Topic: Plots to Make Fun Of: Seven of 'Em! -- Let's Play Saga Frontier! (Read 38497 times)

R^2 · « **Reply #140 on:** March 13, 2013, 01:55:12 PM »

Asellus' anguished cry is muted by the screen going black.

And staying that way for a while.

R^2 · « **Reply #141 on:** March 13, 2013, 01:55:55 PM »

Ildon teleports out.

The screen goes black again.

R^2 · « **Reply #142 on:** March 13, 2013, 01:57:20 PM »

Even RedTurnip realizes how dumb this is, and that it doesn't help bring Asellus out of her catatonic state at all.

R^2 · « **Reply #143 on:** March 13, 2013, 02:01:30 PM »

Zozma: I wonder why White Rose favors her so?
Asellus: White Rose is gone...
Zozma: I know why she chose to remain in the labyrinth after Orlouge trapped you.
Asellus: Why?
Zozma: Because she knew you loved her.
Asellus: Yes, as a sister and a friend.
Zozma: Then, say it out loud!
Asellus: That's wrong. After all, I'm still a woman. Even after becoming a half-mystic.
Zozma: You humans have strange customs.

MYSTICS DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS HUMAN THING CALLED "THE CLOSET"

Zozma: Didn't White Rose just tell you to live in freedom? Maybe it's time for you to come out with it.

His choice of words here makes it pretty obvious what he's talking about, as obliquely as possible to get past the remnants of Squaresoft-under-Nintendo's censorship.

Asellus: She meant I should live free from Orlouge...
Zozma: Deny it all you want, but I'm telling you it's not healthy. Let's go.
Asellus: Where are we going?
Zozma: Wherever. We can't just sit here.

And you're off, with a party of Asellus, Zozma, and RedTurnip. Your previous recruits are nowhere to be seen.

R^2 · « **Reply #144 on:** March 13, 2013, 02:03:02 PM »

...until you leave the screen and come back.

Ildon: Can't you learn to act like a real mystic?
Asellus: Ildon!
Ildon: Decide for yourself what you're going to do from now on. I'll escort you a little longer.

R^2 · « **Reply #145 on:** March 13, 2013, 02:08:19 PM »

Asellus: Is it really you? Are you Princess Rei?
Rei: I guess you heard of me in Facinaturu? I regret not being able to stop Orlouge from creating a half-mystic. I can help you if you want.

Rei joins the party. She won't unless you got White Rose to give you a lecture on her history back in Chateau Aiguille.

Rei was Orlouge's first princess. She did not take it well. So while he slept she drained his blood and escaped -- from what I've read she did it by leaping through Kurenai (which would explain how Zozma would have known that worked as a method to escape Facinaturu), but I've also read that Kylin, the master of Space magic, had something to do with it (which would explain why Rei knows about Space magic). Rei reincarnated into the body of a child.

All this happened twelve years ago. When Orlouge ran over Asellus in his carriage, Orlouge was searching for Rei.

R^2 · « **Reply #146 on:** March 13, 2013, 02:18:52 PM »

Ildon is a better fencer than he is a caster, judging from his core stats. He has the gift to Mystic magic but no other schools. Fascination charms an enemy, PhantasmShot summons a random eidolon beast to attack and cause a status ailment, GlassShield counters physical attacks with major damage, and MirrorShade -- the only spell not available for sale -- creates a number of shadowy duplicates of the caster that absorb incoming attacks.

Zozma, as I mentioned back in Emelia's scenario, is the only character in the game to use Evil magic. He starts with RavaShot (damage and stun), PainDoubler (does as much damage as the target has taken from other sources in the turn, maximum of 666), and DeathCurse (kill all enemies, the number of enemies not slain is deducted from Zozma's LP). But SharpPain, the best spell he has, is just sitting on his skill menu waiting to be equipped. SharpPain stuns all enemies -- what makes it valuable is that it's a high-priority move, so it goes first each round. You can effectively shut down most enemies by having Zozma SharpPain them while everyone else attacks.

Rei is the game's only user of Mirage magic. Mirage magic summons phantom beasts just like PhantasmShot does, but you get to pick which beast. All of the spells do damage with the chance of causing a status effect. Black Cat causes confusion, Nightmare causes sleep, Jackal causes poison, Cockatrice causes petrification, and Reaper can instantly kill enemies.

Being fullblooded Mystics, Zozma and Rei have the Gift for Mystic Magic and start with Fascination and PhantasmShot.

---

Voting is still open for whichever path Asellus chooses.

Classic · « **Reply #147 on:** March 13, 2013, 04:05:12 PM »

You're not letting us choose Chaotic boring?

R^2 · « **Reply #148 on:** March 13, 2013, 05:25:11 PM »

Asellus has three possible endings because of two different branching points. We've only reached one of those, so you only get one decision to make.

R^2 · « **Reply #149 on:** March 14, 2013, 08:27:28 AM »

More votes are in, and it's pretty unlikely the "humanity" option is going to catch up, so I'm locking the poll until the next choice comes around.

Having filled out most of our party, we return to Owmi.

Fight this guy again. He's much easier with a leveled-up party of five.

Asellus: Can you help us, Mesarthim?
Mesarthim: Tell me whatever you wish. I am your slave.
Asellus: No, you're not my slave.

Mesarthim permanently joins. As a lower mystic rather than the party full of nobles we had so far, her base stats are generally lower than everyone else's. She does still have LifeRain, though, and she's wearing a MellowRing as her only piece of unremoveable equipment, rather than the more common MysticMail armor. This means I can put Mesarthim in a PoweredSuit, making her one of the more survivable characters around -- which is good for a healer! Mesarthim also starts with VictoryRune and the Gift for Rune magic, but I've covered all of that stuff already.

Gotta fight DevilSquid on the way out, too.

The pilot who helped us escape from Facinaturu is back in the Owmi port. When we're ready for endgame, he'll take us (MAJOR SPOILERS) back to Facinaturu.

In the meantime, as dictated by the poll, Asellus starts sucking monsters into her mystic equipment. I already had one in her MysticGlove, because the game's a buggy mess and never checks to see if you did that when determining whether Asellus is pursuing the human path or the mystic path. But now she's sucking souls with wild abandon, providing a significant stat boost whenever she does a MysticalChange.

R^2 · « **Reply #150 on:** March 15, 2013, 06:01:37 AM »

Next stop: Disneyland?

Rouge can't go there, for Reasons. He leaves the party, but if you want you can pick him up again in Devin or Luminous like before. He keeps all his stat growth and skills -- but we don't do that. Rouge was a good crutch for earlygame before I could recruit my full-mystic party, but now I have my full-mystic party.

The Magic Kingdom is the kingdom where everyone can use Realm magic.

If I had remembered this library was here, I'd have used it as the setting for my explanation of all the different kinds of magic back in Emelia's scenario.

But this building is why we're really here.

Everything here, from monsters to treasure, has been petrified.

Touching this central structure...

...returns the sprite statues to life.

The sprites then animate everything else, allowing you to fight monsters and get some mediocre treasure.

In the final room (behind a hard-to-see passage behind one of the now-animate sprite statues) is this guy.

You can fight him!

Just like the fights with the sages, Lion, and Ciato, Asellus starts this fight under MysticalChange, even if she doesn't look like it. This fight was going to be Important, see.

He talks big, but except for his habit of using MysticSword and MysticGlove to try to instakill your party, he's not very difficult.

He dies like the assassins did, too.

And that's it. A little unfinished side area. What's the deal?

That was Furdo, the guy we would have heard about from the head researcher in the Bio Research Lab, had either of these scenarios made it into the finished game. Furdo is a lower mystic, but has developed a power that brings him to the level of the noble mystics: he can petrify anything into an object d'art.

So from the scrapped side quests, Asellus would have learned the difference between humans and mystics from Nusakan, the similarities between humans and mystics in the Bio Research Lab (namely, that both of them are quite capable of wanton cruelty), and that mystics can develop the power necessary to overcome their superiors from Furdo.

Instead you get a lot of running around and semirandom encounters with assassins.

R^2 · « **Reply #151 on:** March 15, 2013, 06:07:47 AM »

Speaking of the Bio Research Lab, endgame monsters are spawning there now. If I felt like grinding for DurahanShields -- some of the best equipment in the game -- there's a scientist who always turns into a Dullahan in one of the side rooms upstairs. But there's also this guy, in the basement garden, who always turns into a Suzaku.

Suzaku are one of the best monsters to absorb into mystic equipment, because they provide a flat +20 to all stats except Charm. There are only a couple of better monsters, but they're harder to find. Absorbed into MysticSword, Suzaku gives FireBreath. In MysticGloves, HellWing. In MysticBoots, TitasWave. At the very least I want everyone to get a Suzaku in their boots, because TitasWave combos with itself.

...how does Mesarthim even wear boots, anyway?

Aw yeah. Base stats only run on a scale of 1 to 99, so having a character's lowest stat at 73 is pretty good. Mecs can do better than this and don't have to wait until endgame to do it, but humans have a hard time getting to this point unless you do some very dedicated grinding against certain respawning miniboss monsters in some ruins in Shingrow.

By the time I wrap up for the night, Asellus, Zozma, Rei, and Ildon have three Suzaku each. Mesarthim has... none. For all the information I have on the inner workings of this game, I don't know what the overlying stat is that determines whether a piece of mystic equipment absorbs a monster, or I'd have Mesarthim go absorb lesser critters in preparation. Oh well. It's an endgame grind, and I need to develop some better magic spells on everyone anyway. I guess I'm in no hurry.

R^2 · « **Reply #152 on:** March 15, 2013, 07:07:10 AM »

That'll do. The next room over from Suzaku guy is Snowfolk guy. Snowfolk are +30 to Intelligence, Vitality, Psychic, and Will, so I absorb one for each for Zozma and Rei and two for Mesarthim.

Mesarthim then gets her Suzaku, ending up like this.

While we're here... might as well. I shut off the lock to the one room I haven't been to before.

stomp

stomp

STOMP

STOMP

WRAAAAARRRRRGHHHH battle time

R^2 · « **Reply #153 on:** March 15, 2013, 07:11:07 AM »

EarthDragon is a tough ol' cuss, in no small part because he blocks... most attacks. He's worse than fighting Dullahans. He also has some strong attacks, area attacks, and likes to spam his go-to move IronBall up to six times a turn.

This is made more complicated by my party being somewhat tapped out from fighting Suzaku and stuff, so we're a bit short on WP and JP. But did I mention TitasWave combos with itself?

Doesn't even hit five digits. Told you he was tough.

Rei can only TitasWave once -- her WP growth is truly abysmal -- but it turns out Cockatrice also comboes with TitasWave.

That's nice, but after this I have to go on the defensive with LifeRain and stuff, so it's the last I see of it.

By the end of the battle, everyone is out of WP and Zozma is the only one left with any JP -- but even he was resorting to casting weak-ass Saber every turn for piddling damage. Mesarthim and Rei were just shooting the damn thing with LethalGuns, while Ildon took swings with a ZeroSword. Nonetheless, we are victorious.

Our reward is a fine piece of defensive equipment and the pride of having beaten one of the game's optional superbosses.

R^2 · « **Reply #154 on:** March 15, 2013, 04:51:42 PM »

The pilot grouses a little about what a gloomy place Facinaturu is, but...

The cave is no more difficult than it was before.

Although it does feature Nightshade enemies, which are a mushroom-sprouting fungal infection that's taken over the body of an innocent rabite.

Wonder how Gina's doing.

Oh. Who, me?

Gina has been kidnapped by Orlouge's minions! Do we take the time to save her, or will we handle that after we take care of Orlouge? Polling is open!

R^2 · « **Reply #155 on:** March 16, 2013, 06:21:04 PM »

I don't know who Orlouge has operating his front gate, but clearly they're terrified enough of Asellus to comply.

Let's dick around for a while, shall we? Gina can't be in any real danger, right?

Rei: Orlouge wanting to keep these coffins is his weakness. In this respect he's no different from any other man.

As a man, I personally find my own apartment sadly lacking in coffins imprisoning my immortal slave wenches.

(Canonically, Rei shouldn't even know about the coffins. Orlouge only started the habit of entombing his mistresses after Rei escaped -- because Rei escaped.)

Next bedroom!

Zozma: Princess Lion will try to protect Orlouge. Can you really stop someone that loyal?

Can her loyalty stop a sword?

Ildon: Apparently, you've fought the Lion Princess before. She must have been toying with you before. This time things will be different.

Yes, this time there are more of us, and we're stronger.

Next bedroom!

Asellus: ...Princess White Rose... still trapped in the Labyrinth of Darkness...

R^2 · « **Reply #156 on:** March 16, 2013, 06:29:05 PM »

We head around to the back of Chateau Aiguille, where Ildon stopped us from exploring back in the game intro because we weren't ready for real combat yet.

The enemies here are wholly unremarkable, though. They're stronger than they were in the game intro, but still rather less than the guys I was using to level up in Shrike and Yorkland.

Except this guy, who is exactly as strong as he was in the intro.

Which is to say, the Giant would effortlessly mop the floor with Asellus and White Rose should they come to this area without Ildon to stop them, because he's at endgame strength.

Except for his habit of blocking attacks, he's not terribly difficult. We open the window behind him.

We restore ourselves in the glow of some crystals in a nearby cave, and...

Return to the previous room. In a vague allusion to Indiana Jones, a beam of sunlight opens the way.

The Griffin, as a flying creature, is immune to TitasWave. I have to wick away at him with other abilities since my usual strategy of building up multi-character combos doesn't work on him.

Now, I'm starting to believe in the existence of miracles.

Hah, forgot that Gina was narrating, didn't you?

Gina: Yes, I'm all right. I was trapped inside this monster. Thank you for saving me.
Asellus: Orlouge did this to you?
Gina: No, it was Rastaban. He brought me here and sealed me inside the monster.
Asellus: Why would Rastaban do this?
Ildon: I don't understand him. He's been acting weird ever since that incident with Ciato.

Oh, the part where he fought, lost, and had part of his soul drained away? Yeah, I guess that'd make me act a little weird, too.

Gina: I will wait here for you.
Ildon: Challenging Ciato, kidnapping an innocent girl. This is not like Rastaban at all. Maybe...

R^2 · « **Reply #157 on:** March 16, 2013, 06:45:52 PM »

Despite having just unlocked and opened the door, it still won't open from this side. If we want to return -- say, to that nice glowy crystal cave -- we have to teleport back via the pool of swirling petals. Of course, that's a one-way teleporter now, or we would have used it to get here in the first place.

Either because of Asellus' undeveloped power or her horror at what she'd done to him, Ciato still lives. Er, sort of. He's a bit transparent.

MOTHER 3- Mr. Batty Twist
Ciato as BatKnight gets the "super boss" theme, but he doesn't deserve it. Have the Mr. Batty Twist from Mother 3 instead.

He and his SonicBats are big fans of sonic-elemental attacks. I tend to keep everyone equipped with HarmoniumEarring accessories for their general defensive values, but a helpful side effect is that they completely null sonic attacks. Between the earrings and the shields I have equipped, BatKnight went down almost without landing a hit.

Zozma: Shameless bastard!
Asellus: Have some respect, Zozma. He's suffered his fate and we'll suffer ours.

Lion: I serve my lord and am ready to die for him. You know there is no other way!

Mother 3-Anthem of Destruction/Smashing Song of Praise
Again, Princess Lion gets boss music she doesn't deserve. Enjoy the Almost-Mecha-Lion music instead.

Single-target attacks that are blockable by shields and not having immunity to TitasWave won't get you very far, lady.

The Golden Lion is, to my knowledge, the strongest sword in the game at attack power 75. Asellus takes off the Asura she's been carrying the whole game in favor of it, passing Asura on to Ildon.

Lion was made a mistress by Orlouge, and swore loyalty to him. She met Asellus, and let her go. Back in Facinaturu, she was ready to die for Orlouge again. She's sort of a tragic figure if you consider how much she's been tossed around by the powers of the Charm Lord.

R^2 · « **Reply #158 on:** March 16, 2013, 06:57:18 PM »

Rastaban: Now's the time for you to defeat Orlouge and become ruler of Facinaturu.
Asellus: Rastaban, I know what you're after. You want me to defeat Orlouge for your own selfish ambition. I want nothing to do with your little scheme. I will fight him only for myself.
Rastaban: I had hoped we could be friends, and rule this region together. I suppose I overestimated your intelligence. It's time for me to get rid of both you and Orlouge.

SaGa Frontier - Boss Battle II
Rastaban also fights like a chump, but I'm running out of chances to post this music where it belongs.

It's PlutoArmor, the best armor set in the game. Mystics other than Mesarthim can't wear it because they have unremoveable MysticMail, and my Asellus and Mesarthim are already wearing the superior PoweredSuit. Oh well.

If you're getting the full mystic ending, Rastaban congratulates you on your progress and just hands over the armor.

Ildon: Why, Rastaban? What made you go astray?
Asellus: Ildon...
Ildon: I suppose I've got to see how it all ends...

Asellus: I'm not your daughter. I'm just Asellus even after being reborn a mystic. I'm hated by humans for being a Mystic; and mocked by Mystics for being human. But I know there's nothing wrong with me. I know this is my fate, and I accept it. That's all I wanted to say to you. I'm leaving Facinaturu for good.
Orlouge: Hold it right there. Don't you understand what you really are? Can't you feel my blood flowing in your veins? You have the power of darkness to rule the entire universe. Live, lust, and kill as you please. There is no power above you.
Asellus: I am not like you. Go ahead and do so if you wish, by yourself.
Orlouge: Perhaps I made a terrible mistake saving a worthless human life. Let me put you out of your misery.

Teleport out.

We are headed for the Half-Mystic ending, attained by either using mystic powers and saving Gina or keeping mystic powers sealed and ignoring Gina.

If you ignore your mystic abilities and save Gina, Asellus gets the Human ending. She comes to challenge Orlouge to rid herself of mystic blood once and for all, and in her victory, returns to a normal human life. The ending has the other mystics around her grave after she dies of old age, ending in a photo montage of her getting married and raising children.

If you use mystic abilities but ignore Gina, you get the Full Mystic ending. Asellus returns to Orlouge to overthrow him. She takes his throne as an even worse tyrant -- Ildon is expelled for saying as much, Zozma is hunted (again), and Gina is Asellus' first mistress. The other mistresses of Orlouge are left to sleep in their coffins forever, as Asellus the Charm Lord will have a new harem all her own! O ho ho ho ho ho ho!

R^2 · « **Reply #159 on:** March 16, 2013, 07:53:05 PM »

SaGa Frontier - Last Battle ~Asellus~ [Extended w/ DL Link]
Orlouge gets some very nice, vaguely-Baroque music for his battle. And he deserves it.

For all his lordly might, Orlouge is pretty lazy in his battle. He has the portraits behind him of his favorite three mistresses. On the left is Princess Lion, embodying fear that dominates all. The center is White Rose, embodying charm that captivates anyone. And on the right is Rei, embodying pride that bows to no one. Despite that Lion is defeated, White Rose is MIA, and Rei is on your side, they aid Orlouge in his fight against you.

Namely, Orlouge will summon a shade of one mistress per turn, and the mistress attacks you on his behalf. Rei here is fond of Tornado and Wing attacks, for instance.

Notably, Asellus does not start this battle with MysticalChange in effect -- she may be fighting to regain her own humanity, after all. But you can be damned sure with three Suzaku absorbed I take a turn to activate them.

Lions MacKenzie over there likes attacks like Supersonic and Salamander. Given that everyone is still wearing HarmoniumEarrings, she strikes no fear into my party at all.

I went through a lot of trouble to absorb all those Suzaku, and I'm gonna use 'em!

After a few turns (or adequate damage, which in this battle only takes a couple of turns), the portraits themselves begin laughing. Once per turn a portrait will power up the eidolon Orlouge summoned that turn. Lion Portrait (ahahahahaha!) grants a significant Quickness boost, Rei Portrait (hm hmm hmm hmm hmm...) gives Will, and I think White Rose (o ho ho ho ho ho!) gives Psychic. I may not have those 100% correct. After the Portrait buffs the summoned shade, it attacks as normal.

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Author Topic: Plots to Make Fun Of: Seven of 'Em! -- Let's Play Saga Frontier! (Read 38497 times)