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Author Topic: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-36 Decisions, Decisions  (Read 683993 times)

Parisbre56

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #1995 on: April 14, 2015, 06:51:51 am »

But impair undead requires us to be very close, close enough for our detailed necromantic sight to kick in. That means that we'll probably be close enough to be attacked. Better (and cheaper) to impair its method of attack or its eyes/sensors. It would be safer and the only other time we used impair undead we impaired its eyes so we know it's possible. Purely from a scientific standpoint, impairing its method of attack (the rope thing (unless we can't see it, in which case we should go for the eyes)) and then going for the legs (or trying to command it again, if that's what people want) is better, since we can probably replicate the necromantic energy of its rope but studying its eyes and their ability to detect souls/living things/vitality could help us put that in our zombies/golems. Plus, keeping the eyes intact would make attaining the required empathy for command easier.

And it is safer, assuming it doesn't have more than one of those rope things, since we aren't sure if we have enough empathy to cast Command, but we are certain we'll be able to see its necromantic energy once we're close enough.

If we can pair that with a physical attack (jumping at it from above maybe, assuming it's a safe-ish height), it would be even better, since it would help deflect suspicion.
Just got to make sure Eko won't cast an abjuration while we're casting. Maybe tell him to focus on Omo instead, if we see him trying anything.

And Steal Vitality does not maintain the structure of the vitality taken, it simply takes it and shoves it into something else. We, on the other hand, need to maintain the configuration of Omo's soul, assuming it's intact. We need to either control Omo's vitality while maintaining its structure by creating a field of necromantic energy similar to the one the creature used, something like an orb made out of necromantic energy or just command the creature to try to do it for us (although I trust us more than I trust it).
« Last Edit: April 14, 2015, 07:40:18 am by Parisbre56 »
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Andres

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #1996 on: April 14, 2015, 06:57:56 am »

If we get desperate enough, we could just let the thing eat our soul. With our necromantic ability, we might be able to do something to it from the inside, like control it. Then we'd get all the souls trapped within it, dump it into our own body, use our necro-magic to keep the other souls suppressed, murder the bronze curse spider-dog, return Omo and the children to their bodies, then regurgitate the rest of the souls so they can freely go to the afterlife.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2015, 07:27:02 am by Andres »
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Dani

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #1997 on: April 14, 2015, 07:12:09 am »

I was under the impression that one Impair spell would let you impair more than one thing. Requires further testing? Probably not right now, though. Right, impair the soul siphon instead of the legs, if we can find it.

PEdit:
we could just let the thing eat our soul.
Unfortunately, this is very likely to get you killed.
I would support this, but no visible plot armor.
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Deep Waters

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #1998 on: April 14, 2015, 07:40:29 am »

+1 for impair. In the legs. Also tell Eko to stand down because Abjuration will chase off the creature and we'll have to find it again while lugging around our ranger's empty body. Also also we don't want him to interrupt our spells as well.

Minor Abjuration might make it stop moving altogether, or it might give us a chance to find out if it has some sort of homebase that it operates from if it runs off. Neither of those are worth risking him interrupting or detecting the nature of our spells, however, nor is it worth potentially destroying or losing the construct itself. If we do this, I would like us to emphasize that latter reason-- without taking the creature at least partially intact, we might not have a chance of being able to find out what's wrong with him/the children.

But impair undead requires us to be very close, close enough for our detailed necromantic sight to kick in. That means that we'll probably be close enough to be attacked. Better (and cheaper) to impair its method of attack or its eyes/sensors. It would be safer and the only other time we used impair undead we impaired its eyes so we know it's possible. Purely from a scientific standpoint, impairing its method of attack (the rope thing) and then going for the legs (or trying to command it again, if that's what people want) is better, since we can probably replicate the necromantic energy of its rope but studying its eyes and their ability to detect souls/living things/vitality could help us put that in our zombies/golems. Plus, keeping the eyes intact would make attaining the required empathy for command easier.

And it is safer, assuming it doesn't have more than one of those rope things, since we aren't sure if we have enough empathy to cast Command, but we are certain we'll be able to see its necromantic energy once we're close enough.

If we can pair that with a physical attack (jumping at it from above maybe, assuming it's a safe-ish height), it would be even better, since it would help deflect suspicion.
Just got to make sure Eko won't cast an abjuration while we're casting. Maybe tell him to focus on Omo instead, if we see him trying anything.

And Steal Vitality does not maintain the structure of the vitality taken, it simply takes it and shoves it into something else. We, on the other hand, need to maintain the configuration of Omo's soul, assuming it's intact. We need to either control Omo's vitality while maintaining its structure by creating a field of necromantic energy similar to the one the creature used, something like an orb made out of necromantic energy or just command the creature to try to do it for us (although I trust us more than I trust it).

That is true-- the bit about Impair Undead already requiring us to be close to the creature, that is. I highly doubt Omo had climbed more than 30ft. up a tree, but it's certainly riskier than I initially thought. I still think attacking the legs would be the safest option, but let's go for attacking its necromantic rope-thing if we can, and the construct's eyes/sensors if we can't. A physical attack would be highly inadvisable, however, since that thing can move fast-- it might be capable of whipping our souls out in mid-air, let alone something as relatively slow as charging at it. This isn't even mentioning that a safe height to drop from would probably be much lower than how high Omo was when the creature got him (speaking of which, he better not have landed on his head; the last thing he needs if we manage to fix him is permanent brain damage). Let's not set up precautions for a probable death scenario that involve inviting a far more imminent death scenario. It definitely doesn't have more than one rope, though, otherwise it would've been able to take down both of the children at once, rather than one at a time. Also, where's the field/orb of necromantic energy coming from? All I see is the rope of necromantic energy.

If we get desperate enough, we could just let the thing eat our soul. With our necromantic ability, we might be able to do something to it from the inside, like control it. Then we'd get all the souls trapped within it, dump it into our own body, use our necro-magic to keep the other souls suppressed, murder the bronze curse spider-dog, return Omo and childrens' bodies, then regurgitate the rest of the souls so they can freely go to the afterlife.

There are a lot of assumptions in that suggestion, all of which must be true for it to not be a complete waste of everything. Assuming that necromancy is tied to our soul, assuming that necromancy can be used without a body (even if it is tied to the soul), assuming that the souls aren't destroyed upon being eaten, assuming that stealing souls is what the creature is doing in the first place... the list goes on. It's much better to run away and regroup for another assault later than to take an extremely unnecessary risk for an unlikely payoff. It's already probable enough that we're going to be Nearly-Soulless Nym very soon; let's not make that a certainty.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2015, 07:49:48 am by Deep Waters »
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[23:14:42] <GameMaster> Sadly, that isn't a joke.

[20:42:03] <HailFire> our wizard tower just got smoked by projectile cats from space

Parisbre56

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #1999 on: April 14, 2015, 08:07:40 am »

Quote
To your eyes, a fine rope of Necromantic energy seems to erupt from the "head" of the monster, snaking up between the branches before coiling around Omo's head. There is a whipping motion as the rope of Necromantic energy curls into a ball and snaps back towards the creature.
So it looks like it tried to take his soul intact, unless that was simply an attempt to ensure it took his entire soul.

I dunno. Maybe necromancers can boost their power with souls? That's why it is keeping them? Maybe that's one of the reasons the other necromancers got so much power so quickly?

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #2000 on: April 14, 2015, 09:02:44 am »

attacking its necromantic rope-thing if we can, and the construct's eyes/sensors if we can't.

I'm convinced, +1. We can work out what's going on after the construct is no longer a threat.
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endlessblaze

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #2001 on: April 14, 2015, 09:06:40 am »

attacking its necromantic rope-thing if we can, and the construct's eyes/sensors if we can't.

I'm convinced, +1. We can work out what's going on after the construct is no longer a threat.

-1 no impairment ESPECIALLY to places related to soul stealing. The risk we hurt omo's and the children's souls is to high. As it stands control is risky becasue for all we know we could overide an order that keeps the souls intact.


We need to control.....I just hope it's not to late. (And that we don't make things worse)
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syvarris

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #2002 on: April 15, 2015, 12:13:19 am »

Arg, I find it so difficult to decide what plan is the best.  Command Undead would be the best spell, if it worked, but we have no idea if it would.  Impair undead might not work, due to not disabling something relevant, straight failing, not being in range... but it's still more reliable than Command.  Command is more likely to let us save Omo, but Impair is more likely to let us survive...

I'm tempted to suggest we try to contest its control of Omo's soul.  It could be the only way to save Omo, aside from commanding the thing.  On the other hand, we probably can't beat the thing when it has the initiative AND experience.  Plus, we wouldn't even know what to do with the soul when we got it.

Impair undead, aiming to disable the legs on one side, IF it is already within range.  If it isn't already within range, Command Undead, imagining yourself as a sort of puppetmaster; controlling the body with strings of necromancy, and sensing more than seeing the tendril of energy that's reaching away.

In any case, yell at Eko to stay back.

monk12

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-27
« Reply #2003 on: April 17, 2015, 06:18:12 pm »

impairing its method of attack (the rope thing (unless we can't see it, in which case we should go for the eyes)) and then going for the legs (or trying to command it again, if that's what people want)

If we can pair that with a physical attack (jumping at it from above maybe, assuming it's a safe-ish height), it would be even better, since it would help deflect suspicion.
In any case, yell at Eko to stay back.


   Eko rushes forward, his curses giving way to soft, rythmic chants as he prepares to cast Minor Abjuration. You drop from your tree and pound after him. "Eko, stay back! I can disrupt it!"

   Eko stumbles to a halt, turning to question you further, but you are focused on the monster that has attacked your best friend and is now turning to face you. Now that you have moved closer the underpinnings of its network of Necromantic Energy are much easier to discern. It's quite intricate, with Vitality moving in more complicated ways than you've seen in any zombie, but three areas jump out to you; the places where the legs join the body, the "head" (which is simpler than you might have guessed, though it does have two structures that look like more complex versions of the eyes you made for your Rope Golem,) and a confused jumble in the heart of the construct.

   There's no time for further examination. You don't see any coiled ropes of Necromantic energy or anything that looks like the weapon it used to attack Omo, but you reason that it can't hurt you if it can't see you. You carefully extend your own will towards the construct, feeling the shape of the Necromantic energy in its head. You cup the lumps of energy you presume to be its "eyes," and squeeze.

   Impair Undead

   As expected, the Necromantic Energy in the "eyes" unravels in a flash, seeming to disappear. The construct shudders to a halt and for a moment stands perfectly still, almost in surprise. Abruptly the monster spins and begins running back the way it came, blindly crashing through brush and careening off of trees, somehow correcting itself to continue in roughly the same direction.

   You glance behind yourself. Eko kneels over Omo's crumpled and unresponsive body; seeing the monster run off he rises to his feet. "What now, Nym? Omo's down!"

   "I know!" You ruthlessly quash a rush of panic, fear, and anger; you don't have time for it right now. "Help me catch it! Break its legs, but don't break it!"

   Not waiting for his reply, you turn and run after the construct yourself. It isn't hard to catch up; though the monster's six legs seem to give it good stability and keep it from falling over it is still quite clumsy without its sight, constantly tripping over roots and fallen branches. You get in range for another Impair Undead when it runs straight into a long log, nearly falling over before it begins scraping along the side looking for a way around. This time you target the legs, but the joints connecting it to the rest of the body are much sturdier than what held the eyes on; if the eyes were leaves, the legs are a branch. You can't spare the attention to try and impair more than one leg at a time, picking at the knob of energy where the leg joins the body the same way you'd pick at a tightly tied knot. Slowly but surely you find purchase, and pull. The Necromantic energy between the body and the leg dissipates, the Vitality in the leg separated from the rest of the body.

   The leg ceases to move, slowing the construct even further. You bite your lip, preparing to kill another leg. This has been quite mana-intensive, but you can't let it escape with Omo's soul. You prepare to cast another Impair Undead, but suddenly Eko bursts onto the scene with a scream and a spear-thrust. ... His first strike glances harmlessly off the bronze body of the golem, but Eko quickly changes his attack and stabs into the join between the leg and the rest of the body, piercing through the leather flaps protecting it. ... There is a brilliant flash of purple light, and the leg falls to the ground, completely severed from the rest of the body!

   "Eko, wait a moment!" You call out, not wanting Eko to inadvertently destroy the monster in his zeal to disable it. With two legs on the same side of its body disabled the construct lurches and falls to the ground. Though its limbs flail wildly, they have too little range of motion to seriously threaten you or Eko. The construct continues its escape attempts, pitifully attempting to drag itself away inch by inch. You suppose that if you were to leave it all night it might eventually get someplace, but for now you have more pressing concerns; the welfare of Omo Thunderjaw.

   "Have we done it, then?" Eko asks nervously. You don't reply immediately. Now that you have the opportunity to study the inner workings of the construct, there are two areas of interest to you. The first is the "head" area, where you clearly have ripped away whatever passes for eyes. It seems much simpler than the Vitality you detected in Ado's head, or even the cursory examination you made of the zombie soldiers. It is the headwater for every stream of Vitality within the creature, but little more; no bizarre patterns or intricate permutations here. There are two more "knobs" of Necromantic energy on either side of the head, reminiscent of the eyes.

   The new bundle of Vitality in its heart though... now that's intricate, incredibly so. The Vitality there is a rather small fraction of the rest of the creature's, and seems largely segregated from it too. However, the bundle of Necromantic energy holding everything in place is much more convoluted than anything else in the creature, or any Necromantic creation you've seen before. In fact, the only thing it compares to is the ball of Vitality within the skull of Ado Drunkenstumbles.

   The construct is at your mercy, and Omo remains in dire straits. What now?


Spoiler: You (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Your Spells (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Omo Thunderjaw (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Eko Cleanvise (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Eko's Spells (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Notable Figures (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Planned Experiments (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Maps (click to show/hide)

Shadestyle

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2004 on: April 17, 2015, 06:23:48 pm »

Bring it to Omo. We can figure out the rest after we do that.
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Parisbre56

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2005 on: April 17, 2015, 06:36:41 pm »

Yes! Still alive! I was so afraid to click the link, thinking I might find a giant "YOU ARE DEAD! PLAY AGAIN? Y/N". But Omo is still in danger.

Probably either see vitality or command undead... We could use see vitality to compare its vitality with things around that, but we're not sure if that will work or provide anything immediately useful. Probably better to focus on Omo. But we don't want to waste too much mana... I need to think about this. If the thing starts destroying Omo's soul...

Wait, when you say new, you mean it wasn't there before or that we couldn't see how intricate it was before?
« Last Edit: April 17, 2015, 06:38:35 pm by Parisbre56 »
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Angle

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2006 on: April 17, 2015, 06:39:02 pm »

Bring it back to Omo and study it as best we can. Perhaps try to command it, or even just communicate with it/ analyze it and make it tell us it's secrets.

We probably also want to consider what we say to Eko. He's probably going to figure us out pretty soon.
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endlessblaze

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2007 on: April 17, 2015, 08:06:48 pm »

control undead, tell it to restore omo- doing this of course with mental images and emotions.
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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2008 on: April 17, 2015, 08:09:12 pm »

We'll probably need to take things slower than that. Start with figuring out how the thing works.
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endlessblaze

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Re: You are a Necromancer! Chapter 2-28
« Reply #2009 on: April 17, 2015, 08:11:06 pm »

we should at least use command undead to make it docile
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