If you’re reading this you’re probably interested in playing around in the Battle Area, Zelda Universe’s role playing area. Well, this guide will hopefully provide a quick and easy way of learning how things go around here and how to get involved in things :)
Roleplaying, or RPing for short, is sort of like writing an interactive story. You and another person write out events from the point of view of a certain character and go back and forth developing a tale between the two characters.
The Battle Arena was a concept developed very early on in ZU’s infancy and blahblahblah (to be edited by Scott)
The Battle Arena, or BA for short, is taken care of by the Council which makes policies, approves characters and upholds the rules of the Section. The Battle Arena is unique from the rest of ZU in that a lot of people don’t really know what goes on in here, not even staff! We’re sorta an autonomous body within the larger enterprise of ZU.
Here can find a list of the current Councillors, along with a brief post from each of them about themselves. They’re really a great bunch of people who are more than happy to help you! Just try to be civil with ‘em and you’ll both have a good time. :>
The point of this guide is mostly to condense a lot of information that is thrown at newbies. Below is links to posts within this guide which will allow you to navigate it a bit easier. :3
Special thanks to Shrub for doing most of this work albeit spread across the boards, Tohopekaliga for the bit with the history, Altamira for her work on the Dome section and helping me collect some raw information, Ciroton for the title of this thread, Liah for the rather immediate creation of this thread and Lioness for largely creating the character outline and the years of work and dedication she's paid to these boards :>
If you wanna be a part of the BA you need to have a character. The only way to do this is to sit down and write out a profile! You can find the outline for this in the post below. Some things you should probably know before you begin writing your profile are:
When your character is approved you should make a post in the Character Directory, if this is your first character. You post only once in the Directory, but edit your post each time you get a character approved and add a link to that character. Do NOT post the entire profile in it. More instruction can be found in the first post of the Directory.
Please wait for a Councillor to come to you. If it's been a few days since you've posted your profile, then it's a-okay to approach one of them and ask to have it looked at, but don't come if it's only been a few hours.
Do not post in threads that do not belong to you. If you want to comment, send the member a PM or a VM about their thread. If you post in the thread of another person, you'll have your post deleted and you might get into trouble :<
Do not plagiarize. Please be original with regards to your characters; no Links, Zeldas, Narutos, etc. If you want to create a character inspired by the universes of these characters feel free but please no blatant copying of other people's intellectual property!
You can only create one new character at a time. Give your previous character some time to develop and grow! You don't need to have 50 characters, take some time to explore the one(s) you already have.
If you'd like to have additional characters, you must use the previous character(s) you have in roleplays and demonstrate to the Councillor approving you that you'll not just toss the last one aside. Characters have feelings too! :<
Remember proper spacing of your paragraphs! Things may not be actually appear as they're formatted in a document. You may find yourself needing to put extra lines within your posts in order to make it more orderly.
Spoiler: Example
Quote:
Originally Posted by THE WRONG WAY
Louis and Melody, and Omar and the Madrigal sisters arrived to behold the horrible scene.
"Cadenza...!" the minstrel skidded to a halt, instantly flinging his hand before his younger companion's eyes to keep her from seeing the worst of it. Melody cried out in horror and clung to his side.
"Arietta, Luminari," Algretta spoke up, and her voice had the throb of tears in it, "...we can't... we can't help... not against someone like this... not without all of us using our magic together...
Quote:
Originally Posted by THE RIGHT WAY
Louis and Melody, and Omar and the Madrigal sisters arrived to behold the horrible scene.
"Cadenza...!" the minstrel skidded to a halt, instantly flinging his hand before his younger companion's eyes to keep her from seeing the worst of it. Melody cried out in horror and clung to his side.
"Arietta, Luminari," Algretta spoke up, and her voice had the throb of tears in it, "...we can't... we can't help... not against someone like this... not without all of us using our magic together...
Linking a character in your sig is a rather simple process. Simple copy the address to your character's page, go into the Usercp (located at the top of the forums on the menu) then go into Edit Signature. Click on the Insert Link icon and then paste the link. Anything you write between the [url][/url] tags will appear as the text to your character. So if you typed [url=addresshere]My Character![/url] it would appear as My Character!
You can be punished. While Councillors can approve characters, they can (and will) disapprove characters if they find you abusing them in ways such as godmoding* or powerplaying.** Should you be found engaging in these sordid activites, the Councillor is able to disapprove your character and put you on probation until you've edited the profile of your character removing any loopholes, your behaviour improves or until they otherwise deem it no longer necessary. For further details, take a look at the BA Rules.
* - Godmoding: in which you either ignore the limits placed on your character’s abilities or you find loopholes in the limits to make a battle or role play go in your favor unfairly.
** - Powerplaying: controlling the actions and thoughts of a character other than your own.
This the character outline! We’ve provided for you detailed descriptions of what every section is and little hints for completing each if you need it. When you're done, you should post this in a thread within the Characters and Resources section :>!
Please note: all sections with a † marker denotes a section that isn’t required when completing your profile.
Name: Full name of your character! Feel free to talk about what it means or how they got it; if they have a nick name or alias put it in this section! Please remember to be original :)
† Nickname /Alias: - If your character feels the need to hide themselves behind another name, state this here. Age: - How old is your character? How long have they been alive? If no one knows, just put in an estimate.
† Apparent Age: - How old your character appears to be to others. In most circumstances characters will look their age. Put N/A if they don't look older or younger than they are. Gender: - Male or female? Do they identify as their biological sex? Intersex? . Race: Choose a race that you want your character to be. Always make sure you understand the basics behind the race. If you’re new to role-playing I recommend that you pick an easy race for your character, for example human. Height: - How tall are they? (Please include an indication of the unit of measurement used.) Weight: - What's the scale say about your character? Remember, not everyone's anorexic, not everyone's obese. (Please include an indication of the unit of measurement used.) Eye Color: - yellow, blue, purple, black, red? What's the color? Hair Color/Style: - Blond, brown, red, blue? Tell us about the hair!
† Skin Color/Complexion: - Tan, pale, fair, dark, freckles, bad acne? Tell us about the skin, or scales, or whatever. This is only optional if it’s included in the Appearance section.
Appearance: - You'll want to be as descriptive as possible with this, because other members need to know what your character looks like and we only have your words to go off of! Do they have scars, birthmarks, are they muscular, are they fat, etc. What kind of clothing do they wear?
Things you're really gonna need to include are things like race (or species!), height, weight, hair/eye colour, how their hair is styled, and skin colour/complexion.
Needs to be at least one paragraph.
Weapon(s): Describe your character's weapon, if it has one. How did he/she come by it, where is it kept when not in use, does it hold any special powers? Even if you have a picture, please act as if no one else can see it and give us a good summary in words.
Armor: Pretty much the same as Weapon. You can also include a description of your character's clothing here if not in General Appearance. Even if you have a picture, please act as if no one else can see it and give us a good summary in words.
† Carried Possessions: What your character carries on him or her on any given day. Could be potions, clean underwear or a lucky coin. No need to go into detail unless the item holds some significance. Then you can elaborate. Is the item an heirloom, a souvenir from battle or something he/she picked up from a traveling merchant? Even if you have a picture, please act as if no one else can see it and give us a good summary in words.
Powers/Magic/Skills: - Be pretty with details and explanations. List your character's current special abilities, be they magic or fancy sword styles. Where do the powers come from? Were they inherited, self taught, maybe forced upon your character? What do they look like in action? If your character doesn't possess any spells or other stuff we should know about, leave N/A here.
The below sections are only optional if you haven't already listed them above.
† Limits: - What are the limits to your character's powers? How often can he/she use them, will they need to recharge afterwards and for how long? What's the reach of the power? All powers must have some sort of limit.
† Side-Effects: - Visible aspects of your character's power, or other side effects. For example, a fire mage having a higher body temperature than normal, or a werewolf having yellow eyes even when not transformed. Be creative.
Battle Strengths: - List the strengths your character has in battle. Three to five is reasonable, depending on your character's background. More is allowed, but don't overdo it, please. Battle Weaknesses: - Yes, everyone's got them. Superman had Kryptonite, so even the most invincible have their Achilles heel. You must have at least enough weaknesses to balance out your character's Strengths.
† Other: - Anything else we should know?
Personality: - This should be one of your longer sections; everything about your character really needs to be spelled out for us. Every bit of information that your character has out in the open, or maybe doesn't realize that they have, should be presented here. Some sections you may want to include (in listed format if you wish):
† Likes: - What does your character like?
† Dislikes: - Anything your character isn't that fond of? Put it here.
† Fears: - Most people fear something, be it death, spiders or heights. Your character is probably scared too.
† Virtues: Good points about your character that are not covered by battle strengths. Go easy on these.
† Vices: Character flaws--weaknesses and the like. Make sure these flaws will make an impact on your character. Try to mention at least as many vices as virtues. Can be in list format.
History: - Now you'll tell us your character's background, its life from childhood to where ever it is today. Think this through! As your character develops through playing you can add to its history, but not change what is already written. We want at least two paragraphs of at least four sentences each. Now, this may sound like a lot but if you really get into your character it shouldn't pose that much of a problem. Where did he/she grow up? Did he/she have a lot of friends? Even if your character has no recollection of its past (and characters like that do pop up from time to time), you should. And so should we.
If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you could create a slightly more specific profile with sections and sub-sections designating things not listed here. Feel free to experiment with your profile – some members choose to be creative with their profiles and format them as interviews or reports on subjects. Don’t feel enclosed within the boundaries we’ve set out. As long as you answer the questions posed by the sections from above, you’re still going to be approved :>
Below is a profile that was created within two hours or so (gimme a break, I’m busy!) It’s not horribly in-depth – it’s simple, to the point and it gets the job done. Don’t feel required to go overboard with detail; it adds a lot of clutter. Verbosity only proves that you can type a lot.
Name: Paul Montini Age: 8 Gender: Male Race: Human
General Appearance:
Paul is a short boy for his age, about 3’8 and weighs about 60 pounds (when he’s been tossed in a pond and allowed to soak, of course). On his head is a mop of blonde hair, that hangs straight and loose to his dark green eyes. On his head rests a small green night cap, which he more often than not loses as he travels.
His thin frame is covered in a long light (very light, almost white) blue night shirt which hangs nearly to his ankles, his feet covered in tiny brown slippers which don’t cover his heels and occasionally flop as he walks. Under this he wear tighty-whiteys. He wouldn’t be naked, that’s just vulgar!
Carried Possessions:
He only has two possessions which he carries with him as he travels; a silver pocket watch which sits in the pocket of his night shirt above his left breast and a small hand-held lantern which is always lit in a dark place. Both are gifts from his mother.
Magic:
Paul is a very powerful little mage. Very very powerful. The problem is, he cannot use his magic consciously nor can he even use it while conscious! He sort of leaks magic as he sleeps and that just sorta works itself.
His magic has developed into such a way that it will defend Paul when he is in danger, quickly sending him to sleep. When this happens, every living thing within a hundred feet of him will also fall asleep and all of them will be within Paul’s dreams.
Time within the dream is distorted from that of the real world; a hundred days could pass there and only a minute in the real world could pass. Or perhaps ten minutes will pass within the dream and only one in the real world. It varies from dream to dream.
Everything that happens in the dream to the participants occurs in real life. If you climbed a tree and fell from it landing on your bottom, it would hurt. If you received a cut, it would be there when you awoke.
Battle Strengths:
While Paul has no conscious control over his magical dreams, they inherently function in a manner of defending him. They’ll create obstacles for pursuers; send wild animals after thieves, perhaps they’ll provide him with a hot breakfast of bangers and mash. There is almost no limit to what can occur within his dreams, just as there is almost no limit within dreams.
Battle Weaknesses:
Once something has spawned within his dreams, does not necessarily mean that it will always be on the side. The tiger which chases the thief, is just as liable to go after Paul.
Second problem is that on occasion Paul will fall asleep and enter into nightmare. When this occurs the surrounds of his dream will be distorted and dark and nothing within the dream will help him and very often his worst fears will come to haunt him. Things that occur within nightmares have a tendency to be significantly stronger than within the normal dream. A paper cut might become a gash.
The third problem whilst asleep, he is utterly vulnerable (more than usual that is) to any outside forces that happen to be outside the radius effected by his magic and they could very easily wander up to him and prod him with a stick or something equally mean. :<
Another thing worth note: Paul is as trapped within the dream as anyone else involved. As of yet, he cannot end it of his own volition, it merely ends when it does.
Personality:
Paul is a very tired boy; it’s a side-effect of his narcolepsy. Consequentially, he’s very quiet. He doesn’t like loud noises or fighting and will often run away from them if he can (or else just fall asleep because of his condition). He approaches things slowly, with thought and prudence rather than quick decisions and dislikes being hurried or rushed. Paul enjoys being able to take his time.
The boy is a lover of fiction and occasionally pursues academic expeditions within the small study his father has, but mostly he just likes to read. He often sleep long hours and wake tired. He loves thick blankets that keep him nice and warm and hot cocoa.
Paul is hydrophobic, meaning he is scared of water. As a very young boy he suffered an attack whilst in the bath when his mother took a brief step out of the room to consult with a maid. Though he suffered no lasting damage from the experience, he is incredibly scared of entering large bodies of water and is very uncomfortable with any amount of water that goes past his hips.
History:
Paul is the son of very magically powerful parents; his father a renown enchanter and his mother great sorceress. However as Paul grew older, he seemed quite unable to perform magic as other children his age within the magicking community. And then he was faced with a second trial: narcolepsy.
For those unaware, narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes excessive sleepiness and frequent daytime sleep attacks. It is a nervous system disorder which can trigger sleep attacks when a person is emotionally disturbed (this can be something as simple as just being too excited in the day!) Needless to say, it’s not very fun!
During one episode however when Paul was seven, he had a very lucid dream; so clear, so distinct that it didn’t even feel as though it was a dream! He was playing with toy blocks in his room when his mother entered the house quite mad from a long day at work. She slammed the door, sending a huge crack throughout the house startling poor little Paul.
He jumped in his spot … and fell over asleep.
Oddly enough he woke up in his room immediately after that. He wandered downstairs into the dining room to see a very large bear sitting at the table in a slowly depressing chair. A very large bear who was quite upset, for he seemed to be dressed in very frilly and very pink dress. He slowly plopped into the room and ‘round the corner only to see his mother nervously sitting across the table from a very large bear sipping a cup of tea and pouring milk for the bear.
The bear let out a sudden roar tossing the table aside like a toy and his mother leapt from her chair and from the room grabbing her son by the arm and nearly carrying him down the hallway.
They stopped suddenly at the door to the home, for it was suddenly covered in thick brambles with large thorns. As the bear turned down the corridor into the main foyer, his mother turned and faced the bear as it began to charge them determination quickly taking over where surprise and fear had grabbed hold.
Quickly muttering something under her breath that made as much sense to Paul as “Boobly Googly Mash!” his mother stretched out her arm, extending her fingers and there was a flash of brilliant light.
For a few moments Paul huddled with his face into his mother’s back as she panted, emotions and strain from her sudden use of magic taking its toll on her but they did not get mauled or tossed aside by a large angry bear.
He removed her face from her back and saw that the bear was gone and instead there sat a tiny kitten which mewed up at him as he stared at it.
His mother ignored the animal though; she turned around on her son and stared around him as if seeing something that he couldn’t. Wiping tears from her eyes and hair from he face, she grasped his face gently moving it back and forth staring in his eyes as his head moved.
“Why aren’t you asleep, Paul?” she asked.
When he awoke, his mother, father and some physicians were standing over him. No one really spoke to him, they just sorta spoke over him. The doctors had never heard of the sort of thing. Magic while asleep. The very idea was preposterous! And yet it did happen.
03-07-2011, 12:03 AM
