- Location
- USA
- Pronouns
- He/Him
In my experience he's consistent, but these situations are complicated and there are lots of angles to analyze things from
A Simple Transaction I
- Thread starter Rihaku
- Start date
- Original
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Maybe an experiment in making a more consistent character? Or perhaps the nature of Accretion lending itself to heroic excellence when you play into your legend? Imagine getting Arete for making prudent, sensible choices. Or maybe we don't have to merely imagine; live a life of tempered valour and perhaps we can work our way towards being a less suicidal character and become more powerful for it.
On the other hand, being more consistent would end up lowering the power of fanworks. But if you don't write omakes, you might find that a good thing!
Promenade of Glories I
Rihaku
The Internet
[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.
[ ] 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)
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
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.
---
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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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)
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
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.
---
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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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
[ ] 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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Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
If we aren't willing to take +Arete option we should be resigned to the fact that -Arete options are at the mercy of omake-ers!
It's like if you're a country and you import food while producing food, and the food production countries say PAY UP - Then, what're you going to do? Starve?
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Hey guys, it's a kindred spirit!
How sure are we that diplomacy is off the table?
ImperatorV
The Laughing One
- Location
- The Voyaging Realm
...So, if we rob the merchants and a legion or monster is sent after us, do we get the Arete and picks from defeating that monster, or just another death roll?
Rihaku
The Internet
You'd get some picks, but fewer since it'd be a monster you've beaten before.
But is the force of your protagonism sufficient to withstand the blazing flame of Lady Fairbright's own? Or will it wither in response, denied room to breathe in the face of gallant salvation?
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
[X] The Dreadbeast
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Amiable Brutes
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Amiable Brutes
- Location
- The Surface Of A Hostile Planet
Huh. That feels like a meme, but looking at the actual numbers, it basically guarantees that we survive, and grab 5 Picks plus +.25 Rank.
(We'd have a 1% chance of needing Form of Rage, a 25% chance of grevious injury to us and Gisena, and 5% chance of Gisena needing healing.)
It does cost 2 Arete, but 2 Arete for .25 Rank isn't even a bad tradeoff, especially given that we just got a Rank upgrade and so the value of Rank has increased.
Plus, we get a potential aid in clearing out the temple further.
So... it doesn't seem like a meme to me. Not that much risk, incredible rewards.
Genesys
(Discrete Mokona)
- Location
- California
[X] The Dreadbeast
[X] Veterancy
[X] A Wandering Caravan
Dreadbeast has 2.8% chance of death of us independent of Gisena(10% death, 20% fail Rage, another 10% die in Rage), and 10% chance of Gisena death. Applying a reroll to this ends up with a mere 1.6384% chance of unacceptable outcomes. Therefore, picking Shining Paragon does not significantly mitigate risk. Brutes adds additional risk that may not be able to be mitigated by the reroll, so it's passed over. Either of the remaining two lower-risk options could be selected.
[X] Veterancy
[X] A Wandering Caravan
Dreadbeast has 2.8% chance of death of us independent of Gisena(10% death, 20% fail Rage, another 10% die in Rage), and 10% chance of Gisena death. Applying a reroll to this ends up with a mere 1.6384% chance of unacceptable outcomes. Therefore, picking Shining Paragon does not significantly mitigate risk. Brutes adds additional risk that may not be able to be mitigated by the reroll, so it's passed over. Either of the remaining two lower-risk options could be selected.
Projectile
Thinking of Rabbits
- Location
- USA
Uh. Interesting that Hunger's spirit form dying is so baldly called death.
Gabrielle sounds nice, hopefully she's not here to kill us. With no particular reason to believe that, I absolutely would like her help.
The monster is more likely to hurt us, the man is more likely to win.
Not gonna bet Hunger's swag.
Veterancy is mandatory in either of the hard fights if we don't pick the Dame, a waste if we do. In other words, she gives us both safety and a pick. And a friend. Who would maybe kill us if we don't keep on top of Decimation mitigation, or maybe if we do. There's no way I'm not voting for her anyway, I think.
Dreadbeast+Seize the Day+Paragon is a basically risk free 5 picks+.25 Rank? For 2 Arete, tbf. But that's... amazing? Huh.
[X] The Dreadbeast
[X] Seize the Day
[X] The Shining Paragon
Gabrielle sounds nice, hopefully she's not here to kill us. With no particular reason to believe that, I absolutely would like her help.
The monster is more likely to hurt us, the man is more likely to win.
Not gonna bet Hunger's swag.
Veterancy is mandatory in either of the hard fights if we don't pick the Dame, a waste if we do. In other words, she gives us both safety and a pick. And a friend. Who would maybe kill us if we don't keep on top of Decimation mitigation, or maybe if we do. There's no way I'm not voting for her anyway, I think.
Dreadbeast+Seize the Day+Paragon is a basically risk free 5 picks+.25 Rank? For 2 Arete, tbf. But that's... amazing? Huh.
[X] The Dreadbeast
[X] Seize the Day
[X] The Shining Paragon
Lealope
Not yet invincible
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] The Magus
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Shining Paragon
We can't risk terrible wounds here or we'll find it even harder to complete the Temple before the Apocryphal kicks in again. The Dreadbeast guarantees we'll be injured and that would require yet more Arete spending to stem the bleeding or otherwise delay us to an unacceptable degree. Meanwhile, the Magus will likely provide magic when killed, the Arete cost of Gabrielle pays for itself and a reroll works to minimise any other risks.
We can deal with nebulous concerns about her protagonism afterwards; I have faith in our Progression and frankly we'd do well to just survive this endeavour.
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Shining Paragon
We can't risk terrible wounds here or we'll find it even harder to complete the Temple before the Apocryphal kicks in again. The Dreadbeast guarantees we'll be injured and that would require yet more Arete spending to stem the bleeding or otherwise delay us to an unacceptable degree. Meanwhile, the Magus will likely provide magic when killed, the Arete cost of Gabrielle pays for itself and a reroll works to minimise any other risks.
We can deal with nebulous concerns about her protagonism afterwards; I have faith in our Progression and frankly we'd do well to just survive this endeavour.
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Rihaku
The Internet
Btw, to be clear, "4 picks with Defining Advancement" means that 4 picks will be offered, and one of the 4-pick offers will be a Defining Advancement of some kind. You don't get the Defining for free.
And something odd as well!
And something odd as well!
Gisena is far less likely to die in higher stakes encounters than I expected.
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- Location
- Omniverse #1345
Since I'm pretty sure we're going dreadbeast can we please do veterancy? We can earn the reroll for sure, even if I have to type my fingers off. And the odds are *much* safer if we have it.
@Rihaku: If the reroll outcome is somehow worse than the original, would we keep the original or go with the reroll anyway? (This is something we are giving up a Pick for, so it's reasonable to assume it's meant to be a pure boon. But... best to ask.)
@Rihaku: If the reroll outcome is somehow worse than the original, would we keep the original or go with the reroll anyway? (This is something we are giving up a Pick for, so it's reasonable to assume it's meant to be a pure boon. But... best to ask.)
It is death. Form of Rage only procs if Hunger is incensed enough that he can pull himself back together. It is not a guaranteed 2nd revive after all.
LordOfMurder
Bhaal
- Location
- Australia
[X] The Dreadbeast
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Amiable Brutes
Fight the Dreadbeast to get more rank than we just wasted a build vote on and a look at other defining advancements that people didn't want stranglethorn to see.
Veterancy should keep us alive or help us beat the brutes.
Don't trust justice lady especially since shes considerably more powerful than us and costs are 2 arete just to meet, and the other rewards are either lackluster or too dangerous. Amiable Brutes hits a nice middle ground of giving us a tasty reward if our gamble pays off with a not terrible downside if we lose.
[X] Veterancy
[X] The Amiable Brutes
Fight the Dreadbeast to get more rank than we just wasted a build vote on and a look at other defining advancements that people didn't want stranglethorn to see.
Veterancy should keep us alive or help us beat the brutes.
Don't trust justice lady especially since shes considerably more powerful than us and costs are 2 arete just to meet, and the other rewards are either lackluster or too dangerous. Amiable Brutes hits a nice middle ground of giving us a tasty reward if our gamble pays off with a not terrible downside if we lose.
Talace
It must be raining somewhere else!
Of course it feels like a meme! Only when carefully peeling back the veneer of absurdity can you fathom the true power of MAXIMUM RISK (but not actually that risky, come to think about it). If we want this vote to be successful, let's start writing up tactics for the Doom before Rihaku can argue against us!