Rihaku
The Internet
You would need a very high degree of Vindicate to do so at any remotely comparable scale to Dien's effort!
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
You would need a very high degree of Vindicate to do so at any remotely comparable scale to Dien's effort!
Zampano
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- Location
- Simping for DSB
How about if we give Hunger the grace "Ever After"? A good bit of purification seems like it would help, but on the other hand there's not a lot of Findross in the Human Sphere
- Location
- Peterborough, NH, USA
If we get all her currently available mental buff Graces and research-buffing Ordinals... will that even matter any more? She's already had ten subjective months of TPB progress, after all.
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Actual solution for fixing shit Dien did is to capture him and have him reverse all of it, obviously. Or parts that he can reverse, I suppose.
He already can do it and we want to fight him anyway. No need to spend next three centuries developing powerful temporal manipulation or whatever we we can just use tools we have at hand to accomplish our goal.
He already can do it and we want to fight him anyway. No need to spend next three centuries developing powerful temporal manipulation or whatever we we can just use tools we have at hand to accomplish our goal.
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
Heavenly Tombing Dien would be highly satisfying. But i won't vote for anything other than obliterating Dien at the moment of defeat because the Evil Overlord list makes it very clear what the consequences are for allowing a defeated hero to survive in order to advance another of your evil plans.
Dien needs to die.
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hmm. Maybe turbogrinding Rank so Gisena can make some sort of giga-Artifact to apply the effects of Make Whole across an entire universe? Unlock a few Sealing Protocols, maybe make use of SitS/Architect of the Age type effects to saturate reality with findross and then see how it goes.
He really doesn't. And we are Imprisoner, might as well Imprison people.
Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
A strong rebuttal. Very incisive.
Of course, maybe someone will burn their covid money on buying Heavenly Tomb or an equivalent Soul Evocation imprisoner EFB. (I'm not totally sold that the thread has the discipline to actually go in for the Praxis sealing tree.)
I'd love to see some conversations between Hunger & Dien, but I think the most likely outcome is some kind of overkill like a turbocharged Deathly Star to his face.
A Solemn Reprieve
Rihaku
The Internet
A Solemn Reprieve
Vote Update time!
Uniting with their errant companions, the party was able to hold out until the day of the new moon, and earn themselves a brief & solemn reprieve from the horrors of Dien's campaign. Yet when time resumes it flow, the Hero's exponential growth shall continue unabated. It falls upon Hunger and his allies to emerge from Evening's Realm with the tools and abilities to overcome this monstrous puppetmaster, lest the universe entire end up bridled by its strings.
Hunger has not been idle in the weeks leading up to re-unification, of course! He has continued at the same relentless pace which drove him in his original world - harried from one desperate redoubt to another, staying just inches ahead of the Tyrant's pursuit, cultivating just enough in the way of prowess, allies, equipment or resolve to remain doggedly alive despite the hail and thunder of the Overlord's fury. Unceasingly he has sought further development, power enough to rip Dien Bravo from its throne and cast it down into irretrievable oblivion.
And his efforts have borne fruit, somewhat. Hunger has developed Breaker of Suns - Supreme Commander and the Refinement of War. Power enough, at the very least, to demonstrate his absolute tactical superiority over even the mightiest of Dien's creations.
Refinement of War - 1 + 7 Praxis picks / 25 Arete, Req. Refinement of Purpose, Refinement of Quickness or Prowess, Refinement of Battle
The caster for an instant embodies the supreme war-making version of themselves, triumph distilled and made incarnate. Extremely draining, for emergency use only. Like a controlled Shattering Blow.
*Apply half the numerical benefits of the Refinement of Battle, and half the ISH elevation of the Refinement of (Quickness/Prowess), to the character's Might, Agility, Wits, Prowess, Luck, Protection, and Wisdom (Combat) for one action or brief sequence of actions. Does not stack with the benefits inherent to the pre-requisites of this Advancement.
-If possessing Attainment of Quickness: Highly Draining, apply 7/10ths the benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Battle: Duration increased to "one full exchange of blows or the equivalent," apply full benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Purpose: Unlocks Subordination of War
Supreme Commander [Special Advancement]
Upgrades Conquerer's Nimbus, appending the following ability:
*The character is master of every battlefield, all-seeing general whose omnipresent strategies are as conclusive as they are inescapable. Wheresoever word spreads of the character's feats within a conflict, the character's Rank is as well. With fame enough it is as if he were physically present at the site. At its greatest, this may encompass the entire theatre of said conflict regardless of scope. Now at last does the reach of his Astral gravitation come to match its force, so long as there are subjects - or enemies - to bear witness. The terror and despair of an overmatched foe are just as potent a catalyst as the admiration and trust of one's partisans.
*Note that the effectiveness of Rank normally falls off with distance. Properly utilized, this Advancement allows the character to wage war at nearly unlimited scope, as one-many army and occupying host; war across whole realms and realities, connected or disjointed, fending off infinite fronts so long as his exploits are known.
*The character's projected Rank reaches full intensity with one epic feat, three notable feats, or a steady pattern of moderate but impressive feats of martial achievement. This is relative to the context of the conflict; what may seem epic to inland barbarians is trifling to the Foremost, for example.
---
Even with Adorie's assistance, Hunger cannot use Refinement of War very often. Having very briefly employed it against Dien's legions, his first few days within the Realm of Evening will be spent recuperating - not merely from the exertion inherent to the technique, but from the ruthless pace he has subjected himself to these past weeks.
Afterwards, the task of finding Dien - or of fortifying the Human Sphere sufficiently to resist his pernicious work - continues apace. Hunger has somewhat over 54 Arete. What shall he spend his efforts and ingenuity upon?
You may choose up to two. If you think of appropriate strategies, you may write-in options targeting Aobaru, Aeira or Letrizia's advancement as well. For example, purchasing Sublime Fulcrum with the Legendary Template to be applied to Aobaru could drastically elevate his relevance in both present and future conflicts!
[ ] Strife Without End - The destiny of those afflicted with the Apocryphal Curse is battle without surcease. What others may call a reprieve from war, Hunger recognizes as an opportunity to train further. Hunger will generate a substantial number of picks (fed into Echoes) this Pillars effort, and may also spend his Arete on both normal and Praxis Advancements appropriate to the picks generated. 1- and 2-pick fights are readily achievable within the Realm of Evening; 3-pick fights are possible but dangerous.
*Staying ahead of Dien's advancement curve requires constant effort on Hunger's part. Fortunately, so long as Hunger maintains his lead he has little to personally fear from the depredations of the Surgeon, and so far the compounding effects of his interlocked Advancements have kept him well above the Foremost Shard.
*Gives you the opportunity to spend picks & Arete on Advancements for Hunger himself, including some Praxis techniques.
*Even without this, Hunger will still train to some degree, picking up a modest number of Echoes.
[ ] Barricade of Myth - The Walls of Myth have sheltered Nilfel from diminishment and external ills for time immemorial. Perhaps there is some way to offer that fortified seclusion to territories that Hunger conquers? He is, after all, Nilfel's Champion, and bodyguard to its queen...
Unlocks Hail the Queen. Hunger will need to succeed in a 3-pick fight to acquire the Advancement. ++Adorie Mental Stability; she's so relieved to be finally helping!
Hail the Queen [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. November Sky - Winter Wonderland, Spare the Innocent, Oath of Winter
Wheresoever the snow touches, that is her domain.
Grants a further +++++All Attributes to the Queen and Champion of Nilfel, and tremendously expands her power of rule. Elevate her Social Attributes by one half-step along the Infinite Singularity Husk.
Further, reality itself respects the surety of her dominion; the law, written or fundamental, is hers to reshape as she wills. Nor is she bound to the finitude of her existing territory: lands annexed into her domain can be equally warped to her purpose.
The bearer of the Oath of Winter may re-configure the metaphysics and fundamental phenomena of her territory to a degree. Lands conquered or bartered for, or which otherwise fall under her legitimate dominion, are immediately subject to this effect the moment that power is secured. The preconditions for legitimacy are strict; ostensible rule does not suffice, only the true power of a de facto monarch can establish such totality of influence. A governor may administer such territories in her place, so long as their role is contained to the execution of her overriding policy.
Lands under her rule may be subject to any number of ordinary societal laws, as well as up to three supernal Decrees. Access to a Decree-effect is profoundly influenced by its thematic suitability to the kingdom in question; a criterion that takes into account the nation's history, customs, culture and holistic factors. In general, the broader and more supernatural the Decree, the lesser its strength of enforcement, though specificity does not yield additional power past the point of reasonableness, save when it targets the Champion of Nilfel. There is no special benefit to overlapping Decrees. Decrees are applied with equal strength over the entirety of the Queen's dominion, unless she uses a Decree to specify otherwise. It is difficult and time-consuming, but possible, to modify or replace Decrees once issued.
By default, the strength of an suitable Decree is equal to that of a Ring of Power exerting an appropriate secondary domain with effective Rank equal to the Queen's. A thematically resonant and highly focused Decree might wield strength equal to a primary domain at one level of Rank above the Queen's own, while an exceptionally broad and outlandish Decree with no thematic connection might use half the Queen's Rank or less. All who reside under the wreath of such a monarch hope that she will use her power to benevolent ends, rather than towards the creation of a more perfect tyranny - that is, unless she Decrees otherwise.
Example - some presently accessible Decrees for Nilfel:
It is always winter in Nilfel, and Nilfel is winter's land; any foe or ailment that seeks to besiege it shall be bled of its vigor until frozen in stasis. Strength: Queen's Rank.
The Champion of Nilfel is its unwavering aegis. So long as he stands, any external ill that seeks to afflict its peoples shall find its every incursion blunted, its every design turned to naught. Strength: Queen's Rank.
The Champion of Nilfel, when fighting upon its soil, surges with indefatigable vitality and terrific force of valor, exhibiting unprecedented strength in battle. Strength: Queen's Rank. Grants a bonus to combat effectiveness equal to the Ring of Blood at that Rank.
The Fonts of Myth shall be turned to this purpose: that no plague or contagion of Foremost design may afflict the Nilfellian peoples. Strength: Queen's Rank +1, Primary Domain, but consumes the output of the Fonts of Myth.
The Champion of Nilfel shall be a mighty magus and sorcerer, empowered by the land to effect feats both subtle and encompassing. Strength: Queen's Rank. Grants the Champion access to a 'Sorcery' Ring Domain with effective Rank equal to the Queen's.
[ ] Critical Mass - Time to fight fire with fire; findross with findross; Foremost with Foremost. Dien Bravo is not the only genius who can scale, and the realm of the sciences has ever been the domain of the Makers. Show him the glory and the power of their aspiring champion, their genius without weakness or equal. Hunger will spend substantial time exerting his influence over the Realm in order to accelerate and augment Gisena's Grace research and creation efforts.
Unlocks Mythology Halo. Hunger will need to succeed in a 3-pick challenge to acquire the Advancement.
Mythology Halo [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. Ring of Artifice, Renaissance Woman, Feat: Orb
To match the Foremost is the destiny of a sorceress. To exceed them, is the feat of a genius.
A Halo-type Advancement.
Gisena Allria gains +300% All Attributes and may merge three of her Graces into a Halo, a ring of patterned light at her back which manifests effects of surpassing scale and eldritch complexity. The exact suite of effects created depends on the Graces employed in the merger.
The Halo is a semi-physical object, purest information imbued with purpose and substance. It is only somewhat more durable than the Sorceress herself. If destroyed, it must be recreated in a process of immense intellectual effort. During its absence the Sorceress will be deprived of its Attribute bonus and lose access to its constituent Graces. The Halo's existence is maintained by the Artifice domain; destruction of the Ring of Artifice would cause it to slowly unravel, with eventual consequences of similar scale.
Example Halos:
Halo of Singularity - Auspex Temporal, True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity. The bearer constantly exudes a world-state paradigm whereby all effects beyond the baseline capabilities of one's form can only be achieved by skill or technology, but the potential of the latter is wholly unbound.
Renaissance Halo - Evoker's Panoply, Grace of the Glaze, Maiden's Whisper. The bearer loses access to the component Graces, but may through this Halo manifest any two Graces she has encountered, and may alter the manifested Graces every twenty-one hundred hours. The strength of these manifested Graces will not massively exceed that of her mightiest native Grace.
[ ] A True Reprieve - Actually take some time to rest beyond the first few days. The demands of the hour are great, but if Hunger will not steal what moments he can while the hourglass itself is stilled, when will he ever take the opportunity? His lead over Dien is substantial; now is time to mitigate the stresses of accruing that lead, before any cracks in his psyche grow from fine spiderwebbing to extravagant flaw.
+Mental Stability to Hunger and the party as a whole.
[ ] Full Throttle - Mighty as Hunger is, he has been intentionally crippling himself. The cause was worthy: Gisena's party may not have survived Dien's attentions without the bulwark of Novakhron's sheer might. But the time has come to concentrate that power, that it might be leveraged fully in exterminating the Surgeon. For this enemy there can be no peace nor mercy, no honorable exchange of blows: only annihilation, total and unremitting, at the hands of the Dog of War.
Get in the robot, Hunger.
*Hunger will train to use Novakhron seriously in battle, substantially increasing his overall power at the cost of reducing Aobaru to a support character once more.
*Unlocks various Novakhron- and Piloting-related Advancements. You may want to see them even if you don't end up investing a lot of Arete here!
*The stellar manipulation afforded to an Armament covers a range of effects far beyond mere kinetic destruction...
*You may also gain some insight into what Dien may have done to augment Etrynome!
---
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
Vote Update time!
Uniting with their errant companions, the party was able to hold out until the day of the new moon, and earn themselves a brief & solemn reprieve from the horrors of Dien's campaign. Yet when time resumes it flow, the Hero's exponential growth shall continue unabated. It falls upon Hunger and his allies to emerge from Evening's Realm with the tools and abilities to overcome this monstrous puppetmaster, lest the universe entire end up bridled by its strings.
Hunger has not been idle in the weeks leading up to re-unification, of course! He has continued at the same relentless pace which drove him in his original world - harried from one desperate redoubt to another, staying just inches ahead of the Tyrant's pursuit, cultivating just enough in the way of prowess, allies, equipment or resolve to remain doggedly alive despite the hail and thunder of the Overlord's fury. Unceasingly he has sought further development, power enough to rip Dien Bravo from its throne and cast it down into irretrievable oblivion.
And his efforts have borne fruit, somewhat. Hunger has developed Breaker of Suns - Supreme Commander and the Refinement of War. Power enough, at the very least, to demonstrate his absolute tactical superiority over even the mightiest of Dien's creations.
Refinement of War - 1 + 7 Praxis picks / 25 Arete, Req. Refinement of Purpose, Refinement of Quickness or Prowess, Refinement of Battle
The caster for an instant embodies the supreme war-making version of themselves, triumph distilled and made incarnate. Extremely draining, for emergency use only. Like a controlled Shattering Blow.
*Apply half the numerical benefits of the Refinement of Battle, and half the ISH elevation of the Refinement of (Quickness/Prowess), to the character's Might, Agility, Wits, Prowess, Luck, Protection, and Wisdom (Combat) for one action or brief sequence of actions. Does not stack with the benefits inherent to the pre-requisites of this Advancement.
-If possessing Attainment of Quickness: Highly Draining, apply 7/10ths the benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Battle: Duration increased to "one full exchange of blows or the equivalent," apply full benefits and elevation instead.
-And possessing Attainment of Purpose: Unlocks Subordination of War
Supreme Commander [Special Advancement]
Upgrades Conquerer's Nimbus, appending the following ability:
*The character is master of every battlefield, all-seeing general whose omnipresent strategies are as conclusive as they are inescapable. Wheresoever word spreads of the character's feats within a conflict, the character's Rank is as well. With fame enough it is as if he were physically present at the site. At its greatest, this may encompass the entire theatre of said conflict regardless of scope. Now at last does the reach of his Astral gravitation come to match its force, so long as there are subjects - or enemies - to bear witness. The terror and despair of an overmatched foe are just as potent a catalyst as the admiration and trust of one's partisans.
*Note that the effectiveness of Rank normally falls off with distance. Properly utilized, this Advancement allows the character to wage war at nearly unlimited scope, as one-many army and occupying host; war across whole realms and realities, connected or disjointed, fending off infinite fronts so long as his exploits are known.
*The character's projected Rank reaches full intensity with one epic feat, three notable feats, or a steady pattern of moderate but impressive feats of martial achievement. This is relative to the context of the conflict; what may seem epic to inland barbarians is trifling to the Foremost, for example.
---
Even with Adorie's assistance, Hunger cannot use Refinement of War very often. Having very briefly employed it against Dien's legions, his first few days within the Realm of Evening will be spent recuperating - not merely from the exertion inherent to the technique, but from the ruthless pace he has subjected himself to these past weeks.
Afterwards, the task of finding Dien - or of fortifying the Human Sphere sufficiently to resist his pernicious work - continues apace. Hunger has somewhat over 54 Arete. What shall he spend his efforts and ingenuity upon?
You may choose up to two. If you think of appropriate strategies, you may write-in options targeting Aobaru, Aeira or Letrizia's advancement as well. For example, purchasing Sublime Fulcrum with the Legendary Template to be applied to Aobaru could drastically elevate his relevance in both present and future conflicts!
[ ] Strife Without End - The destiny of those afflicted with the Apocryphal Curse is battle without surcease. What others may call a reprieve from war, Hunger recognizes as an opportunity to train further. Hunger will generate a substantial number of picks (fed into Echoes) this Pillars effort, and may also spend his Arete on both normal and Praxis Advancements appropriate to the picks generated. 1- and 2-pick fights are readily achievable within the Realm of Evening; 3-pick fights are possible but dangerous.
*Staying ahead of Dien's advancement curve requires constant effort on Hunger's part. Fortunately, so long as Hunger maintains his lead he has little to personally fear from the depredations of the Surgeon, and so far the compounding effects of his interlocked Advancements have kept him well above the Foremost Shard.
*Gives you the opportunity to spend picks & Arete on Advancements for Hunger himself, including some Praxis techniques.
*Even without this, Hunger will still train to some degree, picking up a modest number of Echoes.
[ ] Barricade of Myth - The Walls of Myth have sheltered Nilfel from diminishment and external ills for time immemorial. Perhaps there is some way to offer that fortified seclusion to territories that Hunger conquers? He is, after all, Nilfel's Champion, and bodyguard to its queen...
Unlocks Hail the Queen. Hunger will need to succeed in a 3-pick fight to acquire the Advancement. ++Adorie Mental Stability; she's so relieved to be finally helping!
Hail the Queen [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. November Sky - Winter Wonderland, Spare the Innocent, Oath of Winter
Wheresoever the snow touches, that is her domain.
Grants a further +++++All Attributes to the Queen and Champion of Nilfel, and tremendously expands her power of rule. Elevate her Social Attributes by one half-step along the Infinite Singularity Husk.
Further, reality itself respects the surety of her dominion; the law, written or fundamental, is hers to reshape as she wills. Nor is she bound to the finitude of her existing territory: lands annexed into her domain can be equally warped to her purpose.
The bearer of the Oath of Winter may re-configure the metaphysics and fundamental phenomena of her territory to a degree. Lands conquered or bartered for, or which otherwise fall under her legitimate dominion, are immediately subject to this effect the moment that power is secured. The preconditions for legitimacy are strict; ostensible rule does not suffice, only the true power of a de facto monarch can establish such totality of influence. A governor may administer such territories in her place, so long as their role is contained to the execution of her overriding policy.
Lands under her rule may be subject to any number of ordinary societal laws, as well as up to three supernal Decrees. Access to a Decree-effect is profoundly influenced by its thematic suitability to the kingdom in question; a criterion that takes into account the nation's history, customs, culture and holistic factors. In general, the broader and more supernatural the Decree, the lesser its strength of enforcement, though specificity does not yield additional power past the point of reasonableness, save when it targets the Champion of Nilfel. There is no special benefit to overlapping Decrees. Decrees are applied with equal strength over the entirety of the Queen's dominion, unless she uses a Decree to specify otherwise. It is difficult and time-consuming, but possible, to modify or replace Decrees once issued.
By default, the strength of an suitable Decree is equal to that of a Ring of Power exerting an appropriate secondary domain with effective Rank equal to the Queen's. A thematically resonant and highly focused Decree might wield strength equal to a primary domain at one level of Rank above the Queen's own, while an exceptionally broad and outlandish Decree with no thematic connection might use half the Queen's Rank or less. All who reside under the wreath of such a monarch hope that she will use her power to benevolent ends, rather than towards the creation of a more perfect tyranny - that is, unless she Decrees otherwise.
Example - some presently accessible Decrees for Nilfel:
It is always winter in Nilfel, and Nilfel is winter's land; any foe or ailment that seeks to besiege it shall be bled of its vigor until frozen in stasis. Strength: Queen's Rank.
The Champion of Nilfel is its unwavering aegis. So long as he stands, any external ill that seeks to afflict its peoples shall find its every incursion blunted, its every design turned to naught. Strength: Queen's Rank.
The Champion of Nilfel, when fighting upon its soil, surges with indefatigable vitality and terrific force of valor, exhibiting unprecedented strength in battle. Strength: Queen's Rank. Grants a bonus to combat effectiveness equal to the Ring of Blood at that Rank.
The Fonts of Myth shall be turned to this purpose: that no plague or contagion of Foremost design may afflict the Nilfellian peoples. Strength: Queen's Rank +1, Primary Domain, but consumes the output of the Fonts of Myth.
The Champion of Nilfel shall be a mighty magus and sorcerer, empowered by the land to effect feats both subtle and encompassing. Strength: Queen's Rank. Grants the Champion access to a 'Sorcery' Ring Domain with effective Rank equal to the Queen's.
[ ] Critical Mass - Time to fight fire with fire; findross with findross; Foremost with Foremost. Dien Bravo is not the only genius who can scale, and the realm of the sciences has ever been the domain of the Makers. Show him the glory and the power of their aspiring champion, their genius without weakness or equal. Hunger will spend substantial time exerting his influence over the Realm in order to accelerate and augment Gisena's Grace research and creation efforts.
Unlocks Mythology Halo. Hunger will need to succeed in a 3-pick challenge to acquire the Advancement.
Mythology Halo [3 picks, 28 Arete] - Req. Ring of Artifice, Renaissance Woman, Feat: Orb
To match the Foremost is the destiny of a sorceress. To exceed them, is the feat of a genius.
A Halo-type Advancement.
Gisena Allria gains +300% All Attributes and may merge three of her Graces into a Halo, a ring of patterned light at her back which manifests effects of surpassing scale and eldritch complexity. The exact suite of effects created depends on the Graces employed in the merger.
The Halo is a semi-physical object, purest information imbued with purpose and substance. It is only somewhat more durable than the Sorceress herself. If destroyed, it must be recreated in a process of immense intellectual effort. During its absence the Sorceress will be deprived of its Attribute bonus and lose access to its constituent Graces. The Halo's existence is maintained by the Artifice domain; destruction of the Ring of Artifice would cause it to slowly unravel, with eventual consequences of similar scale.
Example Halos:
Halo of Singularity - Auspex Temporal, True Perfecting Blade, True Nullity. The bearer constantly exudes a world-state paradigm whereby all effects beyond the baseline capabilities of one's form can only be achieved by skill or technology, but the potential of the latter is wholly unbound.
Renaissance Halo - Evoker's Panoply, Grace of the Glaze, Maiden's Whisper. The bearer loses access to the component Graces, but may through this Halo manifest any two Graces she has encountered, and may alter the manifested Graces every twenty-one hundred hours. The strength of these manifested Graces will not massively exceed that of her mightiest native Grace.
[ ] A True Reprieve - Actually take some time to rest beyond the first few days. The demands of the hour are great, but if Hunger will not steal what moments he can while the hourglass itself is stilled, when will he ever take the opportunity? His lead over Dien is substantial; now is time to mitigate the stresses of accruing that lead, before any cracks in his psyche grow from fine spiderwebbing to extravagant flaw.
+Mental Stability to Hunger and the party as a whole.
[ ] Full Throttle - Mighty as Hunger is, he has been intentionally crippling himself. The cause was worthy: Gisena's party may not have survived Dien's attentions without the bulwark of Novakhron's sheer might. But the time has come to concentrate that power, that it might be leveraged fully in exterminating the Surgeon. For this enemy there can be no peace nor mercy, no honorable exchange of blows: only annihilation, total and unremitting, at the hands of the Dog of War.
Get in the robot, Hunger.
*Hunger will train to use Novakhron seriously in battle, substantially increasing his overall power at the cost of reducing Aobaru to a support character once more.
*Unlocks various Novakhron- and Piloting-related Advancements. You may want to see them even if you don't end up investing a lot of Arete here!
*The stellar manipulation afforded to an Armament covers a range of effects far beyond mere kinetic destruction...
*You may also gain some insight into what Dien may have done to augment Etrynome!
---
If you'd like to discuss the quest in real-time or just chat, you're welcome to join the AST Discord!
A huge thanks to all my subscribers on Patreon! The amount of support has been truly incredible! Subscribers receive access to patron-exclusive content, such as the Blurb Library, early updates, Discord roles, Wishes, commissions, and bonus chapters.
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- Location
- Pindorama
Edit: Vote later due to grumpyness.
For now I'm sticking to what we previously discussed. Time advantages Dien more than us currently, so we need to grab as much power as we can while time is still. I might be convinced by Full Throttle eventually, but for now this seems good.
For now I'm sticking to what we previously discussed. Time advantages Dien more than us currently, so we need to grab as much power as we can while time is still. I might be convinced by Full Throttle eventually, but for now this seems good.
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Zampano
🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈🏳️🌈
- Location
- Simping for DSB
[X] Strife Without End
[X] Barricade of Myth
[X] Critical Mass
[X] A True Reprieve
[X] Full Throttle
blame @BrainInAJar for the boring colorless formatting in this round's vote tallies. 11 minutes is not a bad reaction time during the middle of the work day -.-
[X] Barricade of Myth
[X] Critical Mass
[X] A True Reprieve
[X] Full Throttle
blame @BrainInAJar for the boring colorless formatting in this round's vote tallies. 11 minutes is not a bad reaction time during the middle of the work day -.-
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- Location
- Pindorama
[X] Strife Without End
[X] Critical Mass
[X] Critical Mass
Man, people really care a lot about their pretty colors huh?
Tyrant_Rayne
Probably Not Evil… Maybe
- Location
- Canada
[X] Strife Without End
[X] Critical Mass
Grace development is our best bet to counter Dien. Even if we don't get Halo the benefits the Graces give us is simply too good. Getting Hungers personal power up would be a good thing as well especially since we will most likely get enough Arete to purchase Strife, so long as we don't spend on anything else. With that along with Supreme Commander we will finally have an AoE ability capable of countering Dien.
[X] Critical Mass
Grace development is our best bet to counter Dien. Even if we don't get Halo the benefits the Graces give us is simply too good. Getting Hungers personal power up would be a good thing as well especially since we will most likely get enough Arete to purchase Strife, so long as we don't spend on anything else. With that along with Supreme Commander we will finally have an AoE ability capable of countering Dien.
- Location
- US
[X] Strife Without End
[X] Barricade of Myth
Hail the Queen requires us to finally get November Sky as a prerequisite. Remember the - to Mental Stability we got and the --- to Mental Stability Adorie got from Dien's horrors? After this advancement, Hunger would be a net of -1+3 = 2 ahead, and Adorie would be -3+2+3 = 2 ahead as well. Remember the points that A True Reprieve gave on the importance of not letting our mind fray from stress? This gives twice the mental stability pluses that A True Reprieve grants, so it's even better at it for that.
Since Supreme Commander extends our Rank to wherever our name is known, November Sky suddenly becomes incredibly potent because the range limit is a lot less of an issue.
And the Decrees of Hail the Queen apply to everywhere that we've conquered, not just Nilfel. If one of our Decrees is the one that prevents Foremost plagues within our lands, it becomes a lot easier to hold land away from Dien. On top of that, we'd still have two more Decrees to work with.
Also, raising all of Adorie's social stats permanently by +0.5 ISH is very potent. It takes a Subordination-type Praxis advancement for every individual social attribute for Hunger to constantly get a bonus of that sort, after all, so it really shouldn't be underestimated.
[X] Barricade of Myth
Hail the Queen requires us to finally get November Sky as a prerequisite. Remember the - to Mental Stability we got and the --- to Mental Stability Adorie got from Dien's horrors? After this advancement, Hunger would be a net of -1+3 = 2 ahead, and Adorie would be -3+2+3 = 2 ahead as well. Remember the points that A True Reprieve gave on the importance of not letting our mind fray from stress? This gives twice the mental stability pluses that A True Reprieve grants, so it's even better at it for that.
Since Supreme Commander extends our Rank to wherever our name is known, November Sky suddenly becomes incredibly potent because the range limit is a lot less of an issue.
And the Decrees of Hail the Queen apply to everywhere that we've conquered, not just Nilfel. If one of our Decrees is the one that prevents Foremost plagues within our lands, it becomes a lot easier to hold land away from Dien. On top of that, we'd still have two more Decrees to work with.
Also, raising all of Adorie's social stats permanently by +0.5 ISH is very potent. It takes a Subordination-type Praxis advancement for every individual social attribute for Hunger to constantly get a bonus of that sort, after all, so it really shouldn't be underestimated.
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Or Subordination of War.
Zampano
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- Location
- Simping for DSB
I've usually been a proponent for advancements to the party, but I kind of think that I want Strife + Full Throttle.
It would be sad to miss out on the Grace singularity but I'm not hugely impressed (at first pass) by the Halo advancements for Gisena.
I'll probably end up voting with Reader here, but at least for now I am open to other argumentation
It would be sad to miss out on the Grace singularity but I'm not hugely impressed (at first pass) by the Halo advancements for Gisena.
I'll probably end up voting with Reader here, but at least for now I am open to other argumentation
- Location
- US
Nah, Refinement of War grants a temporary +0.5, not a permanent +0.5. Attainment of Quickness makes Refinement of War's cost: Highly Draining and grant a temporary +0.7, but my point is that the Subordination version usually starts out with giving half of the original bonus as a permanent bonus, based on RoQ compared to Subordination of Quickness.
So it'd probably look like a permanent +0.35 ISH to the relevant stats once we unlock Subordination of War.
That's pretty close to +0.5, though, so I guess you have a fair point.
Anyways, unlocking Subordination of War took effectively 149 Arete worth of advancements for prerequisites assuming we need all of the listed advancements, so it still really goes to show how a dedicated persistent ISH buff to all stats within a theme takes.
Why do I say 149 Arete? This is why.
Refinement of Purpose - 25 Arete
Refinement of Quickness - 12 Arete
Refinement of Battle - 25 Arete
Refinement of War - 25 Arete
Attainement of Purpose (Didn't get it yet, but it's a prerequisite for the Subordination of War) - Probably 25 Arete.
Subordination of Quickness - 12 Arete (prereq for Attainment
Attainment of Quickness (Might not a prerequisite, but raises Subordination from +0.25 to +0.35.) - 25 Arete
You know, after counting Seal of Ruin and Imperial Praxis, we have 6 Praxis EFBs right now. You can't really call Hunger a Praxis scrub at this point, that's for sure.
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- Location
- Pindorama
I think Hail the Queen is good, but not what we need to defeat Dien. He can just erase us from people's minds with his retro-viruses and likely even heavily censor his own mind if necessary. Decrees are also only going to be relevant after Dien, since it requires de facto rule over territory, something we basically can't get until we counter Dien's biomanipulation and his own overwhelming strategic superiority, and I don't think people will vote to abandon the Republic to its own fate and hole up in our own territories. Adorie's social being elevated half a step is likewise irrelevant.
The best part of it is not even Hail the Queen, but November Sky, the Mental Stability and the synergy with Supreme Commander. However, November Sky is already unlocked! We don't need Barricade of Myth to get it; we in fact can get basically what we want out of this with just Strife and dedicate our efforts elsewhere.
Again, let us get Advancements that most help us deal with Dien first before we go picking stuff that would be nice to have in the future, hmm? If not for stuff like that we'd have November Sky already, really.
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- Location
- US
Which would be no-selled by the Decree against "any plague or contagion of Foremost design". That's not an option he could take.
That depends on the definition of annexation. If we say a land is ours and Dien's efforts are futile to reclaim them, I'd think that would suffice, tbh.
We don't necessarily have to set up proper rule in order to conquer an area, though naturally that is helpful. In the present, a looser definition is good enough.
Though I guess I should probably ask @Rihaku about what the threshold of annexation is, before I make any more assumptions.
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