[LP CYOA] 傳

[Kipeci]

It was already determined that our Luck 1 is so bad that it bleeds into real life a fairly long time ago.

 

[Baltika9]

Actually, Jing is still alive:

I'd be more inclined to continue with the votes, since this roll was a supplementary add-on: 'if you get a good result you keep it, if something goes wrong we try to roll with it, if you die we'll just pretend it didn't happen'. Though even the 'no effect' result only meant no effect on his disposition towards you, and you would have triggered an exposition scene too, which might have helped guide your choices. Still, luck of the roll and all that.

I'm not keen on giving out any more rollbacks, and definitely not anything on the scale of the last one we did. But any other options, including dieing and going for another character, or moving onto something else, are still on the table.

We're just handwaving this and politely ignoring the whole fiasco. This never happened. Ever.

 

[ScubaV]

I think I'm going to flop to B2 > B1. I still don't want to cough up the arm, but I agree that B1 seems too passive. The dear general is waiting to see if we offer up our own arm or Qilin's, but I fear he may soon tire of waiting and take matters into his own hands. Plus, the more time you hang around a crazy person, the greater the chance they start acting crazy.

 

[Esquilax]

To be completely fair, B2 could also be a DEAD END as well. I am leaning towards it not being an insta-kill choice, but it's definitely a huge gamble that is a result of us not wanting any part of Yang Xue's (admittedly insane) deal.

 

[LWC1996]

So we're gonna keep pushing for choices that weren't originally in the updates, and if we get Jing killed, we pretend that pushing for that choice didn't get Jing killed... And essentially cheat our way into a do-over?

 

[Baltika9]

No, not really. None of the choices are obvious BAD ENDS, the whole "show him the amulet" was an entirely separate idea. Think of it as Option C.

Still prefer A2, though, since this is Yang Fucking Xue who's offering to train us. The baddest dude of his years, the one that apparently even Zhang and Fanghzhang couldn't kill (hence faking his death), and all he wants is revenge on the people that wronged him. And, honestly, after reading about all that happened to him (and it's not even the full story!), I am willing to give him that satisfaction. Because, seriously bros, what the fuck!?

 

[SirArvedeth]

Since trick with amulet didin't work, I'm voting for B2.

 

[LWC1996]

I feel like we do nothing but cheat whenever Jing dies.

 

[Esquilax]

“Take off the limb and the poison will not reach your heart. Do not worry. Under my tutelage you will still be more powerful than any man, even with one arm.”

Guys, I know that the costs of A2 are high and people are still reeling from the loss of our eye, but I firmly believe that in the long-run, there are a lot of benefits to sticking with Yang Xue. The man has a devastating martial arts style that seems to be pretty much unmatched in the jianghu, and we will get the benefit of learning as much as possible from him. I am aware that we will take a STR hit because of this, but that is what superior techniques from the most dangerous pugilist of his day will make up for.

On another note, treave, what is Qilin's PER score? I assume that she wasn't helping us search through the tunnels while she was still healing, correct? Maybe she can find something that we couldn't.

 

[treave]

Her perception is a bit higher than yours with sight, markedly less without.

 

[RealDDc]

Still prefer A2, though, since this is Yang Fucking Xue who's offering to train us. The baddest dude of his years, the one that apparently even Zhang and Fanghzhang couldn't kill...

Sure that is a great training opportunity, and would allow to lift Jing on a new level. But the thing is, that game is still in the early parts and we unfortunetly lost an eye already. Now we trade an arm.

Midgame we are going to run out of body parts to trade for supertechnics.

Edit: Unless we trade Quilins arm for it... I would do that.

 

[Esquilax]

I think I'm going to flop to B2 > B1. I still don't want to cough up the arm, but I agree that B1 seems too passive. The dear general is waiting to see if we offer up our own arm or Qilin's, but I fear he may soon tire of waiting and take matters into his own hands. Plus, the more time you hang around a crazy person, the greater the chance they start acting crazy.

I don't think so:

“Youngsters nowadays. You will see. Oh. A year or a month or a week later you will either die to save her, or her to save you. I will sit and watch which will happen. Food… it tastes all the better if you wait for it.”

I think that this guy just wants to see us suffer a bit first. He hasn't seen a soul in God-know-how-long, so he is having some fun toying with us. However, while we can't necessarily see any openings from the tunnels, we might be able to hear the sounds of animals or maybe smell something closer to the surface? I know, it sounds a little bit silly. Then again, maybe he already gave us a hint:

“But there is one way out,” he says, looking up. “I can throw you up to the bottom of the bottomless pit. Haha. Bottom of the bottomless pit. In fact I can teach you everything, young one. Everything I know. You can be my spear, my weapon to strike at the twisted world of the jianghu. All I need is an offering.”

If this isn't just insane ranting, it could be a clue that the only way to get to the surface is by going down. In any case, the B choices are obviously a lot more difficult to predict.

 

[Baltika9]

I doubt anyone can outclass Zhang Jue and Yang Xue in that, and the latter would be the only ones to charge like this in the first place. Not like Wang, Fhangzhang or Miecao need body parts. Also, the eye was the price of the rollback, not story related at all.And honestly, I think this is a one in a lifetime opportunity to learn from him like this, and it's worth taking. Sure, we'll lose in stats for a little while, but our neiggong and experience will make up for that. Skill caps can be broken (in fact, we broke our Pressure Points cap at the Wudu, 5/4 right now), and the stuff this old man will teach us (and he will, he said himself that he needs "a spear to strike back at the jianghu") will make us extremely good.
Actually, this leads to another question: treave, had we not rolled back, would we end up in these same caves with Yang Xue?

 

[treave]

Funnily enough, yes. Though as a fellow prisoner things would be different.

 

[ScubaV]

I feel like we do nothing but cheat whenever Jing dies.

I was semi-joking before, but in seriousness I view this particular situation as if treave was GM of a PnP game. Showing Yang Xue the amulet is a creative bit of roleplaying. Maybe the rolls don't work out well, but you don't want to punish your players too much for contributing to the overall storytelling in creative ways.

 

[Baltika9]

Funnily enough, yes. Though as a fellow prisoner things would be different.

Absinthe, I just want you to know that I hate you and think you are a horrible person.

 

[RealDDc]

Yang Xue is our fellow prison buddy in another parallel universe. :D

And we share rat snacks and imperial polices limbs.



... and trade kung fu technics.

 

[Absinthe]

I'm still going to go with B1 because I think we should focus on getting food and having Qilin recover from her injuries. Once she's in a better condition, she can help. Besides, Yang Xue seems content to let us be for now, so we've got time, and if we don't prioritize food, this is going to suck.

Also, treave, I have another question: I notice Yuanshi Hundun now gives +1 endurance and can qi leech, but is this +1 endurance at all times or only +1 endurance when we are leeching someone else?

 

[Smashing Axe]

A1>B1>B2>A2

I never wanted to play a real nice guy.

 

[treave]

You wouldn't have ended up here if you had chosen to go with the assassination/troll princes, by the way.

Also, treave, I have another question: I notice Yuanshi Hundun now gives +1 endurance and can qi leech, but is this +1 endurance at all times or only +1 endurance when we are leeching someone else?

Only when leeching, but whenever you go up against someone every strike of yours that touches them or every attack of theirs that you block will sap a tiny bit of their internal energy when you are using your neigong. In essence this means you will gradually strengthen while your enemy gradually weakens over the course of a fight. Of course, if he's too strong to start off with or you expend too much energy quickly, it won't work.

 

[RealDDc]

You wouldn't have ended up here if you had chosen to go with the assassination/troll princes, by the way.

So somehow we found the hidden easteregg dungeon feature?

 

[Jester]

Treave is a benevolent god. I choose to believe that our derpiness is amusing to him, much like a puppy/kitten.

Zhang Jue = Treave ? Now i know why he is so drablit bipolar.

Oh goody, you guys killed Jing again. Brilliant.

Oh goody, Bastards you killed Kenny Jing again. Brilliant.
Seriously only i thought about it?

I feel like we do nothing but cheat whenever Jing dies.

Kenny mode activated.

Who could've thought that our Luck 1 would betray us?

You cant believe anyone those days.

 

[Jester]

Yang Xue is our fellow prison buddy in another parallel universe. :D

And we share rat snacks and imperial polices limbs.



... and trade kung fu technics.

And our kind, light handed Master, who just end his trip to spread philosophy of peace, self-enhance and love left without gardener?
Could you shape up and keep your priorities straight?

 

[Baltika9]

Yang Xue is our fellow prison buddy in another parallel universe. :D

And we share rat snacks and imperial polices limbs.
... and trade kung fu technics.

Exactly, how can we not trust the guy and take him up on his offer?

But on a more serious note, I fail to see why we're not capitalizing on this opportunity. Yes, we'll lose an arm and one or two strength points, but we gain more than what we lose:

Blind-fighting. The darkness doesn't seem to bother the old man any, he's obviously using some kind of technique to perceive without his senses, which is extremely important to us with one eye gone.

Neiggong training, the man is a walking reservoir and he knows how to use what he has. With our neiggong not tied to our END stat, we can really develop it under his tutelage.

Combat techniques. There is no doubt that whatever this dude has is a terror in combat and his strength back in the heydays was immense. We trained one technique to level 5 in just a week of sparring to him. Another month or two with him, and that arm we'll pay for the instruction won't matter at all. treave confirmed that we can adapt his spear techniques to be used with one arm, and Jing already had practice fighting with just one arm against Yunzi and more after the Minamoto Island, and we won and lived. Basically, we'll make up what we lose with the arm in leg strength and deadly finesse with our Shouwang and Bat Claws.

Obviously, paying an arm for the training is unpleasant, it won't let us do some things we could have done before (like dual wielding swords, Skyrim style), but what we gain by training under Yang Xue, the most hardass military fighter in recent Chinese history, and what we can learn from him about the jianghu's past* and the current Greats' involvement in the overall plot.
On another front, A2 pretty much guarantees Qilin's safety and doesn't have us wrestling with YX for the dwindling supply of rats, aimlessly wandering around the caves in search of an exit that is probably not there. The only viable alternative here is B2, take a dive and hope our skills are good enough to make it through.

*He referenced the Orthodox Sects with his vengeance against them before, I think there's a big backstory we're missing out on from the past:

“Is that all you have left, General?” you ask, challenging the old man. “Just the desire to eat? What about your vengeance?”

He begins shaking violently. It takes a while for you to realize that Yang Xue is giggling silently. “Of course… not. I would rain down a storm of blood on the pugilistic world, if I could!

Obviously, they're somehow involved in the whole plot. Li Ming apparently was making him do some shady and treasonous stuff back in the day:

I will curse his name for every day I live. He considered me a traitor when I fled from the massacre he bid me commit, but I can not be loyal to such a man. I have found that the Tujue have proven to be more honourable than my people ever were.

***

I was told that it was for the good of the country. That the flow of the ley lines needed to be disturbed by a terrible calamity to bring about fortune and prosperity. I was willing to take on that role. But not like this.

I think this is all related to the Tujue War and his apparent "betrayal."

I'm still going to go with B1 because I think we should focus on getting food and having Qilin recover from her injuries. Once she's in a better condition, she can help. Besides, Yang Xue seems content to let us be for now, so we've got time, and if we don't prioritize food, this is going to suck.

Actually, Qilin has made a full recovery already and we're wrestling with the old man for the food and losing.:

In the span of a week she has recovered on schedule, but the both of you were facing another problem. Yang Xue had been coming by and slaughtering the rats for his own consumption. He had made no moves to eat you or Qilin for now, apparently having forgotten his own words, but you were forced to fight him for rats whenever he arrived. Most of the time you lost, though sometimes you managed to steal a rat or two from the old man, to his screaming protests.

 

[Smashing Axe]

But Baltika, surely you realise that sacrificing Qilin's arm would give us an even better return? Not only do we learn some amazingly powerful techniques, but we get to keep our arm as well. This would make us even more powerful.

Sure, we lose a fully limbed member of our harem, but in return, we will have a prosthetic limb member of our harem, which is questionably better.