Crater City is an idyllic, bustling city filled with both natural and artistic beauty. Reinforced skyscrapers and houses coexist with steep wooded hills, rocky mountains, and coastal cliffs to form a city skyline that is as natural as it is man made. The city almost entirely surrounds Crater Bay, a large salt water bay formed when an ancient crater flooded with ocean water. Crater Bay opens up to the ocean to the west with the Giant's Gate Bridge connecting the northern and southern peninsulas. The city features a number of scenic beaches, piers, and overlooks where one can surf, whale watch, fish, or simply take a seafaring tour out to the nearby National Park, the Colossus islands.
City Layout:
Crater City is a large and highly populated city which surrounds Crater Bay on all sides save for where the bay opens into the ocean. This gives the city itself a crescent moon shape, with the Giant's Gate Bridge, an ornate and solidly built drawbridge, connecting the northwestern and southwestern sections of the city. Due to safety concerns and estimated expenses, no bridges exist over the bay. As such anyone driving from one side of the city to the other must drive around the bay, which has a twenty mile diameter. The rim of the crater raises high above sea level, and can even be seen stretching towards the sky beyond the city's tallest skyscrapers.
To the south and north lay a number of small villages and towns, mostly dedicated to fishing. These towns largely wish to be left alone, but still offer excellent hospitality to visitors. The Crater City counsel politely requests all residents show respect to these villages and their inhabitants.
To the west, out in the ocean, lies the Colossus Islands, a nature preserve and tourist destination. While access to the islands is restricted, tourists may take one of the many available boat tours to see the towering pillars of rock stretching towards the sky, surrounding a central volcanic island.
To the east, there lay of mountains, valleys, and wilderness, where no settlements exist for miles. While there are plenty of nature walks and national parks in the area, this zone is largely off-limits to most citizens. There is a select demographic that enjoys the isolation of this area. For everyone's safety, they are the only ones permitted to be in the off-limits zone.
Demographics:
Crater City is a diverse settlement with a wide range of races, ethnicities, and even species. The breakdown of the three major demographic groups are as follows.
Humans: Mostly hairless primates and one of the oldest sentient species on the planet. Humans are a diverse group in their own right, and, while not the most populous of the three main groups, are the species that ultimately founded Crater City.
Zoomorphs: This group gets their name from their resemblance to various anthropomorphic animals. Externally they tend to be covered in fur or feathers or scales, and frequently have tails and other peripheral animal-like traits. Internally, they seem to be quite similar to humans, and instances of hybrids with humans and with other Zoomorph species have been recorded in the past. Different Zoomorph species have occasionally exhibited trends of behaviors and preferences that seem to tie into the species of animal they resemble, but evidence suggests these are more cultural differences rather than biological ones.
Kaiju: Making up approximately 5% of the population, Kaiju might seem to be the smallest demographic. In fact, that could not be further from the truth. Kaiju are a species of shape-shifting giants. They are massive, ranging from house sized to skyscraper sized. Most of the time, these Kaiju live peaceful, quiet lives alongside the Humans and Zoomorphs. They are able to do this because all Kaiju are capable of assuming a smaller form that greatly resembles a Human or a Zoomorph at a surface level. Internally, however, Kaiju are still giants.
Kaiju Breakdown:
The species of Kaiju comes with three main classifications: Legends, Colossi, and Xenoforms.
Legend: Generally this classification is reserved for Kaiju who's powers and appearance resemble a creature from legend. Massive dragons, kitsunes, sea serpents, gryphons and the like all qualify as Legend class Kaiju. That list is not comprehensive. Legend class Kaiju generally have powers either related to natural phenomenon such as Earthquakes and Lightning, or abilities resembling those of the mythical creature they are based on such as fire breath.
Colossus: This classification includes any Kaiju who takes the form of a scaled up version of an ordinary animal, Zoomorph, or Human. Giants and giant versions of animals are considered Colossi. These Kaiju generally do not have specific powers beyond their size and strength.
Xenoform: This is, for the most part, the "other" classification. Meaning alien form, Xenoforms are generally strange creatures that don't closely resemble any known species, either ordinary or legendary. Xenoforms also have a wide range of abilities that aren't necessarily associated with anything. Essentially, Xenoforms can be summarized as "Anything Goes."
Rules:
What isn't allowed: Your main character must not be a villain. The goal of the players is to live in peace with powers that make it particularly difficult to do so, and to thwart attempts to shatter that peace. If you wish to play a villain during an arc, or wish for your character to temporarily become the villain of an arc, then speak with me and we will see what we can arrange. Any arcs with player controlled villains must be run by me, the GM.
Zoomorph species: Any existing animal or animal hybrid is allowed as the base for a Zoomorph character. However, all Zoomorphs are roughly similar to humans in terms of height, weight, intelligence, and internal anatomy.
Kaiju Stat: An additional stat has been added to the character sheet, and the total number of points you have to work with is 48. The "Kaiju" stat is a rough measurement of how large your character's Kaiju form is. Any powers they have will be scaled appropriately to this stat as well. Generally, a Kaiju's height in meters is 10 times the Kaiju stat. Powers generally only have an effect in the immediate vicinity of the Kaiju, and are proportional to that Kaiju's size.
Example Character Sheets:
Kaiju Sheet:
Non-Kaiju Character Sheets can follow the standard Character Sheet format of the forum.Character Name: Titus Brand
Kaiju Codename: Wildfire
Color: Deep red
Type: Main
Kaiju Class: Legend...?
Kaiju Form: Nature/Fire/Lightning Dragon
Disguised Species: Human
Age: 80 years (Looks 27)
Neighborhood: Crater City
Powers: Wildfire's Kaiju abilities revolve around destruction and renewal. He is capable of breathing fire and producing lightning from his body that can create a great deal of destruction. In the wake of that destructive force, however, Wildfire has the ability to passively restore new life to devastated areas. Scorched earth sprouts saplings where he walks, and injured animals heal at an accelerated rate around him.
He has wings, so he can fly, and he has obtained the ability to partially shift himself into a human-sized anthropomorphic dragon through intense training over the course of years.
Weakness: Wildfire is weak to water and pollution/poison. Water extinguishes his flame, and pollution/poison prevents him from giving new life to destroyed areas.
Appearance: As a Kaiju, Wildfire takes the form of a semi-quadrupedal fire dragon. He has a long mane of fiery red fur running from the top of his head down the back of his neck. Atop his head, Wildfire has two charcoal grey antlers resembling burned tree trunks. When he uses his powers, the cracks in these antlers glow red, yellow, or green depending on the power he is using. Most of Wildfire's scales are a dark red with specks of ash grey. The plates on his belly and neck and the leather of his wings are black as obsidian.
In disguise, Titus is a tall, handsome, well kempt looking human. He has medium length bright red hair that he likes to keep brushed down and neat. When at work, Titus tends to sport a dark grey suit and enjoys making a good impression with his appearance. If he feels he needs to put out a less intimidating presence around people, he will sometimes wear glasses purely for the aesthetic effect. When he isn't working, Titus enjoys wearing T-shirts and jeans or cargo pants. Feeling he needs to represent his species as best as he can in his government position, he takes great care of his appearance.
Personality: While he is a bit more focused on his appearance than he might need to be, it is mainly because he wants to make the best possible impression to the humans and Zoomorphs in the city counsel as well as the state and national government. He cares deeply about his fellow Kaiju and their struggles, but this just results in him getting even more passionate about defending against Rogue Kaiju attacks. Any time they happen, it turns into a nightmare for all of the law abiding Kaiju to deal with as extremists try to hunt them down while they're in hiding and vulnerable. Kaiju may be forces of nature in their own right, but Humans and Zoomorphs are not to be underestimated. Wildfire/Titus hates seeing his people suffer, and will not hesitate to hurt another Kaiju if they're putting the rest at risk.
Wildfire/Titus also cares about Humans and Zoomorphs, but they have plenty of representation as it is. He acts as a guardian to all citizens in Crater City.
Other notes: Wildfire/Titus was employed by the government as the first member of the Kaiju Defense Force, a small group of allied Kaiju who stand in defense of the country against attacks from large-scale threats such as rogue Kaiju or military invasion. The military branch was formed after Wildfire, risking his own life, saved the Third Navy Fleet from being destroyed by another Kaiju, code named Hurricane. He has played a central role in spreading awareness and preventing government retaliation against the Kaiju population after any rampage that occurs.
Wildfire once rescued a naval officer from an offshore Rogue attack, and the two have been friends ever since.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats:
- Strength: 7
- Perception: 5
- Endurance: 5
- Charisma: 8
- Intelligence: 6
- Agility: 5
- Luck: 6
- Kaiju: 6
Frequently Asked Questions wrote: Q: Do Kaiju keep their powers in their disguised form?
A: Yes, but in a largely scaled down version. For example, in his disguised form, Wildfire can light a fireplace with his fire breath, power a TV with his electricity, and cause plants to grow strong and healthy by touching the soil they're planted in or by holding their pot.
Q: Do Zoomorphs have the same rights as humans?
A: Yes. In this society, Zoomorphs have equal rights to humans, and in fact are very similar to humans both socially and physically.
Q: How similar are Zoomorphs to humans?
A: Very similar. Zoomorphs are the same size as humans, age the same as humans, are able to eat the same foods as humans, have very similar needs to humans, and are even able to produce hybrid children with humans. These hybrids are not normally able to have kids, however, so Zoomorphs are roughly in the same genus as humans, but are not the same species.
Q: Do Kaiju keep their strength in their disguised form?
A: Sort of. Disguised Kaiju don't have access to their full strength, but can exhibit superhuman strength without needing to shift into Kaiju form. This strength isn't passive, and often requires training to be able to access.
Q: Can Kaiju shift into a sort of in-between form with traits of their Kaiju form, but the size of their disguised form? (not really frequently asked, but might be relevant)
A: Yes, but that's an extremely advanced skill. It took Wildfire years to learn how to make his wings appear without fully shifting, and even longer for other parts like claws, horns, scales, and his tail. He originally trained to do this so he could fly to where he needed to go without alarming people with his 200 foot tall Kaiju form.
Q: How old do you have to be to join the Kaiju Defense Force?
A: As with the standard military, you must be at least 17 to join. If you are 17, you need parental permission.