Lugubrious

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

I want to ask a question to clarify if I'm understanding things! So, for example, if Sangue completes some missions with her team and has about five credits and applies a light upgrade to her claw, would something like "Increased Durability" or "Extended Chain Length" work?

@NarayanK

Certainly! Though I did not until now plan for upgrades of different levels. It would make sense.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

There are so many things that I could upgrade with my semblance. I could increase the amount of runes on an item, increase the time duration of my Runes of Stillness and Runes of Protection, upgrade the utility and power of the runes themselves, and a lot more. You just gave a very indecisive man a lot of choices ...Is combining existing runes to create one super rune that shares characteristics of the prior runes considered a new power? EX: By combining the Runes of Explosion with the Runes of Freezing, you could either create a explosion that freezes everything in the blast radius or "Ice Mine" that freezes the object and the explodes when it is touched. I can see an argument for both the "discover new uses" path and the new power path. So I just want to get that clarified.

@Psyrencalling

I would consider it a new use. There are some semblances that have a lot of upgrade-able utility, like yours, and then there are those like Selective Sight that are already so specific that they can't be improved much without pretty much adding new powers. I would recommend sensibility. Happy to entertain.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious> Diablo 3 let Monk though beta test with around 2.1 attack speed. Then, about a month down the line, they nerfed it to about 1.4 attack speed, causing massive drops in dps and screwing over farming routes the game over. How this is relevant to Moku should be obvious. You let her Mirror of Yata though character creation, and a spar with that Semblance used, before thinking about nerfing it at all.

@KabenSaal

Yep. I wasn't truly aware of how powerful it was until you said it pretty much couldn't be improved, though. Fortunately, writing in this downside to an otherwise perfect semblance wouldn't posthumously interfere with the outcome of your sparring match, since its resolution was within the guidelines of the updated semblance. This change doesn't screw your character over, far from it; it gives the rest of us a chance.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Indeed, Kaben, I did not.

Hey, how do you think Sapphire's semblance Selective Sight could be improved? Right now she is capable of whiting herself out of peoples perceptions relying mainly on preconceived expectations that she is not there.

@Prince of Seraphs

Two options that jump out at me, though I'm less familiar with your character, are: causing people to forget about her, and extending semblance via aura contact to another individual.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

"Not at all," Abel assured. In fact, he had started to grow a little bored halfway through Oswald's explanation, particularly because the two had reached the junction in the hallway where their different classes forced them to split. Fortunately, the feeling was imperceptible beneath a face fixed in its ordinary neutrality. "Sounds pretty rough. Good to know about Sapphire, though. Funny how someone else knows our leader better than we know her, no offense. Catch you later." Though fairly stimulated by the thought of a hardware class, where he would be able to admire and learn from the technical skill of others, Abel knew that he was ill-suited for it. He simple lacked the creativity and mechanical prowess that many others were blessed with. In fact, the closest he had gotten to an idea was some sort of boot that enhanced his kicking ability. Far better, he knew, to attend Grimm Studies, where he would learn every detail about killing specific Grimm while simultaneously not getting killed by them. He strode into Grimm Studies with about forty seconds to spare, noting that the storage hanger (where the rows and rows of weapon-toting, rocket-propelled lockers were kept) was just down the hallway. The Grimm Studies classroom was, at first glance, a lecture hall like Math had been. More careful analysis of the room and its setup, however, revealed that it was more angular in shape, and with a far bigger open area in front the amphitheater-esque seats. Standing by his desk could have been none other than the teacher, a rotund, silver-haired gentleman sporting a bristling mustache. Abel navigated to an empty seat on the front row, noting a few of the other students who had arrived: the pink-haired girly-girl whose undergarments had been revealed in first period, the bespectacled former foe Robert, Merlin with his impressively grassy head, the girl with the red claw arm, and two boys who Abel guessed were her teammates. Neither made much of an impression. Abel was roused from his thoughts by the resonance of the bell, which declared passing period done with. He looked toward the teacher expectantly.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Anyway, Forsythe, Narc, you're up. Armory and Grimm Studies are a go.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

<Snipped quote by Lugubrious> It does? When was this?

@KabenSaal

Just now. Wouldn't want it being overpowered now, would we?

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

The upgrading Semblence is cool, but what would Moku's semblance change to? It's pretty pinnacle as it is.

@KabenSaal

It is? Thanks for letting me know. Mirror of Yata is now only effective on physical attacks and has a short recharge period.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

The credits were always meant to be an OOC currency, while Lien is an IC currency. The system of reward in proportion to mission difficulty was indeed pretty obvious. I realize that I've made a problem by not properly defining 'ability upgrade', so I'll go ahead and do that now. Somebody who gets an ability upgrade doesn't just receive new powers, if you thought that was what it was. Rather, I view a semblance like a muscle; with training and use, it can be improved and used in new ways. For instance, at the start of season two of RWBY the titular character uses her Speed semblance to create a jetstream that sucks in objects and carries them with her. Our own characters can discover new ways to use their semblances. For instance, Jack might find out that if he uses Midnight Lightening and crashed directly into an opponent, he can discharge all of his electricity at once, perhaps stunning the target. Priscilla might find out that she can use her forcefields more accurately to create 'force armor' around herself or an ally. These are the sort of things that might constitute an Ability upgrade. Plus, since credits are OOC, we can use in-RP reasons to introduce upgrades we've bought. For instance, after Diamond wins an A-level mission and Forsythe places first in a coffee-making contest, Forsythe can bu an ability upgrade and leave it in wait, and then suddenly in a particularly vicious fight IC with an Ogdoad, a wounded and frightened Diamond might, in a fit of anger, create a living monster out of her shadow to fight for her--and therein comes that upgrade. By the way, if you're worried about people powering through missions and accumulating craptons of upgrades, listen up. You can and will fail missions that you try that are too hard. For this reason I was thinking of adding an 'Antagonist' category to missions, which allow one player to be the opposing force in that mission. For instance, while team MODA might be the one to go on that convoy, it could very well be Sixsmith playing all the Grimm they encounter. Let me know if you think this is a good idea. Finally, concerning subplots. What do you mean 'too limiting?' Is it that there wouldn't be enough? I could lower the pricing on them. And the subplots I envision would be pretty specific actually. For instance, if I hypothetically paid for a subplot, I could have us encounter Abel's long-lost brother, and repercussions would ensue. Wouldn't effect the overall story too much; the only one majorly affected is my own character. Also we're about to move on to fourth period IC.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

I'll give it some more thought.