Renascence: A Homura Quest

[catDreaming]

First, some questions to clarify things. Though I'm guessing not all will be answered.
- @Higure , it appears that Homura's +20 from Seductive Englishwoman wasn't applied to any of the Socialize Rolls for Mami in the last update. Was this due to other characters than just Homura and Mami being around?
-Ruki said she was taking the day off from the Yamato, but is still listed next to it as taking an Independent Action. Was this due to copy-pasting some of the Creative Actions section?

Second, updated skill ranks for non-Homura characters! I'm sticking with +100 on learning indicating a 16 or greater difference in skill ranks, whereas a +50 indicates 15 or less difference in skill ranks.

Sayaka: Magecraft 13, Melee 52+?
Ruki: Engineering 20
Oriko: Magical Theory 30+
Kyouko: Investigation 10, Socialize 13
Madoka: Socialize 40
Mami: Socialize 13
Miho Miki: Melee 53+

Ruki's Engineering level has been bumped down to 20 to account for her getting a +15 from whatever her version of Yamato Whisperer is, as well as the +5 from Warship Novice that Homura picked up. She's still better than Homura (Engineering 13), but not absurdly so.
We now know why Sayaka is so good at melee: Her mom is even better. Though I suspect the Sword Specialist trait that Homura began developing might be responsible for some of that, either by boosting effective level of Melee with a sword or though making it easier to train.

Now, onto planning. I echo the sentiments of not wanting to explore new areas. However, since Homura should probably inform some parental or guardian figures that she will be flying out to Buckingham Palace on the morrow, I believe there is a fairly straightforward spread of initial Social actions to take: Takeshi Akemi and Miho Miki. Though Homura only has one Social Action normally, Miho Miki Social can occur as part of a Home Action. And honestly, that might not be a terrible thing to Request Sayaka for. Revealing magic to Miho Miki might be neccesary though... So we'll find out. As far as Takeshi Akemi, well, this could also interfere with our ability to attend the Pathfinder game. It's only polite on that front, in addition to not wanting to worry a parent.
Doing a Social Action with Takeshi Akemi will also contribute towards Investigating Akemi Madness. Putting one of our Investigative Actions there seems like a good idea. As far as finishing up anything else with an Investigative Action... False Memories is possible, if Homura requests help. I'm honestly just going to put both of our Investigative Actions into Akemi Madness, because that would speed things up when we come back to it.
To wrap up Home Actions, training Melee with Miho Miki also gives us progress towards developing the Sword Specialist Trait.
Mission Actions... I guess it's time for Witch Hunting? Yeah, we have plenty of Grief Seeds, but getting more is never a terrible idea. And if Artoria is that powerful of a Magical Girl, we might just need the Grief Seeds for something. Let's just hope this doesn't roll a nat 10 and summon a boss fight on top of our heads. We do need to give serious consideration towards what Puella Magus we are inviting to come with us to Buckingham.
Creative Actions will be has been swapped over to Researching a Theoretical Ambition 5 Spell to cure Homura's Heart Condition until the loop resets.
Training Actions! Oh god. There are so many things to train. Socialize helps us with Social Links, and... Engineering. Because that helps speed up Restoration, when we get back to it.

[X] Plan: Day Before Departure
Investigative Actions: 2
-[X] Akemi Madness (74/500)
-[X] Akemi Madness (74/500)
Social Actions: 1
-[X] Takeshi Akemi (6/300)
Home Actions: 2
-[X] Training: Melee
--[X] With Miho Miki
-[X] Social: Miho Miki
--[X] Request - Sayaka
Mission Actions: 1
-[X] Witch Hunt
Creative Actions: 1
-[X] Research A Theoretical Spell
--[X] A Spell to cure Homura's heart condition, without need for reapplication or ongoing maintenance unless reset by Time Loop.
--[X] Ambition: 5
Training Actions: 1
-[X] Socialize
--[X] Request - Mami
Sleep Actions: 4
-[X] Sleep
-[X] Sleep
-[X] Train: Engineering
-[X] Train: Research
Special
-[X] Classic Dress (No Flowers)

I have no idea what dress to pick, and frankly, it's not something I have good intuition for.

 

[Higure]

First, some questions to clarify things. Though I'm guessing not all will be answered.
- @Higure , it appears that Homura's +20 from Seductive Englishwoman wasn't applied to any of the Socialize Rolls for Mami in the last update. Was this due to other characters than just Homura and Mami being around?

Click to shrink...

Oh, right, excuse me while I raise Mami's SL.

-Ruki said she was taking the day off from the Yamato, but is still listed next to it as taking an Independent Action. Was this due to copy-pasting some of the Creative Actions section?

Click to shrink...

Oh, absolutely. Thought I'd caught that in the edit. Oh well.

 

[Spi.Guyver]

Not a bad plan overall. Personally I would go with training Social with a teacher for our Training Action and then train Engineering for our Sleep action. Though maybe read that note taking book instead for sleep? That should help with all future training that involves lectures if we can complete it.

On the subject of completing the Yamato, I am guestimating that each 500 progress section completes some sub-component of the ship. This time was the engines, perhaps the next is the hull, then specific individual rooms or decks, then weapons, etc.

Going to the dresses, my gut is to go with the second one, the Flashy one. It better fits Homura's personality and aesthetics than the first one, it sets us apart from the crowd and is at least traditional enough. The Classic One comes to mind if we are trying to fit in more and follow Artoria. Good for getting her help, but not so good for trying to do so on our terms. Something about the first option, the Lavender One, makes me want to dismiss it out of hand.

Now is also a great time to start discussing who we bring with us. Sayaka is likely going to want to come when she hears us breaking the news to MikiMom, regardless of whether we ask another Puella Magi to come or not. She may not get to come to the Palace, or at least the direct meeting with the King but they may relent on just bringing her to the country. I'm still of the opinion we should take Oriko, just to counter any potential precogs that caused this invite in the first place.

Failing her, say due to still needing to work on/with Yuma, maybe try inviting Mami or Ruki. Mami because Mitakihara is her territory by tradition, and any decision involving us will likely impact Mitakihara. Ruki is there just to allow us to to best present a united front as she likely wont try to profit from the meeting or go looking out for number one just to survive.

After those, we have Kirika and Kyouko. Kirika is unlikely to be best behaved away from Oriko, unless the precog gives her some specific instructions. Kyouko I don't see as having anything unique to give us since we have Arcana Kyouko riding in Homura's head.

 

[WanderingTwix]

"The second is a darker purple. Perhaps a bit flashy, and the crown will have to go, considering. I think it would be a fine choice. I do worry that it may be a bit more flashy, rather than dignified, but that isn't necessarily a problem."

Click to shrink...

Bah, we're an Akemi, all-in or bust

"One. Last. Bolt!" Ruki says aloud, as she takes her wrench to the last of the turbines, finishing the engine repairs, "Alright! First step's done! Now for everything else!"

You release the large steel plate you'd been holding steady for her, nodding in satisfaction as you look around and ask, "It's a very good start. Shall we work on the guns next, perhaps?"

Ruki, however, doesn't hear you, instead speaking into the ether, "Did that help? How do the engines feel?"

You are not in any position to lecture her about talking to people who aren't there, but it is still concerning, considering her relative lack of traum--

Your thoughts grind to a halt as Yamato's engines start without warning, the freshly repaired turbines firing up loudly for a few moments before returning to dormancy.

"My…much better…thank you…help…"

You jerk at the unfamiliar voice, searching the room for the speaker, but find nothing--only the walls of the ship.

"You know, ghosts are fine. I honestly expect ghosts at this point. Ships are not people, though, so I'm very concerned, Homura."

You send along a feeling of agreement and stare in shock at the walls of the vessel around you.

You remain in that stupor, eyes wide, until Ruki's voice cuts through the silence, "Alright, Senpai! We're off to a great start! Thank you so much for helping Yamato with me!"

You can only nod slowly in agreement, wondering exactly what you're dealing with.

Click to shrink...

inb4 Ship-girl spirit is being slowly woken up/manifested as the Yamato gets more repaired

I'm too sleep-deprived and have stuff (tm) for votes right now, will try looking at them and talking later, or just bandwagoning, whatever.

 

[catDreaming]

Not a bad plan overall. Personally I would go with training Social with a teacher for our Training Action and then train Engineering for our Sleep action. Though maybe read that note taking book instead for sleep? That should help with all future training that involves lectures if we can complete it.

Click to shrink...

That's kind of the issue right now; We have three/four things we want to be training (Research to prep for Spell Development, Engineering to prep for Yamato Restoration, Socialize for Social Links, Clocksmithing for Clocktower Restoration), but I still kinda want to continue three sleep actions to build up sanity. Two sleep actions does roughly net zero for Sanity... What about training Socialize with Mami, and then Research for Spell Development and Engineering for Yamato or Clocksmithing for Clocktower in place of two sleeps?

Now is also a great time to start discussing who we bring with us. Sayaka is likely going to want to come when she hears us breaking the news to MikiMom, regardless of whether we ask another Puella Magi to come or not. She may not get to come to the Palace, or at least the direct meeting with the King but they may relent on just bringing her to the country. I'm still of the opinion we should take Oriko, just to counter any potential precogs that caused this invite in the first place.

Failing her, say due to still needing to work on/with Yuma, maybe try inviting Mami or Ruki. Mami because Mitakihara is her territory by tradition, and any decision involving us will likely impact Mitakihara. Ruki is there just to allow us to to best present a united front as she likely wont try to profit from the meeting or go looking out for number one just to survive.

Click to shrink...

I'm personally in favor of Ruki over Oriko, though I am being swayed a bit towards the two being all things equal. Sayaka still strikes me as a bit of a risk, since she isn't really a Puella Magus. But she is almost certainly going to want to come along.

 

[Higure]

I know time's very limited here, but we need votes soon, if I'm gonna finish this thing this weekend, and not have a repeat of last week.

 

[Cubbyhb1]

[X] Plan: Day Before Departure
This is the exact plan I was thinking when reading the update, plus my favorite of the outfits for this version of Homura.

edited to account for the dress choice being added to the plan

 

[catDreaming]

My plan (Day Before Departure) has added the Classic Dress (No Flowers) unless someone presents an argument for one of the other dresses.

 

[Higure]

Gonna leave votes open through the night, since we have a grand total of 2 and the day is mostly done.

That being said, my chances of getting the whole update done tomorrow are roughly nil, so, in order to avoid working myself mad this week, probably don't expect an update until next weekend.

 

[Macros]

[X] Plan: Alternative Preparations
Investigative Actions: 2
-[ ] Akemi Madness (74/500)
-[ ] False Memories (63/200)
Social Actions: 1
-[ ] Hououin Kyouma (23/100)
Home Actions: 2
-[ ] Training: Melee
--[ ] With Miho Miki
-[ ] Social: Miho Miki
--[ ] Request - Sayaka
Mission Actions: 1
-[ ] Witch Hunt
Creative Actions: 1
-[ ] Research A Theoretical Spell
--[ ] A Spell to cure Homura's heart condition, without need for reapplication or ongoing maintenance unless reset by Time Loop.
--[ ] Ambition: 5
Training Actions: 1
-[ ] Socialize
--[ ] Request - Mami
Sleep Actions: 4
-[ ] Sleep
-[ ] Sleep
-[ ] Sleep
-[ ] Train: Research
Special
-[ ] Flashy Dress (No Coronet)


A couple of changes compared to the leading plan:
- didn't double down on Akemi Madness, instead gave another round to False Memories. I would have voted for an exploration action, but the point was made that it was probably better to do that after our trip.
- only sacrificed one sleep action. I'd rather have Homura well-rested before a royal meeting
- kind of like the flashy dress better, so throwing it out there
- still hoping to talk to our resident Mad Scientist

 

[catDreaming]

A couple of changes compared to the leading plan:
- didn't double down on Akemi Madness, instead gave another round to False Memories. I would have voted for an exploration action, but the point was made that it was probably better to do that after our trip.
- only sacrificed one sleep action. I'd rather have Homura well-rested before a royal meeting
- kind of like the flashy dress better, so throwing it out there
- still hoping to talk to our resident Mad Scientist

Click to shrink...

All good points. I considered working on False Memories, but it didn't quite fit in with either of the Social actions I was building the plan from. False Memories is an awkward spot where a single action alone can't finish it, but two actions alone does have a 71.5% chance of finishing it, and we've seen that excess progress doesn't carry over to any future Mysteries that it opens. Exploration actions are definitely going to be more of a focus post trip, I agree.
I'm interested in chatting with our resident Mad Scientist both in a social respect and because (Friend or Ally), he could very well be helpful with False Memories. If I hadn't prioritized letting Homura's Dad and Miho Miki possibly know about Homura's upcoming trip, then talking with him has real merit for setting up future collaboration.

 

[Thebigpieman]

[X] Plan: Alternative Preparations

I want my boi...

As an aside @Cubbyhb1 the dress choice is already included in the plan you voted for so be sure to remove that extra.

 

[Higure]

If I hadn't prioritized letting Homura's Dad and Miho Miki possibly know about Homura's upcoming trip, then talking with him has real merit for setting up future collaboration.

Click to shrink...

Homura will handle informing necessary people about something like this, just fyi. Social Actions exclusively represent dedicated blocks of time to build relationships--usually an hour at least--and are not needed for simple communication and that sort of thing.

If there's a situation where you need to specifically talk to someone and convince them of something in order to pursue a goal, that would either be part of the Mission Action, or its own Mission Action.

 

[WanderingTwix]

[X] Plan: Alternative Preparations

 

[catDreaming]

Homura will handle informing necessary people about something like this, just fyi. Social Actions exclusively represent dedicated blocks of time to build relationships--usually an hour at least--and are not needed for simple communication and that sort of thing.

If there's a situation where you need to specifically talk to someone and convince them of something in order to pursue a goal, that would either be part of the Mission Action, or its own Mission Action.

Click to shrink...

Good to know for future plan writing. I will keep it in mind.

On another line of thought, Kyuubey said that we could expect a tip from them in the next day or two... That's probably going to be on Thursday March 24th. At least we established that we'd be investigating any of the tips from the alien bunny-cat at our convience, not it's.

 

[Dantalion]

On another line of thought, Kyuubey said that we could expect a tip from them in the next day or two... That's probably going to be on Thursday March 24th. At least we established that we'd be investigating any of the tips from the alien bunny-cat at our convience, not it's.

Click to shrink...

At the same time, the Incubator is a world-wide entity; it is certainly capable of finding anomalies in the UK as easily as in Japan (provided such exist, of course... though given we're heading over at the behest of one, I somehow doubt that'll be an issue). Granted, it would have to foot the bill if it's expecting Homura to spend extra time to investigate something on the trip, but I doubt that it wouldn't be good for it.

 

[NanayaMode]

I finally finished reading, so I am going to join in. I have difficulty converting thoughts into words, so what I write might not end up as I intended. This does not just apply to Blue Truths.

Here's some Blue Truths anyways, using the color used in Umineko.

The number of loops the players have left is limited.
The number of loops the players have left is a specific value.
It is possible to increase the number of remaining loops.

The king we will be visiting is a Puella Magi.
The king we will be visiting is the original King Arthur.
The king we will be visiting is from this timeline.
The king we will be visiting is from a Fate/Stay Night timeline.
The king we will be visiting is connected to the Heracles we encountered in some significant way other than being from the same franchise.

At least one of the things Homura had identified as hallucinations was more than just a hallucination.
The Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination can physically interact with the world.
Every instance of that Madoka that Homura seeming to physically interact with the world was actually caused by Homura.

I'll post some more Blue Truths later.

 

[Spi.Guyver]

Now that Higure has confirmed we will let the appropriate people know of our trip, I can safely go with this plan.

[X] Plan: Alternative Preparations

It has the dress I prefer, and focuses slightly more on skills we currently know we have a need for. We are an Akemi, plus we are acting as representatives of Mitakihara if not Japan. We need to stand out in some fashion. Social helps with how we interact with people, which is something we will definitely need when dealing with the King. Finally research will help us in identifying the anomalies and other problems we choose/need to investigate.

 

[catDreaming]

Finally research will help us in identifying the anomalies and other problems we choose/need to investigate.

Click to shrink...

On this note, I have a nagging suspicion that Kyubey's tips will actually open up Mysteries, not things to Research. Remember that Research is either used prior to a Crafting, Development, or Working to reveal information about it, or is used to determine whether something can be done as a Grand Undertaking. Completing Mysteries revealed by Kyubey could very produce things that Homura can Research to Craft/Develop/Working. Homura's Investigation of 30 is good, but as we're starting to see, cooperation with others will be key to finishing mysteries that require more than 100 progress swiftly.

 

[Higure]

Votes Locked!

Adhoc vote count started by Higure on Jul 17, 2022 at 2:19 PM, finished with 30 posts and 6 votes.

• ---

  4 people have voted

  [X] Plan: Alternative Preparations

  • Macros
  • Thebigpieman
  • WanderingTwix
  • Spi.Guyver

  2 people have voted

  [X] Plan: Day Before Departure
  -[X] Akemi Madness (74/500)
  -[X] Takeshi Akemi (6/300)
  -[X] Training: Melee
  --[X] With Miho Miki
  -[X] Social: Miho Miki
  --[X] Request - Sayaka
  -[X] Witch Hunt
  -[X] Research A Theoretical Spell
  --[X] A Spell to cure Homura's heart condition, without need for reapplication or ongoing maintenance unless reset by Time Loop.
  --[X] Ambition: 5
  -[X] Socialize
  --[X] Request - Mami
  -[X] Sleep
  -[X] Train: Engineering
  -[X] Train: Research
  -[X] Classic Dress (No Flowers)

  • catDreaming
  • Cubbyhb1

I finally finished reading, so I am going to join in. I have difficulty converting thoughts into words, so what I write might not end up as I intended. This does not just apply to Blue Truths.

Here's some Blue Truths anyways, using the color used in Umineko.

The number of loops the players have left is limited.
The number of loops the players have left is a specific value.
It is possible to increase the number of remaining loops.

The king we will be visiting is a Puella Magi.
The king we will be visiting is the original King Arthur.
The king we will be visiting is from this timeline.
The king we will be visiting is from a Fate/Stay Night timeline.
The king we will be visiting is connected to the Heracles we encountered in some significant way other than being from the same franchise.

At least one of the things Homura had identified as hallucinations was more than just a hallucination.
The Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination can physically interact with the world.
Every instance of that Madoka that Homura seeming to physically interact with the world was actually caused by Homura.

I'll post some more Blue Truths later.

Click to shrink...

Welcome!

Some good truths here--unfortunately, most of them are things I won't reveal for now, I'm afraid.

The number of loops the players have left is limited.
The number of loops the players have left is a specific value.
I will not answer that at this time.

I will not answer the king-related blue truths at this time.

At least one of the things Homura had identified as hallucinations was more than just a hallucination.
I will not answer that at this time.
Every instance of the Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination seemingly physically interacting with the world was actually caused by Homura.

 

[Spi.Guyver]

Every instance of the Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination seemingly physically interacting with the world was actually caused by Homura.

Click to shrink...

Now the question is what do you mean when you say "caused by Homura"? Does that mean the mundane Homura physically went and interacted with her surroundings (example: she walked over to the counter, pulled her wallet out and paid at Red Lobster)? Or did she use some magical power to do it (ie, she levitated money over to whoever was at the register of Red Lobster with another spell making people not notice)? Or was she somehow making her hallucinations into reality (Hallucination Madoka momentarily materialized to interact with the cashier at Red Lobster), which may be considered the same as the magic source previously mentioned or something completely different?

 

[NanayaMode]

Every instance of the Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination seemingly physically interacting with the world was caused by Homura physically and directly.

 

[Higure]

Every instance of the Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination seemingly physically interacting with the world was caused by Homura physically and directly.

Click to shrink...

Not every instance of the Madoka that Homura identifies as a hallucination seemingly physically interacting with the world was caused by Homura directly and physically.

 

[catDreaming]

Alright, with us presumably heading out to London on the 24th, we'll probably have a different suite of options available for our actions. With that in mind, what current actions are available that Homura might still have access to (and what will their states be on the 24th)?

Investigative:

Friends? (546/2000): I can't figure out whether this will still be workable while abroad. I imagine it's dependent on whether any of Homura's Arcana Social Links are abroad. Igor and the Violet Room are probably still available.
Black Cats (0/500): Probably not, unless they follow Homura to London. Umineko Witches could possibly do that.
Igor's Contract (0/1000): As long as Homura can sleep, this seems possible. In fact, I imagine that this being substituted for a sleep action could consist of her visiting the Violet Room to think things over.
Attack On Mami's Apartment (0/1000): Probably Request only. Maybe Homura could help by studying Hercules mythos or trying to find references to the wolf thing in a library?
False Memories (94/200 ~ 193/200): Clovis von Brittania as a Social Link was opened up by advancing the Mystery to it's current stage. I can't think of any reason this would not be available, and furthermore, cooperating with him while in London seems like a good idea. At the least, it won't involve Homura and his Time Zones being different.
A Missing Memory (0/1000): Same case as Igor's Contract above; The Velvet Room is accessible, Homura can probably investigate this. Substitute it for a Sleep Action, and she might even spend part of the night in the Velvet Room.
Akemi Madness (105/500 ~ 204/500): Depending on whether Homura took the restored tome with her from the Akemi Clocktower Workshop, she might still be able to advance this.
Unknown Caller (0/100): Request only, as far as I can tell.
Locations et. all: Request only. Homura literally isn't there. Possibly replaced by locations in London for duration of visit.
-Meiosei: This is where Homura thinks that the Pluto's Heart mentioned by the Unknown Caller is. Seems like a good place to Request someone to look into.
The Military Magi: Request only. Requesting Snow almost feels like cheating, but I think she'd have some bonuses on it... And would ask a favor to be done.
Nanoha: Request only.
Azumi: Request only, but it seems like Madoka is looking into her anyway.​

Social:

In lieu of writing out every single option, I'm going to say who I don't think that we can reach or are uncertain.

Nagisa: Don't have a way to contact her
Nanoha: I cannot remember if we have a way to communicate with her beyond in person.
Junko Kaname: Maybe through Madoka. Otherwise, video call into the Pathfinder game strikes me as possible?
Tomohisa Kaname: Maybe through Madoka.
Miyazaki Books Cashier: We literally aren't there in person, and as far as I can tell, we don't have her phone number.​

Also, likely to have different options available while in London.​

Home:

These will probably be replaced with options pertaining to what we can do while at the Palace.​

Mission Actions:

I can't think of any reason these wouldn't be available, they just become harder without knowledge of the area.​

Creative Actions:

I can't think of any reason most of these wouldn't be available, though access to materials and working space might be more limited.
Restoration Of The Yamato: Nah fam, Homura ain't in town. She can't work on this.​

Training Actions:

If Homura can find access to a library of some kind, these might actually get some hefty benefits, both for training Homura and for training whoever she brings along.​

Sleep Actions:

These might require some extra stealth to pull off if they involve leaving Buckingham Palace, but if Sleep Actions start being limited beyond that, I think we have other issues at hand.​

 

[NanayaMode]

Here's some more Blue.

What Higure refers to as the "Golden Ending" refers to more than just the standard definition of the term (the best possible ending).

The Rokkenjima Massacre refers to the massacre of the Ushiromiya family and the people on Rokkenjima during October 4 and 5 of 1986.
The Rokkenjima Massacre occurred in this loop.
The Rokkenjima Massacre occurred in at least one previous loop.
The Rokkenjima Massacre occurred in all previous loops.

Here "Witch" will refer to Witches and Sorcerers in Umineko and similar beings.
At least one Witch that isn't Higure or a member of Sufficient Velocity is significantly involved in this Game. Making or delivering Halloween gifts, giving advice, and delivering messages are not considered significant involvement.

There is a Player in this Game that isn't Higure or a member of Sufficient Velocity.