Archeo Lumiere
The Prince's Archivist
- Location
- Lumiose City, Kalos
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They/Them
So about as long as a full staff, but a warhammer that length is out of the question.
Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)
- Thread starter Silently Watches
- Start date
- Location
- Canada
So when I was debating with @Almech_Alfarion about Kayleigh and future potential weaponry, I posted my potential plan for Kayleigh's spell list. Since there's a bit of a lull right now and I've had the majority of my questions answered, I figured that I might as well post my potential plan for Laura, since it's the other one I've most thought about. Please comment, debate, criticize, and/or offer your own plans for a spell list. Like the Shards, I crave intellectual conflict, so I welcome your critiques.
Laura's Spell List
Basic Tier
So the spells above equal 10 slots, and Laura has 11 total remaining as of this post. Potential spells I like that could fill the slot are below.
Laura's Spell List
Basic Tier
- Iron Defender - I helped create this, now I will support it. I've explained my idea for an Ascalon ID already, so I won't repeat it again. It would fulfill a purpose that Laura (or Arcana in general) doesn't currently possess and I like the idea of every current member of Arcana getting something a bit different from each other. (GB Gear for Kayleigh, Familiar for Missy, ID for Laura)
- Telekinesis - Versatile and adaptable, Telekinesis works well with Laura's Ice mana because she can generate a large amount of ammunition to use to her advantage with this spell. Could be possibly substituted with Force Blast for more power/less versatility, but her Ice spells cover the power bit rather nicely.
- Lesser Golemancy - Providing a non-living combatant to wade into battle before her will give Laura time to prepare her Ice Blasts and an ally who can be frozen with no emotional concerns. It can serve as a trap springer, a bullet sponge/shield to protect onlookers, can carry weaponry and tools, and can be thrown with Greater Telekinesis to improve its mobility/act as a battering ram. Also, with this, Laura could have an ID and Golems, Missy could have a Familiar and Summons, and Kayleigh could have a GB and Drones. I like each of the girls having a different mini army/team at their backs.
- Greater Telekinesis - Everything I said about Telekinesis, but scaled up. Can throw more power around and overwhelm more enemies.
- Greater Golemancy - A building-sized golem? Yes please. This thing can harass Endbringers, intimidate opponents, shield an entire crowd from danger, carry a massive weapon, and support a collapsing structure.
- Heavenfall - Breaker-level Telekinesis is insane. In addition to this, Laura has the best Unison rate with Cassiel, so Laura and Cassiel can stay in Unison for the longest period of all the mages. Unison with Cassiel Doubles the amount of mass that Kinetic spells can affect. So Double-Breaker Telekinesis. Laura learning the entire Telekinesis spell line would make her insanely powerful with this combination.
- Breaker-level Ice spell - We got her Buster right off the bat, this might as well happen. Ice is slightly easier to deal with than the radiation Ragnarok would leave, but still not a spell to be used lightly. Possible names I've come up with are Glaciation and Arcticpocalype.
- Movement Mastery - Will improve her Flight and Blitz Action to match up with Taylor and Haste Missy. Better for dodging and battlefield positioning.
- Kinetic Mastery - The final piece of the Telekinesis line, will improve her abilities with them across the board making them that much more effective for a Unison with Cassiel.
- Attack Mastery - Allows for better combat ability via multitasking her various attacking spells while utilizing other abilities (such as commanding a golem or using telekinesis)
So the spells above equal 10 slots, and Laura has 11 total remaining as of this post. Potential spells I like that could fill the slot are below.
- Quicksand - Inspired to choose this by Katara from ATLA
and Mudman from BNHA.
Since Laura can create material this would work on, it can offer a variety of creative applications. It can allow alternate entry/exit points from areas, create barriers from other objects, disable machines in unintuitive ways, and allow easy removal of restraints. Also good for repairing damage done to an area or a potential moneymaker via artistic sculptures. It will also be boosted by Kinetic Mastery, so that's also a plus (possible substitute for Greater Telekinesis, but I like that one better) - Reactive Armor - While Laura does have Knight Armour, if someone is powerful enough to break it (and skilled enough to get close) this would offer a more offensive defence.
- Animation Mastery - From the little Silently has said about this, might make multiple small golems possible. Other options are to make the golems more durable? Give them more "abilities" (like the rocket fist from the wiki entry)?
- Chain Bind - Can ensnare opponents and reverse transformations, possibly preventing Breaker states from offering immunities to attacks (Future Cadejo's beware)
- Sniper Stun - Being a high-level mage, Laura can learn shooting spells with an armed device. Sniper Stun would remove energy barriers that could impede her other spells.
- Shell Break or Focus Break - Makes opponents weaker in different ways. Combined with Ice mana, we've either got opponents who are cold and weak, or are cold and stupid. Coinflip to which is preferred.
- Strong Shield - Provides a magical shield that, thanks to Laura's MCA, is immune to ice and cold. Laura could make physical barriers with her ice attacks, but this is more mobile and stronger.
- Spatial Teleport - Allows for Laura to Teleport. Improves Arcana's ability to split up its members to move to separate locations.
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What about Cocytus from
Seiken Tsukai no World Break
for her super tier as well something to match Taylor's Ragnarok https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...est/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20150309193023
Seiken Tsukai no World Break
for her super tier as well something to match Taylor's Ragnarok https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...est/scale-to-width-down/340?cb=20150309193023
Almech_Alfarion
(Unverified Paradox)
- Location
- Roaming the Void of the Space between Spaces
Overall I like the spell list, except for the Golemancer tree. If we want a true Golemancer I say when we find another A+ rank mage we send them down that tree. Reasons being, I think this particular build spreads Laura's specializations out a little too thinly. Overspecialization breeds in weakness, yes, but if we make her too much of a Jill of Trades it'll be harder to get her to reach her effective potential, since she'll have a lot of general abilities, but little synergization between them. In light of that, instead of the Golem spells I'd give her Shell Break, Chain Bind and Spacial Teleport to fill out the three unassigned positions. Shell break as an added kick to boost up her attacks, chain bind to tie down opponents to make it easier to land blows on more mobile and slippery opponents or set up shots for her teammates, and Spacial Teleport because it's damn useful.
I imagine that would be the breaker level ice spell.
That's another point that I'm unsure of for Laura, but less against overall. On the one hand, it makes sense for her to have a WTF level Ice spell, because of her MCA, on the other, On the other hand, I really want to give Laura the Heavenfall build since I doubt we're going to find anyone with anywhere near the same level of synchronization with Cassiel. This means she'd have two WTF tier spells though. To mitigate this a bit, I'd ask if Silently Watches would be willing to make the Ice WTF spell something like Fate's Zanber attacks as a Melee equivilent WTF Smasher spell, while Heavenfall would be her ranged/lockdown all the things option.
- Location
- Canada
Thanks for your opinion! Rebuttals time.
I fully expected Golemancy would be the weakest part of my plan, but it was what caught my fancy when I was browsing the spell list, and it fit nicely in with what I'd already mapped out. Having Golems on team Arcana's side allows for expendable assets who can wade into battle in the midst of Taylor's radiation, Laura's ice, Kayleigh's bullets, and whatever we come up with for Missy. They are unthinking and durable, can be used to deal with potential trapped approaches and provide cover from enemy attacks, and can physically subdue opponents by holding them. In addition, Golems can provide a cheap way to field any Large or Massive Weapons we eventually have Tim build, and deploy them with minimal risk of enemy reprisal or weapon malfunctions. I think Golems would be a solid tool in Arcana's arsenal, and Laura is best situated to make use of them.
Solid choices. As a counterpoint, Chain Bind is one of the possible spells that I have on my developing Ascalon Iron Defender plan (I should have posted it as well in hindsight, will do so after this post), as I was speccing it as a Stranger-style fighter, with more enemy hindering, defence, and stealth then direct attack. If Ascalon has Chain Bind, I'd hesitate to give Laura the spell, and my two contenders to replace it would be Quicksand or Reactive Armor (if your ideas gained the popular vote). Shell Break is good, it means that Laura and Samantha can weaken separate opponents or weaken one at twice the speed. Teleportation I've been chewing over giving it to Missy, since she can also get Forced Displacement from the spell line and literally banish her opponents from the field. Laura, I feel as a character, doesn't seem the travelling type? Kayleigh and Missy were both excited about travelling the world with Teleportation, but Laura was kind of neutral about it? I know character traits is no reason not to give a powerful spell to our mages, but I just wouldn't feel comfortable supporting the choice.
Taylor also has two WTF spells with Ragnarok and Mistilteinn. Three if you count Dimensional Teleport. I feel that the two WTF spells that i had Laura get are different enough that both can work for her. Heavenfall can be used in multiple ways, from the obvious smushing an opponent or structure into the ground, to flinging them upwards or sideways. With Cassiel in Unison, it might be possible to recreate something similar to what the Simurgh did, with massive telekinetic force being used in multiple subtle and overt ways over a large area, but that remains to be seen. Laura's Ice-equivalent of Ragnarok will likely be as you said, an upscaling of Avalanche (like Ragnarok is of Solar Wrath) so it will lack the range of Ragnarok but possibly will be more controlled? (if spell is of limited range, damage will be lessened and easier to justify). A Breaker Ice Spell would be perfect against Behemoth, since it doesn't provide him with too much extra energy ammo to redirect, and suppresses much of his arsenal.
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- Location
- Canada
So as I realized when @Almech_Alfarion critqued me, I should have included my desired plan for Ascalon as well, seeing as it would need to be considered along with her spell list. Here we are.
Ascalon Profile
Ascalon, another creation of Richter, was a Tinkertech "blackbox" designed to locate and terminate all instances of the AI program known as Dragon. As Dragon is now a Unison Device, she was able to separate from all accessible networks and used Ascalon to "clean the slate" with her remaining instances In existing cyberspace. Now converted into an Iron Defender due to Laura's accidental miscast of the Guardian Beast spell, Ascalon will seek and subdue her enemies instead.
Signature Spell
As a machine, an advanced magiengineer can install tech onto a Iron Defender. Here are Tech upgrades I can see being useful if installed in Ascalon.
Ascalon Profile
Ascalon, another creation of Richter, was a Tinkertech "blackbox" designed to locate and terminate all instances of the AI program known as Dragon. As Dragon is now a Unison Device, she was able to separate from all accessible networks and used Ascalon to "clean the slate" with her remaining instances In existing cyberspace. Now converted into an Iron Defender due to Laura's accidental miscast of the Guardian Beast spell, Ascalon will seek and subdue her enemies instead.
Signature Spell
- Stasis Lock - Suppresses all conscious action in organic beings or active systems in artificial creations until the target can be restrained or contained.
Essentially an inversion of Grand Resuscitation, Stasis Lock is an Enchant Spell that grants the property of "comatose" in organics and "off" in machines. Constant monitoring by Ascalon is required to keep the target under this state, as it will wear off within 1 minute if attention is lost.
- Cover - Makes Ascalon invisible. Allows it to conceal itself for ambush or infiltration and strike with its spells at the opportune moment.
- Struggle Bind (if possible) - Entraps an opponent in chains that can neutralize transformations. Can prevent opponents from advancing on Ascalon and also shift them out of forms that could be resistant to its signature spell.
- Strike Break - Weakens opponents, makes them less able to run away or harm Ascalon
- Frost Beam - Medium range, entraps enemies and allows for Ascalon to escape.
- Shield or Thorns - Provides a form of defence for opponents who strike at Ascalon. Since MCA's are passed onto ID's, then the Thorns will inflict cold/ice damage as well (leaning towards Thorns).
- Purple Haze - Disorients the opponents. Depending on the level of control (if Ascalon can make directed hallucinations) then could be used to set opponents against each other.
As a machine, an advanced magiengineer can install tech onto a Iron Defender. Here are Tech upgrades I can see being useful if installed in Ascalon.
- Pain Beam - Can incapacitate other opponents who are not under Stasis Lock, and reflecting it back on Ascalon would do nothing.
- Thermal Beam - Allows Ascalon to burn through walls and attack with heat. Also can be used to clean up Laura's Icy discharges.
- Gravity Plate - Enables wall climbing/waiting at times where flight is inadvisable, possibly due to stress on Laura's Linker Core.
- Claws/Plasma Claws - Close-quarters weapon for opponents. Either slashing or burning. More in favour of the Plasma Claws personally.
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- Location
- Buffalo, NY, USA
Wait... Did Theo just 'make like a tree and leaf'?
I guess my main point of contention is on a character level i don't think making Laura's build revolve around telekinesis and golems is what she would crave from her time in Winter Hill. Her father constantly reinforced the idea that she is weak and needs protection and now that she is a mage she "chose" the device that has the knight armor and is a big honking pole arm. She wants to feel powerful and self sufficient and break things herself. Laura would I think naturally gravitate to powers that feed into that, ones that make her hit harder and shrug off hits while blasting and crushing her foes. To be the giant problem in their enemies face they have to deal with right now while her friends are exploding things. Sitting behind a bunch of constructs and wiggling her fingers throwing things would just reinforce the idea she is a back liner and Laura very much doesn't want to do that anymore. She chose the name Scathach, who was a legendary lady warrior who trains a hero in Irish folk lore I think for a reason.
Also, thematically focusing on tk and golems and not really giving her any ice spells besides her breaker kind of wastes her theme of armored viking and being the counterpart to Taylor's fire bombardment witch theme.
Plus, I personally find tk to be uninteresting on a descriptive prose level.
Almech_Alfarion
(Unverified Paradox)
- Location
- Roaming the Void of the Space between Spaces
I'm pretty sure Golems are only about as inteligent as a particularly cleaver or well trained dog. Clarification @Silently Watches?
If that is the case, then expendable Fire Control would be out of the cards. Further, I agree with @Orkus Majorkus' points about Golems just not seeming like something Laura would go for either in character or thematically...
Now Theo on the other hand...
Didn't think of that. In that case, my choice would shift to a round shield spell for extra tankiness.
Fair points. Possible counterpoint would be that Laura may not always want to be beholden to Taylor and Arcana to get around. While she may not have as much wanderlust as Missy or Taylor, she still has a fairly strong independent streak. On the other hand, my alternate choice in case of no personal teleportation would be a basic shooter. As @Orkus Majorkus pointed out, Range is a bit of a weakness of the current build ideas for her, and while she'll never go full Artillery bombardment like Taylor, having something on hand is always useful.
Just remember if we want Missy to be part of the "Bind and Teleport" plan for the Endbringers, she's either going to need dimensional transfer as well, or else focus on having her Boss Summon hold the endbringer down long enough for others to transfer it out.
Taylor is also a Template mage, and therefore utter BS compared to anyone but Nanoha, Fate, Yuuno and other related cast. It makes sense that she would have multiple offensive WTF level spells (I don't really consider dimensional transfer against a character's WTF allotment, since while it's useful, it's also by and large a utility spell )
Counterpoint: Laura already knows the basics of what she's capable of with Telekinesis, thanks to what happened in Florida, and seems the type to explore that sort of experience to it's logical conclusion (Especially with some prompting from Cassiel either in story or through canonized Omakes). Also, Telekinesis is damn useful, even with the restrictions @Silently Watches has put on it , and taking it to its conclusion opens up all Kinds of possibilities, both offensively and defensively (I actually consider the basic telekinesis to be more like a somewhat more versatile Wingardium Leviosa than a true-to-form telekinesis. We don't start getting into the fun stuff until someone has Greater TK). After all, what does she have to fear from Jotunn either to herself or her mother if she can stop him cold with her mind using Greater Telekinesis, and putting Leviathan or Behemoth on Lockdown with heavenfall would be seen as anything but weak.
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Her Breaker is as melee as a pocket nuke can be. Which still means not really.
Counterpoint, which I've stated before but been soundly ignored on: Mistilteinn and Dimensional Teleport aren't Breakers that cost ten cartridges and automatically put the caster into mana poisoning. Heavenfall, on the other hand, IS and DOES.
Pretty much.
- Location
- Canada
Correct, Jotun and Winter Hill kept up a negative mindset campaign against Laura. They kept telling her that while her power was strong, it was worthless for close combat and if she engaged in that, she would die. They also likely gave her minimal training in CQC to reinforce this idea, all for the purpose of making her more dependant on the gang. Not anymore. Her Knight Armor provides protection against a great deal of force, she has a weapon she is becoming extremely efficient in using for combat, she has chosen to join this new team and fight alongside her friends, and she is also now 100% immune to Ice and Cold (such as a certain dominating father might use against her).
To me, Laura reads as a results-oriented person. Her primary goal is to do good things for the world, and the methods to achieve this are unimportant in the grand scheme of things. All of Winter Hill told her if she went out solo, she'd likely be hurt or killed. And then when she wanted to do something "good" and "selfless", no-one was available to go with her. Thus, her patrolling was limited in scale and Laura always felt dissatisfied, like she could be doing more. She self-justified this to Taylor (her speech about protecting what was hers, the refusal to leave the hotel room in Florida) but she was never satisfied deep down that what she was saying was true. With Arcana, many of these doubts are resolved. She can take someone in close quarters, she has allies who will aid and accompany her, there's much less moral ambiguity in the choices she is now making. Whether she is doing good through blasting ice, throwing punches, making things fly around, or sending in minions, so long as Laura is doing good, she'll be content.
I mean, Taylor only has three Fire spells. Her basic Flare Shooter, her Buster Solar Wrath, and her Breaker Ragnarok. So Laura would match her with Frost Edge, Avalanche, and her Breaker. And Taylor got no choice in what spells were in her package, while Laura we get to build her spell list from scratch.
Since one reason I posted my spell plan for Laura was to prompt others to share their thoughts and ideas, what would your spell list for Laura look like?
Exactly this. Laura held off capes and minions with bedsheets thanks to Telekinesis. That's a positive formative experience. It's effective over a variety of ranges and can be used in a myriad of ways, and it would combine well with her Ice spells. She's also seen Taylor using it in multiple ways and Cassiel would of course have plenty of experience to offer advice about it.
Okay, so while I didn't know this fact about Heavenfall, would this Q & A work to mitigate this? Does Cassiel's telekinesis count as a similar enough spell to cut down the mana poisoning?
Even if it doesn't, Laura's sync rate with Cassiel is just so good that I can't help but want to use it to maximum advantage. So I see getting the entire Telekinetic spell tree as worth it for Laura. Also, due to Cassiel's experience with Telekinesis as the Simurgh, could she in Unison utilize Heavenfall to recreate some of her former glory (Massive telekinetic power spread out over a wide area performing a multitude of differing tasks?)
If Gestalt is Theo (it's more and more likely, but until it is confirmed in-story I'll keep the doubt) then I'm becoming less interested in fully making a new mage and more on keeping his Parahuman abilities with some potential additions. Originally, his powers (which I assumed) of shifting into materials he touched and growing larger, were less interesting than the variety and power that mage powers could reach. Now that I know that different materials offer new powers? I'm extremely interested in what other powers he could receive with unique materials that Arcana can provide. Laura is a close supply of Ice, for whatever power that would provide. If Hardlight is an option, Missy's got a Lightsaber. And for the creme de la creme of unique material, we've got an Endbringer corpse back at Dragontech.Now Theo on the other hand...
- Location
- Canada
Actually, Laura and Missy have had essentially opposite Parahuman experiences. Laura's a second-gen cape who triggered to protect her mother from a rival gang, then was inducted directly into Winter Hill. To keep her dependant, he and the gang emphasized that Laura was vulnerable close up, and her power wasn't enough to keep her or other safe, ideas which Laura internalized. She wasn't kept away from fighting, just made clear that she'd be less effective if she fought by herself. This lead to a great deal of self-doubt in her ability to use her power to do good and help people. She was hesitant to do to much by herself because it had been driven into her mind that she wasn't as useful solo.
Missy is a first-gen cape who triggered based upon her parents fighting. She joined the Wards afterwards, and her power was lauded for its strength and flexibility. Missy was kept away from fights, as much as she could be in Brockton Bay, for moral reasons (children shouldn't be made to fight villains) and not because of her power. She grew to resent this treatment, because Missy is very confident in her combat ability and. even though her power also does not offer any advantages to CQC, Missy has no fear of jumping into combat. Missy grew increasingly more independent in Philadelphia, growing to hate the chains of bureaucracy and morality that were preventing her (in her mind) from being the most effective hero she could be.
Missy is a first-gen cape who triggered based upon her parents fighting. She joined the Wards afterwards, and her power was lauded for its strength and flexibility. Missy was kept away from fights, as much as she could be in Brockton Bay, for moral reasons (children shouldn't be made to fight villains) and not because of her power. She grew to resent this treatment, because Missy is very confident in her combat ability and. even though her power also does not offer any advantages to CQC, Missy has no fear of jumping into combat. Missy grew increasingly more independent in Philadelphia, growing to hate the chains of bureaucracy and morality that were preventing her (in her mind) from being the most effective hero she could be.
Almech_Alfarion
(Unverified Paradox)
- Location
- Roaming the Void of the Space between Spaces
I was mostly joking about that (hence the smiley). Given past experience with the dice, I highly doubt Theo will be a mage. He isn't Kaiden's biological son, so he doesn't have that guarantee, and giving him a Linker Core Serum would be... tricky...
I suppose it would also depend on how much he actually likes his powers, because if he hates them convincing him to come to the mage side would be easier, even with their versatility.
Bureaucracy yes, Morality, three fourths of one, one and a half of the other. She still holds to being a Hero in high regard, she just disagrees with their sidelining her, specifically, because of her experience. I think she's in the right mindset now to understand why they did it, especially for kids like the other two younger Philly wards who are still more or less civilians at heart, but recognizes that she has already passed the point of no return. She's seen and done things already that those rules were meant to prevent, and when you add the fact that she was in the wards longer than anyone else, the restrictions on things based on Age rather than Merit just added more fuel to the fire.
- Location
- Canada
Can Missy's summons (mostly the puppies, but Anubis is included) scent-track like real dogs?
Since Iron Defenders are weird, I'm confirming that they can gain MCA immunities and effects from their mages if they possess them?
I'm pretty certain you've said that Flight and Area Searches will be learned automatically (and not count toward the spell list) by Familiars/GB's/ID's if the mage that created them knows the spells. Just to confirm, are these the only spells that would be shared between Mage and Familiar?
Since Iron Defenders are weird, I'm confirming that they can gain MCA immunities and effects from their mages if they possess them?
I'm pretty certain you've said that Flight and Area Searches will be learned automatically (and not count toward the spell list) by Familiars/GB's/ID's if the mage that created them knows the spells. Just to confirm, are these the only spells that would be shared between Mage and Familiar?
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Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
No. If we were talking about Ghostly Grip vs Telekinesis, sure. But not Heavenfall or other Breakers.
Yes.
Yes.
These are the only spells I've firmly decided on. If I decided to add others, I'll let you know. It might be on a case-by-case basis.
This is what I find so funny about min-maxers. You latch onto one number, calling it the most important, and in doing so blind yourselves to everything else. In this case, what you're blind to is the number that actually matters.
But don't worry, I've decided to stop harping on this. I'll just punish you in-game.
- Location
- Canada
Thanks for the premonition, story-Deity!☺ My normal Deity normally lets me blunder into errors like this with absolutely no hints.
Can a Shield spell be made into an Artifact? If yes, when a mage or Familiar with a MCA makes a Shield Artifact, would the Shield artifact retain the MCA immunity?
Can multiple Flash Forge creations be created and maintained simultaneously? Can a Flash Forge creation be thrown or separated from the mage without dissipating?
You've answered several times that Boost spells cannot be used on the caster directly. Based on the descriptions, Enchant spells also cannot be used on the caster. Would the Mass Boost and Mass Enchant spells grant the caster the effects so long as they are in the area-of-effect?
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
Yes.
That's an interesting question. Since an artifact produces a spell as though the artifact-maker was the one casting it… I'd have to say the answer is yes.
Yes, but only a few at a time. No littering the floor with Flash Forge caltrops with a single casting.
Yep! Agent "Charlie" did that back in 14.o.
Correct.
No, because the area radiates out from the caster. It is not centered on the caster.
- Location
- Georgia
The detail you keep ignoring is that compatibility has zero effect, I repeat, ZERO effect on how strong the powers obtained from Unison are. It only affects how long a mage and UD can stay in Unison.
Now, the reason, in my opinion, that Laura's sync rating should be a real factor to consider is that there are a heck of a lot of uses for TK that have no relation to combat. We've had very few combats that lasted long enough for compatibility to really matter, but to use an iconic superhero action*, Laura with Cassiel using Heavenfall could hold a damaged dam together to buy the people evacuating a little more time. Holding things together(or apart for that matter) involves a duration, something that is irrelevant for spells like Ragnarok.
*We're more likely to run into simpler situations where that boost could still be quite helpful, but this scene from Superman(I forget which) was the first to come to mind.
- Location
- USA
I'd really hope to not see the large number of silent readers, casual voters, shipping-over-buildvotes or other participants be punished* (by story events) over one or two frequent-doubleposting vocal participants who have been encouraged on occasion for their ideas....
I continue to have little interest in Telekinesis, in part as a style preference, but really moreso every time someone tries to make a singular spell into such a broad package as to suffice a shard-Cape's entire triumvirate level career, in a way few if any other spells seem capable of. Splitting it into two or three power levels (shooter/buster/breaker or whatever else) only slightly mitigates that concern.
Relatedly, I wonder if a number could be placed on Cailleach's inclination to work with The Simurgh (i'd have to reread to see if she found out that detail yet, and cared) or on her desire to use the same sort of remote-attack power she already had as a shard-Cape.
Almech_Alfarion
(Unverified Paradox)
- Location
- Roaming the Void of the Space between Spaces
The thing with Telekinesis is that it Is that broad a package, even with the restrictions on fine manipulation Silently Watches has placed on it. Most spells do one thing and very little else, even if they do that one thing Very well. They blast things, or smash things, or create shields, or bind opponents in a limited capacity, or buff/debuff either the caster or others in very specific ways, or manifest either temporary (goloms and summons) or persisting (Familiars/Guardian Beasts/Iron/Silver Defenders) allies to aid the caster. The last category is really the only one with some inherent versatility to its use, since they get their own spells, but those spells are likewise limited in their applications. Sure, if you have a fire or flare MCA you could heat your home or could cook something over a shooter, charge an electrical grid with a lightning MCA and the right equipment, and keep your beer cold with an Ice MCA, but all of those sorts of things are dependent on having the correct Rare Skill in the first place.
Telekinesis though, has a versatility to it that is hard to match, even if you have to be creative to leverage its potential. With TK, you can move things (including people) around, hold them up, hold them down, push them away, keep them apart or smash them together, and once you ramp up the scale to Greater TK and Heavenfall, you add being able to launch appropriately shaped objects at opponents at speeds to match busters and breakers in destructive potential to that list, all in one package. It isn't an end-all-be-all, since compared to the more specialized spells its purely offensive capabilities are limited to the materials available, but you can still do a Hell of a lot with it, and if you're in the middle of an indiscriminate battle such as against some of the more aggressive capes or Endbringers, the more collateral damage there is just lying around for you to either weaponize or reshape into defensive barriers for yourself and allies.
That's my purely mechanical munchkinery interest in the Heavenfall build. Even though Laura's synchronization with Cassiel doesn't do anything to affect her power with it, the combined duration boost with her high synchronization factor allowing her to use bullet-time-precog has terrifyingly glorious potential. Her being a full member of Arcana means that she's in the best position to make the most of it. Taylor and Sam are the only other Arcana members with a high enough sync to use bullet time, but Taylor is a Template Mage, and therefore can't get Heavenfall, and Sam is a Guardian Beast and similarly restricted. Epoch is technically a contender with an 88% sync factor, but he's limited out of Heavenfall because he doesn't have a device, and I'd rather keep him with his powers. Anyone new is going to need to beat that top 20% roll on the dice (and we all know how that usually turns out
) to leverage TK with Bullet Time, and anyone either matching or beating Laura is going to have to somehow roll a 96 or greater. Even with the bonuses Silently gives that sort of roll, that's a bit ridiculous.As for more narrative reasons, I've mentioned before that Laura seems like the sort of person who would look at what happened in Florida and think long and hard about taking it to the logical conclusion of it's potential. It is also not, as you put it "the same sort of remote-attack power she already had as a shard-Cape." What she had as Cailleach is actually much closer to what she would have had if we had gone the Intelligent Device route and made her a blaster artillery mage like Taylor. TK, Greater TK and Heavenfall, in addition to the versatility, also add a level of separation from her old powers, since they have nothing inherently to do with Ice, and if she used them extensively as I and others have speculated on there would be very few people who would associate "Scathach" with "Cailleach", even though they both share ice powers, since no-one outside of Arcana & associates, Opperation Pentagram, Director Paulson, and the Triumvirate know the truth about magic yet. After all, Cailleach only had ice powers, and while the the barrier jacket and Fragarach could be explained as a tinker-tech costume and weapon, and her flight could be explained as an anti-gravity harness like Kayleigh has, TK with no visible means of producing it such as with a Tractor Beam Gun of some form or another, is much harder to explain as Tinker BS. The same couldn't be said if we went pure Ice Melee/Shooter for her, since those could still be the same ice power, just leveraged in a different way.
I can see that sort of separation of identities appealing to her both in terms of her views on the Unwritten Rules and disassociating her two identities from eachother further, as well as in terms of her leaving behind her old life as time progresses.
As for unisoning with Cassiel, the key word you left out is "again", and when dealing with Ziz, if you've already had her in your head you're either already fucked, or for whatever reason she decided to leave you alone. In for a penny, in for a pound, and Laura's already crossed that threshold and knows it, even so far as having done so After Cassiel informed her, in her own rather dramatic fashion, that she used to be the Smurf. It might take some convincing to get her to do it again, but I don't think it would be nearly as much as your post gave me the impression you think it would be.
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- Location
- Georgia
Cassiel told her before they entered Unison during the Fallen invasion. Participating in that, voluntarily, before she even had magic of her own, suggests she is, at worst, not averse to the idea.
I can agree that TK tends to get overused and treated as an overwhelming, unstoppable force. What really determines how overpowered it is isn't the upper limit of mass affected, it's how precise the control. I don't see SW giving us the ability to, for instance, pinch a blood vessel to give somebody a heart attack or stroke. Limiting the precision to being equivalent to her skill at using her hands, possibly with the higher tier spells becoming 'clumsy' in direct proportion to their increase in power would, I think, limit it enough to keep it from being overpowered beside the other main characters' abilities.
I don't tend to min max, but I do pay attention to exactly how the rules affect things. TK has the most out of combat utility, and I like that. I like having powers that can be featured in story updates or just casually show up in omake. That appeals to me for largely the same reasons you seem to dislike it, that is that it becomes the first resort she turns to, the most useful of her spells.
Almech_Alfarion
(Unverified Paradox)
- Location
- Roaming the Void of the Space between Spaces
I agree with the out-of-combat utility. TK is really handy for everyday use, especially if you don't have to worry about not showing off your powers, and Silently Watches is usually pretty good about showing that sort of thing off, but the combat utility is important too, for different reasons.
I guess my point isn't necessarily that if we give Laura TK, it would be "The most useful of her spells". Other spells are useful, just very specialized for a particular task, and if you have TK, enough creativity, and the ability to dump more power and concentration in it when necessary, it helps to fill in the gaps and open up possibilities that a lot of other spells don't provide and you wouldn't have otherwise. I suppose in a way, TK is just as specialized as other spells, but that specialization can be described as "The ability to remotely manipulate an object or objects, up to a combined total of a given mass, within a defined range." It just so happens that that specialization has a much broader range of easy potential Applications than most other spells.
You're right that Laura won't be able to pinch a blood vesicle or stop someone's heart with nothing but her mind, but Magic TK is Far from totally 'Manton Limited' since we can still hold people with it. The thing with even a Limited TK like we've been given, though, is if you're smart it can still be a force multiplier for battlefield control by letting you manipulate enemy movements by pushing/pulling/lifting/freezing them directly like Jedi, manipulate the terrain by moving obstacles into the way of enemies and out of your allies or remove/place physical barriers for cover for the same, or turn the scenery itself into weapons to strike at your enemies flanks while you come at them from the front while utilizing the rest of your arsenal, and how effective you are at all of those scales very well when you can put more power into it.
- Location
- Georgia
Something I wonder about Heavenfall is whether, while Unisoned with Cassiel, it could make somebody strong enough to lob Leviathan into orbit, making him a valid target for Arc-en-ciel. I think Behemoth is much larger than Leviathan, but I could be misremembering. TK isn't the best direct attack, but there are so many other things you can do to help in a fight that aren't point-click-boom in nature.
- Location
- Canada
I'd like to raise up another topic of discussion, because I am bored, getting these posts written and posted honestly helps me think about them, and Silently's comment on my post has made me take a step back and reevaluate several subjects I have been pondering that may or may not take place in the future. One of which is the topic of Missy and Guardian Beast versus Familiar. I wanted to go over the mechanics of each and see whether or not my current choice (of Familiar) was fuelled by emotions and the novelty of the introduced Familiar rules, and if it would actually work better than going Guardian Beast for Missy.
My current assumption based on in-story observations, posts by other members on this forum, and one statement from Silently regarding Missy's emotions; is that Zeus is the preferred potential choice for Missy's companion. This works character-wise as Missy has been seen playing with Zeus and mechanics-wise as Zeus possesses a Lightning MCA, offering its power and immunity to assist with its spells. He is also the only currently existing animal that I am aware of to offer any extra benefit to making a Familiar/GB.
No matter which is chosen, Zeus as Missy's uplifted partner will have an Inherent Forcefield immune to Lightning/Electricity and will possess Aerial Combat as Missy has that spell.
Guardian Beast - Going through this Class by Class with spell list and brief possible purpose, starting with the two most affected by the MCA. If I'm incorrect about any of the revealed random perks, let me know and I'll fix it.
Familiar - With a Familiar, we design the spell list just as we would a mage. There are 5 slots that can only be Basic or Mod Tier, but they can be refunded if a better option occurs or we don't like how it operates. I'll be listing potential spells I like that it could learn.
Combat
In conclusion, I continue to like the Familiar for the mixture of spells/skills that it offers. This build takes full advantage of the MCA to play a role in combat while also being an excellent provider of support for Missy and Arcana.
My current assumption based on in-story observations, posts by other members on this forum, and one statement from Silently regarding Missy's emotions; is that Zeus is the preferred potential choice for Missy's companion. This works character-wise as Missy has been seen playing with Zeus and mechanics-wise as Zeus possesses a Lightning MCA, offering its power and immunity to assist with its spells. He is also the only currently existing animal that I am aware of to offer any extra benefit to making a Familiar/GB.
No matter which is chosen, Zeus as Missy's uplifted partner will have an Inherent Forcefield immune to Lightning/Electricity and will possess Aerial Combat as Missy has that spell.
Guardian Beast - Going through this Class by Class with spell list and brief possible purpose, starting with the two most affected by the MCA. If I'm incorrect about any of the revealed random perks, let me know and I'll fix it.
- Rifle - Shooters + Homing, Binds, and Teleportation (random perk?). The Shooters get the Lightning element added to them, allowing for the effects of shock and paralysis to be fired at distant enemies. This Beast covers Missy's current range deficit, and would operate like pre-Flare Blade Taylor.
- Shield - Strong Shield, Physical Boost, Blitz Action, Titan's Aura, and Rampant (random perk). MCA makes all Shields immune to Lightning, and Titan's Aura lets the Beast pass on the immunity to anyone it can touch. This Beast can cover for the defence drop from Haste Mode, and will wade into close-combat at Missy's side.
- Sword - Speed Boost, Physical Boost + Weakening of Armour/Defence, Weapons Mastery, Berserker, and Teleportation (random perk?). Another close combat fighter, the Sword would help chip away at enemies too durable to be taken down easily.
- Tome - Boosts (Strike and Barret), Healing and Status Curing, and Binds (random perks). No Direct combat for the beast itself, but improving Missy combat ability and healing damage mid-battle are definite pluses. Also means there is less pressure to purchase the spells for Missy herself.
- Mask - Cover is the only confirmed spell, along with Shapeshifting + Copying of Rare Skills (likely the random perk). Potential spells for this Beast include Flash Forge (from the interlude?), Purple Haze, and maybe Focus Break? Beast of the Mask would go stealthy while Missy goes flashy, allowing the Beast to infiltrate and attack from oblique angles. Weakest Forcefield of all potential-combat Beasts.
- Gear - Basic Tech Skills, Storage Device (random perk). Can build some weapons and armour for Missy. Will likely join with the Dragontech crew to add another build slot for the week, but could be used with another engineering group if one forms.
Familiar - With a Familiar, we design the spell list just as we would a mage. There are 5 slots that can only be Basic or Mod Tier, but they can be refunded if a better option occurs or we don't like how it operates. I'll be listing potential spells I like that it could learn.
Combat
- Shooter Spell - As I said for the Rifle, this allows Zeus to cover Missy's Range Deficit. Can be left unmodified to have more spells, or try a different Mod like Burst or Trick Shot for something different. Not really interested in this because if we really want this, we could just go for the GB of the Rifle.
- Mana-based weapon- My current favourite starter spell idea. First we could have a spell like Taylor's Flare Blade, where Zeus summons a pure-mana weapon made of Lightning Mana (I dub it Bolt Blade). Picturing something along the lines of a Lightning-like short sword
that can possibly be thrown for a ranged attack. Works on several levels. First is obvious, beast-Zeus creates a weapon that looks like what god-Zeus uses in the mythos. Second, if the form of the weapon is close to the third picture, then the shape is close enough to the Khopesh's form that Missy can train Zeus in it's usage, allowing her the satisfaction of a student. Third, it means Zeus can always summon a weapon for when a situation comes up, and it's a non-lethal one. - Alternatively, the Lightning Lash
A mana whip that is freely controllable by Zeus. It can be used for quick mobility, can hinder opponents or affect enemy weapons, and the channelling of Lightning mana makes the entire whip a very effective taser. - Or a Weapon-Modifier spell - like Frost Edge, a weapon coated with Lightning Mana to increase its power while simultaneously making it less lethal. Could work story-wise by expanding upon Missy's interest in unique weapons from history and give Zeus something interesting. However, would require a build slot or two to build it, so might not be effective right out of the gate
- Blink - As I mentioned for Kayleigh when I suggested this for her spell list, this spell allows for rapid battlefield movement that would allow Zeus to keep pace with Haste Missy. Combined with either of the Weapon spells, Zeus could use Oni-Lee style tactics of appearing in close-quarters with enemies and shoving its weapon into their bodies, then vanishing if retribution is faster or stronger than expected.
- Shield - Can make Lighting-Immune Shields that can be moved freely. Also works well with Blink as can rapidly move to assist the other mages with a Shield.
- Strike Boost - Improves Missy's Strength/Speed in battle. If we want to give Missy "all the speed" this spell will be required at some point.
- Artifact Spell - My recent answer from Silently states that if Zeus makes a Shield Artifact, it will retain his Lightning Immunity. Therefore, Zeus can equip the entire team with defence from lightning attacks. Would also affect Strike Boost if we chose to get that spell. Having an Artifact spell in Arcana also means another idea I had - essentially a Ritual Artifact Spell - where another mage joins with the Artifact-maker and they can make an Artifact from either of their spell lists. Silently only said we'd have to try it in-story, so it is a definite possibility. Making the Specific Create Shield Artifact also means we can skip having the straight Shield on the spell list, but we potentially loose out on the Boost artifact and the Ritual idea.
- Energy Weapons - This Tech skill fills the missing piece from Beast of the Gear skillset in the form of Hardlight structures. This synergizes with Missy's Lightsaber and Particle Cannon, so with a solo Beast of the Gear we can service both of these Weapons. Would need to be part of a team to build anything substantial, so would potentially add another build slot to the group.
In conclusion, I continue to like the Familiar for the mixture of spells/skills that it offers. This build takes full advantage of the MCA to play a role in combat while also being an excellent provider of support for Missy and Arcana.
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Realign 14.19
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
This was supposed to get written last week. It, uh, did not. Better late than never?
[] FORMALLY bring Standstill on as a liaison between the Protectorate and the Arcana
Realign 14.19
Thursday, August 23
"What do you think? Should I go with the blue dress or the navy pantsuit?"
"I think this is something you should probably ask Kayleigh," you say without hesitation.
Dragon turns around, her fairy form stored securely in the shell of her gynoid body, and all but runs towards Kayleigh. The hangers with the two outfits she asked you about are still dangling from her hands.
Shaking your head, you look back at the screen in front of you and the email it displays.
You are not the only one who has been paying attention to the frantic Tinker. "What are you doing that it even matters?" Laura asks. The question distracts Missy from her probably futile attempts to teach the bright yellow gerbil in front of her how to roll over, and suddenly four pairs of eyes are focused on her.
The owner of the one pair of eyes that is not looking at Dragon lets out a teasing chuckle. "She just wants to look good for her boyfriend," Tim says, stretching the last word out in a childish sing-song.
Dragon whirls around and shoots a glare at him. The synthesized blush that appears on her cheeks tells you what emotion is truly behind it, and you do your best to hold back your snicker. "I do not appreciate what you're implying. I'm presenting at a tech expo this weekend. It's as simple as that."
"Mm-hmm. A tech expo. That just happens to be in Boston. Where your good friend Armsmaster lives."
The snicker escapes as the blush on her face turns darker.
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." Missy waves her hands in front of her as though she cannot believe what she is hearing. "You're dating Armsmaster? Armsmaster knows what a date is? I find that hard to believe."
A long, slow inhale turns into a sigh. "I am not dating Armsmaster," Dragon tells the room in a flat voice.
"But not for lack of trying."
"There is, as I said, an exposition this weekend in Boston for new developments in the computer and gaming fields," she continues, ignoring the comment from the peanut gallery, "and I will be presenting the prototype of the computer I and my new division have been working on. I know I mentioned it to Taylor, but we have created a new type of personal computer with touch-sensitive holographic screen and keyboard. This will be the first time it is shown to the public, and not only will I be showing that it is possible, I will also reveal that it will be purchasable later this year."
"That does sound kind of cool," Laura says after a few seconds.
You shake your head. "Don't get too excited. They aren't all that useful for us since they're based off Device interfaces. Super neat for anyone who doesn't have magic, but we already have something better. No offense, Dragon."
"None taken, of course."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cool and all," Kayleigh tells the room, "but I want to hear more about this relationship with Armsmaster."
"I told you, we aren't—"
"Fine, then this not relationship with Armsmaster." Dragon purses her lips, so Kayleigh swings her eyes to the only source of information that appears willing to talk. "Come on, Tim, help a sister out."
Eyebrows raising, you glance over at Missy who wears a similar expression. "Sister?" she mouths.
"Sorry, but I don't have anything to tell." Dragon nods decisively until Tim continues, "What Dragon does with her body and what dongles she plugs into it are none of my business."
"TIMOTHY!"
That breaks what composure you have left, and you fall backwards off your stool to the ground as you laugh. Another thud a short distance away proves you are not the only one.
"I don't have to put up with this," she says with a dismissive huff. "Taylor, I may ask you to scan a few of my programmers in a week or two. Several of them have expressed interest in the hardware side of things, not just the software."
"Go with the dress!" Kayleigh yells to her as she walks away. "It sounds like you need to hammer it into your man's head that you're a woman!"
"Hmph!"
"I don't know if poking Dragon was a good thing or not," you hear Laura say after the door slams behind the Tinker. A glance to the side reveals that she was the other person who fell to the ground with a case of the giggles. "We might need her help at some point in the future."
"Eh, she's fine." The dismissive wave of Tim's hand reinforces just how unconcerned he is.
You do not bother picking yourself up off the ground. Instead you float into the air and turn until you are reseated. "Since everyone's in a good mood, this is probably the best time to tell you." The smiles on the rest of the team's faces fade. "I got an email from Legend earlier today. Remember what I said last week about how there is a mage in New York who's also a cape? And how he was willing to loan her to us as a liaison due to…" You pause and think about how you want to say this. "…a few interpersonal issues between some of us and some members of the local Protectorate? He let me know that all the major arrangements have been worked through, and she and her Guardian Beast are both ready and willing to come over and start working with us as early as today."
Your team's expressions appear to run the entire spectrum. Kayleigh looks to be happy about getting another teammate. Missy wears a slight frown, though you do not know if it is because of the reminder that neither of you are likely in Chevalier and Miss Militia's good books right now or because she is worried about something else. Laura is the one you are most worried about, and sure enough her face is a blank mask.
"When I let you know this was an option, nobody had much to say for or against," you continue. "Now that you've all had time to think about it, have any concerns come to mind?"
Laura lets out a long, slow breath. "I'll admit that I'm worried about having somebody around who's real job may be to spy on us for the Protectorate or to push us to join up with the Wards. It's going to be hard to trust them."
Missy nods along with Laura's words. Is that the real source of her own concern?
"I can understand that." Without knowing what you do about Standstill, you cannot say you would not have those same thoughts. "I know more about her background, and while I won't tell you everything about her for the same reason I won't tell you all the details about any of you – who knows what about your histories is your decision, not mine – I will say that she was not always a member of the Protectorate, so I doubt she will be trying to recruit us. She has also had her own issues with other Protectorate heroes, and the exact details make me doubt she will be playing the spy."
"Great, instead they're pushing their troublemakers on us."
"That is also not the case. You might appreciate this more than the rest of us, Laura," you continue after hesitating a beat, "but the majority of her own interpersonal issues stem from her previous affiliations outside the Protectorate. If you want any details beyond that, you will need to ask her."
The mask of the ice knight's expression melts into a thoughtful frown. You know that you just implied, maybe somewhat heavily, that Standstill was once a villain, which is not entirely inaccurate. It is also skirting the line of how much of her story you are willing to tell the rest of the Arcana without her permission, though you would not be surprised if this is the lubricant needed to ease her acceptance into the group.
A sound comes from Missy's seat, and you glance over only to find her hand covering her mouth even as her eyes dance with mirth. After a few more attempts at stifling what you now realize is laughter, she lowers her hand only to expose a wide grin. "You know, Taylor, you're starting to make a habit of poaching mages from the Protectorate."
"I am not poaching!" you tell her. Why is everyone assuming that?! It is not as if you set out to steal members of the Protectorate. You are not even specifically targeting them, else you would not have Kayleigh and Laura with you now. Or Tim, for that matter.
Not to mention that for all his dry humor, you do not think Legend would appreciate you pulling her into your circle entirely. He probably wouldn't make a huge fuss, not if she is happier with you than she is with the Protectorate, but not making a fuss is not the same thing as happy.
"Sure you aren't. And I suppose Tim isn't building a Device for her that will coincidentally burn out her current powers?"
"Uh…"
"Strictly speaking, no," Tim chimes in. Of course, after his teasing of Dragon, you do not have much confidence in his help. "Taylor said she has a power that she can no longer tolerate and requested a template. I'm building Devices because Perfect Storm said he could use them to avoid Taylor having to play battery for three days."
Missy laughs again. "Oh yeah, you're just finding mages who have problems with the Protectorate and giving them an alternative team that happens to come with a Device to unlock their full potential. You aren't poaching at all."
You blow out a long breath. You think you understand how Dragon felt just now. "I'm just going to head out now, I think. We'll be back."
The burst of orange light faded as the teleportation brings the three of you back to base. "Ugh," Standstill says, her rapid blinking obvious even through her dark eyeshadow and the holes of her cowl. "That's going to take some getting used to."
You turn away from her to look at the rest of the team, and your small smile falls slightly. In the time it took you to fill out the relatively small amount of paperwork necessary to make this all nice and official, they have decided on their own strategy. Nobody has weapons out, thankfully, but neither are they relaxed. Your teammates are all on their feet and in their Barrier Jackets, their eyes firmly focused on the new arrivals. The only person who is not bothered by their appearance is Tim, who still has his goggle hanging around his neck and is still typing up code of some kind. He looks up at the flash of light and gives you a slight wave before returning to his work.
"I guess it's time to introduce everyone," you say after a moment. "Standstill, these are the other members of the Arcana. On the left is Scathach, then Sailor Shining Shot and over on the right is Scarlet Grimoire. You've already met Samantha." And seriously, there are a lot of S-names on the team. You had not noticed it before, but wow. "Everyone, this is Standstill and her Guardian Beast, Cat Sith."
"Hello, everyone." If she is nervous about this, she is doing a masterful job hiding it. "As Calamity Witch said, I am Standstill. She and Legend offered me the opportunity to serve as a liaison between you and the local Protectorate. My main responsibility is to help ease any tensions between you. When I'm not doing that, my goal is to be as helpful and useful as I can possibly be in your normal routine."
Laura hums thoughtfully and nods, which instantly puts you on guard. What is she about to do? "Nice to meet you. Just to get some of the major concerns out of the way, we have a few questions. We know what Calamity told us you were going to do. We just want to know what you'll actually be doing."
…If nothing else, you tell yourself, she is definitely selling the idea that there is enough distrust between the Arcana and the Protectorate that you need a liaison.
"Whatever questions you have, I'm happy to answer so long as they do not intrude on the privacy of other capes I know."
"The largest concern we have is our own privacy," Missy chimes in. "Having personal details like our identities and details of our powers slipped into Protectorate databases without our knowledge and approval, stuff like that. Some of us have already had to deal with that," she adds with a nod in your direction.
"Or in other words, how do we know you're not a fucking spy?" Laura finishes.
"…Holy shit," Standstill mutters under her breath. Squaring her shoulders, she looks between the two mages. "I heard… a little about that." Considering you told Legend that was the one condition you had about her working with you, you bet she did, though you have to wonder just how much Legend told her about what happened. Does she know it was specifically your age that Chevalier put in your file, or did Legend only tell her generally that you information going into their system was a concern? Or is she just surprised at how vehement their accusation is? "In your shoes, I would have a healthy amount of concern and distrust for the Protectorate just like you do. I'd promise you that I am not going to do that, but I bet words alone won't be enough, will they?"
Missy and Laura shake their heads almost in sync.
"I can understand that. The short answer is that I can't give you any physical proof that I'm not a spy. It's really hard to prove a negative. What I will tell you, though, is that what information you want to give me about yourself is entirely your decision, and it will stay between us. I'm not going to be doing any digging or sending that information to anybody outside this group. If you decide that you can't risk trusting me with anything personal, I won't be offended. Sad, but not offended. The last thing I want is to cause you any more problems than you're already dealing with." She turns her head to look at you for a long few seconds before returning her gaze to the group. "I also won't deny that there is an imbalance of information. The Protectorate knows more about your group than you want. I can't undo that, but I can hopefully try to rebalance it a little."
Before you can wonder what she means, she reaches up and pulls off her cowled mask.
"Out in the field, call me Standstill. If I get a Device and change my name, I'll let you know. When we're out of costume or it's just us, feel free to call me Sarah." She shrugs and gives everyone a weak smile. It is obvious, at least to you, that this was not part of the script.
Kayleigh steps forward, whacking Laura on the shoulder as she passes, and her overlarge sunglasses disappear in a flash of light. "These two might not want to return the favor, but I'm Kayleigh. Nice to meet you."
The smile on Standstill's – Sarah's – face turns genuine. "Nice to meet you, too." She flicks her eyes at Laura and Missy and spreads her hands.
"Any other questions? I'm at your disposal."
Standstill and Cat Sith's character sheets moved from "Allies" to "Arcana".
Now's a great time to plan out Tim's build plan for the upcoming week. You have SIX slots to work with.
[] FORMALLY bring Standstill on as a liaison between the Protectorate and the Arcana
Realign 14.19
Thursday, August 23
"What do you think? Should I go with the blue dress or the navy pantsuit?"
"I think this is something you should probably ask Kayleigh," you say without hesitation.
Dragon turns around, her fairy form stored securely in the shell of her gynoid body, and all but runs towards Kayleigh. The hangers with the two outfits she asked you about are still dangling from her hands.
Shaking your head, you look back at the screen in front of you and the email it displays.
You are not the only one who has been paying attention to the frantic Tinker. "What are you doing that it even matters?" Laura asks. The question distracts Missy from her probably futile attempts to teach the bright yellow gerbil in front of her how to roll over, and suddenly four pairs of eyes are focused on her.
The owner of the one pair of eyes that is not looking at Dragon lets out a teasing chuckle. "She just wants to look good for her boyfriend," Tim says, stretching the last word out in a childish sing-song.
Dragon whirls around and shoots a glare at him. The synthesized blush that appears on her cheeks tells you what emotion is truly behind it, and you do your best to hold back your snicker. "I do not appreciate what you're implying. I'm presenting at a tech expo this weekend. It's as simple as that."
"Mm-hmm. A tech expo. That just happens to be in Boston. Where your good friend Armsmaster lives."
The snicker escapes as the blush on her face turns darker.
"Wait. Wait, wait, wait." Missy waves her hands in front of her as though she cannot believe what she is hearing. "You're dating Armsmaster? Armsmaster knows what a date is? I find that hard to believe."
A long, slow inhale turns into a sigh. "I am not dating Armsmaster," Dragon tells the room in a flat voice.
"But not for lack of trying."
"There is, as I said, an exposition this weekend in Boston for new developments in the computer and gaming fields," she continues, ignoring the comment from the peanut gallery, "and I will be presenting the prototype of the computer I and my new division have been working on. I know I mentioned it to Taylor, but we have created a new type of personal computer with touch-sensitive holographic screen and keyboard. This will be the first time it is shown to the public, and not only will I be showing that it is possible, I will also reveal that it will be purchasable later this year."
"That does sound kind of cool," Laura says after a few seconds.
You shake your head. "Don't get too excited. They aren't all that useful for us since they're based off Device interfaces. Super neat for anyone who doesn't have magic, but we already have something better. No offense, Dragon."
"None taken, of course."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's cool and all," Kayleigh tells the room, "but I want to hear more about this relationship with Armsmaster."
"I told you, we aren't—"
"Fine, then this not relationship with Armsmaster." Dragon purses her lips, so Kayleigh swings her eyes to the only source of information that appears willing to talk. "Come on, Tim, help a sister out."
Eyebrows raising, you glance over at Missy who wears a similar expression. "Sister?" she mouths.
"Sorry, but I don't have anything to tell." Dragon nods decisively until Tim continues, "What Dragon does with her body and what dongles she plugs into it are none of my business."
"TIMOTHY!"
That breaks what composure you have left, and you fall backwards off your stool to the ground as you laugh. Another thud a short distance away proves you are not the only one.
"I don't have to put up with this," she says with a dismissive huff. "Taylor, I may ask you to scan a few of my programmers in a week or two. Several of them have expressed interest in the hardware side of things, not just the software."
"Go with the dress!" Kayleigh yells to her as she walks away. "It sounds like you need to hammer it into your man's head that you're a woman!"
"Hmph!"
"I don't know if poking Dragon was a good thing or not," you hear Laura say after the door slams behind the Tinker. A glance to the side reveals that she was the other person who fell to the ground with a case of the giggles. "We might need her help at some point in the future."
"Eh, she's fine." The dismissive wave of Tim's hand reinforces just how unconcerned he is.
You do not bother picking yourself up off the ground. Instead you float into the air and turn until you are reseated. "Since everyone's in a good mood, this is probably the best time to tell you." The smiles on the rest of the team's faces fade. "I got an email from Legend earlier today. Remember what I said last week about how there is a mage in New York who's also a cape? And how he was willing to loan her to us as a liaison due to…" You pause and think about how you want to say this. "…a few interpersonal issues between some of us and some members of the local Protectorate? He let me know that all the major arrangements have been worked through, and she and her Guardian Beast are both ready and willing to come over and start working with us as early as today."
Your team's expressions appear to run the entire spectrum. Kayleigh looks to be happy about getting another teammate. Missy wears a slight frown, though you do not know if it is because of the reminder that neither of you are likely in Chevalier and Miss Militia's good books right now or because she is worried about something else. Laura is the one you are most worried about, and sure enough her face is a blank mask.
"When I let you know this was an option, nobody had much to say for or against," you continue. "Now that you've all had time to think about it, have any concerns come to mind?"
Laura lets out a long, slow breath. "I'll admit that I'm worried about having somebody around who's real job may be to spy on us for the Protectorate or to push us to join up with the Wards. It's going to be hard to trust them."
Missy nods along with Laura's words. Is that the real source of her own concern?
"I can understand that." Without knowing what you do about Standstill, you cannot say you would not have those same thoughts. "I know more about her background, and while I won't tell you everything about her for the same reason I won't tell you all the details about any of you – who knows what about your histories is your decision, not mine – I will say that she was not always a member of the Protectorate, so I doubt she will be trying to recruit us. She has also had her own issues with other Protectorate heroes, and the exact details make me doubt she will be playing the spy."
"Great, instead they're pushing their troublemakers on us."
"That is also not the case. You might appreciate this more than the rest of us, Laura," you continue after hesitating a beat, "but the majority of her own interpersonal issues stem from her previous affiliations outside the Protectorate. If you want any details beyond that, you will need to ask her."
The mask of the ice knight's expression melts into a thoughtful frown. You know that you just implied, maybe somewhat heavily, that Standstill was once a villain, which is not entirely inaccurate. It is also skirting the line of how much of her story you are willing to tell the rest of the Arcana without her permission, though you would not be surprised if this is the lubricant needed to ease her acceptance into the group.
A sound comes from Missy's seat, and you glance over only to find her hand covering her mouth even as her eyes dance with mirth. After a few more attempts at stifling what you now realize is laughter, she lowers her hand only to expose a wide grin. "You know, Taylor, you're starting to make a habit of poaching mages from the Protectorate."
"I am not poaching!" you tell her. Why is everyone assuming that?! It is not as if you set out to steal members of the Protectorate. You are not even specifically targeting them, else you would not have Kayleigh and Laura with you now. Or Tim, for that matter.
Not to mention that for all his dry humor, you do not think Legend would appreciate you pulling her into your circle entirely. He probably wouldn't make a huge fuss, not if she is happier with you than she is with the Protectorate, but not making a fuss is not the same thing as happy.
"Sure you aren't. And I suppose Tim isn't building a Device for her that will coincidentally burn out her current powers?"
"Uh…"
"Strictly speaking, no," Tim chimes in. Of course, after his teasing of Dragon, you do not have much confidence in his help. "Taylor said she has a power that she can no longer tolerate and requested a template. I'm building Devices because Perfect Storm said he could use them to avoid Taylor having to play battery for three days."
Missy laughs again. "Oh yeah, you're just finding mages who have problems with the Protectorate and giving them an alternative team that happens to come with a Device to unlock their full potential. You aren't poaching at all."
You blow out a long breath. You think you understand how Dragon felt just now. "I'm just going to head out now, I think. We'll be back."
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The burst of orange light faded as the teleportation brings the three of you back to base. "Ugh," Standstill says, her rapid blinking obvious even through her dark eyeshadow and the holes of her cowl. "That's going to take some getting used to."
You turn away from her to look at the rest of the team, and your small smile falls slightly. In the time it took you to fill out the relatively small amount of paperwork necessary to make this all nice and official, they have decided on their own strategy. Nobody has weapons out, thankfully, but neither are they relaxed. Your teammates are all on their feet and in their Barrier Jackets, their eyes firmly focused on the new arrivals. The only person who is not bothered by their appearance is Tim, who still has his goggle hanging around his neck and is still typing up code of some kind. He looks up at the flash of light and gives you a slight wave before returning to his work.
"I guess it's time to introduce everyone," you say after a moment. "Standstill, these are the other members of the Arcana. On the left is Scathach, then Sailor Shining Shot and over on the right is Scarlet Grimoire. You've already met Samantha." And seriously, there are a lot of S-names on the team. You had not noticed it before, but wow. "Everyone, this is Standstill and her Guardian Beast, Cat Sith."
"Hello, everyone." If she is nervous about this, she is doing a masterful job hiding it. "As Calamity Witch said, I am Standstill. She and Legend offered me the opportunity to serve as a liaison between you and the local Protectorate. My main responsibility is to help ease any tensions between you. When I'm not doing that, my goal is to be as helpful and useful as I can possibly be in your normal routine."
Laura hums thoughtfully and nods, which instantly puts you on guard. What is she about to do? "Nice to meet you. Just to get some of the major concerns out of the way, we have a few questions. We know what Calamity told us you were going to do. We just want to know what you'll actually be doing."
…If nothing else, you tell yourself, she is definitely selling the idea that there is enough distrust between the Arcana and the Protectorate that you need a liaison.
"Whatever questions you have, I'm happy to answer so long as they do not intrude on the privacy of other capes I know."
"The largest concern we have is our own privacy," Missy chimes in. "Having personal details like our identities and details of our powers slipped into Protectorate databases without our knowledge and approval, stuff like that. Some of us have already had to deal with that," she adds with a nod in your direction.
"Or in other words, how do we know you're not a fucking spy?" Laura finishes.
"…Holy shit," Standstill mutters under her breath. Squaring her shoulders, she looks between the two mages. "I heard… a little about that." Considering you told Legend that was the one condition you had about her working with you, you bet she did, though you have to wonder just how much Legend told her about what happened. Does she know it was specifically your age that Chevalier put in your file, or did Legend only tell her generally that you information going into their system was a concern? Or is she just surprised at how vehement their accusation is? "In your shoes, I would have a healthy amount of concern and distrust for the Protectorate just like you do. I'd promise you that I am not going to do that, but I bet words alone won't be enough, will they?"
Missy and Laura shake their heads almost in sync.
"I can understand that. The short answer is that I can't give you any physical proof that I'm not a spy. It's really hard to prove a negative. What I will tell you, though, is that what information you want to give me about yourself is entirely your decision, and it will stay between us. I'm not going to be doing any digging or sending that information to anybody outside this group. If you decide that you can't risk trusting me with anything personal, I won't be offended. Sad, but not offended. The last thing I want is to cause you any more problems than you're already dealing with." She turns her head to look at you for a long few seconds before returning her gaze to the group. "I also won't deny that there is an imbalance of information. The Protectorate knows more about your group than you want. I can't undo that, but I can hopefully try to rebalance it a little."
Before you can wonder what she means, she reaches up and pulls off her cowled mask.
"Out in the field, call me Standstill. If I get a Device and change my name, I'll let you know. When we're out of costume or it's just us, feel free to call me Sarah." She shrugs and gives everyone a weak smile. It is obvious, at least to you, that this was not part of the script.
Kayleigh steps forward, whacking Laura on the shoulder as she passes, and her overlarge sunglasses disappear in a flash of light. "These two might not want to return the favor, but I'm Kayleigh. Nice to meet you."
The smile on Standstill's – Sarah's – face turns genuine. "Nice to meet you, too." She flicks her eyes at Laura and Missy and spreads her hands.
"Any other questions? I'm at your disposal."
Standstill and Cat Sith's character sheets moved from "Allies" to "Arcana".
Now's a great time to plan out Tim's build plan for the upcoming week. You have SIX slots to work with.
- Supervise the PRT's Gears (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
- Help out the Enforcers (max 6 slots, 1 tech point for every 3 slots)
- Pop Grey Boy's bubbles (max 4 slots, 3 bubbles per slot, 0 tech points)
- Resurgerize Missy and adapt her old arms (2 slots, 0 tech points)
- Build advanced Devices to fuel a template's construction (2 slots each, 1 tech point each, max 6 slots)
- Upgrade the Storage Devices of the aerial Operation Pentagram mages to advanced Devices (1 slot each, 0 tech points, max 6 slots)
- Build a pair of teleportation portals as proofs of concept (6 slots, 2 tech points)
- Build a drone to spy on the Earth Gimel world and learn the local language (2 slots, 1 tech point)
- Analyze Sparky's cannon (3 slots, 1 tech point)
- Something else from the "Ideas for Tim to Build" threadmark
- Write-in (subject to my approval)
- Focus on elemental bullets
- Specific element (optional)
- Focus on specialty bullets
- Specific specialty (optional)
- Work on both types of bullets
- Specific rounds (optional)
- Make a new type of round (caliber or effect)
- Details needed