[Story] Furrae Chronicles - Chapter 46 (25/06/2008)

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Humbleness? ;-]

[Gareeku]

Very funny. But it's starting to get just slightly ridiculous when trying to think of a problem that can't be solved by a cubi's almost limitless range of powers.

[Tapewolf]

They don't seem to have long-range communication (thank goodness).  Indeed, I've been generally assuming their powers tail off in accordance with the inverse square law.  And as I mentioned, I don't like the flying ability.
Also, never underestimate the power of "I didn't think of that" as an explanation for why they can't simply cut through the door with their tentacles.
Another, similar point is that most of the powers tend to be a giveaway that they're not a Being, so if there's someone in the party who'd try to kill them if they discovered they were a 'Cubi, that alone neatly precludes most of the more powerful abilities.

Llearch does have a point, though - at least in combat situations they tend to be cocky and it's usually that which is the cause of their undoing, or at least a bloody nose.

[Gareeku]

Except a) this isn't a combat situation, b) Jakob isn't hiding his cubi heritage, and c) having to think through every little obstacle is going to get tiring quickly.

[Tapewolf]

Another limiting factor which I didn't think about consciously until just now is endurance.  You aren't going to be able to perform miracle after miracle without end - a 'Cubi is going to have to take it easy for a while after doing something big.

[Sid]

Horribly rude to chime into a fic thread without actually having read said fic, but as another guy who has to deal with pesky Cubi in a story...

Keep in mind that not everybody is equally trained in everything. I'd chalk telekinesis under "magic" and not "built-in feature". Dan obviously had some talent for that particular branch, but that doesn't mean that every Cubi knows it. And even with talent, it won't do much good without proper training.

Just like not every human would be able to solve complicated equations or even set the clock of their VCR.

A Cubi who knows ALL branches of magic to their full extent would be quasi-omnipotent, maybe only topped by Fae and Dragons. So simply saying that there are things that particular Cubi simply can't do only serves to make things more realistic.

And even with proper training, there are ways to design the universe to prevent omnipotence situations, even without resorting to plot-induced stupidity (which is a valid and often critical tool, mind you). For example, magic (or just individual spells) could be limited by sight. So if you can't see it, you can't work telekinesis or whatever on it (And no, I won't even start on how horribly boned my poor Kitzi would be in that universe.)

Dunno if that helps, just browsing through.

...and I seriously got to catch up with the various fics... apologies again for commenting without having read it.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Very funny. But it's starting to get just slightly ridiculous when trying to think of a problem that can't be solved by a cubi's almost limitless range of powers.

Thank you, but there -was- a serious point behind the flip answer. Cocky to an extreme, as Tapewolf says, means you can set them up via their pride.

Other than that, well, it's magic. Anyone with magic can do anything they can imagine, which means you have to out-think them. Which is always tricky, unless they limit themselves somehow - as Sid suggests. :-/

It's a thorny problem.

[Tapewolf]

From Gareeku's earlier reply his question seems to be more a case of "is there anything Jakob can't do" rather than 'Cubi as a whole (or indeed Creatures as a whole - IMHO Gareeku's concerns so far are not limited to 'Cubi).  Consequently pretty much all of the answers he's got have been long-range ones.

In any case, if it helps here are a few restrictions on Jakob's ability:

He has never AFAIK displayed any ability in fire magic beyond fireballs, of the kind a well-trained Being can do.  Most of his limits are 'soft', in that he can but won't.  Ice-magic is a good example of that - he simply won't use it if at all possible.  A side-effect of this is that he probably isn't very good at it, having lost the knack.
He certainly can't do the weird earth-shaking stuff that Keaton's Insectis has pulled off in Rains.  In a nutshell, he can do telekinesis, shapeshifting, soul manipulation (this is rare), transmutation and sundry other illusion-type magic.  If he was a Morrowind character, he'd major in alteration and illusion, but that's about it.  Destruction and combat are not things he's particularly good at, which IMHO are the sort of things you'd want in a mine full of nasties.

[Gareeku]

My question wasn't directed at Jakob in particular. I only mentioned Jakob because he wasn't hiding his heritage, whereas Paladin, the only other cubi in the group, is. But thank you for the information anyway.

Being cocky in battle is all well and good for a weakness, but Paladin has the power to back it up (apparently he even defeated a tri wing before. I think that speaks for itself). So to humble him, it would take a creature that is basically a god. See the problem?

[Paladin Sheppard]

Not quite a tri-wing that time Gar, and she left herself completely open

[Gabi]

It could be worse. There could be a Fae in the group.

Then again, Fae sometimes impose limitations upon themselves to make things more fun.

In any case, not all Cubi have reached their full potential in everything they can possibly do. But Jakob is a powerful incubus. It may help to find out what his limitations are. Same goes for Paladin.

[Tapewolf]

But Jakob is a powerful incubus. It may help to find out what his limitations are.

I made a short list a couple of posts above.  From the outset, Jakob wasn't really intended to be a powerful character.  In some ways I've slipped, I'll admit, but to be honest, he generally goes for flashy stuff rather than raw power.  I'm sure someone will come out with a counterexample    ...but as a rule, most of the stuff he does is illusion-based.


**EDIT**
Actually, it might be an interesting mental exercise to compile a definitive list of things he cannot do...

[Gareeku]

Not quite a tri-wing that time Gar, and she left herself completely open

True, but he's still probably the most powerful out of everyone in the group.

[James StarRunner]

He may be the most powerful, but he doesn't have acorns that go BOOM!

[Gareeku]

And after a few delays including a loss of motivation, Chapter 43 is now up.

[Tapewolf]

Looks good.  Cults usually turn out quite interesting.

What about Pal's warp-aci, though?  After all, Jakob probably isn't powerful enough to teleport the entire party all by himself in a single go...

[Gareeku]

I don't know whether Paladin even has his warp aci with him, seeing as he was going under the disguise of a being. If he does I'll add it in.

[Tapewolf]

I don't know whether Paladin even has his warp aci with him, seeing as he was going under the disguise of a being. If he does I'll add it in.

Yeah, he probably wouldn't have it with him there - to avoid suspicion - but I got the impression that the warp aci's owner can summon them on demand, since they often seem to sneak off.

[Gareeku]

That's true, though there is the possibility that he might not be sure whether to mention the fact that he does have a warp-aci as of yet. Then again, the group already knows that Jakob is an incubus, so he may summon Rex at some stage if the situation calls for it.

[Tapewolf]

That's true, though there is the possibility that he might not be sure whether to mention the fact that he does have a warp-aci as of yet. Then again, the group already knows that Jakob is an incubus, so he may summon Rex at some stage if the situation calls for it.

Indeed.  I'm thinking that Pal is liable to shed his disguise if - and only if - it comes down to a life-or-death situation.  At least, that's the approach I'd use if I were in his position.

[Gareeku]

Yeah, that's the approach that I'm going for in this story, though that might change depending on whether Paladin himself states otherwise XP. If he says that as his character is around people he trusts (Gar, Jakob etc) and therefore may be slightly more lenient in letting his heritage be known, then I'll add it in accordingly, but we'll have to see what Pal says about it. Either way it doesn't bother me in the slightest, but I'd like to know what he thinks in case I do anything with his character that I shouldn't, as is the same with everybody else's characters. >_>;

[Aisha deCabre]

Once again, another awesome chapter, Gar. ^^  Hoo, can't wait to see where this leads.   

[Gareeku]

Two more chapter, 44 and 45, are now up. It was originally going to be just one, but i wrote two instead. >.>

[Tapewolf]

I liked that.  Whatever they got it doesn't seem very godlike, which is probably a good thing.

In a way it's kind of a shame, all that effort and it never quite lives up to the ideal.

How to be a Cultist - Rule 3
Never summon anything bigger than your head.

[Aisha deCabre]

Whoa.  Epic.  o.o

Awesome work, especially with coming across the cult, and the twist with the panda.  Ohooo, now how to dispose of that beast... x3

[Gareeku]

I liked that.  Whatever they got it doesn't seem very godlike, which is probably a good thing.

Or it could be that I totally suck at creating beasts and other stuff like that.

[Gabi]

Nice chapters, Gareeku! It took me a while, but I've finally caught up.

I liked the battle scene in chapter 45, and I don't normally care much for battle scenes.

I guess the cultist got what was coming to him, I can't feel sorry for him.

[Gareeku]

*finally gets another chapter up*

[Aisha deCabre]

Woooo, another wicked awesome chapter, Gar.     No wonder the cultists hail that beast as a god, he's one tough hombre.  x3

[Paladin Sheppard]

*Throws massive Paladin reveal party* Dude!! awesome chapter (not just cause Pal revealed) I devored it so damn quick it was over too soon for me Gonna have to reread it...and again...and again