[LP CYOA] 傳

[Esquilax]

On the other hand, the best defense is not getting it in the first place.

Everybody gets hit eventually. Ideally, we'd have some versatility in how we deal with situations instead of being a complete glass cannon, and adding a defensive aspect to our game would help us greatly here. We were able to anticipate Yunzi back at the Young Tigers Tournament and take her out with one solid hit despite her speed advantage, there are lots of ways that an opponent of ours could deal with our speed.

Master Zhang never taught us much about this, but then again, he has ridiculous amounts of END, so he could take a ton of punishment just through sheer natural, physical talent. Guo Fu is probably the only one around who has our Master's freakish physical attributes, they'd make great defensive linemen.

Well, what I'm mentioning are methods for reducing damage from incoming blows and blows have already landed but haven't completely sunk in yet. So instead of dodging you're using these tricks to reduce the impact, but it's still hitting. It would effectively boost Jing's endurance since he's not getting hit as hard anymore.

So, sort of like when a boxer rolls with a punch? I still don't see that as a function of endurance, it's more related to having fast, sharp reactions, IMO. In any case, treave said before that STR/END boost were more related to neigong, while AGI boosts were more in the realm of qinggong, so I think we'd probably be better off learning a more defensive form of inner strength other than Jinzhongzhao. It just so happened that our particular chaotic qi gave us physical stat boosts in all categories, but perhaps this is more of an exception than a rule.

 

[treave]

Easier to say qi projection is not a good boost without having seen what that particular upgrade would help with, I suppose.

Forgot to switch the reputation description.

As for what you're proposing, isn't most of it part of what Jing as a fighter instinctively does? Move away from damage, go on the defense. Not sure it'd warrant an endurance boost, particularly since it doesn't help mitigate blows after they land. Even allowing that, by fast progression how long do you want it to take?

If you want some body technique along these lines that's effective, it's Taiji Fist.

I also don't understand your last question. Qi draining is the boost. It gave +1 END.

 

[Absinthe]

So, sort of like when a boxer rolls with a punch?

Yep, that's exactly what I was thinking.

I still don't see that as a function of endurance, it's more related to having fast, sharp reactions, IMO. In any case, treave said before that STR/END boost were more related to neigong, while AGI boosts were more in the realm of qinggong

You're right, it is a function of fast, sharp reactions (so agility and perception), that's why I'd say it's qinggong, but the way it mitigates the damage you take would effectively be like an improved endurance. After all, it's a qinggong that just increases the amount of punishment you can handle.

so I think we'd probably be better off learning a more defensive form of inner strength other than Jinzhongzhao.

If we can get one, I wouldn't mind. But I think an endurance boosting qinggong would also be good.

Easier to say qi projection is not a good boost without having seen what that particular upgrade would help with, I suppose.

Well, lambchop19 did ask what it would help with. If you'd like to tell us, we're interested. I just offered the perspective that it's probably better to grab a technique you'd have a really hard time finding otherwise.

As for what you're proposing, isn't most of it part of what Jing as a fighter instinctively does? Move away from damage, go on the defense. Not sure it'd warrant an endurance boost, particularly since it doesn't help mitigate blows after they land. Even allowing that, by fast progression how long do you want it to take?

Well, the idea is that it would mitigate blows as they land since you'd be "rolling with the blows" like Esquilax mentioned, among other things, and Jing would put in the effort to try to develop this into a serious technique rather than something you just try to do in fights. I also think it would be cool if Jing would have a few more moves of his own invention. As for how long it should take to learn, I don't really know. I'd guess "fast enough" just because if Jing were to put his mind to it between his high skills and stats he should already know the basics of this theory and be able to make a real tech out of it, and Wuxiang Qiankun improves his control of qinggong, so yeah. And if Cao'er lends her expert eye and advice to refine Jing's technique then he should really make some quick progress. But how you offer the technique is your decision anyhow.

If you want some body technique along these lines that's effective, it's Taiji Fist.

Wouldn't mind that, but I figured Taiji Fist is more about gentle parries and taking advantage of the opponent's momentum. At any rate, I was wondering if Jing could invent his own technique here, in true unorthodox fashion.

I also don't understand your last question. Qi draining is the boost. It gave +1 END.

What I mean is:

Outer and inner training

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)

The +1 END was listed under neigong training, so what exactly qi absorption training contributed was more up in air.

 

[Baltika9]

I dunno about investing time in creating techniques from scratch at this moment. My priorities are WQS> Yuchang techs (because showing up to a conference of the Great Sword wielders without a personalized technique for our own Great Sword is just humiliating)> Qingcheng Combo starting with their qinggong. Wasting precious time on theorycrafting seems like a waste.

 

[Absinthe]

Well, it all depends on how it's offered, so I was asking treave about it. If he makes this a "burn an entire month learning" offer, then it's not too exciting, but if he just makes it an offer like "you can learn this stuff or you could invest the same time into making your own endurance-booster qinggong to better handle blows and get some solid endurance out of it" then I reckon we'd be up for that. I figure we should be able to make this around a rank 4 qinggong really fast considering we've got the right skills, talents, experience, and help and Wuxiang Qiankun really improves our handling of qinggong skills.

 

[treave]

Ah, thought it was about the first update where you unlocked the qi drain. The absorption training is so that you can absorb it faster, the increased END is because there's both more qi and you can use more of the qi towards increasing endurance.

As for creating the technique, I'd be inclined to offer it as a defensive qinggong geared towards unarmed like the Qingcheng style against weapons, rather than providing any straight endurance boosts.

 

[Absinthe]

That makes sense. It's mainly a technique that uses your knowledge of the incoming attacks and quick reactions to reduce the damage, and unarmed would be the best place to apply this. Sadly, defense vs. unarmed is the last place where we need help right now, so unless we could adapt it to more weapons as we improve, that rules out this tech by sheer low priority. Would you be up for making it a technique with increasing versatility as it improves? (So we'd start off with unarmed, but it wouldn't end there.)

 

[Nevill]

So, since the discuss have pretty much died right now, let's see where we currently stand:.

These assignments are apparently a lock:

A - 7,8
B - 2,6
C - 1,5

The rest are more sketchy. Fu Xia will undertake 4, but it is a toss whether he gets to question the servants or will complement Qilin with rumor gathering. Lingshu will talk to the daughter, but from there she will either help with the servants or with the search. It is highly likely that Yifang will go on a search as well.

Unless people will see the merit of reassigning Lady Suien to 7 instead of 1, she will be assisting Cao'er.

D - 2/3/6, 7 (?)
E - 2, 3/7
F - 1,5
G - 3/6, 4

So, considering the locks, what is the most logical plan we can push for?

It is either this:
D - 2,3 or 3,6
E - 2,3
F - 1,5
G - 3,4

Or this:
D - whatever, 7
E - 2,7
F - 1,5
G - 3,4

We need somebody competent working with the servants, and Jing with Qilin are busy. Nobody else qualifies - the girls are too trusting for that line of work. I am not even sure that Fu Xia will be able to achieve much here, as I am not quite confident in his abilities, but he is all we've got at the moment.

If Yifang will go looking for Xiaofang, there is no point in locking Lingshu out of this. It does not make a huge difference if we have 1 justice seeker on the team or 2 of them. Besides, the girls work better as a pair, and they can watch each other's backs in a fight, as the restaurant scene had shown us.

So, if we can't upvote two of the 2/3/6 choices for Yifang simultaneously, we should probably push for E2,7 for Lingshu, too. Alternatively, if those who voted for Esquilax's plan want to keep the girls out of the way at all cost, it makes sense to vote D2,3 E2,3 instead of D6 E2. A vote for D6 does not prevent D7, where a few votes for D2,3 would.

Esquilax (and by extension, Baltika9, ScubaV and Elfberserker), would you care to consider amending the votes to either D6,7 E2,7 or D2,3 E2,3? I'll back either of these plans.

 

[Baltika9]

If Yifang will go looking for Xiaofang, there is no point in locking Lingshu out of this. It does not make a huge difference if we have 1 justice seeker on the team or 2 of them. Besides, the girls work better as a pair, and they can watch each other's backs in a fight, as the restaurant scene had shown us.

Actually, it does matter if they're together. Like two pranksters in school, together they'll be even worse. Searching for Xiaofang requires discretion, and having the Justice League with us, stomping down doors and making noise may make our job harder instead of easier.

We don't need two of them with us, at all, but Qilin needs at least one bodyguard around with her and I'd rather it be the more mature Yifang who is also our second best fighter. This is Youxia, and she needs the backup more than us. I'm afraid I have to insist on keeping Yifang on 6.

 

[TOME]

I don't think we should assign Lady Suien to examine the corpse. Cao'er can do that alone just fine and if she needs a bodyguard, then we should assign one of the justice girls to her. We could have Suien talking to the boss and have Jing focus on something else. Suien doesn't worship her boss so she will likely get same information Jing would.

Assigning someone to gather rumours beside Qilin is a waste. Qilin is a master infiltrator and a spy. She doesn't need protecting because she will be able to blend in no matter what. That being said, I'm starting to think that assigning our best asset (=Qilin) to rumours instead of real leads may be waste also.

 

[Nevill]

We don't need two of them with us, at all, but Qilin needs at least one bodyguard around with her and I'd rather it be the more mature Yifang who is also our second best fighter. This is Youxia, and she needs the backup more than us. I'm afraid I have to insist on keeping Yifang on 6.

You do understand that in the current circumstances this means "I insist on keeping Yifang on 6 and 7", right?

And really, you think one of them is going to be tamer than two? For the purposes of your 'stealth mission', they might as well be a hundred. But at least the two of them are less probable to get in serious trouble without you supervision than just Yifang alone.

 

[Baltika9]

Yes, most definitely tamer and easier to control alone than both of them at once, that is just asking for trouble. The louder they will be, and two will be louder than one, the harder our job gets.

 

[Nevill]

Yes, most definitely tamer and easier to control alone than both of them at once, that is just asking for trouble. The louder they will be, and two will be louder than one, the harder our job gets.

That's just stupid. You want to be subtle, you leave both of them behind. You take one of them, you might as well take both to be able to cover more ground and to have an opportunity to act independently if the need arises. If for whatever reason I am required to act alone, I will feel much better if I won't have to abandon one of them without anyone to look after her. How can you even type 'this is Youxia, our people will need backup' and completely disregard the implications of the statement in the same post?

 

[Baltika9]

Yeah, this is Youxia, which is why I want someone with Qilin, instead of having our two second-best fighters go along with Jing, who is the best fighter and stealth expert, and fuck up his Kunnin' Plans.

And, no, I don't think the "in for a penny, in for a pound" applies here. Simply put, Jing and Qilin can control them better separately, instead of Jing trying to control their antics by himself.

Spoiler

Besides, it's about time him and Lingshu had some alone time.

 

[Nevill]

Yeah, this is Youxia, which is why I want someone with Qilin, instead of having our two second-best fighters go along with Jing, who is the best fighter and stealth expert, and fuck up his Kunnin' Plans.

It has nothing to do with the girls watching Jing's back, and everything to do with Jing not having to watch Yifang's all the time, which might - might - severely limit our options.

Again, as it stands right now, Jing will go on the mission with Yifang (D7 is in the lead). Lingshu might be left behind (it's a draw between E3 and E7). I have no idea what you are talking about and how it corresponds to the reality.

 

[Baltika9]

Hey, I'm voting for Yifang on 6 right now and holding out hope that it'll win. Pretty much it.

 

[TOME]

So Qilin isn't stealth expert and doesn't have cunning plans? I don't get your logic.

 

[Nevill]

Hey, I'm voting for Yifang on 6 right now and holding out hope that it'll win. Pretty much it.

Oh, ok. It might win. But D7 is still in the lead among the other options. So the plan you are voting for pushes D6,7 forward, which is what I am saying all this time.

It is not about our ideal plan anymore, it is about what we realistically can get once the votes close. Are we going to correct our expectations, or are we going to pull in different directions resulting in a yet another derp?

 

[Baltika9]

So Qilin isn't stealth expert and doesn't have cunning plans? I don't get your logic.

And, no, I don't think the "in for a penny, in for a pound" applies here. Simply put, Jing and Qilin can control them better separately, instead of Jing trying to control their antics by himself.

 

[Nevill]

And, no, I don't think the "in for a penny, in for a pound" applies here. Simply put, Jing and Qilin can control them better separately, instead of Jing trying to control their antics by himself.

THere is absolutely no reason why either Jing or Qilin have to control their antics at all. Just leave them at home with D/E 2,3 - and you are set. No one will impede you anymore.

Yeah, this is Youxia, which is why I want someone with Qilin, instead of having our two second-best fighters go along with Jing, who is the best fighter and stealth expert, and fuck up his Kunnin' Plans.

There is no "instead" here. You can have both, or you can have none of this. The assignments are independent of each other.

TOME is right, Qilin is as much a stealth expert as Jing and needs as much babysitting as he does.

It is ok to vote for whatever you prefer, but I must confess that your arguments and the logic you use elude me as well.

 

[Baltika9]

I meant that Jing is better at stealth than her (we have 8, she has 7) but is also much better at combat. If trouble comes for Jing, he can likely handle it all by himself. Not so with Qilin, and I would much rather she have Yifang along with her who can act as muscle, bodyguard and helper, rather than having the whole Justice League with Jing on a delicate tracking mission.

That, and we can control the girls better when they're separated. That's all I'm saying.

 

[Nevill]

What is up with false dichotomies? How does having Yifang with Qilin correspond to 'having the whole Justice League with Jing on a delicate tracking mission'? You mention it as if one helps avoid the other.

The hilarity of the situation is that your vote for bouncer Yifang contributes directly to her accompanying Jing on a sensitive mission due to how the rest of the votes are spread out. But since this is, technically, not your fault, you refuse to alter anything in your plan.

 

[TOME]

Qilin's stealth alone is 7, but with Yifang it is 2. Yifang is going to be the reason why Qilin needs a bodyguard in the first place.

 

[Kipeci]

Why does Qilin need a bodyguard? She's a fairly capable fighter without even factoring in her poisoning and pressure point skills, and she can almost certainly talk most potential attackers out of it. You think anyone here wants to make an enemy of the Wudu Cult?

Bringing in one of the justice girls will increase the likelihood that something bad will happen given their tendency to strike down the criminals that make up most of this place, to avoid that Qilin will have to be babysitting the one going with her. (If they are going together, anyway. I'm not quite sure what logic says that they leave together while Jing strikes off on his own when all we're deciding is who leaves for what mission(s).) Qilin's more prepared for a fight, I guess, but one extra person can only contribute so much if they piss of a large group of criminals in the midst of their digging, and the justice girls make that so much more likely to happen.

 

[Nevill]

Kipeci, do you agree with the idea that we should either bring them both with us, or leave them both at home? Well, I know that you would prefer the latter, but if we can't have that (and we still can, if we agree on something), can you be persuaded in favor of the former?