No, SV, You Are the Forest! (Riot Quest)

Magnetic Tree (Magnetic) x4: Metallic threads wind their way through crystalline branches and leaves, allowing it to generate a magnetic field. The Forest may choose to greatly empower this field, allowing it to stop attacks from reaching the Forest in the first place. Unlocks the Shield action, and provides one automatic success to that action per Magnetic Tree. Requires 10 Growth successes per tree.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

So, let's start off with my second favorite tree Maggy. Maggy is a Magnetic aspected tree that we rolled 4 times in Forest generation. Without Maggy, our Magnetic based research would likely be significantly more difficult, as Maggy just blatantly provides global magnetism to our efforts. Maggy is a Protection spec'd tree, giving us access to the Shield action as well as 4 Automatic Successes per Shield Action. If everyone spent their action of Shielding, then before any dice were rolled then we'd get over 400 Successes on Shielding. I don't have context for how many successes are generally thrown around when space ships come to try to take a poke at us, but if we all went Shield then I wouldn't be surprised if we accidentally killed them due to screwing with their space ship.

Empty Tree (Void) x2: No light reflects from the crystals of this tree, and it absorbs no light, either. Yet the Forest can still detect it; how strange. No obvious effects. Requires 5 Growth successes per tree.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Next, let's look at a tree that holds a special place in my heart, though not my favorite. Mu. Mu is a Void aspected tree that doesn't actually do anything yet, but the research Mu unlocked will probably be one of the most important abilities we'll ever get. Mu's Research gives us the ability to hide. Once it's unlocked we'll be able to avoid contact on our terms, which is an immense thing for what is traditionally a rooted system.

Feeling Tree (Magnetic) x2: Provides knowledge of the area around the Forest by tracking the changes in magnetic fields as things pass through them. Passively detects actions and events beyond the Forest. Each tree increases the strength and effectiveness of this detection net. With two such trees, the sensors are capable of discerning the broad movements of ships across the tiny system. Requires 10 Growth successes per tree.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Visual Pun is the third tree down the list, and is important on the basis that it gives us vision. It let's us have any idea of what is out there, and I would advocate Growing another 18 of Visual Pun if I actually cared about anything except stockpiling resources.

Sharding Tree (Crystal) x1: This tree serves to protect other Trees by absorbing incoming damage first, protecting both trees newly grown and those still growing. If it is destroyed, it detonates, assaulting whomever attacking it with a new Defense roll, utilizing every Heart Tree in the Forest to provide the effect and an additional bonus success. Requires 10 Growth successes per tree.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

And now for my favorite tree. The Gamer. The Gamer's gift to us is two fold. First, it provides us with a means to protect ourselves though explosive shard projection. Second, it focuses all damage on to one system rather than allowing damage to spread out wherever it actually occur. In essence, it prevents damage from occurring to critical systems like Maggy, or Player Trees. As far as I'm concerned, we should always be making Gamer Trees.

Collector Tree (Crystal) x1: This tree serves to collect some small measure of the energy put out by the Sun, its leaves so dark they almost glow as they drink in the light. Every Focus action dedicated to Growth actions receives one additional automatic success per Collector Tree. Requires 10 Growth successes per tree.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Dragon Age Reference is the fifth tree on our list, and boy howdy does it appeal to the industrialists in our Forest. Every Dragon Age Reference we have makes Growing easier and more reliable. We should rush out 9 more of them and then have at least one person make a Dragon Age Reference each turn to continue our escalating Growth potential as well as make making other Special Trees much easier to do.

[ ][Action] Research the Shard Volley power (Crystal)
-Study how the Sharding Tree accomplishes it's explosive effect, and seek a less onerous means of replicating it on a smaller scale. Unlocks a Defense Action that can damage or kill enemies within the boundaries of the Forest.
-Requires 20 Research successes

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Now to look at our Research Trees

I've already talked about Mu's Hiding, so I'll move on to


The Gamer's Nut Shot. In essence, this Research gives all Trees the ability to shank targets right between the legs, as long as they're within physical reach of our Forest. The applications are as obvious as they are varied.

[ ][Action] Research the incoming Ship (???)
-How does it move? How? Inquiring Minds want to know! Unlocks a new field of research.
-Requires 10 Research successes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Next we have the Railroad Dilemma. Is a Forest a Forest if it can actually move on its own? Some say yes. Some say no. I say that if it works, we'll get idiots every turn trying to push us into the Sun. Is the ability to fuck off into the metaphorical sunset worth the risk of fucking off into the very literal Sun right there? That depends on you. May Tree God have mercy on us all.

[ ][Action] Research the Scoop Tree (Magnetic)
-An alternative application of magnetic fields, the Scoop Tree improves the efficacy of growth actions, by proactively adjusting magnetic fields to reach out and obtain charged particles.
-Requires 10 Research successes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

The next tree on our list is Ice Cream. I don't understand what Ice Cream does. Dragon Age Reference already gives us a Growth Boost, so presumably this does the same thing but with Magnets? How do Magnets work??? The world may never know.

[ ][Action] Research the Hoop Tree (Magnetic)
-Yet another application of magnetic fields, the Hoop Tree unlocks a Survival action, allowing for resources to be stored against future need. Automatically applies one die to that action each turn.
-Requires 10 Research successes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

We have now arrived at Earring. We might already have Earring? The text says we unlock a Survival action that we already have unlocked, so I'm assuming it provides some sort of additional benefit to that action, or a more efficient version of it because Magnets, but otherwise it automates resource acquisition and storage which means that this is the most important tree for our continued health, because Storage Resources is Forest for "Floating Health Point Pool" which means that the more of these we have the faster we build up ablative HP for when Bad Things Happen.

[ ][Action] Research the Shaping Tree (Crystal)
-Crystals aren't particularly fluid, but their interiors can be adjusted to mimic that of other trees as the need arises. This tree allows for other trees to take up arms in defense of the Forest. Up to one Defense Action per Forest Magnitude per turn gains one extra die per Shaping Tree.
-Requires 20 Research successes

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Bendy is kinda lame tbh. Sure, it's the prerequisite tree for Treants, and physical manipulation and tool manipulation and strangling shitbirds with our bare hands while we wear their entrails in our branches. But all it does is let us wiggle a bit. 0/74, needs more Skyrim.

[ ][Action] Research the Reflecting Tree (Crystal)
-Energy taken from successful strikes is returned back to the attacker, diminishing the amount suffered by the Forest. One point of damage per Tree is 'returned to sender' in some way, shape, or form, reducing the damage taken by that amount.
-Requires 10 Research successes

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

No-U is pretty hopping in comparison. It provides a flat universal Damage Resistance buff that also reflects the Resisted Damage back at whoever stepped to us. Get 400 of them and laugh in tree at their weak willed attempts to dance.

[ ][Action] Research the Soothing Tree (Psionic)
-The Mind of the Forest is a potent thing indeed, capable of reaching out beyond itself. This tree serves as a focus, allowing for a new Offensive Action that can calm aggression and hostility, allowing for peaceful discourse. In the event that this specific Offensive Action is not chosen, one Communication Action per turn gains an extra die per tree.
-Requires 10 Research successes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Coffee is basically Railroad Dilemma as far as I care to understand it because A) It gives our Forest the ability to Do Things at targets outside the Forest. and B) Unlocks Psionics. Half our trees are going to try to murder whoever is out there while the other half tries to sell our sap for waifus.

[ ][Action] Research Elder Trees (General)
-Some Trees have grown old indeed, and were old when the Forest was young... old when the Forest was last whole. Some measure of this experience can be distilled and incorporated into new and extant Trees, improving their skill at wielding their power. Unlocks upgrades to existing and future Special Trees, required for Tier Two trees.
-Requires 50 Research successes.

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Santa is a baller, ngl. It's basically building a Hive in SC, unlocking our next level on the tech tree. Which means better versions of my favorites trees, like Gamer, and Dragon Age Reference.