Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

TheLastOne · Dec 30, 2017

veekie said:
Nothing Meizhen can do without outright violating Sect rules would actually keep him out for more than a month however.
I would not risk Meizhen doing so and harming her prospects on someone who had to date not managed to do more than annoy us, score us lots of money and gotten us to start taking precautions we probably should have started long before.

We've been repeatedly told that those protections aren't as 'real' as you're asserting here for the common-born student, and he isn't just a common born student, he's a common-born student who has no support or allies left to seriously go batting for him.

Arkeus said:
I'm going to disagree here. Both are about backup, and the "tell her if she goes overboard" or not doesn't actually influence that. I'd say it is about whether its gloating and torture once the fight is over... and that if you think "it's about the attitidue you go in the fight", which I disagree with, it still means that not telling Meizhen when she goes overboard means having Ling Qi going into the fight deciding to shut up and not tell Meizhen what she feels, which is arguably a worse fighting atitude than 'wary Meizhen can go too far'.

I do think there is a big possibility that Meizhen will be hurt by us refusing her way of doing things. It's necessary to do so if we don't want to have a Ling Qi who is afraid of speaking out her own belief when being around Meizhen, though.

Not overboard takes as much care of him as overboard. Even if you think overboard is crippling his spiritual cultivation, it actually makes him a much more potent weapon against us than anything else he could have done to us.

It has nothing to do with 'doing it once and for all', but instead is just a desire to think that it's easy to take care of enemies. If we can take care of him- with either choice- through time out it would almost certainly be the most potent way to ensure nothing bad happens, much more than any kind of crippling.

No, he needs his potential, his health, to remain as part of the sect. Cut off his future and he's going to be shipped off to serve his term in the army. This is what we're criticizing by the way. Meizhen specifically tells us that she didn't want to involve us because we're too soft on the issue.

When the outcome of our involvement is to extend the existence of a threat, making things worse for us and for the people allied with us, we show that her judgement was spot on.

Scorpion 3-² · Dec 30, 2017

[X] Go along with Meizhen, you don't much care what happens to Yan Renshu, but you would rather she have backup. He's tricky.

Codex · Dec 30, 2017

Scorpion 3-² said:
[X] Go along with Meizhen, you don't much care what happens to Yan Renshu, but you would rather she have backup. He's tricky.

Vote's already closed.

NaanContributor · Dec 30, 2017

Thor's Twin said:
As always, critiques and criticisms are welcomed!

Thor's Twin said:
"Hey, Jun, am I imagining things or is that spiky boulder over the path there a new addition to the scenery here?"

Apart from this, the only issue that stands out to me is that you switch back and forth between first and third person perspective.

Klaus · Dec 30, 2017

Now that the vote is over its time for some more analysis of what our new techniques tell us about what's out there.

yrsillar said:
Ten Ring Defense: oo
Cost: 4 Qi (initial)
Instant
This user fills themselves with the vital qi of the great forests to protect themselves and their allies from harm. Grants the user a three die bonus to physical defense for five turns. In addition the first two points of damage the user suffers each round is downgraded one stage. Aggravated becomes lethal, lethal becomes nonlethal, nonlethal is negated. In addition the user may expend three qi to negate 1 point of damage, even from attacks which bypass normal negation. This effect may be used on allies within range. If the user is not damaged in a turn in which this art is active, they recover two qi. This effect only occurs in combat.

If there's a technique that lets your regenerate qi for not taking damage there's probably also one that lets you regenerate by dealing damage. When I read this I was already preparing a comment about how there was probably a lake and/or mountain art that regenerated qi by not moving but then I read this:

yrsillar said:
1 qi per round regenerated when not moving

So, it definitely exists for wood at the very least.

Much has already been said about how powerful this is and how it will impact our combat ability. However, we stumbled into this by complete accident. We have to assume that people who actually know what they're doing were already training in this kind of ability deliberately. We're also seeing the earliest form of these abilities and we can expect them to grow more powerful with time. Eventually, there may even be dedicated qi recovery arts, which would have incredible performance.

We have also discussed getting a qi recovery talisman ourselves and we can't assume we're the only one to see how useful that could be.

What this means is we can expect future opponents to have much better sustainability than we had been planning on.

yrsillar said:
In addition Zhengui may spend two qi to regenerate his armors durability by one as a free action while active.

I've been expecting an ability like this to exist for quite some time. The evolving arms race that is Arts made it inevitable if armor wasn't going to become completely obsolete at higher levels. This is the efficiency at a beginner level yellow so we can expect better versions from our opponents. A full tank like Gan Guangli probably has an amazing version of this.

Wood is probably better at sustainability than other elements but they will all have something. Sustainability/regen appears to be a recognize part of the battle space, so we can expect future arts and opponents to take that into account.

EDIT:
Separately,

yrsillar said:
Stone in the Soil: oo
Cost 4 qi
A technique granted by Zhengui's bond with Ling Qi. Allows Zhengui to rapidly bury himself in loose soil, temporarily appearing as little more than a large spiky boulder. Grants a three die bonus to stealth and a four die bonus to attack against unaware targets. Lasts until revealed.

COWABUNGA!
Now we need to get our ninja turtle a fire based movement art so he can also be Gamera.

CircleTheSkies · Dec 30, 2017

Klaus said:
If there's a technique that lets your regenerate qi for not taking damage there's probably also one that lets you regenerate by dealing damage.

Perhaps something like this?

yrsillar said:
Passives
-The user regains one qi per combat turn as long as an enemy has been wounded that turn

archangis · Dec 30, 2017

Klaus said:
If there's a technique that lets your regenerate qi for not taking damage there's probably also one that lets you regenerate by dealing damage.

Well. Yes. AE passive does that.

Edit: that will teach me not to read the entirety of the thread before responding.

Klaus · Dec 30, 2017

CircleTheSkies said:
Perhaps something like this?

I remembered that, but while that's similar, it's not actually what I was referring to. AE is if an opponent takes damage for any reason, even if you don't do it. I meant an art that gives qi for dealing damage yourself. Since it requires you to land an attack it would probably give more qi per use, though I suppose there could be one that gives less qi every time you attack.

Kian · Dec 30, 2017

Klaus said:
I remembered that, but while that's similar, it's not actually what I was referring to. AE is if an opponent takes damage for any reason, even if you don't do it. I meant an art that gives qi for dealing damage yourself. Since it requires you to land an attack it would probably give more qi per use, though I suppose there could be one that gives less qi every time you attack.

Doesnt Sun Liling have an art like that?

CircleTheSkies · Dec 30, 2017

Klaus said:
I remembered that, but while that's similar, it's not actually what I was referring to. AE is if an opponent takes damage for any reason, even if you don't do it. I meant an art that gives qi for dealing damage yourself. Since it requires you to land an attack it would probably give more qi per use, though I suppose there could be one that gives less qi every time you attack.

Ah, a proportionate one - "gain 1 qi for each health level of damage you do" type of thing? To be honest, I suspect that doesn't really fit Ling Qi's combat style though; leeching qi from them fits her better as a recovery mechanism. Heh... "drain 1 qi from anyone helpless in your mist/poisoned by Zhengui" or the like could be fun ^__^

Kian said:
Doesnt Sun Liling have an art like that?

We suspect she does, but we don't know for sure.

mc2rpg · Dec 31, 2017

veekie said:
Just to keep in context, Meizhen is not at all rational at present. Consider that she's devoting so much actions to hunting down Renshu that her cultivation is starting to suffer for it.

I don't think this actually means she is irrational on the subject. Yan Reshu has continued coming after Ling Qi, had her ambushed by the single most dangerous person on the mountain that has a grudge against her, and just is not going away or signalling submission. Reducing her cultivation rate a bit to deal with a continuing problem that might eventually ruin her best friend is a perfectly rational decision, one that I sincerely believe we would make if this was happening to Suyin and she did not ask us not to.

SAGrognard · Dec 31, 2017

yrsillar said:
okay seems we have some potential sockpuppet issues. Vote is still locked, but I'm waiting to call the winner.

Yeah this. Turns out that 'Crying Sockpuppet' does have consequences. Who knew.

Controversy does bring and cause those usually content to lurk and read the story to vote.

TheLastOne · Dec 31, 2017

SAGrognard said:
Yeah this. Turns out that 'Crying Sockpuppet' does have consequences. Who knew.

Controversy does bring and cause those usually content to lurk and read the story to vote.

I doubt there was sockpuppets, but if you honestly believe it happened, you should call it out. It's a serious issue. I'm a bit annoyed the discussion degenerated to the point where people felt that way, but... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Reader of all · Dec 31, 2017

We should see if there is a wood+wind agility art in the archives something along the concept of the bamboo or the willow where you bend rather than break.

Also I wonder if there is a minion music art somewhere there something kinda like demyx's power from kingdom hearts.

Nervaqus987 · Dec 31, 2017

TheLastOne said:
I doubt there was sockpuppets, but if you honestly believe it happened, you should call it out. It's a serious issue. I'm a bit annoyed the discussion degenerated to the point where people felt that way, but... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

To be specific, if you suspect sockpuppets DON'T call it out in the thread. That just causes drama and bad feelings. And the fun sort either.

Just report the post and let the mods sort it out. That is literally their job.

veekie · Dec 31, 2017

CircleTheSkies said:
Ah, a proportionate one - "gain 1 qi for each health level of damage you do" type of thing? To be honest, I suspect that doesn't really fit Ling Qi's combat style though; leeching qi from them fits her better as a recovery mechanism. Heh... "drain 1 qi from anyone helpless in your mist/poisoned by Zhengui" or the like could be fun ^__^

We suspect she does, but we don't know for sure.

Also arts like that are MUCH harder to balance than the "qi drip as long as you do X" stuff. I'd expect it to be tied to an exotic element, the Imperial eight or the classical five don't reward that stuff(its outright countertheme for Thunder and Fire, which do it fast and burn out fast).

Say...Blood element.

Klaus · Dec 31, 2017

CircleTheSkies said:
Ah, a proportionate one - "gain 1 qi for each health level of damage you do" type of thing? To be honest, I suspect that doesn't really fit Ling Qi's combat style though;

Something more in that vein, yeah.

Seventeen · Dec 31, 2017

mc2rpg said:
. Yan Reshu has continued coming after Ling Qi, had her ambushed by the single most dangerous person on the mountain that has a grudge against her, and just is not going away or signalling submission.

Saying that he had Sun Liling ambush Ling Qi is going a bit far. She got the information from him, but the only difference his 'hate' for Ling Qi had was making him do it for free instead of charging. The only other way he's 'come after' Ling Qi was taking a job before she could. Neither of those are particularly worrying.

Cheesecake · Dec 31, 2017

SAGrognard said:
Yeah this. Turns out that 'Crying Sockpuppet' does have consequences. Who knew.

Controversy does bring and cause those usually content to lurk and read the story to vote.

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss and belittle claims of sock puppeting. There is no need to blame whistleblowers even if their methodology of reporting the problem wasn't 100% correct. If it wasn't for those paranoid bastards that research the post history of every lurker that votes, we would never catch a sock puppet.

mc2rpg · Dec 31, 2017

Seventeen said:
Saying that he had Sun Liling ambush Ling Qi is going a bit far. She got the information from him, but the only difference his 'hate' for Ling Qi had was making him do it for free instead of charging. The only other way he's 'come after' Ling Qi was taking a job before she could. Neither of those are particularly worrying.

So if someone from the other side started hassling one of our friends, ruining their jobs and getting them ambushed by higher tier cultivators without showing any signs of stopping you would be fine with it? That is what Meizhen has been watching happen, and her deciding to do something about it is not irrational.

TheLastOne · Dec 31, 2017

mc2rpg said:
So if someone from the other side started hassling one of our friends, ruining their jobs and getting them ambushed by higher tier cultivators without showing any signs of stopping you would be fine with it? That is what Meizhen has been watching happen, and her deciding to do something about it is not irrational.

Yeah, there's some revisionist history going on, both with what's been expressed, how Ling Qi has interpreted and dealt with it, and how we've been voting. We wouldn't have invested in our surveillance protection in this alternate Quest where we aren't been actively harassed by a higher level cultivator specializing in telepresence and surveillance.

Seventeen · Dec 31, 2017

mc2rpg said:
So if someone from the other side started hassling one of our friends, ruining their jobs and getting them ambushed by higher tier cultivators without showing any signs of stopping you would be fine with it? That is what Meizhen has been watching happen, and her deciding to do something about it is not irrational.

Never said anything about Meizhen's course of action being irrational, so I don't know why you've decided to start interrogating me. All I said was your wording was exaggerated.

This kind of crap really turns me off of quests.

Ayashi · Dec 31, 2017

CircleTheSkies said:
Heh... "drain 1 qi from anyone helpless in your mist/poisoned by Zhengui" or the like could be fun ^__^

i think something more along the lines of "When within the mist enemy Qi absorbtion now costs +1 per damage absorbed, Ling Qi recovers 1Qi for each damage point absorbed that way".

Arkeus · Dec 31, 2017

TheLastOne said:
No, he needs his potential, his health, to remain as part of the sect. Cut off his future and he's going to be shipped off to serve his term in the army. This is what we're criticizing by the way. Meizhen specifically tells us that she didn't want to involve us because we're too soft on the issue.

When the outcome of our involvement is to extend the existence of a threat, making things worse for us and for the people allied with us, we show that her judgement was spot on.

Why do you think that he needs his potential to remain a threat? Destroy his spiritual cultivation and he becomes a permanent weapon that Sun Liling can wield against Ling Qi and Meizhen, maybe even making sure CRX withdraw her offers and get the sect to expulse Ling Qi. Physically cripple him, and that would do utterly nothing to him.

mc2rpg said:
So if someone from the other side started hassling one of our friends, ruining their jobs and getting them ambushed by higher tier cultivators without showing any signs of stopping you would be fine with it? That is what Meizhen has been watching happen, and her deciding to do something about it is not irrational.

TheLastOne said:
Yeah, there's some revisionist history going on, both with what's been expressed, how Ling Qi has interpreted and dealt with it, and how we've been voting. We wouldn't have invested in our surveillance protection in this alternate Quest where we aren't been actively harassed by a higher level cultivator specializing in telepresence and surveillance.

None of that happened, and we didn't do that?

Yan Renshu didn't hassle us, he didn''t get us ambushed. Ling Qi didn't invest in surveillance protection because of Yan Renshu. It was all because of Liling here, who decided we were too dangerous. The only thing Yan Renshu did was be the equivalent of Fu Xiang to CRX. We didn't go and buy a escape talisman because of YR as there is no difference if he existed or not there, and we didn't get the anti-scrying charms because of him, either.

I am confused.

Meizhen here is not hunting YR because of what he did against us, she is hunting him because we hunted him previously but didn't try to make him innefectual for the year, rather just ruining him as a power. It had nothing to do with what he has been doing to us, rather it had to do with how the Bai view on how to deal with a prey.

mc2rpg · Dec 31, 2017

Seventeen said:
Never said anything about Meizhen's course of action being irrational, so I don't know why you've decided to start interrogating me. All I said was your wording was exaggerated.

I bring up the rationality issue because that is specifically what I was responding to. My entire post had been in response to the idea that Meizhen is not rational when it comes to Yan Reshu.

I don't consider what I said an exaggeration at all. He has gone out of his way to spy on us, ruin our jobs, and not gain resources in exchange for services, all in an attempt to hurt us back. Just because he hasn't been particularly good at it in the last couple of updates does not mean that he hasn't been attempting to harm us and that our friends would not notice and react to that.

Forge of Destiny(Xianxia Quest)

Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)

Fantasy Addict

Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.

Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)

Person of impeccable tastes (for destruction)

Crazy cat guy