Welcome to Sword Art Online: Authority Zero

Welcome! If you are reading this, it means you are preparing a RTJ to submit and there are a few things to learn about the game before you do. PLEASE READ ALL THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS THREAD. ALL YOUR ANSWERS ARE IN HERE.


This game is Mature rated. This game is going to be active. Must have decent posting skills. If you can't prepare yourself for the above mention, then likely this isn't the game for you.

• This game is semi-free form. You post among yourselves for the most part until I intervene to stir everything up and get things moving along and it also includes a simple dice roller system for PvP & PvE encounters, but don't worry, it's not too much number crunching.
• Before you consider joining, you must be an occasional poster. If you can't live to the game's posting standards, perhaps a different game will be best.
• If I see anybody just logging in and not posting and this continues several days in a row, you will be immediately removed and I will take your character.
• This an anime game, so no human pictures will be used for portraits please.
• If you have ideas for future arcs or character progression for yourself or someone else, let me know! I'm open-minded!
  
  • Once you get through the following steps below, you'll be ready to submit an RTJ to me.

• The Rules
• Posting Expectations & Attendance Agreement
• Sword Art Online 101
• Game System/Combat System
• Leveling Up
• Setting and Plot
• Characters
• Authority Zero Classes
• RTJ Sheet
• Congratulations!

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SECTION I. The Rules

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Rules:

• A request to join with a complete sheet must be submitted in order to participate in this game.
• GM(s) + Editor(s) have final say in all decisions. Don't like it? I'll happily remove you.
• No arguing with GM(s) or any other player in the game. If you have problems, concerns, or comments, PM us. We can help you.
• Do not flame, spam, or harass other players or the game itself.
• No using whatever is in the OOC and/or PMs to your advantage. In other words, no discussion of the game in PMs and OOC and then use that info within the game.
• No god-modding, puppeteering, instant kills, or saying you are invincible.
• Do not cause problems for the GMs or any other players. This should be a nice environment.
• I do have the right to remove you if you are MIA or leave for long periods of time. This stalls the game.
• I do have the right to reject your RTJ so you have been warned.
• This is an active game so be active! If you aren't, you will be removed.
• I am open to a player having multiple characters; just ask.
• Lastly, have fun.

Rules are always subject to change at any given moment.

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SECTION II. Posting Expectations & Attendance Agreement

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In Sword Art Online: Authority Zero we believe each and every player can be successful when Players and the GM(s) work together to increase players’ attendance and overall performance.

This agreement outlines the responsibilities of players and the GM(s) in this game forum in setting players up for a successful gaming campaign.

By signing this agreement, players and the GM(s) are making a commitment to each other that they will fulfil their roles and responsibilities for achieving the best possible gaming outcomes for players within this game.

Player’s Agreement:

I want to enjoy my time here within Sword Art Online: Authority Zero and provide quality gaming time with my fellow peers.

In signing this agreement, I agree to:

• Log into the game every other day (once per 48 hours)
• Check in with my fellow players
• Be ready to catch up and post
• To Participate with my fellow players via in-game
• Have a positive attitude
• Always do my best
• Contact the GM(s) for assistance if needed
• Establish a good gaming routine so that I can meet expectations
• Post efficiently with creativity and quality work that meets writing criteria
• Work with the GM(s) and other players to achieve my goals.

I have thoroughly read and understood the information contained in this agreement and will abide by it.

Player User Name: ____________________Date: ______________


The GM(s) Agreement:

The staff at Sword Art Online: Authority Zero want to help each player to learn each and every day and to achieve the very best results that she/he can.

In signing this agreement, I agree that the GM(s) of this game will:

• Provide quality feedback that is based on principles of effective learning and teaching
• Prioritize resources in the most effective way to advance each player’s achievement
• Provide learning experiences and expectations that match each players’ needs
• Implement fair and supportive behavior management strategies in line with RpoL’s policy
• Inform the player about their progress and behavior if there is any problem
• Be available to talk with players and be open and receptive to their issues and ideas
• Communicate both positive and negative feedback to players about their character or in-game usage
• Enforce all other rules and regulations of this game

I have thoroughly read and understood the information contained in this agreement and will abide by it to the best of my abilities.

GM: ___WHITECOMIC____Date: ___JULY 2023____

Consequences for breaking the game rules and breaking this agreement can result to, but not limited to, suspension to Group Z , complete removal from the game, and/or complete ban without a warning of any kind.

This must be attached to your RTJ SHEET at the end.

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SECTION III. Sword Art Online 101

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In 2022, a virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game (VRMMORPG) called Sword Art Online (SAO) will be released. With the NerveGear, a helmet that stimulates the user's five senses via their brain, players can experience and control their in-game characters with their minds. Both the game and the NerveGear were created by Akihiko Kayaba.

On November 6, 10,000 players log into SAO's mainframe cyberspace for the first time, only to discover that they are unable to log out. Kayaba appears and tells the players that they must beat all 100 floors of Aincrad, a steel castle which is the setting of SAO if they wish to be free. He also states that those who suffer in-game deaths or forcibly remove the NerveGear out-of-game will suffer real-life deaths.

One of the players named Kazuto "Kirito" Kirigaya, is one of 1,000 testers in the game's previous closed beta. With the advantage of previous VR gaming experience and a drive to protect other beta testers from discrimination, he isolates himself from the greater groups and plays the game alone, bearing the mantle of "beater", a portmanteau of "beta tester" and "cheater". As the players progress through the game Kirito eventually befriends a young girl named Asuna Yuuki, forming a relationship with and later marrying her in-game. After the duo discover the identity of Kayaba's secret ID, who was playing as the leader of the guild Asuna joined in, they confront and destroy him, freeing themselves and the other players from the game.

In the real world, Kazuto discovers that 300 SAO players, including Asuna, remain trapped in their NerveGear. As he goes to the hospital to see Asuna, he meets Asuna's father Shouzou Yuuki who is asked by an associate of his, Nobuyuki Sugou, to make a decision, which Sugou later reveals to be his marriage with Asuna, angering Kazuto. Several months later, he is informed by Agil, another SAO survivor, that a figure similar to Asuna was spotted on "The World Tree" in another VRMMORPG cyberspace called Alfheim Online (ALO). Assisted in-game by his cousin Suguha "Leafa" Kirigaya and Yui, a navigation pixie (originally an AI from SAO), he quickly learns that the trapped players in ALO are part of a plan conceived by Sugou to perform illegal experiments on their minds. The goal is to create the perfect mind-control for financial gain and to subjugate Asuna, whom he intends to marry in the real world, to assume control of her family's corporation. Kirito eventually stops the experiment and rescues the remaining 300 SAO players, foiling Sugou's plans. Before leaving ALO to see Asuna, Kayaba, who has uploaded his mind to the Internet using an experimental and destructively high-power version of NerveGear at the cost of his life, entrusts Kirito with The Seed – a package program designed to create virtual worlds. Kazuto eventually reunites with Asuna in the real world and The Seed is released onto the Internet, reviving Aincrad as other VRMMORPGs begin to thrive.

One year after the events of SAO, at the prompting of a government official investigating strange occurrences in VR, Kazuto takes on a job to investigate a series of murders involving another VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online (GGO), the AmuSphere (the successor of the NerveGear), and a player called Death Gun. Aided by a female player named Shino "Sinon" Asada, he participates in a gunfight tournament called the Bullet of Bullets (BoB) and discovers the truth behind the murders, which originated with a player who participated in a player-killing guild in SAO. Through his and Sinon's efforts, two suspects are captured, though the third suspect, Johnny Black, escapes.

Kazuto is later recruited to test an experimental FullDive machine, Soul Translator (STL), which has an interface far more realistic and complex than the previous machine he had played, to help develop artificial intelligence for RATH, research, and development organization under the Ministry of Defense (MOD), named A.L.I.C.E. He tests the STL by entering virtual reality cyberspace created with The Seed package, named Underworld (UW). In the UW, the flow of time proceeds a thousand times faster than in the real world, and Kirito's memories of what happens inside are restricted. However, when Black ambushes and injures Kazuto with suxamethonium chloride, RATH recovers Kazuto and places him back into the STL to preserve his mind while attempts are made to save him. During his time in Underworld, Kirito befriends Eugeo, a carver in a small village of Rulid, and helps him on a journey to save Alice Zuberg, his friend who was taken by a group of highly skilled warriors known as the Integrity Knights for accidentally breaking a rule of the Axiom Church, the leaders of the Human Empire. He and Eugeo soon find themselves uncovering the secrets of the Axiom Church, led by a woman only known as "The Pontifex", and the true purpose of Underworld itself, while unbeknownst to them, a war against the opposing Dark Territory brewing on the horizon. Meanwhile, in the real world, conflict escalates as American forces raid RATH's facility in the Ocean Turtle in an effort to take A.L.I.C.E. for purposes unknown. Two of the attackers - Gabriel Miller and Vassago Cassals - take control of two Dark Territory characters as they unite the Dark Territory's giants, goblins, ogres, orcs, dark knights, dark mages, and pugilists to aid them. With help from all his friends, Kirito manages to stop the attackers as well as foreign players lured by Vassago, and safely extract A.L.I.C.E. from UW, who gains a physical body - with Miller and Vassago being killed in the process.

Sword Art Online is still on-going to this day and because of that, Unital Ring is not finished. This game will entirely ignore the 5th arc of SAO and trail off on its own to a completely different story.

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SECTION IV. Game System/Combat System

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Combat System

In the Authority Zero Video Game in-game, these will be the mechanics for it:

Each character starts with what's called the Stamina and Health boxes, or simply the Endurance Bar. Each player will start with 10 boxes which is shared between stamina and Health. Once all boxes are used up either from damage or using stamina or both, your in-game character dies. Characters have the ability to run away from an encounter once they begin their first turn. If the player chooses to run away, they will not gain any Sparks due to the incompletion of the encounter.

Authority Zero will be a turn-based video game in VR. Each time it's your turn, you'll regain 2 Stamina blocks.


To keep track, I'll change the 'O' with an 'X' to show you used Stamina or took Healthdamage.

For example, let's say I took 2 Health damage and used 1 Stamina block for an attack. It would look like this:


On my next turn, I regain 2 stamina, but since I used up only 1, I can put the 'O' back.

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Attacking:

During an activation, a character can make up to one attack with each weapon they are holding in their hand slots. Each character is allowed to equip two weapons. To make an attack, the character targets an enemy within range of one of their weapons. They choose one of that weapon’s attack options based on the type of equipment they are wearing and spend Stamina. Then they roll appropriate dice matching the quantity shown on the chosen attack. When a player chooses to make an additional attack using their secondary weapons, they repeat this process. If an enemy is slain during the first attack before the second one is executed, the second attack with the secondary weapon will be ignored.

Each weapon or spell has a few attacks you can choose from. Every weapon is different so be sure to always check to see what kind of dice you will need to roll.

The following dice we will use are:
Regular: 1d2 (R.Die/RD)
Blue: 1d3 (M.Die/MD)
Orange: 1d4, reroll 1s. (O.Die/OD)

Regular is basic and physical. Blue die are for magic. Orange die are usually for Sword Skills and if your weapon calls for it for one its attack options. Refer to your equipment to know what your weapon does and what it offers for you.

In general, weapons cause physical damage (regular dice), and The Admin will subtract the target’s Block value from the attack total. Spells or elemental weapons cause magical damage instead (blue dice), so The Admin will subtract the target’s Resist value from the damage total. In either case, the enemy suffers the resulting damage. If the enemy’s Block or Resist value equals (or exceeds) the damage total, the enemy suffers 0 damage.

Types of Conditions (Effects):
Some attacks inflict conditions on their target. When an attack has a condition icon, the Admin will place a "Condition Note." A character/enemy can have only one of each condition. (For example, a character could be affected by a Bleed Effect and a Poison Effect at the same time, but it could not have two Bleed Effects.) When a player/enemy ends its turn, remove any poison, frostbite, bleed, or stagger effects from that character. Additionally, if any player has condition effects at the end of an encounter, all conditions are removed.

Bleed:
When a player/enemy that has a Bleed effect, it suffers 2 additional damage. Then
the condition is removed right away.

Poison:
At the end of a player/enemy's turn, if it has a Poison condition, it suffers 1 damage.

Frostbite:
A character with a Frostbite condition must spend 1 additional Stamina each time it walks, runs, or dodges. An enemy with a Frostbite condition has the movement pattern on its Move patterns reduced by 1.

Stagger:
A character with a stagger condition must spend 1 additional Stamina to use their weapons’ actions. An enemy with a Stagger condition has the damage values on its attacks reduced by 1.

• Sword Skills
  
  All Sword Skills are unique, powerful attack options for your character. Sword Skills have been used many times throughout Sword Art Online manga, anime and video games, so that's why I am making them available here as part of your arsenal of skills you can use aside from your weapons.
  
  Sword/Weapon Skills cost 4 blocks of Stamina and have a three-turn cool down period. These skills will use an Orange Die to calculate damage.

Range:

Every weapon in the game has a range indicator that I will provide to you. This will determine how far your weapon can reach to attack an enemy.

You'll encounter the following numbers for range:
-0: This means your weapon only reaches the node that you are on.
-1: This means your weapon can reach the same node you are on and one node away.
-2: This means your weapon can reach the same node as you and two nodes away.
-3: This means your weapon can reach the same node as you and three nodes away.
-~(infinite): This means your weapon can reach all nodes on the grid.

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Defending:

Defense will play a part in protecting you from any oncoming attacks, whether it's upfront or from range. This is where your equipment such as your armor, shield, and sometimes even weapons will play a part in protecting you. Depending on what kind of equipment you're wearing and using, you'll gain some protection against enemy attack(s).

Depending on the type of equipment you have, armor, weapons, and shields will help determine which die you need to roll and how many of it to defend against an enemy attack. You'll either roll a physical defense die (normal) or a magic resistance die (blue).

There is also another way to avoid damage and that's by using the dodge option.

To dodge, roll a simple 1d6. If the outcome is odd, you failed the dodge and will take full damage of the attack. If the outcome is even then the dodge is successful however, it will cost 1 Stamina block and you will be able to move to 1 nearby node around you.

To increase your chances of dodging, certain equipment like armors, shields, and even weapons, can provide additional dice to increase your chances to reroll a failed dodge. Check the Equipment Thread to see if any of your items give you extra dodge dice to give you more opportunity to reroll a failed dodge, which increases your chances of succeeding.

Each enemy has a target dodge number. This number indicates how many successful dodges that are required to perform the dodge. Each enemy varies so review their stats to know what their target dodge number is in order to successfully dodge their attack(s).

Enemies cannot dodge player attacks.


Turns:

When battling, there is a turn order to be followed. This is an example below:

• 1. All enemies activate.
• 2. Knight activates.
• 3. All enemies activate.
• 4. Warrior activates.
• 5. All enemies activate.
• 6. Herald activates.

This is but an example how combat rotation will go.

Moving:

For Authority Zero, it'll be like a grid or nodes I like to call them. Barriers surround the player and limit escape from enemy encounters. This also prevents other players from interacting and distracting each other during combat. Most encounters will start like this (this is an example):


The size of the field will differ with regular enemies and boss encounters. With regular enemies, the field is quite small and limited, but it creates just enough wiggle room for both players and enemies to move. Boss encounters will have a much bigger field of play, so don't worry about having a small area to work with when it comes to boss encounters.

On the grid above, E is for enemy (which will usually display abbreviations of the types of enemies you will face.) An example of that would be:

Corrupted Undead Crossbow Soldier - abbreviation on the grid would be (C.C.) for Corrupted Crossbow.

On the grid above, P is for player (which will usually display your avatar's name in full and color coded).

Enemies have different movements patterns, and they vary depending on the type of enemy.

Enemies can only move once per turn.

During an activation, a character may move before attacking or after attacking (but not both). Characters have three methods of moving from node to node during an encounter. They are:
• Walk (0 Stamina) – Once per turn, a character may move 1 node without spending Stamina.
• Run (1 Stamina) – Any number of times per activation, a character may move 1 Node.
• Dodge (1 Stamina) – During an enemy’s activation, when a character is attacked by the enemy, the character may move 1 Node and roll to dodge.

Both enemies and players can or may move from side to side, up or down, and diagonal.

A diagonal movement would look like this:



Notice that the player moved from Node C05 to Node B04.

Being able to move diagonally will help players plan their attacks and movements better as opposed to be constricted with moving only up or down and side to side. Be warned though, enemies can move diagonally too.

When an encounter first happens, players will get the full information of what the grid will look like once it starts. Sometimes there will be obstacles in the way such as: Treasure Chests, Barrels, and Gravestones.

Barrels:
A character can walk, run, or dodge onto a node with a barrel but, must spend 1 additional Stamina to do so.

Treasure Chests:
Chests block movement. If the party defeats the encounter, they can open the chest(s) immediately and get a treasure from it. Guilds get x2 treasure chests and x2 the reward!

Gravestones:
Gravestones block movement. At the start of a boss encounter, the party gains information about the boss for each gravestone collected!

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Encounter LeveLs:

The enemies the characters encounter in each encounter are based on predetermined encounter templates the Admin has behind the scenes. Bosses and Mini Bosses determine what kind of encounters you'll come in contact with leading up the Boss/Mini Boss. There are a total of 3 Encounter LeveLs players can face and are completely random when players trigger an encounter.

There's Encounter LeveL 1, 2, and 3. Enemies do no scale based on encounter level.

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Death & its Consequences:

If all characters are killed, the party is defeated, if you're running solo as well. When the party is defeated, all characters respawn back to the nearest city/town or if you're in a Guild, you'll respawn back to your assigned Safe House. Dying does happen, so expect it and embrace it even if you must. Characters have a death counter attached in their character sheets. Below is the table showing how many Sparks are dropped with each death.


The amount of Sparks dropped will be placed on the Node where the player
was killed. To retrieve Sparks from a node, a character must move onto the Node where the Sparks were dropped. If a player dies before these Sparks are retrieved, the Sparks are forever lost. Once the party has entered an encounter to retreive said Sparks, it cannot leave the encounter until either the party or the encounter is cmpleted in victory.

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SECTION V. Leveling Up:

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Each enemy you defeat, you'll receive what are called Sparks. You get 1 spark per enemy. If you're in a guild, it's two sparks per enemy per party number (i.e. if There is a party of 4, it's 2 sparks per party member). Sparks are shared amongst the group and they are also used as currency. Sparks can be used to purchase and/or sell things and leveling up. Choose wisely how you want to spend your sparks. Below is the requirements to level up:


The Following Levels grant you a weapon skill:

• 4
• 7
• 10
• 13
• 16
• 19
• 22
• 25
• 28
• 31
• 34
• 37
• 40

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SECTION VI. Setting and Plot

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SAO (Sword Art Online): Authority Zero takes place 2 years after the events of Alicization - Underworld. Kirito manages to get accepted into the Toto Institute of Technology and finally fulfilling one of his dreams of bringing Yui to life. While Yui still isn’t a human child, but also not robotic like Alice, Kirito was able to crack the codes of his previous experiences in virtual reality MMOs and their machines and was able to create a program and design an artificial human-like body to bring Yui to life and immortality without harming anyone in the process or manipulating fluklights. Due to his discovery, he’s had numerous government offers to sell his rights to his program and design in order to help families all across the world to help bring back passed loved ones but has always refused, not wanting to become the next Shigemura Tetsuhiro. With Yui finally becoming real enough to touch her human parents for the first time, they lived happily ever after as they furthered their education.

We now join our heroes and friends as rumors start to surface about a new VR game releasing soon, Authority Zero along with a new game system designed by an older company called FLUX ARTS, calling it the NEXUS. The NEXUS machine design is a safe and well protected VR machine, using your fully body like motion capture and a VR visor. All players are not in any physical or mental distress while they use the NEXUS machine, even including only an 8 hr play time per day to avoid overworking a person’s body, mind, and soul. While the machine is still brand new, NEXUS ensures incidents like SAO, ALFhiem, Ordinal Scale, and Underworld will never happen again. Kirito was gifted the machine when he shared his concerns about the whole thing, helping them establish the restricted play time and was able to convince FLUX ARTS to gift them to his friends with the NEXUS machine, all agreeing to join up in the new VRMMORPG just like old times and meeting new friends along the way.

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SECTION VII. Characters

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Below is a list of characters you can play:

• Kirigaya Kazuto/Kirito
• Yuuki Asuna/Asuna
• Yui
• Tsuboi Ryotaro/Klein
• Ayano Keiko/Silica
• Shinozaki Rika/Lisbeth
• Andrew Gilbert Mills/Agil
• Asada Shino/Sinon
• Kirigaya Suguha/Leafa
• Alice Zuberg/Alice

I prefer the talent and imagination it takes to create your own character, but if you absolutely insist on wanting to be a canon character, send me a PM. If you are having a very hard time creating a character, I'll be glad to assist you in any way that I can. This process should be stress free, not stressful.

If any of the above characters have a strike through them, it means someone has already claimed said character.

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SECTION VIII. Authority Zero Classes

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Authority Zero offers several classes to choose from once you link start. You'll immediately create your character and pick a class that starts at level 1. Below are the classes available to choose from:

• Knight
  Starting Gear: Kite Shield, Knight's Armor, Long Sword
  Class Skill: Stand Fast
  Description: Once per battle after making a block roll, the Knight may roll an additional die and add it to the total.
  
  
• Warrior:
  Starting Gear: Round Shield, Southern Armor, Battle Axe
  Class Skill: Berserk Charge
  Description: Once per battle during activation, the Warrior may move one node without spending stamina. The next attack they make costs 0 stamina and gains 1 to defense until their next turn.
  
  
• Herald:
  Starting Gear: Knight Shield, Herald Armor, Spear, Talisman
  Class Skill: Perseverance
  Description: Once per battle during their activation, the Herald may use Perseverance. When they do, each member of the party regains 2 Stamina blocks.
  
  
• Assassin
  Starting Gear: Target shield, Assassin Armor, Estoc (weapon)
  Class Skill: Back Stab
  Description: Once per battle after a making a successful dodge, the Assassin may attack the enemy they dodged. The attack does not cost stamina, but must have range to the enemy.
  
  
• Thief:
  Starting Gear: Bandit Knife, Deserter Armor, Iron Round Shield, Short Bow
  Class Skill: Lucky Break
  Description: Once per battle, the Thief activate Lucky Break. When they do, they remove 2 used up blocks of health and 2 used up blocks of Stamina.
  
  
• Pyromancer:
  Starting Gear: Round shield, Pyromancer Garb (armor), Hand Axe, Pyromancer Flame
  Class Skill: Explosive Firepower
  Description: Once per battle when the Pyromancer makes a magic attack, they gain an extra dice roll to roll for attack.
  
  
• Sorcerer:
  Starting Gear: Sorcerer Wand, Sorcerer Robes, Leather Shield, Mail Breaker Sword
  Class Skill: Spell Fury
  Description: Once per battle, when the Sorcerer makes a magic attack, it gives one of their magic spells infinite range and reduces the stamina cost by 3 blocks.
  
  
• Mercenary:
  Starting Gear: Wooden Shield, Merc Armor, Merc Twin Blades
  Class Skill: Rapid Strike
  Description: Once per battle during their activation, the Mercenary may make an addition attack even though they just went.
  
  
• Cleric:
  Starting Gear: Mace, Cleric Robes, Blue Wooden Shield, Sacred Chime
  Class Skill: Keep the Faith
  Description: Once per battle during their activation, the Cleric can heal each character within 3 nodes from them, healing 2 blocks of health.

Depending on which class you choose, you'll receive starting stats in the beginning that I will provide to you.

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SECTION IV. RTJ Sheet

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This is for original characters:

Name:

Age:

Avatar Class:

Avatar Username/Nickname (optional):

Gender:

Avatar Gender:

Personality:

Background:

Appearance (both character and VR avatar appearance):


Congratulations! You did. You read every section in order to know what you're applying to. If by chance I scared you away at some point, likely means it wasn't your taste and that's okay. If you are still interested by this point, please do submit an RTJ and I will take a look and look it over. If you have questions, concerns, need clarification on any of the material you read above, do not hesitate to ask or voice it. I'm pretty understanding and patient. Hope to see a PM soon! Enjoy your day!
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:21, Fri 07 July 2023.