Editing Magical Realm Cyoa/Diaspora (section)

== '''The Theme''' ==

The people of Diaspora know only that their world is strange, full of danger and magic.  They have no real notion that the nature of their world is anything odd.  That said, the people of Diaspora live in a world where everything is quantified, where the laws of the universe can be looked up in a book and understood, where magic can be learned quickly and efficiently by anyone capable of affording the materials and with enough strength of will and mental discipline.

Indeed, it is perhaps easier to learn skills and magic in Diaspora than anywhere else - one must simply pick up the correct book, have the right stats, and accept the popup message saying you do wish to learn the skills described within.

Because the theme of Diaspora is that of the Video Game RPG - attributes, skills, spells, HP, MP, all the rest.  Everyone in the realm has what amounts to a character sheet, filled in based on their capabilities - or perhaps giving them more direct access to those abilities within the realm?  Regardless of how it works, it makes it simple for a person to know themselves, gives their lives structure and allows them to grow through adversity.  Because everyone gains attribute points when they level, and learn new skills and gain new classes as they strive to better themselves.

A person can gain access to a class by either being born into it (Child, Noble, Savage, etc.) by striving towards it (Adventurer), by learning a trade (Fighter, Carpenter), or by meeting the correct criteria (Lord of the Realm, Demonslayer).  Switching between classes you have access to is as simple as opening the correct 'screen' - a magical interface with ones own soul - and selecting the new class.  Classes give a person access to skills as well as granting benefits to specific abilities.  For instance, a Child is able to increase their attributes faster through training, and a Demonslayer does more damage to demons.

You can learn new skills through gaining classes, by taking the time to practice or try something new, or even by picking up a 'skill book' and using it - a process which imprints the knowledge needed for that skill directly into the user's mind and memory.  Skill books are relatively rare and expensive - a store might stock only one or two specific skills, and high-level skills are only available from collectors.  But a well funded man who desires to pick up magic can do so in a single day.

There are limits to this, of course.  First, every skill has requirements.  Some skills require learning other skills first, and some skills require certain minimum attributes, and other skills require you to be a member of a specific class or race.  But the biggest limiter is that a person may not have more than 5 + 1/10th their wisdom (rounded down) + 1/2 their level (rounded up) total skills (this equation was determined long ago by the ancient philosomancers).

Generally, the 7-10 skills that yields for the average citizen is more than sufficient.  Along with the perks one gets from their race and class, it is more than enough capability for your average person.  Those who need more skills can always work towards gaining levels, or spend points to raise wisdom.

The mechanics of all of these abilities are described below under magic and skills.

This theme does not merely apply to those born in Diaspora, of course.  Because of the Assimilation part of the realm, any who enter Diaspora gain access to their Status, Inventory and Skill screens.  Such individuals may learn new skills or increase their level the same way Diasporans do, though if they have more skills than the maximum allowed, they cannot learn new skills until this issue is fixed.  Of course, what a Diasporan considers a 'skill' is often quite different from what an outsider would expect, so many visitors will have no or few skills.

A detailed description of the Theme and how it interacts with the world is [[Magical_Realm_Cyoa/Diaspora/System|covered in the system description]].

A detailed description of the realm's magic is [[Magical_Realm_Cyoa/Diaspora/Magic|in the section on magic]].