Alectai
Speaks Words of Wisdom... On occasion
We've already seen that it's possible to interdict Murder is Meat, you really think her masters won't go to the hilt to protect her long enough to get the Exaltation, if that is indeed their plan?
Green Flame Rising (Exalted vs Dresden Files)
- Thread starter DragonParadox
- Start date
- Crossover Fantasy
We've already seen that it's possible to interdict Murder is Meat, you really think her masters won't go to the hilt to protect her long enough to get the Exaltation, if that is indeed their plan?
- Location
- washington
I mean that depends if they can?
Oh look, I told that we were likely to have less essence for the showdown, and it was true.
Really hope countering the chaos ritual was worth it, it seems our counter worked wonder, and we may have moved Sandra from her fortified position, so at least there is that.
Ok, no matter what, I would advise to make sure to not avoid Sandra again, actually:
[x] Crown question, using the scene as focus: Did this ritual make Sandra decide to come in person?
-[x] If yes, fortify the place and wait for her here.
-[x] If no, explain your inner hell to Harrowmont and convince him to let you pull his library there, then go attack Sandra in the tunnels.
Am going to sleep, feel free to take parts of the vote, as long as we don't procrastinate, I'll be happy.
VOTE
[X]Plan Bookworm
-[X] Try to convince him to see sense
--[X] Offer to move the library into the care of trusted hands in the NeverNever until the crisis is over
--[X] If the library is moved, have it copied before bringing it back. Add some cash to sweeten the deal if necessary
--[X] Talk to the goblins, and see if they'll guard the Hanging Gardens for the rest of the night
--[X] Have everyone move to the Hanging Gardens
--[X] Grab Brass Courts gear for war party(armor, eye protection, gas masks etc)
--[X] Regenerate Essence: 2 hours. 30 minutes -1 hour in Brass Courts briefing strike team, others borrowing
--[X] Clippy: Copy over tunnel plans and city conditions to strike force as soon as Molly enters the Brass Courts
--[X] Expenses: Empathy Excellency(if necessary for Harrowmont) + MHM to move library: 2m
--[X] STUNT: Adkins kept a straight face as the scholar's declaration drew Carpenter's attention, her face running through a series of expressions before settling on patience. "You watch the news, Mr Harrowmont?" At his wary nod, she continued. "Remember the Strip explosions on the news last night? That was a set of Marling's thralls firing RPGs at our car. She stole those from gunrunners, and we dont know what else she stole." As the blood drained from the young man's face, the girl continued, her voice relentlessly reasonable. "This afternoon, she tried to use a suicide truck bomb on the Temple over at the Spring Preserve." She gestured with a hand, somehow encompassing the entire building in one motion. "Your wards are good, but this is a university campus, not a gated fortress." She stepped to the front of the room, parting the curtains to take a look outside. "Nothing here is going to stop a mind-controlled thrall driving a truckload of propane into the building as an opening move. And it would be....awkward having to deal with the authorities in the aftermath. So we are relocating. All of us." Her eyes searched his crestfallen face for a moment, then she touched his shoulder, her voice softening. "If it helps, I could relocate the library into the NeverNever for the duration and have it watched by trusted people. With your permission, of course. But fair warning, they'll probably make copies of the books, though you can probably negotiate monetary payment for that afterwards." She turned towards the door, raising her voice as she did so. "I'll talk to the goblins. You all have two minutes."
RATIONALE
Sandra had the gun runners under her control for a lot of time.
We dont know what she got from them: RPGs, grenade launchers, heavy machineguns.
We dont want risk this confrontation on a university campus any more than we would in a residential area, both because of the risk of civilian collateral damage, and because of the risk of ALL THE COPS getting in the crossfire.
And some of them may be Sandra thralls too.
We really dont want to behead some poor soul on police dashcam or security camera.
Leave, head to the Hanging Gardens, recharge, leave Harrowmont here, armor up and head from there to the tunnels
If we can convince the goblins to help defend the Gardens while we're away, great.
If not, Arlene undoubtedly has her own resources.
[X]Plan Bookworm
-[X] Try to convince him to see sense
--[X] Offer to move the library into the care of trusted hands in the NeverNever until the crisis is over
--[X] If the library is moved, have it copied before bringing it back. Add some cash to sweeten the deal if necessary
--[X] Talk to the goblins, and see if they'll guard the Hanging Gardens for the rest of the night
--[X] Have everyone move to the Hanging Gardens
--[X] Grab Brass Courts gear for war party(armor, eye protection, gas masks etc)
--[X] Regenerate Essence: 2 hours. 30 minutes -1 hour in Brass Courts briefing strike team, others borrowing
--[X] Clippy: Copy over tunnel plans and city conditions to strike force as soon as Molly enters the Brass Courts
--[X] Expenses: Empathy Excellency(if necessary for Harrowmont) + MHM to move library: 2m
--[X] STUNT: Adkins kept a straight face as the scholar's declaration drew Carpenter's attention, her face running through a series of expressions before settling on patience. "You watch the news, Mr Harrowmont?" At his wary nod, she continued. "Remember the Strip explosions on the news last night? That was a set of Marling's thralls firing RPGs at our car. She stole those from gunrunners, and we dont know what else she stole." As the blood drained from the young man's face, the girl continued, her voice relentlessly reasonable. "This afternoon, she tried to use a suicide truck bomb on the Temple over at the Spring Preserve." She gestured with a hand, somehow encompassing the entire building in one motion. "Your wards are good, but this is a university campus, not a gated fortress." She stepped to the front of the room, parting the curtains to take a look outside. "Nothing here is going to stop a mind-controlled thrall driving a truckload of propane into the building as an opening move. And it would be....awkward having to deal with the authorities in the aftermath. So we are relocating. All of us." Her eyes searched his crestfallen face for a moment, then she touched his shoulder, her voice softening. "If it helps, I could relocate the library into the NeverNever for the duration and have it watched by trusted people. With your permission, of course. But fair warning, they'll probably make copies of the books, though you can probably negotiate monetary payment for that afterwards." She turned towards the door, raising her voice as she did so. "I'll talk to the goblins. You all have two minutes."
RATIONALE
Sandra had the gun runners under her control for a lot of time.
We dont know what she got from them: RPGs, grenade launchers, heavy machineguns.
We dont want risk this confrontation on a university campus any more than we would in a residential area, both because of the risk of civilian collateral damage, and because of the risk of ALL THE COPS getting in the crossfire.
And some of them may be Sandra thralls too.
We really dont want to behead some poor soul on police dashcam or security camera.
Leave, head to the Hanging Gardens, recharge, leave Harrowmont here, armor up and head from there to the tunnels
If we can convince the goblins to help defend the Gardens while we're away, great.
If not, Arlene undoubtedly has her own resources.
[X] Plan Counter to Counter's Counter
-[X] Ask Tiffany, Harry and Lydia if any one of them has a mystical secret they are willing to privately share with you for power restoration
-[X] Use the current scene as a crown focus to learn what are the current plans to counter the ritual we just participated in, such as Sandra attacking the magician who performed it
--[X] If
---[X] Sandra is coming here, fortify current location, including sutra-controlled turrets summoned from our hell
---[X] There are attackers coming, but Sandra herself isn't, summon reinforcements from our hell to reinforce current position, while we move for Sandra
---[X] If there's not dedicated attack coming, convince Harrowmont to leave for safety
First, don't guess. Check what the opposition's plans are. We can have total informational superiority. Use it.
-[X] Ask Tiffany, Harry and Lydia if any one of them has a mystical secret they are willing to privately share with you for power restoration
-[X] Use the current scene as a crown focus to learn what are the current plans to counter the ritual we just participated in, such as Sandra attacking the magician who performed it
--[X] If
---[X] Sandra is coming here, fortify current location, including sutra-controlled turrets summoned from our hell
---[X] There are attackers coming, but Sandra herself isn't, summon reinforcements from our hell to reinforce current position, while we move for Sandra
---[X] If there's not dedicated attack coming, convince Harrowmont to leave for safety
First, don't guess. Check what the opposition's plans are. We can have total informational superiority. Use it.
- Location
- Germany
Why would the Hanging Gardens be any safer than this location?
We are exposing ourselves again by moving around, for not gain.
There is no area without a chance of civilian casualties, no matter if it's the neighbourhood there or the (hopefully empty) campus here.
[X] Yog
That sounds okay.
- Location
- washington
To note your plan means taking it to our hell right uju ? Cause I know the point is to get him to agree but it's definitely not part of the nevernever. Oh can you add yogs ask for a mystical secret the regen would be nice.
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The only way to make White Wolf's scaling work is to assume that people who are important enough to roll for work on a different system than everyone else. Or more accurately, the mechanics only apply to how they interact with the setting for the convenience of the players.
If the statistics on the sheet break the setting to apply evenly then the solution is to stop using them that way.
It's not like the setting isn't brutally unfair; a significant number of charms/effects have a clause that reads "unless you're a baseline, then you can just pound sand". Our perfect attack doesn't even allow them their full health track; even a single point of damage and any pure mortal explodes like a gerbil in a commercial grade microwave.
Because the Hanging Gardens have paramilitary forces under Ghorbani's command. AND its the local place of power of a goddess.
The next best place would be the Pallbearer's Temple because of the magic robot, but none of the cultists there have any training. And I dont trust a golem that already stabbed us once.
Its raining and the chaos ritual is down. Random encounter chances are way down.
There's a difference between a chance, and this.
Look at a map of Vegas, and precisely where the UNLV campus is in relation to the heart of Vegas, the Vegas Strip, the Airport, and other heavily-policed areas.
UNLV campus
maps.app.goo.gl
Consider the presence of campus police. This is a very bad place for a confrontation.
Both because civilian collateral.
And because of how difficult it would be to get away in the aftermath in daytime.
I didnt bother because its a fast moving situation.
And our experience with the skinwalker at the Raith Estate means that if she hasnt made up her mind or changes her mind, we're hitting null anyway.
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- Location
- Germany
Our own military makes Arlene's much less relevant.
And the difference between one warded place and another is minimal, whether it is by Ishtar or Harrowmont.
Honsetly this feels like you are trying to set up a chess move when Sandra is clearly playing Untitled Goose Game instead, eating the pieces and causing chaos.
Our military is not relevant here because we arent summoning them until we get to the tunnels.
We arent summoning them because we cant move them across Vegas inconspicuously, and once they are in Vegas, we cant move them back to the Brass Courts without spending Essence to do so.
So if we care about keeping Harrowmont out of the hands of other people, he needs to be somewhere defended.
Where he cant be turned out by a truck bomb
Or even a couple of molotov cocktails.
This is just not true.
The entire plot of both Changes and Dead Beat rely on the fact that one warded place is very much not the same as another, because of who set up the wards.
Its like arguing there's no difference between the wards of a Cauldron member and those around Dresden's home.
I mean, are you seriously going to compare the wards around this room to what we saw at the Monoc base in New England?
And that wasnt even by Odin; the Valks did it, as far as we know.
I dont really get this argument.
The woman literally spent more than six months here plotting and setting the stage, and you think she's acting randomly?
Im just trying to cover all the reasonable contingencies I can think of.
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Funnily enough this is one of those things that they're better off not helping with.
We can only MiM immortals/people who can cheat death in some manner as far as I'm aware. The exaltation only chooses a host who is dead or at the threshold already and we have to activate the charm when we're killing her, not afterwards.
So she shouldn't be a valid target to MiM unless her patrons make her one in the first place by trying to protect her. Maybe they'd invest enough to win anyway, but if we excellency it then we're talking a 20+ die pool on some very esoteric stuff. Given their constraints that should be a pretty obnoxious chunk of their budget.
If they do nothing we either couldn't harm her in a way that matters for this purpose or would need to fight an exaltation for its host in the moment of their second breath.
Which is, well:
Probably not a great idea.
Not exactly taking the thing, but I don't want to see the Abyssal exaltation version of bending time and stealing a domain technically held by a strong incarnae.
Speaking of which
This would have been horrifying if we'd gone into the tunnels while it was still active.
+2DC malus from the Chaos ritual.
This would have been horrifying if we'd gone into the tunnels while it was still active.
Presumably that was for trying to directly counter it with magic and not the base effect, since we've been as subject to it as anyone else since it went up and Harry's fight with the gunman didn't happen at an enhanced DC that I recall.
I was thinking that Dresden's encounter with the gunman was due to the DC in the first place.
That it was how random gunman managed to see through his disguise in the first place.
I suspect the closer you are to the heart of Sandra's operations, the stronger the effect.
*rolls for it*
This seems possible to Molly. If that were the case what they just did would have to be cast as if you were right next to the caster... which would also explain how Sandra was able to use magic remotely to affect Harrowmont.
It seems likely her minions benefited from it somehow, but that second bit is baseless speculation. There's no evidence one way or the other on how it might have been accomplished and the consequences to the power distribution.
We know it could reach here with enough power to apply that DC modifier if that was something it did on a general level, but it didn't until we acted on it directly. It seems more likely that value represents the curse itself being hard to pin down and good at resisting disruption instead of something it'd apply to our melee rolls.
Interesting.
Makes sense; the connection you have to make to the hostile magic to counter it allows influences to go both ways.
If I may ask, are the Sanctuary troops deploying in power armor? Or have you not decided?
I remember it coming up in discussion yesterday.
I assume it had no prior effect because we werent previously trying to directly work against Sandra.
Plus, this is supposed to be a ritual with a positive feedback loop, where the magic begets chaos which strengthens and propagates the magic and its effect which worsens the chaos. And it has only been up for a couple hours.
It makes sense that it was still building in effect and intensity farther away from the epicenter of the working.
And apparently, Molly thinks its plausible IC.
No, power armor is only for the very augmented soldiers for the City of Laws, who have no infiltration training and no knowledge of English or American culture.
- Location
- washington
Some of our ai is good enough for real time translation right? Not asking for now but in the future?
I wonder if we could exploit this in more exotic ways, cause it sounds to me like casting large scale ritual magic technically opens an active sympathetic connection to the caster as long as they're in the loop maintaining it.
Splendors in general and fascinations in particular don't have necessarily have distance limits, it's more about the interaction they key off of. Unthinkable Ward for example activates when you try to damage the item on purpose, by RaW I think you'd get hit trying to drone strike it as long as it was intended to be an attack on the splendor and not coincidental AoE.
It's tricky to make it fit, but if we could make a splendor that regards casting magic at it, or perhaps its owner, as a form of interaction then it opens up options.
You catch the thing in a curse while it's active and it can't stop you* but you can get a curse sent back for as long as you keep the connection open:
Allowing something like that against direct attacks seems too cheesy, but there's something that feels very appropriate for an infernal in protecting against curses by making an item that returns the favor without doing anything else for the effects.
It'd be pretty funny to smack the next person who does a big ritual like this or the will of Kakuri's leyline thing with an inability to use int+occult until they turn it off, a load of lethal damage, or simply the need to resist an ongoing urge to go face them down directly.
* barring SP stuff anyway.
Yes, for language, somewhat for cultural cues, but faking that in real time would still be a Charisma+Subterfuge roll not to come off as too alien and it is not their best stat to say the least.