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A Simple Transaction I

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[Ko] Affliction of Misfortune
[No] Brand of the Wretched
[Su] Doom of Incompetence
[Ba] Affliction of Slumber
[!] Halo of Immortality

Thought about it and in the end I think initial power is just safer. Green Armor is better if Kazuma uses his restarts sparingly and gets power at a steady rate. Worst case scenario is he uses all of his restarts and still isn't as powerful as he would have been with Halo. With 8 regenerating restarts you think this would be unlikely but don't forget that this is Kazuma. This is the guy who runs into demon generals on a regular basis. And unlike canon Kazuma there's no guarantee this one is going to run away or take a supportive role in combat on account of his newfound determination. Add in his curses and I don't think it would be strange for him to start dying just a couple days in. Higher starting power plus Konosuba world being relatively weak means even a slumber Kazuma can probably defeat a demon general a month or two.

Also if you do decide to continue this sidequest please give us the opportunity to get Retinue. Just think, Konusuba main cast but boosted with the power of progression... imagine the body count fun!
 
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ah, much better like this. I can probably keep up a 2-3 reactions per day like this, maybe even more.

I already feel more motivated! This update is even easy to split into chunks to react to!

Rihaku said:
[X] Search for Humans with [X] Apex has won. You are taking Gisena with you into the Temple outskirts beyond the antechamber. What is the nature of the prominent foe Hunger encountered within? Choose wisely, this may be the last notably productive encounter he has for this stage of the Temple.
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oh, so apex managed a recovery? Unexpected.

I'd hope for the saved Arete to be used for Wreath at some point, but I already know it hasn't been picked yet.. Still, there are other picks I'm quite looking forward to, like the various pieces of 27 arete ring!

That said, let's see what kind of boss we're going to meet...
Rihaku said:
[ ] Knight Legion - A battalion of giant knights, well-armored and organized, their animating intelligences moving in unnatural concert, scything down all in their path not native to the Temple. Far deadlier and more formidable than single knights or even small companies, this fearsome array wields encirclements, flanking maneuvers, suppressive fire and small unit tactics with the fluid organic cunning of a single unifying mind.

*Roughly 300 Knights with a wide variety of weapons and armor types, including some you haven't seen before - scout-type knights, superheavy knights, grappling specialists with barbed armor, offensive lance-wielders with ludicrously oversized weapons, etc. Fight intelligently as if coordinated by a single commander with superhuman multitasking ability and unnatural battlefield awareness.

*2 picks, +.5 Arete
*70% chance of uneventful victory
*5% chance of Gisena injury
*15% chance of major Hunger injury
*10% chance of forced withdrawal (you will not receive the chosen social encounter)
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While I sort of expect "minion swarm" to possibly be the least threatening option here (not definitive opinion, I've yet to read the other boss encounters), I'd expect this to be one of the worst possible encounters for Gisena. After all if a few minions managed to get around us she's not best suited to deal with a mostly physical threat.

...and yet there's only a 5% chance of injury for her. We probably retire and/or get hurt in her place while saving her in the other non-victory scenarios.

not necessarily a bad option, but it's a bit boring. It would have been laughably easy with death knell though.

It loses a bit on the "dark souls" atmosphere, as you never really face hords/swarms of enemies there, but then again not many action games can afford to send you against hundreds of mooks at the same time. Not without massively nerfing them at least, like in dinasty warriors style of games, or that one kingdom hearts 2 scenario in which you fought hundreds of heartless, but they died by the dozens with each reaction command.

Rihaku said:
[ ] The Dreadbeast - Fearsome as the hill-eater wurm was, it seems a meagre threat indeed before the heaven-shaking dreadbeast, whose scream of cold command shatters steel and chills the marrow, whose hoofbeats are rolling thunder, whose claws are scythes, whose maw is a furnace, slabs of its armor like a living mountainside. Unstoppable or invisible at its leisure, the spray of its blood ropey tendrils which ensnare and bind, with the cleverness of three men and the cunning of nine.

*A Rank 5 monstrosity with semi-axiomatic strength or invisibility, very high speed, mortifying claws that inflict cursed wounds of rot and decay, a scream attack that deals heavy cold damage and destroys mundane equipment, a continuous breath attack that deals heavy fire damage to those within melee range facing its maw, an aoe bind effect that strikes those within the range of its blood when spilled, and the durability of a large mountain. Superhumanly cunning and deceptive, with a mastery of ensnarement and manipulation that verges on the supernal, but pathologically incapable of withdrawing once engaged.

*4 picks with Defining Advancement, +.25 Rank
*50% chance of major Hunger injury
*5% chance of major Gisena injury
*25% chance of grievous injury to both (Pristine Star grants high chance to stabilize)
*10% chance of death of Hunger's Spirit Form, with 80% chance of Rage
*10% chance of Gisena's death, with 90% chance of subsequent Rage

*10% chance of the Form of Rage being defeated if triggered
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And HERE the dark souls is back in strenght. This definitely sounds like an appropriate boss there.

...confession time: when I read "a scream attack that deals heavy cold damage and destroys mundane equipment" My first thought was that Gisena might lose her clothes here.

Then I remembered we're on SV, not QQ. it was a nice fantasy though :oops:

Going back to serious mode: This is a tough one. This is probably the most dangerous choice seen until now, even compared to the very scenic route and tyrant beast, but the rewards if we win are MASSIVE.

4 picks. +.25 rank. That's a lot. If Gisena wasn't here we likely wouldn't have a chance, except maybe in Rage Form, and likely with a much bigger chance of failure than the given 10% for it.

so, 50+5+25= 80% chance of winning with acceptable injuries (even if Pristine Star wasn't enough to heal we could take healing picks to help, either now or from future EASIER encounters, and the adventurers we save might even have healing items/powers)

10% chance of needing to pass an 80% roll to trigger rage. Rage form ALSO has a small chance (10%) of not being enough.

10% of Gisena dying.

my immediate reaction was "fuck that, I ain't letting her die", but then again... death of a companion is far from being the end of the quest, and there are ALWAYS ways to resurrect people. A possible one could be philosopher's wreath, for example. We already have proof that Graces can give resurrection powers after all. And we could always get limited resurrection abilities from some other monster, or maybe the adventurers know of rez magic.

all in all, I think the rewards are big enough and the worst cases unlikely enough that I could be convinced to risk it, which is more than I could say for Tyrant Beast and Very Scenic Route.

Also I REALLY like the boss' description, and I think this would be a very epic fight to read!

Rihaku said:
[ ] The Magus - Deadly as the monsters are, deadlier still is man. Of his nature you know little, hooded and cloaked with his face wreathed in shadow, his crisply dyed robes of blue and white freshly starched and pristine. He says little and attacks without preamble, age-mottled hands tracing sublime evocations to transmute or disorient, transport or destroy.

*3 picks, +2 Arete, +??
*50% chance of uneventful victory
*30% chance of grievous injury to both (Pristine Star grants high chance to stabilize)
*20% chance of death of one or both, with 95% chance of Rage

*25% chance of the Form of Rage being defeated if triggered
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mistery box. Surprisingly high chance of death, I suppose it makes sense for there to be such a difference in the best/worst case scenarios when you're fighting a mage. If you take it by surprise/stop him from casting it's an easy match, but if he gets to prepare and/or has the right spell to deal with you ready...


Well, for now I'm leaning towards the DreadBeast. I'm slightly curious about the mistery box, it might even reveal some temple lore, but somehow I'm not THAT curious.

Rihaku said:
Choose one bonus:

[ ] Veterancy: Strategy is a blade that cuts both ways. Sufficient well-developed tactics, discussion, fanworks for this fight can earn a re-roll. May be applied to either the combat above or the spar against the Amiable Brutes, below.

[ ] Seize the Day: +1 pick from this combat encounter.

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oh, this makes it easier! Excessive greed is bad here, let's take Dreadbeast + Veterancy, and I think the risk are brought low enough!
Rihaku said:
And, presuming he overcomes said foe, which group of people does he stumble upon?

[ ] The Beset Party - A group of beleaguered adventurers, mostly slaughtered, whom you rescue from the monster encountered above. Grateful but mostly inept, they are of little benefit to Hunger personally, though the information they have on the Temple itself could be of value. They will need to be babysat to their point of egress, but will pay well with money or favors when their rescue is complete.

*No chance of Tyrant proc
*Guaranteed knowledge of side exit & limited Temple details
*Guaranteed friendly introduction to the Encampment
*It's nice to save people again.
*Doom risk: Low
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simple, safe, a bit boring. Might be a good combo with an especially dangerous boss,, but It's just so basic! Don't you have anything more interesting, Rihaku?
Rihaku said:
[ ] A Wandering Caravan - A party of intrepid merchants, exploring the Temple grounds for things to sell. What things, you ask? They'll happily tell, for a price. For a price as well, they have a wide array of wondrous potions and tinctures, concoctions to heal the body or sharpen the mind, ensure pleasant dreams or death quick and painful. Carrying strange lunar sigils, they walk the grounds unthreatened by Knight or monster, eliciting nods of cordial acknowledgement when passing by, or commanding swift deference as needed.

*You can try to rob them but will encounter either a Knight Legion or Dreadbeast in addition to the enemy you face above, as they call upon the power of their sigils to apprehend you.
*Successful robbery would secure such sigils for your own use, vastly increasing your speed of penetration into the Temple grounds.
*They offer various healing & buffing potions for an exorbitant price
*They offer information about the Temple and Encampment, in greater details than the Beset Party, at a reasonable price
*They will pay handsomely for the secret of the Moon Gates
*Doom risk: Medium
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mh.. interesting. Robbery would even be very rewarding, and the added power from defeating the first boss (especially if it's a DreadBeast) might very well make defeating the second easy enough as to be worth risking, even with the damage...but I don't really want to give Hunger that kind of characterization. They're a bit suspicious, but they don't really deserve to be robbed..

So, to me it becomes a question of if the higher Doom Risk and Better information are worth the lost reward from the Adventurers, as we likely can't really afford their wares, or might not be willing to pay for them if we can.

And if we choose the adventurers, we could probably then try and see if there's anything on the sale in the base outside the temple anyway.

So, between the two, Adventurers is in my opinion better. but there are still more options to look at!

Rihaku said:
[ ] The Amiable Brutes - A pair of formidable adventurers who are always up for a spar. If successful, they'll tell you whatever you like and gift you one of a number of primordial Runes with powerful magical effects. They may even join forces to help clear out the Temple! If you lose, they'll require one of your objects of power or two major favors to be sealed with a binding oath.

*50% chance of defeating them in the spar
*If successful, gain a Primordial Rune and one to two mighty allies
*Guaranteed friendly introduction to the Encampment regardless
*If you fail to defeat them, you'll have to give up one of your items of power or owe them two major favors
*Doom risk: Medium
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mh.. we don't really HAVE items of powers beyond our panoply and Verschle, do we? And those are not up for sale or trade!

I suppose there's the Fish's spoils maybe, but if that's not enough I'm not interested. Still preferring the basic adventurers.

but oh, what's that? AN ARETE ENCOUNTER? I'm listening!

Rihaku said:
[ ] The Shining Paragon [2 Arete] - Dame Gabrielle Fairbright is a living exemplar of the Noble Truth. Blessed with extraordinary beauty, grace, quickness of mind and the beneficence of fortune, she wields her ancestral blade in service to Truth and Justice wheresoever they may take her. Today they have taken her to the Temple of the False Moon, and to Hunger, who is beset by a monster out of legend. Worry not, fair wanderer and Lady Sorceress, this shining knight shall dispatch your interloper forthwith!

*Requires The Dreadbeast or The Magus
*Her assistance grants a +19 bonus to the above combat roll, all but guaranteeing survival against foes of this caliber
*Considerably more powerful than the two of you, and self-righteous, though not annoyingly so. Unlikely to attack if unprovoked.
*Has a nuanced, balanced, and compassionate view of the good that neither makes undue allowances for petty evil nor descends into sanctimonious self-rationalizing.
*Commands a number of powerful magical systems in unison, blessed by good fortune, willing to join you for the duration of the Temple.
*The power of her bloodline, the Fairbright Legacy, drives darkness, illness, and foulness from the world.
*There is something distinctly... odd about her. Something is afoot here. Whether it portends good or ill, you are not certain.
*Doom risk: Medium to High depending on strategy
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...I'm both intrigued AND disappointed.

Intrigued because the character seems interesting, I feel like I should remember the name Fairbright from somewhere else, and because she potentially gives access to MANY possible magic systems.

Disappointed because... well, she's sort of a kill-stealer! This was supposed to be OURS epic fight!

Admittedly she DOES makes the risky options much less risky, but there is some risks in interacting with her. She's much more powerful than us after all, and depending on HOW she learns about decimator she might...disagree with us.

And that's without considering Tyrant.


So, I can see myself voting for two possible plans

1)Dreadbeast + Veterancy + The Beset Party. Save the adventurers and mitigate risk with a re-roll

2)Dreadbeast + Seize the Day + The Shining Paragon. If she saves us we might as well pick the greediest options.

I think I like the first one more though, but I'm not against the second one as long as some time is spent to argue about how to exactly talk/approach this mysterious and suspicious paragon of TRUTH

1138 words. Can't wait to read the next update!
 
Grace and favour are tied. Both have their fare share of omake power so this could go either way.
Adhoc vote count started by Tyrant_Rayne on Oct 24, 2020 at 1:51 PM, finished with 501 posts and 66 votes.
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Since it was particularly well-received, even to the point where Rihaku submitted a build vote idea, I've decided to write more. Enjoy!

Rihaku-42342 said:
Ah, My Useless Goddess...

"I don't understand," Kazuma eventually ground out.

After making such a grandiose overture about his newfound desire to shatter heaven, it felt like a step backwards to admit that he was clueless.

He'd been reading through the catalogue of available Curses and Remittances for nearly five minutes.

The Accursed, like a forbearing rock that glimpsed out of a running stream in a temperate forest, waited for him to make his choices with incontrovertible resolve as if resting in a meditative state. His closed eyes opened to regard Kazuma as the boy declared his confusion.

"Won't this all be a waste of time, if I stay dead? It seems like the Geas of Indenture is the only thing from this list I can take that'll let me go anywhere other than the afterlife," Kazuma swiftly clarified.

"Incorrect," the Accursed said. The man cast a single look at the haughty goddess, a look that bore her no especial enmity, and yet seemed to discern her much like an eagle watching one from above with a displeased expression, ready to strike down. "This minor divine spirit didn't have adequate time to explain the order of things to you. Alas, she chose to laugh instead. I suppose if you're not inclined to select Indenture, I may as well explain in her stead: she had intended to offer you a paltry boon then resurrect you in another world, with the task of slaying an all-powerful Demon King."

Despite his unnatural dislike for the man - a fact he understood mostly through seeing this specific Curse's effects described across the canvas of his mind - Kazuma found himself quick to leap into trust for the Accursed. Unlike the goddess, he didn't laugh at the misfortune of others; and he was honest, if blunt.

But those words cast some doubts on the veracity of that belief. Kazuma narrowed his eyes in dubitation. "What do you mean? She was going to offer me a transaction of her own?"

"Make no mistake," the Accursed calmed him down with a gesture of détente. A wicked ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, as if deriving amusement from some existential joke. "The Heavenly Bureaucracy of this realm is very political, and overflowing with corruption. The entire world I speak of is secretly a shrine scheme, of sorts. The godlings send down heroes from Earth whose souls are uniquely attuned to planar travel and give them a humble blessing to show they are actively supporting the people of the world, and receive their prayers and worship in return. The heroes themselves are vetted carefully, to ensure none of them are sufficiently competent or receive a powerful-enough cheat to actually overcome the threat. A fool's errand, where countless well-meaning people die for no reason."

Kazuma listened with rapt attention, finding himself thrown into the Accursed's words, enraptured by them. Not because his voice was beautiful, but because as he kept listening, the desire for vengeance only intensified in the tugging of his heart, and his teeth grit calamitously like the fangs of a beast out for blood.

"Once in a while, the Demon King needs pruning - if the godlings let him run amok for too long, they risk losing support among worshippers or letting the situation get out of control," the Accursed expanded in a lackadaisical tone. "They empower one, true chosen and he slays the Demon King. Simultaneously, they empower another chosen who is manipulated and led down a path that'll lead him to, in a time of decades, becoming the next Demon King."

The Accursed turned, looking at Kazuma once again with a blank look. "And so the cycle repeats. The wheel turns once more. The godlings draw power, the Heavenly Bureaucracy flourishes, and godlings like this one before you enjoy a life of abundant, corrupt opulence with no limits to excess." The Accursed didn't smirk, but there was a widening in his cheeks; a road halfway to polite satisfaction. "Coincidentally, if you're interested, she is quite compatible with the Geas of Incompetence, and disliked by the other godlings enough that you could make a direct wish for her to accompany you, and it wouldn't be denied."

"Do you usually offer this much direct advice to new Cursebearers?" Kazuma found himself asking for some strange reason, mostly suspicion.

"No," the Accursed admitted point-blank. "But if there's anyone who needs the help desperately, it is you, Satou Kazuma. I am willing to give you the light push if it means you'll grow into someone worthwhile for it."

Kazuma managed to accept those words, without as much annoyance. He looked down and perished any trace of doubt.

"Okay. In that case, I think I know what I'll take. Let me have one last look, to make sure," Kazuma said.

The Accursed nodded imperceptibly, then closed his eyes again like an android turning itself off; present and dormant, but not entirely in this location. Kazuma cast another anxious glance at his curse list, wondering if he could really take this mixture.

---

Last round, these votes won:

[Ko] Affliction of Misfortune
[No] Brand of the Wretched
[Su] Doom of Incompetence
[Ba] Affliction of Slumber
[!] Halo of Immortality

A very stable mixture of curses. It offers a large consistency of impediments, but none of them are, on their own, so large as to completely ruin your life. The Accursed's words are going to ring true doubtless of what you do, and you'll probably suffer ridicule, misfortune, and the weariness that comes with having a spoiled goddess as a companion, but it's one of the better choices you could've made.

Let's see if we can make it even better.

You have selected Halo of Immortality. Integrating Primary Remittance...

Please, select one.

[ ] Cultivation - Titanic Splendour.

The Cursebearer becomes an initiate Cultivator. Within your breast rises the power that, with enough refinement, can make entire worlds quake in terror; within your hands is the delicate precision of a killer and seeder of life, a ceaseless grower who acquires and then reaps the benefits of his endeavor in order to achieve supernal, transcendent power.

Cultivation is superlative and uncommon as far as magical arts go, even among multiversal travelers. Rare indeed is the sign of grandeur that foretells the presence of a Cultivator, for by the stroke of his sickle, entire forests may find themselves reaped; by the wilting maleficence of his gaze countries can wither and become dessicated, barren wastelands; by his mercy and kindness instead, an entire world may flourish and enter an Age of Glory.

There are seven primary stages of Cultivation and each differs from the others. Every stage offers powers that increase in ontological worth and function: starting Cultivators mostly experience physical alterations, but the further one moves along its tiers, the higher the echelons of vigor they may reach. At a certain level, the Cultivator may shape the very stuff of reality itself.

*Start with a sack of useful Cultivation resources that are going to let you achieve a basic level of power to start within short order.
*In addition, some of the most basic annals of Cultivation are unlocked. This manifests as a modest increase to strength, speed, and reflexes, as well as a doubling your natural wound healing speed. With the exception of leaping headfirst into the most dangerous situation you can possibly find, you're assured to survive for now.
*Reaching even modest heights requires a massive investment of time, effort, and resources. Only the improbably fortunate or shockingly talented ever advance past the second stage. Cultivation resources are uncommon, although a lack of active competitors could make things easier.
*Stacks with other, similar effects to a certain limit.
*Apparently, the Accursed received this power from a Cursebearer who received it from a loyal subordinate whose best friend had a cousin, that had a lover, that had a sister who had a meeting with a hobo on the street who led her to a cloaked street fixer, whose older brother managed to speak with an interdimensional dealer whose brother-in-law managed to pick up this power from a mysterious Cultivator on distant a world. Said world was ruled by Fates similar to the Heavenly Bureaucracy that Kazuma is facing, so this power may prove useful in some ways.
*The man who originally sold the aforementioned brother-in-law this power had introduced himself as, "Yong Liefang."

[ ] The Clockwork Uniform - Spark of True Creation.

The Cursebearer gains the most abnormal power: the capability for limitless combination and refinement. Allegedly the fragment of a god who'd been defeated eons ago, the Accursed believes this power has no use to him anymore and instead offers it to you.

This power has two, primary functions:

*Combine - Can be used up to three times a day, effect is near-instantaneous. Uses per day, as well as scale of application increase through progression into this power.

Using this effect will unerringly combine the function, concept, and form of two, held objects. At baseline, these objects cannot have a soul or be any bigger than an object the Cursebearer can hold in his hands. The effects can be unpredictable for all but the most obvious uses. The user can guide the process slightly, for example choosing which object's form is dominant over the other.

For an obvious example, combining a length of cloth and a steel ingot will produce a textile weave that primarily contains steel; or if the user guides it that way, a humungous clump of hard, stiff cloth.

*Refine - Can be used up to once every three days, effect takes seconds to minutes. Uses per day, speed of effects, as well as scale and precision of application increase through progression into this power.

There are five settings to Refine: Destroy, Disassemble, Exchange, Improve, Transcend. Each setting causes something else to happen to a touched object: at baseline a touched object cannot have a soul or be any bigger than an object the Cursebearer can hold in his hand.

*Destroy causes, rather obviously, the object's destruction beyond any possibility of recovery. Magical objects affected this way shall cease to work no matter what, any magical quality leaving them forever. Physical hardness won't protect against this; profanely-high conceptual invulnerability will be necessary to avoid obliteration.

*Disassemble causes, instead, for the object to be picked apart into the sum of its parts. Each part is undamaged and retains any mystical or conceptual significance it held, no matter how improbable that would be. If the Cursebearer knows how to do so, the object can be put back together. A more delicate form of Destroy, in other words.

*Exchange causes the object to be replaced with another object of similar worth, size, and equivalent or related function. A sword may become a spear for example, a pen may become a brush, and so on. This can be used even on highly powerful magical artifacts.

*Improve causes the object's scalar variables to be slightly refined and heightened, with diminishing returns for each successive improvement. A firearm with a muzzle velocity of 350 meters per second may be elevated to 450 meters per second on its first improvement, then to 500 on its second, then 525, etc. All attributes are improved, however, so long as they can be reasoned as beneficial to using the object: a firearm's muzzle velocity not only increases, but its recoil and weight decrease, the grip becomes more comfortable, and so on.

*Transcend is a special case. If used, it causes the Refine function to shut down for anywhere from a week to a month, or possibly more in the case of magical objects, swallowing the object in question for that entire duration. When the object emerges, it is transcendent in some form: an ordinary blade can turn into an artifact sword, a shield can turn aside sustained artillery fire, or a pair of sneakers allows the user to run at near-sonic speeds. Subsequent uses of transcendence cause the levels of excellence of the object to increase, but the process takes even longer.

The user receives a third, minor trait: Stalwart Cog. For the purposes of receiving damage, the user's skin is considered 2/5th as hard as iron; their flesh is twice as hard as that, and their bones four times. In addition, should you suffer a near-fatal injury, you can instead spend a charge of Refine in order to place yourself in a pocket dimension for self-repair, which takes up to half an hour depending on the severity of the injury.

*Versatile and useful. It offers some immediate power, and then a constant trickle more to satisfy you.
*The breadth and depth of this power expand in time: at a certain stage, the Combination or Refinement of entire planets or civilizations may become possible. Nothing is truly past this system, but relevant options must be attained first.

[ ] The Verdant Decipher Fortress - What else is there to say? Just be yourself.

Putting one's eggs in a single basket sounds precarious. You'd prefer to have a toast smeared evenly, so to speak - the Accursed offers you a combination of several, minor boons that complement your total abilities instead of a single, consolidated Remittance you'd be less confident with.

*Verdant: Once upon your death or suffering of an unacceptable loss, you may rewind the relevant timelines up to half a decade, though not to any point before you became a Cursebearer. All Cursebearers will retain their memories of the period rewound. Triggers unprompted if you die unexpectedly. This use can be regained with sufficient Accursed Favor.
*Decipher: Choose one additional Lesser Remittance.
*Fortress: The Cursebearer receives an instantaneous, +20 to all stats. At his current level, this presents an improvement roughly comparable to a year of modestly intensive and focused exercise, study, and social practice. It's nothing astonishing, but at least they won't be lagging behind their peers to start with.
*Fortune's Smile: Once per year, for a duration of no longer than an hour, the Cursebearer may cast away his Affliction of Misfortune. His shining luck, suppressed for long, strains to once again flourish and alters reality in their favor: for that hour, the user's Luck is moved one step across the Infinite Singularity Husk. Destiny becomes their promised ally, and Fate bends over to accommodate them. Improbable things that serve the Cursebearer happen with regularity; impossible things can happen with only minor effort, such as making an otherwise peerless swordsman forget about an opening in his stance.

[ ] The Undecided Remittance - Gamble each day for a new chance at life.

This Remittance is somewhat quirky and comes from a mysterious source, but the Accursed believes it may serve you well.

Each day upon waking up, the Cursebearer receives an entirely random set of three superpowers, with a power level decided by a metaphysical dice roll, but which scales with you somewhat. A low roll, in the beginning, means a pathetic ability, while a high roll means an ability not much better than a Lesser Remittance; at higher levels of Progression, even a low roll can mean a power that's relevant on a battlefield.

Despite its best attempts, the Affliction of Misfortune cannot skew any of these results, nor can they be augmented to become luckier in any way, shape or form: this Remittance spits in the eyes of any form of determinism, even the subtle kind: it wishes for chaotic randomness, free of any constraints or corrupting factors. You have no choice but to accommodate it, so the results are truly random.

The main issue with this Remittance is naturally that it is difficult to train with: you cannot learn to rely on techniques that shift every waking day. That being said, the Accursed trusts the Cursebearer is resourceful enough to utilize it.

The actual nature of the powers received each day is truly and unmistakably the essence of random: do not look for any sort of consistency or pattern, for it is an exercise in futility. One day, it may give you a set of powers that consists of shooting globes of sticky bubble-gum, the creation of telekinetic propellers that let you move at higher speeds, and the ability to see through walls no thicker than three inches; the next day, it may instead offer the ability to animate furniture made out of textiles and wood, craft artifacts on par with Excalibur or Mjolnir, and manipulate anything that conceptually qualifies as "poison" at a short-range, but with fine control.

*Chaos manifest as power.
*Most Cursebearers would, if not struggle, then stumble with this power. Kazuma is uniquely suited; he will be mediocre at worst, and flourish thanks to it at best.
*In a way, this can also be beneficial, since enemies will be unable to counter you almost no matter what. How are you supposed to counter a power that's never the same?
*To ensure the Cursebearer doesn't perish to start with, the Accursed will force this system to produce at least one, useful defensive power with each reroll for the starting five days; each of these powers is rated at 9/10 or 10/10 power, and never lower. The others receive a slight augmentation for this same duration.

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If you'd like to receive additional Remittance Value, take pick of the Lesser Curses below: each one is worth a single Lesser Remittance.

[ ] Brand of the Chaste - All romantic relationships will inevitably end in either betrayal or horrific tragedy. Cursebearer may instigate betrayal in order to 'proc' Curse on his own terms.
[ ] Doom of the Prick - The Cursebearer feels a strong need to act rude towards other people with no provocation; the state of his emotions does not matter. Can be rather calamitous with Brand of the Wretched if you don't watch your mouth.
[ ] Affliction of the Black Cat - Lower the rate of the Affliction of Misfortune Mitigation by 50%. Decrease the user's luck by 100 once.
[ ] Affliction of Leprosy - Constantly suffer from low-level illness, inflicting penalties to all actions. Proactive use of any physical attributes imposes a penalty scaling with the power of the attribute. Horrific leprous appearance can only be overcome by physically covering the body.

Cursebearer, please select 2 Lesser Remittances.

Companion:

[ ] Goddess Aqua

Physical ***
Social **
Mental

Due to being picked as the soon-to-be victim of your Geas of Incompetence, Aqua's Fate and yours will be interwoven no matter what. On a pure technicality, you already possess her as a companion.

However, with this Remittance, the Accursed will tie those knots of Fate even tighter, that they become as bindings. If Aqua should ever become lost or unable to follow you, the universe will find a way to curveball her back towards you like a lost, cursed possession that you were hoping not to ever see again. This minimizes the risk of her being captured by an enemy, and should it happen anyway, it nearly ensures that she'll live for long enough that you may rescue her. It also decreases her stupidity just a little bit without compromising the Geas of Incompetence and makes her more suitable for Curse Mitigation.

Furthermore, since no matter what happens she'll eventually follow you into the New World, you're free to pick one of the Cheat Powers that she offers, rather than choosing her as the Accursed said you'd have to do normally. The Cheat Powers are below anything that the Accursed has on offer, but power is power: why refuse it?

[ ] Natsuki Subaru

Physical **
Social ****
Mental **

A fellow Japanese countryman of similar age who, oddly enough, seems to behave you as if he recognized you from somewhere. When questioned, he refuses to spill the beans and whistles innocently, but there's something more to this guy. His arrival next to you in the New World has gone unexplained.

Subaru is easy-going, adventurous, carefree, optimistic, and encourages an open, honest, and altruistic style of living. He can be somewhat forgetful and silly, and sometimes commits to irrational courses of action, but this is offset by a seemingly inexorable level of insane preparedness for anything the future has in stock. He genuinely enjoys helping other people with their problems, and is in fact quite superhumanly adept at it, and is especially loyal to those he holds dear. Although it's not the kind of resolve the Accursed is looking for, Subaru can be an incredibly driven and determined person, suffering time and time again for his friends as if it were nothing.

He doesn't appear to hold any personal, supernatural powers: In fact, he outright claims he used to possess several but lost them at some point, and hopes to regain them sometime in the future. But for some reason, he always seems to be mysteriously well-prepared for the circumstances you encounter. He always has good advice to offer, both in general and for near-future events; listen carefully to what he says, and you're almost assured to survive even during an event comparable to armageddon. He is also a moderately skilled user of Yin Magic, and specializes in the spell Shamak, which causes sensory deprivation on the target.

[ ] Chris, "Big Boss" the Thief

Physical ****
Social *
Mental ***

An experienced and proud member of the Thief class, who approached you soon after your arrival in the New World and asked if you needed help.

Chris has an energetic, cheerful, and tomboyish personality. Despite her class, she acts more like a noble rogue: Chris is a very kind, gentle soul and helps those in need expecting nothing in return, and she can be childish occasionally.

In exchange for training in Rogue Skills of the Thief class, she politely requests that you refer to her as, "Big Boss."

In combat, she is remarkably swift and dextrous, wearing no armor and preferring to evade attacks or use her fellow party members for assistance. She uses an enchanted dagger that causes debilitating wounds that are, nonetheless, rarely if ever lethal, and supplements her fighting with an array of Rogue Skills: low-order supernatural effects that let her, among other things, conceal her presence, create traps from wires instantly, steal objects from a distance, lockpick, or detect traps, treasure, and monsters.

Artifact:

[ ] A Ring - Not a ring of power, but something far more precious, and of far larger importance. When the Cursebearer sees this old, weathered golden band, his blackened heart suddenly beats anew, blood as red as authentic life and feeling pumping through his veins.

It cannot be put on, because it's not meant to; but once held, it can never be let go. The Cursebearer will protect this ring with his life, and he is unable to explain why. It must be something of great importance to be so cherished, even if no one else seems to care.

[ ] A Sword - Not a sword of some ancient hero, but something far greater, and of far larger importance. There is an inscription on the handle, but the runes of naming have long since worn away into obscurity. Its craft resembles that of a sturdy wakizashi; a Japanese shortsword that is suitable both for slashing and stabbing, and which is good at striking for weak points on an opponent's body, but serves poorly against heavy armor. It will require precision and finesse to harness properly.

If this sword holds anything resembling magical power, you wouldn't be the one to know. At the present, it seems to be a mundane if rather well-crafted, old blade. Perhaps, one day you'll reclaim its story from the clutches of Fate.

[ ] A Mask - This strange mask covers and sticks to the upper face as if magnetized, but can be peeled off without a problem. Despite not having any eye openings, the user can see through it as if it were a one-sided mirror. Black and white color, with a star marking. What could this mask possibly mean?

This mask appears to be exceptional at hiding the user's identity; even close allies will fail to recognize the user whilst he is wearing it, unless he put it on directly in their presence. It may be hard to establish cause and effect with this effect. For example: masked user walks into a room -> pulls off mask -> pursuers of masked user enter the same room and fail to recognize unmasked user as masked user despite identical garments and weapons and there being no other possible exit; they are confused and determine the masked user probably had a teleportation crystal or ability.

Upgrade:

[ ] Retinue - You may designate up to five members of your Retinue. Each reduces your rate of Progression by 25% multiplicatively. Each advances in their primary area of specialization with Progression one-fourth the potency of your own. Needless to say, this is an outrageous and irreplaceable boon. Retinue companions are easy to add, costly to remove.

Your Retinue companions may with a short ceremony voluntarily pledge loyalty to any member of your retinue or yourself. This axiomatically prevents that character from betraying the one to whom they have so pledged. Breaking a pledge is possible but is always time-consuming, obvious over any distance, extremely onerous, and afflicts the forsworn with a particularly ironic flavor of the Apocryphal Curse centered upon themselves. Pledges can be voluntarily released by mutual agreement in a less time-consuming process.

You may pledge loyalty to Retinue companions as well. Pledges may be mutual or not, mutual pledges may be simultaneous or not. You must add a character to the Retinue before pledges (from or to) can be made.

[ ] Relinquishment - For each decade of service as a Cursebearer, gain one week of freedom from your Curses. Your burdens will be transferred to volunteering Cursebearers for that time. You are free to travel even with the Geas but must be back before the week is over. You may improve the term and frequency of Relinquishment by mitigating your Curses more.

[ ] Accursed Favor

Forgo a Lesser Remittance. Causes the Accursed to like you slightly more. Benefits uncertain, can be taken multiple times.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Ah, My Useless Goddess...

"I don't understand," Kazuma eventually ground out.

After making such a grandiose overture about his newfound desire to shatter heaven, it felt like a step backwards to admit that he was clueless.

He'd been reading through the catalogue of available Curses and Remittances for nearly five minutes.

The Accursed, like a forbearing rock that glimpsed out of a running stream in a temperate forest, waited for him to make his choices with incontrovertible resolve as if resting in a meditative state. His closed eyes opened to regard Kazuma as the boy declared his confusion.

"Won't this all be a waste of time, if I stay dead? It seems like the Geas of Indenture is the only thing from this list I can take that'll let me go anywhere other than the afterlife," Kazuma swiftly clarified.

"Incorrect," the Accursed said. The man cast a single look at the haughty goddess, a look that bore her no especial enmity, and yet seemed to discern her much like an eagle watching one from above with a displeased expression, ready to strike down. "This minor divine spirit didn't have adequate time to explain the order of things to you. Alas, she chose to laugh instead. I suppose if you're not inclined to select Indenture, I may as well explain in her stead: she had intended to offer you a paltry boon then resurrect you in another world, with the task of slaying an all-powerful Demon King."

Despite his unnatural dislike for the man - a fact he understood mostly through seeing this specific Curse's effects described across the canvas of his mind - Kazuma found himself quick to leap into trust for the Accursed. Unlike the goddess, he didn't laugh at the misfortune of others; and he was honest, if blunt.

But those words cast some doubts on the veracity of that belief. Kazuma narrowed his eyes in dubitation. "What do you mean? She was going to offer me a transaction of her own?"

"Make no mistake," the Accursed calmed him down with a gesture of détente. A wicked ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, as if deriving amusement from some existential joke. "The Heavenly Bureaucracy of this realm is very political, and overflowing with corruption. The entire world I speak of is secretly a shrine scheme, of sorts. The godlings send down heroes from Earth whose souls are uniquely attuned to planar travel and give them a humble blessing to show they are actively supporting the people of the world, and receive their prayers and worship in return. The heroes themselves are vetted carefully, to ensure none of them are sufficiently competent or receive a powerful-enough cheat to actually overcome the threat. A fool's errand, where countless well-meaning people die for no reason."

Kazuma listened with rapt attention, finding himself thrown into the Accursed's words, enraptured by them. Not because his voice was beautiful, but because as he kept listening, the desire for vengeance only intensified in the tugging of his heart, and his teeth grit calamitously like the fangs of a beast out for blood.

"Once in a while, the Demon King needs pruning - if the godlings let him run amok for too long, they risk losing support among worshippers or letting the situation get out of control," the Accursed expanded in a lackadaisical tone. "They empower one, true chosen and he slays the Demon King. Simultaneously, they empower another chosen who is manipulated and led down a path that'll lead him to, in a time of decades, becoming the next Demon King."

The Accursed turned, looking at Kazuma once again with a blank look. "And so the cycle repeats. The wheel turns once more. The godlings draw power, the Heavenly Bureaucracy flourishes, and godlings like this one before you enjoy a life of abundant, corrupt opulence with no limits to excess." The Accursed didn't smirk, but there was a widening in his cheeks; a road halfway to polite satisfaction. "Coincidentally, if you're interested, she is quite compatible with the Geas of Incompetence, and disliked by the other godlings enough that you could make a direct wish for her to accompany you, and it wouldn't be denied."

"Do you usually offer this much direct advice to new Cursebearers?" Kazuma found himself asking for some strange reason, mostly suspicion.

"No," the Accursed admitted point-blank. "But if there's anyone who needs the help desperately, it is you, Satou Kazuma. I am willing to give you the light push if it means you'll grow into someone worthwhile for it."

Kazuma managed to accept those words, without as much annoyance. He looked down and perished any trace of doubt.

"Okay. In that case, I think I know what I'll take. Let me have one last look, to make sure," Kazuma said.

The Accursed nodded imperceptibly, then closed his eyes again like an android turning itself off; present and dormant, but not entirely in this location. Kazuma cast another anxious glance at his curse list, wondering if he could really take this mixture.

---

Last round, these votes won:

[Ko] Affliction of Misfortune
[No] Brand of the Wretched
[Su] Doom of Incompetence
[Ba] Affliction of Slumber
[!] Halo of Immortality

A very stable mixture of curses. It offers a large consistency of impediments, but none of them are, on their own, so large as to completely ruin your life. The Accursed's words are going to ring true doubtless of what you do, and you'll probably suffer ridicule, misfortune, and the weariness that comes with having a spoiled goddess as a companion, but it's one of the better choices you could've made.

Let's see if we can make it even better.

You have selected Halo of Immortality. Integrating Primary Remittance...

Please, select one.

[ ] Cultivation - Titanic Splendour.

The Cursebearer becomes an initiate Cultivator. Within your breast rises the power that, with enough refinement, can make entire worlds quake in terror; within your hands is the delicate precision of a killer and seeder of life, a ceaseless grower who acquires and then reaps the benefits of his endeavor in order to achieve supernal, transcendent power.

Cultivation is superlative and uncommon as far as magical arts go, even among multiversal travelers. Rare indeed is the sign of grandeur that foretells the presence of a Cultivator, for by the stroke of his sickle, entire forests may find themselves reaped; by the wilting maleficence of his gaze countries can wither and become dessicated, barren wastelands; by his mercy and kindness instead, an entire world may flourish and enter an Age of Glory.

There are seven primary stages of Cultivation and each differs from the others. Every stage offers powers that increase in ontological worth and function: starting Cultivators mostly experience physical alterations, but the further one moves along its tiers, the higher the echelons of vigor they may reach. At a certain level, the Cultivator may shape the very stuff of reality itself.

*Start with a sack of useful Cultivation resources that are going to let you achieve a basic level of power to start within short order.
*In addition, some of the most basic annals of Cultivation are unlocked. This manifests as a modest increase to strength, speed, and reflexes, as well as a doubling your natural wound healing speed. With the exception of leaping headfirst into the most dangerous situation you can possibly find, you're assured to survive for now.
*Reaching even modest heights requires a massive investment of time, effort, and resources. Only the improbably fortunate or shockingly talented ever advance past the second stage. Cultivation resources are uncommon, although a lack of active competitors could make things easier.
*Stacks with other, similar effects to a certain limit.
*Apparently, the Accursed received this power from a Cursebearer who received it from a loyal subordinate whose best friend had a cousin, that had a lover, that had a sister who had a meeting with a hobo on the street who led her to a cloaked street fixer, whose older brother managed to speak with an interdimensional dealer whose brother-in-law managed to pick up this power from a mysterious Cultivator on distant a world. Said world was ruled by Fates similar to the Heavenly Bureaucracy that Kazuma is facing, so this power may prove useful in some ways.
*The man who originally sold the aforementioned brother-in-law this power had introduced himself as, "Yong Liefang."

[ ] The Clockwork Uniform - Spark of True Creation.

The Cursebearer gains the most abnormal power: the capability for limitless combination and refinement. Allegedly the fragment of a god who'd been defeated eons ago, the Accursed believes this power has no use to him anymore and instead offers it to you.

This power has two, primary functions:

*Combine - Can be used up to three times a day, effect is near-instantaneous. Uses per day, as well as scale of application increase through progression into this power.

Using this effect will unerringly combine the function, concept, and form of two, held objects. At baseline, these objects cannot have a soul or be any bigger than an object the Cursebearer can hold in his hands. The effects can be unpredictable for all but the most obvious uses. The user can guide the process slightly, for example choosing which object's form is dominant over the other.

For an obvious example, combining a length of cloth and a steel ingot will produce a textile weave that primarily contains steel; or if the user guides it that way, a humungous clump of hard, stiff cloth.

*Refine - Can be used up to once every three days, effect takes seconds to minutes. Uses per day, speed of effects, as well as scale and precision of application increase through progression into this power.

There are five settings to Refine: Destroy, Disassemble, Exchange, Improve, Transcend. Each setting causes something else to happen to a touched object: at baseline a touched object cannot have a soul or be any bigger than an object the Cursebearer can hold in his hand.

*Destroy causes, rather obviously, the object's destruction beyond any possibility of recovery. Magical objects affected this way shall cease to work no matter what, any magical quality leaving them forever. Physical hardness won't protect against this; profanely-high conceptual invulnerability will be necessary to avoid obliteration.

*Disassemble causes, instead, for the object to be picked apart into the sum of its parts. Each part is undamaged and retains any mystical or conceptual significance it held, no matter how improbable that would be. If the Cursebearer knows how to do so, the object can be put back together. A more delicate form of Destroy, in other words.

*Exchange causes the object to be replaced with another object of similar worth, size, and equivalent or related function. A sword may become a spear for example, a pen may become a brush, and so on. This can be used even on highly powerful magical artifacts.

*Improve causes the object's scalar variables to be slightly refined and heightened, with diminishing returns for each successive improvement. A firearm with a muzzle velocity of 350 meters per second may be elevated to 450 meters per second on its first improvement, then to 500 on its second, then 525, etc. All attributes are improved, however, so long as they can be reasoned as beneficial to using the object: a firearm's muzzle velocity not only increases, but its recoil and weight decrease, the grip becomes more comfortable, and so on.

*Transcend is a special case. If used, it causes the Refine function to shut down for anywhere from a week to a month, or possibly more in the case of magical objects, swallowing the object in question for that entire duration. When the object emerges, it is transcendent in some form: an ordinary blade can turn into an artifact sword, a shield can turn aside sustained artillery fire, or a pair of sneakers allows the user to run at near-sonic speeds. Subsequent uses of transcendence cause the levels of excellence of the object to increase, but the process takes even longer.

The user receives a third, minor trait: Stalwart Cog. For the purposes of receiving damage, the user's skin is considered 2/5th as hard as iron; their flesh is twice as hard as that, and their bones four times. In addition, should you suffer a near-fatal injury, you can instead spend a charge of Refine in order to place yourself in a pocket dimension for self-repair, which takes up to half an hour depending on the severity of the injury.

*Versatile and useful. It offers some immediate power, and then a constant trickle more to satisfy you.
*The breadth and depth of this power expand in time: at a certain stage, the Combination or Refinement of entire planets or civilizations may become possible. Nothing is truly past this system, but relevant options must be attained first.

[ ] The Verdant Decipher Fortress - What else is there to say? Just be yourself.

Putting one's eggs in a single basket sounds precarious. You'd prefer to have a toast smeared evenly, so to speak - the Accursed offers you a combination of several, minor boons that complement your total abilities instead of a single, consolidated Remittance you'd be less confident with.

*Verdant: Once upon your death or suffering of an unacceptable loss, you may rewind the relevant timelines up to half a decade, though not to any point before you became a Cursebearer. All Cursebearers will retain their memories of the period rewound. Triggers unprompted if you die unexpectedly. This use can be regained with sufficient Accursed Favor.
*Decipher: Choose one additional Lesser Remittance.
*Fortress: The Cursebearer receives an instantaneous, +20 to all stats. At his current level, this presents an improvement roughly comparable to a year of modestly intensive and focused exercise, study, and social practice. It's nothing astonishing, but at least they won't be lagging behind their peers to start with.
*Fortune's Smile: Once per year, for a duration of no longer than an hour, the Cursebearer may cast away his Affliction of Misfortune. His shining luck, suppressed for long, strains to once again flourish and alters reality in their favor: for that hour, the user's Luck is moved one step across the Infinite Singularity Husk. Destiny becomes their promised ally, and Fate bends over to accommodate them. Improbable things that serve the Cursebearer happen with regularity; impossible things can happen with only minor effort, such as making an otherwise peerless swordsman forget about an opening in his stance.

[ ] The Undecided Remittance - Gamble each day for a new chance at life.

This Remittance is somewhat quirky and comes from a mysterious source, but the Accursed believes it may serve you well.

Each day upon waking up, the Cursebearer receives an entirely random set of three superpowers, with a power level decided by a metaphysical dice roll, but which scales with you somewhat. A low roll, in the beginning, means a pathetic ability, while a high roll means an ability not much better than a Lesser Remittance; at higher levels of Progression, even a low roll can mean a power that's relevant on a battlefield.

Despite its best attempts, the Affliction of Misfortune cannot skew any of these results, nor can they be augmented to become luckier in any way, shape or form: this Remittance spits in the eyes of any form of determinism, even the subtle kind: it wishes for chaotic randomness, free of any constraints or corrupting factors. You have no choice but to accommodate it, so the results are truly random.

The main issue with this Remittance is naturally that it is difficult to train with: you cannot learn to rely on techniques that shift every waking day. That being said, the Accursed trusts the Cursebearer is resourceful enough to utilize it.

The actual nature of the powers received each day is truly and unmistakably the essence of random: do not look for any sort of consistency or pattern, for it is an exercise in futility. One day, it may give you a set of powers that consists of shooting globes of sticky bubble-gum, the creation of telekinetic propellers that let you move at higher speeds, and the ability to see through walls no thicker than three inches; the next day, it may instead offer the ability to animate furniture made out of textiles and wood, craft artifacts on par with Excalibur or Mjolnir, and manipulate anything that conceptually qualifies as "poison" at a short-range, but with fine control.

*Chaos manifest as power.
*Most Cursebearers would, if not struggle, then stumble with this power. Kazuma is uniquely suited; he will be mediocre at worst, and flourish thanks to it at best.
*In a way, this can also be beneficial, since enemies will be unable to counter you almost no matter what. How are you supposed to counter a power that's never the same?
*To ensure the Cursebearer doesn't perish to start with, the Accursed will force this system to produce at least one, useful defensive power with each reroll for the starting five days; each of these powers is rated at 9/10 or 10/10 power, and never lower. The others receive a slight augmentation for this same duration.

---

If you'd like to receive additional Remittance Value, take pick of the Lesser Curses below: each one is worth a single Lesser Remittance.

[ ] Brand of the Chaste - All romantic relationships will inevitably end in either betrayal or horrific tragedy. Cursebearer may instigate betrayal in order to 'proc' Curse on his own terms.
[ ] Doom of the Prick - The Cursebearer feels a strong need to act rude towards other people with no provocation; the state of his emotions does not matter. Can be rather calamitous with Brand of the Wretched if you don't watch your mouth.
[ ] Affliction of the Black Cat - Lower the rate of the Affliction of Misfortune Mitigation by 50%. Decrease the user's luck by 100 once.
[ ] Affliction of Leprosy - Constantly suffer from low-level illness, inflicting penalties to all actions. Proactive use of any physical attributes imposes a penalty scaling with the power of the attribute. Horrific leprous appearance can only be overcome by physically covering the body.

Cursebearer, please select 2 Lesser Remittances.

Companion:

[ ] Goddess Aqua

Physical ***
Social **
Mental

Due to being picked as the soon-to-be victim of your Geas of Incompetence, Aqua's Fate and yours will be interwoven no matter what. On a pure technicality, you already possess her as a companion.

However, with this Remittance, the Accursed will tie those knots of Fate even tighter, that they become as bindings. If Aqua should ever become lost or unable to follow you, the universe will find a way to curveball her back towards you like a lost, cursed possession that you were hoping not to ever see again. This minimizes the risk of her being captured by an enemy, and should it happen anyway, it nearly ensures that she'll live for long enough that you may rescue her. It also decreases her stupidity just a little bit without compromising the Geas of Incompetence and makes her more suitable for Curse Mitigation.

Furthermore, since no matter what happens she'll eventually follow you into the New World, you're free to pick one of the Cheat Powers that she offers, rather than choosing her as the Accursed said you'd have to do normally. The Cheat Powers are below anything that the Accursed has on offer, but power is power: why refuse it?

[ ] Natsuki Subaru

Physical **
Social ****
Mental **

A fellow Japanese countryman of similar age who, oddly enough, seems to behave you as if he recognized you from somewhere. When questioned, he refuses to spill the beans and whistles innocently, but there's something more to this guy. His arrival next to you in the New World has gone unexplained.

Subaru is easy-going, adventurous, carefree, optimistic, and encourages an open, honest, and altruistic style of living. He can be somewhat forgetful and silly, and sometimes commits to irrational courses of action, but this is offset by a seemingly inexorable level of insane preparedness for anything the future has in stock. He genuinely enjoys helping other people with their problems, and is in fact quite superhumanly adept at it, and is especially loyal to those he holds dear. Although it's not the kind of resolve the Accursed is looking for, Subaru can be an incredibly driven and determined person, suffering time and time again for his friends as if it were nothing.

He doesn't appear to hold any personal, supernatural powers: In fact, he outright claims he used to possess several but lost them at some point, and hopes to regain them sometime in the future. But for some reason, he always seems to be mysteriously well-prepared for the circumstances you encounter. He always has good advice to offer, both in general and for near-future events; listen carefully to what he says, and you're almost assured to survive even during an event comparable to armageddon. He is also a moderately skilled user of Yin Magic, and specializes in the spell Shamak, which causes sensory deprivation on the target.

[ ] Chris, "Big Boss" the Thief

Physical ****
Social *
Mental ***

An experienced and proud member of the Thief class, who approached you soon after your arrival in the New World and asked if you needed help.

Chris has an energetic, cheerful, and tomboyish personality. Despite her class, she acts more like a noble rogue: Chris is a very kind, gentle soul and helps those in need expecting nothing in return, and she can be childish occasionally.

In exchange for training in Rogue Skills of the Thief class, she politely requests that you refer to her as, "Big Boss."

In combat, she is remarkably swift and dextrous, wearing no armor and preferring to evade attacks or use her fellow party members for assistance. She uses an enchanted dagger that causes debilitating wounds that are, nonetheless, rarely if ever lethal, and supplements her fighting with an array of Rogue Skills: low-order supernatural effects that let her, among other things, conceal her presence, create traps from wires instantly, steal objects from a distance, lockpick, or detect traps, treasure, and monsters.

Artifact:

[ ] A Ring - Not a ring of power, but something far more precious, and of far larger importance. When the Cursebearer sees this old, weathered golden band, his blackened heart suddenly beats anew, blood as red as authentic life and feeling pumping through his veins.

It cannot be put on, because it's not meant to; but once held, it can never be let go. The Cursebearer will protect this ring with his life, and he is unable to explain why. It must be something of great importance to be so cherished, even if no one else seems to care.

[ ] A Sword - Not a sword of some ancient hero, but something far greater, and of far larger importance. There is an inscription on the handle, but the runes of naming have long since worn away into obscurity. Its craft resembles that of a sturdy wakizashi; a Japanese shortsword that is suitable both for slashing and stabbing, and which is good at striking for weak points on an opponent's body, but serves poorly against heavy armor. It will require precision and finesse to harness properly.

If this sword holds anything resembling magical power, you wouldn't be the one to know. At the present, it seems to be a mundane if rather well-crafted, old blade. Perhaps, one day you'll reclaim its story from the clutches of Fate.

[ ] A Mask - This strange mask covers and sticks to the upper face as if magnetized, but can be peeled off without a problem. Despite not having any eye openings, the user can see through it as if it were a one-sided mirror. Black and white color, with a star marking. What could this mask possibly mean?

This mask appears to be exceptional at hiding the user's identity; even close allies will fail to recognize the user whilst he is wearing it, unless he put it on directly in their presence. It may be hard to establish cause and effect with this effect. For example: masked user walks into a room -> pulls off mask -> pursuers of masked user enter the same room and fail to recognize unmasked user as masked user despite identical garments and weapons and there being no other possible exit; they are confused and determine the masked user probably had a teleportation crystal or ability.

Upgrade:

[ ] Retinue - You may designate up to five members of your Retinue. Each reduces your rate of Progression by 25% multiplicatively. Each advances in their primary area of specialization with Progression one-fourth the potency of your own. Needless to say, this is an outrageous and irreplaceable boon. Retinue companions are easy to add, costly to remove.

Your Retinue companions may with a short ceremony voluntarily pledge loyalty to any member of your retinue or yourself. This axiomatically prevents that character from betraying the one to whom they have so pledged. Breaking a pledge is possible but is always time-consuming, obvious over any distance, extremely onerous, and afflicts the forsworn with a particularly ironic flavor of the Apocryphal Curse centered upon themselves. Pledges can be voluntarily released by mutual agreement in a less time-consuming process.

You may pledge loyalty to Retinue companions as well. Pledges may be mutual or not, mutual pledges may be simultaneous or not. You must add a character to the Retinue before pledges (from or to) can be made.

[ ] Relinquishment - For each decade of service as a Cursebearer, gain one week of freedom from your Curses. Your burdens will be transferred to volunteering Cursebearers for that time. You are free to travel even with the Geas but must be back before the week is over. You may improve the term and frequency of Relinquishment by mitigating your Curses more.

[ ] Accursed Favor

Forgo a Lesser Remittance. Causes the Accursed to like you slightly more. Benefits uncertain, can be taken multiple times.

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[Ko] The Clockwork Uniform
[No] Doom of the Prick
[Su] Chris, "Big Boss" the Thief
[Ba] A Sword
[!] Retinue

Clockwork is a really cool ability and the versatility it provides seems a good fit for Kazuma. Doom of the Prick... well he's Satou Kazuma (Yes, I'm Kazuma). It and Brand of the Wretched are a lot less bad considering they're pretty much in line with his original characterization. The consequences they bring will obviously be worse but it's nothing he can't deal with... probably... hopefully. Retinue because Konosuba cast becoming super powerful monsters makes me laugh. Also because of Slumber it would be wise to offload some of our power to other people. We are already going to get Aqua and the benefits of getting her as a remittances are only okay. Better to get another strong companion off the bat to better utilize Retinue. Chris is a strong fighter and brings useful skills to the table. We're going to get Megumin and Darkness eventually and I'm pretty sure getting Yunyun isn't impossible so that adds up to the entire 5 person limit on Retinue. As for the sword Kazuma needs something to fight with and having an item remittance works well with clockwork.
 
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Birdsie said:
Ah, My Useless Goddess...

"I don't understand," Kazuma eventually ground out.

After making such a grandiose overture about his newfound desire to shatter heaven, it felt like a step backwards to admit that he was clueless.

He'd been reading through the catalogue of available Curses and Remittances for nearly five minutes.
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Hm... very interesting!

If Kazuma is using Seram's stat system for his Cursebearer interface, then Fortress is a mighty boon indeed! +20 to all stats would place him near or above peak human in every Attribute.

As-written, I'd probably go for Verdant Decipher Fortress with Aqua, Subaru, and Retinue. Retinue-boosted Aqua is an easy way to get extremely powerful divine spellcasting and high-stage Curse mitigation in short order, and IIRC the cheat items are actually pretty good within the context of Konosuba's setting - Kyouya's sword could oneshot a Dragon, etc. Fortress' immense stat boost would likely allow Kazuma to qualify for the strongest arcane caster classes available, and with two sources of future knowledge the kneecapping of Misfortune is not as frustrating.

That said, taking the Geas of Incompetence alongside the Brand of the Wretched is pretty terrible; Subaru's likely fine due to his time loop but Aqua will almost certainly be initially uncooperative, and attempts to overcome this run into the Doom of Misfortune. Chris is also essentially not viable due to this combination.

The Brand is exceptionally dangerous here: entities like the overseer of the world (Eris/Chris) and high-level lich archmagi (Wiz) are actually present in the Town of Beginnings and will hate Kazuma on sight; Cursebearer scrying protections don't help if they can actually see you. Even Megumin represents a dangerous level of firepower which Wretched would make precipitous. He really shouldn't have taken the Brand, especially alongside Misfortune which makes overcoming the Brand much harder.

I would say in general that these Halo powers are a bit low on immediate safety; GotY- and King's Scepter-type effects may or may not lack an obvious route to growth (since Progression takes care of that anyway), but never lack the power to defend the Cursebearer even if they're thrown into immediate combat as Seram and Hunger were.

Were these to be offered as King's Scepter powers for a normal human-level Progression-type, they would probably have the following adjustments -

Cultivation - Rather than giving you a sack of ingredients, the Cursebearer is simply elevated to low-mid Ego Barrier immediately, making them about as dangerous barehanded as a peak human armed with modern weaponry.

Clockwork Uniform - Moderately reduce the initial versatility to grant some form of spammable defensive ability. For example, Refine might have a three-day cooldown but, upon using it for the first time, the Cursebearer gains the conceptual durability of a large mechanical construct, granting them damage resistance approaching that of a machine covering nearly eighteen square meters and weighing several tons...

Undecided - It goes against the spirit of the Remittance, but the Accursed has likely altered it such that at least one power rolled is always guaranteed to have defensive utility in combat.

That said, simply taking Aqua and acquiring a Cheat Item on the level of the Cursed Sword Gram should be optimal for initial safety and rapid advancement, though some form of inherent Cheat Skill/Ability would be better as that's less susceptible to loss from the Doom of Misfortune. Do we have any examples?

Unfortunately, since this build is committed to taking Aqua but also has the compounded disadvantages of the Brand of the Wretched and Doom of Misfortune sabotaging relations with her, Kazuma is in trouble even if he builds for maximum initial safety. He's just going to have to rely on Subaru Path to Victory'ing a solution to this conundrum, since there's no way Aqua's going to help him (and may, out of spite, actively pursue suicidally dangerous plans if provoked, which Kazuma will be forced to attempt to salvage) with this initial Curse setup. It'll probably require using Luck's Smile to disable Misfortune immediately and using that precious hour to overcome his Brand impression on everyone he hopes to interact with for the next year. If he can somehow convince Aqua not to do anything while he holes up and trains, he still has a decent shot of outscaling this world entirely. NEETdom is the answer once again!
 
Rihaku said:
The Brand is exceptionally dangerous here: entities like the overseer of the world (Eris/Chris) and high-level lich archmagi (Wiz) are actually present in the Town of Beginnings and will hate Kazuma on sight; Cursebearer scrying protections don't help if they can actually see you.
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Ah yes, what protection can defeat the almighty Mk.I Eyeball?
Rihaku said:
Unfortunately, since this build is committed to taking Aqua but also has the compounded disadvantages of the Brand of the Wretched and Doom of Misfortune sabotaging relations with her, Kazuma is in trouble even if he builds for maximum initial safety. He's just going to have to rely on Subaru Path to Victory'ing a solution to this conundrum, since there's no way Aqua's going to help him (and may, out of spite, actively pursue suicidally dangerous plans if provoked, which Kazuma will be forced to attempt to salvage) with this initial Curse setup. It'll probably require using Luck's Smile to disable Misfortune immediately and using that precious hour to overcome his Brand impression on everyone he hopes to interact with for the next year. If he can somehow convince Aqua not to do anything while he holes up and trains, he still has a decent shot of outscaling this world entirely. NEETdom is the answer once again!
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Subaru as the Only Sane Man as Kazuya trainwrecks his way through the Town of Beginnings is definitively a pretty Konosuba thing to happen, so you can't say this build doesn't follow the spirit of the original!
 
Birdsie said:
Since it was particularly well-received, even to the point where Rihaku submitted a build vote idea, I've decided to write more. Enjoy!
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It is actually a pretty nice omake, so ofc it received praise.

I think that R's general build is pretty good; both practical and entertaining!

Definitively prefer an innate skillcheat to an artifact that we could lose. Simply makes sense, that.
 
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Redshirt Army said:
Actually, wait, hang on. The Brand of the Wretched only triggers on first impressions, right? Shouldn't Aqua be unaffected, since she's already met Kazuma before he got the Brand?
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This was answered before: people get affected upon their first encounter with the Brand, not you. You're just the vector for it. A downside that was talked about but didn't materialize for Seram (because of Indenture) was that his family/people he already knew would also suddenly be struck by an extreme instance of hatred. Actually, that's one of the primary arms of the badness of the curse, and Cursebearers who take Indenture are getting some good indirect mitigation by leaving behind their preexisting life.
 
Rihaku said:
If Kazuma is using Seram's stat system for his Cursebearer interface, then Fortress is a mighty boon indeed! +20 to all stats would place him near or above peak human in every Attribute.
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He's using something that's a crossover between Seram's and the canon Konosuba system; the values are slightly different, and there are more parameters in general.

With the VDF, Kazuma's physical stats would be in the mid-peak human spectrum, while his mental/esoteric stats would be in the uppermost peak-human, aside from Luck which is so far in the negatives that when Luna sees the Adventurer Card, she'll ask him how he's still even alive since anything with that much Luck (or rather, the antithesis of thereof,) should have logically perished years ago.

As for dealing with Aqua, Brand of the Wretched is definitely going to make things hard to start with; she's an extremely shallow person, but has little practical experience and will soon realize she depends on Kazuma for survival (strongly amplified by both Geas of Incompetence and Companion: Aqua,) at which point she'd become very begrudgingly cooperative, if far more hostile and rude to him than she was in the canon story. They'd have to work on it, but there would be a starting point.

Affliction of Misfortune would attempt to sabotage the relationship and prevent it from being constructed, but I don't think it could do so on a relevant scale. Where it shines is in skewing chances, but in situations where every factor is accounted for, it can do nothing but sit and watch; if Kazuma carefully planned out his conversations with some psychoanalysis to match, ahead of time (and asked Subaru for advice on top of that,) he'd be able to get Aqua to warm up to him over a relatively short time. Maybe not warm up enough to like him, but warm up enough to accept that he's not utter trash as far as human beings go.

Rihaku said:
Some form of inherent Cheat Skill/Ability would be better as that's less susceptible to loss from the Doom of Misfortune. Do we have any examples?
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The most common Cheat Abilities/Skills on offer are straight attribute buffs, such as super-strength or super-resistance, and so on, which usually raise the hero's relevant attribute by 100 points. Some unique magics exist, but they are usually curtailed by weaknesses. Keep in mind that the Bureaucracy has full control over what it gives out, and it makes sure to give competent heroes only the shittiest of abilities to ensure none of them can grow relevant; Aqua isn't smart enough to do that and she isn't "in" on the scheme anyhow, but her overseers would sniff out competence the moment they saw the look in Kazuma's eyes and offer him subpar options. After that, Companion: Aqua combined with Geas of Incompetence would cause them to kick her out of Heaven for being stupid and order her to go repent.

Rihaku said:
Cultivation - Rather than giving you a sack of ingredients, the Cursebearer is simply elevated to low-mid Ego Barrier immediately, making them about as dangerous barehanded as a peak human armed with modern weaponry.
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For certain reasons, this is not possible! The Cultivation on offer is not exactly the same one used by Cultivators in EFB, although it is a form of Cultivation to be sure.

I'll accept the points on the other Remittances, however, I'd like to give arguments for why I believe CU to be sufficiently defensive.

Clockwork Uniform can be used with Refine: Improve to turn even a rather mediocre armor set into a fine one, and if Combine is used before that to grant the armor additional defensive traits, it could easily move into the supernatural spectrum. Since the alterations can be guided by the Cursebearer, he'd be able to direct Combine into drawing on specific concepts from available materials to make a superior product. In fact, Kazuma could easily create a pretty neat starting gear set with stuff lying around on his entry point into the New World! An example course I imagine that could be taken would be:

Tracksuit + Goddess Hair = Blessed Tracksuit. (If she refuses, forgo this step and use another useful object.)
Blessed Tracksuit + Metal Coinage (Kazuma is offered a generous donation from the Heavenly Bureaucracy alongside his Cheat Item,) = Blessed Metalsuit.
Blessed Metalsuit + Giant Frog Flesh = Blessed Frog-Metalsuit (additional resistance to Water and Blunt damage; frog meat can be bought cheap at the local marketplace.)
Use Refine: Improve to upgrade the last output. This results in a suit of flexible armor that provides the passive benefit of a constant, low-intensity divine blessing, has a noteworthy resistance to water and blunt forces, and is as hard as bronze: with all relevant, beneficial statistics raised by around half.

As for Undecided... fair, perhaps? The effects are random, but that randomness is still power and it scales with Progression. For a random draw: Spear Manipulation, Poison Beams, and Card Magic. Random power-leveling ranks them as 3/10, 9/10, and 7/10 respectively; even for a starting Kazuma, that means on his first day he:
- Is immune to spearlike objects and can operate them with mild telekinesis at short range, with fine control of up to two spears. Needs to actually find spears to use for this.
- Fire beams of concentrated poison, can make beams turn at angles or curve around cover; to some extent, beams ignore armor and penetrate through mundane poison resistance, becoming lethal to even a peak-human in less than fifteen seconds. Can fire at least four beams per second at this power level, or charge up in order to fire more powerful attacks.
- Can perform card tricks with a versatile range of effects; mostly utility, but some defense and offense as well. Can use cards in order to trap people, create barriers, summon weapons, or divine the future in the middle-term (1-3 days.)
 
Anyway, what sort of a cheat would be good to ask of Aqua, since we do have that option?

+100 to Luck actually seems like a fairly decent idea, especially if the plan is to hit the Smile button immediately.
 
Birdsie said:
I'll accept the points on the other Remittances, however, I'd like to give arguments for why I believe CU to be sufficiently defensive.
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The critical point is immediate safety! That means, assuming the Cursebearer is ambushed the instant the Accursed leaves by an entity that would kill their pre-Remittance self, the Remittance must be guaranteed to provide combat-relevant defenses roughly equivalent to "being a peak human soldier" right then and there. Effects that don't qualify (because they're random, because they require even a modicum of prep or external materials to start working, etc) won't be offered on a King's Scepter/GotY-analogue Remittance.

Birdsie said:
Affliction of Misfortune would attempt to sabotage the relationship and prevent it from being constructed, but I don't think it could do so on a relevant scale. Where it shines is in skewing chances, but in situations where every factor is accounted for, it can do nothing but sit and watch; if Kazuma carefully planned out his conversations with some psychoanalysis to match, ahead of time (and asked Subaru for advice on top of that,) he'd be able to get Aqua to warm up to him over a relatively short time.
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Hm... it depends on how one defines the remit of 'susceptible to chance.' Something like 'swallowing some saliva at an unfortunate timing, causing Kazuma's voice to crack in a way that drastically inflames Aqua's existing dislike for him' or just 'the way the light hits Kazuma at the exact moment he's making his critical point makes him look incredibly creepy' seems possible, given the number of factors that influence others' opinion of you which aren't under your control. The wind could blow loudly or a highly distracting event could occur that totally undermines his presentation, etc.

His best chance (aside from blowing Luck's Smile) is probably to hope that Subaru proactively convinces Aqua to help him without Kazuma taking any direct action at all, thus preventing Misfortune from undoing his plans by never having a plan to execute in the first place! Being hated by Eris and Wiz is potentially more dangerous than Aqua...

Hm... Subaru does have to be fairly careful here, though. He's used to Satella being top dog and if he acts in some way during a future timeline that causes Satella to spiritually attack Kazuma, triggering Cursebearer defenses, Satella would be shredded and his means of time travel lost. Good thing Kazuma doesn't have the Apocryphal Curse!
 
Rihaku said:
The critical point is immediate safety! That means, assuming the Cursebearer is ambushed the instant the Accursed leaves by an entity that would kill their pre-Remittance self, the Remittance must be guaranteed to provide combat-relevant defenses roughly equivalent to "being a peak human soldier" right then and there. Effects that don't qualify (because they're random, because they require even a modicum of prep or external materials to start working, etc) won't be offered on a King's Scepter/GotY-analogue Remittance.
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Touche. Do you believe I should rewrite them to better match? I don't mind doing that.

Rihaku said:
Hm... it depends on how one defines the remit of 'susceptible to chance.' Something like 'swallowing some saliva at an unfortunate timing, causing Kazuma's voice to crack in a way that drastically inflames Aqua's existing dislike for him' or just 'the way the light hits Kazuma at the exact moment he's making his critical point makes him look incredibly creepy' seems possible, given the number of factors that influence others' opinion of you which aren't under your control. The wind could blow loudly or a highly distracting event could occur that totally undermines his presentation, etc.
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I'd say those count as stupendously improbable events, which fall within the purview of what the curse is unable to do; as described, the Affliction of Misfortune is unable to conjure events out of thin air or cause stupendously improbable things to occur. It, can, however, twist scenarios where certain points of uncertainty exist.

Or perhaps that's the wrong description. It's hard to describe because the way I imagine it, this curse is essentially quantum flux.

The Affliction of Misfortune is most dangerous when you're dealing with a situation where you're not aware of your surroundings, have no information about what you're doing, or have no active control over the outcomes of your actions.

It's about having information, essentially: the Misfortune comes from not being able to see what's coming.

If we're using the gambling scenario, think of it this way: You don't know any of the cards, or where they are in the deck. This essentially means the Affliction of Misfortune controls the cards. Since you don't know them, any of the cards can retroactively be arranged to fuck you over. If you don't know the cards, the cards exist in a quantum flux that the Misfortune will manipulate into frustrating you, and making it seem like you're fated for having bad luck.

However, assume you have something like Examine, and use it as the game begins. You know every card, ergo, every card's existence is confirmed in your mind: the Affliction cannot do anything to rearrange them to screw with your day. You're still not seeing that waiter behind you is about to spill a drink on you since he's about to slip on a cube of ice, but if you happened to look that way before it happened, there'd be no cube of ice, because there never was until you weren't aware the ice existed.

If you have a way to confirm that an event is sure to happen, it'll happen, barring actual bad luck. The curse only fucks with shit you can't confirm or perceive; you're behind cover and shoot at the enemy position, but you don't know the enemy is there. Ergo, this curse makes it so that the enemy was actually already flanking you for a good while.

BrainInAJar said:
How would Verdant's redo interact with Subaru's own time travel here @Birdsie?
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Apologies for not responding. The way I see, the Accursed is a greater patron than Satella, therefore Verdant supersedes Return by Death; if Kazuma returns to the start of the timeline, Subaru remembers nothing.
 
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Damn, Brand of the Wretched was picked? Where is that analysis that comes to a conclusion about it being a horrible choice for the narrative when you need it? Optimal path being as little interaction with other people as possible really sours practically every story. I guess Rihaku's build works, though if you want to suboptimally rail against the Curse selection, you could pick pick Chris instead of Subaru, pick something entirely focused on Curse suppression as the cheat item to reduce the Brand, then blow Fortune's Smile to both convince Aqua to suppress the Brand even further and make something approaching a good impression on Chris.
 
Birdsie said:
Since it was particularly well-received, even to the point where Rihaku submitted a build vote idea, I've decided to write more. Enjoy!
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Ah! It's here. That was much faster than I was expecting. Thanks for indulging us!

Birdsie said:
"I don't understand," Kazuma eventually ground out.
...
After making such a grandiose overture about his newfound desire to shatter heaven, it felt like a step backwards to admit that he was clueless.
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This is so on-point. Without having already been through two Transactions, I would be pretty confused by the particulars of the process, and I'm a veritable CYOA junkie. I think that it's hard to optimize through the Transaction in places, since the way that your choices will be implemented in the world itself isn't clear, and that's when everything is being described through a narrative viewpoint, which would theoretically make things more clear.

Take, for example, Accretion. Looking back, it's easy to see how people might have thought that Seven Seals or Battle Mastery would be better choices, since both their concepts and implementations seemed clearer, more familiar. Seven Seals is somewhat adjacent in concept to Naruto's "Sealing Jutsu", which a lot of people have encountered permutations of through the show itself and various fanfictions, and the description of the magic seems to clarify the way that its feats would function. Battle Mastery is like taking D&D or RPG magic and shoving it into the real world, in that there are tightly defined abilities that one must thoughtfully combine and use beyond their original intent in order to truly maximize their power, with the stripping away of the limitations of physics engines and games rules allowing space for feats to be used outside intended parameters.

But Accretion is a combination of epic story and reality, in that the power gained by the user mirrors the way that a real legend or hero's story might appear and grow. It's not at all clear how this will translate into power, and what mechanisms that power works by: "agnostic to the strength of one's foes", "operates beyond physical causality", "never easily defined". Now that we've had Accretion for a while, we've had exposure to how it works, and presumably we have some idea of how the power might function even without the TSH model. But the fact that it would work by specific Feats, actually being able to gain stats from it, the growth scale, Rank (!) made explicit and it's interactions (Shrouds, Low/Mid/High separation, Panoply size), the encompassing nature of Abduction, Progression manifesting as integrating the legends of Hunger's opponents...that stuff was unpredictable.

Hell, part of the reason that I didn't post the CYOA to other places is that I think it might be hard to grok the lore and understand what's at stake without having already experienced one of the AST quests. And Kazuma, shut-in or not, is just not in a position to understand the depths of what's happening. Who is The Accursed, and how important is he in the grand scheme of things? What's the ISH? How many other Cursebearers are there? Are there other kinds? How much value does The Praxis actually have? How bad are the Curses, really? Etc etc. So I think it's really, really savvy to just...ask for help directly.


Birdsie said:
The Accursed, like a forbearing rock that glimpsed out of a running stream in a temperate forest, waited for him to make his choices with incontrovertible resolve as if resting in a meditative state. His closed eyes opened to regard Kazuma as the boy declared his confusion.
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I see what you did there.


Birdsie said:
Last round, these votes won:
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Hm, not what I'd pick (obviously), since Slumber and Wretched are nasty together, especially with but Incompetence does have the benefit of allowing Praxis...well, Halo anyways! I see now that Incompetence has its good points, since you get to pick a Cheat and take Aqua with just 1 extra lesser remittance. That's some safety! Plus, it has the advantage that we know about which Kazuma doesn't: he's less likely to have to fight and kill a lot of people for power, since the opposing force is mostly monsters. Killing people, even with extremely good justification, is likely to really damage someone raised in modernity, at least temporarily, and that's something Kazuma just can't afford.

Cultivation is extremely strong, but it's funny for it to offer no immediate power...isn't the point of taking Halo of Immortality that you get a chunk of immediate power, for safety and leverage? I guess Cultivation is a tremendous magic system to get access to, though, especially as a Progression-Type. Even if this Alt-GoTYE/King's Scepter doesn't come with To Shatter Heaven, you could still grab it later using Progression, and having Progression basically removes the threat of being permanently bottlenecked by low talent, resources, or lifespan.

Anyways, Cultivation might make things substantially less fraught overall. So long as Kazuma can leverage himself up to Organ Refinement, he should be safe. Time would be a problem, since he has Slumber, but Progression might overcome that issue, and local magic can fill the temporary power gap. There isn't much that can contest an established Cultivator in-setting, so far as I'm aware, but it also is such a low level that Kazuma will stall out well before battle XP lifts him very high at all and will have to rely on studying. I guess he could slaughter his way through the Heavenly Bureaucracy, but that doesn't seem in-character. Though, again, being more than a few Cultivation Stages in will make Slumber a non-issue vis-a-vis safety.

Clockwork Uniform is SCP-914, but you get to take it everywhere with you! I'm a big fan of this type of deal, since it makes looting really effective. This Remittance might be well-suited to someone who took Geas of the Debtor, since it can magnify the value of anything and produce tremendous value from junk. It also multiplies the value of a well-chosen Cheat Item by quite a bit. This power has tremendous potential even without Progression...I would go so far as to say that it's as valuable as Cultivation, if not more, which is...just unreal. It's power also really comes out in combination with other systems...imagine being a Cultivator and being able to Transcend immensely valuable artifacts to get back something insanely better in such a short period of time, regardless of how powerful the input is! Good with Incompetence, since there are plenty of magical items and resources. Suited to Kazuma, since he does have a spark of creativity to get the most bang for his buck.

Verdant Decipher Fortress...I see you took my words about Green Armor and ran with them. This is a pretty interesting take on the Regalia Remittance. Having a free 5 year rewind, an extra lesser remittance, a big general boost of stats, and Fortune's Smile makes this undoubtedly the safest Remittance, since it does actually offer some improvement in safety that kicks in right away. Fortune's Smile, in particular, is deadly useful. I agree with Rihaku that the best way forwards with Wretched is to take this and pop Fortune's Smile right away to ingratiate your companions, since Cheat Item + friendly Aqua + Immediate stats is a good bulwark against being fucked up by Misfortune. But overall I think that just proves Wretched to be a bad pick for Kazuma, as I thought.

The Undecided Remittance is suitable for someone of Kazuma's temperament, but I think that the inconsistency of its power is too punishing, despite the chance that the rare amazing combination will allow feats far beyond Kazuma's reach.

All of the Lesser Curses really blow, but Brand of the Chaste is probably the best long-term one, since it doesn't create problems so long as you don't provoke it.

Lesser Remittances:

Aqua good, since it keeps your Doom all Geas-shaped, so long as she doesn't just die (which shouldn't be too big a risk in the long run, even given Incompetence). Plus, the immediate power and potential use of a Cheat Item is definitely worth 1 LR.

Subaru is really good. Time Loop foresight is just...so incredibly valuable.

Chris (..."Chris") is good, given that she's already established and has a bunch of power, but she doesn't quite offer the amount of benefit that the other two do in the long run, and so I can't imagine taking her over one of them.

I have no idea what the Artifacts are references to! Though I feel like they are probably references, since they seem to be alluding to something...none of them seems that great, insofar as I doubt that The Mask can block or confuse people re: Brand of the Wretched. I would consider taking them with Clockwork Uniform, just for the potential long-term benefit, but without knowing what they might be useful for, it's hard to even want to do that.

As far as Upgrades go, Retinue is real good with companions, even if that route is hard with Wretched. Relinquishment is great because it gives Kazuma a whole week of amazing, unfettered luck every decade, which is a lot of value in the long term. Does...does another Cursebearer have to come babysit Aqua in that time? Hahaha.

Accursed Favor is unaffordable for Kazuma. It's too out of his reach to even consider.

I guess with Misfortune/Wretched/Incompetence/Slumber/Halo, I'd agree with Rihaku's build and go it'd have to be
[Ko]Verdant Decipher Fortress
[No]Aqua
[Su]Subaru
[ba]Retinue
[!] Chaste +Relinquishment

With Wretched and Incompetence, he really needs the ability to overcome Misfortune to get them on his side right away, and the +stats also offer more safety to overcome the vulnerability of Wretched/Slumber.

The build could be tremendously improved by swapping Wretched with Debtor or Flagellant and taking Clockwork Uniform. Subaru is good indirect mitigation for Flagellant, and Clockwork Uniform + Konosuba adventures/just having Aqua is more than capable of paying off Debtor, regardless of scaling. Another good build would be Incompetence/Flagellant/Misfortune/Slumber/Chaste, and taking Praxis/Aqua/Subaru/Retinue, since the immediate safety of the Cheat Item + getting your companions on your side more easily makes Praxis eminently doable! And it'll keep his power on a solidly upwards trajectory, regardless of the comparatively low level of the world.

A sufficient resolved Kazuma might also go Indenture/Wretched/Lethal Curse, since there's no Curse here that doesn't unavoidably magnify Apocryphal. That would let him go all-in on a luck centric build without being hamstrung by Misfortune, which I can see being successful if he can overcome whatever nonsense The Lethal Curse looks like.
 
I AM AWAKE, AND BRINGING MORE REACTIONS!

I'm also ever more curious about how much arete I've generated yet. Rihaku, could you give me a rough estimate? It doesn't need to be precise, just a "between x and y" is fine. Consider it more motivation for me :D

this should be... update 31.

Rihaku said:
A new day, a new jaunt into the Temple. This time he was taking Gisena with him, as the strength and speed he'd absorbed from the gargantuan wurm would better allow him to protect her against most Temple denizens.
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and that was a very good decision, as fighting either the mage OR the Dreadbeast without her would be a nightmare. The bonus to diplomacy it's also something not to ignore.

I wonder if she will suffer the Call of the False Moon though.

Rihaku said:
Dawn had the sun casting ochre fingers across the stone-studded waste, the pale blue sky awash with auroras of pink and gold. Verschlengorge glinted menacingly in that light, its vast silhouette like some perilous outcropping, craggy face bristling with hazards. Its primary mouth was perked in a confident sneer, while both shoulder-heads slumbered contentedly.
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looking pretty confident Verschle. Anything to say? No?

Well, I'm sure you'll talk more someday. Maybe after we patch you up some more!

Rihaku said:
"Be careful. Stay in Verschlengorge." He lectured, biting off a ration bar as he spoke.

"Don't worry about me at all!" The young duchess responded, flashing him a victory sign. "It's just for a day. Verschlengorge and I have been fighting together for years, you know. And your ghost-light seems to be healing him, bit by bit. Now bring me back something good to eat!"

"There are no fish in the Temple," he said mournfully, "But we'll do our best. Remember that Astral denizens aren't your only enemies. You're still being hunted. Don't let humans see you either."

"Take care, duchess!" Gisena waved merrily at Letrizia as they departed.
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yes mom, I'll be carefull mom, don't worry mom.

I wonder, would we be able to make another fish boss appear with enough rank? I kinda suspect the Apocryphal might find it funny/interesting enough as well, if it just was active...

But really, the fish meme will never die. EVEN HUNGER is playing it straight by now!

Rihaku said:
"So," she said, clutching his arm. "You've told me about the monsters within. But have you met anyone interesting inside?"

"Haven't met anyone at all," he grumbled. "That's what we're looking for today. I'm going to be traveling in the direction we saw the encampment on the way here. You do the talking so my Tyrant's Doom doesn't interfere."

"Even if I do," Gisena mused, "If the terms I bring back aren't to your liking, won't the Doom make it hard for us to negotiate?"

"It may," he admitted. "We won't be able to get around it completely, but that's to be expected."

"How stressful!" Gisena chirped. "Okay, I'll do it. At the price of a ride on your back."
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she commands an high price... but it's worth it. Barely.

It will actually be interesting to see how Tyrant Dooms actually works. We know the how in theory, but we haven't actually seen it yet. I'm particularly interested in just how it's going to interfere/modify our thoughts.

Rihaku said:
He had been planning to carry her anyway, as most enemies were too fast to leave her alone. Still, he made a show of reluctantly leaning down so she could clamber up.

Gisena giggled as she got settled in, running a toe up his sternum. "Don't play coy. You're not fooling anyone, milord!"
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NO, NOT THE DAINTY FEET TOE! Please have mercy! :V

Rihaku said:
"No distractions while we're in the Temple," he responded gruffly.

"Aye aye, captain!"

"Am I your captain or your lord?"
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why not both? insert jpg here.

Rihaku said:
The Temple itself was as it had always been. Gisena had immunized herself from the call via her Nullity, but was unable to dispel it from him, observing that it'd latched on to his ring, and that was magic beyond her ability to fully countermand.
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This answers one of my questions. It makes sense, the Ring would certainly be beyond her power to fully counter, and in the end we might actually find the call useful. It should make it easier to reach our ultimate goal here after all.

Rihaku said:
They took a slow circuit, slaying any knights in their way, running into only a few other types of monsters, none of which would have been a match for the hill-eating wurm, much less its slayer. After a brief warm up, he began to run in earnest, making in the direction he estimated the encampment to be.

"You've gotten really fast," Gisena said as she clung on tightly. "Maybe five times faster than our last piggyback ride? And that was only a week ago."

"You're imagining things."

"And always so humble, too! Is that also a power you received in exchange for bearing Curses?"

"I'm being a good role model for you. Since humility is one of the things you should learn."

"Aw, so considerate! Bet I'm always on your mind these days."
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...she's not wrong...

Also really, our rate of progress is absurd. It's up there with some of the best shonen characters, with the difference that THEY usually have an upper cealing to their power. We don't.

...you know, I kinda want to see a progress type cursebearer ending up in a shonen world like dragonball and quickly outscaling everything. It would be interesting to watch.

Then again Rihaku has been doing an incredible job with his original worlds (and power systems! Can't forget those!), and I imagine these are more interesting for him to write than using already established settings.


Rihaku said:
"Yes. 'How can I get rid of this Sorceress...?'"

"...Why would you say that?" Gisena sniffled, gazing sadly at him. Her eyes brimmed with crocodile tears.

"As I said. No distractions while we're in the Temple."
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so mean :V

Rihaku said:
He began to accelerate, the hills giving way to an open boulevard of green grass that shimmered lightly in the morning sun.

"I can't help if I'm distracting!" Gisena cheered, tightening her grip as he sped up.

"Figure something out. Thought you were a genius."

"Oh, you're getting better at this. I'm such a good teacher!"
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There's really no winning with her. It's like a meanear, but also less competent, Aurelia! At least Nameless could shut HER up with a kiss when needed though.

...wait a second, maybe THAT is a possible solution here...:V


Rihaku said:
Eventually they came upon a large gathering of knights, a gleaming shield-wall ponderously clanking towards some destination in the far horizon. Gisena sent a wave of Nullity down among them, dispersing the spectral smoke that animated their armor. Their formation broken, he leapt into their ranks, a whirlwind of slashing force that severed limbs and ashen hearts.

It'd been only... yesterday, when one of the knights had fought him nearly to a standstill. So much had occurred in these past twenty-four hours. He wondered briefly at the nature of the Voyaging Realm and this Temple within it. Did it orbit a sun? Was it orbited by its moon, in turn? Or had the Foremost engineered the illusion of an Earth-like configuration for their own inscrutable purposes?

Similar ontological parameters, Letrizia had said. Gisena's world had a sun and moon as well, though she admitted her civilization had not plumbed the depths of their secrets.

The knights defeated, he ran forwards again, their death-knells erupting steadily in his wake. Though the terrain seemed to vary over time, its essential nature never changed. Skimming around its 'outer perimeter,' he wondered if it was even possible to reach the Encampment from the entrance he'd taken...
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For a moment I feared this meant the Knight Legion had won. It would have been so boring! IT's not really a bad option, but it doesn't make for as cool of a fight as the other two!

Also Hunger has a point, It might very well be impossible to actually reach the Encampment from here... though hopefully Ring and Rank can make the impossible possible anyway.

Rihaku said:
Gisena leaned down, her eyes flashing emerald.

"I've just lost my slipper," she whined plaintively. A pout graced her dainty features.

Without slowing down, he willed the Forebear's blade to hand. "How many is that?"

"My sixth! What a tragedy..."
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For just a moment I actually took this literally. Then I realized she doesn't actually HAVE six slippers to lose :rofl:

It's certainly an interesting (and effective) code though.

Rihaku said:
Like lightning he twisted, pivoting and striking in a single motion at the space directly behind him, blade-wind unfurling in an arc out towards the horizon. In the midst of its travels it struck true, revealing an elderly man in the midst of some esoteric incantation, bright energies gathered about his fingertips. The mage's face was hooded, shrouded in shadow, but his robes of brilliant white and blue stood out starkly against the grass, and were wreathed in an armamentarium of defensive enchantments, circling spirits and a steely fog that pulled and sickened the eye.
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Oh, so the mage won in the end?

I'm fine with this. I liked the Dreadbeast a bit more, but at this point there's not that much of a difference between their rewards. We're likely to get enough +Rank the deeper we go into the temple, and if we were to take a good couple of 7 arete point options... or maybe even a 25 one...

We're not even that far from taking most of the ring upgrades if we wanted to commit to take Ruling Ring, and this mage could give access to interesting magic systems for Wreath. He's also pretty likely to offer Rune King again I suspect. It seems appropriate.

And that's without considering any new interesting pick, or the mistery box!

Rihaku said:
Gisena swung her arm, unleashing a full-scale Tide of Nullity as the elderly magus attacked, ten bolts of lightning streaking from his fingers to lash out at them. Caught in the Tide, the wizard's magics twisted languidly and dispersed, like fish swept away by an overwhelming current. Lightning, spirits and fog all swiftly disappeared, though the mage did not so much as startle as his defenses crumpled.

"More of you," the magus grumbled, hastily erecting a shield of pink-violet light. "Like lemmings, come to your doom. The ritual grounds could not even displace ilk of this calibre? How many must I kill today?"
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none, because you're dying here. Easy question with easy answer, really.

still, hopefully Hunger will let him talk if he doesn't manage to kill him quickly. I wonder, is he talking about the monsters or about some spacial effects not managing to make us go around in circle? Rank would likely work against such a thing.

Rihaku said:
Hunger sprang forward, Gisena launching tripartite bolts over his shoulder. Where they struck the shield, it corroded swiftly, like wood yielding before strong acid. The magus tsked and made a curt gesture, disappearing from sight.

"Teleportation," Gisena said quietly. "It's short range, he's still around here."
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you know, at some point I'd like to read the actual description of Gisena's graces. her powers are actually pretty versatile in her niche. not only dispellation, but also understanding of what supernatural abilities she's facing.

Rihaku said:
He swept his blade in wide, carving arcs, launching projected force in every direction, and was rewarded by an incredulous gasp as the magus appeared again, nursing a bleeding arm. Without relenting, Hunger attacked savagely, thrust-projections puncturing the magus' robe and tearing open his hood.

Even as he closed the distance, the man was muttering, strange cadence of rapid syllables too quick to be the product of a human voice. The mage gestured again with his free hand and an array of runes appeared beneath them, subjecting Hunger to terrible crushing force. The Evening Sky swirled and snapped tempestuously about him as it attempted to fend off the attack, slowly withering beneath the force of those magics.

Gisena, unaffected by virtue of her Nullity, leapt off, emitting a wide-area burst as she landed, runes erased like chalkboard scrawlings. Free of the pressure, Hunger sprinted forward again, doggedly forcing the mage into close quarters as Gisena rained more bolts upon their opponent.

Impatiently the mage leapt back and intoned a single word, a soul-flaying spike of ill-reason that drove Hunger to his knees and which Gisena was forced to aggressively counter. The world seemed to blur, bursting rotten at the seams, his mind filled with static and clawing pain, black blood leaking from ears and ruptured eye. Hunger drew a shuddering breath and managed to fend it off, though the world spun and twisted crazily aroud him.

Though he seemed mildly surprised at their continued survival, the magus did not hesitate. With time bought, he'd invoked several spells more: armaments of sickly green light like thresher-arms descending upon them, nearby boulders bounding cheerfully together into the form of a golem, sevenfold runed haloes appearing about his head and limbs.
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This mage certainly has a lot of spells. Invisibility, Teleportation, Force/Pressure, mental attacks, various kind of defensive spells, weapon conjuration, golem creation, personal enhancement..

Any of this effects pale in comparison to what a high-level Grace can do in her specific niche, but what it loses in raw power it certainly gains in versatility and utility effects. This might not be a bad system for Hunger to learn, especially as he was last worrying about his powers being only good for killing and destroying.

On the other hand a Grace WOULD give a lot more raw combat power, or a specific utility effect much above what this mage has shown... like granting more powers, resurrecting/self regen, time manipulation, mind control, all with accompanying stat boost to everything...

Rihaku said:
"Plan B," Hunger finally roared, stumbling to his feet as he fought through the Abhorrent Word, Evening Sky near in tatters around him. Without hesitation he lunged, closing the final crucial yards to the magus as Gisena blanketed the entire area in a suffocating sea of Nullity. For a moment there was stillness and ear-ringing silence, all color and magic extinguished utterly from the world, winked out like a moment's daydream.

With surprising alacrity the magus drew a knife, entering a practiced stance as Hunger attacked. Golem and thresher-arms and haloes all were gone, but the mage fought on with blind, contemptuous arrogance, face twisted in unbelieving disdain at those who presumed to delay their deaths by his hand. Magus and dagger struck out with serpentine speed, speed well beyond that of an ordinary man, but Hunger easily batted the knife aside before smashing his forehead into the mage's nose.
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This seems to be Gisena's ultimate from the previous quest, if maybe on a smaller scale. Hopefully she didn't exhaust her grace for weeks/months.

Also this mage was at least wise enough to prepare a fallback option in case his magic failed, though it obviously won't be enough.

Rihaku said:
Mighty as Gisena's uttermost Sorcery had been, it had only temporarily depleted the protection of his cloak. Both Forebear's Blade and the ring of power were beyond her ability to fully suppress, so his abilities had 'merely' been cut by a major fraction, while the wizard's pure spellcraft was fully annihilated. Both were already beginning to recover. No time to take prisoners.

With a crack of brittle bone the man fell, face a bloody ruin, managing to lash out once more with the dagger, small glyphs of magic now beginning to materialize upon its surface.

Hunger took the blow in his shoulder and in return cut the man's throat, power of ruin slicing easily through neck and spine. Near-decapitated, still the magus gurgled resentfully as he died, eyes livid with condescending hate even as the light left them forever. The ring of power crackled, greedily funneling strength into him as he turned from the wizard's corpse to collect Gisena.
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once Gisena managed to nullify his magics it was inevitable. When you pit a magicless mage against a warrior...

I'm a bit curious about just WHY he was so unreasonable and hateful, but I suppose we'll learn more once we get deeper into the temple.

..maybe we can give Gisena his knife?

Rihaku said:
"Fuck," Hunger grunted, making his way over to the collapsed Sorceress. "If only it'd been safe to interrogate him."

She took his offered arm happily, pulling herself up but leaning against his side. "...Nope! His type wouldn't have said anything anyway. Good job, Lord Hunger! Finishing him off after I'd beaten him!"

"I can't take all the credit. Letrizia's encouragement really saw me through."
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Truly, Letrizia was the MVP in this fight :rolleyes:

Rihaku said:
"Kind of you... to say..." Gisena mumbled, walking unsteadily. He caught her as she fell.

"Hey, hun... I hope the enemies don't get much harder... than this..." Her heavily-lidded eyes stared tiredly up at him. "It's... getting kind of difficult... to keep up..."

The Sorceress fell unconscious, reserves hollowed out by the effort required of that final, terrible blast. Hunger shook his head tiredly. Gisena had finally earned the princess carry she'd asked for, but he only had the one arm for now. Gently he hoisted her over one shoulder and set out for the antechamber entrance.

"That was too close," he mumbled quietly to himself. One close call after another, since he'd ventured into the Temple. It was a style of fighting he was used to, but it did risk those around him. This time they'd emerged largely unscathed, though moments more might have resulted in their death. Had the magus been unchecked for even a single spell further... well. Hunger still had his final card unplayed, and its strength may have sufficed to prevail, though at what cost he was uncertain.

By the grace of his Sorceress they'd escaped that fate. Yet he felt with near-certainty that their enemies would only grow more fearsome from here.
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and this is it. If we really want to keep bringing Gisena into this kind of fights, we NEED to boost her. Undying Vanguard is a must, Wreath could likely help her as well, the Garden too though that one would take more time to actually pay off and might not play that nice with Apocryphal.

so, short version, we need to pick a Gisena Boost, otherwise we'll have to drop her off once we reach Civilization, for her safety and Hunger's mental wellbeing.

Rihaku said:
The winner was [X] The Magus with [X] Veterancy. What did Hunger gain from his and Gisena's brush with death?

You have 14.5 Arete and 3 picks, but choose only one option below.
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that's a lot of arete. it's more than halfway to a 25 arete pick!

Sadly we REALLY need immediate power, so we're likely going to need to spend some of it now.. Still, 7 points options are good too, especially if taken in synergistic combinations... and there's also the ring option, taking small pieces of that 27 arete pick, working our way up..

Rihaku said:
[ ] Bloodmight - Domain: Life, Chief Dominion, Echo of the Forebear [9 Arete]

A powerful, focused build that is centered on improving Hunger's strengths while simultaneously allaying his greatest weaknesses. Comprehensively boosts his speed, agility, and durability while granting the awesome and versatile powers of the Ring of Blood. Influence over its broad purview permits accelerated healing of self and others (though only in forms that bleed); the power to suppress or enliven the blood of any living being, augmenting or reducing its physical and spiritual might; the creation of blood-borne diseases to ravage enemy populaces; the large-scale uplifting of allied species; and even the power to stop a vulnerable enemy's heart from beating or boil the very blood in their veins.

Though the Ring's influence does not permit so crass a thing as direct hemokinesis, its power runs deeper than reason alone, penetrating and overwhelming most lesser magics. Access to the Chief Dominion comes easily to he who bears the name of his Ring; further Advancements related to mastery over the Domain of Blood shall be considerably more powerful.

*Only 12.5 Arete away from Ruling Ring if you spend no more Arete
*H E A L I N G
*Partially solves the problem of Gisena's scaling in the short term, as you can quicken and empower her blood to somewhat match your own
*Moderate combat-speed regeneration, fairly rapid healing outside of combat, can partially heal Verschlengorge itself. Note: healing Verschlengorge will cause it to attract more powerful Astral beasts.
*Influence of the Chief Dominion is hard to resist, making it effective against a broad range of enemies
*Less useful against undead or mechanical enemies, though you can still heal and enchant yourself.
*H E A L I N G
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27-7-2=18 arete yet to spend for Ruling Ring. Just as a reminder, that was ++ALL STATS and ++PROGRESSION. We're also left with 5.5 arete in case of emergencies, and we might be able to, say, Take dominion+ preeminence War after the next fight for 7+2 arete, leaving us in striking range of Ruling Ring.

don't you want to multiply the temple gains by another factor of ten? We could in just a few updates with this!

Also, while it's not as good as Undying Vanguard, this DOES offer some limited boost to our companions by strenghtening their blood. Better than nothing, and it should be enough for a bit more. It also lets us heal Verschle once we're ready for the more powerful beasts he'd attract, which plays nice with Ruling Ring's ++progression.

Also healing, both in and out of combat. That' can't be overstated.

All in all a VERY solid option.


Rihaku said:
[ ] Full Might - Opalescence, Iridescence, Echo of the Forebear, A Thousand Cuts, Undying Vanguard [14 Arete]

Fill all the holes in your build. Ramp up the Evening Sky's defenses to a level commensurate with this area, improve your offenses by an order of magnitude, and grant your companions the benefit of your supernal durability. With your Iridescent cloak capable of fully absorbing two Tides of Nullity, Gisena won't have to aim as much, and she can serve as a powerful, if relatively slow, off tank. Also improves your Charisma for the upcoming social encounter!

With offensive and defensive powers that are finally respectable for the area you find yourself in, you can be much more confident (though not overconfident) in venturing further! The combination of Iridescence and Gisena's Nullity allow you to counter most forms of enemy magic, allowing you to rely on your overwhelming strength and speed and fell-handed blows to overcome them.

*Prove that the sword is mightier than the wand
*Superb immediate power and defenses, a safe and conservative build that allows you to impart the benefits of your protection upon any party members further gained
*Well-balanced output of offense and defense
*SORD GOOD
*Good swords are expensive
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CON: we spend all our hard-earned Arete.

PRO: We spend it well. We cover all our weaknesses and make our companions (and us) mostly safe.

It's a conservative option, spending all we have to buy immediate power and safety... but that's not necessarily a bad thing, here in the temple.

Of course in the medium term Ring Build would pay off much more, but are we confident enough we'll REACH that medium term?

...I think I prefer Ring, but not by much. I could live with this. This is the kind of build that brings down Dreadbeast from "deadly encounter" to "meh, I can take it"
Rihaku said:
[ ] Blademight - Ruinous Valor [Zweihander], Magic-Defeating Stance, Hero-Defeating Stance [14 Arete]

The Forebear's mage-slaying techniques, and an arm with which to properly carry Gisena. In conjunction with the Evening Sky, allows one to walk nearly unscathed through Tides of Nullity and hostile invocations, while putting would-be heroes and defenders of the Temple to the sword.

Magic-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. Grants high-grade defensive effect nullification against all hostile effects of supernatural origin, and quintuples the power of Ruin for purposes of cutting through enemy magics. Mitigate all Curses an additional half step beyond the first. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Type]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for All-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.

Hero-Defeating Stance - 7 Arete: A Martial Stance of the Forebear. ++Might, ++Agility, +Wisdom, +0.2 external Rank. Halve the effects of enemy Rank if it is greater than your own. Halve the effects of being outnumbered, if you are outnumbered. This Stance is permanently active until switched for another [Enemy]-Defeating Stance. One of the pre-requisites for Foe-Defeating Stance. You may have [Rank/2, rounded down] Stances active at one time.

Hero-Defeating Stance's Rank bonus does not stack with Once and Future, but taking it does reduce the cost of Once and Future by 1 Arete.

*Grants formidable offensive might, especially against mages or anyone defended by magical effects
*Grants incredible amounts of defense against enemy esoteric effects that are supernatural in origin
*Good amount of stats, wisdom makes for more prudent decision-making, and Rank
*Excellent at combating enemies that are stronger than you on paper
*Doesn't directly buff your allies at all, limited noncombat utility
*Slightly discounts Once and Future
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...so. There is this.

Our rank is >4, so we could keep both stances permanently active.

We get the arm needed for the Princess Carry.

Great offensive and defensive power, plus some rank. I'll mostly ignore the discount.

And yet, I don't think I'd vote for this. I'm pretty much against it, actually.

If we want the raw power, in my opinion Full Might is nearly as good, maybe even better, and it ALSO buffs our allies

If we want more potential, ring is better, and it ALSO buffs our allies... a bit.

This seems to me like a compromise, offering both power and potential (through future stances, though as of right now we can only keep 2 stances active at a time) and even a bit of curse mitigation, but less than either of the other two options in their specialties, and at the cost of NOT buffing our allies at all.

I also don't like what this says about Hunger. He's worried about his allies not keeping up, so he buffs himself to the limit without strenghtening them at all? This WILL result in us having to leave them behind pretty soon.
Rihaku said:
[ ] Mage Lord - Azure Moon, Linear Halo [14 Arete]

Azure Moon grants access to the domain of Soul Evocation, the power to manifest high-level conceptual effects from the font of one's selfhood, a rare power that offers unique abilities to each individual practitioner. Your opponent just felled was The Librarian, but the light of your own soul is that of the Imprisoner. How odd, you don't recall directly imprisoning anyone in your life.

The Linear Halo imparts any one formal and systemic type of magic with power beyond reckoning, allowing its wielder to stretch the outer boundaries of its capabilities half a step above what might otherwise be possible, at the cost of preventing the acquisition (though not use) of other types of magic until the Outward Halo is taken. Gain +Int equal to your +Strength, +Wits equal to your +Agi, and +Wis equal to your +Con for purposes of researching the associated magic type and crafting specific techniques using it.

*Gain access to a powerful and versatile magic system with decent immediate utility and great long-term potential
*Scale your magical research with your physical stats! Manifesting the light of your soul also allows you to directly train your Rank, though it's a slow process.
*Focus all your magical training on a single powerful system at which you become supernally gifted, somewhat compensating for the ring's training debuff. Stress no more about acquiring other magic types!
*Can't acquire other magic types until you take another 7-Arete ability, the Outward Halo
*Weaker in terms of immediate power than any of the 'Might' options.
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..light of your soul? This is basically a mix of Bankai, Kido and Semblance to me :V

This isn't a bad pick. It gives us the versatility we hoped for, AND some decent immediate power. The limit on getting more magic system is not too heavy, as it only requires a 7 arete pick to unlock, and it would let us focus on the one system (+ accretion) for some time, hopefully avoiding more arguments about Wreath/Outer Sorcery/Praxis/Sorcery/anything else, at least for some time.

We'd also gain bonuses to magic research, allowing us to at least DO SOMETHING while we're not fighting at best-than-normal-mortal rates of advancements.

And who knows, maybe we'll be able to teach Soul Evocation to Gisena as well, giving her something else she could train. It would even sinergize pretty well with her improved mental stats from her graces, and her ability to analize magics could help her develop her own powers even faster by looking at how WE are doing it.

it admittedly offers less immediate power, and it would likely take some time for Gisena to gain access to this system (if she can at all), but there's potential here.

Sadly though we really need more power than potential right now, and this STILL does nothing to buff our allies in the short term.

..well, technically we might learn some buffing spells, so that's not exactly true. I'd rate this above the BLADEMIGHT , but not above the other two 'MIGHTS in this specific scenario. Also Apocryphal doesn't really mesh well with magic system requiring research, we might be better served by focusing on systems that can be progressed through conflict and deeds, like Accretion and Sorcery (though it's not really that clear how one gains further Coalescences), though having something we could do outside of combat would also be nice, and give us a way to progress during the timeskips...

ARGH, I DON'T KNOW!

NEXT!


Rihaku said:
[ ] Fisher King - Dominion: Life, Gardener's Hallow [9 Arete]

This may well be your last chance to get Gardener's Hallow, that system of food-based cultivation with near-limitless versatility. Having grown powerful enough to overcome most of the threats in the outskirts, it may be wise to take a breather and cultivate other capabilities before pressing onwards...

Arise, men of the Garden! Arise!

*The most versatile Hunger has thus been offered in this world, with near-infinite applications towards any purpose he should turn his mind and energy to
*Offers pretty much no immediate power, but access to basic Gardener's products within a few days will grant healing, permanent buffs, and so on.
*Convert downtime into power!
*Convert food porn into power!
*Convert fishing into power!
*Save Arete!
*This is gardening quest now

---
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...ok, funny and interesting as it would be, I'll have to decline. If we want something we can productively use during downtime Soul Evocation is good enough, while also granting some immediate power and not requiring quite as much dedication. Apocryphal would also have less chances to disrupt its progress I think, compared to a "garden" that could... I don't know, be hit by a meteorite the moment we leave to do things.


As of right now I'm mostly undecided between BLOODMIGHT, FULL MIGHT, and MAGE LORD.

They all have different focuses, but are all well suited to our situation, offering at least SOME level of buffing for our allies, SOME immediate power, and SOME potential.

BLOODMIGHT works towards Ruling Ring, and might very well allow us to pick it by the end of the temple, massively speeding up our progress... though, on another hand, being too strong might make finding "hunger sated" targets much harder, so that's a problem too. Not one we'd have to deal for quite some time, but I suppose we could start invading the Astral Realm, or start working for Pillars of Creation, if we really needed a source of enemies. And there's always other Armaments too.

FULL MIGHT gives the most immediate power and protection to our companions

MAGE LORD gives versatility, utility, some power and (hopefully) protection, possibly something to teach Gisena, and something to do when we're not fighting.

I like them all, and I'm VERY undecided about which I'd pick.

Rihaku said:
You got somewhat lucky. Veterancy was unused, though Gisena is currently unconscious. Choose one of the social encounters below, see the previous update for context:

[ ] The Wandering Caravan - You don't really need healing, but perhaps some potions would be useful. And information as well...

[ ] The Amiable Brutes - You may use the Veterancy re-roll here if you like, and possibly gain some powerful allies besides.

[ ] The Shining Paragon [1 Arete] - As she's not your rescuer, she may not be quite as positively inclined, but now you can recruit her with only 1 Arete and make your first impressions while relatively unharmed!
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all attractive options. We still have the re-roll, making success more likely with all of them.

Caravan gives the most informations, and possibly a few potions if we're willing to pay.

Brutes give a rune, two temporary allies, and access to the camp.

Shining Paragon gives a strong potential ally, potential access to interesting magic systems (especially interesting if we don't take the limiting MAGE LORD, though even with that there could be interesting combinations we could use for the duration of the temple...), and a bit of a mistery box.

..somehow I find myself uninterested in Lady Fairbright, and a small part of me also wants to save that 1 arete. I think I'd go with brutes at this point, or maybe the Caravan.

2263 words. longest one yet I think, but then again there was a lot to talk about here. :D
 
Birdsie said:
Since it was particularly well-received, even to the point where Rihaku submitted a build vote idea, I've decided to write more. Enjoy!
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Niiiiiiiiiiiice.

"Make no mistake," the Accursed calmed him down with a gesture of détente. A wicked ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, as if deriving amusement from some existential joke. "The Heavenly Bureaucracy of this realm is very political, and overflowing with corruption. The entire world I speak of is secretly a shrine scheme, of sorts. The godlings send down heroes from Earth whose souls are uniquely attuned to planar travel and give them a humble blessing to show they are actively supporting the people of the world, and receive their prayers and worship in return. The heroes themselves are vetted carefully, to ensure none of them are sufficiently competent or receive a powerful-enough cheat to actually overcome the threat. A fool's errand, where countless well-meaning people die for no reason."
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"Once in a while, the Demon King needs pruning - if the godlings let him run amok for too long, they risk losing support among worshippers or letting the situation get out of control," the Accursed expanded in a lackadaisical tone. "They empower one, true chosen and he slays the Demon King. Simultaneously, they empower another chosen who is manipulated and led down a path that'll lead him to, in a time of decades, becoming the next Demon King."
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I admit that my knowledge of Konosuba isn't the best - I am a filthy secondary who watched the anime but not read the LN. But boy, things are much worse than led to believe!

Perhaps it's not the most evil scheme or horrific system in existence, but acknowleding that higher beings are the equivalent of unscrupulous magnates is saddening all the same. Some might say that it's a surreal theme, but one wonders if our own reality works on the same principles - except that God has the decency to not present Himself as a benevolent deity but maintains a self-aware silence. But these are just the mental musings of an agnostic.

I'm curious to know if there's any person who was able to see through the Veil of Maya or even Gods who are opposed to this whole scam. IIRC Eris seemed like a decent Goddess, buuuuuut I suppose that might have been a disguise.

Kazuma listened with rapt attention, finding himself thrown into the Accursed's words, enraptured by them. Not because his voice was beautiful, but because as he kept listening, the desire for vengeance only intensified in the tugging of his heart, and his teeth grit calamitously like the fangs of a beast out for blood.
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Ah yes Kazuma, give into your anger.

It's arguably the most sensible reaction to manipulation, after all. Or rather, to a senseless manipulation without benefit if not for a select few. And who are these glorified leeches that we must bow our heads to them, when the power of crushing universes is in our grasp?

Vengeance against uncaring Gods might be a bit of a re-thread after Nameless' journey, but personally it's never a stale theme.

"Do you usually offer this much direct advice to new Cursebearers?" Kazuma found himself asking for some strange reason, mostly suspicion.

"No," the Accursed admitted point-blank. "But if there's anyone who needs the help desperately, it is you, Satou Kazuma. I am willing to give you the light push if it means you'll grow into someone worthwhile for it."
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Aaaaaaaaw, the Accursed deserves a big hug.

Of course, the realization that the supernaturally suspicious not-Devil is the only one willing to believe in Kazuma's potential instead of well, anyone else, sours this a bit.

Last round, these votes won:

[Ko] Affliction of Misfortune
[No] Brand of the Wretched
[Su] Doom of Incompetence
[Ba] Affliction of Slumber
[!] Halo of Immortality
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Ugh, the Suboptimal Curse strikes again. Why were people so scared of Debtor is beyond me - especially when Wretched all but tanks most of our social interactions. But these are the cards we've been dealt with, so it's useless to bitch about it. Hopefully voters will learn better who am I kidding this why we can't have nice things.

About Remittances:

Cultivation is tempting. Very tempting. It's a pretty bullshit system capable of elevating us to ridiculous heights without many side effects, it's something that I really wanted to see again after EFB (even if it's not the exactly same thing) and it's thematically appropriate if one wants to flip the bird at Heavenly Bureaucracies. Sure, it requires training and resources that might not be available...but we do have time and an interest to invest in Luck. While we don't start at a high level, Cultivation gives us the assurance to survive all but the most dangerous situations possible for now. Quite litereally the reason why we picked Halo in the first place.

Clock Uniform has potential. A lot of potential, I admit. With some creativity it's possible to create quite a few Artifacts for our party, empowering them against whatever may come. The possibilities are endless as long as we're given enough time to craft wonders - like crafting a Wand of Explosions for Megumin. But I feel TCU has two issues - one is subjective, the other is objective. First one is...I don't like thinkering too much - a build based around creation of Artifacts is pretty boring to me. Second, I don't feel this is something we really need now. What Kazuma needs to be is the powerhouse of the party - not in a 'all muscle, no brains' way, but all the aspects of combat need to be his focus.

VDF is what we can call a 'boring but practical' option. I don't say this as a derogatory term, in fact I quite like it for this reason - it doesn't do anything especially well, but covers all fields which could be relevant to us down the line. Rechargeable respawn, one free Lesser Remittance, boost to all Stats and extreme Luck once per year. This is all great...but Kazuma is a Progression Type. Were he a Combat Type, I'd be more tempted by this offer. As it is, it doesn't offer enough room of improvement by itself.

Undecided is fucking spicy and a great meme. Actually, had we not picked Misfortune it would have been top-tier since Kazuma's Luck could have assured us great powers 90% of the time. Alas, that wasn't meant to be.

About Lesser Curses:

Brand of the Chaste is an unexpected dividend of Wretched. Given the initial distrust born from it, there will be enough hardships to create genuine friendship. Romantic relationships are even more far-fetched, so it's basically a free Curse for us. For all other urges, there are other methods to stave them off...coughSuccubicough.

The rest are more or less unacceptable. Doom of the Prick is bound to create devastating effects in combination with Wretched, Black Cat looks like mitigation but it's an even worse trap and Leprosy reduces general - and in particular physical - capabilities even further. Inevitable Charisma loss isn't cool either.

Now, onto Lesser Remittances:

Aqua is a must-have. We're bound to her thanks to the Geas of Incompetence, making sure that she doesn't stray far from us like the dumbass she is takes priority. Making her less stupid and compatible with Mitigation are also great boons, much like the free Cheat Code - it might not be a Lesser Remittance, but I'm not complaining! Last but not least, that Mental 0 killed my sides.

Natsuki Subaru...okay, I didn't expect him at all. And I'm willing to shelve my hate for Re:Zero in the name of survival. He sounds like a Subaru who matured a bit too, so we might be safe from his most obnoxious traits. Which is great, because he brings a lot to the table - high Social stats to compensate for our Brand, Return to Death makes him incredibly savvy in the near future and Yin Magic fuckery is nice to have. Wretched might have a lesser effect on him given his natural disposition, which is something we desperately need in companions. It would be nice if he could RtD to tell us which sick blurbs are the most optimal, but I think that's a pipe dream :V

Chris. Okay, having another Goddess as party member sounds hilarious, but I feel that she fills a niche we don't really need at the moment. Aqua can be Cleric, Subaru the Face/Thief and Kazuma the Warrior. Chris/Eris has possibly potential in case we want to fuck over the Heavenly Bureaucracy, but that's a long term plan anyway - and besides, we have the dumb Goddess of Water for that. For all that she's despised by her peers, she isn't completely in the dark...right? Right?!

Ring and Sword have some pretty Dark Souls-lite blurbs. Ring might or might not be one of the Rings of AST, and seems to have ties to vitality and life force. Sword is perfect in combo with Chris, and I wonder if it's the Kusanagi no Tsurugi. But sadly, lack of information doesn't make them very appealing choices.

Mask is an interesting way to defuse Wretched's messes. I'm also curious to see if it suspends the Brand when worn, but I feel that's beyond its current scope. I'm sure it is a reference to something, but for the life of me I can't pinpoint it.

Retinue, Relinquishment and Accursed Favor have been discussed in main Quest already, so I will just say that Retinue is absurdly powerful to make companions both loyal and relevant. Even if slows Kazuma's Progression, I can't ignore it in good faith.

And so, let's finalize the vote:

[Ko] Cultivation
[No] Brand of the Chaste
[Su] Goddess Aqua
[Ba] Natsuki Subaru
[!] Retinue

Cultivation grants us both immediate power and potential growth in a powerful magic system. We cover the combat needs of our party, and logically a Cheat Code from Aqua can be a Luck or Progression increase, which simplifies training in Cultivation. Brand of the Chaste is a freebie at this point. Aqua gives us the aforementioned free Cheat Code, while Subaru contributes with charisma and savviness. Retinue glues them to us and makes them more powerful - a real need when we must sleep for a long time. This way, we reduce the chance of sneak attacks when we'd be vulnerable.
1368 words.
 
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Pittauro said:
I AM AWAKE, AND BRINGING MORE REACTIONS!

I'm also ever more curious about how much arete I've generated yet. Rihaku, could you give me a rough estimate? It doesn't need to be precise, just a "between x and y" is fine. Consider it more motivation for me :D

this should be... update 31.

and that was a very good decision, as fighting either the mage OR the Dreadbeast without her would be a nightmare. The bonus to diplomacy it's also something not to ignore.

I wonder if she will suffer the Call of the False Moon though.


looking pretty confident Verschle. Anything to say? No?

Well, I'm sure you'll talk more someday. Maybe after we patch you up some more!


yes mom, I'll be carefull mom, don't worry mom.

I wonder, would we be able to make another fish boss appear with enough rank? I kinda suspect the Apocryphal might find it funny/interesting enough as well, if it just was active...

But really, the fish meme will never die. EVEN HUNGER is playing it straight by now!


she commands an high price... but it's worth it. Barely.

It will actually be interesting to see how Tyrant Dooms actually works. We know the how in theory, but we haven't actually seen it yet. I'm particularly interested in just how it's going to interfere/modify our thoughts.


NO, NOT THE DAINTY FEET TOE! Please have mercy! :V


why not both? insert jpg here.



This answers one of my questions. It makes sense, the Ring would certainly be beyond her power to fully counter, and in the end we might actually find the call useful. It should make it easier to reach our ultimate goal here after all.



...she's not wrong...

Also really, our rate of progress is absurd. It's up there with some of the best shonen characters, with the difference that THEY usually have an upper cealing to their power. We don't.

...you know, I kinda want to see a progress type cursebearer ending up in a shonen world like dragonball and quickly outscaling everything. It would be interesting to watch.

Then again Rihaku has been doing an incredible job with his original worlds (and power systems! Can't forget those!), and I imagine these are more interesting for him to write than using already established settings.




so mean :V



There's really no winning with her. It's like a meanear, but also less competent, Aurelia! At least Nameless could shut HER up with a kiss when needed though.

...wait a second, maybe THAT is a possible solution here...:V




For a moment I feared this meant the Knight Legion had won. It would have been so boring! IT's not really a bad option, but it doesn't make for as cool of a fight as the other two!

Also Hunger has a point, It might very well be impossible to actually reach the Encampment from here... though hopefully Ring and Rank can make the impossible possible anyway.



For just a moment I actually took this literally. Then I realized she doesn't actually HAVE six slippers to lose :rofl:

It's certainly an interesting (and effective) code though.



Oh, so the mage won in the end?

I'm fine with this. I liked the Dreadbeast a bit more, but at this point there's not that much of a difference between their rewards. We're likely to get enough +Rank the deeper we go into the temple, and if we were to take a good couple of 7 arete point options... or maybe even a 25 one...

We're not even that far from taking most of the ring upgrades if we wanted to commit to take Ruling Ring, and this mage could give access to interesting magic systems for Wreath. He's also pretty likely to offer Rune King again I suspect. It seems appropriate.

And that's without considering any new interesting pick, or the mistery box!



none, because you're dying here. Easy question with easy answer, really.

still, hopefully Hunger will let him talk if he doesn't manage to kill him quickly. I wonder, is he talking about the monsters or about some spacial effects not managing to make us go around in circle? Rank would likely work against such a thing.


you know, at some point I'd like to read the actual description of Gisena's graces. her powers are actually pretty versatile in her niche. not only dispellation, but also understanding of what supernatural abilities she's facing.



This mage certainly has a lot of spells. Invisibility, Teleportation, Force/Pressure, mental attacks, various kind of defensive spells, weapon conjuration, golem creation, personal enhancement..

Any of this effects pale in comparison to what a high-level Grace can do in her specific niche, but what it loses in raw power it certainly gains in versatility and utility effects. This might not be a bad system for Hunger to learn, especially as he was last worrying about his powers being only good for killing and destroying.

On the other hand a Grace WOULD give a lot more raw combat power, or a specific utility effect much above what this mage has shown... like granting more powers, resurrecting/self regen, time manipulation, mind control, all with accompanying stat boost to everything...



This seems to be Gisena's ultimate from the previous quest, if maybe on a smaller scale. Hopefully she didn't exhaust her grace for weeks/months.

Also this mage was at least wise enough to prepare a fallback option in case his magic failed, though it obviously won't be enough.



once Gisena managed to nullify his magics it was inevitable. When you pit a magicless mage against a warrior...

I'm a bit curious about just WHY he was so unreasonable and hateful, but I suppose we'll learn more once we get deeper into the temple.

..maybe we can give Gisena his knife?


Truly, Letrizia was the MVP in this fight :rolleyes:



and this is it. If we really want to keep bringing Gisena into this kind of fights, we NEED to boost her. Undying Vanguard is a must, Wreath could likely help her as well, the Garden too though that one would take more time to actually pay off and might not play that nice with Apocryphal.

so, short version, we need to pick a Gisena Boost, otherwise we'll have to drop her off once we reach Civilization, for her safety and Hunger's mental wellbeing.



that's a lot of arete. it's more than halfway to a 25 arete pick!

Sadly we REALLY need immediate power, so we're likely going to need to spend some of it now.. Still, 7 points options are good too, especially if taken in synergistic combinations... and there's also the ring option, taking small pieces of that 27 arete pick, working our way up..



27-7-2=18 arete yet to spend for Ruling Ring. Just as a reminder, that was ++ALL STATS and ++PROGRESSION. We're also left with 5.5 arete in case of emergencies, and we might be able to, say, Take dominion+ preeminence War after the next fight for 7+2 arete, leaving us in striking range of Ruling Ring.

don't you want to multiply the temple gains by another factor of ten? We could in just a few updates with this!

Also, while it's not as good as Undying Vanguard, this DOES offer some limited boost to our companions by strenghtening their blood. Better than nothing, and it should be enough for a bit more. It also lets us heal Verschle once we're ready for the more powerful beasts he'd attract, which plays nice with Ruling Ring's ++progression.

Also healing, both in and out of combat. That' can't be overstated.

All in all a VERY solid option.




CON: we spend all our hard-earned Arete.

PRO: We spend it well. We cover all our weaknesses and make our companions (and us) mostly safe.

It's a conservative option, spending all we have to buy immediate power and safety... but that's not necessarily a bad thing, here in the temple.

Of course in the medium term Ring Build would pay off much more, but are we confident enough we'll REACH that medium term?

...I think I prefer Ring, but not by much. I could live with this. This is the kind of build that brings down Dreadbeast from "deadly encounter" to "meh, I can take it"


...so. There is this.

Our rank is >4, so we could keep both stances permanently active.

We get the arm needed for the Princess Carry.

Great offensive and defensive power, plus some rank. I'll mostly ignore the discount.

And yet, I don't think I'd vote for this. I'm pretty much against it, actually.

If we want the raw power, in my opinion Full Might is nearly as good, maybe even better, and it ALSO buffs our allies

If we want more potential, ring is better, and it ALSO buffs our allies... a bit.

This seems to me like a compromise, offering both power and potential (through future stances, though as of right now we can only keep 2 stances active at a time) and even a bit of curse mitigation, but less than either of the other two options in their specialties, and at the cost of NOT buffing our allies at all.

I also don't like what this says about Hunger. He's worried about his allies not keeping up, so he buffs himself to the limit without strenghtening them at all? This WILL result in us having to leave them behind pretty soon.


..light of your soul? This is basically a mix of Bankai, Kido and Semblance to me :V

This isn't a bad pick. It gives us the versatility we hoped for, AND some decent immediate power. The limit on getting more magic system is not too heavy, as it only requires a 7 arete pick to unlock, and it would let us focus on the one system (+ accretion) for some time, hopefully avoiding more arguments about Wreath/Outer Sorcery/Praxis/Sorcery/anything else, at least for some time.

We'd also gain bonuses to magic research, allowing us to at least DO SOMETHING while we're not fighting at best-than-normal-mortal rates of advancements.

And who knows, maybe we'll be able to teach Soul Evocation to Gisena as well, giving her something else she could train. It would even sinergize pretty well with her improved mental stats from her graces, and her ability to analize magics could help her develop her own powers even faster by looking at how WE are doing it.

it admittedly offers less immediate power, and it would likely take some time for Gisena to gain access to this system (if she can at all), but there's potential here.

Sadly though we really need more power than potential right now, and this STILL does nothing to buff our allies in the short term.

..well, technically we might learn some buffing spells, so that's not exactly true. I'd rate this above the BLADEMIGHT , but not above the other two 'MIGHTS in this specific scenario. Also Apocryphal doesn't really mesh well with magic system requiring research, we might be better served by focusing on systems that can be progressed through conflict and deeds, like Accretion and Sorcery (though it's not really that clear how one gains further Coalescences), though having something we could do outside of combat would also be nice, and give us a way to progress during the timeskips...

ARGH, I DON'T KNOW!

NEXT!





...ok, funny and interesting as it would be, I'll have to decline. If we want something we can productively use during downtime Soul Evocation is good enough, while also granting some immediate power and not requiring quite as much dedication. Apocryphal would also have less chances to disrupt its progress I think, compared to a "garden" that could... I don't know, be hit by a meteorite the moment we leave to do things.


As of right now I'm mostly undecided between BLOODMIGHT, FULL MIGHT, and MAGE LORD.

They all have different focuses, but are all well suited to our situation, offering at least SOME level of buffing for our allies, SOME immediate power, and SOME potential.

BLOODMIGHT works towards Ruling Ring, and might very well allow us to pick it by the end of the temple, massively speeding up our progress... though, on another hand, being too strong might make finding "hunger sated" targets much harder, so that's a problem too. Not one we'd have to deal for quite some time, but I suppose we could start invading the Astral Realm, or start working for Pillars of Creation, if we really needed a source of enemies. And there's always other Armaments too.

FULL MIGHT gives the most immediate power and protection to our companions

MAGE LORD gives versatility, utility, some power and (hopefully) protection, possibly something to teach Gisena, and something to do when we're not fighting.

I like them all, and I'm VERY undecided about which I'd pick.



all attractive options. We still have the re-roll, making success more likely with all of them.

Caravan gives the most informations, and possibly a few potions if we're willing to pay.

Brutes give a rune, two temporary allies, and access to the camp.

Shining Paragon gives a strong potential ally, potential access to interesting magic systems (especially interesting if we don't take the limiting MAGE LORD, though even with that there could be interesting combinations we could use for the duration of the temple...), and a bit of a mistery box.

..somehow I find myself uninterested in Lady Fairbright, and a small part of me also wants to save that 1 arete. I think I'd go with brutes at this point, or maybe the Caravan.

2263 words. longest one yet I think, but then again there was a lot to talk about here. :D
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Gisena has, ironically, unparalleled ability to observe and understand magic. Ironic because she can never use magic herself, only tear its wonders down. Well, current vote has good chance of letting her use Ordinalism at some point, so there's that.
 
Pittauro said:
I'm also ever more curious about how much arete I've generated yet. Rihaku, could you give me a rough estimate? It doesn't need to be precise, just a "between x and y" is fine. Consider it more motivation for me :D
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It's somewhere between 9 and 12 Arete at this point... perhaps you might join that rareified club of contributors who has single-handedly produce an EFB if you continue at this pace!
 
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