Welcome to Gaia! ::

• This is an RP-intensive concept - if you don't RP, your Synth will not appear and your character may be killed off. Let's say that less than once a month is cause for death, unless you let us know you'll be on hiatus or other arrangements have been made. (Don't worry, we will try to contact you and give you warning first.)
  
• Growth is linked to RP - if you don't RP, your character and Synth won't gain experience or learn new abilities.
  
• No flaming / fighting / bitching in thread. Don't bring your drama here, and don't start it here.
  
• No whining, pity parties, trying to guilt others, etc. We don't particularly care how many pets you do or don't have, how many shops you're stalking, how new/old you are. We want good, dedicated RPers and we'll choose flatsales, etc. as we see fit.
  
• Do NOT PM Kali, Brit or the mule about availability, etc. Ask your questions in the thread when we are here. If you need to PM us about something you don't want public, please ask first.
  
• Don't steal the art, kthnx? You do not want to see a homocidal Kali after you evil
  
• If you leave, or are banned, your character and Synth will be killed off. If either are critical to the current plot, we reserve the right to assign them to another player - either temporarily, or permanently. (Though mostly, they will just die.)
  
• Respect our authoritah! domokun Although we tolerate some IC rebellion, we won't tolerate rogues and our IC characters won't tolerate people who don't follow orders or rules. OOC, we're not going to be stiff-necked, but if we ask you to do something, or not do something, please listen. We have the wellbeing of the thread to consider.
  
• We encourage you to work out problems between characters/players on your own, but if it really is getting nowhere - especially for IC / battle problems - please let us know so we can moderate and hopefully fix it. We realise there will be some problems with people not wanting to follow their stats, or not quite understanding them.
  
• We know there are some people who like to have characters who are total bastards that piss off everyone IC. This is fine, however, please then don't be upset if everyone IC hates or retaliates against your character. There will be no asking for leniency because of "special circumstances". You want to be an IC a**? Deal with the IC response.
  
• Only one character (and one Synth) per person.

RegenCo.

[Dr. Riven Vanguard] A scientist working for RegenCo who discovered the art of creating synthesised materia, which result in special Synthed Summons, aka. Synths. Cold and immersed in his work, he hates being shut in the labs but doesn't like people or Synths much, either. Riven has a love, and flair, for technology. Not much is known about his past, apart from him being one of the few surviving members of RegenCo's now-destroyed "special tasks" (assassin) group, Noir.

[President] Head of RegenCo, the one giving the orders. No details yet.

[Vice-President] All too often, the one to pass orders on to Riven, or just harrass him about his work and new jump in position. No details yet.

Salvati

[Kaiser Harriden] The head (Kaiser) of Salvati is a calm, even-tempered man on most any subject except that of RegenCo- specifically, Dr. Riven Vanguard and his work. Harriden is brotherly; any of his people in need down to the rawest recruits can find him for a shoulder to cry on. No one knows why he is so angry with Riven, or what brought about the spiritual revelations that made him form Salvati. All anyone knows is that he seems to have a connection to a higher power that lets him foster new summons, and that his view of the creatures is more sacred than technological.

Neutral / Other

[Lord of God's End] No details yet.

[Drayven Brant] Awh, so cute *w* ... HOMGWTFBBQ?! *flees*

[Ptolemy] Hmm, sounds exotic. Makes me think of sand and oasis'...

[Neven] Why would someone call themself "no one"? o.O

RegenCo is the largest company in this world, and they do a bit of almost everything. They develop, manufacture and sell/promote technology. They've developed computer systems, helicoptors, cars, electricity, etc... They're also funding the development of Genika (new city), so they're involved with modernising cities, etc. They also have their own training/schooling system (which Riven went through from 14 onwards), as well as their own semi-army.

Despite being such a large company, they're not headhunters. They don't want anyone working for them who doesn't want to be there. Currently they have neither the interest, or any 'specialty groups', in chasing down or forcefully recruiting anyone.

Thanks to their army, RegenCo does have a presence away from the cities, but obviously not a lot of their larger or more complex technology can be taken with them. For example, most vehicles can't make it over a lot of the terrain.

If you're a part of RegenCo, please be aware of your location as it corresponds to your job. Scientists like Riven are stuck not only in Alegria, but 99% of the time inside the main RegenCo. building. "Inside" workers may not have many opportunities to travel. On the other hand, someone in the army or a travelling worker may rarely make it back to the city.





[[Brit, you so need to edit this, because I'm guessing half of it from snippets you've written before ^^;; ]]

Salvati is not so much a 'religion' - it's more that they consider the Synths forms of 'life' that should be revered and considered sacred. So consider them a not-quite-political rebellion group? They're not as large as RegenCo, but they're a rapidly growing movement. Where RegenCo has money and power, Salvati has a very charismatic leader who truly believes in his cause.

There are some 'Salvati' jobs, such as preists, nuns (or, y'know, female priests of Salvati, no one has to give up sex or anything... I think o.O;; ), etc. However most members have 'real', outside jobs and Salvati is something they've joined for their beliefs, not for a new job.

The Salvati presence is limited to the main continent. They are very widespread on the continent though, with shrines and believers in places ranging from tiny villages to Alegria itself. (Of course they tend to keep low-key while recruiting in the city, so that they don't bring RegenCo down on their heads.)

Your character
The character you create and submit (and hopefully get accepted) is one specific and native to this world. Their art will not change (there is no 'aging' for them) but you can level them up and earn new abilities for them. Your character can level up without your Synth, but you Synth cannot level up without your char.

* There is no other world, no time-travel etc. Your char is from here and now, the end.
* There is no advantage for a character to choose either RegenCo or Salvati. Neither is "good" or "evil", neither side is more powerful. RegenCo may have presence and numbers, but Salvati is growing in numbers itself and has the support of a lot of the 'common people'... Join for any reason you like, but you do need to join one or the other.
* Traitors would be dealt with very harshly... There's no guarantee that the other side would trust or accept someone who wanted to switch sides either. Pick your side and stick with it.
* You have to choose one of the classes on offer (please make sure that if you're applying for a flatsale, you only pick from the flatsale classes). No extra classes, or combinations of two or more classes.
* Your character's occupation does not have to be the same as their class, however it would be nice if they were related somehow. A warrior would probably not have the job of a healer/doctor/nurse, for example.
* Please pay attention to the stats given to your char and RP accordingly.
* Although your char will have HP/MP, etc. don't refer to them as such IC - be tired, be weak, be sore, have cuts, broken bones, etc. Fire will burn, not take your HP. Demi may crush things, not 'remove a quarter of your health'. Basically, RP as though it's not based on a game.
* All flatsale characters start at Level 1. Unless an auction says otherwise, so do those characters. So we suggest not trying to be 'the best swordsman in the world' when your level and stats are going to be low as ^^
* Your character (and Synth) can both die. Yes, Phoenix Downs and Revive materia exist, but the materia in particular is rare - and someone would have to get your body back to someone with the materia. Small IC deaths will result in revival, particularly after events (if you die in an event, you'll be out, but you'll be revived afterwards). However, if you break the rules too often, you'll die and stay dead.

Standard Synth
All Synth start out at a 'standard' stage. Each Synth will have stats specific to them, and a spell/attack list based around their new form and the materia they were based on. (Eg. Daimos can cast Demi and Ultima, as well as spells unique to himself.) Synths will only have one or two 'moves' originally, experience and RP will result in new spells or attacks appearing.

Some things to keep in mind:

* At first, your Synth will only be able to perform each attack/spell once in battle. That means if you have one spell, they can appear and cast it once. If you have two, they can stay around for a second. But that's it. Young Synth have limited energy.
* Most young Synths will need to spend a lot of time resting 'inside' the materia. They won't be able to constantly follow you around, at least not until they're much older (like, next stage-ish).
* Synths have limited energy. If you summon it too often, or make it use its spells and attacks too often, they will tire and become sick and weak. Weak/Sick Synths will refuse to be summoned... and may die. Please don't mistreat your Synths!
* Whether your Synth likes you, if it obeys you, if it likes being summoned or not, if it likes being sent back into materia or not.. all are up to you. Please just remain aware that your Synth physically _needs_ to be back in the materia every so often at this stage, even if your char has to force it.
* Rampaging/rogue Synths will be dealt with by Riven or Harriden (or should that be by Daimos and Xandre) >.>

Evolved Synth
When your Synth hits a certain level (as yet undecided), they will evolve to a more powerful state (new art, yay). Only at this stage will your Synth gets its 'ultimate' attack/spell - generally a combination of it's two influences, or something very specific to its form and abilities. They may also gain greater freedom at this stage - some might be able to operate independantly from their summoners, eg. being sent off in a different direction to follow an order. (Check your stats to be sure - if it doesn't say they can operate independantly, then don't.)

* Spells will be able to be cast more than once (checks stats - it'll say if it's unlimited, or how many casts they have)
* Ultimate spells/attacks will still only be able to be cast once per battle, with your Synth being rather tired after casting
* Adult Synths can still gain experience, levels and so on. Just because you've got the new art doesn't mean it's all over ^_~

Both sides currently have access to the following list of materia for Synthing:

Magic: Fire, Ice, Earth, Poison, Wind, Water, Restore, Heal, Lightning, Seal, Mystify, Shield, Barrier
Support: All, Elemental, Added Effect, Sneak Attack, Counter, Magic-Counter,
Command: Steal, Sense, Time, Manipulate, Double-Cut
Independant: Long-range, Pre-emptive, Cover

:: Stats & Ability Lists ::

In their personal log, all characters will be given a list of stats which will reflect their current abilities and progress. As characters gain more experience (though RP and events), the stats will change, levels will rise, and more spells and attacks will be added to their lists.

Stats
HP: amount of damage that can be taken before dying
MP: amount of magic that can be cast before exhaustion (will be 0 unless your character has non-Synth materia)
Lvl: overall reverse ranking, compared to the avarage population (reverse means 1 = lowest, 99 = highest)

Str: Physical strength - determines the weight of weapon and armour that be carried, weighs towards attack rating
Ag: Speed, flexibility and overall range/speed of movement.
Atk: Strength, accuracy and overall effectiveness of attack
Def: Endurance and ability to defend/take attacks.
Mg: Strength, effectiveness and range of magic.
Mg-Atk: Determines the strength of magic attacks.
Mg-Def: Endurance and protection against magic attacks.
Lck: Effects probability and chance, things may more often go your way.
Ev: Ability to avoid or dodge attacks

Equipped:
Wpn: your weapon
Mat: any materia owned/equipped (don't expect any unless your character is a mage)
slot 1 & 2: special items?! (may appear through special events)


Ability Lists
Each class has it's own list of special abilities that can be learned by that class alone. As a character gains experience and levels, their Ability Level will also rise, allowing them to select more complex and powerful skills.

For a list of all abilities available to classes so far, see the MetaSynth Battle System: Ability List.

Players will be informed how many skills from which levels they can choose. Each character starting on Level 1 will be able to choose two abilities from Ability Level 0. From then on, individual experience will determine how fast or slow a character takes before they can select more abilities.

Q: So this is based on FF7?
A: No. This world is not FF7's, and the summons and spells are not limited to those solely from FF7. This is a Final Fantasy AU concept. We're using the classes, creatures and magic present throughout all of the FF games. We simply chose to use materia for the magic as it gives a physical aspect to the magic that RegenCo can tamper with.

Q: Are characters or Synths breedable?
A: No, there is no actual breeding for this shop. You get a completely custom character, pick both bases for your Synth, and can have the Synth grow through RP. OOCly, we don't think breeding fits into the purpose of the concept. IC, Synths at least can't breed because they're summons (materia).

Q: Does that mean no romance?
A: Not at all, go for romance ^_^ The aim of the RP may not be to hook up, but that doesn't mean romance can't be important to your characters or part of your plot. We support het, yaoi and yuri pairings - just keep to Gaia's TOS, thx. Cross-organisation and cross-species pairings are okay, too, although they probably wouldn't be smooth sailing...

Q: Can my character have pointed ears/wings/horns/tail/etc?
A: No. Through a flatsale and most auctions, all characters are 100% normal humans. No special powers, no special physical features. For the auctions for other races, some specs on that race will be given in the auction info. While you can customise the character, we won't allow 'special attributes' (like wings, etc.) that aren't part of that race already.

Q: What about hair/eye colour?
A: Since this is FF, after all, we'll probably allow unusual hair and eye colours. However, please treat this sensibly as a 'natural' colour of this world. Rainbow streaks would not be natural by any means, for example.

Q: Can our characters have 'pets', like chocobos and moogles?
A: Creatures of any 'special' races are rare in this world. Chocobos are slightly more common than other rare animal species, but are probably hired/rented rather than owned. We may allow chocobos to be owned if it makes sense for the character/application (ie. not just because you think it would be cool to have one). No on the moogles, as they're a sentient race and therefore too much of a third character. Feel free to own cats, dogs, etc. as long as they don't become an advantage (eg. training a pet to help you fight).

Q: Why is Riven giving away synths?
A: Riven: *twitch twitch* Unfortunately my superiors are demanding I make more of these annoying creatures and then distribute them to employees of RegenCo stare

*snrks* Basically, he doesn't have a choice. Riven is being forced to outfit RegenCo with Synths, more powerful than ordinary summons. Harriden will be outfitting Salvati members with Synths to counter RegenCo's use of them.

Q: What's the geography of the world / names of places?
A: It's coming. It'll be an original world, not based on FF7 or any other game. We'll have a map, or at least a list of import location names, ready before the shop officially opens.

Q: Can I have [insert FF character here]?
A: Sorry, nope. When we say AU, we mean very AU. We're taking the FF concepts, but not any particular world or series (despite preferring FF7's materia). There will be no official characters or AU versions of those characters.

Q: Will all Synths look human?
A: No. Synths, likes normal Summons, will come in a variety of forms. Some will be human, some won't be. We just both chose to have humanoid forms for our Synths. The forms of all other Synths will depend on the materia chosen and the whims of the artist (Kali) - unless we offer a fully custum character and Synth through autobuy or auction or something.

Q: When you say "no traitors" does that mean my character always had to side with [side here]?
A: Not at all. Feel free to have had your character live in a city before joining Salvati, move from a Salvati-sympathetic village to join RegenCo, etc. All we ask is that your character remains on the side they receive their Synth from. You,as the player, have to make a choice. The past can be ICly forgiven, but 'stealing' a Synth when your char switch sides would result in that side chasing them down (with Xandre or Daimos, so you'd last about 5 seconds).

Q: What does RegenCo actually do?
A. RegenCo does a bit of almost everything. They develop, manufacture and sell/promote technology. They've developed computer systems, helicoptors, cars, electricity, all that sort of stuff... they're also funding the development of Genika (new city), so they're involved with modernising cities, etc. They also have their own training/schooling system (which Riven went through from 14 onwards), as well as their own semi-army.

Q: Are there any advantages to receiving synthed materia with a Summon-type (like Shiva or Ifrit) versus ones without? Do you get more spells? Is it stronger?
A: Adding a summon materia doesn't make the Synth more powerful. It will effect the appearance of the Synth and some of their eventual spells (Daimos can cast not only Demi, but also Gravija [Diablos' summon attack]). Otherwise there's no real advantage or disadvantage. Some of the non-summon materia will add really cool visual effects, and some will add skills/spells that Summons have to reason to have/know. But the number of spells/attacks are dependant on level/experience, not on whether there was a Summon materia involved in the synthesis process.

Strength is not determined by having a summon or not. Hell, some summons might even be considered weak (at least physically). So it's more for influence's sake. A well-planned Synth of 'plain' materia could end up a lot stronger/more effective in battle than something with a Summon. The idea is more to pick a pair you think will work well together, or create the effect you want (ie. don't pick Ifrit and Fire if you want a cute ice Synth).