So. Since I came up with this list(
A Simple Transaction I Original), I may as well start analyzing the builds through the lens of this.
Easy Advancements at our disposal I remember exist:
All Defeating Stance(28 Arete Value, available for 14 Arete, 0 Picks);
[] Forebear's Blade: All-Defeating Stance - 28 Arete
+++++All Stats
5x Power of Ruin against all targets.
Powers deriving from the Forebear's Blade are perfectly defended from nullification of any kind, even that stemming from a lack of fundamental metaphysics.
All-Defeating: All external effects natural or supernatural which would harm, impede or negatively alter the wielder must contest the amplified Power of Ruin or be destroyed before reaching the wielder. Effectively the character automatically applies an incredibly powerful conceptual-level counterattack against all hostile effects.
In practice, this mitigates all Curses as per Magic-Defeating Stance and renders the character nigh-immune to most forms of harm, as all attacks are intercepted by an imperishable well of ablative Ruin. Only the mightiest of effects can even hope to pierce through, and often with severely reduced outcomes. Even the effects of enemy Pressure are largely nullified unless that Pressure is substantially mightier than the wielder's Pressure and Power of Ruin combined.
Holy Shit: To stand against the wielder is to know only defeat. The wielder's enemies know when they are beaten. Double the wielder's Charisma and Manipulation against characters individually weaker than him. Innate awareness of the character's strength penalizes any attempts to form organizations or conspiracies opposed to him.
Going into All-Defeating Stances implications/getting them outside the quote for comparison to our current stances:
Provides Half Stage Mitigation to all Curses except presumably Doom of the Tyrant. This includes 5 percent apocryphal curse mitigation bringing it down to 85 percent strength. It's a source of Damage control for Opalescent Tower builds that go over the time limit(Magnitude indeterminate and dependent on whether or not it can upgrade Huntress Moon or just provide direct mitigation). The luck boost may improve our odds of finding a new target in time with a Tower build.
Standard All Stats Coverage ignoring buffs/Debuffs is
5 Strength+5 Willpower from Cut Through = 10 Strength
5 Constitution+5 Willpower from Cut Through = 10 Constitution
5 Agility+5 Willpower from Cut Through = 10 Agility
5 Intelligence
5 Wits
5 Wisdom
5 Charisma(+5 Appearance whatever precisely that appearance in parentheses means)
5 Manipulation
5 Protection + 5 Charisma from Vigor Incarnate = 10 Protection
5 Luck
5 Willpower
(80 Stat points of unconditional value)
We get an Omni-Defense from Power of Ruin with a power rating of our Strength times 5(Ruinous Valor) that even counteracts Hostile Rank in conjunction with our own rank. In conjunction with an upgraded Evening Sky we'd be a goddamn tank.
We get to keep our Forebear's Blade powers even if the metaphysics don't support them and they are completely immune to nullification.
Double charisma and manipulation against anybody weaker than Hunger. Penalty to any form of scheming by parties weaker than Lord Hunger.
Modeling general competence as the sum of unconditional wisdom and intelligence, Hunger Gains 7 competence before buffs and debuffs are measured.
It provides some level of control for Hunger's Charisma via manipulation but puts us closer towards ripping off the metaphorical skyveil bandaid if taken without a tower build.
For Comparison, the Effect coverage of the Stances we have is:
+2 Rank for the Purpose of Detecting, subverting, and overcoming hidden schemes, illusions and deceptions, appling the power of ruin to such schemes as are hostile to us
8 Manipulation for Anti-Scheming purposes only
2 Wits(ADS Provides 3 Wits improvement)
3 Wisdom(ADS Provides 2 Wisdom improvement)
2 Charisma(2 Protection by extension from Vigor Incarnate)(ADS Provides 3 Charisma and by Extension 3 protection worth of improvement)
7 Agility(ADS provides 3 Agility improvement)
7 Strength(ADS provides 3 Strength improvement)
7 Constitution(ADS provides 3 Consitution Improvement)
5 Protection(Conditional on the attack being from a weapon)
(30 Stat points of Unconditional Value)
Power of Ruin linked to 5 times our strength for weapon destruction purposes only
+0.2 External Rank
Half the Effects of enemy rank if it's greater than ours.
Half the Effects of being outumbered if outnumbered.
Undying Vanguard(5 Arete Value, 0 picks):
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts
With the power of the Opalescent Tower, this would be absolutely ridiculous for Gisena and Letrezia, less so for Aeira and Aobaru.
Honing(2 Arete Value, 2 picks)
[ ] Honing - 2 Arete - The swift sharp blade that frees blood from body. Requires 3x Fierce Quickening (presently have 3x).
+++Agility, ++Wits. Add half your Wits to your Intelligence for purposes of combat.
Getting this unlocks whatever the next stage in the Blood Tech tree is and provides significant improvements to Hunger's competence in combat situations. Here's some old Math of mine suggesting the possibility of an 82 percent combat competence improvement(
A Simple Transaction I Original).
Opalescence/Iridescence/Pearlescence(9 Arete 3 picks for full set): Improves effect coverage of the Evening Sky, Going to Iridescence at minimum is encouraged by Word of Rihaku for Tower builds.
Sources of Extreme Potential to mine that come to mind:
The Praxis in general
Total Eclipse(Upgradable by Tower, precise upgrade unknown, better than 25 Arete Value for 25 Arete if Tower wins): We may be able to get True Perfecting Blade(Indeterminate STR, AGI, CON, WITS and APP Stat boost) and True Nullity(Full stage mitigation on all curses) among other abilities.
Pillars of Creation(Upgradable by Tower, precise upgrade unknown, better than 25 Arete Value for 25 Arete if Tower wins): Source of enemies that can be used to continue advancing, potential source for Scent of Prey and Philosopher's Wreath advancements.
Mystery Boxes of Potential/Scaling that come to mind:
Aeira's True Shadowcord and Threnody Sorceress advancements may provide unknown synergies with our own powers and Aobarus.
Holy Grails/Extreme Power and Potential Sources if we run into them by some miracle:
Philosopher's Wreath: Stupendous potential via recursive stat improvement until wherever the asymptote is, jailbreaks Edeldross by giving Grace research parity with the gifts of the Ring of Hunger if taken with an Intelligence of 9 or higher(ADS can provide this, and Tears of Winter with Adorie can provide a sizable chunk of this, with Exalted Spirit completing the process).
Ruling Ring: Order of Magnitude Jump in pick quality combined with a 2 point All Stats boost and a force multiplier towards wielding rank through our ring of power. Given what I showed you of All Defeating Stance combined with how high our Rank will get if a Once and Future build wins, this will be farking ridiculous.
King and Court
Ber: Strongly reduces the ability of him to be a threat by means of hostages, renders him a non-threat to Hunger personally, however, the 5 Arete alternative of undying vanguard also exists as an option to address the hostage angle. Undying Vanguard does not protect Aobaru Significantly however.
Decimators Affliction: Nonissue
Royalists: I can't think of what it does for this purpose beyond just make everybody more powerful in general for a combat route through this mess
Aobaru's Terminator: Makes him hardier, Letrezia/Sharpbright Synergy may unlock unknown benefits
Letrezia Voyaging Realm Extraction: Nothing compared to Opalescent Tower's Teleportation sign that would let us warp her to the entrance presumably.
Us/Aeira/Aobaru Voyaging Realm Extraction: Nothing beyond everybody being perhaps powerful enough to withstand the voyaging realm's response?
Conquest of the Hidden Sphere: Gisena getting a rank boost to her Artifice may provide significant benefits here
Odds of Successful Vengeance: Minimizes the reckless characterization of a Tower build
Ruling Well: Makes Hunger more likely to believe he has unique duties to the people under his aegis as opposed to them merely being beneficiaries of a more benign version of Reynhard Heydrich's love of all and everything from Dies Irae.
Vengeance Against the Hidden Ones: Too soon to say
Curse Mitigation: None provided, Arete spending delays purchase of ADS
All Under Heaven:
The Example signs for Opalescent Tower Are:
Swift transport across the entirety of the Voyaging Realm(Enables easy Letrezia Extraction and hunting for new Decimator's Affliction Target)
Indomitable protection against enemy Rank or esoteric effects(This may or may not be redundant with ADS's omnidefense. If it is anything like ADS's Omnidefense, this may provide curse mitigation)
Mastery over weather and light(Utility and combat effects of currently indeterminate value)
Summoning and recall of powerful Astral denizens(Having Minions improves our general force projection capability/ability to search an area, especially if they're of sufficient level to injure Verschlengorge)
Ber: Renders Ber a non-threat to Hunger personally.
Decimators Affliction: 2 days before reactivation, with the power of Opalescent tower providing a source of 2 stage mitigation for the day after, and All-Defeating stance on speed-dial for an additional half-stage for however much that's worth. Potentially more if the Defensive sign can also provide curse mitigation. Signs are unlikely to provide more than indirect assistance per word of Rihaku. ADS luck boost may improve odds of success at rush-sating our Hunger.
Royalists: Opens up a social and demogoguery route. Makes negotiation with Lord Protector practical.
Aobaru's Terminator: Enhances the power of Pillars of Creation(25 Arete Base cost, more than 25 Arete worth of practical value from Tower Upgrade) and Total Eclipse(25 Arete Base cost, 24 Arete after discount from Edeldross, more than 25 Arete worth of practical value from Tower Upgrade) providing us with very high quality sources of scaling to keep up with whatever it is. Significant personal power boost especially if ADS is taken shortly after this in conjunction with Once and Future. Undying Vanguard is on speed-dial as a means of making Aobaru hardier if we can build sufficient bridges with him.
Letrezia Voyaging Realm Extraction: Let's us teleport her to entrance at our leisure
Us/Aeira/Aobaru Voyaging Realm Extraction: No apparent benefits beyond enhanced personal power. Weather control may aid in defusing non-giant monster based voyaging realm retaliation?
Conquest of the Hidden Sphere: Maximum Memetic Hazard with full control, access to Astral minions improves force projection at the potential cost of public relations.
Odds of Successful Vengeance: Reduces odds via reckless characterization but not the level of Eye of the Storm
Ruling Well: Those under our Aegis will be cared for, but it will be the same level of care Hunger extends to everybody barring extraordinary circumstances. ADS on speed-dial provides us some level of benefit from the Cognitive and Luck enhancements, combined with the Apocryphal Mitigation
Vengeance against the Hidden Ones: Too soon to say
Curse Mitigation: Broad Spectrum Half-Stage Mitigation from ADS on speed dial, 2 stage mitigation/Perfect Defense gets upgraded to a once a week benefit, Tower Esoteric Defense Sign may provide Curse Mitigation
Eye of the Storm:
Ber: Improves odds against Ber, Indeterminate amount compared to an OAF build. Praxis endurance improvements are a hell of a drug though.
Decimators Affliction: 2 days before reactivation, with the power of Opalescent tower providing a source of 2 stage mitigation for the day after, Potentially more if the Defensive sign can also provide curse mitigation. Signs are unlikely to provide more than indirect assistance per word of Rihaku. All Defeating Stance is not on the same level of speed-dial due to the higher Arete spending of this option, though the immediate 4 point intelligence boost Lord Hunger gets from Tears of Winter may prove helpful.
Royalists: Indeterminate
Aobaru's Terminator: Enhances the power of Pillars of Creation(25 Arete Base cost, more than 25 Arete worth of practical value from Tower Upgrade) and Total Eclipse(25 Arete Base cost, 24 Arete after discount from Edeldross, more than 25 Arete worth of practical value from Tower Upgrade) providing us with very high quality sources of scaling to keep up with whatever it is. Praxis endurance improvements are a hell of a drug too, potentially competitive with OAF. Undying Vanguard is on speed-dial as a means of making Aobaru hardier if we can build sufficient bridges with him. King of Winter provides a power source on speed dial improving our returns from Once and Future.
Letrezia Voyaging Realm Extraction: Let's us teleport her to entrance at our leisure
Us/Aeira/Aobaru Voyaging Realm Extraction: No apparent benefits beyond enhanced personal power. Weather control may aid in defusing non-giant monster based voyaging realm retaliation?
Conquest of the Hidden Sphere: Maximum Memetic Hazard with full control, access to Astral minions improves force projection at the potential cost of public relations.
Odds of Successful Vengeance: Reduces odds via reckless characterization
Ruling Well: Those under our Aegis will be cared for, but it will be the same level of care Hunger extends to everybody barring extraordinary circumstances. ADS when/if we get it provides us some level of benefit from the Cognitive and Luck enhancements, combined with the Apocryphal Mitigation. Having Adorie in our Retinue gives us a regent who is capable of caring for those under our Aegis specifically. The intelligence and other benefits from Tears of Winter help with this too. It's got Rulership, Intellect, and Calculation Domains providing us with more rulership benefits in the future too.
Vengeance against the Hidden ones: Too soon to say
Curse Mitigation: ADS in the semi-distant future, 2 stage mitigation/Perfect Defense gets upgraded to a once a week benefit, Tower Esoteric Defense Sign may provide Curse Mitigation, Adorie bonus provides 2.5% Apocryphal Mitigation. Using Adorie as a Regent makes future apocryphal attacks target us instead of areas under her control.
Word Count: 1983 Words
