Dice [OOC] - To Stand Against the Crimson Tide

[Equusheart]

Equusheart Sherwood Psychie Tachyon still with us? I was going to wait until more of you replied to the main thread to reply to Red Shadow Claws, but I'll update for them today regardless.

Yeah, I'm here. I thought I was waiting for something. I'll read up the main thread and see how to make an intro post.

 

[Random Word]

But will there be a need to ride?

No, there's never a need to ride, any more than there's a need to archery or need to performance. Ride is a tool you can use to solve problems, and a way to express your character's unique talents. Nothing in the game will ever demand you play the lute really well right now. Playing the lute is just a thing your character can do with a certain amount of skill in this moment, and it's up to you if you want to do it.

If you're wondering what the distinction is between Ride and Direction Sense, it's the degree of specificity and the locus of control. It's a lot harder for you to control how relevant Direction Sense is to the story than Ride. It's similar to the difference between Survival and Direction Sense. Survival is just a lot more general, and can be applied in a lot more situations. Ride can be applied anywhere Athletics could be, as well as a few extra places, so long as you have a mount. Anywhere your mount can go, which might be many places your character can't on their own, you can use Ride. You can also use it as a pseudo-knowledge skill for mount related information, like identifying quality breeding or knowing how to care for your mount.

 

[Tachyon]

Definitely here! Was going to ask Equusheart where she wanted to take the scene (stay in hospital or fight in the streets). Then Nott can appear as someone who is likely to do that thing, or even be the one that encourages it.

 

[Equusheart]

No, there's never a need to ride, any more than there's a need to archery or need to performance. Ride is a tool you can use to solve problems, and a way to express your character's unique talents. Nothing in the game will ever demand you play the lute really well right now. Playing the lute is just a thing your character can do with a certain amount of skill in this moment, and it's up to you if you want to do it.

If you're wondering what the distinction is between Ride and Direction Sense, it's the degree of specificity and the locus of control. It's a lot harder for you to control how relevant Direction Sense is to the story than Ride. It's similar to the difference between Survival and Direction Sense. Survival is just a lot more general, and can be applied in a lot more situations. Ride can be applied anywhere Athletics could be, as well as a few extra places, so long as you have a mount. Anywhere your mount can go, which might be many places your character can't on their own, you can use Ride. You can also use it as a pseudo-knowledge skill for mount related information, like identifying quality breeding or knowing how to care for your mount.

Yeah, I get it. I'm just trying to decide if it makes sense to have it for the story. Maybe I'll simmer on it some more.

 

[Equusheart]

Definitely here! Was going to ask Equusheart where she wanted to take the scene (stay in hospital or fight in the streets). Then Nott can appear as someone who is likely to do that thing, or even be the one that encourages it.

I'll read up the main post.

 

[Sherwood]

Equusheart Sherwood Psychie Tachyon still with us? I was going to wait until more of you replied to the main thread to reply to Red Shadow Claws, but I'll update for them today regardless.

I'm still here. Just waiting for my low initiative number to come up.

 

[Random Word]

Yeah, I get it. I'm just trying to decide if it makes sense to have it for the story. Maybe I'll simmer on it some more.

I would say there are two main kinds of characters that enjoy investing into Ride, and they're not at all mutually exclusive. First there are people who do Mounted Combat. If you want to be a horseback archer, or a lance wielding cataphract, or elephant-riding mahout hurling spears, then Ride is great. It usually gives you lots of interesting tools for combat. Second there's the exotic pet tamer. If you want to ride a giant pteradactyl, a dragon, a kraken, and earth-burrowing giant mole, or your pet bengal tiger, Ride can be a great way to make your exotic mount more impactful. You can certainly put those together, and they are often put together. I had an Air Aspect general riding a lightning dragon wielding a lance that let her call down and fire lightning strikes at people below. I had a Wood Aspect archer who rode a Coatl (feathered aztec dragon) from deep in the Eastern jungle and wielded a bow and a spear. I thought about having a Solar who made a terrible beast from her own shadow and rode it into battle when it wasn't resting on her skin like an animate tattoo.

If you neither want to be a mounted combatant, nor have a cool exotic mount, Ride may not be for you! You could just want to be good at winning horse races in your spare time, though.

 

[Equusheart]

Hmmmm...

 

[Random Word]

I'm still here. Just waiting for my low initiative number to come up.

[The Blackscale is rolling to maintain Stealth. 11 dice, doubling 8s, re-rolling 6s. Garret and Sjet can roll Per + Awa to oppose, Garret with a -2 penalty from the mist. Only 4 hits! Not sneaky enough.]

Before your initiative, we're blocked on either you or Psychie opting in or out to contesting the Blackscale's Stealth attempt!

 

[Tachyon]

Hmmmm...

You could have a fearsome beast at your disposal!

 

[Equusheart]

Honestly the main reason I was looking at Ride was the animals, sense Sayuri has a theme of nature going.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

Honestly the main reason I was looking at Ride was the animals, sense Sayuri has a theme of nature going.

In that case, I'd suggest you invest some Merit dots in the Familiar background, and get a suitable mount. Remember, we're an island, so you can probably get more mileage out of a creature that can either fly or swim (especially if it can do so in addition to moving on land).

 

[Equusheart]

In that case, I'd suggest you invest some Merit dots in the Familiar background, and get a suitable mount. Remember, we're an island, so you can probably get more mileage out of a creature that can either fly or swim (especially if it can do so in addition to moving on land).

Hmmmm... tempting

 

[Equusheart]

I'm also a big animal person in real life soooo..... I'm fighting the urge to make Sayuri some weird cross between Magi Lun from Ferngulley and Radegast the Brown lmao.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

I'm also a big animal person in real life soooo..... I'm fighting the urge to make Sayuri some weird cross between Magi Lun from Ferngulley and Radegast the Brown lmao.

For most charmsets, there's a clear overlap between Ride and Survival Charms, when it come to a Familiar that's also a mount. And it can make one's Familiar a devastating opponent. I originally want to go that route for Droplets, but I've found some interesting War Charms that i wanted more, so I dropped Ride as a Favored Ability, and took War instead.

When she gets the basic Charms she needs, she'd be able to kill opponents with Flesh-Sloughing Wave, and then call on their ghosts to serve her with a Charm. Talk about turning your enemies against themselves...

 

[Sherwood]

Before your initiative, we're blocked on either you or Psychie opting in or out to contesting the Blackscale's Stealth attempt!

I doubt that my 8 die Perception + Awareness roll will spot her, but I can go ahead and roll.

 

[Red Shadow Claws]

I doubt that my 8 die Perception + Awareness roll will spot her, but I can go ahead and roll.

Stunt + Excellency, and you can get 18 dice... or 10 dice and 4 successes.

Remember, every Favored Ability for Solars gets a free Excellency.

 

[Psychie]

I'm here, too, but Garret doesn't have a chance of spotting the hidden Blackscale, so I wasn't going to bother rolling.

 

[Random Word]

I'm here, too, but Garret doesn't have a chance of spotting the hidden Blackscale, so I wasn't going to bother rolling.

She only rolled 4 hits! I was sure she was going to be caught . Alright, if you're sure you want to pass she'll take a swing at someone.

 

[Psychie]

She only rolled 4 hits! I was sure she was going to be caught . Alright, if you're sure you want to pass she'll take a swing at someone.

Well, fine. I'll try my pitiful 5 dice on this. Only 3 successes.

 

[Psychie]

I guess that Garret is just a bit distracted fighting the Aurouchs, and his ears are ringing from the thunderous impact of them slamming into each-other.

 

[Random Word]

Or an Exigent of the Volcano Goddess.

Oh, a Volcano Exigent! I hadn't thought of that. That could be cool, but it's a lot more work than a Fire Aspect. I'll have to think on what a Volcano Exigent's powers might look like.

OOC Garret has a Soak of 14 in this form.

That's good to know, but first we need you to declare your Defence! Once we know if she hits we worry about damage.

 

[Psychie]

That's good to know, but first we need you to declare your Defence! Once we know if she hits we worry about damage.

Hmmm. My base Parry is 6 before any of the penalties. I'll go ahead and try boosting my Parry DV with my Str by two, and I'll try a Stunt in the IC thread.

 

[Sherwood]

Ok, DV of 6 before penalties, +2 from my Str Excellency, and another +1 from his Stunt. Still not enough to stop her hit, but it does eat away at her successes. Soak is 14.

Can you add a Willpower point? That might be enough to resist the attack.

 

[Psychie]

Can you add a Willpower point? That might be enough to resist the attack.

Good idea. Random Word is it too late to do so? It would give me a total of 10 DV, minus the 4 from penalties, giving me a total of 6 Parry DV.