War... War never changes.

It is the inevitable result of the path humanity had chosen. Everyone who entered into the conflict for resources expected victory. Everyone was optimistic. But as the hostilities escalated, optimism faded and society began to collapse.

Oblivious to the rest of the world, a paradise of fantasy and magic thrived in a hidden valley inside Japan, isolated by a powerful magic barrier. In the land of Gensokyo, legendary monsters known as youkai found a safe haven from a society that vehemently negated their existence with each advancement of science. As the Outside world marched on, the Eastern Paradise remained stuck in the 19th century. Its denizens enjoyed quiet and simple lives, upholding ancient traditions and practicing esoteric rituals lost to the history of the Outside world.

That was until that fateful day, when the whole world changed.

In October 23rd of 2077, the storm of World War had come again. A great cleansing, an atomic spark struck by human hands, quickly raged out of control. Spears of nuclear fire rained from the skies. Continents were swallowed in flames and fell beneath the boiling oceans. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders, nearly wiped clean of life. Humanity was almost extinguished, their spirits becoming part of the background radiation that blanketed the earth.

The Great Barrier sheltered Gensokyo from the worst of it, but not even the youkai's most powerful spells could withstand the terrifying power of the atom. Debilitated by a volley of nuclear warheads, the boundary between dream and reality began to wane. Rifts to the Eastern Paradise appeared all over the wastelands. Wanderers and scavengers found their way into the land of youkai and magic, and so did the abominations born from radiation.

The Outsiders brought the technology and culture of the Old World with them. But in turn, their disbelief in legends supposed a great blow to the local youkai. Many weak beings vanished due to lack of faith, while the stronger ones were forced to forgo their mystical powers in order to adapt to the New World. Clinging to life, some of them turned feral and attacked wanderers indiscriminately, becoming yet another danger of the wastelands. The majority of the youkai that retained their sanity united beneath the flag of the Moriya Gods, dedicated to restore the old traditions and laws of Gensokyo.

While the Moriya army annexed youkai tribes to their cause and razed human settlements to the ground, another powerful faction had set their sights on the former Eastern Paradise, from far above the skies. Fearing that the curse of radiation would taint their own untouched land, they prepare to eradicate all traces of impurity from Gensokyo and the New World. Nevertheless, as decades passed, the denizens of Gensokyo learned to survive one way or another in the New World, and the Outsiders settled in and coexisted with mythical creatures of the likes of tengu, kappa and fairies.

You are a Celestial, an envoy from the Dragon Palace in a mission to deliver a secret message. What seemed like a simple job had taken a turn... for the worse. Unbeknownst to many but a select few, this murder will set in motion an incident that will shake the foundations of the Eastern Wasteland profoundly.

Life in Gensokyo is about to change.

Name: <_____>
Gender:
--[]Male
--[]Female

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclaimer: This story is in no way associated with the old Fallout: Gensokyo of a few years back, although it's inspired by it. The events and characters of this story aren't related in any way, nor this is supposed to be a restart or rewrite of F:G.

[X]Name:Shizuka
[X]Gender:Female

NAME: Kite
GENDER: Male

[X]NAME: Kite
[X]GENDER: Male

[X]Name:Shizuka
[X]Gender:Female

You have my attention.

[X]NAME: Kite
[X]GENDER: Male

Oh wow, it's a Fallout story, with two opposing major factions it seems. Also, I prefer male characters.

[X]Name:Shizuka
[X]Gender:Female

[X]Name:Shizuka
[X]Gender:Female

Name: <Kite>
--[x] Male

We .hack now

Name: Kite
Gender: Male

[X] Shizuka (F)

Well, shit. I was going to write this, did a lot of planning for worldbuilding but kept putting the actual writing off. This looks like a noticeably different take, though, and interesting so far. Good luck, anon.

[X]Name:Shizuka
[X]Gender:Female

[X] female.
[X] Kirisama Koko

Wow, this certainly looks interesting
[X]NAME: Kite
[X]GENDER: Male

>You are a Celestial, an envoy from the Dragon Palace
aw yeh it's finally time for an Iku stor-
>name/gender select
fuck

[x]Name:Shizuka
[x]Gender:Female

Calling it for female Celestial called Shizuka.

>>182054
It wasn't my intention to steal anybody's thunder. Don't let this story stop you from writing yours. Or, if you'd like it, perhaps we could share notes, or even talk about co-writing.

>>182058
Although at first the idea of using Iku crossed my mind, playing as a pre-established Touhou with an already fleshed out personality and powers goes against the tenets of the Fallout experience: total freedom of action and morals, and complete character personalization. Sorry to break your expectations. I too would like to see Iku as a protagonist of a story here.

This is very interesting. The last great Fallout x Touhou crossover here was Fallout Gensokyo and that seemed a little more of a fusion than here.

I hope this story keeps on trucking. I need my Fallout fix dammit!

How long have you been like this?

"What are you leaping for~~?"

The pain has numbed your senses, and your conscience goes and comes. When you fell, the bamboo spikes pierced your body from six or seven different places. Some would say you were extremely lucky to have been impaled through non-vital organs, or perhaps that it was a miracle.

"I shall leap, I shall leap soon,"

If it's the latter, it was the work of a particularly sadistic god. It only means your death will be incredibly long and painful. With no means to escape, you can only bear with the needling agony until your body gives in to blood loss or dehydration, whichever comes first.

"At the large full moon~~"

The moon? The bright crescent moon is still up there, smiling at you, as if it were cradling you in your last moments. When you were young, you used to spend nights lying in the grass, enjoying the cool breeze and staring at the grey satellite until the sun came up. You even memorized the dark spots on its surface: the Rabbit on the Moon, pounding mochi for the Bamboo Princess.

In a kind of twisted sense, your current situation mirrors those sleepless nights. The annoying white sneer is in place of the full moon. There's no princess, but there are bamboos to spare here (or should you say to spear?). And although your old shadowy friend can't be seen in the crescent star, there's another rabbit looking over you from up above.

... Huh?

"Look at that, Usa! I think that girl's still alive."

Up the edge of the pitfall, a brunette girl with floppy bunny ears peeks at you with curiosity. She wears a simple pink dress, frayed, dirty and full of badly sewn patches. A huge wooden mace hangs from her back, like those used to pound mochi. Her dark eyes shine with guile and amusement, and perhaps a bit of insanity. She's somewhat unsettling to you, but you aren't going to refuse any kind of help now.

"So she is, Tei. Seems like it's her lucky day," she speaks, in a graver tone. "Why don't we help her up?"

"Ehhhhh? But that's such a hassle!" She whines, back to her 'normal' voice. "I say we leave her there. If she was dumb enough to fall down, she probably deserves it."

You try to speak up to catch her attention, but your strength has abandoned you. Is she really going to abandon you like this?

"Now now, don't be rude, Tei. She's listening."

The rabbit girl squints her eyes to look at you better and see that, indeed, you are still conscious and attentive. Resigning herself to work, she lets out a sigh and produces a rope to rappel down. Maybe there is still hope for you, after all! As the rabbit slowly climbs down, she starts to hum another song.

"Look to the right, look to the left
Which way will you go?
Little girl, are you lost in this life?"

When she gets on your level, she shows you a smile full of unclean, yellow teeth. As expected of a rabbit youkai, her upper incisors are prominently oversized, and they show chipping and wear from extended use and improper care. The girl takes the end of the rope and, with skilled hands, ties them around your waist. Then she starts to climb back up, leaving you wondering what is she up to.

"Will you go back? Will you go on?
Which way will you go?
Little girl, are you lost in this life?"

It is not until she reaches the top and gives you an apologetic look that you have the sudden, terrible realization. You don't even have time to brace for the pain before the rabbit girl musters all her strength and pulls the rope up. Your body slowly slides up, the bamboo spikes dragging through your wounds like burning spears. If it weren't for the seal in your mouth, your howl of pain would have awakened every slumbering beast in the forest.

"When I look into your eyes
I see you know nothing of joy
What can I do now but
teach you all about happiness?

It takes the rabbit three tortuous minutes to finally draw you out of the bamboo trap. You almost lose consciousness between the overwhelming pain and the blood flooding out of your new holes, but you miraculously hold long enough until she hoists you up to ground level.

"See? I told you, Usa, it's no use," the rabbit youkai talks to herself again. "She's gonna bleed out in no time like this."

"Of course she will. That's why we must take her to the infirmary right now."

"No! No way!" Tei suddenly screams in terror. "I'm not gonna go back there! You can't make me!"

"Then what would you suggest, my dear Tei?"

"I... Ah..."

The rabbit girl's flat chest heaves laboriously, though you can't tell if it's physical exertion or an episode of schizophrenia. She looks at you with mad, predatory eyes, and if you weren't fighting the urge to close your eyes for good, you would've gulped down your spit and blood in fear.

"She's suffering, Usa. She's not gonna make it, and I'm hungry," the youkai grunts. "I say we eat her before she expires!"

"Oh dear..." sighs Usa, clearly unwilling to deal with her other personality. "Well, if we come to that, at least remember to ground her properly, will you? You know I hate finding bone chunks in my mochi."

The rabbit youkai lets out an evil chuckle as she raises her mace over her head, ready to swing it down and mash your head to a bloody pulp. You should be panicking right now, but your brain can only manage a bitter "oh no, not again" thought. It doesn't surprise you, actually. Youkai eat people by definition, more so in these difficult times when food of any kind is scarce. And you guess even someone like you would look appetizing to a famished youkai like she. If only you could tell her how bad you actually taste...

"Who goes!?"

Tei/Usa freezes in the spot. Her eyes dart towards the sound, and she falls prey to another of her panic attacks. You'd think she just heard the Four Horsemen galloping towards her by how disfigured her face turned, but to you it sounds like a heavenly choir. And you do know your heavenly choirs, mind you. It's all a matter of perspective.

"Shit, they're here!" Tei whines, wasting no time in getting her rope back. She still takes a moment to look back at you and dedicate a few parting words. "Usa was right. It really is your lucky day."

And with that, she scurries to the forests and disappears beyond the dense forest of stalks. Soon after, your guardian angels appear from the opposite side. It's funny, though; these "angels" also have bunny ears, though theirs are straighter and better groomed than Tei's. Moreover, they seem to wear combat armor and wield 5.5mm caliber trail carbines; a very prominent update from the tunics and flaming swords of old.

"Damn, I lost her!" Shouts one of them in anger. "I swear it was her... Where did she go?"

"Forget it, this woman needs immediate attention," responds another, who you guess it's the leader by the red armband on her sleeve.

"Gods, she's Swiss cheese," gasp a third one. "How could she survive at all?"

That is a very good question, you'd say if you could. But the matter is that you're starting to feel very, very cold, and you can't hold your consciousness from slipping away anymore...

"Shit, we're losing her! Quick, tourniquet and bandages! Yui, inject three doses of stimpak, stat!"

No, it's too late. The blackness is already claiming you. It's time for you to abandon this life and step into the cycle of reincarnation once more. It was a decent life while it lasted...

...




...




...





...




...



>ROBCO INDUSTRIES UNIFIED OPERATING SYSTEM
>COPYRIGHT 2075-2077 ROBCO INDUSTRIES
>-Auto-Doc Mark IX Server 9
>---------------------------------------
>
>Beginning automated diagnosis
>Scanning...
>
>Found: 7 deep lacerations in torso, arms and legs.
>Liver, Stomach, Small intestine, Right Popliteal artery, Left Subclavius muscle perforated.
>Severe blood loss, internal hemorrhage, possible infection.
>
>Analyzing patient's species...
>
>
>ERROR: No match found. Cannot diagnose appropriate treatment.
>Please input patient's species characteristics:

[/u]Allot 40 points to your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, each attribute between 1 and 10.[/u] (The skills in parenthesis are affected by that stat)

[]Strength: A measure of your raw physical strength. Increases Physical Damage and Carry Weight. Also allows usage of weapons with high Strength requirement. (Melee, Unarmed)

[]Perception: How well you use your five senses, and also pertains to a "sixth sense". Increases Range for threat detection and Sequence. Also improves your chances to spot mines, trip wires, traps, etc. (Lockpick, Explosives, Energy Weapons, Guns, Survival)

[]Endurance: Your health and overall physical fitness. Increases Maximum Hit Points, Damage Resistance, Poison Resistance, Radiation Resistance and Implant limit. (Survival, Unarmed, Melee)

[]Charisma: Your overall attractiveness and likeability. Increases Companion Power. (Barter, Speech, Faith, Magic)

[]Intelligence: Your basic intellect, curiosity in the world and adeptness at critical thinking. Increases Magic damage and Skill Points per level up. Also allows usage of grimoires/catalysts with high Intelligence requirement. Less than 4 affects your language skills negatively. (Medicine, Repair, Science, Magic)

[]Agility: A measure of your quickness and dexterity. Increases Action Points and Armor Class. (Sneak, Guns, Energy Weapons)

[]Luck: How often good things happen to you by chance, or by the will of the gods. Increases Critical Hit Chance and Item Drop Rate. (All Skills, especially Faith)

[]Optional: General physical description of Shizuka (apparent age, height, weight, hair color, etc).

[4] Strength
[5] Perception
[5] Endurance
[7] Charisma
[9] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[5] Luck

Magic Build go. Like this, we can make big, tough friends to fight up front while we hang back and shoot shit. Being a smart motherfucker can only help us, too. Intelligence OP.
While not exactly optimized for F:NV, I'm pretty sure we won't be using strict game mechanics anyway.

I'm not completely sure what I want yet, so I'll just toss out a few builds. This post isn't a vote.


The Muscle Wizard

[8] Strength
[2] Perception
[9] Endurance
[5] Charisma
[9] Intelligence
[2] Agility
[5] Luck

Slow, but tanky, strong, and clever with high magical potential. Not sure whether we can buff our fists with magic, but it at least gives versatility and range. Lots of skill points, so plenty of opportunities for diversifying.


The Desperado

[4] Strength
[9] Perception
[5] Endurance
[1] Charisma
[5] Intelligence
[9] Agility
[7] Luck

Possibly the quickest gun in the wild east. Definitely more of a loner, but able to handle whatever beasties the wasteland cares to throw her way.


The Tactician

[1] Strength
[8] Perception
[1] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[8] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[8] Luck

One who forges the mightiest bonds of fellowship. While weak of body, she is favored of the gods and can change the tides of battle. Being personable and quick to learn puts her at a significant advantage over those who go it alone.


The Idiot Savant

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[8] Charisma
[2] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

Comedy option. Someone whose sheer dumb luck and resilience keeps them alive through all the insane situations they get themselves into and/or cause.

The Desperado

[4] Strength
[9] Perception
[5] Endurance
[1] Charisma
[5] Intelligence
[9] Agility
[7] Luck

The Tactician

[1] Strength
[8] Perception
[1] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[8] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[8] Luck

I swear to god if there's a one-human/youkai-one-nonhuman limit I'm going to be very upset

The Idiot Savant

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[8] Charisma
[2] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

If you never placed a luck 10 Jinxed character in Fallout I don't want to know you.

The Idiot Savant

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[8] Charisma
[2] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

Definitely this.

[x]The Tactician

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[8] Charisma
[2] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

Sounds fun.

[x] The Tactician

[1] Strength
[8] Perception
[1] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[8] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[8] Luck

[X]The Idiot Savant

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[8] Charisma
[2] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

I can hardly resist the funny way we'll talk.

The Luckster

[4] Strength
[1] Perception
[7] Endurance
[6] Charisma
[4] Intelligence
[8] Agility
[10] Luck

Just so you know, when the build says 'idiot savant', it really does mean that. The writer's written that having an INT below 4 means our language skills are affected negatively, and I really don't want to play through F:NG as someone who can't do speaking that well, because I think the novelty of an impaired speaker is going to wear off fast. We can take two points off Charisma and still maintain that unkillability with our Endurance, Agility and Luck unchanged, with the bonus of not sounding like we can't speak properly.

Also, these italic stanzas are lyrics of songs, aren't they? I recognise the Tewi one from one of the Touhou songs I've heard, the one with the girl lost in the forest meeting Lord Usa.

>>182074
Sorry, forgot my [x]
[x] The Luckster

If it comes down between The Tactician and The Idiot Savant, count my vote as
[x] The Tactician

[4] Strength
[9] Perception
[4] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[9] Intelligence
[4] Agility
[1] Luck

If you put anything but a 1 in luck and a 9 in intelligence you arn't powergaming nearly enough. It's also funny that someone with such shit tier luck survived something like this.

>>182076
If you don't have 9 luck in Fallout New Vegas, you are doing it wrong. It's like, second most important stat to max after INT.

Well, if you are powergaming, that's it.

[x] The Tactician

[1] Strength
[8] Perception
[1] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[8] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[8] Luck

>>182075
I wasn't aware having low INT made you speak like an idiot.

Consider one of the Savant votes to now be for Tactition.

>>182078
5 points is average for a human being in any given parameter.

3-4 INT is literally retarded character.

Every build seen so far has at least one 1-point dumpstat.

We have quite a number of character builds here who are one step from being absolutely fucking blind and deaf (Perception 1), characters what could be knocked over by a light breeze and die if you look at them wrong (Endurance 1) , characters what could barely support their own weight (STR 1), characters who are literally retarded (INT 3/4), characters what have such a bad luck what it's a miracle how they survived so far (Luck 1)...

It's okay to min-max in a computer game since a lot of things get smoothed over in the gameplay making min-maxing viable, but here I am afraid this will result in disasters.

I mean, this kind of character can be fun sometimems too, but I am not quite sure you guys understand what kin of complications on pile up on these characters with this kind of minmaxing.

Recounting so far:

[5]Tactician >>182066
[3]Idiot Savant >>182067
[1]Desperado >>182065
[1]Luckster >>182074
[1]>>182063
[1]>>182076

Votes will be open for a few more hours. And don't worry if you find that you don't like the build after all. Like the games, there will be a point soon when you can change your S.P.E.C.I.A.L., Tag Skills and Traits.

It's a surprise to see this site is full of powergamers and minmaxers. I think I could work with any build if it comes down to it, but as >>182079 puts, most of those builds will greatly impair you one way or another. For example, the Tactician's 1 STR will severely butch your accuracy with most weapons for not meeting the STR requirement, except with a few weak handguns. I guess it's okay if you're really aiming to do an only-magic/faith run, but having a loaded gun on your holster can save lives in a pinch. Or maybe you can rush to get a STR implant, or depend on Buffout.

>>182066
Don't worry about that. Limit in this story is 2 humanoid allies + 1 "special" companion. That way you'll have many interactions between companions while keeping the combat somewhat challenging.

>>182077
This story is based on New Vegas, but it does not "play" exactly like New Vegas. Apart from the new Magic and Faith skills, notice that I'm reusing a few stats from the first two games; namely Armor Class and Sequence. This is not to say Luck is as useless as in Fallout 3, only that it will be good for entirely different reasons.

[1]>>182063

I'm going with this build. I don't like the idea of a min/max build for a CYOA, and this one makes sense for a messenger: very intelligent, with enough charisma to talk her way out of situations (barring blue hermits). And there's still plenty of room to improve from there.

>>182063

Let's go with this. Aside from not having crippling weaknesses, remember that Endurance determines implant limit. A 1 there just dicks you over later. It would be nice to steal a couple of points from Cha and move them to Luck and End, but this will work.

>>182063
I'll take this option. It's more or less balanced and skillpoints/level are useful.

>>182080
Eh, getting everything to 5 for average ability would only leave us with five points to spend. Personally, I'd rather have huge advantages to help counter huge disadvantages than be mostly average. Overcoming one's failings to achieve greatness is more narratively interesting anyway.

Consider this a vote for:

[X] The Tactician

Calling it now for the "Tactician" build:

[1] Strength
[8] Perception
[1] Endurance
[9] Charisma
[8] Intelligence
[5] Agility
[8] Luck

>>182084
>Overcoming one's failings to achieve greatness is more narratively interesting anyway.
Good point. It's always more interesting to read flawed protagonists than bland, jack-of-the-mill heroes... even though here it'll make things a bit harder for you.

>>182074
>Also, these italic stanzas are lyrics of songs, aren't they?
Forgot to address this before. Yes indeed, the italics were parts of song lyrics. The first post was the song posted on the youtube link, Tewi's first three verses were a Japanese children song titled "Rabbit", and the rest are from that song you speak about. It will be in fact appearing on one radio station later on, if you care to tune it in.

>>182080
Previous Touhou Quest which used SPECIAL parameter system I have seen had a character with charisma as a dumpstat. Barrels of !FUN! that was.

Regardless, in a pinch, there are more than a few ways to rise dumped attributes - from Intensive Training kind of perks if you have them, chems, implants, Traits, Quest-related perks and all kinds of things like that - but it's generally easier to increase already okay-tier parameters from good to godlike than shore up dumped stats from zero into something what is not a crippling weakness.

Though, I guess, as far as minmaxing goes? STR and END are not worst stats ever to dump, since finding a guy or a girl who will be willing work be our companion, carry out shit and cover our back in a gunfight - especially with Dat Charisma - shouldn't be that hard.

It's also sort of somewhat explainable, since we just recovered from really bad injury, and if things are anything like in-game, will pursue the thief barely few days later.

Dumping INT, though, will be hilarious in a !FUN! kind of way, even i playing a character who is addicted to mentats in order to make her brain work even a little might be interesting. Well, for some. Most are going to whine and shitpost after realising what those crippling disadvantages are going to be actually crippling.

Btw, nobody botheres with Protagonist's description. What standart appearance looks like?

You wake up from the darkness to find yourself in another kind of darkness. Though your eyes are confused at first, you definitely feel much more "alive" than before. A familiar tingle runs through your limbs, as a mix of your blood and injected adrenaline wakes you up from slumber. Your lungs pump air rich in oxygen inside your system, and your heart beats strong once more. As you probe around, you find that you're trapped inside a metallic coffin.

No, wait, scratch that. The fact that you're still alive somehow and attached to a series of tubes means this "coffin" is actually an Auto-Doc Mark IX, which emergency surgery protocols patched you up. That bunny patrol must have taken you to a hospital before you bled out. But who in Gensokyo even has a Mark IX? Those things are rare even in the Outside, much less in functional condition. Well, you're not going to question that when you owe your life to that person.

Your next reincarnation will have to wait for a while longer; your time as Shizuka the Celestial emissary isn't over yet. Yippee ki-yay.

The sound of pressurized vapor escaping from valves is heard from the other side. The door starts to slide open, and the sudden bright light blinds you for a second. Deciding that you've probably spent too much time in here, you take a tentative step out of the Auto-Doc... but your senses still haven't fully recovered yet, and you lose your balance.

"Whoa there!"

It is only by the intervention of a rabbit girl in pink that you avoid the ill fate of breaking your neck on the floor just after surviving brutal impalement. The youkai managed to pick you up by the waist before you fell, holding you in place with just a strong arm. You recognize her as the leader of that squadron that rescued you from the insane Tei/Usa/whatever. Side job, perhaps?

"You've been in anesthetic stasis for a whole week," she says, with a reaaaally sultry and seductive voice. "Your body is still unresponsive after deep sedation, so don't rush it and take it easy, okay?"

Now that you take a better and closer look, this rabbit girl is actually a real cutie, regardless of your own sexual orientation. Her crimson eyes study you with the analytical look of a doctor, but also with a hint of honest concern. Her face shows a bit of tan, and her cheeks look so soft and smooth, as if untainted by the hard climate of the wasteland. You don't often find women who still take care of their skin these times. Her shapely figure is curvy and stuffed in the right places, highlighted by the stereotypically tight nurse outfit, yet it hides strong, fibrous muscles trained for hard work.

It may be blasphemous on your part, but if there was an angel on earth, you might have just found her. And there's only one way to greet such a majestic creature:

"Hello~, nurse!"

The rabbit girl blinks in surprise, then rolls her eyes in exasperation. She probably has heard that line a million times before, if you had to hazard a guess.

"My worries were unwarranted," she sighs. "Looks like the narcotics haven't worn off yet, but..."

The nurse sits you down a nearby litter and throws a green vest at you, motioning you to put it on. Now you realize you've been on your birthday suit all this time. Understandable, but no less embarrassing. You feel your cheeks light up, but the rabbit isn't unfazed in the slightest, instead focusing on her clipboard and (sexily) nibbling at her a pen. As you dress yourself up, you keep thinking about how someone can look so professional and attractive at the same time.

"Well, then..." When you're done, the rabbit sits in a chair and crosses her legs, all business. "My name is Reisen Udongein Inaba. I'm the Chief Medical Assistant of Eientei Healthcare Center, and I'm in charge of your surgery operation and recovery process. Please tell me your name."

It takes you a few seconds to take your eyes off those killer haunches of hers and focus your groggy mind in the matter.

"Uhhhh, Shizuka? Yeah, Shizuka, that's my name, yep."

"Rrrrrrright, Miss Shizuka," Reisen jots something down the paper. "You were found with multiple deep lacerations in the Bamboo Forest, and were immediately carried to this center, where you received treatment in an Automatic Doctor Robotic Capsule. There appeared to be some... complications at first, but the operation was nonetheless a success, and you were sedated for seven days until the systems deemed your condition favorable."

"Wait, did you say 'complications'?"

"Nothing worthy of mention. The Auto-Doc's systems had a slight scan failure, but it did not affect the surgery process," she waves her hand, dismissively. "Although there is no motives for concern, it is still my obligation to carry out a series of physiological test to make sure no lingering damage was oversighted. Is it all clear to you, Miss Shizuka?"

Something about what she said actually sounded really worrying, but right now you're in no condition to put your whole mind on it, so instead you absentmindedly nod your head.

"Okay. First, let me put this on."

Reisen takes your pale, skinny arm in her hands, and puts a strange kind of mechanical bracelet through your hand. A huge, greenish TV screen covers most of your left forearm, and there are some dials, counters and buttons surrounding it. Actually, now that you look at it...

"Hey, isn't this a Pip-Boy 3000?" You ask.

"That is correct," Reisen nods. For a moment, she looks somewhat surprised by your unexpected tech savvy, but she quickly gets her professional mask back. "Don't worry, I will not engage the biometric lock. I'm just using it to get a lecture on your vitals..."

As she says this, the light on the Pip-Boy's screen lights up, showing the iconic Vault Boy icon. The rabbit nurse then presses buttons expertly, changing the display everytime she does it. As she becomes absorbed in the machine's screen, she keeps writing lines after lines in her clipboard, and starts muttering to herself:

"Hmmmm, these values... I just don't get it. According to this, a breeze would tear you in two, but somehow you recovered from that just fine."

"Uh, what?"

"Cerebral activity looks fine. Frontal lobe brainwaves are exceptionally adjusted... Whoever threw you down that pit must've been jealous of your intrinsic charm, hmmm?"

"Reisen?"

"Ah, forgive me," the nurse snaps back to reality and dusts herself off, buying time to compose herself. "Well, I, uh, there seems to be no problems with your vitals, but that doesn't mean you might not be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorders."

"No, I think I'm fine, Doc, I can--"

Before you can explain yourself, Reisen shoves a batch of papers and a pencil. You briefly glance at the first line of the first page. It reads "Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test -- Revised Edition".

"I need you to fill this questionnaire. There are no wrong answers, so please answer honestly."

You don't really feel like taking a written test right now (it brings bad memories from your youth), but this bunny won't leave you alone until you do it. You take a breath and start reading the first questions:

1. While working as an intern in the clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?
>a. Amputate the foot before the infection spreads.
>b. Calm the patient with soothing words, congratulating him for a life well spent.
>c. Rush to the shelves and stuff the patient's mouth with every pill you find.
>d. Restrain the patient and observe as the infection spreads. Take notes for future reference.
>e. Light up some candles and pray to the Five Bodhisattvas of Compassion.

2. You cross paths with a wandering wizard, and accidentally bump into him. Infuriated, he challenges you to a duel. What do you do?
>a. Bargain your life by giving him that awesome artifact you found in your basement a few weeks ago.
>b. Show him your boomstick. There's nothing better than a .44 revolver.
>c. Cast FIST.
>d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
>e. Watch as the frag grenade you put in his pocket blows up in his face. Well, in his pants to be precise.

3. Boo! A karakasa youkai has spooked you from behind! How do you react?
>a. Remain nonplussed. Tell her that the dullahan you met earlier was way scarier.
>b. Luckily you remembered to bring your taser, just in case of youkai attack.
>c. Wrestle the umbrella out of her grasp and beat her up with it. Tell her to stop hitting herself.
>d. Ask her if she has heard about your lord and savior Kuan Yin.
>e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

========================================================

First batch out of three for the Revised G.O.A.T. For those of you not familiar with the Fallout verse, this test will determine your Tag Skills, which will be more developed than the others at the start. If you don't like the final result, you can choose the Tag Skills as you like at the end.

e. Light up some candles and pray to the Five Bodhisattvas of Compassion.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

Not very imaginative, but it works. Besides, she is a Celestial. It isn't surprising for her to be Celestial'y.

e. Light up some candles and pray to the Five Bodhisattvas of Compassion.
e. Watch as the frag grenade you put in his pocket blows up in his face. Well, in his pants to be precise.
e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

Some finesse with explosives wouldn't hurt, even if we can't throw a grenade very far. Faith and Repair play to our strengths as well.

b. Calm the patient with soothing words, congratulating him for a life well spent.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
a. Remain nonplussed. Tell her that the dullahan you met earlier was way scarier.

We're good at talking and magic, so we shoud probably pick those.

e. Light up some candles and pray to the Five Bodhisattvas of Compassion.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

Always loved the GOAT. I hope a sweet roll is involved.

e. Light up some candles and pray to the Five Bodhisattvas of Compassion.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

Must fix all the karakasas

b. Calm the patient with soothing words, congratulating him for a life well spent.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
a. Remain nonplussed. Tell her that the dullahan you met earlier was way scarier.

b. Calm the patient with soothing words, congratulating him for a life well spent.
d. Open a portal to the seventh non-euclidean dimension and let you old friend Hastur deal with this pest.
e. Show her the broken joint on her umbrella, and offer yourself to fix it up.

Do we really need faith AND magic?

1) e
2) d
3) e

You write your chosen options in the answer form, and turn to the second page of the questionnaire.

4. You meet Buddha himself on the road. What do you do?
>a. Steal from his pouch as you walk past him. Someone as fat as that guy must be filthy rich.
>b. Shoot him in the back. You don't like how he's looking at you with those squinty eyes.
>c. Ignore him. You need not a phony god's blessing, for you are already enlightened by your own intelligence.
>d. Purchase his pearl collar, then sell it at thrice its value back in your town, as it's blessed by Buddha himself.
>e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.

5. A mischievous fairy has pranked you, and you decide it would be fair to get back at her. You enter her private room when no one is looking, and...
>a. Move all her furniture ever so slighty. When she comes back, she'll be hitting her toes all over the place.
>b. Mess with her toaster's circuitry. It's like a death ray with a smaller power supply, in a certain way.
>c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
>d. Pick her diary's lock and rip all the pages. Now she'll have to live with the embarrasement of someone knowing her screts.
>e. Booby trap her front door. It'll surely cause a mess, but it's alright. Fairies revive quickly.

6. Your friend the shopkeeper is in possession of a rare magic tome, original edition. You want it, but the tab he keeps on you is way too big and he won't lend it to you like that. What's the best way to obtain it?
>a. Put a charm spell on him. Now he's only yours to command. Score!
>b. Fix one of those electronic shikigami of his in exchange for the book.
>c. Wait until night, break into his home and steal it while he's asleep.
>d. Prepare him a nice meal. The way to his heart is through his stomach.
>e. Give him your best puppy eyes. You know he can't resist your cuteness.

==========================================

Just so we're clear, you get no bonus points for spelling the name of New Vegas' robotic companion, by the way.

>>182117
>e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
>c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
>a. Put a charm spell on him. Now he's only yours to command. Score!

A for consistency and diplomacy.

C for skills with Chems. Considering how weak the protagonist is, it's better to max out the effects of buffout and stimpacks.

A for moar magic, INT is our strongest stat. Alternatively, Puppy Eyes (Diplomacy) is okay, too.

Some options rubs me wrong since I dislike playing evil-karma characters, but since GOAT doesn't determinates you karma, it's alright. We are just picking stuff we are really good at.

Chems knowledge also works with with character since it's logical for her to know how to mitigate her weaknesses and what things like super-stimpacks have a very real chance of killing her.

Soo... Lunarians are Enclave stand-in. Moryia are some weird NCR-Legion combination.

Yukari is House.

No particular idea about Buddhist and Taoists.

e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
b. Fix one of those electronic shikigami of his in exchange for the book.

>e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
>d. Pick her diary's lock and rip all the pages. Now she'll have to live with the embarrassement of someone knowing her secrets.
>b. Fix one of those electronic shikigami of his in exchange for the book.

Because that second one is by far the dickest of moves.

d. Purchase his pearl collar, then sell it at thrice its value back in your town, as it's blessed by Buddha himself.
a. Move all her furniture ever so slighty. When she comes back, she'll be hitting her toes all over the place.
e. Give him your best puppy eyes. You know he can't resist your cuteness.

e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
b. Fix one of those electronic shikigami of his in exchange for the book.

e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
a. Put a charm spell on him. Now he's only yours to command. Score!

Seems like a solid build.

e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way. Chances are you will meet them too later.
c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the morning coffee.
a. Put a charm spell on him. Now he's only yours to command. Score!

Gonna need a tie breaker between e-c-a and e-c-b. If there isn't one in a few hours, I'll go with the first. Remember that you can still change your Tag Skills at the end of the G.O.A.T., so this choice isn't really that important.

>>182120
Oh how I wish to tell you... Most I can say now without spoiling anything is that you're mostly right in one thing and completely mistaken in another.

e. Ask him if he's encountered any monsters on his way.
Chances are you will meet them too later.
c. Hide an stimulant capsule in her sugar pot. An
overexcited fairy is a funny sight to behold after the
morning coffee.
b. Fix one of those electronic shikigami of his in
exchange for the book.

>>182120

Moriya as NCR/Legion makes sense. So does Lunarians as Enclave. But this represents Youkai and Lunarian interests, while humanity is unaccounted for here.

My money's on Miko being the House stand-in. The Buddhists... maybe Brotherhood of Steel remnants? I doubt Byakuren would approve of the Moriya agenda.

Also, very clever on having an emissary of the Dragon Palace as an MC!. She could conceivably ally with any of the main groups.

4) e
5) c
6) b

Six down, three to go. You turn to the last page and read over the last questions, each one more incongruous and bizarre than the last. You look to Reisen, who's absentmindedly spinning her pen between her dexterous fingers, and ask her:

"Is this really an occupational aptitude test? It looks more like a dickery test to me."

To which the rabbit youkai responds with a shrug.

"I didn't write this test; my mas- er, Doctor Yagokoro made it based on a real test designed by Vault-tec scientists. Says it has a ninety-seven-point-something per cent of success rate, whatever that means."

"And exactly how is this supposed to give an accurate measure of my abilities?"

"Beats me. The thing is, it's actually very accurate, so we keep using. If it seems stupid but it works..."

You aren't really convinced by that answer, and you were about to argue it, but Reisen shoots you an impatient look and shuts you up before you even open your mouth. Figures she must be really busy if she's in so much of a hurry. You shouldn't keep her waiting.

7. Your kappa friend has finished building her own mecha robot. It looks awesome, but she feels it lacks something, and asks you for advice. What do you tell her?
>a. A 20 gauge shotgun on its wrist. More stopping power against those filthy 5mm peasants.
>b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
>c. A shoulder-mounted Fat Boy. This robot will be the missing gear between infantry and artillery.
>d. An humanoid robot does not deserve to be called a 'mecha' if it can't perform the Rocket Punch.
>e. Install a Stealth Boy and retractable swords. You can't get any cooler than an invisible ninja robot.

8. A gap youkai invites you to tea, but you're surprised when she challenges you to steal from the resident shrine maiden's donation box. What do you do?
>a. Pick the box's lock, get the money and put the lock back. Hope the miko doesn't notice...
>b. Offer your own savings, pretending to be the donation money.
>c. Take a hammer and smash the box open. Get the money and smash the youkai's head in.
>d. Program the nearby cleaning autobot to get the money for you.
>e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.

9. You've been "randomly selected" to participate in a drinking contest against an oni. What could you do to stand a chance?
>a. Hide an electric shocker on your sleeve. Use it on yourself everytime you feel like passing out.
>b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.
>c. Consume a small dosis of arsenic and (rightfully) claim you are too sick to go to the party.
>d. Pray to the Anti-Christ and ask him to turn your wine into water.
>e. Alcohol is for idiots with no care for their livers. Challenge her to an arm wrestling contest instead.

b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
a. Pick the box's lock, get the money and put the lock back. Hope the miko doesn't notice...
b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

Energy weapons, lockpicking, and magic. Easy.

b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.
b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

[x]Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
[x]>b. Offer your own savings, pretending to be the donation money.
>d. Program the nearby cleaning autobot to get the money for you.
[x]Pray to the Anti-Christ and ask him to turn your wine into water.

Lockpicking < Repair
Magic < Faith

b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.
b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

>e. Install a Stealth Boy and retractable swords. You can't get any cooler than an invisible ninja robot.
Heaven has good taste.
e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.

d. Pray to the Anti-Christ and ask him to turn your wine into water.

[X]b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
[X]e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.
[X]b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

Out of all kind of guns, energy weapons are probably the easiest to handle in terms of strength required. That, and lore-wise they are supposed to be stronger in general, if more expensive option.

E for consistency and general medicine related fun. D wouldn't be bad, too, I quess, and likewise, Barter; assuming money wouldn't flow as easely to us as in-game. It also sometimes used in dialogue options, so it's okay.

Lockpicking is useless since in 9 out of 10 cases it's more practical to just blow up the door, and Shizuka doesn't seems to be good enough with stealth to make that rare case when it's actually might be useful relevant. Hammer option is just bad.

Barte

B for magic. Faith is interesting, but Shizuka's luck is mediocre and likewise, her affinity to Miracles... While her INT is almost maxed.

Almost all other options are hilariously bad for Shizuka and not even worth considering with this character. I mean, seriously? Trying to poison yourself with that endurance? Arm wrestling with ony?

A might work, since it's either Repair or Science, but literally all other options besides magic are subpar.

>>182140
Apologies; the post a bit of a unfinished mess, but hopefully the points are clear enough; a clearly drawn line between "Good", "Sort of okay" and "Why would you do that?" options appears once you take a look at Shizuka's SPECIAL. She just plain unsuited to lots of stuff - so play to her strength, or suffer greatly because she is that kind of overspecialized and minmaxed character.

b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.
b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

I have to agree that these are good choices.

>>182140
[X]b. Needs more lasers. You can never have enough lasers. Better yet, make it shoot them from its eyes.
[X]e. Tell her you'll consider it once she stops spiking your tea with drugs.
[X]b. Conjure a portal from your throat to the oni's stomach, so that she drinks for both of you.

Convincing enough for me.

>>182140
>Faith is interesting, but Shizuka's luck is mediocre and likewise, her affinity to Miracles... While her INT is almost maxed.

Not only are Luck and Intelligence equally high at 8, both Faith and Magic seem to also scale off of Charisma, which is out highest stat at 9.

Called for b-e-b.

You mostly guessed right which answers were for which skill, though you keep thinking most of them are related to Speech, and I don't know why. The G.O.A.T. is supposed to have all skills appear the same amount of times, and I'd like to think I took great care to balance it out. I'll post a pastebin link with all the answers later, if you wish to take a look.

Also, why do you keep saying INT is your best stat? Please read the build at >>182093 again. Your strongest stat is Charisma with 9, with Intelligence and Luck at a solid 8. This means that, contrary to what >>182140 says, your Faith stat is pretty high. In fact, after the calculations, it turns up you have exactly the same base amount of skill points in Faith and Magic (before tagging skills).

So this goes to say, git gud and keep a better eye on your stats, you cheeky scrublords. It can save your life, especially in dialogue checks.

7) b
8) e
9) b

You half-assedly pick the answers that strike your fancy the most, out of all the idiotic courses of action in the even stupider hypothetical situations. Reisen's not the only one who doesn't want to waste any more time in this.

"Here, finished," you say, handing over the papers to her. "Do I get a lollipop now?"

"You'll get another morphine shot if you don't shut up and let me focus."

The bunny nurse reads over the G.O.A.T., her face a porcelain mask that doesn't betray her thoughts in any way, much to your disappointment. She then nods to herself, pulls her chair to the table and scribbles in the result form, doing all kinds of mental calculations.

"This and this and this by that, divided by... carry the one... rounded down. Hmmm... Oh."

The sound of something vibrating interrupts both of your from your brown studies, hers of the numbers, yours of the legitimacy of those bunny ears and tail of hers. Clearly irked, Reisen stands up, walks away from you and takes out some kind of tiny screen, like a smaller version of the Pip-Boy in your arm.

"Come on, what do they want now? Can't they do anything by themselves or...?" Reisen starts complaining, but as she reads on, she drops her annoyed expression for a sourer one. Her brows furrow and her lips curl down somberly. "...Shit. Just when I thought my day couldn't get worse."

"Is there a problem?" You ask, though the answer is clear as day.

"Ah, errrr..." She shakes her head, probably thinking of a viable excuse to give you. "An em... something big came up. Listen, I need you to stay here for a while, okay? Don't open the door to anybody without rabbit ears, and don't do anything stupid."

The nurse leaves (or rather, throws) the clipboard on the table in a hurry and walks to the door at a brisk pace, leaving you even more confused.

"What? Reisen, what's going on!?"

"Remember, door closed, rabbits only, understood? Good. I'll be back later."

She doesn't even wait for your response before slamming the door shut. The sound of a key locking the knob from the other side is heard. So she really did lock you up. Now you get a really bad feeling about this...

Not that you can do anything for the moment. Someone probably called Reisen for help with another patient or something. Clinics are rare in the wastelands, and attacks by feral youkai and monsters are all too common, so the few people with actual medical knowledge are always busy with one gecko victim or ten. Besides, you're practically healed, meaning you must be low in this hospital's priority list.

But then, why did Reisen go as far as to turn the lock on? Does she really have that little trust in you, that she thinks you will run off on your own if left unattended? Nah, it's most probably a general preventive measure. They probably had a bad experience with another patient high on adrenaline causing ruckus all over the place.

Anyway, you'll have to kill the time until Reisen comes back from that emergency. Your eyes wander off to the clipboard with your G.O.A.T., and you're invaded by the urge to satisfy your curiosity. She won't mind if you peek the results while she's away, right?

Skills

Energy Weapons [20 (20,5)]: Proficiency at using energy/electricity-based weapons. (Perception, Agility)
Explosives [22]:Proficiency at using explosive weaponry, disarming mines, and crafting explosives. (Perception)
Guns [17 (17,5)]: Proficiency at using weapons that fire kinetic ammunition. (Agility, Perception)
Sneak [16]: Proficiency at remaining undetected and stealing. (Agility)
Lockpick [22]: Proficiency at picking locks. (Perception)
Melee Weapons [8]: Proficiency at using melee weapons like swords, staves or clubs. (Strength, Endurance)
Unarmed [8]: Proficiency at fighting with bare hands or knuckle weapons. (Endurance, Strength)
Medicine [22]: Proficiency at using medical tools, drugs, and for crafting Doctor's Bags. (Intelligence)
Repair [37: 22 + 15]: Proficiency at repairing items and crafting weapons, armors and ammunition. (Intelligence)
Science [22]: Proficiency at hacking terminals and robots, crafting chems, and many dialog checks. (Intelligence)
Magic [37: 22 (22,5) + 15]: Proficiency at casting spells, understanding complex sorceries and mind-controlling charms. (Intelligence, Charisma)
Faith [22 (22,5)]: Proficiency at preaching religions, conjuring miracles and calling upon the power of gods. (Charisma, Luck)
Speech [24]: Proficiency at persuading others. Also used to negotiate for better quest rewards and to talk your way out of combat, convincing people to give up vital information and succeeding in multiple speech checks. (Charisma)
Barter [24]: Proficiency at trading and haggling. Also used to negotiate better quest rewards or occasionally as a bribe-like alternative to Speech. (Charisma)
Survival [26: 11 (11,5) + 15]: Proficiency at making poisons, potions and other "natural" consumables. Also improves ability to read the tides of battle. (Endurance, Perception)

Tag Skills are in italic. Skills tagged receive +15 bonus skill points.
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats in (parenthesis) affect the number of starting skill points for each skill in different proportion, as in (Primary stat, Secondary stat).
Decimal points are rounded down and saved for the next level up.

[]Everything seems to be in order. You'll be damned, the test actually worked!
[]Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
--Pick three Tag Skills.

=================================================================

I should explain one thing about the Survival stat, which doesn't work exactly like in the original games. In New Vegas, Survival was mostly used to craft food and poisons, and makes consumables more effective at decreasing starvation and dehydration levels. Outside of Hardcore Mode, Survival is not that useful, as you don't need to worry about hunger or thirst, and stimpacks are somewhat common and heal instantly.

Keeping tabs of all that is a hassle I'm not willing to put up with in this story, as it will slow the plot down considerably. Therefore, I took the liberty to change how the stat works. It's still used to make better foods and poisons for melee weapons, but it'll also have an effect in all battles.

Aside from pure calculations and statistics, battles will also develop according to narration (i.e. whatever I as the author come up with). The "ability to read the tides of battle" the description alludes to is your character analyzing the battlefield and the enemies' tactics in the middle of a fight. It will reflect on the battle narrative amidst the numbers of damage dealt and all that. More points in Survival will make Shizuka sharper in battle, allowing her to describe in more detail what her foes are doing and, at higher levels, even predict their next moves. Useful if you're the kind of people that like to detail battle plans ahead.

Any doubts you have, you are free to ask me. Remember that you may change your Tag Skills later, like with the S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats.

Also, the complete G.O.A.T. test with all the answers for those who are interested: http://pastebin.com/aM9VUaxd

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

Charisma is our best stat, and Speech is the best skill in the games. It would be insane not to tag it.

I really, really want faith and magic, but having both seems slightly redundant. Really want speech, however.

[x] Faith
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

>>182147
Yeah, I went full retard there, and confused the builds. Apologies.

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

Alright then, adventure awaits.

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

We sorcerer nao

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Faith
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

Yes. Is good now.

[x] Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
[x] Magic
[x] Speech
[x] Survival

Did you know... there are three kinds of aces? Those who seek strength, those who live for pride and those who can read the tide of battle.

[x]Those results are obviously wrong. It's up to you to correct them!
--[x]Magic
--[x]Speech
--[x]Survival

You're surprised to see the G.O.A.T.'s results are mostly close to your actual abilities. Mostly. The test got your preference for magic and alchemy right, but for some reason it believes you're handy with the hammer and the pliers too. While you did read some books about mechanics, the truth is that you hadn't the chance to put that knowledge into practice, because the Dragon Palace doesn't approve the use of advanced machinery. Celestials uphold the belief that hard work paves the way to enlightenment, so even in this age of robotics, you still had to do the damn laundry yourself.

Personally, you think that's stupid; why bother straining your frail body when you can dupe another person into doing it for you? Or better yet, invoke a familiar to do all your chores? Sure, it may go against the rules, and it did earn you more than a couple of weird looks by your peers, but-- Anyway, what you're trying to convey is that you didn't spend hundreds of hours burying your nose in grimoires and practicing in front of the mirror so that a stupid test goes and says 'nuh huh, you are better suited to become a jukebox technician.' Good heavens!

You decide that, instead of going through the hassle of explaining that Yagokoro person the errors of her 'revised G.O.A.T.', you're much better changing the answers yourself to get the appropriate results. It only takes you a quick glance through Reisen's notes to figure out the easy formulas, and which answers correspond to which listed area of expertise. Okay, yes, this basically amounts to cheating in the test, but it should be alright, no? It's all for the doctor's convenience and your own good; false information on your medical records will make the nurses' job harder than it already is, and could screw you over in the future, so...

As you finish jotting down your new answers, you notice another sheet on the medical files. Apparently it's a table where the medical personnel in charge of the patient (read: you) jots down any special behavior or characteristics observed during the stay in the hospital. Well, since you're already at it, why don't you go the full mile and fill the last field too? You're sure Reisen will appreciate you saving time for her.

Traits: Pick up to two traits.

[]Built to Destroy: The flame(r) that burns twice as bright burns half as long. (+5% critical hit chance || Equipment condition decays 20% faster)
[]Fast Shot: You fire faster than most people at the cost of accuracy and safety. (-2 AP cost for Guns and Energy Weapons || -10% Accuracy for Guns and Energy Weapons, more chances of Critical Failures)
[]Trigger Discipline: Taking your time when using weapons makes your shots more accurate and safe for you. (+10% Accuracy for Guns and Energy Weapons, less chances of Critical Failures || +2 AP cost for Guns and Energy Weapons)
[]Good Natured: You focused more in "constructive" skills back in your training at the Dragon Palace. (+5 to Speech, Medicine, Repair, Science and Barter || -5 to Energy Weapons, Explosives, Guns, Melee Weapons and Unarmed)
[]Trigger Happy: When faced with a conundrum, your finger twitches faster than your tongue. (+5 to Guns, Energy Weapons, Explosives, Magic || -5 to Speech, Medicine, Science and Barter)
[]Danmaku Fighter: You favor the ancient Spell Card Rules over more conventional forms of combat. (+5 to Magic, Faith, Unarmed and Melee || -5 to Guns, Energy Weapons, Sneak and Explosives)
[]Heavenly Preacher: You are devoted to the old way of Enlightenment in lieu of pagan magic and science. (+5 to Faith, Speech and Barter || -5 to Magic, Science and Repair)
[]Bruiser: A little slower, but a little bigger. You may not hit as often, but they will feel it when you do! (+20% Damage for Melee and Unarmed || +2 AP Cost for Melee and Unarmed)
[]Kamikaze: By not paying attention to any threats, you can act a lot faster in a turn. (+5 Sequence || No natural Armor Class)
[]Small Hitbox: Your tiny internal magic focus makes you harder to hit, but your magical and divine power are weaker as a result. (+3 Armor Class against Magic and Faith attacks || -10% Damage for Magic and Faith)
[]Hot Blooded: Pain makes you really angry, but also less aware of your surroundings. (+20% damage increase while below 50% health || -3 Armor Class and -10% Accuracy while below 50% health)
[]Skilled: You spent more time improving your skills than your peers, but as a result you're less experienced. (+5 to every skill || -20% experience gained)
[]Wild Wasteland: Before the Barrier fell, Gensokyo was a land full of bizarre things. You remember. (Adds additional "wacky" content and modifies existing content and random encounters || Story becomes significantly less serious)
[]Jinxed: You were born under an unlucky constellation. Terrible things often happen near you. (More Critical Failures for people around you || More Critical Failures for you, too)

============================================================

Traits modify different aspects of your character, such as primary statistics, derived statistics and skills. Unlike perks, traits have positive and negative results, but they're not obligatory to take.

This is the last part before the story really starts. Sorry for taking so long...

[x]Wild Wasteland
[x]Jinxed

Yes. Yesssssss.

[X]Danmaku Fighter: You favor the ancient Spell Card Rules over more conventional forms of combat. (+5 to Magic, Faith, Unarmed and Melee || -5 to Guns, Energy Weapons, Sneak and Explosives)
[X]Jinxed: You were born under an unlucky constellation. Terrible things often happen near you. (More Critical Failures for people around you || More Critical Failures for you, too)
MUST. RESIST. WACKINESS.

Serious story? Or not a serious story? Hmm, better be:

[x]Wild Wasteland
[x]Jinxed

[x]Trigger Discipline:
[x]Skilled

Do want serious story.

Question: Are you going to use dice for skill checks and random events?

>>182163
For the most part, no. Skill checks work very similarly like New Vegas's dialogue checks: if you have the required skill points for an action, then you can do that action. If you don't, you can't. Simple as that. This also works for hacking computers, lockpicking and disarming traps, actions that in the game are either done manually or after completing a minigame; things we obviously cannot do in a CYOA.

Combat is affected by stats, but I also don't want to make this story based merely on "You hit the enemy for X damage" messages, because that'd be really boring for you guys, and doing calculations all the time is bothersome for me. I'll be playing fast and loose with the numbers, simplifying the rules and sometimes bending them as the plot demands, but I'll try to be as fair as I can.

Random events are... well, not really "random". I have prepared a set of situations and encounters beforehand, and I'll throw them in the middle of the story whenever I feel like. Mostly I'll use them if I think the plot is going stale, or if the event is relevant in anyway to a quest you have or a place you're traveling to.

The Jinxed events, however, are actually affected by dice. A character with 1 LCK will have a 50% chance of something "bad" happening to them, while a 10 LCK will only have a "measly" 5% (Shizuka, with 8 LCK, has a 15% chance, i.e. rolling a 1, 2, or 3 in a d20). This dice is rolled once every turn in combat and will take effect in a "random" action on your turn (i.e. either the least convenient outcome for you or the most hilarious depending on my mood). Same rules apply for every character fighting, be it allies or enemies, using their own LCK stat. Outside combat, it rolls everytime you travel between locations.

[x]Trigger Discipline
[x]Skilled

Eh, I don't really feel like going for the wacky hijinks.

[x]Wild Wasteland
[x]Skilled

Wild wasteland is fun, and skills are always handy.

{x]Wild Wasteland
[x]Jinxed

[x] Wild Wasteland
[x] Jinxed

We're bringing the magic and whimsy back, one murderous grandma/Stage 6 Boss at a time.

[x]Trigger Discipline
[x]Skilled

Comedy option would be much more appealing to me if we had gone for The Idiot Savant build.

[x] Trigger Discipline
[x] Skilled

No random bad luck please.

[x]Trigger Discipline
[x]Skilled

Don't want weird crap happening to us.

[x] Wild Wasteland
[x] Jinxed

Always loved Wild Wasteland. I hope we don't get attacked by three hags with purses at some point. That might go badly with how powerful they tend to be.

[x]Wild Wasteland
[X]Skilled

Do want weird crap happening to us.

[x]Trigger Discipline
[x]Skilled

We chose not to take the joke build, don't fuck it up now.

[x]Trigger Discipline
[x]Skilled

Oh wow. One half wants completely wacky and unfortunate hijinks, while the other prefers a serious story. It'll be really hard to please all of you...

As of the time of posting, Trigger Discipline and Skilled won over the walking disaster build by merely one vote. Remember that these traits, as well as the SPECIAL and the Tag Skills, are merely provisional until the end of the prologue.

Though I'd have to question why would you even pick Trigger Discipline, considering most of you will be aiming to use magic most of the time. Perhaps you're expecting to get your hands on an unique Gauss Rifle at the late game?

Might I suggest that, in lieu of the fact that half the thread seems to be really into Wild Wasteland, that it remain as a factor in the story, but to a lesser effect than it might've originally had?

Because I don't think it's right that we're deprived of crashed UFOs and stuff entirely.

>>182181
I can agree with that. Not with crashed UFO's in particular, but with weirdness emerging from time to time in general.

>>182180
>Though I'd have to question why would you even pick Trigger Discipline,

I'd say the issue here is that for our build the only perks that look beneficial are Skilled, Jinxed, and Wild Wasteland. All of the others are for combat skills we're useless at or a wash because they help half our good skills and hurt the other half.

I wasn't initially going to vote Jinxed/WW but then I realized there were really no other options.

>>182184

Technically, not voting for a trait would have been acceptable too. Since it's entirely optional and you can pick /up to/ two traits, I don't think we necessarily need two.

Also I'm frankly surprised we're going Skilled, given that XP = More Perks. Also that we're /not/ going for Danmaku Fighter, because wow that would be a lot of Magic.

When you finish forging helping Reisen in your test, you plop down to the bed and start thinking. A recapitulation of the events that led you to this disastrous situation seems like a good thing to do to pass time and ride out the chem high. It's not like you have anything else to do until the rabbit nurse comes back.

It was supposed to be a simple job. Fly down to Gensokyo's wastelands, get to the rendevouz point, deliver the message to the receiver and go home. You were even expecting to get back before dinner, but when you arrived, the guy or gal who was supposed to be waiting for you wasn't there. You waited and waited, but he or she didn't come. Perhaps that person got mauled by a feral beast on the way there, you thought. It was all too common.

But just when you were about to leave, you got jumped, knocked out, and tied up by that blue lady and her ghoul minions. You wouldn't have survived if it wasn't for Tei's "help", and later Reisen's appearance. Speaking of Nurse Inaba, maybe you ought to ask her about the circumstances of your rescue; how she found you, how they carried you here, who that schizo rabbit youkai was... And if they saw Yoshika and the blue lady committing the crime.

"As far as I'm concerned, you made your last delivery commendably," that woman said. "Nothing personal, kid, I'm just tying up loose ends."

It wasn't just a regular mugging. No, the attack was aimed specifically at you, and her goal was expressly to steal your package. But how important could that paper be to justify murdering an innocent messenger? Was it to keep it all hush-hush? You were taught not to pry into private, secret messages, but when your own life was involved, you believe you earned the right to know what the hell is this all about. Though a part of you has a bad feeling about it...

More importantly, you can't return home until you complete the delivery; rule number 4 of the Dragon Palace Emissaries. It is imperative to recover the package from the blue lady and return it to the rightful addressee. And if you can learn about the nature of the message, the better. You remember the woman telling her subordinate Yoshika to meet her at Gensou Prime after disposing of you. You don't know exactly where you currently are on the map (actually, this is the first time you've heard Eientei), but you recall Prime was relatively near the Bamboo Forest. That grotty, dead-end settlement seems like the best place to start asking around.

>Quest added: Driven by Desire
>-Go to Gensou Prime and inquire about Yoshika and the lady in blue's whereabouts.
>-[OPTIONAL]Talk to Reisen about your rescue.

The more you dilly-dally here, the farther that cyan wench will flee. You'd better get going after her as soon as possible if you want to catch up to her. However, Reisen told you to stay here until she comes back. She probably means well, and maybe you shouldn't strain yourself after surviving an impalement, but your mission comes first! You'll just leave her a note and explain her your conundrum before you leave. She'll understa--

Bang.

You hear a sound in the distance, followed by more booms and bangs shortly after, in response. Familiar noises, but no less startling. Anyone who walks the wastelands must be familiar with weapons if they want to survive for extended periods of time. They soon learn to have a gun on the hip at all times, ready to fire at the mere sight of a charging mole rat or radscorpion. It is not uncommon to hear someone firing their gun at something while traversing the beaten, beast-infected paths.

But this is a hospital. Say what you will about the wastelanders' ruthlessness and lack of empathy; at least they have the basic decency or the foresight to know that shooting a gun in a place of healing is generally a bad idea. People with medical knowledge are a scarce commodity nowadays. Everytime a doctor or dies, the chances of survival of at least a hundred other people take a sharp drop, which are already pretty low. The only ones who do not give a damn about the well-being of a community are...

"Raiders?" You mutter.

>Quest added: Stop at the Affected Area
>-Investigate the gunshots in Eientei's medical ward.

The symphony of guns and bullets continues playing somewhere far into the hospital. Perhaps this is why Reisen locked you up in here? She wouldn't want any patients running off in the middle of a firefight and accidentally catching a bullet or two to the head. Especially after spending seven days incubated in an Auto-Doc. It's understandable. You'd probably do the same if you were in her boots. But as a matter of fact, you are more than capable of defending yourself, even if your latest records seem to prove the contrary. Not any run-of-the-mill celestial can become an emissary of the Dragon Palace!

You look to the side to find a bag where all your meager equipment was stored (gotta travel light). Inside you find your robes punctured and bloodied beyond repair, to the point not even MacGyver could save them. It's a shame. They were so comfy, warm and stylish... Though looking at the holes again, it truly is a wonder how you survived becoming a human pincushion. Gah, just thinking about it makes your body ache all over again! Anyway, you'll have to stick with the gown you're wearing for the time being, but it'd be a good idea to find actual clothing if you intend to walk the wastelands.

>Eientei Patient Gown added

You also find your trusty wand, your go-to weapon when something needs their arses arcane-lly blasted. It's also your very first magic tool, made from Heaven's peach wood. It's accompanied you since your first forays into the field of magic. Not the best catalyst to ever exist, but you've taken a liking to it, and so far it hasn't failed you. In the bag you also find three pouches full of healing powder, some bobby pins and a few bottle caps (you swear you had more in you before).

>Persica Wand added
>3 Healing Powders added
>2 Bobby pins added
>18 Bottle caps added

You take them all and prepare yourself to sortie. Next stop: Gensou Prime. But perhaps you ought to see what's all that racket, if you don't mind getting a few more bullet holes in your recently patched up body. Either way, you still need to figure out how to get out of this closed room.

[]Go out of the window, into the forest of bamboo.
[]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)
--[]{STR 4}Bash the door down.
--[]{Magic 20}Blast the hinges out.
[]Inspect the room.
--[]{Steal}Ransack the first-aid kid hanging at the wall.
--[]{Steal}Inspect the medicine cabinet.
--[]Access the Auto-Doc's computer system.
--[]{PER 6}That bin...

+=STATUS==============================================
¦Shizuka, Level 1
¦EXP: 0/200
¦Money: 18 Caps
¦Karma: 0 (Neutral)
¦Title: Drifter
¦------------------------------
¦RAD: 0 rads
¦ENV: 0 PPM
¦EFF: ---
¦------------------------------
¦HP: 18/18
¦AP: 5
¦WT: 4/50
¦ATT: 2/3
¦------------------------------
¦P-RES: 10%
¦R-RES: 10%
¦AC: 5
¦DT: 1
¦DR: 0
¦
¦-Reputation------------------------------------------
¦
¦
¦-S.P.E.C.I.A.L.--------------------------------------
¦1 – Strength
¦8 – Perception
¦1 – Endurance
¦9 – Charisma
¦8 – Intelligence
¦5 – Agility
¦8 – Luck
¦
¦-Skills----------------------------------------------
¦25 (25,5) - Energy Weapons [PER, AGI]
¦27 - Explosives [PER]
¦22 (22,5) - Guns [AGI, PER]
¦21 - Sneak [AGI]
¦27 - Lockpick [PER]
¦13 - Melee Weapons [STR, END]
¦13 - Unarmed [END, STR]
¦27- Medicine [INT]
¦27- Repair [INT]
¦27- Science [INT]
¦42 (42,5) Magic - [INT, CHA]
¦27 (27,5) - Faith [LCK, CHA]
¦44 - Speech [CHA]
¦28 - Barter [CHA]
¦31 (31,5) - Survival [END, PER]
¦[Skills in italic are Tag skills]
¦
¦-Traits & Perks--------------------------------------
¦Trigger Discipline - (+10% Hit Guns, Energy Weapons,
¦-Critical Failures || +2 AP Guns, Energy Weapons)
¦Skilled - (+5 All Skills || -20% Experience)
+===========================================================

+=INVENTORY===========================================
¦-Weapons------------------------------------------
¦[x]Persica Wand - Magic Weapon (1 STR, x1 Spell
¦Multiplier, WG 1.5, CND 35%, VAL 45)
¦
¦-Armor--------------------------------------------
¦[x]Eientei Patient Gown - Light Clothing (0 AC,
¦1 DT, 0 DR, WG 1, CND 100%, VAL 20)
¦
¦-Aid----------------------------------------------
¦Healing Powder (x3) - (+12 HP, -1 PER for
¦3 turns/1 hour, 2 AP, WG 1.5, VAL 60)
¦
¦-Other--------------------------------------------
¦Bobby pin (x2) - (WG 0, VAL 2)
¦Bottle cap (x18) - (WG 0, VAL 18)
¦
¦-Ammo, Spells & Miracles--------------------------
¦[x]Magic Missle - Spell (5 DMG, 3 AP, Range 1-6,
¦Single Target)
¦[x]Force Armor - Spell (+3 AC for 3 turns, 4 AP, User)
+===========================================================

You can access the Pipboy at any time by typing [x]Pipboy. You don't need to open the Pipboy to equip weapons and armor or using items. Just typing [x]Use/Equip <item> will suffice, but this shortcut won't work in the middle of combat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

>>182181
>>182182
Sure thing. Though Fallout is a mostly serious game, it has its really funny moments, specially 2. And Gensokyo is a setting that doesn't lend to take itself seriously in the first place. Rest assured you will have your ration of bizarre encounters, though much less often than with the Wild Wasteland perk.

>>182184
Well, yeah. Traits often make you better at some areas while making you worse at another is kind of the whole point. That's why I don't really like minmaxing in the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. stats, because that's what traits are for. Alternatively, you could've done like >>182185 said and not pick any. Picking traits and perks is not obligatory.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

Assuming we can just go and open the door straight after inspecting the bin, we should just pick the lock instead of breaking shit.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Magic 20}Blast the hinges out.

We've got the magic, we should use it. Plus, we need to save bobby pins for doors we need to open more subtly.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Magic 20}Blast the hinges out.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Magic 20}Blast the hinges out.

Doubt it's a good idea to steal from Eientei.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

Skill check get!

So how much was Gensokyo influenced by Western or Outsider culture here during the post-war period?

And what are the most common weapons in Gensokyo here? Like what is its equivalent to the Colt 6250 10mm pistol or N99 10mm pistol?

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Magic 20}Blast the hinges out.

That Arcane pun.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{Steal}Ransack the first-aid kid hanging at the wall.
--[x]{Steal}Inspect the medicine cabinet.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...

Right now there's (yet another) tie for either picking the lock or blasting it with magic. First voter for either breaks the tie.

>>182197
I could answer those questions with a wall of text, but I'd rather have you find them yourselves as you travel. After all, one of the Fallout franchise's charms is to explore the apocalyptic world at your own pace.

I can tell you two things now, though. First, the clash between the old Gensokyan culture and the New World's is one of the main causes of the brewing conflicts in the Eastern Wastelands. Second, guns aren't nearly as ubiquitous in Gensokyo than in the rest of the world. In fact, you're bound to see more melee fighters than gunners but don't be surprised if you see a sword-wielding tengu suddenly having a bout of hypocrisy/pragmatism and pulling out a revolver on you when you least expect it.

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...
[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

[x]Inspect the room.
--[x]{PER 6}That bin...

Something catches your attention in the corner of your eye. Normally a bin doesn't hold anything of value inside, save for a few spare caps if you're lucky. But this time, your scavenger senses are tingling. Maybe you'll find something interesting if you dare to rummage beyond the bloodied bandages and used syringes. Careful not to prick yourself with any dirty needle, you introduce your hand in the bin and probe around. Eventually, you feel some sort of rugged paper, distinct from the bandages.

"Aha, score!"

>10 Used Binding Ofuda added.

As you thought, the seals the blue woman used on you were at the bottom. It's logical if you stop to think about it; the nurses had to take them out of your body in order to put you inside the Auto-Doc. What's strange is the fact that nobody took out the trash in the seven days you were anesthetized. Are they really that short on staff and time? Oh well, you're not going to question their cleaning policies now.

The patterns drawn in the papers are overly complicated and precise. Part of a really advanced spell or ritual, considering how effective they were. Were, because the magic inside them has faded away. What a pity; you could've found a lot of uses for a piece of paper capable of completely immobilizing a target. In any case, this goes to show how dangerous the blue woman is, if she could produce something this powerful. You'll have to stay on your toes when you finally face her.

[Faith 25]But now that you look at these amulets more closely, you find those lines and symbols somewhat familiar. You remember studying them in a book a long time ago, or perhaps in a praying session.

"Hmmm... Taoist sigils, maybe?" you murmur to yourself. "Not really sure. I should ask someone more knowledgeable about them."

You decide to keep them for the time being. Perhaps they'll be useful later on. Or maybe not, and they'll be just (negligible) dead weight. But it's not like there will be a point when you can't so much as crawl because you were carrying an extra pound of papers, right?

[x]Open the door to the hospital ward's hallway.
--[x]{Lockpick 20}Pick the knob's lock. (2 Bobby pins)

With that taken care of, it's time for you to finally get out of this room. Only a locked door stands between you and not-quite-yet-freedom. Part of you wishes to blow it up with a spell, if only to shake the grogginess of your body. But it'd be rude to destroy part of the building that saw you to your recovery, especially when you have other finer ways to bypass an obstacle like this one.

You take a bobby pin and snap it in half. You bend one half until it gets the shape of a torque wrench, rigid yet malleable, and straighten the other. While you don't consider yourself a master of picking locks, you took care on practicing the basics as part of your unorthodox self-taught education. First you take the bent pin and place it securely at the bottom of the lock. After some experimental prods, you determine the angle of turning, and then apply some pressure on the "wrench" with your thumb. Lastly, you insert the straight pin into the top part and wiggle it around.

You came close to snapping the pin in half a few times, but eventually you manage to turn the lock successfully. The door creaks open dramatically, revealing the hallway at the other side.

>You gain 20 XP. (20/200)

You cross the door and close it behind you, ready to start your adventure. To your surprise, you find yourself in a completely different scenery. Whereas the room you left screamed "clinical" in its cleanliness, whiteness and simplicity, the hallway is the total opposite. The ceiling and the parquet are constructed in polished and varnished wood, and most walls are decorated with extremely valuable painted paper, except for the hospital rooms that are made in mortar and concrete. It reminds you of the ancient oriental architecture, of which most examples have been lost to nuclear fire and rain. In fact, you can see some similarities with the Dragon Palace in the way the columns and arches are built.

This place seems to have held exceptionally well in the aftermath of the Falling of the Barrier, contrary to most buildings in Gensokyo. You wonder if it was lucky to avoid most of the blast damage, or if the residents found materials and time to keep it in good condition. Or perhaps there was powerful sorcery at work? Your senses also pick up a strange, underlying magic wavelength floating in the air -- no, emanating from the building itself, though it is distant and weak, debilitated over the course of the years.

Another series of bangs and ratatatatas interrupt your thoughts. This time you can pinpoint them somewhere to your right... Somewhere at the end of that seemingly endless hallway, which seems to stretch farther than your eye can see somehow. Yeah, definitely there's magic in this place. You'll have to walk all the way there if you wish to see what's going on there, but maybe you'd like to inspect other rooms first? With everybody busy in that firefight, you don't think there'll be anyone patrolling the area, so in theory you're free to snoop around undetected if you wish to.

[]Walk towards the gunshots.
[]Walk away from the gunshots. Look for an exit.
[]Inspect other rooms.
--[]Room 21, your own.
--[][Lockpick 30] Room 22
--[][Lockpick 30] Room 19
--[][Lockpick 30] Room 11
--[][Lockpick 30] Room 3
--[]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.

[x]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.
-[x] stealthily, to be safe.

We're unarmed and unarmored. Let's fix that by exploring and looting.

[X]Inspect other rooms.
--[X]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.

When we get the chance to level up, skills at integers of five and ten will be the most useful.

>>182209
We can at least cast magic missile, so we aren't completely defenseless.

[X]Inspect other rooms.
[x]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.
-[x] stealthily, to be safe.
We should explore, away from the gunfire, to see what our environment is like.

How will karma affect us and the story?

[x]Walk towards the gunshots.

once more unto the breach

[x] Walk towards the gunshots.

[X]Inspect other rooms.
[X]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.
-[X] stealthily, to be safe.

The pip boy has a flashlight if we need it, right?

Called for sneaking inside the mysterious room.

>>182213
Karma has a lot of effects in the story. Some people will treat you differently depending if you have good, bad or neutral karma, and the endings will change a bit. But most importantly, it determines which miracles and gods a Faith user can invoke. Some miracles will be weaker or even harmful for evil characters, and some gods will flat-out refuse to cooperate -- and vice versa. A neutral-aligned character can use all miracles and invoke all gods, but not to their full potential.

>>182221
Yes it has. But don't worry, you won't have to keep tabs on whether it's on or off whenever you're trying to sneak. I'm not that much of an asshole.

Hint: To use Magic you must attune spells and equip a magic catalyst. Your Attunement Slots (ATT) dictate the amount of different spells (or miracles) you can cast in battle. Catalysts, colloquially known as Magic Weapons, apply a damage multiplier or special effects to the spells. You can learn more spells by reading grimoires or having a magician teach you, if you have the necessary Magic Skill to understand them.

Hint: All weapons have two Requirements: Strength and Skill. If you don't meet the requirements, the weapon may be less accurate (if a firearm), less effective (if a Faith or Magic Weapon) or consume more Action Points (if an Unarmed or Melee Weapon).

======================================================================

[X]Inspect other rooms.
[x]A normal-looking sliding door, barely open, revealing a dimly lit room.
-[x][Sneak 15]Stealthily, to be safe.

Seeing as you're not properly dressed to dive into any battle, you decide to stay away from the gunshots and wander around. Perhaps you can find and borrow something that offers a bit more of protection than a simple gown. Unfortunately, most of the doors in this hallways are locked, and you don't feel confident enough to go picking all of them. Instead, you walk to the only door that's not closed, attracted to the light coming out of the gap like a moth to a flame.

Taking care not to make much noise, you slide the door open and peek inside. You're greeted by the sight of a sleeping girl in a futon, peacefully snoring the hours away without any care. Her incredibly long hair, of the color of the night sky, has tangled into several knots along her mane, as a result of shuffling around in her sleep. You have to wonder how in the world this woman hasn't yet woken up after all that racket. You've heard of heavy sleepers, but come on, this is ridiculous! A weak-looking princess like her wouldn't survive long in the wastelands. You're not exactly the most indicated person to judge other people's weakness of body, though.

Then again, judging by how white and soft her skin looks, perhaps she actually has never gone out there. Now that's a rare thing to see. Even self-appointed kings and leaders still have to work their arses off to get by the day. But this pretty girl seems like she's never picked up a rake or a sword in her life. Just who is this girl who can afford to live the good life in the Eastern Wastelands?

And speaking of good life, her room doesn't exactly skimp on decorations. Her walls are decorated with well-conserved paintings of old; her shelves are filled with rare books and statues that actually glitter. A computer rests on the table, fully functional, and there's an assortment of papers, books, plates and cups lying around the futon in a disorganized circle of untidiness and laziness.

A room like this is bound to have some nifty loot for the easy taking, as long as you're able to tiptoe your way around the trash without making a sound. Though considering how the sleeping beauty is able to snore through a freaking gunfest, perhaps you don't really need to be that careful.

[]You've satiated your curiosity. Let the girl alone and be on your way.
[]Wake the girl up.
[][Sneak 20]Enter the room, trying not to wake the girl up.
--[][Science 25] {Owned}Hack the terminal.
--[][Sneak 30]Pickpocket the girl's pockets.
--[]{Steal}Inspect the shelves.
--[]{Steal}Look around the floor for valuables.

[X]Wake the girl up.

OH SHIT RAIDER ATTACK LADY SAVE YOURSELF

[x]Wake the girl up.
-[x] ...gently (CHA?)

[X]Wake the girl up.

Never violate sacred hospitality.

[X]Wake the girl up.

Anything else doesn't seem smart.

[X]Wake the girl up.

Eh might as well make a new friend.

Wat are the limits to the SPECIAL skills here? Like is 10 the highest we can go for each skill or is it possible to push a skill above that number?

[X]Wake the girl up.

With an immortal as an ally, you can meat-shield against Seiga even better than she can with Yoshika.

>>182243
Yes, 10 is the maximum for the SPECIAL stats. And there really isn't much of a way to change them past any alterations in character creation. Some equipment does add or subtract stats, but only when equiped.

Hint: Action Points (AP) govern the number of things a character can do during one combat turn. They are spent when firing and reloading weapons, casting spells and miracles, fetching equipment from a character's backpack or moving around the battlefield. AP not used are temporarily added to the character's Armor Class, increasing the chances of evading or blocking incoming attacks until the next turn.

Hint: The Pip-Boy 3000 is an advanced piece of pre-War Outsider technology. It guarantees privacy, safety, and guidance in times of need.

------------------------------------------------------------

[X]Wake the girl up.[/b]

You crouch down at the girl's side and put a hand on her shoulder. Then you shake her up gently, while speaking softly:

"Wakey wakey! Rise and shine!"

She doesn't even seem to feel your gesture. Her expression remains blissfully calm and undisturbed. You redouble your effort, putting a bit more force on your movements.

"It's almost six in the afternoon. Nap time's over, lady."

The woman groans in displeasure, and turns in her sleep to get away from the annoying person trying to wake her up. But you're not going to let it up now.

"Hrmmm, just one more hour, Eirin..." She mutters.

Eirin? Who is this Eirin person? Her caretaker? Whatever.

"Seriously, if you were the proverbial bird, the worm would've had enough time to get back home, marry a girl, have a kid and fund a colony. Wake up already, damn you!"

As if she realized she can't keep pretending to be asleep, the brunette woman props herself up reluctantly, kissing the good dream she was having goodbye. Still teetering between dream and reality, she rubs her rheum away with her left arm, while with the other she drapes her futon over herself as an improvised mantle. The heat of summer doesn't seem to bother her, the sleepyhead won't give up the cozy warmth of her blanket like that. This, along with her bed hair, gives her a somewhat ridiculous appearance.

"Fine, fine, geez. I'm already up, so-- Wait," The woman blinks once and rubs her eyes again. "I don't think I've seen you before. Who are you?"

[]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."
[][Speech 25](Lie)"I'm the new intern. Eirin asked me to wake you up."
[]"Oh, er, right. I'm Shizuka, . And you?"
[]"Back at you. You don't look like a patient or a doctor. I thought this is an hospital, not a leisure centre."
[]"I want to file a complaint. The nurse in charge of me just locked me up."
[]"I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present. I came here to waaaaaaaarn youuuuuu..."
[]"This is a stick-up! Tell me where you keep the good stuff!"
[]"I woke you up so that I could put you to sleep. Permanently. If you know what I mean."
[]"Sorry, I made a mistake. I gotta go."
[]Write-in.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I should make a note of something important: I made a mistake calculating your initial AP. Your actual value is 7 AP, not 5. I forgot to add the AGI-dependant member to the equation, and only used the floor value (which is 5). So in reality you are a bit faster than what the last Pipboy status says. I'd still recommend increasing your APs by taking perks or increasing your AGI, because late-story enemies will generally have more than 10 AP per turn.

>>182243
>>182248
There are a few ways to increase SPECIAL stats permanently, such as taking certain perks or getting implants. As >>182248 said, you cannot increase them above 10 permanently. However, there are other ways to increase them temporarily (drugs, equipment, some spells, channeling gods) that can put your stats above the normal threshold for a limited duration/under certain conditions.

>>182247
>Implying a NEET princess will willingly leave her commodities behind to walk the wastelands and get shot a lot
>Implying I'd be so lenient to give you an immortal companion this early in the story

[X]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."

[X]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."

Kaguya needs her priorities straight.

[X]"I'm the Ghost of Christmas Present. I came here to waaaaaaaarn youuuuuu...

[X]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."

[X]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."

Keeping track of all these mechanics seems like it will bog things down.

Hint: Sad that you're too weak to keep a machine gun on target? Take the Weapon Handling perk to remove 2 points from all weapon Strength requirements.

Hint: The White Fangs of the Union of Theocratic Tribes of Moriya are elite special forces renowned as much for their shrewd reconnaissance capabilities as their bravery and combat prowess. They are trained in swordsmanship and marksmanship, making them as deadly with a katana as with a sniper rifle.

-----------------------------------------------------------

[X]"Never mind that, there are gunshots going off in here! Thought you should know."

The girl tilts her head, confused as to why are you speaking with such urgency in your voice.

"Uh, yes? It must be the patrol team doing target practice," she explains. "My rabbits are good, but they aren't born sharpshooters, you know? If they don't train every once in a while, their aim gets dull."

"They can afford that?" You reply. "I mean, in this time and age there's plenty of monsters and not enough bullets. Firing on practice targets seems like a waste of ammo."

"But if they missed their mark when it matters, it would be a waste of ammo and life, don't you think?"

"That's..."

Actually a good point there. Inexperience is one of the leading causes of accidents and deaths in the wastelands. You, as an Emissary, should know that better than anyone. You shot up so many beasts in your trips that you don't really need to train, but you also had to study and train a lot to get to where you are. It also doesn't help that you don't have to worry about ammo when you can cast magic missiles all day every day.

"Is that all?" The woman furrows her brows. She clearly didn't like being woken up for this. "Then please leave this room and let me rest."

She then turns her back at you and attempts to plunge to the futon, but you grab her by the shoulder and stop her.

"I really mean it! Those gunshots don't seem like target practice, I tell you!"

As if to back up your statement, the symphony of bullets resumes its scheduled program with another cacophony of powder thunders. Not even the sleepy girl can turn a deaf ear to that. Her frown turns from annoyance to concern.

"See? Does that seem like target practice to you?" You press.

"... They don't come from the yard, true," she mutters. "If this is truly an attack, then who...?"

"Raiders, most probably."

The girl nods and stands up, as regal and imposing as a girl with a blanket as a mantle can be.

"Then this warrants further inquiry. I will go there and give them a piece of my mind!" She exclaims.

[]"... Wait, seriously?"
--[]"Are you out of your mind? Do you want to get shot so badly?"
--[]"At least get yourself a weapon! You need to defend yourself if things go awry."
--[]"Going out there in your pajamas? Have some decency, please!"
[]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."
[]"That's the spirit! Good luck with your investigation!"
[]Write-in.

=======================================================

>>182286
I'll be honest: there are a lot of mechanics to take note of. Basically I'm trying to recreate a RPG with lots of calculations by computer, so of course it's hard and time-consuming. That's why I said I'd be playing fast and loose with the numbers. But don't worry, that's mainly my job. You only need to worry about choosing who to shoot and where (with firearms), or prepare spells or miracles before a battle. And if you have any doubt with any mechanic, you can always ask me.

[X]"... Wait, seriously?"
--[X]"At least get yourself a weapon! You need to defend yourself if things go awry."

[X]"That's the spirit! Good luck with your investigation!"

She is clearly too pure for this world.

[X]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."

Wouldnt we know that as a native, not all is what it seems?

[X]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."

I wonder if this is a shooty caster type Kaguya or a brutal close combat brawler Kaguya with some decades of experience from brawling with Mokou.

[X]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."

[X]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."

Let's go take a look-see.

Hint: Made savage by lack of belief and excessive chem use, the Ferals of Gensokyo are the most numerous and troublesome youkai raiders of the Eastern Wasteland. The Hunters Guild has established a bounty network between human communes to reward taking out these threats to wanderers and settlers alike.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[X]"Let me come with you. I also want to know what's going on."

"Oh, you're offering to be my escort? Fufufu, I don't mind," the woman says, chuckling cunningly.

"Escort? As if! Who do you think you are, a princess or what?"

"... Maaaaaaaybe."

She flashes you a playful smile and walks out of the room, with her straight porte and her blanket still draped around her shoulders. The contrast between elegance and ridiculousness is, to say the least, jarring. But nothing compared to that whimsical of hers, which unnerves you to no end. Although after meeting so many serious, no-nonsense people, it's nice to see someone taking it easy in the unforgiving wastelands, even if she's too much of an airhead for her own good. Perhaps you should see to her safety, because, you know, you kinda roped her into this. Besides, it wouldn't hurt if you played her little fantasy while you're at it, right?

And so you march at the "princess'" side, magic wand in hand and eyes sharp like a tengu scout. You'd rather not think too much about how utterly silly you must be looking right now. Princess Futon and her Guard from ICU... If you're lucky, you won't even have to fight those raiders; they'll probably die of laughter when they see this duo bursting through the paper walls to "save the day".

Since you don't know your way around Eientei, you let the girl guide you through the long, labyrinthine hallways. The two of you pass before the door to your room and turn to to the right. Odd, you swear the hallway was noticeably longer the first time you saw it. Is the magic around here distorting space?

"Is something the matter?" Asks your companion, noticing your concern.

"Ah, it's nothing," you reply, shaking your head. This is not the best time to inquire about sorceries, you think. "By the way, I never got your name."

"You may address me as Kaguya Houraisan," she tilts her head slowly at you, with natural grace. "I am the princess and ruler of this little mansion known as Eientei... although nobiliary titles don't hold much value in this time and age, I'm afraid."

"Princess Kaguya, as in the one from the tale?"

"The one and the same, yes," she nods with a playful smile.

Save for the out-of-place blanket, the vibe this "princess" gives reminds you of the noble higher-ups from the Dragon Palace. For a sheltered girl playing a game, you must admit she has the mannerisms of a regal figure spot-on. How many hours did she spent in front of the mirror to make it look so natural? You also have to give her credit for choosing the most appropriate reference there could ever be in this situation, what with this hospital/palace being in the middle of a bamboo forest. And it shelters rabbit people like Reisen, to further drive the comparison. In fact, the coincidences keep stacking up and up the more you think about it. Would you find a nugget of gold if you cut a stalk open, you wonder?

"It's usually good manners to introduce oneself before asking for others' names, though," Kaguya admonishes you, interrupting your thoughts, "but I'll let it pass this time."

"Sorry. I'm..." You stop for a moment to think about a suitable response. As suitable as it sounds, you can't reveal your true identity. You're supposed to be incognito, but that doesn't mean you can't tell her a half-truth. "Shizuka, just Shizuka. I am but a mere courier who happened to stumble upon here by circumstances out of my control. Pleased to make your acquaintance, fair lady."

You do your steepest bow of courtesy, reserved only for the VIPs of the Dragon Palace. You also try to make it as flamboyant as possible, in a completely sardonic way; like you and your friends used to do when those big fish turned their backs. Kaguya chuckles amused, seemingly unaware of the meaning of your little jest, or perhaps delighted that you chose to keep up with her game.

"The pleasure is mine, Shizuka the Courier," the princess suddenly lets out a melancholic sigh, but she exaggerates it a bit too much and crosses the line to melodramatic. "Mayhaps have you come to take me away, finally?"

"Excuse me?"

"Aren't you an ambassador of the Heavenly Beings, tasked to return me safely with the Moon people, to my true home?"

You freeze in shock for an instant. How in the world did she manage to uncover you? Have you said too much and gave it away? No, no, this airhead is just making wild guesses. After all, your mission doesn't involve rescuing any princess stranded on Earth. She must be still following the plot of the Bamboo Cutter tale, that's all. But then again, the blue woman knew who you were instantly... Perhaps your secret is not so secret after all. Gotta play it cool for the moment.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no," you shake your head. "You're not the woman I seek."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief," says Kaguya. "I came to like my life here. I don't have plans of leaving Earth any time soon."

"Most people I've met would argue that."

"About my plans?"

"About how you're enjoying your stay. General consensus says life in the Wastelands is pretty awful."

"True. I have to admit I'm rather... privileged compared to them," the princess says. "But what would you have me say? 'Oh, I have food to eat, a roof to sleep under, and a team of doctors to take care of me, why does my life suck sooooo much?' I think that'd be very obnoxious and ungrateful of me. Just because I have it easier than other people doesn't mean I cannot make use of my advantages."

"Yes, I know what you mean," you nod. Despite how uptight and boring life is at the Palace, it's undeniably better than the Wastelands. "It's the kind of thing you don't learn to appreciate until you lose everything. I was just noting how rare it's to see a wealthy person with a good grasp on her situation."

"It comes from experience, Miss Courier," Kaguya smiles with parsimony. "When you live for as long as I did, you eventually come to realize that the most valuable treasures are the ones you share with your neighbors. Hence why I decided to set up this hospital."

"Well, well, aren't you a saintly do-gooder, your Highness?" You let out a dry snort.

Perhaps it's your past experience jading your vision, but you can't fathom anyone as innocent and altruistic as Kaguya faring well in this world. That kind of idealistic messiahs either gets swindled by less savory people, or have a much darker hidden agenda.

"There are a lot of people living in poverty, while I have resources to spare. I feel it's my duty as a princess, nay, a citizen of Gensokyo to help those in need," Kaguya answers. "Why was I blessed with bountiful riches if not to share them with the less fortunate? Eirin constantly reminds me I'm just casting our pearls before swine, but I'm just trying to do the right thing! Is it that hard to comprehend?"

"Spoken like a true noble," you say. You might even buy the whole princess act from her if she keeps this up. A shame that people like her are so woefully scarce in this ruthless world. "But I see where that Eirin person is coming from. There are unfortunately too many ruffians in this land who'd rather take advantage of honest people."

"So you say I shouldn't keep the hospital open? Even though you've directly benefited from our services?"

"Er, that's--"

Thankfully, the gunshots resume just in time, so that you don't have to backpedal in your argument. As you are much closer to the source than before, the powder explosions make your eardrums ring for a few seconds, and if you weren't so used to hearing them, you would've flinched in response. Kaguya is not so experienced, however, and she finds herself cowering behind you.

"I meant those guys," you tell her, "the party poopers."

"And that's why we can't have nice things," the princess sighs. "Let's go. Those shots aren't going to stop themselves."

Kaguya redoubles her pace while miraculously not tripping over her blanket, and you follow suit. This isn't the first time you've had to fend off raiders, and you're pretty confident in your ability to protect yourself, but another person...

=================================================================

My THP Excuse Generator broke. Sue me. Next part with actual choices coming soon™

>>182308
I'd tell you, or even give you the stats, but there's a chance you might end up fighting her sooner or much later. And if that happened, it would be an unfair advantage.

Very interesting what Shizuka freaked out over slightly. I would think Celestials wouldn't really have much to do with the Lunarians.

>coming soon™
So, seven minutes?

I'm liking this Kaguya a lot more than I expected to. That guess of hers seems...suspiciously on the nose, though. I wonder how people are identifying Shizuka so easily.

Hint: All territory west of the Misty Lake is recognized as Moriya's land, an area indisputably under the control of the UTT and agents acting on Lord Tenma's behalf.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kaguya and you find yourselves in the middle of a war zone when you turn over the last corner. Four rabbits clad in full riot armor stand guard over a makeshift barricade made of expensive-looking furniture, pointing their carbines at a door labelled 101, while six or seven rabbits run frantically around the rooms to bring ammunition and medical supplies to their companions on the front-line. The walls and the paintings are riddled with bullet holes, and countless casings litter the floor, some of them still smoking hot. Judging by the tension in the ambient, the gunfight is not over yet; this is just another denouement of the action.

As you can see, the building wasn't the only victim of the firefight. You spot a Mister Handy utility robot lying ignored at a corner; either by incredible accuracy or luck, well-placed bullets took out its left eye sensor and the jet-powered propulsion system, which probably prompted the AI to activate its emergency shutdown protocol. Besides, a group of three medics are tending other three wounded bunnies, suffering from bullet wounds, though nothing too worrying by the looks of it. You promptly recognize one of those medics, and it seems Kaguya does as well, because she strides towards her with a very angry scowl:

"U-don-ge!" The princess shouts at the top of her lungs. "What is the meaning of this!?"

Reisen stands uptight like a bolt upon hearing her nickname, freezing on the spot. She fearfully turns her head towards Kaguya, pale as a ghost, and the copious amount of sweat falling from her temple doesn't look like it's due the lack of venting of that combat suit. The imagery reminds you of a pet that knows it's displeased its master, and is waiting for its punishment.

"M-m-master? I, er, this is, uhhhhh..." The poor rabbit shifts awkwardly in place, trampling over her own words. "Target practice! Yes, this is just a drill. Nothing to worry about, we're definitely not under attack, you can, uh, go back to sleep. Um, yeah."

Naturally, Kaguya doesn't buy that lame excuse for a second. You can see on the corner of your eyes the other two medic bunnies surreptitiously tiptoeing away, as if to avoid the incoming flak. You almost feel sorry for Reisen, but another part of you wants to stay and see how the Princess reacts to such a blatant lie.

"Target practice? And why in Tsukuyomi's name are you practicing on the walls?" Kaguya traps the bunny into a headlock and scrubs her knuckles on Reisen's hairs, which elicits a groan of pain from her. "And why, pray tell, did you deem necessary to wreck the whole place while you were at it!?"

"Awawawawawaw I'm sorry Mast--ouch ouch ouch!"

"Those paper marbles were two thousand years old! Do you have any idea how valuable those antiques are worth? And you just go and use them as targets! The nerve of you!"

The master redoubles the painful scrubbing on the servant's mane, and the bunny keeps whining, tears forming in her eyes. You're half-expecting Reisen's hair to catch on fire by the ludicrous friction. The sight of a fully-armored bunny with a rifle being dominated by a frail-looking girl is bemusing to say the least. To the other rabbit youkai, it's a cringe horror show; a demonstration of what happens when you annoy the otherwise gentle princess. Which begs the question, is your previous thought about Kaguya and Reisen being master and pet actually true? In fact, the Kaguya-hime from the tale also had rabbits serving her on the Moon...

"I yield, I yield! I'll tell the truth!" Reisen throws her hands in the air, the universal sign for surrender. "I-it wasn't target practice. We know the rules: never shoot a gun inside the mansion unless it's an emergency."

"That's better," satisfied, Kaguya lets the poor bunny free. "So I suppose this must be an emergency. Let me guess, raiders?"

"Nnnnnot exactly, no," she answers, as she rubs the sore are with her hand. "I mean, the fact that they're demanding medical supplies in exchange of Mikazuki's life technically turns them into raiders, but I don't think they come from any known group--"

"Slow down there, Doc," you interrupt her. "You're making this more confusing that it must be. Start from the beginning, please."

Only now does Reisen register your presence. Her mouth opens agape when she recognizes you, most certainly wondering how in the world did you manage to get out of the locked room, and why are you with her master. She was going to say those burning questions aloud, but Kaguya gets to her first:

"I concur. I want to know exactly what happened here. Don't leave any details."

A stern look from the princess kills any complaint Reisen was about to mouth. Instead she opts to shoot you a last look of distrust before complying.

"Okay... Let's see, three hours ago, three human males came to reception, asking for medical attention. One of them was reported to be experiencing nausea, muscular spasms, intermittent fainting and speech impediment. Nurse Mikazuki was in charge of the E.R., and after the initial inspection, she hospitalized the patient in room 101. This one," she adds, pointing with her rifle to the door riddled with bullet holes.

"What about the other two men?" Asks Kaguya.

"They were ordered to wait outside the room while Mikazuki conducted the tests, but they insisted, so she let them inside eventually," the rabbit answers. "We don't know exactly what happened in between, but reportedly the two engaged in a heated discussion with Nurse Mikazuki. The conflict escalated more and more, until we heard the first gunshot.

"We immediately activated code red and scrambled. The two men took Mikazuki hostage and are armed with 9mm pistols. They want a box of stimpaks and Med-X to treat their friend, or else they will kill the nurse."

"And instead you started to shoot at them?"

"They started first!" Protests Reisen. "As they made their demands, they burst from the door and started shooting wildly. Tukiyo was hit by a stray bullet without warning," she points at the wounded rabbit in nurse attire, who was her right calf bandaged. "When the defense team came, they barricaded themselves inside the room and shot at us on sight. We've been trading shots for ten minutes, but we're at a stalemate. And here we are."

Seems like it's really a critical situation. However, you feel like you still don't get the whole picture. Perhaps you should ask Reisen for more specifics, if you intend to get involved in this.

>Quest updated: Stop at the Affected Area
>--[Completed]Investigate the gunshots in Eientei's medical ward.
>--Defuse the hostage situation.
>--[Optional]Keep Mikazuki alive.

[]"You outnumber and outpower them vastly. Why are you even in a stalemate in the first place?"
[]"How did they manage to get firearms inside the building?"
[]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[]"Have you considered complying with their demands? This is an hospital, I'm sure you aren't lacking in stimpacks or Med-Xs."
[][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."
[]Write-in.
[]"Any plans on how to defuse this situation?"
[]"Welp, that really sucks, but I have to go now."

================================================================

>>182366
In the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, an emissary from heavens is the one who takes Kaguya-hime away from Taketori no Okina's house and brings her back to the Moon.

>>182367
>update
>seven minutes
>THP
topkek

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

Thankfully we have Speech as a tagged skill, let's try being the negotiator after this

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

Well that's worse than expected.

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

I can't think of anything else to say so I choose these. Let's hope a speech option is a choice in the next update.

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

This Kaguya's pretty great.

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"
[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

I like EVERYTHING about this story so far. Except the lack of flirting and the possibility of fighting Kaguya (thanks for telling us she still is inmortal, btw)
Keep it up!

Hint: Magic and Faith attacks are usually aimed at the target's hitbox. Taking the Focus Pocus perk allows you center the damage on limbs as well, enabling you to cripple and dismember targets as with most firearms.

Hint: Commerce with Outsider caravans has kept the human settlements of Gensokyo alive and thriving in an otherwise inhospitable and dangerous land. Gensokyans trade fresh food and clothes for Outsider weapons and technology scavenged in the world beyond the Barrier's remnants.

--------------------------------------------------------------

[X]"Is there any confirmation the hostage is still alive?"

"Mikazuki? Why, of course she is! Why would we be wasting time like this if she wasn't?" Replies Reisen, not without a bit of condescension. "The only reason we haven't just charged in and taken them out is because we don't want to compromise her safety."

"But when was the last time you confirmed it?" You press on.

"That'd be... ten minutes ago, I think?"

"You just traded shots again not two minutes ago. You may have already killed her in the crossfire."

"That's..." The youkai's ears perk up in shock, having realized the horrible implications. Hard to believe she didn't consider that possibility when her squad opened fire.

"Udonge, dear, would you kindly check if little Mikazuki's still safe? Please?" Asks Kaguya, also worried.

"R-right away!"

Without missing a beat, Reisen jolts to the barricade and speaks to one of the guards that was training her weapon to the door.

"Corporal Jin, how're things on the other side?"

"... Don't hear any movement... Ma'am," responds the soldier meekly. You really have to focus to hear her weak voice, even as you stand merely a few steps away from her. "... Still hostile. Armed, crazy... Dangerous."

"And Mikazuki?"

"Alive... A while ago. Not sure now. Don't hear her either... Unconscious... if not dead. ...Want me to check out?"

"Absolutely."

Jin nods, serious, and takes a deep breath. That brief moment doesn't prepare you from the sudden 180 turn in her volume and demeanor. Her almost inaudible voice shifts to a loud, husky roar that pierces your ears worse than the rifles did:

"Hey you, assholes! You better tell us our girl's fine, or you're dead motherfuckers, you hear me!?"

Reisen, Kaguya and the other rabbits are completely unfazed by Jin's profanity. Apparently they're used to it, because you were the only one surprised. The response from the other side of the door doesn't make itself wait, and it's equally as hoarse:

"Bitch, she might be!" A high-pitched male voice screams back. "Now where's the damn medicine!?"

"We ain't giving you shit till you let her free!"

"I'm okay, girls, don't worry about me!" Another voice, definitely girlier and softer than the other two. Mikazuki, most probably. "But don't be too rough on them, alright? They're just misunder--"

"Nobody asked for your goddamn opinion, bun!" The man shouts. You then hear the sound of flesh slapped hard, followed by a barely feigned whine of pain. "Now put your fucking gag back again!"

"'Kaaaaaay..."

Looks of bewilderment and confusion are exchanged between everyone on the hallway. Now even Reisen is as flabbergasted as you are, if that's worth anything. Not Kaguya, who just shrugs her shoulders knowingly. She always had that vibe of knowing something nobody else does, but now it's more pronounced than ever. The rest of the room just shifts and looks around awkwardly for half a minute.

"Ahem... Hostage confirmed... erm, alive, ma'am," back to her softer self, Jin is the one who finally breaks the uncomfortable silence. It doesn't last for long: "Why can't we just, how do them Outsiders say, 'put a cap on their asses' already? They're just a bunch of pussies, they don't have the guts to pull the trigger on her. And even if they fucking dared, and they won't if they know what's good for them, I'm pretty sure they're out of ammo anyway."

"Not yet, Jin. Not until we have a clear line of fire," Reisen shakes her head, then gives Jin a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I don't want to risk Fluffy Five's life on a hunch. Keep standing watch for the time being. We'll get her out of there somehow, I promise."

"... Yes, ma'am."

Is it just you, or do all rabbits here have sharp mood swings this often? Tewi also suffered from this, now that you remember... Regardless, while the trouble is far from over, you notice the rabbits are visibly relieved after learning that their companion is still alive, their spirits renewed. You take a moment to Kaguya a question that just popped in your mind.

"Did I hear it well? 'Fluffy Five'? Pft, what kind of stupid codename is that?"

"It isn't a codename, but a title, bestowed by me," she answers, waving her hand dismissively. "As you might infer, Mikazuki ranks fifth in the list of fluffiness amongst Eientei's rabbit youkai."

"You go around touching your servants' tails and measuring their fluffiness?"

"... Do you not?"

Before you can respond, though, Reisen catches up with the two of you.

"So, there you have it, your confirmation. Anything else?"

"Actually yes, I'd like to know what kind of measures will you take to save Mikazkuki," says Kaguya. "Because you surely must have some kind of plan, right?"

"Er, well, we're... still working on it. Those two guys are way too upset and paranoid to predict how will they react to any move we make," the rabbit explains. "A false step, and we might infuriate them. Next thing we know, we'll be wiping Mikazuki's brains off the walls. Hence why we're still deliberating on what to do next."

"Have you perhaps considered trying dialogue instead of violence?"

"With all due respect, Princess, but peaceful talks have gotten old a few dozen bullets back at this point."

The princess glares at her servant sternly, obviously not pleased by her impertinent response. After all, everyone knows that whenever someone says 'with due respect', they actually mean 'kiss my ass' or some worse derivative. Still, you think you should jump in Reisen's defense, even if it's just this time, because she's in the right for once.

[X][Medicine 25]"Those symptoms... You're very likely dealing with chem addicts on withdrawal."

"Chem addicts?" Repeats the princess, pondering the weight of those words.

"Yes, the three of them," you nod. "The withdrawal effect must be clouding their judgement and impairing their thought patterns, making them do things they normally wouldn't even consider."

"In other words, they're not in their right minds," summarizes Reisen. She gives you a silent nod of appreciation for your help. "Nobody in their right mind would do something as stupid as kidnapping a nurse in a hospital full of people with combat training, battle armor and automatic weapons. That's pretty much a death wish."

[SUCCEEDED]Kaguya mulls the new consideration over, deep in thought. Whatever arguments she had prepared to throw at the kidnappers, they were surely useless against people whose reason has been destroyed by drugs.

>You gain 20 XP. (40/200)

But that doesn't deter the princess from striving for peaceful solution. With renewed determination, she faces the door with the gravity of a leader that knows full well what kind of shithole she's getting herself into. Yet she shows no fear, or she hides it remarkably well.

"That matters naught. If they have a conscience, no matter how damaged it is, they can be reasoned with, one way or another," she says. "I'll go there and convince them to put down their weapons and come in peace, whatever it takes."

"Are you insane!? Do you want to get killed?" Exclaims Reisen. "Please leave this to us. We're trained for this kind of contingencies."

"Well, so far I haven't seen any acceptable results, Reisen. Sometimes words are more effective than bullets, and I will show it to you now."

"Princess, wait!" Impatient, Reisen grabs Kaguya by the ankle before she foolishly walked towards her doom. "Actually, we do have a plan. We just need to flesh out the details. Believe me when I say we're the first ones worried about Mikazuki's safety, but we won't jeopardize your own wellbeing to save her. Please, give us a bit more of time!"

And so their discussion degenerates into a shouting contest to see who can scream the loudest. Neither the princess nor the rabbit are willing to step back and admit the other is right. This calls for an arbiter to break the argument, but are you really willing to meddle in this nasty affair?

[]Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[][Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."
--[][Barter 20]"They hope to strike a deal by taking a hostage, but it just shows how desperate they are. If we can make them see that..."
--[][Magic 25]"They won't even let us inside in that state of paranoia. Perhaps a little hypnosis will make them more... receptive to our arguments."
--[][Medicine 25]"I could diagnose the patient for you. They won't trust anyone with rabbit ears, but maybe they'll listen to someone more human-looking."
[]Go with Reisen's plan to neutralize the kidnappers.
--[][Guns 20]"These walls are practically made of paper. If we pinpoint the targets' exact positions, we can shoot through them without risking Mikazuki's life."
--[][Sneak 20]"There's a window in that room, right? I could jump in undetected while you distract them, and I'll shut them down before they even realize it."
--[][Explosives 25]"Let's plant a small plastic bomb on the door and breach in. Then we take them down while they're still dazed by the explosion."
--[][Repair 25]"Do you have a toolkit here? That Mister Handy there could still be useful if I derive its power away from the damaged parts."
[]Write-in.
[]Leave while you still can.

================================================================

Before you ask, no, I won't be participating in the Nanowrimo challenge. As much as I'd like to write everyday, there's simply too many tests and assignments to turn over. Apologies in advance if my schedule slips again.

>>182419
>flirting
Those familiar with Fallout know that you need a specific perk to take advantage of your inherent sex appeal. You can take it as soon as you reach level 2, which you will after you complete this little quest. Once you have it, you can flirt and seduce to your heart's content, providing the target of your "affections" is compatible with your chosen orientation. And yes, you can even hold hands, you sick pervs.

>Hold hands

Take it to /at/ goddamnit.

[x]Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x][Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."
--[x][Medicine 25]"I could diagnose the patient for you. They won't trust anyone with rabbit ears, but maybe they'll listen to someone more human-looking."
They're not mutually exclusive to me. If they are, pick the 'medicine' option.

Why? Because we are in an hospital. Showing our medicine skill is more likely to earn us brownie points in such an important settlement.

On another note, are you going to participate in the Nanowrimo Challenge

First of all: could you link back to the current character sheet post when we have a choice involving skill checks? It would be very convenient.


>"... Do you not?"
Second, I adore Kaguya and will be very sad if we have to leave her behind.


[x] Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x] [Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."

We have double the required Speech, so it should work.

[x] Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x] [Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."

>182536
>On another note, are you going to participate in the Nanowrimo Challenge
You might want to read the last part of the update.

>>182537
Sure thing, brah, here it is: >>182188.

Though now that I think about it, your stats are bound to change a lot once you begin abusing chems and equipping stat boosting equipments. I'm thinking on creating a Google Doc or similar to keep tabs on all the changes, and post the link whenever appropriate, but recommendations on this matter are welcome. I'll see when the time comes.

>>182538
I think he was merely joking, seeing as how he did read the spoiler part. At least I hope so.

On another note, I found a pic on Booru that gets very close to my initial depiction of FemMC's default appearance, which I'll be using in the narrative for lack of reader-given descriptions. You tell me if you're fine with it or not.

>>182542
I'm fine, she looks good. Too cute for the setting but that's kind of the point. She comes from heaven after all.

By the way are you gonna participate in the Nanowrimo challenge?

[X]Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[X][Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."
--[X][Medicine 25]"I could diagnose the patient for you. They won't trust anyone with rabbit ears, but maybe they'll listen to someone more human-looking."

I picked these three, if we're allowed to pick three, due to feeling that since we have enough Medicine skill to help, along with enough speech skill to get in, well perhaps we'll be more trusted by these guys than if they send a rabbit in.

[x] Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x] [Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."

Kaguya continues to be great.

[X]Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[X][Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."
--[X][Medicine 25]"I could diagnose the patient for you. They won't trust anyone with rabbit ears, but maybe they'll listen to someone more human-looking."

[x] Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x] [Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."

I guess we could do the medicine thing as well, but I'm sure that's up to the author on whether or not the choices were mutually exclusive.

Hint: When your character's Melee or Unarmed skill hits 50, you will be able to perform Power Attacks with Melee or Unarmed Weapons respectively. Some trainers will teach you other special techniques with different effects, provided you meet the skill requirement to master them.

Hint: The History Association is a human cult that strives to unearth the mystical secrets of the old Gensokyo, with the eventual goal of driving out all youkai and creating a human-only land. While largely ignored a few centuries ago, their influence has spread vastly as of late, mostly thanks to their coalition with a stranded chapter of the Brotherhood of Steel.

======================================================

I said before I couldn't maintain a stable update schedule due to college and work. But I figured that the least I could do was to keep writing those little hints, if only to build on the world setting and foreshadow useful perks for later. That way I can still "participate" in the Nanowrimo challenge, although I feel this is kinda cheating...

Anyway, remember that if you have any questions regarding the lore (both of the Fallout games and of this story) or with the mechanics, you can ask me at any time. I'll try to answer as much as the plot permits me (that means I won't be revealing any information that I consider spoiler-y).

Lastly, since you asked, I made a Google Doc with your character's sheet. It has all your stats, skills, perks, reputation, inventory, notes, quests, etc., for all your adventuring needs. I'll be updating it whenever appropriate, and I'll make sure to post the link whenever a skill check comes up (which will be very often), so you won't have any excuse if you choose the wrong option.

Here be the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvTjG7UwAgmZ9DUpDlR6TcffytOWOYi1ya5Z-JNXgJ0/edit?usp=sharing

Hint: Bows and crossbows are traditional "kinetic weapons" designed to pierce even the sturdiest hide or armor silently, but they're not without draws. Many bows have a high Strength requirement to be wielded effectively, while crossbows are heavy and take a lot of AP to reload. Both also have reduced range compared to more modern guns.

Hint: Feral ghouls, be they human, youkai or fairy, have lost the ability to reason, and will attack any stranger on sight. Like normal ghouls, they are not only immune to radiation; they're also healed by it, making them extremely dangerous foes when encountered in irradiated areas.

======================================================

Sorry, no updates today either. Didn't have the time to sit around and complete it. Tomorrow will be almost certainly done, barring catastrophes or inconvenient harddrive erasure.

[x]Support Kaguya's plan to convince the kidnappers to surrender.
--[x][Speech 20]"We ought to calm them down first if we want to reason with them, make them see we really mean no harm."

"You too?" Exclaims Reisen, exasperated. "Shit, we didn't keep you in that Auto-Doc for a whole week so that you throw your life away like this!"

"Do you really think this is my first time dealing with raiders hopped up on chems? Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

"Coming from someone who was left to die in a pitfall for God knows what botched deal, I don't find that very reassuring..."

"Shooting people isn't very nice, either," intervenes Kaguya. "Your aggressive tactics have lead you nowhere. I say we give peace a shot... I mean, a chance."

The rabbit looks at her master, then at you, at the door, then back at Kaguya, mulling over the situation. You can understand her reticence about letting her master go and risk her life negotiating with crazed men, but she also realizes she can't rescue her friend if she can't break the stalemate. Her options are limited, and the pressure Kaguya's giving her isn't helping her.

[SUCCEEDED]In the end, Reisen lets out a long weary sigh and throws her hands in defeat.

"Tch, fine! I know better than to argue with you when you are this stubborn. You wanna go there and get killed, that's your problem."

>You gain 20 XP. (60/200)

"What are you saying?" Kaguya sneers. "I can't die here; we'll miss dinner..."

"Whatever you say, Princess. Just don't try to be a hero, okay? Fluffy Five's life is at stake."

"Sure, sure."

Up until this point, you've thought of Kaguya as a quirky air-headed girl with her innocence untainted by the harsh wastelands. But after seeing how unflappable, no, unconcerned she is about the possibility of being shot by madmen, you're starting to question her sanity. What if the "princess" was actually a patient on mental ward suffering from a mental condition, and Reisen and the other nurses were just playing along with her distorted fantasies, just like you did? Actually, since you're about to follow her plan, wouldn't that make you even more of a madwoman than her? Ah well, that's a bridge you'll cross when you get to it, which will be pretty soon.

So you take point at the side of the door, gripping your wand--safely hidden under your sleeve--and waiting for Kaguya's move. With nary a moment of doubt or recollection, the princess tucks herself with her futon and knocks twice on the door. She doesn't wait for response before opening the door walking inside, as if she was the ruler of the mansion.

"Hey, don't be hast-!"

You don't even have the time to tell her to be careful before a bullet fairly rips, piercing right through the skull of the unsuspecting Kaguya. As her body promptly falls down with a soft 'pomf', you hear a collective gasp from the rabbits behind you, and a muffled shriek at the room from who you suppose was Mikazuki. Meanwhile, you just stand there in shock for a brief moment, as you reflexively bring a hand to where bits of meat that had just stuck to your vest, painting it red.

A few thunderstruck seconds pass, while everybody takes their time to register the scene before you. Her eyes staring at the empty above, forever frozen in that moment of ultimate surprise. Her head sprays hair, blood and brains on the floor in hypnotic, morbid patterns worthy of a painting. Even in death, the poor princess still retained her elegance and beauty, which is more than you can say about most headshot victims.

Eventually, the spell had to be broken. This time, the duty befell on the her alleged murderer. His voice is raspy and monotone, incapable of emoting anything other than dull surprise:

"Oh man, I shot a girl in the face," you hear him mutter.

"W-w-why the fuck'd you do that?!" His companion, the high-pitched one, shrieks in terror.

"It was an accident, I didn't mean to."

"That's not what we agreed on with the Burning Woman! Rabbits only, remember?"

"She came out of nowhere, I got surprised, okay? Sheesh..."

"Yeah, you always find a way to ruin everything somehow! Now what?"

At the same time, you hear murmur from the rabbit side. Their bridled rage rises like boiling water, looking for the tiniest outlet to explode out of the pot. It is then when you realize you are standing just in the middle of their line of fire, and they seem all but ready to let their triggers loose.

"Captain, the NEET is down," Jin demonstrates once again her knack for stating the obvious.

"I fucking knew this would happen," groans Reisen, more exasperated than shocked, to your surprise. "Fine then. Open fire!"

The soldiers, all too happy to oblige, don't even take one second before unleashing the umpteenth barrage of bullets. Only your trained reflexes save you from getting caught in the crossfire, as you quickly dive to safety. As you open your eyes, the explosions of powder pierce your ears and fill your nostrils with their characteristic, too-familiar-for-your-liking smell.

It seems you somehow vaulted over Kaguya's corpse and, for better or worse, ended up in the room's bathroom, just between both sides of the battlefield. This leaves you in a prime position to make contact with Mikazuki and her captors... providing you manage to stick out your head from the bathroom's door without catching a stray bullet with your skull in a similar fashion to the princess.

[]"OKAY, I NEED EVERYBODY TO CALM DOWN! JUST CALM DOWN! I CAN'T HELP ANYONE IF YOU'RE NOT CALM! ARE WE CALM YET?! YES?! NO?!"
--[][Speech 25]"Yeah, you made a huge mistake, blowing the princess' head off. Happens to the best of us. Don't worry, I can help you sort it out with the rabid rabbits and get you out of here alive, but you have to trust me, alright?"
--[][Barter 25]"Let's get things clear. Your side has a shortage of stimpacks and ammo. Their side has fucking pissed soldiers with plenty of loaded rifles. Do yourselves a favor and surrender before you screw up even more."
--[][Medicine 25]"Dammit guys, I'm a doctor, not a guard! She and I were the medical help you've been asking for all this time. I've been told your friend needs assistance with his chem withdrawal, but I see we're not welcome here after all..."
[][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"
[]"Wow, you're all pretty chill about the murder of a princess... Kind of unnaturally so. Am I surrounded by psychos and sociopaths? Great."
[]"Fuck it, I'm going in! Reisen, suppressive fire in, suppressive fire out, do the hokey pokey, that's what it's all about!"
[]"You dun guffed, shitheads." <Attack.>
[]Write-in.

Your character's sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvTjG7UwAgmZ9DUpDlR6TcffytOWOYi1ya5Z-JNXgJ0

[x]"OKAY, I NEED EVERYBODY TO CALM DOWN! JUST CALM DOWN! I CAN'T HELP ANYONE IF YOU'RE NOT CALM! ARE WE CALM YET?! YES?! NO?!"
--[x][Speech 25]"Yeah, you made a huge mistake, blowing the princess' head off. Happens to the best of us. Don't worry, I can help you sort it out with the rabid rabbits and get you out of here alive, but you have to trust me, alright?"

I think Speech has gone great so far and see no reason to change our approach.

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

Negotiations have obviously failed, and will likely continue to fail. Time to pull out the other skills.

[x]"OKAY, I NEED EVERYBODY TO CALM DOWN! JUST CALM DOWN! I CAN'T HELP ANYONE IF YOU'RE NOT CALM! ARE WE CALM YET?! YES?! NO?!"
--[x][Speech 25]"Yeah, you made a huge mistake, blowing the princess' head off. Happens to the best of us. Don't worry, I can help you sort it out with the rabid rabbits and get you out of here alive, but you have to trust me, alright?"

We so need to listen to Fairy FM once we get out of here. That sounds awesome.

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

I think it's best to get everyone's guns out of their hands because frankly all the shooting is more liable to kill both the hostage and the hostage takers than anything else.

And neither side is mature, especially the rabbits considering Kaguya can simply regenerate from her death.

> Those freeman's mind quotes
> oh god can't decide between them

[][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"
Goddamn Kaguya has a death wish. Does dying feel good or something?

>>182607

Changing to

[X][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

That had to have been the worst negotiation ever, because it didn't even get to the point where we could negotiate.

Hint: Although common people around Gensokyo have little interest in esoteric literature, Demon Books are highly sought after by the UTT's Inquisitors and the History Association. They will go as far as mugging anyone suspected of hoarding one, both for diametrically different reasons. There's also one influential figure in the Human Village who has soft spot for them... Either way, experienced sorcerers could exploit their forgotten power as well for their own benefit.

Hint: The Ninja perk grants you the power of the fabled shadow warriors, and increase your chance to do critical hits, and the damage of each.

================================================================

No update today, but I'll give you a protip to make up for it: Sometimes choosing failed checks knowingly is a viable option, but using your right to make a write-in is almost always a better alternative. Be advised that write-ins are still liable to being subject to a skill check I might impose, though they usually will be lower than normal.

Hint: There has been sightings of terrifying monsters roaming near the crater entrance of Underground Geyser Center. Residents of Gensokyo believe they're the feared Oni escaping Former Hell, while Outsider prospectors think it's a local variant of Super Mutant. It does not help that the number of people who have crossed paths with one of these abominations and lived to tell the tale can be counted with the fingers of one hand.

Hint: Stealing, trespassing, hurting people, putting charms or curses on them and otherwise being a nuisance can negatively impact your reputation with a group, aside of possible loss of karma.

======================================================

Too much shit to deal with, I could barely find enough free time to write. Next update is almost done, definitely up tomorrow.

>>182630
Good tip. So if we can't help but we try and fail we may hurt ourselves BUT get some good rep?

And, regarding write ins, are you insinuating that if we get something like a 'fix gas tank, need 35 repair' option we can write in it into 'prevent an explosion 20 repair' or something?

>>182638

That seems terribly against the spirit of doing write-ins. I think a reduced skill check is more of a reward for coming up with a creative solution to a problem, not just... slapping a general label onto one of the options provided.

That kinda seems like gaming the system a bit, y'know?

>>182639

I'm sure they got the idea. They just gave a terrible example, is all.

>>182639
How so? One makes the tank work again, the other just prevents an explosion. It is still an useless ton of junk.
Did you confuse it with a gas tank? No, it is still clear: one option makes it usable again and the other just stops an accident but it still would have to be replaced.
I honestly don't know where you are coming from.

Let me come up and clear this confusion:

Simply saying "[Repair 30]Prevent an explosion" will not be accepted. That is because write-ins are for inputting actions, and preventing said explosion is a result of said actions. Whether or not those actions is good enough will determine if you are successful in preventing the explosion.

The schtick of write-ins is that they depend a lot on the context. To follow on your example, if the gas tank is leaking, you have the option to "[Repair 25/30]Fix the gas tank" from the get-go. Normally, your character cannot take that action unless she raises her Repair skill beforehand (magazines, drugs, etc.).

However, your character can notice a pipe with a stopcock connected to it in the narration (high Perception and Survival help a lot here). With that information you can, for example, write-in "[Repair]Turn the valve to stop the gas flow and stop the leak." That'd be a valid action, and the skill check I'd impose on it would be much lower than the option I gave you beforehand. Mostly because turning a valve is much easier than fixing a leak, but also as a reward for your originality and resourcefulness, as >>182639 says.

I think this kind of write-ins will be much more useful in Speech and Barter challenges, but anyway, this option will be almost always available for you if you feel you're up to it.

Also, screw you >>182638, I was saving that picture for later. Now I'll have to spend ten minutes looking for another image of distressed NEET.

>>182643
That Kaguya Vault-Tec bobblehead makes me imagine Kaguya having one of her own.

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

With trigger happy chem heads and rabbits who seem to have disregarded the possibility of killing the hostage themselves, it's probably better that everyone stops shooting.

[x][Magic 40]"I'm taking those guns away from you all. Yeah, you rabbits too. You're obviously not mature enough to handle them. Now sit there and think about what you've done!"

Of course, nobody can hear you above the racket of gunfire. Perhaps that's for the best, because you need to shift all the aggression away from you until you work your magic. The spell you're going to use requires a lot of concentration and willpower, which you cannot gather while getting shot at. You take your trusty wand in your steady hands, take a deep breath and close your eyes, drowning the sounds that are not of your own mind going over the enchantments.

Once you feel ready, you let go. Your wand pulsates, releasing an intangible wave of pure, non-harmful magic energy, traversing through the walls and reaching everyone standing in a wide radius. The gunshots immediately stop thereafter, relieving your aching eardrums. You feel their startled eyes focusing on you, like deers caught in the light.

What you just did was merely give them a tug on the innermost parts of their minds, a short but noticeable shock to stop them momentarily. A "magic hiccup", you could say. Unfortunately it's not the most indicated enchantment to remain unnoticed --as you woefully found out after using it in a prank test--, because the spell leaves an energy trace that even someone untrained in the field of magic can still follow towards your position. But being the center of attention is precisely what you need for the next part:

"Iskhýs mou hē agápē toû laoû."

You can never be thankful enough for those old Hellenistic manuscripts you found at the Dragon's Palace library. That's were you acquired most of your magic skill from, including this little but incredibly useful charm spell. The way it works is subtle, unlike most mind controlling spells that are so ubiquitous in fantasy tales -- just the way you like it. You can't count the times it's made your life easier, or even saved your life, period.

The Charm spell merely alters the target's perception of you, so that it regards you as a friend. That way, he or she becomes more receptive to any "favor" you ask of him or her. As long as the order doesn't clash with their own set of moral rules or their self-preservation instincts, they almost always do your bidding gleefully. You had plenty of chances to practice it on your neighbors back in Heaven, and that's how you often skipped laundry and cleaning shifts to spend more time reading books. Of course, your superiors weren't too happy when they found out about your shenanigans, but even they couldn't make you "unlearn" what you learned already.

Charm has practically become second nature to you, but even so, enchanting around a dozen people at the same time is still a difficult and taxing task. It demands a great deal of concentration and energy; the spell will prematurely break the moment your mind slips up or your body gives up, and you've read a lot about what happened to the unfortunate wizards who were interrupted while casting magic. You don't want to end up blowing your fingers from the inside by mana overload, that'd be kind of inconvenient.

[SUCCEEDED]The rabbits and the kidnappers stare at you, awaiting your "orders". Thankfully the Charm has worked without a hitch, but you still want to finish up quickly.

>You gain 40 XP (100/200)

"You paying attention? Good," you say, after everybody nods in affirmation. "You do realize you've been naughty, right? I'm afraid I'm going to confiscate your little toys."

Your audience whines and boos in deject, quite like children who have been punished without dessert. It almost makes you feel bad for them, but you must be strong!

"No buts! Now hand me your weapons before anybody else gets hurt. Starting from you, boys."

The kidnappers stare dumbfounded at you, with silly smiles on their faces. You'd think they just saw Elizabeth Taylor in flesh and bone. But you'll need to goad them a bit more before they listen to you.

"Okay, you two, say after me: You don't want to shoot people."

"We don't want to shoot people," they repeat, deep in trance.

"You want to give me your guns."

"We want to give you our guns," the two hand you their guns, still grinning like the idiots they are.

"Good boys. Now sit right there, thank you."

On the other hand, you definitely like them like this much better than when they screamed and shot all over the place. You can't help but let out a sigh of relief when you feel the weight of those guns on your pockets.

>M&A 9mm pistol (CND 20%) added
>M&A 9mm pistol (CND 17%) added
>25 9mm rounds added

Not to mention, having a gun always makes one feel much safer, regardless of how ruinous they seem. Because these two pistols have definitely seem better times, that's for sure. Perhaps you could spend some time later to dismount them and combine the pieces in better condition. Not now, though. Got more important things to take care of.

Immediately after this, you quickly walk past Kaguya's corpse (ew!) and over to the rabbit side. You know it'd be preferable to release Mikazuki, but you're already feeling the strain of the spell on your brain. Right now the most immediate threats are the rifle-toting nurses; you'll worry about rescuing the hostage when nobody else can do more harm. That said, you can't carry all those rifles on you like with the pistols, your frail and weak body be damned. You'll have to think of something else...

"Let's see, hmmmm... You... How about you unload your weapons and leave them on the floor, if you would be so kind?"

That way, if your charm breaks early, you'll still have a few seconds until they snap out of their confusion, pick up the rifles and load them again. Not that you think the spell will break, but you can never be too careful. The rabbit soldiers follow your order in unison; the sound of the magazines detach and fall on the tatami almost at the same time, as if the nurses were on a military parade.

All except one, who bravely resists against the effects of your spell. Reisen is shaking visibly, struggling to break free with all her might, and is still gripping her own rifle tightly. You were fearing this would happen; some people are naturally more resistant to hypnosis than others, their minds take a lot more of effort to subdue and suggest, and even so, they still might reject to obey your commands.

"Reisen, dear, are you listening?" You say, while putting more focus on your spell. "I'm asking you nicely, please drop your weapon."

The rabbit youkai grits her teeth furiously, fighting the clouding on her mind. Sweat begins to fall down her brows like rivers, and her breathing has become more labored.

"T-this is... my rifle. T-t-here are many like it... But this one is mine," she groans, exhausted by the second.

"I know, Reisen. I'm not taking it away from you, I promise," you try to reassure her with your softest tone. "I just want you to leave it on the floor, that's all. Then you can have it back."

"Without me... My rifle is useless. Without m-m-my rifle, I am useless."

Ah, this could be it. Some people begin to recite mantras or passages they etched in their minds as a way to retain control over themselves. You don't really believe it helps against charms like yours, but on the other hand, the power of placebo is not to be trifled with. Placebo and enchantments are not that different in the end.

"My rifle is... My rifle my b-b-best friend," she goes on. "It is my life. I must master it... As I must m-master my life."

"A friend? Your life?" You are already starting to lose your patience with her. Normally it doesn't take so long to subdue your target. "It's an inanimate fucking object, for Mennen's sake!"

"You... You're an inanimate fucking object!" She screams.

You snap before she or the spell does. Prey of anger and exasperation, you bring up your wand and point it at her, scrubbing its end on her temple. Inadvertently you redouble the intensity of your spell, invading Reisen's mind with much less finesse, and the rabbit lets out a wail of pain.

"Listen to me with those big ears of yours, rabbit! You're going to drop your fucking rifle on the floor or--"

"Udongein will do no such thing."

You barely have the time to react and duck before an arrow flies true to where your head was merely a fraction of a second ago. You turn your head to see the impromptu attacker: a tall woman dressed in a peculiar nurse outfit; one half blue, the other red, covered by a loosened white lab coat. Her silver hair, tied in an absurdly long braid that reaches to her ankles, swings at the slightest movement. Her dark grey eyes are cold and calculating, observing you intensely.

No matter how hard you try to meet her gaze, you can't manage to withstand the pressure of her imposing presence. Instead, you focus on her huge bow (two head taller than she is), and the arrow she's pointing at you, drawn to the farthest the string can go. You shudder to imagine how easy would it fly throw your body, like butter to knife. And by the cold, tranquil rage on her eyes, you can tell she's just a straw away from letting loose.

"Going by what I have just witnessed, I should neutralize you right here and now. But I'll give you the benefit of doubt," the archer woman states, matter-of-factly. The arrow still points dangerously at you. "You have ten seconds to explain yourself. Make them count. And don't even think of doing anything stupid."

"Huh?"

"One."

[]Be diplomatic:
[]--"Errr, this is not what it seems. You just arrived at a really untimely moment. Trust me, she's not my type."
[]--"Give me a break! I just defused a fucking hostage situation peacefully while you were busy doing doctor stuff or whatever."
[]--[Speech 44/100]"L-let's all take a breath and calm down. You quit pointing that arrow at me and I'll release all of them, okay?"
[]--[Medicine 27/100]"I was just, uh, practicing shock therapy on her, because she was suffering from, you know... battle stress."
[]Be aggressive:
--[]"You think you can talk to me like that? You're in no position to make demands here. Get lost!"
--[][Speech 44/100]<Bluff>"Think again! All these rabbits are under my control now. You're the one in trouble!"
--[][Magic 42/100]"Heed my words, woman! I, Shizuka, command thee to obey me and lay down your weapon!"
--[][Barter 28/100]"You'd better stop aiming at me or your bunny here's going to have a... nasty headache."
[][Speech 44/100]"Holy shit, a flying yukkuri head!" <Flee>
[]Write-in.
[]"You know, I try to avoid doing this in my Sunday best, but..." <Attack>

=============================================================

I guess I lost the Nanowrimo challenge, huh. Very sorry for the delay. Same old excuse as always.

If it isn't clear by now, this is definitely a good time to put that tip I gave you to practice. Consider this an exercise of what's to come.

[X]--"Give me a break! I just defused a fucking hostage situation peacefully while you were busy doing doctor stuff or whatever."

I don't quite see why Shizuka wasted time shoving her wand in Reisen's face instead of working on maintaining the spell and getting the hostage out safely, along with possibly the hostage takers as well?

Though I did find it interesting the hostage takers mentioned something about a "Burning Woman" and how rabbits were okay to shoot in >>182603.

Forgot the character sheet. Here it is:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvTjG7UwAgmZ9DUpDlR6TcffytOWOYi1ya5Z-JNXgJ0

>>182668
Let's just say Shizuka hasn't met anyone who offered so much resistance to her charm spells before, and that coupled with this nerve-wracking situation made her lose her temper much more easily than usual.

[X]Write-in.
[X]Calm down, and apologize, and then explain that you are a patient who stumbled upon a hostage situation and am trying to defuse the situation after both sides tried to open fire.

Would this be a [Speech] check? Calming down and being honest with your good intentions can do alot in these kinds of situations. Hmm, Kaguya can also vouch for us...once she regenerates

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

Quick, concise, honest. This probably won't work, will it?

[X]Write-in.
[X]Calm down, and apologize, and then explain that you are a patient who stumbled upon a hostage situation and am trying to defuse the situation after both sides tried to open fire.

Okay guys, stick to speech options from now on.

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

Yeah, I think that's about the best we can do in the situation.

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

Even if she hasn't been met with so much resistance before, it seems silly to get angry at such a thing. That would have been a good point to give us choices, after all. We could have tried to control our temper. I mean, I could see this happening if it were a pre-established character, but we aren't. Were you not the one that said we are doing this to stay in the spirit of Fallout? It seems against the spirit, even if making for a more interesting meeting with Eirin, to not let us at least try to control our temper.

>>182682

Author just said that it was a good time to put that tip that we were discussing earlier to good use. It's basically a tutorial, guy, calm down.


That said, this is as good a plan as any, and a pretty obvious one.

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

I doubt she cares half as much about the hostage as her assistant, but what else can we do?

Hint: If you have 25 points on Magic and a catalyst equipped, you'll sometimes have the option to use a Charm spell on people. A charmed person will treat you as if you had a reputation of Liked (or Idolized if you have 50 Magic), regardless of your real reputation with the group that person belongs to. Casting mind-affecting spells is considered a crime in the majority of the Eastern Wastelands, so be careful not to get caught doing it.

Hint: In response to the alarming rise of youkai vanishing after the fall of the Great Barrier, a special chem nicknamed "Moly" was designed to allow them to subsist without faith. Unfortunately it has the side-effect of stripping away the users' supernatural strength and powers, leaving them at the same level as humans, if not weaker. Many human slaver empires were built by hooking their youkai slaves on this literally life-dependent chem.

=================================================================

Sorry, no update today. But I will take this moment to call for the write-in. You did a good job, keep it up!

>>182678
It's not that magic is bad, it's that, well, read the first tip. With great power comes great responsibility, power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely, yadda yadda yadda. Perhaps the best times to use Charm will be when you try to enter an area where you're Hated or Vilified without picking a fight. More precisely, those pesky guards from New Vegas that always seemed to recognize you even if you were disguised.

>>182682
Blame it on me wanting to move the story along. If you want, I can let you have more control over your responses by intersecting more often in dialogues, but at the cost of the slowing the plot down. Your call.

Also, Shizuka does have a predetermined personality (but always in accordance with your choices) and a backstory of her own, if you haven't noticed by the little comments about her life in the Dragon Palace.

Hint: The Shining Needle Castle once floated near the base of the Youkai Mountain, but crash-landed between the Youkai Forest and the Human Village when the nuclear blasts blew it away. Now ruinous and renamed "The Rusty Needle", it has become a refuge for ghouls of all species who were shunned out of their homes. Curiously, it's the only place in Gensokyo where humans and youkai still live on equal terms, leaving all racial prejudices behind and bonding through their shared suffering.

Hint: Weapon mods can increase ammunition capacity, damage and accuracy, reduce weight, or add special equipment like scopes for your guns. Gems can increase a catalyst's spell multiplier, increase your Attunement Slots or add special effects to your spells. Different amulets invoke different deities, and thus change how your miracles work. Experiment with various combinations and find the one that fits best your style.

=====================================================

As Kaguya says in that famous video, "the homework never ends!" If nothing else suddenly comes up like it's been happening since last week, I should have next update up by tomorrow.

[x] Raise hands in surrender
-[x] "Hostage situation. Things almost blew up. Used magic to keep anybody from shooting each other. Situation neutralized. Um, lost my temper with Reisen. Sorry. Please don't kill me."

All things considered, the fact that you managed to summarize the whole situation in just eight seconds while under pressure should be awe-inspiring in and by itself. No such reaction from Silver Braid there, though. Actually, she doesn't react at all. Her face is still as inexpressive and cold as ever, and the arrow is still aimed at your chest. But what else can you do in this situation? As a certain dictator of old once said, alea iacta est.

The remaining two seconds to the archer's judgement seem to extend further and further. In the end, Einstein was right: time really is relative to the observer. When you're looking down the pointy end of an arrow, time actually slows down. By now you should be experiencing those fabled flashbacks where you remember your life in a split second, but your mind apparently has frozen in place, just like everything around you. You're left wondering when the hell is this woman going to shoot, and you kinda wish she did so already and get this internal monologue over with.

But the arrow stays in its place, resting on the tensed string. Instead, the woman speaks to you again, still mistrusting:

"You expect me to believe that my highly-trained guard staff couldn't manage to end this 'hostage situation', but a lone woman with a magic stick did?"

"Er, yes, that's exactly what happened."

The woman shakes her head, ever so slightly, incredulous. Somehow you bought yourself a few more seconds for you hourglass, but you're still not clear from danger. The bow's string slackens just a bit, but it's not enough yet.

"And how do I know you're not sided with the alleged kidnappers?" She presses on.

"I am not! I just told you I neutralized the situation. Why would I want to do that if I was with the bad guys?"

"Think about it from my perspective. I was tending to my own business in my laboratory, when all of a sudden there is an alarm. I pay it no mind, trusting my capable pets to solve it on their own, but half an hour later the red code is still active. So I come up to see what's going on, and what do I find?" She sneers, not allowing you to answer. "A madwoman in a patient gown shoving a wand in my pet's face, failing miserably to hypnotize her, while the rest of my rabbits are sitting around like kindergartners with ADD. What am I supposed to infer from that, hmm?"

"Hey, I wasn't 'hypnotizing' her!" You exclaim, offended. "I just put a Charm spell to... Er," you stop yourself after realizing you're not helping your case with that. "Look, this is all a big misunderstanding, okay? I admit the scene was rather... incriminating. But you also came in with established expectations in advance, and that bias impedes you from seeing the whole picture. You can't make judgement calls with those partial preconceptions, especially when there are innocent lives on the line... Um, yeah."

The woman rolls her eyes, fed up with your charade. Hers is the face of someone who knows she has to draw the line somewhere, look inside herself and say 'What am I willing to put up with today? Not fucking this.' But for some reason, she doesn't release the arrow yet. As much as it pains her, she must have found a good point to be considered in your desperate attempt to save your hide.

"Fine then. Give me a good reason why I should consider your life an 'innocent' one..." Her grip on the string tightens up again. "Or else, this conversation is over. Permanently."

[]"The fact that I haven't killed anyone under my Charm, despite being totally able to do so if I wanted to, should speak soundly of my good will."
[]"I'll release your pets from my spell, and then I'll let them answer for me, freely. They know I came here with the honest intention to help."
[]"If I was really sided with the kidnappers, putting my spell on them too would be a stupid move, no matter how you look at it."
[]"These guys came a few hours ago. I was put in a coma here for a whole week, according to Reisen here. There's no way I could have associated with them."
[]"Think about it: What do I stand to gain with this? Your medical staff already treated me; I have no further need for medicine."
[]Write-in.
[]"Oh well, I tried. Time to get rough." <Attack.>>

=====================================================================

Even if you manage to pass a Speech check, you'll sometimes have to follow up your arguments with convincing statements. Out of the list of responses I'll give you, some are 'correct' and some are not, wasting your chance to win the discussion. Kinda like the final Speech challenges of New Vegas,if you played the game as a diplomat. What, you thought you'd be able to steamroll the opposition with 100 Speech? It won't be that easy, fellas.

[X]"I'll release your pets from my spell, and then I'll let them answer for me, freely. They know I came here with the honest intention to help."

[x]"I'll release your pets from my spell, and then I'll let them answer for me, freely. They know I came here with the honest intention to help."

I suspect Reisen might lie just to spite us, but we're going to have to release them eventually anyways. May as well try to get some points by doing it in good faith.

[x] "I charmed everyone because I was trying to save everyone. I haven't hurt anyone while they're helpless, just disarmed them. I just wanted this to end without anyone dying."

Kind of like the first one, but phrased better I think. Freeing the rabbits is tempting but they're likely to be quite upset and might kill the humans.

Also if every encounter is going to be like this you realize sooner or later we're going to make a mistake and die, right?

[X] "Your pets, while they didn't shoot first, went full-auto in a hostage situation without any regard for Mikazuki herself, and if I hadn't interfered, they could very well have killed her alongside her captors. She'll be the first one I release from my spell, because Reisen gave the order to open fire and I don't trust her to stand down without your express order. Mikazuki'll corroborate my story, including what happened to set everything off, and then, once we've got all the facts straight, I'll release the rest of your pets."

Now I might be missing something big here, like Mikazuki having not seen or heard us at all even after we jumped into the hostage room, and as such she might have no way to actually back us up. If that's the case, well, uh, crap.

Also, yes, this involves admitting Kaguya got shot in the face by the chem addicts. But she walked in like an idiot after assuming a few knocks on the door were enough warning for them, so that's on her.

>>182767

I just reread to make sure, and nope, we jumped into the BATHROOM, not the actual hostage room. Just wanted to correct that. So take that into account that our little bunny hostage may or may not have seen us, and I'm not sure she heard us either. She probably did, but, eh.

[X] "Your pets, while they didn't shoot first, went full-auto in a hostage situation without any regard for Mikazuki herself, and if I hadn't interfered, they could very well have killed her alongside her captors. She'll be the first one I release from my spell, because Reisen gave the order to open fire and I don't trust her to stand down without your express order. Mikazuki'll corroborate my story, including what happened to set everything off, and then, once we've got all the facts straight, I'll release the rest of your pets."

I think Mikazuki, and Kaguya once she recovers, are probably the only two who'll really corroborate the situation. For all we know the other rabbits, once freed, my just shoot the hostage takers, and Reisen might try to cover up her mistakes by possibly lying about what we did.

I'm gonna need a tiebreaker between >>182763 and >>182767. First one for either gets it.

>>182765
If I managed to instill the fear of death on you, then I'm doing my job right. But don't worry, there will be very, very few situations when a bad response will get you killed directly. And in the case it might, it will be very obvious. Botching this kind of Speech challenge will usually start a fight, giving you a chance to win the argument by brute force or getting the hell out of there.

[X] "Your pets, while they didn't shoot first, went full-auto in a hostage situation without any regard for Mikazuki herself, and if I hadn't interfered, they could very well have killed her alongside her captors. She'll be the first one I release from my spell, because Reisen gave the order to open fire and I don't trust her to stand down without your express order. Mikazuki'll corroborate my story, including what happened to set everything off, and then, once we've got all the facts straight, I'll release the rest of your pets."

A bit too late, but we should've added 'No one here is immortal, protecting lives justifies a mild discomfort'

Also, I disagree with the winning vote (here's hoping I'm wrong) but voting for the other option when you asked for a tiebreaker is just crass.

Writefag here, I'm still alvie. Don't know if this was my old tripcode. If it isn't, consider this my new one.

So I've been out of the radar for quite a long time. There are a few reasons for my disappearance (old laptop broke down, bought a new one, exams, projects to turn in, family stuff, etc.), but it doesn't excuse my not telling you until now, and for that I apologize profusely.

That said, I'm in a bit of a difficult situation as an author. While I managed to salvage my story notes (bless Dropbox!), when I finally found a bit of time to resume writing, I faced the old and most terrible foe a writer can meet: author block.

This doesn't mean I am going to drop this story now. Rather, I was thinking of restarting it. While the setting and the characters won't change, I intend to write the prologue and beginning anew, starting from another place and changing the MC's backstory a little bit.

That's, of course, if you readers want it. If you still want to keep on with this particular instance of the story, I will do my damnest to break through my block and keep on with this. I believe the story is not too advanced, and that nothing too important will be lost in a reboot. But, it's your call.

[]Keep on with this story.
[]Begin again.
--[]Let go (of your character). Start with a new one.
--[]Retain your character (Shizuka)

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Retain your character (Shizuka)

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Retain your character (Shizuka)

If you're having trouble continuing to write, there's no use forcing yourself.

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Let go (of your character). Start with a new one.

You mention writers block but how would starting anew really help with that? Wouldn't you still be stuck with writers block and not be able to really write a new background or story?

Truth be told, I kinda feel a male character is better here due to both perks like Lady Killer and also because I don't really see what advantage being a female has here.

Still I definitely liked Shizuka and I hope we could see her again, possibly as a companion if the reroll character option wins.

>>183393
In New Vegas there is also the perk Cherchez la Femme which is basically Lady Killer except only women can pick it.

>>183393
>Wouldn't you still be stuck with writers block and not be able to really write a new background or story?

Not really. You see, the part I'm currently blocked at is how to write the next update without making certain parts be too "unrewarding" for the write-in, while at the same time keeping the plot progression I had in mind. I realized too late that starting the adventure at Eientei like that would make this story seem too similar to New Vegas' plot. I'd like to set this story apart from the game, give it a kind of identity of its own instead of making a copypaste.

Besides, I feel like, if I start again with a completely different beginning, I might be able to get past the block and get the ball-pen rolling back again. The new prologue I have in mind will give a much better insight on the MC's backstory and personality, while leaving Eientei shenanigans as a sidequest. But if you'd like to keep the old story, I promise to try my hardest to continue it. It'll take me a bit more effort than usual, but I'll definitely pull it off somehow if I put my mind into it.

>I don't really see what advantage being a female has here.

In the games (especially the first two) being a female made certain parts easier by virtue of taking advantage of the average male's horniness. In Gensokyo you would think the opposite is true, given the huge female-to-male ratio, but the truth is that both sexes (or should I say, both of those perks) are equally useful in this story. The setting allows me to pull off a lot of Outsider OCs, both female and male. Really, the only difference between the perks is whether you can seduce named or unnamed characters for your own benefit.

>>183394
>In New Vegas there is also the perk Cherchez la Femme which is basically Lady Killer except only women can pick it.
Only here it's called differently... I simply can't let the chance of making that reference pass.

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Retain your character (Shizuka)

>>183394
I remember that now. Cool.

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Retain your character (Shizuka)

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Let go (of your character). Start with a new one.
I love Shizuha and I liked her interactions with Kaguya but making a new character sounds good too

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Let go (of your character). Start with a new one.

[X]Begin again.
--[X]Retain your character (Shizuka)

It seems you took a liking for lil' Shizuka, huh? I guess I should feel proud of myself for being able to make an endearing MC in less than a thread. So, you asked for it, and so she will remain largely unchanged in the reboot. As a reminder, I will leave her initial stats and traits, which she will have at the start of the new story. There will be a last chance to change them in the new prologue, if you're unhappy with them.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

1 – Strength
8 – Perception
1 – Endurance
9 – Charisma
8 – Intelligence
5 – Agility
8 – Luck


Skills

26 (25,5) - Energy Weapons [PER, AGI]
27 - Explosives [PER]
23 (22,5) - Guns [AGI, PER]
21 - Sneak [AGI]
27 - Lockpick [PER]
13 - Melee Weapons [STR, END]
13 - Unarmed [END, STR]
27 - Medicine [INT]
27 - Repair [INT, PER]
27 - Science [INT]
43 (42,5) - Magic [INT, CHA]
28 (27,5) - Faith [LCK, CHA]
44 - Speech [CHA]
29 (28,5) - Barter [CHA, INT]
32 (31,5) - Survival [END, PER]

[Skills in bold are Tag skills]


[/u]Traits[/u]

Trigger Discipline - (+10% Hit for Guns, Energy Weapons, - Critical Failures || +1 AP for Guns, Energy Weapons)
Skilled - (+5 All Skills || -20% Experience)

Voting for [x] Trade Skilled for Wacky Wasteland

OR

[x] Trade Skilled for Good Natured and Trigger Discipline for Danmaku Fighter.

Because either we want silly things, or we want to be really good at the two things that'll serve us well: talking to people and magicking at people.

Trigger discipline didn't really help us much, since we were so heavily magic-and-talking focused. This way we get full XP values, while also maximizing our strengths.

OR we could switch our tag skill from Survival to Repair and take Built to Destroy and just go around breaking magical foci and replacing them with forest mushrooms and bubblegum

>>183451
I agree with this.
Pick perks that are useful to the build. (Or go full wack. That could be fun too.)

>>183451
YES.

[X]Change perks to
-[X] Good natured
-[X] Danmaku Fighter

[X] Tag skills:
-[X] MAGIC
-[X] SPEECH
-[X] DANMAKU

>>183540

Pretty sure Magic is Danmaku, chief.

This story is now officially scrapped. Follow this link >>/th/183575 to new thread.

>>183540
>>183543
Danmaku (in this story, at least) is a formalized style of non-lethal combat governed by the Spell Card Rules set by Reimu Hakurei. Melee, unarmed, guns and energy weapons are allowed in danmaku too, as long as they respect the Rules.