Post by Leonie Dallmann on Aug 18, 2023 3:36:14 GMT -5
I was asked to put this on site, so I'm going to be doing exactly that! As it stands, Vollstandig is... tremendously underwhelming. For multiple reasons. This thread will be covering where Vollstandig currently doesn't quite live up to where I feel it should, and suggestions that I feel could improve the aspect of the Vandenreich. After re-reading the pseudo-release, I acknowledge my original interpretation regarding its Offensive Stat was incorrect, as I mixed up wording, so this won't make mention of that argument. With that short introduction out of the way, let's get into this.
Vollstandig, as written, is not the greatest 'release extension' out there. The exact wording is copy-pasted below, but in short; 500 Reiatsu to access each stage, lasts for a base 3 posts, and results in conking out after said duration expires. Where it stands, this stage of pseudo-release heavily emphasizes building into Spiritual Pressure; moreso than Strength is incentivized for Beast-Clansmen, and moreso than Reiatsu Strength for Arrancar. With both of those Races, their respective abilities remain usable without those primary statistics, allowing them to diversify even if minimally in how they can be built. Vollstandig does not encourage this.{Vollstandig, As Written}
Vollstandig can be activated by any Sternritter, at the expense of spending an amount of reiatsu of their choice upon activation, in increments of 500. Sternritter that leave themselves with exactly 0 Reiatsu will not lose consciousness, and will be able to continue fighting for the remainder of their Vollstandig, seeing as they're merely prolonging the inevitable. Activating Vollstandig will prevent a Sternritter from being able to use their Bow Release and Quincy Cross, but they will still be able to take in 300 Reiatsu every post through their Spirit Fragment. Vollstandig lasts 3 posts, and afterwards the Sternritter will be rendered unconscious for the remainder of the thread (or 12 hours in longer-form threads). Bonuses are granted to the Sternritter based on the total Reiatsu consumed for the activation, and are equal in Class to the user, up to Class 1. Vollstandig is considered a release extension, much in the way that Soulbind is. This means that it cannot be used by the Technique Master Type, and can use Spiritual Pressure as the offensive stat. However, it does not boost the stats of, or have it's duration increased by, either version of Soul Specialist Type. The bonuses are as follows:
500 Reiatsu: Divine Form: The Sternritter takes on an angelic form, changing the shape of their very being and spirit. This grants them a simple effect based on their appearance change, such as the ability to fly, or granting them armour, or allowing them to fire arrows from their body.
1000 Reiatsu: Divine Power: The Sternritter gains a power related to the theme of their Bow Release. This Power is like a technique, which they can use during the Vollstandig duration.
1500 Reiatsu: Divine Soul: The Sternritter gains access to a Soul Property unique to their Vollstandig. This Soul Property exerts an effect, related to the theme of the Quincy’s Bow Release, on the world around them. This effect persists for the duration of the Vollstandig.
2000 Reiatsu: Divine Heart: The Sternritter gains a +25% boost to all stats.
2500+ Reiatsu: For every 500 Reiatsu spent past 2000, the duration of the Vollstandig is increased by 1 post.
Vollständig also enables the use of Vollstandig-exclusive techniques, such as Sklaverei.
Where it stands, a minimum of 4,000 Reiatsu is required to invest into Vollstandig in order to get a duration of seven total posts. This means that, assuming someone is a non-SpPr type and decides to utilize this from the get-go, they're on a seven post timer with no reiatsu. While sure, certainly not the most tactical or necessarily warranted of options, one might decide to cut back to say 2,000 Reiatsu instead. This in turn grants them Divine Form, Power, Soul, and Heart. Pretty nice, and definitely nothing to scoff at, but the duration lasts for three posts. Not normally a problem, given the potential behind Vollstandig, but one key outlier remains.
Vollständig's duration immediately forces the user into unconsciousness upon its end.
This means that having a reasonable duration is absolutely imperative to tap into Vollstandig at all. Not to mention, assuming the character in question spends Reiatsu at all during their Vollstandig duration, they cannot afford to simply dump all of it into the pseudo-release's activation, else they'll be rendered with nothing due to the negation of Quincy Regeneration. It leaves characters balancing a fine line of spending around 3,000 to 4,000 Reiatsu (out of a maximum of at least 6,000, in most circumstances) in order to utilize Vollstandig, in which circumstances being "timed-out" is a very real concern.
Compared to Bankai, which possesses a notably higher duration, the ability to push it to be on-Class with Vollstandig, and significantly more versatility from the sheer number of technique slots that can go into it, Vollstandig doesn't hold a candle. The 25% increase to statistics is certainly a nice benefit, but not one that saves the entirety of Vollstandig. This is before considering how close to canon the on-site Vollstandig is, which is a topic for a later date.
Because of this, I'd like to propose a few suggestions to, at the very least, make it a somewhat viable option for all builds, while still incentivizing Spiritual Pressure above the other statistics. Two separate options make themselves apparent, of which I feel both together would be appropriate, but even one or the other would be an appropriate start, in my opinion.
1). Grant a Post of Use for Each Increment - What I mean by this is simple; instead of only gaining a post of duration once 2,500 Reiatsu or more has been spent, keep the three-post base duration of Vollstandig, and grant one post at every interval of 500 Reiatsu, from the beginning. Utilizing a standard pool of 3,000 Reiatsu (which, is still quite a lot mind you), this would grant a maximum of 9 posts of duration. Still shorter than the full duration of Bankai, but certainly workable for the average character.
2). Remove the Loss of Consciousness Drawback - Being fatigued greatly after Vollständig's duration is certainly one thing, but when the looming 'loss of consciousness' drawback is there, there leaves next to no room to commit to the pseudo-release. Especially in DE threads, where one would argue it would be the most important time to utilize. Even an Arrancar's Resurrección doesn't result in an immediate lack of consciousness. My proposal here would be making Vollstandig a non-refreshable ability, in the same vein as Resurrección: once per thread, or after 8 hours in longer-styled threads. This way drawbacks are still readily apparent, especially while Reiatsu cannot be regenerated during its duration, but it doesn't feel immediately dead-in-the-water because someone decided to stall for three posts.
On a very similar note to Vollstandig, I'd like to quickly discuss Sternritter. Even after these changes, Vollstandig is something to certainly be feared, but is by no means oppressive. Given that both Vollstandig is no longer at the height of its power, and Sternritter are no longer what they once were when this rule was initially implemented, I feel it would be appropriate to remove the "you cannot apply into Sternritter" limitation on Vandenreich Quincy.
My reasoning on this is due to comparison with Bankai. For what has the potential to be notably stronger, and even holds less slots than Vollstandig, Bankai is still something that folks are capable of applying into from character creation, assuming they make a Captain. My recommendation would be allowing similar for Sternritter, but instead requiring Captain Supervisor for this position from the get-go. Given that Sternritter is obtainable as early as Class 3 (through the Rank of Captain), I feel it mirrors Soul Society's systems quite nicely, especially given Bankai can be obtained just as early. Assuming this is something that is agreed upon, perhaps allowing those of Captain Supervisor that were created before implementation of this to take up the mantle?
Something that also requires mentioning is the Vandenreich's current position on site. Especially while the Thousand Year Blood War arc is in the process of airing, there are very few individuals that hold a "leadership" position within the Vandenreich. Not to mention, since this rule had been implemented back in 2019, only a singular Quincy had obtained the title of Sternritter; that being Priscilla, my own. I feel this is reflective of the situation within the organization, which lacks a distinct amount of their "Shinigami Captain Equivalent" individuals. At current, the only Sternritter we hold that remains active is Caesar, whom is a returning member as opposed to someone that had obtained the title under the current rules. I feel this actively disincentivizes folks from making Vandenreich Quincy, as Power Tiering is quite the popular option on site. Not to mention should the recent talks of Vandenreich Training Tier come to fruition, those that do take the quick path to power will have reason to reconsider.