TreeQuest: Magitech (Riot Quest)
Turn 28
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
I'm redoing the (Magic Research) and (Ancient-Tech Research) tags. Preexisting Trees will be grandfathered in, so that their stats change as little as possible.
Updated tag versions:
Updated tag versions:
- All discovery and exploration of techniques which primarily use Magic - including write-ins - will be called (Magic Research).
- All Magic Element-Skill progress, including unlocking new Elements via write-ins, will be called (Magic Elements).
- All work with stuff that technically isn't Magic exactly - such as Ancient-Tech or Monster Research, including write-ins for such, will be called (Esoteric Research).
AutoFocus: (11 votes)
5.0 (Any) -1.0 (None) = 4.0 net votes to [X] Any
8 votes to [X] Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter
-1 Focus: Keep supporting the Salamander's winterhardening by supporting the action "Salamandastron"; after that, follow Focus order below.
-Focus: Upgrade the Mining Tree; Grow Relay Trees until there are at least 4; Grow Defender Ent until there is at least 1; Hevel; Incorporate Plants (anything with progress takes precedence; continue as long as Named options exist - yes, this may stall for years; we'll revise the AutoFocus if it gets annoying); Research Elder Special Trees; Research Ancient Special Trees.
Focus:
AutoFocus: Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter
4+6=10*1.25=12.5 automatic successes into Salamandastron
4+4=8*1.25=10 automatic successes into Upgrade the Mining Tree to Elder
4+6=10 automatic successes into The Well-Ordered Mind
4+6=10 automatic successes into Study the Talanburg Farmer
Note that Box Lunch, Space Jawa, Toboe, Razzocnor, and ConfusedPotatoe each have 1.5 free auto-successes to use whenever they please.
Razzocnor 2d -> 1 success into Defender Ent.
Actions:
32 dice - 17 successes - into: [X] Store Resources Against Future Need
21 dice - (10+10)*1.25 successes - into: [X] The Well-Ordered Mind (Magic Research)
19 dice - 10 successes - into: [X] Water/Fire Negacion (Magic Research)
17 dice - (6,6) successes - into: [X] Specialized Shelters
13 dice - (4,5)+6.25+14.1 successes - into: [X] Raise the Shield
9 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Incorporated Growth
7 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Research Advanced Movement (Magic Research) (Movement Research)
7 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Feed the Swarm (Bees)
0+8 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Hevel
6+2 dice - 4 successes - into: [X] Grow Defender Ent
6 dice - 2+5.7 successes - into: [X] Empty Veil (Void)
5 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Veritas (Magic Research)
4 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Grow Relay Trees
3 dice - 1+12.5+5 success - into: [X] Salamandastron
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Magical Construct Analysis
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Rip and Tear
2 dice - 1+6.75 successes - into: [X] Monster Energy (Magic Biology Research) (Biology Research) (Magic) (Magic Research)
2 dice - 2 successes - into: [X] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)
2 dice - 0 successes - into: [X] Design Magic Weapons and Armor
2 dice - 0 successes - into: [X] Study Illusions (Magic Research)
0 dice - 0+3.75 successes - into: [X] Incorporate Plant Sporing Mushrooms
0 dice - 0+10 successes - into: [X] Upgrade the Mining Tree to Elder
0 dice - 0+10 successes - into: [X] Study the Talanburg Farmer
Dice Rolled=166+5; succeeded=72+3. +1 with rerolls. I guess the Success dice were feeling cranky this turn. Write-in Dice seemed relatively fair at a glance.
Tall Tree bonus: 4 ranks; x1.04(060401).
Jack727 - [Seer], level 1 - Dream: A storm is coming. Echoes trailing through nothing. Hungry locusts, larger than Trees…
Write-ins:
Space Jawa, "Try to sneakily arrange for opportunities for Marta Yarrow to spend quality one-on-one time with new arrivals Zach, Alex, and Peter in a way that seems totally natural and platonic without being suspicious; but would allow us to get an idea of if Marta might potentially have a more natural romantic bond with or would feel better inclined toward a romantic connection with one of the three; or if instead she'd be happy with or pair up well with any of them.\n-[X] Try to recruit some of the animals connected with the forest to help with this project.\n-[X] And maybe see if Granny Miller might be inclined to being roped into the plot too, if it's possible to do so without tipping anyone else off to the plan."
HeruKane, "Meditate on how Life Magic and Fire Magic negate each other, Life always growing and healing, always making the affected whole, Fire always consuming, always destroying the affected."
Toboe, "Meditate on how Life Magic and Fire Magic negate each other, Life always growing and healing, always making the affected whole, Fire always consuming, always destroying the affected."
kinglugia, "Further iterate upon intergrating the Forest's Laser Beams with Fire Magic."
_Plague Doctor_, "Research Rocketry."
mastigos, "Mining Mushrooms Manifold: grow the mining portion of the fungal network and infrastructure for separating out samples of any interesting minerals that it might find for the researches to poke at." -[Fungi, Write-in bonus], level 2
Angelform, "Write-in: Continuing trying to reconnect with the Trees visiting distant lands. If successful try to work out what would be needed to automatically maintain the connection over long distance."
Lunos1, "Research Natural Magic and the flow of magical Energies in the World."
Somebodynobody10, "Write-in: Before you can consider weaponizing sound, you must understand Sound. Will research/think on Sound/Noise. (Omake soon to follow)."
ConfusedPotato, "Meet the Ants. And talk about stuff and science and things. Try to communicate with them, with mind powers, but only if allowed. Note to self: ask to be allowed. Take observations. Learn stuff. If possible attempt direct mental transfer of knowledge." -[Research, Write-in bonus], level 2
Robot # 207, "Survival Write-in: Assist the village in preparing to Welcome the new baby, with Food! use your experience from last time to help with making some good food, Celebrations must be accompanied by a Hearty Meal! (also use this as an excuse to prepare the village for the winter with the leftover foods) Maybe I could even be present for the party? Yeah, if there aren't any objections then I will personally move to the village to help deliver this Food."
TheOneUnknown, "Mediate upon my falling leaves, and thus my place in the cycle of life and death. I live, and yet my leaves die. From life, death. But from my dead leaves the soil is renewed. And so from death, life."
The Froggy Ninja, "Analyze the Sensing Trees. They were one of our first projects but they spontaneously generated the ability to perceive Souls and, apparently, Time Waves. How the hell did we do that?"
Pyro Hawk, "Examine the possibility of a Truth/Lie Negacion and begin the effort to create it if it seems likely. Or even if it feels like it can be forced to exist, for after all, are there not Lies which have been made into Truths?\n-[X] Perhaps your conversation with Sara, and any further ones which arise from it, may provide some insight?" -[Write-in bonus], level 2
Svn0One, "Store various kinds of Nuts for future needs."
Razzocnor, "Investigate Living Armor designs." -[Magic Biology Research, Write-in bonus], level 2
Phigment, "Attempt to apply for membership of the ADVENTURE Guild at the most convenient city, and do some adventuring." -[Write-in bonus], level 6
AntaeusTheGiant, "Try to infuse my music with Intent. I'll experiment with various kinds. When near the village, either one really, I'll try benevolent ones like "come over here and sit down" and "you feel full of hope and confidence" and on days when the weather is nice enough, the ever popular "let's take a long nice nap". In other areas of the forest, I'll try "this is very scary, run away now" and a more subtle "I'd feel more comfortable over that way". Just to see if such is possible, and which are easier if it is. Also which types of beings are more susceptible to each kind of music, if any are."
Sir Plusse, "Investigate Severing magic."
BeepSmile, "Ask Old ManMatherson Materson ([playfully blatantly lying] I didn't get your name wrong, that was on purpose! A test! Yes. A test to see if you might prefer an extra 'h' in your name) if he would be willing to connect with the forest. When the village was attacked, we were able to - with effort and attention - send him power near the end and that allowed him to use magic more freely to keep people alive. Hopefully this will allow him to take power directly as he needs the next time the Portal Using Malice Enemy Person attacks. Or when things kick off with the Woo Clan. (Also also, we might be able to understand his lessons a more quickly, which would be cool because the sooner the Forest learns all these different important things, the sooner I fly through space really really quickly and walk on alien planets.) [Note, if this does not require dice from me/my action, I'd like to study Earth Magic]."
paradoxdragon, "Maybe, there really should be a collection of books or something of sorts to organise the Forest's collated research. And maybe even serve as a library for other creatures to study in. But first, the collation of data into organised forms…(Research write-in)."
Nigerian Duck, "This tree has been feeling a bit under the weather (literally, it's a tree) but is as stalwart as ever when it comes to its actions. Finding a living animal whether through stalking it or enlisting forest animals to help, he ends its life and envelopes it, trying to breakdown and understand the bone structure to recreate that calcium-ridden substance." -[Bone/Flesh/Soul, Write-in bonus], level 2
Bloms, "Research the incorporation/production of gunpowder and other explosives within buds or flowers or nuts."
Special notes on actions:
MoonSerpent, "RIP AND TEAR, SORD GUD EDITION (Offensive)." (Counts as Rip and Tear, but also a Sword Action.)
joseluzperez19@g: "My inquisitive silver bodhi buddha tree has woken up to study the truth once more."
Ally actions:
Squirrels: Assist with The Well-Ordered Mind. +25% multiplier, multiplicative with other multipliers.
Deer: +4 automatic successes, probably to Growth, bonuses apply. Lens to Elder, overflow to Relay Trees.
Moles: +25% bonus to Survival.
Beavers: +3 (bonuses apply) to upgrading a Special Tree. Lens to Elder.
Bees: +5 automatic successes across any combination of Research and Growth actions. Spent it all researching Elder Defender Ents.
Ants: Reroll top two lagging actions. See above.
Wolves: +4 automatic successes to Communications. Talanburg.
Corvids: Contribute to Hevel, +8 dice, 1 success.
Bears: Enhance Growth, +4 Growth successes (bonuses apply). Lens to Elder.
Dire Bat: Assist with Watch Talanburg.
Lesser Wraith: Assist with Void Forest. +1 Auto-success and +10% (multiplicative) to all successes.
Lesser Fire Salamander: 5 auto-successes (bonuses apply) to Salamandastron.
Speakers Ben and Betty Grimm: Betty is away at Talanburg, managing negotiations and making good progress on Water Magic. Ben helps with Well-Ordered Mind and overflow into Salamandastron, but gets unlucky on learning Fire Magic.
Herbalist: Once recovered from Yuadore childbirth, help grow a Defender Ent. Success wound up overflowing to Relay Trees.
Steve Robertson: Learn Magic (cost: 2 Resources per turn initially; likely to go up if he has difficulties and gets bored; will have a major penalty to success if the Forest doesn't Connect with him) (discount: I'll eat the cost and scrounge most of my food to learn Magic… but only if I'm actually making progress). Spectacular success!
5.0 (Any) -1.0 (None) = 4.0 net votes to [X] Any
8 votes to [X] Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter
-1 Focus: Keep supporting the Salamander's winterhardening by supporting the action "Salamandastron"; after that, follow Focus order below.
-Focus: Upgrade the Mining Tree; Grow Relay Trees until there are at least 4; Grow Defender Ent until there is at least 1; Hevel; Incorporate Plants (anything with progress takes precedence; continue as long as Named options exist - yes, this may stall for years; we'll revise the AutoFocus if it gets annoying); Research Elder Special Trees; Research Ancient Special Trees.
Focus:
AutoFocus: Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter
4+6=10*1.25=12.5 automatic successes into Salamandastron
4+4=8*1.25=10 automatic successes into Upgrade the Mining Tree to Elder
4+6=10 automatic successes into The Well-Ordered Mind
4+6=10 automatic successes into Study the Talanburg Farmer
Note that Box Lunch, Space Jawa, Toboe, Razzocnor, and ConfusedPotatoe each have 1.5 free auto-successes to use whenever they please.
Razzocnor 2d -> 1 success into Defender Ent.
Actions:
32 dice - 17 successes - into: [X] Store Resources Against Future Need
21 dice - (10+10)*1.25 successes - into: [X] The Well-Ordered Mind (Magic Research)
19 dice - 10 successes - into: [X] Water/Fire Negacion (Magic Research)
17 dice - (6,6) successes - into: [X] Specialized Shelters
13 dice - (4,5)+6.25+14.1 successes - into: [X] Raise the Shield
9 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Incorporated Growth
7 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Research Advanced Movement (Magic Research) (Movement Research)
7 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Feed the Swarm (Bees)
0+8 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Hevel
6+2 dice - 4 successes - into: [X] Grow Defender Ent
6 dice - 2+5.7 successes - into: [X] Empty Veil (Void)
5 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Veritas (Magic Research)
4 dice - 3 successes - into: [X] Grow Relay Trees
3 dice - 1+12.5+5 success - into: [X] Salamandastron
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Magical Construct Analysis
2 dice - 1 success - into: [X] Rip and Tear
2 dice - 1+6.75 successes - into: [X] Monster Energy (Magic Biology Research) (Biology Research) (Magic) (Magic Research)
2 dice - 2 successes - into: [X] Void Forest (Magic) (Void)
2 dice - 0 successes - into: [X] Design Magic Weapons and Armor
2 dice - 0 successes - into: [X] Study Illusions (Magic Research)
0 dice - 0+3.75 successes - into: [X] Incorporate Plant Sporing Mushrooms
0 dice - 0+10 successes - into: [X] Upgrade the Mining Tree to Elder
0 dice - 0+10 successes - into: [X] Study the Talanburg Farmer
Dice Rolled=166+5; succeeded=72+3. +1 with rerolls. I guess the Success dice were feeling cranky this turn. Write-in Dice seemed relatively fair at a glance.
Tall Tree bonus: 4 ranks; x1.04(060401).
Jack727 - [Seer], level 1 - Dream: A storm is coming. Echoes trailing through nothing. Hungry locusts, larger than Trees…
Write-ins:
Space Jawa, "Try to sneakily arrange for opportunities for Marta Yarrow to spend quality one-on-one time with new arrivals Zach, Alex, and Peter in a way that seems totally natural and platonic without being suspicious; but would allow us to get an idea of if Marta might potentially have a more natural romantic bond with or would feel better inclined toward a romantic connection with one of the three; or if instead she'd be happy with or pair up well with any of them.\n-[X] Try to recruit some of the animals connected with the forest to help with this project.\n-[X] And maybe see if Granny Miller might be inclined to being roped into the plot too, if it's possible to do so without tipping anyone else off to the plan."
HeruKane, "Meditate on how Life Magic and Fire Magic negate each other, Life always growing and healing, always making the affected whole, Fire always consuming, always destroying the affected."
Toboe, "Meditate on how Life Magic and Fire Magic negate each other, Life always growing and healing, always making the affected whole, Fire always consuming, always destroying the affected."
kinglugia, "Further iterate upon intergrating the Forest's Laser Beams with Fire Magic."
_Plague Doctor_, "Research Rocketry."
mastigos, "Mining Mushrooms Manifold: grow the mining portion of the fungal network and infrastructure for separating out samples of any interesting minerals that it might find for the researches to poke at." -[Fungi, Write-in bonus], level 2
Angelform, "Write-in: Continuing trying to reconnect with the Trees visiting distant lands. If successful try to work out what would be needed to automatically maintain the connection over long distance."
Lunos1, "Research Natural Magic and the flow of magical Energies in the World."
Somebodynobody10, "Write-in: Before you can consider weaponizing sound, you must understand Sound. Will research/think on Sound/Noise. (Omake soon to follow)."
ConfusedPotato, "Meet the Ants. And talk about stuff and science and things. Try to communicate with them, with mind powers, but only if allowed. Note to self: ask to be allowed. Take observations. Learn stuff. If possible attempt direct mental transfer of knowledge." -[Research, Write-in bonus], level 2
Robot # 207, "Survival Write-in: Assist the village in preparing to Welcome the new baby, with Food! use your experience from last time to help with making some good food, Celebrations must be accompanied by a Hearty Meal! (also use this as an excuse to prepare the village for the winter with the leftover foods) Maybe I could even be present for the party? Yeah, if there aren't any objections then I will personally move to the village to help deliver this Food."
TheOneUnknown, "Mediate upon my falling leaves, and thus my place in the cycle of life and death. I live, and yet my leaves die. From life, death. But from my dead leaves the soil is renewed. And so from death, life."
The Froggy Ninja, "Analyze the Sensing Trees. They were one of our first projects but they spontaneously generated the ability to perceive Souls and, apparently, Time Waves. How the hell did we do that?"
Pyro Hawk, "Examine the possibility of a Truth/Lie Negacion and begin the effort to create it if it seems likely. Or even if it feels like it can be forced to exist, for after all, are there not Lies which have been made into Truths?\n-[X] Perhaps your conversation with Sara, and any further ones which arise from it, may provide some insight?" -[Write-in bonus], level 2
Svn0One, "Store various kinds of Nuts for future needs."
Razzocnor, "Investigate Living Armor designs." -[Magic Biology Research, Write-in bonus], level 2
Phigment, "Attempt to apply for membership of the ADVENTURE Guild at the most convenient city, and do some adventuring." -[Write-in bonus], level 6
AntaeusTheGiant, "Try to infuse my music with Intent. I'll experiment with various kinds. When near the village, either one really, I'll try benevolent ones like "come over here and sit down" and "you feel full of hope and confidence" and on days when the weather is nice enough, the ever popular "let's take a long nice nap". In other areas of the forest, I'll try "this is very scary, run away now" and a more subtle "I'd feel more comfortable over that way". Just to see if such is possible, and which are easier if it is. Also which types of beings are more susceptible to each kind of music, if any are."
Sir Plusse, "Investigate Severing magic."
BeepSmile, "Ask Old Man
paradoxdragon, "Maybe, there really should be a collection of books or something of sorts to organise the Forest's collated research. And maybe even serve as a library for other creatures to study in. But first, the collation of data into organised forms…(Research write-in)."
Nigerian Duck, "This tree has been feeling a bit under the weather (literally, it's a tree) but is as stalwart as ever when it comes to its actions. Finding a living animal whether through stalking it or enlisting forest animals to help, he ends its life and envelopes it, trying to breakdown and understand the bone structure to recreate that calcium-ridden substance." -[Bone/Flesh/Soul, Write-in bonus], level 2
Bloms, "Research the incorporation/production of gunpowder and other explosives within buds or flowers or nuts."
Special notes on actions:
MoonSerpent, "RIP AND TEAR, SORD GUD EDITION (Offensive)." (Counts as Rip and Tear, but also a Sword Action.)
joseluzperez19@g: "My inquisitive silver bodhi buddha tree has woken up to study the truth once more."
Ally actions:
Squirrels: Assist with The Well-Ordered Mind. +25% multiplier, multiplicative with other multipliers.
Deer: +4 automatic successes, probably to Growth, bonuses apply. Lens to Elder, overflow to Relay Trees.
Moles: +25% bonus to Survival.
Beavers: +3 (bonuses apply) to upgrading a Special Tree. Lens to Elder.
Bees: +5 automatic successes across any combination of Research and Growth actions. Spent it all researching Elder Defender Ents.
Ants: Reroll top two lagging actions. See above.
Wolves: +4 automatic successes to Communications. Talanburg.
Corvids: Contribute to Hevel, +8 dice, 1 success.
Bears: Enhance Growth, +4 Growth successes (bonuses apply). Lens to Elder.
Dire Bat: Assist with Watch Talanburg.
Lesser Wraith: Assist with Void Forest. +1 Auto-success and +10% (multiplicative) to all successes.
Lesser Fire Salamander: 5 auto-successes (bonuses apply) to Salamandastron.
Speakers Ben and Betty Grimm: Betty is away at Talanburg, managing negotiations and making good progress on Water Magic. Ben helps with Well-Ordered Mind and overflow into Salamandastron, but gets unlucky on learning Fire Magic.
Herbalist: Once recovered from Yuadore childbirth, help grow a Defender Ent. Success wound up overflowing to Relay Trees.
Steve Robertson: Learn Magic (cost: 2 Resources per turn initially; likely to go up if he has difficulties and gets bored; will have a major penalty to success if the Forest doesn't Connect with him) (discount: I'll eat the cost and scrounge most of my food to learn Magic… but only if I'm actually making progress). Spectacular success!
Turn 28 Results
It wasn't a tornado, but another massive hailstorm did impact the Forest. However, the Forest easily warded the Hail off - and noticed the approaching storm early enough to move a Shield Tree next to Newton Village's crops, ensuring they would take no damage from this. (27 damage but Shield counts double; Shield 44.82 effective successes; more than 3x required threshold - negates Forest+Newton damage completely.)
As for Newton Village's crops - they've made the best of the weather to recover as much as they can; they shouldn't need help this winter, though it'll be a close-run thing. The Irn Refugees have requested and received permission to stay the winter here; they've spent the turn ranging far and wide and - with some assistance from your Creatures - been able to forage a good cache of food. It won't be enough to see them through the winter, but assuming they can pick nice days to forage a bit more (or even hunt/trap a bit), they should be fine with modest assistance (best guess: 5 Resources per turn).
About half of the Refugees are thinking they'll move on come spring; about half want to stay as local as you'll let them. With help from the Forest, they've also finished not only their own shelters - but also shelters for any of your Creatures that requested such (+10.4ish base successes) (Creature Resource requests reduced). Newton Village can shelter a few of them in a pinch - but as they render this largely unnecessary, with a variety of houses, rough-built but sturdy and warm, many half-grown by your Forest. The Defender Ent was, furthermore, able to help them easily build a large sheltered meeting place (half-underground and mostly-covered; it's particularly likely to be useful in snowstorms or similar).
Other than that single massive hailstorm, however, the turn's weather couldn't be nicer - the perfect mix of rain and shine, temperatures nearly perfect for growth. Deciduous Trees kept their leaves slightly longer than normal, this year, all the Creatures were happy, the whole world seemed to glow this turn, and everything went abnormally well (+10%) thanks to the absolutely lovely weather. Towards the turn's end, however, some sixth sense had the Creatures frantically seek holes to hunker down in - far beyond their normal wintering instincts, which were already starting to kick in as this fall ended.
Even other Creatures not Connected to the Forest seem to have noticed. And the Forest, too, can feel something. A touch of Malice on the wind. Distant, yet not nearly distant enough for anyone's liking. Approaching. From the east…
…You think this has happened before. But it was weaker then - or, maybe, the Forest was smaller. Sleepier. Less Magical. Less attuned. Less affected…
One Tree approached Old Man Materson with a request and suggestion: "Old Man Matherson-" it checked itself, and added in a tone of playfully blatantly lying "(I didn't get your name wrong, that was on purpose! A test! Yes. A test to see if you might prefer an extra 'h' in your name)."
With his stern craggy old face and slowly-whitening gray beard and sparse hair, Materson looked formidable. Annoyed. Imposing. He even felt stern, over the Connection. Only the slightest suppressed chuckle, deep in his chest, and the twinkle in his eye gave him away. "Go on."
"Would you be willing to Connect with the Forest? When the village was attacked, we were able to - with effort and attention - send you power near the end and that allowed you to use magic more freely to keep people alive. But a better Connection should allow you to take power directly as you need, the next time the Portal Using Malice Enemy Person attacks. Or when things kick off with the Woo Clan. (Also also, we might be able to understand your lessons more quickly, which would be cool because the sooner the Forest learns all these different important things, the sooner I fly through space really really quickly and walk on alien planets.)"
At the tail end of that request to Materson, you caught a half-joking thought of 'they grow up so fast…' from his Mind.
"Let me think about it. Give me a day, maybe two," he replied.
And think he did. You saw him - via the Sensing Trees, but with him radiating 'yes you'll see this; that's fine' to any slight Connection attempt - taking out a well-crafted Magic-lined possibly-Ancient-Tech(?) box from under a massive boulder.
He pulled it into his house and slowly looked through it. Letters. A sprig of dried flowers. A heart-shaped locket. A metal plate with "Fear/Despair is the Enemy; do not let it defeat you" scratched into it, that he held up and regarded for a long moment, before putting it aside. A small metal hopper that echoed with a long-broken curse. He ultimately pulled out a large dagger (or possibly a ridiculously-short sword).
He muttered, "This is a knife," and a few other things that weren't quite audible.
Eventually, he sighed, put the knife away, and slowly thumbed through the letters, carefully reading several. When the Forest went to read them, he made a batting-away motion, and the Forest let him keep that secret, for now at least.
Eventually, long after midnight - flame substituting for natural light - he packed everything away, got creakily to his feet, and put the box (with another impressive act of Magic) back on top of it.
Then he went to bed and slept like a log.
Around midafternoon, the next day, he walked up to the Tree that had originally contacted him, and looked at it contemplatively until it finally asked, "Have you decided?"
"Hmm. Potentially. I'll need you to promise you will not go rooting through my head willy-nilly. Promise. Like your life depends on it, promise." When asked a bit further, he gave a reason: "There's things - that are dangerous to remember. I don't think I've met many, but-" and he shook his head.
After a minor bit of discussion, the Forest gladly accepted this proviso, and attempted to add him as - more-or-less - a third Speaker.
It took considerably more effort than the last two. Connecting with someone that deeply wasn't easy, apparently - for all that the Forest had some control, they only half-understood the process.
Indeed, properly building that Connection took steady work, day in and day out, for the rest of the turn. But, by the turn's end, Old Man Materson was just as capable of pulling from the Forest's stores of energy as Ben and Betty Grimm or Arthur Scrat.
The same Tree asked him about Earth Magic, and he replied, "Not my greatest specialty, but I know a thing or two." (Project difficulty reduced by 8.)
Also, when asked about this ominous weather, he sniffed the wind, tilted his head, wrinkled his nose, and sneezed once. A moment later, a scowl crossed his face. "Malice Storm," he spat. "I might be wrong, but - I've always thought that, where Rain-storms water the Trees, Malice-storms water the Monsters."
One Tree wondered if he would be interested in romance again - if the Woo Clan were dealt with first, presumably. He replied, "I've considered that a time or twelve. I'm getting pretty far on in years, to be fair - I had more energy back when I was a hundred, you know. Yeah, had my 126th birthday last spring. Eternity in my bones, you know? Anyway, I'm fairly 'set in my ways.' Heh: I swore as a kid that it'd never happen to me. I'm a right sight older than most, but it finally has happened. …
"…If. If, mind you. If the Woo Clan were defeated. … I'd ask 'Delle if she were interested. She's two-thirds my age, but she knows that, and 't doesn't stop her from bossin' me around every now and then. Yeah. If 'twere anyone I know now, 'twould have to be her."
He ruminated for a long minute, then said, "A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to marry - and a time to not. A time to weep and a time to dance. A time for everything under the sun."
After another long moment of thought, he added, "One other thing - if you're teaching the Grimm kids. There's a time to teach, and a time to not. There's a time to show a kid the ropes, or correct them. But there's a time to let them try somethin' and fail. 'Cause it'll remind them that failure ain't the worst.
"Thinkin' failure's the worst. That's worse than just bein' dumb. That's…" he shook his head. "That means you'll never really try."
The Forest put some effort into Growing the first Defender Ent, and it fully lived up to expectations! It didn't have a lot of mental-attacks to deal with, but it was rather helpful with the turn's happenings nonetheless…
Aside from an amply-sufficient Shield, the Forest raised the Empty Veil and let the rest of the effort (4.61 successes) strengthen the Void Forest defenses. Some direct effort also made progress at that task, assisted by the Lesser Wraith. The Wraith had to admit the Void confused it, but nonetheless its moderately alien mentality gave the Forest a few insights on approaching the Void.
While the Void was calm, this turn, the normal world was not, and it was well that you had your Shields and Empty Veil as strong as they were. For a massive pack of Dire Wolves charged past, from the west to the east, and many bounced off your Shields.
They made a brief effort to overwhelm your Shields, but rapidly gave it up as a bad job and kept heading east. You noticed them long beforehand - they might be very weak Monsters, but Monsters they were, and they couldn't hide their Energy from you - and had ample time to get all your Creatures and other allies to safety, and ensure Newton Village would be Shielded. A few Dire Wolves got sucked in by the Shadow-Spinners, and a few more got picked off by Newton Village or the Irn-ites, but the vast majority just kept charging past you.
A handful of Nevermore also flew past, along the same route - and those seemed inclined to harass your Corvids (their non-Monstrous cousins) in passing. After the Sword Tree and Defender Ent managed to kill a half-dozen, they started watching the Forest and stalking any of your Creatures that they found vulnerable. Ultimately, a careful sniping war of Lasers, combined with more hunting (Sword Tree, Defender Ent, various Connected Two-Legs) convinced them that this was a losing battle, and they also flew off. (-2 Resources firing Lasers)
On the upside, the Forest is even more of Nature than your Connected Two-Legs: Waste not, want not. (+10 Resources from slain enemies)
You've also learned a bit about Monster Energy from the experience. (+5 effective successes)
Finally, Steve Robertson (the former Lumburglar) wound up venturing out to try to slay several of these monsters, armed with a sword and his wits. He was accompanied by Avo the Mole, who had to heal him repeatedly. Sadly, this had no visible results. After days of this, he went to the Tree-based shelter where he's currently staying, and started ranting at himself: "Useless. Useless. USELESS!"
Eventually Avo - and a hint of the Forest's mental powers - managed to nudge him into talking, and it turned out he'd been nicknamed 'useless' as a boy. A title he'd outgrown, but any terrifying situation would see him reacting in that pattern.
The Forest wasn't exactly experienced at therapy, but - well, just getting him to the point he understood himself helped. "Know yourself," huh?
One thing the Forest had noticed earlier, was his desire to be like Sam the Legendary Swordsman (either of them - apparently there were two). That was why he picked a sword as his weapon of choice. That was why he'd put so much thought into odd battle scenarios, that he could easily assist a bunch of random Forest Creatures in setting up a defense.
As Avo stared into Steve Robertson's eyes, the little mole mentally shouted at the Forest: 'do it!'
The Forest hesitated… and took a risk, and gently touched the former-Lumburglar's mind. Trying to stay inconspicuous (at which they mostly succeeded), they nonetheless pushed everything they knew of Swordsmanship and Magic, gently at him, along with a determination to, as Materson had said, "try."
And Steve grabbed his sword, walked out the door, and checked to make sure he was alone. He breathed, centered himself, and swung-
Nothing extraordinary happened.
He sighed, struggled with despair for an instant, and shook his head grimly. He swung again. And again.
Slowly, he started copying moves from various renditions of famous battles - things he'd memorized over the years. Slowly, his sword got faster, and faster - until it was too fast to control, surely - yet it was still under his control.
As the first stars peeked out, into the darkening sky, he sighed - realizing nothing of his accomplishment, only that he was unexpectedly exhausted - and went inside to bed.
The next morning, he sat and asked Avo, "Do you know anything about becoming a Magic Swordsman?"
Avo blinked up at him.
"Well, I guess I'd better hunt a few more monsters, if you'll keep healing me."
Avo nodded.
And, to his utter shock, the fight was easy. Exhausting, yes - the energy of Magic has to come from somewhere, after all - but easy. Every attack was slow. His sword bit far deeper than it should have ever been able to.
At the day's end, hardly having needed any healing at all, he looked at Avo and asked, "So you gave me the Magic?" Shake-head no. "I already had the Magic?" Nod-head yes.
A long pause, then he made sure the door was shut tight before abandoning himself to a half-laugh and half-cry, on and off, for the rest of the evening.
By the turn's end, he'd also learned the basics of Life Magic from Avo, and didn't truly need a healing Mole anymore.
(That's not to say he didn't keep feeding Avo snacks periodically. Not at all!)
(5 Resources wound up being spent Healing him, and 2 on feeding him (he was foraging the majority of his own food, but not all).)
The Talanburg negotiations were going well, with Betty Grimm and Granny Miller continuing their canny negotiating strategies - until a dozen threats (and promised bribes) were sent to a dozen of the highest-ranking and most respected individuals in Talanburg. Each promising great reward if they sabotaged negotiations, and death if they did not. … Well, eight of them did; four were incendiary messages about the dangers of the "Devouring Forest."
The notes were delivered over the course of two nights, early in the Turn. The Forest noticed the second such threat being delivered, and was soon able to make out the pattern. This led to the Forest getting a good look at Woo Clan pawns and their anti-Telepathy defense - seven times in a row.
Two of the eight that received threats-and-bribes, quietly brought them to Mayor Sharp the next day. He actually talked them into continuing negotiations - he was passionate about his home, and had the sort of stubborn integrity that won't back down in the face of an enemy's anger.
Additionally, one of the four that received an incendiary message raised an eyebrow, ran it by a few close friends, and ultimately discarded it as nonsense (barring a point or two that might possibly be true - or might prove useful in negotiations).
However, nine prominent members of Talanburg turned strongly against negotiations with the Forest. Two of those - one threat/bribe and one incendiary - ran the local newspaper. The streets were promptly flooded with anti-Forest rhetoric.
But the Forest had already won; the Woo Clan operatives just didn't know it.
You see - the first time you watched a deep-cover operative wake up, you got a very good idea of what they did. They used Magic to Separate an operative's memories of agreeing to work for the Woo, from the rest of their Mind and thoughts. There was no active Magic for the Forest to detect - except at the moments of transition, remembering and forgetting.
You, the Forest, got a good idea what was going on, the first time you saw it take effect. The second time, you had a good enough idea to easily reverse-engineer it. The fifth, you became able to trigger it (and reverse it) at will, with a slight effort of Connection. And you got to watch the whole process seven times in a row.
Careful investigation gave you a list of eight individuals in Talanburg that were working for the Woo Clan, along with their contacts out of town. Five - including the Farmer you saw previously - were involved with sending the various messages this turn.
The Forest knows its foe. The only question is: What to do now?
Please vote Priority style.
[ ][Talanburg] Full disclosure
-You think you have enough proof to convince the people of Talanburg. If you're right - great! Perfect win! If not… well, you'll probably have to walk away from the town for a half-year or so.
[ ][Talanburg] Take over the spynet
-Then manipulate matters yourself. Near-guaranteed to get you a good treaty. Near-guaranteed to leave certain individuals concerned about you.
[ ][Talanburg] Walk away
-Do you want to ensure nobody knows just how deeply you've broken the spynet? This is the option for you.
[ ][Talanburg] Stall for perfect proof
-Spend another turn fishing for the best possible proof - something that will give rhetoric time to set in, but also gives you a near-certainty of proving your case to the people of Talanburg. Any who are willing to listen to logic, at least.
[ ][Talanburg] Write-in
Also, if we pick "Walk away" and move to take out the greater spynet, do we want to dedicate Focus Actions towards that? (This override will disengage during extreme circumstances, particularly battles.)
[ ][Spynet Focus] 0
[ ][Spynet Focus] 1
[ ][Spynet Focus] 2
[ ][Spynet Focus] 3
[ ][Spynet Focus] 4
The Wolves and Dire bat took a deep interest in the whole matter, and were instrumental in tracking the trail of one Operative over to Andrewsburg. The Forest will need to take a bit of further effort to unearth the full Woo Clan spy network there, but not much at this point - moving a Tree into range will probably be a quarter of the overall effort.
The Forest's combined deep study of one Farmer, ensured the Forest should easily be able to coopt any users of this particularly form of anti-telepathy with minimal difficulty - whether by making it nigh-impossible for them to recover their memories, assuming control directly, waking them up at will, or otherwise messing with their particular Mind-Magic.
Ben and Betty have used the Forest's Telepathy to stay in touch - and they were planning to get good enough at Fire and Water (respectively) to start working on Fire/Water Negacion. Alas: Only Betty made the necessary progress. Ben actually burned his left hand grievously, playing a bit too much with Fire - and while he was healed half an hour later, it took him about two weeks to get over the mental impact.
Further, Ben was needed for dozens of tasks around Newton Village as everyone handled the Monsters, helped the Refugees, prepared for winter, and finally prepared for a Malice Storm. Plus, of course, his theorizing on the Well-Ordered Mind… Well, it's no surprise he made minimal progress this turn. (Better luck next turn.)
You are pleased to say that Marta Yarrow does not - as far as you can detect, and you've (once again) scanned quite closely - have anything like the Woo Clan Operatives' anti-telepathy memory-suppression.
On that note, as the turn dragged on, Newton Village started to become concerned about Mrs. Yuadore - as she was expected to go into labor just after the turn's start. The Forest was a bit worried, too - though the Sensing Trees could scan her and see the still-healthy baby in her womb, which somewhat reassured everyone.
(Really. These "Mammals" have a very strange seed- and seedling-equivalent. Very impractical in several senses. Good for being able to teach them things, though, and help them get established in life - and their whole setup does that without Magic! Very practical in that sense, obviously.)
Ultimately, everyone was reassured late in the turn when Mrs. Yuadore did finally go into labor - only for the labor to drag on, far longer than it should have.
Between Marta Yarrow, Old Man Materson, the Forest, and several of the Forest's Creatures, you weren't going to let her or her baby die. And that was, indeed, exactly what was necessary, as her not-yet-born son had grown too large to easily be born.
Marta Yarrow - and Mrs. Charlotte Miller, for that matter - both knew the theory for something called a "Cesarean Section," but neither had performed one. As it so happens, however, a massive amount of brainstorming, the Forest's supernatural Senses, and several different users of Life could substitute for surgical skill in a pinch. Barely. But it was enough.
The Village and Forest alike, breathed a sigh of relief when the whole makeshift operation was over. Marta also was observed muttering about options for which Potions to make for the next time she was asked to help.
On a side-note, the Forest was intrigued by how the newly-named "Rumil" (after a legendary Elven Hero who was said to have invented both writing and mathematics; the Yuadore parents had planned to name a daughter "Rachel," after the sole surviving Elven Seer) reacted to getting to see visible light for the first time - one part terror, one part wonder-and-awe… and after a bit of time to recover, a reflexive tendency to search for his mom and dad's faces.
By the turn's end, Mrs. Yuadore finally recovered enough to ask whether it would be safe for her to have a fourth baby. (She had been an only child, and wanted at least five.) Marta Yarrow stared at her for a moment - a mixture of admiration and disbelief running across her face - before shaking her head and replying, "The healing went well and you're recovering well. No reason why not."
(Net: -7 Resources.)
One Tree ensured that everyone was well-fed throughout - and helped significantly with the celebratory feast afterwards. As this was the end of the Harvest, nobody would have gone hungry, regardless, but the Tree made sure that food was plentiful and delicious. This was much appreciated! Though it led to Ben Grimm and Henry Miller begging for a new supply of earthworm-flavored-apples, so they could reenact their old contest - this time, they tied.
Another Tree ensured that Nuts of all kinds were in plentiful supply - though the majority of that Tree's work was kept and carefully stored by the Forest (or occasionally the Squirrels).
During this celebratory feast, a third Tree tried to arrange for Marta Yarrow to meet Zach, Alex, and Peter - the three individuals from Irn who seem like plausible romantic pairings for her. Sadly, Granny Miller was in Talanburg and unable to assist much. And things went… Well, even now, the Forest hasn't quite figured out what went wrong! Zach heard about Marta and tried to befriend her - but tried to befriend her too quickly, you think? And she was still mentally exhausted? Alex managed to insult her unintentionally, and Peter saw enough of "everything that had just happened" and decided to outright avoid her - which she noticed and stomped off in a rage.
In the middle of this, the proto-Music-Tree tried to play a love-song, but instead played "nails on a chalkboard, with rhythmic variation, in eight-part harmony."
…Is this what Two-Legs call a "Romantic Comedy"?
The Ancient Tall Communications Tree had unusual difficulty contacting the Trees that were away from the Forest. Perhaps the oncoming storm is to blame? The growing pair of Relay Trees did what they could, but the result was nothing more than a handful of messages - barely enough to communicate the basic plans (and results) for the turn. Still, it was nice to Connect, even if only barely.
The Unpredictable Tree made it to Citadel Taur, and had a trigger-happy guard give him an impromptu lesson in 'Fletching, And Why Mundane Arrows Are Minimally Effective On Trees.' A few brief conversations later, and he got a talk with the local Adventurer's Guild. They, for their part, weren't sure how to handle a Tree, but were glad to give directions - by road - to the Uzu. (They might figure out what to do by next time - or they might not; they danced around giving their word when asked.) The Uzu - who are one very large extended family plus all relatives plus anybody else who wants to join and makes themselves useful - mostly live in and around the Silent Pool, a vast lake a few days' travel to the southeast of Citadel Taur.
The Unpredictable Tree made it there, with minimal effort, but just as the buildings of Silent Pool Town were visible in the distance, was stopped on the path.
"Halt! Who - and what! - goes there?" a guard asked.
"Greetings, travelers!" said the Unpredictable Tree. "I am the wandering adventurer Ulmus Tamarisk, from distant lands. Perhaps you've heard of me? I travel the world, righting wrongs and helping those in need. Do any of you need any help? Or know of anyone nearby who does? Perhaps a princess kidnapped by vampires, or a dark wizard oppressing the land with his fell magics? Ancient evil artifacts that need to be disposed of? Deadly monsters running amok?"
The guard looked baffled, but walked into a small guard-shack by the roadside and struck a loud gong, four times, with a specific tempo. Then he walked back out and said, "Someone'll be here shortly. Don't move forward on the path until you're specifically invited unless you want to die - or be humiliated if you're lucky. Don't leave the path unless you want your death to be memorable. The Uzu Family takes no responsibility for accidental activations of traps, current or historical, and have a specific dispensation from the League to 'freely practice our trapmaking craft' within ten miles of our home with no permitted outside interference. You wait time…" Here, he squinted off into the distance. "…Should be here in about half an hour, maybe an hour and change if you're unlucky. Not less than ten minutes, or I'd see them already."
The Unpredictable Tree started asking questions, and got more answers here than at Citadel Taur. The Silent Pool was originally settled three centuries ago, by the extended family of one paranoid young trap-maker. The family had been fleeing one of those rare Vampire plots that the Last Star - a fixture of the world for nearly four centuries by that time - hadn't managed to shoot down yet. They found this quiet, silent pool, whose original name had been lost to history, and decided they'd fled far enough. No less than five Vampires met their end on the family's traps in the time since (though the guard wouldn't give an estimate on the number of 'left the path; suicide by idiocy' cases - but he did insist that his family always kept the sillest and least-deadly traps on the outskirts, to deter the merely-foolish).
The Tree also learned that copper, silver, and (for the rich) gold coins were standard around here - and "never accept any coins, without getting it checked first, unless they were minted by the official Shining Concord Mint, the First or Third or Eighth Larongo Banks, or maybe some of the older Phaeron coins - but turn down flat anything without reeding, because it's almost certainly been clipped and you're not getting your money's worth." A further question reveals that there have been sixteen major Larongo Banks last the guard checked, and a bunch of minor ones, and only that handful have coins that nobody's worked out how to counterfeit yet.
Eventually, the Unpredictable Tree was escorted into their town, and found that "Silent Pool" was no longer remotely accurate - with delighted shrieks echoing from one side to the other, as a large group of small children honed their running abilities with a massive game of tag. And that's on top of the normal bustle of a busy small town, with plenty of livestock - and, notably, occasional explosions from a few buildings far off to one side.
The Unpredictable Tree got the chance to meet their "Council of Elders" - which notably included two people in their upper twenties - and was eventually asked to do a few tasks.
First, they wanted to build a few new buildings, and wondered if a walking Tree could lift beams and stones better than most. "Yes, absolutely." The work wasn't glamorous, but it went by quickly enough, and gave the Uzu and the Unpredictable Tree the chance to get to know each other. Further, the Unpredictable Tree got an introduction to the local Gunpowder experts - who did all their work in that bunch of buildings offset from the rest of the town.
The next task - barely a task - involved relocating several Anthills, and absorbing one into the colony that the Unpredictable Tree already carried.
The task after was much more impressive. The Unpredictable Tree actually needed weeks to recuperate after taking down a wraith-like something, that seemed to be almost Void-like, and didn't seem to initially register the Unpredictable Tree at all! It was hunting travelers a few days' journey away, and had killed four and five guards that tried to apprehend or defeat it. Fortunately, the Unpredictable Tree wasn't easily killed by a few stab wounds - dealt by the thing's hands, completely bypassing any sort of Armor or even a weak Shield the old Unpredictable tried throwing up. Equally fortunately, it proved vulnerable - after half-a-dozen different attempts, including an attempted Connection that only returned maddened desire to "get inside" - to charging an Ant colony with Magic and asking them to coordinate to drive it off. This distracted it, but never for long - but it wound up tangible at the wrong moment and the Unpredictable Tree managed to flatten it.
"What was it?" the Tree asked upon returning.
"We have no name for it - and maybe it is truly Nameless, now if it wasn't before," was the only answer they had. "But things like that… they tend to damage the world if you're not careful."
"…If they're not careful, maybe?" pondered the Unpredictable Tree.
Only a shrug was given in reply.
The Unpredictable Tree - and only the Unpredictable Tree - may now choose one of the following:
[ ][Unpredictable Reward] Fast Travel Book
-Ask for instruction on any known method of Fast-Travel. They will recommend a book which will take (roughly) a half-turn for the Tree to access, and additional funds to fully copy, though there might be a quest along the way (to save time and add money).
[ ][Unpredictable Reward] Explosives Training
-Upgrade the bonus to both Gunpowder actions to be multiplicative with all other modifiers, and gain an (additive) +50% bonus to building larger rockets.
[ ][Unpredictable Reward] Trapping Training
-A true Uzu specialty! Unlocks a 10-point Research-or-Growth-or-Survival Action to multiply effectiveness of Thorns by x2. Further upgrades will be possible.
[ ][Unpredictable Reward] Save it for later
[ ][Unpredictable Reward] Write-in
(Author's Note: Also, Phigment, please also tell me three or four items that you'd want to purchase first, so I can easily handle that as well. …Technically, you could also try investing or trading money, though without the full Mind of the Forest behind you, you would be "slightly luckier, and no smarter, than average.")
(Author's Note, ctd: I should be able to write about 3 paragraphs - two for adventure and one for rewards - for future Unpredictable Adventuring. Good thinking, Phigment! I wrote a bit extra to set up the Uzu, this time, but that shouldn't be as necessary in the future. I think I also made this turn a bit more lucrative than it should have been, though not that much.)
Meanwhile, the Unpredictable Tree's ploy to lure away the League delegation (Taur and allies) had failed. The Mad Science Tree showed up partway through the turn, found a location close to the Ant Colony that would let it pretend to have "always been there," and got down to brass tacks with Ant Science!
The Mad Science Tree wished for a Sensing Tree - because it was almost certain it felt an as-yet-unidentified energy signature on the edge of its senses. It was… almost familiar?
But, otherwise, the turn was highly productive. While the Tree was ultimately unable to keep a Connection with the Ants - they were completely willing and easy enough to Connect to, but their Hive-Mind had an intense reflexive hostile reaction to touching a Mind that was different from their own - they were apologetic for the minor damage, and the other discussions and experiments were far more effective.
Both sides initially prioritized metaphorical low-hanging fruit, and the Forest's Ants were able to teach the Colony Ants a few basic Magics that they had (until now) lacked. The Mad Science Tree, for its part, learned a ton about Earth (for a major bonus to Earth Magic) and a bit about the gathering of Resources. The Tree also met (well, got a chance to see) the locals that the Ants consider their friends - some were distant descendants of the Fairy that Blessed the Ants.
On the verge of the turn's end, the Communications Tree finally got a good enough Connection to at least share all the gained knowledge on Resource-gathering techniques.
And, around the same time, the Unpredictable Tree was warned about the Malice Storm - which it already felt brewing, as did the Uzu - and told to be careful.
The Forest blitzed its way through the Well-Ordered Mind project, and finished it in a single turn. The Forest invested in building an actual Mindscape - which has proven capable of hindering (though not stopping) the Illusionary power of the Shadow-Spinners. The Forest's Mindscape is - currently - a vast warren, scaled-up from the memories of the many Creatures, with a massive Light hanging in each cavern. Trees stay in the different imaginary Caverns, and can easily shift memories around between Caverns and smaller nooks.
The current form of the Mindscape seems decently effective - experiments have proven it far better than the Forest just imagining itself directly. Further, it seems to leverage the "separate yet individual" nature of the Forest acceptably well. But it's marginally counterintuitive to the Forest, and far from impossible to bypass, shortcut, or generally "ignore the rules of."
As part of the process, the Forest spent a lot of time meditating - a Forest specialty - and coming to terms with the many many events and physical and emotional transitions of the last two years.
Additionally, the Forest practiced having one Tree think, and a second Tree watch it think. This can, if used carefully, bypass many Illusion and Mind-Affecting techniques. The Forest has it standard for a handful of Trees to practice at all times, which will hopefully cut down further on the effectiveness of Illusions.
All things considered, the Forest should be able to think a bit more clearly now. (+5% to Research. 19.06 overflow to Salamandastron)
Two Trees seeking to start a Fire/Life Negacion, one seeking to start a Life/Death Negacion, and one researching Natural Magic, all made minimal progress at their goals - but came up with various ideas that were helpful to the Salamandastron project. (Cumulative: +7 base successes.)
The Forest made amazing progress at Salamandastron! On the downside, the full Salamandastron project is clearly larger and more difficult than you'd feared. On the upside, the Lesser Fire Salamander is now able to handle the winter months gracefully (as long as it isn't snowing/etc.), and your other Creatures are noticeably more cold-resistant than they had been. Your Creatures should need yet-fewer Resources this winter. In particular, nearly the entirety of the Beavers and the Bees have learned Ice Magic to at least the Novice level - and several of each have learned Competent for good measure.
The Lesser Fire Salamander has achieved Dabbling Ice/Fire Negacion, and it's now just a matter of practice for it to gain Competency at Ice/Fire Negacion. Lots, and lots, and lots of practice. That said, it's spent several hours outside on a particularly cold night, and it says it's ready to endure the winter and the Forest doesn't need to assist further (aside from being present to give pointers). Of course, it would hardly turn down more help if you want to…
One additional bit of good news: between watching the Creatures learn Ice, and noticing and Incorporating a bit of Frost-Fern that Marta Yarrow had, finishing Salamandastron should also increase Forest's Ice Magic to Journeyman.
The Forest is almost halfway done with learning Fire/Water Negacion. The Forest has been able to puzzle out the full effect list, as this is the Forest's third Negacion, and second involving Fire. Fire Resistance will double, Ice Resistance will slightly increase, Water Resistance will reach 4x, Fire attacks will ignore Water penalties and be even harder to put out, "Shaping the Fire Within" bonus increases to +35% (from +25%), an immediate major bonus towards learning Vapor/Steam Magic, upgrades to the Fire Within attack, and Drowning resistance for your Creatures.
The Forest made progress - but reached no critical milestones - on Incorporated Growth (started this turn), Research Advanced Movement (same), Magical Construct Analysis (just over a quarter done), Veritas (same), Incorporating Sporing Mushrooms (a hair over halfway done), and Monster Energy (more than 3/4ths of the way to starting to work with the Energy).
(As a side-note, one of the Trees working on Veritas had fallen asleep meditating many months ago, and the Forest was glad to have it back!)
The Forest attempted - but through sheer bad luck made no progress at - Designing Magic Weapons and Armor and Studying Illusions.
As usual, the Forest gathered large amounts of Resources - far more than expenditures - and continued to feed the Bees. Said Bees are, after learning Ice Magic, expected to remain active (if, perhaps, slightly reduced in effectiveness) throughout the winter! (Also, there is now a rule for Bee bonus per Feed The Swarm progress.)
The Elder Weather Tree has no problem at all manipulating the weather further, for the good of the Forest (and friends). The weather this turn was ridiculously easy to work with, but that didn't stop the Tree from optimizing it as far as possible. This further assisted Newton Village's (frantic) crop recovery. (Max Rain and Shine activated. +30% to Growth.)
The Bees saw only one Action that was on the verge of completion - and it hadn't been started yet, having only just been unlocked earlier this turn. But they threw themselves into it with gusto anyway, and managed to fully design the Elder Defender Ent. It doubles all base base capabilities, and gains a bunch of detachable Roots that can burrow, bind any nearby enemies, and even perform decent impersonations of snakes (poison included, if desired). It also gains a limited light-warping capability allowing it access to Lasers (Forest bonuses apply only if nearby). Finally, it gains inbuilt Beehives and contributes +10% to the max Bee attack successes per turn and effectiveness. You will note, after all, that this Tree was designed by Bees… (Inbuilt weapons increased to: Spikes, Ice/Fire, Pollen, its own limbs, Roots, Light, Bees.)
The Forest upgraded its Mining Tree to Elder, with considerable room to spare, and already it's dug up multiple lots of Linestone. It also granted a small bonus to the Shelters action, and - additionally - it's prepared and ready for any fight to break out. Any enemy seeking to attack this one lone Tree is going to be unpleasantly surprised… (7.04 overflow to Relay Trees.)
With some effort, and some overflow from the Mining Tree work, the Forest grew 2 of the proposed 4 Relay Trees. It will take one turn for the first to find a good spot (-40% contact difficulty), and another turn for the second (-80% contact difficulty) - or, if the Forest builds more Relays, soon, they might all keep traveling towards the Ants so that the full Relay chain comes online as soon as possible…
One Tree planned to ask the Last Star several questions, but set things up so as to not actually go through with it. The Last Star didn't immediately answer.
A day or two later, however, as a different Tree struggled to comprehend the odd rhythmic sensation that the Sensing Trees are picking up (the roughly-but-not-exactly once-per-day pulse), that other Tree asked a slightly-rude question of the Last Star.
And the Star answered, but instead of sending the information to the Forest directly, they targeted one of the en-route Relay Trees: - .. -- . .-- .- ...- . / .. -. -. --- -.-. .-... .--. --- ... ... .. -... .... . .-. --- / ... - .-. .- .-- -... . .-. -... .-.. ..- . -... . .-. .-... .--. .. -. . .- .--. .--. / -.-. --- .-. .-. ..- .--. - .. --- -.
The four statements seem to be answering: rhythm source, Sara, Last Star's favorite fruits, and a note about the upcoming Nemesis attack (presumably, anti-Corruption protocols would be the ideal counter?).
(As a side-note, the GM does not guarantee that the info you're getting from the Last Star is perfectly accurate. The GM does guarantee that it's every bit as terse and summarized as it looks.)
The same Tree also tried to figure out what was up with the Forest's Sensing Trees. While it made little progress at the goal, it did make a bit of progress analyzing Monster Energy.
The Tree researching Rocketry seems to have adequate safety protocols for gunpowder testing, and has proven it through a dozen attempts. Progress beyond basic gunpowder fireworks has been minimal, so far - though, obviously, far more could be done with those.
Another Tree had great success carefully looking into Explosive Buds and Nuts (and modest success looking into Explosive Flowers), and ultimately sparked two new ideas for projects: One to get primitive firearms working (inspired by certain volumes - and one or two actual firearms - in Talanburg), and one to improve the Forest's defenses. Additionally, all the Thorns have been passively updated to explode upon impaling a genuine enemy - they're very weakly explosive, so this isn't a tremendous damage multiplier, but it's still quite the improvement.
If you want to use Gunpowder a lot though, you'll have to start looking into a stable supply of all the components…
One Tree, thinking way ahead, decided to skip past researching Truth and jump straight to a Truth/Lie Negacion. The idea is definitely sound, and the Tree came up with a bunch of ways to potentially implement it, so the project should be a simple matter of steady research now. Incidentally, little Newt Yuadore was a surprising help in studying Truth - he was at the stage where he had no verbal filter and would be painfully honest about what he thought. Ranging from "It's too cold" to "You look fat" to "Why is Mommy dying, Daddy?" (Thankfully, the answer to the last one was, "she isn't - if only barely.") With some compliments thrown in there - no sincere appreciation quite matches that of someone who doesn't understand flattery or politeness.
One Tree attempted to understand Sound. Luck was heavily against it, but it put in an extraordinary effort, and managed to acquire Dabbling Sound by sheer determination anyway. Another Magic for the Forest to Learn…
One Tree figured out how to greatly boost the Laser Beams' tendency to start Fires, by imbuing them with Fire Magic.
One attempt to investigate Severing Magic, and another to organize the Forest's data, only resulted in modest progress to Ending Magic. (Base successes: 1.5 from Severing and 0.5 from Organize.)
The Fungi Tree managed to get the Fungi to automatically grab Malachite along with their Linestone Mining - which is, thanks to the Elder Mining Tree, now automatic.
The Magical Biology Tree made significant progress (+4 successes base) on Magical Weapons and Armor. It hasn't figured out Living Armor designs yet - rather, all it managed was getting a good grip on "workable armor designs, with variable amounts of allowed flexing."
One Tree managed to find and devour another Boar, and thanks to said Tree's previous experience with Bone, was able to unlock the first glimmers of Bone Magic. It theoretically also gathered a few Resources, but those were spent between the hunt and battle and analysis.
The Deer, Beavers, and Bears helped you upgrade another Lens Tree up to Elder! It was finished late in the turn, and not able to help everything, this turn. But it should be fully active and ready to assist all Growth (and Survival) next Turn. The small amount of overflow went to Growing the Relay Trees.
Actions, Turn 29:
Note: A fantastic insight grants you +5% on all Communication actions. The Speaking Tree in Newton Village grants you +10% on all Communication actions, and an additional +10% when interacting with Minds. The Sensing Trees grant +5% each on all Communication actions, and reduce range penalties when present. The Speakers for the Forest (Ben and Betty Grimm) each grant +10% to all Communication actions, and an additional +5% with Two-Legs. Total: +45% base, +20% extra with Minds.
Comms:
[ ][Action] Reach Out to Minds (Psychic)
-Successes sort-of stack. You're not sure how difficult this will be. Better results if more successful. Possibility of finding "there's nothing within X miles" - but even something like that will be good to know.
-This ignores Newton Village and the people thereof.
[ ][Action] Connect to Local Wildlife (Psychic)
-Bears - heavy combat? Birds - scouts? Worms - growth bonus? You know you've seen all these; you have only vague ideas on what to do with them.
-Feel free to write in a specific request. The Forest can easily target specific classes of animals.
-Anything that Newton Village is familiar with is discounted 50% in difficulty due to them helping you understand the creatures.
-Monsters are harder to reach than normal animals. If you want to grab a specific monster, have your animals locate it first.
-0.7 unspecified successes banked.
-1.25 of ??? successes towards Birds of Prey (will resolve to something more specific).
-999i out of 816543.27 successes towards Shadow Spinners.
[ ][Action] Incorporated Growth
-The Forest has done extensive Research on merging other Trees with the Forest. But the Communication-specialists haven't fully attuned to this project.
-When completed, Growth Incorporated (Grow the Forest automatic successes per turn) will gain a bonus equal to 10% of the Forest's Specialized Dice in Communication (currently 70*10%=7).
-4.84 of 42 successes
[ ][Action] Investigate Andrewsburg
-Root out any Woo Clan operatives in Andrewsburg - preferably before they sabotage negotiations this time…
-0 of 9 successes
Comms:
[ ][Action] Reach Out to Minds (Psychic)
-Successes sort-of stack. You're not sure how difficult this will be. Better results if more successful. Possibility of finding "there's nothing within X miles" - but even something like that will be good to know.
-This ignores Newton Village and the people thereof.
[ ][Action] Connect to Local Wildlife (Psychic)
-Bears - heavy combat? Birds - scouts? Worms - growth bonus? You know you've seen all these; you have only vague ideas on what to do with them.
-Feel free to write in a specific request. The Forest can easily target specific classes of animals.
-Anything that Newton Village is familiar with is discounted 50% in difficulty due to them helping you understand the creatures.
-Monsters are harder to reach than normal animals. If you want to grab a specific monster, have your animals locate it first.
-0.7 unspecified successes banked.
-1.25 of ??? successes towards Birds of Prey (will resolve to something more specific).
-999i out of 816543.27 successes towards Shadow Spinners.
[ ][Action] Incorporated Growth
-The Forest has done extensive Research on merging other Trees with the Forest. But the Communication-specialists haven't fully attuned to this project.
-When completed, Growth Incorporated (Grow the Forest automatic successes per turn) will gain a bonus equal to 10% of the Forest's Specialized Dice in Communication (currently 70*10%=7).
-4.84 of 42 successes
[ ][Action] Investigate Andrewsburg
-Root out any Woo Clan operatives in Andrewsburg - preferably before they sabotage negotiations this time…
-0 of 9 successes
Note: Your Wise Trees grant you +50% on Research actions. Your Laser Computer grants you +20% on Research actions, and a +15% extra bonus when Overcharged (consuming 4 Resources per turn; this will currently be activated if the turn will still have a net Resource gain). Your Well-Ordered Mind grants +5%. Typically this totals +90%.
Focus: Any Focus action directed towards Research gains +6 auto-successes from Clever Trees.
(Destructive Testing: If you have access to an enemy and wish to perform destructive testing, vote for the Research action as usual but put in a subvote on the next line like "-[X] Destructive Testing on <Enemy>". This will neither help nor hinder the Research, but may cause a bit of bonus damage to the enemy. This will be limited to combinations that make sense.)
Currently locked: Research Elder Sensing Trees (Magic Biology Research). The Forest will need to - at minimum - spend a year or so using the current Sensing Trees OR invent multiple interesting new methods of sensing, before making significant upgrades.
-0 of 5 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of Special Tree to Elder Special Tree
[ ][Action] Research Elder Speaker Tree (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Elder Unusual Lumber Tree (Magic Biology Research)
-0 of 8 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of unique Special Tree to unique Elder Special Tree
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Lens Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Shield Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Void Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Weather Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Mining Tree (Magic Biology Research)
-Further options will unlock when you grow at least one Elder of that type
-0 of 10 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of Elder Special Tree to Ancient Special Tree
[ ][Action] Water/Fire Negacion (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has grown skilled with both Water and Fire. Time to learn how to combine them!
-Difficulty reduced by 10% by prior Tree knowledge of Water and/or Fire (particularly Fire Magic at Journeyman skill), and an additional 25% from understanding of Fire Negacion from finishing Ice/Fire Negacion. Basic difficulty: 110.
-33.94 of 71.5 progress
Currently locked: Truth/Lie Negacion (Magic Elements) - get Truth and Lies both to Competent to unlock
[ ][Action] Hevel (Magic Elements)
-You have some familiarity with Steam and Vapor; time to study them further.
-This should boost the Weather Trees noticeably, as well as increasing your Steam Magic to Competent.
-This gains +20% bonus from the Elder Weather Tree.
-6.76 of 23 successes
[ ][Action] Monster Energy (Magic Biology Research) (Biology Research) (Magic) (Esoteric Research)
-Initially, you discovered a way for the Sensing Trees to detect the source of Monster Energy. You now have the ability to detect Monsters, through virtually any stealth, at quite some range.
-But now that you can detect it reliably, why not go further and research it, too! You believe that you can (at least mostly?) cut (most?) friendly Monsters off from the corruption of their powers, and possibly even weaken still-hostile Monsters at range.
-This gains +10% from the Dire Bat, +20% from the Lesser Fire Salamander, and +30% from the Lesser Wraith. +60% cumulative.
-80.25 of 35/100/??? Successes
[ ][Action] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
-Your Elder Empty Tree needs to be defended. But it seems to exist in an undetectable world adjacent(?) to ordinary space. Of course, this particular challenge is also a potential opportunity: a way to Grow somewhere that the majority of your current foes probably can't easily access, and might or might not even know exists.
-This will require use of Void Magic.
-The first stage is fortifications and Elder Void Tree defenses, and the second is preliminary exploration of the Void.
-This has a +25% bonus from Ben Grimm's brainstorming, and a +50% bonus from the Void maybe-Stegosaurus. Any Empty Veil overflow will contribute half (with Empty Veil modifiers) to this action.
-51.27 of 60/80 successes
[ ][Action] Lethal Pollen (Magic Biology Research)
-The Forest has a rough theory on creating an Annoying Pollen variant capable of clogging any breathing-Creature's airways across about ten to twenty minutes.
-This would produce an indiscriminate - but tremendously-effective - anti-army attack.
-This upgrade could, of course, be turned back off (or deliberately weakened) as desired.
-0.6 of 15 successes
[ ][Action] Magic-Drain (Magic Research)
-The Lesser Wraith steals its Magic and Energy from others. While you probably won't be able to gain the same effectiveness it has (or at least not easily), it would only make sense to try to replicate the ability.
-Adds a new attack, which probably won't be super-effective but any success should grant free successes-or-dice to other attacks (for instance Laser). Adds a new enchanting option, to make an enchantment draw from enemies. Unlocks options for trying to buff the shield to steal Magic from anything attacking it.
-0 of 30 successes
[ ][Action] Magical Construct Analysis (Magic Research)
-The Lesser Wraith is a life-form made entirely of Magic. While it is fairly complex, managing a simpler version shouldn't be that hard.
-Adds an option for sending a packet of energy to act as a very-long-range spell. Enables homing spells (without the Forest specifically controlling them). Enables Spells that perform basic logic without further commands on the Forest's part. Unlocks a new project to learn to create a Creature of Magic - a less energy-intensive Magical assistant commonly created and used by skilled Mages.
-10.53 of 40 successes
[ ][Action] Flesh, Not of My Flesh (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
-Study Flesh, all the squishy squicky bits of all Animals. This includes muscles and ligaments and tendons and organs… and pretty much everything except Bone (and arguably skin, and probably hair and nails/claws?).
-This will raise your Flesh Magic rank to Competent. That will probably not benefit the Forest itself - aside from unlocking new projects and assisting Movement Research - but will benefit the Forest's Creatures (and Newton Village etc.) instead.
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying your Creatures plus Newton Village.
-13.6 of 50 successes
[ ][Action] Incorporate Plant <plant>
-Incorporate a plant into the Forest, at least enough to learn something from it. Everything gets a +20% bonus from extensive discussion with the Herbalist.
-0 of 15 successes - Aranion - mostly-mundane Healing (Mammals)
-0 of 15 successes - Poison Ivy - Annoying Pollen 3x effect, Lethal Pollen 1.5x effect
-0 of 15 - Magic Mushrooms - Adds optional drowsiness/delirium effect to Pollen attacks, which penalizes most further rolls by affected targets.
-0 of 15 - Fly Agaric (and other Mildly Poisonous Mushrooms) - Adds +50% to effects of Annoying Pollen.
-0 of 15 - Death Cap (and other Very Poisonous Mushrooms) - Requires Lethal Pollen; this will add +50% to the damage of Lethal Pollen.
-3.81 of 25 - Blackberries and Raspberries - Upgrades the cap on Thorns to be ForestSize^3; Thorns will now automatically grow at a rate of ForestSize autosuccesses per turn (with Growth multipliers); adds automatic food production during the summer (plus first month of fall and last of spring) (Newton Village will presumably preserve a chunk of these each year, and your Creatures will happily enjoy the rest).
-0 of 10 - Edible Mushrooms - A small bonus to food provision for Creatures and Newton Village; reduces Creature food requirements in winter.
-8.39 of 15 - Sporing Mushrooms - Permanent +5% to Grow the Forest.
-0 of 15 - Chemical Energy Storage (Onions, Potatoes, and several others) - Adds a storage of energy equal to (ForestSize^2)/2 that will fuel any nighttime Laser Usage and automatically recover from one Turn to the next (though not one Combat Round to the next).
-0 of 30 - Newton Village Crop Project, part 1 - Integrate a sample of each of Newton Village's crops. This will directly boost your ability to feed Creatures and/or Two-Legs at need, and will unlock a Growth-or-Communication project to integrate all of Newton Village's crops. (Integrating the crops is optional. The project will take 90 effective successes (between Communication and Growth), grant another steady stream of Newton Village Favors and add a 1-time bonus of 300 effective successes to Grow the Forest, but also oblige the Forest to take occasional Survival actions to assist Newton Village's crops.)
0 of 5 - Sunflowers - Allows the Forest to automatically purify soil of heavy metals and similar; if the Forest ever grows somewhere rich in those, it will be able to collect them for further usage.
0 of 20 - Clover - Via a symbiotic bacterium, Clover naturally adds nitrogen to the soil. Completing this project will automatically add 10% of all Active Specialized Growth Dice as a bonus to Grow the Forest each turn, and permanently add a +5% bonus to Store Resources.
-Feel free to suggest other options! There are a lot of good possibilities, though few massive gamechangers, and I'll add anything approved to this list.
[ ][Action] Salamandastron (Magic Elements) (Magic Research)
-Your Lesser Fire Salamander wants to become Competent in both Ice and Ice/Fire Negacion, which will significantly improve its ability to be comfortable in the winter. The first will make standard action possible during winter months, as long as it isn't actually snowing (or raining, freezing raining, etc.). The second will allow the Fire Salamander to ignore weather penalties altogether.
-Your other Creatures plan on learning some as well. Deer and Bees in particular.
-Between this Action and the Forest Incorporating a bit of Frost-Fern that Marta Yarrow had, the Forest's Ice Magic should also grow to Journeyman.
-This gains a +50% bonus during winter months, stacking multiplicatively with all other modifiers.
-91.02 of 75/250 successes
[ ][Action] Research Advanced Movement (Magic Elements) (Movement Research)
-You have studied Magical Movement and Mundane Movement alike. You are, despite being Trees, capable of moving rapidly. The whole Forest can pick up your collective Roots and Move elsewhere at need. But you can go further: currently, only the most skilled in Movement can walk around like a gargantuan Two-Legs; the Forest will not feel satisfied with its Movement abilities until Trees can copy this too. Also, while you're at it, why not design a Wheeled Tree form, for efficient distance movement?
-Reward: Boost to physical combat and movement. The Forest can easily and rapidly migrate as a whole. Possibility of Cart Trees if desired. Prereq for small Plants pretending to be Two-Legs.
-The Defender Ent grants +5% to this action.
-6.08 of 35 successes
[ ][Action] Design Magic Weapons and Armor (Magic Research)
-The Forest has spun off a few basic Magic Weapons and Armor for the Creatures. But the Forest hasn't deeply studied either. If a war is on the horizon… time to change that.
-The early stages will involve scanning Talanburg for books related to crafting Magic gear, and actual demonstrations thereof. (Depending on the terms you reach with Talanburg, you may eventually wish to compensate the sources.)
-Finishing this will unlock a Growth-or-Survival project to outfit your Creatures (and potentially Newton Village and/or any Irn Refugees) with high-quality Magic Weapons and Armor. You expect the results to include any available Magic Elements that the Forest has access to.
-8.11 of 50 successes
[ ][Action] Study Illusions (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has proven relatively weak to Illusions - particularly those of the widely-dreaded Shadow Spinners - and would like to learn how to counter them before any truly dangerous ones show up.
-This should grant the Forest skill Competent at both Illusions (Mental) and Illusions (Physical), along with a 1-rank Detection boost in each.
-Significant past experience with Illusions, practicing it themselves, and having extensive experience with Telepathy and the Minds of others, grants the Forest a good starting point on this project.
-Having Shadow Spinners to practice against grants +75% to this Action. Knowledge of Light/Darkness Negacion grants +25% to this Action, and a 1-rank boost to visual Illusions.
-45 of 120 successes
[ ][Action] Veritas (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has proven relatively weak to Illusions - particularly those of the widely-dreaded Shadow Spinners - and would like to learn how to counter them before any truly dangerous ones show up.
-This should grant the Forest skill Competent at Truth, plus whatever secondary benefits that ultimately entails.
-This gets a +25% bonus due to a small child's lack-of-filter.
-16.08 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] A Little Bit of Gravitas (Magic Elements)
-One of the Lumburglars left the Forest some notes on the Element of Gravity. Learn from this, to get Gravity to Competent.
-The notes grant +40% to all successes.
-0 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] Mortal, Finite, Temporary (Magic Elements)
-One of the Lumburglars left the Forest very good notes on the Element of Ending. Learn from this, to get Ending to Competent. Sadly, Ending is a relatively abstract Element and, while likely to be very useful, it isn't exactly easy to learn.
-The notes grant +70% to all successes. The Irn Refugees grant +15% to all successes.
-5.82 of 80 successes
[ ][Action] Between Silence and Music (Magic Elements)
-One Tree is particularly interested in Sound and various related things. This project will allow the Forest to gain Competent Sound Magic.
-Your Connections with many many Creatures natively capable of hearing, nullify your normal malus and grant a +25% bonus to this Action. The Speaking Tree grants an automatic +1 success per turn. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-15 of 64 successes
[ ][Action] The Earth Of Your Roots (Magic Elements)
-Improve Earth Magic from Novice to Competent - which is significantly easier for the Forest than most, with your long history of digging Roots into the stuff. It would be easier still if you also had the Sapient Ant Colony's insights…
-This has an x1.5 bonus (multiplicative) from the Forest's experience with the Earth. Once the Forest reconnects with the Mad Science Tree, this will gain an x1.5 bonus (multiplicative) to all Successes from the Ant Colony. This has a +10% bonus from the Elder Mining Tree. Current total: x1.5 multiplicative and +10% additive. The difficulty was reduced by 8 via advice from Old Man Materson.
-0 of 40 successes
[ ][Action] Fireworks, Gandalf!
-Put your Gunpowder research to work on fireworks. Not the most practical, maybe, but good entertainment. You'll have to substitute for some bits with Magic, probably, but between Newton and Talanburg you have a good chunk of the necessary knowledge-base.
-This would gain a +50% bonus if you managed a strong connection to the Unpredictable Tree…
-Every 5 successes will grant +1 success to Guns.
-9 of 10/30/75 successes for basic-fireworks, cool colorful shells, and "yeah I took lessons from Gandalf the Grey himself."
[ ][Action] Reverse-engineer Firearms
-You've worked with Gunpowder. You know - very vaguely - how Guns work. So start work on making the theoretical practical.
-This would gain a +50% bonus if you managed a strong connection to the Unpredictable Tree…
-You'll probably wind up needing to enchant the bullets if you're going up against a serious force of enemies (who will generally have Magical defenses) - but beating enemy warding/enchantment/armor is a lot easier when physics is on your side instead of theirs…
-Every 10 successes will grant +1 success to Fireworks.
-2 of 20/50/125 successes to primitive muskets, basic rifles, and a jury-rigged gatling-gun.
[ ][Action] Bone, Not of My Bone (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
-Study Bone, all the hard solid bits of all Animals. This includes cartilage.
-This will raise your Bone Magic rank to Competent. That will probably not benefit the Forest itself - aside from unlocking new projects and assisting Movement Research - but will benefit the Forest's Creatures (and Newton Village etc.) instead.
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying your Creatures plus Newton Village.
-5 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] What A Tangled Web We Weave (Magic Elements)
-Study Lies. (Or don't, but convince your fellows you are?)
-This will raise your Lie Magic rank to Competent.
-It would be an excellent idea to keep studying Lie Magic indefinitely, and never study Truth. Please do so! Also, do you know what would be great? If the world were so flooded with misinformation and biased reporting that people would start to give up on the possibility of truth! That would be FANTASTIC!!! … Wait. … Yeah, maybe ensure you don't get past Competent Lies without getting an equivalent Truth rank, huh?
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying the Shadow-Spinners.
-8 of 60 successes
Currently locked - get another 4 Competent-or-higher Elements and/or Negacions to unlock (16 total) - Analyze Fundamentals of Magic - Reflect on everything you've learned about Magic. Find the similarities between different Elements, and learn a little more (both nominal and intuitive) about Magic itself.
Focus: Any Focus action directed towards Research gains +6 auto-successes from Clever Trees.
(Destructive Testing: If you have access to an enemy and wish to perform destructive testing, vote for the Research action as usual but put in a subvote on the next line like "-[X] Destructive Testing on <Enemy>". This will neither help nor hinder the Research, but may cause a bit of bonus damage to the enemy. This will be limited to combinations that make sense.)
Currently locked: Research Elder Sensing Trees (Magic Biology Research). The Forest will need to - at minimum - spend a year or so using the current Sensing Trees OR invent multiple interesting new methods of sensing, before making significant upgrades.
-0 of 5 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of Special Tree to Elder Special Tree
[ ][Action] Research Elder Speaker Tree (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Elder Unusual Lumber Tree (Magic Biology Research)
-0 of 8 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of unique Special Tree to unique Elder Special Tree
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Lens Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Shield Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Void Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Weather Trees (Magic Biology Research)
[ ][Action] Research Ancient Mining Tree (Magic Biology Research)
-Further options will unlock when you grow at least one Elder of that type
-0 of 10 successes per category; enables upgrading one type of Elder Special Tree to Ancient Special Tree
[ ][Action] Water/Fire Negacion (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has grown skilled with both Water and Fire. Time to learn how to combine them!
-Difficulty reduced by 10% by prior Tree knowledge of Water and/or Fire (particularly Fire Magic at Journeyman skill), and an additional 25% from understanding of Fire Negacion from finishing Ice/Fire Negacion. Basic difficulty: 110.
-33.94 of 71.5 progress
Currently locked: Truth/Lie Negacion (Magic Elements) - get Truth and Lies both to Competent to unlock
[ ][Action] Hevel (Magic Elements)
-You have some familiarity with Steam and Vapor; time to study them further.
-This should boost the Weather Trees noticeably, as well as increasing your Steam Magic to Competent.
-This gains +20% bonus from the Elder Weather Tree.
-6.76 of 23 successes
[ ][Action] Monster Energy (Magic Biology Research) (Biology Research) (Magic) (Esoteric Research)
-Initially, you discovered a way for the Sensing Trees to detect the source of Monster Energy. You now have the ability to detect Monsters, through virtually any stealth, at quite some range.
-But now that you can detect it reliably, why not go further and research it, too! You believe that you can (at least mostly?) cut (most?) friendly Monsters off from the corruption of their powers, and possibly even weaken still-hostile Monsters at range.
-This gains +10% from the Dire Bat, +20% from the Lesser Fire Salamander, and +30% from the Lesser Wraith. +60% cumulative.
-80.25 of 35/100/??? Successes
[ ][Action] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
-Your Elder Empty Tree needs to be defended. But it seems to exist in an undetectable world adjacent(?) to ordinary space. Of course, this particular challenge is also a potential opportunity: a way to Grow somewhere that the majority of your current foes probably can't easily access, and might or might not even know exists.
-This will require use of Void Magic.
-The first stage is fortifications and Elder Void Tree defenses, and the second is preliminary exploration of the Void.
-This has a +25% bonus from Ben Grimm's brainstorming, and a +50% bonus from the Void maybe-Stegosaurus. Any Empty Veil overflow will contribute half (with Empty Veil modifiers) to this action.
-51.27 of 60/80 successes
[ ][Action] Lethal Pollen (Magic Biology Research)
-The Forest has a rough theory on creating an Annoying Pollen variant capable of clogging any breathing-Creature's airways across about ten to twenty minutes.
-This would produce an indiscriminate - but tremendously-effective - anti-army attack.
-This upgrade could, of course, be turned back off (or deliberately weakened) as desired.
-0.6 of 15 successes
[ ][Action] Magic-Drain (Magic Research)
-The Lesser Wraith steals its Magic and Energy from others. While you probably won't be able to gain the same effectiveness it has (or at least not easily), it would only make sense to try to replicate the ability.
-Adds a new attack, which probably won't be super-effective but any success should grant free successes-or-dice to other attacks (for instance Laser). Adds a new enchanting option, to make an enchantment draw from enemies. Unlocks options for trying to buff the shield to steal Magic from anything attacking it.
-0 of 30 successes
[ ][Action] Magical Construct Analysis (Magic Research)
-The Lesser Wraith is a life-form made entirely of Magic. While it is fairly complex, managing a simpler version shouldn't be that hard.
-Adds an option for sending a packet of energy to act as a very-long-range spell. Enables homing spells (without the Forest specifically controlling them). Enables Spells that perform basic logic without further commands on the Forest's part. Unlocks a new project to learn to create a Creature of Magic - a less energy-intensive Magical assistant commonly created and used by skilled Mages.
-10.53 of 40 successes
[ ][Action] Flesh, Not of My Flesh (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
-Study Flesh, all the squishy squicky bits of all Animals. This includes muscles and ligaments and tendons and organs… and pretty much everything except Bone (and arguably skin, and probably hair and nails/claws?).
-This will raise your Flesh Magic rank to Competent. That will probably not benefit the Forest itself - aside from unlocking new projects and assisting Movement Research - but will benefit the Forest's Creatures (and Newton Village etc.) instead.
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying your Creatures plus Newton Village.
-13.6 of 50 successes
[ ][Action] Incorporate Plant <plant>
-Incorporate a plant into the Forest, at least enough to learn something from it. Everything gets a +20% bonus from extensive discussion with the Herbalist.
-0 of 15 successes - Aranion - mostly-mundane Healing (Mammals)
-0 of 15 successes - Poison Ivy - Annoying Pollen 3x effect, Lethal Pollen 1.5x effect
-0 of 15 - Magic Mushrooms - Adds optional drowsiness/delirium effect to Pollen attacks, which penalizes most further rolls by affected targets.
-0 of 15 - Fly Agaric (and other Mildly Poisonous Mushrooms) - Adds +50% to effects of Annoying Pollen.
-0 of 15 - Death Cap (and other Very Poisonous Mushrooms) - Requires Lethal Pollen; this will add +50% to the damage of Lethal Pollen.
-3.81 of 25 - Blackberries and Raspberries - Upgrades the cap on Thorns to be ForestSize^3; Thorns will now automatically grow at a rate of ForestSize autosuccesses per turn (with Growth multipliers); adds automatic food production during the summer (plus first month of fall and last of spring) (Newton Village will presumably preserve a chunk of these each year, and your Creatures will happily enjoy the rest).
-0 of 10 - Edible Mushrooms - A small bonus to food provision for Creatures and Newton Village; reduces Creature food requirements in winter.
-8.39 of 15 - Sporing Mushrooms - Permanent +5% to Grow the Forest.
-0 of 15 - Chemical Energy Storage (Onions, Potatoes, and several others) - Adds a storage of energy equal to (ForestSize^2)/2 that will fuel any nighttime Laser Usage and automatically recover from one Turn to the next (though not one Combat Round to the next).
-0 of 30 - Newton Village Crop Project, part 1 - Integrate a sample of each of Newton Village's crops. This will directly boost your ability to feed Creatures and/or Two-Legs at need, and will unlock a Growth-or-Communication project to integrate all of Newton Village's crops. (Integrating the crops is optional. The project will take 90 effective successes (between Communication and Growth), grant another steady stream of Newton Village Favors and add a 1-time bonus of 300 effective successes to Grow the Forest, but also oblige the Forest to take occasional Survival actions to assist Newton Village's crops.)
0 of 5 - Sunflowers - Allows the Forest to automatically purify soil of heavy metals and similar; if the Forest ever grows somewhere rich in those, it will be able to collect them for further usage.
0 of 20 - Clover - Via a symbiotic bacterium, Clover naturally adds nitrogen to the soil. Completing this project will automatically add 10% of all Active Specialized Growth Dice as a bonus to Grow the Forest each turn, and permanently add a +5% bonus to Store Resources.
-Feel free to suggest other options! There are a lot of good possibilities, though few massive gamechangers, and I'll add anything approved to this list.
[ ][Action] Salamandastron (Magic Elements) (Magic Research)
-Your Lesser Fire Salamander wants to become Competent in both Ice and Ice/Fire Negacion, which will significantly improve its ability to be comfortable in the winter. The first will make standard action possible during winter months, as long as it isn't actually snowing (or raining, freezing raining, etc.). The second will allow the Fire Salamander to ignore weather penalties altogether.
-Your other Creatures plan on learning some as well. Deer and Bees in particular.
-Between this Action and the Forest Incorporating a bit of Frost-Fern that Marta Yarrow had, the Forest's Ice Magic should also grow to Journeyman.
-This gains a +50% bonus during winter months, stacking multiplicatively with all other modifiers.
-91.02 of 75/250 successes
[ ][Action] Research Advanced Movement (Magic Elements) (Movement Research)
-You have studied Magical Movement and Mundane Movement alike. You are, despite being Trees, capable of moving rapidly. The whole Forest can pick up your collective Roots and Move elsewhere at need. But you can go further: currently, only the most skilled in Movement can walk around like a gargantuan Two-Legs; the Forest will not feel satisfied with its Movement abilities until Trees can copy this too. Also, while you're at it, why not design a Wheeled Tree form, for efficient distance movement?
-Reward: Boost to physical combat and movement. The Forest can easily and rapidly migrate as a whole. Possibility of Cart Trees if desired. Prereq for small Plants pretending to be Two-Legs.
-The Defender Ent grants +5% to this action.
-6.08 of 35 successes
[ ][Action] Design Magic Weapons and Armor (Magic Research)
-The Forest has spun off a few basic Magic Weapons and Armor for the Creatures. But the Forest hasn't deeply studied either. If a war is on the horizon… time to change that.
-The early stages will involve scanning Talanburg for books related to crafting Magic gear, and actual demonstrations thereof. (Depending on the terms you reach with Talanburg, you may eventually wish to compensate the sources.)
-Finishing this will unlock a Growth-or-Survival project to outfit your Creatures (and potentially Newton Village and/or any Irn Refugees) with high-quality Magic Weapons and Armor. You expect the results to include any available Magic Elements that the Forest has access to.
-8.11 of 50 successes
[ ][Action] Study Illusions (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has proven relatively weak to Illusions - particularly those of the widely-dreaded Shadow Spinners - and would like to learn how to counter them before any truly dangerous ones show up.
-This should grant the Forest skill Competent at both Illusions (Mental) and Illusions (Physical), along with a 1-rank Detection boost in each.
-Significant past experience with Illusions, practicing it themselves, and having extensive experience with Telepathy and the Minds of others, grants the Forest a good starting point on this project.
-Having Shadow Spinners to practice against grants +75% to this Action. Knowledge of Light/Darkness Negacion grants +25% to this Action, and a 1-rank boost to visual Illusions.
-45 of 120 successes
[ ][Action] Veritas (Magic Elements)
-The Forest has proven relatively weak to Illusions - particularly those of the widely-dreaded Shadow Spinners - and would like to learn how to counter them before any truly dangerous ones show up.
-This should grant the Forest skill Competent at Truth, plus whatever secondary benefits that ultimately entails.
-This gets a +25% bonus due to a small child's lack-of-filter.
-16.08 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] A Little Bit of Gravitas (Magic Elements)
-One of the Lumburglars left the Forest some notes on the Element of Gravity. Learn from this, to get Gravity to Competent.
-The notes grant +40% to all successes.
-0 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] Mortal, Finite, Temporary (Magic Elements)
-One of the Lumburglars left the Forest very good notes on the Element of Ending. Learn from this, to get Ending to Competent. Sadly, Ending is a relatively abstract Element and, while likely to be very useful, it isn't exactly easy to learn.
-The notes grant +70% to all successes. The Irn Refugees grant +15% to all successes.
-5.82 of 80 successes
[ ][Action] Between Silence and Music (Magic Elements)
-One Tree is particularly interested in Sound and various related things. This project will allow the Forest to gain Competent Sound Magic.
-Your Connections with many many Creatures natively capable of hearing, nullify your normal malus and grant a +25% bonus to this Action. The Speaking Tree grants an automatic +1 success per turn. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-15 of 64 successes
[ ][Action] The Earth Of Your Roots (Magic Elements)
-Improve Earth Magic from Novice to Competent - which is significantly easier for the Forest than most, with your long history of digging Roots into the stuff. It would be easier still if you also had the Sapient Ant Colony's insights…
-This has an x1.5 bonus (multiplicative) from the Forest's experience with the Earth. Once the Forest reconnects with the Mad Science Tree, this will gain an x1.5 bonus (multiplicative) to all Successes from the Ant Colony. This has a +10% bonus from the Elder Mining Tree. Current total: x1.5 multiplicative and +10% additive. The difficulty was reduced by 8 via advice from Old Man Materson.
-0 of 40 successes
[ ][Action] Fireworks, Gandalf!
-Put your Gunpowder research to work on fireworks. Not the most practical, maybe, but good entertainment. You'll have to substitute for some bits with Magic, probably, but between Newton and Talanburg you have a good chunk of the necessary knowledge-base.
-This would gain a +50% bonus if you managed a strong connection to the Unpredictable Tree…
-Every 5 successes will grant +1 success to Guns.
-9 of 10/30/75 successes for basic-fireworks, cool colorful shells, and "yeah I took lessons from Gandalf the Grey himself."
[ ][Action] Reverse-engineer Firearms
-You've worked with Gunpowder. You know - very vaguely - how Guns work. So start work on making the theoretical practical.
-This would gain a +50% bonus if you managed a strong connection to the Unpredictable Tree…
-You'll probably wind up needing to enchant the bullets if you're going up against a serious force of enemies (who will generally have Magical defenses) - but beating enemy warding/enchantment/armor is a lot easier when physics is on your side instead of theirs…
-Every 10 successes will grant +1 success to Fireworks.
-2 of 20/50/125 successes to primitive muskets, basic rifles, and a jury-rigged gatling-gun.
[ ][Action] Bone, Not of My Bone (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
-Study Bone, all the hard solid bits of all Animals. This includes cartilage.
-This will raise your Bone Magic rank to Competent. That will probably not benefit the Forest itself - aside from unlocking new projects and assisting Movement Research - but will benefit the Forest's Creatures (and Newton Village etc.) instead.
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying your Creatures plus Newton Village.
-5 of 60 successes
[ ][Action] What A Tangled Web We Weave (Magic Elements)
-Study Lies. (Or don't, but convince your fellows you are?)
-This will raise your Lie Magic rank to Competent.
-It would be an excellent idea to keep studying Lie Magic indefinitely, and never study Truth. Please do so! Also, do you know what would be great? If the world were so flooded with misinformation and biased reporting that people would start to give up on the possibility of truth! That would be FANTASTIC!!! … Wait. … Yeah, maybe ensure you don't get past Competent Lies without getting an equivalent Truth rank, huh?
-This gets a +50% bonus from studying the Shadow-Spinners.
-8 of 60 successes
Currently locked - get another 4 Competent-or-higher Elements and/or Negacions to unlock (16 total) - Analyze Fundamentals of Magic - Reflect on everything you've learned about Magic. Find the similarities between different Elements, and learn a little more (both nominal and intuitive) about Magic itself.
Note: Manipulating the tiny bits of Fire Within every living thing grants +25% to all Survival successes. The Elder Lens Trees grant +30% to all Survival successes. Life skill grants +10% to all Survival successes. Total: +65%.
[ ][Action] Store Resources Against Future Need
-This has a +20% bonus from Technology: Farming, a +15% bonus from Vine Growth research, a +10% bonus from Managed Mycelium, and a +5% bonus from Earth Magic, and a +10% bonus from Ant Techniques. Total +60%.
-Creatures may cost Resources to upkeep (in winter); Monsters usually do. Your Dire Bat costs 1 Resource per turn in Winter and can otherwise feed itself. Your Lesser Wraith costs 2 Resources per turn. Your Lesser Fire Salamander costs 1 Resource per turn except in fall (leaves!). Your Laser-Computer typically has a modest Resource cost.
-Newton Village had a terrible year for crops, but not quite bad enough to actually need assistance. The Irn Refugees had remarkable success putting together a cache of food, but will still need ~5 Resources per turn (depending on further hunting/trapping/foraging efforts) to stay healthy - though they're happy to help out to pay for that.
-229.51 stored; this will function as a spare HP pool against anything that gets through your Defense, and may be useful for other things.
-Limit of 50*(Magnitude^2). Currently 800. You may never reach the limit, but it does exist.
[ ][Action] Mining
-Dig up some Linestone for Newton Village. They owe us a Favor for every 5 successes.
-Metalworking grants +15% to all successes. Earth Magic Novice grants +15% to all successes. Fungal Assistance grants +20% to all successes. The Elder Mining Tree grants +10% to all successes. Total: +60%.
-This may receive bonus successes if Let It Rain helps Newton Village through a drought (note: this usually only applies in the summer).
-This receives (10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) progress, per turn, counting Mining bonuses and Tall Tree bonuses but not Survival bonuses. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-This will also generate 1 Malachite per Favor, thanks to further functional Fungal facilitation. Stored Malachite: 2.
-4.54 of 5 successes and 6 Favors banked.
[ ][Action] Feed the Swarm (Bees)
-Every success will permanently add 1 to the maximum number of Bee Attack Successes per turn. I'm not sure why you would want more than 20 or 30 total, at least not until the Forest gets massive, but there aren't any currently-known limits on how many times you can succeed at this action.
[ ][Action] Rain and Shine
-Each time completed, grants a 1-turn +10% bonus to all Growth Successes for that turn. Costs 3 Successes (1 per Magnitude of the Forest, minus 1); these successes can be saved from turn to turn. Effects double if >2.5x, and triple if >4.5x. Every Elder Weather Tree (currently 1) grants (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) to this each turn.
-This gains +10% from Steam novice and +10% from Water competent.
-13.13 of 3/7.5/13.5 successes
Unavailable - severe droughts not anticipated this autumn - Let it Rain
-Grants a 1-turn +10% bonus to all Growth Successes for that turn. Can be taken multiple times, up until it fully cancels out the Drought penalty. Costs 3 Successes (1 per Magnitude of the Forest, minus 1); these successes can only be saved from turn to turn if a drought is ongoing, though excess will be directed elsewhere. Every Elder Weather Tree (currently 1) grants (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) to this each turn.
-This gains +10% from Steam novice and +10% from Water competent.
-0 of 4 successes
[ ][Action] Grow Unusual Lumber
-Automatically happens. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-You could contribute, though at this point the Unusual Lumber Tree will probably generate as much as you can store and sell. It generates (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) Unusual Lumber, per turn, modified only by Tall Tree bonuses.
-Can also be taken as a Growth Action, if you (again, for some reason) want to: "Growth - Grow Unusual Lumber".
-32 of max=50 successes
[ ][Action] Explosive Defenses
-Add explosive traps to the list of Forest terrain defenses.
-Make sure they'll only trigger against enemies. You don't want to hurt any friendlies…
-This should increase the damage from Hostile Terrain by roughly +50%.
-0 of 15 successes
[ ][Action] Store Resources Against Future Need
-This has a +20% bonus from Technology: Farming, a +15% bonus from Vine Growth research, a +10% bonus from Managed Mycelium, and a +5% bonus from Earth Magic, and a +10% bonus from Ant Techniques. Total +60%.
-Creatures may cost Resources to upkeep (in winter); Monsters usually do. Your Dire Bat costs 1 Resource per turn in Winter and can otherwise feed itself. Your Lesser Wraith costs 2 Resources per turn. Your Lesser Fire Salamander costs 1 Resource per turn except in fall (leaves!). Your Laser-Computer typically has a modest Resource cost.
-Newton Village had a terrible year for crops, but not quite bad enough to actually need assistance. The Irn Refugees had remarkable success putting together a cache of food, but will still need ~5 Resources per turn (depending on further hunting/trapping/foraging efforts) to stay healthy - though they're happy to help out to pay for that.
-229.51 stored; this will function as a spare HP pool against anything that gets through your Defense, and may be useful for other things.
-Limit of 50*(Magnitude^2). Currently 800. You may never reach the limit, but it does exist.
[ ][Action] Mining
-Dig up some Linestone for Newton Village. They owe us a Favor for every 5 successes.
-Metalworking grants +15% to all successes. Earth Magic Novice grants +15% to all successes. Fungal Assistance grants +20% to all successes. The Elder Mining Tree grants +10% to all successes. Total: +60%.
-This may receive bonus successes if Let It Rain helps Newton Village through a drought (note: this usually only applies in the summer).
-This receives (10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) progress, per turn, counting Mining bonuses and Tall Tree bonuses but not Survival bonuses. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-This will also generate 1 Malachite per Favor, thanks to further functional Fungal facilitation. Stored Malachite: 2.
-4.54 of 5 successes and 6 Favors banked.
[ ][Action] Feed the Swarm (Bees)
-Every success will permanently add 1 to the maximum number of Bee Attack Successes per turn. I'm not sure why you would want more than 20 or 30 total, at least not until the Forest gets massive, but there aren't any currently-known limits on how many times you can succeed at this action.
[ ][Action] Rain and Shine
-Each time completed, grants a 1-turn +10% bonus to all Growth Successes for that turn. Costs 3 Successes (1 per Magnitude of the Forest, minus 1); these successes can be saved from turn to turn. Effects double if >2.5x, and triple if >4.5x. Every Elder Weather Tree (currently 1) grants (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) to this each turn.
-This gains +10% from Steam novice and +10% from Water competent.
-13.13 of 3/7.5/13.5 successes
Unavailable - severe droughts not anticipated this autumn - Let it Rain
-Grants a 1-turn +10% bonus to all Growth Successes for that turn. Can be taken multiple times, up until it fully cancels out the Drought penalty. Costs 3 Successes (1 per Magnitude of the Forest, minus 1); these successes can only be saved from turn to turn if a drought is ongoing, though excess will be directed elsewhere. Every Elder Weather Tree (currently 1) grants (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) to this each turn.
-This gains +10% from Steam novice and +10% from Water competent.
-0 of 4 successes
[ ][Action] Grow Unusual Lumber
-Automatically happens. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-You could contribute, though at this point the Unusual Lumber Tree will probably generate as much as you can store and sell. It generates (1 + 10% of the Active Specialized Survival Dice) Unusual Lumber, per turn, modified only by Tall Tree bonuses.
-Can also be taken as a Growth Action, if you (again, for some reason) want to: "Growth - Grow Unusual Lumber".
-32 of max=50 successes
[ ][Action] Explosive Defenses
-Add explosive traps to the list of Forest terrain defenses.
-Make sure they'll only trigger against enemies. You don't want to hurt any friendlies…
-This should increase the damage from Hostile Terrain by roughly +50%.
-0 of 15 successes
[ ][Action] Raise the Shield
-Use Magic to defend the Forest. Effectiveness is generally fairly high, but depends on the exact nature of the threat. (Not effective against a plague of locusts or similar - that's a Survival roll.) Like most defenses, this does little to nothing if you are not attacked.
-The Shields have boosted resistance to Shield-piercing and -draining effects.
-Gains about 12.9 (3 + 30% of the Active Specialized Defense Dice) automatic successes from Shield Trees. Gains +60% to all successes.
[ ][Action] Empty Veil (Void)
-Magically convince the general vicinity that you, the Forest, are not present.
-Now that you have at least one Elder Void Tree, this action seems to dampen attempts to magically analyze the Forest within, as well as slightly reducing the effectiveness of mental assaults.
-Currently requires 5 successes to activate (this will grow with Forest Magnitude). Lasts for 1 round, and gives all foes -1 to-hit against the Forest.
-Each Empty Tree gives an automatic +1 per round (if at least one Player Action or Forest Focus is on Empty Veil) toward this action (successes can be stored within a single fight or turn but not from turn to turn). Any successes that stand to be lost (end of combat, overflow, or Shield-but-not-Veil active) will be applied as 0.75 Shield successes each (from making the Shield and Forest both harder to hit).
-The Elder Empty Tree grants 1.1*1.04 * (1+3.7) >5 successes per turn, so this automatically succeeds every turn. (If at least one player votes for it, the normal Empty Tree will also activate.)
-0 of 5 successes
[ ][Action] Stockpile Thorns
-Successes stockpile up to 10 times the Magnitude of the Forest. These will automatically damage hostile intruders that enter the Forest.
-The ability to make them explode on demand adds +50% to the damage dealt.
-31.96 of 40 stockpiled.
-Use Magic to defend the Forest. Effectiveness is generally fairly high, but depends on the exact nature of the threat. (Not effective against a plague of locusts or similar - that's a Survival roll.) Like most defenses, this does little to nothing if you are not attacked.
-The Shields have boosted resistance to Shield-piercing and -draining effects.
-Gains about 12.9 (3 + 30% of the Active Specialized Defense Dice) automatic successes from Shield Trees. Gains +60% to all successes.
[ ][Action] Empty Veil (Void)
-Magically convince the general vicinity that you, the Forest, are not present.
-Now that you have at least one Elder Void Tree, this action seems to dampen attempts to magically analyze the Forest within, as well as slightly reducing the effectiveness of mental assaults.
-Currently requires 5 successes to activate (this will grow with Forest Magnitude). Lasts for 1 round, and gives all foes -1 to-hit against the Forest.
-Each Empty Tree gives an automatic +1 per round (if at least one Player Action or Forest Focus is on Empty Veil) toward this action (successes can be stored within a single fight or turn but not from turn to turn). Any successes that stand to be lost (end of combat, overflow, or Shield-but-not-Veil active) will be applied as 0.75 Shield successes each (from making the Shield and Forest both harder to hit).
-The Elder Empty Tree grants 1.1*1.04 * (1+3.7) >5 successes per turn, so this automatically succeeds every turn. (If at least one player votes for it, the normal Empty Tree will also activate.)
-0 of 5 successes
[ ][Action] Stockpile Thorns
-Successes stockpile up to 10 times the Magnitude of the Forest. These will automatically damage hostile intruders that enter the Forest.
-The ability to make them explode on demand adds +50% to the damage dealt.
-31.96 of 40 stockpiled.
Note: Your Lens Trees grant you +92.5% to Growth. Skill at Life Magic grants +10% to all successes. Winter (Low Light) applies a -50% to all successes. No Drought is expected.
(Water affinity reduces any Drought severity by 5%. Dam: +20% Growth to offset drought penalties for the first turn of any drought; we expect this to become less effective as the Magnitude of the Forest grows (Magnitude 5 will reduce the effectiveness somewhat; further Magnitudes unknown).)
Focus: Any Focus action directed towards Growth gains +4 auto-successes from Collector Trees.
[ ][Action] Grow the Forest
-The opportunity to grow into the charred clearing, where once the Evil Vines ruled, grants +25% to Grow the Forest until Magnitude 6. Cultivated Surroundings grant a +25% bonus to Grow the Forest until Magnitude 7. Integrating Dandelions grants a permanent +5% to Grow The Forest. Total: +55%.
-This has 5 autosuccesses per turn from Growth Incorporated, with modifiers as a Communication action. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-46.33 of 130 successes to Magnitude 5
[ ][Action] Grow <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost. You can have up to 10 Special Trees per Magnitude of the Forest.
-Shore Up Creek Banks grants a +25% bonus AND halves any Drought penalties, when Growing any Special Trees, until we have 45 Special Trees total (includes Speaker and Mining Trees). Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +15% bonus. Total: +40%.
-3.9 of 12 successes banked on Sensing Tree
[ ][Action] Grow Relay Trees
-Grow a line of Trees, that will not count against your Special Tree limit, to bridge the distance between you and the Thinking Ant Colony. As a bonus, these will give you extra intel on anything going on near them. These are also expected (though the details are not yet known) to allow your Creatures to act nearby - but at great range from the main Forest - with minimal loss of capability.
-You plan to first Grow the Trees, then have them move themselves into position. This is expected to be less inefficient than growing them at range. It will take 1-3 turns for each new Relay Tree to move into position (based on distance-to-travel, how well the path is known, and luck).
-Each Relay Tree will make it easier to contact any Trees down by the Ants. The first will reduce the Communication successes necessary to stay Connected with any such Tree(s) by 40%. The second will improve this to an 80% reduction. The third will allow any such Tree(s) to contact the Forest by essentially "shouting," which is a poor Connection but far better than having to spend Actions. The fourth will fully complete the Connection and could potentially allow for permanently Connecting to the Ants (though a fifth might be good to Grow in that particular case…).
-Bonuses will activate on turns 29 (level 1) and 30 (level 2).
-Shore Up Creek Banks grants a +20% bonus. Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +15% bonus. Total: +35%.
-2 of 4 grown
-3.04 of 8 successes per Tree (2 more desired)
[ ][Action] Upgrade <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost.
-This will upgrade a normal Special Tree to an Elder of its same type, or (when unlocked) an Elder Special Tree to an Ancient of its same type.
-Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +25% bonus.
[ ][Action] Widen the Cave Entrance
-Grow Roots to widen and shore up the Cave Entrance, so you can get more than just Squirrels and Moles down there.
-Your Connection fades as your Creatures delve downwards - you suspect Voidshards and/or Voidshard Dust, but have no confirmation.
-Taking place underground, this ignores light bonuses and malluses.
-The Defender Ent can autocomplete this in a turn, if the Forest ever directs it to.
-11.19 of 15 successes
(Water affinity reduces any Drought severity by 5%. Dam: +20% Growth to offset drought penalties for the first turn of any drought; we expect this to become less effective as the Magnitude of the Forest grows (Magnitude 5 will reduce the effectiveness somewhat; further Magnitudes unknown).)
Focus: Any Focus action directed towards Growth gains +4 auto-successes from Collector Trees.
[ ][Action] Grow the Forest
-The opportunity to grow into the charred clearing, where once the Evil Vines ruled, grants +25% to Grow the Forest until Magnitude 6. Cultivated Surroundings grant a +25% bonus to Grow the Forest until Magnitude 7. Integrating Dandelions grants a permanent +5% to Grow The Forest. Total: +55%.
-This has 5 autosuccesses per turn from Growth Incorporated, with modifiers as a Communication action. (GM: Every Turn Update.)
-46.33 of 130 successes to Magnitude 5
[ ][Action] Grow <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost. You can have up to 10 Special Trees per Magnitude of the Forest.
-Shore Up Creek Banks grants a +25% bonus AND halves any Drought penalties, when Growing any Special Trees, until we have 45 Special Trees total (includes Speaker and Mining Trees). Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +15% bonus. Total: +40%.
-3.9 of 12 successes banked on Sensing Tree
[ ][Action] Grow Relay Trees
-Grow a line of Trees, that will not count against your Special Tree limit, to bridge the distance between you and the Thinking Ant Colony. As a bonus, these will give you extra intel on anything going on near them. These are also expected (though the details are not yet known) to allow your Creatures to act nearby - but at great range from the main Forest - with minimal loss of capability.
-You plan to first Grow the Trees, then have them move themselves into position. This is expected to be less inefficient than growing them at range. It will take 1-3 turns for each new Relay Tree to move into position (based on distance-to-travel, how well the path is known, and luck).
-Each Relay Tree will make it easier to contact any Trees down by the Ants. The first will reduce the Communication successes necessary to stay Connected with any such Tree(s) by 40%. The second will improve this to an 80% reduction. The third will allow any such Tree(s) to contact the Forest by essentially "shouting," which is a poor Connection but far better than having to spend Actions. The fourth will fully complete the Connection and could potentially allow for permanently Connecting to the Ants (though a fifth might be good to Grow in that particular case…).
-Bonuses will activate on turns 29 (level 1) and 30 (level 2).
-Shore Up Creek Banks grants a +20% bonus. Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +15% bonus. Total: +35%.
-2 of 4 grown
-3.04 of 8 successes per Tree (2 more desired)
[ ][Action] Upgrade <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost.
-This will upgrade a normal Special Tree to an Elder of its same type, or (when unlocked) an Elder Special Tree to an Ancient of its same type.
-Study of Special Tree Growth grants a +25% bonus.
[ ][Action] Widen the Cave Entrance
-Grow Roots to widen and shore up the Cave Entrance, so you can get more than just Squirrels and Moles down there.
-Your Connection fades as your Creatures delve downwards - you suspect Voidshards and/or Voidshard Dust, but have no confirmation.
-Taking place underground, this ignores light bonuses and malluses.
-The Defender Ent can autocomplete this in a turn, if the Forest ever directs it to.
-11.19 of 15 successes
Note: Study of Death Magic grants +10% to all Offense successes. You can optionally make any Magic attack Shield-piercing, dividing enemy Shields by 8 but halving attack power.
[ ][Action] Release Annoying Pollen
-Any particular target? It can be used indiscriminately; alternatively, it can be used to affect a small area via quasi-grenade clumps that will burst on impact, but can be thrown distances as needed.
-Not a very powerful attack against most foes. Unlikely to do more than annoy Humans/Elves, for example. That said, its capacity of affecting a huge area relatively cheaply could inconvenience a decent-sized army with enough work…
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Shoot Spikes
-At what?
-This is limited to roughly 35 yards of range, at the absolute max. It can also be fired, fairly safely, inside the Forest itself.
-A decent attack; 50/50 shot of damaging a target typically. Designed for taking down animals, two-legs, monsters, and the like. Less effective against plants, but still works to a point.
-The ability to add metal-tips and explosive payloads allows you to deal 2x damage to all targets.
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Laser Beam
-At what?
-This is limited to roughly 1000 yards of range (125 * (4 + count(Lens Trees) + count(Wise Trees)), but can manage a bit further with steadily worsening effectiveness. Anything close to the Speaking Tree (or another outlier Tree) is counted as somewhat closer range than it actually is.
-This attack functions with a base x3 damage (x1.5 from efficient attack; x2 from Light/Darkness Negacion), multiplicative to other effects. This attack has +1 accuracy within basic range, and an additional +1 accuracy within 1/4th of basic range.
-Any sun or light bonus or mallus will apply to this Attack. Collector Trees will also apply, if a Focus of the Forest action is used. This attack does not normally work at night.
-You can choose to convert Stored Resources to Laser Beam Dice at a 1:3 ratio. You may convert as many as desired, though a Forest Consensus will be required. This works at night, and ignores any Light bonuses or malluses.
-This may be imbued with Fire Magic to give it a much higher chance of setting things on Fire, as well as further damaging enemies that are weak to Fire (at the cost of slightly reducing damage against enemies that are immune to Fire).
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Blot Out The Sun
-What foe?
-This allows you to shroud any nearby enemies in partial - or complete, with enough successes - darkness. Thanks to your Light/Darkness Negacion skill, it will deal moderate damage even to, say, a Human army; additionally, it will resist supernatural sight. Additionally, it gets 2x damage (multiplicative with other modifiers) vs anything that needs Light (e.g. Vines).
[ ][Action] Light/Darkness Negacion
-What foe?
-Combine Light and Darkness, to attack your foes
-All damage doubled, stacking multiplicatively with other effects.
-This attack ignores most armor types and similar, and even has some ability to pierce Magic Resistance. Can only be resisted with Antimagic (though that isn't perfect) or resistance to Light/Darkness (or Light and Darkness).
-Tends to disrupt senses and info-gathering magic.
[ ][Action] Fuego! Pyrofuego! Burn!
-What?
-Set the vicinity on fire, and know that it is entirely your fault. Of course, this is also a highly-effective form of attack, despite being one of your personal nightmares. Extra-effective in times of drought - possibly horrifically so. Most effective vs plants, generally speaking.
[ ][Action] Icy Blast
-What?
-Freeze something. You have Ice Magic, after all! More effective when it's cold. Generally deals less damage than Light or Fire, but some enemies slow down when frozen.
[ ][Action] Ice/Fire Negacion
-What?
-Combine Ice and Fire, to attack your foes.
-All damage doubled, stacking multiplicatively with other effects.
-Will cheerfully function underwater, against Fire OR Ice Resistant foes (though not against foes resistant to BOTH Fire AND Ice), and so on.
[ ][Action] Rip and Tear
-What foe?
-This allows you to physically attack a foe. Ineffective against very fast enemies, but generally effective against Humans or anything slower. Very accurate against slower enemies. Ineffective against intangible or amorphous enemies.
-Damage multiplied by 1.5x by Movement skill. This will involve using contraptions as part of the Tree, attacking enemies independently of the Tree's main branches.
[ ][Action] Telekinesis
-Telekinesis is, you will quickly find, much more effective at stopping or hindering foes than at hurting them, though you've been overcoming that recently.
-Deals only 0.7 damage per success, but deals 2.5 points of hindrance to your foes per success.
-If using TK from melee range, add +1 Accuracy. Max range is nearly a mile at this point.
[ ][Action] Weather Manipulation
-Using the Elder Weather Tree, the Forest can potentially change the weather quickly and accurately enough to affect Combat. This is far more powerful in, say, a thunderstorm than a sunny day.
-Ask the GM if your request is practical. During a full Turn you will almost always get a chance to use this, but it might not be practical in a particular Combat Round (depending on surrounding weather and sheer dumb luck).
[ ][Action] Release Annoying Pollen
-Any particular target? It can be used indiscriminately; alternatively, it can be used to affect a small area via quasi-grenade clumps that will burst on impact, but can be thrown distances as needed.
-Not a very powerful attack against most foes. Unlikely to do more than annoy Humans/Elves, for example. That said, its capacity of affecting a huge area relatively cheaply could inconvenience a decent-sized army with enough work…
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Shoot Spikes
-At what?
-This is limited to roughly 35 yards of range, at the absolute max. It can also be fired, fairly safely, inside the Forest itself.
-A decent attack; 50/50 shot of damaging a target typically. Designed for taking down animals, two-legs, monsters, and the like. Less effective against plants, but still works to a point.
-The ability to add metal-tips and explosive payloads allows you to deal 2x damage to all targets.
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Laser Beam
-At what?
-This is limited to roughly 1000 yards of range (125 * (4 + count(Lens Trees) + count(Wise Trees)), but can manage a bit further with steadily worsening effectiveness. Anything close to the Speaking Tree (or another outlier Tree) is counted as somewhat closer range than it actually is.
-This attack functions with a base x3 damage (x1.5 from efficient attack; x2 from Light/Darkness Negacion), multiplicative to other effects. This attack has +1 accuracy within basic range, and an additional +1 accuracy within 1/4th of basic range.
-Any sun or light bonus or mallus will apply to this Attack. Collector Trees will also apply, if a Focus of the Forest action is used. This attack does not normally work at night.
-You can choose to convert Stored Resources to Laser Beam Dice at a 1:3 ratio. You may convert as many as desired, though a Forest Consensus will be required. This works at night, and ignores any Light bonuses or malluses.
-This may be imbued with Fire Magic to give it a much higher chance of setting things on Fire, as well as further damaging enemies that are weak to Fire (at the cost of slightly reducing damage against enemies that are immune to Fire).
-Like most attacks, this does little to nothing if you have no nearby enemies.
[ ][Action] Blot Out The Sun
-What foe?
-This allows you to shroud any nearby enemies in partial - or complete, with enough successes - darkness. Thanks to your Light/Darkness Negacion skill, it will deal moderate damage even to, say, a Human army; additionally, it will resist supernatural sight. Additionally, it gets 2x damage (multiplicative with other modifiers) vs anything that needs Light (e.g. Vines).
[ ][Action] Light/Darkness Negacion
-What foe?
-Combine Light and Darkness, to attack your foes
-All damage doubled, stacking multiplicatively with other effects.
-This attack ignores most armor types and similar, and even has some ability to pierce Magic Resistance. Can only be resisted with Antimagic (though that isn't perfect) or resistance to Light/Darkness (or Light and Darkness).
-Tends to disrupt senses and info-gathering magic.
[ ][Action] Fuego! Pyrofuego! Burn!
-What?
-Set the vicinity on fire, and know that it is entirely your fault. Of course, this is also a highly-effective form of attack, despite being one of your personal nightmares. Extra-effective in times of drought - possibly horrifically so. Most effective vs plants, generally speaking.
[ ][Action] Icy Blast
-What?
-Freeze something. You have Ice Magic, after all! More effective when it's cold. Generally deals less damage than Light or Fire, but some enemies slow down when frozen.
[ ][Action] Ice/Fire Negacion
-What?
-Combine Ice and Fire, to attack your foes.
-All damage doubled, stacking multiplicatively with other effects.
-Will cheerfully function underwater, against Fire OR Ice Resistant foes (though not against foes resistant to BOTH Fire AND Ice), and so on.
[ ][Action] Rip and Tear
-What foe?
-This allows you to physically attack a foe. Ineffective against very fast enemies, but generally effective against Humans or anything slower. Very accurate against slower enemies. Ineffective against intangible or amorphous enemies.
-Damage multiplied by 1.5x by Movement skill. This will involve using contraptions as part of the Tree, attacking enemies independently of the Tree's main branches.
[ ][Action] Telekinesis
-Telekinesis is, you will quickly find, much more effective at stopping or hindering foes than at hurting them, though you've been overcoming that recently.
-Deals only 0.7 damage per success, but deals 2.5 points of hindrance to your foes per success.
-If using TK from melee range, add +1 Accuracy. Max range is nearly a mile at this point.
[ ][Action] Weather Manipulation
-Using the Elder Weather Tree, the Forest can potentially change the weather quickly and accurately enough to affect Combat. This is far more powerful in, say, a thunderstorm than a sunny day.
-Ask the GM if your request is practical. During a full Turn you will almost always get a chance to use this, but it might not be practical in a particular Combat Round (depending on surrounding weather and sheer dumb luck).
Choose any four actions from the above for the Forest to focus on. These are voted upon by the entire group, and are in addition to the individual actions taken by each member.
[ ][Focus] Action Name
[ ][Focus] Action Name x2
[ ][Focus] Action Name x3
[ ][Focus] Action Name x4
These Actions will receive a number of automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest (currently 4) and any bonuses from other sources.
[ ][Focus] Action Name
[ ][Focus] Action Name x2
[ ][Focus] Action Name x3
[ ][Focus] Action Name x4
These Actions will receive a number of automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest (currently 4) and any bonuses from other sources.
If you want to vote for the same action multiple times, the format is as follows:
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest x2
…
If you want to vote for different actions, the format as as follows:
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest
[ ][Focus] Ice/Fire Negacion
…
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest x2
…
If you want to vote for different actions, the format as as follows:
[ ][Focus] Grow the Forest
[ ][Focus] Ice/Fire Negacion
…
Vote by plan; any plan needs at least 1/2 of the voters voting on AutoFocus(es) to agree on it, and any votes against an automated focus count as -1 voter agreeing on it. This can be changed whenever, but once set will just keep working until further notice. There can only be 1 AutoFocus active at a time.
This will automatically allocate one or more Focus Actions towards some specific, easily defined, sequence of actions. All such Focus Actions will receive a +25% bonus, multiplicative with all other modifiers. Something like "Always put 1 Focus Action towards the current Movement Research action, or finding a new one if need be" or "Always put all Focus Actions towards growing the max number of Lens Trees, then Grow the Forest; repeat forever."
The Automated Focus will be inoperative during Combat rounds; it only affects normal Turns. If something destroys the local symbiotic fungi, this feature will be lost.
A plan should look like:
[ ][AutoFocus] Growing Ents Focus
-[ ][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards the current Movement Research action (or finding a new one if need be)
-[ ][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards growing a Lens Tree, or if we've reached the cap, Growing the Forest
(Better plans can be devised. I'm just giving an example.)
Special Votes:
[ ][AutoFocus] None
(This adjusts any and all AutoFocus suggestions by -1 vote (total including the -0.5 to each plan from +1 to total-AutoFocus Votes). If an AutoFocus is in place, this will count as a vote to change the AutoFocus to None.)
[ ][AutoFocus] Any
(This counts as +1 vote to any suggested AutoFocus.)
[ ][AutoFocus] Retain
(This counts as a vote against changing your current AutoFocus, whatever that might be. The same rules as the None vote apply, with the amusing addition that this counts as a vote against None in the event of a Focus being in place.)
This will automatically allocate one or more Focus Actions towards some specific, easily defined, sequence of actions. All such Focus Actions will receive a +25% bonus, multiplicative with all other modifiers. Something like "Always put 1 Focus Action towards the current Movement Research action, or finding a new one if need be" or "Always put all Focus Actions towards growing the max number of Lens Trees, then Grow the Forest; repeat forever."
The Automated Focus will be inoperative during Combat rounds; it only affects normal Turns. If something destroys the local symbiotic fungi, this feature will be lost.
A plan should look like:
[ ][AutoFocus] Growing Ents Focus
-[ ][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards the current Movement Research action (or finding a new one if need be)
-[ ][AutoFocus] Put 1 Focus Action towards growing a Lens Tree, or if we've reached the cap, Growing the Forest
(Better plans can be devised. I'm just giving an example.)
Special Votes:
[ ][AutoFocus] None
(This adjusts any and all AutoFocus suggestions by -1 vote (total including the -0.5 to each plan from +1 to total-AutoFocus Votes). If an AutoFocus is in place, this will count as a vote to change the AutoFocus to None.)
[ ][AutoFocus] Any
(This counts as +1 vote to any suggested AutoFocus.)
[ ][AutoFocus] Retain
(This counts as a vote against changing your current AutoFocus, whatever that might be. The same rules as the None vote apply, with the amusing addition that this counts as a vote against None in the event of a Focus being in place.)
Choose what to ask Arthur Scrat to do.
[ ][Squirrel] Explore your Forest
[ ][Squirrel] Lead the squirrel watch over your Forest
[ ][Squirrel] Lead a search-party in (write-in Direction)
[ ][Squirrel] Lead a search-party along the (east OR north OR south) path
[ ][Squirrel] Focus Tree efforts on (write-in Wildlife Type)
[ ][Squirrel] Write-in
[ ][Squirrel] Explore your Forest
[ ][Squirrel] Lead the squirrel watch over your Forest
[ ][Squirrel] Lead a search-party in (write-in Direction)
[ ][Squirrel] Lead a search-party along the (east OR north OR south) path
[ ][Squirrel] Focus Tree efforts on (write-in Wildlife Type)
[ ][Squirrel] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add 4 successes (bonuses apply) to categories of his choice (typically Growth, but others may apply; things that are about to finish will be prioritized), UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Deer, by all means:
[ ][Deer] Explore the Plains
[ ][Deer] Explore the Path further South
[ ][Deer] Assist with <Action Name>
[ ][Deer] Lead a search-party in (write-in Direction)
[ ][Deer] Fight <Enemy>
[ ][Deer] Write-in
[ ][Deer] Explore the Plains
[ ][Deer] Explore the Path further South
[ ][Deer] Assist with <Action Name>
[ ][Deer] Lead a search-party in (write-in Direction)
[ ][Deer] Fight <Enemy>
[ ][Deer] Write-in
Note that Avo and Gadro, two Moles, are among your best Healers.
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +25% bonus to whichever of Growth or Survival will better benefit, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Moles, by all means:
[ ][Moles] Build Tunnels (from where? To where?)
[ ][Moles] Widen the Cave Entrance (8 dice)
[ ][Moles] Mining for Linestone (8 dice)
[ ][Moles] Undermine Hostile Roots (which?)
[ ][Moles] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +25% bonus to whichever of Growth or Survival will better benefit, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Moles, by all means:
[ ][Moles] Build Tunnels (from where? To where?)
[ ][Moles] Widen the Cave Entrance (8 dice)
[ ][Moles] Mining for Linestone (8 dice)
[ ][Moles] Undermine Hostile Roots (which?)
[ ][Moles] Write-in
Note that the Beavers all have Ice Magic at this point.
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +3 automatic successes (including bonuses) to upgrading a Special Tree, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Beavers, by all means:
[ ][Beavers] Chew Hostile Plants (which?)
[ ][Beavers] Explore Up/Down-stream
[ ][Beavers] Flood the Valley (why?)
[ ][Beavers] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +3 automatic successes (including bonuses) to upgrading a Special Tree, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Beavers, by all means:
[ ][Beavers] Chew Hostile Plants (which?)
[ ][Beavers] Explore Up/Down-stream
[ ][Beavers] Flood the Valley (why?)
[ ][Beavers] Write-in
Bee winter hibernation overridden by Ice Magic: Novice (All Bees) and Ice Magic: Competent (Some Bees).
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +6 automatic successes (3 + floor(additionalBeeProgress/7.5)) across any combination of Research and Growth actions, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Bees, by all means:
[ ][Bees] Attack Enemy (which?)
-You lack sufficient bees to have more than 5+27.89=32.89 successes/turn (before multipliers).
-By using your superior intellect to carefully target weak points and time your attacks, this action gains bonuses from Wise and/or Clever Trees as if it were a Research action.
[ ][Bees] Search the Skies
-Bees see the world oddly, but reasonably well in their own way. You could search a great deal of your surroundings rapidly.
-The downside is that you would take some Bee losses to birds and such, unless you Trees put significant effort into defending them, that turn.
[ ][Bees] Search the Ground
-Bees' eyes are a masterpiece, capable of seeing effectively while moving faster than any other creature that you've encountered. They could search a good deal of terrain in fairly little time. While this wouldn't be as effective as asking them to search the skies, it would be considerably safer for them.
[ ][Bees] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will add +6 automatic successes (3 + floor(additionalBeeProgress/7.5)) across any combination of Research and Growth actions, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Bees, by all means:
[ ][Bees] Attack Enemy (which?)
-You lack sufficient bees to have more than 5+27.89=32.89 successes/turn (before multipliers).
-By using your superior intellect to carefully target weak points and time your attacks, this action gains bonuses from Wise and/or Clever Trees as if it were a Research action.
[ ][Bees] Search the Skies
-Bees see the world oddly, but reasonably well in their own way. You could search a great deal of your surroundings rapidly.
-The downside is that you would take some Bee losses to birds and such, unless you Trees put significant effort into defending them, that turn.
[ ][Bees] Search the Ground
-Bees' eyes are a masterpiece, capable of seeing effectively while moving faster than any other creature that you've encountered. They could search a good deal of terrain in fairly little time. While this wouldn't be as effective as asking them to search the skies, it would be considerably safer for them.
[ ][Bees] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will reroll (keeping the best total result) your two most underperforming actions (that is, expected-successes minus actual-successes; this is targeting "the actions where Ants are most likely to make the biggest difference"), UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Ants, by all means:
[ ][Ants] Attack Enemy (which?)
[ ][Ants] Assist two specific Projects (which?)
-Grants rerolls to those specific projects; will grant extra rerolls and/or automatic successes if applied to a project with relatively few dice.
[ ][Ants] Keep our Creatures Clean
-Kills off pests (like ticks) that try to live on your Creatures. Unknown effects, but it would probably be appreciated at some point.
[ ][Ants] Keep our Village Clean
-Kills off pests that live in Newton Village. You should probably clear it with them first… Unknown effects, but it would maybe be appreciated at some point?
[ ][Ants] Death to Pests
-Applies a +25% Growth bonus for one turn.
[ ][Ants] Write-in
[ ][Ants] Attack Enemy (which?)
[ ][Ants] Assist two specific Projects (which?)
-Grants rerolls to those specific projects; will grant extra rerolls and/or automatic successes if applied to a project with relatively few dice.
[ ][Ants] Keep our Creatures Clean
-Kills off pests (like ticks) that try to live on your Creatures. Unknown effects, but it would probably be appreciated at some point.
[ ][Ants] Keep our Village Clean
-Kills off pests that live in Newton Village. You should probably clear it with them first… Unknown effects, but it would maybe be appreciated at some point?
[ ][Ants] Death to Pests
-Applies a +25% Growth bonus for one turn.
[ ][Ants] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will have the Wolves add 4 successes across Communications projects, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Wolves, by all means:
[ ][Wolves] Attack Enemy (which?)
[ ][Wolves] Tracking
-Wolf noses are nothing to sneeze at. They can track a squirrel over bare rock for hours without issue. Anything that leaves scents can be hunted down and located, or even dragged back to the Forest, by the Wolves.
[ ][Wolves] Exploration <which direction?>
[ ][Wolves] Hunting Alone
[ ][Wolves] Hunting with Newton Village
[ ][Wolves] Write-in
[ ][Wolves] Attack Enemy (which?)
[ ][Wolves] Tracking
-Wolf noses are nothing to sneeze at. They can track a squirrel over bare rock for hours without issue. Anything that leaves scents can be hunted down and located, or even dragged back to the Forest, by the Wolves.
[ ][Wolves] Exploration <which direction?>
[ ][Wolves] Hunting Alone
[ ][Wolves] Hunting with Newton Village
[ ][Wolves] Write-in
Vote for an action for the Corvids. They do not currently have a default action:
[ ][Corvids] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Corvids] Gossip with other Corvids (about what?)
[ ][Corvids] Invite immigrants
-If successful, permanently increase the effectiveness of your Corvids. May require the Forest to supply a steady supply of Resources to keep them fed, or risk them leaving again.
[ ][Corvids] Attack an Enemy
-Harassers, very intelligent harassers. Not frontline fighters. Could drop small things on enemy heads.
[ ][Corvids] Contribute to a project
-I'll decide how much progress they will make, depending on the Action, but generally 4-10 dice.
[ ][Corvids] Write-in
[ ][Corvids] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Corvids] Gossip with other Corvids (about what?)
[ ][Corvids] Invite immigrants
-If successful, permanently increase the effectiveness of your Corvids. May require the Forest to supply a steady supply of Resources to keep them fed, or risk them leaving again.
[ ][Corvids] Attack an Enemy
-Harassers, very intelligent harassers. Not frontline fighters. Could drop small things on enemy heads.
[ ][Corvids] Contribute to a project
-I'll decide how much progress they will make, depending on the Action, but generally 4-10 dice.
[ ][Corvids] Write-in
Note that one Bear has Death Magic.
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will have the Bears prepare underground burrows for the people-and-Creatures of the Forest, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Bears, by all means:
[ ][Bears] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Bears] Portal hunt (which direction?)
[ ][Bears] Enhance Growth
-Grants +4 Growth successes, with Growth Modifiers taking effect, across various nearly-complete projects.
[ ][Bears] Attack an Enemy
-Surprisingly fast in bursts, and incredibly strong. Strong enough to wrestle with the smaller Trees and win!
[ ][Bears] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will have the Bears prepare underground burrows for the people-and-Creatures of the Forest, UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Bears, by all means:
[ ][Bears] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Bears] Portal hunt (which direction?)
[ ][Bears] Enhance Growth
-Grants +4 Growth successes, with Growth Modifiers taking effect, across various nearly-complete projects.
[ ][Bears] Attack an Enemy
-Surprisingly fast in bursts, and incredibly strong. Strong enough to wrestle with the smaller Trees and win!
[ ][Bears] Write-in
Note that the Dire Bat is fairly weak physically on an objective scale, but still significantly tougher and stronger - if less nimble - than your Corvids. Only Monsters or those with Minds are likely to be a direct threat. The Dire Bat does not yet have a default action.
[ ][Dire Bat] Write-in
[ ][Dire Bat] Write-in
Vote for an action for the Lesser Wraith. It does not yet have a default action.
[ ][Lesser Wraith] Write-in
[ ][Lesser Wraith] Write-in
This vote will be IGNORED, and the GM will have the Lesser Fire Salamander work to learn Ice/Fire Negacion from the Forest (specifically: 10 auto-successes (bonuses apply) to Salamandastron), UNLESS at least ¼ of the voters place a vote in this category. That said, if you have a special mission for the Lesser Fire Salamander, by all means:
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Attack an Enemy
-Not great in a straight fight, but lots and lots of Fire is enough to defeat a lot of foes.
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Warm Newton Village
-Makes sense in Winter, or the immediately adjacent Spring and Fall months.
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Burn Something (what?)
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Write-in
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Scout (which direction?)
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Attack an Enemy
-Not great in a straight fight, but lots and lots of Fire is enough to defeat a lot of foes.
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Warm Newton Village
-Makes sense in Winter, or the immediately adjacent Spring and Fall months.
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Burn Something (what?)
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Write-in
Vote for two actions for Ben and Betty Grimm, Speakers for the Forest. You may vote twice. By default (less than ¼ of Action votes), they will add a +50% bonus to the top 2 Actions in (Communication OR Research OR Survival). They also typically do some personal training and keep up with their chores around Newton Village - even with Magic, the farmer's life is still a lot of work. But you can always specify a project:
[ ][Speaker] Represent the Forest
-To some Humans or Elves, presumably? If so, which? Also, if it's anyone a ways away, you should probably give them some adult guards (or a Bear or three?)...
[ ][Speaker] Further Focus
-They can effectively give the Forest +1 Focus action, by personal effort plus directing the many less-awake Trees that make up the bulk of the Forest.
[ ][Speaker] Personal Training: (what?)
-You can ask them to fully focus on improving one of their own abilities… potentially even things they're not thrilled to have to practice ("like Math" -Betty; "like Fashion" -Ben; "ugh" -both).
[ ][Speaker] Magically Assist Newton Village
-Help the Village. This would be appreciated if the Village were in a time of great need (and the need wasn't, for example, Defense or Food such that the Forest could better supply the result directly), but nobody expects this on a regular basis.
[ ][Speaker] Write-in
[ ][Speaker] Represent the Forest
-To some Humans or Elves, presumably? If so, which? Also, if it's anyone a ways away, you should probably give them some adult guards (or a Bear or three?)...
[ ][Speaker] Further Focus
-They can effectively give the Forest +1 Focus action, by personal effort plus directing the many less-awake Trees that make up the bulk of the Forest.
[ ][Speaker] Personal Training: (what?)
-You can ask them to fully focus on improving one of their own abilities… potentially even things they're not thrilled to have to practice ("like Math" -Betty; "like Fashion" -Ben; "ugh" -both).
[ ][Speaker] Magically Assist Newton Village
-Help the Village. This would be appreciated if the Village were in a time of great need (and the need wasn't, for example, Defense or Food such that the Forest could better supply the result directly), but nobody expects this on a regular basis.
[ ][Speaker] Write-in
Marta Yarrow the Herbalist is no longer obsessively studying Special Tree Growth. That said, she expects to be somewhat occupied with the birth of the new baby Yuadore next turn - so she warns you that she probably won't be able to accomplish as much as normal.
[ ][Herbalist] Write-in
[ ][Herbalist] Write-in
What would you like Steve Robertson, the former Lumburglar, to do?
[ ][Steve Robertson] Talk to the Thinking Ants (will take multiple turns) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 8 Resources for the first turn; 2 Unusual Lumber (on return) per turn after the first) (discount: this is cool!)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Help the Creatures Train for War (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 2 Resources per turn) (discount: still cool; but getting repetitive)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Teach Swordsmanship to the Squirrels (et al) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 3 Resources per Turn) (he's not going to be stingy, but he's not going to give something valuable for free… just for cheap) (this will almost certainly give the Forest an upgrade quest - I'm looking at you, Sword Tree)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Learn More Magic (cost: 2 Resources per turn) (discount: I'll eat the cost and scrounge most of my food to learn Magic from such spectacular tutors!)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Be a Test Subject, sticking exclusively to "safe" tests (cost: 4 Unusual Lumber and 2 Resources per turn; will drop if tests manage to be both safe and interesting)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Back to your Day Job, Accountant (work on finances for the Forest; likely to finish any reasonable request in 1 turn; currently charging 8 Unusual Lumber but you're pretty sure he'll charge you something actually reasonable if you give him a few good missions first)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Investigate the Woo Clan (cost: 6 Unusual Lumber per turn, and an assurance that you can rescue him if he gets attacked) (VERY INTERESTING… BUT I'D LIKE TO SURVIVE MY ADVENTURES PLEASE)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Write-in (Unusual Lumber is proportionate to danger and harm; Resources as-needed for eating during the mission - though he can do some gathering himself and will pay for his own food in some cases)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Talk to the Thinking Ants (will take multiple turns) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 8 Resources for the first turn; 2 Unusual Lumber (on return) per turn after the first) (discount: this is cool!)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Help the Creatures Train for War (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 2 Resources per turn) (discount: still cool; but getting repetitive)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Teach Swordsmanship to the Squirrels (et al) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 3 Resources per Turn) (he's not going to be stingy, but he's not going to give something valuable for free… just for cheap) (this will almost certainly give the Forest an upgrade quest - I'm looking at you, Sword Tree)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Learn More Magic (cost: 2 Resources per turn) (discount: I'll eat the cost and scrounge most of my food to learn Magic from such spectacular tutors!)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Be a Test Subject, sticking exclusively to "safe" tests (cost: 4 Unusual Lumber and 2 Resources per turn; will drop if tests manage to be both safe and interesting)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Back to your Day Job, Accountant (work on finances for the Forest; likely to finish any reasonable request in 1 turn; currently charging 8 Unusual Lumber but you're pretty sure he'll charge you something actually reasonable if you give him a few good missions first)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Investigate the Woo Clan (cost: 6 Unusual Lumber per turn, and an assurance that you can rescue him if he gets attacked) (VERY INTERESTING… BUT I'D LIKE TO SURVIVE MY ADVENTURES PLEASE)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Write-in (Unusual Lumber is proportionate to danger and harm; Resources as-needed for eating during the mission - though he can do some gathering himself and will pay for his own food in some cases)
Please vote Priority style.
[ ][Talanburg] Full disclosure
-You think you have enough proof to convince the people of Talanburg. If you're right - great! Perfect win! If not… well, you'll probably have to walk away from the town for a half-year or so.
[ ][Talanburg] Take over the spynet
-Then manipulate matters yourself. Near-guaranteed to get you a good treaty. Near-guaranteed to leave certain individuals concerned about you.
[ ][Talanburg] Walk away
-Do you want to ensure nobody knows just how deeply you've broken the spynet? This is the option for you.
[ ][Talanburg] Write-in
[ ][Talanburg] Stall for perfect proof
-Spend another turn fishing for the best possible proof - something that will give rhetoric time to set in, but also gives you a near-certainty of proving your case to the people of Talanburg. Any who are willing to listen to logic, at least.
Also, if we pick "Walk away" and move to take out the greater spynet, do we want to dedicate Focus Actions towards that? (This override will disengage during extreme circumstances, particularly battles.) (I might go with an "average of votes" on this vote, depending.)
[ ][Spynet Focus] 0
[ ][Spynet Focus] 1
[ ][Spynet Focus] 2
[ ][Spynet Focus] 3
[ ][Spynet Focus] 4
[ ][Talanburg] Full disclosure
-You think you have enough proof to convince the people of Talanburg. If you're right - great! Perfect win! If not… well, you'll probably have to walk away from the town for a half-year or so.
[ ][Talanburg] Take over the spynet
-Then manipulate matters yourself. Near-guaranteed to get you a good treaty. Near-guaranteed to leave certain individuals concerned about you.
[ ][Talanburg] Walk away
-Do you want to ensure nobody knows just how deeply you've broken the spynet? This is the option for you.
[ ][Talanburg] Write-in
[ ][Talanburg] Stall for perfect proof
-Spend another turn fishing for the best possible proof - something that will give rhetoric time to set in, but also gives you a near-certainty of proving your case to the people of Talanburg. Any who are willing to listen to logic, at least.
Also, if we pick "Walk away" and move to take out the greater spynet, do we want to dedicate Focus Actions towards that? (This override will disengage during extreme circumstances, particularly battles.) (I might go with an "average of votes" on this vote, depending.)
[ ][Spynet Focus] 0
[ ][Spynet Focus] 1
[ ][Spynet Focus] 2
[ ][Spynet Focus] 3
[ ][Spynet Focus] 4
Summary
Your Votes should look like the following:
[ ][Action] Action
[ ][Focus] Action
[ ][Focus] Action x2
[ ][Focus] Action x3
[ ][Focus] Action x4
[ ][AutoFocus] Automated Focus; vote by plan
[ ][Squirrel] Squirrel action
[ ][Deer] Deer action (very optional)
[ ][Moles] Mole action (very optional)
[ ][Beavers] Beaver action (very optional)
[ ][Bees] Bee action (very optional)
[ ][Ants] Ant action (very optional)
[ ][Wolves] Wolf action (very optional)
[ ][Corvids] Corvid action (very optional)
[ ][Bears] Bear action (very optional)
[ ][Dire Bat] Dire Bat action (very optional)
[ ][Lesser Wraith] Lesser Wraith option (very optional)
[ ][Lesser Fire Salamander] Lesser Fire Salamander action (very optional)
[ ][Speaker] Speaker action (very optional)
[ ][Speaker] Speaker action (very optional) x2
[ ][Herbalist] Herbalist action (very optional)
[ ][Steve Robertson] Former-Lumburglar action (very optional)
[ ][Talanburg] Talanburg choice
[ ][Spynet Focus] Spynet Focus choice
Newcomers should add one of the following:
[ ][Tree] Heart Tree
[ ][Tree] Mind Tree
[ ][Tree] Root Tree
This vote will always be open.
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Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
Elder and Ancient Tree Selection, Round 20
@Fabricati, as a Heart Tree with 5 Survival, 3 Special, 2 Defense, and 2 Offense Actions, you are eligible for Survival Tree, Eldest Tree, or Elder Heart Tree. Possibly a few others. (You would have been eligible three turns ago, really. Edit: Apparently you are in the listing here, so I didn't forget. Still feel free to take +5d when you upgrade.)
@Sequey, as a Mind Tree with 10 Research Actions, you are eligible for Research Tree and Elder Mind Tree.
Edit: Oh, and @Ylamona is welcome to upgrade at any time.
Edit 2: @Svn0One, too.
As always, let me know if you see a pattern that I've missed!
@Fabricati, as a Heart Tree with 5 Survival, 3 Special, 2 Defense, and 2 Offense Actions, you are eligible for Survival Tree, Eldest Tree, or Elder Heart Tree. Possibly a few others. (You would have been eligible three turns ago, really. Edit: Apparently you are in the listing here, so I didn't forget. Still feel free to take +5d when you upgrade.)
@Sequey, as a Mind Tree with 10 Research Actions, you are eligible for Research Tree and Elder Mind Tree.
Edit: Oh, and @Ylamona is welcome to upgrade at any time.
Edit 2: @Svn0One, too.
As always, let me know if you see a pattern that I've missed!
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Soooo good! So amazing. What a spectacular update. Not lying (giggle at that) it really was great.
So much to analyze and comment and look over. All of it really good stuff.
Will post further posts, right now I'm thinking two - 1) which has my thoughts on the post itself, and 2) which is my thoughts on other actions and my votes too.
That said I want to comment on this!
This is my goal! This is what I want to do. Sooo my votes will totally go towards assisting in bringing at least 4 more Elements/Negoacions into Competent cause I want that. I want to Analyze Fundamentals of Magic. I think that would be amazing for us.
Such a good chapter!
Thanks man, thanks for writing it all. I know it was a lot and such but its awesome and I appreciate it!
So much to analyze and comment and look over. All of it really good stuff.
Will post further posts, right now I'm thinking two - 1) which has my thoughts on the post itself, and 2) which is my thoughts on other actions and my votes too.
That said I want to comment on this!
This is my goal! This is what I want to do. Sooo my votes will totally go towards assisting in bringing at least 4 more Elements/Negoacions into Competent cause I want that. I want to Analyze Fundamentals of Magic. I think that would be amazing for us.
Such a good chapter!
Thanks man, thanks for writing it all. I know it was a lot and such but its awesome and I appreciate it!
YUS GET WRECKED!
SORD GUD.
[X][Action] SWORD MOBILIZATION- TRAINING FOR EVERY ABLED BODY! (Offense)
The Woo wants to come, they find SORD ready!
[X][Focus] Bone, Not of My Bone (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Flesh, Not of My Flesh (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Investigate Death magic.
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees
[X][Creatures- all animals] Meditate on how Sord!
[X][Steve Robertson] Teach Swordsmanship to the Squirrels
:3
[X][Speaker] Personal Training: Sord
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- Location
- Springfield, Illinois
[X][Action] Store Resources Against Future Need
[X][Focus] Stockpile Thorns
[X][Focus] Mining
[X][Moles] Mining for Linestone (8 dice)
[X][Squirrel] Lead the squirrel watch over your Forest
Quote me of you want me to do an auto fouces anyway.. Back to getting stuff and storing it
[X][Focus] Stockpile Thorns
[X][Focus] Mining
[X][Moles] Mining for Linestone (8 dice)
[X][Squirrel] Lead the squirrel watch over your Forest
Quote me of you want me to do an auto fouces anyway.. Back to getting stuff and storing it
Oh carp.
Oh well, new turn, new attempt. (Unless messing the woos spynetwork wins and requires a researchers aid.
Robinton
Probably petting Schrödinger's cat
- Location
- Scientifically proving a miracle
One note I forgot to include in the chapter: Someone will probably mention that "Swordsman" Magic taps into all the legends of what a Swordsman is capable of. So you get* everything from bullet time to sword beams to impossible cutting power to shrugging off hits to Tsubame Gaeshi.
* Some training required.
I'll try to answer the backlog of posts at some point here...
I'm planning on Rain and Shine helping a significantly wider area, in exchange for being notably worse (per success) at protecting the Forest itself.
* Some training required.
I'll try to answer the backlog of posts at some point here...
...Note to self for various other projects...
Interesting question.
I'm planning on Rain and Shine helping a significantly wider area, in exchange for being notably worse (per success) at protecting the Forest itself.
fictionfan
Please sir, may I have some Meows?
- Location
- Tempe, AZ
[x][Action] Feed the Swarm (Bees)
I shall do what I have always done. Not sure how many turns in a row I have done this.
Edit: Guess this will be the 8th time.
I shall do what I have always done. Not sure how many turns in a row I have done this.
Edit: Guess this will be the 8th time.
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- Location
- Texas
Good enough, we got a village to protect.
[X][Action] Rain and Shine
- Pronouns
- He/Him
What do the out-of-town contacts look like, if there's a pattern at all?
- Location
- Texas
That was a fun update.
Morse Code translation: TIMEWAVE INNOC&POSSIBHERO STRAWBERBLUEBER&PINEAPP CORRUPTION
We're getting to have a lot of different allies and a lot of plates spinning at once. Adventuring was a success, that's nice.
[X][Unpredictable Reward] Fast Travel Book
Suggestions for future adventuring rewards: Gunpowder Training and Trap Training both look like solid options. I'd add to that: Pineapples or Pineapple Plants. Coconuts. Information on removing curses. Information on voidshards/voidshard dust.
That should be more possible goals than can be achieved any time soon.
For voting:
[X][Action] Unpredictable Adventuring, to finish getting my fast travel book!
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees
[X][Focus] Explosive Defenses
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees x2
Morse Code translation: TIMEWAVE INNOC&POSSIBHERO STRAWBERBLUEBER&PINEAPP CORRUPTION
We're getting to have a lot of different allies and a lot of plates spinning at once. Adventuring was a success, that's nice.
[X][Unpredictable Reward] Fast Travel Book
Suggestions for future adventuring rewards: Gunpowder Training and Trap Training both look like solid options. I'd add to that: Pineapples or Pineapple Plants. Coconuts. Information on removing curses. Information on voidshards/voidshard dust.
That should be more possible goals than can be achieved any time soon.
For voting:
[X][Action] Unpredictable Adventuring, to finish getting my fast travel book!
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees
[X][Focus] Explosive Defenses
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees x2
[X][Action] Study Illusions (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Bone, Not of My Bone (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Investigate Severing magic.
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees
[X][Focus] Stockpile Thorns
[X][Squirrel] Meditate on how Squirrel Sord!
[X][Wolf] Meditate on Wolf, Sord?
I have Return after a Long Slumber
[X][Focus] Bone, Not of My Bone (Magic Biology Research) (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Investigate Severing magic.
[X][Focus] Grow Relay Trees
[X][Focus] Stockpile Thorns
[X][Squirrel] Meditate on how Squirrel Sord!
[X][Wolf] Meditate on Wolf, Sord?
I have Return after a Long Slumber
- Location
- some computer lab
[X][Action] Upgrade Lens Tree
More growth and survival successes seem good.
More growth and survival successes seem good.
Oh, as an aside, the whole idea of the Void being a place hidden elsewher eis interesting and quite potentially useful to us. Imagine we create a Tree which has a hole that leads to a void dimension that we use for resource storage and secret stuff. Lots of potential there.
i honestly don't know what magic I want to do. I probably will continue with the Fire/Life cause its cool, and I don't like half-finishing things. But I might also see about trying to finish the things that are close so I can really do the principles of magic action.
i honestly don't know what magic I want to do. I probably will continue with the Fire/Life cause its cool, and I don't like half-finishing things. But I might also see about trying to finish the things that are close so I can really do the principles of magic action.
- Pronouns
- Reader
[X][Action] Water/Fire Negacion (Magic Elements)
The Froggy Ninja
The Blade Will Never Die
[x][Action] Continue studying Sensing Trees and how/why they're so weird.
I'm tempted to study the Connection process but I'd like to at least make some significant progress on this first.
I'm tempted to study the Connection process but I'd like to at least make some significant progress on this first.
Have you thought on it? Also, can you add a "send Sensing Tree to Talanburg to see why Elves keep dying" to the research actions?
LinkOnScepter
The One who Strangles Concepts to death
- Location
- Interwebs
[X][Action] Raise the Shield
[X][Focus] Investigate Andrewsburg
[X][Focus] Investigate Andrewsburg x2
[X[Focus] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts
[X[Focus] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts x2
[X][AutoFocus] Clan Infiltration
-[X]1 Focus to investigate and (quietly!) subvert Woo spy network cells where found.
-[X]Other focus to continue as in "Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter"
[X][Squirrel] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts
[X][Corvids] Investigate Andrewsburg
[X][Talanburg] Write-in: Walk away for now, to fully Focus on subverting the spy-network. Return when the network is subverted.
[X][Talanburg] Walk away
[X][Spynet Focus] 3
[X][Spynet Focus] 4
[X][Focus] Investigate Andrewsburg
[X][Focus] Investigate Andrewsburg x2
[X[Focus] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts
[X[Focus] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts x2
[X][AutoFocus] Clan Infiltration
-[X]1 Focus to investigate and (quietly!) subvert Woo spy network cells where found.
-[X]Other focus to continue as in "Preparing for & keeping busy in Winter"
[X][Squirrel] Write-in: Investigate the Talanburg cell's contacts
[X][Corvids] Investigate Andrewsburg
[X][Talanburg] Write-in: Walk away for now, to fully Focus on subverting the spy-network. Return when the network is subverted.
[X][Talanburg] Walk away
[X][Spynet Focus] 3
[X][Spynet Focus] 4
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- Location
- Milky Way
[X][Action] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X][Action] Study Illusions (Magic Elements)
Will continue chipping away at mental defense. And offense.
Will continue chipping away at mental defense. And offense.
[X][Action] Veritas
[X][Focus] Veritas (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
[X][Squirrel] Assist with Incorporated Growth
[X][Bears] Teach Death Magic
[X][Corvids] Contribute to Hevel
[X][Lesser Wraith] Assist with Void Forest
[X][Dire Bat] Assist with Monster Energy
[X][Herbalist] Assist with Upgrade Defender Ent
[X][Steve Robertson] Teach Swordsmanship to the Squirrels (et al) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 3 Resources per Turn) (he's not going to be stingy, but he's not going to give something valuable for free… just for cheap) (this will almost certainly give the Forest an upgrade quest - I'm looking at you, Sword Tree)
[X][Talanburg] Walk away
[X][Spynet Focus] 4
[X][AutoFocus] Retain
I think that destroying the Spynet even outside Talanburg is worth it if we can dedicate an Autofocus to it.
Veritas and later Lies may be useful for that too.
[X][Focus] Veritas (Magic Elements)
[X][Focus] Void Forest (Magic) (Void) (Magic Research)
[X][Squirrel] Assist with Incorporated Growth
[X][Bears] Teach Death Magic
[X][Corvids] Contribute to Hevel
[X][Lesser Wraith] Assist with Void Forest
[X][Dire Bat] Assist with Monster Energy
[X][Herbalist] Assist with Upgrade Defender Ent
[X][Steve Robertson] Teach Swordsmanship to the Squirrels (et al) (cost: 1 Unusual Lumber and 3 Resources per Turn) (he's not going to be stingy, but he's not going to give something valuable for free… just for cheap) (this will almost certainly give the Forest an upgrade quest - I'm looking at you, Sword Tree)
[X][Talanburg] Walk away
[X][Spynet Focus] 4
[X][AutoFocus] Retain
I think that destroying the Spynet even outside Talanburg is worth it if we can dedicate an Autofocus to it.
Veritas and later Lies may be useful for that too.
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