Best Character

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
The contents of this thread are loosely grounded in Exvulnerum canon; however, any player-created content should not be considered canon, regardless of its approval status by the Deimon Master.

Prologue

In the land of Cresnov, there are deimons.

Taking the shape of animals, each deimon is born of a certain umbra, bestowing it with a unique magic talent.

In the land of Amathæ, deimons are scarce.

Few humans know they exist, and fewer still know of umbras.

You are one of those select few.

Thanks to the long-forgotten diary of a wayward Cresnovian, you know of the nine umbras:

Essence,
Duality,
Cosmos,
Velocity,
Radiance,
Corporeality,
Innervation,
Caprice,
Cognizance.

You know that each umbra governs a unique facet of reality.

You know that deimons, through their umbrations, can change reality.

Armed with this knowledge and a wealth of imagination, you and your circle of friends decide to make a roleplaying game out of it.


Nerds.


…………………………………………………………………………………


UMBRA RUMBLE

Basic Rules


Creation Phase
Create one or more deimon(s) and send it to the Deimon Master in a Conversation. The DM will approve or deny each deimon. Any approved deimons are eligible to be selected for the Umbra Rumble, but only one deimon will be selected per player per Rumble.

Setup Phase
The Deimon Master will select 2 to 9 deimons to fight in the Umbra Rumble. Only deimons that were submitted and approved in the previous phase are eligible to be selected. The Deimon Master will prepare the battlefield, creating balanced matchups based on the abilities of the selected deimons.

Combat Phase
After setup is completed, the Deimon Master will declare the official beginning of the Umbra Rumble, announcing the selected deimons and their matchups. Players will then take control of their deimons, writing their own description of how the events of their battle will unfold. Players can build upon or ignore other players' battle posts as they see fit; the actual course of events will be decided by the DM in the Judgment Phase.

Judgment Phase
Once the Deimon Master has announced that the allotted time for the Combat Phase has elapsed, the DM will begin judging each player's battle posts. The DM will assign a skill rating to each post based on specific criteria, and then each player's overall skill rating (OSR) is determined by adding up their individual posts' skill ratings. The player or team with the highest OSR wins their matchup, and the winning and losing deimons are awarded/penalized a certain amount of power ranks. The title of Supreme Summoner is granted to the player with the most power ranks among their surviving deimons.


Official Rules

Creation Phase
Phase 1) Create a deimon.​

Based on the information above, use your imagination to bring a deimon to life.

Every deimon must have the following:
  • Animal shape - traditionally denoted by the syntax "_____shape deimon", where the blank is the animal it resembles.
  • Umbration - one of the nine umbras listed above.
  • One (1) magic talent - from the mundane to the extraordinary, every deimon can influence the world in a unique way through the power of their umbration.
  • Name - can be as serious or as silly as you want, as long as it abides by the Forum Rules.
While you don't know the exact details of each umbra's domain, you can make educated guesses based on their names, symbols, and what little lore you can find.

In order to maintain a level playing field, each deimon must be submitted to the Deimon Master in secret, using the Conversations feature.

WARNING: New deimons may be posted in the thread for fun, but they will be ineligible for any future Rumble.

Deimons rendered ineligible for future Rumbles may still be used for roleplaying purposes outside of the Combat Phase, though the Deimon Master has the final say on what becomes a canonical part of the narrative.

The Deimon Master will approve or deny each submitted deimon.

Deimon approval is determined by three factors:
  1. Valid entries for each of the four deimon requirements listed above.
  2. Magic talent could justifiably be considered under the domain of the deimon's umbration (mind-reading probably isn't Velocity magic, for instance).
  3. Deimon is not unreasonably overpowered (up to DM's discretion, although powerful deimons may be approved if an appropriate matchup can be found).
Only one deimon is allowed to participate per player in any given Umbra Rumble, although you may submit as many deimons as you wish.

Even if the Creation Phase is over, players are encouraged to create new deimons, but they must be submitted to the Deimon Master during a future Creation Phase to be eligible for full approval.

Any deimon that has received approval, or is pending approval, from the Deimon Master in a conversation shall be eligible to be used in roleplaying posts outside of the Combat Phase without losing eligibility for future rumbles.

Surviving deimons used in prior Rumbles are eligible for entry into new Rumbles, but they must be re-submitted for approval each time.

Each Creation Phase will last a full week, unless the Deimon Master announces otherwise in the thread.


Setup Phase
Phase 2) Get ready to rumble.​

The Deimon Master will select anywhere from 2 to 9 deimons to participate in the Umbra Rumble.

Only deimons that were approved during the previous Creation Phase are eligible to be selected for the current Umbra Rumble.

If multiple deimons were submitted by a single summoner and approved by the Deimon Master, it is up to the DM's discretion which deimon will be selected for the Rumble.

The Deimon Master will prepare the battlefield, creating balanced matchups based on the relative power levels of the selected deimons, as well as the number of players.

Possible matchup types include:
  • Deimon Deathmatch (i.e. head-to-head) - must be an even number of players, anywhere from 2 to 8.
  • Umbra vs. Umbra (i.e. teams) - must be an even number of players, anywhere from 4 to 8, and each team member must share the same umbration.
  • Rumble Royale (i.e. free-for-all) - must be an odd number of players, anywhere from 3 to 9.
Trash talk is encouraged while setup is taking place, as long as it abides by the Forum Rules.

Remember, you are each summoners, competing for the glorious title of Supreme Summoner.

Each Setup Phase will last one full day, unless the Deimon Master announces otherwise in the thread.


Combat Phase
Phase 3) RUMBLE!

Upon completion of the Setup Phase, the Deimon Master will announce the official beginning of the Umbra Rumble.

The Deimon Master will post a description of each participating deimon, including their summoner, animal shape, umbration, magic talent, and power rank.

Power ranking is based on a deimon's prior rumble performances, and is measured in moons (🌙).

All deimons start with one power rank (🌙) by virtue of being selected for the Umbra Rumble.

Whichever summoner possesses the highest total power ranking among their surviving deimons after each Umbra Rumble will be crowned Supreme Summoner.

Once the Deimon Master declares the beginning of the Umbra Rumble, each summoner must attempt to narrate their version of events as to how the battle will unfold.

Higher quality roleplaying grants the summoner a higher chance of victory, as measured by:
  • Incorporating as many participants into the narrative as possible, depending on matchup type
    • Does not apply to Deimon Deathmatches
    • Determines the teamwork bonus for Umbra vs. Umbra matchups (see Phase 4, Line 9)
    • Grants bonus points per deimon included for Rumble Royales
  • Demonstrating creativity in the use of your deimon's talent and animal shape
  • Minimal use of cheap tactics, such as deus ex machina and godmodding
  • Number of likes received on battle posts by non-participants (the Deimon Master is considered a participant)
NOTE: Players' battle posts are not to be considered canon during the Combat Phase; each is simply a possible version of events.

However, participants are encouraged to post multiple times to build on each other's responses, especially in Umbra vs. Umbra and Rumble Royale matchups.

Summoners are free to reject other summoners' versions of events in favor of their own.

The Deimon Master will ultimately choose the true version of events during the Judgment Phase.

Each Combat Phase will last five full days, unless the Deimon Master announces otherwise in the thread.

The rules for each particular matchup type are as follows:

Deimon Deathmatch
"Two deimons enter. One deimon emerges. The truest test of a skillful summoner."

Difficulty: (⭐) Risk: (⭐⭐⭐) Reward: (⭐ - ⭐⭐⭐)​

Deimon Deathmatches are the riskiest of all rumbles, as they are the only matchup type in which deimon death is a possibility.

The winner of the deathmatch claims the power ranks of their defeated opponent, living to fight another day.

The loser of the deathmatch is vanquished, yielding their power ranks to their opponent in addition to their life.

A dead deimon, obviously, can no longer participate in future Rumbles.

Think carefully before submitting a high-ranked deimon for a new Rumble, lest you risk losing your hard-won moons in a Deimon Deathmatch.

In the event that there are four, six, or eight deimons taking part in a Deimon Deathmatch, there will be multiple concurrent, independent deathmatches: two deathmatches for four deimons, three deathmatches for six deimons, and four deathmatches for eight deimons.

Umbra vs. Umbra
"Which umbra is greater than all the rest? The world may never know, but that won't stop summoners from fighting over it."

Difficulty: (⭐⭐) Risk: (⭐⭐) Reward: (⭐⭐)​

Umbra vs. Umbra contests pit deimons of one umbration against those of another in non-lethal combat, to see which umbra is superior.

Unlike other Umbra Rumbles, these contests are marked by a unique element: cooperation.

Often, the winning team in an Umbra vs. Umbra matchup is the one that can best support each other and achieve synergy with their abilities.

The winning Umbra Team receives one power rank (🌙) per deimon, while the losing Umbra Team loses one power rank (🌙) per deimon.

NOTE: A deimon cannot be reduced below one power rank (🌙) except in losing a deathmatch.

In addition, one deimon is chosen as the MVD, or Most Valuable Deimon, and receives an additional two power ranks (🌙🌙).

This results in a total of three power ranks (🌙🌙🌙) for the MVD if they are from the winning team, or one net power rank (🌙) if they are from the losing team.

The Most Valuable Deimon is the deimon who is judged to have had the greatest impact on the narrative, as determined by the Deimon Master during the Judgment Phase.

Rumble Royale
"Chaos."

Difficulty: (⭐⭐⭐) Risk: (⭐) Reward: (⭐ - ⭐⭐⭐)​

In a Rumble Royale, anything goes.

Do whatever it takes, take down as many other deimons as you can, and most importantly, try not to get eliminated.

The last deimon standing at the end of the combat phase is declared the winner, and receives one power rank (🌙) for each opponent bested:
  • Winning a three-deimon Rumble Royale bestows two power ranks (🌙🌙).
  • Winning a five-deimon Rumble Royale bestows four power ranks (🌙🌙🌙🌙).
  • Winning a seven-deimon Rumble Royale bestows six power ranks (🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙).
  • Winning a nine-deimon Rumble Royale, the fiercest of all Rumbles, bestows a whopping eight power ranks (🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙).
There is no penalty for losing a Rumble Royale; any lethal attacks will be magically suppressed.


Judgment Phase
Phase 4) To the victor go the spoils.
The Judgment Phase begins once the Deimon Master announces the close of the Combat Phase.

Any battle posts, or edits thereof, made after the date and time of the closing announcement will not be factored into the determination of the victor.

During the Judgment Phase, the Deimon Master evaluates each battle post, taking into consideration the criteria listed under Phase 3, Line 7.

Each battle post is given a skill rating, measured in skill points, or suns (☀).

The Deimon Master awards a minimum of one skill point (☀) to each battle post, while additional skill points are earned through meeting the criteria mentioned above.

The exact number of suns awarded is up to the DM's discretion, so as to circumvent metagaming tactics such as battle post spamming.

Each like given to a battle post by a non-participant is worth one skill point (☀).

All skill points are tallied for each summoner to determine their overall skill rating (OSR).

In the case of Umbra vs. Umbra matchups, each Umbra Team's OSR is the sum of the individual summoners' skill ratings, plus or minus a teamwork bonus based on their level of cooperation.

At the end of the Judgment Phase, the Deimon Master posts a canonical description of the events of the Umbra Rumble, based on the participants' battle posts.

The summoner or team with the highest overall skill rating is declared the victor of their matchup.

NOTE: Skill ratings of individual battle posts will be kept secret; send a Conversation to the DM with any questions or concerns about a particular summoner's OSR.

Each victor's deimon is awarded power ranks based on the rules of the matchup, while losing summoners' deimons are penalized accordingly.

The summoner with the highest total power ranking among their surviving deimons is then crowned Supreme Summoner.

In the event of a tie in power ranks, the Supreme Summoner will be the summoner with the highest lifetime OSR.​

…………………………………………………………………………………


The stage is set; the die is cast.

Whose deimons will emerge victorious?

Who will earn the coveted title of Supreme Summoner?


GALLERY



LEADERBOARDS

1st Place:
Jimothy
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
(6)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀

☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
(107)

Summoned Deimons:
Reiktan, a Coil-Dragonshape Deimon of Radiance (🌙)
Gimbyre, a Scorpionshape Deimon of Duality (🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙)

2nd Place:
Alya Nathair
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
(6)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀
(84)

Summoned Deimons:
Maina, a Porcupineshape Deimon of Caprice (🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙)
Errai, a Childshape Deimon of Duality (🌙)

3rd Place:
Tee
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙
(5)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
(48)

Summoned Deimons:
Fuzzles, a Dogshape Deimon of Innervation (🌙)
Agrajag, a Rabbitshape Deimon of Cosmos (🌙)
Pinch, a Pistol-Shrimpshape Deimon of Velocity (🌙🌙🌙)

4th Place:
Syril Dawntreader
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙🌙
(3)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀

☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀
(123)

Summoned Deimons:
Xiuhcoatl, an Axolotlshape Deimon of Radiance (🌙)
Teddy, a Fire-Spongeshape Deimon of Velocity (🌙)
Lamorak, a Humanshape Deimon of Radiance ()
Tezcatlipoca, a Black-Jaguarshape Deimon of Duality (🌙)

5th Place:
Val
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙🌙
(3)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
(90)

Summoned Deimons:
Pyrelight, a Balefire-Phoenixshape Deimon of Radiance (🌙)
The Watcher, a Humanshape Deimon of Radiance (🌙🌙)

6th Place:
Smiley100P
Power Ranking:
🌙🌙
(2)

Lifetime OSR:
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
☀☀☀☀☀☀☀
(87)

Summoned Deimons:
Arwynn, a Catshape Deimon of Innervation (🌙)
Daril, a Pangolinshape Deimon of Duality (🌙)


The glorious title of Supreme Summoner is currently held by Jimothy!
 
Last edited:

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
The Creation Phase has begun!

Submit your deimons to Deimon Master Avidro using the Conversation feature!

Remember, deimons must have the following traits to be approved:
  • Animal shape
  • Umbration
  • One (1) magic talent
  • Name
Feel free to add a personality, physical description, backstory, or any other extra information.

I would love to give constructive criticism, but as Deimon Master, my role is simply to facilitate your own efforts at defining each umbra. If I imposed my own ideas on how the umbras work, it would only serve to stifle your creativity. As long as I can see the logic behind a particular talent deriving from a particular umbration, you'll get my approval on that front. If the logic is fuzzy or hard to understand, I may ask for clarification on the link between the talent and umbration before I approve it.

In other words, if your goal is to get a better idea of how Cresnovians understand the umbras, I can't help you. If your goal is to get a better idea of the possibilities each umbration holds, from our own limited Amathæan perspective, then I would recommend submitting deimons that, in your view, push the boundaries of what might be possible through a given umbration. You might surprise yourself!​


Phase 2 begins Sunday, August 12th, 2018 at 7:00 PM CST.
 
Last edited:
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
owo this looks like a cool roleplay!! I'll PM you my character in mind asap!
(also I love how the difficulty and risk stars all add up to four)
 
Last edited:

Tee

Just a regular letter
Super Patron
Likes received
2,283
Umbration

Duality
Looks interesting. Time to show off my role-playing skills. I fear I may spend too much time on character creation though :p
 

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
As long as you get your deimon(s) submitted before the Sunday deadline, you should be fine!

Also, I edited the first post with a Basic Rules section, since the Official Rules felt like they needed a TL;DR. Of course, every player has to read the Official Rules, but the Basic Rules should help them understand the big picture a little easier.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tee

Tee

Just a regular letter
Super Patron
Likes received
2,283
Umbration

Duality
I might make one for each unbration. Don't worry I wont send them all in straight away. Maybe this will help me find out what umbration I am.
 
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
Question: is Zules* allowed to participate in this mess??
*(read: your wife :alternativefrecks:)
 

Zules

maybe Exvulnerum wasn't a mistake
Admin
Likes received
15,330
Umbration

Caprice
Question: is Zules* allowed to participate in this mess??
*(read: your wife :alternativefrecks:)
I'm allowed to do anything I want!! :creepyamber:

I won't, though, because I'm the type to get really involved in stuff like this and I simply don't have the time to get carried awayyy :wellactually:
 

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
Like I mentioned in the Voting Streak thread, I'm considering amending the rules to allow for players to transfer their deimons to other potential players. It wouldn't be possible until at least one Umbra Rumble is completed, but I thought I'd put the idea here to gauge player interest.

The rules would be something like:
  • Only deimons with a power ranking (i.e. who have participated in at least one Umbra Rumble) will be eligible for transfer
  • Summoners interested in owning a particular deimon must ask the current owner for permission
  • In the event of a deimon transfer, the transferred deimon's power ranking is reset to zero (which will increase to one when/if the deimon is later approved and selected for an Umbra Rumble)
  • Any power ranks lost in transfer may be converted into skill points, to be added to the original owner's lifetime OSR
I'd have to wait to figure out the exact conversion rate for moons to suns until I have an estimate for the earned sun average per Rumble. My guess is somewhere along the lines of a 1:10 exchange rate.

Summoners, what do you think? Does this seem like a fair system? Or should every summoner create their own deimons?
 
Last edited:

Tee

Just a regular letter
Super Patron
Likes received
2,283
Umbration

Duality
The more I think about it, the more I like it. As long as the conversion is fair, it should work well.
 
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
I +1 Tee's message.
 

Syril Dawntreader

Arbitrarily Active
Likes received
302
Umbration

Innervation
That system seems fair, and as long as the deimons came out of someone's head I don't see a problem.
 

Jimothy

Rogue Chemist, Supreme Summoner
Likes received
2,259
Umbration

Radiance
Oh hey, what umbration summaries do we have so far?
 

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
That system seems fair, and as long as the deimons came out of someone's head I don't see a problem.
I'd be concerned if a deimon didn't come out of someone's head... :backupamber:

EDIT: I added some words of advice to the second post from a conversation I had with a particular summoner. If you're interested in attempting to figure out what makes each umbra tick, I recommend giving them a read!
 
Last edited:
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
So, I have a question: What happens to deathmatches when four, six, or eight Deimons are in tow?
 

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
So, I have a question: What happens to deathmatches when four, six, or eight Deimons are in tow?
I should have clarified this in the rules. In those cases, there will be two/three/four concurrent matchups, each with its own winner and loser. The various deathmatches do not interact with each other.

I'll add a line in the Deimon Deathmatch rules to reflect this.
 
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
Ah, I was kinda thinking the same thing.
please let there be an odd number of Deimons aaaa
 
Likes received
595
Umbration

Innervation
...Wait by "cst" do you mean Central or Cresnov
 

Avidro

Ardently apathetic
Admin
Likes received
5,269
Umbration

Corporeality
Top