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Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

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SITB said:
As for your second point, just because Shenhua is based on Ragyo doesn't mean she actually is Ragyo, Liling didn't turn out to be exactly Ranko for instance.
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So am I the only person hoping Liling's father shows up in the audience for the tournament and turns out to be a complete Genma expy?

On a separate note, is our protagonist sort of poised to break the action economy in one on one combat with her lingering performance technique? She'll be able to call up the mist and have it do its thing while she switches over to the bow and takes three rounds' worth of potshots at the enemy (bonus: while her spirit beast rampages through the mist as well). For the opponents that don't have their own overwhelming hax she must be a nightmare to fight.
 
jacobk said:
So am I the only person hoping Liling's father shows up in the audience for the tournament and turns out to be a complete Genma expy?
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Sadly it's been confirmed Sun Shao's children are now all dead (so Liling's parents are), and that Sun Shao is definitely not a Happosei expy.
On a separate note, is our protagonist sort of poised to break the action economy in one on one combat with her lingering performance technique? She'll be able to call up the mist and have it do its thing while she switches over to the bow and takes three rounds' worth of potshots at the enemy (bonus: while her spirit beast rampages through the mist as well). For the opponents that don't have their own overwhelming hax she must be a nightmare to fight.
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Well, Ling Qi's actual opponents for the tournament, as in the ones that should be dangerous to her, all have their own ridiculous hax. Meizhen is a counter-monster that breaks the action economy from having the ability to counter freely whenever she is attacked (and now has some more proactive arts). Liling beside hitting like a freight train and causing some seriously painful wounds has the ability to combat-heal herself, which is apparently ridiculously rare. CRX has a spirit beast embeded in her robe, almost certainly custom made by her mother. Han Jian 'merely' has Heijin, a spirit beast on the same scale of power as Xuanwu/phoenix/dragon, but that might be enough to make him a contender.

Hell, even Yan Renshu might actually have a utterly ridiculous Qi reserve, if he has been making and using sable light pills like candy (unknown).
Bob Saget said:
Yes, clearly her father is a white cultivator. We did receive the warning that Ling Qi's street rat background would be cliche. It didn't specify in what way it would be cliche.
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Liling = Sun Liling.
 
jacobk said:
On a separate note, is our protagonist sort of poised to break the action economy in one on one combat with her lingering performance technique? She'll be able to call up the mist and have it do its thing while she switches over to the bow and takes three rounds' worth of potshots at the enemy (bonus: while her spirit beast rampages through the mist as well). For the opponents that don't have their own overwhelming hax she must be a nightmare to fight.
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The simple answer is no.

FVM is fantastic in group situations, but it synergises poorly with FSA in in single target duels.

FVM requires significant setup - particularly if we whiff it, and if we were a dedicated archer build we'd be better off using instant self-buffs like TRF to boost ourselves while shooting, and making sure we could shoot really hard.

Basically the problem is that we have to spend 1-3 turns (assuming all goes well) setting up FVM before we can switch to FSA. Instants like TRF (and likely DZ) however can be cast in the same turn as FSA, so you can start shooting right from the start and get your buffs up at the same time.
 
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I'm waiting for it to turn out that Elder Jiao is our grandfather or something similar, if we are going by cliches.
 
@Klaus

I'm not convinced Ling Qi is a good choice for our spymaster.

Whilst she's certainly someone we would like to recruit she isn't necessarily a good choice for spymaster.

First off. Of all our choices she will be the most focused on her own cultivation. Fu Xiang is an older, production track student with an established base in strength and skill. Huang Da is arrogant, but fairly unlikely to win a spot in this years tournament. He is also from an established family, with less of a burning need to prove himself than Ling Qi.
By contrast Ling Qi is a nobody who has already made a fair nmber of enemies and is, by all accounts, obsessively dedicated to cultivation. She also has a serious chance of advancing by the tournament this year if she can pull herself to green.

Whilst this is a good thing from the point of view of having her follow along with us when we move to the inner sect it will mean she will have much less time to devote to her role as our spymaster than the others. Given that Yan Renshu is still out there, and Sun Liling has proven decently adept at pulling off intrigues and ambushes (the ambush, retrieving Kang Zihao), this diversion may be something we can ill afford.

The independence is also being underrated as a con. Whilst her suprises have been effective thus far, she could easily wreck our planning of weeks, potentially derailing things badly. Or act against people that we need to keep placated for now without informing us before it's too late.

Selecting her would also risk alienating Fu Xiang. He chose to come down and ally with us and has been a staunch ally. As well as our go to guy for intrigue. Pissing off not Kabuto the master of blackmail is not to be done lightly. Especially since he also stands a good chance of making it to the inner sect with us.

Huang Da is a dark horse, but he's probably the one with the most time to devote to the position. We also have an in with him: Ji Rong. He is unlikely to defeat his rival by strength, but might by cunning. He also brings political connections that the others do not, which is important. We don't have Mom's sheer strength to cow everyone. He's least likely to make it to the inner sect with us this year, but having someone to keep our powerbase in the outer sect once we're gone is no bad thing.

Above all we shouldn't make the mistake of looking at the long term advatages too much and forgetting that we must achieve short term success lest we disappoint dear mother.
 
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Humbaba said:
@Klaus

I'm not convinced Ling Qi is a good choice for our spymaster.

Whilst she's certainly someone we would like to recruit she isn't necessarily a good choice for spymaster.

First off. Of all our choices she will be the most focused on her own cultivation. Fu Xiang is an older, production track student with an established base in strength and skill. Huang Da is arrogant, but fairly unlikely to win a spot in this years tournament. He is also from an established family, with less of a burning need to prove himself than Ling Qi.
By contrast Ling Qi is a nobody who has already made a fair nmber of enemies and is, by all accounts, obsessively dedicated to cultivation. She also has a serious chance of advancing by the tournament this year if she can pull herself to green.

Whilst this is a good thing from the point of view of having her follow along with us when we move to the inner sect it will mean she will have much less time to devote to her role as our spymaster than the others. Given that Yan Renshu is still out there, and Sun Liling has proven decently adept at pulling off intrigues and ambushes (the ambush, retrieving Kang Zihao), this diversion may be something we can ill afford.

The independence is also being underrated as a con. Whilst her suprises have been effective thus far, she could easily wreck our planning of weeks, potentially derailing things badly. Or act against people that we need to keep placated for now without informing us before it's too late.

Selecting her would also risk alienating Fu Xiang. He chose to come down and ally with us and has been a staunch ally. As well as our go to guy for intrigue. Pissing off not Kabuto the master of blackmail is not to be done lightly. Especially since he also stands a good chance of making it to the inner sect with us.

Huang Da is a dark horse, but he's probably the one with the most time to devote to the position. We also have an in with him: Ji Rong. He is unlikely to defeat his rival by strength, but might by cunning. He also brings political connections that the others do not, which is important. We don't have Mom's sheer strength to cow everyone. He's least likely to make it to the inner sect with us this year, but haaving someone to keep our powerbase in the outer sect once we're gone is no bad thing.

Above all we shouldn't make the mistake of looking at the long term advatages too much and forgetting that we must achieve shot term success lest we dissapoint dear mother.
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What is this? Cai Quest?
 
@Klaus

Personally, i believe we should bring in Huang Da as our spymaster. Now, hear me out. Its not a role that requires power, but subtly and the ability to manage an intelligence network. While obviously wary of Fu Xiang (because anyone who can be considered dealing a xanatos gambit to mother, even hypothetically, is a terrifying being) i'm rather wary of picking Ling Qi. If we gained her loyalty, then i wouldn't mind giving latitude to a very useful retainer, but till then she would be a possible agent of the Bai till proven otherwise. The inability to completely trust your spymaster is never a good thing. Meanwhile if we pick the stewardship option, Huang Da owes us and possibly would give us leverage over other members of his family, or at least a chance to gain influence with them.
 
I agree that Huang Da is probably the best spymaster candidate.
The only reason to keep Not!Kabuto around is because "keep your friend close, and your enemies closer." The only thing more dangerous than having him around is having him lurk in the shadows away from our eyes.
Ling Qi would be best used as a free agent rather than trying to fit her in a box.
Point her at a problem ? see sparks fly.
But try to have her give weekly reports on the up and downs, on the potential issues, and finding whatever blackmail she can ? Not sure we can trust her on that. Not only is her own morality an issue, she doesn't have a clue of what she should be doing in the first place.
Besides, assuming we can earn her loyalty *cough*friendship*cough*, then vassal-hood is not even required, she'll come to us naturally whenever we need.
 
@Klaus
Alright, folks, it is time to produce some plans! I think I'm seeing two options in terms of a grand strategy for this turn-we can either go all in on Bai-related actions now for synergy, or pick none of them and try to diversify. Personally, I'm leaning more towards the second option at the moment, though I could be persuaded otherwise.

[-] Starve the Beast

Seems like this can work well with organising our hunters, and is in general a better idea than assaulting right off the bat. Training is all well and good as, but I don't feel our hold on the Outer Sect is strong enough to make a bunch of teenagers drop whatever they'd rather be doing. The same argument goes against instituting a draft, as well. I mean, do we want them to desert to the 'No Rules/Law of the Jungle/FREEDOM FOREVER' people?

[-] Field of Dreams

This one is more of a 'by default' choice. I think it's either all or nothing on the Bai options, even though that one might be a better choice in this instance. Additionally, Huang Da is kind of a scrub. His option even says his family is failing, for crying out loud! I feel like it's a resource sink for insufficient return. Loyal subjects are good and all, but we already have some and Darkness cultivators are... Shady (I'm not sorry)... at the best of times.

[-] Finders Keepers

Again, synergy with Starvation. Some may argue that this goes against my 'don't impose rules on teenagers' guidelines, but in this case it's something they'd already be doing anyways, and they'll probably profit more in the end with our input.

[-] Sacred and Profane

Yeah, I don't really feel like associating with spirits of the 'BLOOD AND DEATH' variety.

[-] Choose Spymaster: Fu Xiang

We all know how good Kabuto is at espionage, and I think we can trust him to be loyal so long as we are clearly the stronger party. As for the other options? I feel I've already made my feelings on Huang Da perfectly clear, and if we're not doing the other Bai/Ling options we're not doing this one either. We want to recruit a spymaster who will stick with us, and Ling Qi won't if we don't social her (Does it really count as Social if it's a Stewardship action rather than a Diplomacy one?) or solidify our alliance with Bai.

[-] Spiritual

Our largest weakness in the Thunderdome Redux was being at a lower level than Princess Murderhobo, so we should work to further close that gap. Wizarding is more important than Face Punching in my opinion, so I've selected this rather than Physical.
 
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Broken25 said:
People, if you keep voting for CRX quest Yrs will end making it canon and naming Huang Da her spymaster.

*Shudders*
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But it seems pretty clear what options were chosen in canon? The CRX Quest vote is clearly set to be just before the latest turn, in which she's chosen Starve or Recruit for Martial, Snake Charmer (probably), One Lump or Two?-We just had an update with this scene-, and Ling Qi as Spymaster. I can't speak for Personal and Piety, but this all seems rather clear cut.

It's interesting to model the behaviour of another person from the thread's perspective. It grants insight into their actions and future plans, and it provides time consuming comedy to relieve us of our horrific cases of update withdrawal. I can almost pretend I'm reading a real update during good omakes sometimes, and I haven't yet reached the threshold at which I must read the entire thread once more (or at least the story posts) to briefly satisfy my addiction.
 
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Evilness42 said:
But it seems pretty clear what options were chosen in canon? The CRX Quest vote is clearly set to be just before the latest turn, in which she's chosen Starve or Recruit for Martial, Snake Charmer (probably), One Lump or Two?-We just had an update with this scene-, and Ling Qi as Spymaster. I can't speak for Personal and Piety, but this all seems rather clear cut.
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I don't think the Spymaster point is set at all. We were offered (eventual) vassalage, but that is a rather different point, I would think.


So really, the only thing that is really "set" for SRX Quest would be the One Lump or Two? Stewardship option. The rest is still up in the air.
 
@Klaus
We have two goals in attending the Sect: to gain experience with authority and to build our own powerbase. With that in mind we need to be thinking longterm here as well as just wanting to do well in the present. So, I want to double down on the terrible twosome who I think could be endgame connections. As well as always wanting more snake waifu, her shadow's a talent from our hometown. Whether we end up with Meizhen or not I'd like to bring Ling Qi into the fold, though. She'd be so cute with Gan Guangli.

Military:
[x] War games
Diplomacy :
[x] Snake Charmer
Stewardship :
[x] One Lump or Two?
Piety:
[x] Night on Argent Mountain
Intrigue:
[x] Choose Spymaster: Ling Qi
Cultivation :
[x] Qi
 
PrimalShadow said:
I don't think the Spymaster point is set at all. We were offered (eventual) vassalage, but that is a rather different point, I would think.
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Cai is offering vassalage such that we become her spymaster when we are a vassal. This is a CKII Quest, remember? The players select which options to try, and background roles are made to determine the success of said options. The very fact that we were offered the spymaster position means that the Negaverse thread voted for the option in question, as otherwise she would never have offered at all. Our acceptance or refusal would, in the Negaverse, be determined by the QM rolling dice. If we view all of Cai's actions this turn from the lens of a CKII Quest's choices, the Two Lumps option is clearly limited to only the matter of furnaces, and makes no mention of employment offers. As such, an option in which they do offer us employment must have been selected, and the QM simply decided to combine both in one scene for convenience.

As for the others? No attacks or war games are taking place in the current turn. As such, those options were clearly not selected. Cai has been spending time with Meizhen lately and so I feel that it is likely they selected that option at some point, though it may have been in a previous turn. I've already commented on how we know little of her cultivation and spiritual dealings and so did not make predictions in those cases, but for the remaining two I feel I can make a solid case.
 
@Klaus

Well people, i have already said it time and again but i don't buy the Bai act. It's just too convenient to be genuine.

Anyway:

[X] War games.

This is essential. We have enough troops, but our coordination is shaky. Hell, we have hints than many of our officials don't even now the names of our soldiers!

[X] Shadow, Shadow, On the Wall

Let's be honest, Huang Da is garbage, but useful garbage. Out of our options he is the easier the control. Han Jian is too independent and Bai is a snake.

[X] One Lump or Two?

[X] Sacred and Profane

We have spent a lot of effort to cultivate our honorable image, let's not ruin it please?

[X] Choose spymaster: Huang Da.

A spymaster we can't trust is worse than no spymaster at all.

[X] Arts

This should be obvious, but now that we broke into the third fully we have to upgrade our arts to match.
 
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