[FWM] OOC 3: Eccentric Cheerilee

[TheAmishPirate]

I was asking because of his rank being "captain", thought it's most likely there to put him as the commander, but yeah, being able to take on several giants may put him as comparable to her in a direct fight

Oh, that may or may not be his actual rank. That's just what everypony calls him.

And it wasn't all at once! It was a long battle, after all.

[Mindfreak]

Apologies to everyone waiting on me. I may not be back today to respond to posts.
I need to go watch a Good Man Goes to War and calm down.

[Kelvin360]

Wait, WHAT?!?

The alley bag is

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MILE?!?! Why in the pony hell isn't he with Aero and Aisis?? Heck with the Captain, Luka's going to just start killing people!

...Wow I'm starting to wish I'd brought Starbeam instead.

[Luka]

Wait, WHAT?!?

The alley bag is

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MILE?!?! Why in the pony hell isn't he with Aero and Aisis?? Heck with the Captain, Luka's going to just start killing people!

...Wow I'm starting to wish I'd brought Starbeam instead.

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Because Aero and Aisis are in a picnic , of course, they didn't know that there were some assasins around town looking to kill them all and the griffon, so they just told him to go somewhere and have fun while they were going both.

And it would just make Luka's BSOD become worse, he'd just blame himself for bringing the army and getting what woudhis family and townsfolk in danger and want to stray out into the wild to make the army follow him, because at least if he wasn't in town, the army would try to conquer without using as much force as they would if he was there

Dunno what Starbeam would too if she was there though

[Kelvin360]

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See, now, that's doubtful. Maybe it's just a discrepancy in playing style, but for me, it'd take all of five minutes for a BSOD in those circumstances to give way to boundless pure rage. Big Brother instinct usually doesn't work like 'Well, no reason to do anything NOW'...

Also, methinks Luka has some 'I'm the center of the universe' issues.

An archmage specializing in Abjuration and Transmutation? Turning the ground under them to twenty foot deep puddles of water and then erecting an antimagic field to cancel the armor and tentacles, just off the top of my head.

Or, y'know, TK a few houses and beat them with 'em.

[Grif]

A tad overkill there?

[Luka]

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See, now, that's doubtful. Maybe it's just a discrepancy in playing style, but for me, it'd take all of five minutes for a BSOD in those circumstances to give way to boundless pure rage. Big Brother instinct usually doesn't work like 'Well, no reason to do anything NOW'...

Also, methinks Luka has some 'I'm the center of the universe' issues.

An archmage specializing in Abjuration and Transmutation? Turning the ground under them to twenty foot deep puddles of water and then erecting an antimagic field to cancel the armor and tentacles, just off the top of my head.

Or, y'know, TK a few houses and beat them with 'em.

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I dunno, but I just though he would feel that as a failure to protect him.... That "Big brother instinct" thing seems kinda new to me

It's more Survivor guilt and the fact that he was trained to be that that being egocentrical.... Well, he may be a bit, but he would think that if he and his brothers didn't go over there, then the army wouldn't have sent those to the gate, or would send an army as big as they would now to conquer the town, just because he's there, being a threat

Oh? she would be comparable to Doth then? I mean, he can make asteroids and throw them, also has complete control over them and TK'ing one just incinerates the TK'er because of magic link-fire(or plasma?) channeling
They would also wall-push themselves upwards and the armor's light enough to swim....Barely , House-smashing seems like a better deal then

[Kelvin360]

A tad overkill there?

What is this thing you are speaking of as though it is not a completely normal and rational response to everything?

But no, in actuality she'd be much more likely to be a wee mite more subtle. Like Gandalf!

...Okay, wait, bad example.

"YOU...SHALL NOT...PASS!!"


@^ - Starbeam isn't a wizard who relies on raw power. That's Stellar's deal. She focuses on outthinking, not outbashing. For example, while going toe-to-toe with a pony like, say, Obsidian Flare and surviving is horrendously unlikely, her strengths are versatility and intelligence. While Doth has the power, I guarantee Starbeam has a better grasp of how to use it.

Not to say it wouldn't be a close thing. For certain it would take a loooong time. In all honesty, Dawnstrider has the best chance to come the closest to curbstomping the big bad, if he doesn't mind killing Taylor in the process. Which is so not happening.


EDIT: No offense, but I'm going to call bull on the swimming thing. Even if their armor was pure mithril (which it's not), plate would be about the same as chain, which is still enough to sink you unless all of them are olympic swimmers, especially if it's crafted as an encasing shell. If it's actual chain (even more unlikely, since they'd have needed the heaviest they could wear to avoid getting shredded by Dawnstrider's on-par sword earlier), maybe.

[Tychris1]

Maybe I just go lost in the posting, but have you replied to me yet Luka? I've seen you post but haven't been able to finely locate anything, just wanting to know si I can decide whether or not I need to pull an all nighter.

[TheAmishPirate]

I really don't want to turn into the "stop having fun guys"...guy, but I would ask that you be mindful of power levels here. A few powerful PCs isn't so bad, but when we've got a pony whose big thing is "be sneaky and hit pressure points" vs. "can chuck houses around like they were nothing", it can make folks feel a tad superfluous and make challenge evaporate instantly. I haven't heard any complaints, and it hasn't really been a huge problem yet, but just be very careful with the temptation to set your PC's power too high.

[Luka]

Maybe I just go lost in the posting, but have you replied to me yet Luka? I've seen you post but haven't been able to finely locate anything, just wanting to know si I can decide whether or not I need to pull an all nighter.

Haven't yet, just figuring out what to post

@Kelvin It IS mithril-like, though I have no idea how heavy is that supposed to be but they can jump and do stuff with it, including wall jumping, especially Luka who got so used to it he's pretty much becaume immune to it's weight by using it almost always (though he would swim using his shield for impulse and he ain't that strong at other things), Red earth mare attacker's sword is pretty much strong enough to be launched from a ballista into a mountain and (given enough momentum) appear on the other side unscathed; if they could REALLY beat Starbeam I'm not sure, I'm not that good at making characters outsmart things but to know where to hit.

....How strong is Dawnstrider?

Also, maybe grif said that because of something else, maybe?

^ I may have to agree, I mean, Red Earth mare is strong but defeatable, and Doth's Asteroid skill is almost a very, very very last resort (and maybe a "super boss" if there is a siege), and Doth's.... Well, he's supossed to be that strong, what with being on of the dark force's big bads and having exactly spent that time for doing that, he's to be zerg rushed or out-something'd, otherwise the entire army wouldn't be a threat at all and all the help some characters seem to be finding around would easily curbstomp it on a direct fight

[Grif]

I really don't want to turn into the "stop having fun guys"...guy, but I would ask that you be mindful of power levels here. A few powerful PCs isn't so bad, but when we've got a pony whose big thing is "be sneaky and hit pressure points" vs. "can chuck houses around like they were nothing", it can make folks feel a tad superfluous and make challenge evaporate instantly. I haven't heard any complaints, and it hasn't really been a huge problem yet, but just be very careful with the temptation to set your PC's power too high.

I second this.

I been playing my PC's power level relatively low, because it's just more fun to work around limitations rather than just go and say "I cast Magic Missile. You all die." I much rather not have to raise them just to keep up.

[PurityIcekiller]

I'm all for keeping the high-power ones controlled. I've been feeling rather upset because my weaker characters are left unable to do anything. Night Jewel's frustrations with the metal come to mind - she was completely useless on her own, and even when she got assistance, her success didn't last for long.

Also, I would like to point out that sending your leader onto the front lines for hit-and-run attacks is a rather impractical strategy. If it were not for his forcible storyline-based invincibility, he would be dead by now, and given the most likely cruel ways he keeps his army under control, I highly doubt that a Roan of Arc martyrdom scenario would arise from his loss. In essence, he is gambling much to accomplish what little he can't achieve with a straight-out siege.

Blueshield, less talk, more reinforcing.

At this moment, my observations of how much my assistance would be appreciated remain inconclusive, but suggest "not much".

...Fine. We'll see if people think a bit more help could be good. Then you might show up.

[Kelvin360]

I really don't want to turn into the "stop having fun guys"...guy, but I would ask that you be mindful of power levels here. A few powerful PCs isn't so bad, but when we've got a pony whose big thing is "be sneaky and hit pressure points" vs. "can chuck houses around like they were nothing", it can make folks feel a tad superfluous and make challenge evaporate instantly. I haven't heard any complaints, and it hasn't really been a huge problem yet, but just be very careful with the temptation to set your PC's power too high.

Fortunately I thought of this before I even made Arvadraa. I design my spellcasters with a 'mana level'. Each spell uses x amount, and if they run out, they have to use health at double the cost. Needless to say, that second option is ludicrously dangerous, and also why Taylor is passing out all over the place. So while tossing houses is technically in the cards, it isn't nothing, and in fact a massive waste of magical firepower.

Well, except for Moonshine. There's a reason she won't be fighting for...a while...

@Kelvin It IS mithril-like, though I have no idea how heavy is that supposed to be but they can jump and do stuff with it, including wall jumping, especially Luka who got so used to it he's pretty much becaume immune to it's weight by using it almost always (though he would swim using his shield for impulse and he ain't that strong at other things), Red earth mare attacker's sword is pretty much strong enough to be launched from a ballista into a mountain and (given enough momentum) appear on the other side unscathed; if they could REALLY beat Starbeam I'm not sure, I'm not that good at making characters outsmart things but to know where to hit.

Acrobatics and agility aren't necessarily the same thing as jumping in a lake with the equivalent of bricks strapped to your body. But, given there are no lakes nearby at the moment, I do digress.

....How strong is Dawnstrider?

He used to be on par with Doth, but now he's maybe on par with a footsoldier, albiet one with a LOT of experience, in terms of raw power. Like Starbeam, most of his combat prowess is finesse. Also, he has that nuclear soulblade, remember? Though, like Doth's meteor swarm, it's a last resort. As in, 'if I don't do this the world will literally end' last resort. At least, so soon after having used it already.

Also, maybe grif said that because of something else, maybe?

Maybe not quite so embarassing as literally dropping a bridge on them...

^ I may have to agree, I mean, Red Earth mare is strong but defeatable, and Doth's Asteroid skill is almost a very, very very last resort (and maybe a "super boss" if there is a siege), and Doth's.... Well, he's supossed to be that strong, what with being on of the dark force's big bads and having exactly spent that time for doing that, he's to be zerg rushed or out-something'd, otherwise the entire army wouldn't be a threat at all and all the help some characters seem to be finding around would easily curbstomp it on a direct fight

In handy strategy form:

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Dawnstrider -
Strengths: Experience, skill, nuclear soulblade
Weaknesses: Is some degree of Lawful Stupid by class prerequisite, can't use the above nuke this war.

Starbeam -
Strengths: Versatile, intelligent, specialist in defense and transmutation
Weaknesses: Can't cast forever, relies entirely on contingency plans and subtlety in a straight-up fight

Taylor -
Strengths: Amazing healer, all of his offensive magic is the dark shimmerite's kryptonite, taught Starbeam how to think
Weaknesses: Isn't nearly as strong or quick as he used to be, is prone to using his energy very quickly

Daniel -
Strengths: Doesn't miss, can 'push' reality and control minds with music
Weaknesses: His primary weapon is 100% useless against the troops, their cohesion and fear of Doth may make them resistant to his music

Moonlight -
Strengths: Fights like a ghost, resistant to dark magic, faith makes him immune to mind control
Weaknesses: Again, he can't use magic forever, he's only marginally better at fighting than Taylor, all his offensive spells are useless against the armor

Arvadraa -
Strengths: Sharp weapons may bruise her but that's it, resistant to magic revolving around shadows and darkness and also controls it, can teleport-spam and command animals
Weaknesses: One solid blunt hit will put her down, she may suffer a breakdown thanks to Horne

Stellar -
Strengths: Pound for pound can match all the other magicians on this list combined, specialist with force and telekinesis
Weaknesses: Both of her specialties will be blocked or countered by the armor, tends to blow through her magic reserves VERY quickly

In summary to the above, while all of them can potentially hold their own for a long while if placed in their element, Dawnstrider is the only one with a true kill-hammer, and he can't use it. The rest of them are either limited by crippling weaknesses (Arvadraa, Daniel), magic use which will lead to incapacitation in long fights (Stellar, Starbeam) or simply not being as good at fighting as even the more elite town guards (Taylor, Moonlight).

It's going to come down to tactics on the Light Side, or power wins out.

EDIT in reponse to Purity:

Every little bit helps. Even unbeatable armies (which we are not) need stealth specialists and spies (hi there, professional and as-yet-uncaught rogue!), and Blueshield's combat experience and intellect would be invaluable. I also forgot to mention that I expect more than half of my characters to not actually be fighting on the front lines.

Also, Snowstorm. Totally forgot about her. Basically, she's fast and can make stuff cold. Nothing to write home about.

[Luka]

Actually, I put so many magical stuff against Night Jewel because if there wasn't she would alone wreck the army, what with mechanism control and ability to twists metallic things around the place, almost like causing massive, army scale friendly-fire, not to mention their siege weapons, which are still kept, but would be there for chaaracters like her

@Kelvin uh... that's not so bad then, I was just getting worried that the army wasn't strong enough because of how Dawnstrider stated their combat skill wasn't big, also on the army cohesion part

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It's not only fear, if you read the last part of Luka's biography, there would be hints of the army not being totally bad, most of the members there would be part of different things, like a very large ragtag bunch of misfits, like defected troopers (Doth would be an example), "rebels", bandits and such, but also a part of them would be there because they want to be able to be stronger than themselves, ever read the "hard work hardly works" trope "playing with" page? look at the "playing for drama" part, well, it could be somewhat similar to that, of course, finish Doth and a good part of them would keep on with the army thing, to get strong enough to not need the princesess and not fear the dangerous things around the place, of course, Doth's kind of a social darwinist about the whole ideal of becoming better.

[Kelvin360]

@Kelvin uh... that's not so bad then, I was just getting worried that the army wasn't strong enough because of how Dawnstrider stated their combat skill wasn't big, also on the army cohesion part

Well, even paladins aren't immune to trash talk.

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It's not only fear, if you read the last part of Luka's biography, there would be hints of the army not being totally bad, most of the members there would be part of different things, like a very large ragtag bunch of misfits, like defected troopers (Doth would be an example), "rebels", bandits and such, but also a part of them would be there because they want to be able to be stronger than themselves, ever read the "hard work hardly works" trope "playing with" page? look at the "playing for drama" part, well, it could be somewhat similar to that, of course, finish Doth and a good part of them would keep on with the army thing, to get strong enough to not need the princesess and not fear the dangerous things around the place, of course, Doth's kind of a social darwinist about the whole ideal of becoming better.

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Oh, man. If Dawn ever finds this out, he's out of the fight. Right now they're projecting a pure 'Reavers' feel, but an army that's at least partially composed of disgruntled (albiet violently) civilians is boss against a mostly good-aligned group of defenders. Heck, if 'John' wasn't in charge behind the scenes, this would almost have a possibility of ending peacefully.

I mean, Moonlight, Starbeam and Taylor can basically just walk up to Luna and ask for a diplomatic solution. It was done earlier for soldiers. DS in particular can empathize.

At the least, it adds an interesting feel past 'rawr' that I hadn't noticed before. Rock on!

[Tychris1]

Lol, money, who needs that anyway? Where we're going we don't need your fancy coins.... *Leaps into the Dreamscape*

[Grif]

Most of my characters are straightforward fighters.

The town guard crew, Lemongrass, Tyrol, Snowflake and Flameshield are all proficient in their chosen weapons and are better in fighting than your average mooks. Otherwise, no special powers.

Shell Shock has grenades. And explosives.

Icy Touch is probably one of my high powered characters. Specialises in ice and water magic, and nothing else. You wouldn't want to face her in her element.

Silverpine has shotguns. Uh. And is pretty good CQC brawler when it comes down to it. Just don't match him against vamponies.

[Luka]

All my characters are like that too

Luka's just a tank

Aisis' kind of a magic knight, not as squishy as some mages, but she combines greatsword with the magic stuff

Mile's a speedster

[PurityIcekiller]

Here's a little run-down of my characters' abilities. Flare relies almost entirely on power, but the others use skill more.

Blades
Strengths: High-quality mundane weapons; very skilled fighter, especially with projectiles; unpredictable, especially in enclosed environments.
Weaknesses: No magical ability; unusually vulnerable to spells; relatively low-tech weaponry (for now); prone to The Worf Effect
Summary: Deadly to normal ponies, but doesn't have a lot of ways to deal with sheer power.
Notes: Currently crippled after a magical attack.

Night Jewel
Strengths: Mobile and stealthy; manipulation of mechanisms; highly intelligent.
Weaknesses: Complete lack of offensive power.
Summary: Good at surviving and sabotage, but can't do a lot directly.

Blueshield
Strengths: Strong tactical knowledge; special arrows; flight.
Weaknesses: No actual magical ability; relies heavily on preparation; sharply limited ammunition.
Summary: The more time she has to set up, the more power she has.

Obsidian Flare
Strengths: Enough sheer magical power to move mountains.
Weaknesses: Possesses very little finesse.
Summary: No one to trifle with.

I'm working on compensation for Blades. Right now, it seems everypony and their dog can block her projectiles with ease.

[Kelvin360]

@^ If Blades doesn't mind fighting fire with fire, Stellar can just pump loads of magic into knives during production. In fact it's one of her pet projects, Wolfsbane being a semi-prototype.

[Luka]

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Oh, man. If Dawn ever finds this out, he's out of the fight. Right now they're projecting a pure 'Reavers' feel, but an army that's at least partially composed of disgruntled (albiet violently) civilians is boss against a mostly good-aligned group of defenders. Heck, if 'John' wasn't in charge behind the scenes, this would almost have a possibility of ending peacefully.

I mean, Moonlight, Starbeam and Taylor can basically just walk up to Luna and ask for a diplomatic solution. It was done earlier for soldiers. DS in particular can empathize.

At the least, it adds an interesting feel past 'rawr' that I hadn't noticed before. Rock on!

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Well... Is harder than that, they're disgruntled, yes, but they're looking for power because... Uh, power, not just "enough" power, but to go beyond the alicorn's strength even, also to be as safe as posible, so even if it could be solved via diplomacy then Luna wouldn't accept, since they're pretty much a revolt to take her from the height of power in some sort of way, more so when their sucess would mean an entire army of soldiers stronger than her, also the fact that their leader wants to control everything, defected from their army slaying a knight order in the process and... Well, John.
Though, if you somehow make the army stop fighting, some may just go mad and become dangerous madponies, others would try to return to their previous lives (if it even exists), others wouldn't believe it and still try to reach it to the very end, but most would just end up in a mass-scale BSOD at the fact of having so much strength for them yanked away when they possibly dropped everything for it, returning them into normal activity would possibly leave them very inneficient and possibly depressed because they would have been real idealists about the cause. Main problem is that Doth's strong enough to wipe them all out, and his view's kinda of a Social Darwinist that would think that Despotism, power and Lack of credit when he was a knight justifies the means.

Also, on the characters

Luka
Strengths: Very high defense, slight agility/speed and resistant to magic (reflects some too)
Weaknesses: very low offense, easy to BSOD
notes: curredntly BSOD'd

Aisis
Strengths: High Offense, Magic ability, can mix magic ability with her physical attacks
Weaknesses: Vulnerable to surprise attacks, lower-than-average defensive stability (against repeated attack).

Mile
Strengths: High Agility, High attack speed,
Weaknesses: Easy to trip, susceptible to pain, low combat skill

Doth
Strengths: Very high Magical power, high attack, army of minions, asteroid-attack
Weaknesses: lower-than-average defensive stability, slightly cubersome/bulky.

Maybe that would work?

[Benson]

*joins in on the 'fun'*


Fox Trot

Pros* Great Combat Agility and Dodging Skills, skilled hoof to hoof combatant, knowledgeable about pressure points and has the ability to paralyze opponents with a well placed strike on particular pressure points on the body.

Cons*Vulnerable to magic, is more of a glass cannon fella, strikes lose their strength if not a sneak attack

Gearstride

Pros*Improbable Aiming Skills when it comes to explosives, explosives journeymare, above average melee capability, access to powerful experimental weaponry.

Cons*No magical capability, average health, low defense

Ember

pros*Flight, adorkableness, adaptability, skilled in swordsmanship, has a super fillyfriend named Lochbed. ;P

Cons*Low defense, average health, low perception, average stamina

Gwynfillion

Pros*Virtually invulnerable to physical and magical damage, high pain threshold, now has limitless overpowered magical access and energy, has "friends" on the other side, former elder god weapon.

Cons*Soft Serve

[TheAmishPirate]

Okay, just to strategize a bit OOC, but is there any reason why we're telling boldface lies to all these vamponies? I was thinking we'd be telling them, "Your Master was a jerkwad, he was killing innocents and turning them into his slaves, and he kinda sent all of ya'll off to die. We did all we could to save your unlives while doing so, but combat is combat. Sorry."

Something to that effect.

Sandy would probably think this if he weren't in severe pain right now, but haven't they been (un-) living lies long enough? And won't they just get mad/upset when they find out?

[Grif]

Okay, just to strategize a bit OOC, but is there any reason why we're telling boldface lies to all these vamponies? I was thinking we'd be telling them, "Your Master was a jerkwad, he was killing innocents and turning them into his slaves, and he kinda sent all of ya'll off to die. We did all we could to save your unlives while doing so, but combat is combat. Sorry."

Something to that effect.

Sandy would probably think this if he weren't in severe pain right now, but haven't they been (un-) living lies long enough? And won't they just get mad/upset when they find out?

You'd notice Silverpine is more about not telling the entire truth, rather than outright lying.

[TheAmishPirate]

You'd notice Silverpine is more about not telling the entire truth, rather than outright lying.

Er, I think the forum ate your post again, unless you're talking about Silverpine in the previous round?

And either way, if Sandy were awake, there's a high probability the subtly would shoot straight over his head until he was given the appropriate winking and nudging.

[Grif]

Er, I think the forum ate your post again, unless you're talking about Silverpine in the previous round?

And either way, if Sandy were awake, there's a high probability the subtly would shoot straight over his head until he was given the appropriate winking and nudging.

Previous post. There's a reason why he started with such a lame speech.

[Mindfreak]

So...any suggestions on how to make a situation more scary?

[Kelvin360]

Okay, just to strategize a bit OOC, but is there any reason why we're telling boldface lies to all these vamponies? I was thinking we'd be telling them, "Your Master was a jerkwad, he was killing innocents and turning them into his slaves, and he kinda sent all of ya'll off to die. We did all we could to save your unlives while doing so, but combat is combat. Sorry."

Something to that effect.

Sandy would probably think this if he weren't in severe pain right now, but haven't they been (un-) living lies long enough? And won't they just get mad/upset when they find out?

Think about it. Which is more helpful? A boldfaced lie to get them all in line now, so we can tell them individually and safely later? Because I certainly don't plan on letting them believe it for long, that'd be dangerous.

Or telling them the truth and triggering a mass panic that could result in our deaths?


Also @^ - The problem with a text system like this is that usually horror loses a lot of impact when it's being read. Your best bet may be intensity or an injection of surreal. There's no reason that there can't be more than one, for example, or that they don't secrete...oh...hallucinogens. Keep in mind that most fear stems from xenophobia, too. If we don't know what's around the corner, we're much more likely to fear it.

[TheAmishPirate]

Think about it. Which is more helpful? A boldfaced lie to get them all in line now, so we can tell them individually and safely later? Because I certainly don't plan on letting them believe it for long, that'd be dangerous.

Or telling them the truth and triggering a mass panic that could result in our deaths?

Fair enough; the fact that it never occurred to me that that'd be a short-term lie shows how much I know about deception.