The world of Azad is a dangerous place...

Huge wyverns and beasts stalk the wilds preying on all those beneath them battling between each other for their place on the food chain. Mankind too has long struggled to earn it's place in the world of Azad as well learning through trial and error and sheer accident how to combat the great and powerful beings that rule the land. However the monsters are strong and alone humans are frail things and many settlements and lives have been lost in the battle to survive.

Fortunately there came the Hunters Guild.
An organisation of men and women of exceptional conditioning who gear up and use cunning, strength and superior weaponry and tools to battle these great monsters. They battle the monsters that threaten mankind's way of life and use the monsters themselves to increase their own strength as they utilise monster parts to craft their weapons and armour and materials to help build a variety of things in everyday life.

Thanks to the Guild, mankind has managed to live fairly comfortably and forge it's place in this wild land however they understand that it is a delicate balance. As such the Guild regulates all hunting, issuing quests and hunts according to commissions from villagers and townsfolks with consideration for the environment so as to ensure nothing is ever hunted into an endangered species or extinction.

In the great desert city of Loc Lac people from all around the world gather for trade and other delights shipped in across the sands on great sand skiffs. Of course it is also a great gathering place for hunters as every now and then the Herald of Prosperity, the Jhen Mohran, powers through the desert promising riches and rare materials for those brave enough to face it's test.

Like many before them, another group of hunters gathers in Loc Lac seeking their own fortunes.

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Howdy

So I wanted to strike a Monster Hunter roleplay up for some intense team-based monster fighting fun. The setting is sort of medieval/tribal fantasy but let me be clear there is NO magic. There is weaponry and tools to fight monsters and the closest thing to magic is the mystical powers of rhythm that comes from hunting horns. Traps and tricks and machinery are the extent of the forces used to fight monsters. Of course the hunters themselves are pretty durable able to swim in incredibly heavy armour and wield improbable huge weapons and fall great distances without a scratch.

So here's the character stuff:

Name: (Character Name)
Age:
Preferred Weapon: (Note this doesn't have to be your only weapon but it will be your starting one, it is akin to a 'class')
Appearance: (I advise you keep this simple and don't go into extensive details about the armour/clothing and focus more on personal appearance. A large part of monster hunter is the forging and building of armour and everyone will start basic)
Personal Strength: (Something your character is especially good at, keep it small...like one or two things, don't be a Mary Sue)
Personal Weakness: (Something your character struggles with, could be a personal issue or a great fear, I DO expect you to roleplay this if it comes up, it could even be a personal flaw).


Weapon Information:

Great Sword - Huge immense blades of insurmountable power, slow and unwieldy even the strongest hunters take time to swing this blade. Masters of this weapon know immense patience and precision in choosing when to strike when the opponent is most vulnerable to achieve the greatest damage. The huge size of the blade also allows the hunters to block some monster attacks however it is in no way designed for defensive ploys and extended blocking can damage the blade. Great Swords have immense damage as is but uniquely hunters can charge the swing for a precise moment to maximise the damage in one colossal blow.

Long Sword - Long sleek elegant blades designed in the lands far in the east. Their popularity has since spread across the world and they are an effective and powerful weapon prioritising speed and damage. Masters of the longsword hone their blade with 'Spirit Combos', elegant flurries of death that cut a swathe through monsters inciting the soul of the hunter increasing their strength on successive attacks. Unfortunately having such slim thin blades mean long swords have little defensive capabilities however their light weight allows hunters to move relatively quickly while wielding them so dodging monster's attacks is still an option.

Dual Blades - Small swords wielded in pairs for an brutal onslaught of attacks. Unique in the weapons in that due to the fact they come in pairs some sets of dual blades utilise multiple elements or status ailments at once. Favoured mostly by young wild hunters they flail the weapons wildly and brutally at monsters prioritising multiple strikes over sheer strength. When fighting, practitioners of Dual blades unleash all their strength into a burst known as 'Demonizing' allowing them greater strength and speed for a limited time as they assault their foe with all their fury ignoring some minor attacks as their foes experience their fury. If a Demonized hunter commits himself fully to their fury they can slip into Archdemon mode where their rage grants them even greater speed and damage as they flow through the battle zipping like lightning between opponent's attacks to strike their own. Dual blades are light allowing decent speed and evasive capabilities but are far too small to block any attack effectively and the all-out nature of dual blade combat often leaves them open to larger monsters (who are unlikely to flinch from a few cuts) counterattacks.

Sword and Shield - A prime choice for starting hunter, a solid balance of attack and offence. Sword and shield users often utilise hit and run tactics leaping lightly into combat to strike a few blows before backing off only to return with another leap. While it has neither the strength of a long sword or the speed of dual blades it does have the virtue of defensive capabilities in the form of a small arm mounted shield allowing hunters to block some attacks. However the shield is only small and most attacks will still send the hunter reeling back from the shock of the blow or knock them over even if they do little lasting damage. The lightweight sword and shield also allows the hunter to move speedily and evade attacks should they choose not to block them much. A unique advantage to sword and shield is the ability to use items without putting weapons away. Since the shield is strapped to the arm rather than held it allows a free hand to manage items with on the fly whereas other weapon users have to sheathe their weapons temporarily to free their hands for item use. A sword and shield master has no true weaknesses albeit with no exceptional strengths.

Hammer - One of the simplest weapons and yet a popular one all the same. Large objects formed from monster materials mounted on the end of a pole held by the hunter allow for massive blunt damage to be inflicted upon the monster. Many hammer wielders will heft their hammers in advance charging their attacks as they run at the monster to unleash a wild flurry of swings or one strong precise strike however this is a tiring experience for the hunter. Due to the concussive nature of the damage hammers can inflict they are excellent tools for dazing a monster and stunning it or breaking body parts otherwise resistant to the slicing nature of sword and blade based weapons. Hammer users run freely with disregard for most defensive capabilities other than rolling or running from attacks. However they can move quite speedily with the hammer hefted to attack but when they aren't utilising the hammer's unique charge abilities the powerful attacks can seem quite sluggish and slow without any momentum behind them.

Hunting Horn - A peculiar and mysterious weapon that comes in many strange forms not all of which would at first sight be considered a 'horn'. Heavy and slow the hunting horn is not suited to blocking attacks and makes moving difficult considering the sheer weight of the object often hefted on the shoulder when carried about. It's blunt attacks are powerful if slow but not as powerful as the hammer so some question why hunters would use such a weapon over other faster and more powerful options. The secret lies in the unique melodies played through the hunting horns. As a hunter swings this weapon the air moves through it creating unique and strange notes which, in certain combinations, can be played to create a mysterious amount of rousing effects in the hunter and their companions. Hunting horns can heal and strengthen their allies against any foe and are often considered a credit to any team.

Lance - Huge pointed spears designed to be used on the foot to keep foes well at bay. By far these humongous weapons boast the greatest range of the melee weapons wielded by hunters. As such they are designed primarily for defence for with each Lance comes an equally huge shield wielded in the other hand to dwarf those used by the sword and shield users. This mighty shield allows a lance-wielder to stand up to almost any monster attack. Additionally lance-wielders can move whilst holding a shield, albeit slowly, advancing like a mighty glacier towards their foe. With a little effort Lance-wielders can even lunge forward with their shield short distances through attacks allowing them to bash the foe with their shield before stabbing them with the lance. Another tactic lance-users employ is bracing themselves for attack briefly before thrusting the lance forward with greater ferocity in a counter-attack.The defensive capabilities of the lance are offset by a rather simplistic range of offensive options. Slowed down by the weight of a shield and a lance, they can do little more than walk and 'prod' at their foe for regular attacks. However the range on the lance does allow them to reach higher places on a monster potentially breaking those hard to reach areas. The final option available to a lance-user is a flat-out charge at the foe, the lancer locks their grip on the lance and sprints at their foe, grating along the side of a monster for multiple strikes or thrusting forward for one powerful blow. Thrillseekers will attempt this charge mechanism in response to a monster's own charge however it rarely pans out effectively in that situation.

Gunlance- A strange and dangerous variation on the lance of unknown origin. The spear of the lance has been altered and shortened to allow a strange-barrel mechanism that allows the firing of explosive shells while the hilt of the lance is modified and widened to accommodate a firing mechanism. While it is no replacement for an actual ranged weapon the small localised explosions caused by the gunlance allow for substantially more damage output than a regular lance at the cost of some of it's length. Like the Lance the Gunlance also comes with a substantial shield which the user can move with and attack from a defensive stance and block most attacks with. However the cumbersome firing mechanism and slightly smaller shield means gunlance users cannot charge or shield bash like a lance-wielder.
To compensate however the Gunlance has a rather spectacular gambit. Overheating the inner mechanisms of the gunlance allows for a spectacular and devastatingly powerful explosion to surpass even the most powerful greatsword blows nicknamed "Wyvern's Fire" for the sheer ferocity of it's attack. The attack sends the user reeling backwards from the recoil and sets the weapon into a cooldown mode as the barrel overheats however with the right timing the power of this attack far outweighs these setbacks. One other downside to the gunlance is that it utilises ammo in it's shells which need to be reloaded occasionally however the weapons are designed to make this an easy process.

Switch Axe - Another unusual weapon from a foreign land, it appears to be a foldable-great axe that requires some strength to wield however it has decent damage and weight allowing the user to roll away from harm however it is unique in that it can transform. Each switch-axe contains a phial of some form which when activated flips the switch axe into a larger 'sword mode' resembling a great sword with this increased range and the increased strength from the phial's coating the user can temporarily inflict more damage. For a finale the 'sword mode' switch axe can be slammed against a monster like a chainsaw overloading the phial for an explosive finish. However the increased weight of the extended blade in sword mode makes it more difficult to move slowing the wielder to a walk and limiting the user to sidesteps as a form of defence since due to the intricate nature of the weapon it cannot be used to block attacks. The phials in the weapon recharge over time.

Bow - An ancient and reliable weapon, it's mechanics have evolved long since it's simple origins through guild research however. Drawing the string back tightly can apply a variety of different effects in the arrow, dependant on the bow being used, allowing for firing of multiple arrows or even power to penetrate a monster's thick hide. At a last resort a hunter can whack a close range for with an arrow or the bow though results are often poor. Archers need to take into account gravity and range when making their shots but this allows for archers to hit almost anywhere on a monster including areas impossible for melee users. Master Archers use a variety of coatings on their arrows to allow for different and unusual effects including poisons and elemental powers to bolster their shots. Due to the lightweight bow and arrows it is easy for archers to roll and run with ease while holding or even aiming their bow.

Light/Heavy Bowguns - For those who desire a little more firepower, the bowgun is the weapon of choice maximising range and firepower. In essence bowguns are close to small portable cannons in effect requiring a special variety of bullets to fire at the foe. The lighter varieties allow for faster reload speeds at the cost of some accuracy and damage but the lighter weight allows greater mobility for evasion. Heavier versions reduce the wielder to a crawl from the weight but deal greater damage and can be fitted with a shield to allow for some small defensive capability. Sadly short of swinging your bowgun at the enemy ineffectively there is no real close combat option for this form of weapon and so wielders must keep their distance though the power in the weapon ensures that range and accuracy is not much of a problem unlike with a bow. Unlike other weapon types bowguns do not have innate elemental or status properties and instead must rely on a variety of specially customised shots for their effective use. This allows for bowguns to be effectively tooled for each mission the hunter goes on however not every bowgun can be loaded with every kind of shot. For a bowgunner preparation is everything.


Weapon Rules:
*Melee weapons degrade over use and damage, the more degraded they are the more likely they are to bounce off a monster's scales or armour and the less effective they will generally be. Some weapons degrade faster than others depending on how they are used.
*Armours are dependent on the weapon used, melee weapons allow use of 'blademaster' armour which typically has greater raw defence. Ranged weapons use gunner armour which emphasises elemental resistance over raw defence meaning they will take more damage from regular monster attacks.
*Gunlances are NOT ranged.
*Drawing a weapon means you move slower
*Heavy weapons - Lance/Gunlance/Greatsword/Heavy Bowgun/Hunting Horn/"Sword Mode" Switch Axe reduce you to walking speed while drawn. Lance, Gunlance and "Sword Mode" wielders can only 'sidestep' and 'hop backwards' with the weapon drawn to evade.
*Light Weapons - Longsword, Hammer, "Axe mode" Switch Axe, Sword and Shield, Bow, Dual Blades allow you to run while drawn. Archdemonized dual blades allow for 'flash steps'.
*To quaff a healing item or use something else you will have to put your weapon away to free your hands...except if you are using sword and shield.
*????
*Profit



Note that while I've laid down a lot of rules here, it will be story driven RP with no stats or such, this is just to give you an idea of the capabilities of the weapons and how you can use them and their limitations. As such dual wielding huge greatswords would be considered 'god-moding' which is a break of CR's RP rules.

General Rules:
* All CR's general RP rules (seriously go read them, I'll be checking and they make for a better experience)
* Everyone will start with basic equipment
* Four to a hunt, depending on popularity this may need to be waivered (I'm not worried about popularity xP)
* Equipment will be auto-upgraded for you (to your wishes) at varying intervals to keep things balanced.
* Only 1 weapon per hunt however you can have multiple weapons at your base in Loc Lac to switch between missions.
* Remember these are mighty and powerful creatures, each hunt is akin to a boss fight, do not just say "I hit the monster and it died" that is out of line. The GM (me) will decide the monster's actions and reactions to the team's battles, some of it's responses and targets will be random. This doesn't mean you don't get a say however, if you want to pull of an especially spectacular manoeuvre just PM me or or post in the OOC topic with your plan and I'll approve, especially if you want to put a special 'coup de grace' on a monster. Of course for small monsters you can pretty much kill freely.
* HUNT WITH FREEDOM AND FRIENDSHIP!

Any questions feel free to PM me
I'll drop the wiki link here so if you want to examine some of the monsters you will be fighting feel free. Remember 50% of fighting the monster is in the preparation and you can appear an especially clever hunter if you know a monster's weakness beforehand XD.

I may bump periodically for recruitment purposes.

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BUMP

TLDR version: Medieval/tribal setting. Large monsters, fight them, take their scales, make weapons, ???? profit.

Just fill this out and we'll bash it out later.

Name: (Character Name)
Age:
Preferred Weapon: (Note this doesn't have to be your only weapon but it will be your starting one, it is akin to a 'class')
Appearance: (I advise you keep this simple and don't go into extensive details about the armour/clothing and focus more on personal appearance. A large part of monster hunter is the forging and building of armour and everyone will start basic)
Personal Strength: (Something your character is especially good at, keep it small...like one or two things, don't be a Mary Sue)
Personal Weakness: (Something your character struggles with, could be a personal issue or a great fear, I DO expect you to roleplay this if it comes up, it could even be a personal flaw).

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El Bumpo

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