User:Mies Red.Mage/Harmonic Dissonace

Harmonic Dissonance, the Roleplay story housed at Ichigos sheet music forums, is an online text based RPG devised by Roy Mustang (forum alias), and directed by the forum Roleplay Moderators (a team of five, each with a specific job). The Roleplay (henceforth RP) officially started 09 November 2004, and currently contains six chapters.

Concept
The point of Harmonic Dissonance is not much unlike any standard RPG. Basically a User's contributes his/her writing to a grand plotline by utilizing a character that the User created themselves. Also, there are guides (see Character Compilation Guides) to make a standard on how to create a character for the RP. Once a character is created, one can participate by:


 * Typing a story, in character, following along with the general plot devised by Roleplay Moderators.
 * Perform missions where a Roleplay member is given a set criteria to write around.
 * Freelance in one of the freelance threads
 * Taking on another RP member in a battle of words (see battle)
 * Write a "sub-plot" (see subplot)

It is typical for a Roleplayer to do all of the above, because the more they write, the more experience the Roleplaying Moderators award the user, and with that experience, the user can create or level abilities. But, above all, writing more builds confidence in the User's writing skill. The more the User writes, while following the rules, the more respect the user gets from the moderation team--as well as other users of the RP--the more leverage they will be allowed when touching the main plot.

Character Compilation Guides
A standard RP character is created by five background entries, and eleven specified criteria. The first five are entirely made up by the user and are not constrained to any rules other than to keep it family safe. The five are: Name, Age, Sex, Appearance, Biography. Age can be declared as unknown if the User desires, but all other categories must be filled in order to be approved to post.

The eleven other criteria have specific rules that determine a Users abilities/powers/actions, and are as follows.

Race & Alignment
There are 32 primary races, with 14 mixable, offering a total of 46 different race options (found below). Alignment is determined by an eleven step progressive bar--ranging from the most good (Saintly) to the most evil (Depraved). Alignment is not locked in and can change in reaction to how the user reacts to situations. Further information relating to races and alignment can be found in the similar named guide thread.

Class
A class is defined as what exactly a character is proficient at (swordsmanship, magic, thief, merchant, etc...). The classes are divided into four main categories--Physical, Magical, Rogue, Miscellaneous--totaling at 19 different specialties, all which have 3 different skill levels. By selecting a certain class, a user is granted a default side ability from the class. A side ability is a passive skill that everyone in a certain class learns. See Abilities for further information.

Merit/Flaw
More than likely the most complicated part of creating your character. Just like how it sounds, the Merit/Flaw system grants your character natural born talents and weaknesses. When a character is created, three merits and three flaws must be chose in order to be approved. Originally, a user could select any combanation of merits and flaws; so long as the two groupings equaled three each. This posed the first major problem of the RP. The system could be used in such a way that a User's flaws would not balance out with the selected merits, giving the deft an unfair advantage. In light of this, the RP moderators did an extensive revision to the Merit/Flaw system in April 2005 where a user has three predefined flaws per chosen merit. By doing this, the RP Moderators solved this first problem. The second promenant issue is the fact that users don't type within context of their flaws, which isn't a game issue, but a User issue. This second problem has yet to be resolved.

Element
The Roleplay uses a standard 4 Element system--fire, wind, water, earth--each housing a god(dess) of their own--Zoshnel, Hainiel, Grazus, and Basaar; respectively. Born from the four standard elements, there exists two along with two non-elemental spirits--Light and Darkness--whom does not possess any god(dess). It follows the basic guidelines for all four element systems, water is superior to fire, wind is superior to earth, earth is superior to water, and fire is superior to wind. Light and Darkness are equally matched powers.

Battle Archive
[to be completed later]

Mission Archive
[to be completed later]

Clans
[to be completed later]

Active Role Players
[to be completed later]