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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 1, 2009 17:48:15 GMT -5
1. You can use it without concentrating as long as it's stationary, but causing the illusion to do anything requires your attention. If your illusion is moving and you're concentrating on it, you may move around, but anything requiring you to divert your attention in any seroious way (blocking, running away, ect) will stop the illusion from moving. Yes, you may attack while it is up while it's stationary. No, nobody can tell it's an illusion if it's a rock unless it was something else first and they saw it change into a rock. It requires line of sight if it's going to be moving, but stationary illusions can be held in place while you do other things as long as you don't leave the general area. You may only create one illusion, but that one illusion could be of multiple pieces of terrain. No, illusions are tricks of light and cannot interact with people. Yes, illusions make sound. No, illusions have no more substance than light. If it falls in the woods, it only makes a sound if its creator tells it to make sound. The sound is not real, it's part of the illusion. Incidentally, having an illusion walking through the forest is a good way to tell if it's an illusion since it won't move any of the plants it touches.
2. Yes, you may make one per turn. If you're knocked out or you die the portrait vanishes (this is also true of illusions, even stationary ones). Your portraits may not use your abilities, including self-portrait. They do have your equipment, yes, and it does work (except materia and magicite), but it will vanish when they do. Yes, they have mass. Yes, they appear on camera. Yes, they have a thermo-imaging pattern. No, self-portraits cannot operate independantly or make their own dicesions; they are not self-aware and must be manipulated mentally by their creator. Yes, you have a telepahtic link with them in that you are in control of their every action. Yes, to an extent you experience what they experience, but it's more an acknowledgement of the feeling than the feeling itself (for example, if a portrait gets its arm blown off you will "feel" it, but you will not feel like your arm was blown off). Yes, you can buff it. Yes, you'll know if it dies. No, you do not share buffs, and if the portrait fades while it's buffed you do not take those buffs unto yourself. No, they do not have intelligence. Yes, if it is stabbed it will bleed. Yes, it is as vulnerable as you. No, portraits vanish when they take too much damage and cannot be raised or reraised, though they can be healed with cure and potions while they still exist. No, they cannot summon, use magic, use materia, use items, or use any abilities, but they may use weapons. They have your fingerprints, genetics, and ID (assuming you had the ID on you when you made the copy), but not your memories. Yes, you may banish it at will.
Also: The self-portraits each will get a turn after the post in which they are created. Making one clone takes one turn. So to make one, you forfeit a turn. To make two, you forfeit two turns but your first clone gets a turn after the turn it was created, and so on. They will splinter your consciousness, so it will be harder to concentrate the more copies you create.
Also also: A lot of those Self-Portrait questions were asked on the first page of this thread. Please try to check and make sure your question hasn't already been answered before asking it.
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Post by Tseng on May 1, 2009 20:14:18 GMT -5
I understand that some of these questions were indeed asked at the start of the thread. However, I wasn't sure about their answers in relation to each other. Also, you clarified some points on them that I didn't quite understand from the first round of questions. Basically, I'm trying to avoid making any assumptions on how skills work so as to avoid confusion in the future and to avoid any other awkward situations. It is my opinion that if something isn't clear the first time other questions need to be asked about it in conjunction with it as it bears repeating. I do check to see what has been asked or that I have asked before.
In any event, I also have a series of questions to ask in regards to the nature of Negotiate. How many times can Negotiate be used? For instance, if I use Negotiate and we all select one ability each to remove, can I use it again to negate another ability in addition to the first one or does the new use of Negotiate cancel out the first use and we only net one lost ability?
Also, Manipulate has me perplexed as I don't understand if it takes your action or not under specific circumstances to use or if it flat out always takes up your action to control your opponent or if I read it and information on it wrong and it doesn't take an action to use beyond merely activating it. Also, does the person you use it on maintain any small inkling or memory of being manipulated? Do they have freewill until you give commands? Do you have to be very specific with those commands? Can they reinterpret them as they wish or do you just merely describe their action in your post? Am I supposed to tell the person OOCly what they should do or just ICly or both?
I'm confused about the Invitation skill though I don't even know where to begin asking questions with that one.
Finally, I have a few questions about the use of Sketch. You guys have mentioned to me before that the Sketch image appears, makes one attack and vanishes like a summon. However, I was curious if the attack is merely physical in nature or if the Sketch could use abilities the target possessed. If they can use the abilities of the target which ones (only the ones that are listed on their page? Their Limit Breaks/Special Abilities/Etc?) are considered legitimate for their use?
I know I've asked about Sketch a little before, but the following clarifications will help me understand it a little better because I am very confused about it.
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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 1, 2009 21:04:32 GMT -5
Negotiate may be used multiple times to seal multiple abilities. Well, unless your enemy chooses Negotiate.
Manipulate...uhh...well, have you ever used Manipulate materia, or Relm's Control ability? You'll lose your ability to do anything but walk while the manipulation is taking place. Think of it as possession. You can't stop at will, though. The manipulation will not stop until your target is either dispelled (dispelling you will not work), out of range (about 100 feet), knocked out, or killed. The person you manipulate will remember every second of being manipulated. They have no free will until your command is broken.
You should work with the person you're manipulating on an individual basis to find out how you want to give commands and whether you or they should do the posting. I'm not going to set a procedure for that. That's between the players.
The Invitation skill allows you to ask characters you're fighting against to join your team. This can be as simple as dropping your weapons and saying "we don't have to fight" or as complex as brainwashing them mid-fight. However you want to portray it is up to you.
The Sketch will randomly attack using one of the attacks of whatever was sketched. This could be a physical attack, magic, or a special skill or ability. No limit breaks or summons, though, since those require special circumstances.
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Post by Tseng on May 7, 2009 20:53:17 GMT -5
Okay my new question first refers to an ability listed under Thief. Catch is an incredibly useful ability that hurts a lot of if you try to snag a bullet. However, if I actually Catch the bullet and take damage do I still have a bullet in my hand to show for it at least?
In addition, do you have to always Catch anything thrown or shot at you while Catch is active or can you chose to have it shut off without wasting an action? If you can shut it off without wasting an action does it take another action to turn it back on again? Will you try to Catch bullets despite knowing that it will hurt or are you considered able to ignore some attacks and still try for others?
As for Machinist, does the understanding of technology of different nations allow me to *make* combination weapons? For instance, could I make a Magitech imbued SOLDIER sword designed in a Esthar factory that fired magically imbued Al-Bhed ammunition? (I don't actually plan on making one, but it was the most extreme example of Hybridian technology I could think of)
Also, do you guys have any specific examples of what Hybridian Technology is? I asked a question earlier about it, but I'm still a little perplexed as to the exact nature or qualifications something would need to be considered Hybridian. Basically, I guess I'm not quite sure if it's combination technology or simply something new altogether, or even both.
Lastly, does the effects of abilities and skills that say "affects all allies" work on people you think are allies or just people who are definitely on your side? Will it thus reveal traitors and unexpected friends?
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Post by Seltzer Grenadine on May 7, 2009 21:11:07 GMT -5
I would imagine that, so far as said bullets are real, then yes, the bullet you caught is still there.
Not sure on turning Catch on/off, but I believe that you can turn it on and use the ability in one post, but it won't turn off until you either succeed in catching a bullet, or turn it off. Turning it on or off does not count as your one combat action, therefore you still get to use the ability you're turning on, of if you turn it off, you can chose another. Don't take my word on this yet, but this is how I took it.
Edit: Oh right! I think you can turn Catch on and use another ability. The point of the "...on/off once per post." is to keep you from turning it on, off, then on again in one post, since it doesn't count as a combat move.
As for making combination weapons, I'd say you have to know Hybridian to make that work. Therefore, Hybridian gives you the ability to make and operate weapons/machines that take components from different worlds. Which would imply that Hybridian technology might not yet exist and needs to be created. Again, don't take my word for it. Alex will confirm later.
"Affects all allies" affects those who you consider allies/have officially joined forces with. I think the point of "affects all allies" is that you are concentrating that spell/ability on your friends. So, no, it won't reveal traitors.
Huh. You know, if I got all those right, I will be surprised. XD
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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 9, 2009 0:54:01 GMT -5
You got it, Setzer! Look at you, all answering questions without my input. Soon you won't need me at all. XD
Hybridian technology does not exist at the moment. This is subject to change, but at the moment the only way you're getting any Hybrid technology is to make it yourself.
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Post by Tseng on May 11, 2009 10:25:17 GMT -5
Next on my list of questions is on Catch again before I move forward (I just realized I have a new one to add to the list): do you need to have a hand free to Catch an item? Could you for instance catch a bola being thrown at you with a staff or a bullet using another bullet to ricochet the incoming one up into the air and catch the bullet harmlessly? Is it possible to use Catch on an item that isn't being hurled directly at you but is just near you (such as a basketball being shot into a hoop near your head which is in jumping distance)? Can you catch an item being thrown at an ally? Can I catch a grenade and throw it back before it explodes if I use my action to throw it? Finally, can I catch items I don't see coming like from surprise or at least ones I just can't see like an attack from behind me that I maybe expecting?
Next, if an item in game duplicates and ability's function like potions do you have to know the appropriate ability for them to work? If I don't know Cure then potions don't work for instance? What about items like armor, do they have any effect? I'm curious because I wanted to check the utility of certain skills on the Thief tree.
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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 11, 2009 23:58:10 GMT -5
You could catch a bola with a staff, but that's not a very good example. A bola is designed to wrap around things, so you could catch it with pretty much anything. You could not block a bullet with a bullet, though, because that isn't catching it, it's just stopping it. You could not catch a throwing knife with a sword, an arrow with a tomahawk, or a rocket with a shield. You would generally have to catch it with your hands or maybe some kind of net. Note that I would not recommend catching a rocket with anything since it will probably just explode.
You may catch items headed at you that would miss if you left them alone, but not items headed toward allies or inanimate objects (unless you have Cover active). Of course, you could catch a basketball without Catch because a basketball is designed to be caught. A throwing knife, bullet, and crossbow bolt are not designed to be caught, so you would need Catch to stop them.
Yes, you may catch a grenade and throw it back using your action, but only if you have the Throw ability. You would be able to throw a grenade without the Throw ability normally, since it doesn't take serious training to throw a grenade like it does a knife or chakram, but since you've only got maybe two seconds to throw it back I'm gonna say you'd need the reflexes of Throw to do so.
Catching something thrown at you from a surprise attack or from behind would be like using Cover while you're asleep. No, it can't be done.
If an item in game duplicates an ability's function, and you don't have that ability, then you can't use it unless that item is a world-specific technology and you know the corresponding Machinist ability (with the exception of Materia, which in the context of Machinist does not count as technology). Technically you can use potions without Cure, though, as potions do not replicate the function of Cure. Cure gets more powerful as its caster does, while potions always heal the same amount. Likewise, a flamethrower is not the same as a Fire spell and a vial of poison is not the same as the spell Bio.
I don't quite understand your final question. Does armour work? Sure it does. Although I don't really know what kind of armour you have available. All of the armour in FFVII seems to be armlets and bracelets, with the exception of obscure items like "Shinra Beta" and "Ziedrich" where you have no idea what it's supposed to look like. Feel free to suit up in SOLDIER gear if you feel the need.
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Post by Tseng on May 12, 2009 3:16:26 GMT -5
Well, I meant with my Machinist abilities... if I found some armor in Esthar could I wear it and have it work? Or if I stole armor... accessories... etc. Would I be able to make them work or does that not fall under the Machinist abilities?
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Adel
Villain
Hoc est SPARTA.
Posts: 207
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Post by Adel on May 12, 2009 15:38:43 GMT -5
The only ways you would be unable to wear any given piece of armour is if it were too damaged to function, if it were mechanical and you didn't have the machinist ability for it, or if it didn't fit you.
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Post by Tseng on May 13, 2009 7:41:31 GMT -5
Hey quick question as I prepare myself for another post. Do you need the machinist ability of Midgardian to use Materia if you're not from FF VII? I don't ask for myself but for some ideas I was cooking up. I know you have to have the ability the materia normally would grant already, but if you have say... Fire and are from FF X would you still be able to use Fire via the Materia granted?
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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 13, 2009 15:41:52 GMT -5
Well, no, I suppose they wouldn't need Midgarian. Materia isn't really technology, it's more like a natural resource. Someone would probably have to teach them to use it, though.
Although I'm not sure why anyone from FFX would need materia since they have the sphere grid for that kind of thing. They'd need slotted equipment, too.
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Post by Tseng on May 15, 2009 21:07:20 GMT -5
Okay here's my incredibly dumb questions about Stealing stuff. Does the Steal ability allow me to Steal armor or is there a specific Steal Armor ability that I just can't find? Also, the Steal Weapon ability, do I have to actually know it's a weapon ICly or just OOCly? Can I steal money with Steal?
Steal Soul... do I actually get their soul like an orb or something when I use it on them? Do I absorb it? Is it just a nice metaphor for a name? If I use Steal Soul on a Pyrefly does it become a sinspawn? Do I absorb it? If I can absorb souls from the Lifestream, Pyreflies, etc. would I be able to manipulate said energies. I remember we discussed before that Auron can manipulate Pyreflies. Would I be able to do so in the same way if I absorb them?
Does Caution waste my ability to act? I mean if I can't be surprised by the attack it's kind of useless if I can't act on that knowledge and dodge or block. Does Caution work against AoE's you didn't see coming as well as direct attacks? Like if someone planted a mine nearby and I activated Caution would I be able to not step on it? What's the posting etiquette for Caution anyways? Do I have to work with the person to retconn the previous interactions and posts? Do people just have to describe missing any surprise shots and I auto-use up my action dodging or blocking?
Does Identify look hidden items on a person? Can I use Identify on a non-human target like a robot or animal? Will Identify tell me how much gil a person has? Do I have to be able to see the items on a person to know their worth? Is Identify usable on objects that are in no one's possession like just a room full of artifacts?
Can I Steal Sound from a non-human target like a machine, a weapon, a helicopter that I want to stealthy like move up on a city of people who might happen to want to shoot it down?
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Post by Alexander THE GIRL on May 16, 2009 18:53:57 GMT -5
You may not steal armour that the enemy is wearing (though an exception would be made for Locke, who demonstrated the ability to steal armour the enemy was wearing). If they have armour with them which they aren't wearing then you could steal that, though anything big enough to be carrying around multiple sets of armour is probably some sort of crazy golem made of dullahans. I wouldn't fight it. XD
Steal Soul, like many abilities, pretty much works however you want it to work. Steal Soul can be the spell Zombie if you want it to be, or it can be the actual removal of the enemy's soul where you get to keep it. However, you may not absorb or control any soul stolen, nor may you use the ability to siphon or manipulate Lifestream or soul-like matter of any kind: it's an attack, not a utility. Esuna, Remedy, and Holy Water will still bring them back to normal no matter how you choose to implement the move, so I wouldn't go thinking you can use the move to start collecting souls when a common drug store will be able to fix them up.
No, Caution does not waste your ability to attack. HAY SETZER COULD YOU PUT A ~ BY THE THIEF ABILITY CAUTION? THANKS. Caution would protect you from stepping on mines or setting off traps, yes. Once you have Caution, the only way you're getting hit by a trap is if AoG comes out of nowhere and sets off some kind of super plot trap where no amount of caution could realistically save you (like the building you're in being wired to explode). In this same vein, a surprise attack by an AoE attack like Ultima or Holy will probably still hit you. Caution only makes you aware of the incoming attack or trap, it doesn't magically transport you out of the way of things that your foreknowledge couldn't help with.
As a rule, you shouldn't describe hitting a character you're in battle with unless you have permission from the character's player. You may describe striking at the character, but whether you hit is up to the opposing player. Thus, if anyone strikes at you in a surprise attack fashion, simply have Tseng dodge and explain OOC at the beginning or end of your post that you're using Caution. Of course, the mods will call shenanigans on anyone who starts godmodding. Note that there's a difference between godmodding and a one-sided fight. If Cloud fights Zack and Zack blocks and dodges every one of Cloud's attacks without breaking a sweat, that's godmodding. If Elena fought Sin, that would be a one-sided fight where it would make sense for Sin to have an unfair advantage.
I really need to change what Identify does. As it is, it's fairly useless. Give me a bit and I'll have it do something else.
No, Steal Sound only causes Silence, which presumably keeps characters from speaking the magic words necessary to cast a spell. I suppose the term Steal Voice would be more appropriate, but that reminded me of The Little Mermaid and I decided against it. Besides, that wouldn't explain how it stops robots from casting magic. They must have some kind of recording or voice synthesizer or something.
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Post by Seltzer Grenadine on May 17, 2009 23:05:34 GMT -5
Will do.
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