One Piece: Great Pirate Age RP: Sign-ups

[Aerozord]

For those of you that dont know the settingTHE WORLD

A water world dotted with islands, with a single uninhabitable continent that forms a ring seperating the east and west hemishperes. Thus the world is full of island nations and ship is the primary mode of transportation. Nearly all these nations fall under The World Goverment and their navy provides much of the military and police force around the world.

This game will be taking place on the Grand Line which runs west to east around the world. What seperates the Grand Line from the rest of the oceans are the calm belts. Areas where no wind nor current flows, trapping ships. Worse yet it is full of giant monsters known as sea kings, accidently sailing into these waters is a death sentence to all but the most lucky.

Especially in the Grand Line normal weather patterns and logic do not apply. Thus sailing from one island to the next can be the same as sailing from summer to winter.

MAJOR GROUPS
Navy: In charge of policing the seas and islands unlucky enough to lack their own security force, but lucky enough for the World Goverment to care.

Seven Warlords of the Sea: Goverment sanctioned pirates. In exchange for the Navy looking the other way these pirates agree to not attack the navy or world goverment and to assist them when asked. Intent is to use them to keep other pirates in line, though most just use it to run their own agenda undisturbed.

Pirates: Outlaws of the goverment that most view as universally evil. Rare an approaching pirate ship isn't shot on sight. Still most is not always. There are plenty of neutral locations where pirates gather, often islands with strong enough internal security that your average pirate is no threat. As well as islands that are actually protected by pirates. Often ones powerful enough that their reputation alone is enough to turn away enemies.

Fishmen: Merfolk living under the oceans of the Grand Line. Physically stronger then humans, but for centuries the World Goverment viewed them as mere animals. Even hunting them as pets, or just for the fun of it. This has caused alot of animosity among the two groups. However currently under treaty with World Goverment and its illegal to hunt them, of course Piracy is illegal too.

LEXICON
Some important terms

North/South/East/West Blue: name of the four major oceans

Devil Fruit: fruit that grants those that eat it great power, but robs them of their ability to swim, detailed more below.

Beri: unit of currency. Different translations include, berry and beli. Honestly I prefer beri but dont really care. Do not argue over whats correct.

Transponder Snail: Snails used for telecommunication. Video, audio, even faxing. There are also expensive portible models.

Logpose: special compass used to navigate the Grand Line. After a variable amount of time on an island it resets and points to the next one.

Eternalpose: logpose perminently pointing to a given island that will never reset.

One Piece: The legendary treasure said to be at the end of the Grand Line.

Sea Prism Stone: Rare mineral that duplicates effects of the sea, robbing devil fruit users of their powers and strength.

None of this is needed for game play. Its just information on the setting, major faction, and lexicon. Pretty much everything not there will either be information thats different in my game and you shouldn't know, like who the seven warlords are, or stuff you should already know, pirate ships have cannons, and an admiral is a high ranking navy officer.

Technology I intentionally did not mention. Mostly its what you expect. Wooden ships, flint-lock guns, swords, ect. But there are alot of strange examples so not gonna try and classify it.

RP Story
You and your crew have just crossed reverse mountain and entered the Grand Line from the East Blue with your Logpose set for the first island. Your ship is designed for a crew of 10, with a single main mast and three cannons, one in the front and one on each side. With plenty of food to last several weeks and a million beri worth of treasure. However every member of your crew has so far avoided the Navy's attention and thus no one currently has a bounty placed on them. There are no immediate concerns, but danger is ever present on the Grand Line.

Devil Fruit
I want to clearify the pros and cons of them.

General: Devil Fruit, are just that, fruit, all unique and one of a kind and all with the same universal weakness, water. Those that have eaten it can never swim, sinking like a rock. If more then 50% of their body is in water they lose the strength to even stand let alone use their powers. Rain does not have this effect but the resulting standing water will.

Sea Prism Stone has simular effect. Always negating the power and enough can leave them just as weak and helpless.

Names of fruits always have a single repeated word as their name. Gum-Gum, Sand-Sand, Mutt-Mutt, ect

The three main types.
Logia: rarest and considered the most powerful of the three types. Granting the user the ability to turn into, generate, and manipulate a given element. Greatest strength is their nigh-invulnerability. However it does have limits. They suffer from elements natural limits, wet sand can be hit, becoming lightning not helping against a rubber fist, lava burning fire, ect. Also unless trained (meaning no starting character) it is a conscious effect to negate damage and doesn't help against suprise attacks. Final drawback is logia users are used to being indestructable, if their powers are negated they have poor defensive skills and aren't too good at taking a hit.

Zoan: Allows the user to become an animal, or a hybrid version. Known for granting a great boost to physical power, speed, and stamina and any additional advantages of that animal. Such as claws, or wings. Those of carnivous animals are known to have the side effect increased blood-lust when outside of their natural form. A user can also become awakened, going beyond animals usual physical limits (not for starting characters)

Ancient: A rare sud-type, animals that are now extinct.

Mythical: even rarer the logia, allows transformation into creatures of legend.

Paramecia: The most common type and a total crapshoot. Can get anything from turning body parts to wheels to being able to create quakes in space itself. Pretty much if any power you can think of that doesn't fall into the other two.

Note: power level will remain about the same even if you do not have these powers. While they will have an edge make no mistake, I will exploit their weaknesses.

Character Sheet
Name:
Age:
Appearance:
Position: captain, navigator, doctor, ect
Weapons: if any
Devil Fruit: if any, include type, power, and name
Techniques: List any attacks your character has developed

Bio:


Finally you guys will need a name for your pirate group, and if you want, your ship. If you guys cant decide we'll just see what people start calling you.

Oh and I will run this RP as long as I get atleast three players. Ten will be the limit however

[phil_]

Do we all need to have a tragic backstory?

[Aerozord]

no, I mean Luffy's backstory wasn't all that tragic, Garps "toughening up" excluded. But wont it make things so much more interesting if you do

[phil_]

I dunno, man, the comic's in flashback mode right now and it's about Luffy; I'm expecting some tragedy.

But that's beside the point, and I won't give in to my temptation to turn this thread into a One Piece discussion thread. Gotta think up a dude instead.

[Menarker]

One of the major aspect of the One Piece story is exploration (politics and such aside). Will there be significant benefit from building a character around that? (sailing a ship is gonna require navational skills, and a good deal of islands are uncivilized and sometimes crazy with their own rules of phsyics) Or will it more about combat and such?

Also, you went into a fair bit of detail about devil fruit users, but what about the ones who don't use it, like merfolks, Haki (type of chi) users, and technology users like the sniper or the android? Aside from super-powered melee types like sword and martial art style (although that falls somewhat under Haki)

[Aerozord]

I'd say its about adventuring. So yes, a good focus on exploration, and I'd like to try RPing non-combat threats like storms. Still expect alot of combat though as this is a hostile world. There will be non-combat stuff to do. I mean someone needs to figure out the treasure map.

Covered stuff like haki in the interest thread, which was basically, yes, but you should work towards them not start with them. Haki is a high level technique after all. Technology would be listed under weapons, and will grant it as much freedom as devil fruits. You want to be a cyborg with a ham cannon, go for it.

Merfolk, I'm iffy on even allowing as PCs. Though if you REALLY want to, when you get down to it they are basically fish mobel zoan users, just always in hybrid and able to swim.

[Menarker]

Cool. I'll do that then. I wasn't planning on making it like that Merfolk Warlord of the Seven Seas who could grab and shape water itself. More a melee type.

Name: Cyrano Zakath
Age: 29
Appearance: Human-ish but with blue skin, an obvious upturned nose, and rows of sharp teeth.
Position: Combatant. During ship travel, he also keeps an eye out on the devil fruit users to save them if they fall overboard.
Weapons: Large SeaPrism stone sword. Simple, practical, but powerful and sharp. Serated on one edge, which has combat purpose and practical utility (use like a saw to cut trees finely to repair ship). Heavy for just about anyone who doesn't possess immensely brute strength like he does. Negates the bodily defenses of devil fruit users and robs them of their power if he maintain its contact on them. The sword has a fairly simple but strong band attached to the hilt to help prevent dropping it or getting disarmed.
Devil Fruit: No actual Devil Fruit Power. Fishmen trait gives him Shark Zoan-like ability that can't be turned off ever, whether intentionally or sea or seastone. Ability to swim and fight with incredible ease both on land and underwater. Can leap high high from the ocean water upon the crew's ship while carrying heavy loads (Such as the bodies of fellow crew-members who fall off during a heavy storm). Can breathe underwater practically indefinately. Good sense of smell, especially for blood, as per the shark trait.
Technique:

Shark Charge: Simple but effective. A straight line dash with immense speed but somewhat limited ability to turn more than 45 degrees and only about once or twice either way although he can jump forward without losing momentum. His sword can be held so that his blade slices through just about anything it would impact and continue slicing through. When this move is used in the water, Cyrano barely have to use his legs, so he has near perfect mobility and freedom in his approach (although he still have trouble suddenly going backward), as well as the option to ascend or dive. His speed is improved and his power not reduced when fighting in the water. The technique is scarier if the blade is held so as to pierce when approaching such speed.

Cyrano Cylone: A combination of offense and defence. Cyrano jump spins with his sword and practically bounces back and forth between hits as he blungeons and slices repeatably in the air for somewhat weaker but repeated damage, except for if Cyrano extends the final overhead swing for high damage. The spinning movement thus protects him from attacks that come from above, front, below or behind (weak to side attacks) Typically most useful when facing something very large size or when dealing with multiple foes and when in a clustered location where there are lots of things to bounce off of. When used in or above the water, his spin doesn't require any bouncing, but is utterly controlled like a mobile buzzsaw which can be either vertical or horzonital. In addition, water starts spinning in a fairly strong current which hampers with those who attempt to swim or fight underwater. While somewhat weaker than his other attacks, the numberous hits, the stunning of the heavy sword, and the almost unpredictable and fast paced movement makes this a lifesaver in the appropriate situation. Rough example here starting at 0:32 seconds.




Backstory: Cyrano is a soul of practical realistic endeavor. In the sea where pirates fight for power, wealth and fame... in the lands where the Navy fight for power, law and order at all cost... in a world where politics run rampants, beasts and freaks of nature enforce dominion over civilians... it was fool hardy to think the world gives its gifts equally. Power rewards those who possess power. Those with power shape their destiny and the destiny of others. Those with the gift of physical strength save themselves from battle. Those with the gift of charm and tongue save themselves from malipulation. Those with the gift of wealth hold influence and sway. None is without use and none is supreme above all.
Power is power regardless of its forms.

The strong believe in their strength, and because they are strong, they believe that everything that had brought them to that point without delay is right. To the unshamingly hard-hearted, cruelty and savagery went hand in hand with superiority and power. To those who think themselves virtuous, friendship and courage was where a person gained true strength.
Cyrano has seen them both. He rejects neither one, for strength is not exclusive to any moral viewpoint. For as long as one believes that their strength will not fail them, his willpower and viewpoint will be tempered with it.
Conviction is a side-effect of reward and power.

Cyrano is a man of simple hedonism. He enjoys rich food, luxurious beds, lavish entertainment. When he has money, he enjoys himself greatly. When his supply runs low, he works again until he has more to spare. A simple life, void of any great destiny or idealism. But for now, he's not left wanting. To the kind, he may be generous in turn. To the haughty, he breaks their bones.
Cyrano the practical. Cyrano the pleasure-seeker. Cyrano the powerful.

Cyrano is a mercenary and a bodyguard. In the employ of simple unknown communities away from the marines, he guards against wild beasts and pirate attacks. In the employ of simple pirates themselves, he accompany them and protect those who fall overboard, including devil fruit users. For the even more ruthless of those pirates, he would swim toward opposing pirate ships, and threathen to burst holes in their hulls unless they surrender. Those employers who would attempt to cheat them of his reward would be wise to know that at a moment notice, he could sink the very ship he's riding on when nowhere in sight of civilization, leave the crew to drown, the power users unable to survive admist the power of the sea, while he picks the ship of its treasures and swims his way to wherever he may wish. A simple but very effective system. Now, he is with a new crew with a goal for greater things. A chance for new pleasures, more rewards in a land far from the simple life.
The fishman, Cyrano, holds power in his own hands.

[phil_]

Come on, let me be a fishman. You'll like him, he's a pearlfish. Scrawny little guy like that, he should fit in with a human crew. Besides, being born ten times stronger than humans shouldn't make much of a difference on the Grand Line.

Also, you know merfolk and fishmen are different, right? One has a tail, the other is a humanoid fish.

Edit: Me and Mern get to be buddies again, yay!

Another Edit: Also, calling medic. I got dibs.

[Jagos]

Question, what if someone wanted to play as a Marine?

Though I'm interested more in the sharpshooter position of a pirate ship, I'd love to see what would happen from other's view.

Also, technology? Best to describe it as steampunk meets modern.

[Aerozord]

ah see this was my concern that people would jump on the merfolk bandwagon. But I'll roll with it.

past has shown me having multiple groups for this kind of thing is a bad idea so no marines