Round 16I use Speech to encourage Esme to use Commune to talk to the pumpkin, which I seem to recall had a spirit inside of it earlier. I don't know if this will work, but it's worth a shot. Should that fail, I'll use the same speech to encourage Esme to run very quickly in the other direction and find the headmaster, and use Manifest to distract the pumpkin and try to lead it away from other students, taking risks as necessary, rather than avoiding them. Hopefully this won't go too terribly.
I wonder what would happen if she used plant growth on the pumpkin. It seems like a bad idea, but it says healthy, so maybe it would make it a little less murder-y? Well, not going to try that unless things get much worse.
I suggest(3) Komori to use second sight to dodge the next attack but also use the weapon while he does so, i'll assist him by examining(3) the creature attacking him for weak points, then i use Push(2) to mark said spots with chalk for Komori to target
"Ah, there it is..."
I'm assuming I see this bugger. Sword up, arm possessed, d**k out LETS DO THIS.
Esme gathers her courage, then turns around and faces the monster.
"STOP!" she shouts with her mind. The creature pauses for a moment, looking at her with an inscrutable pumpkin expression.
Moments later, it shrieks as Ardera
stabs it in the back with The Broken Blade,
dealing heavy damage!
Komori pulls out a small spool of thread moments before a deadly vine lashes out at Ardera
and swats her into a wall, knocking her out cold but is pulled off course by a nearly invisible loop of thread that Komori coincidentally flung out a second before for no apparent reason, then whips upwards
slamming Komori into the ceiling and is shorn clean through as Komori pulls the thread tight, causing him to tumble through the air and
crash into land on the monster's stem!
It seems as though the monster has no distinct weak point! Destroying its vines may prevent it from attacking, but the only way to defeat it is to destroy the main body, which is too round and thick to easily bisect.
Komori turns to the side just in time to see Professor Sun running towards him at superhuman speeds! His eyes are fixated directly on Komori, and he does not look happy. It almost looks like he is about to punch Komori in the face.
Pumpkin Monster: 388/450
Esme: 40/40
Ardera: 45/45
Komori: 30/30
Arbus: 20/20
2/7 4/7 0/8
Bound to: The Broken Blade, a recently created Relic currently in the possession of Ardera, first-year (Undecided).
Unique Abilities:
Possess Arm (3)(3): When activated, you can control the arm and hand of your wielder directly, attacking or blocking with extreme levels of skill, or pulling them in the direction you want them to move. Lasts several turns. [Active]
Combat Sense (2): Passively gain an awareness when there is a fight going on nearby. When activated, allows you to determine the approximate location of the fight.
3/4 0/7 3/11
Bound to: Komori, a first-year (Aspiring Blue).
Unique Abilities:
Danger Sense: You passively gain a bit of knowledge about the future as it pertains to danger.
Komori's Abilities:
?/? ?/? 32/70
Equipped with: Razor Thread
Second Sight: When active, allows the user to see about one second into the future, and take an action to change this future. Drains (5) per second. May have other limitations...?
12/17 20/32 16/16
Bound to: Esme, a first-year (Aspiring Green).
Unique Abilities:
Soul Bond (5): You spiritually empower a believer, enhancing their senses and physical abilities. [Active]
Manifest (5): You may briefly manifest a physical form. (Fox) [Active]
Speech (5): You may speak verbally to a human.
Mana Boost (Green) (?): You may increase another spirit's Green mana up to 5 points. The cost is twice the amount boosted. You may overcharge the target, but it will return to their maximum value on the next turn.
Esme's Abilities:
16/16 49/55 22/22
Plant Growth (5): Infuses plants with energy, making them grow healthy and strong.
Commune (5): Enables the user to understand and communicate with spirits.
Examine(2) Zume's mind further, regarding his past, as well as his future goals ( exactly HOW he intends to become stronger in this academy ). Suggest to him that I will aid him in defeating the Midnight Eyes, provided they are indeed wrongdoers. Get him to trust my presence more.
The Midnight Eyes are said to be untouchable in a fight, even when greatly outnumbered - so it stands to reason that their main ability is not power or durability, but speed. In order to match them, I began to train my speed to superhuman levels, and by training under Professor Sun, I intend to push these limits even further. But even if I can face them in battle, I still need information.
The eye marking on that boy's pendant - I'd recognize it anywhere. That was the same marking on the arm of the man who killed my father. It's their secret sigil - it is how they can recognize one another. If the boy really is a member of the Midnight Eyes, he should know something about them - and he's still a child, so I should be able to beat him. But how can I know for certain?Moments later, Professor Sun speeds past Zume, headed up the Blue hallway! A trail of vapor streams out from behind his feet, which move at superhuman speeds. Zume spins around just in time to see several students fighting the pumpkin monster - including the boy, who has just managed to flip his way on top of the creature with a series of improbable moves that no first-year should be able to pull off...
Your connection with Zume has grown stronger!Spirit Evolution: You may choose one of the following abilities:
Manifest (10): You may take the form of a dog of indeterminate breed. You may also choose any unusual features or qualities of this form.
Soul Forge (10): As long as your user is willing, you can effectively take control of them. They may take on minor canine mannerisms while doing this.
If you choose Manifest, you may additionally choose the following trait:
Sychronized Guardian: Your mana and HP become pooled with your user, granting you a significant power boost. However, damage to either of you will be reflected onto the other.
7/7 12/12 7/8
Soul Bond (5): You spiritually empower a believer, enhancing their senses and physical abilities.
Spectral Fangs (3): You may inflict edged damage on a target.
Zume's Abilities:
60/65 30/30 22/22
Flash Step (5): Allows the user to cross short distances in the blink of an eye.
I'm going to work from the assumption that Research merely allows Iris to find a source of information, rather than granting the info directly.
I'm also assuming that Iris got to read the book too and is aware of its contents.
I Suggest(1) to the student holding the 'Golem technical manual' to introduce himself to the one holding Eightfold.
Then Research a way to Unbind spirits and use Suggest(2) to relay whatever i learn to him and urge him to make use of it without regard for any of the school's rules.
If needed and possible, do another book push(1).
The student turns to the one sitting next to him.
"Hey," he says, trying to seem more confident than he feels,
"I've seen you in here before. Brook, right? I'm Damir.""Holding up all right?" Brook says, clutching his book tightly.
"Sounds pretty crazy out there."Damir nods, sighing.
"You ever get the feeling that you're a little bit useless in situations like these?""We'll be better off staying out of the way. The teachers can probably take care of it, and besides, we're Blue Mages. Fighting isn't something we're cut out for.""True, but...maybe we can do something anyway. Every monster has a weakness, and we've got access to all the information we need, right here."You examine the book some more.
Like most stable spells, strengthening a golem once it is created is largely a matter of using it as often as possible. Unlike most amulets, however, golems can often be strengthened further by pushing them beyond their limits. One prominent theory is that once a spirit binds itself to a physical form, it begins to generate its own Essence as it acquires self-awareness.While many mages in the Blue and Magenta schools have attempted to use this fact to "train" spirits by binding them to golems, then unbind the spirits and attach them to other objects, thus far the only individual who supposedly accomplished this is the late Lord Sinocard, who kept the process a closely guarded secret and whose accomplishments have been widely disputed by historians after his death. All documented research suggests that the Essence acquired by a spirit while attached to a physical form is tightly bound to that physical form, and though it is possible to unbind a bound spirit by destroying its body, doing so renders the spirit severely weakened if not destroyed entirely, rendering the process useless.Useless...it seems that your Research ability isn't quite as reliable as you had hoped it would be. Or perhaps there
is no easy way of unbinding a spirit without destroying its body. You are quite certain that the rest of the information here is completely irrelevant to the current situation and will probably never come up in the future.
2/4 2/4 3/7
Bound to: A cat, also named "Iris"
Research (3): Seek out information that is relevant to solving a particular problem.
Eightfold, feeling frightened about the presence outside, does the only thing she can really think to do, she Examines(6) it as hard as she can, if she can. Eightfold attempts to Suggest(4) any helpful ideas she gets to the boy.
You strain yourself as hard as you can, trying to get as much information about the creature as possible!
You can feel something strange...a presence that is
inside the monster? No, inside is not the right word. There's some kind of folded space inside it. Something like a three-dimensional space that manifests in the physical world as a two-dimensional one. That's not quite it either, but it's the closest you are able to grasp.
There's a person inside it, and possibly something else.
You try to learn more about the nature of the way the hidden space is folded. You still can't quite grasp it, but you think that you might be able to imitate it...
You learn a new ability? Dimensional FoldsBrook can't hear you, but he hopes that the book might be a powerful artifact.
You are empowered!
12/12 2/10 5/9
Bound to: A blank book, titled "Eightfold".
Unique Abilities:
Ghostwriter (5): When unobserved, text may appear in your book.
Dimensional Folds (10)(5): You can't quite understand the nuances of this ability, but it allows you to fold things...?
The Fool is amused by this. Even if he had control of his movements, one had to wonder whenever Corey was truly the puppeteer here or his puppet.
Hey, don't you remember you were told to exit through the Green Wing? It wouldn't be fun to be eaten by a nasty monster, would it? Keh heh heh heh! I mean, it would be absolutely hilarious to watch someone else be eaten by a giant pumpkin, but you get the point.
That's what he would have said, if he was capable of speech. But since he isn't, he Suggest (2) Corey that he shouldn't return to the room with the monster and that he should instead exit through the Green Wing.
He also attempts to Examine (3) Corey's Puppeteer ability, if possible. He can already move on his own and push things, so some controled movement shouldn't be too hard to learn. Right?
Corey ignores the strange man. Now is not the time to be messing around! He makes his way toward the Green Wing and the exit.
Your introspection succeeds! While your ability to push things isn't strong enough to make you dance through the air on your own, moving your limbs around to walk should be child's play.
You gained a new ability:
Animate Body 11/11 1/10 9/12 Bound to: A puppet in the possession of Corey, a first-year (Aspiring Magenta). (HP 4/5)
Unique Abilities:
Unseen Movement (5): You may move your puppet body under your own power, but only when not being watched.
Animate Body (10): You may move your puppet body freely, even when being watched.
Spells Learned:
Viscosius: causes things to stick together.
Oculobscurum: creates momentary partial blindness.
Tentaculigo:
(Cannot use verbal spells until you find a way to speak!)
Corey's Abilities:
20/20 ?/? 32/32 Puppeteer (5)(5): Grants the user telekinetic control over an object for several seconds.
Demitra suggests(3) to one of the gray robed students to get as far away from the pumpkin creature as possible, follow whatever student I suggest to
You move among the crowd of confused, frightened students and encourage them to leave the school in a calm and orderly fashion.
You gain a new ability:
ClarityHowever, one student doesn't seem to be listening. He is racing
toward the monster, a magical flame conjured in his hand!
3/3 5/10 3/5
Unique Abilities:
Mana Boost (Green) (?): You may increase another spirit's Green mana up to 5 points. The cost is twice the amount boosted. You may overcharge the target, but it will return to their maximum value on the next turn.
Clarity (3)(3): Calms down an angry or frightened target and helps them think clearly.
Push(3) everything I can in this room to distort and destroy the runes besides the stop rune.
Even pushing at full strength, you aren't nearly strong enough to do that! You manage to create a small breeze that is lost in the general chaos of the room. It may or may not be the cause of the ceremonial dagger falling off the wall. It sticks blade-first into the ground.
The magical energy begins to calm down, and the vortex disappears.
Hmm.. I do not know what goes on here, do I. Talk about a rough start. Be nice had she actually finished that speech, it sounded interesting.
Dismantle the flows of energy, and direct the Insight on the Power to determine how to bleed it off safely, and do so.
The Professor - or rather, the thing that is currently wearing the Professor's body - casually glances at the magic circle. Without so much as a hand gesture, the flows of magic around the design are ripped apart and reorganized, changing the shape of the runes in an instant. The
stop rune is erased and your own symbol is connected to the
shell rune.
Moments later, the Professor, the room, and everything in it disappears.
The magic stops flowing through you, though your Mana Collectors are still there.
You are in a featureless orange void.
There is air, but it feels stale, stifling, and smells faintly of vegetables.
Not far away, a girl sits, curled into a fetal position. It's the girl who came at your first summon, the one who was changed into a pumpkin.
A strange vibration emanates from your
Blue Collector. It's a voice, as if spoken from very far away.
Grim. We meet at last. Stand aside, General. I wish to speak with this man myself. Of course, you do realize you will not be leaving this place alive.Scout around and look for the teacher.
Leaving Cole to his own devices for a while, you follow the traces of Red and Blue magic to their source. You enter the room to find that it is, indeed, Professor Aubergine at the center of the magical storm. You enter the room just in time to see a swirl of magic fade away and the Professor's eyes stop glowing purple.
She lets out a gasp and drops to the floor in a daze.
2/6 13/13 9/14
Bound to: A pen in the possession of Kevin, a first-year (Aspiring Green).
Unique Abilities:
Danger Sense: You passively gain a bit of knowledge about the future as it pertains to danger.
Manifest (5): You may briefly manifest a physical form. (Eye made of ink)
Scout (3): You may fly around freely and observe things while intangible. [Active]
Analyze Wand (3): You gain extra insight when examining wands, staves, or similar items.
6/6 3/3 7/7 Unique Abilities:
Analyze Runes (3): You gain extra insight when examining runes.
Create Runes (5)(3): You can use runic magic. Using unknown spells may have unexpected effects.
Propel (10): You may propel an object in a straight line at high speeds.
Connection to : You passively receive information about...something.
Mana Collectors:
(25)(18) You may use the energy from these collectors, but it will not regenerate once used.
10/10 12/12 9/12
Bound to: Cole, a first-year (undecided).
Unique Abilities:
Soul Bond (5): You spiritually empower a believer, enhancing their senses and physical abilities.
Scout (3): You may fly around freely and observe things while intangible.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the school from the pumpkin monster debacle, a student of the Blue school is opening a letter...
Kai took out her lucky coin - well, eighth of a coin, really, but whatever - and fit the corner into one end of the envelope. She was pretty sure Fragment wouldn’t actually be able to make it more likely she’d been accepted for the internship, but they were worth having with her for the event, anyway. Little bits of ceremony and belief helped spirits, after all.
The letter out of the envelope, it wasn’t long before Kai’s eyes were drawn directly to the most important part.
Congratulations, Kai. Your request to join Captain Lazulo’s crew for the season has been accepted.
A few people in nearby rooms heard some relatively loud cries of victory.
Kai looks over the letter again. While she always dreamed of a life of exploration and commerce on the high seas, she never expected to be accepted so quickly.
She would have to speak with the Headmaster about getting school credit for the apprenticeship, of course, but the school typically encouraged its students to practice abroad, particularly in the later semesters. If it weren't for her mother's insistance on finishing her schooling, of course, she wouldn't have even bothered. Her grandfather certainly didn't care for the academic fields.
She glances down at her coin fragment again. Was it really lucky, as her grandfather had suggested? No,
luck wasn't quite what he said. He said that as long as she kept the coin fragment with her, Fate would ensure that she would one day fulfill her dream of traveling the world. He himself had found the piece at sea, after all.
Kai wonders what the person depicted on the coin looked like. She remembers looking through books of famous kings and princes but could not find a single image that matched the sliver of a face remaining on the coin. Sometimes she tried to imagine him, but of course the only way to know for sure would be to find the other seven pieces of the coin. But that was ridiculous, of course. No doubt the other pieces were long lost to time.
2/2 3/3 5/5
Bound to: One eighth of a silver coin
Unique Abilities:
Fragmented Soul (5): You gain a dim awareness of the environment around your other fragments, regardless of distance.
Fragment Seeker (3): You can sense the direction of the other fragments.
somewhere in the school near the library, a kitten had gotten lost and separated from their mother. as it mewled and panicked, a spirit, barely a wisp of thought, took form and soothed it’s lonesome cries. bound to it’s new companion, it gently draws the kitten’s Curiosity in the direction of the nearest person. The spirit couldnt care for them itself, but at the very least it could try to find someone who would be able to.
(a bound guardian, with a kitten as their chosen binding, starting out near the library.)
The kitten's ears pick up as they hear a voice nearby.
"Yes, of course, my lady. My work here is done. Let us meet on the corner of Walsh and Brick."
A tall, spindly man in a dark cloak strides around the corner, speaking to someone unseen.
"I will be there soon. I just need to pick up a snack first. Don't worry, it will only be a moment."
1/1 2/3 1/1
Bound to: A kitten
Author
Topic: Chromatic Spirits RPG: Ghosts to Gods: Round 16: Battle against a Pumpkin (Read 21210 times)