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Competition Design a Torment NPC

DarkUnderlord

Professional Throne Sitter
Staff Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
28,344
Tags: Numenera KickStarter; Torment: Tides of Numenera

Last year we did this, which gets us this in this thing here.

Which means that we need to fill in this:


(you can ignore the "Art Print" bit)

And we need it by Dec 31. The Codex is now taking suggestions. The winner will be rewarded with love and kindness and an all expenses paid visit from Bryce!
 

tuluse

Arcane
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
11,400
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Shadorwun: Hong Kong
For the Obelisk:

gRW0nPN.png


But made from obsidian.

I will actually be fairly outraged if this is not the selection.
 

deuxhero

Arcane
Joined
Jul 30, 2007
Messages
11,328
Location
Flowery Land
inXile is way too in to Social Justice. Do something that makes fun of that so they have to implement it.
 

Lady_Error

█▓▒░ ░▒▓█
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Messages
1,879,250
Andh'aira - Follower of an ancient cult that strives to defeat death. Some say they do this through sheer force of will - others suspect dark mystical rituals. It is rumored that this may involve possession of human bodies.

NPC type: cultist
 

Jaesun

Fabulous Ex-Moderator
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Messages
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Location
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MCA
NPC: Biothesda Red

Biothesda Red is a merchant within the Merchant District that sells Candles that will induce a Dream like state, of which can help the customer focus and deal with a certain problem that is troubling them. Within this Dream State, the Customer using such a candle, can see all the possible Action and Consequences surrounding the certain problem troubling them. However, the user soon discovers that no matter what Action or Consequence a User takes, it is all meaningless, and always leads to the same conclusion.

Many consider Biothesda Red a scam artist, peddling useless wares and avoid such nonsense. While others consider Him and his products a valuable tool and continue to purchase them regularly.
 
Joined
Mar 14, 2012
Messages
1,464
Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath
NPC: Biothesda Red

Biothesda Red is a merchant within the Merchant District that sells Candles that will induce a Dream like state, of which can help the customer focus and deal with a certain problem that is troubling them. Within this Dream State, the Customer using such a candle, can see all the possible Action and Consequences surrounding the certain problem troubling them. However, the user soon discovers that no matter what Action or Consequence a User takes, it is all meaningless, and always leads to the same conclusion.

Many consider Biothesda Red a scam artist, peddling useless wares and avoid such nonsense. While others consider Him and his products a valuable tool and continue to purchase them regularly.
NPC Fate: brutally raped and murdered by demons.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
To make things more clear, right now we don't urgently need any of the following:




We only need the in-game NPC:

(ignore the Art Print selection at the bottom)

Here is a page with extra information on designing the NPC: https://torment.inxile-entertainment.com/backer-information/design-npc

Some NPC Options
In the questions, you'll see that we ask for your first and second choice for what "type" of NPC you'd like to write a description for. You should write your description with your first choice in mind, though your description will ideally be general enough to apply to a wide variety of NPC types. Should we be unable to accommodate your first choice, and have difficulty adapting your description for another NPC, then we will contact you about it and seek another description.

Below is a brief explanation of the NPC types from which you can select so that you have more context for your choice.
  • Any: You have no particular preference and would like us to simply find the best fit for your NPC.
  • Explorer: Explorers are the "adventurers" of Numenera and are likely glaives, nanos, or jacks. Whether a novice or veteran, any explorer would have an interesting tale to tell.
  • Tradesman: Tradesmen are minor merchants (i.e., no store, but they would be able to talk about their trade and may trade in a specific item) who provide some sort of good or service.
  • Traveler: Travelers or tourists from throughout the Ninth World are fairly common in the regions explored in Torment. They could have knowledge of far away places as well as an interesting perspective on their surroundings.
  • Citizen: Villagers make up the backbone of their society and are likely sources of information about their local culture and recent events.
  • Military: These NPCs might be militia, guards, mercenaries, or soldiers, trained and employed as military muscle. They may have taken part in the Endless Battle or one of many other struggles throughout the region.
  • Cultist: Cultists might belong to any of the three primary cults in the region (the Children of the Endless Gate, the Order of Flagellants and Austerities, and the Dendra O'Hur).
  • Acolyte: Though far from the Steadfast, the Aeon Priesthood is active in the lands of Torment as well, and its acolytes are among those most knowledgeable in the numenera.
Locations
We also ask which region within the game you'd prefer your NPC to appear (the options listed are a subset of the locations in the game). As with NPC type, you should write your description assuming your first choice. Pick "any" if you have no particular preference and would simply like us to place your NPC wherever we feel is best. Here are some generalities about the denizens of each of the regions listed:
  • Sagus Cliffs: This trading hub is a morass of competing influences: economic, political, social, religious, and intellectual. The blatant corruption of the system makes cynics of all its residents. They trust few people, have mercenary hearts, and are quick to take advantage of others. Even the altruists of the city must approach their dealings with cynicism, lest they be taken advantage of by less scrupulous partners. They consider themselves cosmopolitan, able to deal well with people from all walks of life… but they fear to venture far from the city’s walls, and they are quick to judge those who venture within.
  • Bloom: The Bloom is an enormous predator, its black and tarry tendrils reaching out to anchor itself against the gorge walls as it creeps toward Sagus Cliffs and the sea. Its interior chambers and great folds provide any number of places for someone to live and hide, and its hidden pathways, sometimes one-way passages to new worlds, can lead daring merchants to great secrets—or to their dooms. The denizens of the Bloom are the desperate, the fugitives, and the mad.
  • Oasis of M'ra Jolios: The Oasis of M’ra Jolios is a resort, an underwater paradise in the desert sands that is inhabited by water-breathers known as the Ghibra. Outside the Oasis is Jerboa, an air-breather town that has grown up around the water dome. The two societies have coexisted for centuries, with the Ghibra supplying life to the air-breathers—without their water and protection, the Jerboans would surely die. Many refugees have come to Jerboa, rapidly increasing its population and attracting a strong tourist trade, while M'ra Jolios has resisted change, tightly controlling who can enter their environment. Most Jerboans view their relationship with the Oasis as a symbiotic one and while many in M'ra Jolios would agree, there is a growing minority of Ghibra who have come to see the Jerboans as parasites rather than symbiotes.
  • In a Mere: When the player enters a Mere, he or she temporarily inhabits the body of another castoff, displacing their consciousness. Meres occur in a wide variety of geographical locations or dimensions and could occur at a different point in time than the present. NPCs within Meres vary greatly.
Naming Your NPC
Please suggest a name for your NPC that is suitable for the Ninth World. Most 21st century names don't have the right flavor, but you could consider taking your name (or a friend's) and modifying it slightly to better fit the setting. One- or two-word names tend to work best (most Torment characters thus far have a single name).

Here are some example Ninth World names from the Numenera books or Torment:

Female
Cali
Funae
Hesterin Hthumos
Iyene Who Knows
Maggie Yets
Ni-chodoss
Sheen
Skaydi
Tarlin

Male
Ashe
Diario Mardain
Grisseler
Lestel
Malegran
Naraniel Horges
Omis
Parsim Flint
Sajeen Dar

Writing a Good NPC Description
Your description will be used in the opening part of the conversation with the NPC. By convention for Torment, text can be used to describe actions or features that might not be depicted graphically, so within reason you can use your imagination. The text you submit will be reviewed and edited, and we may also change some details to better fit other aspects of the narrative. Your description should be 400 characters or less. Reading about the Numenera setting and the lore sections of Torment's updates (such as 29 and 31) may help you get a better sense of what types of characters might fit best in the game world.

Examples
Here are some example NPC descriptions for characters that may appear in Torment for you to use as a guide in terms of writing style and content:

The fat little man turns toward you, a wide smile already on his face. Indeed, his smile is unnaturally wide, reaching almost to his ears. You notice that his mouth contains *two* rows of white, well-manicured teeth.

***

You look upon a heavyset, pale woman. Her eyes have trouble focusing on you, and when they do, she drops them quickly. Her hands nervously adjust the scarf around her neck, then she wipes them on her once-fine clothing. She seems to steel herself and raises her gaze again... almost defiantly.

***

The skin of this broad-shouldered man looks blotchy, even patchwork. It slumps from his frame as if he had lost a great deal of weight. He bobs his bald head in greeting as you approach, and his neck moves like it's broken. Yet he seems to be in no pain, and his movements are quick and assured. His voice is sonorous yet fluting, with a strange buzz that grates on your nerves.

***

When she turns, you realize that the thing you had mistaken for a bundle of sticks and twine is a woman. An impossibly thin woman, her face all angles and lines. her arms thin as summer twigs. Her clothes drape across her like sailcloth, and though her face is young, her eyes are old, old, old. Her voice is flat, though an undercurrent sings at a register you cannot hear.
 
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laclongquan

Arcane
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
1,870,144
Location
Searching for my kidnapped sister
Phelot

Description: The suntanned nearly to dark skinned old man turns from his small table filled with cups toward your direction. He smiled widely at your stunned visage, knowing that you noticed his 4 golden canine teeths, blackened somewhat with leaves' stain. Clearly he had indulged too much on his exotic and aromatic teas, though judging by his surrounding's decorations, he had done well nonetheless.
Tradesman
Explorer
Sagus Cliff
Any
Human, Non Mutant
Before the Fall art
 

ghostdog

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
11,079
Name: The Man with Many Names.

The being now known as "The Man with Many Names" is one of the closest things the multiverse has to an immortal. Precisely how long he has lived or how many reincarnations he has had is unknown, but judging from some of the contacts he has made (Wyrmlord the Mad, among others) he is probably at least several thousand years old. Over the centuries, he has taken myriad life-paths. Some say he has been the infamous "Chefe" and the cunning "KickAss". Others claim he was the despicable "Schattenjager", but none can be certain, The Man with Many Names is as elusive as a multiheaded lim-lim. As for his first incarnation, nobody knows, perhaps not even The Man himself.
{Edited for length. Meh, it's too damn small.}

The being known as "The Man with Many Names" is one of the closest things the multiverse has to an immortal. Over the centuries, he has taken myriad life-paths. The names "Chefe", "KickAss and "Schattenjager" have been attributed to him, but none can be certain. As for his true name, nobody knows, perhaps not even The Man himself.

Fate: Whatever fits the game.

Type: Traveler/cultist

Location : In a Mere/bloom
 
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Drowed

Arcane
Joined
Dec 28, 2011
Messages
1,676
Location
Core City
ITEM:
The Hatred Gem

Item Type:
Component / Miscellaneous

Item Flavor:
Feels more mystical.

Additional Comments:
The description of the item would be something like: "This glittering gem seems to emanate some kind of evil aura, as if thousands of tortured souls tried to escape and possess the one who owns it, declining his soul until nothing's left but despair. Or maybe it's just ugly". The item will be found in some kind of old/dirty basement. It should have any effect related to anger, or other negative mental effects.

EDIT:

OP updated.
 
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Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
ITEM:
The Hatred Gem

Item Type:
Component / Miscellaneous

Item Flavor:
Feels more mystical.

Additional Comments:
The description of the item would be something like: "This glittering gem seems to emanate some kind of evil aura, as if thousands of tortured souls tried to escape and possess the one who owns it, declining his soul until nothing's left but despair. Or maybe it's just ugly". The item will be found in some kind of old/dirty basement. It should have any effect related to anger, or other negative mental effects.

We don't need this now. We need an NPC. Updated OP.
 

MicoSelva

backlog digger
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Vigil's Keep
Codex 2012 Codex 2013 Codex 2014 PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Insert Title Here RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Enjoy the Revolution! Another revolution around the sun that is. Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Divinity: Original Sin 2 Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I helped put crap in Monomyth
Here is my idea:

Name: Oracle of Infinite Wisdom (ver. 0.13), mostly shortened to Oracle 013
Type: Traveler or Explorer
Location: Any
Fate: Any, whatever best fits the game
Race: Non-human

Description:
You see a large, blue orb encapsuled inside a tubular chassis made of steel and copper. It moves on three wheeled legs, rotating around with seemingly random frequency and speed. The orb displays images, a couple of seconds at a time. You do not recognize most of them, although you manage to catch a glimpse of something familiar. 'State your inquiry' it speaks with a metallic, impassionate voice.

Background:
Nobody knows how Oracle 013 actually works, or who constructed it. Sometimes it seems to know everything, and sometimes it says things that are obviously wrong. Some people have gained fortunes after talking to it, while others lost everything, including their lives. Is it a mobile database? Is it just a terminal for some remote library of knowledge? Is it an actual scrying machine? Is it just a hoax? Does it even work like inteded?
You will find many who will bet their life on any of these answers, and more. Theoretically, it can answer any question, but it is very hard to get the answers you are actually looking for. And even then, you will probably not like them.
One thing is know for sure - however angry it makes you, you should not attack Oracle 013. Whatever powers it, is strong enough to destroy the nervous system of any living being. At least, so far.

More information:
Player can ask Oracle 013 quest-related questions to get answers (vagueness of which should be left to the designers), as well as some questions about the game world (it should provide some 100% true information, and some obviously false ones).

[Ideally, the player would be able to ask any question (text input box, which would double as Wasteland 2 reference), to get nonsensical answers from a randomized pool (which could be crowd-sourced) - but this is very optional, as it might be too time-consuming to implement.]

I have no idea, whether NPCs in the game can be freely attacked, but if so, Oracle 013 defends itself with a chain-lighting type of ability that strikes all enemies in its proximity. Upon destruction, it explodes, leaving behind only small bits of glass, steel and copper.

Oracle 013 could also be changed to Codex 013 (as in Codex of Infinite Wisdom), but it kind of seems too obvious...?

EDIT: shit, description is too long, let me trim that in a moment.

EDIT 2: ok, done.
 
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Joined
Jan 12, 2012
Messages
4,065
Andh'aira - Follower of an ancient cult that strives to defeat death. Some say they do this through sheer force of will - others suspect dark mystical rituals. It is rumored that this may involve possession of human bodies.

NPC type: cultist

This would be really fitting, Andhaira being a Castoff/The Changing God.
Either that or Prosper.
 

Zed

Codex Staff
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Staff Member
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Messages
17,068
Codex USB, 2014
put the credits string in all caps
WWW.RPGCODEX.NET
or something like
~~``´´\\\ RPG CODEX ///``´´~~
they just copy-paste that shit anyway
:cool:
 
Weasel
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
1,865,661
Name: Myron Horaceson

Desc: This mutated runt of a man usually sports garish blue and red robes, his weaselly features creased in a fake smile. Notable for his luxurious neckbeard and gloriously oversized hole of a mouth. Well known in Sagus Cliffs for overstating his importance, abilities and business ventures and making idle threats. While residents treat him as a figure of fun, unwary travelers have been known to fall for his bluster.

Type: Minor Tradesman

Location: Sagus Cliffs

Gruesome NPC Fate?: Yes

Race: Human, mutant
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
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Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
28,242
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Name : He-That-Hungers

Desc. : You do not see anything about the man that strikes you as odd. And yet, you feel tired just trying to look at him. It is as if there is something actively trying to have him at the center of your attention and you feel compelled to obey, and as you stare his features blur more and more, and you tire. Perhaps you need to rest?

Type : Any

Race : Non-Human

Gruesome Fate : Yes

Location : Any
 

Sensuki

Arcane
Joined
Oct 26, 2012
Messages
9,799
Location
New North Korea
Codex 2014 Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong A Beautifully Desolate Campaign
NPC: Cloaked Figure

has the ability to put his face on any creature, no matter the size/form
 

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