Keychain of Creation 3: Not-a-Keyblade Understanding & Falafel-is-Awesome Prana Combo

[Xelloss]

Second Circle Demons aren't really all that much more useful than First Circle Demons.

Second-Circle demon can be Celestial level.
...But with Summon elemental, you don't have levels, because you can summon any elemental. Any one. Yep, the Kukla too. (not a good idea though, since he has high-essence gods as underlings that can answer the call for him and are not bound to obey the summoner...)

[spectralphoenix]

They're good at killing a swarm of mortals, but the sample demon in the book at least doesn't have a perfect defense, which means he can be taken out by a sufficiently large doom combo from a decently powerful Solar.

[Jerthanis]

Second Circle Demons aren't really all that much more useful than First Circle Demons. It's only the Third Circle Demons that are truely that dangerous, and even Solars have trouble with that.

They give a huge bonus to the tangential summoning benefits like Craft rolls, they often have significant knowledge about occult secrets, and much more frequently have unique and powerful abilities, so I'd say they're a good deal more useful.

Also, if you summon and release a Blood Ape, it'll cause about as much trouble as a pack of rabid wolves, but if you summon and release Octavian, he'll soon build a brutal military dictatorship, establish a Yozi cult to bring in more demons to fill his army, and lead the army to crush and subjugate neighboring regions.

[spectralphoenix]

That's true - they can help out a lot on non-combat tasks. That said, having a Second Circle demon help out on noncombat tasks is how you bring evil and madness into Creation. I mean, whistling up a pack of blood apes to give yourself a dot or two of magnitude for mass combat does too, but you're much less likely to regret it than having Octavian set up a demonic dictatorship with an Infernal cult or getting some tips on artifact creation from your friendly neighborhood deposed ruler of Creation.

[Weimann]

Middle comic today. I'm annoyed at panels 5-8 for basically consisting of people looking at each other and not saying anything.

Karen should keep her scar, at least some of it. It makes her look harder than before.

[Gez]

Middle comic today. I'm annoyed at panels 5-8 for basically consisting of people looking at each other and not saying anything.

And what is annoying about that?

[Weimann]

Well, they just... look at each other. And are silent!

ARRRGH!

In all seriousness, I feel like that could have compromised to two panels or so. I mean, it's not really a complaint, but still.

[Recaiden]

Well, they just... look at each other. And are silent!

ARRRGH!

In all seriousness, I feel like that could have compromised to two panels or so. I mean, it's not really a complaint, but still.

So what? There is meaningful communication and thought and tension in those looks.

[Xelloss]

I prefer Karen without her scar. Not it's bad, just the form is not esthetically appealing to me (I prefer Balalaika's for example). And outside Crippling effects, Exalts don't get scars. (ie : I want Karen to have a Balalaika's style scar next time, just remember : Crippling !)

[Tavar]

I prefer without the scar, largely for the same reasons as the above poster.

[Sanguine]

Ditto with the two posters above me.

[Jerthanis]

So what? There is meaningful communication and thought and tension in those looks.

Not really, Ten Winds is just sorta chillin', Karen's just sorta chillin', we see a panel of Secret being insecure (big surprise) a purely informational shot of "Secret leaves the scene", then a beat panel, then Misho noticing Ten and Karen are still there/maybe that they approached slightly closer, then the joke in the final scene.

The purpose for all those panels was the establishment that many moments passed, making Misho's immediate, off the cuff response to the suggestion of teaching them demoncraft humorous.

I'd complain about sacrificing pacing, but the scene basically was going to end with this comic, and the next one wouldn't have time to start yet, so really it didn't lose anything by padding out the strip a bit for the purposes of enhancing the joke, but I still wouldn't call their exchanged looks communicative or tension building.

Also: 2nd Circle Demons are individually tougher than seasoned Dragonbloods, and some of them DO have perfects even if the one in the Corebook doesn't. So they can absolutely be used in combat.

[Mewtarthio]

I believe it's meant to indicate a long silence as everyone considers the implications of Misho's question, just to hammer home the gravity of what he's suggesting. It is tension-building in a sense, as it provides a forced break in the action to let his comment sink in for the reader.

[Kyeudo]

The rule with Exalts is that the almost always heal without scars and always heal from mundane injuries without trouble. This is so that a player can go "Hey, you know what? I like the idea of having a scar across my face from that time that that Abyssal tried to Ebon Lightning Prana my face off" and the Storyteller can just say "Ok, cool."

[Revlid]

I like Karen with her scar. It adds a certain, as the French say, "I-don't-know-what".

That said, I wouldn't mind her healing it, and a running gag being that she keeps on getting scarred and healing with each battle. Exaltation's good for skincare, I guess.

[lesser_minion]

While I was mistaken as to who it was a momento of, I'm glad to see that I was correct as to what the (apparent) planned sacrifice is for Secret. Especially if it means more backstory on the Abyssal.

Would she really sacrifice her ties to her family? I mean, choosing that as a sacrifice, even to learn sorcery, basically means embracing her nature and the fact that she exists to bring death to creation.

I think she'd at least try to come up with something else.

Aside from that, yes, we need to know more about Secret's backstory.

[golentan]

Would she really sacrifice her ties to her family? I mean, choosing that as a sacrifice, even to learn sorcery, basically means embracing her nature and the fact that she exists to bring death to creation.

I think she'd at least try to come up with something else.

Aside from that, yes, we need to know more about Secret's backstory.

I don't see that as a given. That's one way to make that sacrifice, of course. But another interpretation would be a rejection of her fears of her past. It's not what you do so much as why or how you do it.

But yeah, need more of Secret's secrets.

[Revlid]

Aside from the manner of Secret's death, I'm most interested in why she was chosen as a Death Knight, given her... lack of confidence or desire to destroy Creation. Or aptitude. Just seems odd.

Of course, given it was the Silver Prince who did so, he probably has some reason or other.

[RedScholarGypsy]

Aside from the manner of Secret's death, I'm most interested in why she was chosen as a Death Knight, given her... lack of confidence or desire to destroy Creation. Or aptitude. Just seems odd.

Of course, given it was the Silver Prince who did so, he probably has some reason or other.

It was, according to the early strips, either going to be the Prince or Lover, both of whom are major social manipulators, as far as I know. It may have been a ploy to have her do just as she is doing in order to learn more about the enemy. The prince did send her to the other deathlords. It may be just to test the Exaltation to see if it could make a completely unremarkable person great. On this one, it's all guessing.

[Tackyhillbillu]

It was, according to the early strips, either going to be the Prince or Lover, both of whom are major social manipulators, as far as I know. It may have been a ploy to have her do just as she is doing in order to learn more about the enemy. The prince did send her to the other deathlords. It may be just to test the Exaltation to see if it could make a completely unremarkable person great. On this one, it's all guessing.

Or Secrets been running an Elaborate deception this entire time, planning on collecting the keys for her dark master, and slaughtering her allies at the very point of their triumph.



....nah.

[Green Bean]

Man, that'd be the best ending.

[MReav]

Or Secrets been running an Elaborate deception this entire time, planning on collecting the keys for her dark master, and slaughtering her allies at the very point of their triumph.

And Ten was sent to infiltrate her group, and stop her, but not before ingratiating himself so he can soul punch the enemies of the Realm.

[Aquillion]

And Ten was sent to infiltrate her group, and stop her, but not before ingratiating himself so he can soul punch the enemies of the Realm.

No, no. Her Deathlord decided to join their group to keep an eye on her, and disguised himself as a Dragon-Blood to do it (Deathlords, recall, are master shapeshifters and have access to Solar-tier disguise charms, including ones that can mimic the magical abilities of others as long as you can copy their effects.)

[golentan]

Some instincts are satisfying to give into... She looks so happy, like the ca... err... fox that ate the canary.

[Revlid]

Heh. Marena gives me little hope for her meditative skills.

I wonder if Secret's got some kind of killswitch implanted in her Exaltation? Just when the Circle are on the cusp of victory, the Silver Prince uses a custom charm and she goes psycho?

Also - Exalted. A good system for a One Piece campaign?

[Green Bean]

I wonder if Secret's got some kind of killswitch implanted in her Exaltation? Just when the Circle are on the cusp of victory, the Silver Prince uses a custom charm and she goes psycho?

I doubt it. Exaltations were pretty much designed not to have a kill-switch, 'cause otherwise the Primordials could've just ordered the gods to kill their Exalts. Plus the general setting theme of 'no take-backsies'.

[Indon]

Heh. Marena gives me little hope for her meditative skills.

I wonder if Secret's got some kind of killswitch implanted in her Exaltation? Just when the Circle are on the cusp of victory, the Silver Prince uses a custom charm and she goes psycho?

Also - Exalted. A good system for a One Piece campaign?

You'd have to homebrew most of the fruit powers to some degree, but it'd be a good system to use as a baseline.

[Drascin]

Also - Exalted. A good system for a One Piece campaign?

Could work, but I'd suggest M&M as a more workable system, to be honest.

As for today's comic - bad Marena! Bad! No letting your beast impulses run wild!

[Indon]

Could work, but I'd suggest M&M as a more workable system, to be honest.

Hmm, yeah, you wouldn't have to homebrew most fruit powers here, Mutants&Masterminds has extensive support for it.

There's also an anime sourcebook for the system.

[SKarious]

I wonder if Secret's got some kind of killswitch implanted in her Exaltation? Just when the Circle are on the cusp of victory, the Silver Prince uses a custom charm and she goes psycho?

Secret is an abyssal. They all have a "killswitch" in the form of a "monstrance" their master keeps. If she doesn't behave, her Deathlord can zap it with a spell to damage her or, as a last resort, throw it into the void to destroy her immediately.