Jump to content

Had a Weird Geneforge 3-based Dream Last Night


Hyena of Ice

Recommended Posts

Bear with me because I can't remember everything 100%, also my dreams tend to be disorganized with poor continuity... though what I can recall of this one is straightforward enough, though like all my dreams, randomly switched between me playing the game, live-action roleplaying the game with friends, and actually BEING the protagonist in the game world.

 

At any rate, in my dream, something happened to Alwan (I don't remember for certain but I think he got exposed to a rare disease or toxin) and he ended up in a coma, dying (I remember that he had a high fever, but again don't remember the details)

 

So I (Ester and Greta) had to fight this drayk-bird like thing to acquire the ingredients for the medicine he needed. That battle was a <b>HUGE</b> pain in the ass. From what I recall, the medicine was some sort of fungus that fed on a sulfur-based mineral deposit, (though seems like it was also a sulfur and beeswax-like substance produced by the Drayk-bird) and the only way to defeat the monster was by preparing a spell or missle weapon from the medicine itself. To make matters worse, it takes at least a full round to make the weapon, and worse than that, the drayk-bird thing eats the medicine (there's a lot of it, but it's not in infinite quality, so there's potential for a game-stopper)

 

ADDING TO THAT, it gets two attacks per friggin' round, and it can also eat your prepared weapon. It takes 7 consecutive hits to kill, and it regenerates by a lot. It also hits hard, so every 3 rounds I had to heal myself (wasn't going after Greta very much, and she was pretty useless)

 

For some reason grabbing the medicine and running wasn't an option (I think maybe the room closed on us or something)

 

I don't remember the last 1/3rd of the battle, but she shaper needed to make the medicine administered it to Alwan (and for some reason needed assistance from both Ester and Greta), but he'd need a long time to recover. For some reason I left Greta behind to watch Alwan and fill him in when he wakes up about what happened (and stay constantly by his bedside.) while I went after the men who did this to him (apparently they were part of a crime syndicate unrelated to the rebels O_o )

 

Yeah, that's great-- I'm sure Greta is the first thing Alwan will want to wake up to, LOL. Not to mention that Esther is absent.

 

I'm honestly surprised to have a dream that makes sense for once (there is some disjointed continuity and weirdness during the Drayk-bird battle that I haven't mentioned and only vaguely remember, and like all my dreams, it randomly switched between playing a video game, to roleplaying with friends, to being the protagonist IN the videogame) Awesome dream, though. I thought I'd NEVER beat that drayk-bird though.

 

Though Esther going after the a-holes who poisoned/diseased Alwan alone doesn't make much sense. I do remember really wanting to be there when Alwan awoke from his coma, but for some reason absolutely HAD to go after the perps-- maybe they were heading to a seaworthy ship or something, who knows (come to think of it, it does seem like I vaguely remember something like that, and planning to intercept them at a city pier-- something which of course DOESN'T make sense. Also, for some reason the pier was in a Harmony Isle-like climate even though the dream definitely took place on Dhonal Isle.) As for the event where Alwan was poisoned/diseased, I don't recall my dream covering it, but my party coming across them doing something organized-crimey would make the most sense-- (that or accosting them with "I know who you are") Then they attack, and Alwan is the one who is hit, and either Esther/Greta immediately drag Alwan off to seek help, or the criminals decide to run while we're distracted (former seems more likely) I remember when deciding to hunt them down, that I wasn't very confident that I could defeat them on my own-- there were three of them after all. I remember some feelings of helplessness about the situation.

 

Sadly, the dream ended with Alwan meanwhile slowly regaining consciousness, obviously a bit confused about the situation, and then noticing Greta in the room (but ended before he could react, even as far as facial expression, to noticing that it was Greta standing next to him... damn.)

 

Oh, and feel free to ask me any questions about additional details (there's one or two minor things I didn't bother to mention)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems the fluffy turtles of The Fifth of Novemer has visited the abysmal depths of your mind, carefully chewing the juicy, succulent brain cells left in your very dream. Normally, I charge people to rid them of the never-fading filth in the forums, it's free, for now.

 

Jeff probably put some subliminal dream sequence thinggy in the series for intensity, now you know why they're sold for $30 :p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^Heh.

 

Oh, I forgot to mention a piece of pure gold here:

 

Earlier when I mentioned that the alchemist needed mine and Greta's help to administer the medicine for some reason-- I vaguely remember that for some reason it involved pulling him out of bed (I picked him up by the underside of the arms while Greta picked him up by the ankles.)

The thing is, he might have been naked (I specifically remember that he was lying in bed shirtless under the blankets) LOL, talk about awkward. I don't think Alwan would be particularly happy to learn about that. I wonder if Greta would have teased him about it later, ha ha!.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The thing is, he might have been naked (I specifically remember that he was lying in bed shirtless under the blankets) LOL, talk about awkward. I don't think Alwan would be particularly happy to learn about that. I wonder if Greta would have teased him about it later, ha ha!.

 

I smell romance, and every story needs romance. For once, it intrigued me to return to my novel/dinner table to write a spin-off fanfic about Geneforge... You should too

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was like part dragon part bird. It was more bird than drayk, but... I'll have to think if I can fully remember what it looked like.

 

It had feathers, but they were razor-sharp and scale like (kinda spear/spade/lance shaped), like what you see on some heraldric symbols. It had blue and red feathers. It... had a beak, but also fangs. I can no longer remember what made it dragon-like to be honest as it's been too long now and I didn't dwell on those details enough. It had a breath weapon, but I think it was a sonic screech (sounds like mental barrier would be a must) It had bird-like wings and tail plumes which were actually prehensile and tentacle like O_o ) The feathers were red and blue (IIRC blue body, red wings and tail/tentacles) It also had a medium-length neck (but not waterfowl-length)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BTW, for possible fic-related info, does anyone have any idea how long baton thorns are? (it's obvious that they're large enough to cause internal injuries, but I have no idea beyond that)

 

Edit: nevermind. Now that I think about it, they're probably meant to be similar to bullets.

Written out extremely little (some writer's block) and I'm also doing a write-up of their equipment and spells.

 

Edit: Some of the writer's block taken care of, but I can't get the opening scene done until I do another playthrough to Ambush Bridge, and right now I'm still clearing the Kentia mines.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Oh, and before I write it, I need to rule out any possible rules violations. I don't think most of it will be a problem-- the majority is no worse than what is in the games.

--When possible, I try to keep the detail low to in-game levels (this goes against my writing style so I'll probably fail in many places) So most of this will not involve a lot of detail. The gross-out type concerns I don't consider any worse than the parasitized drayk in G3 or the general description of rotghoroths (the whole skin sloughing details)

--Human bad guy's hand gets partially or completely dissolved with a Searer spell

--Possibly creation dung in a cavern-- at the very worst someone might step in it

--There's some vomiting in certain scenes, including one where a character is swallowed whole and later vomited up by a large creation.

--This is the only one that I fear might be a problem-- when Alwan is stripped down/naked, though purely in a medical context and no details/jokes/remakes are made (although Esther and Greta are two of the three people undressing him)

 

I even wasted my time on levelling them up (I was level 19 on a re-play by the time I got to the point in the game when this takes place, so they're at level 18) and equipping them. Plus some made up equipment that pertains to realistic elements not covered in the games (namely utility belts/bracers and dealing with noisesome armor) The armor difference between Alwan and the gals is pretty crazy (55 vs. the mid or high 20's, due partly to neither of the agents using shields due to spellcasting logistics)

 

Meh, I probably should play G4 in order to get a better grasp of Alwan's and Greta's personalities, but I don't have time right now. One question though, does G4 show B/W pictures of either/both characters or give descriptions of their appearance (e.g. eyecolor, haircolor, height)

 

 

Oh, one final thing-- rather random-- for some reason, I always picture a running gag where Alwan's foot (or entire body) falls through something (rotted floor panels, rickety bridges, pit traps, hollow, compact clay-rich dirt)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

--This is the only one that I fear might be a problem-- when Alwan is stripped down/naked, though purely in a medical context and no details/jokes/remakes are made (although Esther and Greta are two of the three people undressing him)

 

I think there should be at least a harsh remark Greta should make, or something that would urge Alwan to smash her face in, although it depends if you're planning to make it a T or M fanfic

 

--When possible, I try to keep the detail low to in-game levels (this goes against my writing style so I'll probably fail in many places) So most of this will not involve a lot of detail.

 

That's also a problem of mine; I tend to add in too much details in some of my works, but I don't think you need to, as Geneforge fans would be the ones to read your story. Now I'm not saying that it will suck or something, but I doubt busy people with limited time on their day will actually read stuff they aren't interested in. So yeah, no offense intended.

 

I'm looking forward to it, fanfiction.net or the blog thing on the forums can be a good start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

""I think there should be at least a harsh remark Greta should make, or something that would urge Alwan to smash her face in, although it depends if you're planning to make it a T or M fanfic""

 

That would be rather pointless since he's not conscious at that point, LOL.

I'd say it would be T (I don't think an M one could be posted here, anyhow)

 

Besides that, if you pay close attention to the dlg scripts, by this point in the game those two are at each other's throats less (and it's not merely the issue of "now that you know them, we won't bother giving them lines as often, there are dialogues both on Dhonal and the last three zones on Harmony Isle that indicate they *Alwan esp.* aren't fighting or making quips about each other as much. The entry dialogue for the Creator's Hall is a bit ambiguous-- it looks like Alwan is responding with a thinly veiled quip, but OTOH it's not clear and could also be an example of Alwan-brand denial) Hmm, perhaps I should make a personality evaluation thread about the two (it would be a good resource for any G3 and G4 fanfic writers here, as well and might spark some dialogue)

 

BTW, has anyone ever gotten a dialogue from Alwan in the Roamer Marsh? (the equivalent of the one Greta gives in the Swampy Shore) I never have, so I was wondering if the dialogue is dummied out. (It consists largely of him whining about having to think for himself instead of being given orders, and taking some of his frustrations out on Greta unprovoked) (Alwan has a dialogue where he refuses to join you as well, but AFAIK this is dummied out because the actions that would result in him refusing to join will turn the school hostile)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I came up with another scene the other night which might also be a problem (this one far more explicit than the other)

 

LOL. The group is staying in the home of the alchemist/healer treating Alwan. There are only three other rooms in the house-- one of them is the treatment room which is generally off-limits in order to keep the apprentices from contaminating it and/or moving objedts.

Then there's the bedroom of the alchemist (also off limits) Then there's the main room/shop.

 

At any rate, Alwan awakens at one point (from sleep, not unconsciousness) to the sight of Greta undressing in his room (her back is towards him though) and they both freak out. There aren't any explicit details aside from Greta being at the brink of (as in about to start) removing her pants when Alwan yells at her. He didn't see anything more than her bare back/arms, though.

 

Although they mention a past event in the same scene where the three were scrubbing (insert something really nasty) off of themselves in a lake or pond on Harmony Isle (they had their backs turned to each other-- well, they were supposed to/verbally agreed to anyhow.) The only remotely explicit visual description of that scene will be how many leeches Alwan had on his back or something like that (probably 3, if you must know)

 

It would be a shame if I can't post it because it's by far the most hilarious thing/scene I've come up with so far for this fic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a fascinating historical artifact you found, Nightwatcher, but the current code of conduct is actually here. The provisions include a prohibition on "sexually explicit material of any kind."

 

I would suggest that to Hyena of Ice that if you intend to go full-blown fanfic on this, you post in the dedicated Geneforge Forum rather than the General Forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^I didn't know that non-game discussion would go in there.

 

That's a real bummer. Though I wish there was more elaboration on what "sexually explicit" included-- it's very vague and unclear if the first part of that scene would be okay or not (the second part about the lake bathing is probably out, which is a pity because it is also quite hilarious) What does sexually explicit include? Anything of an even remotely sexual nature? Or just things which would be defined as "explicit"? No examples are given, and it's such a vague word.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm... I can't picture either, but then, I have trouble remembering the details of the games I've played, plus the only Avernum demo I've played so far is 4 (obviously I purchased the Geneforge collection, but I have yet to purchase any other SWS title). I really would like to post the former, though. (I'd probably replace "Before Greta can begin to remove her pants" with "before Greta can begin to undress any further".) Also, as I said earlier, Alwan only sees her bare back-- for crying out loud, the dudes in Avernum 4+ see a lot more than that on a regular basis *points to the barbarian bikini babe character/appearance*. Also, Alwan doesn't react to seeing Greta's bare back/toplessness in an even remotely sexual manner (i.e. he gets angry) I don't know if you are able to weigh in on the ToU-ability of that scene or not.

 

FWIW, the "Rule of Thumb" you mentioned is indeed the measuring stick I use as far as gore detail/gross out factor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if you are able to weigh in on the ToU-ability of that scene or not.

 

Unfortunately it does depend on how it's written, and "post it and see if you get banned or not" isn't really reasonable advice to give you. I suppose you could PM a moderator with what you've written when it's done, if you still have doubts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hyena, while several of the female character icons that Jeff has used forever are throwbacks to the 70s/80s paper RPG graphics, the only romance that has appeared as a character action in his game is a single kiss in Avadon 2, that you have to fairly deliberately role play to get to. I would not equate the fact that a character runs around in a chainmail bikini to any other behavior.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn... And it would be that serious an offense that I'd get banned on the spot?

Unfortunately it does depend on how it's written, and "post it and see if you get banned or not" isn't really reasonable advice to give you. I suppose you could PM a moderator with what you've written when it's done, if you still have doubts.

 

Thanks, that actually was something I was hoping I could do, but the ToU mentioned that it applies the same to PMs, so I didn't know if I'd get in trouble for that or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn... And it would be that serious an offense that I'd get banned on the spot?

 

It depends on the exact circumstances, but in the past our most common response to inappropriate content posted in good faith has been to to edit out the content and warn the member who posted it. Obviously, though, we can't say how exactly we'd respond to a post we haven't even seen yet.

 

Thanks, that actually was something I was hoping I could do, but the ToU mentioned that it applies the same to PMs, so I didn't know if I'd get in trouble for that or not.

 

Well, don't go around PMing potentially offensive things to random members, but it's a little different when you're asking a moderator to look at something to see if it's okay to post.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bah, wasn't thinking about how hard this would be.

 

Edit: Managed to muster something up by combining two different sprites in Gimp then running the result through various filter forge filters and combining various results until it wept into its pillow. Looks cruddy, but it'll do. (I needed a metal table)

 

Hmm, what else do I need?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

Eh, current status is that I have writer's block on the battle scene with the syndicate. I have most of the opening and the tedious journey back to Fort Wilton done.

 

Been spending most of my fic-related time playing with the sprites. I think I have a semi-passable fur pelt from one of the Avadon pelts on a rack (needed it for the rat silo) Some day I'm going to make sprite maps of some of the locations, including a fuller W. Wilton outskirts. Have most of their stats done too, except for the items (I might redo Alwan's a bit-- he's still not quite pack-mule enough for my liking compared to the girls who aren't equipped with heavy armor, but I still have yet to fill their packs with junk...)

EDIT: On second look the rat pelt is still too big. I managed to size it down by using the Avernum version and comparing it to the beds from G3 (which are on the same sprite sheet) but it's not finished. Ugh...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Had another weird G3 dream last night-- only this one I don't plan on implementing.

One part, which apparently happened not long after the entire chapter of my first dream (e.g. not long after overthrowing the syndicate), the trio stumble into a secret shaper lab on Dhonal-- involved in disease/bioweapon study. Many sick humans behind glass. I specifically remember many of them having a network of fungal nodules/trackmarks under their skin (think sorta like scabies trackmarks, only bigger) One of the messed up things about this (aside from all the obvious ones) is that many were in man-made patterns-- so I guess like-- they were performing experiments on these victims to see if they could get some sort of working sacred geometry/magic/shaper seals using fungal infections under peoples' skin.

I don't remember the trio's reactions too well, other than that I had Esther kill the shaper lab tech and the other two had zero problem with this.

Also, in a completely separate scene, Alwan is parrying (i.e. ducking + kneeling behind his shield) against a drayk's breath attack (only instead of a bolt of flame, it's a long jet-- man, that drayk had one seriously healthy set of lungs) Since, in my fic, the Agents don't typically use shields (interferes with some types of spellcasting), they were ducked behind Alwan as well.

Only problem was, this drayk's fire breath has the "knockback" property, so he's getting pushed back. Not wanting to end up getting fried due to Alwan ending up behind them, Esther and Greta grab on for dear life-- only it's not enough, so the three of them are still getting slowly pushed back.

>_> Too bad it's too early in my fic for the second scene (they've only cleared the Ambush Bridge, Holding Shed Row, Storage Road, and South Dhonal Road. Drayks don't appear in G3 until the Darkstone Mine core.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Ooh, back to the subject. After looking up some "Random Gang Organization" name generators, I finally came up with the name of the syndicate: The Ashen Isle Shadows.

Their most lucrative activity is drug smuggling/dealing. However, racketeering, illegal arms trade, human/servile/creation trafficking, ransoms, and hit-man also rank among their worthwhile activities.

They're the more violent break-away from a now-defunct drug cartel which focused primarily on smuggling and selling stimulants/amphetamines and ergogenic aids to miners (ergogenic aids are drugs and snake oils that increase athletic ability. Stimulants are used to increase energy level and stay awake for longer periods of time.) The original, less-violent/criminal version is now a mere shadow of its former self due to the death of the mining industry on Dhonal Isle.

They have never been stupid enough enough to target shapers for any of their activities-- that is, until now (although they figured a trio of nosy apprentices wouldn't be missed)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Getting closer to posting the first chapter or two of my fic ^_^

 

There are a bunch of more realistic differences in my fics from the games, along with a few new spells and many new items.

 

STATS

I wrote out-- and edited images of the skill/abilities screens in G3 for the trio-- Significant to the fic as they determine the groups abilities-- They are merely a guideline of course-- The stats do not limit my writing. There are battle disciplines in my fic as well (melee, missile, QA, and misc categories) In game terms, they use SP instead of fatigue, and are leveled from 1~8 just like magic. Also like magic and shaping, they're trainable skills. To our apprentices only have lv 1~4 disciplines in my fic.

 

PHYSICS DIFFERENCES FROM THE GAMES

--Electrical Damage: This is a separate subtype in the Energy/Magic/Essence category. Due to the penetrating nature of electricity, Armor bonus to energy resistance does not count-- only the bonus from equipment (e.g. coated cloak) and luck. This same rule would apply to microwaves, though I know of no example in G3 where such an attack is used (I could see the A4 Ruby Pylons shooting microwave beams)

--Missile Attacks: Some significant differences. For one thing, Guardians do not rely on missile weapons like they do in the games unless either fighting solo or solely with other Guardians. More significantly, the hit-rates for missile attacks are different-- they're lower, and most can be parried. Distance from the target also has a more significant effect on hit rate. Thorns are not difficult for a character with high levels of parry + Dex to parry (with a shield). Dodging thorn attacks is possible solely by close observation of the opponent's movements, + enough knowledge in the way that the human body moves (or at least how it moves when firing a thorn) and a high enough DEX + Quick Action rank. Humans are not actually fast enough to dodge the thorn itself-- instead, careful timing allows the character to move out of the line of fire just before or as the baton-wielder launches the thorn.

In addition, a few additional elemental attacks are parryable than in the game-- namely firebolt and breath attacks. (Burning Spray and Searer still aren't parryable due to the acid element) With the exception of Lightning Strike, multi-target elemental attacks still cannot be parried.

--Parrying: This can be done with either a weapon or a shield. As with the newer SS games, a shield provides a +5% bonus. Bucklers and armguards (none of which are in the Geneforge games) do not. Broadswords provide a +1 bonus to parry, and polearms +2.

--Polearms: They exist. Based on Str + Melee weapons. Agents start with 1 level in Polearms (wilderness survival related) as do Shapers (w. staves). Guardians begin with 2 ranks. Quick Action isn't as effective with Polearms, esp. spears and pikes (halberds, glaives, and staves are a different story, but QA is only half as effective) As in the Ultima series, the warrior can attack an opponent 1 square away or through a window with a polearm.

--Shades: The attacker must channel a small amount of essence into their weapon for their physical attack to affect a shade. (Come on guys, shades are insubstantial entities. It's doubtful that you can simply punch a shade in the face) Oh, they can also move through walls and floors, unless they are within a building with a magic seal on its wall or door (this comes into play at the start of my fic) Spells can still affect a shade.

--Spellcasting: Four significant differences. First of all, intoning and casting a spell requires concentration-- so the caster must have enough self-discipline to cast the spell in spite of physical pain/discomfort and distractions. The next two are far more significant and result in vastly different battle tactics from the games. 2.)-- casting attack spells at point-blank range is very dangerous. If the caster is too close, then they are likely to be damaged by the explosive blast from spells like Firebolt and Ice Spray. Lightning Strike (see new abilities below) risks the electrical arc jumping to the caster. In the case of Burning Spray and Searer, there is a significant risk of splashback. Because of this, spellslingers need to keep some distance (1 or 2 spaces in game terms) from the target. 3.) and most significant, opponent attacks interfere with spellcasting. In game terms, an adjacent enemy will slow the caster in much the same way that it would slow movement. In addition, an attack on said character-- regardless of whether it hits or misses, will cancel their turn if they haven't cast the spell already. 4.) Finally, spellcasting requires a free hand. Because of this and their bulkiness, Agents rarely wear shields until/unless they get their hands on an Essence Aegis, Agent's Shelter, or Quicksilver Bulwark, all of which are exceptions to the rule. Spellcasting IS still possible with a small buckler or armguard, but such equipment is useless without considerable ranks in Parry, plus they are too small to block natural weapon attacks (e.g. claws, bites) from large creatures or spell/elemental attacks. Their small size also means that they provide no armor or reduced damage bonus-- they either block the entire attack or don't. Thus, Agents typically forego shields and instead focus on Dex and Luck to boost their dodge% Guardians, alone, can overcome this handicap to blessing and healing magic provided they equip a shield with a reflective surface (this can include wooden or carapace shields with a large gem or stud in the middle)

--Stealth: This is a hidden stat. There are additional rules from G4/5 that restrict it. First of all, reflective surfaces (e.g. metal). Second, metal armor (save that with the silence ability) excepting helmets. Because of this in addition to their preference for agility, Agents never wear metal armor excepting chain mails or leggings with the "Silent" ability or augmentation (as if it wasn't already overpowered in G3, the Crystal-Woven Shroud comes with the silent ability built-in ^_^ )

 

--Class Differences: Due to the above, the gap between class differences is much wider in my fic than in the games. Agents typically reserve melee attacks only for emergencies or back-stabbing/sneak attacks, due to the disruption the disruption that close-quarters combat causes to spellcasting, the lack of shields, and the lack of armor. Instead, they focus on upping their dodge% and Missile Weapon skill level. Guardians' role as ranged attackers is also de-emphasized. Partly due to their lower DEX compared to Agents, and largely due to the next reason. They typically prefer javelins to batons, wands, and gems because they can apply their strength to javelin attacks.

The role of Guardians is thus emphasized even more-- they fight in the front lines, keeping the melee combatants from reaching the Agents and Shapers who fight in the back lines. In turn, Agents support Guardians with cover-fire while Shapers support them by sending their creations to fight by their side (or provide cover-fire)

So in my fic, while the non-battle formation of the party is identical to the default one in the game (Esther in front with the other two behind), when they engage in combat, Esther and Alwan switch places while in the same round, Esther and Greta cast War Blessing and Protection, respectively. Then the three spread out to form a delta pattern as soon as Esther casts Haste on Alwan, who then either waits for their enemies to reach him, or charges the enemy party to keep them away from the girls, who attack from a distance with batons and spells (prioritizing ranged attackers first) I should mention that the girls both have a mere 4 endurance and 58 HP, while Alwan has 10 endurance (also 8 strength-- seems like his endurance should be the main stat considering what happened to him bet. G4 and 5) and something like 160 HP-- plus the girls aren't wearing any armor or shields. Unlike in the SS games, where you want to haste your buffer first, in my fic, the buffer wants to haste their melee fighter first so that he can keep the enemies away from her, thus allowing her to focus unhindered on her spells.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Eh, still need to get off my ass and make/morph the characters I need for concept art in my fic (namely Greta and Alwan)

 

Anyhow, I need your guys' help with something now.

One of the sub-plot points that come up is that the three apprentices have to brainstorm combat tactics/formations for battle with humans and ambulatory opponents with human intelligence. (Remember, this fic takes place right before the Purification Plant, Acidic Valley, and Mountain Pass, and begins right after the clearing of the Ambush Bridge-- so they haven't even fought their first rogue Servile, yet)

In particular, they have to come up with formations/tactics/strategies where they are outnumbered by at minimum, 4 to 3.

Again, bear in mind that in my fic, there are few shields that Agents can use without losing the ability to cast battle magic spells (the Essence Aegis, Quicksilver Bulwark, and Agent's Shelter are among the exceptions), nor do they equip most forms of metal or carapace armor, battle magic cannot be cast at point blank range, and melee combat interferes with spellcasting.

 

So far the only one I can come up with involves Greta sneaking away, preferably to higher ground, and sniping opponents while Alwan and Esther use one of their standard tactics.

 

Up to the first encounter with the AIS (where they were outnumbered 5 to 3 and outsmarted), they generally spam the "Delta Formation", where they form a triangle with Alwan in the front, the girls cast War Blessing/Protection on him (and Haste if there is enough time), before he charges the enemies. The goal is for Alwan to keep the opponents occupied on him in melee combat while the Agents pummel them with spells or thorns.

Other tactics they have come up with up to the point of the beginning of the fic are, of course, a distance tactic (moving back while attacking opponents from a distance-- e.g. unstable roamers) and several variants of formations that involve tackling enemy parties that attack from two or three directions.

 

Any ideas on additional tactics/formations/strategies for dealing with 4 or more intelligent opponents?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Forgot to mention something important about the tactics-- Greta is the fast one and the baton user (also has good battlemagic), Esther is also fast, and is the caster, while Alwan is the melee specialist, protector, and tank. Despite being a Guardian, Alwan only has 4 points of Missle Weapons (and uses javelins more often than thorns as he can put his strength into the throws) Can anyone help me come up with tactics for fighting 5 or more humans at once? (their common Delta Formation doesn't work against 5 or more intelligent, non-stationary combatants, as one or two melee fighters will keep Alwan occupied while the remainder overwhelm the girls, who cannot cast spells or use missile weapons in melee combat, and their daggers with a paltry 4 points in melee weapons don't fare well against head-on combat *as opposed to ambush attacks* with stronger, sword-wielding opponents.)

 

 

I've had four or five Geneforge or Geneforge-related dreams. Though only two were memorable enough for me to remember them.

The second memorable one (can't recall if I mentioned it in an earlier post) involved the trio battling Drayks, with the rules being the same as in my fic (Agents wear only cloth, leather, or augmented chain-type armors and no shields). The drayk they were fighting breathed jets of flame (not fireballs). To protect himself from said flames, Alwan knelt down behind his shield. Having no shields, the girls crouched immediately behind him. Unfortunately Alwan was not strong enough to avoid being pushed backwards by the long jets of flame-- and about 15 feet behind them was a cliff ledge-- the girls wrapped their arms around him (more like hugged him really tightly from behind while ducking their heads down) both to avoid being left behind as Alwan got pushed back and to prevent him from being pushed back (this reduced the amount of push-back significantly but still didn't stop it) During the 5th or 6th time that the drayk took a DEEP breath (to breathe another long jet of flame), Esther rose above Alwan's shield and shot a Searer straight into the drayk's mouth-- AS IT WAS INHALING.

I'm sure there were parts of the dream that were nonsensical which I no longer remember. Oh, forgot to mention that they were in a natural cave.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...