Post by Fox on Jan 2, 2024 15:57:06 GMT -5
Ships
In a world dominated by sprawling oceans, the prime means of traversing the map is via the age of sail! Ships are as much a staple of the world of One Piece as they are in any pirate adventure, coming in all sorts of shapes and sizes from simple sailboats to gigantic galleons. On Bon Voyage all ships and comparable craft are handled through our Aspect system. The most basic of seafaring vessels are simple craft with no obvious advantages other than their ability to traverse the ocean via the power of the winds and currents, and so have no cost. However, most crews and organizations want or need something more than a small sailing ship—a vessel to truly call their own and accommodate them on their journeys across the world’s most treacherous waters.
Just like player characters and NPCs, ships can have various Aspects that denote their capabilities. Ships that are larger than the average vessel, such as those designed to ferry Giants across the world, often require an appropriate Aspect to represent their size, while other craft that are good at outrunning hostile ships are typically built for speed. Some are exceptionally durable, and others still may have a variety of special weapons. Just as with characters, Aspects for a ship represent all of its possible abilities and can be increased in tier.Bases
While many crews are happy to simply sail the seas aboard their ship, other piratical groups and organizations will often opt for establishing territories of their own, or creating hidden outposts where they can shelter when under fire. These structures are called bases and can range from simple outposts to elaborate buildings and even entire fortifications that dominate the land. Bases are a type of purchasable resource for characters and crews that offer a couple of unique benefits and can be enhanced and upgraded with time and X-Poinz.
A base is a lot like any other asset purchased by a character or crew, consisting of a set of Aspects that are unique to the base itself. Aspects represent the base’s various facets, from its effective manpower and defenses, to unique features that distinguish it from other structures. But the most important thing to remember is that each base has a tier of its own (and minimum cost) based on the region of the world in which it exists. The more dangerous seas of the world require a base of a higher tier, as follows:
- Tier one (1) bases cost 100 X-Poinz and can only exist in the Four Blues.
- Tier two (2) bases cost 300 X-Poinz and can exist in Paradise or the Four Blues.
- Tier three (3) bases cost 600 X-Poinz and can exist in the Calm Belts, Paradise, or the Four Blues.
- Tier four (4) bases cost 1,000 X-Poinz and can exist in any sea, including the New World.
The increasing cost of bases is relevant to the kind of influence it must have in order to not be simply swept aside or trashed by the dangers that each sea contains. While the Blue Seas are relatively safe and stable locations, the first half of the Grand Line is dominated by dangerous creatures, volatile weather conditions, and powerful individuals and nations, meaning that the base needs to be more capable of standing up on its own merit. Once you get to the Calm Belt, those dangers increase immensely due to the presence of Sea Kings, and the New World is the ever-expanding territory of some of the world’s best (and worst) factions.
The tier of a base determines two additional features. First, the current tier of a base also determines the maximum tier that any additional Aspect provided to that base can reach. For example, if you have a tier two (2) base, it can only be given Aspects with a maximum of tier two (2). To give more powerful Aspects, you would need to upgrade the base’s current tier.
Second, bases need leadership: When the head of a pirate fleet is out on the seas, somebody needs to stay behind and tend to the matters of the base itself. When you purchase a base, that base is also assigned a Commander—an NPC whose tier is equal to that of the base itself. These Base Commanders gain all the usual benefits of an NPC of that tier (Aspect Vouchers and Technique Vouchers), but are explicitly tied to the base itself and cannot leave their assigned base’s territory. Their prolonged absence would jeopardize the safety and integrity of the base.Travel Bonus
It’s highly unlikely that a crew will stay at their base of operations for any prolonged period of time, called away from it by a sense of adventure, duty, or other circumstances. However, bases are landmark locations for the crew that owns them, so it’s only logical that the crew would be able to return to a base through quick and efficient means (even if that means using some suspension of disbelief).
Any base that a crew or organization owns allows the location it is set to be used by that group for any threads that they might wish to partake in, ignoring the usual travel restrictions imposed by a large world and difficult seas. For example, a crew may have established a small base of operations on an island in the West Blue while they were preparing for the journey ahead and have since set out and ventured into Paradise. Even though the crew is currently locked within the boundaries of Paradise, they may still enter into threads taking place on the island in question without penalty. This rule applies to any territory seized by that base as well.Additional Aspects
Bases function in the same way as most things do on Bon Voyage, being defined by a number of Aspects that represent their capabilities. A simple militaristic outpost might be protected by a spiked stockade to ward off would-be attackers, which could be a tier one (1) Aspect focused on defenses. A small Marine fortification, on the other hand, might have a heavy gun battery in its seaward wall, giving it a tier one (1) offensive Aspect to unleash against unsuspecting enemy ships. A base’s Aspects can come in all shapes and sizes, from mechanical traps to unique weapons and defenses, to specialized retinues of troops, all following the usual costs and rules for Aspects.
Bases can also generate a unique type of Aspect known as territories, representing additional areas and islands that have fallen under the influence of the base—trade agreements, political presences, or other means are all good examples. A territory is another island or location that is within the same sea as the base controlling it. Purchasing territory is similar to purchasing a base, with the tier of the territory needing to be at least equal to the region’s minimum requirements (e.g. tier two (2) for Paradise), and enables the crew to thread in the assigned territory without the usual travel restrictions.Transferring Base Commanders
When you create a new base, or upgrade an existing one, you may wish to transfer a Base Commander from their current station to this new one for story reasons. This is possible to do so, and is fortunately very easy to do between bases of the same tier! All that needs to be done in this instance is to edit the bases’ profiles appropriately to list and link the Base Commanders in their new positions and create a new Base Commander of the appropriate tier should either base be left without a Base Commander.
When transferring a lower-tier Base Commander to a higher-tier base, you will need to apply for the appropriate upgrades for the Base Commander so that their new tier matches the tier of the base. In addition, a new Base Commander will need to be made for the lower tier base. As both bases are already paid for in this situation, no additional X-Poinz cost is incurred (unless purchasing additional upgrades for either NPC).
When transferring a Base Commander to a standard NPC position, any of the NPC’s Aspects that were previously covered by being a Base Commander will need to be paid for appropriately. If a new Base Commander is not transferred into the vacancy, a new Base Commander will need to be created as per normal.
When transferring an NPC to a same-tier base, all that needs to be done is transferring the cost of the NPC to the cost of the base, basically rewriting the line in the X-Poinz record of the X-Poinz source.
When transferring an NPC to a higher-tier base, they receive an amount of Aspect and Technique Vouchers as normal for their tier at no additional cost aside from the cost of the higher-tier base itself.