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a Lacie's Box Discord Roleplay
"Mind the things mentioned here, Fledgling.
It would do you good to know how to act in the presence of the Nightingale."
♢ Mazzie ♡
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Navigation
The Aviary Discord group is now open.
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The RP Interest Check will close on May 30th, 11:00PM
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Decision emails will be sent on May 31st by 7:00PM
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This RP runs from July 5th to July 25th, 2021
Schedule
The Discord Platform
Discord
Likely the most radical change imposed in terms of roleplay (RP) scheme is the shift from the Facebook social media platform to Discord, an instant messaging application that is compatible on both desktop and mobile devices.
Their website defines the app as such:
Discord is a free voice, video, and text chat app that's used by tens of millions of people ages 13+ to talk and hang out with their communities and friends.
People use Discord daily to talk about many things, ranging from art projects and family trips to homework and mental health support. It's a home for communities of any size, but it's most widely used by small and active groups of people who talk regularly.
The vast majority of servers are private, invite-only spaces for groups of friends and communities to stay in touch and spend time together. There are also larger, more open communities, generally centered around specific topics such as popular games like Minecraft and Fortnite. All conversations are opt-in, so people have total control over who they interact with and what their experience on Discord is.
The moderating team of The Aviary has opted to instigate this shift as an attempt to address the various issues which has since hindered a seamless RP experience on Facebook Pages. The platform offers an intuitive server-wide search and archiving system, more reliable notifications, and the ability to assign and mention server "roles" which allows for quick identification and alerts.
Naturally, while the Discord platform is generally feature-rich, utilizing it as an RP platform would come with its own list of unique concerns. However, if the players are willing to cooperate with the moderating team and maintain a mindset of flexibility in adjusting to the new platform, it will be entirely possible to execute a satisfactory RP experience.
Click here to download a detailed list of Terms & Conditions for this RP.
Making a Fledgling
Making a Fledgling
Player characters are citizens of The Aviary colloquially known as Fledglings. Fledglings are law-abiding citizens who do work that is rewarding to them throughout the week and pledge their devotion to the Nightingale on Sundays. Their lives are idyllic and carefree, considering that they usually do not know any better. This is apt due to the fact that all Fledglings are amnesiacs, having traded off the knowledge of their past in The World Below to be reborn in The Aviary. Whether this new life will be worth the sacrifice is something for them to decide in due time.
As discovering one's shrouded past is a key element of this world, the RP will introduce the experimental feature of shuffled backstories. This means that, come time to accomplish the CCF, players will be prompted to provide information about their characters, relevant to A) their current life as a Fledgling as well as B) their life prior to becoming a Fledgling.
To facilitate an element of mystery, B will be shuffled among the player pool according to the discretion of the moderating team. As the plot progresses, players are encouraged to obtain information about B through their interactions with the world via world interactions and quests, which will result in them (re)discovering new skills, and, later on, their own unique Mercy.
The interweaving of A & B requires a strong collaborative effort among all players and moderators to ensure that each backstory is written with much thought and care, while remaining attentive to the lore of The Aviary. In line with this, it is recommended that player Fledglings are at least 20 years old to allow for a more seamless integration of character backstories.
Rediscovering the Past
Rediscoverng
Backstories are unknown to the player and their characters at the start of the roleplay, but this will not always be the case.
There are two ways to rediscover a Fledgling's past, both of which may only transpire during quests: Either through A) through obtaining Mercy visions or B) attempting actions using skills in which the character is proficient.
When a character fails in their action to use their Mercy, they will be given a snippet of their past. Given the 50/50 odds of success and failure, discovering their past through skill proficiencies is a more reliable way to remember the past.
When a character attempts actions that fall under their skill proficiencies, they will recover a piece of their past even if the action is a failure. This provides a fail-safe should a lucky player only get successes with every use of their Mercy.
The Hand of Fate
The Hand of Fate
The Hand of Fate System was created by systems consultant Fernando Miguel Lofranco for use in the Aviary and then built upon by moderator Kelcie Reyes as the Aviary’s concept was further developed. The system encourages strategy and creativity, which players certainly have in abundance.
Any system concerns may be directed to Kelcie Reyes through private message.
SUMMARY
During quests, players will draw cards from a tarot deck made for the RP. The number of cards drawn correspond to the number of turns that make up the duration of the quest. The cards drawn are restricted to Minor Arcana being Cups, Pentacles, Wands, and Swords. Only Moderators can draw Major Arcana cards.
Each Minor Arcana has both number cards and face cards. Only ONE card may be used per player PER TURN.
Number Cards, such as the following, contribute to a character’s total Impact for the action:
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DIFFICULTY CLASSES
Difficulty Classes (DC) are usually revealed to allow the player to better strategize for their actions. The moderators will reveal the DC of common actions that the moderator team expects players to take. Whenever a player takes an action, the moderators check their skill proficiencies and if the action falls under the proficiency, their bonuses will be applied to the character’s Impact.
Players can also use their Mercy and their special cards which have effects that may change DC, raise Impact, or cause actions to become automatic successes given certain criteria.
These methods can raise a character’s Impact to reach the difficulty class and promote an action from a failure to a success. Of course, they may also “Tempt Fate” by taking actions which do not fall under the list moderators have provided. Doing so will no longer reveal the DC of their intended action.
IMPACT
The numerical equivalent of one’s attempted action is called Impact. Its base value is usually determined by the use of a number card in a player’s hand. The total value of Impact must equal or exceed the DC assigned to the attempted action:
0 = Trivial
3 = Routine
6 = Challenging
9 = Difficult
12 = Improbable
15 = Near Impossible
At the beginning of each quest, the moderators will reveal the DC of actions the players are expected to take. This allows an element of strategy into the system which is highly encouraged.
Combat actions have a default DC of 6 and the DC will increase by 3 when it comes to targeting multiple enemies or a specific body part.
SYSTEM MECHANICS
The Minor Arcana of the tarot deck are split into four suits: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit has number cards ranging from Ace to Ten, along with the ranked face cards of Page, Knight, Queen and King.
In Hand of Fate, each player is dealt a hand of five Minor Arcana cards from a tarot deck. Four of the cards will be cards ranging from Ace to Ten while the last card will be either a Page, a Knight, a Queen, or a King. These cards will be used to determine if an action succeeds or fails.
During a turn, the player may perform ONE of the following actions:
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Use a Number Card (Ace to Ten)
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Use a Face Card (Page, Knight, Queen, King)
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Tempt Fate (execute an unorthodox action with an unknown DC)
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Assist/Oppose (use Impact to aid or hinder another player)
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Use Mercy (ability unlocked after Week 1)
FACE CARDS
The ranked face cards of each suit act as special cards with a variety of effects meant to boost the Impact of an unfortunate hand. They cannot affect other players’ Impact.
Players are allowed to draw one Face Card from their suit per quest. Players must declare the use of a Face Card prior to executing an action. Belated declarations will not be processed.
In the CCF, there is a question that will determine the Minor Arcana suit of your character. If you do not wish to view the card effects beforehand, please refrain from clicking the "i" button in the top left corner when you select a card from the gallery below, as this will toggle ON the card effect description.
SKILL PROFICIENCIES
A Fledgling's current occupation in The Aviary grants them proficiency in one (1) skill which the player can determine during the CCF. You will also be asked to choose two (2) additional skill proficiencies, however, these will be shuffled among the player pool as earlier stated.
Actions taken using proficient skills gain a bonus to Impact which are ranked as follows:
1st skill = +5
2nd skill = +4
3rd skill = +3
Note that only 1st skill is known to the players at the start of the RP. The 2nd and 3rd skill proficiencies will be assigned randomly via shuffled backstory, prompting players to rediscover them throughout the course of the RP.
In addition, here is a list of skills that characters can proficient in. To further explain how each skill can apply to an action, imagine the character named Morgan and what they can try to do with an apple in their possession:
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Acrobatics. Morgan throws the apple in the air and attempts to catch it while doing a flip.
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Alchemy. Morgan tries to turn the apple into an apple pie.
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Animal Handling. Morgan tries to feed the apple to a horse they just met.
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Athletics. Morgan attempts to crush the apple with their bare hands.
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Constitution. Morgan tries to resist food poisoning after they ate the apple which was apparently poisoned.
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Deception. Morgan tries to convince someone that the apple in their possession is not poisoned, despite knowing otherwise.
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Dexterity. Morgan attempts to cut the apple into neat thin slices without injuring their fingers.
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History. Morgan tries to recall if he has eaten an apple in the past.
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Insight. Morgan tries to determine if the apple vendor is lying about selling a non-poisoned apple to them.
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Intimidation. Morgan threatens the apple vendor for selling them a poisoned apple.
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Investigation. Morgan actively searches the apple vendor’s cart for proof of poison.
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Machinery. Morgan builds a machine capable of testing for poison from the apple vendor’s equipment.
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Medicine. Morgan determines how the apple can be used as a cure rather than completely dismissing it as poisoned.
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Nature. Morgan attempts to identify if the apple was inherently poisonous from its species.
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Perception. Morgan attempts to identify the tree which spawned the apple at a glance.
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Performance. Morgan creates a musical number about the apple.
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Persuasion. Morgan tries to convince the apple vendor to compensate them for selling a poisoned apple.
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Sleight of Hand. Morgan steals another apple from the apple vendor.
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Stealth. Morgan sneaks away before the apple vendor realizes that they have stolen another apple.
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Survival. Morgan gets lost in an apple orchard and they attempt to make their way out.
TEMPTING FATE
Creative actions that go beyond the expectations of the moderators will be subject to the mechanic of Tempting Fate. Anticipated actions have revealed DC, but actions that Tempt Fate will NOT have their DC revealed.
It is a gamble with rewards that may outweigh the risks. Players are encouraged to utilize this mechanic wisely in combination with their cards in hand.
ASSISTING/OPPOSING
Any action taken to ASSIST another player with their attempted action will increase Impact of the assisted player by the assisting player’s Impact divided by half (rounded down).
Any action taken to OPPOSE another player in their attempted action will decrease Impact of the opposed player by the opposing player’s Impact divided by half (rounded down).
MERCY
Mercy is a concoction unique to the Aviary that allows characters to execute feats that are impossible for the common man. A sip is enough to awaken prowess that they never knew they had.
During events, characters can choose to use Mercy and then proceed with an action detailing how they plan to use the powers granted by Mercy to achieve their objective. They can only use Mercy once per quest. This is considered a special action which requires a different way of processing on the moderator’s side.
When a character drinks Mercy, they will draw a card from a deck consisting of cards with values ranging from one to ten. The results will be interpreted according to the values below:
1 = Critical Failure:
The attempted action WILL NOT resolve as the character is plagued by a long and vivid vision of their past
2 to 5 = Failure:
The attempted action WILL NOT resolve as the character is plagued by a short and vague vision of their past.
6 to 9 = Success:
The attempted action WILL resolve as expected, but the character will not experience visions of their past.
10 = Critical Success:
The attempted action WILL resolve with an unintended benefit, but the character will not experience visions of their past.
The Nightingale Bot
The Nightingale Bot
The RP will employ the use of a discord bot in order to implement the system. Doing so will lessen the mental burden of moderators, allowing them to focus on the task of giving players an enjoyable RP experience. Moderator preference and stamina have led to a decision that quests will finish at 12:00AM regardless of circumstance. Each quest is assumed to only take four rounds to complete, and the bot reflects this.
Continuations are possible but highly unlikely as they may require players to join a sequel quest created by the bot at the moderator’s discretion.
USING THE BOT IN QUESTS
There are three significant members in a quest : Moderator, Player, and the Nightingale Bot. The section below details the flow of a sample quest called Hamartia.
Moderator : !createquest Hamartia 5
Bot : response
The command creates a quest in the bot’s database entitled Hamartia with 5 open slots for participants. Only moderators can create a quest. The Bot will respond when it has logged the quest within the database and will include the command for players to join the quest in its reply.
Player : !joinquest Hamartia
Bot : response
The command will signal to the bot to remember the player as having joined the quest Hamartia. The bot will tag the player’s last joined quest as their active quest and will associate cards drawn as being part of that quest.
Player : !leavequest Hamartia
Bot : response
The command will signal to the bot to remove the player from the quest’s list of participants.
Player : !drawhand
Bot : response
When players use this command, the bot will draw their hand of fate and remember its contents for the next turns. To use a card, players must react with the emoji corresponding to the card and react with the check mark to confirm their choice. There is a 30 time limit to choose a card for the turn. Please be mindful of this.
Bot : response
Once the bot acknowledges the react, it will remember the card used and remove it from the hand for the subsequent turns.
Mod : !nextturn Hamartia
Bot : response
After players have replied with their narrative actions and moderators have responded in kind according to the cards chosen by the player, the next turn begins at the moderator’s command and players may choose a new card to use.
Mod : !endquest Hamartia
Bot : response
The moderator must use this command at the end of the quest to signal to the bot that it must no longer consider this quest active.
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