Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)

Yeah, only difference here is that Sarah changed the way the Barrier Jacket appeared to suit her own tastes

I wasn't actually sure if a mage could change the default Jacket appearance for templates. It would have been funny if we'd converted a male mage into a Calamity Witch and have them rock the combat miniskirt.

Remember when the Fallen attacked our vacation? Taylor altered her BJ's appearance at that point. It's also happened at other points, such as when she went diving to look for the wreck of the Sojourner*. Changing the appearance is clearly an option and has come up in the forums a number of times, but never with people getting enough interest to make it a serious concern. Of course, with the way Cape branding works in Worm, I can definitely see why she would have a clear idea of what costume she would like to have if not for those meddling kids PR guys. That she actually had a choice** in what powers she got just adds to that.

*At least I think that's the name of the ship that had been transporting IAE.
**Our vote doesn't override her choice, our vote determines what she chose.

My own mental image of her new look is a blend of Queen and Skull from Persona 5. These don't quite work as references, but I'm even worse at putting the images in my head into art than at writing dialogue, so I'm not really up to sharing it.

 
Thirteenth Hour can't really use that cape boost charm bracelet anymore.
Maybe she could give it to Legend or something?
 
While you are mulling that over, Laura points out another complication. "Good luck with that," she says with a mocking laugh. "Remember that we made our debut murdering a branch of the Fallen, and if Cinder's true identity ever leaks out," she says with a meaningful glance in your direction, "that's more bodies added to the total count. Not exactly the kind of capes you want promoting your pop and tennis shoes."

......

"What kind of company would that be?" Kayleigh asks in surprise. "It doesn't sound like someplace that would really want to hire capes. Or one that would have heard of us."

Dragon's smile grows toothy and knowing. "Oh, trust me. The owner of this company has definitely heard of you. I know most of you," she says with nods in your direction, followed by Laura and then Missy, "like your freedom and independence, but it is worth considering."

"What company are we talking about? That will likely affect our opinion," you tell her.

An interesting moment... certainly required to set up the "punch-line" of Dragon's generous offer, but... perhaps a sign of just how famed Dragon-tech is, since I'm reasonably sure all the girls know who the fairy is? For Taylor especially it felt a bit dense of them to not catch on sooner xD

I'm personally fine with them signing up to be Dragon Knights , with the reservation that its still my preference to see Taylor and friends wave goodbye to Earth Bet and frolic off to glorious sci-fi TSAB after their work is far enough along re: Endbringers.

You were there for both Tim and Lacey, even if in the end the latter template had not exactly stuck. Both times, the person receiving it was shrouded in bright light for a couple of seconds before reappearing. This time… is not like the others. The light Standstill became flickers, for lack of a better word, switching back and forth between the Device's light blue and her natural pink.

Huh, on reading I'd assumed this to be a quiet reference to the fact this time the Template is burning out a present and /active/ Entity shard, where Lacey and Tim lacked one and Taylor only had the potential, not a reference to her fighting to keep her own magic color. Curious what happens to it in such a case, really.... would Glaistig hear ghostly screams of burning? :V

Her torso is covered by something that starts off looking like a black turtleneck sweater, but only if the entire back and most of the sides had been cut out.

.........

"What do you think?"

"It's definitely… different from what you used to wear," is about the nicest thing you can think to say off the top of your head.

Laura, for better or worse, does not have such reservations. "Holy shit, girl. I realize Taylor and Scarlet look like they're competing to see who can look the most evil, but that doesn't mean you need to outdo them both."

Maybe its not their fashion style? Buuut man am I disappoint neither seemed to show much appreciation for 13th Hour (she who's main canon appearance involved clingy-tight goth jeans) opting for what certainly sounds like a V-Killer sweater to put just their taste of slender-androgyny and back muscles on display.

Even as I heartily approve of Caileach arguably looking the least-villainous of the group (who really trusts Magical Girls, I hear they run the Yakuza) and recognize she's too secretive to hint at that irony openly.

I'm not sure calling Thirteenth Hour the "Least Experienced" is entirely fair to her. Yes, she has new abilities now, but she's also technically the most experienced person on the team next to Missy when it comes to fighting other Capes, and that experience could be a boon at the construction outlet.

Considering the nature of her powers involved spending much of the battle asleep.... how much experience did she really gain exactly, just that of watching others and participating in any training?


=========

[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Samantha) Construction store

Kamkong's plan seems like a good one if guesses are accurate, leaves heavy-hitter Taylor to cover for any stumbles by Sarah with her new powers and all .... only vague worry is Missy "by herself" if Pentagram has any issues there, but she is quite strong and minion-equipped along with probably more experience than Laura overall. Even with her upgrades doubt she'd be too proud to call in for backup/evac if things got hot after all her team training (which could also help her mesh with Pentagram more than any of the rest, so better they have own-team allies).
 
Kamkong's plan seems like a good one if guesses are accurate, leaves heavy-hitter Taylor to cover for any stumbles by Sarah with her new powers and all .... only vague worry is Missy "by herself" if Pentagram has any issues there, but she is quite strong and minion-equipped along with probably more experience than Laura overall.
Fair point. Let me explain my reasoning about the non-office building placements and hopefully convince a few more people to rally behind my plan. Analyses behind Spoilers because I wrote a fair bit.
Construction Store -
I feel that the Pentagram members hitting this location (Echo, Foxtrot, Mask, and Tome) are more vulnerable to being disrupted and losing combat effectiveness. I'll break them down.

Echo is the primary melee combatant of this team. He can hit (non-lethally) harder than he should, he can chain up opponents to hinder them, and he can punish other melee attackers with exploding armor. But the explosions weaken his overall defence, meaning he becomes more vulnerable the longer he fights.

Foxtrot is the sniper. She has an extremely fast shooter that can home on targets, and can make it hit even harder for a period. But she can only have one active at a time, and has no close-combat spells (unlikely she would think to use a Shooter-ryuken like Taylor did) so she has to remain at range. Also, I think homing bullet requires you to see your opponent to target them, so if her vision is hindered, her effectiveness will diminish as she fires blind.

Mask is sneaky, and a potential trump card with Shapeshifting. But they also have the weakest defences on the team, and since we don't yet know how shapeshifting functions, we don't know it's limitations (how long until it can work, how long can they remain transformed, is the copied power limited in any way, etc.). Being discovered until absolutely necessary will reduce their effectiveness.

Tome has no direct attacking spells. They can heal injuries and cure status effects, Boost both melee and ranged attacks, and make some targets easier to attack (as well as preventing some Parahuman effects). This White Mage/Bard/Rogue combo must be protected or things will become much harder for the team.

So based on this team, I selected Samantha, Kayleigh, and Laura to go with them.
First off, having more melee attackers, especially ones with speed abilities, helps spread the attackers thinner, which gives Echo and Mask more breathing room to do what they do best and reduces the pressure on Foxtrot, Kayleigh, and Tome.
Second, Samantha's Wide Area Search can be passed to Foxtrot, Kayleigh, and Tome, allowing them to either Shoot and/or Boost/Trap/Heal anywhere in the battlefield, even from behind cover, which vastly increases their potency.
Third, having the high number of combatants allows for Kayleigh and Laura, who might require short periods to switch ammunition or charge up an Ice blast, to receive the breathing room they need to fully contribute.

Sports Store -
With this team (Bravo, Delta, Rifle, and Shield), things are a bit simpler. Both Delta and Rifle can create a swarm of Shooter orbs around them for rapid fire, with Delta's bouncing and Rifle's homing. Bravo can cast Wide Area Search and pass it to the Shooters to improve their targeting, and then support them by casting Ring Binds to hold opponents in place (with retaliatory Ring Binds if you attack him) as well as Shell Break to make opponents squishier. Shield is the melee fighter, she charges in, hits the enemy hard, let them break their fists on her body, easy-peasy.

Bringing in Missy, who is the speediest speedster on the team presently, allows her to move almost anywhere on the battlefield where she is needed with aplomb. Behind the enemy forces to split their focus, piece of cake. Directly towards a Ring Bound opponent to knock them out, not a problem. Full pull-back towards Pentagram, can do! This allows for quick attacks that can scatter and panic the enemy while allowing her to retreat to fight at Shield's side to share her defence if necessary. Her laser sword can take out grunts and provide environmental destruction, her prothetic is armoured and has a shield for defence or more blunt-force attacks, and her particle cannon is an ace in the hole for blowing back a large number of opponents, a throughly blockaded area, or an enemy Brute. Add in Anubis, who can both reform the environment around him to hinder opponents or aid him and hurt those who are close to him, and there is a powerful melee setup.

Office Building - Taylor
Construction Store - Sarah & Cat Sith, Samantha, and Kayleigh
Sports Store - Missy, Laura
Based on the current vote tally, this is where everyone is going. And I'm pretty certain that this combination is one that no one suggested, it just arose from all the varying votes that have been submitted.

Socially it doesn't do much for Sarah, as Samantha is as friendly as Taylor is and Kayleigh is the friendliest of the other Arcana girls towards her.
I'd prefer that someone reinforces Taylor in the Office Building, and once again, my choice is for Sarah & Cat Sith due to the increased chance that Flimmern will be present so Sarah can essentially neutralize all of her abilities, and also Cat's durability, strength booster and speed charge can assist in bursting through walls for escape routes as well as providing electrical immunity to the other members of the team.
I'd prefer Samantha not in the Office because there's already a Sword in the group, and Samantha's weapons are a bit long to be truly effective in some of the narrow areas within the building (Taylor's is fine because it can vaporize obstacles). Laura and Missy would work, but I like them where they are and I'd just really prefer that freshly-converted Sarah get some guidance from the most experienced mage on the team (and the one who's dealt with the "implanted memories" part of the templates) just in case Sarah needs assistance with some of her new skills (of which Taylor has them all, so she knows how they function).
 
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[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Samantha) Construction store

If anybody isn't gonna have Arcana back up, aside from Taylor, Missy is the best one as the most experienced hero who also has a champion summon to back her up and her cyborg arm with shield.
 
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Shifting my vote. As I've said, kamkong's assessments and placements are effectively the same as my own in general capabilities, so I'm hoping to shift things to something a bit more coherent in the final placements. Fingers crossed a couple more people either change their votes too, or vote along these lines if they haven't already.

[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Samantha) Construction store
 
Let's keep an eye on Sarah, and not leave Missy alone.

[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Samantha) Sports store
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
 
Urk, it's gotten really bad with the last few votes
Office Building - Taylor
Sports Store - Missy
Construction Store - Samantha, Laura, Kayleigh, Sarah & Cat Sith
Five Arcana members to one location, one each to the other two. It looks horribly unbalanced and unprofessional. We need someone off the Construction store team and somewhere else. My vote is of course for Sarah & Cat Sith to the Office, but I'll accept anything if it splits the team a bit more.
 
[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Samantha) Sports store
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
 
I'm starting to think this should have been a plan vote.

It's kind of a mess right now.
I've thought that since before my first vote. Too many people all with different plans on a straight by-line vote, and we could have very easily wound up with everyone going to the same location on accident. For now I'm just grateful we have at least someone going to each location, but agree that the current front-loading of the construction outlet group is an issue.

If this ends up being the final arrangement, I just hope they end up stomping whoever's at the construction outlet quickly so they can split and back the other groups up before things get too hairy.
 
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Not sold on what's effectively a 3-3-1 split, but Missy's at least one of the better people for on her own, and it's not like any other vote for sports is even close at the moment.

[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Samantha) Construction store
 
Not sold on what's effectively a 3-3-1 split, but Missy's at least one of the better people for on her own, and it's not like any other vote for sports is even close at the moment.

I just like Kayleigh for the sports store based more on personality than anything else. Our entire team is competent, but the ones most likely to need help are Kayleigh, due to her general inexperience, and 13th, due to her inexperience with her new powers. The Templates may make the spells they grant instinctive on some levels, but she has no practice at utilizing those new instincts. I divided up my votes with that in mind, considering strategy once I settled on the need for those to be paired with somebody more experienced, and once I decided on teams, picked where I think that team would best fit.

I have to agree that the straight by-line vote is coming out to be a mess. I suggest @Silently Watches may want to make this a plan vote, with the plan at this point only determining who goes where, rather than having us vote on 6 different people deciding where to go evidently without discussing the matter with each other.
 
It's actually more of a 3-3-2 split, once/if you factor Anubis into things. Further, Missy is being attached to probably the most solid and well rounded of the PRT Teams in terms of abilities, and as one of the most experienced people on our team it evens out a bit.
 
I divided up my votes with that in mind, considering strategy once I settled on the need for those to be paired with somebody more experienced, and once I decided on teams, picked where I think that team would best fit.
I employed a similar strategy, but I also took the Pentagram members and their abilities/placements into consideration. I wanted Taylor to be with Alpha, so the team leaders can easily coordinate. I wanted Samantha on the team without a Wide Area Search, because it's such a useful spell that all three should have access to it. And I was fine putting Missy by herself with the Pentagram agents because she's both competent and doesn't have any hidden fears that these PRT mages will suddenly arrest her for her villainous past. I also kept the numbers low on the team with two Shooter types, so if they break out a Bullet Hell there's less people in the way.
 
I have to agree that the straight by-line vote is coming out to be a mess. I suggest @Silently Watches may want to make this a plan vote, with the plan at this point only determining who goes where, rather than having us vote on 6 different people deciding where to go evidently without discussing the matter with each other.
Yes, it will be block voting, not by-line
 
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor Fan Art
Thirteenth Hour
Now she just needs to master the Thu-um for her transformation into Skyrim Protagonist to be complete.


I agree with kamkong's assessment, I'll follow that vote:
[X] (Taylor) Office building
[X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
[X] (Missy) Sports store
[X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
[X] (Laura) Construction store
[X] (Samantha) Construction store
 
Hi!

I just read through the whole quest up until now, and wow! What a lot of cool stuff. I really enjoyed it, and we'll just not mention to my employers how much work I might have not gotten done yesterday due to magical girl fic. :)

Thanks for all the hard work. I really appreciate it, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next!
 
Interestingly, these were the same positions that won regardless if I did block voting or by line. That's just a little funny to me.
Adhoc vote count started by Silently Watches on Jan 7, 2021 at 10:45 PM, finished with 77 posts and 26 votes.

  • [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
    [X] (Missy) Sports store
    [X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
    [X] (Laura) Construction store
    [X] (Samantha) Construction store
    [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Samantha) Office building
    [X] (Missy) Construction store
    [X] (Laura) Sports store
    [X] (Kayleigh) Sport store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Construction store
    [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Laura) Sports store
    [X] (Kayleigh) Sports store
    [X] (Missy) Construction store
    [X] (Samantha) Construction store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Construction store
    [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Samantha) Office building
    [X] (Missy) Sports store
    [X] (Laura) Office building
    [X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Construction store
    [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Samantha) Sports store
    [X] (Missy) Sports store
    [X] (Laura) Construction store
    [X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Office building
    [X] (Taylor) Construction store
    [X] (Samantha) Construction store
    [X] (Missy) Office building
    [X] (Laura) Office building
    [X] (Kayleigh) Sports store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Sports store
    [X] (Taylor) Office building
    [X] (Samantha) Sports store
    [X] (Missy) Office building
    [X] (Laura) Construction store
    [X] (Kayleigh) Construction store
    [X] (Sarah and Cat Sith) Sports store
 
Cool, vote is closed, now I'm comfortable asking questions again.
Overdrive (1 XP) – Absorb energy attacks with Strong Shield to fuel Storm Blade and Storm Wave without needing mana from Linker Core or cartridge.
New potential spell looks interesting, so I wanted to ask. If Storm Blade is already active when an Overdrive Shield absorbs an energy attack, would the additional energy be added to the aura of the Blade, causing it to increase in size/intensity? Or would the spell merely shift from drawing from the linker core to the converted energy?

Mechashift capture drones. ("Bondage drones", thanks DestinyPlayer). 1 slot each.
Can the Mechashift Capture Drones be made to medically immobilize someone so they can be moved safely from an accident? Can these drones fly while they have someone "Captured"?

Polymorph rounds (transform living target into another creature) -- 4 XP
Is the person who is shot with this bullet given a random creature transformation or does Kayleigh get to pick what they turn into?
 
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New potential spell looks interesting, so I wanted to ask. If Storm Blade is already active when an Overdrive Shield absorbs an energy attack, would the additional energy be added to the aura of the Blade, causing it to increase in size/intensity? Or would the spell merely shift from drawing from the linker core to the converted energy?
Storm Blade would draw from the shield rather than the LC.
Can the Mechashift Capture Drones be made to medically immobilize someone so they can be moved safely from an accident? Can these drones fly while they have someone "Captured"?
We've never discussed these drives in enough detail to say for sure. This is certainly an option.
Is the person who is shot with this bullet given a random creature transformation or does Kayleigh get to pick what they turn into?
I was imagining it as random, though if you buy it and want to have specific transformations LATER, that can be discussed.
 
Maybe its not their fashion style? Buuut man am I disappoint neither seemed to show much appreciation for 13th Hour (she who's main canon appearance involved clingy-tight goth jeans) opting for what certainly sounds like a V-Killer sweater to put just their taste of slender-androgyny and back muscles on display.
I meant to comment on this during the vote but couldn't think of a way to say it that wouldn't cause a potential derail. Yes, you are absolutely correct that Thirteenth Hour is wearing an armored virgin-killer sweater. I thought it was funny, and I finally have a legal-aged character I can treat as a dress-up doll without angering the mods. 😅 As for why neither Taylor nor Laura appreciated the look, I'll say that IC they were more distracted by her overall appearance including the ANTLERED SKULL MASK. Speaking for myself, that would probably be the first, last, and most common thing I looked at of her costume.

OOC, of course, it's because I've already said I have no plans to force a character romance. That's a player controlled element of the quest. Making one or both characters ogle her exposed back when both of them consider themselves straight would have been too much of an authorial push.
 
Wanted to check a timing thing based on the newest chapter.
Since this is the first time we've created a template using sacrificial Devices, I wanted to be sure. Perfect Storm cannot create another template until six weeks have passed or <Data not Found> is accomplished, correct?

Went searching through the forum for anything on Template Linker Core Growth, and managed to pull up this post giving me exactly what I wanted. Just posting this here for my own benefit regarding upcoming spell votes.
11 weeks. 1 week for Core to stabilize, then two weeks for each increase in rank. (I.e., she'll reach B-rank in 3 weeks, then increase every 2 weeks thereafter.)
 
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