Maybe the guideline for shape-shifting should be something along the lines of:

Try to make sense. In general a character cannot add/subtract much mass so any shape-shifting abilities will keep you about the same size/bulk. If you have more extreme shape-shifting than explain what happens to the extra matter.

As for slimes in general I would simply assume their mass remains identical, it just takes whatever form they want it to take.

Why do I get the feeling that people have seen SB has posted and then simply assumed that is the be all and end all? With the exception of the initial clarification of the rules and the history his posts have just been his opinion on the matter, and the more peoples opinions here (be they monster, student, ADD or SFA) the better.

I feel I should stress that this is just trying to work out suggested guidelines and that people are welcome to ignore them if they think that will suit their rp style better.

Shapechanging seems to no longer be part of the discussion and so I'll just assume that means the guideline I posted earlier is accurate. Onto another question/topic.

How much power should monsters have? Do you prefer playing with monsters that have the freedom to do nearly anything and can use that to spice it up and change things, or a more 'equal' (well as equal and fair as Shokushu students vs Monsters can be) monster that can't just do as they please and actually has to work a little bit to get you? (Be that running down, or ambush, or trap)

Personally (I freely admit Seraph falls into the 'near limitless power' catagory, take my opinion with that in mind) I feel that if someone is confident in their writing skills and has the imagination to use what they have to add various twists and unusual circumstances than having a character with the freedom to put anything you imagine into action and still make sense is a good thing. But as SB pointed out it can potentially get boring. A more balanced character could be intersting if you play it right, after all you can't just wave your hand to have something you want happen, you have to work for it and that gives you postable content to describe and chances to interact with your partner and build a good story together.

I guess the lack of discussion just means people don't want to think too deeply about their creations. They just want to get out there and have fun. Understandable really.

I'm not going to start imposing unwanted rules to limit players, I'll just continue to hold the opinion that a monster who can use a degree of logic in their creation and who can place limits on their abilities provides more interest in a scene than one who can just grab and fuck.

Stormbringer brings up a good point, but I've finally decided to add myself into the discussion, though in technicality I was part of the equation in the first place.

I personally do not mind monsters having spiritual and magical abilities science can't exactly explain. The added mystery for the human females to try and understand how they managed to end up in the situation in the first place can lead to self loathing that since they cannot understand it must be they did not try to elude this fate in the first place and therefore perhaps accept the fact that maybe they deserve to get what’s coming. It’s a lovely twist that before this was rape and then it turns into justifiable punishment in a girl’s mind.

On the other hand having inhuman abilities can wane one’s imagination and put a form of mind block on that well, since I have no real challenge available to me then this is boring all in all. But that’s with people’s own opinions, of which I do not fall into that category.

I agree with Storm and say that since you made the character then you should’ve thought through of how, when, or where your monster will catch a student and whether or not that will keep your interest in the matter.

Some powerful monsters like to hold back and play mind games with their prey, which is above all very entertaining to me, and it adds some plot to the story though it always ends with the woman ravaged. It gives the monster and the female a chance to detail their mindsets and how they handle situations as such… and perhaps it gets the student in the mood after such a grueling mind fuck that maybe she’ll be in the mood for the real deal after expending so much energy in trying to escape or elude the creature.

My way of perception is that a monster that is created should think hard and long about before posting it up and begin to rp. It’s not as if mildly weak creatures can’t grow over time being on the island and have a sense of ultimate power they would’ve had at the beginning but it would give something to play with before that result happens.

Sole, for example, has the ability to slip into shadows, but does not have the means to successfully leave the shadows unless there is a tree or building larger then himself where he can fit back out into the 3 dimensional world. It was actually a simple idea that I elaborated on which can cause a great deal of difficulty and add to the fact Sole is not as powerful as he seems if he can’t leave the shadows he entered. I’d like to think it adds uniqueness to my monster and it can possibly offer a twisting end to a thread.

I’m a bit off on the sidelines to say monsters with absolute power in a thread with a student can be boring but can give some useful arsenals to different circumstances. I guess it would just be on a matter of opinions after all of which is perceived as a better role-playing partner. I do not mind either as long as it’s just fun to role-play with them.

That's the main point of course - that it's fun to roleplay. Such rules as we have are designed to keep the topic of the game intact and I'll tend to resist other unneccessary restrictions. So anything outside that, which covers most of my comments here and in the previous thread, is more designed to help players avoid falling into a cycle of repetition in which the all-powerful monster grabs the girl and fucks her without any effort. To my mind that tends to lead towards boredom on both sides because there's no effort or challenge involved. The monster doesn't have to try at all and the girl is reduced to being able to do little more than squirm and moan.

Naturally that can be avoided by the more experienced roleplayers by creating a form of foreplay involving cat and mouse teasing to give the girl some input and let her think she may escape. For the less experienced players the sheer novelty of playing somewhere like this may be enough for a while but sooner or later it could all become a bit routine. So having designed a monster which is of more limited abilities can help to avoid that as they have to adapt to different locations and circumstances.

A girl who manages to evade or escape a monster for a time gains a bigger sense of being more than just a helpless victim and a monster who is thwarted for a while gains a bigger sense of accomplishment when the inevitable happens.

Hehe, you should write a book on your ideology of what people should follow and believe in the ever popular school girl vs. tentacle fiend. “The Ways of Shokushu- Obey them, employ them, and have a wonderful time doing so.”

I can understand trying to stay on the fine line with only slight deviation at best. Bending the rules too much and you’ll find them bending so far they break. And do continue to give your opinions freely, Storm. Some people crave it want it. Including myself from time to time to see where I can be imaginative. =P

I'm not some one who likes to have a monster that is all powerful that is just me. I spend what seems like hours trying to figure out how to make things balanced, so the monster isn't a one hundred tentacle army. There are times I completely through out a concept because I can't balance it out. You also have to consider if the monster is going to be solely for shokushu, solely for the space area, or both. I think a monster who is being used in the space theater needs a bit more balance to them, since the ADD and SFA are supposed to have a chance to beat them. Now I'm not saying that a monster needs to be the weakest thing around. I think it becomes a bit more entertaining for a monster, if the abilities fall someplace into the realm of logical possibility, or believability. The one thing I think that helps out of everything, is just using some sort of common sense when it comes to creation.