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A Simple Transaction I

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Conjured Blade said:
It could be Plerion changing the physics of the area too to nullify our magic with a dimensional vortex. If that's the case we'll need World Defeating Stance.
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BrainInAJar said:
It depends if that guardian is Rank based or not though; if it isn't, M-DS or even Wo-DS might be better.

But Weapon is still quite strong against the Immortals while not "Wasting" Arete so I much prefer it, it strikes agood balance;
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Ultimately, if the concern is a single trump card we're best served with either No Stance or generating Arete for a second Stance. If it's general combat power, Weapon-Defeating Stance seems good.
Talace said:
Weapon-defeating stance is generally more useful against mooks, which decreases complication chance for us and our allies, which I think is pretty relevant. The less time and risk spent on losers, the more resources we have to take down the big bads.
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Right; I also like it for trying to pick off an Immortal; we will need speed if we want to do that.
If we could kill one then escape to digest the power, we'd be in a good situation.

E: hm I'd forgotten about how Hero-Defeating Stance helps with being outnumbered as well. I suppose it may in fact be greedy not to get it for this fight. Still, though, Sara had some excellent arguments so I'm going to remain voting for her options.
 
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I really, really don't think there's enough time for a sudden reversal, at least not enough for HDS to get in; I barely think there's enough time left to boost WDS up to "scraping past the finish line" territory.
 
Talace said:
Weapon-defeating stance is generally more useful against mooks, which decreases complication chance for us and our allies, which I think is pretty relevant. The less time and risk spent on losers, the more resources we have to take down the big bads.
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Mooks are irrelevant, they can't react fast enough to do anything to Hunger. With sufficient speed you don't even get to fight!
 
Rihaku said:
Mooks are irrelevant, they can't react fast enough to do anything to Hunger. With sufficient speed you don't even get to fight!
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That's part of the hope of Weapon-Defeating Stance; more speed makes more enemies effectively into mooks who can't react to us. If we can extend that into High Marshals or the slowest Immortal, we might be able to make unchecked progress on weakening our enemies.
 
Rihaku said:
Mooks are irrelevant, they can't react fast enough to do anything to Hunger. With sufficient speed you don't even get to fight!
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Fair, but if even one mook dies a combat action faster, that means we send one more calamitous bladewind at a baddie, which I think is pretty relevant!

Regardless, I'd also like to make the claim that Weap-DS crushes our long-range weakness by making us outspeed Gondar, more CON and STR (synergy??? in my build???), destroy projectiles, and +++++ Protection against weapons (which prevents us from even taking damage!)
 
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Hm, while it's understandable to gravitate toward the option that obviates the most logistical concerns, this being choice between taking Larissa and condemning ten million people to die is the definition of a false dichotomy. Neither Hunger nor Aristeia would stand for it; have a little faith in our protagonist! There are other strategies available: organizing an evacuation using the Sigil public address system or attempting to stabilize the Dimensional Vortex by channeling reserves of star-stuff away from amenities and into it. The Inner Ring runs everything on it, if we redirect the light emanating from Sigils not only do we cripple the enemy we can buy time for the aforementioned evacuation. There's no way there aren't contingencies in case of a situation like this given the forethought and planning evident in other parts of the Temple civilization.

We rolled a 97 for our search. I want to see what's so special about Aristeia that despite costing Arete her option's described as having 'very good value'. The legendary scion of a bloodline with equally potent powers isn't just a useful ally of circumstance, she could also unlock research options in the future or even join the party as a companion! Mental stability's not a dumpstat, especially not to an Apocryphal Cursebearer. With Edeldross and Crimson Flare, giving Hunger the Fairbright Legacy begins to sound like a potential development. By contrast, Larissa and the combatants she provides will be rendered virtually powerless once the Ring's liberated, the light of their souls dwindling to nothing.

Speaking of power, a Hunger who allies with Larissa will be far weaker than one fighting side by side with Aristeia. Even dismissing the possibly synergistic interactions between blood-buffs and the Fairbright Legacy, adding something like another layer of Edeldross enhancement to Hunger on top of another pick makes for a significant gulf. Given the way power scaling plays out in these quests, I would rather have one trustworthy peer than an army of opportunistic chaff by my side. Give me every blade in the world, or give me the one blade I believe in.

Also, though it's a secondary concern with stakes such as these, this flies in the face of Hunger's advice to Letrizia. He'd be using someone who was infatuated with him for their blood, the exact same scenario he posed to get her to examine her treatment of Fullmight.
 
[X] Larissa of House Alynne
[X] Fierce Quickening
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance

With Rihaku's comment, chaging builds!
Talace said:
{0} Mind
{0} Mind x 2
{0} Determination
{0} Speed
{0} Sun Ring

Ideally with the increased mind we'll have the knowledge of how not to give up our ring.

[X] Larissa of House Alynne
[X] Fierce Quickening
[X] Weapon-Defeating Stance
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It's not that difficult, but might be troublesome if you ever have to wear it in a obvious place.
runeblue360 said:
{Ed} Mind
{Ed} Mind x2
{Ed} Mind x3
{Ed} Determination(2 picks, needs 2 picks in Mind)
{Ed} The Underworld(+1 Majesty)
{X}(1 majesty, doesn't cost a pick) Sun ring

The power of D E T E R M I N A T I O N. With our currently shocking level of strength (equal or greater than some of the mightiest knights in the kingdom), our main real concern is in the strategic and logistical aspect of our war on organized crime. Both of those are likely to be improved through the power of our mind as we obtain the inhuman perspicacity and intelligence necessary to understand their means of concealment and communication. More importantly, I'm hoping Determination might lead to techniques that allows us to build a memetic hazard suite like TIM's, which would do a lot to mitigate our Curse.

As for the Sun Ring, the Doom of the Martyr only requires us to answer specific requests from the pure of heart. Given that it seems monetarily worthless, simply leaving it at home would likely be more than sufficient to prevent us from giving it away in a fit of maddened charity. Keep it secret, keep it safe.
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Do keep in mind that if Mind is taken, he will be somewhat weaker, still migthy, and can likely surprass anyone in the kingdom very quickly, but there is a very small chance of facing a worthy oponnet. On the other hand, facing a worthy oponnet is not necessarely bad...

While Determination is pretty strong and give acess to some nifty things, neither Grace or True Might should be underestimated, Grace makes you Superhumanely competent in everything in a way that simply cannot be replicated trough Mind alone, while True Might's power against exoteric effects shouldn't be underestimated. While possible to get acess to Grace and Might later, it will take a while. This is the result of 7 years of effort after all!

Also, might be worthwile to simply save! The Sun ring might give a useful effect, but is it comparable to a beyond pick or even further beyond pick? Or perhaps it might be worthwile to save for a EFB, since you don't have need for immediate power.

A memetic hazard suite...is unlikely, but theoretically possible, albeit very difficult, and would likely require some investment into Crafting. On the other hand, it's possible to use enough Determination for a direct mitigation...
 
Might as well fix Ring society while we're at it then.

[X] Who Walked Away
[X] Fierce Quickening
[X] Fierce Quickening X2
[X] Weapon-Defeating Stance
 
I generally think that we should be either going Larissa with Hero Defeating Stance or Fairbright with Weapon Defeating Stance + double quickening.

Rihaku has out and said that Hero Defeating is better if we have only one fierce quickening, and right now, we need to be focused on Not Dying, saving or working towards All-Defeating is too greedy. We will have time to be greedy after Temple is over.
 
[X] Who Walked Away
[X] Fierce Quickening
[X] Fierce Quickening X2
[X] Hero-Defeating Stance

Copying this, will switch to Weapon Defeating Stance if Who Walked Away comes into the lead. There's not really a risk of me missing the vote close, I'm always here for it.
 
Hm, I haven't read every word so pardon me if this has been covered, but one note about Aristeia and the aftermath of this fight; her name is a significant death flag. There's a chance she will have her namesake hour and overperform but die in the process.
"An aristeia or aristia is a scene in the dramatic conventions of epic poetry as in the Iliad, where a hero in battle has his finest moments. An aristeia can result in the death of the hero at the aristeia's end."
 
Sharkey_smt said:
We are never picking this.
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Mitigating the Doom of Anti-Synergy is possible! Uttermost doesn't lock us out of doing it, at least.

Also, while Larissa's description prioritizes her current usefulness and alludes to her getting dunked on by Gisena down the road, it may not be that easy. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; this seems like the sort of thread the Apocryphal Curse could pick up on. Let's not make a habit of mortgaging our future to pay for the present. Larissa has undeniable present utility, but given the absolute truckload of Arete the thread's generated we can stand to vote with an eye toward what's coming:

[X] Who Walked Away
[X] Weapon-Defeating Stance
[X] Fierce Quickening
[X] Fierce Quickening x2
 
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Update in ~30. The winner was [X] Larissa. As it's not material to the upcoming event, the build vote will also close then.

The Marshal slain, Hunger pressed his blade against the dull blue surface of the Inner Ring itself. The substance of the barrier was heavy but ductile, like hyperdense rubber, and resisted the force of his cut, even regrowing parts sheared away. With one leg he anchored himself against the dome and began to saw away in earnest, the blue of his blade-edge and the power of Ruin slowly eroding its resistance.

Where the unveiled Inner Ring met the outside world, a howling torrent of air rushed free, heat and fury as to hurl a normal man from the opening entirely.

With his superhuman constitution Hunger was barely bothered. It did not appear to be a specific defense mechanism, merely the property of some disequilibrium between the Inner and Middle Rings.

At last a man-sized passage was carved open, and he quickly leapt through, the wound in the barrier sealing shut behind him. Inside it was day, the sky within nearly the opposite of the star-shrouded night he had walked in under. Hunger blinked away the glare of their false sun and took in his surroundings. This was a vast and orderly space, countless rows of precision-crafted towers marching to the horizon, their walls inset with runes, interiors aglow with faint blue light. Shops and residences, offices and farms, all were contained within the neatly-arranged structure of this city-spanning grid.
 
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