Welcome to Game Test Prototype (DESCEND), the mechanical testing game for LIMBOQUEST 2024, a game coming soon to a Spacebattles Forums near you.

This game is run off the framework of the Children of the Thyme engine- if you don't know what that is, it's a Chaoslike, a Google Sheets based grid game system inspired by Fire Emblem. Massive massive credits to Irecreeper and Serpent for this system!

This will be a short beta- about three battles, give or take! Please concoct whichever builds you want, and enjoy the game. The IMPORTANT documents- the Battle and the Main doc, are found below.

When joining, please post a sheet containing your build. You can type out text listing everything you want in your build.. but that would suck a lot for me to implement! So please just fill out the template you can find the main doc, ok?

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If you want to do any minor roleplaying, do be aware that the limited story of this beta takes place in the altcanon continuity. It doesn't super matter much, though!

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DESCEND Main Document

DESCEND Battle Document

== TURN ZERO ==

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this simulation. Please input character data and select from available weaponry before combat initiation. A manager will be with you shortly to oversee testing.

Goals:
- Create your character.
- Enter the battle.

Some Witch in a Cool Hat pops into the simulation!

???: Bleh. Not used to this simulation stuff...
???: Oh well. Still the perfect place to test my new spells!~

The Witch spawns at (L14) and fires a minimum-power Flare Star at Trooper 4 - that's FlareStar16 for 5 MP. She retreats to (L15).

A healer of no consequence enteres the simulation at H16. Wait, he's confused in how he got here!!

???: Um hello ??
???: Oh this is the simulation huh...
??? It's almost like one of my dreams
???: Er, call me Parsnip
Parsnip: If anyone is injured, I'll be in this corner...

Parsnip focuses...and creates a Raincloud at H15 to maybe not look at Trooper 1. An Icy Whisper causes Cover to appear at G15, which Parsnip leans against for now.

Welcome. Please enter your name...
> JIMI WARFORGE
Welcome, Jimi!
Initiating inventory scan...
Scan complete! Inventory found!
Loading data...
Initiating combat simulation...

A sturdy figure, seemingly as much machine as he is dwarf, enters the simulation, one hand stroking his massive, frizzy golden beard and the other neatly resting on the gunblade at his side. Towering above his short (perhaps a head and a half shorter than the average human) frame sits a six-foot-tall artillery gun welded onto his back. As the others arrive, he takes the hand off his weapon and tips his overly decorated top hat.

???: Well met, friends! Name's Jimi!
Jimi: I was told there'd be stuff to shoot and fun to be had, and from the looks of those things trying to kill us over there, it seems I ain't been disappointed!
Jimi: If there's something ya need blown up, just holler and I'll get it done right quick!

Jimi spawns in at I15. He quickly fires off a Trench Mortar round at Sniper2, then takes a step back to I16.

Jimi: Here come the fireworks!

Blaster appears at L14, moves to N11, casts Sharp Shadow on Medic2 and teleports to N9, then casts Riposte, taunting Medic2.

"Whoa, sweet! A really advanced reality thingy!" Blaster says, energetically bobbing and dashing through the simulation.

Scope Creep the Porygon-Z... expands into existence from several separate points, as you would expect from a fourth-dimensional creature which looks like a Porygon-Z.

Trait: Justified Instability
Your HIT and CNT are halved, and when you Crit, you have a ??% chance to not. When you miss, fail to counter, or would Crit but do not, apply a random buff of power proportional to your failure to a random ally which can benefit from it. (someone with no Weapon would not receive Empowered, for instance.) The QM can also choose to activate this trait at any time.

Special: Semi-Arbitrary Code Execution
Fill condition: Trait Activation (x?), Missing(x?).
{Insert Kalis's Special from Thymium Here
If the complexity can be born, I'd modify the special slightly, to have some further abstract restriction to spell selection, a la 'either all or no spells can be prime numbered within their categories' or 'if your health is an even number, you may cast spells from the left column, else from the right'. It seems like it'd interesting to play around something like that, and it matches the vibe.}

Spells:
Thorn Patch
Weatherling
(Null Somnum, free slot)

proposed Custom: Scope Creep - ? MP
Costs an additional N MP for each turn the battle has lasted. Grants X Enlightened (or knowledgeable?), plus Y per turn the battle has lasted. something along those lines?

alternative proposed custom: Siege Spire But It's Not Earth And It's Called Tri Attack
(And doesn't have the tiles-with-HP features)

Weapons: Manaphase Catalyst(Active Weapon), Bough of Yggdrasil

Armor: Mana Squarelet (+30% Dark resist, +20% Light resist)
Sage Robes (+40% Dark resist, +20% Light resist, -20% Crushing resist)
Moonflower, Coupon (+30% Dark resist, +1 Thorn Patch)

(Some possible Custom-izations: Manaphase Catalyst becoming an offhand that augments Yggdrasil/adds Manadrain to all attacks; Coupon that meets the threshold twice even if that's otherwise impossible; Manaphase But With Reloader; replacing moonflower with some kind of bonus-action-summon-at-the-battle-start effect.)

Perks: Protowell Seeker, Grave Undertaking, Insatiable. (8 KP)

Stats:
HP: 10KP
MP: 3KP(+5+5)
STR: 0KP(+1)
AGI: 4KP
INT: 12KP (+1+1+4+4+1)
SKI: 5KP (+1)
DEF: 8KP
RES: 0KP
SPC: (+2)

Scope Creep spawns on I15 and summons a Sunscorch Weatherling to J16. (in the unlikely event the bonus-action-summon trinket possibility is chosen, Scope Creep then moves to J14, casts Thorn Patch (N13 M11 I10 F12 H12 F15), and retreats back to I15.)

A girl with a big cannon and zero sense of aim pops into the simulation.

FF: Let's go!

• Spawn G14.
• Flare centered on G8, spending +50% MP for +1 Splash.
• Proc Protowell Seeker during Regen.

A cloaked individual emerges from the shadows at I14, looking around and sighing in a very deep voice.

"Enemies? The time has come then. Pain shall be wrought."

This unusual figure is named Meios, and he doesn't seem happy to be here.

Nevertheless, Meios moves to I11 and stabs the Wireframe Soldier standing next to him, twisting his gun-blade as he does so.

"Twisting the knife makes it harder to recover. Are you prepared for the consequences of opposing me?"

...What an edgelord.

As the simulation loads, something glints in the sky. The Knight looks up, shading its eyes with its hand. Huh. Wonder what that is?

A very small thing whizzes over the Knight's head.

Scratch that. A lot of very small things.

Every character in the immediate vicinity immediately ducks for cover as the simulation is besieged by a storm of millions and millions of little pieces. The glinting Golden Ticket wafts down, buffeted by these mysterious tiny little pieces. The pieces begin to stack up, building into perfectly interlocking shapes, and before long... a man emerges.

EMERICALD: ...Oh, hello!
EMERICALD: It's a positively lovely place you have here. Charmed to meet you all!
EMERICALD: ...I'll be honest, I'm probably not supposed to be here, but it's fine. I can roll with it.
EMERICALD: Besides, this simulation is absolutely, phantasmagorically wonderful!
EMERICALD: Aside from piddly little visual glitches, anyway.
EMERICALD: Oh, but I forgot to introduce myself! Emericald McZupp, Chief Executive Officer of McZupp Corporation- you know, that consumer electronics company?
EMERICALD: Well, you might not know, I suppose. A lot has happened since the Second Godmodding War, and Minerva knows that Chancylvania- and our company- isn't the only new player on the scene. He side-eyes Meios suspiciously.
EMERICALD: Regardless!
EMERICALD: Might as well talk business while I'm here. Don't mind me!

He spawns on J15, and waves his arms around wildly before discharging a cloud of particles (a Wisp, summoned with the Familiar spell) to J13.
(As a note, the wisp has 7-7 Mana damage with Emericald's scaling, and also gets 6 SHP and Empowered7 thanks to Golden Ticket. :nanahhhh:)

EMERICALD: Anyway. Who's the highest superior here? I'd like to discuss a possible investment from McZupp Corporation.

Zalek Weber joins in on this fun.

He spawns at G15, moves to D13, and attacks Trooper 1.

There isn't an overworld uhhh... Replicated Forest

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14pU...#gid=1900600482
Sheets chosen: Monnobaki and Veldanura

In a flicker of strange ethereal purple energies, a pair of human-shaped alien arthropods appear. They have features that might be a bit odd to look at - both of them have things like a mouth made of interlocking mandibles, pale chitin-like carapaces, large bulbous compound eyes, four tendrils that reach back a short distance from around the top of their respective heads, and a set of three featherlike protrusions on each side, two of which form pseudo-earlike structures while the third is positioned a little higher up and a little further back.

...Man, written descriptions don't quite do it justice, huh...

Eh, whatever. The distinguisher between the two is that one has a brownish tinge on their mandibles and headfeather things, while the other has a reddish-pink tinge. Also their outfits are a bit different, the brown-tinged one's outfit looking more robelike while the other one has a more uniform-like apparel. Besides that, they're very similar looking. The two look around the area slowly...

"...Where has the Shroud taken us..."

"...Disgusting heretical xenos everywhere..."

What a great first impression the pink one is making, right. The brown-tinged one eyes the pink-tinged one now. They exchange a mildly standoffish look for some time, not letting anyone in on what they're thinking. Then, they speak briefly.

"Veldanura. Please try to keep your purifier tendencies under control until we're sure there's no... diplomatic ramifications. I don't want whoever these people are to have a bad first impression of our kind."

"Monnobaki. If it were anyone else asking, I would decline immediately. But... seeing as you're my sister, very well."

The standoff breaks as they survey the battlefield.

"...Actually... Those wiry red things. They look... like an issue."

"Good."

Veldanura spawns at H14, self-casts Sword Beam, then basic attacks Soldier1 by apparently coalescing a much bigger blade construct of psionic energy and slashing down at the wiry entity with it.

Meanwhile, Monnobaki sits back a little away from the fight and watches, trying to identify current company...

A large man in a stereotypical mob uniform lands on L14, followed shortly after by a much smaller man in another stereotypical mob uniform.

"Uh, why we doin' this again?" asks the larger man.

The smaller mobster sighs. "Cuz, Slim, if we gonna be the best henchmen, we need to be good fighters, see?"

Slim looks around the simulation for a minute. "Ya sure it's a good idea, Chunk?"

"Nyeah," Chunk lies, "now let me on ya!" Slim picks up Chunk and plops him on his shoulders.

Slim n' Chunk join the fight!

Slim n' Chunk spawn in on L14, move to N14, then basic attack Trooper 4!

A search bar blinks on... anybody using K14? Seems empty. Other than the search bar. Blinking. Blinking...

Somewhere, keys clatter like church bells. Words appear on the search bar. "What is the meaning of life?" They rest there, still blinking, like a quiet snore.

Then, furious clicking. The words are killed one by one. In their wake, a new question is born. "Who is the God we serve?"

The question is searing. Like, not literally. Metaphorically. Er- theoretically, maybe. I dunno. I don't believe in that sort of-

A keyboard smash. [ENTER]. The bar disappears, and a little wheel spins in place, blue waves crashing around the orbit of its ring. A ring like a promise. A ring like a halo. A ring like GOD.

The top of the web page loads, and six letters blaze into creation. They are a rainbow of red and green, yellow and blue. A work of art that could only be forged by GOD.

GOOGLE

The words float in the air for just a moment, before a thin hand reaches up, grabbing the edge of the window. The Heavenly sign disappears as a man shoves himself out of the window. He falls flat, face first on the ground. And by flat, I mean very flat. Practically 2-D!

Groaning, this weirdo gets to his feet, giving everyone a better view of his perfectly cut but oddly flat features. Like, seriously. Perfect skin. Great hair. No nose... Okay, the nose thing is a bit unsettling. But otherwise! He is a thing of BEAUTY.

"I look like a stick figure." ...His voice is not nearly as appealing as his visage. "Shut up."

The rando looks around, noticing that he's not alone. "Great," he grumbles. "Now they'll think I'm insane before I invite even them into the cult!" He sighs. "Lord Chrome, I have failed you once more."

Anyways, since he isn't introducing himself, this fellow's name is Percy Dot Guv. Rogue NPC something or other. "I'm not an NPC." Sure he's not! "And my name is Percy!" I already told them that. "GOSH DARN IT!"

Anyways, Percy takes a look at his surroundings. "Wires. The bane of my Lord's Cloud-based existence." I mean, wasn't He born from wires? "He has ascended beyond such deviltry." Ookay.

Spawning on K14, Percy lifts his Mithril Aegis- "The Chrome Lord rules through all the Age-is." -and marches over to J11.

I see we're speed running killing ourselves again. "I will die in His name." Is this going to be your entire personality? "Maybe."

He thrusts his shield forward, and a wave of pop-ups- like BUY NOW! -tries to smack Soldier 2 with a basic attack. That Range, though.

At the same time, a random web-Page spawns on J12. It floats there, menacingly.

So... what's this cult of yours even called. "The Church of the Chrome Lord." Right... "We're always accepting new members! All you need is a laptop and the resolve to email your soul to TheLordAndSavior@gm-" I'm gonna stop you right there.

== TURN ONE ==

All characters posted have been implemented, along with Character Readouts. The Battle will be updated shortly-ish.


If you wish to join the game, please refrain from doing so until this post has been edited to mention the completion of the battle turn, and the lifting of this restriction.

BATTLEDOP done. Some good progress! Practically the entire party remains unharmed, so far..

Meios looks around, seemingly dazed.

"...well, it looks like there are a few more of you than I expected..."

Then, without warning, Meios's body flicks itself into a battle-ready position, and his eyes glow blood-red.

"C̶̢͐Ä̴͙́R̷̠̽N̵͓̑Ã̵͎Ǎ̴̩A̴̠͝A̵̱͗A̴̬̎Â̸̡Ā̴̬A̶͕̾A̴̮̚Ä̸͍́A̸͇͌A̵̼̔Ḁ̸͐Ā̶͉A̴̟̿Ạ̶͝G̴̡͛Ē̶̹"

Meios screeches, and the screech turns the area around him to static - a flicker can be seen within, before everything freezes -

And then Meios is at J6, slouching like he usually does, seemingly not even winded, a trail of blood in his wake despite the wireframes (presumably) not bleeding.

...What an edgelord.


Orders for the turn -

Meios moves to J10, then casts Whirling Blades, moving to K10, then J9, then J8, then K7, then J6, hitting two Troopers, the Knight, and a Sniper as he does.

Meios's Special is toggled ON.

The Witch smirks.

???: Wow. That was pathetic.
???: Anyway, your turn, big guy! Let's see... ah, this'll do!

She fires a Ceasefire at the Knight. This should stop them from Basic Attacking.

Scope Creep's head spins around wildly like a gyroscope for several seconds before fixating directly towards the perspective from which "Administrator" is watching from.


It then lurches to N14(Swift2 thanks to Protowell), its tail clipping into the O14 corpse, and flickers back to M14(slingshotting the corpse to L13 where it gets caught in a tree. This is a Grave-Undertaking Free Action Drag) where it pirouettes wildly, sheering branches and thorns off the adjacent forest tile and launching them into unstable and jittery collections of floral geometry(Thorn Patches) on L10, I10, P15, P12, M11 and M15, increased by 2 Buff Levels due to Insatiable. As the spin slows down, it wobbles slightly off-center(retreats) to L15 and throws a Throwing Knife in the general direction of the Rainling (probably missing, otherwise doing 1 damage), potentially proccing its trait.

Meanwhile, the Sunscorch Weatherling moves to I12, throws a knife at Trooper2 if it's alive, and fire-attacks Trooper 3 to death.

The Rainling moves first, flying over to F12, where it spews some Nourishing Waters over Zelak

Parsnip considers his options as he moves to where the Rainling was (H15)

Parsnip: I'll try my best...

He casts Wild Wind as a Bonus Action via Breath of the Wild, spending only 16MP to give him a big boost to his Dodge. As well as the Heal on Dodge effect. (As a reminder, it should be Evasive8+20 Dodge)

The cold chill of ParsnipIce heals Firefly for 5 HP and 5 MP...

Parsnip: Um, I have no idea how this actually works but...
Parsnip: How's this ??

He readies Nanostorm at plus 2 Buff Levels instead of the 20% cost reduction, and than tries to cast it at K10. If it suceeds, he would likely take some scratch damage, but he should be able to deal some serious damage in exchange.

Parsnip: Phew...um, I'll take the next while to rest alright...

He slumps against his own Ice cover which restores to him 5HP and MP

Percy blinks. "Did something just shoot me?" I wouldn't take it too personally. "The One of a Hundred Zeroes teaches us 'Ice Cream Near Me.'" ...Sounds legit.

Percy looks around. "Hm... the heretics remain." Did you think they would just disappear? "God wields the mighty 'Close Button.' I have seen Him wipe entire civilizations with a single click." Mhm... "What is God's purpose in sending me here?" Depends, did He send you by Gmail or-

Percy trudges forward a square to K10. A pop-up window appears in his face. "Sticky Keys."

"BLASTED!" I think that's someone else. Blaster. "I SWEAR TO THE LORD I'M NOT ON SHIFT!" Oh. My fault. I'm too lazy to click AllCaps. "And for that, you are unenlightened."

Percy waves away the "Sticky Keys" window and advances to L9. Because sure. Stand right up against the Elite guy. New dying speedrun, guys!

"These fiends must be CONVERTED!"

Percy waves his magic book around, shaking paper out it like a mad man. I'm starting to think he doesn't know how to read.

Pages fall out, swaying downward, before minimizing, folding up into little paper airplanes. Five of them flutter out, before shooting toward the Knight, Sniper 2, Sniper 3, Soldier 2, and Medic 1. They quickly reach their targets, then burst! The pages expand into many, forming thick walls of spam mail around the targets!

"SLOW!" Percy shouts, spending 10 MP to cast Slow on Knight, Sniper2, Sniper3, Soldier2, and Medic1, using Offense to taunt the Knight and Sniper2. The mail for them is just disrespectful. "Your God is weak." "Bow down to the Great G." "Yahoo is TRASH." Such a hater. Couldn't even bother to write messages for the others. Just blank mail getting in their way.

By the way, it really says something about "your God" that He can produce so much spam mail at once. You'd think He would have better filters. "SILENCE!"

Meanwhile, the Page (right, need to pick that perk next time. Whoops.) flies to J10 and tries to hit the Knight with a scam pop-up! It dies by Parry, granted, but it dies menacingly! [Refuses to Elaborate]