I know Robinton has already spoken, but I just want to point out that this seems like something that would take multiple stages to pull off effectively (as in (1) move, (2) have motions fully under control and at will, (3) move over to where the monster is or hope that the monster comes to you, (4) hope that your movements are better than the monster's movements, etc.). I don't know if it's the best idea to try during this combat situation, but it's definitely a good idea to prepare for future combat situations.
TreeQuest: Magitech (Riot Quest)
Ylamona
Konlulu~
It really doesn't have to be complicated, humans and animals have died for less after all~ Little by little will become a lot, I don't even need full range motion either. Just need to be flexible yet strong enough to strangle things, not only living things but maybe inanimate ones too~
Sir Plusse
Overly Vicious Quester
- Location
- Kansas
Just occurred to me, but how about Commander Tree?
We'll probably get more magical research options once we manage to finish researching Basics of Magic. It should be easier to experiment then.
Oh, that is a good one.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
[x][Tree] Mind Tree
[x][Action] Sword Targeting (Communication)
[X][Focus]Stress-Test Throwing Spikes
[X][Focus]Stress-Test Throwing Spikes x2
This seems fun.
Joining as Mind tree, gonna try to help talk to the humans.
[x][Action] Sword Targeting (Communication)
[X][Focus]Stress-Test Throwing Spikes
[X][Focus]Stress-Test Throwing Spikes x2
This seems fun.
Joining as Mind tree, gonna try to help talk to the humans.
The Ballad of Arthur Scrat, part 2
[X][Action] Stockpile Thorns (Defense)
[X][Focus] Sword Targeting (Research)
[X][Focus] Sword Targeting (Research) x2
[X][Tree] Eldest Tree
Victim now to diminution
'at slime-backed beast of wastrel pond
Racked our boughs 'ere we abscond
Slither'd in, the spineless wretch
Edgy fragrance 'is formless fetch
Ophio-taurus or devoid phylum?
Gauzy rot forged fell eidolon
Viral green spread fortress-gleam
Tampered roots in thorn-brush seam
Pelted ratty, raw afield
The beast a-screamed, but did not yield
A farthing blow each wind meanders
Worn down to bolt and thatch an' dander
Trees psithur and thither, o' pallor an' vat
Then along came Arthur Scrat
[X][Focus] Sword Targeting (Research)
[X][Focus] Sword Targeting (Research) x2
[X][Tree] Eldest Tree
This most noble institution
Victim now to diminution
'at slime-backed beast of wastrel pond
Racked our boughs 'ere we abscond
Slither'd in, the spineless wretch
Edgy fragrance 'is formless fetch
Ophio-taurus or devoid phylum?
Gauzy rot forged fell eidolon
Viral green spread fortress-gleam
Tampered roots in thorn-brush seam
Pelted ratty, raw afield
The beast a-screamed, but did not yield
A farthing blow each wind meanders
Worn down to bolt and thatch an' dander
Trees psithur and thither, o' pallor an' vat
Then along came Arthur Scrat
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If you want to vote for the same Focus twice, you need to add "x2" or "again" at the end of the second one in order for the vote tally to pick it up.
I'm not going to do an analysis of how the votes are going because this vote is a lot more complicated than usual, but here are the votes so far in case anyone is interested.
Vote closed
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
May I just note that this is the first time we've had more than 33 votes in a turn? We've been bouncing around that threshold since Turn 6, and had 33 exactly 3 different times, and now we've finally broken that threshold!!!
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Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
Ah, so that's what it feels like to have the first invasion die in 1 combat round. I had wondered. Many sympathies, @Raising Kittens.
(I briefly considered doubling the monster's HP and upping the possible rewards, to extend combat. But sometimes fights are anticlimactic; that's part of life, and it should be part of fiction too.)
(I briefly considered doubling the monster's HP and upping the possible rewards, to extend combat. But sometimes fights are anticlimactic; that's part of life, and it should be part of fiction too.)
Sir Plusse
Overly Vicious Quester
- Location
- Kansas
Did we at least need to use the sword for it, or did we kill it with our throwing spike experiments? Either way, I'd have to say it got rekt.
- Location
- some computer lab
That is actually a pretty big oof for us too, since we could've used prolonged combat rounds to accelerate elder tree upgrades.
Turn 11, Combat Round 1 of 1 and Bargaining
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
Focus:
2+2=4 automatic-successes into Sword Targeting
2 automatic-successes into Raise the Shield
(Note that if a category could be any of 2+ options, the strongest available bonus applies.)
Bonus of 2 auto-successes for omake attached to a conventional vote (I may make this a hair less generous in the future). Bonus to results of non-conventional vote attached to omake. Bonus of 2 dice to Angelform for saving the GM a lot of work. +1 die to joseluzperez19@g for the consistent cool write-ins.
Actions:
40 dice - 26 successes - into: [X] Stress-Test Throwing Spikes
33 dice - 15+4 successes - into: [X] Sword Targeting
12 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Store Resources Against Future Need
11 dice - 5+2 successes - into: [X] Stockpile Thorns
7 dice - 4+2+3 successes - into: [X] Raise the Shield
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Release Annoying Pollen
(Dice were slightly above average, and definitely biased in two votes…)
Specials (Ylamona, "Try practising with movements, start with simple things like tip of the branches or leaves." Phigment, "Raise morale by singing the Ballad of Arthur Scrat." Teyao, "Create More Traps.")
2+2=4 automatic-successes into Sword Targeting
2 automatic-successes into Raise the Shield
(Note that if a category could be any of 2+ options, the strongest available bonus applies.)
Bonus of 2 auto-successes for omake attached to a conventional vote (I may make this a hair less generous in the future). Bonus to results of non-conventional vote attached to omake. Bonus of 2 dice to Angelform for saving the GM a lot of work. +1 die to joseluzperez19@g for the consistent cool write-ins.
Actions:
40 dice - 26 successes - into: [X] Stress-Test Throwing Spikes
33 dice - 15+4 successes - into: [X] Sword Targeting
12 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Store Resources Against Future Need
11 dice - 5+2 successes - into: [X] Stockpile Thorns
7 dice - 4+2+3 successes - into: [X] Raise the Shield
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Release Annoying Pollen
(Dice were slightly above average, and definitely biased in two votes…)
Specials (Ylamona, "Try practising with movements, start with simple things like tip of the branches or leaves." Phigment, "Raise morale by singing the Ballad of Arthur Scrat." Teyao, "Create More Traps.")
The Forest comes alive, with overwhelming Determination.
Survive. Protect. Kill the Enemy.
And the world shakes, as Shields four times stronger than its blows all-but trap the strange sea-monster in place. As wave after wave of thorns, over a foot long and pointed to a lethal tip, fly with enough speed to puncture the monster's tentacles, body, and even the inside of its mouth. As pollen coats its skin, drying it unnaturally. As Thorns, and the Traps you'd littered around your Forest, and spare Traps constructed here on the fly, all slice its underbelly.
It thrashes and bucks and Shields groan - but it isn't even close to enough.
One enterprising Tree tries to grab onto it with root-tips. It replies by opening its mouth, trying to swallow the Tree whole.
And - backed by the thoughts and intent attention of nine Trees, many elder and wise - Arthur Scrat chooses that instant to launch the Magic(?) Sword, straight down through its open mouth. There's a pulse of cold - not something you feel with Magic, but rather a chilling of everything in the general vicinity - and the monster gives one last shudder. Before dying.
The Malice staining the Creekbed swirls and vanishes, taking the impossible-depth of one pool with it. The small pool has a faint - but quickly-fading - residue, but mostly it glimmers up at you in the afternoon light, as innocent as ever.
…Now everyone's wondering the same thing:
"What was that and how does its body work?"
"What was that and how does its magic work?"
"What was that and what sent it?"
"Can we make the next fight last longer for better upgrades?"
"Does this have any link to Newton Village? They seem oblivious, but the timing is odd."
"How are we going to get my sword out of the ice-block in its gut?"
Well, apparently not the same thing. But no matter. There's room enough for every Tree and more, in this Forest.
(Sword attack: rolled 2,5 to-hit; more rolls… 21 damage dealt. Throwing Spikes learned 6 points then dealt 20 damage. Thorns dealt 4 damage. Pollen dealt 1 damage. Traps dealt 2 damage. Extra traps dealt 1 damage. Total damage: 49. On top of 7 damage from last round. When its max HP was 32. Strictly speaking, I think it would have (barely) collapsed even with a sword-miss. Yeah, it's dead.)
After a long day of talking with the Bens - right clever young'uns, those - Granny Miller was finally ready to fall asleep without too terribly much fuss.
"It'll be alright," she assured her daughter and grandchildren. And her son-in-law, she supposed, though he wasn't fretting as obviously as the others. … Yeah, 'obviously' was correct in his case, Matthew was blinking less than usual and his hair stuck to his pointed ears implied he was sweating just slightly. "Materson will be keeping half an eye on me, and if anything goes wrong, he'll yell and you'll be able to wake me up."
"But, Granny," her youngest granddaughter asked, "What if you can't get to sleep?"
"Oh, don't worry," she replied. "It's been quite the day, and these old bones don't have energy like they used to. I'll drink my cup of willow tea, lie down on my bed, and probably be out like a light."
Four hours later, Granny Miller fell asleep, and immediately dreamed of Trees.
"So, what are you all?" she asked.
"We are Trees of the Forest. What is Linestone?"
"A magic rock. We sell it for money. More details, please: what are you all? What makes you different from normal trees?"
After a moment's consideration, the Forest replied, "All Trees have… life, and Intent of a sort. We have learned and grown to think quickly - and deeply - by the standards of Trees. And we have learned to reach out to others. What is Linestone? Money?"
"It's a relatively-common, fairly soft rock imbued with magic; it sells well at either Andrewsburg to the north or Talanburg to the south. We can trade things that others want for these metal tokens that are money, and then other people will trade other things that we want for them. Are you magic trees? Are you around here?"
And so it went, back and forth. Answer for answer. You learned that Andrewburg is a mostly-Human town and Talanburg a mostly-Elven, but neither particularly hostile about it. You learned that both function under ruling councils as city-states - a concept that seems similar enough to your own Forest, at least in some ways. You learned that Elves don't live longer than 400 to 450 years - and that's an Elf with unusually little Human blood, which is quite a rare thing these days. You learned that Humans and Elves do have old - ancient - records of what they call "The Catastrophe," but that Granny Miller doesn't know them all and isn't about to tell you the details - or the details of Magic - unless she gets something in return…
Bargaining:
Granny and your Trees hash out several possible trade-items on each side, but all of these require the Consensus of the Forest to enact. Please vote by plan. You have to offer them at least as many items as you get from them. You may also suggest potential things you might get or give; I'll rule on the acceptability of any and add them to the list if accepted.
Things you want:
- Magic Theory
- Tutoring in the Theory of Magic. You get the impression that Old Man Materson knows more than he's told the others, though he's hardly an archmage…
- This would double (after bonuses) all successes on Basics of Magic. It would presumably also produce other effects, and get you an explanation (that is correct to his knowledge).
- Magic Training
- Old Man Materson is willing to give you training for a turn in practical Magic. You're not sure what would come out of this, but probably bonuses to any magical projects, and maybe a new action or tree-type?
- Defend the Forest
- It would be great to have Minds nearby willing and ready to defend you against attackers. Especially with that Monster having just attacked.
- Speaker For The Trees
- A Villager willingly training so you can easily access their Mind, would give you an easy way to talk to the Village, and make it far easier to understand… pretty much all the two-legs, in addition to probably picking up a few things you don't know you need to know.
- This costs 2 items; you get the impression they don't really trust you very much yet.
- Maps
- You'd certainly like their knowledge - in full, rather than short descriptions - of both the general vicinity and the larger world beyond.
- You suspect that you'll want to have Arthur Scrat and the Squirrels recheck some of their work on the local scale, since you don't think they can get into small spaces or up into other trees as easily as the squirrels can. And you suspect that they don't know everything about the vicinity. But this would be a good way to seriously expand your Map - even if some of the knowledge has holes - along with gaining a larger scale Map.
- Technology
- Glass, examples of metalworking, theory of farming… You're certain you could learn a great deal from these people. While many effects would be long-term, this would immediately finish Lens Trees…
- Food and Salt
- Winter is coming! They'd love some spare food to store. Nuts, fruits, berries, whatever you've got. If you managed to take down a wolf or something, yeah they'd eat that too.
- Salt is a much harder thing to get than it was before the Catastrophe, Salt is worth its weight in silver. But something that your Forest thinks it can distill.
- This reduces your Resources by 15.
- This counts as 2 items.
- Unusual Lumber
- If you've got any unusual lumber to sell - dying branches, that sort of thing - they'd be more than willing to try taking that to market.
- You would commit to putting at least 2 dice (or one auto-success) into the Unusual Lumber Survival action, for the next 4 turns.
- Defend the Village
- It would be great to have Minds nearby willing and ready to defend you against attackers. Especially according to anyone who still mourns Mrs. Tavish.
- Speaker for the Village
- Hey, you know another way to easily communicate between Village and Forest? Have the Forest grow a small Tree in the Village, and have it learn to Communicate!
- This would count as a Special Tree and would take 4 Growth successes. (Overflow would go to other Growth projects as normal.)
- Mining
- The Villagers do some work in a Mine to their North. If you'd be willing to help them out with that, it would most certainly make their lives easier.
- This one wouldn't come due until next Spring, but you'd be expected to grow another Special Tree which would take 5 Growth successes. It would then create a new Survival option called Mining, which would generate another Favor from the village for every 5 Successes… and goodness knows that it would be easy to start expanding the Forest from that location as well…
- Animal Scouts
- Have the animals that you have Connected to do some scouting for the village.
- Modestly reduces bonuses and success chances from Squirrels and Deer. That said, anything they learned, you would, too - might be useful? Would have no effect on Beavers.
- Lasts until end of next Spring.
Minor Questions
You are in a great place to slip in a minor question and get a fair answer for free. It might not be the most detailed, but feel free to write in one or more minor questions and I, the GM, will try to answer them. If one question gets several votes, or there are several similar votes, I will likely include more information. Some questions may get an answer refused due to a given bargain not being made.
[][Minor Question] Write-in
Your Votes should look like the following:
[ ][Bargaining] Plan
[ ][Minor Question] Write-in 1
[ ][Minor Question] Write-in 2…
Newcomers should add one of the following:
[ ][Tree] Heart Tree
[ ][Tree] Mind Tree
[ ][Tree] Root Tree
This vote will always be open.
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Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
@Jack727, as a Heart Tree with 5 Defense, 2 Growth, 1 Survival, and 1 Research, you are eligible for Elder Heart Tree, Defense Tree, or Eldest Tree.
@Phigment, as a Root Tree with nothing but write-ins... I'm guessing you want something along the lines of "Unpredictable Tree; 2 on all stats but bonuses to all write-ins"?
@Robot # 207, as a Heart Tree with 8 Survival and 1 Defense, you are eligible for Survival Tree or Elder Heart Tree.
@shallow, as a Root Tree with 9 Growth, you are eligible for Elder Root Tree or Growth Tree.
@Svn0One, as a Root Tree with 3 Growth, 3 Research, 2 Special, and 1 Communication, you are eligible for Elder Root Tree, Eldest Tree, and probably a couple of other options - though you might have to vote a particular vote over the next turn or two for those.
@Ylamona, as a Heart Tree with 9 Survival and 1 Special, you are eligible for Elder Heart Tree or Survival Tree.
As usual, feel free to mention various alternative options to me if I missed anything. As usual, make the Tree vote part of your next Vote.
@Phigment, as a Root Tree with nothing but write-ins... I'm guessing you want something along the lines of "Unpredictable Tree; 2 on all stats but bonuses to all write-ins"?
@Robot # 207, as a Heart Tree with 8 Survival and 1 Defense, you are eligible for Survival Tree or Elder Heart Tree.
@shallow, as a Root Tree with 9 Growth, you are eligible for Elder Root Tree or Growth Tree.
@Svn0One, as a Root Tree with 3 Growth, 3 Research, 2 Special, and 1 Communication, you are eligible for Elder Root Tree, Eldest Tree, and probably a couple of other options - though you might have to vote a particular vote over the next turn or two for those.
@Ylamona, as a Heart Tree with 9 Survival and 1 Special, you are eligible for Elder Heart Tree or Survival Tree.
As usual, feel free to mention various alternative options to me if I missed anything. As usual, make the Tree vote part of your next Vote.
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LinkOnScepter
The One who Strangles Concepts to death
- Location
- Interwebs
Ha! Get rekt fucking kraken thing!
Everyone else can do negotiations. I don't really care.
Everyone else can do negotiations. I don't really care.
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
Let me add for the record: Voting in any capacity in Negotiations - even if you merely vote "Minor Question: Why did the chicken cross the road?" - will give you another step towards Elder/Ancient Tree.
Edit:
Edit:
Your figs would be assumed to be part of "Food", I think. It's entirely probable that some of said food will wind up being considered a delicacy - at which point you'll be able to charge extra during the next negotiation...
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That... would be amazing, since we could start growing the dam thing next turn, hopefully having it matured in time for Winter.
....
And because I want to play around with Solar Cannons...
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
I've had Solar Cannon v0.1 in my notes from the beginning. To unlock: Build one Clever Tree and one Lens Tree.
...
I didn't think it would take this long, but honestly I expected everybody to look at "Basics of Magic" and say, "This will take too long; let's get the immediate projects done then tackle the megaproject."
Not necessarily the right or wrong way, but I've been waiting for Solar Cannons, too.
Addendum: I suspect you've taken the long road to Solar Cannons v0.1, but maybe you've found the short road to v0.2? We shall see. Basics of Magic is one of those actions that eats your effort for a long time, but then unlocks and/or simplifies dozens of things.
Another Addendum: You don't (yet) have a good way to fire Solar Cannons at night, at ultra-long range, or over hills. Also, the Cannon will be relatively weak until you get a decent supply of Collector Trees, and probably relatively weak in the Winter. Of course, if an enemy is in range during the daytime in the summer, it won't take much more effort to fry them. Basics of Magic will probably let you remove one restriction from that list, I think...
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[X][Bargaining] My mind is clear
-[X] Magic Theory
-[X] Magic Training
-[X] Speaker of the Trees
-[X] Technology
-[X] Food and Salt i shall offer my figs as food as well
-[X] Mining we are trying to get our roots to move anyways so its a bonus for us
-[X] Unusual Lumber
-[X] Speaker for the village
-[X] I offer to let one of them sit under my Tree for a debt that must be repaid write in
-[X][Minor Question] I have no question for i know my self
hey @Robinton can i let one sit underneath my tree and they get a hidden reward or something
-[X] Magic Theory
-[X] Magic Training
-[X] Speaker of the Trees
-[X] Technology
-[X] Food and Salt i shall offer my figs as food as well
-[X] Mining we are trying to get our roots to move anyways so its a bonus for us
-[X] Unusual Lumber
-[X] Speaker for the village
-[X] I offer to let one of them sit under my Tree for a debt that must be repaid write in
-[X][Minor Question] I have no question for i know my self
hey @Robinton can i let one sit underneath my tree and they get a hidden reward or something
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Were there Solar Cannons in the original Tree Quest? I haven't read that... though I have a feeling that I should...