Tentatively (ie, well after this fight) and more stat upgrades are available, I think a simpler system for gun balance is to just make it so the minimum weight something can be is 1 (ie, you still have to carry all the stuff in a physical space even if it doesn't weigh much), but that's for later.
Anyways we'll close in 24 hours.
Adhoc vote count started by afreaknamedpete on Mar 1, 2024 at 8:52 AM, finished with 17 posts and 7 votes.
[X]Plan Bringing a Sword to a Gun Fight Now With Less Calories
-[X] Customize Loadout
--[X]Akasha Shield [1 Weight]
--[X] Level 1 Armor
--[X]Gravity Saber [Putana 0 Weight]
--[X]SAA Cavalry [Paladin 0 Weight]
--[X]Garand [Urashima Taro 0 Weight]
--[X]X-CALIBUR [Mithras Liturgy 3 Weight]
--[X]Procyon [Cats of Ulthar 0 Weight]
--[X]Betelgeuse [Nephren-Ka 0 Weight]
-[X] Maximum Sword (Gravity Saber/Putana > Collapse)
I'm literally editing the post as we speak. The exact loadout isn't important for the update, so I don't mind keeping it open, but unless there's a tiebreaker or a major shift in the next hour in the [Cats are Magic] vs [Plan Bringing a Sword to a Gun Fight Now With Less Calories], I'm going to default to the first plan in the event of a tie.
[X]Plan Bringing a Sword to a Gun Fight Now With Less Calories
-[X] Customize Loadout
--[X]Akasha Shield [1 Weight]
--[X] Level 1 Armor
--[X]Gravity Saber [Putana 0 Weight]
--[X]SAA Cavalry [Paladin 0 Weight]
--[X]Garand [Urashima Taro 0 Weight]
--[X]X-CALIBUR [Mithras Liturgy 3 Weight]
--[X]Procyon [Cats of Ulthar 0 Weight]
--[X]Betelgeuse [Nephren-Ka 0 Weight]
-[X] Maximum Sword (Gravity Saber/Putana > Collapse)
Bullet of Bullets - TURN 08
<ENDO: We've just received a response from a ZASKAR GM. It appears the Satellite Scan is malfunctioning, and they're working hard to find the source of the error. For those of you just tuning in, the current official player count is at 28, not 30. Itsuki was killed at the opening bell, and XYZ fell to a grenade shortly after. Strangely the player Kuro, already infamous for winning against 『 』via disqualification, is nowhere to be seen...>
<KOBAYASHI: Argh, talk about bad luck! If this doesn't get fixed soon it'll spoil the whole tournament! The Satellite Scan isn't perfect, from the first BoB players discovered that hiding underwater prevents the scan from detecting your location, so perhaps Kuro is doing something similar? Though I can't imagine any system creating multiple error contestants...>
You try to ignore the constant buzzing in your ears from the running commentary. As a side perk from turning into a... cat... your highly sensitive ears have become extremely adept at picking out noise, to the extent that you've started to notice the commentary track playing in the background. Your ArFa body was likely receiving the signals meant for spectators, but it took your transformation's heightened sense to finally notice. It's a convenient if not distracting discovery.
What isn't convenient is your inability to speak, fight, or do anything that doesn't involve being a cat.
See, you've found Sinon. She's already tried to shoo you away, and when that didn't work she just laid down back in her sniper's nest and resolved to ignore you. So now here you stand, a powerless cat, so short you can't even see anything beyond Sinon's butt.
...
This is the most anticlimactic way to start a duel in the history of mankind.
But for once you have the initiative. And you're going to do what you came here to do—
Defeat Sinon.
You stalk closer to her, your current form making it far easier to approach. Already you sense some strange power saturating the air around her, and it reminds you in no small part of another opponent you so recently faced.
Sugou. Not the radiant armor of OBERON but the man himself, calling upon the power of Persona, somehow manifested in the hands of that twisted man.
How does one gain the power of the Persona? ETTEILLA was the source of your powers. Gwen seemed to draw hers from an entirely different source, one that allowed her to call upon Daji even in the absence of a NerveGear. Sugou learned from you. With the ultimate power of the SEED in his hands, mimicking your abilities was the least of the possibilities before him.
But then there were those you couldn't explain.
Kyouji. A phantom sensation, a strange clown covered in mud and filth, making mirth at the boundless cruelty of life.
And you see it here too, within Sinon. Something... other.
<ENDO: Oh! And there goes Ten-Q, splattered against the very sandbag he was hiding behind! XeXeeD's been on an absolute tear this tournament, that's the second kill he's confirmed thus far and the tournament has just gotten started!>
<KOBAYASHI: Seriously, Ten-Q had it coming for picking such low cover! The XM29 fires programmable munitions that can detonate in mid-air. It's practically designed to hit targets behind cover. XeXeeD's often been thought of as『 』's biggest challenger and his current high-explosives centric build is custom-made to counter『 』's preternatural evasion skills. But with the champ a no-show, can anyone hope to stop XeXeeD's rampage!?>
Your time is running short.
You need to strike. And you need to strike now!
Bones pop, joints realign, and flesh makes way for metal and cloth. Sinon, eyes staring through her scope, is completely oblivious to the creature rapidly expanding behind her. You launch yourself, half-cat and half-android, caught in between the changes made by Urmetazoan. Your limbs unfurl with a metallic snap and the sparks groan when you extend your arm, reaching into your half-formed coat for the one melee weapon you brought to this duel.
System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Pūtanā]. ReferenceID:12.Droit
Poison courses through your circuits. Your lips part into a snarl of razor-sharp teeth and synthetic meat. The Rakshasa within howls in anticipation at the carnage, your Persona spilling from its sealed blade and wrapping your very body with the hunger of a demon. The tiny claws on your cat form elongate into razor-sharp nails, yellowed and jagged, as you twist into a fusion of machine, animal, and demon.
Sinon, still unaware of the monster that's planted itself firmly behind her, suddenly gasps as her instincts finally come online. What she sees when she finally turns and beholds you mid-transformation is something you'll never know, but by the shock and fear on her face you can guess she'll never look at cats the same way again.
"Ku-" The unspoken word is cut short, the Gravity Saber is held out to your side like a simple club, all the grace and finesse of the original blunted under your sheer power. You open your mouth and release only Putana's feral growl, the last vestiges of your cat form melting away, leaving only a demon made of iron.
Sinon jumps forward, trying to roll away from you, but you're too close, and she's been caught completely flat-footed.
The Gravity Saber shoots forward, driven by the force of the Rakshasa's power. It glows with a strange, dark purple energy, the power to cut through even starship metal alighting on its surface. With one strike you plan on splitting her down the middle, a reminder to her that for all her vaunted 'strength' there will always be someone better.
Someone stronger.
"I refuse to lose... to YOU!"
And then your sword is stopped.
It's simple steel and plastic, without even a fraction of Starship Metal to its name. Yet it's enough to stop your opening blow. Sinon is holding out her anti-material rifle like a spear, the soft and delicate metal concentrated with an aura of pure darkness. It feels empty and cold, and you feel your strength leave you just from the proximity.
You lean all your weight into your blade, trying to seize control of your Persona. But in the throes of violence, all you manage is a roar of defiance. No matter, in this you and Putana are aligned. Sinon must die for her to be saved, and you will not let her escape!
"GRAAAH!"
You unleash your full strength, cutting toward Sinon with all your might. Your arms seem to creak and strain, the pressure threatening to strain and burst, but find yourself still unable to break through her gun. With one last howl, you swing the Gravity Saber high into the air, ripping the space around it asunder— and flinging her anti-material rifle down the cliffside.
"H-hecate...!"
Sinon's eyes widen with shock as her shield is knocked aside. She backpedals, desperate to increase the distance between you. But it's too late as with a heavy flash of blue-green energy, you slam the Gravity Saber into the earth, rending the rocky earth into a cloud of sand and blasting Sinon with a shockwave of force.
System Call: Reactivating feature[Sword Skill]. Category:[Mace] ID:[Collapse]
She's tossed violently through the air, crashing through a dead tree and rolling down the hill, further off the side. You pursue her into the wasteland, bounding off of rocks and debris in pursuit of your foe. Every second that passes is one where she can increase her distance from you, and if you let Sinon retreat to her preferred range you'll be a sitting duck for the sniper.
Already she's clambered to her feet. You've disarmed her of her main weapon, and she wildly fires her sidearm as you bear down on her, the bullets flying harmlessly to your side as she rushes desperately through the field of jagged rocks to escape you.
There's a clearing up ahead. Speed is hardly your strong suit, but neither is it Sinon's. For a sniper that was dependent on repositioning, she doesn't run much faster than an ordinary teenager, and in a dead sprint, you'll soon close the distance.
The pound of gunfire punctuates Sinon's steady retreat, but her blindfire doesn't do more than kick up dirt in the air. She lost the moment she let you get close— the entire gameplan of a sniper hinges around not letting the opponent come close, and you've already invalidated Sinon's sole advantage.
"There's nowhere left to run Sinon!"
The words flying from your mouth are filled with bloodlust. Even you're shocked by its intensity. Sinon has built up this fantasy of strength, one that you're eager, no, gleeful to shatter. All those feelings of powerlessness you felt against XeXeeD melt away as you bear down on Sinon, power coursing through your body. The shadows of rocks flicker around you, the Rakshasa's shadow seeming to grow before your eyes as you rush headlong into combat.
But Sinon is no longer running. Her back has reached the river's edge, and she's out of places to scurry. Your chase has taken you down the mountains, heading east towards the woodland region. There's a bridge to the north, and despite being out of safe places to escape Sinon is backing up into the river. Her feet and ankles are covered by the rushing rapids, and she's a half step from being pulled in the current. Yet she's she's facing you, resolute, pistol held out her in hand, and strangely you realize that isn't being pointed at you.
"I shouldn't have underestimated you Hiyori... no, Kuro. You certainly don't waste any time." Sinon calls across the clearing, clutching her pistol like a lifeline.
"I told you I'd be coming for you, Shino. Why don't you spare me the trouble and just surrender?"
There's not a hint of surrender in her voice. "You're strong, Kuro. Even in GGO your power is amazing, though I shouldn't have expected otherwise. But I'm not the weak bullied girl who needs to be rescued anymore. I don't need you to save me, I don't need anyone to save me!"
The sky seems to darken. Shadows elongate and something starts gathering around Shino, around her gun. You wince, trying to drown out your building headache. You already wasted a lot of spiritual energy chasing Sinon, and now you can see the camera drones circling overhead. You've attracted the attention of the spectators.
<ENDO: And we have another encounter in the south! Sinon, the contestant who scored first blood in the BoB, was just chased out of her nest by the newcomer! How did Kuro escape the Satellite Scan? No one knows!>
<KOBAYASHI: This Kuro's a completely new player and— get this — fought and defeated XeXeeD in a grudge match on her first day! Is she a wallet warrior? Or just that good!? Let's find out!>
You ignore the rambling of the commentators and the steadily growing pain in your temple. This close you recognize Sinon's sidearm— a Type 54 Black Star, the same model as the pistol Itsuki gifted you. That strange feeling you received from Sinon, that sense of hidden power.
It's coming from... that gun?
"I want you to know something, Kuro. Before I finish this."
The roar of the river seems to grow behind Sinon, and you feel the darkness building around you. The air grows cold around you, that strange ice-chill that surrounded her anti-material rifle making itself known, smothering even the heat you feel from your Gravity Saber.
"For years I was scared. Of this gun, of... everything. But Endou already told you everything, didn't she? My past, my... triumph. Well, there's one detail that even she never confirmed. Do you know what this is, Kuro?"
Red eyes stare back at you. For the briefest moment, you find yourself paralyzed, unable to step forward. A memory of when you were weak, when you were prey, rising unbidden to the forefront of your mind.
Shadows thicken, like that day all those months ago when you first found Gwen. They coalesce around that gun, a copy of the one you received from Itsuki.
"This is the gun that has killed a man."
The chilly air sizzles with energy, and with every utterance ice is replaced with fire, as Sinon speaks with pride.
"I thought I was cursed. I thought I feared this gun. I thought... I was weak." Sinon's eyes alight with the promise of violence. "But now? Now I remember. When I pulled the trigger and saw the man's head splattered across the ground, do you know what it felt like? It felt like ecstasy. Control. STRENGTH!"
The Black Star glistens in the setting sun. Sinon cradles the weapon, the strange pistol covered in a growing layer of shadow, fire and ice. Sinon's muffler floats around her, wafting in the growing storm, and the shadows over Sinon seems to stretch further and further across the river.
"I'm going to win this fight, Kuro." Sinon's lips twist into a sharp smile, her teal eyes filling with a solid red light. "Because I have seen death firsthand. I have delivered it to those deserving of it. I am Shino no longer! I am weak no longer!"
She laughs, a booming cackle that echoes over the roaring river. The shadows swirl in a maelstrom, the air freezing and heating up all at once, as Sinon is obscured beneath a strange writhing smoke. And through the flickers of the abyss, you can see it.
Sinon, the Black Star pistol pointed at her head in some macabre ritual. Though you don't recognize the gesture you feel every Persona hiding within your soul bristle in recognition. The world understands the significance of the gun's position better than you ever will.
"Stop, do you even know what you're—" you call out, but your voice is drowned out by Sinon's screams.
"I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO LAY MY LIFE ON THE LINE! I AM NO LONGER AFRAID KURO! I NO LONGER FEAR DEATH BECAUSE I AM ITS DELIVERER!"
With a cry of demonic fervor, Sinon pulls the trigger.
"I AM DEATH GUN!"
*BANG*
System Call: Incarnate DEATH GUN [FREISCHÜTZ AIMOPOTIS] ReferenceID:11.Droit
Shadows explode from the muzzle, the sound of shattering glass announcing the arrival of a creature from beyond. Sinon drops the Type 54 handgun to her side, her soul spilling from the phantom wound in her head. All at once the power gathering around her rushes towards you in torrents of energy, washing over you in a flood of shadow.
But the power isn't attacking you. It's going around you, twisting, bending... seeking something... behind you.
*BANG*
System Call: Generate Cryogenic Element. Form Element, Bullet shape. Fly straight. Discharge.
You launch yourself to the side as a blue bolt of light tears through the air, the bullet striking the very spot where you stood moments before. Instantly the area is flash frozen, ice coating and hardening in the dust kicked up from your violent retreat. It all happened so fast that you could barely register it. Did Sinon just fire a... magic bullet at you?
Just like you. Just like...
It's behind you. A full kilometer away, a monster stalking you from within a bank of frozen fog. It wears a tattered cloak stained with the scent of spilled blood. Red Eyes track you through the haze that surrounds the monster, and in its hands it brandishes an ugly black weapon that you suddenly realize is Sinon's anti-material rifle, the Hecate II, the one you knocked down the side of the cliff at the start of the fight, now animated by some strange power.
Frozen bullets. Power manifesting through a gun...
A Persona.
Or something worse.
"Don't look away Kuro. Because your opponent is me."
You refocus on the opponent in front of you. In Sinon's arms lies another sniper rifle. Smaller, sleeker, yet just as lethal as the anti-material rifle currently aimed at your back. You're not certain how Sinon's Persona works, but it's already caught you in the middle of a pincer attack.
"I will kill anyone that gets in my way. I will kill everyone in GGO. And I will never be a victim ever again!"
You won't be cowed. So you answer in kind. "Then I'm going to stop you. Right here, and right now."
Sinon snorts and levels her new sniper rifle at you. Her entire body is currently suffused with a coating of ice, and you see it creeping into the river itself, forming frozen islands around her feet and ankles.
"Then I suppose you'll have to kill me, Kuro. Enough talk! Let's see which one of us is the «Real Deal»!"
Kuro uses Collapse! With ADVANTAGE!
6 STR + 5 ACCURACY = 11 dice
Kuro rolls 11d6e4 = 3 1 2 4⊕ 5⊕ 6⊕ 5⊕ 5⊕ 1 4⊕ 2 → 6 successes against 4
Aimopotis attacks from afar. Uses Freeze Shoot
2 MAG + 4 ACCURACY + 1 Real Deal - 1 System Crash = 6 dice
Aimopotis rolls 6d6e5 = 4 4 4 2 6⊕ 4 → 1 success against 5
Kuro cannot use VIT against an Anti-Material Rifle!
2 AGI = 2 dice
Kuro rolls 2d6e5 = 5⊕ 6⊕ → 2 successes against 5
<KOBAYASHI: So uh... are you following this? Is this GGO!? Did we somehow end up in ALO all over again!?>
<ENDO: Y-your guess is as good as mine. Contestant, Sinon appears to have, uh, summoned an enemy Stand? Didn't we see something like this back in ALO as well? Do you think it's some kind of SEED default?>
<KOBAYASHI: It's probably just a fad, ZASKAR trying to capture some of that ALO popularity. Hey, I'm all for it, regular guns are boring after this long. Bring on the magic weapons! How will the added element of magic affect the GGO metagame? What an exciting time to be in the Bullet of Bullets!>
<ENDO: Pay close attention to the terrain. Kuro managed to push Sinon to the edge of the river, but do you see all that ice now coating the battlefield? I think that river may not be as insurmountable as it appears...>
<KOBAYASHI: Huh, ice magic? Convenient, when next to water. But is that the extent of Sinon's Stand Power!? And is she setting a trap with that frozen river...? Tune in next week to find out!>
<ENDO: By next week we mean in the next 10 seconds, because it looks like Kuro is starting to move!>
IMPORTANT RESOURCES
DETERMINATION: 25
MISTCOIN: 2
CATS OF ULTHAR : 2 Currently Spawned (VERY FAR away, but can teleport with certain abilities)
Sinon appears moderately damaged.
Sinon has equipped the PGM Mini-Hecate Sniper Rifle!
Death Gun Aimopotis has manifested behind you, and is currently wielding the PGM Hecate Anti-Material Rifle!
Sinon possesses the passive: [Hawkeye]. So long as she maintains a direct line of sight with you, she gains +2 Accuracy per turn!
Sinon appears to manipulate the ICE element!
Death Gun Aimopotis appears to manipulate the ICE element!
[Hawkeye]: So long as you maintain a direct line of sight with your target, gain +2 Accuracy per turn. All bonuses are reset if you break line of sight. «Real Deal: Aspirant»: You understand life is nothing more than meat, blood and bone. +1 DICE on all rolls in combat against opponents who do not possess any variation of the «Real Deal» trait.
[Duck and Dash 1]: You may choose to DASH during combat, surrendering safety for speed. Thus turn Movement is increased by +2 but you cannot otherwise act or fire your weapon. Enemy OVERWATCH and other forms of reactionary fire attacks with ADVANTAGE if triggered by your dash.
K = KURO's position [16/16 HP] [5/10 SP]
D = SINON's position [4 DAMAGE accumulated]
A = Aimopotis's position
R = RIVER terrain (cannot cross unless frozen or flown over).
Currently, the RIVER is unfrozen.
Order of Operations:
1d6 + AGI to roll initiative.
First on initiative MOVES and FIRES. Then everyone takes turns.
Then the turn repeats.
TWO TURNS WILL BE SIMULATED
DO YOU ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE IN DIPLOMACY? [Free Combat Banter]
[ ] Try to talk to Sinon. WRITE-IN speech.
WHAT DO YOU DO?
[ ] This town ain't big enough for both of us Turn 1 and 2: Paladin > If in range, Twin Shot. If out of range, Embracer.
Cast All Abilities of Sinon, and attempt to move closer to Sinon every turn
[ ] Maximum Cat Turn 1 and 2: Cats of Ulthar > Spend 1D to Summon Cat x 3 > Spend 5D to Prayer of Menes
Cast All Abilities on Aimopotis, and attempt to move closer to Aimopotis every turn
[ ] Defensive Rush Turn 1 and 2: Urashima > Vorpal Blade > Vorpal Blade
Cast All Abilities of Sinon, and attempt to move closer to Sinon every turn
[ ] Speedtuning Turn 1 and 2: Mithras > Masukukaja > Tarukaja
Attempt to move closer to Sinon every turn
[ ] River what river? Turn 1: Nephren-Ka > Spend 1 STRESS to cast Ragnarok (will evaporate the river) > Putana > Collapse
Attempt to move closer to Sinon every turn
[ ] Free Command
-Write in what you want to do!
(Remember you can still EVADE!)
[ ] STUNT [5 DETERMINATION+]
Do something outside the rules and perform a *COMPLEX* write-in option. Do something unexpected that's BEYOND just talking to your opponent or directing your party members!
If we cause the river to evaporate, what does that mean for the battlefield? Does it become passable, or is the river deep enough that Sinon and/or us can't cross it (based on Sinon's interlude, fall "damage" causes the player to be stunned for a period of time.) Because if it really traps Sinon there I'm inclined to do it and show her how outclassed she really is here. But if it simply makes it passable as if it had been frozen, no point to that, I think.
Given that 4 HP is translated as Sinon being "moderately damaged" I'm tentatively placing her HP at 10ish (total, so I'd guess she's at 6/10 right now.) If we can corner her here by burning the river I'm inclined to just ignore her Persona right now and rush her down. If not... I'll have to think about it some more.
Cats of Ulthar AND Paladin are both weak to ice. Joy. We should have taken the Nambu Cosmo Navy-we'd have the benefit of Undine's immunity to ice AND our pistol training.
Question, does using a gun also give us that Persona's resistances, even if we don't use any of that Persona's skills?
Also, if we get into melee range with Sinon, when Aimoptis moves back into range, will it have to aim more carefully for fear of hitting Sinon?
Regardless, here's a plan:
[X] You're not going anywhere
-[X] Stunt
--[X] Move forward and try to tackle Sinon to the ground-make a mess of it and either kick up a cloud of dust water or at least make it so you can pull on her hair as a legitimate attack
--[X] During the initial attempt to close the gap, channel Urashima Taro to be immune to Aimoptis' ice attacks
--[X] If Aimoptis is not deterred by dust or risk of hitting Sinon, keep channeling Urashima Taro
--[X] If Sinon breaks free and freezes the river to try and cross it, try to break the ice with Feral Claw. If not feasible, use Prayer of Menes targeting Sinon
--[X] If Sinon is not able to break free or Aimoptis is deterred by dust splashing water or risk of hitting Sinon, channel Paladin and hit her with Embracer
Essentially, the conceit of my plan is to beat the crap out of Sinon while she's at close range, and prevent her from gaining any distance (hence, the stunt) so that neither she nor Aimpotis can gain any advantages. Given that she needed Aimpotis to carry literally anything else other than the PGM Hecate, 4 STR (1 native + 3 from Urashima Taro) should be enough to take her on, and it's not like Aimoptis can help Sinon aside from shooting at us with ice, which we'll be immune to initially.
Only flaw I can think of is that freezing the river freezes it all the way through, which means breaking the ice would be pointless, but that's why I have us use Prayer of Menes as a last resort.
I just hope this plan isn't trying to do too much at once, and opinions are welcome.
Edit: Changed intent of kicking up dust to splashing water, hopefully for the same effect.
[X]Plan Burn Away The Lies
-[X] Try to talk to Sinon.
--[X]"Don't need anyone to save you, huh? See who's the "Real Deal?" Why bother? I already know you're the fake. That Death Gun cosplay you have back there? Just a pretender. Looks like you had a run-in with him, though, huh? Well, hate to break it to you, but you're not Death Gun. The "Real Deal" did enter the tournament though, maybe if you paid more attention you'd have seen him in the lobby. And what's more, he and I go way back, so honestly your whole make-believe here is just kinda embarrassing, you know? So let's just get this over with because he's the one I gotta deal with and it'd be a pain if he went and got away while I had to listen to your chunni shit."
--[X]River what river?
Conceptually I'm approaching this similar to how we did OBERON - use our free talking action to pressure Sinon. I feel bad being this harsh with her because ultimately what she needed was help and support and just simply did not get it from her family or society which instead just mistreated her. I'd absolutely like to help her but right now I think the best thing to do is tear down her fiction so she might actually accept that help and support once we're back in the real world. We just saw Death Gun/XaXa at the BoB Lobby so Hiyori should be able to make the connection when seeing how Sinon's Persona is very obviously based on him. So we can point out that her obsession with doing everything herself is a lie because this is clearly borrowed power in some fashion and more than that we are uniquely able to call her shit on being Death Gun because he was literally our ex-colleague. So call out the lie and tell her while she's LARPing Death Gun we know the guy so she can miss us with this "Real Deal" shit.
Then, once we're done dismissing her fantasy, see if she still feels like the Black Star makes her feel "control" when we just burn the river out from behind her and march down on her when she has nowhere to run.
Yes, this leaves Aimoptis free to shoot at us and no I'm not thrilled about that, but I'm banking on the hope that defeating Sinon wins the encounter for us. If nothing else, it'll let us deal with one end of the pincer if it does not. Not super happy about taking another point of STRESS but I think this is the fastest (and most theatrical) way to deal with her.
Well, shit. This isn't an ideal situation. With that rifle at our back, our VIT dice are useless on the defense against Aimopotis. Paladin and Cats are both too risky to use in a 2v1 without backup, and we've no stress-free fire magic without Gwen to help us.
Sinon's currently standing up to her ankles in the river. I'm not sure that tackling her ATM will produce a dust cloud like you want. If your intent is to break LOS with the dust, perhaps we could use Stunt to shoot some of Lugh's flares behind us to create a brush fire?
I'd argue that now is the perfect time to get into a knock-down, drag-out fistfight with Sinon.
Think about it:
If we tackle her to the ground and grapple with her, she'll be too occupied getting us off her to do anything else.
Aimoptis COULD freeze the river while we're grappling, but that would just lock us both in place until either us or Sinon breaks through the ice. That, or give us the advantage since we have other Personas we can use.
Sinon is a pure sniper build. Thus, she has no experience with or expectation of hand-to-hand or close quarters combat. I don't know how much Hiyori's experience with SAO and ALO applies here, but it's probably more than what Sinon has to work with, which is approximately next to nothing in this department.
[X] Smash, Grab, and Cat.
-[X] Use Putana and the Gravity Saber to cast Collapse on the ground tearing up as much dust, dirt, and debris to obscucate yourself from both Sinon and Aimoptis.
-[X] Switch to Urashima Taro to use and attack Sinon from the side, try to position yourself around Sinon to use her as a human shield.
-[X] If this fails activate the Prayer of Menes to dogpile Sinon.
Similar to theguynamedwafer's but I think using Putana's absurd strength to kick up a smokescreen makes a better distraction to set up our blitz.
[X] Smash, Grab, and Cat.
-[X] Use Putana and the Gravity Saber to cast Collapse on the ground tearing up as much dust, dirt, and debris to obscucate yourself from both Sinon and Aimoptis.
-[X] Switch to Urashima Taro to use and attack Sinon from the side, try to position yourself around Sinon to use her as a human shield.
-[X] If this fails activate the Prayer of Menes to dogpile Sinon.
Poison courses through your circuits. Your lips part into a snarl of razor-sharp teeth and synthetic meat. The Rakshasa within howls in anticipation at the carnage, your Persona spilling from its sealed blade and wrapping your very body with the hunger of a demon. The tiny claws on your cat form elongate into razor-sharp nails, yellowed and jagged, as you twist into a fusion of machine, animal, and demon.
You unleash your full strength, cutting toward Sinon with all your might. Your arms seem to creak and strain, the pressure threatening to strain and burst, but find yourself still unable to break through her gun. With one last howl, you swing the Gravity Saber high into the air, ripping the space around it asunder— and flinging her anti-material rifle down the cliffside.
"I thought I was cursed. I thought I feared this gun. I thought... I was weak." Sinon's eyes alight with the promise of violence. "But now? Now I remember. When I pulled the trigger and saw the man's head splattered across the ground, do you know what it felt like? It felt like ecstasy. Control. STRENGTH!"
Ah, so her corrupted Arcana is Strength not Justice. It does fit in that the Real Deal state actually perfectly mirrors Ainz and the Reversed Arcana. Both Sinon and Satoru think they're strong in their avatars but all they're really doing and mindlessly tossing their power around thinking killing people will validate them and give them self-worth.
The Black Star glistens in the setting sun. Sinon cradles the weapon, the strange pistol covered in a growing layer of shadow, fire and ice. Sinon's muffler floats around her, wafting in the growing storm, and the shadows over Sinon seems to stretch further and further across the river.
While our ice weakness has been mentioned I think it should be safe to assume that Sinon can use Fire and Curse skills as well given how Aimopotis is some kind of boss monster Persona.
She laughs, a booming cackle that echoes over the roaring river. The shadows swirl in a maelstrom, the air freezing and heating up all at once, as Sinon is obscured beneath a strange writhing smoke. And through the flickers of the abyss, you can see it.
Sinon, the Black Star pistol pointed at her head in some macabre ritual. Though you don't recognize the gesture you feel every Persona hiding within your soul bristle in recognition. The world understands the significance of the gun's position better than you ever will.
Yeah, I'm sure now, this is really reminding me of the JOKER Persona infection in Eternal Punishment. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll be fighting multiple Death Guns each with their own version of the Freeshooter Persona.
<KOBAYASHI: It's probably just a fad, ZASKAR trying to capture some of that ALO popularity. Hey, I'm all for it, regular guns are boring after this long. Bring on the magic weapons! How will the added element of magic affect the GGO metagame? What an exciting time to be in the Bullet of Bullets!>
While our ice weakness has been mentioned I think it should be safe to assume that Sinon can use Fire and Curse skills as well given how Aimopotis is some kind of boss monster Persona.
Yeah, I saw that mention of fire and wondered a bit. I still feel like Sinon's internal dialogue suggest fire could be a weakness of hers, but this mention here got me thinking she may have those same elements as well - wouldn't be completely unprecedented to have a Persona that uses the element it's weak to.
Bless looks like it'd be a good bet for weakness without any hedges but "whoops" I'll take that L. But yes, the Ice weaknesses of Cats and Paladin were things I noticed during the loadout vote. Kind of fell like my original "all the guns" setup may have been better here but oh well.
I didn't even see it as a parody of the method, she's straight-up using the Evoker summoning method on instinct. Sinon's backstory and trauma is pretty heavily intermingled with death. If anything, I'd say the parody/twist to it being used here is that in Persona 3 it was more confronting mortality and using the extreme emotions involved in that to facilitate Persona summoning (I think. I swear there's like alternate explanations for "how/why do Evokers work" in both The Answer and supplemental material that while not necessarily mutually exclusive make it way more complicated than it had to be) while for Sinon it's more celebrating death. Kinda feels Strega-esque to me, at least in philosophy, though they were more nihilistic but still.
