Honestly guys 50k words in one sitting really isn't that difficult :p

Gat said
Honestly guys 50k words in one sitting really isn't that difficult :p

we have the attention span of gnats

Herzinth said
NO FOOD

SNACK DOESN'T COUNT AS FOOD, THOUGH.

Herzinth said
NO FOOD

NO DRINKS

NO MUSIC

SKYPE OFFLINE

LIGHTS OFF

ONLY YOU AND THE 50,000 WORDS

IT'S GONNA BE FUCKING INTIMATE

I'M GONNA LIGHT ME SOME CANDLES

LIGHT UP SOME INCENSE

GET IN THE FUCKING MOOD

AND THEN READ THAT BITCH LIKE IT AIN'T NEVER BEEN READ BEFORE

EVERY SENTENCE

EVERY SYLLABLE

EVERY SINGLE LETTER

EACH ONE GIVEN A LOVING CARESS BY MY HUNGRY EYES

IT'S GONNA BE SO FUCKING HOT MAN

Gat said
Honestly guys 50k words in one sitting really isn't that difficult :p

I'm well aware. I've read entire 100k+ books in one sitting.

But since Brovo made it sound like a challenge, I'll be damned if I don't take said challenge and defeat it.

Jorick said
IT'S GONNA BE FUCKING INTIMATEI'M GONNA LIGHT ME SOME CANDLESLIGHT UP SOME INCENSEGET IN THE FUCKING MOODAND THEN READ THAT BITCH LIKE IT AIN'T NEVER BEEN READ BEFOREEVERY SENTENCEEVERY SYLLABLEEVERY SINGLE LETTEREACH ONE GIVEN A LOVING CARESS BY MY HUNGRY EYESIT'S GONNA BE SO FUCKING HOT MAN

Hey now, you're making it awkward.

Kestrel said
Hey now, you're making it awkward.

Good.

IRL I would accompany this with uncomfortably long eye contact to drive the point home, but alas, the limitations of internet communication confound me.

Jorick said
Good.IRL I would accompany this with uncomfortably long eye contact to drive the point home, but alas, the limitations of internet communication confound me.

You're doing a pretty swell job working around that. I'm half expecting an anonymous "Hey, what are you... Reading?" PM after a teen-magazine approved waiting period now to complete that creepy bibliophile swag.

Jorick said
IRL I would accompany this with uncomfortably long eye contact to drive the point home.

You could always put up a pic of you staring at the webcam (read: the other guy in a webcall) to substitute that.

Jorick said
Good.IRL I would accompany this with uncomfortably long eye contact to drive the point home, but alas, the limitations of internet communication confound me.

No Jorick. You just need an appropriate image macro to substitute.

What you wrote seems to fit this one.

Kadaeux said
No Jorick. You just need an appropriate image macro to substitute.What you wrote seems to fit this one.

Welp seems like I've found the subject of my next nightmare.

Sarz said much the same.

Kestrel said
You're doing a pretty swell job working around that. I'm half expecting an anonymous "Hey, what are you... " PM after a teen-magazine approved waiting period now to complete that creepy bibliophile swag.

I would never do something like that.

Kadaeux said
No Jorick. You just need an appropriate image macro to substitute.What you wrote seems to fit this one.

Hahaha, okay, yeah, that works.

"Thane, the marten, was safe."

Anyway.

@Everyone: First wave of missions is complete. Y'all have 1-2 weeks to post collabs or single posts of character development while I finish the ball room post.

Q: Transitions?
A: Ask me for it over a PM and I will link it to you. It's a collaborative post between me and Tempest, between Lust and Gluttony, that displays some of the inhuman debauchery, as well as hinting at one of Lust's planned weapons to use against the players. Mind you however, it contains adult content, and while I tried to censor it, no censored version could do it justice, so... If you want to read it, again, PM me, or ask for it over an instant messenger, and I will link it to you. Otherwise, due to the site's rules about adult content, I can't link it directly here or in the IC.

Q: Achievements?
A: This is part of how the system works. Achievements are added bonuses your characters get for doing notable things. Someone with experience and training at stopping blows is more effective at it than someone with just training, for instance.

Q: So how do level-up?
A: Simple formula.
REGULAR TRAITS: Pick 1 new trait, upgrade 1 existing trait. (I will give you the description for the trait you choose to upgrade.)
CUSTOM TRAITS: Create 1 new trait, upgrade 1 existing trait. (This is the only time it will work this way. In level ups after this, it'll be add a new trait OR upgrade an existing one, so keep this in mind.)
ACHIEVEMENTS: To be distributed in this post.

---

ACHIEVEMENTS

---

Laenaia:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Inspirational Speaker: You've convinced NPC's to do something for you, and as such, you've figured out that talking is sometimes superior to just genocidally killing everything. Neat! (Minor bonus to convincing NPC's to do as you wish.)

Kasim Ambilus:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Lucky Ego: You don't care about the odds, you know you see an opportunity, and things line up just the right way to make it happen so you can justify being a braggart... (Minor bonus to spotting opportunities, such as weaknesses in enemies, or holes in the walls, etc.)

Zinnarath "Zin" Corsys:
--Inspirational Speaker: You've convinced NPC's to do something for you, and as such, you've figured out that talking is sometimes superior to just genocidally killing everything. Neat! (Minor bonus to convincing NPC's to do as you wish.)
--Bullshit Detector: "That is not a Ghost! That is an illusion! Also, God is dead, Santa Claus isn't real, the tooth fairy is actually a pedophile, and keep your children away from candy dealers!" Needless to say, you have an uncanny ability to tell when a con artist is performing their trade. (Minor bonus to detecting lies and illusions.)

Draza:
--Inspirational Speaker: You've convinced NPC's to do something for you, and as such, you've figured out that talking is sometimes superior to just genocidally killing everything. Neat! (Minor bonus to convincing NPC's to do as you wish.)
--Bullshit Detector: "That is not a Ghost! That is an illusion! Also, God is dead, Santa Claus isn't real, the tooth fairy is actually a pedophile, and keep your children away from candy dealers!" Needless to say, you have an uncanny ability to tell when a con artist is performing their trade. (Minor bonus to detecting lies and illusions.)

Abida Qisaf:
--Mighty Cleave: "With one great swing the King laid dead, and all his kingdom mourned. With a second great swing, so too did Kyria, and that ended any hope, of a land: Forsworn." Like the mighty Archangel Typhon, you have a potent swing, and put a little more strength into it than most do. (Minor bonus to damage output & armour penetration.)
--Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.)

Rayvon Krayvitch:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Mighty Cleave: "With one great swing the King laid dead, and all his kingdom mourned. With a second great swing, so too did Kyria, and that ended any hope, of a land: Forsworn." Like the mighty Archangel Typhon, you have a potent swing, and put a little more strength into it than most do. (Minor bonus to damage output & armour penetration.)

Maeven Lucre:
--Mechanical Apprentice: After working tirelessly and seeing the fruits of your labour maimed by others, you've found yourself frustrated, but that won't stop you from making the best Mechanist Dragon of all time. Ever. Perhaps the only one of all time, really. (One free upgrade to Fafnir.)
--Playing Possum: You can't kill what you think is already dead, or so you hope. (Minor bonuses to escaping the attention of enemies.)

Aëyr:
--Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.)
--Sharpshooter: You've become accustomed to aiming, then firing. Nifty. (Minor bonus to accuracy.)

Esyllt Boudica:
--Guardian: When protecting another, you have a greater chance at successfully defending both yourself and the person or thing you are hoping to keep safe. (Minor bonus to defense when guarding someone or something.)
--Golemancy I: After seeing a magnificently sized golem get blown to bits, you have realized that if you can build one, and bring it with you, then you might not have to summon one on the fly, and risk its destruction before it can finish forming. (Can now start a mission with a golem premade. While it has a sustained cost like other golems, it does not continue to drain the user to keep it active.)

Alicia, The Blood Duelist:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Counter Strike: You've found that dueling is more effective when you use your dexterity to attack something after it has attempted to hit you. (Minor bonus to hit chance and armour penetration, if countering an attack with another attack.)

Maher Adonai:
--Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)
--Ghost: Where most took the limelight in one form or another, you stayed back, and while you contributed, you did so in a way that made you less likely to be targeted. You remembered this, and how to do it again... (Minor bonus to not being targeted or noticed by enemies.)

Nadira Adonai:
--Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)
--Ghost: Where most took the limelight in one form or another, you stayed back, and while you contributed, you did so in a way that made you less likely to be targeted. You remembered this, and how to do it again... (Minor bonus to not being targeted or noticed by enemies.)

Zayn:
--Combat Negotiator: This character has a way with words, and enemies are more likely to listen to pleas for mercy or to stand down. (Minor bonus to convincing enemy NPC's to do as you wish.)
--That's Mine!: Mission important objectives, or just straight up notable and/or powerful items, just seem to fall into this character's lap. (Minor bonus to finding and acquiring items. Enemies also have a subtle tendency to lose theirs around this character.)

Murderok:
--Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.)
--Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)

Gryff:
--Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.)
--Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)

Andrea Llolth'Allin:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Mistress of Webs: You know exactly how to talk to beasts and animals, especially those related to arachnids in one form or another, and can often soothe them through magic. (Minor bonus to soothing animals, and to taking command of arachnids.) (Note: Webs also make for a useful ropes, or handcuffs... :unibrow)

Ceann:
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)
--Sharpshooter: You've become accustomed to aiming, then firing. Nifty. (Minor bonus to accuracy.)

Naream Baenre:
--Minion Master: You're a craven fellow, but your knowledge of how to command magically created entities is growing. (You know your thresholds: 5 Skeletons, 15 maximum in one mission. They have upkeep: To keep them going past a combat scenario is taxing on you. Skeletons now have a small chance of having randomly assigned GM bonuses.)
--Purple Ribbon: You took a hit for Queen and Country, and have learned how to better handle pain. (Minor bonus to dealing with damage, less likely to fall into shock or succumb to injuries.)

Aslo:
--Counter Strike: You've found that dueling is more effective when you use your dexterity to attack something after it has attempted to hit you. (Minor bonus to hit chance and armour penetration, if countering an attack with another attack.)
--Lucky: You took a guess, and it turned out correct... (Minor bonus to random actions, especially if they take luck.)

Mars:
--Weaponized Stick: You're particularly good at taking everyday objects or pieces of nature and turning them into horrifying weapons. Booze? Flammable! Sticks? Stabbable! Boring politicians? Perfect for annoying neighbours! (Minor bonus to improvised tools and weapons.)
--Teamwork I: You work well with others, and are growing accustomed to doing so. You have a greater chance of success in any action if you perform it with an ally, rather than alone. (Minor bonus to anything when done with a compatriot, to a reasonable degree.)

*Note 1: Everyone on the Raven's Inn mission got Lucky. Gryff and Murderok had nothing else applicable, while Aslo, Maher, and Nadira all did indeed take lucky guesses in their actions. (That the poison would work at the right dosage, that the Adonai twins picked the right disarming code.) I figured it was a flexible enough trait to apply mission-wide in the absence of other things I could provide. The next wave of missions are longer, so, don't be surprised if this sort of thing doesn't happen again.
*Note 2: Some of you might notice "unique" achievements. Some characters needed a little bit of extra love, due to their uncanny nature system-wise. Their traits are no stronger than yours, and even if they were, that would be properly accounted for.
*Note 3: Traits do "level" if you repeatedly get them. So if you repeatedly acquire Purple Ribbon, it'll upgrade to Purple Heart, Purple Medal, and so on, and the bonus will stack up over time.
*Note 4: AOE abilities like Guardian and Teamwork I do stack, but become less effective with each additional one added to the pile. So attempting to "mass stack" guardian to become invincible, for instance, doesn't work, but having more than one on a team is not a waste.

---

CONTACTS

---

Starting with the opening to the Ball, your characters may begin to gain "contacts." These are characters who you've developed relationships with, that may drop in to help you in one way or another during your missions. You may even be able to win over some of them to stand by you permanently in missions, or otherwise, though the stronger the character is, the harder this is to achieve.

Contacts will also play a role in certain missions in the future: If you have a contact the Princess of Liveria for instance, she might send elite Witch Hunters to help you quell a small cult from creating a demon gateway early in the invasion.

Basically: The more you talk with people and develop actual meaningful relationships of some type, the more likely they are to help you in the future.

---

As always if you need anything at all: Collaborative posts, questions answered, etc, just ask. I will be around on Steam and Skype. Also, in two weeks, I'll have five days vacation (technically three days + a weekend.) So if you want to get any massive character developments done but are afraid it might take too much time, don't worry, soon I'll have so much time I won't even know what the hell to do with myself.

As for those waiting on The Last Bastion, I need to pay my rent this month and pick up a new transit pass, but I should have at least a small morsel up pushing us towards a proper ending to those missions soon, so that upgrades akin to these can appear in TLB's system.

Good luck, and have fun, everyone.

Oh, and yes, this does mean that the normal posting order rule is abolished until the Ball starts. Post as many times as you like, within reason. (Don't spam my IC but, you get the general idea.)

So if Abida and Rayvon teamed up to cleave the world asunder, they totes could.

Quick query: are custom trait upgrades just Trait +1, or like a Trait Tree?

I'll go ahead and get my leveling up stuff out of the way quickly.

Kasim
Upgrade Sharp trait
Add Acrobatic trait

Upgrade Subliminal Messages: Kasim now knows how it actually works instead of thinking people just naturally love him (because I decided him being ignorant of this is a pain in the ass), and it also works on NPCs he's had prolonged contact with even if they aren't poor and homeless and such. If that's not enough of a boost to make it a legit upgrade then I guess some kind of general boost to its effectiveness would suffice. GM discretion on that, obviously.



New Unique - King Braggart: Kasim has developed his bragging and bravado into something approaching an art form. His bold declarations of skill can get under the skin of even the most stalwart opponents, his abrasive confidence can assure the fearful masses of their safety even as the city burns down around them, and his tales of his own prowess on the field of battle have a way of making women (and some men) fall head over heels in lust with him. Or at least that's how he'd describe his own bragging powers, which makes for something of an infinite recursion loop of braggadocio. Kasim is a swell guy like that. (Mechanically it's just bonuses to social things whenever he brags or talks about how great he is when trying to taunt, coerce, inspire, flirt, etc.)

Zin
Upgrade Apprentice - Illusion
Add Awakened Meditation

Upgrade Diana's Brood Vampire "unique" trait. Since I ripped this from LoR 2.0's trait system I think I'll have to rely on a GM call for how this one gets upgraded.

New Unique - Entry Artist: Being an escape artist is all well and good, but getting into locked and secured places is far more fun and potentially more rewarding. Zin has a knack for getting into such places, be they buildings or safes or small locked containers or anything else that is clearly meant to keep people out. She is quite good at spotting exploitable weaknesses like unlocked windows or rusty hinges or holes in a guard perimeter, and she's also very skilled at lockpicking and even breaking locks open while leaving the rest of the mechanism in working order when push comes to shove. She tries her best to keep quiet and unnoticed when sneaking into places or opening locks, and she's had a lot of practice at that too, but it's never a sure thing. (Mechanically it's bonuses to getting into secured places and lockpicking and such, also minor stealth bonus only when she's doing the aforementioned breaking and/or entering).

Laenaia upgrades:

Upgrade Apprentice
Gain Awakened Meditation

Upgrade Vampire blood, Diana's Brood
Add Unique: Underground Contacts

Mars

Regular Traits:

Upgrade Slippery to Rank 2
Add Acrobatics (Rank 1)

Custom Traits:

Upgraded Unorthodox (Rank 1) to Rank 2.

Unorthodox: A fair fight is noble, but being noble isn't always being smart. Some call it Unorthodox, others call it cheating, but Mars calls it ingenuity. This lifestyle builds a reputation that attracts the wrong kind of people... or the right kind, depending on your perspective.

(Allows Mars to better see opportunities to 'cheat' and grants a diplomatic bonus with Chaotic Neutral and Lawful Evil characters, maybe Chaotic Good depending on the character. Diplomatic penalty against Lawful Good characters.)

Added Trait:

Opportunistic: Stab em in the back then kick em when they're down!
(Bonus to actions performed against unalert characters and wounded characters to a lesser extent)

For Aëyr, I choose to upgrade her Slippery, and give her Acrobatics. As for customs, I upgrade Going the Distance and add Burning Fast on an Empty Tank.

Going the Distance: A skilled runner, she is both fast and enduring, able to make long treks with great speed and little sustenance.

Burning Fast on an Empty Tank: Even after exhausting herself completely, she can push herself to the same speeds with but a moment's rest.

Rayvon

Normal
Level-up: Defender
New: Raw Talent

Custom
Level-up:
--Divine Martyr lvl 2: Rayvon now has a cleansing aura. All things within the area are less prone to the effects of corruption. She herself now naturally cleanses corruption of herself over time.
New:
--The Spellsword lvl 1: Ryvon has the talent to imbue raw magic in some form to her equipment. Grants a slight magic property bonus to either attack of defense with the equipment.

Maeven

Normal
Level-up: Sharp
New: Slippery

Custom
Level-up:
--Mechanist Matron Lvl 2: Maeven has begun experimenting upon Fafnir in order to make him a better dragon then ever. He now can be customized to better service her needs. Unlocks two customizable slots for him.
New:
--Interchangable Parts lvl1: Maeven has begun to better understand her mechanist talents. She now has the capability to overhaul her creations completely outside of missions. Inside missions, she can do on the fly repairs and alterations outside of combat. This ranges from swapping out soulstones to change the effects in her gear to changing out parts to change the function of her equipment. This talent also applies towards other mechanist items that she comes across, given her cursory knowledge of what makes creations tick.