ReaperofInterest, post: 81546508, member: 309377 Wrote:

Interesting. Well, continuing on the vein of summoning questions, is there any meaningful difference between making a contract, and just trying to call up something to see if you can? Basically, trying to summon something you're willing to actually make a contract with, as compared to seeing if you can summon...I dunno, a dragon, or angel, or some other awesome thing just to see if you can actually do so?

Alright, so to begin, the key component of the [Contract] aspect of most of these summons is that the summoner and the summoned must come to an agreement or understanding of some kind, from which the Nexus will complete the binding part of the ritual thus connecting the summoner's spell system to the summons (if possible) and leaving behind an extremely advanced/complicated/compacted mark. With this mark and/or bond in place it becomes easier for the Nexus to accelerate the summoning process allowing the summoner to more easily summon their partner(s) rather than setting up an entire ritual every single time.

(Fun Fact: The summoning catalysts actually exploit this process by creating a conceptual bond in place of a mark, to reduce the costs of the base summoning significantly. (I.E. it would've cost about 40-80 PMP to summon Wolf in the Huntsman's Quest without a catalyst.))

Now if you just summon something to see if you can without establishing a contract, then none of the above happens. You can still summon the creature (even use a catalyst to make it easier) but it won't offer any perks or make future summons easier. Additionally, if you don't have a good reason for summoning then whatever you summon might be less than thrilled to have been summoned. (Note: Since there's some give and take in contracts it's become widely accepted as a decent reason since it's usually a long term deal.)

In which case they might try to slip their safety bindings and attack their summoner if they see a justifiable reason for it. (Be it pride, hunger, plots etc.) At which point they'd be free to do whatever they please on the world they've been summoned to.

(Fun Fact 1: Usually stronger beings will respect safety bindings, even if they're worthless in actually stopping them so as to be polite for negotiation purposes when forming a contract. (Though this won't stop them if you insult them enough.))

(Fun Fact 2: Screwed up curiosity/ power hungry summonings are actually one of the more common things Hunters are called in to deal with, if a person doesn't want to get into legal trouble with Sanctuary. (As seen in the first chapter of the anthology's The Flamebound episode.))

ReaperofInterest, post: 81546508, member: 309377 Wrote:

For that matter, is it possible to summon something to do something for you without making a contract?

Despite the fact that some entities dislike being summoned without a good reason, there are actually a number of creatures that you can summon without forming a contract that will still work for you. (Unless another magic user offers them a better gig.) This is two fold in summon-able mercenaries who won't take up contracting space but will cost you extra magic in payment to them to summon, and in animals who you can't actually control but if you know how they'll behave you can make them work for you with standard summoning costs. (Throwing a hungry predator at someone and running is a classic summoner tactic.)

(Note: People who can summon without contract or rituals are either really good at summoning, or have enough magic to overcharge the spell, allowing them to cast the entire thing in their head rather than do the entire summoning ritual.)

Lastly, there is a weird half-no, half-yes, exception to this question with traits similar to [Swarm Summons] and [Pack Summons] in which you contract to a specific creature and then can summon additional members of it's species at a cheaper cost. Those mercenary species have a similar thing that is closer to an exclusivity contract, where their band is the only one you summon and in exchange you get priority summoning and cheaper rates.

rush99999, post: 81606265, member: 380992 Wrote:

Does a Flufflepuff's [Mystic Indestructibility] also protect it from the effects of old age?

Yes, and no, in the fact that they still technically age but even then they're surprisingly spry for the vast majority of their life span, making it difficult to tell how old a flufflepuff is. That said, the common man knows that some flufflepuffs will grow a long grey beard and/or eyebrows as they get older, while the flufflepuff expert will be able to tell you how old they are based on their fur's soft fluff to shaggy fluff ratio. (It never drops below 50% soft fluff.)

rush99999, post: 81609532, member: 380992 Wrote:

How long is a flufflepuff's life span?

200-300 years, depending on how Anima rich their environment is, though there are legends of them living up to a thousand years, and in this world who knows. (Memento, Memento knows, he's just not telling.)

rush99999, post: 81891587, member: 380992 Wrote:

So other than being 'the world's number one superhero' who is this guy? Also why did Jericho come to the conclusion that he'd stolen from this guy because there was more money in the bank than there usually was?

Super strength, indestructible skin, flight, lasers, etc. (Every hero universe has one of these guys, and this one is on the meaner end of the spectrum.)

Jericho has a sever case of crouching moron, hidden badass and has actually done a fair bit of research about the bank, bank robberies, the local criminals, and etc. Meaning he knew they had an excess flow of money today and only today (possibly the tomorrow and yesterday too but whatever) because of a large cash deal and so he planned his heist for that day... and so did the other guys. The other robbers however were not aware of who they were stealing from. (Unlike Jericho who is just mad enough to still rob the bank in spite of Superion.)

rush99999, post: 81897980, member: 380992 Wrote:

So basically he's the Superman of this setting? What Deviancy does he have?

Classified, but most people theorize he's a Specialized Arcane of high power.

(Note: This makes more sense if you wait and see some of the less typical magic users, at the Arcane meeting in the Huntsman's Quest.)

rush99999, post: 81897980, member: 380992 Wrote:

How did Jerry figure out that it was specifically Superion he was stealing from though?

Like I said he researched the bank before robbing it and saw they had a big financial transaction soon, based on a local publicity investment Superion was making to the city. (Jericho is also aware said investment was meant as an insult to the leader of New Haven's branch of the Heroes' Guild, but that knowledge is due to (SPOILER).) The reason he was able to track down the transaction was by looking up the primary banks of each of the groups being invested in and seeing that most of them use the biggest bank in the city. (The bank robbers had an inside man who knew about the transaction but not where the money was coming from.)

Unfortunately, all of that is stuff that when explained doesn't really fit the personality and tone of Jericho and the bank robbery, since it makes his competency a little too apparent for a crime comedy about a bumbling wannabe super villain. Hence why I left it out.

rush99999, post: 81899945, member: 380992 Wrote:

Are there any people out there theorizing that he's actually a Hex?

If you can think of something, someone somewhere will believe it.

rush99999, post: 81915683, member: 380992 Wrote:

Is there a limit to how long a person can be dead before bring brought back this way? Do Death-Punks have any memories of being dead?

Yes and no to the time limit. Yes because after so much time their memories will begin to degrade, and no because even if their memories degrade their body can still be turned into a Death-punk. (Note: Less kind M.A.D.s purposely let the memories degrade so that their subjects are blank slates for them to work with or make monsters from.)

As for the death memories, all the ones who were dead can recall is a state similar to being asleep for their time between dying and being brought back.

rush99999, post: 81916391, member: 380992 Wrote:

How long does that tend to take?

It varies person to person due to age, drug use, medical history, severity of deathblow, pre-existing Deviancy and etc.

That said, if a Death M.A.D. gets to a person before degradation can begin setting in (about 5-10 minutes for a healthy 30 something non-Deviant) then they typically have a method of pushing said degradation back for an indefinite period of time. Though in most cases they'll just stop it before the degradation gets too bad, hence why most Death-Punks have trouble remembering bits and pieces of their lives.

rush99999, post: 81923272, member: 380992 Wrote:

Could Death-Punks be brought back more than once?

Oh, yes, and because of their modifications the time restrictions are usually removed letting them be resurrected even months* after one of their 'deaths' with no new issues. (*Actual time is dependent on M.A.D. level.)

rush99999, post: 81923272, member: 380992 Wrote:

If a Death M.A.D. is crazy enough to try it and quick enough to get it done before the patient gets back up on their own, could they make a Death-Punk out of a Deadman? And while we're on the subject, do Death-Punks display any Deadman like behavior other than the whole undead thing?

Yes-ish and hard no. If a body becomes a more physical Deadman such as a corpse or ghoul than it is a hard no given how their body functions. If they become a spectral however their body could -theoretically- be turned into a near blank Death-Punk without their mind/memories. Though whatever Deadman this was done to would be beyond p***ed about it, given the level of violation that would equate.

And as far as their psychology goes, both have a tendency to get caught up in their memories (or at least the ones they managed to retain) and some Death-punks could have a near Obsession with fulfilling whatever purpose they were given by their creators, though whether that's because of obsessive behavior or because that's all that they have is up for debate.

rush99999, post: 81933508, member: 380992 Wrote:

How does the way their body functions keep them from being Death-Punked?

Corpses and ghouls bond with ectoplasm in such a way that most of their body is made of a weird mix of flesh, blood, and ectoplasm, causing them to reject the modifications that are usually done to a Death-punk. (Their bodies will slowly push the mods out based on their healing speed.)

rush99999, post: 81933508, member: 380992 Wrote:

If the process leaves them mindless, how are they still able to be beyond p***ed about it?

Because a Spectral is separate from their body (basically more ghost than zombie) and seeing someone desecrate their corpse by turning it into a Death-punk is as I said an extreme violation. In fact most ghost-y Deadmen get very wound up whenever their body is messed with in any way, regardless of if it's being turned into a Death-punk or having their graves desecrated.

rush99999, post: 81942511, member: 380992 Wrote:

Speaking of which, you mentioned that ectoplasm is a mix of anima and necro. What would happen if a Deadman tried to sustain itself by consuming just one of ectoplasm's ingredients?

Technically, they aren't actually consuming anima or necro, it's just ectoplasm shares properties with its base energies that allow it to consume Madness via a mix of Necro's tendency to eat things and Anima's ability to make more of itself.

If you were to offset the balance (you'd have to do so severely to be noticeable) then Ectoplasm with more Anima would generate more power from Madness, or possibly start treating Anima as if it were base Ectoplasm, which without a stabilizing catalyst would be bad. (Mindless Magic Zombie bad.) Ectoplasm with more Necro on the other hand would result in the ectoplasm eating itself or being expelled from their biology. (The over abundance of Necro is actually what causes the bad reaction with Malice.)

ReaperofInterest, post: 82047724, member: 309377 Wrote:

So, how do the various Deviancies start manifesting under "normal" conditions?

It varies a bit person to person and situation to situation. Though a big part of it is recognizing when weird stuff is happening around you and then piecing together which Deviancy you are based on the signs.

Note: This is only tangentially true of Deadmen and Slashers.

ReaperofInterest, post: 82047724, member: 309377 Wrote:

Do psychics just spontaneously moving things with their minds while their eyes are glowing?

Not quite, the first psychic powers are usually based around their sensory abilities. Often developing into the ability to more easily read people, sense objects without seeing them, or predicting what's going to happen around them. From there over time they'll slowly gain a 'solidity' of sorts to these sense that will eventually culminate in them being able to manipulate the things they're sensing, or push their sensory abilities to a point where they're essentially reading minds and seeing the future.

At which point most people can figure out they're a Deviant.

ReaperofInterest, post: 82047724, member: 309377 Wrote:

Do wonderlanders suddenly manage to manifest one of their dreams?

Mostly. Up until this point they think they're dreams/imaginary friends are really vivid but still imaginary (though no less important than the real world). But given how they're younger than other deviants when they're powers manifest, eventually they'll accidentally bring something into reality whether by whimsy or stress.

Truthfully, most Wonderlanders don't really realize they're a wonderlander until they start actively accessing they're Wonderland. Which is why there are a handful of Wonderlanders who don't realize their powers until later in life, which often leads to them developing depression and other harmful mental disorders until they access their Wonderland.

ReaperofInterest, post: 82047724, member: 309377 Wrote:

Do Arcane... I don't know, start spontaneously making fireballs or something?

This one is a bit tricky because it's yes and no.

If exposed to a stressful situation an Arcane may sub-consciously use their abilities through a life or death situation, at which point upon realizing they have abilities will try to replicate them, and use them again. Thus developing a unique set of abilities based on their affinities without actually bothering to study magic, or even learn what all of their affinities are in some cases.

Others however learn about their powers by exposure to anima or as in the case of the original Arcane Arcanum, accidentally unlock their power by acting out a spell and realizing they don't need a power source like other Practitioners would. (Of course this one can also be done on purpose if they have/meet a mentor who can detect their innate Anima and decides to teach them.)

(Fun Fact: Some of the original Arcane of the modern era figured out their powers via larping in the seventies, and accidentally burning a forest down.)

rush99999, post: 82152574, member: 380992 Wrote:

Question One: Is this generally what happens when a Slasher joins the Heroes Guild?

It's rare, but pretty close, yes. (Though the Slasher might try to hide it better, they will still passively instill fear into their enemies.)

rush99999, post: 82152574, member: 380992 Wrote:

Question Two: Could a single person dying under the right circumstances turn into three separate Deadmen?

In the case of the video, not without outside interference.

Usually given how it works the mental imprint that allows Ectoplasm to create a Deadman can only generate a single entity, though in the case of the less physical Deadman someone could -technically- interfere to make an additional one using their body. Though as previously said, the original Deadman would take great offense to this.

That said, there could be an instance where a split personality could result in multiple Deadmen if there was enough ectoplasm, and all personalities were mentally active at the same time. (Which given how real DID works is extremely rare -maybe impossible- despite how the movies portray it.) But in this case if there was enough ambient Madness -in addition to the ectoplasm- it could occur due to a weird power interaction. And in this case it would be similar to the video in each Deadman getting different parts of the main body/spirit.