MT 207 - Buffs, Cooldowns, Consumables. Burn Them All.
You have observed the Consecration spell!
Consecration
Divine
Cost: 25 Mana
Requirements: CHA 40, Divine Magic 40
You consecrate the ground in a radius around you equal to your Divine Magic skill level in feet. You, your allies, and sacred entities receive a bonus to all DR equal to your CHA while inside ...
2024-12-02 11:59:12 +0000 UTC View PostMT 206 - No Avatar Flesh After Midnight
Holy Water of Yara’s Favor
Time Remaining: 1 minute
HP: 1087 -> 1317
“Thanks,” I thought Xim.
“Hurry up and regen faster.”
“I’ve healed myself for almost as much as you have. I was mostly dead twenty minutes ago.”
“Those are rookie numbers.”
I shrugged and dran...
2024-11-30 02:04:45 +0000 UTC View PostMT 205 - Soundtrack
“Grotto, got any idea what this weave does?”
[It… appears to be nonsense.]
Hysteria began muttering arcane phrases, their voice low and sonorous. Each syllable hammered against the air like the head of a drum, the avatar chanting in a droning monotone. Their fingers twisted into complex formations, gliding through anatomically impossible shapes.
Something began thudding beneath the floorboards.
“Arlo,” said X...
2024-11-25 22:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostMT 204 - Unified Theory of Demanifestation
My mind split in two. One half began to filter through the observations I’d just made, while the other processed Hysteria’s question and the resulting conversation.
I glanced at my ruined floorboards. Their destruction grabbed my attention, and not just because I was annoyed they’d need to be replaced. By this point, I was committed to scrapping the entire mansion to make sure there weren’t any more surprises hidden around ...
2024-11-24 23:00:18 +0000 UTC View PostMT 203 - Is That a Skeleton in Your Closet, or a Divine Avatar Looking to Kill Us All?
HP: 643 -> 873
I was a touch surprised when Xim pumped a Heal into my back, but Skeletor Hysteria didn’t react. I’d already healed a few hundred points from my natural regen, and the spell took me closer to my comfort zone.
My ‘comfort zone’ was full health, naturally.
“Why aren’t you dead?” Xim asked, looking at Hysteria. “Arlo...
2024-11-23 09:36:06 +0000 UTC View PostMT 202 - Special Guest Star
The souls of everyone present rippled as the Dread Star’s true name caused reality to shudder. The boiling conflict between us froze as the three syllables delivered overwhelming context. The Dread Star’s nature was revealed, engraving itself onto our spirits in a pattern that no force could undo, without rewriting the universe itself.
The cube that Hysteria had trapped us in was a small slice of the physical plane, transplanted somewhere tha...
2024-11-18 19:18:04 +0000 UTC View PostMT 201 - Banana Sandwich
While the scuffle ensued, the hefty Hyrachon took the opportunity to sidle over to me, their impractically massive sword resting against a shoulder. He squatted down and looked me over, appraising me with a simmering anger that felt out of place. True hatred peeked out from behind the rage, as though I’d killed the man’s mother or something. I hadn’t even fought any Hyrachons, much less killed them, and it’s not like I’d been able to hu...
2024-11-16 09:26:41 +0000 UTC View PostMT 200 - Bro, Can You Even Bench the World’s Largest Land Mammal?
Heavy.
That was the only thought I could muster for the first few seconds after I regained consciousness. I was face down on the ground, a mess of blurry lights filling my vision from the runes beneath me. I tried to pick myself up, but my limbs only twitched.
My body felt like it weighed as much as an elephant, which may have been an accurate guess. My Strength allowed me to lift about half of an ele...
2024-11-15 19:12:14 +0000 UTC View PostHey folks,
Got hit with some sinus problems that put me down with a migraine for a few days. Monday chapter will probably be out tomorrow, and aiming to be back on schedule for Thursday.
Thanks!
2024-11-12 19:05:01 +0000 UTC View PostMT 199 - Time to Meet Our Host
Something about the darkness was magical. Despite seeing a shadowy figure approaching, they never came into focus, even after coming to a stop only twenty feet away. Their soul was obscured, making it impossible to get a read on their strength.
Given that I was still being bombarded by mental attacks, I assumed it was high. The Holy Water was the only reason I was still in control of myself.
Good purchase, that one.
The person in t...
2024-11-09 18:41:11 +0000 UTC View PostMT 198 - What’re Ya Sellin’?
“Is something the matter?” asked Avarice.
“No, far from it,” I said. “One moment, please.”
“Grotto, do we still have all the vines from the overgrown Dominion Ivy Plant?”
[There has not exactly been time for raking.]
“Have you checked on them? Made sure they’re still, y’know, dead?”
[... One moment, please.]
Grotto disappeared. Avarice raised an eyebrow...
2024-11-07 12:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostMT 197 - What’re Ya Buyin’?
Avarice’s soul cut into mine like a precision scalpel. At first, I thought she’d gone back on her word, that she was planning to turn me into some kind of Dread Star Q&A slave, but the soul connection didn’t feel like an attack. It was closer to what Grotto and I shared, or how I connected to others using Reveal, although the way Avarice formed the bridge was a lot rougher. The pain was sharp and bright, but brief.
Avarice ignored a...
2024-11-04 13:29:17 +0000 UTC View PostMT 196 - The Hippo, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Shortcut had me and Grotto halfway down the hall before the end of the first unexpected syllable. Gracorvus was up, Somncres was ready, and Grotto had both shields between himself and the intruder. By the time the sentence was done, I’d gotten a good look at whoever had missed the bus back to Hiward.
The rotund man who’d laughed when I’d revealed my status as a dimension-hopping reincarnator was looking into my bedroom, ...
2024-11-03 22:28:23 +0000 UTC View PostMT 195 - The Chapter in Which the Combined Skills of Both Myself and My Bonded Familiar are Completely Useless
It turned out Lito had his own dream hammer. That is, a hammer that sent people to dreamland by force. It was a rubber mallet called Gorgeous, because of how stunning it was. One might even call it a knock-out.
It thumped people unconscious without killing them.
It was a three-hit combo, dealt no damage, had to be strikes made against t...
2024-10-31 17:54:01 +0000 UTC View PostMT 194 - When to Hit Your Guests, Part II
I paused a few feet away from Lito and Myria and gestured for Sineh to keep moving. She shot me a worried look, then walked forward to slip between the pair.
“A saboteur wove an advanced teleportation array into the lounge,” I said. “It appears that the king, the Eschen delegation, and the rest of my party were inside when it activated.”
This stirred up some chatter in the crowd, and I wondered whether I should h...
2024-10-29 01:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostMT 193 - Judgment
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to hit him.”
[Culturally, it is the strongest way for you to deny his accusations.]
“Consorting with an avatar isn’t a crime in the books yet, and his own evidence contradicts the shit about the Creation Delve. He hasn’t accused me of anything actionable. Besides, didn’t you say his goal was to get me to hit him?”
[His goal was to distract you. One of Hiward’s de...
2024-10-26 21:05:49 +0000 UTC View PostMT 192 - Arlo Xor’Drel, Esquire: Ace Attorney
“Excuse me,” I said to a servant who’d paused to listen to the exchange. He was a middle-aged man whose name I’d learned was Eric. He held a tray of chilled drinks that looked delightful. I beckoned him forward, then selected a juicy-looking drink with a skewered melon ball floating at the top. “Thanks, Eric,” I said. I took a sip, reveling in the light, crisp flavor. There was a touch of mint to it that paired well. “...
2024-10-26 00:13:54 +0000 UTC View PostMT 191 - Leon the Prosecutor
No sooner had I shrugged on my boa and shrugged off Myria’s Disregard spell, than Lord Leon Heronwyte appeared. It was uncanny, and I assumed the man either had people tracking me, or some ability that let him know the instant I was available.
Either that or he’d been camping out the foyer, and my Luck score was too low. Maybe he had high Luck. No one could say for certain that Luck worked that way–many of its benefits were more t...
2024-10-24 11:00:10 +0000 UTC View PostMT 190 - Napkin Hunt
“How’d you like the smoking room?” I asked, glancing back at Lito as we exited. “We put it together just for you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really?” he said, sounding doubtful.
“Only the best for sensei,” I said. “Of course, I’d prefer the guests to smoke outside, but–” I gestured vaguely at the walls. “There’s no outside in here. So, smoking room.”
“Hm,” Lito grunted. “Thanks, I guess.”
“It wasn...
2024-10-21 17:30:25 +0000 UTC View PostMT 189 - Allies Close, Danger Closer
The king and I continued our discussions for another hour. His focus with the party’s upcoming meetings with the Littans was to establish some expectations for what he believed we’d encounter. Fortunately, I didn’t detect any of the animosity I’d expected in his attitude toward the Littans, especially given that Celeritia was himself a slave under their thumb. That was about one hundred years ago, but some scars never heal. It didn’t...
2024-10-19 10:19:13 +0000 UTC View PostMT 188 - Insider Knowledge
“We knew we’d make some people unhappy when we went into Deijin’s Descent,” I said. “That Delve wasn’t the most combat-focused, but we were under threat the entire time we were in there. I’m still spending every second of every day looking for the next trap, the next monster, the next piece of furniture that’s going to try and take my head off. I’m sure the whole party is looking over their shoulders as well, and have no illus...
2024-10-17 06:40:14 +0000 UTC View PostMT 187 - The King
This was a moment that we had put a lot of thought into, and no small portion of Riona’s lessons were focused on how to greet a royal. As the king walked into the Closet, all Hiwardians present dropped to one knee, heads bowed to the ground. No matter their individual rank or station, each Hiwardian showed the king the highest level of deference.
As for the non-Hiwardians, there were options, but those options still revolved around relative social standi...
2024-10-15 16:25:19 +0000 UTC View PostMT 186 - Royal Security
Shortly after being invited to establish my own nation by Zenithar Zura, Varrin and Xim found their way to the lounge. Zura excused herself to retire, granting me some time to mull things over, and she assured me that a servant had already prepared a room for her. Rooms had also been prepared for her entourage, who I didn’t know she’d come with.
I went over the mental map of improvements Grotto and I had made to the Closet, and bedrooms had...
2024-10-11 17:38:13 +0000 UTC View PostMT 185 - Accidental Nation Building
I was not averse to learning. I often took it upon myself to investigate and explore a variety of subjects, Delver-related or otherwise. I was the type to fixate on a topic that struck my fancy and go full gonzo with little regard for my health and wellness, spending twelve hours crawling through mainline sources until I was deep into obscure texts filled with potentially problematic hot takes. It was practically routine.
However, that wa...
2024-10-09 21:26:28 +0000 UTC View PostThis post has sad pet news. If you're sensitive to that, all it's really saying is that I got behind on writing but I'm catching up this week.
Hello folks,
Last week was a solemn one for my household, as one of our doggos had been terminally ill. We spent some extra time with her throughout and took the weekend to travel and visit some family out of state, where she passed peacefully and surrounded by people who cared for her.
I'm very close with my pets, s...
2024-10-07 22:00:27 +0000 UTC View PostMT 184 - When To Hit Your Guests & Other Lessons on Etiquette
“This is incredible,” I said. “Thank you, it’s perfect.”
“Perfect would be if it turned all your enemies to treasure with a single touch,” Khigra replied. “But I think this is not too far behind.” She placed her hands on her hips and gave the hammer a conflicted look. “The weapon has a strong will. It would slip away whenever I tried to guide it until I allowed it to lead me where it wishe...
2024-10-04 01:40:17 +0000 UTC View PostMT 183 - Showing Off ‘The Hammer’
Varrin looked fresh as new-fallen snow. He wore a white silk shirt, pristine and with nary a wrinkle or speck of dust. It was loose-fitting in a way that miraculously made his Herculean musculature look even more impressive as it bulged around his chest and shoulders. His pants were dark leather, fitted and flattering–not that he needed it–with a pair of low-cut boots that he could wear on the trail or at the ball.
Fla...
2024-10-02 07:58:36 +0000 UTC View PostMT 182 - Home & Garden & Very Small Pants
I didn’t end up testing my reforged skills after having lunch for breakfast. Once I’d eaten my fill, fatigue hit me hard enough that my sleep-deprived brain thought I was under attack. I hadn’t slept in a proper bed in months, and after a moment of hypervigilance, I realized I hadn’t slept in nearly three days. The sensation was similar to someone trying to hit me with a sleep spell.
So I crashed for 12 hours straigh...
2024-10-01 01:48:48 +0000 UTC View PostMT 181 - Project: Unavoidable Harm
My first thought for Oblivion Orb was to exchange the crit trigger for a trigger that caused the orb to teleport forward a short distance when it contacted any sort of armor or mitigating ability. That would let it bypass a lot of defensive weaves and powers. To my delight, I could do that. However, it would increase the mana cost immensely. Apparently, the mana required to force the spell past all defensive structures was subs...
2024-09-27 18:46:26 +0000 UTC View PostMT 180 - Skill Forge
Grotto and I teleported back to my Pocket Penthouse to begin reforging my active skills. We spent some time setting up a dedicated meditation space clear of anything distracting or destructible. I’d never had a catastrophic failure while skill forging–and had no idea what fucking up something like Explosion! might do–but I admittedly had limited experience with the practice.
I still had more experience than 99% of Delvers, but we we...
2024-09-24 17:34:32 +0000 UTC View Post