Blacksmith quest :Take Two

[Liam-don]

It sounds like we already have the first.

Click to shrink...

I put the option there for a reason.


EDIT: To elaborate, Structural Grasp is the ability to establish a blueprint of an object in your mind. No more, no less. Reading the history and reproducing the skill of the user is something Archer can only apply to swords, and it's an imperfect skill at that.

 

[Megaolix]

Techincally, we can do all of them except the last. And as before, people won't ask that many questions if what we do fall under that skill. How the level will be affected now, I have no idea, but we can explain crazier stuff that fall under that skill with level increase.

 

[Xicree]

[X]Chronokinetic.

I thought long and hard on this......... but then i gave up and chose to Chrono Trigger.

 

[Selias]

[X] Transmutation.

 

[Wing101]

[]Transmutation.

 

[nick012000]

[X] Psychometry

Because it's the most in-line with what we already do. Only a Level 1? Hah, we'll hit Level 5 in no time.

 

[Alexander]

[X] Chronokinetic.

Because it's the only skill we don't have an equivalent of. Thinks of the possibilities of using it in combination with Archer's Tracing.

Also, did anyone noticed how Archer didn't suffer damage from using magic even if his current body was that of an esper?

 

[Pipeman]

Quite frankly, I'm not seeing much of a case for Chronokinetic at all.
It's combat and utility aplications are incredibly limited by the simple fact that we are Level 1 and become even more pointless when compared to our natural abilities.
And unlike any of the others it has absolutely no utility whatsoever for helping us deal with our peculiar situation of having been dropped into the life of another person and having to keep others from noticing.

Psychometry would allow us to easily learn more about our new situation and allow us to dodge numerous faux pas.
Transmutation could be used to at least somewhat mask our own inherent abilities and allow us to use them more openly.
Psychological control could be used to deflect suspicion and defuse other problematic situations.
All of these would be incredibly relevant towards the situation at hand.
Chonokinesis in contrast is nothing but a marginally useful reference to the abilities of Kiritsugu, who we not only surpasssed ages ago but whose abilities we also knew only very little about.
And that's not even going into the fact that his time stuff isn't really what made him dangerous anyways.

 

[nick012000]

[X] Chronokinetic.

Because it's the only skill we don't have an equivalent of. Thinks of the possibilities of using it in combination with Archer's Tracing.

Also, did anyone noticed how Archer didn't suffer damage from using magic even if his current body was that of an esper?

Click to shrink...

Probably because it was derived from his Reality Marble, which is to say, it was derived from his AIM Field.

 

[Pipeman]

Because it's the only skill we don't have an equivalent of. Thinks of the possibilities of using it in combination with Archer's Tracing.

Click to shrink...

This is patently false.
Archer sucks too much at magecraft to actually use hypnotism and the GM just explained why we don't have an equivalent of psychometry on the last page.
I'll quote it for you:

I put the option there for a reason.


EDIT: To elaborate, Structural Grasp is the ability to establish a blueprint of an object in your mind. No more, no less. Reading the history and reproducing the skill of the user is something Archer can only apply to swords, and it's an imperfect skill at that.

Click to shrink...

Furthermore the similarity between transmutation and what Archer does is a good thing because it makes for a decent cover.
And quite frankly the possiblity of tracing somewhat faster is not all that enticing.
And if you're talking about high end time manipulation, then I have to inform you that all esper powers are utterly broken at high levels.

 

[Megaolix]

Chronokinetic COULD be used to explain Archer's combat reflexes that Shirou here shouldn't have.

 

[Liam-don]

[X]Chronokinetic.

The ability to freely manipulate the flow of time. To speed up, slow down, stop or outright reverse it within a specific target or area. The file expands on the potential variations and applications of such an ability. Enhanced reflexes, superspeed, precognition, time reversal regeneration, dozens of others possibilities are put forth, broken down, detailed and explained in a thick scientific jargon that goes right over your head. That doesn't stop you from understanding just what sort of power this entails. Mastery over time, that is the skill Emiya Shirou is developping at his school.

"Fuck me." You whisper inadvertantly.

Further reading somewhat dampen your reaction, as while in theory the implications are mind-boggling, the reality issn't quite that grandiose. Emiya Shirou was a level 1, which as far as you could understand meant he was barely able to use his powers. In practice, the boy could only slow or accelerate his own time-flow by a factor of 2 for a duration of ten seconds.

Your own professional hazards probably colored your opinion, but that was nothing to sneeze at as far as you were concerned. Still, the report said that it was far short of the boy's projected potential.

Who made those "projection" exactly, you wonder. Based on on what factors?

You take a deep breath and shake your head. While you get the general ideas in those reports well enough, there is a lot of reference to concepts and theories you've never even heard of that keep you from really understanding what you're reading. You're lacking the basic knowledge about "espers," "supernatural abilities," "the Power Curriculum Program." Academy City as a whole, really.

You are very hungry, you realize suddenly. Time flew without your notice and night has fallen. You set the laptop aside and go to the kitchen to fix yourself a quick meal. While you busy yourself in the kitchen, you think about what you'll do next.

[] There's school tomorrow. You want to get an early start. Go rest right away.
[] Go out for some scouting. Locate the school especially.
[] Your host's file wasn't completely beyond your understanding. Surely you can figure out how he used his ability.
[] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.
[] First of all, you need to know what you can do right now. Check this body's conditioning and see how it interacts with your ability as a Servant.
[] Look around the apartment once again. Maybe you missed something?
[]...?

 

[nick012000]

[X] Look around the apartment once again. Maybe you missed something?

Judgement Armband? He might not have recognized it as unusual before he read the stuff on the computer.

 

[Pipeman]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

Now that let us be successfully taken in by the shiny we might as well try to prevent any more screw-ups.

 

[Alexander]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

Yes! Yes yes yes. We control Time! Little of it for now, but this is Archer: dedication isn't something he lacks.

 

[Liam-don]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

Yes! Yes yes yes. We control Time! Little of it for now, but this is Archer: dedication isn't something he lacks.

Click to shrink...

Arguably one of the least broken ability you could have picked.

 

[Megaolix]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

 

[Uruloki]

[x] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

 

[Redon]

[X] First of all, you need to know what you can do right now. Check this body's conditioning and see how it interacts with your ability as a Servant.

 

[Jiven]

Arguably one of the least broken ability you could have picked.

Click to shrink...

Doesn't matter if it's fun.


[X] First of all, you need to know what you can do right now. Check this body's conditioning and see how it interacts with your ability as a Servant.

 

[Alexander]

Arguably one of the least broken ability you could have picked.

Click to shrink...

*raises eyebrow* Least broken? Funny I was thinking the contrary. But while I can see the potential when used properly I prefer using the Rule of Cool. After all if Archer doesn't struggle and risk to die at every moment it isn't funny >

 

[Selias]

[X] Psychometry

Because it's the most in-line with what we already do. Only a Level 1? Hah, we'll hit Level 5 in no time.

Click to shrink...

So is transmutation. Doesn't Archer use Alteration to turn swords into arrows?

 

[Pipeman]

*raises eyebrow* Least broken? Funny I was thinking the contrary. But while I can see the potential when used properly I prefer using the Rule of Cool. After all if Archer doesn't struggle and risk to die at every moment it isn't funny >

Click to shrink...

Do you honestly not see how incredibly broken psychological control would be at higher levels?
I mean, you could do practically everything to people.
Rather horrifying actually and I kind of doubt Archer would have used it that way, but undoubtebly broken.

Somewhat harder to imagine is high level psychometry, but I could easily see a high level user being able to figure out anyone's motivations, goals, plans and the next three steps they're going to take by taking a look at their shirt.
Maybe it'd even be possible to move towards practical mind-reading or even precognition from there, only that this isn't really possible to defend against since it works indirectly.
The big reason this would have been rather broken though would have probably been that it would have given us way more information to use, all of which would get processed with EotM(T) and result in utter bullshit tier plans that actually work.

As for transmutation, I can kind of see the argument for chronokinesis being more broken, but then again that one really depends on where the GM sets the limits for each.

 

[Liam-don]

Doesn't matter if it's fun.

Click to shrink...

To be fair, it's probably the one I'd have picked as well.

Do you honestly not see how incredibly broken psychological control would be at higher levels?
I mean, you could do practically everything to people.
Rather horrifying actually and I kind of doubt Archer would have used it that way, but undoubtebly broken.

Somewhat harder to imagine is high level psychometry, but I could easily see a high level user being able to figure out anyone's motivations, goals, plans and the next three steps they're going to take by taking a look at their shirt.
Maybe it'd even be possible to move towards practical mind-reading or even precognition from there, only that this isn't really possible to defend against since it works indirectly.
The big reason this would have been rather broken though would have probably been that it would have given us way more information to use, all of which would get processed with EotM(T) and result in utter bullshit tier plans that actually work.

As for transmutation, I can kind of see the argument for chronokinesis being more broken, but then again that one really depends on where the GM sets the limits for each.

Click to shrink...

Psychometry is one of those things that look like a mildly useful support ability at first glance but turns out to be ridiculously powerful when pushed to its logical conclusion. The others aren't exactly underpowered, mind you, so it's not like the group chose wrong or anything.

 

[iamnuff]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

 

[Selias]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.

 

[Liam-don]

[X] Don't be hasty and start from the beginning. Read up on Academy City and Espers.


There's no handy "Academy city 101" "Superpowers for dummies" book lying around, but you manage to cobble up some basic knowledge from books and the internet.

Academy City.

A landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the Tokyo Metropolitan Employment Area. As the city's name suggests, it is a city of several schools and institutions of higher learning from kindergarten to university level that learn side-by-side along with the scientists who research on psychic powers and higher technology. It is so advanced city its technology is said to be 30 years ahead of the world.

Academy City is composed of 23 districts, called School Districts one to twenty-three. Its total population is about 2.3 million with 80% of them being students and 1/8 of those students living in the city dorms. Of the entire student population, only 20% possesses a power worth mentioning, while about 60% demonstrate only a slight amount of psychic ability, level 0, 20% pursue other subjects instead of going under the Power Curriculum Program.

That significantly cut down on the number of people who can blow stuff up with their mind, but still leave about ten to a hundred thousand of them packed in the same plot of land. The knowledge doesn't really bring you much peace of mind.

The city's first line of law enforcement is the security bots that constantly patrol the streets. They're the one who deal with minor offense or delinquency, leaving Anti-Skill, an armed militia equipped with Academy City's latest toys, free to take care of real criminals. There's also Judgement, a city-wide "disciplinary comittee" of volunteer students, depending on their abilities to support Anti-Skill.

You take a look at a map and locate your appartment building and school before moving on to Espers.

Espers are the name given to the people who developped a supernatural ability through the Power Curriculum Program. Through the use of training, hypnosys and drug treatment, they learn to manifest their Personal Reality, substituting the world's reality with their own. The concept is eerily familiar, but whereas your Reality Marble is engraved in your very soul, the Personal Reality is describing as a mental structure whose magnitude depends entirely on the Esper's calculating ability.

...You have an inkling as to why Emiya Shirou never progressed beyond Level 1.

You're not Emiya Shirou. Not this Emiya Shirou at least. While you seemed to have things in common, your mindset are different and you definitely lack that Personal Reality of his.

But if that power is born from the physical shape, then you might be able to learn it as well. At least, self-hypnoiys is the first step of a sucessful magecraft and your own skill depends on imagination. While you don't have the six years this boy had to work on this skill you have more than a decade on him in the practice of those. It's no garantee, but it's worth a try, you think.

You keep reading for a while longer, delving into details about the underlying theories that support espers abilities and the experiments the students goes through. You're not eager to let some mad scientist toy with your brain, but the Level 1 experiments aren't that invasive, even if some are outright brutal. You can handle easily enough.

The only question then, is if you are willing to take the risk. Espers release a form of energy called AIM, which is as unique to each of them as their thumbprint. If you have AIM at all, it is most likely doesn't match your previous hosts.

You'll have to think about this carefully.

It's past midnight now. You're not really tired yet, but there's only a few hours until you have to show up for school. You live in the district 7 and your school is in the district 23. While the two border each other it is still quite a distance on foot, especially when you don't know your way around.

Maybe You should take a day off to really get your bearings.

Right now, you will...

[] Sleep
[] Go out.
[] Read on Emiya Shirou specifically
[] Check your condition.
[] Search through the appartment again.
[]...?


In the morning will you...

[] Go to school.
[] Don't go.

 

[Kataphraktos]

[X] Check your condition thoroughly, circuits and all.
[X] Don't go.

We can call in sick and then claim we're still under the weather to explain our strange behavior when we do go back to school.

 

[nick012000]

[X] Search through the Apartment again.
[X] Go to school.

 

[Alexander]

[X] Search through the appartment again.
[X] Go to school.