Speaking of Sidestories, I haven't written one up in a while! Might just do that!
Puella Magi Megami Tensei
411: Bad Day
[X] "You look like hammered shit." - Alex Mason, Black Ops 2
Immediately, concern fills your heart. "What the hell happened?" You try to ask calmly. You...
(CHR ROLL: 7+5, CLOSE SUCCESS)
...Just barely manage to keep yourself from shouting.
"Relax, I just had a rough night." Kyoko grumbles, rolling her eyes. "Jeez, when'd you decide to be my mom?"
She seems irritable today, most likely caused by lack of sleep. You should still tell her about Kyubey's machinations, though.
"Let me cut to the chase. Kyubey's gonna try to get you to take a suicide mission if I don't help him out."
"Yup, sounds like him." Kyoko snarks, "Don't throw a fit over it, I'm not stupid."
"Just thought I should keep you on the same page!" You say. "Poor communication kills, after all!"
Kyoko looks you dead in the eyes, her lethargy visible even in her gaze. "...Don't you have demons to fight or some shit?"
"So, Kyoko, you seem stressed!" Kohaku interjects, "Is there anything we can--?"
"No, there fuckin' ain't." Kyoko snarls, "Unless you have a bed or a way to put me on even footing with demons and shit, I don't wanna hear it."
"Hey, we're just trying to help--!"
"I don't need you fucking pitying me!" Kyoko points a finger to Kohaku, "You think I can't do this on my own?! I've been fighting Witches a lot fuckin' longer than--!!"
Kyoko suddenly stops, her eyes widening. Your Gauntlet beeps at you.
[[LABYRINTH DETECTED. ABLE TO FORCE ENTRY. PROCEED?]]
"Of course." She growls out.
[] ??????????????????????
Immediately, concern fills your heart. "What the hell happened?" You try to ask calmly. You...
(CHR ROLL: 7+5, CLOSE SUCCESS)
...Just barely manage to keep yourself from shouting.
"Relax, I just had a rough night." Kyoko grumbles, rolling her eyes. "Jeez, when'd you decide to be my mom?"
She seems irritable today, most likely caused by lack of sleep. You should still tell her about Kyubey's machinations, though.
"Let me cut to the chase. Kyubey's gonna try to get you to take a suicide mission if I don't help him out."
"Yup, sounds like him." Kyoko snarks, "Don't throw a fit over it, I'm not stupid."
"Just thought I should keep you on the same page!" You say. "Poor communication kills, after all!"
Kyoko looks you dead in the eyes, her lethargy visible even in her gaze. "...Don't you have demons to fight or some shit?"
"So, Kyoko, you seem stressed!" Kohaku interjects, "Is there anything we can--?"
"No, there fuckin' ain't." Kyoko snarls, "Unless you have a bed or a way to put me on even footing with demons and shit, I don't wanna hear it."
"Hey, we're just trying to help--!"
"I don't need you fucking pitying me!" Kyoko points a finger to Kohaku, "You think I can't do this on my own?! I've been fighting Witches a lot fuckin' longer than--!!"
Kyoko suddenly stops, her eyes widening. Your Gauntlet beeps at you.
[[LABYRINTH DETECTED. ABLE TO FORCE ENTRY. PROCEED?]]
"Of course." She growls out.
[] ??????????????????????
- Pronouns
- He
It's not even pride, it's a mix of stress and fear at this point. She's a veteran and she's getting knocked around like a child by random things showing up.
In hindsight, this may have to do with the demon with anger issues that went into Mitakihara.
[X] Plan: trying diplomacy on a sleep drepived meguca
-[X] ''Well it is obvious you want to blow some steam off, so you can have this one if you want to be alone, but first.''
--[X] Cast Diarama on Kyoko just in case and give her 2 Chakra drops and 2 life stones ''Just a little something to even things out in case you find something else in there, the chakra drops recover magic while the life stones heal you up without having to use any magic, haven't had the chance to really use them myself so they may be more useful to you''
---[X] ''But if you want we could grab a snack to bite first and try to talk on some ways to get even with demons since I doubt the barrier is moving from here, I know you don't want anything to do with the app, but I know there are some other ways to hit demons pretty hard, like there are these stones that are able to use some of the same magic I use just by crushing them without having to rely on demons or the app, just need to find one, crush them and boom you may be throwing a lighting bolt at a demon or a witch''
----[X] ''Actually, don't think I have given the crash course on weaknesses to any of you outside Homura, so I should prolly get going and update you all on that, but long story short, demons recieve more damage if you hit them with certain elements, like let's say you are fighting a demon, for example Pyro Jack aka the one that looks like a pumpkin, if you hit them with ice the damage they take increases, funny thing about this, is that this also affects witches and their familiars''.
-----[X] ''Either way like I said, you can keep this one for yourself or I can accompany you and demostrate the weakness stuff if you are curious, I won't obligate you into taking me inside that thing, but after you are done kicking that thing butt, you can go crash at my aparment if you want to sleep, I don't mind having another person crashing in really, also yes I won't mind if you take stuff from the fridge''
Well have this so far, dunno, but some of this stuff could be important and yes I just remembered that the only one we have given a crash course on weaknesses is Homura, we should prolly fix that.
-[X] ''Well it is obvious you want to blow some steam off, so you can have this one if you want to be alone, but first.''
--[X] Cast Diarama on Kyoko just in case and give her 2 Chakra drops and 2 life stones ''Just a little something to even things out in case you find something else in there, the chakra drops recover magic while the life stones heal you up without having to use any magic, haven't had the chance to really use them myself so they may be more useful to you''
---[X] ''But if you want we could grab a snack to bite first and try to talk on some ways to get even with demons since I doubt the barrier is moving from here, I know you don't want anything to do with the app, but I know there are some other ways to hit demons pretty hard, like there are these stones that are able to use some of the same magic I use just by crushing them without having to rely on demons or the app, just need to find one, crush them and boom you may be throwing a lighting bolt at a demon or a witch''
----[X] ''Actually, don't think I have given the crash course on weaknesses to any of you outside Homura, so I should prolly get going and update you all on that, but long story short, demons recieve more damage if you hit them with certain elements, like let's say you are fighting a demon, for example Pyro Jack aka the one that looks like a pumpkin, if you hit them with ice the damage they take increases, funny thing about this, is that this also affects witches and their familiars''.
-----[X] ''Either way like I said, you can keep this one for yourself or I can accompany you and demostrate the weakness stuff if you are curious, I won't obligate you into taking me inside that thing, but after you are done kicking that thing butt, you can go crash at my aparment if you want to sleep, I don't mind having another person crashing in really, also yes I won't mind if you take stuff from the fridge''
Well have this so far, dunno, but some of this stuff could be important and yes I just remembered that the only one we have given a crash course on weaknesses is Homura, we should prolly fix that.
Didn't Kyoko move in with Mami after Kohaku showed up?
Also, Chakra Drops are for restoring MP, and Homura's copy of the Demon Summoning Program confirmed that Grief is something else, so I wouldn't assume that they'd do anything for Kyoko without testing (unless of course she has some Skills that use MP like Rampage or Fang Breaker).
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
I think in her current mood thats likely to piss her off.
[X] Plan: Anger not the red one. Speak plainly
-[X] "There are a bunch of items that you could use, like this one is for healing." Pull out a lifestone and toss it to her so she can inspect it. "That one's fairly common so you can keep it if you want, I also have one for ice magic, but there are other magic rocks that I haven't aquired that you can crush to cast spells like fire and lightning. There's also things like these two accessories I have that give resistance to certain types of attacks or help with aiming ranged attacks respectively. Easiest way to find this stuff is to check out what the Jack Brother's are selling. If you need anything appraised I can help with that."
-[X] "Also, even if you don't use it to contract any demons the summoning program might help with other stuff. The version Homura has came with a nice tracker for something involving her Soul Gem. Might ask her for more details. Should also add that while I'm not sure how it works, I think something involving the program might be letting me grow stronger. Would explain why Kazuya is so strong."
--[X] If she complains about not having a phone or other device. "Then we can either buy a cheap phone or just 'liberate' one off a thug or something."
-[X] "Now, do you want to do the Labrynth yourself, or can I do it by myself? If you wanna do it I ain't gonna let you be a headstrong idiot about it and provide some kind of support, since you just admitted to needing to rest. If not you can crash at my place."
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How Would Each Character Fair As A DM?
Note: These are just my opinions. If you feel differently, feel free to post your own ideas.
Yumi: Yumi is more interested in others having fun than rules, or even telling a story. As long as everyone at the table is enjoying the game, she feels like her job is done!
Kohaku: Boy, can she worldbuild! With her as a DM, expect epic stories, rich history, and even the most fantastical of all; politics that make sense!
Madoka: Magic items are very common place! She also makes sure that most NPC characters are nice and polite.
Sayaka: Don't bother keeping track of arrows, because she isn't either. Expect a ton of random encounters, too!
Mami: She may not be the best at improvising, but you'll be well fed in the session! She quite enjoys low stakes adventures, just because she doesn't like the stress of "do a thing or the world ends!".
Homura: If "By-The-Book" was a girl, it's her. She can't improvise to save her life, but has intricate plans and storylines. Unconscious favoritism to Madoka when she plays.
Oriko: After dealing with both Kirika and Yumi, Oriko has learned the art of improvising. Usually says "Are you sure?" whenever someone wants to do something... Odd. Shows absolutely no favoritism, not even to Kirika.
Kirika: Kirika's sessions in one word: bloodbath. Tons of monsters, undead, demons, and a whole bunch of weapons to rip 'em apart! Very conscious favoritism to Oriko.
Kazuya: He prefers to play, but he won't shy away if a DM is needed. Combat is slow, but rewarding. Likes to make challenging yet fair encounters. Enjoys when his players make stories up as they go.
Raido: "What? I'm working right now, I don't have time to play boardgames."
Dante: "Why the hell would you fight imaginary monsters with dice when you could just go outside? There's demons there!"
Vergil: You aren't playing D&D anymore. Instead, you're playing Darkest Dungeon in tabletop form. Expect no mercy, and be prepared to die.
Yumi: Yumi is more interested in others having fun than rules, or even telling a story. As long as everyone at the table is enjoying the game, she feels like her job is done!
Kohaku: Boy, can she worldbuild! With her as a DM, expect epic stories, rich history, and even the most fantastical of all; politics that make sense!
Madoka: Magic items are very common place! She also makes sure that most NPC characters are nice and polite.
Sayaka: Don't bother keeping track of arrows, because she isn't either. Expect a ton of random encounters, too!
Mami: She may not be the best at improvising, but you'll be well fed in the session! She quite enjoys low stakes adventures, just because she doesn't like the stress of "do a thing or the world ends!".
Homura: If "By-The-Book" was a girl, it's her. She can't improvise to save her life, but has intricate plans and storylines. Unconscious favoritism to Madoka when she plays.
Oriko: After dealing with both Kirika and Yumi, Oriko has learned the art of improvising. Usually says "Are you sure?" whenever someone wants to do something... Odd. Shows absolutely no favoritism, not even to Kirika.
Kirika: Kirika's sessions in one word: bloodbath. Tons of monsters, undead, demons, and a whole bunch of weapons to rip 'em apart! Very conscious favoritism to Oriko.
Kazuya: He prefers to play, but he won't shy away if a DM is needed. Combat is slow, but rewarding. Likes to make challenging yet fair encounters. Enjoys when his players make stories up as they go.
Raido: "What? I'm working right now, I don't have time to play boardgames."
Dante: "Why the hell would you fight imaginary monsters with dice when you could just go outside? There's demons there!"
Vergil: You aren't playing D&D anymore. Instead, you're playing Darkest Dungeon in tabletop form. Expect no mercy, and be prepared to die.
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
So, early edition D&D with a houseruled sanity mechanic.
(Seriously, early editions of (A)D&D are brutal, especially in 1st-level starts. Tiny hit points, save-or-die poison needles, unreliable Disarm Traps rolls, tight starting budgets, ...)
- Location
- Quebec
*See my current Darkest Dungeon playthrough and the Graveyard filled with corpses* Let's do this! I have extra character sheet!
And then the players ignore all of that and wander off aimlessly.
On another note, something I realized after I woke up;
I feel like I should point out here that we actually do have a Spell Gem, albeit not one for either of those elements; The Bufula Gem we bought from the Jack Bros. shop ages ago.
- Pronouns
- He
Not sure how accurate this was, but I hard there was a DM plot that got derailed cause the players wanted to make a cheese empire.And then the players ignore all of that and wander off aimlessly.
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
Vergil takes one look at Tomb of Annihilation and says he can do better.
Don't even need to house rule, Out of the Abyss has a sanity mechanic. Every Demon Lord can cause their own forms of madness.
Its not in our inventory.
Whoops. I'll get on that.
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
That's a 5e product so is not trivially adaptable to earlier editions
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
Aight, added this part. Conveniently with the way the rest was phrased I didn't need to change anything else lol.
ThatOtherSatori
Lover of Spicy Food
- Location
- Indiana, USA
Oh yeah, didn't Kazuya use a bunch of said Gems when we sparred with him earlier? should probably bring him up in association with such, might prove helpful.
Isiri Pudireach
Predictive text can go duck itself
Problem is, I can't think of a good place to insert it. That part is already kinda long.
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan: Anger not the red one. Speak plainly
Kohaku must feel pretty awkward right now.
412: Plainly Speaking
[X] Plan: Anger not the red one. Speak plainly
"There are items you could use to get there." You state plainly, "Like this thing." You produce a Life Stone, tossing it to Kyoko for her to inspect. "That'll heal you if you need it to. Go ahead and keep it, I can get more pretty easy!"
"You...?" Kyoko is completely taken aback.
"I've also got one that, if you crush it, an Ice spell happens! And if Kazuya is anything to go by, there are ones for Fire and Lightning, too!" Kyoko seems to relax as you explain, "Oh, and there are magic trinkets you can get that'll give you better resistances, make you aim better, and other stuff. Easiest way to get all of that is the Jack Bros. General Store, but if you're short on cash, I think they can appraise things to sell, or even just so you know what they are!"
"...Huh." Kyoko grunts.
"Also also!" You begin again, "Even if you don't use it to contract demons, the Summoning Program could still help with other things. Homura's app even has some tracker for her Soul Gem, but I'd ask her about it if you wanna know more. I may not know how it works, but something about it makes me a bit stronger after some fights!" That might explain why Kazuya's so strong...
Kyoko sighs in frustration, "And what if I don't have a phone?"
"Then we can just get you a cheap one." You shrug, "Or we can beat up some Yak--!!" You fake cough, "Err... S-So, that Labyrinth! Do you wanna do it together, or...?" You leave the last bit unspoken.
"I can do it my--?"
"Look, Kyoko." You try to be as serious as you can. Just be direct. "I'm not gonna let you rush in like an idiot, especially since you just admitted to needing rest. If you need to crash, then crash. The Seed is still yours."
Kyoko wants to argue...
"Fuckin' fine." She huffs, "I guess I'll take it easy, then." Pocketing the Life Stone, Kyoko walks up next to Kohaku. "You're going back to Yumi's, right?"
Kohaku, surprised to be a part of the conversation, blinks. "Um, I... Yumi, I'll, um, wait for you back home!"
You offer a thumbs up to Kohaku, "Got it. I'll take care of the Witch, and meet back up with you later!"
"Be safe, Yumi." Kohaku bows slightly before turning to lead Kyoko home.
You turn to the assumed direction of the Barrier, and tap your Gauntlet. In a flash of light, you're there.
In front of you, stretching as far as you can see, is a snow covered forest. The trees are flat drawings, and the snow is cartoonishly large.
"Are we fighting again?" Dawn asks.
[] ???????????????????
"There are items you could use to get there." You state plainly, "Like this thing." You produce a Life Stone, tossing it to Kyoko for her to inspect. "That'll heal you if you need it to. Go ahead and keep it, I can get more pretty easy!"
"You...?" Kyoko is completely taken aback.
"I've also got one that, if you crush it, an Ice spell happens! And if Kazuya is anything to go by, there are ones for Fire and Lightning, too!" Kyoko seems to relax as you explain, "Oh, and there are magic trinkets you can get that'll give you better resistances, make you aim better, and other stuff. Easiest way to get all of that is the Jack Bros. General Store, but if you're short on cash, I think they can appraise things to sell, or even just so you know what they are!"
"...Huh." Kyoko grunts.
"Also also!" You begin again, "Even if you don't use it to contract demons, the Summoning Program could still help with other things. Homura's app even has some tracker for her Soul Gem, but I'd ask her about it if you wanna know more. I may not know how it works, but something about it makes me a bit stronger after some fights!" That might explain why Kazuya's so strong...
Kyoko sighs in frustration, "And what if I don't have a phone?"
"Then we can just get you a cheap one." You shrug, "Or we can beat up some Yak--!!" You fake cough, "Err... S-So, that Labyrinth! Do you wanna do it together, or...?" You leave the last bit unspoken.
"I can do it my--?"
"Look, Kyoko." You try to be as serious as you can. Just be direct. "I'm not gonna let you rush in like an idiot, especially since you just admitted to needing rest. If you need to crash, then crash. The Seed is still yours."
Kyoko wants to argue...
"Fuckin' fine." She huffs, "I guess I'll take it easy, then." Pocketing the Life Stone, Kyoko walks up next to Kohaku. "You're going back to Yumi's, right?"
Kohaku, surprised to be a part of the conversation, blinks. "Um, I... Yumi, I'll, um, wait for you back home!"
You offer a thumbs up to Kohaku, "Got it. I'll take care of the Witch, and meet back up with you later!"
"Be safe, Yumi." Kohaku bows slightly before turning to lead Kyoko home.
"Please."
You turn to the assumed direction of the Barrier, and tap your Gauntlet. In a flash of light, you're there.
In front of you, stretching as far as you can see, is a snow covered forest. The trees are flat drawings, and the snow is cartoonishly large.
"Are we fighting again?" Dawn asks.
[] ???????????????????
[X] Plan Let's Make This Quick
-[X] To Dawn: "We will be soon."
--[X] Summon Nadja, Raiju and Wendigo and start exploring
---[X] Try to make this quick, you still have Nori's challenge after this
Nadja is our best Force caster, Raiju is our best Electric caster, Wendigo is our best Ice caster, and the three of them have good buffs/debuffs, so they seem like our best options until we know what specifically the Witch is vulnerable to.
-[X] To Dawn: "We will be soon."
--[X] Summon Nadja, Raiju and Wendigo and start exploring
---[X] Try to make this quick, you still have Nori's challenge after this
Nadja is our best Force caster, Raiju is our best Electric caster, Wendigo is our best Ice caster, and the three of them have good buffs/debuffs, so they seem like our best options until we know what specifically the Witch is vulnerable to.