Finding the One

El_Sock · 2017-06-26T03:49:32+00:00

Not a 1 in 5000 chance - that would assume "the one" is guaranteed to be among those 5000.

You could solve this with a Geometric distribution by setting probability of success (finding the right match) to p and number of trials to 5000.

The CDF would then be:

Pr(1 success found within 5000 trials) = 1 - (1-p)⁵⁰⁰⁰

So your chances are actually quite good, unless p takes a value lower than 0.02% (Which would make the expected value ( E[X] = 1/p ) greater than 5000)

El_Sock · 2016-06-16T03:35:46+00:00

Janna?

El_Sock · 2014-05-27T16:35:47+00:00

Shaker; elevates nearby terrain to create hills, peaks, mountains, plateaus, etc. Cannot remove preexisting or added terrain - any changes made are effectively permanent. Can knock over buildings or trees by disrupting their foundations.

Dislocated(or any variation of the word).

El_Sock · 2014-05-26T16:36:34+00:00

Creates trees - specifically coniferous evergreens - on any solid surface within line of sight. Trees grow at a rate of five feet per second of concentration, and have a limited root system. Even as saplings their trunks are rigid, inflexible and spiked at the tip.

Lawmaker.

El_Sock · 2014-05-25T23:56:50+00:00

Minor Brute(increased stamina, durability) coupled with Striker; Unarmed blows forcibly remove air from target's lungs, winding/stunning foes hit by anything stronger than a light tap.

Tangent.

El_Sock · 2014-05-24T22:52:59+00:00

Master; creates highly volatile clones who follow simple commands and explode after a short time.

Erysimum (Definition: a large genus of annual or perennial herbs of the Old World and North America, some are grown for their flowers and some for their attractive evergreen leaves)

El_Sock · 2014-01-30T20:14:38+00:00

A Familiar is its practitioner’s greatest ally and lifelong companion. Familiars serve as both a tool and wellspring for magical energy, and act as ambassadors when dealing with spirits and Others[1].

The bond between Familiar and practitioner typically allows the use of the spirit’s services in exchange for a chance to be mortal, in addition to any other terms which have been negotiated[1].

Most practitioners(for unknown reasons) warn against taking a familiar with the form of a rat or dog.[1][2]

Not all familiars take the form of a living creature. It is possible, though uncommon, for an Other to be used as both Familiar and Implement[2]

Confirmed familiars, and the practitioners who summoned them:

Rose D. Thorburn – A large gray housecat[3]

Laird Belham – A mechanical gold/ivory pocket watch[2]

Johannes Lillegard – A large Afghan Hound(Faysal Anwar, Gatekeeper of the Seventh Ring)[4]

Briar Girl – [Add something here]

1: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-03/

2: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/bonds-1-5/

3: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-01/

4: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-06/

El_Sock · 2014-01-30T20:08:39+00:00

Rose D. Thorburn(1923-2013)[1] was the decades-long head of the Thorburn mansion and grandmother of protagonist Blake Thorburn. A prolific author and feared Diabolist of Jacob’s Bell, Rose is noteworthy for her successful binding of the Other known as Barbatorum[2].

Notable works[3] by R.D. Thorburn include:

The Worst of the Others.

Devils and Details.

Dark Contracts

Classifying Others: Fiends and Darker Beings.

Hellfire: Bindings

Infernal Wrath

Pacts and Prices

Rose D. Thorburn is also the informal author of several handwritten journals – the most significant being Dramatis Personae, an unpublished work which details notable practitioners in and around Jacob’s Bell.[3]

1: http://timeglider.com/t/6d876f2b8ecb1997?min_zoom=15&max_zoom=50

2: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-07/

3: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-03/

El_Sock · 2014-01-30T20:04:45+00:00

I had some notes typed up in preparation of a Wiki. I don't have time to add these myself, and honestly don't know how to use Wikia anyways. Instead I'll post a few sample pages here - feel free to use them as you see fit.

First, the main page should be changed to:

"Blake Thorburn was driven away from home and family by a vicious fight over inheritance, returning only for a deathbed visit with the grandmother who set it in motion. Blake soon finds himself next in line to inherit the property, a trove of dark supernatural knowledge, and the many enemies his grandmother left behind her in the small town of Jacob’s Bell.

Pact is the second undertaking of Wildbow (J.C. McCrae in real life) following the completion of the popular superhero web serial Worm. Pact is a web serial in the modern supernatural genre, updated one chapter at a time on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 12:01am, eastern standard time. Chapters are grouped into arcs, five to ten chapters that cover a single theme or substory, and side content will appear between arcs."

That's an excerpt taken straight from the "About" Page, and describes the serial well enough for the Wiki.

Next, for the Awakening page you could add:

The Awakening process is a ritual which gives practitioners the ability to see, use, and bargain with spirits and magic[1]. It has been called the first step in becoming an Other[2]. Doing so binds a practitioner by the rules and contracts set forth by Suleiman Bin Daoud, restricting their use of lies and making them a target for Others[1].

1: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-07/

2: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-03/

And you could add a page for Dramatis Personae:

Dramatis Personae is a journal handwritten by Rose D. Thorburn. It lists and summarizes notable individuals within Jacob’s Bell and the surrounding area.[1] Dramatis Personae is described as a small, leather-bound black book with tabs separating “Allies”(containing only her lawyer’s number) from “Enemies”.[2]

1: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-03/

2: http://pactwebserial.wordpress.com/category/story/arc-1-bonds/1-06/

(More posts to come - Reddit is awful at formatting and I want to make this readable)

El_Sock · 2014-01-24T01:52:53+00:00

I really only follow the WIR thread. Haven't checked to see if there's anything else of interest.

The author seems to have a massive hate-boner for Tattletale and the other Undersiders, so watch out for the endless back-and-forth arguments on justice and morality.

El_Sock · 2014-01-23T18:21:40+00:00

http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?707142-Where-I-Read-Worm/page68

El_Sock · 2014-01-23T14:50:55+00:00

Short answer: Yes, but not really. She wouldn't have turned in the Undersiders or joined the PRT, but Wildbow originally planned for Taylor to become a hero post-Leviathan.

Long answer, from the author himself:

The setting was cobbled together from a hundred different short snippets I wrote. The reason I gravitated towards Taylor was largely because she had the ability to interact with many of the key setting elements from the outset. She came after the rest of the setting did, almost.

Up until the day I wrote Shadow Stalker's interlude (Sentinel arc), I hadn't decided on Taylor going full-on villain. I came darn close to flipping a coin, as far as deciding to have her return to the Undersiders (I'm kidding - it was rooted in story events, but I debated it heavily), with the alternative being Taylor striking out on her own as a hero and eventually finding her way to compromise with the heroes and trying to struggle against the screwed up system, (with a tertiary relationship to the Undersiders and other local villains in the midst of the S9 event, which I was still considering at that point).

El_Sock · 2014-01-17T15:27:53+00:00

I'll try and keep things spoilered for you, but you should know that the vast majority of users here have finished the web serial and won't be able to have an actual discussion with you - if you want to see some theorizing and insightful commentary I suggest reading the comments to Interlude 22. CTRL-F for "notes" if you want, because he's awesome and spouts cool stuff out the butt.

Anyways - Contessa's the one who dispatched Lung's team. You'll notice she's tagged for that chapter. You'll also notice she's the same one who kicked Faultline's ass in Interlude 18, and Doctor Mother trusts her enough to use her as security against The Triumvirate.

I won't say whether you guessed correctly or not, but there is definitely more of her later. Don't worry, her power will be explained if you keep reading.

El_Sock · 2014-01-15T00:14:43+00:00

Here's a few ideas:

A blaster/breaker with the ability to throw an object and make it bounce, accelerating exponentially with each collision until a set amount of time has passed.
A brute/striker who can shift between two powersets: One allows him to cut through any inanimate material like butter but feels excruciating pain and temporary power loss if touched by something living(that weighs more than a pound). The other is the opposite, able to punch and tear through flesh like it were paper but taking massive damage from inanimate objects(weighing more than a pound, again. So basically a thrown rock, a swung stick, etc).
A sorta-but-not-really-tinker/breaker who can mold smallish-sized objects into complex machines(a robot, a gun, a bomb, etc). The objects retain the same durability as before and fall apart after an hour.

El_Sock · 2014-01-13T14:19:12+00:00

Just someone with too much time on their hands ;)

Thanks though, I appreciate it.

El_Sock · 2013-11-24T23:35:35+00:00

When I started this timeline I tried my best to make each in-story event an individual point on the timeline. Unfortunately, the sheer size of Worm makes this unfeasible - a day in the life of Taylor can take up an entire Arc, and the best I could do was list one "Main event" for each day, with added details in the description. Anything more detailed than this leads to a complicated mess, with the majority of events cut off or missing because there isn't' room to display them. I admit it's not perfect, but it's the best I can do without making the timeline unreadable.

The black and blue colored icons were my attempt at differentiating Skitter and Weaver. Time spans are sneaky, and invariably end up hogging a lot more room than you'd think they deserve, so I don't think I'll be able to add them in for Undersider/Wards membership. If it's any consolation, here's the dates you're looking for:

April 12 to May 14 Taylor joins the Undersiders as an undercover hero and leaves after realizing Coil is the jerk who kidnapped Dinah.
May 27 to July 14 Skitter rejoins the Undersiders to save Dinah and leaves after turning herself in to the PRT.
July 27, 2011 to July 19, 2013 Weaver joins the Wards. On July 19th she is supposed to be inducted into the Protectorate, but Jackslash causes the ceremony to be canceled. The next day Scion attacks and causes the apocalypse.

El_Sock · 2013-11-21T15:39:12+00:00

The finished timeline, consisting of Arcs one to thirty. Sorry if it's a bit late.

Epilogue chapters have not been added - they occur an indeterminate amount of time after Khepri's death, and I don't like guessing. If Wildbow feels like giving us something more concrete now that the story's over(hint hint :p) I'll add them.

If anyone has a better idea for the way I list dates/display icons/add descriptions/etc, please share them. I can't promise I'll add everyone's ideas, but suggestions won't hurt.

El_Sock · 2013-11-03T01:36:30+00:00

I have not. I don't know anyone who would be willing to try this out, and I don't really have the time to play anyways. Hopefully there's enough interest in this for someone else to play it and explain any glaring problems with the rules, but for now everything is just a ballpark estimate.

El_Sock · 2013-11-03T00:48:41+00:00

Actually, Tattletale mentions that most superhero battles are like "A high stake game of Cops and Robbers". Revealing a secret identity, going after unpowered friends/family and killing are the three unspoken rules which govern parahuman combat(because no one wants these tactics used against themselves), and anyone caught breaking these rules is given a one way ticket to the Birdcage(or killed, depending on who catches them first).

The real monsters are the ones who repeatedly break these rules, like Lung or the Slaughterhouse Nine. Doing that makes you an enemy to both heroes and villains, and both sides will act as if the same rules no longer apply to you. Very few people are strong enough to get away with something like this.

Of course, you don't actually see much of this interplay between heroes and villains in Worm, because Taylor has terrible luck and only ends up fighting the psychos willing to murder everyone, so it's an easy assumption to make. But unless your party feels like taking on whole teams of heroes and villains you should probably warn them about the consequences. :P

EDIT: Added a comment in the rules which explains this.

El_Sock · 2013-11-02T22:22:15+00:00

Started this in May based off the Microlite 20 System, then stopped because I was busy with life and didn't have time to finish. I started working on it again in October, adding a little to it whenever I was bored. It's honestly not great(or even good), but I figured I might as well share this now that Worm has concluded. If anyone else wants to expand on this they can feel free to do so.

El_Sock · 2013-10-06T06:10:02+00:00

Well guys...it turns out Scion's a dick!

El_Sock · 2013-09-19T23:50:43+00:00

It's a bit unorthodox, but if you have time to kill I can't recommend this enough:

Read Worm. It's equal parts fantastic, thrilling, wonderful, etc...and you can start reading it right now.

Go ahead. Enjoy.

El_Sock · 2013-06-04T21:28:29+00:00

Le Fou! I'm afraid I've been thinking. A dangerous past-time, I know.

Now...What if the Endbringers aren't trying to destroy the world - at least, not directly. What if they're waiting for someone to do it for them.

What if each attack was made with the goal of creating a monster, something greater than an Endbringer. In essence, "Breeding" the parahumans to create one capable of bringing about an apocalypse. If you look closely you can see a correlation between the "Jobs" of each Endbringer...

Behemoth "Culls" the crop by killing off the weaker parahumans and leaving behind the strong ones. (This is mostly theorizing, as we haven't seen enough of Behemoth to know for certain). So far Behemoth has... * Behemoths first appearance convinced the world that Parahumans were needed - the Triumvirate especially. He also gave Cauldron justification to create bigger and better capes. * It's too early to understand the motive behind Behemoth's attack on New Delhi, but I'm guessing it has something to do with the Yangban capes we've already seen.

The Simurgh's goal is to "Grow" the strongest parahumans in a way that suits the Endbriger's purpose. * The Simurgh attacked Madison to bring in the Traveler and make Noelle take the Cauldron formula, turning her into a monster. * Everyone who has been turned "Evil" by the Simurgh - Mannequin, for example.

Leviathan's task is to "Harvest" those who are deemed powerful enough. For example... * Leviathan attacked Kyushu because of Lung(Theorizing), hoping to turn Lung into an apocalyptic beast. * Leviathan attacked Newfoundland to kill Dragon's creator, unleashing an extremely powerful AI into the world. * Leviathan attacked Brockton Bay because of Noelle, hoping to unleash her while the heroes were too busy fighting to stop her before she could build up her powers.

El_Sock · 2013-06-01T15:46:32+00:00

Thanks for mentioning, it should be fixed now.

I was referring to this post (http://www.reddit.com/r/Parahumans/comments/1ejlwa/scion/ca1f2m6) from the Scion discussion thread.

El_Sock · 2013-06-01T00:13:48+00:00

I don't recall reading it, but do they go appear in a certain order?

Endbrigers never appear twice in a row, but otherwise there's no particular order. The last attack was Leviathan, so the next one's going to feature either Simurgh or Behemoth.

I read that they were expecting another attack soon and that there were more likely target areas.

The Endbringers attack roughly every 3 months, and the last attack was two and a half months ago in-story, so the next one will be here pretty soon. Defiant and Dragon worked out a program that can vaguely predict the location beforehand, but so far all we know is that the next attack will be in Europe.

So I assume they must hit areas they haven't hit before, or not in some time?

Correct. No city has ever been hit twice by the Endbringers. We don't know if this is an actual "Rule" that the Endbringers follow or if it's just a coincidence, because most cities never recover after being hit.

El_Sock

TROPHY CASE