(Abridged Edition)

INTRO.

        This is just a guide to role-playing in the Final Fantasy IX world known as Gaia. (Terra was destroyed, so this is what we have to work with.) These guidelines and my own personal wisdom should make role-playing fun and entertaining as the characters move through a well-written storyline. (I design some of 'em.) So, let us begin at…the beginning, character development.

So, You Want to Make a Character. (That'll be Fifteen, Up Front, and Don't Forget My Tip!)

        Character development can by original or from what already exists. You can make you own character, change him around if you want, and act however you like (Within reason. "Can't be too careful with all those weirdoes running around."). I'll get to that later. First, let's talk about the characters that are already there or at least rumored as such. If you choose one of them, you have to act well enough like them to fit the part. (We can't have Zidane with Quina's eating habits while summoning Fenris or anything like that.) Here's what the status of the characters after FF9 was played through (SPOILER ALERT! If you haven't played FF9, play it! Otherwise, this next bit will give away the game's plot!):

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Zidane Tribal - He's one of the most important characters here. He and others like him were created on Terra. Although the rest of his kind, the Genomes, live in the village of the Black Mages, Zidane himself lives in Alexandria. His current weapon is the FF9 version of the Ultima Weapon. His Dyne abilities are accessible in times of need, but they reduce his stamina until he's too weak to cast. His Thief Skills are always usable and hardly ever use up much of his strength.

Garnet Til Alexandros the 17th ("Dagger" to her friends.) - She rules the kingdom of Alexandria, but always likes to get out now and then with her friends. Zidane seems to always hang around whether she's trying to act like a queen or just herself. Her current weapon is most likely a Tiger Racket or better. Her Summoning abilities and White Magic are useful in plenty of battles, but her attack strength needs a little work.

Adelbert Steiner - "Rusty" here also works in Alexandria. He's still the head of the Knights of Pluto and Beatrix is still the general of the kingdom's army, but at least they aren't fighting for supremacy anymore. Quite the contrary… Anyway, Steiner would do anything for Dagger since she IS royalty around here. Steiner's one of those guys who only do things "For The Royalty!" His weapon is the Excaliber. His Sword Techniques (some of which he got off of Beatrix) are quite formidable and his Sword Magic (Usable ONLY when Vivi is present) can by unparalleled at times.

Quina Quen - The Master Chef of Alexandria. S/He can cook wonders that you never thought possible. With food always in mind, s/he is always ready for battle while in possession of his/her Bistro Fork. Blue Magic is always usable and Eating is not limited only to weakened opponents. (Call it a "Blitz Attack".) The Cook ability will most-likely kill the intended victim unless it's a boss.

Vivi Ornitier - Believe it or not, the shortest Black Mage in the world has grown! (And not without good reason.) Using magic, leftover Mist, Steepled Hats, and various machines, Vivi has grown to a medium height while creating 99 Vivi-type Black Mages. They now live in the Black Mage Village along with the other Black Mages and the Genomes. (Although, his 'sons' like to travel a lot.) Vivi carries a High Mage Staff and uses a whole great slew of Black Magic. His sons carry a variety of staffs and use select amounts of the same trade.

Amarant Coral - Where'd this guy go and what's he up to? Nobody knows... The Flaming Amarant wandered off one day and no one knows when or where he'll show up next. His Flair abilities are always a help, but he himself doesn't care. (Throwing isn't much help in the case of role-playing, but you can keep it if you want.) His weapon will be a Tiger Claw or something.

Freya Crescent - Being one of the few remaining citizens of Burmecia, she's been guarding the place from danger along with Sir Fratley, the greatest of all Burmecian Soldiers. Her agile Jumping ability coupled with her Whale Whisker lance is a smashing combination. Her Dragon abilities help as well, but watch out for that Six Dragons spell!

Eiko Carol - One of the last known Summoners, she now lives in Lindblum at the castle of Cid Fabool the 8th. Her Summoning is limited to a few and her White Magic isn't as strong as Dagger's. But what do you expect? She's a kid wielding a flute as a weapon!

Mikoto **Reserved for Plot Elements.** - She is the only other Genome who was "given a soul." (That just means she has a better personality and power than the others.) Her life is that of someone who tries to make sense of the things around her when they sometimes make absolutely no sense at all. (For instance, Mikoto is well-aware that her race was genetically produced as vessel for the people of Terra. With no sense of culture or even self-identity in mind, Genomes do regard anyone as family. However, despite all of the facts, Zidane looks upon her as a kind of sister.) Fortunately, living in the Black Mage Village can give some great insights on life. And who knows? Maybe one day, she'll find someone who can give her an understanding of the way the world works. Mikoto's fighting ability is similar to Zidane's. Therefore, they use the same kinds of weapons. As it happens, she would most-likely carry something like an Orichalcum and a Mythril Dagger. Her own Dyne abilities would be more accessible since she's had more time to practice on Terra. A few of these abilities, like Meo Twister, would come from Zidane's repertoire while others would be discovered on her own. It is not likely that Mikoto would share in Zidane's Stealing ability.

Baku **Reserved for Comic Relief.** - Forget it! He's too funny to let you have him! GWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Gilgamesh - Remember the Four-Armed Man in Daguerreo? That's good-ole' Gil in his 'human' form. With four arms, he could still be formidable. (The trouble is that Gilgamesh was never extremely bright. In FF5, he had strength, power, weapons, and a high position in life. After he was betrayed by his boss, things haven't been that great. At least he's getting along now.) His weapons will vary and his actual magic is up to you. (If he DOES have any magic, he'd probably make it himself.) In a Trance, he will transform into the True Gilgamesh. (Who could stand against an eight-armed combatant?)

Gogo Godfingers - In this world, he's a famous craftsman of unbelievable talent who just disappeared one day. (Whimsical fella that he is.) But we wouldn't be surprised if he turned up as the master of mimicry, ready to copy every detail of people, their skills, and even their looks). In a Trance, he would (naturally) copy somebody else's Trance. (It's only fair.)

Cloud Strife - Zidane said he once knew a spiky-haired guy who used large swords all the time. Who's to say that Cloud couldn't find a way here? Heck, maybe Cid Highwind got the space program running again and this is the first world they found! Anyway, Cloud's weapon would be HIS Ultima Weapon and magic would be naturally governed by his materia stash. Limit Breaks would work like a Trance.

Master Quan - He's dead. Don't bother...

Black Waltz No. 2 - I'm going out on a limb here, so bear with me. Black Waltz No. 2 had been severely wounded by Zidane and Co. during his mission for Queen Brahne. (A similar thing happened to No. 3, but he didn't look so hot afterward.) After a long sleep, he recuperated. The world had changed dramatically since his defeat. The question is this: Which would he want? Revenge for his defeat or a purpose in life? (The problem with him is that he has an icy demeanor that would remind you of Amarant. Worse than that, people are more than aware of the kind of things he did!) And so, with staff in hand, he flies off in search of a reason for his existence or at least something to do. His knowledge of Black Magic is extensive, but does anyone need that kind of expertise now? As for a Trance... Now that his 'brothers' are dead, their power has flowed into him. He is able to use an ability called Triple-Threat. This ability uses the power of the three Waltzes to triple his strength and magic temporarily.

Beatrix - As General of Alexandria's army, her first loyalty is to the throne and second to the kingdom's safety. (Steiner comes in as a close third.) She possesses Sword Technique (like Stock Break and Climhazard) that blow away Steiner's skill. She has never been actually defeated in battle. Beatrix's sword is Save The Queen and does just that at times.

Cid Fabool - Don't try to be him. You might end up as a Hedgehog Pie!

Burmecian Soldier Dan - He's one of the survivors of the war. And as such, he's a highly-decorated war-hero and even in charge of a platoon. The weapon he uses is up to you. Just don't forget that he's a Burmecian. They ALL use lances and spears. Plus, they ALL Jump and have similar Trances.

Deus ex Machina - The clouds parted to let in a Xenogears reference. Imagine, within the ruins of Oeilvert, the Machine of the Gods resided (in a more compact form), kept in stasis by the power of an airship guard. But then one day, the Viltglance was destroyed and Deus was allowed to regain its strength. What will a living machine do to a world like this? Deus probably fights with bare 'hands' and uses his own form of magic. (We can reasonably assume that he isn't connected to the Zohar Modifier.)

        If you think of any other ALREADY-EXISTING characters, they've gotta go through me first. (Considering the last few that I thought up, it can be said that I have some leeway.) Characters of your own design should be generated to fit the place and era without being too advanced or too powerful. If you DO have great power, its usefulness should be limited in one way or another. Here's an example for you to use as a reference (My own main character for this RP.):

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NAME: Jason Hockner
AGE: 15
RACE: Hybrid Human/Spirit
WEAPON: Force Stealer
ARMOR: Spiritual nature increases defense.

PROFILE: Jason's origins are not your usual kind. His father (the ex-SOLDIER Joe Hockner) is hybrid spirit as well and his mother (known as Remy) is full-fledged spirit being. (Note: Spirits can live in the world as we do. They just operate under different rules than people.) Jason looks a lot like his dad except younger (black hair, Mako eyes, smirks a lot). However, he shares a couple of his mothers traits, as well (tan-colored Gargoyle wings and a tail). He prefers to keep these last traits hidden since they remind him of a secret shame that he dare not mention to others, lest he be feared and hated. He's a kind-hearted sort with a humorous nature, most of which usually disappears in battle. He hates to see others suffering, especially if he can't do anything about it. (That's another trait he can thank Joe for.)

ABILITIES: Aside from an amazingly strong skill in wielding his sword, Jason can use a few spells and attacks inherited from his parents. (1) Ultima Beam Cannon - A powerful beam of Ultima magic that hits harder than Ultimate Weapon's Ultima Beam. Takeback - A healing spell. It negates terrible wounds and large amounts of damage. Mana Storm - An energy storm of raw magic power. It acts very much like a thunder storm, but has no element. Jason also has a type of Caster (like the ones in Outlaw Star), but it and the ammo are gonna meet a less-than-desirable fate. His most powerful ability, which I will not reveal just yet (Plot Elements), can be used any time he wants. However, the price of using it could end up killing him.

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        Now, that's what I'm talkin' about! We need stuff like that around here. Keep the ideas flowing! I'll approve of them myself if they're worth it.

I dare to keep my dreams alive because I know that, in the end, nothing's gonna stand in my way as I let loose my instruments of destruction.

Edited by: Massacre The Darkgod at: 3/29/01 8:18:53 pm

"Knocketh thyself out. I shant keep thee from making way for a bold new character, sayeth I."

Go ahead. I need to see a few new faces in campaigns now and again. Just no god-moding or power-playing. Nobody likes that sort of thing.

And Gilnor, your character is A-OK. Of course, something bothers me. Burmecians are called dragoons, right? Funny. They don't look very draconic to me.

So far, this campaign has four people involved, including myself. I really hope we can get more than that.