In the sense that existing relationships are being maintained in the background yeah.
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
Cant speak with confidence, but to the best of my understanding a similar system is already in place.
It was more of a look at Social Links as a whole, and the parts that need to go into it. I probably should have quoted someone else, or nobody at all. Or posted in a different thread entirely, maybe with a complete revamp...
The new system is far superior to the old one, and yrs' post mostly handled the issue I had with the current system regarding SL maintenance, as it seems to be doing fine on the other two fronts so far.
So, in the future when we get votes like this one, it's for a narratively significant divergence, like picking which new Social Link/s to activate or advance, as opposed to who we interact with on-screen?
Even a paragraph or two of character fluff without having a critical vote beforehand - or afterward - regarding the character in question would be sweet.
Yeah, I figured that one out. Eventually.
He just needs sleepwalking and sleeptalking arts on top of his sleep cultivation arts.
Oof, thats DEFINITELY not something Liling is spinning in her favor any time soon. Adopting a branch member to become heir more or less says this heir is unready(and calls some doubt into the earlier choice to appoint a child as the heir).
I wonder what lesson she takes away from this.
That is a very big stretch for someone who we've had all of two conversations with.
Because Meizhen looked even more immersed in her elements to anyone who doesn't know her well. Xiulan is so deep in fire she literally set herself on fire to be more fire. Gan is so Mountain he can't be anything but big and bombastic.
All these are what someone who've met them twice, both times in combat, would have taken away from them.
And Renxiang is in so deep people still keep wondering whether she's a P-zombie.
Speaking of Abs Meme, I have a morbid curiosity if anyone took the Way of Armstrong, with spiritual attacks involving tactical display of musculature...
BungieONI
Seven gremlins in a trench coat
- Location
- Lickwidget
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Well out of anyone we've met, Zhou the Indomitable is probably a possibility. Out of everyone we've met though Gan can probably get there what with his I Literally Become Giant Swole.
- Location
- The Maple Syrup Mountains
You make a fair point, and I do expect that Shen Hu has a more deep character than we've gleaned in our limited interaction, but until we learn more about him that changes or works around my reasons against shipping him with Ling Qi, I will still consider him not a good pairing with Ling Qi with only and exactly as much confidence as I have in my estimation of his character.
Maybe his passive, detached demeanor hides the soul of a true romantic. But maybe his depths lie elsewhere and he has no interest at all in love or romance. Until we have more information, it currently looks closer to the latter than the former, to me.
The Letter
- Location
- United States of America
The Letter Carried News and Hope
Yu Baozhai leaned forward and peered at her reflection in the mirror. Carefully looking at her face Yu Baozhai ensured that the tear stains and bags which always appeared after a rough night with clients were cleverly concealed with the skillful application of her makeup. Sighing, she stood up and smoothed out her dress. Hopefully, this evening wouldn't be as rough as last. Grabbing the small clay cup near her, Yu Baozhai drained the last dregs of the bitter herbal tea. It wouldn't do to become like poor Ling Qingge.
The clatter and chatter of her mother could be heard in the kitchen, and periodically the sound of her father splitting wood would resound from the garden. It was time to get moving, after all, there were chores to be done and a family to support. Making her way downstairs, Yu Baozhi greeted her mother politely and begun the preparations for lunch. It was simple rice with dumplings, her younger sister's favorite.
Glancing up, her mother quietly asked, "Dear, would you please grab your sister? Lunch will be ready soon and she still hasn't gotten up."
"Yes Mother, I'll make sure she wakes up and is decent for lunch."
Yu Baozhai always found waking up her sister to be difficult, and it was tedious getting her dressed and cleaned. However, no matter how difficult and tedious it was, allowances should be made to the sick. Especially if they are family. Walking quickly to the bedroom, Yu Baozhai opened up the curtains and let light pour down on the girl ensconced in blankets.
Gently prodding her, Yu Baozhai murmured, "It's time to get up Yu Chen. The day is in full swing and the birds are singing."
Slowly Yu Chen was roused, and then the coughing began. Yu Baozhai got some water for her sister and began helping her get dressed and washed. By the time they were done, lunch was ready and father had come in. Sitting at the table with family was a simple joy for Yu Baozhai, and she treasured it, despite what little time it actually was. After all, there were errands to run that couldn't wait, and today was the time of the month to get Yu Chen's medicine. Once lunch was done, Yu Baozhai excused herself and headed out into the streets to complete the errands.
The market was lively this time of day. Filled with merchants hawking their wares and the press of people making bartering and arguing. Yu Baozhai strode purposefully through the crowd pressing against the mass of people in between her and the physician's building. Finally breaking through the crowd, she slid open the door and crossed the threshold of the building. It was well lit from small paper lanterns around the edges of the room, and sitting behind the counter was Weng Chen, the physician's assistant.
Upon her entering the shop, Weng Chen stood up and greeted her, "Greetings Yu Baozhai, what can I assist you with today?"
"I'm here for the usual Weng Chen, what the doctor prescribed for my sister's ailment."
Smiling a little sadly, Weng Chen nodded and moved to the back of the store to procure the regular medicine and herbs. Moving towards the waiting area, Yu Baozhai sat down and waited patiently for Weng Chen to return. The physician didn't seem to know exactly what caused Yu Baozhai's sister to cough and gasp for air at even the lightest excursion, but there were some medicines that helped alleviate the suffering. Expensive though, very expensive. In the darkest corners of her mind, Yu Baozhai sometimes wondered if it was worth it, that life would be better for everyone if her sister just suffered through this illness without the medicine so that the family could be prosperous again.
But those thoughts only came during the bad nights, the nights where the only comfort and solace she had was that she was not alone in this suffering and that the suffering had a purpose. At least her younger sister would be able to live a fairly normal life, and if she was lucky could be married to a wealthy merchant who would be able to take care of her. One could dream. And if one was dreaming, then maybe she could find a man who would not scorn her for the profession she had taken to provide for her family, a man who would carry her out of this wretched city and provide for her family along the way?
With a snort, Yu Baozhai let the idle dreams drift away. Reality was harsh and had no time for the idle dreams of young women. Soon enough Weng Chen came back with a small bag of herbs, and Yu Baozhai was on her way, back through the crowded marketplace. The press of humanity was lessening as the shoppers took their purchases back to their residences to prepare for the evening meal, but it was still a chore to push through.
Eventually, she found herself in front of a small house, looking like it had been abandoned for months. It had used to belong to Ling Qingge, but one morning she had suddenly disappeared with hardly any warning. Something vague about going to live with family, or something. What had happened to Ling Qingge, that she had left in such short notice? It was a shame that young Biyu prevented her from getting any income from her profession, but things had started looking up for her when she had started receiving a stipend from a mysterious benefactor. Maybe Ling Qingge had been able to attract a wealthy gentleman to take care of her? Probably not, the departure likely had to do with those curs that Ling Qingge kept complaining about. The problems that came when there was money but no family to protect it. Ahh well, the day was not getting younger, and there were still things to do at home before work in the evening.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stepping over the threshold of her home, Yu Baozhai noticed something was off. An unfamiliar voice was present in a quiet murmur of polite conversation from the dining room. A guest had come calling, which was unusual. Taking off her shoes, and smoothing her dress, Yu Baozhai readied herself for the niceties and the excuses needed to deflect attention from what her job actually was.
Stepping forward into the light, she bowed and introduced herself to the guest, "Greetings, I am Yu Baozhai. I hope that my family has been hospitable towards you."
The stranger paused, lowered his drink, and stood. Only then did Yu Baozhai notice the robes that signified him as being a member of the Ministry of Communication. He politely bowed in turn and handed her a letter.
"Your family has been very hospitable towards me, Yu Baozhai. However, it is not mere happenstance that I grace your family's home. I was instructed to come and personally deliver a letter to you from the Southern Emerald Sea's Ling Clan. Read it at your leisure, I believe that should you wish to respond there will be instructions in the letter to do so. Thank you all for your time, but duty calls and I must be on my way."
With that, the man bowed again to her and her family. Then he simply walked out of the house with hardly a glance back. Looking at her family, Yu Baozhai made a decision. She bolted upstairs and closed the door to her bedroom. The only Ling she knew was Ling Qingge, but she had been gone for months now. Why was Ling Qingge writing now?
The letter weighed heavily in Yu Baozhai's hand as she sat on her bed, alone in her room for the time being. The paper was the finest she had ever seen or felt and it was sealed with crimson wax. It was hard to believe that this letter came from Ling Qingge, it was far beyond what she could afford before. With great care, Yu Baozhai broke the seal and then began reading the message contained within. Halfway through the words and tears were already brimming in her eyes. A great weight lifted from Yu Baozhai, a weight that she had forgotten had existed. Emotions rose and fell like tidal waves until all that was left was a numb relief and a spark of hope. There was no question in her mind. She was going to go and serve in a cultivator's household. She was going to serve an immortal, those of stories and legends who guarded the Wall and held back the endless hordes of Cloud Barbarians from coming and devastating the land. She would have to thank all of the spirits for their generosity and kindness towards her, and while Yu Baozhai would miss her family at least this way they would be able to live in comfort for the rest of their days and her sister wouldn't have to worry about affording the medicine she needed.
A/N: This omake has been difficult for me to write in parts. The middle sections involving waking up Yu Baozhai's sister and receiving the letter especially. Oh well, it is over and done with now. Critiques and criticisms are welcomed and I hope you enjoy the read. @yrsillar another omake for the throne.
Yu Baozhai leaned forward and peered at her reflection in the mirror. Carefully looking at her face Yu Baozhai ensured that the tear stains and bags which always appeared after a rough night with clients were cleverly concealed with the skillful application of her makeup. Sighing, she stood up and smoothed out her dress. Hopefully, this evening wouldn't be as rough as last. Grabbing the small clay cup near her, Yu Baozhai drained the last dregs of the bitter herbal tea. It wouldn't do to become like poor Ling Qingge.
The clatter and chatter of her mother could be heard in the kitchen, and periodically the sound of her father splitting wood would resound from the garden. It was time to get moving, after all, there were chores to be done and a family to support. Making her way downstairs, Yu Baozhi greeted her mother politely and begun the preparations for lunch. It was simple rice with dumplings, her younger sister's favorite.
Glancing up, her mother quietly asked, "Dear, would you please grab your sister? Lunch will be ready soon and she still hasn't gotten up."
"Yes Mother, I'll make sure she wakes up and is decent for lunch."
Yu Baozhai always found waking up her sister to be difficult, and it was tedious getting her dressed and cleaned. However, no matter how difficult and tedious it was, allowances should be made to the sick. Especially if they are family. Walking quickly to the bedroom, Yu Baozhai opened up the curtains and let light pour down on the girl ensconced in blankets.
Gently prodding her, Yu Baozhai murmured, "It's time to get up Yu Chen. The day is in full swing and the birds are singing."
Slowly Yu Chen was roused, and then the coughing began. Yu Baozhai got some water for her sister and began helping her get dressed and washed. By the time they were done, lunch was ready and father had come in. Sitting at the table with family was a simple joy for Yu Baozhai, and she treasured it, despite what little time it actually was. After all, there were errands to run that couldn't wait, and today was the time of the month to get Yu Chen's medicine. Once lunch was done, Yu Baozhai excused herself and headed out into the streets to complete the errands.
The market was lively this time of day. Filled with merchants hawking their wares and the press of people making bartering and arguing. Yu Baozhai strode purposefully through the crowd pressing against the mass of people in between her and the physician's building. Finally breaking through the crowd, she slid open the door and crossed the threshold of the building. It was well lit from small paper lanterns around the edges of the room, and sitting behind the counter was Weng Chen, the physician's assistant.
Upon her entering the shop, Weng Chen stood up and greeted her, "Greetings Yu Baozhai, what can I assist you with today?"
"I'm here for the usual Weng Chen, what the doctor prescribed for my sister's ailment."
Smiling a little sadly, Weng Chen nodded and moved to the back of the store to procure the regular medicine and herbs. Moving towards the waiting area, Yu Baozhai sat down and waited patiently for Weng Chen to return. The physician didn't seem to know exactly what caused Yu Baozhai's sister to cough and gasp for air at even the lightest excursion, but there were some medicines that helped alleviate the suffering. Expensive though, very expensive. In the darkest corners of her mind, Yu Baozhai sometimes wondered if it was worth it, that life would be better for everyone if her sister just suffered through this illness without the medicine so that the family could be prosperous again.
But those thoughts only came during the bad nights, the nights where the only comfort and solace she had was that she was not alone in this suffering and that the suffering had a purpose. At least her younger sister would be able to live a fairly normal life, and if she was lucky could be married to a wealthy merchant who would be able to take care of her. One could dream. And if one was dreaming, then maybe she could find a man who would not scorn her for the profession she had taken to provide for her family, a man who would carry her out of this wretched city and provide for her family along the way?
With a snort, Yu Baozhai let the idle dreams drift away. Reality was harsh and had no time for the idle dreams of young women. Soon enough Weng Chen came back with a small bag of herbs, and Yu Baozhai was on her way, back through the crowded marketplace. The press of humanity was lessening as the shoppers took their purchases back to their residences to prepare for the evening meal, but it was still a chore to push through.
Eventually, she found herself in front of a small house, looking like it had been abandoned for months. It had used to belong to Ling Qingge, but one morning she had suddenly disappeared with hardly any warning. Something vague about going to live with family, or something. What had happened to Ling Qingge, that she had left in such short notice? It was a shame that young Biyu prevented her from getting any income from her profession, but things had started looking up for her when she had started receiving a stipend from a mysterious benefactor. Maybe Ling Qingge had been able to attract a wealthy gentleman to take care of her? Probably not, the departure likely had to do with those curs that Ling Qingge kept complaining about. The problems that came when there was money but no family to protect it. Ahh well, the day was not getting younger, and there were still things to do at home before work in the evening.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stepping over the threshold of her home, Yu Baozhai noticed something was off. An unfamiliar voice was present in a quiet murmur of polite conversation from the dining room. A guest had come calling, which was unusual. Taking off her shoes, and smoothing her dress, Yu Baozhai readied herself for the niceties and the excuses needed to deflect attention from what her job actually was.
Stepping forward into the light, she bowed and introduced herself to the guest, "Greetings, I am Yu Baozhai. I hope that my family has been hospitable towards you."
The stranger paused, lowered his drink, and stood. Only then did Yu Baozhai notice the robes that signified him as being a member of the Ministry of Communication. He politely bowed in turn and handed her a letter.
"Your family has been very hospitable towards me, Yu Baozhai. However, it is not mere happenstance that I grace your family's home. I was instructed to come and personally deliver a letter to you from the Southern Emerald Sea's Ling Clan. Read it at your leisure, I believe that should you wish to respond there will be instructions in the letter to do so. Thank you all for your time, but duty calls and I must be on my way."
With that, the man bowed again to her and her family. Then he simply walked out of the house with hardly a glance back. Looking at her family, Yu Baozhai made a decision. She bolted upstairs and closed the door to her bedroom. The only Ling she knew was Ling Qingge, but she had been gone for months now. Why was Ling Qingge writing now?
The letter weighed heavily in Yu Baozhai's hand as she sat on her bed, alone in her room for the time being. The paper was the finest she had ever seen or felt and it was sealed with crimson wax. It was hard to believe that this letter came from Ling Qingge, it was far beyond what she could afford before. With great care, Yu Baozhai broke the seal and then began reading the message contained within. Halfway through the words and tears were already brimming in her eyes. A great weight lifted from Yu Baozhai, a weight that she had forgotten had existed. Emotions rose and fell like tidal waves until all that was left was a numb relief and a spark of hope. There was no question in her mind. She was going to go and serve in a cultivator's household. She was going to serve an immortal, those of stories and legends who guarded the Wall and held back the endless hordes of Cloud Barbarians from coming and devastating the land. She would have to thank all of the spirits for their generosity and kindness towards her, and while Yu Baozhai would miss her family at least this way they would be able to live in comfort for the rest of their days and her sister wouldn't have to worry about affording the medicine she needed.
A/N: This omake has been difficult for me to write in parts. The middle sections involving waking up Yu Baozhai's sister and receiving the letter especially. Oh well, it is over and done with now. Critiques and criticisms are welcomed and I hope you enjoy the read. @yrsillar another omake for the throne.
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- Location
- Space
You joke, but we probably could get him a moon spirit to carry messages back and forth while he's cultivating if we were willing to put in the effort.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
If there isn't a moon art for seeing and interacting with a person's dreams I will eat something unplessant.
Nice and powerfull characterisation. The sense of a down on their luck person struggling without much hope for a better tomorrow. So down on their luck that in thir darkest moments not even family is save from envy. When hope starts dawning in an existancelike that....it is like the first rain after a draught.
Yes, the Ling family will suffer some unfortunate whispers and slight problems/reduced prestige for employing "former" whores, but what is infinitely more usefull: these people will be two things: incredibly thankfull to leave that kind of life behind for joining a cultivators house and thus even more loyal towards those that made it possible. And truly loyal servants are soooo valuable in settings like this!
Truly a very nice and well done Omake!
- Location
- The Temple of the Winds
I agree, the more cutthroat the environment the more valuable loyalty (towards you) is.
Yes, the girls will probably never amount to much from a cultivation point of view (imo we'd be lucky if they ever hit Yellow), but that's much better than Green, or even Cyan, maids you can't trust not to turn on you or your family for a few extra Spirit Stones...
On an slightly different matter, considering how cultivation is a big equalizer between sexes, do you think there are male whores ?
And would we be getting some from mom's old friends ?
There should be, but not usually in the same whorehouse. Rather different spread of clients
- Location
- Austria
I know it isn´t the theme of this kind of stories, but I am a fan of characters that at times want to make the world a better place.
I don´t mean batman who swoops down and beats down some villains.
I mean someone who both in small and big ways change the very foundation of their surroundings. Maybe it is saving a friend of the family from a hopeless future. Maybe it is walking through the village blessing the fields. Teaching the peasant child something that will make their lives better or creating a school of arts and learning, where even those of the lowest social standing can try to climb up.
I kinda hope we can do that even a little bit, as a noble and the ear of a ducal heir, but maybe I am just projecting?
[X] Gu Xiulan, chatting with an uncomfortable looking Shen Hu
I don´t mean batman who swoops down and beats down some villains.
I mean someone who both in small and big ways change the very foundation of their surroundings. Maybe it is saving a friend of the family from a hopeless future. Maybe it is walking through the village blessing the fields. Teaching the peasant child something that will make their lives better or creating a school of arts and learning, where even those of the lowest social standing can try to climb up.
I kinda hope we can do that even a little bit, as a noble and the ear of a ducal heir, but maybe I am just projecting?
[X] Gu Xiulan, chatting with an uncomfortable looking Shen Hu
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- Location
- Europe
I don't see why not. Being a sex worker isn't a unisex profession.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
They are too old and not close enough for us to bother giving them any spirit stones. Maybe if they have kids. We aren't going to give them months worth of red stones just so they can hit red.
If we give them spirit stones at there level of talent they are likely to exchange them for siliver and it would be smart for them to do so.
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DeAnno
Sometimes words have two meanings
So having gone over some thoughts about stats with some people on Discord, I have a mechanical whine I'd like to bring to the attention of @yrsillar
So with the new stats system in ToD, stats are much more important than they were before, and with this being the case their dependencies are a big deal now. In a system with this many stats, it's hard to make it so the stats are evenly balanced and some will tend to rise higher in usefulness, and that's fine. However, it's nice if the other stats have some advantages too, and failing that it's good if the way those stats are applied at least makes sense.
I think the situation right now with Manipulation and Presence is both underpowered and nonsensical, unfortunately. Attacks right now are made in four stat combinations that I know of (in terms of hit/pen):
Str/Str: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int: Some Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Pre: Other Spiritual Attacks (social flavor)
Most of these combinations are pretty sensical, but I would call out needing both Manipulation and Presence for the same attack as unflavorful. It's common in fiction to see extremely manipulative characters with low presence, and vice versa, but the system is outright discouraging this because either extreme setup is going to have sort of messed up spiritual attacks.
In addition to this, Man/Pre are just weaker stats than Dex/Str or Wits/Int as pairs. Dex contributes to Initiative and Speed, Str contributes to Speed, Wits contributes to Initiative and Perception (even social perception!) and Int is a very important stat in this setting due to Formations. Man/Pre on the other hand are mainly useful as social stats, and that highlights how bad it is that those are paired: usually you don't need both manipulation and presence to be high to be good at social, and requiring most characters to do both is just going to make everyone samey.
My suggestion to fix this is to take the same route taken to fix Strength for heavy bruisers. Social-flavored spiritual attacks should be Presence/Presence or Manipulation/Manipulation. Maybe any of them lets you choose, maybe they're all split into Manip attacks and Presence attacks, and maybe some are choice and some are locked. But making the same stat handle hit and pen on social flavored spiritual attacks is both going to help make those stats less weak in comparison, AND help the characters using those stats primarily end up being more flavorful and accurately depicted. After this change the types of attacks would be:
Str/Str: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int: Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Man: Spiritual Attacks (manipulative social flavor)
Pre/Pre: Spiritual Attacks (presence social flavor)
With maybe some social attacks being able to use either combo, in the same way that spiritual defense is the better of wits/man and resolve/composure.
So with the new stats system in ToD, stats are much more important than they were before, and with this being the case their dependencies are a big deal now. In a system with this many stats, it's hard to make it so the stats are evenly balanced and some will tend to rise higher in usefulness, and that's fine. However, it's nice if the other stats have some advantages too, and failing that it's good if the way those stats are applied at least makes sense.
I think the situation right now with Manipulation and Presence is both underpowered and nonsensical, unfortunately. Attacks right now are made in four stat combinations that I know of (in terms of hit/pen):
Str/Str: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int: Some Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Pre: Other Spiritual Attacks (social flavor)
Most of these combinations are pretty sensical, but I would call out needing both Manipulation and Presence for the same attack as unflavorful. It's common in fiction to see extremely manipulative characters with low presence, and vice versa, but the system is outright discouraging this because either extreme setup is going to have sort of messed up spiritual attacks.
In addition to this, Man/Pre are just weaker stats than Dex/Str or Wits/Int as pairs. Dex contributes to Initiative and Speed, Str contributes to Speed, Wits contributes to Initiative and Perception (even social perception!) and Int is a very important stat in this setting due to Formations. Man/Pre on the other hand are mainly useful as social stats, and that highlights how bad it is that those are paired: usually you don't need both manipulation and presence to be high to be good at social, and requiring most characters to do both is just going to make everyone samey.
My suggestion to fix this is to take the same route taken to fix Strength for heavy bruisers. Social-flavored spiritual attacks should be Presence/Presence or Manipulation/Manipulation. Maybe any of them lets you choose, maybe they're all split into Manip attacks and Presence attacks, and maybe some are choice and some are locked. But making the same stat handle hit and pen on social flavored spiritual attacks is both going to help make those stats less weak in comparison, AND help the characters using those stats primarily end up being more flavorful and accurately depicted. After this change the types of attacks would be:
Str/Str: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int: Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Man: Spiritual Attacks (manipulative social flavor)
Pre/Pre: Spiritual Attacks (presence social flavor)
With maybe some social attacks being able to use either combo, in the same way that spiritual defense is the better of wits/man and resolve/composure.
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Ok, since people are now complaining about stats in thread, I'm going to say what I said yesterday:
Get rid of them entirely. They serve no purpose but to complicate the calculation of derived stats - which are what we actually care about.
Just run everything off skills. Make Speed/Initiative/Resist/Dispel their own skills. Make Composure the "social defense/stealth" skill. It simplifies the system dramatically and stops people from going on and on about stat balance.
(and no, they aren't needed to differentiate, say, your burly strength builds from your lithe dex builds. That's done through Art choice and specialised skills already)
- Location
- The Temple of the Winds
It'd rather see it changed to:
Str/Str-> Str/End: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int -> Int/Pre: Some Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Pre ->Int/Man (or Wis/Man?): Other Spiritual Attacks (social flavor)
Double down on a single stat makes the stat broken, it effectively makes it twice cheaper.
In general i believe it's also appropriate to have the two directing stats be of, at least somewhat, different focuses. It forces some diversity in characters and penalized hyper-specialization.
Though iirc we have some attribute checks in quest that makes use of pure attributes too.
Str/Str-> Str/End: Heavy Weapons
Dex/Str: Other Physical Weapons
Wits/Int -> Int/Pre: Some Spiritual Attacks (mental flavor)
Man/Pre ->Int/Man (or Wis/Man?): Other Spiritual Attacks (social flavor)
Double down on a single stat makes the stat broken, it effectively makes it twice cheaper.
In general i believe it's also appropriate to have the two directing stats be of, at least somewhat, different focuses. It forces some diversity in characters and penalized hyper-specialization.
Or that...
Though iirc we have some attribute checks in quest that makes use of pure attributes too.
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Okay so I've been getting a fair amount of feedback regarding this, so let me list out my thoughts on the matter for everyone following.
- The complaint that manip should be the stat for social perception is spot on. It's been fixed, enjoy your nerfbat wits, you might see it again
- The matter of lacking presence. The general idea here is that most of the techs Ling Qi has been using simply don't use it much. Debuff type techniques don't need to penetrate armor to lay their non damaging affects on. Rather its stuff like FSS which needs presence, and I feel like Ling Qi has been gradually getting more confident with this, take the current update where she easily takes the stage in front of a whole bunch of people.
- That said, I do think I need to more strongly differentiate techs which key off mental and techs which key off social. in that certain techs need to always use one or the other. Frankly I'm a little tempted to merge mental/social and discard the divide as an old system artifact, but I'm not sure that works great, it reduces character resolution for minor gains in efficiency
- That said presence/presence type stuff isn't a terrible idea. I'll consider that.
I'll jump in to add a bit to the above, but just looking at the spiritual penetration between Presence and Intelligence. They're both "hit hard" spiritual attributes. In additional, Intelligence affects dispel attempts and some very important skills, including Formations. Presence influences social interactions, obviously, but I think there's a strong argument that there's a lot of overlap with Manipulation in practice, which means that investing in both strongly isn't necessary or sensible unless you're making a particular type of character which I don't think Music users ought to automatically be.
In terms of incentives to develop each attribute, we're caught in between. Presence doesn't help dispels, is less obviously valuable for applicable skills, and arguably clashes with our character. Intelligence does help with dispels, is irreplaceable for a number of important or semi-important skills, but doesn't help with our primary mode of spiritual attack. Compared to a more conventional wits/int spiritualist build, Ling Qi has to focus more broadly, and she's not really getting anything in return for it. Which is strange. You'd expect exotic specializations, specialization in general really, to carry some kind of benefit. The obvious one here is that she gets to double up on social attributes for her attacky stuff, but again Presence and Manipulation are kind of overlap-y.
Edit: Getting incentived to pick up Composure out of Music would be a much more real benefit since it's such a tiny useless stat on its own it'll be a struggle to carry forwards. Super important to us too. Like, with Composure E(and Speech E, since I think it applies here?), Ling Qi is nearly as much of an open book to 3rd realms with 3rd realm stats as 1st realms are to her. It's comical how easy she is to read, and that's a big liability. Can't actually see where she'd be picking it up from the art though.
It also makes her Meizhen act adorable.
In terms of incentives to develop each attribute, we're caught in between. Presence doesn't help dispels, is less obviously valuable for applicable skills, and arguably clashes with our character. Intelligence does help with dispels, is irreplaceable for a number of important or semi-important skills, but doesn't help with our primary mode of spiritual attack. Compared to a more conventional wits/int spiritualist build, Ling Qi has to focus more broadly, and she's not really getting anything in return for it. Which is strange. You'd expect exotic specializations, specialization in general really, to carry some kind of benefit. The obvious one here is that she gets to double up on social attributes for her attacky stuff, but again Presence and Manipulation are kind of overlap-y.
Edit: Getting incentived to pick up Composure out of Music would be a much more real benefit since it's such a tiny useless stat on its own it'll be a struggle to carry forwards. Super important to us too. Like, with Composure E(and Speech E, since I think it applies here?), Ling Qi is nearly as much of an open book to 3rd realms with 3rd realm stats as 1st realms are to her. It's comical how easy she is to read, and that's a big liability. Can't actually see where she'd be picking it up from the art though.
It also makes her Meizhen act adorable.
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Black Noise
Curious
- Location
- About 1AU from Sol
... If we're on the whining train there's some long-time low-key complaints about how STR shows up in places where it doesn't make a lot of sense:
- Speed when we're in SCS shadow-form
- Speed when we're flying with the robe
- PLR grapple Pen
- Speed when we're in SCS shadow-form
- Speed when we're flying with the robe
- PLR grapple Pen
Well, given the nature of FoD, a physical/spiritual stat divide would make more sense.
That being said, I'd say that trimming it down like that would still just be a half-done measure compared to getting rid of the stats entirely.
Just directly train the attributes that we care about, rather than applying them all indirectly.
Uh-oh, you mentioned the robe!
So speaking of the robe, last thread it developed cost reductions for Wind arts after Renxiang fed her special string to it. This thread, that bonus is missing from what's written in our character sheet. Which is strange.
The darkness zone projection is still there though, which is nice. It almost makes up for Ling Qi not having any Darkness cultivation advantages despite being a strongly primarily Darkness-arts cultivator.
So speaking of the robe, last thread it developed cost reductions for Wind arts after Renxiang fed her special string to it. This thread, that bonus is missing from what's written in our character sheet. Which is strange.
The darkness zone projection is still there though, which is nice. It almost makes up for Ling Qi not having any Darkness cultivation advantages despite being a strongly primarily Darkness-arts cultivator.
Sounds like the kind of problem that would be solved by just directly having a Speed stat!