>>30213014
>Prepare a lie
A door to door salesman came to your house and your mother had a panic attack and called you and demanded you come home without giving details.

>Find a place to practice your abilities.

>>30213093
This.

You take a few minutes to collect your thoughts and prepare a suitable lie to tell Tracy. After considering a few different possibilities, you settle in on claiming that a door-to-door salesman came to your house and Mom freaked out and called you, demanding you come home, without explaining what was the matter. Simple, straightforward, unverifiable.

It's likely to make Tracy mad at your mother, but, well, Jim's done worse so she can't really complain.

You need to go practice with your abilities. If the past week or so has taught you anything, it's the importance of being prepared and ready for a fight. You grab your coat and set out, heading to find a good place where you can work on your abilities, away from prying eyes.

After what feels like an hour of walking, you manage to find the junk yard. You easily jump the fence, finding a quiet area deep within where no one will bother you.

>Practice general mobility: running, jumping, climbing, etc.
>Practice strength: see what you can lift and throw, get an idea of how much and how far.
>Test durability: see how much pressure you have to apply to break your skin, and such.
>Write-in

>>30213299
>Mobility first, Strength if we have time

>>30213299
>Practice general mobility: running, jumping, climbing, etc.
We can probably outpower other types of Incubators already, mobility seems more prudent.

You stretch your legs and arms a little, getting yourself ready for some intense physical activity. You know that you're fast, and you can run flat out for a long time, but you're curious to figure out exactly how fast and how long.

Your top running speed, with the aid of a measuring tape and your watch, takes a little while to figure out. You don't have the exact number, but you can run somewhere around 11 or 12 meters per second when you're going flat out, and you can do that for quite some time. In the tests, you started to feel vaguely winded after about five minutes, but you could easily have gone for longer. There just wasn't enough space to really go all out.

Second battery of tests is jumping. You can make a running jump of something like fifteen to twenty meters, which is a long way, and does leave you sort of flailing in the wind for a couple seconds. You practice that for a bit, getting an idea of how far you go if you push yourself this much or that much, until you can aim for a very tight area and stick it every time.

Then comes climbing. You clamber over and under and through the junk yard, relying on your hands and feet to move up and down, trying to snake your way through certain points. Here and there, you fail to find a handhold, so you make one instead. Your raw, inhuman strength and agility and your ordinary human lightness makes it easy to move around in whatever direction and way you please.

It's starting to get dark out.

>Go home and do work on your homework.
>Keep practicing [what?].
>Call Ned, see what happened on his date, maybe get some info on how Tracy seemed after you left.
>Call Tracy, apologize some more, explain what happened.
>Write-in.

>>30213684
>Start walking home
>Call Ned first while walking
>Call Tracy

>>30213684
>Call Ned, see what happened on his date, maybe get some info on how Tracy seemed after you left.
Let's get some info before contacting Tracy.

>>30213765
>>30213776
Agreed.

You decide to head home. It's getting dark out, and you don't want to worry your mother.

If she'll even notice that you're out.

Multitasking time, though. You call up Ned as you walk, trying to affect an interested demeanor.

"How did your date go?"

"Better than yours," Ned says with a laugh. You groan your disapproval. "Sorry, sorry, just ribbing you, man. It was good. She's a great girl, really."

"Uh huh," you say. "Anything interesting happen? You broached the subject of religion yet?"

"Not a lot interesting happened, and no, I'm still waiting to spring that on her. We went around, looked at the animals. Tracy hung around for a bit until she decided to head home." He pauses. "She mentioned a stalker, which is why she stayed close, but we didn't see her after you left."

Great, an in. "How did she seem to feel about me running off?" You're doing some very silly things with the fingers on your free hand out of nervousness.

"She, uh," Ned pauses, hesitant, "she didn't seem mad?" He ventures. "More disappointed? What happened, by the way?"

"Ugh, it was my mom," you say, making irritation clear in your tone. "Some door-to-door salesman came to our house and she freaked out."

"Wow," Ned says. There's a long moment of silence. "I didn't think she was that bad."

"She's gotten worse recently," you reply.

There's an even longer moment of silence. "Well, shit. My prayers are with you."

"Thanks." After what feels like an eternity, you finally speak up. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"Oh. Oh, good, I mean, okay. Good talking to you?"

"Yeah. Good talking to you." You exchange your farewells and hang up.

>Call Tracy, apologize some more, explain what happened. [What tack to take?]
>No, better to give her a bit of time.
>Write-in.

>>30214104
>Call Tracy, apologize some more, explain what happened.
Take the apologetic tack. Although we do have a point that Jim has done worse, like way worse, we are the mature one in this relationship.

>>30214104
>Call Tracy, ask how she is and explain what happened. Say you want to apologize properly in person when she can find the time.

You let out a deep breath, then dial Tracy's number.

"Hi, Abby," she says, sounding a bit distracted. "What's up?"

"Just calling to apologize. You busy?"

"I'm kind of spending the night at home with Jim. He's looking real annoyed right now," she says, then pauses. You can hear a bit of motion, and she giggles. "Not looking so annoyed now, though. Sorry, he's real needy."

"Right," you say, hesitating for a moment before getting back on track. "Uh, well, my mom called, freaked out, wouldn't say what was up, so I had to rush home. Of course, it turns out that it was just that some door-to-door salesman that freaked her out."

"Oh, I see. Well, it's good that it was nothing important, I guess." She pauses, and you can hear what you're pretty sure is Jim talking in the background. "Okay, hey, can I let you go?"

"I really want to make it up to you."

"It's really no big deal, family's important, I'll see you on Monday, gotta go love you bye," she says before squealing happily and hanging up.

>Homework.
>Sleep.
>Research [of?].
>Write-in.

>>30214470
Fucking Jim...
>Homework then sleep.
Might as well be done with our day.

>>30214543
seconding
homework important
sleep important

>>30214569
Thirding.

You walk the rest of the way home in silence. When you finally get there and unlock the front of your house, you hear your mother rush to her room and slam the door shut before you can get inside.

Well, it's good to know that she does leave her room while you're not here, at least. You head into your bedroom and pull out your backpack, starting up on your homework. It's busywork with no proven effect on learning, but it's busywork you have to do.

After far too long, you finally finish up your homework, and with a long yawn, curl into a ball and fall asleep.

You wake up the next morning, a bitter taste in your mouth, and go to change, shower, dress, and brush your teeth.

>Write-in.

Sorry for the long in-between, tried to think of interesting things/was distracted.

>>30215442
I don't even know what day it is, man.

>>30215555
Sunday.

Sorry.

>>30215560
I can't really think of anything, sorry man. I guess see if Ned wants to hang out or something.

>>30215442
Make breakfast for yourself and mother.
Attempt communications with mother.

>>30215682
We can just timeskip ahead if you want. Probably should've included that option.

>>30215699
>>30215682
Let's try helping mom a bit first.

>>30215442
Head back to the junkyard, look for steel plates and chains.
Can't be a knight without armor.

You decide to try to do some work towards undoing some of the damage you've done with respect to your mother, and make some pancakes for you and your mother. It's not the best thing ever made, but it is tasty enough to eat and make a good smell.

You head over to your mother's room with a plate full of pancakes, planning to entice her out. "Mom. Breakfast."

"Leave it."

"Not happening," you say. "Either you open up the door to take some, or I'm eating it myself."

There's a moment that stretches out for far too long before your mother finally opens the door, sticking her arm out, hand open and waiting. You dutifully place the plate full of pancakes in it, and watch as it zooms back into the room.

Progress, at least. You eat your own pancakes alone before considering what to do with the rest of the day.

>Hang out with Ned.
>Go to the junk yard, grab some equipment.
>Just browse the internet, play video games, watch TV, etc. [Timeskip to Monday]
>Write-in.

>>30215888
>Go to the junk yard, grab some equipment.
Let's be productive.

>>30215888
>Go to the junkyard
>Don't grab equipment
>Practice strength/mobility

>>30215959
Strength, we didn't do that yesterday.

>>30215959
This. Let's play to our strengths as a Knight-class.

>>30216093
Heh heh.

>>30215736
I really don't think this is a good idea

You decide to try being productive today, and head out, giving your mother a very short, and largely untrue, explanation.

The junkyard is a long walk from home, but that doesn't stop you. You just quicken your pace and jog there, not even sweating when you arrive. With a quick and acrobatic leap over the fence, you're inside, finding your previous spot. You stretch your limbs and get going on a work out.

The cars are awkward to lift, requiring you to adjust your position to get a firm grip and lift, rather than just ripping parts away. But after a few tries, you manage to figure out how to do it, flipping one over your head and holding it there for a long minute before flinging it away. It makes a loud crash, but lands about where you'd aimed it, a dozen meters or so away.

You do some more experimentation, finding that you can easily lift and throw even large vans, but there does seem to be a limit. You try maneuvering multiple cars on top of each other, but more than two small ones or one big one seem just a bit past your ability to properly lift, leaving aside the trouble of balancing them.

You pick up some lighter things and start hurling them around, seeing how accurate you can be. The answer, it seems, is pretty damn accurate, at least considering the size and weight of what you're hefting.

Your stomach growls, and you check your watch. 2:33. You're hungry.

>Go get food, then come back and practice some more.
>Ignore it, practice away, see what you can do on an empty stomach.
>Go get food, then come home.
>See if you can scavenge anything useful.
>Write-in.

>>30216444
>Go get food and then go home
Let's bring mom back something nice.

>>30216444
>Go get food, then come home.
We've done a lot of training now, might as well feed mom.

You decide to head home, picking up some food on the way, including something for mom. If she's already eaten, well... you'll just eat it yourself, you guess.

You carry the wrapped up burgers and fries in one hand. You reach in to grab a few french fries and eat them as you walk.

When you get home, you decide to try to coax your mother out of her room, softly tempting her with the smell of fries and burgers, even eating loudly eating some in front of the door. Eventually, to your surprise, she cracks open the door and walks out.

It's been a long time since you saw your mother face to face.

She looks like shit. Her limbs are skinny, but her belly is plump, swelled up with fat while it's left the rest of her body alone. Her eyes are half-bloodshot, terrified, desperate, and there are deep bags under them. Her hair falls around her in greasy tangles. Quivering slightly, she sits down at the table as you dump her food in front of her.

She eats, without manners or courtesy, like a ravenous animal.

>Try to talk to her. [About?]
>Just let her eat in silence. You've gotten her out of her room, that's enough.
>Write-in.

>>30216846
>Try to talk

So how's your room been lately?

No but seriously she has to do something in there, like t.v. or games or internet. If we know which is these it is, ask about it. Otherwise just ask if she likes the food.

>>30216846
>Try to talk to her.
Talk about your studies. Maybe talk about Ned and through that mention Tracy as a friend? Might as well make sure she's aware Tracy is in Abby's life.

You try to coax some information out of her. "How are things?"

"Fine," she says, in between bites.

"You browse the internet, right?"

She just nods in response, too busy eating to speak.

"Everything okay on there?"

She shrugs.

Not getting anywhere with this avenue of discussion. "Well, Ned has been on a couple dates with this girl, Veronica." She gives you a look that you can't quite decipher while she eats. Pity? "Uh, I'm hanging out with this girl Tracy now, she's really great. Just, super cute and fun to hang with. We hung out at the zoo yesterday. Saw Ned and Veronica out there."

She just grunts in response, and finishes off the last of her food before sucking what's left off her fingers. "Bye," is all she says before heading back to her room and hiding away again.

That probably could have gone better. Probably could have gone worse.

You eat the rest of your meal in silence before finishing up and cleaning up the trash.

>Timeskip.
>Write-in.

>>30217326
>Timeskip.
It should be fine.

>>30217326
>Timeskip

>>30217326
>Timeskip.
Let's go to the part where things happen.

>>30217491
That's like a week from now, though.

I'll figure something out.

>>30217550
Interacting with characters that aren't anti-social like mom is enough.

You spend the rest of the day browsing the internet and occasionally making some extra headway through your English reading. A casual glance at the clock eventually tells you it's time to sleep. You lay down your head to sleep.

You dream, and see your Cambion in front of you. It's a massive thing, larger than you by far. From every direction, its side is a semicircle or semiellipse, curving upward from the ground. The curvature is adorned with a brutish, sharp collection of spikes, chaotic and asymmetrical, without any particular sense to them. The coloration is a mixture of beetle black and dried blood red, as though the latter was some kind of camouflage on the former.

"Good work killing that Cambion," it grinds out, its voice deep and guttural.

"Um... thanks?" You manage, awkwardly. This thing is going to kill you.

"Don't like those..." it hesitates, and growls in the waiting spot, "Monarchs. Things should fight straight. Face to face. No bullshit like that. Glad it's dead." It turns towards you, body rotating slightly. There's no features or face that you can see. "When are you going to kill that Daniel, though? He flies. Hard to kill. Need the element of surprise, or he'll escape. Flighty. Cowardly."

>"I wasn't planning on killing him, actually."
>"Why is it so important to you that I kill him?"
>"I'm waiting for my moment."
>Write-in.

>>30217768
>"I wasn't planning on killing him, actually."
>"Why is it so important to you that I kill him?"

>>30217768
>"Why is it so important to you that I kill him? We're working together to kill more Cambions than I could manage to kill alone."

>>30217889
Yeah, go with this one.

"Why is it so important to you that I kill him?"

"Think," it grunts. "Not hard to figure out, little girl. His... Cambion... Manifests." It seems to struggle to recall each word. "What will you do then? Faster than you. More maneuverable. Can escape. Kill people. That's not what you want, is it?"

For a moment, the argument sounds almost convincing. "Except Cambions aggressively attack each other and Incubators."

"You're a person. It can kill you."

"Together, we can kill more Cambions than I could alone."

"Sounds good. Then you get in fight, right after you kill and are winded and wounded, poof. Cambion. Easy prey. Can fly around. Won't be able to rip it apart. Die. Cambion loose."

>"That's a very unlikely sequence of events."
>"You're just making shit up now."
>"Okay, let me just head out into the real world so I can kill Daniel," but sarcastically. Wake up.
>Write-in.

>>30218185
>"That's a very unlikely sequence of events."

>>30218185
>"That's a very unlikely sequence of events."
Isn't it not just unlikely but impossible, since right after killing a Cambion he'll have gotten more time before manifesting, and therefore definitely won't manifest?

>>30218185
>"If it comes to that I can always just shoot him. With a gun."
>"Really it's Richard you should be worrying about"

>>30218294
I think you underestimate his maneuverability. He will be incredibly hard to hit while flying.

File: 1392329431576.jpg-(46 KB, 600x249, QuadShotguns.jpg)

46 KB JPG

>>30218343
We just need to shoot more bullets.

>>30218294
As >>30218343 suggested, Chariot Incubators can accelerate from zero to sixty in about a second, and decelerate from sixty to zero in about a tenth of a second.

>>30218401
Oh god I thought it was just zero to 30

>>30218453
Hold on, let me check the records.

Ah, okay, no, I said 0 to 30 meters per second, which is about 60 mph.

>Flight. High max speed (~30 m/s), extremely high maneuverability (zero to max in 1s, max to stop in .1s, can move in any direction).

http://archive.foolz.us/tg/thread/28303509/#28306010

>>30218507
that is the source of my confusion
thank you
why can't the world standardize to meters

>>30218570
Most of it already has.

"That's a very unlikely sequence of events. Right after killing a Cambion he'll have gotten extra time between Manifesting, so it should be impossible."

"That stops, eventually. Ineffectual. Richard said as much."

"Even if it works that way, the odds are low."

"Cambion is smart. It holds back. It has control. Can push Manifestation, move it forward, back. Richard said as much. Can make it happen at time and place of its choosing. Or something like it." It raises up its front half, revealing a dozen stumpy legs and tiny, beady eyes, before falling back down, in what you imagine might be an impression of a shrug. "Dangerous. Don't know how long he's been an... Incubator, do you?"

"I'm sure if I asked I could find out."

"Could lie. Could be mistaken."

"It would be hard to be mistaken, and he has little reason to lie."

"Paranoia enough reason to lie. Is not very smart boy, no?"

"He's a bit... goofy?" You offer. "But I don't think he'd do something like that."

"Then you die. I die too. Because you're stupid."

>"H-hey, I'm not stupid! You're stupid!"
>"Thank you for your advice. I will take it under advisement." Wake up.
>"I don't believe your lies." Wake up.
>"You suck and I hate you! I don't have to listen to you, you're not my father!" Wake up.
>Write-in.

>>30218632
>"H-hey, I'm not stupid! You're stupid!"
lol

>>30218632
>"Seeing as there's no way out that doesn't involve me not dying, I figure I may as well try my luck"

>>30218632
>"And what about you? You're probably planning to manifest sooner or later, and you know that when you do we'll be hunted down and killed, right? That seems pretty stupid to me, doing that while knowing the consequences."

>>30218743
Haha, let's try this one, even if I think Cambions couldn't voluntarily not manifest at all.

>>30218743
Seconding this.

"H-hey, I'm not stupid! You're stupid!"

The Cambion just... grumbles at you? It's not a meaningful expression, just a crackle of indifference.

"You're planning to manifest, but when that happens you'll be hunted down and killed. That's pretty stupid!"

"I won't get killed."

"You definitely will! There's Richard, and Daniel, and soon Sylvia will be in the group too! If you Manifest," you slam one fist into your open palm. "BAM! Dead."

"Little scraps of meat," it says disdainfully. "Dangerous to you, maybe. Not me."

"Even if you somehow killed them - which is pretty fucking unlikely, we've taken down two Cambions without casualties -"

"With a Knight Incubator among your number," it notes, mostly to itself.

"Two Cambions, without casualties." You repeat. "Do you really think you're so much tougher?"

"Yes."

"Even if you won, even if they didn't kill you, there's still Etna! Fuck, there are probably other Incubator teams out there, killing Cambions!"

"Easy. No real threat."

"You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you?"

"I'm strong." It does that weird shrug thing again.

>"You're not that strong."
>"I cannot believe this shit! How are you so stupid?"
>Wake up.
>Write-in.

>>30219159
>"I cannot believe this shit! How are you so stupid?"
Seriously.

>>30219159
>>"I cannot believe this shit! How are you so stupid? There's no way you can take on the entire fucking world alone, you idiot!"

"I cannot believe this shit! How are you so stupid?"

"Easily," it says, somehow managing to mock you despite its rough, deep voice. "Just don't assume failure."

Some part of you just wants to strangle the thing, but you hold it back. "There's no way you can take on the entire world alone, you idiot! There are all kinds of things that can kill you!"

"I don't need to take on the entire world. Just carve out a small piece of territory and protect it. Which I can," it says. It moves in a sort of pulse, the front bit raising and the resultant bump making its way backwards as each segment rises and falls in sequence. "I'm strong," it repeats.

"Not that strong," you say, irritated. "And they won't just leave you alone."

"They will," it responds, "if I make them."

>Wake up.
>Write-in.

>>30219653
>Wake up
It's clearly not going to listen to reason right now.

>>30219653
>"Huh. So you do have a plan."
>"It's not a good plan, but I guess it's a plan"

>>30219653
> "Yeah, I'm sure that will work out great."
> Wake up.

"I guess you do have a plan." You pause for effect. "Not a good plan, but a plan."

"It's good enough," it says.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will work out great," you say, your voice dripping with sarcasm. With a small exertion of will, you force yourself to wake up. You begin the morning routine, brushing your teeth, showering, putting on new clothes, getting everything ready, changing.

You woke up so early, though, that you still have plenty of do something.

>Make some cookies and take them to school as a make up gift to Tracy.
>Study and prep for school.
>Fuck it. Browse the internet.
>Write-in.

>>30220059
>Make some cookies and take them to school as a make up gift to Tracy.
We do owe her.

>>30220059
>Fuck it. Browse the internet.
Get behind 7 proxies and ask /k/ to come up with ways to take down the various types of incubator. They probably won't come up with anything helpful, but we could use a good laugh at this point.

>>30220059
>Make some cookies and take them to school as a make up gift to Tracy.
Everyone loves cookies, r-right?

guys

guys I think Jim is

I think he and Tracy are uh

I think they're lovers

>>30220588
that last phone call did give off some weird vibes

but I think we need more evidence before coming to conclusions like this

maybe they were playing video games together
right?

>>30220588
That would be really dumb. I mean, I see where you're coming from, and if they weren't siblings then maaaaaybe I'd consider it (but there would still be no explanation for why Tracy would want to get together with Abby), but as it is...

>>30220726
>>30220757
he's abusing her. It's pretty evident.

>>30220800
He's sexually abusing her, so she's trying to escape with Abby and her care. She has to act nice on the phone, but Jim is always ready, always there, in case she slips.

>>30220800
It said she squealed happily at the end though. It's hard to fake a happy squeal.

>>30220878
Not when your life and living situation rides on it.

You decide to get started on apologizing to Tracy, through the art of cooking. Preheat the oven, mix the ingredients, blah fucking blah, half an hour later, kablammo! Cookies. You taste one to make sure it doesn't taste awful - it's actually quite tasty - and then seal them up in a plastic container.

Whew. Checking your watch, it's time to get going. You put the container in your backpack and head off to school, giving your mother a quick goodbye. After a brisk jog to school, you arrive well in advance - the advantage of superhuman endurance and speed, you suppose - and spend a few bored minutes waiting for school to start, glancing through your notebooks and doing a few math problems for fun.

School starts up soon enough though. US Government is a bit of a drag, you know most of it already. History is largely useless. You struggle with Spanish.

Then lunch rolls around, and you have your carefully prepared gift for Tracy ready and waiting.

How to present it, though?
>Don't even mention it's an apology. Just open them up and offer her some.
>Apologetic lead up. Tell her how sorry you are about Saturday.
>Total surprise. Give them to her, then say it's a gift.
>Write-in.

That said, regardless of anything unsavory happening or not, her relationship with Jim is still troubling - she seems to prioritize him extremely highly, blowing off your supposed girlfriend to hang out with your brother, not once but consistently, isn't exactly usual. Honestly, between that and Abby getting called away at potentially any time, they don't seem very compatible, they barely get to even hang out platonically much less anything more...

>>30220927
>Total surprise. Give them to her, then say it's a gift.
If she wants to read it as an apology, that's fine too.

Also, how about we suggest coming along to hang out with her and Jim a bit more? We can play it off as trying to get along with him better, and her reaction could tell us a lot.

>>30220904
Need does not provide skill, I'm sorry to say.

>Total surprise. Give them to her, then say it's a gift.

You get to the table first, sitting next to Ned, your leg bouncing a little nervously. You ask him if anything interesting happened since you last talked, but unfortunately that opens the flood gates for a theology lecture. You stop him when you spot Tracy.

"Ned, not right now," you say, and Tracy sits down. You reach into your open backpack, pulling out the container of cookies and pushing them over towards Tracy. "A gift," you say, "for the most beautiful girl in the world."

Tracy giggles at that, opening it up and eating one, clearly savoring it. "Mmmm," she says.

>"Tracy. Jim isn't molesting you, is he?"
>"Tracy, I think you, me, and Jim should hang out some time."
>"Tracy. I think you, me, Ned, Veronica, and Jim should all have a big party. Jim can even bring his girlfriend, if he's got one."
>"Tracy. Let's set up a date for next Saturday."
>"Ned. Tracy. Let's do a double date."
>"Ned. I still can't believe you stole my date idea."
>Write-in.

>>30221430
>"Tracy, I think you, me, and Jim should hang out some time. I might as well try to get along with him, since he's obviously a big part of your life."
Let's try this.

>>30221430
>"Tracy. Let's set up a date for next Saturday."
Let's go with this first, if she's got Jim plans we can take it from there.

>>30221470
seconded

>>30221470
this

"Tracy, I think you, me, and Jim should hang out some time."

Tracy stares at you and blinks a few times in... confusion? Her brow is furrowed. Eventually, she manages to force out a question, her words enunciated. "Are you sure?" She squints at you for a moment as she asks.

"Yeah," you say, shrugging. "He's obviously a big part of your life, so I should probably try to get along with him."

She leans back in her seat, still staring at you. "I'd have to ask him. When works for you? And what brought this on?"

When works for you?
>"Any time this coming week. School time obviously excepted."
>Write-in (specific day(s)).

What brought this on?
>"I suspect he's molesting you, and am attempting to gauge your reaction."
>"Like I said. I just think I should try to get along with him."
>"That stalker. I was thinking she might be Jim's underling."
>"I've had some time to think, and although I don't agree with the decision, I do understand that his sicced his guys on me because he was trying to protect you. In his own weird, fucked up, way."
>Write-in.

>>30221828

>Any time this week works, though I'd like to get an early start. Do you know the next time the two of you are free?

>"Like I said. I just think I should try to get along with him. We obviously did not get along up until this point, but rather than living with that I think it's time to try and fix it. Watching my mother taught me that you can't wall yourself away from problems and pretend they don't exist; you have to confront them."

>>30221828
>"Any time this coming week. School time obviously excepted."
It's not like we have plans...
And >>30221961 looks good.

>>30221961
Backing this.

"Any time this coming week. School time obviously excepted." You pause for a moment. "I'd prefer to do it as soon as possible. Do you know the next time you're both free?"

"No. His..." she pauses, makes a gesture with her hand, "his work schedule is erratic. It's hard to predict. Sometimes he has something come up in the middle of the day. You know."

You nod. "Well, whenever's earliest, I guess."

"Why do you ask?"

"Like I said. I just think I should try to get along with him. Obviously we haven't gotten along before now, but I think it's time to try to fix it. Dealing with my mother... it's reminded me that you can't just hide from problems and pretend they don't exist. That doesn't fix anything."

>THREAD END

Sorry, I'm apparently developing dyslexia or something because I keep reading people's posts as missing words or having words stuck together or something? Like I read "get along" as "gang" and "I just think I should" as "I just should." Weird. Oh well. Next thread whenever. Saturday? Maybe Saturday. Hopefully Saturday.

>>30222306
Alright, looking forward to it!

>>30222306
Awesome, thanks for running! Much enjoyment, such gratitude. Wow.

Thread archived, by the way.

Feel free to remind me in the future, I may be retarded.

>>30223418
oh god I need reminders too
don't leave it up to me to remind you
in fact if you remind me I will archive
but I am incapable of remembering without a reminder


ANYWAY, if you're still here I have a question about your combat system. It's nbd, just curious.

>>30223418
Good thread Tarty. Look forward to the next one

>>30223489
>ANYWAY, if you're still here I have a question about your combat system. It's nbd, just curious.
Go ahead.

>>30223523
So before in that one quest thread general you said you calculated damage by having players roll 3d20, adding them up, and taking the mod of that result with respect to max damage, and finally added one to get actual damage. Did you end up changing it to the other system, could you go over the new system if you did, and if players only roll for damage do you roll on your end for accuracy?

That's actually 3 questions, sorry.

>>30223605
>Did you end up changing it to the other system
Yes.

> could you go over the new system if you did
The new system is that you just deal Strike Damage automatically, rather than rolling for it. So if you shoot someone with your gun, and your gun has Strike Damage of 6, you just automatically deal 6 if you hit. The numbers are adjusted to make this mostly mathematically identical, by adding 1 to the Strike Damage. The former is (effectively) doubling the mean of the damage, so I doubled the amount of HP all characters have.

> if players only roll for damage do you roll on your end for accuracy?
In the old system, players rolled for both damage and accuracy. Accuracy was standard best of X, damage was modulo Y plus 1. In the new system, no one rolls for damage - it's standard for each type of attack.

Does that explain everything?

>>30223735
almost, so combat before was players get 3d20
accuracy was best out of those 3
dmg was sum of those (3 mod max dmg) +1
?

If the above is right it's pretty cool how damage and accuracy were tied together like that.

>>30223861
>almost, so combat before was players get 3d20
>accuracy was best out of those 3
>dmg was sum of those (3 mod max dmg) +1
>?
Yes.

>If the above is right it's pretty cool how damage and accuracy were tied together like that.
Yeah. I thought it was a pretty clever trick, and it gets pretty much the same result as 1dX. It also is a system that is highly resistant to "damn you, anon!" results, since damage is completely indeterminate until the third roll (also because most players won't bother to do the math).

The problem I found was that the variability made it far too easy for attacks to accidentally do too much or too little damage. The Healer Incubator fight demonstrated that to me, and the Monarch Cambion fight confirmed it (albeit in reverse): variability in damage like that results in highly chaotic lethality. In the old system, it was entirely possible for an Incubator to get shot twice and die, which could easily happen during the course of a turn. It's now impossible for that to happen. You need at least three shots, possibly more, depending on character HP.

>>30224076
yeah, minimum damage of 1 usually leads to problems when you can end up hitting for above 5.

Still, it's a shame to see such a cool system go to waste. Maybe if instead:
Players roll a total of X
Y is half that characters max damage
actual damage done = ( X mod Y ) + Y + 1
?

>>30224275
Mmm... maybe.

That specific implementation probably wouldn't work though, at least not without substantial rejiggering.

Possibly something like (Strike Damage) + (X mod 3), where X is the sum of 3d20, and Strike Damage is back to its old value. That would get a small range. So instead of a gun just dealing 6 damage, it deals 5-7, say. Or instead of a normie dealing 2 damage, they deal 1-3.

On the other hand, sometimes you have to murder your darlings. I think the modulo Y system may just be the baby I have to strangle in its cradle. Clever, cool system, just not appropriate for this world.

I will consider it, though.

>>30224591
Ok, thank you for answering my questions and engaging in number science!

__baby strangling ;_;

>>30224724
>__baby strangling ;_;
It is even harder to do with systems than with text, and it's hard to do with text. Maybe this is why so many RPGs are unbalanced piles of trash.

>>30225169
I too get dissatisfied with lack of balance in games. Unless I find the broken, completely OP class.