Hi.
Howdy, I’m Lucas. You’re probably here for the stories.
Howdy, I’m Lucas. You’re probably here for the stories.
Draichot Online is a fully immersive VR game that uses an advanced headset to interface with surface brainwaves and provides limited sensations to the brain of the player. This, accompanied with Haptic Technology like haptic gloves, chestpieces, and goggles allows players of the games to feel, in a very limited sense, what is happening in the game. It is the height of technology.
Because of this high level of integration, the game allows players to bring some of their natural skills into the game world. People who are trained in physical combat, for example, are naturally better at fighting with swords or axes. Those who excel at sneaking are good at stealth, and so on. The game aids and helps so you aren’t completely screwed if you don’t know how to swordfight or sneak around, but your natural skills will aid you in Draichot Online.
“In Draichot Online, magic comes in three forms: Element, Hex, and Amelioration”
Draichot Online is unique among VRRPG games because the abilities and skills a player earns and uses come from two pools: general and unique. General spells are available to any player who invests enough points in a given skill category (using Expert level magic is not possible unless you have enough points in Will, for example) but there are also specific spells and abilities that players can gain access to through completing special quests and in-game events.
There are general spells that everyone can learn to use, which are denoted in the Draichot Spells Guide, and beyond that there is custom magic. Custom Magic gives players the ability to customize your magic to suit your playstyle.
Protect: Used to block, deflect, or absorb hostile magic. When combined with other magic, can create shields made out of specific Elements, barriers that negate spells, reinforced armor, and more.
Invigorate: Used for infusing objects or individuals with specific effects. Can be used to create magic items and weapons when combined with Element or Hex magic.
Revive: Used to restore health, repair body parts, and heal. When combined with other magics, it can be used to create self-healing armor, as well as items that restore health to the body.
Rot: Used to undermine, decay, weaken, and wither. When combined with other spells it adds damage over time effects, weakens magic it comes into contact with, and causes sickness in living things.
Delirium: Used to affect the mind instead of the body. Useful for disrupting active magic spells and casting, throwing off aim or concentration, causing fear, grief, and madness, and inducing rage or other confusion.
Death: Used to kill. This magic combines with others to augment the kill factor, increase the damage of a spell, or create traps.
Air: For movement; pushing, blasting, as well as illusions and distractions.
Wood: For growth; defense, terrain modification, hazard creation, item creation.
Lightning: For attack; magic infusion, light, revitalization, necromancy (coming soon!)
Stone: For defense; protection, shields, item creation.
Water: For creation; shields, healing, movement, potions and concoctions.
Fire: For power; fuel, light, heat, energy, consumption.
There are four playable people-types in Draichot Online: Forest-Folk, City-Folk, Hill-Folk, and Mountain-Folk. Choosing a particular playable people-type in Draichot Online doesn't have an effect on in-game stats for fighting, but it does change how NPCs interact with you, which quests are available to you, and other narrative elements in your character’s backstory.
Forest-Folk
Usually associated with the spring, Forest-Folk are most at home in the wild places of the world, where wood is untouched by the hammer and chisel of the City-Folk, and stone is unhewn by the powerful hands of Mountain-Folk carvers. They are also remarkable in that they usually have different body parts than the other peoples in Draichot Online. Cloven hooves, curling horns, tails, claws; if it’s a natural animal feature, chances are a Forest-Folk might have it.
Mountain-Folk
Usually associated with winter, Mountain-Folk are the biggest of the peoples in Draichot Online. Their skin tends to look like the stones they call home, often with sparkles like gemstones instead of freckles. Mountain-Folk live in the high places in the world, most comfortable where the air is thin and cold and the rock is hard.
City-Folk
Usually associated with the summer, City-Folk come in all colors, shapes, and sizes. Unlike the other three peoples in Draichot Online, City-Folk have strange, rounded ears. They typically build their cities along mighty waterways, rivers, or seas, leading some to call them Sea-Folk. They are a joyful, unserious people with a zeal for life.
Hill-Folk
Usually associated with autumn, Hill-Folk are a stout, long-eared people who tend to live in the in-between places of the world. Their cities are on the borders between City and Forest and Mountain, often integrating and trading freely with any and all comers. Hill-Folk can be found in the cities of any of the other people groups in Draichot Online as renowned traders and merchants.
“In Draichot Online there is no number for hitpoints or health. That’s because of the Haptic Realism®. If you get shot in the heart, you die: plain and simple. ”
Origin of Magic and the Nine Trees
Long ago, before the world was as it is now, there was only chaos and darkness. The world was ruled by a malevolent serpent-like creature that slithered across the face of the world, consuming all that it encountered. It was called the Draig, and none could withstand it.
But there was one who dared, who fought and was not struck down. This ancient god sought out the knowledge of the whole world and gained vast power and wisdom. He learned the secrets of magic, and with his mighty spells he fought the Draig with all his might.
The battle raged for countless years, until finally the god was able to strike a mighty blow against the Draig, cleaving its body in twain. But in doing so, the god was mortally wounded, and he knew that his time was at an end. With his dying breath, the god cast a spell that shattered his power into a thousand seeds, scattering them across the world. And as his blood and bones mingled with that of the Draig, their bodies fell to the land in nine pieces, which became the roots of nine great trees. The four peoples of the world saw his fall, and they began to name their world after the god who had saved it and gifted them magic.
They called the land Draichot.
There are hundreds of magic trees in Draichot Online, but only The Nine confer magical bonuses upon anyone strong enough to defeat their guardians and eat of their fruit.
Drasilash: A large ash tree that pierced the heart of the great god whose death spawned the realm of Draichot. It is associated with healing magic. Eating the fruit of this tree empowers Amelioration and gives players moderate boosts to Will and one other stat of their choosing.
Wilohel: A weeping willow tree whose roots are said to be the gateway to the underworld. It is associated with death magic. Eating the fruit of this tree empowers Hex magic and gives players moderate boosts to Will and one other stat of their choosing.
Sequodron: A towering tree with hairy, fibrous bark that is said to be the embodiment of luck. Eating the fruit of this tree boosts a player’s Serendipity, and provides equal boosts to either Mana or Stamina.
Komiroak: A mighty oak tree with near infinite golden leaves that is said to have the power over the body. It is associated with Fire magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives players moderate boosts to Might and one other stat of their choosing.
Sleppinirch: A slender birch tree that is said to be the embodiment of grace and agility. It is associated with Water magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives players moderate boosts to Grace and one other stat of their choosing.
Yewfanir: A twisted yew tree that is said to be the embodiment of the meeting of earth and sky. It is associated with Air magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives moderate boosts to Acuity and one other stat of their choosing.
Hongmaple: A twisted maple tree that is said to be the embodiment of growth, death, and regrowth. It is associated with Wood magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives players moderate boosts to Will and one other stat of their choosing.
Pynjoun: A towering pine tree that is said to be the embodiment of explosive power and growth. It is associated with Lightning magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives players moderate boosts to Mana and one other stat of their choosing.
Feniroj: A massive redwood tree that is said to be the embodiment of power and dominance. It is associated with Earth magic. Eating the fruit of this tree gives players moderate boosts to Stamina and one other stat of their choosing.
Players start at level 1, with 5 points to distribute among the five stats. Every level gets you five more points, up to level 90, when you are maxed out.
This means any given level 90 character has 450 points to distribute how they wish among the five categories.
A “pure” is someone with 400 or more of their points in a single stat.
A “starfish” is a slightly derogatory term for someone who more or less evenly split their points into each category. For some people it’s more fun to be good (not great) at everything.
Most players at high levels focus about 70% (315) of their points in a main category and supplement with other stats where they feel needed.
Many spells(which use mana) and abilities(which use stamina) are locked behind a threshold point contributions in a given stat. The very highest level spells and abilities require someone to have 380 points into that given stat.
The Last Match
The Ossuary Cleaver
Wand of Wicked Dreams
Maiden’s Bloody Shawl
Vicar’s Teacup
Greatclub of Seven Stories
Archfey’s Wheellock
Boy-King’s Sling
The Thrice Ring
Sanguinomancer’s Wand
Draichot Online is notable because it doesn’t have classes in the traditional sense of the word. You can pick up a flintlock, weave a spell, or swing a sword just as well as anybody else starting out. What allows you to play the game your own way is how you spend the points you get when you level up. There are five stats the game cares about:
Might (Strength, Endurace, Power)
Grace (Dexterity, Agility, Quickness)
Will (Magic, Mental Fortitude, Faith)
Serendipity (Luck, Fortune, Blessings)
Acuity (Precision, Perception, Accuracy)
These categories build upon your natural skills as a person. So a person with naturally high acuity (a Royal Marine, for example) wouldn’t need to put as many points into Acuity to have the same skills as a player with a ton of points in the skill. Someone could put all of their points into Might and hit like a truck, but someone who puts 10% of their points into Acuity could actually be more lethal because they can get around someone’s guard easier instead of smashing through it.
But personal skill plays a big role in success in the game, because of the ability of the person playing bleeding through. Similarly, someone who mixes their points between Will and Might will have increased potency in their spells and decent skill with a weapon in hand, while Grace and Acuity builds are for fighters who want to quickly dispatch a foe with precision.
Serendipity is luck, pure and simple. Some people eschew it completely; others build their whole characters around it. Whether it is worth it comes down to a roll of the dice…
Where mana is the resource used by spellcasters, stamina is used by swordswomen, flintlockers, berzerkers, and anybody who fancies weapons over spellcraft. Rapidfiring a volley of arrows, dashing around the battlefield faster than the eye can track, dodging an oncoming knife with only millimeters to spare; these are the feats that stamina allows players to achieve.
