An Ashdown Starter Guide - New Players Start Here!

[Ashdown Whaler]

I’M NEW. HELP! - A Starter Guide to Ashdown

If you’ve found your way to the guild, we can assume you know a bit about the shop. If you know absolutely zero about Ashdown then please have a visit to the shop thread and read over the front page.

You can consider this thread a bit of an expanded FAQ.




• Making a Character
  
• Growth and Powers
  
• Other Ashdown
  
• Plots and Roleplaying
  
• Contact Information
  

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

I want to make a civilian character to ease myself into the story.

Civilians will be the bulk of our population in the game and unless you win a Dreamer right off the bat, this is where you will start. As much as they may hope to stay out of the supernatural nitty gritty, it’s essentially going to be impossible to ignore the spoopy weirdness of the town so please keep this in mind while designing your character.

You can create infinite number of civilians to fill out your RP needs but remember that the current powered character limit is 3.

You do not need a civilian’s profile to be approved. You may post it anytime in the Journal forum. This profile doesn’t need to be in the shop format, though it does seem to be the going method. The power section may be omitted, but if you think you may power your character up in the future you will have to post their profile in the QUEST forum at some point to be approved by GMs.

Characters can be of high school age and up and have any background but remember this is based in modern day, real world United States and thus all characters should have realistic hair and eye colors (unless wearing contacts or using hair dye) as well as character histories. Things like criminal backgrounds or activity will have in-character consequences and must be told to shop staff.

Civilian art can be gained through shop events and contests, but shop provided civilian art is not guaranteed and will be busts.




• Master Character List - A listing of currently active powered characters. A good reference for profile format, as well accepted High Concepts, Powers, Etc.
  
• Character Creation Guide - Information on Character creation as well as profile forms.
  
• Quest Forum - For review and approval of powered character profiles. Read a few profiles if you feel unsure!
  
• Journal Forum - For posting civilian journals and approved powered character journals. Take a look as some of our other civilians while you are there!
  
• Ashdown Guidebook - A Guide to Town Locations, find a job for your character or feel free to submit your own town businesses.
  

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

I’ve made a character now but I’m confused about powers.

At some point the weirdness of the town may actually ensnare your character and grant them powers. Advancing your character from civilian to Dreamer can be granted via shop events, Quest Fairies and contests. The more active you are the better!!




• Character Power Guide - A further explanation of powers. See brief summaries and what each stage means below.
  
• Character Growth Requirements - How to get to that next stage.
  
• Magic Guide - What using magic means in our particular game.
  
• Power Pool - If you can’t think of a power for yourself, these are up for grabs.
  
• Bonus Powers - Sometimes in meta or events you may obtain an extra power. Go here to roll for that power.
  


Notes on Profile Review: A HIGH CONCEPT TITLE is supposed to define the traits of your character succinctly (ex. Ornery Detective, Literal Starving Artist, Eccentric Eavesdrop, Cranky Bibliophile), and should not be too similar to other player's as this is used as their designated moniker on Certs, etc. Things like job titles and descriptions are not exclusive but search our Character List to see the currently used High Concepts. If your High Concept is deemed too similar to currently existing character during profile review, you may be asked to revise it to more properly distinguish your character and save confusion. High Concepts should also be a lead in for a Trouble. A TROUBLE should be your character's current life issues, this should be the story arc you are planning on working through on a personal level. Anything else (appearance, extra personality quirks, and hobbies) should be in your ANYTHING ELSE section!

REMEMBER - No one owns a power. All powers are up for grabs and characters are absolutely allowed to have the same or similar powers. All new power gain, even for levelling up, must be approved. Post in shibrogane’s modbook for existing character upgrades.This does not apply to shop-provided powers granted through events.


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Civilian
• Civilians do not dream of, nor visit other ashdown, no matter what the rumors say.
  
• Civilians may interact with creatures that have the ability to cross the border between realms.
  
• Civilians can interact with any shop NPC’s, even mystical magical ones, so long as they exist in normal Ashdown.
  
• Civilians can gain as much KNOWLEDGE of everything as they can handle.
  
• Civilians can gain minor powers from continual living in Ashdown. These powers may be unexplainable or odd. They could be helpful (or not at all). They may not even be noticed by the character. These are gained through events or meta.
  


Dreamer
• Your character has dreams of other ashdown. The dreams don’t need to be frightening, they may just be odd, but your surroundings seem off and it seems to always be raining.
  
• Things that you do in your other ashdown dreams you may find have affected real Ashdown in some small way.
  
• You have developed a Dreamer Power. This is a passive ability and not something you can actively control. It’s as if the universe has rearranged itself around you. This may be so subtle that you don’t even notice you have it.
  
• You may find yourself unwillingly pulled into other ashdown and are more likely to interact with creatures that cross the border between.
  
• You may begin to learn about doing magic if you have the mind to.
  


Riser
• Your character can find their way more willingly into other ashdown.
  
• They have developed a Riser Power. This power is a more may be innate or an activated power, but can only affect things in an around themself.
  
• The more your powers increase the more likely it is you are drawn into crazy events of regular and other ashdown.
  


Beyond
• PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER- just kidding.
  
• You have much more extensive controllable powers, as well as being able to rack up more as you play on!
  
• Your character may much more actively affect environments and the world around them.
  

For information on progressing past Beyond :: Read This!

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power specializations

Once you have gotten a Visitor of any 'level' you may pursue power specializations if you should so choose. Please read about them below. More will be added as they are revealed!



• Warg - Wargs are Visitors who have gained the ability to see through the eyes of an animal familiar. The bond with their familiar is strong and near essential to them once it has been formed. There are dire personal consequences should they lose their familiar. If you become a warg, you may not become a were.
• Were - A were is a Visitor capable of shifting into an single animal form. Weres can form family arrangements similar to packs but without the rank structure. There is a tangible emotional bond between weres of the same pack. A were assumes a half-animal form during the week of the full moon, and will transform fully on the full moon. If not in otherworld for the transformation they may could end up out of control. If you choose to make your character a were they may not become a Warg.
• Noble - Nobles possess powers and rank above and beyond that of other Visitors. The Noble class is acquired through selection and sponsorship by another noble as well as personal trial. As a result, Nobles hold rank in the Court of The Sorrowful One, as well as possessing a Fetch that is loyal to them. Nobles are also bound by the Noblesse Oblige - a compulsion to assist those who ask for help in the proper manner. A Noble may not be a warg or a were and you may never abdicate your rank as noble once acquired. There is a registry and seperate approval for Noble powers here.

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

OTHER ASHDOWN - Huh?

Other Ashdown - other ashdown - OAD - the otherworld.
It’s called many things in the course of the game and you can call it whatever you like. It’s Ashdown’s evil doppelganger. It’s the ashdown where it always rains and things just aren’t right, maybe bleak, maybe off, maybe falling apart.. Or simply different.

It’s a place that seems to draw to it the people with powers and seems to possibly want to take as much as it can give.

Magic works here, real magic, magic of the will - if you choose to pursue how to use it.

Other Ashdown is ever present and can affect the real Ashdown in imperceptible ways. It’s also populated by it’s own set of beings, some sentient and willing to grant boons for an even exchange of goods, information or perhaps a piece of yourself.

After a series of events in the fall of 2016, the rain stopped in other ashdown. While the seasons are still opposite of those of Ashdown, it has it's own weather patterns and is not always raining.

Cats and corvids are currently the only known mundane animals to be able to walk freely between the otherworld and the real world. Canines, dogs especially, seem unable to notice (or even see) things of an otherworldly nature.




• Otherworld Guidebook
  
• Otherworld Residents
  

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

I want to plot! I want RP!

Go forth and do it! All plotting is encouraged. Have an idea you think would make a great small event? Send it to the GMs. Have an RP idea you’d like to share or recruit other players for? Mention it in the shop thread or chat. RP mods are guaranteed to be on hand and point you in the right direction. Mods are here to say YES, not no, and work with you to help your idea come to fruition.




• The Story So Far… - Read up on where we are in the shop plot and what you’ve missed!
  
• The rumor mill - More immediate town events and headlines are updated here!
  
• Plotting Forum - Make your own plot thread! Share what you are looking to do with your characters! This forum also contains sign up threads for special shop roles as they open up.
  
• Plot Hooks - Ongoing shop plots and themes that your character may want to pursue.
  
• QUEST REQUEST - Have a particular goal for your character and unsure how to pursue it? Ask for a GM provided and designed quest. Currently only available to Dreamer stages and up. Reap the benefits - information, new powers, magical pets or perhaps actual goods- as well as a ton of RP points.
  


Obviously there are a lot of players doing their own quests and discovering their own lore. These won't always be available to your in-character knowledge unless you reach out and make it happen. Ask around to see who has met with NPC's or glance through modbooks and read the linked RP's to find out what other people have been told!

Send a PM to Ashdown Crier for plot submissions and questions.

Post in the main thread with your screen name if you’d like to join the shop’s AIM Blast Chat!

 

[Ashdown Whaler]

CONTACT INFORMATION

Mules
• Ashdown Crier - The main GM mule controlled by shibrogane and Silverah only. PM here for shop plots or major shop issues.
  
• Ashdown Whaler - GM mule accessed by other mods for rp interactions, events and games. Should not be PMed unless otherwise noted.
  


GM Modbooks
• shibrogane - Shop owner, writer and artist. Approves power upgrades and also contactable for major issues with the shop. Contact for RP with Sunny, The Enemy, Heliodora, Pax or Renard.
  
• Silverah - Shop owner, writer and artist. Helps shibrogane with pretty much everything, also contactable for major issues with the shop. Contact for RP with Liam.
  


Artist Logbooks
• Silverah - Post here to have Silv grow your character!
  
• shibrogane - Post here to have shibe grow your character!
  
• Endejester - Shop artist. Post here to have ende do your growth art!
• AMItotic - Shop artist. Post here to have AMI do your growth!
  


RP Modbooks
• azuredreams - Content and event creation, quest writing, in-thread games, and all manner of RP assistance. Contact to RP with Gloom - The Playful One (and other quest related NPCs).
  


Shop Functions Modbooks
• Saint Sergio - Post here for updated certs, or cert and listing problems!