[LP CYOA] 傳

Not quite sure if I agree with the particulars of the packet named after me, I'd just prefer it if Esquilax voted for that one rather than the ideas he'd had earlier.

Anyway, I guess I should alter my vote for the time slot to be 24-30 > 18-24. So long as the grossness with the 12-18 months doesn't win out, that'd be disappointing.

 

Anabanana's package as presented by Baltika's summary a short while ago looks pretty similar to the one I proposed a while ago, so I'm pretty close to fine with it. My main problem is that it doesn't include Artistic Skill, which we are absolutely going to need for when we're back out adventuring. Most of the techniques we encounter on the road are manuals or poems we need to decipher, and it's beyond time we became competent at doing that.

That's an 18 month package, though, so it wouldn't be at all hard to add in Artistic Skill if we go for 24 months or more.

 

I think I flop to 24-30> 18-24.crew,

 

Reikan, Kagemi, Ruanhong Zhusuo, Jueshi Wugong Sword Song, Wuying Leipo Kick, Xianglong Eighteen Palms, Shouwang Mad Claws, Chuzhan Fist, Self-Taught Style

So far, only 3 out of 8 techniques came from the manuals. The rest were taught to us directly. I can hardly call it "most" and the Artistic Skill an "absolute must". It is handy, yes, but so is everything on the list.

 

The ones that don't come from manuals tend to be rewards for doing something that could have seen us killed. That covers basically everything else there aside from the Xianglong Eighteen Palms.

They've been worth it, and I agree with basically every decision that led to them (the hundred man battle, volunteering for Zhang's apprenticeship to save Yao's life, etc.) but I'd rather not depend on our luck not running out for all our new techniques.

 

Sorry Kipeci, theorycrafting is fun and there's so many ways we can go here. For the record I'm going with Unarmed Zhang Jue Jr. > Spider-Man, though I could flop to Kenjutsu sword style if Baltika and Anabanana manage to nail down what else they want to do for the remaining six months. First, let me recap the main builds that are in contention so we can clearly see it (all builds are 24 months):

Unarmed Zhang Jue Jr.

13. Intensive sword training with Zhang Jue (Sword +1, 2 months)
14. Intensive hand-to-hand combat sessions with Zhang Jue. (Unarmed +1, 6 months)]
19. Improve your understanding of the Shouwang Mad Claws technique. (2 months)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
26. Learn how to absorb qi from other people at a faster rate by ‘practicing’ with Qilin and Cao’er. (3 months)
30. Intensive endurance training. (+1 END, 5 months)

Spider-Man

5. Intensive basic thrown weapons training. (Thrown Weapons +4, 1 month)
8. ‘Practice’ sleight-of-hand with Qilin... (Sleight-of-Hand +1, 1 month)
13. Intensive sword training with Zhang Jue (Sword +1, 2 months)
20. Train to create a new self-taught sword technique based off the Yuchang Sword. (+1 Sword, 3 months)
22. Further improve your mastery of Reikan by training with Yoriwaka. (+1 Reikan PER, 1 month)
24. Further improve your handling of Ruanhong Zhusuo, the spider silk threads. (2 months)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
26. Learn how to absorb qi from other people at a faster rate by ‘practicing’ with Qilin and Cao’er. (3 months)
30. Intensive endurance training. (+1 END, 5 months)

Kenjutsu Sword Style

3. Intensive basic saber training. (Saber +4, 1 month)
6. Practice art with Zhang Jue. (Artistic Skill +2, 2 months)
8. ‘Practice’ sleight-of-hand with Qilin... (Sleight-of-Hand +1, 1 month)
13. Intensive sword training with Zhang Jue (Sword +1, 2 months)
15. Learn the rare Minamoto-style Kenjutsu focusing on quick draws and flowing attacks from Yorimitsu. (+1 Sword, 3 months)
20. Train to create a new self-taught sword technique based off the Yuchang Sword. (+1 Sword, 3 months)
22. Further improve your mastery of Reikan by training with Yoriwaka. (+1 Reikan PER, 1 month)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
30. Intensive endurance training. (+1 END, 5 months)

Baltika9, Anabanana, since you have an extra six months on hand for this particular bare-bones 18 months build you originally had, I made a few modifications that I think you guys might appreciate. Artistic Skill to improve our ability to learn new techniques through poetry over the time we'll have to go adventuring, the Yuchang Sword Style to develop our self-taught technique, and the cherry on top is a Sleight-of-Hand boost to swap between the wodao and the Yuchang Sword. I guess you could swap Art and Sleight-of-Hand for qi leeching, but we wouldn't be able to leech qi through our sword at this point, so that's more of a long term thing.

And lastly, to make sure that some of the more recent suggestions get some love:

Lambchop's Lightning Fast Sword Style

5. Intensive basic thrown weapons training. (Thrown Weapons +4, 1 month) (To round us out. Could replace with sabers if you wanted.)
13. Intensive sword training with Zhang Jue (Sword +1, 2 months)
15. Learn the rare Minamoto-style Kenjutsu focusing on quick draws and flowing attacks from Yorimitsu. (+1 Sword, 3 months)
22. Further improve your mastery of Reikan by training with Yoriwaka. (+1 Reikan PER, 1 month)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
27. Focus on qinggong practice by running around the island with the tigers, naked. (Qinggong +2, 6 months, Kuanglang Step now gives +2 to agility and increased ability to shrug off grabs)
33. Intensive agility training. (+1 AGI, 5 months)

Elfberserker's Unarmed Technician Build

6. Practice art with Zhang Jue. (Artistic Skill +2, 2 months)
18. Improve your understanding of the Chuzhan Fist technique. (2 months)
19. Improve your understanding of the Shouwang Mad Claws technique. (2 months)
22. Further improve your mastery of Reikan by training with Yoriwaka. (+1 Reikan PER, 1 month)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
26. Learn how to absorb qi from other people at a faster rate by ‘practicing’ with Qilin and Cao’er. (3 months)
27. Focus on qinggong practice by running around the island with the tigers, naked. (Qinggong +2, 6 months, Kuanglang Step now gives +2 to agility and increased ability to shrug off grabs)

 

"Only" 3 out of 8? That's a lot, considering it's nearly half! And, considering that one of those techniques is the best one we have and we'll spend at least a year out in the world adventuring again, you may not be giving it its due. I mean, yeah, there are opportunity costs to consider, we need to stick to what we absolutely need, but I'd say that it's definitely the most useful skill boost choice out of all of them.

 

Six months? We have a year before the Summit, roughly. And we'll go to the Fire Cult, help out Yunzi, resolve the Turfag Prince situation and perfect our martial arts with them, of course.

 

I could get behind Esquilax's 24 month version of the Kenjutsu package. I'm pretty sure that includes everything I wanted anyway.

 

You might want to note that Artistic Skill 2 was enough for all of them.

He talks about the additional package.

 

Sorry, not what I meant. Perhaps I missed a post in all this DISCUSS!!! but I saw Anabanana's original package that was 18 months, but I didn't see a 24 month version of it anywhere. With that in mind, I decided to give it a fair shake and see how we can optimize it with an extra 6 months of time. Maybe you guys have other ideas?

That may not be the case in the future. We really haven't had a chance to investigate that warrior-poet aspect of martial arts too deeply, particularly with Luoying Manor burnt to the ground.

Plus, it's an excuse to be with Master Zhang for two months reading love poems to one another. *sigh* He's soooo dreamy...

 

I'm not convinced about any package that doesn't at least include strength training and unarmed combat, sorry. Jing's problem against master level foes is that all of his blows do very little damage, I want that to be corrected as a first objective before we cover any goodies like another version of the claws.

 

Are we supposed to vote for packages? If we have determined the maximum length of time for training (did we?) wouldn't it be easier to just vote for whatever you like? Then order options by votes and those with most votes that we can do in the determined time frame are chosen.

 

Not yet.
But it helps people decide how much time do they want to spend.

Then we might end with a mix of options that nobody wants.
No, the packages make the most sense.

 

We seem to have very nearly settled on 24 months as an acceptable timeframe, at least for most people.

Two years of intensive training seems to be the standard for between-chapter breaks anyway.

 

Well then there's no pleasing you. Can't you compromise a bit on this?

The neigong training will give us a boost in STR, the Unarmed boost makes our blows more precise, and a greater mastery of Shouwang Claws technique will unlock more powerful techniques that can do more damage. The whole point of the END boost is that it has a synergy with the neigong training and allows us to use it more reliably. Look at how many times we've caused internal injuries to ourselves. A value of STR 10 with the neigong is already on superhuman levels and the END boost allows us to tap into that neigong with a greater level of consistency.

I don't know, I think that people have a specific build in mind because the entire package is supposed to work together. Otherwise you're going to get a lot of design-by-committee. The other issue is that maybe the choices that are voted on the most will either amount to greater than or less than 24 months, making the entire purpose of time constraints pointless, and putting us back at square one for the DISCUSS!!!



Then we have to do it over again...

 

I don't see a pattern, seeing as how we are in the second chapter and only had 1 timeskip of 1.5 years.

Why? Let him come up with his own package, then include it.

 

Except that nobody and I mean nobody here completely agrees on what should be in the package anyway. So what's the freaking difference? Let people decide on their own. It's the simplest and fairest way.

 

Fair, perhaps, but anything but simple. Tremendous amounts of butthurt will be generated no matter what we do.

 

That sounds good. Kipeci, what about swapping END for STR and leaving everything else as is?

13. Intensive sword training with Zhang Jue (Sword +1, 2 months)
14. Intensive hand-to-hand combat sessions with Zhang Jue. (Unarmed +1, 6 months)]
19. Improve your understanding of the Shouwang Mad Claws technique. (2 months)
25. Undergo strenuous neigong training to unlock your potential (Neigong +2, 6 months, Yuanshi Hundun now gives +2 to STR, AGI and END)
26. Learn how to absorb qi from other people at a faster rate by ‘practicing’ with Qilin and Cao’er. (3 months)
28. Intensive strength training. (+1 STR, 5 months)

I'd still prefer endurance for all the reasons I've gone over, but an extra strength point would make us hit even harder and boost our Unarmed/Sword cap by 1. This would also fit in with your view that strength training and Unarmed skills are mandatory.

 

Well, nobody is stopping you from creating your own package. It's not like we take away your freedom of choice.
The packages are there because they make sense to some people. Once there will be 5 people voting for one package (and the Kenjutsu one has those, I believe), the others will have to choose another package instead of coming up with their own, or else they lose the vote. This will quickly turn into a competition between 2 to 4 packages. That is a lot more manageable than what we have now.

 

Uh, from your package or the old one I made up? For a compromise vote, I could vote for the one quoted above if the endurance was replaced with strength, yeah. I think I liked your earlier qinggong package too, though I would've replaced the qinggong with the neigong.

 

Just choose something you want to include in the competition. Since the packages are different, there is no need to compromise. Only one will be chosen anyway. So if you try to include something unpopular, well, tough luck.

 

What, you guys really don't see how this is going to play out? There are about 20 to 25 regular voters in this thread. And so far there has been what, 50 or a 100 different packages proposed? Page after page after page of lists with slight variations. So, everyone has his own idea of what should be in the package. Some apparently have ten. In the end nobody is going to be completely happy with the winning package anyway. Some because they think another package was better, other because they think it could be better still. That's politics for ya. So lets just skip the all the empty discuss of why a particular package is so much better because it includes or doesn't include that one thing you like or don't like. Let's skip this bullshit and just vote for whatever the fuck you want instead of voting for a package that is the most like the one you would like. It's the fastest, simplest and ultimate the fairest way.

 

Esquilax, I was basing my picks off of this:

I think they're all good as standalone modules that we can mix and match. I am pushing for Kenjutsu, most likely, with the Qi Leeching Package. They will cover our weaknesses with swords and provide us with an extremely nasty ability to confuse and bind up our opponents, making all the rest of our moves easier to execute on them. Recall the fight with Rob Halford:

So it seems that our spider silks were the only thing that gave us an opening against him, they slowed him down just enough for us to be able to land our kicks on him. This is an extremely valuable skill that I would love to develop further. If it leveled our playing field with a juggernaut like him (dude has like 9 STR/9 END, easy) then what would a less sturdy and strong opponent do when caught up in them? And once we rope them in, well, we have a whole selection of unarmed styles, sword styles and qi leeching to take out on them.

Sure, the lack of throwing skills stings a little bit, but with 11 AGI from our improved Yuanshi Hundun we will be able to close distances in the blink of an eye. I love this combo.