Flipz

Protip, Cutcobra: I found on 104 that PMing players individually when their characters are the only ones to notice or see something produces more interesting results. EDIT: ...wait, this wasn't the QM Lounge? ...fail.

"I've got the Cerberus. Zed is all yours." Arthur casts Fragile at Cerberus until successful, then casts Ice at it. Regardless of the success of his Scroll actions, his final action of the Round will be to cast Ice at the Cerberus from the Back Row (unless it is already dead, in which case he will cast Darkness at Zed, Back Row).

The latter to both.

"Put me first again--if I can summon another Abyss, I'll kill all the ghosts, and you can direct their damage to Sycamore instead." Arthur casts Darkness twice at Sycamore, casting Armor Sundering at her before each attack. If Sycamore dies, he will target Fahrenheit instead.

"Althior, let me take a Free Hit from Fahrenheit, we need to kill Sycamore first. My actual attack can still come last, though." Arthur drinks an Elixir, then casts Darkness at Sycamore from the Back Row. As before, prior to each action he casts Armor Sundering, this time at Sycamore.

You know, Sandy and several other people have often complained that Heroes rarely run short on Ether at higher levels. I think I have a solution to that: add the Lens of Speed-Reading to the Marketplace. This would make Scrolls a lot more useful and accessible to people, and as a result Mages and Clerics alike would burn through Ether more quickly, restoring the design intent of Ether as a shot limit.

LINK As long as it doesn't find its way to the hands of the heroes. I don't want to be too restrictive when it comes to technology in this game world - everyone knows the liberties I've taken with it for example in Quest #15 - but there's a story-related reason for it. At this point in the game, advanced technology is in the hands of only few people in the world, but that might change depending on how the main storyline goes. And that, my dear players, is eventually up to you. LINK

Heckz. Always asking the important questions.

It does. However (and yes, I am biased here I'll admit), I think the existing Dragoons should get a one-time exemption. I was planning to switch back to Dragoon before I go on my hiatus, but I don't think I have another Training Room post in me right now, so it'll have to wait.

"On it," Arthur replies. His "skin" glistening with an inky black sweat, Arthur casts two Darkness spells from the Back Row, drinking an Elixir on his second action if he takes damage the first time. Before each action, Arthur casts Armor Sundering at Fahrenheit.

I'm with Zepher on this. I spent a LOT of time worrying whether or not I'd get enough Shadeaux rep to hit Dragoon before 40, which in some cases led me to make decisions in the name of "can I get rep" rather than "will I enjoy playing this Quest/will I be a useful contributor to this Quest's story?". Then, I switched out of Dragoon because it wasn't fun for me to play, even after giving it a more than fair shot--it wasn't "this dragon's no good at this level, better wait until it's better", it was "I am downright miserable playing the old version of this class, and I'd rather see swils play it a little before I commit to playing it on a Quest for the next several months". To be penalized so harshly for doing something in the name of fun over stats seems...wrong, somehow. IF The disobedience clause is kept in (and I do NOT support such a thing), there should be a way to decrease it with time--say, the chance is constant, but is reduced by the number of Quests you've completed as a Dragoon (i.e. someone takes Dragoon for the first time at Level 44 and has a 1/2 chance of obedience during his first and second Quests, but on his third Quest he has a 1/2*2=1/1 chance of obedience, owing to the bond they formed over those Quests). Even still, I think that the disobedience clause is unnecessarily punitive--why punish a player for trying to better enjoy their gameplay experience, especially when they're doing so in a way that doesn't hamper anyone else's enjoyment?

When the old players lose touch with and interest in the game. I like it--to an extent. When the Medal of Glory gets involved, though, the dynamic gets screwed up.

Sorry, Guts/Hybros, but I think that this would probably be the best way to handle Chris...Crys...the 4 roll. I also agree that Money Maker is a little underwhelming--maybe make it equal to the user's level?

"Put me first, then--if I target Fahrenheit on my first action I can eat the dog's hit no problem. You can then stick my weather action at the end." Arthur first casts Fragile at Cerberus then Darkness at Fahrenheit from the Back Row. If he takes damage, for his second action he drinks an Elixir, otherwise if the weather is not already Dim he attempts to forecast Dim weather. If he has not taken damage and the weather is already Dim, he casts Fragile at Cerberus (or Blind if already Fragile) and casts Darkness at Fahrenheit again.

"Go for it, Lilly--once you've got a bit more Ether, of course." If the weather is not Dim, Arthur attempts to forecast a Dim weather; if it is already Dim (or an earlier forecast is successful), he casts Darkness at Fahrenheit from the Back Row.

For those who have borrowed things from Arthur and/or who I've made pending trades with, could you please leave my stuff with Karie in the Hall/use her as a middleman before you leave? Thanks.

"Alexis, you might want to equip your Quickdraw Quiver and Counterstrike Gloves and my Duplovian Helmet and then swing your Death's Whip at Sycamore from the Back Row if you would be so kind."

"You know, it's ironic--just a few short years ago, you could have misled me like you have tried to do to Lilly. But now? We are the Heroes of our time, and though we're dancing with the demons in her mind, you are nothing before us, much less before her. You are a fool, Great Uncle Fahrenheit, and you will lose--all of you." Arthur allows his skin to begin to glisten with the inky blackness of his true form, diverting some of his energy away from his habitual disguise to better steel himself for combat. On Arthur's second turn, he attempts to cast Blind on the Cerberus again (or Fragile if it's already Blind). If there are untargetted ghosts, Arthur throws a Seal Bomb; if the ghosts are gone, however, he begins to forecast a Dim weather.

OOC: Do the ghosts still get a Free Hit if Sealed? Arthur feels the demonic power surge within him, and the Weather Mage quickly realizes that he and his companions are in for a rough fight. He equips his Shadeaux Cloak, then casts Blind on Cerberus, before taking a moment longer to determine his best tactical options.

Yeah, when I read "Zed's cousin", I thought "Zed's sister". That'll teach me to try and post at four in the morning! Actually, I still think that a graphic tree of the known relatives (with a note saying the tree isn't exhaustive) would help a lot. I'll see what I can do for a basic version, and someone else can prettify it up. EDIT: Here we go! Like I said, not exhaustive, just an easy basis to start from. Oh, and if anyone wants the original GIMP file, just let me know, I'll post it to Dropbox or Google Drive or something.

Arthur looks up confusedly, then attempts to draw out the family tree in mid-air, eventually using his Diamond to assist in his midair writing and trace the relationship. "Er, sorry, Great Uncle," he amends. "My apologies, I only recently learned of my heritage--I still have a lot of catching up to do." "...says the undead Necromancer." "Nonetheless, as much as I hate to admit it, Althior has a point. Lilly, you have family out there--me, and Noel, and Merlyn, and Morgan, and Bluto...they may not realize it, but they need you, and you need them. No matter how messed-up or strained the relationship is, family matters. Do you really think that cutting yourself off from them would make any of you happy?" "I don't think you should stay. But no matter what, I'll do everything in my power to help and support you. Because that's what family should do."

Damn it! I thought I had memorized the family tree, but apparently I got someone switched around in my head.

"Uh...hi there...grandfather?" Arthur seems extremely lost and confused. "You're not who I expected to see here... What...what exactly is going on here?"

"It's the only name that seems to fit..." Arthur muses.

Arthur's face falls, his disheartened expression reflecting the sadness he feels in his heart. "You told her 'I hate you, mother!" He hesitates a moment, then continues. "And she replied, 'I don't need to hear another word from your mouth! Go to bed, Lilly!'" The Weather Mage shakes his head. "I can see why this is so painful for you. But I still can't figure out the first thing you said. It almost sounds like you mentioned Bluto...?"