Taylor Hebert and Her Rather Sad Life [Worm/The Gamer/D&D3.5]

[DragonParadox]

Completely in agreement on not attracting attention. I don't think it's likely that it even will happen, but I want us to be prepared in the event that it might, and in that regard the Ship Graveyard is actually the most vulnerable, because all three base options have exactly the same vulnerabilities. The only thing that the Graveyard affords us is distance and anonymity, and that's it. Any parahuman that can access the other two possible bases can do the exact same with the Graveyard with little or no difficulty, so if we take the Graveyard our biggest defence is it's isolation and hoping that nobody works out where it is.

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Disagree with this point. Of the major parahuman gangs:

1. The ABB can't manage flight unless Lung ramps up enough to get the whole Protectorate on his case. Oni Lee's teleport is too short range.
2. The Empire has flyers so they are a danger
3. The Merchants have no flight unless Squealer makes a vehicle specifically for this

So 2/3 would have a significant issue getting to the Boat Graveyard not only to fight us but also to tail Taylor back in order to find her base.

 

[the DragonBard]

[x] Ship in the Boat Graveyard. Hardest to get too, most secure and remote.

[x] Research
-[x] Local Cape Scene
[x] Cape 'Shopping'
-[x] Basic costume. Costs $125 and offers no protection, but is easier to fight in and conceals your face.
[x] Call Protectorate
-[x] Register as an Independent Cape

 

[HymnOfRagnarok]

Disagree with this point. Of the major parahuman gangs:

1. The ABB can't manage flight unless Lung ramps up enough to get the whole protectorate on his case. Oni Lee's teleport is too short range.
2. The Empire has flyers so they are a danger
3. The Merchants have no flight unless Squealer make a vehicle specifically for this

So 2/3 would have a significant issue getting to the boat graveyard not only to fight us but also to tail Taylor back in order to find her base.

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1. No idea why you seem to think Oni Lee's teleport is too short range, IIRC it's line of sight. Also if Lung is dedicated enough he can probably carve out his own handholds.
2. Fliers, whoever Rune is giving a boosty, or people like Hookwolf carving our his own handholds.
3. True, but the PRT is going to give much less of a damn about the Merchants tearing up the Boat Graveyard versus someplace in town.

Plus, Boat Graveyard being so isolated kinda works against us for eventual recruitment. The harder it is to get into, the harder a time allies have problems getting in.

 

[fishsicles]

[x] Ship in the Boat Graveyard. Hardest to get too, most secure and remote.
Security is paramount right now. This is just a temporary base; we can move somewhere more accessible later once we have allies to be considerate of. If reaching our headquarters requires cape attention, we just need to not be enough of a thorn in anyone's side to merit them pulling one or more of their capes from other activities to come after us specifically.

[x] Research
-[x] Local Cape Scene
[x] Cape 'Shopping'
-[x] Basic costume. Costs $125 and offers no protection, but is easier to fight in and conceals your face.
[x] Call Protectorate
-[x] Register as an Independent Cape

 

[DragonParadox]

1. No idea why you seem to think Oni Lee's teleport is too short range, IIRC it's line of sight. Also if Lung is dedicated enough he can probably carve out his own handholds.
2. Fliers, whoever Rune is giving a boosty, or people like Hookwolf carving our his own handholds.
3. True, but the PRT is going to give much less of a damn about the Merchants tearing up the Boat Graveyard versus someplace in town.

Plus, Boat Graveyard being so isolated kinda works against us for eventual recruitment. The harder it is to get into, the harder a time allies have problems getting in.

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Line of sight is limited when it comes to taking us by surprise because we will be able to hear Oni Lee coming. Same for Lung and Hookwolf tearing their way through. Ditto the Merchants tearing up the boat Graveyard... we just fly away and they can't give chase.

As to recruitment, this is a low level bolthole that we can abandon at will not a permanent base.

 

[Liquid Ink]

Disagree with this point. Of the major parahuman gangs:

1. The ABB can't manage flight unless Lung ramps up enough to get the whole Protectorate on his case. Oni Lee's teleport is too short range.
2. The Empire has flyers so they are a danger
3. The Merchants have no flight unless Squealer make a vehicle specifically for this

So 2/3 would have a significant issue getting to the Boat Graveyard not only to fight us but also to tail Taylor back in order to find her base.

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That's OOC knowledge, we haven't researched the local cape scene yet. It is also relying on the QM to not throw in a curveball, like any number of named canon out-of-town capes, is dangerous. Just having wings and looking angel-ish could have derailed canon by getting the attention of an Endbringer Cult. Who knows?

That said, if this is a temporary base we should take the Office base to save time for now, and relocate to the Graveyard later after we've become more established, if it is only temporary, a fallback base in the event that we attract trouble would be brilliant. A place closer to town right now would be more beneficial and save time until long-distance/fast travel becomes a thing. Using the Office as a decoy base down the line might be a smart play.

 

[DragonParadox]

That's OOC knowledge, we haven't researched the local cape scene yet. It is also relying on the QM to not throw in a curveball, like any number of names out-of-town capes or villains is dangerous. Just having wings and looking angel-ish could have derailed canon by getting the attention of an Endbringer Cult, and who knows who else.

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Taylor has not been living under a rock until now. She knows the basics of the local cape scene. As for a curve ball that could apply to any decision. We can't plan for something that nebulous. Maybe there is a newly triggered crazed parahuman with Imp's power squatting in that office building.

That said, if this is a temporary base we should take the Office base to save time for now, and relocate to the Graveyard later after we've become more established, if it is only temporary a fallback base in the event that we attract trouble would be brilliant. A place closer to town right now would be more beneficial and save time until long-distance/fast travel becomes a thing. Using the Office as a decoy base down the line might be a smart play.

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We have flight so commuting time is not that relevant since we can ignore those pesky ground level impediments.

 

[HymnOfRagnarok]

Line of sight is limited when it comes to taking us by surprise because we will be able to hear Oni Lee coming.

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Dude's practically a ninja. That is not at all guaranteed.

Same for Lung and Hookwolf tearing their way through. Ditto the Merchants tearing up the boat Graveyard... we just fly away and they can't give chase.

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We can hear them coming, but we can't really stop them. So we'd have to essentially abandon the home base.

Also, they can absolutely give chase. Most are on the ground, but these are not slow people and flying high in the sky makes us easier to track.

As to recruitment, this is a low level bolthole that we can abandon at will not a permanent base.

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That's not how Taylor is treating it; she's identifying it as her lair. Not as a bolthole, but her base of operations.

 

[DragonParadox]

Dude's practically a ninja. That is not at all guaranteed.

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Creaky, rusted boat that he does not know his way around, I'd say it is a better place to trip up Oni Lee then an office building that is in better repair and who's plans he can access.

We can hear them coming, but we can't really stop them. So we'd have to essentially abandon the home base.

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One abandoned structure is as good as any other.

Also, they can absolutely give chase. Most are on the ground, but these are not slow people and flying high in the sky makes us easier to track.

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Sure but at some point as they enter more inhabited areas the Heroes will face and stop them.

That's not how Taylor is treating it; she's identifying it as her lair. Not as a bolthole, but her base of operations.

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We are Taylor so we decide how she would treat Rusted Hulk #73. Unless of course you can give a good reason why she would be so attached to it that she would not flee in the face of overwhelming odds....

 

[Liquid Ink]

Taylor has not been living under a rock until now. She knows the basics of the local cape scene. As for a curve ball that could apply to any decision. We can't plan for something that nebulous. Maybe there is a newly triggered crazed parahuman with Imp's power squatting in that office building.

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There is a bit of a difference between presuming the existence of a super-powered insane cape squatting inside the base of our choice, and presuming the existence of anti-defence capes anywhere in the setting.

I'm not concerned about specific threats, I'm just trying loosely to cover our bases in response to generalized known threats. The most significant being: Flight capable, stealth capable, teleport capable, and thinkers.

We can't effectively combat Thinkers or Strangers (right now? This is why a decoy base might be beneficial, although powers will be great here I guess), but we can prepare for Movers, and if all else falls through, being close to the Protectorate responders is better than nothing.

 

[the DragonBard]

I should mention that, abandoned or not, office space generally has owners who might not take too kindly to a squatter, even a parahuman one.

Boat Graveyard has the advantage of no landlord that might show up and disagree with Taylor taking it over.

 

[Yog]

[x] Research
-[x] Local Cape Scene
[x] Cape 'Shopping'
-[x] Basic costume. Costs $125 and offers no protection, but is easier to fight in and conceals your face.
[x] Call Protectorate
-[x] Register as an Independent Cape

 

[DragonParadox]

There is a bit of a difference between presuming the existence of a super-powered insane cape squatting inside the base of our choice, and presuming the existence of anti-defence capes anywhere in the setting

You seem to have the idea that I'm worried about a specific threat, group, or individual. I'm not, I'm just trying loosely to cover our bases in response to generalized known threats. The most significant being: Flight capable, stealth capable, teleport capable, and thinkers.

We can't effectively combat Thinkers or Strangers (right now? This is why a decoy base might be beneficial, although powers will be great here I guess), but we can prepare for Movers, and if all else falls through, being close to the Protectorate responders is better than nothing.

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I think you are too focused on unlikely possibilities and sacrificing protection against likely dangers. We really do not look that hot right now so an attack on us is more likely to be from random drug pushers with maybe one cape for backup than Lung or half the E88. Taking that into consideration the Boat Graveyard is the best for said threats.

We really can't afford to gear our base selection towards the 1 in 1000 super-cit fail chance especially as the supposed defenses against said unlikely event are themselves unlikely to make much of a difference in a meaningful time-frame.

 

[the DragonBard]

At what point would we be able to put our base on a demiplane that only we (and those we allow) can access?

I know it'll probably be pretty high level, but it's still feasible.

 

[TotallyNotEvil]

Using the too office floor on an actually used building could go horribly wrong... Or horribly right. Not only it is in town, but most paras will have to go through a lot of civilians during the day.

[x] Disused floor of office building. Somewhat hard to get too, somewhat secure and remote.

[x] Research
-[x] Local Cape Scene
[x] Cape 'Shopping'
-[x] Basic costume. Costs $125 and offers no protection, but is easier to fight in and conceals your face.
[x] Call Protectorate
-[x] Register as an Independent Cape

You know, we might be able to pull the salt trick. Salt goes for 5 GP a pound (the same as silver), or $100 per pound, in 3.5. Could we use "1000 GP worth of something" instead of "20k USD worth of something" as component?

What about someone writing us a check for 20k. Much like money, it is worth that amount, but could we burn it on research/crafting, and would it actually cash itself in? RAW says it just needs to be worth it, so it could work,

 

[fishsicles]

At what point would we be able to put our base on a demiplane that only we (and those we allow) can access?

I know it'll probably be pretty high level, but it's still feasible.

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Depending on the QM we could apply Permanency to a Rope Trick to get a minor extradimensional space, or Mordy's Magnificent Mansion for a bigger one. If we can't go crazy with Permanency, our main option is Genesis, which is a 9th-level spell.

Though we could probably put our base on an extant alternate plane without having to create our own, which would probably be sufficient protection from everyone not named Doormaker.

 

[Diomedea]

I consider an attack on our base inevitable...so the boat graveyard is the best choice. Why? Because its remoteness means that it is the base that will take the longest to be discovered. We will very quickly gain power as we level up, so it's only the first few weeks where it is extra important that we don't get ganked. It doesn't matter if our base is next door to the PRT headquarters if we go down on the alpha strike because we are still level two. Every level we delay means more options to run and fight, and makes it more likely we will survive to the point where we can call for help.

 

[HymnOfRagnarok]

Creaky, rusted boat that he does not know his way around, I'd say it is a better place to trip up Oni Lee then an office building that is in better repair and who's plans he can access.

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He teleports, neither is going to meaningfully hinder him.

One abandoned structure is as good as any other.

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Please, deciding which abandoned structure is better is the entire point of this vote.

Sure but at some point as they enter more inhabited areas the Heroes will face and stop them.

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Which happens faster when we're already in the section of town they respond to.

We are Taylor so we decide how she would treat Rusted Hulk #73. Unless of course you can give a good reason why she would be so attached to it that she would not flee in the face of overwhelming odds....

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...I chose the words I did for a reason; it is written right in the update, do you think I am pulling this out of my ass here?

And for the record? Bolthole is not once mentioned in this update.

Her research done, she decided to look around the various rundown neighbourhoods of Brockton Bay for some kind of base of operations.

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Choose a Lair:

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[DragonParadox]

What about someone writing us a check for 20k. Much like money, it is worth that amount, but could we burn it on research/crafting, and would it actually cash itself in? RAW says it just needs to be worth it, so it could work,

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I do not think that would work since the point is that the ingredients have to be consumed in the spell research where as no one looses 20K dolars if we burn a check.

From an OOC perspective I'd say it is the wrong type of cheese since it outright removes a source of conflict instead of giving us more options to solve conflicts with.

He teleports, neither is going to meaningfully hinder him.

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He has weight so he makes the floor move

Please, deciding which abandoned structure is better is the entire point of this vote.

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That does not mean we have to be attached to the choice past the point of immediate convenience.

Which happens faster when we're already in the section of town they respond to.

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We can fly most of them can't so the point is moot.

...I chose the words I did for a reason; it is written right in the update, do you think I am pulling this out of my ass here?

And for the record? Bolthole is not once mentioned in this update.

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Does it say "your base you will value more than your life?" If not I choose we can vote to have Taylor abandon it at will.

 

[fishsicles]

You know, we might be able to pull the salt trick. Salt goes for 5 GP a pound (the same as silver), or $100 per pound, in 3.5. Could we use "1000 GP worth of something" instead of "20k USD worth of something" as component?

What about someone writing us a check for 20k. Much like money, it is worth that amount, but could we burn it on research/crafting, and would it actually cash itself in? RAW says it just needs to be worth it, so it could work,

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The way I've always seen it handled for crafting is that money is spent on miscellaneous components needed for the procedure rather than vanishing into thin air and transforming into a suit of armour. Part of the "x hours a day" spent on your work is spent purchasing and preparing the actual components, which are just abstracted away by the money spent. So part of the crafting process would be cashing the cheque and spending it behind the abstraction barrier.

 

[TotallyNotEvil]

Depending on the QM we could apply Permanency to a Rope Trick to get a minor extradimensional space, or Mordy's Magnificent Mansion for a bigger one. If we can't go crazy with Permanency, our main option is Genesis, which is a 9th-level spell.

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Isn't there a simpler version of Magnificent Mansion? Spell level 5 or so?

Otherwise, I don't remember how this works, but if laying a new Persist on top of an existing one (I think it might be doable, Persist text says something of the nature 'independent of the previous duration, it now lasts 24 hours', Incantrix lv 2 (we can get at level 8) allows that.

The way I've always seen it handled for crafting is that money is spent on miscellaneous components needed for the procedure rather than vanishing into thin air and transforming into a suit of armour. Part of the "x hours a day" spent on your work is spent purchasing and preparing the actual components, which are just abstracted away by the money spent. So part of the crafting process would be cashing the cheque and spending it behind the abstraction barrier.

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It was a long shot. What about the salt?

 

[the DragonBard]

Using the too office floor on an actually used building could go horribly wrong... Or horribly right. Not only it is in town, but most paras will have to go through a lot of civilians during the day.

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How do you deal with the owner of the office space?

Just because it's not presently being used, doesn't mean someone doesn't own it, and might not rent it, or come to check on it.

 

[uju32]

It also makes independent heroing impossible. One might argue they want everyone to join the PRT, but I bet the situation is dire enough and there are enough "weekend capes" for them to allow it.

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This has been covered by the latest update, but you really should think this through.

What is the difference between mugging a man standing on the corner for his wallet and looting a drug dealer?
Who are your witnesses that he was selling drugs? Do you think his buddies won't back him up if he says you tried to rob him?
What of prostitutes? Soliciting is illegal in many cities; wanna bet some punk is going to go after them and claim bounty?

Or you run down a bank robber, and claim bounty on stolen property.
Or worse, you actually take the money and try to spend marked bills. Or all you recover is cocaine and meth.
No criminal system can work like that; you're incentivizing all sorts of shit.

If I was a drug dealer, one of the things my gang would do is arrange civil lawsuits against newbie capes trying to pull that rubbish.
And then drag it out through the courts until the legal fees and time delay cost the cape several times what he made.
No need to even stage an ambush outside the courthouse, or try to track them home; just make their lives miserable legally.

He's rogue/villain, but he is without question the best at his job (as long as Contessa doesn't bother). And getting in contact with him is probably a feasible mid-term goal for us.

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Oh Cauldron in general has limitless resources, but getting introduced to them is unlikely. Getting a call from the Number Man, if we're a free agent? That's probably inevitable.

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Number Man is.

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Eh.
Number Man's purview is much farther than a medium-sized city on the east coast.
By the time they take serious notice of the PC, she probably won't need their material resources.

EDIT
And for the record?
Trying to pick the most isolated spot in the city for a base of operations?
In a city where Coil has a nasty habit of kidnapping useful parahumans, the Merchants drug people and have two Tinkers on staff, and you look Aryan enough to attract the attention of the E88 and it's Mover/Blaster 8?

Terrible idea.

 

[Diomedea]

How do you deal with the owner of the office space?

Just because it's not presently being used, doesn't mean someone doesn't own it, and might not rent it, or come to check on it.

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Actually, this is probably the least accessible base for allies. Unless we land on the roof, the only way up is an elevator shaft. How do we get access to this elevator shaft on a regular basis for ourselves, much less for other people, without the civilians in the building becoming rather...concerned about it?

 

[uju32]

Actually, this is probably the least accessible base for allies. Unless we land on the roof, the only way up is an elevator shaft. How do we get access to this elevator shaft on a regular basis for ourselves, much less for other people, without the civilians in the building becoming rather...concerned about it?

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The Wards have two fliers in Kid Win and Aegis.
New Wave has multiple fliers as well. I'm not sure I see the issue.