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Hogwarts Sect of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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Karf said:
This is the crux of the issue I'm currently struggling with. I want each skill to have a niche, both in application and in advancement. For potions, that's alkahest and combat. For transfig, it's meridians and bonuses to progress. For herbology (since I've given enough away about it already), it's other skills' results, which is broad enough to stand on its own, or potentially a profit motive (it's been mentioned a few times that herbology can be lucrative). For charms it's manipulating the pool dice and... I don't really know yet.

As I've written it so far, a charm is a one-and-done object, but at the same time I want to have a way to incorporate bigger projects for Rei to tackle. The current fore-runner is a sort of banking system, where you can choose to add more to a charm, with progressively more impressive benefits at the cost of not having access to it until it's finished. Pulling that off, however, is proving quite tricky to me.

So for the moment, it's somewhere in between transfig and potions, which I realize isn't in any way a satisfying answer, sorry.
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If you're open for suggestions: You could differ between internal use and external use. For now, both transfiguration and potions only affected yourself. Maybe charms are meant to affect your environment or your enemies? For example a potion or transfig which makes you more difficult to notice. By turning you to smoke or making yourself emit smoke which blurs where you are or somesuch. Charms could blur everything in a certain area for sometime, or make an enemy perceive everything in a blurry manner.

Another difference could be made between organic and inorganic applications. Potions could maybe used to harden wood or make it have some strange properties while it is unable to affect metal.

Just throwing some ideas out there, hoping that there's something in it that may inspire you :)

If nothing quite fits it's no prob 🤷‍♂️
 
Karf said:
This is the crux of the issue I'm currently struggling with. I want each skill to have a niche, both in application and in advancement.
For potions, that's alkahest and combat. For transfig, it's meridians and bonuses to progress. For herbology (since I've given enough away about it already), it's other skills' results, which is broad enough to stand on its own, or potentially a profit motive (it's been mentioned a few times that herbology can be lucrative). For charms it's manipulating the pool dice and... I don't really know yet.

As I've written it so far, a charm is a one-and-done object, but at the same time I want to have a way to incorporate bigger projects for Rei to tackle. The current fore-runner is a sort of banking system, where you can choose to add more to a charm, with progressively more impressive benefits at the cost of not having access to it until it's finished. Pulling that off, however, is proving quite tricky to me.

So for the moment, it's somewhere inbetween transfig and potions, which I realize isn't in any way a satisfying answer, sorry.
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They don't appear to have a meridian equivalent, so I don't know how far each charm can be upgraded (if at all). Maybe they could be combined? For there to be a choice between specialising or spreading wide there has to be some way to develop a specific charm further. Maybe the former can just be rebuilding them better or something.

I do feel like the mechanics are the least important part of these charms, with the most important being whatever concept they embody and what they could turn into in the future. The towel would be helpful, but it's hard not to rate it below autonomous helpers or magical VI.
Karf said:
The process for that went something like this:
*Read comment* Oh yeah, totally should affect crafting.
*Take a moment to consider the process and justification for it in story* But wait, first bit of charms is theory.
*Proceed to be completely confident and equally completely wrong that the 1 was in the first action, not the second one* Not gonna reroll it. Haha, I'm so clever.

The last bit was sarcasm.
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In all fairness, even if you'd included the reroll and it'd been a success there'd have been no way for it to tip us over the next breakpoint (we're 150 away and max on 1 die is 100+30). The 1-in-a-100 chance of a meridian hardly counts either.
 
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  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Karf on Jan 10, 2022 at 10:24 PM, finished with 52 posts and 21 votes.
    [lightbringer] [charm] [transfiguration] [quidditch]
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  • Voting
    • Can Rei hold a colour transformation indefinitely? Being able to permanently change your hair's colour to whatever you want sounds fun.

    Edit to avoid double-posting:
    Karf said:
    More accurately, it excites the target's sense of touch with random brushes of Qi, leading to spasm and - in humans - uncontrollable laughter.
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    ....Will the tickling charm lead to Crucio?
     
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    Trying to apply video-game strategies/mechanics to Quidditch is weird, but that's where I found at least some inspiration for these from. Might be helpful, but who knows what is feasible and/or allowed. Mainly just spitballing, here, so feel free to add to this (I already listed some previous suggestions from others).

    Lumos (could be combined with our color manipulation from Chroma-caller)
    -create a light behind us/our hoops to make it harder to look in our direction.
    -create a light in a spot we want to draw attention to: where the snitch is if our seeker is closer, on a particular enemy player if we want our teammates to focus their pressure on them, in the open space as a signal to where we will be throwing our next pass, in the corner of an opponent's vision to momentarily distract them or disrupt their focus.

    Nox
    -create an area of darkness (or more likely shadowy dim light?) around ourselves/others and/or our/their weapons to make it harder for opponents to read the body language.
    -create one around our hoops when opponents are looking to shoot.
    -create one around the quaffle/bludgers/snitch to make tracking their flight path more difficult.

    Chroma-caller
    -alter the contours of the hoops to mess up an opponent's perception of them.
    -turn the quaffle/bludgers/snitch sky-blue to prevent the opponents from seeing/tracking/catching them.
    -color code our tactics (a blue light means this, a yellow one means that, etc.) with positioning (a blue light to my right means this, to my left means that, but if I make the quaffle or my sword blue then it means this other thing, etc.) and duration (a blue light flashed once means this, one that stays lit for seconds means that, etc.) included.

    Whip Shear
    -"cut" the air in front of weapons/quaffle/bludgers/snitch to make them fly faster.
    -add points to this to make it look like I actually have ideas, on a quick skim.
    -I'm not at all convinced the first one is actually what this technique can do.
    -this one's hard to apply to Quidditch. XD
     
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    Epic Bygones said:
    Chroma-caller
    -alter the contours of the hoops to mess up an opponent's perception of them.
    -turn the quaffle/bludgers/snitch sky-blue to prevent the opponents from seeing/tracking/catching them.
    -color code our tactics (a blue light means this, a yellow one means that, etc.) with positioning (a blue light to my right means this, to my left means that, but if I make the quaffle or my sword blue then it means this other thing, etc.) and duration (a blue light flashed once means this, one that stays lit for seconds means that, etc.) included.
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    We should make sure to change the colour signals each game btw so the other teams can't figure out our calls.
     
    Even within the same game, we can use what the opponents think they have figured out to our advantage. Maybe the color is not the actual signal and we use it more or less randomly just to confuse them, while the actual signal is based on the positioning. But maybe that only counts for the primary colors, or when we apply a change of color to an object rather than a summoned light, etc. Or maybe every signal is accompanied by a subtler side-signal that indicates to our teammates whether that's a real one or a fake.

    Add voice callouts to the mix and the possibilities are basically endless, but the details themselves are best left to the QM, I feel.
     
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    Belated appreciation post for the update, @Karf , thanks for writing!

    It's really impressive how consistently great the training scenes are, and this one wasn't an exception. The Nox experiment itself was entertaining, but it's the exploration of the general concepts, the conclusions drawn and the glimpse into future avenues of discovery that delight and captivate the most.

    I loved the scene at Hagrid' hut as well, starting from the description of the area itself. The fact that it's a place of power was surprising at first, but made me go "Of course it is!" soon after, and I'd be very interested in exploring its nature and properties, next year. Hagrid himself is a treasure and must be defended at all costs. I didn't expect people to bust out instruments and kick off an impromptu jam session out of the blue, but I was all for it when it happened. XD

    Perhaps we'll get to see Harry or even Hagrid, the next time we give the Frog Choir a go.

    The whole thing about Fluffy hints at the canon events taking place in a similar manner here, although a xianxia spin on them would be expected. I guess we'll see first hand soon, or maybe learn about it later, after the fact. Either way, I'm excited for the end of year and beyond!
     
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    It's interesting that Harry didn't know what Fluffy was. I guess if the Malfoy duel was called off he wouldn't have had the chance to see him.

    I maybe missed Rei learning about this, but did Harry's broom get cursed in his first Quidditch match?
     
    Considering Rei watched the match, if his weapon had been cursed in any way similar to canon she'd have noticed.
    Karf said:
    "Rictusempra
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    Karf said:
    He does, and you feel him shaping Qi into a shield between him and the dragon, who blindly tries to retaliate almost immediately, jaws snapping and a red glow building between the gaps in the teeth. The shield holds, or at least deflects enough that Harry can pull back.
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    These are what we saw Harry use in the dragon fight. Rictumsempra is the tickle curse, and considering he has Apprentice level Transfiguration he has to have at least one other, likely either Dollmaker Petrification or the Sharp Point one. I can't tell if the second quote is a technique or just generic Qi use, but if it's the former then it's probably Petrification specialised to apply to air?

    Hagrid being Qi Condensation makes sense in hindsight, considering he was kicked out in third year in canon, and I could see him either being told not to go beyond the second realm or being unable to make the breakthrough for some reason. He probably has a stupidly high physical cultivation modifier from his heritage though.
     
    Karnax626 said:
    These are what we saw Harry use in the dragon fight. Rictumsempra is the tickle curse, and considering he has Apprentice level Transfiguration he has to have at least one other, likely either Dollmaker Petrification or the Sharp Point one. I can't tell if the second quote is a technique or just generic Qi use, but if it's the former then it's probably Petrification specialised to apply to air?
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    He doesn't have to have more than Rictumsempra, necessarily, given that the technique has an upper limit of 4 meridians, but I do think that the shield isn't just generic Qi use, and "petrified air", or some kind of evolution from the Dollmaker technique, could make sense.

    Thinking about the next two turns, I was wondering if @zinay (or anyone else with the ability, for that matter) could calculate some odds. As always, don't worry at all if you can't/don't want to do it for any or some of them (although, if you pick and choose, I'd prefer either the ones in bold or all the Breaking Through and overflow ones).

    -Odds of getting 360+ points in a single action, in 1-2-3-4-5 actions of 7d23 DC12 at +50.
    Breaking through in July if we're just shy of Apprentice Astronomy and Charms.

    -Odds of getting 1050+, 700+ and 350+ points on 14, 21 and 28d23 DC12 at +50.
    Overflow of 150, 100 and 50 points per track (skills and cultivations) if we successfully break through on the third, second and first action of July.

    -Odds of getting 600+, 650+ and 700+ points on 21 and 28d22 DC15 at +50.
    Astronomy x3 and x4 this coming turn, with overflow points already accounted for to have us reach Apprentice.

    -Odds of getting 200+, 250+ and 300+ points on 7 and 14d22, reroll 1s, DC15 at +50.
    Charms x1 and x2 this coming turn, with overflow points already accounted for to have us reach Apprentice.

    Edit - Of course, if you have better methods to calculate any of these odds or similar, go for it. This is what I came up with based on what I saw people do earlier in the thread.
     
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    breakthrough d23 +50 dc12overflow of 50 per skilloverflow of 100 per skilloverflow of 150 per skilloverflow of 200 per skilloverflow of 250 per skill
    1 action54%1%0%0%0%
    2 actions98%57%6%.05%0%
    3 actions99.9%95%58%12%.5%
    4 actions100%99.8%93%59%16%

    breakthroughd23 dc12d24 dc12d23 dc 11d24 dc 11
    1 action51%55%60%63%
    2 actions76%80%84%86%
    3 actions88%91%94%95%
    4 actions94%96%97%98%
    5 actions97%98%99.0%99.3%

    Astronomy next turnwith 0 overflowwith 50 overflowwith 100 overflowwith 150 overflowwith 200 overflowwith 250 overflow
    3 actions51%61%69%75%82%88%
    4 actions84%89%91%95%97%98%

    Charms next turnwith 0 overflowwith 50 overflowwith 100 overflowwith 150 overflowwith 200 overflowwith 250 overflow
    1 action23%36%50%65%76%88%
    2 actions79%86%92%96%98%99%
     
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    Epic Bygones said:
    That's awesome, mate! So well formatted too! ^^

    Thank you so much!

    Edit:

    Isn't that 97% way too high? Shouldn't it be 75% or so? The others on that table as well look inflated to me.
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    Remember that our progress in our breakthrough only resets if we don't get our 360 progress that turn, not at the end of that action. Those numbers are just a result of getting 4ish successes in 14 total dice being a lot more likely than getting them in either set of 7.
     
    zinay said:
    Remember that our progress in our breakthrough only resets if we don't get our 360 progress that turn, not at the end of that action. Those numbers are just a result of getting 4ish successes in 14 total dice being a lot more likely than getting them in either set of 7.
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    I don't think that's the correct interpretation.
    Karf said:
    However, what makes it special is that progress doesn't get saved between attempts. You'll need to clear the total amount in a single action.
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    I think an attempt is an action, because:
    Karf said:
    Pick 3 to 5 training actions, you may pick the same one multiple times:
    -[][Training] Spiritual cultivation
    -blabla
    -[][Training] Breakthrough attempt
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    Which means that we need all 360 points to come from the same set of 7, whether it's the first, second, third, fourth or fifth. At least, I've been working under that assumption this whole time. @Karf , could you clarify?
     
    Epic Bygones said:
    I don't think that's the correct interpretation.

    I think an attempt is an action, because:

    Which means that we need all 360 points to come from the same set of 7, whether it's the first, second, third, fourth or fifth. At least, I've been working under that assumption this whole time. @Karf , could you clarify?
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    I rechecked the tutorial for breakthroughs and you were correct. I've edited the table.
     
    Looks like the Dramatis Personae post has been updated and we have information on Apprentice Transfiguration:
    Karf said:
    Transfiguration - 991 out of 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000/???+
    • Basic: 150 completed
      • +20 bonus to result rolls
    • Beginner: 350/550/750 complete
      • 3 techniques learned
      • +30 bonus to result rolls
    • Apprentice
      • New techniques at 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000
      • +10 bonus to result rolls at 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000
    • Learned techniques: 3
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    Same numbers as Potions, which is likely to mean that every skill is the same on that front. Unlike Potions, though, which has mechanics-based benefits (-1 to the Physical cultivation threshold) at every other milestone, a "unique" benefit (+1 to max potions) at the first one and a potion at all others, Transfiguration simply has both its mechanics benefit (+10 to result rolls) and a new technique as reward for all milestones. No mention of meridians, which is a bit of a surprise to me. Maybe new ones get opened in later Stages, or when a technique is maxed (i.e. its meridian limit is reached)?

    Will sect points be assigned as subject rewards in June, @Karf ? And if so, do they automatically remain unspent or will there be a chance to use them?
     
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    Think of it this way: we had light and now we have cutting. Put them together and what do you get?

    Lasers! :ogles:

    And with the most meridians and consequent paths of development, who knows what the Separating Void Paradigm Law can grow up to become!
     
    I don't actually understand why the towel vote won. What does it do narratively? If it isn't a rudimentaru ai, then is it a threshold/activation thing?
     
    I'm definitely willing to pick up the bottle charm next time we level the skill, depending on what the upgrade paths for Charms are like. Autonomous items sound like they synergise with moving paintings and the like really well.
    Karf said:
    • Basic
      • Bare minimum required to have any related actions
    • Beginner
      • Has some exposure but needs supervision
    • Apprentice
      • Occasionally needs help
    • Intermediate
      • Capable of autonomous practice
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    Karf said:
    • Transfiguration - 991 out of 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000/???+
      • Basic: 150 completed
        • +20 bonus to result rolls
      • Beginner: 350/550/750 complete
        • 3 techniques learned
        • +30 bonus to result rolls
      • Apprentice
        • New techniques at 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000
        • +10 bonus to result rolls at 1500/2500/3750/4750/6000
      • Learned techniques: 3
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    Karf said:

    Humble Light Bringer Law

    -Fire/Fire/??? aspected technique
    -??? up to 3 meridians
    The Light Summoning Technique - [Learned]
    The Light Summoning Technique might not be as fancy, but it's definitely no less useful. The depths of Castle Hogwarts don't have convenient windows or well maintained torches. Several times you've turned away from a dark corridor. Who knows how useful a light you could call on command would be.

    The Light-eater Technique - [Learned]
    Everything has two sides, and light is nothing but the absence of darkness; shadows grow and outlines turn indistinct, things you used to see unraveling to nothingness.

    3rd technique TBD soon(tm)

    Separating Void Paradigm Law

    -Metal/???+ aspected technique
    -??? up to 5 meridians
    --[] Whip Shear Technique
    The Whip Shear Technique separates objects as if they were cut by a knife, except you can do so from afar, and with considerably less effort, transforming one to two. It's surprising how often a little cut is all you need, and sliced bread is the etalon of useful inventions for a reason.

    White Feather's Flight Law

    -Wood/???+ aspected technique
    -??? up to 4 meridians
    --[] Wing Floating TechniqueMost physical things hold within them an aspect of Weight, a kind of love for the Earthly realm that pulls them to the ground. The Wing Floating Technique alters that relationship, letting you move heavy objects with naught but your wand and concentration.
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    So we've currently hit the third Beginner milestone, and have completed the Lightbringer technique/started the Whip Shear technique.
    Translating that to techniques per milestone, we get:

    Basic - No technique
    Beginner 1 - Light Summoning
    Beginner 2 - Light-eater (+Chroma-caller Mastery)
    Beginner 3 - Whip Shear
    Apprentice 1-5 - No technique yet

    It does seem like it costs a number of milestones equal to the number of meridians minus 1 to master a technique, otherwise the numbers we have don't make sense.
    In that case Whip Shear only needs 3 of the 5 Apprentice milestones to hit mastery, which means we have space for another before Intermediate level. Considering my last vote it's probably not a surprise that I'd rather that be the Wing Floating Technique, but I will say I want that to be the next Transfiguration we pick up rather than waiting until we master Whip Shear.

    I think it's worthwhile for us to start thinking more about how our various techniques and abilities will interact, and whilst this vote will allow us to see the three main upgrade paths for Whip Shear, I do want to see the three main upgrade paths for Wing Floating (or whichever third Law we choose to look into) before we delve any deeper into our Second Law.
     
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