So, um... hi. I've been reading and enjoying the comics for a while, and I've gotten into a situation where I need some info.
The setup:
"Alright, I'll be testing this new gaming system soon."
"Cool. What's it for?"
"Pretty much anything you can think of, it can handle."
"Anything, huh? Hmmm..."
So basically, now I'm creating a 'Cubi in it. I figure if it can handle that, it CAN handle anything. Unfortunately, even after reading up on the forum threads and the Wiki, I still have a few questions about what they can do. Sorry if these have already been asked. If they have, then feel free to beat me over the head with something.
1. What exactly is the limit of a regular 'Cubi's shapeshifting? From what I've seen, a lot of them seem to have T-1000 style shifting (AKA only into things roughly the same mass, and nothing too complicated, like a gun). I know Ink can do trickier things, but I'm guessing he's the exception rather than the norm. Also, he's a total nutcase, so yeah.
2. I remembered the Wiki saying that a Being could be changed into a 'Cubi, but it wasn't elaborated on there. Is there any official word on this, or has it just sorta been dropped since then?
3. Could scrying be used to be able to read other things besides books? I had an idea on someone cheating in a card game by scrying the deck and knowing the whole order of the cards... although shuffling would obviously send that idea crashing down.
...And unfortunately, I can't remember the others I came up with last night while attempting to sleep through a caffeine buzz. Is it okay if I reply with another if I remember a couple more?
Many thanks. Hope this was an okay first post.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 21, 2008, 02:14:51 PM
1. What exactly is the limit of a regular 'Cubi's shapeshifting? From what I've seen, a lot of them seem to have T-1000 style shifting (AKA only into things roughly the same mass, and nothing too complicated, like a gun). I know Ink can do trickier things, but I'm guessing he's the exception rather than the norm. Also, he's a total nutcase, so yeah.
I don't know the limits either, but Aary did manage to turn into a feral poodle, so they can apparently change into things with less mass. Also, she is able to extrude tentacles, which requires more mass. Also, 'Cubi can create base metals and so forth relatively easily, so maybe they're using a similar effect to create more mass for themselves?
Quote2. I remembered the Wiki saying that a Being could be changed into a 'Cubi, but it wasn't elaborated on there. Is there any official word on this, or has it just sorta been dropped since then?
All we really have is Amber's comment here, the one referenced by the Wiki: http://nice.llearch.net/dmfa_forum1871.htm#ref326
Quote3. Could scrying be used to be able to read other things besides books? I had an idea on someone cheating in a card game by scrying the deck and knowing the whole order of the cards... although shuffling would obviously send that idea crashing down.
I think it's fairly obvious that someone is scrying - remember Abel's eyes, and that the bookshop keeper ran over, so it's obviously possible to tell from a distance.
They may have other powers that would work as well, though.
**EDIT**
Oh yeah, and welcome to the forum. Trust no-one, remember to read the rules, don't annoy the admins, have fun and so on and so forth.
Aaaaand I just remembered two more questions. Stupid slow-booting memory...
4: How exactly does a 'Cubi grab a soul? Does the victim have to be alive, dead, alive but wishing they were dead, doing the rhumba, what?
5: What would happen if a 'Cubi tried to use an item strongly aligned with either light or dark? Would they not be able to use it, since they're basically users of both?
Hiya!
Let me start by saying welcome!
Yes, that was a perfectly fine first post - coherent, sensible, and even spelt correctly. In fact, I'm not sure how well you'll fit in, since you seem to post better than most of the incumbents... ;-]
Anyway, in terms of your quuestions:
1) No limit has yet been mentioned. Ink might be a nutcase, and he might be fairly good (although take that with a grain of salt; the Ink mentioned in the wiki may or may not be from the SAIA RP; not necessarily DMFA canon, as it were. Some of the entries are DMFA, some are not. Check the references.) but it's generally agreed that Fa'Lina is better. Also, Aaryanna didn't seem to be too much of a slouch (see the strip where she's shapeshifting into Fa'Lina's form for Pip and Mab...), and Dan even managed some interesting shapes in his testing with the torch...
I'd suggest the limit is imagination; the 'Cubi needs to imagine what he or she is changing into, so...
2) Amber has dropped hints about the process, but nothing specific has been said, other than "it's possible, but stupid, because you don't get anything more than an untrained Cubi out of it, so you've then got to train them. You might as well have the fun, first." Also, mention has been made of a particular clan that prefers to operate this way, but again, details are lacking.
3) Yup. However, it doesn't tell you what the order of the cards are - just what they were when you scryed them. You can bet that, since your eyes glow, there will be people watching for things like wearing sunglasses. And then there's the re-shuffle the deck; once it's shuffled, knowing how it _was_ ordered might help a bit, but no more than just counting the cards will, for a practiced card counter.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 21, 2008, 02:35:39 PM
4: How exactly does a 'Cubi grab a soul? Does the victim have to be alive, dead, alive but wishing they were dead, doing the rhumba, what?
No-one knows except Amber. What we do have is an apocryphal statement from Aary's livejournal saying that she was tempted to kill Merlitz and take his soul, so she could wear it around her neck as a memento, and an in-strip statement from Abel about 'Cubi sucking people's souls out while they sleep. From that, I'd say it's possible to take the souls of the living or the freshly-dead.
Quote5: What would happen if a 'Cubi tried to use an item strongly aligned with either light or dark? Would they not be able to use it, since they're basically users of both?
I don't know if objects can be aligned like that - it might not even be a feature of Amber's universe.
QuoteI don't know if objects can be aligned like that - it might not even be a feature of Amber's universe.
Gah. Yeah, I basically got mixed up with the DMFA universe and Nethack and getting blasted by an artifact when I tried to grab it and oh man that's a painful memory. Then the rothes came...
Anyways, since this won't be taking place in the Amberverse, I just kinda wondered so that nothing would go squish. Sorry!
Thinking about it, with regard to 'Cubi being able to use light and dark magic, I'm starting to get the impression that the 'truth table' runs something like this:
Angel: Very good with light magic, not so good with dark magic
Demon: Very good with dark magic, not so good with light magic
'Cubi: Decent with light magic, decent with dark magic, but not as good at either as an Angel or Demon would be.
That would be for a stock 'Cubi - one who has sufficiently increased their powers is likely to be able to top the abilities of a 'stock' Angel or Demon.
Of course, this is mostly conjecture and could be flat-out wrong, but it seems to fit Amber's way of balancing things out.
Hooray, more questions!
6: About how long does it take for a 'Cubi's metabolism to start shifting from physical to magical? Does it depend on the power that they get from souls (more on that in a sec) or is it about the same for all individuals?
7: How much of a potential power boost is in a soul, anyways? And yes, I'm planning on running these on conjecture for now. It's all that I have left! DON'T TAKE IT AWAY FROM MEEEEE! NOOOOOOO okay I'm done for now. Again, thanks for the help so far!
Quote from: Ranzer on July 21, 2008, 03:08:39 PM
6: About how long does it take for a 'Cubi's metabolism to start shifting from physical to magical? Does it depend on the power that they get from souls (more on that in a sec) or is it about the same for all individuals?
No idea what rate that happens apart from what it in the wiki and its sources.
Quoth the Amber (http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php?topic=2262.msg93701#msg93701):
"...once you hit a certain level you start to evolve and begin to be more magical-based than biology-based. Sleep is usually the first to go, followed by food, then water, breathing tends to go out last, but even then most still do it out of habit and because it makes talking a whole lot easier. But that [breathing] is a process that takes hundreds of years if not a thousand. (it really depends on how you go about it and what your priorities are)
If you want an example, I'll say now that Dan is at a point where sleep is slowly becomming optional...where as Abel has bypassed sleep/food/water and can go without breathing for a few hours at a time."
...Amber seems to imply it is possible to accelerate this process, but we don't have any details on how.
QuoteHow much of a potential power boost is in a soul, anyways?
Pass.
Why can I never think of this stuff all at once ARGH ARGH ARGH
8: I think that Beings can regenerate to some degree. How quickly/well can they do that?
Quote from: Ranzer on July 21, 2008, 03:41:04 PM
Why can I never think of this stuff all at once ARGH ARGH ARGH
8: I think that Beings can regenerate to some degree. How quickly/well can they do that?
Don't worry, that happens to me all the time.
Um, I guess at about the same rate and level of skill that we humans regenerate: not that much. To be honest, I don't think that normal Beings can regenerate, though magic and healing potions would allow regeneration of some kind. Maybe someone else has some commentary of Amber's they can whip out...
*looks at the Wiki* Aw, crap, I got my terminology messed up. Forgive me.
Switch "Beings" with "Creatures" in that last post. And excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall for a while.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 21, 2008, 03:57:36 PM
*looks at the Wiki* Aw, crap, I got my terminology messed up. Forgive me.
Switch "Beings" with "Creatures" in that last post. And excuse me while I go bang my head against a wall for a while.
Okay, in that case I'd imagine that most creatures DO NOT have some form of super healing factor: when Aziz gets his arm chomped down on in Abel's Story Part 1, he needs to use an actual healing spell in order to fix the damage, though it could just be that he didn't want to waste any time waiting for his wounds to heal by themselves. We know that Cubi at the very least can basically regenerate anything, it just takes time and magic to do so. I guess the answer is that they can basically come back from most normal injuries with enough time and magic. That's the best I've got. Does someone else have a better answer?
Oh, and these are actually some pretty good questions. Welcome to the forum.
Quote from: Jairus on July 21, 2008, 04:03:39 PM
Okay, in that case I'd imagine that most creatures DO NOT have some form of super healing factor: when Aziz gets his arm chomped down on in Abel's Story Part 1, he needs to use an actual healing spell in order to fix the damage, though it could just be that he didn't want to waste any time waiting for his wounds to heal by themselves.
As you point out, it takes time. If you lose an arm, you'd probably be able to re-grow it,
if you didn't die of shock and blood-loss first. That would likely require spells to sort out.
So... creatures are starfish now? Except the bleeding thing... Also, I am sorta confused by people specifing a difference between demon and cubi... Maybe in the amberverse... but remeber, even if light attributed items don't hurt cubi, you could cast a sort of cubi-bain spell on it, making it hurt cubi when it touched them... Can you imagine?
"i'll tickle you with my feather!"
"what? is that suposed to be a threat?" *tickle tickle tickle* "oh my god! it i- hehe-s so painful! dea-haha-r god, why would y-*snort*-ou do this?"
Quote from: rocket_red1 on July 21, 2008, 08:44:36 PM
Also, I am sorta confused by people specifing a difference between demon and cubi... Maybe in the amberverse...
Go read up on Angel, Demon and Cubi in Demonology 101 (http://www.missmab.com/demonology.php), Cubi came about as hybrids of Angel and Demon.
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 21, 2008, 04:27:16 PM
Quote from: Jairus on July 21, 2008, 04:03:39 PM
Okay, in that case I'd imagine that most creatures DO NOT have some form of super healing factor: when Aziz gets his arm chomped down on in Abel's Story Part 1, he needs to use an actual healing spell in order to fix the damage, though it could just be that he didn't want to waste any time waiting for his wounds to heal by themselves.
As you point out, it takes time. If you lose an arm, you'd probably be able to re-grow it, if you didn't die of shock and blood-loss first. That would likely require spells to sort out.
This might depend on how superficial or complete the shape shifting ability is, but since a shapeshifter is altering their cells to alter appearance, injuries might be shifted into a healed state, including lost limbs. Though such a drastic injury would take extra effort to resist the shock and compensate for the mass loss.
Quote from: AmigaDragon on July 21, 2008, 11:19:29 PM
Go read up on Angel, Demon and Cubi in Demonology 101 (http://www.missmab.com/demonology.php), Cubi came about as hybrids of Angel and Demon.
That's not 100% confirmed, actually, it's more like a myth. Some of Amber's comments seem to point out that Demons and 'Cubi are quite different things, and there is a rumour someone posted that 'Cubi are more like a crippled form of Dragons than Demons or Angels
per se. Though currently this is
just a rumour and may turn out to be way off-base.
It doesn't help that the word 'demon' has been used occasionally as a generic term for that basic group (i.e. Angels, Demons and 'Cubi). Also, the fact that 'Cubi are rare and poorly-understood by the general populace combined with Dan's own ignorance hasn't helped clarify things.
UPDATE:
Well, the game starts tonight. Wish me luck in coming up with a handwave to get this character into what we're planning, because it's going to require one heck of a good excuse for something so offbeat appearing. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. :3
QuoteAll we really have is Amber's comment here, the one referenced by the Wiki:*snip*
Darn. I was hoping that there was something that I had missed, as THAT would have been a nice justification. Oh well.
Quote*snip discussion about shapeshifting mass*
I actually managed to come up with a somewhat plausible-sounding explanation for this a few days ago, but then I fell asleep and forgot all about it until today. My brain is not wired right, I swear.
Basically, my explanation was that there's a source of magic that's used to cast spells, and that 'Cubi pull energy from it to get extra mass when they need to. If they need to shift into something or someone smaller, they send it back to said source, thus sneaking around that little "conservation of mass" thing. Curse you, Newton, for giving us all these hurdles to jump over! CURSE YOUUUUUU!
*ahem* Anyways. I'm gonna see if this "summon creator of webcomic" spell works for getting official word on that 'Cubi creation process. Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen...
The joke in the fantasy universe that I'm working on developing is that if you're already creating a fire without fuel or oxygen supply or ignition source, pulling a little extra magical mass out of the Abyss between universes isn't that big of a deal. It's my understanding that the point of magic is to break the laws of physics into little tiny pieces.
Wait.. if you're done getting info here, does that mean you'll stop posting? NOOOOOOO! It was so nice having someone else new here who wasn't posting random stuff and Gir quotes trying to play themselves off as being crazy and who actually used fairly decent spelling, punctuation and grammar! Please say you're staying. Please?
Phew! Got that out of my system. Good luck with the game, sounds like you'll do an excellent job if you're the GM, if not, you sound like the kind of player who makes for a fun game by having a well thought out character. :D
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 10:14:50 AM
creator of webcomic" spell works for getting official word on that 'Cubi creation process. Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen...
I was never clear on what 'Xen' was, but IIRC 'Kal Por' is something like 'Great Movement'. Xen was related to summoning. Either way, I used the Ultima spell language when voicing Dark Pegasus in the previous strip...
No, no! If it's okay, I might post some of the better moments from this game. We get a lot on a IRC game with a very imaginative and slightly off-the-hinge GM. But only if that won't constitute spam or anything.
I thought those symbols looked familiar in that last comic. According to the wiki ( http://ultima.wikia.com/wiki/Britannian_Magic ), "Kal Por Xen" literally translates to "invoke movement creature"; in other words, Amber, get your butt over to this thread and invoke movement in your typing hands! ;)
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 10:43:09 AMNo, no! If it's okay, I might post some of the better moments from this game. We get a lot on a IRC game with a very imaginative and slightly off-the-hinge GM. But only if that won't constitute spam or anything.
Well, it's good to hear that we're not loosing you right away?
Incidentally, what the heck are you people talking about? Ultima spell language: what's that?
You... you don't know about Ultima? HERETIC!
Er. Ultima is a old computer game that was a series of RPGs. One of the more unique things about the early game was having to type in your spells using the syllables to build a set of magic words, although this got abandoned at around Ultima 6. But yeah, there were spells for doing everything from creating food for your party to... uh... ending the world in Ultima 7. Really.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 10:43:09 AM
No, no! If it's okay, I might post some of the better moments from this game. We get a lot on a IRC game with a very imaginative and slightly off-the-hinge GM. But only if that won't constitute spam or anything.
You have an IRC game?
If it's not asking for trouble, where, and do you mind if I watch?
Oh, Ultima! Okay, that was made by... crud... calls himself Lord British... Richard Garriot! That was his name (thank you Yahtzee). I guess I kind of missed that game series throughout my youth, especially considering I didn't really play video games until 97/98. Wow, sounds like that game's got a lot of spells... and a world-ending one? Hm, how could that conversation regarding that spell have gone...
"Why did you design a spell that could destroy the world?"
"Because it's cool."
Hey, Zim was a great show, and that paraphrase was appropriate.
QuoteIf it's not asking for trouble, where, and do you mind if I watch?
Sorcerynet server, #supersmashrpg. No period, obviously.
Say that Deloth sent you. Maybe I'll get a bonus for referrals!
Oh, and yeah, you could blow up the world in U7. Three characters survived. You, Lord British, and another important guy named Batlin. You got some funny conversations if you talked to them after this occured.
EDIT: Ah, forgot to mention. We play pretty late; around 8 PM EST. So bring plenty of caffeine!
What was really fun in U6 was getting Shamino to cast the Armageddon spell instead of the player. It destroyed everyone except the Avatar (i.e. you) and Lord British, though it rendered him unable to speak.
If Shamino (or any other party member) invoked they spell, it destroyed them while they were the current character and the game did not like that one bit.
Ah, those were the days...
Um, anyway. Hope all goes well with your game.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 11:03:16 AM
EDIT: Ah, forgot to mention. We play pretty late; around 8 PM EST. So bring plenty of caffeine!
Is that the North American EST or the Australian EST?
American EST. Sorry for not being clear, I'm used to talking with people in the US.
I enjoyed Ultima 7 a lot just for the number of ways you could bend it into uncomfortable positions. Building a staircase of pebbles, making bread out of blood, pouring a kegful of beer all over a floor, and in one case in Serpent Isle, cremating town guards for money. There was a sudden plague of "Slash-'em-and-steal-their-armor-before-dragging-the-corpse-over"-itis. It was a sad plague, really...
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 11:23:29 AMI enjoyed Ultima 7 a lot just for the number of ways you could bend it into uncomfortable positions. Building a staircase of pebbles, making bread out of blood, pouring a kegful of beer all over a floor, and in one case in Serpent Isle, cremating town guards for money. There was a sudden plague of "Slash-'em-and-steal-their-armor-before-dragging-the-corpse-over"-itis. It was a sad plague, really...
Speaking as someone who never played Ultima, it rather sounds like the point of the games was to find imaginative solutions for the problems the game threw at you. Well, from your description anyway.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 11:23:29 AM
American EST. Sorry for not being clear, I'm used to talking with people in the US.
Heh. No worries, I was just wondering if I should show up at 1am or at 10pm, is all. ;-]
So much for remaining on-topic:
(http://it-he.org/u7/u7_lateb.gif)
http://it-he.org/u7/u7_lateb.gif
Quote from: Mowser on July 22, 2008, 10:33:20 AM
It was so nice having someone else new here who wasn't posting random stuff and Gir quotes trying to play themselves off as being crazy and who actually used fairly decent spelling,
I wouldn't know a Gir quote if you beat me over the head with it.
Hmmm. Apparently my Britannian magic skills are not as elite as the Avatar's.
Anyways, I'm still not sure what a good excuse would be for this character. Mainly, it's because...
A. I haven't read a lot of DMFA, and...
B. I've been playing games instead of thinking of rational excuses. Give me a break, I'm already up to level 6!
So yeah. If anyone else thinks of a big whopper, let me know. In the meantime, Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen...
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 05:44:51 PM
Hmmm. Apparently my Britannian magic skills are not as elite as the Avatar's.
Anyways, I'm still not sure what a good excuse would be for this character. Mainly, it's because...
A. I haven't read a lot of DMFA, and...
B. I've been playing games instead of thinking of rational excuses. Give me a break, I'm already up to level 6!
So yeah. If anyone else thinks of a big whopper, let me know. In the meantime, Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen, Kal Por Xen...
An excuse as in how it could exist in the world of your game? Well, I imagine that Cubi are capable of traveling, so it could just be a distant land that most Beings in Furrae don't know about. I could also imagine some Fae hurling a Cubi into another dimension as a joke...
there's also ultima, the fabled third level spell from final fantasy. some still say it exists.
Quote from: rocket_red1 on July 22, 2008, 06:37:35 PMthere's also ultima, the fabled third level spell from final fantasy. some still say it exists.
Let's see... quoting from the Final Fantasy Wiki...
Ultima is a recurring Black Magic spell throughout the Final Fantasy series. Ultima is usually the most powerful spell, requiring a lot of MP to cast, targeting all enemies, bypassing magical resistance, barriers, and overpowering normal magic defenses. (//http://)
It is also a recurring boss and really sweet weapon. And usually, it's one of the most powerful bosses/weapons in the game.
QuoteAn excuse as in how it could exist in the world of your game?*snip*
I forgot the details AGAIN! *sigh* See, this is what happens when you get roped into helping on two tech support jobs. Brain friage (it's a word, look it up).
The reason that I was so concerned about the Being -> 'Cubi thing was that that was basically the situation at hand. And now that that's been revealed to be utterly vague... yeah. Can you see my problem yet?
EDIT: Incidentally, we're about to start if you want to watch. See you there, I hope! *waves*
DOUBLE EDIT: And it just hit me to use a PM. *headdesks for the... what? Eighty-fifth time today?*
Quote from: Ranzer on July 22, 2008, 06:44:11 PM
QuoteAn excuse as in how it could exist in the world of your game?*snip*
I forgot the details AGAIN! *sigh* See, this is what happens when you get roped into helping on two tech support jobs. Brain friage (it's a word, look it up).
The reason that I was so concerned about the Being -> 'Cubi thing was that that was basically the situation at hand. And now that that's been revealed to be utterly vague... yeah. Can you see my problem yet?
Ah, that's a problem.
Um, here's my trick that I use for one of my character's in a similar position: don't tell how it happened. Tell that it happened, and imply what happened, but don't actually say what happened. Not knowing exactly what happened can imply a great deal, if you do it right. In my case, my character who was transformed into this... thing... is being horrifically painfully tortured, and when he breaks free he simply says that he's felt pain worse than that.
Sorry for the late reply... this'll be a quick update. *stifles a yawn*
As it turns out, problems were surprisingly nonexistent. I made sure to use a proper "FTW happened to me" description, of course. Don't leave home without one!
I'll be picking up the shifting, thought-reading, et cetera as abilities later. Can't leave home without those, either!
Thanks again for your help. I might be asking more questions as the situation demands, so don't expect me to vanish juuuuust yet. :3
*limps in*
Hey, kids, here's a fun fact: wet, slick floors look exactly the same as dry floors. Don't step on them unless you're sure that they're dry.
QuoteSpeaking as someone who never played Ultima, it rather sounds like the point of the games was to find imaginative solutions for the problems the game threw at you.*snip*
Actually, it's more of a matter of irony; the solutions to puzzles are usually pretty straightforward, but the games are so malleable that there's 102587 solutions to every problem. (Lost track of a monk? Find him again and poison him to make him glow green!)
Plus, for a game where you're expected to be the paragon of justice, light, good, vanilla cream filling, et cetera... there's a surprising number of ways to be an utter psychopath and still finish the game. Just look at IT-HE.org and its Ultima sections!
But anyways. An imaginative mind can definitely break things in Ultima, yes. *looks lovingly at his staircase of pebbles...*
Quote from: Ranzer on July 23, 2008, 10:27:36 AM
(Lost track of a monk? Find him again and poison him to make him glow green!)
Well, they did all have the same sprite....
One of these days I'm going to finish the Morrowind section, I swear...
QuoteOne of these days I'm going to finish the Morrowind section, I swear...
Wait... but... if you're writing that section, then that means you're...
...I'M NOT WORTHY. *bows*
Quote from: Ranzer on July 23, 2008, 11:08:29 AM
QuoteOne of these days I'm going to finish the Morrowind section, I swear...
Wait... but... if you're writing that section, then that means you're...
...I'M NOT WORTHY. *bows*
Okay, I've heard of Morrowind, but where exactly are you writing this section for? Am I in the presence of an Ultima celebrity of some kind? (I only go nuts for a few select people, so please forgive my apparent lack of enthusiasm)
... Tapewolf owns it-he.org. He wrote the anti-walkthroughs on there.
Well.. at least most of them, if not all.
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on July 23, 2008, 11:26:13 AM... Tapewolf owns it-he.org. He wrote the anti-walkthroughs on there.
Well.. at least most of them, if not all.
Ah, okay. That's pretty cool.
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on July 23, 2008, 11:26:13 AM
... Tapewolf owns it-he.org. He wrote the anti-walkthroughs on there.
Well.. at least most of them, if not all.
There were a couple of guest contributions, but by and large most of it was either written by me or co-written with my brother.
One of these days I'm going to meet someone in the flesh who's read it :rolleyes
*EDIT*
And in the interests of trying to keep it slightly on-topic:
(http://it-he.org/morrow/mw_dmfa.jpg)
http://it-he.org/morrow/mw_dmfa.jpg
Actually, you're to thank for even getting me hooked on DMFA in the first place. Namely due to your theories on the System Shock page and me wondering what the heck an incubus was, so I checked it out, and the rest is history.
Sooooo... Thank you! :)
Quote from: Ranzer on July 23, 2008, 12:09:30 PM
Actually, you're to thank for even getting me hooked on DMFA in the first place. Namely due to your theories on the System Shock page and me wondering what the heck an incubus was, so I checked it out, and the rest is history.
You wouldn't be the first I've turned into a DMFA fan that way >:3
I return! With an actual question this time before I go to bed!
Number eleventy-six: how many tentacles do new, inexperienced 'Cubi usually have? Do they get more gradually, or do they have them all to start with?
Quote from: Ranzer on July 23, 2008, 11:13:48 PM
Number eleventy-six: how many tentacles do new, inexperienced 'Cubi usually have? Do they get more gradually, or do they have them all to start with?
I'm inclined to say that they have as many as they form. To be honest, I don't know if Amber was counting the first time that Dan's tentacles manifested, but I'd imagine that experienced Cubi can have as many tentacles as they need, but at the same time there has to be an upper limit or else you get Nico Robin style tentacles... and now I was just reminded of Abel's comment about how all of the student body has tentacles. Great. Um, I guess that they just form a random number of tentacles that first time. Anyone have a better answer?
It looks like 'Cubi default to about four tentacles, two per back-wing. I'd have to hunt for the citation, but Amber has said that the wings become harder to control the more of them there are. IIRC, 4-6 is about the limit for instinctive control, 8 in exceptional cases. A 'Cubi can add more tentacles by shapeshifting, but they have to control them consciously and it's not usually worth the effort.
Quote from: Tapewolf on July 24, 2008, 04:02:35 AM
It looks like 'Cubi default to about four tentacles, two per back-wing. I'd have to hunt for the citation, but Amber has said that the wings become harder to control the more of them there are. IIRC, 4-6 is about the limit for instinctive control, 8 in exceptional cases. A 'Cubi can add more tentacles by shapeshifting, but they have to control them consciously and it's not usually worth the effort.
Ah, that makes much more sense than my idea. Wait, it's not 1:07 in the morning... what am I still doing up?
Ah, I see.
I think I'm going to make an exception for the tentacles matching the wing colors in this case. See, I was half-asleep while coming up with a color scheme, and I picked red and beige for the wings, and flesh-colored tentacles brings up a wheelbarrow of Freudian subtones that can cause C'thulu to run away screaming.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and wonder what the heck I was thinking.
For completeness, here's Amber's own description. llearch was asking if the number of tentacles was an indication of power level:
http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php/topic,4352.msg185391.html#msg185391
Fascinating. Might get a little mangled in the transition, but I don't think that'll matter too horribly in a game where one of the enemies we've fought is a robot with knives in place of arms.
One thing that might matter is that I'll basically have to buy all the assorted funtime 'Cubi powers with EXP, and I haven't been able to come up with a reasonable handwave for that yet. Such is life.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 24, 2008, 07:33:14 PM
Fascinating. Might get a little mangled in the transition, but I don't think that'll matter too horribly in a game where one of the enemies we've fought is a robot with knives in place of arms.
One thing that might matter is that I'll basically have to buy all the assorted funtime 'Cubi powers with EXP, and I haven't been able to come up with a reasonable handwave for that yet. Su h is life.
Well, if he's someone who was made into a Cubi, then obviously he has to learn about his powers. And Cubi powers don't all spontaneously generate at the same time. Dan's headwings came in first, then his tentacles, then his though reading powers (though he still hasn't really learned how to use it) and currently he's learning a little bit about shapeshifting. So, EXP is just him getting use to his powers and gradually learning about more of them as time goes on.
Okay, back from a lengthy session of wrench-fu with my new copy of System Shock 2. Now if I could only get the snikking multiplayer to work...
Question #1, 2, buckle my shoe: How can a clan marking be hidden? Can you just pull on some clothes over it, would it show up through those, what?
Quote from: Ranzer on July 24, 2008, 10:56:53 PM
Question #1, 2, buckle my shoe: How can a clan marking be hidden? Can you just pull on some clothes over it, would it show up through those, what?
Aziz hid his clan marking underneath Cid's bracer for twenty-five some-odd years, and Abel's mark is well hidden beneath his shirt/clothing whenever he wears it. It's basically a magical tattoo, so almost anything that covers the skin will cover it. It's Jyrras' Fae bangles that can't be hidden, since we've seen them on bare skin and on top of his gloves: those thing just float over clothing.
That's "Aniz". And yes, clothing can easily hide cubi clan markings, shapeshifting can't.
I missed where Jyrras' bangles showed through/over his gloves. Guess I'll have to go back and look.
EDIT: Ok, in #859 (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_859.php) and most others the bangles are showing but in #860 (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_860.php) they're missing/hiding. CALL THE CONTINUITY POLICE! :mowhappy I suppose we can just attribute that to forgetfulness.
Quote from: AmigaDragon on July 25, 2008, 03:05:28 AM
I missed where Jyrras' bangles showed through/over his gloves. Guess I'll have to go back and look.
Well, there's Overcompensating (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_851.php), I'm sure she'll get bored before she hits the water main... maybe (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_859.php), hmm... they're missing in a little distracted (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_860.php), but they're back for the rest of that discussion with Abel. And I'm sorry about misspelling Aniz's name.
Hm, if I was a little thinner I could probably pull some elements of Jyrras' outfit off... that might verge into obsessive fanboy territory, so I'm not going to go there.
Another session of killing raw-hamburger men with 22-pound tools (My wrench gives me inner strength!), another question. Maybe I should play System Shock 2 more often...
I know the order of losing the needs for food/water/sleep/breathing are pretty standardized, but what about ability order? Is that usually the same also, or are there different orders?
EDIT: For the confused, "raw-hamburger men" is my nickname for Hybrids and their hivemind's brain, which seems to oddly resemble a patty of raw ground beef. Fun will ensue when I can get a shotgun to it.
...Okay, sorry for the double post, but what happened? Is System Shock 2 a taboo mentioning or something? Did I mess up? Tell me, I need to know so that I don't do whatever I did wrong again! PLEEEEASE!
Quote from: Ranzer on July 26, 2008, 05:17:42 PM
Did I mess up?
Personally, I wasn't quite sure what you meant by 'ability order'. I guess no-one else was either...
QuotePersonally, I wasn't quite sure what you meant by 'ability order'. I guess no-one else was either...
Gah. Please, next time, ask me to clarify instead of putting the thread into cryo stasis.
What I meant was "Do 'Cubi typically gain things like shapeshifting, tentacles, headwings, etc. in the same order, or does it differ from person to person?". Sorry.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 26, 2008, 06:00:46 PM
What I meant was "Do 'Cubi typically gain things like shapeshifting, tentacles, headwings, etc. in the same order, or does it differ from person to person?". Sorry.
I don't know. I would imagine that the tentacles only appear after the headwings, since that is generally considered to be the signal that they're coming into their powers, but we are looking at a sample of about 2 (Dan and Abel). Shapeshifting has to be learned, but again it's probably only possible after the headwings have appeared.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 26, 2008, 06:00:46 PM
Gah. Please, next time, ask me to clarify instead of putting the thread into cryo stasis.
A twenty-four hour pause in conversation is hardly "cryo statis." Remember, this is a posting board, not a chat room.
QuoteA twenty-four hour pause in conversation is hardly "cryo statis." Remember, this is a posting board, not a chat room.
My apologies. Things were just going so quickly there for a while that I got kind of surprised when it wound down so suddenly. Sorry!
Quote*snip*but we are looking at a sample of about 2 (Dan and Abel).
I have the perfect solution... A survey for the DMFA secondary cast! That should get us some answers! FIND THE TRUTH! THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE! YEAAAAAAAAH!
Quote from: Ranzer on July 26, 2008, 08:01:19 PM
I have the perfect solution... A survey! YEAAAAAAAAH!
Sorry, Ranzer. Won't happen. We won't get fooled again.
Quote from: Stygian on July 26, 2008, 09:13:04 PM
Quote from: Ranzer on July 26, 2008, 08:01:19 PM
I have the perfect solution... A survey! YEAAAAAAAAH!
Sorry, Ranzer. Won't happen. We won't get fooled again.
*briefly shudders in the corner*
And I have to agree with Tapewolf: headwings at the very least are the first. As for the rest of the stuff, we've seen Dan's "transformation" into a Cubi, but we don't know how his transformation is similar to or different than other Cubi. The only other Cubi we've seen ascend is Abel, and all we've seen so far is that his headwings come on first. Maybe as Amber goes further and further into Abel's Story, we'll get a better idea for the order at work here.
I'm sorry if this is a little incoherent, but for some reason I'm really tired. And it's only 9 PM here.
...Okay, I feel like a moron, but I have to ask. What's so bad about the survey idea? Does this have a history of disaster in this board's dark and murky past?
Quote from: Ranzer on July 27, 2008, 10:18:13 PM
...Okay, I feel like a moron, but I have to ask. What's so bad about the survey idea? Does this have a history of disaster in this board's dark and murky past?
Not as far as I'm aware.
You know, I think the 'norm' might not be a suitable thing to base things on. You should most likely use a level system for abilities, after all, as you can tell by Dan's problems, there are the 'awakened' level of his powers, where they're pretty simple and difficult to control, and the developed level of someone like misses boxumy who runs the Cubi academy. Just allow for the character to change based on the persons play style, if they like to morph, allow them to morph into better and more varied things based on how much they use it. If they take lots of damage, regen faster, if they use suduction, etc etc.
Besides, last I check, the normal is 400+ years of training in the academy.
Edit: Changed Dave to Dan... IRL Dave is annoying sometimes, thus, the mix up.
Quote from: RNA on July 28, 2008, 11:47:56 AM
...after all, as you can tell by Dave's problems...
"Dave's not here!"
Yes, I'm still here. Sort of.
Right now I'm wondering what to pick first as an ability. The tentacles seem fun, but I'm tempted to choose shapeshifting, if only for the possibilities of both battle and novelty ("...did I just pass myself in the hallway?"). What do you guys think?
Hm... I'd imagine that shapeshifting would be more useful of an espionage ability, while conscious control of one's tentacles would allow one to use multiple weapons in battle: see here (http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_552.php).
Shapeshifting. It's the power I'd want most.
Quote from: Ranzer on July 30, 2008, 10:45:29 PM
Yes, I'm still here. Sort of.
Right now I'm wondering what to pick first as an ability. The tentacles seem fun, but I'm tempted to choose shapeshifting, if only for the possibilities of both battle and novelty ("...did I just pass myself in the hallway?"). What do you guys think?
I think you should do both.
Well, now that I've decided to pick shapeshifting, there's a catch. I don't have the EXP to get it yet, but the GM has a "if you don't get it when you first describe it, it's locked" rule. The result? I have no idea how MUCH EXP I'll need. It could turn out to be really powerful if I'm creative enough with it, but that would require more experience. Except I don't have a guideline.
I've started referring to this as Schroedinger's Skill. May be expensive, maybe not, but you don't know until you try to buy it. *headdesk*
... Sorry, you're looking at a guy who's never played a tabletop game like DnD in his life. I've got no real advice for you in this situation.
By the way, your dragon's dead.
*drags himself in*
Sorry for vanishing off the face of the earth, everyone. It's been due to several reasons:
A. Torturing myself with an attempted Let's Play of Kaizo Mario World, or...
B. Becoming off-and-on ill for the past couple of days, or...
C. Playing with poisoned apples in Oblivion, or...
D. Attempting to beat "Canned Heat" in EBA and failing miserably, or...
E. Simply nothing to report.
Anyways, as an update to the "'Cubi in a RP" scenario, the wing-tentacles appeared last night. Unfortunately, since they weren't quite ready to come out on their own, it involved them ripping through formerly closed skin. May be hazardous to your health.
I'm getting a somewhat sadistic amount of fun out of playing a deadpan bastard who can lie through his teeth to people he's met. It's a nice change from my old character concepts.
Anyways, I'm feeling a bit feverish again, so I think I'll close this post here before I start going off on one of my delusional rants again. Sorry for vanishing for so long.
My sincerest apologies for the double post, but in interest of getting this back on topic, I actually have a QUESTION this time! *scare chord*
#I've stopped keeping track: This isn't something that'll be used right away, but I'm curious. Does anyone know about how strong a 'Cubi's tentacles could be? Since they're boneless, I can't imagine them being able to lift too much without a bit of shifting, but I haven't had time to look through all the comics and get some measurements.
Sorry for this going so off-track, by the way. I have a tendency to break off into weird tangents at times... obviously something that I'll need to rein in. Anyways.
*goes off to break his fingers trying to improve his rank on Jumpin' Jack Flash*
Based on what Amber has done with them, I'd say "as strong as the Cubi wants them to be"
Since they can cut through metal, or, in the case of Aaryanna, throw Merlitz around like he weighs nothing, I'd guess that either everyone weighs very very little, or the Cubi tentacles can be very strong.
My money is on the latter... (I can post links if you get lost)
Quote from: llearch n'n'daCorna on August 20, 2008, 06:52:57 AM
Based on what Amber has done with them, I'd say "as strong as the Cubi wants them to be"
Since they can cut through metal, or, in the case of Aaryanna, throw Merlitz around like he weighs nothing, I'd guess that either everyone weighs very very little, or the Cubi tentacles can be very strong.
My money is on the latter... (I can post links if you get lost)
I'm gonna add that it's entirely possible that younger Cubi might have more difficulty using them as weapons or for heavy-lifting, but I can't think of any evidence in canon to suggest that. The limbs may be magical, but to someone who is unused to them it might be difficult to willingly make them strong enough to lift people up and toss them around or become sharp enough to cut through a body. Again, though, there's no canon backing this idea up.
Well, I figured I'd break my fingers trying to get a rank increase on Jumpin' Jack Flash. Turns out that I dislocated a shoulder temporarily instead, so I'm taking a break from EBA for a few days while it heals.
#NO MORE CANNED HEAT, PLEASE: Can shifting be done in the middle of a fight to do things like, say, hardening a limb to take a hit from a blunt weapon? I was thinking about taking that as a perk if it's possible.
From what we've seen, I'd say that so long as a Cubi can spare the attention to shift them, they can do it. I tend to think that those arms need some attention, at least: they may operate almost subconsciously (I'm not really certain), but they need to be controlled in some fashion. I think it's more like a Cubi is thinking "I need them to be razor sharp" rather than a thinking "Okay tentacles, be razor sharp!" Does that kind of make sense?
My apologies for the late reply. I've been trying to deal with the mental-image-out-of-nowhere of a DMFA dancing team in Elite Beat Agents. I'd just replace it with something else, but that's so insane that I want to keep it... anyways.
Yes, it makes perfect sense. I'd probably translate that into using a turn or something to do, I dunno. I'm still not sure as to which ability I want to take first, but I'll think about that when it's not 15 minutes until bed.
Thanks for the help again. I'll keep you posted as I have more questions, promise.
EDIT: Incidentally, I just got up to Jumpin' Jack Flash on hard. I no longer fear death.