In Progress [LP CYOA] Tower

[Tigranes]

Well, the thing with Stealth is, you can only hold this advantage once. If for some reason you are forced out in the open, your advantage is gone.

Obscurity is only best defense so long as you can maintain it. And we are pretty happy to step forward for a multitude of reasons, be it to save a baby from a shaowbeast, or to get involved when there is a sidequest to be found. Threaten something we can't conceal, and we'll be forced to reveal ourselves to act.

Yep. And if someone has those true seeing glasses or similar, maybe they'll see us anyway.

Flopping to B>A

So weirdly specific. "If someone has true seeing astra stealth is useless"? And there aren't going to be supershield astras, superspear astras, and all other sorts out there?

We should think about the general tendencies. If we are an impulsive jumpy-in-can't-resist character, then Stealth is indeed a dumb superpower to take. I am voting for B/C because I want us to adventure, but I want this guy to be a bit different from our gung-ho predecessors and this is part of the character building process. If we pick C, we'll likely end up becoming a bit more calm and strategic about how we approach situations. If A wins, then we might as well use the skills we have, so we're more likely to go in and punch shit up.

I'm definitely not arguing that Defense is "better" than Attack. It doesn't make much sense to take such broad categories like Attack and Defense and theorycraft why one is better than the other. I think these are all cool superpowers (hopefully) and we're picking what kind of style we prefer.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Would you clarify what that "U SIRIUS" was about, Lambchop?

What?

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

So weirdly specific. "If someone has true seeing astra stealth is useless"? And there aren't going to be supershield astras, superspear astras, and all other sorts out there?

Less likely.

And the difference would be in the fact that if one enemy can see us, our concealment is nearly useless because he can inform all enemies where we are.

If one enemy can shield himself or penetrate our shield, there's still a good chance our ability will still work on any other enemies present.

Plus, I was saying that I agreed with Nevill that we tend to want to rush in and take action. And I agree with it. The temptation is too great even for me sometimes.

That said, I am not saying that concealment is a bad choice. It might be fun. I'm just saying I would prefer a shield or an attack at the moment.

We should think about the general tendencies. If we are an impulsive jumpy-in-can't-resist character, then Stealth is indeed a dumb superpower to take.

Well, we've done it from the beginning.

And I'll remind you that it took everything I could muster to get you guys to just try hiding when we faced Rasputin.

I think these are all cool superpowers (hopefully) and we're picking what kind of style we prefer.

I agree. That's why I've chosen as I have.

 

[Tigranes]

Dude vote what you want. And vote for a more gung ho character if you want. Ain't no problem.

But I'm gonna call it out if you're going to come up with some random speculation like "stealth nah someone gonna have true seeing astra". Are those a thing? Are they common? Are they more or less common than powerful shielding / piercing astras? What about powerful astras for immobilisation that fuck with anything except Stealth, that could be a thing? Oh, we know shadowbeasts exist, will pumping Attack or Defence even let you fuck those things up? What about early aircrafts? And so on and on and on and every other unconfirmable hypothetical you can think of.

Note that I'm not even a C voter, my first vote is B, so I'm not even plumping for Stealth above all.

 

[ItsChon]

And I'll remind you that it took everything I could muster to get you guys to just try hiding when we faced Rasputin.

Good point but I was also super in favor of hiding in the face of scary Rasputin.

We have no clue whether or not this will even give us a power or an Astra tbh, we're just speculating. Assuming it will though, Tigranes is right. It's very fair to assume that all Astras are not created equal, and that it requires a lot of training and skill to unlock the upper power levels of an Astra (we can see as much with our own Astra) so what if the power we will receive is immune to being exposed by Astras except for very specific situations? Also, who's to say what the defense and attack upgrades will even be? No reason to assume a regular old gun or sword can't still fuck us up, so those might have weaknesses that can be exposed regardless if someone has an Astra or not. I highly doubt we're going to get invisibility, or iron skin, or an unblockable attack, or whatever. If we do get something, it'll be subtle, and will guide how we play our character.

Pick what you want, but C is the coolest in my opinion because I think it has the greatest utility. Think about all the fucking legendary places we can sneak in, and hairy situations we can get out of with an invisibility or other sneaky kind of Astra/ability? It has the most potential in comparison to the other options in terms of our sheer ability to explore, regardless of our combat capabilities.

The thing that is holding C back I would say is our Codexian propensity for picking shitty options, so I think anyone that votes for C should agree to be smart about our future decisions and really carefully consider what we choose.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

But I'm gonna call it out if you're going to come up with some random speculation like "stealth nah someone gonna have true seeing astra". Are those a thing?

Sophie has one.

Are they common?

Common enough for a little girl to find one.

I'll remind you that our own astra is very common, meaning that duplicates of astras can exist.

If astras have duplicates and if we already have seen an example of an astra that can see through illusions, then what I said isn't a "random speculation".

Who else might have those glasses or a similar astra? We also know that Rasputin could see through walls, or else had some extra sensitive powers of perception. Who else might have that?

Are they more or less common than powerful shielding / piercing astras?

I already answered this:

And the difference would be in the fact that if one enemy can see us, our concealment is nearly useless because he can inform all enemies where we are.

If one enemy can shield himself or penetrate our shield, there's still a good chance our ability will still work on any other enemies present.

Don't take me in another circular argument where you repeat the same thing over and over again, dude.

What about powerful astras for immobilisation that fuck with anything except Stealth, that could be a thing?

It could. But we could simply sneak instead.

The one whom our sneaking likely won't work on is Rasputin. Could he see though our illusion too? It's a worthwhile question. Though if he couldn't, I'm not sure we should pick C just to deal with one potential foe.

Oh, we know shadowbeasts exist, will pumping Attack or Defence even let you fuck those things up?

We seem to be about to destroy or protect against the shadowbeast here with this power, so the answer should be obvious.

Also, we aren't "pumping defense or attack". We're choosing a unique magic attack or shield.

What about early aircrafts? And so on and on and on and every other unconfirmable hypothetical you can think of.

Dude, you start off by accusing me of making up random things off the top of my head, which I didn't, but here you are doing exactly that.

Are we planning to fight any aircraft? Is this a fighter pilot sim and I just didn't know it? I don't even

 

[ItsChon]

What about all the stuff I said...

 

[Tigranes]

Wow, you answered my random-ass examples of dumb speculations one by one, thereby totally missing the point.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

What about all the stuff I said...

I understand your position, but I still think a shield would be more useful to our playstyle.

Think about all the fucking legendary places we can sneak in, and hairy situations we can get out of with an invisibility or other sneaky kind of Astra/ability?

It's a tricky thing. It would be very useful in the short term, as I imagine our shield or attack won't actually be high level at first, whereas the ability to hide would negate a lot of an enemy's potential strength.

However, it's the situations we can't hide that I worry about and I see a shield or attack being more useful long term.

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

Wow, you answered my random-ass examples of dumb speculations one by one, thereby totally missing the point.

I understood your point just fine.

My point was that my example was NOT a random speculation.

Yours were.

Wait, don't tell me:

Next you're going to repeat your arguments again and insist that my example was random.

We've done this before, dude, and it gets us nowhere.

 

[ItsChon]

Whatever, C's still ahead, so I can afford to be aloof.

 

[Tigranes]

Why would I repeat my arguments, man? They were pretty obvious for everyone on the planet except you. Carry on.

 

[ItsChon]

Why would I repeat my arguments, man? They were pretty obvious for everyone on the planet except you. Carry on.

Just saying, if you really wanted to piss him off, you could always flop to C...

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Why would I repeat my arguments, man? They were pretty obvious for everyone on the planet except you. Carry on.

Just saying, if you really wanted to piss him off, you could always flop to C...

You've convinced me. I'm flopping to A.

 

[Tigranes]

Never rely on the barbarian constituency, man

they attac never protec

 

[Absinthe]

A is the only option that lets us end this on a note of dead demon, I suspect.

 

[Nevill]

What?

You think this is an Astra choice? But wasn't Tome of Theseus inert and not responding to our calls in soulscape?

You seem to disagree?

Re: powers. I find myself leaning more towards Tigranes' points. There is no style without a counter, so talking about it is counter-productive (no pun intended). If there are Astras that would hinder our concealment, it would just make us adapt and change our style towards "avoid this one dude", or "take out their detection", or "find a decoy" or something else, and would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Even common Astras are sufficiently rare so we shouldn't base an argument around it. And if someone wants to harm us specifically, they will equip themselves accordingly no matter what we pick.

It is a playstyle choice, and hello friend makes some great points about it. Coming uninvited and leaving unnoticed has a certain charm to it. I definitely enjoyed Jing's sneaky breeky trolling antics more than direct confrontations. But that was done, and I want to try something else.

The thing that is holding C back I would say is our Codexian propensity for picking shitty options, so I think anyone that votes for C should agree to be smart about our future decisions and really carefully consider what we choose.

I wouldn't even call it "shitty options"? It's just the options people naturally want to take. If they don't mesh well with a certain build and powerset, well... that's one more angle to consider.

I would not choose something ill-fitting purely out of spite or stubborness, so I would adapt my decision-making to the toolset we end up with, but I'd rather not face the contradiction between what I want and what I have in the first place.

Whatever, C's still ahead, so I can afford to be aloof.

Akshully... It's dead even.
So everyone needs to shill harder.

===Tally===
A - 3 (1)
B - 10
C - 8 (10)

Spoiler

ERYFKRAD - A
Absinthe - A>C
asxetos - A>C>B

Nevill - B
Azira - B>C>A
Tigranes - B>C
Grimgravy - B>C
baud - B
Kz3r0 - B
Kalarion - B
Baltika9 - B>A
MoistCloister - B>A
Lambchop19 - B>A

Orbit - C
CappenVarra - C>B
hello friend - C>B
Oscar - C>B
Life of the Party - C>A>B
Kipeci - C
ItsChon - C
a bear named spigot - C

 

[a cut of domestic sheep prime]

You seem to disagree?

Oh, because it's not the tome's power we're unlocking. It's the pendant.

Which is odd. Do we have it with us? Are we unlocking it for Rain? Odd. But it's not the tome, I don't think.

 

[Nevill]

Oh, because it's not the tome's power we're unlocking. It's the pendant.

Well.. obviously it isn't the tome. But I was referring to Life of the Party's assumption that we are unlocking an Astra (if I interpreted his reason correctly), and I pointed out that it may be not be the case, since the only other Astra we have does not seem to be functioning.

Who knows how LSD-induced dreams work. Maybe we are getting enlightened about our inner inclinations?

Would we always have the pendant with us in a dream? Or is it because we thought of Rain that we reached for it? Dream logic is weird at the best of times.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Never rely on the barbarian constituency, man

they attac never protec

The best defense is a pre-emptive offense.

 

[Baltika9]

Never rely on the barbarian constituency, man

they attac never protec

The best defense is a pre-emptive offense.

Honestly, he just atacc.

I think the main points have been made and I don't want to go in circles with you esteemed gentlemen. So I'll say this: let's be Galahad, guys. Please.

Actually, we're inside of our mind. Our mapping Astra isn't working because there's nothing there for it to map.

Yes, but even if all of this is in our head, we are not making this pick to improve our mental fortitude or develop a psychic attack to surpass Etherials, are we?
We think the dream is real enough that decisions made here would carry over to the real world and affect our build, but not real enough that a dream version of our Astra would map the dreamscape?

But our head is empty, so our Astra can't map anything.

Spoiler

Wrinkly has an empty head. Because he dumb.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

So I'll say this: let's be Galahad, guys. Please

Ok. Not changing my vote, but you B voters are alright.

 

[Nevill]

The best defense is a pre-emptive offense.

One could say... a premature one.
This is a dangerous road you want to lead Jack Wrinkles on, my friend.

NSFW; also reads from right to left

 

[ERYFKRAD]

That's not an offense, that's an affront.

 

[treave]

Will check back on the tie in 12 hours.