[X] Action Plan: Can we please do cool things now?
Arachnid
Sanity check with Kagome/Mari/Kei
The Aburame agreed to apply their glass/optics expertise to produce a telescope a few months ago after receiving R&D payment from Hazou. If necessary, Declare they finished a prototype for Kagome's use.
Check out Great Seal with Kagome without getting eaten.
Prepare Kagome-level traps even if viewing the seal from a distance. Goal is to give us the chance to reverse summon, not kill the dragons.
Approach underground in the pre-prepared tunnels, cleared out by a clone beforehand.
Send a Hazou shadow clone, with chains of clones ready to substitute them out of there (if judged better than simply being ready to reverse summon).
Discuss if there's anything we can do to stabilize the Great Seal
See if Kagome has ideas for where we can source better materials to try 3-D sealing
Noburi & Mari
Discuss why Noburi's sisters where not allowed to visit
Was this a political snub similar to The KEI and the adoption tickets?
Who do we think was responsible for it not happening
Since Asuma couldn't deliver do we think we can get something else for Noburi?
He def deserves it
Other
Visit Mareo,
Tutor Harumitsu,
Complete research on Minato's next seal in the chain.
>Tsunade recovered his charred body after the explosion and together with Orochimaru they reconstructed and rehabilitated him over the course of two years
Realistically, keeping things under wraps is entirely outside of Hazou's control. We cannot control Jiraiya. He does as he likes.
I don't think he's going to surrender power to Hazou in a million years. Telling him that it's so he can spend more time with family is not going to work. That's not a convincing argument when the fate of the world is at stake.
We can probably convince him to leave day-to-day stuff to Hazou, but he would retain ultimate authority.
Ruling the Goketsu is a matter regarding the fate of the world? This is exactly the reasoning we use to push him to take the hat; he would then have ultimate authority over Hazou regardless of whether he was the clan head or not.
"Your paranoia is an obstacle to a safe and effective resolution," Kei insisted from beyond the dividing wall. "Even Shikamaru, perhaps our best asset, by training specialises in chaos prevention—which, I may add, makes it extremely fortunate that I married him early and thus the issue of your potential assassination did not arise. What we require is a specialist in chaos creation and management, fields in which Ami is skilled at such a level that Akatsuki would long since have issued an invitation were she not hampered by merely jōnin combat skills. Furthermore, unlike those worthies, whose humanitarian aspirations are remarkably compatible with genocide, Ami has on multiple occasions expressed a preference for a certain basic minimum of stability and non-violence within her toybox."
"And that's nice as far as it goes," Hazō said. "I know you trust Ami to do the best by you and the world in general, Kei. I wouldn't expect anything less. It's possible that you're completely right, and if we tell Ami about the research, she will help optimise our plans in a way that's as beneficial to Nara Kei, Mori Ami, and the world as possible. But she's not my sister, and the transitive property isn't enough for me to be confident that Gōketsu Hazō and his non-Kei family will receive the same consideration. I can easily see a future in which Ami optimises our plans such that she gets exactly what she wants, and anything the Gōketsu want that interferes with that falls by the wayside before we know it. To give a crude example that's probably nothing like what she'd really do, she could set things up so that the best thing we can possibly do is resurrect not Jiraiya but some Mist hero who she knows will be totally loyal to her as a result.
"The fact is, I don't really know what she wants. I'm not sure anyone ever did, considering how far she's gone beyond anything Yagura, Aunt Ren, or even the Mori ever expected of her. Giving her more influence with which to make her preferences into reality could be a blessing or a disaster, and I don't want to find out which until I know the Gōketsu are in control of what happens next. All things being equal, I wouldn't tell her until much later, if at all—and I would consider it a breach of trust if you did it unilaterally."
It should be mentioned at this point that Gōketsu Hazō was a genius of the highest order. Aware that he was about to have a difficult conversation which involved persuading Kei to act as if Ami was less than perfectly trustworthy, and in which the worst-case scenario involved Kei deciding not only to tell Ami everything but to assist her in seizing control from Hazō for the sake of saving the world, he'd chosen a battlefield that would win over even the most suspicious social specialist.
Yes, today was the day Hazō gave the new Gōketsu hot spring its preliminary safety test. He'd taken pains to explain to Gaku (via a note on his desk, in case his chancellor came up with an incontrovertible argument against) that sometimes it was the clan head's duty to risk himself for the sake of protecting the clan, and thus it would be nothing short of unethical to force the first soak on someone else.
Of the others who could join him in the blissful warmth, Akane wasn't in the mood (and unsurprisingly, Haru wasn't either), Mari and Kei were best kept apart if he wanted either to relax, Noburi and Yuno were out on a romantic date, and Kagome-sensei had accepted his sacrifice with sorrowful respect, after providing a list of chakra beasts and other perils that might be lurking beneath the surface. In Snowflake's absence, and with the newer Gōketsu taking his bizarre justification as an excuse to be alone (or perhaps with another of his many lovers to whom they hadn't been introduced), that conveniently just left Kei.
Hazō would have preferred a face-to-face conversation for something this important, but past experience had established that Kei would rather die (or, preferably, murder him) than be subjected to mixed bathing of any sort. Thus, their best compromise was to sit back-to-back against the dividing wall between the men's and women's baths, and while Kei hadn't specified, he was confident that there was at least one shuriken within reach for any male trying to sneak a peek.
"A breach of trust," Kei said coldly. "Did you perhaps miss the part where I made explicit my desire for your input before taking any action? The very same way that you do when you consult me, except, of course, when you do not."
"I know," Hazō said. Another of the many advantages of the hot spring was that, despite being possibly closer to Kei than normal conversation distance, he had more protection from any icy auras than ever before in his life. "That's why I'm taking this opportunity now. I've thought about it, and while I'm not prepared to trust Ami unconditionally the way you are, I also don't want to end up in a scenario where Leaf is in flames, everybody's dead, and I've lost my forehead protector, and I'm just sitting there going, 'If only I hadn't put Gōketsu self-interest ahead of preventing the apocalypse'. In other words, I'll gladly get Ami's help as long as she agrees to a couple of perfectly sensible conditions."
"And what, dare I ask, do you consider perfectly sensible?" Kei's voice was still the cold voice of someone who'd taken offence, but hopefully was enjoying the hot spring too much to storm out into the winter cold with any urgency.
"Simple," Hazō said. Which it was, for a definition of 'simple' which involved hours spent working on the perfect phrasing that neither alienated Kei nor triggered Ami's rules-lawyering reflexes nor risked giving ground he couldn't take back later. "I want her to commit to using the information we share with her in a way that doesn't disadvantage us compared to the counterfactual world where she isn't involved."
There was only silence from the other side of the dividing wall, and Hazō didn't know whether it was contemplative or wrathful.
"To clarify," Hazō went on, "this isn't a trade-off—she's not going to lose out later by finding out on our terms now. The condition is waived at the point in time where she would have learned of the project 'naturally' if we hadn't told her, for example when we go public with Jiraiya's resurrection."
"That is certainly a reasonable clarification," Kei agreed, still in a tone that might have been neutral analysis or a volcano not yet erupting.
"On the other hand," Hazō said, "I do want her to additionally commit to not artificially advancing said waiving of the condition, such as by suggesting strategies which would, as unnecessary side effects, make the project visible to the counterfactual uninformed Ami. If she's in doubt, I'm fine with her using her model of me for minor matters, but for anything significant, I want the opportunity to veto before she goes ahead.
"What do you think, Kei?" he asked after giving her a few seconds to process. "Is that something Ami is likely to react to positively if I make her the offer, or you do on my behalf?"
"Hazō," Kei said reluctantly, "I am very much afraid that she may hug you."
"She may?!"
"Yes," Kei said. The sense of resignation was palpable in her voice. "Hazō, in four sentences, you have secured favourable conditions for yourself, displayed your understanding of the other party's mindset and ability to take advantage of same, and pre-emptively addressed the obvious flaws in the contract. Were this a singles bar, and I some other Mori, suffice it to say that you would not be sleeping alone tonight."
"…Sage's ballsack."
"I hasten to add that I am not some other Mori," Kei said quickly. "My goal-oriented conceptual structure needs are quite adequately met within my own household, and besides, I favour precision and detail in my-"
For a second, there was silence.
"A-As it happens, I understand there is a troupe performing The Leaf Three and the Salamander of Doom at the Nogare Theatre this month. The reviews are most favourable. You should consider inviting Akane and Ino, or perhaps even the entire family."
"I'll make a note of it," Hazō said. "Also, you've just given me excellent reason to leave the negotiations with Ami in your capable hands."
"Of course," Kei said. "She is visiting for ranged weapons practice tomorrow. I will mention it to her then. I apologise in advance if I find that she is part of the two thirds of Leaf that already know, and thus all of your effort will be wasted as the core condition is waived instantly."
Hazō shrugged helplessly, then remembered Kei couldn't see him. "In that case, at least it'll be better to know she knows. Now you've suggested it, I have horrible visions of Ami having already made a ton of plans in the background, and the second the rift opens, Ami's latest initialism will jump in, bring out Pain on a leash, and crown her Supreme Empress of the World Except the Bits Kei Wants."
"Once again," Kei said, "you somehow expect me to find this scenario undesirable."
"Fine," Hazō said. "Ami's latest initialism will jump in, bring out Pain on a leash, and crown you Supreme Empress of the World Except the Bits Ami Wants."
"I shall pray for her obliviousness with all my heart and soul," Kei declared. "I am prepared to consult the Hagoromo for Will of Fire optimisation and write to Lord Ryūgamine for advice on manipulating the ancestors into rendering assistance. I would even consider requesting Hidan's guidance on appealing for aid from Jashin, but alas, Ami herself is my only means of contacting him."
With the important part of the conversation smoothly navigated, Hazō relaxed and sank into the warm water, deciding not to mention at this stage that he was probably Jashin's greatest acolyte in the Fire Country.
-o-
You have received 3 + 1 (Brevity) = 4 XP.
-o-
You have spoken to Akane. She gave you a basic summary of Operation Shave the Priest (so named by Mari allegedly so that any ANBU listening in will assume you're just plotting to get one over on the Hagoromo and lose interest, but really just because she was bored), with a stern reminder that Kei does not know anything about anything and you should not imply otherwise where anyone can hear.
The rest of the plan has yet to happen, including the rolls to see whether you get eaten.
Are the details of this summary, uh, information that we the players should be aware of? Is there anything that we don't already know from the interlude with Kei's PoV?
No, just that stuff. Kei thinks Jiraiya had Minami killed, she thinks Asuma will have Akane killed, and she's asked Mari to help optimise Akane into an outwardly loyal and stable ninja.
Does Hazo knows that Akane is worried about appearing disloyal to Leaf and that she's
taking measures to appear loyal which is why she's acting weird?
planning on doing something or several somethings to (appear to) distance herself from Hazo?
Can you confirm that the Arachnid section of the plan, including including the telescope-related Declaration, simply did not happen and we'd need to vote it in again to make it happen?
Did we continue researching Minato's seals?
(I'm going to try to do these post-update wrapups on a somewhat-regular basis because I personally lose track of what we do and don't need to vote in again, unless a QM tells me not to do it.)
1. Yes to both. If you want to give input on any of this, you should do so sooner rather than later, since for all anyone knows, there's an ANBU with a clipboard already jotting down their preliminary conclusions. (Note: Kei's beliefs may or may not be those of the QMs, and they may or may not be correct.)
2. That's right.
3. Yes, but this update only spanned a day, so it'll be counted towards your next roll.
@FaintlySorcerous
Visit the Great Seal with Kagome and a telescope.
create another great seal replica
brainstorm how to transport snake to great seal faster
use summon telepathy to talk to chakra koi
ask dog boss about forbidden lore
edit:
we only have 3 fate points i think. is that enough to finish the minato seal? if we use 2 fp a cycle and take 3 cycles to finish that would need 6 fp (no idea if those are typical numbers, pulled from gut)
Please tag me with a list of goals you wish to accomplish in the next three to six in-game months, or alert me if you want your name added to the 'interested parties' field of any of these items.
I suspect that having a reasonably-current list might help keep us focused/organized, and an easy reference of other people who want to do things you want to do will help with planmaking and plotting.
If anyone comments on the list or says that something is a stupid idea I will be upset and sad and disappointed in you. If you don't like an item, either say something constructive or leave it alone.
@Oneiros
if you add using max prep days for seal research, and make it a single research cycle instead of finishing the whole seal. that would remove my main reservation of your plan.
i like the rest of your plan.
i'd also like for hazou to mention asking shika for great seal looking safety procedures during the family meeting. but i think kei would probably bring it up with relevant, so it's not something that would flip my vote.
This focuses on Medical stats through to level 70. Noburi has stated that this is what he wants to focus on. As her apprentice, Tsunade will expect Noburi to improve on his medical skills as well.
I've made a table that reflects Noburi's current skillset (though I'm only counting stats that are 10+ for the sake of time efficiency).
Down below is a pyramid build that has Noburi leveling his Medknow to 60, and Mednin to 50.
Steps:
Medknow to 40
Hiding in the Mist to 20 (or another level 10 stat)
Empathy to 30 (or another 20, such as Substitution)
Medknow to 50
Medknow to 60
Alrighty. So I've attached a table that shows a possible Noburi build, taking Medknow all the way to 70. There are a lot of new jutsu and skills that are introduced, but for most of them, the specifics aren't strictly necessary. They're pyramid-filler, and can be swapped out for a better/more useful jutsu.
For example, you don't want Noburi to raise Examination to level 20, then we-the-playerbase should make an effort in-the-game to search for better water ninjutsu when it comes up. Luckily, the QMs' Ninjutsu Audit contains some pretty gnarly water ninjutsu.
Let's work on that, yeah? ;>
Steps:
Learn Ideal Hydration to Level 10 (or something else)
Deceit to Level 20 (Or any other 10)
Rapport to Level 30 (Or any other 20)
Physique to Level 40 (Or any other 30... but Sage Mode, yeah? ^.^)
Ghost Scales to Level 10 (or something else)
Presence to Level 20 (or any other 10)
Deceit to Level 30 (or any other 20)
Examine to level 10 (or something else)
Intimidation to Level 20 (or any other 10)
Learn/Raise Pantokrator's Hammer's to level 10 (or something else)
Cooking to Level 10 (or something else)
Ghost Scales to 20 (or any other 10)
Substitution to 30 (or any other 20)
Empathy to 40 (or any other 30)
Physique to 50 (Or any other 40... but Sage Mode, yeah? ^.^)
Mednin to 60
Learn Condense Water to Level 10 (or something else)
Stealth to 20 (or any other 10)
Resolve to 30 (or any other 20)
Water Dragon Bullet to 40 (or any other 30)
Water Dragon Bullet to 50 (or any other 40)
Learn the Drying jutsu to Level 10 (or something else)
Pantokrator's Hammer's to level 20 (or any other 10)
Presence to 30 (or any other 20)
Resolve to 40 (or any other 30)
Learn Island of Stability to Level 10 (or something else)
Examine to 20 (or any other 10)
Hiding in Mist to 30 (or any other 20)
Learn Cracking to Level 10 (or something else)
Water Clone to 20 (or any other 10)
Learn Calligraphy to Level 10 (or something else)
Learn Drying Jutsu to Level 10 (or something else)
Hazō has made yet more progress on the third seal in the chain. One more good roll would likely finish the project, but the nonstop pace of research and the constant headaches are wearing Hazō down (OOC: he is running low on Fate Points).
also spider queen said stuff about sage and great seal and power of summon bosses to prevent you from going between paths.
oh and ask if can pass summoning scroll back and forth. ex: stop being summoner to give scroll to akane. then akane stops being summoner and passes back to hazou.
[X] Action Plan: Can we please do cool things now?
I might write my own plan up and I would like to see this either fleshed out or additional content added, but this advances a goal I'm aligned with,
@Oneiros would you include something like 'ask Noburi if he knows what happened with his sisters, and if not, have him follow up with Mari and Ami to see if Mist was sending a message, Leaf torpedoed the deal, etc.'? This is something we can 100% delegate.
The points I want to hit with it are asking him what he thinks, seeing what Mari/Ami think if Noburi doesn't have a clear idea, and drawing parallels to the KEI slow-rolling us on the adoption tickets (dunno if Noburi thinks in political terms so it might not even occur to him that this was a snub/hidden message).
@Oneiros would you include something like 'ask Noburi if he knows what happened with his sisters, and if not, have him follow up with Mari and Ami to see if Mist was sending a message, Leaf torpedoed the deal, etc.'? This is something we can 100% delegate
Melee Range only, but it's pretty powerful within that
Pretty cool reactionary stuff
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
Would this absorb Flame Aura, and artificially raise the Effect of this jutsu by 1?
Edge cases:
I can't really think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "1 to Effect," but I think it means to say "1 to AB"
[skip]
Lightning Bullet
Strength:
Pretty basic strength, but it's also armor piercing
Good genin-level jutsu
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "armor piercing," but I thought that all Lightning Jutsu were armor piercing?
Claw of the Storm
Strength:
Pretty basic strength, but scales pretty well
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "armor piercing," but I thought that all Lightning Jutsu were armor piercing?
Electroweb
Strength:
A nice capture jutsu, with a frighteningly long range
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "armor piercing," but I thought that all Lightning Jutsu were armor piercing?
Thunderburst
Strength:
At higher levels, it can gain a frightening amount of tags per round
Pretty good chakra efficiency, would be good for a taijutsu specialist
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
Does this stack with similar buffs (Flame Aura?)
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "1 to Effect," but I think it means to say "1 to AB"
In the example given, it says that a level 10 Thunderburst would have an Effect of 2, but wouldn't it just have an Effect of 1?
Lightning Bucklers
Strength:
Generates a frighteningly large amount of tags per round, if leveled
Rolls against physique which isn't generally a stat focused for growth (in the same way that Athletics generally is)
The stacking "fails over time" does mitigate this, however
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
Does this stack with Fire Element taijutsu buffs?
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Spelling and mechanics are all clear and correct.
It doesn't say anything about armor piercing, but I thought that all Lightning Jutsu were armor piercing?
Divine Serpent
Strength:
Strong AF, and only grows in strength as it's leveled
It's stupidly chakra efficient. Surprised it doesn't cost more
It costs a full round to cast, which nerfs it significantly
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
It says "armor piercing," but I thought that all Lightning Jutsu were armor piercing?
Can it attack 1 target, multiple times?
Water Bullet
Strength:
Solid genin jutsu
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
Heavenly Typhoon
Strength:
Strong attack that scales well
Super good if on the water
Exploit potential:
Anything that can change the terrain of the battlefield into water
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
If cast on someone trapped in a Water Prison Jutsu, does the boost occur?
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
Raging Wave
Strength:
Good scaling, terrifying Range with additional pushback
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling is clear and correct.
Strain Calculations are off
Strain: 60, 100, 150, 210, 280...
Chakra: 12, 20, 30, 42, 56...
It says that the jutsu cannot push someone more than 2 Zones away from the caster, but the range of the jutsu is 2 zones away from the caster. If someone is already 2 zones away from the caster, and flubs their roll, do they receive no knockback?
Can it attack 1 target, multiple times?
[skip]
Hiding in Water
Strength:
Generates a lot of tags at higher levels
Good duration
It costs a full round to cast, which nerfs it significantly.
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
Used in conjunction with other stealth related Aspects (i.e. "murky swamp water")
Iron Lung jutsu, Tunneler's Friends, and other jutsu that extend one's ability to hold their breath underwater.
Trail leading up to the water could be mitigated by Hiding Like a Mole, and then tunneling directly to the river/lake/whatever
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything... What if a lightning jutsu is cast in the water (i.e. "enemy sees chakra beast in water, throws a Radiant Javelin at it, which misses the chakra beast, but hits the water.")
Overall soundness:
Math, spelling, mechanics are all clear and correct.
Grasping Tentacles
Strength:
Seems good for a Taijutsu user, but bad if the caster is attacked by more than 1 enemy at the same time (though that's true in the general sense, too).
Exploit potential:
I can't think of anything
Combination potential:
I can't think of anything
Edge cases:
I can't think of anything
Overall soundness:
Math and spelling are correct
It's effect is "1 to AB," and each tentacle can more 1 kg per level of GT... So a level 40 could make 4 tentacles, with each one capable of moving 40kg per level. Assuming 80kg enemy, at least 2 tentacles would have to hit... does each tentacle make its own roll?
PSA: Voting will continue until next Wednesday (January 4) at the usual time. Sunday will be an interlude.
I have family time this weekend that would make it challenging to write a significant update, plus I have a commission that needs to be done by Monday despite a current lack of clue, so I think the best option is for me to gear up an interlude and let you have basically a week to put plans together.
Both mixed- and segregated-gender baths exist in the EN, but Hazō chose to make the Gōketsu baths segregated specifically to allay issues for Kei (fewer people seeing her in a vulnerable position) and Yuno (fewer semi- or completely-naked women in Noburi's eyeline requiring less murder).
Hazō chose to make the Gōketsu baths segregated specifically to allay issues for Kei (fewer people seeing her in a vulnerable position) and Yuno (fewer semi- or completely-naked women in Noburi's eyeline requiring less murder).
He's going to be thrilled. Where's the sport in a mixed bath?
(NB: the element of Jiraiya's character where he violates the privacy of women is weird and makes me like him less. I know it's a trope and mostly played for laughs but it's important to me that people aren't reading that joke and seeing it as an endorsement. Sexual harassment is bad and if we catch him doing it we should take away his chakra for a day.)
(Or, if we're feeling sadistic, let Mari handle it.)
NB: the element of Jiraiya's character where he violates the privacy of women is weird and makes me like him less. I know it's a trope and mostly played for laughs but it's important to me that people aren't reading that joke and seeing it as an endorsement. Sexual harassment is bad and if we catch him doing it we should take away his chakra for a day.
Is this for one solid second make me think she is Demi romantic until I remember she knew him for like a week or two and then instantly felt head over heels for him that being said I would not be surprised if she was some kind of bi
With the important part of the conversation smoothly navigated, Hazō relaxed and sank into the warm water, deciding not to mention at this stage that he was probably Jashin's greatest acolyte in the Fire Country.
Kei: "Hazo, that was a rhetorical device expressing dismay and surprise, not a literal lack of comprehension of your possibly dangerous, entirely heretical beliefs. Is there perhaps more to your assignations with Hidan that you wish to reveal?"
Hazo, appropriately horrified: "Assi--Kei, no!"
Kei: "Ah, good. Ami will be pleased that she won't have even more competition. Which, obviously, displeases me greatly."
Hazo: "You know, I think I'm starting to overheat, so--"
Kei: "Hazo, I won't pursue you in only a towel, but your ability to outrun certain death isn't sufficient compared to my ability to dress myself."
