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[NJW2000]

So… initial thoughts on the sword. Each turn it can change shape to guarantee a hit on one target, so dodging or making Spar miss is out of the question, presumably as is blocking, intercepting, covering or so forth. Hence the quasi-psycrystal bit.

As some monsters are immune to most damage types, in order to kill anything it should be able to do all damage types - presumably this is the multiphase or R-transitive bit, if “transitive” just means the same as “changing”, though “R-transitive” sounds like a logic/maths thing. The “Greater” bit might refer to being able to do all of the categories of damage type - the six elements, poison/nature, void, whatever. Speculating on some pretty thin logic here.

The missing piece here is how Spar instakills - a blade that can hit anything ideally and do any damage type could in theory be tanked by a strong enough creature just by having no elemental weakness and more hit points than it has damage. So it likely does horrendous amounts of damage - or, if it’s the real deal, the maximum amount of damage. Or possibly infinity, but that’s quite unlikely.

Questions:

What is the maximum damage an attack can do?

What is the maximum HP?

What is the maximum number?

[Devastator]

Questions:

What is the maximum damage an attack can do?

What is the maximum HP?

What is the maximum number?

(Gonna assume this isn't in conversation with the other person, as it basically says "Yeah, I'm looking to fight Spar Hessom and win.)

"That's not quite right.  Back at Tulia, there was the suggestion to throw bodies at her using Cover-like moves.  Cover can work, it just gets the covering person killed instead of the target.  Defending, dodge-tanking, and splitting damage don't work."

...

"We should find someone who has seen her fight and get a better description of what happens.  I'll put that next to 'find an enchanter who worked on Valterre.'"

(Max damage an attack can do)

"There's no known cap or limit on attack damage.  Those elemental cannons at the Tulian seige were straight up into the 150-200 damage range, and there doesn't seem to be any fixed hard limit.. fall into lava, you take All the Damage, and die.  There may be one, but it seems to be somewhere above about one thousand or so."

(Maximum HP)

"Same.  No fixed limit.  I actually have one of the higher HP maxes in the world, but over 200 has been achieved by a good number of people.  The largest solid number I've ever heard of is Samiston the Glacier, who was a tank-type from a previous age.  He had 408 max HP.  The Four Swords seem to vary, but Arngrim doesn't have that many.

(Maximum number?)

"Uhh... Waris?"

"There's no end to numbers, and you can always have a bigger number."

[IronyOwl]

So… initial thoughts on the sword. Each turn it can change shape to guarantee a hit on one target, so dodging or making Spar miss is out of the question, presumably as is blocking, intercepting, covering or so forth. Hence the quasi-psycrystal bit.

As some monsters are immune to most damage types, in order to kill anything it should be able to do all damage types - presumably this is the multiphase or R-transitive bit, if “transitive” just means the same as “changing”, though “R-transitive” sounds like a logic/maths thing. The “Greater” bit might refer to being able to do all of the categories of damage type - the six elements, poison/nature, void, whatever. Speculating on some pretty thin logic here.

The missing piece here is how Spar instakills - a blade that can hit anything ideally and do any damage type could in theory be tanked by a strong enough creature just by having no elemental weakness and more hit points than it has damage. So it likely does horrendous amounts of damage - or, if it’s the real deal, the maximum amount of damage. Or possibly infinity, but that’s quite unlikely.

Good guesses. My money's definitely on some goofy trick rather than Lots of Damage, though.

As a decent example, consider syv's Moonbolt/multiattack/manadrain shenanigans. If we got Trence a Blackmoon Spear that let him instantly KO anything with a flurry attack, there'd be a lot of speculation as to how it worked, and most of that speculation would be wrong. That's because it wouldn't be a standard concept (KO chance, nonlethal damage) magnified a lot (lots of KO chance, several hits), it'd be abusing obscure mechanical quirks (stacking exhaustion levels, particular spells, binding spells to weapons, exhaustion gain on being manadrained at 0 mana) in a way that normally doesn't come up. I assume that's what's going on with Valterre.

The corollary to this is that we probably won't be able to use half an answer. We found out a lot from the scabbard guy, but until we talk to all or most of the people who worked on it we probably won't understand the shenanigans well enough to short circuit them.


Ask about status ailment resist. That sounds like something we could use.

Ask about armor that boosts Trence's Counter skill.


Otherwise I'm ready to start looking elsewhere. For equipment I think we should find somebody who does accessories or tools, for Valterre I guess we should poke around enchanters?

[Devastator]

Ask about status ailment resist. That sounds like something we could use.

Ask about armor that boosts Trence's Counter skill.
Otherwise I'm ready to start looking elsewhere. For equipment I think we should find somebody who does accessories or tools, for Valterre I guess we should poke around enchanters?

Status ailment resist:

"Sure.  There there are more specific resistances, and some near-immunities, like say a 60% boost to Blindness related saves.  Or just a general 10% or 20% boost to saves in general.  That's pretty standard."

"Counter!, eh?  Which of you does that?"

Trence then demonstrates with his stance, and Sessha takes a swing at him, showing how the skill works.

"Hmm, that seems pretty straightforwards.  Shouldn't have any minimum requirement, that is, it'll be good at any enchantment level, and it's a fairly straightforwards piece of work.  I'll just need to make sure there's a reinforced arm and shoulder, with the other one left pretty light.  I could even modify some other work to include that, maybe, instead of making something entirely new."

"If you want it included on your current armour, I'll charge one upgrade."

[Devastator]

Anyway, in the interest of keeping things moving..

1.  Find an enchanter who worked on Valterre.
2.  Actually buy stuff.  (Armour.  Weapons.  Get staff training + a staff for Willis.)
3.  Something else?

What first?

[IronyOwl]

Enchanter. We're riven with choice paralysis on gear, but also not sure what we'll need to spend or do to deal with that sword.

[King Zultan]

Enchanter. We're riven with choice paralysis on gear, but also not sure what we'll need to spend or do to deal with that sword.

+1

[NJW2000]

Enchanter. We're riven with choice paralysis on gear, but also not sure what we'll need to spend or do to deal with that sword.

+1

+1

[Devastator]

Unlike the crafter, you come up blank looking for solo enchanters.  There are a few of them, but for one reason or another, you're able to rule them all out.

..that leaves the enchanting groups.  There are four organized guilds of enchanters in town.  Four!  There's only one such guild in Nikonto.  And they're all old enough to have been the one to do it.  They also have offices and frontmen and receptionists, and they take appointments, and have guards, and all that stuff.

But they keep records.. and you have a proper infiltrator.

"All right.  I'll go check them out and see which one we're talking about.  Do you think the rest of you can avoid finding any magical cults for a few days?  That is, other magical cults?  Avoid turning into a big dragon and picking a fight with the whole town?  Everyone okay?"

It's rhetorical, but you know there will be something.  Always is.

Nevertheless..

The guilds have pretty generic names, so it's basically random.  First up is the Seven Pyramids of Kh'yem, who supposedly specialize in guns and lightning.  Their hall is tall and pointy, five stories with a dome between four towers.. pretty impressive.  But there are weaknesses.

The delivery entrance has only one guard on it, and they settle down for the night.  If you go in that way there's only one person to take out.

You see a fair number of younger acolytes and apprentices.. new faces.  You could always mug someone for keys and enter that way.  Picking a lock is easy enough, but it's always, always, suspicious.

[IronyOwl]

Mug acolytes for keys. Nobody cares or is surprised when a newbie gets roughed up.

[King Zultan]

Mug acolytes for keys. Nobody cares or is surprised when a newbie gets roughed up.

+1

[NJW2000]

Mug acolytes for keys. Nobody cares or is surprised when a newbie gets roughed up.

+1

+1

Make sure to take everything in their pockets, and maybe their boots too. Don’t want to make it too obvious we’re trying to get into the guild.

[Devastator]

After picking a different inn than the one you're staying in, you find an acolyte visiting the call of nature.

About five minutes later, you've knocked the acolyte out, taken all his stuff, including clothing, weapons, etcetera, and left him knocked out in someone's back garden.  That should take a bit.  There's no front door key, but there are three keys.  "Laboratory #3", "Floor 2 Ritual Room" and an elevator key.

A quick disguise later, and you're in the front door.  They're busy all night, but if you act like you know where you're going, things will go fine.  The elevator isn't monitored, so you take a good five minutes making a master key for it, letting you check out all the floors.  There are a couple conference rooms with trophies and examples of past work, but no Sword Valterre.  There is one depiction of Spar and Dorren, but it's not current.  You know Spar currently wears Adamantium Plate of some kind, and this depiction of her doesn't have that, and to make matters more obvious, there is no scabbard.  No scabbard means no Valterre.

There is a records room on floor two, but it's recent stuff.  Valterre was quite some time ago.  You want the fourth-floor Archives.  The desk there is manned, and you figure the archives room takes up a good quarter of the floor, so it'll take quite some time to search.

How do you want to handle this?  You could try to hide and sneak in after the archivist has checked out, but that might take quite some time to find what you want.  You could maybe work something on this person, but the more face-to-face encounters you have the more likely someone notices you.

[King Zultan]

Waiting until the archivist leaves and then sneaking in sounds like a good plan.

[NJW2000]

Waiting until the archivist leaves and then sneaking in sounds like a good plan.

+1

We may have to do three more of these guilds, and the bigger our infiltration footprint, the harder it will get. Guns and lightening doesn’t sound like a very strong candidate for Spar’s enchanters, and paralysis/gunners sounds like a bad combo to fight.