The Magicmaster
Sept 15, 2018 4:58:07 GMT
Post by Kamin Corvidire on Sept 15, 2018 4:58:07 GMT
Magicmaster Basics
The Magicmaster is based on the concept of a Dungeonmaster from Dungeons and Dragons, although you don't have to be at all familiar with tabletop roleplay to understand how it works. The Magicmaster is a profile shared by staff members that might participate in any given RP thread. It might do something as mild as changing the weather during your lakeside picnic, or it might summon a swarm of angry acromantulas when your character wanders too far into the Forbidden Forest. It may introduce non-play characters, aka NPCs, secret rooms, or unexpected consequences of spells or potions, and more. The possibilities are endless!
Well, almost endless. The Magicmaster will never control your character's thoughts or actions. It will only dictate what happens around them.
It may inflict injuries on your character if the situation calls for it, but it will never cause your character's death without warning. If you get yourself into a situation where death is imminent, the Magicmaster will let you know in a private message, and you'll have a chance to back out with no further harm done. You can continue the course of action if you want, but after that point, it will be possible for your character to die. This is to prevent people from playing characters unrealistically in relation to their abilities, such as a first year who provokes a forest troll; not everyone can be as lucky as Harry Potter.
The Magicmaster doesn't post in every thread, but they might post in any given thread. If you have a thread where you don't want the Magicmaster to post, just include "No Magicmaster" somewhere in the first post and it will be left alone. If the Magicmaster does post in your thread, you do not have to include it in post rotation, meaning you don't have to wait for it to take its turn before you and your RP partners continue the thread, although you may in a situation where you are limited in what you can control.
The success of your characters actions is determined in part by rolling dice, and in part by the staff member's discretion.
Lastly, the Magicmaster might cause something to happen that you didn't expect and maybe didn't necessarily want to happen. Please don't complain. The magical world is sometimes unpredictable, and part of the fun of Specularis is seeing where unexpected events might take you!
Magicmaster NPCs
The Magicmaster might introduce NPCs into your thread, or it may control an NPC you brought into the thread: for example, if you post that the librarian shushes you, the Magicmaster may have them kick you out of the library later if you continue to be noisy.
If the Magicmaster introduces the NPC, you may not control that NPC. If they write something for an NPC you previously introduced into the thread, you may continue to control that NPC.
The Magicmaster will not control certain NPCs close to your character, for example if you have your character's family member show up for a couple posts.
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Dice Rolls
Sometimes, the Magicmaster will ask you to roll a die to determine the outcome of one of your actions. To roll a die, click the small die icon in the "Create Post" screen, next to the buttons to inset smilies and embedded text. This will bring up a menu that lets you choose what your range of numbers is, 1 - 6 by default. Inserting the die will add a code to your post, shown in the first screenshot below. When you post, it will turn into a number, as shown in the second screenshot below.
The Magicmaster will specify what your range should be. For example, if they want you to roll a number 1-10, they will specify that and you will change the number range when inserting the die roll.
When rolling a die, make sure to describe what action your character is taking, so the Magicmaster knows what success and failure will actually be. For example:
Magicmaster: There is a locked door at the end of the hallway.
If you try to open to door: roll 1-6 to determine the success of your action upon the door.
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Player: Flynn tried the door, then shook his head in frustration. He took out his wand and pointed it at the lock.
"Alohamora!" He said.
5QGWWVC11-6
Magicmaster: With a click, the lock disengaged. The door swung inward slightly, creaking as it went. A cold draft blew over Flynn from the other side.
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And that's it! If the Magicmaster asks you to roll and you're confused about how to proceed, feel free to ask about it via owl or on Discord. In the meantime, check out the example encounters below to see some real threads with Magicmaster involvement.
Example Encounters
Erumpent Lessons - Kamin Corvidire and Megara Brown
Lost - Alanza Monterey, Flynn Moone, and Laic Dazi
1-6Lost - Alanza Monterey, Flynn Moone, and Laic Dazi