Yeah it was overcrowded and abrupt. Plus people were feeling bad because we were running like 3+ different things to detect enemies and search for traps, and still got jumped. So this time around hopefully you can keep in mind when we make perception checks, or send cannon fodder in to test for landmines and whatnot.

Anyway splitting up is usually good. Leaving teammates to guard the base or try different paths through the forest is probably a smart idea.

I still believe that was a silly overreaction to a fight I made very well clear was nothing more than a fodder fight. The Stealth Element of Caster's magic aside I try to make a whole different fight.

Ah, nobody was worried they were actually going to die to chimeras or anything. It just felt like a bad sign when we were doing all this searching but got no answer from you on a lot of our attempts and illusion-piercing abilities.

Part of it was my mistake, another part was meant to explained by Enemy Caster but again I'll be changing it to something more straight forward.

Will get something up tonite.

I wouldn't count on Hifumi being part of any battles. A mage isn't supposed takes such a direct action in a conflict between Servants, after all.

For the most part, she's going to play by the book, keeping inside her workshop while being both protected and hidden by several layers of bounded fields.

By the way.

Yeah it was overcrowded and abrupt. Plus people were feeling bad because we were running like 3+ different things to detect enemies and search for traps, and still got jumped. So this time around hopefully you can keep in mind when we make perception checks, or send cannon fodder in to test for landmines and whatnot.

Anyway splitting up is usually good. Leaving teammates to guard the base or try different paths through the forest is probably a smart idea.

If tracking and woodland traversing & navigation are that important, you can just leave that to Atalanta. Those are some of her specialties after all.

Atalanta will certainly help but the Greys, and Enemy Caster as previously stated have made sure this forest is anything but ordinary in other words a lot of traps, and illusions. They're in for the defensive play just something to keep in mind.

Atalanta will certainly help but the Greys, and Enemy Caster as previously stated have made sure this forest is anything but ordinary in other words a lot of traps, and illusions. They're in for the defensive play just something to keep in mind.

I see.

Though this is nothing that Atalanta hasn't dealt with before either in her legend or by demonstrable feats. If she can accurately track down and shoot Jack inside her mist, there's little to nothing in the Nasuverse that she can't notice. And as far as traversing magical forests go, she is born and raised in Arcadia at the prime of the Age of the Gods with the blessings of the Goddess of Archery and Hunting backing her up.

If it's a woodland, and especially if it's at night, it's safe to say that it's impossible for Atalanta to not be able to traverse it no matter how high the defenses laid around it are.

As I said she certainly will able to bypass a lot but Enemy's Casters magic is alien to even Atlanta. He's akin more to Foreigner class's magics than he is the greek, and roman gods. And no he is not lovecraft. So the Greys are outted when Atlanta can go along, and move the masters along but once enemy caster starts to force his hand he will end up messing with things. That is all I have left to say on the matter.

Sincerely, she'll be opposed to the idea of having humans go with them inside enemy territory. Even other servants dragging around behind her are a detriment to Atalanta's skill at operating independently unless they can keep up pace with her (which is nigh impossible, especially in a forest as impossible to cross as this one seems to be).

The idea of having humans follow the Servants into a death trap right at the heart of enemy territory is nothing short than asking for suicide.

Also, while I'm sure that there are people who can make it hard even for Atalanta to do her job, especially when it comes to Casters. You should also keep in mind that (among the canon Servants) she's the second best Hunter (losing only to Herc) and fights toe to toe with Arash for the title of best Bow(wo)man over all when it comes to actual Archery skills.

If there's something out there that even she would have difficult hunting while inside her favorite niche terrain, sending normal humans there would be nothing short of suicide which doesn't make any sense at all for me.

The masters don't need to be in the direct line of combat but having them all avoid the Greys make for poor character development on their part, and ours. The Greys won't come to us outside of direct illusions. Inevitably unless we directly put them against them due to that reason. At the very least Anderson, for as long as he lives, isn't going to listen to any of the servants and will fight directly himself.

This is a roleplay in standard fate series unless you're name is Fujimaru chances aren't likely that you won't be marching head first into combat but I'd be a poor GM if I didn't do anything for the masters. More over it'd be direct suicide by servant to march into the Grey's forest directly by herself too far without at least another servant near them. It is their territory too despite Atlanta's affinity this place is what the forest is similar to them as the Eizbern's forest is to them. It is a place they have great control over, and more over as we will be getting to this place isn't a natural forest, and is was created artificially by the Greys. The Red Faction has much more reign to move more so than us Black.

I was going to get to the aforementioned shortly into the IC so the information is not being withheld unfairly.

@vancexentan
PS: I should say that I'm not complaining about the circumstances of the story specifically, like Caster reducing Atalanta's efficiency, but rather trying to understand why the human mages have to be involved in what amounts to a mass suicide by going face first into this death trap that's nigh impossible to cross even for one of the Servants most well equipped for the job in the whole of Fate lore.

Even sending other Servants there, instead of finding a way around, would be a bad idea in my view if it's so impossibly hard to get through this forest no matter how skilled at this one specific field of activity you are.

The idea is the servants go in first, clear out the more physical obstacles, Monica, and other illusionists/skilled masters dispels them, we move forward. The Greys are directly in the middle of a circular forest. There is no going around them, and they're purposely holding themselves shut up in their own territory. They're forcing us to attack them in their territory in order for this war to actually continue. The enemy servants uses the traps, and defensive terrain to pick their fights. Some of the aggressive ones may make bolder moves.

The true danger lies in the servants being backed with fake images, and hampered terrain. They are also effected by it but know better because they're aware of what is where.

The idea is the servants go in first, clear out the more physical obstacles, Monica, and other illusionists/skilled masters dispels them, we move forward. The Greys are directly in the middle of a circular forest. There is no going around them, and they're purposely holding themselves shut up in their own territory. They're forcing us to attack them in their territory in order for this war to actually continue. The enemy servants uses the traps, and defensive terrain to pick their fights. Some of the aggressive ones may make bolder moves.

The true danger lies in the servants being backed with fake images, and hampered terrain. They are also effected by it but know better because they're aware of what is where.

I see.

But why is it that Caster can't be the one handling any harmful spells instead of putting humans who can be killed by a breeze (from the point of view of a Servant) in harm's way?

Also, while I see these issues, I still ask you to understand that Atalanta won't be significantly impaired by illusions and bad terrain. Or rather, knowing her feats in canon (again singling out Jack inside the Mist, especially when Murder of the Misty Night and Presence Concealment are also part of the equation, is supposed to be nearly impossible to do). And as far as bad terrain goes, that's the sole reason why Crossing Arcadia even exists, to cross through incredibly bad terrain (and even jump over enemies in battle) while suffering little to no impediment.

I'm not trying to trivialize your obstacles, but in this case, Atalanta's skills and abilities are more or less a serious counter to everything you mentioned. And that's not even taking her Archery into the equation.

Again, I don't doubt that a Caster can make it hard for her to navigate around. Hiding in a hole behind tons of bounded fields is more or less what Casters are *supposed* to do best. But illusions (regardless of grade), traps (since she does know how to lay traps to hunt Phantasmal Beasts of Age of the Gods caliber, even if she doesn't have the tools to lay them down while being summoned as a Servant she still has the experience and senses to notice them way ahead of time), and uneven terrain, are things Atalanta is perfectly equipped to deal with.

Because as I said this is a roleplay the masters would be superfluous characters and may as well be brain dead like Shirou's masters if they're not used. The enemy has masters who will also be engaging in combat not unlike Anderson. Leave it at that because that's the fact of the matter it is so the masters don't just become pointless mana sticks.

As I have said multiple times at this point she is not going to be crippled, or severely hindered. However Caster will effect her in some ways, and the other masters, and servants won't always be near Atlanta. I hope this ends the discussion.

@vancexentan

PS: Perhaps I should be a little more clear about this in order to avoid problems. The reason why I asked who you would be willing to take in when I apped a Servant is simply because you seem to be underestimating the capabilities of the Archers you mention as "balanced" by quite a lot. It feels like you are only looking to see who has a big nuke as an NP, or hax skills and deciding to ban them, but you forget that Servants (canon ones at least) have feats to exemplify and compare their abilities as well.

Just to point out three of the primary ones you seen to be taking too lightly just because they don't have an Enuma Elish, or Brahmastra under their NP section:

- Arash: While he does have an incredibly powerful NP, it's not practical to use so let's ignore it for the sake of argument. He's still the Archer with the longest range shots in the whole franchise, with the capability of shooting so fast and with such power that even Arthur has a really hard time defending against his arrows. At his best, he can literally cover the whole sky with arrows that hit like a truck, with enough power and area of effect to demolish the best part of Shinjuku if need be in one single volley.

- Tristan: Not only he's actually a Saber with a bow (thus being to hold himself in melee with great ease), but also just read Failnaught's description and you'll realize what kind of terror he's capable of inflicting on others.

- Atalanta: She's the second longest ranged shooter in the franchise (literally she can shoot people down from the other side of a valley), but also is able to track Jack the Ripper despite the fact that not even Chiron (with his far greater potential) was be able to. She's also an expert and hiding, and moving silently, and the fastest mortal of the Greek Age of the Gods (with only Achilles being able to outrun her). Also, she can snipe people across a pitch-black forest with super fast arrows painted in black so that it's impossible to see them coming (and thus, all but impossible to dodge).

There's a lot of other things that I could say but I guess that the gist of it is that it's not only NPs and skills that make up a Servant. Abilities, technique, and the potential implied traits granted by their legends and lore make a lot of difference as well.

Just to be clear once more, this isn't me being condescending or anything like this. I just want to make sure whether or not you understand the potential of Servants that don't have a NP capable of blowing a city in a fell swoop

I'm sure that the enemy is capable of many things, and I certainly am going to take whatever is it you say that they do and accept it. I just really want you to understand what Atalanta is capable of doing or not, so that you don't affect her with things she's supposed to be able to counter.

I hope that was understandable. And apologies if it sounds too forceful, but you really come across as someone who only looks at the raw stats sheet of the Servants and forgets to check their feats and abilities. Also, apologies if I misunderstood this side of yours as well, but when you said that I was "overhyping" Brynhildr, or that Arash is a "normal" Archer, or that Lancelot's Knight of Owner is "useless" in a forest, it got more or less evident to me that you don't know what many Servants are truly capable of.

Then that is your opinion, and if I go over ever fear a servant has we'd be down to Hans Anderson, and Nursery Rhyme. Lancelot's NP, and Knight of Owenr in the rp's I've had him would make him useless in my hands as I was never intending to use him in anyway that would leave him in a spot to be broken. He was, and always was meant to the tank to deal with direct assaults from the stronger heroes. Arash dies when he makes that final shot, and while he has the longest range the enemy has natural cover, and some level of protection. If you don't like how I intend to handle this rp you're free to leave. But I'm done with this discussion on merit that I have information about the rp I can't reveal due to the nature of the setting, and the spoilage of what plot I have set in stone. I'm not sure what you even want out of this discussion from me at this point and I'd like to actually move onto else.

Oh well, that was not the kind of answer I was expecting. Like I said, I wasn't attacking you or anything like that. But rather trying to figure what to do here, or better how to proceed.

Your reply actually gave me a good idea of where the actual issue that's bothering me may be, but I'll abstain from commenting more for the time being since it's clear from the way you react to people in this OOC that any more discussion now will only make you more defensive instead of promoting an actual circulation of ideas.

Anyway, no, I don't plan to leave now. I got the issue figured (plus, I'm enjoying things up to now) so I should know where to go from now onwards.

@vancexentan working on my Master now, sorry for the delay.

Are our characters allowed to bring things like Mystic Codes with them? I don't see a section for it on the sheet and no one else has them.