Lara’s bond has reached the maximum level!
Lara lost the Corruption ability.
Lara gained the Drider Curse ability!
Lara has access to new abilities!
Ricki gains +1 HP!
Ricki has access to a new ability!
The Child’s Bedroom has been built. Ricki gains +1 HP.
The Basement Apartment has been built. Macadamia gains +1 HP and can once again increase his bond.
The Kitchen has been built. Storage increases by 5 and new projects can now be built.
16 Gold Coins were earned through Labour.
All expended HP and abilities are restored.
Intermission 10 will now begin!
…Next week!
“Drider Curse: +3 HP, +1 Atk, +1 Def, +1 Mov. Can climb on walls and ceilings, and can carry one Small ally. Can no longer use Corruption abilities.” Oh nice. Pretty ridiculous upgrade.
“Cannot use footwear.” Lol 🙂
I’m assuming the “access to new abilities” allows some way to use corruption abilities as they are still listed in her section.(Presumably 1/dungeon or whatever)
I guess we’ll see when people next level up.
Either way, she can now bring us to a lot of places we couldn’t really go before and we were pretty strongly avoiding corruption.
Kind of a downgrade in flexibility. She may have gained in raw stats but lost an equip slot plus the ability to make a pet, deal high damage at a distance, allow anyone to climb a wall or bind down an enemy. Plus the previous bond ability is now useless.
Eh, the equip slot isn’t too useful given inventory limits and lack of options in the slot, she hits way harder in melee than the spell ever could (though ranged is much nicer when you can snipe from the ceiling out of reach), she can climb walls with Ricki for free and tie a rope for the humans, and now that we have no shortage of pets Subdue Spider isn’t nearly as good. The bind is a loss, we don’t have many attack debuffs.
Besides, to actually use any of those one-shot benefits you’d need to convince the audience to spend a corruption point, which multiple people have considered the worst thing besides death. I’m still glad we got such immense use out of that spider in the Warrens, at least we spent a few corruption and got benefit out of that resource before losing it.
Wall climb is ridiculously flexible, to the point I’m afraid Botanya loses her edge with the beanstalk. Most dungeons are indoors with a wall in the background, so wall climb is functionally flight. We kept being tempted to Web rooms to grab one thing, and now we have that everywhere.
The only reason I wouldn’t bring Lara now is to give other people a chance at story. She’s close to Kamau’s strength with no Remorse, two arms, and incredible mobility.
Maybe the abilities will start to unlock as we level up, and they’ll be like expendables, rather than corruption, like with other characters. Lara would be beyond OP if she could use all of them freely, right away. I assume there’s a chance she can slowly relearn them. It’s gonna take some time for her to get used to her new body, after all. Hell, I bet most of her new upgrades are probably better now.
I kinda like the idea that this is supposed to be a curse, though, so the goddess specifically takes away favorable powers. I also like that as an act of rebellion we’re going to still make it work, just to spite the goddess.
Wouldn’t that mean one of the skills- make it count is also pretty much moot?
Trolled
I hope this limb gaining trend holds for Kamau’s dungeon 😀
I’d be more interested in an expanded remorse limit (or the removal of it, except perhaps for deaths). Then again, we could potentially get both given the magnitude of Lara’s upgrade.
Kamau mutates and grows 6 arms. Since that’s way too much for any pair of uni-size gloves to handle, he gets “cannot use wielded or otherwise hand/arm-worn items”. Kamau still refuses to drop the Hilt, now he holds it in his teeth, he gets “cannot talk, but can make silly sounds”.
u-uh.. please no
Just imagine what Kamau could do with three legs!
Lara’s “class” has changed too 😀
“Ricki’s Girlfriend”
😀
… part-drow part-spider drider mushroom ex-cultist …
edit: oh dear, now imagine Ricky explaining it all to Lohk xD
Lohk, you will love your drow-spider-drider-mushroom-goblin-grand-children, yes?
It is surprising. Everyone is surprised by this.
Interesting, no level up from a bond dungeon but this does unlock new level up options. Ricki’s choices were getting a little less interesting, and Lara’s were pretty meh, so new entries are welcome (plus she still has the corruption abilities and Make it Count…). I was wondering about whether we should bench her while building up others, but letting her sweep the Poisoned Well is still good to see what those level options are. Note also that even though she can’t carry non-small allies, she can carry rope.
See you all for Dungeon 11 next year.
Faster movement, and walking-on-walls (and ceiling) + rope/etc may mean many new options!
+6 legs = +6 stats
We need a nice dress or battle skirt for Drider Lara.
I’d like if Ricki got herself a proper thieves outfit. She doesn’t strike me as caring about fashion more than the practical, so get her something practical, like the outfits you see in the illustrations for thieves in the DnD Handbooks or something. Belts and pockets, you know?
I’m glad to see my suspicions were right about Lara!
Very interesting that Ricki seems to benefit from doing Bond dungeons as well. +1 HP is very good all on its own, let alone whatever the new ability might end up being when she levels up. I suspect it’ll be something that synergizes with Lara somehow, either directly (in the sense that she needs Lara in the party to use it) or indirectly.
And we haven’t even seen what the Child’s Bedroom will give Ricki either, assuming that she isn’t an exception to the rule about Manor rooms giving free abilities to the character associated with them.
Seeing what Mac gets will also be good; he also needs relatively few level ups to increase his Bond to the threshold. Same thing with Kamau, actually. Theoretically, we could take Mac and Kamau to two of the upcoming dungeons and do both of their Bond dungeons before we have to tackle the third dungeon we currently have available to us (either the Magic Lab or the Armory, whichever we decide to save for last). It might not be a bad idea to try that since the Armory/Lab is supposed to become harder if we do one before the other.
That being said, being forced to take Amadeusz with us for the first dungeon we go to greatly limits our options for picking party members, especially if we’re taking Lara with us into the Poison Well. Which, while it would level her up, would also result in a wasted Bond point since she’s already maxed out; taking Lohk might be a better idea IMO, since she brings extra healing AND is a small character that can fit into small spaces, which the Well is implied to have a lot of.
On the other hand, doing either the Armory or the Laboratory first would give us a lot more leeway in that regard. Story-wise, throwing Amadeusz a bone and taking him to one of the dungeons he suggested makes a lot of sense to me, anyways, and it would let us be a bit choosier with who we take to the Poisonous Well.
In any case- aiming for Mac’s Bond dungeon seems like a good idea considering that our current plans involve him doing a lot of Ringsmiffing anyways. He can fit into tight spaces like Ricki, so having him be her backup in the Poison Well would work, and we probably want to take him to both the Armory and the Laboratory to turn excess loot into easily carriable rings, which we definitely want more of.
If we can squeeze Kamau in, too, that would be great- but if not, taking Mac to the next two dungeons so we can do his Bond dungeon seems like it would be greatly beneficial to our current plans.
Nope. If we go for the Armory or the Lab first, the Well becomes unavailable.
I9P37
If the Guard Outpost and Research Facility are both completed first, this dungeon will no longer be available.
We can do one of the guard dungeons, then go back to the well (without Amadeusz), then do the other guard dungeon.
One thought – these dungeons were introduced as lucrative, but Imperial equipment from Dungeon 1 needed to be discarded after the dungeon ended. Maybe getting in trouble is the point.
Emperor-related equipment is likely our best bet for triggering Macadamia’s Believer trait (and conversely, Lara’s Skeptic).
Bringing Kamau to the Poisoned Well seems like a bad idea. I6P14:
“I’m sure you know by now how dangerous small, cramped, underwater dungeons can be, but at least you don’t have to worry about this one flooding over time. It’s starting that way. Not gonna lie, this one might be tough.”
Suffocation damage seems inevitable on this one, and unblockable un-Interpose-able area damage to allies is a shortcut to maxing Remorse. Bringing pets at all might be a bad move. I do expect there’ll be some sort of air pockets, but HP will definitely be a resource. This does make bringing Macadamia risky, though until recently he did have the same HP as Ricki.
Coxxyx probably doesn’t need to breathe. Maybe Botanya too, and if she can stay underwater then fly traps would also be good. Cordy might also be clear.
Presumably the well won’t be well lit, and keeping light up will be hard given water puts even stored torches out.
Yeah; in hindsight, Kamau is probably a bad match for the Poison Well for multiple reasons. Remorse, can’t squeeze through gaps, can’t see in the dark, etc. We could take him to both of Amadeusz’s dungeons, or maybe even keep him near his Bond threshold so we can get set up multiple Bond dungeons in a row with another character.
Assuming that we go to the Well second then a party consisting of Ricky, Mac, Lohk, and either Botanya, Coccyx, or Lara would probably be the best bet. Three small characters who can make their way through the cramped spaces of the well, healing from Lohk, another Bond level for Mac… then we can pick between whether we want to go with our original plan and use Lara, or pick between Coccyx and Botanya to maximize Bond gain.
Between Coccyx and Botanya, I think Coccyx would be the best bet. It’d let us see what his level up options are, and he’s particularly well suited towards the Poisoned Well because he’s immune to poison and probably doesn’t need to breathe. He’s basically the best bet for recovering submerged loot or loot that’s otherwise inaccessible without taking poison damage. We might need to give him something other than a bow, though.
As far as Botanya is concerned- she brings disposable pets and more healing, but neither of those things feel like they’re going to be particularly good in the Poisoned Well. There’s unlikely to be very many undead compared to aquatic/poisonous monsters, and the extra healing isn’t a huge benefit with Lohk coming along and our recent purchase of a healing wand. Another level for Botanya would be nice since I think we might need to raise her to her Bond threshold to unlock the manor upgrade that will actually get rid of it- but it might be better to take her to one of the other dungeons.
Lara wastes a Bond point, but she’s practically designed to wreck this dungeon with little effort. Not only is she hugely resistant to poison, she also bypasses poison immunity, hits like a tank, and has a ton of HP. Her wall/ceiling movement might not see a ton of use in the cramped spaces of the well, but it’s still something to consider- with a party of Mac, Lohk, and Ricki she could potentially ferry all four of them over dangerous hazards, albeit at the cost of three turns. Taking Lara would also let us see what her new level up options are.
Overall, my vote goes towards saving the Well for the second dungeon and taking Ricki, Mac, Lohk, and Coccyx to it.
I am curious about ferrying, movement within a room is free. Only carrying one at a time is relevant for hazards like broken glass, where three trips back and forth would hit the hazard 6 times and Ricki is the only one who can point it out. The point of ceiling climbing there would be to avoid the hazard entirely. Attempts to ranged attack while being carried would also likely lock in position.
Yeah, every ally room has only been unlocked on reaching the cap, so at minimum it takes one more dungeon than bond points to max someone due to construction time. Coxxyx has only one bond threshold, so it’s just Botanya and probably Amadeusz. We’ll need Lohk and Botanya to see a lot of our remaining dungeons if we want to max them.
If I had to guess regarding ferrying, I feel like the thing most consistent with LSN’s past decisions would be ‘only one character per turn’. He rarely lets us get away with shenanigans like that because they’re technically not forbidden. He’s way more RAI than RAW, it seems like.
Wow that completely turned the whole thing around. Saved the whole thing. Story went from “this is a total slap in the face, I’m gonna rage quit” to “that was absolute genius.”
CLOSET
A living space for Coccyx, granting them HP +1.
Cost 30
Hmm, this is the only new upgrade listed on the Manor. Coxxyx only has one bond threshold and the room cost is lower, so this might only grant the extra HP – though for Coxxyx that’s an extra life and ammo.
I don’t remember if all characters had a room available before they had reached the bond threshold. I believe Lohk didn’t and Botanya still doesn’t.
We still have 4 dungeons to go for Cyx and has already got a room.
Nope, rooms only became available on reaching threshold.
Closet was actually available before we did this dungeon. Whatever the kitchen unlocked isn’t on the manor page yet.
Oh, right–Ricki gets a new bedroom, too. Talk about gaining it at a narratively perfect moment; it’s almost as if the favor is being returned to Ricki for being so kind to Lara. I wonder if she can get a wardrobe upgrade, too. Or maybe she likes those rags, I dunno. As for Lara, split-back dresses and aprons are now the way to go. I bet you can make a drider look quite elegant if you’re creative enough. Cue Ricki and Lara fashion sequence.
New month, new voting frenzy: http://www.topwebcomics.com/vote/26944
Wrap up stream notes:
– Wasn’t really intended as first bond dungeon, could’ve easily been Mac if we’d taken a different order
– There was another drider sprite without Lara’s lounge wear
– Really wanted the countdown on this to be 10 as that has big impact, so archives were moved from end to third room
– Key opened all doors, not chest
– Opening ledge chest had web boots, immune to web hazards and 1/dungeon turn of climbing
– Second room: Got helmet and wands. Skeleton chest had consumable Webbed Morsel to use Subdue Spider without corruption cost (still need the skill)
– Hardly a dungeon without a Ricki tunnel
– Burned drider gives a bonus to nearby spiders, has poison resistance, and is blind but can see by using other spiders
– Mini spider is the Purple Widow, may appear later
– Third room got venom glands, they’re cheap and would be great if we had Poison Use. Lower chests had second webbed morsel and poisoner’s gloves for +1 poison damage on attacks or +2 when activating poison use
– Fourth room was possible if you ran through everything. Ledge chest had staff of webs, web binding or web wall 1/dungeon with 3 charges. (Yes, web climbing was in the chest you can get through web climbing. Both times.) Bottom chest had Arachnomancer armour, chain shirt with poison immunity. Even same weight, strict upgrade aside from Skeptic.
– Immunity with conditional defence still activates the defense while removing that damage from calculation. Lara with Arachnomancer armour on taking 3 regular 1 poison damage would take 3 damage with +6 Def. (My note: This means the poison robes on Coxxyx should work the same.)
– Arachnomancer items are God-associated, activating Skeptic (which implies Believer).
– Sacrificial blood pool is a blatant trap. Interacting takes half HP but it has a ritual knife (counts as dagger) inside which may show up again later. This was the cool wavy knife the drider had, by fishing it out of the pool
– Could have disarmed the blood pool. (Just open the spigot and drain the blood out!) Identifying as a trap and likely outcomes would take an action to inspect, otherwise you find out about the life drain when sticking your hand in
– The lighter isn’t an item, it’s part of her clothes. No more special ability to burn items than she always had to light cigarettes
– Rope alone probably wouldn’t get the chests, would need something else to get it up there
– On turn 10 or using any corruption (ability still activates) would turn Lara into a hostile drider and probably kill Ricki in one shot. Still possible to win the dungeon by reaching the archive, and Lara could’ve been recovered from insanity. Dungeon fails if Lara dies.
– Abandoning would lock Lara’s ability to advance in bond, one chance. Abandoning after Lara turns means losing her, and this is the only dungeon where she could be recovered, in any other dungeon max corruption would also turn to hostile drider.
– Lara was the only available romance option
– Benefit of secondary goal: Don’t need to fight Lara
– Lara can only climb on solid walls, the back wall is not interactable except for escaping from certain outdoor-type rooms in dungeons (like the Abandoned Chapel). (My note: I suggested this based on a previous stream which mentioned enemies could climb the back wall to get at you from anywhere, I think the centipedes in the Manor. May have been a joke then as they could have gone along the ceiling normally. This does raise the question of whether Lara can jump directly to a ceiling or if she must climb a wall to it.)
– Lara’s new abilities will be drider themed
– Indira’s corpse wasn’t here. (Maybe a skeleton? Can’t tell.)
– Burned drider isn’t undead, they were still alive when transformed. Can’t raise dead into drider, though maybe something else
– Doing the dungeon later doesn’t change the outcome, just what stuff you can bring in and when we get the changed Lara. Go ahead and level up before bond dungeons if you don’t want to have bond dungeon abilities early.
– No pets available to get in the dungeon
– Bond dungeons have been roughly planned as part of designing each character, details are changed as better ideas come up but there’s a story in mind
– Plate armour can’t give full benefit to Lara (my note: intended condition for full Def is using implicit built in gauntlets and greaves, not just having nothing in the slot)
– Heavy Greaves/gauntlets and full helm aren’t magic
– Dungeon wasn’t cleared, that was cutscene killing enemies
– Reminder that locked doors can’t be closed and locked again after opened
– Can’t make drider boots out of three sets of regular boots, though that is funny
– Having multiple parts of ending cutscene doesn’t mean anything special, just how pages show up in archive. This is equivalent to other dungeon end turns, just spread over several days to handle drawing all the panels. Actual outcomes aren’t clear until the dungeon report.
– No super secret stream reveal.
– Fully clearing a dungeon will be beneficial in some way, not always planned ahead of time since it’s very hard and for bond dungeons generally impossible
– Threatening to stop reading will not change artistic decisions. Lara’s story did not have a happy ending to get. Go read isekai light novels if you want everything to be okay.
– Lara can’t talk anymore, only spider noises.
– Next intermission will have Mac story but no other surprise beats. Need to take Amadeusz on next dungeon, no more bond dungeons to stall. We will see character sheet, absence thus far is part of him being sketchy.
– Original plan was to wrap this up in 3 years, looking longer… Reaching end of act 2 of 3. Still, can’t get everything. Probably won’t even get all bond dungeons. We’re totally welcome to skip poison well.
>Lara can’t talk anymore, only spider noises.
Say psyche. Please?
Can’t talk, but she can still write or learn sign language of some sort.
The last paragraph is the most important. It mean that we should skip things if we wanna see the end of the story, it also means that we don’t have much time left so it’s better to focus in few characters rather then spreading, we won’t have enough time to build all of them…
Hmm, this implies Ricki’s room doesn’t have a story attached.