How does transforming a Parahuman into a Dungeon Core affect the result? Do the Dungeon minions gain access to the Parahuman's powers? If so, that certainly raises the difficulty level for Adventurers. Just imagine using AT on Miss Militia and suddenly all the monsters have guns.
Well in practice, the real body of a Dungeon Core is the Core. So that's the shape that the Para would take. The Dungeon itself is an "effect" generated by the Core.
In relation to Para powers, they'll come from the Core so it would depend on the powers.
A Tinker could direct the minions to build traps, so there's some potential there.
A Thinker could gather more info on the adventurers and apply better strategy.
A Shaker depending on its range could affect part of the Dungeon. (Vista would be a terror as a Dungeon)
A Changer may allow the Core to be mobile, acting as a Boss maybe.
And so on.
By the way, how do creatures that naturally 'level up' (i.e. Pokemon and such) affect the Ally Transformation power? Do Allies under the effect garner EXP for the creature they are transformed into, do the allies gain the EXP themselves, is the transformation locked at the level of the Creature Alex picks for Transformation, or something else?
In the majority of the cases, it would be the creature that would gain the "XP" even if they're unaware during the transformation.
If the transformed target can itself gain "XP", if it got a Classe for example, it would be able to level up if it used its Class power in the Dungeon.
[X] No, it's enough for today. It would cause problems.
[X] Power
Power Roll: (430 points)
Entry Roll D117=6
100 Explosive Finish, 600 Gigantification (Too Expensive), 300 Ally Transformation
Sub-vote results: 300 Ally Transformation
Banked: 130
This chapter was a pain to write, my muse really didn't want to cooperate. It's not my best work but I'm fed up with it. Anyway, I hope you like it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wednesday, 05/18/2011 (10 PM)
In the end, I decided against going after the Merchants. We would already have a lot on our plate dealing with the aftermath of my actions. Furthermore, while I had a perfectly valid reason to go after the ABB it wasn't the case for the Merchants. They've committed plenty of crimes but none today that I could specifically point to as a justification to capture them.
I sent a text to Crystal informing her that she was safe and that the remnants of the ABB would be far too busy in the coming days to act in any way against New Wave. Just in case, Xiao would remain with her for the night. I didn't pry but from what I could tell they were going along great.
Then it was time to return to the Rig. The whole team was there waiting for me on the helipad as I disembarked from Bruce. When I informed them that I didn't go through with my plan to kill Lung they all appeared relieved. As we walked through the corridors of the base toward the cell block for Parahumans, I gave an abbreviated account of my actions. There were some whispers at my revelation about Oni-Lee's power. I heard Shawn muttering to himself that it explained some things about the ABB's enforcer comportment.
They gasped in unison when I unsealed the three unconscious parahumans in their respective cells, Lung's state taking them by surprise. I took some amusement in reminding them that not being dead does not equate to being healthy. Once they recovered from the sight of the comatose and corpse-like state of Lung, they were prompted to ask questions about it. Notably on how long it would last. I answered that I couldn't give an exact date, only that it would be a minimum of a week but more likely much more than that depending on his constitution and on the care he would receive.
Hannah was much more interested in the scrolls that I used to transport the prisoners. I had to disabuse her of the notion that they could be used to replace a prison and hold the prisoners indefinitely. While the idea had merits, there were too many problems for it to work. First, they could only be used by myself or by my Pandas. Second, the prisoners were in stasis while inside the scroll so it wouldn't be a true sentence and would only postpone the problem. In stories, sealing evils was never the right answer. And lastly, the scrolls would release the prisoners automatically when they ran out of Chakra.
That wasn't to say that the scrolls were useless, far from it, but simply that long-term storage wasn't their purpose. I didn't mention it, but Shifu and the other seal master of the clan were working on seals that could be applied to a Parahaman to seal their powers. Those three may be the perfect candidates to test it.
Before going our separate ways, I apologized to them all. My actions were impulsive and thoughtless, with no consideration of the consequences it would have on the team. Namely a lot of work in dealing with the aftermath. My colleagues, and friends, were understanding. They all wished at one point or another that they could just end a gang all on their lonesome after witnessing the latest tragedy they generated.
Collin was going to lead a team of troopers to secure Bakuda's lab and take care of the prisoners I left there. The brothel would be taken care of by Hannah, Jamie, and Ethan. While Shawn, Robin, and Rory were investigating the building that serves as a dorm room for the ABB.
As for me, I prepared myself to face the consequences of my actions, namely meeting with Director Piggot. Despite the hours she was in her office, it was possible that she never left. But I wasn't convinced that it was the case. Most likely she came back just for me.
When I entered, she wasn't working on something or another. She was just waiting for me. She didn't invite me to sit and I didn't take the initiative to do so. She didn't scream or even raise her voice.
As expected she was far from happy with me. She sounded more disappointed than angry, in the way that a teacher was disappointed that a student didn't do his homework. Not really because I caught Lungs and the other two ABB's capes. It wasn't something that she would complain about. But mainly because I did so on my own initiative and bypassed the chain of command by contacting Legend.
I think I would have preferred if she yelled at me, her disappointed stare as she talked stoically was painful to endure, and apart from answering questions I remained silent for the majority of the meeting.
The punishments I received were surprisingly light. The Director plainly stated that she would have given me more but my various duties and engagements meant that it wasn't possible. In the end, my pay would be cut in half for this month, I wouldn't be going on patrol for a whole week, and for the same duration, I would be on console duty either for my teammates or for the Wards. And of course, I was expected to write a minute-by-minute report of my actions.
Wisely I didn't mention Controlled Reproduction, I knew the Director's opinions concerning the subject. It could wait.
The rest of my night was busy. My AI self got to work writing that report and once finished started analyzing copies of what we found in Lung's office. A number of my partners were put into position to guard the Headquarter and the Rig, in the unlikely case that the ABB remnant attacked in the foolish hope of freeing their boss.
My main job was playing taxi with Bruce. Transporting the prisoners that my colleagues gathered little by little. And it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The gangers were far from willing to come, even if my presence had a tendency to calm them down. Then considering the number of people to deal with, they need to be spread around multiple police stations. Only a select few, directly involved with Lungs, Bakuda, and Oni-Lee were taken into custody by the PRT itself.
Another aspect of it was transporting the victims we rescued either to the hospital or to shelters. In the brothel, while we didn't find any women literally enslaved, we did find that a number of them were working to pay debts that mysteriously kept accumulating interest.
The Libra proved once more to be invaluable in ferreting the truth among the piles of lies that they served us.
It was only in the early hours of the next day that I got a break. I retired to the Orb's dimension to rest. Not to sleep no, just to do something relaxing that has nothing to do with violent gang members or traumatized victims. So what I did was to start planning my garden, I didn't plant anything yet but I marked the emplacement. A Mind was also sent into the Mental Realm to look for anyone who would be interested in becoming a Gardener.
Cressidus manifested some interest, botany was a hobby of his after all. But it was more in a theoretical way, learning about plants and accumulating anecdotes about them. In addition, he couldn't gain a Class from Nimue so that would limit his effectiveness.
No, the one that volunteered for the job took me by surprise, Hug. The silly slime decided that caring for plants was his calling. I decided to give them a little time to think about it, in case they changed their mind. However, if they remain firm in their position I wasn't opposed to it. I could easily imagine the orange blob flitting between rows of Berry bushes and tending to exotic flowers.
I sent an order to Prime to build some tools in preparation, that I would enchant later. While we could buy some, custom ones would be better. We weren't looking at an industrial-scale operation after all.
Just as I was putting the finishing touch on the plan the Menagerie made itself known once again.
We didn't expect this one, but maybe we should have. There's a logical progression to those things. /It works exactly like Self Transformation, except that we can use it on someone else. It's called Ally Transformation./This opens the door for an infinite amount of possibilities, it's mind boggling. Our friends would be much safer and stronger when transformed. Shawn or Ethan transformed into Roller would be basically unstoppable.
I could only agree with myself, either of those two transformed would be nightmares to fight against for virtually anyone. And that was the first possibility that popped into our head.
And that's just the start. When transformed they count as our partners. With all the benefits that entailed, General Boost, Friendly Fire Immunity, Gift Attack, Perfect Teamwork, and all the others./On that subject we may need to be careful with Telepathic Communication. It's a very intimate form of communication that people not part of our Hive-Mind may be uncomfortable with./Good point, but toning down the connection is doable./There are also the Boosts, Modifiers, and Themes that can be applied.
There was a collective pause in my brain as we all had the same Eureka moment. Then a burst of frantic activity as multiple Minds consult the Menagerie to see if it would work. The returning answer implied that it probably would.
With eager anticipation, I teleported back to my office and checked the schedule for everyone. And I breathe a sigh of relief. We'll be able to test it this afternoon. I would have preferred sooner but it would have to do. I sent the appropriate messages to all concerned parties with my request.
Satisfied that things were handled on that front, and trying to not think about the subject anymore for the moment, I decided to distract myself with some training. Yesterday I managed to manifest Armament Haki for the first time. Hopefully, I'll be able to do it under less adverse conditions. That would occupy me for a chunk of the morning. And then despite the incongruity of it, considering what happened a few hours ago, I still had a date to prepare for. And I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Wordcount: 1746
Excess words: 931
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there we go. A mini cliffhanger at the end, but it should be easy enough to guess what is Alex's idea.
For the roll, 130 (Banked) + 120 (Chapter) + 0 (Excess words) = 250 points.
[] Creature
[] Power
Voting will be closed Thursday at 3 PM GMT
Note: For those that are interested I updated this Sheet that I showed you a while back. I contain the stats about our full list of creatures (and miscellaneous powers).
Interesting result- Piggot gave her displeasure in a reasonable manner, though now that he has shown that he can take down a gang in an afternoon it will probably be a good idea to setup protocols for how to do so and when.
Interesting result- Piggot gave her displeasure in a reasonable manner, though now that he has shown that he can take down a gang in an afternoon it will probably be a good idea to setup protocols for how to do so and when.
[X] Power
Power Roll: (250 points)
Entry Roll D16=9
200 Companion, 400 Greater Companion (Too Expansive), "Variable" True Customization
The list of powers is getting really short. We keep landing in the same area.
As usual if we'll have a subvote no matter which one wins. And the winning option will disappear from the Power List.
Details:
-Companion: You gain one creature of your choice costing 100 points or less. This creature is permanently summoned to your side, it does not count against your summoning limit. This creature is real in every sense of the word, it needs to eat, sleep, and care. It can die but you can resummon it after 24 hours.
You can gain this benefit any number of times.
Note: Instead of choosing a new creature, you can choose one we already have to become a Companion. In that case, we'll gain a random 100-point creature as a normal partner too.
-True Customization: This power costs the same number of points as the entry you choose and if you do not wish to gain any of the available entries you can keep your points. But you cannot reroll.
You can choose all the parameters of your custom creature instead of rolling.
Choose one type of custom creature:
-Custom Hybrid (100)
-Custom Construct (200)
-Custom Animental (200) -Custom Intelligent Weapon (300)
-Custom Magical Beast (200)
-Custom Eevee (200) -Custom Common Blade (500)
-Custom Summoning Contract (800)
-Custom Shard (600)
-Custom Sea Beast (300)
-Custom Dungeon Core (800)
-Custom Theon/Parasite (400)
-Custom Transformer (300)
-Custom Mutant Animal (100)
-Custom Pony (200)
-Custom Spirit (200 + X)
Consult the Custom Creatures sheet for more details on each type of creature.
You can gain this benefit any number of times. Note: With 250 points we're a little limited on choice but they're still some good ones.
I want a Pony, preferably a Unicorn with a Talent in some variation of magic. Because you can never have too many teleporting telekinetics.
Either that or a speed based Pegasus so we can hit someone with a Sonic Rainboom.
Either way I want the cutie mark to be have a connection to space so if we ever get the Alicorn upgrade they can do day/night cycle shenanigans, even if @zagan decides to limit them to only changing the local time instead of planetary time.
I want a Pony, preferably a Unicorn with a Talent in some variation of magic. Because you can never have too many teleporting telekinetics.
Either that or a speed based Pegasus so we can hit someone with a Sonic Rainboom.
Either way I want the cutie mark to be have a connection to space so if we ever get the Alicorn upgrade they can do day/night cycle shenanigans, even if @zagan decides to limit them to only changing the local time instead of planetary time.
I would indeed limit it in that way. If only to preserve what's left of my sanity.
That said I'm not sure we have anything in the available option to could justify space and/or time manipulation.
Here's the list if you're curious. (Maybe Star with a color?)
A sun (28) in a hand (27) or atop a horn (28) might justify the movement of Sol, or possibly a knack for nuclear fusion. Frankly, so long as the ensuing pony does not try shoving moralist messages down everyone's throat I am okay with pretty much anything though I would argue an Alicorn with a talent for growing crops would probably be more useful.
Actually, I wonder how a pony would react to Bet and its myriad problems. Unlike a children's show, you can't just blast the 'bad guy' or sing a song to solve everyone's problems. Friendship can certainly help but it is no miracle cure, not on Bet at least, and it definitely won't generate a rainbow nuke fixes everything with no repercussions. Then again, some depictions of the MLPverse are surprisingly bleak.
I would still rather have a Custom Construct, however. This is just me theorizing.
I'll be voting for a Custom Mutant for 100, since you would get to choose a skill for them as well, something Alex could use with all the overwhelming firepower he already has in other partners. From expert level skill in a certain weapon, a field of science, a particular trade, a sports game, or a musical instrument, it could help to cover a base he might be lacking in right now. That they could also be a PR friendly summon, like a rabbit or bird mutant that he can go on patrols with would be good too.
Actually, I wonder how a pony would react to Bet and its myriad problems. Unlike a children's show, you can't just blast the 'bad guy' or sing a song to solve everyone's problems. Friendship can certainly help but it is no miracle cure, not on Bet at least, and it definitely won't generate a rainbow nuke fixes everything with no repercussions. Then again, some depictions of the MLPverse are surprisingly bleak.
This depends entirely how much weight you give to the genre's core conceit. If you're writing a work about how the power of friendship can save Earth Bet then by author fiat children's cartoon rules apply. One of the many stories in the Infinite Loops Project threw full power wanked MLP against memetic grimdark Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne, and while they were hit with a level of violence they were initially unprepared for, outplayed by someone who could counter their I win button, and suffered mental scars from the trauma for the next several million time loops, the MLP verse did both accomplish their short term goal of survival, and fix the situation on a long enough timeline. All things are possible, it just depends on what context the author, reader, questor, etc is coming from to determine the genre since that is the difference between whether the power of friendship is a legitimate strength that can kill a god or a delusion someone made up to make themselves feel better is a deadly situation.
