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Alchemical Solutions [Worm/Exalted] Thread 23: We Wonder Where Who Wanders When Watchers Wane

Pre-Vote Running Tally: Who Are Your Top 3 Choices For Orichalcum?

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uju32 said:
Uju's silly plan is attempting to grab essential things when they are still available.
XP does not earn interest for sitting in the pool man.
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Look, just because something is a LIMITED TIME OFFER AND NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES, BUY NOW! doesn't mean it's good deal much less something you actually need.
 
FunkyEntropy said:
Look, just because something is a LIMITED TIME OFFER AND NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES, BUY NOW! doesn't mean it's good deal much less something you actually need.
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But we are not talking abstract. These are solid deals now.
We're in the position of the growing child/teenager who has to decide whether health now is as important as safeguarding against the chance of a famine that might never come.
 
landcollector said:
This is a ridiculous comparison.
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No it isn't.

Your entire argument is that we pass up growth in abilities now because we might not have XP in the future.
That we accept the opportunity cost of passing up purchases in things we have available now, against the possibility that something we want might come up in the future, and that we won't have XP then.

It's a perfectly adequate illustration of your proposal.
 
uju32 said:
No it isn't.

Your entire argument is that we pass up growth in abilities now because we might not have XP in the future.
That we accept the opportunity cost of passing up purchases in things we have available now, against the possibility that something we want might come up in the future, and that we won't have XP then.

It's a perfectly adequate illustration of your proposal.
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We won't have spare Assembly XP for quite some time though. It will take most of an arc just to correct the shortfall you've racked up with your plan, let alone go positive again. Unless your plan is to spend more real life money to effectively buyback the XP you overdrew.
 
Eh, my main issue with running off to see Missy is that she's like, super out of the way. Aisha starts in Rhode Island or Connecticut or something. Missy is in Georgia. That decision involves Aisha traveling down the entire US eastern seaboard basically on a passing whim, and not bothering to even check up on Philadelphia despite it being almost directly in line of the optimal route of travel. It's a really weird course of action, both in character and out of character. I don't think Aisha would do it.

Missy's time away on the farm will end soon. There's no rush.

And I think I've made my thoughts on spending XP now perfectly clear by now—the options available this chapter are unusually good, and may not show up again anytime soon. There's no sense saving up XP for better options when those better options are already right in front of us.
Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 8:16 PM, finished with 162 posts and 37 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 8:27 PM, finished with 162 posts and 37 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 8:38 PM, finished with 163 posts and 38 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 8:40 PM, finished with 163 posts and 38 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 8:52 PM, finished with 163 posts and 38 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 9:08 PM, finished with 163 posts and 38 votes.
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Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 9:19 PM, finished with 163 posts and 38 votes.
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landcollector said:
We won't have spare Assembly XP for quite some time though. It will take most of an arc just to correct the shortfall you've racked up with your plan, let alone go positive again.
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You are quite wrong.
With the the 33.5XP currently in the pool, we are only overdrawn by 6.5XP.
Two updates at 2.5XP each clears most of it, with the third update being back in the positive.

And that's with the assumption that I fail to keep my proposal of further paying it down due to RL concerns.
The fact that I don't have the time to do much art these days doesn't make me incapable of it. Just that writing is easier to do in random places.
landcollector said:
Unless your plan is to spend more real life money to effectively buyback the XP you overdrew.
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That would be my prerogative, is it not?
 
The All-Mother Needs Her Nightcap: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Taylor Takes A Break Now
-[X]STUNT: "Oh Maker, why didn't I try this sooner?" Taylor's moans of appreciation are barely audible over the whir and hum of the large and impressive (dammit, Saki, not like that!) array of instruments worked their magic on her tired shoulders. Abstractly, she knew that the Solars had been brought down by outlandish decadence but here she could find no fault.

Faustian Bargains Don't Honor Refunds: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Taylor Honors Her Deal With Bastard Son
-[X]STUNT: Emily resisted the urge to sigh and massage her temples as she stared at her Senior Agent-In-Charge. "Weaver brokered a truce with the Elite. During the concert. In Pittsburgh". Prayer's- Sirkalla's- foot twitched, then stilled, but her face remained impassive as she nodded. "I received an email this evening. Burner account. Dossiers,known associates, and hideouts, here and over the river."

Interesting Times: (Choose ONE, NO Stunt)
[X] Sirkalla's Focus For The Next Few Days: Fix Relationship With Kali

Praying For Fun And Profit: (Choose ONE, NO Stunt)
[X] Work With The PRT To Start Ciara's Parole Process

Let's Get This Party Started: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Aisha Heads For Missy
-[X] STUNT: Missy shrieks and falls backwards from her seat on the porch as, out of nowhere, an enormous silver panther slams down right in front of her, scattering the chickens she'd been feeding. "Get on, loser!" shouts the equally silver girl with a manic grin from atop the beast, "We're going shopping!"


[X] EOA - 3 XP- Ally (Armsmaster) ●○○○○
[X] EOA - 2 XP - Craft (Drones ●●○)
[X] FPoP - 9 XP - Mentor (Contessa) ●●●○○
[X] WoRI - 6 XP - Ally (Glaistig Uaine) ●●○○○
[X] WMS - 3 XP - Compassion ●●●○○
[X] WMS - 4 XP - Linguistics ●○○○○

I didn't like the vacation stunt, so I had Taylor get worked over Lord Grasp instead (Saki: LEWD). Aisha's stunt is magic, no need to fix something that isn't broken.

I think there's some real potential for interesting character development by having Sirkalla work with Contessa, so investing pretty heavily into that.
 
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landcollector said:
It's 2.0 XP per full chapter, not 2.5.
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It's 2.5XP from next update.
Because Aisha is fully back as of next update, giving us four active Exalts. It's 2 XP now because she didn't show up till the very end.

The formula for Assembly XP per full update is 1 + 0.5(X-1 Exalts) where X is the number of Exalts currently active.
With 3 Exalts, that gives you 2XP. With four Exalts, that gives you 2.5XP. With five Exalts that gives you 3XP. With six Exalts you're earning 3.5XP.
I presume when Sakura is back, giving us seven Exalts, we'll be earning 4XP into the Assembly pool per update.

Assuming she comes back before the endgame.

EDIT
It behooves me to note that you actually happen to be voting to increase Compassion.
Which is a write-in, not a GM proposal.
And something that it hasn't been proven that Aisha needs.
Adhoc vote count started by uju32 on May 1, 2018 at 1:28 PM, finished with 144 posts and 36 votes.
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Sapient_Ham said:
Eh, my main issue with running off to see Missy is that she's like, super out of the way. Aisha starts in Rhode Island or Connecticut or something. Missy is in Georgia. That decision involves Aisha traveling down the entire US eastern seaboard basically on a passing whim, and not bothering to even check up on Philadelphia despite it being almost directly in line of the optimal route of travel.
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Well, this is really a good point. Didn't consider geography earlier (mostly because i'm not familiar with US geography).
This means i will change this part of my vote third time...
Adhoc vote count started by Sintonir on May 1, 2018 at 2:15 PM, finished with 149 posts and 35 votes.
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Side note: Lord Grasp was designed Solars to provide rest and relaxation in even the most hostile environments, all other vacation options are lacking in comparison :V

uju32 said:
We are living within our means.
Well within them, actually.
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o_O

Going into debt is, like, the opposite of living within you means.
 
FunkyEntropy said:
Side note: Lord Grasp was designed Solars to provide rest and relaxation in even the most hostile environments, all other vacation options are lacking in comparison :V
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Lord Grasp has a job, I'm afraid.

I'd rather have him with Saki as a guard and deterrent as well as an assistant for further socialing Ciara.
And given Taylor's Clarity levels, she needs more time with people than pampering by a spirit. Which is why the stunt I wrote for her vacation has her doing outdoorsy things with people rather than curled up in a library with a good book.

Besides, one of the things I'd prefer to avoid is Ciara having to defend herself or Saki against some hostile or a young punk looking to make a name; less blowback from having the alien spirit react than having the Fairy Queen do so.
FunkyEntropy said:
o_O
Going into debt is, like, the opposite of living within you means.
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So mortgages are a sign of profligate living? Car loans?
We are living within our expected income. Well within it.
 
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FunkyEntropy said:
-[X]STUNT: "Oh Maker, why didn't I try this sooner?" Taylor's moans of appreciation are barely audible over the whir and hum of the large and impressive (dammit, Saki, not like that!) array of instruments worked their magic on her tired shoulders. Abstractly, she knew that the Solars had been brought down by outlandish decadence but here she could find no fault.
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I initially really liked this stunt, as hanging out in Saki's Safe Space would allow for possible interactions with Ciara and the Wards currently on break, thus providing much-needed social time with friends and vetting a Orichalcum candidate at the same time. Taylor could multitask her vacation! But then I remembered an effect of Saki's charm:

Gromweld said:
For all the power at the user's beck and call within the sanctum, the overwhelming drive towards Order that pervades the realm weighs on the minds of all that are in tune with the Great Maker's Design. Any Alchemical, including the user of the charm, must roll [Essence], Difficulty 1, after the end of each scene/hour they spend within the sanctum - failure on this roll grants a single point of temporary Clarity as the Alchemical's thought patterns align more closely with the rigid, structured patterns of the Transcendental Prison. Alchemicals held in stasis within the sanctum are immune to this Clarity gain.
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Roll to resist gaining Clarity every hour, ouch. Lord Grasp would need to leave Saki's pocket dimension to make this stunt viable, and he's a bit busy reeducating babysitting Glastig Uaine right now.

Sadly, it looks like the Alchemicals & Friends Magnificently Vainglorious Hot Spring Resort Adventure is not meant to be. Alas.
Adhoc vote count started by Sapient_Ham on May 1, 2018 at 7:07 PM, finished with 162 posts and 37 votes.
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Sapient_Ham said:
I initially really liked this stunt, as hanging out in Saki's Safe Space would allow for possible interactions with Ciara and the Wards currently on break, thus providing much-needed social time with friends and vetting a Orichalcum candidate at the same time. Taylor could multitask her vacation! But then I remembered an effect of Saki's charm:



Roll to resist gaining Clarity every hour, ouch. Lord Grasp would need to leave Saki's pocket dimension to make this stunt viable, and he's a bit busy reeducating babysitting Glastig Uaine right now.

Sadly, it looks like the Alchemicals & Friends Magnificently Vainglorious Hot Spring Resort Adventure is not meant to be. Alas.
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Taylor is essence 4. Roll 4 dice, and if even 1 dice rolls 7 or more, then you do not gain clarity.

60% is the odds of 1 dice failing, so 60%^4 is the odds of us failing this actions. Comes out to almost 13% per hour. However, if we get to add even a single stunt dice to this equation, it drops to just under 8%/hr.
 
The All-Mother Needs Her Nightcap: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Taylor Takes A Break Now
-[X]STUNT: "Oh Maker, why didn't I try this sooner?" Taylor's moans of appreciation are barely audible over the whir and hum of the large and impressive (dammit, Saki, not like that!) array of instruments worked their magic on her tired shoulders. Abstractly, she knew that the Solars had been brought down by outlandish decadence but here she could find no fault.

Faustian Bargains Don't Honor Refunds: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Taylor Honors Her Deal With Bastard Son
-[X]STUNT: Emily resisted the urge to sigh and massage her temples as she stared at her Senior Agent-In-Charge. "Weaver brokered a truce with the Elite. During the concert. In Pittsburgh". Prayer's- Sirkalla's- foot twitched, then stilled, but her face remained impassive as she nodded. "I received an email this evening. Burner account. Dossiers,known associates, and hideouts, here and over the river."

Interesting Times: (Choose ONE, NO Stunt)
[X] Sirkalla's Focus For The Next Few Days: Fix Relationship With Kali

Praying For Fun And Profit: (Choose ONE, NO Stunt)
[X] Work With The PRT To Start Ciara's Parole Process

Let's Get This Party Started: (Choose ONE, ONE Stunt Allowed)
[X] Aisha Heads For Missy
-[X] STUNT: Missy shrieks and falls backwards from her seat on the porch as, out of nowhere, an enormous silver panther slams down right in front of her, scattering the chickens she'd been feeding. "Get on, loser!" shouts the equally silver girl with a manic grin from atop the beast, "We're going shopping!"

XP Expenditures
[X] WMS - 4 XP - Linguistics ●○○○○
[X] WMS - 2 XP - Ride (Like It's Stolen ●●○)
[X] EOA - 2 XP - Craft (Drones ●●○)
[X] FPoP - 3 XP - Mentor (Contessa) ●○○○○
[X] WoRI - 2 XP - Stealth (Completely Harmless ●○○)
 
uju32 said:
@Gromweld
Clarification please.
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Uh... what? You have a hard Monday? Because this was only 4 pages ago:
Gromweld said:
Clarification: the Assembly XP pool earns .5 XP per active Alchemical at the end of a Chapter. As a result, since Aisha just managed to squeak in at the end of 10.2, the Assembly earned 2 XP for Chapter 10.2.
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To which you then replied:
uju32 said:
Noted.
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So...

... yeah.
Dynamesmouse said:
Taylor is essence 4. Roll 4 dice, and if even 1 dice rolls 7 or more, then you do not gain clarity.

60% is the odds of 1 dice failing, so 60%^4 is the odds of us failing this actions. Comes out to almost 13% per hour. However, if we get to add even a single stunt dice to this equation, it drops to just under 8%/hr.
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It's worth pointing out that Taylor in-story mentions how Saki's realm feels oppressive every time she goes into it; even within Lord Grasp's luxurious confines, everyone running on Essence will be able to feel the weight of the charm-spirit's constant scrutiny.

While he will protest mightily, this problem could be solved by having Saki carry him around in a backpack or handbag - if we go with this Stunt, this'll likely be the route I go unless I think of something else or other ideas are posited. Yes, if Taylor uses Hidden Assembly Conclave he could simply be invisible and free to roam, but the point of the vacation is for Taylor to try use zero charms and be as 'human' as possible - not to mention HAC takes two willpower to activate, which is a very steep cost when trying to recuperate your mental health.
 
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Gromweld said:
While he will protest mightily, this problem could be solved by having Saki carry him around in a backpack or handbag - if we go with this Stunt, this'll likely be the route I go unless I think of something else or other ideas are posited.
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Alternately, scene:

Lord Grasp reclines on a sunny, location undisclosed beach. A fruity cocktail gently nestled in one of his magnificent pincers. Inside, Taylor relaxes into Creation's Greatest Massage Chair, fruity cocktail (virgin? (Saki: lewd?)) in hand.

We can has matryoshka doll level relaxation!
 
[X] Taylor Takes A Break In A Few Days
-[X]STUNT: Nostrils flaring in the cold air, Taylor stared down the length of the Calgary, Alberta ski run, resolutely ignoring the sneaked glances of the other late season skiers. "Dunno how I let you talk me into this" She muttered into her headset, adjusting her goggles. Dragon's low chuckle was her only reply. She exhaled sharply."Here goes nothing" And kicked off.(61 words)

[X] Taylor Honors Her Deal With Bastard Son
-[X]STUNT: Bastard Son stepped out of the bathroom in the early morning light, towelling his hair vigorously as the steam billowed around him. He whistled as he turned to the mirror, slathering shaving cream on his face as he reached for his razor. Then stopped. On the mirror was finger-painted a message in the condensation: Seven days =^._.^= ∫ (61 words)

[X] Aisha Heads For Philadelphia
-[X]STUNT: The duty officer tensed as the stunningly beautiful woman walked into the lobby of the building, trailed by the biggest godawful animal that he had ever seen. Cape, he thought to himself, a hand inching towards the panic button as he saw the ready squad subtly reorient towards her. She stopped in front of his desk with a brilliant smile "Guess Who's back?" (63 words)

[X]EOA - 2XP - Craft (Drones ●●○)
[X]EOA - 6 XP - Ally (Armsmaster) ●●○○○
[X]EOA - 4XP - Performance ●●●○○
[X]WMS - 4 XP - Linguistics ●○○○○
[X]WMS - 3 XP - Temperance ●●○○○
[X]WMS - 4 XP - Medicine ●○○○○
[X]WMS - 2 XP - Ride (Like It's Stolen ●●○)
[X]WoRI - 2XP - Stealth (Completely Harmless ●○○)
[X]WoRI - 6 XP - Ally (Glaistig Uaine) ●●○○○
[X]FPoP - 3 XP - Mentor (Contessa) ●○○○○
[X]FPoP - 4XP - Medicine ●●○○○
 
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