/ooc While I have been rather remiss in my DMing duties as of late, I hope to change that and will be making an effort to return to my formerly brilliant ( in my opinion :-p ) thread-making career. As an attempt at this, I am going to try remaking Crossroads of Time, one of my more popular threads. With any luck, I will be able to start, and continue DMing this thread without it collapsing into failure like many of my threads as of late (I've been having trouble keeping focus, what can I say). Wish me luck, and make sure to indicate your interest, if any, in a remake of this "forum classic".
ooc/
*The original Crossroads of Time intro, which will likely be used in some form for the coming Crossroads, is available below.*
When did it all go wrong?
When did Fate and its Furies begin to conspire against us?
When we began our journey, we held our hopes and dreams in the palm our hands,
Little knowing they would transform into nightmares that would transcend time.
We fought so hard and so long for so much, but how little it seems now.
Yet looking back, could we have done little else
But say our goodbyes, ready our weapons, and fling ourselves into the maelstrom?
Chapter 1: The Gates Open
There are two theories on the nature of time. One theory suggests that history is immutable, unchangeable even if someone could travel back in time. Another suggests that history is like a river, able to be diverted at any point with enough effort. Both are quite wrong, and quite right. In most instances, history is indeed unchangeable, and time travel impractical. However, there are crossroads in the flow of time, places where it might be possible to travel back to, and alter history from that point. That is the purpose of my experiments, to discover these points.
- Excert from the journal of Professor Jonas
“Tachyon Converters online, professor.” The assistant researcher reported.
“Good . . . and the Chrono Focusers?” asked Professor Jonas Wilfred, head researcher for the Temporal Travel research project.
The young girl looked down at the displays again, and then back up. “Operating at peak efficiency.”
“Excellent, and –“
“Anti-matter containment fields holding . . . we’re good to go, Prof.” replies the other assistant, drawing a scowl from Jonas because of the interruption.
The scowl quickly turned back into a smile however at the thought of the experiment finally reaching fruitation. The experiment.
After countless tests of the various components, the first full test of the Time Machine was ready.
“Alright, begin feeding energy, slowly . . . we can’t risk an overload.”
“Yes, professor!” both assistants chimed, and then began tapping commands into their consoles. Gradually, a swirling cloud of light began to form.
“Temporal matrix forming.”
“Good . . . continue feeding power into the Chrono Portal generator. Calibrate Time Coordinates to the nearest Temporal Crossroads.”
“Yes, Professor. Computer is now analyzing to find the Temporal Coordinates of the nearest Crossroad.”
A laser beam lanced into the swirling cloud of lights, and digits began to flash onto the computer monitor as it attempted to identify the nearest crossroad in time.
“Computer is beginning to lock down the coordinates.” Replied one of the assistants.
“Good, good.” Replied the professor, staring into the swirling cloud of light, as if trying to force the answer out of it.
“Coordinates settling out now.”
On the monitor, the rate of the flashing began to slow, until it came to a stop, and displayed a location and date.
“Coordinates found . . . wait, this can’t be right.” The female assistant said with a frown.
”What’s wrong? Surely everything is working – oh, now that is odd. The nearest temporal crossroads is here at the lab, five minutes ago.” Jonas said as he joined the female assistant.
“Wasn’t that when we started the experiment, Prof?” called the male assistant from the other side of the swirling cloud.
“Yes . . . yes it was.”
“Temporal portal coming into focus now.”
The cloud of light began to solidify, and then snapped into focus. The portal appeared to have a thin sheen of water over it, although Jonas knew this was an optical illusion caused by interactions within the Temporal Matrix. Still, the lab could be clearly made out, with the temporal portal generator in the center, and the three scientists moving around it as they began the experiment.
“Odd, looking at oneself, isn’t it?” Jonas asked, his voice filled with wonder.
“Um . . . Prof? I’ve got a power spike within the anti-matter reactor . . . the Temporal Portal is draining the energy too quickly!”
“What!? I ran the calculations myself three times! The Temporal Portal should draw only a tiny fraction of the reactor’s output!” Jonas cried, running over to the male researcher’s station.
“Yeah, well, see for yourself.” The assistant replied, stepping aside so Jonas could see.
It took only a moment’s glance for Jonas to agree with the readings, and emit a groan of despair.
“We can’t risk an overload . . . I guess we’ll have to terminate the experiment.” Jonas said, giving one last longing look at the open portal displaying the events of five minutes ago, and then hit the emergency shut-down button.
The portal, however, had other plans.
“Prof! The drain of the reactors just jumped! It’s increasing dramatically!!” the male researcher cried, prompting Jonas to hammer the reactor’s emergency shut-down button several more times. Again, to no avail.
“The Temporal Focuser is scanning for new coordinates! I didn’t touch anything!” the female researcher screeched from the other side of the room as the clear portal collapsed into a cloud of shimmering lights again.
“Shut it off!!!” Jonas shouted.
“I can’t!!”
The cloud cleared again, showing a view of the capital city only a few years ago. Then, in rapid succession, the portal displayed: a city street clogged with primitive internal-combustion vehicles, a dirigible of some sort preparing to lift-off, a group of knights riding down a dirt road, and a large army of men and other races charging forward to assault some sort of citadel. The portal then collapsed into a cloud of lights yet again, only now it began to grow.
“Power drain is still increasing! If this keeps up, the reactor will overload!!”
“I had such high hopes . . .” Jonas said simply, watching the reactor gauge edge up into the red zone.
A minute later, an explosion ripped through the temporal portal. However, this was a temporal explosion, and thus was outside the realm of ordinary physics. The front of the explosion rippled out, but much slowly than normal . . . time seemed to have slowed almost to a stop as Jonas watched, his mouth slowly, so slowly opening to scream. The explosion wasn’t the only thing that came from portal, however. In the expanding cloud of light, Jonas detected movement. Something had been created in the temporal explosion. An instant later a blast of malice and hatred flowed from the portal, searing into Jonas. And something else . . . hunger. An instant later time sped back up, and the lab was consumed in a temporal/anti-matter explosion.
To join this thread, simple include the following things in your post.
Name:
Era: See Below
Note:Although all eras will have action in them, the Ancient period probably will have the most (it is a time of turmoil after all. )
Class: (Based on the Era, See below)
Race: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Gnome, Lizardman, PM me any others you want.
Ancient – It is a time of turmoil and danger. The world is full of monsters, and travel and technology is very limited. However, magic is very strong in this time period: indeed, the main way of long-distance travel is to pay a powerful mage to teleport you.
Man-at-Arms – Steel weapons are fairly rare, so men-at-arms are capable of using a wide variety of weapons
Weapons: Axe, Knife, Sword, Knuckles, Club
Armor: All
Thief – Thieves rely on stealth and sneak attacks to survive.
Weapons: Knife, Sword, Knuckles, Club
Armor: Light
Mage – Mages are exceptionally strong in magic and know a wide variety of spells
Weapons: Staff, Knife, Sword, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Archer – Archers are the only ranged fighters in the Ancient time period
Weapons: Short Bow, Knife, Sword, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Barbarian – Fierce fighters, Barbarians will use absolutely anything as a weapon – including their bare hands.
Weapons: Axe, Knife, Sword, Staff, Club, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Blacksmith – Blacksmiths have a fair knowledge of weapons, and are able to come up with new variations of weapons and armor on a fairly regular basis.
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Past – After the brutal war against the Undead hordes, the world is much more peaceful. Technology has begun to advance, leading to major improvements in armor and weapons. Calvary and ships/airships have also made their first appearance.
Ranger – Rangers are a cross between Thieves and Archers, able to lay ambushes and are comfortable both in range fighting and melee.
Weapons: Long Sword, Dirk, Spear, Long Bow, Crossbow, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Knight – Heavily armored Calvary, Knights are quite skilled melee fighters both mounted and not.
Weapons: Long Sword, Dirk, Spear, Knuckles, Lance
Armor: All
Mage – Mages are exceptionally strong in magic and know a wide variety of spells
Weapons: Long Sword, Dirk, Staff, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Summoner – A new powerful variation of mage, summoners are extremely poor melee and ranged fighters: but they can call upon other, more powerful creatures to fight for them.
Weapons: Dirk, Staff, Knuckles
Armor: None!!
Samurai – Similar to Knights, Samurai generally have lighter armor and swords, but move quicker, etc. Note: Samurai cannot ride horses at the start
Weapons: Dirk, Katana, Long Bow, Spear, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Monk – Warriors skilled in bare-handed fighting, Monks are dangerous opponents even without any weapons
Weapons: Dirk, Spear, Knuckles, Staff
Armor: Light
Renaissance – Steam power and gunpowder have been developed, and magic is beginning to weaken as most begin to embrace technology.
Tech-Mage – Another unusual variation of mages, Tech-Mages are the only Mages to really “soil” themselves using technology to enhance their fighting abilities
Weapons: Pistol, Dagger, Rapier, Staff, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Mage – Mages are exceptionally strong in magic and know a wide variety of spells
Weapons: Dagger, Staff, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Dragoon – The next generation of Calvary, dragoons generally wear little to no armor, but are skilled riders and swordsmen.
Weapons: Dagger, Saber, Pistol, Knuckles
Armor: None!!
Musketeer – Musketeers can fight very well both at long range and melee, thanks to their muskets and rapiers.
Weapons: Dagger, Rapier, Musket, Pistol, Spear, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Mechanic – Mechanics seek to improve the current technology any way they can, and are always seeking ways to enhance their weapons.
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Ninja – Very stealthy assassins, Ninjas are fleet of foot and moderately skilled in virtually everything, a product of their intense training
Weapons: Katana, Staff, Dagger, Shurikens, Pistol, Spear, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Modern – Effectively a parody of modern-day Earth, modernized vehicles have been developed, and most weapons and magic have been replaced with guns.
Martial Artist – A modern version of the monk, martial artists train themselves hard to learn new unarmed combat techniques
Weapons: Staff, Knife, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Gunman – The name says it all: they are able to use any type of gun that they find, and generally use it quite skillfully. They aren’t such great hand-to-hand fighters though.
Weapons: Pistol, Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Scientist – A modern version of the Mechanic, always seeking technological improvements
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Tech-Mage – Another unusual variation of mages, Tech-Mages are the only Mages to really “soil” themselves using technology to enhance their fighting abilities
Weapons: Pistol, Staff, Knife, Knuckles, Assault Rifle
Armor: Light to Medium
Assassin – Modern ninjas, except that they have a much wider variety of weapons to choose from
Weapons: Pistol, Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, Knife, Knuckles, Assault Rifle
Armor: None!!
Fencer – Fencers dream of the olden days, when opponents stood face to face and hacked away at each other. They are skilled with bladed weapons but not much else.
Weapons: Knife, Epee, Knuckles
Armor: Light
Future – Even guns have been replaced, and people use laser and plasma weapons for defense now. A colony has been established on the moon and several other planets, and there is regular traffic between the main world and its colonies. This time period is just five years from the temporal accident.
Robot – The pinnacle of current technology, robots are capable of thought, and can be outfitted with many weapons, although their tremendous strength and speed are their best attributes.
Weapons: All
Armor: All
Cyborg – A mesh of robotic parts and flesh, Cyborgs have most of the strengths of both worlds, but few of their weaknesses.
Weapons: Sword, Pistol, Rifle, Spear, Knuckles
Armor: All
Mutant – Twisted creations of science, Mutants can have a wide variety of attributes, including natural weapons
Weapons: None!!
Armor: None!!
Technologist – The most modern of all mechanics and scientists, Technologists have virtually the ability of mages, but use technology instead of magic
Weapons: Dagger, Pistol, Rifle, Sword
Armor: Light
Marksman – Marksmen are skilled with all sorts of ranged weapons, even ancient ones.
Weapons: Pistol, Rifle, Missile Launcher, Machine Gun, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Swordsman – Bladed weapons have achieved a new influx of support due to the development of extremely strong alloys and laser weapons.
Weapons: Dagger, Sword, Axe, Spear, Knuckles
Armor: Light to Medium
Note: All Ranged Weapons, unless otherwise stated, start with 30 shots. Mutants will be given a large amount of skill points to start off with to offset their inability to use armor/weapons
Ancient
Weapons
Hammer – 50 gp
Hand Axes x 2 -70 gp
Knife – 45 gp
Short Sword – 65 gp
Staff – 40 gp
Short Bow 60 gp
Club – 35 gp
Knuckles – 25 gp
Armor
Light
Leather Jerkin -30 gp
Leather Gauntlets - -20 gp
Leather Boots -15 gp
Leather Cap -10 gp
Past
Weapons
Long Sword -65 gp
Dirk – 45 gp
Lance – 70 gp
Staff -40 gp
Katana -65 gp
Knuckles – 25 gp
Long Bow – 60 gp
Crossbow – 75 gp
Spear – 50 gp
Armor
Light
Chainmail Jerkin -30 gp
Chainmail Gauntlets - -20 gp
Chainmail Boots -15 gp
Chainmail Cap -10 gp
Renaissance
Weapons
Katana -65 gp
Rapier – 65 gp
Pistol – 50 gp
Staff -40 gp
Musket – 75 gp
Shuriken – 20 gp (for 10)
Saber – 65 gp
Spear – 50 gp
Dagger – 45 gp
Knuckles – 25 gp
Armor
Light
Overcoat -30 gp
Gloves - -20 gp
Boots -15 gp
Cap -10 gp
Modern
Weapons
Pistol – 45 gp
Sniper Rifle -70 gp
Epee – 65 gp
Knuckles – 25 gp
Shotgun – 55 gp
Assault Rifle -60 gp
Staff -40 gp
Knife – 45 gp
Armor
Light
BP Vest -30 gp
BP Sleeves – 20 gp
Steel-Toed Boots – 15 gp
Helmet – 10 gp
Future
Weapons
Sword – 65 gp
Dagger – 45 gp
Pistol – 45gp
Rifle – 55 gp
Missile Launcher -70 gp
Machine Gun – 60 gp
Knuckles – 25 gp
Axe – 50 gp
Spear - 65 gp
Armor
Light
Armor Vest – 30 gp
Gauntlets – 20 gp
Greaves – 15 gp
Headpiece -10 gp
Thread starts tomorrow
Ancient
Man-at-Arms
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits on opponent
Leaping Slash: 10 points
- Leap forward to slash at opponent
Dash: 10 points
- Move faster for a short period of time
Air Slash: 15 points
- Send a blast of air at opponent
Spinning Slash: 15 points
- Spin around and slash at opponent
Thief
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits on opponent
Back-Stab: 10 points
- Stab an opponent from behind
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an attack
Sneak: 15 points
- Move fairly quietly
Cutthroat: 15 points
- Slide a weapon across opponent’s throat
Mage
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Thunderbolt: 5 points
- Small lightening bolt
Icicle: 5 points
- Small icicle
Whirlwind: 10 points
- Wind storm around you
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc.
Electrify: 15 points
- Give an object an electrical current
Archer
Double Shoot: 10 points
- 2 shots
Point-Blank: 10 points
- Fire ranged weapon at melee range
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Shoot farther
Rapid-Fire: 15 points
- Reload quicker
Two-handed: 15 points
- Carry a weapon in each hand
Barbarian
Two-handed: 10 points
- Carry a weapon in each hand
Leaping Slash: 10 points
- Leap at opponent and slash them
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Fury: 15 points
- Enter a rage, attack increase, etc.
Charge: 15 points
- Dash forward and knock an enemy over
Blacksmith
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increased damage
Identify: 10 points
- Identify almost any item/weapon/artifact, etc
Charge: 10 points
- Dash forward and knock an enemy over
Body Slam: 15 points
- Pick an enemy up and throw them to the ground
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc
Past
Ranger
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Sneak: 10 points
- Move rather quietly
Dash: 10 points
- Move quicker
Eagle-Eye: 15 points
- Increased range
Dodge: 15 points
- Dodge an opponent’s attack
Knight
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Charge: 10 points
- Run forward and knock an enemy over
Skewer: 10 points
- Completely run an enemy through
Block: 15 points
- Block an attack
Dash: 15 points
- Move quicker
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Thunderbolt: 5 points
- Small lightening bolt
Icicle: 5 points
- Small icicle
Whirlwind: 10 points
- Wind storm around you
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc.
Electrify: 15 points
- Give an object an electrical current
Summoner
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an enemy’s attack
Summon Imp: 10 points
- Summon an Imp to assist you
Electrify: 15 points
- Give an object an electrical current
Summon Gremlin: 15 points
- Summon a Gremlin to assist you
Samurai
Draw Cut: 10 points
- Draw your katana lightening fast before an enemy can react
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Leaping Slash: 10 points
- Leap forward and slash an enemy
Block: 15 points
- Block an enemy attack
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc
Monk:
Double Punch: 10 points
- 2 punches
Jump Kick: 10 points
- Leap into the air and kick
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an enemy attack
Hook Kick: 15 points
- Slashing kick
Dash: 15 points
- Move quicker
Renaissance
Tech-Mage
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Thunderbolt: 5 points
- Small lightening bolt
Icicle: 5 points
- Small icicle
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Increased range
Double Slash: 15 points
- 2 hits
Mage
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Thunderbolt: 5 points
- Small lightening bolt
Icicle: 5 points
- Small icicle
Whirlwind: 10 points
- Wind storm around you
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc.
Electrify: 15 points
- Give an object an electrical current
Dragoon
Charge: 10 points
- Run forward and knock an enemy over
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Skewer: 10 points
- Run an enemy completely through
Two-handed: 15 points
- Use a weapon in each hand
Dodge: 15 points
- Dodge an enemy’s attack
Musketeer
Dash: 10 points
- Move quicker
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Increased range
Block: 10 points
- Block an enemy’s attack
Riposte: 15 points
- Avoid, and then counter-attack
Double Thrust: 15 points
- 2 thrusts
Mechanic
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Identify: 10 points
- Identify almost any object/weapon/artifact
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increased damage
Reflex: 15 points
- Increase speed, movement, etc.
Body Slam: 15 points
- Pick an enemy up and hurl them to the ground
Ninja
Sneak: 10 points
- Move fairly quietly
Back-stab: 10 points
- Stab an enemy from behind
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an attack
Camouflage: 15 points
- Blend in with your surroundings
Cutthroat: 15 points
- Slide a weapon across an enemy’s throat
Modern
Martial Artist
Double Punch: 10 points
- 2 punches
Jump Kick: 10 points
- Leap into the air and kick
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an enemy attack
Hook Kick: 15 points
- Slashing kick
Dash: 15 points
- Move quicker
Gunman
Double Shoot: 10 points
- Shoot twice
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Increased Range
Roll: 10 points
- Roll forward, backward, or to one side
Two-handed: 15 points
- Use two weapons at once
Dash: 15 points
- Move quicker
Scientist
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Identify: 10 points
- Identify almost any object, weapon, artifact, etc.
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increased damage
Reflex: 15 points
- Increased movement, etc.
Dodge: 15 points
- Dodge an attack
Tech-Mage
Fireball: 5 points
- Ball of fire
Thunderbolt: 5 points
- Small lightening bolt
Icicle: 5 points
- Small icicle
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Increased range
Double Slash: 15 points
- 2 hits
Assassin:
Sneak: 10 points
- Move fairly quietly
Back-stab: 10 points
- Attack an enemy from behind
Dodge: 10 points
- Dodge an attack
Camouflage: 15 points
- Blend in with your surroundings
Cutthroat: 15 points
- Slide a weapon across a throat
Fencer:
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Skewer: 10 points
- Completely run an enemy through
Block: 10 points
- Block an attack
Riposte: 15 points
- Avoid an attack and then counter-attack
Double Thrust: 15 points
- Two thrusts
Future
Robot
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Jetpack: 10 points
- Ascend to higher areas
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increased damage
Eagle-Eye: 15 points
- Increased range
Scan: 15 points
- Identify weaknesses
Cyborg
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Dash: 10 points
- Move quickly
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increase damage
Eagle-Eye: 15 points
- Increased range
Block: 15 points
- Block an attack
Mutant
Claws: 10 points
- Develop claws to use as a weapon
Spines: 10 points
- Develop spines to shoot
Leap: 10 points
- Jump into the air, usually to ascend to higher areas
Thick Skin: 40 points
- Develop a thick coating of skin around the entire body to protect
Camouflage: 15 points
- Blend in with your surroundings
Night-vision: 15 points
- See in the dark
Technologist
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Identify: 10 points
- Identify a weapon/object/artifact
Hammerblow: 10 points
- Increased damage
Reflex: 15 points
- Increased movement, etc
Dodge: 15 points
- Dodge an attack
Marksman
Double Shoot: 10 points
- 2 shots
Eagle-Eye: 10 points
- Increased range
Roll: 10 points
- Roll forward, backward, or to one side
Two-handed: 15 points
- Use a weapon in each hand
Head Shot: 15 points
- Hit an enemy in the head
Swordsman
Double Slash: 10 points
- 2 hits
Skewer: 10 points
- Run an enemy completely through
Block: 10 points
- Block an enemy’s attack
Riposte: 15 points
- Avoid an attack and counter
Throw: 15 points
- Throw weapon
Flaag 
(j/k)
Linear Mode
