Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

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sticky-runes
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Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

OK, she's a snake, so she doesn't have any limbs to attach runes to, but she's got a head, right? :x
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

oi, I asked you a question. :evil:
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Sasarai10
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Sasarai10 »

Even if she had she's a poor mage...but don't forget that Nicolas from S3 wasnt' able to even though he was a human.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

Not all runes have to be for spell casting. Genoh has a rune that protects the party from negative status effects - Byakuren could have a rune that protects the party from water magic or some other passive ability that works in the party's favor, or a permanent water spell like the griffins had in 2 and 3. It just kind of sucks that they didn't bother giving any rune slots to a mythical lake serpent.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Antimatzist »

According to Oboro, Byakuren cannot understand the human language, that might be it. All other animals in the series seem to at least comprehend human speech and can thus use runes - most of them also only have one or two rune slots, though.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by bluemask »

Antimatzist wrote:According to Oboro, Byakuren cannot understand the human language, that might be it. All other animals in the series seem to at least comprehend human speech and can thus use runes - most of them also only have one or two rune slots, though.
Then I presume in order for her to be "able" to use runes is through the use of a Listening Crystal, that is if the game had it... I guess?
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Antimatzist »

I'm not sure what the Listening Crystal did, but iirc it allows YOU to understand the animals - but most of the animals in II seem to be sentient enough to understand you, anyway.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

Runes are a force of nature, it shouldn't matter what language the creature speaks or understands to be able to use them. Not all runes require chanting to use their powers, for example, a Hazy rune won't be rendered useless by the "silent" status.
Feather came with a unique rune before we used the listening crystal to interact with him, it shouldn't be that far fetched for Byakuren to have a unique rune of her own. Hundreds of monsters in the Suikoden world are able to use magic powers. Heck, Suikoden 2 had a giant two headed snake that could cast spells.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Wolkendrache »

Imagine, if Byakuren kills Lazlo in a remote place, the Rune of Punishment would have a temporary problem...
Or if Byakuren was a Scarlet Moon Empire general, Windy would be unable to attach a Black Rune on it...
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

Wolkendrache wrote:Imagine, if Byakuren kills Lazlo in a remote place, the Rune of Punishment would have a temporary problem...
She'd probably get off lucky and slither away, and Lazlo's corpse would stay in tact until a suitable host came along, like when the Queen of Obel found it previously.
Have there been any incidents of true runes being possessed by non-humans?
Wolkendrache wrote:Or if Byakuren was a Scarlet Moon Empire general, Windy would be unable to attach a Black Rune on it...
Byakuren would have difficulty issuing orders to the soldiers, but she probably would have made a better general than Sonya. :P
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Wolkendrache »

I wasn't too serious with this ;-)
Apparently, true runes or other cursed runes (those of Ernst, Bob, etc) have magical powers apart from the magical powers of the bearer (mag stat) needed to use its spells. I believe that Byakurens head slot is still available for forced attachment of true runes. In other words, Byakuren can't use runes, but runes can use Byakuren.

I'm not sure whether the star dragon sword is a rune incarnation or if it is a unique sword with a true rune equipped.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Antimatzist »

The Sovereign Rune is implemented into Barbarossa's sword, but it doesn't seem to have its own will like the Star Dragon Sword.

Actually, we've never seen a non-human that wears a True Rune (not counting vampires), have we?
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

Not that I can recall. We've seen true runes incarnated as monsters (sun rune, beast rune), but I don't think I've seen a monster baring a true rune.
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by Wolkendrache »

Not only monsters, I haven't even seen other races bearing true runes, so true runes are racist...

But still, the question about (any) rune locations remains. Humans can normally bear no more than 3 runes. It is said that Crowley bears more, but where? Shiro had 1 rune slot, but it wasn't his head, it was one of his legs, so theoretically he could bear 5 runes if his mag stat was higher. But then, why don't human legs count as rune slots, these would be a better location for the godspeed rune. Anyway, the potential quantitative rune power would be snake < bird < human < kraken < caterpillar.

Seriously, in the games, true rune bearers have their runes attached to certain locations which are limited. How do bad guys hunting for true runes actually plan to do it? What about Hikusaak and Crowley?
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Re: Why the f#ck can't Byakuren use runes??

Post by sticky-runes »

Wolkendrache wrote:Not only monsters, I haven't even seen other races bearing true runes, so true runes are racist...

But still, the question about (any) rune locations remains. Humans can normally bear no more than 3 runes. It is said that Crowley bears more, but where? Shiro had 1 rune slot, but it wasn't his head, it was one of his legs, so theoretically he could bear 5 runes if his mag stat was higher. But then, why don't human legs count as rune slots, these would be a better location for the godspeed rune. Anyway, the potential quantitative rune power would be snake < bird < human < kraken < caterpillar.

Seriously, in the games, true rune bearers have their runes attached to certain locations which are limited. How do bad guys hunting for true runes actually plan to do it? What about Hikusaak and Crowley?
The Soul eater always ended up on the bearer's right hand, while the Rune of Punishment favored the left hand (bad luck for Cray)
The Sun Rune goes on the head, while Dawn goes on the right hand and Twilight goes on the left hand ('cos the sun rises in the east and sets in the west)

I always assumed that an animal's front legs were the equivalent of human arms when it came to runes. So the front talons on a griffin or dragonhorse, or the front paws of a dog or cat, are equal to a human's hands.

I think true runes "choose" humans to bear them because, according to most other races, we are the most corrupt and power-hungry people on the planet, it's human rulers and leaders who build expansive empires and find themselves in a position of enough power to change the fate of entire countries, and animals don't really get up to stuff like that. Elves and dwarves and kobolds etc. prefer to stay out of human conflict, they normally live in small pockets of society, rather than expanding empires.

I think it would be interesting if there was a true rune that did only choose animals to carry it, so that it stayed hidden from humans that would be more likely to abuse it's power.

But I still don't think having a snake in my army that uses runes is too much to f#cking ask for. :cry:
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