Esquestria: The House of the Sun - A pony cultist experience

[Greymere]

Or any appropriate artifacts or Name interference.

Neighnia is right there fully remember.

Having Jade a Seeker go up against a fully there Name is not a match up I'd say Velvet would be comfortable with. Especially with Winters protective qualities.

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Nothing about Winter would suggest that it is at all useful in regards to defending against RotT. It's the Lore of defending against mental attacks, of which RotT is certainly not.

 

[Greymere]

Also I just want to point out @Shaper47, despite you talking like your plan has Baldomare scrying Copper, that isn't even probably going to be the case. Because what you have in your plan is something that should be optimally done by a Lantern follower (RotT) and something that should be optimally done by a SH follower (book search) in order to get what you actually want out of it (i.e. Level 3+ Heart books).

Or, in other words, despite you acting like your plan has Baldomare scrying instead of Jade, Jade is probably still going to end up being the one scrying because Baldomare can actually get good results out of the book search and Jade can't without a lot of luck.

 

[Maer]

[X] Plan Time's Up - Rarity Working
[X] Plan Time's Up - Rarity Searching

[X] A tighter security detail, at all times

 

[Rafuki22]

@OurLadyOfWires can Velvet still study books even when dancing with death?

 

[Solace2117]

I don't see how this is related at all.

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Because I don't think it's a good idea to hold prisoners for multiple turns when we're in the early stages of integrating the Bureau.

 

[Greymere]

@OurLadyOfWires can Velvet still study books even when dancing with death?

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I imagine so? Well, maybe not the ones that need deciphering, since they're in another language and I think Velvet has been leaning on her hoof-reading for those. But if we wanted to clear out the low-level books, I don't imagine why not. I think we'd have like a 70 - 80% chance for each book, since we'd be rolling X + 12 (Learning) + 5 (Well Read) + 5 to 15 (Artifact) -> X + 22 to 32.

Edit:

Current Secret Library Levels
MOTH: Level 1 ( [1/1] )
LANTERN: Level 2 ( [Baldomare] + [6/2] )
FORGE: Level 2 ( [3/1] + [4/2] + [3/3] )
EDGE: Level 1 ( [3/1] )
WINTER: Level 1 ( [2/1] )
HEART: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [2/2 + 2/2] + [3/3] )
GRAIL: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [2/2 + 3/2] )
SECRET HISTORIES: Level 1 ( [Baldomare] + [3/2] )
KNOCK: Level 2 ( [Daughter-of-Axes] + [1/2 + 3/2] + [2/3] )

Secret Library Levels Post-Reading Low Level Books
MOTH: Level 1 ( [1/1] )
LANTERN: Level 2 ( [Baldomare] + [6/2] )
FORGE: Level 2 ( [1/1] + [4/2] + [3/3 + 3/3] )
EDGE: Level 1 ([1/1] + [3/2] )
WINTER: Level 1 ( [2/1] )
HEART: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [1/2 + 3/2] + [2/3 + 2/3] )
GRAIL: Level 2 ( [Mareinette] + [2/2 + 3/2] )
SECRET HISTORIES: Level 1 ( [Baldomare] + [3/2] )
KNOCK: Level 2 ( [Daughter-of-Axes] + [1/2 + 3/2] + [2/3 + 2/3] )

There'd be no actual change in Library levels, but it'd put us one manuscript (or Level 4+ book, for Edge, or Level 3+ book, for Forge) away from Edge 1 -> Edge 2 and Forge 2 -> Forge 3. If we eventually get around to reading the Knock 5 book, that would put it at Knock 3 as long as DoA is summoned.

 

[AuthorTransient]

The plans I mostly agree with have fiddly bits that I disagree with. Damnation.

• I prefer no Grail influence.
• I prefer Selene get her Winter realization.
• I prefer Jade doing Memory of Light rather than Outsider. Presumably, Outsider is a difficult task that Jade might suffer from not making complete progress.
• We don't need a reprehensible pony for the Moth Sacrament, since it doesn't kill them. Well, I suppose we could do the Moth and Lantern Sacrament to the same prisoner, which is an amusing thought.

It's a long shot, but I'll make my own plan and then try to gather enough votes to win. I won't, but it's a good way to give me peace of mind.

I imagine so? Well, maybe not the ones that need deciphering, since they're in another language and I think Velvet has been leaning on her hoof-reading for those. But if we wanted to clear out the low-level books, I don't imagine why not. I think we'd have like a 70 - 80% chance for each book, since we'd be rolling X + 12 (Learning) + 5 (Well Read) + 5 to 15 (Artifact) -> X + 22 to 32.

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I suppose, but we wouldn't have our Winter levels to give better protection from Fascination and Dread.

 

[Greymere]

The plans I mostly agree with have fiddly bits that I disagree with. Damnation.

• I prefer no Grail influence.
• I prefer Selene get her Winter realization.
• I prefer Jade doing Memory of Light rather than Outsider. Presumably, Outsider is a difficult task that Jade might suffer from not making complete progress.
• We don't need a reprehensible pony for the Moth Sacrament, since it doesn't kill them. Well, I suppose we could do the Moth and Lantern Sacrament to the same prisoner, which is an amusing thought.

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Mine does three out of the four, just saying

I suppose, but we wouldn't have our Winter levels to give better protection from Fascination and Dread.

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That's only for high-level books. The low level ones (all of the ones we have are < Level 3) don't carry those kinds of threats considering they're literally just like. Mundane handbooks about e.g. camping that Velvet can wring occult knowledge out of because she's the protagonist she's weird like that.

 

[DelightedOne]

Well, maybe not the ones that need deciphering, since they're in another language and I think Velvet has been leaning on her hoof-reading for those.

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She does the translation manually and checks with her Lantern Realization. It would be weird if she couldn't decipher the books by studying and needed Lantern 3 for it.

I swear every time I try to understand those calculations I trick myself into believing I'm right.

I was so sure that Edge 1 book would put the Library at edge 2 since the Edge 3 book we have is double the Value(2 scraps) because of the two levels between 1 and 3. Same with Forge.

The plans I mostly agree with have fiddly bits that I disagree with. Damnation.

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Understandable, but the Winter Realization will always happen if Selene invests 1 action in training since her Diligent trait makes her train 1 action for free. So as long as the plan you want only uses 1 Selene action for whatever that isn't training she will complete it.

 

[AuthorTransient]

Security Detail:
[X] A tighter security detail, at all times.

Mine does three out of the four, just saying

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[X] Plan Time's Up - Rarity Searching
Fine. Rarity better at least send a postcard wishing us better.

Understandable, but the Winter Realization will always happen if Selene invests 1 action in training since her Diligent trait makes her train 1 action for free. So as long as the plan you want only uses 1 Selene action for whatever that isn't training she will complete it.

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Wouldn't it be better to lock the Winter Realization and then have her Diligent trait train 1 action for free?

 

[Greymere]

She does the translation manually and checks with her Lantern Realization. It would be weird if she couldn't decipher the books by studying and needed Lantern 3 for it.

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Ahhh gotcha. Probably still not a good idea though, considering that massive penalty.

I swear every time I try to understand those calculations I trick myself into believing I'm right.

I was so sure that Edge 1 book would put the Library at edge 2 since the Edge 3 book we have is double the Value(2 scraps) because of the two levels between 1 and 3. Same with Forge.

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Iirc, the 'ideal' set up for the Library is for the books to go ( [1/1] + [2/2 + 2/2] + [3/3 + 3/3 + 3/3] ) and so on and so forth. It's a little weird how it works out when you start mixing different level books though.

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

I think higher level scraps count as double for the library if they are filling in for lower level slots thou. Like if Velvet made a manuscript for Moth it would be Moth 4, capable of filling in the second level 2/2 slot by itself, the third level 2/3 etc.

Their a reason the Master wanted Velvet to write manuscrips, it by far the easiest and fastest way to train people more then 2 people in the lores. Which is an option we should consider using for the bureau. But not Lantern that is forbidden for the Bureau, as it would level up Celestia.

 

[DelightedOne]

Wouldn't it be better to lock the Winter Realization and then have her Diligent trait train 1 action for free?

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It makes no difference what we tell her to train, she only has 2 training actions left to do, so Diligent takes care of 1 and we tell her to do another. Result: Training complete.

 

[Sveta08]

But more importantly, you won't have a chance to run "damage control" with your family and friends this turn because you will stay at zero health until the END of the turn.

Come next turn, there will probably be Fleeting Opportunities to address your family and friends. But don't put the cart ahead of the pony. Right now, you still look like a corpse. And I think the last few updates make it very clear how debilitated you are. Trying to console your family while you are still in that situation is a waste of time at best, and damaging at worst.

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Curses
But, reasonable. Then will have to reconsider most of Velvet's plan this turn.

 

[Greymere]

Higher level scraps count as double for the library if they are filling in for lower level slots thou. Like if Velvet made a manuscript for Moth it would be Moth 4, capable of filling in the second level 2/2 slot by itself, the third level 2/3 etc.

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Not exactly. I don't remember exactly how Bird explained it on the original thread, but it basically amounts to that you need x^2 book levels per set, where x is the Level you're working toward.

So to go from Level 0 to Level 1, you need 1^2 book levels, so one total book level in the Level 1 set [1/1]. To go from Level 1 to Level 2, you need 2^2 book levels, so four, which could be [2/2 + 2/2] but also something like [1/2 + 3/2] or [4/2]. To go from Level 2 to Level 3 you'd need nine, which could be [3/3 + 3/3 + 3/3] or [4/3 + 5/3] or technically even nine individual Level 1 books.

Though iirc, excess book levels from the previous set don't overflow into the next set. So even if we have [6/2] in the Level 1 -> Level 2 set like for Lantern, those two extra book levels don't carry over into the Level 2 -> Level 3 progress.

Edit: Fun fact, this makes the cumulative total number of book levels needed for each level, assuming no wasted book levels:

Level 1: 1 book level
Level 2: 5 book levels
Level 3: 14 book levels
Level 4: 30 book levels
Level 5: 55 book levels
Level 6: 91 book levels
Level 7: 140 book levels

 

[Earth-Destroyer]

The way I understand it is you need 1 scrap of any level to get to level 0, 1 Scrap of Level 1 to get the library to level 1, 2 level two scraps to get to library 2, 3 level three scraps to get the library to level 3. 4 forth level scraps to get to library level 4. for all lores.

A scrap of level 2 can count for the 0,1,2 places but not higher then that. so if we have 2 level two scraps and a single level 1 scrap it would go (0 level 1 scrap) Level 1 then eats a single level 2 scrap, leaving a single 2 level for leaving the library at 1/2 to reach level 2. And should we later get got a level 1 scrap later on it would replace the level 2 scrap on the level 1 area, bringing the library to level 2 overall.