[X] Plan Simple and Good
-Raise Arcanum and Destroyer by 1 level each. Save the rest of the XP to maintain flexibility later.
...Hm, if you're assuming reserved XP gives us flexibility, shouldn't all XP we might otherwise allocate to Destroyer just be in reserve, to be either allocated to Destroyer if important combat comes up or allocated to something else at the next spending point if we face no such challenge?
 
...Hm, if you're assuming reserved XP gives us flexibility, shouldn't all XP we might otherwise allocate to Destroyer just be in reserve, to be either allocated to Destroyer if important combat comes up or allocated to something else at the next spending point if we face no such challenge?

I don't think we can suddenly assign XP at any point in the narrative. Saving instead of buying Hermes runs the risk that when a combat situation arises we will not have an opportunity to cash in our XP, rendering combat encounters a serious risk.

The whole reason we're buying Hermes right now is that if another Engincident occurs we would have the combat power to take it on with significantly less effort, AKA will cost.
 
I want to see:

The cost of Arcanum 3
What our actual power level looks like in play

Before we commit to either a Devotion or Arcanum 3 / Destroyer 2. I don't want to commit XP to narrow techniques unless we get confirmation that techniques build upon / stack with Aspects. If they don't - if you start from 0 with each Technique - then they're a bit of a trap XP-wise.
 
Maybe we should try as many different things as we can first? And decide to focus on something after we really experience some of them for real?​

Edit: Also, we probably should think of some wacky field to explore for write in... This sounds interesting.
 
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Info from Discord:

Techniques work in the following way -
*If you have a Technique of level 5 and an Aspect of level 5, your total 'power' within its purview is 10.
*If you have that same Technique at level 5 with an Aspect of level 10, your total 'power' within that purview is 16-17. The amount of power granted by the Technique increases as its sponsoring Aspect improves.
*There are many exceptions to this but generally this description is accurate.

Basically, leveling an Aspect levels all associated Techniques simultaneously. By improving Arcanum we'll also improve Connections, Comfort Magic, etc by one effective level. We should level Arcanum, Hermes, and our chosen Devotion (effectively, a very broad and powerful Technique) in concert to take full advantage of stacking.
 
[X] Plan Simple and Good

I don't particularly like the vibe of whatever familiar gives us. It seems that all that it offers can be gained via the earth pentacle with more flexibility. And from an in character perspective why would Sol make a little gremlin specifically for lying to people? It doesn't make sense.
 
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It's not really Sol making said gremlin like this but more, the Familiar more a product of his Role. The other aspect of Word and Knowledge. That could focus on things in service to Sol, but with its own agency on the matter. Sol explicitly was against making illusions for instance to change the content of the rules book in the first exploration scammer vote. This is where a familiar like this might come in.

Anyways that was just the proposed build. Familus lvl 1 hashed out in Discord is more different and a natural product of having Arcanum to channel spells and sense and such. It might not even be this thing, could be something we meet in Medieval World.
[X] Plan Simple and Good

I don't particularly like the vibe of whatever familiar gives us. It seems that all that it offers can be gained via the earth pentacle with more flexibility. And from an in character perspective why would Sol make a little gremlin specifically for lying to people? It doesn't make sense.
 
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Some highly relevant Discord discussion, it's too long to transcribe here but I recommend reading it starting from Birdsie's comment at 10:49 PM EST today.

In short:
*Nuanced discussion of what Techniques actually do
--Techniques are like Feats and side improvements to an Aspect; they don't grant new baseline capabilities to the Aspect itself.
--For example, with Arcanum 1 Sol can already summon a Familiar, just a really weak one. A Familiar Technique would improve the quality and longevity of that Familiar, but not allow Sol to summon an entirely new class of being.
--Similarly, with Arcanum 2 Sol can fire a medium-strength lightning bolt once per battle. With 2 levels in a Lightning Technique, he could improve that to 5 bolts per battle with a variety of metamagic-like effects, but the baseline damage of the Arcanum 2 Lightning wouldn't be improved by that Technique. Arcanum 4 Lightning would still be way stronger than Arcanum 2 Lightning pretty much regardless of how many Techniques you add to it.

*We can use a Technique to allow us to combine our Arcanum and Hermes levels for purposes of our Familiar's combat strength. This would allow for a Familiar with a combat power corresponding to Arcanum 4 (Arcanum 2 + Hermes 1).
*Hermes can't be used for any actual utility applications; the Familiar's combat usefulness would be Arcanum 4 but its noncombat utility would still be Arcanum 2.
*Almost all Aspects and Techniques will at minimum double in XP cost per level, save for a few Techniques that increase linearly in cost. Pursue alternate means of advancement to acquire high-level Aspects.
* @ilbgar123 Has purchased a buff to Slacking Off. "I have purchased an Idle benefit, Idle Study Technique. It gives Sol EXP based on how idle he is. 10 EXP per Turn, guaranteed, with an additional 10 per Slacking Off, which mitigates SO's main drawback. So, he'd still get 40 with 3 Slacking Offs, and +30 Will." Everyone thank Ilbgar please!
 
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[X] Plan Simple and Good

I'd like to see if we unlock any special Combination Techniques from having all three Aspects running before going too hard on Techniques.
 
Aspect / Technique Mechanics
Aspect / Technique Mechanics

Here's a couple of minor clarifications on how Aspects and Techniques interplay, based on questions and feedback (mostly from Discord.)

Aspects + Notes on Techniques: Each Aspect represents its namesake, a section of possibility-space of what can be learned and utilized within the Role's purview. Less commonly, they are specific superpowers. Generally, at least partial stacking is almost always possible, and if certain Aspects have diminished effectiveness as a result of another Aspect, this is always noted, although it is also extremely uncommon and case-specific.

For instance: elevation of durability for a specific Role is usually achieved through the same underlying mechanism. Imagine, therefore, a theoretical "Strongman" Role, for which you have Aspect: Condition, and Aspect: Ironman. Condition is focused 50% on raising might and 50% on raising durability to properly handle that might without hurting yourself. Ironman only raises durability and potentially adds conceptual attenuation of hostile phenomena at higher levels. Therefore, having Condition 2 provides a similar level of durability as Ironman 1, and if you had both Condition 2 and Ironman 1, you'd wield a similar amount of durability as Ironman 2.

However, in other cases, this may not apply to the same degree, or may have other interactions. For instance, take a 'fireball spell,' and imagine two Aspects: Pyromancy and Spellcaster, both of which can theoretically cover that spell and its learning. If you've already learned it from Pyromancy, you cannot learn it from Spellcaster, due to the inherent redundancy. Therefore, the excess 'learning potential' from Spellcaster means it'd extend some 1% higher into its scaling, cover other areas of knowledge relevant to itself, or do something entirely else (it depends on the sort of Aspect it is, what knowledge it covers, etc.)

Aspects are best thought of as a 'basis,' a universal and broad fundament from which Techniques are built, although which can have a lot of applicability of their own.

For instance, the Olympian started out with access to Aspect: Empyreal, that focused entirely on manipulation and control of nebulous semi-thermal energy with selective kinetic properties. He then developed Technique: Empyreal Sight, that allowed him to project wavelengths of said energy to provide scans of objects (granting x-ray vision), and even later, chose a specialist sub-Technique (Technique: Heaven's Eyes) that focuses the Aspect entirely through his eyes, allowing for extremely powerful offensive laser beam vision, at the cost of limiting him from using the Aspect in other ways. Given his current status as long since graduated, it'd be extremely difficult to undo this change.

Techniques are generally rather granular, and less broad than Aspects. In most cases, they represent specific elements of an Aspect and work to enhance, express, develop, or alter its operation in some fashion. Improvement of the Aspect, therefore, also improves the Technique by sheer necessity.

For another example, the Aristocrat has Aspect: Dapper, allowing him to empower articles of clothing and style with supernatural power. Given its sophistication is low (merely Level 1), it's constrained entirely to making them materially inviolable and slightly better at their purpose. These are his tophat, overcoat, and cane. However, he's also developed Technique: Dapper Gadgeteer, allowing him to imbue each with a cantrip-level effect changeable during his afternoon tea. Improving the Aspect would make these effects substantially stronger, as the entire purpose of the Aspect is to grant these articles supernatural power.

There are no theoretical limitations to how many Aspects or Techniques you - or anyone, for that matter - can learn, aside from simple logic and XP costs. Keep in mind, however, that as new Aspects are learned, the aforementioned coverage of 'things already learned' can render some of them partially redundant, and focus them on more narrow or tighter purposes of development than what you may have originally intended (essentially making Aspects into a broader form of Technique.)

In these situations, though, it should be fairly intuitive (if you don't intuitively think Aspect: Elementalism and Aspect: Pyromancy might cover each other's territories at least to a degree, I don't know what to say), and I'll make sure to warn you beforehand just in case.

XP Costs: Generally, XP costs vary, although in 95% or more cases for Aspects, they'll start at 250 XP and double with every purchase. It's more varied for Techniques, which can have a set amount of XP added for each Level, or have other corollaries added to them. Most often, a level of anything costs double (or close to) the previous level, sometimes it scales higher or lower, and rarely it does something else entirely.

Combination Techniques: Combination Techniques are a crossover between two Aspected Techniques, an Aspectless Technique and an Aspected Technique, or rarely something else entirely. Given they can be partially based on unclear determiners, their scaling is more opaque than with Aspected Techniques.

For instance, Solomon's Connections is based entirely on his nature as the Magician, as well as his perception of the Architecture. From the former, he's drawn on the Magician's Aspectless capability to connect the above to the below, and from the Architectural perspicacity, the ability to follow intangible phenomena, in order to create a Technique that excels at spying and divination. Therefore, improving both his overall refinement in his Role as well as his Architecturalism would make the Technique better, and let him develop it with much greater sophistication.

Earning XP Outside Class: Can be accomplished in a number of ways. There are some Techniques or even Aspects that can allow for expanded learning. Generally, playing into your Role, finding novel situations to apply your Aspects or Techniques in, and even participation in combat encounters (as a natural extension of the previous point) can net you some XP gains. After you've finished your first year of Enrollment, a lot of new options will also open up, so you should keep an eye out for those!

---

This'll be updated as needed.
 
So it sounds like overlapping aspects might be the key to the strongest techniques. (Fires that burn with the destruction of Hermes, divination that stems from our sanctum tools + arcanum powers and taps into our architecture). The more we can overlap the better.
 
Mid-term planning:

We know from Discord info that Arcanum 1 + Arcane Focus (Devotion: Swords) 2 is equal in destructive potency to Arcanum 1 + Hermes the Destroyer 2, so each level in Devotion: Swords is equal to a Hermes level in Swords' purview - Arcane Focus is a Technique that basically functions a double strength Aspect with greater breadth than Hermes the Destroyer.

Given our rate of XP acquisition is not really going to go up much until 2nd year (barring crazy exploration gains), we need to absolutely maximize every scrap of XP we have, as Arcanum 3 is going to cost 1000 XP, Arcanum 4 2000, and so on.

Here's a tentative 2-4 turn plan:
Get Arcanum 2 (500 XP)
Get Hermes 2 (250 + 500 XP)
Get Devotion 2 (300 + 600 XP)
Get Sanctum 1 (250 XP)

Total XP required: 2400. This gets us to Arcanum 10 in combat power (2 + Hermes 4 + Devotion 4), and Arcanum 6 in utility within the purview of our Devotion. Extremely impressive for a first-year, given that Arcanum 4 alone allows Sol to equal most second-years in combat. Sanctum doubles the power of our Comfy Technique, improving it to +10 Will per turn, so it's far more efficient than improving Comfy directly.

*This turn, we can get Arcanum 2 and Hermes 2 with Simple and Good. That lets us save 75 XP.
*Next turn, if we do Individualized Lesson x1 and Explore x1 (+Slack Off x1), we'll have 250 + 75 + 20 = 345 XP, enough to purchase Devotion 1 and raise our combat power to Arcanum 6 and our utility to Arcanum 4. Assuming Explore yields at least 35 XP, we'll be able to purchase Devotion 2 next turn with double Individualized.
*The turn after, if we do double Individualized Lessons, we'll have enough for Hermes 2, or Devotion 2 with some diligent saving now. Devotion is far broader than Hermes so we should prioritize it when we can. That gives us Combat Arcanum 8, Utility Arcanum 6.

After that, the efficient frontier shifts towards Techniques. We can get a few decent-level Techniques to refine and round out our potent generalist capabilities before pushing for Arcanum 3, Hermes 3, and Devotion 3 (3200 total XP - over 6 months of lessons if we take Individualized 2x each time - an enormous sum). However, we need to begin considering which Devotion we're going to pursue.

Fire offers raw power and will probably bump up our Arcanum level to 12 in combat and 8 in utility - a huge buff to strength and versatility, worth thousands of XP now and tens of thousands in the near future. Water grants us improved Will regeneration, making Sol less useless. Earth basically gives us an entire very broad Aspect (physical enhancement) for free, and causes that Aspect to scale to our overall power level. And Air is the most useful in actual conflict, with the ability to easily and comprehensively unravel and undo the supernatural effects of others.
 
Skill Fusion is the ultimate path to power, just like in Immersion.
 
[X] Plan Simple and Good
-[X] Raise Arcanum and Destroyer by 1 level each. Save the rest of the XP to maintain flexibility later.

Original plan (I added the x box on it so it shows up in tally)

[X] Plan Simple and Good
-Raise Arcanum and Destroyer by 1 level each. Save the rest of the XP to maintain flexibility later.
 
Oh wow if it doubles every level techniques past level 10 can start costing millions of exp. How the fuck did shining prince afford a level 20 technique?
 
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Oh wow if it doubles every level techniques past level 10 can start costing millions of exp. How the fuck did shining prince afford a level 20 technique?
An excellent question! One might also ask why the Kingdom of Oregon's ruled by a Prince. Anyway, technique cost doesn't always scale geometrically, so perhaps Wall of Myth's on the cheaper side.

[X] Plan Simple and Good

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. Effective Arcanum 4 combat power puts us roughly on par with a second year, so we're well-positioned to surprise Harrison by suddenly deciding to explore after blowing him off for the last month. We can snag Devotion next turn if we generate the SC necessary, or go for Hermes 2 for more firepower with 2x Individualized Classwork.
 
An excellent question! One might also ask why the Kingdom of Oregon's ruled by a Prince. Anyway, technique cost doesn't always scale geometrically, so perhaps Wall of Myth's on the cheaper side.

[X] Plan Simple and Good

I don't have much to say that hasn't already been said. Effective Arcanum 4 combat power puts us roughly on par with a second year, so we're well-positioned to surprise Harrison by suddenly deciding to explore after blowing him off for the last month. We can snag Devotion next turn if we generate the SC necessary, or go for Hermes 2 for more firepower with 2x Individualized Classwork.
All we need to do is keep talking and racking up a few hundred pages of dialogue between each other and spend the gathered sc. I suggest criticizing birdsie or arguing about politics.
 
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