Not necessarily Omnipresent. Hell, Omnipresent doesn't even always have a big range.
Target:Army likely can do the trick, as can something that's more a giant wall of energy that flows outwards. Sudden Death and maybe Unstoppable can also just outright ignore the ability.
Not necessarily Omnipresent. Hell, Omnipresent doesn't even always have a big range.
Target:Army likely can do the trick, as can something that's more a giant wall of energy that flows outwards. Sudden Death and maybe Unstoppable can also just outright ignore the ability.
Could have mentioned Supremacy in the same slot as Sudden Death. Unstoppable was a 'maybe' for the reason of a purely mortal ability like that maybe not having enough oomph to stand up to it.
[X] [Buff] Crimson Hood
[X] Battle Plan intercept
-[X] cast Wave Force for Grand Dispel to shut down Balrog spells asap. keep them shut down
-[X] kill Balrogs with Multi Shot, Heavy Caliber, Danmaku, Darkslayer. line yourself up right to hit them all.
-[X] kill Val-Kroppi with intercept, Multi-Slash, Crush, Rain of Blows. kill him with intercept when he attacks with his glaive.
-[X] have Crimson Hood/Toothie take care of the spiders
[X] Plan Challenge
-[X] Tell Wiccan to hide for now, and keep an eye on surroundings. Keep an eye on her if you can. Her Notice-Me-Not will help keep her hidden.
-[X] Tell Toothy to distract the guard Balrogs, and Crimson to stay back for now, you have a plan.
-[X] Keep an eye on the spiders, you don't need them making problems.
-[X] Challenge Val-Kroppi into personal combat. Switch panoply to Multi Slash, Crush, Collateral Damage and Anti-Air.
--[X] Try and imply this is a form of champion combat, to hopefully make Balrogs less likely to engage you.
--[X] Should Val-Kroppi engage you in melee, indulge him. Use your skill to negate one or two of his attacks, then cut him down.
--[X] Should Val-Kroppi ignore you and keep flying, blast him out of the air. Anti-Air has been known to penetrate forms of airborne defenses, and collateral damage is suitable for flak.
-[X] Deal with Val-Kroppi swiftly, then call out to "Mighty Aer" if he is willing to treat with you.
--[X] Switch to Darkslayer, Crush, Multi Slash and Heavy Caliber, to imply you are powerful enough to deal with him. If he continues hostilities, blast the nearest Balrog in the face with Wave Force and start cutting off heads.
--[X] If he agrees to speak to you, convince him to launch an attack at the Unified Darkness.
[X] Plan Challenge
-[X] Primary Wiccan - stays back, hides for now, and keeps an eye on surroundings. Keep an eye on her if you can. Her Notice-Me-Not will help keep her hidden.
-[X] Crimson Hood - hopefully stays back and ensures the spiders and possible other lesser beings don't interfere. Balrogs are a bit out of her weight class, Myth or no Myth. Balrogs have an Epic affinity. Tell her that, so she knows what she'd be getting into.
-[X] Toothy - distract those Balrogs, would you?
-[X] Summit - challenge Val-Kroppi to melee combat, loud and clear. Imply it a form of champion combat to make those Balrogs stay back, hopefully. Switch Panoply to Multi Slash, Crush, Collateral Damage and Anti-Air.
--[X] If Val-Kroppi decides to ignore you, blast him out of the air. Anti-Air ought to help, right? Try to make him pay attention to you. Once he engages you in melee, deflect one of his attacks then cut him down.
-[X] After Val-Kroppi is dealt with, call out to "Mighty Aer" if he is willing to treat with you. Switch Panoply to Darkslayer, Multi Shot, Danmaku and Heavy Caliber.
--[X] If Aer and Balrogs agree to speak to you, convince them to launch an attack at Unified Darkness.
--[X] If Aer refuses and orders Balrog guards to continue, blast the closest one in the face with Wave Force. Simultaneously, use your radio to order Wiccan and Hood to retreat and convey your plan to cause a massive cave-in and lure the Balrogs (and other local monsters) to surface. And, while you're at it, check all the guard Balrogs out for affinities.
--[X] Kill one of the guard Balrogs quickly (verify it does have Epic affinity), and don't let up on the Wave Force. Distract one of remaining Balrogs (deflecting its attacks via skill) even as Toothy distracts the other one, and Wiccan and Hood retreat. Consider making a Stabilized Shifting portal for them to escape to (hopefully no longer guarded and away from any enemies) chasm entrance. Once they're out of destruction zone, switch out (probably Heavy Caliber and Darkslayer) for Ray and Collateral Damage, then shoot the ceilings of the cave to cause the entire thing come down, in such a way the chasm entrance is kept open.
--[X] Escape, either through the chasm entrance (if the local monsters will need to be lured to UD lines still), or (if the local monsters are likely to rush out and into UD battle lines), by teleporting to Wiccan's location and having her use Delusional Illusion to evacuate the party. Re-emerge outside of fortress entrance, out of sight, to check on the results.
[X] Battle Plan no talking
-[X] cast Wave Force for Grand Dispel to shut down Balrog spells asap. keep them shut down
-[X] kill Val-Kroppi with Multi Shot, Anti-Air, Danmaku, Homing, Collateral Damage
-[X] kill Balrogs with Multi Shot, Heavy Caliber, Danmaku, Darkslayer, Collateral Damage
-[X] have Crimson Hood/Toothie take care of the spiders
[X] Battle Plan intercept
-[X] cast Wave Force for Grand Dispel to shut down Balrog spells asap. keep them shut down
-[X] kill Balrogs with Multi Shot, Heavy Caliber, Danmaku, Darkslayer. line yourself up right to hit them all.
-[X] kill Val-Kroppi with intercept, Multi-Slash, Crush, Rain of Blows. kill him with intercept when he attacks with his glaive.
-[X] have Crimson Hood/Toothie take care of the spiders
[X] Battle Plan intercept
-[X] cast Wave Force for Grand Dispel to shut down Balrog spells asap. keep them shut down
-[X] kill Balrogs with Multi Shot, Heavy Caliber, Danmaku, Darkslayer. line yourself up right to hit them all.
-[X] kill Val-Kroppi with intercept, Multi-Slash, Crush, Rain of Blows. kill him with intercept when he attacks with his glaive.
-[X] have Crimson Hood/Toothie take care of the spiders
"I'll handle the big ones" you declare.
"Thanks." Hood says as you dart into the air.
The Hound sends up dozens of chompy mouths after you, covering the area around Hood with dozens of venus fly-trap looking wolf jaws. All with eyes, too many eyes, around the edges, eyes that blink in unison. Wiccan flies backwards for a bit in a zigzag pattern, then stops and glows softly with pink light. She starts flying again, but doesn't appear to be doing anything important.
You move off to the side a bit and start building up speed. The has you pass over the flock of birds as they fly into the jungle of Toothy fly-traps. A chorus of snaps echos around the chamber. Beneath the first globe of maws another shell snaps out as well, and another under that. I doesn't make a difference, Val-Kroppi appears out of a single bird that made it through and thrusts at Crimson Hood. She's already moving out of the way and swinging a chainsaw around while her monster uses a few unoccupied mouths to chew at Val.
(Fangs of the Monster:3333 Base Damage, +511 Dice, -1666 Small Shape = 2178 Damage
Val-Kroppi: 8,000 - 635 = 7,365 Health Born for Battle Triggers!
Val-Kroppi: 7,365 + 8,000 = 15,365 Health)
More mouths follow, and Crimson lunges with a loudly revved chainsaw as Val-Kroppi is buried under them as he tries to get loose. Then the sound of those maws snapping at the air returns as birds retreat every which way from Hood's position.
You've gotten enough speed and distance to make you attack run work. Rather than blink back and forth with a flash of light you pull on the distances along the ragged ceiling. The chamber squashes as you pass through, snapping back to normal with you much closer to the trio of cold Balrogs. A quick reconfiguration puts you into a breaking dive corkscrew past the rearmost giant.
"!!!" a spark of orange light touches the balrog's neck at closest approach.
The only element you spot is Darkness…
(Wave Force: It's Super Effective!
Shadow clone of Balrog: Auto-Kill)
Rather than fade the effect of your spell keeps going across the shadow balrog, forking as it covers more of it. Even the typical after effects are drawn into it instead of dispersing. The process feels longer than it is as the orange lightning dances over more and more of the shadow's skin. Then the figure abruptly falls to pieces, some of its former volume covered in the sparks of the spell that unmade it and some comprised of magical darkness fading like mist.
The other two shadows take a moment to notice the soundless death.
Near Hood the flock of birds converges into Val, who charges at Crimson's monstrocity, but birds remain circling around them.
(Val-Kroppi casts Reform!
Val-Kroppi Health now 7,682
Val-Kroppi clone #1 Health now 7,682)
Something about that sends a chill down your spine. Or it might be the way Crimson Hood's weapon sounds in chainsaw mode. Something about it brings to mind an imminent jump scare.
You latch onto a rough bit of roof about the same time as the shadow balrogs notice you. Your Panoply snaps into a new form. Seven rings arrange themselves around you and thick cords of your weapon hang from the backs of the rings to almost every other surface of your Panoply. The dull orange glow changes to a brilliant white.
When you unleash your attack beams of light more than a meter across dance over your targets. The entire room is lit up, brighter than daylight, and the rays shine brightly enough that you can't see the shadows through them.
Maybe this attack is too dense. As gratifying as it is for your enemies to vanish beneath a curtain of shots. The beams taper off after a second, giving you the rough impression of having exhaled all the 'air' out of your metaphorical 'lungs'.
Neither of the shadows perished in your first attack so you fire again.
That barrage reduces the shadows into more puddles of dissipating darkness.
The fiery, still alive, Balrog screams "Val! What treachery is this!?"
While you were fighting the shadows Crimson Hood has been fighting as well. Her hound has generated meters-long claws that have pinned Val-Kroppi down for Hood to drive her chainsaw right into his face. Gore flies and the chainsaw's hum actually seems to get higher, like the weapon is pleased to connect.
(What Big Wounds You Have: 500 Base Damage, +498 Dice, +500 Backed by a Chainsaw, +2000 Apply Directly to the Forehead! = 3498 Damage
Val-Kroppi clone #1: 31034 - 8481 = 22553 Health Born for Battle Triggers!
Val-Kroppi clone #1: 31034 + 8000 = 30553 Health
Murder debuff of 4240 Applied)
The impaled demon's face is cut to ribbons. He dissolves into a flock of birds right before an uninjured duplicate appears.
(Val-Kroppi clone #1 vanishes
Val-Kroppi Health now 38235
Val-Kroppi casts Reform!
Val-Kroppi Health now 19117
Val-Kroppi clone #2 Health now 19117)
"Oh Aer! It brings me such joy to know you're about to be unmade. I shall finally be rid of you." the duplicate crows. Right before Crimson's Hound dives at him.
Further down the room one of the giant spiders has leapt down to somehow grasp onto nothing. It hangs in the air for a moment before abruptly splattering for no apparent reason.
That's worrying. Another reason to try and wrap things up quickly.
Aer stands up and spreads his wings, "Die! All of-"
You shift over to Aer, "!!!"
(Wave Force: 36000 Base Damage, +24 Dice, +200 Light of Discovery = 36224 Damage
Aer: Unstoppable
36224 Damage
75% Huge Enemy
9056 Final End Damage
Aer: 45000 - 9056 = 35944 Health)
The balrog's shout trails into a scream, "Yoouuu!"
His head snaps back as he shoots up to his full height. From where you've Shifted you're caught between Aer's wings and head while he jumps up. Unable to accelerate away from the raging fire that marks where Wave Force struck the balrog.
In once sense you aren't hit too hard. Like having a burning train strike you at forty kilometers an hour. In another sense you're smashed into by something that outmasses most locomotives and moves at the speed of a thrown punch.
(Balrog's Headbutt: 6000 Base Damage, +10637 Dice, -1500 Reckless Awkward Attack, +400 Epic Power = 15537 Damage
3605 End Damage
60% Ceaseless Warrior
1442 Final End Damage
Magical Girl Summit: 14500 - 1442 = 13058 Health
+1 Stack of Ceaseless Warrior (+1 Attack per Turn)
Burn Applies)
The impact is gentle compared to the balrog's magic flaring up when it touches you. A gout of magically vicious, magically evil, fire jets into you. This throws you the rest of the way to the ceiling and burns off the rings of your Panoply.
For a moment you expect a race between Aer turning to face you and getting your Panoply back into form. He instead roars with head splitting volume. Vast amounts of incoherent magic seep out the back of his head where your Wave Force connected. The whole chamber shudders with the sound.
And gives you more than enough time to extrude your Panoply into balrog-purging mode. Aer is blocked from view by a curtain of huge glowing orbs of magic.
Another pause and barrage knocks the balrog to the ground. Your eyes see the power that had flowed through its form running wild with death. Black flames dance upwards, darkening the chamber as they rise. You feel the heat of the fire press against you.
Hood has been fighting while you were firing. Which is a bit of a drawback, not being able to see past your own cone of fire. It doesn't look like her fight against Val-Kroppi is going well. Birds circle and there are now two Vals engaging the boneskull-Hound. The pair are contemptuously running into a thicket of nightmarish bone-spears, Hood is being pushed against a rubble pile.
Something howls from the chasm.
The flames are hot enough to spur you into flying at Val. You need to think of something to handle him, quickly, before the other chasm denizens investigate the light, shouts, and darkfire. To say nothing of how to reverse his rise in power.
One of the Vals ducks back, "Anna, I can't tell you how much I hated that guy. Surrender and I have all the reasons I need to let her leave."
Summit: Burned and (slightly) bruised. 12913 Health. 1 Stack of Ceaseless Warrior. !!Burning!!(x1)
Crimson Hood: Grim, 3760 Health
Nightmare of Crimson: Enthusiastic and very pointy, 49714 Health
Val-Kroppi: 9558 Health
Val-Kroppi clone #2: 35711 Health
Val-Kroppi clone #3: 20600 Health
----
Reform
Level N/A
Base Damage: N/A
Magic Modifier: N/A
Affinities: Air
Ability: Clone-Self
Abilities
The Murder
-May transform into a flock of black birds.
Unnumbered Wings
-Attacks made against Val-Kroppi are negated when in the form of a flock of birds unless all birds are hit by the attack.
Born for Battle
Level 16
-"I LIVE for this!" Whenever Val-Kroppi takes damage gain 8,000 Health with no upper limit, excess Health is shed when not in combat.
Mocking Echos
-Reform may not be cast unless Current Health exceeds Maximum Health. Reform halves Current Health when cast and creates a clone with that much Health. Clones may not cast spells. If a clone turns into a flock of birds it is destroyed and its Current Health is added to Val-Kroppi's Health.
Val-Kroppi: 9558 Health
Val-Kroppi clone #2: 35711 Health
Val-Kroppi clone #3: 20600 Health
so we have 65869 health to burn through + however much he will keep healing because of getting hit.
Crush (Melee), Rain of Blows (Melee), Multi-Slash (Melee), Intercept (Melee) deals 27000-33300 damage against 3100-4500 damage reduction (intercept + resilience).
which means 22500-30200 damage done per hit. so 3-4 attacks, during which he will heal another 24k-32k, needing 2 attacks more to do him in.
that's taking entirely too long in my opinion, especially since the guy will get wise to it after the first time we intercept him.
how about we add rend to it by buying Versatility of Form III?
this will force Val-Kroppi to dissolve a clone every time it gets hit, else the rend debuff will kill it off rather fast.
it will also force him to dissolve clones if he gets hit with it or he dies.
if we manage to get the first intercept on him and not his clones next round, he is forced to dissolve one before we even hit him or he dies simply from the damage dealt, then is forced to dissolve the other to try and undo the rend debuff.
Val-Kroppi clone #3 vanishes
Val-Kroppi Health now 30158
Val-Kroppi: 30158 - 22509 = 7649 Health Born for Battle Triggers!
Val-Kroppi: 7649 + 8,000 = 15649 Health
Rend Debuff applied at 22509 Damage, removed if Val-Kroppi gets above 30158 Health
Val-Kroppi clone #2 vanishes
Val-Kroppi Health now 51360, rend debuff removed
)
getting in a second hit will be much harder. the calculation above is with summit getting the worst dice rolls and kroppi getting the best, so actual result is likely a bit better.
Our most damaging option is to use (1400+200) Danmaku (+3500) Triple Shot (x3) Ray (multiply by APT) panoply to overcome Val-Kroppi's health recovery with dakka. Melee is also an option.
Further down the room one of the giant spiders has leapt down to somehow grasp onto nothing. It hangs in the air for a moment before abruptly splattering for no apparent reason.
that spider clone instadispelled just from entering the Dispel radius while his clones keep living.
it might be different on a direct hit or it might be not.
regardless, any clone above ~30k health is a nice target for Wave Force.
