The Path Unending (A Cultivation Quest)
- Thread starter Vesvius
- Start date
- Original
-
- Tags
- original xianxia cultivation quest
- Location
- Norway
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] Steal his glasses and run away.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] Steal his glasses and run away.
[-] [TAIL] Confront Teng Lim, but in a nonagressive way. This may have nothing to do with the duel.
-
KZ: Teng Lim, how nice to see you
JF: ".."
TL: Ah, hi..
KZ: I was wondering why you were following us. At first I thought that perhaps the honourable Jin would seek to interfere with our most honourable duel. But I can tell it isn't so!
TL: ...You can?
JF: "... ...?"
KZ: Yes... You have fallen for the flower of the Azure Garden as well.
JF: "..!"
TL: "I.."
KZ: "A man of few words... Jai Fa will appreciate that. I can see that I am beaten. Good luck to both you"
On a more serious note. Can we use this tail situation to give out false info? We have +3 bluff dice and a good write in could give more... regardless of success or not it's a mostly harmless way to get the skill. Sure Teng Lim might get annoyed if he sees through it, but he's the one spying.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] The Widow's Ward
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] Approach Teng Lim. "Hello Teng Lim, is it? I couldn't help but notice you following us. Surely, you must have heard about the duel? I will not demonstrate the charms before the duel, but it will be quite the show, I assure you! See, here this is the Vitrolic Retort. Do you recall Mo Hanying's duel? Her charm was supposed to give her touch an acidic effect. This is better. This has acid too, but do you feel the Force and Pain? Any one is right to fear Jai Fa's fists. Now that worry should be magnified.
-[X] If he seems interested in the charms continue on in that vein. A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads is a charm that transforms the user to a more potent combatant. A Moment's Respite heals the user and the last charm well, you've already rambled on too much.
Alright, now that I've had some sleep and can think more clearly, I'll make a suggestion for the Tail action. My idea? Good cop, bad cop. Throw him off balance, get him to come clean if there's any malfeasance going on. He's the nervous type, so I could see that being particularly effective.
[X] [TAIL] You will approach him directly and formally introduce yourself, then ask him what this is about while trying to throw him off balance. You will be affable and forgiving, while Jai acts suspicious and intimidating.
And just putting my charm vote back in to ensure it still gets counted.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] You will approach him directly and formally introduce yourself, then ask him what this is about while trying to throw him off balance. You will be affable and forgiving, while Jai acts suspicious and intimidating.
And just putting my charm vote back in to ensure it still gets counted.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
DkArthas
CAPITAL IS TO BLAME
- Location
- Earth
- Pronouns
- They
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] Approach Teng Lim. "Hello Teng Lim, is it? I couldn't help but notice you following us. Surely, you must have heard about the duel? I will not demonstrate the charms before the duel, but it will be quite the show, I assure you! See, here this is the Vitrolic Retort. Do you recall Mo Hanying's duel? Her charm was supposed to give her touch an acidic effect. This is better. This has acid too, but do you feel the Force and Pain? Any one is right to fear Jai Fa's fists. Now that worry should be magnified.
-[X] If he seems interested in the charms continue on in that vein. A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads is a charm that transforms the user to a more potent combatant. A Moment's Respite heals the user and the last charm well, you've already rambled on too much.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
[X] [TAIL] Approach Teng Lim. "Hello Teng Lim, is it? I couldn't help but notice you following us. Surely, you must have heard about the duel? I will not demonstrate the charms before the duel, but it will be quite the show, I assure you! See, here this is the Vitrolic Retort. Do you recall Mo Hanying's duel? Her charm was supposed to give her touch an acidic effect. This is better. This has acid too, but do you feel the Force and Pain? Any one is right to fear Jai Fa's fists. Now that worry should be magnified.
-[X] If he seems interested in the charms continue on in that vein. A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads is a charm that transforms the user to a more potent combatant. A Moment's Respite heals the user and the last charm well, you've already rambled on too much.
Kai Merah
Hound Hearted Hedonist
- Location
- Somewhere in the corners of my imagination
[X] [TAIL] You will approach him directly and formally introduce yourself, then ask him what this is about while trying to throw him off balance. You will be affable and forgiving, while Jai acts suspicious and intimidating.
[X] [LOADOUT] The Widow's Ward
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
Three at the most, she still has her own techniques that will require anum, hell, her own techniques are good enough that we should only really need too give her a ranged option, a shield, and an ally. Any more is I but much, we really don't need her so weighed down with charms she can barely fight.d
[X] [TAIL] Confront him and threaten to throw down if he doesn't explain why he's following you, have your dude bro's muscle in on him.
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
Three at the most, she still has her own techniques that will require anum, hell, her own techniques are good enough that we should only really need too give her a ranged option, a shield, and an ally. Any more is I but much, we really don't need her so weighed down with charms she can barely fight.d
[X] [TAIL] Confront him and threaten to throw down if he doesn't explain why he's following you, have your dude bro's muscle in on him.
- Location
- Brazil
APR is very fancy and flashy, but trash tier when it comes to actually getting the job done. That sounds like the opposite of good, elegant charm crafting. All flash, no substance.
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That's true if you only care about raw power, which isn't the only thing that the judges will likely be judging. What makes APR elegant charm crafting is that it pulls double duty. No, it's not the most powerful charm in our arsenal, but it's effectively two charms in one, acting as both Archer and Defender. That's not something that would be easy for most charm crafters to pull off, especially at the level of a Ninth Circle disciple. Widow's Ward on the other hand is only a Defender charm, and while better at being a Defender charm than APR isn't terribly unique.
Ves said it himself:
APR's strong points that it has over our other stuff is that it's flashy and shows that we can make something that's very unique and hard to pull off.
APR is a good choice in so far that it showes nicely our versatility.
It would have been a problem if it were our centerpiece, but luckily, it isn't.
The way I see it:
A. Moment's Respite and Widow's Ward - Useful, straightforward, unassuming, uninspired, practical.
B. Pond, Reflected - Versatile, elegant, albeit anemic.
C. Vitriolic Retort - Has much of the same strengths as type A charms, but the added hidden feature born of pain anam makes it have some additional tantalizing depth.
D. Dance at the Midnight's Crossroads - Our coup de grace. Power, form and function all in one.
It would have been a problem if it were our centerpiece, but luckily, it isn't.
The way I see it:
A. Moment's Respite and Widow's Ward - Useful, straightforward, unassuming, uninspired, practical.
B. Pond, Reflected - Versatile, elegant, albeit anemic.
C. Vitriolic Retort - Has much of the same strengths as type A charms, but the added hidden feature born of pain anam makes it have some additional tantalizing depth.
D. Dance at the Midnight's Crossroads - Our coup de grace. Power, form and function all in one.
- Location
- Brazil
Yeah, it has its points. But does being neat justifies bringing it to a duel when it's so weak?
I don't think it does. If it were Grade 2 I'd consider it because it's versatile, but at Grade 1 is painfully weak.
It has the virtue of being both archer and defender, but when it's so bad at being either, then is that really that much of a strenght?
I don't think it does. If it were Grade 2 I'd consider it because it's versatile, but at Grade 1 is painfully weak.
It has the virtue of being both archer and defender, but when it's so bad at being either, then is that really that much of a strenght?
- Location
- USA
Core is dictated by our sats. The only thing we've found so far that upgraded our stats was taking a step. We're quite a ways from Farmer. This will be a long time.
Speculating on Kong Zhi completing the quest at Cycling 7 is equally illogical.
I know what you were suggesting.
Narratively, we know that being at low core is exhausting. Does this have a mechanical effect? who knows, probably not.
For now, actions are far more valuable than ~6 anam that gets wasted.
We decide the actions we take each week, but not the order we do them in. voting a "dump 6 anam from core into charm" action might happen before the 3x craft actions, might happen after. Also - while each 'turn' takes a week of time, actions do not take a specific number of days or hours to complete, it's whatever makes narrative sense. One week, 3 craft actions might take 5 days, another week, they might take 1, it depends on what else is going on that week. We don't have the necessary granular control to 'game' this.
The hat of clue-catching is probably a good idea. One day our empathy-5 character will pass a sense motive check. maybe.
The reason we want to keep a full-core is because of the possibility of an ambush by people holding empty bags they hope to fill with money or charms.
The point of bringing it is in what it implies, rather than outright combat application.
Incorporating multiple purposes in a charm is not easy.
Doing it in any way skillfully/elegantly, even more so.
Shouxi is impressed by its dual function and nature for a reason.
Though, I must say, I am perhaps being too tough on Widow's Ward. Kong Zhi might not consider it flashy, but it does have a versatility of its own in being able to create obstacles in addition to increasing one's hardiness.
If it were just APR in play, then it wouldn't be worth risking. Fortunately, the box gives us a great deal of flexibility here we otherwise wouldn't have, because it adds 20d10s7 dice to anything Jai Fa will be doing - it greatly mitigates the weakness of the lower dice pool. So we could still win the fight even if APR is used instead of WW.
But something that needs to be remembered is that winning the fight itself isn't a requirement for victory. It weighs in, yes, but it's not the be-all and end-all of what this conflict is. Ultimately, the question here is "who is the better charm crafter?", and it's about showcasing the charms and showing whose abilities as a charm crafter are superior.
I would compare this to a cooking competition. Judges in such competitions don't just go off of taste alone. They care about things like plating and presentation, creativity, and the proficiency the chefs show in the use of their skills. Sometimes they are more impressed when a chef takes a risk and does something unique than they are with something tasty but safe and easy to execute.
With the box and VR, we show off our ability to make charms with raw power and superior craftsmanship. Both are Grade 3 and have a BT above 30, which is a level that is considered impressive for someone on our level. None of our other charms really stand out in those fields.
APR and AMR both show versatility and the ability to make something unique with modest effort and materials. APR has the impressive feat of being two charms in one, and further is impressive because it blends both Water and Light together (something Shouxi indicated was difficult). It also has the benefit of being flashy and showy. It shows off our versatility as a charm crafter in ways that the other charms don't. AMR is similar since it can temporarily heal both mental and physical stress, but it's not terribly flashy or obvious in its use, though the fact that it can relieve two types of damage is impressive for such a low-end charm.
Widow's Ward on the other hand doesn't really stand out. It's got a bigger dice pool than APR, but it's not really impressive in any particular way. It's just a Defender charm, with a secondary Defender effect. It isn't particularly well crafted, even if it isn't poorly crafted. Jin Yazhu could likely make a charm that produces a similar effect. Its only real advantage is the higher dice pool, which makes it more likely to help us win the fight itself, but again winning the fight isn't a requirement, as that could be attributed to the champion rather than the charms.
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Inserted tally
- Location
- Brazil
I think you are severely underestimating how the results of the battle should influence the final ruling.
APR is something of a tragedy, in that it's almost awesome. If it were G2, it'd be just enough to match a technique with the same amount of dice that's G3, or with half again as many dice, as long as it could achieve type advantage. Which, for a dual type charm, shouldn't be hard. That'd be pretty elegant, using versatility to leverage a weak charm into being relevant for months at the sect.
But even with type advantage, 18d10s9 simply doesn't even match the humblest Grade 2 tech at 10 dice.
It can't match the lowest tier of any decent technique or charm, even when operating at peak efficiency, I.e. with type advantage.
So a proper Defender or Archer charm with even less dice, but without a gimmick can beat it even at a type disadvantage.
That's a tad too sad, to say nothing of overburdening Fa with charms, a concern she raises herself.
APR is something of a tragedy, in that it's almost awesome. If it were G2, it'd be just enough to match a technique with the same amount of dice that's G3, or with half again as many dice, as long as it could achieve type advantage. Which, for a dual type charm, shouldn't be hard. That'd be pretty elegant, using versatility to leverage a weak charm into being relevant for months at the sect.
But even with type advantage, 18d10s9 simply doesn't even match the humblest Grade 2 tech at 10 dice.
It can't match the lowest tier of any decent technique or charm, even when operating at peak efficiency, I.e. with type advantage.
So a proper Defender or Archer charm with even less dice, but without a gimmick can beat it even at a type disadvantage.
That's a tad too sad, to say nothing of overburdening Fa with charms, a concern she raises herself.
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- Location
- Brazil
What are you talking about?
I don't see how carving rings out of an enormous chunk of horn is finishing off a prepared foundation.
Kai Merah
Hound Hearted Hedonist
- Location
- Somewhere in the corners of my imagination
... Oops, my mistake, I confused it with the Rainbow Eyes.
I'm personally looking at this like Iron Chef scoring - 20 points from each judge. 10 for taste, 5 for presentation, 5 for creativity. Duel performance is taste. Winning is big points there, but as long as you make a good showing you're not going to do terribly. But presentation and creativity are still half the points available, and APR is good for snagging points in those areas.
Uh, no? Kong Zhi made it from start to finish. The materials just happened to be freely provided. Are you maybe thinking of the Rainbow Eyes?
Just a small piece of bone, actually.
Right, serious discussion time. Jai Fa has 24 anam in her core. The box takes 5 anam to start, leaving her with 19. Her offensive tech (Tyrant's Blade) costs 3 anam to use (unless that's changed because she improved the tech) while her defensive tech (Guardian's Bulwark) takes 2 anam to use.
Offensively, Vitriolic Retort is better than what we last saw of the Tyrant's Blade - it has the same dice pool, but is a grade higher (s7 rather than s8) and puts a debuff on the enemy if the user wins the round. It's just a matter of Archer vs Warrior techs.
Defensively, Widow's Ward has the same grade and 3/4 the dicepool compared to Guardian's Bulwark for the same cost, the difference being it also gives 2 rounds of Hardness 3. This isn't actually that great - based on the fight with the winter crab, Hardness just prevents chip damage rather than consistent damage reduction.
As for A Pond, Reflected - it's a poor dicepool and grade regardless of how it's used, but it's cheap for offensive use.
Planning out the general fight, making full use of the 8 rounds the box will work for means Jai Fa should probably have 3 rounds of attacking (3 anam) and five rounds of defending (2 anam). This is actually one of the main reasons I think we should bring APR - it's flashy to use, impressive to be able to do both Archer/Defender, and lets us do 4 offensive/Archer rounds and 4 defensive rounds.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
Using this loadout, Jai Fa can do 3 rounds of Guardian's Bulwark, 1 round for each of APR's offensive and defensive uses, and 3 rounds of Vitriolic Retort (or Tyrant's blade if type advantage would be better that round) after opening up with the box. APR isn't great, but using it instead of Widow's Ward lets us display more without drastically changing Jai Fa's combat style.
Also, tagging @Vesvius about the neat piece of art.
Offensively, Vitriolic Retort is better than what we last saw of the Tyrant's Blade - it has the same dice pool, but is a grade higher (s7 rather than s8) and puts a debuff on the enemy if the user wins the round. It's just a matter of Archer vs Warrior techs.
Defensively, Widow's Ward has the same grade and 3/4 the dicepool compared to Guardian's Bulwark for the same cost, the difference being it also gives 2 rounds of Hardness 3. This isn't actually that great - based on the fight with the winter crab, Hardness just prevents chip damage rather than consistent damage reduction.
As for A Pond, Reflected - it's a poor dicepool and grade regardless of how it's used, but it's cheap for offensive use.
Planning out the general fight, making full use of the 8 rounds the box will work for means Jai Fa should probably have 3 rounds of attacking (3 anam) and five rounds of defending (2 anam). This is actually one of the main reasons I think we should bring APR - it's flashy to use, impressive to be able to do both Archer/Defender, and lets us do 4 offensive/Archer rounds and 4 defensive rounds.
[X] [LOADOUT] A Moment's Respite
[X] [LOADOUT] A Pond, Reflected
[X] [LOADOUT] The Vitriolic Retort
[X] [LOADOUT] A Dance at the Midnight Crossroads
Using this loadout, Jai Fa can do 3 rounds of Guardian's Bulwark, 1 round for each of APR's offensive and defensive uses, and 3 rounds of Vitriolic Retort (or Tyrant's blade if type advantage would be better that round) after opening up with the box. APR isn't great, but using it instead of Widow's Ward lets us display more without drastically changing Jai Fa's combat style.
Also, tagging @Vesvius about the neat piece of art.
Jai Shouxi practicing with A Pond Reflected
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
It's worth noting that one upside to A Pond, Reflected is that she's seen her brother use it several time in true combat, so she knows it's capabilities far more familiarly than she does with the others.