Creating Your Vanishing Point Character

Things To Think About

Here are some questions to consider as you develop a character for use on Vanishing Point MUCK. Many of them are fairly obvious, but they're still important to think about as you write an application and begin play.

1. How will this character interact with others?

This is probably the most important question in creating a character, since roleplaying is fundamentally about your character interacting with others. The bulk of your roleplaying on Vanishing Point will consist of casual social scenes with other characters; as such, you'll probably have the easiest and best time playing if your character is capable of participating in casual scenes. Characters who are antisocial, desperately timid, or otherwise incapable of social interactions with strangers will pose an additional challenge for both you and your fellow players, and please think carefully before applying for them.

The administrators take characters' interaction potential very seriously when considering applications, and if uncertain of a character's ability to interact, they reserve the right to request a sample scene with that character in order to gauge their viability. Please be prepared to play your character!

2. What does this character think about current events?

Before you begin an application, read the MUCK's documentation and think about how the setting presented there reflects on your character. The most important question, of course, is what your character thinks about Pokemorphs and the last five years' wave of transformation, but they're also likely to know about and have an opinion about Team Rocket, the Kanto training decline, and any number of other topics. Vanishing Point attempts to present a unique world, and building your character as a citizen of that world will serve you well.

3. What kinds of stories do you want to play with this character?

This is another very basic question, but it's something to think about: what do you want to do with this character? Do you just intend to play them casually, as a slice-of-life character, or do you have a planned story arc in mind for them? What do you want to achieve in play with the character? These should obviously be flexible -- after all, things will change in play as your character interacts with others -- but having some sort of idea what you want to do will help you start scenes and storylines in the game.

Training and NPCs

As a roleplaying game based on Pokemon, Vanishing Point obviously allows characters to be Pokemon trainers and to have Pokemon NPCs associated with their character. However, since the focus of this game is everyday life in a changed Kanto, most trainer characters in this game should be of the decidedly casual sort: a person with a Pokemon or two they keep as helpers and companions, not a wandering battler preparing to take on the Elite Four. To help emphasize this part of the setting, and to try and limit NPC clutter, each character may have only three associated Pokemon NPCs at character creation. Most should have fewer than this, and many will have none at all.

When creating a "serious" trainer character, think hard about how such a person would fit into the theme and setting as stands. Ever since Team Rocket arose ten years ago, the number of young people committed to making the formal Pokemon League journey has fallen precipitously, and these days challengers beyond the first few gyms are very rare indeed. As a trainer beyond the casual level, your character will be essentially removed from everyday life, and they're unlikely to be able to function in the typical Vanishing Point setting with the ease another character would. This isn't to say such characters can't work, but please give them careful thought, and consider discussing your idea with the wizards before applying to get help smoothing out the details.

In general, try to keep the number of NPCs -- Pokemon and otherwise -- actively involved in scenes very low. Of course, most well-designed characters will have peripheral NPCs associated with them (friends, loved ones, dependents, and others), but in general, these characters should appear in scenes sparingly, and the character shouldn't interact with them to the exclusion of other players' characters. NPCs are background figures; please keep them that way.

Creating a Pokemorph

Pokemorphs are an important part of Vanishing Point's setting, and they make popular choices for characters -- after all, they're interesting, novel, and fun to play. However, they also have different considerations during character creation from those other characters might. Here are some things to think about while designing a Pokemorph for Vanishing Point.

1. All adult Pokemorphs were once humans. Natural-born Pokemorphs are all too young to be playable characters, and all others are humans who underwent the transformation process. Give plenty of thought to your character's human life and how it was changed or disrupted by their transformation. How long ago were they transformed? As humans, where did they live and what did they do? Did they encounter prejudice from friends and family when they awoke as Pokemorphs, or were they supported and accepted? Did their dreams and aspirations change post-transformation? Pokemorphs don't have to have traumatic transformation stories, but you should know where they came from.

2. Almost all Pokemorphs lived, and live, normal lives. The vast majority of Pokemorphs still live amongst humans, work at normal human jobs, and have human friends and loved ones. While some of them have changed careers to those better suited for their new bodies, almost none of them "go feral" or otherwise retreat from society, and almost none of them have terribly unusual backgrounds. Characters who diverge too much from normal human situations will be heavily scrutinized and may be rejected if they're too implausible.

3. Pokemorphs in VP have subtle and limited powers, not movesets. They're much closer to humans than Pokemon, so while they do have some elemental powers, they're not capable of proper "moves" or combat ability at a Pokemon's level. The power level of your Pokemorph should be kept low and generally reasonable.

4. Think about how physically changed your character is. Consider the Des Anges Scale when designing your Pokemorph. A score between 30 and 45, indicating moderate changes to appearance but few gross physiological changes, is the standard range for most 'Morphs; any 'Morph with a score greater than 45 will be considered very strange, and most in that range will have medical problems and quite likely mobility difficulties. If you're going to make a 'Morph very divergent from the human norm, consider the bad sides of this change as well as the good.

5. Legendary, baby, and evolved Pokemon species cannot be Pokemorphs. There is only one evolved 'Morph and one legendary 'Morph in existence; while this may change in the course of play, these are not currently available for applications. Pokemorphs of "baby" species only occur as natural-born offspring of other Pokemorphs, and thus none are old enough to be playable characters.

6. Give your character's species some thought. A Pokemorph character's species should usually have some connection to their history, personality, or nature. This connection need not be terribly deep, but there should be some reason that your character transformed into the species they did; try to pick a species that really fits your character, not just a random species or a cool one. (Of course, you can design a 'Morph character around their species, if that's easier for you.)

Creating a Human

Humans are the other major playable-character species on Vanishing Point MUCK, and they're every bit as viable a character choice as Pokemorphs. Many of the things to think about in Pokemorph character design are also factors in creation of a human character -- give plenty of thought to their backstory.

1. Almost all humans are normal. Not everyone is a paramilitary officer, international diamond thief, or ninja master, and in fact, these sorts of "exceptional" characters will actually have a much harder time interacting on Vanishing Point than a more normal character might. Make your character interesting with a well-thought-out history and personality, not because of an unusual upbringing or a lot of combat skills. And on that note...

2. Most humans have no fighting skill. Abide by this. The average person on the street has no or minimal combat training, and given the presence of Pokemon, actual human-on-human combat is much rarer in Vanishing Point than in the real world. The only characters likely to have even basic self-defense training are police officers or members of Kanto's small Self-Defense Force, and these groups have both important duties and constant official scrutiny from within and without. Characters generally shouldn't be terribly good at combat, and violence junkies really aren't theme-appropriate and may be rejected.

3. Keep prejudice realistic. Humans on Vanishing Point aren't villains, and while they may be prejudiced against or uncomfortable around Pokemorphs, this shouldn't be played for cheap drama or cartoonishness. Please keep your character's opinions realistic, and remember that the prevailing attitude in the setting is against flagrant prejudice; especially open or active bigots are likely to suffer social consequences, if not legal ones.

4. Humans can become Pokemorphs after character creation, but they don't have to. The transformation into a Pokemorph is a perfectly valid and interesting plot for human characters to pursue on Vanishing Point -- but be careful. If you plan to have them transform very soon after they hit the grid, it's probably more appropriate to just apply for them as a recently-transformed Pokemorph; transformation is best as an eventual plot idea, when the character's situation makes it most interesting to happen. Furthermore, just because Pokemorphs and transformation are a major part of the setting's themes doesn't mean every human character is obliged to transform. Don't force it or shoehorn it into the character just to conform to the setting! Additionally, bear in mind that the transformation process will involve your character being unplayable for a period of 1-2 weeks while they sleep.

Creating a Pokemon

While Pokemon can be viable player characters on Vanishing Point MUCK, they have to be approached very carefully compared to human or Pokemorph characters. They tend to be much harder to integrate into scenes and plots and can be difficult for non-Pokemon characters to meaningfully interact with. Please be cautious and think about the following issues before applying for a Pokemon character.

1. Pokemon aren't small humans. First and foremost, Pokemon are animals -- sentient animals, and sometimes very smart ones, but animals nonetheless. Most of them can't easily communicate with humans, don't fluently understand human speech, and can't process human concepts; Psychic-types have an easier time than most, and there are other very sensitive exceptions, but by and large they just shouldn't be played as little humans.

2. Think about their place in the world. Most of Vanishing Point's setting is urban, so your character should ideally have a place in that sort of environment. Would they be a stray or a wild urban Pokemon? Would they work for a living, semi-independently or with a non-Pokemon companion? Be careful here; Pokemon who aren't at least partially independent are probably best as NPCs with their human/'Morph trainer, but truly wild Pokemon may not be viable for actual use in scenes. Ideally, you want a balance of independence and potential to interact, just like with any other character.

3. Pokemon characters should be taken as seriously as any other. Please, don't apply for Pokemon as one-off gags or cutesy setting filler. They should be as viable and serious as any other player character, and if anything, they should take more effort and thought, just because they're harder to integrate. Excessively cutesy or jokey Pokemon character applications will likely be rejected as unviable.

Feature Characters

"Feature characters" are characters who exist in the Pokemon canon; in the context of Vanishing Point MUCK, this term refers to characters who have pre-existing personalities and occupy major roles in the setting (i.e., Gym Leaders). These characters are open for applications but are more restricted in their availability than non-feature characters, naturally.

The major factor to remember when considering playing a feature character is their status as semi-NPCs. As elements of the setting, they're by definition more reactive than active and will generally not be initiating their own plot arcs. These characters come with responsibilities to the setting and generally lack the freedom of non-feature characters. Think about this carefully: are you okay playing a character as a semi-NPC in this way? What would you want to do with a feature character if you successfully apply for one?

The first step in applying for a feature character is to contact the administrators and talk about the character you have in mind. They'll let you know if the slot is available and if your specific idea for it is viable; once you've talked to them, feel free to apply, but be aware that feature-character applications will be reviewed especially carefully. After you've applied, the administrators will probably request a sample scene to get a feeling for how you play the feature character -- after all, you'll probably be working with them on potential plot arcs involving your character's corner of the setting.

Please note that there are two types of feature character not currently available for application by players. The first is characters associated with Team Rocket (or the other Teams). Giovanni is imprisoned, as are all the other Rocket higher-ups of any note; while former Rocket Grunts may be available as player characters, they don't function as feature characters and generally shouldn't be focused on potential Rocket-related plots. Teams Aqua, Magma, and Galactic are not currently integrated into the setting, and feature characters from them will not be accepted into the setting unless they eventually are.

The second type of feature characters not currently available for applications is Legendary Pokemon. Legendary Pokemon in Vanishing Point are somewhere between mythical beasts and gods, and as such they are too central to the setting cosmology to allow for player-character applications.

A Final Note

Finally, perhaps the most important character-creation guideline on Vanishing Point MUCK is this: when in doubt, consult an admin. The administrators are more than happy to help you develop characters and work on applications, and they're happy to discuss your questions or concerns. Considering applying for a feature character? Unclear on an element of the setting? Wondering if a character idea you've had is workable? Please ask! The admins can generally be found and paged on the grid, and if they're not there, feel free to e-mail at vanishingpoint@mail.com.

Best of luck!