Can't offer you any criticism/advice 'cause I'm so tired, but you have my vote of confidence.

I find the idea of waking up having killed someone. It creates a situation where the character is both in danger and has a quest/mystery to solve. I'm not sure about waking up in a town square but it could work.

Here are some quick ideas I had about elements and paired morals. It'd be easier to brainstorm if you gave some sort of definitions for the terms used. What qualifies as an element? Do the morals have to be polar opposites or just both pertain to the element? That sort of stuff.

Earth: Steadiness/Inaction (or Sloth)
Ice: Preservation (or Perseverance)/Isolation

Electricity: Enthusiasm/Fear

Mind: Patience/Scheming
Body: Fortitude/Gluttony
Soul: Charity/Greed

>>314002

A lot of what I'm going for is loosely based. However, you are on the right track with a Principle being related to an element. Take light for example: Light is often seen as a guide. We follow the light at the end of a dark tunnel, we use it to see in the dark... The uses for guiding us are endless. However, we can become blinded by it. Think of it like staring too long at the sun. You'll see it's beauty just as your corneas start to fry.

Inaction and preservation are just the words I was looking for! For some reason I just couldn't think of them, probably because I was trying to focus on class. One of the big ones I'm concerned about is water. I chose change because of the ability for water to flow in any direction, to take any shape, and be as precise or as blunt as it needs to be. Perhaps there can be a dichotomy, where one is good change, and one is bad? Electricity was another I had thought of, but I could never pin down what sort of principle it would follow. I like the idea of implying it to be two things: There are those who are 'energized' and 'act like lightning'. Then there are those who are 'paralyzed by the storm' of 'terrified of lightning.' I think that'll be in there as well.

As for what qualifies as an element? We're up to ten now, with Electricity. While I do like the idea of basing weapons around the 'big three' spiritual aspects (Body, mind, and soul), I'm not sure how much they would reflect natural things. Mind or soul might have something to do with psions, or psychics or something, and maybe the body would focus on Ki or Chi.

...

Upon thinking about it, I find myself liking the idea of the Mind being an element. Patience and scheming would be an excellent dual Principle for it to work on.

So! From there, we have:

Light: Guidance/Ignorance
Darkness:Peace/Deceit
Fire:Love/Hatred
Earth:Steadiness/Inaction
Ice:Protection/Isolation
Water:Change
Air:Destined/Wild
Electricity:Enthusiasm/Fear
Mind:Patience/Cunning
Dyne:Creation/Arrogance
Void:Renewal/Destruction

One more to balance things out to twelve, and we should be good. I'll go into a bit of story in the next post, as I fear this is a bit long.

To respond to the idea of the infamously devilish thing, the plot!

The story is set in a capital city. I can't help but be inspired by several games and settings along the way, but suffice to say that this is the city of Vinci. The players take control of a Knight with no name, who wakes up, bloodied and well, coated in blood and shattered glass. Seems he's just taken a rather nasty fall out of a tower that housed a Great Figure (As stated, the original idea was going to be the Pope: I had hoped it would follow Cultist activity and route out corruption at home and in other lands, and eventually to the heart of the cult itself.). As of now, he is either an Archmage or a General. The cry of murder, excomunicae tratoris, and "The ____ is dead!" ring in your ears as several NPC (Apperantly your group) find and attempt to whisk you to safety. I don't wish to give out any further details just yet, as I hope it won't spoil the surprises that are in store.

So how do the Principle weapons tie into this?

...

I've honestly no idea yet. Perhaps the cult thing is still an option, and collecting these weapons is supposed to prevent a great catastrophe, or perhaps they are the keys needed for bringing about a turning point in some great war?

The Protaganist will not be sure. All he knows is that he must travel, and that he must find these weapons. It is all he remembers.

That's it so far. Let me know what you think.

Hmm... another element...

A lot of element systems have trees or grass in them. What about the element of:
Life: Joy/Suffering

Also,
Water: Adaptability/Weak-willed (or Easily Influenced)

>>314009
Sounds like Indigo Prophecy set in fantasy world.

I can't really help you with the plot. That's something you gotta come up with yourself

>>314011

>Life: Joy/Suffering
>The Joy, The Sorrow

Last Element unlocked. I'll change Water as well.

My aim is to shy away from Indigo prophecies "Oh yeah, it was actually X." theory, and leave it more amorphous. Plotwise, I figure I'll be fine, since I'm basing it loosely around primary continents from the US, and will add a bit of my own twist to certain things.

Anyway, that will, at this rate, be for Sunday. For now, I'm actually rather tired, and will turn in. I leave this up for anyone else to berate/leave something constructive/hurl ideas out there. I just hope the board can handle two text quests.

Hey, it sounds like an very interesting idea.

I had a similar idea about several principles (maybe I'll make it into a quest, too), but they were different in that there were no Good/Bad ones, and they were more tied into morality.

Anyway - maybe these elements would look better if banded into several groups (of 4, for example)? E.g., Fire-Water-Air-Earth, etc.

Also, isn't Darkness' "bad side" - Fear? Darkness has been a major source of fears for people since time immemorial.
Maybe make something like Chaos: Change/Deceit?

And btw, why is "Cunning" bad?

>>314021

There is a great quote that comes to mind, actually, that I took from Outward Bound. "To walk in darkness, to know darkness, then you can truly find peace." I was actually recently inspired by a night hike I did with a few friends. We turned our lights off and, under no moon and very little light pollution, walked in a pitch black for three miles. It was one of the most peaceful experiences I think I've ever had.

Grouping the weapons might work. Main elements (EAFW), Energy based (LDDyV), And then I just have to figure where the rest go (ElIMLi).

For the mind, I can't help but think of all the ways cunning was used 'in the name of good'. Scheming is likewise one of those 'it's a badguy things'. Cunning/Scheming are therefore placeholders until I can figure out a good descriptor to use for the opposite end of the spectrum. A patient mind often is clear of any thought that would hinder it from it's goal, so I would have to find something besides Impatience that might reflect a darker side of the mind. Being cunning or scheming fit this. I'm sure I'll think of something, and it's also the reason I put up this discussion.

As for Chaos? I'll think of something.

>>314025
Oh, I think you got me wrong... I have nothing against Darkness' "good" side (Peace) (though I though it's because "night is dark, all is quiet, you sleep, hence: Peace"). I thought "Fear" could replace "Deceit" as Darkness' "bad" side. "Peace" and "Fear" seem to be somewhat opposites, too (if you consider "Peace" as a state of mind/soul, not "no war").

Grouping: maybe, if you add things like Order, Chaos, Death, Life - you know, the standard fantasy stuff - they could group up easily. Things like Ice... once, a long time ago, I was making a RPG magic system. It was based on the 4 elements (FWAE). And each "main" element had a "secondary" element as its opposite. The opposites were chosen as having the same basic qualities, but polar characteristics. So, Fire's opposite wasn't Water, it was Ice (cold against hot). Water's opposite was Poison (gives life / takes life). Air's opposite was Smog, iirc, and Earth's... hm. I forgot. Sand, maybe? Anyway. It's not a suggestion for your setting, it's just an example about different ways to manage such elemental groups.

Maybe give Mind "Deceit" as the "bad" side?

Chaos - well, that was only a suggestion, nothing more.

>>314028
If you wanted to follow his suggestion, you could change Electricity to:
Electricity: Enthusiasm/Recklessness

Then the other changes work:
Darkness: Peace/Fear
Mind: Patience/Deceit

>>314029

That makes a bit more sense. To >>314028 , thanks for clearing this up. I misunderstood what you meant at first.

So, the order of things now is:

Light:Guidance/Ignorance
Darkness:Peace/Fear
Dyne:Creation/Arrogance
Void:Renewal/Destruction

Fire:Love/Hatred
Water:Adaptability/Gullible
Earth: Steadiness/Inaction
Air:Destined/Wild

Ice:Protection/Isolation
Electricity:Enthusiasm/Recklessness
Mind:Patience/Deciet
Life:Joy/Sorrow

Thus far, I figure there would be three forces controlling each weapon: Those of the Energies, and Those of the World. I may possibly split it further, but that's more of a 'we'll see' stance. Same with Chaos. Upon mentioning the idea of a Chaotic weapon, I've got just the thing in mind for the plot...

Another thing I'd like to open up is to what your ideas of what each weapon would be. I'd like to introduce one or two, but I'm curious to see what the masses would throw out there. Durandal, you've been such a help thus far, and I thank you for that, as well as the rest of the input I've recieved thus far. Everything's slowly coming together in my head, and I expect to pump out the start of a quest by no later than Sunday.

>>314035
I'm glad I could help. I recently went through something similar to this with the Swords of Virtue, so I know what it's like... only I have over 70 Swords thus far. =P

Oh, and here's another possible grouping of elements I thought I'd offer up. I'm not really satisfied with those excess four elements being grouped together. They don't really fit.

Light
Darkness
Mind
Life

Dyne
Void
Air
Energy (instead of Electricity)

Fire
Ice
Water
Earth


I'll think about the weapons themselves and post in a little bit. Gotta do some art first.

Alright, I'm going to try and get this thing started in an hour or two. I hope people don't mind a text quest.

I'm going to bump the quest with a small blurb of what's happening. Perhaps that'll draw some people into taking some risks.

Oh yeah, and feel free to throw anything out there. Ideas, Criticism, "OH GOD WHAT THE FUCK" things, the usual.