Ah, the rocket punch. A detachable, thruster-powered fist sounds like a joke until it hits you at near Mach 1. It can then be retracted thanks to a chain connecting it to the forearm. You cannot mount any other weapons on the hand, though.
Would it be possible to put Hardlight Spikes on a Rocket Punch hand, so that while extended it can be utilized as a spiky Morning Star/Flail? I know the descriptions say "no other weapons on the hand" and "on the legs" but I'm hoping the Rule of Cool might override that?
Would it be possible to put Hardlight Spikes on a Rocket Punch hand, so that while extended it can be utilized as a spiky Morning Star/Flail? I know the descriptions say "no other weapons on the hand" and "on the legs" but I'm hoping the Rule of Cool might override that?
Ehh... maybe if they're REALLY small? I would definitely allow it if we were just talking about the head of a flail, but a mechanical hand has a lot of internal pieces that the spike projectors would have to fit between.
Ehh... maybe if they're REALLY small? I would definitely allow it if we were just talking about the head of a flail, but a mechanical hand has a lot of internal pieces that the spike projectors would have to fit between.
Alright, I haven't really been active here recently. Burned out on a lot of things and just didn't have the energy to think that hard about where I'd like to see things go when I first saw @kamkong's post about hover bikes and unison devices.
Hover Bike:
I'm nominally in favor, but as I've said before, I'd to kit Kayleigh out with more of the basics first before focusing on research projects like the Nanite Cannon and Ziz's corpse (the former of which we're doing this turn, so cool) and knuckling down on building some of the bigger guns for Endbringer fights. A Hover bike could be part of the buildup for the latter, or something to make for her in an odd space between other major projects. As a personal note, given the mutually exclusive propulsion systems, I'd vote for Thrusters over Anti-Grav, since she already has the harness, and this thing would be more for speed. For weapons... Ehhh... not really sure, but possibly some sort of Magic DEW that she could dial the output of to make it viable for strafing runs for a range of targets. If we think she needs anything specialized we can always build her another gun to add to her kit.
Unison Device:
I'm... torn. Even with a 99% sync rate, Kayleigh is still going to have a very limited unison duration thanks to her small core size (I'm not even sure if a D-Rank core could handle a Unison without Mana Poisoning-type consequences). On the other hand, if we can customize a unison device enough, we might be able to give it tech-construction abilities to save having to make Kayleigh a Gear-GB. I'm not sure if @Silently Watches would let us meta things that much though...
Alright, I haven't really been active here recently. Burned out on a lot of things and just didn't have the energy to think that hard about where I'd like to see things go when I first saw @kamkong's post about hover bikes and unison devices.
I'm sorry to hear about your burnout and I hope you feel better. You absolutely don't have to respond to my inquiries, but you've been very informative and logical in your critiques so I'd hoped you would again.
As a personal note, given the mutually exclusive propulsion systems, I'd vote for Thrusters over Anti-Grav, since she already has the harness, and this thing would be more for speed.
I don't think the two propulsion systems are mutually exclusive, but I could be wrong. So essentially you'd want some way to hook Kayleigh's existing Anti-gravity harness into the Bike? I'm not sure if that'd work and I just think that flight and hovering is kind of essential to go along with the rest of Arcana, since all the other members have Flight spells to maneuver. It's also because, as you said, we can build other weapons for Kayleigh as well, but mage-equivalent flight is pretty important so those build slots on the armour would be put to good use.
For weapons... Ehhh... not really sure, but possibly some sort of Magic DEW that she could dial the output of to make it viable for strafing runs for a range of targets. If we think she needs anything specialized we can always build her another gun to add to her kit.
Yeah, thinking about it now, I'd probably go for the Thermal Beams with an diffusion setting, so they can be refined for "cutting through walls" or dispersed for a low intensity microwave attack (heat up weapons, piercings, hair, etc.) to deal with crowds or for low-intensity takedowns.
I'm pretty sure that the only factor regarding unison duration is the Sync rate, since the UD has a equivalent to a Linker Core. 99% sync is ten minutes, I believe? I know that 1% is six seconds.
(6*98)/60 = 9.8 minutes if the math is right.
Considering the build tab says "Unison Device. 5 slots, plus vote to determine spell list." As well as the existence of Dragon, an all Tech-based UD is entirely possible but,...Why? The only Guardian Beast Kayleigh can make is a Gear, so it's already a guaranteed Tech build. What is your spell list for Kayleigh that would exclude Guardian Beast and what is your argument for it (because I currently will be voting for her to get a Guardian Beast in the next Device spell vote). If your preference is for Kayleigh to get a Familiar or an Iron Defender, what would you want them to do?
Meanwhile, a Unison Device is uniquely beneficial, especially to a D-rank mage by providing even more spells she could not learn on her own, and I like to think that the Spell/Skill list I provided was well thought-out and would function to improve Kayleigh in several area (including a bit of Tech).
@Silently Watches has consistently shot down inquiries on combineing thruster and anti-gravity propulsion for things like power armor and Kayleigh's flight harness. This is because both systems provide flight, but trade off on speed and maneuverability, and they don't want us gaming the system like that. Hovering is also well within the realm of capability for thrusters, so long as the bike is designed with its thruster/repulsor pods to be articulated to swivel at multiple angles.
Turbo-fan variants, but we could certainly swap them out for better, more compact reaction-thrusters or repulsors when actually building it.
If Kerbals can do it, Tim certainly can.
Kayleight using the bike or her flight harness would probably end up being an either/or thing, where she can use the bike to get somewhere fast or zoom around a large engagement zone faster than most can track her, or use her anti-grav harness to float around and attack from all the odd and unexpected angles, like the ceiling or crouched on the side of a skyscraper.
Unison:
As I said I'm torn on it, even with Kayleigh being able to maintain Unison without penalties. My biggest concern with her supporting a Guardian Beast is the sustained mana-cost, since even with Silently Watches keeping track of ammo production now, I can't help but feel like supporting a GB would still lower her production, possibly detrimentally if we start developing "too many" ammo types for her to make.
As for a non-GB kayleigh, according to the Non-Template Mage Threadmark, she only has six spells/abilities she can learn, so probably something like...
What she already has:
-1) Gun Nut – By combining her knowledge of firearms and magic, she can condense mana into semi-stable bullets with magical effects. She can produce 15 elemental pistol bullets or 8 non-elemental pistol bullets per day.
-2) Sprint – Increases her personal speed to three times normal. Effect lasts 20 seconds as she experiences it.
-o-o-o-o-o-
What I'd like to get her:
3) Maintenance I – Repair manatech built with a basic tier tech skill despite not being able to build it. (Something a Gear-GB could do, but see my concerns above for why I'm not entirely sold on that idea)
4) Blink – Line of sight teleport. (Something to help with infiltration of areas she can't simply fly into but can see [such as something on the other side of a window or bars] or a short range "Oh Crap" teleport to get her out of the way of powerful attacks, charging brutes, or Endbringers if she's particularly unlucky)
5) Cover – Turns the caster invisible. (Sniping from a distance is all well and good, but it's even better if an eagle eyed opponent still can't spot you from the window you're standing on 20-stories up from a mile away)
6) [Spells that enhance some attribute of the caster, such as strength or speed Ranged attack power] - (Something like Barret Boost, but that Kayleigh can use on her own ammo in case she runs into a situation where she needs a little extra oomph. Maybe call it "Overcharge" or something)
@Silently Watches has consistently shot down inquiries on combineing thruster and anti-gravity propulsion for things like power armor and Kayleigh's flight harness. This is because both systems provide flight, but trade off on speed and maneuverability, and they don't want us gaming the system like that. Hovering is also well within the realm of capability for thrusters, so long as the bike is designed with its thruster/repulsor pods to be articulated to swivel at multiple angles
I'm honestly at a point where my mindset is "Sure, fuck it, whatever" about this. People want both anti grav and thrusters, fine. I don't see a benefit to having both, and they'll both count against power supply so that's one fewer other thing it can do, but this not a hill I'm going to die on.
@Silently Watches has consistently shot down inquiries on combineing thruster and anti-gravity propulsion for things like power armor and Kayleigh's flight harness. This is because both systems provide flight, but trade off on speed and maneuverability, and they don't want us gaming the system like that. Hovering is also well within the realm of capability for thrusters, so long as the bike is designed with its thruster/repulsor pods to be articulated to swivel at multiple angles.
Okay, I did not know that. I've skimmed some of the "between" sections of this forum, but I've obviously missed alot. Then yes, Articulated Thrusters would be my choice for the Hoverbike.
Neat listing. If my UD idea ever became a reality, I'd probably use your Overcharge spell for the fourth spell in the list. Here's my four spells for Kayleigh.
Guardian Beast - The why has been constantly expressed, so I won't go into it
Wide Area Search - Great for shooting as it gives a full map of the area as well as targets and their movements within. Also will pair with...
Blink - Silently confirmed that line-of-sight means any area scanned by WAS (like how Cailleach could Ice Bomb the Maras through the wall). So Blink's range is expanded to include concealed areas to improve the infiltration and escape parts of this spell you listed.
The reason I gave the UD Cover for my listing was because I came up with something for Kayleigh 4th slot that I would've run by Silently before proposing on a vote
Gun Fu - Through the power of magic and anime, Kayleigh can affect the physics of her bullets for unbelievable shots.
Essentially it'd be like Gun Nut, where we can use XP to purchase weakened upgrades for the bullets being fired. Things like Curving Bullets, Triple-Bounce Bullet, Split Bullet, etc.
Ehh... maybe if they're REALLY small? I would definitely allow it if we were just talking about the head of a flail, but a mechanical hand has a lot of internal pieces that the spike projectors would have to fit between.
I'm honestly at a point where my mindset is "Sure, fuck it, whatever" about this. People want both anti grav and thrusters, fine. I don't see a benefit to having both, and they'll both count against power supply so that's one fewer other thing it can do, but this not a hill I'm going to die on.
I think the issue is a balance between narrative effects and what we would like to have for ourselves. Combining thrust and antigrav would give you far more control than the antigrav, but by reducing the weight through the antigrav, you increase the effectiveness of the thrust. In some ways, it's like a bird's flight, which is two steps. The first part of the beat, the wing is held horizontal to flap down, producing almost entirely upward thrust. It is the second beat, with the wing angled vertically, as it presses back to reset the stroke, that provides the forward thrust.
I've had most of an omake in my head for sometime that makes use of the difference between gravity control and flight via thrust, but can't manage to get it out of my head and into my computer without mangling it beyond all recognition. Usually, action and setting come far more easily to me than dialogue, so I was trying to focus on what I'm good at, but I have to have the luck of it being clear in my head occurring at the same time as being able to write to get anything done.
Unison Device:
I'm... torn. Even with a 99% sync rate, Kayleigh is still going to have a very limited unison duration thanks to her small core size (I'm not even sure if a D-Rank core could handle a Unison without Mana Poisoning-type consequences). On the other hand, if we can customize a unison device enough, we might be able to give it tech-construction abilities to save having to make Kayleigh a Gear-GB. I'm not sure if @Silently Watches would let us meta things that much though...
I'm not sure if I'm forgetting something here, but didn't @Silently Watches say that core size was irrelevant for synchronizing with an UD? I'm pretty sure s/he also said that a UD would not be giving somebody mana poisoning because their mana wouldn't be running through the host's LC. If I'm recalling at all correctly, the discussion I'm thinking of was wa~ay back, far enough back that SW may have changed the rules entirely in regards to UDs.
I'm not sure if I'm forgetting something here, but didn't @Silently Watches say that core size was irrelevant for synchronizing with an UD? I'm pretty sure s/he also said that a UD would not be giving somebody mana poisoning because their mana wouldn't be running through the host's LC. If I'm recalling at all correctly, the discussion I'm thinking of was wa~ay back, far enough back that SW may have changed the rules entirely in regards to UDs.
Does the injection expansion count as an active slot for a prothetic? Or is it bundled in with the mechashift syringes for the slot (since it's basically just extra storage space for fluids)?
The knee thruster, despite its name, is not part of the knee. It is a gravitic thruster mounted at the calf that rockets the knee upwards at high speed. It is limited to medium and heavy legs because without armor plating, you would do just as much damage to the prosthetic as the target.
Does the injection expansion count as an active slot for a prothetic? Or is it bundled in with the mechashift syringes for the slot (since it's basically just extra storage space for fluids)?
If you read the entirety of the description, it says specifically that it isn't in the knee. It's in the calf. So if you wanted to do this in an arm prosthetic, you'd again be using the forearm.
The knee thruster, despite its name, is not part of the knee. It is a gravitic thruster mounted at the calf that rockets the knee upwards at high speed. It is limited to medium and heavy legs because without armor plating, you would do just as much damage to the prosthetic as the target.
Hybrid mass-magic weapons are considered barbaric within TSAB space, to the point that their sale and use is restricted and those people who do choose to carry them have to be specifically licensed and monitored.
It's a good thing for anybody who wants to pursue magical gunslinging that Earth Bet is not part of the TSAB.
With the Gun Nut skill and a magical bullet press, Kayleigh has everything she needs to make basic magical bullets. There is far more potential in magic-based ammunition than the skill on its own can achieve, however. To truly become a goddess of the gun, you will need to invest her XP* into maximizing her potential.
ELEMENTAL AMMUNITION
The most basic of magical bullets, these can be fairly small caliber rounds and can be made relatively easily.
Fire rounds
Blizzard rounds
Thunder round
Cloud rounds (bullet explodes into a cloud of chaff) — 1 XP
Knockback rounds — 1 XP
Doom rounds (prevent magical or parahuman healing) — 2 XP
Volley rounds (bullet splits apart into multiple flechettes) — 2 XP
EXOTIC AMMUNITION
These bullets have stranger effects, and that means they need more magic to make and fewer can be made at one time.
Explosive rounds
Gravity rounds
Tracking rounds
Rust rounds
Cure rounds — 1 XP
Invisibility rounds — 1 XP
Time stop rounds — 2 XP
Banish rounds (shunt target to another dimension) — 4 XP
Polymorph rounds (transform living target into another creature) — 4 XP
The caliber of the rounds depends on the gun they are made for, so if you wind up giving Kayleigh a grenade launcher or assault rifle or something, you'll have rounds of the same type but different calibers and tracked separately.
Obviously these are not ALL the kinds of bullets you can make, but they should be enough ideas to get you started. Feel free to propose more ideas as they come to you.
* A Gadgeteer's, Beast of the Gear's, or other magi-engineer's build slots can also be used to research new bullet types. For this purpose XP and build slots are interchangeable and can even be combined. A build slot used in this way will NOT grant XP.
She currently has 2 xp.
So we could invest in some new bullets now.
I'd suggest maybe healing, knockback to give her space, cloud, or possibly time stop if we don't want to save up for blinking or a Gear Beast.
Would cloud also work as a smoke bomb?
Invisibility rounds can be such a troll. Make cover 'disappear' or the opponent's weapon.
Or a wall.
She currently has 2 xp.
So we could invest in some new bullets now.
I'd suggest maybe healing, knockback to give her space, cloud, or possibly time stop if we don't want to save up for blinking or a Gear Beast.
With the ability to use a Gear Beast's Build Slots with or instead of XP, it would be far more efficient to get that Beast ASAP and start using those Slots to pick up the new bullets.
With the ability to use a Gear Beast's Build Slots with or instead of XP, it would be far more efficient to get that Beast ASAP and start using those Slots to pick up the new bullets.
