thanks for the chapter and for writing. [x]Comprehension: A general understanding of chemistry and the application of said chemistry towards alchemical circles. [x]Find A New Hiding Spot: For now, you're hanging out in an abandoned house, a hiding spot that you and others have used before. There's the rub. Others have used this place before, and you don't want to get an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night. DC15. A d100 will be rolled for a random event to trigger every week starting with a DC of 90. Every consecutive week that you spend in the same location, the DC will lower by 20.
[X] Plan I guess I sit and read?
-[X]Go to the Library: Bonus of +2 for learning rolls towards comprehension. DC 10 x 2 Activity Dice (d20)
-[X] Panhandle: Let's be honest, you need cash, and quick. You're surviving in an abandoned building, constantly watching in case anyone decides to come back home. For now you're safe, but how long will that last? You need food for money, clothes, and maybe a gym membership so you can take a shower and see your actual skin instead of just the dirt. DC 15 x 1 Activity Dice (d20)
-[X]Find A New Hiding Spot: For now, you're hanging out in an abandoned house, a hiding spot that you and others have used before. There's the rub. Others have used this place before, and you don't want to get an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night. DC15. A d100 will be rolled for a random event to trigger every week starting with a DC of 90. Every consecutive week that you spend in the same location, the DC will lower by 20 x 1 Activity Dice (d20)
-[X] Magic Research [3 Free d4 Dice]
—[X] Comprehension x 3 Dice (d4)
I don't expect we will truly blitz Comprehension, but it's something of a foundational skill here. Who knows, maybe all the science knowledge will help in other pursuits?
Adhoc vote count started by Xolsis on Mar 4, 2024 at 4:59 PM, finished with 9 posts and 4 votes.
[X] Plan I guess I sit and read?
-[X]Go to the Library: Bonus of +2 for learning rolls towards comprehension. DC 10 x 2 Activity Dice (d20)
-[X] Panhandle: Let's be honest, you need cash, and quick. You're surviving in an abandoned building, constantly watching in case anyone decides to come back home. For now you're safe, but how long will that last? You need food for money, clothes, and maybe a gym membership so you can take a shower and see your actual skin instead of just the dirt. DC 15 x 1 Activity Dice (d20)
-[X]Find A New Hiding Spot: For now, you're hanging out in an abandoned house, a hiding spot that you and others have used before. There's the rub. Others have used this place before, and you don't want to get an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night. DC15. A d100 will be rolled for a random event to trigger every week starting with a DC of 90. Every consecutive week that you spend in the same location, the DC will lower by 20 x 1 Activity Dice (d20) -[X] Magic Research [3 Free d4 Dice] —[X] Comprehension x 3 Dice (d4)
That's pretty unlikely due to the whole have to relevel it thing assuming it is new types there's also more than combat on the table as FF and Fire Emblem are both on the table and both of those have healing spells from the lowest ranks.
"Why the hell are we going through the boring side of the library" Mia asked, more curious than actually annoyed as you grabbed every chemistry book that made something in the back of your head go off.
Eventually, you and your friend had a table at the back, stacks of books piled up around you both like some sort of secret tower, with only a few of them being fiction for Mia while you started to devour every single scrap of knowledge that you could get your hands on.
It was like heaven for you.
Like, suddenly you were reading an old story book from your childhood that you had all but forgotten about. Weird ass thing for a 14 year old to feel about an old chemistry textbook while reading about basic elements, compounds and all the wonderfully complicated errata of it all.
Branches in your mind connected, and you just… knew things that you shouldn't. Like how the human body was made up of mostly six elements. Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, calcium, and phosphorous.
The entire human body, from the blood that flowed through your veins down to the marrow of your bones were made up of just six simple elements. While there were countless other objects that were made of so much more.
Then you had a thought. No, a memory.
Never dabble in human transmutation. And you remembered the white void. The feeling of the very atoms of your mouth being ripped away from you, that white figure smiling at you with your own mouth.
An old promise between someone that considered you a friend, even as he took away your most precious body part as if it had been breathing.
"Hey. You ok?" A quiet voice asked as a warm calloused hand closed over your own, and you had to blink the tears that had formed in your eyes away, flashing the dream of a memory that was already going fuzzy. "I haven't seen you this freaked out since that time we got stuck in a rave that was being swatted."
You clear your throat and go back over the makeup of nitroglycerin, wondering what would be a good way to bottle some of that stuff up if he could get the right elements for it. Wait. Elements for what?
"I'm fine. Just… more flashes. The white void, the smiling man." Wearing your face.
She frowns, and her hand squeezes around yours, the unspoken question registering just fine in your mind. "I can handle it Mia. I promise." You had to know what all this means. And what you could do with it all.
"You better, otherwise I'm going to smack the shit out of you." She threatened, your head throbbing as you remembered what the back of her hand felt like.
Unfortunately, your visit could not persist, and you both had to leave, making sure to store most of the books that you'd devoured on the cart for the librarians to return to their shelves. All but one of the latest releases, the chemistry textbook stuffed in your jacket on your back, one of your shoe laces keeping the thing from sliding out of your coats.
You were just about to make a run for it when passing the detectors at the library entrance, when an older gruff voice spoke up.
"Just bring the book back in a couple of days, kid." Both you and Mia look up and stare at the older handsome man, dressed completely in black decked in silver jewelry and a watch that shined with an almost otherworldly light. "Don't worry, that alarm isn't going to go off. And long as you come back with that book, then the cops don't have to get involved." Other than his lips, he didn't move an inch, remaining still as he leaned against the wall, his head not even facing their way.
So you two did the only thing that you could.
You both ran as fast as your legs could take you.
The alarm didn't go off.
+2 to Comprehension in effect until Comprehension is mastered.
March 6th, Thursday 2010
You should have known that something was wrong with the usual corner when none of the regulars were hanging around. Old Tom usually spotted this corner, the old man occasionally giving you and Mia what leftover change he'd receive after getting himself a meal. A bit harsh, but sometimes that bit of money was enough to get your hands on something warm, or maybe some lighters to keep a fire going on some colder nights.
"I don't like this." Mia said, eyes darting back and forth at the crowds of passing people down the busy street, every single one of them acting like they didn't exist, an old trick that people used. They knew that the moment they made eye contact with a homeless person, that gave them an opening to ask for money, and most really didn't want to do that. To be fair, most were probably barely making ends meet as it was.
You'd learned to develop a sorta sixth sense for when it was time to bounce. Never knew when the cops were going to be around with an itch to beat on some people, or just be overall asses. Or when it was time for some 'illicit activities' that neither of you wanted any part of.
Cops and authorities were already chasing after the both of you, no need to add more fuel to the fire.
Not even five minutes, and none of the regulars were anywhere in sight.
You had started to get back up, wincing at the bruises and wounds that snaked through your body, when Mia noticed them first.
None of the three figures seemed to have snake symbols on them like the goons that wanted Mia for whatever reason, so that was one saving grace perhaps.
Now there was just the fact that a bunch of skeletons were walking around the street, staring right at them. Mia looked at them because they were staring right at the both of you, but you could see beyond the guise of humanity that they wore.
Two of them wore hawaiian shirts and shorts, shorts, in the middle of March in New York, while the last one wore a Giants jersey around his bony chest, sandals at the end of his torn up jeans. Were they pretending to be tourists?
They pointed bony fingers towards the two of you, while another grabbed onto a phone from his pocket and seemed to be dialing something.
"Nah." Mia said, voice cold, as you both turned and ran as fast as your legs could take you into the crowd of constantly flowing people.
"Were they human?" Your friend asked you as she ran and you hobbled, each step an agony as the bruises and cuts along your body protested at you trying to keep yourself alive.
"Nah, skeletons. At least it isn't one of those weird donkey and metal legged freaks that chased us out of that Walmart that one time." You replied, breaking across one of the streets, ignoring the calls of protests from people behind you as you ran past 5th avenue and into Central Park.
Then you heard them. The screams of eagles.
Well, to everyone else they probably sounded like mutant pigeons, this was New York where the rats were the size of honey badgers and bigger so that wasn't that weird. But to you and Mia, they sounded bigger than a normal eagle.
And sure enough, you look up and find a giant eagle following above you, its eyes focused on Mia, almost completely ignoring you as you both ran through the trees of Central Park.
Oh, what you would give for a stick of dynamite, or some combustible gunpowder to chuck at the damn thing. But.. wait… that could work.
It dove down towards the both of you, screaming in victory as its razor sharp claws grasped towards the approaching young woman. At least, it did until you tore the top off a bottle of hand sanitizer and chucked the open container at the thing. The bottle hit it on the chest, barely doing anything to slow it down, but at least veering it off course as hand sanitizer splattered onto it's chest, dousing some of its wing feathers.
Unfortunately, it still managed to clip Mia on her shoulder as it careened into the ground, causing the teenage girl to fall to the floor, and take you down along with her.
Landing on your arm that was more blue than it should be caused you to scream in surprise, stumbling up to your feet as Mia herself stood up as well, reaching into her puffy jacket and pulling out a tiny pocket knife. The damn thing was like a toothpick compared to the claws of the giant eagle as it screeched in irritation, disentangling itself from the bush it landed on.
With fumbling fingers, you take out a box of matches that you'd stolen from a gas station a few weeks ago, striking a match while dropping the box and tossing it at the creature.
You missed hitting its chest like you'd meant to, but thankfully, when the flame bounced it landed on the rest of the bush, causing it to burn as well. Right on the chest of the eagle.
It cried and beat its wings in fear, trying to put the flame out, all but forgetting that the two of you exist as you ran once again into Central Park, as far as your legs could take you back to the hideout.
March 8th, Saturday, 2010
It's weird when you don't have to sleep.
You could, the option is always there to just drift off and allow your brain to relax instead of constantly being awake. It isn't as refreshing to you as it might be for other people, but every now and then is a nice feeling that you just can't ignore.
And Mia sorta forces you to sleep at least once a week just out of sheer worry. To 'let you rest' even though you didn't really need it. You once went four months without any sleep. Maybe that was why people often thought you acted too old for how you look.
Still, you were bruised and battered, but you could at least keep the fire going and keep watch for any bastards that might try to find you. Can't exactly permanently harm any of the monsters that came after you, but you could wake up Mia and run like hell.
It's gotten you this far, it's going to get you even farther before you're dead and buried.
It was while you were finishing the last page of the textbook, wishing that you had taken some paper and pencils from the library when another of those damned visions hit you.
Only it wasn't of the white void and the smiling blank man.
You stared up at the sky, past the giant towers and the greatest stone wall you had ever seen at a giant white orb. Wait.. no, it wasn't completely white.
The bottom of the sphere looked to be cracked, like the outside of an egg that had just fallen to the floor, allowing you to see the darkened inner workings of the giant monument. There was more though. Power.
No… Light.
A feeling of warmth welled up inside of you, an old memory of holding starfire, lightning, and the possibility of infinity in the palm of your hands. Beyond the orb that Traveled, you saw black pyramids approaching, vast creations that you just knew were bigger than entire buildings in the city that you saw. And you felt it.
A cloying power that wanted to take your mind, your allegiance, into one that would follow it instead. It offered you power, hoping that it would corrupt you.
And you took it. Because you knew that you needed it. That even with the Light, there was only so much that you could do. But you did not waver, you did not break and become consumed by the temptations of power.
You stood strong and wielded the stasis of ice, the ability to stop the very flow of time. You learned to see the very strands of reality and untangle them with just a flick of your fingers.
You watched as insect like humanoids charged at you in darkened caverns, flying away as you released bolts of electricity from your hands as the glowing Thrall exploded like the crazy suicide bomber that it was. Another vision, and you impaled a glowing sword into the ground, empowering not just yourself, but your allies as you stood strong against the ever growing horde of creatures that threw themselves at you with reckless abandon.
Then you were back in an old crappy building, staring at the wall as the fireplace crackled and burned.
"You alright Von?" A sleepy voice asked, startling you from falling too much into those strange visions. "You're getting that weird look again. See, this is why I told you to get some sleep."
"Me having visions has nothing to do with not getting any sleep." You quickly fired back, clicking your tongue in slight annoyance at this old song and dance again. "But yeah, I saw things again. Only, they were different this time."
She listens like she always does whenever you told her about what you saw, growing as unsettled as you felt the longer that you spoke. "Sounds like whatever the hell is giving you this power has a god complex." She said, flopping in her ratty old sleeping bag that only looked half stolen and dirty.
You snorted. Couldn't exactly dispute that. "It felt more like… it was happening to me a long time ago? I don't know how to explain it."
"If you start going crazy and boarding yourself like some kinda bug apocalypse is coming, I'm slapping some sense back into you." She threatened, hand reaching for her shoe, and you knew that she'd be able to hit you with that damn thing if she wanted to.
"And what if one does come?" You ask rhetorically, your hackles rising at the threat of a beating.
"Then I'll stick real close to your ass, oh great space wizard." She snorted out.
That did beg the question though. Just what did you want with all this magic and alchemy crap that was coming out of nowhere?
You have four activity dice of d20's to spend on ativities, and three d4's to spend on magic training.
Please have your votes in plan format
[ ]Steal Some Food: You ran out of what food you managed to get your hands on. The group that has been looking for you and Mia have long since started watching the shelters after the last time you both tried to stay in one, and they know who you are. DC 10. Will institute a debuff next week if not taken.
[ ]Find Tom 0/15: The old man had been one of the more welcoming of the homeless figures in the community. Happy to help and offer guidance to others, tips and tricks on how to avoid cops during certain hours, and which gas stations had the least amount of security for small stuff like some ramen, or bottles of water. Unlike most other Homeless people, Tom was here by choice, preferring the easy freedom of being on the streets after having lost his wife, and nothing brings him more joy than helping others who might need it. It has been a few weeks since either you or Mia had seen the old man, and it was beginning to worry you.
[ ]Try and Get a Car: Your prospects here aren't the best, you're a 14-year-old without any sort of identification, and with the cops constantly looking for you, let alone your best friend. But, having a car is beyond useful, especially for a quick getaway or to leave this place. DC:100
[ ]Find A New Hiding Spot 4/15: For now, you're hanging out in an abandoned house, a hiding spot that you and others have used before. There's the rub. Others have used this place before, and you don't want to get an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night. DC15. A d100 will be rolled for a random event to trigger every week starting with a DC of 90. Every consecutive week that you spend in the same location, the DC will lower by 20.
[ ]Return the book: You were allowed to leave the library last week because someone let you leave. Only thing that the man promised was that you make sure that the book is returned once you were done with the book. Thing is, he's seen your face, and knows to look out for you, but you also didn't know who he was. Maybe you could just leave the book on the table and get the hell out of dodge? Automatic Success, won't use up an activity die.
[ ]Learn Lockpicking 0/20: Alright, there is no real legal way that you're going to be able to get anything that you really need, and while you think that you might be able to do something about locks if you keep studying this weird stuff, that isn't going to be anytime soon. So, that means that we need a more practical solution, and that solution is learning how to be a little rat like those asshole cops like to call you. Will unlock new avenues and options, while lowering DC for certain activities.
Magic System Unlocked
Paracausality
A form of magic capable of breaking the correlation between cause and effect parallel to the world as we know it. While one might not be able to understand the capability to cause solar flares, or control the gravitational pull between stars, one cannot deny the effects that they might have.
You have gained the ability to use both the Light and the Darkness, two forces that existed in a universe before it was created.
Many options before you are steeped in mystery, paths that had once been walked before, for now merely cloudy darkness steeped in mystery, waiting to be found once again.
Light Categories
Light Control 0/40: The ability to control the Light, the spark and growth of life with a path towards cooperation between diverse forms of life. Through trial and error, you will learn to harness the physical aspect of paracausality in the ability to cultivate life and creation.
Will unlock the ability to use the Light in your own body for physical enhancements, minor they might be. Unlocks further abilities down the path of Light.
Darkness Categories
Darkness Control 0/40: The Ability to control the Darkness, the realm of consciousness and dreams of oneself. Where the Light is in the realm of the physical, the Darkness is the other half of life. After all, where would we be without our thoughts, dreams, and the memories of those that came before?
Unlocks the ability to use the Darkness and expand one's own mind, intuition, and supernatural sensitivity. Further options down the path of Darkness will be unlocked.
[ ]Comprehension 15/20: A general understanding of chemistry and the application of said chemistry towards alchemical circles.
[ ]Deconstruction 0/20: The Alchemical Practice of breaking down materials and matter before applying reconstruction. Mastering this aspect gives you greater proficiency at disassembling materials, even able to completely disintegrate items with the proper knowledge and transmutation circles.
[ ]Reconstruction 0/20: The second process of alchemy, reassembling broken down materials into a new shape or form. Can also be used to simply change the shape of something, along with being able to complete more complicated forms of transmutation.
LOCKED BEHIND DECONSTRUCTION/RECONSTRUCTION/COMPREHENSION
[ ]Alkehestry 0/25: An Eastern branch of alchemy known for it's healing properties and ability to link separate transmutation circles.
[ ]Portable Transmutation Circles 0/40: This skill to simplify and miniaturize alchemy circles, allowing you to draw or engrave transmutation circles into portable objects.
Personally, I think we should probably finish out learning Alchemy before focusing on the new system, but that is me. Alchemy is strong enough in most cases that having it finished out is worth the effort, even if other stuff gives us better offense...which is really not what we need right now.
Votes will come later on. EDIT: Plan Below.
[X]Plan: Essential Operations
[X]Steal Some Food: You ran out of what food you managed to get your hands on. The group that has been looking for you and Mia have long since started watching the shelters after the last time you both tried to stay in one, and they know who you are. DC 10. Will institute a debuff next week if not taken. (2D20)
[X]Find A New Hiding Spot 4/15: For now, you're hanging out in an abandoned house, a hiding spot that you and others have used before. There's the rub. Others have used this place before, and you don't want to get an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night. DC15. A d100 will be rolled for a random event to trigger every week starting with a DC of 90. Every consecutive week that you spend in the same location, the DC will lower by 20. (2D20)
[X]Return the book: You were allowed to leave the library last week because someone let you leave. Only thing that the man promised was that you make sure that the book is returned once you were done with the book. Thing is, he's seen your face, and knows to look out for you, but you also didn't know who he was. Maybe you could just leave the book on the table and get the hell out of dodge? Automatic Success, won't use up an activity die. (NO ACTION NEEDED)
[X]Comprehension 15/20: A general understanding of chemistry and the application of said chemistry towards alchemical circles. (1d4)
[X]Deconstruction 0/20: The Alchemical Practice of breaking down materials and matter before applying reconstruction. Mastering this aspect gives you greater proficiency at disassembling materials, even able to completely disintegrate items with the proper knowledge and transmutation circles. (2d4)
REASONING: We need food, we need shelter, and we need both right fucking now. Splitting the middle on them is the closest compromise I am willing to give on the subject.
As for Magic...right now we have a boost on Alchemy, and Comprehension is almost done. Using the dice to finish that out is the better bet, besides the fact that a completed system is far more powerful than one we have yet to even begin plumbing the depths of, and Alchemy is actually really good when used properly anyway. SECOND EDIT: Added Book Return to plan.
If a roll-over happens, then its going to be the dice amount, and whatever flat bonuses apply to magic or that specific category. So, if you do two dice, you're not going to get the +2 from studying that the library gave you. You're going to get the flat dice, plus the sensitivity bonus, and whatever other bonuses that you might have for a specific category or magic.
So, example, two dice on Comprehension and you get a 2 on one and a 3 on the other? Then the dice would roll over towards whatever other category you chose in the vote. So, the 2 would help finish up Comprehension, and then the 3 would be applied to Deconstruction or whatever other option that you have chosen.
