Which wizards? The ones pretending to be vampires pretending to be wizards or the other wizards?
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
Which wizards? The ones pretending to be vampires pretending to be wizards or the other wizards?
Hidden Halls by Night larpers are really something else.Which wizards? The ones pretending to be vampires pretending to be wizards or the other wizards?
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
[X] Send a shout through the tunnels as Tiffany suggests
-[x][stunt]"Personally I would rather that they focus on us rather than anything else."
-[x][stunt]"Personally I would rather that they focus on us rather than anything else."
- Location
- Canada
[X] BronzeTongue
"Black (magic-using wizards) is sus! They're pretending to be Red (Vampires) but I saw them vent in the main corridor! Calling an Emergency Meeting at Warden Barracks ASAP, we gotta eject all the Imposters before any more friendly fire!"
"Black (magic-using wizards) is sus! They're pretending to be Red (Vampires) but I saw them vent in the main corridor! Calling an Emergency Meeting at Warden Barracks ASAP, we gotta eject all the Imposters before any more friendly fire!"
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fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
What I would really love is for Peabody to scry Molly and get
"Molly wants to know your location"
"Molly has found your location"
"Molly is approaching your location at high speed"
But despite our cover story we don't actually have that ability.
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Goldfish
Friendly Spider-Fish Abomination
- Location
- Formerly of the Far Realm
"Molly is standing behind you."
"The Monster is here"
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
I do wonder how that would interact with the sight.
Best case scenario, probably ERROR: DATA NOT FOUND
Worst case, probably something close to trying Sight on a Fallen
We have more essence and making a leadership roll against the whole council is probably worth an excellency. FPoR should still give a +2 on that check regardless, but that's not really a patch on active effort.
Might want to try a stunt too. Once we accuse the traitors Peabody could easily just do the same thing to accuse us and muddy the waters, so we need to be significantly more convincing than him.
Might want to try a stunt too. Once we accuse the traitors Peabody could easily just do the same thing to accuse us and muddy the waters, so we need to be significantly more convincing than him.
[X] Send a shout through the tunnels as Tiffany suggests
-[X] Leadership excellency, FPoR, BSM
-[X] Name the traitors in order of importance if time allows.
-[X] [Stunt]: As the wizards prepared their spell Molly took a moment to center herself. With the beat of a red drum thrumming through her bones she stretched, reaching for one note of the song.
—[X] Opening eyes she did not realize she'd closed, Molly nodded to her companions and took a breath.
—[X] Her voice did not so much carry her words as carve them into the silence. Even where there was other sound they seemed to carry their own hush about them like a cloak, something terrible and sublime seizing attention with all the remorseless strength of the gravity pinning them to Earth.
—[X] "Wizards of the White Council, you have been betrayed. Glamoured warlocks walk the Halls and kill by stealth in the name of distant masters. Peabody and his stooges have desecrated free will of many. Teachers, shield your students' minds. Students, guard your teachers' lives. We rally at the Warden's Barracks."
Perhaps a bit much, but this will hopefully poison Peabody's influence a bit by naming him and prodding wizards to organize themselves around those most resistant to his bullshit.
-[X] Leadership excellency, FPoR, BSM
-[X] Name the traitors in order of importance if time allows.
-[X] [Stunt]: As the wizards prepared their spell Molly took a moment to center herself. With the beat of a red drum thrumming through her bones she stretched, reaching for one note of the song.
—[X] Opening eyes she did not realize she'd closed, Molly nodded to her companions and took a breath.
—[X] Her voice did not so much carry her words as carve them into the silence. Even where there was other sound they seemed to carry their own hush about them like a cloak, something terrible and sublime seizing attention with all the remorseless strength of the gravity pinning them to Earth.
—[X] "Wizards of the White Council, you have been betrayed. Glamoured warlocks walk the Halls and kill by stealth in the name of distant masters. Peabody and his stooges have desecrated free will of many. Teachers, shield your students' minds. Students, guard your teachers' lives. We rally at the Warden's Barracks."
Perhaps a bit much, but this will hopefully poison Peabody's influence a bit by naming him and prodding wizards to organize themselves around those most resistant to his bullshit.
Not sure it's worth gambling on, but this makes me wonder about how AtP's interaction rules work for stuff like this. Does our intent matter in terms of what counts as an interaction?
For example, shouting someone's name across a field to get their attention is pretty directed for them. But is it direct or indirect for the other people who hear? I'd argue that it's incidental in the same way hearing us slap someone else is.
If that's correct then arguably a shout directed at the loyalist shouldn't implicitly give the traitors a pass on the effect, especially since we know who specifically we'd be excluding. In this particular case adding names for the conspirators sounds like grounds for it being distressing enough to trigger rolls even if this did work, but that's still pretty good.
The idea of making the warlocks politely ignore us making announcements on an ad hoc PA system is pretty funny.
For example, shouting someone's name across a field to get their attention is pretty directed for them. But is it direct or indirect for the other people who hear? I'd argue that it's incidental in the same way hearing us slap someone else is.
If that's correct then arguably a shout directed at the loyalist shouldn't implicitly give the traitors a pass on the effect, especially since we know who specifically we'd be excluding. In this particular case adding names for the conspirators sounds like grounds for it being distressing enough to trigger rolls even if this did work, but that's still pretty good.
The idea of making the warlocks politely ignore us making announcements on an ad hoc PA system is pretty funny.
Catching up.
Spoiling old reply:
Thats what happens when you have 20+ party members with 20+ actions in the first combat turn, running into 7x opponents.
Similarly, we'd spend half the time Tiffany is spending saving lives because we would have two healers on the scene.
Action economy fucking matters. Thats how you save time and move fast enough to disrupt the enemy, instead of getting bogged down by fights and traps and the like.
And Morgan IS a pretty potent combat wizard in his own right.
But Blackstaff McCoy and other Senior Council members run from Outsiders in canon, and Morgan is no McCoy.
The assertion that he's supposed to anchor a defense against a mistwraith or similar Outsider is on its own face ridiculous.
Especially since Outsiders are explicitly known for resistance/immunity to mortal magic.
And it speaks volumes that you are trying to downplay the fact that the mistwraith killed ~fifty wizards, a tenth or so of the assembly, in 1-2 combat turns. Just multi-action'd the place until Langtry grappled it.
2)We see Langtry asking other Senior Council wizards, specifically Rashid, to help hold the mistwraith so it does not kill HIM.
3) The Merlin Arthur Langtry was literally beaming a detailed RTS map into the heads of every wizard in the room.
Yet only the Senior Council wizards were of use in containing and banishing it.
And yes, they banished it, they couldnt kill it:
His orders to the other Council wizards in the room were to get on the ground, stay on the ground and help the injured.
Not to help, not to shoot the thing. Just shelter in place
That speaks volumes.
Go ahead and have mortal hands build a fortress complex and tunnel network in a volcanic plug formation that has lasted for over a thousand years without maintenance. The very existence of this place demonstrates its unnatural durability.
This assertion about wizards is unsupported speculation.
There is nothing I can recall in Dresdenverse mythology that makes wizards "hellish on things that cant fight back" as you put it.
There are no canon feats that support any such assertion either.
Its not a castle, its an underground fortress a lot like NORAD.
And they arent shaking it. They are doing something underground that is producing seismic tremors that might collapse it. Eventually. If they can get around the wards.
There is no timeline, and we know they havent been at this before Molly fingered them publicly.
That you can feel something is happening bears no relationship to its progression and how far along it is.
A single set of earth tremors is not, and has never been indicative of just how much threat a building is currently under.
Ask any Californian native.
This is a purposefully selected group of conspirators that was handpicked for their talents and access by the Ashraaf conspiracy and further incentivized to pursue certain lines of development, as we see with Shaw.
You have no idea what the criteria that Peabody et al have exercised for recruitment is.
You have no idea who the members are, what investments they might possess or what spirit contracts and allies they might have in their retinue, what Gifts or blessings they might have, or what fetishes they might be carrying in their pockets.
For all you know, they are ALL brawny combat wizards and summoners.
Two of them were certainly able to set up a time trap for Blackstaff McCoy, and when that failed, had access to Hellfire.
=====
Extra actions are a Time 3 effect.
So that means McCoy has significant investment in that sphere, which makes sense since he broke that time trap, and has +3 Extra Actions for the rest of the scene, which is a pretty terrifying buff when dealing with a seriousface wizard like this.
Interesting that he does this by using Time instead of Mind or Life; I think Listens To Wind does it with Life.
*looks*
Im still not sure if wizards here roll Arete OR Arete + (highest)Sphere to produce an effect.
Assuming they roll Arete, that would put McCoy at Arete 8, Red Note at Arete 6, Thunderstop at Arete 4 and Knives at Arete 5.
While I buy McCoy being Enlightenment/Arete 8, I dont buy any of the other wizards here being Arete 5+ and getting led around by the traitor we captured. I certainly dont buy the young woman who just threw Red Note at Molly being Arete 6.
So Im going to assume they're rolling Arete + Sphere to cast magic.
Luccio sent Wardens out into Edinburgh eh?
I guess we know where the Warden we ran into at the toilet came from.
Im guessing Peabody has cut comms/couriers out of the Halls as well.
All this achieves is telling Peabody that we know he is the ringleader without actually stopping him.
We would rather he, or someone in his employ, try to walk into our hands while pretending innocence, instead of giving them advance warning that we have their IDs at hand and making them start looking for the exits, or start slaughtering every wizard they can find as a final Fuck You.
Spoiling old reply:
We would have met them and rolled them over in the first three seconds/1 combat turn.
Thats what happens when you have 20+ party members with 20+ actions in the first combat turn, running into 7x opponents.
Similarly, we'd spend half the time Tiffany is spending saving lives because we would have two healers on the scene.
Action economy fucking matters. Thats how you save time and move fast enough to disrupt the enemy, instead of getting bogged down by fights and traps and the like.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion.
And Morgan IS a pretty potent combat wizard in his own right.
But Blackstaff McCoy and other Senior Council members run from Outsiders in canon, and Morgan is no McCoy.
The assertion that he's supposed to anchor a defense against a mistwraith or similar Outsider is on its own face ridiculous.
Especially since Outsiders are explicitly known for resistance/immunity to mortal magic.
1) There was no element of surprise. Peabody got initiative, but everybody knew shit was going down at that point.
And it speaks volumes that you are trying to downplay the fact that the mistwraith killed ~fifty wizards, a tenth or so of the assembly, in 1-2 combat turns. Just multi-action'd the place until Langtry grappled it.
2)We see Langtry asking other Senior Council wizards, specifically Rashid, to help hold the mistwraith so it does not kill HIM.
3) The Merlin Arthur Langtry was literally beaming a detailed RTS map into the heads of every wizard in the room.
Yet only the Senior Council wizards were of use in containing and banishing it.
And yes, they banished it, they couldnt kill it:
The Senior Council managed to contain and banish the mordite-infused mistfiend, a rare and dangerous gaseous being from the far reaches of the Nevernever, before it had killed more than forty or fifty wizards. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse, but the fact that it had been the gathering of LaFortier's former political allies who had been subject to the attack occasioned an enormous outcry of suspicion, with the offended parties claiming that the Merlin had disregarded their safety, been negligent in his security precautions, etc., etc. The fact that the attack had occurred while unmasking LaFortier's true killer was brushed aside. There was political capital to be had.
Not to help, not to shoot the thing. Just shelter in place
Screams rose, sounds of genuine pain and terror—sounds the human body and mind are designed to recognize and to which they have no choice but to react. It hit me as hard as the first time I'd ever heard it happen—the desire to be away from whatever was causing such fear, combined with the simultaneous engagement of adrenaline, the need to act, to help.
Calmly, said a voice from right beside my right ear—except that it couldn't have been there because bandages covered that side of my head completely, and it was physically impossible for a voice to come through that clearly.
Which meant that the voice was an illusion. It was in my head. Furthermore, I recognized the voice—it was Langtry's, the Merlin's.
"Council members, get on the ground immediately," said the Merlin's calm, unshakable voice. "Assist anyone who is bleeding and do not attempt to use lights until the mistfiend is contained. Senior Council, I have already engaged the mistfiend and am preventing it from moving any farther away. Rashid, prevent it from moving forward and disintegrating me, if you please. Mai and Martha Liberty, take its right flank, McCoy and Listens-to-Wind its left. It's rather strong-willed, so let's not dawdle, and remember that we must also prevent it from moving upward."
Calmly, said a voice from right beside my right ear—except that it couldn't have been there because bandages covered that side of my head completely, and it was physically impossible for a voice to come through that clearly.
Which meant that the voice was an illusion. It was in my head. Furthermore, I recognized the voice—it was Langtry's, the Merlin's.
"Council members, get on the ground immediately," said the Merlin's calm, unshakable voice. "Assist anyone who is bleeding and do not attempt to use lights until the mistfiend is contained. Senior Council, I have already engaged the mistfiend and am preventing it from moving any farther away. Rashid, prevent it from moving forward and disintegrating me, if you please. Mai and Martha Liberty, take its right flank, McCoy and Listens-to-Wind its left. It's rather strong-willed, so let's not dawdle, and remember that we must also prevent it from moving upward."
Obviously, self-evidently untrue.
Go ahead and have mortal hands build a fortress complex and tunnel network in a volcanic plug formation that has lasted for over a thousand years without maintenance. The very existence of this place demonstrates its unnatural durability.
This assertion about wizards is unsupported speculation.
There is nothing I can recall in Dresdenverse mythology that makes wizards "hellish on things that cant fight back" as you put it.
There are no canon feats that support any such assertion either.
Its not a castle, its an underground fortress a lot like NORAD.
And they arent shaking it. They are doing something underground that is producing seismic tremors that might collapse it. Eventually. If they can get around the wards.
There is no timeline, and we know they havent been at this before Molly fingered them publicly.
That you can feel something is happening bears no relationship to its progression and how far along it is.
A single set of earth tremors is not, and has never been indicative of just how much threat a building is currently under.
Ask any Californian native.
This is not a random assortment of wizards.
This is a purposefully selected group of conspirators that was handpicked for their talents and access by the Ashraaf conspiracy and further incentivized to pursue certain lines of development, as we see with Shaw.
You have no idea what the criteria that Peabody et al have exercised for recruitment is.
You have no idea who the members are, what investments they might possess or what spirit contracts and allies they might have in their retinue, what Gifts or blessings they might have, or what fetishes they might be carrying in their pockets.
For all you know, they are ALL brawny combat wizards and summoners.
Two of them were certainly able to set up a time trap for Blackstaff McCoy, and when that failed, had access to Hellfire.
=====
COMMENTARY
Extra actions are a Time 3 effect.
So that means McCoy has significant investment in that sphere, which makes sense since he broke that time trap, and has +3 Extra Actions for the rest of the scene, which is a pretty terrifying buff when dealing with a seriousface wizard like this.
Interesting that he does this by using Time instead of Mind or Life; I think Listens To Wind does it with Life.
*looks*
Im still not sure if wizards here roll Arete OR Arete + (highest)Sphere to produce an effect.
Assuming they roll Arete, that would put McCoy at Arete 8, Red Note at Arete 6, Thunderstop at Arete 4 and Knives at Arete 5.
While I buy McCoy being Enlightenment/Arete 8, I dont buy any of the other wizards here being Arete 5+ and getting led around by the traitor we captured. I certainly dont buy the young woman who just threw Red Note at Molly being Arete 6.
So Im going to assume they're rolling Arete + Sphere to cast magic.
Luccio sent Wardens out into Edinburgh eh?
I guess we know where the Warden we ran into at the toilet came from.
Im guessing Peabody has cut comms/couriers out of the Halls as well.
This is a bad stunt.
All this achieves is telling Peabody that we know he is the ringleader without actually stopping him.
We would rather he, or someone in his employ, try to walk into our hands while pretending innocence, instead of giving them advance warning that we have their IDs at hand and making them start looking for the exits, or start slaughtering every wizard they can find as a final Fuck You.
VOTE
[X] Send a shout through the tunnels as Tiffany suggests
Dont name traitors when you cant reach them
All this achieves is give them free space and time to wreak more harm before you can reach them.
Leave them with the hope they are unknown until we can contain them and prevent them from causing further harm.
And frankly, its McCoy that should be making that announcement, not Molly.
Excellency or not, Molly doesnt have the authority to clear the Halls
And wizards are a hard-headed bunch.
[X] Send a shout through the tunnels as Tiffany suggests
Dont name traitors when you cant reach them
All this achieves is give them free space and time to wreak more harm before you can reach them.
Leave them with the hope they are unknown until we can contain them and prevent them from causing further harm.
And frankly, its McCoy that should be making that announcement, not Molly.
Excellency or not, Molly doesnt have the authority to clear the Halls
And wizards are a hard-headed bunch.
Not sure it's worth gambling on, but this makes me wonder about how AtP's interaction rules work for stuff like this. Does our intent matter in terms of what counts as an interaction?
For example, shouting someone's name across a field to get their attention is pretty directed for them. But is it direct or indirect for the other people who hear? I'd argue that it's incidental in the same way hearing us slap someone else is.
If that's correct then arguably a shout directed at the loyalist shouldn't implicitly give the traitors a pass on the effect, especially since we know who specifically we'd be excluding. In this particular case adding names for the conspirators sounds like grounds for it being distressing enough to trigger rolls even if this did work, but that's still pretty good.
The idea of making the warlocks politely ignore us making announcements on an ad hoc PA system is pretty funny.
AtP would work in your favor in this case since it is just sound, it is made to make people ignore sensory input unless it distresses them significantly