Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Aug 18, 2014 23:47:17 GMT -5
Born from the churning, chaotic courtship of boredom and curiosity, I bring you... this thread.
*ahem*
We all have monsters here at the UCA. Er, that much kinda goes without saying, but still. And I'm sure we all think that our monsters can hold their own in one way or another, right? Otherwise, why bring them to a combat-orientated RPG? So here's the question I pose: why do you think that? What about your monsters makes them dangerous in your opinion? And, just for good measure, what weaknesses hold them back? Keep in mind, these answers don't have to be exclusive to fighting. This is still an RP after all, so perhaps a strength or weakness can relate to role playing rather than matches.
I've thought about it, and my answers are as follows...
Quetzar: Though this might seem like a strength more fit for a malicious monster like Fainis or Kedos, I definitely think Quetzar draws his power from his brutality. He may be a benevolent guardian, but he is far from peaceful. The damage he can inflict is right up with the ranks of the biggest, baddest evildoers in the UCA. He doesn't play around when things get personal. His weakness is rather crippling to make up for it though though... fireproof foes. With his flame breath being his main and most potent offensive option, his defenses being rather thin, and having no limbs to inflict much melee damage, he can turned from avenging archangel to writhing worm rather quickly by any monster who can resist or ignore his plasma flares. All the Tag Team Tournament matches have been especially hard on him in this regard for some reason.
Kedos: Kedos's greatest strength is, without a doubt, his versatility. His hydrokinetic powers are incredibly broad and flexible. I honestly can't think of a time where I've struggled to come up with an interesting attack for him to perform, because there are almost no limitations on what he can do with some water and a bit of imagination. It might be easy to think that his ego is his weakness, but I dun think so. Besides giving his his trademark refusal to back down, it's also funny to watch him get his boasts turned on their heads. Kedos is definitely the buttmonkey of my crew. No, I think his RPing weakness is his stubbornness. It may work well in fights, but it can make interactions outside the battlefield rather... repetitive. Lemme show you what I mean with a question: does this sound familiar? Kedos meets a monster, butts heads with it because of his vanity and/or its mockery of his vanity, and then they fight, leading to a feud between the two. If you answered, "every Hub thread with Kedos in it," then congratulations! You got it right. The problem is that Kedos, unlike other vain characters here, can't be broken because he's already broken from a long time ago and his pride is mostly a mask to hide his pain now. So I can't really worm any real character development out of him that way without moving away from what the character would realistically do. And he's also too stubborn to admit or acknowledge his mask and too standoffish to get close enough to anyone who might uncover it for themselves. So he's sorta stuck where he is now. *sigh* It's a problem, but one I'm at least attempting to work on. What I need is an extreme outside source to reveal his past or get him to talk, or maybe a moment of great pain or weakness to loosen his lips, because he sure isn't going to do it on his own, the big bullheaded bastard.
Fainis: Now, while Fainis has savagery and firepower to spare, I actually think her greatest asset is mobility. I don't mean speed exactly, because, although she is quite fast, she can easily be outrun by aerial monsters and certain terrestrial ones too. What I mean by "mobility" is her ability to teleport. At first glance, it might seem like a rather limited ability since she can only access it through fire and shadows. But think again and... what place doesn't have shadows somewhere? And she can also spit fire, so it's not like she's ever going to be trapped in one place. Really, she has access to the whole battlefield at any point in time, which really makes escaping or setting up attacks with her easy and, in some cases (check out her "Ring of Pain" in the Volcano free-for-all), downright devious. And that will only become more and more fun now that she's revealed her human form. Now nowhere- and no one- is safe from the Bitch Queen of the UCA! As for her weakness... I really want to say her inability, or rather, refusal (she can talk, she just doesn't the vast majority of the time) to speak, since it can be hard to role play with a silent character, especially one as intelligent and opinionated as her, but I think it overall helps her feel more threatening and mysterious. So instead, Imma choose her lack of blunt weapons. Between her teeth, claws, tails, and pincers, she has edged damage coming out the wazzo. But she has no reliable way to inflict blunt damage. Against a foe that resists slashing or piercing attacks, she'd be sweating a bit.
Ranger: I think that Ranger is my most balances monster. He can fight at long- and short-range with equal competence. This means that he has no real 'trump card' though. Kedos has his water, Quetzar his fire, and Sid his nova ray, but Ranger... he just doesn't have a big "umph!" move like that, which I guess is just the price of his balanced fighting style. To make both his long- and short-range abilities even, I had to make each a bit milder than they otherwise would have been.
Photon: Photon is the most precise of my fighters. While I have a lot of monsters that rely on overwhelming force (Keds, Fains, Quetz) or crazy improvised attacks (Sid, Plume), Photon is quick, accurate, and neat. He takes fighting seriously and is quite disciplined when it comes to brawls. He never just lets loose without regard for himself or his environment. He only does exactly what needs to be done and nothing more. He's rather fun to write for because of that. Unfortunately, he also has one of the smallest attack ranges of my monsters without overwhelming physicality (Arc) to make up for it. He needs to keep foes close in order to be successful.
Plume: Plumes finds most of his best attacks in his agility. He's fast, my fastest terrestrial monster actually, but he doesn't work in straight lines. He rolls, he spins, he flips, and he twists as much as he needs to avoid a hit or maybe deliver one himself. He's a good reactive monster that never looses too much momentum to enemy attacks. He's not a very vicious fighter though. In fact, in terms of bloodshed and savage intent, he is the least violent monster in my crew. He's just too happy of a guy to fight all that viciously.
Sid: Sid's big strength lies in his creativity. For a monster with rather basic powers- super strength, high durability, and a beam- he comes up with a lot of crazy attacks. Because of his spirit and smarts, he can do more with what little he's got than what some of my other monsters do with bigger arsenals. Maybe even a bit too much sometimes... (Sorry, Obbs.) His weakness is definitely his size though. Being small is a pretty vital part of his character, but it gets him kicked around a lot anyway.
Arc: Arc's biggest strength is definitely his durability. He's a mountain of muscle and metal and, while that makes his brutally strong, it makes him even more of a tank. In my 'verse, he's practically unstoppable, and even in the generally level playing field of the UCA, he's still a mighty tough one. But he's also rather slow, unfortunately... even Kedos, who is often poked fun at because of his rather generous gut and thunder thighs, can outrun him on land.
Rustred: This one was a bit tricky, but I think that RR's strength is in his unpredictability. He's something of a wild card and a nut, so it's hard to know what he's thinking at any given moment and, beyond that, he has has a little something similar to Ranger going on whereas he's pretty capable at all ranges, even if he favors long-range combat. And that's sorta what makes him dangerous. Even when it would be smartest for him to keep his distance and play it safe, he might rush in and get personal just to make a silly joke or a stupid point. That's also his weakness. He's not the most durable guy around, but his defenses clearly favor beam attacks, so getting in close can be dangerous for him. He does it anyway though.
Pouh-Wung: Pouh, like Rust', was a bit trickery to single out one trait for, but I think I've settled for variety. Unlike my other guys, who can be defined by one or two elements at most, Pouh has access to each of the "Big Four" elements and, more importantly, can access them all at once. That means he can actually mix elemental attacks to create entirely new ones, which is not only incredibly fun, but more effective and unpredictable than one element would be alone. And that's not even including his formidable melee abilities. As for him weaknesses, I'm going to go ahead and say his lack of a voice. Unlike Fainis, who chooses to remain mute and could potentially break her silence if something important enough came up, Pouh can't talk. And he has a lot to say. I dun feel right trying to give him a voice, so I'm stuck acting out his thoughts with internal dialogue and physical actions... which, while entertaining, can be challenging at times. Especially when dealing with monsters who can talk.
Whew! That took longer that I thought. Man... I can really chat it up, huh?
So, anyways... that's the strengths and weaknesses I see in my monsters. So then how about you guys then? Willing to take up the task?
*ahem*
We all have monsters here at the UCA. Er, that much kinda goes without saying, but still. And I'm sure we all think that our monsters can hold their own in one way or another, right? Otherwise, why bring them to a combat-orientated RPG? So here's the question I pose: why do you think that? What about your monsters makes them dangerous in your opinion? And, just for good measure, what weaknesses hold them back? Keep in mind, these answers don't have to be exclusive to fighting. This is still an RP after all, so perhaps a strength or weakness can relate to role playing rather than matches.
I've thought about it, and my answers are as follows...
Quetzar: Though this might seem like a strength more fit for a malicious monster like Fainis or Kedos, I definitely think Quetzar draws his power from his brutality. He may be a benevolent guardian, but he is far from peaceful. The damage he can inflict is right up with the ranks of the biggest, baddest evildoers in the UCA. He doesn't play around when things get personal. His weakness is rather crippling to make up for it though though... fireproof foes. With his flame breath being his main and most potent offensive option, his defenses being rather thin, and having no limbs to inflict much melee damage, he can turned from avenging archangel to writhing worm rather quickly by any monster who can resist or ignore his plasma flares. All the Tag Team Tournament matches have been especially hard on him in this regard for some reason.
Kedos: Kedos's greatest strength is, without a doubt, his versatility. His hydrokinetic powers are incredibly broad and flexible. I honestly can't think of a time where I've struggled to come up with an interesting attack for him to perform, because there are almost no limitations on what he can do with some water and a bit of imagination. It might be easy to think that his ego is his weakness, but I dun think so. Besides giving his his trademark refusal to back down, it's also funny to watch him get his boasts turned on their heads. Kedos is definitely the buttmonkey of my crew. No, I think his RPing weakness is his stubbornness. It may work well in fights, but it can make interactions outside the battlefield rather... repetitive. Lemme show you what I mean with a question: does this sound familiar? Kedos meets a monster, butts heads with it because of his vanity and/or its mockery of his vanity, and then they fight, leading to a feud between the two. If you answered, "every Hub thread with Kedos in it," then congratulations! You got it right. The problem is that Kedos, unlike other vain characters here, can't be broken because he's already broken from a long time ago and his pride is mostly a mask to hide his pain now. So I can't really worm any real character development out of him that way without moving away from what the character would realistically do. And he's also too stubborn to admit or acknowledge his mask and too standoffish to get close enough to anyone who might uncover it for themselves. So he's sorta stuck where he is now. *sigh* It's a problem, but one I'm at least attempting to work on. What I need is an extreme outside source to reveal his past or get him to talk, or maybe a moment of great pain or weakness to loosen his lips, because he sure isn't going to do it on his own, the big bullheaded bastard.
Fainis: Now, while Fainis has savagery and firepower to spare, I actually think her greatest asset is mobility. I don't mean speed exactly, because, although she is quite fast, she can easily be outrun by aerial monsters and certain terrestrial ones too. What I mean by "mobility" is her ability to teleport. At first glance, it might seem like a rather limited ability since she can only access it through fire and shadows. But think again and... what place doesn't have shadows somewhere? And she can also spit fire, so it's not like she's ever going to be trapped in one place. Really, she has access to the whole battlefield at any point in time, which really makes escaping or setting up attacks with her easy and, in some cases (check out her "Ring of Pain" in the Volcano free-for-all), downright devious. And that will only become more and more fun now that she's revealed her human form. Now nowhere- and no one- is safe from the Bitch Queen of the UCA! As for her weakness... I really want to say her inability, or rather, refusal (she can talk, she just doesn't the vast majority of the time) to speak, since it can be hard to role play with a silent character, especially one as intelligent and opinionated as her, but I think it overall helps her feel more threatening and mysterious. So instead, Imma choose her lack of blunt weapons. Between her teeth, claws, tails, and pincers, she has edged damage coming out the wazzo. But she has no reliable way to inflict blunt damage. Against a foe that resists slashing or piercing attacks, she'd be sweating a bit.
Ranger: I think that Ranger is my most balances monster. He can fight at long- and short-range with equal competence. This means that he has no real 'trump card' though. Kedos has his water, Quetzar his fire, and Sid his nova ray, but Ranger... he just doesn't have a big "umph!" move like that, which I guess is just the price of his balanced fighting style. To make both his long- and short-range abilities even, I had to make each a bit milder than they otherwise would have been.
Photon: Photon is the most precise of my fighters. While I have a lot of monsters that rely on overwhelming force (Keds, Fains, Quetz) or crazy improvised attacks (Sid, Plume), Photon is quick, accurate, and neat. He takes fighting seriously and is quite disciplined when it comes to brawls. He never just lets loose without regard for himself or his environment. He only does exactly what needs to be done and nothing more. He's rather fun to write for because of that. Unfortunately, he also has one of the smallest attack ranges of my monsters without overwhelming physicality (Arc) to make up for it. He needs to keep foes close in order to be successful.
Plume: Plumes finds most of his best attacks in his agility. He's fast, my fastest terrestrial monster actually, but he doesn't work in straight lines. He rolls, he spins, he flips, and he twists as much as he needs to avoid a hit or maybe deliver one himself. He's a good reactive monster that never looses too much momentum to enemy attacks. He's not a very vicious fighter though. In fact, in terms of bloodshed and savage intent, he is the least violent monster in my crew. He's just too happy of a guy to fight all that viciously.
Sid: Sid's big strength lies in his creativity. For a monster with rather basic powers- super strength, high durability, and a beam- he comes up with a lot of crazy attacks. Because of his spirit and smarts, he can do more with what little he's got than what some of my other monsters do with bigger arsenals. Maybe even a bit too much sometimes... (Sorry, Obbs.) His weakness is definitely his size though. Being small is a pretty vital part of his character, but it gets him kicked around a lot anyway.
Arc: Arc's biggest strength is definitely his durability. He's a mountain of muscle and metal and, while that makes his brutally strong, it makes him even more of a tank. In my 'verse, he's practically unstoppable, and even in the generally level playing field of the UCA, he's still a mighty tough one. But he's also rather slow, unfortunately... even Kedos, who is often poked fun at because of his rather generous gut and thunder thighs, can outrun him on land.
Rustred: This one was a bit tricky, but I think that RR's strength is in his unpredictability. He's something of a wild card and a nut, so it's hard to know what he's thinking at any given moment and, beyond that, he has has a little something similar to Ranger going on whereas he's pretty capable at all ranges, even if he favors long-range combat. And that's sorta what makes him dangerous. Even when it would be smartest for him to keep his distance and play it safe, he might rush in and get personal just to make a silly joke or a stupid point. That's also his weakness. He's not the most durable guy around, but his defenses clearly favor beam attacks, so getting in close can be dangerous for him. He does it anyway though.
Pouh-Wung: Pouh, like Rust', was a bit trickery to single out one trait for, but I think I've settled for variety. Unlike my other guys, who can be defined by one or two elements at most, Pouh has access to each of the "Big Four" elements and, more importantly, can access them all at once. That means he can actually mix elemental attacks to create entirely new ones, which is not only incredibly fun, but more effective and unpredictable than one element would be alone. And that's not even including his formidable melee abilities. As for him weaknesses, I'm going to go ahead and say his lack of a voice. Unlike Fainis, who chooses to remain mute and could potentially break her silence if something important enough came up, Pouh can't talk. And he has a lot to say. I dun feel right trying to give him a voice, so I'm stuck acting out his thoughts with internal dialogue and physical actions... which, while entertaining, can be challenging at times. Especially when dealing with monsters who can talk.
Whew! That took longer that I thought. Man... I can really chat it up, huh?
So, anyways... that's the strengths and weaknesses I see in my monsters. So then how about you guys then? Willing to take up the task?