KH: Visions of Destiny 2

[JAGwin]

oog: Sheet started working again not long after I said that. Not sure why I was having problems before. And the Tropes page question was at the thread in general.

Quick question though; why did you decide to have Sora's Light/Darkness balance out to four Light when we were at Bright Light (aka five Light) before the mechanics change?

ig: Only things I can think to get are a Mechon Masher (which Goofy should equip immediately) and a Metroid Fang (which we aren't going to equip at the moment because Sora is enough of a Glass Cannon as is and Kairi is a Magic user).

oog: There's something about the elemental weaknesses and resistances that's confusing me. Specifically, what happens when you hit something that's immune to one element but weak to another with something that uses both elements (for example, blasting something that's immune to fire but weak to electricity with Char)? Same goes for if it's absorbent instead of immune.

EDIT: I disagree with getting the Moogle Gloves. I just don't think they'd be useful for this battle. Granted, I can see them being useful down the line if we visit a really cold world (for example, Frozen), but otherwise, I think we're better off without them for the reason I mentioned before. Although I would like to note that they give an Attack bonus, so it would be four Attack, not three. But even then, the Petal Punch gives us two Attack, so if we keep those and equip the Metroid Fang, we'll have five Attack.

Although I do agree with switching the Growth Egg with the Dull Orb of Minwu.

[Tempest Kitsune]

I agree with Rigger's plan, though with the addendum of getting Riku that Moogle Jacket while we have the funds. Gives him a lot more strategic flexability, and if something goes really wrong he can use it to get out of the clutch, or come to the aid of someone else. Might also unlock a new combo. On top of that, we haven't seen these things using a ton of status effects; and I think the bonus to HP offsets the hit to Def, especially given all of Riku's other defensive tricks.

[JAGwin]

Actually, if I remember correctly, we already have a Moogle Jacket. It's just that we never had anyone equip it. Also, if Rigger is doing his math right, we won't have enough Munny to get another if we go with his plan since the coupon only applies to thing that cost less than 1000 to begin with.

[Tempest Kitsune]

Actually, if I remember correctly, we already have a Moogle Jacket. It's just that we never had anyone equip it. Also, if Rigger is doing his math right, we won't have enough Munny to get another if we go with his plan since the coupon only applies to thing that cost less than 1000 to begin with.

If that's the case, we should just equip Riku with the one we did get before, and get some Mogapotions, Mogaethers and grenades to round out our arsenal.

[JamestheFox]

oog:

I LIVE

Sorry for the wait, guys. We hit a few technical difficulties, made apparent by a KHT campaign I'm currently running. DEF was out of control, chip damage rampant, and battles that should have taken no time at all were never-ending. But I think we've fixed the problem, and we are clear to move on.

The item loadout has ultimately been specified to this, as discussed on the KHVD Skype Chat:

Moogle Gloves: 318
Metroid Fang: 401
Mechon Masher: 450
2 Mogapotions, 584
2 Mogaethers, 630
5 Mogrenades, 250

Total cost of your full purchase is 2633, leaving 775 Munny to your name.

ig:
Day 53
Traverse Town
Time - Endless Night

You spend a surprisingly long time browsing items and equipment. You can see a fair number of new wares, most of which appears to have been looted off the enemies attacking at this very moment. You yourself end up picking up some new gloves and a necklace with a strange fang that apparently was salvaged from a new manner of monster set loose upon the town by the enemy.

"Hmmm. What are these?" Kairi asks, picking up a few flasks from a heavily refrigerated section. "They don't look like the other new stuff..."

A shades-wearing Moogle floats up to her, wiggling wildly in delight. "Oh, you have a good eye, kupo! That used to be exclusively on our secret menu for Moogles and Pomfriends, but we've been chosen to do an interest test before releasing it to the general public. Please, take a sniff, kupo!"

Kairi pops the cork off, and smells the contents. "... Strawberry?" She passes it to you, and you take a sniff yourself.

"I dunno, it smells more like watermelon." You pass it to Riku.

"... You guys are crazy, it's definitely coconut milk."

Kairi raises an eyebrow. "Some kind of drink that changes flavors, then?"

"What you're smelling is a Hi-Potion."

Riku almost drops the bottle. "What now?"

"It's a secret Moogle recipe, kupopo! All the healing power of a Hi-Potion, and none of the stomachache that comes with it!" He takes the bottle off Riku's hands, closes it up, and stuffs it back in the fridge. "But it doesn't last too long without being chilled, kupo - after about half a day, it becomes more like a normal Hi-Potion."

Kairi frowns. "It's a tempting offer..." It's obvious she's about to try and haggle...

"We also have a Hi-Ether variant, kupo."

Donald pops in from the next aisle over. "WE'LL TAKE TWO!"

Kairi sighs. "We'll take two of each."

Goofy takes up a shield that seems to be made from similar components to Metal Face.

Eventually, you scour the store for the best loot, and proceed to head on out, freshly equipped.

"There you are." As you cross a street in Second District, a voice beckons out to you. "I've been looking all over for you, Keybearers."

A man in a black coat and hood steps out of the shadows of a nearby alley, and leans on one of the few still-functioning lightposts.

"Don't tell me you guys have been shopping all this time."

"What's it to you?" Riku growls.

"Number 1's started up his plan, and he sent me to tell you lucky sons of guns about it. He sent me into every big firefight going on, expecting you to be there!" He makes an exaggerated motion of frustration. "Don't tell me the chosen ones were too busy eyeing deals and haggling with Moogles to be saving the world."

Riku glares at him, and the man in the coat has the decency to tense up and back off a bit. "We needed equipment, to make sure we were ready for this 'plan' of yours."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Grumpy, aren't you?" The man removes his hood, revealing a face and hairstyle you recognize from your visions - the guy with spiked-back red hair, who was helping that girl with the ice powers. "Could have warned me he'd be hostile... Anyway. Number 8, at your service."

"Good to meet you." You say.

"Likewise." Number 8 smirks. "Alright. While you've been down here, the Organization has been scouting the enemy's ship for entry points, looking for a good spot to actually enter the ship and take the fight to them, as well as trying to figure out just who we're up against. Turns out, this is a big one. You kids know about Brainiac?"

You, Riku, and Kairi share a look of confusion, but Donald and Goofy gasp.

"BRAINIAC!?" Donald asks.

"Gwarsh, didn't the Justice League take him out, way back when?" Goofy asks. "How's he back?"

"Turns out, the Brainiac from back then - and the one we're fighting now, in fact - was a copy. What we're fighting now is just a scout linked to the real Brainiac, who's somewhere out there."

"Uh huh... how does that help us?" Riku asks.

"Well, it's probably not as strong as the real Brainiac... other than that, I'm just as lost as you are." Number 8 crosses his arms. "But remember, we were also looking for an entry point, and we found a few. There's a route you can take with your Gummi Ship that'll land the attack party at the closest docking bay to Brainiac himself. Based on his patrols, it's not quite suicide, but it'll be tough."

"Why do I not feel comfortable with that plan?" Riku asks. "Gee, let me count the reasons..."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. We have another route that'll get you there, though, one that's faster and will get you closer to Brainiac. But there's a catch."

"What kind of catch?" Kairi asks.

"You'll have to take a passageway made entirely out of darkness. Not exactly the safest means of travel in the worlds." Number 8 shakes his head. "Only the strongest of heart, or those bereft of a heart, can hope to make their way through such a path intact. Of the people here, I'd say only you five and the Organization can hope to make that trip safely. And ol' grumpypants over there is pushing it."

"So if we go by Gummi Ship, we can get together a party of people to attack the enemy base and hope we aren't blown out of the sky," Donald says, "or we can try this passageway of yours, and hope that the five of us, and your group, can take on Brainiac?"

"That's about the gist of it. Got it memorized?"

You nod.

"Good, you pick up fast. So, what's it gonna be?"

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Music:
KH2 - Laughter and Merriment
KH2 - Organization XIII

Data:
KHT Manual
Shop Sheet
Jiminy's Journal
Ansem Reports
Sora's Vision History

Characters:
KHVD Main Party Members
Gummi Ship
KHVD Minor Party Members Sheet

[JAGwin]

oog: Invisitext:

Spoiler: show

Kairi frowns. "It's a tempting offer..." It's obvious she's about to try and haggle...

ig: I think we should take the Gummi Ship. Using a CoD without proper protection strikes me as asking for bad things to happen to Riku, Donald, Goofy and possibly Sora.

[Tempest Kitsune]

"We'll take the Gummi Ship. Once was enough dealing with those corridors, if they're anything like what I think they are... Axel. How's Elsa doing anyway, getting a better handle on her powers I hope?" Ask innocently, but be watching him for reactions, especially to the last part.

[JAGwin]

"We'll take the Gummi Ship. Once was enough dealing with those corridors, if they're anything like what I think they are... Axel.

Erm, I don't remember us ever going through a CoD before, so when was this?

[Tempest Kitsune]

"We'll take the Gummi Ship. Once was enough dealing with those corridors, if they're anything like what I think they are... Axel.

Erm, I don't remember us ever going through a CoD before, so when was this?

The closest thing that we've had experience with was when the Home Islands were destroyed. Plus that thing that nearly took Riku.

[MrRigger2]

Neither option is really great, but they're what we have. Let's do a comparison.

Option 1: Gummi Ship. Passage is not safe, and we'll end up further away from Brainiac once we do land. However, we'll be able to take more people as an assault team.

Option 2: Corridor of Darkness. Not the safest thing around, but we'll definitely make it there, and we'll be right on top of Brainiac when we get there. Axel says that we're the only ones strong enough to make it through, so no extra help from the Traverse Town defenders.

Both options have their downsides. Option one sounds attractive on the surface, but I think there's a lot of drawbacks that aren't immediately apparent. We'll have to assemble an assault team, which will take time, during which time Brainiac will keep destroying the town. We also aren't sure how many people we'll be able to bring with us. We're the only roving team that I'm aware of, everybody else seems to be a stationary defender, protecting their one portion of Traverse Town. How many are going to be willing to leave their post? How many can spare leaving, even if they're willing? Once we have them, there's no guarantee we get to Brainiac, we may be shot down on the way to him, or leave part of the assault team behind to cover the approach to Brainiac. Not to mention, by the time we get to him, we've already gone through some fights (the Gummi approach, guards on the way from the docking bay), and so won't be at 100% when we get to the final boss.

If we use the Corridor of Darkness, Axel seems to think we all have strong enough Hearts to make it through without any adverse side effects. We won't be able to bring anyone else from Traverse Town, but he did say those lacking Hearts could use them without trouble, so we may be able to bring some Organization members along with us. Disregarding everything we know about them from canon, because as far as Sora knows, they're on our side. I can't remember them doing anything particularly unreasonable towards us, at least. They've fought alongside us multiple times so far, and have been helpful every time. At the very least, we'll have Number 8 along with us, since he's running the Corridor (I'm assuming). If we can bring along Axel, Lexaeus, and Demyx, since we've already worked with them, we'll be in good shape, I think. Especially since we'll be coming out closer to Brainiac, which means less likely to run into additional encounters.

Considering everything, I think we ought to request as much assistance from the Organization as they can spare, and use the Corridor of Darkness. We're not removing defenders who are already in place, we're not risking getting blown out of the sky by going along a route that was generously describe as "not quite suicide", and it's the quickest route, so it allows Brainiac the least amount of time to keep destroying the town.

MrRigger

[Storyteller]

I have to lean towards Option 2 as well. Sora has no reason to mistrust the Organization, and if the others do, keeping them away from the town is only a plus. Also, leaves the possibility open for back up coming the conventional route

[Tempest Kitsune]

okay, I'll change my vote to option 2, provided we use a VP on the Elsa prompt.

[JAGwin]

If we use the Corridor of Darkness, Axel seems to think we all have strong enough Hearts to make it through without any adverse side effects.

I would like to point out that Axel says that only the strongest of Heart can make it, and both Donald and Goofy have Weak Hearts if their sheets are accurate, which means one of several things.

One; The sheets are inaccurate, and so should probably be updated.

Two; They're only relatively Weak, and normal Hearts are even weaker.

Three; Axel is wrong, in which case this will be very dangerous for them.

Four; Axel is, for whatever reason, lying, in which case it's still very dangerous for them, possibly even more than if he's just wrong. Granted, this one seems a little unlikely to me.

That's without taking into account that while Riku's Heart is Strong, it's also full of Darkness, which, if I'm not mistaken, makes this risky for him too.

Overall, I don't think trying the CoD is worthwhile. If we want to make as much use of O-XIII's help as we can, we can have them fill in for the defenders who are part of the assault team and/or possibly have them on the assault team too.

EDIT: Also, I just remembered, let's have Goofy equip the Mechon Masher.

[Wraith5]

Hmm... I'm leaning toward JAG's plan...

[JamestheFox]

Important Points

Knew I was forgetting something. Buffed Goofy and Donald up, and handed Goofy his shield, as promised. Sorry about that.

[JAGwin]

Important Points

Knew I was forgetting something. Buffed Goofy and Donald up, and handed Goofy his shield, as promised. Sorry about that.

While you're at it, maybe you could give Sora another point of Light? Seeing as Riku was at -6 according to the old system and has seven Darkness and one Light now, I find it strange that Sora was at +5 on the old system, but is only at five Light and one Darkness now.

I also remember asking about this a while ago and not getting an answer, but that's beside the point...

[JamestheFox]

That particular case was intentional on my part. There were some varying points throughout the quest that you've had darker impulses, but which weren't able to be easily manifested when the Heart Balance scale was a single axis thing. That, combined with recent events (your time in Kairi's heart had many, manyramifications that have yet to be unveiled), I felt it right to add a little extra darkness in there now that it can be done. In Riku's case, things happened while you were out that netted him that extra Light and Dark.

I admittedly didn't inform you guys of the source of that point until just now, and for that I also apologize.

[JAGwin]

Oh. I thought that Riku's was just putting him at the equivalent of where he was before, not that he got an extra Light and Dark point, so it seemed to me that Sora had lost a point of Light somehow.

[MrRigger2]

If we use the Corridor of Darkness, Axel seems to think we all have strong enough Hearts to make it through without any adverse side effects.

I would like to point out that Axel says that only the strongest of Heart can make it, and both Donald and Goofy have Weak Hearts if their sheets are accurate, which means one of several things.

One; The sheets are inaccurate, and so should probably be updated.

Two; They're only relatively Weak, and normal Hearts are even weaker.

Three; Axel is wrong, in which case this will be very dangerous for them.

Four; Axel is, for whatever reason, lying, in which case it's still very dangerous for them, possibly even more than if he's just wrong. Granted, this one seems a little unlikely to me.

That's without taking into account that while Riku's Heart is Strong, it's also full of Darkness, which, if I'm not mistaken, makes this risky for him too.

Overall, I don't think trying the CoD is worthwhile. If we want to make as much use of O-XIII's help as we can, we can have them fill in for the defenders who are part of the assault team and/or possibly have them on the assault team too.

EDIT: Also, I just remembered, let's have Goofy equip the Mechon Masher.

You bring up some good points, but I'm still leaning towards the Corridor, for reasons both meta and non.

One: The sheets were inaccurate, and have been fixed.

Two: Sheet was fixed to more accurately represent the strength of their Hearts.

Three: I don't believe Axel is wrong. The Organization hasn't given us bad information yet, as far as I can remember, so we don't have reason to doubt his information. If we'd had them give us bad intelligence in the past, I'd be more inclined to agree that he could be wrong, but so far, that's not been the case.

Four: You admitted it's not likely, but for the same reasons as above, I don't believe Axel would be lying to us on this point.

On the more meta side, JamestheFox hasn't been the type of GM to lie to us in the past. He's given us two options, both with their own risks, as he has in the past, but most importantly, both options are viable. One option isn't going to lead inevitably to ruin, and one option isn't leading directly to success. With the idea that both options lead towards the same final goal, confronting Brainiac, I feel comfortable discounting objections three and four from the table. If Axel was wrong or lying, the Corridor would not be a viable option, which would make this a scenario which James has not used in the past.

Also from a meta standpoint, I'm burnt out on this arc, and want to finish it off as soon as possible. Adding a Gummi segment and additional fights on the way to Brainiac (James has said that both routes have at least one encounter, to familiarize ourselves with the new combat rules, but Gummi has more encounters) would extend the arc unnecessarily, and I'm way past the point of wanting to do that, especially not for more fights, which have traditionally dragged.

Finally, from a non-meta standpoint, we're trying to be the heroes here. Gummi route is safer from a personal standpoint, but takes longer, meaning the Town has to hold out for longer, and risks more and more destruction. The Corridor is more dangerous to us personally, but quicker, meaning we can save the town faster. Heroes don't ask the people they're protecting to make sacrifices they themselves aren't willing to make, or at least they shouldn't. Let's be heroes, and take the risk ourselves. The Town has already risked enough.

MrRigger

[Wraith5]

Actually, when you put it that way, I'm leaning towards the CoD route.

[JamestheFox]

I'm back baby! Hopefully for longer than last time.

ig:
Day 53
Traverse Town
Time - Endless Night

The five of you converse for a time, considering your options. Speed versus safety, whether to involve the people of Traverse Town, whether you're ready for this fight... In the end, you come to a conclusion, and turn to face Number 8.

"Personally, I've had enough of this battle," Riku says as Donald calls up Laguna to let him know your decision. "If we can end this now, let's end this now."

"As I'd expect from the hero of the Keyblade." Number 8 says, scratching the back of his head. He turns around, and lifts up a hand. Darkness sparks from his fingertips, and a pillar of dark clouds appears before him. "The other Organization members are already making their way aboard the ship. They should buy us enough time to get to the big boss unimpeded."

You nod. "Thanks."

Kairi looks into the portal. "You sure this is even remotely safe?"

"Well, kinda. I use them all the time, and other than the Heartless sometimes showing up, I've never had to worry about it." Number 8 shrugs. "Then again, I don't exactly have a heart for the darkness to munch on."

Riku sighs. "Let's get this over with."

The five of you jump in, followed by Number 8.

The corridor is horribly dark, and you can almost feel it trying to get at you... then a shine illuminates the area around you, pushing the darkness back. You look to the source, and stare.

"Kairi?"

"Ummm... Yeah?" Kairi is staring at the light pulsing from her chest.

"You... uh. Okay?"

"I..." She shakes her head. "I think so. It's... alright." She takes a deep breath. "It's alright."

"Cool, we've got ourselves a little nightlight," Number 8 says. "You should probably turn that off, or lessen it, or whatever. The Heartless might sense it. The corridor isn't that long, we'll be back in normal light in no time."

"I-I'm not sure how to. It just... started up..."

Number 8 nods. "All the more reason to hurry along, then, I guess."

The corridor is indeed short, and you quickly reach the light at the end of the tunnel. However, as you approach it, you see glittering yellow eyes approaching from the darkness.

"Oh good. They noticed us," Number 8 mutters. "Through the portal, kiddies."

Donald grouses. "I'm older than y-" He gets shoved through by the Organization member.

Day 53
Kryptonian Battleship
Time: ????

You all exit into a room filled with bottles, containing small towns and cities. A guy in an Organization coat is rummaging about, grabbing them and stuffing them into a bag that appears to be bigger on the inside. He spots you, and waves.

"Don't mind me, dudes, just rescuing a bunch of miniaturized pieces of lost worlds. Nothing to worry about here." He looks past you, at Number 8. "You couldn't have dropped them off a little closer to the mainframe? Like, in the room? It's literally right there." He points at the large, multi-piece mechanical door behind him.

"Nahh. I figured that with our luck, the Heartless would pick this trip to show up." The portal behind you closes, but a bunch of Heartless pop into existence a few seconds later. "And what do you know? I was right."

"It's just a few Shadows. Shouldn't be a threat to a couple Keyblade wielders. As if." He sounds... familiar, somehow.

You all get into battle positions, as the unidentified Organization member resumes collecting the bottled worlds.

"Uh. Number 2?"

"Come on, you really expect an old coot like me to get involved in a fight like this?" He sighs, and uses his free hand to summon a gun. "Fine."

Initiative (LVL + 3d6):

Spoiler: show

Goofy: 25+14=39
Shadow 2:20+16=36
Shadow 1:20+15=35
Donald:20+14=34
Shadow 4:20+13=33
Sora: 21+10=31
Riku: 21+9=30
Shadow 3:20+7=27
Kairi: 16+10=26

Minor Party Members: Number 2 (acts on Kairi's Init), Number 8 (acts on Sora's Init)

Round 1

Spoiler: show

Goofy: Cover -> Kairi
Kairi is now Covered!

Shadow 2: Attack -> Kairi Goofy
Miss

Shadow 1: Attack -> Sora
Hit, 1 Damage

Donald: Thundaga Drop -> Shadow 1
77 Damage!
No Status

Shadow 4: Dive
Shadow 4 is invulnerable for 4 Turns!

Sora's turn!

Goofy readies his shield, and parries an incoming strike at Kairi. You, however, are unprotected, and the Heartless swipes at you. You take a scratch, but are otherwise unharmed.

"THUNDAGA!"

Bolts of lightning slam into the offending Shadow, almost entirely annihilating it. You watch one of the others slip down into the ground, becoming flat as you make your move.

Battle Data So Far:
Goofy: Init 39, 98/100 HP, 10/10 MP
Shadow 2: Init 36, 80/80 HP
Shadow 1: Init 35, 3/80 HP
Donald: Init 34, 30/30 HP, 32/35 MP
Shadow 4: Init 33, 80/80 HP
Sora: Init 31, 89/90 HP, 35/35 MP
Riku: Init 30, 119/120 HP, 45/45 MP
Shadow 3: Init 27, 80/80 HP
Kairi: Init 26, 40/40 HP, 65/65 MP

Number 2: 0/13 PG
Number 8: 0/13 PG

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Music:
KH2 - Organization XIII
Superman TAS - Brainiac Confrontation
KH2 - The XIIInth Struggle

Data:
KHT Manual
Shop Sheet
Jiminy's Journal
Ansem Reports
Sora's Vision History

Characters:
KHVD Main Party Members
Gummi Ship
KHVD Minor Party Members Sheet
Command Chainer

[MrRigger2]

Sliding Dash into a Heat Slash on one of the unharmed Shadows. Number Two should use Reload, Number Eight should use Kindle.

MrRigger

[JAGwin]

Uh, where's the map? I can't plan well if I can't see where everything is. Until then, I'm in favor of moving into Melee Range of the Shadow that attacked us (if we aren't already) and just attacking. N2 should Reload and N8 should Kindle.

EDIT: Um, Rigger? Heat Slash isn't equipped.

EDIT2: oog: Invisitext:

Spoiler: show

"It's just a few Shadows. Shouldn't be a threat to a couple Keyblade wielders. As if." He sounds... familiar, somehow.

[MrRigger2]

So they are not, you have a point, Jag. Alright, I'll get on board with your plan, let's see how much damage we do on a normal combo, just to get a baseline.

MrRigger

[Ristridin]

Remember that we need to tag the weaker Shadow for it to actually die. So let's just do that before it gets a chance to act again.