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Interesting line of thought for the Great Map Update (1). Overlay the position of Upper Exile and the Krizsan Province using Fort Emergence as the anchor point.
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Apr 27, 2016 19:13
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On the other hand, copying Erika's mark is an excellent way for a surface mage to divert suspicion, because of course Erika wants to gently caress the Empire and there's no way she can come topside to enforce copyright. Magewright?
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Apr 29, 2016 02:10
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But on the other hand, there is no real way for her to, you know, come to the surface to place the thing in the first place.
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Apr 29, 2016 02:50
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Zebrin posted:But on the other hand, there is no real way for her to, you know, come to the surface to place the thing in the first place. ...god dammit, of all the reasons why Erika didn't do this, why didn't I ever think of that one? 
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Apr 29, 2016 02:56
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It was in a cave though. She could have set it all up in the darkness.
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Apr 29, 2016 04:44
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Update 12 – Guhkbar's Pit, Delis and Pergies  “Well, I suspect that by the time we are done here, we're going to have worn a path through this valley all the way to the entrance.” “Won't that assume that people are following us?” “Why, when they can scry?” “You know, not everyone has access to military grade magics like that. Just because a disproportionate amount of exiles were magic users of some stripe does not mean that the same is true for the Surface.” “But they do exist, right?” “If they existed, then they would have been busy hunting down the Slimes and who knows what else.”  “I'm curious if we can get across the river.” “Why?” “Because I want to. Because I choose to.” “Because it's there.” “Exactly!” “This is the best place to try, but the runoff is too much. We can't cross here, not without flying.” “Don't worry. When I get my precious, we'll do that.” “Your what?” “My Orb!” “Well, you are very happy to speak of it, so I can see that you will eventually find your joy.” “Oh well, until then, let's head south to find the road. See where that takes us.”* * *  “This is not the road.” “No, but it appears to be a monster lair. Probably ignored in the problems surrounding the Slimes.”  “Curious. This almost appears to be a giant's lair.” “Cool!” “No, not cool.”   “Oh well, the gate is closed. Not like we could brute force it anyways.” “Well, if the Tower was any indication, all we need to do is mention that someone named Linda is on the other side and Art will rip the doors down through sheer rage.” “...” “Let's not.” “Hello? Is someone down here?”  “Hello?” “...” “...” “Well, come on then.” “Hey, we're rescuing innocent people! We're heroes!”  There are a lot of bats between here and where we need to go. About 10 or 12. I lost count. Also, nothing interesting as an enemy, we're well past them as a threat.    “That's enough flying things getting into my hair for now, I think.” “FEE FIE FOE THUMB!” “Really?” Oh crap. Also, here's our first two tile high enemy, after the two wide Spined Wurm and the square Alien Slime. So yeah, the Giant by himself isn't a problem. Someone with only one attack can't beat the party because of the safety catch at 0HP. What will be a problem is his armor and skill, which makes him nigh untouchable at our current level. “Let's find somewhere else to go.”  “Hello?” The woman lying back on this pile of filthy furs has pale green skin, silvery hair and impossibly elegant features. She must be one of those legendary creatures - the dryads. She looks pale and ill, however, and stares blankly at the ceiling. “Hello. I am Art.” She turns her head weakly to you. "I am Illyree," she croaks. "I have been taken from my forest. Soon, I will be beyond help." “Your faerie asked us to help you, so here we are.” “What's a forest?” "We dryads must be out in the woods to survive. If I stay in this pit long, I will die. I am doomed if you do not help me." “That's why we're here. To help.” "The giant Guhkbar keeps me here. I could slip away, but this door has a magic lock." “Who is Guhkbar? The giant?” Her eyes flash red. It's an eerie sight. "He is an ancient Giant, my long time enemy. He surprised me and carried me off. I would curse him mightily, if I could be helped from this cell." “What can you tell us about this magic lock?” "I saw some things when I was carried in. Guhkbar has a key in the box right next to his sleeping pad. It's in his lair, the cave that has a statue outside it. To get there, you would have to slip past Guhkbar." She has a coughing fit which wracks her delicate body. "I have some power left. I have a charm which could help you get the key." “Alright, we'll help. What sort of charm is this?” She makes a rough motion with her hand. She's just cast a spell on you. "There. If you don't go too near Guhkbar, you can slip by into his cave. Beware. He is crafty. Avoid diversions." She just cast the Stealth spell on us, though as you're about to see, it isn't all that useful. Also, she can't cast Stealth in the first place as it's Mage 5:  “Huh, he doesn't see us.” “Or hear us.” “And he keeps wolves.” “How atavistic.” And here's the problem with Stealth. It ceases to be effective if you get close to the enemy, and in this cave, there's very little room to maneuver. So, I find myself in a fight. Time to do the only logical thing. Stack on the buffs and de-buffs, and let Art's Poison go to town.   Please note that I was able to overcome the armor and skill difference with a single Blessing on the melee fighters and a single Holy Scourge from Delilah on the Giant. “Well, well, well. Time to see what's in the chests!”  “This is bull!” Yeah, the non-key holding chests will automatically draw the Giant's attention to you. “Still good.” “This one has the key?”  “Why is it that the one chest we needed to open wasn't trapped?” “Because it's funny?” “Then you can hold this!” “We're back!” “Eh, it's a good deed. I'm sure we'll do something to counter it at some point.” “You are very blase about all this.” “I stopped being surprised years ago. Now I tend to annoyance and acceptance.” “What? No bargaining or denial?” “Oooh! Look!” I'll get this stuff ID'd later. “At lease we can leave easier than we arrived.” “That reminds me – there was some drunk man in Delan who mentioned the Dryad up this way. Should we tell him it's free?” “Nah. He didn't know it was captured in the first place.” “Does this happen often in Unspecified Services?” “What does?” “This whole 'helping random people' thing between missions.” “Yep. Makes contacts, helps raise the Services public profile – another reason why the Army hates us, by the way – and encourages good behaviour in our staff. Because we've had some bad people in the past.” “Huh.”  “Delis first, as it's south, and we want to go north in the long run.” “Hear that?” “Hear what?”  “Oh, remnant slimes.” “Charge!” One completely one-sided battle later against a half-dozen slimes... “Glydden, huh? Alright. Good luck by the way. The source of the Slimes has been destroyed, so every victory is a defeat the slimes can't recover from.” “That makes sense. They've been drying up the past few days. We just got unlucky with this bunch. Thanks again!”  “Alright everyone, split up. Meet you all at the north entrance in a couple hours.” “How nice. Plants lining the walkway up. Hello?” “Uh....” As far as I can tell, there is no explanation for these bits of slime. They're always here, and no one ever makes a comment about them. Did a Slime sneak in and kill someone? It is just a really bad mould patch? What? “Hello.” “Shove off, ye' landlubber.” When I find a generic sailor that isn't 'blueshirt.png', I'm going to be surprised. “Don't mind him. He's grouchy.” “Hey there. Pardon me, I'm Bronwyn.” A priest with a large sword sits at the bar, drinking untoward amounts of grog. She turns as you approach and you readily see the booze hasn't affected her in the slightest. "I'm Glydden. I'm captain here." “Hey! That's convenient. My team and I encountered one of your patrols to the east, on the other side of the small mountain. We helped out your patrol there with some of the slimes.” You tell her how you helped her patrol out. "Well," she says, "I never thought I'd see the day one of my troops was saved by an Exile. If you're fighting the slimes with us, I have a bit of advice for you." “Yeah. About that. Officially, there are no Exiles in Krizsan or Valorim. But advice is always good.” "Now that the slimes are almost all dead, there's still plenty of monsters to fight. Head up to Shayder, on the island to the northwest. The cockroaches aren't much tougher than the slimes, I hear." The nice thing about having the text dump is that I can find before-and-after comments. In this case, Glydden has a different comment if you haven't killed the Alien Slime yet: "West of Krizsan on the south shore we've seen this tower, that has slimes working for the brigands." She nods. "That's right. Slimes actually enslaved to the Brigands. Someone should check that out ... might learn something interesting." But that never happened. “That's the plan. We're swinging west around the mountain range. Uh, what's the name of the port town that way?” “You're going the wrong way! Farport is north of Krizsan, just follow the roads up past the Inn of Blades and through the pass. You can take a ferry from there.” “...” “Anyway, enough about that. Anything else you want to talk about?” “What do you do around here?” "I'm the captain in Delis." She eyes you carefully. "Been here for five years since I served in the Exile campaign." “You don't dress like a normal captain "I sent out patrols here, and keep an eye on what happens in town. Plus, sometimes, I gotta'do priest stuff. I spent a lot of years as a holy soldier." “You mentioned being part of the attack on Exile? I wasn't involved in that. What was it like?” "It was a long, bloody business. I got nothin' against the Worms. It's nothing personal. But I'll gut any one of them who messes with my boys." She watches you carefully as she says this. No doubt she suspects you're Exiles, if she isn't sure already. “Except you've already helped them out, so if you were Exiles, I would be willing to give you a pass.” “Well, that's enough of your time. Thanks.” “Remember, unless you like camping, go back to Krizsan, then north!” “Moo?” Cows are different from Cave Cows. THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF COWS DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY'RE ABOVE OR BELOW GROUND!     “I sell food.” And I don't need to buy food ever again. In fact, let's have Art cast Manna 3 times, emptying her SP pool (which will regenerate while I canvas this town and the next). 42 food. I'm good.  “Claw? Perhaps one of those names earned by physical attributes. I wonder if it's an actual claw, or more like a hook?”  There is a nephil with all the markings and necklaces of a shaman sitting at the desk. It's writing with a quill pen, held awkwardly in its right hand. It's left hand is just a stump. It looks up at you with inscrutable feline eyes. "Hmrrr. I am called Claw." “Matthias. This is your inn?” It makes a low rumbling sound deep in its throat. "I run this flop. I was a sailor." “What is the difference between a flop and an inn?” "Hmrrrr. There are only rooms for sailors." It scrapes idly at the desktop with its claw. “What made you take up a sailor's life? I was under the impression that the Nephil and Nephar weren't that keen on water.” "I am not welcome with my people," It makes a brief, angry hissing noise as it says this. "I went to the sea, where a shark surprised me." He holds up his stump. "Now I run this flop and look after my fellows." His speech is unusually good for a nephil. Alright. I hate writing Slith and Nephil accents. I tried it back in Exile 2, and I resolved to not do it here in Exile 3. That's why Sass and Ni'aurrl speak without excess consonants.  “Hrm, I can off load some of our excess materials. Also, hi Merry! Merry says hi!” “Cute.” I also Identified things. The Shield I'm keeping for now – Shockstorm will set up a 'fat cross' field of Shock tiles, which deals generic 'Magic' damage. The 2 Encumbrance means I probably won't equip it, but will keep it for the uses. I think I gave it to Delilah. The Wave Blade would have found a home on Art for the next 2/3 of the game, except due to the overall narrative, she already has better weapons. The Spear is manifestly worse than the halberd he has. And now, while I'm writing this, I realize that I should have given the waveblade to Bronwyn to replace her short sword! Dammit! Oh well, there are better weapons coming. Eventually.  “Nothing out of the ordinary here.” “Hrm, what's this?” “Must be nothing, because there's a door on the other side.” Said door which is closed and cannot be opened or unlocked. Don't worry, we'll find out more about this later in the update.* * *  “... wrong direction.” “drat. Well, we know there's another town to the north, and we can't assume that around the north is nothing but emptiness. Alright. Slight change in long-term plans. Keep going around the end of this mountain range, go to the port town, travel to the island, investigate the cockroaches, and when we come back, we go down past this Inn of Blades back to the Fort.” “Sounds like a plan to me.” “I for one, will enjoy this trip.” One of the things I enjoy about Exile 3 that was in Exile 1 and missed in Exile 2 is the joy of discovery. In the very first game, you're exploring the caves for the first time, seeing new places and new people. In the second, you're not doing that any more. There is a 'known' quality to the world, even as the details change. Even the trips into the Vahnatai lands have a more goal-oriented paradigm than “It's out there. Go look!” Exile 3 returns to that. The only place that is from the previous games is the Tower, a single town. Every place else that we set foot on and in is new, and the opportunity to just wander from Point A to wherever is something of a joy. Too bad about that damned timer. “Welcome to Pergies. How much dust is in the air?”  “It's Fort Draco all over again!” “Where?” “One of Exile's major mining towns, the other being Dharmon. At least this place has more room to prevent the dust from building up as much.” “Alright, split up. The usual.” “Oh my, a broken lock. How sad.” “...” “Hrm, not much. I could have sworn he lived here now. Back room?”  “Hrm...” And here's the bad side to being a thief. I just turned the whole town hostile, and it will stay that way for quite some time. Better to just reload. “No. It's been years. He would have moved by now.”  “Where is this person?” I don't know either.  This girl might be about ten. So covered is she by grime and ore dust, however, that she could also be any age from four to sixteen. She looks at you with interest. "I'm Susie!" she says. “Hello Susie. I'm Bronwyn. What are you doing?” "I'm looking for slimes!" “Slimes? Well, I heard that the mother slime was killed a few days ago.” "They're big and nasty, and when I see one I yell so the guards can kill them!" “That's good. It's the guards job to do that sort of thing. Do you want to be a guard too?” "Yeah! Then I can be a big adventurer, and go to Exile!" “wut. EXILE?” "I hear there are weird pale people and big evil monsters down there, and I can fight them and get treasure!" “You think Exile has treasure?” “Yep! I'll kill all the monsters! And then I can be rich and famous!" “And just what will you do with your riches and fame?” "Then I can go to bed whenever I want!" She squats on the ground and picks at a scab on her knee reflexively, pondering this wondrous fate. “I hope she grows out of that. I really do.” “ooh! Hello! Hello!” “What are you?!” “I'm Sass!” The bar is being tended by a vigorous woman in a black leather jerkin. She has dirty blond hair and a tanned face. "I'm Ilsa. Care for a drink?" “Hey Isla!” “Ilsa.” “You own this place?” “Yes, I do. We have the standard inn fare. Beer is two gold, and a room is eight. Room's expensive, but very, very nice. And not much worry about slimes." “But we killed their leader!” She sighs. "They say the slimes are all dead, but there's still a few of them around. I try to keep my daughter indoors, but she won't have any of it!" Another before/after dialogue branch. She looks very worried. "There aren't many of them out here, thank heavens, but they're coming. Mark my words. Hope something's done about it soon. I'm worried for my daughter." “Daughter? That's.. female, right?” “Your kind must be very weird. Her name's Susie. She'll be around here somewhere, that little tomboy. I just hope if she sees a slime she has the sense to run instead of throwing rocks at it or trying to make it a pet or something." “So, can I have some beer? I'm a legal adult!” “Oh, really? Well, you're certainly big enough.” The beer is excellent, if a bit gritty from all the dust. By way of conversation, Ilsa says "Watch out for that weird priest." “An evil priest?” “No, not evil. Weird. He says his name's Paulo. He's in the first room. He says he teaches spells, but I think he's a bit creepy. Still, as long as he pays for his room and doesn't bug anybody, he's not so awful." “Better tell Art. She's like a non-weird Priest. And definitely a good person.”* * * “I can't believe this.”  A man with dark skin and an intense expression sits at the table, reading a prayer book. He seems strangely unconcerned that you just barged into his room. He wears ominous blood-red robes. Hey! A notice that we're PC's and have no sense of personal space or privacy! “Morning. My name is Art. I apologize for the intrusion, but the proprietress was concerned about you, and I wound up with the task of checking up on you.” “I am simply called Paulo. I am a humble priest, wandering the lands and spreading my teachings. For now, I have found this village a pleasant place to stay." “I wouldn't exactly call Pergies a village.” "Pergies is pleasant, and far from most of the monsters that afflict Valorim. I play to stay here for some time. Alas, not all in this area are entirely savory." “Not savoury? You'll find my response to be a little disbelieving given the situation.” "The Village of Delis, to the south, is a rather immoral place, for example. In fact, some people there, and I consider them only barely human, committed the theft of a package of my herbs." “I heard there was a Nephil there. Are you certain you want to use that choice of words?” “I know about Claw. But it is not him of whom I speak, so rest your anger, Mother's Daughter.” “Cute. Yes, I'm a follower of the Mother-Of-Us-All. But what can you tell me about this theft? I might be able to do something about it.” "Delis is the home to all manner of pirate scum! I know for a fact that one of them took a package of herbs from a ship coming from the north, and that it's hidden in a back room in the inn there. I'd reward well someone who brought that package to me. Just be careful ... those parasites protect their own." “I think I know the room you're talking about. One of my people stumbled into it by accident.” “So, we've established my religious orientation. What are your teachings, Paulo?” “I teach the divinely inspired philosophy of Divine Independence." “Divine Independence... Divine Independence... Not familiar to me, sorry. "We have been given by our creators the greatest gift of all: the ability to act as independent creatures. This has a much ignored accompanying responsibility, however: the responsibility to remain independent. Those who lose their independence are parasites. One should only take from others as part of a fair trade.” “The last philosophy I heard of that referred to people as parasites was a self-centered, egotistical mode of thought that started with the notion that the persons to whom the philosophy was directed were inherently infallible.” “I know the one of which you speak. Their leader attempted to found a city on those principles, but it was overcome by those who had a better understanding of people as a whole, and not a narrow sliver of humanity that the founder thought themselves a member of.” “But allow me to defend my position. Let's just say that the other churches are perfectly free to saddle themselves with the poor and crippled. We take only those who can help us, and who want the divine freedom to not help others." “I realize that my phrasing was poorly planned. We, as a church, recognize that the act of helping must be a mutual act, each involved party offering something to a trade that is both fair and whole. Charity is an act of helping that is not mutual, and thus is not of benefit to anyone, be it the giver or the receiver. The giver receives nothing in return and thus the act is a net loss. The receiver falls into the category of parasite for they fail to offer something – anything in return.” “But an act of helping does not need to be direct or immediately proportional to the reward. It is within the tenants of my faith that, for example, donation to an orphanage is acceptable for while there is no immediate help via reciprocity, the act has a multitude of consequences that are of help – removing children from potential criminal starts, providing education, and other acts and results that mean that the orphanage in turn helps the giver in the long run.” “I see your logic. But doesn't that mean that parties who do not share an equal notion of what is fair cannot help each other?” “The answer to that question is one posed to our initiates. I see that you would not take that test, so I feel no need to press for a response.” He thinks for a bit. "Fair trades take all forms. For example, I recently tried to obtain a package of herbs for my art. Parasites took my herbs from me, in a crude theft." “And now we're back to circular conversations.” “Not quite, merely two different means of reaching the same end goal. I mentioned I provide knowledge, correct? Well, perhaps a simple exchange now can prove the validity of future exchanges.” If I didn't have Manna, I would get Minor Manna now. Summon Spirit is, like most summons, useless. And Move Mountains is vital in the long term, so I grab that for Art.* * *   “Ugh. I will never go to Fort Draco if it's anything like this.”  “This, on the other hand?” “Hah. Hah.” I have to do this now...Merry count posted: I pick up more lockpicks for Bronwyn.* * *  “How did that stick get into the wall like that?”* * *  “I HATE THIS PLACE AND I NEED WATER TO CLEAN MYSELF!”* * *  “North, now?” “No, a quick trip back to Delis. There's something there I want to poke my nose into.” “At least I can get clean there. Come on, I'll lead the way.”
berryjon fucked around with this message at 04:37 on May 2, 2016 |
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Apr 30, 2016 23:04
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I thought the reason Exile had so many mages wasn't that they were disproportionately exiled, but rather that what magical lore did end up down there was thrown open to be taught to anyone who wanted whereas the Empire places strict legal restrictions.
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Apr 30, 2016 23:48
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The Lone Badger posted:I thought the reason Exile had so many mages wasn't that they were disproportionately exiled, but rather that what magical lore did end up down there was thrown open to be taught to anyone who wanted whereas the Empire places strict legal restrictions. It's actually kind of both. 1.) Mages, by their very nature, tend to be arrogant, feared or just generally odd. So they do tend to get Exiled at a greater rate than the regular population since "not fitting in" is a crime. 2.) A decent number of Mages did intentionally try to get sent down to Exile, for the freedom to study whatever they wanted, research however they wanted and teach for money if they choose. As a related comment, while you might THINK that being a Mage with highly valuable skills would be a good incentive for the Empire to keep you around, it doesn't seem like that's the case. berryjon: Paulo's intro has "strangely" written twice. And you should keep counting the Merry's - I don't know the exact number but I'm pretty sure it's on the order of like 30. MagusofStars fucked around with this message at 01:47 on May 1, 2016 |
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May 1, 2016 01:40
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MagusofStars posted:berryjon: Paulo's intro has "strangely" written twice. And you should keep counting the Merry's - I don't know the exact number but I'm pretty sure it's on the order of like 30. I have to do this now...Merry Count posted:
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May 1, 2016 02:04
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Also when you talk to the dryad, there's a broken italics tag in there so the whole conversation is rendered in it as well.
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May 1, 2016 02:08
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Merry is by far the most important of the generic shopkeepers, since he/she provides identification and buys loot. So it's a good thing Merry is so common. The other generics IIRC are Provisioner, Armorsmith, Weaponsmith, Fletcher, and Tailor...food is kind of important but there tends to be plenty available unless you do a lot of resting, arrows are only important if you're running an archer (not generally advisable), and as for the others, you generally find your gear in this game, rather than buy it.
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May 1, 2016 03:00
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Using Manna for food is more effecient, but I don't think I ever did because there's a little farm outside of Kirzan that gives you food for a super good price. I always just dumped all my gold into it at the start and got 500 food or something stupid and didn't have to worry about it again for most of the game.
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May 1, 2016 03:12
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GodFish posted:Using Manna for food is more effecient, but I don't think I ever did because there's a little farm outside of Kirzan that gives you food for a super good price. I always just dumped all my gold into it at the start and got 500 food or something stupid and didn't have to worry about it again for most of the game. An excellent point. However, I'm used to abusing Manna from E2, so I'm doing it again here! Besides, it's not like there's any large series of waterfalls that can strip away most of your food stocks when you're a long way from resupply, right?  EponymousMrYar posted:Also when you talk to the dryad, there's a broken italics tag in there so the whole conversation is rendered in it as well. Actually, the break happened earlier in the narrator's comments, but it's all fixed now.
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May 1, 2016 03:20
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I like how restrained the use of multi-sprite monsters has been so far. But I suppose it's going to be super-common near the end of the game since that usually involves giants, right?
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May 2, 2016 00:56
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That would be telling.  But multi-tile monsters will still usually be pretty rare.
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May 2, 2016 01:08
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I have 18 monsters that are multi-tiled in my files. Out of 148 files in the "NPCs and Monsters" folder.
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May 2, 2016 01:37
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Glazius posted:I like how restrained the use of multi-sprite monsters has been so far. But I suppose it's going to be super-common near the end of the game since that usually involves giants, right? FWIW, whether a monster is only one tile or multiple tiles isn't completely correlated to strength - A multiple tile monster is usually pretty strong, but some of the nastiest monsters in the game are single sprite.
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May 2, 2016 02:15
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MagusofStars posted:FWIW, whether a monster is only one tile or multiple tiles isn't completely correlated to strength - A multiple tile monster is usually pretty strong, but some of the nastiest monsters in the game are single sprite. Like Art.
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May 2, 2016 02:24
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I could only come up with 17 in my head so I looked up the sprite sheets and I'd invented one, forgotten about two and I'm pretty sure I've never seen the last one. It'll be interesting to see where it shows up.
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May 2, 2016 02:40
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The Lone Badger posted:Like Art. That was way funnier than it should have been.
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May 2, 2016 02:45
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The only thing that separates man from monster is that man thinks it needs a reason to be a monster. Silly man, deep down, everyone is a monster. Which is worse? The monster pretending to not be one, or the monster that just acts true to itself? That is what Disgaea taught me at least.
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May 2, 2016 03:00
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Yeah, I was checking the sprite files/monster types, and out of the 18 sprite sheets for multi-tile monsters, 5 or 6 of them are nothing special. But the other 12-13 range from "reasonably difficult" to "you will panic if you see one". Even more interesting, there are only 3 monster types that are 2x2 squares in the game, including the Alien Slime. And the Alien Slime is easily the least threatening of the three. (I don't think that requires spoilers - it's an early-game boss).
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May 2, 2016 03:05
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Berryjon, I loved the dialog and general team interactions. I laughed, and laughed harder at “I HATE THIS PLACE AND I NEED WATER TO CLEAN MYSELF!” I was in Ashland, OR, when multiple major forest fires were raging, ash was hanging in the air, and I was somewhere between discovering allergies and flipping out - and this was almost exactly what I was thinking, including all caps. (There might have been more swearing and lashing out at family, to my chagrin.) Signs someone is Not Okay: quote:“Don't worry. When I get my precious, we'll do that.” And I thought this exchange was hilarious: quote:“Well, if the Tower was any indication, all we need to do is mention that someone named Linda is on the other side and Art will rip the doors down through sheer rage.” A typo, if you want to correct: quote:“Huh, he doesn't see us.” Should be "Or hear us." Thank you - I am hugely enjoying this, and I love this team.
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May 2, 2016 04:23
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Kacie posted:Berryjon, I loved the dialog and general team interactions. A Narrative LP lives or dies on the interactions of the PCs. I'm glad you're enjoying this. quote:A typo, if you want to correct: Fix'd
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May 2, 2016 04:48
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EponymousMrYar posted:The only thing that separates man from monster is that man thinks it needs a reason to be a monster. See, I come at it from the other direction. "What is better - to be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" -Paarthurnax So honestly, I think the act of being a monster is worst, regardless of reasoning.
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May 2, 2016 07:21
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Zebrin posted:So honestly, I think the act of being a monster is worst, regardless of reasoning. I will be quite curious as to how you apply this to person responsible for the Plagues.
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May 2, 2016 07:25
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Update 013 – The Isolated Hut and Farport I just want to say ahead of time that this particular update will be relatively short. I misread the pacing and didn't want to wander off course too far. “So, we have places to go, people to meet.” “Yay! More people!” “Except the course charted for us is mostly wilderness, so there probably won't be anyone to meet.” I for one intend to enjoy the feeling of walking through a large forest, as it indicated on the map we have.” “Eh, I'm not. Too many leaves.” “At least you'll be away from the dust.” “So, which way first?” “South. To deal with that package that Paulo wanted us to recover.” “Hey! I know the place! I can sneak us in!” “Wait. You're being subtle? You're seven feet tall, and the only Slith in Valorim! How can you be subtle?” “By being so unusual people don't know how to react, so they default to politeness.” “I have to agree with Delilah there.” “And I.” I use the Location spell for giggles. Apparently it counts from the upper-left in terms of tiles, rather than a Cartesean lower left. “Here! Here!” “Huh. Anyone recognize this stuff?” “No.” “You know, when I was told it was herbs, I was worried it might have been Skribbane.” “What is that?” “Something we shouldn't be dealing with.” “Now you have my curiosity!” “Perhaps we should be leaving?” Can't go back. Have to go forward. “Huh. I think everyone is angry with us.” The town has gone hostile, which means that every last NPC in Delis is now a bloodthirsty berserker out to kill or be killed. This won't change until we reset the town – probably after the Isle of Bigail.  “There they are! Get them!” “And we're leaving. RUN AWAY!”* * *  “I hope Paulo appreciates what we're done.” “Here you go. I wouldn't recommend going back to Delis for ... a long time.” Summon Spirit is still useless enough that I didn't buy it in the first place. Charm Foe, on the other hand, has some tactical use if I want to make a mess of things. For the enemy, that is. “Now we can head North.” “I wanna see what caves are like on the Surface!” “Awwwwwww.....” “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have other chances later.” “Lots of mining on this side of the mountain range. I wonder what they're extracting? Tin? Iron? Precious metals or gems?” “Couldn't you tell back in Pergies?” “I... wasn't really paying attention.”  (stock image provided by “Affect the World” on deviantArt.)  “Huh.” “Everyone, be careful. You don't want to get stuck.” “I know how to swim through swamps.” “But not the rest of us.”   “I was wondering where the promised forest on that map went.” “Except it's more like a grove than a proper forest.”  “Hello?” “No. We do not.” I know where the item she wants is, and I'll get it later. But this event won't even trigger until you've rescued the Dryad from the Giant. So yeah, totally a two-stage quest to get the reward. Whatever that is.* * *  “I sense this place is a nexus of magical power.” “It's also buried under a lot of rock.” “Found the front door!” “That's awfully polite.” “Hello?” You meet a tall, heavily built mage with a pot belly. His hair is unkempt ... he clearly wasn't expecting visitors. “Oh! Hello! I am Ernest. Welcome to my humble abode." “Art, Sass, Bronwyn, Matthias, Delilah and Ni'aurrl. Pleasure.” “I know! It is a pleasure to meet Exiles at last. Welcome to my home." “Does anyone not know that we're from Exile?” He holds his hands open as a peaceful gesture. "Well, the paleness of your skin immediately marks you as an Exile. Don't worry about it. You aren't likely to meet much hostility. Around Krizsan, anyway." “So we've seen. Krizsan is probably the best place we could have arrived in.” “Naturally. People are really worrying about the Slimes, and they don't believe your lot is powerful enough to create them. So you're safe around here. The other provinces are a different story." “Well, we've actually dealt with that. The Slimes are dying off now. But what about the other provinces? We've heard they are under attack by the plagues as well.” “I can't tell you much about those. What I can say is that up north they think the plagues were caused by Exiles. Be careful if you go up there." “What is with this home of yours? There are some familiar energies running through it.” "This little warren out in the boonies is where I do my teleportation research. No slimes come here so it's perfect."  Teleportation? Portals? Ritual nodal zero-point motions? Tell me MORE!” He smiles wryly. "Seems like everyone's doing teleportation research these days, doesn't it? Well, my devices actually work. I'll even let you test them for a cost." “You'll let me? I mean.. uh... us? We can test them for you?” "I've made teleporters that go to the five biggest cities in Valorim. A week's travel, done in an instant. Generally somewhat safe. And only 250 gold for a chance to try one of them." He chuckles. "Quite a bargain, eh? Let me know if you want to purchase a ticket." Behold, the single most vital location in the game. We're just on the other side of the mountains from Fort Emergence, and can quickly go east to circle through a pass to get here. See how close they are? Well, when the late game kicks into high gear, we're going to use this place a lot, plus prodigious use of the Word of Recall spell to get back to Fort Emergence to cut down on travel times. And he's not joking when he says that some of the more distant places will take a week to get to. “YESSSSS!”  “His notes!” “Ooh! Dimensional shearing! Phase-overlays!”  “Delilah, I'll take the right. You take the left.” “On it!” “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” “Huh. Leyline nexus, right here.” “Let me see!” “Art? Sass? Can we get some help here?” “So many!” “Hold on.” “What?” “Five cities, right? We know that Krizsan and Shayder are the capitals of the Krizsan Provice and the Isle of Bigail respectively, right?” “Correct.” “Except ... there are six provinces in Valorim. Where's the sixth?” “... Maybe it doesn't have a formal capital yet?” “No. There are also six plagues. Something's gone terribly, terribly wrong here.” “HELP!” “I'm coming!” “NO! My teleporters!”* * *  “Let's keep going.” “Why don't we take the teleporter?” “Easy. Going this way gives us knowledge of the route back. We can use the teleporter later.” “Makes sense.” “How far are we going to have to carry Ni'aurrl?” “Let me GO!” “This is far enough.” “Is that the Island over there?” “No, it's nowhere near big enough.” “Oh.”   “Hey, there are people on that bridge!” “The port should be just north of us now.” “This looks like a small place. Bronwyn, you take the lead for now.” “What? Why?” “Because you can.” “Uh... alright?” “Hello?” “Wow. First room and there's a Large Cockroach here!” This roach has already taken 19 points of damage, so default health is 30. It also can disease with its melee. Which is annoying. Other than that, we're already overpowered for it. “Alright then. I'm going to tell everyone that we can spread out and talk to people. I will meet you all by the docks in an hour.” “Ah, good morning.” There is a woman with robes of a mage and a growing collection of wrinkles sitting at the desk. She was writing when you came in, but stopped in order to speak with you. “I am Matthias.” "Nell. Welcome, Exiles." “Ah, yes. We are totally not from Exile. At all. That would be a silly supposition.” "I understand something of being an Exile. I am a native of the Isle of Bigail. If you want to go there, you can get a boat at the north end of town. Unfortunately, I had to leave, because I kept being harassed by the Anama." “Oh? What do you do?” "Now I do a bit of identification, and am also a scribe." “I have heard some things about this Anama, but not a lot. Is there anything you can educate me on about them?” "The Anama control the Isle of Bigail, my long-time home. They make life difficult for any mages there. I can understand their prejudice about magic in this day and age, but you can't blame me for not wanting to be subjected to it." She is unwilling to speak of it further. I will talk about the Anama a bit later when we get to Shayder. “And you perform scribing services?” "I write books. One of mine is on that pedestal over there." She points to the southwest corner of the room. "It's a little treatise I threw together." She indicates a scroll on the table in front of her. "Now, to make money, I do scrolls. Interested in a purchase?" Huh. Very patriotic without being blatant propoganda. And if you're running a no-mage party for whatever reason, you can pick up scrolls of Fireball here to deal with the Slime Pits. “Oh! You mean this book!” “I see. Studying one piece to develop a counterpoint. And Blackcrag?” “The Empire Fortress controlling the northern access to Valorim.” “... stupid leadership on the spot ...”  “Hey.” A tired looking woman greets you with a cup of tea. "I am Orselena. Welcome to my homey, rustic little home." “Oh? A B&B here? You must get a lot of business.” She tries to smile warmly, but it just doesn't work out. "I run a little bed and breakfast here. There's a nice, cozy room available next door for only five gold. It's what I do while my hubby is away." “Your 'hubby'? Is he a sailor?” Her eyes get a far away look, and worry wrinkles appear on her forehead. "He's a soldier. He's off fighting." “I'm sorry to hear that. Being a soldier isn't the easiest task.” “He's off fighting the slimes." She looks very sad. “The Slimes? Well, if he's a reservist, then things should be going better for him now. Their source has been destroyed!” "His duty is almost a year more. He's not a young man, and it's terribly dangerous. But I hope, and pray. I'm sure he'll return. I'm sure of it!" An uncomfortable silence follows. If you wait for a full year, and talk to her again, she makes the same comments. He may actually be dead.... “Hello! It's nice to see a fellow Nephil.” A muscled, efficiently built Nephil stands at the anvil, carefully working an axe head. You cannot help but admire the skill and patience he's putting into working the metal. He turns to you. "I am Mrrhrr." “So, what do you do here? I see a forge, but not much else.” "Mrr. I do little now. The shortages are great. I cannot travel far. So I stay here and make improvements. Also, since things are rare, if you want you can do selling." “Shortages? But there's mines not three days travel south-west of here!” He shakes his head, and his tail twitches nervously. "Little shipping happens now, with all the monsters everywhere. I cannot get fresh metal to forge weapons. Thus, I spend my time doing improvements on things." “And you do not travel?” He shakes his head. "Today and for years, much hatred is in the Empire for my kind. It better here, but if I go far, humans be very dark. I prefer not to speak of it." “So, what sort of improvements can you do?” “Let me get someone.” To make up for messing with her weapons earlier, I decide to give Bronwyn the first Upgrade in the game. Much like Boutell in Exile 2, Mrrhrr gives a +1 bonus to the chosen weapon.   “I got here first, so I might as well get the tickets.” A smelly man stands near the docks. He holds several rolls of grimy tickets in his hands. "My name's Vok, and I ain't after small talk." “Hello. So, tickets?” "I got tickets for Port Townsend and Sharimik. Boat ride. 10 Gold each. And if you want to purchase one. And don't bug me otherwise. Like I said, I ain't got time for small talk." He really doesn't. “Very well. Six tickets to Townsend, please.” “Everyone here?” “YES!” “Oh, this is gonna suck.”  “We're almost there.” “LAND!” “And welcome to the Isle of Bigail.”
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May 4, 2016 21:56
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You can actually walk across the water to this island (or a different one right nearby? can't really tell from your pic if it's the same one) to snag an interesting unique item. Also, the teleporter service is huge for saving time. It was so useful that a refined version became a staple in the second Avernum trilogy (4 to 6).
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May 4, 2016 22:56
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MagusofStars posted:You can actually walk across the water to this island (or a different one right nearby? can't really tell from your pic if it's the same one) to snag an interesting unique item. I tried to here, but it didn't connect. I don't think you *can* walk to any of the islands on the North and West side of Krizsan province, though there are a few places were you can elsewhere.
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May 4, 2016 23:24
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I think that Ernest will actually tell you about the sixth city if you ask him about it. At least, he does in Avernum III.
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May 5, 2016 00:12
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I believe once you get Art's precious you can fly to that island to get a repeating event. a full party inventory of iron bars, I think
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May 5, 2016 00:23
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Charm Foe has one amusing use in this game beyond its obvious application: there's at least one NPC in a town that uses the Evil Priest sprite. Evil Priests are normally hostile. Jeff Vogel forgot to make this one non-hostile. So you'll be exploring an otherwise-friendly town, open up the door to the scribe's shop, and a priest will start throwing Wound and Summon Spirit spells at you. But if you charm him, you can talk to him anyway! I think he sells identification services.
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May 5, 2016 01:13
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berryjon posted:I tried to here, but it didn't connect. I don't think you *can* walk to any of the islands on the North and West side of Krizsan province, though there are a few places were you can elsewhere. Yeah, I wasn't able to get to those islands until much later. When the party get's Art's Precious. Also, Ernest's Hut and his teleporters are amazing for fast travel. At least until you get horses - then you have to decide if you like horses or teleportation better. GodFish posted:I believe once you get Art's precious you can fly to that island to get a repeating event. I just discovered what it was yesterday. You're mostly right, but there will also be some Silver bars in there, and I think there's a small chance of a platinum bar, but I didn't get one. TooMuchAbstraction posted:Charm Foe has one amusing use in this game beyond its obvious application: there's at least one NPC in a town that uses the Evil Priest sprite. Evil Priests are normally hostile. Jeff Vogel forgot to make this one non-hostile... This is also true, and it's actually annoying - said priest is one of only two characters in the southeast who can identify (unless I miscounted), and if you kill him, he doesn't come back. Although that should be obvious. LuffyVeggies fucked around with this message at 01:21 on May 5, 2016 |
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May 5, 2016 01:18
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LuffyVeggies posted:Yeah, I wasn't able to get to those islands until much later. You can also take a boat there, if you're willing to take the long way around. (spoilers, you can get a boat on the Surface)
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May 5, 2016 01:24
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:Charm Foe has one amusing use in this game beyond its obvious application: there's at least one NPC in a town that uses the Evil Priest sprite. Evil Priests are normally hostile. Jeff Vogel forgot to make this one non-hostile. So you'll be exploring an otherwise-friendly town, open up the door to the scribe's shop, and a priest will start throwing Wound and Summon Spirit spells at you. ...I always thought that guy was just... an evil priest that was there for some quest I'd never found. drat.
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May 5, 2016 01:26
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Oh, interesting. I wonder how many people find that teleportation hut late in the game and kick themselves thinking about all the time they've lost.
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May 5, 2016 01:50
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berryjon posted:You can also take a boat there, if you're willing to take the long way around. (spoilers, you can get a boat on the Surface) WHAT?! Really?! Oh man, when you find where to do that in-LP, I would fall deeper in love with... something. I'm not sure what. This game? You? Vogel? One of those.
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May 5, 2016 01:56
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berryjon posted:You can also take a boat there, if you're willing to take the long way around. (spoilers, you can get a boat on the Surface) Wait wut. 
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May 5, 2016 01:59
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berryjon posted:You can also take a boat there, if you're willing to take the long way around. (spoilers, you can get a boat on the Surface) Whawhoawhatthehell WHAT? You can, seriously? I uhh... need more information on this,
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May 5, 2016 02:07
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FreakyM posted:Whawhoawhatthehell WHAT? You can, seriously? I uhh... need more information on this, LuffyVeggies posted:WHAT?! Really?! Oh man, when you find where to do that in-LP, I would fall deeper in love with... something. I'm not sure what. This game? You? Vogel? One of those. TooMuchAbstraction posted:Wait wut. According to the notes I have, the boat is available in the town of Gale. I remember having it, and being told that you 'Can't row out to sea" when you try to go too far in the wrong direction. It's supposed to allow you access to the island that contains Execa through the Tower of Zkal as part of a quest for an optional end-game item.
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May 5, 2016 02:25
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