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Quest to Become a Hero

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Velvet's Terrifying Bite and Your Poor Aim
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Dominate Writing on the remainder of the dagger text.
    -[X] Position yourself for a Backstab before the countdown ends.

    Somewhat rushed due to the limited time, you reach into your pack to dig out the last sheet of paper containing the copied contents on dagger usage from earlier before swiftly mobilizing your ability to devour the words on the page. Information flows into you rapidly, but most seems irrelevant as it immediately disperse leaving only a few bits and pieces behind of relatively minor usefulness. By the time you've crammed it back into your bag and began trying to circle around the golem the count down has finished.

    "-One. Beginning Wood Rank Combat Test."

    Even with your apparently improved reflexes you find it hard to dodge the exam golem's first punch as it immediately comes barreling towards you at full speed, the strike barely missing your side as you throw yourself forward... Right into the golem's other fist which slams solidly into your stomach, knocking some of the wind out of you and sending you reeling back a few steps. You manage to recover quickly though, taking a step forward before slicing at what would be the golem's armpit before suddenly stabbing into it's chest at the end of your swing leaving no opening for the animated lump of wood to dodge.

    Velvet comes barreling in from the side, her teeth barred as she leaps up and quite literally tears a chunk away from the golem's arm in a single bite. She spits it out mid fall before hopping around behind it, avoiding a counter attack but leaving you the target of it's retaliation. You move to sidestep a blow but only end up avoiding the brunt of it as the fist grazes across your shoulder to be immediately followed by a wooden fist slamming into your chest with rather impressive amounts of force. This time as you cough from the blow you see droplets of blood accompanying it, splashing against the golem's already fairly damaged frame.

    Ignoring the pain radiating through your chest, you slash towards the golem's outstretched arm and wrist with unsteady hands. Your strikes miss their mark entirely as you stumble forward, using the unexpected chance to roll forward to get behind it. You hear and sense Velvet tearing into the golem behind you with great vigor.

    Spotting a chance, you spin around and grip your dagger tightly in hand as you send it charging straight toward where the golem's heart would be. You catch sight of Velvet being pummeled by the animated instructor even as she clings onto one arm, her body locked on by the teeth buried in its arm.

    However, despite this chance and your best efforts the golem seems to sense you Attack as it throws Velvet off before flinging itself away from you. It's body rolling across the ground while you dagger ineffectual cuts through the air it once occupied. Opening some distance, you check on Velvet and try to settle your now hurried, gasping breaths.

    Sweat rolls down your face in slow trickles and you feel the robes beginning to stick to your body. Your chest hurts, your shoulder stings, and your stomach churns rapidly. If course the golem wasn't doing much better with several chunks missing from its arm and clear cuts from where your dagger had successfully landed.

    What do you do?
    [] Press the attack, you probably won't be able to keep fighting much longer...
    [] Let Velvet keep its attention and go for another Backstab. Risky and exhausting, but it's end this quickly...
    [] Write in.

    Status
    Health: Heavily Battered
    Stamina: Very Tired

    Status Effects: Fatigued (-3 to all rolls)

    Dominate Writing - Dagger Mastery Basics, Incomplete - Using a copy of some of the contents found within a treatise on dagger usage as your target you gained a small fountain of information. Most of it useless to your current skill level, but still you manage to grasp some little bit of assistance from it. +1 to attack rolls when wielding a dagger.

    Level: 3
    Experience: 83/400

    Guild Rank:     Wood (10/10[!]) [Promotion Available]
    Hidden Features: Unlocked Instructors in the Guild Store
    Current Booked Courses: Stealth, Beginner (1 Day)

    G.P.: 170
    Money: 90 Copper
    Heroic Legacy Points: 0

    Estimated Time of Day:     Noon last you remember.
    Titles
    They Who Seek the Crown (Level One, 14/25) - A title earned by gaining the blessing of the God of War in a chance encounter with his will. It is a boon granted to those who seek to become like Lords, towering above the world with every action and word capable of bringing great waves of change. Currently it is weak and only grants you the power of Domination, but if you grow stronger and perform in a way that meshes with this Boon then perhaps its strength can grow.

    Heroes can be Thieves Right? - In the name of Heroism you stole classified information from the Church of War without being caught. Now no innocent souls shall be ended with this dangerous knife, but ... yours might be if you mess up? Slightly increased chance of learning stealth and thievery related skills until discovered, lost if the Sealed Scroll is destroyed.

    Ethical Scholar - A scholar's duty is that of facts, numbers, honesty, and boundaries. You have a devotion to the work of the written word that few would follow in the face of potential benefits. You seek simply to perform your work to the best of your ability and stand within the morals of your scholar code, even find yourself compelled to do so. Established personal Scholarly Code, sticking to it makes your work easier and better while going against it more difficult and with worse results.
    • Scholar Code I - No work is better than hasty work. {Provides +2 to scholarly rolls when you take your time, take -2 to scholarly rolls when you attempt to work with haste.}
    • Scholar Code II - Provide the facts to those that hire you, nothing more and nothing less. {Provides 2 bonus experience when followed, lose 2 experience when ignored.}
    • Scholar Code III - Judgement is the employer's job. {Provides 2 bonus experience when followed, lose 2 experience when ignored.}
    • Scholar Code IV - There is satisfaction in learning that which is known and that which is not. {Provides 2 bonus experience when learning new knowledge skills and advancing skill ranks in them.}
    Traits
    Sturdy Physique - You come to possess a body that is much more resilient than your original form allowing you to withstand roughly twice as much damage before your body gives out resulting in death.
    Quick to Act - You are fast to respond in dangerous situations, where others are still confused about changing events you have already begun to move in response to them.
    Iron Clad Mind - Your will is strengthened considerably under the guidance of the Spirit as if your mind has created the foundations of a fortress around it. With it's backing you are capable of putting up greater resistance against mental influences.

    Aspire to Sagehood - You've come to find yourself a seeker of all forms of knowledge and find it easy to learn those skills a scholar finds most useful. Perhaps with enough work you may achieve acknowledgement as a Sage, a master of countless fields of knowledge. Increased skill gains for scholar related skills.
    Forbidden Scholar - You are more likely to notice lore and knowledge regarding those topics considered forbidden to the general populace. Of course, your affinity for these subjects does not create that knowledge where none exists.
    Studious - You've become well acquainted with book learning and, while it will never be a good replacement for a teacher, have learned how to make the most of it. Increased skill gains when learning a skill from a book.

    Swift Growth I - With enough power the Heroic Spirit can even help you grow, increasing the rate at which you earn experience by twenty-five percent permanently.
    Skills
    Mathematics (Beginner, 15%) - +4 to rolls requiring use of mathematics.
    Local Administration (Beginner, 10%) - +4 to rolls involving administration of businesses and small land holdings.
    Geography of Relgar Township Region (Beginner) - Capable of recalling information related to areas in the Relgar area that could be of use. Such as the size of a specific forest, important landmarks, etc.
    Monster Knowledge (Relgar Township, Beginner, 45%) - You've memorized basic information provided on Vicious Rabbits, Giant Rats, Slimes, Monstrous Corn, Green-pelt Wolves, and Forest Bears.
    Plant Knowledge (Relgar Township, Beginner) - You've memorized basic information provided on Red-Shelled Warmths, Blue Bells, Golden Leaf, and common herbs like thyme or poppies.
    Copying Writing (Adept, 2%) - You've experienced copying countless documents, books, and records to such an extent that it's almost an ingrained instinct in you. Time required to copy any form of writing is reduced and chance of wrongly copying something is greatly decreased.
    Evasion (Beginner, 19%) - You've learned the basics of positioning, and movement enabling you to react well to attacks sent you way. It's rather simple now, but even a slight advantage could save your life. Increases your Difficulty to Hit by 4.
    Dagger Mastery (Beginner, 6%) - Through sparring and practice you have grasped the basics of fighting with a dagger. How to grip it so as not to lose the weapon in combat, basic and effective methods of attack from stabbing to slicing, etc. +4 to attack rolls when wielding a dagger.

    Harvesting (Learning Beginner, 45%) - You are slowly obtaining experience in the act of harvesting plants and herbs. With some more work experience you are certain you'd be at least somewhat skilled in the act.
    Skinning (Learning Beginner, 40%) - You have learned the basic knowledge one should know to begin skinning and harvesting the corpses of monsters, but to really come to understand it and it's uses you will need actual experience.
    Haggling (Learning Beginner, 89%) - You have obtained a lot of insight into the act of haggling varying from the dos to the don'ts and you are certain with a bit more knowledge and actual practice you can put it to work helping you.
    Identification (Learning Beginner, 10%) - After reading the book on Identification you have a vague idea of how the power works, but without a teacher to guide you in the absolute specifics you are unsure if you can learn to utilize this power.
    Survival (Learning Beginner, 40%) - You are quickly becoming used to most basic of the basics when it comes to surviving outdoors, and with the help of some of your research materials you believe you have a decent grasp of it all. Only actively performing the actions and experience will tell.
    Trapping (Learning Beginner, 20%) - Trapping is a rather simple subject, but the specifics are somewhat confusing to you with your rather limited life experiences. You have a decent grasp of theoretical knowledge, but will need to use it in the field to confirm.
    Abilities
    Domination (Level One, 5/25) - Allows you to bind creatures/monsters that are one level below you (to a minimum of level 1) to your will permanently. Unless the creature in question has a particularly strong will then the power is bound to succeed. Does not work on humans. [Dominated Beings: 1/2]
    + Dominate Writing (Level One, 7/25) - You've obtained a new power derived from your blessing from the God of War. It grants you the ability to draw strength from the written word though... You are utterly uncertain what that actually means. [Dominated Writings: 0/1]

    Backstab - You force an opening in your opponent's guard and shift yourself into place to deliver a well timed, well placed reverse grip stab to the foe's back with great force. Such a move is straining on you, but has incredible effects when successfully performed. Make a single attack that deals four times damage to the enemy if it lands, uses a moderate amount of Stamina.
    Inventory
    Equipment
    Main Hand -     Simple Iron Dagger [Damage: ???, Attack Speed: 2, Slashing]
    Off Hand - Empty

    Armor - Plain Scholar's Robes [???]

    Easily Accessed Items
    Iron Kite Shield [???]
    Iron Hand-Axe [???]
    Simple Wooden Club [Damage: 3, Blunt]
    Scholar's Writing Instruments [2/4 sheets of paper]

    Canvas Backpack [7/10]
    - Ten Foot Rope
    - Bundle of Clean Rags [10/10]
    - Archbishop Julian Vandamule's Sealed Scroll
    - Wooden Storage Box [Can hold up to twenty herbs (varies based on size) | 0/20]
    - Paper with copied contents from a Book on Skinning
    - Paper with copied contents about Trapping.
    -
    -
    -
    -

    Belt Pouch [3/4]
    - Flask of Oil [3 Units of Oil Remaining]
    - Container with Six Vials [0/6 Filled]
    - Flint & Steel
    -
    Health: 6/8

    Status Effects: None

    Level: 2
    Experience: 0/40

    Attacks:
    Bite -     [Damage: 3, Slashing]

    Traits:
    Sensitive Nose -     +5 to finding herbs
    Natural Gatherer - +5 to harvesting herbs
    Soul Linked - Can be given up to 2 Experience from their Master's kills.

    Skills:
    Evasion (Beginner,     14%) - Increases the Difficulty to Hit by 4.

    Fighting (Learning Beginner, 49%)

    Abilities:
    Cannibalize (Level One, 0/10) - Capable of devouring their kin to quickly heal from injuries. Regains 1 Health per pound of Vicious Rabbit meat consumed.

    GM Note: With the accordion editor now a thing I can use I've revamped John's status. Hopefully this is a much less clusterfuck version, easier for me to use at least.
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Draw your Shield, and block it's blows to let Velvet finish the job.
    Both Velvet and us are trying to be the rouge delivering a sneak attack and not the guy opening up the flanking bonus, and it's screwing both over I think. Without more organized teamwork it just becomes a game of whack-a-mole to beat us because we don't have the tightened timing to play off each other properly. So we tank, Velvet does the damage (The bunny literally has a higher damage per hit judging by the damage listings!) And hopefully we don't get pulverized by the Golem before she can finish it.
     
    [X] Press the attack, you probably won't be able to keep fighting much longer...

    John is very battered and tired. At this point it's about minimizing exhaustion, not winning. John still needs to work after this.

    I don't think we have time to switch weapons, nor should we when John hasn't practiced.
     
    [X] Press the attack, you probably won't be able to keep fighting much longer...

    While I'd like to play tank, I don't think the MC can handle it at this point. Let's just do the best we can.
     
    Flask of oil to make the golem slip? Flint and steel to light the remnants, while Velvet distracts?

    Mostly because "do the same thing" doesn't encourage me
     
    Pandemonious Ivy said:
    Flask of oil to make the golem slip? Flint and steel to light the remnants, while Velvet distracts?

    Mostly because "do the same thing" doesn't encourage me
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    That'll take too long, Velvet's not hefty enough to stop the Golem from taking advantage of such an obvious opening to punch us in the side of the head while we're fumbling with our pouch. We're almost done anyway, and I'm pretty sure we've already done enough to pass since the importance of the combat test was reduced for us, so I'm not interested in using up a consumable now of all times. If we wanted to set it on fire, we should've turned our Oil Flask into a Molotov by combining it with a rag and used it from the beginning.

    [X] Press the attack, you probably won't be able to keep fighting much longer...
     
    You make valid points but there has to be a better way to do this, regardless.

    We can't assume we'll be more successful now, seeing as we're weaker than before.
     
    Pandemonious Ivy said:
    You make valid points but there has to be a better way to do this, regardless.

    We can't assume we'll be more successful now, seeing as we're weaker than before.
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    Hrm, twofold thoughts come to mind-one is battle exhaustion is a thing for all parties-that Golem's taken some damage and that should hamper it as well.
    Other thought is we need to get our shield out so we stop tanking hits with our face, or swap to a weapon that's more damaging so we win the trades hard enough to not die before the Golem does.
     
    Pandemonious Ivy said:
    You make valid points but there has to be a better way to do this, regardless.

    We can't assume we'll be more successful now, seeing as we're weaker than before.
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    I don't see a way for John to win this, which is not a surprise. I'd try a dodging strategy, but it's fast enough he's only dodging every other blow. The speed is also why switching techniques midfight is a bad idea. At this point I'm just interested in John not being badly injured or too exhausted to work. There doesn't have to be a way to win. John is fighting above his weight class, and that generally means losing.

    John has shown the beginnings of combat skills. Either that's enough to pass or it isn't, in which case we retake the exam in a week or two.
     
    I'm not sure that this golem will be called off at 10% damage like the sparring golem was. The evaluation might involve fighting until one of the parties can no longer fight. If that's the case, John has no chance at winning, and he should just try to do as much damage as possible.

    He might have done better if he had been fully healed before going into the fight, but his money reserve is barely enough to cover 2 days, if that. He probably doesn't need to win the combat test in order to pass the Advancement Exam. If he does fail, then at least he can do quests for Advancement Points again.

    I'm really hoping that some free healing comes with the Advancement Exam. Heavily Battered and blood when coughing do not sound good at all. I doubt we can afford Elvish healing right now. Let's hope that a scholar-type quest is available after this, though he might still need to take a day off first.
     
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    Yeah, I've been thinking about healing. He really can't afford it, but he might need it. At least sturdy physique means he'll probably recover well? A scholarly or at minimum herb gathering quest until he's fighting fit, for sure. And pay for healing if things don't seem to be healing on their own?
     
    Wysteria said:
    I don't see a way for John to win this, which is not a surprise. I'd try a dodging strategy, but it's fast enough he's only dodging every other blow. The speed is also why switching techniques midfight is a bad idea. At this point I'm just interested in John not being badly injured or too exhausted to work. There doesn't have to be a way to win. John is fighting above his weight class, and that generally means losing.

    John has shown the beginnings of combat skills. Either that's enough to pass or it isn't, in which case we retake the exam in a week or two.
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    To me, his lack of skill with any particular weapon is actually MORE reason to try and swap away from the dagger, not less- if he's gonna suck with just about everything, why not swap to a weapon style that's less demanding in terms of skill? And shield-use at this level should be simple enough-hold shield in front of body.
    Admittedly I bet there's some crazy Hero who got SUPER AWESOME with a shield and could use a shield to stop an avalanche sure, but here's the thing. We've only a +4 to attack rolls from using a Dagger. That's it. Backstab isn't even necessarily a Dagger-specific attack. That's barely a foundation, from what I can tell. We could swap to the Club and get an additional point of damage per hit, 3 versus the Dagger's 2, and doing Blunt besides, which may or may not be useful, given our opponent is a Golem, I think it would be.
     
    The dagger has 2 attack speed, not 2 damage.

    I tend to think switching weapons midfight at John's skill level involves dropping the weapon or, in the case of the Molotov idea, setting himself on fire.
     
    The MC went from Fairly Energetic to Very Tired during a relatively short spar. This does not bode well for him being able to wave around a club. He's also Heavily Battered so I think that tanking would just result in John being sent flying while holding the shield.

    We definitely need to look into how to improve stats at some point, either by reading up on it, seeing if the Guild has a gym, or both. Right now, the suggested shield and short sword pairing is not a viable build for John. He can't fight for long even with just a dagger. If he had more minions, then he could just tank all of the time while the minions do the damage, but I think he'd still need more Strength and Stamina to tank effectively.
     
    Mount. Elements said:
    The MC went from Fairly Energetic to Very Tired during a relatively short spar. This does not bode well for him being able to wave around a club. He's also Heavily Battered so I think that tanking would just result in John being sent flying while holding the shield.

    We definitely need to look into how to improve stats at some point, either by reading up on it, seeing if the Guild has a gym, or both. Right now, the suggested shield and short sword pairing is not a viable build for John. He can't fight for long even with just a dagger. If he had more minions, then he could just tank all of the time while the minions do the damage, but I think he'd still need more Strength and Stamina to tank effectively.
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    I'm...Not entirely convinced that weapon choice is the issue-we tried to use Backstab early on in the fight I think and it got no-sold, and it's a gamble, stamina-wise. That I think is where our stamina went. Alternatively our stamina just drains fast because we don't have the skills, but if that's the case, there's nothing as far as I'm aware that says sword and shield is any more taxing, and on top of that, now WOULD be the time to diversify, before we end up with enough skills invested into dagger that we have to stick with it in order to survive. Now, I CAN see Shield use failing due to a lack of Stamina, but frankly I'm inclined to think our Health declines as quickly as it does because we lack protection and thus we're tanking with our face and little else.
    I've been advocating sword&board for John because I've seen nothing to demonstrate that Velvet can or even LEARN to tank, and if we go Dagger and focus on Backstabs that just means John and Velvet are a pair of DPS reliant on curb-stomping enemies before a fight even begins, and thus fare terribly if the fight turns into a slug-fest like this one. Sword&Board I think should push us to develop the skills that let us not blow all our Stamina right away, and make long-term fighting possible, and lets us not have to rely on Velvet or John getting a lucky crit to bring down their foes.
     
    I'm not saying that it's impossible for John to ever fight with a shield and sword, but I think we need to figure out how to increase John's Stamina and Strength first because I doubt he can pull it off with his current stats.

    One reason I was interested in the Monster Corn quest was because it would give us a better idea of whether John's Stamina can even handle carrying a shield around for long periods of time. Too bad his Health would probably make taking that quest next a bad idea, if it's even still available at Porcelain rank (assuming John passes the Advancement Exam).

    I don't really know what I want for John's combat build long-term. It just doesn't feel like we know enough. Plus, we should probably be taking John's future minions into account. If he Dominates a Green-Pelt Wolf, that would be another speedy attacker. On the other hand, Forest Bears should be able to tank while they're using plants to slow and put to sleep their opponents.

    I'm also not sure about learning magic. Generally, learning magic is a good idea, but here it involves breaking the Boundary that prevents the free flow of mana into and out of the would-be mage. What is the reason for the Boundary? Can it instead be strengthened as a form of defense against pure-mana attacks or chaotic mana? I'm hoping that we'll learn more before we have the GP to try the Meditation class.
     
    Mount. Elements said:
    I'm not saying that it's impossible for John to ever fight with a shield and sword, but I think we need to figure out how to increase John's Stamina and Strength first because I doubt he can pull it off with his current stats.

    One reason I was interested in the Monster Corn quest was because it would give us a better idea of whether John's Stamina can even handle carrying a shield around for long periods of time. Too bad his Health would probably make taking that quest next a bad idea, if it's even still available at Porcelain rank (assuming John passes the Advancement Exam).

    I don't really know what I want for John's combat build long-term. It just doesn't feel like we know enough. Plus, we should probably be taking John's future minions into account. If he Dominates a Green-Pelt Wolf, that would be another speedy attacker. On the other hand, Forest Bears should be able to tank while they're using plants to slow and put to sleep their opponents.

    I'm also not sure about learning magic. Generally, learning magic is a good idea, but here it involves breaking the Boundary that prevents the free flow of mana into and out of the would-be mage. What is the reason for the Boundary? Can it instead be strengthened as a form of defense against pure-mana attacks or chaotic mana? I'm hoping that we'll learn more before we have the GP to try the Meditation class.
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    Okay. Soo...Admittedly, in terms of our next strategic move-I like the Corn Quest. As far as taking 'future minions' into account? My answer to that is we don't think of them like that. They're shinies to be grafted onto our build, not centerpieces. Frankly if Dominate Writing is any indication we're probably meant to grab a minion, expend it, and move on to the next one more then we stick to and adapt to the presence of a particular minion.
    As for our build in general, I figure anyone making plans around us getting magic needs to have an answer for what we do in the meantime because by the sounds of it unlocking magic isn't done quickly nor easily.
    As for our ability in combat well...
    WE'RE STILL USING SCHOLAR ROBES FOR ARMOR! No wonder our HP goes from full to 'I'm gonna die soon' so fast! Once we get proper equipment on that front and go and get into another fight THEN we can judge where we stack up.
     
    Mount. Elements said:
    I'm not saying that it's impossible for John to ever fight with a shield and sword, but I think we need to figure out how to increase John's Stamina and Strength first because I doubt he can pull it off with his current stats.
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    adwarf said:
    Yeah, until the PC is more physically fit wearing full plate or running around with a greatsword/tower shield will drain you heavily and just be incredibly unwieldy in a fight.

    For the most part the only stuff where weight will be considered (by me) are direct equipment like armor and weaponry, the rest will be vaguely hand-waved away. Unless you wanna try to hoist a boulder or something obviously.
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    adwarf said:
    Thanks, also the shield was foregone because the general consensus was to get Evasion ranked up first, so John focused on dodging instead of attempting both. He's a complete newbie at physical tasks and combats. Kind of hard to multitask dodging, blocking, and then attacking with a dagger when you barely understand the basics.
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    We're currently procluded from using the shield due to a lack of coordination from not having all the basic skills, not because our Strength or Stamina is too low. If we were trying to use a Tower Shield that'd be a different story.

    While having the shield equipped would probably involve some kind of passive Stamina drain, that's probably not even close to the Stamina cost of using techniques, and the longer he uses the shield then the faster he'll get used to its weight until he's fit enough for it not to be a problem. What's more important for using the shield properly is for us to learn Beginner Shield Mastery, increasing our physical Strength and Stamina is still important but not a prerequisite.
     
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    [X] Press the attack, you probably won't be able to keep fighting much longer...
    -[X] You and Velvet aim for it's already damaged arm, another couple hits and you should break it off.

    Guys, I just realized. The Golem has attacked solely with punching based attacks. The update calls out that the Golem has already taken a lot of damage to it's arm courtesy of Velvet, and that our dagger is capable of cutting through it. By attacking the arm where Velvet chewed, we have a decent chance of cutting the arm off and thus neutering the Golem's attack power.

    After all, John is able to dodge one punch from the Golem just fine, it's the second one that gets him. So if we cut off the Golem's second arm...
     
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