Time to do my own two Red Stones worth of analysis on our options.
Dropping piecemeal since theres a lot of write and I don't want to scare people off too quickly.
I'll assess arts on the following basis:
-Elements:
-Meridians:
-Keywords:
-Combat utility:
-Playstyle utility:
-Domain slot message:
-
Cultivation efficiency: Spreadsheet wizards got this, and I don't have THAT much free time.
Covetous Wraith's Yearning
Potency: Green 1
Potency Growth: Green 2(3), Green 3(5)
Max Level: 5
Needed Meridians: Head x2, spine(1), Head(3), Spine(5)
Keywords: Dark, Desire, Empathy, Connection, Perceptiveness, Presence, Yin
Experience: 100, 150, 200, 300, 400
Most spirits of darkness are quiescant things, wisps born in the night and dead by morning, comfortable in their irrelevance and nonexistence. Those that cling to existence under the rays of the morning sun are hungry things, stained by desires drawn from human and beast alike. The desire to be, and live, and take. In many ways spirits of darkness are a reflection of the fundamental drives of life, and as such there is much understanding to be gained from their perspective.
Passives:
+10 to Social Perception
+5 to Combat Perception
+5 to Initiative
+5 to Spiritual Armor
Seeking the Hearthfire: D
Duration: Long
Using this art, the user channels dark qi through their mundanes senses, enhancing their ability to understand the desires and bonds between those in their sight, and the ways in which they might insinuate themselves into those things. This sharpening of senses also allows the user to react more quickly to the hostility of foes, increasing their initiative and avoid.
Welcoming in Shadow: D
Duration: Short
The darkness spirit might seem a pitable thing, ut it does not due to forget the danger and hunger they represent. Desire is a deadly thing, and has unmade many. Shrouding themselves in the raiment of the dark, the user tugs at the strings of an enemies desires, focusing their attention upon them. An enemy so affected will approach the user at their full speed, and may target no one else while under their this thrall. The approach effect can be resisted with a resolve of C or greater. While this technique is active, the users armor of both types increases significantly, as they take on a wraiths phantasmal traits.
Covetous Wraith's Yearning
-Elements: Pure Yin Darkness.
-Meridians: Primary Head, Secondary Spine.
-Keywords: Desire, Empathy, Connection, Perceptiveness, Presence, Yin.
This combination says clearly that CWY is about understanding people(Head x3) through their desires, the lizard brain, and then changing yourself(Spine 2) to become their object of desire.
The Succubus, the Yukionna, the Huldra and the Sidhe all draw upon related concepts.
As far as meridian efficiency and elemental compatibility goes, this is pretty good, though it does threaten to make Ling Qi more than 50% Darkness with 5 Darkness meridians...if you were concerned about such things anyways. I'm not, though I'd like a lot more Moon.
-Combat utility: Lure art. Defense Art.
Good compatibility with a minefield build and a tank build, in other words, this would be perfect...if Zhengui was using it. It pulls enemies towards the user and makes them harder to hit, harder to hurt and disengaging is a pain.
On Ling Qi, this mainly serves with Thousand Ring Fortress and Sable Crescent Step as a means of tanking the shit out of enemies she aggros, allowing her less durable minions like Abyssal Exhalation Worms to basically get free hits, and to drag enemy adds into her mists.
Basically this goes into the "build a fortress and force them to siege you while you chip at them" playstyle. It'd probably fit better if we took the TRF insight rather than the SCS insight.
-Playstyle utility: Social Perception art
A PRETTY powerful social perception art, since it reveals peoples' base desires and how to exploit them. However, keep in mind that it
sees only desires and bonds, relying on this art exclusively for social(yes its silly but its also something Ling Qi would totes do if she thought it'd work) can be a hazardous pitfall.
It will reach out to people through their desire for the aesthetic pleasures of good art, and good music, to get the participants of a party to come again so that they may hear that haunting song.
It will appeal through greed for wealth and power, to know who seeks for status and what they most crave.
It will pull at the base desires, of wine, of food, of lust.
It will not, however, call to greater ideals, duty, justice and loyalty. You'd need to work that out yourself. So be careful of that nuance.
-Domain slot message: "Know what they desire, know what they are", "To be loved, become what they love", "Home is where your heart yearns for", "To live is to want"
A cynical art in a sense. You know the saying "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach"? This is that taken to the extent of a Dao.
Nothing bad about it, but it simplifies people in a way that's JUST true enough to work almost all the time.
Almost
