- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan The Stranger
The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy
- Thread starter Birdsie
- Start date
- Location
- 1
In order to make a Mask, you need ambient Facelessness; or a specialized tool that causes the same effect on the Mask-to-be (such as through an internal reservoir of facelessness that is temporarily projected but kept contained). As you increase Facelessness, you can make better Masks, until there is too much and the Facelessness pushes through the Mask or destroys the Mask.
(Facelessness is not needed to use a mask, just make it.)
Drethir's level of Facelessness is not the optimal amount for Mask Design; you can go higher to some degree. By having a Mask that creates Facelessness and can be used to release it when crafting masks, you can make better masks.
Also, since Facelessness is more or less absent outside Drethir, it lets you make Masks at all, when you would otherwise need to construct a way to make Facelessness to get started again, perhaps using or repurposing your existing Masks.
The part where it explodes if we don't use it is just a design flaw, and serves no practical purpose.
- Location
- [REDACTED]
[X] Plan The Stranger
In due time, I think we need to learn about the nature of these zombies first and the mystery first. Also we don't have a workshop yet, and we're maintaining infospec. Might have been easier with the House vote last chapter maybe.
Feel free to brainstorm masks though! There was talks of a Necromancy mask.. I'm a bit occupied today, otherwise I'd have taken a crack at it. My first thoughts are maybe to use a zombie's face? We'd need to know more about the nature of the outbreak though.. To claim back loaned mask we also don't have a salesman mask yet to facilitate the transfer, but Dorian could pull through with his natural charisma too.
Edit: This is the main advantage of reveal, it lets Dorian focus on a workshop and materials. Generally play the isekai hero. I'd really appreciate it if someone made a write-in focused on workshop acquiring as well. Its worth to deliberate it as well as Don't Share.
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OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Here's a Trialballoon
-[x]Offer to produce a minimum of 3 masks for his group at no additional cost save materials, with the first going to Scott if he desires it, in exchange for blood to fuel the healing power one of your masks has and/or medical attention
-[x]Use your puppeteer's mask switching ability as a simple demonstration of supernatural power that minimizes the amount of information you volunteer
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- Location
- washington
I think they more meant a write in on thinking about and acquiring the tools we need to start making a workshop.
For what it is worth, I would have loved a Rihaku write-in on the starting masks. Your take on interesting mechanics and design like KoM last quest. I was absolutely down to brainstorm ideas and sanity check. Things like this are one of the most fun parts of being in a quest.
@OctarineShrike I'll see if I can implement getting started on a workshop in yours when I get back home. And maybe some other audacious things an undisclosed Dorian would do.
Edit: ideas from discord: Farming facetime.. through zombies
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To summarize, giving the mask and being open provides us with:
- We can openly wear Glass, allowing us to utilize its social ability
- We can pursue healing via Crimson Lost
- We can immediately start crafting more masks. Additionally there is nothing stopping us from having another person around wearing our Tinker mask to double Facelessness generation
- By lending Crimson Lost and some of our new masks our we can start generating face time
- Providing masks generates value for the community, which in turn increases our standing. Quite important thing that I've yet to see addressed on the "wait and see" side is that we are expected to earn our keep, and I would much rather spend our time crafting masks than hauling water and whatnot
- Immediate trust. Withholding our capabilities might lead to trust issues down the line. On the other hand immediately offering healing and increased capabilities to people will make them like us
- As I spoke earlier, it should be easy to use Scott to get squad of people loyal to us. Given our abilities, being surrounded by loyal people wearing our masks would drastically increase our own abilities, increasing our level of safety
- All of this comes back to Daria, and this will do a lot to push her buttons. Existence of magic, new faction within her facility and breaking of status quo should make her uncomfortable and our ability to openly wear Glass should let us figure out her deal from there
K von Carstein
Likes to go for a walk
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He
[X] Don't Share
[X] Affect Foolishness
[X] Plan The Stranger
[X] Affect Foolishness
[X] Plan The Stranger
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@OctarineShrike @Wolfy
You guys brought up a lot of compelling points, I tried to work on a plan that might more proactive but still address the concerns of the non-disclourse side. It's a first draft so feel free to suggest changes. Lot of conditional based actions, I hope Birdsie won't be too mad 😅
[X] Plan the Isekai Hero
-[X] Don't Share
--[X] ..Yet. First find out if Scott has any unique skills or interests as you get to know him.
--[X] (if you sense blood stores) Instead use the Crimson Lost to help dying patients recover. Explaining that it's part of your powers to transfuse blood through the mask to heal. Don't do it if you think you can't pull it off without making people too uneasy. You will of course use any unused blood on yourself.
--[X] You plan on later constructing a basic lifemask first, and to hand it out to these people. An experiment, to see if you can still make masks outside Drethir. Use an used medicine box and bandages to get started. First though, you must secure quarters where you might work undisturbed with the Artificer's Face.
-[X] A flamboyant introduction
--[X] Instead of keeping a low profile, actively demonstrate your powers to the survivors. Don't let them think it's from your masks, not yet. Get to know them, and about this world.
--[X] Offer to slay any problematic faceless to further contribute to the group. Check if your blood sense and control work on them when you take up the bounty work.
---[X] Plan on claiming a faceless's - well face, in a hygenic manner (with materials pilfered from the hospital) for later experiments. Don't take the risk if anyone can see or if you haven't ensured a private working space yet.
--[X] Try not to clash too much with Daria and see if you can sus out her secrets through liberal use of Reflection instead. And also on the other survivors too. Work your magic on critical patients and not the ones she is dealing with to not step on her toes.
Idea is to later make Scott a custom mask that will be useful to him. As a magical display, heal patients to earn gratitude of the survivors. If they have blood stores at all.
Try securing a workshop space. Make plans to get started on mask experimentation—a simple lifemask. Take up zombie hunting as well, and take a face as loot - out of sight, and only if the opportunity presents itself. In the downtime chat with the survivors and shamelessly Reflect people and Daria.
Edit: Some minor additions on The Stranger about befriending Scott with the intention of learning what kind of Mask would be useful for him (if we make him a mask in future - if not think of it as a character assessment) and a line about keeping an eye out for potential workshop locations.
You guys brought up a lot of compelling points, I tried to work on a plan that might more proactive but still address the concerns of the non-disclourse side. It's a first draft so feel free to suggest changes. Lot of conditional based actions, I hope Birdsie won't be too mad 😅
[X] Plan the Isekai Hero
-[X] Don't Share
--[X] ..Yet. First find out if Scott has any unique skills or interests as you get to know him.
--[X] (if you sense blood stores) Instead use the Crimson Lost to help dying patients recover. Explaining that it's part of your powers to transfuse blood through the mask to heal. Don't do it if you think you can't pull it off without making people too uneasy. You will of course use any unused blood on yourself.
--[X] You plan on later constructing a basic lifemask first, and to hand it out to these people. An experiment, to see if you can still make masks outside Drethir. Use an used medicine box and bandages to get started. First though, you must secure quarters where you might work undisturbed with the Artificer's Face.
-[X] A flamboyant introduction
--[X] Instead of keeping a low profile, actively demonstrate your powers to the survivors. Don't let them think it's from your masks, not yet. Get to know them, and about this world.
--[X] Offer to slay any problematic faceless to further contribute to the group. Check if your blood sense and control work on them when you take up the bounty work.
---[X] Plan on claiming a faceless's - well face, in a hygenic manner (with materials pilfered from the hospital) for later experiments. Don't take the risk if anyone can see or if you haven't ensured a private working space yet.
--[X] Try not to clash too much with Daria and see if you can sus out her secrets through liberal use of Reflection instead. And also on the other survivors too. Work your magic on critical patients and not the ones she is dealing with to not step on her toes.
Idea is to later make Scott a custom mask that will be useful to him. As a magical display, heal patients to earn gratitude of the survivors. If they have blood stores at all.
Try securing a workshop space. Make plans to get started on mask experimentation—a simple lifemask. Take up zombie hunting as well, and take a face as loot - out of sight, and only if the opportunity presents itself. In the downtime chat with the survivors and shamelessly Reflect people and Daria.
Edit: Some minor additions on The Stranger about befriending Scott with the intention of learning what kind of Mask would be useful for him (if we make him a mask in future - if not think of it as a character assessment) and a line about keeping an eye out for potential workshop locations.
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Just as a thought exercise, can you guys think of what the mechanic behind a simple lifemask could be? One made from a repurposed first aid box and bandages..
- Location
- washington
Minorly enhanced healing or the ability to minorly enhance healing.
[X] Plan The Stranger
Let's become the creepy guy in the corner who doesn't talk and just looks at women!
Let's become the creepy guy in the corner who doesn't talk and just looks at women!
Masks appear to have four abilities each. So healer mask would perhaps have main healing ability, ability to detect injury, some kind of empathy power and calming aura.
Intriguing, really. One would think that having less abilities would let you make much stronger, if more narrow, masks. Consider Dark Lord mask with 100 points in just umbromancy for example. I guess it could be that each point of Potential costs more, and that more abilities allow you to get more overall points of Potential without having to put too much into any one ability. Although even this explanation doesn't make sense.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
[X] Plan the Isekai Hero
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan the Isekai Hero
Mild healing factor, macguyvering, that kind of thing.
I'm not totally sure if it being a lifemask has any mechanical significance but the fact that it's made out of not just medical equipment but a first aid kit (emergency civilian medical equipment) might point towards survivability based powers?
Mild healing factor, macguyvering, that kind of thing.
One thing to keep in mind is that we are not using Glass properly. As we talked a few votes back, the real way to use Glass is with maximum Fixation, as Glass has a number of ways to mitigate downsides of Fixation while fully benefiting from its power. Given that we are at least amount of Fixation, we are obviously not doing that. The issue becomes that investment in Glass is not as efficient as we are not playing mask itself in the way that maximizes its potential; consider Heart supporting current 40p version of the mask versus that same ability supporting 65p version of the Mask. It is obvious which option gives you more bang for your metaresource.
To that end we should consider if we want to play Glass or not. If we do, we should diligently pursue Fixation to power Glass up to its full potential. If we don't, we should slowly find better abilities that we can fully utilize and then invest our points there. This doesn't mean that we should drop Glass right away, of course, it is still our strongest mask. It does mean, however, that we should be on the lookout on something more conductive to the playstyle we wish to play and then slowly phase Glass out in favor of some other mask or some other ability.
To that end we should consider if we want to play Glass or not. If we do, we should diligently pursue Fixation to power Glass up to its full potential. If we don't, we should slowly find better abilities that we can fully utilize and then invest our points there. This doesn't mean that we should drop Glass right away, of course, it is still our strongest mask. It does mean, however, that we should be on the lookout on something more conductive to the playstyle we wish to play and then slowly phase Glass out in favor of some other mask or some other ability.
- Location
- washington
I don't think most people really have it in them to commit to a playstyle and too many differing opinions to do so.
- Location
- Louisiana
I think this is a very reductionary assessment of Glass. Glass has a number of very relevant usages, and being able to quickly swap away from it is a highly valuable asset even if it isn't as useful as directly absorbing other masks. It's a very powerful and useful social manipulation and anti magic tool, not to mention that its powers will adapt and change as we solidify its identity. Glass is good, don't look to replace it, look to adjust it to fit how we're playing it and the niche it needs to fulfill.
It's not conversation for right now, but it is something to think about for the future.
Thing is, you can have other masks that do social or meta stuff, later likely being less common of course. What makes Glass truly unique among other masks is how basically each and every of its abilities plays around certain downside of Fixation. If we are not making use of that unique mix you are left with just a couple of abilities, and other masks can have similar abilities too.
And it is not like power of Fixation is minor or insignificant. Quite the opposite, in fact. So you are losing on a great deal of power if you want to invest into Glass without using it to the fullest potential.
Hmm.. How about
The Samaritan - A translucent visor fashioned from the clear material of the medicine box, that is not quite glass. The original white cross emblem of the first aid box preserved and set in the center of the forehead. The bandages artistically woven around to resemble the winged serpent motiff of this world.
Grants the wearer an intuitive understanding of medical knowledge, with a heightened sense to detect injuries and severity. It manifests as flashes of insight, guiding them to take the most effective actions to preserve a life in a crisis - even with completely mundane items.
Furthermore, exudes an aura of regeneration that enhances natural healing processes, preventing vitals from dropping to critical levels. Pain is numbed, as well as the fear of death. The wearer experiences a degree of pain of all under the aura.
Other than the zombie resource, the advanced medical knowledge of the world (of what survives) is something that could be drawn on. It's still on a elevated tech level than the homeworld.
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