Combat Alchemicals

Kajata

Kajata

Junior Member
I'm just wondering what charms you guys would purchase for a combat based alchemical?


I can't work out how to make an alchemical an effective combatant  :?
 
Kajata said:
I'm just wondering what charms you guys would purchase for a combat based alchemical?
I can't work out how to make an alchemical an effective combatant  :?
Click to expand...
Offense:


Decide on a combat strategy and stick with it.  Alchemicals are flexible, yes, but don't use that until you have a solid set of Charms you can use for combat.  After you've built up your chosen form of attack, develop a second strategy.


Don't make an attack that costs Essence per shot into your primary combat strategy.  It's nice that a deadly Essence gun pops out of your arm, but how many shots will you get from it, vs. using a beamklave that costs you nothing per attack?


Remember that mobility matters.  Personal Gravity Manipulation Apparatus is probably the single most potent Charm here, in that it can give you enhanced ground speed OR let you run on walls and ceilings (great for archers or other ranged fighters).  Ground speed can make a great deal of difference when fighting melee-heavy adversaries.


Alchemicals can get Charms that let them shoot through walls, dodge through solid obstructions, and otherwise ignore material barriers.  Consider using this to your advantage.


Defense:


Accelerated Response System is mandatory.  This is your "Essence-driven defense" Charm.


If you are going to get the "no armor penalty" Charm (whose name escapes me right now - it screws your armor on), you may as well go whole-hog and score some superheavy plate or similar armor.


Starmetal Alchemicals don't really have problems wearing starmetal armor, so if you are building one, go for the ping resistance.
 
Aegis Integration System, memesis.


I usually pick a bunch of Augmentations and Might and Mobility Charms usually, instead of actual combat Charms. I think this takes advantage of their Charms more, for some reason. Transitory Augmentation of Dexterity is pretty much necessity, I think, and Transitory Augmentation of Strength really helps your damage, especially if you combo it with Plasma Thruster Assembly. Electrification Onslaught Dynamo is pretty handy, but I haven't actually seen it at works before...


If you focus on one thing, Alchemicals can get pretty scary...
 
Imprinted Data Cluster. Allows you to buy +3 specialties in all your weapons, regardless of how many different weapons you may go through. Or buy Melee (offense +3) and Melee (defense +3) if you have a large assortment of Melee weapons or the weapon-creating charms.


The (Element)-Inured Frame/high natural soak combination shall become my signature suggestion!


Firebase: many, many installations of Repeating Pneumatic Bow, using Multi-Limbed Frame if possible, with internal magazines in all of them, which you fully load with half a dozen arrows before you go adventuring. Lets you circumvent the bow's normal essence cost. Preferably, get your ST to agree that the bows can be implanted in Hyperdextrous Tentacles, so that each of them has its own independent action. Then, get an Essence Cannon with the Stunning Bolt and Detonation mods, allowing you to hurl back anyone who tries to close in for close combat.


Electrification Onslaught Dynamo is a personal favourite of mine. A reflexive charm that lets you deal decent amounts of damage every time somone touches you, parries you, whatever.
 
BP's suggestions make for a bad-ass ranged fighter.  For a melee guy: Install Multi-Limb Frame two or three times, then put an Integrated Arsenal Upgrade in your extra arms.  The great thing about these Charms is that they have no installation cost... plus you can can flurry like a motherfucker with 4-6 built-in weapons.  Any Alchemical fighter should (as mentioned above) have Personal Grav. Manipulation and Dynamic Reaction System for mobility & defense.  If you use Aegis Integration to wear heavy armor, you can still use Essence Shield Projector for an actual shield.


Say: did they give a MM bonus for adamant armor in the book?  Can't remember.


Also: I'm going to post an Alchemical combat Charm I made up here in a minute.  Feel free to use it.
 
Okay, so: no way to submit Alchemical Charms yet on Lore5, so I'll put it here for the time being.


Impact-Multiplying Upgrade


Type: Reflexive


Cost: 2m or 1m/ success


Installation Cost: 1


Duration: Instant


Min. Strength: 3


Min. Essence: 2


Prerequisite Charms: Transitory OR Sustained Augmentation of Strength


The Chosen's arm is extended to include a set of crystal-and-glass vials installed at the wrist.  When activated, these vials pop up at a 45-degree angle and rapidly fill with bubbling reagent fluids, and the Exalt's fist slides back, primed for a mighty blow.  Like an armed Essence Cannon or an active Pneumatic Bow, it is clear to all that this is a powerful magical weapon.  When the Alchemical strikes an object on an enemy in combat, he can release the charged-up energy: with a hissing blast of steam, the vials drain of fluid and propel his fist forward with terrible force, compounding the power of his attack.


System: Arming this Charm is a reflexive action and costs 2 motes.  Once armed, the Alchemical can choose to activate it when he makes a Brawl/ Martial Arts or Melee attack.  Doing so doubles the raw pre-soak damage of one attacks.  When attacking an object, the Alchemical may convert damage dice into automatic successes at the rate of 1 mote per success, up to his Strength.
 
Okay' date=' so: no way to submit Alchemical Charms yet on Lore5, so I'll put it here for the time being.[/quote']
You should expect that soon. I've typed all the canonical Charms up already.


-S
Click to expand...
 
Alchemical Charms will take some extra coding work, but I expect to do them this weekend or early next week.
 
<<Strain Resistant Chassis Modification X 4>>


-2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2, -2 and -2


<<Subcutaneous Armor Platting X 4>>


+8 Lethal and +12 Bashing


<<Alloyed Reinforcement of Flesh>>


+1 Lethal and +1 Bashing


Doubles Strength Bonuses


<<Transitory Augmentation of Strength>>


<<Sustained  Augmentation of Strength>>


<<Transitory Augmentation of Stamina>>


<<Sustained  Augmentation of Stamina>>


<<Aegis Integration System>>


<<Metal-Inured Frame>>


How is that for a combat twink Alchemical <Soulsteel>
 
memesis said:
Alchemical Charms will take some extra coding work, but I expect to do them this weekend or early next week.
Click to expand...
Say, not to nag, but: is this still going to happen?  I'll help, if I can.  I'd love to see the Alchemical's stuff on the site, & be able to add to it...
 
memesis said:
Alchemical Charms will take some extra coding work' date=' but I expect to do them this weekend or early next week.[/quote']
Say, not to nag, but: is this still going to happen?  I'll help, if I can.  I'd love to see the Alchemical's stuff on the site, & be able to add to it...
Click to expand...
I'm doing career review at work and am taking a sick day today.  Stillborn's sent me the datafiles, I just need to get around to coding.
Click to expand...
 
Say: did they give a MM bonus for adamant armor in the book?  Can't remember.
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Stupidly, it's the best armor bonus in the game.  


Alchemical book, page 189; +3 Lethal soak, -1 reduction in mobility penalty.  


I'm personally thinking it should be a +1 L / -1 reduction, but that's just my opinion.


-g3
 
There's one of the man-waeaving protocals, I can't remember the name at the moment, that sucks essence for a cost of 5 motes.


If targeted on an attuned artifact, the exalt can suck the essence out of it, unattuning it. So, Daiklavies and the like become extra difficult to weild, and any bonuses enemies had based on their equipment is lost. I can see this being quite effective.


There's also that charm that lets you do your essence in action per turn. Most players have 3-4 minimum essence, this means 3-4 seperate dicepools per turn. It's one of the melee ones I believe, I don't have the rulebook on me at the moment to check the exact name. I designed a 6 essence NPC with this charm. I hope one of my players challenge it to a fight.  :lol:
 
Melee Alchemical.  Hyperdextrous Tentacle Array as desired.  Adamant Beamklave for piercing goodness.  Blade of the Battlemaiden in your martial arts database.  Your essence is gone, but you can carve the shit out of anyone.  Use either the alchie targeted persistent parry and/or Fire Dragon Form since you can't wear armor anyway.  Oh, and don't forget to pump that Dex.  Block, dodge, attack like twenty or thirty times and still have enough actions left over for taunting your enemy.  In iambic pentameter.
 
Too be fair, I don't think that any Alchie would have much experience with any of the Immaculate martial arts, even if they've managed to build some kind of friendship with a tutor.


~FC.
 
Stillborn said:
Yo, what up triple-G? Where you been?
-S
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Woah.  Someone's recognized me.  Wierd.


I've been spending my internet time with World of Warcraft, and I've been putting off the forums until I have a (Exalted) thought I feel the need to share with people who don't play table top with me.  


Of course, I usually phrase it the wrong way and I don't get the sort of answers I was looking for, but still, it's a float.


As you can tell by the sporadic posts, the ideas are far between, and they come in clumps.


-greasiest golem gunk on the market
 
If an alchemical starts with Martial Arts charms they can nearly double the number of charms they can start with without using bonus points - You take the Perfected Lotus Matrix as a starting charm, and use up all the rest on your MA of choice - This leaves all your starting slots bar 1 unfilled. Then, fill those slots with the charms you get via Vats and Artifact, and spend all your bonus points on Essence, Willpower, Attributes etc.


It certainly stinks of min-maxing. I'm not quite sure I'd allow it at my table.


Blade of the Battle Maiden and the targeted persistant parry charm is pretty potent - And building a character this way lets you get the both of them with ease - Not quite Solar level, but better than anything else going.
 
Umm...I don't have the book in front of me, but I seem to recall having to spend extra bonus points to pick up MA charms.  I do remember that I never had enough of them though.  


Oh well, Hyper Dextrous Tentacle Array is so much damn fun, and so scary with BotBM it's not even funny.  There was also an entire thread on RPG.net about there other, less combat oriented, uses.  Naughty hentacles.
 
Fruan said:
If an alchemical starts with Martial Arts charms they can nearly double the number of charms they can start with without using bonus points - You take the Perfected Lotus Matrix as a starting charm, and use up all the rest on your MA of choice - This leaves all your starting slots bar 1 unfilled. Then, fill those slots with the charms you get via Vats and Artifact, and spend all your bonus points on Essence, Willpower, Attributes etc.
It certainly stinks of min-maxing. I'm not quite sure I'd allow it at my table.


Blade of the Battle Maiden and the targeted persistant parry charm is pretty potent - And building a character this way lets you get the both of them with ease - Not quite Solar level, but better than anything else going.
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I like that idea.  If it's legal, I'll be careful to watch for this when I run myh next game.  


Let me consult the books tho (back in a minute).


Page 63, Step 4, "Select Advantages".


Must choose 4 Caste or Favored Charms (martial arts is a Skill, not an attribute).


The other 4 Slots must be filled with permissable charms.  I'm going to think that this means that you need to start with 8 total alchemical charms.  1 of those can certainly be "Perfected Lotus Matrix Charm" (page 100), but the other 7 starting slots need Alchemical charms.  


I like the idea though Fruan.


My Own submission to the "combat alchemical" challenge would be to take basic close combat charms and "ox body", and focus on the armimant of the alchemical; Kata Bracers (aspect earth; Bracers that enhance martial arts, provided you have a form active) and Martial arts skills.  Of course, one needs the form charm, and I'll humbly submit Snake Style.  With a form of Martial arts 4, Essence 2, it's probably the lowest requirement in Martial Arts.  By your 11th experience point (stunts and RP for the win!), you'll have the form charm and the bracer bonus.  Use alchemical charms to enhance all the close combat moves, Hook Swords for defense and lethal damage, and the bracers to enhance your Speed //Accuracy //Damage.  Go Orichalcum, and you'll add another Damage bonus.  Go Soulsteel, and you'll be even harder to hit with Snake Style up.  Go Starmetal, and your generic combat bonuses will move up.  


(in addition to the Bracer material bonuses).


-g3
 
Ah, right, yes. I forgot you start with so many dedicated charm slots. Still, it lets you start with 4 MA charms at a cost of having less panoply.
 
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