Just so we are clear, it is not one exploit trained in one update. "A few others first" will likely not see you getting the thing you want before this segment is over.
That exploit was removed for several reasons, the most prominent of which being that it unintentionally focuses way too much damage in a single, quick course of action.
2) What happen to two Argent Star spheres aimed at two different targets that coincidentally intersect?
---We know the spheres can nerge if given the same target or placement (I read it as - if they come into contact).
---I can name at least four possible outcomes, and I would like to know which one happens. It may even be something else.
The outcomes are:
1) Non-interference - spheres aimed at different targets neither merge nor hinder each other, phasing through instead
2) Size matters - the sphere with highest damage/magic modifier/etc imposes its orders on the smallest one and subsumes it.
3) Equal Split - spheres briefly merge, damage/magic modifier is added together, then the merger splits the damage evenly between all targets in smaller spheres
4) Interference error - the spheres with different destinations produce an error, like they merge but lose their targets and just stay in place. Or they explode.
As lost said, 1) and 3) are out of the question. As is 2), if you are asking.
In the unlikely case that two spheres intersect like that, you would get case 4), with the merged sphere remaining in place.
Defiant Streak, Refuse the Hunter, and Deny the Reaper merge and form Rage Against Fate!
New Ability
Rage Against Fate You think that's enough to stop me?
-Nullify opposing Auto Kill effects, mental effects, and Slayer-Abilities within 80m.
-Defiance remains alive for the next two turns after her Health falls below 0; should she heal back above 0 in that time, or the person responsible for this Ability triggering be killed by her, her death is prevented.
800 EXP spent
56 remain
[] Plan Secure Food Supply
-[] Hunt large beasts
-[] Practice x2
[] [Bonus] Time a normal attack so it synchronises its damage with one echo of Argent Star's Perpetual Caster. [1 Training Action]
"Okay, so what's about the wings?" You can not help but ask; with the both of you sitting and eating a quick breakfast from the Fairy rations, you do have the time anyway.
Lu does not really react outwardly, she merely folds the pair on her back as she chews. After swallowing her food, your friend shrugs. "All Angels can dismiss their wings like that. We just do not do so because it feels... alienating. It is useful for fitting into small spaces, but basically no Angel will put their wings away for no reason."
You nod slowly and finish chewing your own food. "Yeah, I guess I get that. They are a part of you after all."
It is difficult to imagine, as you have no wings of your own. Maybe something like putting your arms or legs away? That comparison does not completely work because Angels can still walk and grab things, but it is probably the closest you will get.
Just as you make to take another bite however, your magic shifts and suddenly projects outward, scaring off two rabbit-sized things that had been grazing outside. You can see it subtly interweaving with your surroundings for a good distance, crackling with power. Lu went still as well, eyeing you intently. "It grew again."
There is not even any question in this. You can feel your powers roaring inside, though they seem to stay less obvious on the outside.
"Well, now I have something to do for the morning," you joke with a bit of resignation; all that growing is great, but having to figure things out all the time does take a while you could spend otherwise.
And then Lu crushes your lacking enthusiasm even more: "More than just this morning. This is an aura, and a rather noticeable one. Unless we constantly want to chase creatures around and tire ourselves out, you have to learn to suppress it, draw it back into yourself. Else everything in a vast area will be aware of your presence."
You just groan and chew another mouthful in resignation. It does not last for long as you begin to think how to start, but Lu distracts you again: "have you decided on something to train in-between yet?"
Oh, right. You nod and swallow quickly. "Yep. I figure I'm going to start with something simple and practice attacking an enemy at the moment they are hit by Argent Star." Then you drink some of the water to finish off your meal.
The first sign something is wrong is Lu's frown. She eyes you carefully for a few moments as she, too, finishes with a drink. Only afterward does she ask: "Is this wise? Argent Star is volatile and has a rather wide reach. It is also a good bit faster than you, so you will not be able to take distance from it if you want to hit at the right time."
You... did not actually think about that. Huh.
"You're right. Damn, I didn't even notice." You sigh and throw that idea out. "Okay, I'll think of something else."
"See that you do."
(Due to the GM not realising how self-defeating this exploit is ahead of time, you get to see what it looks like when Heidi throws stuff at the wall to see what sticks, as is normal when practicing exploits and usually omitted for player convenience. There will be a new vote for the bonus slot at the end of this chapter, you do not effectively lose anything.)
. . .
IDENTIFIED BREAK LINE . . .
The first thing you realise, soon after starting, is that this aura is not new. Not entirely, at least.
It is, in fact, three other distinctive powers merging into a single one, the whole greater than the sum of its parts; the aura is just an outward effect, with an inward one in addition. And oh boy, is it powerful. Each of the three original things is in there, but quite a bit more powerful. You will have to check more carefully to find out the aura's exact reach, but its definitely quite the amount of ground it covers.
Your second find is that suppressing it works similarly to suppressing the magic which aids you in battle. That one surges normally, empowering each strike you make; but by actively pulling it back, you can stop it from doing that and get a much better fine control for how hard you hit, in case you are sparring.
This here in particular is rather similar; you can do something which amounts to pulling back the aura, lowering its reach bit by bit as you draw it into yourself. At least you already know the basic part, which is pulling it with your mind; getting the hang of that was weird, but you managed with Lu's help and advice back at the Keep. So now you only need to practice doing it to this part of your power instead of the automatic strike augment.
It still takes you all morning and noon to get a proper hold of the aura without making it snap back every ten seconds or so. Which is while you are focussed on it anyway, so chances are it will come back out once you go into battle.
Lu spent that time setting up what amounts to a kind-of butcher's workshop, heaping up rocks and wood and hardening surfaces with Brand Craft. She even carved herself a set of stone knives, each one as sharp as a steel one thanks to Brand Craft yet again.
Once you are at least somewhat proficient however, Lu interrupts her preparations to lead you out. "Tell me if you see any large amounts of mana underground, especially below flowerbeds."
Her instruction is a little weird, but you accept it and keep your eyes open; an hour of walking interspersed with flying later, you can finally point to a set of flowers of various kinds, set some distance from a handful of trees. Milidia's flora is rather big in general, with each of these flowers being as tall as you.
Three of them, however, are positively glowing with mana where the rest only has what you would call normal amounts. Looking down reveals them attached to a few large creatures, what should be their heads directed upward.
You need a moment to take in what you are seeing, then you turn to Lu. "Milidia has ambush predators masquerading as flowers?"
She shrugs at that, though you can see the faint grin on her lips. "I see we found some," she notes and follows your gaze. "Knowing they are there, I think I can see them too. These are Mimic Stalks, a dangerous kind of predator. They sense through the ground and the air, with no actual need for their eyes. They can last in wait for months and years if need be."
Lu motions for the flowers, making no motion of getting closer. "I forgot how far they can actually sense, but it is stronger in the ground than in the air. Those flowers can disperse pollen which put prey to sleep. I forgot their exact range as well, but it is not much beyond their body length."
So on a guess, you would say somewhere between five and eight metres. Lu nods when you tell her that, then motions for the three critters. "You will hunt a few more than just those, but it is a start."
"Makes sense. So... wait, I will? What about you?"
Your friend just gives you another, more insufferable grin. "This will double as training for you." Your resultant groan is ignored. "I know how to disable these creatures safely, but you have precious little experience fighting opponents you can not just outmatch in some way. As a melee specialist, you will have to learn how to get close and stay close even if your opponent has an advantage there."
She motions for the group of monsters again. "So go ahead and give this your best shot. If you feel like taking this seriously as practice, do not use Argent Star."
You show her the finger and take a few steps forward to take a closer look. The Mimic Stalks are not right next to each other, but not too far away either. Maybe about twenty metres between each one, in a not completely straight line? A single tree stands right next to the most distant one, probably not high enough to get you out of the pollen's reach; else, it is just flowers, and a few small critters that look a bit like boars. With small meaning that they only reach up to your rump.
"Oh, I forgot to mention: they are still quite powerful, so they are not going to flee from an opponent your size immediately. They will tunnel away if you take too long fighting them, though. They aren't likely to flee if your aura leaves your grasp either, which is why they are our first targets."
You show Lu another finger, but are still grateful for the additional information. Her chuckling is ignored.
Now, how to go about this....
-------------
[] Just charge them and hope for the best
[] Maybe try throwing your weapon? But at what?
[] Ignore Lu and use Argent Star
[] Something else
-[] Write-in what
[] [BONUS] Write-in what to practice additionally
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
+5xp You Never Stop Learning
EXP gained: 5 Total EXP: 61
=====
-Soft Mechanics updated
=====
Mimic Stalk
Stats
Health: 6,000
Base Damage: 400
Base Resilience: 350
Magic Modifier: 125
Digging
Level 2
-Mimic Stalks may burrow into the earth and dig at up to 10mph.
???
-???
Dangerous Wait
-Mimic Stalks may contort their bodies to devour prey up to ten times their own size and break them down into mana within hours, returning to their normal size. They can store up this mana to reconvert into nutrients, allowing to survive for months without hunting or catching prey.
Seismic Sense
-With a hide sensitive to tremors and waves, Mimic Stalks are capable of sensing movement within ???m of themselves while burrowed in the earth, and within ??m while at the open air.
-Defiance remains alive for the next two turns after her Health falls below 0; should she heal back above 0 in that time, or the person responsible for this Ability triggering be killed by her, her death
Rage Against Fate You think that's enough to stop me?
-Nullify opposing Auto Kill effects, mental effects, and Slayer-Abilities within 80m.
-Defiance remains alive for the next two turns after her Health falls below 0; should she heal back above 0 in that time, or the person responsible for this Ability triggering be killed by her, her death
[] Plan: Bait
-[] chase one of the "small" boars into the "flowers" or throw a stone into them.
-[] kill the monster while they are distracted eating/killing the boar.
-[] maybe Stygian Tempest can disperse the pollen? test it.
[] [BONUS] -have Arcane Slash's Echo carry the weapon attack as well when layering the spell over it [2 Training Actions]
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Save it
my first gut instinct plan.
no way these things don't have something to suddenly pounce out of the earth to attack their prey.
I wonder if we can pre-cast conundrum, or if that will draw their attention. Also, we have no defense against slumber that I can see, unless it's a mental effect.
-Switch out Aetheric Tide during an attack, Multi-Slash's speed boost shorts out, but still allows to add one different weapon to the offensive string; any hits that would normally follow fall away (e.g. if the weapon switches after the first hit, there is no third) [1 Training Action]
This is potentially really helpful - by starting with aethric tide, Heidi can add an extra hit (or potentially two)'s damage to attacking with other weapons. Even if switching once an action means she can only do it every other attack, that's still a significant damage boost.
-spread Conundrum's shroud so it forms a barrier around a specific area and what is inside, not around a person [2 Training Actions]
--layer these shrouds a few times; they can not touch because the magic does not like that, but one shroud within another works. [1 Training Action]
--Isolate enemies by turning it inside out and capture them on the side normally pointing outward; unless they break it (deal enough damage and pass through the gap) or have a way to bypass it, they are pushed back inside (Falsify Bind) [1 Training Action]
-have Arcane Slash's Echo carry the weapon attack as well when layering the spell over it [2 Training Actions]
-use Stardust Striker's calming effect on Heidi's magical flow to push Arcane Slash's Echo closer to a favourable result; one failed Echo-proc is turned into a success instead [1 Training Action]
-put more force into Trans Smasher's corrosion; halves damage, but anything of a lesser Existence than Heidi eats a malus to defense: -100% Max Health "Critical Existence Failure" [Arcane Slash] [4 Training Actions]
Slumber can be a mental effect depending on how it works on the soft mechanics side, but this one is pollen, so drugs. Drugs are not a mental effect, even if they make you mental
Did I not... huh, no, I didn't. Could have sworn I added that into the soft mechanics already.
Conundrum holds the cold out via magic, it does not stop airflow. So no, and I do not recommend trying to change that.
That aside, you do not know how the pollen works. Lu does not recall; she might never have known that in the first place.
Is the pollen subject to wind, or does it magically linger around the Mimic Stalk?
Can we (after it is cast and all set up) spend a couple of actions to skill a strong shockwave gust of wind and blow the pollen away? I.e. Bait and evade, blow away, then strike.
Is the pollen subject to wind, or does it magically linger around the Mimic Stalk?
Can we (after it is cast and all set up) spend a couple of actions to skill a strong shockwave gust of wind and blow the pollen away? I.e. Bait and evade, blow away, then strike.
Let's see. We have 5 APT, up to 20 if we're willing to burn an Overdrive Seal on each of them. We also have the first move.
Instead of provoking the Mimic we might want to lightsaber its flower-tail off. At a guess they need it to actually send out the pollen. And with luck, they will not send it out once we cut it off.
[] Plan Hit and Run
-[] Approach one of the Mimic Stalks at normal pace, then suddenly accelerate and rush past it
--[] Cut off its tail and fling it away from yourself, the Mimic, and other mimics. If no pollen is released, return and kill the wounded Mimic.
-[] If other mimics didn't aggro or emit pollen, repeat. If they did emit pollen, blow it away
[X] Just charge them and hope for the best
-[X] Try using hit-and-run with Aetheric Tide and Skill Negation. Should be fine as long as you don't linger in the sleep powder, right?
I know you've said a thing or two about leaning on Skill Negation, I just can't help myself tho.
[X] Plan Hit and Run
-[X] Approach one of the Mimic Stalks at normal pace, then suddenly accelerate and rush past it
--[X] Cut off its tail and fling it away from yourself, the Mimic, and other mimics. If no pollen is released, return and kill the wounded Mimic.
-[X] If other mimics didn't aggro or emit pollen, repeat. If they did emit pollen, blow it away
[X] [BONUS] -have Arcane Slash's Echo carry the weapon attack as well when layering the spell over it [2 Training Actions]
[X] Plan Hit and Run
-[X] Approach one of the Mimic Stalks at normal pace, then suddenly accelerate and rush past it
--[X] Cut off its tail and fling it away from yourself, the Mimic, and other mimics. If no pollen is released, return and kill the wounded Mimic.
-[X] If other mimics didn't aggro or emit pollen, repeat. If they did emit pollen, blow it away
[X] [BONUS] -have Arcane Slash's Echo carry the weapon attack as well when layering the spell over it [2 Training Actions]
[x] Plan: Bait variant
-[x] Prepare by using Conundrum before beginning.
-[x] chase one of the "small" boars into the "flowers" or throw a stone into them.
-[x] kill the monster while they are distracted eating/killing the boar.
-[x] maybe Stygian Tempest can disperse the pollen? Try it if needed.
[x] [BONUS] -Switch out Aetheric Tide during an attack, Multi-Slash's speed boost shorts out, but still allows to add one different weapon to the offensive string; any hits that would normally follow fall away (e.g. if the weapon switches after the first hit, there is no third) [1 Training Action]
