Remove ads

Knight of Dandriss: Stone and Steel

Reader mode
@Academia Nut
Can we get at least the fluff explanations for the options (or at least however much Anna is willing to share with us)? *is* the nightmare cube basically an artificial psychic torture cube?
 
Oh, that was a psychic attack! I thought she just failed to give enough of a shit to save him.
 
[X] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)
[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)
 
Candesce said:
Guesses at the side effects:

When you learn, you're encountering novel input and incorporating it into how you think and act. I'm going to bet the first two are tradeoffs between psy resistance and learning speed. After all, resistance to psy is resistance to changing your mind - and faster learning isn't automatically suppressed when someone tries to "teach" you something unpleasant.

The third, now, I'm betting costs us sleep and possibly sanity. In exchange, it's almost certainly the most powerful psy-defense long term.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You could always take them literally.

The 'Phylactery' upgrade probably offloads a potentially dangerous amount of sensory processing/actual thought to the muse.
The 'Pedagogue' accelerator, or the Pedantic upgrade, seems to be a rote learning tool that dumps several decades of basic education into our head (as well as functioning as eidetic memory). The problems are less obvious, but it's still eidetic memory and a bunch of rote data.
The Nightmare Cube is... well everyone has already taken the most literal interpretation of that one. And given AN basically said that all of these upgrades have side effects, it kind of demands a second look when the cube mentions more.
 
Powerofmind said:
The Nightmare Cube is... well everyone has already taken the most literal interpretation of that one. And given AN basically said that all of these upgrades have side effects, it kind of demands a second look when the cube mentions more.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Like, "how does Ella ever know that she's turned it off?"

None of your descriptions are inconsistent with the side-effects I considered.
 
Last edited:
Academia Nut said:
Probably. Might be better or worse depending on how vivid your imagination over such things is.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I'm thinking something along the lines of a mind reader that spits back your worries and fears in rather vivid ways through dreams. The alternative is that it's perpetually acting as a nagging voice whispering terrible terrible things in our head as long as it's enabled.
 
Academia Nut said:
Technically it was a psychic attack by way of putting a finger on the scale in her mind weighing whether or not to take the risk or accept the loss. Subtle but pretty damn effective in that it is merely biasing thoughts you are already having.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
So, basically what was represented by vote weight fuckery before we all lost our shit about the vote weight fuckery?
 
[X] None (these are all experimental and could have significant unexpected drawbacks, refuse for now)

I'd rather not rely on artificial enhancers so early in the game.

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)

As a Stone, it would be best to pay our respects
 
[X] Phylactery muse extension (+10 to willpower checks; doubles other equipment bonuses vs. psychic powers)

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)
 
[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)

Enhancement to come...

Sivantic said:
[X] None (these are all experimental and could have significant unexpected drawbacks, refuse for now)

I'd rather not rely on artificial enhancers so early in the game.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Technically, it's just an upgrade to an existing artificial enhancement. That said, these particular enhancements are probably like stepping from a cup of black coffee to the same cup, filled with distilled caffeine for a morning pick me up. They both affect your personality, but one has a significantly higher chance of causing a heart attack.
 
[] None (these are all experimental and could have significant unexpected drawbacks, refuse for now)
[x] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)

I might be convinced to take the Cube, instead, but I wasn't kidding about the insanity thing. It's just, if we've actually got reavers fucking with us personally, that's going to be a concern regardless.

Edit: Talked myself into changing my mind.

[x] Phylactery muse extension (+10 to willpower checks; doubles other equipment bonuses vs. psychic powers)

Still might be convinced to the cube, but I don't think returning without a psychic defense of some sort is a good idea.


edit x2:
[] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)
Tactical voting.
 
Last edited:
With our high Reaver interest things are going to be interesting regardless. These could make it an interesting win instead of an interesting loss.
 
Powerofmind said:
Technically, it's just an upgrade to an existing artificial enhancement. That said, these particular enhancements are probably like stepping from a cup of black coffee to the same cup, filled with distilled caffeine for a morning pick me up. They both affect your personality, but one has a significantly higher chance of causing a heart attack.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Black Blood is delicious, so you know.
 
[X] Phylactery muse extension (+10 to willpower checks; doubles other equipment bonuses vs. psychic powers)

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)

Though i'll change the first vote if strategic voting is needed to stop the nightmare cube; i'd rather not get any bonus equipment than deal with that o_O
 
[X] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)

What. This is a thing? I want it.

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)

Abby Normal said:
Though i'll change the first vote if strategic voting is needed to stop the nightmare cube; i'd rather not get any bonus equipment than deal with that o_O
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
EMBRACE THE MADNESS.
 
redzonejoe said:
[X] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)

What. This is a thing? I want it.

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)


EMBRACE THE MADNESS.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Embracing the madness has lead to the death of at least 2 AN quests at this point i'm pretty sure, so... (also just in general, it sounds like a horrible idea likely to lead to off-brand-warp-fuckery)
 
[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)
[X] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)

I've settled on it. Of the three enhancements, only the nightmare cube has an off switch, but it's benefits are permanent and it enhances natural training of the stat dramatically. I'd guess that the problems with it are going to be in the realm of personality disorder traits for middling to high checks, and temporary but severe penalties to other yearly actions on particularly bad ones. There's... some chance of psychic voodoo occurring with extended use, but I wouldn't expect to use it to gain more than 5 total points of willpower in a 10 year period (specifically synergized to stat training for willpower to add an additional 1 willpower (hopeful) to each use, keeping it down to a 2-3 year jaunt rather than 5).
 
Abby Normal said:
Embracing the madness has lead to the death of at least 2 AN quests at this point i'm pretty sure, so... (also just in general, it sounds like a horrible idea likely to lead to off-brand-warp-fuckery)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Age of strife? Nah Mirande wasn't mad, events were just way massive in scope. Dia was temporarily mad and I personally found that section to be very entertaining. The quest survived that part just fine.

Into the Amber Age? Arguably, but again I'd say the exponential power growth is more of a factor than having to write from a messed up 'insane' perspective.

In fact, if anybody is going to make any arguments based on AN's writing on the quest, it should be that AN enjoys writing the madness as much as I love reading it.

It keeps happening, and usually the players don't even choose it. Dia's madness was an unexpected accident. Harzivan's madness was a fear buy we couldn't control.

Hell, Shapers of the apocalypse was a quest dedicated to exploring the concept of terror and madness.

The fact that AN is offering us, on turn 3, a 'You wanna go insane? It'll be fun!' Option should speak volumes.
 
redzonejoe said:
Age of strife? Nah Mirande wasn't mad, events were just way massive in scope. Dia was temporarily mad and I personally found that section to be very entertaining. The quest survived that part just fine.

Into the Amber Age? Arguably, but again I'd say the exponential power growth is more of a factor than having to write from a messed up 'insane' perspective.

In fact, if anybody is going to make any arguments based on AN's writing on the quest, it should be that AN enjoys writing the madness as much as I love reading it.

It keeps happening, and usually the players don't even choose it. Dia's madness was an unexpected accident. Harzivan's madness was a fear buy we couldn't control.

Hell, Shapers of the apocalypse was a quest dedicated to exploring the concept of terror and madness.

The fact that AN is offering us, on turn 3, a 'You wanna go insane? It'll be fun!' Option should speak volumes.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ahh, i misunderstood--i took "madness" to be less actual insanity and more the general high-risk/high-reward options coupled with over the top abilities stuff (still opposed to Nightmare cube on both your definition and mine to be honest :p)
 
[X] Nightmare cube (Guarantees minimum +1 base willpower per year used; greatly improves willpower training; additional side effects when in use)

[X] Stone Reliquary (final resting place of Dia Stone's stasis chamber)
 
Abby Normal said:
Ahh, i misunderstood--i took "madness" to be less actual insanity and more the general high-risk/high-reward options coupled with over the top abilities stuff (still opposed to Nightmare cube on both your definition and mine to be honest :p)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, I see.

Well in my opinion, using the nightmare cube is a kind of 'hero's sacrifice' type thing. We take upon the suffering to better be able to save people. Using the nightmare cube is like going Paladin.

@Powerofmind 's arguments are something I agree with as well; it can be turned off. It's temporary, or at least more temporary than the other options. I'm sure some of the effects might linger... But we can deal with that.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top