Q & A Collection (Updated 10/2/14)

Q & A Collected

My apolgies, this is kind of a huge mess. My email can be reached at remxqm at gmail, or you can tweet things you would like an answer too, and they'll be added to this as I clean it up.



Q: Will the Harpy and Moth be other families we'll be meeting in the forest we live in?

A: Yes. Both species trend on the 'Friendly' side of the monster spectrum. Harpies and Moths steer clear of webs, and spiders don't have to worry about the moth's dust or the harpy's talons.

Q: So we were content in our previous life, life? Any special hobbies or skill sets we had? Or will they be determined via in-game choices?
From watching our sisters, is Sara socializing with the others or does she stay by herself?

A: The characters main advantage is legal metagaming. You've got a short lifetimes worth of a variety of knowledge. Feel free to blatantly abuse wikipedia for crazy spider abilities.
Sara was the first one to laugh and clap. She was trying to knit something with your other sisters, but wound up with an ignored handful of webbing when she topped to watch you.
And yes, you were content with your previous life. You didn't aim very high, but you were happy with what you had.

Q: It probably doesn't need to be said, but just because our XP gain is tied to high dice rolls doesn't mean we should look for way to get bonuses, like engineering better traps and learning to use weapons or magic.
In fact, we should find ways of mitigating the damage done by failures since advancement can only be accomplished through risk.

A: To clarify. XP accumulates alongside accomplishments. High rolls might improve your skills, and will certainly win fights, but cheating, puzzling your way to an easier victory is just as effective, and will definitely grant bonuses.

Q: How does Mama and the Harpy mother know each other? Old adventuring colleges?
I doubt this will come up in the story, at least not in a detailed way.

A: Tradition, mostly. What you were going through today is something they went through as children, and their mother went through as children, and so on. It stretches back to when the ruins stood tall, and all the monsters of the forest sat at the table.

Q: Oh. That makes a bit more sense.
I'd hate to spend our entire lives in this forest. Btw, how long ago was their childhood? A few months ago?
This whole thing is reminding me of the Ray Bradbury story "Frost and Fire"

A: Mama spider left the forest, and came back to have kids. Monsterkind tend to best fit into specific habitats- as they grow and evolve they can easily adapt to new ones, but for children it's best to raise them at home. Arachne are fairly long lived. She was from grandma's 3rd set of babies, and Grandma died at 110. Mom is ~30, and a few of her older sisters live in other parts of the woods. It takes a lot of food to fill a giant spider, so there has to be a certain distance between nests.
RE:Long Lived - Grandma did not die of natural causes.

Q: What dastardly creature offed grandma!?

A: Mom doesn't know, she was out adventuring beyond the forest.
Un-evolved arachne are nowhere near the most dangerous creatures in the woods.

Q: Does it matter how/where we keep Jin's feather?

A: Sure. How you keep the feather and if you display it show certain things in return. Degrees of respect, admiration in return.

Q: What, exactly, do we live in? Like what's our nest like?

A: The nest is a wide platform all around the tree, with a bit of a lip at the edge, and a kind of half roof in places above it. Arachne tend not to be bothered overly much by the weather.

Q: We learned our language instinctually, because it seems to be partly a genetic memory.
Does this also include a written language?

A: You've got a working knowledge of spider language, which lacks a written form, and forest language, which has one.
Coincidentally, Both mom and Jin's odd speech patterns are a direct result of the languages they used growing up - Your lack of a pattern is because mom spoke forest language to you as a baby, Jin's and her own is because their parents use the racial language at home.

Q: As for questions, uh, hmm. What actually WAS on the inside of that wolf? Did we find out?

A: You ate the wolf with your siblings. None of you suffered any electrocutions - Your best guess would be magic.
The fact of the matter is that some types of monsters, and some evolutions gain elemental abilities. They're not actually magic, just a kind of elemental control and generation.

Q: As for questions, well, I don't have many. Perhaps if elle can make any water tight containers with her weaving. A layer of sticky stuff somewhere in there might help with that.

A: It takes a bit of work, but even you can plaster over weaving to waterproof it.

Q: If wonder if we'll get a size differential between us and them.

A: The brother's and sara are about the same height. Elle is a bit taller, and you and Aria are larger than any of them.

Q: Oh, can we ask mom if the lizards were ever a part of the Monster Civilization that we were a part of?
I don't regret killing the ones that attacked us, but I don't want to go hunting them and farming the rivermetal from them if we could just negotiate for it.

A: Before you work your way into an 'Oh God I'm a murder' frenzy, Ill clarify.
The water lizards are largely feral- They were one of the first to leave the council. Their decision to do so was based on the fact that co-existance was the main goal, specifically that all the races would agree to limit breeding, and each would have their space within the forest.
Their domain edges up against the arachnes, and once they had abandoned the pact they tried to make inroads into seizing the spiders' territory.
It went about as well for them as this fight did. Most of their leadership died in the war - They wound up losing what little culture they had, barely hanging on to the knowledge of rivermetal, and their old strategies for hunting.The attack on you was half opportunity, and half grudge. They're so far gone they don't remember why, but they still hate spiders. And a few half grown spiders at night, they thought it'd be easy. The group in the water were ambushers.
The elements are fairly sentient- when sara said she 'asked for their help' she meant it literally. They wouldn't tolerate anything trying to live in their clearing.

Q: Hey is SpiderMama an evolved monster?

A: Spidermom left the forest at a young age- She's a second tier monster, ironically a widow arachne.
For people who haven't read the source material- Because this is completely meta, and you really don't have to read it- monsters set their growth rate as children. Most arachnes don't leave the forest, and don't hunt anything beyond their abilities; so they never evolve, or it takes them decades to do so, because of their status as higher tier monsters.
Lower tier monsters evolve faster, but would need more evolutions to reach your level. A goblin would be basically unable to hurt you, and hobgoblins would need to be armed and experienced to actually kill you. An ogre would turn you into a smear, though most arachne would use their abilities to flee rather than fight.
For those interested Harpies and Moths were both a step down from arachne. You would have started weaker, but probably have evolved by now with the way things have played out.

Q: >http://pastebin.com/F5RxgbPX
>one more ability left to unlock
Are those our innate spider powers?

A: Some are innate, some are learned. Theyre the things you can do or have naturally, without training.

Q: So the faster we get XP as kids, that increased XP gain rate stays with us through adulthood?

A: Exactly. There's still the issue of diminishing returns as you go up though- you could wade through a hundred gnomes at this point without leveling even once, and it'll get worse as you evolve. Training is still highly effective, but it'll never push you over to evolve.
Diminishing returns might have been a bad phrase- its just that if something is effortless, it's not going to give much in the way of exp. Rolling so well it seems effortless won't change it at all- Exp will be something dropped via encounter, with bonuses for awesome stuff, doing something impressive, etc.
Your growth rate is pretty much top tier already- Mom has seen to that.

UPDATE

Q: What differences are you taking with source material?

A: I stripped away all the characters and plot, and set it in my own corner of the world. Admiral Turbo-Sue Von Not-Appearing-In-This-Quest will not be showing up.
Aside from that, I've stuffed it full of monstergirls/boys, written up my own history, and I suppose it would be easiest to assume it's set in a different time period- The novels weren't translated far enough, but humans and monsters don't get along in the LN.

Q: Was Sheszka always going to be from the Queen's former pack or was it a spur of the moment thing for hilarity/embarrassment?

A: Mostly spur of the moment- I had decided beforehand that the packs had been under control of other monsters during the era of the city, and when it came up I realized I could use it to justify Sheszka's knowledge of arachne. So I ran with it, and spent the thread making queen jokes.

Q: OH! Does enchanting require internal mana manipulation or is it possible for mundanes to make magic items? Or is it one of those 'not necessary to learn but needed to master' kind of deals?

A: Enchanting requires magic, and is partially separate from combat magic- Mages aren't the best at it. Enchanter is a class. You could learn a bit of enchanting, but you'd need someone to provide mana to finish the job.

Q: Alternatively, if the charge speed is "a couple spells/day" and the capacity is say "about 2 days charge" then multiple batteries could mitigate the problem of slow charge speed. In this case 3 batteries would be sufficient to have a fully charged one each day. While the other 2 remain home. Viable?

A: It would certainly work- it just becomes a question of whether its worth it to you. You've got 2 mages nearby, or semi-nearby. Will you sacrifice spell slots for complete independence?

Q: Hmmm. Does size factor into charging speed? Like a large totem or carved rock that collects mana and a smaller portable item you attach/slot into it to recharge it. Basically a dedicated "charger station" for our mobile batteries?

A: I'd say a certain amount of space is needed for the enchantment, but other than that it's a matter of quality.
Having a battery charger sounds interesting. I'll give it some thought.

Q: So how does Mom's spear retain charge? Mana absorbent material/crystal or runic array? Could we make use of these same mechanics to create a enchanted item that basically collects and stores mana, without a programmed effect, just a metaphorical release valve to syphon for our use?

A: Mom's spear has a crystal woven into its centre. Dad started theorizing something for you to use when you asked him about it- It's possible to make something that would charge itself, but it would be comparable to Mom's spear- a low rank magical item, probably only capable of charging a few spells a day. An item to just hold mana could potentially hold more, but would need a mage to charge it.

Q: What about magical items? Do they have a finite supply or are powered by it's user? Bound spirits or some sort of ambient mana collector inside?

A: All of the above! Some use the same sort of spirit stones you have in your shield- the effect can go from weak to ridiculous, depending on the stone quality, and won't run out of juice.
Mom's spear charges itself with ambient mana- Higher ranked weapons can do it faster and more efficiently, to the point where it would be possible to spam the ability.
And finally, some mage-type magical items are basically inscribed with a powerful spell- usually something the caster couldn't use- The item stabilizes the mana flow, allowing them to use the spell without it detonating in their face.

Q: Does magical energy have momentum? Like if we took raw mana and made it spin while in the shape of a disc would it keep doing it or would it stop the moment we didn't keep pushing it to do it? Or is spell casting basically making diagrams and anything else goes *boom*?

A: It would just stop. Spell casting is fairly involved, and time consuming- They're compared to artillery in the books. A spell can cause a phenomenal amount of damage, over a wide range- but it takes time to cast.
Mana doesn't become active till you're actually casting- it's why you can hold condensed mana without any negative effects aside from a headache. All the miscasts and explosions have happened with casting.


Q: What's our siblings opinions on our parents? I mean, it's obvious Aria idolises Mom and Sara thinks Dad's the best, but what about Zach, Ephram and Elle?

A: Zach and Ephram are glad there's another guy around- They're a little bit wary of the girls, because they're all either stronger or larger. Elle thinks they're both pretty awesome, but doesn't see the draw in exploring.

Q: "Ushi-oni", you say? What about Jorougumo-esque evolutions?

A: Jorougumo would be a focus on webs and magic- It's a possible evolution, but not one Lyra would likely hit.

Q: "Spiders can't fly" B-b-but REQM, spiders can fly! (Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballooning_(spider) ). Do you mean we will never get an Aria airdrop reinforcement via Elle-made parachutes?

A: I think this came up in the species bin, actually. Forest spiders are too big for ballooning, but some of the mountain ones can. If you want to take to the skies, You'll need something more than a thermal draft and a dream. Find your crew, Lyra. Build your ship. Don't let your dreams of sky piracy fall to the wayside, anchored by your oversized spiderbutt.


Q: How far out there do arachne evolutions get? Goblin evolutions apparantly include ogres and vampires, so...

A: Vampiric Arachne are a thing. Lord-type evolutions are a thing. You might gain limited shapeshifting, or turn into something like an ushi-oni, trailing curses till you can seal yourself. The sky is the limit!
(the actual limit is things you can climb on. Spiders can't fly. If they could, nothing would be safe.)


Q: Does Dad or Mom have any explanation for our frankly, insane evolution rate? Is it a sign of the Apocalypse/Rise of the Monsters?

A: Dad's knowledge of monsters is mostly limited to two categories 'things my wife likes;' and 'which monsters I need to use fire on, and which I need to use lightning on'. Mom is confused, which is why she was asking around. Its just an effect of you pushing yourself so hard as a child, and setting your exp rate high as hell, and your siblings following suit.
Monster kids are instinct focused, usually. This means that they don't pick fights with bigger creatures, they don't push themselves- They hunt, eat and sleep. They stick to their own territory, so most take years to evolve.


Q: The pastebin update seems to suggest Erics' ditzyness and poor time-keeping are common amongst elves in this setting. Is Lyra's tendency to daydream about how things would seem to someone from our world the influence of her elven heritage?

A: It's probably a part of it, but the other half is her reincarnation. Monster children end to be very instinct focused while they develop.
As for Erics, he's not as bad off as many elves in setting, but he's still afraid of it- Lyra being an adult was a real fear of his.

Q: What would happen if we evolved before our mother? Would our mother still be able to beat the shit out of us?

A: It would be the first time in the quest that it came down to basically even rolls. You've seen her stats- she's skilled, and armed to the teeth with magical bullshit. But your upcoming evolutions are not the basic arachne to widow arachne, and will involve more than just getting bigger and stronger.

Q: Do you have something special planed for when we eventually roll badly for combat?

A: Not really. A single roll won't bring the quest crashing down. An actual injury for once, maybe.

Q: So what are the non-monstrous races other than humans and elves?

A: Dwarves, halflings. Halflings stick to the sunny parts of the world, though you can find dwarves anywhere there's business, fighting, or fighting business.


Q: Will Mothkin play a larger role in the quest? I'm sure you've thought out some plothooks and whatnot for them (because they were one of the starting options). Also, will you expand the racial info tree, even without Lyra meeting those races?

A: They're not likely to go adventuring or leave the forest, but getting them to open up to trade and get closer to the other species is definitely possible. As for the other, I'm still populating the forest, especially the other races of the city. I don't want too many beast-type races, as it seems lazy

Q: Will you reveal the name of these variants before the rank up?

A: Maybe not the variants themselves, but I'll expand the evolution chart so people can get see what kind of changes you'll be looking at. At the least, I'll drop some hints towards the requirements.

Q: What happens if we reach an evolution without a variant?

A: The dream voice happens again, offering a rank up, but without a variant. It asks yes or no, and its up to players if they want to stay a widow arachne and try to complete requirements, or if they want to just rank up without them. You'd be red, and would maintain your current blessing, you just wouldn't get anything extra.
The next set of evolutions do involve a larger physical change, though.

Q: Is the plan to evolve one more time before we set out on our adventure?

A: It's up in the air, in more ways than one- Lyra is currently sitting at about half completion for 3 separate variants. I fully expect that if players reach evolution without one, they'll reject it.


UPDATE



Q: Yikes. Approximately how long ago did this imperial implosion happen? Are we talking centuries or millennia here?

A: Centuries. About 6 and a half-ish. Long enough for the artificial hatred of monsters to fade, mostly into a tolerable sort of fear. Border towns are better, and the trade cities have it basically kept in check- They're nervous about monsters, but they want goods and money, so...
The human superiority church was driven back into the original city, where it still festers. People quite easily understood that ranting about slaughtering the worthless subhumans would mean that none of them would ever come to town- so they applied that quiet pressure of no money, and no attendance.

Q: So... you're saying that the capital city is a ruin. Possibly filled with trapped vaults, monsters that moved in, and enraged spirits of the Emperor's loyal servants. ... I think Lyra has a perfect destination for when she wants to hit the big leagues of adventuring.

A: It's certainly be dangerous, but lootwise it's pretty much empty. It wasn't the traumatic destruction of the forest, or the deliberate burial of a dungeon. People left, taking their families and belongings with them, til there as nothing but stone remaining.

Q: Regarding the fall of humanity. Holy crap that sounds like a fluster-cluck of epic proportions. It's almost like everything lined up to tear the human civilization apart afterwards. Are dynastic curses a thing in this world? Like "For the sin of genocide may all you built crumble before your eyes."?

A: Eh. The empire was essentially formed by strong-arming local lords- people who had lived side by side with the monsters for generations, and turning them on their neighbours. Human supremacy was imported from the other side of the world, where the humans had wound up settling near a few weaker monster types. They easily dominated them, and, using the fact that they could expand freely in their area, massively outgrew the other cities/townships/etc. Then they decided that, as the 'strongest' human settlement, they were of course divinely blessed and meant to rule.
So they ran around, kicked dirt in everyone's face, at which point they ran into a variety of problems.
1- Humans are short lived, and weak to boot (sans classes, of course)
2- Monsters elsewhere in the world ARE NOT.
So the empire went up against the forest, before it had settled on the plains and built the capital. And when the 'expeditionary force' went up against the forest, they got slapped down, exceedingly hard. SO they limped back to the plains, declared themselves the rulers of all humans, etc- at this point, they were so large the economic pressure they could bring against townships forced everyone under their umbrella.
People generally didn't give a fuck about monsters, outside of the ones who'd kill people- but after a few generations of the church of human supremacy, and the empires rulings preventing trade and contact, outside of the scattered sort you get in the borders, people who'd gone under the empire's banner were more willing to listen, and, being the sort who would never forget a black mark against his divine bloodline, the emperor declared a crusade against the forest, and the rest is history.
There's a pile of other crap going on as well- Your standard aristocrat level corruption, the trade bans keeping a great deal of people poor, the empire neglecting cities it didn't found, and so on. but that about covers it.
Now to answer your actual question, Fate curses of that sort require bringing gods into the equation, and are excessively rare. Being 'policed' by gods, though, means that penitence is possible to lift the curse.

Q: Was it only the monster races that hit a "dark age" of civilization (not like they completely regressed aside from a few groups such as the lizardmen and the packs), or did humans/elves/dwarves also end up having a collapse of their own?

A: Elves didn't get involved. As far as they were concerned, monsters have always been around, and always will be- and for a race as short-lived as humans, trying to 'tame' them was a fools errand. There was some gloating, and then they went back to doing whatever it is that elves do.
Dwarves didn't have a dark age, though their relations with the humans took a huge hit- The humans wanted to hire what essentially amounted to 'all the dwarven mercenaries', and dwarves took one look at their plans and said No, then slammed the door in their face.
Halflings wound up even more spread out than they were- When the army marched, it picked up 'volunteers' as it passed, acquired necessary rations and taxes, etc. When the halflings couldn't or wouldn't cooperate, they were driven out. Nearing two weeks into the march, every halfling town they passed through had been abandoned.
Human civilization fell to its component pieces, from a centralized ruler to barely cooperating lords- The key part is that when the army fell, the lords who had opposed the plan withdrew from the empire, while the rest tore it apart with infighting, coups made from whatever soldiers they'd held back- which would then fall apart as the citizenry accused the new lord of holding back men just for this purpose. By the end of the year, the empire's capital was a ghost town, more than half the lords had died, and noone was willing to put any faith in them anymore, from the peasantry to merchants, meaning they only held a limited military power.
The capital city, without a government to control it, or money to pay people to take care of it, fell apart. The ruins still stand at the centre of the plains halfway across the world.

Q: Will Zach and Ephram eventually evolve into Jumping Spiders? The way they chase down/pounce upon their prey rather than net trapping makes it seem like a likely path but it might be from a different spider genus altogether, like the fliers.

A: Jumping spiders and wolf spiders are both likely, though it wouldn't happen for years.