EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Kaleeth clutched her weapon and shield close to herself. She was one of the few among this group which was actually well-armed, but she seemed to be even more frightened than most. She was worried about what would happen if these hunters broke through the defenses and forced them to run, and guilty about what that would mean. She didn't like that she was here hiding while Ahnasha was at the entrance risking her life for them. She wanted to help, but she knew that she would just end up getting herself hurt or killed, wouldn't she?

"I don't either. I don't want to hide here while the others are dying, but...what can I do? I can't fight, not well. Janius says I'm getting better, but...I haven't been fighting that long. All I can do is transform and let my beast spirit do it, but it isn't careful at all. I was hurt so, so badly last time I fought, but...I don't know, what should I do?" Kaleeth asked, almost begging for an answer.

As Ahnasha made her way to the entrance, she started noticing how agitated she was starting to feel. She had transformed simply to get here, but the longer she stayed in this form, the more restless her beast spirit became. It wanted blood, and she was yet to deliver on that need. That would not be an issue when and if these hunters arrived, but until then, it was becoming harder to think clearly.

Ahnasha approached Vera and Darahil, doing her best to retain her concentration. At least if she was thinking about violence, her beast spirit would have something to look forward to. The defenses they had were...adequate, but that wasn't completely encouraging. They would be rather reliant on their fortifications to give them an advantage, so they needed to make sure they did not fail. She looked towards the cave beyond their fortifications, reflexively letting out a low growl as she thought about the hunters running in through it. Vera and Darahil seemed capable of preparing their defense, but there was still time, so she could still find some way to help. She knew she should spend no time idle until they arrived. She had to try to do something, to think about the problem like Meesei would.

"The...cave, leading up to the fortifications. It is pretty narrow. They won't be able to overwhelm us with numbers, since only a few can fit through at a time. But...they know that. This entrance...it is the only one, right? Remember, anything Galsek could know about our defenses, he told them. We have to plan for that. Is there any kind of weakness you can think of, something that would make defending harder? Because they will exploit it." Ahnasha asked.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Ah, right, forgot about that. It has been a while. I'll make sure to edit.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

You don't need much to kill someone if you've got something Physical (And easily obtainable) to do the actual killing blow... Like, say, a dagger. Any moron can stab someone. Anyone can move aside and avoid something with a little luck. The big problem is that if you don't have a ward there is literally nothing you can do, no last hope. You lose.

@Freeshooter92

Fallen just described a few counters without wards, actually.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

IF. YOU. HAVE IT. If you don't, you're fucked. and it's more reasonable to assume one doesn't if in doubt. And if they don't? There is literally nothing one can do. Even if you don't have armor you can still try to avoid sword slashes, you aren't completely out of options if you don't have the one, ONLY defense like in Psychomancy.

@Freeshooter92

If you're not an agile individual, then in a practical sense, you're not going to be dodging a mage's magic. In order to counter any magic, you have to have the skills to do so. Being mages in the college, I would say that it is reasonable that most students would want to pick up wards.

Also consider that to really manipulate someone's mind, you have to be pretty high level. A successful psychomantic attack will not kill like with other bloods.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

<Snipped quote by EliteCommander>

That isn't fair either. 'All or nothing' defense is not fun in any way to deal with. A more accessible but more easily broken defense would easily make up all of this nonsense. Any asshole with legs can avoid something with some luck, but if you don't have a ward, you're fucked. And if it's so easy to get a waard, then everyone at the college will get one and Enemy Psychomancy will be entirely useless. The ward system as a counter is just... bad.

@Freeshooter92

I respectfully disagree. It makes for a solid defense against a potentially potent form of magic. A "willpower" system is much more hazy, and I honestly would not like it. Honestly, I'm surprised more people don't have wards. The whole challenge of fighting a psychomancer is managing to kill them before they can break through your wards.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

He can move is what he can do. Pyromancy doesn't automatically hit. You could say that master Pyromancer can hit everything, which is true. A master Psychomancer wouldn't have trouble dealing with that guy either. Psychomancy gives you a hell of alot at low levels over everyone else.

@Freeshooter92

You say that he can move, which is technically true, but how often is someone really going to be able to dodge an experienced mage? After years of experience, it's not like a mage is going to be incapable of aiming. A pyromancer could shoot an exploding fireball at their feet, an herbamancer can change the direction of vines on the fly, an electromancer has really fast moving projectiles, an aeromancer can just use the air around them. Dodging is a possibility, but there are a lot of abilities which really aren't that hard to aim.

You point out that psychomancy is a guaranteed hit, which is fair, but you also need to consider that a ward is a guaranteed defense For as long as you can maintain the ward, it will work against major psychomantic attacks. A ward can be broken, but as long as it is up, it has a 100% success rate. Trying to dodge a lightning bolt isn't anywhere near as certain.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I disagree with you entirely. It seems like you are way overestimating the abilities of psychomancers. There is no other Blood with the same kinds of counters. Just because you don't like wards, that doesn't mean they aren't an appropriate counter. Anyone can learn them, it won't detract much from your character's own magical learning, and they can block any major attacks. Because of wards, psychomancy is comparatively the weakest form of magic against nonmages. Think about it, what can the average guy do against an experienced pyromancer? Saying they don't just happen to have some counter pyromancy runes, there is nothing really they can do. In this world, mages that are experienced tend to dominate non-mages, that's just how it is. The same isn't true for psychomancers, as even non-mages can pick up wards. If you just keep piling on defenses, it will make the blood useless.

Edit: To clarify, I don't think you intend to bring down psychomancy to such a degree, but I don't think you are considering all of the factors that go into its balancing compared to other bloods. I think you may also be underestimating the comparative effectiveness of other bloods.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"I don't know, Meesei sent me to follow another. It's how I found the hunters. The other I was with went to warn the warband." Ahnasha explained quickly. As they reached the main chamber, it was obvious that word of the potential attack had already spread through the clan. Groups of people were heading in all directions; some deeper into the ruin, and others towards the entrance. The majority of them were not quite in a panic, but there was obviously fear in some of their eyes. They did have a defensible position, but the fact that they had never been attacked in such away meant that they really did not know what was going to happen. They still had their fortifications, and a defensive force, but it was worrying that so many of the clan's warriors were away. Ahnasha just hoped that Turala was able to warn Meesei and the others in time. If they could defend until they arrived, then they could counterattack and hit the hunters from both sides.

Kaleeth had picked up her mace and shield, and had quickly donned her armor before leaving the room. She was holding them somewhat nervously as she followed the other two. They had kept Leaps locked in the room, as that was likely where he would be safest. "Where do you think they will want me to go? Should I get another weapon?" She asked.

Ahnasha shook her head. "You should just stay with Sabine, Kaleeth. Just try to help protect Rhazii."

"O-okay." Kaleeth answered, lowering her head despondently. It was a feeling she hated, being useless like this. She had been training as hard as she could, but she just was not good enough to head into these fights against such tough enemies. At least, no one else seemed to think so. She hated that others would be risking themselves while she stayed back and did nothing, but at the very least, she could stay with Sabine and try to keep Rhazii calm.

Looking around for a moment, Ahnasha pointed to one of the groups heading deeper into the ruin. "Follow them, it looks like they are going somewhere safe. Please just...keep Rhazii safe."

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

I don't see electromancy and pyromancy as being too similar, as kinetic energy and electromagnetism are entirely different. If you start thinking about the potential applications of electromagnetism, I'm sure you can think of plenty of ways to differentiate it.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

also, non psychomancers can have just as good of wards as psychomancers.