Alchemical Solutions [Worm/Exalted] Thread 2: Bullsh*t Magical Robot Girl

Amorous Intent said:
As opposed to spending 5.5-8 hours dicking around answering questions that we already know the answers to, probing limitations that we can completely circumvent under normal conditions and the ability to test them perfectly fine under the convoluted circumstances they'd be necessary for in the first place, and stunting miscellaneous actions that were going to happen anyways? Yeah, I can see how talking to our creator and getting answers to questions only He can answer takes a back seat to that. :rolleyes:
What questions do we urgently need him to answer before Monday? What is so critical that it can't wait until Tuesday.

Yes, I don't approve of spending so much time on self-investigation either, but at least it's some form of preparation for what's coming up.
 
I would guess "you're not even supposed to have it: Armsmaster is bending (or outright breaking) the rules".
 
For people who support Gore's plan, could you consider switching to uju's? They're similar, and currently it's splitting the vote.

There are a couple of really critical problems with Veekie's plan, which we should avoid if possible.
 
you obviously never heard of a military weapon known as "Dazzlers" which are flashlights that are powerful enough to burn out someones retina's from 1-2 Kilometer's away.

edit: Imped
 
uju32 said:
Do you know if we absorb computer data when we absorb a computer? How long does it take us to integrate it?
Are there limits?
WoG is that we can read text. That does not imply the ability to read or interpret data. It's also something that we can test in about five minutes. We don't need 5-8 hours to perform a proof of concept, especially since it's not going to be immediately relevant.
uju32 said:
We only just figured out we can bestow Hypercalibration via insect after all; what else have we overlooked?
We bloody well haven't overlooked cloaking, because that explicitly isn't transferable, much like our disguise.
uju32 said:
And frankly, anything involving the Trio before they get to go to court is a disaster waiting to happen.
I generally agree, but I'd originally gone for Plan Veekie + Jinnit, which dropped that problem. Unfortunately, it's only purpose is to act as a spoiler vote unless everyone agrees to switch from Plan Veekie to Plan Veekie + Jinnit. :(
uju32 said:
Let alone the fact that our life is supposedly in imminent danger, and we still don't have a firm grasp on everything our known powers can do.
Auto-kun would not be pleased if we got ourselves killed.
And as Gore17 pointed out, we're better served by buying up Occult to actually take advantage of our Essence sight than playing around with features that we can actually test in the field or eliminate out of hand.
veekie said:
Is it legal to use in anti-material terms? Like if for some reason we need to cut through a building.
Yes, but Armsmaster is unlikely to be happy about us abusing it, unless it's clearly an emergency.

Btw, would you mind dropping the Trio bit? It's the single biggest flaw in the plan, and without it, we can reasonably roll Plan Veekie + Jinnit votes into yours with no significant loss of meaning.
 
I haven't even the plans

Too many thing cannot unto. Need coffee. Can anyone list them all in one post so it's easier to decide? I'll draw a thing as thanks.
 
Alratan said:
For people who support Gore's plan, could you consider switching to uju's? They're similar, and currently it's splitting the vote.
How about no? Gore17's plan is flawed, but could be made into something workable. Uju's is flat worse and has us wasting time for no good reason. Seriously, eight hours playing with ourself? That's just a little beyond reasonable.

Ask people to switch to Gore17's plan instead.
 
Amorous Intent said:
Oh, wow. I just reread Gore17's plan, and he fails at contingency planning. Protip: if the most likely scenario (all things going as planned, as they have up til now) prevents us from convening with Autobot, you can't buy Occult. Don't leave a non-contingent buy when you can only get it based on a contingency that isn't guaranteed.
The Occult was Goal 5. And I just realized I made a mistake, which I'll fix now.
 
Amorous Intent said:
How about no? Gore17's plan is flawed, but could be made into something workable. Uju's is flat worse and has us wasting time for no good reason. Seriously, eight hours playing with ourself? That's just a little beyond reasonable.
It's still better than veekie's which has us doing stuff that's actually bad for us, rather than just wasting time.

Visiting the Trio is that bad of an idea.
 
Removing the universally unpopular Trio from vote, since apparently nobody wants them anyway.
[X] Plan Veekie

[X] Total Time Budget :32 hours(Goal 1 16h, Goal 2 1-4h, Goal 3 8h, Goal 4 4h)
[X] Goal 1: Prepare equipment for our first week out
[X]- Send an email to Glenn regarding our plans for the costume. Whatever our plans, we should at least keep him informed so he can work that into his plans instead of finding out after the fact
[X]-- Go with a compromise between his most acceptable design and our proposed costume. In the miraculous event that he has an outfit that's more than a 50% match for our proposal, just use that design with minor tweaks.
[X]-- Get some opinions from Missy on the design. The boys are going to be completely no help here.

[X]- Get Kid Win, Dragon and Armsmaster's help if they can be spared. Kid Win should be available and more than glad to help, but to ensure availability, contact all three well ahead of time so they can schedule us some attention.

[X]- Get to work on the idea that Kid Win mooted, to create mini attack drones incorporating his stunning weaponry and anti-grav that can be operated through insect pilots. Try to make at least four as proof of concept, but more is naturally better.
[X]-- Each drone is to have three basic weapons, a high intensity flashlight, one of Kid Win's electric charge-packet stun guns and a dart launcher, to be loaded with PRT approved tranquilizers afterwards.
[X]-- Prepare each drone with mounts for detachable decorative panels for the outer casing. We'd go with highly visible polished metal panels for PR reasons, but have the drone underneath be in camouflage friendly colors in case of emergencies.

[X]- Duplicate Kid Win's wingsuit design with spidersilk, customized to our costume design. If Kid Win hadn't managed to get his suit approved yet, leave out the antigrav for now but keep a socket for the unit. We'd need a bit of practice if we want to avoid plowing into a wall like he did anyway.
[X]-- Incorporate a support frame for pocket-space drone docks. Remember to test the interactions of pocket-space storage with the Technomorphic Integration Engine to avoid potentially embarassing interactions. Build it so that the fabric can be easily replaced for when we get the new spiders.

[X]- Get armed personally with a stun rifle, stun pistol, tazer and a foam dispenser
[X]-- Check out the PRT approved armory for any useful grenades(like smoke or flashbangs) and put some into storage.

[X]- Use up to four hours of overtime if it's necessary to fit the other Tinkers' schedules or finish working before the end of Saturday so that we have more time for approval to process.

[X]- Submit all the items for verification, with documentation of the underlying technology used. Since pretty much everything is based off already proven tech, approval should be fairly fast.

[X]- Check back in on Glenn after everything else, to get any final advice for presenting ourselves.

[X]- Get some work done on spidersilk cheerleading outfits in any time spent waiting. They won't take much attention after all.

[X]- Familiarize with the new equipment, at least so we aren't going embarass ourselves.

[X]- Needless to say use Incomparable Efficiency Upgrade liberally to fit it all in the time available

[X]- Spend any leftover time duplicating drones and making the cheerleading outfits.

[X]- War Specialty(Swarm) 2XP
[X]- Craft +1 4XP if we get enough training on it during the weekend

Projected time consumption: 8 hours(drones) + 4 hours(costume and weaponry) + 4 hours(practice and approval) = 16 hours

[X] Goal 2: Checking out Danny's case
[X]- Get in touch with Danny, get him up to speed on what's going on, and his opinion on things. Find out how his case is doing. The PRT Backing should help here with people to facilitate the necessary paperwork.
Projected time consumption: 1-4 hours.

[X] Goal 3: Socializing with Wards
[X]- Go have some fun with Missy, just a weekend out to relax and talk.(this is in addition to the next)
[X]- Get to know the other Wards better, we hadn't really spent any time around them aside from Kid Win and Vista.
[X]-- Going out for food together would be good, but if that's not possible(due to identity concerns) a shared training session could help too. All we'll need to do is promise to do the cooking after the training.
Projected time consumption: 8 hours

[X] Goal 4: Make contact with our favorite cosmic nerd
[X]- Meditate to try and reach Autochton and clear our head.
[X]-- Check out how Essence works while we meditate if possible. There might be a similar connection between us and the Maker as we do with the bugs.
Projected time consumption: 4 hours
 
uju32 said:
Why?
Police helicopters use those things primarily to spotlight targets for other people; it would only be a blinder if the person was looking at it for extended periods.

Besides, blinding weapons are illegal IIRC; if the whole point was distraction, sticking a small swarm of flies around the targets' head and eyes works as well, and does not require PRT review.
Probably a lot more PR friendly though. And unlike us the other Wards can't see in the dark.

Of course, to a large part, this is inspired by the imagery of drone hunters with searchlights.
 
uju32 said:
It is not the only thing we can do.
We figured out the name of Armsmaster's tool from absorbing it; the only way that happened was either the data storage had files on it, or the tool itself had related memories.
Either makes for additonal avenues by which we can extend Investigation or learning.
Uh, no, that's just flat-out Exalted's conceptual magic at play. The tool is a unique design known as an Armsdriver, therefore, the plans to recreate it will be labeled as such, just as if we'd absorbed sushi we'd know the exact name of the particular type of sushi and the names of the ingredients. If it was an ordinary screwdriver he called "The Hammer," it'd still be called a screwdriver in our plans for it.
uju32 said:
When last we tested cloaking, bugs in contact with our body were invisible.
Does that apply to humans? Do you know?
What else have we overlooked?
Alright, you've actually got a point there, but I'm pretty sure what matters here is "on your person," not "is touching Taylor." Basically, if it counts as your equipment or battledress, it gets cloaked with you. Unfortunately, I can't look up the rules to double-check.
uju32 said:
We only just figured out what Loom Migration does; there's no way we have a comprehensive understanding of our abilities.
And I would rather not have to find out whether something works in the field than at home in controlled circumstances.
We have vast amounts of metagame information to draw upon. We only need to worry about testing specifics that we know we can achieve in controlled conditions, and let the rest happen as circumstances allow. Don't waste breath stunting tests of the things we do know through metagaming*, especially when you could be stunting something more relevant and interesting, like observing the essence flows of her body in a mirror or meditating on her construction. Those get you occult training, and even then, we don't need more than 4 hours to do that and your experiments.

I feel like you're entirely missing the point of the "Know Thyself" option that's been there for previous votes.

*Note that Taylor obviously has some idea of exactly how her charms work, such as her mentions of certain powers being based on the intent of others. It's not as metagaming as it sounds to do it this way.
 
uju32 said:
Not likely; drones are not popular now. Glenn said avoid huge masses, not a small cloud of fruit flies.
Then we make them enhanced vision equipment. Later.
Not at all PR friendly.
He meant no giant swarms of terrifying insect, these are robot drone PILOTED by spiders under our control and given a PR friendly casing pretty much like this:



skip to 2:17
 
Some notes to review things that I thought were made clear in the writing so far, but apparently aren't (my bad):
- You can get the Connections (PRT) background... eventually. Not yet. You haven't done enough to warrant having that kind of power; once you start kicking ass, taking names, and showing that you're more than just a pretty (robotic) face, then Connections can be purchased.
- Technomorphic Integration Engine can read data in computer/tape storage. However, like text in books, it isn't "I know everything about everything I have absorbed at all times" - you specifically have to remember that you have something absorbed, then look through its "schematics" to find what you're looking for. This is an Investigation roll, not a Lore roll, so absorbing ALL THE BOOKS means that you'll still have to 'read' through it and your comprehension of its contents beyond knowing its 'schematics' is just the same as learning things normally. However, it does allow you to effectively absorb a whole boatload of books on a specific field and use them in a stunt to train a skill. Things in Elsewhere are time-frozen, as well, so they can't be used.

Something from canon that I thought was obvious:
- For whether your bugs keep doing what you told them to do if they leave range of Shard of Perfect Administration, it's the same as canon: no, they revert to whatever their normal behavior is. If they're still in range, they are effectively little organic automatons and follow your will completely... but leave your range and it's Rules of Nature all over again. You would have noticed this when you set up your spider-silk weaving terrariums and they started eating each other when you were at school.
 
Hey Gromweld, a question. Have we encountered any hologram or chameleonic technology when we worked with Kid Win or Armsmaster?
 
Alratan said:
Hey Gromweld, a question. Have we encountered any hologram or chameleonic technology when we worked with Kid Win or Armsmaster?
Nope. Shit be rare, and is probably the purview of a Tinker Specialty (because otherwise everyone would have it).
 
Amorous Intent said:
Alright, you've actually got a point there, but I'm pretty sure what matters here is "on your person," not "is touching Taylor." Basically, if it counts as your equipment or battledress, it gets cloaked with you. Unfortunately, I can't look up the rules to double-check.
Optical Shroud can't cloak people other than Taylor/the user. To extend the cloaking effect to others, we need the follow-up Charm "Hidden Assembly Conclave".
 
Fuck, the edit function is playing up. Have to redo the edits, and post them here. :(

[X] PLAN Gore17Day One: 14.5 hours of work, 1.5 hour safety net and 8 hours of sleep.
Day Two: 15 hours of work, 1 hour safety net and 8 hours of sleep.

DAY ONE(Saturday)
[X]Goal 1: Ward Preparations. 8 hours; 7:30 am to 3:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Look through the prototypes, pick the most acceptable style, and bargain with Glenn as necessary; remember to prioritize what's most important to you. Get Missy's advice, then the boys. They're a resource pool of experience about what works in the field; use them. Even if the boys need help keeping their minds on the job, you can always bribe them with the carrot of more food. Or in Clockblocker's case, the threat of spiders.
-[X]Stunt: Prioritize putting together a base outfit in the agreed colors/style with integral armor; you're squishy despite being Exalted, so prioritize something you can get approved before you have to assume duties on Monday. Then start working heavier armor/powersuits based on what Kid Win and Armsmaster let you access. Get their help with that.
-[X]Stunt: Run through PRT armory for approved weapons; a grenade launcher for containment foam grenades would be nice. Tasers. Kid Win's guns. Whatever they'll let you take and which you can fit inside storage. Also first aid gear, medical supplies, radiation detectors and the like.
-[X]Stunt: Contact Glenn, inform him of the choices made, and check for objections. Flight is non-negotiable, and be willing to sacrifice control over aesthetics to allow the weaponry.
-[X]Stunt: Study up on PRT files of known supervillains and villain groups and rogues, prioritizing the BB area. Whichever files you can access. Keep an eye out for Lisa's alias, assuming she is publicly active.
-[X]Stunt: Begin keeping a diary, specifically of the Lisa events. In cipher, and store it Elsewhere.
-[X]Stunt: Cheerleading outfits in spare time. Make Missy something while doing so; it's all female outfits after all, and one more shouldn't hurt. And maybe something for the coach.
-[X]Stunt: Reherse. Ask for advice, and contact the Cheerleading club and Outcasts to come to your debut.

[X]Goal 2(A): Protectorate Socialization (Miss Militia). 3 hours; 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Ask advice on Ward presentation; she used to be a Ward herself. And is female.
-[X]Stunt: Request tips on speeding up acquisitions/permissions for things like Darwin's Spiders for tougher outfits.
-[X]Stunt: Attempt to acquire help with training Firearms skill.

-[X]Goal 2(B): If Miss Militia is unavailable, attempt to contact Autochthon. 3 hours; 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Meditate to try and reach Autochton and clear our head.
-[X]Stunt: Check out how Essence works while we meditate if possible. There might be a similar connection between us and the Maker as we do with the bugs.
-[X]Stunt: If contact is made, ask about the emptiness we see in people.
-[X]Stunt: Ask about the particulars and limitations of our powers.
-[X]Stunt: Give him an update of what we've been doing.
-[X]Stunt: Ask if there's anything we should or need to know.

[X]Goal 3(A): Wards Socialization. 3.5 hours; 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Hang out with the Wards. Even if the exigencies of identification make it difficult to go out without being recognized, make it an evening in.
-[X]Stunt: Make sure to cook for them.

[X]Goal 3(B): If Wards are unavailable, and Goal 2(B) was not completed, attempt to contact Autochthon. 3.5 hours; 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Meditate to try and reach Autochton and clear our head.
-[X]Stunt: Check out how Essence works while we meditate if possible. There might be a similar connection between us and the Maker as we do with the bugs.
-[X]Stunt: If contact is made, ask about the emptiness we see in people.
-[X]Stunt: Ask about the particulars and limitations of our powers.

[X]Goal 3(C): If Wards are unavailable, and Goal 2(B) was completed, spend time building relations with the PRT. 3.5 hours; 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Make sure to cook something up to give to people. Ask Piggot before hand if she'd like anything, you'll make it for her.
-[X]Stunt: If Piggot asks why your doing this, reply that it's way of thanking everyone for their hard work.
-[X]Stunt: If Piggot simply refuses, tell her the offer is always available.

DAY TWO(Sunday)
[X]Goal 4: Danny. 3 hours; 7:30 am to 10:30 am
-[X]Stunt: Talk to his lawyer about his case; assure yourself that the guy is working in your father's best interests, given Lisa's warning.
-[X]Stunt: Visit him/call him, whichever you can. Reassure him about how you are doing, and find out how he is; if Lisa is telling the truth, you want to keep tabs on his condition, even if he wasn't your father.

[X]Goal 5(A): If contact with Autochthon was not made, or if he didn't tell us his limitations, it's time for testing. 5.5 hours; 11:00 am to 4:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Absorbing tools and technology allows you the ability to understand and duplicate them. To what else does it apply? Medical, psychology and legal textbooks/case files? Lecture videos on DVD? What of computers and smartphones? Does absorbing them give you access to the stored information? Can you operate a cellphone from Elsewhere? Three lives are in immediate danger including your own, you need all the edge you can get. And knowledge is power.
-[X]Stunt: How persistent are your instructions to bugs? How long will they follow them? Find out.
-[X]Stunt: When Dragon arrives for the Incomparable Efficiency Upgrade test, see if she'll be willing/available to help you with further testing.
-[X]Stunt: Does the use of external parahuman powers leave energy traces? Can you see them? Dragoon Missy if she's free for a demo.
-[X]Stunt: Can you extend invisibility to people you are touching? If so, what's the limit? If attacking breaks your invisibility, what counts as an attack? Speech? Dropping a grenade at your feet instead of theirs? Accidental shots? What of locking a door against intrusion? Getting in someone's way? Explore the limits.

[X]Goal 5(B): If we've discovered the limitations and quirks of our powers thanks to Autochthon, it's time for TINKERING! 5.5 hours; 11:00 am to 4:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Activate Incomparable Efficiency Upgrade, if we haven't already.
-[X]Stunt: Get to work on the idea that Kid Win mooted, to create mini attack drones incorporating his stunning weaponry and anti-grav that can be operated through insect pilots. Try to make at least four as proof of concept, but more is naturally better.
-[X]Stunt: Each drone is to have three basic weapons, a high intensity flashlight, one of Kid Win's electric charge-packet stun guns and a dart launcher, to be loaded with PRT approved tranquilizers afterwards.
-[X]Stunt: Prepare each drone with mounts for detachable decorative panels for the outer casing. We'd go with highly visible polished metal panels for PR reasons, but have the drone underneath be in camouflage friendly colors in case of emergencies.
-[X]Stunt: When Dragon shows up for the test, show her what we've been working on, ask for her opinion, and any help she could provide.
-[X]Stunt: Duplicate Kid Win's wingsuit design with spidersilk, customized to our costume design. If Kid Win hadn't managed to get his suit approved yet, leave out the antigrav for now but keep a socket for the unit. We'd need a bit of practice if we want to avoid plowing into a wall like he did anyway.
-[X]Stunt: Incorporate a support frame for pocket-space drone docks. Remember to test the interactions of pocket-space storage with the Technomorphic Integration Engine to avoid potentially embarassing interactions. Build it so that the fabric can be easily replaced for when we get the new spiders.

[X]Goal 6(A): Protectorate Socialization (Armsmaster). 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Help optimize nanobots.
-[X]Stunt: If experiments with books work, point out that you could learn Medicine if they get you the textbooks. So if they could get the reading list of a medical student>doctor>neurologist>neurological surgeon/researcher, you could get far along enough to help optimize Armsmaster's nanobots to save brain function.
-[X]Stunt: Ask to see the database of human behavior which Armsmaster used to program his lie detector works, assuming you know he has one. Perhaps you can integrate one into your suit, or simply internalize the knowledge.

[X]Goal 6(B): If Armsmaster is unavailable, and Goal 2(A) was not completed, spend time with Miss Militia. 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Ask advice on Ward presentation; she used to be a Ward herself. And is female.
-[X]Stunt: Request tips on speeding up acquisitions/permissions for things like Darwin's Spiders for tougher outfits.
-[X]Stunt: Attempt to acquire help with training Firearms skill.

[X]Goal 6(C): If Armsmaster is unavailable, Goal 2(A) was completed, and Goal 3(A) was not completed, attempt to spend time with the Wards. 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Hang out with the Wards. Even if the exigencies of identification make it difficult to go out without being recognized, make it an evening in.
-[X]Stunt: Make sure to cook for them.

[X]Goal 6(D): If Armsmaster is unavailable, and if we've spent time with Miss Militia and the Wards on Day One, or if we didn't and they are unavailable as well, and done Goal 3(C), spend time building relations with the PRT. 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Make sure to cook something up to give to people. Ask Piggot before hand if she'd like anything, you'll make it for her.
-[X]Stunt: If Piggot asks why your doing this, reply that it's way of thanking everyone for their hard work.
-[X]Stunt: If Piggot simply refuses, tell her the offer is always available.

[X]Goal 6(E): If all the above is unavailable, and we have not contacted Autochthon yet, attempt to. 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: Meditate to try and reach Autochton and clear our head.
-[X]Stunt: Check out how Essence works while we meditate if possible. There might be a similar connection between us and the Maker as we do with the bugs.
-[X]Stunt: If contact is made, ask about the emptiness we see in people.
-[X]Stunt: Give him an update of what we've been doing. Ask if we missed anything in our testing.
-[X]Stunt: Ask if there's anything we should or need to know.

[X]Goal 6(F): If all of the above is unavailable/inapplicable, it's time for self-study. 3.5 hours; 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm
-[X]Stunt: All the books. All of them. If it is of even tangential relationship to your interests, absorb it, read it, and add it to your collection. Parahuman case law, PRT procedures, human medicine, behavioral psychology, arthropod physiology and distribution, you name it. If it has a book, acquire, absorb and assimilate the knowledge.

[X]Goal 7(A): If we have not completed Goal 6(F), then it's time for self-study. 3 hours; 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: All the books. All of them. If it is of even tangential relationship to your interests, absorb it, read it, and add it to your collection. Parahuman case law, PRT procedures, human medicine, behavioral psychology, arthropod physiology and distribution, you name it. If it has a book, acquire, absorb and assimilate the knowledge.

[X]Goal 7(B): If we have completed Goal 6(F), it's time to relax. 3 hours; 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm
-[X]Stunt: Have a nice hot bath or shower, put on some comfortable clothes, and curl up in bed or on a couch with a good book.
-[X]Stunt: Let all the stress flow out. The World(s) can wait: this is me time.

Purchase:
Occult x1: 4XP
If we've spent time building relations with the PRT, Connections (Brockton Bay PRT) x1: 3XP

Edit: The Grom has spoken! I'll post yet another revision soon.
 
Alexandria had spidersilk and insects in her lungs. Their natural instincts wouldn't have gotten them out. Running away like that being a plan to save herself by getting out of range is just fanon; canon never gives an outright explanation, and it's quite believable it was panic or not understanding how serious the situation was.

I think there was something about her instinctively returning them to their natural programming in the lost interlude as she moved out of range, but it's non-canon now anyway.
 
Canon Taylor wouldn't have had to worry about separating the black widow spiders she had in her basement or lairs if they followed orders (specifically, not to eat each other) when they were out of range. This is called to several times when she discusses the problematic nature of their territoriality... which wouldn't be a problem if they kept following her orders when she left them alone.
 
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