[Prior
Issue] Black Orchid jumped out and immediately became invisible, knowing that
the trademark mayhem of the Crusaders would further help her move around
unseen. She was comfortable in the cold trappings of modern buildings and was
quickly looking for electronic systems she could either co-opt or sabotage,
particularly with respect to disabling the androids. She couldn’t figure out
how to disable or control the androids but on an off chance she found a relay
panel which was sending a distress message to the Cyberions that were on
patrol. It was telling of the attack and ordering them to return to the
military base to protect the robotic factories and the munitions building. She
has access to the system, now what did she what to do with it?
{Black
Orchid needed to roll an INT save of 14 or less to figure out the electronics.
Rolled a 19. Used her action for the turn to try again. Rolled an 18. Both
missed. Performed a luck roll, 10 or less, rolled a 9. That is how she found
what she did}
[7]
"OK everybody, we have a bunch of Cyberions returning back to base to
protect the robotics and weapons labs. I can't figure out how to shut them off,
but I can potentially use the building itself to neutralize them."
The
Black Orchid created "breach" signals specifically in protected
areas. This caused the building systems to lock down effectively locking the
Cyberions and Slams in them. “That should cut back on the threat”, she said.
The Black Orchid knew exactly what weapons labs look like and how secure they
are from her background. She took control of those rooms first. Having found
the armory meeting these criteria, she said “you can, draw any Cyberions or
other robots to Building H and I can hopefully lock them in there."
She
took control of the security cameras on the base, turning them off. Black
Orchid said, “There now they won’t have any ‘home field advantage.’”
Watching
the monitors she saw Annihilator fighting 2 Cyberions. Annihilator ripped
through one of them with multiple blasts of his disintegration ray. The
Cyberion shut down and fell to the ground below. The second Cyberion blasted
with flames. The blast penetrated the Annihilator’s force field hurting him.
While he had been hurt, he was able to continue the fight.
Dr.
Wildman swam through the portal. He was in a different location than he was
before when he swam up to the Island. There were man-made docks nearby. He swam
cautiously to the surface. He reached the surface and raised his head out to
water to get his bearings. He was in the port of the Old Military base. He was
near to where the rest of the New Crusaders were attacking the Robot Factories
of Cyberdoom.
[6]
William swam to the dock and climbed up onto the platform. He could hear the
familiar 'Zzzap, Kapow and Fwoosh' of The New Crusaders' own particular form of
mayhem. It made him smile, comforted that he had 'ported' close to his friends
and away from his enemies. He shook his head, struggling to believe in his good
fortune in escaping the 'cabal of chaos' that was under the surface of the
Island.
In
his hand he felt the weight of the Scepter of Storms, and with senses
unfamiliar to those untrained in the eldritch arts he could feel the aura of
pride from its previous keeper dissipate from the artefact and its familiar
wild nature return. The Artefact of Storms imprinted itself and accentuated the
nature of its wielder, meaning the effectiveness of the magical item was
determined by the discipline of the one who used it. That was probably why, in
part, William could wrestle it away from Stormlord. Pride was never a potent
character trait - no doubt it was dangerous but inevitably it was always more
of a weakness than a strength.
Dr
Wildman was once more bathed in eldritch energy as he transformed out of his
'creature' form. As he did the Scepter also transformed into a long dark green
coat, a merging of the original short jacket with his cape.
"That's
better!" William said to no one in particular as he gave the Cloak of
Storms a reassuring tug, just so it sat comfortably.
He
adjusted the Helm of the Chimera and checked the Amulet of Control. 'Bruce' was
still swimming around the Island, so he pulsed a command for the shark to make
its way to the dock.
William
interlocked his fingers and pushed out letting his fingers click as he
stretched his arms out. He watched as the human skin turned rough, scaled, and
green. The 'Armour' spell never ceased to unnerve him, but it was a necessary
and often lifesaving part of his mystic arsenal. He shook out his hands and
watched as lightning arced between his fingers.
"Here
we go then..." he mused as the Cloak of Storms lifted him into the air. He
flew towards the din of battle.
[6]
While the building had locked itself down, Erdbeben saw the four workers were still
able to fire from the windows of the building to the south of him, (building H).
Erdbeben put his hands on the structure and channeled his vibration attack at
the building attempting to bring the building down on top of the four
mechanized workers.
{GM
Note: Erdbeben can take his “To Hit” and convert it to damage. It lessens his
chance of hitting but increases his damage. Since he is attacking the building
anything but a natural 20 will hit. He converted his 19 to hit to +19 damage.
Erdbeben rolled a 1 and then a 15. He rolled a critical success. On the
critical success table, he rolled a Solid Hit +3 damage. He has +22 damage to
his vibration attack roll. Erdbeben rolled total damage points of 41. The
Buildings Armor from Structural Ratings stop 5 points. 36 points to Hit Points.
This was not enough to reduce the building’s hit points to 0 but so few Hit
Points were left I decided it was enough for the windows to shatter, parts of
walls to collapse and the roof to cave in. Using the Vehicle and Base rules I
decided to the explosion value would be appropriate for determining the damage
from the building collapse. The damage dice was 5d6. The building rolled 20
points of damage to everyone in the building and anyone within 5 feet (1
square) of the building except for Erdbeben. I decided since he was the cause,
and it wasn’t a true explosion he wouldn’t be affected. If he had caused an
explosion by targeting a boiler or something equivalent, then he too would have
taken damage if he couldn’t move out of the area blast.}
Worker
1 looked around as the walls started to shake. “Um, I think Houses in Motion is
not a good sign for us” When the window shattered. He dove through the window
landing prone on the ground outside.
{GM
Note: Worker 1 escaped an Area Effect, rule 4.7.5.2. To do that he used his
Physical Defense of 2 plus 9. Then subtracted 3 per inch he had to move to get
out of the area effect. This was -6 for 2 squares. Since he was willing to land
prone on the ground, he gained +6 for diving. He pushed his power for +2. His
final save number was 13 (2+9-6+6+2). Worker 1 rolled a 9 he was prone on the
ground.}
Worker
5 heard the beams above groan and moan from the stress of the vibrations and
the weight of the ceiling. “Time to pay attention to the Warning Sign and get
out of here”. In front of him the wall collapses sealing his window exit. “That
is a Road to Nowhere” he said as the roof collapsed on top of him knocking him
prone. Worker 5 is still able to fight.
{GM
Note: Worker 5 failed to escape an Area Effect, rule 4.7.5.2. To do that he
used his Physical Defense of 2 plus 9. Then subtracted 3 per inch he had to
move to get out of the area effect. This was -6 for 2 squares. Since he was
willing to land prone on the ground, he gained +6 for diving. He pushed his
power for +2. His final save number was 13 (2+9-6+6+2). Worker 5 rolled a 14 he
is still in the building.
Worker
5 took 20 points of damage. His armor stopped 4 points. He rolled with 5 points
to Power Points. The remaining 11 points of damage were applied to Hit Points.
To see if it lost an ability a d20 was rolled against 11. A 2 was rolled.
Worker 5 lost an ability. The ability has not been used and isn’t visible so
the PCs can’t tell what was lost. It is still able to fight}
Worker
2 said “Keeping fighting brothers. We were Born Under Punches so we are strong
no matter if they are Burning Down the House” The ceiling collapsed on top of
him as he attempted to dive out the window. Worker 2 is smashed to the ground.
He was knocked out as a key system short circuited. He was out of the fight.
{GM
Note: Worker 2 failed to escape an Area Effect, rule 4.7.5.2. To do that he
used his Physical Defense of 2 plus 9. Then subtracted 3 per inch he had to
move to get out of the area effect. This was -6 for 2 squares. Since he was
willing to land prone on the ground, he gained +6 for diving. He pushed his
power for +2. His final save number was 13 (2+9-6+6+2). Worker 2 rolled a 15 he
is still in the building.
Worker
2 took 20 points of damage. His armor stopped 4 points. He rolled with 5 points
to Power Points. The remaining 11 points of damage were applied to Hit Points.
To see if it lost an ability a d20 was rolled against 11. A 9 was rolled.
Worker 2 lost an ability. The ability was Willpower: Pain Resistance. Worker 2
lost more than half its Hit Points. It is KO}
Worker
3 said “We have to make A Clean Break even if that means we land in Nothing But
Flowers” as he dove through the window to the ground outside. He was prone on
the ground but able to fight. “
{GM
Note: Worker 3 escaped an Area Effect, rule 4.7.5.2. To do that he used his
Physical Defense of 2 plus 9. Then subtracted 3 per inch he had to move to get
out of the area effect. This was -6 for 2 squares. Since he was willing to land
prone on the ground, he gained +6 for diving. He pushed his power for +2. His
final save number was 13 (2+9-6+6+2). Worker 3 rolled an 11 he was prone on the
ground.}
[5]
Worker 1 silently stood up and looked toward the building rubble where Erdbeben
stood.
[4]
Worker 5 pushed hard against the debris on top of him. He stood up. The damage
had stripped all of the artificial flesh covering his head and upper torso. The
android looked across the collapsed building scanning for its cause.
[2]
Worker 3 said This Must Be the Place”, as he stood up and looked back at the
collapsed building.
Inside the lab
[9]
"As long as we're sharing facts, five out of five doctors say my fists are
dangerous for your circuits!", Patty gustily yelled and threw two punches
at SLAM 6, seeing that it's already damaged. Slam 6 blocked the first punch and
ducked the second. Both punches missed.
{GM
Note: Patty’s two punches count two weapon combat 4.14.11. The two weapons may
both be used to attack, at a penalty of -1 to hit with each. A weapon in the
“off-hand” suffers an additional -2 penalty to hit. The Physical Ability:
Ambidexterity (2.5 CPs) eliminates the “off-hand” penalty.
Patty’s
first attack was 14 minus 1 for two weapon combat, -2 for SLAM 6’s protection.
Patty needed 11 or less, rolled 17. Attack missed.}
Patty’s
second attack was 14 minus 1 for two weapon combat, -2 for off-hand, -2 for
SLAM 6’s protection. Patty needed 9 or less, rolled 13. Attack missed.}
[6]
Slam 8 said, “Knowing how to fight empowers you far beyond those who know only
what to fight” as he swung his tool at Patty Plus.
WHAM!
Patty
was struck but she reflected the damage back onto SLAM 8. Both rolled with the
blows and were able to still fight.
{GM
Note: SLAM 8 needed a 12 or less, rolled a 5. It rolled 8 points of damage.
Patty Plus reflected 6 points of damage and rolled with 2 points against her
Power Points. She could still fight.
Patty
Plus needed 12 or less to reflect damage to SLAM 8, rolled 7. SLAM 8’s
protection stopped 4 points of damage and rolled the remaining 2 points of
damage against Power Points. It could still fight}
[5]
Rubicon was glad he was off Strike’s aircraft and had moved to contact. Sitting in the aircraft is a big target and
at least he was taking action and quickly fell into the groove with his prior
military training. He tried to observe the surroundings as he moved into the
building (G), into the first lab room.
The repeated training with urban and close quarter combat instructors on
how to enter rooms safely, maintain specific vectors of fire, and delineate
quantities and locations of targets and friendlies came into play. As a result, by following M.I.S.H.A. into the
room he navigated to a position aligned with Enforcer and Powercell between worktables
to the (plan) east side of the room.
Satisfied with the M.I.S.H.A.'s position within the SLAM scrum, he was
confident the bear would continue his whirlwind of attacks to keep as many
occupied as possible and Patty kept their attention. Demy smirked as he observed her fire, that
girl had Yaytsa*! They all did for
coming all the way out this island without any additional air cover or
support. Need to get that shield down,
he thought to himself, not for the first time.
{*Russian
for balls}
After
looking around for cameras or other weapon systems on the ceiling and also
watching the door to the next lab for additional enemies, Demy crouched behind
one of the tables to get cover and aimed for SLAM 8.
BLAM!
The
shot rang out as the bullet struck SLAM 8. The android technician rolled with
the damage and was still able to fight.
{GM
Note: Rubicon needed 15 or less to hit, rolled 6. He rolled 7 points of damage.
SLAM 8’s armor stopped 4 points of damage. It rolled with the 3 remaining
damage points to its Power Points. SLAM 8 was still able to fight.}
[5]
M.I.S.H.A. continued the same action and attack approach as before focused
primarily on SLAMS 1,2,3, & 5.
SWIPE!
MISHA
swung his claw at SLAM 1. The SLAM staggered from the slash as the fake flesh
was rendered from its body and electronics sparked from the gash in its body.
It was still standing and able to fight.
{MISHA
needed an 8 to Hit (14 -1 for dual attack, -3 for third attack, -2 for SLAM
defense), rolled an 8, hit. 11 points of damage. SLAM armor stooped 4 points.
-5 to Power Points and -2 Hit Points. The SLAM has Hit Points left so it is
still able to fight. Rolled a 17 against the 2, it did not loss an ability}
SWISH!
swung
his claw at SLAM 2. It missed. The SLAM stepped backwards to move out of reach
of M.I.S.H.A.’s swiping claw.
{MISHA
needed a 6 to Hit (14 -3 for dual attack, -3 for third attack, -2 for SLAM
defense), rolled a 17, missed.}
SNAP!
Snapped
at SLAM 9 with its fangs. It missed. M.I.S.H.A. bit into the SLAM Technicans
lab coat, filling its mouth with cloth but missing the android.
{MISHA
needed a 6 to Hit (14 -3 for dual attack, -3 for third attack, -2 for SLAM
defense), rolled a 7, missed.}
SLICE!
swung
his claw at SLAM 5. It hit. The SLAM staggered from the slash as the fake flesh
was rendered from its body and electronics sparked from the gash in its body.
It was still standing and able to fight.
{MISHA
needed a 6 to Hit (14 -3 for dual attack, -3 for third attack, -2 for SLAM
defense), rolled a 6, hit. 20 points of damage. SLAM armor stopped 4 points of
damage. -5 to Power Points and -11 Hit Points. The SLAM has Hit Points left so
it is still able to fight. No loss of abilities, rolled 13 against the 11}
[4]
Seeing that Erdbeben was targeting the building with the snipers, StrikeForce
moved to follow Patty and Enforcer into the labs. Using the Comm. link, he
stated. "Patty and Enforcer, Cyberion is down, I am entering the building
behind you and coming to assist."
StrikeForce
ran into the building. He spotted a group of technicians. They were attempting
to swarm MISHA and Patty. He moved toward the group keeping his head on a
swivel he made sure no one could attack him from behind. He wanted to help both
MISHA and Patty not get overwhelmed by numbers. Keeping his senses active he
engaged Slams 3 and 6.
KABAM!
SLAM
6 is knocked back into SLAM 10. SLAM 10 rolls with knockback damage. SLAM 6
falls to the floor incapacitated. It is out of the fight.
{StrikeForce
needed a 17 to hit for his first dual weapon attack, rolled a 10. The SLAM’s
armor stopped 4 points of damage. Rolled with 5 damage points against Power
Points. 6 points of damage against Hit Points. Mass roll was 7 therefore
Knockback distance is 9 inches. The SLAM flew into SLAM 10. Both took 7
additional points of damage. Armor stopped 4 damage points. Both rolled with
the 3 damage points, reducing Power Points. SLAM 6 is incapacitated. Its Hit
Points are 0. It is out of the fight.}
KABAM!
SLAM
3 is knocked to the floor. It was laying prone. SLAM 3 could continue to fight.
{StrikeForce
needed a 17 to hit for his second dual weapon attack, rolled a 4. StrikeForce
rolled 19 points of damage which is greater than the SLAM’s Armor of 12. The
armor is ablative. It is reduced to 11 and loses 1 point of Bio Protection. The
SLAM’s armor stopped 4 points of damage. Rolled with 5 damage points against
Power Points. 10 points of damage against Hit Points. Mass roll was 9 therefore
1” of Knockback. SLAM 3 has Hit Points left. It is prone and can still fight.}
[4]
SLAM 5 said, “Fight alone. That is when beatings are born.”
BAM!
SLAM
5 hit M.I.S.H.A. with the tool the android technician carried.
{GM
Note: SLAM 5 needed a 17 or less, rolled a 10. It rolled 5 points of damage.
M.I.S.H.A rolled with 5 points against its Power Points. It could still fight.}
[3]
Enforcer fired two pistol shots at SLAM 8. KAPOW! KAPOW! The
first shot it but the second shot missed. SLAM 8 rolled with the damage and was
able to continue the fight. Enforcer said, “I can’t use my explosive rounds
without hitting Patty Plus and M.I.S.H.A.!”
{GM
Note: Enforcer needed 11 on first shot, rolled 6. Did 6 points of damage, SLAM
8’s armor stopped most of the damage and rolled with the rest against Power
Points. Enforcer needed a 9 on the second shot, rolled a 17, missed}
[3]
SLAM 10 said, “The only source of a beatdown is experience. I will provide you
with all the experience you need!”
BAM!
SLAM
10 struck Patty Plus.
{GM
Note: SLAM 10 needed a 12 or less, rolled a 10. It rolled 5 points of damage.
Patty Plus reflected 4 points of damage and rolled with 1 point against her
Power Points. She could still fight.
Patty
Plus needed 12 or less to reflect damage to SLAM 8, rolled 19, missed.}
[3]
SLAM 3 stood up and said, “There is no substitute for hard work, and I am about
to work you over.”
[2]
Powercell said, “Time to fry some circuits”. SLAM 2 sparks and jerked about
when both electro-bolts hit it. Sizzling pops sounds from its head as
components were fried. It was still able to fight.
KZZT!
The
blast hit SLAM 2. It sparked and jerked about when both electro-bolts hit it.
It was still able to fight.
{Powercell
needed a 12 to hit, rolled an 8, Powercell rolled 14 damage points. Its armor
stopped 3. Rolled with 5 against Power Points. The rest were against Hit
Points. It was still able to fight.}
KZZT!
The
blast hit SLAM 2 sparks and jerked about when both electro-bolts hit it.
Sizzling pops sounds from its head as components were fried. It was still able
to fight.
{Powercell
needed a 12 to hit, rolled a 6, Powercell rolled 16 damage points. Its armor
stopped 3. Rolled with 5 against Power Points. The rest were against Hit
Points. It was still able to fight.}
[2]
SLAM 2 said, “There is no shortcut to a beating. We are prepared to take the
long way.”
BAM!
SLAM
2 struck M.I.S.H.A on its side. M.I.S.H.A. rolled with the damage. M.I.S.H.A
was hurt but still able to fight.
{GM
Note: SLAM 2 needed a 17 or less, rolled a 10. It rolled 5 points of damage.
M.I.S.H.A rolled with 4 points against its Power Points. She could still
fight.}
[2]
SLAM 1 said, “There can never be any real opposition between Boxing and Judo;
for the one is the complement of the other” as it swung the wrench at M.I.S.H.A
BLAM!
It
hit M.I.S.H.A on M.I.S.H.A.’s front leg, damaging it to the point that
M.I.S.H.A couldn’t use it. M.I.S.H.A. could still fight with its other foreleg
and jaws.
{GM
Note: SLAM 1 needed a 17 or less, rolled a 1 and 13, Critical Hit! Rolled 11 on
Critical Success table. Arm Shot – M.I.S.H. A’s front leg. M.I.S.H.A must make
a save against 16 or less, if failed loses use of forearm. Rolled an 18,
M.I.S.H.A. has lost the use of its foreleg!
Slam
2 rolled 9 points of damage. M.I.S.H.A rolled with 5 points against its Power
Points. 4 points of damage against Hit Points. M.I.S.H.A could still fight.}
[1]
SLAM 9 said, “You lose consciousness when you stop keeping your guard up.” It
swung its weapon at Patty Plus.
SWISH!
SLAM
9 missed with its attack.
{GM
Note: SLAM 8 needed a 12 or less, rolled a 16, missed.}
[0]
M.I.S.H.A. regenerated. Its leg mended itself and was fully functioning again.
{GM
Note: M.I.S.H.A. regenerated all 10 lost Hit Points. Since full recovery from
the damage occurred the critical success loss of arm (front leg) is considered
healed}
[0]
Blizzard and Worker 2 did not wake up.
{GM
Note: Blizzard needed to roll a 4 to wake up, rolled a 12. Worker 2 needed to
roll a 7 to wake up, rolled a 19}
<Turns
and Actions due June 10th>
Battle
Conditions (Mighty Protectors character data):
Adamas Hit
Points: 22 Power Points: 72 Gone
Black Orchid Hit
Points: 24 Power Points: 92 Invisible
Dr. Wildman Hit
Points: 12 Power Points: 53 Form (9): Man; Armor; Control (2): Shark;
Flight: 4”
Erdbeben Hit
Points: 46 Power Points: 46
Patty Plus Hit
Points: 15 Power Points: 42 Corporeal, Using Reflection ability.
StrikeForce Hit Points: 31 Power
Points: 91
Rubicon Hit
Points: 20 Power Points: 64 Absorption Protection
MISHA Hit
Points: 35 Power Points: 48
Blizzard Hit Points: 2 Power Points: 41 Unconscious
Enforcer Hit Points: 12 Power
Points: 58 Forcefield up
Powercell Hit Points: 13 Power
Points: 34 Electric Aura on
Manta-Man Hit Points: 13 Power
Points: 66 Gone
Next Turn
[ 7] Patty Plus
[ 7] Black Orchid
[ 6] Dr. Wildman
[ 5] Erdbeben
[ 5] StrikeForce
[ 4] Powercell
[ 2] Rubicon & M.I.S.H.A.
[ 1] Enforcer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Turns and Actions are due May 13th. I have
given an extra week to help line up my calendar with my daughter graduating
from College on May 10th.
if you submit your turns earlier I will start
on the next issue as I am able to find time.
I did have a hard time choosing a title for
this issue. I try to make meaningful to the player submissions but both Marc
and Steve caught the essence of this issue. While I was tempted to use Marc's
"Mayhem of the New Crusaders". I really wanted the cover of the issue
to reflect the creative solution Steve came up with for Dr. Wildman to achieve
his goal against seemingly impossible odds!
Thanks everyone and enjoy Under the Sea!
Tom
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks
Tom!
Congrats
on your daughter's graduation!
Hope
everyone is doing well.
Greg
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
FYI,
a gallon of water is closer to 8.34 lbs.
All
good whatever you want, but it caught my eye as I deal with this at work quite
a bit.
Nevertheless,
thanks and love this story and appreciate you so much.
Greg
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks, I am blessed, everyone is doing well.
Figures,
the internet let me down. Thanks for letting me know. I don't think it is worth
changing the issue. It might have KOed Skyhawk but it most likely would also
prevent Dr. Wildman from making his Strength Saving throw to swim through the
portal. So I am going with the comics getting it wrong and being identified in
a letter to the editor.
Since
in the immortal words of Stan the Man, Sir you have won a "No Prize"!
Tom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lol, all good.
I
remember the No Prize. Story of my life.
I was also wondering about the amount of
atmospheres of pressure depending on the depth of the portal under the water.
It would be higher pressure going through based on depth, but already figured
you'd hold, and rightly so. It's just a game...not a simulator. Story above all
is paramount in my opinion.
Still
unpacking the turn. Really great!
I'll
try to put more into this next one.
Take
care!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I literally held my breath as I was reading
this…I cannot believe the plan worked!
When
Dr A was staring at him I thought that was it…it’s all over. Best moment of Dr
Wildman’s Superhero career so far! Thanks for the tense write up Tom…I’m
starting to breathe again.
Am
singing ‘Little Mermaid’ songs now in my head tho.
And
please let me add my congratulations as well.
All
good here in Blighty, bit of an unseasonal cold snap in April and I’ve been at
the 3d printer again…
Namor,
the Sub Mariner - one of my favorite Marvel characters and I really like the
Inca theme the MCU adapted him to.
Now,
time for some sea storm shenanigans!
Steve
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks for all the congratulations!
Steve,
I am glad you enjoyed the write-up and it was suspenseful for you.
I
really enjoyed my characterization of the NPCs in this issue. The Cyberion was
the only one I didn't do it on but Erdbeben and StrikeForce took it out so
quickly, it felt like it wouldn't be missed. I put a few Easter eggs in the
issue to go along with the Title (Hey, if the song is in my head as I wrote it,
it should be in your head when you read it, right?)
If
you don't get the Easter eggs, go to the very end of the Issue after the
submissions. I listed one set of Easter eggs there. the other set isn't but I
will respond to any email guesses. If you think my doing that is too silly,
then Archibald ignore it and enjoy what you want to in the issue.
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright new issue! Congratulations to you and
your daughter Tom.
Jamey
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you so much.
Tom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom,
That
was a very creative and exciting issue, well done! The action scene in the
underwater base was amazing and I loved all of the personality you gave the
NPCs.
---
"As
long as we're sharing facts, five out of five doctors say my fists are
dangerous for your circuits!", Patty gustily yells and throws two punches
at SLAM 6, seeing that it's already damaged.
OOC:
Her goal at this point is to basically tank and try to deal some damage while
the others around her bring the DPS on the SLAMs.
Best,
Shane
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks so much! It will be fun to watch Patty
the Tank do her thing.
Tom
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd like to throw my hat into the ring in
applauding this issue. Not only was the underground scene done well, but I only
caught about half of the easter eggs that Tom threw into the episode. Also,
when Tom mentioned Easter Eggs, I thought he was going to point out the Men at
Work lyrics that he worked into the dialog. Nice touch.
IC:
Seeing the four workers firing from the windows of the building to the south of
him, (building H) Erdbeben puts his hands on the structure and channels his
vibration attack at the building attempting to bring the building down on top
of the four mechanized workers.
OOC:
Erdbeben will again channel four points from this attack into his damage on the
building. If Tom gives more of an attack bonus against the building since, he
is standing next to it, he will up that amount accordingly.
Paul
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks! I figured someone would catch my Men
at Work song title references. I figured since I wasn't altering them like the
quotes I wouldn't need to put them at the end of the issue. I am glad they
worked and didn't feel forced.
Paul,
since the building is inanimate the to hit is 19. Anything but a natural 20
will hit. So Erdbeben can put all of his "to hit" into damage.
Tom
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, I saw the Men at Work alright.
Love
It!!!
Greg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Wildman swam through the portal. He was in
a different location than he was before when he swam up to the Island. There
were man-made docks nearby. He swam cautiously to the surface. He reached the
surface and raised his head out to water to get his bearings. He was in the
port of the Old Military base. He was near to where the rest of the New
Crusaders were attacking the Robot Factories of Cyberdoom.
William
swam to the dock and climbed up onto the platform. He could hear the familiar
'Zzzap, Kapow and Fwoosh' of The New Crusaders' own particular form of mayhem.
It made him smile, comforted that he had 'ported' close to his friends and away
from his enemies. He shook his head, struggling to believe his good fortune in
escaping the 'cabal of chaos' that was under the surface of the Island.
In
his hand he felt the weight of the Sceptre of Storms, and with senses
unfamiliar to those untrained in the eldritch arts he could feel the aura of
pride from its previous keeper dissipate from the artefact and its familiar
wild nature return. The Artefact of Storms imprinted itself and accentuated the
nature of its wielder, meaning the effectiveness of the magical item was
determined by the discipline of the one who used it. That was probably why, in
part, William could wrestle it away from Storm Lord. Pride was never a potent
character trait - no doubt it was dangerous but inevitably it was always more
of a weakness than a strength.
Dr
Wildman was once more bathed in eldritch energy as he transformed out of his
'creature' form. As he did the Sceptre also transformed into a long dark green
coat, a merging of the original short jacket with his cape.
"That's
better!" William said to no one in particular as he gave the Coat of
Storms a reassuring tug, just so it sat comfortably.
He
adjusted the Helm of the Chimera and checked the Amulet of Control. 'Bruce' was
still swimming around the Island so he pulsed a command for the shark to make
its way to the dock.
William
interlocked his fingers and pushed out letting his fingers click as he
stretched his arms out. He watched as the human skin turned rough, scaled and
green. The 'Armour' spell never ceased to unnerve him but it was a necessary
and often life saving part of his mystic arsenal. He shook out his hands and
watched as lightning arced between his fingers.
"Here
we go then..." he mused as he ran towards the din of battle.
OOC:
Dr Wildman will enter the fray, firing lightning bolts at any opponents that
come into range.
IC:
As William hurls lightning at his android opponents (remembering just how much
he hates machines that try to be human) he will say over the shared comms:
" Hello everyone. So, not to put too finer point on this but about 500
feet below us is a device designed to mentally control whole communities of
people wielded by Dr Dumbledork and his Hogwarts rejects - Hagrid the
Headhunter, the failed phoenix familiar that is SkyHawk, the mad Moody one -
Hauntress and the wannabe Snape - StormLord. So I guess we could call the cave
they are in the 'deathly hollow'. Anyway, I've just escaped from there so we
probably need to wrap this up pretty quick - as they are probably not too far
behind me!"
Steve
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Seeing that Erdbeben is targeting the building
with the snipers, StrikeForce will move to follow Patty and Enforcer into the
labs. Keeping his senses active he will engage whomever confronts him. Keeping
his head on a swivel he will attempt to not allow anyone to attack him from
behind. Using the Comm. link, he states. "Patty and Enforcer, Cyberion is
down, I am entering the building behind you and coming to assist."
Jamey
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Tom,
FYI,
I'm planning to get my turn in today, but it may be late tonight due to some
events at work, my own son graduating and family coming into town, and Mother’s
Day today, I've had to put this on the back burner. Just wanted to let you know.
I'm
excited, but just need a little more time to fit in later today.
Have
a great day!
Greg
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No problem, take the time you need. I totally
understand.
Tom
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Hi all,
Late
email at the last minute once again. My
second and last child is also joining the ranks of High School graduates this
week. Trying to get one out of college
while getting the other one in. I'd like
to rant and rave about how Covid impacted my daughters HS graduation and the
start of college, but the FAFSA and California schools creating a rippling
affect across the nation for creating the acceptance/financial aid/scholarship
limbo I'm just going to say this year may suck worse as we continue to wait for
final acceptance letters and aid information.
Definitely a 1st world problem and it will work itself out. I made a plan and once again, GOD laughed,
LOL. Rant over... for now ; ) Thankfully, there is a wonderful game to
escape to....
With
that...
OOC:
Love, just LOVE the narrative we have and this last issue was by far one of the
most exciting.
The
pucker factor was certainly elevated as I read who the dual Docs locked eyes.
Audible
sigh of relief when the story continued to find Wildman surfacing near us and
to safety (again, for now...).
BINGO
on the Men At Work lyrics. I can't tell
you how much it means to me to revisit this game and the flood of the related
music I associate during that time period paralleling the onset of MTV. It was a tough time in my life with moving
around a lot (9 times in the past 6 years up to that point, and ended up going
to 14 schools before college overall where I spent the longest I'd lived
anywhere in a Fraternity house) and the music and the TTRPG's of the time were
a wonderful constant (along with the comics and fantasy/sci fi books/movies of
the time).
Look
at me oversharing again.
Back
to the story...
IC:
Rubicon was glad he was off Strikes aircraft and had moved to contact. Sitting in the aircraft is a big target and
at least he was taking action and quickly fell into the groove with his prior
military training. He tried to observe the surroundings as he moved into the
building (G), into the first lab room.
The repeated training with urban and close quarter combat instructors on
how to enter rooms safely, maintain specific vectors of fire, and delineate
quantities and locations of targets and friendlies came into play. As a result, by following M.I.S.H.A. into the
room he navigated to a position aligned with Enforcer and Powercell between
work tables to the (plan) east side of the room. Satisfied with the M.I.S.H.A.'s position
within the SLAM scrum, he was confident the bear would continue his whirlwind
of attacks to keep as many occupied as possible and Patty kept their attention. Demy smirked as he observed her fire, that
girl had Yaytsa*! they all did for
coming all the way out this island without any additional air cover or
support. Need to get that shield down,
he thought to himself, not for the first time.
After
looking around for cameras or other weapon systems on the ceiling and also
watching the door to the next lab for additional enemies, Demy will crouch
behind one of the table to get cover, and AIM for (p.114, for +2) to Hit and
focus on the most injured (SLAM 10?) and then shift in in subsequent rounds to
the next highest damaged target.
M.I.S.H.A.
will continue the same action and attack approach as last turn focused
primarily on SLAMS 1,2,3, &5.
Specifically, any how try to leave his area first.
*Russian
for balls
-Greg
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Reminder that turns and actions are due today.
Thanks
Tom
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Who are we waiting on Tom?
Jamey
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Marc has not provided Black Orchid's turn.
Tom
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Public shame!
"OK
everybody, we have a bunch of Cyberions returning back to base to protect the
robotics and weapons labs. I can't figure out how to shut them off, but I can
potentially use the building itself to neutralize them."
Depending
on how much control she has, The Black Orchid will try to create
"breach" signals specifically in protected (and hopefully highly
secure) research areas. If she can then use the building systems themselves to
lock them in, it should cut back on the threat. The Black Orchid knows exactly
what weapons labs look like and how secure they are from her background (I
hope!) so she will try to control those rooms first. If she finds ones that
meet those criteria, she will mention "If you can, draw any Cyberions or
other robots to _____, and I can hopefully lock them in there."
If
all of that won't work, she will at least try to take control or nullify the
security camera, so it doesn't give them any "home field advantage."
Marc
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Messed
up Quotes Easter Eggs
“The
only source of knowledge is experience” - Albert Einstein (SLAM 10)
“You
lose your curiosity when you stop learning” - Katherine Johnson (SLAM 9)
“Knowing
how to think empowers you far beyond those who know only what to think” – Neil
deGrasse Tyson (SLAM 8)
“Be
alone. That is when the ideas are born” - Nikola Tesla (SLAM 5)
“There
is no substitute for hard work” – Thomas Edison (SLAM 3)
“There
is no shortcut to achievement” – George Washington Carver (SLAM 2)
“There
can never be any real opposition between religion and science; for the one is
the complement of the other” – Max Planck (SLAM 1)
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