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The Streetwalker's Guide to the Hierarchy

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Wolfy said:
I can't repeat this enough, but the process matters.
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Honestly speaking? I'd have rather just gotten Murkworking from Marie and tinkered with Lycantropy instead of going the doctor. But the thread seemed more interested in exploring the possible magic systems so I changed tracks and doubled down on that. We skipped the entire vampire arc last world and I didn't want to do that to Birdsie again.

My first instincts was to Refuse (which I did initially voted for) the doctor's offer. But I liked the idea of not being conservative in our efforts. Dorian feels like he'd be a daring, gambling - risktaker of mad genius. So in the end I decided we should take the chance. I believe greatly in playing along character charaterization.


Afterwards Facelessness exploration was a novel concept brought up by the discussion and its potential for fracturing Dorian's identity into tulpas - to let him use multiple masks eventually. This had been the game plan for the final build since the conception of the character. There has been multiple discussions about it and strategizing.

And some of the mask world lore that got quoted up here and there. I felt honor bound to support something novel like this by the players. That's how we've always taken things in interesting turns in the quests, getting off the rails and surprising the Gm.


And then this happened.

I would have tried tactics to improve the margin of safety, we assumed that would come later when we go into the specifics of the operation. The intention behind it was to see how Dorian might react to a controlled dose of Facelessness and if the doctor's theory held import about the grand interaction of magic system and it arising from weaknessess. No one could have accounted for a critical failure of this proportion.

I don't mean to finger point, but it's kinda becoming exhausting to listen to people insinuating that the debacle was entirely as a result of blind bandwagoning.

You brought up Lunarism again as an alternative but your championing for it was half-hearted at best. Only Joe spoke up about the dangers of facelessness. If a significant portion of the playerbase argued against it, couldn't we have changed tracks? I think all of us have enough maturity to able to consider alternative ideas and actually listening and changing our minds.

The outcome is on you all as well as us.
 
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_brightwing said:
I don't mean to finger point, but it's kinda becoming exhausting to listen to people insinuating that the debacle was entirely as a result of blind bandwagoning.
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Because it was?
You brought up Lunarism again as an alternative but your championing for it was half-hearted at best. Only Joe spoke up about the dangers of facelessness. If a significant portion of the playerbase argued against it, couldn't we have changed tracks? I think all of us have enough maturity to able to consider alternative ideas and actually listening and changing our minds.
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"You didn't push against my suicidal Discord faction hard enough!"

Well gee, my bad I guess.
 
It is your bad. You should have beaten sense to us :V

We need to cover for each other's biases like that.

Anyways tldr there was a plan involved. It never got the chance to execute.

Scrap that though, we gotta make new builds and prioritize survival now first yeah.

Now join said Discord suicide group to prevent such a travesty from coming to pass again
 
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Wolfy said:
When it comes to making choices, you have to understand what you success and failure states are and why are you doing things. Consuming the vial is relatively small risk venture as we already know how to inert the virus and Viscerality works better on the user so the idea of slowly infecting parts of our body should work without too much issue, and even if we do end up succumbing to the wolf inside us it doesn't matter much outside of this world; werewolves did manage to have a modern civilization just fine, after all. So your risk is small and your failure state is mild. On the other hand our gains are likely to be modest unless we get lucky; however precisely because of this potential of getting lucky is why we should try this out. On the extreme end the success states include a decent gain to stats and shapshifting, both very useful abilities to us.
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I agree consuming the vial is low-risk... as long as we don't want to get any use out of it. If we want to benefit from it, we need to let it infect at least one of our limbs, which might be enough body that we can't hold it back.
You may be right about succumbing not mattering... but not necessarily. The Street has universally good reception for the Litanies; who's to say it's not the same for 'full moons', with so many worlds with moons to choose from? We might end up becoming a crazed werewolf every time we go on the street, which would be a problem for any potential street-encounters.
I agree the gains would be mid. More specifically, I think they're irrelevant for our overall power level unless succumbing is also a big problem; they're only relevant if we both get in danger we need lycanthropy for, and it's a full moon. In practice, this amounts to maybe 0.016 rerolls(where rerolls are a gloss here for 'each time this activates, which is 0.016 of encounters, birdsie probably makes a seperate roll for us fighting as a werewolf') per combat encounter. This might be wrong if, say, Viscerality can power and cut-power-to lycantrophy, but if so we only need to infect, like, a finger or something, to test that.
 
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Lycanthropy is not meant to immidiately gain us stats; rather we use it to grind Viscerality by having something practical to work on, while also using its effect on our cells to work out better Viscerality buffs. You just have virus inert in some part of the body, you let it infect a bit when training, you beat it back and observe the changes. It is as good of a Viscerality training aid as we can get outside of Musorov being able to directly download Viscerality knowledge into our head. If loss of Viscerality would be concerning keeping the virus in some kind of removable tumor is also a possibility, although I don't see it being that big of a deal. Again, these people had entire modern civilization with werewolves being in charge, it can't be that hard to manage.
 
Lycanthropy with moonlight gives rise to Lunacy. As per the worldbuilding drop. The main mechanics behind it.

I wonder if Lunacy could translate to Passion. And through Passion, greater feats of Viscerality. When the time comes for it.

Detachable lycantropy tumors might be the way. I don't fancy fully compromising Dorian through it. But I would not object particularly either. We've already beaten the virus. Marie will be hale within a week without continued Visceral minsterations. Which, Dorian will.
 
Using it as a training aid I can agree with, yeah. As long as we don't actually intend to let the Lycanthropy infect a meaningful amount of Dorian, I agree he should be able to hold it back, or seal it off and remove that chunk of flesh if he can't.
 
Wolfy said:
but because even now Facelessness voters have no idea what would be their gain. In the same way I hate hurr durr hubris because once again you people are not fucking using your brain to make correct decisions and are instead randomly doing stuff.
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Hey dude please don't project on me, I didn't vote for facelessness.
Wolfy said:
even if we do end up succumbing to the wolf inside us it doesn't matter much outside of this world; werewolves did manage to have a modern civilization just fine, after all.
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This is a good point that I honestly forgot about. I'll also admit about overcorrecting without really thinking about Dorian's current abilities. If experimenting with lycantrophy is actually within our capabilites then I don't see why not.
 
How much we can do with the lycantrophy is up in the air, depending on how well's Dorain's tests go. The extreme success state would be quickly obtaining at will transformation we can control, for example, if we can let transformation work on our entire body without touching our mind. More realistically, we can use it to train Viscerality and use virus' mechanics to try and figure out how to do better stat boosts, shapeshifting, lunar energy absorption and such, both training our Viscerality skill while also obtaining useful biological abilities.
 
The sheer volume of omake should act as a natural multiplier for our collective efforts. There probably won't be a better chance than this.

I strongly encourage you guys to pitch in if you can. We have had only three written omake so far I believe. Wolfy, Questionable and Joe.
 
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Action (Post-Awakening)
  • Threadmarks
    • Apologies for the delays; this past week and a half was laden unexpectedly full of obligations, which seemed to crop up the moment I was done with one. Either way, I am done with my finals, so I can now continue the quest from where we'd left off, and since I'll now have much more time for writing, I'll even be able to increase the writing tempo.

    ---

    After Dorian awakens, he sullenly finds most of his masks missing. Problematically, as Dr. Musorov informs him, a significant amount of time has passed since his brief lapse into Facelessness. You have three (3) days left on Demimonde. Make the most of them.

    Dorian feels restless and drained, as if his creative spark had gone out. He suspects this may have a deleterious effect on his mask-making.

    Choose your actions and decide how much time you wish to spend on them - one a day at most is recommended, and is the basis on which these descriptions are written. For instance, spending two days on training Viscerality will let you reach [1.0] no matter what.

    [ ] Locate Crimson Lost - It's the sole remaining mask you have access to, the final legacy of Drethir. Without it, your hopes of restarting your mask-crafting activities anytime soon are nearly nil; even with it, you'll struggle.

    You know where to look, and Henry's indebted to you. Good (90/100+) odds you'll succeed.

    [ ] Train Viscerality - Viscerality - Novice [0.6]
    *Expected Results: +.2
    *Potential (Critical) Results: +.4
    "Viscerality has two components: a tactile magic by which the body of any being can be altered, and a facility for manipulating the passions that rule the body."

    Next Level: Novice [1.0]
    *Improved regeneration speed; unemotional baseline healing speed is now three times that of a mortal.
    *Reduced basic needs. Requires only three-fourths the food, water, and oxygen to operate at optimum as an organism; raw survival instinct and desperation once deeply starved means death can be postponed moderately.
    *Can make slightly more drastic alterations to self: eye color, relative size of limbs, height. Minor physiological improvements; +.5 to all Physical Attributes.

    [ ] Acquire Local Magic - Dismissed. Your recent near run-in with a fate worse than death's implanted you with some well-earned caution. Acquiring a local magic will require a write-in plan through which Dorian can convince himself the method is 'safe.'
    -[ ] Fulminance - A Fulminancer controls electromagnetic forces. Begins with mundane electricity, eventually develops into magnetism, and then other forces of the spectrum.
    -[ ] Murkworking - A Murkworker controls particulate matter and gasses, including the ability to aerosolize, vaporize, and sublimate other forms of matter.
    -[ ] Ebbandry - An Ebbandrist controls liquids, starting with water, and eventually developing into influence over most fluid matter. Good crossover with Murkworking.
    -[ ] Another... - There are other, uncommon, and undiscovered magical arts on Demimonde.

    [ ] Aid Musorov with Mentalism - While your own desire to mess around with forces beyond mortal ken has essentially been carved out, you don't mind watching or being a laboratory assistant for the Doctor.
    *He'll go through with it today - immediately - no matter your actions chosen. However, this'll earn you some good grace with him, and potentially net you some lesser benefits.
    *It also reduces the risks of anything going wrong as it did with you.

    [ ] Explore the Underground - Dewmoor has a rich sewage system filled with mysteries, an entire 'old undercity' once inhabited by entities Dr. Musorov referred to as 'the Deep Ones.' Perhaps you'll find some ancient occult artifacts?

    If not, you'll at least see more of the world. This manner of exploration could have a positive mental effect on you, and even strengthen your Street Attunement.

    [ ] Write-in
    *You could also socialize with Dr. Musorov or one of his staff - however, Dorian isn't in an especially sociable mood.
    *You could take Dr. Musorov or Henry along on some of your actions.

    Of course, you can always instead choose to either...

    [ ] Leave the World Now
    [ ] Stay Here
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Sorry what happened. I thought he was ego killed regardless of the votes. Why is he still acting rationally with a continuty of consciousness.
     
    Acolyte said:
    Sorry what happened. I thought he was ego killed regardless of the votes. Why is he still acting rationally with a continuty of consciousness.
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    Well he did identity-munch on a whole lot of thematic masks. Some of them were quite powerful like Screentime and Mooneater. They might have given him a surplus of identity stuff to piece himself together in the mini-coma. You'll notice he only thinks the masks are missing and has no memory of the event of himself as a Facelesss wraith.

    I suspect this version of Dorian might be subtly different though..
     
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    [X] Post-Mortem
    -[X] Ask Musorov about what happened
    -[X] Check for mask fragments afterwards in the location where it happened
    -[X] Stock up on Fulminancy based weapons and supplies the base can spare.
    -[X] Locate Crimson Lost
    --[X] hail Henry to the base
    -[X] Attend     Musorov's experiment if possible - as an observer
    --[X] Be sure to draw on Viscerality to fortify your mind against possible Mentalism influence - in case something goes wrong.
    --[X] Map your escape, and evacuate at the first sign if the experiment goes wrong like yours. Make for the Street.


    Actually why not..

    I don't think Dorian is in a state to give meaningful feedback as an assistant, but while he does other stuff he can give his moral support - distantly in case Musorov becomes a wraith too.
     
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    Talace said:
    [X] Stranglethorn
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    o7 true patriots never give up

    [X] I Vant To Suck Your Blahd
    -[X] Locate Crimson Lost
    -[X] Train Viscerality
    -[X] Murkworking

    no more of this maskhopping nonsense, it's silly stuff. we got a cool potential theme that we can stick with, and we'd better make the most of it rather than stacking dangerous experimental magical procedures atop dangerous experimental magical procedures

    as far as the plan for murkworking goes, it comes down to training method, but the capacity to make self-targeted physical alterations and heal ourselves through blood drinking already providees a margin of safety with appropriate prep work
     
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    Lealope said:
    o7 true patriots never give up

    [X] I Vant To Suck Your Blahd
    -[X] Locate Crimson Lost
    -[X] Train Viscerality
    -[X] Murkworking

    no more of this maskhopping nonsense, it's silly stuff. we got a cool potential theme that we can stick with, and we'd better make the most of it rather than stacking dangerous experimental magical procedures atop dangerous experimental magical procedures

    as far as the plan for murkworking goes, it comes down to training method, but the capacity to make self-targeted physical alterations and heal ourselves through blood drinking already providees a margin of safety with appropriate prep work
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    I support acquiring Murkworking, but to make it viable we need to make a write-in to sufficiently gaslight Dorian into committing to it..
    Do you have ideas? I'd love to nudge his mind state with mad science adventure.
     
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    [X] Aid Musorov with Mentalism
    [X] Locate Crimson Lost
    [X] Explore the Undergroun

    Going for exploration since Dorian was stated to be feeling drained and this might be a good way to help him recover, from the description.

    I agree that Ebbandry is our best pick for a magic system, though I'm reluctant to risk it.
    If we do want to get gaslit into doing more science maybe we can talk to Musorov about it before his experiment?
     
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