The God Diversion

Rihaku · Oct 12, 2023

JOEbob said:
In this scenario, I think an additional conditional that Valleys is taken(probably preferably after Advanced Empowerment) if we have more than 10 Will remaining is desirable, since Valleys is overall a good deal.

The question is whether we hit burnout at 0 Will or -1 Will. Valleys is only valuable in the former case, and doesn't represent a significant XP breakpoint for us to venture the risk. I'd like some Will buffer if we can afford it in case we need to pay for other abrupt surcharges.

JOEbob said:
In this scenario, if Grand Essayism is not free, I'd argue to drop Find Artifacts for Educational Exploration to get XP and discount Grand Essayism.
Also, I note you don't have a 'do have enough SC, don't have any Essayism for free'. scenario.

I don't think the XP from Educational Exploration is more valuable than Artifacts. I don't think the latter situation will happen.

JOEbob · Oct 12, 2023

Rihaku said:
The question is whether we hit burnout at 0 Will or -1 Will. Valleys is only valuable in the former case, and doesn't represent a significant XP breakpoint for us to venture the risk. I'd like some Will buffer if we can afford it in case we need to pay for other abrupt surcharges.

-I did say 'more than 10', ie, a case where we have 1 Will left even so. Not that important now that Jello is 10 more effective, though.

Rihaku said:
I don't think the XP from Educational Exploration is more valuable than Artifacts. I don't think the latter situation will happen.

fair enough in the first case. The latter scenario is quite plausible, though! Birdsie only agreed to consider giving Essayisms for free. It might not be possible to get the essayisms even if our essays are good enough for 1.5 SC by normal metrics(ie: enough for 12 total SC after a x3.5) or some such.

firefrog600 · Oct 12, 2023

Rihaku said:
Grand Essayism and Advanced Empowerment both look pretty decent.

Mechanically this option is very weak; getting 45 Will worth of lessons and 100 XP is hardly worth the 75 Will entry fee, 20 Will surcharge, and 7 SC surcharge. It takes us months to generate 7 SC under most conditions.

We can barely scrape by if we spend a Coffee Jelly and switch to Decompression, but there's no guarantee whatsoever we're going to get 5 more SC even if this vote stays up a week or more. It's an interesting option but the SC cost is fairly prohibitive. Even getting 2 SC, assuming a free Grand Essayism, would be somewhat difficult.

We spent 75 Will, the equivalent of 3 Individualized lessons, to get here. This can be thought of as 750 XP - enough to get Arcane Focus 1 and 75% to Arcane Focus 2. Arcane Focus 2 alone would push us to Aspect Level 8 in combat, 6 in utility (within the domain of the Focus). The opportunity cost of this trip was extremely high and given the Will mechanic we have fairly minimal means of actually exploiting it. But we're here. The best case scenarios would be:

1) Getting an Aspect via the Essayism tree that stacks fully with our existing Aspects for combat or utility, ideally both. This would eventually justify the Will cost of the trip because we'd be able to leverage Aspect stacking four times instead of three, saving us tens of thousands of XP down the line.
2) Getting a really good Artifact (we have basically no way to determine the value of the Artifacts given our current information)
3) Getting something amazing out of Advanced Empowerment (we can't afford this right now). The danger level is high but we have high combat power and are paired with Penny so we'd be playing to our strengths. I worry that we'd be double-charged on Will, however - 50 Will just to initiate the action, then another 50 to fight the guardian and actually get any rewards? If so this may be impossible to actually benefit from.

[X] Plan Contingency
-We best play to our King of Magi role by letting Penelope slot in as the 'protagonist' of this adventure while we play the role of mentor, strategic advisor and heavy artillery. Let her fight, tank, and be the vanguard while we buff/heal her, investigate various mysteries, and unleash fire support at critical junctures.
-Will management: By default, Sol should prefer to consume Coffee Jelly when his Will approaches 0 rather than switching to Decompression, since guiding heroines is a key element of his Role. Only swap to Decompression if we absolutely need it.
-Actions taken: By default, take Educational Exploration and Grand Essayism (but see scenarios, below).
-If nothing exceptional or unusual comes up, then follow the specific scenarios below.
Specific scenarios:
*Default path - Socialize with Penny, eat a Coffee Jelly, and take Educational Exploration + Grand Essayism + Find Artifacts. 5 base + 40 coffee jelly - 40 actions = 5 Will remaining. If we get Great Essayism for free, we'll save 5 Will and have 10 remaining instead.
*If we get Grand Essayism for free, we'll save 10 Will and can safely take Valleys too. This will also give us enough XP and SC for Arcane Focus immediately, a huge power spike!
*If we do generate sufficient SC and do get Great or Grand Essayism for free: Switch to Decompression, eat a Coffee Jelly when Will approaches 0, and take Advanced Empowerment. Only undertake this line if we get confirmation from @Birdsie that we won't be double-charged on Will; i.e. that the Will costs of Advanced Empowerment and the 75 Will of the trip (is that 75 Will just to agree to the trip, or 75 Will spent by Sol over the course of the trip? One assumes it's the latter...) encompass the actions performed within. 20-35 base + 40 coffee jelly - 50 actions = 10-25 Will remaining. Keep this Will in reserve so that we have some buffer for abrupt spending during the month.

Edit: Birdsie has ruled that we'll actually get +40 from eating a Jelly this month. Updated plans accordingly.

If birdsie okays it (and it doesn't cost more will) can you add asking harrison to come on the advanced empowerment action with us? It does say it could be dangerous and harrison is helpful.

firefrog600 · Oct 12, 2023

Probably already said it but nevermind it'd cost will as harrison wants to eat food. Anyways we have a 3.5 times modifier and a dead chat I say that we give up as there's clearly no way to fix this problem.

JOEbob · Oct 12, 2023

The first part of this essay is non-essay-y in order to sorta fit into the format of the classic 'in this essay I will' meme.
Also, I will not be citing any sources. Citations are busywork and not a key part of Essaywriting itself. If anything, I'd argue this should make the Essay more befitting of this circumstance, since Solomon has a real example of what Gothic Horror means right in front of him, and presumably writing the Essay on the field trip without access to sources, but mostly I just don't like having to remember to cite sources.

1199 Words. Obviously kabbalistically significant (9 is above, 1 is below, and both being doubled means they are the same; as above, so below), but not possible to integrate into the essay itself without ruining that number.

Thesis: God is canonically afraid of water and has complicated opinions on the other elements, in this essay I will be connecting the meaning of the Earth, Air, Fire and Water in Tarot Cards to their relevance in Gothic Horror, and connect the both of them to the kabbalistic meanings of Earth, Air, Fire and Water as derived from their relevance to the Bible, specifically in Genesis where possible. By the end, I will hopefully have convinced you that these meanings are indeed facets of the same larger whole from which we can derive further insight, both by presenting further insights from that whole, and by presenting this conclusion as an insight from that whole in itself.

Let's begin with Water. Water is in some ways the simplest, here. In Genesis, Water represents the unknown, outside influence, and fear; in Gothic Horror, the unknown, isolation, occasionally negative emotions, and if agitated, the supernatural; and in Tarot, Water is Cups, which is emotions and religion. See my earlier writings on Water in Genesis for full details, but in short it appears unbidden by god, demonstrably repels his spirit, and a sizeable portion of the seven days are expended carefully curtailing its influence. Indeed, Man is originally formed of dust- yet we know now man is primarily water, a clear deviation from God's design; from its arrival it is unknown, from his responses it is fear, and from its effects outside influence. In Gothic Horror, it is the unknown for none know what lie in the depths of the ocean; It is isolation in rainfall and sea's role to entrap victims within dwellings be they castle, cave, kayak or cottage; It is emotions in the reaction of the environment to the dross of feeling; and it is the supernatural in the rains and in the storms and in the tumult of the sea, that haunt the already-haunted souls of Pangothica. In Tarot its associations need no introduction; Tarot is open about such things. Together, there is a clear throughline: Water is the unknown twice, a variant of emotions thrice, and the supernatural thrice(for religion to a practitioner of the Tarot is but an aspect of the supernatural.). So that, then, is the full meaning of Water in this threefold analysis: emotions, the supernatural, and the unknown.

Next, Earth. In Genesis, the Earth is 'that which is not Water' - the known, the controlled, the man and the calm. In Gothic Horror, Earth has a muddled meaning, for it represents the dead and the hiding place of evil- but also sanctuary and guardianship. And in Tarot, Earth is Coins or Rings or Pentacles- Wordly matters, the mundane, the solid. For in Genesis, the Earth is mentioned first as God begins, before Water encroaches- and then later, as God gets a handle on water, it reemerges, the 'dry land'. It is on earth that God creates the first life in plants, and from earth that he crafts Man, and Earth that man must both replenish and subdue. And in Gothic Horror, the dead rise from their graves in the earth, and dark things hide in caverns and castles of stone- but Gargoyles guard cathedrals and other places, bound spirits of protection. And in its own way, it is safety to know where to find evil, that you may avoid it. And again for Tarot, there is no need for introduction. Together, the throughline is again clear: Earth is predictability thrice(in Gothic horror, that is the gestalt of its three meanings), the works and nature of man thrice, and safety twice. So that, then, is the full meaning of Earth in this threefold analysis: predictability, man, and safety.

Fire, of course, represents Life in genesis; People, and their spark of consciousness, that which is not just not water but is its repelling inverse. In Gothic Horror, it is absolution and purification, the banishment and conquering of the wickedly supernatural- and in will o'wisps, lost spirits. And in Tarot, it is Wands- energy, spirit, determination and a litany of positive qualities in this vein. In Genesis, this is a tad subtle: For the word for person, 'Ish', means also Fire if pronounced 'Esh', and the word 'Nefesh' that Soul contains fire within itself. In Gothic Horror, the first four meanings may be found in the arson of a cursed dwelling, the middle three in the burning of a witch, and the last is self-evident. And for Tarot, once again there is no need for introduction. Together, the throughline is clear again: The positive aspects of humanity, their ability to grow and survive and learn and do. Thrice it is spirit, Thrice is it learning, and Twice it is the conquering of the supernatural- for the repulsion of the supernatural and feared unknown of Water is the learning of the known. And so that, then, is the full meaning of Fire in this threefold analysis: spirit, learning, and- for lack of a better english word- dispelling.

Lastly, Air. In Genesis, it is God, plain and simple- only secondarily spirits and life in general. In Gothic Horror, it is nearly absent- its presence can only be inferred the weather, the occasional case of fog, and the continued ability to draw breath. And in Tarot, it is the Sword, intellect, sorrow and misfortune. For in Genesis, the wind- the 'rouakh'- of God touches lightly upon the waters; to entrap the Waters does God raise them into the sky above a firmament; and later does God breath life into beings. In Gothic Horror there is nothing to point to, for I claim absence; and Tarrot needs no explanation. Together, this throughline is not so clear, but still within our power to dissect; God's lament for all his creation. Air is something of an exception here; a background element not easily seen, it cannot be seen thrice and thrice and twice. Rather- From Genesis, it is God and his Creations; From Gothic Horror, where God is distant, it is faint and unseen; and in Tarot, it signifies the Fruit Adam and Eve ate unbidden, that granted Intellect which brought sorrow and misfortune at God's hand. A three-step story, and that is the full meaning of Air in this threefold Analysis- creation, absence, and tragedy.

In conclusion, Earth is predictability, man and safety; Air is creation, absence and tragedy; Fire is spirit, learning and dispelling; and Water is emotions, the supernatural, and the unknown. But then, it is odd that the human body is formed more of Water than Earth, yes? Odd that air's story holds tragedy. For the latter, it is simply that air holds moisture, has been infiltrated by water. But for the former... The only conclusion, then, is that humans as we know them are composed more of outside influence than humanity; a diminished melange of true humanity and the unknown. A conclusion already inescapable from the structure of reality; We are only fractions of the universe, diminished and imperfect, yet still fundamentally human. And just as we, diminished as we are, reflect that totality, our stories, religious, occult or horrific, reflect parts of the story of that totality, that we may assemble; as above, though distorted, so below.

Mithrill · Oct 12, 2023

_brightwing said:
To arms brethren. To arms!

I'll be thinking about it over weekend. I like essay as a form, actually.
Edit: got a subject in mind: "Representation of Magician Archetype in Gothic Horror"

ArcanaVitae · Oct 12, 2023

Birdsie said:
"It's a simple thing, really!" A gloved, searching hand reached and rummaged amongst the inner pockets of his suit, and pulled out an implement like a mutated cousin of the pocket watch, made from some ephemeral golden metal that emanated subtle, wan light. It was almost obdurately thick with Architectural import, overflowing with crucial meaning, like one of the chief elements of the clockwork that comprised the universe. None but Solomon could sense its pivotal Role.

Okay so this is the World Seed of Pangothica, I'm going to call this object a World Seed it just makes sense. Sol can detect that World Seed's importance through his abilities with the Architecture, this is a very big deal. Didn't think that we would be able to see the raw World Seed, just that we would be able to see the World while it's still being formed not seeing the World be created.

Birdsie said:
Immediately, the ambient levels of light fell, as the world ahead blurred into an indistinct nothing. After a second, like chiseled blocks sliding into allocated parking spaces at relativistic speed, entire sections of terrain came flashing in from the sides, below, and above, in a wild array of motions. Now, they beheld Pangothica, in all its horror.

Ahead of them stood a grim wrought iron gate, the spikes on it and the fence stretching from left to right like a row of spears. And beyond it, a world of mysterious dark-grassed valleys, mountains with cavernous secrets, and antediluvian forests bathed in lances of soft yellowish moonlight. A midsize settlement built over a river, its amber lights flickering beautifully through the night, could be seen faintly in the distance, amongst the wobbling evergreens.

Okay this is really cool, it has a fantastical eerie horror vibe that I really love and that captures the Horror Class theme really well.

Birdsie said:
"Wow," enunciated Sandra, the premier lover of the macabre, voice mellow and impressed with the sight. "That was so extra."

I have been reminded that the Class are teenagers.

Birdsie said:
"Now," said the Educator, casually reclaiming his device and addressing the Class with a reproachful air, "in order to ensure our safety in an uncertain environment, I urge you to travel closely together! In fact, pair up!"

"We're not children, sir, we-" started to protest Isabella, only to be cut off mid-sentence by a sound. It was the sound of a branch snapping underfoot with a resounding crackle. Everyone, the Educator included looked at the source of the noise.

Educator gives out good advice, foolish child insists she isn't a child. Also she taunted Murphy or is it the Architecture?

Birdsie said:
There, in the twilight of the bushes, stood a growling wolf-thing with a blood-caked snout, its eyes yellow like feverish sunlamps. It was hunched over on all fours, on almost digitigrade feet, yet the hints of manlike hands remained even with the claws scratching at the dirt. It emanated a climate of primal brutality and terror, sinking its claws in ways metaphorical and psychological. Even Solomon's psyche, reinforced as it was with a frugal protective amulet, bent under the strain like a door pushed on relentlessly until its hinges started to crack and it began to splinter out of its frame. No one could even think of running, primitive fight-or-flight instincts engaged in the beast's favor.

The sheer terror the werewolf inspires is really great. Also love how Solomon has protection amulets that reinforce his mind, it makes sense to make something like that and it's really cool that he has it.

Birdsie said:
"Pay attention, now! This creature here is a prime example of a specimen of the local lycanthrope - or in laymen's terms, a werewolf." He said that final word with a sort of hushed excitement as if the prospect of mere observation were a jovial scientific opportunity rather than a terrifying encounter with a ravenous beast. "A most fascinating etymology of that word, derived from the Greek lukanthropos, meaning wolf-man. There exists a correlation with the myth of Lycaon, the king of Arcadia chiefly recognized for slaying and cooking his own son, Nyctimus, as a meal to Zeus, in a bid to see whether a god could recognize the flavor of human flesh! As punishment, Lycaon was made into a wolf, and Nyctimus was resurrected: one of the rare few times, I'm sure we can all agree, where Zeus acted in a fairly reasonable fashion. I, too, would be extremely upset if served poorly seasoned human flesh!"

The Educator chuckled in good-natured humor. The werewolf's growl intensified with rapacity as it dashed forward and leaped with sufficient speed that Solomon almost couldn't track it. The Educator ducked, and his cornflower tophat remained cartoonishly hovering while the werewolf sailed overhead. He reached into the hat's bowels with superhuman alacrity to pull on a knife's handle and, as the lycanthrope whirled around with a second furious growl, slit its throat with almost perfunctory elegance. Miraculously, even as it burst, none of the blood dared stain his suit or glove. The instantly-dead werewolf dropped like an inanimate showpiece.

The Educator hummed with modest satisfaction, and returned the spotless knife - apparently silver-edged - back into the tophat, as the supernatural murk of fear abated.

That was classy as hell, both the lesson and the kill. I really love the Educator, dude is just doing what he loves and having the time of his life while doing it.

Birdsie said:
"Now," he said, to Isabella, clapping his cane against the ground and mounting both hands firmly atop, "Ms. Adams, before my demonstration, I believe you were saying something about not being children?" He leaned forward curiously.

"U-Uhm," she stammered, and then grasped a mildly annoyed Noah by the arm, "L-Let's pair up, you guys..."

This was so great, love the Educator's sass.

Birdsie said:
Solomon pondered how much of that was a fortunate accident, a deliberate setup by the Educator, or simply an Architectural kismet. A moment's contemplation yielded the answer the Educator probably didn't intend to make the werewolf appear, but stylishly took advantage of its presence while it was there.

Yeah the dude isn't really the type to set stuff like this up but he'd totally take advantage of it happening. Also Solomon respects the style from the Educator.

Birdsie said:
"Now, for as long as we're here in Pangothica, I believe I should mention: our excursion isn't without educational value! Anyone who can turn in an essay by next Friday, outlining the connections and differences between your Theme and this world's, as well as any other interesting tidbits you'd learned, will receive extra credit!"

This is a really interesting extra credit assignment.

Birdsie said:
"Hey, Penelope," said Solomon, nodding to the girl, slightly confused at being called out. "Pair?"

She looked momentarily around and noted most of the others were already paired or pairing, and a few of those who weren't stood further away than Solomon. She eventually shrugged and offered a slight smile. "Sure."

God bless the simple interactions of human beings, thought Solomon.

I'm really happy that Solomon will be getting an interaction action. It'll be good for him.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Essayism [5 Will] - Write an adequate essay. Earn 1 Student Credit.
-[ ] Great Essayism [10 Will] - Write a superb essay. Earn 2 Student Credit and 65% odds to unlock an extra Aspect with Gothic Horror Thematic influences!
--[ ] Grand Essayism [10 Will] - Write a beyond-superb essay. Earn 3 Student Credit and 100% odds to unlock an extra Aspect with Gothic Horror Thematic influences!

Okay I want to do the Grand Essayism because the Extra Aspect flavored by Gothic Horror will be really interesting and I'm curious what it'll do. Seeing how the Aspect is meshed together with King of Magi will be really interesting since there's a lot of magical stuff in this world.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Educational Exploration [15 Will] - Make a devotional study of the local Thematics, its correlations, its differences, and its overall telos. There's already some interesting commonalities you can spot when you squint: every other secret might compound for impressive possibilities.

Benefits:
*Discount Essayism by 5 Will per level and slightly improve the effects of each level.
*Gain 100-250 XP.

This will lead to Solomon learning more about Roles which will be interesting, and the effects on the Ehsayism may be interesting as well.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Architectural Exploration [20 Will, 7 Credit] - A fragment of you suspects there must be a deeper reason for Pangothica's existence, and it seems to bear a degree of connection to the Educator's strange clockwork device. Make observations with exceptional care, and perhaps ask him for guidance.

Benefits:
*Yield Architecturalism practice equivalent to taking on Remedial Classwork thrice.
*Improve the Connections Technique to Level 2.

Studying the World Seed would be really neat. The leveling to Connections Technique and the 3 Remedial Classes practice is great as well.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Advanced Empowerment [50 Will, 12 Credit] - Ahead of you an entire world, the inchoate potential of its Thematics feeling like a freshly buried corpse. The Educator was right in many respects: you can learn so much from this excursion, if you look and think, or meditate and search for adventure. Somewhere in the center of this land, you can feel a presence calling out to you, like a welcoming voice... If you respond and reach out, you may be able to lay a claim to one of the miracles of this realm before its safeguards can fully rise.

Benefits:
*Gain at least 500 XP, potentially an explosively higher amount.
*Other, considerable benefits equivalent to a second such amount!

Warning:
*Potential high danger.

This is going to be pretty costly but this is what we came here for. We'll get to plunder Pangothica and get something that should be far beyond Solomon.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Explore Valleys [10 Will] - Beneath you, in these forested valleys, your insight into the Architecture tells you of hidden glades full of adventure and power. You're bored, so why not explore a little?

Benefits:
*Gain 80-160 XP.
*Other, uncertain benefits.

Warning:
*Moderate danger.

I get the feeling this is the more traditional exploration option which we probably won't choose because we can do it in our own World. But it's good to know what the other exploration options will likely look at.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Find Apprentices [15 Will, 7 Credit] - According to the Educator's laydown of the area, there are at least dime-a-dozen cults here, worshipping different ephemera, vampiric lords, and eldritch gods. If you're willing to put in a little elbow grease, you could potentially find yourself a couple of disciples: or, for even more Will, an entire cabal!

Benefits:
*Allows you to recruit disciples from amongst a number of magic-capable local groups: power and danger level depends on further Will expenditures and choices. The Educator, in return for some of your credit and wish leeway, will prepare quarters for them, and potentially let you take them with you post-graduation.

Warning:
*Very minor danger.

At first I wasn't interested in this choice at all. But getting our own Cult is a really good option for Power-Base building.

Birdsie said:
[ ] Find Artifacts [15 Will] - With a combination of divination, stealth spells, and your (admittedly lackluster) thieving skills, nab some eldritch artifacts and tomes from secret libraries, workshops, and necromantic tombs.

Benefits:
*A bunch of cool stuff. You get to pick from a cornucopia of promising items.

I'm pretty interested in this option and am hoping that this will be available in the traditional exploration option.

Okay this whole thing is totally worth the Will Expenditure, there are so many opportunities available from this whole thing and I'm really hyped about it. Also I'm really interested in normal exploration and this has only made me even more interested in it.

_brightwing said:
I'm totally drawing this.. Good to already see tangible effects of Architecture in place.

The scene with werewolf was great too. Educator continues to be an orange and blue morality badass.

I wonder if we could take a stab at that Essay on behalf of Sol? Solve Sol's Will conundrum here in one fell swoop.

I'm looking forward to seeing that drawing, it'll be epic. Seeing the Educator do his thing is great, I didn't really take note of the orange and blue morality but when you pointed it out it got me thinking about the Educator more, I'm going to have to do a character dissection of him eventually. Us writing the Essay is a really good idea.

_brightwing said:
[ ] Advanced Empowerment [50 Will, 12 Credit] - Ahead of you an entire world, the inchoate potential of its Thematics feeling like a freshly buried corpse. The Educator was right in many respects: you can learn so much from this excursion, if you look and think, or meditate and search for adventure. Somewhere in the center of this land, you can feel a presence calling out to you, like a welcoming voice... If you respond and reach out, you may be able to lay a claim to one of the miracles of this realm before its safeguards can fully rise.

This, is the grand prize, if we really want to milk that 75 Will cost to fund the trip to Pangothica

Miracles of the Gothic Horror? What would that entail.. immortality ala vampirism? Or perhaps something more esoteric. Eldritch seems to be included in Gothic Horror's repertoire. That opens the door to so many things. What do you guys think it can be?

Safeguards can fully rise.. That means there is a danger involved in the power. And the miracle is in its nascent phase. Potentially moldable to suit Sol also.

Yeah this is the game breaking choice that I'm really interested in. This will be Solomon flipping the board in an absurd way and could empower him by a lot.

firefrog600 said:
Gonna be honest another aspect sounds like a really big commitment when we are already going for three. Like I'm already having trouble dealing with the fact that figures like the shining prince likely have like a cumulative billion or three exp gone into themselves. Since the wall alone showed us that the shining prince used a level 20 something and level 10 thing to build the stuff. That's a lot of exp and Birdsie already said it's just the stuff needed to build the mystical wall around Oregon. That doesn't include his anti evil stuff or other aspects and various techniques.

Leveling another Aspect to an extremely high level is a commitment. Leveling several Aspects to widen Solomon's skillset on open up potential syngerizations between Aspects is both smart and a valid way of doing things. See Arcanum and Hermes the Destroyer meshing together to make Solomon a lot scarier.

Birdsie said:
Minor PSA: A cabal of players has purchased a total 3.5x Credit modifier for the thread. Go wild.

Hell Yeah!!!

JOEbob said:
...Counterpoint: The combat power of a purely-combat-specced King Of Magi with both Hermes and Arcanum is about 50% higher than one who only has Hermes(-1.5 Hermes Levels), ie 11 Hermes Levels versus 10 Hermes Levels + 10 Arcanum Levels(worth 5 Hermes Levels)
Having more Aspects is, in the long run, an absolute plus.

Also adding that it increases Solomon's toolbox and Aspects that can mesh together.

Fghubyygvb said:
Based on the description provided, it can be assumed that we take the emerging part of the entire theme of Gothic horror, that is, the actual part of the total potential that this theme is capable of.
From a practical point of view, I think that we will be able to choose any aspects of Gothic horror that we want and also increase our maximum level due to a larger metaphysical volume.
It is also possible to get many other more minor improvements, but it is quite difficult to predict.

There's Dark Magic, Cults, and Eldritch stuff in Pangothica, plenty of stuff that would mesh with the King of Magi Role.

JOEbob said:
...What is your argument? 'Success is impossible, don't even try'??
Theoretically, if we had an unlimited supply of complimentary Aspects, we could beat mr Hypothetical Big Boy Level 10 In One Aspect Only Wizard with only 2500 XP.

JOEbob said:
Yes.
Definitely.
if memory serves, 1 Ability Level is something like +1-2 Aspect Levels for the purpose of that ability only. As long as Ability XP cost does not scale to current Aspect level, it will always become worthwhile to pick up an ability eventually. Now is literally the worst time to pick up any Ability(whichdoesnotdirectlyimproveXPgain); the longer we wait and the more expensive all our Aspects inevitably become, the better abilities will get.
This system foundationally encourages going as wide as you possibly can, and Abilities are just one aspect of that.

Aspects meshing and synergization is going to be really useful in the future.

ImperatorV · Oct 13, 2023

So, I've been thinking about what new aspects Sol could discover from Pangothicon. I've come up with some basic ideas:

Blood Magic. The principle that sacrifice is power, something that has been theorized in many cultures across the world. I don't have the anthropology backround to say whether it can be called universal or not, but the idea that blood ritually spilt has power gets pretty close at least. A horror setting would be the best place to find sacrificial magics, and the connection with vampires is also clear. It's a pretty obvious option, but sometimes the stereotype exists for a reason. For Sol, this could be a useful way to boost important spells if we can gather the somewhat unpleasant reagents. EDIT: Or gain a lot more power if we're willing to cross from "unpleasant" to "immoral".

Necromancy. Another obvious one, the breeching of the veil between life and death is a common choice for magicians, if one that is often ill-intended or ill-advised. In some fantasy setting necromancy is explicitly separate from other magics, while in others it is merely another group of spells like any other. Either way, it would be thematically fitting for a magician. How useful it would be for Sol is another question - we have the capacity to obtain minions from other sources, so the necromancy would need to offer something else of note to be worthwhile. There's a variety of possible utility powers such as speaking to ghosts, a form of ressurrection if usually a flawed one, Lichdom could do it - in fact, I could see Lichdom being an aspect in its own right. Continuing that thought...

Undead Ascension. Lichs, in many interpretations, are magi seeking eternal life - sometimes the process of achieving this empowers the Lich's other magics as well, or grants them new abilities. Alternatively, Vampire Lords are explicitly a thing in Pangothicon, and sometimes powerful mages again seeking immortality become vampires - so many of these immortality seekers can be found in gothic horror, which makes sense. The genre dwells on death and obsession both, and those are very relevant to the question of eternity.

Eldritch Communion. There are cults here, and in this sort of setting the dread powers worshipped by these cults are all too real. The trope of the warlock, who obtains power by making deals with dark powers, is a prominent one, that can lead to either the magician or the beseeched power gaining the upper hand in the long run. As an aspect I would expect this to be inherently risky, but provide outsized benefits.

Anyone have their own thoughts to add?

ArcanaVitae · Oct 13, 2023

ImperatorV said:
So, I've been thinking about what new aspects Sol could discover from Pangothicon. I've come up with some basic ideas:

Blood Magic. The principle that sacrifice is power, something that has been theorized in many cultures across the world. I don't have the anthropology backround to say whether it can be called universal or not, but the idea that blood ritually spilt has power gets pretty close at least. A horror setting would be the best place to find sacrificial magics, and the connection with vampires is also clear. It's a pretty obvious option, but sometimes the stereotype exists for a reason. For Sol, this could be a useful way to boost important spells if we can gather the somewhat unpleasant reagents. EDIT: Or gain a lot more power if we're willing to cross from "unpleasant" to "immoral".

Necromancy. Another obvious one, the breeching of the veil between life and death is a common choice for magicians, if one that is often ill-intended or ill-advised. In some fantasy setting necromancy is explicitly separate from other magics, while in others it is merely another group of spells like any other. Either way, it would be thematically fitting for a magician. How useful it would be for Sol is another question - we have the capacity to obtain minions from other sources, so the necromancy would need to offer something else of note to be worthwhile. There's a variety of possible utility powers such as speaking to ghosts, a form of ressurrection if usually a flawed one, Lichdom could do it - in fact, I could see Lichdom being an aspect in its own right. Continuing that thought...

Undead Ascension. Lichs, in many interpretations, are magi seeking eternal life - sometimes the process of achieving this empowers the Lich's other magics as well, or grants them new abilities. Alternatively, Vampire Lords are explicitly a thing in Pangothicon, and sometimes powerful mages again seeking immortality become vampires - so many of these immortality seekers can be found in gothic horror, which makes sense. The genre dwells on death and obsession both, and those are very relevant to the question of eternity.

Eldritch Communion. There are cults here, and in this sort of setting the dread powers worshipped by these cults are all too real. The trope of the warlock, who obtains power by making deals with dark powers, is a prominent one, that can lead to either the magician or the beseeched power gaining the upper hand in the long run. As an aspect I would expect this to be inherently risky, but provide outsized benefits.

Anyone have their own thoughts to add?

I'd add more Soul and entropy stuff to necromancy.

Darkness Magic: Mankind Fears the Dark and this is the Horror World. Shaping and Controlling darkness and shadow, illusions, teleportation through darkness and creation of objects of darkness. The further and further one delves into these powers the more stranger and unknowable they become.

SMBlade · Oct 13, 2023

Alright so, not a lot going on in terms the Plot(TM) or the Lore(TM) - at least overtly. What this most certainly is is a progression of our understanding of the Architecture but chiefly the Educator's tomfoolery.

Obviously the least significant thing here is the fact that the Educator specced into being stylish. Honestly it's not even that important at all, I just think it's cool.

Now than as for the actual content - Gothic Horror Land seems... I don't want to say fun, but interesting? Certainly there are loads of options for us. Not just in learning about poorly seasoned human flesh (though I am sure it is a riveting topic). The Big E-man produced what might as well be a doohickey for all we know what it does - but sure is an important doohickey!

Now as for fellow students (I have 1 thing and it's analyzing students ~~donttakethisfromme~~) there's a few fun things. Ryan (Devil/Isolated Gamer) and Damien showed, which clearly just demonstrates how popular the field trip is (I know I'd like to go on a field trip to Gothic Horror Land - fun for the whole family!). Secondly, Izzy (Empress/Narcissistic Cheerleader) has a Bad Time. While there's nothing new on her front, we know that Noah (Emperor/Bored Jock) isn't 100% on her side - a moderately important social dynamic I think is good to keep in mind. Sandra (Death/Goth Girl) is enjoying herself - I uh don't think we expected otherwise.

Anyways, this is running a bit short so I'm gonna at least try to look at the potential choices we have. First set: essays! As Birdsie said on Discord, if we're mad enough to write some we might get bonuses. I am sure he did not anticipate us doing so - HOWEVER! I did not write a COMICAL AMOUNT OF WORDS about WHY WE SHOULD GET SOL TO EAT FISH and spent THREE HOURS looking at random sources to convince everyone HOW COOL FISH IS on a METAPHORICAL LEVEL just to be undone now! I am going to write a fire essay - and with any luck we can maybe leave this be and focus on other stuff.

The next section is mostly Exploration - the basic task that costs no SC (and if we need to fill something out we might as well? It makes essay cheaper and my life easier), and two more expensive ones. One, of course, gives a big ole bonus to Connections and Architecture - but we spent a HUGE amount of will on Remedials last turn so arguably we should be good on that front. Finally Grand Theft Artifact; the most expensive option on the list by a significant margin. is it worth it? Dunno. I think the problem there is that if we do it it is the probably going to be the only thing we do here - arguably more of a malus than anything else. It isn't even winter yet and we can't survive off of our limited coffee jelly supplies at this rate.

The most basic action on the list is checking out the Valleys; general EXP, maybe some other stuff. If we're lacking for stuff to do, we certainly could do worse than checking out some horror trees that try to eat you and call you mean names. After that is getting a cabal: what I will warn is that these guys do have more than just the front cost - we need to pay with some of our favor with Eduman to get them a place to stay, for one. And there's further Will cost to getting enough of them for an actual cabal (which is, by the way, an INCREDIBLY cool word). Finally, artifacts! I for one love free stuff, and honestly we should probably pick at least one - who knows? We might luck out and find something good.

Anyhow sorry for a shorter analysis. But fret not, I (and this bag full of caffeine) will quickly solve our problem of an essay. See you next time - we'll be living to spite god and probably doing more analysis idk.

_brightwing · Oct 13, 2023

Brainstorming earlier in Discord today..

Lealope: Ping me about this tomorrow, and I'll try. But it's not that hard. Tarot and gothic horror are innately linked as a part of fear.
SMBlade: Yeah, I'll help. How long, boss?
Lealope: That most ancient fear being the fear of the unknown.
_brightwing: Very excited about the miracle. We'd be utilizing not one theme but two on our very first few months. Talk about a force multiplier. Bible and Children's Story are also ripe for picking. Maybe Bible next since they'll graduate and go away.
SMBlade: Need a third subject for my outline...
_brightwing: Hidden truths, perhaps? Life, death, rebirth, and transformation are also common trends in Tarot and Gothic Horror. Gothic horror delves into the dark facets of human nature, and so do Tarot cards in some respects. Fate too, gothic horror stories have that as a theme.
SMBlade: Oooo, and it links to the body 2 paragraph about fear. Here is vaguely what I'm thinking. I need some stuff about sources (does the Educator expect scholarly sources only?), and then I'll crank it out over the weekend.

_brightwing: I'd be happy to DM the books I came across. I haven't managed to get my hands on a few books about gothic horror and tarot though (yet).
SMBlade: Probably a good idea. Luckily I took six years of debate, so at least it'll sound pretty.
_brightwing: Cards that have darker tones traditionally... Devil, the Tower, and Death. We could also focus on them and how their concepts come up in Gothic horror.
SMBlade: Ooo yeah, that's good. Probably fits in paragraph 2 or 3?
_brightwing: Ugh, Discord doesn't support more than 25 MB... Hang on, compressing.
SMBlade: Aight, so I think a major element here is in thematic commonalities. The way in which these things are interpreted in similar ways. So like, uh, one sec, let me get a site with the major arcana interpretations up. Hey look, Death means fish. Okay, hear me out. Death is associated with Osiris. Osiris is arguably the basis for Frankenstein.
Lealope: Proposition, deconstruct a horror movie via tarot.

SMBlade: Ooooo, that's really good. I can put that in as a case study (I think the social sciences really love that). (I can't use them in acting though, not a lot of cases to study).
SMBlade: So with this in mind - Frankenstein is literally the Death card.
ArcanaVitae: What about the Magician? Would the Magician symbolize a cultist?
SMBlade: Hmmm, one second, let me consult the Sacred Texts. I think the Magician could be the cult itself. "As Above, So Below" in the form of service to power. Because it seems to me that the Magician partly symbolizes control (Will/Knowledge/Skills/Tools), and an individual cultist isn't in control. Arguably one of the # of Wands probably fits better for cultists, but the cult itself might?
Naan: Perhaps the Hierophant for a Cult Leader?
SMBlade: Most certainly. I also reckon lots of seminal works in gothic horror can be deconstructed down to Tarot elements. Dracula, for instance. Harker is the Tower at first. Van Helsing could be the Hanged Man?
Naan: I mean, most things can be broken down into Tarot, as Tarot is the representation of life.
SMBlade: Yeah. Holy shit, I found hard evidence that we should take Swords as our devotion.
Lealope: ?

SMBlade: Ace of Swords, baby. "The Ace of Swords is Kether in Yetzirah. All Aces correspond to the first sephira, Kether ( ) or "crown," while Kether corresponds to the primum mobile, that force which moves the planets and stars across the sky. Kether, the crown, contains all that follows." As Above, So Below. Aces. Anyways, time to think about how Renfield is actually the Hanged Man or something.
Naan: Frankenstein's monster is the Fool.
SMBlade: Oooo, that's good. My current roadblock is that I don't know the Educator's syllabus, lmao. Like, does he or does he not want first-person?
_brightwing: I love this so much. Yeah, I could see Fool working too.
SMBlade: Sadly, Frank does not have the fun Osiris bits, like needing a new penis. But what can we do?
_brightwing: We could tie multiple cards to the monsters.
SMBlade: Yeah, in a standard tarot reading, you'd need multiple anyways. So one could say that Frankenstein's Monster is Death (past) - Fool (Present) - X (Future). Maybe Tower? Tower is just the 'bad time card.'
_brightwing: Destructive change, tearing down of old order for the new. That's what he does, right? Going after his creator.
SMBlade: IIRC, yes.
_brightwing: Also, Hermit in the sense that he went away afterwards.
SMBlade: What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. (Cards).

_brightwing: The Moon card has dogs howling.
SMBlade: Man, this reminds me of when I made a Harrowing PF2e character.
_brightwing: Indeed. Water also ties with transformation.
Naan: I just read over Frankenstein, and the Creature's last act was to burn himself on a funeral pyre in guilt. Or at least that is what he said he would do.
_brightwing: Hanged Man then? Or Judgment?
SMBlade: Hanged Man is, I think, slightly more positive.
_brightwing: Hanged Man is more about sacrifice, so maybe no.
SMBlade: Hanged Man implies suffering for a benefit.
_brightwing: Judgment works more on guilt.
SMBlade: Odin at the World-Tree is what I use as an example.
_brightwing: Hmm, I think other monsters might be more suited to self-sacrificing though. Maybe Doctor Jekyll?
Naan: Victor Frankenstein definitely has elements of the Magician; he figured out how to impart life.
SMBlade: You could argue that the monster burning himself is a really macabre version of the World - completion/the end of a journey.
SMBlade: I think Victor might be Magician/Reversed Emperor.
_brightwing: Oh wow, I can see that. What about the Nosferatu?
SMBlade: Uh, not as familiar.
_brightwing: Devil, perhaps?
SMBlade: Is it just Dracula?
_brightwing: Yeah.
SMBlade: Hmm, Dracula himself is the Devil, yeah.
_brightwing: The more I think about it, Frankenstein is the Tower. Creation through hubris, and then unleashing chaos.
SMBlade: Probably. Arguably, most gothic horror is just the Tower.

SMBlade — because the Tower is the 'everything goes wrong' card. it is the opposite of the World.
Naan — Which character are we tracking the journey of? Or is it everyone?
_brightwing — It's also new beginnings on a positive read. Yeah, everyone - all of gothic horror. As many as we can tie the cards to.
SMBlade — I think you need the Tower to get the World. The world contains the tower. Your small world needs to come crashing down before you can enter the big one. It's Plato's fucking cave all over again.
_brightwing — On top of the tower, the pinnacle, you see the world.
Naan — Frankenstein creating the Female Creature was Tower, then when he stopped that I think Reversed Tower. I think he was literally plagued by visions or something that was telling him it's a bad idea.
_brightwing — Phantom of the Opera... The Lovers? Hmm, Frankenstein could be tied to Lovers too, I guess. Wow, my guy has ridiculous synergy with tarots.
SMBlade — Damn it, Frank, quit being multifaceted.
Pyrurge — The Tower does come after the Devil, which is a hero grown content and corrupt. It's the base violence necessary for change.
_brightwing — Carmilla, the original vampire seductress... Empress. You can't get more feminine than her.
SMBlade — Ayup.
_brightwing — Maybe also Death and Lovers.
SMBlade — Is Lovecraft considered gothic or does it follow gothic horror?
_brightwing — Lovecraft definitely has overlap. Pangothica seems to hold eldritch as well.
_brightwing — Because her book was the first lesbian book like that, and has themes of obsessive love.
SMBlade — We know there are cultists for us to maybe cabalize, so certainly those elements of Lovecraft got slammed in.
_brightwing — Elder gods definitely has tarot themes, but maybe we should focus on the monsters more.
SMBlade — Monsters run more gothic, yeah.
_brightwing — It's all Tower, lol. And maybe the Moon.
SMBlade — (meme) Graphic design is my passion.
_brightwing — Madness, unnamed horrors, and the masquerade, transformations... they all fall under Moon. These are major Lovecraftian gothic themes. Other than the doom of Tower and Judgment.
SMBlade — YE GODS! I HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A WELSHMAN!
_brightwing — Hermit too, in the sense that madness comes when the truth of the world is unveiled. But not, uh, enlightenment. Forbidden knowledge, isolation of the protagonists, all tracks.
SMBlade — Reversed Hermit maybe?

R' — Probably best to focus on relationships between the Magician and Gothic Horror specifically, then build out from there. There's a reason Mage is considered one of the foundational archetypes of World of Darkness alongside Vampire and Werewolf.
SMBlade — The Magician throws open the veil or somesuch, yeah.
R' — And the most iconic division of those Mages is, of course... the Order of Hermes.
SMBlade — HERMETICS! I AM GOING TO SHRED WHEAT WITH MY MIND!
R' — The mage occupies the liminal role between the mundane and the horrors without. Some would say he is... the gate and the key. That said, I don't think we should aim for an aspect that is extremely impractical to use or limited in domain, like blood or necromancy.
Pyrurge — Generally when I think of such a relationship, it's defined by hubris. People making pacts with something they really shouldn't, transgressing inviolable rules, etc.
SMBlade — Turning over stones that should remain unturned.
R' — Ideally, it should synergize with the existing King of Magi concept and not be a bolt-on like eldritch horror.
SMBlade — I mean, I really, really, really like what you said, R', about being the gate and the key. Something about that? Liminal spaces, as above so below - the link between the ephemeral and the real. The Hegelian synthesis.
R' — The Magus himself as master of the unknown, who by the power of his reason and will subordinates the horrors and thence, in a sense, becomes the greatest horror of all - neither parasitism (vampire) nor ravening predator (werewolf) but intentional tyrant. Basically, the ideal situation would be to steal the Gothic Horror's version of the Mage for ourselves and absorb that role into us, getting a near-fully general Aspect that stacks with Arcanum in everything. If we can secure that, then the trip will have been well worth it.

_brightwing: Holy hell... Amazing.
R': I'm kinda doubtful Birdsie would actually let us do this though. Or at least, if we earn the option, it will have to compete with other broken stuff that probably has greater immediate power but less potential for scaling.
_brightwing: We could probably at least get away by taking an artifact and then gradually work on subsuming it. Or dominate the Mage role if it's in its nascent stage.
R': Well, feel free to post my musings in the thread or integrate them into your own works if you want. I'm probably not going to write a full essay.
SMBlade: Brightwing did not dump me with enough sources to kill god just for me to NOT write one. I'll probably aim for 1500 words if I can.
_brightwing: I didn't send you the hermeticism books. I thought that would be too much. Should I rectify my error?
SMBlade: Uh, no. My brain might combust, and I need to at least pretend to do schoolwork lmao.
_brightwing: So mages... Abdul Alhazred? Writer of the Necronomicon. Dracula is kind of a mage in a sense too. There are also a lot of witches.
questionable: Yes, witches good.
_brightwing: Go big and go for the Three witches.
SMBlade: Double, double toil and trouble. Eye of newt is expensive!
_brightwing: Usurping them might be challenging though. Like, how can Sol embody their roles better than they currently can? Architectural shenanigans maybe.

Edit:
_brightwing: Interestingly.. the update coincided with Alister Crowley's Birthday. As above so below, reigns.

Shard · Oct 13, 2023

I think the big commonality and therefore difference between the theme of the Tarot and the theme of Gothic horror is that of the Unknown. The Tarot gives the answer in the form of mysticism, converting mysteries into insights and ideas. Gothic Horror instead interprets it far more viscerally, the Forest of Horrors, the very real danger of the unknown. But they both revolve around that key concept of 'things we don't know', and 'things beyond the ken of mere mortals'. Gothic Horror also mostly happens to you; The Tarot is you venturing into the unknown.

Rihaku said:
Mechanically this option is very weak; getting 45 Will worth of lessons and 100 XP is hardly worth the 75 Will entry fee, 20 Will surcharge, and 7 SC surcharge. It takes us months to generate 7 SC under most conditions.

Technically, it would be 75 Will of Lessons, because it's 'free' actions. As otherwise those 3 actions could have been purely unwind actions (+10 Will each). So it's an effective conversion of 20 Will & 7 SC for 75 Will worth of actions + 100 EXP. Still pretty weak, of course.

H2F2 · Oct 13, 2023

ImperatorV said:
Anyone have their own thoughts to add?

I don't think that we should take magical aspects such as the magic of blood, darkness and so on, all this is already in our metaphysical field, we just need to make an effort to obtain them. Instead, I propose to take aspects that either expand the field of metaphysical possibilities for our specific abilities or cover our weaknesses.

For example.

"Mad scientist. Your genius surpassed all boundaries, you violated the laws of earth and God, and in the crucible of your unlimited mind, magic and science were combined to give birth to something that should not exist in the world."

From this role we could take aspects that would help us more easily combine our different abilities to create something radically new, as well as gain the opportunity to bypass the prohibitions that the role of a magician imposes on us.

"Landowner. You are the ruler of your land, its king and god, you dictate its laws to both people and the forces of nature, and your domain is this small world closed from all outsiders. Those who live on your territory are superstitious, unfriendly and inhospitable to those who do not belong to your domain, but for you they are citizens ready to follow any order."

This transforms our shrine aspect making it much more powerful and the effects we can use varied. This should also increase its coverage area.

"Cult Leader. People have always wanted to become involved in something greater than themselves, and in your great grace you agree to send down tiny fragments of your understanding. But nothing in the world is free, and by partaking of your wisdom, they begin to serve you, bringing as a gift everything they have, even the soul will not be an exception when the time comes to pay the bills."

Complements our Arcane Induction allowing us to receive a constant income from those we trained. I think this will be used mainly to replenish willpower, but with development it is certainly possible to pick up something more.

I also think it's worth mentioning the vampire separately, since in one of the discussions it was mentioned that this role could well absorb the powers of the people he killed. The problem is that this feature will never appear because other students will destroy this opportunity even at the moment of discussing roles. But if we get this role now, then no one can stop us from getting this feature.

JOEbob · Oct 13, 2023

ArcanaVitae said:
Okay so this is the World Seed of Pangothica, I'm going to call this object a World Seed it just makes sense. Sol can detect that World Seed's importance through his abilities with the Architecture, this is a very big deal. Didn't think that we would be able to see the raw World Seed, just that we would be able to see the World while it's still being formed not seeing the World be created.

...I think that's a navigation device, not a world seed? He said 'The left hand controls Perspective, the right controls the World.', and the effect was that Fortuna receded/blurred away and then Pangothica showed up.

OctarineShrike · Oct 13, 2023

I don't think I've done this in a while, if there's anyone in the audience who isn't a member of the quest discord and wants to be, here's a link that'll be good for the next 7 days. Join the Games in Silver Discord Server!

firefrog600 · Oct 14, 2023

OctarineShrike said:
I don't think I've done this in a while, if there's anyone in the audience who isn't a member of the quest discord and wants to be, here's a link that'll be good for the next 7 days. Join the Games in Silver Discord Server!

smh Octarine killed chat and certainly nothing else like lack of current interest or discussion opportunities nope all Octarine.

Mithrill · Oct 14, 2023

So, I've been doing research for my writing and learned about this:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDuNs_OD4Q4

In short: there is a new RPG being made that is heavily influenced by occult and esoteric aspect of tarot both in story and in mechanics: drawing and playing Minor Arcana is used for skill checks, Major Arcana readings act as scenario generators and plot hooks, etc.
Anyway, then my mind went into a weird place and I came up with tarot-based card game to codify any "scry vs. scry" duels one might have.

Working name: Tarotali
The game assumes there are two players and each of them is a seer trying to influence a certain situation in a specific direction and that their plans are mutually exclusive. The game can be played with an arbiter, but doesn't have to.
Step 1: Setting the stakes. Each player declares what scenario he intends to put in motion, either to their opponent or to the arbiter. Then the game is prepared, Minor and Major Arcana shuffled in two decks. Each player draws 7 Minor Arcana cards.
Step 2: Bidding. Arbiter designates a leading player. He can then play up to 3 cards from his hand. The other player then also plays up to 3 cards, but has to play at least 1. The leading player then can play more cards, but no more than the number he played in the first action. Then the player with higher sum of cards wins the bid and takes 1 Major Arcana card. If trump is present, only trump cards count towards the score.
Step 3: Trumps. One of the players, if he wants, can declare a trump. To do it, he plays one of the Major Arcana cards he scored already to make a suit associated with it trump in the next round. The Fool and The World allow to choose a trump instead. If both players want to declare a trump, it goes to the player who lost the last bid.
Repeat steps 2 and 3, alternating the position of the leading player, until Major Arcana are exhausted. When the last card in player's hand is played, he draws up to 7 after the bid is concluded.
Step 4: Divination. Players, alternating, play the Major Arcana cards they scored during the bid. Each of them has to make a 7 card spread. Each player can either add a card to his own spread or to his opponent's. Once the spreads are done, the players make the reading about the scenario declared at the beginning using their own spreads. The player whose reading is closer to his stake wins. This can be decided by the arbiter or the opponent. In both cases if the deciding party can't reach the conclusion or believes that the reading is incorrect, the game is played again.

This is most likely absolutely irrelevant for our current situation, but I'd like to share the results of my strange brainwave with y'all. Thoughts?

ilbgar123 · Oct 14, 2023

Arcane CYOA

You find yourself in what seems to be a velvetine room, done up in the style of a principal or headmaster's office. Or perhaps the other way around? Questions for later, as there is a... well, you're certain he has a face, but you can't discern anything else about it. "Ah, hello." the man began, seeming distracted. "I'm afraid I'm in no position to teach you properly, not with the state things are in, though I can pass along a few lessons based on the current crisis. Something went wrong with the Tarot world. Even some of the meanings are off, and the Arcana are definitely wrong. On the other hand, their disposition towards magic has markedly improved." he shrugs. "I'll have to investigate, and I've selected you as a test case."

He gestures, and a chalkboard appears on your left, words rapidly forming to list out a series of options. "You have..." he paused a moment in thought. "Hm, these aren't really the Arcana, so let's call them the Arcane Fonts." he made a slight motion with his hand, and the writing changed just a bit. "You have 1 Major Arcane Study, 3 Lesser Arcane Studies, and 5 Minor Arcane Studies. The former allows you to select all the abilities of an Arcane Font, though you may waive any of them if you wish for whatever reason. The second allows you to select 2, though you cannot take any more from that Font. The last allows you take 1, but can be used repeatedly on the same Font. Have at it!"

[ ] Arcane Font: Clubs. Representative of harmony and tranquility.
-[ ] Animorph. You may change into an animal and back. Your soul remains your own, so becoming a dragon this way is of limited utility, but still.
-[ ] Beastmaster. Animals in your vicinity gain significant intelligence and are strongly positively inclined to you.
-[ ] Green Thumb. Living plants, or significant quantities of plant matter like logs, can be bent to your will in a variety of ways, and are somewhat strengthened when carrying out your ends.
-[ ] Last Breath. If you would otherwise die, you survive the attack, though on the verge of death. This only functions if you are not already on the verge of death.

[ ] Arcane Font: Diamonds. Representative of curiosity and wonder.
-[ ] Crazy Prepared. If you spend an extended time planning(usually an hour), you can simply declare that you've prepared for a tactic or trump card, countering it. You may also do this once per battle for 'free'.
-[ ] Divided Mind. You may split your mind in two and perform extended mental tasks.
-[ ] Healing Water. Water may be used to heal. Physical afflictions are easiest, but mental and even spiritual ones may be lifted with effort.
-[ ] Speed Reader. You may instantly learn a book's contents on contact.

[ ] Arcane Font: Hearts. Trust and duty.
-[ ] Tarnished Beauty. Personal charisma is unaffected by a tarnished appearance, such as being covered in blood and/or grime.
-[ ] Politician. Gains/improves sufficient charisma to run for elected office.
-[ ] Silk Hiding Steel. Unencumbered by clothes, including armor, regardless of how many layers you're wearing.
-[ ] Leadership. Following your instructions will improve the result of any action by a modest amount.

[ ] Arcane Font: Spades. Laughter.
-[ ] Karmic Trickster. The more suffering and evil an individual has wrought, the easier it is for you to deceive them. Extreme ego also works in a similar manner.
-[ ] Butterfly Wings. You may alter probability to allow your actions up to this point to modestly aid you, even if they were seemingly unrelated. Many smaller actions tend to have more effect than a singular larger one.
-[ ] Fragile Speed. You may trade durability for speed and mobility, though you are unaffected by your own speed.
-[ ] Thieving Rogue. To say that you have sticky fingers, is a gross understatement.

[ ] Arcane Font: Swords. Representative of love.
-[ ] Pyromancy. Behold the flames of passion! Gain control of flames, up to and including IFF.
-[ ] Power of Love. When any of the four loves are threatened, you gain a significant boost to all attributes, while the opposite happens to any obstacles in your path, regardless of their nature.
-[ ] Sword. You may manifest a sword at will. This can be combined with other effects, such as Pyromancy.
-[ ] I Am Light. Temporarily become a being of raw flame and light, shutting down other forms of supernatural power unrelated to fire or light. Generally instantly lethal to vampires, and creatures of darkness tend to flee on sight if they don't simply die.

[ ] Arcane Font: Tears. Representative of depression and resolve.
-[ ] Command. Nonmagical beings will follow your commands, though magical beings can resist. Can be toggled.
-[ ] Power Leech. May drain energy from your surroundings, be it in general or a specific source like a mystical artifact. Enemy mages count.
-[ ] Bad Luck. You may curse others with misfortune. Even extremely unlikely things may occur to stymie the target.
-[ ] Necromancy. You may raise ghosts, even if the individual has been reincarnated and a ghost should not be possible to raise. Communicating with existing spirits is also possible.

[ ] Arcane Font: Storms. Rage and hatred.
-[ ] Payback. Any harm you receive in battle is also dealt to your opponent. Social attacks are responded to similarly.
-[ ] No Hostages. Attacks of yours with collateral damage will hurt your enemy even more, regardless of the type of attack.
-[ ] The Madder I Get. Damage, physical, mental, or spiritual, increases your strength, so long as it lingers. Meaning, you're at your strongest at the brink of defeat.
-[ ] Corrosive Attacks. You may choose to make your attacks far more powerful, while making them corrode literally everything around them, including you.

[ ] Arcane Font: Mirrors. Selfishness and solipsism.
-[ ] Daily Comforts. From repelling dirt, to being able to snap your fingers and obtain a hearty meal and/or a warm bed, it doesn't do much in combat, but it's amazing for keeping you comfortable.
-[ ] I'm Just Better. You are no one's second fiddle. Your skills will always be just a bit better than anyone in your vicinity or who is considered your subordinate.
-[ ] Cast From Sanity. You may choose to sacrifice your sanity to empower your abilities.
-[ ] Photokinesis. You control light, and may generate it at will.

[ ] Arcane Font: Cups. Representative of self-discovery and enlightenment.
-[ ] A Chance. You may temporarily empower others in a similar fashion as yourself. If they work at it, they can regain this powerset.
-[ ] Electrokinesis. You possess control over electricity, and may generate it as you please.
-[ ] Metamagic. Manipulation of the bounds of your and other's magic, improving it by half a step if your are involved.
-[ ] Multiple Builds. You may make a second build with this system. Once per day, you may switch between them, though for obvious reasons you'll need to take this again in that build.

[ ] Arcane Font: Wands. Representative of humility and determination.
-[ ] Hard Work Works. Tasks are made generally easier.
-[ ] A Living Toolbox. You may summon enchanted tools and weapons at will.
-[ ] Go Through Me. You may divert damage from those around you to yourself.
-[ ] Fit As A Fiddle. Your physical attributes are improved one conceptual step.

[ ] Arcane Font: Pentacles. Contemplation and judgement.
-[ ] Destiny. You may designate that something will happen, and how it will happen, granting bonuses to efforts to fulfill this prophecy, and penalties to attempting to prevent it.
-[ ] Foresaw That. Poor outcomes in general are partially safeguarded against.
-[ ] Temporal Flux. You may extend the duration of a spell, or see into the past or future, though the greater the 'distance' the more difficult this becomes.
-[ ] Try Again. You may retry a given event you are participating in, or go back to meddle in a past event. You may only do this once per event(a conversation and a battle that conversation is happening during are considered separate events for this purpose), in order to avoid too many versions of yourself, though different events happening simultaneously are fair game.

[ ] Arcane Font: Poppies. Ecstasy and nihilism.
-[ ] Addictive Magic. You may choose to bolster your magic significantly, but using it becomes addictive. You will suffer withdrawal symptoms after casting, which can only be staved off by a)casting with this in play again, b) fulfilling some other vice, or c) use magic for your own pleasure. Using Animorph to become a cat and sun yourself, for example.
-[ ] Beneath Notice. Entities which would normally be hostile to you will find themselves forgetting about you for more pressing matters, if they notice you at all.
-[ ] Poisonous. You may make any spell you use poisonous, and produce poisons at will. You yourself are immune to poisons, though this can toggled for recreational purposes.
-[ ] Information Broker. You'd be surprised what unlimited drugs will let you find out, and you have a knack for finding information beyond that.

[ ] Arcane Font: Mists. The font of vigilance and paranoia.
-[ ] Dead All Along. Should you die, you may designate a successor, who will immediately gain all your powers
-[ ] Shared Senses. You may form sensory links with others. This is easiest if a connection already exists, such as with a familiar.
-[ ] Paranoiac. You can inflict this on your target, rendering them paranoid enough to literally jump at shadows.
-[ ] Censor. You may cast a spell to block those nearby from noticing you or your actions, or another individual, though it rapidly loses effectiveness with numbers.

[ ] Arcane Font: Petals. The font of obligation and self-sacrifice.
-[ ] Warrant Officers. You may permanently empower others, but they will possess only a shadow of what you have(the equivalent of 1 Lesser Study and 3 Minor Studies, at 25% power) without a great deal of effort on their part. This can be done frequently, to the point your main bottleneck is likely to be conflicting morals.
-[ ] Rot Away. You can decay anything you set your mind to.
-[ ] Martyr. You may choose to sacrifice your life to empower a spell X100.
-[ ] Shikigami. You may form a contract with mystical beings to make them your servants for a variety of tasks.

[ ] Arcane Font: Chords. Representative of comfort and smothering.
-[ ] Ties That Bind. You can sense the connections between individuals.
-[ ] Telepathy. You may read the minds of those around you.
-[ ] Living Emotional Crutch. You are perhaps a bit too good at filling emotional needs.
-[ ] Social Expert. Inserting yourself in all but the most paranoid and exclusive groups is trivial.

[ ] Arcane Font: Stars. Representative of desire and fear.
-[ ] Obsession. You may designate an obsession. You will be capable of anything in pursuit of this. Both in the moral sense and the accomplishment sense. Generally, it is best to make it an achievable goal, rather than something indefinite like 'protect this person' as that can rapidly spiral into plotting world domination to make the world a safer place for them. It also allows you to teleport to intervene should something threaten the designated goal.
-[ ] No Sympathy. You may deliberately set your Heartlessness to maximum. This can be toggled, but the question is whether you'd decide to revert it.
-[ ] Dream Lord. You may manipulate dreams, your own or others, as if constantly lucid dreaming.
-[ ] Star Power. You can draw power from starlight. This works better with the night sky than the Sun's singular light.

[ ] Arcane Font: Scythes. Resentment and vindictiveness.
-[ ] Emotion Eating. You may burn your or others' emotions to fuel spells. You may selectively target specific emotions if you wish.
-[ ] Karma. Support spells used on allies will be stronger or weaker depending on their karmic balance, improved with positive karma and lessened with negative karma, and spells used on enemies will be affected in a similar, if reversed, manner.
-[ ] You Get What You Deserve. You will know when someone has been wronged unjustly, or has gotten away with a wrong, and have a desire to correct this issue.
-[ ] Debt To Society. Targets who harm another, especially in service to dark powers or vile masters, will suffer escalating penalties as they do so, up to and including death should they persist long enough.

[ ] Arcane Font: Melodies. Friendship and teamwork.
-[ ] Go Team. Even newly formed groups will gain significant teamwork benefits, escalating based on their baseline in this field.
-[ ] Duplicate Weapons. You may copy your weapons for your allies, who gain your own skill in the use of them if that would be better.
-[ ] It Was A Gift. As you form bonds, you will obtain baubles representative of those bonds, which proffer bonuses based on the strength of the bond, though you lose the bonus if the item is lost.
-[ ] Fusion Dance. Two individuals may fuse into a single individual with the best abilities of both. If they possessed a high compatibility, this fusion is effectively a new person representative of their bond.

[ ] Arcane Font: Brass. The font of self-expression and honesty.
-[ ] Emotionally Unassailable. You are immune to negative social or emotional conditions. You cannot become depressed, for example.
-[ ] Transparently Solid. Transparent solids(Ie, glass, prisms, sheer fabric) can be treated as if it were the heaviest of armor in terms of protection/durability offered without altering any other properties.
-[ ] Defeat By Modesty. Well, the destruction of all their equipment probably didn't encourage them, but most people aren't willing to fight naked for whatever reason. You are immune to this psychological factor, nor can your equipment/clothing be destroyed.
-[ ] I Am Me. Everyone else is taken. Attacks on your being are weakened one half-step. Attempts to possess you or overwrite your existence in some fashion are weakened a full step.

[ ] Arcane Font: Humanity. The font of dynamism and advancement.
-[ ] Mass Production. You may mass produce lesser versions of any mystical artifacts you find or create.
-[ ] Mundane. If it is better, you are considered non-magical. This allows you to ignore magic nullifiers.
-[ ] Untainted. Corrupting influences, be they mundane or mystical, are degraded one half-step when attempting to find purchase on you.
-[ ] Earned Rewards. Doing good deeds and accomplishing heroic acts will grant you extra rewards, potentially including extra Studies should you accomplish something grand enough.

[ ] Arcane Font: Crosses. Representative of faith and empathy.
-[ ] Virtuous Loop. Doing good for no reward can be difficult. So, you are rewarded for following your virtues.
-[ ] Faithful Article. An object representing something you genuinely believe in can become a bane of your enemies, in a manner similar to vampires and crosses. It doesn't matter what it is or what it represents as long as you believe in it. Ash Ketchum could use his Gym Badges or Pokedex for this. Religious items work, of course.
-[ ] Healing Hands. You can easily bring people from the brink of death to full health. This can also revert superpowered evil sides and the like.
-[ ] False Weakness. You can enchant object's to behave as if they were a weakness. Enchanting ordinary bullets to behave as if they were silver bullets, for example.

[ ] Arcane Font: Constellations. Representative of courage and patience.
-[ ] Not Evil, Just Misunderstood. You have a knack for breaking long-standing grudges, or at least finding the Token Heroic Orc of the opposition.
-[ ] Astral Chart. You always know where you are, the stars tell you, whether you can see them or not.
-[ ] Thinking Up Portals. You can make portals between locations at will.
-[ ] Star's Pull. You may inflict the gravity of stars on things. This includes yourself, allowing crude flight, among other things.

[ ] Arcane Font: Dice. Flexibility and audacity.
-[ ] Double Down. You may choose to increase the severity of an outcome. Regardless of it being positive or negative.
-[ ] Speed Chess. You can usually get something out of even the most dire of losses, so long as you're alive.
-[ ] Risk. You may increase the role chance plays in an action. This tends to have more effect on whoever held the advantage beforehand.
-[ ] Opportunity Knocks. You have a strong intuition for when 'pulling on a string' will lead to something useful, or at least interesting.

[ ] Arcane Font: Laurels. Ambition and inspiration.
-[ ] No Cheating. You may prevent magic from being used in competitions. This applies to you as well, of course.
-[ ] Exemplars. Your example is supernaturally inspiring. You may not find yourself leading an army of soldiers, but rather an army of heroes.
-[ ] Inevitable Victory. Or at least, your victory in any given endeavor is more likely. This doesn't prevent pyrrhic victories, but it does hedge against outright losses.
-[ ] Contender. From the opposite end, this ensures that there's always a chance of victory, even if it ought to be hopeless.

[ ] Drawbacks:
-[ ] The Reverse Casino. Roll a 1d6. Gain that many Minor Arcane Studies. However, you must then select the same number of Arcane Fonts. Either you cannot select any abilities from them, or you must select abilities only from these fonts. May be taken twice.
-[ ] Pizzazz. Your plan or plan name must be an acronym or pun. Gain an additional Lesser Study.
-[ ] Jealous Fonts. You may only use one Study per Font. In return, all Studies are doubled in number.
-[ ] Doom of Tyrrany. With a few exceptions(the Educator, for one), you are pathologically incapable of following orders or genuine negotiation, viewing everyone as either an enemy, a subordinate, or potentially one or the other. All Studies are doubled, stacking additively with the above Drawback. Must take the Mirrors Font.

2850 words, discounting this line.

Birdsie · Oct 15, 2023

ilbgar123 said:
Arcane CYOA

Hm, if I was picking for real, I'd probably select:
Major: Pentacles
Lesser: (Constellations) Thinking Up Portals, Star's Pull, (Crosses) Virtuous Loop, Healing Hands, (Spades) Butterfly Wings, Fragile Speed
Minor: (Wands) Hard Work Works, A Living Toolbox, Fit As A Fiddle, (Cups) Metamagic, (Humanity) Earned Rewards

Full Pentacles offers a fair bit of safety and versatility: for each bad outcome, ways to avoid or evade them, and with precognition and prophecies, you can foresee dangers and opportunities, reducing the former and enhancing the latter. Constellations and Spades provide mobility and further synergy, whereas Crosses grants healing and a degree of progression: all Minor chosen to round this out, grant more general capabilities, and metamagic boons.

firefrog600 · Oct 15, 2023

Honestly gotta say I'm disappointed in myself we have a three and a half modifier for sc and we've barely talked these past few days like sure we have a few effort posts here. But, there've not been much essays, content, or even just general talk. Like we've got a great opportunity here we should have like ten pages of content by now but we've done like two and a half.

Andre Chaos · Oct 15, 2023

firefrog600 said:
snip

Don't be ashamed, my froggy! You cannot control your desire to discuss and inspiration to create. Bad timing for modifier it was. Relax, eat imagenary pancakes and have fun.

Edit: This is not a job or some mission after all. Quest has to be interesting and fun. This is main objective. It cannot be like this, when people trying to do things against thier will and want.

H2F2 · Oct 15, 2023

I think if we need to spark a discussion, we can discuss what specialization we should choose.

It seems to me that specializing in water is a good choice, ideally suited to our characteristics.
Firstly, this specialization solves the problem with Solomon's depression and physical weakness, secondly, it is quite variable and this variability is combined with Solomon's prophetic abilities, allowing us to prepare the necessary potions in advance, and thirdly, potions can be an excellent product that we can exchange with other students.

We can also try to come up with some roles for the Gothic Horror class. Since this class will soon appear in the quest, perhaps some ideas will form the basis for future students.

Mithrill · Oct 15, 2023

Full essay on Magician elements in Gothic Horror not yet made, but got a couple thoughts to share and discuss. They might even be relevant.

To begin with, I shall define what are those "Magician elements" that I will be looking for. They are going to be divided into three categories: physical, symbolic and narrative. Physical elements answer the question What does this Role do, their capabilities on the physical level, powers and utilities. This involves both straightforward "throw fireball" or "be tough", but also more esoteric abilities like summoning, conceptual manipulation, divination and hypercognition. Symbolic elements answer the question What does this Role represent, the association, the meaning outside of the world in which the Role exists. At risk of repeating myself, here I place all things that a Role can symbolize - Dragons get greed, power, might, wisdom, age and destruction; certain Fae might get danger (or opportunity) of wilderness, danger (or opportunity) of aliens, the importance of keeping one's word, the usual stuff. Finally, narrative elements answer the question What is this Role's purpose in story, their place in the plot, interactions with other characters, typical narrative paths. Those are generally tropes that Roles fit into: Protagonist, Mentor, Team's Powerhouse, Hidden Traitor, etc.

In this vein, let's look at the Magician. It's easiest to see the symbolic elements, as can be expected from a Role belonging to Tarot theme. Looking at the most common interpretation of Rider-Waite Tarot, the Magician is a conduit between spiritual and physical, between 'above' and 'below'; thus, he is a symbol of the union between those realities, of converting spiritual energy into physical action and, therefore, of action and potential, and abilities posessed and cultivated. He has a ouroboros belt and an infinity symbol, symbolizing eternity. He is also depicted with the tools of Minor Arcana, symbolizing his control over those suits and therefore concepts and elements connected with them. Through other depictions, where the Magicians bears the image of stage illusionist, he is also the symbol of deception and manipulation. When looking at the Tarot as representation of man's journey to enlightenment, the Magician is the first person that Fool meets. He symbolizes the first step, opening the door towards wisdom - but also can represent the first obstacle and the guardian of hidden knowledge.
From that, we get some physical elements. The Magician has control over elements, some potential for illusion magic and, to a degree, is capable of any form of activity that translates spiritual energy into physical action. If we lean into the 'journey' symbology, he can also possess a capacity for much greater improvement (of self and others) and a capacity to hide or perhaps even excise knowledge from others. The fact that he is depicted with Minor Arcana also tells us that tools are a big component of his magic.
Finally, we come to narrative elements. First of all, the Magician can act as Mentor to the Fool, he guides him to the first step of the road to enlightenment, he shows him how to use his potential, he is responsible for giving the Call to the Protagonist. However, Mentor is primary trope of Hermit, which weakens the association here, but due to symbolic link with deception, Magician can also act as the Trickster, both helpful (thus we get a Trickster Mentor) and hindering. Second important element is once again spirituality and physicality. Magician is one of the Roles that can fulfill tropes associated with the Outside, the knowledge and power from beyond the world, along with Hierophant, Hermit and High Priestess. The distinction is that the Hierophant is worshipping this power, the Priestess contemplates it, the Hermit guides to it and the Magician uses it.

And from the get-go I found a thing in Gothic Horror that fits extremely well: The Gypsy.
Now, hear me out.
Regardless if justified or not, the Gypsies in gothic horror almost always posess supernatural powers, primarely seeing the future and curses. Similarly to the Fair Folk, they can be helpful is respected, but very dangerous if slighted (and it's easy to slight them), and even if they help, they may do so in ways that are not very obvious. Their symbolic role varies, from 'stranger danger' through 'be careful what you wish for' to 'don't judge the book by its cover'.
As you can see, the narrative elements are extremely close between both. The Gypsy is often a Trickster character, occasinally is responsible for the Call and her foresight means she will usually be a guide to the other characters even if she's rarely a full-fledged Mentor. She can also, just like Magician, be deceptive and manipulative beyond mere trickery.
The physical elements also share similarities: both will use supernatural power generally via tools and both possess capabilities to trick, decieve and manipulate. The Gypsy primarily deals in curses (which Magician is very capable of) and divination (which is not his specialization, but belongs in his pureview as connecting spiritual and physical), but sometimes just is magical with undetermined capabilities.
On a symbolic level, it's complicated due to myriad interpretations of the Gypsy, but there are shared elements. Both are connections between the physical world and what lies beyond (stereotype of Gypsy living as a nomad might also be of importance here), both are associated with hidden knowledge and the theme of manipulation present in some Magician readings are often also found in the Gypsy, but in general Gypsy has broader, but more shallow symbology.

Something to be noted is that while stereotypical tool of the Gypsy fortune-teller is a crystal ball, there is also a strong association with Tarot divination. It is often enough that within Enrolled supernatural system, a Role of Gypsy is very likely to possess an Aspect or at least a Technique about using tarot. Further implications to potential interplay of powers between Tarot Class and Gypsy Role are, unfortunately, beyond the scope of the subject.

Rihaku · Oct 15, 2023

ilbgar123 said:
Arcane CYOA
You find yourself in what seems to be a velvetine room, done up in the style of a principal or headmaster's office. Or perhaps the other way around? Questions for later, as there is a... well, you're certain he has a face, but you can't discern anything else about it. "Ah, hello." the man began, seeming distracted. "I'm afraid I'm in no position to teach you properly, not with the state things are in, though I can pass along a few lessons based on the current crisis. Something went wrong with the Tarot world. Even some of the meanings are off, and the Arcana are definitely wrong. On the other hand, their disposition towards magic has markedly improved." he shrugs. "I'll have to investigate, and I've selected you as a test case."

Are we in the real world, the post-Educator real world, or Fortuna? We know very little about the latter. If the former, will other students with comparable capabilities exist? If so Tyrrany to avoid external pressure becomes a lot higher priority.

Rolling.

Rihaku · Oct 15, 2023

Non-tyrant build for now:

Plan (P)DSM
-A build that stacks general modifiers alongside a few extremely powerful combinations. Is not a tyrant and has no desire to be, but can certainly become one if we're intended to enter a truly dangerous world.
-Notable combos: I Am Light / No Cheating / Mundane - In any contest or battle I neutralize all supernatural effects while being able to employ any of them myself; Destiny / Foresaw That / Try Again / Crazy Prepared / Power of Love / I'm Just Better / Leadership / Butterfly Wings / Metamagic / Hard Work Works / Fit As a Fiddle / Obsession / Star Power - Generalist boosts that improve my chances of success or results in almost any serious endeavor, and which all stack; Obsession / Earned Rewards - An extremely powerful scaling combo that would be even better if I could afford Virtuous Loop
-This build has good offense (I Am Light, Photokinesis, Metamagic, etc), defense (I Am Me, Payback, Try Again, Healing Water, etc) and its stacked generalist buffs give it good utility as well. A competent build in almost any situation.
-I've compiled an extensive wishlist of priority picks in case we do face a dangerous world and Tyrrany makes sense to acquire. It also serves as a list of prospective purchases for Earned Rewards.

Major Study (1): Pentacles
-Destiny, Foresaw That, Temporal Flux, Try Again

Lesser Studies (3): Diamonds, Swords, Mirrors
-Crazy Prepared, Healing Water
-Power of Love, I Am Light
-Photokinesis, I'm Just Better

Minor Studies: Hearts (Leadership), Spades (Butterfly Wings), Storms (Payback), Cups (Metamagic), Wands (Hard Work Works, Fit as a Fiddle), Poppies (Beneath Notice), Stars (Obsession, Star Power), Brass (I Am Me), Humanity (Mundane, Earned Rewards), Constellations (Thinking up Portals), Laurels (No Cheating)

Unused Fonts: Clubs, Chords, Tears, Mists, Petals, Melodies, Crosses, Dice, Scythes. I only need eight so I can use one of these in a Tyrant build.

Wishlist:
Inevitable Victory, Electrokinesis, Debt to Society, Emotionally Unassailable, Untainted, Politician, Contender, Karmic Trickster
Go Team, Shikigami, Addictive Magic, A Living Toolbox, Double Down, A Chance, Virtuous Loop, Animorph, Last Breath, Fragile Speed, Power Leech, Command

The God Diversion

The Internet

The Laughing One

One and Many

Avatar of Mandos

Sharp Talons Cleave The Worthy

The Internet

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