The Pedestal: An Overambitious Mega-Dungeon Project

This is an over ambitious project that will require much dedication to see brought to life.

It is my hope that it will be my magnum opus of events. One to trump Hammerhead or Greenthumb.

Let's get on to the details, in my usual format. ***be sure to check this thread regularly as it will change often

What is it?

The Pedestal is a mega dungeon. In that sense, it is a very large all purpose underground complex that I will be designing to take -months- to complete.

How in the hell is that possible?

Glad you asked. The Pedestal is going to be designed into various sections, with each section having a scheduled event time to complete. This way, 4 sections would take a month to finish.

But wait, that seems like it would be short and not much fun!

Rightly so. Which is why the Pedestal is going to be designed in a way to allow additions to be put in on the fly.

Additions?

Yes! While there will be a scheduled section each week, the Pedestal is going to be designed in such a fashion that there will be plenty of room to build off the main structure.

What does that have to do with anything?

Right. So, these additions serve the purpose of allowing the community to jump into the dungeon whenever they want. Live in a different time zone, but still wanna explore the dangerous installation? Don't want to wait a whole week? Have a specific narrative or arc you want to do? Just send me a PM with your idea, and you can build your addition and run it as you want!

Are there any restrictions to these Community-Additions?

Yes, unfortunately. Since the Pedestal itself will have a main narrative and theme, all additions kind of have to be in line with the theme at the least. It wouldn't be believable if there was this huge military installation with a Floran hive made of wood attached to it. So, just fire off that pm with as much detail as possible and we can get you approved to run your own show off the Pedestal!

So I can't just go there whenever I want?

You can go to the Pedestal whenever you want. There will be a basecamp either outside or inside or both. Players are encouraged to hang out here to trade loot, stories, and form expedition parties to go in!

Wait, I can go in whenever I want?

Well of course you can! Main sections are limited to the TBD scheduled times, and players who make their own approved additions dictate their own schedules, you can still explore the areas and rifle through the dust. For more "engaging" RP however, you will need a designated DM.

Whoa, a DM? What kind of RP system will the Pedestal use?

Lower in this thread will be an application to help me DM this thing. Player made additions are entirely up to their own discretion, but are encouraged to follow the same style. DMs that focus on mainline and offshoots of mainline Pedestal events will be using the laissez-faire act/react style. What this means is, players are given initiative (in most cases) to "act" with the DM "reacting", thus entering into a kind of turn based RP. To better explain this, consider the following scenario.

Player 1 sees player 2 and swings his club at him! This is an "act", allowing for the opponent to "react" as they see fit. If they want to get injured, they can.

Player 2 narrowly dodges the club, setting them off balance! This is a reaction. Player 2 would now enter the act phase, and it would go on so forth. However, since this mega-dungeon will be mostly PVE, phases like this won't be as strict.

My belief with this system is complete freedom for character development. I will never force an injury or death on a character. Dice will only ever come out as a last resort to resolve issues that cannot be resolved OOCly.

I want to be a DM, but I also want my character to be involved in the events.

Not really a question, but don't worry citizen. DMs will operate on both a voluntary basis and a schedule. The schedule will run in the background of the events, so that if there is ever a time when all of the DMs want in, we can refer to the schedule. Kind of unfair, but a DM can always dual log and have their character be involved to a lesser extent.

When does it start?!

Probably November. Bosses need to be designed and sprited, weapons and items need to be starcheated, and the dungeon itself needs construction. This thread will remain open so that people can discuss ideas and get involved.

DM Application

Your Characters:
Available Times:
Preferred Style:
Experience:

Applicant DMs will undergo a kind of "dry run" to make sure they have a firm grasp of the style Pedestal will be using.

OOC Player Sign-Up/Party App

SteamName: Optional
Your Characters: List characters that will be involved
Available Times:
Available for Community-Modules: Whether or not you're interested in playing other people's events
Party Owner: List yes or no

Party Name:
Public/Private: Open for anyone to join or invite only
Available Times:
Available for Community-Modules:
Party Owner: List party owner

PLAYER ROSTER

SteamName: CaptainBritton02/Britato420
Your Characters: Ethan Britton
Available Times: Friday evening 4 PM EST onwards, all of Saturday, and Sunday until 11PM. Weekdays are 4:30PM-10:30 PM EST.
Available for Community-Modules: Yes
Party Owner: No

SteamName: ghazgkhullthraka (TheChainsawMonky)
Your Characters: Becky Ratskin and/or Batiru Colorstabber
Available Times: GMT+1hr 5:30 to 8:30 weekdays, 2:30 to 8:30 weekends
Available for Community-Modules: Hell to the yes.
Party Owner: No. But I'll make one if you need.

SteamName: Punished Tacc
Your Characters: Cullen, Deimos
Available Times: Any time most days, Monday-Thursday between noon and 5pm est
Available for Community-Modules: Somewhat
Party Owner: Yes

PARTY ROSTER

Party Name: Triton Expeditionary
Public/Private: Private via application
Available Times: Most times
Available for Community-Modules: Yes
Party Owner: Punished Tacc

 

Bonus Question:

Will there be loot? Yes, yes there will be loot.

 

There's act/react with character freedom style, which is the one Pedestal uses. There's pure DnD DM, which uses dice rolls and whatnot, where the DM has complete discretion to dole out injuries and the like. Really, there's not many "set" styles, but I find most people have their own distinct style.

Just an update. The loot, boss, and layout for the first 3/4 sections have all been drafted and are entering design phase. It is our hope that the first 4 sections will be ready to go on november, giving us a whole month to work on the next 4.

We're also working on mobs to a lesser extent, although loot will be restricted to the boss of each section.

 

Put up a poll. It'll close tomorrow.

 

Cole had an excellent idea about allowing OOC signup to happen now, and having the IC signup be a thing later on. So, here's what I'll do.

I'll post an OOC signup sheet at the top of the page, as well as a kind of "Party App", that allows players to create a more organized party. You don't need to fill out a party app in order to form a party with other players, but it will help keep things organized and will let us maintain a record.

 

Apparently I can't remove/change the existing poll. So that's lame. Anyhow, I'm putting out a general call to anyone who is sprite savvy that would like to contribute to this project.

Also, signs up are now available.

 

Could you please change the poll to be "Would you prefer a vertical main structure with modular sections for community use off the sides or horizontal main structure with modular sections off the bottom for community use?"

options being vertical or horizontal

New poll is up

 

Added to the roster

 

Added to the roster, thanks for changing the poll for me babes

 

Midterms and delays have put us back, but I got something here to share with you all courtesy of Cole;

The Inquisitor drone. Lightly armoured, maneuverable and sports an eye that fires trails of ionized gas, this combat scout drone is a direct upgrade to the maintenance swarm drones you'll come across in the first section. Expect these things to hit hard and fast from a direction you weren't expecting.

Stats coming soon.