uh..when does voting closes? one more day?
Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Sirrocco
Pedantic
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We've been told we have until at least tomorrow morning. Our Grand and Glorious QM is trying to write a scene with Too Many People in it, and it's done when it's done. My guess is that he won't mind the excuse to slow down a bit on it. Delightfully, there's no need to lock this vote until the update hits, as it won't have any effects on the rest of the turn.
- Location
- Australia
5 more, or 1 defection and 3 more, or 2 defections and 1 more.
notanautomaton
I've got 99 quests, I've finished one
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
Because poison plays to our speed and evasiveness. Attack once and move on and let the enemy fall without investment more time and Qi on them. You also often get poison arts the let you attack without the victim ever know he was hit - drop Forgotten Vale Melody, poison the targets and move on, and while they'll know something is wrong, they won't realize the nature of the attack until people start dropping, and by then it's too late.
Poison is great. Actually, let me rephrase that - DoT is great, exotic attacks is great, bad touch is great, and poison is our most natural window into all of them. Sure, there probably are darkness based poison techniques, but we then start going down the route where all of our techniques are vulnerable to getting hit by anti-yin measures. Wood is better here because it's yang - it diversifies us so that we can't ever be put in an absolute elemental disadvantage where we can do nothing but lose. Like, I'm totally up for buying a talismans, but I would be more interested in ones that boost expression and expression based arts over darkness - it will be cheaper and serve us just as well.
We have two darkness techniques, but Sable Crescent Step has no contested techniques, so only the Qi reduction helps there, and we'll get what... -1, maybe? We would clearly be better off buying tones of pills so that we can cultivate more Qi over a darkness talisman that reduces the qi cost of Darkness Arts. And so on.
The only reason I think the staff is a keeper is the spirit it's growing - that's going to be the local version of an evolving weapon that grows with us. Otherwise, I would avoid elemental gear because if you're using enough of an element to get full benefit people can shut you down by assuming the the correct place on the destructive cycle. I want to do that to other people, I don't want other people doing that to me.
Gear is great, but the boots and armor seem way more tempting to me then either the Sash, the bracers, or a custom darkness artifact.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
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Sable Crescent Step absolutely has contested techniques.
- Trackless Escape modifies a contested roll to track
- Crescent Grace modifies our defense, and therefore applies it to all attacks against us
- Passive effects apply it to initiative, stealth, and first attacks. Not *sure* that this applies, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.
I don't think anti-Yin measures are likely to be something we have to worry about all that often. First of all, we haven't heard of or seen such things at all yet. They're not *super*-common. Second, Yin specialists are relatively rare to begin with, so fewer people are likely to pack counters to them than will pack counters to Yang arts. On the flip side, elemental specialization gives us some *nice* efficiencies in things like pill use, gearing, and so forth. I think giving those up because we might run into a specific counter some day is a poor plan overall.
Also... Bai Meizhen has a fair bit of poison investment, and she seems very Yin to me. Her poison techniques seem likewise Yin. They're understated, and under precise control. If you really want poison, I suspect that there are some excellent sources of poison that are not Wood... and even if we did get a Hand/Wood/Poison attack, the staff would matter for... making that attack cheaper, and a bit more effective, when we choose to use that attack? Again, much less actual usefulness than even a mediocre darkness talisman.
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
Add something like a century of use by a cultivator and then we might get a spirit out of it. Better wait for some mentor to gift us one, because that's the only way were getting something like that. To exotic, to useful to those who need that exotic, no way to just magic it up out of nowhere. You need the passage of time and use.
Which isn't to say getting our flute upgraded isn't a good idea. We know you can have things that boost skills, we just saw some boots that do that. But it won't get us an evolving flute.
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
I just said we could get a darkness aligned poison. We know we can because we got hit with one. But you're fooling yourself if you don't think there is anti-yin techniques. Half of everything is Yin, and we know from the Sable Pill there there are yin boosting things. So no, I really really don't want everything we have yin, just to get slapped down when someone casts Glorious Incandescence, just like I wouldn't want to have all Yang techniques and have someone cast The Night Will Last Forever at me.
There's a reason Wizards are Tier 1 and Sorcerers Tier 2. The sorcerer casts more spells per day, the wizard has more options and can tailor his spells per day to his situation. Let's be the wizard, not the sorcerer.
Sirrocco
Pedantic
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Wizards are Tier 1 because the people who built the Tier system assume a game where you can regularly rest, and where you know what's coming for major threats and can prepare spells accordingly. They're also fond of the sorts of shenanigans that a wizard permits. When those assumptions fall away, the Sorcerer is suddenly superior. Regardless, *none* of those things apply to this world, and attempting to transfer them in does us no favors. This game is being played in somethign much more like 4th ed. A Strong build is one that has a good plan and executes on it, adjusting to catch synergies where it can, and compromising to protect against its weaknesses where it must.
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
Sure, but I wouldn't trust TOO far in that. We suspect Eight Moon Ceremony is going to boost a lot of Yin techniques. It's also suppose to be really good... but it's also Yellow.
Even outside that, each element has another common element that overcomes it with great advantage though. Wood breaks up Earth. Earth soaks up Water. Water douses Fire. Fire melts Metal. Metal chops Wood. We don't know the eight trigrams overcoming relationship, but it's probably as strong and as easy to take advantage of. Having lots of elements means we can't boost ourselves as easy, but it means we'll have a easier time finding and taking advantage of elemental weaknesses.
I'm pretty sure that elemental specialization offers greater moment-to-moment flexibility due to the way meridian mechanics work.
Also, we haven't really seen elemental weaknesses be a thing. I have no doubt they are a thing, but my guess is they're targeted techniques with effects that could be achieved via alternative design philosophies anyway. I have zero hesitation in declaring that there is definitely a fire-based anti-water Art, for example.
Also, we haven't really seen elemental weaknesses be a thing. I have no doubt they are a thing, but my guess is they're targeted techniques with effects that could be achieved via alternative design philosophies anyway. I have zero hesitation in declaring that there is definitely a fire-based anti-water Art, for example.
TheLastOne
Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)
Sure, but that will only be appealing to people specialized in fire, because fire is at an absolute elemental disadvantage to water. That's the point of the destruction cycle, that each element is overcome in turn.
Fuck it I can not seem to fix this, so I'm just going to post it as is; rough edges and all. If someone wants to expand or revise it I release it to them. I think part of the problem is due to a recent focus on playwriting which is really messing me up.
reasoning
Sue approves of us helping because the purpose of the sect isn't to create cultivators it's to create soldiers. Trust and teamwork are the most important thing for the Sect responsible for guarding a section of the Imperial Border but then I realized that she was the leader of the medicine department and doctors work with meds so I decided that the bookish academic was her favorite.
Start snippet
In a small shady room the members ofSTEEL argent Soul paused in their plot to ascend to godhood to attend to the needs of the world. After their bathroom break had ended, the now revealed handful of teachers which included all of those who were in any way responsible for bringing forth the potential of new initiates were relaxing after there meeting. A faceless member near the back of the room speaks up.
reasoning
Sue approves of us helping because the purpose of the sect isn't to create cultivators it's to create soldiers. Trust and teamwork are the most important thing for the Sect responsible for guarding a section of the Imperial Border but then I realized that she was the leader of the medicine department and doctors work with meds so I decided that the bookish academic was her favorite.
Start snippet
In a small shady room the members of
Is there any business to bring up before we close for the day.
There is a motion from the back of the room it is the Elder Sue .
Yes Elder Sue.
Thank you for your time. We have a unique situation this year with new students. Normally if there is one worthy of my attention they rise to the top and remain there. Ji Rong is a commoner with no background in cultivation who has repeatedly claimed one of the pills that I use to show improvement. He is in many ways the perfect student and apprentice despite his past however I do not want him. His cultivation while rapid is bland, I have no interest in those who seal themselves away and cultivate in solitude. I will recommend him for the inner sect, but will not take him on as a student.
Thank you for your time. We have a unique situation this year with new students. Normally if there is one worthy of my attention they rise to the top and remain there. Ji Rong is a commoner with no background in cultivation who has repeatedly claimed one of the pills that I use to show improvement. He is in many ways the perfect student and apprentice despite his past however I do not want him. His cultivation while rapid is bland, I have no interest in those who seal themselves away and cultivate in solitude. I will recommend him for the inner sect, but will not take him on as a student.
They drew back clearly surprised but interest burns clearly in their eyes.
I see very well we will mark him down as unclaimed then. Does one of the other students interest you, Elder,
There is,
she closes her eyes.
However, I am as of yet unsure if she will make the cut.
I see, may I ask why, anyone skilled enough to gain your interest would have no problems with distinguishing themselves from the outer sect.
I see, may I ask why, anyone skilled enough to gain your interest would have no problems with distinguishing themselves from the outer sect.
Normally that would be correct, however the one that I am interested in could very well place forth. If so they will not have been able to meet my standards and will have to find another way to gain my favor. Other then Hong Lin who already has the offer do to her performance in the Physical Cultivation class. There are four potential members of the inner sect remaining in the class. Ji Rong, Huang Da, Li Suyin, and Ling Qi. The later three are competing for the last two spots. In fact they have been working together, by destroying the Golem and claiming the vent, they very nearly claimed them both. However Huang Da despite his actions Is now a Yellow soul which means that he has claimed the second place instead.
Either Li Suyin and Ling Qi will claim the last spot. Li Suyin is the student that I am interested in. She is the only member of the top five interested in Medicine. However she lacks ambition and has only reached as far as she did due to the assistance of her friend. She is not likely to surpass Ling Qi and so it is unlikely that I will take on a student this year.
Either Li Suyin and Ling Qi will claim the last spot. Li Suyin is the student that I am interested in. She is the only member of the top five interested in Medicine. However she lacks ambition and has only reached as far as she did due to the assistance of her friend. She is not likely to surpass Ling Qi and so it is unlikely that I will take on a student this year.
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Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
So then, Wheels is tearing up the track and making up for a slow start due to technical difficulties, but we still need a few gadgets to push ahead of Frugal and become the god kings of the imaginary racetrack. What must be done to rally the troops!
Okay, how about an anti-water wind art based on the dispersal of sea foam by a stiff ocean breeze? These things can get super niche and there's a lot of diversity out there, is my point.
My other point is until we see evidence of some kind of generic elemental tiering dice bonuses or malluses, any theoretical hierarchy of elements is pointless in practical considerations. The potential for specialization against elemental specialization is well taken, but lets not overstate the issue.