About/Questionnaire

## What is Palidovas?

Palidovas is the both the name of our project and the name of the dark and beautiful semi-medieval world created by the Spooked Ya! Team. The world itself is set as a two-mooned planet revolving around a dead dwarf star in a universe with almost no stars remaining. It is a planet made mostly of land, but varying terrain.

## What are the themes for Palidovas? What inspired it?

The overarching themes are ones of darkness, decay and rebirth, and the feeling of lonliness, but also the feelings of beauty, change, and glimmers of hope.

Our group took inspiration from many sources across varying medias, such as games, books, and our own collective ideas. Some of our many inspirations were Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dune, the writings of HP Lovecraft, and Dungeons and Dragons Dark Sun.

## Who are the inhabitants of Palidovas and how do they relate?

We wanted to really focus on creating a singular sapient race for our world, much like it is in the real world. Our people, known as the Dovasi, are a species of previously subterranean creatures inheriting the world in a state of disarray. Although they are all one people, they have created many cultures around the world. From the power-hungry Durok Fiefdoms to the nomadic Sand Dancers to the deformed Firelords, each culture is unique in its own way and each have their own agendas.

However, the Dovasi are not alone in this world. Hundreds of different types of creatures inhabit the world, and most are deadly and without mercy.

## Are there any game mechanics involved with Palidovas?

So far we have focused more on building the world than on any game mechanics due to our desire to create something fully fleshed out before making mechanics and the fast and complex way combat typically works in the game. It is definitely a goal in the future to create a system for combat and other mechanics, but this will not be any time soon.

## What makes the combat so difficult to balance? Why not just use GURPS, or another existing system?

The short answer is Magic.

The long answer is that our Magic system makes for a lot of variables to consider. First and foremost is that Magic is an inherent part of the world. Much of the magic is based around the mindset of the user, and therefore the Dovasi use the magic unwillingly whenever they are injured to heal themselves quickly. This makes physical combat difficult to plan out, as any minor injuries would be quickly healed. This leaves us with the need for ultra fast, ultra deadly combat in order to effectively injure or kill other creatures. This coupled with the inherently deadly way that magic works and the dangerous creatures of the world means that in a traditional turn based system would be difficult, as a single turn would be enough to kill an entire party of players.

## Speaking of magic, how does that work?

There are two types of magic in the world: Auka, which is the inherent magic found in many creatures, and Krauja which is formed from the byproducts of magical creatures. Auka is in every Dovasi and is utilized by causing some form of trauma to one’s own body. This can be as simple as cutting yourself to create a single use weapon from your own blood to sacrificing years off your life to bring someone back from the dead for a while longer. Krauja on the other hand is used by taking the animal byproduct and getting into the bloodstream, whether that be by snorting, inhaling/eating, or injecting it. This gives a powerful boost of magical ability based upon the substance consumed, but can be dangerous in large quantities. Magic itself is inherently addictive.

There is also a way to enhance your own abilities by destroying some of your senses, but this comes with its own set of risks.

## Sounds Awesome! When will it be done?

Well, because of the number of people on this project is constantly fluctuating and we're doing this in our free time, we honestly have no idea. But we have a super in depth history, interesting cultures, and an original magic system built, and tons of creatures, events, people and more on the way. This project will be worked on by the Spooked Ya! team for quite a while.

## Last Question: Who are the Spooked Ya! team?

Spooked Ya! currently consists of Rory Glenn, Brooke Milan, Matt Moseley, Ryan Gochnauer, Kyle Martin, Alex Harper, and Naomi Kimmey.