Before I get to my point, I'd like to say that I like the idea of the origin system- it allows us to make characters of the same race fundamentally different from each other, particularly Hylians and Dekus. However, ever since the expansion of the map to include the likes of Ikana and Woodfall Swamp, the Origin System has been severely lacking, again, particularly for Hylians. Hylian origins and their uses are: Northern Civilian- magic-based inhabitant of Northern Hyrule. Hyrule Castle Guard- physical-based inhabitant of Northern Hyrule. Thief of the Lost Woods/Resident of Darunia- agile/mysterious inhabitant of Northern Hyrule Refugee of the Western Caves- Agility-based inhabitant of Southern Hyrule (Backstory limited to the Western Caves on the map) Refugee of the Eastern Caves/Re-builder of Ruto- Physical-based inhabitant of Southern Hyrule (Backstory limited to the eastern end of the south map, such as the Fortress of Thieves) The observant may have seen what I'm getting at. While origins for Northern Hyrule are quite broad and can be adapted to fit many different kinds of characters, for the South this is very far from the case. Basically, if you want a Hylian character from Southen Hyrule, you're going to start in the Western Caves or the Eastern Caves. On that note, there's also no magic-based Origin for the South. When the updated map came, I wanted to try something new. Something out of the box. More concretely, I wanted to make characters who survived in Ikana. So, I wrote a for my standards elaborate backstory, detailing where Horus had began and why and how he and Luna had come to Ikana. I thought that would be enough to allow an exception from the Origin requirement, but no. While for the PWC scores there was no difference, I was told that I had to adhere to the backstory requirements in the Origins- which immensely stifles creativity. In the end, Horus and Luna were allowed to exist and they're currently some of my favorite characters on my roster, which is why I got someone to draw an avatar for them. However, the problem persists that in some cases, the Origins System can feel restrictive and stifling rather than inspiring and helpful. I do not suggest abolishing origins altogether. I have a suggestion for both the origins themselves and the Racial treasures. Origins To give an example with Hylians, I would suggest making a Power-based origin, a Wisdom-based Origin, and a Courage-based origin for the Northern section of the map. For the Northern origins, the current description is actually pretty open and can be customized to fit different characters from active Hyrule Castle Guards to children who are aspiring to become guards, from magical prodigies to travellers who happen to be gifted in magic, and from ill-minded thieves to acrobatic performers. Do the same for the South. Make three origins, each specializing in one aspect of PWC. In the descriptions, give us examples of things that we could do with them, like what's in the description for the current Southern origins. However, pose them as just that- examples, ideas, not as guidelines that you should write your backstory according to. Does this mean all characters from Ikana should be passed no problem? Does this means every Hylian living in Kokiri Forest should be approved without trouble? Of course not. Instead of seeing if the backstory fits the selected Origin, see if the written backstory justifies the deviation from the norm. If necessary, work alongside the member so that they can write a fitting backstory. Racial Treasures You may wonder what I want with the Racials if the Origins are going to be made so vague. Well, as I recall, a long time ago there was a suggestion to let us PICK our Racials. I would suggest to pool the treasures that are considered racials- Magic Proficiency, Rupee Riches, Sense, etc. and list them in the character creation thread. Some treasures could be locked to certain origins- such as Magic Proficiency only being available to Wisdom-based origins. Allow us to pick two or three racials per character using this pool. I think this would allow the same degree of customization if not more than the current origin system offers. Of course, for races such as Gorons there's less of a need to make origins all-encompassing, but I think if nothing else Hylian origins could stand to be looked at.
Can't say I disagree here. Some places just don't have a good Origin to match up with them, which sort of complicates things when you want to make an unorthodox character; for example I have a character concept for a guy born aboard a ship, which I would have trouble implementing ordinarily. Moreover the Eastern Sea's kinda dormant, so introducing something free-form could help us make islander characters to do stuff there, especially as iirc it's meant to be hilariously hard to get a good sea vessel from North or South Hyrule.
I agree with you, and this is one of those thing's I've been working on haha. I felt they were restrictive just as you guys do, and I was even contemplating getting rid of them all together. However, I know that's not the best option because Origins themselves are a nice system. So I started making a list that was MUCH bigger than what we had, that had a lot more options. I'm currently only in the Northern Hyrule areas, but here is the list I've started: Hylians Northern Hyrule Many Hylians from Northern Hyrule specialize in the magical arts, and are known for their magical prowess. Each town of Northern Hyrule has prominent Hylian magic users that specialize in various forms of magical arts, though Hyrule Castle Town has the highest percentage of magical Hylians compared to other specializations. There are also Hylians who specialize in the areas of strength, power, dexterity, and stealth. Castle Town Hyrule Castle Town is a very vast city, with hundreds of thousands of inhabbitants of many races. With the variety of its population, the Hylians have varied personalities and backgrounds as well. Hyrule Castle's nobility, found in the Noble Estates is an elegant and sophisticated society and are usually among the best magic users. Hylians originating in the Noble Estates are wealthy and intelligent. Hyrule Castle Town Noble: Starting P/W/C 1/2/1. Racials: Rupee Riches, Magic Proficiency Also in Hyrule Castle Town is the headquarters of the Hyrule Castle Town Guard, which are members of Hyrule's society (usually Hylian) who form the army of Hyrule. These Hylians are very powerful, and utilize armor, weapons, and strength to fight their foes. They are not among the wealthiest of Hylians, but they are very honorable. Hyrule Castle Town Guard: Starting P/W/C 2/1/1. Racials: Sense, Spin Attack Commoners that live in the middle class areas of Hyrule Castle Town are also abundant, and come in many different shapes and sizes. The specialties of these Hylians varies, as there are those who are strong, magical, and dexterous. These citizens of Hyrule Castle Town vary in level of wealth as well, and while they may not be as wealthy as the Nobles or as poor as the lower class Hylians, there are members in all financial situations in between. Hyrule Castle Town Commoner: Starting P/W/C 2/1/1 or 1/2/1 or 1/1/2. Racials (Choose two of the following): Rupee Riches, Sense, Spin Attack, Magic Proficiency. Inhabiting the areas around the Goron Slums (often times with the gorons themselves) and in small, broken down homes throughout Hyrule Castle Town are the Lower class and homeless Hylians. These Hylians are all very poor, and struggle to survive. Many of the homeless live with the Goron, or in shadowy corners of Hyrule Castle Town. These Hylians are often more dexterous then the other Hylians of Castle Town, and sometimes resort to stealing to survive. Hyrule Castle Town Homeless/Lower Class: Starting P/W/C 1/1/2. Racials: Sense, Spin Attack On the outside of Hyrule Castle Town is miles and miles of farmland. Many Hylians work hard here to earn rupees as they harvest food for Hyrule Castle Town. These Hylians are very hard workers, and have gained a lot of strength over the years through their work on the farm lands. They are also trained in combat, as they often train and spar in their free time with other farmers. Hyrule Castle Town Farmer: Starting P/W/C 2/1/1. Racials: Sense, Spin Attack Lon Lon Ranch Nabooru Lost Woods Darunia Mido Nabooru (Southern Hyrule coming after these areas) What do you guys think? Yes, the list would be much bigger but hopefully more inclusive of other ideas. And, I'm totally open to Origin suggestions for new areas or ideas such as with Horus and Luna.
I agree with Quill, who concurs with Blondie. I like the idea of pooling racial treasures, within limits. While "guidelines" could still exist, it should be customizable. A tame example would be a Northern Hylian who is enlisted to be a guard, but is part of a small squadron of guards who specialize in offensive magic (and thus might start with Magic Proficiency, rather than typical Guard treasures). As Bitoko already seems to be doing, more options should be made available for the expanded map. In any case, changing the Origins system much would take some work. It's a good system, but can definitely be improved.
I'd agree with everything listed above. The main thing I would add, though, would be potentially broadening your base here, beyond just adding more specific options. What I mean is that classifying all physical/p-based Hylians as "Guards" or even adding 2 or 3 more options in that capacity may not entirely alleviate the problem. I know we had discussed before about them being things like "Foundations" where you could sort of say "My character may not be a Hyrule Castle guard in origins, professions, lineage, or whatever, but he can be characterized in the same camp as them." I know this is kind of what we've done, but the current setup is unfortunately confusing. I suppose a better way of putting it is much like BP summarized in her post. Instead of calling them "Thieves of the Lost Woods" you could just better characterize it as "Agility based people from Northern Hyrule." As far as a title for that Foundation/Origin, you'd need a new name of course, but I think it would be neat to aim in that direction. Add more options but also broaden the base.
