A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
- Location
- a place
It'd be pretty apt, given the nature of his Loss to Nameless' bodyguard.
- Location
- Pindorama
We already got Cut Through and shit, we are much farther ahead then we were previously. The fact that its broader effects require Gisena research means it likely won't be relevant for the Inner Temple; while it's stat pluses can be compensated by Evening Sky picks. Plus we get to save Arete for long-term goals. The stat-ups are not as important to me as getting the Evening Sky up to par.
I'm going to be frank, if Inksky doesn't win I find it highly unlikely any of it's options, especially the Opalescence line would beat the Blood+Uttermost synergies. Why do you think we were offered this is the first place? If you want to invest in the Evening Sky, you should vote for the option that puts it on par with the other artifacts.
[X] The Streamline
[X] 7 Arete Version
[X] Inksky
Don't mind me, just remembered being cheapskate would be funny.
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- Location
- USA
Blah had it been known Rune King applied to Praxis I would have swapped in a heartbeat. 4x Faster Sword Praxis and Edeldross (leading I hope to Findross). It Praxis is really that good, anything that buffs the speed of it is almost needed, it sounds like a very complex and deep system.
I'm pretty surprised there isn't an option for us to pick Zea's magic too. Come on Rihaku, where's your love of build votes?
I'm pretty surprised there isn't an option for us to pick Zea's magic too. Come on Rihaku, where's your love of build votes?
Duquette7
I am Fire, and I am Rain
Rihaku? I have some confusion with regards to Edeldross's buff, the fluff talks about the internal effects of edeldross, but the mechanics only references an AOE effect.
Is there a static 20% buff in effect on hunger at all times with this option? Even if it has to be maintained? Or is the buff only active after the activation of the draining AOE effect?
Rihaku
The Internet
I don't think Hunger intends to fight the Rotbeast at this juncture. He has no way of knowing how strong it is, what if it kills him?
It's likely that the strongest the Temple has to offer are beyond even Vanreir, though to what degree is another question...
Your current situation = Baseline
Quickwater or Edeldross = Baseline + 15 stats
Inksky = Baseline + 3 stats
After 3 picks:
Quickwater or Edeldross = Baseline + 15 stats + 3 Blood Advancements worth of value
Inksky = Baseline + 3 stats + 3 or fewer Blood Advancements worth of value
The stats gap remains essentially until you cash out the Pillars discount! That's quite a large difference in capability. And you don't have the Arete to get something like Pearlescence (9 Arete, 3 picks) to really benefit from that +100% Protection, so SAVEgang is arguably better off taking power now.
Pssh, just mooch of Letrizia once you get back to civ. She's got plenty of planets, though not directly!
Dark Abstraction
Infrequent Participant
- Location
- United States
I think people just want to remove the Evening Sky from our panoply, honestly. There's a consistent refusal to take things that actually improve it. The only recent purchase taken that it offered was Fall of Night, which was purely for its capacity to help the Forebear's Blade be better at swording. Whatever justifications are used, it's still a willful denial of development for something that ostensibly should stand on the same level as our sword and ring.
There's no actual point in having the Evening Sky, if there's never any investment into it. If the thread listens to Rihaku, as they often do, say that "The Evening Sky option is weak and lame and you should never take it in the face of a more powerful option", as he often does, then there's no point beating around the bush about it. The thread needs to just look in a mirror, be honest with themselves, and vote to toss the Eveing Sky into a trashcan and get something else.
Being a Tyrant isn't an affliction, it's a way of life! What do they mean they don't want to part with their precious strategic resources? Is their opinion supposed to matter to us? I would say something about us killing that Prime Rotspawn justifying this appropriation, but the Tyrant needs no justification. We wanted the apex-grade Elixir water, we took it.
Also, cute how they were trying to hide Surgecrafters. Kudos for the effort, even if I can't help finding their attempts at concealing the existence of those walking bombs hilarious. That it can be gotten through blood probably means it's going to develop into some kind of hereditary magic in the future, but the reliance on Elixir water to jumpstart the initial abilities seems to hint to me that inherited abilities would become weaker, so maybe they're going to segregate into castes, with access to the Elixir Springs becoming heavily regulated.
Freedom and Justice you say? We'll see what happens after a few generations.
No mechanical benefits it says. And no relationship bonuses. But that doesn't encompass the full range of consequences that could follow this choice, because it smells like plot to me. Moon-themed hot springs? What an interesting coincidence!
We've already postulated that Elixir's springs might be hiding some kind of secret, with their magic making it even more obvious, but choosing the most expensive resort, and thus likely the one with the highest access to whatever they're hiding, could get us further involved in thus mystery as a 'less apparent' consequences.
Or it'll just make Hunger a sybarite, but I'm fine with that. He's an obsessed workaholic, it would do him good.
The descriptions are all too tasty for me to bear nerfing any of them, even if we'll exceed those 'theoretical limits' no matter how low they are anyway. Why do we need more Arete? This is why we need more Arete.
Drink Elixir water and become an Elixir mage, I wonder if this option's comparatively straightforward power comes from translating the spring magics into Surgecraft so directly. Though it does promise many more variations in the future if we follow its lure, at the moment it seems restricted to making us into some kind of assassin. Well, it seems to be a fan of Malfean Stealth too if we don't want to resort to conventional means of hiding. Can't see you if they're blind! Only one step below setting yourself on fire to avoid ninjas...
The flat Rank bonus is kind of amazing though, given it says nothing about diminishing effects after Rank grows. This effect would stack pretty well with the Ring and make its enhancements worth a lot more, so if we really want to risk the contest of primacy so soon, taking this might be appropriate.
Can also be used to buff our companions, but the sleep requirement is kind of steep. Our boy Hunger has gotten used to sleeping 9 hours per day already, taking that away is going to be difficult.
Its powers are few, but that's due to how focused Inksky is on one goal only: making Evening Sky great again! Uttermost hit Evening Sky the worst out of all Artifacts, as its main Attributes were Protection and Charisma, both stats that Uttermost assigns a malus to. With this we more than offset the penalty and can even quickly regenerate Evening Sky, meaning that we can fight for much longer inside the Tides of Nullity once we get Iridiscence.
But we know what we're here really for. Boni to Protection and Charisma are nice, Cloak manipulation is neat, better advancements for Evening Sky could restore it to relevance, but it's the discount to the Pillars of Creation that really hits our weak point. Ways to buy EFBs piecemeal aren't easy to come by, and this is essentially what the option does. Seeing how the rest of the effects is worth more than 2 Arete, this looks like a pretty Arete-efficient option!
Assuming we survive long enough to get Pillars, of course.
Do you want to be a
Its basic and best effect is the 20% bonus to all stats, which kind of blows many of the +AllStats options we've seen previously out of the water. Also partially offsets the malus of the Uttermost to stuff like Luck and Wis, which aren't easy to enhance in the first place.
The relationship bonus is kind of... ??? I suspect there are further things to explore in this direction, especially the Catherine mystery box. Will we resurrect the ghost of our wife and become a ghostly pair? After all, it says one can configure nearly a tenth of all Sourcerous Graces in time, and we personally chose Resurrection in our previous quest as one of our Graces. Hard to believe we'll be capable of cross-dimensional revival so early on in the story, but it's called Grace for a reason.
Assuming we aren't secretly fulfilling some kind of secret fetish of this world's Ceathlynn with Edeldross.
In comparison to all that its blasts seem almost boring, but 'transference without harm' expands our non-lethal options massively. Maybe we can learn to hit them with the flat side of the Praxis, but that would be so uncool, whereas this magic is specifically meant for such attempts. And combat teleportation is nothing to sniff at either, as that is one of the areas we find ourselves somewhat lacking in currently.
The 1 Arete discount to Total Eclipse is kind of eh after all that, but it's understandable, since not much power is spent on it. It's likely mostly there due to synergies rather than any intentional investment.
...I've almost convinced myself to pick Edeldross after seeing the litany of benefits it offers, despite being fascinated by Inksky on first readthrough. For now though:
[X] The Kaguya
[X] 7 Arete Version
[X] Inksky
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DkArthas
CAPITAL IS TO BLAME
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- They
Foremost also used Findross right? Eldeldross might allow us to figure out what that was all about! Also buffing Gisena eventually!
She's someone who is capable of being relevant for a long while, if we can figure out a way to get Findross! Think of our companions!
She's someone who is capable of being relevant for a long while, if we can figure out a way to get Findross! Think of our companions!
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Projectile
Thinking of Rabbits
- Location
- USA
[X] The Streamline
[X] 7 Arete Version
[X] Edeldross
Edeldross is so gorgeous, holistic advancement, nonlethal options (the opposite of my Surgecraft worries), mystery box! And Graces, but I don't actually care about those that much.
Inksky's power is too great to compete with, I think, but I must try. Not that I don't understand the motivation there.
[X] 7 Arete Version
[X] Edeldross
Edeldross is so gorgeous, holistic advancement, nonlethal options (the opposite of my Surgecraft worries), mystery box! And Graces, but I don't actually care about those that much.
Inksky's power is too great to compete with, I think, but I must try. Not that I don't understand the motivation there.
- Location
- Philippines
If we do end up, you know, removing Evening Sky from our Panoply, then we better have a fucking back up ready. Sword, Mantle, Ring after all. That said, no need to toss it to the trashcan. We can repurpose the entire thing into Gisena's evening gown and whatnot. Let her deal with the Findross stuff because I have barely a minor interest in researching it despite all the thought out memes we've got on display.
Talace
It must be raining somewhere else!
The story of a boy who loved the evening sky so much he chose to save it.
The story of an adolescent who witness his home get ransacked by pirates, and took it upon himself to avenge his home with sword and ship.
The story of a man who, on the precipice of his final victory, is waylaid by an astral portal.
The story of a bond between a moon and a boy, cut short.
"You ever wonder who that pirate was?" asked Gisena.
"No, not really." replied Hunger.
The story of an adolescent who witness his home get ransacked by pirates, and took it upon himself to avenge his home with sword and ship.
The story of a man who, on the precipice of his final victory, is waylaid by an astral portal.
The story of a bond between a moon and a boy, cut short.
"You ever wonder who that pirate was?" asked Gisena.
"No, not really." replied Hunger.
- Location
- Pindorama
Man, we were just complaining how the Evening Sky was lagging severely behind the other artifacts, and now we are being offered an opportunity to rectify that. I'd be a shame not take it and keep essentially ignoring it...
Yes, it's not immediatley better, but it doesn't need to be; there's no need to let the Temple influence all considerations of future. Inksky finally puts our artifacts in an more even keel; and that has narrative benefits for me more than mechanical ones; I've not been enjoying seeing the Evening Sky slowly fade from the battles we've been having. I want to have a Sword, Mantle and Ring in truth, not just pay lip service to one of them...
But the point of saving is to get an EFB, so why wouldn't those who want to save pick Inksky? And we don't have the Arete for Pearlescence yet. Having Inksky would make grabbing that much more likely. And if we want that Special Advancement, then getting the Arete discounts now is immensely valuable.
Yes, it's not immediatley better, but it doesn't need to be; there's no need to let the Temple influence all considerations of future. Inksky finally puts our artifacts in an more even keel; and that has narrative benefits for me more than mechanical ones; I've not been enjoying seeing the Evening Sky slowly fade from the battles we've been having. I want to have a Sword, Mantle and Ring in truth, not just pay lip service to one of them...
DarkSideBard
Flying, without moving on
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Now simply add more Sky, with InkSky(tm)!
Protection? Efficiency? Fashion? Not constantly losing vital organs to unhealable wounds because you simply assume that you can tank flesh damage? InkSky will eventually do it all! It adds a distinct physical and conceptual potency to otherwise old and dusky Skies that simply can't be beat.
Now available at any Participating Surgecraft Retailer near you. Contract terms and results not guaranteed: read your individual contract to determine fine details. Only available while supplies last.
Come in and get a consultation from one of our licensed distributors today, free of charge! Call the toll free number on the screen to order now. If you order the premium version within the next thirty minutes, we'll throw in a equivalent discount for a purchase of any Pillars of Creation Sky Package(tm) any time in the next calendar year. That's a five Arete discount; wow, what value!
Remember, call our toll free number now to order.
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It's incorrect to say that Blood advancements have better value; while true in vacuum, Inksky also boosts Prot/Cha gained from such choices while Blood doesn't, giving greater value overall. Additionally, once we get the Ruling Ring we will lose Blood Progression, while Inksky will stack with that.
Besides, it's a matter of winning the game. Right now our main win conditions are ruling Human Sphere and obtaining Cut/Ring/Pillar combo for power, and Inksky directly improves both. It makes Cha build that much better, between outright improving Charisma, giving us more option to get it and just plain making it likely that we will want to buy some, and it obviously discounts Pillars, reducing total cost of our combo from 43 to 38 Arete.
And, of course, making Evening Sky relevant just feels really fucking good..
Besides, it's a matter of winning the game. Right now our main win conditions are ruling Human Sphere and obtaining Cut/Ring/Pillar combo for power, and Inksky directly improves both. It makes Cha build that much better, between outright improving Charisma, giving us more option to get it and just plain making it likely that we will want to buy some, and it obviously discounts Pillars, reducing total cost of our combo from 43 to 38 Arete.
And, of course, making Evening Sky relevant just feels really fucking good..
DkArthas
CAPITAL IS TO BLAME
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- They
Sadly, temple is such an death trap that untill we are out immediate power will always be the better choice. Let's also remember that we have only few days of the Apocryphal Curse inactivation left, once it ends, we will be in even more danger in the Temple!
Best to take more power now and deal with the Temple as quick as possible! We can focus on Evening Sky when we are relatively less danger!
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Rihaku
The Internet
Current vote count?
Findross is so convenient, who wouldn't use it if they had the chance? The ability to develop useful superpowers and clean up the environment at the same time!
Plus it offers plenty of power right now, when you need it!
"That pirate, was nothing more, than a petty Tyrant." Wanting tosave enslave the moon! How dare he?
Thus always to Tyrants!
Findross is so convenient, who wouldn't use it if they had the chance? The ability to develop useful superpowers and clean up the environment at the same time!
Plus it offers plenty of power right now, when you need it!
"That pirate, was nothing more, than a petty Tyrant." Wanting to
Thus always to Tyrants!
- Location
- Pindorama
Inserted tally
...We need Arete, and I never actually asked this, so I may as well try even if I expect it to be pointless.
@Rihaku, I'd like to point out that the line in my signature advertising A Simple Transaction has been there since the first one was running, and thus all the way through Even Further Beyond. While I will admit that this was because I never bothered editing my signature after the quest ended, do I get any particular Arete bonus for having it there for over three years? Even if it "just" gives us what it would have earned normally at 0.05 per month, that's still 2 full Arete.
@Rihaku, I'd like to point out that the line in my signature advertising A Simple Transaction has been there since the first one was running, and thus all the way through Even Further Beyond. While I will admit that this was because I never bothered editing my signature after the quest ended, do I get any particular Arete bonus for having it there for over three years? Even if it "just" gives us what it would have earned normally at 0.05 per month, that's still 2 full Arete.
Rihaku
The Internet
That's already factored in, though the Advancements in question don't usually give stats directly. They're more lateral expansion of capabilities.
Winning the game requires not dying! Not dying in the Temple, not dying to the Apocryphal Curse... all this can be achieved by pulling ahead of the power curve! Instead of fighting overwhelmingly powerful enemies and hoping that increased Protection will result in fewer conditions (is this a vain hope given how far behind your Protection is? Do you want to spend 9 Arete and 3 picks trying to patch it?), you could just be more powerful!
I'm surprised you're not aiming for Quickwater given its flat Rank bonus, though...
- Location
- Pindorama
We are already ahead of the power-curve though. Can't we use this opportunity to invest towards the future instead? Considering how crippling conditions can be, having less of them would be ideal.
Everything is a vain hope if we don't build towards it; especially EFBs. We have to start somewhere, and this looks like a especially good place. We want to bring Evening Sky up to par, so we have to build towards it; even if it is less optimal. We can't just leave it out to dry.
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