Bastion RPG: A Start

[zakarntson]

I keep thinking about a super-high powered RPG that can be described in one sentence as:
The high-powered insanity of 20th Level D&D, Rifts, Conan's epic stories, Kane's books and Elric's tragedy; these heroes strive to fight a threat larger than their own universe while conquering whole new worlds.


Setting & Situation in a nutshell

• The multiverse has been nearly dominated by a trio of horrible Powers: Gravidity, Violence and Decay.
• The survivors are those that escaped their own universes:
  
  • Lich-kings opening sorcerous gates,
  • Ur-Emperors escaping the death of their own worlds,
  • The Last of Sorcerous Elder Races annihilating their own worlds and gods.
• The last stand is at hand with these god-slaying, world-dominating top-dogs having to work together to prevent the downfall of the universe. Not only that, but all these unstoppable heroes have discovered that their supreme power is a penultimate one -- there's an entire multiverse to dominate.

And the big question, "What do the PCs do?"

• Fight back against the universe-crushing powers of Gravidity, Violence and Decay, in their myriad forms and combinations.
• Engage in competition to remain the grandest of heroes, possibly setting aside the worlds regained for your own domination.
• A Grand Warmaster, forging a world-spanning Empire, placating the three Powers and providing stability for its subjects.
• The Tomb-forged Skeleton Lord, ruling through a highly-casted society of living and undead, keeping the Powers entirely at bay.
• A Barbaric King of Kings, securing an intercontinental dominion of free men, providing a Dynasty to keep up the fight.
• Relive echoes of their own past, as each world subtly mirrors the others.
  
  • You will find a new lover who eerily reminds you of the one you slew,
  • You will discover a race nearly identical to your own -- despite you having brought an end to your own blood,
  • You will struggle between reliving and resisting the mirrors of your past.

Character Creation
Inspired by both Burning Wheel's Lifepath system1 and the component design theory seen in Pokemon2, I want to provide a simple set of paths to create the pulp fantasy heroes and villains (who are all "heroes" in Bastion).

To that end, characters consist of selecting:

• Origin: The base concept. Examples: Lich, Free Man, Elder Race, Molded Thing.
• Unique Path: Each base provides a number of paths unique to an Origin. Examples:
  
  • Lich: Dark Science, Withered Blasphemer, Hellbound
  • Chosen One: Tragic Destiny, To Rule Them All, Holy Sacrifice
  • Elder Race: Last of Your Kind, Supreme Ruler, Bitter Exile
• Career Path: Each Unique Paths provides a short list of available Career Paths. This is the method by which the character rose to power. Examples:
  
  • Monolitharch: Your subjects rise eldritch monoliths or vast temples to you and your gods.
  • Lord of War: A conqueror of nations, feared by all.
  • Whispering Brooder: Sequestered in a forgotten palace, learnign the wisdom of ages from men, spirits and demons.
  • Scarred Survivor: No matter how far you fall, you always claw your way back to victory.
• Penultimate Path: The character's final place in their world. Examples:
  
  • Ur-Emperor: Overlooking all from your throne at the world's center of power.
  • Master of Demons: The supreme sorcerer, feared and hated by man and demon alike.
  • Forgotten: With the world crashing around you, the Powers and fallen gods did not take notice.
  • Best of the Best: Through the fastest sword, quickest wit, or what-have-you, you rose above
• Path to Bastion: How your character escaped his universe and entered Bastion. Examples:
  
  • Consort: In league with the Powers before discovering their true intentions. Mistrusted by most in Bastion.
  • Opportunist: You discovered a way out and took the adventure and glory it provided.
  • Annihilator: Destroyed the world and its inhabitants through accident or design.
  • Gate-Opener: Through dark means, opened a gate to abandon your world.

Here're a few sample characters and their paths, from my own thoughts and from fiction (I wanted to see how well this would translate my favorite pulp characters):

• Conan: Free Man, Leader of Men, Lord of War, Ur-Emperor, Opportunist
• Tomoe Gozen: Chosen One, Tragic Destiny, Lord of War, Best of the Best, Rescued
• Kane (Karl Edward Wagner): Demi-god, Defier, Lord of War, Master of Demons, Gate-Opener
• Elric: Elder Race, Bitter Exile, Wandering Reaper, Master of Demons, Annihilator
• Wormfeast, Bladewraith of Omon: Molded Thing, Blood-forged, Tool of Destruction, Forgotten, Slipped Through the Cracks
• Thoth Amun-Re: Lich, Blasphemer, Monolitharch, God Eater, Gate-Opener
• Jilted Briggs, Gunslinger: Free Man, World Wanderer, Scarred Survivor, Best of the Best, Opportunist

1 Also harkening back to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay's career system and TMNT's insane animal mutant creation -- I still haven't seen Traveller's take, which I'm dying to.
2 Many points of customization, but spread out over time to prevent overwhelming the user.