Hold It In (RWBY/Transistor)

Prok · Dec 21, 2020

25/06/2022: This section is no longer relevant to the quest but will be kept threadmarked for both posterity, and so, if I should choose to finish the system as its own project, I have somewhere to place it. However, you do not need to worry about them; Hold It In is a purely narrative quest.

Okay! I know you're used to me being dead for aeons at a time only to drag this thread kicking and screaming from its grave with an update, but this time I have to do it with something important- see, during November, on top of failing NaNoWriMo and acing college and not writing anything for this, I came to realise that half of my problems with writing this was, well, a crippling fear that once I finish this I'll be without one of the most consistent pillars of my day-to-day life, but the other half was that, mechanically, this quest is... kind of a mess.

Part of that is, yes, I have nothing written down for it, pretty much every system bar the Library was a cobble-and-forget kinda deal until the system became a pile of short-term bodges that began to collapse under its weight, so, I made the decision to streamline most of it, reducing everything down to the same system, using the same (for the most part) dice, and, most importantly, written in plain English that even someone as disorganised as me can understand it at a glance every time without having to hunt through the thread for the last thing I ruled on.

This post will, at least for the moment, contain the universal rules that govern every character within the quest- these are the absolute most basic rules, and over the next couple weeks, I'll be updating it with the rules specific to Jaune, namely Transistor combat, Function coding, Process upgrading, and how money will work from now on. Finally, by the time this batch of updates is finished, I'll have finished up with weapons, both in terms of damage numbers and how to upgrade them, and will have put together that table on random RWBY weapon combinations I promised like 84 years ago, along with Grimm health, armour, and other such things.

In the meantime, though- the most basic, universal rules of Hold It In are below- these will be updated frequently, as I figure out what works, what doesn't, and as I, well, finish writing the rest of them. I'm open to suggestions, calls for clarification- I know that these are pretty rough, but, hopefully, by the end of it, I'll have a... very, incredibly specific but fully-fleshed out system I can't really use anywhere else.

... J-just, push it down, push it down-

Universal Systems

Character Stats and Stat Checks:

There are eight stats, and they're divided into two category-acronyms- HACK, and TALK- combat stats and non-combat stats, specifically.

HACK:
Hack-Slash: This is a measure of a character's raw physical ability- their ability to swing a sword, or fire a gun, or rip a door off its hinges, lift something heavy off an ally. It, along with Kinetics, is the bread and butter of most combat situations.

Arcane: This is a measure of a character's ability to attack and defend themselves in more esoteric ways- for most, this means Aura manipulation and creative use of their Semblance, for a few, this means real-ass goddamn magic. Creating Aura shields, achieving minor prescience, using your Semblance weirdly, wielding a shard of magic grafted onto your soul- these all fall under this stat.

Command: Command is your ability to issue orders, whether to your allies or human enemies and have them be followed- useful for coordinating attacks or just scaring the piss out of some gormless White Fang goon, it's a measure of how much people will listen when you speak.

Kinetics: Kinetics is a measure of someone's coordination, hand-eye or otherwise- all that flippy acrobatic gubbins, dodging attacks, or just pulling a dead sprint, fall under this stat. This stat is a measure of your ability to move and not look like a bunch of wet noodles stapled together while you do it.

TALK:

Training: Training is a measure of the knowledge that lives in the hands rather than the head. It's a measure of skills like carpentry, coding, Dust Alchemy- knowledge that has practical applications, rather than being learned for the sake of becoming learned, as well as a measure of how well you pick up new skills. When skills are being learned, they use half your Training stat- after they're properly learned, and are marked down as being trained, they use the entire dice pool. Training is upgraded by learning new skills, with every two new skills being equivalent to another stat's breakthrough, and requiring more and more complex skills to progress. Skills may have multiple levels that give bonuses to their use or otherwise unblock certain options.

Attitude: Attitude and Karma are unique- they aren't stats in their own right, so much as gauges of useful, intangible commodities that can help with other rolls. Attitude is a measure of a character's mental health- the lower it is, the more exhausted, strung-out, and generally not at their best they are. Attitude can be expended to add dice to just about any check- it represents you going that extra mile to ensure your efforts aren't going to waste, at the expense of some mental energy. However, it may also be used for some special roles regarding Jaune's mental health.

If Attitude ever reaches zero, or God forbid, reaches negative numbers, Jaune will gain the Burned Out status: this applies a universal malus to all rolls that begins at -1, and only gets worse from there.

Do not let it reach -10 Never let it reach -10.

Learning: Learning is a measure of the knowledge that lives in the head rather than the hands. It's a measure of things like history, mathematics, geography, the sciences- knowledge that doesn't have much practical use but is still useful to know in its own right. Unlike Training, this just represents a level of general knowledge on all matters- there is no granularity to it. Instead, it is the stat used to perform Information Trawling for the Library, and other such activities.

Karma: Attitude and Karma are unique- they aren't stats in their own right, so much as gauges of useful, intangible commodities that can help with other rolls. Karma is a measure of how people feel about you- and more importantly, how much they're willing to put up with any eccentricities or weird requests you may have, without much extra effort on your part. Karma can be expended on Command rolls, or in social situations to improve people's opinion of you regardless of how much foot-sticking you do. Get it high enough, and you can act like the utter fucking sociopaths you all are, with almost zero consequences for your actions.

Stats are ranked from zero to ten, representing the size of the dice pool they have access to- if a stat is ranked zero for whatever reason, roll 2d10, and take the lower result.

Improving stats involves gathering successes to force a breakthrough- these successes are permanent and do not decay over time. Zero-ranked stats will need to gain a situational bonus to be trained at all (ya gotta go read a book, dork).

For the sake of clarity, 'success threshold' refers to the number of successes needed to complete an action, while 'dice threshold' refers to the number- usually 7- that must be met or surpassed by a d10 dice roll for it to count as a success.

Example: Jaune has to scale a building to get to the rooftop to catch Cinder. He can either a) enter the building and find a stairwell, b) scale the outside freehanded, or c) ride the Transistor up.

For the sake of simplicity, all actions suggested in this situation require his Athletics stat as a base- at a 4, that's a dice pool of 4d10.

In situation A, Jaune needs 2 successes to completely succeed- he finds a staircase, rushes up them at speed, and finds himself on the rooftop with time to spare. No successes rolled after this matter unless they are a natural 10.

Situations B and C are high-risk, high-reward- both need 4 successes to succeed. However, in situation B, Jaune can add his Hack-Slash stat to the dice pool, since it is freehand climbing and thus benefits from raw strength. This brings it to 8d10, and all but guarantees him success, says a man too regularly burned by hubris to say that kind of thing unironically.

The risk, in this case, comes from the failure states- in both of them, he slips, falls, and takes damage to his Aura- depending on how severe it is, it could easily break through and damage him directly.

Partial Successes occur when successes are gathered, but not enough to succeed completely. In most cases, this generally translates to either a consequence- Jaune slips, falls, takes Aura damage, but makes up for it fast enough that he still reaches the top before it's too late- or in the succeeding actions being significantly harder, such as a shorter timeframe in which to perform, raising the success threshold.

Rolling a 10 is a special case; they are set to the side until all other successes are counted. If it is a partial success, they will be added in as 2 successes. If it is a complete success, they cause it to become a critical success.

Critical successes follow the 'yes, and' rule- yes, you succeed, and something happens to your benefit, or you've done it to such a high standard that it improves your position by a marked degree. To go back to our original example, Jaune chooses to climb the outside of the building- he rolls his 4d10, rolls a 7, 8, 10, and 10, rendering it a critical success. He climbs up the building with such speed and precision that he actually cuts Cinder off at the pass, placing her on the back foot.

Conversely, 1s are critical failures, but they only come into play when the overall action is a failure. In this case, you fail, but something extra happens that detriments you even further, because why wouldn't I pile on the misery?

10s are singular in their use- if you roll a 10, and the success is partial but only missing one, you can add it on and make it a complete success- you can't then turn it into a critical success with that same 10. If you have 2 10s, this problem doesn't occur.

Going back to our example- Jaune chooses to ride the Transistor up and doesn't roll any successes whatsoever, and a 1- he slips on the Transistor, and by the time he's regained his balance, Cinder has realised his plan and begins shooting at him, weakening his Aura. He slips off entirely, falls the full height of the building, and the impact breaks both his Aura and his spine.

Stats, a Summary:

Dice pool of d10s, dice threshold is seven, minimum roll before maluses is 2d10 keep lowest, highest roll before bonuses is 10d10.
All actions require a certain number of successes to be performed
- Failures occur when no successes are rolled whatsoever- "no"
- Partial Successes occur when successes are rolled, but not enough to pass the success threshold- "yes, but"
- Success occurs when enough successes occur to pass the threshold- "yes"
- Critical Successes occur when a Success is reached, and a 10 has been rolled- "yes, and"
- Critical Failures occur when no successes are rolled, and also a 1 has been rolled- "no, also fuck you"

Aura and Armour:

Aura is going to be a much softer system than it was- physical damage, on the other hand, is not.

Aura is no longer represented by a hard number- both its states of being and base strength are rooted in emotions, memories, raw, unfettered willpower, and assigning numbers to that kind of thing seems somewhat unwise. It is now represented as four states- Full, Flickering, Fading, and Fractured, and in Jaune's case, these are represented by numbers 0-6:

6/5- Full: How Aura usually starts out- 3 heavy hits or 6 light hits are required to completely break Aura from full. This is your 'green' threshold on a Scroll's Aura gauge..
4/3- Flickering: After a few hits, Aura is no longer as strong as it was- it begins to flicker, warning the user that they are in danger of completely breaking their Aura. At this rate, it would only take two heavy hits to break it completely.
2/1- Fading: Your Aura is ripping itself apart at the seams. Run, before you get hit again.
0- Fractured: Your Aura is completely broken. For a time, you are incapable of fighting on the level of a Huntsman, or using your Semblance properly. You are now capable of taking physical damage.

Aura is replenished at a rate of one point for every action in combat dedicated to disengaging and allowing yourself a few seconds to recharge- once combat ends, it automatically recharges to full.

Growth of Aura is related to both your growth as a person, via the passage of time and the gathering of memories and new emotions, and upgrading of the Arcane stat.

Once Fading is reached, however, it is possible for someone to dig deep and bolster their Aura using something important to them- these moments are rare, only occurring once per battle at most, and requires significant downtime to recharge- it is a Hail Mary, not a get out of jail free card.

Aura gained from the bolster action is temporary- it drains at a rate of one point every two turns of combat, and treats all attacks as being one level higher than they are for damage purposes.

Physical Damage is split into 4 levels:

Level 1- Mild wounds raise the number of successes needed to complete an action. (Minor injuries- battered, bruised, a new hum in the drum, etc- can occasionally come with status effects.)
Level 2- A Severe wound gives a malus to your ability to perform- dice pools affected by this level of harm are halved. (More major injuries- deep cuts to limbs, a concussion, outright exhaustion- usually comes with an inherent status effect, like Bleedout or Crumpled.)
Level 3- You are at Death's door. You are unable to move unassisted, or without making a prohibitively strenuous effort to do so. All actions are locked off besides evading at a severe penalty. Any further damage taken has a coin-flip chance of becoming level 4 harm. (Broken limbs, bad burns, mental breakdown, Semblance aneurysm- at this point status effects are redundant, but I'll probably pile them on anyway just to be mean)
Level 4- Dead. Done. Finito. There is almost no bouncing back from this.

Injury Chart (sorta):

Level 3	(Ignore this one SV doesn't support asymmetrical tables)		(Ignore this one SV doesn't support asymmetrical tables)
Level 2		(Ignore this one SV doesn't support asymmetrical tables)
Level 1

Every successful strike after someone's Aura is depleted will cause them to take physical harm. Each level of harm can only hold so many injuries before it's automatically upgraded to the next level- for example, if a Beowolf nips your heels enough, the fourth harm at level 1 becomes a level 2 harm- snapped Achilles.

This works both ways, so 'death by a thousand cuts' is possible.

Armour

Armour functions as, well, armour- it automatically reduces the strength of an attack by one level, should it hit that area- however, all armour has certain durability. Crappy composite stuff isn't going to hold up under sustained fire from anything- steel armour with ceramic inlays will hold up to just about anything that isn't a charging boarbatusk.

Once an armour has blocked hits equal to its durability, it breaks, rendering it useless until repaired. In extreme cases, armour may be shredded completely, bringing it beyond the point of repair and requiring the purchase of a new set.

In exchange for such extreme protective capabilities, though, all armour causes the equivalent of a permanent level 1 harm, or level 2 harm if excessive enough, to all movement within combat. Reducing this malus is a learned skill that must be acquired and trained up.

The list goes as follows:

Composite: layers of hardened plastic riveted into an aluminium frame. Cheapest of the cheap, but so light it feels like you're wearing nothing at all, nothing at all, nothing at all- Durability- 1. Malus- N/A
Leather: Tanned animal skin- comfy, tough, and hilariously unethical to some party-poopers. Durability- 3. Malus- Level 1 Harm.
Chain: Been in use for millennia, ain't gone out of style yet. Durability- 5. Malus- Level 1 Harm.
Steel: Now we're getting into the real stuff. Weighs the same as a small child, but damn if anything can get through it. Durability- 9. Malus- Level 2 Harm.
- Ceramic Inlays: In a full set of this, you are now functionally invincible to anything besides the personal attention of an Ursa Major or a Grand Boarbatusk- in exchange, however, you move like an anesthetised sloth unless you've been trained to move in it. Durability: Functionally Infinite. Malus- Level 2 Harm.

Aura and Armour, A Summary:

Aura is split into four stages- Full, Flickering, Fading, and Fractured. Each stage represents how close you are to being susceptible to physical harm.
- Aura is recharged at a rate of one unit per action taken in combat to actively disengage and recover.
- When at Fading Aura, it is possible for someone to Bolster their Aura, filling it back to Full with temporary Aura points that take double damage and fade at a rate of one per round.
Physical harm occurs when someone is attacked after their Aura has broken, or using an attack that bypasses Aura. It comes in 4 different levels, ranging from minor bruises to outright death.
Armour automatically treats all attacks as one level lower, should they strike that area. In exchange, however, they have durability ratings. Once a piece of armour has blocked its durability ratings in attacks, it is broken and renders no benefit or malus- you're back to Aura and running.

Combat

Combat is the term used for sections of the quest where people or creatures are trying their damnedest to kill you, and vice versa, and is the general state of Hunters who are on the job.

There are no initiative rolls or action orders in combat- all actions are judged and performed simultaneously, with only one exception; characters rolling to defend against an oncoming attack- the number of successes they roll sets the attacker's success threshold.

All combat can be broken down to four distinct categories of action- Attacks, Assists, Hindrances, and Movement.

Attacks:

Attacks are any given action performed with the express purpose of harming something- slashing at someone with a sword, kicking out their knee, etc. Indirect attacks also count as attacks- slashing at someone with your sword and slashing at a convenient rope to drop a pallet of bricks on them are both attacks.

All attacks use either the Hack-Slash or Arcane stats, depending on the nature of the attack- all defensive manoeuvres use Kinetics, or in some cases, Hack-Slash also.

Attacks are split into two distinct categories- Light Attacks, and Heavy Attacks.

Light Attacks-

Light attacks are the equivalent of a quick jab or slash, a small-mid calibre bullet, or the Transistor's rapid-fire Functions- Ping(), Crash(), Bounce(), etc. They're supposed to be rapid, chipping attacks, probing for a greater weakness or otherwise just whittling your opponent down.

Light attacks are worth half of a weapon's Base Damage- a minimum of 1, fractions round down- and gain bonus dice to meet the Success Threshold, making them a generally more reliable method of dealing damage over time.

Heavy Attacks-

Heavy attacks are the equivalent of a two-handed slash, a large-calibre bullet, a la Crescent Rose, a small explosive, a la Magnhild, or the Transistor's beefier Functions- Breach(), Spin(), or Load(), to name a few. These are the attacks you go in with after putting an opponent off-balance with light attacks, or to break their guard from the get-go.

Heavy Attacks are worth 1.5x a weapon's full Base Damage, but require significantly more effort and leave you in a much worse position if you whiff it.

Special Attack- The Attack Sinister.

The Attack Sinister is a special kind of attack that is only available against enemy Huntsmen you absolutely want dead and is risky enough that it should only be tried when you are certain it will work.

This attack takes advantage of the fact that Aura is Non-Newtonian in nature- it hardens in response to impact, and the harder the impact, the more energy it expends to protect against it. However, this means that soft attacks- a slow knife, or a gently thrown rock, just won't register as an attack against someone's Aura, and will pass right through.

The Attack Sinister always requires 6 total successes- in exchange, it will always deal a severe wound to enemies, without touching their Aura at all- if it's a critical success, it will automatically deal either a level 3 or level 4 Harm, depending on your choice and their defence.

Assistance and Hindrances:

Assistance and Hindrance are significantly more loosey-goosey than Attacks or Movement, but they follow the same basic idea- they are any kind of action that helps allies or hinders enemies. In reality, these are essentially just stat checks performed in combat- they're hard, of course, but very useful if you don't want to just mindlessly whale on someone like a Viking berserker.

Assistance is aimed at your allies- they are any action that gives them a direct advantage in combat, whether that's warning them of an incoming attack, being a distraction against their current enemy, or taking a hit you don't think they can withstand. These confer a situational bonus that varies from a simple +1 to completely changing the flow of battle- like I said, loosey-goosey.

Example: Creme is being rushed from behind by a Boarbatusk who is intent on making her insides her outsides- Jaune sees this, and, using his higher stat of Kinetics, rushes to place himself between her and it and take the brunt of the hit with his better armour, and allowing her to get behind it and start whaling on a more thinly-plated part of its body.

Hindrances are aimed at enemies- whether distracting them from an oncoming attack, rendering their attacks ineffective, or forcing them into a stat check that determines their new position, Hindrances are neat ways to screw over your opponents that don't necessarily involve beating them in the head with a big metal stick.

Example: In a shipyard, Jaune and Lumen are fighting another of his cousins- Lumen and his cousin are evenly matched for the most part, but Jaune sees one a hanging shipping container left on the crane by a negligent worker- with a well-aimed shot, he could break it off the hook and drop it into the scene, breaking up the fight for a moment and adding some cover to it, or he could use his Training (Hacking) stat to take control of the crane itself via the Transistor, and turn it into God's own flail to try and smear Lumen's cousin across the floor.

Movement:

Movement is the act of changing position in battle and uses Kinetics as its base stat.

Every battle takes place on a battlefield- whether this is a complex shipyard full of lanes and nooks and crannies to hide in, or a plain stage with no outstanding features, and movement is based around you, your opponent, your battlefield's outstanding features, and the relative position between all of these.

In short, Movement can be broken down into four things: Moving To Destination, Disengaging, Pressing Forward, and Escaping.

Moving To Destination: Exactly what it says on the tin- moving towards one of the points of interest or other combatants on a battlefield, in order to gain some advantage from it, whether to hide, or dodge incoming fire or to gain higher ground.

Pressing Forward and Disengaging: While it is assumed that most of the time you are in combat you will be within attacking distance of your opponent, they may decide to try and disengage from the fight, stopping to catch their breath- when this happens, you have the option of disengaging as well, allowing you to regain some measure of Aura, or to press the advantage and keep them from doing just that. If you choose to do so, you will make a contested Kinetics check to see whether or not you actually catch them in time- though if you do, and fail, you do not regain the Aura you would have done if you'd disengaged as well.

This all applies in reverse as well, mind- if you choose to disengage, you actively remove yourself from combat for a turn and regain a point of Aura, assuming the opponent does not choose to press forward, or you pass the Kinetics check if they do.

Escaping: Also exactly what it says on the tin- with a particularly good Kinetics check, you can always choose to run like a little sissy baby, completely disengaging from combat. Should this fail, however, your Kinetics and Hack-Slash skills are halved for the purposes of defence rolls- only attempt to escape when you're either desperate, or sure you can manage it, otherwise your opponents will just shoot, stab, or claw you in the back!

Combat, a Summary:

Combat is a non-turn-based affair, with all actions resolving at the same time. The only thing that is resolved first is defence rolls, as they set the attacker's success threshold.
Combat revolves around four things: Attacking, Assisting, Maluses, and Movement.
When attacking someone, they will roll to defend themselves- the number of successes they achieve sets the Success Threshold for the attacker.
Light and Heavy attacks deal a weapon's base damage, or 1.5x base damage, respectively. Light attacks are more reliable to hit, gaining bonus dice to hit the Success Threshold. Heavy attacks do not, making them riskier, but they do more damage.
- The Attack Sinister is available against enemy Huntsmen- with a fixed ST of 10, passing it allows you to make an attack worth one severe injury, bypassing their Aura completely in the process.
Assists and Maluses are any actions that cannot be directly considered as causing damage to the enemy using your weapon. They are high-ST stat checks that can either grant an advantage to allies, a disadvantage to enemies or just completely change the battlefield altogether.
Movement is reliant on the Kinetics stat and is based on four movements: towards a destination, pressing forward and disengaging, and escaping.
- Moving towards a destination is self-explanatory- the destination can either be a point of interest on the battlefield, or other combatants, whether ally or enemy.
- Disengaging and Pressing Forward are the acts of creating distance between yourself and an enemy in order to regain Aura, or denying that same opportunity to them. Performing either requires that you roll your Kinetics stat, either for defence or to overcome theirs- if you fail either, you lose the chance to regain Aura.
- Escaping is the act of fully disengaging from battle, and is very high-risk/high-reward. Should it fail, until the next turn, all defensive rolls are halved- essentially giving enemies a free shot to the back.

Kanata.EXE · Feb 22, 2022

I almost forget something. I just created a page on TV Tropes about this quest. With how good this quest is, I think it deserves one.

There are not many tropes there, so if anyone wants to contribute, I'll be grateful.

Hold It In (Fanfic) - TV Tropes

You are Jaune Arc and you're about to face your final test from Signal Academy. If you pass the test, you will be recommended to Beacon Academy. But you have nothing to worry about. For you have the Transistor. Hold it in is a RWBY/Transistor …

tvtropes.org

Prok · Jun 23, 2017

YOUR CHARACTER SHEET STARTS HERE

Name: Jaune Arc

...

Age: 17

Your Semblance (As You Understand It)

Semblance: Higher-Order Calculation.

Higher-Order Calculation, in the most bare-bones terms, grants Jaune the ability to grasp mathematical concepts far beyond Remnant's current knowledge base, and from there, pretty much everything else. You are, for lack of a better comparison, a poor Tony Stark.

On top of this, it works by itself as a sort of... virtual machine. It will take in questions that Jaune doesn't even realise he's asking, and eventually give him answers, one in the form of the Transistor, the other in the form of the Process. It is reliant on the processing power at Jaune's natural disposal- namely, his brain. Overuse of Calculation causes, at best migraines, at worst, possibly fatal aneurysms. With the advent of the Transistor, this is mitigated due to the connection between the two. Once the Process was brought into existence, this part simply... shut down. It's done.

That's not to say you don't still suffer from migraines if pushed too far or disconnected from your second brain for too long. Should you ever be disconnected from the Transistor for any reason, you have maybe an hour before migraines settle in properly, and another hour after that before it becomes too much for you to function normally. That's assuming you're actually somewhere fairly quiet, mind.

Function Use is a subset of Transistor assisted-Calculation and is the act of altering the world around you through sets of code known as Functions, hence the name. On a smaller scale, this is, for the most part, a purely combat-based skill- most Functions are used to fight, kill, and destroy any enemies in the way of the user. While some Functions work purely for utility purposes, they are much rarer than those meant for battle. The main limit on Function Use is processing power- you are essentially creating and manipulating pure energy and matter through the power of code alone. Working that kind of math purely on a human brain will inevitably lead to either a fatal aneurysm or a backfire, leading to... very undesirable consequences. Hence, the use of a focus- The Transistor.

Inventory

War Gear:

Head: Nada. You are perfectly domeable.

Torso/Arms: One (1) black suit jacket, One (1) white vest, One (1) black shirt, One (1) red tie, and steel/ceramic chest plate, and One (1) Formshift armpiece. Damn sight better than that 3D printed stuff. (Overall Armour Durability: 9. Overall Armour Malus: Level 2 Harm (Kinetics)

Legs: One (1) pair of white dress trousers. {God help you if you eat anything with marinara.} Two (2) thick leather belts. No armoured pieces.

Weapon (main): The Transistor. {Hey.} (Base Attack (Melee)- 2. Traits: Heavy Attack-Exclusive, Blunt, Artillery Piece. Base Attack (Functions)- See Functions Threadmark for more information.)

Weapon (offhand(ha)): Zero Hour- A formshift gauntlet that unfolds into a kite shield with razor-sharp edges. Semi-named for the computing science concept of a Zero-Day vulnerability. (Base Attack- 2. Traits: Melee-only, Defensive, Bladed, Formshift.)

General:

DOSH: 6,400 Lien.

One (1) Scroll- The main form of digital communication in Remnant, bar the CCTS. If you could run the OS on your Transistor, you'd drop this thing in a heartbeat.

One (1) Wallet- ID, bank card, physical medical papers in case somebody doesn't take a PDF version for some reason. Don't lose this!

One (1) Æther Dust Crystal- A gift from Penny. Converted into a night lamp by your sister. Currently on top of your nightstand.

One (1) Full Set Of Medical Supplies- A well-equipped bag of general first-aid supplies, plus a can of Bleedstop and an antitoxin kit, all packed away within a hip bag roughly the same size as your head. Barely used.

Achievements

Do something stupid? That's an achievement. Do something awesome? That's an achievement. Do something so unexpected I have to start improvising storylines from whole cloth or throw others out the window? That is, in fact, an achievement. (Please do not aim for that achievement.)

This Is A One-Party Quest: Win a vote unanimously, eliminating all opposition in your way. Winner/General Secretary Of The State- DreamerGhost

Full House!: Grab a team of four people and keep them all alive until the end of the exam. Somehow, this achievement was easier for an armed combat test than it was for my final maths exam.

Almost-Superman: Don't fall below half Aura for an entire combat scene.

I- you- HOW ON EARTH-: Roll a nat 20 to an opponent's nat 1 and pull off something dumb as shit in the process.

WE'RE NUMBER FIVE! WE'RE NUMBER FIVE!: Place in the top six of Signal's final combat exam. It's joint first, but not first first.

: Grab the Process several months early by getting a crit roll after the GM gives you a bonus in the same damn update.

YOUR CHARACTER SHEET ENDS HERE

Prok · Oct 7, 2017

PsyFarrow said:
[x] It's heavy handed intervention from beyond the fourth wall inexplicably shifting the flow of the narrative. Cultures differ, but in mine, that's unspeakably gauche. And, to be clear - the DoMT has a well earned reputation as a ruiner of campaigns. No, I'll maintain my decision to leave, that much I'm sure of.

I actually kinda liked these snippets, since I figured it was Prok having trouble writing J-Crew and taking a break from it while still giving us content.

Even if that wasn't the case and I misunderstood, this has been an interesting encounter.

Unfortunately, no- this was meant to be a thing, granted, this was meant to be the final thing of the thing, but I think the thing's just started to collapse under its own weight. I did plan to introduce something like Desdemona to the Fate Shop, which is still a thing, don't worry, your Fate Points are still worth something around these here parts, but I think the execution of this part just spiralled so hilariously out of control that it swung back around to being completely unfunny again.

Eh. Can't win 'em all. I think I can work it, it just needs... a lot of work.

Consider this vote null and void, and the votes for the main update closed. At a glance, hanging out with the entire gang, coding, and trying to find a job online win!

Man I've been waiting to say that for a while. It's a rush.

Since it's taken me so long to put this up, I'm just going to apply the flat +50 rate to all Functions, and then you can pick and choose your research.

Also, @Ridiculously Average Guy, time to cash in your reward. Pick a Function, any Function, yours, someone's suggestion from way back when, one of the ones below, go wild!

PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR CODING MAY CEASE CHILLING. OR MAY NOT. I'M NOT THEIR MOTHER.

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Here's how Function Research will work- every Function starts off in Alpha. Every Function.

You advance Functions through Alpha and into Beta through research.

How do you research?

You roll. Yes, you roll. You give it one timeslot's worth of research, you get 1d100, 2, you get two, three, you get the idea- More timeslots, more dice. No matter how you roll, you get 50 points per timeslot put into coding- progress is always made, no matter how slow.

Every Function, once they are introduced to Alpha, needs 700 Code Points to be introduced to Beta as a flat standard. After that, Costs may change depending on the Function in question.

So, let's recap, all in one sentence, just for easy reference- Every timeslot spent on coding Functions gets you 1d100 to roll for progress, plus a flat rate of 50+bonuses, and once you reach 700, the Function in question moves from Alpha to Beta, where the cost will change. No more than five (5) Functions may occupy Alpha or Beta combined.

So! Let's get started!

Function Suggestions

Just fill out the form, slick.

Function Name*: self-explanatory, the more computer-y, the better.
Function Category*: Utility/Combat/Other, delete as appropriate
Function, er, Function*: What does it do on its own, what does it do as a passive, and what does it do as an upgrade to another Function? Fill out at least two.
Projected MEM Cost: Also self-explanatory, but be reasonable.
Function Discovery: This isn't strictly necessary, but if you want to put in a little note on what inspired Jaune to code this, go right ahead.

*Mandatory

This outline is subject to change, depending on what's needed, and I'll update it as necessary. All suggestions are subject to change by the QM.

The maximum number of Functions to be suggested at any one time by a person is three (3), and the max number of Functions to occupy it is a soft limit of 'as many as it takes for me to open this tab and then watch my computer burn.'

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Function Name: Recursion()
Function Category: Combat/Other
Function, er, Function:
---Stand-alone: As a stand-alone function Recursion() can only be used during a Turn(). When used a phantom copy of Jaune will be created that will repeat any functions that he does for the remainder of the Turn() at a lessened power a split second after he does. If used multiple times the first copy will make an even weaker copy when it performs Recursion(), creating a trail of Jaunes performing a flurry of weak but distracting functions. The phantom copies are fragile and an opponent sufficiently fast enough to strike one will easily break it.
---Upgrade: When used as an upgrade to another function Recursion() creates a undamaging illusionary copy of the upgraded function a split second after it is performed, attempting to trick opponents into reacting to an attack that is not coming.
---Passive: As a passive function Recursion() causes functions that are repeated to cost 1 MEM less after they are first performed.
Projected MEM Cost: Medium
Function Discovery: Recursion is often viewed as the first step into more advanced programming and a rite of passage for those learning computer science. In the process of creating the Transistor Jaune has managed to twist his mind around the bizarre behaviours of what happens when a program must create another instance of itself to complete its goals and overcome the infamous stack overflow error, where the program never stops creating copies until all available memory is used. With the memories of that indispensable but troublesome programming concept in mind, Jaune has created this function.

Function Name*: Block()
Function Category*: Combat/Other
Function, er, Function*:
Active: Creates a 1m³ invisible solid block at the desired location, can be dismissed at will. Passive: Your attacks can now be used to block other attacks.
Upgrade: turns a single target function into an AOE.
Projected MEM Cost: 3 MEM
Function Discovery: After seeing what Saff did with his maze it is rather obvious how being able to rearrange the battlefield is an advantage. Granted, one block is hardly battlefield mastery, but IT'S A START DAMMIT-

Function Name*: Shell()
Function Category*: Utility
Function, er, Function*: Acts as a one-hit shield, designed to completely block the first attack that hits it before going down, takes time to recharge, prevents surprise attacks but is otherwise useless in combat.
Function Discovery: Jaune's first attempt at a force field after a night of watching too much anime and drinking way too much soft drink, he found this partially programmed the next morning after.

Function Name*: Shield()
Function Category*: Combat
Function, er, Function*:
Active: Creates a shield around a target that will have to go down first before they can be hurt.
Passive: same as active but for yourself only, slightly stronger due to resource efficiencies. Upgrade: makes the attack unblockable.
Projected MEM Cost: 3 MEM
Function Discovery: After the events that led to Shell() Jaune decided to create a function that actually works as a shield in combat situations.

Function Name: Pipe()
Function Category: Attack/Utility/Other
Function:

Passive: On its own, this Function allows designated allies nearby the use of a SEVERELY cut back version of Inform, projected onto their field of view via ScreenCopy. They don't get localized omniscience but instead have an AR HUD that can retrieve information from the Transistor's localized omniscience. Things like highlighting enemies, chat screens, ammo tracking, asking what temperature the food is, etc. So Inform() but ratcheted down to a level they can actually process.
Active: Subjects an enemy to information overload and blinds them with ScreenCopy filling their heads with random data from their environment, or specific data, depending on preference.

Projected MEM Cost: 2

Network(): an originate the function from allies (ex. launch a Bounce() from Ada's weapon) which, combined with Inform() effectively means they can launch it off by saying a trigger. But also means Jaune can launch it off arbitrarily without warning them.

Allies can participate in Turn() planning but purely as a planning session, instead of bonuses they get a -1 headache penalty

Projected MEM Cost: 4

Function Discovery: ScreenCopy is a cludgy hack and he finally got around to fixing that because now he has friends this would be helpful for, then he kind of wandered off in a tangent during implementation

Function Name: Pointer()
Function Category: Utility/Combat
Function, er, Function:
Primary - Pointer() serves as a target designator in its primary form, marking the location of the enemy it strikes and guiding any further attacks towards itself. The projectile is extremely fast and difficult to dodge due to inherent aim correction, but only has a moderate effect on corrections to all other Functions.

Upgrade - adds a much more significant aim correction to that specific function.

Pointer()+Bounce() - Marks main target then marks all targets in range of jump as secondaries. All secondaries within range are hit by a % of the damage taken by the main target.

Passive - repeated functions during Turn() use less processing power after the first use. Breaking the chain resets the effect

Projected MEM Cost: 3

Function Discovery: I really don't know what fits for this, beyond some sort of frustration over excessively evasive targets anyways....

The active uses are based around the nature of pointers telling you where a specific thing is located, and then letting you interact with it directly.

The passive is instead based around the fact that passing a pointer to a function takes less memory than passing in a raw value.

Function Name*: Hold()
Function Category*: Combat
Function, er, Function*: The upgrade of Freeze()! Now works against biological targets, Grimm
Projected MEM Cost: ?
Function Discovery: When at the end of turn(), Jaune realises it isn't enough to account for every enemy wanting to dome him and the team. Or when he just wants to lock that one enemy out of combat for a time. Further upgrades add AOE, removes protective stasis so attacks now actually damage targets.

Function Name*: Blam()
Function Category*: Combat
Function, er, Function*: A Modified Ping. Instead of a burst of fire, the energy is transferred into a concussive blast, best used for striking armoured targets. Highly synergies with Crash().
Projected MEM Cost: 1
Function Discovery: Sometimes you just need one good hit instead of many tiny ones.

Function Name*: SweepUp()
Function Category*: Combat/Utility
Function, er, Function*: Creates a pulling vacuum from swinging The Transistor, pulls light to medium sized enemies into the range of your sword. At the very least, stagger enemy movement.
Projected MEM Cost: ?
Function Discovery: Observing the use of Pyrrha's Polarity in pulling, pushing people around, The frustration to just wanting to hit Grimm hordes all at once.

Function Category: Combat

Function: Target and remove a enemy / target from the field, shoving them into a twist of space for a time (8 seconds base). Similar to the currently Beta Function Cache() or completed Function Freeze(), Shunt() is intended to be usable in combat due to targeting enemies instead of objects. Shunt() can target beings with Aura (or not) below a certain size threshold (Nothing bigger than a regular Ursa without modification). Shunt() cannot be used in its base forms against buildings, obstacles, or terrain.

-Function, Modified: Shunt() can be modified for a variety of effects. Shunt() can be improved to effect an area instead of just a single target, to Shunt() larger targets, Shunt() terrain away for a time leaving a smoothed landscape without obstacles, or to Shunt() the target for longer. Additionally, if paired with a DoT (Damage over Time) Function (Like Purge()) Shunt() can be used to do DoT, or certain Functions can cause Shunt() to do some damage immediately or upon release to the target as well as its base effects.

Bounce(): When Shunt()+Bounce() is used the Bounce() is sent out to deal damage to a target. Upon hitting a target, Shunt() is then applied for 4 seconds. Bounce() then seeks out and hits a second target if one is within range, applying Shunt() again for 4 seconds.

Breach(): When Shunt()+Breach() is used, Shunt() deals the damage of Breach() to the target at that is Shunted() at the start of Shunt().

Crash(): When Shunt()+Crash() is used, Shunt() applies first, dealing Crash's() damage at the end of the Shunt(), any target released from Shunt() to takes more damage for 6 seconds.

Cull(): When Shunt()+Cull() is used, at the end of Cull's() damage is applied during Shunt(). If Overkill is applied, Shunt() explodes in an area at the end of Shunt(), dealing the overkill damage in an area around the Shunt() target's location.

Flood(): When Shunt()+Flood() is used, the area of Shunt is increased, turning from effectively a small target area into a medium. Increases size of Shunt() area.

Get(): When Shunt()+Get() is used, enemies and targets are pulled towards the Shunt() for 2 seconds before the Shunt() is applied. Minor Get() damage is inflicted at the end of the Shunt().

Help(): Shunt()+Help() creates a Shunt() that can remove obstacles and terrain. The area left behind is flattened. Doesn't work if an object inside the effective Shunt() terrain would be destroyed by the absence inflicted by Shunt().

Jaunt(): Shunt()+Jaunt() lengthens the time of Shunt from 8 seconds to 16 seconds.

Load(): Shunt()+Load() causes immense damage at the end of Shunt() to any enemies near the end of the Shunt() and to the target of the Shunt(). 4 second Shunt() duration.

Mask(): Shunt()+ Mask() causes User to become intangible but able to reposition about the battlefield. Essentially Ada's semblance without the Telefragging damage ability.

Ping(): Shunt()+Ping() causes Shunt to recharge quicker, enabling a Shunt to be used while another Shunt() is on the field.

Purge(): Shunt()+ Purge() causes Purge() damage to be done for the entire duration of Shunt() and for 3 seconds after Shunt(). Vicious combo.

Spark(): Shunt()+Spark() causes Shunt() to apply in many smaller areas, clustered together, enabling an entire Beowolf pack to be Shunted() at once. Deal no damage, lasts for 8 seconds. Large area effect.

Switch(): Shunt()+ Switch() causes Shunt() to effect a larger area for a shorter period of time.

Tap(): Shunt()+Tap() causes any enemy target Shunted() away to take damage for the 8 second duration and the User to get minor Aura restoration as life heal from the Shunted Target. Works on Grimm, may be partially magic rather than pure Aura / Science?

Void(): Shunt()+Void() causes Shunt() to reduce the attack and defense of the target caught by Shunt() once Shunt() is over for 6 seconds. Effectiveness reduced on Aura users.

Slice(): Shunt()+Slice() causes Shunt() to lock the enemy in place, but not place them in a special warp. Essentially a murder hold. Less effective on targets with Aura. Very high MEM cost. Base duration lasts for 4 seconds.

Spin(): Shunt()+Spin() turns the target area for Shunt() into a horizontal column of area in front of the user to be locked away for 15 meters and 6 seconds. Does not lock away terrain or obstacles, blocked by terrain and obstacles.

Drive(): Shunt()+Drive Increases the size of Shunt() the largest of all Shunt() size increases. You want to lock away the Grimm dragon for exactly 3 seconds? Increase the cooldown length of Shunt() based on the area locked away.

Shunt(): Shunt()+Shunt() Increases the size and length of the Shunt(). Time up to 14 seconds. Area up to medium.

-Function, Passive: As a passive, Shunt() wraps Jaune in what is effectively a damage mitigation aura that reduces all incoming physical based attacks before Aura damage. Shunt() could also be used to 'dodge' large attacks by using Shunt on Jaune himself, though this would not be used as a 'Passive' Function effect.

-Function, Upgrading: Used attached to other Functions Shunt() locks the target of the Function away for a few seconds on hit (based on what Function Shunt() was attached to), useful on close range Functions to prevent attacks or counter-attacks. Used on ranged Functions Shunt() can be used to lock away pesky ranged fighters for the time needed to close in on them or to remove them from attacking while you do something else. Used on some Functions, Shunt() no longer locks the target away but can somehow bypass physical resilience or armor, or possibly even Aura if you dare. Paired with Directory_Repair() Shunt() would shove the target (hopefully an ally) away into the spatial twist to heal them for 14 seconds, providing protection and healing. Attaching Shunt() to certain other combat Functions removes the effects of Shunt() entirely an instead freezes the target in place spatially, leaving them stunlocked and available to be damaged, but this has high MEM cost.

Bounce(): Bounce()+Shunt() causes Bounce to be able to target enemies over a larger area between bounces.

Breach(): Breach()+Shunt() causes all enemies hit by Breach() to take Breach() damage and by locked away in Shunt() for 3 seconds.

Crash(): Crash()+Breach() causes the target to be stunned by Crash() and left more vulnerable more much longer.

Cull() Cull()+Shunt() causes any enemy hit by Cull() to be thrown much higher into the air from Cull, increasing damage and causing the enemies thrown by Cull() to take 3 seconds to come back down.

Flood(): Flood()+Shunt() causes any enemy hit by Flood to be unable to move while taking damage from Flood().

Get(): Get()+Shunt(), any enemies drawn by Get() take damage and are locked away inside Shunt() for 2 seconds. Enemies drawn by this combo take doubled Get() damage at the end of the Shunt(), perfect for a light hit to kill them at the end of the combo.

Help(): Help()+Shunt() causes Luna to become intangible while moving, allowing Luna to have what is essentially Ada's Semblance.

Jaunt(): Jaunt()+Shunt() causes Jaunt() to enable User to Jaunt() through solid objects.

Load(): Load()+Shunt() causes enemies hit by Load() to take increased damage. Shunt() effects cause targets hit by the Load() to be paralyzed in place for 2 seconds.

Mask(): Mask()+Shunt() [Strike-Dependant] Hitting an enemy deals damage and causes them to be Shunted() for 8 seconds. User gains slight damage reduction for 5 seconds after becoming visible once more.

Ping(): Ping()+Shunt() enables Ping() to stop a target in its tracks for .3 seconds. Low MEM usage.

Purge(): Purge()+Shunt() causes Purge() to last longer.

Spark(): Spark()+ Shunt() causes an enemy hit by Spark() to be stunned for longer.

Switch(): Switch()+Shunt() causes Switch() to last longer.

Tap(): Tap()+ Shunt() causes an area around the User to be locked away in Shunt() but not the User. Useful as a panic move against enemy groups who have closed on the User. In addition, it does Tap() damage first and still heals the User for 1% of Tap() damage.

Void(): Void()+Shunt() causes an enemy caught within Void's() area to move slower for 2 seconds.

Slice(): Slice()+Shunt() causes an vertical arc of energy that deals Slice() damage but slows enemies hit by it for 4 seconds.

Spin(): Spin()+Shunt() increases the 'drag' Spin() has on things caught in the projectile of Spin().

Drive(): Drive()+Shunt() [Strike-Dependant] causes Drive() to stop at the first enemy hit and Shunting() that enemy for 5 seconds. Turns Drive() into a melee counter-attack.

Shunt(): Shunt()+Shunt() Increases the size and length of the Shunt(). Time up to 14 seconds. Area up to medium.

Projected MEM Cost: As a solo Function Shunt uses 3 MEM, as a passive Shunt uses 2 MEM, as an Upgrade Shunt() costs 3 MEM.
Function Discovery: Inspired by Ada, without scanning her Semblance, but based off her '4th dimensional being' state. An idea to weaponize Freeze() based on what scans the Transistor had already taken of Ada's Semblance.

Tl:dr: Temporary target removal. Like banishing your opponent's monster face down. Can be modified to adapt how it operates pretty extensively, useful for targeting big enemies who would otherwise be really nasty to have on the field but are too tough to kill outright where there's minions on the field.

Function Category: Combat

Function: A straight charge, similar but much slower than Jaunt(). Drive() maps poorly to Turn(), leaving its use best used without Turn(). On its own Drive() does decent damage, but it's real usage is hooking other Functions on it, making it a slower but much more damaging cousin to Jaunt().

-Function, Upgraded: Hook nearly any Function to Drive() to cause Drive() to perform that second Function either during or at the end of Drive(). Attach Crash() to Drive() to cause damage, stun, and leave vulnerable any target hit by the Function. Attach to Breach() to cause even more damage along the Drive() Function's length. Attach Jaunt() to Drive() to extend the length and speed of both but do only limited damage. Attach 2 Jaunt() to Drive() to hit Mach 1.

Bounce(): Drive()+Bounce() [Strike-Dependant] upon hitting a target with Drive(), Drive() is aimed for the next closest enemy after trampling through the first enemy.

Breach(): Drive()+Breach() Increase the speed and length of Drive().

Crash(): Drive()+Crash() any enemy hit by Drive() is stunned for 3 seconds and left vulnerable for 4 seconds.

Cull(): Drive()+Cull() massively increase the damage of Drive().

Flood(): Drive()+Flood() causes Drive() to have a corona of Plasma generated just in front of the User during Drive(), increasing damage.

Get(): Drive()+Get() Enemies are drawn to the front of Drive() as the User charges forwards.

Help(): Drive()+Help() transforms Drive() utterly, turning a charge the user performs into creating and then launching a duplicate of the User to perform the Drive(), leaving the User free to act.

Jaunt(): Drive()+Jaunt() increases the speed of Drive() to instantaneous speed.

Load(): Drive()+Load() build up a load as the User travels with Drive() to explode at the end of Drive(). Massive damage.

Mask(): Drive()+Mask() causes the User to become temporarily invisible at the end of Drive() for 3 seconds, enabling retreat or further attacks.

Ping(): Drive()+Ping() causes Drive to be more efficient in Turn() and recharge faster.

Purge(): Drive()+Purge() causes any enemies still alive at the end of the Drive to be afflicted with a Damage over Time effect.

Spark(): Drive()+Spark() causes Drive() to explode at the end of the Drive(), dealing more damage than a regular Drive() but costing significantly less than Drive()+Cull().

Switch(): Drive()+Switch() causes any enemies alive at the end of Drive() to be Switched() for 3 seconds.

Tap(): Drive()+Tap() causes you to heal for a third of the damage inflicted to enemies by Drive().

Void(): Drive()+Void() causes any enemy alive at the end of Drive() to be weakened, having less Attack, Defense, and increasing incoming attack's powers.

Slice(): Drive()+Slice() widens Drive's() width by double.

Spin(): Drive()+Spin() causes a trail to be left behind by Drive() that yanks the enemies crossing the trail towards the end of Drive(). Trail persists for 4 seconds.

Shunt(): Drive()+Shunt() causes any enemies alive at the end of Drive() to be Shunted() for 4 seconds, enabling retreat.

Drive(): Drive()+Drive() causes Drive() more damage and move the User faster, but also take longer to cooldown.

-Function, Passive: Drive() gives a boost to your movement speed and increases damage from non-Function attacks User performs.

-Function, Upgrading: Causes the Function Drive() is attached to do more damage and also move forward on most Functions. Functionally little difference whether Drive() is the one being Upgraded or the one Upgrading.

Bounce(): Bounce()+Drive() causes Bounce() to do more damage and move faster as a projectile.

Breach(): Breach()+Drive() causes Breach to be much wider, enabling more enemies to be caught in Breach().

Crash(): Crash()+Drive() causes Crash() to do more damage and have slightly longer range.

Cull(): Cull()+Drive() causes User to charge forwards using Drive() for a short distance, 'scooping' enemies before completing Cull() by throwing the gathered enemies into the sky.

Flood(): Flood()+Drive() causes Flood() to have more velocity and damage by a moderate amount.

Get(): Get()+Drive() causes Get() to draw enemies more fiercely and to increase Get() damage.

Help(): Help()+Drive() causes Luna to charge about with Drive() rather than attack by biting.

Jaunt(): Jaunt()+Drive() causes all enemies passed through with Jaunt() to take minor damage.

Load(): Load()+Drive() causes Load() to explode if an enemy touches the Load() bomb.

Mask(): Mask()+Drive() causes Mask() to do proximity damage to any enemy close to you while invisible. Duration of Mask changes to 4 seconds.

Ping(): Ping()+Drive() causes the User to kick with the force of Drive() without moving. Low MEM usage.

Purge(): Purge()+Drive() causes any enemy to take greatly increased Damage over Time over a shortened duration. Base damage of Purge() 120 over 3 seconds. Purge()+Drive() causes 160 damage over 2 seconds. High MEM usage.

Spark(): Spark()+Drive() is very similar to a Crash()+Spark() or Spark()+Crash(), being a three pronged near-melee attack. The user does not move during Spark()+Drive() but instead throws out three Sparks() that push enemies away from the user with Drive()-like force.

Switch(): Switch()+Drive() causes the enemy affected by Switch() to move much faster towards other enemies.

Tap(): Tap()+Drive() causes Tap() to have a greatly increased area. As Tap() causes the user to slam the Transistor into the ground at their feet and unleash a pulse of damaging energy that also heals the User by 1% of the Tap damage, this attack changes only a little by increased area of attack.

Void(): Void()+Drive() causes the enemies hit by Void() to have their defenses and attack reduced even further.

Slice(): Slice()+Drive() causes Slice() to be wider and thicker, and deal more damage on impact with enemies.

Spin(): Spin()+Drive() causes the Spin() to have more velocity and deal more damage.

Shunt(): Shunt()+Drive() Increases the size of Shunt() the largest of all Shunt() size increases. You want to lock away the Grimm dragon for exactly 3 seconds? Increase the cooldown length of Shunt() based on the area locked away.

Drive(): Drive()+Drive() causes Drive() more damage and move the User faster, but also take longer to cooldown.

Projected MEM Cost: As a solo Function, Drive() costs 4 MEM, as a Passive Drive() costs 3 MEM, as a upgrade Drive() costs 3 MEM.
Function Discovery: Created after witnessing Xanadu and his bullshit Inertia Semblance from Signal's Final and deciding, you know what? You want that. And so it was. It's nowhere near as impressive as the original, but it's still something that could be used to charge straight through a Beowolf pack, and with the right Upgrades attached to it you'll be able to charge straight through Ursa Majors.

Tl:dr: Drive is a damaging version of Jaunt. Slower, but rather than just being disorientating it incorporates damaging elements that can be further modded with other functions, such as Crash or Spiral, or by leaving a trail of Process matter behind us to spawn a small or medium unit behind us after we've already charged through an enemy.

Function Category: Utility / Other

Function: Teleportation. Yeah seriously. It's done in Transistor towards the end with the doors that link to other doors with weird spatial stuff. To pull it off a certain level of Process density has to have been achieved, so it's not like you'll be able to go just anywhere at will, you'll have to do work with the Process to set up 'Gates', stationary portal locations. Done right, you might even be able to bring other people with you. Who needs Raven?
Create those teleport gates in combination with the Process to create remote teleport marks and teleport to them. Not a combat skill.

Projected MEM Cost: Arbitrarily large MEM costs don't matter because it's not a combat Function so you could swap it in and out as needed with the help of the Process teleport gates. High research costs and time, but once it's done... teleport places, because travel makes us sick and we've got the capability by that point, so why not? May need to somehow capture and Trace() Raven to pull it off unless we want to spend 8 turns researching just this one Function though.

Function Discovery: You asked yourself, could it be done? You needed to fulfill that promise to fix the moon for Weiss, right? How would you even get the Process up there? This might not be the method due to needing a Process Gate on the other side, but you considered it.

Alpha Functions

Alpha Functions are the start- unsafe for use, and usually useless anyway. Worth a flat rate of 700 Code Points to shove into Beta or about three weeks on average. Two if you're lucky. One if you crit every single roll.

[] Lift()- You realised, with some... a lot... ok, if you butcher the Transistor's telekinesis code, you can... maybe... apply that to other things? It wouldn't be useful for too much, anything much larger than the sword itself is out, but you think you can probably find something for this.
Progress: 250/700

[] Directory_Repair()- A Function created from the Semblance scan of Professor Mary Edwards Teal, your old teacher and school nurse. Heals everything. Everything. Including the things that really kinda need to die off if you want to keep a person alive.
Progress: 538/700

Beta Functions

Now you're cooking with gas! Beta Functions are... technically usable, but prone to backfiring. Horribly.

... That poor cat never stood a chance- ER, TIDDLES JUST WENT TO SEE HIS FAMILY IN THE AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT. NOTHING BAD HAPPENED TO HIM AT ALL. HONEST.

[] Cache()- You're not sure where this one came from, honestly. Must've been one of those '4 am and your seventh cup of coffee' Functions. Looking it over, you think it would let you hide the Transistor in a small pocket dimension. As well as, other things, but mainly the Transistor. It wouldn't occupy space, or, actually have mass, but you would still be able to communicate with it, and it would still be able to float and follow you around. At least you can have it around without breaking any laws! Or, at least, breaking a different set of laws.
Progress: 0/1200

[] Slice()- It's like Breach(), a stream of high-energy particles, but more... focused. Instead of a wave, it comes as more of a slice. It's less of a shotgun, and more of, well, a sword-slice.
Progress: 1000/1500

Completed Functions

This is where all the Functions you've actually completed go. These are 100% safe to use, so long as you're not a moron with them.
Combat Functions:

Combat Functions are exactly that- Functions, for combat. However, some of them have a minor caveat- they require physical contact with a surface or opponent to trigger. This is usually a sign that the Function in question is meant to be used in close-quarters, not at range.

Crash(), 1 MEM: A weak, short-range attack that exposes weaknesses and leaves opponents open for a follow-up attack. Best used in a combo. (Strike-Dependant)

Breach(), 3 MEM: Creates a stream of high-energy particles that form a sideways pillar of death. (Strike-Dependant)

Spark(), 2 MEM: Launches unstable projectiles that split into explosive particles.

Jaunt(), 3 MEM: Transports User to a location directly ahead. Essentially a short-range teleport.

Bounce(), 2 MEM: Creates a ricocheting bolt that jumps from target to target.

Load(), 3 MEM: Creates a volatile Packet that, when struck, releases a violent explosion. Can be designated as a target.

Ping(), 1 MEM: Low-damage, low-MEM cost, low Turn() cost, high rate of fire. It's like a minigun made by Derringer!

Spin(), formerly known as Spiral(), 3 MEM: Fires a projectile that seems to barrel through everything, dragging along what it cannot destroy. Automatically dissipates after 8 seconds.

Freeze(), 1 MEM: Freezes an object at its current XYZW axes for 30 seconds, with compensation for Remnant's celestial movement so they don't just launch into space. During this time, it's impossible to affect the object in question during this period- you could crash a car into it, and the car would lose. Most likely.

List of Utility Functions: (Utility Functions do not count towards overall MEM, as they are base parts of the Transistor's programming, or otherwise of negligible MEM Cost.)

Restore(): Allows you to return an object to a former state as long as the Transistor has said state logged. {I'll even do things I don't have a former state for, but it might take a while.)

Search(): Highlights objects within a radius around the user according to certain criteria. {You'll never lose your keys again.}

Inform()- The Transistor is constantly feeding you information about the world around you, streamed directly into your eyeballs. Essentially, functional omniscience about everything within your direct line of sight. And everything not, it just chooses not to tell you about that stuff. FOR GOOD REASON.

Bridge(): You work with lots of different computers. But as it turns out, hypercomputers summoned out of pure math don't naturally fit standard I/O ports. This initially started as a simple means of using the Transistor to transfer data, but you've been continually iterating upon it for years. For simple magnetic drives or transistor {Lowercase!} chips, high fidelity scans combined with directed physical manipulation let you read and write arbitrary data to and from any section, without even requiring the device to be powered. Unfortunately, (or perhaps not, given the power it'd give you...) Dust based systems are far more difficult to manipulate in such a way. Still, the control chips of toasters everywhere cower in fear!

Antenna(): A minor sub-function piggybacking off of Inform(), which streamlines the process of interpreting separate data streams out of the radio noise around you, and making transmissions of your own. Theoretically, you made this thing able to pick up just about every communications standard in use on Remnant. Practically, you've actually finished coding the backend for about three of them.

ScreenCopy(): This copies the display of Jaune's scroll and imposes it onto his field of view. By default, it's set to be a page display that can be moved and have its opacity adjusted. ...Yes, it's a cludgy hack, okay!? Do you feel like working out all the garbage needed to make multimedia work properly?

FakeInput(): This translates mental commands into simulated synaptic touchpad inputs, which are then fed to Jaune's scroll in place of the data from the touchscreen. A surprising amount of the code was copy-pasted from the control scheme for the Transistor's 'telekinetic' movement. {It's almost impressive how little effort went into this.}

More will be added to this, as they become relevant or people remind me of things, but these are the main things you'll be focusing on- Alpha, Beta, Complete. Function Modding will be added when I stop screaming at the thought of trying to figure out every different effect and every different number without breaking everything else and OH GOD THE CRIPPLING ANXIETY IS BACK-

Prok · Aug 12, 2018

Ashmaker said:
Sorry, I don't follow. Which system are you talking about? The Library()? The Process?

The Library. This thing's plagued me for about... half a year now, trying to figure out how to balance it, how to work it into the story naturally, how to actually make it feasible without the Process, something I, quite appropriately, haven't been able to do.

... Oh god I haven't written anything up for the Process yet

-sob-

Dr. Granola said:
Actually... How often do we get to update this thing anyways?

You'll find out in about right now. Also, votes are closed, and the Myrmekes and Der Vampyr win!

|||

Look.

It's inevitable in this business.

You are going to meet creatures that want nothing more than your head as a chew toy. They feel no pity. They feel no pain. They cannot be pled or bargained with. They will not stop until either you, or they, are dead. As you progress in this job, you will meet larger, angrier, deadlier, nastier Grimm, until you, as all Huntsmen who don't retire and become teachers inevitably do, encounter one in the same way a sentence encounters a full stop.

This perfectly natural fear is why you created the Library.

To attempt to offset that inevitable meeting, you will prepare yourself, and every other Hunter on the planet, by gathering information on the various types of Grimm and boiling it down to the topic of how to kill it good and dead.

This information gathering can be accomplished in one of three ways-

Information Trawling- while most Hunters either don't care enough or don't live long enough to care to produce scholastic papers on the art of killing Grimm good and dead, the rare few who do know their field very well. However, these papers are rare, as are those who write them, and as such cannot be relied upon for consistent information. When they do appear (read: written by myself or you lot, to then be proofread and greenlit by myself), they are automatically grabbed by the Library's algorithms and scanned for any key information. These only come about once in a while- one or two new papers come out every few months.
Process Engagement Data- as you would expect of an AI capable of self-replication through a novel form of claytronics, the Process has the ability to proliferate very far very fast, and as such is very good at finding Grimm, analysing Grimm, and testing out various methods to kill Grimm. They will figure out the easiest way to kill Grimm, and disseminate that information to the rest of the world. Excursions will be organised later on, once the Process has a permanent foothold.
Getting Your Hands Dirty- you're a Huntsman. You gain experience hunting Grimm. If you encounter certain types of Grimm more often, you'll get better at hunting those kinds of Grimm. Hunt Grimm to get better at hunting Grimm so you can hunt Grimm better than other Grimm Hunters- AND THUS THE SERPENT CONSUMES HIS OWN TAIL-

Every unlocked tier of information grants a blanket bonus to the given Grimm- up to a max of 3d10.

Nuisance Grimm Common Grimm Uncommon Grimm Rare Grimm Storied Grimm

Exactly what they sound like. Grimm that your granny could kill on a good day.

Yes, the dead one too. Also I'm deeply sorry for your loss, I'm sure she was a lovely woman-

Unlocked: Trawled Information, Personal Experience
Locked: Process Engagement Data

"The Loxy is a vulpine Grimm that, were it not for its relative uselessness at all things expected of Grimm, would be somewhat feared for its ability to simply appear inside the boundaries of Vale, usually within the agricultural district to haunt crops and kill chickens. Despite supposedly being one of the creatures bent on killing humanity, the common Loxy is, if anything, less threatening than its animal counterpart, as it is weak, lacking most of the bone plating most Grimm use for protection, and cowardly, fleeing at the first sight of any kind of assault. However, left unchecked, they can still raise Cain, happy to kill livestock and dig holes in gardens, and generally be a nuisance. Even so, they are weak enough that even untrained children can clear them off."

-Excerpt from 'On Lesser Grimm' by Professor Peter Port.

"Cowardly, but capable of planning ahead- dig out burrows to hide in between excursions, left well-camouflaged by foliage. Without Transistor sensors or prior knowledge, would be difficult to notice. Disseminate knowledge of burrow signs? Already known? Must find out at some point.

When cornered, may become violent- if bitten, apply disinfectant to wound; not poisonous, but mouths do harbour various bacteria. No reports of rabies from Loxy bites, thankfully.

Conclusion; evolved (?) to be pests and nothing more, just as real foxes. Overall threat: little to none."

-Personal notes of Jaune Julius Arc, c. 1178 A.T.
Anything in this category is something most untrained people would be incapable of dealing with by themselves.

Unlocked: Trawled Information
Locked: Personal Experience, Process Engagement Data

"Beowolves are lupine Grimm, easily the most prolific species, having been sighted in all Kingdom boundaries with the exception of Menagerie, and one of the few to actively form packs outside of major Marches. They act as their animal cousins do, using numbers and basic exhaustion tactics to hunt their quarry, though the similarities end there- they abandon any kind of threat analysis, role division, anything even resembling caution, is replaced with the same single-minded hatred for humanity that is characteristic of the Grimm. This can be turned to a Huntsman or Huntress's benefit, though- as a team, the pack can be split apart and dealt with in a standard divide and conquer maneuver, and as an individual, they can be lured in such a way that they almost certainly will only come from one or two directions. If surrounded, long, sweeping strikes will clear a path, as they have little plating around their necks and shoulders, allowing for easy decapitation."

-Excerpt from "The Beowolf and Its Variations," by Professor Peter Port.

Unlocked: Trawled Information
Locked: Personal Experience, Process Engagement Data

"Myrmekes are a formicid Grimm, ranging in size from a dog to a bear, depending on its role within the group, and notable amongst Grimm for being almost entirely covered in bone plate, fitting of something that, presumably, requires an exoskeleton to function.

Despite the name taken from Lower Mistrali, they are native to the deserts of Vacuo, where colonies form and create giant underground networks that, if disturbed from, say, the passing of a caravan not moving out of step, can collapse, murdering most of the colony in one fell swoop, while dragging the caravan into the resulting sinkhole.

Beyond that, Myrmekes are known for two things- a fondness for the gold sand found deep underground in Vacuo, often using it to coat the outside of their nest to blind and draw in those greedy enough to try their luck, and their unnatural speed. A single Myrmek, making a decent effort in its chase, can outrun most Hunters, and camels at a full gallop. Despite their armour and speed, Myrmekes are not insurmountable- their armour is frail around the joints, and a strong piercing force can penetrate the flat plates covering their heads. If this is not an option, it is suggested that one acquire a vehicle, such as a buggy or a Blackwagon, in order to make a swift escape."

-Excerpt from "The Grimm of Vacuo," by Bartholomew Oobleck.
This is your Ursa Major, your Giant Nevermore- Grimm that aren't insurmountable, but it's not going to be a fun fight.
This is where most Hunters encounter their full stop. It is not a dishonourable death, dying to Grimm of this calibre.

Unlocked: Trawled Information
Locked: Personal Experience, Process Engagement Data

"Rare is the Grimm that has learned the benefits of killing the heart and the mind over the body.

The Vampyr, colloquially known as The Heartdeath in some parts of Vale, is a parasitic Grimm that has learned the benefits of being neither seen nor heard, and of the concept of a slow death. Indeed, this Grimm is best known for two things- its ability to slip between shadows with no regard for its actual physical size and the slow expiration it causes amongst its victims- death by a Vampyr is caused by a mixture of long-term blood loss, organ failure, necrosis of the flesh caused by lack of bloodflow to the extremities, eventually culminating in cardiac arrest during sleep.

The modus operandi of the Vampyr is to choose a single victim from a town's populace, and, during the night, use its talents at slipping between shadows to make its way into their home, or wherever they may rest, and extract around a pint of blood from an artery. This blood is presumably ingested, though sometimes it is found in a pool near the victim, a sign that they will not be attacked again.

Perhaps there is a component of blood that sometimes doesn't agree with it?

On the off chance that one does find themselves face to face with this Grimm, stay in a brightly lit area, at least a few metres away from any shadows. Suggest Fire Dust, or simply flame if none is available, and, if possible, break its limbs to keep it from escaping.."

-Excerpt from "The Vampyr- Signs and Symptoms" by Johann Askr, c. 960 A.T
Fear not the storied Grimm for their size. Fear not the storied Grimm for their rage. Fear not the storied Grimm for the legends scarring their plate.

Fear the storied Grimm, for they have learned of patience. They have learned of power. They have learned of their love for the worldshaking thunder they call to bear with nought but a breath, the beat of a heart, a thought.

Fear the storied Grimm, for they are mirror and abyss.

Prok · Jan 17, 2025

infinityDivided said:
What language was that in, by the way? Did the Vampyr decide to communicate in Valish (I can't remember what English is called here sorry) specifically to freak the students out, or is that just typical for Grimm?

It was in plain Valish, which, like English at its best, is 5 languages in a trenchcoat.

As for why, if you remember back to On The Souls Of Grimm by Piranesi, who very much described a Vampyr in all but name- they are very adept at picking up human speech.

BlackCoat13 said:
relatively harmless,

So, 'lying' here means that the door has to be off its hinges, since lying can only be horizontal. But 'slightly ajar' sounds more like they're still attached, as does peering through the door (either the crack or a porthole).

Commas save... uh, anyways: filing through, Port first,

locked, they haven't

I don't get the vote system you're trying to propose here. But, the situation as it stands: The Vamp damaged the Hag's darkness encased cage to allow it limited access, which it used to grab one of the Imps for cauldron fuel. The Vamp wants the Hags to create a cloud of obscuring darkness or something, since it will be able to escape through it.
Thus I propose, fixing the cage's damage to prevent the hags from being able to make the darkness cloud outside their cage. With that done the Imp can be Ping()'d to death from a distance.

Hey, only four mistakes in nearly 2500 words! Guess it wasn't a stable breeding population after all. Fixed, thank you.

SaltyWaffles said:
EDIT: I'm confused about the format for this vote. Can you explain it some more, Prok? Make an example?

... You know, I completely forgot why I included the Dealer's Choice option- I know what it was, it was a "default plan" option, no bonus or malus, but actually looking at what's happening, I don't remember for the life of me actually deciding to put it down. It's not particularly useful here, after all- if there's one thing none of you have trouble with, it's finding funny ways to kill Grimm. I think I was writing for something else and the phrase just filtered back through without thinking about specifying what it actually meant. So, mea culpa, got rid of it.

So, yeah, that clarified, just write in a relatively freeform plan to deal with a Grimm. If you want a more direct example, please format your vote like so:

[X] Imp [4d6]- The most direct threat to you and yours. Also the easiest to kill, by dint of not having a cage between the two of you, thus making it the default target for most of the class. Sucks to be him.
-[X] Shoot it in its stupid face until it stops moving.
-[X] Keep shooting.
-[X] I'll say when.
-[X] ...
-[X] So how are the kids?
-[X] Good, good, Timmy still doing Karate? Outgrowing his gear? Yeah, he's at that age, isn't he?
-[X] Okay you're just shooting through the hull now, you can stop.

I don't expect seven steps to your plan, but you get the gist. Once a plan wins, I roll the number of d6 I've assigned it, boosted one way or the other by the specifics of the plan. Each d6 (+/-X) deals with exactly one 'actor'- Jaune, the Grimm, Port, and your entire class being treated as a singular horde for the sake of simplicity. Port will follow your lead for the most part- if the plan doesn't involve the Imp, and you don't direct your class otherwise, they'll roll off separately.

mastigos said:
Can we (including the Transistor in "we") just hack into the electronics and ensure even the right code won't open the door?

Also, I'm wary of the fact that the hunters and students are adding shadows to the scene.

... I mean in theory yes, but I think the Imp has bigger problems than slogging through 0200-0299.

And don't worry, nobody is casting a shadow right now. So- it actually takes a surprisingly small number of very high-powered lights to completely remove shadows from a given space- but essentially, there's no spot in this room where you can be and not have a light source pretty much directly overhead. It's functionally what's known as a Lahaina noon, which is a phenomenon that breaks my brain a little every time I see it. Basically, so long as you're touching the ground, you're only casting a shadow straight down, and the lights around whichever one's doing that to you deal with the shadows something like Ruby's puffy skirt might cast from that. Thankfully, the combat skirt brigade are all upstairs, and right now your biggest danger in that field is probably Rashmi, with his big flowy cloak. Everyone else is wearing stuff relatively tight to their silhouette, or is mostly a complete non-issue like Al.

You are relatively safe so long as you don't do something too stupid. But yeah- there's a reason setting them on fire is one of the tried and true methods of dealing with Vampyrs- can't touch shadows when you're lighting everything up.

SaltyWaffles said:
I'm more worried about the implication that a Hag can just catch things like bullets and throw them into a cauldron (where did it even get a cauldron from? Why would they let her keep that?) and turn it into something horrible. What the heck are we dealing with?

SaltyWaffles said:
The Hag...I don't know what to make of it. What can it do?

veekie said:
I'm guessing the cauldron is probably integral to their bodymass, so if they lack one it'd regenerate when they heal.

Also if a bullet isn't a dust round or otherwise explosive they could always dig it out after it hits something?

TeaSpoon said:
Was that a Fromsoft boss battle fog door?

It wasn't at first, and then I realised how stupid it would be of me to not take the chance offered to me, by myself from three years ago, when I first created the Hags.

Anyway, a Hag Coven's greatest weakness is [STARES IN LACK OF LIBRARY() ENTRY]

You have a vague idea of what they are and what they do. You've seen pictures, after all- imagine if Hieronymus Bosch painted the opening scene of Macbeth. Three vaguely feminine figures, inextricably fused to a massive cauldron- bowlegged under the weight, unable to ever put it down. As for what they do, well- they make fog. With enough materials, they can make enough fog to completely block off an area the size of a village. Nobody would know that anything was happening inside unless they saw it.

Past that? You've got no clear idea- you just know that they throw stuff in the cauldron, and they're not remarkably picky about what, and it makes their fog take on different properties. If they threw the other Imp in there, it'd probably be dense enough with actual Grimm smog to start forming Beowolves. Or choke you out. One of the two.

Also, in case it wasn't clear- don't get put in the cauldron. That's a bad time. That's, fucking game over, even if being put in the cauldron right now didn't mean being dragged through a hole in their cage that's roughly an inch across.

Hold It In (RWBY/Transistor)

Which of the other starter choices do you want to see interludes from most?

Dishonored

Legend Of Zelda

Shadow Of Mordor

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Preacher

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Fist Of The North Star

Kill Six Billion Demons

The Zombie Knight

Mob Psycho 100

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