character creation

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Dr. Mindermast

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(If you've stumbled into this thread and you're interested in joining, recruitment is still open - post in this thread over here, or if that's closed you can send me a private message)

Setting creation is Neon Knights is done by having everyone take turns answering a list of questions about our Realm. At the table we would just go around doing one question at a time; for the pbp format I'll assign all the questions now instead, and you can do yours all in one shot or go one at a time and wait to see what the others say. If any more players join the game before we're done then I'll assign them questions that haven't been answered yet.

Templum Domini Templum Domini gets:
  • Who is your liege Lord?
  • What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
  • What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?
Silverlion Silverlion gets:
  • Besides the Knights, what is something or someone else the Lord can count on?
  • What is a notable landmark or location within the Realm?
  • Who or what is one of the biggest threats facing the Realm now?
Hairless Bear Hairless Bear gets:
  • What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
  • What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
  • Who or what is another potential threat?
...and then I will take:
  • What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
  • How big is the Realm?
  • What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?
 
The Lords can count on the levy men, the common local soldiers who hold the towns to serve their towns well.
 
Templum Domini Templum Domini gets:
  • Who is your liege Lord?
  • What is something from Before that still remains and is known in the Realm?
  • What is one thing the Realm needs but is lacking?

Our Liege Lord is the Constitutional Emperor of The Realm, aided by his Prime Minister.

Mass Drivers.

Rare Earths.

-------

Fair warning, by the way, something might be coming up in the next few days, so my ability to get involved here might be cut short.

Again, nothing sure yet.
 
What is something everyone knows about the Realm’s history?
Before the current Emperor united the realm under his rule, there had been a lot of animosity and even skirmishes between the towns. That's why he is regarded as a peacemaker and savior. He is also quite old.
What is a notable landmark or location outside of the Realm?
The Broken Spire, which is a ruin of a tall building from the time Before. It's surrounded by a junkyard that is full of old broken technology. You can salvage some useful parts or rare materials, if you are brave enough, as it's a dangerous place.
Who or what is another potential threat?
Hobgoblins. They were always enemies of the realm, but rumor has it that they've made some progress in understanding and using the technology from Before, which would make them a more dangerous enemy.
 
A notable landmark within the realm is the Ark, an unexplored but massive spacecraft that crashed ages ago, it's design is seemingly alien, and on a scale that puts massive cities to shame. What might be inside?

One of the biggest threats facing the realm is the Demonseed plague, an unknown illness that spreads across the land twisting ordinary folk into inhuman demons. Their reason and intellect subverted to some sinister purpose.
 
Fair warning, I just got a burst of inspiration and might - might - be running another game idea soon, which could affect if I can play in this one...
 
  • What is something everyone has forgotten about the Realm’s history?
  • How big is the Realm?
  • What makes the Realm such a desirable target for either (or both) of these threats?
So that just leaves me...

Something forgotten is that the civilization which was here Before did a lot of research in communicating with the stars, with other planes of existence, and whatever else they could find a way to reach. They built communication arrays all around the land, none of which are still intact.

The size of the Realm is three days' hard riding by Steed, or three days and nights of nonstop travel by airship.

The Realm is desirable to the Demonseed because of the high population - plenty of subjects to corrupt. The hobgoblins want it because of some ancient myth or prophecy of theirs. The details have been lost to time (at least from your side), except that it involves the capital city.

-------------

Now that the questions have been answered, the next step is to define three Aspects for the Realm based on the information we've put together. You can also start throwing around character ideas.
 
FWIW I do most of my play by post over on rpol.net. I'm doing this one here because I wanted to cast a wider net for playtesting.
 
Sir Jorrel

Mighty Deed: Fearless Demon Fighter
Note: Quite a few times has Sir Jorrel fought the demons and protected the realm from them. Knighting him was an obvious matter.
Temptation: Do our people deserve to be protected?
Note: As Sir Jorrel has quite high moral standards, he is not sure that ordinary people - who are usually not as lawful as him - deserve the protection of the knights.
Aspect: I still don't trust that machine
Note: While he is able to drive his Steed, he still doesn't feel comfortable doing so. He didn't even name his Steed.
Aspect: I am the law!
Aspect: Be vigilant, romantic fool!
Note: In Sir Jorrel's eyes, the romantic nature of Sir Blayne brings only trouble. And as Sir Jorrel is a little bit arrogant, he feels he must watch over his fellow knight.

Virtues:
Courage 3
Empathy 1
Guile 0
Prudence 2
Wisdom 1
Vigor 2


Stunts (spending 1 refresh point):
Mace Mastery: +2 when attacking with mace.
Ward against Demons: +2 when defending demon attacks.

Steed
Aspect: Defender's Best Friend
Speed 0
Maneuverability 1
Endurance 1

Steed Stunts:
Armored: +2 armor
Quiet Engine: +2 when trying to ride unnoticed

Armaments:
Exquisite Mace: Weapon:2
Ornate Bascinet: +1 to intimidation rolls
Basic: armor, lance, blaster
Enhancements: 1 to Exquisite Mace and 1 to Ornate Bascinet

Coat of Arms (stolen from Wikipedia):
437px-COA_-_Harley%2C_Earl_of_Oxford_and_Earl_Mortimer.svg.png

Character art (Midjourney):
sir_jorrel.png


Dr. Mindermast Dr. Mindermast Is this alright with you ?

Edit 2023-03-30: Adding character art (credit to Silverlion Silverlion and Midjourney) and raising bonuses to +2 as suggested.
Edit 2023-04-02: Adding last aspect.
Edit 2023-12-15: Updating virtues/approaches according to the new rules.
 
Last edited:
Your stunt bonuses can be +2 rather than +1.

Also, this is for everyone - I think I forgot to mention this earlier but I'm making a change to the rules as written, which is that your Steed gets one Aspect that can be whatever and also a separate Aspect that must be about its relationship with you, the Knight who rides it.
 
Where do I pick up the rules or is it just FAE? (Which it looks like?)
 
The rules were linked in the recruitment thread. They are here on scribd. It's a FAE-based game as you said.

If you don't have time to read all of it:
  • the approaches are described at the beginning of chapter 1
  • character creation is described in chapter 3
  • creation of the steed (which is part of the character creation) is described in chapter 4
Looking forward for your character :thumbsup:
 
The rules were linked in the recruitment thread. They are here on scribd. It's a FAE-based game as you said.

If you don't have time to read all of it:
  • the approaches are described at the beginning of chapter 1
  • character creation is described in chapter 3
  • creation of the steed (which is part of the character creation) is described in chapter 4
Looking forward for your character :thumbsup:
Thank you, I missed it somehow. Brain had a derp moment.
 
Sir Blayne Dameron


Silverlion_science_fantasy_knight_with_lance_riding_a_heavy_sci_fd3d2f25-88b2-4018-8202-87dcd4...png
Mighty Deed: Slew a great beast to feed the poor.

Temptation: Can't refuse a woman's advances

Sir Dameron is a kind soul but not ordinarily a foolish one. He keeps an optimistic view of things even when in danger. Though he is a fool for love and the attention of women. He is the epitome image of the 'shining' knight in terms of his demeanor, though under it he is deeply wild and hungry for more adventure. He has dark hair and piercing blue eyes and is of a medium athletic frame.

Aspect: Aspires to find true love.

Aspect: Ever Curious


Approaches:
Courage 1
Diligence 1
Wisdom 1
Empathy 2
Prudence 0
Prowess 2

Stunts
Attune to the World: +1 when dealing with the wild places.

The Hyperion Lion
Aspect: Spirit Fierce As My Own Heart
Speed 1
Maneuverability 0
Endurance 1

Steed Stunts:
Stable: +1 when out
Quiet Engine: +1 when trying to ride unnoticed

Armaments:
Sturdy Spear: Weapon 2
Beautifully Crafted Mail: +1 to inspire/rally others
Basic: lance (spear), blaster, towing chain
Enhancements: +1 to Spear, +1 to Armor

Shield.png
 
Ugh, work destroying my brain. At least I have a couple of 3-day weekends now. Anyway...

Silverlion - can you clarify what "+1 when out" means? Also, reminder that stunts are generally worth a +2 bonus :smile:

Both of you - are you feeling ready to start the IC thread now, or is there more that you want to work out before we get going? We still need to decide on some setting aspects, but that doesn't have to prevent us from playing.
 
Ugh, work destroying my brain. At least I have a couple of 3-day weekends now. Anyway...

Silverlion - can you clarify what "+1 when out" means? Also, reminder that stunts are generally worth a +2 bonus :smile:

Both of you - are you feeling ready to start the IC thread now, or is there more that you want to work out before we get going? We still need to decide on some setting aspects, but that doesn't have to prevent us from playing.
I understood it to be splitting one stunt into two bonuses, but I may be mistaken. As for +1 when out, I honestly don't remember why it says out, I was thinking a bonus when the balance is important like jousting.
 
Both of you - are you feeling ready to start the IC thread now, or is there more that you want to work out before we get going? We still need to decide on some setting aspects, but that doesn't have to prevent us from playing.
I have added last aspect to my character. I am ready for the IC thread :thumbsup: .
 
I understood it to be splitting one stunt into two bonuses, but I may be mistaken. As for +1 when out, I honestly don't remember why it says out, I was thinking a bonus when the balance is important like jousting.

Nope, two separate stunts, worth +2 each. I "when jousting" would work for that one? Although that's pretty close to the Lance Charge stunt that all Steeds automatically get, so I don't know if you have other situations in mind when that bonus would apply, or if you want to change it to something else.

IC thread is now open. I'll leave this one active as the general OOC.
 
I've uploaded a revised copy of the rulebook if you want it. Not all feedback has been worked into it yet, but it's still improved compared to the previous version.

 
Clarification of the mechanics more than actual changes. Increased stats for Steeds are actually in the text now, although I think we've already made that change in this game. Other change that could be important in the near future is with the initiative system - instead of rolling for turn order, now it's GM selects a player to go first, and then whoever's turn it is chooses who goes next until the end of the round.
 
Sorry, I'm behind with things. Life, do we have a preferred place to roll dice? (I may be really off and I need to spend points or something but its 1am, and I feel ill so bear with me.)
 
I don't have any preference for dice rolls, you can do it wherever and just post the results here. I trust that anyone hanging out in the Pub is more interested in playing games for real than in "winning" them.
 
Latest IC post has reminded me, I am leaning very strongly toward changing the approaches back to the standard ones from FAE and dropping the "combine two stats when rolling" thing. Would you guys be up for testing that out?

For the record, while I'm not happy with the mechanical side of how the current approaches work I do like the extra bit of flavor that they add, so if I do make this change then I would also add an Aspect that I will call something like "Cardinal Virtue," where you can decide if your knight focuses on being Courageous or Prudent or what have you.
 
I am fine with that if it is what you want/need to do for playtesting!
I love playtesting!
 
Thanks! I'm actually going to delay this a bit - I got the opportunity for a live playtest today, and the consensus among the players there was to keep the more flavorful stats but just tighten up the definitions. So I'm going to work on that and then we can try out the changes here.
 
Will do. I'm eager to get it fixed up, but it's further back in the queue while I get other projects prepped for PAX Unplugged.
 
Major rule update -

After my growing dissatisfaction with the current setup in this and other play-by-post games, plus feedback from finally getting to run a live session, I've updated the core stats and how they work. The new stat list is on p4-5 of the updated pdf. And we're no longer doing the "combine two stats," it's going back to the standard Fate Accelerated system of your stats being between 0 and +3, and only using one on a given roll.

Significant ripple effect of this is that vehicles and mounts (including your Steed) no longer have their own stats that you add to your roll when mounted, just the Aspects and stunts that they give you while riding. But I still wanted to have <i>some</i> mechanical differentiation for the fact that your motorcycle is a lot faster than, say, a horse pulling a cart, so I added a "speed rating" stat that only gets used in situations where that comparison is important.

Also, I decided I didn't like "impairment" as an injury option, so I got rid of that and replaced it with minor consequences like in standard Fate Accelerated.

When you have time, please update your characters to fit with the updated rules. Let me know if you need help with that, or if you have questions about anything.
 
Major rule update -

After my growing dissatisfaction with the current setup in this and other play-by-post games, plus feedback from finally getting to run a live session, I've updated the core stats and how they work. The new stat list is on p4-5 of the updated pdf. And we're no longer doing the "combine two stats," it's going back to the standard Fate Accelerated system of your stats being between 0 and +3, and only using one on a given roll.

Significant ripple effect of this is that vehicles and mounts (including your Steed) no longer have their own stats that you add to your roll when mounted, just the Aspects and stunts that they give you while riding. But I still wanted to have <i>some</i> mechanical differentiation for the fact that your motorcycle is a lot faster than, say, a horse pulling a cart, so I added a "speed rating" stat that only gets used in situations where that comparison is important.

Also, I decided I didn't like "impairment" as an injury option, so I got rid of that and replaced it with minor consequences like in standard Fate Accelerated.

When you have time, please update your characters to fit with the updated rules. Let me know if you need help with that, or if you have questions about anything.

I'm kind of unfocused at the moment because of foot stuff and upcoming holidays, but I'll try to get this done soon.
 
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