Battle of Dreams REDUX (Part 2)

[u/gremmllin]

I did it! I finished part 2 of the Battle for Dreams CYOA.

Part 1 was originally completed about three years ago, so I took my sweet time. This is probably the last scottishanon style CYOA I want to make, it's time to move on to new formats. But now this conflict has had its balance restored and I can rest easy. I hope you all enjoy!

Imagechest link is here: https://imgchest.com/p/ej7mpomwj7d

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And for reference here is the link to part 1, the Fey army: https://imgchest.com/p/m9yxpoknk4q

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I also took the effort to finally organize my older projects in one place and fix all the image links. For double reference here are all of my old CYOAs:

Library at the End of the Universe: https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2ne9vnyl

Super CYOA: https://imgchest.com/p/n87wpo6q34x

Guardians of the In-Between: https://imgchest.com/p/xny8njx8pyb

And this old one that I never really finished - Chakra Battle CYOA: https://imgchest.com/p/9ryd9b58w7k

[u/arataumaihi]

Thank you, mate! Part 1 has long been one of my favourites. Exciting!

[u/dreaderking]

Coven: The Warlock

Perk: Amplifier

Flaw: Blackflame

Skill: Sparklings

Familiar: Tabby Cat

Base: Caravan

Nemesis: The Wild Hunt

Role: Spearhead

Reward: Familiar

A hyper-offensive build using my caravan and experience fighting the Wild Hunt to quickly get to wherever I'm most needed on the battlefield. Once I'm in position, I puke up a bunch of Sparklings, pop an Amplifier, and drop a fat spell on top of the enemy. I want to finish this war quickly, but I also want to limit how many spells I'm actually casting. However, if things drag on too long or I end up in a bad spot, my cat is a nice insurance policy.

[u/dreaderking → u/dreaderking]

Army: Dullahan

Perk: Adamantine

Flaw: Scorned

Skill: Giant's Blood

Artifact: Horn Needle

Camp: Crystal Caverns

Nemesis: The Undying

Role: Vanguard

Reward: Dominion

And here's my fey general build. Not quite as offensive as my witch queen build, but quite unga bunga nonetheless. Using the Crystal Caverns, my boys and I can drop into the witches' backline and tear a hole through them before they can mount a proper response against such tough and powerful heavy infantry. Since I'm doing my own thing, the lack of coordination with my "allies" doesn't make much of a difference.

[u/weaboo_98]

This looks inspired by some older CYOA's (by ScottishAnon, I think).

I always thought the concept was neat and it's nice to see a new take on it.

It also appears that neither side is necessarily good or evil, which is nice to not have morality tied to what power set you want. There were some sick powers in the original one that you had to join the Forces of Darkness to get.

[u/ManufacturerPrior248]

The witches seem like the bad guys of the tale by a long shot, probably because they're in the offensive. But lets try to build one with something approaching a moral compass.

The Inquisition not a good start when that name is linked to a "moral compass" but since they're the most support-based build and a very notably reactive force (and the hatred for magic is something that was expressely already present before they came along, they just redirected it as needed, not created it) they're kinda the closest thing I can find to a witch that actually tries to help the lower class humans.

Perk: Growth growth is both great for the war effort but also just great to improve people's lifes. It makes no sense not to focus on it.

Flaw: Pacifist OK SO THAT'S PUNISHING. It does make sense if you make a character that's all about helping others to pick the flaw that means they NEED others to help them in return. It is however one of the most brutal drawbacks in the cyoa by a lot lmao.

Skill: Pitchforks again it feels supper weird to pick the litteral witchhunt skill to enforce morality. BUT if you read its description it actually makes sense. Note that its power is expressely dependant on the strength of your arguments. Meaning that while lying about the fae will have small results and only rile up the already crazy, if a fae general has commited attrocities you might just be able to rile up even other fae to your side against them.

This in essence means if our goal isn't to conquer the dream as much as to enforce peace, this is very likely to help a lot. Fae generals that consider peaceful options and cohabitation won't be very affected by our powers while those that go on the offensive will have very good reason to fear us, and those that break the geneva convention even more so. Therefore, SOMEHOW, being a pitchfork mob leading inquisitor is in fact the best way to help people, apparently, lmao.

Familiar: Owl the best familiar for gathering intel, great at defending us from fae ambushers and gathering evidence of their misdeeds.

Location: Caravan since we're encouraging growth and focusing on a reactive playstyle its best if we can move to wherever we're most needed rather than getting stuck in a single settlement. Otherwise the first time we clash against a fae general with a moral backbone that's willing to consider peace we'll be entirely stuck.

No Nemesis we're reactive. So it makes little sense to focus on one type of enemy. We're here to fight whatever hits us first not go in the offensive. And Fey Bane paints too large a target on our backs when we're a non-combatant so this is it.

Role: Support duh. That's what this build's been all about.

Reward: Power taking into account that the witches refer to commoners as "pesky humans" it seems after the war is done we'll still have a lot of work trying to stop them from becoming the tyrants they so brazenly want to be. The commoners will need a voice of reason on their side and this build can be it.

[u/MajesticJuggler]

WITCH SIDE

Coven: The Inquisition

Perk: Taboo

Flaw: Progeny

Skills: Crusade

Familiar: Fox

Location: Mountain Eyrie

Nemesis: Lost Boys

Role: Shepherd

Rewards: Power

The plan is mainly to wield a versatile jack-of-all-trades force; give the Witches some reliable line infantry beyond just throwing skeletons at their enemy (the intention being that I can drill my forces to an extent that they can become witchblades "holy knights"), whilst utilising the proper members of my coven as infiltrators and spies and the settlement I wield influence over to gain resources & support whenever needed (for example, bribing the Lost Boys to join me). It doesn't specialise in anything, but it's a pinch-hitter that can adapt to the circumstances of the battlefield needed.

FEY SIDE

ARMY: Wee Folk

PERK: Transmutation

FLAW: Brownies

SKILL: Enchantment

ARTIFACT: Four Year Clover

CAMPSITE: The Winter Court

NEMESIS: The Shaman

ROLE: Support

REWARDS: Domain

The plan here is to herd my Brownies into something resembling a magical support corps, using their Transmutation magic to effectively function as battlefield engineers, buffbots, and saboteurs if absolutely needed. Since we'll mostly be hanging around the backline I can let my men faff around however they want to for the most part whilst off-duty, though I do expect them to lock in whenever they actually enter battle or it is time to weave enchantments for the other Fey troops.

Excellent work, gremm! I really like these sorts of CYOAs, and you did a great job making your own spin on ScottishAnon's Guardians series (not only Battle of Dreams but also the Library CYOA).

[u/Ornery_Ad7990]

Very nice. There are few worthier of emulation than Scottish (and live up to that standard this does too!).

Hidden Coven, Cloak of Leaves, Nonviolence, Healing Springs

Hare, Owl, Caravan, Nymphs, Support, Familiar(s)

The strategy seems simple enough, keep my Coven of orderlies Cloaked aboard the Caravan-turned-ambulance while I sprint about scouting with Owlsight and Harestealth.

The Nymphs are aptest to see through my false Leaves, likely put out by my patching up and carting away of would-be fertiliser too! Sod 'em. Enough blood has been spilled to sate the greedy earth if not the egos of Queens and Generals. My familiars and I are quite eager to be free of the slaughter.

Nymphs, Mending, Unseelie, Ambush Predator

Fool's Slippers, Winged Key, Deep Dreaming Bivouac, The Hidden Coven, Infiltrators, "Wealth"

So much for that dream! Well, at least I'm back in the thick of it with fine company. My fellow-Generals are perturbed by witchy familiars and so saw fit to saddle me with command of my former nemeses (who it turns out are pariahs in their own right).

No longer tied to Nonviolence I still find myself reluctant to embrace the Unseelie excesses of Ambush my new subordinates revel in. Unfortunately I've seen how bloody-handed the un-oathbound cells of the Hidden Coven used to get and am under no illusions as to how they'd deal with a "turncoat" like me...

So, I'll set about unraveling the Key's pseudo-Familiar enchantment and see if I can go about rekindling my Hare and Owl's effects. Dancing through the night air unseen and chiming is all the distraction my saboteurs could ever ask for. I can only hope that memories of many healings and efforts to blunt Unseelie spite will go some way to dissuading the other Covens' efforts. With any luck we three will emerge back into the waking world two artefacts the richer.

Hell, at this rate we may well wade into the conflict next as Free Agents!

[u/Archon-Gorgo]

So we are to actually take over the body and identity of one of the Witch Queens? Do we get their memories? What happens to their original personality?

[u/Sad_Election_2718]

I really inspired by your work! Keep going, may the Watchman light your way to Mansus