Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
Cram school WOULD have been a massive impact if you guys had sucked out in the first set. But as it is... Worth thinking about, not worth stressing about.
The Eternal Struggles of a Minor Death (RDQ)
- Thread starter Sendicard
- Start date
- Original
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
So I'm thinking that since this is gambling, we should operate on that old principle: "Never gamble what you can't afford to lose".
Thus, we should only make rolls on things which it would be nice to have better, but that are not essential.
Of these, I'd say that Only Short Blades is really expendable. It is a secondary skill, and we have some existing skill at it, while the rest are primary skills, and we definitely need to improve elemental blade to actually use it in combat.
Otherwise, counter is sitting on a 47.5 average,while Mind kiiiiinda screwed the pooch on Cram, dropping it from 61 certain down to 47 average.
Both of those will on average be improved by further rolls.
Thus, we should only make rolls on things which it would be nice to have better, but that are not essential.
Of these, I'd say that Only Short Blades is really expendable. It is a secondary skill, and we have some existing skill at it, while the rest are primary skills, and we definitely need to improve elemental blade to actually use it in combat.
Otherwise, counter is sitting on a 47.5 average,while Mind kiiiiinda screwed the pooch on Cram, dropping it from 61 certain down to 47 average.
Both of those will on average be improved by further rolls.
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Hmm, I'd like evasion, myself, to hopefully add a little more oomph to our potential Die Harder trait. That said... ONE more roll into cram school, I want to hang on for an efficiency roll.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
The risk of getting low evasion progress seem quite pronounced, though.
@Sendicard does the default 50% remain as one of the possible outcomes when the affinities are rolled?
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
It cancels the 50 entirely.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
We probably want to make sure that we have enough dice on hand to average out the rolls if neccesary then.
Do you think tht short blades is worth gambling on?
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
You described it well yourself. It's a secondary skill that won't see a lot of use.
I get that you don't want that gamble, but it's like playing poker for Monopoly money. You won at the table, but you only won at the table.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
I don't follow.
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Play a game of poker with Monopoly money. When you leave the table, all you have is worthless monopoly money.
Play a game of poker with actual cash. When you leave the table, you can actually do something with it, other than play monopoly.
Take a gamble on something with one use we don't plan on doing all that much...
Or take a gamble on something that will actually see use...
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
It's more akin to gambling with small change than monopoly money, as it is something we can actually use, albeit not all that much. Although it would likely be a relatively cheap-per-unit-kill way of taking down mooks, and quiet to boot.
Hm. For a single roll, we don't really place ourselves ahead on average, although I guess that accounting for our ability to selectively add more rolls to the pool, there is a slight bias in our favour.
These rolls are unlikely to kill us, but they could still fuck with us if they went south.
Of the more high-stakes skills, sever is probably the best to bet on. It is of far less general applicability than the others, and is also pretty good as it stands.
Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
I have been looking for something to replace chips in poker for YEARS.
And I have literally NEVER thought of that.
... Woot.
At it's currently level and progress bar, you'd be sacrificing approximately 1, maybe 2 levels in it if you fucked up that gamble.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you: Does training an ability to a higher level always make it cost more, or was that effect an artefact of the high starting level of shockwave?
If that is the case, what do we train to reduce the cost of spells?
Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
Depends on the nature of the spell.
Some, like shockwave, work on raw force. Leveling those up will ONLY increase the amount of force by learning to properly handle more SP into them.
Others, like... Wow pretty much all your skills work on pure force. Welp, that's the price of an explosive based character I guess...
---
Decreasing the amount of SP for skills like that isn't a matter of leveling the skill, because the SP cost shown is the maximum and most powerful form.
If you want a weaker version, you just have to put some practice into the skill. Once the skill has a stability of 100% base, (which most skills start with) you can experiment with it. And one of the results of familiarizing yourself with your skills, is the ability to keep it working while using less energy, at the cost of less efficiency.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
Hm.
1)So is it the case that for power techniques, the greater the power, the greater the efficiency, while skill allows you to operate at higher levels of power?
Or is it that learning to channel larger amounts of power into your skills makes you worse at channeling smaller amounts of power into them?
2) Is there anything that can be trained to reduce the cost of these skills, or at least increase the amount of boom for our buck?
3) What do channeling and explosives skills actually do?
Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
1. Yes. Though not entirely static, in general a level-up in a power skill allows you to use 5% more SP, making it about 5% more effective. Overloading a skill above its skill level is a fun way to blow up. (Note this 5% as of this moment is compounding. We'll see how well that works later, and if it needs to be made non-compounding.)
It in no way makes it harder to channel smaller amounts. What does that is max SP, and affinity. Channeling lower percentages of your SP into a skill is harder the more sp you have, for obvious reasons, it's plain out harder to control.
An affinity for the relevant element helps with this though. And as your affinities should raise as quick or quicker than your max SP, that'll probably not be relevant.
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2. The relevant elemental affinity. If the affinity is higher, all skills under it are stronger, with the same cost.
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3. Explosives skill generally makes you better at using explosives. It's more of a general skill, because it allows your character to better estimate blast radius, where to aim, when to aim, and such things.
As a mechanic though, it generally just increases the efficiency of explosive skills.
Channeling allows you to use the element in its raw form, to do things. The primary and most notable bonus is coating your weapon in it, thereby increasing its effectiveness by giving it the element. Much like it would in a game.
If it helps, think of the pine resin from Dark Souls, but with far more applications than simply modifying your right handed weapon.
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Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
Can we use channeling to coat our dark blade in darkness?
Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
Technically, ya. The real purpose of channeling is utility and gaining elemental advantage, but you could definitely use it as a raw damage booster like that.Can we use channeling to coat our dark blade in darkness?
(I feel I should note that above I was talking about just power skills, not others. Don't expect every modifier to compound XD That'd be nuts.)
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Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
Actually, y'know what, bugger it, I'm rolling sever.
Given the amount of offensive abilities we have, not progressing as fast as possible there would not be crippling, but doing excellently there could be amazing.
Between that and our various forms of probability fuckery, I think it just clears the threshold of worthwhile.
Edit: Not too fookin' shabby, eh?
No-one else roll this, obviously.
'FIEND HAS ONE ROLL LEFT.
Given the amount of offensive abilities we have, not progressing as fast as possible there would not be crippling, but doing excellently there could be amazing.
Between that and our various forms of probability fuckery, I think it just clears the threshold of worthwhile.
Edit: Not too fookin' shabby, eh?
No-one else roll this, obviously.
'FIEND HAS ONE ROLL LEFT.
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Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Well now I don't get to have a roll still :l
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
I'd say Channeling and Short Blades could be usefully rolled.
Powerofmind
In Madness Fallen
- Location
- United States
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
I shall throw my final remaining die into Channeling, and perhaps this can yet be remedied.
Edit: Progress!
Of sorts.
No more rolling for me.
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Sendicard
Spreading Smiles
- Location
- New Mexico, USA
- Pronouns
- YouPick
So I certainly wouldn't dare presume to tell my voters how to gamble, as that would be preposterous. Certainly not a thing I would do, no.
But I feel like I am missing something. You see, I was under the impression the intention of gambling was to "succeed." Not this "sucking" thing I'm seeing.
You must have a secret strategy here, though in my vast skill I am most certainly missing it, a true sign to your immense guile I am sure.
Perhaps you intend to throw yourself into a situation of where there is nothing to lose, so you mine as well just use all of your rolls in the hopes of a D100 to lock it?
Hmm, if so, you must have better luck than I. I certainly would not take such a gamble, perhaps the true genius of it is beyond my abilities to derive?
All jokes aside, that suuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
But I feel like I am missing something. You see, I was under the impression the intention of gambling was to "succeed." Not this "sucking" thing I'm seeing.
You must have a secret strategy here, though in my vast skill I am most certainly missing it, a true sign to your immense guile I am sure.
Perhaps you intend to throw yourself into a situation of where there is nothing to lose, so you mine as well just use all of your rolls in the hopes of a D100 to lock it?
Hmm, if so, you must have better luck than I. I certainly would not take such a gamble, perhaps the true genius of it is beyond my abilities to derive?
All jokes aside, that suuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
Skewfiend
The Corruptor of All Things
- Location
- The Darkness Behind Your Eyes
So you see,
But yeah, anyone with rolls left, now's the time.
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Dark Ness
Rises Where Silence Dies
- Location
- The Primordial Soup