So if I get this right, the reason why I am confused is because I do not know how many successes each action needs or how the successes are spread out between the queued actions? Also something about skill checks that take effect after the minimum number of successes have been rolled for an action to pass?
At the bottom of the last threadmarked Story post, Prok listed off the various actions that Jaune could take. Included in the lists were the number of successes needed for each action to get a Full Success, and if any of the specific versions of that action had further modifiers (i.E., Ping has a lower dice Threshold), then they were listed in that specific version. Successes are not carried over between actions.
Skill Checks for the current combat are also listed at the bottom of the last threadmarked Story post, along with the number of successes required for that action to be a Full Success. I have no clue what you are talking about by Skill checks that require a minimum number of success to pass; I'm guessing you mean Skills that (due to being risky) have worse consequences for failure?
Yyyyyyyes but also no. Yes, in the sense that you can absolutely do that, sure, there's nothing stopping you, no in the sense that it's not really necessary. The Transistor is already arbitrarily powerful, and, being in constant communication with the Process means that anything it can't handle, it can immediately pass up the line for them to chew on.
Dove rushes forward, his reaction time just a little bit quicker than yours unaugmented by the Transistor. However, very little is faster than warp speed. You queue up Jaunt() and phase through him once he reaches centre-stage, bending the space between you and a spot roughly 30 feet ahead of you into a single point.
Reality snaps back to its intended form, and you are now standing on Dove's starting spot.
Looking back, you watch him go through the same experience anyone who gets caught in a Jaunt() does. You don't, entirely understand it, but from what the Transistor's managed to tell you, Jaunt()'s warping of space would follow a bell-curve distribution in terms of how much space is warped- the endpoints are all but untouched, while the middle…
The middle takes a beating. As does anyone caught in the middle.
And yet, there is no reaction. He just turns around and looks at you, no disorientation whatsoever, with that smug little shitfuck grin on his shitfuck face-
"Mr Bronzewing?" Goodwitch says, concern clear in her voice. "Are you well?"
Green Gilled Status Effect
d% roll (DC 50): 73. Fail!
d% roll (DC 90): 89. Pass.
Wait, what?
He's fine! He looks like he's still ready to fight, why the FUCK IS SHE ASKING IF HE'S ALRIGHT-
{Okay, that's enough. Listen to yourself right now! Ignoring what an asshole he is, you're very close to breaking Goodwitch's rules here. The same rules that breaking could get you kicked out of Beacon.}
Adrenaline levels up. Dopamine levels up. Norepinephrine levels up. Your amygdala's going off like the light show at a concert, Jaune, and it gets worse every time you look at him.
Of course it does! He hurt your friend! He's a racist jackass who has no reason to be here! He's-
{No, Jaune, you don't understand. It gets worse every time you look at him. This anger state doesn't appear to have a peak. If you keep going, your heart's going to give out from all the adrenaline being pumped into i- wait, you think he's fine?}
Of course he's fine! He's just standing there, smirking at you, waiting for you to make the next move, and…
Nothing else.
You watch for a second longer and notice that Dove… isn't moving. Not even a gentle sway; like someone ran in and plonked down a statue of the boy to mess with you when you weren't looking.
{... That's not what he's doing at all, Jaune. He's actually, uh, fighting very hard to keep his breakfast down.}
A wireframe outline of a human being appears where Dove is, crouched over, hand clamped over its mouth and gently retching.
Something wavers- Dove wavers, like the heat haze over the roads in summer.
Finally, it clicks.
Your Dove, the smug asshole who pisses you off so much it actually hurts a little, is nothing more than an assault upon your agency as a human being. An illusion designed to make you sloppy and overstep your bounds.
You feel your Aura coil in your chest, finally recognising the intrusion for what it is. It begins to spread through your eyes, your mind, sending the influence of Dove's Semblance spiralling down the drain.
Take a deep breath. Remember what Qrow taught you.
You are the captain of this ship.
The spell breaks- the illusion you thought was Dove disappears, reality reasserting itself and leaving you watching the boy take deep, measured breaths, his stomach finally settling. It seems like it was a close thing, though.
Your rage joins the illusion, cut out at the bottom and its peak flattened. It's almost disturbing how you've gone from wanting to tear him a new asshole to honestly wanting to go over there and hand him a bag.
{Gods. Imagine having a Semblance that makes people angry at you.}
Almost worked, didn't it?
{Mm.}
A moment passes as Dove slowly recovers from his ordeal.
"... You sure you're okay?" you ask him quietly.
It feels, weird, being able to ask that sincerely of him. You still feel like you should be angry, and yet you simply aren't.
{Your emotions are rubberbanding- overcompensating for the snapback. Give it a while, they'll settle.}
Dove gives you an easy smile, barely strained by his queasiness.
"It's passed, but thank you for your concern."
Because of course he couldn't make it easy to hate him. You wait awkwardly on Dove's starting point as he slowly works through his nausea, taking deep, measured breaths to settle himself. He gulps once, thickly, and takes a ready stance.
Movement: Press Forward
2d10, DC 2: 8, 7. Success.
He doesn't underestimate you this time- he sprints forward, sword ready for an upward slash, but before you can Jaunt() away- not through him again, of course, that would be very mean- he darts to the side, and you have to bring the Transistor up to block his probing swipes.
One, two, he has you on the back foot for a moment, pressing hard enough that you can't get a chance to queue up Functions that won't blow his face off. On the bright side, you finally get a solid look at his weapon; a simple Hallstatt sword, long and without much ornament, even forgoing something as basic as a fuller, or a ricasso. Instead, the blade appears to have been created from four separate pieces riveted together, lines of darker iron clear where they've been pressed together. If it's a Formshift weapon, though, you certainly can't figure out what its other form is.
Dove's strategy is as much a mystery- you can't figure out why he seems so keen to lock blades with you, someone wielding a larger, heavier sword that you could easily overpower him with-
Heavy Attack: Point-Blank Hallshott
3d10, DC 3: 7, 7, 7. Success.
As you move to prove that point to him, twisting his sword flat against his collar, you suddenly remember that he loaded bullets into the hilt of his sword at the start of the fight.
It's only then that you understand your mistake. That final twist you just forced him into has pointed the barrel of his gun straight between your eyes.
Before you can move, before you can disengage or twist it out of the way or trigger Turn()- Dove pulls the trigger.
So, fun fact about being shot in the head- it fucking sucks. First off- you are deaf. Being that close to an explosion that large is not good for your hearing, Aura or not. Secondly, Aura takes 99% of the force out of it, sure, but that 1% is still a lot of energy.
Your head snaps back as if you've just had your hair pulled by a Beringel, the force transmitting down your neck and into your chest, terminating at the waist as your entire upper body tilts back. For a moment you're left wondering if the bullet pierced anyway, cracked through your skull and turned your brain into a pile of shredded tofu. Wondering if, perhaps, this moment might just be the instant before the lights shut off for good, stretching into infinity as the last of the lightning leaves you.
The moment passes. The heart continues to beat. The lungs take in breath. The brain flickers like a lightning storm, and your soul burns in your chest like dry ice. You are alive, still. Raw, unhinged adrenaline drives that thought into delusions of immortality, but you quickly quash them before they get out of hand.
{Aura's flickering. One more of those and you're out of the fight.}
Shift feet. Steady yourself.
You look at Dove. You don't know what your face looks like right now, but you watch him blanch.
… Yeah, that little bit of satisfaction is all you.
Patch Notes:
-Distance Meter added: the Distance Meter is an abstraction of the environment and entities within that will allow the player to judge what actions they are capable of at a glance and in a distinct enough fashion that the QM is less likely to forget to put the damn thing in.
-Movement is now simply an action that can be taken- if it isn't taken, then up to three Light Attacks can be taken, or one Heavy Attack or Assist/Malus and a Light Attack.
-All stats in the HACK/TALK system are now capped at 6. Specifically stated Success Thresholds, such as the Attack Sinister, have been altered to reflect this.
-Attitude section added to vote block; Mainly acts as a reminder that Attitude can be spent to add dice to specific rolls, and add a section to block that out on.
Information Update:
Enemy Semblance Discovered!
Gadfly:
-Dove's Semblance forces people to become angry with him, offering up illusions of him being the worst him he can possibly be, and offering up thought-shards to feed into the burgeoning confirmation bias that naturally forms. The end result is people being driven into a berserk state that leads to sloppy, predictable fighting at best, or being attacked by someone who is both skilled and genuinely wants to kill him at worst.
-As with all Semblances that affect the mind, once it is recognised for what it is, the effects are very easy to dispel. You are the captain of this ship.
-???
-???
Enemy Status:
Aura: 7/8: Full(ish).
Injuries: Green Gilled: All Movement Success Thresholds doubled. Duration left: 3 rounds.
Action Plan:
Actions available (and the order they will be taken in):
-1 Special Action
-2 Light Attacks OR 1 Heavy Attack AND 1 Assist/Malus, OR 1 Movement Action OR An Extra Light Attack (Press Forward/Jaunt()/Disengage)
Current Equipment: The Transistor, Zero Hour.
Special Action:
[] Turn()- Take an extra turn, doubling all actions. All Functions besides Jaunt() are locked for 3 turns. Turn() is locked for 6.
[] Yield- Yield the fight, immediately ending hostilities. Walk back with no damage other than your pride.
Light Attacks: Hack-Slash +1, Success Threshold: 2. ½ Weapon Base Damage.
[]Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
[] Ping(): a rapid-fire stream of energy bullets. Medium-range. (Spray-And-Pray: Dice Threshold lowered by 1 (7->6))
[] Spark(): Launch fast unstable shells that split into explosive particles. (AoE: -1 to Kinetics dodge roll. Can hit multiple targets.)
[] Zero Hour: The bladed edge of your shield isn't just for show. Go for a quick slash or two, test his defences.
Heavy Attacks: Hack-Slash. Success Threshold: 3. x1.5 Weapon Base Damage.
[] Bounce(): Discharge a ricocheting bolt that jumps from Target to Target. (Homing: can hit multiple targets.)
[] Load(): Form a volatile Packet. Strike Packet to produce a large blast. (Batter Up: Forms a Target that must be attacked to cause damage.)
[] Breach(): Pierce Targets with great force across long distances. (Long-Range: Is capable of hitting most Targets without moving into close-range combat.)
[] Zero Hour: The bladed edge of your shield isn't just for show. Gut him like a Kuchinashi game hen.
Movement: Kinetics. Success Threshold: 1.
[] Press Forward: Bring yourself into Close-Range with a Target. Negates Disengage actions on successful Kinetics roll. Unless you're planning to kiss him into submission, this isn't really an option.
[] Swap: Simple- you're on the edge of the map, so switch places with him and get the chance for some distance that way. Free action.
[] Disengage: Move out of combat with a Target. Regain 1 point of Aura every round out of direct combat.
[] Jaunt(): Transport User 3 Spaces down the Distance Meter instantly, negating any attempts to attack them in the interim. Any enemies in the path travelled have a 50% chance of gaining the Green-Gilled status effect. (Movement Success Thresholds are doubled. Attack Success Thresholds are not. 10% chance of vomiting. This has no strategic advantage, it's just gross, psychologically disheartening, and oh wow you don't actually feel all that great about causing that to people now. Wow that was a nasty Semblance.)
Assistance and Hindrances: Stat-Specific. Success Threshold: See Below.
Assistance:
[] Centre Yourself- you're already riding the high of overcoming his Semblance; let's try and make that a little more permanent, yeah? (Spend 1 Attitude, then roll the remaining (3d10): if you roll 1 success, you keep the spent attitude; 2, you gain an extra; on a crit, you max out your Attitude stat.)
[] Write-In
Hindrances:
[] Hip-Check- Martial arts aren't really your usual forté, but it wouldn't be too hard to get a foot between his legs and twist. Throw him to the ground, get a couple free hits in. (Hack-Slash-1.
[] Write-In
Attitude:
[] Do you want to spend Attitude on anything?
-[] Write-in ([ACTION]: [NUMBER SPENT]
Dove's Semblance forces people to become angry with him, offering up illusions of him being the worst him he can possibly be, and offering up thought-shards to feed into the burgeoning confirmation bias that naturally forms. The end result is people being driven into a berserk state that leads to sloppy, predictable fighting at best, or being attacked by someone who is both skilled and genuinely wants to kill him at worst.
....now is this an Always On thing or is it activated? Because now I want to make sure of whether he isn't actually racist, or if he's a 5head racist who planted the roots of us getting explosively angry at him in front of Goodwitch all that time ago.
Well, we could make use of Dove having debuffed movement at the moment and hit him with two Crash() and then Jaunt() away, winning by peppering him from range. Or, we could beat him like a drum by activating Turn() and smashing him with six Crash() in a row.
Is it wrong that I kinda want to jaunt through him again? As stated there is no strategic advantage, but it feels like a phenomenally petty thing to do.
Not what I'm actually gonna vote for, but definitely something to give a moment's thought to.
(2 Light Attacks) OR (1 Heavy Attack AND (1 Assist/Malus OR 1 Movement Action OR An Extra Light Attack))
Where we don't currently have any "extra light attack"s (just our movement actions)
Assuming that's correct, I think I'll go for
[X] Plan Double Crash
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
Actions available (and the order they will be taken in):
-1 Special Action
-2 Light Attacks OR 1 Heavy Attack AND 1 Assist/Malus, OR 1 Movement Action OR An Extra Light Attack (Press Forward/Jaunt()/Disengage)
Just to be clear is this:
(2 Light Attacks OR 1 Heavy Attack) AND (1 Assist/Malus, OR 1 Movement Action OR An Extra Light Attack (Press Forward/Jaunt()/Disengage))
Anyway I say it is time to turn() and blitz him down. Maybe spend an attitude or two.
One of my favorite strategies in Transistor was pairing jaunt() with breach() and chain-jaunting everything in a room to death. Obviously we don't want to take things that far in a spar, but it might be a valid strategy in this quest with things we really want to mess up.
Now that I'm thinking of it, @Prok, will function combos like in the game be possible at some point? Could be fun. But also maybe too much work, idk.
[X] Plan Double Crash
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
Well, we knew it was likely mental manipulation of some sort making Jaune hate this guy so much, but it being a literal hate-aura is... actually really unfortunate, as Semblance go. I wonder if it caused him to become a racist ass, or if he was such before he unlocked it?
So Jaune first ruined Dove's day by Dodging, then took a couple of bullets to the dome before giving a Look. I kinda want to turn off the Transistor's Antigravity and homerun bat the guy offstage just to complete the trifecta of 'What the Hell is Jaune'? Keep the full idea of what Functions' we got can do hidden but show off them hidden muscles. Well, I'll leave it to others for writing actual plans up. Glad to see you're up and active, Prok!
[X] Plan End it.
-[X] Turn()- Take an extra turn, doubling all actions. All Functions besides Jaunt() are locked for 3 turns. Turn() is locked for 6.
-[X]Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X]Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X]Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Breach(): Pierce Targets with great force across long distances. (Long-Range: Is capable of hitting most Targets without moving into close-range combat.)
-[X] Ping(): a rapid-fire stream of energy bullets. Medium-range. (Spray-And-Pray: Dice Threshold lowered by 1 (7->6))
I'm definitely voting for Turn() now. Hey @Prok, can we set up a Load()->Crash() combo like in the game? As in, set up a Packet, then have the Crash() hit the target and the Packet, detonating the Packet once our Turn() is done? If so, then
[X] Plan C-C-C-Combo
-[X] Turn()- Take an extra turn, doubling all actions. All Functions besides Jaunt() are locked for 3 turns. Turn() is locked for 6.
-[X] Load(): Form a volatile Packet. Strike Packet to produce a large blast. (Batter Up: Forms a Target that must be attacked to cause damage.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Breach(): Pierce Targets with great force across long distances. (Long-Range: Is capable of hitting most Targets without moving into close-range combat.)
If it doesn't work like in game (Packet exploding just as Turn() ends), then I'd rearrange it so it goes Crash()->Load()->2nd Crash()->Breach(), or even Crash()->Crash()->Load()->Breach(). Also not sure Breach() is the best option, but it's the classic so it's my choice for the rough draft here.
*Edit: Since people are likely to want to "accidentally" Ping() Dove in the balls, I'd be willing to swap out Breach() for a 3rd Crash() followed by a Ping() to end it, but I do really like the classic combo.
I like the plan, it's a classic Transistor combo, though I do worry that it's actually too much damage. Say, @Prok, do we have to worry about overkill in training fights or can Jaune adjust by himself in combat?
I like the plan, it's a classic Transistor combo, though I do worry that it's actually too much damage. Say, @Prok, do we have to worry about overkill in training fights or can Jaune adjust by himself in combat?
I'm definitely voting for Turn() now. Hey @Prok, can we set up a Load()->Crash() combo like in the game? As in, set up a Packet, then have the Crash() hit the target and the Packet, detonating the Packet once our Turn() is done? If so, then
[X] Plan C-C-C-Combo
-[X] Turn()- Take an extra turn, doubling all actions. All Functions besides Jaunt() are locked for 3 turns. Turn() is locked for 6.
-[X] Load(): Form a volatile Packet. Strike Packet to produce a large blast. (Batter Up: Forms a Target that must be attacked to cause damage.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Breach(): Pierce Targets with great force across long distances. (Long-Range: Is capable of hitting most Targets without moving into close-range combat.)
If it doesn't work like in game (Packet exploding just as Turn() ends), then I'd rearrange it so it goes Crash()->Load()->2nd Crash()->Breach(), or even Crash()->Crash()->Load()->Breach(). Also not sure Breach() is the best option, but it's the classic so it's my choice for the rough draft here.
*Edit: Since people are likely to want to "accidentally" Ping() Dove in the balls, I'd be willing to swap out Breach() for a 3rd Crash() followed by a Ping() to end it, but I do really like the classic combo.
I think it's worthwhile to switch out the Breach() for more Crash(), because we need two successful Crash() attacks on average in order to inflict the status effect, but we don't actually hit every attack we throw out, so we should do more Crash() to ensure the status effect is inflicted.
Being hated by default is only a problem if you don't want to be hated. There's also some information still missing, mind- Jaune has no idea if it's an uncontrolled Semblance, if it does anything other than make people hate him- just to throw a couple of ideas out there.
Not since the system change, no- the funny thing is, he still has more Aura than any of his teammates. I didn't exactly do a proper conversion, but Lumen and Creme have 5 Aura while Ada only has 4.
I'm definitely voting for Turn() now. Hey @Prok, can we set up a Load()->Crash() combo like in the game? As in, set up a Packet, then have the Crash() hit the target and the Packet, detonating the Packet once our Turn() is done? If so, then
[X] Plan C-C-C-Combo
-[X] Turn()- Take an extra turn, doubling all actions. All Functions besides Jaunt() are locked for 3 turns. Turn() is locked for 6.
-[X] Load(): Form a volatile Packet. Strike Packet to produce a large blast. (Batter Up: Forms a Target that must be attacked to cause damage.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Crash(): Destructive analysis. Weak, short-range. 50% chance of causing the Crash status effect (double all damage, raises all Success Thresholds by 1. Lasts 1d3 turns.)
-[X] Breach(): Pierce Targets with great force across long distances. (Long-Range: Is capable of hitting most Targets without moving into close-range combat.)
If it doesn't work like in game (Packet exploding just as Turn() ends), then I'd rearrange it so it goes Crash()->Load()->2nd Crash()->Breach(), or even Crash()->Crash()->Load()->Breach(). Also not sure Breach() is the best option, but it's the classic so it's my choice for the rough draft here.
*Edit: Since people are likely to want to "accidentally" Ping() Dove in the balls, I'd be willing to swap out Breach() for a 3rd Crash() followed by a Ping() to end it, but I do really like the classic combo.
Yeah, it'll work like in-game; Turn() moves so fast that it doesn't have time to explode before you've finished your set. My only problem with this is that you're trying to bring a Packet into a space that wouldn't fit a Gideons Bible, let alone a ball of volatile plasma that's looking for any excuse to blow. It's not impossible, mind, it's just probably heavily inadvisable. I would swap out a Crash() for a Swap/Disengage, put some distance between you and him either before or after you do all that. If all goes well, and so far all has gone well, you'd deal a total of 9 damage, while placing yourself outside the blast radius.
I like the plan, it's a classic Transistor combo, though I do worry that it's actually too much damage. Say, @Prok, do we have to worry about overkill in training fights or can Jaune adjust by himself in combat?
In training fights, overkill is adjusted for by cutting a plan off early. Between the Transistor, Jaune's own hyperawareness of his opponents because haha no he doesn't actually want to murder anyone, and Goodwitch, there's no way he'll actually manage to kill someone while in training fights.
In actual fights, overkill is just an excuse to break out the Dark Heresy critical hit charts.
Anyway, as before, combat votes are only open for a day, so voting will close at 8 pm GMT tomorrow.
