Warhammer Fantasy: Divided Loyalties - an Advisor's Quest
- Thread starter Boney
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I strongly suspect we lose, though probably more evenly. We can hurt him with Branullhune enough that he can't just pin us like he did Arburg (and like her we have supernatural toughness enough that we can do it)... but while we can affect him we're still at a massive disadvantage. We could try counterspelling his transformation - it might work? Outside, maybe that was what Alric was going for - but Dragomas countered by using a much simpler, harder to disrupt spell to occupy him instead. We could, maybe, Smoke-and-Mirrors to the Staff of Volans, but it's not clear what we'd do with it.
There are a lot of strategies we could try and they have an outside chance of working, but I definitely not good odds.
Also, we have better, or at least different, things to do.
Can a challenger defeated by the incumbent challenge the winning challenger? I suspect the answer is no (if for no other reason than to keep things from becoming an outright battle royale), but... I suspect there's a bit of 'I can't beat that strategy, but I can beat the strategy that beat that...' (I mean, that applies anyways).
And it's one per college, yes?
Codex
Fantasy Addict
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Very interesting to me that the Jade Patriarch is a Wanderer and the Amber Patriarch is the political leader of the Colleges living in one of the Empire's biggest cities.
It really shows how much variation can happen in the Colleges. Stereotypes constantly being broken is refreshing.
It really shows how much variation can happen in the Colleges. Stereotypes constantly being broken is refreshing.
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No.
No. Every single Lord and Lady Magister has the right to make a challenge once on the day of the duels.
- Location
- The internet
I'd say that Mathy would actually have a semi decent shot against Dragomas if she was allowed to bring her swag, because her swag is kinda broken in a wizard duel. "First spell you cast on me is auto countered, and the knowledge of the spell is burned from your mind" is busted in a mage duel.
SuperSonicSound
Shadowmancer of the Shadow Cabal
Don't forget the sword which means being a Dragon isn't an auto win.
Aranfan
Team Plasma Grunt
We would either get rekt, or we'd win solely because of our sword.
Which would almost certainly result in us getting challenged because it's supposed to be a mage duel.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
To me, that's actually a reason not to bring the belt to the duel. Permanently destroying your opponent's knowledge of what's probably a difficult spell to learn (and relearn) isn't something you really want to do to people who are your allies.
NeonLights
Formerly Reliable_2IC
- Location
- In shambles
I was waiting for the "I am a genius. Oh no!" moment, and I got it with the Gold. Bold but stupid.
And the displays of magic were a sight to see as well. We're going to need a lot more magical might if we want to bash heads with the big players. But that's something for much later. If only Ulgu could throw around that much damage.
And the displays of magic were a sight to see as well. We're going to need a lot more magical might if we want to bash heads with the big players. But that's something for much later. If only Ulgu could throw around that much damage.
I think Mathilde's biggest problem would be that she hasn't really gotten in the battle magic side. She's got one spell that's useful (miasma), and that's more a group support thing. She also hasn't actually been in many magical duels, and the ones she has been in ended very quickly in a magnificent miscast.
I think if she went for it, her strategy would probably be something like "Shut the other guy down to get in his face until he yields to sword". If she learned/made some more direct offense spells, she could add the option of "shut down, grab staff, threaten big boom".
I think if she went for it, her strategy would probably be something like "Shut the other guy down to get in his face until he yields to sword". If she learned/made some more direct offense spells, she could add the option of "shut down, grab staff, threaten big boom".
It's potentially lethal duels. And a (induced) misscast can be much more awful and permanent consequences. After all, the belt doesn't prevent you from relearning the spell. As far as negative consequences go, that's fairly tame.
I feel the biggest problem with us duelling for supreme matriarch is that we're very much not a magical duelist.
We rely on our magic to get into a duel or out of it, but we deal damage using non magical means mostly.
So sure we could maybe win a magic duel abusing our equipment and tricks but I don't think our position would be very secure because lots of our peers would be like "Sure she technically won so I technically follow her directions"
We rely on our magic to get into a duel or out of it, but we deal damage using non magical means mostly.
So sure we could maybe win a magic duel abusing our equipment and tricks but I don't think our position would be very secure because lots of our peers would be like "Sure she technically won so I technically follow her directions"
True, that'd definitely help against my read of the Cowering Beast trick, or similar. Wouldn't help against the dragon because he's not casting a spell on us.
Also true! Dragomas is also strong because he is such a specialized threat that a specialized plan to defeat him will likely not work against a different challenger.
Eh. It's a miscast chance. It'd be a pain in the ass, but unless someone opens with targeted battlemagic not much of a risk. And not, I suspect, wholly unique (I mean, definitely not, the Rune of Spell Burning is a thing), which is why most probably wouldn't open with targeted battlemagic.
It can. Penumbral Pendulum is rather nasty (at least as game mechanics go), and Pit of Shades is as well... also totally lethal, so points against it there. But using debuffs like Mystifying Miasma to weaken the enemy such that they know they can't beat us also works. I think that with Branallhune we just might be able to defeat a dragon that was fighting at half speed. And we're actually good at casting Mystifying Miasma.
Well that was fun.
Interesting that the position has explicit impact on the local arcane meteorology. Wonder if that was intentional or unavoidable.
Nice to see Mathilde hanging with peers. People she is comfortable not putting on a show for.
Probably why he tried in the first place. Securing the top job would have made his position nigh-unassailable. And failure probably hasn't changed much about his odds of holding his seat, compared to doing nothing.
aledeth
The Flesh is Weak
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I could have sworn the 'burned from their mind' wore off on its own after enough time, just that's never mattered when its come up since we kill whoever triggered it immediately.
NuclearConsensus
Herald of the Thorned One
- Location
- the Philippines
New goal: git gud enough so in eight years Mathilde can have a go. Not necessarily to win (thought that would be nice) but just to have a feel for it. Ideally, after some (read: a lot) of grinding. Elfcation probably a must.
It's not temporary because the 'burned from their mind' thing is very literal.
NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
It's a potentially lethal duel where the accepted/preferred approach is to avoid doing anything fatal or permanent to your opponent (see the reactions to someone trying Final Transmutation). The belt breaks that because it's an automatic effect. Plus, we like Dragomas.
It's more the 'burn the knowledge of the spell out of their mind' aspect that concerns me. And we did see several people here open with targeted battlemagic (massive thorn onrush, Dragomas using Amber Spear).
- Location
- Oklahoma
The biggest reason remains that we don't actually want the job, nor will we for the foreseeable future.
Like, we already have three jobs, people.
And honestly the waystone project is both more important (if successful) and something literally only Mathilde is in a position to do.
Like, we already have three jobs, people.
And honestly the waystone project is both more important (if successful) and something literally only Mathilde is in a position to do.
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- Location
- Norway
Had a laugh at the greys sneaking into the alcove and spooking each other, very on-brand.
Duels ending with one guy standing there holding a spell causing the other fellow to yield seems sensible. Alaric has to smart from going out to an induced fear effect.
My tinfoil hat theory is that Dragomas the supreme patriarch isn't the same Dragomas that went east, rather that he died over in Cathay and an eastern dragon is impersonating him. That's why he can pull off the dragon transformation in duels, because rather than pulling a spell to turn into a dragon he's dismissing a magical effect that turns him into a man.
Duels ending with one guy standing there holding a spell causing the other fellow to yield seems sensible. Alaric has to smart from going out to an induced fear effect.
My tinfoil hat theory is that Dragomas the supreme patriarch isn't the same Dragomas that went east, rather that he died over in Cathay and an eastern dragon is impersonating him. That's why he can pull off the dragon transformation in duels, because rather than pulling a spell to turn into a dragon he's dismissing a magical effect that turns him into a man.
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- The internet
Dragon did occasionally cast spells, he might do so on us. The real issue is that it has a 12 hour recharge rate. Its much better for punking an unacceptable challenger than actually holding the position.
Godwinson
"Well, I've got nothing."
I'm almost positive this would have a bunch of other issues with it, but if Mathilde had looked to step forward for dueling, I'd want her to teleport up next to the Staff... and then immediately 'port away to continue the duel, because she's not aiming for the position, it's just the only condition where she can spar with Dragomas without it seeming like she's trying to ferret out how he fights in order to cheese a win at this very duel.
You know, the numbers are kind of interesting. Alirc had a 35% chance of winning, whilst Arburg, a baby LM, had a 25% chance of winning. I'm guessing it's partially based upon magic score, learning, and spells known.
If we assume that we're roughly around the same strength as Arburg (who's an experianced battlewizard, by the way), then that means we'd have to double our strength just to get even odds against Dagomas, and considering Arburg's opening gambit was to make a battle altar, I'm not sure we are in the same power bracket at all.
We're a devastatingly effective assassin and saboteur, we can hold our in in martial against most foes, and we can dismantle waaagh magic and dhar magic just by looking at it, but wind magic duels is a big, glaring weakness in our skill set, simply because we've never had to fight a wind mage.
The only strategy I can think off is to go invisible, teleport and then apply a shadow knife to the kidneys whilst trying to counterspell everything thrown at us. And I'm not sure that would work against a dragon.
If we assume that we're roughly around the same strength as Arburg (who's an experianced battlewizard, by the way), then that means we'd have to double our strength just to get even odds against Dagomas, and considering Arburg's opening gambit was to make a battle altar, I'm not sure we are in the same power bracket at all.
We're a devastatingly effective assassin and saboteur, we can hold our in in martial against most foes, and we can dismantle waaagh magic and dhar magic just by looking at it, but wind magic duels is a big, glaring weakness in our skill set, simply because we've never had to fight a wind mage.
The only strategy I can think off is to go invisible, teleport and then apply a shadow knife to the kidneys whilst trying to counterspell everything thrown at us. And I'm not sure that would work against a dragon.
Thebigpieman
I've got this, I think.
- Location
- United States
Seeing the other Grey Lord/Lady Magisters in a social setting was great. Honestly my favorite part of the update.
As for Dragomas he really is one hell of a combatant huh. No wonder he's managed it for what is now 4 terms in a row.
As for Dragomas he really is one hell of a combatant huh. No wonder he's managed it for what is now 4 terms in a row.
- Location
- Oklahoma
Grabbing the staff isn't actually the win condition anyways- the duel is to incapacitation or forfeit, the staff is just strong enough that it usually leads to an immediate forfeit.