Your name is Shu, and you're staring into the beating heart of a star.The drumbeat of the shining orb in the center of your vision has mesmerized you, its rhythmic pulse vibrating every cell of your being as it bathes the calcite walls and floors in its orange light. The two girls in the room with you are illuminated with a similarly eerie glow, a friend and a stranger carried there by a shared passion that's bloomed in their journey through hell.To your right, Rath's skin is dappled with bright yellow light, almost white in its intensity as her flesh barely restrains the roiling, explosive liquids trapped just below the surface of her freckled limbs. Her citrine eyes shine with possibilities, reflecting the light of the pulsing star that's nestled into the hearth before you. On your left stands the quietly vibrating frame of the Daughter whose body is covered, or perhaps constructed of bio-organic cables, cords criss-crossing this way and that to resemble a lithe, wiry humanoid form. 'Tinker Tailor' she called herself, and even though she's well within your sphere of empathic understanding something about her seems almost untouchable, a feeling that isn't helped by the tight-laced gas mask that obscures her features. "It's gorgeous."The awed tone of your red-haired companion makes you glance her way, finding her slack-jawed as she continues to stare with something like reverence."suchasightisafeastforthesoulwhereusartisansareconcerned." Tailor breathlessly utters in reply, the fogged glass of her eyes reflecting the Forge's glow. "canyounothearitssongaswell?"Rath tilts her ear towards the hearth, listening intently for a moment despite herself. She's quiet for a long moment before shaking her head, almost disappointed."Nothing. I don't...yeah, no." She says, her cheeks going scarlet upon realizing that she was hoping for the sphere to sing, as claimed by the questionably sane young Flesh Artisan you'd only just met."Remind me to thank November for letting us borrow her Core for this." You say to Rath in an attempt to set her mind on other things, nodding towards the thing that's casting the three of you in its animated glow."borrow?" Comes the shortest sentence you've heard Tailor utter, yet. "doesthisNovembercreateoften? aretheylikeus?"Your red-haired friend cocks one eyebrow.Previous Vein: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/4006160/Archive:http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Body%20Horror%20QuestCharacter Abilities: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15ctgm_liaNO0e0B6zAcIUrmfDN0tWiXds3L4FvogI2M/edit#gid=0Trypophilic Hive, Ver. 3: https://pastebin.com/bUWG6TNFRelics, Ver. 5: https://pastebin.com/Qwme4CGrDual Techs: https://pastebin.com/2jZ5ZhyxTwitter: https://twitter.com/bodyhorrorquest?lang=en
"Us?" Rath echoes, confused. "Uh...no, she's my Aunt. She's in a Forgebody, and it uses the Cores to function. Francine made it."There's a shudder that runs through Tailor's taught form, and you're not sure whether it's one of disgust, alarm, or..."imustspeakwithfrancinemoremuchmorethenihavesomanyquestionsiamfilledotburstingwithqueriescanyouanswersomeofthemofcourseoyucanyou'reherniecepleasetellmeibegofyouineedtoknowhowitall..."...excitement.Tailor's on your friend in an instant, mask shoved in Rath's face as the other girl's practically humming with anticipation, assailing your brawler with endless questions. Rath looks to you for help as you stifle a laugh, taking in the sight for a few moments more before you intercede."Tailor, you said you wanted to help, right?" You say, prompting the Artisan to halt her barrage as Rath shoots you a grateful look. The wiry girl nods rapidly, and you gesture to the Forge; "What can you make, exactly?""imaginationistheboundary, asrigidormalleableasyoumakeit." Comes Tailor's obtuse reply, her head cocking to the side with the sudden creak of a rusty hinge. "yousaidyouwereleavingsoonwithyourfamilyyes?" You nod, resisting the overwhelming urge to flinch when the girl's neck snaps to the opposite side with a nasuea-inducing squelch."forgingisbettingwithyourlife, andsinceyourfriendheretoldmethatyouallsharebiomassthenyou'rebettingwiththeirsaswell" Tinker says with a solemn tone, her flow of words slowing down as much as she can manage in her current state. "thingareafootintheFleshscape. thingsthathavelearnedtowalkthatoughttocrawl."Tinker Tailor's words hang in the air, the orange glow of the Forge casting the smoky glass of her mask in a pallid light."youhavemyhelpandmyskillsatyourdisposal, butifimayofferonesmallpieceofadvice...">>HIGH CHANCE OF RELIC STAT BOOSTS AND EXTRA EFFECTS DURING THIS SESSION, WHICH WILL BE ROLLED POST-CONSTRUCTION/DUPLICATION."...choosewisely,Defiant.">>FORGE: Craft from a list of both known and new Relics. LIST: https://pastebin.com/nh57cU41>>FREECRAFT: Propose Relics to craft, and OP will reply with BIO cost/proposed balancing.>>REPLICATE: Invest BIO into any construct you have available at a cost of 10x the normal BIO needed to craft it, granting it a form that takes up no slots and will persist until it is destroyed or dismissed by you.>>DUPLICATE (1/Vein): Choose a Tier 1 or 2 Relic to replicate at no cost. Tier 3 Relics may be copied for 1/2 their base BIO cost.AND>>Stick around for the Forging process and talk with Rath and Tailor, the latter of whom you're rather curious about after what she said regarding the 'songs of the Cores.'>>Leave Rath and Tailor to their fun, while you go speak with [Select Ally of your choice].>>While the two of them work on the Forge, you have marching orders for your allies. Once you all have new Relics in hand, it's time to move out [Select Teams, Relic Loadout, and Destination(s)]>>Write-InYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, I do hope your weekend went well. Voting shall remain open for the next five hours, allowing me time to address your questions and make any adjustments that are needed to proposed Relics on the front end if need be. Best of luck, and it's good to be back.)
>>4038287Did we already REPLICATE some constructs for Laoc like we proposed to Jeraha, or do we need to do that still?
>>4038303(You'd need to do that, still. Also, you have 300% BIO of each type as a gift from Jeraha.)
>>4038312Okay, then. Well, at ten times normal BIO, it's probably better to use the REPLICATED constructs as scouts and watchdogs than as combatants. Can we network them together, get them all coordinated and relating what they see back to a source? Maybe the broadcaster in City Hall? I'm thinking forty basic Swarmlings, total cost 400% Hive Mistress BIO, to fly around the outskirts of town and report on anything coming close. I'd like to throw some Sonic Jacklings in for wide-scale tremorsense, but each of those would cost as much as the entire rest of the drone flock.
>>4038287hrm.... im up for suggestions, and do have one myself, but whati certainly want to do is...>FORGE;>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>Membrum Automata>>Ventrem LanceamId also not be agaisnt upgrading the Hydras Heart and Cursas Alas, but doing both would also lock them to a character. not that im agaisnt that, but we would need to decide on who then. the Cutis Tractus i want to wait on, as i dont think Julia will need it, but i do want to leave it with her, just incase, i just dont think she'll need it so badly as to upgrade it right now.the Membrum Automata, i think will actually be devastating in Ginas Hands. with her ability to go underground so readily and hit from any angle, i think she could make superb use of it.the Ventrem Lanceam would be fucking baller as an opener for Dorian or Rath, but mostly Dorian.SUGGESTION;>GoreGrowth Boxunsure on this. it has a pretty hefty drawback, but would certainly help with our issues of trying to get some abilities up and with level spread a bit.>Hearth Rodhonestly, mostly just because why not give Amara a gift? but unsure its really necessary.also, i feel like theres alot missing compared to what folks have made. guess people haven't been logging their relics?Also, one more Relic i want to make incoming, but need BHOPS oversight and thoughts on it first as its new.but for the other Action;>>Stick around for the Forging process and talk with Rath and Tailor, the latter of whom you're rather curious about after what she said regarding the 'songs of the Cores.'
>>4038290>>4038329new Relic idea;>TOLLO CADERE(Lv.1); a chain of calcite silver so thin and smooth one would mistake it for silk, with beautifully engraved, ornamental bells tied along its length, made to be worn around ones neck. Made to counter aura based debuffs, these bells only work if one moves each turn, their sound reverberating to counter the incoming effects, though, only temporarily. Cutting the accumulation of pertantage or stacks down to a third what one should be, one will not fall under or feel the effects of their foes auras til they either stop moving for any reason, or they hit 100% or maximum stacks of the aura, in which it shall all hit at once. As the sound of the bells beautifully rings in a sound reminiscent of what they are countering, one can be safe in knowing those cowards who would hinder your march will not stop the dance of your determination. One should note though, it may only stop a singular aura at a time, at least, for now…>>(Lv.2); new, off-branch chains of silver now hang at intervals from your sash of songs, each with a new, wonderfully engraved bell to adorn it. Your sash now can impede up to three auras at reduced amount to their effectiveness to only a fourth of what they would be, as the bells split but stay in tune to another to play a lovely melody in line with all they are countering. Though, once the song ends and the effects hit, the crescendo will be all the more spectacular.>>(Lv.3); now going down both one's front and back, looking more like a draped silky parka almost of glorious bells and music, so long as one has moved at two movement zones, over the minimum one this turn, they will now be blocking all their foes aura abilities, and at a reduced accumulation of a fifth their usual accumulation. Now an entire orchestra of reverberating song, your movements will bring you ever closer to the finale of your dance, one way or another.would be wonderful to get costs and such too BHOP, aswell as thoughts and balancing. i think it would technically be T2 or T3, over T4, as it doesn't effect a singular Class type nor fully negate it, only one type of ability from some classes?sorry for the bamboozle, messed minor thing up. and damnit BHOP does it over such so so can i!
>>4038329Can you put down that google doc of yours?
>>4038344oh, my bad.actually thought BHOP had posted it for some reason, sorry!https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b_-8s0tin7DCQxITm6C69QULRnM_ibDfg18iV4dc7Fc/edit?usp=sharingpretty expansive but like i said, people have not used it for its purpose so a decent chunk of the newer stuff from the last thread or two isnt there i think.to be fair, it needs to be re-organized anyways, what with the new intel, but, ah, baby steps.
>>4038329Okay, I'm copy pasta-ing all the new relics that we theorycrafted onto the gdoc. I'll put it under a new category called: "recently theorycrafted" so you can sort them later.
>>4038287What level do levelable DUPLICATED Relics start at? Base, I'd assume, but just thought I'd ask for confirmation.
>>4038352sounds good, thanks!
>>4038334>>4038329>>4038287I think before we start the Relic Crafting spree, We should create the Forgeheart's Lyre first to further increase our success rate as an investment to future Forging sessions.>Forgeheart’s Lyre: What is creation without its Muse? What life does a creator give to its creation if it does not give it a purpose? A human obsidian ribcage spread wide open like an eagle, a human heart nestled at its base, its golden heartstrings strung across each rib. Heed its tune when it plays in the presence of a working forge during relic, and the macabre instrument will play a song that inspires purpose into your creation. (Mechanically: Creating a relic with the Forgeheart’s Lyre in its presence or when a daughter plays the instrument at the Forge will reduce the chance of failure in relic creation and increase the effects of consumable relics created.)
>>4038367im not against it.though seeing the costs will help decide things(including possible alteration to what i have said already, of course.)though i cant actually imagine that one being all that expensive i think.
>>4038367While we're here, sure. I don't think we'll likely have need for it this session, with Tinker Taylor's aid and with the really expensive things being outside our current reasonable budget. But as an investment for later, when we're actually making Tier 5 Relics and want to make sure the BIO doesn't go to waste, it will be handy to have.
>>4038378i mean, you say that, but we got 300+our own pools. we're loaded at the moment. not that im saying we drain ourselves dry, but even with Julia gone i still think we can afford a lil bit of spending off ourselves.
speaking of, for everyone's reference;Current Party Classes;>SHU: Hive Mistress, Flesh Artisan, Gluttonous, Generator, Humoral Paladin, Neuromancy, Fibromancer, Calcite Armory, Phantasmal Conduit>RATH: Vitruvian, Generator, Fibromancer, Flesh Artisan, Calcite Armory, Humoral Paladin, Phantasmal Conduit>JULIA: Flesh Artisan, Gluttonous, Humoral Paladin, Calcite Armory, Phantasmal Conduit, Fibromancer, Unnatural Predator, Vitruvian>DORIAN: Flesh Artisan, Humoral Paladin, Fibromancer, Generator, Phantasmal Conduit, Calcite Armory>AMARA: Skintalker, Humoral Paladin, Phantasmal Conduit, Generator, Flesh Artisan, Unnatural Predator, Vitruvian, Calcite Armory>GINA: Neuromancer, Vitruvian, Phantasmal Conduit, Calcite Armorer, Fibromancer, Gluttonous, Hive Mistress, Generator>FRANICINE: Fibromancer, Neuromancer, Flesh Artisan, Hive Mistress, Phantasmal Conduit, Vitruvian, Unnatural Predatorjust double checked it but if i missed anything then by all means speak up.
>>4038384Sure. We should make some nice stuff for our party. But it's going to be many smaller expenditures instead of the huge costs for the Tier 5 Relics. We're not ready to craft those, yet, it would cripple both Shu and Francine to make Lu-Kthu's Chosen, for example. And making a bunch of smaller objects means that failing any given crafting roll won't hurt us as much, since less BIO will be associated with that roll.
>>4038392oh, derp.i didnt even look at that link yet.oof, yeah, those T5s cost a fucking boatload. and end tier daughter would feel that shit. yeah, T4 is really the highest we can go here, by a longshot. and even then only because we can spread costs around so much.
>>4038395Yeah. I really want Lu-Kthu's Chosen and Mh'ithrhan Greaves, but we're not going to be able to afford them for a while. Cthonic Encyclopedia and Thirst of Uvash I could take or leave.
>>4038395Hey anon. I just thought of something that may or may not be broken with the right usage.>Step 1: Forge the Hearth Rod>Step 2: Forge this Relic:>RED DEVIL'S ENGINE: Crucibles may cry at the sight of this miniaturized 6 V-stroke combustion engine out of brass and Obsidian bone, the odd motorcycle handle sticks out of the motor alongside 3 pairs of exhaust pipes a sign of Man’s legacy living on to rock the Crucible. This wicked motor module is apparently compatible to the biological systems of a daughter despite the counterintuitive logic. A daughter may equip the Motor to a single relic or a single ability tree in their arsenal, where upon the Motor is then integrated into their biological functions and counted as a mechanical Augmentation. Removing it imposes a cool down (1 vein) which prevents the engine from re-integrating with another daughter’s ability or Relic. The daughter then can charge the motor to gain a single charge of “Revs” (3 max) with a swift action, or commit 2 ACTs to charge all 3 “Revs” where after the motor is charged, supercharging the damage of the augmented ability’s next attack, or the effectiveness of the augmented Relic with all 3 Revs automatically consumed in the process. For reasons only men know, the Engine automatically gains a “Rev” whenever the daughter wielding it lands a critical hit or fights in a flashy and stylish manner, the former being guaranteed and the latter given out sparingly as the engine silently judges the fighter.>Step 3: Give Amara both the Red Devil's engine and the Hearth Rod.>Step 4: Watch Amara and her clones pass the baton/Rod to supercharge her katana strikes. Turn her bone Katanas into DMC's Red Queen.
>>4038400>Lu-Kthu's Chosen and Mh'ithrhan Greavesum what? cite your sources? I've never heard of those relics.
>>4038400eh, im not sure about my want of those, but like you said, irrelevant for now. thats a conversation for...a bit down the road, yeah.>>4038403hrm...maybe? feel like that relic needs something to balance it though, so id have to see how it would be handled first for me to feel comfortable voting for it.>>4038407the FORGE relics link is a new one with new relics in it. all new ones are T5 and some T4s.
>>4038400>Cthonic EncyclopediaYou know. it's amazing in retrospect that Shu actually managed to pull off the exact same stunt that the Encyclopedia allows the user to do, but without the Relic.
>>4038414It's the Miracle of Saint FuzzBuzz.
>>4038417>Shu goes into hyper/cryo sleep a bit after the Crucible.>wakes up decades if not centuries later>MFW its FuzzBuzz not herself that is worshiped by the new civilizations.
>>4038290The weekend was draining with a seven horu dnd sessionI hope your own went well after your busy though hopefully enjoyableweek>>4038287>>Stick around for the Forging process and talk with Rath and Tailor, the latter of whom you're rather curious about after what she said regarding the 'songs of the Cores.'Agreeing with>>4038329on the the relic uzpgrades>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>Membrum Automata>>Ventrem LanceamI also think the Gore Growth Box will be useful for us we can mitigate its impact by using low level abilites we dont use to much at least right now>>GoreGrowth BoxAs for who to put the Hydras heart on..... i think on maximum it would help Rath a lot(allowing her to regernerate lost lims quickly and addign extra ones as well as making her Regen trigger at every act she has in combat) but opnly if one condition is met.>>4038290QUESTION OP:Would Raths power(Indignant Ignition) cauterise her own wounds when using Hydras Heart?
>>4038413You're right about that...I think I just remembered an important thing to balance it out. Fuel for the engine. Hang on.>RED DEVIL'S ENGINE: Crucibles may cry at the sight of this miniaturized 6 V-stroke combustion engine out of brass and Obsidian bone, the odd motorcycle handle sticks out of the motor alongside 3 pairs of exhaust pipes a sign of Man’s legacy living on to rock the Crucible. This wicked motor module is apparently compatible to the biological systems of a daughter despite the counterintuitive logic. A daughter may equip the Motor to a single relic or a single ability tree in their arsenal, where upon the Motor is then integrated into their biological functions and counted as a mechanical Augmentation. Removing it imposes a cool down (1 vein) which prevents the engine from re-integrating with another daughter’s ability or Relic. The daughter then can charge the motor to gain a single charge of “Revs” (3 max) with a swift action, 2 Revs with 1 full ACT, or commit 2 ACTs to charge all 3 “Revs” at the Cost of 100% Bio for each "Rev". After the motor is charged, supercharging the damage of the augmented ability’s next attack, or the effectiveness of the augmented Relic with all 3 Revs automatically consumed in the process. For reasons only men know, the Engine automatically gains a “Rev” whenever the daughter wielding it lands a critical hit or fights in a flashy and stylish manner, the former being guaranteed and the latter given out sparingly as the engine silently judges the fighter.>>4038419But if FuzzBuzz is Jesus, then that makes Shu the Mother Goddess in the holy trinity of Daughter, Bee, and Queen.
>>4038414>>4038417so any thoughts on my plan/ideas?or still hammering out your thoughts?>>4038421hrm... but does Rath really NEED the Hyrdas Heart aswell, over stapling it onto someone elses chest? fair though that it probably would be best on Rath or Julia though.
>>4038421>>4038329You know, all this time we've spent on our allies, I can't help but notice that we haven't even gotten our information briefing from Amara's Girl Scouts. Something clearly went down in the world and we keep on delaying that debriefing. Not to mention we haven't given out new orders for Amara's Scouts. >>4038425still hammering out my thoughts.
>>4038424>RED DEVIL'S ENGINEhrm, i think that works, though how long does the Rev affect the Relic?regardless i think that balances it out enough, id go for it. you want it and the Hearth Rod, right? also, technically they wouldn't need to pass the Hearth Rod around... or would they? all the clones had their 'own' Shawl, so while Amara would have the actual Rod, would her Clones then have a copy that they pass or something to symbolize the passing of ACTs?>But if FuzzBuzz is Jesus, then that makes Shu the Mother Goddess in the holy trinity of Daughter, Bee, and Queen.i mean, plenty of stories and religions get bent over time. maybe they just found Shu boring and him too cute not to focus on.>>4038428to be fair, we ourselves dont really KNOW she even HAS half those scouts out, much less what they saw. IC we dont really... have a reason or excuse to ask about them like that. im very positive we already told her to update us on anything we did tell her to watch too, so, the fact she hasnt also make it seem like nothing has.>still hammering out my thoughts.alrighty.
>>4038428Did she already hand us the relics she got durign the interlude? If so we can justify talking to her about where she aquired them but until then we probably cant know that anything happenedAlso the "Song" she is describing could be something that has to do with how the forgecores are made......I would like to know and be there if anything "unusual" happens
>>4038425>so any thoughts on my plan/ideas?>or still hammering out your thoughts?Yeah, sorry, a bit hectic this morning, haven't managed to get the chance to give it in-depth attention.Upgrading the Sui suits looks good to me. Less certain on the weapons, they're nice but I've always been wary of crafting weapons when we've got powers for that. Hearth Rod is a good option, though, and I could be brought around on the Box but don't think we really need it. As for other stuff, I want to make those Swarmlings for Laoc, give them some spy drones to monitor the local area. They're surprisingly pricey, though. >>4038428Oh, yeah, Amara was supposed to debrief us but then she wandered off to play with the Hyenas' kid. This is the problem with having small children run your intelligence network. Okay, once we're done here we get her report.
>>4038436she did yes, though i cant remember what they were...>>4038438its fine, just was double checking is all.not sure about the drone honestly, i think they'll be fine too. though, if its JUST a few scouts for them, we can just do a basic swarmling. thats like, 1% base now. 10% isnt too bad for just 3-5 little cameras basically for them. sure, i get why you want to give them something more, but we also dont have to be unreasonable to ourselves on just how much we spend on it.
(Hectic start to the morning since Im catching up on being away from my home office, but I'm settling down to address questions shortly.)
>>4038443Take your timeWe sure as hell have enough of it
>>4038433>all the clones had their 'own' Shawl, so while Amara would have the actual Rod, would her Clones then have a copy that they pass or something to symbolize the passing of ACTs?They touch Rods to pass the ACTs>hrm, i think that works, though how long does the Rev affect the Relic?The Rev lasts until the Relic's next activation, or until a daughter disrupts the Relic or Engine, or if the Engine is removed from the Relic.>>4038443I do have a question regarding Sui Tormentis to bhop:What kind of new ability will you grant to Rath?>>4038433and since the Sui Tormentis is perma-binding the suit to Rath, I think this also warrants the creation of the Crux Draconis, actually a few of them in fact since Hydra's Heart and Cursus Alas have perma-binding traits. Either that or we can duplicate Cursus Alas for Free or either half the cost.>CRUX DRACONIS; A small cross made from Calcite roughly the size of a small humans palm covered in finely scaled leather with a single large Scale at the Center of the Cross.The Scale gives of an Air of calm protection and serene hope. Not meant to be wielded on its own does this relic have need to be integrated into another piece of Armor(Relic or Ability based) first. It will then absorb taking on the Armors characteristics, boosts and appearance when active. Once this is done the Crux can then be used by its wearer to instantly don/doff the Armor by collapsing it into or expanding it from the Crux. The Crux is activated by pressing the main Scale. This allows even Armor that has integrated itself into the Wearer to be removed and donnend again. Though if the Armor does integrate itself into the Armor the Crux will do so as well making it impossible to remove from its Owner. The Cross holds all the Upgrades for the Piece of Armor stored and can even be upgraded to make the Armor stored inside of it able to reach its maximum potential wither through forging or leveling up the corresponding Ability.If we're splitting our group up into teams after the forging session, we'll have to forge another pair of hive phones in case Gina is grouped up with Shu. The last time we split up, we took advantage of the Crimson Cord between Shu and Gina to act as a permanent hotline between the two teams.
>>4038443take your time, and dont run yourself ragged.>>4038428>>4038436>>4038438you know, i do agree keeping the Hydras Heart at level 1 seems wasteful, but especially with Sui im still unsure putting it on Rath is really the best choice. but im just unsure who else could use it better, assuming it wont be negated on her.
>>4038448WE copuld offer it to rath thoug h she might prefer to permanently be stuck in the armor....But then she wont be so easily huggable.....
>>4038448>They touch Rods to pass the ACTswell, that defeats the point of it being able to happen over any range though.i disagree on the Crux Draconis. the perma binding is not at all a negative enough effect to waste biomass over countering, especially with it basically just being corruption like our abilities.
>>4038453>>4038455I figure if Rath ever expresses the thought that her armor is annoying or uncomfortable to have to wear all the time, then we can forge it for her, but for now I don't think she needs to have it.
>>4038462sure, i guess thats a fair compromise. but starting out i dont think so. i also dont think Cursa Alas or the Hydras Heart really effect the person enough to need a Draconis.
>>4038462Kinda what i figured as well but i thought may as well offer it to her while we are at it here
>>4038287My suggestion: Forge:>ForgeHeart's Lyre>Reworked RED DEVIL'S ENGINE: Crucibles may cry at the sight of this miniaturized 6 V-stroke combustion engine out of brass and Obsidian bone, the odd motorcycle handle sticks out of the motor alongside 3 pairs of exhaust pipes a sign of Man’s legacy living on to rock the Crucible. This wicked motor module is apparently compatible to the biological systems of a daughter despite the counterintuitive logic. A daughter may equip the Motor to a single relic or a single ability tree in their arsenal, where upon the Motor is then integrated into their biological functions and counted as a mechanical Augmentation. Removing it imposes a cool down (1 vein) which prevents the engine from re-integrating with another daughter’s ability or Relic. The daughter then can charge the motor to gain a single charge of “Revs” (3 max) with a swift action, 2 Revs with 1 full ACT, or commit 2 ACTs to charge all 3 “Revs” at the Cost of 100% Bio for each "Rev". After the motor is charged, supercharging the damage of the augmented ability’s next attack, or the effectiveness of the augmented Relic with all 3 Revs automatically consumed in the process. For reasons only men know, the Engine automatically gains a “Rev” whenever the daughter wielding it lands a critical hit or fights in a flashy and stylish manner, the former being guaranteed and the latter given out sparingly as the engine silently judges the fighter.>HEARTH ROD:>VOCALIS NOCERE>Ventrem Lanceam>Membrane Automata>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max:Forge Suggestions:>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)>Create 1 Crux Draconis (if Rath feels like she needs it)>Rhinoviral Powder (Consumable)>Nitro Sugar (Consumable)>MITSUBACHI-CAP: A Cap made of hardened Chitin and lined with Downy bee fur in a Black and yellow pattern. A leathery abdomen hangs out as the tail of the cap. somehow fits all heads of any size, won't fall off no matter how hard you jostle the wearer. Made from a Daughter who treats simple constructs with love and care, rumor has it that the construct or daughter that wears the cap will have good fortune in the future and live a fulfilling life. (Forge two of them, 1 for Marco, the other for Sir Fuzzbuzz)If we're going to forge much of the stuff, we should have Julia help pay for the cost since she's going to stay in Laoc for the duration of more than 1 vein. >>4038468>>4038462Any thoughts?
>>4038487So the caps are just to look cute?
>>4038491yes. why else?
>>4038492Fair enough.
>>4038487interesting.the Forge Herts Lyra could be useful though i dont know if its something we would want to create now....The Tormentis is something we need yes. And i think is kinda unanimousThe mite4s can be useful if we got that time in a battle but quite useful if we need itNot sure about the nitro sugar..... It could be interesting but i kinda think we need to know what one diluted dose does before i could decide.The rest i am kinda indifferent towards.Would you be up for upgrading the Hydras Heart if it wont be affected by Raths ability?I think she could profit from it quite a bit.
>>4038487>Cruxstill dont think the Crux is worth it at the moment, even within the context of just an option for Rath. unless its super dirt cheap id not want to put the option on the table just yet.>Rhinoviral Powder (Consumable)honestly im just not sure i personally find this relic balanced enough to vote to use it. >Nitro Sugar (Consumable)really not sure this is really worth it honestly. just too hard to ever know if it'll be worth it. and only Amara honestly really have enough ACTs to really make doubling it that effective.>MITSUBACHI-CAPeh, not sure im up for something 'just because' at the moment. certainly not until i know the costs otherwise on everything else, and certainly will be at the bottom of the list.im also waiting on BHOP to reply to my new Relic too though before re-doing my own vote, aswell as the costs for alot of this will determine alot of what i decide, such as for the;>VOCALIS NOCERE>HEARTH ROD + RED ENGINE>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)
>>4038501still hvent heard anyone actually discuss anything ive said on the Hydras Heart. the Cursas Alas is also at a point where it locks to a user. but honestly, its kinda in an odd position. i really feel like the Cursas isnt needed that much. but at the same time, would mean locking it down makes it less of an oversight, sorta.
>>4038334>>TOLLO CADERE, Lvl 1- (Calcite Armorer: 100%, Phantasmal Conduit: 200%)>>Lvl 2 - (Phantasmal Conduit: 200%)>>Lvl 3 - (Phantasmal Conduit: 300%)(Overall, I think this Relic is pretty neat and thematic. Nicely done!)>>4038421(Yes, Rath's wounds would cauterize.)(And my week was hectic, but good. It was a good week to be off given how intense work has been, so that worked out, at least.)>>4038433(Amara is mulling over the info she's received from the Joyous, and she'll be talking to you shortly about it.)>>4038448(The choice is yours between a Fibromancer or Calcite Armorer skill tree, both centered around physical enhancement and essentially acting a supplementary tree to reinforce the Tormentis.)>>4038447(True. Apologies for the long voting time, since I assumed everyone would need ample time to review the options available, and for me to catch up on work.)
>>4038487also, what is your purpose with the Vocalis?
>>4038505I think we should upgrade it and give it to either Rath or Shu. They are the only one that will get any real use out of more limbs(other than having more limbs) since Rath can punch more times and Shu could use them to extend her rangeSince i dont want to ruin Shus already established image of being a bee queen and Rath wotn get too heavily corrupted she might enjoy looking like a reptile.On the other hand one of the other characters could make use of it as well.And i think Gina also wouldnt migd turning into a reptile.... getting more resistances might also work out for her as well.But since OP now said that it would cauterize her wounds i think the only truly suitable candidates would be Gina, Shu or oddly enough Dorian.Dorian would be making bank if his regen triggered with every act he took. >>4038510I intended no criticism. I kinda figured we needed some time once the conversation was starting up
>>4038505Oh, sorry. My head's in a bit of a fuzz, still. For Hydra's Heart I'm not sure who it would benefit most. If the Bio for Health exchange penetrated Ignition's Health for Bio swap, then it would be great on Rath. If not, then I'd go with Dorian, maybe.As for Cursus Alas, not sure who it would be best on. The entire party has long since surpassed the point where we have enough Bio regen to run it all fight long. Any of the party would benefit from having flight mode. Preferrably someone without existing mobility enhancement, which I think is down to just Francine and Julia. With Julia leaving the party, I guess Francine. Though Francine is probably going to be able to grapple-swing with Violens Tetrastrigma eventually, so everyone has a mobility boost. Fuck it, let's just put it on Shu. Let her fly, I've been wanting to do that for a while.
>>4038505To tell you my honest thoughts, I never had any love for Hydra's Heart, it's one of those relics where I feel like the bad overshadows the good in the right context where a bad synergy like giving and binding the Relic to Rath would be very very detrimental in my honest opinion. >>4038516>(Yes, Rath's wounds would cauterize.)And this is why I HATE Hydra's Heart. putting it on Rath would simply lead to a crippling bad synergy. Rath HAS to be able to regenerate her arms in order to stay effective. Having her wounds auto-cauterize because she lit-herself on fire and be unable to regrow those limbs would be more detrimental than beneficial.>>4038512A simple augment to Amara's skintalking abilities. Allowing Amara to throw her voice elsewhere would help her stealth and copy the voices of other people like an actual ninja. And since it's a T-2 Relic that means, Amara's clones get the same benefit of the Relic. >>4038519>As for Cursus Alas, not sure who it would be best on. The entire party has long since surpassed the point where we have enough Bio regen to run it all fight long. Any of the party would benefit from having flight mode. Preferrably someone without existing mobility enhancement, which I think is down to just Francine and Julia. How about giving to Dorian? The Man's a living bloodstorm still bound to the earth, why not give him the power of Flight and skip out on all the Terrain that he has to Navigate?
>>4038520doo i accnowledge that buit had most of that written up before op posted so i left it in and then said who i wanted to have it instead if we were to give it to someone
>>4038516>>4038519i guess we can put it on Dorian, for now. technically it wont bind to him too, so we can swap it between him and November. though no one else.>>4038519eh, Shus too static i think for it, and with the Rooks, it really doesn't have a mobility use on Shu. hell, she could easily just slap a Sawmling on her back of some type if she wanted to fly too.honestly i say Julia or Rath. both are hard, frontline fighters who could use a bit to get into the fight, and if its Julia, im still ok leaving it behind, if it fits her best.>>4038520>Vocalis for Amarai guess thats fine.Dorian is the last person to need Cursas. he just has so much speed its just not justifiable in my opinion to give it to him over others who still have some mild movement issues.
>>4038520>How about giving to Dorian? The Man's a living bloodstorm still bound to the earth, why not give him the power of Flight and skip out on all the Terrain that he has to Navigate?Dorian's already immune to negative terrain. And we actually want Dorian to stay close to the ground, because most enemies will be terrestrial and he can dash-slash everyone he moves past. The speed boost is nice, but he's already got a ton of speed boosters and I'm not sure he needs it.
>>4038287>>4038329Amending Vote;Action;>>Stick around for the Forging process and talk with Rath and Tailor, the latter of whom you're rather curious about after what she said regarding the 'songs of the Cores.'in order of forging, for the little it'll matter down below;>FORGE;>>Forgehearts Lyre>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>Tollo Cadere to Level 2.>>Membrum Automata>>Ventrem Lanceam>>Hearth Rod + Red EngineOnly if we can keep folks above 75% after the rest;>FORGE Secondary;>>VOCALIS NOCERE>>GOREGROWTH BOX>>Hydra Heart to Level 3.(Dorian)>>Cursas Alas to Max(Julia or Rath, whoever they decide)>>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)>>Nitro Sugar
>>4038532Dorian may be immune to Negative Terrain, but he's not immune to Fall damage and he still has to move past terrain such as a very large objects. Having him be able to fly would help mitigate another scenario like during Spiraling Fear where Nikuzu knocked the platform the Midnight Crew was standing on and forcing Shu to pull off a very harebrained scheme to both save everyone from lethal fall damage and from Nikuzu's Ultimate.>>4038505My other thought about Hydras Heart is the fact that it has such a crippling weakness to Fire damage that I really don't think it's really worth it. The Cauterization that prevents limb and health regen is such a huge negative in my eyes. >>4038510Hey bhop. Due to the Weird interactions of Hydra's heart, Would the cauterization happen if someone else wore Hydra's heart while standing within the flames that Rath made? or would Rath's Sister's Constellation augment override the Cauterization process?>>4038539>Cursas Alas to Max(Julia or Rath, whoever they decide)Julia would probably benefit from it more for the mobility option it gives, although it taxes her bio reserves more. Rath would get less of a benefit from the already insane mobility she has with her Core ability and her grenade teleport, but it wouldn't impact her Bio regen after the initial take-off boost. Also. Can we create another baseline Cursus Alas after perma-binding the first one?
>>4038287Ammending my vote here >>4038421to >>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>GOREGROWTH BOX also include as secondarys if we can stay above 75 % >> Hydras Heart to Level 3 (for Dorain or November whoever wants/needs it at the time)>>Hearth Rod + Red Engine>>Cursas Alas to Max(Julia or Rath, whoever they decide)>>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)>>Ventrem Lanceam>>Membrum Automata
>>4038542(Sister's Constellation would override its effects.)
>>4038542>My other thought about Hydras Heart is the fact that it has such a crippling weakness to Fire damage that I really don't think it's really worth it. The Cauterization that prevents limb and health regen is such a huge negative in my eyes.i forget, does this only effect what the relic gives, or everything a daughter has? cant remember BHOPS verdict on it.and i do kinda understand, but, im also of the idea we already have it, so should use it to the best of our ability, and that does mean upgrading it. >Cursas Alasi kinda agree, but i also think both could still significantly use it to great effect, and can see the argument for both, so i think leavng it up to IC personality is a good compromise. also, eh, i really dont think the Cursas is good enough to get another of. our family just doesn't need it. hell, actually, i think ill just give it to Julia probably, as you're right. shes the only one with a real lack of mobility that still needs it in my opinion. but we just have such good mobility its just not worth making another, especially over other options.
>>4038542>Dorian may be immune to Negative Terrain, but he's not immune to Fall damage and he still has to move past terrain such as a very large objects. Having him be able to fly would help mitigate another scenario like during Spiraling Fear where Nikuzu knocked the platform the Midnight Crew was standing on and forcing Shu to pull off a very harebrained scheme to both save everyone from lethal fall damage and from Nikuzu's Ultimate.Well, sure, I want to get everyone flight eventually for scenarios like that. But in the meantime, if we've only got this one Cursus Alas to work with, I don't think Dorian particularly needs flight mode. I wouldn't mind it, just saying that it doesn't strike me as particularly essential.
>>4038552Dorian can also do his little 'teleport' maneuver. not actual flight but id think it could keep him in the air for a good moment or two.i also disagree on getting everyone flight though.
>>4038543>>4038539Another thought. How about Crafting Arma Ashuran for Francine? Besides her Ancient Fish Swarm. Her main method of attacking is Unarmed fists. with Luohan's Hands propensity for Counterattacking, her Tentacle vines, and Creation's Strings, she would greatly benefit from Arma Ashuran's melee damage boost unless we're fine with giving the Ignition Gauntlets to Francine, which is perfectly fine with me as well.
>>4038555I think the Ignition Gauntlets are fine for that. Though there may be some awkwardness from there being a Daughter inside them who was once tortured by an identical doppleganger of Francine.
>>4038555well, not really. the Vines give her some range, Luohans is just a counter, and Creations we know does have range we were told, and could be...really anything, depending on who she hits. she actually really isnt built for actual close combat at all, just not long range either.not sure a melee relic, especially a fist one, really actually fits Francines power-set at all really. her ample ability to be a healer also makes that seem an iffy direction.
>>4038561that reminds me. I think this would help Francine's kit in a thematic way, although it's been a long time since these relics were first posted so their usefulness might not be viable at this stage.>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALS: The life of a patient hangs under the knife. This set of surgical tools (Forceps, Scalpel, Needle Diver, Clamps, Retractors, etc.) made of brass blood, bleached bone, translucent flesh, and bodily fiber bags come in a small briefcase of white Calcium, to be used in medical procedures as well as emergency operations. With the cost of a single act between the “Surgeon” and the “Patient”, the “surgeon” can operate on the patient and excise and remove a debilitating status effect (Including Cancer, severe bleeding, viral/bacterial/fungal/parasitic Infections, and other severe effects) of the patient and surgeon’s choice without the need to spend health or bio. In addition, if used on a “patient” on death’s door, the “patient” will be stabilized and regain health and bio at the rate of the sum of both the Surgeon’s and Patient’s Health and bio regen respectively.>STITCHING STILETTOS: A set of Stiletto knives in the shape of oversized sewing needles. Said stilettos can vary in size. The eye of the needle allows easy handling and throwing. Pouring (30/50/90/120%) Bio into the relic produces a thread of (short/medium/long/distant) length. This can be repeated to increase the thread length. Humoral Paladins, Flesh Artisans, and Daughters who have the ability to produce fibers or threads can substitute the thread-making abilities of the stiletto with threads of their own. Daughters who process touch-effect abilities can channel them through the thread. When thrown or stabbed into an enemy or terrain with a skill, the Stiletto creates a "Suture" stack that tethers the thread onto the target. Multiple stacks increase the difficulty of removing the tether and amplify the on-touch effects by an additive 5% for each "stitch" tagged onto the enemy (up to 15 stitches per suture). Multiple targets can be connected by the same Stiletto thread (up to separate threads 5 per stiletto).
>>4038555Problem is she is no Melee Spec by any consideration or bar you put to it.she deals damage by sucking enemys dry with her Strings and can counter them to keep them out of her hair....... Or she uses her fish swarmWHiel should could possibly use this relic she probably wont ever do so if she has other options available>>4038565>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALSThey might be viable to remove stacks and other strong status effects and maybe even help someone on deaths door.We shoudl wait for a price tag. if its not to pricey it should be fine to be added to the list
>>4038565hrm...i think the first one could still be really good sure, but im just not sure the second one is. it would still have some uses, but even on Francine i just dont think even her core really would need it, nor the rest of her kit. the one ability she has that could use it i just dont think would benefit enough from it to really justify.i guess i could go for the Surgeon kit though, on the potential secondaries.>>4038568>>4038290yeah, like 90+% of the relics here dont have a confirmed price tag yet, which does make this much harder to actually guess and discuss.
>>4038573(Gentlemen, to make things simpler, either reply to this post with what you'd like a price tag on, or link me to the vote you'd like me to assess.)
>>4038539>>4038581this plus the >>4038565>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALSwhich would be in the secondary, probably right after the GOREGROWTH BOX if that helps.and also, thanks for this. i know you kinda have to od it anyways, but it still cant be easy to calculate and think up all this so suddenly. i appreciate it.
>>4038581This >>4038543repeated below for your convenience just to show you where the vote came from>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>GOREGROWTH BOXalso include as secondarys if we can stay above 75 %>> Hydras Heart to Level 3 (for Dorain or November whoever wants/needs it at the time)>>Hearth Rod + Red Engine>>Cursas Alas to Max(Julia or Rath, whoever they decide)>>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)>>Ventrem Lanceam>>Membrum Automata+>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALS: The life of a patient hangs under the knife. This set of surgical tools (Forceps, Scalpel, Needle Diver, Clamps, Retractors, etc.) made of brass blood, bleached bone, translucent flesh, and bodily fiber bags come in a small briefcase of white Calcium, to be used in medical procedures as well as emergency operations. With the cost of a single act between the “Surgeon” and the “Patient”, the “surgeon” can operate on the patient and excise and remove a debilitating status effect (Including Cancer, severe bleeding, viral/bacterial/fungal/parasitic Infections, and other severe effects) of the patient and surgeon’s choice without the need to spend health or bio. In addition, if used on a “patient” on death’s door, the “patient” will be stabilized and regain health and bio at the rate of the sum of both the Surgeon’s and Patient’s Health and bio regen respectively.Thank you fort taking the time out of your day to do this for us
I decided to make a set of relics based on the ones Bondrewd has in Made In Abyss. These aren't made with the party in mind though, because I'm just not good at that part. But maybe someone will get some inspiration.>SATTELITE EMBRACE: What appears to be a bag filled with black sticky sludge. When let out of its bag, the sludge envelops and suffocates the nearest living thing. It’s incredibly difficult to escape its grapple, and can be used to pin down a foe or close the distance. It also has a rare use of cocooning a target, and slowly draining skill points from them to give to the relic’s owner until they’re a lifeless husk, drawing out the process of consumption over several days. If it does that, the relic needs two days to recharge and regain it’s fluidity after it finishes the process.DAWN OF TOMORROW: A relic that resembles a fleshy flower, in the form of a cradle, constructed mainly using Neuromancer and Phantasmal Conduit bio. If one places the biomass of any creature within it, it will create and implant a dream copy of the owner within the target who the biomass originates from. The owner will know the location of those implanted and have as much influence over them as any normal dream daughter. If they can copy their mind within a blank body with no consciousness however, they may take it over for their own purposes. Those who make relics using the biomass of multiple people should be careful, for if it gets stolen and placed within the flower, multiple people will be infected at once.LEVI GLADIO: A hilt that emits a blade of searing light. This blade doesn’t merely burn, but rewrites the laws of the Crucible governing the objects that was incinerated. Something killed by this blade will net no skill points and no dream daughter. However, it ignores any defenses and damage mitigation effects, cutting through any in its way like a hot knife through butter. It is fantastic at destroying other relics as well.MALEDICTION FLECHETTES: A launcher with black bone arrows for ammunition. It can fire three arrows before needing to reload. When an arrow strikes a target, it inflicts a malus with a base 5% chance of triggering, stunning the victim and dealing them damage. The malus is additive, and it requires one ACT to reload the relic.INNOVATOR’S VISOR: A shelled helmet with a vertical slit on its faceplate. The visor can unleash a beam that ricochets and curves around obstacles, allowing for attacks that come from unexpected angles with an increased chance of crits. The user can either use one ACT to aim and guarantee a hit on a designated target, or fire blindly for free during each ACT with a fifty percent chance of hitting anything.>1/2
>>4038594>CORDCLIMBER’S LEATHER: A tanned hide made into a long-jacket. This outfit gives increased resistance against hazardous terrain and remembers the kinds it encounters. Thus, if it encounters the same kind of hazardous terrain once more, its resistance to it will rise and offer better protection to the wearer. One who travels a lot could very well make themselves immune to most of the fleshscape’s natural dangers. This relic also works against terraforming, gaining progressively increasing resistance against each kinds of terraforming attacks used against it.
>>4038581Bhop, I've Reworked the Red Devil's Engine to be a bit more balanced, the previous version that I posted gave a bit too much without much drawback.>RED DEVIL'S ENGINE: Crucibles may cry at the sight of this miniaturized 6 V-stroke combustion engine out of brass and Obsidian bone, the odd motorcycle handle sticks out of the motor alongside 3 pairs of exhaust pipes a sign of Man’s legacy living on to rock the Crucible. This wicked motor module is apparently compatible to the biological systems of a daughter despite the counterintuitive logic. A daughter may equip the Motor to a single relic or a single ability tree in their arsenal, where upon the Motor is then integrated into their biological functions and counted as a mechanical Augmentation. Removing it imposes a cool down (1 vein) which prevents the engine from re-integrating with another daughter’s ability or Relic. The daughter then can charge the motor to gain a single charge of “Revs” (3 max) with a swift action, 2 Revs with 1 full ACT, or commit 2 ACTs to charge all 3 “Revs” at the Cost of 100% Bio for each "Rev". After the motor is charged, supercharging the damage of the augmented ability’s next attack, or the effectiveness of the augmented Relic with all 3 Revs automatically consumed in the process. For reasons only men know, the Engine automatically gains a “Rev” whenever the daughter wielding it lands a critical hit or fights in a flashy and stylish manner, the former being guaranteed and the latter given out sparingly as the engine silently judges the fighter.
also, any thoughts for when i re-organize the Relics Archive? might not happen til tomorrow actually, but was wondering if anyone had any thoughts or suggestions for better organization in the meantime, or if the current method is good enough.
>>4038605Maybe divide it into "known costs" and "unknown costs" sections?
>>4038606yeah that might be useful.honestly from now on we should probably ask BHOP for the prices as we post em, heh. assuming its not a relic we obviously know will never get made, i suppose?
>>4038605splitting into cost known and cost not knows might be useful otherwise probably a section of already made and not made would b euseful as well(so we would have a rough idea what we have until the rlic shet is updated. Nothing against OP but that can take a while )
>>4038287>Write-in:I know this is for flavor text, and this will be done at a later time but I want to write this down while I still have time before I head off to work:>After the Relics are done being forged, take the Hearth Rod, Red Devil's Engine, and VOCALIS NOCERE (if they're forged)>Kneel down on the ground and whisper to the Fleshscape: "Please keep this a secret to Amara, I want to make these gifts a surprise for her. Pretty please?">Seek out Amara: Hide the Relics out of Amara's view, have a couple of Knights and Rooks hold the Relics.>"Amara! How are you doing?" Give Amara a hug. "You've been such a wonderful girl, you and your ninja army scouting out the lands, finding hidden secrets, bringing back presents..." >if an Amara clone is with Amara, headpat the clone as well. >"You've done so much for us...that I can't think of anyway to thank you except by doing the best I can. Although...">A coy smile graces your lips.>"I do have something...Amara, please close your eyes, and not peeking, not even with your clone.">Have the Knights and Rooks present themselves with the Relics. >"Open your eyes Amara.">Take one of the Relics and present it to her one by one.>(If the Red Devil's Engine if Forged): Ask her to make and present her Bone Katana, take the Red Devil Engine and have it integrate with the Bone Katana. "This little thing here, might not look like much, but supposed to go on your sword.">If Amara asks why: "That's because it is a gadget used by a LEGENDARY Demon Slayer called "Dante, the Red Devil". Dante was known throughout the world for his demon slaying skills and for looking SUPER COOL while doing it, so cool that he singlehandedly saved the world 5 times by himself. This Engine is the very same one that Dante used. To use it, take the handle bar there and twist it. You hear that Revving? Good. Now give your sword a simple swing. You can charge the engine up to three times for a super attack!", then whisper to Amara: "They say that the Engine is alive and rewards those with its power if you fight like Dante, fighting stylishly and dealing devastating attacks with your sword.">(If VOCALIS NOCERE is Forged): "This is a ninja mask. It lets you throw your voice out and mimic the voices of other people." ">Help equip Vocalis Nocere on Amara>"It might feel uncomfortable, but the tube is there to help disguise your voice so that enemy guards can't recognize what you sound like. Ninjas were sneaky, but they aren't that sneaky if their faces and voices are recognized. This mask is to help you on your path in being a ninja. Why else do you think Sensei Churem wears the mask?" >(If Hearth Rod is Forged): "This is a Magic Baton specifically made for you. It might not look like much, but it will help your clones by giving them the support they need. You know how sometimes your clones can't do much? Well this Magic Baton helps them by having a clone pass on their energy to give them more motivation!"
>>4038636>Why else do you think Sensei Churem wears the mask?" Cue insulted objection from Cheruem that that's just their face, they don't have weird head flaps like some gross mammals they could name,
>>4038287Seconding >>4038539 with the addition of >REPLICATE forty basic Swarmlings to the "only if we have enough" category and>use free DUPLICATE to make second Cursus Alassince we get a free 1/Vein use on Relics level 1 or 2.
>>4038594>>4038595(*rumble of scientific triumph intensifies*)
>>4038644>>4038287im against both of these vote wise.and i mean, geezus man. thats 400% more Hive Mistress biomass there, that might HAVE to come from Shu as its her model. either way, hell naw. they like, maybe need 3-5, at best, if at all.
>>4038640>Cue insulted objection from Cheruem that that's just their face, they don't have weird head flaps like some gross mammals they could name.Should I re-write that part to make it more appropriate for Churem or should I leave it in for lost-in-translation shenanigans?>>4038646If there's a T-1 T-2 Relic that we could duplicate, then what should we duplicate? I wouldn't want an opportunity to go to waste.
>>4038646I want to give them enough for it to matter. Okay, ten Swarmlings, then, I think they need at least that many. And what else would you want for our free DUPLICATE?>>4038647>Should I re-write that part to make it more appropriate for Churem or should I leave it in for lost-in-translation shenanigans?No, leave it in, I think Amara wondering if Sensei Cheruem is wearing a mask sounds funny.
>>4038646>Use Free Duplicate to Duplicate Inspector's SpectaclesActually, why not Duplicate the Inspector's Spectacles?
>>4038647>>4038644>>4038649>>4038650i disagree its going to waste, and honestly id prefer to spend it on consumables if at all.though hell, something like the Remembrance Whistle would be much better and more useful. maybe the Guardians Heart, make Marco a real boy or something.
>>4038651I'm fine with duplicating a whistle or Giving Marco a heart.
>>4038651I'd be fine with a second Remembrance Whistle. Those are pretty useful. Okay, changing >>4038287Changing >>4038644to >REPLICATE ten basic Swarmlings, if we can afford it>use free DUPLICATE to make second Remembrance Whistle
>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level: (100% Calcite, 175% Fibromancer)>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4: (100% Calcite, 175% Fibromancer)>>GOREGROWTH BOX: (80% Calcite, 200% Vitruvian)>> Hydras Heart to Level 3: (100% Unnatural, 100% Vitruvian, 40% Calcite)>>Hearth Rod: (120% Phantasmal, 80% Fibromancer)>>Red Engine: (200% Calcite, 100% Generator)>>Cursas Alas to Max: (300% Hive Mistress, 220% Generator)>>Regeneration Mites: (100% Vitruvian, 50% Hive Mistress)>>Ventrem Lanceam: (180% Calcite, 120% Flesh Artisan)>>Membrum Automata: (140% Phantasmal, 100% Neuromancer, 60% Fibromancer)>>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALS: (100% Calcite, 200% Humoral Paladin)~~~-BIOMASS TOTALS->>Calcite Armorer: 800%>>Fibromancer: 490%>>Vitruvian: 400%>>Unnatural Predator: 100%>>Generator: 320%>>Phantasmal Conduit: 260%>>Hive Mistress: 550%>>Flesh Artisan: 120%>>Humoral Paladin: 200%>>Neuromancer: 100%-GRAND TOTAL->>3,340% BIO(I hope this helps, Gentlemen. Additionally, I’ll be extending the voting for one more hour to allow any final adjustments and the like.)
>>4038287>>4038539Amending to Vote V 3.0;Action;>>Stick around for the Forging process and talk with Rath and Tailor, the latter of whom you're rather curious about after what she said regarding the 'songs of the Cores.'in order of forging, for the little it'll matter down below;>FORGE;>>Forgehearts Lyre>>Upgrade Sui Tormentis to Max Level, on Rath, unless she is against it.>>Upgrade Sui Interitus to Level 4.>>Tollo Cadere to Level 2.>>Membrum Automata>>Ventrem Lanceam>>Hearth Rod + Red EngineOnly if we can keep folks above 75% after the rest;>FORGE Secondary;>>VOCALIS NOCERE>>GOREGROWTH BOX>SURGEON GENERAL’S ESSENTIALS>>Hydra Heart to Level 3.(Dorian)>>Cursas Alas to Max(Julia or Rath, whoever they decide)>>Regeneration Mites (Consumable)>>Nitro Sugar>>Duplicate Guardians Heart(Marco, tagged to November), unless November is against it, then, Remembrance Whistle. >>Replicate 10 Swarmlings
>>4038661Nitro Sugar: (Generator: 100%, Humoral Paladin: 80%)
>>4038660yes, thank you.so our own Team costs are around;>Calcite; 500%>Fibromancer; 190%>Vitruvian; 100%>Generator; 20%>Hive Mistress; 250%>TOTAL; 1,060%not bad when split among our family, at all.
>>4038660Okay, we can take that cost. It's a bit hefty, but a lot of the party is pretty Bio efficient. I've got a plan for something on Dorian's part that might take a lot of Bio should we go hunt the Drill Mole, but his regen is so high that he'd recover any Bio spent on it while we were still prepping.
>>4038663>>4038664ill let others decide how to split the costs this time around.
>>4038660>>4038662>>4038663Okay looking at this:our total Bio not counting subcategories is: 12610% BioOur total health pool is: 15440% HP
>>4038660Bhop, where's Forgeheart's Lyre?
>>4038673(Ah, my apologies;)>>Forgeheart's Lyre: ( 150% Flesh Artisan, 50% Calcite)
>>4038677And what of the Regeneration Mites (Consumable)?
>>4038679(They're up there, but I've copied it down below;)>>Regeneration Mites: (100% Vitruvian, 50% Hive Mistress)
>>4038684my bad. I didn't see it.
>>4038679>>4038669>>4038664personally id shoot for our max on the family to be 2,000%-2,250% max.unsure how much of the 'secondaries' that gives us though, but im not in a position to calculate it myself.
-BIOMASS TOTALS->>Calcite Armorer: 850%>>Fibromancer: 490%>>Vitruvian: 400%>>Unnatural Predator: 100%>>Generator: 320%>>Phantasmal Conduit: 260%>>Hive Mistress: 550%>>Flesh Artisan: 270%>>Humoral Paladin: 200%>>Neuromancer: 100%-GRAND TOTAL->>3,540% BIOThis is after factoring Forgeheart's Lyre.
>>4038636(Pended for later, as appropriate.)
>>4038663Forge mistress Fingers would give a 20% flat discount off of each component of each new Relic, and upgrades would mean 30% off of each component...>FORGEMISTRESS’ FINGERS (Lvl 2): Relic creation now costs a total of 20% less BIO from each component tree to craft, and each subsequent level-up of a pre-existing Relic costs 30% less BIO across all component trees to promote to next level. (BIO +20%)So if I'm calculating this correctly after applying Forgemistress fingers discount:UpgradingSui Tormentis would be (70% Calcite, 145% Fibromancer)Sui Interitus (70% Calcite, 145% Fibromancer)Hydras Heart (70% Unnatural, 70% Vitruvian, 10% Calcite)Cursas Alas (270% Hive Mistress, 190% Generator)ForgingGoregrowth box (60% Calcite, 180% Vitruvian)Hearth Rod (100% Phantasmal, 60% Fibromancer)Red Engine (180% Calcite, 80% Generator)Regen Mite (80% Vitruvian, 30% Hive Mistress)Ventrem Lanceam (160% Calcite, 100% Flesh Artisan)Membrum Automata (120% Phantasmal, 80% Neuromancer, 40% Fibromancer)Surgeon General's essentials (80% Calcite, 180% Humoral Paladin)Vocalis Nocere (25% Neuromancer, (0)% Vitruvian)TOLLO CADERE lvl 1 (Calcite Armorer: 80%, Phantasmal Conduit: 180%)Forgeheart's Lyre (130% Flesh Artisan, 30% Calcite)New calculated costs:>740% Calcite>390% Fibromancer>330% Vitruvian>70% Unnatural Predator>270% Generator>400% Phantasmal Conduit>300% Hive Mistress>230% Flesh Artisan>180% Humoral Paladin>105% Neuromancer Total after ForgeMistress finger discount: 3015% BIOI think this is a reasonable cost that we could afford. A bit pricey, but I think it's worth it if we distribute it correctly.>>4038710Bhop, are these numbers correct? I've taken 20% off of each component cost in a newly forged relic and 30% off of the component cost when upgrading a new one.Also, Bhop, you've posted the wrong version of the character document in your opening post. that's V3.7 (pre Laoc Hunger Riot)We're on V.3.8 (Post Laoc Hunger Riot)https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aWnZNOdWUuITaPNUeluAufjfLetqOJWqkTBVFW24Dq0/edit#gid=0
>>4038689Also, what abiltiy/Augment are you thinking of storing in the GoreGrowth box?
>>4038722i dunno, 3,000% still seems a bit much. id have to see how we plan to split it, i suppose, but otherwise id cut off some secondaries to at least get around 2,500%.>>4038723unsure at the moment. same for Raths new Ability, though honestly either works just as well for her. i feel like Fibromancer would be nicer though, or at least more fun.
>>4038723>>4038725We could probably store Violens Testrastigma in it it wouldnt hit her too hard for now and she could upgrade it for a bit and we could focus on upgrading it further without needing tro spend pointsOr one of Ginas Cores either Alabaster or Virulent Persistence. While they are useful we can get by without them for now i think
>>4038722(This looks good, yes. Also, this isn't taking into account any bonuses or refunds Tailor may grant, since hers apply during the Forging process instead of taking it off the top like Rath does. I'm actually rolling for all that right now, and the odds are fairly high that you'd be looking at considerably less of a final payout than calculated, so we'll see.)
>>4038727or Raths new Ability, assuming its worth keeping.
>>4038727Unrelenting Cold on Rath could be a good idea, too. We haven't used it yet, because it's the sort of thing that is only okay at low levels, but that also means we don't put any levels into it. Getting it up to the momentum-eating stage without having to bother leveling it ourselves could be really nice.
>>4038728This is also apply to Forgeheart's Lyre or...wait. Forgeheart's Lyre only makes Relic Crafting easier to craft, although I wonder what bonuses Tailor will apply to it. Also, I've did not take into account the following items after the discount:>10 autonomous Swarmlings.>Nitro Sugar (80% Generator, 60% Humoral Paladin)>Tailor applying bonuses and refundsMan, I think we've discovered a new boss fight: Relic Forging/shopping. This one's less involved than Level-up voting, but the number crunching when it comes to bio costs are heavy work!>>4038725Also, I'm assuming that we're also paying part of the budget in HP as well as Bio since we have a bigger HP pool to spend than Bio.our total Bio not counting subcategories is: 12610% BioOur total health pool is: 15440% HPa 3k average bio cost could be paid by our family members in HP, depending on the discount and refunds tailor provides.And I'm sorry to say, I need to leave for work early, I'll monitor this thread, but expect me to not have much of a say in it.
>>4038742i thought we had? its just an on/off switch afterall, so it would be backgrounds info.
>>4038742>>4038725literally any ability that we didn't bother to level up is worth the box. the question is what ability do we not want to use in the next fight? that's the real question.
>>4038745lets wait til we see Raths new ability then decide.my votes for Fibromancer on that too.
>>4038743>>4038728i guess with BHOPS words on further reduced costs , i can live with it.but still cant do the spread to family myself atm.
>>4038744Well, Rath might have used it during the Laoc fight, we weren't in the same area as her. But we didn't use it against Yurei since she had immunity to stacks and cold damage. So we haven't used it yet, or at least haven't seen it used yet, and so there doesn't appear to be much interest since we haven't seen it do cool things.>>4038745Really depends on what the next fight is, I suppose. Now that I think about it, we should hold off on using it until after we get the debrief from Amara. And ask her if she had fun playing with the Hyena kid. Oh, we should add that into the "have some cool new murder gifts, sweetie" dialogue, asking her if she's made a new friend.
>>4038757>>4038754At this rate, we won't embark on our expedition and finalize our loadouts and mission until late in the evening. And I'm completely fine with that. Fine tune the costs, get all the number crunching of Forging relics (aka shopping), say high and talk with Amara for a bit before settling down and making our battle plans tonight.
>>4038765possibly.we also need to say goodbye to Julia in full proper too.
>>4038287“If it won’t distract you too much, I’m curious to hear about the ‘song’ you mentioned earlier.” You say once your allies have donated a fair share of their own biomass to the cause. Stepping back, you give Rath and Tailor room to work as they begin to inspect the raw, pulsing biomass that resembles the aftermath of a messy sacrifice on the altar at the room’s center.“thesongisthesong.” Tailor replies simply, her wire-wrapped digits picking and prodding through the pile of crafting materials. She deftly plucks a sheet of skin from the mass and holds it close to her eyeports, examining every in thoroughly as she continues to speak. “whenyouhearit, itfeelslikeyou’veknownitallyourlife…andmaybeyouhave.”“Does it…like, have…lyrics?” Rath asks, glancing over the pile as she tests the weight of the fistfuls of jelly-like marrow in her hands, the grey blobs shuddering slightly in her grasp.“…yes, thoughthey’remorefeelingsthanwordsthatcanbewrittenordeciphered.” Tailor replies after a split-second pause, which is about as much time as you’ve seen her devote to any amount of consideration. “theyspeakofcreationsandaccomplishmentsthroughouttheCrucible, havingbornewitnesstosuchwondersacrossthestarsintheirjourneyforcreationonafargranderscale.”“What do you mean when you say ‘grander scale’?” You ask, watching the girls take choice clumps of raw flesh, molding the pliable masses together before depositing them in the Forge proper. “Did the Forges show you the point of the Crucible, or…”You trail off when Tailor shakes her head vehemently, her head jittering slightly as she hums, thinking over how best to reply.“ihaveatheorybasedonwhatthecoressing.” She begins, returning to the pile to search for select pieces of biomass. “lookathteCrucible. lookatthename. itisnotamerename, butanideathathasbeentranslatedtohowwemayunderstandwithourlimitedminds. Acrucibleinourlanguageisathingmeantforanend, to fascilitatethecreationofa’thing’. theforgecoresareasmallerversionoftheCrucibleitself, andwasengineeredtoaccomplishthecreationofsomethingbeyondourmortalken.”“So…are you saying the species that get caught up in all this crap, they’re…what?” Rath says, Tailor’s words having struck a nerve in the girl’s heart. In response, Tailor merely picks up a handful of biomass, letting it slip through her wiry fingers until a sliver of bone remains, shining in the Forge’s light.“perhapswearebutrawmaterialsforwhat’smeanttocomeofallthis...” The strange Flesh Artisan answers, examining the calcite shard close to one smoky lens before she gives you a hasty shrug. “…thoughofcoursethisisallmerespeculationonmypart.”(Continued)
>>4038790Tinker Tailor’s words hang in the air for a long moment before the silence is broken, the door to the Forge room clanging open with the overwhelming force of a child’s enthusiasm.“Everybody’s ready to go!” Amara declares proudly, swinging her arms from side to side as she trots up to you, sheathed sword in hand and followed by a small troupe of identical clones, their faces lacking their creator’s adventurous grin. “What’cha makin’?”“Not sure, but I’m sure whatever these two make, it’ll be something special.” You reply with a smile, patting the girl’s head when she throws her arms around your torso...though you quickly run out of hands to pat with as the Joyous proceed to hug you as well, their expressionless faces forming a cadre of dull-eyed little girls that have you on lock-down.“Oh!” Amara yelps, her two-toned eyes suddenly alight as she stares up at you. “I have news, lots of it! From all of the ‘me’s I sent to scout with!”“Excellent. I’d like to hear all about it, maybe when we get going?” You say, looking up when your red-haired companion clears the throat.“Yo, it’s great that everyone’s ready, but where are we headed, exactly?” Rath chimes in, wiping the sweat from her steaming brow as she steps away from the Forge. “What’s the plan, Shu?”Oh.Right, that’s a thing that need to be decided on.Well, though your resources are somewhat diminished from the forging process you’re still in better shape than you expected. As chaotic as things have been in Laoc, you have to say you’re not looking forward to leaving…particularly since you’ll be one short in the name of a choice you respect, if not entirely support. You can’t help but admire the fact that even after the crisis situation they were thrown into, they’re ready to march on your command……you just hope you give them the right ones, since that unnerving feeling in the pit of your stomach weighs just as heavily on your mind as it does on your Ravenous Maw’s tongue.>>Assign teams and Relics, then give marching orders to your family…if you have Amara go with you, then she can give you her status report on the way. (Choose destination).>>Sit down with Amara before you leave and discuss what she’s learned.>>Talk a little longer with Tailor before leaving, as you’re curious about one or two things in particular (Write-In).>>Tinker Tailor says that the Forge Cores 'sing' in a language that's more feeling than language...maybe between your empathic field and Amara's Skintalking, you could delve a little deeper into their song?>>Write-InYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. I shall wait to finish rolling for the Relics until I return home, but I believe you’ll be happy to know that due to Tailor’s skills, a handful of them have had their costs reduced significantly due to the ‘exploding’ nature of her skill checks and modifiers. Thus, I’ll wait until later to open the vote as to how to pay for the Relics until you know exactly what you’re looking at, but from my initial rolls it appears that everything will be well within budget.)
>>4038794>>Write-In>Go and sit outside a bit while leaving Rath a telepathic message to try and hide the relics crafted for Amara then have a small sit down>"So what did you learn during your travels have done any awesome stunts yet?">have Amara sit down and start delivering head pats and scratches with several sets of spawned arms and have her give you the rundown of the stories of what happened>"Tinker said the cores sing. Would you like to try with me to try and get a little peak at their performance? With your skintalking and my empathic field we may be able to catch a glimpse and maybe even make Rath hear it. i think she really wants to"then after forging is done do this>>4038636
>>4038794>sit down with Amara
>>4038790A tool for creation is one interpretation of "crucible", yeah. The other one is "something that burns away everything but that which is desired". I fear that's far more likely to be why the best-fit translation for the world-eater's purpose is "Crucible".
>>4038794>>Tinker Tailor says that the Forge Cores 'sing' in a language that's more feeling than language...maybe between your empathic field and Amara's Skintalking, you could delve a little deeper into their song?>>Sit down with Amara before you leave and discuss what she’s learned.>>4038798sounds good, and hope your day ends well BHOP!>>4038819i think her artisan sides clouding her vision a bit yeah.
>>4038798well i probably wont be here for that since i will go to sleep now.Have a good night OP and Anons
>>4038829actually ill be 30+ minutes late it looks like for the next vote, but such is life.
>>4038829(Sleep well, Anon.)>>4038831(Depending on how much writing I'll be able to get done between now and then, you may be just in time when I'm able to update.)
>>4038794>unnerving feeling of unease in Shu’s stomach That’s the third time that’s been mentioned. Someone or something is up to a major powerplay and it’s bugging me so much that I can’t help but try to think on what we’re missing the past few veins. this unsettling gut feeling won’t go away and yet i’m let scratching my head on what is it that’s making Shu so uneasy.
>>4038794>>Sit down with Amara before you leave and discuss what she’s learned.>>Write-In>"Let's go over what you learned first, sweetie. It's always important to go into planning with as much information as you can have."Yeah, we need a sitrep. >>4038839So many possible things. Something to do with what the Wests are dealing with, Mara moving into the Cord for some reason, the Apocalypse Amalgams, the remaining Phalanges acting weird, maybe the First Awake...lots of spooky things in this world that could be going wrong.
>>4038847yeah but they seem like distant events, none of them save for a few that we know of are ominous enough to warrant Shu’s uneasy gut feeling reaction. usually that kind of thing happens when the danger is super close or actually upon us. so what’s eating Shu? It’s not the hunger, Shu has already eaten, The Laoc hunger riot was cleaned up so we shouldn’t have this bad gut feeling in a moment like this, the flying amalgam has long passed so we would have had an amalgam warning by now. so what are we missing? what did we overlook?
>>4038861I honestly just thought it was supposed to be BHOPs way of showing the stress and seriousness of the situation getting to Shu. I mean, im not sure we have any ability that should or would manifest any sixth sense at as a stomach ulcer. But out of the options we have, im nit sure. Like you said, nothing specific stands out over the other terrible things we know. All i can think of we maybe have been lax on is all those daughters we know are moving in we need to assess. Maybe one of them is closer and more active than we think?
>>4039003Good thing we've got Amara giving us a report, because she's got a Many trailing all the foreign Daughters that we know of. If either is getting close then it's either Rammstein or Revolution. Nuckelavee can move fast, but she seems to prefer a sedate pace, and she was pretty far from here as of half a day ago so she's likely not getting close soon.
>>4039029yeah, hopefully Amaras report will shed some light, and will be helpful in deciding our next move for sure.
>>4038794You usher Amara outside for a moment, sending Rath an empathic request to hide away a selection of the Relics you asked that they forge…you have a plan to surprise your young ward with one or two Relics to call her own, and you don’t want that getting spoiled while you’re getting the secondhand sitrep from the Joyous’ efforts. Extending the offer of a lap or two around the building to stretch your legs, Amara begins to excitedly fill you in on what she’s seen and heard throughout the Fleshscape…and the first two tales she has to tell are of particular interest to you…>>SHU IS NOW AWARE OF BHQ – CAPILLARY (SAM & ‘A’ SIDE-STORIES)“So…the Relics you brought back…they were Sam’s?” You ask incredulously, your mind still whirling from the breathless recap Amara’s given you.“Some of them, yep!” Comes the girl’s chipper reply as she skips beside you, a few paces ahead of the line of clones that dutifully trail behind her. “’A’ seemed really nice, though we didn’t get the chance to talk to her up-close.”“Hm.” You murmur, suddenly reminded of something Ivey had mentioned earlier regarding the Joyous. “Hey, did one of yours end up at a West lab and got picked up by the Hyenas? West Kai, specifically?”To your mild surprise, your question causes a cloud of conflicted emotions to flicker through Amara’s mind, the recollection of what her Joyous saw causing her some measure of confusion.“Yeah, but I didn’t really get what happened.” She replies, her brow knit in thought as she marches alongside you. “So…one of me snuck into the lab, and I was found out kinda quick ‘cause that West could see through my ninja stuff, and then…she kinda freaked out?”You arch one eyebrow, and Amara struggles to elaborate.“She…she just stared at me for a really long time, blinking and not saying anything. She felt…weird. Kind of like how you and Gina and Aunt Julia and Uncle Dorian feel when you look at me, but…stronger, kinda? She was trying to fight it real hard, though.” She explains, thrusting her hands in the pockets of the dress your Flesh Artisan made for her. “Then she got all spooked, ‘cause she got a message that West Alpha was there.”“You met West Alpha?!” You blurt out, and Amara quickly shakes her head.“Nope! West…Kai? It gets confusing…anyway, West Kai opened up this super-secret side room and pulled me in there, then she shut the door really quick, and little while later I heard her and Alpha shouting, then fighting, and then everything got real quiet.” Amara breathlessly sums up, finishing with a shrug. “Then my other ‘me’ just waited around until I was found. There were some toys and games in the closet, so I played with those.”“Odd…did you overhear anything that was said between the Proxies?” You ask, and she scrunches her eyes shut, trying to remember an experience that wasn’t hers to begin with.(Continued)
>>4039095“Alpha said that there was…over-blood? Blood-over? Anyway, she asked Kai to come with her for co-habitation.” She supplies, blinking once, then twice before a look of uncertainty passes over her face. "Capitulation? Combustion? Cal…cali…oh, calibration!”Amara giggles at herself, grabbing the hem of your dress as she grins up at you once more.“That makes a lot more sense, now.” She smiles. “I thought that Kai just didn’t wanna be roommates. That was the biggest thing, except…oh! Oh oh oh! I played with Ringo and all their friends! I can’t believe I almost forgot!”“Friends?” You ask with a smile.“Yep! There’s like, fif…thir…um…” She stumbles, frowning as she quickly runs out of fingers and toes in her counting attempt. “…lots! Lots and lots of doggos that Ringo and Charon have saved! They’re telling everyone they meet about all the cool stuff we’ve done! There’s a bunch of people that really, really like you! You were famous before, but now you’re super-famous!”“…Awesome.” You say, your forced smile serving to suppress the groan that threatens to escape you. Taking Amara’s hand in your own, you spend the next lap silently turning her reports over in your mind, and your young ward seems content in the quiet at your side as the two of you walk around the squat building that houses Laoc’s Forge. Setting what she’s told you aside for the moment, you reach out across the channel to confirm that Rath and Tailor are done crafting and stashing away your presents for Amara before you enter the building once more, the pair of artisans making swift work of your orders.Finding the altar largely clear of the massive pile of biomass that once occupied nearly every inch of it, you take a seat on the edge of it that faces the open hearth, patting the seat beside you in invitation to Amara. Opening your mouth to voice the idea of speaking to the Core, you pause at the sensation of a familiar hum in your pocket.You withdraw the Silver Key, pulsing in time with the Forge’s thrumming light.First, when you acquired that strange new dream ability. Then, when you and Julia confronted Gemma, and the Key opened your mind to alternative solutions. Now…in front of the Forge, when you’re trying to tap into a thing that shouldn’t have any relation to the Dream.You can feel that all it would take is just a little push, and you’d move past the threshold……though of what, you couldn’t say.>>Hearing the ‘song’ of the Forge Core can wait, as you have much bigger things on your plate. Once Rath and Tailor are finished, it’s time to go. [Establish teams/Relic Loadout]>>You still have a little time before you need to leave…and you can’t help but be curious about this ‘song.’ [Use the Silver Key]>>There’s still a few more things you’d like to ask Amara about before you would call you debrief finished [Write-In]>>Write-InYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. I hope your day went well, and that you find some time to relax this evening. Additionally, at the end of the next post I shall update everyone on the Forge results, which I believe you'll be pleased with.)
>>4039102>>You still have a little time before you need to leave…and you can’t help but be curious about this ‘song.’ [Use the Silver Key]i mean, we're here, and we actually arent technically in a rush. plus, this could possibly be very important.now onto other points of note;>West Kaitwo things here.First, really interesting how West Prime is having Alpha go around and force re-calibration. that is definitely something Francine needs to be told about.Second, her reaction to Amara.... guys, uhh. just gonna put the obvious one out there first... i think West might know Amara. oruhhi think West Kai may of been Amaras mother hollowed out into a West.only thing that makes sense really, as otherwise Francine would recognize Amara, or Amara Francine(and West).otherwise, damnit Charon, stahp. we appreciate the thought but more attention very much might not be exactly what we need. or more like, the issue is, are you spreading our message, or our deeds? because i have a feeling its not the first, which could be bad.>>4039104well, my plans that should've made me late cancelled on me. rip.but hey, now i guess i get to just relax, so thats alight.
>>4039095>“She…she just stared at me for a really long time, blinking and not saying anything. She felt…weird. Kind of like how you and Gina and Aunt Julia and Uncle Dorian feel when you look at me, but…stronger, kinda? She was trying to fight it real hard, though.” One of the Wests wound up with a parental instinct? Huh. Yeah, that's got to be a holdover from whoever got turned into the Proxy.>>4039102>“Alpha said that there was…over-blood? Blood-over? Anyway, she asked Kai to come with her for co-habitation.” She supplies, blinking once, then twice before a look of uncertainty passes over her face. "Capitulation? Combustion? Cal…cali…oh, calibration!”Yep, bleedover. Some of the old inhabitant of that brain still kicking around.>“Yep! There’s like, fif…thir…um…” She stumbles, frowning as she quickly runs out of fingers and toes in her counting attempt. “…lots! Lots and lots of doggos that Ringo and Charon have saved! They’re telling everyone they meet about all the cool stuff we’ve done! There’s a bunch of people that really, really like you! You were famous before, but now you’re super-famous!”Charon, please stop evangelizing for us. We're doing just fine on that. But glad to see the Grand Pack is growing strong. Big army of space doggos, traveling the fleshscape and doing good.
>>4039102>>You still have a little time before you need to leave…and you can’t help but be curious about this ‘song.’ [Use the Silver Key]Also, regarding West Kai:>She…she just stared at me for a really long time, blinking and not saying anything. She felt…weird. Kind of like how you and Gina and Aunt Julia and Uncle Dorian feel when you look at me, but…stronger, kinda? She was trying to fight it real hard, though.>Alpha said that there was…over-blood? Blood-over?Bleed over. That's the word Amara is looking for.My guess is that Francine's feelings are bleeding over to Kai, making her feel compassion for Amara and making her spare the duplicate.But if this is the case, what are the implications for Francine affecting the other West's?And does the bleed over go both ways?
>>4039127I don't think Francine is affecting her. Shes cut off from the network, remember? She wouldn't of had feelings like that to pass on til long after she was no longer transmitting to them.
>>4039118>i think West Kai may of been Amaras mother hollowed out into a West.>only thing that makes sense really, as otherwise Francine would recognize Amara, or Amara Francine(and West).Shit, maybe? I think that Amara's mother would have been hanging close to Amara's cocoon, so if West turned her into a Proxy then Amara would probably have been eaten along the way. But maybe Amara's mom was out hunting or something and that's when West grabbed her. It would explain why Amara was such an unsettling visitor to West Kai, in that case. Because the Joyous Many was definitely the "one that inspires something far more unsettling for the cold Doctor", now that I think about it. It wasn't West Alpha with an assistant, it was two separate visitations. Ah, you bamboozled us, BHOP. Though I think we're justified in being bamboozled on that one, since you didn't tell us that the Joyous Many would be present in every meatspace interlude until the Capillary thread itself.
>>4039146that, or Amaras mother simply wasn't near her. i wouldn't be surprised with what we know, if sometimes she left Amara behind at the town or something. might not of always been an option to haul her over, and the Crucible hit at a bad time for her on that.
>>4039152Possibly, but the fact that Amara's mother did take her to work with her suggests that she didn't have anyone to take care of Amara. No daycare in town, or anything like that. I can't see her going particularly far, in that case. But we know that West Gamma visited the Town of Rust, maybe Amara's mother was just on the other side of town when Gamma stumbled upon her. God, that would be grim. Wake up in a world of nightmares, desperately run across town back home to check on your daughter, and before you can get there a mad scientist captures you, lobotomizes you, and reshapes you into a new host of the hive mind. I really hope West Kai wasn't Amara's mother. It is too sad for me to bear, especially knowing that we're unlikely to save West Kai before she gets calibrated. At least there should still be a backup of Amara's mom in the Cord.
>>4039160we'll see, but honestly so far the evidence really points towards that. i cant see why she would have STRONGER feelings towards Amara than us otherwise. sure, if she had motherly instincts as a bug, she might have some. but stronger than us, plus the whole bleedthrough issues? really is pointing towards a very disheartening scenario here...
>>4039168Yeah. And I suppose if I'm being realistic it doesn't make it less sad if it was generic maternal instinct. Because she had to have been someone's mother, right? Some woman with a young child that Amara could remind her of, a child that she loved incredibly strongly for the feelings she had for a stranger's child to be stronger than what we have for Amara even through the Proxy programming, and she still got hollowed out and turned into an extension of West's tendrils. That's less personal for us, but actually worse from an objective perspective.
>>4039102>>You still have a little time before you need to leave…and you can’t help but be curious about this ‘song.’ [Use the Silver Key]>>Write-In>Spawn four Jacklings first, for the boost to concentration. Just in case.
>>4039102>interlude was of West Tau being visited by Amara clone and west alpha>Amara’s personal story says a West KaiBHOP which version of a west clone are you talking about? Tau or Kai?
>>4039257(Tau. Blast it all, that was an error on my part. Apologies for the confusion; the West from the Interlude and the one that's being discussed are one and the same.)
>>4039272so what made you think of West Kai?
>>4039291(Funny story; I was tracking the movements of one West Chi, while also reading trivia about the main character of Dorohedoro, and I ended up blending the two in my work-addled state.)
>>4039118>>4039120>>4039127>Regarding West TauI think Francine should hear about this, we've got a glimpse of the whole system that causes West Alpha to come a knocking like the spanish inquisition, the bleedover effect is a big hint/key in what's West Prime is recently up to.This might also affect the context of West Sigma as well and the other proxies. If each proxy had a host, then all are vulnerable to the bleedover. That's why West Prime needed a personal enforcer to ensure the proxies stay compliant. You know...this is very very similar to how Ozmas operated with Charon when the former still had the Crucible Threat rating system in place and enforced by Charon.
(Finishing the update now, just working out some formatting issues. Thank you for your patience, Gentlemen.)
>>4039102Taking hold of the Silver Key, your hive strains with the efforts of creation as a quartet of Jacklings emerge from the holes along your spine. They squirm from beneath the chitinous plating that's slowly overtaking the flesh of your back, and the four skull-sized constructs surround you as you turn to the girl beside you."Amara, I'd like for you to try and...listen, to the Forge Core." You begin, nodding to the glowing hearth as Amara quizzically tilts her head. "Tailor here says that the Cores 'sing', so I'm kind of curious to hear what they sound like...and I know I'm not the only one."Shooting Rath a knowing wink, she blushes and sticks her tongue out at you, and when you return the favor it's enough to illicit a giggle from the little one by your side. You cock an eyebrow, and Amara just grins wide before starting to whisper to the edge of the Forge's yawning mouth, your own empathic field narrowing, honed to a razor's edge as you focus in on the luminous heart of creation.For a moment, you feel like you're falling.You expect darkness.You expect a void.You expect the Dreamscape, with how untethered you suddenly feel.The colors you see when you open your eyes areThey'reWhat isYou blink, as what you can only describe as the fires of creation singing around you, the words you'd use to describe them ripped from your throat, from your very thoughts when you attempt to confine them to a limited paradigm. The radiant space you find yourself in defies your mind, the lights that surround you a whirl of intention made manifest, strands and sheets and planes of will and desire and action.It's pure power, unchained from ideas, or thought, or anything that dares to bind it. You reach out, and your hand his gone, replaced with a wish made manifest, a yearning to understand what is happening before your very mind.Your thoughts graze a wisp of flowing intention, and you feel it course through every fibre of your being, its meaning writ large on every spinning electron, every concept of who you were, are, and could be.It's flowing into the hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Relics that are being forged at this very instant, across an infinite afflicted worlds.It's flowing through every construct, every creation, every expression of the Crucible's might that laughs and mocks the laws that hold everything together.Forges.Engines.Daughters.Amalgams.They've all tapped into the same thing.This.This is it.This is the well spring from which flows that which breaks the rules of...everything.Of what you thought were the rules.It's all the same.It's so very different.goodnessYou try to scream, and your cells do it for you as the voice that forces creation to part now speaks into the very seat of your being.what's this?[ERROR]
>>4039460Agony. Ecstasy. Then...a balance, as the colors shift and slow and make way for a thing thatNo.Nothing is standing before you.Nothing stares at you with eyes of void.Nothing was behind Mother, when all her eons of existence pale in the face of that which existed before existence itself.Nothing.Nothing reaches out, wishing to flick you aside as one would a speck of dust, or perhaps something less. The thought of a speck. The idea of debris. The very concept of you is one that nothing tries to brush aside when your defiance flares out like a wave, amplified by the anchor that is the Silver Key.You. Are. HERE.ahFinally, terribly...Nothing takes notice of-youA chill ripples through the concept of Shu, the Defiant.you're not supposed to be hereshooNothing tries to brush you aside like an errant thought, but creation groans around you in response when the Silver Key keeps the idea of you firmly rooted in the mind of everything and nothing.ohplaying with one of our toys, i seethat explains itYou open your mind to speak before you're cut off by the closing of a great gate. It's not slammed shut. It's nothing done out of haste. It's merely a turning of the other cheek, a sad declination in the face of your curiosity.no time for questions, i'm afraidno choices, eitherthat's not my rolei'm very busy, after alland so are youYou stay rooted in place as you find the space around you pulled back, creation torn away from you and moved as one would a simple cup, from one corner of existence to the other.You cannot be moved, so infinity was moved just out of your reach, instead.we both have roles to playso go play yoursThere's no anger in the voice. No pride. No contempt. No derision. It's merely a simple statement of fact, from one actor to another.andA pause. An emotion, the first you've felt since you've been unstuck from the reality you'd grown so accustomed to.A ripple of laughter in the dark.hai know i'm not supposed to play favoritesbutgood lucki'm rooting for youthat's just between us, by the wayYou're not waking up. You're not rising from the depths of a dream. You're drowning under layers of reality, bound and gagged back into your own physical form as nothing fades, and something takes its place.justYou hear.ourYou smell.littleYou taste.secretYou see...[REBOOTING]
>>4039470...the front doors of the Forge room.Your hand is on the one to your left, pushing it open as you and Amara stride into the stuffy space. The girl at your side pauses, tugging on your hand as she's yanked to a stop when you freeze in your tracks.You've done this before. The tilted sense of deja vu overtakes you as what just occurred washes over you in a pulse of realization, prompted by the insistent pulse of the Silver Key, still tucked into your pocket. Rath and Tailor eye you respectively with concern and idle curiosity as you take a seat on the altar-like slab, staring at the Forge as Amara takes a seat beside you. You look up, seeing the flickering Forge core, still nestled deep within the kiln, still pulsing with the eerie radiance that you know now is a sliver of what it's a mere conduit of."Um...were you going to say something?" Amara asks, tilting her head into your field of vision. She's waiting anticipating a request that you've already given, awaiting a decision that's already played out.You swallow hard, in time with the pulse of the Forge and the faint echo of the Silver Key."...No. No, I think I'm good for right now." You reply, nothing on your mind as you turn to the pair of artisans before you. "Rath, Tailor? How'd things go?"Rath shoots you a grin, and across the empathic channel you get your answer...and it's better than you could've hoped for.>>RELICS ACQUIRED: Sui Tormentis (MAX/FREE UPGRADE) Sui Interitus (FREE UPGRADE), Hydras Heart, Cursas Alas(FREE UPGRADE), Gore Growth Box, Hearth Rod, Red Engine, Regen Mite x2 (DOUBLED CREATION), Ventrem Lanceam, Membrum Automata (TIER UPGRADE), Surgeon General's Essentials(TIER UPGRADE), Vocalis Nocere, Tollo Cadere (Lvl 2/FREE LEVEL), Forgeheart's Lyre>>TOTAL BIO COST: 2,125%>>(Upgraded Relic effects will be posted later.)Shaking your head to rid yourself of your earlier experience, you ask Amara to close her eyes, urging her not to peek as you take a moment to plead with the ground itself to not give away what you're about to do."Amara? You've been wonderful." YOu begin, kneeling in from of the small girl as she grins excitedly, her hands covering her eyes and her second set of ears held down by a droll-looking Joyous behind her. "You and your ninja army scouting out the lands, finding hidden secrets, bringing back presents...you've done so much for us that I can't think of anyway to thank you except by doing the best I can. Although..."Amara somehow grins even wider, and you can't help the smile that plays on your lips as Rath brings a trio of Relics to your side."I do have something for you...so it's time to open your eyes, Amara."She does so, gasping in awe when she's met with a shining scarlet engine, a fibrous baton, and an unnerving mask. Her eyes go wide, shining with sheer, undiluted joy as she immediately turns and throws her arms around your neck.(Continued)
>>4039473"They're amazing! They're so cool, I can't wait! They're the absolute best, thank you so much!!!" She cries with glee, bouncing on her toes as her eyes dart from one to the other before she finally turns to you, the question she asks lacking none of the boundless excitement and appreciation she started with."What are they?"Rath looses a bark of laughter, and you can't help but chuckle as you begin with the largest of the gifts, taking the scarlet engine in hand and wordlessly taking Amara's calcite katana from where she left it beside her seat."This little thing here, might not look like much, but supposed to go on your sword." You explain, and you watch something behind Amara's eyes click as you're explaining the Relic. "It's based on a gadget used by this legendary demon slayer-""DANTE FROM DEVIL MAY CRY?!!" Amara bellows, her exclamation echoing throughout the windowless space."I...yeah, how'd you kn-" You start to ask, cut off when Amara thrusts her blade through the engine, which immediately integrates with the calcite blade as the newly-forged Relic begins to rev, and when your little one seizes the handlebar and gives it a sharp twist, she cackles with glee when its roars fill the Forge room. She's off in a flash, the deafening howl of the engine filling the space as she wildly sweeps the blade around her, making a show of the resulting flurry of stabs, upward sweeps, and the parrying of imaginary foes, the other two Relics forgotten in her fervor.You'll...explain the others when she calms down, you guess.Anyway, while Rath and Tailor clean up their workspace, you resolve to make the call you've been putting off for a little while now, busy as you were attending to all that demanded your attention in Laoc. Amara's explosive reaction was a welcome one, particularly in the face of...whatever just happened when you interfaced with the Core. You expected more of a phsyical reaction to the bizarre out-of-body experience you just witnessed, or maybe some nagging fear that'd be tugging at your stomach, but to your relief you find you mind surprisingly clear, your stomach settled for the first time in...huh.Hands in your pockets, your fingers graze the sleek, polished surface of the Silver Key...a device that's been raising more questions than answers as of late. As much as you'd like to pick Yurei's brain about how she came across this thing, you do have a family waiting on their next mission......to say nothing of the kind sculptress you'll be parting ways with, for the time being.>>A visit from something that defies explanation followed up by giving presents to your little girl...an odd way to leave Laoc, but it's time to go. Say goodbye to Julia and finally give your family the marching orders they've been waiting on. [Assemble Teams/Assign Relics]>>There's just one or two last things before you leave, then you'll be good to go [Write-In].YOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, I shall be pausing here for the evening. Voting shall remain open for the next fourteen hours, with posting to resume shortly thereafter. The vote for Rath's new skill tree will go live in the same update that she puts on the Sui armor, as that's when it will fully integrate with her body. I'll be around for another hour or two to address any questions, concerns, or criticisms you may have, and I do hope that everyone present has a restful evening, one and all. Thank you for your patience, participation, and enthusiasm, and take care of yourself.)(Also, for the Anon that wrote the gift-giving section for Amara; don't worry, the rest of what you wrote is going to be used when Amara calms down. She's just like a kid on Christmas morning due to what you've given her, so well played, one and all.)
>>4039476so... fucking... sounds like we just basically met god. or at least, something so far out of our ability to understand or deal with it may aswell be. well, guess we know what one of our far off bosses is now, though id imagine something like that cant be fought traditionally. yes i know it may not of been intended to be taken as an enemy, but honestly? fuck all that 'role to play' nonsense. Fates and Gods are just another enem to the path of freedom.but anyways, you have a good night BHOP.oh, also, what did we end up using our free/reduced replicate on?
>>4039479>>4039490oh, and did Julia or Rath take the Cursas Alas?
>>4039490>>oh, also, what did we end up using our free/reduced replicate on?(I'd seen some ideas batted around, but I didn't think that any consensus had been reached. However, if there are Constructs you wish to craft, you're more than welcome to.)>>4039497(It's at Max level, though it has not been bound to either ally as of yet. If you all wish to make that part of your vote in the interim, you're welcome to do so.)
>>4039502...fuck me BHOP stop naming things so similarly in meaning, im dyslexic here.DUPLICATEdid we end up Duplicating anything. and fair enough on the Cursas.
>>4039479Goddammit Amara, stealing the thunder from the story telling, although I think she likes Dante from Devil May Cry. It does raise a question however: How the heck did she get exposed to such a game at her age? Also, It's Funny that the Red Devil's Engine was supposed to be based on Nero's Red Queen, yet I attributed it to Dante. Another thought: I never knew Amara was such a fan, it was completely unintentional on my part. I originally wanted to have it be a modular engine relic for heavy hitters like Rath or November where they can spend some actions charging up their big attacks with said Relic, but then I thought why not do that Devil may cry motorcycle sword that Nero uses? And considering Amara's sword is crit-based...well. Amara's going to be one noisy Ninja when she draws out her sword... And her sword is gonna make motorcycle/chainsaw noises now...what have I done?>the Relic discount costDear lord what did Tailor do? Is her crafting system akin to a d10 exploding dice system? How many dice blew up? >>4039470>>4039460oh Hello there Nothing. Nice to see that there are other entities with skin in the system. Although the word choice could be better, "roles to play" seems very condescending from an entity in which our mind can't really fully comprehend and now it's got that other anon riled up and wanting to push you off your chair just for the sake of principles.
>>4039490(As a traditionally Neutral-aligned player in Shin Megami Tensei games, this warms my heart.)>>4039508(Ha, so am I. I don't know why I do this to myself. I may as well keep color-coded notes for my colorblind self for all the good it'll do me.)(I didn't duplicate anything since I didn't see that it was specified in the order, so you still have a charge left for it.)>>4039513(Her being a huge fan was such a throwaway thing in her character sheet that I'd forgotten about it until you mentioned DMC. That fact was a reference to a similarly bizarre gaming experience in my own life, actually.)(Regarding the discount, it's actually exactly that. I made her at a time when I was testing out that system, so 'exploding' dice effects can and will pop up from time to time in certain skill sets, like hers and a few viral-based Humoral Paladins. To answer the last bit of your question; seven dice blew up.)
>>4039528if only i knew what that game was.>Duplicateright, ill add my vote to the order, but just so you know what to look for BHOP, everyone agreed on either another whistle or Guardians Heart(for Marco)actually, wait, BHOP, you can decide this i think, sorta.the caveat for Marco was we Wouldnt do it unless November was ok/wanted it.so unless shes ok with it its not an option, and would default to the Whistle.also, what Tier is Margraves? if it is T2, could... Amara Tag herself... and thus her clones get it activated if she is attacked?
>>4039528>(seven dice blew up)>counts the number of parenthesis in that greentext.>seven parenthesisWell then. that makes sense. I wasn't expecting Surgeon General's Essentials to have a tier upgrade though...(I didn't duplicate anything since I didn't see that it was specified in the order, so you still have a charge left for it.)A question...what Tier is the Red Devil Engine categorized as? I would assume at least a T-2 for how limited in scope the relic behaves...
>>4039545(November would be fine with it being used on Marco. However, for your consideration...)>>4039546(...I *would * classify the Red Devil Engine as Tier 2.)
>>4039545(Apologies, I left out part of your question. Margraves is Tier 3, thanks to the sheer damage its capable of.)
>>4039559ah, dang, but ok.>>4039553and eh, good to know, but feel kinda iffy to duplicate a relic we just made, especially when on a technicality the vote was already sorta casted too.
>>4039564(True. And thank you for referring back to that, I see where it was. If anything, using the Guardian's Heart on Marco would certainly score you brownie points with November.)(He's the last Swarmling she can ever make, after all.)
>>4039559so.... BHOP, how does the Whistle work on November?Would say, THA TER make any terrain she treads on 'friendly' to her then, for example?>>4039570oh, good to know. sounds like more than 'ok' as in shes indifferent, and more like she would actually appreciate it. alright then, that solidified my vote for sure. November deserves a little pick-me-up like that.
>>4039546also, you know what we 7000000% just ignored once again?November. we didn't even discuss or think about forging anything with November in mind. i mean, sure, any relic can be decent in her, but certainly not great is the issue, nor necessarily better on her over others just because she has open slots.
>>4039575(It would, yes.)
>>4039570>(True. And thank you for referring back to that, I see where it was. If anything, using the Guardian's Heart on Marco would certainly score you brownie points with November.)>(He's the last Swarmling she can ever make, after all.)Okay. we're definitely gonna duplicate Guardian's Heart for Marco, AND Forge a Mitsubachi cap for him as well. >>4039579I had an Idea for November in the works but I can't quite put it down in enough detail. But the basic gist for November is basically the equivalent of a pilot's escape pod for a human sized robot for November, keeping her original bits and soul intact should November activate the self-destruct sequence on her current warframe. Shintai Vessel or something equivalent to how operators useTenno in Warframe. Something that saves November and allows her another chance to keep on fighting if her robot body gets destroyed. The point is, I don't want to lose November's dream daughter data to a Nuke.
>>4039476right, vote;TEAMS and OBJECTIVES;>Shu, Dorian, and Gina>>Help the Ant Queen with the burrowing Amalgam.>>>See if Holly wants to stick around, and/or if Johanna wishes to come out.>Francine and Amara>>Access the Hexxane Statues Situation.>>>Pass info on the Proxy Network to Francine.>November and Rath>>Scout out our way Westward, find us the next Waypoint or Town forward.RELIC LOADOUTS;Shu;>Contender(½ Honey, ½ Parabellums), Matrons.Dorian;>Sui Interitus, Ventrum Lanceam, Hydras Heart, Manus Caelorum.Gina;>Membrum Automata, Tollo Cadere, Spine, Rebuke, Montags.Francine;>Spectacles, Surgeons GE, Ignition Gauntlets, Uzi(x3 Frost, Radiant, Acid, and Standard Mags).Amara;>Shawl, Vocalis Nocere, Hearth Rod, Red Engine, Vocem Virtutis(Enhance; RHO and THA, Free; RHO)Rath;>Tormentis, Gutgrab Daggers, Ego.November;-Slotted;>Dainsleif(Arm), Jesters(Head), Whistle(Arm/THA TER), Sacrificium(Chest), Adrenal Nail(Leg), Peacekeepers Box(Core)-Other;>Margraves(Rath)>>Duplicate; Guardians Heart(Marco, linked to November)Left with Julia;>Cutis Tractus, Cursas Alas.
>>4039545>if only i knew what that game was.I think this trailer video of the latest game in the series would fill you in nicely in brief what the game is about.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HH10JX8u0CY
>>4039585alright. thanks for putting up with my barrage of questions, like always.have some nifty biopunk cyber rats as compensation.also, is it bad i imagine the guns are actually relics, and some daughter giddily bouncing in place as she loving straps the gun and helm to each and every one of her constructs?>>4039593my god that thing would have to have engines almost as powerful as the nukes shes setting off. i feel like a 'blackbox' type idea might be more likely to survive than hoping an escape pod is fast enough. but not a bad idea. what worries me is, BHOPs said hes not the type to 'leaves guns unfired', while giving us something like Novembers T5 Ability... and that worries me significantly for much more reasons than just losing November. oh, ah damnit, totally forgot i kinda wanted to talk to November bout why she wanted to stay behind. she actually comes off as the type who would understand exactly why we cant, so it surprised me a bit.
>>4039604(It's a pleasure to answer them, truly. Cyber-rats are also welcome, as I love rats and your idea about a Hive Mistress strapping them with guns is delightful.)
>>4039603er, i may of not played em, but i know what Devil may Cry is a bit.what i do not know, is what Shin Megami Tensei is, which is what was being talked about.
>>4039604Another thing that I worry about is the fact that he gave us the Nuclear option and is handing it to US and entrusting US to make the call. >blackboxGoddammit. That was the one word/terminology that kept slipping from my mind! That's it! A blackbox! a blackbox that contains November's Dreamdaughter data! It's perfect for November! the blackbox relic will be the equivalent of November's Dogtag! Something to remember by so that November will never be forgotten/deleted!....the issue now is how to translate that mechanically. I think...I think I'll have to make it a T-5 Relic. For something as unique as November's situation. It HAS to be a T-5 Relic in order for it to work because a situation like this needs to break the rules of the Crucible. I don't know what the end result will be, but I do know by my gut feeling that the sooner I can hash it out, get it forged, and have it installed on November, the better off we'll be.
>>4039628good luck, look forward to seeing the end result.
>>4039470>>4039473Dozed off after dinner, just catching up: Did we time-slip, there? It sounds like the...admin, I guess, or whatever this thing's relation to the Crucibles is...that it folded our personal timeline in on itself so that we never actually tried to listen to the Forge to begin with. Though we seem to have retained the memories, so that's nice. Still, spooky. And damn, there's a conscious entity watching the Crucibles. One that, though it claims to just be doing its job, identified the Silver Key as "one of our toys". Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but that suggests a complicity to me. That it's of a kind with the beings responsible for the Crucible rather than a repurposed lesser mind like the Mothers. That its role not to interfere is not an actual restriction placed on it but more like professional ethics. Of a profession that involves the death of galaxies. Yeah, I do not like the Admin. It better hope that we don't get a chance to go SMT Neutral Route on its ass.>>4039628I think you might be overcomplicating it. Winterfall Initiative says it sets the Forge Core to detonate, not November herself. Given that it runs on a timer, she should be able to rig her Core, eject it, pop in a new Core, and run out of the blast radius. I think. BHOP, when you get back here, could you answer if that works?
>>4039594Hey anon, don't we have a second shawl? If so I think we should give the second shawl to Francine since the West Network is now on full alert and on the lookout for Francine's whereabouts. Even though the Wests have better resources that allow them to pierce through the shawl's stealth, it will still allow Francine a degree of protection from being detected by normal means.
>>4039676i... think maybe? that sounds like something we got yes, but honestly i cant remember exactly. that and the list of what Amara brought back via her clones.but if we have a second, then sure, im fine with that.
>>4039681As I recall it was some Generator Sauce, the Shipping Goggles, and a second Shawl.
>>4039690We're definitely going to need to put on the shipping goggles, to see what things look like from Shu's perspective as opposed to Sam's.
>>4039476>>4039594Adding in;Francine;>Second Shawl.
>>4039704and then comes the horrible shenanigans where Amara and her clone runs around with it playing "follow the thread" al la scooby doo.
>>4039704Between her Skinternet fandom and Charon's apparent attempts to turn her into a Messiah figure (what the hell, Charon? Does Hexane history not provide you with a proper context to realize what you're doing?), I think Shu would go blind putting them on. The only visible individual threads would be the ones to the party, everything else would be a solid pane of light.
>>4039716A reminder that Sam once tried on the shipping goggles on Paloma and the light was so bright it auto-triggered Sam's built in anti-glare protection.
>>4039716>>4039723yeah we probably shouldn't let Shu use them. anyways, i gotta catch some shut eye. night folks.
>>4039723Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of. Paloma's Skinternet famous, and probably has more connections at base just due to being a Skintalker. But Shu should be pretty blinding by now, on her own merits.>>4039725Good night, anon. Sleep well.
>>4039670(Considering the Forge Core goes into meltdown, it's locked inside her when the countdown is initiated.)>>4039676>>4039681(Per >>4039690, you do have a second Shawl.)
>>4039725(Sleep well, Anon.)
>>4039731>(Considering the Forge Core goes into meltdown, it's locked inside her when the countdown is initiated.)Oh, darn. I figured it must be ejectable, given that it has a countdown timer. It wouldn't need one if November was locked to the bomb, she could just set it off manually whenever she wanted. The only scenario I can think of in which it would be useful is if November expects to be killed anyways before she can set off the bomb, like she wades into the thick of some huge tide of Amalgams in order to take them out with her sacrifice, so she sets the bomb so that after they're done swarming over her they'll get blasted.
>>4039748(Actually, I'm glad you brought that up, given that the way I wrote it made the way it works ambiguous. It's due for a rewrite, thank you for bringing it to my attention!)
>>4039748>>4039731Dammit. this...this isn't how I want this to be...This is gonna make the Blackbox relic design for November even harder... Not only I gotta ensure it survives a point-blank nuke and the fallout, I need to ensure it's stable enough to protect November's save data and key'd to respond only to November's next of kin. >>4039636Some progress though. I've got some basic flavor text and a name...it's just the mechanics that keep eluding my grasp. I think I need sleep.>SOLDIER’S SANCTIFIED SARCOPHOGUS: A soldier does not rest on the battlefield. Duty does not end with death, only when they return to the hands of family are they granted peace.
>>4039758Well, it's good to get the confusion cleared up now rather than later when we might actually need to have November use it. Lets us get planning on that blackbox Relic in advance. >>4039769Well, since the bomb has a timer, we could pull the blackbox and then leg it away from her frame before it detonates. It doesn't have to survive the nuke, just be mobile enough that it can be taken with us. Either because it's compact enough for us to carry or because it is itself capable of movement and can be piloted by November like a little robot.
>>4039460>>4039470Alright... God or Admin or soemthign so incomprehensibly poweful it may be described as god......Okay crazy theory belowThat thing just made us Paradox and Paradox hard. In the other timeline Shu probably just stopped from having ever existed once she tapped into that powersource...... She probably also took the entire town and maybe the planet with her..........Fuck this thing hopefully has some good explanations ready once we get back.......Or wait..... Could this be OP opr a version of him talking to Shu....Everything in this world of the crucible can be traced back to one thing..... The source.... or its Creator.......In our world that would be OP..............Nah he probably wouldnt do this..... it may be to meta...>>4039476Now for my vote.I wil just support>>4039594It seems like a balanced loadout though i dont think Gina needs the spine i also dont mind if she does use it and it bonds to her>>4039758And as i rise to face the day i hope you OP and all the other anons have a good rest now
>>4039476No wait dang it I do have ammendments to the orders i said i would support here >>4039779Instead i wil supportTEAMS and OBJECTIVES;>Shu, Dorian, and Gina>>Help the Ant Queen with the burrowing Amalgam.>>>See if Holly wants to stick around, and/or if Johanna wishes to come out.>Francine and Amara>>Access the Hexxane Statues Situation.>>>Pass info on the Proxy Network to Francine.>November and Rath>>Scout out our way Westward, find us the next Waypoint or Town forward.>they are "just" two women wandering around to find a waystation for our use so we shoud have soem insurance for them to contact us and if need be retrieve themRELIC LOADOUTS;Shu;>Contender(½ Honey, ½ Parabellums), Matrons.Dorian;>Sui Interitus, Ventrum Lanceam, Hydras Heart, Manus Caelorum.Gina;>Membrum Automata, Tollo Cadere, Spine, Rebuke, Montags.Francine;>Spectacles, Surgeons GE, Ignition Gauntlets, Uzi(x3 Frost, Radiant, Acid, and Standard Mags).Amara;>Shawl, Vocalis Nocere, Hearth Rod, Red Engine, Vocem Virtutis(Enhance; RHO and THA, Free; RHO)Rath;>Tormentis, Gutgrab Daggers, Ego.>A hivephopne and a Gearspoke in case of emergency retrieval being needed or them finding information they think we need immediatlyNovember;-Slotted;>Dainsleif(Arm), Jesters(Head), Whistle(Arm/THA TER), Sacrificium(Chest), Adrenal Nail(Leg), Peacekeepers Box(Core)-Other;>Margraves(Rath)>>Duplicate; Guardians Heart(Marco, linked to November)Left with Julia;>Cutis Tractus, Cursas Alas.
>>4039789We need to have Amara set up the Amalgam-spotting group, too, actually. Unless we did that offscreen. How do we fit that into orders?
>>4039795By having Amara become a blogger?I think something like this>once done with updating Francine leave her room to to hammer out her plan>set up an Apocalypse Amalgams spotting side on the skinternet with an interactive map and go and tell all your friends about it so they start contributing. Or if you find a side like that already promote it
>>4039805Yeah, that sounds good. Have that be her secondary goal while she's working with Francine. Francine can help her with formatting, since she is only seven after all. I guess that means they could be hanging around Laoc still, unless Francine needs something from the Lair specifically, so Julia could help as well.
>>4039476Adding >>4039805To this order>>4039789
>>4039779(Ha, as meta as some of the things I've created are, rest assured that the being you just met is by no means any relation to me.)
>>4039725no, it's more like you don't point the shipping goggles on Shu, because seriously do you know how many social links she's got that's advanced to A rank or S rank?
>>4039789>>4039594I do have a thought that came up in my mind recently. if West Alpha came and dragged West Tau back to West Prime's HQ with West Tau Kicking and Screaming all the way back for "recalibration" and Tau's lab is left intact, why don't we raid West Tau's lab while the Wests are not home? Because the moment West Tau returns from getting her head fixed from the bleedover effect with the equivalent of a factory reset, we won't have much of a chance to induce the bleed-over effect.
>>4040146She might be back already though....It could be worth a shot however
>>4040136The strange thought occurs that since the Shipping Goggles can probably read negative relationships as well as positive ones, there should be one stretching from Shu to the top of the Cord for Ozmas' fear and loathing. Man, can you imagine seeing that, if you knew about the Mother having a physical presence but not who Shu was? Just scan this woman one day upon meeting her, and you see among her myriad other connections one indicating that the flesh goddess herself hates them?>>4040146The Hyenas hit her lab, remember? West Tau contacted them for a job, by the time they got there she was already gone. We should ask them if they recovered anything interesting from the lab, or if they just got out of there after finding the Many in the closet.
>>4040157We also probably gained also gained an ethereal bond between Shu and "Nothing". Even though "Nothing had compressed Time and Space to the point that its conversation with Shu looked like Deja Vu, it's still a connection when "Nothing" deviated from its "role" for the slightest bit to show bias and favroites to Shu.
>>4040165Oh, good point, Shu's also got an n-dimensional hyperspacial filament connecting her to some notionally-infinite void god. Looking at Shu with these things is not going to be pleasant for the human mind. The Tindalos might have a better time of it.
>>4038722>>4039473>>4039725>>4039690>>4039704Okay, I'm now looking at the recalculated costs AFTER Tailor's dice exploded. >RELICS ACQUIRED: Sui Tormentis (MAX/FREE UPGRADE) Sui Interitus (FREE UPGRADE), Hydras Heart, Cursas Alas(FREE UPGRADE), Gore Growth Box, Hearth Rod, Red Engine, Regen Mite x2 (DOUBLED CREATION), Ventrem Lanceam, Membrum Automata (TIER UPGRADE), Surgeon General's Essentials(TIER UPGRADE), Vocalis Nocere, Tollo Cadere (Lvl 2/FREE LEVEL), Forgeheart's LyreSui got a free upgrade, Sui Interitus got a free upgrade, Cursas Alas got a free upgrade, Tollo Cadere got a free upgrade after its creation, so its original lvl 1 cost paid for going straight to lvl 2. That means we got refunded 220% Calcite, 290% Fibromancer, 180% Phantasmal conduit, 270% Hive Mistress, and 190% Generator.New Calculated Costs after Tailor's Free Refunds>520% Calcite>100% Fibromancer>330% Vitruvian>70% Unnatural Predator>120% Generator>220% Phantasmal Conduit>30% Hive Mistress>230% Flesh Artisan>180% Humoral Paladin>105% Neuromancer And the fact that Laoc gave us a giant Grab bag of 300% bio from class as a gift which means a raw -300% discount on all class components:FINAL COST:>220% Calcite (220% needs to be paid out of our pocket)>0% Fibromancer (200% left over from gift)>30% Vitruvian (30% bio needs to be paid out of our pocket>0% Unnatural Predator (230% left over from gift)>0% Generator (180% left over from gift)>0% Phantasmal Conduit (80% left over from gift)>0% Hive Mistress (270% left over from gift)>0% Flesh Artisan (70% left over from gift)>0% Humoral Paladin (120% left over from gift)>0% Neuromancer (195% left over from gift)Total cost out of our pocket: 220% Calcite, 30% Vitruvian. God damn. We barely had to pay out of our pocket and we STILL have left over raw bio that can be used for crafting. We could've made some more wicked relics you know.
>>4040186>>4039731Bhop, I do hope my calculations are correct, because I don't want to double apply the gifts that Laoc gave us and cause a clerical error on your part.
>>4040191(You're quite correct. I suspected something like this would happen since you did so well during the Laoc crisis on top of making the best choices when it came to the little Tinker Tailor sidequest.)
>>4040186>>4040196Well, damn. Tailor does some amazing work. I guess we'll keep the leftovers and put it in Amara's college fund or something. Except for the Hive Mistress Bio, that's going in Sir FuzzBuzz's super-PAC.
>>4039795>>4039805>>4039890well, thing is, i did have that on their orders before as a secondary, but its not as immediate a concern as the Hexxanes are for a few reasons;One- even if we located them, we easily could have no way to get to them.Two- those things are big. just going to bash their head in might not work, on top of having to find out how to corral them into one in the first place, meaning until we have some ideas finding them might not matter.Three- things that big and troublesome will already be being tracked accidentally, if not deliberately. Four- the Hexxanes a pretty serious situation i want them fully focused on if thats what they're gonna be doing.
>>4040186>>4040196damn, Tailor knows her stuff. lil gals basically a Relic factory all on her own it seems.>>4040199i mean, that depends on what actually is done with it. we would most likely just use it later in reality, unless we leave it for Tailor to use for the town instead. would have to be discreetly though, so they dont throw a fuss at us 'returning' their gifts.
>>4040196>>4040216Are we still gonna leave the Void Orrey in Tailor's hands? leaving that relic in her care so she can restore more of its functions would be a good investment while we go out on our missions.
>>4040218im fine with it.>>4039594>>4039479yeah leave the Void Orrey with Tailor to fix up.if Francine gives off any feelings of being upset or jealous, as kindly as we can tell her we would be perfectly happy with her using her freetime to come help Tailor, and resource management and specialties are a thing.though i dont actually think she will be, more of just incase type of thing.
>>4040218I guess. The stealth function is interesting, but it's still largely a curiosity for us. And Tailor would be psyched as hell about something that can give insight into the song of the spheres. Let's just hope we don't come back to her having gone all Azathoth cultist.
>>4040218Sure we dont really need it at the moment and if we can get more out of it later by giving it away so it wont draw on resources that we can instead allocate towards dealing with West or any other number of situationsSo i would go and tell Tailor to eat her heart out with the thing as long as she doesnt break it
>>4040221I just realized:We're putting Francine on daycare duty with Amara. Admittedly we're sending Amara and Francine on a scouting mission to see the Hexxane statues, but still. But why the remaining Hexane Phalnges?
>>4039594>>4039476and with no responses, and merely a formality due to knowing how you calculate votes,>>4039805adding in i am against the above section, not neutral to it.
>>4040228because we need more information on them, and lives are potentially immediately at stake there too, aswell as they are immediate potential very big threats we might be able to hit while static if it does come to that. they could also end up being useful info, but again, we'll see.as for Fran and Amara, they're the best we have for.. oddly very different reasons, for collecting more in depth info bout them and the situation over just... looking at them.plus, it also might help us double whammy help the Ants, which sounds like a good bonus.
>>4039476Oh yeah i should add that>>4039789and >>4039890I was both posts so no double counting that vote >>4039890 OPI hope i made myself clear
>>4040233Kung-fu mad scientist dryad and ninja cat magical girl, working together to unravel the secret of why these weird alien statues are guarding person-cocoons.
>>4040242yeah, some of these situations are weird as all flubber indeed. but i mean, Shu just met 'may aswell be god' so im pretty sure not much is left on her weird scale to encounter.
>>4040247Worse, the Nothing implied that it wasn't the only such godlike being, referring to "our toys" when it wasn't speaking in the first-person plural. So there are other void gods. There is room for this to get weirder still.
>>4040270fair.and terrifying.Shu needs to up her god killing game quicko.though to be fair, one step at our time. i think freeing the planet from immediate doom probably needs to come fist, before we do literal actual god slaying.probably.mfw when this whole thing is just a test to see who is worthy of scooping up to be another void godmfw when Shu pisses em off when she throws the offer in their face, essentially wasting the entire point of the Crucibles and everything they have done with them.
>>4040270>>4040247With them being pretty close to gods it is little wonder they managed to confine the hounds of Tindalos.To them the Tindalos would have probably been like children or not even that....
am >>4040228 on mobile.I’m still uneasy about Shu’s unease, it’s bothering me so much.
>>4040286me a bit as well but right now aside form our experience with the 'godlike entitiy' we have nothing in the way of hints on what it is exactly.It might be that West is mobilizing agaisnt us after seeing her clone hide the Amara clone in a closet.Which could be bad if she sends her terminator
>>4040286sadly, nothing is really pinning down an exact cause, so we'll just have to live with it, and assume its just natural leadership butterflies for now.>>4040279possibly yeah.>>4040291>>4040286actually, the experience with 'nothing' cleared up Shus stomach, if you read it again.though it didnt leave her, like, feeling pleasant directly, so im thinking that was less intentional and more a side effect of literally interacting with a god that is 'nothing'.
>>4040278Yeah, baby steps. If we don't manage it by the end of the quest we'll at least have a long-term goal for humanity: Become a Type IV civilization on the Kardashev scale so we have even the slightest fighting chance against such entities. Granted, Kardashev himself thought that going beyond Type III was impossible, but hey, clearly someone's managed it if the Nothing exists.I was thinking something similar. I can see two reasons for them "refining" the universe with their Crucibles. Either this is how they reproduce, or they're scientists looking for a rare experimental outcome. Regardless, I don't think any excuse they have to justify this is ever going to satisfy us, when the refinement is built on the death of entire galaxies. If not more.>>4040279It makes sense. If Shu's intuition was correct, these things predate the observable universe. The Tindalos lived on a planet, which means that at minimum they evolved a billion years after the birth of the universe (which is still about thirteen and a half billion years before humans show up). The Crucible-builders have a minimum of a billion years head-start on their technology. To say nothing of whatever scientific insights into our universe's physics they'd get from being around when early cosmology happened. The Nothing probably personally witnessed the expansion of the space-time metric.
>>4040294>”Nothing”I interpreted it as it’s more of sensory overload that overwhelmed Shu’s sense of unease but didn’t really “get rid of the unease” We’ll have to see if that unease resurfaces, because the unease came up when Shu has to mull over her next actions and commented on the fact that her friends would so readily follow her without complaints. that’s my interpretation. fell free to debate but I’m currently on mobile
>>4040307What I find strange is that Nothing considered the Silver Key as a “toy”. it’s clearly important and potent enough that it kept Shu conceptually anchored in Nothing’s presence, but that’s it.
>>4040307yeah, agreed. dont think anything will really justify all this.>>4040308eh, it felt more like Shu was reverting downward to a numbness, over overloading into a crash. but yeah, moot point right now, and not sure it even matters.
>>4040312temporarily technically. though seemed to have been a work around to get rid of us. i did find it both scary and hilarious that when she couldn't move Shu, she just... moved literally everything else. that... just doesn't sound like it should at all be easy enough to be a work around solution. but, whelp, it was.
>>4040307to them its proabbyl justifiabl since they are quite likely so far removed form us and our sensibilities that they jsut dont care...Would you care if you killed a couple quadrillion microorganisms if it allowed you to manifacture the perfect cure?Not trying to defend them one day we will have to show up at their hoems doorstep and kick their asses into next sunday so herd even they wont ber able to bounce back form it.>>4040314Well it at least shows that there are limits to what thy can do....But it might be a collective thing that if all of them worked together(if there evven is more than one of them)they could probably break the universe several times over.
>>4040317i get what you actually mean, but technically, they already are.
>>4040312I think because it was ultimately a very minor thing. It didn't actually stop the Nothing from affecting Shu, it just forced it to get creative. The Silver Key was probably some very early creation by these things, from before they were quite as godlike. Or maybe from after they became as gods, and they made lesser tools for mortal hands to work with. They might have had servants assisting them in constructing the Crucibles in our physical reality.
>>4039476Back in the tavern that makes up the first floor of city hall, you, Amara, Rath, and Tailor rejoin the rest of your family with new Relics in tow. You begin the task of assigning priorities to your allies as they get equipped; you, Gina, Dorian, and Holly are going to deal with the Pyreants’ mole problem, while Francine and Amara will investigate the Hexane Remnants from a safe distance.“What about us?” Rath asks, gesturing between her and her aunt.“I’d like the two of you to scout further west in the Metall Geschoss to find points of interest. Towns, ruins…anything that can serve as our next waypoint.” Comes your reply as you retrieve a certain Relic from the pile. “Speaking of the tank…”You reach out, a Guardian’s Heart pulsing in your open hand between you and November.“Take this. For Marco.”November gingerly takes it in her gauntlet-clad hands, tilting her helm towards Rath for the explanation her niece is eager to give.“It’ll make it so that Marco’s stronger and more durable, basically! Combining it with him will render him a whole hell of a lot more survivable.” She explains, prompting November to turn back to you, speechless as you just give the older woman a shrug and a smile.“I can tell he means a lot to you, so I wanted to make sure he sticks arou-oh okay we’re hugging now.” You trail off as November wraps you in a tight and surprisingly warm hug.“Thank you. I…yes. Call me sentimental, but this’ll give me some peace of mind where my favorite pilot’s concerned.” She chuckles, the echo reverberating through her cybernetic form. You leave the Neesons to their last-minute prep-checks as your attention is drawn to Julia, striding up to you past Francine and Amara, the latter apparently filling the doctor in on her interaction with West Tau.“Leaving s-soon?” Julia says, glancing about the space with her dark eyes as your allies collectively realize that’ they’re about to leave their kindly sculptress behind. “I d-don’t want to k-keep anybody, but I d-did want to say g-goodb-“Amara immediately dog-piles her adoptive Aunt with Joyous, with Rath and Holly joining the show of affection. You and the rest of your family converge, each and every one of them wishing Julia their own heartfelt farewell, as temporary as it may be. Gina emphasizes that you and she will be by her side in an instant if she needs you, and Julia replies in the same before Rath demands that she have a drink in her memory when the Hyenas inevitably take her out to party. November simply gives her a firm handshake, while Holly once again proves herself to be the hugging type. When you finally get your turn, Julia’s face is tear-streaked, evidence of her being utterly taken aback by everyone’s outpouring of love and support.(Continued)
>>4040398“Be safe, alright?” You say, scooping her into a tight embrace as you let your admiration for her flow across the empathic channel. “Remember what I said about taking care of yourself, alright?”She nods, and the sound of a young man clearing his throat brings your attentions to Dorian, standing at the edge of the room.“Lady Julia, if…if I may have a moment of your time?” He asks, a slight tremor evident in the hand he uses to beckon her to the privacy of the rooms beyond. The girl in your arms gives you one last quick hug before striding over, taking his hand in hers as the two of them disappear around the corner.“Flippin’ cuties, the both of them!” Holly chimes in as she joins your side, biting her lower lip as she flashes you a grin.“Ha, yeah…so, how’re you holding up?” You ask, turning to the girl beside you. “I know Laoc wasn’t exactly the relaxing excursion we’d planned on it being, so if you want to tag out with Johanna or just get some rest, there’s no pressure.”“Ha, are you kidding? It’s felt AWESOME to stretch my legs and really feel like I’m pulling my weight, y’know?” Comes Holly’s enthusiastic reply, her verdant eyes shining bright. “Plus, Johanna’s kinda busy with hanging out with Uzu and, uh…yeah. I think, like, the three of them are actually getting some good hang-time in, so I don’t wanna interrupt, if that makes sense?”“Absolutely.” You say, a small part of you glad to be keeping Holly by your side for now…on top of how relieved you are that your latest Dream Daughter is acclimating to her roommates.“I’m sure Dorian will catch up with us, if you wanted to head out.” Gina says, sidling up to you with a knowing smirk in the love-birds’ direction.“Might be a good call.” You affirm, turning to address the rest of your family. “Alright. Everyone knows where to go and what to do. Be safe, be swift, and-““Be defiant!” Rath shouts, prompting a cheer from all present as you just blink at the red-head’s confused expression. “…was…was that not what you were gonna say?”“No, but I think I like your version better, actually.” You chuckle, waving to everyone as they go their separate ways. Within seconds you, Gina, and Holly are left alone in the bar, save for Sierra wiping down her collection of glasses and mugs that shine in the dusk-light streaming in through the hall’s open windows.“Well, in the words of a moody JRPG protagonist…” Gina sighs, looking up at you with determination in her hazel eyes.“…let’s mosey.”>>You think you’re done with Laoc, at least for now. Time to head out.>>While Julia and Dorian have their time together, you’ll check up on Magpie one last time.>>On your way out with Gina, Dorian, and Holly, you’d like to say bye to Jeraha, for now.>>Write-InYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. I'd intended to open rapid-posting this evening, but I'm afraid that a friend of mine requires my assistance for the majority of this evening, so this upcoming post will likely cap off the day. However, we have a lot to cover this Vein, so while there will be a brief pause over the weekend I'll be continuing this Vein well into next week. I hope everyone's day is going well, and take care.)
>>4040403today was good enoughcertainly not as tiresome or boring like yesterday.... Though i did manage to overcome my writers block during bouts of accute mindnumbing boredom. I hope your day has been good as well so far even though its still realatively early for you>>4040401>>On your way out with Gina, Dorian, and Holly, you’d like to say bye to Jeraha, for now.>" I will be looking forward to maybe come back here again and at least try and enjoy some peace and quiet. And i promise to leave the Apocalpyse Amaglam at the door this time. Maybe when the time comes I could interest you in teachign it what it means to disturb the peace of Laoc. Well see ya Ms Major."
>>4040401>>You think you’re done with Laoc, at least for now. Time to head out.Yeah, let's get this show on the road, I'm getting antsy. Let's solve the problem by helping ants. Though I would be amenable to>>On your way out with Gina, Dorian, and Holly, you’d like to say bye to Jeraha, for now.So long as we can make it just a quick goodbye that is part of an update and doesn't lead to having more voting in between now and hunting a giant mole.
>>4040401>Present the rest of the gifts to Amara when we head out. Has Amara calmed down by now?
>>4040411(That'll be part of the next update, so no worries. I'm looking forward to including that.)>>4040409(Looking at how the situation stands, any goodbyes will be a quick affair, so this afternoon's update will consist of giving Amara her other two gifts, saying bye to Jeraha, then cutting to the mole situation.)
>>4040411I think that was probably part of the handing out Relics bit that we did in the last post.
>>4040418not really. Amara got super giddy about the Red Devil's Engine and HAD to test it out. The other two items were forgotten/saved for later.
>>4040401>>On your way out with Gina, Dorian, and Holly, you’d like to say bye to Jeraha, for now.>>spawn Jeraha a FuzzBuzz, with a personalized little chitinous commanders hat on it, just to represent her authority. >>"I feel bad not sticking around... but if you need us, truly, you know we'll come to help. plus? if im being honest? i look around at what you've built here, the people here? and i think you'll be more than fine, i think you'll build something better than before, with or without us here. you're good people... and i hope we can make things a bit safer for you in others way, with what we're doing out there.">>You think you’re done with Laoc, at least for now. Time to head out.
So, a refresher of the Drill Mole's information that we got from preliminary scouting:>It is mammalian and amphibian in equal measure, a hunched figure that brings to mind a mole and a toad, thrown together into the pits of hell and covered in matted fur, dotted with sores. Drill-like spines along its back hang with strips of rotting meat, the remains of Amalgam and Daughter alike forming a decayed menagerie of ruined flesh. Whiskers form something like a mane around the creature’s face, devoid of fur and with skin pulled taught to the point of tearing. Eyes like a frog’s are covered with a thick, scarred film as it rests, chipped and worn fore-talons rapidly regenerating after having carved a fresh tunnel, one of countless in the labyrinth it calls its home…one that, slowly but surely, will bring it to the Pyreants’ doorstep.>>BEHAVIOR: Digs its ever-expanding home, senses prey through vibrations felt through the Fleshscape. Possesses Neuromantic terraforming, freely capable of altering terrain already shaped by its talons. Prehensile tongue, expands to trap prey in tunnels. Drill-like spines are actually parasitic Amalgams that feed on the blood of the host, flying towards predators in defense of their home.>>RESISTANCES: Heat, Cold, Acid.>>IMMUNITIES: Stun, Crushing.So, I think we should try to get this thing above ground. Fighting it in the tunnels is a terrible idea, it has every advantage there. It hunts by vibrations, so we can likely take advantage of Gladiatorial Swarm level four (leave behind grub-mines that vibrate to attract foes with tremorsense) to lure it close to the surface, then terraform it the rest of the way above ground. We should also be in the air as much as possible, ride on Knights both so as to not give the trap away early and to give it a big accuracy penalty for hitting us.Then once it's on the surface we need to lock down its own terraforming. It can only terraform fleshscape that it's clawed at, so while above ground it would already have limited influence. We can prevent it from getting more by disabling its paws, Resplendent Thread level five on Dorian allows for debuffing abilities associated with specific limbs or guaranteed dismemberment. We may want to have Dorian form a SIBLING familiar. That has all of his abilities, so it could take one paw while he takes the other. The drill-symbiotes are probably best dealt with via Honey-mode B.33 rounds. Trigger a glueball, get them stuck to the Mole so they can't launch. If they do manage to fire before we can get them stuck down, our remaining up in the air and shooting down should make it harder for them to hit. We can also set extra Knights to the task of intercepting them. Get some Rooks in place to tele-swap with if they hit Shu, too.Anyone else got other ideas, things I've missed or that could use refinement?
>>4040436well, theres a reason i brought Dorian and Gina on this.my plan was simply to use Ginas burrowing, mines, vomit, and terraforming, possibly backed up by Shu if need be to force it to stay above ground. then, Gina would instead have control over its domain, thus being a double whammy to it.wither Dorians paint does a double whammy of both keeping the drills on its back, AND poisoning both them and the mole, combined with Shus Honey rounds.or if they do escape or cant be trapped, Shus swarm can keep them busy, to give Dorian his lightning fast openings, as he should easily be able to make good and quick use of any opening we make to the mole, and with the Lance, make it hurt like a bitch too. wonder if he can channel the lighting down the lance, so when he stabs in it acts like a conduit/lighting rod to shoot his charges through?regardless, im less worried about its mobility above ground, or disabling any specific part of it, over simply keeping it from viably being able to dig in the first place and keeping the drill parasites under control. I also disagree on Dorain forming a Sibling. keep those in reserve for if someone goes down. we literally turned down a level up choice over deciding that was the better option for them, afterall.also, Gina can possibly cut off and turn its claws agaisnt it now, if we wanted to go for stuff like that at all. but i am unsure doing that is necessary, nor the better option over Dorian and Gina focusing on more important tasks.
>>4040436>>4040447plus, if we use Gina right, it trying to dig could actually turn into a horrible situation for it, over disabling its digging. if we even can.
>>4040451Oh, you know, that's right, we did get that power that lets her make Neuromancy backfire on the user. Okay, then, yes, instead of removing the paws we should just have her use that. In that case we can take Dorian off of anti-terraforming duty and set him to taking out the drill-spines. He's got enough mobility to run right up the Mole's back and with them counting as individual Amalgams his facility at taking out large groups of weak foes should work excellently.
>>4040456...well thats basically not what i said at all.nah, Dorian probably is our best bet at dealing damage to the actual mole here.if we do this right, the Drills should even matter, and if they do, Shu is here.
>>4040436>>4040447If we're going to exploit a status debuff on the Mole, it would probably be Bleed stacking debuffs. The symbiotic amalgams that feed on the mole protect the mole as long as the mole's HP regen and its overall blood supply is enough to sate the brood. Much of the relationships between parasites like ticks and their hosts are that the host provides them protection and blood while the parasite breed and thrive as long as blood is provided. And more often enough, if there is an easier source of blood to feed on (one that doesn't have to make them work through the tough hides of their host, then they will flock to it.So create as many open wounds on the host, get the blood flowing fast enough that the parasites will consider going for the easy blood blob rather than trying to fight to the death against the three/four daughters who aim to hunt their host. The issue that I'm finding with the Mole will more or less be fending off the drill parasites.
>>4040436We'll have to keep in mind that the symbiotes are separate amalgams, as opposed to constructs. Our construct-affecting abilities won't work on them, so we'll have to find alternative means of dealing with them.Something I noticed from our most recent level up:Gina>>NEON ASCENDANT (Lvl 5): Gina’s dominion over the ground she treads only grows. Now, when a foe terraforms the Fleshscape within Gina’s line of sight they temporarily lose any resistance, immunity, or buffs they would have regarding their own terrain until the end of their next turn. Additionally, though they regain their footing after the effects dissipate, the same cannot be said for their allies, as the terrain they shaped can no longer distinguish between friend or foe.The mole's terraforming abilities are going to be hampered quite a bit with Gina around, as any buffs it'll gain will be temporarily nullified.
>>4040462well, that just sounds like even more reason for Dorian to focus on the mole, as he can deal bleed... actually i think he is the only one we have who can.>>4040463yeah, Gina alone should basically fuck this things day over.
>>4040436The Parasites might be individual enough that Dorian might also be able to make use of his scything attacks once he moves past it.If not well the glue from the Honey rounds should be useful like you mentioned.And yes it needs to be fought above ground.We will also need to lock down its escape route. We have seen an Amalgam run at least once already so it might decide to run if things go south.For that we could maybe plant a Spiraling while we make a lot of other sounds to stop it from escaping underground since the Terrain will be hard to deal with for it. WE coudl also out the blades into it again to make the blender to try an dcatch the drill parasites if the launch at us
>>4040459What did you mean by Gina turning its trying to dig against it, then? You mean crushing it when it goes underground? It's immune to Crushing damage, anon, we can't do that. If we want to keep it from digging we need to damage its paws and/or make its terraforming backfire.>>4040462Oh, good idea. Even if they don't actively dig into the wounds, their host losing enough blood may make them lose strength. That's another thing Dorian's good at. Okay, so I'm thinking he should open up the fight with Spring-Heeled Jack level three charge combined with his new lance, then do a slash-dash down the Mole's spine. Drills get hurt, Mole starts bleeding out, altogether it helps to take them out of the picture.>>4040463Yeah, that would lock it down from getting terrain bonuses, but it could still run with its terraforming. That's what I want to lock down. Keep it from just retreating below ground to do ambush hunting.
>>4040475no, as i literally stated in that post, i was talking about what you said about Dorian.
>>4040480Okay, I don't see how that contradicts anything I said, though? Dorian does damage to everything in his path with his dashes. Dashing down the Mole's spine hits it, too.
>>4040475>>4040480>>4040483in which ,i still disagree with your plan. glue or no glue, Shu can take care of the Drills with her own swarm, while Dorian focuses on giving the Mole a terrifying opening hit.Lance plus the lighting he gains opening charging it, then he will be in the perfect position to just maul it with lances to bleed it dry.there is no reason for him to focus on the drills. he can be more useful elsewhere and we have someone who can fill that gap just as well, but cannot fill the gap against the mole anywhere near as good as he can.and no, it very well might not. as they'res a swarm of drills in the way.
>>4040484>Lance plus the lighting he gains opening charging it, then he will be in the perfect position to just maul it with lances to bleed it dry.Okay, but that's one action. Then the next one the lance is useless and he needs to drop it. So might as well have him shift to his scythe-arms and stat dash-slashing. >there is no reason for him to focus on the drills. he can be more useful elsewhere and we have someone who can fill that gap just as well, but cannot fill the gap against the mole anywhere near as good as he can.We want him to stay mobile anyway. Definitely should be avoiding the Mole's prehensile tongue. So stay on the move, zip around it, doing his dash-slashes along the way. >and no, it very well might not. as they'res a swarm of drills in the way.I don't think they're that dense on the Mole's back. But maybe. Well, if they are, then sure, no running along the back. Keep to the Mole's sides.Also, I just realized that with things popping off its back and its amphibian features, this thing is a Surinam Toad. God's greatest mistake. Lovely. Just...great, I'm not retching a bit from that insight. Well, it is Body Horror Quest, I guess I have no one but myself to blame for not seeing it sooner.
>>4040475Another idea came to my mind. >>4040465, you equipped Dorian with the Ventrum Lanceam right? iirc, Dorian's paint constructs provide constant poison damage in the form of lead poisoning, what if we drilled a whole into the mole and filled up the wounds and major arteries with paint blood? do you think it's possible that we can have Dorian build up enough speed and penetration to punch through the mole from one side to another? I think we could make it work by having him transform from inspired Creator to Inspired CriticThe mole's weak to piercing damage, which is why the drill parasites feed on the mole in a symbiotic relationship. The mole is an easy target for the drill amalgams to leech off of...>>4040484oh. you've already got it covered.Advanced detailed tactics for Dorian and Shu then, have him constantly alternate between Critic form and Creator form. Critic form creates open wounds to drain while Creator form injects bloody paintlings into the mole's system. Shu could take advantage of the Dominus bloodline by siphoning all the blood from the wounds and distributing to her allies or transferring them into very bloated bus-sized Swarmling that fills up with the mole's blood to serve as a very enticing bait to distract the drill amalgams. Cut open wounds, paint goes in on one end, blood goes out on the other. The Faster we drain the mole of its blood, the less we have to worry about it. >Surinam ToadWell fuck me that makes more sense now. The drill amalgams feasting on its back are the Toad's Tadpole children. It's not a mole, it's a Toad! No wonder it's got a lot of toad-like features! Well this changes A LOT about the symbiotic nature between the drill-like amalgams on the Toad's back! Considering it's proximity to Salt-Lake Spire, Mushroom, Forest, and the Ant Queen's Anthill, it would make a lot of sense!
>>4040508>irc, Dorian's paint constructs provide constant poison damage in the form of lead poisoning, what if we drilled a whole into the mole and filled up the wounds and major arteries with paint blood?Yeah, that works for me. Make a bunch of bloodlings ahead of time, pour them into the hole he carves. They cause bleeding damage, too, so that would really help exsanguinate the Mole.>do you think it's possible that we can have Dorian build up enough speed and penetration to punch through the mole from one side to another? I think we could make it work by having him transform from inspired Creator to Inspired CriticMaybe. We don't need to have him activate Inspired mode, though, he's got Manus Caelorum and that automatically upgrades his forms a stage. But with Sui Interitus, Ventrum Lancea, Spring-Heeled Jack level three and the boost from Canvas mode, he should be moving pretty damn fast. Get a lot of momentum going. Hell, slap a Bishop on there, too.>Shu could take advantage of the Dominus bloodline by siphoning all the blood from the wounds and distributing to her allies or transferring them into very bloated bus-sized Swarmling that fills up with the mole's blood to serve as a very enticing bait to distract the drill amalgams. Cut open wounds, paint goes in on one end, blood goes out on the other. Yeah, Dominus Bloodline on the Mole for sure. Bleed it of every bit we can get. The other Bloodline should be on Holly as per usual.> Considering it's proximity to Salt-Lake Spire, Mushroom, Forest, and the Ant Queen's Anthill, it would make a lot of sense!And toads eat ants. It actually is quite fitting. I wonder if the Crucible did that on purpose, set up this little nature documentary for Daughters to stumble upon.
>>4040494yes, one action of a hit and run with the Lance, after he already used an action to help Shu tie up the Drills in the first place with his paintlings. which, can poison, so should be weakening both the drills and mole significantly, which will help Shus swarm take care of them better.though, either way this all relies on us getting the jump on it, but hopefully that should work.>>4040508yeah like i said i plan to poison it. but the drills on its back already are making open wounds into it, so they should be able to seep in when we help glue them down.and yeah, Dominous should help a bit here.also, we have Holly.hrm, honestly not much for her to do, besides be on the lookout for any Drills that escape and help Shu with that.
>>4040527>hrm, honestly not much for her to do, besides be on the lookout for any Drills that escape and help Shu with that.Yeah, her best role in this fight is probably to hang out on a Knight and grab Drills out of the air with her tongue. If she gets a chance to swing down and take out a big bite I guess she might as well, but there's no broader tactical purpose for her here.
>>4040535>>4040527Do we actually know if she has any other powers aside form her Jaws that could help in any way?
>>4040538nope, dont think she does. both with or without Spiritus limitations.
>>4040538She shouldn't. At our current level of Spiritus Ex Testa, Spirit Shells only have their Core at level five. They also get one bonus level of elemental resistance of our choice (irrelevant here, the Surinam Mole doesn't use elemental damage), a reflex boost when protecting Shu, and the ability to function like a Hollowpoint Hive with a much larger Bio maximum. Spirit Shells are pretty solid combatants, but Holly is actually not so great for this fight. We're probably going to just have her use her defensive reflex boost to screen Shu.
>>4040535>>4040538If we're going to bait the mole into surfacing, we need to make the surface action as enticing as possible. have a bunch of those vibrating maggots just lying on the surface to mimick a large scouting ant activity while Gina lays out a singular bread crumb trail that leads to the maggot orgy of seismic activity. Everyone else however will be flying around, except for Dorian who's slowly building up speed. However, I think Dorian should build up his speed while being atop a knight so that the Mole doesn't accidentally flip him when it surfaces.
>>4040552I know. I was more thinking if she will get more in the future? Once we leveled up Spiritus enough i hope there will be more because otherwise she will always be a bit limited in her abilities.
>>4040554i dont think we're baiting it really, so much as forcing it to surface. i mean, im not even sure it would fall for bait, and we have plenty of ways to make it stay underground a terrible idea for it.
>>4040556>>4040546So when will we put in levels into Spiral Firmament?
>>4040564whenever i get outvoted as im not really a fan of it. it not bad, at all, but something about it still jsut doesnt click with me or Shus overall playstyle in a way that i still just dislike it.
>>4040554Makes sense to me, have a bunch of grubs in one spot. They actually do damage, so luring it to the grub-mine party is a good idea. We should have some Jacklings there, too, ready to terraform it up out of the ground like we did Lepisma. >>4040564The next time we have more than three points for level-ups. No way it's winning a vote while we've still got Trypophilic Hive, Spiritus Ex Testa and Dominus Bloodline competing for points. Alternatively, at a Kadath vote after we get Ravenous Maw to at least level ten.
>>4040564when we got enough level ups that we dont have to distribute amongst all our other abilities.I would like to put one into it every three other levels we distribute upon Spiritus, Hive or Dominus
Off to work.
>>4040584I hope you will have a good day.See you around
>>4040584Have a nice day, anon.
>>4040584hope work aint too tough on ya.
>>4040584(Have a good day at work, Anon.)
>>4040599hetza does nice art work
>>4040599>>4040654(Indeed, their art just has a certain level of detail and warmth that makes it so pleasing to the eye.)
>>4040401“Amara, hold up a second.”You bound down the steps of city hall to catch the little girl before she gets too much distance on you, taking care to hide her other gifts behind her back. Her eyes go wide as you approach, her excitement palpable as she realizes that she was so distracted by the first present that she completely forgot that you had more where that came from. Gingerly leaning her engine-fused sword against a nearby rusted railing, she shuts her eyes, clasping her hands behind her back in anticipation before you reveal the Relics.“Go ahead…open your eyes.” You say, and when she does, her face lights up for the second time today.This is a ninja mask.” You explain as she marvels at the grotesque device. “It lets you throw your voice out and mimic the voices of other people. It might feel uncomfortable, but the tube is there to help disguise your voice so that enemy guards can't recognize what you sound like. Ninjas were sneaky, but they aren't that sneaky if their faces and voices are recognized. It’s to help you on your path in being a ninja…why else do you think Sensei Churem wears the mask?"You have to stifle a laugh at how you just blew Amara’s mind, and it takes you a second to get her attention long enough to explain the last of her gifts."This is a Magic Baton specifically made for you.” You finish, extending the fibrous Relic to Amara. “It might not look like much, but it will help your clones by giving them the support they need. You know how sometimes your clones can't do much? Well this Magic Baton helps them by having a clone pass on their energy to give them more motivation!"Your youngest ally promptly dons the mask and, once equipped, slings the sword over one shoulder while the baton dangles from the other. A chorus of applause erupts from her blank-faced Joyous, joined by Francine’s light claps from well behind them.“I feel like the coolest person alive.” Comes Amara’s muffled proclamation, though she hastily adds; “Next to you. Just saying.”You laugh, ruffling her hair and giving her a quick hug as you part ways, finding Jeraha giving advice to one of the younger Hyenas, the pair speaking furtively at the entrance to a dwelling in the Eastern Quarter.“Came by so say our goodbyes, for now.” You announce, your hive twitching involuntarily as you birth a small FuzzBuzz from your hive, complete with a personalized little commander’s hat crudely formed out of shining chitin. "I feel bad not sticking around... but if you need us, truly, you know we'll come to help. Plus, if im being honest? I look around at what you've built here, the people here and I think you'll be more than fine. I think you'll build something better than before, with or without us here. You’re good people... and I hope we can make things a bit safer for you in others way, with what we're doing out there."(Continued)
>>4040709“They’re the best kind of people…a lot like you and yours.” Jeraha compliments, the ghost of a smile cross her lips as your gifted FuzzBuzz alights on her voluminous head of hair. “Take care of yourself, and know you’ll always have a home in Laoc to call your own.”You take her hand in yours and upon each of you giving the other a firm shake, you finally take your leave of Laoc. Dorian speeds to your side after only a minute or two of waiting, and even after Holly’s gentle prodding he remains mum on what transpired between him and his fellow artisan. You might be worried if it wasn’t for the warm, pleasant feeling that emanates from him across the empathic channel, a sensation that lasts all the way to where you stand at the edge of a darkened treeline, silently awaiting Gina’s status update as she peers deep beneath the earth several hundred meters beyond your current position.“Looks like luck’s on our side for freaking once.” Gina says, rising from her crouch and glancing back to you, Holly, and Dorian, the bells of the Tollo Cadere ringing around the nape of her neck. “Mole hasn’t moved since we were last here. Will probably wake up soon, but if we give it as rude an awakening as we can, then that’s that.”“Indeed.” Dorian supplies, stepping forward while clad in the striking Sui Interitus, the newly-forged Ventrem Lanceam gleaming on his dominant hand.“Welp, guess I’ll just stick my Relic-less self back with Shu and look pretty.” Holly declares, prompting a look of horror from Gina and Dorian as they realize they’re packed to the gills with armor and armaments while your Dream Daughter’s practically naked. “Hey, don’t look at me like that! I was kidding!" She stammers, backpedaling once she realizes how her joke cam out. "Jeez, now I feel bad…”“You have a good point, actually; Holly, I want you to stay back with me while Gina and Dorian are our heavy hitters for this one.” You declare, looking between your gathered allies. “Now, as for how we’re going to bring this thing down…”You smile.“…here’s the plan.”>SURPRISE ROUND INITIATEDHP: 1620% (+325% [Dominus: Untethered])BIO: 2030% (+280, 0/45. Matron’s)CONTENDER: Honey x3, Parabellum x3RAVENOUS MAW: Primed.HUNDRED-HANDED: None.ACT: 3/3GINA: 1960% (+120%, Membrum Automata, Tollo Cadere, Spine, Rebuke, Montags)DORIAN: 2320% (+575%, Sui Interitus, Ventrem Lanceam, Hydras Heart, Manus Caelorum)HOLLY: 2,480% (RESIST: Heat, Cold. IMMUNE: Acid)THREAT: High, long range. Unaware of your presence. RESIST: Heat, Cold, Acid. IMMUNE: Stun, Crushing.>>UPDATED CHARACTER SHEETS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aWnZNOdWUuITaPNUeluAufjfLetqOJWqkTBVFW24Dq0/edit#gid=0>>COMBAT WILL INITIATE AFTER SURPRISE ROUND CONCLUDESYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, as I alluded to earlier, this evening will be occupied with helping a friend of mine, so voting shall remain open for the next eighteen hours, with posting to resume shortly thereafter. I do hope everyone has a pleasant evening, and I look forward to seeing what plans you come up with upon my return from the tasks at hand.)
>>4040716alright.hope your evening goes well BHOP, and despite it sounding more like work than not, still hope you enjoy your time with your friend!
>>4040711>“Welp, guess I’ll just stick my Relic-less self back with Shu and look pretty.” Holly declares, prompting a look of horror from Gina and Dorian as they realize they’re packed to the gills with armor and armaments while your Dream Daughter’s practically naked. Hey, it's not like Shu gets much, either. She's got a fancy gun and a...whatever Matron's Stoicism is, I don't think it's ever been described what it looks like. The cool kids don't need all these fancy gadgets, Holly.>>4040716Have a nice time with your friend, BHOP. I hope whatever they need help with doesn't cause the two of you any trouble. See you tomorrow.
>>4040711>SURPRISE ROUND INITIATEDGod for some reason i thought we had gotten ambushed.... God my poor heart.......Not sure why i thought that .... maybe i should have read the complete update but the large green test jsut drew in my attention i think..... God i feel stupid>>4040716I do hope that whatever issue your friend has wont be to draining on youI hope you will have a good time with your friend
>>4040711Orders;GINA;>delve underground, deeply so. Sneak up and around the Mole, laying mines and pits of acid so any attempt of its to flee downward becomes foolish, if not deadly.>Then, take up a spot as close to ‘above’ it as you can, then once Shu and Dorian are ready, give it a rude, rude awakening with some Terraformed spikes into its face.>Use your Neuromancy to try and negate its digging capabilities, though only so much as necessary to force it upward instead of downard.SHU;>split the Contender into two Gats, same loadout as before in both, and toss one to Holly with a wink.>pre spawn a Rook at a fallback point, Holly and yourself a set of Chitinous Recursive armor, Gina a Bishop, and then about one Knight per 4 Drillgams Gina thinks there is, with the rest being Banelings.>Take up a ‘snipers’ position at one angle, in a triangle formation with Holly and Dorian around where you expect it to surface, with a good bit of leeway for where it may actually come up.>Then, once it starts to surface, spray its back down with the Honey rounds to stick the Drillsgams down hard.>Once the drills have been stuck down, send forth your swarm. Aim for any that escaped first, then start tearing the ones on its back to shreds.>Dominus it, and attach the second to Gina starting out.>If you can, unload your Parabellums into any weakpoints you see in the Moles hide.DORIAN;>Take up your position in the Triangle with Shu and Holly. Make it the furthest point away to build up charges.>Then, be prepared to pelt the Moles back with paintlings, to both glue down the Drillgams and poison both Drillgams and Mole.>then, once you see your opening, charge in with the Lanceam into the Moles side, unleashing any charge stacks you have directly into it at point blank and slashing its sides to shreds with your scythes, before quickly pulling back before it can react.HOLLY;>Take up your contender duo and take up your part in the triangle.>once the Mole surfaces, aim the Honeys at the Drillgams on its back to lock them down.>Then, focus on using your Maw to snatch up any Drillgams that escaped. >Otherwise, fire the Parabellums into any weakpoints on the Mole.
>>4040711SHU>Spawn four Knights, two Sonar-Jacklings, two Bishops, two Rooks, five Platelings, five Plate-Spritelings, and twenty-five Banelings.>Equip Bishops to Gina and Dorian, Platelings to Shu, Plate-Spritelings to Holly.>Load Gemini Contenders with three Honey-mode B.33s, two Ravenous Parabellums, and one Herculean Fullbore each.DORIAN>Shift to Creator form, spawn sixty-eight Blood Familiars. >Tether self to Shu with Resplendent Thread level four.>Spend 800% Health for +4000% Speed >Shift to Critic Form, spawn four extra armsGINA>Activate Gladiatorial Swarm and Alabaster PerfectionistALL PARTY>Mount Knights. Have Knights and Rooks carry Blood Familiars.>Fly over to above Mole's location.GINA>Dismount Knight, burrow down into fleshscape as quietly as possible.>Leave several grub-mines near surface, do not activate vibration yet.>Burrow beneath Mole, leave pockets of acid as trap should it attempt to go downward instead of upward. >Return to surface, re-mount Knight, get back in the air.SHU>Place Sonar-Jacklings in position near grub-mines.>Terraform large spike down into Mole. Make sure it is very pointy so that it does not count as CRUSHING damage.GINA>Activate grub-mines, get vibrating so that they appear to be active burrowers, leading it to believe it's being attacked from above.>When Mole nears surface, inflict Neon Ascendant level so that Neuromancy suddenly misfires.SHU>Attach Dominus Bloodline to Mole>Fire B.33s at Mole, aiming to proc a Honey burst that traps the drill spines.>Attack with Parabellums and Fullbores at targets of opportunity.>Have Banelings on guard to intercept any drill Amalgams that manage to launch.HOLLY>Be on guard to grab drills out of the airDORIAN>Rain Blood Familiars down on Mole from flying swarmlings. Aim to stick the symbiotic drills to its back while also working into the wounds where they are sucking out the Mole's blood.>Switch to Canvas form as free action.>Combine Spring-Heeled Jack level two with Ventrem Lanceam to charge at Mole. Shift to Canvas form from Critic should also add eight (four arms base for Critic, plus for extra spawned) scythe attacks.>Follow up with Accumulated Charge lighting bolt channeled through Lanceam.>Retract to Shu's position by activating tether as free action.
>>4040823First, am i missing something? what are 'blood familiars?'Second, i dont think we should mount up on knights. lessens Shus swarm unnecessarily, causes issues if they get hit, which could happen with the Drillgams, and lessens the Moles reasons to go for the surface.Third, putting Ginas mines above it is a waste. they arent something the mole would see as bait, they're bombs or too small to be relevant, and would work better exploding on it if it tries to dig further down.Fourth, Gina has WAAAY too many ways and advantages to being underground to not stay there. its gimping her and our ability to react to the mole for her to leave. with her abilities she can control the underground, turning its home into a constant death trap and allowing her to react quickly if it somehow gets further past her initial traps. if she leaves, she can no longer keep it from escaping via the ground anywhere near as good, if at all.Fifth, the combo of grubs and sonar how you have it setup is counter intuitive. pulling into an explosion above it will only make it try and go back underground. its a mole, keep in mind, it probably doesn't NEED neuromancy to be able to dig, only to dig massively effectively. but if you pull it upward only to make the surface harm it, neuromancy or not its going back underground, when it was also never fully surfaced in that situation in the first place.Sixth, Shu shouldn't terraform downward into it. again, thats a hard attack from above, which will give it no reason to want to surface into more harm. or, well, this is only an issue because Shu is not on the surface to pull it up, with your only thing for it to think being something that will only drive it back underground again.
>>4040823>>4040855wait, are you calling Paintlings 'Blood Familiars' randomly?
>>4040823>>4040855oh, and not to mention, being on Swarmlings makes people rely and only be able to react via Shu, instead of their own authority as they need. horrible idea, especially for someone like Dorian, who it also means hes no longer building up stacks from his own movement too.
>>4040855Blood familiars are Dorian's little blood minions. I realized looking at his character sheet that "-ling" is not the proper name for them, they're familiars.The Mole is blind and hunts by vibration, if we're in the air it should take substantial accuracy penalties. I can understand if you think that the risk of getting knocked off is too great, though. Still think they should fly to get into position, just to avoid risk of waking it up.The mines aren't explosives. They just attack anything that gets near them. They also explicitly do attract the attention of enemies with tremorsense, that's half the point of them. We want grub-mines above the Mole, not below it, to attract it to the surface.I don't want Gina to be at risk of being crushed to death by this thing's own Neuromancy. We can have her dismount once it's up on the surface, for now I want her out of its path as it climbs up.Again, grub-mines aren't explosives. They also attract foes that navigate via tremorsense. I may have phrased things poorly, though, I want to get it Neuromancy-zapped once it breaches, not when it's still in the ground.Fair point on the terraforming direction. Spike shooting up, not down, makes much more sense. Disincentivize it from diving.>>4040859Yes. That is their name.>>4040863This is just for turn one. They can dismount afterwards.
>>4040878we have been calling them Paintlings for most of the game. thats their name, because thats what we decided on.and no, her ability outright calls them a depth charge. that means explosive. regardless, no, we dont want them above, cause they will attack it in either case, acting as a deterrent, not bait.we already know it can only terraform what it is digging and touching. Gina isnt in danger from that, and has methods to mitigate the risk too.and again, no, a depth charge is an explosive. and again again, either way they would deter it once they engage, not make it want to stick around, once they engage it. blocking it route upward with thme is utterly against the whole point of driving it upward.and no, you said nothing to dissuade me from thinking them mounting up is a terrible idea, which it is. Gina can do more underground and Dorian needs to be moving on his own accord. i guess Shu and Holly dont have much of a reason, other than making sure it doesn't only sense Dorian perhaps.
>>4040895>and no, her ability outright calls them a depth charge. that means explosive. regardless, no, we dont want them above, cause they will attack it in either case, acting as a deterrent, not bait.I think you're being overly literal. I can point to the fact that it says they assault foes that get close to indicate that they're not explosive. But hey, we can always ask BHOP. Either way, I want to use the things that vibrate to attract enemies with tremorsense to attract this enemy with tremorsense. I don't see what's so weird about that idea. We just need to get it close enough that we can force it up higher. Wait, shit, did I leave out the "push it upwards once it gets near surface" part of the plan? I did, yes. Okay, that's the source of the confusion. I don't think we're likely to be able to get it to breach on its own, I just wanted to get it close enough to the surface so that we use a further terraforming push to get it out of the ground. Sorry, that's on me for the confusion.>we already know it can only terraform what it is digging and touching. Gina isnt in danger from that, and has methods to mitigate the risk too.No, it can terraform what it HAS dug and touched. The entire tunnel network is under its control. Until we get it away from biomass it's familiar with, its terraforming is a danger. I don't want Gina down there while it's shifting around all that biomass, if she got too close she could still get squished. And Gina doesn't really have anything too useful to do from below ground that she couldn't do easily well from above. She can see through walls for hundreds of meters, she's doing it right now, and all her terraforming works at sight range. Being underground gives her no advantage.>and no, you said nothing to dissuade me from thinking them mounting up is a terrible idea, which it is. Gina can do more underground and Dorian needs to be moving on his own accord. i guess Shu and Holly dont have much of a reason, other than making sure it doesn't only sense Dorian perhaps.We can at least use them to get into position. They don't have to be riding them during the fight, but I don't want to wake the mole up early.
>>4040895>>4040918>Possesses Neuromantic terraforming, freely capable of altering terrain already shaped by its talons.Meaning its entire tunnel network is under its control.
Can someone summarize What's happening now and the abilitys we posses
>>4040918i disagree. Tunnels are very specific and the implication is more that it just uses it to dig faster. she can easily avoid what its has touched and no, she cant. she cant lay new Grubs from above, she cant hit at at as optimal angles from below, she cant block off its escape or further attempts to dig as well from below. anything we need her to do, she can and will do better underground. being ABOVE ground gives her no advantage, worse, it actually mitigates several she has. and i still disagree on the Grubs. nothing says they have to, nor that it wont catch on. and again, it doesn't matter if they draw it towards it. it doesn't, because if it just gets attacked they would just drive it away instead. id prefer to use the thing that can easily and probably will be seen as a deterrent once it learns what they are as a deterrent, over hoping we force it upward once we have given it every reason not to like you are trying to do. its also has to surface to attack really, and will be more likely to try and surface to find a better digging spot if its surrounded by traps over having issues above it. it also could have immunities or abilities to help it from being forced up against its will, over making it want to surface on its own.>>4040932thats a tall order. id honestly recommend reading the Quest first.look at the link in BHOPs latest post for Abilities, and for relics the OP post and one down below during the crafting process.
>>4040918but i gues fair on rolling everyone in on the Knights, but i still disagree they would operate better from them, or at least Dorian and Gina.
>>4040932We are fighting a giant cross between a mole and a Surinam toad. Gross. It is currently asleep (or at least resting) underground in its tunnel system, giving us a surprise round to ambush it with. The Mole's known capabilities are this:>Burrowing, with a secondary Neuromantic effect allowing it to terraform any biomass it's shaped with its paws, so any part of the tunnel network. >Navigation via tremorsense, likely blind or at least possesses very poor vision given the description of its eyes.>A prehensile tongue capable of swelling to enormous sizes.>An array of symbiotic drill-shaped Amalgams dwelling on its back, these serve as living projectiles.>Immunity to crushing damage and stun effects (two of our trump cards, unfortunately) and resistance to acid, heat and cold damage. Our plan is to, by one means or another, draw the Mole up to the surface both to avoid fighting it in cramped conditions and to deny it access to terrain it can shape. We also wish to use one of several methods we have to glue the drill-symbiotes to its back so that they can't launch. For further elaboration on the abilities we have available, see the character sheets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aWnZNOdWUuITaPNUeluAufjfLetqOJWqkTBVFW24Dq0/edit#gid=0 The current party members are Shu, Gina and Dorian, the leftmost entries on the sheet.
>>4040947also, though a bit off topic, anyone else find the parasitic Drillgams kinda odd? they really dont fit the motif we have seen for Amalgams at all, even pack based ones. they kinda seem to break from what Amalgams are actually supposed to do, kinda.
>>4040957It's a bit unusual, yes. It's the first time we've seen amalgams using parasitic means of feeding off of other amalgams, as opposed to daughters. But there is evidence that amalgams are changing, adapting to this new world and evolving in unexpected ways. The ant colony is an example of this, so I suppose it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for these parasitic amalgams to start using these feeding methods.
>>4040963i could see it, but even then it still feels out of place a bit with how and why we have heard they can change.
>>4040938>she cant lay new Grubs from aboveI'm not sure this is of that much importance once we get it moving upwards. But okay, fine, one thing she can do without getting close enough to risk being crushed. If that becomes important, she'd need to be underground. But if we're laying mines ahead of time, I don't think that will be of much importance.>she cant hit at at as optimal angles from below, she cant block off its escape or further attempts to dig as well from belowWhy not? She can see through solid objects and has telescopic vision, she can see and terraform everything within a pretty wide region. What's stopping her?>t doesn't, because if it just gets attacked they would just drive it away instead. id prefer to use the thing that can easily and probably will be seen as a deterrent once it learns what they are as a deterrent, over hoping we force it upward once we have given it every reason not to like you are trying to do.But we're already opening up with an attack. It knows that there's something nearby that's hurting it. I want to give it a clear target for its aggression. Make it think "oh, it's that thing up there that's terraforming at me" and dig up to fight it. The grubs attacking the Mole as it tries to eat them will be to our benefit, they'll be behaving like it expects.>>4040957Yes, it is somewhat odd that they're counted as Amalgams proper and not constructs of the Mole. All I can think is that it's part of this general region's reversion to a proper ecosystem instead of just being monster land. It's like how the Panther was acting like a real panther or the Pyre Ants like an actual colony. So you get Amalgams filling more ecological niches than the standard "wandering monster" one that most fit into, and so we get parasitism and symbiosis.
>>4040932(Greetings, and welcome to the Quest if it's your first time!)(>>4040947 gives a superb summary of the current situation. Now, regarding you and your allies; you are Shu, a living aircraft carrier capable of manifesting a vast array of specialized units called Swarmlings, along with a powerful bio-organic sidearm that also boasts a variety of potent rounds. Your allies are Gina, essentially a peerless battlefield controller capable of terraforming the area around you and mentally tapping into your foes to stun them and the like, along with a suite of other, but no less potent abilities. Theres' Dorian, who I've likened in the past to the Flash, if the Flash was also Dracula. Finally you have Holly. She's the most straightforward, possessed of the same type of abdominal prehensile tongue and guillotine-like teeth that Shu has.)(Everyone gets around 2-3 ACTs, which comprises movement, attacks, and anything else you want to do. It can be daunting, but you have enough options to approach foes in really any way you want, and victory typically means assimilating your foes' power sets into your own in some way. Best of luck if you participate, and if you're new here, I hope you have a great time! Everyone here is very welcoming, and I'll try to do my part to answer whatever questions you may have, too.)>>4040957(As do the Pyreants.)(And the dog you fought.)(An excellent observation.)
>>4040973because its stomach and underside would be more vulnerable, and she cannot intercept it from above in the ways we need to make sure it cannot go, in melee or more directly from the surface. she cannot lay more mines, acid pools, or be an outright physical deterrent if she is not down there. she can also move more freely down there. and yes, we're opening with an attack, but once its on the surface and we have made sure it knows its even worse for it to try to dig down. also relying on Gina to be able to win this with terraforming is an utterly horrendous idea. she can almost certainly defend herself from and with it, but it probably has tricks up its sleeve to mitigate its own vulnerabilities to terraforming. i'd be dead by now otherwise, from other issues around that than just crushing damage. also, well, its immune to crushing damage. why would we use Gina to tarraform at it as her main objective when at best we can do spikes? >>4040985did the dog? i guess sorta, as maybe it was 'guarding' its/its owners home, but honestly it could've easily just been guarding its den, which doesn't really break the motif. but hey, guess it was.
>>4040991No way are we sending Gina into melee range of this thing while it's still able to terraform. We need to get it away from familiar biomass and incapable of marking new biomass, only then will I feel comfortable sending a burrowing to fight something that crushes its foes to death underground. I'm fine with laying acid traps beneath it to discourage it from going downwards, I've got that in my plan too. But Gina doing melee before this thing is unable to terraform is a death sentence. We could hit it with the Neuromancy feedback debuff first, I'd settle for that. Then we could have her do melee attacks. I still think we should have grub-mines above. Acid and Gina doing further attacks from below can keep it from coming back up, but we need to encourage it to think that its attacker is above it, especially if Gina is going to hang out down there. If you're so dead-set against the grubs, how about we have a bunch of swarmlings and familiars trampling about up on the surface? Make it think that their footsteps indicate an attacker.
>>4041013i mean, once its on the surface is when i meant for Gina to 'melee' it, though that was poor wording on my part a bit. i didnt mean for her to actually engage in stuff like that til it was already above ground, i was merely saying she can engage in those activities better from the underground when she does.but fine, if you think we need more, ill add in something in the middle of the Triangle of Death to try and pull its attention upward.actually, yeah, hold on. i think i just thought of a really really good idea we both overlooked, considering its blind. gimme a sec to update my orders, but even if we disagree on other aspects i think this one we will.
>>4040711>>4040737Orders, V2;ALL;>Ride Shus Knights to get into position, then hop off.>Prime Halos.GINA;>delve underground, deeply so. Sneak up and around the Mole, laying mines and pits of acid so any attempt of its to flee downward becomes foolish, if not deadly.>Then, take up a spot of advantage around it, then once Shu and Dorian are ready, give it a rude, rude awakening with some Terraformed spikes into its face. Try and make it think the Knighted-Buzzling and pile of Paintlings was the source.>Use your Neuromancy to try and negate its digging capabilities, though only so much as necessary to force it upward instead of downard.SHU;>split the Contender into two Gats, same loadout as before in both, and toss one to Holly with a wink.>pre spawn a Rook at a fallback point, Holly and yourself a set of Chitinous Recursive armor, Gina a Bishop, one Knighted-Buzzling, and then about one Knight per 4 Drillgams Gina thinks there is, with the rest being Banelings.>Take up a ‘snipers’ position at one angle, in a triangle formation with Holly and Dorian around where you expect it to surface, with a good bit of leeway for where it may actually come up.>Send the Knighted-Buzzling to the center of the Triangle, where the big glob of Paintlings will engulf it. The Buzzling will dig a bit and buzz into the Soil, so that the Mole is called towards it and thinks it is what is attacking it and surface trying to attack the Buzzling.>Then, once it starts to surface, spray its back down with the Honey rounds to stick the Drillgams down hard.>Once the Drillgams have been stuck down, send forth your swarm. Aim for any that escaped first, then start tearing the ones on its back to shreds.>Dominus it, and attach the second to Gina starting out.>If you can, unload your Parabellums into any weakpoints you see in the Moles hide.DORIAN;>First, lower down a large, horrendously big blob of Paintlings in the center of the Triangle.>Then, Take up your position in the Triangle with Shu and Holly. Make it the furthest point away to build up charges.>If all goes well, the Mole will surface right on the Knighted-Buzzling and Paintling glob. Have the Paintlings quickly both stick to the moles back to keep the Drillings in place, but also use what strength the Paintlings do have to pull the Mole further to the surface and into the open.>once you see your opening, charge in with the Lanceam into the Moles side, unleashing any charge stacks you have directly into it at point blank and slashing its sides to shreds with your scythes, before quickly pulling back before it can react.HOLLY;>Take up your contender duo and take up your part in the triangle.>once the Mole surfaces, aim the Honeys at the Drillgams on its back to lock them down.>Then, focus on using your Maw to snatch up any Drillgams that escaped. >Otherwise, fire the Parabellums into any weakpoints on the Mole.
>>4041013>>4041044basically, if we are gonna outright bait it, and regardless, either way, why wait til it surfaces? it paintlings, besides the fact they probably dont give off s strong a vibration, we can just have them BE the trap. have it surface directly into what we want on it, over hoping we land things on it after it surfaces.
>>4041051Yeah, okay, that works for me. A few proposed changes, though, nothing to the actual structure but just efficiency considerations. >Attach a Succling to Gina, so that Dominus Bloodline can reach her after she leaves line of sight.>Have Dorian tether to his starting position with Resplendent Thread lvl.4, so that he can instantly retract instead of having to spend an action on it.>If the Mole is emerging on the bloody bug pile, we could have a bunch of Hundred-Hands spawn from it to help grapple and restrain.
>>4041070those sound good. ill wait to update it, incase more discussion happens though.worse case we link these to it, but dont think that'll be an issue.
Back from work. let me go and see what we've got.
>>4040957The Mole Surimam Toad makes me thing that the drill amalgams are either the Tadpoles that have hatched in the Toad's back, or mosquitoes/leeches that are currently feasting on the toad despite the toad having enough regen to nullify the rate which they suck blood out of the toad. >>4040985How far down underground is the Mole-Toad?
actually, speaking of things we're overlooking.Dog, Ants, and Drillgams are all in pretty much the same area, at least by crucible standards.all three act odd for Amalgams, and that was confirmed by BHOP. i... think theres something in or about this area we really should look into.
>>4041044Hang on, I have an idea, it's similar to Rath's slingshot technique, but if we have Dorian tether himself and move in the path opposite of the direction he wants to go, activate the instantaneous retraction, BUT release the tether before he returns, that would slingshot him and give him more charge speed.
>>4041185Would this be possible, BHOP?
>>4041185>>4041189it might, but keep in mind we're using it at the moment to get him a quick escape, which he might not be able to do if we try and slingshot him forward like that.
>>4041184Isn't the place where the remaining Hexxane Phalanges are holed up in also close to where we are or within this "Zone"?.It's strange really. >Stealth panther was actually taking the time to mark its territory (via cat scratching) and had a specialized diet of Ants (from what we can infer from the Ant Queen), which also meant that there was a predator/prey relationship between two "wild" amalgams.>Frost Doggo was guarding a hidden bedroom within the frozen seaside resort>Ant Queen was gaining self-awareness, moral conscience,and cognition.Mole Toad here is an amalgam that has developed a symbiotic relationship with a small brood of blood sucking drill mosquitos(?).Is it me or has Crucible life gone on for so long that its flora and fauna are developing a microcosm of a natural developing albeit alien world?
>>4041176(Right one hundred meters.)>>4041185(Yes, this would work.)
>>4041202they are yes, and maybe whatever is going on is part of why they are interested in this place, and the daughters from it, but we'll see.and no, or well, yes and no. like i said, we're only seeing stuff like this in this area it seems like, which seems possibly important.
>>4041044Can we have either Shu or Gina terraform the surface to that it remains under the control of either of the two? because the thing is even though we can force Mole Toad up to the surface, that doesn't mean we can make it stay there and despite our Neuromancy capability to affect body paralysis or lock down the Toad's terraforming abilities, we should at least ensure that the terrain it's on remains under Gina's control so that it can't freely alter the earth already worked by Gina. Have the surface of the earth harden into either granite or hard clay with an opening to give the mole a way to exit onto the surface.Since the Mole has the ability to shape the terrain it's already altered, me thinks it's got an augmentation similar to Earthen Mind.Anyways, since the Mole's apparently preferred prey is Ants, why not false flag it and make it think the Ant Kingdom is mounting an offensive on it's home? Have the maggots mimic vibrations like that of a burrowing ant squad hunting for food or expanding a tunnel? the Mole will definitely wake up and dig up to the surface in its curiosity.
>>4041237i mean, if it tries we can maybe do it, but doing it beforehand might give too much away i think. and i dont think thats as good an idea. the paint trap will put it right where we want it and not make it think too much is attacking. Ants as its main food or not, a whole lot of them attacking might make it decide being elsewhere is still better.
>>4040711>>4041044Orders, V3;ALL;>Ride Shus Knights to get into position, then hop off.>Prime Halos.GINA;>delve underground, deeply so. Sneak up and around the Mole, laying mines and pits of acid so any attempt of its to flee downward becomes foolish, if not deadly.>Then, take up a spot of advantage around it, then once Shu and Dorian are ready, give it a rude, rude awakening with some Terraformed spikes into its face. Try and make it think the Knighted-Buzzling and pile of Paintlings was the source.>Use your Neuromancy to try and negate its digging capabilities, though only so much as necessary to force it upward instead of downard.SHU;>split the Contender into two Gats, same loadout as before in both, and toss one to Holly with a wink.>pre spawn a Rook at a fallback point, Holly and yourself a set of Chitinous Recursive armor, Gina a Bishop-Succling, one Knighted-Buzzling, and then about one Knight per 4 Drillgams Gina thinks there is, with the rest being Banelings.>Take up a ‘snipers’ position at one angle, in a triangle formation with Holly and Dorian around where you expect it to surface, with a good bit of leeway for where it may actually come up.>Send the Knighted-Buzzling to the center of the Triangle, where the big glob of Paintlings will engulf it. The Buzzling will dig a bit and buzz into the Soil, so that the Mole is called towards it and thinks it is what is attacking it and surface trying to attack the Buzzling.>Then, once it starts to surface, spray its back down with the Honey rounds to stick the Drillgams down hard.>Spawn HHs from the goop pile to help pull the Mole up and keep it up and pinned.>Once the Drillgams have been stuck down, send forth your swarm. Aim for any that escaped first, then start tearing the ones on its back to shreds.>Dominus it, and attach the second to Gina starting out.>If you can, unload your Parabellums into any weakpoints you see in the Moles hide.DORIAN;>First, lower down a large, horrendously big blob of Paintlings in the center of the Triangle.>Then, Take up your position in the Triangle with Shu and Holly. Make it the furthest point away to build up charges.>Tether to your point of the Triangle.>If all goes well, the Mole will surface right on the Knighted-Buzzling and Paintling glob. Have the Paintlings quickly both stick to the moles back to keep the Drillings in place, but also use what strength the Paintlings do have to pull the Mole further to the surface and into the open.>once you see your opening, charge in with the Lanceam into the Moles side, unleashing any charge stacks you have directly into it at point blank and slashing its sides to shreds with your scythes, before quickly pulling back using your Tether Point before it can react.(½)
>>4041451>>4040711HOLLY;>Take up your contender duo and take up your part in the triangle.>once the Mole surfaces, aim the Honeys at the Drillgams on its back to lock them down.>Then, focus on using your Maw to snatch up any Drillgams that escaped. >Otherwise, fire the Parabellums into any weakpoints on the Mole.SHU and GINA;>if possible and necessary, terraform the surface to prevent the Mole from easily being able to delve back down if it tries.(2/2)
>>4041451If Dorian provides 1 round of regen's worth of bio (340%) to create the giant paint blob, why not have Shu donate her bio regen to Dorian to make it even BIGGER for an additional 170% bio on top of his giant 340% bio regen rate? we have one round of surprise, we can afford to tether Dorian with the Dominus. that'll put the giant paint blob at around 510% bio's worth of stats.
Have a relic idea. >THE BROWN BOMB: Contrary to its namesake, this relic's name is a misnomer as its true appearance is a rather plain brown paper bag that can be crafted in singles or in bulk packages of five bags per pack. Yet despite its innocuous misnaming, the relic does live up to the namesake's intended function as it can miraculously contain and store biomass (from Vomit, to blood, to [redacted]..., and all the viscera giblets in between) for a brief time before exploding with a sickening pop, disgorging its contents in a radius and applying sickening debuffs depending on the contents disgorged. Very popular among Gluttonous Daughters who commonly purge debuffs into the bag via vomiting before lobbing the barf-laden bag at their foes, but there are daughters who utilize the relic to more creative (and rather disgusting) means.>>4041262I do have a question regarding the categorization of that Relic Ideas doc. When you're done categorizing a relic and putting it in the appropriate tier list, do you mind deleting the copied entry found in the "Recently Theorycrafted" Category?
>>4041451Wait, one last thing:>>RESISTANCES: Heat, Cold, Acid.It wouldn't be worth it for Gina to lay acid traps, they wouldn't do anything. Have her focus entirely on making mines instead.
>>4041509Well it could still be a deterrent since it is not immune to acid. It will still take damage. Doing so while it was trying to run away would be very counter intuitive.>>4041451Maybe a fallback option for Gina that if the Amalgam instead starts moving towards her that she will get out since she shouldnt face it undergroundOr at least that at the end of the turn she is capable of getting to the surface quickly in case the Amalgam manages to figure out who/what really attacked it.It also is a hundred meters underground which means it will be probably taking a bit before we actually could get it to the surface so A hundred meters is still a lot......And terraforming that would probably b impossible for usa right now.... If we get it closer to the surface we could maybe launch it to the surface by intercepting its digging with our own neuromancy. Open a hole above it and while accelerating the ground beneath it so its trapped in a shaft and then gets spit out onto the surface wihtout having been able to dig itself thereThat should be able to help us lockdown its neuromancy since its controlled network will be far below it and it would have to claw new Biomass... Its a sad thing we dont know if it has to be in contact with the Biomass it tagged to terraform it. If it has then we have effectively cut it off from its tunnels. Otherwise the Biomass would still have to travel quite a bit to reach it...
>>4040711Just realized I never properly voted my support for >>4041451. So consider that supported.
>>4041469sure i guess? i guess i did leave it ambiguous how big i wanted it. though to be fair, alot of times BHOP does leave some things ambiguous, so the habit kinda spawned out of me assuming the characters knew a few of the blanks we dont and could figure it out for themselves at points. >>4041478>Relicsi planned to do that. the issue might be i was already categorizing my relic ideas, but whoever then went back and got me all of the ones from those who had not(thank for that again, by the way) obviously didnt know exactly who was who, so re-copied mine to that section, so some are now showing up twice due to the not unfair oversight of said person not knowing who and what had actually been being cataloged or not.>Brown Bagutterly sickening and disgusting, but sure works and is a decent consumable.>>4041509as stated below it only has resistances, not immunity, to Acid. it wont hurt it as much as we would like, but digging into and then suddenly falling into an acid pool still is not gonna be fun for it and act as detriment that would make it want to find a safer route if it can.but yes, if it was just the acid on its own it probably wouldn't be enough(at least once things get too heated), hence wanting more than just it down there.
>>4042003>but whoever then went back and got me all of the ones from those who had not(thank for that again, by the way)That was my doing I'll admit, do you want me to delete the relics that are already catagorized or do you want to handle that yourself? >Brown bagOriginally it was supposed to be exclusively for gluttonous class daughters to take care of food poisoning related debuffs, but then I considered the idea that there might be some daughters who stress vomit out of sheer habit and thought if a barf bag can be used as a bomb, why not have the paper bag contain other bits of viscera before exploding?
>>4042011nah, ill deal with it when it re-organize everything.which ill almost certainly do today. thanks though!
>>4040716wait, BHOP.we never had the vote for Raths new Abilities Class.
>>4042070(Indeed, that was intentional. Looking at the two skill trees I'd intially mapped out, I realized that both needed some work to feel in line and viable to Rath's current setup, so I'm taking a little time to rework them. I'll be including the skill tree vote in the next level up, since I understood everyone wanted to get things rolling, and it just makes sense to have it a little later since it's not a pressing issue at the moment. Plus, I just wanted to make the options cooler for you all.)(Additionally, I'm writing now. It's been a bust morning, but it shouldn't be too much longer before the next update.)
>>4042087(It's been a busy morning, not a bust. My autocorrect appears fit to counter my every text today.)
>>4041478>>4042087New relic fresh from the theorycrafting forge!
>>4042087>>4042090oof, sorry to hear that.my concern though was, it still could make a difference for Rath, if she and November run into trouble, aswell as the fact knowing what it is now when we should, would allow us to start upgrading it upon next level-up, or other options.also, grah, we forgot to setup the goregrowth box too, spatially because we were waiting on you BHOP to do Raths vote to see if we wanted to put her new ability in it....
>>4042087>>4042090>>4042105*specifically, damnit.but yes, i disagree with the decision to wait, and more importantly, you not telling us, causing further issues.
>>4042105>>4042107(Hm...you raise a good point, and given how my morning's been, there's a chance to make it right sooner rather than later.) (If everyone here would be amenable to it, allow me a short while to put the finishing touches on Rath's new trees, and the next update will open the vote for that AND the Gore Growth Box so that things don't get pushed too far back. After voting concludes on those two points, then I'll update with the opening of the mole fight. How does this sound to everyone?) (Apologies for skimming over all that, as yesterday's events had me a bit off-kilter so I wasn't as communicative as I usually like to be. I appreciate you bringing the issue up to me, as always, and I do hope this makes up for my oversight.)>>4042102>>4041478(Oh...this is absolutely delicious. It's flavorful, effective, and variable, which is everything a Relic should be. I love it, and thanks for sharing!)
>>4042124sounds good to me.
>>4042124its fine for me i would really like to vote on the box in case it is something we put on Gina Dorian or even Shu.Sorry for the bamboozle me being incapable of writing usign a keyboard reared its head again
>>4042124I'm fine with it. Take as much time as you need, BHOP.
>>4040711RATH – LEVEL UPPLEASE CHOOSE *ONE* OF THE OPTIONS BELOW>>TORMENTED RESONANCE (Calcite Armorer, Lvl 1): Shared pain is not a breaking thing, but rather a bond that’s forged through the fires of empathy. A rather unique ability for a Calcite Armorer, this power that Rath’s been granted from her bond with the Sui Tormentis is one that synchronizes with the Calcite Constructs of both her and her allies. At a cost of 100% BIO and 1 ACT Rath may hone her focus, allowing her to passively benefit from all allied Calcite constructs in the area that are being used by her allies, with this bonus encompassing all constructs that exist or are crafted during the course of the current combat. Defensive constructs boost Rath’s own defense by an amount equivalent to their own defensive power, while offensive ones do the same for Rath’s own attack, critical hit, and critical damage statistics. What’s more is that Rath may now spend her own BIO as a reaction to the destruction of a Calcite construct belong to herself and any ally, instantly regenerating it by paying the price for its creation out of her own pool of biomass. (BIO+ 200%, BIO REGEN +40%)OR>>TORMENTED DRIVE (Fibromancer, Lvl 1): From speed, to mass, to inertia, to absolute destruction. Rath’s current speed now increases her offensive potential by an equivalent amount, turning her into a human wrecking ball capable of unparalleled destruction. Additionally, for every blow that Rath takes in combat, the fibrous underlay of the Tormentis Armor now transfers a portion of that energy to Rath’s own destructive reserves, increasing her speed by an amount equivalent to the damage she’s taken and expanding her movement zones capable of being traverse with MOVE by 1 zone per hit taken. A certain dashing gentleman should be on the lookout…he may have some competition where speed’s concerned. (HEALTH+ 200%, HEALTH REGEN +40%)---ADDITIONALLY--->>GOREGROWTH BOX: Please select an ability or augment to store within the Relic.YOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, thank you for bearing with me through what is proving to be a veritable dumpster fire of a day. Voting shall remain open for the next three hours as I try and douse these fires, and I do hope everyone present is having a good day. Thank you again for your patience, and take care.)
>>4042248Would the resonance also give her the abiliteis affecting allied calcite constructs like Amaras Blade?Could she build charges to then unleash with a calcite weapon(read as calcite armored fist?)
>>4042248question for RESONANCE.by 'Construct', do you mean just minions, or are you using your other definition of the word where it means anything formed by an ability?also, why does such an important mechanical word have two meanings BHOP, WHY?!>>4042248whew. sorry to hear that. please, take your time, and deal with work. if it gets too bad, dont be afraid to throw us some extra time.also, your timing man, i was literally JUST about to hit 'post' for what im posing below, when you posted this update. one second BHOP, one second slower... and id been scrambling for the delete button haha.right, so, re-organized the Relics Archive. im positive its not perfect, but to be fair, some relics overlap significantly between Tiers, so without forcing BHOP to go through the list and mark things down for changes, its probably never going to be perfect(and i dont think he needs to be doing that honestly.)highlighted what costs we had listed(though i think many are unconfirmed), but ill admit i didn't go back and find ones for what BHOP had told us, though feel free to do so yourselves if BHOP has. Also tried to mark which ones we had built, and caveats to said being built (Gifted, Consumable/Consumed, Bound, Etc).Any thoughts, suggestions, mistakes, or other please feel free to mention them here or in the Archive, and i hope its at least a little bit more to folks liking.
>>4042254the real question here is, do we want her to have something wholly dependent on her allies to be useful, or something always useful?because i like both, but said caveat for the first IS a pretty big downside actually, and one we should expect, where we like it or not, to come up at times.
>>4042260i know but if she cant take those things as well then i dont think the ability is truly worth it.Because she is already fast and can get even faster with the tormentis... and quite quickly so so she could just start annihilating shit.It would also be nice to have an ability that increases her strength without relying on health or BIO
>>4042255>Entry and categorization for Relic: "The Brown Bomb" is missing>Red Devil's Engine Bio cost has not been entered into entry: (200% Calcite, 100% Generator)
>>4042260I think Resonance is too limited. Outside of Amara doing tricks with Blade's Bounty or clonespam (which would admittedly synch with this super well), we don't really make that many Calcite constructs. And all of them are offensive, too, the defensive boost would never come into play. Rath herself is the only person with a defensive Calcite skill, and since it's an always-on part of her body I'm not sure it even counts as a construct.
>>4042254(Not yet since it's just at level one, but what you've described comes fairly early in the tree.) >>4042255(By 'construct', that's anything formed by an ability that falls into the Calcite Armorer class. For instance, Amara's swords would qualify, as would, say, your Swarmlings if you'd combined your Core with a Calcite Armorer tree. If Gina spawns her Calcite Greaves, then that would qualify too, as would Rath’s own sub-dermal armor. As for the 'why' regarding the naming, it's for the same reason I apparently have a half-dozen Daughters running around the Fleshscape who could be referred to as 'Alpha'; I clearly hate myself and desperately need to expand my vocabulary.) (Thank you so much for organizing the Relics Archive, and I'm looking forward to taking a look when I have time to breathe.)
>>4042267well i did say>>4042255>highlighted what costs we had listed(though i think many are unconfirmed), but ill admit i didn't go back and find ones for what BHOP had told us, though feel free to do so yourselves if BHOP has.it is also a public document where the entire point was for anyone to be able to add their Relics to it, not my job alone to add them.>>4042265true. guess we wait on BHOPs response though. though i do think you're underselling the second abilities potential by alot.
>>4042275Do the Calcite Halos count as Calcite skills? I vaguely remember something about the Halos being aspected to the classes but not actually being part of them.
>>4042275alright, so anything, thats good.>>4042273we dont have much, and it is mostly offensive yes, but what we do have is pretty good and would still help her greatly, especially as BHOP said once she starts getting their effects aswell. Carnivorous Carver, so example, is Calcite. fuck me, getting Rath even a watered down version of that alone would be immense.like i said, both i personally find good, the only question really to decide it like i said, is the caveat of the first being dependent on allies to work. i feel like that alone will just make it not be leveled or focused on as much, due to the implications of said levels possibly going to waste in limited but very possible situations.
>>4042275oh, also, would it make sense to transfer Cursas and Tormentis to the Character sheets?or think its ok not to worry about it and just mark on the Relics list they are bound?would save a bit of space though on the sheet, especially with the new relics on their way in, but up to you wish you think is best/would prefer.
>>4042275Alright this puts me in quite a bind then......>>4042287On one the drive is useful now and will be completely self contained for her. It will probably also turn her into a speed demon with time so she will be even more mobile. Useful for a brawler like her....On the other hand she will boost from her allies calcite skills and turn into churem 2.0 with a heavy bludgeoning focus to just build power and then just crush any opponent foolish enough to try and attack her......The Halo would also give her the staying power she needs to pull this off......Though having her self contained is proabbly the better solution i think. then our party composition wont be so heavily reliant of her always having Calcite using Team members
>>4042278(They do not, solely because the Halos are coded as 'unique' biomass, thus rendering them immune to a host of affects that would hijack Daughters or constructs.) >>4042294(I think that would be wise, if it's not too much of an issue to port over.)
>>4042307yeah, you're probably right. i think Resonance, when it is used, could be devastating... but it would feel too much like forcing us to focus on calcite trees to make it more worthwhile, and sporadic due to its reliance on teammates, aswell as at times be useless.like, right now. shes only with November, so right now she wouldn't even get a scrap from it.>>4042309no trouble at all!Cursas on Julia and Tormentis on Rath it is. ill add em when this is done and i can also add Raths new toy too.>>4042244Votes;>>TORMENTED DRIVE and>>GOREGROWTH BOX; Rath, Forgemistress Fingers.
>>4042309>(They do not, solely because the Halos are coded as 'unique' biomass, thus rendering them immune to a host of affects that would hijack Daughters or constructs.)Yeah, I thought that was the case. So the only defensive boost Rath would get is from Alabaster Endoskeleton. On the other hand, if Rath eventually gets the bonuses of the individual Calcite skills, does that mean that Tormented Resonance would functionally double the effects of her Alabaster Endoskeleton? Because if so then I'm kind of coming around to it.
>>4042244>Vote>TORMENTED DRIVEand>GOREGROWTH BOX; Rath, Forgemistress Fingers.I think the Fingers need some love but people dont seem to be willing ot vote for them on level ups..... SO putting them in is probably best. They arent even a fighting ability os we dont loose anythingThe Resonance is too situational. i dont think we will get a lot of Milage out of it
>>4042275What about our Gurrelings and Revlings? Those are made by tapping into Heaven's Drill/Firmament's Spiral, which is partially a Calcite Armorer power.
>>4042347(Yes, those would work as well.)
>>4042353Hm, tempting, then. But I'm still not sure I'm down for it. That still mandates that we use certain strategies in order to make effective use of Tormented Resonance. Drive has the advantage that it benefits how Rath already fights, doesn't require any changes to her style, and if it does unlock more complex abilities later on it should be things that further build off of existing tactics. Yeah, I think I'm going to go for Drive. As tempting as Resonance is, I just don't want to have to deal with debating "should we make a bunch of Gurrenlings" every time Rath is in the party.>>4042244>>TORMENTED DRIVE >>GOREGROWTH BOX: Please select an ability or augment to store within the Relic.>Forgemistress's FingersI'd rather get some free points into Unrelenting Cold, but I think this ultimately is more efficient. We're not likely to use the Fingers for a while, Rath might want to use the Cold on something she encounters while scouting westward, overall it's a better idea.
>>4042353wait. Would Tormented Resonance work with Relics that have Calcite components in them?
Can someone remind me what Goregrowth Box does?
>>4042374(Eventually, yes.)>>4042382(Here you are.)>>GOREGROWTH BOX; a small box of bone and flesh, made to be strapped to ones waist. To use this device, one must first click open its lid and puncture their hand or another limb upon the large needle at its center. Upon doing so, they may pick a single Ability to remove from themselves and put into the box, including their Core, Augments, One-Shots, and Passives. This will not only strip away the Ability, but its corresponding stats as well. With the Ability now firmly in the box, the box now at their waist, one then brings it into battle. When victory is claimed in battle while the box is worn, the Ability inside will automatically level up without the need to put Consume points into it, at a minimum of one per level, but with particularly difficult fights garnering stronger growth. Furthermore, after the first level up within the box, the stats the Ability gives will slowly start to increase in potency as well, each next level granting a higher boon to this increase. The Box cannot bring an ability above its maximum level, to which it simply becomes wasted potential if an Ability is left in past its prime. For Augments, One-Shots, and Passives, the main focus is instead on stat growth, with its effects slowly growing in potency, again increasing slowly the longer the Ability is in the box. Unlike level-able Abilities, there is no limit to this growth, however it is much slower. If the Ability is ever taken out, the counter for the number of fights it has been in the box resets to zero, and its accumulative multiplier to the Abilities growth must then be regained. While it is a sacrifice to remove part of oneself in such a way, for those willing, the benefits shall be reaped in time.
>>4042382It lets the user seal away access to one of their powers in exchange for that power getting a free level-up after every fight, possibly more if it was a tough fight. It also gives a bonus to the stat boosts a sealed ability offers, increasing the more levels it's gained while sealed away. The ideal use of it is for a power that's used rarely at its current level, so that little will be lost by sealing it and so that it will maybe come back with some nice upgrades.
>>4042382its in the Relic Archives. all relics will be there or in the official Relics sheet for ones we own, but here ill->>4042384-oh, nevermind, BHOP beat me too it.thats twice now BHOP, well played.
>>4042388(We just need two or three more people to post it to become meme-worthy on the level of Rath's [REDACTED] ability.)
>>4042394What if we hybridized Forgemistress Fingers with Erupting fist? The ability to work and massage the fires of the forge would produce interesting results. And both of those abilities are eligible for Kadath investment.
>>4042394>>4042403both were Nikus too, not sure if that would give any bonus, especially wit Niku being inside Rath?
>>4042244>TORMENTED RESONANCE>GOREGROWTH BOX; Rath, Forgemistress Fingers.
>>4042403(Ha, that would result in a unique hybrid, for sure. You've actually seen something similar to it quite recently, in fact.)>>4042407(Indeed, it would.)
>>4042411Was it something Tailor used?Or was it further back than that?
>>4042411hrm... interesting.id have to see it first, as id not want to mitigate eithers potential though.but it would solve the problem of Fingers being so... situational. nothing wrong with that, per say, but still an issue in a way.Julias Appetites is also kinda like that honestly. not bad at all to have, but also difficult to put levels into by itself.
>>4042403I remember proposing that back when we first got them, but hybridization was so far away at that point that it kind of got forgotten. I imagine that it would let us do something like what Nikuzu did during the fight against her, forge Relics on the fly with her bare hands. Though based on what BHOP said just now >>4042411 it may be something more like Tinker Tailor's Relic-boosting skill, which could be even better.Another good hybrid for Rath that I just thought of: Tormented Drive combined with Unrelenting Cold. Tormented Drive absorbs energy from attacks to accelerate Rath, Unrelenting Cold makes an aura that absorbs thermal and at higher levels kinetic energy (and may have some enhancement effects, too, the Kinetic Remnant grew in size and speed throughout the fight), mixing them together should let Rath pull all the energy out of her environment to rocket around with.
>>4042417(Yes, it would end up working similarly to Tinker's ability to passively bpost the effects of Relics she weilds, though Rath's would have an elemental bent, unlike Tinker's.)
>>4042420Tormented Drive basically allows Rath to Ramp ridiculously hard al la Juggernaut.
>>4042424*whistles*That could be really cool..... especially if she could swap her elemental abilites on the fly as well as those of the relics she wields.........Well new Goal set i suppose
>Rath: Fire, Forge, Fury, Fighting all out, Fiery redhead, and freckles.
>>4042427Yeah, it's got some really good potential. Just at level one it has excellent quality of life increases in that spending Health with Sui Tormentis is more efficient (since she can boost speed and strength for the same expenditure) and the damage boost she'll get when taking damage will ameliorate the losses to Hideous Strength's boost as she gets hit. Add in the speeding up when she gets hurt and it's very effective. All this at level one, I'm excited to see where it goes.
>>4042434fuckin glorious description there lad. amazing how many F words and phrases fit her actually.
>>4042442I'm an alliteration addict, I'll admit.
>>4042434(Ha, well played.)>>4042442(If any of Rath's admirers ever have their way, there's a few more they'll add to that list.)
>>4042451im sure, plenty both to be said and never said too i bet.
>>4042451speaking of, hope Rath never runs into the more zealous crowd. she actually doesn't seem like she would do well with that kinda attention on her, hehe.
>>4042465We'd have to add "flustered" to the alliteration list.
>>4042465i think it woudl end in a crater ..... back when i tired to calculate Raths maximum potential she was somehting akin to a nuclear warhead(though i may have had misplaced a point somewhere so i coudl be wrong)now her limit.... is probably somewhere closer to a hydrogen fusion bomb....I am not gonna run those calculations again but boy is she scary.....I think another good work to describe her would be: Fission ReactorBecaus e iam pretty sure she can go critical by now
>>4042469indeed.>>4042473yeah, though you did have to kinda guesstimate some game terms to real terms i think, but Rath is already terrifying if given proper time to max herself out. and shes only at what is considered mid level too. whew.and thats not taking into account the ludicrous reality 'max level'(in terms of Cord preparedness) would not be just double, but possibly incomprehensibly more with how things can ramp up and stack.>>4042451honestly im curious how Raths comparing to past and current Crucibles in terms of just her stupid raw power. while his calculations may not of been perfect, they seemed pretty well defined, and in possibility even undermining her potential max.yet even if it would be hard to pull off, her already having that potential seems kinda absurd actually.
>>4042473Also: "Fun-sized". Seriously, despite her baseline petite size, give her enough and bio to ramp, and she'll just grow and grow and grow. >>4042482Admittedly, that means the only way to stop Rath is to stop her from ramping at all, which means she'll be weak to aggressive burst damage builds and ambush tactics before she gets a chance to build momentum, which ironically, she's got several abilities that allow her to build said momentum... at close range. So basically her one weakness is long-range character assassination al la Magpie.
>>4039033>that pic.That could potentially be the woman Rath grows into once she matures in age, stature and aspect.
>>4042488though with the halo that disadvantage can be mitigated quite a bit so she can have the time to ramp up and close the distancewhich if she gets the Drive will make her even faster....
>>4042492... isnt she like already 20?or is she a bit younger?I dont remember..
>>4042499I think she's younger than Shu who's college age...
>>4042488yeah, she doesn't have a good counter to just getting pelted at long range. i think she can somewhat close the distance, but it would set her back initially in what it costs to do so.honestly id not be surprised if Magpie has a custom ammunition store just for our family stashed somewhere.... she just seems like the type, no matter how much she likes or trusts us.>>4042499shes the youngest, at around 17-18 im pretty sure.
>>4042503er, youngest thats not literally a child.sorry, its just, Amara is so much younger my mind kinda just categorized her by herself.
>>4042492I don't think Rath's growing any taller, barring mutation. On average, women stop growing by age seventeen, and even when they keep growing past that it's much slower. At most she's getting a couple centimeters more height.>>4042499Rath's eighteen. As for the rest of our party: Gina is twenty. Shu is biologically and emotionally twenty, though chronologically she's about a month old. Dorian is twenty-two. Julia is twenty-four. Amara is seven. November's age hasn't been definitively stated but we know from mentions of her being in training when Rath was seven that she's somewhere in her early thirties. Francine is like Shu in that her chronological age is very small (probably no more than a year, given that West Gamma claimed to be seven months old), but she's biologically and emotionally somewhere in her mid thirties.
>>4042503then lets make sure that if we cant stop her from suiciding we should make sure she tells us where she stashed those or that she destroyed tehm beforehand......Just in case soemone stumbles upon them.. It woudl be terribel to have custom ammuniton made to kill us just lying around>>4042503>>4042507Thanks i sometimes get confused about Raths age Though she might just be able to grow her reserves for bad times read well i think you know what i mean
>>4042503Rath's best counter to being hit from long range is probably to throw a Boil at the shooter and teleport to it. She should be able to toss one a couple kilometers at least, though if the sniper managed to take off enough of her health her max range would go down thanks to Hideous Strength being keyed to Health.Magpie probably follows the TF2 Sniper's maxim: Be polite, be efficient, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. I would not be surprised if she has a contingency just in case. After all, there's always the Hunger, even friends can turn into killer monsters if things go very wrong.
>>4042513>using Breasts as bio reserve storage areas.honestly... minus keeping the game PG-13, probably already has happened in some form....>>4042520sure, but i could still see her taking a bad few hits before she can teleport. a good ranged fighter might even be able to shoot down the boil too.
>>4042244>>4040711The eerie stillness of the glade is punctuated by the steady, rhythmic pulse of blood through the veins that form a crisscrossed carpet of biomass underfoot. Gina tears through it, the ground swallowing the brunette whole as she begins her rapid descent, priming the ground well beneath your sleeping prey before chaos has a chance to erupt and turn this clearing into a battlefield. With GG doing her part, the rest of you spread out astride a trio of Knightlings around the clearing’s perimeter, splitting the Contender into two identical pistols, tossing one to Holly with a knowing wink that she happily returns.[Hey, I’m going to try and make a Knightling for every four or so parasites this thing’s got on its back] You explain to Gina across your bond, motioning for Holly and Dorian to land as you do. The moment Dorian’s feet hit the ground, you watch a massive swarm of scarlet inklings begin to billow off his form as though he were a living lava lamp. [How many you think I should bring out?]{Uhhh…yes} Comes her concerned reply, her focus split as she carefully crafts the perfect set of lures, traps, and funnels. {Yes to as many as you can get, ‘cause we’re gonna need ‘em with how many quill…spike…things are clinging to this thing}You hastily oblige, keeping an eye on the chitinous bait that rests at the clearing’s center, quickly joined by the roiling, bloody cloud of Dorian’s creation as he tethers himself to a nearby calcite tree per your plan. A flicker comes across the empathic field, and with Gina’s affirmation, everything’s in position. Your Rook, placed just out of range. Your allies, all primed and ready. A singular, roiling mass of inklings around an irresistible piece of chitinous bait. At your silent command, the Knightling begins to vibrate, burrowing into the ground with its drill-like extremities. When the ground underfoot rumbles with the force of the titanic spikes Gina’s just driven into your prey’s side and she surfaces close to you, breathless and wide-eyed……it feels like the entire world trembles with the wrath of what you’ve just dared to wake.You blink, and that’s all the time it takes for the creature to explode from the clearing’s center, the inkling blob instantly splattering across the colossal Amalgam that erupts into the Fleshscape’s grim light. It’s a hideous thing, blind and thrashing as the countless spines along its back begin to flare out, a swarm ready to take flight just as you and Holly open fire with a salvo of B.33 rounds. The thirty-meter tall behemoth rears back just as your barrage explodes across its spine, trapping countless parasites as the few stragglers that take flight are instantly set upon by a sheet of your vicious Knightlings.(Continued)
>>4042690Claws swipe at the incessant swarm, its two badger-like limbs tipped with talons almost as long as any of the trees you’re surrounded by, and they slam against the earth as the beast it hauled back down to earth by the hundreds of hands that spring up from the pile, tethering it to the clearing as Gina works to seals its exit back underground. Your Dominus reaches out to both it and Gina, tethering you to them the moment that two dozen of the spines surprise you by taking flight, their narrow lengths splitting down the middle to reveal dragonfly-like wings that start to carry them skyward.The sky’s perfectly clear, but the clap of thunder that booms from one end of the clearing foretells a storm of terrible proportions.You can barely track Dorian’s path with your eyes, the young man a scarlet blur that leaves eruptions of gore and chitin in its wake as he speeds along the Amalgam’s form. The air sings, not from his speed but rather the terrifyingly long and agile tongue that slashes the air with chilling speed, narrowly avoiding even Dorian’s deft maneuvers. He darts to the creature’s other side as you and Holly empty the rest of your gatling into the Amalgam’s side, capitalizing on the open wound just under its left rib, courtesy of Gina’s trap. There’s another crack of thunder, followed by a screech of agony and the smell of smoking flesh that comes in the wake of Dorian emptying his static charge through the Lanceam and into the Amalgam’s blind spot before darting to safety at the edge of the woods.The honey’s struggling to hold as the living quills fight against their bonds, your Knightlings lancing through those that escaped as your allies regroup. Dorian’s snapped across the field from you and out of its lengthy reach, while Gina’s taken position at your side and Holly’s protectively interposed herself between you both and your enraged foe. It’s gone utterly wild, bucking and slashing out with both talon and tongue with even the vastness of the clearing doing little to keep you out of range of its furious strikes. It’s no wonder that this thing posed such a threat to your strange new allies.Well, you have its attention.Now you’ll have its head.Shu the DefiantVS.SURINAM VERMILINGUAHP: 1620% (+975%, [Dominus: GG & foe] Halo: PRIMED)BIO: 2030% (+280%, Rook x1, Plateling x10, Bishop-Succling x1, Knighted-Buzzling x1, Knightlings x32, 45/45. Matron’s)CONTENDER (Gatling): EMPTYRAVENOUS MAW: Primed.HUNDRED-HANDED: 59 Active.ACT: 3/3GINA: 1960% (+180%, Automata, Tollo, Spine, Rebuke, Montags, Halo: PRIMED)DORIAN: 2320% (+575%, Interitus, Lanceam, Hydras, Manus, Halo: PRIMED. CHARGE: 4)HOLLY: 2,480% (RESIST: Heat, Cold. IMMUNE: Acid, CONTENDER (Gatling): EMPTYTHREAT: Enraged, will strike at random. RESIST: Heat, Cold, Acid. IMMUNE: Stun, Crushing.>>PLEASE RELOAD BOTH YOU AND HOLLY’S CONTENDERS WITH *3* ROUNDS EACHYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. Let me know if there’s anything you see that I missed, as it’s been a little crazy on my end. Apologies in advance if something slipped my mind.)
>>4042702What is the number of Drill-amalgams on it's back? how many are trapped in the honey and how many are expected to break free of the honey?
>>4042702(Also, the results of voting;)>>TORMENTED DRIVE: Acquired>>GOREGROWTH BOX: 'Forgemistress Fingers' installed.
>>4042702fucking hell, just how much of a boost is 33 Knightlings?also, while it doesn't matter much for Dorian anyways, i did wonder. the Lanceam is supposed to essentially take up an entire arm when activated for use, but does Dorians liquid nature allow him to work around that buy just... lengthening his arm more? again, due to how he works, it actually doesn't do anything to help him really i dont think, but more just curious if it is a thing at all.... or am i wrong and it does help him somehow?
>>404269030 Meters tall?Hm..... somehow i imagined it to be smaller..... but at least it is above ground. HTough it speed does concern me a bit.It also kinda reminds me of a Frogemoth... at least vaguely>>4042694Could we maybe feed it Paintlings/Blood Familiars to start clogging its throat and tounge as to rob it of a strong asset.For a reload i would propose two Honeys and one Parabelum each. The honey is already straining we need to keep piling on more or it will eventually be broken.(and probably sooner than later)And if the Amalgam catches the bullets it will prpbably drag them into its mouth causing it to be stuck even more
>>4042716(450 Total, with 289 trapped by the honey, 46 of those about to escape, and the remaining 161 utterly slaughtered by your Knightlings and Dorian's initial sweep.)(Needless to say, your plan went well.)>>4042721(Yes. Liquiform combatants can typically extend their melee reach.)
>>4042690Okay, I think that the size of the Mole should have been part of the description we got from Amara and Julia's scouting dual-tech. I was assuming this thing was like...mammoth-sized, at most. Thirty meters tall is big enough that with this thing's proportions it could swallow a Gundam whole. You should have led with that, BHOP. I'm not upset, I don't feel bamboozled by this or anything, I just think that you didn't do this thing justice in your description earlier. Thirty meters tall, damn.
>>4042728neat, thanks.also holy fuck thats alot of Drills. fuck, uhh, got an idea.>>4042740it could 100% be rolls or other factors made us not actually be able to tell.
also, while it doesn't matter til his Halo goes off, lets not forget Interitus can prime further Counters for Dorian.
>>4042740(Ah, perhaps my descriptor was off; technically it's 30 meters long, it was just standing upright at that point, so at the point where shoulder runs down to its claw, it's around mammoth sized. He's just a long, slashy boy.)
>>4042728grah, and fuck me yet again for thinking up a question only after i post.is Dorians paintlings doing any poison on it or the Drillgams trapped?
>>4042751Oh, well, that's not quite as impressive, then. Sad Deer was bigger than that. Still pretty big, though, should be some good meat on these bones even after we share with the Ants.Also, I just noticed that name. I was right, it is a Surinam toad, lovely. You know, objectively I recognize that Shu's powers are even grosser than a Surinam toad, yet the fact that Shu is not real while Surinam toads are makes this thing so much worse. I've got a point of comparison for this that I don't for Shu.
>>4042753>>4042728and i forget, can we spawn Drills on our HHs?
>>4042766Since it says we can spawn it form a limb i would guess that we can
>>4042694>The air sings, not from his speed but rather the terrifyingly long and agile tongue that slashes the air with chilling speed, narrowly avoiding even Dorian’s deft maneuvers.Aside from the dragonfly Drills (that's what I'm gonna call them), the Tongue is going to be its other initial ranged attack. The fact that it's so swift that Dorian can't cut it as is means it's gonna be a tool for it to lash out with. And if that tongue shares any traits with toads, moles, and ant eaters, it means that tongue will be adhesive. >>4042728>289 trapped by honey>46/289 about to escape the honey trap>243 remain stuckKnightlings should work on screening the Dragonfly drills. That honey won't last long unless we add constant reinforcement.Can we have Holly and Shu go in for the coup-de grace kills on the dragonflies stuck in honey? with so many Dragonfly drills stuck in a giant honey ball, we could easily clean them up while the knightlings screen the escapees. We can't afford to leave the Honey ball alone on its back. each dragonfly will have to make a strength check to escape and that's 243 d20 dices being rolled to see how many escape. Are the dragonfly drills perma stuck or are they going to make strength checks to escape the honey trap each round?>>4042753That aside, aside from moving about and swiping with talons and claws, the tongue is one of the bigger threats that can lash out and deal devastating whip damage and knock people off. And it's immune to stun, so selective stunning of its body parts is out of the equation. >>4042766I would say yes, but wait til bhop confirms it.
>>4042766We definitely can when the arms are attached to Shu. We've done that a ton. Not sure if we can when they're growing off of an ally or construct.
>>4042780we coudl try and glue the toung einto its mouth with paintling and honey.WE may have to use a normal reload and unload just massive amounts of honey to glue it even more thoroughly.
>>4042780>And if that tongue shares any traits with toads, moles, and ant eaters, it means that tongue will be adhesive.Oh, it definitely has traits in common with anteaters. "Vermilingua" is the scientific name for anteaters. I think we have to assume the tongue is adhesive.
>>4042694Orders, though may need changes based on BHOPs answers;SHU;>Free Rounds; 3 Parabellum>Load up 3 Fullbore.>Keep your Knightlings numbers up and fresh, but any that have an opening, or any replaced, make Recursive, to help fight these insane numbers.>Spawn another Rook, and be prepared for a double teleport. Make room for it as needed in your swarm.>Send one Rook forward after Gina and Dorian give you your opening. Then, Teleport forward, and slam down a max sized Spiral on the Mole with a nasty Drill stab, before quickly Teleporting back into your position.>Also, spawn around 5 Drills upon your HHs holding the Mole down, at points you think its weak at, as you teleport forward, just to give it something else to focus on.>Throughout this Round, Fire off the Fullbores into any weakpoints you see in it, and the Parabellums as you please.GINA;>Keep its ability to dig nullified as you can and need.>delve back down, and get in close.>then, flare up Verurteilung, to throw off its balance, before you dash up from beneath it, and attempt to swipe off one of its legs with the Automata.>As you fall back to a more safe distance, leave a nice helping of Maggot Bombs under it, to dissuade or punish any attempts of its to go downwards. DORIAN;>Spend 100% Health on Strength,and 100% Health on speed from Interitus.>Circle around the Mole, both building up charges, doing free slashes at any loose Drillgams, and looking for the right moment to strike.>Once you see a clear opening, charge forth with your Lanceam and Scythes galore.>Save your charges though, and be prepared for its tongue. Once you see it, see if you cant burn it off with your charges.HOLLY;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.>Load up 3 more Honeyed rounds.>Take aim at any larger groups of escaped Drillgams, and/or the points on the Moles back that look in need of Honey reinforcement, and go ham on unloading your Maxim.>Otherwise, keep the Maw swinging, but also be on the lookout for any allies that need a quick snatch up from danger.
>>4042702How many debuffs are on the Mole regarding Paintling debuffs, B.33 Regen blocking, Dorian's bleed stacks, and Fear stacks due to both Dorian and Gina's ability to generate fear through their aura or attacks?
>>4042766>>4042776>>4042787(You absolutely may.)>>4042753(Yes, Dorian's poison is working on all aspects of your foe. I'll try and remember to put that on the status sheet when I get home.)
>>4042818oh awesome, on both of those.
>>4042818Hey, BHOP, how did the Tier upgrade that Tinker Tailor gave Membrum Automata manifest? What about it is better, now?
>>4042807That looks actually pretty solid. and since OP confirmed it I think i will support your plan (and any further alterations on the plan)>>4042694Supporting >>4042807and furhter plans based on thisHave a good day everyone and i will turn in for the night
>>4042832sweet dreams, dont let the otherwordly flesh horrors bite!
>>4042807What if instead in addition to nullifying the mole's terraforming ability, we instead make its next Neuromancy/Generator/Conduit ability (which is terraforming most likely) to backfire catastrophically? any attempts to dig a hole will instead create a spike that backlashes against itself. There's also one thing that I want to confirm with bhop:>>4042818Hey bhop, regarding the Mole's immunity to Crushing damage and how Terraformed attacks typically are typed as Crushing damage, how would the following interaction work between its attempts to terraform, and the following two abilities?>NEON ASCENDANT (Lvl 4): Adding yet another cruel trick to her growing arsenal of abilities, Gina may now focus her attentions on a single Daughter for the cost of 2 ACTs and 200% BIO, forcing the next use of a Neuromancer, Generator, or Phantasmal Conduit ability used by the target to backfire catastrophically. This also doubles the negative effects of the resulting backlash, be it the severity of the status effect applied, the amount of damage inflicted, or the strength of the Dream manifestation that is summoned. However, this ability may only be used against a given target once per combat. (BIO +40%, BIO REGEN +20%)>NEON ASCENDANT (Lvl 5): Gina’s dominion over the ground she treads only grows. Now, when a foe terraforms the Fleshscape within Gina’s line of sight they temporarily lose any resistance, immunity, or buffs they would have regarding their own terrain until the end of their next turn. Additionally, though they regain their footing after the effects dissipate, the same cannot be said for their allies, as the terrain they shaped can no longer distinguish between friend or foe. (BIO +60%, BIO REGEN +40%)Would the Mole's terraforming attempt backfire in a way that its own terraforming attack would target itself and bypass the crushing damage immunity it has? Or would the immunity override the backlash?
>>4042818>>4042830oh yeah, you never told us what specials happened to our relics in the crafting.
>>4042832Good night, anon. Sleep well, we'll try not to get eaten while you're gone.
>>4042844i mean, id assume that falls under Gina stopping it from digging however she must.
>>4042807You know, the Drills cause free Fear To Tread effects now. We might want to have Gina terraform some spikes around it while she's keeping its digging locked down, make one of our patented blender combos.
>>4042855oh, wait, you're right.we have no reason to send Shu in. alright, ill change that.as for the blender, maybe, but i was under the assumption terraforming this ground was precarious to try, especially on a larger scale like that.
>>4042859It'll certainly cost lots of bio, but we've got lots of reserves.
>>4042859Maybe. But Gina gets a free use of terraforming when jacking into targets, now. We could add that to the "keep it from digging" part, it won't be a wasted action if it fails.
>>4042694>>4042807Orders, V2;SHU;>Free Rounds; 3 Parabellum>Load up 3 Fullbore.>Keep your Knightlings numbers up and fresh, but any that have an opening, or any replaced, make Recursive, to help fight these insane numbers.>Spawn around 5 Drills upon your HHs holding the Mole down, at points you think its weak at, to help Give Dorian and Gina their opening, aswell as Spiral its feet out from under it.>Throughout this Round, Fire off the Fullbores into any weakpoints you see in it, and the Parabellums as you please.GINA;>Keep its ability to dig nullified as you can and need.>delve back down, and get in close.>Terrafrom some blades into and around the Mole, if you can, so that when Shus Spiral goes off, the thing gets mince meated. But dont push yourself if it has too tough or costly a hold on the surrounding terrain.>then, flare up Verurteilung, to throw off its balance, before you dash up from beneath it, and attempt to swipe off one of its legs with the Automata.>As you fall back to a more safe distance, leave a nice helping of Maggot Bombs under it, to dissuade or punish any attempts of its to go downwards. DORIAN;>Spend 100% Health on Strength,and 100% Health on speed from Interitus.>Circle around the Mole, both building up charges, doing free slashes at any loose Drillgams, and looking for the right moment to strike.>Once you see a clear opening, charge forth with your Lanceam and Scythes galore.>Save your charges though, and be prepared for its tongue. Once you see it, see if you cant burn it off with your charges.HOLLY;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.>Load up 3 more Honeyed rounds.>Take aim at any larger groups of escaped Drillgams, and/or the points on the Moles back that look in need of Honey reinforcement, and go ham on unloading your Maxim.>Otherwise, keep the Maw swinging, but also be on the lookout for any allies that need a quick snatch up from danger.
>>4042809(Just got home, so I'll post what I can of this and also answer >>4042830 and >>4042846 when I get settled.)>>4042844(Due to the effects of Lvl 5, the backlash caused by Lvl 4 would ignore your foe's immunity.)
>>4042871Thank you for the information. >>4042867I think we should have Gina invest her 2 acts and 200 bio to sabotage the Mole's next act of Terraforming, as insurance to dissuade any attempt at either fleeing via digging or prepping a wide Aoe to push us back. If it has an actual animal's mindset, and given that it's spec'd into terraforming as it's main source of transportation, the mole WILL use Terraforming at a certain point when Gina lifts her lockdown at some point.
>>4042893And it's slashing up the area around it, too, so it's marking that biomass for terraforming even if it's not consciously trying to. I agree. Use Neon Ascendant level four, and use the free terraforming action from Amethyst Jack level nine to restrict the mole's movements.
>>4042893>>4042905i disagree, i dont think she needs to invest everything in it nor have no plan for if it doesnt.plus, its first on the list, so it should be her first priority if it does try.
>>4042893>>4042905so.... any other thoughts?
>>4043094Oh, sorry, I was away making dinner. I think it looks pretty good. We might want to try the grapple and dismember move Dorian has on its paws or tongue, but I don't think it's particularly necessary. Maybe something for next round.
>>4043094Can't think of any, other than proposing that Gina invests 2 acts and 200% bio into sabotaging the Mole's next terraforming action. I'm waiting for bhop to release the status debuff update as well as what tier upgrades that tinker added onto our relics.
(Gentlemen, I am terribly sorry to do this, but between getting back home after midnight last night and today's events, I will be pausing here for the evening and extending voting until 10:00AM tomorrow morning, Eastern time. I wished to press on, but in my current state the risk of making a silly clerical error is high, and considering your current foe that is not a risk I'm willing to take.)(I wish everyone a restful evening, and I'll be around for the next or or so before heading to bed to hopefully freshen up before the fight gets into full swing. Take care, everyone.)
>>4043109we'll see how his lightning strike goes, but if it doesn't do enough, sure.he's liquid so he has really good anti-grapple, so im not worried about its adhesive nature, at least for him.hrm. though, how does that work with Holly or other allies trying to carry him? can he control himself enough? maybe not before, but i know Thread and Jack both supposedly allow him to solidify his body at points, so i guess worse case he just does that when Holly yells at him.>>4043110he might not be able to get to it til after the next update, but fair.oh, speaking of, looks like that answers that.>>4043117no.BHOP.if you need it, get some sleep, really.we understand. but thanks for being honest about it and pushing through what you can, honest.we look forward to your return.
>>4043117No worries, BHOP. Get some sleep, friend, we'd all rather have you well-rested. See you tomorrow.
>>4043117It's all good BHOP, rest up and get some sleep. See you tomorrow morning!
>>4043117Good on you to pace yourself. My day off has so far been lax. Although It feels like I will be missing more "productive" decision making votes tomorrow...>>4043119>we'll see how his lightning strike goes, but if it doesn't do enough, sure.>Lightning strikewait a minute. You just gave me an idea. iirc, the contents inside our batteries (i.e. Car batteries) are usually battery acids right?Stomach acid usually have a ph value of 4-5 with the possibility of reaching a ph scale of 1-2. If we have Gina vomit out Nervous Torrent all over the mole, Dorian's lightning strike would transfer its damage over everything on the mole, including the Dragonfly Drill amalgams and frying the whole lot (provided that the honey doesn't dissolve in the stomach acid). That way, we take down two birds with one stone by dealing Dorian's lightning damage on both the mole and the Dragonfly swarm.
>>4043138>>4043119>to elaborate/tl;dr: strong acids can conduct electricity. >Gina vomits stomach acid with nervous torrent on mole and over dragonflies>Dorian zaps the mole and the acid>Acid conducts lightning damage on the mole and the drill amalgams. >Result: 289 fried dragon amalgams, and one damaged mole.
>>4043143gimme a bit, in game an our base is under attack.
>>4043138He should already be doing damage to all of them at once, Honey-mode B.33s conduct damage to everyone in the honey ball. I guess there are just so many drill-dragonflies that it can't catch them all, it's trying to spread the effect too far. I doubt BHOP ever meant it to apply to 450 targets at once.I don't think dousing the toad in acid will help much, though. A galvanic cell works by the acid's ability to dissolve metals and cause a redox reaction that frees up electrons. The acid isn't there to serve as a conductor of electricity, in fact to make the battery work you need to keep the individual cells of acid separated. Have a picture I stole from Wikipedia.
>>4043169Hmm... good point. Then in that case, why not have Dorian aim the Lightning bolt at the giant blob of Honey on the mole/toad instead of the mole/toad itself? That way we don't have to worry much about the dragonflies.
>>4043179because we're already dealing with them in other ways, so let dorian deal damage to the mole, especially if he can take out the tongue.plus, if he hits the tongue, hes hitting the mole, and thus the Honey effect will happen anyways, as the Mole is in the honey aswell.
>>4043179Probably not necessary. We've got Shu and Holly renewing the honey coating and the Knights picking them off gradually, I think we're good. Dorian will also get some of his blood-wind slashes hitting along the edges of the swarm, and whatever lightning does get conducted via the honey ball. It shouldn't be needed.
>>4043117>>4043119New ideas from the Theoretical Relic forge:>GOURMAND’S ESSENTIAL SILVERWARE: An oversized doubleheaded glaive of silver that is the unholy tri-hybrid between a Spoon (mace/spade), Fork (spear/trident), and Knife(glaive/Sword). Unlike its smaller cousin the Cthonic Cutlery whose purpose is for actual consumption, this set of silverware is for aiding consumption in the combat variety. The glaive can be wielded as a single two handed weapon or split into its respective one-handed components as a free action in each round. A veritable boon for many Gluttonous daughters, as each weapon has been sharpened to allow them to break through a single level of physical damage resistance (blunt, piercing, crushing, and slashing) against the toughened skin, meat, bone, and organs of their soon to be lunch, amplifying the biomass and health gained from consuming the stabbed, sliced, and spooned delicacies procured with the Relic. With these implements, Gluttonous Gourmands now can show they can fight, feed, AND mind their table manners all at the same time. However it is a shame that there is no plate ware that can go with the dining utensils...>SERVING SHIELD: A heavy yet durable circular shield made out of white porcelain, with a hidden layer of stainless steel hidden inside the plate. Besides the very ample protection immunity to acid, blunt, and slashing, with ample resistances to electrical, piercing and crushing (lvl 2), and minor protection to heat and cold (lvl 1), the shield provides a hidden blessing for the gluttonous daughters. As the battle rages on and blood and viscera is spilled, the blood and guts that spatter themselves on the shield be it from blocked attacks or fallen constructs stick to the shield and are converted into safe edible biomass that can be licked clean off the porcelain shield to restore a portion of biomass or health as a free action like food off a plate. Now if only there were proper-sized utensils that can go with the oversized dinnerware…>SIPHONING STRAWS (consumable): A rather mundane plastic milkshake straw (It's a bendy straw to boot) that come in a bulk sets of 20. The ends of the straws are sharpened to a supernatural point. when thrown pointy end first into an enemy, the straws go deep into the flesh of and allow a fast yet small siphoning of the victim's biomass or health. Although the relic's components come from gluttonous class daughters and made for combat, its uncommonly popular among sanguine humoral paladins, and very popular in everyday mundane use.
>>4043420not bad, but the shield feels like it blocks quite a bit. also feel like it would be more thematic to it being a porcelain plate to have minimal or no protection to Crushing and Blunt.its a neat idea, but like i said, it feels like it gives a bit too much, and feels like when it came to the resistances and immunites and such, you just kinda ignored the theme of the relic.the other two i dont see any problems with.
>>4042830(Membrum Automata's sever chance goes up to 75% and bypasses resistance to severing, and the generated constructs are spawned with higher defense, attack power, and HEALTH.) >>4042846(Surgeon General's Essentials' upgraded form grants the 'patient' immunity to the removed status effect for the remainder of the Vein.) >>4042809(I'll include this information in the next status update at the end of the post.)
>>4042694Gunshots ring out across the clearing from both you and Holly, only to be drowned out by Vermilingua’s maddened roar as its tongue lashes out at nigh-imperceptible speeds. Gina dives beneath the vein-covered ground, tunneling towards your foe as she awaits your opening while Dorian’s a crimson whirlwind, doing laps around the frantic beast. Its claws strike the earth in its attempt to escape the omni-directional assault, but Gina renders its efforts utterly useless as the terrain remains firm under the greater of the two wills that vie for control. The air is just as chaotic as the battleground, churning with dozens of your brood as they slash and spear the doomed parasites that are pinned to their host’s back.From your artificial limbs that bind the Amalgam to the clearing springs a host of new arms, their misshapen hands tipped with whirring drills of chitin and fury. Their high-pitched scream joins the beast’s in a terrible screech that pierces through the woods, and that’s when the ground beneath the titan’s feet begins to churn under your and Gina’s merciless command. An eruption of spines and weaponized fear lance out at the edges of the burgeoning spiral, and when the brunette Neuromancer finally emerges from the earth it’s to take out both of the creature’s back legs with a well-timed swipe of the Automata’s blade. It collapses onto its belly, stunned for a half-second before it shakes its head……with a tongue studded with trapped Knightlings and the writhing rounds it swiped from the air mere seconds before, faster than your eye could track.With a supersonic crack the tongue disappears back into its mouth, Dorian’s valiant attempt to sever it missing by a hair’s breadth as he darts past. Its prehensile tongue lashes out again, this time sweeping over its parasitic hangers-on and devouring a host of them in less time than it takes to blink.Claws and spines be damned, that accursed tongue the real threat.“Dorian!” You shout across the space in the hopes of distracting your prey long enough to give the young man his opening. “Watch for the tongue and blast it off whe-“>>NEUROTIC COUNTER: ACTIVATEDThe world around you spins as you’re knocked backwards by the terraformed pillar thrown you out of harm’s way, itself reduced to mere bone and gristle by the Amalgam’s blindingly fast strike. Your fall’s broken by the calcite tree you slam into at the clearing’s edge, and when you right yourself it’s in time to see a bolt of azure lighting lance past the creature’s tongue, the air sizzling as Dorian’s attack surges into and through the muscular whip. In a burst of blood and tissue the thing is severed, an ear-splitting screech echoing through your bones as it howls with pain. You rise with some difficulty, your lungs refilled with the air that was knocked out of them.Without the counter, you’d have been cut it two before you had the chance to scream.(Continued)
>>4044224Between Gina and Dorian, your foe’s stricken with palpable fear, their emotional auras wreaking havoc on any semblance of reason and strategy it may have once possessed. Robbed of its greatest weapon, it flails, twitching in place as its back writhes with a new resurgence of movement. More parasites? No…no, they’re tendrils of some sort, writhing just like……tongues.It’s agonized scream devolves into a frenzied gurgle, its screeching maw yawning wider, ever wider as its body splits down its sides, the creature’s torso blossoming into a flailing mass of twelve tendrils. They’re little more than blurs that lash wildly at the ground and air, carving gashes into both ground and swarmling alike as it begins to consume everything it can reach as you and your allies retreat. Gina slips back underground just in time to avoid a sweeping whip that slashes into and through the honey on its back, taking sweetness and chitin both into its cavernous, mouth-like torso. The charred tongue, the open wounds…it’s with horror that you realize they’re knitting themselves back together, fueled by the biomass it’s ingesting faster than you can stop.It’s eating.It’s healing.“It’s like me!” Holly shouts, scrambling to her feet as the frantically gestures to you with one hand, the fingers of the other squeezing the trigger of the Contender as it roars. “Like us! It’s like it’s got Gluttonous powe-!”Her own tongue’s reaction is the only thing that saves her from getting torn apart, the force of the whip sending her flying into the tree line where she disappears from sight. You scream her name as your blood boils, anger billowing up inside your chest as you round on your foe. It’s a wild animal, denied its forte and forced above ground, and you’ve pushed it into a corner.Forbidden from retreating underground with Neuromancy and Maggot Bombs…the only path left is forward, as it prepares to flee from your relentless assault any way it can.HP: 1620% (+475%, [Dominus: GG & foe] Halo: SPENT)BIO: 2030% (+280%, Rook x1, Plateling x10, Bishop-Succling x1, Knighted-Buzzling x1, Knightlings x19, 32/45. Matron’s)CONTENDER (Gatling): EMPTYRAVENOUS MAW: Primed.HUNDRED-HANDED: 59 Active.ACT: 3/3GINA: 1960% (+180%, Automata, Tollo, Spine, Rebuke, Montags, Halo: PRIMED)DORIAN: 2320% (+575%, Interitus, Lanceam, Hydras, Manus, Halo: PRIMED. CHARGE: 0)HOLLY: 1,441% (RESIST: Heat, Cold. IMMUNE: Acid, CONTENDER (Gatling): EMPTYTHREAT: 12 TENDRILS Remain. Honey Status: Cleared. No Spine Amalgams remain. Dorian’ Toxins: Fully Ingested. Bleed Stacks: 22. Fear Status: Will attempt to flee via the most available path away from both Gina and Dorian, with avoiding Dorian being its priority. RESIST: Heat, Cold, Acid. IMMUNE: Stun, Crushing.>>PLEASE RELOAD BOTH YOU AND HOLLY’S CONTENDERS WITH *3* ROUNDS EACHYOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. I cannot tell you all how much I appreciate you bearing with my unexpectedly busy and chaotic week, and to my amusement I’ve started to empathize with the plight that you’ve subjected Vermilingua to. Thank you for your patience last night and this morning, and I do hope your Friday is going well.)
>>4044227(Also, due to the number of cuts Dorian's opened on the Amalgam and the sheer amount of blood he's siphoning, his defense has gained a considerable boost along with those he buffed himself with earlier via Relic, so he's much sturdier than he would be normally. The bigger the target, the more durable he gets as opposed to fighting human-sized foes.)
>>4044227how well does it appear to be able to move, what with missing its back legs and the spiral?..and now its back legs kicking at it, i guess, unless it ate those too.
>>4044233(It's back legs have been rendered useless, but if what Holly said is any indication, then it may start using its tongues as its primary source of mobility.)
>>4044226Orders;ALL;>Stay out of the Tendrils reach, until such a time as they’re either whittled down or gone.SHU;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.Load up 3 more Honey.>Right, start switching to Banelings, but regardless, with the Drillgam threat gone, have your Swarm do ‘bombing’ runs above the Mole, to rain acid down on it. A constant stream of them falling back to regain their acid at you, then do another pass. It is only resistant to acid, so a constant stream of it should very well start working it down. The swarmlings should also be able to hit it from out of reach, meaning it has no immediate access to new biomass to draw upon.>Only fire the honey rounds if outright necessary to stop it from escaping, or there are no Tendrils left to scoop the honey up.GINA;>Keep on the lookout to keep its Terraforming under control.>hop on out and catch a ride on a Knight, well past its range and get high above it.>Then, utterly drown the Mole in Acid vomit. Yous combined with the Swarms should be able to overpower its resistances too, and turn the ground into harsh terrain for it to try and drag itself through, especially if its melting its tendrils trying to do so.DORIAN;>dont get near it, just build up your charges by getting infront of it, constantly forcing it to try and changes directions to get away from you.>Once you see the Tendrils softened up or gone enough, unleash your lightning into its face.>Only risk another lunge at it, namely, its head, if you are sure no tendrils are left or will catch you, and only after another 300% Health into Speed beforehand.HOLLY;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.>load up 3 more Honey.>Recover, and get back into position.>Keep your Tongue ready to rescue others.>Only fire the honey rounds if outright necessary to stop it from escaping, or there are no Tendrils left to scoop the honey up.
>>4044226I guess we should consider ourselves proud of this. There was nothing about these capabilities in our scouting report, which means this is the first time the Vermilingua's ever been hit hard enough to need to do it. It's completely panicked, pulling out desperation moves it's never had to use before. That's good, in a way. Makes it less predictable, but also less coordinated. >>4044228Okay, that's even better. Running from Gina and Dorian, especially Dorian. And when a target has stacks of the Fear debuff, Dorian can flash-step to their location for free. Hey, speaking of Dorian's movement, him running around the Vermilingua should have it surrounded by a wall of lightning thanks to Neon Jaunt, right? Is it scared enough to power through the electric barrier?
>>4044226Dorian:>Pour 300% health into speed. >Herd the Anteater so that if it does move, it keeps moving straight. >Go into Masque of War form to envelop the Tongues and slice them into oblivion, stay in front of its face to keep it scared and confused. The Anteater will try to swipe at you constantly if you're in its face. Gina:>Lockdown its gluttonous abilities, prevent it from generating any more tongues. stay underneath it underground, keep it from attempting neuromancy, let the maggot mines do the constant damage work.Shu: Refill your swarm, have them screen you as you approach>>Holly:>Reload 3 honeys>>4044227Lovely. Like a good session of efficient Monster hunting like in Monster Hunter. Let me show you how efficient Monster Hunting can get. Video is a speed run on a endgame raidboss that normally takes 25 minutes to kill, this mad team killed it under five minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJRlPsPBtsQ>>4044228Well then. Dorian's learning a thing or two from his waifu. Question: are the tongues generated constructs?
>>4044251>>4044249If the tongues are generated constructs, why not have Dorian teleport onto the anteater's snout and then transform into Masque of War? it will be blinded by terror and will attempt to do all it can to swipe at Dorian with its tongues (due to Dorian having the highest fear priority), meanwhile, masque of war will cull the writhing mass of tongues that the anteater attempts to generate.
>>4044253>Well then. Dorian's learning a thing or two from his waifu. Actually, Dorian's had that for a long time. It's a base effect of Scarlet Terror, that bleeding enemies give him a layer of ablative armor. This is just the first time we've inflicted enough Bleed on a single target for it to get really noticeable.
honestly, not much we can do here folks. until the Tendrils are gone we cant really get close, and those Tendrils are so fast even Dorians having trouble with em, meaning even he would be at pretty big trouble getting near until their at least whittled down.>>4044251i dont think Dorian should be flash stepping towards it til those things are gone.>>4044253>>4044255i dont think he really needs masque form. it covers too big an area and locks his movement options down. he wouldn't be able to corral it as effectively, and would kinda defeat the purpose of either form to constantly be trying to shift between them.that, and with how fast the tongues are, they might be able to dissipate him, which is his biggest weakness in that form.
>>4044251I think its panicked it will likely fell through what it percieves to be the least defended route. >>4044253I dont think we can control which power will be locked down by hijacking it.We locked its terraforming by just hhaving hte better terraformer on our side.>>4044249I think Gina should actually stay underneath it to stop it form terraforming. Popping out is risky. she should stay where its tounges can treach her.
>>4044255>>4044258i mean, keep in mind these things are whipping around it fast enough to give Dorian a run of his money. that cannot be good for mist form abilities and daughters.>>4044259she doesn't need to. she can use Neuromancy from a range. she also has one of the few abilites that can properly take care of the tentacles from a safe distance, which she cant do from underneath it.
>>4044264>>4044259it would be lovely if an instance of TERROR was inflicted on the anteater...And it's a great shame that I have to leave for work in a few minutes. I'll be on mobile and chime in occasionally, but I'll most likely be very busy for the next 7 days...
>>4044249We should probably swap a Bloodline to Holly. Gina doesn't particularly need it but Holly just took a nasty hit and she can't regenerate on combat-effective timescales without the Bloodline connected.
>>4044268would that even work though? its immune to stun, which might include that.
>>4044270true, but Hollys still pretty decent on health and should be one of the ones at the safest distance, now that we know what to expect.but, eh, im indifferent, ill switch it, sure.
>>4044264then she is gonna have to move pretty far to get out of range of the tounges.... Those could mess her up quite badly since she only has one counter she can use.... If more than one tounge would hit her.... well that would probably be that.....God that would be awkward to have to resurect her again.. and keep her body out of the Amalgams jaws.... That woudlnt be fun..>>4044268I hope you will still be able to find some enjoyment in your day... though it sounds like that will bedifficult for youWell see you around>>4044268I think Terror woudl stun it.. which it is immune toOr it may just paralyze it for a turn. which it isnt immune to
>>4044276Giving Holly a bloodline will ensure that even if her spiritshell is destroyed, her dream daughter data remains intact because of bloodline counting as physical contact in safely retrieving a dreamdaughter in a spirit shell.I would like to prioritize safety for everyone. So have everyone (read: Shu and Holly) stay a safe distance while the others can go in and take a risky dive if they like.
>>4044253(They are constructs, yes.) (Also, wow, that speed run. That's incredible, and thank you for sharing!) >>4044251(Indeed, your plan went very well. The Amalgam's completely losing it, and thus it's using abilities it's never had to before since it normally only has to use one tongue and relies on terraforming to fight. Denying it its trump card has crippled it considerably; if you hadn't, this would be a very different fight.) (Additionally, there is a wall active, but if it can't vault over it, then it will simply tank the damage in its haste to flee.) >>4044277(It's immune to Terror, yes.)
>>4044279I think a risky dive is something we dont need. staying at a distanc eis probably the safest betIf someone gets taken out they will probably be swallowed right up by its tounges making retireving them probably impossible.
>>4044277oh, yeah, i plan/want Gina to take a pretty wide Arc here, dont you worry. she just can still do more good now elsewhere, i still think, risk or no risk.>>4044279well, hopefully, all going according to plan, no one will be really taking too big a risk til the tendrils are down.>>4044280oh, and can Dorian at all calculate how much faster than him the Tendrils currently are at all?
>>4044280>>4044277>>4044276Welp, if it's immune to terror, and it's main priority is spending its Actions to Flee, then we should take this to our advantage. Have Gina terraform Barriers for the Ant to crash through while Dorian Herds the Anteater with it's fear aura.
>>4044284well, no ones diving though, least not with the tentacles up... or at all actually.though i guess i do have Dorian potentially going in, but only if its safe.oh, i do have another thing to add to his orders though.
And now I must leave.
>>4044287i dont think thats necessary, nor more important than her helping whittle down the Tentacles and being prepared to keep its Terraforming under control. its trying ot run from Dorian, so he should be able to be a good enough deterrent for it alone.
>>4044280>(Additionally, there is a wall active, but if it can't vault over it, then it will simply tank the damage in its haste to flee.)So it's definitely looking to flee and not fight, and will only attack so far as needed to make space. Okay, we can use that.>>4044290Shu could do it. Current plan only has her using two ACTs (direct Swarm and shoot Contender), she's got a third free to terraform with. We could have her make some spike walls.
>>4044294...why must you people always suggest things only right after i post a new version? i guess, sure, fine.
>>4044226>>4044249Orders, V2;ALL;>Stay out of the Tendrils reach, until such a time as they’re either whittled down or gone.SHU;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.>Load up 3 more Honey.>Switch a Dominous to Holly.>Right, start switching to Banelings, but regardless, with the Drillgam threat gone, have your Swarm do ‘bombing’ runs above the Mole, to rain acid down on it. A constant stream of them falling back to regain their acid at you, then do another pass. It is only resistant to acid, so a constant stream of it should very well start working it down. The swarmlings should also be able to hit it from out of reach, meaning it has no immediate access to new biomass to draw upon.>Try and Terraform walls to Slow down or block off the Moles routes, or at least punish it for staying along a single one.>Only fire the honey rounds if outright necessary to stop it from escaping, or there are no Tendrils left to scoop the honey up.GINA;>Keep on the lookout to keep its Terraforming under control.>hop on out and catch a ride on a Knight, well past its range and get high above it.>Then, utterly drown the Mole in Acid vomit. Yous combined with the Swarms should be able to overpower its resistances too, and turn the ground into harsh terrain for it to try and drag itself through, especially if its melting its tendrils trying to do so.DORIAN;>dont get near it, just build up your charges by getting infront of it, constantly forcing it to try and changes directions to get away from you.>Have Dorian launch out a Long range plethora of Strands, so as the Tendrils flail around they shred themselves to bits going through his net of slicing and dicing. >Once you see the Tendrils softened up or gone enough, unleash your lightning into its face.>Only risk another lunge at it, namely, its head, if you are sure no tendrils are left or will catch you, and only after another 300% Health into Speed beforehand.HOLLY;>Free Rounds; 3 Honey.>load up 3 more Honey.>Recover, and get back into position.>Keep your Tongue ready to rescue others.>Only fire the honey rounds if outright necessary to stop it from escaping, or there are no Tendrils left to scoop the honey up.
>>4044306Looks good to me. Having Dorian weave his Threads in with the tongue-tendrils should sheer them away, they're made for taking off limbs. Actually, if the tongues count as constructs doesn't that mean his anti-construct effects should apply to them? Yeah, they're definitely going to come off, then, Dorian gets a huge bonus to critical chance on panicked enemies and his crits automatically destroy constructs.
>>4044226Supporting >>4044306
>>4044226am >>4044289I approve this plan >>4044306
>>4044226In a single, fluid motion your palm slides past the Contender’s calcite cylinder, siphoning biomass as you reload all six chambers with their squirming, chitinous payloads. Your hive aches as you replenish your swarm’s numbers with newborn Banelings at the same moment a pair of jacks snake out from your arms. With a flick of your wrists their needle-like tips are buried in the ground, and the Fleshscape between you and your target flickers with verdant light.Vermilingua’s flesh is charred and scorched as it surges past the wall of plasma only to run into the walls of pure biomass your Neuromancy erects before it. It’s absolutely frantic, trying to escape your relentless attack as it hauls itself along via its prehensile tongues. Its fear is reaching critical mass, its dozen tongues slashing past the barrier even as its skin sloughs off from the heat of Dorian’s barrier, and you’re too far away from Gina to stop the tongue that’s much too fast for her to dodge.>>NEUROTIC COUNTER: ACTIVATEDA pillar of biomass is annihilated in the same instant it’s erected, and before you can react Holly lunges from the trees, flinging herself at top speed as she catches the tumbling Gina. Your Knightling swoops down and snatches them both from mid-air, taking them skyward for the next step of your plan. A torrent of acid rains down on Vermilingua’s head, courtesy of your freshly-birthed Baneling bombers, followed up by a veritable waterfall of bile from Bella Nervosa’s borrowed power, supplied by a pained Gina.The cascade of corrosion illicits another blinding screech of agony from your target, and as you wince, you see him; Dorian, his form wreathed in vicious arcs of lightning that hiss at the surrounding air. He’s siphoned so much blood from your battered foe that his mass has nearly tripled, and the powerfully muscular oversuit of vital fluids lends him a savage silhouette.“Miss Shu?” He says across the empathic channel, his chillingly cold tone sending a shiver down your spine. “I humbly request that you shield your eyes.”In a flash, he’s gone, reformed into the living bolt of lightning that circles his prey like a transcendent shark. Vermilingua fearfully rears back on bloody stumps as Dorian stops directly in front of it atop the shattered remains of your barrier. For a single, horrified moment, you think that when Dorian’s body unfurls into a cloud of ribbon-like strands that he’s been slashed to pieces before he can move, too slow to react to the Amalgam’s faster-than-eye assault.And then, in the time it takes for you to draw a short, shallow breath……he reminds you what he’s capable of.(Continued)
>>4044547In the place of a dozen lethal tongues now flail a dozen bleeding stumps, their lengths turned to slivers of flesh and mists of blood that billow out like a scarlet fog. The beast is silent, staring down at the limbs it annihilated against the mono-filament cloud that is Dorian’s most destructive form. At once, Dorian coheres just as Vermilingua tumbles backwards, and you can feel what’s about to happen. A chill runs through your body, your hair standing on end as your helmet’s dark visor serves as the only thing that stops you from being utterly blinded.>>ACCUMULATED CHARGE: CRITICAL HITThe sheer, awe-inspiring radiance that explodes from Dorian’s armor shines brighter than November’s ultimate weapon, and with a mind-splitting crack and a peal of merciless thunder half of the Amalgam’s upper body in reduced to nothing but blackened ash and charred flesh.Its resistance to flame is what made it such a formidable threat to your Pyreant allies, but it’s powerless in the face of lightning’s peerless heat. Something that almost seemed designed to combat them is now convulsing from shock and fear as Dorian’s bulky form looms over it, his expression obscured beneath a helm of his prey’s on coagulated blood. A slurry of blood and paint begin to ooze from the things’ orifices and you realize that Dorian’s poison’s doing its work, the seizures that wrack its body keeping it bound in place, mercifully slowed.The Pyreants seek to be something more than what the Crucible molded them to be. Dorian stands high above that which threatened them, his very existence in stark contrast to that which he was once ordered to conform to. You can feel it, the passion that beats within his chest. He knows it. He’s seen the ants, the people of Laoc, and every decent person that he’s met across the Fleshscape fighting against the roles the Crucible demands they play.There are no roles. No shackles. No chains.Only chances.Only choices.The Pyreants want to be more than what they were crafted to be.Alright.For the sake of those who’d dare to be defiant…it’s time to end this.HP: 1620% (+475%, [Dominus: Holly & foe] Halo: SPENT)BIO: 2030% (+280%, Rook x1, Plateling x10, Bishop-Succling x1, Knighted-Buzzling x1, Knightlings x19, Banelings x13, 45/45. Matron’s)CONTENDER (Gatling): B.33 x6RAVENOUS MAW: Primed.HUNDRED-HANDED: NoneACT: 3/3GINA: 1960% (+180%, Automata, Tollo, Spine, Rebuke, Montags, Halo: SPENT)DORIAN: 2320% (+575%, Interitus, Lanceam, Hydras, Manus, Halo: PRIMED. CHARGE: 0)HOLLY: 1,441% (+287, RESIST: Heat, Cold. IMMUNE: Acid, CONTENDER (Gatling): B.33 x6THREAT: 0/12 TENDRILS Remain. Wracked with seizure due to Dorian’s poison. Bleed Stacks: 46. RESIST: Heat, Cold, Acid. IMMUNE: Stun, Crushing.YOU ARE IN CONTROL
(Gentlemen, voting shall remain open for the next three hours. Even at such a low level, I’d like to inform you that the Neurotic Halo’s counter saved you and Gina both from critical hits that would’ve dealt over 3000% and 4000% damage, respectively.)(…Good of you to remember to prime them.)
>>4044556(Apologies, Holly’s HEALTH should read 1728% due to Dominus.)
>>4044556fucking hell. those Tendrils were no damn joke.
>>4044551Orders;SHU;>Use your Swarm and HHs to hold the creature down, with Honey rounds at the ready just incase. Dorian did the heavy lifting here, its his right to honorably end this.GINA;>Keep the Mole locked down, and Terraforming ready to smash it away and the team to safety, incase it has any last tricks up its sleeve.DORIAN;>end this. Put the Mole out of its misery, but with respect. We may of beaten it readily, but it was still a good fight, and deserves it own rest.>Have a anchor point set back though, just incase it has some last kick to it.HOLLY;>Have Honey rounds and your Tongue ready incase the thing pulls any last tricks.well, it certainly didn't go down without a fight, and i can respect that.
>>4044551[Bleed Stacks: 22] -> [Bleed Stacks: 46]Sweet merciful murder... I'm surprised it has any body fluids left! Seconding >>4044577.
>>4044556Thats the Glutonous powers isnt it?Those crit powers are insane.... >>4044551Did Dorian just throw a Saturnian Lightning Bolt?That pure powers feels like something.... out of this world....>>4044551I am also fully supporting>>4044577And you are right as much as i want this thing to suffer for threatening that which our dear daughter holds dear.At this point it would just be cruel of us to extend its misery......But as you pointed out. Stay. Cautios. Dorian
>>4044585(I wish you could see these rolls, because Dorian's been a hilariously efficient murder machine this entire fight.)
>>4044585it will probably bleed out within the next two to three rounds.......without tons of biomass to regnerate its toxic blood made from blood familiars will kill it....
>>4044590yeah, i didn't need to see the rolls to notice that. though, i will say, unlike usually you didn't say the Halos were going off, so i didn't know those hits we took were so powerful. we also didn't get the counter attack out of them either, or the characters commenting on any of that, which seems a bit strange ill admit.
>>4044600those were the neurotic coutner going off....Mabe it has something to stop us form countering it but we could still get our dodge out of it.....WE should be thankful it didnt hit us... it would have just murdered Shu and Gina
>>4044556Well with that in mind, I want one of our party members to stand ready to strike in case it has a last hidden tendril of some sort.
>>4044551>The Pyreants seek to be something more than what the Crucible molded them to be. Dorian stands high above that which threatened them, his very existence in stark contrast to that which he was once ordered to conform to. You can feel it, the passion that beats within his chest. He knows it. He’s seen the ants, the people of Laoc, and every decent person that he’s met across the Fleshscape fighting against the roles the Crucible demands they play.>There are no roles. No shackles. No chains.>Only chances.>Only choices.God damn, Dorian. I love you a little more with every passing day. Seriously, this entire cast is great, but Dorian is easily my favorite. He's this awesome transmasc Victorian gentleman mutant Fist of the North Star character. I never knew I wanted this, but now that I have it I can't imagine a universe where I don't want it.
>>4044551Yeah, >>4044577 is good. Dorian, you're our MVP (though Gina is a close second for her work prepping the fight). Care to finish it off?
>>4044600(True, though I'd meant to imply that the pillars that threw you back were part of the counter-attack. Considering the sheer speed of the actors involved, talking as a free action was something I wanted to cut short to try and emphasize the speed, if that makes sense. As though things were moving so fast that there was no time to react, or fully process what was going on.)(Additionally, the nature of the Halo's counters is something Gina will comment on shortly, due to its unusual nature.)
>>4044645I have noticed that ever since the Yurei fight, the Halos have taken a preference towards terraforming as a way to counter-attack. It used to be with whatever we already had on hand at the time we were hit, but lately it's been terraforming, even for characters like Rath who have no proper Neuromantic abilities. So there's an in-character reason why they've been acting like that? Interesting. Well, I look forward to Gina's explanation.
>>4044645i guess thats alright, and looking back, yeah its a wording thing. you've changed how you were saying the Halos go off drastically, aswell as how you presented them, so because of how you have consistently done it in the past, it did not at all click thats what was happening and i though that was something else of Ginas i was overlooking, especially with it being Terraforming based over the usual.confusing honestly, especially with no real mention or honestly proper way to catch it or why its suddenly changed. honestly i thought we still had them because of that, which, fair a bit on my part, but the drastic and unexplained differences didnt do any favors, which i have to comment on is very, very bad for a game from a mechanical and tactical perspective, especially from the players perspective. doesn't work well to train a player in a game to connect the dots and expect X to be done and signified with something, then change it up without proper warning.
>>4044670(Understood. Thank you for the feedback, I truly appreciate it!)
>>4044670(Devoting a sentence or two to exactly how they felt or looked when the terraforming-based counter went off would've helped, you're right. I'll bear that in mind for the future and the nature of how the Halo's effects are described.)
>>4044675>>4044679(On phone)Yeah, i think it would help, though i understand why you may of tried to focus on other things. Difference i think between running a game and playing a game too. And like i said, i should've caught it, but at the same time, theres so many things to try and keep track of on our end too those little ticks to help alot.Mind you, i understand and respect you have a boatload and a half to deal with on your end, but really, it mostly makes me question how you so rarely make any mistakes as it is when it comes to the overall mechanics. Love the system you have built here, honest, but at the same time it feels like a beast that only grows at times too.
>>4044679Oh, random thought, but how did Amaras playtime go with the little hyena girl?Wait, did we ever get her name actually?
>>4044738We did catch her name, it's Anna, but we did not hear how their playtime went. Presumably well, Amara was in good spirits.
>>4044754Anna right.And its rare not to see Amara in good spirits, but yes, it is a good sign.
>>4044738(Amara's time with Anna went quite well. The Joyous she played with before the Hyenas came to Laoc is actually by her side now, per Amara's instructions to keep her company.)
>>4044917Awwwww. Amara's the best, we should be so proud of her.
>>4044917thats good to hear.we should let Amara know(or Amara ask us herself), its alright to ask for some downtime to play with her friend(s) more often. lord knows shes been through enough to have earned it, though i do understand she both wants to help and seems to understand overall the importance of our objective, even if maybe not all the whys or hows or depths.
>>4044917Aww, our little girl is making friends. That's good. We should arrange excuses for the two of them to spend more time together.
>>4044926yeah, i think its the first living person around her age we have met.well, there was probably some in the Monastery, but besides the fact thats gone, circumstances made it difficult for her to make any friends there. sometimes numbers is actually a detriment to meeting new people in a place.
>>4044929Yeah, pretty sure this is the first living child Amara has met. And actually, the Sororitas were older than her, somewhere around ten to twelve, I think. So first child her age she met at all. That's got to be nice. I don't like that there are children in this horrible nightmare world, but if they can find some normalcy playing with each other I want Amara to meet as many as she can.
(Finishing up writing now, Gentlemen.)
>>4044551Dorian glaces at you over the seizing Amalgam, meeting your gaze through the grille of his coagulate helm. You nod, and then he nods in kind. The young man's sanguine armor congeals into a single, massive executioner's scythe as the beast's body is engulfed with terrain and chitin courtesy of your and Gina's combined efforts."You fought well." He declares, sparks starting to arc around his legs, arm cocked behind him. "Whoever or whatever you were before all this...you have my respect."His single blue eye narrows, focus and duty write large on his features...and then, in a single step, he ends it. The thing first convulses, then freezes in place when a crack of thunder heralds Dorian's arrival on the other side of the prostrate abomination. Azure lightning dances around his form as he flings his arm out, scattering the newly-liquid remains of the scythe across the battlefield. A bubbling line of scarlet ichor blossoms in a ring around Vermilingua's neck, and with a last, final convulsion, its head separates from its body, severed by an immaculate stroke.You started this fight...and Dorian's ended it.>>COMBAT: Ceased>>LEVEL-UP POINTS AVAILABLE: 30It takes a minute or two, but between your swarm and Gina's deft terraforming, you're able to salvage a sizable amount of biomass that hasn't been tainted by Dorian's poison or reduced to stinking pools of liquid meat thanks to your acid. Despite your earlier worries, you're able to get Holly's Spiritus Shell back in top shape, and you're surveying the field to see if there's any more pickings you might've missed when Dorian strides up to you."You know, I was wondering." He says, barely able to hide his smirk. "Why couldn't our hunt have gone as well as that? No Amalgam negotiations, no surprise Daughters, no elemental shenanigans...I'd feel cheated, if I wasn't so relieved." Your reply is an inelegant snort at the memory of that fiasco, prompting Dorian to finally crack a smile. Opening your mouth to reply, your jaw is just left open for a moment when you catch sight of Gina and Holly doing...something? A few dozen meters away from where you and Dorian stand, Holly's backing away from Gina, the brunette insistently pleading with her to let her try something. Once more sharing a look, this time one of curiosity, you and Dorian cross the distance as Gina's requests "You'll be fine Holly, I'm serious!" GG insists with a flustered smile, arms spread wide. "The Halo's counter consistently scales its counters to the severity of the strike, so just a little tap'll be fine!""Girl, it's not me I'm worried abou...Shu!" Holly shouts, turning from the other girl as she walks up to you with faux seriousness. "Could you tell your girlfriend I'm not going to slap the crap out of her with my tongue? Like, please?""...What did I walk into?" You ask earnestly, and Holly just waves her arms at Gina, prompting the Neuromancer to explain after she heaves a sigh.(Continued)