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File 139443722714.png - (15.17KB , 600x400 , dungeoneer_ch2.png )
565839 No. 565839 ID: 256d52

http://www.tgchan.org/wiki/Dungeoneer

I don't think I ever properly appreciated the difficulties inherent in prospecting around the mountains.

But... it's close.
784 posts omitted. Last 50 shown. Expand all images
>>
No. 752908 ID: 6c25ef

Satiation 4 me, aight
>>
No. 753382 ID: 37f049
File 147670769911.png - (21.08KB , 800x600 , bippity_boopity_boo.png )
753382

>Doyle
>like boil
>Belphe
>like belch
Yes, the gulper's full name is Belphejar Doyle, that's what I said.

>Wait, don't go with the purge potion, we deliberately fed her poisons for Toxic Shroud! That would conflict with existing training.
I mean I could just curse her again if she ended up losing something like Toxic Shroud but OK.

>We're already down on manpower, with people shopping and two injured. I don't like the option that puts our slime on the "needs recovery" list too.
Hmm, yes, that is a valid point. Potions of satiation it is.

We add the slime milk and the raw mana then I let Alkaline chop up some of the ingredients to be added at periodic intervals. Simple, nutritious things to help keep the magic on track: we add some honey and nuts cow milk and mushrooms from the forest. With the gulper to look after the mix while it boils and occasionally sit in a fire when needed, the process is very simple.

In the end we have a nutritious and filling potion. After some consultation with the gulper and examining the colour, consistency and scent of this freshly made potion I determine its side effects. We're very lacking in a proper alchemical kit but thankfully this is a very simple potion. Consumption of this potion causes a pleasurable feeling. A sort of satisfied drowsiness, like the desire to sleep after a big meal.

Wait, what's this? This is... I don't want to build a reputation as some sort of shady potion vendor. I think it will cause some swelling of the bosom in women. Was it those mushrooms? Hrrrrm.
>>
No. 753383 ID: 37f049
File 147670774528.png - (19.44KB , 800x500 , what_a_shame.png )
753383

Oh well. Alkaline's still a child so that's not going to have any effect. We might as well forge ahead.

Acquired Milky Potions
>>
No. 753385 ID: 37f049
File 147670790402.png - (16.52KB , 600x800 , more_goo.png )
753385

The plan to produce more slime milk is very simple. I have Alkaline spread herself on the ground and roam around eating vegetation until she's neutralised all her acid and thus is full. Then I have her drink one of the potions.

"Bleeeeeee." My royal jelly immediately looks both happy and tired. Wobbly. I got to support her as she slumps. She's stopped holding extra water so she's no longer towering over me, thankfully.

"Bleeeeeeem." she mutters as I settle her down on the ground.

"Just rest, sleepy slime." I tell her. "You've stuffed yourself silly."

Alkalline giggles at the alliteration. I'll stay with her for a little while, she deserves a reward.

----------------------------------------
Temporary Abilities
----------------------------------------
Updated - Gluttonous Goo: Alkaline can quickly recover health by eating things. If she overeats, she'll start gaining additional mass in a clump at her base. As she gets bigger she gains a bonus to her slime and slimy secretion production but she suffers penalties to her agility. She can burn off the additional mass to heal herself or instantly create slimes.
----------------------------------------

I noticed Alkaline was looking less formed at her base so I decided I'd best scan her again. This is a common slime queen ability. I was wondering whether she might develop it. You might call it the ant queen strategy - the queen increases her reliance on her attendant slimes to build up her colony. Making use of it will interfere with the physical training I've had her do though.
>>
No. 753386 ID: 37f049
File 147670801389.png - (14.37KB , 800x500 , sickenhin.png )
753386

The increased quantity of slime milk has helped Reisarf bounce back fast. Stargazer's tail has regenerated too.

It's been two days and Hin's cough has gotten worse. It's not really responding to the slime milk. I think it might be because she's not resting properly. I'm not sure if she's eating properly either. She keeps pottering about the camp.

With Hin's help on the bulk work, I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix. The quality's not as good as it could be, but our safety net is finally in place.

I talk about Hin's cough with Reisarf, how I'm worrying it might be some sort of lingering curse.

"Slimes can combine together, right?" he says.

I look at him, checking for signs of concussion. "It's very common." I say. "I'm sure Alkaline could learn it if there were friendly slimes around."

"If I used a powerful Curse of Formlessness on her, couldn't she and Alkaline fuse together and Alkaline could eat the curse?"

I stare at him for what feels like several minutes. That's not out of the box thinking, that's lost in the wilderness. "I suppose that would... work?" I need to say something more. "But it would be a curse turning her into a slime so they couldn't stay fused long... I think?"

"What happens if they don't?"

"They should split up eventually on their own." I say.

He shrugs. "It might be worth a try."

As far as I see it, I have three options:

1) I can convince Hin to stay in bed. Perhaps I could threaten to sit on her to keep her there, or try to keep her entertained.
2) I can use the last of my stockpiled raw mana to brew a different batch of potions. My lack of ingredient variety doesn't give me many options though.
3) I can do what my wizard suggests. I don't know what the consequences might be, but I should be able to undo anything undesirable... eventually.
>>
No. 753387 ID: c441c1

Try one and two first. If we have to do the 3, only keep them together 3/4 of the time that the curse last.
>>
No. 753388 ID: 7f917c

>>753386
I really kinda want to say the third option because it seems really sciency, but I don't want to risk losing our smith or rendering her unable to work the forge because she's been turned into part-slime.

Can we ask Alkaline to hug her for a long time in order to figure out if there's any curse inside her? She might be able to feel it if any of it leaks out. And then if it is a curse of sorts, we can go ahead with Mad Wizard Reisarf's plan.
>>
No. 753389 ID: ba506f

...can we try option 3 with something OTHER then a person first? I mean if it works holy crap it works but that's a big damn if.

I say try option 1 first and see if that helps. Hell we can use the time to actually get an idea of what she'd like her forge to look like once we get that far. If she get's worse though... ask her about option 3 and we'll go from there.

I'd be lying though if I said I'm not interested in trying option 3 just to see what happens but I'm not sure thats the best way to brake in the resection matrix if things go wrong.
>>
No. 753393 ID: 2a7417

Even if it's not a curse, slimes are significantly less friendly environments for pathogens. Full speed ahead! ...With Hin's permission.
Willing victims are so much easier to handle.
>>
No. 753394 ID: 18c950

>>753389
I'd agree with this, if time allows. Merge something expendable into Alkaline first, to see if the plan's sound. Just need to find a good canary.
>>
No. 753446 ID: 3abd97

>I don't want to build a reputation as some sort of shady potion vendor. I think it will cause some swelling of the bosom in women.
Hey, cosmetic alchemy is a fine potential income stream! People will pay a lot for that, you know.

And enhancing the charisma of your agents could always come in handy in a negotiation. Or as a distraction. Don't turn your nose up at a tactical benefit.

And it's always fun to prank adventurers with healing potions that have amusing and/or embarrassing side effects.

>I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix.
...how do we know it works? I don't see anyone lining up for the axe to test it. Sacrificial frog?

>"If I used a powerful Curse of Formlessness on her, couldn't she and Alkaline fuse together and Alkaline could eat the curse?"
Well, the first problem is he'd need a critical success. So he'd have to either spam it until he gets lucky (how many of those can he cast before he's out of mana for the day?) and/or we'd have to treat Hin with something to reduce Hin's magic defense. Resorting to a curse for that would only make the curse mess messier- probably be best to resort to potions.

The second problem is we don't know if Alkaline can distinguish between curses. She might not eat the right one first, so Hin just ends up turning back early, without the cough lifting.

The third problem is what happens if the curse of formlessness wears off early and they're still merged. It won't quite be a tele-frag due to slime, but it would at the very least inconvenience Hin until fixed and likely cost Alkaline mass. (Absolute worst case is it kills one or more of them, and they're muddled together enough the rez matrix can't fix it). More realistically, this would be embarrassing and distressing for Hin, and interfere with our slime training program. Lingering personality overlap / influence would also be pretty weird. Not bad, per se, but we're not trying to mold Alkaline in Hin's image, or give our blacksmith a second childhood.

>1) I can convince Hin to stay in bed. Perhaps I could threaten to sit on her to keep her there, or try to keep her entertained.
Threatening to try Reisarf's cure if she doesn't get some proper rest might be more effective. "If you don't get some proper rest so you recover, Reisarf has this great plan where...".

Keeping her entertained / spending time with her at her bedside would go some ways towards mending broken fences, too.

One thing she might be able to do in bed is plan, if she has the proper drafting / drawing / sketching materials. It's not as if we have her forge up and working yet.

3 does make a reasonable plan B if she doesn't improve with rest, but this seems like an informed consent situation. She should have to agree to treatment before getting it, and should understand what the expected risks are.

>can we try option 3 with something OTHER then a person first?
Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
>>
No. 753450 ID: a107fd

Problems with Hin:
-Not eating enough
-Not resting enough
-respiratory issue (undiagnosed)

Potion effects:
-full stomach
-sleepy
-chest expansion

How is this any less than a perfect fit? Give Hin the leftover satiation potions, then use some reinforcement magic (playing off potion side effects and her nature as a half giant) to expand her whole ribcage, thus increasing lung capacity and allowing widened bronchial tubes to clear themselves of debris more easily.

Also, have you tried asking Belphejar Doyle what exactly Hin got hit with?
>>
No. 753459 ID: 398fe1

>>753386
She's been helping dig. Could be inhaling dust. Hey, if she turns into a slime then she'll be able to eat any foreign matter in her body, right?
>>
No. 753463 ID: 3663d3

>>753450
uhh, hmmm... that does make sense.
>>
No. 753467 ID: 91ee5f

>>753450
This makes sense. Let's do this!
>>
No. 753578 ID: 71d443

Dang, flawless medical logic wins out over untested scientific wizardry. You should also give Hin some support while she deals with the potions' side effects.
>>
No. 753579 ID: 594c18

>>753386
Yeah that science is tempting but save it for when we have a resurrection matrix. Just in case.
>>
No. 753580 ID: 71d443

>>753579
we... we just finished one.

And before it's brought up again, murder is not an appropriate method of remedying ills.
>>
No. 753581 ID: 7f917c

>>753450

That does seem like an awfully astute observation, doctor person, I shall change my suggestion to follow yours.

(Previously: >>753388 )
>>
No. 753584 ID: 398fe1

>>753446
>Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
This gives me an idea. Can Alkaline merge with a hostile slime? Like what if we landed the slimeify on an enemy?
>>
No. 753586 ID: 594c18

>>753580
Oh, missed that. Was expecting more fanfare.

Well... Still probably better not to actually. Who knows but it might end up with them fusing into one person, and interesting as that would be, it doesn't really help our goal.
>>
No. 753587 ID: a606da

I vote for option three.

Reisarf knows what he's doing. He's a wizard.

No precautions, no practice runs. Heck, don't even tell Hin what you're doing! The surprise alone might spook any curses right out of her, if we're lucky.
>>
No. 753588 ID: 343850

>>753386
>>753450
This plan receives a LimeBreaker seal of approval.
>>
No. 753617 ID: 12b116

>>753386
Try the third option, he should know what he's doing right?
>>
No. 753689 ID: 595d54

Yeah, just give her the milky potions until symptoms improve. We'll need to figure out the root cause, though. Also maybe find a new set of clothes. Someone mentioned dust inhalation?
>>
No. 753826 ID: 37f049
File 147687093660.png - (28.59KB , 800x600 , the_power_of_fusion.png )
753826

>>I've finished the detail work on the Resurrection Matrix.
>...how do we know it works? I don't see anyone lining up for the axe to test it. Sacrificial frog?
The matrix is complete, it is an intervention written into natural law. I don't need to fear it failing to work any more than I need to fear stepping outside and falling into the sky. And I don't want any frog minions. They're terrible.

>Was expecting more fanfare.
I was going to wait until Moriko and Merud were back and everyone was healthy to celebrate properly.

>Have you tried asking Belphejar Doyle what exactly Hin got hit with?
According to it, Belphe just panicked. It's like a skunk spraying a noxious mess at someone. Gulpers really don't like getting tipped over. It wants to know if I need another potion for Hin but no, that doesn't seem like the best solution.

>Can we ask Alkaline to hug her for a long time in order to figure out if there's any curse inside her? She might be able to feel it if any of it leaks out.
Alkaline can only eat curses that are affecting her. The devil bear's cursed wounds were a special case since it resides in the wound and is contagious. She'd be able to leech off contagious curses to help reduce their intensity but that's still not as good as her internal consumption.

>I really kinda want to say the third option because it seems really sciency, but I don't want to risk losing our smith or rendering her unable to work the forge because she's been turned into part-slime.
It's an intriguing idea but I must admit there is a lot of uncertainty. It should not be fatal and even if it is I have the Resurrection Matrix in place.

>Well... Still probably better not to actually. Who knows but it might end up with them fusing into one person, and interesting as that would be, it doesn't really help our goal.
The greatest uncertainty is what happens if the formlessness curse is eaten while they're combined. They should either immediately split or they'd be stuck together. I'd have a half-ogre that is also half slime. Fractions, awful. If they did get stuck, they should eventually split up. Putting two random souls in one body simply isn't going to be stable.

>Lingering personality overlap / influence would also be pretty weird. Not bad, per se, but we're not trying to mold Alkaline in Hin's image, or give our blacksmith a second childhood.
Cross-contamination is a possibility. It would take some trial and error to correct.

>We don't know if Alkaline can distinguish between curses. She might not eat the right one first, so Hin just ends up turning back early, without the cough lifting.
Something else to be determined. Perhaps I should conduct a test with cursing her twice to see if she can target just one or the other.

>Merge something expendable into Alkaline first, to see if the plan's sound. Just need to find a good canary.
Where am I going to find a canary? An actual bird or otherwise. The formlessness curse would just destroy one of my weak golems and I am not entirely sure what would happen to my warrior golem. I just made it, I don't want to have to spend the time and precious mana making a new one. Perhaps I should find and recruit a weak monster specifically for experimentation once Moriko and Merud return.

All this will simply have to be revised at a later date.

>Reisarf knows what he's doing. He's a wizard.
>No precautions, no practice runs. Heck, don't even tell Hin what you're doing! The surprise alone might spook any curses right out of her, if we're lucky.
Risk means progress but that is a little foolhardy even for me.
>>
No. 753827 ID: 37f049
File 147687106893.png - (18.64KB , 800x500 , possible_drinkhin_problem.png )
753827

>Problems with Hin:
>-Not eating enough
>-Not resting enough
>-respiratory issue (undiagnosed)

>Potion effects:
>-full stomach
>-sleepy
>-chest expansion

>How is this any less than a perfect fit? Give Hin the leftover satiation potions, then use some reinforcement magic (playing off potion side effects and her nature as a half giant) to expand her whole ribcage, thus increasing lung capacity and allowing widened bronchial tubes to clear themselves of debris more easily.
I'm astonished. That is an excellent plan. Except for that last part, which is total insanity. I get a dose of the milky potion and go to find Hin and confirm her problems.

She looks run down. Haggard. She's not even fully dressed - I think this is the first time I've seen her without a head covering. She does have ground down horns after all.

"You need to stay in bed or you won't get better." I say to her.

Hin coughs. "I'm no good at sitting around and I can't sleep while I'm hacking up a lung."

"Are you eating well at least? You're just picking at your food."

Her stomach loudly gurgles. She looks down in surprise at the traitor. "Kinda hurts to swallow." she says, avoiding eye contact.

I put my hands on my hips. "Hin Ivac! You're an adult, you should know to look after yourself better!"

She kicks at the dirt. "I know, I know." More coughs. Her eyes alight on the potion I'm holding. "Please tell me that's medicine."

I graciously allow this change of topic and hand it over. "It's some of the satiation potion I made for Alkaline. It's not perfect, it's got a few side effects, but it'll keep you fed and help you sleep-"

Hin pops the cork and chugs it.

"Hin." She's not stopping. "Hin!"

Hin wipes her lips. "Hoooo!"

"HIN! Are you sure you don't want to be an adventurer?! DON'T GO DRINKING RANDOM POTIONS BEFORE I TELL YOU WHAT THEY DO!"

She forces the empty bottle back into my hands and grabs me by the shoulders, a crazed look in her eyes. "I haven't slept for three days!" It turns into confusion and then she yawns. "Oh, yeah. That's nice." She yawns again, jaw cracking, and she sways. "Bed, I need my bed."

"It causes some swelling too!" I shout at her retreating back.
>>
No. 753828 ID: 37f049
File 147687117984.png - (25.57KB , 800x500 , hindenburgs.png )
753828

Hin didn't make it to her tent. I find her snoring outside the entrance. She's poorly cocooned in a tangle of pillows and blankets.

>Dang, flawless medical logic wins out over untested scientific wizardry. You should also give Hin some support while she deals with the potions' side effects.
I'm there just in time for the swelling to kick in. Some swelling, hah. There's some swelling and then some more and then her chest repeats this process past any reasonable level. I loosen Hin's clothes and try to make her comfortable. This had better subside soon, I don't want to have to explain this.

I settle in to watch over her in case there's any complications. After about a quarter of an hour my blacksmith's bloated breasts suddenly deflate to a more reasonable level. for the next few hours, I watch her toss and turn, snore, weakly cough and mutter to herself as she sleeps and the potion's side effects wear off. Just before Reisarf goes to bed, I explain to him that this never happened.

>Hey, cosmetic alchemy is a fine potential income stream! People will pay a lot for that, you know.
>And enhancing the charisma of your agents could always come in handy in a negotiation. Or as a distraction. Don't turn your nose up at a tactical benefit.
>And it's always fun to prank adventurers with healing potions that have amusing and/or embarrassing side effects.
nyaaaARRRRRGH!

Time to think about some other things for a while.

>Hey, if she turns into a slime then she'll be able to eat any foreign matter in her body, right?
The slime-like creatures created by Curse of Formlessness are not very good slimes.

>This gives me an idea. Can Alkaline merge with a hostile slime? Like what if we landed the slimeify on an enemy?
>Testing this on a frog or something you stick a curse on first probably would be prudent.
A forced combination would be a slightly different ability which would definitely be detrimental to the unwilling partner. It might be worth finding some wild slimes too.

A frog attacks in the early morning. Reisarf instantly annihilates it with a spell. When that boy hits something, it stays hit. It had two gold in its stomach.

Hin sleeps for fifteen hours.
>>
No. 753836 ID: 398fe1

>>753829
Since we have a couple extra fighters why don't we stir up some trouble? Also, IIRC, Reisarf/Stargazer and Chakarchelou were good at spotting hidden things out in the wilds. How about you send them out along with Hin (she might be able to identify valuable/useful mineral veins on the surface) to get some light exercise looking around, and maybe they can kill that bear too. Reisarf might be able to ride on Chakarchelou's back to keep him from getting tired too fast? Or get a ride on Hin's shoulders on occasion.

Belphejar can take up guard duty along with the warrior golem.

Stockpile the slime milk. Do consider giving Hin another satiation potion if she still has trouble eating. We... actually won't have much use for them aside from doing this.

You can take care of Alkaline while the camp is mostly empty. I wonder if it's possible to practice her Gluttonous Goo ability alongside physical training to get the globs to form in say, her upper body so as to allow her to attack with the extra mass?
>>
No. 753838 ID: 37f049
File 147687742439.png - (29.55KB , 800x500 , daily_reminder_hin_is_surrounded_by_midgets.png )
753838

A little later, Hin wakes up. She immediately coughs. It's shockingly subdued compared to than the determined attempts to excavate lungs she was making yesterday. She crawls into her tent and emerges a few minutes later looking much more like her normal self in all respects.

"Wow Deem, I feel great." she says. "Thanks for that potion." She waves at Belphe. "Good work, you pot you." It hides behind a tent. Hin reaches past me to grab Alkaline - when did she get behind me? - and gives her a hug too. "And good work too, Alky!"

Alkaline snuggles in. "Blin!"

"You must have needed the sleep." I say. "You look a lot better."

"So what is it today? You need more rocks moved? Should I go over your work on the matrix?" She has another fit of coughing.

>Keeping her entertained / spending time with her at her bedside would go some ways towards mending broken fences, too.
"Not that much better. You're resting today. Maybe some light duties around the camp. Nothing more. I'll keep you company if you like. Or I can sit on you to keep you in bed. Merud and Moriko should be only about a day or two away now. You don't have to work too hard."

She sighs. "If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion? Then I'll just nap through the day and not bother anyone."

I need an excuse. "One potion's over a day's worth of food." I tell her. "It's not good to use them too frequently."

"I'm a big girl, Deem. I need to eat a lot." She rubs her chest. "And the swelling isn't that bad."

I squint at her hand's motions. I don't see any difference. I don't want to explain it really is that bad. I don't know how she'll react. I need some light duties for her today and I need to keep her away from those wretched potions.

Where's Reisarf when I need him? I could do with a distraction. Between my warrior golem, Chakarchelou and Belphejar we're well equipped with guards. I should give him and Stargazer something to keep them busy too. Clearing the collapsed cavern perhaps. Physical training? If I'm serious about wanting hm to pursue that, perhaps I should start giving him satiation potions for extra nutrition. That will get rid of some of them.

Last I need to think about Alkaline. Using the potions, she was producing enough slime milk for both Hin and Reisarf. Perhaps I should stockpile it now the need has tapered off. Alternatively I can use her evolved Gluttonous Goo to add mass and increase her secretion production for later - she'll grow faster if she's not producing anything. It'll be a good way to dispose of some of those potions. As I previously said, it may interfere with her physical training though.
>>
No. 753840 ID: 3d2d5f

>>753827
Well, if nothing else, we have confirmation Hin trusts you.

>when did she get behind me?
She's your slimey shadow. When isn't she right behind you?

>"And the swelling isn't that bad."
It was worse.

Smile enigmaticly and refuse to give any further details when pressed. (When is trolling your minions not the right response).

Actually, joking aside, doesn't the giant heritage mean the growth aspect of the potion had more of an effect than it would have otherwise?

>If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion?
*Snort* I'm a dungeon. Having people underfoot is my comfort zone. Is my company really so terrible you'd rather be sedated?

>what have minions do
After being stressed by our training regime and then injured, I think you should let alien and alienist work together in a manner that's comfortable for them. Clearing the cave should work.

Stockpile potions, keep the slime on her training and teaching.
>>
No. 753842 ID: 7f917c

>>753838
Deem, try to make certain that Hin doesn't overwork herself for the next few days/weeks, we don't want to make overwork a way to get a hold of more of those potions.

And let's PT our slime until she has rock-hard abs somehow!
>>
No. 753843 ID: 2a7417

No need to be jealous Deem, I'm sure the potions still work on you. Not that you'd even need them! Besides, you shouldn't waste them willy-nilly. Potions are mana, and mana is precious.
Stockpile Alkaline's slime milk for later, even when the supply train returns it will be a useful potion ingredient and healthy food.

Have Reisarf and Stargazer work on clearing the cave, so you're able to squeeze in just a bit more excavation.

>light duties
Carrying Deem around. She's exhausted from lugging a pair of huge boulders out of the dungeon.
>>
No. 753861 ID: 594c18

>>753838
>give Reisarf satiation potions for bulking up
And his reaction to the side effect should be golden. (Except I guess it probably wouldn't take effect.)

>task for Hin
The thing my mind leaps to is smithing detail work. Is there any that needs to be done currently, though?
Or, I suppose, you could have her work on designs for loot. In the abstract, I mean.

>task for Reisarf/Stargazer
There's still water to be removed from the flooded passage, right?
>>
No. 753887 ID: 2dee8e

that should HELP with the physical training, if she is weighed down but still made to act like she isn't then she can get stronger. weighted training clothes are legit.
>>
No. 753903 ID: a107fd

Hin's very hands-on, has a hard time believing in anything she hasn't seen for herself. Let her have another potion and she'll see how bad the side effects really were. Extra calories will be easy enough to burn off once she's fully recovered.

As for Reisarf, have you had a chance to test Starlight Destroyer's utility in rock removal? Maybe run the first experiment outdoors and some distance away, just in case it exceeds expectations.
>>
No. 753912 ID: 71d443

Hmm. If only we already had some plan in mind involving Hin, Alkaline and Resiarf that would keep them busy today. For science.
>>
No. 753945 ID: 398fe1

...I wonder if Belphejar wants to eat the chopped-off Stargazer tail. We'd need permission from her first of course.
>>
No. 753997 ID: e95cec

Does the milk have an expiration date?
>>
No. 758606 ID: 45b631

Could Reisarf and Stargazer build a focus together, to help Reisarf cast while Stargazer is independent? Converting clothes is fine if you have time for a boss-challenge, but something permanent would help them use Independent Action both casually and when caught unprepared.

Or perhaps they could help Alkaline learn alchemy. Their perception should help in identifying ingredient and potion effects.

Alkaline could practise throwing. Between her stealth and mobility abilities, resistance to ailments, ability to carry things in her body, and the means to produce mild potions in the field she could eschew traditional slime-combat and be terrifying at potion-combat, but she would need a good throwing sling-tendril. Perhaps she could combine Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot to continuously accelerate a potion along a long tendril. We definitely want to maintain Stretchy Slime so that she can reproduce your stylish spider-leg-throne and sit like a proper queen. See if she can throw in a cape(for blinding/tangling/shielding) and a decadent crown(added head protection)...

You should reconsider saving those potions for challengers. Belphegar Doyle is a great source of obscure potion effects. Just these potions by themselves would make you look sleazy, but consider placing one in a chest early in the dungeon along with, say, a stealth potion that inverts the perception of light and darkness, a healing potion that causes a pallid complexion, A strength potion that affects a single random unfavoured limb, and a mental-focus potion that causes hair to fall out. Their intended effects would be clearly labelled, along with a warning of mysterious consequences, to encourage use. It just seems that a touch of the unfamiliar, combined with a risky boon, would add drama and ingenuity to the game and make you more memorable.

You could discuss theory with Hin. This would be an opportunity to clarify her role within you. As a boss for example she is still quite vague. Perhaps there are abilities that she has wanted that enchantments could provide? Also her appearance. What sort of uniform would add to her presence? Would it help to let her horns grow?

Could she run a dungeon-shop? Do such things exist? Selling the likes of healing potions, equipment maintenance, or even advice to their current obstacles at a high mark-up could renew the vigour of a faltering party, encourage them to recover their investment by pressing onward, add a voice to you for the challengers to remember, and provide some additional funds on the side. Just mind that they don't overspend and lose their revival fund... Will this whole revival talisman situation reduce the passion of the game? How did hero-revival work back in your old life?

Crafting is the obvious topic. Perhaps you could discuss dungeon aesthetics. You must be familiar with some dungeon themes and Hin probably has some specialities. Sorting out how best to adjust your appearance to match your own tastes and Hin's interests would be best done before it leads to frustrations. Imagine the awkwardness if Hin wanted dainty floral engravings on all the borders and you wanted to wear a "Depths of the Earth" theme and they were constantly clashing. Perhaps you could agree in advance on a forest region, or a "life fades as you descend" theme with the floral effects only in your early regions, or use floral effects on the chests to give them a refreshing air. It would be much better to plan something in advance than to get done with your "stone-work leading to jagged caverns" theme and then find that there are vigorous leaves and flower-bursts on all of the prominent features.

Do you want any aesthetic equipment for your bosses? Would some unobtrusive shoulder-spikes make Moriko more intimidating or just slow her down and add something to grab? Do appearances add much to the game? With her boss-size, Hin would probably fight best with some dangerous footwear. Can thrown rope/bola/ball-and-chain golems be effective? How is your spear coming along? Would it benefit from some engravings?

That weight-reducing talisman is curious. Would it be possible to make something similar that effects only one of weight and momentum? A weapon that is light to lift but heavy to stop could be interesting...

You also wanted to make some talismans to extend your revival range. Designing them with your own means would be a nice snub to the church.

Do curses persist after revival? It could be a quick, if unpleasant way to heal Hin... On that note, if curses can persist, what happens if someone revives at that disgusting sky-pool while under the effect of formlessness? Would they float as a scum on the surface? Roil around and drown?

It seems that your denizens don't fully appreciate that the golem and the dungeon are the same. They really aren't likely to recognise you as a person when they have the much more familiar(to them) form of a golem to interact with. It is natural for a dungeon to protect, guide, and nurture a slime princess, but playing patty-cake flies right into parental territory. Treating the golem as a mother is probably appropriate from her perspective... It is natural for a dungeon to have people living in it, giving them access to its most personal locations, having them participate constantly with its life and doing the same for them. Extreme intimacy is natural for a dungeon and its denizens. Intimacy on that level is largely impossible between denizens, very few of whom possess the means to safely access one another's heart-chambers. However your golem interacts as a denizen and its lack of concern over intimacy is seen very differently from that of you as a dungeon... If you were to interact more as a dungeon then it might aid in communicating your identity. Perhaps Hin and you could devise some communication devices? Bells that are sensitive to your influence? An acoustic device to refine and diversify the noises that your heart can produce? Rings that are sensitive to your intent and glow with more intensity as they approach a location upon which you are focused? Channels that direct sound from a central point to various parts of yourself, allowing your golem to act as a disembodied voice?

Perhaps she could construct a socket in a golem for your shard. With precise construction it might increase your shard's effective mana capacity. Also, it might be more comfortable to insert your shard into and extract it from Hin's socket than driving it into raw clay. Being able to easily transition between different designs of golem or rapidly transfer into a body in good condition would be an advantage?

If a hypothetical crystalline being had a crack in their surface, could Hin produce some sort of prosthetic to fill their crack? Do crystal-beings expand as their accumulate mana? Perhaps Hin could imbue the prosthetic with her own gigantic essence so that reinforcing the prosthetic's size would easily keep it as tight as possible and best increase its capacities... Perhaps mana conduits could extend through the prosthetic to restore flow to the exposed channels, they would normally lack the capacity to perform, but combined with a more focused version of the focus medallion to repel mana away from those sensitive channels... Add in some drainage channels to allow excess liquid mana to escape so that the pressure doesn't become too overwhelming.
Well, trying to make up for the inferior materials would be difficult, but between suppression and focused reproduction of the normal functions, Hin with a sophisticated prosthetic ought be a more satisfying way to fill a crack than whatever happened to be on hand when they first woke up.

Considering that you probably want to address your injury at some point. You might consider asking Reisarf and Stargazer to closely examine your crack and produce a detailed depiction of its magical presence.

Could you form a more direct bond with Stargazer as you have with Alkaline and Chakarchelou? Or are Farspawn not connected to The Earth-Pulse... What about Moriko with her Earth-Pulse sensitivity?
>>
No. 762739 ID: 7f917c

>>758606
I uh... got a TLDR of that?
>>
No. 762755 ID: 71d443

>>758606
Whew matey, planning in that detail is best done in /questdis/.
the lowdown:
1) build a focus for Reisarf's casting when Stargazer's using Independent Action
2) having them spend time teaching Alkaline alchemy instead of focus building
3) train Alkaline's Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot for thrown weapon combat & spiderlegs
4) making the potions dungeon loot
5) have a talk with Hin, discuss role in dungeon and terms of employment
6) have Hin run a shop in the dungeon, wonder how heroes revived themselves in the old days
7) Choosing dungeon decor - forest theme suggested
8) Weapons and hats for deem fortress 2 - mantreads for hin, bola golems, engraving Deem's spear
9) reproducing weight talisman effects on a weapon
10) copycat revival talismans
11) revival chamber to cure Hin, wondering about the effects of reviving someone who was undergoing formlessness
12) communicating with her minions as a disembodied voice in the dungeon instead of a golem
13) making a modular system for transferring the heart shard between golems (Deem's identity is too tightly entwined with this body to entertain this idea)
14) patching the hole in Deem's heart with a 'prosthetic'
15) Forming a mystic bond with Stargazer or Moriko
>>
No. 767718 ID: d092b9
File 148248067931.png - (25.17KB , 800x600 , i_refuse.png )
767718

>Do consider giving Hin another satiation potion if she still has trouble eating. We... actually won't have much use for them aside from doing this.
Did I not just describe the other possible uses for it?

>You shouldn't waste them willy-nilly. Potions are mana, and mana is precious.
Potions, like mana, are useless if not put to work.

>Well, if nothing else, we have confirmation Hin trusts you.
Right, she trusts me.

>No need to be jealous Deem, I'm sure the potions still work on you. Not that you'd even need them!
I am not jealous! And potions don't affect this body of mine. It isn't some sort of homunculus.

>Do curses persist after revival? It could be a quick, if unpleasant way to heal Hin... On that note, if curses can persist, what happens if someone revives at that disgusting sky-pool while under the effect of formlessness? Would they float as a scum on the surface? Roil around and drown?
The curse of formlessness would not persist. If a curse would last past a day, as a rule of thumb, resurrection is not able to remove it.

>Actually, joking aside, doesn't the giant heritage mean the growth aspect of the potion had more of an effect than it would have otherwise?
Mmm, I think you're right. That would be something of a relief.

>>"And the swelling isn't that bad."
>It was worse.
>Smile enigmatically and refuse to give any further details when pressed. (When is trolling your minions not the right response?)
That will just make her more curious!

>Hin's very hands-on, has a hard time believing in anything she hasn't seen for herself. Let her have another potion and she'll see how bad the side effects really were. Extra calories will be easy enough to burn off once she's fully recovered.
I don't care what she believes and I don't want my minions uselessly weighed down like that.

... She trusts me.

>You should reconsider saving those potions for challengers. Belphejar Doyle is a great source of obscure potion effects. It just seems that a touch of the unfamiliar, combined with a risky boon, would add drama and ingenuity to the game and make you more memorable.
I don't want to be remembered for that!

>Deem, try to make certain that Hin doesn't overwork herself for the next few days/weeks, we don't want to make overwork a way to get a hold of more of those potions.
Yes I don't want her coming up with some sort of pretext to get more. I don't want her to turn into some sort of potion addict.

... She trusts me.
>>
No. 767719 ID: d092b9
File 148248089426.png - (39.04KB , 800x600 , oh_look_its_everyone.png )
767719

"Is everything alright there, Deem?" Hin says.

"No!" I say. Alkaline twitches back from me in surprise. "I'm low on gold, low on mana, there's people missing, each major fight has gotten someone hurt and there's a hateful monster bear out there that I'm not sure we can actually repel with our current strength! The best I can do is brew up a handful of potions with ridiculous side effects! The swelling was worse! It was a lot worse! Your chest was twice the size of Moriko's! This is my big chance to make a new dungeon for myself, I have to get everything perfect!"

"Ooooof, calm down there Deem." Hin says. "OK so the situation's tricky at the moment but seriously, you're stressing out over the fact you've accidentally created a teen alchemist's wet dream."

"I want my dungeon to be taken seriously." I sniff.

She shakes her head. "Look, you don't need to get everything perfect. It's OK to muddle through on the small things."

Reisarf pops up from behind a tent. So now he turns up. "We only need to hold out another day or two and Merud and Moriko will be back with the supplies." He smiles. "And if anyone dies they'll come back now." Thanks, Reisarf.

Hin shuffles around next to me. "Yeah, it's all going to work out. You've managed to put together a team of talented and attractive people here."

"Thank you Hin." Reisarf says.

"Just calling it as I see it."

>>If you don't want me underfoot, why don't I take another potion?
>*Snort* I'm a dungeon. Having people underfoot is my comfort zone. Is my company really so terrible you'd rather be sedated?
"But what's so bad about my company that you'd rather sleep through it?" I say.

Hin looks uncomfortable. "Uh, no, look I just want to get better so the thing that lets me eat and rest properly is better than just some make-work, right?"

I feel like I'm not getting the whole story here but I don't want to push too hard. "It's not make-work!" I say. "There's a lot of important things to do like-"

>Carrying Deem around. She's exhausted from lugging a pair of huge boulders out of the dungeon.
NO.

>The thing my mind leaps to is smithing detail work. Is there any that needs to be done currently, though?
"-making the fixtures for the dungeon. We don't even have a boss key yet."

"So what are those like?"

I cup one hand around an eye. "Generally a kind of big eyeball or a skull." Then I crook two fingers are each side of my head. "With horns!"

"Stargazer likes the first one." Reisarf says.

"Well there you have it. Can you make one of those today?"

>Do you want any aesthetic equipment for your bosses?
It's helpful for improving the mana gain but basic functionality is going to have to come first.

>That weight-reducing talisman is curious. Would it be possible to make something similar that effects only one of weight and momentum? A weapon that is light to lift but heavy to stop could be interesting...
That's a stock enchantment.

"We need to plan for the future too. If we can cultivate a decent amount of mana, I would like to improve our equipment. That cursed bear's run off with my orichalcum sword, but I think Moriko's hammer would be able to sustain an enchantment. Could you engrave my spear so it'd be able to support something too? Or we might be better off working with your mace. It just changes size? What do you think you might add?"

Hin pulls it out of her belt and hands it over. "Yeah, it was my journeyman piece. Making it portable seemed like a good idea. Almost lost it a few times though." she says. "The easiest thing to add would be mucking around with its apparent weight - giving it more heft but keeping it light for the wielder."

As I said, a stock enchantment. I resize the mace to feel the weight of it; heavy. "You could probably strengthen the first enchantment too - make it enlarge as well."

"Oh I wouldn't want people to think I was trying to compensate for something."

She watches my face for a moment and then bursts out laughing.
>>
No. 767721 ID: d092b9
File 148248105994.png - (38.74KB , 600x800 , slime_olympics.png )
767721

>Alkaline's your slimey shadow. When isn't she right behind you?
I suppose that's true. I'll give Hin a little shadow time as well though - I ask her to coach Alkaline today. The two of them seem to get along well.

>And let's PT our slime until she has rock-hard abs somehow!
She's shown a good response to the physical training this far, so I see no reason to stop.

>Alkaline could practise throwing. Between her stealth and mobility abilities, resistance to ailments, ability to carry things in her body, and the means to produce mild potions in the field she could eschew traditional slime-combat and be terrifying at potion-combat, but she would need a good throwing sling-tendril. Perhaps she could combine Stretchy Slime and Spit Shot to continuously accelerate a potion along a long tendril.
My slime princess takes the request to practice throwing rocks and her bad eggs a little too literally. That sort of multiple fire could be useful though so I praise her for it. Flicking the tendrils like a whip to launch a projectile is working well for her. Potion practice is going to have to wait for my supplies to be restocked.

>Does the milk have an expiration date?
A week or longer if it's kept chilled. The idea is I build up a stockpile and then keep replenishing it while giving out the older milk to supplement my minions' diets. As long as the stockpile's of a size that a lower rate of production can keep it topped off, it should be fine.

>Stockpile Alkaline's slime milk for later, even when the supply train returns it will be a useful potion ingredient and healthy food.
Those are both good points so I'll keep Alkaline producing a surplus.

>I wonder if it's possible to practice her Gluttonous Goo ability alongside physical training to get the globs to form in say, her upper body so as to allow her to attack with the extra mass?
The extra mass isn't very responsive to a slime's ability to change shape. It generally accumulates in a glob at their base so their mobility's decreased - they have to slither around like a slug. She could probably learn to control its shape somewhat but it can get quite large! Some bigger slime queens sit on it like a throne or have it filling a small pool.

>That should HELP with the physical training, if she is weighed down but still made to act like she isn't then she can get stronger. Weighted training clothes are legit.
More having a puddle attached to legs is going to make it hard to run and so forth. Still, I suppose I'll compromise again by having her eat a lot to keep some additional mass and use the added bulk to weigh her down for this training. It'll mean a small increase in how much slime milk she can create too. I make sure to let her have a good sized portion at each main meals as well as clearing the vegetation.
>>
No. 767723 ID: d092b9
File 148248119383.png - (30.72KB , 800x500 , rock_moving.png )
767723

>After being stressed by our training regime and then injured, I think you should let alien and alienist work together in a manner that's comfortable for them. Clearing the cave should work.
I let the two of them know I don't want them working too hard. They'll be clearing the cave together at their own pace while I have golems work on hewing out the new area.

>As for Reisarf, have you had a chance to test Starlight Destroyer's utility in rock removal? Maybe run the first experiment outdoors and some distance away, just in case it exceeds expectations.
His more destructive spells are useful for breaking up rock initially but then the rubble has to be cleared. His Starlight Destroyer specifically is a spell that's more effective as a finisher since it resonates with expended mana to increase its power. Since this part of the cave already collapsed once I'm a little wary of using it here.

>Give Reisarf satiation potions for bulking up.
>And his reaction to the side effect should be golden. (Except I guess it probably wouldn't take effect.)
He wasn't a woman last time I checked. I'm giving him fairly light duties so I won't bother for now. Once Alkaline's done her exercise with Hin, I have her pitch in here while Hin goes back to her forge to work on the key.

Reisarf comes over to me when I drop Alkaline off. "Oh Deem, would those potions work on Stargazer?"

I look at him blankly. "She doesn't have breasts."

He blinks. "She could change her shape, but no, what I meant is would one of the potions keep her fed instead of needing to give her mana?"

"Oh. Oh!" I say. "How do her kind survive if they don't have a wizard?"

"Oh before she was my staff she was smaller, so feeding like she used to wouldn't be ideal."

Hmmph, vague. "Well we can give it a shot I suppose."

It turns out it makes her extremely drowsy. It might not be ideal.

>Could Reisarf and Stargazer build a focus together, to help Reisarf cast while Stargazer is independent?
"Come to think of it, since we have her using Independent Action more often, I'd like the two of you to work on building a casting focus. We can't keep stealing your shirt for it after all. Get Hin in on it if you need to."

>Could you form a more direct bond with Stargazer as you have with Alkaline and Chakarchelou? Or are Farspawn not connected to the Earth-Pulse... What about Moriko with her Earth-Pulse sensitivity?
I haven't had an alienist working for me before. Farspawn are largely unexplored territory. Stargazer isn't like other monsters. Perhaps if I had some far-tainted earth-pulse spawned monsters I might be able to learn how to bridge the gap.

Moriko, hmm, that might be something the two of us should explore together.
>>
No. 767725 ID: d092b9
File 148248134072.png - (29.90KB , 800x600 , who_are_these_people.png )
767725

The next few days are thankfully quiet by comparison. Moriko and Merud are running late but I refuse to fret over it. Alkaline is steadily developing and Chakarchelou has picked up a few simple voice commands. A touch of Hin's cough is clinging on persistently but she seems otherwise recovered. A few weak monsters attack and are easily driven off, so I'm emboldened enough to run a quick sweep through the surrounding forest. Food, potion supplies and some scraps of treasure are our rewards.

And then this time apart is over. We've made it, Merud and Moriko are coming up the hill. We have the barest start of a dungeon but now, reinforced with supplies from the town, we can really set to work.

END CHAPTER TWO
>>
No. 767726 ID: d092b9

The next one will have actual dungeon stuff in it I promise.
>>
No. 767733 ID: a107fd

>>767719
>each major fight has gotten someone hurt
You beat that frog with no casualties, so ipso facto it wasn't a major fight?
>>
No. 767759 ID: 9145ba

They're back! Deem! Hug minions.
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