Are there any benefits to being a scarlet saint?

Can you confirm the Austere cap on letting "Indulging a Less than Laudable Laudanum Habit" drop back down? If I can save a trip to the Iron Republic I'd rather just drink up and straighten out.

So out of curiosity, with the Feast here, what is the Fate Option for Hedonist?

I am now a proud scarlet saint!
Thank you everyone in this thread for the helpful information and tips, without which I would never have completed this!

Does Dante's Grill Fate option lower Austere? Only used "enjoy the decadence" this far.

Someone should start keeping a list.

Do any of the scarlet saints (or devil-lovers) have any advice on grinding this connection? I usually avoid it at all costs because devils have many conflicts.

If you don't have access to those either, the only other options I'm aware of are:

• paying fate to play singles croquet with the Quiet Deviless (this will cost 10 Fate total to take Hedonist from 10 to 12)
• possibly a rare success during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose in Mrs. Plenty's pleasure garden -- we'll have to see if this works when the feast rolls around
• selling your soul during other holidays (also costs Fate -- much more, although you get items)

Other possible sources of 10+ Hedonist: becoming Closest to Bohemians (depending on school), sleeping with the Provost of Summerset (only if you haven't progressed at all in the University plot)

Congratulations, Mark! May I ask how you utilized the new Persuasive tracking system to become a Scarlet Saint?

I'm going to try the Iron Republic loop-de-loop. Will report back. If anyone wants to help get my wounds up to 7, it would be appreciated.

Does one have to choose one of these options when they enter the house of chimes or can they save the decision for later?

So I'm just here to confirm that laudanum no longer works; even at Habit 8 it's capped to Hedonist 10.

Oh, and the previously Austere-earning option for achievement-earning newspapers ("an edition brimming with truth and wisdom" that earns you Defender of Truth levels ... now raises Steadfast and decreases Heartless. More recently added tradeoffs? The pitfalls are everywhere.

Kaigen wrote:

Can you confirm the Austere cap on letting "Indulging a Less than Laudable Laudanum Habit" drop back down? If I can save a trip to the Iron Republic I'd rather just drink up and straighten out.

I can confirm that the cap is higher than 8, but that's about it. I got that recently, and since I've been keeping track of my quirk changepoints, I was able to add the cp change to the wiki.

OH. I just recalled something, you can increase your Hedonist up to 15 with ease.

All you need to do.
Is.
Kiss.
A few Counterfeit Heads of John the Baptist.

But, oh, that requires Hedonist of 12. And it decreases Austere, not sure by how much, I'll measure when I have enough actions.
It's still possible to get your Hedonist up to 11 via here (might be lower? updated last 6/5/13) and here (updated last 6/10/15) though. Maybe the cap isn't 11 on either of those?
edited by Cecil on 7/21/2015

Cecil Palmer wrote:

and here (updated last 6/10/15) though. Maybe the cap isn't 11 on either of those?

A comment on that page from november says that it's now capped at 9 (i.e. presumably goes to 10). I think I remember being disappointed when I was there (not recently) and didn't get increases past 10, in either of the three quirks.

A thought: both quirk polishers and counterfeit heads have a minimum 12 Hedonist... And 12 is what you need for Scarlet Saint anyway.

There's having a menage a trois with the Barbed Wit and the Acclaimed Beauty at Court. That sends you into automatic exile, I believe, but if it could be repeated - by selling the memento of passion, perhaps? - then one could get to 12 Hedonist that way, then to the Iron Republic to get the Austere.

ETA: I'm a little reluctant to go through with that, though, because it will take a long time and I'm wondering if Failbetter aren't going to change the cap on the Iron Republic before I can finish...
edited by asnys on 7/21/2015

Can someone tell me if becoming a Scarlet Saint consumes the quirks and connections?

Any word yet on whether or not systematically acquiring and snubbing the Closest To: Bohemians quality is a viable option to raise hedonism past 10? As soon as I leave the Iron Republic after raising my current haul of Austere 13 (as well as Wounds 16) to Austere 15 I plan on trying it out myself.

Intriguing, most definitely intriguing. I've no idea whether or not having a Menage a Trois with the Melancholy Curate and His Sister is repeatable, but I have heard on the wiki that the option to access the Intrigue: The Curate and His Sister quality was locked of to someone after reaching Persuasive 65. The urge to slowly erode my Persuasive skill in hopes of repeating the storyline is tempting. So awfully, terribly, dreadfully tempting.

Where exactly can you sell your memento of passion? Its not saleable at the bazaar, there is this page on the wiki, but I can't figure out which card/storylet leads to it.

There's no secret handshake, just a general aura of detached debauchery :P

metasynthie wrote:

If you have 12 or more, there are ways involving the Counterfeit Head of John the Baptist or the Ornate Typewriter.

If you have below 12, you can raise Hedonist above 10 relatively easily with repeatable carousels if you still have access to:

• the first part of "Term Passing" at the University (before murder investigations get underway)
• the Empress' Court
• getting closer to the Melancholy Curate and his sister

If those are all locked, there are a few non-repeatable methods to get above 10 if you happen to still have access to:

• In Search of a Stiff Drink
• various levels of the "Making Your Name" main stat trackers

If you don't have access to those either, the only other options I'm aware of are:

• paying fate to play singles croquet with the Quiet Deviless (this will cost 10 Fate total to take Hedonist from 10 to 12)
• possibly a rare success during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose in Mrs. Plenty's pleasure garden -- we'll have to see if this works when the feast rolls around
• selling your soul during other holidays (also costs Fate -- much more, although you get items)

edited by metasynthie on 12/15/2015
edited by metasynthie on 12/15/2015

Oh dear. And here I was celebrating finally getting those Intimate of Devils cards to disappear by selling my soul to one of them. Am I truly stuck hoping the feast option isn't capped at 10 or waiting for holidays to repeatedly sell my soul for exhorbitant amounts of fate? I don't suppose there's any way to lure those devils back, is there?

It would be so greatly appreciated if the Failbetter staff could provide SOMETHING for the 10 - 12 deadzone that one isn't highly likely to be locked out of, and doesn't require both spending large amounts of fate AND annual scale waiting. Maybe bump a few of those many many 10 capped options up, or drop the requirement for using heads down.
edited by Scienceandponies on 1/5/2016

the truthseeker wrote:

(the truthseeker) My lady. As one who has experienced "What profit" indeed, I can have some empathy for your limits, but no sympathy to brag you wish to be an Astute Hedonist for those Masters in the House of Chimes! Bragging is Pride and such Sin...well I guess such a Pot should not lecture to the Kettle.


But on a more Pragmatic side (one I typically take,) one could continuously renounce their closest to and reacquire them with the Bohemians. Also the Provost is quite decadent, but it's likely you're beyond such frippery. Likely your best bet is to Translate the libretto for 'The Concursion of Petals'. I hope the profit for yours was worth it as this is not inexpensive. I'm guessing you can get your Hedonism high enough to attempt such an act?

Unfortunately, translating the libretto also requires Hedonism 12. If I were capable of reaching that, I could simply use my store of heads. It's getting from 10 to 12 that seems to be downright impossible without waiting for holidays to repeatedly sell and buy back my soul.

Having just done it, with a perfect 15/15 I noticed that the house of chimes lowered the requirement ...

not enough to matter.

• the first part of "Term Passing" at the University (before murder investigations get underway)
• the Empress' Court
• getting closer to the Melancholy Curate and his sister

• In Search of a Stiff Drink
• various levels of the "Making Your Name" main stat trackers

• paying fate to play singles croquet with the Quiet Deviless (this will cost 10 Fate total to take Hedonist from 10 to 12)
• possibly a rare success during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose in Mrs. Plenty's pleasure garden -- we'll have to see if this works when the feast rolls around
• selling your soul during other holidays (also costs Fate -- much more, although you get items)