- Location
- 1
...Say. Since the Plenary reveals the full extent of Procyons power... if Hunger is miss-judging his chances, wouldn't he know as much as soon as he sees Procyon?
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Rihaku
The Internet
Hm... so upgrading a spell 4 times would see it at 120% the power, 120 the versatility, 80% the cost, and 80% the casting time of the baseline? Could be good if efficiency per MP spent is the focus, but right now we're just powerleveling.
I suppose we should just get Advanced Magic then, it'll unlock additional magic utility and Kazuma seems to be fairly powerful now with the Ring of Rebellion and a good spread of Intermediate-level spells.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
I hate to admit it, but the proliferation of side-quests within the main quest can make it very confusing to suddenly tune in and try to figure out what's going on, since much of the time the discussion is about entirely different characters not involved in @Rihaku 's storyline...
@_@
@_@
Yes, but by then it would be a little late to do anything constructive about it.
- Location
- Pindorama
Given the expressed salt and the fact Hold the Line is ahead anyway, I've decided to express at least some caution in my vote. I have been switching a lot this vote, I have to admit.
[X] Call Up
[X] Aggressive Research
[X] Call Up
[X] Aggressive Research
- Location
- Louisiana
Ok so the main combat downside of the Plenary Brand is that it reveals exactly what Procyon is capable of and what he intends to do at any given time. We will be perfectly aware of any danger Procyon is intent on, and we simply have to be able to act on it. One thing to note is that this is guaranteed to have a strong impact on how Procyon fights. He has to completely overwhelm the enemy, and if he doesn't eclipse them they have a strong advantage in reacting to his moves. That's why he focuses on clean and efficient techniques, he can't surprise anyone, he simply has to make it so impossible to react to that it doesn't matter if they see it coming.
So what does this mean? It means that Procyon is essentially this giant raid boss with extremely telegraphed attacks, but they come out so quickly and do so much damage that reacting is difficult to impossible. He's a walking juggernaut as well, who can take a ton of punishment. But we have a few things on our side.
One thing that was explicitly mentioned is our blood casting. I haven't seen many people discuss it even though the last post highlights it as one of our strengths. While our regular combat rank is enough to combat an armament, our blood casting rank might well ECLIPSE one. In terms of blood casting we might have a strong to overwhelming rank advantage. This is something we should utilize, something we should abuse the hell out of. It's one of the few things that we can state is for sure stronger than the armament.
Another advantage is that we have more versatility in our attacks. From Hunger blood casting, to the praxis, to the signs, to the power of ruin, hunger has more avenues of attack, and unlike Procyon he can play dirty. He can switch up his methods, and try to attack in unexpected ways. Our giant laser is likely to have some measure of impact if we can get it off, and since the Plenary Brand gives off a constant clear view of Procyons capabilities, we might be able to trap him into a situation where we can guarantee a laser hit. Additionally, the praxis allows us to hit guaranteed moderate blows, when combined with the power of ruin gives us some strong staying power in a prolonged battle.
As to what to watch out for for Procyon, he eclipses us heavily in stats, he's faster stronger and tougher. His shroud is a massive mystery element, we don't know for sure how they work and we don't know what they do, but they are stated to be one of the biggest strengths any rank 10 being has. Speculated to be a universe on their rules, this is an extremely dangerous tool. Procyon also has attacks relevant to the Plenary Brand, likely mental attacks utilizing the overwhelming strength he represents. He has deadly weaponry and incredible skill.
As I was writing this I had another thought, the Plenary Brand states that when relevant, any enemies are likely to target you. This would likely apply even if one of the enemies are under the doom of lunacy. If we can lure the other armament in in berserker form, the likely interaction is that he would hyper focus on Procyon, the massive projecting threat who is like bait for every relevant enemy to focus on. This might make that plan of attack a lot more reasonable, we wouldn't be at risk of attack from the other armament until after Procyon is defeated.
So what does this mean? It means that Procyon is essentially this giant raid boss with extremely telegraphed attacks, but they come out so quickly and do so much damage that reacting is difficult to impossible. He's a walking juggernaut as well, who can take a ton of punishment. But we have a few things on our side.
One thing that was explicitly mentioned is our blood casting. I haven't seen many people discuss it even though the last post highlights it as one of our strengths. While our regular combat rank is enough to combat an armament, our blood casting rank might well ECLIPSE one. In terms of blood casting we might have a strong to overwhelming rank advantage. This is something we should utilize, something we should abuse the hell out of. It's one of the few things that we can state is for sure stronger than the armament.
Another advantage is that we have more versatility in our attacks. From Hunger blood casting, to the praxis, to the signs, to the power of ruin, hunger has more avenues of attack, and unlike Procyon he can play dirty. He can switch up his methods, and try to attack in unexpected ways. Our giant laser is likely to have some measure of impact if we can get it off, and since the Plenary Brand gives off a constant clear view of Procyons capabilities, we might be able to trap him into a situation where we can guarantee a laser hit. Additionally, the praxis allows us to hit guaranteed moderate blows, when combined with the power of ruin gives us some strong staying power in a prolonged battle.
As to what to watch out for for Procyon, he eclipses us heavily in stats, he's faster stronger and tougher. His shroud is a massive mystery element, we don't know for sure how they work and we don't know what they do, but they are stated to be one of the biggest strengths any rank 10 being has. Speculated to be a universe on their rules, this is an extremely dangerous tool. Procyon also has attacks relevant to the Plenary Brand, likely mental attacks utilizing the overwhelming strength he represents. He has deadly weaponry and incredible skill.
As I was writing this I had another thought, the Plenary Brand states that when relevant, any enemies are likely to target you. This would likely apply even if one of the enemies are under the doom of lunacy. If we can lure the other armament in in berserker form, the likely interaction is that he would hyper focus on Procyon, the massive projecting threat who is like bait for every relevant enemy to focus on. This might make that plan of attack a lot more reasonable, we wouldn't be at risk of attack from the other armament until after Procyon is defeated.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
The cost and casting time would decrease slightly lower than the rest of the variables, closer, to the "4.5" than the "5.5," if not lower, but yeah. If you specialize in a spell enough, it'll eventually be twice as powerful and cost a bit over half of what it used to be for that effect. Otherwise, the numbers are right.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Hm.
I wonder if Procyon has something akin to our (best ability name ever @Rihaku ) "Holy Shit" ability. It'd synergize well with the Plenary Brand if I remember how the two work, because everyone is aware of what you're going to do and everyone less powerful than yourself is weakened by the sheer horrifying awareness of just how hilariously outgunned they are. Well, more so than usual.
I wonder if Procyon has something akin to our (best ability name ever @Rihaku ) "Holy Shit" ability. It'd synergize well with the Plenary Brand if I remember how the two work, because everyone is aware of what you're going to do and everyone less powerful than yourself is weakened by the sheer horrifying awareness of just how hilariously outgunned they are. Well, more so than usual.
- Location
- 1
I mean... not necessarily? They can't tear through the walls of myth without slowing down or anything, so if we approach while they're on one side and we're on the other, then we might be able to use the teleport or Quickness to escape if we suddenly realize "oh yeah we're outclassed after all". Plus, we're a lot smaller then the Armament- logically, we'd be able to see it before it can see us, unless we come in with no regard for the element of surprise or something, so there's that.
good points all around, though I'll note on this particular thing that Procyon is in some ways a fairly good Armament to be our first fight against one, since as soon as we see them we'll know all the tricks that are constant to Armaments, and all the ones that are theirs-in-particular as well.
As to the possibility of Procyon having a mental attack involving effectively yelling about how certain their victory is, would the Cursebearer protection actually help there? Even fellow Cursebearers are affected by seeing someone with the Brand of the Wretched iirc, because Curses are just that absolute; might there be something likewise here?
Pretty sure if we lose we get nothing, meaning the choice is between very low chance of 5 picks or a "reasonable gamble" at 2-3 and 2-3 picks. Your call though. And Hold the Line certainly could be fun to read.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
If we would lose, then my defensive wish pops and we almost certainly win, so given that there's no option that I don't think will very likely result in my wish popping, the only thing I care about is what we get for it.
Oh that explains it, I've been assuming that the defense wish would be that Hunger would die and wake up a couple years later after Gisena resurrected him. Or he'd die and wake up in a Foremost-built afterlife. Or something else of that nature. I didn't think a defensive wish would allow for victory.
Aabcehmu
Confusion as a Natural State of Being
- Location
- Chicago, IL
- Pronouns
- Any/All
The Accursed coming to induct us into the CBA was a defensive wish. My defensive wish would likely also take the form of the Accursed or a High Cursebearer (possibly Haeliel, since she's already got an eye on us) coming to save Hunger's ass (and only Hunger, not anyone else who might die during the combat).
Hmm, so theoretically if a random purple bitch dies but Hunger prevails the wish would not be used. Good to know.
- Location
- 1
Random thought: The Accursed has all the curses he gives to people, at various stages of mitigation. (might this be why he freezes time when he goes places, so the Decimators Affliction doesn't leach away at everything within a huge radius?)...
So how does he have all his limbs? the Mutilating Affliction, and all that. maybe he's always shapeshifted into a form with four arms and four legs? I suppose it could be an illusion, which could explain why the Plenary effect doesn't seem to be applicable to the Accursed showing up, though that raises the question of why Wretched applies...maybe the Accursed-tier version of Wretched applies to subordinates or your likeness?
So how does he have all his limbs? the Mutilating Affliction, and all that. maybe he's always shapeshifted into a form with four arms and four legs? I suppose it could be an illusion, which could explain why the Plenary effect doesn't seem to be applicable to the Accursed showing up, though that raises the question of why Wretched applies...maybe the Accursed-tier version of Wretched applies to subordinates or your likeness?
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Plenary does apply; it's how Seram could see his level despite not having Quantified World and the Accursed being vastly beyond him. Hunger meanwhile saw it in the faintest impression of his power, "the sword by which all stories end" and so forth. The reason the effects aren't all that dramatic is probably because he's mitigated it down to its absolute minimum level.
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As I understand it, the mutilating Affliction removes half your limbs and sensory organs you have more than one of, which works out to one each on humans. Given the sheer gulf of power, I'd expect it to halve his number of simultaneous full human bodies, which this have all their limbs in the same way the remaining arm on a human doesn't loose half its fingers.
Rihaku
The Internet
Speaking of mitigation, now that you have Haeliel's Favor Stage 3 Mitigation might not be that far off, if you guys make it a priority for Hunger in the medium-term!
- Location
- Louisiana
Anyone else wanna apply any strategy posts? We're gonna be having this fight eventually no matter what option wins, and strategizing how to fight him can only help.
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
This is maybe a good omen that we shouldn't expect a bad end with the next update. I think part of it depends on how long until R has time to write the thing.
If I have time for a tactics post, I'll try to work on (1) Diplomatic ways to approach the Arcanist, and (2) acceptable losses & priorities during the Armament fight. It's likely that we will take injuries and maybe a character death but I'm optimistic that the Wish won't go off.
If anybody has ideas along the same lines, it would be cool to brainstorm
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Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
Should I rename myself as Nostrodomus, or perhaps Cassandra within the context of this Apocryphal proc?
Anyway, between all the options so far.. I want to try for a Write In. This is basically a Ber situation. Solvable laterally.
[X] Write in: Sacrifice Letrizia - Solves the problem immediately, and plus, Letrizia was already advocating sacrificing hereself, confident that Gisena will eventually research a ressuructing Grace, no?
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hmm. Assuming we encounter her, offering the Arcanist access to the Realm of Evening would probably be my go to, aside from the obvious bribe of a disabled Procyon. As powerful as she is, I don't think she's so powerful that the Realm could not make substantial progress towards restoring her, along with the various buffs offered. While this isn't something Hunger would know about, he is a Progression type so he could just promise to work towards developing the relevant capabilities. Considering the Ring, we might already be able to make non-zero progress towards that task.
I used to think that every Cursebearer birthed an Armament since a new Armament appeared just when Hunger did. But then it turned out that Dr. Amarlt just built an Armament, and the Armament fish had no Curse of Decimation, so I'm ditching that theory.
My new theory is that each Power (each magic system, each curse) can support a single Armament.
Ber's magic was Color, and it has an associated Armament fish. No curse is mentioned; while it's possible that this is just because no one noticed the Curse, given the passage above I think it's more likely that none exists. The magic of Color was sufficently powerful to support the existence of an Armament.
A Cursebearer can bear many curses, but every single Armament is associated with only 1 single curse. And we've never seen more than a single Armament per Curse. That is because just as Ber's Armament fish was the nexus and corollary to color, so to is Procyon the nexus and corollary to the Plenary, and Fervenweirr is the nexus and corollary of Lunacy, and Versch is the nexus and corollary to Decimation. For every Curse there exists the possibility to create a single Armament, no more, no less.
If Ber's Color can support an Armament then it stands to reason that other magical powers should be able to support an Armament. An Armament of Findross. An Armament of the Praxis. Thanks to the coming of Haliel, an Armament of the Ordinal Spiral.
And maybe, just maybe, an Armament of the Grand Empyrean or perhaps of the Evening Sky. Though I'm not confident enough in this to vote for Full Measure. For all we know maybe we don't get the Armament until the 10th sign, or it just gives us the Armament blueprints and we still have to build it. Or maybe I'm entirely wrong.
I think that understanding the fundamental nature of Armaments is critical to victory. Ber's magic of Color granted him a variety of interesting abilities over the Armament of Color. Procyon is not Versch and their Curses are not the same, but I think that Hunger's many curses and the countless hours he's spent interacting with an Armament should give him some insight into the nature of Armaments.
My new theory is that each Power (each magic system, each curse) can support a single Armament.
Ber's magic was Color, and it has an associated Armament fish. No curse is mentioned; while it's possible that this is just because no one noticed the Curse, given the passage above I think it's more likely that none exists. The magic of Color was sufficently powerful to support the existence of an Armament.
A Cursebearer can bear many curses, but every single Armament is associated with only 1 single curse. And we've never seen more than a single Armament per Curse. That is because just as Ber's Armament fish was the nexus and corollary to color, so to is Procyon the nexus and corollary to the Plenary, and Fervenweirr is the nexus and corollary of Lunacy, and Versch is the nexus and corollary to Decimation. For every Curse there exists the possibility to create a single Armament, no more, no less.
If Ber's Color can support an Armament then it stands to reason that other magical powers should be able to support an Armament. An Armament of Findross. An Armament of the Praxis. Thanks to the coming of Haliel, an Armament of the Ordinal Spiral.
And maybe, just maybe, an Armament of the Grand Empyrean or perhaps of the Evening Sky. Though I'm not confident enough in this to vote for Full Measure. For all we know maybe we don't get the Armament until the 10th sign, or it just gives us the Armament blueprints and we still have to build it. Or maybe I'm entirely wrong.
I think that understanding the fundamental nature of Armaments is critical to victory. Ber's magic of Color granted him a variety of interesting abilities over the Armament of Color. Procyon is not Versch and their Curses are not the same, but I think that Hunger's many curses and the countless hours he's spent interacting with an Armament should give him some insight into the nature of Armaments.
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Birdsie
Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy
- Location
- Poland
Here's some omake to spruce things up.
Wordcount: 2.5k
Valve-themed Curses
[ ] Curse of the Two: The Cursebearer suffers from an intense, psychological, and spiritual aversion to anything larger than the number two (2).
Physically, they are unable to count to three or recognize it. The Cursebearer also cannot count or recognize any number above three. This curse, fortunately, comes with baseline mitigation that allows the Cursebearer to perceive there are "lots" of things, where "lots" is any number larger than two; nonetheless, he remains unable to formulate how many "lots" is. This cannot be cheated in any way, such as through multiplication or exponentiation of numbers the Cursebearer can use.
As a result of this curse, the Cursebearer's ability to wield or possess more than two of anything is heavily impaired, if not outright disabled. This applies to anything that can be conceptualized: weapons, defenses, magics, companions, upgrades, advancements, doctrines, tactics, etc.
Developing past this limit may prove challenging if not impossible, but it can be occasionally sidestepped through clever sophistry. For example, if a Cursebearer owns two swords that are sufficiently comparable, he may begin to view them as, "one set of two swords," thus counting them as one weapon and freeing up a slot for another.
Likewise, if the Cursebearer were to release a videogame, he may instead add in a clever suffix to mask its true nature, such as, "Release 2, Episode 2," rather than, "Release 3." There is a limit to how far this can be bent, usually terminating at no further than one step of removal from the original source.
*This is a Crowning Curse. Do not take it unless you have to.
[ ] Doom of the Mute: The Cursebearer suffers from an extensive communication disorder that actively limits their capacity to speak, gesticulate, and pass on information to others. This is a relatively straightforward, but nonetheless brutal effect.
Attempts at speech will end in the Cursebearer's throat, twisting their tongue so that it is unable to produce more than a murmur or a choked noise. If the Cursebearer tries to gesticulate or use sign language, their hands will suffer a nervous shock, muscles flexing and unflexing, clenching, snapping, and twitching randomly. The moment the Cursebearer sits down in order to write a message for someone, he completely forgets how letters work, and so on. Telepathic reading produces naught but a stream of constant, choking static noise like a blank channel on TV.
Rarely, the Cursebearer may encounter a person who is uniquely predisposed to dealing with the issue. Even without any tells or signals, these people may be capable of intuiting the Cursebearer's intent and thoughts with clarity that's comparable to as if the Cursebearer had actually spoken and described their issue or idea in moderate detail.
Wordcount: 2.5k
Valve-themed Curses
[ ] Curse of the Two: The Cursebearer suffers from an intense, psychological, and spiritual aversion to anything larger than the number two (2).
Physically, they are unable to count to three or recognize it. The Cursebearer also cannot count or recognize any number above three. This curse, fortunately, comes with baseline mitigation that allows the Cursebearer to perceive there are "lots" of things, where "lots" is any number larger than two; nonetheless, he remains unable to formulate how many "lots" is. This cannot be cheated in any way, such as through multiplication or exponentiation of numbers the Cursebearer can use.
As a result of this curse, the Cursebearer's ability to wield or possess more than two of anything is heavily impaired, if not outright disabled. This applies to anything that can be conceptualized: weapons, defenses, magics, companions, upgrades, advancements, doctrines, tactics, etc.
Developing past this limit may prove challenging if not impossible, but it can be occasionally sidestepped through clever sophistry. For example, if a Cursebearer owns two swords that are sufficiently comparable, he may begin to view them as, "one set of two swords," thus counting them as one weapon and freeing up a slot for another.
Likewise, if the Cursebearer were to release a videogame, he may instead add in a clever suffix to mask its true nature, such as, "Release 2, Episode 2," rather than, "Release 3." There is a limit to how far this can be bent, usually terminating at no further than one step of removal from the original source.
*This is a Crowning Curse. Do not take it unless you have to.
[ ] Doom of the Mute: The Cursebearer suffers from an extensive communication disorder that actively limits their capacity to speak, gesticulate, and pass on information to others. This is a relatively straightforward, but nonetheless brutal effect.
Attempts at speech will end in the Cursebearer's throat, twisting their tongue so that it is unable to produce more than a murmur or a choked noise. If the Cursebearer tries to gesticulate or use sign language, their hands will suffer a nervous shock, muscles flexing and unflexing, clenching, snapping, and twitching randomly. The moment the Cursebearer sits down in order to write a message for someone, he completely forgets how letters work, and so on. Telepathic reading produces naught but a stream of constant, choking static noise like a blank channel on TV.
Rarely, the Cursebearer may encounter a person who is uniquely predisposed to dealing with the issue. Even without any tells or signals, these people may be capable of intuiting the Cursebearer's intent and thoughts with clarity that's comparable to as if the Cursebearer had actually spoken and described their issue or idea in moderate detail.
[ ] Geas of the Gnome: How difficult could it be to care for a plastic toy? A statue of ceramics? A mere figurine of clay? Perhaps it would seem trivial to a simple mind, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Upon taking this curse, a mystical, decorative garden gnome - or the local cultural equivalent of such a thing - manifests in the Cursebearer's close vicinity, usually no further than the same room or house.
The Cursebearer has a minute to locate and pick up the gnome; otherwise, he will begin to suffer an ailment similar to a rapidly-acting, rapidly-escalating Apocryphal Curse. Once the gnome is picked up, this effect is dispelled.
Once picked up, the Cursebearer cannot let go of the gnome for absolutely any reason, and must always be in contact with it using at least one arm. Various penalties apply if he fails at fulfilling this requirement. Dropping the gnome by accident or putting it down on purpose will cause a concentrated attack on the Cursebearer's physical corpus and mental form, approaching an invariably fatal level within less than thirty seconds. Putting the gnome in a backpack or slinging it around one's shoulder does not count: it must be held, preferably with tender love.
If the object is fully destroyed by an enemy attack, a new gnome will appear nearby and must be picked up in a manner similar to the conditions occurring when this curse first manifests.
However, if the gnome is destroyed by a deliberate action from the Cursebearer or an action caused by an ally who knew about this curse but which the Cursebearer failed to prevent, the Cursebearer will perish instantly via transmutation into a mystical, decorative garden gnome - or the local cultural equivalent of such a thing. This is irreversible and the Cursebearer is beyond resurrection.
[ ] Affliction of Physics: A straightforward yet frustrating curse.
Regularly, the world shall bend its environs in order to bar any progress from being made on the part of the Cursebearer and potential companions. Further progress in these bewildering situations can only be made through the clever application of elements available in the local area, and nothing else.
For example, if the Cursebearer needs to cross a river, then even if he has a power that allows for the manifestation of a spontaneous bridge, his own powers, the nature of the world, and virtually everything will bend itself to ensure this does not work for the duration of the "physics puzzle." This can range from a creature spontaneously appearing in the river and consuming the bridge made in this way, to even acute reality failure when the curse has no other option.
There is no way to sidestep or avoid this effect: the Cursebearer must acquire the correct solution which, in the case of crossing the river, would be to cut down a nearby tree and use it as a bridge.
The scope of this curse grows with the Cursebearer's general power level, but never highly exceeds their capabilities. A Cursebearer on the level of an interplanetary traveler would often find himself lost among mysterious asteroid belts or impassable planetary blockades, forced to look for a battery that can power the ancient progenitor laser-drill that can make a hole in the planetary blockade or find a path into the outpost that contains the mapping software necessary for the Cursebearer to cleave a path through the asteroid belt.
[ ] Brand of the Mysterious Follower: The Cursebearer will attract copious, unavoidable attention from mysterious sources, depending on his local world and environment. Extra-governmental shadow organizations, secretive super-mercenary groups, or a cult of scheming ninja warriors are probable examples of such sources.
For each organization, a single representative; the "mysterious follower," will be dispatched in order to keep track of the Cursebearer's progress. This individual's stealth, espionage, and masking abilities will never fall below the level of being on par with the highest, best-equipped secret operatives in the world the Cursebearer is operating on, but will nigh-always be far beyond that, like undetectable ghosts or phantoms gliding through the world. An attentive, keen-eyed Cursebearer who specializes in perception might notice his mysterious followers from time to time, but will rarely have an opportunity to catch them if so.
The followers, usually, have the primary goal of research, investigation, and observation; they keep their distance and look at what the Cursebearer does, but do not interfere. More rarely, the followers will set up long chains of events that end in results that disfavor the Cursebearer in some form or manner. This could be for the reason that it helps their parent organization, or simply because they decided to test the Cursebearer's mettle. Usually, these events won't be even half as bad as what the Apocryphal Curse might show on a good day, and they occur with not even a third of the frequency even when the Cursebearer has multiple followers.
Upon taking this curse, a mystical, decorative garden gnome - or the local cultural equivalent of such a thing - manifests in the Cursebearer's close vicinity, usually no further than the same room or house.
The Cursebearer has a minute to locate and pick up the gnome; otherwise, he will begin to suffer an ailment similar to a rapidly-acting, rapidly-escalating Apocryphal Curse. Once the gnome is picked up, this effect is dispelled.
Once picked up, the Cursebearer cannot let go of the gnome for absolutely any reason, and must always be in contact with it using at least one arm. Various penalties apply if he fails at fulfilling this requirement. Dropping the gnome by accident or putting it down on purpose will cause a concentrated attack on the Cursebearer's physical corpus and mental form, approaching an invariably fatal level within less than thirty seconds. Putting the gnome in a backpack or slinging it around one's shoulder does not count: it must be held, preferably with tender love.
If the object is fully destroyed by an enemy attack, a new gnome will appear nearby and must be picked up in a manner similar to the conditions occurring when this curse first manifests.
However, if the gnome is destroyed by a deliberate action from the Cursebearer or an action caused by an ally who knew about this curse but which the Cursebearer failed to prevent, the Cursebearer will perish instantly via transmutation into a mystical, decorative garden gnome - or the local cultural equivalent of such a thing. This is irreversible and the Cursebearer is beyond resurrection.
[ ] Affliction of Physics: A straightforward yet frustrating curse.
Regularly, the world shall bend its environs in order to bar any progress from being made on the part of the Cursebearer and potential companions. Further progress in these bewildering situations can only be made through the clever application of elements available in the local area, and nothing else.
For example, if the Cursebearer needs to cross a river, then even if he has a power that allows for the manifestation of a spontaneous bridge, his own powers, the nature of the world, and virtually everything will bend itself to ensure this does not work for the duration of the "physics puzzle." This can range from a creature spontaneously appearing in the river and consuming the bridge made in this way, to even acute reality failure when the curse has no other option.
There is no way to sidestep or avoid this effect: the Cursebearer must acquire the correct solution which, in the case of crossing the river, would be to cut down a nearby tree and use it as a bridge.
The scope of this curse grows with the Cursebearer's general power level, but never highly exceeds their capabilities. A Cursebearer on the level of an interplanetary traveler would often find himself lost among mysterious asteroid belts or impassable planetary blockades, forced to look for a battery that can power the ancient progenitor laser-drill that can make a hole in the planetary blockade or find a path into the outpost that contains the mapping software necessary for the Cursebearer to cleave a path through the asteroid belt.
[ ] Brand of the Mysterious Follower: The Cursebearer will attract copious, unavoidable attention from mysterious sources, depending on his local world and environment. Extra-governmental shadow organizations, secretive super-mercenary groups, or a cult of scheming ninja warriors are probable examples of such sources.
For each organization, a single representative; the "mysterious follower," will be dispatched in order to keep track of the Cursebearer's progress. This individual's stealth, espionage, and masking abilities will never fall below the level of being on par with the highest, best-equipped secret operatives in the world the Cursebearer is operating on, but will nigh-always be far beyond that, like undetectable ghosts or phantoms gliding through the world. An attentive, keen-eyed Cursebearer who specializes in perception might notice his mysterious followers from time to time, but will rarely have an opportunity to catch them if so.
The followers, usually, have the primary goal of research, investigation, and observation; they keep their distance and look at what the Cursebearer does, but do not interfere. More rarely, the followers will set up long chains of events that end in results that disfavor the Cursebearer in some form or manner. This could be for the reason that it helps their parent organization, or simply because they decided to test the Cursebearer's mettle. Usually, these events won't be even half as bad as what the Apocryphal Curse might show on a good day, and they occur with not even a third of the frequency even when the Cursebearer has multiple followers.
[ ] The Hatter's Doom: The Cursebearer swiftly develops a tragic addiction to being stylish.
This begins as an innocuous desire to appear more fashionable than others, often resulting in the Cursebearer purchasing and then carrying around an entire wardrobe of strange, sometimes exotic facial wear and headwear. This ranges from gold-spangled monocles to tophats splotched with the official colors of the United States of America. If the Cursebearer sees a truly shiny hat, such as a steampunk bowler cap that emits a smoke effect, he will be unable to focus on anything else than acquiring it until it is safely in his possession.
The Cursebearer will place an arbitrary value on each part of his hatdrobe, dependent on some equally arbitrary system of worth; usually, colorful hats with interesting effects or hats that stand out are worth more. Eventually, the Cursebearer will desire to possess the hats of others, offering various trade deals of headwear-for-headwear to random people because their baseball cap caught his fancy.
Eventually, however, on the scale of years to decades, this curse evolves into a true, manic obsession. The Cursebearer will do practically anything in their desperation to stand out more than other people: hanging festive lights around his sword's blade, wearing a rainbow-colored pumpkin that emits a constant stream of blue flame and prismatic-glitter confetti, and putting on an impractical neon-green, glow-in-the-dark suit on top of this will be the least of their sins by the time the Hatter's Doom takes full effect. If his companions remain 'vanilla' for too long, he may be displeased and forcefully dress them in some of his wardrobe's contents, often producing the most ridiculous outfits.
Not only is this a complete waste of money, time, and moral ethics, but it will be met with ridicule in all societies that do not appreciate such avant-garde taste in wardrobe.
[ ] Affliction of the Lootbox: The Cursebearer suffers from an inability to find good items, or to be more specific, an inability to find good items for free.
Any meaningful, valuable object or artifact the Cursebearer finds, seeks, or desires will be locked beneath a metaphysical lootbox: for others, this lootbox does not exist, letting them do as they please. The Cursebearer needs to open this lootbox before using or even holding the item properly.
If the Cursebearer wishes to open a lootbox, he must first acquire a matching key. The methods for this are manifold - ranging from hunting and performing missions for the curse - but most commonly involve trading one's lifespan and essence directly in order to purchase them. Seasonal or weekly price reductions occur sporadically, so the Cursebearer must strategically manage his depleting reserves to ensure he always has an optimal amount of keys on hand to claim what he desires without over-spending critically, as to avoid his own death.
The effects of this curse are subtle and hard to manage. None but the most prudent and mathematically-inclined of Cursebearers will be able to avoid the fate of turning into an empty, wretched husk of a person clad in reliquary accouterments.
[ ] Sandvich-Eater's Affliction: The Cursebearer is unable to persist on anything aside from a stereotypical sandwich.
This curse is far worse than it seems because it is literal. The Cursebearer's mana is not replenished by natural leylines, and a meat brisket refuses to nourish his body's cells. A first aid-kid and health potion will pathetically fail to tame any bleeding, while the reserves of stamina will not be restored through sleep or rest. There is nothing that can restore any absence or void in the Cursebearer's physique, mind, or soul, aside from a well-put-together sandwich.
The quality and quantity of restorative effects that sandwiches offer depend on a number of factors, which the Cursebearer must learn to recognize on their own. Generally, a good rule of thumb is that there are never enough sandwiches and that a high-quality sandwich at the pinnacle of culinary craftsmanship will be exponentially better than common trash from scavenged kitchen supplies. Some ingredients for sandwiches can serve much better for restoring spiritual vigor, while others are only useful for stamina or physical health.
This begins as an innocuous desire to appear more fashionable than others, often resulting in the Cursebearer purchasing and then carrying around an entire wardrobe of strange, sometimes exotic facial wear and headwear. This ranges from gold-spangled monocles to tophats splotched with the official colors of the United States of America. If the Cursebearer sees a truly shiny hat, such as a steampunk bowler cap that emits a smoke effect, he will be unable to focus on anything else than acquiring it until it is safely in his possession.
The Cursebearer will place an arbitrary value on each part of his hatdrobe, dependent on some equally arbitrary system of worth; usually, colorful hats with interesting effects or hats that stand out are worth more. Eventually, the Cursebearer will desire to possess the hats of others, offering various trade deals of headwear-for-headwear to random people because their baseball cap caught his fancy.
Eventually, however, on the scale of years to decades, this curse evolves into a true, manic obsession. The Cursebearer will do practically anything in their desperation to stand out more than other people: hanging festive lights around his sword's blade, wearing a rainbow-colored pumpkin that emits a constant stream of blue flame and prismatic-glitter confetti, and putting on an impractical neon-green, glow-in-the-dark suit on top of this will be the least of their sins by the time the Hatter's Doom takes full effect. If his companions remain 'vanilla' for too long, he may be displeased and forcefully dress them in some of his wardrobe's contents, often producing the most ridiculous outfits.
Not only is this a complete waste of money, time, and moral ethics, but it will be met with ridicule in all societies that do not appreciate such avant-garde taste in wardrobe.
[ ] Affliction of the Lootbox: The Cursebearer suffers from an inability to find good items, or to be more specific, an inability to find good items for free.
Any meaningful, valuable object or artifact the Cursebearer finds, seeks, or desires will be locked beneath a metaphysical lootbox: for others, this lootbox does not exist, letting them do as they please. The Cursebearer needs to open this lootbox before using or even holding the item properly.
If the Cursebearer wishes to open a lootbox, he must first acquire a matching key. The methods for this are manifold - ranging from hunting and performing missions for the curse - but most commonly involve trading one's lifespan and essence directly in order to purchase them. Seasonal or weekly price reductions occur sporadically, so the Cursebearer must strategically manage his depleting reserves to ensure he always has an optimal amount of keys on hand to claim what he desires without over-spending critically, as to avoid his own death.
The effects of this curse are subtle and hard to manage. None but the most prudent and mathematically-inclined of Cursebearers will be able to avoid the fate of turning into an empty, wretched husk of a person clad in reliquary accouterments.
[ ] Sandvich-Eater's Affliction: The Cursebearer is unable to persist on anything aside from a stereotypical sandwich.
This curse is far worse than it seems because it is literal. The Cursebearer's mana is not replenished by natural leylines, and a meat brisket refuses to nourish his body's cells. A first aid-kid and health potion will pathetically fail to tame any bleeding, while the reserves of stamina will not be restored through sleep or rest. There is nothing that can restore any absence or void in the Cursebearer's physique, mind, or soul, aside from a well-put-together sandwich.
The quality and quantity of restorative effects that sandwiches offer depend on a number of factors, which the Cursebearer must learn to recognize on their own. Generally, a good rule of thumb is that there are never enough sandwiches and that a high-quality sandwich at the pinnacle of culinary craftsmanship will be exponentially better than common trash from scavenged kitchen supplies. Some ingredients for sandwiches can serve much better for restoring spiritual vigor, while others are only useful for stamina or physical health.
[ ] Brand of the Liar: The cake is a lie.
Like a serpent transformation, those who meet and know the Cursebearer will occasionally feel a sudden, intense, and unavoidable urge to offer a falsehood in response to the Cursebearer's question or statement. This occurs roughly 10% of the time. No one who speaks these falsehoods will ever feel guilty for doing so, even if the Cursebearer was dealt with massive strife as a result and they are usually well-disposed towards them. Once a falsehood is spoken and decided upon by a person, asking for confirmation about its veracity from the same person will yield the same falsehood and insistence the falsehood is true, until the Cursebearer personally confirms they'd been had.
This can be deadly in situations where precise information is key but can be ameliorated somewhat by cross-referencing knowledge from multiple people in order to determine which statement is actually true, or the most likely to be true.
[ ] Brand of the Moron: The Cursebearer emits the distinct aura of someone who'd been designed to be an idiot.
Everyone, with no exception who meets the Cursebearer, will regard him as a stereotypical, mouth-drooling moron of the highest imaginable caliber; barely able to put together the fact that two plus two equals four. This occurs only when this is inconvenient to them.
For example, the Cursebearer's rivals and enemies will never assume the idiocy to be an impediment to the Cursebearer, and an expert plotter will be entirely unaffected and assume the idiocy is a cover for the Cursebearer's actual level of intelligence, and begin plotting against the Cursebearer as they would normally.
This curse mostly applies on a social level, impeding the capacity for work with neutral or allied parties. For example, in a laboratory setting, any of the Cursebearer's ideas would be rejected as untenable and unbearably idiotic, unless they can be demonstrably proven to be good ideas, in which case everyone in the room assumes the Cursebearer stole the idea from someone else or came upon the revelation by sheer fluke. If the Cursebearer offers too many stupid ideas, they might even be forced out of the room due to everyone getting tired of them.
[ ] Doom of the Tester: The Cursebearer is married to science, and to nothing else.
The curse manifests as a persistent itch. It manifests on a bearable level at first but rapidly descends into an intense prickling sensation that cannot be evaded or ignored, akin to the worst imaginable pain, but in a format that is more annoying than agonizing. This itch cannot be scratched away physically; only through mental stimulation, or to be more specific, through the fulfillment of the desire to test physical, psychological, and paranormal phenomena of all kinds, usually with periodic fixations on specific types of phenomena occurring.
This Doom's scope expands over time, in order to match the Cursebearer's potential growth and present strength. In the beginning, the Cursebearer may be satisfied with alchemical experimentation, but a Cursebearer on the level of a continent-shattering force may desire to irrationally construct an underground laboratory where he maintains a population of sterile test subjects that continuously perform experiments on various objects, every single day, so that he may peruse the results and satisfy his itch.
Like a serpent transformation, those who meet and know the Cursebearer will occasionally feel a sudden, intense, and unavoidable urge to offer a falsehood in response to the Cursebearer's question or statement. This occurs roughly 10% of the time. No one who speaks these falsehoods will ever feel guilty for doing so, even if the Cursebearer was dealt with massive strife as a result and they are usually well-disposed towards them. Once a falsehood is spoken and decided upon by a person, asking for confirmation about its veracity from the same person will yield the same falsehood and insistence the falsehood is true, until the Cursebearer personally confirms they'd been had.
This can be deadly in situations where precise information is key but can be ameliorated somewhat by cross-referencing knowledge from multiple people in order to determine which statement is actually true, or the most likely to be true.
[ ] Brand of the Moron: The Cursebearer emits the distinct aura of someone who'd been designed to be an idiot.
Everyone, with no exception who meets the Cursebearer, will regard him as a stereotypical, mouth-drooling moron of the highest imaginable caliber; barely able to put together the fact that two plus two equals four. This occurs only when this is inconvenient to them.
For example, the Cursebearer's rivals and enemies will never assume the idiocy to be an impediment to the Cursebearer, and an expert plotter will be entirely unaffected and assume the idiocy is a cover for the Cursebearer's actual level of intelligence, and begin plotting against the Cursebearer as they would normally.
This curse mostly applies on a social level, impeding the capacity for work with neutral or allied parties. For example, in a laboratory setting, any of the Cursebearer's ideas would be rejected as untenable and unbearably idiotic, unless they can be demonstrably proven to be good ideas, in which case everyone in the room assumes the Cursebearer stole the idea from someone else or came upon the revelation by sheer fluke. If the Cursebearer offers too many stupid ideas, they might even be forced out of the room due to everyone getting tired of them.
[ ] Doom of the Tester: The Cursebearer is married to science, and to nothing else.
The curse manifests as a persistent itch. It manifests on a bearable level at first but rapidly descends into an intense prickling sensation that cannot be evaded or ignored, akin to the worst imaginable pain, but in a format that is more annoying than agonizing. This itch cannot be scratched away physically; only through mental stimulation, or to be more specific, through the fulfillment of the desire to test physical, psychological, and paranormal phenomena of all kinds, usually with periodic fixations on specific types of phenomena occurring.
This Doom's scope expands over time, in order to match the Cursebearer's potential growth and present strength. In the beginning, the Cursebearer may be satisfied with alchemical experimentation, but a Cursebearer on the level of a continent-shattering force may desire to irrationally construct an underground laboratory where he maintains a population of sterile test subjects that continuously perform experiments on various objects, every single day, so that he may peruse the results and satisfy his itch.
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- Location
- Louisiana
I've been thinking about potential armament weaknesses, reading over relevant quotes and threadmarks. Procyon is without a doubt the best armament we could have fought. His curse related attacks are mental, and like it was pointed out before, we'll have warning on everything he can do despite never fighting a full powered armament before. Surviving the confrontation with Procyon gives us a treasure trove of information regarding armaments.
The shroud has been referenced as the main tool an armament uses to battle relevant foes. Armaments have been described as medium ranged just because of how the shroud itself works. Rihaku even started that anything that can deal meaningful damage while staying outside of the shrouds range would definitely be relevant to fighting an armament. Any fight with an armament would have to work around the shroud and it's currently unknown capabilities.
I'd imagine the pilot has to be a major weak point of any armament, but knowing the foremost armaments are probably built with that in mind. Where the pilot is located is most likely the most heavily armored section of any armament. The shroud is also likely to defend against esoteric effects attempting to bypass that armor. Worth bringing up regardless, the pilot is a much squishier target than the armament itself.
I'd also like to bring up one more time the idea of luring the armaments into a friendly fire fight. This plan has risks, when in berserker mode Fervenweirr won't stop until everything around him is dead. That means that a loss there would mean Nilfel would see a huge amount of destruction and death. However it puts us in a very advantageous tactical position.
The thing is that if Fervenweirr joins the fight, we are no longer the biggest threat to Procyon or his allies. Fervenweirr, egged on by the Plenary Brand, would most likely attack Procyon with reckless abandon. This would become, largely, a battle between the two armaments. It would take every bit of focus Procyon can commit to battle with the strongest armament the republic has. This means we can influence the battle in our own way, our not insubstantial might prodding the battle in a way that is more in our favor.
In the best case, at the end, it would be our top tier combatants fresh against a beaten and bruised armament, who is directly out of a battle with one of his peers. That's on top of us taking pot shots and forcing unfavorable situations. This sounds like a much more winnable fight, and on top of that it would take out not one but two armaments! How much of a story is that! Hunger outsmarts and defeats two full strength armaments to defend a land he's sworn to protect! The more I think about it the more I want to actually try to make this happen. You wanna talk about an amazing finale? This is an amazing finale, we win not by brute force but by superior tactics and quick thinking under pressure.
The shroud has been referenced as the main tool an armament uses to battle relevant foes. Armaments have been described as medium ranged just because of how the shroud itself works. Rihaku even started that anything that can deal meaningful damage while staying outside of the shrouds range would definitely be relevant to fighting an armament. Any fight with an armament would have to work around the shroud and it's currently unknown capabilities.
I'd imagine the pilot has to be a major weak point of any armament, but knowing the foremost armaments are probably built with that in mind. Where the pilot is located is most likely the most heavily armored section of any armament. The shroud is also likely to defend against esoteric effects attempting to bypass that armor. Worth bringing up regardless, the pilot is a much squishier target than the armament itself.
I'd also like to bring up one more time the idea of luring the armaments into a friendly fire fight. This plan has risks, when in berserker mode Fervenweirr won't stop until everything around him is dead. That means that a loss there would mean Nilfel would see a huge amount of destruction and death. However it puts us in a very advantageous tactical position.
The thing is that if Fervenweirr joins the fight, we are no longer the biggest threat to Procyon or his allies. Fervenweirr, egged on by the Plenary Brand, would most likely attack Procyon with reckless abandon. This would become, largely, a battle between the two armaments. It would take every bit of focus Procyon can commit to battle with the strongest armament the republic has. This means we can influence the battle in our own way, our not insubstantial might prodding the battle in a way that is more in our favor.
In the best case, at the end, it would be our top tier combatants fresh against a beaten and bruised armament, who is directly out of a battle with one of his peers. That's on top of us taking pot shots and forcing unfavorable situations. This sounds like a much more winnable fight, and on top of that it would take out not one but two armaments! How much of a story is that! Hunger outsmarts and defeats two full strength armaments to defend a land he's sworn to protect! The more I think about it the more I want to actually try to make this happen. You wanna talk about an amazing finale? This is an amazing finale, we win not by brute force but by superior tactics and quick thinking under pressure.