Show Posts

421

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio

« on: December 26, 2018, 05:54:37 pm »

We can do fairly nice output “monitors” based on crystal eye. By rearranging pigments/dyes/paint/whatever on a surface we can create pictures. So we can have spells output like that.
The rabbit foot is also already like an integrated circuit. Takes in input, performs calculations, and outputs via manipulating user’s legs.

So we’re pretty close. We just shouldn’t get too ambitious too soon

422

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio

« on: December 26, 2018, 05:46:02 am »

Magical Equipment: Bracer Wands

Constructed of steel, this piece of equipment takes the form of a pair of metal bracers that are equipped on each arm of a magical user. The majority of an individual bracer goes on the underside of the arm, with a metal band about 4m thick going around the entire arm (this band shall be manufactured in different sizes separately from the rest of the bracer, allowing for easy fitting on different persons).
Underneath the arm, the metal extends forward across the arm, towards the hand. This part is heavily engraved to allow the channeling and direction of magic.

The weight of these bracers should be noticeable, albeit not notably hampering in agility. A noticeable weight will allow our mages to easily focus on them and be aware of them while spellcasting, enhancing their abilities.

Bracer Wands should allow for quality spellcasting and -- importantly -- allow for our wizards to have both hands free while casting most spells without another dedicated direction piece.

(This is mostly NUKE's design from Discord done in my flavor 'cause I'm impatient, mostly)
Sorcery: Galilei Lensing

This spell projects magic in an arc away from the user in the direction they're looking. Light ("photons" as called by our scientists) originating from object’s within or near the arc’s end point is drawn in the direction of this arc, and follows it instead of the regular straight pattern that light follows. (As this only affects light moving in a direction parallel to the arc, only the user can notice the effect created by this spell)

The effect: light appears to bend in an arc. Allowing the user to view over the horizon or any other obstacles. It has a long range -- 20km, though the range-induced extra mana costs is offset by the very narrow nature of the arc and the mildness of the light bending.
Ideally, the curvature would be adjustable to allow for seeing over other obstacles closer to the user. A shorter arc requires more severe bending of light but is shorter range, meaning a roughly equivalent mana cost.

The spell is channeled through a pair of engraved binoculars. These binoculars help the user focus largely on their sight, the direction of the arc, and just light in general. Casters are taught to understand that light normally moves in a straight line, and its direction can be changed (usually with a lens, but in this case, magic) in order to create the effect desired by this spell.

Quote from: Avantibox

Design
Stivali da Maratona (1): The Ensorceler
Galilei Lensing (1): Chiefwaffles
Bracer Wands (0):

Starting Bonus
Unpaid Interns (1): NUKE9.13
Noble Mages (1): D7
Connections ():
Design Review (1): The Ensorceler

Unit Naming Changes
Doubloon Callsigns (2): D7, NUKE9.13

423

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Core Thread (NEW!)

« on: December 25, 2018, 09:52:49 pm »

Joining Abbracio. We may have to start with an asylum for BL.

424

Other Games / Re: Stellaris: Paradox Interactive IN SPACE

« on: December 10, 2018, 01:45:13 pm »

God. I honestly hope they spend the entirety of their time on the next patch just polishing the UI, performance, balance, and bugs. Nothing else.

So far the update + DLC has probably been my favorite update to Stellaris thus far. But it's just so unpolished. The AI is completely broken. Machine races are nerfed to high hell (or just made more annoying in playing). Assigning pops to specific jobs is actual hell. Knowing anything about pops at all is impossible ("4 of your pops got the vegetable trait. GOOD LUCK KNOWING WHO THEY ARE AND WHAT THEY DO!!!!"). Marketplace is just... weird balance-wise right now. Patrolling is strange. Micromanagement in terms of buildings is up. Pops just behave weirdly in general, and much more.
Yet again, regardless of that, this has been my favorite update. It just feels like the dev team has been so focused on completely redoing and adding mechanics that they forgot to really take a look at the game as a whole and look at how the different parts interact with each other.

425

Other Games / Re: Obsidian - The Outer Worlds

« on: December 07, 2018, 10:31:32 pm »

Wow! Actual conversation systems! (With a non-voiced protagonist, for those of you who care)
I'm honestly fine with dialogue wheels and whatnot as used in Fallout 4 and Mass Effect and whatnot, but it'll be refreshing to see this kind of system again. And it has actual skillchecks. And it has "Dumb" dialogue options.

Spoiler: Look Ma, a Conversation System (click to show/hide)

They've actually revealed a lot about this game already. The steam store page has a ton of info.

Quote

The player-driven story RPG: In keeping with the Obsidian tradition, how you approach The Outer Worlds is up to you. Your choices affect not only the way the story develops; but your character build, companion stories, and end game scenarios.

Quote

You can be flawed, in a good way: New to The Outer Worlds is the idea of flaws. A compelling hero is made by the flaws they carry with them. While playing The Outer Worlds, the game tracks your experience to find what you aren't particularly good at. Keep getting attacked by Raptidons? Taking the Raptiphobia flaw gives you a debuff when confronting the vicious creatures, but rewards you with an additional character perk immediately. This optional approach to the game helps you build the character you want while exploring Halcyon.

Quote

Lead your companions: During your journey through the furthest colony, you will meet a host of characters who will want to join your crew. Armed with unique abilities, these companions all have their own missions, motivations, and ideals. It's up to you to help them achieve their goals, or turn them to your own ends.

Quote

Explore the corporate colony: Halcyon is a colony at the edge of the galaxy owned and operated by a corporate board. They control everything... except for the alien monsters left behind when the terraforming of the colony’s two planets didn’t exactly go according to plan. Find your ship, build your crew, and explore the settlements, space stations, and other intriguing locations throughout Halcyon.

And fiinnaally, gameplay.
About 15 minutes of it from GameInformer, albeit with annoying voice overs (in my opinion) from the GI guys.

Game looks fun. Character animations during dialogue look just as stilted as they did in Fallout New Vegas, which is eh. But I'm excited.

426

Other Games / Re: Stellaris: Paradox Interactive IN SPACE

« on: December 06, 2018, 09:17:49 pm »

Not a big fan of playing as Megacorps so far.
They of course are designed on relying on branch offices in other empires, but with how... impossible, diplomacy is in Stellaris it feels so arbitrary. You have to be lucky to get good empires who can conceivably ever agree to a commercial pact. In my current game I've only found one empire that with their own Xenophile and my Xenophile bonus I just barely managed to get a commercial pact. Out of something like five empires total. Distance penalties are harsh, and I can't exactly expand to close that gap because I'm already at my size limit.

427

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Mad Arms Race - Mereth Design Division (Fall 1963 - Revision Phase)

« on: November 25, 2018, 06:42:48 pm »

Quote from: NUKE9.13 on October 02, 2018, 02:59:46 am

CHEAPRADIO: The "Communicator: Highly Encrypted Audio, Potentially Reusable As Distant Interface Option" is, as the name clearly suggests, a cheap radio. A decent chunk of design time will be spent negotiating with the Union of Electronics Workers, forcing them to accept more reasonable wages, and allow for modernisation of production equipment. The rest of our time will be spent updating the components used in the WALK-TALK, making it smaller, adding encryption, and possibly increasing the range slightly. Integration into Bear Armour is important as well.
Of lesser concern, but worth looking at if we have the time, is ensuring that the CHEAPRADIO technology can be scaled up to transmit more data... like, CAT levels of data. The basic radio needn't be capable of it, but it would be nice if we could combine a bunch of them to allow for some... interesting options in the future.

Revision: CHEAPRADIO
(Easy) (1+3)+1 = 5: Average

In other news today, the government has come to an agreement with leaders of the Merethan Union of Electronics Workers. The exact details are unclear, but workers have agreed to lower wages and "more efficient" benefits for unknown compensation.

Look, the warehouse of unused prototype Drop Bear suits wasn't going to empty itself, okay? Plus we made them all sign non-disclosure agreements and agreements to not come after us ~~when~~ if the suits fail mid-flight. But instead of focusing on the fact that we just gave every worker that made our radios jet suits, we should focus on the fact that we have cheap radios now. About damn time. Command was getting tired of yelling really loudly.

Also included are some other modernizations. The WALK-TALK is a bit smaller, and we included very rudimentary encryption hardware so the Necrostate will actually have to provide some semblance of work for its intelligence if they want to go for that route. Integrating it into Bear Armor is trivial.

We couldn't do anything regarding the proposal to scale up bandwidth, but we did run a precursory investigation into that possibility. The CAT runs a lot of data. A lot. Like, a ton. Most of it probably isn't needed ultimately for the basic commands and controls we have now, but even if we theoretically managed to send/receive only the essential data, it's still a lot. So we'd need rather powerful radios for that. Then there are other faults with radios and CAT data, such as the lack of 100% reliability. The level of precision required for this data is, like the bandwidth, very high. A few mistakes in sending/receiving and we can potentially have, say, a Grizzly trying to bend its knee backwards. (By the way, don't try to test it, we did and had, uh, casualties.)

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 2/3 (2/2 Oil, 0/0 Ore Imported)
Resources: 4 Ore, 3 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Weapons

ME-CLAW-63: A Magmagel-using laser gun. Bit unwieldy for regular soldiers, but easy to carry (and can be duel-wielded) by Bear soldiers. Uses Magmagel canisters inserted into the barrel to fire. Has a beam mode and pulse mode, with the beam capable of cutting unarmored people in half. Can easily melt through current Aratamite infantry armor, though not instantly. Damage is precise; it can do a lot of damage in very small areas -- it's best used against vital organs. Beam mode, when concentrated on the exact same spot of a Tank/heavy armor for a few seconds, can melt through the armor and damage whatever's directly behind it. Has a(n unused) port to pump in/out Magmagel for continuous use. Terrific accuracy at any range, though damage scales with distance (making it Long-ranged). Comes with 3x scope for sniping.
[Expensive] 2 Ore, 1 Oil, 2 Magmatite
"Stalwart" Rifle: A semi-automatic rifle with mediocre accuracy at Long range and good accuracy at Medium (and useless accuracy further).
[Cheap] 1 Ore
"Heartstopper" Pistol: A 2-round semiautomatic pistol semi-accurate up to Short range. Has enormous stopping power. Pride of the Merethan army.
[Cheap] 1 Ore
UF-AC-41 Velociraptor: This autocannon is a revision of AC18, with several improvements. The gun is a little more tolerant of different ammo weights and the shells have been modified so that mixed ammo belts are possible. The use of more advanced materials has allowed some parts to become lighter, while a heavier bolt and stronger spring allows a rate of fire of 750 RPM, with a final gun weight of 48kg. In infantry use, it has noticeably more recoil, but this is less of a concern on vehicles.
[Cheap] 3 Ore
- AS-AC18: An advanced primer ignition autocannon, which ignites cartridge primers before the round is fully chambered. It fires the new, large, 20x100mm round, fed from a top-mounted 25 round C-shaped magazine with a powerful spring, usually armor piercing, about 600 times per minute. The weapon is quite large with a simple action but heavy barrel, weighing over 40 kilograms, and it requires being mounted to a carriage, foundation, or vehicle to fire with accuracy, although recoil is reduced by the nature of its action. It is dependent on a careful balance between the force of the shell and the force of the action, which means that different ammo types cannot be interchanged without recalibrating the gun. It has a terrifying ability to punch through armor and emplacements. Lighter materials have slightly decreased the weight from the previous 40kg.
  [Cheap] 3 Ore
UF-MRL-40 'SARUKH': The Sarukh is a multiple rocket launcher, which fires rockets one meter long to deliver 6kg warheads at a maximum range of 12000 meters. The rockets have impressive destructive power, compared to shells they do not need thick metal casings, so most of the weight of the rocket is either warhead or propellant. The rockets are launched electrically off of rails, and the rails are in a 4x2 array. The rockets can be fired all at once, but it takes about four minutes to reload the whole launcher, so the sustained rate of fire is not better than regular artillery. However, a rocket array is extremely light compared to a cannon, and can move very quickly, firing all at once and retreating before fire is returned from the enemy. Accuracy is poor compared to shells; to reliably hit a single target with a volley they should be used within 8km. Currently available as a truck trailer.
[Cheap] 1 Ore, 3 Oil
- ICE Rocket: A rocket for the Sarukh equipped with an ICE non-explosive warhead. Instant lethalities within 5m, very high fatalities within 10m, serious injuries (and occasional fatality) along with (usually temporary) vehicle non-operation to 50m. The cold dissipates quickly outdoors.
ICE Thrower: A 20m-ranged pressurized ICE thrower that can rapidly cool an area in front of the operator to (eventually) lethal levels or outright kill/severely harm those directly hit by ICE. The ICE doesn't naturally react until roughly 10m out from the barrel, though it can hit other things in its way and react with whatever it hits. Prolonged use is discouraged, due to close proximity with ICE and ICE-affected areas being very dangerous even with the extensive insulation operators wear.
[Cheap] 2 Ore, 3 Oil
AS-RPG28 A: A rocket-propelled grenade, fired out of a launch tube. The grenade itself consists of a conical shape with a narrow tube of propellent out the back, and twisted fins in the middle of the tube. The launch tube is 3cm wide, a meter long and the rocket fits in up to the fins, and is just a metal tube with a handle. To ignite the propellant, soldiers remove a pin, on the rocket, which is first clipped by a short chain to a trigger on the handle. The tube itself and each grenade each weigh 3kg. It is accurate enough to hit a tank out to almost 100 meters, after which it drops quickly. Rockets are available with warheads based on each type of grenade, including a HEAT conical shaped charge.
[Cheap] 2 Ore, 1 Oil
ME-GVM-61 "Penguin": A 500 kg 33cm diameter 3.5m long black and white missile with long and stubby wings. Controlled remotely via an embedded television camera, and contains basic onboard transistor-based guidance allowing for a relatively straight course when jammed. Two missiles are carried in basic launcher trucks. Has a range of 50 km and a lethal radius of 50m; it can fit an ICE warhead or a HE warhead.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil
M3 Sorraia GPMG: A 7.62mm machine gun fed from a belt. 50-round belts can be strung together for extended fire or stored in a belt box attached to the Sorraia, which for practical purposes is similar to a magazine. It uses a recoil action, and is configured to fire around 800 rounds per minute, achieved with the help of a muzzle booster (which looks like a flared end on the barrel). Weighs 22 pounds. Comes with a bipod, or tripod for emplacements. It uses copper heat sinks, which are now shrouded. It has a changeable barrel, which is necessary for emplacement use. It is effective to about 800 yards when mounted.
[Cheap] 2 Ore
ME-MO-62 "Nameless Death": A larger-than-normal mortar that uses rocket-propelled ammunition to give it a more than respectable range, with the ability for ICE or HE warheads. Its advantage lies in its versatility and ease-of-use: it can be mounted on Bear Armor's rear mount, deployed on the ground, and an automatic version exists for mounting on the Grizzly. Though the infantry version is somewhat hard to use without Bear Armor. Bear Troopers can fire their rear-mounted mortar at any time, without deployment, using a button on the suit's arm, though they have to aim through their posture, and the mortar has to be manually reloaded by another person. Grizzly mech versions are fired via the CAT interface, but are harder to aim and the CAT interface can't do anything other than "fire".
[Cheap] 2 Ore
ME-AEM-63 'Shrike': A 100kg missile with a 15kg ICE/HE warhead. Its associated "Birdbrain" computing pod allows for real-time target detection/analyzing, giving pilots a simple holographic reticule overlay in the cockpit and allowing effective tracking of any kind of target. Its warhead can be adjusted in real time by the computer for optimum damage against the selected target (air-bursting, shaped charge, etc.) and it has high-res sensors with a relatively-thin viewing angle to find targets. On-board missile computer is simple and enacts out orders given by Birdbrain pre-launch, but can wirelessly receive new orders/communicate intel. Not specifically long-range.
[Cheap] 2 Ore, 2 Oil

Armor

Standard Uniform: A plain blue featureless uniform. The blue's mild enough that it doesn't really stick out.
ME-PA-59 'Bear Armour': "Infantry" armor based off of the now-obsolete Tiger suit. Boasts full body coverage, albeit with fairly frequent gaps in the joints; the breastplate/taces can block rifle bullets at nearly all ranges and most of the armor can stop pistol bullets at point black. It has insulating fur inner lining. Armor plating is semi-manually removed from the outside through a series of switches to enter/exit/perform maintenance. Lasts 8 hours of consistent high-power use, and charge is monitored by a dial in the helmet. Embarking/disembarking from the outside takes about 30 seconds, and disembarking without assistance takes a few minutes. It stands at [~7 ft/~2m] tall, and uses a smallish bulletproof glass visor for limited visibility. Pilots boast slightly increased speed and slightly decreased agility (but same strength) over regular unarmored individuals while in the Armour, twice the strength of average soldiers, and have their skin dyed blue from the Electrogel. Has mounts for a WALK-TALK and larger ICE Thrower tank, and a velcro strip in the helmet for maximum pilot comfort. Contains advanced shock/recoil-dampening capabilities in gauntlets. Fit with Magmagel, and equipped with a charging port that can finish charging in one minute.
[Cheap] 4 Ore, 2 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Bear Armour Shield: A ~~slab of metal~~ shield roughly the size of a riot shield, made out of thick metal, for wielding in one hand. Limits visibility and two-hand operations' effectiveness (like reloading), but doesn't restrict mobility and can be used with one-hand weapons.
"Drop Bear" Armor: A suit of Bear Armor with two relatively large fuel tanks attached to the back, with nozzles places around the suit. Can launch a Bear Trooper high into the air 50 meters forward, where they land with a noticeable (albeit minor) shockwave and no harm to themselves. Single-use, and prohibits use of heavy weaponry and especially the ICE Thrower. Equipped with COMBAT plating.
Equipped with COMBAT Plating.
[Expensive] 4+1 Ore, 3+1 Oil, 1 Magmatite
COMBAT Plating Bear Armour: Bear Armour equipped with COMBAT Plating.
[Expensive] 4+1 Ore, 2 Oil, 1 Magmatite

ME-MAS-62 'Grizzly Armor' v2: A ~4m-tall mechanized combat suit, based vaguely on Bear Armor. Heavy COMBAT plating covering the chest - where the pilot resides nearly integrated in the armor connected via a Cerebral Action Translator looking at a fiberscope connected to the head - protects the pilot, and that COMBAT plating is covered by further Mangalloy plating to protect more effectively against small arms. Faster than most/all soldiers, but still relatively slow in vehicle standards. Pilot has basic sense of "touch" from the suit, allowing for a good degree of coordination. Can generally tank a single Hydra cannon shell with no internal damage -- just a moderately-sized patch of damaged COMBAT plating. A second shell in the same spot would pierce front armor and embed itself in the back, potentially causing internal damage (most notably severing of Electrogel conduits to some motors), and a third shell - also in the same spot - would destroy the suit. Has 8 hr of charge using Rechargeable Electrogel, and a backup battery providing another 8 hr of charge but that has to spend time charging the Electrogel while not moving. Can equip any vehicle-suited or heavy weapon held by Mereth, an upscaled Bear Shield, or a 6-rocket Sarukh pod in either(/both) of its two arm modules. Fit with Magmagel, and a charging port that allows charging in five minutes. Charge monitored by dials in the cockpit.
Equipped with COMBAT Plating, adding a +1 Ore cost.
[Very Expensive] 6+1 Ore, 3 Oil, 1 Magmatite

Underground Vehicles

UT-60 Excavator: A tracked medium-sized heavily-modified tunnel boring machine, most notably using GOFAST-fuel. Can go down to Moderate and Shallow depths, moves at Very Slow speeds while underground and at Moderate speeds aboveground. Possesses limited (but notable) agility underground. Contains space for 6 soldiers and small amounts of equipment of the equivalent amount of cargo in the back, in addition to the 2 crew in its cockpit. Light armor. Equipped with the ME-SM-57 'Earth Ear' for basic subterranean navigation.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil; Provides 1 Ore.
- ME-CM-56 'Instant Roads': A very fast-acting sprayable concrete mixture very useful for reinforcing tunnels when sprayed by trailers hooked to a Burrower. Has to be re-applied occasionally to maintain integrity. Allows for use of Burrower tunnels for force movement and logistics.
  Provides 1 TC.

Air Vehicles

ME-LRMA-60 "Blizzard": A two-engine jet "Long-Range Multi-Role-Aircraft" based off of the Lightning Streak that uses a 4 "X"-shaped wing configuration via the "Tereshkova Effect" for slightly increased aerodynamics, improved redundancy, and greatly improved coolness. Its two aT-J60gi ICE "freezing stovepipe" ramjet engines allows it to be a fair bit faster than the Lightning Streak. Has one large GOFAST tank and a small STABIL-ICE tank allowing for Long range. Equipped with a single 15° rudimentary CLAW turret integrated with Birdbrain (and a small amount of Magmagel "ammo"), and 8 Shrike missiles.
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil, 1 Magmatite
ME-EAP-63 "Skyranger": A two-multimodal-propulsion-unit suborbital transport craft. With four wings. It can propel itself out of the atmosphere and "fall" towards its destination at extremely fast speeds, making it a practical fireball (the heat of which is mostly countered through ICE circulation cooling). It can hold a full Bear squad or the equivalent weight in cargo/personnel, and using its suborbital travel method it can arrive anywhere on the continent in ~30 minutes. Its landing is extremely obvious and it requires heavy maintenance, and unless handling very light loads it has to take the long way back home, not using suborbital travel. Uses Magmagel-powered fans mostly in the atmosphere, and Magmatite-GOFAST Rockets/Ramjets at higher speeds and to get sufficient suborbital velocity. Has a CLAW hardpoint, but this hardpoint cannot be used if suborbital travel is expected.
[Very Expensive] 6 Ore, 2 Oil, 3 Magmatite

Navy

UFN-CA-41 Catraphract: The Cataphract is a cruiser built to rival Cannala's ships. It is armed with 3x3 150mm gun turrets, each using a fully electrified loading system. Each gun can fire 8 times a minute. It has an armored citadel with 300mm of nickel-steel armor (Heavy), and a torpedo belt. The deck is heavily armored, at 120mm (Light) to defend against plunging fire, plus an extra splinter deck. The turrets are similarly armored. Additionally there are three turrets with two bumblebees on each side of the ship, capable of firing on aircraft or ships. It is powered by oil-burning steam turbines yielding a moderate speed.
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil
- ME-MV-61 "Makeshift": A modification of the Cataphract with shooty-bits and unnecessary "crew livability" components removed.
  Provides 2 TC
ME-DDG-61 "Chillwind": A Guided Missile Destroyer equipped with a 2x-Bumblebee turret, eight Velociraptors divided amongst both sides of the hulls, all slaved to a 150km aircraft/30km ships radar system. Uses a Mostly Vertical Launch system to house 40 Penguin missile launch tubes - 20 each side - angled 30 degrees down vertically. Crew and equipment requirements mean that only four missiles can be launched and guided at a time. Has a very thin metal hull covered by Pykrete and crisscrossing pipes of STABIL-ICE to keep the Pykrete layer cool and supposedly repair any damage, though it proves ineffective at damage repair and the STABIL-ICE often runs out quickly enough such that a Chillwind's first engagement is usually without any Pykrete armor still intact.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil

Other

GOFAST-Fuel: A special type of more energy-dense and stable fuel. Greatly increases fuel efficiency of anything it's in, doesn't require an oxidizer, and can rarely leak out of compromised containers.
Adds 1 Oil to cost.
WALK-TALK: The Wireless Audio Local Kommunicator-Transistor Assistance Lowers Kost Radio. A small hand-held two-way transistor radio. Production is hampered by the ever-persistant Union of Electronics Workers, making it Complex.
[Cheap] 1 Ore
Electrogel: A very thick blue gel that creates and transmits electrical current corresponding to the amount of pressure applied to it. Comes with the "Electrogel Motor" - a very small motor with embedded Electrogel that works with power corresponding to Electrogel pressure. A patch of Electrogel can last roughly 8 hours when powering its corresponding motor nonstop at max power.
- Rechargeable Electrogel: A variant of Electrogel that can be charged with very precise pressure applied. As a general rule, the time needed to charge is 3x of how long it was used at max power usage.
- Magmagel: Electrogel enhanced with specially-ground Magmatite that allows very-fast charging.
UF-SM-57 'Earth Ear' Mk. IV: A set of small attachments to be put on all available sides of a subterranean vehicle. The use of precise vibrations sent through the earth and analyzed by an onboard computer allow for identifying of earth and entities in a 20km area. A basic Cube-contained 3D-projected interface in red and blue shows the layout of the land and distinguishes between earth, buildings, vehicles, and infantry (all allied and enemy). Magnetic disks store gathered data to also be fed back to the ORACLE.
- GASOLINE: The Great Acoustic/Seismic Oil Location Initiative and Extraction device, which fits onto an Earth Ear systems allowing for relative easy surveying of underground oil deposits. Merethan regulation forbids surveying underneath Mereth for alleged safety reasons, meaning oil found as a result of GASOLINE has to be imported using our transport capacity.
  Provides 1 Oil (Import)
ICE: A chemical that very quickly reacts with the air to massively reduce heat in the surrounding area, often to the point where nearby things are frozen (ones in the epicenter frozen brittle), vehicles disabled or destroyed, and people killed.
- STABIL-ICE: A variant of ICE that relies on an added catalyst to only react when it's above a target temperature, specified during synthesization of the STABIL-ICE. Useful for ice cream and also maybe cooling of machinery and the like. Tends to slowly decay over time in storage, making it unsuitable for anything that can't expect routine maintenance.
C.O.M.B.A.T. Plating: Composite armor plating using a thin manganese layer and a ceramic layer sandwiching a Tungsten-Bronze/Molybdenum-Bronze layer arranged to, in layman's terms, convert kinetic and electric energy into heat. The outer layers easily melt when tanking particularly impactful hits such as coilgun shots and Lvl3 Tesla blasts, but prevent death or (usually) injury in the process.
Adds +1 Ore to cost.
Cerebral Action Translator A system wherein a series of jacks are implanted into the upper spine and lower brain -- roughly the neck and lower half of the back head, from the outside -- to allow for communication between computers/machinery and the human brain. Use of Electrogel as very-primitive "neurons" allows a bridge between the Electrogel and actual neuron growths, providing a channel to receive input from the neural system and a channel to send information to the neural system. It has low bandwidth, meaning it can't do a huge number of things at once, but what it does do, it does nearly seamlessly.

Infrastructure

Division of Unusual Chemistry: A fully funded department & lab under the Design Division specializing in more unusual chemistry.
M.A.G.M.A.: A giant borehole made and maintained using Excavators, Bear Armour, Earth Ears, and many more instances of our tech. Uses ad-hoc STABIL-ICE cooling systems fitted onto Bear Armour and excavators to maintain suitable temperatures. The deepest borehole in the world, and brings up notable amounts of ore from existing land.
Provides +1 Ore
ORACLE-A: A microprocessor-based STABIL-ICE-cooled supercomputer with >100 MB of RAM and >1,000 MB of storage space using magnetic disks, and relatively blazing fast speeds using a generally advanced CPU with other cores handling peripheral tasks. Input is primarily via keyboards, and output is via vector-drawn screen graphics. When given adequate intelligence regarding known enemy activity in an area, the ORACLE-A can compile a prediction of future enemy activity over a set time period up to a week. However, we must have really good intelligence in an area for the best predictions, and the ORACLE-A can only handle a relatively few areas at a time (that must be chosen in advance by humans) due to processing power limitations. Despite this, its predictions are (when given adequate intelligence) very effective.

Embassy "Vast Underground Forenian Embassy": An extensive and mildly luxurious underground Forenian embassy dug underneath around the center of Mereth using improvements in excavation technology designed 100% solely for civilian use and definitely nothing else.

The Combat Phase of Fall 1963 has begun. Last chance to enter contest submissions! (Contest summary is "media describing your domestic enemy"; see last Combat Report for more)

428

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Mad Arms Race - Aratam Design Bureau (Fall 1963 - Revision Phase)

« on: November 25, 2018, 06:42:18 pm »

Quote from: Man of Paper on October 02, 2018, 02:37:41 am

Tesla Rifle - Enhanced Performance
By utilizing our expanded experience with electrical systems, we've opted to revisit an old favorite: the Tesla Rifle. We have upgraded the Lightning Rod chamber with better mixtures of recombinated materials, and as a result have reduced charging time and power drain from the battery. The chance of an explosive backfire from a Lvl. 4 shot is also heavily reduced.

Revision: Tesla Rifle - Enhanced Performance
(Normal) (2+2) = 4: Below Average

With the greater use of metal recombination across the Necrostate, we decided to revisit the Tesla Rifle with it. This part was easy. Materials employed inside the weapon can sustain stronger charges moving through it, allowing for notably faster charging -- down to about 40 seconds for Level 3 from the old 60 seconds. Charge decay is decreased as well, but not by a huge amount. After we had a few weapons blow up in testing, we determined that the unique nature of the pseudo-electrical charge stored inside the Tesla chamber makes the charge become more erratic over time. If we don't properly "vent" this charge, then it eventually overcomes the recombinated materials and causes a serious malfunction.

The gun has the same chance to backfire from a Level 4 shot as before, thanks to the newly-discovered unique decaying property of the charge. It is slightly less lethal to the user as more of the explosion is contained, but the wounds and loss of an important weapon still means it's just as discouraged as before.

We are pleased with the notably decreased charge time, though. That should improve the Tesla Rifle's combat effectiveness.

Spoiler: Designs (click to show/hide)

Transport Capacity: 2/3 (2/2 Oil Imported)
Resources: 3 Ore, 4 Oil, 2 Rare Chemicals

Weapons

"Machete" Pistol: A 6-round semiautomatic pistol semi-accurate up to Short range. Reliable.
[Cheap] 1 Ore
"Jumper" EMA Grenade Launcher: The Electromagnetically Assisted Grenade Launcher "Jumper" is roughly the shape of a very noticeably thicker bazooka-like assembly. It uses inefficient brick-sized SynthOil batteries that provide enough charge for one shot per battery. Once a battery is inserted, the Jumper has to "charge" for roughly thirty seconds before being able to fire, and can fire 1.5 inch specially-made grenades with "average" radii and okay accuracy, silently. It's fairly bulky. The manufacturing of the coilgun adds severe complexity.
[Expensive] 2 Ore, 1 Oil, Complex
HMKR-59 'Osprey': Hybrid Magnetic Kinetic Rifle; a variant of the Pursuit rifle that houses coilgun components to increase the velocity of bullets after conventional firing. Has a slot in the back for a single SynthOil battery, which has enough charge for 10 powered shots (soldiers carry 2 batteries total). Powered shots are accurate to Medium range (unpowered shots to Short range) and have increased lethality and armor piercing capabilities.
[Cheap] 1 Ore, 1 Oil
Tesla Rifle: A "rifle" that fires bolts of ARC lightning at Medium range. Using an inner "Lightning Rod" chamber, it gradually charges from a backpack SynthOil battery - it has four levels of charge, with Level 3 being the optimum Medium range + good lethality and Level 4 being overkill with a chance of explosive backfiring. It takes about 40s to charge to Level 3 (charging can be paused but the charge decays slightly over time), and the battery has enough juice for 5 Lvl3 shots. Extremely lethal against anything conductive, and has a modest area-of-effect as the electricity arcs to other conductors in close proximity. Can be hooked up to external SynthOil batteries as well. Soldiers pre-charge to Level 3 when aware of hostile situations, but are still vulnerable to ambushes.
[Cheap] 2 Ore, 2 Oil
"Storm" GMRL-ECP-61S: A 250lb active radar homing missile with a 6km range and 5m effective blast radius. Fired from 4-rail trucks (with radar) and aircraft mounts. It has a poor resolution, greatly decreasing the reliability of locking onto non-huge aerial targets and making locking onto surface targets next-to-impossible, though large ships prove easy targets. Equipped with an HE or ARC warhead, with the ARC warhead using a chain SynthOil reaction to generate arcing electricity frying electronics and melting metal as it jumps from conductor to conductor.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 4 Oil
"Red Skies" Multiple Missile Launcher: A 300 lb version of the Storm missile using Inertial guidance and adapted entirely for surface-to-surface use. Has a SynthOil-based incendiary payload that's capable of effectively burning through armor, but is less immediately destructive. Has a range of 15 km. Its guidance allows it to easily and effectively target any ground point, but it can't change course mid-flight and can't actively track any targets; its effectiveness in accuracy mostly is based on what intelligence the operator has when firing. Intended for use as surface-to-surface artillery.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 4 Oil

Land Vehicles

M3T1A1 Raider: The Raider is a Diesel-Electric tracked APC designed to serve as a base platform for many roles. It has light RHA armor with a sloped front, plus slats. It holds ten passengers and three crew. It has an interchangeable turret, which is very wide and flat with medium armor. Default armament is a Can shredder, plus 6 external Thumper barrels for smoke grenades and an RPG, these can only be reloaded from the outside. It's also chemical warfare protected, and amphibious, with a trim vane and two electric powered propellers. Exits are on large rear hatch and one small top hatch, only latter can be used while afloat.
[Cheap] 3 Ore 2 Oil
Privateer 1 1/2 Ton Truck: An antique Cannalan truck somehow still being used for cargo transport.
[Cheap] 2 Ore, 2 Oil, Provides 1 TC
"Glaive"-Electromagnetic Coil Cannon Battletank ECCB-72: A large silent tank armed with a 120mm coilgun and a Reactor-charged coaxial-mounted Tesla Rifle (capable of firing a steady stream of L1/L2 shots). Has a respectable speed for its size, and the Coilgun turret is powered but manually aimed. Powered by a GMBP Reactor, allowing for unlimited movement and power for Coilgun shots, making the only main logistical concerns for the tank being Coilgun ammunition and crew supplies.
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil
"Ettin" Electric-Motor Flak Tank EMFT-61-B: A "tank" where the turret is an unarmored cage on top of the squat chassis where the gunner sits; two self-loading automatic cannons fire automatically in consecutive fashion flak shells to shoot down aircraft and infantry. The turret can be angled downwards effectively to shoot at infantry; limited ammo supply means the gunner has to be somewhat conservative with his firing patterns and can't just fill the sky with flak. Electric computer & radar guidance overlays a digital crosshair on a small sheet of "glass" in front of the gunner that is overlaid on top of the physical crosshair to maximize accuracy, allowing for decent accuracy as long as the aircraft isn't too fast or evasive. The commander and driver reside in the cramped interior and exit/enter largely via a door to the side, with the front of the tank being heavily angled downward for firing angle reasons. The turret is armored, but has poor visibility. Can travel for 10 hours on a full SynthOil battery, and the gun doesn't require power to operate.
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil

Air Vehicles

M1942 A-5B 'Spearhead-B' Air Superiority Fighter: Following Forenia's Thunderbird design, the Spearhead is an aluminum-built fighter with two turbojet engines. A heavy Can Shredder sits in the nose. Two Morei turbojets burn kerosene and take some advantage of experiences of the Bull tank's turboshaft, it includes a water-cooling system (the shared radiator creates a third intake under the body). On the other hand, when it's keeping good speed it can make impressive turns thanks to its hydraulic control system; the pilot can pull the relatively large control surfaces with ease. A hardpoint for 500lb bombs or missiles has been added under each wing.
[Expensive] 4 Ore, 4 Oil
M1948 A-6 'Torch' Jet: A large jet built with metal-recombinated materials, giving it good structural integrity and relatively good durability. An integrated Gel-Matrix Bio-Paste Reactor is used to power electrical systems and SynthOil tanks are used to fuel both the reactor and the combustion Ramjets. The heavy weight of the reactor and its shielding give the Torch a speed notably higher than the Torch but still not matching Mereth's Blizzard jet craft. Different systems provide the Torch with great relative agility, but only SEEM Operatives are capable of properly operating the complex controls in the airplane (though their enhanced abilities are a huge boon with speed and agility). 2 always-powered Ospreys are mounted on the front, along with two Bomb/Missile mounts on each wing.
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil (Expense can only be as low as current SEEM expense)

Navy

Corsair Destroyer: The Corsair is a moderate sized ship with light (for a ship) steel hull armor. It has a light cannon armament of two hydraulic-equipped Nightwind cannons and four Can Shredders. However, its main armament is its Shark Torpedo launchers (it has a couple on each side) and newly-invented Seahorse mines, which use the same warheads as Shark torpedoes but rest on the sea surface, detonating on cpntact with ships. It is powered by steam turbines and easily outpaces battleships like the Kalmar, Kraken and Kurokami.
[Expensive] 4 Ore, 3 Oil
Santos-Class Naval Aircraft Support Vessel: The Santos is a large aircraft carrier. It is about the size of the Khorne but not armored. It's powered by four oil-burning steam turbines. The hangar deck stores two dozen fighters, moved to the flight deck by a hydraulic lift. On deck is an Eagle Eye Radar system, con tower, a few Firecracker AA guns and a miscellaneous autocannons wherever there's spare room. It also has a decent sized flight deck, with an arrester cable for landing aircraft, and two overlapping runways with room for ready aircraft on deck. [5 Ore, 4 Oil]
[Expensive] 5 Ore, 4 Oil
SLS-61 Magpie: A basic landing ship with a bow able to open up with a ramp to allow vehicles and troops onto the shore, and has extremely basic treads to de-beach itself. Has Thin armor and a few mounts for infantry rifles on the top to provide basic covering fire. Powered by Gen 1 SynthOil engines, which requires it to use the majority of its cargo space to hold enough SynthOil to make it across the sea without running out of fuel. Normally has a modest capacity for soldiers (and capable of holding a few moderate-sized vehicles), but the fuel requirement limits it to only a small amount of soldiers and/or perhaps one tank at best.
[Cheap] 3 Ore, 3 Oil
Atlas-class Cargo Ship: A Santos-class with the weaponry and aircraft equipment and just about everything else stripped off. Utilizes SynthOil batteries for general powering of ship, though oil-burning steam turbines from the Santos still power most of it. Uses a system derived from Cryostats to cryogenically freeze perishable cargo as well as people for maximum storage efficiency.
Provides 2 TC

Chemicals & Drugs

Spice: An extremely potent manufactured drug resulting in extreme schizophrenia, delusions of power, frequent seizures, and eventually death. Extremely addictive. Those who undergo the week-long "Goldeneye" treatment in a CryoStat tank become accustomed (and permanently addicted) to low dosages of Spice, enabling very high awareness of surroundings and mildly increased reaction and thinking speeds when under the influence of the drug.
[Expensive] 5 Rare Chemicals.
- SEEM: Systemic Elimination of the Entropic Mind. An extremely intensive and long procedure where top-ranked veterans are subjected to week-long bouts of sensory deprivation in CryoStat tanks, and have their mind essentially transformed into a new form via the combined use of modified Metal Recombinators and Spice. Experienced SEEM Guides facilitate this Journey across the barrier into the Astral Realm. For now, this allows survivors of the treatment to exhibit extreme (much higher than Goldeneyes) awareness of surroundings, visible or not. This awareness manifests itself in many ways, from avoiding traps/bombardments to knowing where to shoot at to knowing when one's being shot at, and more.
  [Expensive] 5 Rare Chemicals,
Combat Drug 'Fury': A Spice-based drug that massively decreases reaction time, and lasts for ~2 hours. Also incites rage, decreasing soldier effectiveness at range and chances of occasional friendly fire. Mild hallucinations are common, preventing users from being effective at recon/espionage/etc. roles. Makes veins much more apparent and red. Addictive, and takes effect >5 minutes after injection.
[Expensive] 3 Rare Chemicals
Metal Recombinators: A special mixture that separates pure metal from ore, obsoleting a large part of Aratam's refining industry. A variant can also be used to fuse metal with (likely) any other matter.
Provides 1 Ore.

Other

R.A./M.P. Suit: A metal/ceramic/rubber recombinated suit of armor with heating/cooling capabilities and a quick-inject system where any single one of 6 vials stored in a back compartment can be instantly injected w/ instant effects by a series of buttons on the wrist. Contains a default adrenaline mix, but vials can be filled with FURY, SEEM, or other drugs. A particle filter and visor (w/ internal red lighting) covered by a recombinated hood sit on the head, and a jacket covers the rest of the suit for appearance/morale sake. Light, yet surprisingly durable: survival rates of soldiers are increased greatly across the board, with soldiers oftentimes being able to shrug off light-caliber shots from Merethan rifles. Looks like this, but with a slightly-red-glowing visor instead.
[Cheap] 2 Ore
CryoStat Tank: A large three-meter tall "coffin" with a small glass vertical slit inside showing a tank. A single "set" of machinery required for operation, taking up ~36 square meters of space total, can manage roughly a dozen CryoStat tanks at a time. Basic automation assists technicians, allowing for a single technician to manage many CryoStat tanks. Subjects are put into "stasis" via a numbing solution they're submersed in, and medical drugs in the solution naturally infuse into the bloodstream through the skin. Once taken out. Use is tracked through a computer-assisted bureaucracy dubbed the "CryoState". A day stabilizes minor life-threatening wounds, and a week stabilizes near all wounds. A month starts completely healing scars and generally brings up health status to pristine, and a year can restore lost limbs. Also used for life-extending "rejuvenation" processes by important people.
[Cheap] 2 Rare Chemicals
SynthOil: SMRO-58 "SynthOil" is an advanced form of oil - it's made using a combination of oil and other chemicals, making a much more stable and energy-dense solution. Has a peculiar property - with the right tools, it can directly produce electricity.
Provides 1 Oil
Gel-Matrix Bio-Paste Reactor: A 1m-radius spherical "nuclear-ish" reactor that uses gamma radiation to break down SynthOil into electrical energy. Rather efficient and good at making energy, especially compared with anything else in the world comparable in size/expense, but hard to miniaturize and has a notable radiation poisoning issue with anyone spending a notable amount of time in proximity.
Stormcaller Circle: A shift-based group of the top SEEMs in Aratam, "bonded" with tendrils of Tesla energy embedded throughout the atmosphere surrounding the continent. They can use their tremendous amounts of Astral energy at store to manipulate these tendrils and thus weather. Every season, the Bureau may vote on a single theatre and single weather phenomenon to invoke there. Our troops will be prepared (with the equipment that they already have, that is) ahead of time, but we can't micromanage the phenomenon to further aid our troops.

Infrastructure

The Refinery: An extremely secretive facility hidden under the canopy in a remote part of the rainforest, identifiable only by its smoke. Contains large liquid storage tanks and refineries for the production of chemicals, well-equipped laboratories, cells for test subjects, a steady supply of test subjects from Aratam's prisoners, and more. Useful as a base for chemical research.
Provides 1 Rare Chemical
The Militarized Baseline: Our soldiers are enhanced above regular humans (in notable, but not major ways) in many categories; namely strength, reflexes, and intelligence. All soldiers now have implanted ports for quick drug infusion, and a logistical structure is in place to facilitate the drug infusion and treatments of the entire Aratamite military.
The Black Chamber: A giant facility built beneath the Refinery full of specially-modified CryoStat tanks, training areas, niche laboratories, and subjects attempting to reach the world beyond ours: the Astral Realm.

Embassy "The Brewery": An embassy for Cannalan diplomats that doubles as a highly advanced brewery of Aratam's signature drink, Arachaca. The Cannalans can see the brewing process below through their glass flooring and taps straight form the brewery are available for Arachaca straight from the source. Uses basic electronic systems for very limited automation in conjunction with its general advanced brewing systems.

The Combat Phase of Fall 1963 has begun. The Combat Phase of Fall 1963 has begun. Last chance to enter contest submissions! (Contest summary is "media describing your domestic enemy"; see last Combat Report for more)

429

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 3

« on: November 22, 2018, 08:20:46 pm »

Round 3
Pretty Much Still the Beginnings
((Note: Minor change+clarification to mana income -- you get mana via directed energy via mortals, whether they're doing this consciously [most easily done via praying] or unconsciously. The less effort they devote, the less mana you gain, and the less "directed" the energy is to you, the less mana you gain. A cult of people worshiping your domain that was started indirectly by you won't get you the "standard" prayer mana amount of +1/follower, as they aren't directly worshiping you. Etc. etc.))

People go about their lives. Gods go about their business, largely unaware of or uncaring of these fledgling entities that have entered their realms.

Quote from: micelus on October 19, 2018, 05:21:21 am

[1] Approach Jara

"Hail friend and know no fear. Your hope, your desire to aid, has brought you to my attention. I Sadal, desire to aid you in your plight to ease the burdens of this dreary world. The revolution begins and ends with the people's hope. Be the seed of that hope, madame-comrade."

[-1]: Approach

To the normal mortal, Lady Jara seems to be unphased by what appears to be the presence of a divine being.
But even a fledgling god can realize how shaken she is by this. Yet her spirit endures, and she speaks back.
"You are the one who granted me the will to help my people, were you not? Then can you not help me further?" She sits down -- largely to be able to focus more on keeping her composure instead of standing. "I will endeavor further to give my workers and people the hope that you gave me. It is not easy, but I will not give up."

Lady Jara continues to help her people. But their lives are each filled with hardship. To regain hope while so devastated is truly a tremendous task. Yet they gradually do. Lady Jara ultimately truly inspires 2 people who begin helping her in her effort to make the brothel a better place.
Their hope, channeled through Jara, ultimately serve as a weaker form of prayer to you despite their lack of awareness of your existence. You gain +[1]/round.

Spoiler: Sadal (click to show/hide)

Quote from: FallacyofUrist on October 19, 2018, 10:14:24 am

Fles smiled a devious grin. Now we're talking...

Fles invokes Approach [1] on Ed Nes:

"It is not an unreasonable suspicion. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Fortunately it shall be fairly easy to prove that at the very least I am not your brother. Would he really be able to speak to you anywhere you go, without anyone else hearing? The second flaw with the theory of your brother trying a trick on you is of course his motivation. He has no motivation for such an action. Why would he do something without motivation? Why would he demean himself in such a manner? And how would he even know you came here?"

"As for proving I'm a god, that's a little trickier. That will come with time, once I have grown in power and demonstrated more of my abilities. For now, know my name. I am Fles, god of conspiracies and illusions. Rise, First Weaver Ed Nes, and let me discuss what you will need to do to claim your desired place."

"Your goal, and correct me if I'm wrong, is to inherit the Nes estate, yes? When you have a goal, it may be helpful to create a list of obstacles that interfere with that goal. First, you will not inherit the estate if your brother is still alive, or at the very least sane. Secondly, even if your brother is removed, Rodrick might adopt someone outside the family simply because he dislikes you. Finally, of course, there's societal suspicion. If you inherit the estate but it's obvious you poisoned your father and brother, for example, it's unlikely you will survive."

"You should know that the aid of others is paramount to overcoming these and all other obstacles. It may seem odd that I'm asking you to trust other people. I'm not. I'm asking you to trust other people to work for their own self-interest. For example, with regards to the poison example, you could have a maid poison the food for you in exchange for becoming the head maid when you take power. People are eager to take power when it's offered to them, even when they have to give up something in exchange."

"That is your first task. I am a god of conspiracies, am I not? Find some others in a lowly position who seek power. And enlist them into your Weave."
~~~
Fles also attempts to create an ability: Detect Aligning Interests [3]: Select one mortal and grant them the ability to sense people whose goals and interests align with them, at a close range.

[-1]: Approach

Power is a motivating reward, and Ed Nes understands this well.
Motivated by Fles' words, he makes his moves.

Eventually, three lowly servants are recruited into the conspiracy. They all have regular tasks around the estate, and with promises of greater power they (seem to, according to Ed) pledge to secrecy and service to Edward. Ed's paranoia prevents the recruitment of more or telling them at all about his new god, but they seem reliable enough tools.
Edward spends most of his days plotting in the same room where he first encountered Fles. None of his family finds this suspicious, because none of them really stay updated on his whereabouts.

[-3] mana is channeled into creating the ability of Detect Aligning Interests.
Mortals for the most part have simple minds focused on simple things. It just takes a bit of delving into them to see where their true loyalties and ambitions lie. As this is key to any proper conspiracy, Fles has little trouble shaping the ability. Though the ability does end up costing a bit more than expected.
New Ability: [-4] Detect Aligning Interests. Grant a mortal the ability to sense those with aligning interests & goals in a short radius around them for one round.

Spoiler: Fles (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Iridium64 on October 19, 2018, 10:39:53 am

Approach on Navramli:

"Hello. It's me. It's good to see a fellow crafter.

However, I am an extremely new god. In fact, your worship alone is preventing me from fading. So I ask this: when you are finished your masterwork, show it to the other dwarven smiths, carpenters, and makers of all distinction, and tell them this story."

[2] Create ability: Inspire
Inspire a mortal to create or help create a one word item such as "sword" or "painting". It doesn't have to be a physical item, so "play" or "cult" work as well.

[-1]: Inspire

Navramli falls to his knees. Of course! Of course he'll do that! Gladly!
The presence of a god means Blazbrand must be destined for greatness. It must mean that. It must. He continues work at a feverish pace, and will continue the masterwork next round.

Kel spends the rest of their time this round pouring mana into the creation of a new ability: Inspire. It's closely linked to the god's domains, yet not to their current abilities. This makes maintaining control of the intensity of the ability harder, which combined with a bit of unluck...
New Ability: [-6] Inspire. Inspires a single mortal with a very fervent urge to make a one-word specified creation.

Spoiler: Kel (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Kilojoule Proton

[nothing]

With Sarra's enchanted voice gone, she finds it harder to enjoy the same life she briefly had.
She spends most of her time practicing, praying, and talking with Edmund. Edmund notices that there's something very different about her but he spends his time helping her practice. He also notices the praying to an unknown god, but he shrugs this off.

Spoiler: Wafna (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Supernerd on October 19, 2018, 03:41:26 pm

Eekokarn was a bit surprised to discover that Amed Ward had correctly identified that what he heard was a god. Even Eekokarn didn't consider itself a god in its current form. Amed wasn't in need of immediate aid and it would take him some time to figure things out. Eekokarn had some time to focus on other things. Perhaps other people, or simply the things that happen in this world. Information was needed.

The only people who had caught its attention so far was a pair of bards, but they didn't have any obvious affinity towards technology and ambition. Attempting to interact with them would likely just be a waste of time and mana. Or worse.

This left Eekokarn with little to do except wait. As previous spoken though, Progress begins with someone saying there has to be a better way to do this. Like Amed, Eekokarn would also do some spending to find a better way to do things, and would now attempt to create a new ability. It would be called "Learn Ambition". It tied in with the domain of Ambition perfectly, and slightly uses Approach as a template in the sense that it directly connects to a mortal. This power would tell Eekokarn all about what a mortal aspires for, and how strong that aspiration is. 5 mana would be dedicated to the creation of this ability.

[-1]: Approach

While the fledgling god Eekokarn occupies themselves with other matters, Amed Ward gets busy. Sure, a god or god-like being could simply gaze over the town and the mortals within, but that lacks... something. Simply flying over a town won't tell you much about it. Simply hearing every mortal talking (not that a god as minor as Eekokarn could expand their awareness that far) won't tell you anything about them. And of course, this would all be from the god's outsider point of view.

But Amed gets deep into things. If he's to succeed, he has to know what he's dealing with.
Haford is a huge city. Full of activity and goings-on that are too much for many gods and definitely one mortal to understand or witness all at once. Despite this, Amed gets a good read of the generals. Trade with a nearby Dwarven fortress is just beginning as the local dwarves become less antisocial and as materials from human-run mines begin to falter. Something particularly interesting is the encroaching nation of Neverdawn. Through trade and diplomacy (and some say divine influence) Haford has been able to stay an independent city state with negligible ties to larger entities. Yet a large conquering nation may have set their eyes on Haford. Talk spreads about the possibility of Haford preparing for war, though a large number of people say it's hopeless and that they should just promptly surrender if invaded.
Amed meets lots of people during his investigation, but no one particularly interesting or.. convert-able, gained his notice.

All the while, Eekokarn prepares the spell "Learn Ambition", expanding [-5] mana to do so.
Considering his domain and existing knowledge of peering into mortal minds, this is a trivial matter. Combined with the mana spent, it's practically done before it begins.
New ability gained: [2] Learn Ambition: Learn the ambitions and their relative strengths that brew in a mortal's mind. Some particularly well-mentally-equipped mortals may be able to consciously or subconsciously shield themselves from this.

Spoiler: Eekokarn (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Shadowclaw777 on October 19, 2018, 12:51:13 pm

Approach (-1) Evan Reeves

”Why your little association is now finally starting to expand, but if you want it to truly be considered prosperous your going to follow my instruction. First off, get the cultees to make sure that the God of Prophecy, is the Eye God of the Mind, a master of intelligence and always watching them during their hardships and struggles... and their betrayals. The god that you are following, is X’arilyg the ever-watcher, which is the entity speaking to you, in essence make sure they are consciously directing their thoughts to myself.

Now to expand the “association”, your going to need to send the cultist followers to bring family and friends to your rituals to see that their is an ever-watcher of their hardships and expanding the people, recruiting from fellow peasant to the commonfolk. What you need to do is convinced one of the village leaders, a person with influence, to start joining your cult. Leave the “incentive” to this entity you just need to speak about how your know the village leader (closest one near to your cave) had a dream of ruin in where a drought on his farmlands arrive and the Baron taxes become higher and he can not pay the return, forcing to have his fellow villagers, family and friend to be sold slavery and even the collapse of his village due to the Baron. Than tell him about that an association to a god that you know, the God of Prophecy and the Mind knew about this dream and requires your assistance to make sure his village doesn’t become ruined.

Launch a Brief Dream (-4) into the nearby Village Leader

“The Village Leader begins his sleep into his REM sleep, the brief dream starts with an ever-burning sun that goes to all the crops of the village but no rain, the scene changes to his fellow people suffering from malnutrition and than the tax collected arrives with his horse and guards, claiming the bushels of food for this village is under-meeting expectations and now must pay double the bushels because of it. In the end, his entire village is burned by the Baron’s soldiers for not providing the bushels and his villagers forcibly put into jailed carriages for forced labor and in the skies a giant eyeball is staring to him.”

[-1]: Approach
[-4]: Brief Dream

Karl Nan woke up in a sweat.
The village! What was happening?!
This raced through his mind as he jumped out of his ramshackle bed and looked out the window (which was considered a luxury in Dirthill). Nothing. But something felt off. Even as its de-facto leader, he never cared too much for Dirthill. Sure, he met with some people and talked to some villagers but nothing that... major. Yet Karl Nan felt an intense fear for the fate of this village. And a paranoia of nearby Haford. He expects to see something in the night sky, but it isn't there. Strange. He could have sworn that... something, was there.
He went back to bed. More worried than before.

The next day Evan Reeves continues to fervently listen to X'arilyg's instructions. He tells his two followers of a great "eye in the sky", master of prophecy, intelligence and the mind; that was always watching through hardship, struggles, and betrayers. It is this somewhat-truthful reveal that allows X'arilyg to gain [+2] mana now and continuing in the future from their worship, though the new god feels that even somewhat-misleading worship may not be the best idea as they gain more followers.

After this and a nice quick fervent bowing and praying session to the Eye God of Prophecy, Reeves makes his way to the village of Dirthill. His and his cult's home. Reeves hasn't met the village leader before. Tends to be a fairly reclusive fellow who keeps to his own business. More so a leader of tradition rather than of, well, leadership. But his hut is perhaps the "best" building in the village, so he's easy to locate.
A knock on the door reveals a suspicious Karl Nan. Whose suspicion grows significantly stronger as Reeves starts going into detail about his cult. But Nan remembers this. Like if he saw it before. The final straw is the mentioning of the Eye. Suddenly, Nan knows. This is what he must do if he is to prevent Haford from ruining his village.

Karl Nan isn't impressed by the cave that the cult resides in, but he feels a connection to it. He's not particularly strong of will or of any real note spiritually, X'arilyg detects, but his connections will of course help. Along with a nice [+1] mana brought in by this new follower.

Spoiler: X'arilyg (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Roboson on October 19, 2018, 03:25:55 pm

Mu uses Grant Minor Ability to give Rykan Approach

Mu lets out a hearty laugh that resounds through the young mages mind, filling it with warmth and courage, "Young Rykan, I can see the seeds of wisdom germinating in your fertile soul. You are correct, you are young and full of promise, but you have yet to bloom into your full potential. Mortals can only see what is, but I dear Rykan, can see what will be. And I can see you will be strong. That is the thing about strength Rykan, if you are strong, they will listen. I will help you grow strong, and they will listen. I grant you my blessing, and you will be able to speak to others as I speak to you now. If they will not listen to your voice, they will listen to your power.

((I realize I forgot to mention some balance things. Grant Minor Ability costs the granted ability's cost in maintenance every turn it's active, and mortals can only stand so many granted abilities at a time, based on those abilities' intensities and the mortal's willpower, wisdom, etc.. Finally, mortals can only use the given power once a turn, but you can give them a higher "spell count" by just multiplying the ability's cost by how many times you want them to be able to cast it in a single turn. Approach three times would be 4 + 1x3, for a maintenance of 1x3 per roound. You can make retroactive changes to the Grant Minor Ability action if you wish.))
[-1]: Approach
[-(4+1)]: Grant Minor Ability (Approach)

Mu can sense that Rykan is barely able to hold in his excitement. He has been blessed by a god who has seen his true potential. He believes in Mu's message. He believes in himself, and his future.

Rykan feels something new within himself as he is granted Approach. He is aware of its limitations, how to use it, and more. It all comes intuitively to him. He remains staring at himself in awe for almost a minute after it is done. But he eventually regains his full composure, and hatches a plan.
He has one use of Approach for now, but he will use it well. A former associate apprentice, with a somewhat unique lust for power. Similar to Rykan in many ways, and Rykan knows this. He can't awe the greater wizards with his divine power just yet, but he can turn the younger ones such as her to his side.

Approach is tactically used to show her the power that Rykan has been granted by a god, and to promise similar power to herself if she joins him. She immediately accepts, even before Rykan expects her to.
Mu feels the [+1] mana flow into themselves. The new mage is ambitious and somewhat talented, but overall her mental abilities are still in line enough with the average mortal to give the standard mana amount in worship. But she does have the capability for magic. And this isn't something any regular ol' mortal follower can provide.
In his prayer that night, Rykan attempts to communicate to you that he knows of about five more inexperienced mages that could be swayed. Approach would probably be enough, but to Rykan that just feels... inefficient. There has to be a better way of doing this?

Spoiler: Mu (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Glass on October 19, 2018, 08:04:46 am

Again, grant Foresight(4) to Octavian, less specific but pertaining to a greater variety of things, ways in which he can make smaller but reliable profits to bring himself to a point where he may begin to act upon larger plans. Maybe it wouldn't quite be "foresight", per se, but an enhanced business sense.
Also, foresight that helps him to realize that by doing all this I'm expending a lot of power as a new god, and may be unable to help him in this manner for a while.

Additionally, try to create a "Message" ability. Basically a watered-down version of Approach, with a restricted amount of speech and clarity of source, but also able to be done for free. I don't need to make a whole speech, just occasional tips and advice.

[-4]: Foresight

Octavian awakens the next morning to find that sense of foresight once again blessing his mind. He knows the source, and he knows not to waste it.

Small amounts of profit are made at every possible turn. Short transactions. Moving from vendor to vendor, and organizing tiny shipments throughout the town. Octavian would normally feel, in a sense, ashamed of himself for stooping to such a low level. But he feels a renewed sense of purpose. A few people begin talking about the merchant with uncanny abilities of prediction.
Eventually the merchant has enough gold to organize for a small shipment of silver. Demand is already increasing as some of the shrewder merchants also make the realization that the mine would soon cease supply. But none have the same confidence in this prediction as Octavian does. It's this confidence combined with his tiny amount of fame that allows Octavian to convince another -- Gabriel Uam -- to join his caravan.

The caravan is unguarded other than Octavian and Gabriel, but with Octavian's last bit of foresight, he does his research and believes to have found a mostly deserted path that their small wagon can traverse to the silver mine and back. They make the final preparations, then set off.
The night before their departure, you feel [+1] mana coming from another source. Gabriel. Told about your existence by Octavian, he has begun praying to you as well in hopes of sharing the gifts given to Octavian. +1 Follower.

You spend time while observing Grey and his companion to try and create a new ability, formed from ambient mana with nothing invested by yourself.
This... does not go tremendously well. But the subject matter of the new ability is fairly simple, and the resulting ability seems to still have use.
New Ability: Direct. Utilizing the strong connection between any Important Follower and yourself, you can send a vague sense of direction to an Important Follower for no mana cost.

Spoiler: The Faceless Prince (click to show/hide)

Quote from: a1s on October 21, 2018, 01:13:37 pm

I'm going to wait and see if Janice encounters someone.

Ugunsupkis sits back in their proverbial divine seating as they observe Janice.

She meets a variety of people in her day-to-day life, though she tends to spend more time alone than not. She has fellow woodsmen that she encounters frequently, and occasionally makes a trip to Haford with goods to sell through riding with a friend (well, the closest thing to a friend that Janice is generally comfortable/happy with). She's just meeting this friend as Ugunsupkis feels the dawn of a new [round].

Spoiler: Ugunsupkis (click to show/hide)

[/list][/list]

430

Other Games / Re: Undertale: Spoilers! Its whats for dinner!

« on: November 04, 2018, 04:16:41 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

431

Other Games / Re: Phoenix Point : In the works X-COMlike from Gollop

« on: November 01, 2018, 10:00:51 pm »

They released a new trailer for the game.
Cool, but nothing anyone already following the project probably hasn't already seen.

However, early access (bought, of course) is available for non-backers now. $50 for early access. It's the "deluxe edition", so it also includes some digital goodies and in-game stuff. $30 to pre-order "from" June 2019 on Steam/GoG.

432

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 2

« on: October 19, 2018, 05:06:24 am »

Round 2
Slightly Less Humble Beginnings
((Note: Due to your unique connection and their state, your first follower is the easiest to convert. But most mortals already worship a deity, and converting them will be a greater challenge. Furthermore, to clarify in case it wasn't implied well-enough, you can use multiple abilities in one turn -- as many as your mana allows for.))

The fledgling gods make their first moves in this new world. But as they do, they realize that they can create abilities. Any god may expend a specified amount of Mana in the attempt to form it into the template for a new ability. Mana is volatile and hard to shape, so success varies and the result may not be exactly what was wanted.
Success in ability creation depends on the amount of mana allotted to the creation of it, how related it is to current domains, how related it is to the most relevant ability to "base" off of (though new abilities without a base are very possible), how related it is to past experiences, and how ambitious in general it is compared to the god's current power.

Quote from: micelus on October 18, 2018, 06:30:36 pm

[3]Drive: Sadal encourages Jara's hope of better conditions for herself and her workers.

[-3]: Drive
Lady Jara looks up from her desk.
This isn't right.

She has to help herself and her people. She can't just leave them like this. Working in the last-chance brothel in town. She has to do something. But she has no money, and is in such a state that money is hard to come by.
But that doesn't stop Jara. She won't stop now.

She locates a lender about as reputable as her own brothel -- Robern Prince -- and gets the greatest lump sum of money that she can stake her own reputation on. She pays for treatments for her own workers, and overhauls the parts of the brothel that used to bring depression to those inside.
Her improvements don't really help business, but they uplift the spirits of the ladies inside as well as Jara herself. For the first time in what feels like ages, Jara feels hope. And she has a sense that there's someone out there that shares her sense of hope.

Important Follower gained: Lady Jara
Lady Jara is strong of spirit, and generates [+3]/round.

Spoiler: Sadal (click to show/hide)

Quote from: FallacyofUrist on October 18, 2018, 07:37:38 pm

Fles looks upon the world and its people and found Ed Nes. He would be willing to listen. Fles and Ed were one in essence, after all.

Fles invokes Approach [1]

"Ed Nes. I have been expecting you."

"Oh, do not be afraid. I am no mortal who would strike your brilliance for your plans. I am a young god, and I admit I'm very interested in your situation. I believe we can be of mutual aid to one another."

"You seek to claim your brother's place, do you not? I will help you if you help me. There is more than once kind of power, you see, and might can in the right circumstances be counted by cunning and magic. If you grant me your allegiance, I will grant you my aid."

"Perhaps you are worried that your allegiance to me will compromise your independence. Unless you betray yourself, you will not betray me. For you see, we are one in essence. What you want, I want as well. My commands will be to do things you would be quite willing to do yourself if you had thought of them or were capable."

"Now... will you accept my offer, Ed Nes? Will you become my first Weaver? Will you hear my name?"

[-1]: Approach

Ed Nes is surprised by the sudden voice in his head. He stumbles backwards, his head darting around.
"WHO IS THIS?!" He screams. "ANDEL! Andel! Why trouble yourself with me?!"

Shortly after, Fles finished his approach and rised up above the mortal realm for the time being, leaving Nes alone with his thoughts.

Ed is impacted by suddenly being the subject of a divine voice. All his life, he was looked down upon. The third son of a noble family, and hated by nearly everyone in it for his lack of strength or courage. In fact, the lack of courage comes into play here. Ed is temporarily reduced to a babbling mess as he tries to piece together his now-shattered world view. He leaves the abandoned house and doesn't return for days.

But eventually he returns. But with a newfound sense of paranoia. If gods can just do that, and he's of interest to them, what stops other entities from them? Maybe this isn't even a god, but rather Andel returning to his childhood ways and playing a trick on him?
Despite this, Ed tries to believe. He enters the basement, untouched from when he was last inside.
With a heavy sense of hesitation, he finally utters "I... am willing to help you, whoever you are."

Important Follower gained: Ed Nes
Ed Nes is devious, yet overly paranoid. [+2]/round.

Spoiler: Fles (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Iridium64 on October 18, 2018, 06:33:49 pm

Remove Imperfection: Ensure that Navramli creates a perfect item by correcting his cuts and such.

[-3]: Remove Imperfection

Navramli doesn't make mistakes.
Or, at least in general.
Smithing a masterwork takes days and days to do. On one of those days, Navramli mistrikes, creating a blemish on his otherwise perfect creation.

Yet before his very eyes, he sees the blemish close up, forming something even more beautiful than it was before. The masterwork still isn't done, but Navramli is inspired. He's no stranger with gods. But this. This. What could he make if a divine entity were to help him?
Navramli falls to his knees, praying. Kel immediately feels a tiny surge of [+1] mana rise up to him from the newfound devotion. He's gained a new follower.

Important Follower gained: Navramli Blazbrand
Navramli is an expert smith. [+2]/round.

[/list]

Spoiler: Kel (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Kilojoule Proton on October 19, 2018, 03:16:21 am

O Tragedy! O Comedy! Now Wafna hears
The pain and grief and anguish Sarra, brave, endures.
What worth has life when art is mocked, drawing the tears
Of bard and muse in compact old, by mobs of boors?
No artist cries in vain to Wafna, Patron Prime.
For now, deadly though acts may be, does Wafna bless
Her voice to ring out clear as breezes striking chime,
Her lute to find its way to hearts; Muse, grant success!

Well aware of the high cost of doing so, Wafna tries to enhance first Sarra's voice and second Sarra's lute (7) so as to make them better at eliciting emotional responses from listeners and observers.

[-7]: Enhance Instrument

Unfortunately, only one instrument can be enhanced with the ability employed by Wafna. But that's enough for her.

The next day, after Sarra awakes, she finds that people are much more pliable. They seem to like her? The tavern owner eyed her with mild spite, yet as soon as she opened her mouth his tune changed. He seemed to, at least for a few moments, share her sadness. Another performance, please! She graciously accepts. Perhaps people are coming to realization of her talent?
Later that day, a handsome man seems almost enchanted by her voice. He introduces himself Edmund, a traveling bard, and the two immediately hit it off. They tell stories to each other, and eventually to the gathering crowd.

Sarra's enchanted voice doesn't improve her talent, but her listeners feel her. When the hero of the tale is trapped, awaiting his doom, the entire audience feels that desperation. They're enthralled. It's in the middle of this tale that Sarra realizes: she has a muse! What all the legendary artists of her time had! She was chosen by the gods themselves! She truly is of divine talent!

Sarra wakes the following morning in bed next to Edmund. And she smiled. The performance was in a few days, Edmund was here, she was chosen by the gods...
Things are finally going her way.

Important Follower gained: Sarra
Sarra is a relatively untalented minstrel of immense potential. [+2]/round.

Spoiler: Wafna (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Supernerd on October 18, 2018, 07:15:47 pm

Not immediately finding any errors or a lack of ambition within Amed Ward, Eekokarn decides that it should introduce himself to him directly.

Eekokarn invokes Approach [1]

"You have the means to accomplish much, yet you lack direction. If I may make a suggestion... Progress begins with someone saying 'there has to be a better way to do this'. This world is filled with men who must work every day just to survive, performing the same mundane tasks over and over again.

If only someone was smart enough to find a way to make this endless toil more efficient. It would need to be someone with a proper education, far too many lack the gift of literacy. Someone with the luxury of time to spend working on things beyond their pitiable day to day struggle just to get by.

If someone like that could find a way to improve upon the tasks that society must perform in order to get by... Not only would the people of these lands live better lives, but whoever could bring forth such a change would stand to become quite wealthy indeed."

[-1]: Approach

Most mortals would react with fear or shock upon hearing a god speak to them.
But Amed was different.

He had read about this. He was hoping for this. Upon hearing the divine words of Eekokarn, he immediately makes a resolution inside his mind to become this god's follower.

The nearby town of Haford would be his future. He would use his money to purchase a place to stay, and find ideas and helpers there. The trip is short, and he quickly finds a local tavern with some interesting talent inside. Two bards. One with such a compelling voice that every time she spoke, Amed couldn't help but feel exactly what she was describing.

But eventually the performance ended, and he went into his room. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he would change the world.

Important Follower gained: Amed
Amed is rather intelligent and ambitious. [+2]/round.

Spoiler: Eekokarn (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Shadowclaw777 on October 18, 2018, 07:41:21 pm

X’arilyg the god of the eye, saw promise well only a tiny bit in that the entity can invoke to the desired person to expand their influence, but with his current status it will assuredly take a great deal of time to be rivaling in terms of influence.

Approach (1) Evan Reaves

”Why fellow Evan your failing to meet standard cult expectation because you forget advertisement. Why the best way to make your cult or let’s call it an “association”, is that you need more followers and with my instructions here’s how, you simply advertise during a village in the outskirts of the city, that you found this amazing new thing, to the villagers and common folk, that if you have met with the God of Prophecy and Luck, where in joining this association, providing only a meager amount of their income (5%) and dedicating themselves towards the rituals to this entity, than you can be provided dreams of your future and how to capitalize on those for economic success. Now you just need to go to the outskirt village and convince people, the more desperate the better!, to join you in on your meetings in the outskirt cave you were sacrificing goats in, and the association will start its growth. Seems simple, but can you follow the instructions?

[-1]: Approach

Evan collapsed to his knees and began bowing fervently, yet with little purpose, upon hearing the words of his new god.
Of course he would do all that was asked of him! Of course!

Evan quickly began recruiting. The city and its outlying villages were full of people, but Reeves encountered two problems:
1.) Finding people right for the cult is hard.
2.) Reeves isn't that good at this.

But still, Reeves persevered. He kept on asking and recruiting until he found two followers. They would convene every other day at the cave on the outskirts of town. Unfortunately for X'arilyg, the worship-mana from these followers is sent to the Void as it isn't being consciously directed towards X'arilyg himself. But that didn't mean these followers were useless.

The income from the two followers, while paltry, is noticeable for Reeves. He was a bonafide cult leader now! Sure, no one was getting any boons from the gods and everyone but him was worshipping a fake god, but still. A cult. That's what he wanted.

Important Follower gained: Reeves
Evan is somewhat foolish, but extremely dedicated. [+2]/round.

[/list]

Spoiler: X'arilyg (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Roboson on October 18, 2018, 06:56:38 pm

[1] Approach

"Dear Rykan, I hear your inner strength and your desire to be stronger. Young wizard, I am the god Mu, deity of strength and magic. I have come to make you a champion of magic. Are you strong enough to bear this burden upon your shoulders? As you have learned, magic does not come easily, and my gift to you shant either. I desire followers, deliver them unto me, and I will grant you the power you desire. Will you rise to my challenge?"

[-1]: Approach

Rykan is surprised when he hears the divine words in his head. Spoken in no language, yet understandable by all. The fledgling mage is so distracted in his interest that he fails to truly realize the horror and awe of speaking directly to a god, however minor that god may be. Perhaps this was for the better.

"Of course!'" exclaims Rykan, still fascinated. "I... but how? I'm just a nobody mage! Why would anyone in their right mind listen to me? I beg your advice!"

Important Follower gained: Rykan
Rykan is curious and eager to improve his knowledge of magic and the world. [+2]/round.

Spoiler: Mu (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Glass on October 18, 2018, 09:10:53 pm

The Faceless Prince will grant Octavian Foresight (4) to guide him through these trying times. Perhaps it will lead him to a seemingly-risky venture that will grant him great success; mayhaps it will aid him to avoid a disaster.
He will wait to approach until such time that such activity may be better received.

[-4]: Foresight

Octavian Grey plays with some of his remaining coins in his hand, when an otherworldly realization hits him.

The silver market! Grey admonishes himself as he realizes this; he was such a fool! How did he not realize?! The signs should have been obvious when he was organizing the caravan in the first place. If he can buy enough silver before the mine inevitably collapses, Grey knows that he'll be able to make a fortune.

He spends his last few remaining coins on -- wait. Octavian stops before even enacting his plans. He doesn't have enough money. He can't afford the guards, the shipment arrangements, the silver, and to hold it until the mine collapses. He'd need something short of divine aid to do that!
It's at this moment that Grey's hindsight kicks in. He has divine aid. He thinks back to his conclusion regarding the mine collapse. It's so... fitting, yet how could he predict it this easily? It's no doubt nothing short of divine intervention.

The following night, Grey prays for help. He only has a few gold coins to his name now. If you truly helped him, he humbly requests your help again.

Important Follower gained: Octavian Grey
Grey is a natural smooth-talker and quite charismatic, but despite his efforts he's not the best at commerce. [+2]/round.

Spoiler: The Faceless Prince (click to show/hide)

Quote from: a1s on October 18, 2018, 07:22:48 pm

Grow (Forest): As the last embers fade, a small bit of forest seems to spring from the fertile ash. At the south edge a number of blueberry bushes grow, once picked they seem to regrow new berries in minutes. Surrounding it from the east, north and west are two dozen densely growing trees, though only saplings at the moment, the trees will be taller than a man by nightfall.

[-7]: Grow
Just as Janice Namdar's gaze was being distracted, she noticed something. A patch of burnt forest. The last ember falls to the ground, and instantly a flower sprouts where it lands. Soon, saplings start rising out of the ground. Grass starts spreading across the scarred land. Namdar can't help but spend all day in amazement watching more.
Eventually, the trees are as tall as any other full-grown tree.

It was a sign. Namdar knew it. Fire, life, forests. It was all connected. Sure, it was enough wood to partially offset the loss by the wildfire. But there was a higher being that wanted her to facilitate this connection.
She knew this god would be her salvation. She offered herself to Ugunsupkis as the new god's faithful servant.

Important Follower gained: Octavian Grey
Janice is already extremely devout, and is "in sync" with the nature around her. [+3]/round.

Spoiler: Ugunsupkis (click to show/hide)

433

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 1

« on: October 18, 2018, 07:02:06 pm »

Colors are just ways of differentiating the abilities and don't mean anything too rigid. Just there to make it prettier and less of a slog to read through, pretty much.

Green = Mentally influencing mortals
Blue = Subtly influencing the world, usually via more "magical" methods
Red = Physically/directly influencing world

434

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [8/8] - Round 1

« on: October 18, 2018, 06:20:58 pm »

Round 1
Humble Beginnings

Quote from: micelus on October 18, 2018, 04:13:27 pm

Name: Sadal
Domains: Revolution, The Working Class
Mortals: A lowly soiled dove, the lady Jara; a madame of a brothel

The city of Haford is a busy one. Brothels such as those of lady Jara's are a common sight. Customers come and go, often uncaring for those working the building. The brothel is run down, small, and dirty. The propietor just barely manages to keep it running despite the turnover of its workers.
Counting coins in her tiny "office", Jara sighs as she suppresses the sights of the day. A nagging feeling bothers the back of her mind. A feeling of unease. Of uncomplacency with the current order. She sees abuse too often, one would think her desensitized. But a part of her believes. A part of her tires of the daily abuse. Of the just barely managing to hang on. Of... everything. And that's what brings Sadal to her.

Sadal has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[3] Drive: Encourage a Mortal to act out on an existing impulse. How succesful this is depends on how repressed aforementioned impulse is.
[6] New Perspective: Through some medium, show a mortal a brief glimpse of a seemingly possible reality (regardless of how possible it actually is). The mortal can interpret this glimpse however they please.

Spoiler: Sadal (click to show/hide)

Quote from: FallacyofUrist on October 18, 2018, 04:14:53 pm

Name: Fles
Domains: Conspiracies, Illusions
Mortal: Ed Nes

Ed Nes.
Son of the great Rodrick Nes. Famed for his victory at the Battle of the Crossing.
Well, second son. Andel Nes, Ed's older brother, is the golden child of the family. In his 20s, Andel is already set to inherit the entirety of Rodrick's estate and fame, leaving Ed with nothing.

Ed is looked down at by his father for his weakness in strength and lack of courage. Despite the family's best efforts, Ed remains the sore spot in their history. But Ed is plotting. In the basement of an abandoned family home, Ed begins his plans. He has no idea of what he'll do exactly, but he knows that he'll bring down the esteemed Andel Nes.
Maybe with the help of Fles, who watches as Ed walks down the stairs into his new lair for the first time.

Fles has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[4] Induce Paranoia: Manipulate the inner shadow's in ones mind to induce paranoia of any given thing. Difficulty increases with increased willpower of the mortal, and the less reason they have for paranoia, the harder it is to induce paranoia.
[6] Hide Object Just a couple twists in reality and an object no longer appears to the ordinary eyes of mortals. Any small object can be completely hidden from sight with this, though if a mortal is aware of the object and its general location, they may be able to catch a glimpse of it.

Spoiler: Fles (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Iridium64 on October 18, 2018, 04:15:24 pm

Name: Kel
Domains: Order, craftsmanship
Mortal connection: A great dwarven crafter.

Navramli Blazbrand was a great dwarven crafter. That's what he thinks.

He last made a great work -- one that still adorns the halls of Templescale -- a year ago. None of his creations since then have inspired the same interest. Navramli has, at this point, largely given up. He wakes up, and works steel at the anvil for the mountainhall's soldiers. But he doesn't make anything great.
But today.
Today Navramli wakes up in a new mood. A mood of success. He's not quite sure what it is yet, but he knows. It's in the middle as he opens his personal immaculate workshop that Kel awakes, and immediately is brought to this dwarf. Whatever he makes could become an important item of Templescale history, and Kel now has a say.

Kel has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[3] Remove Imperfection: Remove a (small) imperfection on the face of the world and any object in it. The exact nature of removal may be decided upon at the moment of removal.
[4] Steady Hands Pouring a bit of yourself into the hands of a mortal, their hands become significantly more steady for the duration of one round (the one that this is cast in). Capable of almost supernatural precision and steadiness. Any aware mortal would likely quickly notice this change.

Spoiler: Kel (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Kilojoule Proton on October 18, 2018, 04:22:42 pm

Name: Wafna
Domains: Tragedy, comedy
Mortal connection: An unbelievably hammy minstrel

Another performance at the Tavern in Haford, and nobody even seemed to care!

Horrific. Sarra kept herself from crying as she fled to the room that was provided as part of her payment. She had talent! Talent! But the world didn't want to see it! She could tell tales of tragedy, sorrow, comedy, happiness! But no one knew it yet! She gently put her lute down to the floor with as much anger as she could muster, and slunked to the floor against the wall, holding the coins she received tight in her right hand as she continued to weap and weap. Woe was her. The minstrel of unrecognized talent. No one would ever get to hear her shine!

But Wafna heard her.
And Wafna was entertained.

Wafna has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[4] Create Emotion: Life is but a play, and with the right performance you can induce a desired emotion in any mortal. Wafna can make any mortal feel any emotion, though difficulty increases as the mortal has less theoretical reason to feel that emotion.
[7] Enhance Instrument With a bit of magic, an instrument (liberally defined) can become something greater. An enhanced instrument is much more likely to make those experiencing it feel whatever it is the wielder wnats them to feel.

Spoiler: Wafna (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Supernerd on October 18, 2018, 04:30:15 pm

Name: Eekokarn
Domains: Technology, Ambition
Mortal: The second child of a royal family

Amed Ward is not content with not being the heir to the barony. He's not fine with having little connections, as he's been practically quarantined himself from the affairs of the royal family.
What he is not content with, is his lack of anything to do.

He's done some reading and that was okay, but there are only so many books and by the gods are books expensive. But he's just not content. At all. It's at night, with Amed staring at the ceiling awake in his bed, that his ambition peaks. And with that peak in ambition, comes Eekokarn.

Eekokarn has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[3] Address Error: In order to improve, a mortal must come to accept their mistakes. Eekokarn can help them with this. The less obvious the mistake and/or the less willing the mortal is to accept mistakes, the harder this is.
[6] Unsatisfy Grant a mortal with an intense sense of... unsatisfaction. Have them feel unfit with their current situation. Difficulty scales with how accepting the mortal is of their current situation

Spoiler: Eekokarn (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Shadowclaw777 on October 18, 2018, 04:33:31 pm

Name: X’arilyg
Domains: Mind, Corruption
Mortal: A conspiring yet whimsical and eccentric cultist leader.

Evan Reeves lowered his hands, the dirty robe accompanying them. The ritual failed. Again. Nothing. He's tried everything! Literally 5 forbidden books worth of rituals! But nothing! Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep stealing more sheep? So much blood! Why can't rituals use more regular fluids?
Reeves fruitlessly attempted to wipe his robes of the sheep blood, before sighing and looking down. He had big plans. He was going to do something to the local Baron! What it was exactly changed depending on the ritual. You can't get too picky after 5 books of failed attempts, after all.

But maybe his ritual wasn't in vain. After all, it was just enough to attract the attention of X'arilyg to him.

X'arilyg has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[6] Corrupt Memory: Memories are fickle and delicate. With just a nudge, a memory can become corrupted. Be just different enough than what it used to be. A memory of happiness turned to fear. Of sadness turned to greed. A memory of one's birthday turning happiness into mournful nostalgia. The stronger the memory is, the harder it is to corrupt.
[4] Brief Dream Dreams are often prophetic, and ones from X'arilyg can probably be said to not be different. Grant a mortal a short dream with contents of your choosing. The mortal won't be fully aware during the dream, and will not remember the full details of it after they wake up.

Spoiler: X'arilyg (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Roboson on October 18, 2018, 04:39:42 pm

Name: Mu
Domains: Strength and Magic
Mortal: Rykan, a fledgling mage

Sparks flew from Rykan's hands as he simultaneously tried to improve his skills in magic and not burn his house down.

The Mages' Guild was tutoring him, but Rykan had plans of his own. He wanted to be more than just a pawn of the guild. So he practiced in his own time. And boy, is magic hard. Rykan repeatedly wished for something to help him, and it seems like his wish may be granted as Mu observes the sparks coming from his hands.

Mu has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[3] Push: Move a relatively small object in a single axis of movement. Fairly straightforward. Can move things up, but they tend to fall back down immediately afterwards.
[4+x] Grant Minor Ability Through some complicated manipulation in the transfer of mana between soul and Void/Gods, Mu can grant a Mortal with the ability to cast a single one of Mu's abilities, for the cost of this ability + the other ability's cost. The other ability cannot cost more than 10 mana.

Spoiler: Mu (click to show/hide)

Quote from: Glass on October 18, 2018, 05:17:04 pm

Domains: Trade and foresight
Connection: the merchant Octavian Grey
Name: The Faceless Prince
Description: Appearing like a prince or rich merchant, with clothes seemingly exuding both wealth and good taste while still being practical, but with no face, or in fact any features at all where his face should be.

Or in other words: same guy I played as back in Chromatic Spirits (or at least, what he would have grown to be). If I can get a bonus for that, that's great. If not, oh well.

Octavian Grey curses under his breath as the news arrive.
The caravan -- his last hope -- didn't make it. And now, according to the messenger, Octavian is in hot waters with the Merchants' Guild of Haford. He should have seen this coming. He should have seen this coming. What a stupid route to take, he thought to himself. If only he had known beforehand.

He sat back down in his chair in the tavern, sulking. How was he going to get out of this one?
The Faceless Prince watched, invisible to the mortal eye.

The Faceless Prince has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[4] Foresight: Grant a mortal with mildly uncanny wisdom, allowing them to predict things that could normally be only seen in hindsight. Difficulty scales with how hard it'd be to conventionally predict the given event.
[7] Make Amenable Trade is about bargaining, and the Prince can make bargaining a whole lot easier when one side is more amenable to the other's offers. Make a mortal more accepting to suggestions. Difficulty scales to how likely the mortal would be to accept any given suggestion in the first place.

Spoiler: The Faceless Prince (click to show/hide)

Quote from: a1s on October 18, 2018, 06:14:59 pm

Name: Ugunspukis
Domains: Flame, Forests
Mortal connection: Janice Namdar, a woodsman

Janice Namdar watched the fires of the forest slowly subside.

The wildfire had been going on for a while now, but nature always takes its course. And the wildfire ends, just like everything else.
But it fascinated Namdar. The cycle. It'd hurt her productivity, sure, but in this moment she was fascinated like never before in the beautiful harmony between fire and forest.

And it was this fascination that drew Ugunsupkis to the site.

Ugunsupkis has the following abilities:

[1] Approach: Directly speak to a mortal (they must have some level of sympathy for you, but they can be Approached without having awareness of you already). Mortals have a strong chance to react negatively to being directly approached by a divine being, whether the consequence is insanity or just hostility.
[3] Spark: Create a small spark of fire in any given location. The spark acts like any other spark, so it's unlikely to ignite that's not particularly flammable..
[7] Grow (Forest): Induce unnatural growth of any forest-related flora in a very small area (single digit meters). Plants can grow to heights that would normally take years, at rates visible to the mortal eye.

Spoiler: Ugunsupkis (click to show/hide)

435

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [8/8]

« on: October 18, 2018, 05:38:09 pm »

Since glass helped me with the original idea, he gets a slot (meaning it's expanded to 9 slots).
Furthermore, A1S, mind redoing your entry a bit? It's just a bit too comedic for the intended tone, and I'd greatly appreciate it.

Tric: You were ninja'd, but it's fair. Also your entry seems invalid since A.) I'm personally not a huge fan of the magic girl domain, but much more importantly, B.) Japan doesn't exist in this setting. Feel free to change your entry for the waitlist.

Round 1 will be out fairly soon, assuming A1S is able to change his entry in time.

Bay 12 Games Forum

News:

Profile Info

Messages - Chiefwaffles

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Abbraccio

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Wands Race 2: The Great War - Core Thread (NEW!)

Other Games / Re: Stellaris: Paradox Interactive IN SPACE

Other Games / Re: Obsidian - The Outer Worlds

Other Games / Re: Stellaris: Paradox Interactive IN SPACE

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Mad Arms Race - Mereth Design Division (Fall 1963 - Revision Phase)

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Mad Arms Race - Aratam Design Bureau (Fall 1963 - Revision Phase)

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 3

Other Games / Re: Undertale: Spoilers! Its whats for dinner!

Other Games / Re: Phoenix Point : In the works X-COMlike from Gollop

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 2

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [9/9] - Round 1

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [8/8] - Round 1

Forum Games and Roleplaying / Re: Fledgling Gods [8/8]