Codex

[Asmodeus]

Premise

If every book has a "soul", then this roleplay is set in a world where those souls are walking around like living, breathing human beings.



Character Classes:

SCRIPTURE: Most powerful characters, with widespread and predictable influence.

CLASSICS: Second most powerful characters, but with less predictable effects.

LEGAL: Restrictive powers

MANIFESTOS: Hopeful prophets with new ideas

REFERENCE: Knowledgeable characters, either specializing in certain areas (ABSTRACTS) or general areas (ENCYCLOPAEDIAS). Could represent the values of a particular time period (e.g. a Spartan War character), or be able to invent certain devices, etc.

SELF-HELP: Optimistic and helpful characters

DICTIONARIES / THESAURUSES: The police-force characters, keeping an eye on the other books.

ATLAS: Characters with geographical knowledge

PORNO: Highly seductive/obsessive characters

JOURNALS: Everyday introvert characters

PULP: Everyday extrovert characters

etc...


Possible character sheet:

COVER: What you are like on first meeting

FRONTISPIECE: Where you come from, how old you are, etc.

FOREWORD: Your reputation in the world

CHAPTERS: Your powers

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Whether you have any alliances/relationships with other characters or are part of a trilogy or omnibus.




Possible Plot

The Codices are threatened by a new development - either a new book that will be more powerful than all the others. Or an emodiement of the Internet / Movies which is "destroying" books. Or a government that is "book burning".

OR, the roleplay is set in our own world after the human race has been all but wiped out, and for some reason the books have survived and are coming to life to re-inspire the survivors.

OR, other books are mysteriously dying, and the survivors must "enter" those worlds and investigate. As such, each chapter takes place in a book's setting, where something has gone horribly wrong. (e.g. a burning Hogwarts, a ruined Castle Dracula, the Twilight town without vampires, etc.)

Possible Characters / Locations

Name of the world: Librarium

Most powerful character at present: Bible

Old, solitary & forgotten characters: Gilgamesh, Enoch, Hittite, Dead Sea, Illiad, etc.

GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS (world oracle)

NURSERY RHYME (a child character)

FAIRYTALE (a teacher of lessons)

LORD OF THE RINGS (3 twin characters with slightly different personalities)

BIOGRAPHY: A character who is a twisted version of a celebrity.

 

[Vay]

I like this, I really do.

A few more things you could add are....

Poems: Cryptic types that never give a strait answer.
Fanfics: Like IRL cosplayers or wannabes.

though those are covered in the "etc..."

This could easily be a mass rp, I don't realy see it working with a small number of players.

 

[Asmodeus]

Well... there could be a small group of PCs, then recurring NPCs (like Bible and various Reference Books), and then the PCs could be "entering" the worlds of other murdered books to investigate what happened.

So there's plenty of opportunities for "Codices" to be portrayed.

 

[Hydronine]

Whoa, this is interesting.

 

[Arsenal XA4]

*Goes to look for his copy of 'Jane's Special Forces Recognition Guide.'*

 

[Jack Shade]

Hmm...Either plot would work for me. Book burning or world exploration.

I'll throw in my lot.