SoS's development forum will be up later this week, sorry for the delay. There are also a few things that are going to change regarding the role play that I'd like to throw out there in the open. First and foremost - demons are no longer going to be limited to Neko, Inu, Koumori etc etc, but to any time of animal or insect. All demons share the same abilitie such as a heightened sense of smell, hearing and sight (some animal demons are an exception to this such as Mole Demons who are blind.). Then they have one key ability that makes them special. For example, Dog Demons (Inu) have an enrage ability that boosts their power while a Fox Demon (Kitsune) has a transformation skill.
However - the fact remains: Demons are on the brink of extinction and only so many exist due to the many loses during the demon wars.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
Website Coming Up Soon
Due to some of the revamps of the new system, I have decided not to blog any further about any of the classes. Good news is that Sphere Of Sfera will soon have a forum for "anticipating players" to pass time in until Sphere Of Sfera's release.
Edit: Good news! SoS's development forum will be up this weekend!
Edit: Good news! SoS's development forum will be up this weekend!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Journey To The Shadows: Ninja
For the past three days we've been talking about the light, and my eyes are killing me. Let's take a break from the light and head into the shadows. Starting with Ninja! Ninjas always have been and always will be one of the most popular assassin types in the world. Trained in a variety of unorthodox arts of war, masters of the shadows, these stealthy warriors were a group you didn't want to run into in a dark alley. (And if you didn't you'd already be dead before you knew it.)
In Sphere Of Sfera the Ninjutsu art was developed by Akira Akechi whom at the time was one of the most well respected nobles in the Northlands. He was also leader of King Loki's espionage group. Eventually as time went on Akira began to develope further techniques for the art until it gained enough to earn a name: Ninjutsu. When King Loki heard wind of Akira's work, King Loki insisted that Akira and his ninja relocated to a location on the outskirts of the Northlands. There Akira Akechi would be able to teach his fine art to selected families of his choosing.
Of these families were: The Bandana family, Marico family, Kamikaze family, the Akechi family, and the Haruko family. More and more families were accepted into the order but those five families are known for breeding excellent ninjas. However that doesn't mean that you can't make an excellent ninja just because you decide not to make your character related these nobles.
What is a ninja's role in combat though? What do they do? And how well can they manage? Well first of all, the obvious battle style around ninja is stealth. Basically a ninja's role in battle is to sneak attack an opponent and burn them down with as much damage as possible. In other words: kill 'em quick with everything you got. However, it's a tad bit more complicated than that.
Ninja can jump in and out of stealth rather quickly, making them hard to hit targets. Your best bet when facing a ninja is to counter their attacks, which is also a pretty difficult feat to master. Although ninja can be stealthy and quick, this doesn't always work to their advantage. In order to heal, a ninja would have to reveal themselves to a healer. This leaves their location open, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to get to them before they jump back into stealth. (Also bare in mind; a bleeding ninja isn't a stealthy ninja.)
Being masters of unorthodox arts of war, ninja can pretty much use anything to their a
dvantage. The environment for example, but that's not all. They have a variety of tools at their disposal tool. Such as climbing tools, sound absorbing sandals, throwing weapons such as shuriken and kunai, and a large arsenal of poisons. Some that can slow your reflexes... some that can paralyze you, and some that can even cause you to hallucinate.
An unfortunate fact about ninjas in Sphere Of Sfera is the fact that there are very few of them left. Over the years the Bandana family grew very jealous and envious of the Akechi family. Their hate grew and grew until the heir to the Bandana family; Tikira lead a revolt against the entire clan. There was a lot of blood shed, and Nihojin Akechi (son of Akira Akechi) was murdered along with two of his children. Tikira and his followers escaped, leaving Rosebud Village in ruin. Those who survived either denounced their position as ninja, or stayed behind in order to help rebuild the village.
That about covers the basics of ninja, tomorrow I will be covering Shadowknights. Ninja Paladins anyone?
In Sphere Of Sfera the Ninjutsu art was developed by Akira Akechi whom at the time was one of the most well respected nobles in the Northlands. He was also leader of King Loki's espionage group. Eventually as time went on Akira began to develope further techniques for the art until it gained enough to earn a name: Ninjutsu. When King Loki heard wind of Akira's work, King Loki insisted that Akira and his ninja relocated to a location on the outskirts of the Northlands. There Akira Akechi would be able to teach his fine art to selected families of his choosing.
Of these families were: The Bandana family, Marico family, Kamikaze family, the Akechi family, and the Haruko family. More and more families were accepted into the order but those five families are known for breeding excellent ninjas. However that doesn't mean that you can't make an excellent ninja just because you decide not to make your character related these nobles.
What is a ninja's role in combat though? What do they do? And how well can they manage? Well first of all, the obvious battle style around ninja is stealth. Basically a ninja's role in battle is to sneak attack an opponent and burn them down with as much damage as possible. In other words: kill 'em quick with everything you got. However, it's a tad bit more complicated than that.
Ninja can jump in and out of stealth rather quickly, making them hard to hit targets. Your best bet when facing a ninja is to counter their attacks, which is also a pretty difficult feat to master. Although ninja can be stealthy and quick, this doesn't always work to their advantage. In order to heal, a ninja would have to reveal themselves to a healer. This leaves their location open, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to get to them before they jump back into stealth. (Also bare in mind; a bleeding ninja isn't a stealthy ninja.)
Being masters of unorthodox arts of war, ninja can pretty much use anything to their a
dvantage. The environment for example, but that's not all. They have a variety of tools at their disposal tool. Such as climbing tools, sound absorbing sandals, throwing weapons such as shuriken and kunai, and a large arsenal of poisons. Some that can slow your reflexes... some that can paralyze you, and some that can even cause you to hallucinate.An unfortunate fact about ninjas in Sphere Of Sfera is the fact that there are very few of them left. Over the years the Bandana family grew very jealous and envious of the Akechi family. Their hate grew and grew until the heir to the Bandana family; Tikira lead a revolt against the entire clan. There was a lot of blood shed, and Nihojin Akechi (son of Akira Akechi) was murdered along with two of his children. Tikira and his followers escaped, leaving Rosebud Village in ruin. Those who survived either denounced their position as ninja, or stayed behind in order to help rebuild the village.
That about covers the basics of ninja, tomorrow I will be covering Shadowknights. Ninja Paladins anyone?
Path Of Light: Shaman
Yesterday we were talking about Priests and their role in Sphere Of Sfera. Today we will be talking about Shamans and how they will be portrayed. In the real world Shamans are intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. According to most beliefs they can treat illness and are capable of entering supernatural realms to obtain answers to the problems of their community. In Sphere Of Sfera they are somewhat portrayed the same way but to a more overexaggerated extent.
Shamans can take up on the role of a healer, a warrior or even a caster. This is due to their ability to control the spirits of the dead and allow the said spirits to take over their bodies thus inheriting their skills and abilities. Meaning a Paladin could become a healer by allowing a Priest spirit possess them... or even a Warrior by allowing a Warrior spirit possess them. Shamans are an extremely flexable class. However, this puts a strain on a Shamans body thus making the possession extremely temporary, but there are abilities that a Shaman has that can replenish a Shamans strength for another go... but the second time around won't last as long as the first.
There are also ways a Shaman can build up their tolerance for possession, thus increasing their overall ability to keep a spirit inside them. There's nothing worse than about to deliver the finishing blow only to have to taken away from you because you're too fatigued and your ghost guest pops out of you because your body can't maintain him or her any longer.
A very unfortunate con of being a Shaman is that the fact possession drains the Shaman's life force, which after long term use causes rapid aging. In fact you age three and a half weeks every time you are possessed.
A Shaman's role in battle can vary depending on what spirits they have in their arsenal. One moment they could be a warrior... and another a healer, and maybe even a ranger. It varies. Although Shamans are basically an "all class" class they can only use two to three major skills in that spirits arsenal. (One to start out but more are unlocked as the Shaman grows more experienced with that spirit. Up to three can be unlocked.) In a nut shell a Shaman's main role is basically to aid his or her comrades in battle using whatever method is needed or reccomended at the time.
Tomorrow we will venture into the "Path Of Shadows" and discuss Rogues, Ninjas and Shadowknights! Starting with Ninjas!
Shamans can take up on the role of a healer, a warrior or even a caster. This is due to their ability to control the spirits of the dead and allow the said spirits to take over their bodies thus inheriting their skills and abilities. Meaning a Paladin could become a healer by allowing a Priest spirit possess them... or even a Warrior by allowing a Warrior spirit possess them. Shamans are an extremely flexable class. However, this puts a strain on a Shamans body thus making the possession extremely temporary, but there are abilities that a Shaman has that can replenish a Shamans strength for another go... but the second time around won't last as long as the first.
There are also ways a Shaman can build up their tolerance for possession, thus increasing their overall ability to keep a spirit inside them. There's nothing worse than about to deliver the finishing blow only to have to taken away from you because you're too fatigued and your ghost guest pops out of you because your body can't maintain him or her any longer.
A very unfortunate con of being a Shaman is that the fact possession drains the Shaman's life force, which after long term use causes rapid aging. In fact you age three and a half weeks every time you are possessed.
A Shaman's role in battle can vary depending on what spirits they have in their arsenal. One moment they could be a warrior... and another a healer, and maybe even a ranger. It varies. Although Shamans are basically an "all class" class they can only use two to three major skills in that spirits arsenal. (One to start out but more are unlocked as the Shaman grows more experienced with that spirit. Up to three can be unlocked.) In a nut shell a Shaman's main role is basically to aid his or her comrades in battle using whatever method is needed or reccomended at the time.
Tomorrow we will venture into the "Path Of Shadows" and discuss Rogues, Ninjas and Shadowknights! Starting with Ninjas!
Friday, August 7, 2009
"Loring" You Into Priesthood
Yesterday we took a glance at Paladins and their roles in the world of Sfera, but today we're going to talk more about the lore, the changes being made with it, and we're going to talk about Priests and their role in Sphere Of Sfera. First we will go over some of the changes being made to the lore. Many changes have been made, which not only forced us to change some of the backstories behind certain races, but to remold some entirely. We've even had to "nerf" a couple of them.
Critter-jin were nerfed amongst all others. Their vast numbers, superior strength, and ability to morph into whatever they wished did not seem very well balanced so they received a good remolding all together, but we'll get to that another day.
If anyone recalls the origins behind all of creation in the Sphere Of Sfera universe, you would recall the fact that most races started out as an ancient race that eventually evolved into what they are now. These origins just didn't sit right with me and seemed a little unoriginal. All of this has been reworked, and has been made into something a little more believable. The after life and heavens of SoS' lore has also been expanded exponentially; there are many more Gods and God
desses, and there are even high ranking Arch Angels that play a huge role in the storyline. Well - enough about lore for now, we'll get to that another day. Let's get to our class of the day; Priests!
Priests have existed for thousands of years, and with the discovery of magic their powers have exceeded by ten fold. Unlike their Paladin brothers and sisters, Priests are a lot more fragile and don't favor in wearing heavy armor. They prefer to sport their silky comfortable robes and kimonos. They don't have much use for all that heavy armor! They're not warriors! Priests don't have all those bulky menacing muscles, at least not in that department. Where a Priest lacks in muscles, they make up for in their vast arsenal of healing spells, and their abilities to summon holy spirits to aid them in battle.
Weapon wise Priests tend to wield prayer beads, staves and books as their weapons. Why books you ask? Or why even prayer beads? What could they possibly accomplish with these 'feeble' weapons? Are they going to choke them out with these beads? Or are they going to bore their enemies to sleep by reading a really long story out of their books? No. Neither. Prayer beads are powerful artifacts that allow a Priest to summon aid from the heavens themselves. This means that if a Priest were in dire need they could summon an Arch Angel to aid and protect them in combat! Books are important because each specific book enhances a Priest or Priestess' spells by a modest amount. Different books have different effects.
Priests are the "middle" class of the path of light, and they're called that for good reason. A unique aspect of Sphere Of Sfera is the ability to have multi-class characters, but you are limited to learning the skills and spells from the classes of your path. In other words a Priest could learn Tier 1 and Tier 2 Paladin and Shamans skills and spells, but she could not learn any Ninja or Mage skills and spells. Priests are unique in the path of light because you can make up for their lack of offensive and protective abilities by learning Paladin spells, and or boost their summoning and spiritual skills by learning Shaman spells.
A Priests role in battle is to ensure that all of her team mates live. To simplify: Heal, Heal, Heal! This doesn't mean a Priest can't bludgeon someone or cause a black eye or two (let's face it, every Priest wants to summon an Arch Angel to help them fight), but their main purpose in a fight is to heal. If things look dire and the battle is obviously lost a Priest can sacrifice his or herself to ressurect his or her allies, which in turns allow them to take the form of an Arch Angel for a VERY temporary amount of time thus increasing their healing abilities by 100%.
Priests and Paladins make a deadly combination in battle due to the fact that while the Paladin is minimizing damage between he and the Priest, the Priest is keeping the two alive through consistantly healing. If the Priest falls she can aid her Paladin companion for a brief period of time before her Arch Angel form wears. A Paladin already has moderant self healing over time spells already, and with an Arch Angel backing him he will not go down so easily.
That about covers some of the basics behind Priests. Tomorrow we will be covering Shamans and their role in the Sphere Of Sfera universe.
Critter-jin were nerfed amongst all others. Their vast numbers, superior strength, and ability to morph into whatever they wished did not seem very well balanced so they received a good remolding all together, but we'll get to that another day.
If anyone recalls the origins behind all of creation in the Sphere Of Sfera universe, you would recall the fact that most races started out as an ancient race that eventually evolved into what they are now. These origins just didn't sit right with me and seemed a little unoriginal. All of this has been reworked, and has been made into something a little more believable. The after life and heavens of SoS' lore has also been expanded exponentially; there are many more Gods and God
desses, and there are even high ranking Arch Angels that play a huge role in the storyline. Well - enough about lore for now, we'll get to that another day. Let's get to our class of the day; Priests!Priests have existed for thousands of years, and with the discovery of magic their powers have exceeded by ten fold. Unlike their Paladin brothers and sisters, Priests are a lot more fragile and don't favor in wearing heavy armor. They prefer to sport their silky comfortable robes and kimonos. They don't have much use for all that heavy armor! They're not warriors! Priests don't have all those bulky menacing muscles, at least not in that department. Where a Priest lacks in muscles, they make up for in their vast arsenal of healing spells, and their abilities to summon holy spirits to aid them in battle.
Weapon wise Priests tend to wield prayer beads, staves and books as their weapons. Why books you ask? Or why even prayer beads? What could they possibly accomplish with these 'feeble' weapons? Are they going to choke them out with these beads? Or are they going to bore their enemies to sleep by reading a really long story out of their books? No. Neither. Prayer beads are powerful artifacts that allow a Priest to summon aid from the heavens themselves. This means that if a Priest were in dire need they could summon an Arch Angel to aid and protect them in combat! Books are important because each specific book enhances a Priest or Priestess' spells by a modest amount. Different books have different effects.
Priests are the "middle" class of the path of light, and they're called that for good reason. A unique aspect of Sphere Of Sfera is the ability to have multi-class characters, but you are limited to learning the skills and spells from the classes of your path. In other words a Priest could learn Tier 1 and Tier 2 Paladin and Shamans skills and spells, but she could not learn any Ninja or Mage skills and spells. Priests are unique in the path of light because you can make up for their lack of offensive and protective abilities by learning Paladin spells, and or boost their summoning and spiritual skills by learning Shaman spells.
A Priests role in battle is to ensure that all of her team mates live. To simplify: Heal, Heal, Heal! This doesn't mean a Priest can't bludgeon someone or cause a black eye or two (let's face it, every Priest wants to summon an Arch Angel to help them fight), but their main purpose in a fight is to heal. If things look dire and the battle is obviously lost a Priest can sacrifice his or herself to ressurect his or her allies, which in turns allow them to take the form of an Arch Angel for a VERY temporary amount of time thus increasing their healing abilities by 100%.
Priests and Paladins make a deadly combination in battle due to the fact that while the Paladin is minimizing damage between he and the Priest, the Priest is keeping the two alive through consistantly healing. If the Priest falls she can aid her Paladin companion for a brief period of time before her Arch Angel form wears. A Paladin already has moderant self healing over time spells already, and with an Arch Angel backing him he will not go down so easily.
That about covers some of the basics behind Priests. Tomorrow we will be covering Shamans and their role in the Sphere Of Sfera universe.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Welcome All: Path Of Light
Welcome all to the first ever blog post on Sphere Of Sfera; a web based forum role play that has been on hiatus for almost six months now. Good news everyone; work on SoS has started up once again! Originally we were going to make SoS into a game but we decided it would feel too much like a game and people would focus too much around playing the game than role playing and we don't want that.
As of this moment we are not only reworking lore but we're also working classes into the role play as well as original skills and spells. Originally classes were abandoned because we felt that it restricted creativity... but the lack of classes made the role play too bare bones, and the lack of original skills caused a power inbalance. Over
the span of the next few weeks we will be going over each of the class "paths" you can take. This week we will be talking about The Path Of Light; which make up the following three classes: Paladin, Priest and Shaman. Today we will be talking about Paladins and their role in Sfera.
Paladins are heavily armored warriors of light, and often wield heavy maces, or large swords. As Paladins their duty is to protect and serve the Bright Alliance. This often includes patrolling towns, serving in the military, or even handling diplomatic issues. Paladins tend to make amazing strategists, hence the reason why so many are seen as high ranking Generals and Lords.
Paladins have an arsenal of spells and skills that allow them to balance between dealing and taking heavy damage as well as healing and supplying their allies with special powerups.
A Paladin's role in battle is to protect. This means that in battle a Paladin will spend more time keeping his or her friends safe from harm than actually dealing heavy damage on their foes. (This doesn't stop them from dealing heavy damage though.) Some of the Paladin's skills will include taking damage for opponents, or even interrupting a killing blow. For instance; your friend is about to be killed. As a Paladin you will be able to jump in at break neck speed and parry the final blow thus saving your friend.
Well, that covers today's introduction of the Paladin class. Tomorrow I will be covering Priests and their role in battle and how formidable a Paladin and a Priest can be when working hand and hand.
As of this moment we are not only reworking lore but we're also working classes into the role play as well as original skills and spells. Originally classes were abandoned because we felt that it restricted creativity... but the lack of classes made the role play too bare bones, and the lack of original skills caused a power inbalance. Over
the span of the next few weeks we will be going over each of the class "paths" you can take. This week we will be talking about The Path Of Light; which make up the following three classes: Paladin, Priest and Shaman. Today we will be talking about Paladins and their role in Sfera.Paladins are heavily armored warriors of light, and often wield heavy maces, or large swords. As Paladins their duty is to protect and serve the Bright Alliance. This often includes patrolling towns, serving in the military, or even handling diplomatic issues. Paladins tend to make amazing strategists, hence the reason why so many are seen as high ranking Generals and Lords.
Paladins have an arsenal of spells and skills that allow them to balance between dealing and taking heavy damage as well as healing and supplying their allies with special powerups.
A Paladin's role in battle is to protect. This means that in battle a Paladin will spend more time keeping his or her friends safe from harm than actually dealing heavy damage on their foes. (This doesn't stop them from dealing heavy damage though.) Some of the Paladin's skills will include taking damage for opponents, or even interrupting a killing blow. For instance; your friend is about to be killed. As a Paladin you will be able to jump in at break neck speed and parry the final blow thus saving your friend.
Well, that covers today's introduction of the Paladin class. Tomorrow I will be covering Priests and their role in battle and how formidable a Paladin and a Priest can be when working hand and hand.
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