Hunter Hunted
The winning vote was [X] Hunt for Healing with [X] Amaranth Star, Age and Treachery. You have spent 2 Arete on Amaranth Star and 1 Arete deposited into [X] Once and Future. You may purchase [X] Once And Future for 24 Arete at any spending point, including (theoretically) this one.
Hunger pursued a monster to find healing for his companion. Which suitable creature did he encounter?
[ ] The Plumed Offering - Hunger encountered a group of traders who, stunned by his force of personality and breathtaking appearance, happily traded him a magnificent regenerating creature for the King Fish's Scale and meat. The tormented beast had spent its life regularly being carved for steaks and was relieved to experience the blissful release of death.
100% Chance of Uneventful Victory
+0.5 Arete, 1 Selection
Time Spent: 4 Hours
Lose King Fish's Scale
Lose King Fish Meat
Gain Money
[ ] The Mire Wolf - Deep in the swamps at the far edge of the lake lay a legendary predator: part direwolf, part alligator, whose fangs were ivory daggers, whose flesh was stone carapace, the shock of its tail a dragon's thrashing. Feared for its nigh-unkillable resilience and dogged pursuit of prey, but Hunger drew it out and in prolonged battle slew it, the Fell-Handed Stroke and power of Ruin too much for even its undying thews to withstand.
80% Chance of Uneventful Victory
20% Chance of Complication (an unhealable wound, poison, or some other moderately inconvenient long-term debuff)
No Arete, 2 Selections
Time Spent: Only 2 Hours! Minimal chance of Gisena / Letrizia being attacked, as you're close by anyway.
[ ] The Tyrant Beast - Of course the Apocryphal Curse would strike once again when he was wounded and separated from his allies. Nonetheless Hunger mustered all his remaining strength to oppose the creature which reminded him so much of the man he gave everything to slay. Its towering bulk, its claws like drawn sabers, its scales like congealed lead - all paled before the glint of cold experience in its eye, evaluating him as rival or prize.
50% Chance of Uneventful Victory
30% Chance of Complication
10% Chance of Grievous Complication (very inconvenient long-term debuff)
10% Chance of Death
+1 Arete, 2 Selections
+0.25 Astral Rank if successful
Reduced % of Apocryphal Curse for 2 weeks
Resets A Hunger, Sated (gain ~2 days)
Time Spent: 10 Hours. Letrizia will suffer some minor permanent damage, nothing that would noticeably impair her. Reversible with Pristine Star and similar effects.
Less risky creatures more attuned to pure healing exist, but were not available because Scent of Prey was not chosen. However, high Charisma enabled The Plumed Offering.
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We will use the forum dice roller for these checks, so bear that in mind. You presently have about 5 Arete, plus whatever you gained from the choice above.
Which healing abilities did he acquire in the process? Select 1 if you picked The Plumed Offering and 2 if you chose any other creature.
[ ] Evening Sky - Pristine Star - The wearer and those regularly in his presence will always heal completely, without complications or scarring, even from grievous or amputating wounds. Grants resistance to illness and disease. Healing is somewhat accelerated, in that one may expect to recover from even the worst of survivable injuries in about two weeks.
Enemy effects may contest this.
-- 2 Arete Options --
[ ] Evening Sky - Shine Bright - 2 Arete. The wearer can slowly (over the course of several minutes) heal most forms of wound, illness and disease in others. Sustainable in moderation, draining if overused. Creates noticeable illumination, useful in dungeons but can attract attention. Does not work on the wearer. Greater Charisma modestly improves healing efficacy, speed, stamina cost.
Unlocks a path of findross related research.
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Second Stage - 2 Arete. Those who believed the Forebear felled were in for an unpleasant surprise. Upon reaching 0% health, instead of dying manifest as your Second Stage, a being of wraithflesh and shadow that pierces the curtain of the real. If your Second Stage is not slain, revert to your ordinary human form, fully healed, after a night has passed. Second Stage has [-Strength, +Agility], weakness to certain uncommon types of damage, and minor phasing abilities. Your Artifacts phase with you.
Pre-requisite for Form of Rage. Pre-requisite for Final Form. Second Stage prevents most forms of overflow damage.
-- 7 Arete Options --
[ ] Forebear's Blade - Echo of the Forebear + Undying Echo + Undying Vanguard - 7 Arete. Taking Echo of the Forebear (1 pick) and Undying Echo (2 Arete) unlocks Undying Vanguard (upgrade to Undying Echo, 5 Arete).
Where tread the Forebear, his men would not fall, for the shadow of his presence could turn even death aside. And for his most stalwart servants, the reach of his shadow spanned continents and worlds.
Choose up to 5 companions whose true Astral Ranks do not exceed your own. They receive bonus Protection, Constitution and regeneration depending on both your relative power levels and their level of loyalty to you. A highly loyal companion would be about as difficult to kill as you yourself are, including the effects of your Artifacts. [+Might, +Agility, +++Constitution]
You personally don't receive any healing from this, though the extra Constitution will increase your effective health. While this offers comprehensive protection to your companions, it is expensive protection that does not really help you scale.
[ ] Hunger - Pitiless Maw - 7 Arete. A Conjunctional Advancement that requires the Forebear's Blade. How can hunger perish from this world? So long as there is one hungering thing, it will emerge again and again to feast upon this realm of mere phenomena. Passively restore health equal to 100% of the damage you deal in melee combat, and triples the Power of Ruin associated with melee strikes.
This average rate of healing offered by this effect vastly surpasses that offered by the other effects here. This is compounded by the additional armor-penetrating effect of tripled Ruin. It doesn't help you heal Letrizia, but you'll be able to heal yourself and protect her much more effectively while she's recuperating! Incredible sustain that lets you take on armies of moderately weaker enemies, and even stronger enemies without powerful burst attacks may struggle to fell you. Beware the melee range limitation, however.
