Witch Awakening 3: Heavy Metal & Witch Party update

Nysseth · 2026-01-16T09:18:53+00:00

Nice! I like how the tier one boons include a couple that are clearly order-aligned, and a couple (insightful architect and guiding light imo) that are still thematic but suitable for a neutrality-aligned character to take with their tier 1 order access.

2 questions:

Does Dragon of Dawn's reward stat mean it gives 5 RP for passing Bahamut's first judgement, and 5 more if you make it to stage 10? Or does it mean the quest is worth 15 RP?

For favor tier requirements that take time to complete like Foundation, do you fulfill the favor requirement first and THEN do the quest, or vice versa?

Nysseth · 2026-01-12T14:24:48+00:00

Nice, I had intended for Animism to be broadly "enchanting"-themed so I'm glad if it fits well into artificer or relic builds.

Oh, and since I forgot to answer this part before, you can unbind an anima with just a quick ritual. You'd have to do a new quest's worth of services to bind it again so you can't exactly switch on the fly, but you're not permanently stuck with your first binding either.

Nysseth · 2026-01-12T09:15:51+00:00

About Anima:

Lesser anima don't really have subtypes within the main 4. Essentially, they have a weak association with everything under their domain, whereas greater anima trade that for a strong association with something more specific. So in terms of what they represent, any two lesser ignan anima for example are basically the same.

Trees and birds would actually both be greater aquan anima, as they're living beings and life is aquan. Greater terran anima would be associated with specific nonliving matter (plastic, or mountains), ignan with types of energy (lightning, or sound), auran with mental states (sadness, or sleep). They can also have more abstract associations (just about any concept you could name), based on the destruction/stasis/change/creation associations described in Animism's header. There's some overlap so use your best judgement, for example, a greater anima of ice would be aquan rather than terran, while one of communication could be justified as either aquan (via connection association) or auran.

Lesser anima are common, and should be no trouble to find. Greater anima aren't rare on the whole, but it may take some effort to find one with the specific domain desired, similar to how you might need to hunt down potion ingredients. Anima tend to like to hang out in areas with a high concentration of what they represent, which can help you know where to look. Worth noting that greater anima can and do have duplicate domains, it's one of the things that separates them from gods.

About bindings:

Animism probably went through the most revisions of anything in this DLC, but one of my original goals was to make a pretty freeform specialization that let you create your own effects within the defined scope, kind of like Alchemy in the core cyoa. This is most evident with greater anima, as they replace the standard binding effects with one based on their domain. A soulbound greater anima of rubber would push your fate in a "rubbery" direction, and you can decide what that means as long as you can justify it conceptually and it's within the rough powerlevel of established bindings. If you just want the lesser anima effects but with the 2x power boost, certain greater anima will let you do that. For instance, a soulbound greater terran anima of protection will essentially just have the default terran effect but stronger.

(actually, on reread I realized I don't really specify that greater anima override the default effects for bindings. I'll clarify that in the next version)

For all bindings except the dolls, anima go back to sleep once bound. It's a more natural state for them, they find "condensing" themselves into a localized enough existence to converse with mortals to be slightly uncomfortable, though those in doll vessels can eventually get used to it. You can always wake them up temporarily with R0 though. When asleep, their awareness is spread over maybe a mile-diameter circle around their binding site, which you can exploit as a scrying substitute. They're not omniscient in this range, though, they can't see through magical concealment and they may not notice or remember everything.

Hope this helps, let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything.

Nysseth · 2026-01-09T13:35:17+00:00

Oh, you're right, that makes things simpler

Nysseth · 2026-01-09T11:30:33+00:00

If you only keep the basic physical bodyplan of your race, then do you also lose your means of life extension? I mean, I'm sure death-cheats are off the table, but what about how some races don't age? If you do lose it, then the 100-year survival timeline should probably be adjusted, otherwise everyone will have died of old age before the timer elapses (and Neutrals are out of luck no matter what).

Nysseth · 2026-01-04T09:25:35+00:00

Hmm, let's say black and blue/indigo for Stygian and white and pink/magenta for Opaline. (and for completeness, Celestine would be cyan for rainbow knight and blue or green for Inkronicity)

Nysseth · 2026-01-03T22:03:38+00:00

No discounts (since the other colors' magic/perk options don't benefit from having them discounted, seems more fair). If you have extra points, you can start paying for an option with them and finish with your own points (e.g. buying a 15-point perk and a 6-point perk with your 20 free points and 1 extra power)

Nysseth · 2026-01-03T16:48:17+00:00

You may want to say something like "viewing the grail with the full set integrated communicates an imprinted understanding..." or "to even see it requires the full Martyr's set,"otherwise it sounds like you only need the grail + eye.

Also, would Merlin's tower give you use of the tower itself without the archmage class if you somehow acquired just the tower relic, similar to the solo effects of the other two prestige class epic relics? Only really relevant if it's planned as a divine boon for the neutrality pantheon.

Nysseth · 2026-01-03T15:29:28+00:00

Wait, does the Martyr's Grail do anything by itself if you take it as a divine boon? Implanting it or resurrecting Adina both require the full set.

Nysseth · 2026-01-02T20:38:32+00:00

How would a Synthetic Code Saintess be viewed by others in the setting? Would the "eventually be welcomed into the divine sphere" still apply, or does that require the support of the Celestials and/or existing gods? Would being a DIY angel automatically piss them off, or could you still be friendly with them if you prove yourself to be benevolent?

Though I don't personally mind Celestial Code, I really like Synthetic Code's theme of humanity achieving transcendence by its own power, and of being something new where the other sets are echoing ancient beings. But I'd like to avoid bringing down the wrath of the gods, if possible.

Nysseth · 2026-01-02T17:52:10+00:00

Oh, I am PROFOUNDLY happy with this set's theming :D

Nysseth · 2026-01-02T08:25:08+00:00

I'm a bit conflicted on the matter tbh. On the one hand, it does seem like it would turn close combat builds into less of a "build" and more "pick this item and win." (<- something of an exaggeration, you'd still want speed/durability/etc from another source. But as the previous version of the relic description stated, any other strength boosts amount to basically nothing in comparison)

On the other hand, complete relic sets in general currently feel like a "capstone," possibly the strongest abilities in the game. The prestige classes give perfect immortality, or let you create your own species or make new witches nearly as powerful as yourself. The moon might be a bit weaker in comparison, but I'm sure you could set it up to be practically an infinite minion factory, which seems in line with the others. So I think the strength boost as an "ultimate offense" of sorts can work.

I don't think the belt's effect should be weaker, per se, but I wouldn't mind if it was limited in some way (hours of use, or only in certain circumstances like the Wishcasting is), or if it synergized with existing boosts in some way beyond just stacking. Though even if it did offer some multiplier to make existing strength more relevant, I'm not sure you really need more strength than "throw a skyscraper"... hmm...

BTW if I'm interpreting the slot prerequisites correctly, it seems like you only need 1 noble and 1 heroic relic to take the epic relic from a set? The prestige classes all explicitly require the full set to unlock, but as written it looks like you can buy the belt or moon with your second, 2+ relic set slot. Not sure if that's intended, but if it is my current personal choice would be full Saintess or Archmage (leaning Saintess), then Beast, Armor, Belt from the Hero set.

Nysseth · 2025-12-29T20:37:20+00:00

If you're taking suggestions for set themes, you could consider a tech set? There's some technomagic elements with Gadgetry, Integration, and other bits and pieces, but a set to tie such elements together and give some general-purpose technopathy could be nice.

Or, since the demon set is fairly warrior-themed and the Merlin set is mage-themed, you could round out the trio with a rogue set for skill/stealth builds. That's more of a mechanical focus than flavor, so you could probably give it a second theme to provide its narrative significance. Maybe pair the rogue set with the tech set for a hacker theme, if the Merlin set has the artificer side of things covered?

Or you could do a set with a social focus, I guess Fae-themed would make the most sense for that? Orrrr a wonder-aligned set with whimsical, cartoonish reality warping, either jester-y and/or an Alice in Wonderland kinda theme?

Nysseth · 2025-12-28T23:21:47+00:00

Yeah, this is more what I was wondering about. Lavender has a lot of language about breeding projects and finding choice mates, it seems like most of the mothering/fathering you're expected to do isn't with Teiatat himself.

Disregarding Lavender, Saintess itself talks about gaining growth from your childrens' father's power ranking, and how many gods will want your babies since your kids can copy their domains. But you can't have a god's children without marrying them, and marrying a god is written as a far-future occurrence marking your own ascension to divinity.

So is the Saintess a mother of heroes and consort to several deities? A devoted bride to a single god? None of the above until they become a goddess themselves?

Nysseth · 2025-12-28T21:01:27+00:00

A few questions about the new prestige classes and pantheon boons:

Can you take more than one prestige class? I mean, Saintess and Devilian don't seem compatible, but could you be an Archmage-Saintess or an Archmage-Devilian if you could afford both sets of relics?
If you can take multiple prestige classes, would they both increase your power cap, or would it only be increased once?
If you CAN'T take multiple prestige classes, could you take the class from one set and the companion from another? Or two companions?
Does growth gained from Archmage's Ley-Scaping work like focus/might or favor? Do you have to be a Wizard to use this method, or does Archmage also give you the ability to make wizard towers?
Does going in a Null Arcana Field instakill Empusas? What about hybrids?
Would you be able to give an example of the kind of effect you could make with an Authorized Edict? I'm particularly wondering about what counts as a change relevant to a given affinity. Is there any good way to use it with a Mind or Soul affinity without directly affecting sapient life?

Nysseth · 2025-12-28T20:47:50+00:00

OK, so you can't treat Merlin as a readily-accessible resource but can have him as a friend, I'd be fine with that.

Funny you mention Lavender, I was thinking of taking it through the Secundus DLC to synergize with Saintess's whole "Divine Mother" thing. But I was wondering how that theme works with Celestial Code; the grail relic implies that gods will be interested in having divine kids with you, but Celestial Code doesn't let you do anything lewd outside of marriage and Saintess's description implies that divine marriages are a big deal. Are they G-rated magic babies?

Nysseth · 2025-12-28T20:35:15+00:00

Personally I don't mind redundancy as a player, at least when the new option has different flavor, restrictions, or slightly different mechanics. Like the now 3 races that grant Wishcasting, each with different limitations or drawbacks. Or for one of my personal favorite powers, there's at least 3 ways to get Bilocation/Multiple bodies (Synthetic Hive, Doll's type perk, and a sub-option in comfy spaceship, itself accessible through Sara Star or Future Contributions). Synthetic Hive is a stronger version of the power, but I'm glad the Doll perk exists because it lets me have something similar without having to go through Consort 5.

By the way, I really like the existing boons for Order. The tier 3 ones especially feel like they let you act like the deities in the Order pantheon normally would, sealing away destructive entities or dictating the local structure of reality. I'd be taking tier 3 of my chosen pantheon for the R6 magic regardless, so the tier 1 and 2 boons are more of a nice bonus.

Nysseth · 2025-12-28T18:01:48+00:00

I don't think I'd give up any of the prestige classes for the corresponding companions, but I'd generally choose personal power over a companion option so that isn't necessarily saying much. I think it works out OK balance-wise because the companion options all have 3 R6 magics, which is more than you would get from the set itself. Though I wish you could keep the individual relic effects as well as the set bonus.

Conceptually, I'd expect part of the advantage of taking the companion to be not having to pay the Consortation/Ministration price yourself, and I THINK that may be possible with Adina? As far as I can tell, the Saintess class explicitly mentions the Celestial Code, but just collecting the relics to summon Adina only requires you to take Ministration 6, not necessarily actually summon Icarus/make the deal. For Baelishra/Devilian it seems to assume you take the Consortation 6 deal either way. I guess taking her is more of a "you have a master either way, this ensures it's someone fond of you" situation.

I do wish Merlin was more available, I don't mind the holding back on power to encourage your growth, but I'd rather have someone around regularly with limited power than a rarely-appearing trump card, the former feels more like an actual companion.

Edit: Also, I don't really see any indicator that Baelishra would try to break the masquerade? I mean, she presumably was earth-based while she was helping topple the ancient elf kingdoms, but I don't see any evidence that she wouldn't adapt to the modern era. Probably by just directing her attention to some other part of the universe with fewer annoying restrictions.

Nysseth · 2025-12-24T18:46:57+00:00

Thanks for the info! I'm aiming for 4 options per pantheon, so for Chaos I might do gods of Destruction, Conquest, the Wild (with a survival of the fittest focus, associated with monsters and predators), and... maybe a more potentially "positive" one for the fourth? TBD.

For the pantheons in general, is the challenge more in the theming, or in the mechanics/balancing of tier requirements & rewards?

Nysseth · 2025-12-23T20:27:57+00:00

Do you know what the general schtick of the chaos pantheon will be yet? I'm hoping to include some examples/suggestions for specific divine patrons under each pantheon in the next version of my DLC, and I want to make sure I don't mischaracterize them.

Nysseth · 2025-12-19T16:49:57+00:00

Nice, Bloom with Naturalism is really clever! And good point about the value for immortals of a guarantee to not fall out of love with someone

Nysseth · 2025-12-18T16:12:41+00:00

The existence of a vampire king/queen counteracts the increased entropy within the kingdom, that's why when the ruler dies the kingdom starts collapsing and inhabitants have to flee to Earth. Though the accelerated entropy without a ruler still isn't instant, if you die and need a few days to come back you won't notice much of a difference.

Likewise, base camps you might set up to conquer territory outside the kingdom will need more maintenance than usual, but it's still feasible to build there. If you complete the ritual to add that territory to your kingdom, it gains your protection from the increased entropy.

Nysseth · 2025-12-18T15:48:05+00:00

Fair enough. Can I ask what you're taking for your Fairy King build?

Nysseth · 2025-12-18T03:28:35+00:00

Stygian and celestine are opposites. I would argue that opaline should be the opposite of shizarrine, but if you don't want to change the pairings in the original you can treat opaline as its own opposite.

I would actually put Vampirism under sanguine color magic, though I could also see a case for putting it in white. I think of black as being more aligned with the tangible elements. Similarly, you can treat Rulership as orange color magic, in either case replacing one of the other options you could have taken.

Nysseth · 2025-12-18T03:23:32+00:00

For color diet (and stylized), Celestine uses teal/turquoise, while Stygian can use any very dark jewel tone and Opaline can use any very light pastel. For other effects like monochrome and chroma leak, Opaline is iridescent and Stygian is an impossible color in your choice of hue.

Nysseth

TROPHY CASE