Staging Area
I'm sure Alan can find a way. What's the highest throw so far? (If you recall)
"Pokey pokey? Okay, I'll stop."
How far is that, anyway? I don't see any specifics except that it's probably absurdly long.
Retract it to a reasonable short spear. In various spear settings (bracelet, short spear, long spear, safe and unsafe), try out the move/stop and reconfigure buttons.
It is absurdly long. And takes several minutes to get there because it gets slower and slower. And overheats more and more, which means that if you do it too fast you could burn your hands. And gets heavier, you wouldn't be able to lift it if I didn't make you use the Staging Area to cheat so I could make my silly joke. Basically, there's a point after which it's not worth making it larger and then there's a point where it reaches a limit and just grows nanometres. And the fact that the ring is in its centre is not helping. It's a melee weapon. Don't expect to use to stab the neighbours very often. I mean, there could be circumstances where that could be useful, but at most you'd be using it as a pike.
The things you try do nothing.
Saevus looks at John with a look that could only be understood as disapproval. How he can give someone a look of disapproval when he doesn't really have a face, his face-equivalent being a helmet with no facial features and other things important for visual communication, you ask? I have absolutely no idea.
"I certainly hope so."
Still, I'd like to have something to deter possible poking. Summon the biggest crossbow I can and load it up. Fire at anything that pokes (or attempts to (or looks like it might)) anything.
Saevus is basically using the poking as an excuse to amuse himself. This waiting is terribly boring. And the fact that there's a battle raging over there and he can't join in is irritating.
((I'm sure D would be happy to paint a smiley face on your helmet.))
You summon a crossbow and shoot a warning shot at John. The energy draw becomes overwhelming and the bolt disappears about halfway there. Could probably use the staging area to amp your power though. Then again, that also means that your bolts would probably do nothing more than push him. Might be funny though,
By the look of things, the waiting will be over soon.
Second chance round
Now that all is alright, change to an alligator or crocodile. Use any remaining biomass to begin sprouting armored plates on my back, the side which faces up.
Wanna kill me? Try to flip me over, I fecking dare ya.
But seriously, how did being shot with a plane cure a headache? 
Have you ever heard the expression "If your hand hurts, you can stop the pain by cutting your arm"?
Anyway, the headache continues but it is so weak now you pay it no mind, since it doesn't slow you down at all.
Instead, you use most of the biomass you have accumulated to turn into a rather large reptile, covered in thick armoured scales everywhere except the mouth, where gigantic teeth and a powerful jaw await to rend things in half.
Continue messing with the deer mind to slow him down. Get moving towards the hill. How's the bullet fire? If there is a lot going by go from cover to cover, otherwise just get moving.
You slowly get up and start moving forward, making your way between the burning tanks and newly created craters. You move a bit more slowly than you'd like, one hand applying pressure to your wound. Now that the adrenaline has faded somewhat, each step hurts. It's hard to move your leg and waist. But you've had worse.
You can't concentrate enough to mess with the deer's head. Said deer starts bubbling and dissolving and within a few seconds has transformed into a giant armoured crocodile-like thing with nasty-looking teeth.
Slow enemy soldiers, speed up own soldiers, get into cover quickly (close to the hill).
"Holy shit, what are we against, commies? Americans? This is not fun, not fun at all..."
"Does it matter? All that matters is that you keep fighting. Go forth, for the glory of war!" you hear a booming voice coming from somewhere a long distance behind you.
<Judging from the skulls, I'd say you are the baddies.><Actually, historically, skulls have been used as the symbol of various armies, both good and bad, such as-><Nobody asked for a history lesson from you.>You might want to rephrase that a bit. Because if I interpret it as speed up all friendly soldiers and slow down all enemy soldiers... For the friendly soldiers alone you'd need to affect half an acre. It would take a while and a good roll. I'm going to assume you don't want that.
So I'll just you get up and keep running towards the hill, until you reach the base of the hill and take cover there, along with the slowest of the soldiers attacking the hill.
Most of the defensive emplacements have been silenced and the friendly soldiers have reached the top of the hill. You can see tracer rounds flying away from it, but you can't tell what is going on up there.
Keep going for the spot on the hill, then activate and begin charging. Try not to die. Use cover, including soldiers. If attacked or hit, activate and begin charging.
You keep running up the hill, somehow weaving your way through the enemy defensive emplacements and avoiding getting shot. The soldiers around you make quick work of the defensive emplacements, using tactics, numbers and explosives to counter superior firepower and cover.
You reach the top of the hill, now being in the front of the attacking soldier's charge. Your target is now in sight, a large and slightly circular concrete fortification. It is tiered, with a higher level in its centre surrounding a pillar with what looks like communication equipment. The soldiers manning the fortifications open fire the moment the soldier make it, rapid fire machine-guns tearing into the troops around you. The fact that you are flanking it combined with your continued luck means that you are once again not targeted by the enemy troops.
The outer wall is about 8 metres away. With a bit more running and a bit more luck, you can reach the wall in no time.
Campaign
"You have taught me of the elements, but not how a mage manipulates them. How is a spell cast?"
after his explanation, if it included how to tell one spell from another:
"You wanted to cast divinations upon me before, however, I am not willing to let you cast unknown spells upon me. Could you teach me the spells you wish to cast so that they will no longer be unknown?"
after his explanation, if it did not include how to tell one spell from another:
"How can I tell the difference between spells? How can I know if a mage is trying to attack me or if he is simply divining information?"
if he refuses to teach me how a spell is cast:
"Ok, then I suppose the next question is yours?"
"You have taught me of the elements, but not how a mage manipulates them. How is a spell cast?""Oh, that is a very interesting question. How indeed? The matter is still being researched today, but I can give you the most commonly accepted theory.""A very important part is intent, a mage should have at least some idea of the intent of their action. Some elements rely less on it than others, but even Chaos Sorcerers usually give their spells some general intent. Note that the intent doesn't necessarily have to be conscious, in fact many times there are problems caused because a mage looses his or her concentration part way through the spell, thus halting the spell or ending up with an imperfect result. Or worse, if their thoughts wander too far, the result may be completely different from what they originally intended, sometimes with very unfortunate results. That is why many mages use magical words when casting spells. Well, one of the reasons. It also helps with the ritual and... other things."
"Speaking of, the second part is ritual. The way someone moves their body, what they say, what they feel, what they think, how they think, all those contribute to the spell. Oftentimes, it is even necessary to change your thoughts or movements or words according to how the spell is progressing. If the spell aligns with your affinity, it's usually much easier to reach the required state. And it also means that it is easier to understand the spell, if you read about it or if someone explains it to you. Because it should be closer to the way you think and act and... the way you are, really, what you are. Again, it depends on circumstances and elemental affinity. Spells that combine multiple elements tend to be much harder for that exact reason."
"And the third is... casting a spell. It is a bit hard to explain without becoming too technical, since it depends on many factors depending on circumstances and the elements involved... Basically it means that even if you want something to happen, it's not enough. You have to cause it to happen. Even if the energy inside you is in a perfect state, you have to somehow cause it to... go out. But it's not really going out, because it is already flowing through you, it is part of you. It is more like... To feel the power within you, to coax that energy to act and manifest, to push it to act while keeping control of it. But it's not really control, because... Eh, it's hard to explain to someone who's never done it before. It's like moving a hand. Or blinking. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be done intentionally, it just happens. If you've done it before, then you understand what I'm talking about."
"Depending on the inner power of a mage and their environment, either of these parts alone can be enough to cause a spell to manifest, but alone and without training they are unlikely to result in a spell as good or as powerful. In fact, they are very likely to get you killed."
"Theoretically, even a peasant could use magic in the right circumstances, usually manifested through the use of enchanted items. There have been some instances where claims of unaided magic use have been made, but they are hard to verify. How can one know for certain that they are not merely tales of drunkards? How can one know if the heroes of old or those who claim to have been aided by gods have not actually aided themselves, using magic without realising it? You cannot watch everyone all the time. It is an interesting subject but impossibly hard to research and prove conclusively.""How can I tell the difference between spells? How can I know if a mage is trying to attack me or if he is simply divining information?""Well, like I said, casting requires those three element. Of those three, the easier to discern without the use of magic is the ritual element. If one knows of the spells someone is likely to use, then they can usually discern what kind of spell someone is casting based on their words and movements."
"If one does not know exactly how a spell is cast, then they could probably guess the mage's intent from the way they act. It is like trying to discern the intent of someone as they are talking or like trying to determine whether or not they are lying. Generally a violent spell will have violent words and movements. But it takes an expert judge of intent to do so. After all, the difference between determined and angry might be hard to make out depending on the circumstances."
"One may try to use their thoughts and intent to override the other elements of the ritual, but it is hard and unreliable to do so, usually even harder than casting a spell by intent alone. One may try to intentionally miscast a spell to cause damage, but that is even more unreliable. The more... chaotic elements tend to be more forgiving in that regard, so if one thinks one with such an affinity is likely to betray him, then he should probably be even more careful about them.""You wanted to cast divinations upon me before, however, I am not willing to let you cast unknown spells upon me. Could you teach me the spells you wish to cast so that they will no longer be unknown?"Kassiver sighs.
"Explaining would take a lot of time and I would like to get at least some
sleep. I have important things to do tomorrow. I suppose I could just show you the words and movements. That way you'd-"You catch a glimpse of something moving near Ike with the corner of your eye. Kassiver pauses and looks at him closely.
"I could cast the spell on your... companion here, if you consider him more expendable. Then you could see there is nothing to worry about."Campaign, Ike!
Ike, having listened to the mage's filibuster, sheds his last regrets about never attending college. From this moment on, he is truly free of his entire past. He has the impulse to thank the man for this great favor, but quickly suppresses it.
Thankfully there are fun guards to distract me from this lecturing business. Are they going away already to get smashed, or are they sticking around?
Think of potatoes. Consider their mysterious allure while I listen to all around me.
"What? I tried searching a pub yesterday morning but it had already been cleared of everything."
"Why does that not surprise me?"
"That they cleared the pub?"
"That you stayed awake after our shift to search for liqueur."
"Psh. I don't drink liqueur. Only strong ale will do it for me. Or something stronger."
*quiet*
"Not that I'd object to a bit of liqueur."
*quiet*
"I mean, really, any sort of drink will do."
*sigh* "Why did you even volunteer for this position? No, wait, don't answe-"
"What? I can sit around all night and get food for it. Not like it's something dangerous."
"Do you know where the person who had that post before you is?"
"Where?"
"Let's say that he only gets up when there's wind now."
"What, you mean he got cursed with some sort of wind magic curse?"
"No. How to put it... He's all around you. Here, there, a bit further."
"I'm not following you."
"He's been burnt, you idiot. There's nothing but ashes left."
"Hey, no need to call people names, you could had just said that in the first place."
*quiet*
"What's wrong?"
"All your talking about drinking has gotten me thirsty now. And I can't get in there or I'll get yelled at again."
"Want me to get in there to get you some?"
"What? So that you'll get- No, wait, that's a brilliant idea. Why don't you get me some? Maybe if I'm lucky he'll volunteer you for that military assignment and I can get you off my back."
"What?"
"Nothing."You close your eyes and think of the mysterious nature of the tubers, of their capacity to grow and spread, with normal plant-like leaves above ground, yet a more intricate method of reproduction below ground, a network of roots and stolons and child potatoes that could remind one of an ants' nest's network of tunnels and storage chambers. Only the network is not built merely to preserve the life of the colony, but to ensure the existence of future life, each potato being a new centre of growth, a bundle of nutrients coupled with several nodes of information and future growth, much sturdier and more likely to survive than most animals that walk the earth. One could say a potato represents life. Life is, in a way, potato.
You reason however that there is something more here, for the potato does not simply grow alone. It cannot grow outside of the ground, it needs the earth, it feeds off of it. It even takes on its nature, by becoming brown like the soil it grows in, taking the smell and shape of lumps of dirt. How does it do that though, a plant masquerading as dirt? What wondrous powers could be hidden in the simple potato?
And the potato also needs the air. And the sun. And the water. It is like the whole world revolves around the potato. As if the whole world was created to cater its needs. Even humans grow and protect potatoes, taking a few of them in return. You reason, therefore that potatoes represent the divine, perfection. People should meditate about potatoes, worship potatoes, model their ways after its lessons, regard the cultivation and consumption of potatoes as a ritual, a way to move closer to the divine perfection of the potato.
...
Maybe it's time to eat again?
OOCI challenge every one of you to try and beat that.
Somewhere in the netherverse, Alan begins to charge up his misfortune powers.
Seriously though, how many negative modifiers did he even have?
It's the way combat works. Basically, being in the site of an airstrike, having a missile happen to go towards your general direction and walking right on its path is very bad for your health. It was one of those things where if there were no rolls involved, if he had fired the missile on himself or something, I would have had him autofail his endurance.
((So what, did I roll 3 1s in a row to get that kind of negatives?))
Something like that, plus the damage multiplier for the missile, plus your position, plus circumstances. The only way to make it worse would have been to be standing on a tank so that you could had gotten hit by multiple missiles and bullets.
Poll
15 (42.9%)
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Topic: Special People: Mechanical Syndrome (Read 1149496 times)