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Godcard

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Hrm...

[ ] Defense of the Northwind - The Cardbearer maintains a toggleable "forcefield" of membranous, swirling air currents around themselves. This forcefield extends to a set distance of three centimeters from the Cardbearer's skin, becoming progressively stronger and denser inwards, and it actively pushes approaching objects out.

As a result of this effect, holding onto items of any sort becomes rather difficult while the forcefield is active. As a trade-off, however, the Cardbearer receives an appreciably powerful defense, becoming essentially immune to mundane blunt, cutting, and thrusting forces in melee combat, and receiving high resistance against low-caliber firearms. This effect is also helpful in mitigating fall or impact damage of any sort, letting a skilled freerunner or parkourist safely leap from the fourth story of a building.

While the forcefield is active, the Cardbearer is also lighter and more mobile; inertial forces affect them in a manner that's best described as "slightly selective," and they are treated as if weighing less overall, unless weight is desirable, in which case they weigh slightly more.

Also, the forcefield provides oxygen should it be, for whatever reason, unavailable. (It also happens to be highly flammable. Please, be cautious.)
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Defense, mobility, hostile environment insurance.

35.5% Compatibility, level 1, Themes of Wind, Freedom, Jovial, Duality, Brotherhood, Heroism. We'll get adjustments to our card/power boosts based on our compatibility at the next full moon.

Our other card is Phobos. We have a chance of getting the 7 Ambrosia option, but our compatibility for it is only 12.5 percent. It's themes are fear, combat, war, and domination. Our incentives are questionable with this card(Pointless sadism may be a valid path to power) unless we focus entirely on combat/war. I don't think Zane wants to be a warlord.

On the other hand, anybody else we give this card to would have those same questionable incentives. Anybody who would be a good candidate for this card as an ally is probably someone we shouldn't give the card to. If we don't destroy Phobos we should use it, and consider giving Boreads to somebody else who may be as compatible as we are if not more so.

Phobia is cool, illusions are nasty, especially if you get subtle with them. Skittering Soldiers is a decent indirect combat ability albeit with questionable esoteric potential. I'm not sure any of us would ever be willing to use Glare of Ares. Which just leaves Arms of Terror. For 7 Ambrosia, switch between 4 items at will, with improvements letting you use multiple items simultaneously.


1. Supernaturally Sharp Sword with a fear aura that's indestructible and can phase through armor(Other techniques unlockable)
2. The Javelin, a Lightning Homing missile that terrifies supernatural adversaries
3. The Armor, which partially protects against high caliber anti-material rifles and has a fear aura
4. The shield, which has hypnotic fear properties, generates supernaturally scary noises when objects, particularly the sword, are banged against it, and can partially defend against tank guns.


Options for what to do with the cards that I find conceivable:

1. Use Both, switching as needed(Not sure about my opinion or the logistics)
2. Find wielder for Boreads
3. Find wielder for Phobos
4. Destroy 1 card(presumably Phobos)
 
[X] Phobia

Mostly going with this because it seems more flexible than the skittering soldiers, and honestly the glare just doesn't seem like something I actually want to inflict on someone
 
depending on what domination precisely means, it's possible that shen would benefit owing to his presumably-quite-impressive ability to dominate in physical combat.
On the whole my main opinion for this card is we shouldn't spend Ambrosia on it- it seems like a waste for a card we have such low compatibility with. besides that, I don't care overmuch which option is chosen- probably Phobia, it's the most viable-seeming, but I don't think it's That important what power we get from phobos.
 
Let's wargame the own multiple cards and switch between them scenario.

There's two routes we can take.

1. Carry multiple cards on our person.

Pros: Versatile if it works, can switch if we have a free second or two in a fight
Cons: Playing cards are fragile on a battlefield involving supernatural powers. Unlikely to be able to touch a godcard while our shield is up. Likely to necessitate specialized clothing. Cards presumably lost if fight lost

2. Store unused cards and possibly used cards in a secure location

Pros: Can switch cards as needed during downtime for access to utility effects
Cons: Necessity of defending the secure location, may be attacked while attuned to a combat unfriendly godcard


Of course the scenario also applies to singular cards in its own way.

1. Carry Godcard on person

Pros: No need to find a secure location for it, may be able to reattune if somebody forcibly attunes us to another card.
Cons: Playing cards are fragile on a battlefield involving supernatural powers. Card presumably lost if fight lost

2. Store Godcard in secure location
Pros: Godcard insulated from harm. Godcard can't be mugged from you if you lose a fight
Cons: Necessity of Defending the secure location, finding a secure location.
 
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OctarineShrike said:
There's two routes we can take.
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no, there's at least 3.
3. Store scrap of Godcard on person in bodily cavity/otherwise in constant contact, store majority of Godcard in isolated other location.
Pros: You don't need to defend the secure location too hard. Cannot be forcibly reattuned due to constant contact with Godcard. majority-of-card can be regained from isolated location if scrap lost, scrap mostly protected by your you and unlikely to be stolen. If majority-of-card is stolen, it's useless to the other person because you are already attuned constantly; they may conclude it's a fake and leave it.
Cons: dependent on method of maintaining contact, card-switching will be difficult.
...
is there anything else? nothing comes to mind. You don't need a particularly secure location, just somewhere nobody will bother to look, because you aren't putting all your eggs in one guarded-vault-shaped basket. dig a hole at a random latitude and longitude, memorize it, dump the card in inside a sealed box, bury it... Good enough. people're only finding that with divination powers or waaay too much time on their hands.
 
Can you re-purpose one of those phone holders runners use to store the cards? If you extend the strap you may be able to tie the cards on the inside of your thigh inside your trousers.
 
JOEbob said:
3. Store scrap of Godcard on person in bodily cavity/otherwise in constant contact, store majority of Godcard in isolated other location.
Pros: You don't need to defend the secure location too hard. Cannot be forcibly reattuned due to constant contact with Godcard. majority-of-card can be regained from isolated location if scrap lost, scrap mostly protected by your you and unlikely to be stolen. If majority-of-card is stolen, it's useless to the other person because you are already attuned constantly; they may conclude it's a fake and leave it.
Cons: dependent on method of maintaining contact, card-switching will be difficult.
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The cards lose their powers if they're broken. I'm almost completely confident this wouldn't work and would just waste a Godcard.
 
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Chapter 7 - At Last, The First Sowing
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    • At Last, The First Sowing

    As the rest of the midday passed by, Zane experimented with his newfound powers, mostly attempting to use the Defense of the Northwind to arrest his momentum rapidly and turn on a dime. He found that leaping off the second-floor stairs, he could almost glide a couple of feet more before he started falling.

    He also found a small - not precisely exploit, but useful tip about using the power of Phobia, namely that by remaining deeply if vaguely aware of the position of the local fight clubs, wrestling rings, and training dojos, he could scrape up a few scrubby specks of illusion charge for no real demerit to himself, aside from intense concentration.

    He found that he could switch between Cards simply by touching them. It meant he could place either in his pockets and touch inside if he needed to rapidly move from defense to making illusions. However, there was the unfortunate fact that the illusion charge didn't appear to carry over if he swapped the cards, unlike the powers themselves. Every swap emptied his stores. It meant that if he ever went from Phobos to Boreads in order to acquire a fast defensive measure, there'd be no real point in switching back.

    And he practiced weaving the illusions themselves, drawing on his stores of energy. He wasn't very good, which he attributed to a lack of material with which to practice, but he could make a rather believable mosquito. It appeared like the illusions softly decayed over time, although he could renew them with more energy, in order to maintain them or simply make them last for longer. Alas, he didn't bother keeping Sir Mosquito alive for longer than his services in training Zane were necessary.

    He wondered if an illusionary creature, complete with an illusionary brain, was alive in a way, then decided he wasn't into that philosophy shit.

    As the afternoon gently transformed into the cooling winds of early evening, Zane got on a bus that'd go near to Chinatown on its route. He sat down behind a plump woman dressed in a thick, dark, insulated down coat and relaxed, watching the streets pass by.

    As he continued to ponder about the cards, his thoughts lapsed into flowers and gardens; his mother's advice, never leaving his mind. Always subtly in reach.

    He wondered if he could nourish a flower with illusionary water and it'd grow, then decided it probably wouldn't.

    After the bus stopped near the bridge to Manhattan, Zane was shaken out of his reverie as an older man with a cane approached, asking, "Excuse me, is this seat free?"

    He looked to be, maybe, in his mid-thirties with a scruffy short black beard, hair rolled down and pasty, a little ungroomed. It seemed almost like he'd rushed to finish up the morning shower in a hurry. An elegant blue coat with a basic dress shirt and black tie ensemble made him stand out as some kind of business person. More noticeable, perhaps, was the small bruise above his eyebrow, and the cut on his nose, both covered with band-aids. It seemed like the man had some kind of accident.

    "Sure." Zane didn't mind. He barely paid the man any heed as the bus continued to move, pulling out of the turnout and then slowly rolling across the bridge and through what seemed to be like a short traffic jam. Zane used this opportunity to calmly observe the waters.

    "Say, where are you getting off?"

    "Uh," Zane considered the man's intent for a moment - it was the sort of thing you did in Brooklyn when a stranger asked you a question of that kind - and deemed the man probably wasn't a gangster planning to rob him with a partner. "A bit past Lower East, near Chinatown. Why?"

    "Ah, that's perfect - can you do me a favor and let me know when we pass Clinton Street? I need to get off a bit after that." The man's tone was polite and Zane saw nothing off about the request.

    "Bad sleep?" he guessed.

    "Yeah, I need to rest my eyes for a couple of minutes," the man answered, leaning back in his seat and sighing out deeply, almost as if bottoming out his lungs. His eyelids slid down like a set of roller blinds weighed down by steel weights. "I was working 'till late, and I fell in the shower. It's a pain in the ass lately. All of this fucking paperwork, bullshit coming out of the left side. It's almost hopeless. Sometimes it feels like I'm wandering forward with no purpose in life. Doesn't that scare ya?"

    Briefly recalling his fight with the Zuchezzis and Zane's recent discoveries about the nature of magic, or maybe superpowers, the boy chuckled.

    "Yeah. You're telling me," he said, chuckling in between words. He breathed in, amused. "Alright, I'll tap you when it's your stop. Just don't ramble at me."

    "Thanks, kid." The man flashed a brief smile and allowed himself to relax further. "I appreciate it."

    Some inner charlatan inside Zane suggested to nab his wallet moments before waking him up, disguising the pickpocket attempt as the aforementioned tapping. So tired and focused on another day of work, he probably wouldn't notice a missing wallet until he went to buy lunch. Zane had learned some about the art of stealing people's shit from the masters of the trade. He wasn't a specialist on the matter by any means, but he'd practiced, and he was rather confident he'd be able to pull it off almost perfectly.

    Although the man hadn't done anything, it was a tough life - those student fees wouldn't pay themselves off, and Uncle Shen sure as shit wouldn't take a hammer and pulverize his own account for his nephew's sake. Probably. Maybe. The old man had been sending some mixed messages lately.

    ---

    You currently have 7.7 points of sweet, flowing Ambrosia, due to achieving a modest modifier during your last discussion session (largely due to Octarine's posts). Altogether it's sufficient to afford a recharge of Brawler of Midwood!

    As for the man on the bus...

    [ ] Rob Him - As the man leaves, Zane will attempt to pickpocket his wallet. A moderate-to-high likelihood of success. From the man's appearance, probably a profit of at least a few hundred bucks and then some. (This action is dishonorable and unheroic: -.5% compatibility with Boreads.)
    -[ ] Activate Brawler of Midwood [7 Ambrosia] - Doubles the odds of success for this action. It counts as combat because it's a contest of dexterity versus perception against another person.

    [ ] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    Afterwards...

    [ ] Uncle Battle - Spar with Uncle Shen as intended. Leave the reveal about the Godcards for another day and time.

    As a byproduct of sticking with your own previously stated desires and intentions, gain +2.0 Ambrosia.

    [ ] Reveal Cards - Instead of sparring with Uncle Shen, Zane will approach him with his findings about the Godcards and they will experiment to find what kind of powers Uncle Shen receives from them.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    [X] Reveal Cards - Instead of sparring with Uncle Shen, Zane will approach him with his findings about the Godcards and they will experiment to find what kind of powers Uncle Shen receives from them.
     
    [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    [X] Reveal Cards - Instead of sparring with Uncle Shen, Zane will approach him with his findings about the Godcards and they will experiment to find what kind of powers Uncle Shen receives from them.
     
    [x] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.
    I don't Zane to be a total dick

    [x] Uncle Battle - Spar with Uncle Shen as intended. Leave the reveal about the Godcards for another day and time.
     
    Going to look this up in a bit [Looked up. You could argue the nose wound matches since that's the first hit we landed on one, but the Zuchezzis were beaten Waaaaaay too much to be up and about and mostly-fine-looking the next day without magic, and with magic any wounds we Do see are no evidence at all.]
    but for some reason I get the suspicion this guy's one of the Zuchezzis. I'm not sure if the wounds match though [They don't really], and we probably gave them too much of a beatdown for that(though they might have magical healing). Still, there's a bit too much focus on Zane not seeing anything off about the request, and his explanation is... suspicious. What did he fall on that cut his nose- did he have a knife in his shower or something? and how did he fall and hit his front-of-head- if he fell forwards, wouldn't he be able to catch himself? the guy looks like he got done with his shower in a hurry, but the shower is explaining poor sleep; he must have showered some time ago, the previous evening, and then slept poorly, woken, and not changed his clothes at all?... he has a cane, which might explain why he'd fall in the first place, but I'm not sure the logistics of showering with leg problems work with that. maybe you'd try to be sitting while showering- in which case his story would be obvious nonsense?if anyone here is an middle-aged man with a cane who showers oddly, please pitch in
    On the whole I'm not sure my reasoning is right but this scene gives me the impression the man's not what he appears to be. which, one might argue, is all the more reason not to mug him, I suppose.
    Oh yeah and we're given the option to spend 7 Ambrosia triggering Brawler of Midwood. on pickpocketing a random guy. Brawler of Midwood isn't the kind of ability you use so you can skimp a few more cents, so... either Birdsie's just making sure we know we have the option so he can give similar notifications nonsuspiciously in the future, or this guy's exceptional.
    On the whole though, my vote at the moment goes to...
    [x] Nah, Man
    out of pragmatism as much as anything else, and...
    [ ] Uncle Battle
    AreteAmbrosia is valuable! though actually... why not both?
    [x] Uncle Battle WITH MAGIC - Do uncle battle, but then use your magical shield at some point to lead into explaining how you got magic from the Zuchezzis magical cards, yo. probably handle the preamble in a way which won't lead to freakouts when your shield becomes obvious though.
     
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    JOEbob said:
    [x] Uncle Battle WITH MAGIC - Do uncle battle, but then use your magical shield at some point to lead into explaining how you got magic from the Zuchezzis magical cards, yo. probably handle the preamble in a way which won't lead to freakouts when your shield becomes obvious though.
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    I'm afraid this write-in isn't valid - Zane is unwilling to cheat in a spar of any kind, especially against a worthy opponent.
     
    [x] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    [x] Uncle Battle - Spar with Uncle Shen as intended. Leave the reveal about the Godcards for another day and time.
     
    [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    [X] Uncle Battle - Spar with Uncle Shen as intended. Leave the reveal about the Godcards for another day and time.
     
    [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    Why the heck would we rob him? Weren't we going to leave the charlatan life behind? Only a d!(< would do that....Unless he has a card, in which case kick his ass. My end game plan is to collect all the cards and use it against the final boss then destroy them. God or gods, has no place in mortal society besides belief.

    [X] Reveal Cards - Instead of sparring with Uncle Shen, Zane will approach him with his findings about the Godcards and they will experiment to find what kind of powers Uncle Shen receives from them.
     
    [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    Afterwards...

    [X] Uncle Battle - Spar with Uncle Shen as intended. Leave the reveal about the Godcards for another day and time.

    I don't generally like doing things for Ambrosia, but that would put us over with enough to get Arms of Terror, Brother Mine or the best power from a new card.
     
    [X] Nah, Man - Leave the man be.

    [X] Reveal Cards - Instead of sparring with Uncle Shen, Zane will approach him with his findings about the Godcards and they will experiment to find what kind of powers Uncle Shen receives from them.

    I do want the spar eventually, and the Ambrosia is nice, but letting Uncle Shen into the secret immediately gets us an ally, and helps us avoid an Uncle Ben-esque moment in the future.
     
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