Stalkers RPG Season 5 General Chat Thread (Emissary Hideout - The Abandoned Steel Mill)

[AD]

Sacred has taken 12 damage to Sanity.

[Syrax the Espeon]

Hello there. I recently came across some new findings that I felt I had to bring to your attention. Where things seemed unclear to me before, they’re started to make more sense and I soon realized just how profound it all is.

After researching some more about what Utopia’s plans here were and from the pages you discovered earlier, I discovered they had three-step plan for dealing with Abyss. I dare say it, but it looks like it’s all coming down to this.

There are signs and evidence that Utopia had intentions to build a machine to instigate what they entitled the United Universe. Many of the relics that you’ve found connect with that mission objective. The Celestial Configurations, the Starmap, and the page… they all point toward this goal of reaching out to the entire known universe to bring about a call to arms, a prayer for all Pokémon to join in on.

I’ve looked over what you’ve found and I’ve organized these integral relics based on this mission.

Sin Purge – United Universe Relics

• [Celestial Configuration SERENITY]
• [Celestial Configuration DIVINITY]
• [Celestial Configuration INFINITY]
• 2x [Blessed Firelight]
• 2x [Holy Conduit]
• [Site Plan Holy Starmap: Large Glass Globe AND Puresilver Globe Mount AND Celestial Essence]
  
  • [Large Glass Globe]
  • [Celestial Essence]
• [2nd Half of the Talisman of the Stars]

You’ve made good headway, but there’s still some steps that need to be done. I’ll perform some more research and I’ll try to learn about this plan as much as I can to see what still needs to be found.

Besides uniting the universe, Utopia sought to combine our technologies with their holy relics to forge a secret superweapon against Abyss, a device called the Holy Divinefire Redeemer Armament. I have only read a few details about it, but it seems like such a device will not only be able to obliterate Abyss with holy cleansing fire, but it would also be something Abyss has no current countermeasures against. Thankfully, they have not discovered this secret, but we’re running out of time.

You have a few of the components, but there are still some missing. I did some Clairvoyance on the [Vault Y117 Key] and it’s linked to the {Vault Y117} located in (58) Jadewater Apartment complex and Park. Unfortunately, I couldn’t peer beyond the vault door, but the key resonates with a holy presence that I detected. Utopia’s angels had intentions of using this vault once preparations were underway and were coming together, but they didn’t get the chance before they were discovered and killed by the Enthrallers.

Nonetheless, I’ve sorted which relics are intended for this Divinefire Armament.

Sin Purge – Holy Divinefire Redeemer Armament

• [Divinefire Crystal]
• [Vault Y117 Key]

Lastly, the final part of this operation was described as the Dawnlight Reckoning Summoning. It’s detailed as being a way to connect our world of the living with the afterlife realm of Utopia, and to call in their heavenly battalions to aid in the defense of… our entire universe.

Sin Purge – Dawnlight Reckoning Summoning Relics

• [Utopia Channel Map]
• [Whitefire Torch]
• [Utopia Channel Coordinates]

If all three of these operations were to be completed, it would not only ensure the eternal protection of both Utopia and our world of the living, but it could indeed… bring about the very end of Abyss itself entirely. From what I have seen and witnessed firsthand, Abyss has grown furious, reckless, and hellbent on destruction, forsaking strategy and tactical planning in their fury to purge and destroy all life. But in that clouded and impulsive anger, they have overlooked these critical operations, and while the Utopian angels that had attempted to bring forth these plans were defeated, their work has not been compromised and can still be a possibility.



Together, we must continue their work. Their arrival is close at hand and it will all come down to who is the most prepared…



Meanwhile, there was one last thing I discovered. Two of the keys you found in those parks, the Sun Key and the Star Key. They seem to be connected to Utopia, but they’re not connected to any of these operations. They also resonate with a holy presence, but I don’t know what they’re for.

When I can regain my strength, I will attempt to use Clairvoyance on them again to see if I can discern how they are all connected.

Sin Purge – Other

• [Sun Key]
• [Star Key]

Perhaps we’re not alone after all. I can only hope we manage to unearth the answers while there’s still time…

[Neo Emolga]

@EmeraldSky @Noblejanobii @Scytherwolf @SlickSlack @Lychee @AD @Suicune’s Fire @Shruikan @Chibi Altaria @Bulbasaur @James-Typhlosion @TylerNinetales

@Noel Emolga

Have any parts of our base been searched at all?

Moving this discussion over here since this gets a bit detailed and I didn't want to distract from the main action submission thread.

Originally I set it where all locations at the (1) Steel Mill were unsearchable since that's the Emissary home base and it was assumed to already be fully assessed, but I decided to change my mind about that. You won't find any Stalker or Sin Purge items in those other locations, but I'm adding some more advanced gear and resources to be found as it seems like what's currently out there isn't enough and I think as a result, it looks like it's causing most players to be anxious about venturing out.

PLEASE don't be anxious about venturing out, I know there's that risk of death and I don't want it to get to the point where people just pass their turn because the only things left to do bear some semblance of risk. Sure, there's risks involved with doing most activities in Stalkers, but that's where a lot of its charm is. Be brave, be adventurous!

But back to the original question:

(1) Barracks, Storage, and Living Area [Basic Level] - Since this is where the Emissaries live, it doesn't need to be searched.

(1a) Foundry Basement (Empty Space) - Lychee's character, Nico, already searched this.

(1b) Foundry Floors 1-2 (Empty Space) - Hasn't been searched yet.

(1c) Foundry Floors 3-4 (Empty Space) - Hasn't been searched yet.

Beyond that, I'm doing a few other things to nerf the difficulty level from how things were originally intended, especially as a few people have dropped out and some of the things I was originally intending to see are not looking quite so possible. Also, I was realizing that the amount of Sochas players had on an individual level was lower than what I was expecting people to have by now, so if you've noticed a sharp increase in money found, that's the reason why.

The other thing I've started doing is adding extra pieces of equipment to be found at locations. By now, I was somewhat expecting most players to be fully geared up with at least something in each slot, save for perhaps Utopian Aspects as those were originally intended to be kind of rare (now they'll be more commonly found). From a GM perspective, I'd actually rather have things be too easy than too hard, and right now I think they're too hard and I can kind of see the effect it's having on some people.

But also from a GM perspective and as the guy who designed this whole campaign, I think now would be a good time to share some tips and stuff.

USE YOUR SOCHAS. OR AT LEAST PLAN ON USING THEM.

If you're saving them for that high-end equipment, that's fine and understandable and probably would be something I'd do too if I was a player, but it might be a good idea to share with others what exactly you're saving for or are aiming to buy once you have enough. Set goals with your money, more will be coming your way, especially as you start going though the more dangerous areas in the Southern Reach. But if you have a lot of it, I'd say either use it or store it if you plan on venturing out into the more dangerous areas.

As some veteran players know, previous seasons of Stalkers didn't even have money and equipment and didn't have battles either! Whatever hazards you ran into were just things you had to deal with and very little to protect you from them!

IT'S OK TO DIE. IT HAPPENS.

It's a horror game, and like video games of the same nature, you might encounter this happening. It doesn't mean you're a bad player and it's the reason why I had everyone sign up with ten reincarnation options. It may mean some equipment and money losses (very similar to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games), but it's something you can still totally bounce back from and if it looks like it's turning into a really rough ride, I might smoothen things out. I may not aim to nerf the ghouls and chimeras (and other things), but I'll make it so you come across better gear that replaces what you might have lost. I just don't want people to go into silly kamikaze mode, so a little bit of sting for dying is still there just to ensure people don't do it intentionally willy-nilly, but I wouldn't make it so you're hopelessly screwed if it happens.

Also, dying to OMEN infected (ghouls and Chimeras) does NOT raise up the Kill Counter, only death at the hands of the Abyss does. And it's only at 4/40, so it's got a LONG way to go before it's looking risky.

STALKER DEVELOPMENT FUN FACT: Shadowmarch was never originally intended to be in the campaign, but I decided hey, let's add this mysterious new faction with an interesting backstory and have you guys come across some of their powerful gear. I've seen some video games do something similar and it has an interesting effect all while not making the game too easy.

GEAR UP! AND STORE OR SHARE UNUSED GEAR YOU HAVE IN YOUR PACK!

If you don't have an attack weapon or defense armor and there's some available, take it and use it! And if you have some extra weapons and armor in your Pack, put those into the Team Inventory and share them with others that don't even have a piece of that equipment yet. Fill those empty equipment slots with at least something, it could save your neck and there's more coming, so fill those empty slots with something from the Team Inventory or just buy something! Treat yourself! Also, if a shop owner gets killed by the Stalkers, their store may close, so it's honestly better to buy what you can as soon as possible than to stockpile it and find out the stuff you might have needed is no longer available because the store owner is now dead.

If you've played any kind of RPG or character building game, you'd know it's generally not a good idea to go into high-level areas with weak gear or no gear at all. The same now applies in Stalkers, so fill those equipment slots with the best stuff you can find and give any extra things you have with you to others who might need it. If you just carry it with you, then all that happens is you may lose it when you die.

THERE'S A REASON WHY I HAD SCARLET SEARCH THE (16) RIVERWINDS SHOPPING CENTER.

Because there's a TON of great items to buy here and I figured it was getting to the point where you guys might be interested in a lot of these, especially if dying is your primary concern. If you really don't like the idea of battling at all (you currently have your battle stance set to Flee), you might be interested in picking up a few Sunfire Flares at The Tool Rack so you don't even need to roll to escape, you just bail as soon as possible at the use of a Flare. The $150 spent to get it might just save you hundreds in lost Sochas if you don't think you may survive the battle. Meanwhile, there's plenty of cheap and effective weaponry there, so if you don't have an attack weapon yet, grab something here and get to cracking a few ghouls down!

The Happy Holiday Gift Store also has a bunch of great jewelry items that deal with random encounters and some of the repercussions you might run into if they're not the kind of thing you want to deal with like seeing the Kill Counter go up or you want to cut down the chance of random encounters with ghouls, chimeras, and... other things later on. And if someone wanted to go [|JW| Friends Forever Dual Heart Necklaces: <XXX>] with Syrax the Espeon, you'd be pro-level material. (Pst, you don't want him to die, Sin Purge Ritual becomes significantly tougher if he does). Also, what does the [Neo Emolga Keychain] do? I don't want to give too much of a spoiler, but let's say it's the ultimate insurance policy and is your best "get out of jail free" card. Aglome Oen hates these. XD

The Soul Food Diner is another effective means you can almost achieve immortality status if you buy and hold [Heartwarming Cocoa], [Sweet Herbal Tea], and [The Monk’s Special] in your Pack together, especially in multiple amounts. It will be expensive, but essentially they're heckin' good safety nets in terms of what could happen to your Health, Sanity, and Purity stats. If you don't like the idea of stumbling into a nasty trap that does x2 or x4 damage due to types, these can effectively say "what do we say to death? not today!" and keep you alive and kickin'.

And what's the deal with the Sweet Dreams Café? These items are a bit of a mystery, but I'll explain these just a bit more without too much in terms of spoilers because these are meant to be fun mystery items. [Sleepy Time Dream Tea], it's a bit expensive, but just do as it says and something good might happen. [Magic Pie] is a bit of a gambling game. Something great may happen, something bad may happen, something odd and weird may happen. If you've ever played Dungeons and Dragons, Magic Pie is essentially A Deck of Many Things. What happens the first time you try it may be totally different from the next time you try it. Some interesting and nifty features to Stalkers Season 5 can only be unlocked through [Magic Pie]. There's a whopping 10 possible results that you can get (some of which have multiple secondary randomized results). And if the results are bad, at most they only persist until you die (and you can always try again with more [Magic Pie] if you feel like having fun). Lastly, [Fairy Bread] is a bit of a puzzle itself, think a bit outside the box when using it and you might enjoy something VERY nice out of it. It's expensive, sure, but there's a reason for that if you can figure it out (especially because once you do, it can be replicated and I imagine quite a few people will be taking advantage of it XD) But if you do figure it out, think carefully about how you want to use it, as there's a bit of an issue if EVERYONE uses it, though you may be able to work around that with some more out of the box thinking.

BUT MOST OF ALL...

Enjoy the game, it's meant to be fun, don't take anything that happens in it too close to heart. You're all great peeps, I'm happy to have you in this, and please speak up if you think some things just seem grossly unfair or there's something seriously unfun about it that you hate and is really spoiling the experience. Games get patches and updates all the time based on player feedback and this is no exceptions, I can curbstomp anything in this game if you feel it's not the fun challenge I thought it was and is just being too much of a menace that makes you want to quit.

The whole goal of it is to present a fun challenge that keeps you thinking, keeps you on your toes, and gets you thinking as you dive further into these dark mysteries. So it's a bit of a mix of D&D and akin to one of those horror-themed Escape Room things. But yeah, let me know what your thoughts are if something really doesn't seem right. I am to make it a good fun challenge without it being too overly easy or predictable, so let me know if I'm doing a good job at that. :3

[Lychee]

Alright! I'll get out there and get to doing stuff!

I did notice the upwards spike in sochas we have been finding, and good equipment too! Thanks for that! It makes dying feel like less of a resource kneecap when I know it won't take another five turns to buy most things back again.

I'm in favour of everyone getting themselves fully equipped! If you're a flee friend, buy trap survival stuff or auto flee jewelry or whatever! If you're in for a fight, make your hits count!

I'm pretty sure the caffiene drink wont allow Nico to talk to two pokemon, only to explore twice, so that's what I'm doing today, just to boost up our equipment (hopefully).

[Lychee]

"After using your creamy hands to slide the end of the bar into the hole cavity where a knob should have been.."
I'm laughing, I'm blushing, I- CREAMY HANDS LOLOLOL
This form has so much puntential and yet somehow I have to keep reading descriptions of 'creamy fingers' with disgust and delight xD

[AD]

IT'S OK TO DIE. IT HAPPENS.

Sometimes you just gotta sack instead of wasting a turn healing. Or for the omegalul reactions.

[Neo Emolga]

"After using your creamy hands to slide the end of the bar into the hole cavity where a knob should have been.."
I'm laughing, I'm blushing, I- CREAMY HANDS LOLOLOL
This form has so much puntential and yet somehow I have to keep reading descriptions of 'creamy fingers' with disgust and delight xD

It does!

I'm quite tempted to draw Nico in combat Alcremie form, Shadowmarch Colossus Armor and all. Heck, if you equip one of the Shadowmarch rocket launcher armaments, that'll make it even better! XD

[Chibi Altaria]

Uh, sorry I dropped off the face of the planet. .-. I recently started a new job so I've been a tad overwhelmed lately.

[Neo Emolga]

Uh, sorry I dropped off the face of the planet. .-. I recently started a new job so I've been a tad overwhelmed lately.

Considering the last cycle started on December 21st and here we are at the 11th of January, I've been slow and sleepy on this myself (although honestly, I've been really busy with other stuff, also XP)

So no worries, I'm just happy to see you're still around and haven't forgotten about us. :3

[Noblejanobii]

Anything in particular I can do? If not I think I might go search somewhere