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Marked for Death: A Rational Naruto Quest

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Radvic said:
What would you think to including a section in "Building Goodwill" where we offered a storage seal or two? Maybe casually mention that it's not a big deal to us, we can always make more. (Build up sense of wonder about us, make us seem stronger, imply more strength, do another nice thing for them, and also make them consider talking to us about the summon scroll if they don't have a sealmaster).
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Sounds devious, it gets my approval.
 
Sleeps Furiously said:
@eaglejarl, @Velorien, @Jackercracks, this is probably a crazy question, but does Kagome have any defensive seals that do not result (either directly or in chain with other seals) in explosions and dismemberment? Alarm seals, misdirection seals, this-place-looks-stupid-and-if-anyone-was-hiding-here-I-bet-they're-stupid-screw-this-I'm-out-*mic-drop* seals?

@Radvic, some suggestions I have for Village Get:
  • For Gaining the Elder's Trust, add that if the elders/senior ninja seem interested in the outside world, talk it up. But probably they'll tend to be on the isolationist side, in which case talk up how much we can help keep them hidden from the rest of the world.
  • Under Prepare for the Worst, we should add that if we hear an explosive seal, assume we are under attack from the Village. Everyone should have at least one on them to use defensively/as a signal (I think we already do?). Have a place to gather and escape routes planned. Also, we should maintain our discipline from the last plan on not going anywhere alone.
This last one seems to me like it goes with how the plan was worded, and just makes this detail explicit, but it may be more controversial as a change:
  • In Staying Around, add that if the village authorities cannot be persuaded to let us stay, this is not a violent take over attempt, so we leave (using stealth skills once we're back out in the world to make sure they don't follow us) and then go with the highest voted scroll-stealing plan instead.
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I like all of these aside from the whole "this is not a violent take over attempt," mostly because it kind of is, but I could be convinced otherwise. Afterall, when I wrote this, I assumed we could trivially take all of their ninja in open combat if they ambushed us. That's probably no longer true. If Staying Around doesn't work out, then presumably we'll have another vote? I could throw a few more arguments into Staying Around for if the elders aren't keen on it. But I presume we'd have another vote if that part failed. I'll make the edits on my lunch break today (~4 hours) and also potentially add a section about storage seals depending on what the group consensus is on that).

Twofold said:
@Radvic @HyperCatnip I suggest you guys add talking to the tapirs somewhere in your plan. It's just too good of an opportunity to let pass.
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Might as well. I'll put something in about it when I update the plan. I'll also make the introduction to the plan sound slightly less evil, since we can't actually slaughter the whole village using just Taijutsu.
 
MadScientist said:
I honestly don't see a difference. I just linked vacuum blades because I could remember the name.

Besides, he probably didn't develop it himself, given that Kishimoto hates weapon use with the burning passion of ten thousand supernovae and so we rarely see any weapon use and even more rarely does it actually do anything. So we don't have a large enough sample size to say what most people use, we just know that there are multiple jutsu that do it.
And a guy as busy as Danzo doesn't strike me as the "spend loads of time inventing unique jutsu that do exactly the same thing as readily available jutsu that my allies already know and are happy to teach me" type.
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It always struck me as him inventing a more powerful/useful version. Remember, it was applicable to shuriken and enhanced speed. Mari can probably teach regular wind enhancement anways.
 
Muer'ci said:
Itachi and Sasuke have the Susanoo as well...

Clearly we shall reach the S-rank by learning how to breath (or not breath) underground, training Hiding like a Mole to absurd levels and prob. piling MEW on top of our hiding spot. And several other spots. While we sneak away, just to be sure.
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Or... Our children have a one in 32 chance of developing the sharingan. What if we just spit out Hazouetes until one of the brats awakens his. Then we gouge out his eyes and wear them as our own.
 
Sleeps Furiously said:
@eaglejarl, @Velorien, @Jackercracks, this is probably a crazy question, but does Kagome have any defensive seals that do not result (either directly or in chain with other seals) in explosions and dismemberment? Alarm seals, misdirection seals, this-place-looks-stupid-and-if-anyone-was-hiding-here-I-bet-they're-stupid-screw-this-I'm-out-*mic-drop* seals?
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If pressed, he reluctantly mutters something about barrier seals that don't automatically kill people trying to break them, along with a "What was I thinking?"

MadScientist said:
There are a few canonical jutsu that, instead of infusing chakra into the blade, surround the blade with chakra letting it imitate a chakra blade.

We were discussing wind jutsu, but Itachi, for example, uses a fire jutsu that does the same thing: Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson.
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I see. Worth noting, though, that we never see a technique of this type lasting for more than a couple of seconds.
 
Velorien said:
If pressed, he reluctantly mutters something about barrier seals that don't automatically kill people trying to break them, along with a "What was I thinking?"
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Was he thinking, "Uh oh. Looks like I'm surrounded by 10 ninja that I outclass individually, but I can't take this whole group on. Whoops! No, wait, it looks like three of you are trapped inside of this barrier with me. Well, how unfortunate for you."?

Because that's totally what I'm thinking right now.

(I'm also thinking of using it as the cover for a pit or rock-fall trap, where if someone tries to deactivate the seals in an area, they'll also turn this one off and the trap happens. But I don't know if it would be usable for that without serious modification.)
 
Sleeps Furiously said:
Was he thinking, "Uh oh. Looks like I'm surrounded by 10 ninja that I outclass individually, but I can't take this whole group on. Whoops! No, wait, it looks like three of you are trapped inside of this barrier with me. Well, how unfortunate for you."?

Because that's totally what I'm thinking right now.

(I'm also thinking of using it as the cover for a pit or rock-fall trap, where if someone tries to deactivate the seals in an area, they'll also turn this one off and the trap happens. But I don't know if it would be usable for that without serious modification.)
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More likely he was thinking, "Great now I need to kill these three before their buddies break in and kill me. If only the barrier was booby trapped so that at worst 5 of them could get me.


Stinking Stinkers"
 
Velorien said:
If Jiraiya felt he didn't have an overwhelming advantage in taijutsu, he'd just have dropped a giant frog on your head or something.

It seems strange to me how preoccupied you guys are with the group combat rules, when even in canon all but two ninja constantly rely on ninjutsu or other force multipliers to overcome dangerous enemy groups. Straight taijutsu vs taijutsu combat (or weapons, or whatever) is the last resort of the genin with no better tricks up their sleeve.

The current (trial) ruleset is based on a player's suggestion which we accepted (with modifications) because it was a good simulation that did not require extensive work from the QM side during battles. We will listen to alternative proposals if they're better - but as with the combat style vote, they need to be more effective and/or simpler than the current system.

RE katanas, that's probably too specialised. You'd be better off having a general overhaul of the Taijutsu/Weapons system to define differences between melee and other weapons, and I'm not sure how much you'd gain in exchange for the increased complexity.
Absolutely.
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Uhh except he was keeping his identity secret then, so no frog stuff in that fight. Meaning it was overwhelming taijutsu confidence alone?
 
So we have a few plans and people have cast their votes. What are we looking at for time and what plan might be enacted? We might have time for more debates to try and sway the vote.
 
Plan Heist updated. Additions are underlined.
HyperCatnip said:
[X] Plan Heist
  • Noburi continues to gather rumors about the scroll;
  • Keiko prepares escape plan;
  • Akane makes traps that are intended to slow down pursuit and cover our tracks; Noburi contributes red herring style medical concoctions;
  • Hazou and Kagome prepare some seals;
  • All team members attempt to covertly communicate with tapirs;
    • Show Kagome Yuni seals, ask for his counsel;
  • Mari, Keiko, Hazou and Kagome steal the scroll:
    • Kagome keeps an eye on traps and seals both on the scroll and around it. Curent generation of ninjas in the village sucks, sure, but their ancestors could be much more powerful and canny.
    • Don't try to succeed at the first try no matter the cost: if security seems too tight, gather information and retreat to plan and prepare countermeasures.
    • If feasible, steal scroll in two steps: first make a good look to be able to produce convincing replica (seal blank without infusion), then come again and switch the scrolls.
  • After stealing the scroll, our team flees using the evasive maneuvers we practiced while fleeing Iron.
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Voting closes in about 24 hours. Here are the current standings:


CounterBot by eaglejarl, version 1.2

Plan name: Action Plan: Village Get
Voters: @Cariyaga, @fictionfan, @HoratioVonBecker, @MadScientist, @Radvic, @Sleeps Furiously
Num votes: 6

Plan name: Training Hazou: Deceptive Punching
Voters: @Cariyaga, @fictionfan, @Muer'ci, @Twofold
Num votes: 4

Plan name: Action Plan: Boring Bargaining
Voters: @Radvic, @Traiden, @Twofold
Num votes: 3

Plan name: Heist
Voters: @HyperCatnip, @Inf0mercial, @Radvic
Num votes: 3

Plan name: Training Akane: The Fist of Civil Engineering
Voters: @Muer'ci, @Radvic, @Twofold
Num votes: 3

Plan name: Action Plan: Sneaky ninjas who sneak and ninja
Voters: @ClawClawBite, @Orisha91
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Training Akane: Close Combat Specialist
Voters: @Cariyaga, @Radvic
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Training Akane: The Fist of Civil Engineering v2
Voters: @MadScientist, @Twofold
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Training Hazou: Deception Deluxe
Voters: @MadScientist, @Twofold
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Training Noburi: Smooth Operator with Control
Voters: @MadScientist, @Twofold
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Training Noburi: Wandering Healer
Voters: @fictionfan, @Radvic
Num votes: 2

Plan name: Action Plan: OH GOD THIS WAS A HUGE MISTAKE RUN FOR YOUR LIFE
Voters: @Radvic
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Action Plan: Open Your Country, I mean Gate
Voters: @Traiden
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Training Hazou: Nope
Voters: @Radvic
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Training Hazou: Taijutsu Instructor
Voters: @Radvic
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Training Keiko: Nope
Voters: @Twofold
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Training Keiko: Somebody's gotta keep watch!
Voters: @Radvic
Num votes: 1

Plan name: Training Noburi: Smooth Operator
Voters: @Twofold
Num votes: 1

Number of voters: 13
 
I am really alarmed and disappointed by voters' willingness to sacrifice entire party for fun.

Village Get is very risky. I wholeheartedly disapprove of voter's tendencies to chose most hilariously suicidal plan instead of most productive one.

Boring Bargaining is better, but still too drawn-out for my taste. However, I strongly prefer it to Village Get.

Save the team! Vote [X] Plan Heist


I also dislike all proposed training plans.
[X] Training Keiko: Nope
[X] Training Hazou: Nope
[X] Training Akane: Nope
[X] Training Noburi: Nope
 
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Omake: Absolutely NOT World Domination
  • Apocrypha
    • "Hey Jiraiya," Hazou called, "we got the contract. It was tigers, but we got confused for a while because of all the giant tapirs everywhere. Turned out they were food for the tigers."

    "That's great news!" said Jiraiya.

    "We also conquered the proto-hidden village that was holding the contract as a sacred relic, and added them to your spy network. Around eighty genin all in all. We set them to work scouting out some interesting rumours. You're welcome."

    "Uhh."

    "Hmm?"

    "Do I need to worry about you guys taking over the world? I could have sworn I talked to you about that."

    "Nope, not the whole world. Probably Mist, though."
     
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  • Apocrypha
    • Well, lets not act like Plan Heist doesn't involve considerable risk factors. For example it calls for interacting and defusing unknown seal protections on a mystical scroll inside a hostile village.

    It also assumes that the villagers are incompetent and that they don't try to keep us under close watch 24/7 (or whatever hour/week system the Elemental Nations use.)

    I should also note that the currently winning training plans for Hazou and Akane were made before we got the +25XP from last update.
     
    [x] Training Keiko: Nope

    Banking for Keiko for when we hopefully get the summoning scroll.

    [x] Training Noburi: Smooth Operator with Control
    [x] Training Akane: The Fist of Civil Engineering v2

    The others, on the other hand, seem to be useful both in the short and long term. (I'd like Wandering Healer, but no such luck on the rules.)

    I don't think we need more taijutsu for being impressive to the villagers nor that one more point in that or Roki will save the day, so I'm going to vote for saving Hazou's XP for sealing or MEW.

    Speaking of MEW, though, and on the topic of being able to deal with multiple enemies, in case anyone wants to add using MEW to an action plan:

    [x] Training Hazou: Battlefield Control
    MEW 5 [5]
    MEW 6 [11]
    MEW 7 [18]
    MEW 8 [26]

    Capacity 6 [38]
    Bank 28 XP for later. If we don't use MEW in our action plan and can't level it, then just save all the XP instead.
     
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    No one likes just scouting the scroll before we decide anything final? Without information, we can not fully plan.
     
    A couple of modifications to the multi-person combat rules based on reader feedback:

    • You can't get more than a 50% bonus. If you have a skill of 5, you can't receive more than 2 bonus dice.
    • The rules apply to Weapons as well. We're debating how they work with ninjutsu.
    • The combat is all the people in the immediate furball, not the ones across the battlefield. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor would have been a series of 1vs1 fights: Hazou vs Bosatsu and Akane vs Ken, then Hazou vs Ken, then Hazou vs Mirai. Had Ken made it past Mirai and therefore been able to use her as cover it would have turned into a 2 vs 1.
    • I fixed the math fail where Akane mistakenly got +3 instead of +1.
    The examples have been updated to deal with this and I've update the Quest Rules document.
     
    eaglejarl said:
    A couple of modifications to the multi-person combat rules based on reader feedback:

    • You can't get more than a 50% bonus. If you have a skill of 5, you can't receive more than 2 bonus dice.
    • The rules apply to Weapons as well. We're debating how they work with ninjutsu.
    • The combat is all the people in the immediate furball, not the ones across the battlefield. Let the Bodies Hit the Floor would have been a series of 1vs1 fights: Hazou vs Bosatsu and Akane vs Ken, then Hazou vs Ken, then Hazou vs Mirai. Had Ken made it past Mirai and therefore been able to use her as cover it would have turned into a 2 vs 1.
    • I fixed the math fail where Akane mistakenly got +3 instead of +1.
    The examples have been updated to deal with this and I've update the Quest Rules document.
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    If Bob makes 2 clones to fight with him, does he get whatever mass combat bonus he would give himself (as long as he's got at least a third of the dice of his highest die opponent), or only the +2 from the clones?
     
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