Flipz

Meh. Arthur's so badass he could kill stuff with a Healing Staff. But seriously, though, that might not be a bad plan. Hoke DESPERATELY needs to get his WP past the point where Enchantment doesn't do anything even at full Ether, and the lack of a shield would mean he would not be using Ether to upgrade that, either... OH! speaking of which, MDM, you should really just state that you will only ever try to upgrade your shield at this point. That way, even though you'll be burning a lot of Ether, it'll actually be somewhat helpful.

Yes, agreed for sure, but my guide is slightly different; it goes into a bit of analysis for things that are a little harder to tell just from an intro Quest, like how much more valuable SP is compared to extra Health, or what Effects are most valuable in different situations, etc. I get the feeling ALL of those battles are semi-optional, though, if we're willing to pay the price of a stronger boss at the end.

No, you misunderstand, as long as Arthur lives to the final battle(s?), the Quest will continue and everyone will get revived for it. Even if that means Arthur just stands around and ignores the Spires, it's still a feasable thing. And yeah, I kind of would like repayment, though of course, Arthur is, or rather, will be, raring to fight Atters one-on-one.

Blessed Trumpet? I somehow see it ending up in anyone's hands BUT Cronk's being a travesty, and you don't use Ennoc's Blessing anyhow... As for 3, maybe Cronk decides he doesn't want to spill anyone's blood anymore? An option for something semi-similar keeps coming up for Arthur, and if I don't do anything stupid that leads me to ditch Arthur (i.e. that would make him completely unsympathetic from my perspective), then it'll lead into his initial EC choices. ...one Hero really won't make much of a difference, not splitting the party anymore is what will actually make a difference. You could have healed yourself from any damage during Rounds when the poison was not about to wear off, and Triad could have helped whittle down the numbers. Besides, even if every other Hero is down, Arthur is very likely to be off on his own elsewhere; he'll fight if he absolutely has to, but he's having less and less motivation to do so, and even so he's got his Cloak AND Staff to help him live long enough to get away. ...or to put it another way, "the Spires just aren't really worth defending any more". Yeah, he did, definitely back when he first proposed the concept and a few times since then, I believe.

One hit--one victory. Or did he forget he had Cursed? Yes, there was a risk, but hell, if all the characters were worried about was risk then they wouldn't be on the Quest. Look, Atramor had a game-breaking combo and still ran. The only reason I can see for Atramor to have run is if you had opted in for true permadeath, and if you're worried about it then why did you opt in? (Perma-KO is, of course, bad, but Zeph DID promise that all perma-KO'd Heroes would be able to participate in the final final battle. )

I'm sure he'll take it into consideration before running from an advantageous fight next time.

This particular battle is pretty much well in hand, barring an extraordinary stroke of bad luck, better to save it for the next battle (in which we WILL likely need it). Not at all similar to the QM telling us we should let the NPCs die. Although if he insists, we could always find out which NPCs can't die the hard way...

I remember when, during Q17, I suggested you should co-host with Doc, and you told me you were already working on something secret, and I panicked and thought Wren was going to come to Bric'bay. I also dug up an old parody video a friend of mine made of Star Trek. We totally need to have a parody of this scene in Q53: "Kirk...Kirk, you're still alive, my old friend." "Still. Old. Friend. You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman you keep missing the target." "Perhaps I no longer need to try." *transporter sound* "Khan. Khan, you've got Genesis. But you don't have me. If you're going to kill me, Khan, you're going to have to come down here. You're going to HAVE to come...down...here!" "I've done far worse than kill you...I've hurt you. And I wish to go on...hurting you. I shall leave you like you left me...like you left her--marooned for all eternity at the center of a dead planet. Buried alive...buried alive...buried alive..." "...KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN!"

I think a wiki would be really nice. I HAVE been working on a "Player's Guide", but it's still an early WIP (obviously most of my work is going into the Quest I'm building).

Eh, he'll get over it when he hears what Arthur went through trying to help the party while they were busy fighting.

Wren kidnapped Zee for a hostage exchange (and got Triad killed and Mallelio wounded for it), perhaps that should give WBD some ideas?

I'm officially dubbing Zepher "Josh Zephdon". Because he, like Josh Whedon, seems to be confusing the terms "beloved secondary character who doesn't get enough screentime" with "redshirt". CM, go change his username. Sorry, I'm afraid that won't be possible, Arthur's going to cook and eat him. ...unless Atramor admits his guilt, in which case Arthur'll probably cook and eat him...

:facepalm: Not what I intended to say at all. >_<

...and? This was, feasibly, the last time we could possibly think about splitting up. Losing Atters would NOT have been a big deal numbers-wise; no offense to Pie, but aside from Deadly Poisoning (which Arthur can do with a Scroll) and Frailty (which Arthur can do with a Scroll), he's next to no use numerically, thanks to the Special Damages being so overwhelming that they'd screw us over even if he does Mirror them and thanks to Hex being so useless. (Seriously, Hex REALLY needs a buff.)

...did you not watch the video where Arthur and Alexis got together? Yeah, if you haven't seen, I've been sticking Luke in pretty much all of my photos. Apparently he now spends his days running errands for Leonard in Eubric, talking primarily to Bilbert Wigglepike and the Copper Fox.

Edit made to previous post. Triad Felton Poletad Vipera. MAYBE Mallelio if he says something meaningful to Arthur (Vipera wasn't included until the pre-Court conversation, after all). Go ahead. See how loyal Arthur is with those four gone. Funny, I was just going to say the same about Arthur... first Haldor, then Thothwick, now Atramor... OK, I'll stop now. Yes, very true. I just wish it didn't have to be one of the NPCs I got to play. About the only way I could be sadder is if Knyghton got killed somehow. Seriously. DON'T do it. I have plans. (Yes, Doc, I will PM you about them, just as soon as I've polished up this current Quest we're working on. Yes, it IS related to this one. No, I will not tell you until that Cathedral is built. )

All of Endgame's Quests are fully LDD, and look how they've turned out. No, seriously, take a look; it's really the baseline standard for how a LDD-build Quest should be done.

Because he went, and he had the perfect setup...and then he ran. Without even trying. Arthur was willing to let Triad make a final sacrifice because there was no hope, but when Atramor (and that's another thing, Atramor himself suggested the plan) came up with a plan, he cooperated, giving up a VERY valuable item for a cause he knew was worthy, because there was still hope. And then Atramor goes and wastes both the perfectly planned items and strategy, and then just runs. Arthur (thanks to the staff) fled in self-defense. Atramor ran from fear, not even trying to help. (And also note that Arthur, even in running away, is looking for ways to help the Quest as a whole. ) DO keep in mind that if Atramor can somehow convince Vipera to stay silent about him running instead of being beaten within an inch of his life, Arthur won't flip out. No idea how hard it'll be to keep a Dragon quiet, though. Yes, Gray's sister would have Arthur's total respect, at least in principle. He's got little relationship to Gray, since he often finds himself purposeless, but still values it when he has it. He hates Regret, becasue he has a lot of regrets but doesn't like the binding nature of regret. He runs on hope, though. Everything he does is for hope of a better future. Sometimes that comes from dark or cowardly or selfish places, but it's hope nonetheless. Hope is the source of his purpose, always. EDIT: Something else that comes to mind: in Arthur's eyes, a Hero is someone who always does something, no matter what that something is, to accomplish their goal. Self-preservation is very high on his mind, but never JUST for its own sake; despite his shortcomings, Arthur IS one to make the sacrifice play; hell, if he weren't worried about a repeat of 38 with the Lucky boss, he would have gone after Triad himself, damn the orders.

Yeah, SP has become a requirement in this game. Not that that's a bad thing, but sometimes I wonder if our discussions make that clear for new players--probably not, seeing how few players actually spend money on SP:1 Leather Caps and Robes of the Magi. Sometimes I wish that Heroica had a tutorial, for stuff like this. Yes, I know a QM taking new Heroes on their first outing are supposed to help make things clear for them, give them an experience that really shows them the ropes of the game (Rumble Strike's Quest 32 is the definitive example of how this should be done, though CJP has also been doing a GREAT job with this on his current Quest, with the possible exception of Effects, but I'll likely be eating my words come next battle ), but I still wish we had a "Player's Handbook" that explains the tricks we use on an instinctive level; yes, it's clear in the rules that certain elements are strong against certain types of enemies, but unless someone asks, they don't know WHAT elements are best for beginners, and what elements they should try to get next. Sandy's early Quests are a great "how to" guide, as are most of the early Quests, but at about Quest 12 and onward, the Quests start to revolve more about themselves than about basic mechanics; the majority of players knew how the game operated, and the Quests began to add new elements of their own; that's about where we started to get to the rules lawyering that's become common now. (Yes, I'm aware that real-time-wise it's roughly where I joined the game, shaddap. ) The thing is, Heroica has evolved substantially since we first started, and we can see from when Skyrimguy and PsyKater and obelix and several other of the "newer" characters joined that learning the ropes has become substantially harder (just look at how many times PsyKater had to post in this thread before she even started her(?) character!). Hopefully once the current cycle of finales has ended, we can get a few more Quests that aren't trying to subvert the "traditional" formula, but regardless I think we need to look at making some more new "tutorial-like" Quests like Pie's Quest 51 and Flare's Quest 42 (though admittedly, that one HAS run a bit long for a "traditional" Quest ). Even for experienced players it'd be nice to have sort of a "recap", especially for those poor souls who either are hosting or are thinking about hosting Quests in the near future. . (Seriously. Watch this!)Topic 2: I WILL do a new Theatre post soon, but in the interrim: . SO much this. ^_^ (Also true for Heroica, though pretty much all of our series-builders are pros. ^_^ )I will have more to say on other stuff soon. EDIT: :distress: Pie, you do realize that Arthur will never. EVER. Forgive Atramor for this...right? EDIT 2: Like I am dead serious, one or the other will NOT be around for the next battle. PERIOD.

What parts do you need? I've got Mizuki's face and hair, so if I have the other parts I could probably build her this weekend. (I'd say "tomorrow" except my college classes start up again tomorrow, which will slow me down substantially.) In other news, I HIGHLY recommend everyone watch this video: http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/power-creep

I'm seriously hoping there's not more than one non-finale battle left in this Quest, actually...if the difficulty level remains as it is, then we won't HAVE anyone left for the final battle. Also, Zeph, if Felton dies, I am going to kill you. No pressure!

Wait, why are you running?! With that staff, you will take ZERO damage from Free Hits, which makes it a cakewalk if you fight from the Back Row! Or am I missing something? If you're thinking about trying to join one of the other battles, I doubt Zeph would let you join, based on what he's said during the Apothecary/Hovels/Cemetary battles.

OOC: Hoke took Arthur's Ether Core, I believe. Which means Vintul is now more powerful than a Plaything would be in Hoke's hands! Also, did you roll for Cloak of Deception redirection on Arthur's Free Hits? If they would have saved him, then he's still in the battle.

^^ This.

Fortunately or unfortunately, Arthur has the Lucky Die equipped instead of the Lens; I'd have to take a turn to switch them. I agree with what Endgame said. Though I have to ask...was that in any way inspired by that little test I tried to run last month?