Shadows of Elysium, Mechanics explanations

Story by wildwiredweasel on SoFurry

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So hey, I realized that because I'm using terms that mean different things to different people, I'm going to confuse everyone if I don't go ahead and define a few things. This document is supposed to act as a handy mechanics reference for the readers to enable them to make educated guesses on their user created votes. Enjoy!


How this system works

Every week, I will post general choices.

Next to those choices, you will see percentages.

For user created votes, I will not have percentages posted since I am unable to know ahead of time what the users might say.

To help you guesstimate the odds, I have made this for you.

The percentages are the odds that attempting that will succeed.

The odds of success are based on the circumstances the characters are in.

The breakdown of how those odds are calculated are below.

These are not rules, but are guidelines.

If characters are evenly matched, they have a 50% chance of success.

Conditional advantages can be mild or enormous. These are often environment based.

Trait advantages add a 10% chance of success to the group's attempt to use it.

Conditional disadvantages can also be mild or enormous.

Exhaustion, shaken, and injured all cause 5% disadvantage to success ratio.

Enemy disadvantages count as advantages for the group.

If one ally has an advantage and another person has a disadvantage in the same field, they negate.

Trait advantages

All characters have 4 traits: Acrobatics, Strength, Mind, and Willpower.

All characters have either 2 traits at +10% or 1 trait at +20% based on their class. All characters have an advantage based on their race's standing with the former empire.

All characters have a bonus to 1 of these traits based on their race

All characters have circumstantial rolls in which they may gain another bonus or take a penalty based on their backstory.

The classes

When you vote on a class, you're creating a part of the character's backstory. This part of the backstory is intentionally left blank in the character selection. Any character can be any class.

(10 classes)

Warrior: 20% in strength. Make for great tactical leaders.

Rogue: 20% in acrobatics. Is great at finding weaknesses.

Mage: 20% in mind. Can sense sources of magic.

Cleric: 20% in willpower. Can detect paranormal things.

Scout: 10% in strength, 10% in acrobatics. Observant and stealthy.

Tinkerer: 10% in acrobatics, 10% in mind. Can make potions and complex weapons.

Warlock: 10% in mind, 10% in willpower. Doesn't know as many spells as a mage, but can be much more powerful. Capable of detecting strong sources of magic or strong paranormal presences, but subtle ones elude them.

Paladin: 10% in willpower, 10% in strength. Can influence enemies and allies with their benefactor's will, as well as detect powerful paranormal presences.

Spellblade: 10% in strength, 10% in mind. Can imbue objects with magic.

Monk: 10% in acrobatics, 10% in willpower. Can detect chi and the emotions of those who make it, as well as use it offensively and defensively.

Social standing and races

The worlds: Each world has 4 primary racial representatives, though there are many smaller ethnicities as well.

The first race listed is seen as in the most control of their home world. They have a bonus to any socializing check, since they are raised with the expectation of becoming leaders. This race was usually the resident race that first accepted the elves' rule.

The second race is another citizen race. They have a bonus to knowledge checks, since they are able to listen to the most conversations with the least prejudice against them. Citizen races sometimes resisted the elves fiercely, but didn't resort to what the elves consider 'dirty tactics' to do so, and so earned respect.

The third race is a subject race. They have a bonus to crafting, since their ancestors were intended to be producers of government goods. These races are classified by the elves as 'culturally suicidal,' a keyword for anyone who would rather be destroyed than ruled by a superior ruler.

The fourth race is the last race to surrender to the elves, and was the resident slave race. They have a bonus to awareness, since they live in poorer neighborhoods and must be on the alert at all times. Their people were usually the last to surrender to the elves. Making them into a slave race made them into an example for future conquests.

It is important to note two things: One is that nobody enforces these rights and limitations anymore.

Another is to remember that their recent history does leave the former slave races disadvantaged in some regards, namely a lack of social status and people generally underestimating their capacity to achieve things. Of course, slave races may see fellow slave races the same way others see them, or may understand their capacities.

The biomes listed afterwards are what their world tends to be like, but is not all-encompassing. Each of their worlds' planets aren't even mapped out yet.

1 Noble races: Elves (int), Humans (spr), Dwarves (str), Halflings (acr).

2 Tusk toothed: Hobgoblins (int), goblins (acr), bugbears (str), orcs (spr).

3 Monkey: Gorillas (str), Orangutans (int), spider monkey (acr), Baboon (spr).

4 Canines: Dogs (str), Wolves (spr), Foxes (acr), Jackals (int).

5 Hyaenidae: Aardwolf (int), Striped (spr), Brown (acr), Spotted (aka, gnolls) (str)

6 Felines: Cat (int), spotted (acr), striped (str), Maned (spr).

7 Mustelid: Weasel (int), Mongoose (acr), Badger (spr), Wolverine (str).

8 Ursid: Brown bear (acr), black bear (int), polar bear (spr), grizzly bear (str).

9 Rodent: Mouse (int), Squirrel (spr), Rabbit (acr), Rat (str).

10 Bats: Acerodon (big and imperial looking) (str), dyacopterus (shrewd looking, thick muzzled, medium length muzzled bats) (int), dobsonia (looks like a cleaned up version of a 1950's wolfman) (spr), megaerops (Sly, observant bats). (acr)

11 Ungulate: Horse (int), Deer (acr), Bovine (str), Goat (spr).

12 Procyo: Raccoon (spr), Coati (acr), Kinkajou (str), Olingo (int).

13 Aven: Sparrow (acr), parrot (spr), bird of prey (str), Crow (int).

14 Reptile: Lizard (acr), Alligator (str), snakes (spr), raptors (int)

15 Clickers: Bottlenose (int), Dusky (spr), Orca (str), Spotted (acr).

16 Shark: Mako (acr), Great White (str), Thresher (int), Tiger (spr).

17 Hymenoptera: Wasp (str), Yellow Jacket (spr), Bee (acr), Ants (int).

18 Spiders: Tarantula (str), Jumping (acr), Wolf (spr), Widow (int)

19: Armored: armadillos (str), pangolins (acr), Porcupines (int), Hedgehogs (spr)

20: Marsups: Wombat (spr), Kangaroos (str), Oppossums (int), Quoll (acr)

Noble races: They tend to have dictators, though how the dictator comes to power varies. While the elven king is a hereditary position, the human emperor must be elected by a representative counsel. Mountains, islands, forests.

Tusked races: Those most fit to lead in war tend to be in charge of society, as their societies are often on the fringe of war at any given moment. (This is possibly because their world appears to be largely desert, and their fights are over resources more than any feuds.) Desert, crag, savanna.

Monkeys: They form oligarchies of a few members who direct different aspects of the society, also known as mobs. Changes in power are often peaceful, but can be quite violent. Jungle, mountain, rain forest.

Canines: They tend to form meritocracies, where the leader is only a leader insofar as he or she has experience in a given task that needs to be accomplished. Notoriously loyal, as long as you're watching. Deserts, taiga, tundra.

Hyaenidae: They have matriarchies who govern the homefront and domestic policies, and patriarchs serving under the matriarch who deal with foreign policies. Savanah, mountains, plains.

Felines: The one in charge can be killed every day, but his followers will follow whoever replaces them pretty quickly. It's less about loyalty and more about the necessity of working together in the desert-savannah world. Jungle, forest, plains.

Mustelids: The problem with the concept of a leader is that leaders require followers. Mustelids follow someone as long as they have common interests, but will jump ship as soon as it's obvious they no longer share those interests. Tundra, taiga, desert.

Ursids have a similar problem as Mustelids in that they don't look for leaders, but tend to fall in more easily with mixed company. When a job needs to be done, a bear does it, and that includes being a governor. Forest, mountains, taiga.

Rodents are shameless populists with a flair for graphic violence to keep their opposition in control. Though they have royalty and nobility, such titles may be claimed through deceit or outright murder. Forest, plains, swamps.

Bats are creatures of the court thanks in large part to the Aceros. Honor, paranoia, and commonly elected judges rule bat society. Mountains, rain forests, swamps.

Ungulates: Ungulates have monarchies because they work, not because they can't think of something better. Much of their society is that way- if it works, don't fix it. Likewise, if it doesn't work, but you don't need it, don't fix it yet. Beyond that low level of centralization, they tend to have individualistic tendencies. Plains, mountains, savanna.

Procyo: These clever people set up governments which private companies wind up controlling anyway. Their society is a giant system of cogs that all the cogs try to manipulate. Forest, rain forest, jungle.

Aven: They form very simple governments. For peacetime decisions, consensus rules the day. For wartime decisions, a consensus elected leader makes all the decisions. Anyone who goes against either may find themselves ostracized, or worse. Islands, rain forests, mountains.

Reptiles: Clans, long-reaching and ancient, form the basis for government. The focus on origin extends even to businesses, where the parentage in question is where a group's philosophy comes from. Swamp, Marsh, islands.

Clickers: These water-living mammals value independence as sharply as they do cooperation. Whoever demonstrates the most skill tends to attract the most followers. It can be for things as simple as construction or complex as deciding to go to war. They tend to not put as much stock in experience, though, since it doesn't necessarily equate to skill. Islands, rivers, lakes.

Sharks: They form military-like societies where the most influential leaders are responsible for maintaining political relations as well as directing the war effort. It is said they are dedicated to the concept of dedication. Islands, reefs, coastlines.

Hymenoptera: A single female usually runs an entire colony, a group of families with a history of marriages, businesses, and alliances. Though she is commonly called a queen, it is more accurate to call her an arbiter. Her sole purpose is to resolve disputes in peacetime, and to set priorities during a war. Plains, forest, jungle.

Spider: These people historically view assassination as a legitimate way to move up their caste system, and did not integrate perfectly into the elven empire. Nowadays, assassination has been replaced with sabotage of reckless leaders, blackmail of unscrupulous people, and even theft from people who don't watch their wallets. Rarely are their attacks lethal, but sometimes they do wreck lives, and they always design the attack to gain them personal benefits. Forest, swamp, jungle.

Armored: These guys have long lasting, though not rigid governments. While they won't actively seek to go against the flow, they also don't have an innate desire to follow it. Whatever is the easiest route is usually what they'll take, even if it looks hard to someone on the outside.

Marsupials: Their idea of government is usually swift, brutal vigilante justice, and anyone who doesn't partake is assumed to be an accomplice of the criminal. Unlike most other places, citizens who live here are expected to be able to defend themselves and others. Their governors are as likely to die in boxing matches as they are by mob justice.