Bear Ribs
Well-known member
As BattleTech seems to be overdone, let's cast a wider net. I'll try impressing the Council of ROBs by going hardmode.
Now my first thought was 1984 but that might be too much of a hardmode. The issue there is that there really isn't any hero, Winston Smith and Julia lack any real moral fortitude and even with a (limited) ROB backing them probably can't succeed because they'll quit or become corrupted by power too easily. I'd need to insert somebody like Captain America or Optimus Prime instead and that's not in my current portfolio.
So I'll head to a world where it's hard to succeed but there are actual heroes. Let's try fixing Diablo.
For this run I'll only concern myself with the first two games, as Blizzard has made a hash of the timeline after that with their retcons, seuels, prequels, and sidequels. I should be able to fix things anyway.
D1: Really the other way around here, by the game's beginning the villains have already found everything and it's the heroes who are searching. So instead I'll equip Red Vex and Blackjade with chastity belts in order to troll the Archbishop Lazarus.
D2: Baal makes it to the worldstone only to discover that he's carrying thousands of copies of his own soulstone and somehow, they've sprouted legs and are doing a song and dance routine while Tyrael and the band of heroes close in.
D2: Duriel finds himself wearing several dozen pairs of rollerskates right as the band of heroes arrives to fight him.
D1: If I can go a bit outside of the game's timeframe, equip Wirt with Iron Man armor when the Archbishop Lazarus is herding the townsfolk into the chapel before feeding them to the butcher. Equip Gillian with a DnD Starmantle Cloak and Star Trek phaser rifle when the Dark Riders descend on the town to slaughter everybody. This would negate the D1 Trolling of the Butcher since he wouldn't be alive to troll later but there's always Archbishop Lazarus.
If not, put a DnD Third Eye Conceal on Prince Aidan just before he confronts Diablo, while setting up the Rogue Sister with a Ring of Mental Fortitude and a Cowl of Warding for the Sorcerer.
D2: Well the easy mode is equipping Tyrael with some better weaponry when he confronts Diablo and Baal at the tomb of Tal Rasa. I'm thinking hand him Shieldbreaker from Saberhagen's Book of 9 Swords. Its crippling weaknesses can't be exploited by Diablo or Baal, nor most likely any of their minions so it'll get the job done. For before the game starts, set up the Rogue Sisterhood with Praetor Suits when Andariel comes calling.
Now my first thought was 1984 but that might be too much of a hardmode. The issue there is that there really isn't any hero, Winston Smith and Julia lack any real moral fortitude and even with a (limited) ROB backing them probably can't succeed because they'll quit or become corrupted by power too easily. I'd need to insert somebody like Captain America or Optimus Prime instead and that's not in my current portfolio.
So I'll head to a world where it's hard to succeed but there are actual heroes. Let's try fixing Diablo.
For this run I'll only concern myself with the first two games, as Blizzard has made a hash of the timeline after that with their retcons, seuels, prequels, and sidequels. I should be able to fix things anyway.
Well showing Tyrael some of the Three's plans in advance is obviously going to serious harsh their mellow, along with giving Cain some pointers.1: Expose the plans of a villain: You can't directly foil the plans of a villain but you can make it easier for the Heroes to find out the villains plans by literally putting clues in their path.
2: Troll the Villain: You can not kill the villain outright. But you can make their life miserable by trolling the hell out of them. Example a villain is about searching for a rare artifact to complete his plan. You can create a ton of decoy artifacts that make determining the real one difficult and time consuming. They can still obtain it but instead of a few hours it will take a few days to a week
D1: Really the other way around here, by the game's beginning the villains have already found everything and it's the heroes who are searching. So instead I'll equip Red Vex and Blackjade with chastity belts in order to troll the Archbishop Lazarus.
D2: Baal makes it to the worldstone only to discover that he's carrying thousands of copies of his own soulstone and somehow, they've sprouted legs and are doing a song and dance routine while Tyrael and the band of heroes close in.
D1: The Butcher doesn't turn into a bunny, but rather suffers a sudden onset of horrifying, nightmarish diarrhea from eating bad meat right as the heroes arrive, ruining his combat ability in the most humiliating way possible.3: Aiding the Heroes: You can't defeat the villain for them. But you can make things not directly related to the villain a non issue. Example the heroes are confronted by a massive fire breathing Dragon on their quest. You can turn said dragon into a field mouse before their eyes.
D2: Duriel finds himself wearing several dozen pairs of rollerskates right as the band of heroes arrives to fight him.
This is honestly the most fun one. The thing is that everything bad in Diablo always happens in a cutscene and is unavoidable normally. So there's tons of ways to mess with this.4: Out of context gear for the heroes: If the heroes are in a situation that some modern or futuristic gear would benefit them you can provide them with said gear and the knowledge of how to use it. Example if the heroes are outnumbered by bandits. You can provide one of them with a M 60 Machinegun with a full belt and two spare barrels. Said item will disappear once the threat is over.
D1: If I can go a bit outside of the game's timeframe, equip Wirt with Iron Man armor when the Archbishop Lazarus is herding the townsfolk into the chapel before feeding them to the butcher. Equip Gillian with a DnD Starmantle Cloak and Star Trek phaser rifle when the Dark Riders descend on the town to slaughter everybody. This would negate the D1 Trolling of the Butcher since he wouldn't be alive to troll later but there's always Archbishop Lazarus.
If not, put a DnD Third Eye Conceal on Prince Aidan just before he confronts Diablo, while setting up the Rogue Sister with a Ring of Mental Fortitude and a Cowl of Warding for the Sorcerer.
D2: Well the easy mode is equipping Tyrael with some better weaponry when he confronts Diablo and Baal at the tomb of Tal Rasa. I'm thinking hand him Shieldbreaker from Saberhagen's Book of 9 Swords. Its crippling weaknesses can't be exploited by Diablo or Baal, nor most likely any of their minions so it'll get the job done. For before the game starts, set up the Rogue Sisterhood with Praetor Suits when Andariel comes calling.
There's so many options here... but I'd have to see how the rest of the changes I've made play out before deciding who can be saved as I'm aiming more at preventing the endless corruption of everybody that happens in cutscenes, so a lot of deaths can be easily averted.5: Angel of Mercy: You have the option once in a particular universe to save one of the Heroes from an untimely death. This act can only be preformed once in that universe. Example a Hero makes a sacrifice to save others of his group and dies. You can after the mission to defeat the villain is over restore that hero to life. Please note if other people die they will remain dead.
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