I think we should simplify Pheonix, as it's a cluttered mess of a power, meaning it won't advance as easily apparently. Also, fire is under-utilized. May I suggest: brute, trump, regen, potentially acceleration depending on if it can work the way I hope it might. Probably want to experiment with adding flesh too.
If we just want to mess around a bit we could try trump/control, which seems like it might be a potent but simple combination.
For future experiments we definitely also want to try things that don't make sense immediately. What happens if we don't add a power classification keyword? What if we do just Changer and acceleration? Oh god shaker, control, inertia. Ohhhh Striker Craft Trump could also be wild. Crafting, on touch, manipulating powers. We could also combine Craft with acceleration and/or inertia. Honestly though trump with control or crafting or both and maybe something extra could be crazy. Striker, Trump, Regen sounds like a killer support power. My brain is thinking of too many combos. Changer, Shaker, Regen, Flesh? That sounds absolutely terrifying. ...Brute, Acceleration, Flesh. I don't know what it does but it seems potentially disturbing.
I kinda both agree and disagree with you on this. I could see it being useful in a slugmatch against certain brutes, like vs Hookwolf. I think we should keep it there until we have more motes, and then we can either use FIRE in a shaker/striker power or remake PHOENIX without FIRE and make another power to give us offensive options (that aren't brute force oriented)
I also do not think that PHOENIX is that cluttered. It is? Yeah, regen brute +trump adaptability + fire on wounds that can kinda be controled is a bit too much, but i can see it being in accordance with some shard's power budget.
"We'd like you to have this phone. It isn't traceable, and you can use it to contact us if you need anything. It also has an emergency beacon function. You just press this button here and it will alert the local Protectorate HQ and PRT HQ, as well as act as a beacon for your location. Otherwise, it isn't something we can easily track," Miss Milita hands the phone over.
"Totally free of tracers or bugs, unless you activate the feature yourself. Pinky swear. Also, can we interest you in some prime beachfront real estate in Kyushu?"
The Leviathan-caused deaths
If I remember canon correctly, Dauntless and Alabastard were not really dead, only trapped in one of Bakuda's exotic effects.
With Photon Mom grieving her son and husband, Flashbang being depressed, and Brandish being Brandish, New Wave are virtually without sane leadership, and Glory Girl finds herself with a lot of grief, a fairly predictable way to channel it, and nobody to fix her collateral damage issues on the sly. Things can get really ugly, real fast there.
The E88 is going to splinter without Kaiser to hold them together, although maybe not quite the same way as in canon? I always thought it weird that the factions were not the "true believers" (Krieg, Crusader, the Herrens, maybe Purity) vs the "barbarians" who are only in it for the fighting (Hookwolf, Cricket, Stormtiger). Anyway, they have lost one hell of a force multiplier and their only healer in Othala.
Also, I want Victor's power.
The Merchants... might actually be more dangerous now without Skids being stupid at the helm. Mush has always struck me a the only one of the lot to have two brain cells left to rub together. Squealer will come for us at some point, too.
The options for Patrol
[] Patrol the Boardwalk. After Leviathan, even this once safe area contains some dangers. Still, it is unlikely to be anything too bad.
Pros: Less dangerous, more PR impact, public association with the PRT
Cons: More PR impact (will not let us keep a low profile), public association with the PRT
[X] Patrol the Docks. Always a dangerous area, now it's even worse. Rumor has it that Skitter is laired somewhere in this area, though sightings of the bug controller have been elusive.
Pros: More chance of combat experience, less exposure
Cons: The PRT gets a full read on our combat effectiveness, we need to avoid killing with the heroes around.
The new version of Accelerando
Meh. Potentially powerful, but very situational. The effects become more powerful the longer the shot (insert Mass Effect quote about Isaac Newton), and it provides unerring flight. Essentially a sniper power, but like other sniper weapons, the low mass affected means it is pretty useless in close or mid range combat.
Though Victoria's situation is certainly... dire, for her, i do believe you're selling her shot. She's not stupid. I also rather doubt that she'd receive any retribution (from the authorities, not the gangs) even if she does fuck up some (poor, poor!) gangbanger or villain, given that Brockton is about to become No Man's Land.
I also am disappointed with our new ACCELERANDO. I'd hoped we could slow people on touch, but it seems we can only accelerate. Oh, well.
[X] Plan: Two Main Powers and Some Experiments
-[X] Break down PHOENIX and ACCELERANDO
-[X] Create a new power with CHANGER, FLESH, and CONTROL. Give it 5 motes
-[X] Create a new power with BRUTE, FIRE, and REGEN. Give it 5 motes.
-[X] Create a new power with MOVER and INERTIA. Give it 1 mote.
-[X] Create a new power with SHAKER and ACCELERATION. Give it 1 mote.
-[X] Create a new power with STRIKER and CRAFT. Give it 1 mote.
-[X] Create a new power with TRUMP and FIELD. Give it 1 mote.
The plan name says it all. I'm thinking of a more focused shapeshifting power to fit our new name better. Make people thinking it's just a reference to that. And I just wanna keep that fun phoenix regen.
The others are just some experiments. I figure since we can make and break powers every turn, there's no reason not to.
Edit: Nevermind, just noticed the 8 hours of rest bit. I'll shelve this for after the patrol.
[X] Patrol the Docks. Always a dangerous area, now it's even worse. Rumor has it that Skitter is laired somewhere in this area, though sightings of the bug controller have been elusive.
(Personally, i think it's pretty weird how he didn't recognize anyone else from the heroes. PR is their thing.)
Actually, how is he even free? Is that a "all hands on deck" situation and he's going to be punished later?
Ah, but Skitter is not with the Undersiders anymore, so maybe the PROT doesn't know all of his crimes?
I'm liking the AU stuff.
Also, WOW Militia is really laying it on thick huh? "That's why we need to work with you! You can do a lot!"
Lmao.
Nice that we did not have to bother (ooc) with making the costume, thank you for that.
[X] Patrol the Docks. Always a dangerous area, now it's even worse. Rumor has it that Skitter is laired somewhere in this area, though sightings of the bug controller have been elusive.
I'll go with this. Casey knows shit about fighting, so it's good for him to learn-by-doing (because i rather doubt we'll find a helpful instructor around here, or have the time to learn anything *realistically*) NOW, that he has some reliable backup.
About powers:
(For discussion's sake because we don't even have motes rn kek)
Thank you for the insight on the craft/shaker/field, Paebel!
I think we should stick with this idea (unless we find some keywords that would fit better on a shaker power, it depends on who we kill later), but first i say we invest more motes on PHOENIX, it just seems... pretty useful overall. Like, powers in Worm sometimes are just a game of rock-paper-scissors, and PHOENIX being both a regen and trump (possible Master immunity?) Brute power gets us ahead of MOST parahumans, i feel.
I also can see we going hunting with some motes stored, and then we dump the motes on the power we need based on the cape we find. Can we do that, Paebel? Or does Casey need to be in a "safe" place? Same line of reasoning, multiple capes in a fight, one dies, stuff happens, the fight doesn't end with the chapter. Could we vote to do stuff with PSYCHOPOMP in the next chapter during the fight, like craft a power/use motes?
Some questions about our power:
Are we a Blindspot, like Eidolon and the Faerie Queen are?
Paebel, do you have anything for us about the Shard? It's... a ridiculously strong power, and we aren't even a second trigger like Ciara is (i think? It might be fanon/theories, i haven't read Ward, where she supposedly gets more screentime), how does that even occurs in the wild (without Cauldron)?
What is the Shard's job? Actually, is the job even related to psychopomp, i could see it forming due to our trigger near an eb attack (due to the amount of capes around us, it should have a loooot of pings from nearby shards)?
Would PSYCHOPOMP be even allowed as a power expression in a normal cycle?
Dauntless is a canon death, Armsmaster doesn't actually feel much about it. Well I say death, he actually got caught in a Bakuda bomb. But yeah, he's gone, as well as Alabaster. The death of Panacea actually had some subtle changes. The lack of her meant Taylor stuck around, handcuffed to a bed a bit longer, and never saw Sophia. She got a recruitmenet pitch but did not accept, and is currently on the outs with the Undersiders due to the Dinah situation.
You can dump motes on the fly, you can even create a power on the fly if you have spare motes and KEYWORDS. It's just breaking the power down that takes time.
You are not a blindspot necessarily, it's a very strong power but very strong powers naturally exist alongside the average ones. Is it necessarily one you'd see in the average cycle? Probably not, but I see PSYCHOPOMP as a sort of mad scientist. It's normally let out if a cycle has already gone tits up somehow, or towards the end, as a way to see if it can produce any especially interesting data. It grants greater than normal access to powers, though not enough that would typically threaten an entity's avatar (let alone both of them when they are active). This enables it to let the host better contribute its creativity to the cycle.
It is also a conflict generator, though more of a low simmer than a violent escalation like an Endbringer. Wherever PSYCHOPOMP'S host goes, they have to be around death, and they are frequently causing it. This pushes them to both innovate more rapidly, just in order to survive. It also typically triggers in an Endbringer battle, yes, which also pushes the host to confront the Endbringers... which also serves as a drive for ever greater levels of power.
Not the specifics, but they can't bring themselves to not attend an Endbringer fight. Which is actually pretty good for you, so long as you have a healthy Brute rating or otherwise a way to survive. I've mentioned it before, but you don't necessarily need to be personally killing the parahumans. You just need to be around, at a sort of fuzzy range even, so you can potentially get a lot of motes and KEYWORDS just by being a first responder to S-class threats.
Does it come from Eden, actually? Normal E. Triggers exist (see: Leet), so i can see it happening.
I always was weirded out by how there isn't many parahumans that directly change power-stuff in canon. The closest we have is the guy who shares powers in the CUI (Zero?) And to a lesser extent David (i'd exclude Ciara, cuz she just controls 3 parahumans yeah?). Yeah, i get that they think Conflict breeds innovation, but... how are parahumans supposed to progress towards the Answer with the tools they have? What Moord nag(thats the wrong spelling but whatever) can contribute with her power, as an example?
I guess it just highlights how the Shards aren't that "smart"
I guess they should have directed their hosts to first make a better cycle instead of going straight towards the Answer, lmao.
To be more specific, if we break 1 power/hour, or we can break as many as we want regardless of time, as long as we have the first 8 hours needed?
Is Casey particularly vulnerable, when breaking powers? What happens if the process is interrupted?
"Typically", "both of them when they are active". Heh.
Fr, what is the scope of this quest? We going til Golden Morning and beyond or what?
Should we plan (not now, but later) for fighting Scion?
Do you have something in mind when it comes to Clone interaction? I mean Echidna and Bonesaw (s9000) type of clones by that.
Does it come from Eden, actually? Normal E. Triggers exist (see: Leet), so i can see it happening.
I always was weirded out by how there isn't many parahumans that directly change power-stuff in canon. The closest we have is the guy who shares powers in the CUI (Zero?) And to a lesser extent David (i'd exclude Ciara, cuz she just controls 3 parahumans yeah?). Yeah, i get that they think Conflict breeds innovation, but... how are parahumans supposed to progress towards the Answer with the tools they have? What Moord nag(thats the wrong spelling but whatever) can contribute with her power, as an example?
I guess it just highlights how the Shards aren't that "smart"
I guess they should have directed their hosts to first make a better cycle instead of going straight towards the Answer, lmao.
Break down as many powers as you want. It will typically take ~8 hours of sleep, or a good night of sleep. This might speed up in the appropriate circumstances. During this time period, the only vulnerability is whatever power you're breaking down is not available. It cannot be interrupted as in stopped, if you are attacked during it, you just don't have whatever powers you're breaking down.
Clones it really depends. Something like Echidna? Farm those motes all day. S9000? Same thing, full rewards. The key element is if there is actual conflict involved, there isn't a "neat trick" to create a bunch of clones that you can kill to generate motes or anything. But if an opponent is doing that it fully counts.
Plan is to go through to Scion, probably not after that? I haven't really read Ward, and I last read Worm when it was still being written. I'm currently making my through the audiobook of it as a refresher.
PSYCHOPOMP is probably an Eden trigger, definitely not Scion, possibly Abaddon but unlikely. Tentatively, it is Eden's version of Glaistig Uaine's power. Less initial strength, no death touch, but capable of ramping infinitely and creating fairly unique things.
Scheduled vote count started by paebel on Jun 7, 2024 at 5:52 AM, finished with 19 posts and 5 votes.
[X] Patrol the Docks. Always a dangerous area, now it's even worse. Rumor has it that Skitter is laired somewhere in this area, though sightings of the bug controller have been elusive.
I also do not think that PHOENIX is that cluttered. It is? Yeah, regen brute +trump adaptability + fire on wounds that can kinda be controled is a bit too much, but i can see it being in accordance with some shard's power budget.
It also takes more motes to "level up" a power that uses a lot of KEYWORDS. So PHOENIX will level slowly, and you might consider breaking it down sometime to something less kludged together.
Sounds like this implies it's too many words. Personally I think we should be aiming for a max of 5 words, but as few as possible. For example though we could mix them all into one power I can see Inertia+Brute and Acceleration+Mover being a powerful combo. The specialization would likely make them all the more potent. (Obviously the powers are called immovable object and unstoppable force respectively.)
I believe a simpler power means fewer required motes, so more effective motes. It's easy enough to compensate for the lost offensive capacity
I can also see fire being a good Master power if we end up getting that word.
Protean doesn't take long to make her decision. A fairly pointless patrol doesn't sound like a very fun time. Especially when she considers the state of the city. Violence had spiked following the Endbringer's attack, according to PHO, and sticking to a "safe" area just wasn't in the cards. Protean also suspects her companions wouldn't appreciate being pulled from a more critical route, either.
"The Docks sound like a good time," Protean voiced. Her voice is different, in costume, a slight shift in the resonance altering it's character just a bit. Just enough to keep Casey and Protean firmly separated.
"The Docks it is, then," Miss Militia is already moving.
It is then that Protean realizes something. Once, she knows, a hero like Miss Militia or Vista--both crowd favorites, if not to the same extent as Armsmaster--would attract a crowd. People wanting autographs, to shake hands, maybe a picture. None of that exists now. She also realizes that nobody had approached her. She had been waiting on the Boardwalk for the past thirty minutes, just waiting for her escorts to arrive, and all she had drawn were nervous glances.
Protean takes in the city for the first time, truly looking at it. She hadn't been considering it, not really, but Brockton Bay had been hurt. Hurt terribly, perhaps even mortally, and she had been concerned with her new powers. The streets are in rough shape. Few vehicles are on the roads as they walk, the crosswalks are mostly empty. Occasionally, Protean notices gatherings of people, and it's only on the second that she realizes: these are where food and water are being distributed.
Now that she's paying attention, a stench fills her nose. Unwashed bodies, waterlogged trash, sewers that are barely working. How had her apartment survived nearly unscathed? And then she realizes.
Protean's own apartment is only technically within the city, near the mountains, on Captain's Hill. It had been inland enough and at a high enough elevation that the water had never really reached it. It kept power, it's services almost entirely uninterrupted.
"Lost in thought?" she heard Vista ask.
Protean looked at the young Ward. She hadn't really interacted with her that much, though the girl had been one of the few local capes Protean could name prior to her trigger. The youngest member of the Wards, and the second or third longest serving, probably the longest serving with the deaths of Aegis and Gallant? Just how young had she triggered? Vista looked much like the promotional material showed. A green dress with a series of wavelike patterns along the skirt, a green visor, and blonde hair.
"I haven't had a chance to really look at the city, I guess. I mean, I saw the attack, but I don't remember most of it. Didn't make it to a shelter in time, kind of a miracle I'm alive, I guess."
"It's a shithole. But it's our shithole, and it's our job to keep it safe," Vista said. She had a strange determination to her voice that Protean didn't entirely understand.
They were now in the Docks proper, Protean realized. Water is still ankle deep in some places, the streets badly cracked. Had the fight entered this area directly? It certainly looked like it might have. But this hadn't been the best place prior to Leviathan. After? Protean wished nobody actually lived in this area.
"Head's up," Miss Militia said. "We have report of Chosen movement two blocks over. They're attacking a supply convoy, bound for the south Docks. No parahumans reported on scene, we have authorization to engage."
Fenrir's Chosen had been former members of Empire Eighty-Eight, one of the two major splinters following the death of Kaiser. According to PHO, they were an especially militant group, regularly raiding convoys for supplies. They tended to execute anyone they deemed "inferior." At least when they weren't kidnapping people to sell into slavery. Protean believed they actually had most of the Empire's former capes, though lacking in the heaviest hitters like Purity or Crusader.
As they approached the convoy, something pinged Protean's senses. In the distance, perhaps a block away, or a bit further, there was a cape. The cape felt like sitting in school, or studying a textbook, or perhaps the sound of breaking glass? Of theft, and knowledge. She knew this could mean only one thing. Victor, a skillthief and husband to Othala. With the Trump's death, what sort of mindset did he have?
"There's a cape with them, though not directly with them," Protean tells her companions.
"You have a Thinker power?" Miss Militia asks, surprise obvious in her voice.
"Mmmm... it's hard to describe, and I don't entirely understand it myself, but I think it's Victor? But he's further away than the group."
Protean can feel it already. The desire to claim something from Victor, the need to hunt. She can put it off now, she knows. It wouldn't even be difficult. But it would mean confronting a dangerous cape with little support, one known for the bodies he had left in his wake. It would give Miss Militia the opportunity to clean up the gangers alongside Vista, and Protean was a Brute. Confronting the most dangerous target head on is what Brutes did, right?
"The convoy takes priority, but we can't leave Victor unattended. If he decides to make a fight of it, leave it to me. I will engage him at range while the two of you handle the Chosen."
Protean wonders at this. Should she follow Miss Militia's lead, or pursue Victor herself? As they get closer, she's better pinpointed his location. She knows she can find him easily. And she has both a Mover and Brute power. Could Victor even hurt her, really, if she pursued him? Should she engage Victor instead?
[] Follow Miss Militia's plan. Protean and Vista will engage the Chosen. Miss Militia will engage Victor if he shows himself. This reveals the smallest amount of what Protean can do, but has the smallest chance of meaningful gains.
[] Protean is a cape hunter. So hunt the cape. Protean is confident that most bullets can't meaningfully harm her--at least not permanently--and with her Mover and Thinker power she can engage Victor rapidly. Post-Leviathan Brockton Bay is a shithole, and nobody will be upset at a dead Chosen, so it is likely Protean will have the opportunity to gain motes and KEYWORDS.
[] Write-in.
[][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
-[] Add a KEYWORD to [existing power]
-[] Add motes to [existing power]
-[] Break apart [existing power] and reclaim all motes and keywords (requires at least eight hours of rest).
-[] Do nothing for now.
POWER PANEL
CURRENT MOTES 0
CRAFT, SHAKER, FIELD,
PSYCHOPOMP (Rank 12)(Trump): Harvest KEYWORDS and motes from dying capes. Use them to create powers. Gain a minor Thinker power to identify capes.
PHOENIX(Rank 5)(Trump/Brute/Changer)(BRUTE, TRUMP, CHANGER, FLESH, REGEN, FIRE, CONTROL) Burn to ash and rise again, stronger than before. Casey regenerates damage taken, the more damage taken the more rapidly they regenerate. As they regenerate, they shade "feathers" of flame, which they have moderate control over. They grow stronger the more times they regenerate, generating virtual "motes" which may improve PHOENIX by up to three ranks. (10 motes)
ACCELERANDO (Rank 4)(Mover)(MOVER, STRIKER, ACCELERATION, INTERTIA) Casey increases in speed the longer he is in constant movement. It seemingly has no limit, but takes time to spool up. Once he reaches a speed, he can maintain it, and needs some space to slow down. Casey may reach out and touch a single item no more than ten grams in mass. This item gains an iridescent sheen and is propelled at ever increasing speeds, in whichever direction Casey chooses. It will not slow until it strikes something, unless Casey wills it.
Reposted since I forgot the threadmark and wasn't sure if adding it afterwards would alert thread watchers. Also sorry this is late, I ended up helping out with a festival for most of the day.
[X] Plan: Cape Hunting
-[X] Protean is a cape hunter. So hunt the cape. Protean is confident that most bullets can't meaningfully harm her--at least not permanently--and with her Mover and Thinker power she can engage Victor rapidly. Post-Leviathan Brockton Bay is a shithole, and nobody will be upset at a dead Chosen, so it is likely Protean will have the opportunity to gain motes and KEYWORDS.
-[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
--[X] Create a new power with CRAFT, SHAKER, & FIELD. Transfer one mote from ACCELERANDO to it.
May as well see what this makes. We can always break it later.
Edit: Making it a plan vote just to avoid a subsequent "do you want to make this power?" vote.
Getting a reputation as a bloodthirsty wildcard and/or outing ourselves during our first patrol with the Protectorate could be catastrophic for us down the road.
So, let's try to play nice, shall we?
[X] Plan Couldn't have happened to a better Nazi
-[X] Follow Miss Militia's plan. Protean and Vista will engage the Chosen. Miss Militia will engage Victor if he shows himself. This reveals the smallest amount of what Protean can do, but has the smallest chance of meaningful gains.
--[X] With a bunch of panicking Chosen shooting up the place, accidents could happen. If it can be done believably and from outside the Heroes' line of sight, use Accelerando on a bullet or piece of shrapnel to make sure an accident happens to the right person.
-[X][POWER] Utilize PSYCHOPOMP to create, modify, or break apart powers.
--[X] Create a new power with CRAFT, SHAKER, & FIELD. Transfer one mote from ACCELERANDO to it.
Wouldn't this require us to break down accelerando, which would take hours?
I kind of want to make sure we're not stepping on any toes.
[X] Respectfully suggest that being a nigh invulnerable and effectively bulletproof cape who gets more powerful the more she gets hurt, and who can sense him, you might be more suited to take on Victor.
With the addition of Victor's powers we might be able to construct a power to steal powers rather than skills. Best case scenario it synergizes with psychopomp. Of course there's also the disturbing possibility of becoming a flesh thief. A skill word would also be sick. Craft+skill.
I don't understand why people are so gung oh about killing people when it could easily bite us in the ass and get us compared to the faerie queen which is pretty bad
Its kinda funny how theres two genderfluid capes with a varied powerset in brockton now
Post-Leviathan Brockton Bay is a shithole, and nobody will be upset at a dead Chosen, so it is likely Protean will have the opportunity to gain motes and KEYWORDS.
You can dump motes on the fly, you can even create a power on the fly if you have spare motes and KEYWORDS. It's just breaking the power down that takes time.
