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OOC/Recruitment thread It was a mere hour ago that Wide Eye, one of UGN's unawakened intelligence agents, sent an urgent message to Branch Chief Belcry (Ex Machina): a trio of hikers were transformed into Gjaum from an unknown incident. At some point they came into contact with civilians and the situation escalated. The Zurich mission has left the N Branch woefully short on resources and apparently the situation went completely unnoticed until it was too late. Instead, American military forces (believed to be connected with Tempest) intervened and (with heavy losses) managed to kill or subdue the uncontained Gjaum. Wide Eye's contacts in the local police forces advised him of the situation but all attempts to enforce UGN authority have been stalled. Latest reports indicate that military transport trucks from the Yokota Air Base were en route. UGN intelligence also indicates the base is a likely location for a Tempest anti-Renegade research base. Within 5 seconds The World's Smartest Man had already formulated dozens of potential responses and dismissed hundreds more. Unfortunately, his body cannot react as quickly as his mind and the staff and tools at his disposal react even more slowly. 30 minutes later all Overed Agents within UGN headquarters had been alerted and given an extremely quick briefing. A transport helicopter and pilot was procured. Streaming reports from Wide Eye indicate that the trucks have arrived and several photos were sent showing twisted bodies being loaded into the vehicles. It was decided that "secondary resources" (i.e. non-Agent Overeds) may be necessary. A database search of available Overed resources would have likely taken at least an additional 10 minutes. Fortunately Ex Machina's flawless memory includes the names and data on all friendly Overeds in City N and a few microseconds spent calculating probabilities is enough to determine with exceptional accuracy their probably location at this time. 5 minutes later the helicopter is in the air, it's route calculated to most efficiently pick up additional agents and then intercept the military vehicles en route back to the base.  Now the helicopter is cruising along parallel to the highway, full of Overeds: enough power in one place to demolish the city several times over if need be (or if they fail to keep control). Traffic this time of day isn't exactly jam-packed but this many exposed civilians is a security nightmare. Back at the UGN headquarters the counter-intelligence staff are already scrambling to get active control over cell phone feeds and emergency lines in the area and preparing for a massive obfuscation project to ensure minimal breach of secrecy.  The truck's green cameo pattern stands out among the civilian vehicles, two long transport vehicles. There appears to be no escort cars or anything similar. Maybe they are trying to keep a low profile to prevent exactly this sort of interference or maybe they simply don't care if their cargo endangers Japanese civilians. They seem to currently be maintaining radio silence. Back Alley (Not going to start with a roll, I'll assume that enhanced Angel Halo senses catch this): Although its not immediately apparent, a pair of light combat helicopters are keeping pace with the trucks. They're far out enough that the civilian drivers probably won't spot them but close enough to quickly come to the aid of the transport trucks. I like to start things In medias res. However, everyone should feel free to post what they were doing before Ex Machina called you into service and then place yourself in the scene. The assumption is that you'll be in the helicopter, but if you want to come up with some other plausible position then go for it. Back Alley could be in his car, keeping pace with the transports. Someone else could have positioned themselves further down the road, waiting for the trucks to come to them, etc. I'm assuming that everyone is currently only at Awakened Power Level, tell me if that's not the case and roll corruption as needed. Likewise feel free to mention any particular bits of gear or items that you've grabbed or procured in the rush to get here. It's assumed that everyone likely has a radio headset to keep in touch. Since Ex Machina is the man in charge it'll fall to him to set things in motion if no one else takes the initiative. Ultimately, there's no "wrong" approach here but the UGN charter does kind of frown on massive damage and loss of life if it's not necessary. oriongates fucked around with this message at 05:32 on Mar 2, 2016 |
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Mar 1, 2016 08:00
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Wraithblade/William Jones William was in the middle of his bidaily ritual of checking and maintaining Tchernobog for any possible accidental blemish. Truth be told, the whole thing was largely unnecessary, and he almost never found even minor imperfection. He did the movements regardless, and would not budge on the habit. His concentrated reverie was not to last undisturbed however, as a familiar ring followed by a bubbly voice started to flood in from his earpiece. Alice. William gave no outwardly apparent signs of actually listening, merely continuing his work without even a twitch in expression. Once the briefing was complete, however, he did deign to respond. "I'll wait for them." Right, rolling [d6] Perfect Intuition to predict based on given info on where the truck is going and when it will arrive, and then just be sort of waiting for them at the start of our ambush. William's personal plans will be subject to the Branch Chief's or other higher authority's override, naturally.
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Mar 1, 2016 13:20
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Stricken The cold hard titanium bed creaked with imminent structural integrity failure. It was her third one this week. But ever since her Awakening all those years ago such extravagance had been the only way she could get any sleep. The transition from slumber to wakedness had this time been accompanied by less destruction, but it nonetheless held promise of worse things to come. The UGN lifeline sensor, the complete medical and sensory suit permanently attached to her body had suddenly swamped her system with adrenaline. A quick pick me up designed to grab her attention and get her up to ready for combat. It all happened within seconds of the Wide Eyes report, her HUD lighting up with a plethora of relevant and secondary information. Data on nearby civilian activity including the cities many newschoppers, likely areas to stage an ambush. The current location of the military transport in question. She groggily looked the report over as she got up and got dressed with the difficulty only someone constantly surrounded by an aura of destruction could understand, if not appreciate. So, that's where he wanted her? The field agent sometimes referred to as Stricken knew better than to question Branch chief Belcrys orders, after all; he was the Smartest Man Alive. Still, if he was calling her in whatever happened must be very serious indeed. She was usually only deployed in high risk engagements, where quick and decisive firepower was necessary or in cases where absolutely no evidence of the UGNs activity could remain. --- Using the lifeline sensor [d6] to help Ex Machina get me into position exactly when and where he wants me. Since I was so well informed, its as if I was there all along! To make the World's Smartest Man's job slightly easier, here are some ideas on how to deploy her, but I leave the final decision up to you! Feel free to ignore them entirely and come up with something else. 1: Front and centre. Put her right in front of the convoy and she will provide a great distraction, letting the others work an ambush or something. She could also attempt to scare of the public/extras from the scene of battle or merely destroy the road, hindering the enemies progress. 2: Airdropped from the helicopter. Her very nature means she can't ride with everyone else, so she would have to be parachuted in with a crate. Still, this would let you deploy her as a veritable bomb at a time of your choosing. 3: Waiting in ambush with other Overeds. If you want maximum, concentrated firepower.
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Mar 1, 2016 16:40
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[Stranger] Kevin Inafune wasn’t much of a talker. The other men and women in his unit didn’t see much point in talking to him either. He was a diversity hire among a crop of unexceptional diversity hires – half-Japanese to placate the local government concerned about all these Americans tromping about. For years, he’d quietly gone about his business maintaining radio and server equipment adequately, if not quite exceptionally. Just another in the faceless mass of support staff that kept Tempest’s operations running smoothly. one night a shadow waited in his apartment and Recently, he’d been a changed man – looking at you when you spoke to him, taking better care of his appearance, even cracking the odd joke. He still stayed out of the way, kept to himself, but if you talked to him he’d offer help or condolences as required. It even reflected in his work – the radios never sounded crisper. rerouts of keyword-heavy audio strings, disposable backdoor entry into servers one through When asked about his change of heart, he said that he had found ‘the Lord Jesus, our Savior’ and offered to expound upon his experiences – invariably, he was met with polite refusal and subsequent avoidance. Otherwise, he did his job and kept his mouth shut. --- Kevin sat in the passenger’s seat, wrist deep in the truck’s radio console. When the call went out from the ground team, the Base’s transport trucks were scrambled into action – but communication was tinny and unacceptably delayed. remote fuse failure planted in advance triggered by keyphrase Kevin had been nearby and reasonably competant, and so was press-ganged into service; he’d just have to work on the fly. Deep in concentration, ‘Kevin’ waited for a coded signal from his sub-dermal transmitter. He hoped the Chief Belcry knew what he was doing. (Rolling [d10] Infiltrator (and conceivably [d6] Friendly Stranger, if that applies here!) to have retroactively be already in cover as a low-level radio tech. Not looking for any huge secrets or anything, it’s more about positioning. If its not kosher, I'll write something else up!)
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Mar 1, 2016 20:31
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BTW, Oriongates, you might want to drop those pics into imgur or something before linking to them. I can't get them to show currently, and also you might be image leeching? Even though I'm not 100% certain on the forum rules on that.
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Mar 1, 2016 21:21
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[Back Alley] Lucas Whitfeld was hard at work in the manager's office of Empyreal, balancing the books, setting up gigs and promotions and whatnot, when he was interrupted by a buzz from his cellphone. He sighed as he saw the all-too-familiar "Unlisted Number" on the device's display. Goddamn it, time to drop everything he was doing and see what they needed this time. He closed the lid on his laptop and answered the call. - - -  Back Alley cruised down the highway in Jezebel, his prize sports car, being careful to keep up with the cargo trucks while also not arousing their suspicion. He was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the music coming from the car's sound system; one of the silver linings of this whole thing was that music sounded incredible to him now. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the first one. Some kind of attack helicopter. Great. Back Alley snapped out of his musical reverie and begin to scan around for any other threats, quickly noticing the second helicopter flying about an equal distance from the trucks as the the first. He turned down the radio and spoke into the headset they had given him for this mission, "I see a couple of armed helicopters a ways out, but not so far they can't join in if we start some trouble." He turned the radio back on, the sounds of electronica filling the car. There WAS something else he could do; a usage of his new powers he had been practicing. He winked at an attractive lady driving in the lane next to him and gunned Jezebel's engine, pulling up alongside the cargo trucks. Back Alley took a couple of deep breaths and focused, willing his eyes to see things in a different way. He would try to see through the outside of the cargo trucks. Gonna spend 1 EP (Syndrome Boost) to try and x-ray vision the trucks. Gonna use [d10] Pure Breed (Angel Halo) and [d6] Really Cool Sports Car.
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Mar 1, 2016 22:02
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Sorry for the late post. I am still very busy since the past two days. ------------ Bohn was donating blood at a blood center and got pick up by the logistically cloest icecream truck and arriving at the gathering point. He will be enjoying icecream on the way.
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Mar 2, 2016 04:26
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Thanks for the heads up on the images. By the way, everyone should feel free to go ahead and make any rolls for your characters via Orokos when you're taking an action. Even if you're not sure if the Trait is going to be the right one or if you're not sure if a roll is even necessary. It never hurts to throw a roll out there and that way you can also make any decisions about supplementing your action with Powers at that time. I'll handle "reaction" style rolls, except for defenses (so you can declare your defensive powers and such), but go ahead and roll for anything you initiate. In The Truck "Kevin" had been in deep cover in the Yokata Air Base for over two weeks now. Tempest security was good enough that there'd been no chance to send any of his intelligence to the UGN yet, if not good enough to keep him from gathering the intelligence in the first place. The UGN had long suspected that some kind of Renegade-related research had been going on here and "Kevin" has confirmed it. The lower levels of the base (going much farther than "official" maps would have you believe) are crawling with undeclared American staff and researchers and while he hasn't gotten more than a glance or two inside one of these high security labs what he's seen has confirmed the UGN's worries: research being carried out on Gjaum corpses and genetic samples. In the past two days high ranking military officials have shown up, taking "tours" of the lower levels. "Kevin" managed a few minutes alone with one of their laptops after it was foolishly left logged in. Not enough time to find much, but definitely worrying results: data on classified UGN activities, plans for the construction of covert missile silos off the coast of several "ally" nations (including Japan) and indications covert diplomacy with several highly placed Japanese politicians. And on top of it all, today was not going as it should. It should have been the perfect chance for the UGN to swoop in and debrief him. A heavy-handed attempt by Tempest to steal away Gjuam bodies (even ones they created) should have been swiftly dealt with and he could have been debriefed under the pretense of an interrogation. But there's been no call for them to stand down and submit to UGN authority, no UGN agents swarming the site of the Gjaum attack and no blockade to keep them from getting back on the highway with Tempest's prize. Now the trucks are loaded with twisted Gjaum bodies and, escorted by a pair of choppers in the distance, the two trucks are getting frighteningly close to the base, where Tempest can easily make the corpses "disappear". A retroactive infiltration is unexpected but I like the idea enough that I'll roll with it. I'll allow the infiltration to succeed and we'll roll to see if you know anything useful already but Tempest security is pretty tight so the Opposing Force is going to be a d10. Perfect Infiltration [1d10]=8, rerolling that 1 with Flawless because there's no reason not to 1d10=6. Now, Tempest Security [d10]=2. Alongside The Truck Jezebel smoothly sails through traffic and pulls up alongside the two trucks. Fortunately most of the other Japanese motorists are also starting a bit. Even this close to an American base big, military vehicles like this are a rare sight cruising down the highway. Glancing over, Back Alley squints his eyes ever so slightly, gripping the steering wheel tightly to keep control while shuffling through different spectra. He doesn't manage much more than a cloudy jumble, sort of like looking at a stuffed piece of luggage going through the x-ray machine at the airport. But Back Alley is a bit better at interpreting things than your average TSA agent. The rearmost truck is carrying a single, large creature. something the size of an elephant or a rhino but with almost no bones or hard tissue to speak of, just layers of muscley or fleshy matter. The forward truck is loaded with two smaller forms: a bigger one about the size of a bear whose exterior is even harder to see through than the truck itself and a smaller, almost human-shaped figure. Just before Back Alley snaps his vision back into the regular spectrum he spots something...something barely visible in the body mass of the smaller form.... ...A heartbeat. Hmm...at Awakened getting a good look is going to be pretty tough but getting a bit of a peek shouldn't be too hard. Lets set the Opposing Force at 1d6, but if you get over twice as much (effectively beating Inhuman level difficulty) you'll get a better look. Angel Halo [d10]=7 vs. The Side Of A Truck [d6]=5 Down The Road Somehow despite being on foot Wraithblade has made better time than the UGN helicopter transporting his fellow agents. He stands on top of a walkway spanning the highway, watching the two big trucks driving towards him. Within minutes they'll pass underneath. No need for a roll here. Wraithblade is currently about as far in front of the trucks as the helicopter is behind them. In game terms, both are currently at [Extreme] range. In Wraithblade's case that'll be changing shortly no matter what he does and the helicopter can move in closer with ease, although that'll likely draw attention from the truck's escort choppers. For now I'm leaving things in the helicopter and elsewhere up in the air. We'll see how the Branch Chief reacts to the info provided and whether or not anyone wants to do anything rash. By the way, I'm fairly new to the SA Forum's PbP section, so I'm not 100% up on the etiquette here. Definitely let me know if there's anything I should know or anything I can do to make things smoother.
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Mar 2, 2016 07:06
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Wraithblade/William Jones William stared down at the trucks impassively, hair swaying ever so slightly in the breeze. And if his face was flat, so was his voice; smooth and without inflection. "In position", he began his report to the Branch Chief and UGM Mission Control, "Target ETA 3 minutes." William let his left hand rest gently on the hilt of Tchernobog, sparing the blade a sideways glance without actually changing his facing. "Awaiting kill order." As the very slight background static cut off, signaling the end of the radio transmission, William took a better look at his target. Tempest. He had been on enough ops concerning them that a non-Neumann would most likely have lost count by now. They were skilled and professional, and not prone to foolish mistakes. Not an entity to take overtly lightly. Therefore, he had to question the decision to transport three Gjaum in normal military transport trucks, escorted by mere two light attack helicopters, at least according to reports. The helicopters would be ill-suited to intervene in a close quarters cash-and-grab, unable to really maneuver or stop a ground based assault without infantry support... William stood perfectly still, his eyes lazily drifting from car to car, from wall to wall. Perhaps Tempest had truly judged inconspicuousness and civilian presence to be their best defense in this particular operation. But then again, perhaps not... ______________ So, I'm not super clear on actions and turns. Can those of us whose actions you already rolled make new ones now, or will they have to wait for the people who are yet to act? I'm rolling [d6] Perfect Intuition regardless, since I have not yet performed an action requiring a roll this turn (if this is illegal, the GM is naturally allowed to disregard all this!). William will use this trait to see if his ~Neumann-sense~ is tingling to warn him of a potential ambush, or that things with this scenario are not quite as they appear (his intuition in this case based on former encounters with Tempest and general foreknowledge of their MO, and on the way the trucks and other known Tempest agents in the area are acting). Perfect Intuition [1d6]=5 And rerolling that 1 with Flawless we get: Perfect Intuition [1d6]=5 Leaving to the GM's discretion whether or not my style applies here for a +2 Also, left a little bait there in my post for either Belcry or UGN Mission Control to designate targets for me so I can get those sweet, sweet knack bonuses.
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Mar 2, 2016 17:13
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[Back Alley] Back Alley blinked as his eyes returned back to seeing the visible spectrum. That was never not going to be weird. He turned downed the radio and pushed the transmit button on his headset again, "Just had a looksee at the inside of those trucks. Back truck's carrying one big one and the front truck has two smaller ones, one of which looks like it's still breathin'. It'll be the person-ish one. Just waitin' on your word now, boss."
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Mar 2, 2016 18:44
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Since we haven't entered "combat time" yet, there's no need to worry about turns or actions just yet and we can just assume EP refreshes itself after each roll. The Opposing Force here is pretty minimal Spotting Trouble [d4]=1. Wraithblade A quick glance left and right shows you exactly what you expect to see: a pair of choppers, small enough not to attract much attention and without the military's standard camo pattern. However, you're certain that they're both sporting discrete weaponry and they're flying just far enough out that they won't be obtrusive from the highway but they can easily come to the aid of the two trucks. The real question is how far is Tempest willing to go in the middle of a civilian highway to protect their prize?
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Mar 2, 2016 20:18
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(Important question - which truck is Stranger in? As an addendum, are the others aware of his position?)
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Mar 2, 2016 22:40
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Borh is ready to sink those truck in an instant blood pool on the road if UGN wishes to capture them the fast way. The road will be sealed up quickly and those truck will be transported underground to UGN's desination.
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Mar 2, 2016 23:04
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Keep in mind the limits of each Power Level. At Awakened you're super-human but only just. With your Syndrome in particular it's good to look at the Powers for guidelines on how you can affect the world and others with your abilities. For instance, Inhuman is when you get abilities like Projection (ranged attack) and Obstruction (Create an Opposing Force) so that would be the minimum to start pulling stuff like creating pools of bloody quicksand or spike-strips. Actually snatching the trucks from the road and transporting them underground via blood-river is probably going to be at least Monstrous. That's not to say you can't do it, just remember that you'll be Powering Up and increasing your Corruption to do so. As far as Stranger's presence, the Branch Chief is aware of his infiltration and may have included the info in his briefing to everyone else but unless Stranger breaks cover himself no one is currently aware he's on one of the trucks. Perils of being a double-agent. By the way, since I don't want to keep everyone waiting too much longer if we don't hear from Ra'id in the next 24 hours or so I'll probably give things a push myself, but until then I'll give Transient a chance to post and anyone else a chance to do anything on their own initiative if they wish.
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Mar 3, 2016 06:21
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Hey, how big is the drop from the walkway I'm on to the top of one of the trucks? Kinda trying to figure out the plausibility of a COOL SWORD DROP on top of the lead vehicle to skewer the driver.
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Mar 3, 2016 14:02
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Stricken Lifeline Sensor for Perfect Positioning due to a Super Debriefing: 2d6o6k1 = 11 Re: roll for my previous post. Is this enough to figure out that A; Stranger is acting as a double-agent? and B; what truck he is in? Otherwise this is mostly for putting me in a good spot once combat starts/for whatever tactic the UGN or Belcry decides to run with. En route to the UGN specified location, she once more went over all the details that had been gathered thus far. A convoy on the highway, two inbound attack helicopters. Three gjaum, one alive, two dead. She pulled up the local newsfeed, if only to see if there was anything else going on that could possibly divert civilian attention. If the convoy was getting close to tempest HQ, time was off the essence. If they had to go loud, she'd rather they didn't destroy half the city. But then again if that was a concern, why would they call her in? Pre-battle preparations done, she tried to recall back to her previous missions, what had been required then, what could be expected now? Perhaps some pattern could be divulged... UGN Field Training: 2d6o6k1 = 4 Basically I want to figure out, based on previous experience, what the UGN expects of us here. Are we allowed or even encouraged to kill Tempest Agents? Are we expected to pull this off silently? Do they want us to collect the Gjaum for our own purposes or to destroy them utterly? Do they want the living one alive or dead? For that matter, how are Tempest likely to react? Do they care about civilian casualties? Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Mar 3, 2016 |
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Mar 3, 2016 14:30
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I am willing to go monsterous for blood ferrying if UGN approve the action.
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Mar 3, 2016 14:41
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Ex Machina - ER: 36% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) Ra'id Belcry was, for once, enjoying the wait as the UGN helicopter arrived at the interception point and each of the agents (and Illegals) under his command chimed in. Life as a Branch Chief was a hectic whirlwind - it was no coincidence that almost the totality of them had at least a partial connection to the Neumann breed. The stress of dealing with a dozen minor to major catastrophes at any given moment would overwhelm any commanders without the foresight to prepare abundant contingencies ahead of time, something members of that Syndrome were uniquely prepared for. For once, however, all reports were positive as he performed some last-minute modifications on his robotic minions with a microacetylene torch. All of his operatives for this task were in position - a motley crew, better suited for direct combat with a large-scale threat than a quick and painless extraction, but they would be more than sufficient for the task at hand. All he needed to do was make sensible use of them. "All units, this is Branch Chief Ex Machina speaking," he said through his earpiece, reaching all the agents who had chosen not to ride with him on the helicopter. "Prepare to intercept. Stranger, stop the trucks. Wraithblade, Bloodbath, take care of their garrison and keep an eye out for any life signs coming from the captured Gjaum. Stricken, Back Alley, you will be in charge of handling any reinforcements Tempest sends our way. Lethal force is unauthorized at this time, as are excessively flashy displays. Ex Machina out." And with that, Ra'id leaned back on his seat and waited, putting the finishing touches on his modifications. His time to act would come soon enough. Better to make the best possible use of the few seconds he had left and prepare himself. Sorry for the delay! Net shorted out for two whole days and I couldn't post anything.  I'm good to go now though. Question for Orion though: do we roll Encroachment for the session right now or at the end of it? Same for per-scene corruption.
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Mar 3, 2016 16:14
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Wraithblade/William Jones "Understood, on overwatch." William closed his eyes for a moment or two, focusing his mind, and could feel a familiar hum in the back of his head. He gripped the handle of his blade a bit tighter, as if in preparation. "I will stop the trucks should primary means fail. " Okay, whilst William is waiting for Stranger to do his thing, he will Charge Up so that I can get that extra EP for my next action. Not much else to do atm.
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Mar 3, 2016 16:34
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[Stranger] - ER:40% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) The transmitter beneath his skin allowed for very limited communication, by necessity. Stranger did not anticipate it would be located without quite some effort on the part of any hypothetical captors, but should they do so the UGN couldn't allow their dealings to be compromised. So, a simple one-way transmitter, sending pulses directly to nerves. 'Kevin' didn't flinch or stop talking to the driver as he got a quick series of pulses - "Stop Vehicle" - but he surreptitiously scanned the area for his compatriots. Then, with a soft sigh, he turned towards the driver and flowed out of his clothing like honey, first covering the driver's mouth and eyes and pinning him to the seat, then taking the wheel with two pseudopods. The whole process took only a few moments. He kept the truck rolling for a few minutes longer (taking the opportunity to roughly copy the bound driver's appearance should anyone be looking), then with another deep breath he slammed on the brakes, bracing for impact from behind. A chorus of confused honks erupted around him, but he sat patiently. His part was done, for now. (Rolling [d10] Infiltrator with Excellence = 10) to shut this guy down silently and non-lethally and slam on the brakes.)
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Mar 3, 2016 16:51
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Blood bath "Affirmative, be on overwatch." Bohn finishes his cone of icecream. He bloodstream are speeding up slightly to produce more Blood while recycling the old. "I will also stop the truck if needed." Borh will Charge Up so that I can get that extra EP for my next action.
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Mar 3, 2016 17:51
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[Back Alley] - ER:34% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) Back Alley replied to Belcry over the headset, "You got it, boss." He pulled in behind the cargo trucks and began honking his horn, pretending to be stuck in traffic. As he did this, he contemplated how best to take care of a helicopter. Gonna be Charging Up too. Is a Syndrome Boost sufficient to blot out a helicopter's optics/cockpit or does that require something a bit more powerful?
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Mar 3, 2016 21:09
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Answering questions first, will post IC stuff next Theantro: The walkway is about 20-25 feet from the ground. That sort of fall isn't much trouble for an Overed even at Awakened, so dropping on top of the truck is even less of a problem. Unless they're sped up a lot or taking evasive maneuvers it won't even require a roll. Swedish Thaumocracy: Transient People pretty well covered what the UGN'll want. But the general priorities for the UGN go like this: Prevent Large Scale Death/Chaos > Keep The Secret > Prevent the death of UGN personnel > prevent the death of any other individuals > Perform Renegade related research. More specifically the current goal is to keep the Gjuam bodies out of Tempest hands and the preservation of the bodies isn't necessarily a big priority (although it might be a nice bonus). Tempest is a military organization and while they might cross a few more lines than the UGN as a general rule they're not outright villainous...but depending on the mission they might be willing to pull some shady poo poo or accept "necessary losses" but they're unlikely to intentionally commit outright atrocities. Technically they aren't enemy of the UGN but they're considered untrustworthy and they're dramatically overstepping their bounds with this action. So far they're just obfuscating and smuggling, it remains to be seen if they're willing to push things further to keep their prize. Transient People Your initial d10% at character creation serves as your corruption for the first session and you'll roll additional corruption at the start of future sessions. The corruption cost of Powering Up covers you for the remainder of the Scene you Power Up in and you'll roll for extra corruption at the start of each following Scene if you chose not to power down. Roland T. Dapperman Generally, blinding is going to be an attack that inflicts Stress rather than Injury. Syndrome Boost would be enough for a "melee" attack (hitting someone within [Nearby] range with a powerful flash, visual distortion or temporary veil of darkness), but you'd need Projection for a ranged attack. So you could pull up alongside a truck and hit the driver but to get a helicopter you'd need to Power Up to use Projection. EDIT: I should note that you could certainly pull a handgun out of your glove box or something and try and shoot down a chopper with that. Angel Halo covers uncanny targeting and so using a Syndrome Boost for a more mundane attack with a handgun would be fine, just less subtle. They're [Extreme] range currently but closing in. oriongates fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Mar 4, 2016 |
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Mar 4, 2016 05:58
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Stranger The driver is pretty much helpless against you on his own but we'll give a rating of d6 to see if his struggles make controlling the vehicle difficult before he passes out. Feeble Struggles [d6]=5. I didn't specify but for the sake of simplicity we'll say "Kevin" is in the lead truck. The driver manages to get out a short "Kevi-" before you're on him. He struggles valiantly, you've covered his side arm but he tries to break your hold...but there's no joints to twist or nerves to put pressure on. In a last desperate attempt he tries to hit the radio button with his foot but you casually move it out of his reach. Within a moment he's unconscious and a few minutes later you slam the brakes to bring the truck to a hard stop. There's a lot of honking and a bit of swerving but no sound of crashing cars or any other sort of extreme chaos. The rear-view mirror shows that the truck behind you has pulled to a stop just shy of hitting the rear of your vehicle but no one's broken radio silence just yet. You see the escort choppers start to close in. The trucks have stopped [Far] from Wraithblade's position. The Tempest choppers are far enough to still count as [Extreme] but are closing in as they're not trying to hide now that the trucks are stopped. Stricken could be in position down the road like Wraithblade or hanging onto a (now paint-free) part of the helicopter to be deployed aerially, your choice.
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Mar 4, 2016 06:45
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Wraithblade/William Jones - ER: 38% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) "Target immobilized. Moving to secure." William regarded the truck. Too far away to strike at, with the support rapidly moving in. A step. No matter. Two steps. Distance was largely a question of perspective. Three steps. He would merely have to will his into a short one, Four steps. and he would make good time. Five steps. "In position." Aetherstep [d6]=10 Okay, rolled Aetherstep with a +8 (+2 from my style, +2 from my knack since the truck was a specified target for me, and +4 from using both my EP for Excellence) to get to the stopped trucks all quick like.
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Mar 4, 2016 11:12
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Stricken Corruption: 36% Condition: (5/5 - Awakened) "In position." She said pointlessly. The UGN had her under constant surveillance, knew her location down to the millimetre. Probably had artillery constantly tracking her from outside of her projected "nightmare-radius". She didn't mind. Belcry's secret debrief had lead her to a large apartment building on the edge of the highway. Apparently it was with 98.562% probability on the route that one of the choppers would take, should the convoy stop at the exact moment it did. Accounting for pilot-preference, wind speed, tactical viability and quantum mechanics. She didn't question it. Orders where orders. Still, disabling a flying helicopter from ground level without attracting undue attention to herself or her team or harming civilians was pretty much impossible. For a normal person. She smirked as she slowly floated into the alley separating the apartment-tower from a more regular sized house nearby, scuffing up the pavement as she went. Evaporating a cigarette that someone had casually littered. Normal people can't fly. Not that she was used to it either. Her normal activities usually kept her a few feet of the ground, and she needed to scale the tower quickly enough to intercept the helicopter yet slowly enough to not give away her position. She closed her eyes, focused on her breath. Tried not to flare up and accidentally destroy a load-bearing wall. Spending a pre-battle turn charging up to then Syndrome Boost myself to fly ontop of this building with a Flawless reroll so I can get within [Nearby] rage as one of the helicopters goes past to protect its convoy. Flying into position with Syndrome Boost: 2d8o8k1 = 5 (flawless reroll got 2) +2 for under influence of style = 7 Her impromptu meditation complete, she begun her ascent, giving the building a nice but unintended scrubbing as she floated ever upwards. Swedish Thaumocracy fucked around with this message at 13:09 on Mar 4, 2016 |
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Mar 4, 2016 13:05
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[Back Alley] - ER:34% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) Back Alley glanced towards the glove box, debating on whether or not to take out the large caliber handgun stashed there. If he focused, he could probably make the shot and hit something important, like a camera or the fuel line. But firing a gun would freak out all the civvies nearby and make things complicated, especially since this was a highway. Maybe if he met the chopper halfway he could do something a bit more subtle. He pulled Jezebel out from behind the trucks and began to look for a route to whichever helicopter Stricken wasn't dealing with. Moving to [Near] range for the other chopper. paper bag with a face fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Mar 4, 2016 |
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Mar 4, 2016 15:00
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Remember that Might only adds if the roll is a success. It's largely intended as a damage-booster. However, just positioning yourself approximately under a helicopter won't take much effort so it won't need a roll. Easiest would be simply pulling up next to Wraithblade. Wraithblade With the first step you're in the road, a panicked driver smashes his horn before you're suddenly not in front of them anymore. A few more steps and you're in front of the forward truck. The sight of an apparent civilian appearing in traffic and closing in on the stopped truck with unnatural speed has clearly not gone unnoticed. One of the helicopters picks up speed, hovering above your position. A loudspeaker crackles to life "Step away from the vehicles. All civilians must step away from the vehicle. This is a secure operation and your cooperation is compulsory. Step away now!" Stricken Keep in mind that you're limited to one Power at a time unless you have a Combo Signature Power, so you won't be able to combine Flawless and Syndrome Boost. Doesn't make a big difference in this case, just means that the extra EP is lost. The upside is I'd say we can add lifeline sensor since the action is getting you in position in time Lifeline Sensor [d6]=8, gives you a total of 15. Scaling the building in time to intercept the helicopter (the one not currently harassing wraithblade) is going to be a [d8] Obstacle, Moving Fast [d8]=4. You reach the roof just in time, the chopper is moving in towards the hub-bub on the highway at a steep angle to come in close. They don't seem to have noticed you. As they approach you can see the barrel of a machine gun tucked under the snout of the helicopter and a pair of stubby wings have small missile pods mounted underneath. You'll have effectively one round where the helicopter passes over you and is considered [Near] range, so if you wanted to do something like attack or leap onboard that's your opportunity
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Mar 4, 2016 20:22
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Stricken Corruption: 36% Condition: (5/5 - Awakened)  There it was. Right on time. With the other helicopter having pulled away to the disturbance down the road. Every detail flawless, as if it had already happened, could happen no other way. Sometimes, when not tormented by images of her past or the all too frightening present, she had to admire the sheer brilliance of the man that was her superior. The staggering power his infection gave him, even when operating at 'safe' and 'normal' levels. Idly she hoped it would not be turned against them. She looked out across the roof, to her perfect opportunity. Bobbing up and down gently in the breeze, a lone girl in a place where she should not be. She took a deep breath and reached out, not with her hands, but with her mind. Her aura flowed, followed, obeyed. Sickly, nigh-invisible streams of begat-nothings, a withering mass of unmaking bellowed forth, consuming all in its way. All her effort coalescing as sweat on her brow, evaporating before it even hit the ground, destroyed like everything else. She wielded her curse like a scalpel, hoping rid the flying foe of its armaments before they could be brought to bear. [d10] Annhilation Field to Get Rid of All The Guns: 2d10o10k1 = 8 +2 from style + 2 from Excellence = 12
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Mar 4, 2016 21:50
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Hey Roland, let's both try to Stress out this chopper that's hovering in here to try and get it to back off, kay? Do cool light tricks into their cockpit or something. Wraithblade/William Jones - ER: 38% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) William turned his head upwards, slowly, deliberately, and faced his addressor. Tempest agents. Foolish to think that flying would save them. They ought to be relieved of such misconception. Without even the slightest twitch in expression, William unsheathed Tchernobog, activated it, and slowly raised it towards the helicopter with his off-hand, keeping it perfectly still. They knew who he was. They knew what he was capable of. Ruthless Reputation [d6]=9 Adding 1d8 for Chernobog because I forgot [d8]=2 so a total of 11 Rolled Ruthless Reputation with a +4 (+2 from my style, +2 for Excellence) to point my Sword at the choppers in a badass "You think your toys will save you?" way. Trying to freak them out a bit (dealing Stress damage) in an attempt to get them to lay off. Theantero fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Mar 5, 2016 |
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Mar 4, 2016 21:57
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[Back Alley] - ER:34% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) Back Alley sped towards the rapidly unfolding scene between Wraithblade and the helicopter. Looks like the Jason-looking guy wanted to scare it away, which Back Alley was more than happy to assist with. He began to do the breathing exercises he was taught, feeling out the streams of photons that traveling into the helicopter's sensors and cabin. With a single snap of his fingers, they were extinguished, plunging the inside of the cabin into darkness and rendering any cameras the helicopter had useless. At least that was the plan. Using a syndrome boosted [d10]Angel Halo to keep the helicopter pilot from seeing anything outside of the helicopter. Rolled a 5 which includes a +2 from style, since the pilot is (hopefully) unaware of me.
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Mar 4, 2016 22:22
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Ex Machina - ER: 36% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) Still inside the UGN heli, Ra'id could not see what was going on. He did not need to. He had had enough time to analyze the capabilities of his agents before assigning orders to them, and with that information, calculate the amount of time it would take them to carry out their orders. And that time...was almost... "Up." Pulling himself off the seat, he approached the helicopter's side side door and pulled it open. For a moment, he stared at the field, taking in the results of their actions. And then, he smiled. It was a humourless thing, but not devoid of satisfaction. The truck had been stopped, and Tempest's backup had been held up and distracted. Now it was time to make his move. With a casual motion, the branch chief slapped the sides of his black coat, causing it flutter and open, revealing the gunmetal grey skinsuit covering his chest. "Execute John Gray protocols, coordinates XA BY. Disable weapon systems only." At once, the suit peeled off, revealing its true nature: dozens of finger-sized, buzzing metal replicas of flying beetles, which set off at high speed towards their target. With Stricken taking up one of the helicopter's attention, getting close enough to detonate multiple electromagnetic pulses and knock out the weapon systems was a trivial task. As everything should be, so long as it all unfolded according to plan. Rolling Neumann via Syndrome Boost with a Machine Minions extra to finish stressing out the heli Stricken's dealing with. Result is 17, which hopefully is enough.
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Mar 4, 2016 23:07
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[Stranger] - ER:40% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) With the trucks foundered and traffic parting around them like an angry river, Stranger moved onto the next phase of the plan. He quickly reached into the radio and fixed the purposely-broken relays, tuning the radio the emergency band shared with the darkened chopper. Keeping his face in the likeness of the captured driver, he changed his voice back to Kevin's and purred into the receiver. "Hello, Sergeant Blake, this is Kevin. I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, so I'll tell you. You've sinned, Sergeant Blake, and this is your just requital." He paused for effect, letting the disorientation take hold, listening to his sputtering confusion over the speakers. "You've missed out on so much, Sergeant Blake - your daughter's dance recital," (and here Stranger's voice took on a high, uncanny, soprano), "because you're too busy at work for me, daddy! You never spend time with us! That's why mom left you, you know -" (and here Stranger's voice dropped lower, feminine and predatory), "because you never have time for your family, and because of all of those secrets! Why won't you let them go? Why did you let me go!?" Stranger counted out a few seconds listening to the ragged breathing on the other end, then spoke again with the driver's voice. "Sergeant, why don't you just turn around and... go? Leave here and never return. They owe you nothing. I stood by them, and look what happened. They got me killed." Kevin's voice. "They got me killed, too." Random male voice (didn't matter at this point, naturally) - "They got me killed." Another, and another, and another. Finally, Sergeant Blake's own voice. "They got me killed. They got me killed. My daughter, without a father. Taken by the state - taken by THEM. They got me killed, they got me killed, they got me killed, they got me-" (Rolling [d10] Infiltrator with Excellence = 20) to freak out the helicopter dude. I figure Infiltrator applies here due to him leveraging knowledge he has of this dude and the organization rather than just being scary in general.) Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 23:20 on Mar 4, 2016 |
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Mar 4, 2016 23:10
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There are time where words cannot fully describes the current situation. So have some mspaint instead. Blood Bath     Release the rotten blood gas into truck to make the guy run out: 8 Nyaa fucked around with this message at 03:46 on Mar 5, 2016 |
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Mar 5, 2016 03:41
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Nyaa is a treasure upon the World 
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Mar 5, 2016 03:56
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This game has taken unexpectedly artistic turn Stricken The helicopter counts as an awakened-level opponent. Maneuverability [d6]=5. That's 2 damage since your roll was 12. As you rise up towards the helicopter the pilot finally notices you and tries to swerve away, but it's too late: your power slashes at the helicopter. The gun barrel corrodes and crumbles and sparks rise from the missile pods as wires fall to bits and metal plating begins to flap in the wind. Wraithblade The chopper has no particularly helpful Qualities here: Keeping It Together [d4]=3. That's 2 Stress. Not enough to take it out but certainly enough to shake the crew. Apparently someone in the chopper accidentally had the button for the loudspeaker still on. "Is that a sword? Why does he have a...oh poo poo! It's--" the audio cuts off for a bit, then resumes, with a little less confidence and authority, "This is a Tempest-authorized operation, the UGN's presence is not requested or required. Please clear the area and allow us to continue." Apparently the pilot is still not good at radio discipline, because you hear, more faintly, from the loudspeaker: "Do you think they bought it?" Back Alley:The helicopter still hasn't swooped low enough to be within [Near] range so Syndrome Boost still isn't quite up for a blinding attack. You could try creating dramatic SFX to intimidate much like Wraithblade is but that's also be a bit more obvious to everyone nearby. However, I think later events will render this fairly unnecessary, see below Ex Machina The Helicopter will try and fly away from the sudden bot swarm: Maneuverable [d6]=5. Vs a 17 that's 3 Stress and combined with Stricken's attack that'll take it out. There's muffled shouts from the helicopter's cockpit as the UGN chopper swoops alongside and you open the door. For a moment the two helicopters are close enough that you can see the panicked American inside jerking the control stick and trying to get weapons to bear. Then the swarm of micro-bots surrounds his chopper and by the time he can even try to evade they crackle with short range magnetic-pulses. The Tempest-built helicopter is hardened enough to not simply fall out of the sky, but clearly the thing is barely under the pilot's control anymore and is steadily losing altitude and stability as it drunkenly wobbles towards a clear patch of ground by the highway. Blood Bath Indeed, words would have been insufficient. I showed this to my wife and she told me that whatever you were trying to do I had to let you succeed. Fortunately I don't think you'll need much help, Troops [d6]=3. Both Troops are taken out. I'm sorry I can only respond with text. With the front truck stopped, one of the soldiers in the rear truck opens to door to try and figure out what's going on. Clearly he's expecting trouble because he has one hand on his sidearm. Clearly he was not expecting the skeletal man who stepped out of the ice-cream truck and the thin, reddish mist that flowed past him and into the truck. He and the driver both begin choking and retching, falling to the ground with the intense stench. Stranger You're mean! Keeping It Together [d4]=3. vs 20 that's 3 more Stress, enough to take it out in conjunction with Wraithblade's Stress damage. The radio is silent for a moment after your transmission. Then it crackles, "Wha...what...why?" His voice is full of confusion and fear. However before he can continue there's a scream and a burst of high-pitched static. Gjaum (Inhuman; 5/5)  The roof of the lead truck doesn't so much get torn apart as it rots to bits and scraps are knocked aside when a vaguely humaniod form leaps from inside the truck onto the roof. The thing looks like a skinned human with writhing tendrils of bare muscle forming long cords, covered in slime. The thing's jaws open unnaturally wide and sprays a stream of thick black liquid at the helicopter hovering above. The moment the liquid touches the metal it crumples, belching out foul grey smoke. There are screams from inside as the chopper flies out of control, smashing into the ground at the edge of the highway. The creature scans the area as motorists scream. Some slam on the gas and try and drive away, others simply abandon their vehicles and try and flee on foot. The road in front of the truck is mostly empty except for fleeing pedestrians while behind traffic jams into a knot of wrecked or abandoned vehicles. I'll try and roll initiative soon, with a Gjaum on the scene combat has begun in earnest, but it may be a bit before I can post again so feel free to roll yours if you like
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Mar 5, 2016 21:40
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Question! Does the initiative roll count as a round? Or is it considered part of the first round of actions? I mainly ask for EP purposes: Does our EP refill for the first actual action we take, or is the EP pool of the initiative roll shared with the EP pool of the first combat action?
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Mar 5, 2016 21:59
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Initiative counts as the first part of a full round, so any EP spent on initiative is unavailable until the start of your turn. As I type this I realize that this seems a little awkward so I'll put a pin in it as a possible thing to tweak in the future. However, for now we'll stick with it. Don't worry about EP you spent before this: since we weren't in "combat time" we weren't tracking Energy round-to-round yet anyway. So for purposes of initiative you've got a full EP pool right now. If you spend it then you won't have it until your turn starts (so if you go first it fills back up right away, but if an opponent acts first you won't have it available to use for defense). For the sake of the PbP environment I'll go ahead and roll and assume that you'll let me know if you want to use Flawless to re-roll. Going forward let me know if anyone wants to have a "standard" way to handle initiative (like using their Syndrome boost to use an appropriate Syndrome for initiative or the like). This is just one of those things that would be the matter of a second if we were at a table together but a pain to handle in PbP. That said: initiative rolls, placed in order: Acid-Spitting Gjaum: 17 Stranger (Unnatural Speed): 7 Stricken (lifeline sensor seems to work as a reflex/alertness aid, plus style) 6 (also remember you're [Very Far] from the road) Blood Bath (no relevant Trait): 5 (breaking the tie in alphabetical order, just cuz). Ex Machina (Preparation and Foreknowledge) 5 Wraithblade (I figure one thing Aetherstep doesn't include is actually being fast, but your style applies): 5 Back Alley (Dance?) 4
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Mar 6, 2016 07:09
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I should be more careful posting later at night after a work day. I almost forgot that having the NPC win initiative means that I'm supposed to start things off! Considering how well the Gjaum rolled I imagine no one wants to gamble on Flawless Acid-Spitting Gjaum (Inhuman; 5/5) The thing on the truck gives off a gurgling howl, its tendrils whipping back and forth. It seems to be considering potential targets...civilians are running everywhere, a pair of Tempest soldiers lie helpless on the ground but perhaps some instinct tells it that all of you are the greatest potential threat. It turns its deformed face on Wraithblade, opening its mouth wide for another gout of black acid. The Gjaum uses Projection: Biological Weapons [d8]=3+2 from its Spitting Acid Knack =5. Not great, but since its Inhuman that gets doubled for a result of 10 unless Wraithblade wants to Power Up to Inhuman as well.
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Mar 6, 2016 09:48
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oriongates posted:Wraithblade (I figure one thing Aetherstep doesn't include is actually being fast, but your style applies): 5 Ya, I agree that Aetherstep, if it ever counts for initiative, would be in situations where careful maneuvering and warp-trickery could be just as good as pure speed for determining who gets the first strike in, such as a melee duel. As for initiative in other situations, [d6] Perfect Intuition might be something that could work, in the same vein as [d6] Preparation and Foreknowledge. No matter, since I doubt it would have made a difference here. But anyways, I'll just roll my defense here to get it out of the way. Wraithblade/William Jones - ER: 38% (Condition: 5/5, Awakened) William stared at the Gjaum. It was not the first one he had ended, nor would it be the last. Its chest was rising, throat bulging, jaws moving. It was about to spit. Acid most likely. Meaning a single projectile. A trivial issue to deal with. When the thing let loose, William took a step towards the projectile, and simply stepped behind it. Another step, and he was on the truck, behind the creature, Tchernobog radiating its dull blackness in the appropriate battle-stance. Aetherstep [d6]=17 Right, rolled Aetherstep to dodge with +6 (+2 from my style, +2 from my knack, + 2 because I used my EP for Excellence to hopefully nail this defense, which I did). Theantero fucked around with this message at 12:36 on Mar 6, 2016 |
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Mar 6, 2016 12:34
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