Never a fan of plain EXP, and the last option seems like it'd run into the risk of not getting enough PMA due to bad luck spiralling into more bad luck.
Option 2 meanwhile manages to combine the feeling of getting rewarded from doing good at things, and whilst spending time training sucks mechanically, thematically it's neat because we're actually putting effort and time into getting stronger.
Yeah agreed with others... option 2 is probably the best balance wise. Option 1 is ok, but people will probably mash training options like crazy for stat benefits or not do them since they may think their not worth it. Option 3 is cool thematic wise but i do not trust dice at all. It really can cascade if we get to many failures. Option 2 while no immediate benefits can work pretty well, just have to make sure you keep a tally of what actiojs or achievements we get/do so we dont lose stuff.
While I don't mind Option 2, Option 1 is something that's more tried and true, which means it is easier to balance and implement by QM, whereas Option 2 could run into unexpected snags which could cause us issues. Option 3 isn't workable at all unless there's some safety net mechanism included in it to ensure that PMA lowering actions can't lead to us being stuck in a position where we can't hit the cap on PMA and get the benefits associated with it.
Option 3 is interesting, but it feels like it ought to be something separate in its own mechanic rather than the primary means of "levelling up" so to speak, so Option 2 I think fits best, and works well from a narrative standpoint.
Option 3 is interesting, but it feels like it ought to be something separate in its own mechanic rather than the primary means of "levelling up" so to speak, so Option 2 I think fits best, and works well from a narrative standpoint.
Actually. Keep in mind this is just me spitballing here.
Don't Magical Girls have big finishing moves, outside of their normal attacks? Maybe the 3 option could be used for upgrading our finishing move/limit break/super mode or whatever equivalent we have. Have it tied to a single mechanic that is nice to upgrade but not crippling if it doesn't, while more normal growth applies to stats and spells and such.
Just me tossing around ideas, I have no idea if any of those even have a place in the story at all. Can't hurt to say ideas though.
Actually. Keep in mind this is just me spitballing here.
Don't Magical Girls have big finishing moves, outside of their normal attacks? Maybe the 3 option could be used for upgrading our finishing move/limit break/super mode or whatever equivalent we have. Have it tied to a single mechanic that is nice to upgrade but not crippling if it doesn't, while more normal growth applies to stats and spells and such.
Just me tossing around ideas, I have no idea if any of those even have a place in the story at all. Can't hurt to say ideas though.
I feel like option 3 could be pretty fun, but it runs the risk of us hyperfocusing on saving up as long as possible instead of using the boost when we need it.
And then there's <her. Tall, strong, untouchable. Dominating the battlefield with ease and a smile. Long hair, bright pink, tied in a ponytail that leaves a streak behind as weaves her way around her foes. Bright wings of pure pink rise from her back and push her forward. She's here. She's here to save you. You breathe a sigh of relief and prepare to cheer for her as her flaming sword->
The third option is the one I call the thematic option. Magical Girls get their strength form positivity, right? Believing in yourself and all that jazz? This is the system for that. Kaworu will have a new resource to track: Positive Mental Attitude. Good things like successful rolls, defeating enemies and buying snacks makes PMA go up but failing important rolls and other depressing things makes it go down. You can even spend PMA to take extra actions in a turn by overworking Kaworu. Like experience, if you reach the cap on PMA, you level up and get your mechanical benefits but rather than a standardized one star boost and one perk/spell, you get benefits to everything you spent time on between level ups. So training might and succeeding gives you more PMA and then when you reach 100 PMA or whatever, your Might goes up, along with whatever else you practiced. So you don't get your stat boost immediately but it lets you stack up benefits and you get stronger in a big burst, provided you kept your training up.
See, if we were a regular magical girl that'd make sense, but we're a dark magical girl twisted to work with negative emotions. A version of this fed by indulging your vices could have almost the same mechanics though.
The idea of having a side-mechanic for PMA like others have suggested isn't a bad idea, but I'd never pick it as a progression mechanic for this game.
I think it'd be more of a twist if she wasn't the MG in our memories at this point. I agree with hex that most of us likely assumed that. Of course now that it's brought up there might be a twist where actually it's our mom who was the MG from our dreams memories or something like that.
Can you imagine if our mom was a retired magical girl who acted as a mentor to the new generation, and used the investigative reporting both to hunt down potential threats and use the news stories to guide attention away from the girls?
Episode 1
So How Do I Magical Girl Anyway?
Start!
[X] Plan Nothing to See Except My Mad Skills
-[X][Major] Spend Time with Mom. Ugh.
-[X][Major] Go to Urban Legends Club
-[X][Minor] Train a stat
--[X] Skill
--[X] Soul (Medium)
-[X][Minor] Practice magic with DEATH
-[X][Minor] Investigate a lead online
--[X] Miraculite in general (Easy)
-TUESDAY MORNING-
"Alright, that takes care of that. I just have two quick reminders for everyone." Your homeroom teacher, a stern, professional woman who introduced herself as Misao Hoshii, declared after taking attendance and reminding everyone of the school schedule again. She was also going to be your science teacher. You were still figuring things out but you thought you liked her. Or at least, you liked what she could do for you. With her perfectly neat suit, tight, proper hair bun and sharp, angry features, she struck you as the kind of bitchy, fun-hating disciplinarian you thought didn't exist in a happy-go-lucky sunshine school like Akarui Seishin. But she did exist and that suited you just fine. You planned on staying under the radar, so she shouldn't be bothering you much, but hopefully she'd keep the rest of the idiots you had to sit with from getting too loud and annoying.
"First, student elections will be held in two weeks' time. While you may be first years, this does not excuse you from being involved. I expect you all to exercise your rights and fulfill your democratic duty, either by campaigning for a position on the student council or by simply voting. Consider this practice for entering the adult world."
Several of your classmates perk up at the reminder but you have to resist the urge to scoff. Or maybe retch. Your mom may have forgotten her time as an investigative reporter but you haven't. You remember the dozens of stories she wrote, revealing how corrupt and useless the government was, one crooked, incompetent politician at a time. You assume that in a high school environment, things will lean more on the incompetent side than towards corruption but who knows. Either way, you want to stay far, far away from it. As for voting, you refuse to get invested in what's basically a popularity contest and it's not like a single vote matters anyway.
"Second, please remember that your after school clubs must meet at least once in the first two weeks of class for administrative purposes and should meet regularly as the year goes on. Personally, I'd advise you all to keep in mind that while certain extracurriculars will benefit you in the future, you should not get so distracted by… frivolities that your grades slip. That is all."
As Ms. Hoshii leaves and the class starts to chat among themselves, you click your tongue in frustration. Honestly, with everything that happened yesterday, you feel like attending a club is an even bigger waste of time than before. But it'll get your mom off your back and it'll shore up the pretense that you're an average student, happy to be here. The only question is which will be less annoying, one really, really genki girl obsessed with magical girls or a whole squad of fangirls gushing about their favorite idol.
"Ugh…" Biting the bullet, you make your decision and fire off a text on your tablet. You're going to regret this…
-TUESDAY AFTERNOON-
You regret this immensely.
"Hey there, Ms. Vice President! Oh my god, I'm so excited! I just knew you were as eager as I am to get started!" As it turns out, Hikari Fukumoto is a small, mousey girl with short blonde hair, glasses slightly too big for her face and a big, excited grin. Others might call her cute. Not you though. You can see her boundless energy reserves and can already tell she's going to be unbearable.
You open your mouth to tell her not to call you vice president, damnit, but are too slow. She grabs your hand and starts dragging you out of the school and… towards the bus stop? Odd, practically everyone uses the M-Trains these days, they're so much faster. "C'mon, let's get going already! There's no time to lose!"
You're caught up in a whirlwind named Fukumoto and before you can ask what the fuck, you find yourself sitting on a bus with your kidnapper/club president literally bouncing in her seat in excitement next to you. By the time you catch your breath and look around, you realize you recognize the route the bus is taking. "Hey, Fukumoto? Where exactly are we going? You mentioned something about evidence yesterday.."
"I did?" She blinks at you like a ditz before grinning again. "Oh, that's right, I did! Right, well, that's not exactly ready yet. I mean, I have the evidence, obviously, but I just haven't organized it to be presentable yet! Just wait, you'll be suuuuper impressed when I show you! Any skepticism will be blown right off, just like your socks! But that's not important right now!"
"It's not?" You are rapidly losing hope. If she says what you're afraid she'll say…
"Nope! Because yesterday there was… An Incident!" She declares dramatically. You raise a single eyebrow and feel immensely satisfied when she deflates because you don't rise to her bait. She only pouts for a moment though, then it's right back to excitedly talking with her hands waving. "You know the old, abandoned mall by the river? It wasn't on the news but according to my sources, there was a huge amount of Pacums sent there yesterday and not only that, but they were all utterly wrecked! Again, this wasn't on the news, not anywhere on Mira-Tech's website or social media announcements and they always report incidents involving Pacums. They say it's for transparency but it's really just to promote their product, they never show a Pacum failing or messing up. Anyway, they're being weirdly hush hush about this. Like, even if they don't post about a Pacum glitching out and giving the wrong person a parking ticket, you'd think someone would be reporting about over a dozen security robots getting trashed. And besides that, Pacums are tough, like stupid tough. And whooo fits the bill for being a super duper secret while also being tough enough to up robots no sweat?"
Now it's your turn to blink stupidly as you're left with your brain spinning from that rapid fire, rambling exposition dump. You didn't know people could talk that fast and you're still catching up. You even think you caught a hint of cynicism in that rant and that can't be right. Eventually, you voice the one thought in your brain that's coherent. "You have sources?"
"That's right, a magical- Hey!" Fukumoto puffs out her cheeks and pouts at you like a child. "Of course I have sources!"
"Sources beyond just random people spouting whatever they want on the internet?"
Fukumoto actually 'hrmph's at that and turns away from you with her arms crossed. Meanwhile, you're struggling to grapple with reality. You were sure that Fukumoto was either an eccentric fan girl or a crazy conspiracy theorist. And you're pretty sure the answer is both. But it also turns out she's competent? Maybe? Maybe she's just lucky or the battle yesterday was louder than you thought but maybe she's actually able to find leads?
Fukumoto might actually be useful after all…
Eventually, you reach the final stop and take the quick walk back to the abandoned mall. To your surprise, it doesn't seem significantly more wrecked than yesterday. Fukumoto approaches it without fear of hesitation. "Alright, Ms. Vice President! We're here to find evidence! Look for anything out of place. Wreckage, scrap, broken parts, weird stains! Now, let's split up and look for clues!"
"Wreckage and scrap? We're looking at a condemned building here!" You remind her, exasperated, but she's already running off. You groan and follow after her at a significantly slower pace. "Death, what do you think?"
|SHE IS LIVELY.|
"That's not what I- Uuuugh…" Whatever. Fukumoto's not wrong. Finding evidence would be pretty useful. You just doubt you'll find anything in this crap hole.
Intellect: Evidence Search
DC 70
1d100+6+10=98
3rd Degree of Success
You wind up finding more than you expected to. While Fukumoto is busy rushing around, running inside and out of the mall and checking seemingly random spots, you progress more steadily and seriously. You still remember where most of the fighting took place, on the riverbank and in the courtyard and you focus your attention there. You find various pieces of melted circuitry and the plastic-y, metal-y stuff that the Pacums' armor is made out of, with one of the larger pieces branded with what you think is a serial number. You even find some shiny dust under an overturned chair that, when you cast Repair on it, turns out to be a tiny shard of electric blue Miraculite. It doesn't look like much, especially not compared to the black Miraculite that caused your magical girl transformation but that centimeter long shard probably powered an entire robot on its own. Very useful find and one you pocket in hi-space for later.
And then there's the crown jewel. Checking around where you disarmed that one Pacum, you find its stun baton sitting in a bush. Sure, it's a bit bent and scuffed up and sparking a bit concerningly, but when you press the button, it turns on, electricity coursing around the part you beat people with. You immediately shove that in hi-space too, before Fukumoto can see it. Evidence? Yes. But actually holding onto it is definitely illegal and you do want to hold onto it.
As you search the area, you take a moment to stand where you killed that one demon dog and just… Not reminisce, not quite but something like that. Reflect, maybe. Your first success in your new life, your only real success at anything important so far and it was…
murder
Sure, it was a monster and possibly not even really alive at all. But your intent was lethal regardless. You're not sure what that says about you, if anything. It's not unrealistic for a human to lash out when attacked or in danger after all. The drive to survive is hard coded into people. And yet…
You sigh and crouch down, touching the spot where you pried the second black Miraculite from the monster's jaws. The spot where it faded away from reality, dissolving into black mist and then nothing. You…
Soul: Is Something There?
DC 80
1d100+12=109
2nd Degree of Success. CRIT!
Is that you, wretch? I wasn't expecting to meet you again so soon. And yet, here you are, searching me out. Are you really that desperate for guidance? Fine, fine. You may be off course but that's no fault of your own. I shan't blame you for that blasted Love driving you off track. Here, a reward. That is, if a mortal like you can comprehend it…
…gasp in pain as you fall on your ass. You thought your headache from yesterday was gone but it suddenly spiked back up, just for a moment. A terrible, painful moment. It felt like someone was driving an ice pick through your brain. "What the hell was that?" |FATE'S TOUCH. SHE HAS-|
Before DEATHcan explain more, Fukumoto runs open, looking panicked. "Ai! Are you okay?! I heard you shout, are you hurt? Hold on, I have bandaids here somewhere, where did you cut yourself?"
"Oh, so you do know my name." You grumble with more venom than you probably should. But the pain in your head makes it hard to hold back, even as it rapidly fades. "And I didn't cut myself. I just… Do you, you know, feel anything? Like right here?"
"Feel anything? You mean, like on the bricks or something?" She brushes her fingers against the overgrown path, puzzled. "No, they feel normal to me… Did you find a clue or something?"
"No, nevermind. I mean, not here or anything. And I'm fine. Just a little headache or something…" You brush her off. She still gives you a concerned look but you don't care. After all, there's still something you haven't found yet.
Intellect: Find the Last Black Miraculite
DC 90
1d100+6+10=110
2nd Degree of Success. CRIT!
You leave Fukumoto behind to check around the courtyard. She's now determined to check every square inch of the ground for some sort of clue. Meanwhile, you just need a moment to reset yourself before picking up the search again. You head out to the riverbank and take a deep breath. For a moment, the peace of the ruins helps you like it always has. The rushing waters of the river, the flow of the breeze, the honking of the ducks…
Wait, no.
Your eyes snap open and you frown. Sure, the ducks on the river occasionally honk at each other, but usually they're pretty peaceful. But right now they sound really upset, like something's messing with them. You follow the honks down the river a bit until you find the ducks, all honking loudly at something they're surrounding on the ground. You get a bit closer, scare the ducks off with your Lighter cantrip and… Jackpot.
There in one of the nests, sitting among the duck eggs, is the last Black Miraculite. You don't bother how it ended up there, you just grab it and shove it in hi-space before Fukumoto starts wondering where you've gone.
|WELL DONE.|
Yeah, this has been a good day. Annoying ditz aside, you wound up finding a lot of useful stuff here and all under the auspices of attending a club meeting. You decide to do one final sweep of the building to see if there's anything else but you doubt you'll find anything.
Intellect: Anything Else to Find?
DC ???
1d100+6+10=59
Failure
Kaworu is satisfied with previous results. Like a Dog With a Bone does not activate.
Yeah, nothing. You do one last sweep through the mall itself in case you missed anything but you don't spot anything out of place. It's getting kind of late now, so you decide to meet back up with Fukumoto and share what you've found. Baring the stuff you're keeping to yourself, of course.
Fukumoto's Intellect: How Did She Do?
DC 70
1d100+???=???
4th Degree of Success. CRIT!
You find Fukumoto back where you left her, in the courtyard, poking at the ground. You roll your eyes, sure that she's been wasting time. "Hey, Fukumoto. Are you done? I found some stuff and-"
She perks up and excitedly cuts you off. "Ms. Vice President! You're here! Excellent! Come here, come here! I found something!"
Frown as you crouch down next to her. She didn't actually find something by poking at the dirt, did she? On one hand, that would be ridiculous. But on the other, she did surprise you with her competency once already…
Without hesitation, Fukumoto grabs your hand, ignores your sudden blush and runs it over the dirt. "See? Here, right here. You feel that, right?"
You just feel grass and dirt. What a surprise. You're about to shake your head, maybe complain about her wasting time when your fingertips actually brush against something. A line in the dirt, too straight to be natural. Is that… "A seam?"
"Yeah! Exactly! Help me dig!" Fukumoto starts tearing at the ground and you join in without thinking, too caught up in the thrill of discovery to worry about getting your hands dirty. It's not exactly easy, digging with just your fingers, but the two of you clear enough of it to uncover a portion of what seems to be a metal hatch.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god." Fukumoto is literally bouncing with excitement. "Ms. Vice President, do you know what we've found?"
"A maintenance hatch?" You say, trying to stay skeptical. It's tough though. Fukumoto is just so excited and, to be honest, you are too.
"No, no, if it was a regular maintenance hatch, there'd be a sign or a marker. It's no good if they lose it after all." She shook her head. "No, this is clearly the entrance of a secret base of some kind."
…You absolutely hate that that's possible. After all, the demons from yesterday could have taken their stolen goods literally anywhere and for some reason they came here. Maybe they were just passing through but what if this was their destination all along?
"C'mon, help me open this up!" Fukumoto starts clearing more dirt, trying to find a latch or something to help open it up. Unfortunately, she doesn't find one. The hatch is just a flat, featureless square of metal, the seam so fine between it and the surrounding ground that you can't even get your fingernails between them. "Fuuuu-! I mean- Drat! How are we supposed to get in?"
"Like this!" You stand up and raise a leg. Fukumoto's eyes widen and she barely has time to scramble back before you start stomping on the hatch with all your might.
Might: Bust It Open!
DC: 90
1d100+5=38
Failure
Like a Dog With a Bone activates.
"Uh, Ms. Vice President? I don't think that's going to work…"
No, no, she's right of course. You're not that strong. You probably couldn't even beat a child at arm wrestling, you're not beating open solid metal on your own.
"Whew, okay, I know you're excited but we're not getting in. I think we should- Hey, wait, no no no-!"
But that just means you need a tool to help out! You grab one of the metal chair frames laying around and start to beat on the hatch with that instead, ignoring Fukumoto's screams.
Might: Bust it Open! With Chair!
DC: 80
1d100+5=88
1st Degree of Success
You slam the chair against the hatch again and again, adrenaline pushing you to try just one more hit. And then another. You unfortunately don't last long, you weren't built for this sort of thing, but right as your arms are burning and you're about to collapse from exhaustion, one last hit smashes the hatch open.
"I… I can't believe that worked." Fukumoto stares down into the square pit of darkness you've opened up.
You're panting but there's still a smug grin on your face as you toss the mangled chair frame away. "Oh? I thought you believed in your Vice President. Now c'mon, let's see what's down there."
You let Fukumoto go first, giving your arms a break before you have to climb the ladder down. Thankfully, it's a short descent and soon you and Fukumoto are making your way down a cramped, pitch black corridor. Even after you both cast your Lighter cantrips, it's still ridiculously dark, mostly because the walls, floor and ceiling are all black as night. Curious, you reach out and gently touch the wall. It's hard, perfectly smooth and cool to the touch, like glass or some kind of gemstone. For a moment, you think that maybe the entire structure is made of Black Miraculite but you peer closer and realize inside the black are wavy swirls of purple, deep inside. It doesn't feel the same either. It feels…
"Wrong." You nearly jump out of your skin when Fukumoto breaks the silence. You nearly shout at her but you turn to find her touching the walls as well. For once, there isn't a smile on her face. "This place is wrong. It's not… You feel it too, right?"
You nod solemnly. "Definitely not the secret hideout of a magical girl, huh."
"…Maybe." Her answer surprises you. But you don't get the time to puzzle out what she means, because she's grinning again and pulling you deeper. "But that just means we need to keep investigating. C'mon!"
You continue forwards and while the corridor never opens up, you pass by several doors that indicate a larger facility. Some are solid and don't open up, while others have bars in them, letting you peek into prison cells that make you shiver. But at the very end of the corner, the last door is cracked open and a soft, golden light is visible from inside. You and Fukumoto share a look of puzzlement nodding to one another. You're not backing out now. She slowly opens the door.
Inside is not what you expect. It looks like someone's cozy little hideaway room and that someone is a huuuuuge bibliophile. Every wall is covered floor to ceiling with books. Big books, small books, books in different languages. Fancy hard covers and trashy paperbacks. There's even an entire section dedicated to the largest collection of manga you've ever seen and another that's nothing but western graphic novels. The carpet is white, clean and fluffy, there's a pink bean-bag chair big enough for two people in one corner and the floor lamp lighting the room is shaped like a heart. In fact, you're pretty sure your big sister had the exact same one when she was still alive.
As Fukumoto drifts inside, browsing the bookshelves in a daze, you're pulled towards the large desk in the center of the room. It looks like whoever lives here doesn't just read, but write as well. Not only does their desk have a computer with multiple monitors, but there's also an actual type written with a half-finished manuscript and multiple notebooks and notepads left laying around, covered in small, precise hand-writing. Pens, markers, highlighters and pencils are strewn about, there even a quill and ink fountain. The only thing on the entire desk that doesn't seem related to writing at all is a framed photograph. You approached from the wrong way so you can't see the actual picture but as you reach out to turn it around.
"You know, I'm told that humans find it quite rude to enter one's private space without permission."
Twin screams tear out of you and Fukumoto as you both spin around. There in the doorway, glaring at you, is a demon. Except… not quite? Yes, their skin is pitch black and they're unusually tall, but other than that, they look human. They have an actual face, with a nose and a mouth and eyes and everything, although the fact that they're eyes are pure, solid white is a bit inhumane. They have long, pure white hair tied back in a messy ponytail. They may be thin enough that their clothes hang loose on their frame but they're not skeletal or anything. And yeah, they're actually wearing clothes. A white, rumpled button down shirt, white slacks and a pink tie hanging loosely around their neck. Honestly, their entire look screams overworked and underpaid to you but maybe that was just because you were used to seeing your mom dressed the exact same way, including the exhausted slouch.
Fukumoto recovers before you do and launches into an interrogation, like a dumbass. "Wha- Who are you? What are you? What is this place? Are you behind the robbery at Mira-Tech yesterday?"
Wait, what? Robbery? That would explain where the Black Miraculites came from. But how does Fukumoto know about it and why didn't she mention it before?
To your surprise, Fukumoto's rapid fire questions don't piss the demon person off and get them to kill you. Instead, they sigh and scratch the back of their neck. "I'm Auteure, 3rd General of Correction and yeah, I arranged the robbery. Not that it worked. Damn, boss lady's going to be pissed." She sighs again and looks you over. "Anyway, who are you two? It's polite to introduce yourselves when meeting someone new, or so I've been told."
Both of you hesitate, sharing another look and waiting for the other to go first. Honestly, it should be her. She's the club president after all, and she's the one who dragged you into this mess. She should take responsibility. But she just keeps looking at you.
…Fuck it, she owes you for this.
"I'm Ai." You say, only giving your last name. That should be safe enough, right? You can't ID someone just off a last name. Although, yours isn't exactly common…
"And I'm Fukumoto." Your club president follows your lead, sounding just as guarded.
Auteure blinks, looking surprised. Then she frowns and finally, she closes her eyes and mumbles. "Kaworu Ai and Hikari Fukumoto, huh? Looks like you really can't escape Fate…"
What the hell? How did she know who you are? You start to freak out but you don't get far with that.
Sighing again, Auteure actually straightens up, looking slightly less bored. "Right, well I was just going to erase your memories and dump you outside but… Two of the Six, huh? Hm. Kaworu Ai. Hikari Fukumoto. I have an offer for you. Would you like to join me as soldiers of Correction?"
"Join you?" Fukumoto sounds offended by the very idea of it. "Why the hell would we do that?!"
Auteure sighs yet again and walks past you to lean on their desk. "You know, if one of my compatriots were here instead of me, I'm sure they would threaten you, force you. Or maybe just go on about how you cannot escape Fate, so you may as well give in now. Even the me of the past would simply… change your minds and be done with it. But I understand the human concept of reciprocity. I know that asking you humans to work for me, for Correction, is asking a lot, so I am willing to offer a lot in turn."
You can see Fukumoto seething out the corner of your eye and you speak up quickly before she says something you'll both regret. "What are you offering?"
"Everything." Auteure says plainly. "Can the two of you truly say you are happy with your lives? That everything is perfect and nothing could be improved? If you join me, I will give you everything I can in return. I will do my best to make your wishes come true. I will give you guidance and advice, for whatever worth the advice from something like me has to a human. I will protect you. I will grant you power. I will… I will care for you, as best I can, because you will be my responsibility."
That's honestly not at all what you were expecting. No grand declarations, no offers to take over the world or take revenge. Yes, she did offer you power and to grant what you desire but it all just sounded so much more humble than what you'd expect from a recruitment pitch to the dark side. She sounds so genuine like that…
"And if we refuse?" Fukumoto asks after a moment. She no longer looks quite so ready to tear Auteure's head off, although she still doesn't look happy.
"Then you're free to go." Auteure says simply, making Fukumoto scoff. "Honest. In fact…"
Auteure picks up a pen from her desk and starts writing mid-air, the lettering appearing like magic. You're looking at it backwards and they write too fast for you to keep up but you don't think they're using any language you recognize. They're done in just a few seconds, then there's a brief glow and suddenly in their hand are two bookmarks? Auteure explains. "I'm honestly rather impressed you found your way here and I'm curious to see where your stories go from here. Rest assured, you'll be involved with things to come, one way or another, and when the time comes, you'll need power if you wish to act. When that time comes, simply burn one of these bookmarks with magical fire, easy enough in this day and age, and you will be transformed into… Hm. I guess the best way to word it would be a monster-of-the-week. The transformation will be temporary and you'll suffer no side effects such as addiction or brainwashing, I promise. I don't do that anymore."
That's… far more tempting than it should be. After all, what better way to draw out a magical girl than with a monster-of-the-week. This might be your best bet to see Kindness again…
Fukumoto still looks suspicious though and you just look nervous most of the time anyway, so Auteure sighs yet again. "Not interested, huh? Well, I'm sure you're curious at least. Humans always are. If you don't want a bookmark, how about an answer or two? If you prefer, I will answer a single question from each of you, as comprehensively as possible and with complete honesty."
That's pretty tempting as well. All the options are, which just might make you a terrible person. "Can we have a moment to think about it?"
"Of course. Feel free to discuss it between the two of you even. I'll give you all the time you need." Auteure says. Then they go and start browsing their shelves.
You have three options before you but you may only pick one. You do not know Fukumoto well enough to predict what she will choose. You may attempt to convince her to take the same option as you if you wish but you will not know how hard she will be to convince. You may write in an argument for how to convince her, which may or may not grant a bonus to the roll.
[ ] Join the Correctors under Auteure
-[ ] Convince Fukumoto
--[ ] Write in how
[ ] Take the bookmark.
-[ ] Convince Fukumoto
--[ ] Write in how
[ ] Ask a question
-[ ] Ask about the Correctors' plans and purpose.
-[ ] Ask if Auteure has fought magical girls in the past.
-[ ] Ask for details about the robbery at Mira-Tech
-[ ] Ask what their gender is or even if they have one. You honestly can't tell…
-[ ] Write in a Question
-[ ] Convince Fukumoto
--[ ] Write in how
DEATH's Advice: |DO NOT TRUST THE SERVANTS OF FATE.|
AN: What in the actual fuck!? Seriously, did one of you guys sacrifice a goat for this stupid quest or something? Maybe I'm just bad with math and odds, but I meant for you to get maybe one of the rewards I had planted here, not sweep the place and find literally everything!
Anyway, since the thread came to a pretty unanimous agreement on the Progression Points system, I'm changing how you train stats real quick. Rather than rolling, you can pay points to just flatly increase the stat but the stronger the stat is, the more it costs to improve it. When raising a stat up to five, each stat point costs one progression point. Raising a skill up to 10, each stat point costs two PP and so on.
Here's the PP amounts you from last update.
Becoming a Magical Girl: 5 PP
First Ever Kill: 3 PP
First Dog-Face Kill: 1 PP
Retrieved a second Black Miraculite: 5 PP
Total: 14 PP
With the new system, I'm going to include a vote here for how to spend them on your training options. As a reminder, you chose to increase Skill and Soul. Right now, each point in Skill will cost 1 PP and each point in Soul will cost 3 PP. Please note that this vote is seperate from what you chose to get from Auteure.
[ ] Progression Points Plan
-[ ] How many points of Skill to Purchase
-[ ] How many point of Soul to Purchase
Minor update: I added battle music to the fight last update. Not a big deal but it's there now.
Alright, that's it. I'd like to thank @Lazurman for being a great beta reader and a better boyfriend, as well as @BlindingPhoenix and @hellgodsrus for betaing as well. Also, thank you @HellKing666 for ai generating the art of Auteure.
RIGHT SO! Obviously we're joining the correctors, they work for Best Girl, Destiny, who helped us out AGAIN, and we want to try and persuade Surprisingly Competent and Funny president Fukumoto too. So -
[X] Join the Correctors under Auteure
-[X] Convince Fukumoto
--[X] Appeal to knowledge; what better way is there to gather evidence about the existence of Magical Girls than to fight against them gain valuable field experience interacting with them in an atypical setting? Already Fukumoto is face to face with proof of Something going on with the Literal Demon offering them a job - the only way to ensure she can find out more beyond a single question is to dive deeper...
EDIT: Oh also Auteure rules too. We've only had her for five minutes and I want to spend more time with her.
Hmm, feel like there ought to be a moratorium for votes before they start to prevent the need to rush out planmaking.
Joining from the start before we can even tell what we're joining beyond "nebulous group that makes Monsters of the Week" doesn't exactly sound like the best idea. I'd at least like to know what we're joining to begin with. Becoming a Monster of the Week sounds a bit entertaining, but I'd also be interested in information.
Asking for info about the robbery sounds pretty good for building up our dossier on Miraculite and Mira-Tech in general. Though I also wonder if we could ask her if she has any information on our sister, but that feels like a long-shot. But info-seeking in general fits our character the most.
[X] Ask a question
-[X] Ask for details about the robbery at Mira-Tech
-[X] "We came here looking for information about magical girls. What insights are you willing to share?"
[X] Ask a question
-[X] "We came here looking for information about magical girls. What insights are you willing to share?"
I don't trust Auteure to tell the objective truth, but something truth-shaped that fits Fate's agenda can still be useful when viewed with the appropriate caution, and the asking would win points with Fukumoto.
I'll be honest, i'[m fine with joining, just not on the spot. Bad decisions are fun sure, but remember that every action we make that's Pro-Fate is going to become a downside when we decide to go against her. And like. Fate murdered our sister.
So I want to get at least 1 ally on our side before we commit. We need someone who's more likely to split with us than they are to team Fate.
Also we got Magical Girl powers and I don't want Fukumoto managing to figure things out quickly. I'd say take the bookmark for now under the logic that "whats the best way to find a magical girl than be the thing they need to fight?", and then do some stuff on our own. We know where this is now, we can come back at some other point, if only to pick up the trail again.
