We might consider leaving enough Arete in the bank to just snap-buy FDS. It would be horrifically inefficient Arete-wise, but I think FDS is much more helpful against Armaments compared to ADS - and, more importantly, we don't need picks to do so. If we find that we don't have enough power but do have enough Arete, it is one solution.
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Perhaps? The way I see it, these are the possible ways to spend Arete in case of Hold the Line:
1) Stances. Getting MDS would be a no brainer. I'm not quite on FDS train, but it's also a possibility
2) Astral Beasts. We'd likely have to use Enclosure to get something that would help us to summon something powerful using Armament presence, and killing it would be a pain, but getting OaF II would both be very useful here, and most efficient use of Arete in our case
3) Hope we get offered Praxis pick, as we were against Rotbeast. Not a unlikely possibility, and both Cold Light and Refinement of Battle would be useful here, or even some rarer Refinement we've unlocked via Never Better
One thing to consider is that rewards for defeating Procyon mean that we can piss away Arete to beat it and still not suffer much long term. So while something like FDS would be completely wasteful(plus we'd lose HDS), overall it doesn't matter because Heroic Progression is valuable enough to make up for it.
1) Stances. Getting MDS would be a no brainer. I'm not quite on FDS train, but it's also a possibility
2) Astral Beasts. We'd likely have to use Enclosure to get something that would help us to summon something powerful using Armament presence, and killing it would be a pain, but getting OaF II would both be very useful here, and most efficient use of Arete in our case
3) Hope we get offered Praxis pick, as we were against Rotbeast. Not a unlikely possibility, and both Cold Light and Refinement of Battle would be useful here, or even some rarer Refinement we've unlocked via Never Better
One thing to consider is that rewards for defeating Procyon mean that we can piss away Arete to beat it and still not suffer much long term. So while something like FDS would be completely wasteful(plus we'd lose HDS), overall it doesn't matter because Heroic Progression is valuable enough to make up for it.
- Location
- Louisiana
Rihaku why do you have to make the ludicrously dangerous options so god damn tempting. I'm not even talking about the rewards I'm talking about the narrative. All of the most interesting options are the ones that are death traps. Imagine the glory unbound if hunger defeats one of the more powerful armaments! It makes me want to just brainstorm potential combat strategies, this is no unbeatable foe just a magnificently powerful one. Tomorrow I will draft up an anti Procyon strategy as best as I can!
Well, it helps that unlike with the previous 5-pick fight option, we actually have a prepared defensible position, good intel on our enemy and a literal army of allies behind our back. That downgrades effective danger by a lot in comparison to rank 6 Hunger YOLO'ing at the Armament Fish from a small boat in the middle of the sea.
More seriously, recall how Rotbeast was downgrades to "No % of death" despite being a 3-picks fight, due to tactics and us buying good advancements mid-fight. Much of the same applies, except we are downgrading % of death of a 5-pick fight.
More seriously, recall how Rotbeast was downgrades to "No % of death" despite being a 3-picks fight, due to tactics and us buying good advancements mid-fight. Much of the same applies, except we are downgrading % of death of a 5-pick fight.
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@Rihaku two three questions. Does the "+1 Heroic Upgrade to an Advancement of Hunger's choice" mean "any Advancement Hunger already has, or will get in the fight" or does it just mean "Heroic Upgrade to one of the Procyon fight Picks"? Because if the former, what happens if you pick something like Cut Through or Silver of Evening or Opalescent Tower or Crescent Flare or even Once and Future (1 or 2 or whatever) or Fisher King or Pillars of Creation? Orrr... Is there a limit to the amount of Advancements that can get a Heroic Upgrade (a sanity limit, as otherwise you'd have to either give a blind upgrade, an extremely generic upgrade, or write out tons of possible options...)
The second question is...
EDIT: Remembered a third question I had.
Did it unlock the Defining Advancement, and we just hadn't had the chance to see the Advancement pop up afterwards because it still needed the situation and picks and arête to show up, or something else?
Also... Any hint as to what Feat: Saber and Feat: Orb are? If Saber has something to do with swording, then... well, I dunno. Would Saber require beating a really powerful opponent? Or beating somebody in a sword duel? Or something else? What? (Or does it just, 'just', require getting to the Sword Praxis -- i.e. the Imperial level of the Praxis, in the domain of the Sword -- and which then unlocks Feat: Saber?) Or something else?
Nevermind, just saw this bit.
"[ ] Forebear's Blade: Fisher King [12 + 12 Arete] - The hand that steadies the rod, rules the world.
Costs five picks total. One of the Defining Advancements that could have been unlocked by [Feat: Crown]."
So... Yeah, Fisher King was one of the Defining Advancements that "could have", whatever that means? does that mean that we didn't get Feat Crown, or does it mean that it is uncertain whether we are able to get Fisher King because of Feat: Crown or because of other factors, or does it just mean that Feat: Crown unlocks multiple potential possible Advancements, and that circumstances meant that we would be offered Fisher King instead of other potentialities? (Which might mean a sort of... "This will unlock a future unique advancement. Depending on what other stuff you do, it might be X or Y or Z." And because we did some stuff, the Advancement ended up being Fisher King.) Reading comprehension, ho. =/
The potential for a 5-Pick Advancement.
The potential to a +1 Heroic Upgrade to an Advancement of Hunger's choice.
The potential that one of the 5-pick or 4-pick Advancements will be an EFB, too.
Guys, if we win this, this would be an incredible amount of power.
This might be a way to jump in power and outscale a lot of things. Like, yes, of course, huge danger, huge risk. I'm aware. But I think the power potential of this should be taken another look at. The scaling potential of it.
There's a possibility of getting a 5-pick, 25-Arete, Advancement... and then even getting a Heroic Upgrade to it. (Or, depending on how it works, getting a Heroic Upgrade to one of our old Advancements. Which, imagine if it were Cut Through or Crimson Flare or Silver of Evening or Fisher King () or any other EFB. Or, hell, Pillars of Creation! And then we go into the Realm of Evening, after the Procyon fight, after a super-buffed Pillars of Creation! Not just Silver of Evening buffed, but Heroic Upgrade buffed, too.)
The Vanreir fight almost killed us. But. But, it also gave us a huge and swift boost in power that ultimately let us survive the Temple, which might otherwise have done us in.
The Vanreir fight, and subsequent upgrade, was, I feel, a tipping point which let us power up enough to break the curve and survive the temple. And survive the Prime Rotspawn, and Apocryphal Procs. It brought us closer to death than we had ever been. But it also meant that we powered up a lot. And so it will go if we win this fight. And even then, we still had some tough times after the Vanreir fight, so... Consider what it would have been like if we didn't get that boost of strength.
Granted, with all that said...
I'm not sure I'd actually vote for Hold The Line or not.
I just wanted to geek out over the 5-pick and Heroic Upgrade (and potential of a 7-Arete or 25-Arete Advancement!!) and bring it up as a possibility. And the boost in power, and us potentially needing that boost in power. (Like, if this is the Vanreir fight equivalent for us in the current story 'arc', then... we would desperately need the powerup.)
I don't want to actually get killed by greed. "Call Up" sounds like a way to victory. (Though, bearing risk. Of an uncertain sort. After all, the whole "do not call up what you can't put down" thing, so. If it backfires, it could go very badly. Or, hell, what if picking Call Up is what activates the Apocryphal Proc? That would mega-suck. We'd probably have to hope that Haeliel's Favor saves our butt with that 5% roll or a Defensive Wish or something.) Just... Yeah. The power, and glory, is tempting.
True Maiming
No more Constitution penalty, or vulnerability to poisons or disease. But...
No more Punctured Soul, means no more 5% Rank penalty. And no more social attributes penalized by 20%, or mental or physical penalties!
... Er, to be fair, it's possible the Punctured Soul thing healed due to time rather than Haeliel. It had had only 11 days to go, during the Titanomachy update. Nevertheless, I am glad to be reminded of the fact that we don't have those percentage penalties anymore.
Some things to note: we now have the Seraph's Favor, an Oriflamme, which gives us stuff like Heroic Progression+, boosts us to Once and Future 2, and other stuff.
Secondly... The stats look a bit weird. Not sure about the numbers of the stats there, not sure if totally right. The other thing is... the attributes used to go Charisma, Intelligence, Wits, Protection, Agility, Strength, Constitution, Willpower, Manipulation, Wisdom, Luck, Appearance. That was the way it was for every other update. You've changed up the order of them a bit. Is that intentional? If so, that's fine, just wondering. (Easier to eyeball and compare stats in previous sheet, if the stats are all in the same order.)
Konosuba stuff:
Making her take important tasks close to as seriously as Kazuma? Being willing to take personal sacrifices, for long-term benefits? Not screwing up major things (while definitely still screwing up minor things and funny and embarrassing things because let's be honest here; this is Konosuba, and this is Aqua and Kazuma) Hell yes! Especially because one of her "important tasks" is Curse Mitigation.
So basically... while I agree that Curse Mitigation is the huge things, I think medium or long term potential Curse Mitigation is even better. Because Eversworn focuses on counteracting the Geass of Incompetence, it's... well, it focuses on that Geass. But it also means that it focuses on improving our main source of Curse Mitigation.
Sacred Restoration gets us immediate Curse Mitigation. Which is great. But Eversworn gets us more reliable and certain mitigation over time. And gets us a more reliable party member. It's... I love it so much. I really think we should go for Eversworn.
Yes, I realize that picking Sacred Restoration and picking Geass of Incompetence as one of the first two immediately is a possibility. However. First of all, that 'uses' up a track of Curse Mitigation. Whereas Eversworn's doubling is (sort of?) 'free.' Secondly... Eversworn works on improving Aqua's character and personality. Sacred Restoration just (well... "just") tackles the Curses. It doesn't make Aqua herself all that prone to self-improvement. (Or, well, the possibility of self-improvement. Eversworn opens up a chance, at least.)
For Subaru's pick, I agree with picking A Witch's Love. It clears up a hanging plot issue and answers a question. And thus improves what Kazuma knows. Although, hm, was the lack of a "Subaru's future Progression options will focus on blahblahblah" blurb at the end of A Witch's Love deliberate or not? ... Also, thinking about it... The Curse of Misfortune works best on things you don't know about, right? And right now, we don't know about Return by Death. (And it was said that pitting Satella against a Cursebearer's protection could result in a dead Satella and thus no more Return by Death for Subaru, so...) So, um, yeah. I really want this one, now. I don't want that potential landmine hanging over us. (Even if with Curse Mitigation, it's less likely to hit on really important and really bad things. But this way, it removes that landmine.)
The second question is...
Way back at the Spoils of the Tyrant update, we ended up picking just Pillars of Creation. Meaning, we had 2 picks and only used 1, so... What was the fill-in-the-blank Advancement that Hunger took? Was it something like Echo of the Forebear, Opalescence (or Iridescence, I forget which comes first) Exalted Spirit, or what?
EDIT: Remembered a third question I had.
Did "Be the Change" end up being successful? Or is its success or failure still not resolved? What is the Defining Advancement it unlocked from success? Was it Fisher King? Sword in the Stone? Something else? Or have we not seen it yet?
Did it unlock the Defining Advancement, and we just hadn't had the chance to see the Advancement pop up afterwards because it still needed the situation and picks and arête to show up, or something else?
Also... Any hint as to what Feat: Saber and Feat: Orb are? If Saber has something to do with swording, then... well, I dunno. Would Saber require beating a really powerful opponent? Or beating somebody in a sword duel? Or something else? What? (Or does it just, 'just', require getting to the Sword Praxis -- i.e. the Imperial level of the Praxis, in the domain of the Sword -- and which then unlocks Feat: Saber?) Or something else?
"[ ] Forebear's Blade: Fisher King [12 + 12 Arete] - The hand that steadies the rod, rules the world.
Costs five picks total. One of the Defining Advancements that could have been unlocked by [Feat: Crown]."
So... Yeah, Fisher King was one of the Defining Advancements that "could have", whatever that means? does that mean that we didn't get Feat Crown, or does it mean that it is uncertain whether we are able to get Fisher King because of Feat: Crown or because of other factors, or does it just mean that Feat: Crown unlocks multiple potential possible Advancements, and that circumstances meant that we would be offered Fisher King instead of other potentialities? (Which might mean a sort of... "This will unlock a future unique advancement. Depending on what other stuff you do, it might be X or Y or Z." And because we did some stuff, the Advancement ended up being Fisher King.) Reading comprehension, ho. =/
Holy shit.
The potential for a 5-Pick Advancement.
The potential to a +1 Heroic Upgrade to an Advancement of Hunger's choice.
The potential that one of the 5-pick or 4-pick Advancements will be an EFB, too.
Guys, if we win this, this would be an incredible amount of power.
This might be a way to jump in power and outscale a lot of things. Like, yes, of course, huge danger, huge risk. I'm aware. But I think the power potential of this should be taken another look at. The scaling potential of it.
There's a possibility of getting a 5-pick, 25-Arete, Advancement... and then even getting a Heroic Upgrade to it. (Or, depending on how it works, getting a Heroic Upgrade to one of our old Advancements. Which, imagine if it were Cut Through or Crimson Flare or Silver of Evening or Fisher King (
) or any other EFB. Or, hell, Pillars of Creation! And then we go into the Realm of Evening, after the Procyon fight, after a super-buffed Pillars of Creation! Not just Silver of Evening buffed, but Heroic Upgrade buffed, too.)The Vanreir fight almost killed us. But. But, it also gave us a huge and swift boost in power that ultimately let us survive the Temple, which might otherwise have done us in.
The Vanreir fight, and subsequent upgrade, was, I feel, a tipping point which let us power up enough to break the curve and survive the temple. And survive the Prime Rotspawn, and Apocryphal Procs. It brought us closer to death than we had ever been. But it also meant that we powered up a lot. And so it will go if we win this fight. And even then, we still had some tough times after the Vanreir fight, so... Consider what it would have been like if we didn't get that boost of strength.
Granted, with all that said...
I'm not sure I'd actually vote for Hold The Line or not.
I just wanted to geek out over the 5-pick and Heroic Upgrade (and potential of a 7-Arete or 25-Arete Advancement!!) and bring it up as a possibility. And the boost in power, and us potentially needing that boost in power. (Like, if this is the Vanreir fight equivalent for us in the current story 'arc', then... we would desperately need the powerup.)
I don't want to actually get killed by greed.
"Call Up" sounds like a way to victory. (Though, bearing risk. Of an uncertain sort. After all, the whole "do not call up what you can't put down" thing, so. If it backfires, it could go very badly. Or, hell, what if picking Call Up is what activates the Apocryphal Proc? That would mega-suck. We'd probably have to hope that Haeliel's Favor saves our butt with that 5% roll or a Defensive Wish or something.) Just... Yeah. The power, and glory, is tempting.Oh hey, this reminded me that... thanks to Haeliel's visit, we not only got our lung and eye back, but we don't have Punctured Soul or True Maiming anymore.
True Maiming
- Duration: Indefinite
- Effect: Liver wounded on a metaphysical level. Permanently reduce CON and CON improvements by 5% and suffer 200% increased vulnerability to poison and supernatural disease.
- Duration: 11 days
- Effect: Rank reduced by 5%, physical attributes by 5%, mental attributes by 15%, and social attributes by 20%
No more Constitution penalty, or vulnerability to poisons or disease. But...
No more Punctured Soul, means no more 5% Rank penalty. And no more social attributes penalized by 20%, or mental or physical penalties!
... Er, to be fair, it's possible the Punctured Soul thing healed due to time rather than Haeliel. It had had only 11 days to go, during the Titanomachy update. Nevertheless, I am glad to be reminded of the fact that we don't have those percentage penalties anymore.
Some things to note: we now have the Seraph's Favor, an Oriflamme, which gives us stuff like Heroic Progression+, boosts us to Once and Future 2, and other stuff.
Secondly... The stats look a bit weird. Not sure about the numbers of the stats there, not sure if totally right. The other thing is... the attributes used to go Charisma, Intelligence, Wits, Protection, Agility, Strength, Constitution, Willpower, Manipulation, Wisdom, Luck, Appearance. That was the way it was for every other update. You've changed up the order of them a bit. Is that intentional? If so, that's fine, just wondering. (Easier to eyeball and compare stats in previous sheet, if the stats are all in the same order.
)Konosuba stuff:
I'd actually dissent here from Rihaku, and go with Eversworn.
Making her take important tasks close to as seriously as Kazuma? Being willing to take personal sacrifices, for long-term benefits? Not screwing up major things (while definitely still screwing up minor things and funny and embarrassing things because let's be honest here; this is Konosuba, and this is Aqua and Kazuma
) Hell yes! Especially because one of her "important tasks" is Curse Mitigation.So basically... while I agree that Curse Mitigation is the huge things, I think medium or long term potential Curse Mitigation is even better. Because Eversworn focuses on counteracting the Geass of Incompetence, it's... well, it focuses on that Geass. But it also means that it focuses on improving our main source of Curse Mitigation.
Sacred Restoration gets us immediate Curse Mitigation. Which is great. But Eversworn gets us more reliable and certain mitigation over time. And gets us a more reliable party member. It's... I love it so much. I really think we should go for Eversworn.
Yes, I realize that picking Sacred Restoration and picking Geass of Incompetence as one of the first two immediately is a possibility. However. First of all, that 'uses' up a track of Curse Mitigation. Whereas Eversworn's doubling is (sort of?) 'free.' Secondly... Eversworn works on improving Aqua's character and personality. Sacred Restoration just (well... "just") tackles the Curses. It doesn't make Aqua herself all that prone to self-improvement. (Or, well, the possibility of self-improvement. Eversworn opens up a chance, at least.)
For Subaru's pick, I agree with picking A Witch's Love. It clears up a hanging plot issue and answers a question. And thus improves what Kazuma knows. Although, hm, was the lack of a "Subaru's future Progression options will focus on blahblahblah" blurb at the end of A Witch's Love deliberate or not? ... Also, thinking about it... The Curse of Misfortune works best on things you don't know about, right? And right now, we don't know about Return by Death. (And it was said that pitting Satella against a Cursebearer's protection could result in a dead Satella and thus no more Return by Death for Subaru, so...) So, um, yeah. I really want this one, now. I don't want that potential landmine hanging over us. (Even if with Curse Mitigation, it's less likely to hit on really important and really bad things. But this way, it removes that landmine.)
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Gabbie
That One Writer
- Location
- Italy
- Pronouns
- They/Them
I am of the idea that we absolutely need to buy the Praxis and every possible upgrade to it with all of our Arete; it's a massive quality-of-life improvement, even though the Apocryphal will bite us in the ass because of it, but nonetheless, it'll also help us grind and defeat even stronger enemies, thus creating a feedback loop of Progression that will make us into unstoppable deities!
[X] Call Up
[X] Call Up
We kind of been on that train for a very long time now.
Any sort of advancement works for that sort of thing. We gain picks regardless of which magical system we use to defeat enemies.
IDK what about quality of live improvement or Apocryphal threat, tho. Apocryphal does not have any specific issues with Praxis.
Gabbie
That One Writer
- Location
- Italy
- Pronouns
- They/Them
What I mean by that was that no matter how powerful we become, the Apocryphal Curse will be able to challenge us. And with the Praxis being a particularly powerful magic system, thus making us more of a threat, the Apocryphal will proc particularly hard because we procced particularly hard.
As far as the quality of life improvement is concerned, I meant that it'll make life easier for Hunger in general.
We kind of been increasing in strength way, waaaaaay quicker than focusing Praxis would have allowed us; we also have an Advancement we are planning to buy in close future that would dramatically raise the power of all advancements except for Praxis.
Progression makes the intrinsic potency of a magic system a whole lot less relevant once you progress enough. We kind of progressed nearly enough.
It is telling that the sole High Cursebearer we actually seen so far actually specializes in a "lesser" magical system.
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Gabbie
That One Writer
- Location
- Italy
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Huh, alright. I'll trust you on this; although the Praxis will be useful in this particular battle. I mean...We kind of been increasing in strength way, waaaaaay quicker than focusing Praxis would have allowed us; we also have an Advancement we are planning to buy in close future that would dramatically raise the power of all advancements except for Praxis.
Progression makes the intrinsic potency of a magic system a whole lot less relevant once you progress enough. We kind of progressed nearly enough.
It is telling that the sole High Cursebearer we actually seen so far actually specializes in a "lesser" magical system.
[ ] Artful Thorn (2 Praxis + 1 ordinary pick) - When this rune is executed, briefly afterwards the practitioner's attack is guaranteed to cause a truly meaningful wound if it lands, no matter the scale of the enemy or the inapplicability of his weapon. Even a beast the size of a multiverse will be equivalently impaired to a human's losing of an eye or hand. At this level, only works on coherent enemies (can target the Rotbeast, but not "all Rotspawn.") Increasingly draining.
TBH, Quickening is just as impressive. Flat ISH speed boost is some hot nonsense. But our other systems, well.
We actually progressed Accretion far enough to start seeing Praxis-style "Absolute defense" effects and things like "Elevate all parameters and skills by 0.2 on ISH permanently" and we'll see a whole lot more of them if we continue advancing our development trees and buying Progression+ advancements. Our third* magical system generally provides us with effects that are on par with Praxis, often actually even more potent if far more limited in terms of actual usability. That whole "+1000 durability/more durable than a universe" thing, for example.
But this whole thing is a little bit more complicated than "Praxis bad, we went Accretion instead, should never use Praxis again." Once circumstances change, it'll likely to go back to the spotlight. While Progression alleviates "magic system tier" concerns, specific forms those systems take still matter.
Praxis is the sole magical system that recieves zero benefits from Progression Boosters and zero growth from enemy-slaying; since our gameplay generally was all about Hunger repeatedly going for massive xp grinding sprees instead of sitting down and studying the blade, we progressed it remarkably little. It also has an upside in that it does not need anything but Hunger sitting down and training to progress, unlike Pay-to-Win Signs, or vampire-like ghoulish consumption of Accretion.
We had opportunity to sit down and grind some praxis not so long ago, but it was judged due to some in-story circumstances that investing into a different magical system would have more pay-off; we'll see if it is true.
Once our literal pay-to-win magic system is severed from a literal moneypile we have been inhaling to boost it, and we run out of enemies to water our Accretion growth with, Praxis is likely to make a return.
*technically fifth, but nobody cares about soul evocation or edeldross nowhadays
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Fall back ties everything into a neat little bow for Hunger, but at an unknown cost, to Adorie specifically.
As sensible as it is, I'm not sure I can support the smartest plan. The only question is how foolishly Heroic am I feeling?
I was completely turned off to the idea of Hold the Line until speculation we could flash buy a Praxis advancement was introduced. But, in the end that is merely speculation. But it's speculation I want to believe in as well. Such a fight would be incredible to witness, but the costs would surely be insane... Of course victory would be undeniably euphoric, but could I stomach defeat? I'm not sure, dying with such an simple solution at our fingertips can't be anything but lunacy.
What's left but the middle of the road option once again, but how middle is it, truly? It is perhaps even more dangerous than merely facing our just deserts. Can introduce a plethora of poor interactions with the Shard, could admittedly also be unexpectedly helpful with an alliance and offering of the Plenary Armament. OAF3 possibility kinda cancels out with a praxis Advancement opportunity with Hold. I think we're still in for the fight of our life with either of these options.
I don't know, I don't want to coward out but the other two options seem suicidally optimistic.
The heart says Hold, the brain says Fall, normally I settle on Call but I feel like it's just using rerolls that could have been used in the actual fight, presuming we do get a shot at the Praxis.
No vote for now? usually I come to a decision after reading arguments and typing out my thoughts... but this will take some further consideration.
As sensible as it is, I'm not sure I can support the smartest plan. The only question is how foolishly Heroic am I feeling?
I was completely turned off to the idea of Hold the Line until speculation we could flash buy a Praxis advancement was introduced. But, in the end that is merely speculation. But it's speculation I want to believe in as well. Such a fight would be incredible to witness, but the costs would surely be insane... Of course victory would be undeniably euphoric, but could I stomach defeat? I'm not sure, dying with such an simple solution at our fingertips can't be anything but lunacy.
What's left but the middle of the road option once again, but how middle is it, truly? It is perhaps even more dangerous than merely facing our just deserts. Can introduce a plethora of poor interactions with the Shard, could admittedly also be unexpectedly helpful with an alliance and offering of the Plenary Armament. OAF3 possibility kinda cancels out with a praxis Advancement opportunity with Hold. I think we're still in for the fight of our life with either of these options.
I don't know, I don't want to coward out but the other two options seem suicidally optimistic.
The heart says Hold, the brain says Fall, normally I settle on Call but I feel like it's just using rerolls that could have been used in the actual fight, presuming we do get a shot at the Praxis.
No vote for now? usually I come to a decision after reading arguments and typing out my thoughts... but this will take some further consideration.
Genesys
(Discrete Mokona)
- Location
- California
1204 words.
Previously Next
Quick Transmigration Record of Cursebearer Fodder's Record of Resistance Pt. 4
The next morning, Seralize awakened somewhat before dawn, having turned in early that night. Despite the poor quality of even the "best" room, she had managed to sleep quite well. Descending the stairs, she made for the kitchen to find the remnants of last night's dinner; a cold soup and some hard bread. Not the worst she had had, as Bearic had never particularly taken into consideration taste when restocking their provisions, and before they had dethroned her father, most of the farming villages had faced severe taxation and were starving themselves. But it was a far cry from the delicacies of the elves and of the royal court of Esterarc. She shook her head to discard that train of thought. One, she would never see again, but if she wished to return to the other, she needed to complete this task, and thoughts of melancholy would do no good.
Not long later, Shangguan entered. "Honored one is awake! How may this humble servant serve today? Unfortunately, there was no repast befitting the honored one this morning, but this lowly one truly could not acquire such things."
Seralize swallowed her mouthful of bread. "You are forgiven, if you lead me to the Su Clan Residence once I finish breakfast."
"This Shangguan is at the honored one's beck and call!"
"I'll take that as agreement."
Seralize polished off the rest of the food, and they set off to the Su Residence. The road, though well-paved, was slick with snowmelt, and while Seralize readily kept her footing, Shangguan nearly slipped several times during the half-hour-long walk from the center of the city to the western outskirts. Frankly, Seralize thought, he needn't have come along; it was hardly possible to miss the mountain and the courtyards at its base. A pair of guards stood at the gate, and as they approached, shouted "Hello there! Your business?"
"The honorable Origin Qi Scholar wishes to meet with the fourth young master of the Su Clan, Su Chen, who is famed as a genius in both wits and cultivation!"
"Who's the one who wants the meeting?"
"I am Seralize von Esterarc, and I want to take the position of bodyguard to the fourth young master of the Su Clan if he is suitable."
"Are the Su expecting you?"
"They do not happen to be."
"Well, we can't make a decision on this, but we can call our captain, who is also an Origin Qi Scholar, and have him decide. Wait here."
Previously Next
Previously Next
Quick Transmigration Record of Cursebearer Fodder's Record of Resistance Pt. 4
The next morning, Seralize awakened somewhat before dawn, having turned in early that night. Despite the poor quality of even the "best" room, she had managed to sleep quite well. Descending the stairs, she made for the kitchen to find the remnants of last night's dinner; a cold soup and some hard bread. Not the worst she had had, as Bearic had never particularly taken into consideration taste when restocking their provisions, and before they had dethroned her father, most of the farming villages had faced severe taxation and were starving themselves. But it was a far cry from the delicacies of the elves and of the royal court of Esterarc. She shook her head to discard that train of thought. One, she would never see again, but if she wished to return to the other, she needed to complete this task, and thoughts of melancholy would do no good.
Not long later, Shangguan entered. "Honored one is awake! How may this humble servant serve today? Unfortunately, there was no repast befitting the honored one this morning, but this lowly one truly could not acquire such things."
Seralize swallowed her mouthful of bread. "You are forgiven, if you lead me to the Su Clan Residence once I finish breakfast."
"This Shangguan is at the honored one's beck and call!"
"I'll take that as agreement."
Seralize polished off the rest of the food, and they set off to the Su Residence. The road, though well-paved, was slick with snowmelt, and while Seralize readily kept her footing, Shangguan nearly slipped several times during the half-hour-long walk from the center of the city to the western outskirts. Frankly, Seralize thought, he needn't have come along; it was hardly possible to miss the mountain and the courtyards at its base. A pair of guards stood at the gate, and as they approached, shouted "Hello there! Your business?"
"The honorable Origin Qi Scholar wishes to meet with the fourth young master of the Su Clan, Su Chen, who is famed as a genius in both wits and cultivation!"
"Who's the one who wants the meeting?"
"I am Seralize von Esterarc, and I want to take the position of bodyguard to the fourth young master of the Su Clan if he is suitable."
"Are the Su expecting you?"
"They do not happen to be."
"Well, we can't make a decision on this, but we can call our captain, who is also an Origin Qi Scholar, and have him decide. Wait here."
One of the guards left and entered the compound; several minutes later, he returned with a man in robes.
"I heard you're looking to bodyguard our fourth young master?"
"Indeed."
"Ahahaha, don't be so frigid. Well, I can test your strength in a friendly spar without Origin Tools, and if you're strong enough, we'll check your background and whatnot and find you later."
"Very well. Shall we begin?"
"Let's get a decent distance from the courtyard, first." He walked about a hundred paces from the gate, and Seralize followed.
"Good enough. Let's fight!"
Seralize flared her Purple, its power diffusing through her and strengthening her body beyond mortal limits. The guard captain brought up his arms and charged at her, fists flaring with fire. "Receive my Su Clan's Flaming Tiger Fist!"
But Seralize's step cracked the ground as she nearly flew into the air, and the captain had barely begun to move to block before Seralize had struck him in the chest, audibly cracking a rib and knocking him to the ground.
"If this were a real fight, that blow would have taken your throat with ease. I have won."
The captain hacked up blood and breathed heavily for some time, before admitting defeat. "You're definitely stronger than me, that's for sure! Peak of Qi Drawing, or maybe even Blood Boiling? I can't say. Instead, how about you kill a vicious beast from the Scarlet Mountains and bring back its corpse? Whatever its realm is will prove your strength."
"Very well. Shangguan, we're leaving."
"Of course, honored one! This Shangguan will pass down tales of today's heroic yet merciful exploits to his children and his children's children!"
Seralize has received Power Estimation: Peak Qi Drawing – Blood Boiling? and Fetch Quest: One Vicious Beast Corpse. Also, Shangguan has increased his estimate of her power somewhat; it will be even more difficult to get rid of him. She must now choose a plan of action to contact Su Chen.
[ ] Overt: Complete the fetch quest by entering the Scarlet Mountain Range and slaying a vicious beast, and returning with its corpse. Select target beast strength:
-[ ] Low-Tier Vicious Beast: Seralize has already proved she has at least High Qi Drawing realm combat strength, why even bother with these?
-[ ] Mid-Tier Vicious Beast: This will prove that Seralize has Peak Qi Drawing realm combat strength. Such cultivators are the backbones of this area's clans; it will be modestly beneficial if Seralize plans on negotiation with the Su Clan. Beast hunting chance: Estimated High-Guaranteed. Background check pass chance: Med.
-[ ]High-Tier Vicious Beast: This will prove that Seralize has Blood Boiling realm combat strength. In this area, that's the strength of the most important clan elders; it will be highly beneficial if Seralize plans on negotiating with the Su Clan. It will, however, also exacerbate their background check efforts; Blood Boiling realm cultivators don't just come out of nowhere, do they? Beast hunting chance: Estimated Med-High. Background Check pass chance: Low.
[ ] Covert: Seralize decides she actually does not like the idea of jumping through all these hoops. Plus, she doesn't have any background, and thus the overt method might not work. Instead, she plans to sneak into the Su Clan residences and find Su Chen directly to offer him her Dao Guardianship. Shangguan assures her Su Chen will definitely accept. Based on today's combat results, it is unlikely anyone below Blood Boiling can threaten her, so even if she gets caught, she will likely manage to escape unharmed. If chosen, select a vector of infiltration.
-[ ] Techniques: Seralize will attempt to develop stealth-relevant techniques with Color Magic and her soul's power. As neither she nor Bearic, the two users of Color Magic in their party, were specialized for stealth, she does not have an estimation of the success chance but believes it should be possible. Afterward, the techniques will be used to sneak into the compound, likely by scaling the walls. Technique Development chance:???. Infiltration chance: Low-Med. Discovery chance: Low-Med.
-[ ] Disguises: Seralize will attempt to disguise herself and sneak into the compound through the gate. Select a disguise to attempt; Seralize and Shangguan will make their best efforts to acquire necessary supplies. Disguise chance:???. Infiltration chance: Varies. Discovery chance: Low-Med.
--[ ] Servant
--[ ] Fortune Teller
--[ ] Write-in
-[ ] Connections: Seralize will use her power to intimidate and rough some individuals up, allowing her to connect to Su Clan servants who will help smuggle her in. She will start by handling Shangguan's bandit problem, earning a greater helping of his and his eighteen generations of ancestor's honor. Maybe then he'll fix up the inn... Connection chance: Guaranteed. Infiltration chance: Med-High. Discovery chance: Med-High.
"I heard you're looking to bodyguard our fourth young master?"
"Indeed."
"Ahahaha, don't be so frigid. Well, I can test your strength in a friendly spar without Origin Tools, and if you're strong enough, we'll check your background and whatnot and find you later."
"Very well. Shall we begin?"
"Let's get a decent distance from the courtyard, first." He walked about a hundred paces from the gate, and Seralize followed.
"Good enough. Let's fight!"
Seralize flared her Purple, its power diffusing through her and strengthening her body beyond mortal limits. The guard captain brought up his arms and charged at her, fists flaring with fire. "Receive my Su Clan's Flaming Tiger Fist!"
But Seralize's step cracked the ground as she nearly flew into the air, and the captain had barely begun to move to block before Seralize had struck him in the chest, audibly cracking a rib and knocking him to the ground.
"If this were a real fight, that blow would have taken your throat with ease. I have won."
The captain hacked up blood and breathed heavily for some time, before admitting defeat. "You're definitely stronger than me, that's for sure! Peak of Qi Drawing, or maybe even Blood Boiling? I can't say. Instead, how about you kill a vicious beast from the Scarlet Mountains and bring back its corpse? Whatever its realm is will prove your strength."
"Very well. Shangguan, we're leaving."
"Of course, honored one! This Shangguan will pass down tales of today's heroic yet merciful exploits to his children and his children's children!"
Seralize has received Power Estimation: Peak Qi Drawing – Blood Boiling? and Fetch Quest: One Vicious Beast Corpse. Also, Shangguan has increased his estimate of her power somewhat; it will be even more difficult to get rid of him. She must now choose a plan of action to contact Su Chen.
[ ] Overt: Complete the fetch quest by entering the Scarlet Mountain Range and slaying a vicious beast, and returning with its corpse. Select target beast strength:
-[ ] Mid-Tier Vicious Beast: This will prove that Seralize has Peak Qi Drawing realm combat strength. Such cultivators are the backbones of this area's clans; it will be modestly beneficial if Seralize plans on negotiation with the Su Clan. Beast hunting chance: Estimated High-Guaranteed. Background check pass chance: Med.
-[ ]High-Tier Vicious Beast: This will prove that Seralize has Blood Boiling realm combat strength. In this area, that's the strength of the most important clan elders; it will be highly beneficial if Seralize plans on negotiating with the Su Clan. It will, however, also exacerbate their background check efforts; Blood Boiling realm cultivators don't just come out of nowhere, do they? Beast hunting chance: Estimated Med-High. Background Check pass chance: Low.
[ ] Covert: Seralize decides she actually does not like the idea of jumping through all these hoops. Plus, she doesn't have any background, and thus the overt method might not work. Instead, she plans to sneak into the Su Clan residences and find Su Chen directly to offer him her Dao Guardianship. Shangguan assures her Su Chen will definitely accept. Based on today's combat results, it is unlikely anyone below Blood Boiling can threaten her, so even if she gets caught, she will likely manage to escape unharmed. If chosen, select a vector of infiltration.
-[ ] Techniques: Seralize will attempt to develop stealth-relevant techniques with Color Magic and her soul's power. As neither she nor Bearic, the two users of Color Magic in their party, were specialized for stealth, she does not have an estimation of the success chance but believes it should be possible. Afterward, the techniques will be used to sneak into the compound, likely by scaling the walls. Technique Development chance:???. Infiltration chance: Low-Med. Discovery chance: Low-Med.
-[ ] Disguises: Seralize will attempt to disguise herself and sneak into the compound through the gate. Select a disguise to attempt; Seralize and Shangguan will make their best efforts to acquire necessary supplies. Disguise chance:???. Infiltration chance: Varies. Discovery chance: Low-Med.
--[ ] Servant
--[ ] Fortune Teller
--[ ] Write-in
-[ ] Connections: Seralize will use her power to intimidate and rough some individuals up, allowing her to connect to Su Clan servants who will help smuggle her in. She will start by handling Shangguan's bandit problem, earning a greater helping of his and his eighteen generations of ancestor's honor. Maybe then he'll fix up the inn... Connection chance: Guaranteed. Infiltration chance: Med-High. Discovery chance: Med-High.
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yes
yes
Yes
YES
Oh my, what a complex and distressing vote, how could I possibly pick an option-
JUST HOLD THE LINE
[X] Hold the Line
The color of the option says everything you need to know, it's big, it's bold, it's brave and it's gloriously RED.
On a more serious note, in the Justice update, Hunger came to understand the essence of Heroism and the trappings of pursuing expediency. Virtue arises not from cold calculation but the burning-bright flame of resolve to overcome the impossible. To have taken up the Seraph of Heroism's Favor necessitates the assumption of burdens commensurate to that reward.
At his core, Hunger is a Hero and that trait has been commended and now reinforced by the very embodiment of the concept itself. Would it be fitting for him now, at the very first instance of challenge and danger, to shirk that burden and retreat? I think not. Death or glory, no half-measures - to move forward and attain total victory no matter the cost, just as a Hero should.
On a meta-level, I appreciate Hold the Line more than the other options. As already mentioned by others and as something I've professed previously, the Temple of the False Moon arc was the best portion of the quest because we braved great dangers and sought to overcome immense difficulties. In order to defeat his foes, each successively more dangerous than the last, Hunger drew deeper and deeper into the furthest reserves of his strength as he strove to do his Uttermost. In my opinion, that was Hunger at his best, the underdog whose willpower, tenacity and ingenuity allowed victory despite desperate odds.
It was an arc that inspired tension that hasn't really been as prominent in recent Rihaku quests to me (though of course, each quest has its own difficulties) and it evoked great moments like the Prologue of Most High, the Seacrown arc of the Ulyssian quests and the more desperate fights of Bleach Quest to me. That pressure, that intensity, is probably the thing I love the most about Rihaku's writing so I feel obliged to pursue it where possible.
Ever since the battle against the Rotbeast, there has been a certain lack of that spark, with the raw tension of battle slowly taken away as Arete production and slowed pacing gradually reduced the immediacy and danger of the earlier portion of the quest. While that's been great in its own respect, I have felt a certain diminishing in terms of engagement as a result.
Vanreir was the best fight in this quest (with the fight against Prime Rotspawn as a close-second in my mind) and I'd love to recapture that glory at least once more, before the quest enters its twilight. Wordcount is not infinite after all.
And that's not even to speak of the rewards. Vanreir was only a 4 pick fight! What would 5 picks allow us? Something beyond even Uttermost in sheer aesthetic appeal, thematic resonance and exceeding in power? How amazing would a true battle against an Armament be right now, which has been considered since our arrival in the Voyaging Realm, one swordsman (and his motley crew of companions) against a biomechanical giant possessed of transfinite strength?
Ultimately, I think the option of seeking battle has never steered me wrong in Rihaku quests and I want to cleave to my perceptions of Hunger, who is a Hero first and foremost, who would Hold the Line even against impossible odds. It's the option that appeals to me most and I think it's the choice that Hunger would make, with his heart at least.
Call Up is pretty cool though, at least on a lore-focused level. If we could fight the Arcanist, that'd also be quite interesting. Unlocking OaF II from picks would afford us some useful power while also leveraging our now Heroic Progression. Betting re-rolls might also be a decent trade since if we acquire a rare and useful power, we could be well-prepared for the future. But prudence alone doesn't quite inspire me to the same extent that heroic passion does.
Fall Back is just a little distasteful to me, particularly after Justice and our assumption of Heroism's literal Favor. Hunger should aspire to more than mere calculation and survival, as a true Hero worthy of the name. Perhaps circumstance favors the monstrous and the calculating but as compared to mere expedience, the greatness of true Heroism is infinitely higher still.
Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
You want to shoot me in the heart, bastard? I'll shoot right back!
...Joking! I won't be baited so easily. You're no Yong Liefang, kiddo.
Well, at least you made suicide a rather hype prospect. The DYING gang seems to be having a field day.
We had this conversation many times already. In the end NOTDYING gang dies a thousand deaths while DYING gang will die only once. Legacy of NOTDYING lies forgotten beneath the sands of hollow success, while blaze of DYING will forever burn with the radiance of triumph carved out from impossible foes.
How can a man, a real hero, look at Wall of Myth, at monsters ready to assault it, and not make a stand? What is that if not an absolute surrender of one's dream, of submitting to uncaring universe? How does one reconcile desire to undo very masters of destiny with inability to stomach simple odds?
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[Sera] Covert
-[Lize] Techniques
Actually, fuck this. Let's not get sent off into eleven million different sidequests when we can just go directly to the target.
The stat numbers looking different is probably due to me no longer adding the various mods directly to the stats involved, like Cut Through. They're pretty much the same otherwise. As for the stat grouping, I realised I just preferred to have the physicals, mentals and socials grouped together, with misc. stats down below.
-[Lize] Techniques
Actually, fuck this. Let's not get sent off into eleven million different sidequests when we can just go directly to the target.
Secondly... The stats look a bit weird. Not sure about the numbers of the stats there, not sure if totally right. The other thing is... the attributes used to go Charisma, Intelligence, Wits, Protection, Agility, Strength, Constitution, Willpower, Manipulation, Wisdom, Luck, Appearance. That was the way it was for every other update. You've changed up the order of them a bit. Is that intentional? If so, that's fine, just wondering. (Easier to eyeball and compare stats in previous sheet, if the stats are all in the same order.
The stat numbers looking different is probably due to me no longer adding the various mods directly to the stats involved, like Cut Through. They're pretty much the same otherwise. As for the stat grouping, I realised I just preferred to have the physicals, mentals and socials grouped together, with misc. stats down below.
This is a 5 pick fight you know. Don't be surprised if Rihaku springs another "choose which complication you got" ranging from destroyed panoply (Forebear's Blade or Empyrean Mantle...), aftereffects of Shattering Blow or lost of companions, maybe even having to choose several downsides.
I can understand Call Up voters but those choosing Hold The Line seem blinded by the rewards and have forgotten about what we might pay for that.
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You shouldn't project yo. Just because rewards are something you'd find appealing doesn't mean that they are main motivator for other folks. Like, I actually can't understand how would anyone decide not to fight giant robot in this scenario, it's like you folks hate having fun or something.
To be fair, the rewards for Vanreir undoubtedly outweighed the loss. We did roll 90+ there, so it's not very representative, but it does show the range of possibilities.