Furre! The Official Roleplaying Rules of Furcadia
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Emerald Flame teaches Sparring Class in Sanctuary. Can you name these Furres?(* Click here for multiplayer online game design notes)
Index
1. HOW TO ROLEPLAY ONLINE
1.0 The Premise... FURCADIA is the world where the Beasts have learned to walk upon two legs and speak. These mammal people refer to themselves as Furres. Four-legged versions of the Furres died out long, long ago but their memory survives on in folklore and myth. Reptiles and birds occupy the positions that mammals occupy in the real world. So Furres ride upon giant falcons, called Scarhawks, and big flightless birds called Ostrixes. (In this world, Humans never existed, not even as a legend or rumor.) The game Furre! is set in the nation of Kasuria, in medieval times. Some geography of the world of Furcadia (the planet Urrth) looks quite a bit like the real world, but the names are a little different. The Olde World is the un-magical part of the world. For those running a tabletop campaign, a magic-less campaign could be run here. So, let's begin! It is time for you to make this world your own...
1.1 What's a Role-Playing Game? There's a lot of ways that Furre! can be played. One of them is to sit down with half a dozen pals, pencils, paper and dice. Thus, these are called "sit-down", "dice" or "tabletop" RPGs. In a role-playing game, players take on the roles of player-characters ( PCs ). There's no one goal, but characters can improve their bodies or minds, improve or acquire skills, through game mechanics. Over time and play, Characters tend to get important jobs, gain status, and make friends and enemies in the continuity (game world). In a tabletop version of the game, the adventures that characters go through can be set up by a non-character-playing judge or Gamemaster (abbreviated GM), who also awards experience points. In the tabletop version, GMs play the roles of all the characters and creatures which the PCs may happen across in their travels (these are non-player characters or NPCs ). Also, the GM is the impartial ultimate judge in rules disputes and so forth. It's the GM's job to keep the story running smoothly, the rules working fairly, and the players entertained.
1.2 Computer Online (Internet) Roleplaying With a computer, both with-graphics and all-text gaming are possible. Internet chat programs such as IRC and ICQ can be used, as well as "server" programs called "muds". A MUX is the kind of mud most commonly used for roleplaying games, and there are many highly organized persistent (that is, 24-hour-a-day) roleplaying games. In a persistent online environment, there's usually no GM, and players have to come to their own decisions through mutual agreement. In the Furcadia! online game, players are encouraged to form playgroups called "Guilds". A special set of rules is provided here to make non-GM'd play possible. In online play, it's generally acceptable to invent Non-played characters (NPC's) to fit your character's background as long as they are completely ordinary Furres. For example, you can't invent an NPC Mage to heal you of wounds you received. Doing so is unfair to player characters of that kind of character.
1.21 FURCADIA! FURCADIA! is a multiplayer online game with 3D rendered animated graphics, magnificent music, whimsical games, a friendly atmosphere, and, of course, this setting for roleplay and adventure. Furcadia resources can be found on the World Wide Web at Talzhemir's Treasure Trove: / The Furcadia! online game runs on a PC with Windows or Win95 and an Internet connection (SLIP link, etc.). It doesn't have "fast" or "coded" combat, so you can't be "attacked" by other players. It's free, and can be downloaded from: /fur
1.22 Online Dice Furre! only requires 2 10-sided dice for each player. Dice are simulated on Furcadia! using the Roll command. Just type: roll XdY where X is the number of dice and Y is the number of sides. roll XdY+Z where Z is added to the total also works. ROLL XdY will tell you the specific results, which is useful here because it matters if your roll "doubles" in Furre.
1.23 IC versus OOC These abbreviations stand for In Character and Out Of Character. IC refers to the appearance, feelings, possessions, events, and so forth of your character. OOC refers to your real-life self. (*IC and OOC were invented by Talzhemir in 1994 for the LambdaMOO RPG. Prefacing speech with them was first coded for her by Malcolm "Marat" McDowell, and popularized on MUSHes by Brian "Dusk/Monk/Kynwal" Holmes.) Dividing things into IC and OOC is the heart and soul of roleplaying. Players try to keep up an illusion, a shared "reality" called a "continuity". Each Guild runs its own Continuity, and in one Continuity, all others don't exist. They aren't parallel dimensions, you can't get from one of them to another. It's good etiquette to keep OOC things as hidden as possible while playing. For instance, you should walk out of everyone's "sight" before you log off. OOC SPEECH In an all-IC area, it's sometimes necessary to address everyone on the OOC level. The convention is to put your OOC speech in parentheses. Here's an example: Talzhemir says, "(sorry, phonecall; I have to go!)" Ghostmane says, "(MollyPig, you still have your eyes closed, don't you?)" Please keep this OOC chatter to a minimum, and please keep it relevant to the RPG and all the players. It's not acceptable to use it for announcing the winner of an ongoing football game, OOCly hugging your pals, etc., etc.. If a /whisper will do, use that instead! In a private scene, you can relax the above somewhat. ONLINE TIP: Please avoid pronouns because they're potentially confusing and it wastes time to ask someone what they meant by "you" and "it"! EMITS In a private scene in your Dream, or when you are running a game online as a GM, you can also do scene-setting poses, things that aren't your own character's doing. This kind of narration is called an "emit" or an "attributed spoof". It's also good to relieve the repetitiveness of every pose beginning with your own name. emit A cool wind ruffles your hair. Melissa sighs and gives back the flower... [*] A cool wind ruffles your hair. Melissa sighs and gives back the flower... Remember that roleplaying is a bit more than wearing a mask, it's running a subprogram in your mind. The events that happen in the game cause very real emotions, with accompanying physiological hormonal effects. How strong this is, varies greatly, depends on the player, the character, the situation, etc. In general, though, if you experience sadness, joy, excitement with others, you can expect to feel a real kinship with them. Pretend-battles can lead to real friendships.
1.24 The CONSENT Rule and Persona Play This is the guiding rule for Persona Play. Persona Play is like Roleplaying, but often without rules and a continuity. The Consent Rule is the default for Furcadia's non-RP areas:
THE CONSENT RULE If anyone says or poses something that implies you are cooperating, or imposes any effect on you, you can act like it didn't even happen. Under Persona Play and the Consent Rule, you're not obliged to Persona or Roleplay with anybody in any way that you don't like.
In Persona Play, you have alot of control over your character's life. Online, to be polite, you should privately ask ("page", /whisper) for another player's permission to attack their character or to pose anything that requires your OOC or IC cooperation. If you don't, of course, they might just ignore your attempt to interact in an adventurous fashion. Others will consider it extremely impolite to use the Consent Rule to evade the logical results of your IC actions. That ESPECIALLY means using it to get out of a fight. If your character provokes another verbally and they respond with physical violence, you should't call "Consent" and walk away. 1.240 The Rule of Cool, and serious Roleplaying At your option, you can join a Guild and agree to play in ways other than the simple Consent Rule above. Furre! offers the Rules of Cool, for Roleplay. One important feature of Roleplaying is the use of a Continuity. Under the Rule of Cool, you agree not to invent your own character classes, supernatural beings, major personalities, history, and so forth. For example, in the Dragonlands, there are evil monstrous-looking Quarter Dark Primes, but there no `demons'. Sometimes a Guild wants their Continuity to contain a certain mix of more powerful versus less powerful characters. Sometimes there are special things that the Guild's Continuity does or doesn't have, for example, magic that spellcasters can cast. Guilds have the ability to say what kind of character you can or can't play, or what does and doesn't exist in their world. As a default, each Guild is assumed to own their own Continuity, lock stock and barrel. There are three different levels of strictness, called Cool Levels. Our default RP area is the Dragonlands, and conflicts here should be handled at Cool1, not the Consent Rule. The Rules of Cool are described in the document Rule of Cool.
1.2401 Being Present If you're walking about in an "IC" region, you're present. Consent doesn't allow you to be an OOC observer rather than a participant. Although many roleplayers don't mind OOC observers, we respect the wishes of the majority, who feel that if you aren't contributing to the scene, you should leave. Amongst skilled veteran RPers, it's a common unspoken rule etiquette that you should let each person speak once, before speaking again. If you lose interest and stop posing/speaking, the others may very well halt, and you'll have wasted their time.
A TIP: Pose Quickly, Don't Multiworld. The credibility of your pose is strongly helped by responding with decent speed. It may surprise you that a speedily returned pose or emote conveys more excitement than an adjective describing your character's agitated state. To convey being interested in someone, also, write faster. Shorter poses/speeches also communicate excitement. If you have a "slow connection", and your poses are held up by genuine lag, please be sure to tell other players. They'll usually understand. On the other hand, multiworlding is not acceptable an excuse. Please don't lag because you're busy in another scene or playing another game! As always, common sense and courtesy are the important things here.
1.24021 Theft THEFT UNDER THE CONSENT RULE When someone tells you (in Persona Play and under the Consent Rule) that their character is trying to rob you, no matter how skillful that character is, the decision for your character to lose their possessions is yours. You're not even SLIGHTLY obligated to let their character succeed, and if you do, they should be aware that you did so out of the OOC goodness of your heart. Being willing to permit your Furre to be imperfect and not immediately notice pickpocketing and going out of your way to let other players have fun are two of the traits that will build you up in others' eyes. Sometimes you even get a chance to be creative and express something about your Furre's personality. Are they carrying a lutepick? a bookmark? souvenir coins from religious pilgrimmages? good luck charms? THEFT UNDER THE RULE OF COOL In Roleplaying (as opposed to Persona Play, anything that's dramatically important should be done with a die roll. Pickpocketing is one of them, because a failed attempt could have all kinds of IC consequences (like getting arrested and losing a paw if you live in Barabia!) To take the "victim's" alertness into account, we need a modifier from their Wits: Dense: +1 Average: 0 Sharp: -1 Brilliant: -3 The thief should ROLL 2d10 to get the thief's (Dexterity+PickpocketingBonus) or less. (This number, of Statistic+SkillBonus, is called your Target Number.) EXAMPLE: Quick Kick the Horse is trying to sneak Glasgow the Otter's keys away. Glasgow has Average Wits; Quick Kick has Dexterity of 12, and a +2 Pickpocket Skill. Quick Kick ROLLS 2d10 for a 7 and a 4, for a total of 11. The Horse is successful and Glasgow doesn't even realize that his keys are missing. (Glasgow's player shouldn't RP that he ICly notices his keys are gone during the current scene.)
1.24022 Territory OOC, you have the right, within reason, to say what happens in places that you've created. This is why it's important for Guilds to create neutral territories in which free-form gaming can take place. PROPERTY DAMAGE UNDER THE CONSENT RULE Suppose your character owns a stable. Another player tells you their character is setting fire to it. While ICly this may make perfect sense, the OOC concern is that you've put work into your building, and you don't want it destroyed. Under Persona Play and the Consent Rule, you have the clear right to call Consent and say that their character fails to affect the stable. Then again, you might decide to give up your stable because you feel it makes a better story that way. PROPERTY DAMAGE UNDER THE RULE OF COOL If you create a personal place, it's really up to the Guild to give it a "seal of approval" before you can declare that it exists in the Guild's continuity. If your furre is a poor traveller with twelve copper pieces to his good name, it might violate Continuity for him to own a palace with a huge marble spa. Affecting other furres' property under the Rule of Cool would generally be done with the permission of the Guild. Some Guilds don't want to have to deal with this kind of behind-the-scenes interaction. Some Guilds would make the would-be arsonist make die rolls in their presence to hint whether or not they get caught or if there were witnesses. In general, though, this is the kind of Roleplaying to avoid, because it usually forces alot of different people to put in time and effort.
1.2403 Parenthood Normally, in-character actions should lead to in-character results. In this specific case, though, we insist that the player's OOC permission must be given before having their IC children. This control doesn't extend to descendants of your offspring. The players of your IC children have complete control over whether or not they have their own kids, and these will all be your IC descendants.
1.2404 Injury INJURY UNDER THE CONSENT RULE There are three possible levels of injury: Injured, Heavily Injured, and Near Death. The fourth status you can be, of course, is Uninjured. Times given for healing must be spent out of the public eye. This time must be spent in convalescence, not merely hiding out. Uninjured: You could be utterly unscathed or you might have some little bruises and papercuts but otherwise you're fine. Injured: Injuries are cuts, heavy bruises, and the like. The Injured furre doesn't need a physicker to heal; as long as they can sleep in peace and not work, they will recover on their own. When Injured, all actions get a penalty of -1 to the Target Number. Three (Real Life) days of rest and recovery will get rid of this penalty. Every result of Injury on the Quickie Table that a furre endures adds a -1 penalty to all rolls, and an additional 3 days required before they can be Uninjured. Example: Derringer is Injured twice. Derringer now has a -2 penalty and must rest 6 RL days before they are Uninjured. After the first 3 days, the first -1 does goes away. Heavily Injured: A broken limb, a deep sword slash, concussions, and so forth are Heavy Injuries. Heavy Injuries in normal Furres need medical care before they will heal. That means the presence of somefurry with the Physicker skill for tasks like cleaning, bandaging, stitching, and making sure the patient doesn't get up and run around. The Heavily Injured Furre has a penalty of -3 to all their actions until two full weeks of rest have gone by, at which point they are merely Injured. Every result of Heavily Injured that a furre gets adds a new -3 penalty and another two weeks of recovery time needed before they can be at the Injured status. Example: Strychnora is Injured twice and Heavily Injured twice. She is at -6 to all actions, and must be tended by a Physicker for 4 RL weeks. After that, she will be Injured and at -2. If all goes well, she will heal to -1 after 3 days and be all well after another 3 NOTE: The Heavily Injured Furre can walk- but if they run, they'll be Near Death when they reach their destination! Near Death: This status is the result of very severe injury. Sword stabs that pierce the lungs, head wounds that cause a coma, and loss of a limb are good examples of Near Death injuries. You not only need medical care, it should be ICly in doubt whether or not you'll pull through! You're definitely Unconscious. To become conscious again requires the work of somefurry with the Physicker Skill. They may make one roll per Real Life day to help you wake up. Note that this is well beyond first aid, and not based on their cleverness (Wits) but their experience and training. The Physicker's Target Number is their Education+PhysickerBonus. This roll is modified by the patient's Toughness: Fragile: -1 Average: 0 Hardy: +1 Tough: +3 After this roll is made, the furre goes to being Heavily Injured.
1.2405 Death Death in an online game causes so much damage to OOC relationships that we heavily discourage it. In Persona Play under the Consent Rule, and Roleplay at Cool1 or Cool2, your character can only die if you, the player, truly want them to. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't come back from being dead for at least six real-world weeks. Sooner than that, and you haven't added interest to the game, you've just made yourself look silly. This holds true whether it's a magical resurrection, returning as a member of the Undead, or any other explanation why you survived when everybody else clearly saw you die. It isn't against the rules to go back on being dead-- it's just very very cheesy, and tends to be an overdone plot device. Good Roleplayers avoid this like the plague.
1.25 The RETCON Rule Retcon is short for 'RETroactive CONtinuity.' Sometimes a player makes a mistake, for instance posing that they polish their sword when the sword was dropped elsewhere earlier. The polite thing to do is for the player to make a quick OOC announcement that the previous action didn't occur, and for other players to go on. (Acknowledge the retcon with PRIVATE pages please.) You can only Retcon something that just happened. You can only Retcon your OWN actions. The purpose of a Retcon is not to explore a tree of possibilities relying on different decisions or let a player make up for an action that results in something they don't like. The purpose of a Retcon is to repair damaged continuity as quickly and smoothly as possible. Retcons can't be used to "take back" an action with a dice roll involved. Whether you succeed, fail or fumble, that action has already taken place in the game's continuity.
1.251 Secrets and Your Description In Persona Play, anything that you put in your description, other players have the right to assume that they know it. That means that if someone walks up to you, they may call you by name, even if they have never met you before! If you belong to a group, and you say so in your description, everybody knows it. It's okay to say that you're a vampire in your description in Persona Play, even though there is no visible "virtual" clue. You're just "jumpstarting" the action by letting other players know what you are like. Just don't be surprised if they suddenly start talking like they know it. They have the fair option to say that their character knows anything that you wrote in your description. In Roleplaying, though, this isn't the case! Your name is normally only known to those to whom you have introduced yourself. If you want to Roleplay, it is better not to write in the names of organizations to which you belong. The RP way to do it is to mention that group's colors, or that you wear a medallion or ring and describe their insignia. In a roleplaying description it is acceptable to write out your entire Longname. It's less acceptable to write "Jojoba likes to think about jousting." or "Jojoba is Daniel's father." --How would anybody ICly know? We'll go so far as to assume that if your longname is in your description, you're well-known enough that folks could ask around and get your first and House name, then go to the Pala Mestra (Hall of Living Memory, sort of like a village library) and look up the rest. If you are Roleplaying somebody secretive, it makes good sense not to put in your longname. If you are Roleplaying somebody "famous" (has the Reputation Advantage; see Advantages later on), it makes good sense to put in your longname and maybe even habits you have that are common knowledge: "Jojoba can often be found nursing a Dark Beer over at the Glaive."
1.26 The TIMESTOP Rule The moment a fight breaks out, a Timestop needs to be called. This is to prevent players from calling in their buddies (even if they have in-character means to do so!). Anybody can demand a Timestop. Then, actions are taking place in slow motion. If others happen along, it's automatically assumed that they're too late. Once the fight has ended all participants who wish, may depart unseen, unhindered. The Timestop rule prevents fights from growing so big they take forever.
1.27 When Somebody Won't "Play Right" Furcadia's Staff won't be the authority figures when you Persona or Roleplay. If your furre walks into a restaurant and uses a flamethrower to set all the tables on fire but nobody reacts to this IC action, we won't do anything. Furcadia doesn't force anybody to Roleplay or Persona Play. If you all belong to the same Guild and using a flamethrower in-character is acceptable, then you might lodge a complaint with your fellow players. Even so, Guilds have extremely limited power, and shouldn't generally be counted upon to be rules enforcers. On the other hand, if you find that someone is doing things such as routinely acting on information they shouldn't have In Character, or doing things their character wouldn't be able to do, report them to your Guild and don't play with them. A Guild is like a union, preserving the Continuity and keeping up standards of gameplay.
1.3 COMBAT Although some folks like to see gory fighting, the flavor of Furcadia is meant to be "PG". So, when in the non-private RP areas like the Dragonlands, please show restraint and good taste. The object is to be dramatic and exciting but not super-graphic. 1.30 Alignments ALIGNMENT FOR FURRES Whether your furre is more "Light" or "Dark" is your choice. You can also choose to be "Neutral", in which case you don't get any bonus but you also get no penalty. If a furre is Light, they will tend to be more sociable, compassionate, merciful, and happy. If a furre is Dark, they will tend to be unsocial, coldhearted, cruel, and unhappy. This "alignment" can't be changed just on a whim. You choose it when you create the character, and it costs 8 experience points to change it. (This keeps characters from flipflopping in a silly and meaningless manner). ALIGNMENT FOR PLACES It's the nature of the Furcadia universe that beautiful locations help "lightside" people to fight, while frightening and ugly places make it harder for them. Conversely, the bad guys ("darkside" characters) do better in the scary areas, and do less well in the colorful cheery happy and well-populated areas. Whether you're using the Rule of Cool or the Consent Rule, you should try to keep this principle in mind. Locations can be generally graded on a scale of -3 (a desolate graveyard) to +3 (a cathedral honoring Primes and heroes). Notice that nighttime outdoors, because it gets a Darkside -1 for not being colorful, gives evil beings a +1 and good ones a -1. A few examples of ratings: A pub like Mycroft's: +3 A pub like the one in the Harshlaw Underground: -1 LIGHTSIDE MODIFIERS FOR LOCALE Lightside traits for places: Darkside traits for places: colorful: +1 tending to black, gray & white: -1 well-populated: +1 abandoned, desolate: -1 comfortable temperature: +1 uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, etc.): -1 Darkside modifiers are the opposite of the above. For example, a public park with a garden during the day might rate a +3. Jorell the Paladin Panther is a Lightside Furre, so he gets +3 to combat rolls there. Gratch the Brutal, Vampyre spawn of Sharok, is a Darkside character and receives a -3.
1.34 Cool3 Combat ( UNDER CONSTRUCTION! ) *Cool-based combat will resemble traditional pencil-and-dice game combat, using "hit points", "damage rolls", etc.
2.0 Making Your Character: Get Furred!
Character generation gives you the license to claim different Traits, Advantages, Disadvantages and Skills when you're in these heavy-RP places. It also sets up the potential for your character to be related to someone you have never met, through the Houses.
2.1 Choices, Choices:
A Furre Is Born!
2.11 What is your name?
Your name can reflect alot about your character's ancestry or ethnic background. Furcadia has many parallels to the real historical Earth. Furres can come from Eriu (Irish), Albion (English), Espallia (Spanish), Frrance (French), the Alemanish States (Germanic), the Mountain Lands of Vorsava (Polish), Moscavy (Russian), Grreece (Greek), Kohazzah (Turkey), Barabia (Arabic, Israeli, etc.), Tunis ("city" African and Egyptian), Valgor (tribal African), Taigoria (a distant Oriental empire), Catolia (Italy, where Magic fails and Reason rules), Kasuria, and Drakoria.
2.12 A NOTE ON THE KASURIA Play can take place in Kasuria, which is something like a Furry Atlantis. It is slightly more magical than the other lands, but still strongly resembles your typical medieval fantasy world. There are few Supernaturals in Kasuria. This is a *given*. In-Character, the mages are far too easily capable of detecting and destroying weres, vampires, etcetera, and there are laws against them. So, they exist but Kasuria has very few Supernaturals. Kasuria is ruled by King Constantine, and the Council of Counts and Countesses. The colder Northern Counties (which are too cold for Raptors) are Kosh, Hurpha, Lithe, Spreekle, Aldric, and Raideth. Leejis and Skyhaven are two cities loyal to the king in the mountainous lands surrounding Mt. A'Kerry. The Middle Counties are Malcom, Sormegar, Glasny, Sontray, Ralston, and Challis. The Southern Counties are Rovarri, Harfang, Darvin, Symbidia, Desdemond, and Tranzish. Malgrave, the King's capital city, is in a region called Old Kasuria, which includes Mount Kasuria. Kasuria Map Malgrave Map
You can change your name later if you like. In addition to this name, there's a special system Furres have, called "long" naming, that includes prefixes and other names. Longnaming is a custom used in nearly every Furre Continuity, regardless of culture. Longnames
2.2 What is your gender?
You can play a Furre that's male or female. This is an arbitrary choice but you won't be able to change this later. We do permit players to play alternate genders, so we also have Undecided. (Hermaphrodites are not unknown in Kasuria. The natives of Sheel also acknowledge the existence of the neuter gender, for which they use special pronouns.)
Please remember that your real-life gender is private information. You don't have the right to know the gender of another player, and you're not obligated to tell anyone your real gender. In a multi-player game, it's common to play a character of the opposite gender, and also to pretend to be a -player- of the opposite sex. Repeatedly paging a player to ask their real-life gender, however, is considered harassment.
2.3 The Five Types of Furres
What is your Type and Species?
There are Rodents, Mustelines, Canines, Equines, and Felines in Furcadia. Other mammals may exist but, for graphics reasons, they're somewhat out of the scope of this game. Birds, insects, and reptiles occupy the position of the lower animals in Furcadia. Note: Just as real-life humans hate cannibalism and outlaw it, Furres hate and outlaw the practice of "Sennibalism", that is, eating a sentient (intelligent, thinking, reasoning) being.
DRAGONLANDS
In the Dragonlands Continuity, there are two more Types: Wyrmmes (dragon
people) and Bugges (insect people). For more information see the Dragonlands
document. Dragonlands
Here's a list of recommended Furre species:
Rodents: Mice, Rats, Capybaras Mustelines: Otters, Weasels, Ermines, Ferrets, Skunks, Wolverines, Badgers Felines: Cats, Ocelots, Lynxes, Cheetahs, Jaguars, Snow Leopards, Tigers, Lions, Leopards Canines: Dogs, Wolves, Coyotes, Foxes, Hyenas, Hunting Dogs, Fennecs Equines: Horses, Donkeys, Zebras, Mules (We greatly regret that we couldn't include many, many more races. There will be provision in future for requesting additions to the above lists. Here is a portion of the current waiting list of Orders, not in order of likelihood to be added: rabbit, squirrel/skunk, bear, deer.)
2.4 Color Choices
What colors are you?
A Furre has a fur color and eye color. A random set of clothing colors is generated, but you can tweak your choices of vest color, cape color, bracers/loincloth color, trousers color, and boots color. These modify the small character figures in Furcadia. Optionally, you can choose a coat pattern, but this is not represented in Furcadia's art.
Furres have hair (sometimes we call it "headfur") and like to color it all sorts of colors. Also, it's possible, with the aid of an expensive potion, for two animals of different kinds to have children. Thus, it's not unheard of for there to be cheetah-spotted ferrets with pink hair, and so on.
3.0 Advantages and Disadvantages
How are you different from other Furres?
Most Advantages don't help the character statistically. They're more of a roleplaying tool. (In future we'll have the right to ask another player to prove that they possess a particular flaw or merit to you, using +prove.)
The point "costs" help give a meter as to how awesome you can be, a balance between "boring nobody" and "outrageous unbelievable twink," when you've never seen this fantastic universe before. Some Advantages are expensive to help keep them uncommon. Some things called Disadvantages are really things that we want to encourage people to roleplay, and so we give players points for agreeing to play them.
*** *** T t p w i t *** h h a o s h *** e i s r r *** r s d e *** d e ***
A Furre may have up to 5 points of Disads and up to 5 points of Ads. The total may not be a negative number. For every point of Ad, there must be at least one point of Disad. The Ads and Disads are collectively referred to as Traits.
*About "Stats" Now don't let this stuff daunt you. It's meant to be handled with coded commands, and it really is very, very easy. Most roleplaying games of the paper/dice variety give each character statistics, or "stats". Furcadia doesn't bother with stats *unless* you buy an Advantage that says you have an exceptional stat, or take a Disadvantage that says you have an unusually low stat. There are twelve stats that can be affected this way: Luck, Looks, Wits, Toughness, Strength, Build, Quickness, Dexterity, Grace, Wealth, Pedigree, Education
Click here to go to the fully annotated list of Ads and Disads! 3.1 DISADVANTAGES ("disads") * Addiction_Alcoholic (2 Points) * Addiction_Clothes (1 Point) * Addiction_Collectibles (1 Point) * Addiction_Euphorics (2 Points) * Addiction_Smoking (1 Point) * Addiction_Ostrixes (1 Point) * Addiction_Raptors (1 Point) About Addictions: This is something that isn't secret; those who know you well enough to call you by name also probably know your addiction. When you aren't around the object of your addiction, you become irrationally unhappy. Your life is strongly influenced by either your pursuit of the object of your Addiction, and you're drawn to others with the same preoccupation. * Age_Kid* (2 Points) Age 5-12. Your size is automatically Small*. Kids may not choose to be Tough*, Very_Tough*, Strong*, Very_Strong*, or Scholar*. Kids begin the game knowing -1 Hobby, -1 Apprentice Skill, and -1 JourneyFurre Skill less. * Age_Senior* (2 Points) Age 60 or over. Seniors may not choose to be Very_Strong*, or Uneducated*. Seniors begin the game knowing +2 Hobbies, and +1 Veteran Skill more. * Deaf (2 Points) * In_Debt (1 Point) * Hard_of_Hearing (1 Point) * Illiterate (1 Point) You cannot be a Scholar* and have this Disadvantage. * Oathbound/Code (1 Point) * Poor_Vision (1 Point) * One_handed (1 Point) * Tailless (1 Point) You cannot purchase the Advantage of Very_Graceful* if you have this Disadvantage. * One-legged/Lame (1 Point) * Wanted (1 Point) * Mute (1 Point) * Foreign (2 Points) You don't speak Therian. * Uneducated* (1 Point) Instead of beginning with an Average_Education*, you only know 3 Hobbies and 1 Apprentice Skill. (Note that if you take the Disadvantage Age_Kid* the Skills are already decreased. If you take Age_Kid and Uneducated, you will have created an ignorant street urchin.) * Unfortunate* (1 Point) * Homely* (1 Point) * Dense* (1 Point) You cannot be Dense* and a Scholar* as well, although you could be Educated*. * Fragile* (-1 Point) * Weak* (-1 Point) * Small* (-1 Point) All Age_Kid* characters are Small*. * Slow* (-1 Point) * All_Thumbs* (-1 Point) * Clumsy* (-1 Point) * Poor* (-1 Point) * Unknown* (-1 Point) (Unknown Pedigree, that is.) * Mindmute (-1) * Mindwhipped (-2 Point) * Mindslave (-3 Points) * Drone (-2 Points, Bugge Only!) 3.2 ADVANTAGES (These are all non-Restricted Advantages; see 3.42 for Restricteds.) * Boss (-2 Points) * Skyship (-1 Point) * Night-vision (-1 Point) Feline Furres still need to purchase this Advantage, or else they are limited to ordinary vision. * Eagle_vision (-2 Points) * True_Sight (-3 Points) * Super-keen_Smell (-3 Points) Most Furres have sharp smell but this Advantage is necessary to be able to track someone by scent. * Ultrasonic_Hearing (-1 Points) * Foreign_Nobility (-1 Points) * Beautiful Singing Voice (-1 Point) * Respected (-1 Point) * Celebrity (-2 Points) * Natural-born Mimic (-1 Point) * Ventriloquist (-1 Points) * Matchmaker (-2 Points) * Contortionist (-1 Point) * Garrison (-1 Point) * Lucky* (-1 Point) * Charmed* (-3 Points) * Beautiful* (-1 Point) * Gorgeous* (-3 Points) * Sharp* (-1 Point) * Brilliant* (-3 Points) * Hardy* (-1 Point) * Tough* (-3 Points) * Strong* (-1 Point) * Very Strong* (-3 Points) * Large* (-1 Point) * Very Large* (-3 Points) If you're Very Large, you can't choose to be Very Quick. * Quick* (-1 Point) * Very Quick* (-3 Points) If you're Very Quick, you can't choose to be Very Large. * Dextrous* (-1 Point) * Ambidextrous* (-3 Points) With either hand, you are a match for someone who is Dextrous*. * Graceful* (-1 Point) * Very Graceful* (-3 Points) You cannot purchase this Advantage if you have the Disadvantage of Tailless. * Wealthy* (-1 Point) * Rich* (-3 Points) * LesserHouse* (-1 Point) LIST OF NOBLE HOUSES * GreatHouse* (-3 Points) LIST OF NOBLE HOUSES * Educated* (-1 Point) 4 Hobbies, 2 Apprentice Skills, 2 JourneyFurre Skills * Scholar* (-3 Points) You cannot be Illiterate* or Dense* and purchase this Advantage. A scholar knows 5 Hobbies, 3 Apprentice Skills, and 2 JourneyFurre Skills. * Pet_Kiwi (-1 Point) * Pet_Ostrix (-2 Points) * Wyrmme Greater House (3 Points, Wyrmmes Only) * Highborn (-2 Points, Wyrmmes only) * Wyrmme Heritage (-1 Point) * Telepath (-2 Points, Not Available to VampFurres, Lycanthians, FaerieFurres, or Mages) The ability to speak with the mind to one Furre, and hear them speak back. Can not be used on an unwilling subject. See also Advanced Telepathy. Antipath (-2 Points) * Empathy (-2 Points, Not Available to Wyrmmes) * Sidekick (-1 Point) * Followers (-2 Points; should be bought once per organization) * Pet_Minidragon (-2 Points) * Pet_Watchwyrm (-2 Points) * Dragonrider (-3 Points; see Section 3.21) * Raptor Knight (-2 Points; see Section 3.22) 3.21 Dragonriders (3 Points) True dragons are not as swift and agile in the air as Raptors, but unlike Raptors, they are also dangerous beasts on the ground, as they fight with their teeth, claws, horns, leathery tails. In combat on the ground they tuck their delicate wings very tightly to their bodies. Sometimes they will grapple another dragon in the air, removing both aggressor's ability to fly for the terrifying duration! If the fight is not resolved soon, both crash to the ground, and one or both might not survive the impact. NOTE: Neither true dragons nor Wyrmmes can breathe fire. A true dragon can carry two passengers on the ground but will quickly tire if it must fly with them. The nature of the bond between Rider and Dragon in Kasuria is very different from that applied in Drakoria. 3.211 Kasurian Dragonrider You'll never forget the moment: there you were, with others, as the eggs were hatching. Then, in an instant- your mind and your dragonfriend's were connected by a bond that only death can sever. Your dragon is not telepathic with other dragons. The moment of this bonding is called "impression". Older dragons are about as intelligent as dolphins or chimpanzees but young ones are much like toddlers. You remain telepathic with your Dragon at any distance. Your dragon is your best friend in the universe, bar none. 3.212 Drakorian Dragonrider As a reward for your outstanding service to the Empire, you were awarded the right to Bind a dragon. The ceremony was private, with a Kajutar Mindscourge feeding both you and the hatchling a Potion of Binding. You experienced an incredible pleasurable rush of power as you realized the dragon was forever in your possession. You are telepathic with your dragon. Your dragon is not telepathic with other dragons. Your dragon's personality grows more and more like yours as time goes on, until, in time, it is merely an extension of you. You remain telepathic with your Dragon at any distance. Your dragon is the emblem of your worthiness to rule others.
3.4 Roleplaying Areas
In order to give new players a chance to meet other roleplayers in a rather serendipitous manner, we have several permanent Roleplaying areas. You can RP in the Dragonlands, or in the Dreams of RP-oriented Chartered Guilds: Chartered Guilds List Amongst those who have agreed to Roleplay rather than Persona Play, there are still alot of different play styles, too. You might wish to give your character a "Cool" rating (add it to your description). See here for the Rule of Cool.
3.41 ROLEPLAYING GUILDS These are organizations by and for players. They keep your character sheet records, and keep track of Character Advancement. Because it takes a lot of effort and can so easily be messed up, we don't recommend permitting players to buy new Restricted Advantages (Supernaturals don't usually acquire new powers.) We do recommend that Disadvantages be permitted to be "bought off" at a cost of 10 Advancement Points to 1 Disad Point. At the Guild Head's discretion, new Advantages might be bought, at the same 10-to-1 cost. Guild Heads, you should have some documentation of your rules. You should have a list of what Advantages may be bought later in play, and how you'll award (or automatically dispense) experience points. After much experience, we recommend that advancement be PURELY based on the RL age of the character (see Advancement under Skills). This prevents complaints of Game- Master favoritism. An alternate rule is that if your character dies, you may create a new character based on the same number of points. Another alternate rule is that you may play multiple characters but only one with Restricted abilities at any given time, and that this Restricted Abilities character may have up to 7 points each in Ads/Disads. The ONE THING that we ask RP Guilds not to do, is to invent new Advantages and Disadvantages. That helps ensure that a character is easily transferred to a new Guild, and that new players never have to read much in the way of "special" rules. It also makes character generation more fair: There *are* Disadvantages that really are "wimpy" and the fact that there are not so many of these prevents a single character from having *all* "wimpy" Disads. We make no guarantee against favoritism. A Guild is first and foremost a group of friends who play together; they are not obligated to be "fair". To help control the makeup of a play environment, a Guild might list its "slots," which are roleplaying niches the Guild Heads wish to be filled. We recommend that they be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, with a provision that the Guild Heads may remove a character that isn't played for a RL month. Some online text games have a custom of "Apps", that is, submitting applications for characters. We don't recommend this because of the inevitable complaints of favoritism. We do recommend that final character sheets of characters with Restricted Traits require the approval of more than one Guild Head. (Note: There is no "Criminals" character class, but the prevalence of criminal backgrounds does need to be controlled by Guild Heads.) Here's a typical Guild roster: 3 Males with Pedigree Great House 3 Females with Pedigree Great House 6 Males with Pedigree Lesser House 6 Females with Pedigree Lesser House 1 Vampire, advantages/disadvantages already designed. 1 Were, advantages/disadvantages already designed 2 Female ElvenFurres 2 Male ElvenFurres 2 Female Mages 2 Male Mages 2 Female Supernaturals other than the above- Apps required! 2 Male Supernaturals other than the above- Apps required! 8 Male Criminals 8 Female Criminals
3.42 RESTRICTED ADVANTAGES 3.421 Mage: It costs (-2) points to be a Mage from Kasuria. A mage from Drakoria is called a Shaman, and they have very different traditions than the Kasurian Mages. Magical effects performed spontaneously are very temporary. It takes a ritual to accomplish something permanent. Being a Mage means that you may buy spells which are Skills that only Mages can have. Magical spells are performed with visible gestures and audible incantations. This process is easily interrupted by physical attacks, especially if accomplished with a missile weapon such as a thrown dagger. A spell gives others plenty of time to notice, cross the room, and attack. A spell may be used 3 times per (Real Life) day (and no, you cannot buy a Spell twice to get 6 uses, etc.) Spells are bought to fill regular SKILL slots, from the Spells list, so we advise Mages to be well-educated. In Persona Play, harmful spells are used as explanations of the Quickie Table's Resolution. For example, a result of the Defeated being Heavily Injured could be posed as a use of Magical Harm that badly burned the Mage's target. MAGE SPELLS: Color_Change -Changes eye and fur and hair colors. 1 RL Week. Sex_Change -Alchemist decides upon its creation whether it's male-to- female, etc. Has no effect on targets of gender other than intended. 1 RL Week. Magical_Healing -For each separate wounding, roll your Spark or lower. [Spark = (Wits+Pedigree) divided by 2, drop any remainder] A Mage may try to heal any individual wounding only *once*. A successful roll negates that injury. A fumble (a failure in which the Mage rolled doubles) results in a new Injury! Magical_Harm -Possible ranged attack during posed combat. Always visible. Scarhawk -Changes the drinker into a 2.5 meter tall hawk. Intelligence is heavily impaired. Wears off in a RL hour. Kiwi -Changes the drinker into a half-meter-tall cute bird. Intelligence is a bit reduced. Wears off in a RL week. Ostrix -Changes the drinker into an Ostrix. Intelligence is unaffected. Wears off in a RL week. Aging -Adds 42 years to a Furre's age. Lifesaving -Cures all mundane diseases, *and* treats dangerous wounds. Regeneration -This is the effect of regrowing a limb or sensory organ, which the various forms of Healing cannot do. Permanent. Resurrection -One Furre's Resurrection (whether Potion, or Spell) can be used on any other's body only *once*, after which it doesn't work. Permanent. Subsequent uses of the same last only a week!!! Destroy -Destroys a limb or sensory organ (such as eye or ear). Scarhawk -Changes the caster into a full-sized yet intelligent Scarhawk. Lasts a RL week. Anagathica Removes 42 years from a person's age. 1 RL Week Water-Breathing 1 RL Day Water Walking 1 RL Day 3.422 Supernaturals: (-2) The Continuities of Kasuria and Theriopolis do not have Supernaturals. This category includes Werefurres, Vampfurres, any "undead", etc. Having bought this Advantage means that if you also buy the ability "Mage" for 2 more Advantage Points, you can perform a Spell without the Mage's visible gestures and incantations; it means that magical ability you have is an innate one. As a perk, though, the character is immune to disease, and ages very very slowly. Note that they must still purchase Ageless if they wish to claim to be anything other than their apparent age! Supernatural Abilities are bought from the Spells list, and fill regular Skill slots. You must buy this ability before you can purchase any Supernatural Advantage. 3.4221 VampFurres: The first Vampfurres were the thirteen rulers and priests who attempted, through a mystical ceremony, to set the Dark Prime Mirmoggin free. For this they were both cursed and blessed by the Dark Primes. Their names are spoken of only in whispers, but they are known to Vampfurres as "The Coven". Popular legends about Kasurian Vampfurres name three of the oldest Karkus, Payne, and Ameliora. They are not truly immortal but they can live up to a millenium. They say a Vampire can be created by killing a Furre, then pouring a full cup of a Vampire's blood poured into their mouth. To cure a Vampire requires a Potion or Spell of Resurrection, or (legend has it) the Scent of the Dragon. A word of warning to all mortal Furres: Vampfurres (a.k.a. Vampires, Vampyres, Wamphyri, etc.) Vampfurres are renowned for their inhumanity (infurremanity?). They are not the romantic charmers of Anne Rice... Unlike mortals, Vampyre Furres that are Injured more than once only suffer a -1 penalty from all Injuries together, and a -3 from all Heavy Injuries together. Thus, a terribly wounded Vampyre Furre will not get more than a -4. Healing times, however, are unchanged, and it's assumed that this time is spent getting blood, resting, etc.
More About Vampfurres
3.4222 WereFurres: In the context of Furcadia, there *are* were wolves, cats, etc. This is *always* a curse, however. Under the right conditions, the victim turns into a huge four-legged version of the animal. They are blind with rage and pain, and are driven to try to murder. Conditions for changing back may include having to kill an animal or a Furre. There are also Were-Ostrixes and Were-Raptors. There are very few tales of the WereFurres, but it is said that some can grow to be three stories tall, capable of walking over and through barns, houses, and castles! There are no were-dragons or were-bugges, however. WereFurres heal in 1/3 normal time. For example, they heal an Injury in only 1 RL day!More About Werefurres
Click here for ElvenFurre details.
Phoenixes don't die of old age. When they reach a century, they burst into flames, to be reborn as an innocent young adult phoenix. When this happens, they lose memories of all but their most recent century. (Thus, they usually build excellent, but not ultimate skills.)
There are other powers Phoenixes learn, and they are secret (like the hidden talents of the WereFurres and Vampyres). The most important is using their flame to teleport to a location that they have chosen earlier!
All Phoenixes have a horror of tight spaces. Thus, they can not live in underground cities and so forth. They are a little uncomfortable in buildings. The way they are built makes them very uncomfortable riding an ostrix or a scarhawk, but they can do it.
All phoenixes have an inborn ability to detect a lie. They can only tell if the speaker thinks they are telling the truth. They can also tell if the speaker is "lying by omission", that is, they can tell if the speaker is being deceitful on purpose by leaving something important out. The phoenix symbollizes honesty and accuracy.
3.423 QuarterPrimes: (-2) The Dragon is the primordial being responsible for Furcadian creation. Its offspring are the Primes, godlike spirits, sometimes referred to as "AngelFurres". These are the most powerful beings in the Furcadian worlds. Long ago they interbred with mortal to produce HalfPrimes. (The Dragon and the Primes are not permitted as player-character because they're reserved for Furcadia Staff use only. HalfPrimes are not allowed because they are too powerful.) The children of HalfPrimes are referred to as the QuarterPrimes. * A LIST OF PRIMES AND DARK PRIMES QuarterPrimes (and their subcategory, QuarterDarkPrimes) are sometimes referred to as "Immortals". QuarterPrimes are *rare*. They sometimes have wings. (See Winged Flight below) Sometimes the wings are non-functioning. Grandchildren of a Dark Primes have dark leathery wings, while those of a Prime will have bright feathery wings. You'll NEVER see bright "batlike" wings or dark "birdlike" wings on a QuarterPrime. Primes are not fertile with each other. HalfPrimes and QuarterPrimes are also infertile with all other HalfPrimes or QuarterPrimes. Thus, you will not find a descendant of more than one Prime. QuarterPrimes have varying special talents. Those with Dark Prime blood will tend towards sinister things, and those with Prime blood will tend towards positive "happy" "nice" things. *Which* Prime or Dark Prime it is, also heavily influences the choice: a grandchild of Aristaya shouldn't have fins and gills as that is appropriate to a grandchild of Dahlsea. It is rumored that some QuarterPrimes keep their heritage secret because their power can be stolen if they are beheaded by another QuarterPrime. Quarter Primes can perform Healing exactly like a Mage can, except that they can not Fumble. Quarter Dark Primes have a very different power: they may point at a wound and curse it to be unhealable by any magical means.
A NOTE TO RAHS (GUILD HEADS) ***ANYTHING NOT COVERED BY THESE RULES*** This is under the control of the Guild Heads, who may have Rosters with Slots to prevent having too many of any one thing. Guild Heads might possibly inform you that you may not be a Supernatural at this time: there might not be enough "ordinary" Furres in the playgroup to permit the spice of another Supernatural. We do insist that anything not a regular Furre (Mer-furre, Nymph-furre, ANYTHING unusual) must pay *some* points. This DOES mean that unusual characters are slightly weaker than normal Furres. YES, that is true. IF they weren't, the world would have been taken over by assorted Supernaturals, and that's just not the case.
3.429 MORE RESTRICTED ADVANTAGES To have any of following, you must first have already paid at least 2 Advantage Points to be a Restricted type. I repeat, these are ONLY available to Furres that have already bought being a Restricted of some sort. * Vestigial_Wings (-1 Points) * Ageless (-2 Points) (Character may claim a history of up to 1000 years old.) * Breathe Water (-1 Point) * Two Extra Arms (-1 Point) (Can only be bought once.) * Heal from Death (-4 Points) (If body is beheaded or cremated, this is not possible.) * Winged Flight (-3 Points) * Natural_Armor (-1 Points) * Resistant to Magic (-2 Points) (Magical effects wear off twice as fast.) * All_Languages (-2 Points) * Shapeshifter (-2 Points) This ability permits transformation into *2* distinct forms, of up to 1/2 or X2 the character's original mass. If your shifted form has additional Advantages, you must buy them! You receive no points for a shifted form's Disadvantages. Your physical traits (Speed, Strength, etc.) remain the SAME. * Carry_Cargo (-1 Point) (This means the character is a quadruped or has a centaur-body.)
3.43 RESTRICTED DISADVANTAGES * Addiction: Flesh of Furres (+1) If you have the Flesh Hunger Lacuna you may not take this as a Disadvantage. * Addiction: Souls (+2) A compulsion to kill, in a ritual fashion. If you have the Inimicality Lacuna you may not take this as a Dis- Advantage. * Paralyzed by the Vinca Sigil (+1) Al Vampfurres are repelled by the sign of the Vinca, but having this Disadvantage means that you will stop frozen in your tracks, completely vulnerable to all things that might befall you, until the sight of the Vinca is obscured. You cannot steel yourself and overcome this with magic or willpower or any other means. * Upsetting to Animals (+1) Cannot ride Ostrixes or Raptors; they will bristle and scream at the sight of this character. All Vampfurres get this Disadvantage automatically, therefore they cannot take it and get extra points. * Severely burned by Sunlight (+1) All Vampfurres get this Disadvantage automatically, therefore they cannot take it for extra points. * Paralyzed by Day (+1) During daylight hours, the character is paralyzed, trapped with eyes closed in a state of unconscious terror resembling a coma. Begins at sunrise, and ends at sunset. All Vampfurres get Disadvantage automatically, therefore they cannot take it for extra points. 3.43 RESTRICTED NEUTRALS * Addiction: Blood (0) Nobody really seems to care in a Fantasy setting. * Addiction: Cruelty (0) This is too wimpy to be worth real points. * Vampfurre Lacunas: (0) NPCs (gamemaster characters) may possess these but we don't give players points for them.
3.44 Limits to the Dragonlands Continuity...
The following are powers we have deemed to be a) too powerful to give even the NPCs, b) not fun for other player characters and/or c) just can't be done credibly in the scope of our game. They're listed here in part so that a Guild leader has some warning that there are some abilities that it's best not to let loose in a game. * Artifact (*) Artifacts have to be the property of the game and the Guilds' continuities. Magic items exist but they are NOT given away as Advantages. * Shift_Planes (-3) This power implies the existence of other worlds, and we're sorry but we can't permit players to invent other dimensions, or to claim a connection between the worlds of Furcadia and any other place. * Prime_Hearing (-3) (This power is the power of Primes and Dark Primes to *know* when they are being talked about!) * Wingless_Flight (*) This one is inappropriate; it feels like Superheroes. * Invisibility (*) * Bodiless (*) This power includes all phenomena such as being soul locked in a tiny amulet, being a ghost, turning into a cloud of mist. * Ultrasonic Hearing (*) * Super-high Tech (*) That means androids, cyborgs, supercomputers, FTL space ships, and so on. * Giant (*) There are giantfurres, but they're difficult to show without the appropriate graphics. * Lilliputian (*) As with Giant, the graphics didn't support it. * Prime/DarkPrime (*) These are actually OOC jobs, not roleplaying abilties. Please do not claim to be one of these! :) * Half Prime (*) We don't permit Half-Primes as played characters.
4.0 Skills
What do you know how to do?
Picking your skills does two nifty things for you. First, looking over the lists gives you a glimpse of the many things Furres do in Theriopolis. Second, it constructs your background. Your choice of skills can reflect the professions of your parents, places that you have travelled, or your own career. The goal is to take Advantages, Disadvantages, and Skills that add up to a portrait of a character that's coherent and interesting.
If you choose all warrior skills, for instance, then your character has spent quite a bit of time training with other warriors. At the level of Apprentice you would just have gone through the equivalent of "Basic" training in an army. At "JourneyFurre," you've been in actual combat. A "one note" character may be tougher for the average player to interact with, though. Give the character some unrelated "Hobbies" to prove that they can talk about more than barracks and formations. If the character is supposed to be an officer, they probably should be Age "Established" or older, and possess the Advantages "Respected" and possibly "Wealthy". If you are a mercenary captain with your own band, "Boss" would be appropriate.
Skill advancement after character generation is done by buying new skills, buying off certain Disads, buying certain Ads, or acquiring new levels of a Skill. You earn skill points at the following rate:
First 8 weeks: 1 point per week otherwise, 1 every two weeksHere is a description of Skill Levels, and what they mean. The number at the left margin is what it cost in Advancement Points to buy that level. (Currently, Advancement Points are issued by your Guild. If your character is not in a Guild, you can't advance. Training bonuses from being a Master or Veteran are only granted if you're in the *same* Guild.) You do have to buy new skills at Hobby level, and then purchase each successive level. Example: Rklbwm the Naked Mole Rat chose Raptor Riding at Hobby level during Character Generation. After a few weeks, she spends 5 Advancement Points to become an Apprentice. Luckily, she meets up with Sir Phidion, a Master of Raptor Riding, who agrees to take her on as his squire. Sir Phidion's player informs the Rah of his Chartered Guild that Rklbwm is to receive a discount because he is training her. So Rklbwm pays only 6 points more, and becomes a JourneyFurre of Raptor Riding.
3 Hobby 5 Apprentice You've been doing this for a few years. 7 JourneyFurre You've done this on a daily basis and you're pretty competent now. 10 Veteran You can give others a 1 point discount to raise their skill. 12 Master You give up to a 2 point bonus if you train someone in this skill! Click here for a list of all the skills, with explanations!
5.0 Adult Roleplay In non-private areas, online Furcadia is rated PG, and a filter blots out adult language. Dodging that filter is not tolerated, and our staff does its best to keep this off the main map areas. Nevertheless, we can't be everywhere. We expect all players who find the speech of another individual offensive to use the Ignore filter. With the advent of Internet, freedom of expression and freedom of information, especially for minors, has reached an all-time high. More and more, you (and not a government or a religion) have to be in charge of your own decisions on what to see and do. If something makes you uncomfortable remember you can go away from that area. Remember it's a game, and you can always type Control-S (to get to the main log-in point) or Control-X (to eXit the game). There's some things that can't be so easily ignored, though: character names and descriptions, for example. The Beekin Helpers and the Owsla are there to help, and if you see someone trying to impose unacceptable language on others in ways like this, we'd appreciate being informed. We do believe that the responsibility of deciding whether or not Furcadia is suitable for a non-adult player rests with their parent(s)/guardian(s). We recommend discussing events on Furcadia, both the happy and the sad, with the people around you. DARK ADULT THEMES AND THE DRAGONLANDS: Remember that your fun and your comfort are important, and you shouldn't feel pressured by peers to participate in any kind of play that you don't feel is right. The Dragonlands are rated PG. Patently "adult" actions and storylines are not permitted here. That means, for example, that there's no rape, prostitution, or torture in the Dragonlands Continuity. They should not be played out; they should not be a part of your character's background. Adult themes have a way of seriously coloring the characters that are involved in them, such that they can't be expected to be kept confined to private Dreams if those Dreams are assumed by the players to be valid within the Continuity. Thus, we make a special rule that all non-PG scenes are, by definition, not happening in the Dragonlands, but in private Continuities. DARK ADULT THEMES AND PERSONA PLAY UNDER THE CONSENT RULE: Under the Consent Rule, you have alot of choice about what happens to your character, and this is how it's meant to be. It's up to you to refuse to Consent to your character being mutilated, mind-controlled, tortured, or any other event or scene that makes you feel uncomfortable RL. That includes dating or marriage; if you don't like this kind of thing, you don't have to play it and you don't have to play it out. Icky things happening to your character can permanently sour playing them for you. Under rules of Persona Play, you can even turn back time using the rule of Retcon to change things, and it's important for you to feel reasonably in-control of your character. By the way, keep in mind that the philosophy of Persona Play is generally more light-hearted. Think "Narnia", "Redwall", and "ThunderCats", okay? DARK ADULT THEMES AND PLAYING UNDER THE RULE OF COOL If you join a Guild, you generally agree to play a game where "In Character Actions yield In Character Consequences". Under a Rule of Cool, you're not permitted to dodge an in-character situation because you didn't *like* it. On the other hand, this isn't a license for other players to force you into participating in a particular kind of scene, either. One possible compromise is "handwaving". Sometimes all the players involved decide to "handwave" a distasteful event. That means that the events did ICly take place but you just don't play it out online. This is an option that preserves a harsh or sinister feel of a Continuity while not forcing you to have to spend time on it. It's also an excellent option if you don't want to roleplay anything sexual or romantic. Your character could be married and when things get smoochy you happily "Fade to black." On the other hand, Roleplaying, shouldn't be used as a way to force you (as player, not character) to be exposed to plot elements you find abhorrent. Possible examples are sexism, racism, slavery, fetishes, alternative sexuality. You might find that you and a Guild are not compatible, and you need to move on and find a new Guild.
5.1 When Your Own RP Makes You Miserable Sometimes you may feel locked into an action by your character's nature. You might find yourself roleplaying out a course of action even though it makes you, the player, deeply unhappy. This is called "Hanging yourself on the Tree of Roleplaying," and we don't think it's healthy or necessary. As a Roleplayer you have a reasonable obligation to uphold the Continuity, but you also have an obligation to yourself to... Have a good time! Roleplaying "martyrdom" may get you attention but "method-acting", throwing yourself utterly into their pawsteps, isn't the point of the game. Roleplaying is discovering and portraying your character's "hooks" and having "character developments" over time. Sometimes you lose old "hooks" and sometimes you gain new ones. The best roleplaying is finding the compromise between that which makes you, as player, happy yet makes your character's story dramatic and satisfying.
5.5 Last but not least: Respect Others.
Every player is free to play as they please in their
own Dream. These rules are for those who *want* rules. There's no rule
that a character has to somehow be "valid" by the standards of any other
player than their creator. Furcadia is for living out your dreams, and
different players want different levels of challenge and complexity. You
can insist that those who enter your Dream play by your rules if you use
Dragonspeak to make sure that wanderers can't accidentally come by and
disrupt your play, and also, that your "House Rules" are posted somewhere
on a web site. Remember, no matter how goofy another character may sound
to you, please respect their imagination. Be tactful, and keep your
opinion private rather than public.
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APPENDIX: NPCs WITH RESTRICTED ADVANTAGES To give the abilities of players their due, we don't permit players to improvise the existence of NPCs (Non Player Characters, i.e. they exist in the continuity but they aren't played by a player) who possess Restricted Abilities. That means that if a character is afflicted with something, they are going to have to find a Character who has the counter-measure. Getting the help of your own "Alt" (a character you also play) is highly frowned upon; if you're going to resort to this, you might as well not roleplay with other players. APPENDIX: MAGIC ITEMS Magic Items are only valid if they're approved by a Guild. They are NEVER the property of an individual character. Therefore, you shouldn't build your character's concept around a magic item. Yes, Elric had Stormbringer but you're not him. ;) If you carry around an item and you are ICly rendered unconscious, and you lose that item... That is really just too bad. This is why they need to be the property of the continuity, and not the individual player.
APPENDIX: WORKSHEETS All of the Advanced Character Generation mechanics were not intended to be done on paper, but rather, generated online or offline with a computer program. Thus, they may appear complicated at first. These Worksheets are for doing the Advanced Character Generation offline.
Worksheet 1
Worksheet 2
Worksheet 3 (Skills for Kasuria/Dragonlands/Theriopolis)
END OF BIG FAT FILE!