Ranged Weaponry for Cultists.

[Butterrobber202]

Ok, so what I'm after is a Ranged Weaponry type thing for Narnar the Elder God's Followers.

What it is: The 'Blood Soul' Orb is a Cultist created weapon that uses the soul energy of two once-living Human Beings. One soul to support the Weapon usage of the Orb, and another soul to maintain the other soul's power. (I'd welcome a better desc )

What it will do:It will be a new rune summoned weapon, the rune requiring 2 living humans on top of it, or 4 dead human bodies. It has two modes, stun and MURDER Kill. The stun mode would fire a speedy energy blast that... well stuns them. It would keep them down for 3/4ths of the time a stunbaton hit would, and also make their speech slurred for about 3 seconds. But, for every time it fires it does 2-6 brute to the caster, also having a 1-2 second cooldown.

While in Kill mode, it would fire a slower moving blast that, when it hits does slightly more damage than a Kill Mode Energy Gun Laser shot would. The caster would take 5-9 brute and it this mode it would have a 3-3.5 second cooldown. Now, when a non-cultist picks this up it would give a message of 'The Orb suddenly sparks!' or something of that nature, and stun the would-be caster for about 4 seconds.

And finally, the melee attack, I'm split between having it explode with the force of a PDA (And destroying itself in the process) , or simply knocking the attacked person back about 3 or 4 tiles. I'd leave it up to the community.

What it would look like: Just the Wizard's Scrying Orb, just make it red-ish black-ish.

Say something if I have forgotten anything important.

[Guest Complete Garbage]

This is kewl. A better desc for the orb:

The 'Blood Soul' orb uses soul-energy from two once-living souls. One soul converts the caster's bloodforce into energy(hence the damage when using) and the other is used as both a catalyst in the reaction and a bridge into veilspace, which offers the weapon its function.

But yeah, I'd love to see this.

[Guest Menown]

I'd support this only if diona couldn't use it. This'll turn them literally into walking tanks with a ranged weapon that will recharge infinitely because they heal so damn quickly.

[Nanako]

I'd support this only if diona couldn't use it. This'll turn them literally into walking tanks with a ranged weapon that will recharge infinitely because they heal so damn quickly.

well it would make perfect sense since cult is blood magic, and diona bleed sap instead

[Butterrobber202]

I'm happy you like, but anything I missed? (Also, like that desc better Garbage.)

[Guest Menown]

I'd support this only if diona couldn't use it. This'll turn them literally into walking tanks with a ranged weapon that will recharge infinitely because they heal so damn quickly.

well it would make perfect sense since cult is blood magic, and diona bleed sap instead

 

You'd think, but both Diona and IPCs can be cultists, and admins have always allowed it.

It makes for some stupid fights because a diona can sit on a rune and constantly spawn homunculi due to the fact it heals so fast. Same for IPCs, it just requires somebody to repair it.

[Guest]

 

This was what I was thinking, for some reason.

Anyway, while I'm cool with the idea, I seriously don't think dionaea or IPCs should be able to harness this. They lack a rather critical ingredient that Nar'sie demands as sacrifice from their followers: Flesh, blood, and soul.

Dionaea and IPCs have none of those. Shouldn't be able to use this (much less even be cultists).

[Outboarduniform]

oh jesus please don't. This will give the cult better weaponry to further rape the station when they summon nar-nar and start murderboning

[Nanako]

question, since i don't play cult,

Would this do anything to slow down their path to summoning nar-sie?

personally i'd be in favour of anything that gives cultists other options besides summoning him

[Butterrobber202]

question, since i don't play cult,

Would this do anything to slow down their path to summoning nar-sie?

personally i'd be in favour of anything that gives cultists other options besides summoning him

 

It is possible, one of the reasons that I don't convert that much as cult is because I have to get into close range, which most people will instantly move area.

[Carver]

oh jesus please don't. This will give the cult better weaponry to further rape the station when they summon nar-nar and start murderboning

I'd rather the cult start killing people and be able to put up a fight than just fucking off and summoning Nar-Singularity in the library/cargo.

[Kaed]

I'm having a hard time really grasping how this is supposed to work, do you sacrifice one person to make the orb similar to the sacrifice or raise dead runes?

That confusion aside, this is sorely needed - cultists, aside from changeling, which is designed right now to be inherently non-aggressive, are the only antagonist that has no long range capabilities. The times I have seen security effortlessly kite their constructs while lasering them down, taken down by a single flashbang because they have nothing to fight back with, or fail to take someone down because the person won't obligingly hold still so you can smack them with a magical piece of paper...

[Nanako]

aside from changeling, which is designed right now to be inherently non-aggressive,

Changelings have a long ranged upgrade though, and also death sting

 

are the only antagonist that has no long range capabilities.

Don't cultists have blood boil?

Also they are, you know, still human. They can still hold guns and fire them at people. Cults seem to be drawn to the science department, i'm surprised i dont see cultists with laser cannons more often

 

The times I have seen security effortlessly kite their constructs while lasering them down, taken down by a single flashbang because they have nothing to fight back with, or fail to take someone down because the person won't obligingly hold still so you can smack them with a magical piece of paper...

 

well these cultists are being bad and not using terrain. ranged weapons aren't much good if you're around a corner and out of line of sight. I've seen plenty of security teams get slaughtered by close range ambushes

[Kaed]

aside from changeling, which is designed right now to be inherently non-aggressive,

Changelings have a long ranged upgrade though, and also death sting

 

are the only antagonist that has no long range capabilities.

Don't cultists have blood boil?

Also they are, you know, still human. They can still hold guns and fire them at people. Cults seem to be drawn to the science department, i'm surprised i dont see cultists with laser cannons more often

 

The times I have seen security effortlessly kite their constructs while lasering them down, taken down by a single flashbang because they have nothing to fight back with, or fail to take someone down because the person won't obligingly hold still so you can smack them with a magical piece of paper...

 

well these cultists are being bad and not using terrain. ranged weapons aren't much good if you're around a corner and out of line of sight. I've seen plenty of security teams get slaughtered by close range ambushes

 

Is your greatest joy in life actually trying your hardest to find reasons to disagree with people, Nanako? This isn't constructive, and it doesn't even show a clear understanding of what you are talking about. Let's go through what is wrong with your arguments here:

-The 'ranged sting' gives you a range increase of exactly ONE TILE, and relies on the person holding still long enough for you to select their name and sting them. That's a minor quality of life improvement, not a ranged attack. Furthermore, the 'death sting' just injects them with a bunch of lexorin, which due to how mobs process poison (you remember how that works right Nanako, you yourself pointed out the problems with it) is only actually dangerous if you don't ever go to medbay.

-Blood boil requires three cultists to do and can explode randomly, damaging all the cultists involved. An unreliable, stationary group spell is not a ranged attack.

-Saying someone can pick up guns is not a relevant argument. Any player can pick up a gun, and it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the antagonists inherent abilities. It is simply part of basic mob code.

-What terrain, exactly, are the constructs supposed to be using, Nanako? I am speaking of situations where the construct is in a fight in an open hallway, and the entire security force is kiting them, firing lasers, and it can't even run away fast enough to escape, especially as a Juggernaut. There is also zero non-situational special terrain in the game that protects melee aggressors while providing a restriction to long ranged attackers, it is rather the opposite way around, that is kind of the point of ranged attacks. So, unless the security officer is dumb enough to follow you into a tight maintenance shaft ant allow themselves to be surrounded, they will always win and extended fight, because they have ranged, and cultists DO NOT.

[Nanako]

whoa, chill out dood

-What terrain, exactly, are the constructs supposed to be using, Nanako? I am speaking of situations where the construct is in a fight in an open hallway, and the entire security force is kiting them, firing lasers, and it can't even run away fast enough to escape, especially as a Juggernaut.

walls, you hide around a corner so that the enemy can't see you until they get up close

alternatively, you go the other way and punch open the nearest external wall, constructs have a pretty big advantage in being unaffected by atmosphere and able to breach walls quickly and easily.

Or punch open an internal wall and make a new path around them

 

So, unless the security officer is dumb enough to follow you into a tight maintenance shaft ant allow themselves to be surrounded, they will always win and extended fight, because they have ranged, and cultists DO NOT.

 

Well the thing is, why wouldn't they follow you?

When you're cult, time is on your side. Security needs to stop you from summoning.

If you can get security to not follow, by simply ducking into a maintenance shaft, then i'd call that engagement a victory for the cultist

[Butterrobber202]

Pls stop doing this in the one of my few successful suggestions.

Anywho, to explain what I had in detail.

You'd place two hoomans on top of the rune. Then two cultists will start chanting, the two hoomans will be gibbed, and the orb would spawn ontop of the rune. After some cool text like 'Black tendrils rip out the souls of the victims and form and unholy soul orb' And then ta-da cultist blood-powered energy gun orb thingy.

[Guest]

The premise of the orb is literally Zenyatta, right?

Or is it more like Vlad from League of Lagoons?

[Butterrobber202]

Bump, still think this needs to be added and discussed a bit more.

[DatBerry]

I think a better idea would be giving constructs ranged weapons, not cultists themselves, cult can improvise crossbows/shotguns and get RnD or cargo on their side, i wish people improvised more, when was the last time you saw cargo getting the engi outpost emitter and opening some guns?

Giving the juggernaut a laser canon would be a good buff to the now almost useless in a security fight, id rather not give cult weapons that require murdering 2/4 people without even having the tributes engaged anymore, atleast constructs get to keep on playing.

[Carver]

Giving the juggernaut a laser canon would be a good buff to the now almost useless in a security fight, id rather not give cult weapons that require murdering 2/4 people without even having the tributes engaged anymore, atleast constructs get to keep on playing.

Oh God please no. They truly don't need to be able to solo the entire station with no effort.

What juggernauts/constructs need is a way to be rejuvenated/replaced after death, perhaps leaving their filled soulstone on the ground upon death so they can be brought back to refill a new shell made by an artificer. Allowing them to get back into the fight is much superior to having them able to easily take everyone else out of the fight.

[Butterrobber202]

Boop on the snot

Rise from the Graveyard Dead Post, and be commented on again.

[TrickingTrapster]

Mmmmm. Honestly, I don't think cult needs any more offense. For real, they can already practically irreversibly take manpower from the crew and add it to their own. And the fact that it's hard for the cultists to convert people to their side is usually due to the way the cult goes about its business, which is most of the time GIMME DA GREENTEXT-ish. Honestly if the cult started playing smart and RP-like rather than brute force mechanically I think they can get a lot farther.

[Nanako]

@butterrobber

You may like my most recent cult feature https://github.com/Aurorastation/Aurora.3/pull/1870

Its not a portable ranged weapon, i dont think cult should be attacking, they're more of a defensive focus. This gives territorial advantage

[DatBerry]

ghetto weapons are always an option, not that getting weapons out of cargo/science is even that hard.

a well placed convert or headgib can lead to an ID with weapon access.

despite the memes, the improvised weapons are pretty capable right now. the jamming isn't as often as it was, and you can actually fire the shotgun without it exploding, filled with lethals, they can outgun security in standard gear.

[LordFowl]

Cultists now have a ranged weapon in terms of the pylon, love it or hate it. Marking as completed.