TreeQuest: Magitech (Riot Quest)

Nigerian Duck · Feb 22, 2023

BeepSmile said:
For the sake of clarity: you might have looked at the idea and seen it in a new light, but I was really fuckin' unhappy with myself for not saying anything earlier, like... I was being lazy-bad.

I mean, if you and kinglugia are each interested in this, then I'd not have a problem with the forest learning the pattern of signals sent through the boar's spine/nervous system to keep its body functions going, killing the brain, and then woodchippering away, if you think that might be useful.

Pull the boar into yourself and consume away fam!

----
Regarding the bits of your post that I quoted, as drunk-online-person it didn't click for me that we were all onboard with that, and I'm sorry that my post was functionally me harping on at you about something you had already agreed to. I've had people do to that to me, an it's seriously aggravating and felt mean-spirted, so uh. Sorry.

---
Bolded bit from your post: [Deontological statement detected].
BeepSmile: *Twitches*. *Continues to twitch*. *Decides to be an actual adult, and have a hot chocolate-rum instead of going off on tangent*.

---
Edit: so uh. I didn't see the posts above our interaction before making my first one here, and they fully cover my concers. um. sorry again. :/

Nah, it's cool man. I get it. For now, I'll still stick to the bug thing. I can learn a lot from exoskeletons, and maybe I'll push Bone to Competent if I'm incredibly lucky.

AceOmega said:
Maybe I'll try to take in a small group of recently orphaned boarlings and keep them away from 'him'. Heheh.

Whatevs, do what you enjoy.

Robinton said:
Mitochondria. The not-exactly-burning process they do.
I mean, you don't know for sure.
But it's totally mitochondria.
And, therefore, part of "Flesh". (And Bone.)

That's nice, but also sucks. Missed opportunity for a good forward collab.

Robinton · Feb 22, 2023

Nigerian Duck said:
Moral Rule Forever Established: If it looks like torture, avoid it at all costs.

Barring anything that would get through a modern ethics review board.

(Though those aren't perfect. Interestingly, at least in the US, if you put a mouse or rat through a procedure that is "mildly annoying" at worst, you are required to then either kill it or pay out the money to keep it in good health for the rest of its natural life. I understand not putting a mouse/rat through two major procedures, but how about a bunch of "mildly annoying to actually kind-of entertaining" procedures? Practically this means that we kill an awful lot of rats and mice.

Disclaimer: this is secondhand information from a family member who got a PhD in BioMed, and there may be technicalities or explanations I'm missing.)

BeepSmile said:
I mean, if you and kinglugia are each interested in this, then I'd not have a problem with the forest learning the pattern of signals sent through the boar's spine/nervous system to keep its body functions going, killing the brain, and then woodchippering away, if you think that might be useful.

A valid option.

kinglugia said:
Lumburglars

+1 name.

HeruKane said:
Life Indeed, to me, is totally Magic/Magic Research since it represents figuring out ways to give people magic, so it could be within my wheelhouse.

Oh. True! Good point.
Updated in my own notes. You can vote for it if desired. (I'll autocorrect votes as necessary.)

HeruKane said:
I also like :
Format - One Spoiler per Bolded Category
Lumberjacks - Put up a Shield and let them bounce off of it. (If they ever find you past the still-active Empty Veil.)

Consider actually voting for them, so your preferences will show up in the tally.

HeruKane said:
Work is exhausting so its hard to read all the posts but I do really enjoy this saga. I really like what our Forest is doing and developing both in main and on the sides. I like our growing communication with our village, and now we have a 'city' linked to us a bit. I hope we create buildings within trees.

HeruKane said:
Also I wonder what sorts of paths are needed to get spatial magics - you know, of the kind where spaces are bigger on the inside. Imagine us being able to create pockets in our trees that open to vast spaces while also making it so some paths seem like a mile but are really 10 miles and some paths stretch ten miles in but a mile. That would be cool and might be worth my attention.

For something like that: either be willing to devote constant effort to sustaining it (though not very much with high-end Space Magic - and it would also grant Space Magic experience slowly...), or continue researching Ancient Technology.

Toboe said:
together they could be great to help harden our creatures against winter.

True.

paradoxdragon said:
[X][Tree] Mind Tree
I believe that is how you vote for this?

Welcome!
And yes.

AceOmega said:
[X][Tree] Heart Tree

Welcome!

Sir Plusse said:
2. While connecting to animals is always good, as a whole the Forest has basically decided that Boars, in particular, are too destructive to tolerate in any capacity other than "acceptable targets for carnivores." Would you consider going for a different species instead?

Connecting to them might make them less destructive. 🤷

Tarumath · Feb 22, 2023

Nigerian Duck said:
That's nice, but also sucks. Missed opportunity for a good forward collab.

At least Light Within may give us a growth bonus, I would guess that this is connected to chloroplasts?

Robinton · Feb 22, 2023

Huh. Interesting.

Until I download the votes for the current turn, my "player-tree listing" script marks anyone new as "hasn't voted recently." Which is technically true, sort-of, but not really as-designed.

Fun fact, that you probably know IC: Over half of people in the TreeQuest world are immune to scurvy.
(You probably don't have enough info to even guess why IC, though.)

Tarumath said:
At least Light Within may give us a growth bonus, I would guess that this is connected to chloroplasts?

And bioluminescence.
And Vitamin D production in Two-Legs.
And, to a lesser degree, heat.
And maybe a few other things.

SeaTheTree · Feb 22, 2023

Do you have to become a magic biology tree to make creatures, also do you have to have researched things before adding them into creatures or can we research on them while making the creature?

Toboe · Feb 22, 2023

Robinton said:
And bioluminescence.

How many successes would be needed to connect to fireflies?

Razzocnor · Feb 22, 2023

Anybody can try designing creatures, but without bonuses in magical biology and write-in thereof it is likely to be much more difficult.

Also, it does then take separate effort to actually create the creatures, which is the domain of Growth trees instead!

MoonSerpent · Feb 22, 2023

Robinton said:
Absolutely no thanks for introducing me to an insane ultra-depressed alternate-universe counterpart of myself-as-an-author.

Other than his ability to create an exisitential crisis and depression via his protags among his readers… Michael Manning's actually pretty good in writing progression fantasy. I would not recommend it for the faint of heart, as his the longer his books go, they go darker and quite bitter: the triumphs of books 1-2 slowly turn to tragedy as the story ends.

As for authors…

-One can never go wrong with Will Wright's Cradle. Spurred a lot of progression fantasy books, heck, its what got me here through Vesvius' prototype but now defunct Cradle Quest.

-Have you heard of Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer? Now that is a good deconstruction of the cultivation/xianxia genre! A story of a cultivator leaving everything behind after getting bullied by his sect and becomes a farmer, finds out he's actually good at it. Now with beefy muscled tomboy cat daughteru!

Razzocnor said:
Also, it does then take separate effort to actually create the creatures, which is the domain of Growth trees instead!

Once we get the motions and limbs research down, I'll be proposing to add em in our tree body for future convenience! (and to Sord gud of course!)

Heck, could we get ourselves some human sized avatars with flesh magic? I'd imagine that'll be easier to send as our envoys instead of lugging around huge ents.

Tetra · Feb 22, 2023

Robinton said:
Elder and Ancient Tree Selection, Round 18

Elder Trees
@Fabricati, 11 total actions; Heart Tree; 5 Survival; 3 Special; 2 Defense; 1 Offense - could be a Survival Tree, an Eldest Tree, or an Elder Heart Tree.
@Nigerian Duck, 9 total actions; Heart Tree; 9 Special - could be an Elder Heart Tree or an Unpredictable Tree (the version that doesn't have to do only Phigment's write-ins). You might be able to be something like a Bone and Flesh Tree, as well.

Ancient Trees
@Svn0One, 25 total actions; Elder Root Tree; 14 Special; 5 Research; 5 Growth; 1 Communication
@Tetra, 24 total actions; Special Research Tree; 22 Research; 2 Special
@Ylamona, 25 total actions; Huorn; 10 Survival; 9 Research; 5 Special; 1 Offense

As always, let me know if I've missed any patterns!

I'd like 3x Narrow Focus: Magic Research (and Ancient Tech Research) and Reliable please

[X][Action] Water Lot of Fun
[X][Format] One Spoiler per Bolded Category

Razzocnor · Feb 22, 2023

[X][Action] Monster Energy
I shall do some conventional study here, in order to support future forays into more advanced creature creation.

[X][Focus] Monster Energy (Magic Biology Research) (Biology Research) (Magic) (Magic Research)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)
[X][Focus] Life Indeed (Magic Biology Research)
[X][Focus] Grow a Defender Ent

[X][AutoFocus] Tree Maintenance
-[X][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards growing a Lens Tree until completion and then a Wise Tree until we've reached the cap for both

[X][Lumberjacks] Use Illusions in order to make them get lost and head off in completely the wrong direction
[X][Format] One Spoiler per Bolded Category

[X][Deer] Scout the Group of Dozen Minds to the East and their hostile pursuers.
[X][Speaker] Explain Two-leg physiology.

Robinton · Feb 22, 2023

Tetra said:
I'd like 3x Narrow Focus: Magic Research (and Ancient Tech Research) and Reliable please

You need 21 votes in Magic Research or Ancient-Tech Research.
You have... With this turn...
...I'll be generous and count "Research Elder Mining Tree (Magic Biology Research)", and be logical and count the clearly-Magic-Research write-in... 21.
Nicely done!

DecaffeinatedOwl · Feb 23, 2023

[X][Tree] Mind Tree

[X][Action] Reach Out to Minds (Psychic) (Talanburg)
[X][Focus] Magical Construct Analysis
[X][Focus] Analyze Mundane Movement (Biology Research)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) x2

[X][AutoFocus] Maintenance for Forestlife and preparing for the coming winter

[X][Deer] Scout the Group of Dozen Minds to the East and their hostile pursuers.

Is this how I do it?
EDIT:Corrections made courtesy of @Toboe

Robinton · Feb 23, 2023

SeaTheTree said:
Do you have to become a magic biology tree to make creatures, also do you have to have researched things before adding them into creatures or can we research on them while making the creature?

No, though it definitely helps.

Toboe said:
How many successes would be needed to connect to fireflies?

Huh. In the summer, when they're incredibly visible, I'd say 8.
Right now? 10.

MoonSerpent said:
Will Wright's Cradle

Huh! Sounds interesting.
*Quickly skims the TvTropes entry*

MoonSerpent said:
-Have you heard of Beware of Chicken by CasualFarmer? Now that is a good deconstruction of the cultivation/xianxia genre! A story of a cultivator leaving everything behind after getting bullied by his sect and becomes a farmer, finds out he's actually good at it. Now with beefy muscled tomboy cat daughteru!

Ah! Now this one I know, and this recommendation I can second.
Because "I have seen Mount Tai."

Toboe · Feb 24, 2023

TripleTango said:
[X][Tree] Mind Tree

[X][Action] Reach Out to Minds (Psychic) (Talanburg)
[X][Focus] Magical Construct Analysis
[X][Focus] Analyze Mundane Movement (Biology Research)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) x2

[X][AutoFocus] Tree Maintenance
-[X][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards growing a Lens Tree until completion and then a Wise Tree until we've reached the cap for both

[X][Deer] Scout the Group of Dozen Minds to the East and their hostile pursuers.

Is this how I do it?

The x2 after "[Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) x2" is odd. It is added when we want to vote
"[Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)"
and
"[Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)"
(I.e. have that Focus twice)
Which doesn't work because the tally bot would treat them as an Error, so insteast we vote
"[Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)"
"[Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) x2"
(I.e. it makes the tallybot accept those as different items to tally, it alone doesn't make you vote for it twice)

Besides that it Looks correct.
Although I'd argue the later version of that Autofocus:

Toboe said:
[X][AutoFocus] Maintenance for Forestlife and preparing for the coming winter
-[X][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards upgrading 1 Weather Tree to elder, then growing a Lens Tree until completion and then a Wise Tree until we've reached the cap for both
-[X][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards "Life Indeed", then Burninator, after that put 1 Focus Action towards Salamander learning Fire/Ice negacion

is better:

Toboe said:
Would you consider "Life Indeed, overflow to Burninator" for the squirrels?
Life indeed is about getting every creature at least one magic and burninator pushes our fire skill up, together they could be great to help harden our creatures against winter. Especially our firesalamander who wants to learn fire/ice negation after burninator. (Which would both, be boosted by winter and make it much more bearable for our little fire creature)

Robinton said:

Assuming that nothing changes (aside from the Laser-Computer coming online, of course), and only the Salamander contributes from this point onwards, it will take around 5-6 turns for the Forest to learn Fire at the Journeyman level. …The Lesser Fire Salamander asks if you'd be willing to directly contribute and finish a bit faster? That would let it learn Ice during winter - which is both easier and a much-appreciated protection from the cold…

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Robinton · Feb 25, 2023

Negacion! I actually found one of my inspirations for the concept!

In Spindle's End, cold iron and magic are antithetical - but if you do manage to combine them, you get a frighteningly-powerful enchanted weapon.

Fun, rereading an old favorite story.

The Commander · Feb 25, 2023

Robinton said:
Negacion

How about Life and death negacion? I Assume tha combining them with The Fungus or Soul Magic would give us a Abzan like power

Nigerian Duck · Feb 25, 2023

Robinton said:
Negacion! I actually found one of my inspirations for the concept!

In Spindle's End, cold iron and magic are antithetical - but if you do manage to combine them, you get a frighteningly-powerful enchanted weapon.

Fun, rereading an old favorite story.

Sounds neat. I've yet to read that book, so maybe I'll give it a try.

I think I've asked this, but I can't remember—Flesh, Bone, and Soul can count as Negación Trio, correct? While Flesh and Soul could count as a regular Negación?

The Commander said:
How about Life and death negacion? I Assume tha combining them with The Fungus or Soul Magic would give us a Abzan like power

As the ~~soul~~ sole (that was an accident) person trying to work on Soul Mashjik (as far as I know) I can confidently say that anything and everything having to do with it is a bad idea. Thus, if any experiments are to be tried, a tree should either cut themselves off from the Forest to not incur any damage to it, or connect to it as hard as they can, to perhaps mitigate the damage that would come from a failed experiment.

Robinton · Feb 27, 2023

TripleTango said:
[X][Tree] Mind Tree

Welcome!

The Commander said:
How about Life and death negacion? I Assume tha combining them with The Fungus or Soul Magic would give us a Abzan like power

Life/Death? Sure!
(Though get both components to a decent level first.)

Nigerian Duck said:
I think I've asked this, but I can't remember—Flesh, Bone, and Soul can count as Negación Trio, correct? While Flesh and Soul could count as a regular Negación?

Yes and Yes.

HeruKane · Feb 27, 2023

Isn't flesh and bone basically just Body and Iike the same thing?

Also us having Life and Death Negacion would be awesome.

I also thinkus learning an Air/Earth/Fire/Water combo magic would be super cool too!

Honestly, all the magics! All of them!

😀

Nigerian Duck · Feb 28, 2023

Robinton said:
Yes and Yes.

I have two Negacións in mind then. And both might get me labeled a heretic (one by those who believe in the natural processes of life, the other by the forest).

HeruKane said:
Isn't flesh and bone basically just Body and Iike the same thing?

*gasp* How dare you! That's like saying Liquid and Water are the same!

Phigment · Feb 28, 2023

Just don't start creating undead horrors that can get out of control and go berserk, or get discovered and put us on somebody's "Dark Lord in need of killing" list.

Tarumath · Feb 28, 2023

@Robinton Would Wood/Flesh be a Negation or Combination?

HeruKane · Feb 28, 2023

Tarumath said:
@Robinton Would Wood/Flesh be a Negation or Combination?

So speaking of this it really seems that we use the first to mean the second in a lot of conversations.

Nigerian Duck · Feb 28, 2023

Phigment said:
Just don't start creating undead horrors that can get out of control and go berserk, or get discovered and put us on somebody's "Dark Lord in need of killing" list.

Whaaat? I would never (intentionally) do such a thing.
But if my branch just accidentally slips as I'm photosynthesizing and it just happens to reanimate a random patchwork corpse nearby by…well, can I really be blamed?

Razzocnor · Feb 28, 2023

I only do living biological horrors. And creating an independent sapient species is still a fair bit further down the list.

TreeQuest: Magitech (Riot Quest)

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat

Probably petting Schrödinger's cat