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Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

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PrimalShadow said:
No, because that is an attached minor and it wouldn't make sense to attach Zhengui to it narratively. Zhengui needs to be attacked to an action where we are moving around hunting things, not sitting still and meditating.
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Ling Qi sits on Zhengui shell while he hunts ?
Make Ling Qi need for silence and tranquility an extra training contraint on Zenghui. :)
Adhoc vote count started by Ayashi on Jan 10, 2018 at 9:51 PM, finished with 151 posts and 20 votes.
  • [x] Plan Breakthrough: Start!
    -[x] Use from Inventory: Blood of Father Sky, Milk of Mother Earth, 3RSS, 1YSS
    -[x] Purchase and Use: Steady Growth Pill + Sturdy Oak Pill + Bear Marrow Elixir + Soul Concentrating Elixir (38RSS)
    -[x] Other Purchases: replace the Escape Talisman and anti-scry Talisman we used
    -[x] Breakthrough Priorities: Prioritize breaking through Green. In case of failure, wait until we've tried to recover; then continue. In case we can't proceed further towards Green due to either failure or success, start breaking through towards Bronze.
    -[x] (MAJOR) Attempt Breakthrough
    -[x] (MAJOR) Attempt Breakthrough x2
    -[x] (MAJOR) Attempt Breakthrough x3
    -[x] (MAJOR) Attempt Breakthrough x4
    -[x] Train at the vent with Su Ling
    --[x] (MAJOR) Cultivate Spiritual / Physical, as needed to recover if we fail a breakthrough attempt. Cultivate Spiritual if we succeed in all breakthrough attempts.
    --[x] (attached minor) Work to unlock the Puzzle Box
    --[x] (attached minor) Work on formations with Li Suyin, with the Vault Warriors mastered, you can delve more deeply into the Pale Manual
    -[x] (minor) Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
    -[x] (minor) Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
    -[x] (minor) Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
    [X] Plan: Last stop before Breakthrough Week
    -[X] Expenses: 2 YSS, 3 RSS, First Level Earth/Water/Fire Pills, (6 RSS), Flowing Rivers Pill (6 RSS), Steady Growth Pill (6 RSS) Sturdy Oak Pill (18 RSS), Bear's Heartsblood Elixir (10 RSS), Bear's Marrow Elixir (4 RSS), Soul Concentrating Elixir (8 RSS), Soaring Charm (300 RSS), Blinding Fate Charm (50 RSS): Total Cost: 431 RSS
    -[X] EPC Bonuses: Abyssal Exhalation, Argent Vent Bonus: Argent Current
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Green)
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Bronze)
    -[X] Major: Train at the Vent with Su Ling (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Argent Current)
    -[X] Major: Cultivate on your own (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Abyssal Exhalation)
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
    -[X] Major: Cull the Black Soil Worm Population
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zhengui is up and around again and didn't get to do much on the raid. Go hunting with him
    -[x] (minor) Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
    -[x] (minor) Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
    -[X] Minor: You've learned what you can from simply observing Cai Renxiang. Ask her about the capital and about herself
    [X] Plan: Last stop before Breakthrough Week 2.0
    -[X] Expenses: 3 YSS, 3 RSS, First Level Earth/Water/Fire Pills, (6 RSS), Flowing Rivers Pill (6 RSS), Steady Growth Pill (6 RSS) Sturdy Oak Pill (18 RSS), Bear's Heartsblood Elixir (10 RSS), Bear's Marrow Elixir (4 RSS), Soul Concentrating Elixir (8 RSS), Soaring Charm (300 RSS), Blinding Fate Charm (50 RSS): Total Cost: 441 RSS
    -[X] EPC Bonuses: Abyssal Exhalation, Argent Vent Bonus: Argent Current
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Green)
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Bronze)
    -[X] Major: Do a favor for Fu Xiang
    --[X] How Many(3), but be willing to stop if the reroll is used too soon.
    -[X] Major: Cultivate on your own (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Abyssal Exhalation)
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
    -[X] Major: Cull the Black Soil Worm Population
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zhengui is up and around again and didn't get to do much on the raid. Go hunting with him
    -[x] (minor) Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
    -[x] (minor) Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
    -[X] Minor: You've learned what you can from simply observing Cai Renxiang. Ask her about the capital and about herself
    [X] Plan Our Friends Will Understand if We're Busy
    -[x] Use from Inventory: Blood of Father Sky, Milk of Mother Earth, 3RSS, 1YSS
    -[x] Purchase and Use: Steady Growth Pill + Sturdy Oak Pill + Bear Marrow Elixir + Soul Concentrating Elixir (38RSS)
    -[X] Enter Closed Door Cultivation
    -[X] Majors: All 6 on Breakthrough attempts/recovery
    --[X] Start with Spiritual, attempt breakthroughs until either 3 successes achieved, or Spiritual no longer Peak Yellow
    --[X] Move on to Physical, attempt breakthroughs until failure; if already Green, then recover until peak Silver and attempt Physical again
    --[X] If failed Physical attempt, and not Green, then recover Spiritual to Peak Yellow and attempt Spiritual Breakthrough until failure
    --[X] If we get to this point, then we've used 5 actions without a single success. spend action recovering peak Bronze
    [X] Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
    [X] Straighten Some Things Out First
    -[X] Pills: lol I dunno
    -[x] (MAJOR) Attempt Breakthrough
    --[X] Green
    -[X] Explore and Train with Golden Fields
    --[X] AE
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zhengui is up and around again and didn't get to do much on the raid. Go hunting with him
    -[X] Major: Train at the Vent with Su Ling
    --[X] Recover from failure or else AC
    -[X] Attempt to placate the Dragon of the Valley
    --[X] Attached Minor: Meizhen has done a lot for you, tell her about the Dragon and the Valley, let her do as she wants with it.
    -[x] (minor) Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
    -[X] Minor: Your feelings regarding Gu Tai are... conflicted, maybe you should speak with him a bit. You know where he is staying.
    -[x] (minor) Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
    [X] Plan: Friendship takes effort
    -[X] Expenses: 2 YSS, 3 RSS, First Level Earth/Water/Fire Pills, (6 RSS), Flowing Rivers Pill (6 RSS), Steady Growth Pill (6 RSS) Sturdy Oak Pill (18 RSS), Bear's Heartsblood Elixir (10 RSS), Bear's Marrow Elixir (4 RSS), Soul Concentrating Elixir (8 RSS), = 81 RSS
    -[X] EPC Bonuses: Abyssal Exhalation, Argent Vent Bonus: Argent Current
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Green)
    -[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Bronze)
    -[X] Major: Train at the Vent with Su Ling (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Argent Current)
    -[X] Major: Cultivate on your own (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Abyssal Exhalation)
    --[X] Attached Minor: Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
    [X] Major: Attempt to placate the Dragon of the Valley
    --[X] Meizhen has done a lot for you, tell her about the Dragon and the Valley, let her do as she wants with it.
    -[x] (minor) Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
    -[X] Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
    -[X] Look in on Su Ling and the Ma Sisters, see how they're getting alone
    [X] Thor's Twin
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Klaus said:
That's when we actually get married and have sex, not when we commit to the offer, at least as I read it.
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I read it as the point where negotiations are all completed and both parties have firmly agreed the terms (including where the hypothetical fief would be, the Gu purchasing Ling Qi's remaining military service etc). I suspect there would be room to negotiate a later time (but not too long) for the actual marriage. Heck there might even be a set date range for the first kid (to allow for establishing the new house's lands without leaving the new branch heirless for too long).

Theoretically we could break off negotiations before the contract was finalised, but obviously that would come with problems including a face hit. More likely it would be like what Xiulan's dad is doing with her bethrothal. Renegotiation depending on Ling Qi's advancement, with more favourable terms/lands and resources being invested the better Ling Qi is doing. Possibly (though unlikely) even offering us someone of higher staus or a main hous member is Ling Qi was really rocketing up.
 
Alectai said:
Yeah, I think I'm going to have to dump the Argent Vent. That being said, I'm almost certain it won't be a big deal this time, because we're basically capped on everything for once.

[X] Plan: Last stop before Breakthrough Week 2.0
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I'd be for this if you switched the voluntary Cai action over to Gu Tai. We ought to give the guy at least one chance to win us over before we have to sign on the dotted line for Cai.
 
Alectai said:
Oh for heaven's sake. Delaying something two weeks to get a one success bonus is ridiculous.
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The thing will remain until the end of the year, a few more weeks is nothing.
Heck, fluff-wise it's acctually benefic to wait for people to have completed more of their project before we crash and burn their things: they'll have less time to redo it.
 
Ayashi said:
The thing will remain until the end of the year, a few more weeks is nothing.
Heck, fluff-wise it's acctually benefic to wait for people to have completed more of their project before we crash and burn their things: they'll have less time to redo it.
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I'd rather not be that much of an asshole personally. There's still a small chance of them recovering this way.

Plus, we have a rare window where we might not necessarily by the Prime Suspect after kicking Yan Renshu in the balls again here.
 
tricholysis said:
Look: read the thread immediately after Cai makes her offer. People consider it. Some want 'a Cai action a week'.

Why can't Gu Tai get the same chance to make his offer more appealing, show that he's 'on the level', etc.? I've asked this question a billion times and the answer is usually 'Cai was first'. So now Ling Qi hasn't even taken a single action towards exploring her options past Cai, just because Cai is more aggressive with a shorter time window. Not even thinking about getting a deferment from Cai until the end of the year, because people want green stones now or whatever. Is that an attitude that fits Ling Qi? Taking the first option and assuming that it's the best, instead of even trying to learn if it actually is the best?

Cai gets an action a week. Gu doesn't even get a single action.
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Because one action doesn't do shit.

He will not convince us of anything in one action. We needed to be working on Ling Qi's feelings for like a couple of months for this. Unfortunately, he was too late for that.
 
tricholysis said:
Look: read the thread immediately after Cai makes her offer. People consider it. Some want 'a Cai action a week'.

Why can't Gu Tai get the same chance to make his offer more appealing, show that he's 'on the level', etc.? I've asked this question a billion times and the answer is usually 'Cai was first'. So now Ling Qi hasn't even taken a single action towards exploring her options past Cai, just because Cai is more aggressive with a shorter time window. Not even thinking about getting a deferment from Cai until the end of the year, because people want green stones now or whatever. Is that an attitude that fits Ling Qi? Taking the first option and assuming that it's the best, instead of even trying to learn if it actually is the best?

Cai gets an action a week. Gu doesn't even get a single action.
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The main reason why people aren't considering the Gu action is mainly because it involves marraige, though the fact that Cai got here first does play a role. Still, I'm with you in not liking the Cai offer, and I would much prefer staying on with the sect, or working for a ministry, or just taking a sabbatical.
 
jacobk said:
I'd be for this if you switched the voluntary Cai action over to Gu Tai. We ought to give the guy at least one chance to win us over before we have to sign on the dotted line for Cai.
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The biggest selling point of Alectai's plan is that it allows us to get the Cai social and shape our relationship with her before breakthrough. Adamantly opposed.
 
DiceOfStupidity said:
Ji Rong seems to follow tropes of typical Xianxia protagonist. Unjustly accused, raging against status quo, seting himself against majority of sect, training from hell after getting caught, absolute desperation to get stronger, etc.

It's infuriating, since we expect him to get battlecruiser-like plot armor against his own stupidity, free pass to great and hidden treasures, and assured green card of health after insane "do-or-die" trainings.

I very much hope he will NOT get it.
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I forgot to comment about this, but something @Arkeus brought up worries me: is Ji Rong just going to get his progress hand waved into "surely he did it"? Because when we fought, he seemed to ore or less have "level-appropriate dice" in everything.

Granted, building a system from scratch makes that sort of needed, but for someone that might be a rival, it strikes me as troublesome that he seems to have no real weaknesses? Ling Qi with oodles of defense arts couldn't match some of his defensive numbers IIRC.
 
[X] Plan: Give the dude a chance
-[X] Expenses: 3 YSS, 3 RSS, First Level Earth/Water/Fire Pills, (6 RSS), Flowing Rivers Pill (6 RSS), Steady Growth Pill (6 RSS) Sturdy Oak Pill (18 RSS), Bear's Heartsblood Elixir (10 RSS), Bear's Marrow Elixir (4 RSS), Soul Concentrating Elixir (8 RSS), Soaring Charm (300 RSS), Blinding Fate Charm (50 RSS): Total Cost: 441 RSS
-[X] EPC Bonuses: Abyssal Exhalation, Argent Vent Bonus: Argent Current
-[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Green)
-[X] Major: Attempt Breakthrough (Bronze)
-[X] Major: Do a favor for Fu Xiang
--[X] How Many(3), but be willing to stop if the reroll is used too soon.
-[X] Major: Cultivate on your own (Recovery from possible Failed Breakthrough, Else, Abyssal Exhalation)
--[X] Attached Minor: Zeqing has been quite busy, but you received a message inviting you to meet her... at her home?
-[X] Major: Cull the Black Soil Worm Population
--[X] Attached Minor: Zhengui is up and around again and didn't get to do much on the raid. Go hunting with him
-[x] (minor) Cai Renxiang has something important to announce. It seems you will need to attend a council meeting
-[x] (minor) Meizhen is right... the two of you should probably talk, it seems there is still a lot you don't know about each other
-[X] Minor: Your feelings regarding Gu Tai are... conflicted, maybe you should speak with him a bit. You know where he is staying.

I have literally stolen Alectai's plan and replaced the extra Cai action with Gu Tai.
 
TotallyNotEvil said:
Granted, building a system from scratch makes that sort of needed, but for someone that might be a rival, it strikes me as troublesome that he seems to have no real weaknesses? Ling Qi with oodles of defense arts couldn't match some of his defensive numbers IIRC.
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Oh, he does have a weakness. He is mainly focusing on physical defense and physical offense. His spiritual defense is weak enough that the musical Ma Twin was able to tag him with her debuff. Admittedly that is after Encircling winds and mult-attacker penalties, but spiritual defense and offense is certainly his weakest aspect.
 
Erebeal said:
Because one action doesn't do shit.

He will not convince us of anything in one action. We needed to be working on Ling Qi's feelings for like a couple of months for this. Unfortunately, he was too late for that.
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Not that it matters much, being the ducal's heir right hand (wo)man is obviously better than marriage into a new branch of a low rank noble house.
Actions spend on Gu Tai are essentially wasted, and those are already very limited resources.
 
Erebeal said:
Because one action doesn't do shit.

He will not convince us of anything in one action. We needed to be working on Ling Qi's feelings for like a couple of months for this. Unfortunately, he was too late for that.
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Basically, this.

If we had gotten some kind of letter of intent before the first meeting beyond "Hey my Cousin wants to meet you!" It might have been better. As it stands, we just don't have enough time to really get a good read on him.

To be blunt, the reason why Cai's gotten so much ground is because she wants it more. Everyone else is all "Ehhhh, it'd be nice so we'll make a token effort", or in the case of Meizhen "I'm not making you an offer because it would be a terrible idea for everybody involved, and we'd all hate each other by the end of it."

The Sect? Hasn't even so much as hinted that they might be willing to put us on retainer. The Ministry? No signs of any interest in talented up and comers in the Outer Sect. They're not willing to recruit those who could be great, only those who are already considerably above the average. Renxiang has the best offer because she's willing to give us a great offer before we're great, because she recognizes that we could be great, and she's willing to make the investment necessary to make that true. None of the other prospects are willing to do that. They'll either demand greatness first (Ministry, Sect), or are functionally a dead end waiting to happen (Meizhen, Gu Tai--a branch house of a household on the decline, in a wasteland? With the only real draw being "You might be able to plunder some ruins at some point?" It's not bad, but we'd be fundamentally subordinate in that case forever, at the bottom of the chain of command.)
 
See, this is what I mean. A bunch of vocal people are already decided even before learning much about the other option and they preemptively and adamantly deny Gu supporters a platform to convince would-be undecideds. Does that seem like a fair vote?
 
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Honestly we should do a Gu Tai action before signing up to Cai if only to give him some face and not offend the Gu Clan.

They have put a serious and seemingly decent offer on the table. Ignoring it for 4 weeks, then breaking through and immedietly taking the Cai offer without even seeing him for more than a single half an hour with his cousin reeks of never giving it serious consideration* or having the decency to turn it down properly. It could easily be seen as an insult to their house.

*Which it basically didn't get, as it was outcompeted in resource terms and its only advantage of being closer to what Ling Qi would enjoy virtually dissapeared once they put the marriage on the table as well.

EDIT: In bold.
 
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jacobk said:
Even if it does not, firing off 8 trick arrows is going to be a better debuff than Mist + Elegy against a single opponent, as well as moving our opponent towards the ideal "unconscious" debuff state.
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The only one of the trick arrows that I would really call a debuff is the net arrow. A 12 success escape attempt is pretty difficult, and we just saw that they deal regular damage in addition to triggering the net. I'm not sure what Immobilized does, mechanically, but it's probably useful. It may not necessarily stack though. I'm a bit concerned it may be like acid flasks or other consumables in other RPGs that are useful in the early game but just don't have higher level equivalents.

Arkeus said:
SS is now our strongest burst technique,
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The math says
Arkeus said:
> LS: Base 26 + Activation 6 (tech 5, dot 1) = 32 dice; (DV8, AP3, +4 unblockable) => cost 3Qi-use, -1 if we hurt the enemy (+1Qi from AE).
> SS: Base 22 + Tech 6 (self 4, activation 2) = 28 dice + 1 stage; (DV8, +3 unblockable, +2AP)=> Cost 1Qi-use, -1 if we hurt the enemy (+1Qi from AE).
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that LS is a stronger burst technique, dealing more unblockable with better dice.

FSS is stronger burst than both, having better dice and higher DV.

MS is bad if you just facepunch, awesomely bursty if you debuff.

Flare arrows add +1 damage (+4 for MS) for zero qi. Not sure how much they cost to purchase. I wonder if we get some of those as part of the loot from Liling surrendering. She did have crates of them in the fortress.

SS is dps. If you are going to attack people five or six rounds in a row SS is a no-brainer, that's what it's for. It's a bit disappointing that SS doesn't already have better damage than LS, but I guess that's just because AC is the polar opposite of a burst art.
 
I want the extra minor actions, but I don't want to do Fu Xiang's jobs yet.

[X] Plan Breakthrough: Start!

tricholysis said:
See, this is what I mean. A bunch of vocal people are already decided even before learning much about the other option and they adamantly deny Gu supporters a platform to convince would-be undecideds.
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If you can't convince the undecideds without using valuable minor actions, you've already lost. I'm pretty sure half the thread wanted to sign up with Cai Renxiang before she even made the offer. The rest wanted Bai Meizhen. There was never really much room for an uninteresting third potential boss.
 
tricholysis said:
See, this is what I mean. A bunch of vocal people are already decided even before learning much about the other option and they adamantly deny Gu supporters a platform to convince would-be undecideds. Does that seem like a fair vote?
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I hate to say it, but I think the reason why Gu supporters don't have a platform is because they don't have support. The biggest issue with the Gu is the marriage condition, which is a deal breaker for many, including myself.

Alectai said:
Basically, this.

If we had gotten some kind of letter of intent before the first meeting beyond "Hey my Cousin wants to meet you!" It might have been better. As it stands, we just don't have enough time to really get a good read on him.

To be blunt, the reason why Cai's gotten so much ground is because she wants it more. Everyone else is all "Ehhhh, it'd be nice so we'll make a token effort", or in the case of Meizhen "I'm not making you an offer because it would be a terrible idea for everybody involved, and we'd all hate each other by the end of it."

The Sect? Hasn't even so much as hinted that they might be willing to put us on retainer. The Ministry? No signs of any interest in talented up and comers in the Outer Sect. They're not willing to recruit those who could be great, only those who are already considerably above the average. Renxiang has the best offer because she's willing to give us a great offer before we're great, because she recognizes that we could be great, and she's willing to make the investment necessary to make that true. None of the other prospects are willing to do that. They'll either demand greatness first (Ministry, Sect), or are functionally a dead end waiting to happen (Meizhen, Gu Tai--a branch house of a household on the decline, in a wasteland? With the only real draw being "You might be able to plunder some ruins at some point?" It's not bad, but we'd be fundamentally subordinate in that case forever, at the bottom of the chain of command.)
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We have gotten an offer from the sect, if a vague one at best. Remember Jiao mentioning how we might become his apprentice during Zhou's trial?
 
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