CHARACTER CREATION GUIDELINES
While the roleplay tends to focus more on story and drama, power has always been a major element of Magistia's mythos. As many of us have learned, sometimes the hard way, power must have clear limitations, or it will run out of control. These limitations, and the guideline to follow when establishing what your character is capable of, can be found here.
THE TIERS
The diverse beings living in and around Magistia can be divided into "tiers" of relative power. The tiers operate on a scale of 1 to 10. At Tier 1 are the average citizens and civil servants of Magistia, Good enough at whatever they do best, but by no means heroic. At Tier 10 are the most powerful of celestial beings, able to make the world tremble with their actions, but forever removed from humanity.
The higher tiers are unavailable to players. The highest playable tier without special permission from the admins is Tier 5. With special dispensation from admins, Tier 6 can be made available. Such permission will only be given if it is earned. If you've earned it, we'll let you know, so don't ask. Ever. Additionally, no character shall begin his or her existence within the roleplay above Tier 3. If there's no room for growth, a character stagnates.
WHAT THE TIERS MEAN
Each tier represents how much better a character is at something than normal people. As has been mentioned, Tier 1 is the average competent human. Tier 2 is a skilled and capable, but still completely human character. Tier 3 is just beginning to edge into the superhuman range. Tier 4 is distinctly superhuman in some areas, but still within the human range in others. Tier 5 is head and shoulders above human ability in a number of areas.
No character is good at everything, so a player, when creating a character, must choose the skills in which the character specialises. The number of skills a character excels in depends on the character's tier. A player may choose two skills for each tier above Tier 1 (Tier 2, 3, 4, 5). For example, a Tier 3 character would excel at four skills.
A player may optionally choose to place certain skills at a lower level than others, but it is not required.
Skills need not be rigidly categorised, as Magistia has no set-in-stone list of skills, abilities or powers. A one-or-two word description of the skill will suffice. More detailed descriptions are good for character depth, but are not required.
In most cases, a character cannot have abilities which temporarily advance him/her
beyond his/her natural tier level. The only circumstance under which this is permissible is if the ability includes a significant drawback which makes it as much of a curse as a blessing. Under those circumstances, with a moderator's permission, such an ability can be granted.
TIER ADVANCMENT
Advancing from one tier to the next is not a simple matter. Advancing to the next tier represents a significant growth in power or skill, and that requires justification. Since this is a story-heavy roleplay, justification comes in the form of a good story. Something that explains how your character has evolved to such a degree. The possibilities are many and varied, but no matter the story, a moderator must approve it before another tier is added.
Examples include a defining battle in which a warrior unleashes her true combative potential (must be dramatically appropriate, not just a scuffle with some bandits), a harrowing mystical quest in which a magician learns the true nature of his soul and grasps a whole new understanding of his power, a powerful personal epiphany which leads a character to refine his skills at the expense of nearly everything else, or just about anything else that combines elements of drama, storytelling and general awesomeness.
EXAMPLE CHARACTER
SATARA
TIER 6 Angel-Kin
-Stealth
-Superhuman Resilience
-Ranged Combat
-Supernatural Perception
-Superhuman Dexterity
-Smooth Talking
-Tactics
-Melee Combat
-Destructive Magic
-Strength
Tier 0
-Crafting
-Decorum