The Tower of ProZ

A Forum RPG inspired by the Tower of Druaga RPG on the Escapist Magazine forums(which amos browses a lot) and numerous japanese and western stage type games, also played by amos.

The idea: There is a vast metaphysical tower* consisting of a near infinite number of levels or floors connected by coolio magic portals.
The Player Character's goal is to advance through all the levels or as many as you can to get to the top, or die trying. At the top you can obtain godlike power. At least that's what the rumors say. Whatever you want requires you to try and get to the top/advance through the levels.
Each floor contains a different kind of environment that challenges the climbers as they try to find the next portal up. This environment can be almost anything, of any size, large and small.

The twist**: Each player not only creates their character, they also get to create their own floor of the tower. When the players are exploring a level, it's creator will take his/her turn as the Game Master of the session, controlling all aspects of the level they created.
"1 Climber, 1 Level."

Reply if you are interested or you have questions I don't answer below.

QIEYWAATPPA: (Questions I expect you will ask, and their preemptively posted answers)
How will we start out?
The game begins with the PCs on the second floor. The first floor is a dynamic test of determination that is different for every PC which you all have already passed. You decide what your first floor experience was in your character background. It may have played a large part in the way your character starts out.

What happens to a player character when the player is GMing the level they made?
You will have to do without him/her/it for that level, the character is "out of commission" for the duration and will return when you advance to the next level. This is to save players the trouble of trying to challenge themselves and other problems that come with playing a scenario you made. Lorewise: Characters are notified upon passing the first floor of which floors they must bypass.

What are the limits on level design/portals/etc.?
Each level must have at least one portal leading to the next. This portal can be anything. I imagine that there are two main types: The "gateway", where there is a doorway or opening in which climbers walk through to get to the next level, or a "portkey", where touching an item or performing actions involving the item transport users to the next level. A gateway type portal should have an opening large enough that the normal size range of humans can fit through. The portkey type should not be (abnormally) lethal to touch or easy to destroy, but anything goes if you can make it interesting and fair.
You can also have portals to any of the previous levels, although these must be clearly indicated as such.
Levels can be entire worlds, or perhaps just rooms. Anything you can imagine. By default, small levels will have an infinite wall or cliff at their edges unless you specify otherwise. Generally players shouldn't come close to the edge. Also, refrain from environments that grant the players permanent or game-changing abilities.

*I prefer to think of it as a series of linked nodes. The tower concept makes it easier for you plebs to understand.
** Insert M. Night Shyamalan joke here.

* I don't actually play the rpg that inspired this idea. But their core concept of alternating players making and gming floors sounded cool to me.
* About the lore for when your character is out of commission, we are explaining it the teleporting system isn't perfect. Climbers can occasionally skip a floor or two (in our case never more than 1).
* Yes someone will not start on the second floor, but instead the third floor.
* While in practice there are infinite floors, lorewise there is a top that a select few have reached.
* People might climb the tower for all sorts of reasons, in pursuit of rumored paradise and treasure, simply to test their skills, perhaps they are looking for someone in the tower, lotso possibilities.

The magic system is not compromised out of individual spells (Although at low and medium levels it will probably be expressed as such). Magic is more like programming, in the sense that there are certain techniques and things you can do that are simple but when put into action can be extremely useful, deadly or both.

I'm interested. Is there a printed set of rules for this game?

We are actually making it from scratch on Google Docs, I can share it with you.

I asked discussed with Kooay and we agreed to remove everyone not building the game rules until it is at least at a playable state.

Trust that for as of this post the game is still COMPLETELY unplayable.

Not entirely unplayable. You can play some other game, and/or PRETEND you are playing this game, and you wouldn't be too far off. It'd be in accord with the spirit of its designers. Sort of.

o noez!!! i've been removed. well i guess i was kinda asking for it by not doing anything

It was not "agreed" so much as "you can do it if you want to". I don't really care either way.

DW, the main summary's still here on this topic, and you can ask us questions about it if you really have a burning desire to know.

o man... dat burning desire... MAH BURNING PASSION!!!
dat passion dawg
I WARNED U ABOUT DUH PASSION!!!

Corenat Rovarnus wrote:Not entirely unplayable. You can play some other game, and/or PRETEND you are playing this game, and you wouldn't be too far off. It'd be in accord with the spirit of its designers. Sort of.

I see the system (i.e. combat and magic (while stats is just their b1tch that I can't seem to get to work right)) as the key component of this game. The setting as you have said could be emulated elsewhere.

We're making some example characters to help flesh out the world and see the flaws in our system.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lcLJs0l6zKoB9VRCZ-LOM8xmr_76eOEVNSXiJtsEuN8/edit

Check back every now and then, we will periodically release new Champions of the Leaguecharacters.

FYI the titles are just for fun there, you do not need some title for your character.

As long as we're watching this topic here's some cool stuff I figured out all by myself:
Fishermen = Solo top, usually a tough melee fighter.
Spear Bearer = Bot Ranged AD carry, squishy sniper from afar.
Light Bearer = Bot Support, places sight wards to grant team vision.
Scout = Jungler, usually has high movespeed and watches out for gank opportunities across the map.
Wave Controller = Mid AP carry, inflicts magic damage(usually in high bursts) and status effects.

In the game of proz, you win or u mad