Release Your Fighting Spirit! Let's Playtest Shape of the Elements

Let's Plays
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#1

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What is Shape of the Elements?
If you’re familiar with me, you know that sometimes I make games; Shape of the Elements is one of those games, currently in playtesting. Like most of the things I’ve made, its Powered by the Apocalypse, with a focus on recreating wuxia style fights inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as a flowing, player driven narrative and world.

So what is this, exactly?
This is primarily a playtest, but also an open call for people who what to help me playtest it; if, while you listen, you find yourself thinking “Gosh I would love to get my hands on this and run my group through it,” then good news, you can! Just message me and I’ll send you a copy of the latest playtest document; my only request is that you actually send me your notes about how things worked out for you.

Update Schedule
Updates will be on Mondays, barring real life events.

Cast
Aisuse is, according to him, the future savior of mankind, the one who will usher in the new Blazing Empire and unite all the people under it. In actuality, he’s a mediocre fireshaper raised with in a cult known as the Torchbearers; he’s got a bit of an ego and is obsessed with proving to everyone that he’s worth of the mantle the Torchbearers have thrust upon him. Aisuse uses the Rebel playbook and is played by dijon du jour.

Nari of the Šumuri is a noble scion from the distant Yangai Kingdom; despite her noble upbringing, she has received very little in the way of training, for the simple reason that she shows no aptitude for her family’s traditional earthshaping techniques. Instead, she has a natural affinity for airshaping, causing her family to largely ignore her, allowing her to travel the world looking for an airshaping master to teach her. Nari uses the Hunter playbook and is played by Visc.

Rulon is an angry young man; born a peasant inside the Raohu Empire, when he came of age he joined a group of rebels, who taught him fireshaping and gave him a purpose: to tear down the tyrants of the world and free the people. Naturally, the rebellion failed in the face of superior training, weaponry, and shaping ability. Now Rulon plots to reignite the rebellion that failed. Rulon uses the Peasant playbook and is played by Brutus Salad.

part 1 chapter header
Character Creation 1
Character Creation 2
Episode 1: The Tournament
Episode 2: Anlu
Episode 3: The Hammer
Episode 4: The Cave
Episode 5: The River
Episode 6: Gaiyan
Episode 7: Leaves from a Tree
Episode 8: The Sword
Episode 9: Exchanging Pointers

#2

Update!
Following the disastrous events at the Tournament of the Four Elements, the ad hoc group flees to Anlu, where Aisuse promises that the Torchbearers, his band of freedom fighters (or a cult, depending on how you look at it) will be able to shelter them and provide them with aide and direction. Instead, they find that Anlu has been not only flooded with refugees, but the minions of the Glorious Phoenix Lord.

#3

Update
Having fled Anlu without alerting too many of the Phoenix Lord’s men, the party decide to take stock and resupply in the small farming village of Waisha. Unfortunately, they find themselves caught in between a conflict between the remnants of the town’s old guard, now turned bandits, and the Phoenix Guardians under the mysterious Humaar Rama. All they have to do is keep a low profile, make contact with one of Rulon’s old revolutionary buddies, and pick up some horses to quicken their trip north; of course, not all of them are good at blending in and things quickly spiral out of their control.

#4

Update!
A storm of malevolent spirits forces the party to take shelter in a cave; while Rulon deals with his injuries, Nari and Aisuse have a heart to heart, before a strange whispering prompts them to explore deeper into the cave. What they find takes their breath away and changes their understanding of the world.

#5

Here for the failson of the flying guillotine and the wikipedia orb’s coming of age.

1 Like
#6

Update!
On their way north, the group stops in Chiza, a small farming community in the fertile Fuzhou River Valley. But instead of finding a place to restock and rest, they find a community in transit, as the Fuzhou, famous for its timely and predictable flooding, has started flooding the entire valley. What’s causing the flooding and can they stop it?

#7

Update!
The party arrives in Gaiyan, a city on the edge of the Empire and the Warka horse lords of the north; its unique position gives its governor a strange power, as he can easily side with the Phoenix Lord, the remnants of the Companions, or throw in his lot with the Warka. So, a strange truce between the guardians of the two empires exists in Gaiyan, enforced by an unspoken agreement. It is here that the party stops one final time, before they enter the lands of the horse lords.

1 Like
#8

Oh I get it, they absORB everything.

1 Like
#9

No.

1 Like
#10

nORB.

2 Likes
#11

Update!
The party is finally out of the Empire and into lands held by the Warka horse nomads; following the events of Gaiyan, the group has decided to take their journey off road, forging a rough path through the wilderness of the Disputed Territory. Unfortunately, in so doing they have stumbled into something far older than anything they’ve encountered before. Something that could change their lives forever.

1 Like
#12

I hope Orb becomes friend shaped.

1 Like
#13

Update!
The party continues their trek north, stopping in the once great city of Za Ming to rest following the events of the Wandering Forest. Things seem to be going well until Orb mysterious disappears to the west. Something is calling out the the strange spirit, something that they must respond to. Unfortunately, they aren’t the only ones interested in what lays to the west of Za Ming.

#14

Update
This week, the group decides to hold a friendly spar, both to exchange technique pointers and to settle the matter of who really deserves the magical hammer. Their training continues when they meet a mysterious old woman, who promises to show them a special set of skills that will further enhance their shaping abilities; of course, there must be some reason a little old lady is hiding out in the woods.