Medicinal Crucible: A Xianxia Planquest
- Thread starter Blackstar
- Start date
- Original
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
Auction I believe would be at the very beginning of next turn, so we want to hire the scholars this turn.
Well, our Sect Leader thinks there are "somewhere around 30,000" Spirit Stones, but we've established in previous turns that his calculations to get there have been all kinds of a mess.
Which is why hiring Mortal Scholars is important.
Hmmm would it be worthwhile to do a replace a Pill Refining action with a Test New Pills action? I'm not entirely sure what's the difference, because while I would normally say the former is making pills we already know, we don't exactly have a list of available pills to make beyond the last 2 presented.
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
Test New Pills from how I understand it (@Blackstar for confirmation) is trying to figure out how to make a new Breakthrough pill via experimentation.
Experimentation that ends with asking a Stagnant Golden Core cultivator to eat it while saying it'll help them break through. Which it might!
But it might also cause them to explode.
Whereas Pill Refining is more concerned with churning out a notable number of pills per-action, such that we have them available to either store in our war chest or sell at the Auction.
And since the auction is next turn, I feel it's best to do Pill Refining this turn, and things like Test New Pills in later turns.
Experimentation that ends with asking a Stagnant Golden Core cultivator to eat it while saying it'll help them break through. Which it might!
But it might also cause them to explode.
Whereas Pill Refining is more concerned with churning out a notable number of pills per-action, such that we have them available to either store in our war chest or sell at the Auction.
And since the auction is next turn, I feel it's best to do Pill Refining this turn, and things like Test New Pills in later turns.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Testing new pills would mostly focus on trying to figure out weird conceptual things for unrelated effects, if you want to make a breakthrough pill you'd try to breakthrough, your not making a breakthrough pill for someone else, that'd be a direct risk to your position.
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
Ah.
Still, I think the point remains. The auction is coming up this turn, so the max benefit I feel is for focusing on Pill Refining so we have a large amount of pills to sell while still retaining a sufficient war chest.
We can do a couple Testing New Pills actions next decade. Maybe we'll come up with something that'll make a good gift for the Emperor's party.
I want to do this not because i think it would be immensly helpful just because it would be really funny
[ ] Plan the call to adventure
-[ ] Pill Refining
-[ ] Pill Refining
-[ ] Fix the Training Camps
-[ ] Hire a Dozen Scholars
-[ ]Organize an Expedition
Alternative plan where instead of going all in on pill making action we also begin preparing expeditions just because i think expeditions are fun and getting more opportunities for our inner disciples to die in stupid ways is amusing to me
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Hm. Hypothetically, do you think the sect would be willing to make a breakthrough pill for someone else on commission, if we were offered some truly amazing bullshit amount of wealth to do so?
In that case, hypothetically, sure it's a theoretical threat to our position, but $$$.
Then again, we don't really have the kind of reputation that would lead to anyone who has that kind of money to throw around being willing to spend it on us.
I would normally agree with you, except the auction's coming up and we need the money.
- Location
- Poland
Just double checking, but by a lack of dedicated action I'm assuming we don't have to worry about not sending a representative to the big party the Emperor it throwing?
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Sending a representative and figuring out a gift will come when its time to send someone to the great imperial feast of resplendent splendor.
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
We'll effectively miss the auction where we get a chance to sell pills for tons of spirit stones.
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
It's also worth remembering that our per-turn income is basically entirely tied up paying our Inner Disciples, so what we get with the Auction will need to tide us over for the next 5 turns.
And our Sect Leader is getting increasingly impatient about using 30k of those Spirit Stones to go Cultivating.
And our Sect Leader is getting increasingly impatient about using 30k of those Spirit Stones to go Cultivating.
Cannon Omake: Twin-Faced Five-Element Pills of Torrential Enlightenment and Empowerment
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
Twin-Faced Five-Element Pills of Torrential Enlightenment and Empowerment
Growing Shrub(Meridian Growth - Primary) -> Star Grass (Meridian Flow - Primary) -> Divine Moss (Qi Density - Secondary) -> Heavenly Razor Wheat (Qi Density - Tertiary) -> Orange Rime Slime (Qi Density - Primary)
A pair of Jade Seed Sect pills that use the same ingredients, the Twin-Faced Five-Element Pills of Torrential Enlightenment and Empowerment are in truth two very different pills in terms of refinement and effect, depending on the mindset the pillmaker maintains while creating them.
Both start by crushing the roots of a Growing shrub into an extract, to which several ground-up seeds of Star Grass are added. Growths of Divine Moss, Heavenly Razor Wheat (so thorughly ground that it is more a flour) are then added and mashed. The mixture is then implanted with spores of the Orange Rime Slime, which are allowed to grow into a mold. This mold, with its cycle of consumption being accelerated by Qi, is then refined into a pill.
The first of the two pills, the Five-Element Pill of Torrential Enlightenment, is primarily used as a breakthrough assist, greatly increasing the density of one's Qi and bolstering the Meridians to better bear the increased load and regulate its flow. This is especially useful for Inner Disciples attempting to breakthrough to the Golden Core level, an achievement that requires exponentially more Qi than prior stages even by the standards of breakthroughs.
The second variant, the Five-Element Pill of Torrential Empowerment, instead works as a combat pill, and requires the maker to be in a more combative mindset to create. As such, it is not uncommon to see would-be pillmakers doing a quick combat exercise or even nonlethal duel before settling down to make one. While the Enlightenment Pill focuses on growing existing Meridian branches for better flow during a Breakthrough, the Empowerment Pill instead focuses on creating new connections and sub-branches between Meridians, allowing for greater control and manipulation of Qi that helps improve the user's combat ability, channeling ultra-dense bursts of Qi into their attacks or defense.
Growing Shrub(Meridian Growth - Primary) -> Star Grass (Meridian Flow - Primary) -> Divine Moss (Qi Density - Secondary) -> Heavenly Razor Wheat (Qi Density - Tertiary) -> Orange Rime Slime (Qi Density - Primary)
A pair of Jade Seed Sect pills that use the same ingredients, the Twin-Faced Five-Element Pills of Torrential Enlightenment and Empowerment are in truth two very different pills in terms of refinement and effect, depending on the mindset the pillmaker maintains while creating them.
Both start by crushing the roots of a Growing shrub into an extract, to which several ground-up seeds of Star Grass are added. Growths of Divine Moss, Heavenly Razor Wheat (so thorughly ground that it is more a flour) are then added and mashed. The mixture is then implanted with spores of the Orange Rime Slime, which are allowed to grow into a mold. This mold, with its cycle of consumption being accelerated by Qi, is then refined into a pill.
The first of the two pills, the Five-Element Pill of Torrential Enlightenment, is primarily used as a breakthrough assist, greatly increasing the density of one's Qi and bolstering the Meridians to better bear the increased load and regulate its flow. This is especially useful for Inner Disciples attempting to breakthrough to the Golden Core level, an achievement that requires exponentially more Qi than prior stages even by the standards of breakthroughs.
The second variant, the Five-Element Pill of Torrential Empowerment, instead works as a combat pill, and requires the maker to be in a more combative mindset to create. As such, it is not uncommon to see would-be pillmakers doing a quick combat exercise or even nonlethal duel before settling down to make one. While the Enlightenment Pill focuses on growing existing Meridian branches for better flow during a Breakthrough, the Empowerment Pill instead focuses on creating new connections and sub-branches between Meridians, allowing for greater control and manipulation of Qi that helps improve the user's combat ability, channeling ultra-dense bursts of Qi into their attacks or defense.
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
Moratorium's up, so:
[X] Last Call Before Auction
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Fix the Training Camps
-[X] Hire a Dozen Scholars
3x Pill Refining for pills for auction, Training Camps to improve our recruit quality now that we've got a buffer of expendables, and Scholars so we can see how many Spirit Stones we actually have and so how much we need to sell for sufficient Cave Time. Also, as a pillmaking sect, other Sects probably look at how much we have available to sell to determine our strength, so not having a good stock of pills to sell probably makes us look weak and therefore deserving of being raided.
[X] Last Call Before Auction
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Pill Refining
-[X] Fix the Training Camps
-[X] Hire a Dozen Scholars
3x Pill Refining for pills for auction, Training Camps to improve our recruit quality now that we've got a buffer of expendables, and Scholars so we can see how many Spirit Stones we actually have and so how much we need to sell for sufficient Cave Time. Also, as a pillmaking sect, other Sects probably look at how much we have available to sell to determine our strength, so not having a good stock of pills to sell probably makes us look weak and therefore deserving of being raided.
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- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
[X] Last Call Before Auction
Good point about how our pill sales are something outsiders will use as a proxy measure for our strength.
Good point about how our pill sales are something outsiders will use as a proxy measure for our strength.
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
[X] Last Call Before Auction
- Location
- Italy
[X] Last Call Before Auction
makes sense.
Side note, the jump from
to
is quite considerable. Sure, now we pay Spirit stones, but we also only pay 1 personal action for 4 inner instead of 2 for 3. MUCH more efficient.
a few questions for @Blackstar though, just to be sure
1) how much is the difference between "herb garden" and "small scale cultivation"? what other ranks are there? Medium and large scale?
2)Just to be absolutely sure, the 1 per 4 actions are in addition to the automatically selected ones, right?
3)Can we reach a point where we're just giving the disciples too much work? Like, say we trade 5 personal for 20 inner disciple actions, do they get maluses?
4)the 5k cost to do 1 personal for 4 inner is IN ADDITION to the action-specific costs, right?
makes sense.
Side note, the jump from
to
is quite considerable. Sure, now we pay Spirit stones, but we also only pay 1 personal action for 4 inner instead of 2 for 3. MUCH more efficient.
a few questions for @Blackstar though, just to be sure
1) how much is the difference between "herb garden" and "small scale cultivation"? what other ranks are there? Medium and large scale?
2)Just to be absolutely sure, the 1 per 4 actions are in addition to the automatically selected ones, right?
3)Can we reach a point where we're just giving the disciples too much work? Like, say we trade 5 personal for 20 inner disciple actions, do they get maluses?
4)the 5k cost to do 1 personal for 4 inner is IN ADDITION to the action-specific costs, right?
Chimeraguard
We do deserve to exist.
On this I can answer for these three:
1) Here's what Turn 1 says about the different levels of (herb) cultivation.
2) No, I believe that the 4 actions are done instead of the default 3.
3) IIRC we can only trade out a single Personal Action from what Blackstar's said elsewhere. Which makes sense as we only have so many Inner Disciples. Maybe we'll be able to trade out more than one if our Inner Disciple Numbers greatly increase (as in, we have triple digit numbers of them.)
[X] Last Call Before Auction
