Hazō had done it. It had been easily the hardest seal he'd worked on in his life thus far, but he'd made it happen. He'd faced the chakra diffusion problem head on and… well, to say that he conquered it would be a little too emphatic. "Conquer" was bold, it fit a brilliant visionary sealmaster more than "minor yet incredibly difficult improvement", but it was inaccurate.

Still, he'd pushed himself to the limit, pulled out every tool in his toolkit, and made a substantial advance in the field. The new and improved version of chakdar used layers of detection and filter effects to amplify tiny resonances in distant chakra that corresponded to the patterns of adhesion and repulsion and elemental chakra and all the other ways chakra could be used. He'd found that chakra diffusion and ambient noise almost completely wiped out any evidence of distant chakra effects, but they couldn't wipe it out completely, and with his new tools, he could almost fully recover the relevant information from twenty, even thirty meters away under optimal conditions. Probably. Maybe. He'd have to test it to tell for sure.

He placed his thumb down on the first instance of his Clan's latest invention: the chakdar version 2. He pushed his chakra into the pathways of the ink on the paper and felt it conform to the form he'd been obsessed with for the past few days. He'd focused so hard on the chakdar seal that he could feel the shape of the chakra pathways with his mind, fixed deeply in his consciousness like a lost dream.

He closed his eyes and carefully called up the memories of when he'd read Kei's Summon Scroll. He pushed away the nonsensical babble and the alien perspectives and focused on the power. The true awareness, from beyond the Veil, of how chakra truly functioned. The structures of chakra he needed to form were complex, but not beyond his ability.

He opened his eyes at an unusual sensation, a flicker in his chakra. His focus was clear and his comprehension was faultless, the seal could not have been flawed. He scanned the seal, and realized his error. In one tiny corner, in one tiny brushstroke, he'd failed to apply sufficient pressure and one sole hair on the brush had failed to draw its line smoothly. There was a hole in a stroke. Nearly imperceptible, but there, now a chasm his chakra would never cross. And into that hole, Hazō felt his chakra pour and pour and pour, not anywhere into this world but Out. He pulled his chakra back but it was too late. Reality had broken once more.

---

Seal failure!
Severity = 78
Type = 4
Hazō's brain is infested with a small amount of the Out. It has effects on his awareness of reality and his ability to think. The effect will wear off when the next-but-one chapter drops, BUT:


Hazō is in zero G mode! No, that doesn't mean he's floating, it means that he loses 1 XP for every use of the seventh letter that appears in a post in this thread. We will overlook uses of the forbidden letter in QM posts and in what we decide are troll posts. This effect will wear off when the second-next chapter (i.e. the one scheduled for Thursday December 1) is posted.


This 'seal failure' is a fun activity that the QMs are extending the opportunity for you to play with us. You can treat it as an annoyance or you can play beside us. If you find it an annoyance, please don't ruin it for those who enjoy it.

Notes:

• We're not going to start counting until 7pm Eastern tonight in order to ensure that everyone has seen the notice
• We'll use good sense and not be abusive. In particular, usernames don't count, quotes from QM posts don't count, signatures don't count, etc
• This only applies to this thread, not to the Discord or any other threads/sites where you are discussing MfD.

Full details are here: Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

(Tentative Options for) Orochimaru's Ninjutsu Scrolls

Note: these are not original to Orochimaru. Attached notes indicate these were given to Orochimaru by individuals and clans in payment for services rendered.

Fire Element: Sundance

The user creates a fist-sized ball of fire that orbits around them and fires beams of energy at targets of the user's choice.

When you cast the jutsu, you create one sun that holds one charge, and you may make an attack with it immediately. On subsequent turns, you may use a Standard action to attack with all suns currently under your control. The suns are weak at first. They have a penalty of -AB to all attacks and do not benefit from the user's chakra boost. Their attacks are Range:1 relative to themselves – a sun can attack in its Zone or in any adjacent Zone.

If a sun starts the round in direct sunlight, it gains one charge. Each sun may hold up to (Effect) charges. Each charge gives a sun +2 on all relevant rolls. You may coordinate suns for attack or defense. Each additional sun after the first gives +2 to the roll.

As a Supplemental action, you may:

• Move all suns in your control by 1 Zone in any direction, so long as all suns end up within 2 Zones of you.
• Instruct all suns to follow you. At the end of your turn, they will be in your Zone (even if you moved more than 2 Zones, e.g. with a Standard Sprint).
• Combine two suns into a single sun (adding their charges together to a max of (Effect)).
• Split a sun into two (dividing their charges equally, with leftover charges lost).

You may control up to (Effect) suns at once.

On any round after the first, when you attack with a sun, you cannot be counterattacked.

You may use a Reflexive Supplemental to defend against Fire Element ninjutsu with the suns. You may make a defense roll with Sundance for anyone in a Zone with a sun.

• On a success, the jutsu is completely absorbed, and each sun gains (Jutsu Effect / # suns defending) charges, rounded down, min 1.
• On a failure, the jutsu is only partially absorbed, and the attack loses (# suns defending)*(10 - # shifts of failure) points on its attack against the target.
• Sundance cannot absorb Sundance.

Suppose Alice has Sundance 50 (AB 6). She is in direct sunlight so each sun gains a charge every round. Over the course of ten rounds…

• She casts it at Effect 6, costing 120 CP and creating one sun. She may immediately make one attack, at 50 - 6 (AB penalty) + 2 (1 charge) = 46.
• The next round, the sun gains 1 charge (2 charges total). Alice attacks again with 48.
• The next round, the sun gains 1 charge (3 charges total). Alice splits the sun in 2. She now has 2 suns, each with 1 charge (1 charge is lost).
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge (2x2 charges total). Alice splits one again. She now has 3 suns, with (1, 1, 2) charges. She attacks three targets, rolling at 46, 46, and 48 with her Standard.
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge (2, 2, 3 charges total). Alice attacks again, focusing all the suns on one target. She rolls at 50 - 6 (AB) + 6 (3x charges) + 4 (2x suns coordinating) = 54.
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge (3, 3, 4 charges total). Alice combines the 3 and 4 suns, making one sun with 6 charges (1 charge is lost).
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge. (4, 6 charges total). Alice splits the 4 sun, giving her (2, 2, 6) for her suns. She attacks, rolling 50 - 6 (AB) + 12 (6x charges) + 4 (2x suns coordinating) = 60.
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge. (3, 3, 6 charges total). Alice spend two Supplementals splitting the 3-charge suns into 1 charge suns (1, 1, 1, 1, 6).
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge (2, 2, 2, 2, 6 charges total). Alice and her partner, Bob, are attacked by an AoE Fire ninjutsu. She spends a Reflexive Supplemental to have 3 suns protect her and 2 suns protect Bob.
  • The ninjutsu rolls 65.
  • Alice's suns roll 50 + 12 (6x charges) + 4 (2x suns coordinating) = 66. It absorbs the ninjutsu completely, and Alice doesn't need to dodge.
  • Bob's suns roll 50 + 2 (2x charges) + 2 (1 sun coordinating) = 58. It fails to absorb the ninjutsu, failing by 3 shifts. (2 suns) * (10 - 3 shifts of failure) = 14 is subtracted from the attack roll, and Bob dodges the Fire ninjutsu at 51.
• The next round, each sun gains 1 charge (3, 3, 3, 3, 6 charges total). Alice splits a 3 charge sun, bringing her up to her maximum of 6 suns controlled (1, 1, 3, 3, 3, 6 charges). She can no longer split suns. She attacks a target with all the suns together, and rolls 50 - 6 (AB penalty) + 12 (6x charges) + 10 (5x suns coordinating) = 66. She gets attacked by a single-target Fire ninjutsu, and her 6 suns defend her.
  • The ninjutsu rolls 85.
  • Alice's suns roll 50 + 12 (6x charges) + 10 (5x suns coordinating) = 72. It fails to absorb the ninjutsu, failing by 5 shifts. That subtracts (6 suns)*(10 - 5 shifts of failure) = 30 from the attack roll, and Alice dodges the Fire ninjutsu at 55.

Fire Element: Burning Vortex

The user wreathes their arms in a twisting spiral of fire which they shoot out at a nearby target.

Essentially a Fire-Release Water Whip. The user makes an attack when they cast the technique with their Standard. At the user's option, the fire continues to coat their arms, and on future turns, the technique can be used to attack again. Using Burning Vortex while the technique is already active has half the standard cost: 9 CP. Additionally, while the technique is active, you gain a bonus of ½ (Burning Vortex AB, rounded up) to Taijutsu rolls.

The technique can be dismissed as a Supplemental. If the user suffers a Consequence while the technique is active, the user takes an additional Mild Consequence "Seared from Wrist to Shoulder".

Fire Element: Flame Wall

The user shoots a jet of fire from their finger to mark a line in the ground around them, which erupts in a thicket of flame.

The user designates up to (Effect) continuous Zone borders. The user can choose to designate the border in the middle of an extant Zone, in which case the Zone is divided into two new Zones (Zone Aspects allocated at GM's discretion). Creatures in the divided Zone select which new Zone to enter in order of decreasing Alertness.

Borders that overlap the wall have their Border rating increased by 2. A creature that passes their check to cross the Border must also make an Athletics check against an attack from (Flame Wall + Flame Wall AB). If they generate positive shifts, they can pass through like normal. If they generate negative shifts, they may still choose to pass through, but they take stress equal to the number of negative shifts.

Earth Element: Bleeding River Impalement

The user presses their hands to the floor. A moment later, nearby Zones erupt in hundreds of thick stone spikes.

Select (Effect) contiguous Zones. Everyone in those Zones must dodge against Bleeding River Impalement, except the user and anyone in Melee with the user. This attack is Weapons:2.

Attacks and possibly destroys structures. All targeted Zones gain the Aspect "Land of Thorns," though the user does not get a tag on this Aspect. While the Zones have this Aspect, the Border of moving into or out of those Zones is increased to max(Effect, 4), if it was not higher.

Wind Element: Vacuum Energy Ball

Effect ladder:

• Levels 1-29: 1
• Levels 30-49: 2
• Levels 50-69: 3
• Levels 70-89: 4

The user summons a swirling ball of wind around a core of vacuum, and throws it at an enemy.

Ignores half of physical armor. The rare Armor: Energy (Wind) is fully effective.

Water Element: Surging Seas

A great wave of crushing water surges up beneath the user's feet and launches forward, striking out at an enemy within range. Select (Effect) Zones in a line. In each Zone, you target a person and everyone in melee with them, and each target must defend against your Surging Seas roll. An enemy hit by the wave moves along with the wave. They move one Zone for every two shifts of failure, up to the ninjutsu's range.

The user or anyone that dodges the wave may choose to try to ride along with it. To do so, they must make an Athletics check against the Surging Seas attack roll. On a success, they may move up to (Effect) Zones along with the wave. Otherwise, reduce the amount of potential movement by the number of shifts they failed by (minimum 0).