Flipz

Any chance of Pyro and my Arena fight going up before the weekend?

Yeah, just gave me the impression of BoI (especially given the mission of killing bugs in a rickety shack).

No, he just wants to get experience period, and since there's probably only going to be one fight in which he's not KO'd at the end... Oh god, Endgame, are you ripping off Binding of Isaac?

Yeah, that's because LDD defines the coordinates of the brick based on the corner. You have to adjust the numbers a little bit (usually by less than 1) until you get the light where you want it--it will take a few renders, but you can easily stop the render after 1 or 2 passes if it doesn't look right.

So, on the subject of the Arena: how would those folks who saw the latest PvP system feel about its implementation in the Arena? What specific abilities would need to be altered? Would it ultimately make the Arena more or less useful to players, and more or less difficult for the Arena Masters to run? One advantage I can think of right off the bat: if we adopted the "new" system, multi-Hero battles would be compatible right from the get-go. Disadvantage: some classes would suffer a bit in one-on-one, since the advantage of their SHIELD (i.e. AoE on Barbarians) would be helpful in Doubles/Triples but not so much in Singles. (A.K.A. The Smogon Effect, wherein Singles falls to pieces because the system is balanced around Doubles/Triples)

Still not much for Knights or Barbarians, though.

I just noticed, there doesn't seem to be much decent backwear out there--the vast majority is suited only to Mages and Clerics. Hybros' Red Assassin cloak and my own Cloak of Deception are pretty much the only non-Ether-based backwears out there. I mean, there was the Cobweb Cloak that Elphaba sold, but there's no guarantee it'll be back again, and it's kind of niche anyway--actually, come to think of it, all of the backwear artifacts are.

I do think part of that has to do with the way battles tend to drag out these days--not to excuse or condone the player absences, of course, I just think it's a factor. Those and battles that get too complex ("I follow [player]'s plan") seem to be big triggers for lack of engagement. Agreed, but I think it's both, really. When you get to the point that all of your activity is "I repeat" or "I follow [player]'s orders", you're engaging in grind rather than gameplay. Contrary to what it may seem, roleplay does not mean "four pages of single-spaced paragraphs"--a simple, relevant in-character comment or gesture along with your battle action tells both the QM and your fellow players that yes, you are paying attention to the Quest, and yes, you are engaged with the Quest. I think that's why Tensi, for example, remains one of the more well-defined personalities in Heroica in spite of Pep M not having a lot of time to post.

"We...have a history. Brought up some old mistakes of mine, ones I've been running from. Decided to hell with it, I'll embrace 'em instead--especially if it pisses the thing off." Almost as if to demonstrate, Arthur holds out his arms and begins to levitate above the battlefield, floating into the Back Row. Suddenly, faster than the eye can see, the Mystic Knight slashes his arm towards Sarge, and an inky tentacle whips out at the Black Knight. In the moment before the blow lands, Arthur takes a moment to read from one of his Scrolls, attempting with some difficulty to cast a charm on his own body. Actions: >Arthur casts Scroll of Poisoning on Zoot's Rebel (back row) >Arthur (physical, Zoot's Rebel) vs. Sarge (back row) Temporary Enchantment goes to Zoot's Rebel

We've also seen some pretty awesome Dragoon stuff as well (Thalion's helmet from Tidings, Hoke's Flagpole [though it's a multi-class item]). I know we'll be seeing at least one Skirmisher very soon, though.

Eh, I'd value them at about 60-65--Jinxed is actually a really common immunity, and a Jinxed enemy tends to go down quick, ending the usefulness whereas a Lucky Hero is Lucky for the whole battle (or until they're Jinxed or Knocked Out). What I WOULD like to see is a "Jinx Bomb" that jinxes everyone on the battlefield (allies and enemies alike). We need more effect bombs (more bombs in general, really), and that one has the potential to be really strategic. (We also need more bombs that have amplified effects when used by a Cannoneer.)

I, Arthur Justus Regulus VII (Flipz), would like to challenge Sergeant Jon McEncy (Pyrovisionary), to a duel! (Equipped Artifacts: Unicorn Helmet, Duke's Coat-of-Arms, Lens of Speed-Reading, Cloak of Deception; Equipped Weapon and Shield: Zoot's Rebel, Arm Shield)

Arthur nods. "Let's train, then."

On a semi-related note, about 75% of the time I try to type out the word "expression", it comes out as "exp<b></b>ression". Don't know if it's related, but it might be.

As Arthur took to the familiar hill outside Eubric, his pulse beat furiously, the black orb clutched in his hand keeping time. Of course Sorrow and Karie would be on a Quest, he thought frustratedly. Skrall's off with Boomers and Nyx somewhere, Dyric's in Baltarok, and De'kra... The Mystic Knight had spotted the little shade, wandering the alleys around the Hall with a blank expression, unaware of anything around him. He clearly was in no shape to be taking on Arthur's problems...or Olegia's, for that matter. But they wouldn't understand. None of them would. None of them had met The Regret, none of them had seen his awesome power unleashed, unfettered by any mortal form. They did not possess the Sight--save perhaps Karie--and none of them could comprehend the sacrifices that would have to be made if they wanted to defeat him. "Wren was this hard," he muttered to himself, slumping against Triad's headstone as he reached the top. "But I was a different man then. Can I even find that sort of strength anymore?" The Heroican runs his fingers down the face of the grave, the foreboding stone icy to the touch. Kneeling down to pay his respects, like he has done many times before, he recalls that fateful day... The bloodshed, the carnage, the loss. Then a seemingly harmless gesture. A few words, from one of the many who had fallen that day... The memory soon becomes vivid... Clearer, more crisp. It didn't help soothe the pain of the day at all. Something occurs to the mage: he was never present. For any of that. How was he having a memory of something he never saw? There was all of the suspect members in the memory... Mephisto, the soulless magician, the swarm of the court of Demons. The valiant heroes: Cronk, Hoke... Hans. The "heroic" witch he couldn't stand, and his former love. But there was another creature present. Another... Not just there. Memories begin to come flooding back of the day, each more and more vivid than the last. The basement of Heroica, their first rendezvous, the sewers of Eubric, the Apothecary... Everywhere, the same invisible being. A familiar shadowy form, eyes that smoldered with hate. He was there. He was watching. He was always watching. What else had he witnessed? How much did he know? He was even lingering in the Temple of Chaos, content to watch the events occur. He seemed amused, as if a spectator at a play. What was he doing there? A voice slithers into Arthur's mind. It sounded like so many people he knew. The heroes of Heroica, the villains, the men and women from his past. But all of the voices were being dominated by one... The voice of Regret. "The child has a nightmare. The child is concerned at first, but then decides to shun it - lock it away, and dub it fantasy. But still, the nightmare lives. It bleeds into reality. The nightmare was real... But the child remains a child. And he can't fight it. He can only watch, and hope it ends..." Arthur's head snaps around sharply before he realizes the uselessness of his physical form in spotting a lingering soul. His mind's eye gives him a brief glimpse of a wild-haired madwoman from another world delivering a similar taunt, before fixing itself on the pair of illusory eyes that represented the dark Progg mastermind. "Regret. Only you could be so bold. The Veterans will not sit still for this. When they hear you've attacked a refugee settlement--" From the pair of illusory eyes emerges a sinister form, twisted and gnarled - yet, a silvery white, a contrast to the depths of darkness that lurked within the twisted being. He seemed to repel light, even his incorporeal form having a profound effect on Arthur's surrounding. The world around him seemed to wither and grow dreary, the temperature dropping to the point where the Mystic Knight's breath was clearly visible. Was this yet another illusion? or was he trapped in the nightmare's nightmare? "You haven't changed." Interjects the being. "What are you talking about? You seem to have seen what happened down there. Do you really think I'd pull that kind of stunt again?" The Regret casts an imposing shadow over Arthur, the dark silhouette contorting into... something else... "Yes. Of course I do, Arthur. You are a human. You may deny it, but if anything, the chaos running through your veins only makes you more prone to err than any other human being. Chaos is essentially a byproduct of human demeanor... The endless greed and destruction of your race. It has become you, Mystic Knight. Beneath your philosophy and grief lies the very essence of human behavior. You may not realize it now, but soon, it will overpower you. In a moment of weakness, you will be overcome by greed, woe, and carnal lust. I will break you, and I will make you into something else. Something more. Yours will not be an exclusive fate, though. You will be accompanied. And I will shatter each and every person you're travelling with. I already know how this will end. Every outcome, carefully calculated before my plan even was fully conceived. I knew of this meeting decades before you were even born. I have watched, and observed this world for ever so long... I already know the fates of the souls who will challenge me in my finest hour. I will break you, and your camaraderie. I will drive you all to madness, and I will make you turn on each other. And in the depths of pain and animosity, all you will have left is obedience towards your new master. Some relationships between your comrades may endure... But they will be negligible at best." "Doubtful," he growls. "Hah. It took mere days for you to so completely alter yourself. I will drive you to the depths of despair, you and all else. I will torture you, and at your weakest moment, you will break. At the depths of despair, you will do something insane. Something you will consider immoral now, but in the haze of pain, you will consider your finest decision. Do you want to hear what it is?" Arthur continues his growl, fingers itching for a weapon he knew would not be there. He hadn't felt when his gear had left his form--or alternatively, when his form had left his gear--but he knew The Regret would not have left him with arms or armor with which to fight him, even if they would have been futile anyway. Nonetheless, he assumed a posture not unlike that he'd used in his last vision, the undersea fight against the Guardian: defensive, with knees bent, fists clenched, and head forward, eyes locked with The Regret's, ready to spring out of the way with a moment's notice. Then suddenly, he stopped, dropping his combat pose. He wasn't sure how, but he knew, somehow, it was what he had to do. "I don't need to fight you," he said bluntly. "I'm not your worst enemy--you are. It's a rule of this universe--those who try to take it, die trying. But maybe that's your plan--unable to die, you sought out the only conceivable way to end your eternal torment, by perishing at the hands of your greatest enemies. Because even if you succeed, you'll be alone, crushingly alone, no challenge, no camaraderie, no consolation. Command whoever you like to do whatever you like, and it won't mean a damn thing--everything, completely empty, forever. Even if you win, you lose." He raises his eyebrow. "What do you think--am I getting warmer?" "How hollow, coming from someone who himself was on the brink of suicide. What you consider to be eternal damnation would be paradise. I could finally witness the world rebuild itself, repair itself after the damage your kind has wrought on it. You know, a Heroican once told me of a vision he had saw. A dead world, with nothing but metal spires piercing through the withered soil. That Heroican agreed with me, and my goals. To be able to prevent that future would be bliss. To see the world, unfettered by humans... Why do you think I would turn to you if I wanted my ultimate demise? I have encountered foes leagues above anything you will ever achieve, and I crushed them - I am immortal. Undying, intertwined with this reality. There is no ending me. But my intentions will be revealed when you prove yourself worthy... Which will be in all likelihood never. Oh, and about your fighting stance - ineffective, by the way, as it allows me a clear shot at the nerve cluster at the bottom of your neck - You do not need to resort to fists. Tell me, Arthur, look at the world around you." Arthur looks around his surroundings, seeing he is still at Triad's hill... even his weapons were still there. "There never was an illusion. I have simply cast a shadow here, so to speak. How quickly your perception is shattered... So quick to think I would ensnare you, that you trapped yourself in an illusion. You've been in "reality" this entire time, deluded into thinking that your world was false at my merest appearance. I am holding a conversation in this form with a dozen other beings - You are hardly noteworthy. But how do you know when the illusion ends, and the world begins? You seem to like to making yourself the center of everything. Perhaps you've been a puppet dancing on the end of my strings this entire time, unwittingly? A child may think he escaped a bad dream, but only the nightmare knows where he begins and ends." Arthur glanced around him, seeing indeed Triad's hill, his weapons, his gear still there...and yet somehow not. Before him, the image of The Regret changed and morphed into many forms, some he recognized, some he did not--Lord Belril, a gray-muzzled lupine figure, a bearded mountain of a man wearing a winged helm, Indiacca, Masson, Baba, Wren...the litany of images continued, but Arthur stopped paying attention--a more exciting truth had entered his mind. The Regret continued his monologue, completely unaware of what was happening--whatever this vision was, The Regret couldn't see it. Now even the world itself was shifting--the ancient Temple of Chaos, the top of a tower, a rubble-littered beach, and more and more. But what could it mean? "You and me...we're not so different. If I'm trapped in an illusion, then so are you...the same one, in fact. The illusion that either of us can take the other." "But you know--you may have gotten one thing right. I haven't changed--and neither have you. I'm still a Master of Chaos, you a Master of Order. Oh, I may have dabbled elsewhere since then, but let's face it--our fields of work aren't the sort to ever leave us. I still remember our first fight--we're too evenly matched, even now. But that won't always be the case. One day soon, I'll Regulate the Balance between our respective forces--" "--it's a shame you won't get to see it. I will be a Regulator, some day. But I refuse to let you define who I am. So go ahead. Tell me what awful crime you think I'll commit. We'll see who's lost in fantasies." "Equally matched? Unchanged? I see that words cannot penetrate through your skull unless they are accompanied by a blast of Ether. I abhor unneeded violence, but for the sake of clearing up any misconceptions..." Without warning, shadowy claws erupt from the ground, grabbing Arthur's arms and legs and holding him still. He flinches at their touch, only to receive a discouraging jolt of ether for his resistance. With a single gesture, a corona of darkness appears from The Regret's hand, knocking the Mystic Knight skyward. As he descends, The Regret appears before him, grabbing him by the neck and pinching. The rest of his body falls limp, deprived of oxygen and being assaulted by the dark static flowing through The Regret's palm. Undaunted, the Mystic Knight lets himself go limp, but any choice he had in the matter was quickly ended by a swift jab to the back of Arthur's neck, the very same spot he mentioned he left exposed. The Regret begins to rant once again, punctuating his points by slamming Arthur onto the grave. "Equally matched? You seem to have this delusion, Arthur. That you're the center of the world. That you're the one destined to stop me. You think you can even lay a finger on me now? I could take on the grand majority of your organization and still prevail, in my current state! The elements bow before me! The rest of the ethereal spectrum succumbs to me! Soon, even time itself will call me its master... You think you can stop my plans? You're not the hero. You're not even a hero. There are so many different transgressions you may commit, when you have lost all hope... You may perhaps try to separate the woman you crave from her true lover. You may wish for the truth behind your family, a truth I already know. You may wish for power, at the cost of another's life... You may wish for the sweet release of death, and will endanger another. You overestimate yourself severely, "hero"!" With that final word, The Regret slams Arthur through Triad's grave, defiling the sacred place and leaving the Mystic Knight sprawled on a pile of rubble. "A bit more brutal of a display then I intended, or perhaps that is a better alternative to a more elegant thrashing. A must bid you farewell, hero. Go on, tell your fellow Heroicans. It won't do a thing. There is no hope for you... Or anyone else." The darkness faded, and Arthur knew The Regret was gone. His blood boiled, rage and grief mingling within him, until the pressure demanded release... ...and so he laughed. A grief-stricken laugh. "No more than you, Regret. For I am Zoot's Rebel, and you... somehow, I - we - will defeat you." The Mystic Knight crushed his hand into a fist, and an inky liquid burst out, the spray of goo rising to engulf his hand, his arm, further--before fading into the surface of the "skin", melding seamlessly with what had once been flesh and bone. "Villains come and go, but I shall remain, for I am all I need. The Master of Chaos will learn Order, and I will hold both at bay. I swear it." He looks to the graves of Hans, Felton, Gnash, Bennetton, all cracked by the force of impact, as he rises from the hole. "I serve the Balance," he says simply, and in silence begins what repairs to the monuments he can. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some time later, Arthur returns to the Hall. Nothing seems different--but yet everything has changed. Schezerade, busy cleaning a dish, jerks her head towards a pink package on the bar addressed to Arthur. Smiling, he opens it up--a letter and a gift from Ella. Not his style, but he was sure someone in the Hall would find it useful, for the right price. His expression unreadable, he turns to the small group of Heroes who seemed to be paying attention to the world around them. "Anyone up for a bout in the Arena?" he asks. "Hybros? Em? Seargeant McEncy?"

Heh heh heh heh... there are reasons. Mainly, it's for Guardian Angel abuse--Healing Staff on a Lucky Paladin vs. a Jinxed Hero (who can then remove Jinxed for the GA Round by swapping to another weapon) = 4 chances for a SHIELD roll. This is rather hard to accomplish otherwise, since ordinary healing counts Lucky but ignores Jinxed, and since Jinxed is pretty rare otherwise (I think Jebs and I are the only players with a consistent, non-consumable method of inflicting Jinxed). That, too.

Speaking of which, I'm serious about testing that in the Arena--I'll even let you borrow my shield so it's not an unfair fight. (I have a new strategy--not related to the Sword of the Vampir, I promise not to use it in this fight! --that I want to test out.) B&P, your battle results are really confusing to read.

Welcome back! You might have missed it, but Em's looking for you--he's giving you some Gold for the Iron Knuckle armor.

Nope, it takes effect immediately and lasts through the next turn; it's both a blessing and a curse for the user. (See: several instances for Docken in the Fields of Glory, specifically one in which he uses a Health Core to restore full Aura health in order to survive the Free Hits from the enemies, something that wouldn't be possible with a one-turn/next-turn Aura.)

WBD, Aura goes into effect immediately.

A chair falls with a crash as Arthur suddenly stands, then collapses to his knees. He looks at Jeaux, but his sight is clearly fixed on that of his mind's eye. "The Regret...he's real? He's alive?" He struggles to his feet, righting the chair and leaning on it for support. "Best of luck, Tarn, I...I need to go." Staggering out the doors, he turns back for one last look at the Hall--its tall arches, its aged stone, its imposing yet comforting design--before walking out into the city, to parts unknown.

Arthur winces. "I can help with about half of those. The other half sort of don't talk to me anymore." He looks apologetically at Tarn. "You're not the only one at this table who's made bad decisions that got good people killed. Some of those decisions..." He shrugged. "I'll tell who I can--whoever will listen. I can do at least that much."

Quest #327: Baby, baby, baby, oh no...wherein Heroes obtain absurd amounts of experience for enduring the horrors of early parenthood. (The sequel to Quest #312: The Princeless Bride, wherein the Heroes have to track down the kidnapped Tarn while helping Ella find a Tardis Something Old (Quest Item), Something New (Quest Item), Something Borrowed (Quest Item), and Something Blue (Quest Item).)

"I have, just back there, underwater. Well, didn't destroy ALL the enemies, but it took out one and made a pretty good dent in the other." "Are you sure? You might need it to raise Mallelio." He chuckles, adding, "I'm just joking, it has to do with--well, just ask him yourself." He grimaces. "On second thought, don't. Some days are better left forgotten." "Of course, Tarn, I'd be happy to help." "Congratulations, Em! We should test out that armor of yours in the Arena sometime. Seems just yesterday you were running through alleyways and talking to little Proggs with me and Karie. I heard you were off helping the Progg colony recently, how did that go? Did those five little rascals ever get themselves any of the supplies they needed?"

"I prefer to keep it with me, so I can pass it on to other Heroes who can use it on Quests--much like my spare Artifacts. It has some very niche uses that synergize well with some of my artifacts." OOC: Case in point, Mystic Knights and Battle Mages have exceedingly useful abilities when using a Healing Staff, not to mention the Jinxed/Lucky stacking I can use with Paladins when I use the Sword of the Vampir.