[INFO] Unique Specializations

[shibrogane]

unique specializations.

The undifferentiated are a wellspring of magical power, untapped and unformed. Yet many of them contain the seeds of something greater, something more powerful, and altogether more terrifying. Their unique specialization can be inborn talents coming to the fore through some internal or external mechanism, such as dying, or they can be created roles that the undifferentiated visitor in question sees a need for and specifically decides to fill. In the end, the difference can be quite profound...

 

[shibrogane]

how to build a unique specialization.

Unique specializations are really hard to talk about in any manner of specificity, so I won't. Instead, I will talk about it generally.

Each unique specialization receives one major power and two minor powers, just like the shop-supported specializations. For instance, moonwalkers have the major power of shifting their shape. Their minor powers are their enhanced speed and strength and the pack touch. If shapeshifting is part of your unique specialization, it is your major power, always. If there is a more minor appearance change, it takes up one of your minor power slots. If you want cat ears and a cat tail, that's both of your minor power slots. If you want a power that logically follows from an appearance change, then that can be bundled. Wings, given they're of an appropriate size or appropriately magical, always come with the ability to fly; cat ears would grant cat hearing, assuming they replaced your human ears.

Unique specializations also require one major drawback. This shouldn't be something that literally endangers your character's life, but it should make it substantially more difficult. For instance, wargs now have to protect their familiars, some of which are prey animals that are in constant danger from predators (for instance, a domestic cat could be eaten by a coyote, or a rat familiar might get eaten by the domestic cat familiar). Using the wings example, the major drawback could be that the wings are literally always there; they can't be vanished or disappeared or re-absorbed.

When submitting your unique specialization for approval, you will need a summary of the unique specialization for approval. This summary should echo the "at a glance" section of shop-supported specializations. It should cover:

• How the specialization is obtained
  
• The powers involved and how they interact, with each other and with the less-magical side of the world
  
• If this specialization predisposes a character towards any particular class of magic
  
• A description of how the drawback changes the specialized visitor's everyday

You should also come up with a name for your unique specialization, and decide if your character will ever be able to abort the specialization.

The final thing you'll need when building your unique specialization is a set of requirements. This should be at least five RPs, but probably no more than eight to ten. At this point, you should work off the requirements of the most relevant shop-supported specializations (moonwalker requirements for physical specializations; noble requirements for social specializations; warg requirements for mental/psychic specializations; fetch requirements for magical specializations). These will serve as a guide to let you know about what the shop will expect to see in a unique specialization proposal.

Your requirements should form a cohesive chain that fully explains the unique specialization. This, unlike other differentiations, can be counted as a personal plot for event credits if you ask before beginning the requirements and submit the plot as a plot packaged with the unique specialization. You will not be able to obtain any other powers with the plot, as you will be obtaining a unique specialization.

 

[shibrogane]

submitting your unique specialization for approval.

Like all special things, you need to run your specialization by the mod team for balancing and lore-checking. Generally speaking, we will not deny a request for a unique specialization, but we also expect that you're not going to be asking us to approve I Am Become Sephiroth, The Seventh Hokage of Overwatch and Master of the Deathly Hallows. Please do shoot for the moon so we can at least direct you among the stars, etc.

Unlike other special things, there is a form to make this easier. You don't have to use it, but you do have to cover all of the sections within it.


Quote:
unique specialization title.
At a glance description of the unique specialization goes here. This should be at least four paragraphs, one for each topic that must be covered.

Major Power Title.
major power description.

Minor Power #1 Title.
minor power #1 description.

Minor Power #2 Title.
minor power #2 description.

Major Drawback Title.
major drawback description.

Requirements.
requirements here.

Will this unique specialization be available to others? Yes/No. Players will always have to go through you to specialize into your specialization. You do not have to allow this.
Can this specialization be aborted/can your character choose to give up their powers? Yes/No. If there are consequences for this, describe them here.



[b][size=15]unique specialization title.[/size][/b]
At a glance description of the unique specialization goes here. This should be at least four paragraphs, one for each topic that must be covered.

[b]Major Power Title.[/b]
major power description.

[b]Minor Power #1 Title.[/b]
minor power #1 description.

[b]Minor Power #2 Title.[/b]
minor power #2 description.

[b]Major Drawback Title.[/b]
major drawback description.

[b]Requirements.[/b]
requirements here.

[b]Will this unique specialization be available to others?[/b] Yes/No. Players will always have to go through you to specialize into your specialization. You do not have to allow this.
[b]Can this specialization be aborted/can your character choose to give up their powers?[/b] Yes/No. If there are consequences for this, describe them here.


Your unique specialization must be posted in your character's journal when you post the form for approval in shibe's modbook. If it is not there, or any of the points covered in the above form are missing, your unique specialization will not be approved.

 

[shibrogane]

unique specializations and the meta.

You may have noticed in the post above repeated references to shop-supported classes. This is done on purpose. Due to the nature of unique specializations, in many cases they will not be integrated into the meta. There won't be special Court areas for them, there will be no history that the NPCs are aware of, etc. Silk won't be able to tell you anything, othercreatures won't recognize your specialization, all that jazz. If you do the bare minimum as presented in the requirements, then you'll also be responsible for building these things for your specialization in-character.

However, if you want to integrate your character class into the meta, please say so in the initial PM to the mule. A unique character class can take the form of something like the principals or the shop-supported classes, but there has to be a plot behind it and you will have to work quite closely with the mule.

This is required for any unique specialization that will be taking over an infrastructure role in the otherworld. If you want to specialize as a magic teacher, part of a magic school system, you will have to pitch the magic school system to the mods. If you want to be a magic doctor and create a magic hospital, that has to go through the mod team as well. If you want to be a magic realtor, a recognized authority on magical real estate... you're going to have to plot with the mods. Generally speaking, an infrastructural role should be much heavier on requirements than a more general specialization: closer to ten threads than five.

If the mods don't see a need for an infrastructural role (we do not really need magical tax attorneys) or it conflicts with an existing specialization (no more magic cops; that's the moonwalkers) we may say no. But in most cases, we'll say yes, and happily work with you. smile