Location: Center City near midnight
The serpent’s head smashed into the passenger window. Oww! David heard the woman officer scream in pain.
Within the garbage truck, Archer heard a communications device sound. “Sam, this is Centurion. Dr. Morrow has created a force field within the patrol car. We can’t get him out. Collect your trash ASAP. We will need to bring the whole freakin car back to the Citadel in your truck.
The Archer watched the Ice Cream Man drop like a puppet with its strings cut, letting out a sigh of relief as he readied another set of arrows. Small wonders, I was beginning to think every crook and gangster in the city had adamantium lining in their skulls . . . speaking of, apparently Trashman there is second cousin to Invulnero. If the slug from a sniper rifle bounces off his skull, my arrows are going to be next to useless . . . the man in the black mask is either a powerhouse or a fool, because Trashman looks like he could give that Adamas guy a run for his money.
Focus on the objective Daniel, save the endangered officers. The radio makes it sound like the third cruiser got stopped at a secondary ambush point. If they need Trashman’s truck to transport “the whole freakin car”, then I guess I can buy them some time by making sure that doesn’t happen.
Archer shot two broad-head arrows at the Trashman’s truck tires in an attempt to disable the vehicle.
Ffstt. Ffstt. Thuk! Thuk!
The arrows struck both the tires on the opposite side from where the driver was standing. The tires deflated and the garbage truck leaned slightly to the side.
Focusing his Spatial Awareness for optimal combat conditions, the Archer used his acrobatic and mountaineering skills to parkour down the side of the building next to the cruiser with the drugged police officer. Archer snatched the police radio off the officer’s belt. He ran for his motorcycle and rode off in the direction that the third patrol car had gone.
Archer pushed his awareness forward searching for the patrol car. It was easy to follow it in Center City. It was a newer and cleaner city than the Foundry. He followed the floating debris from the blasts that had missed the car but struck road or building. Each cloud of debris led to the next pothole or damaged wall.
When he found the ambush site he slowed to half speed. He wanted to get closer but wanted to make sure of what he was heading into first. He sensed a man floating in armor up ahead. There were two villains floating near the patrol car. One was a woman who was firing blasts from her hands. She was carving away the car from a barrier which was inside the car. The other was a floating fire. It was firing blasts of flame, so hot it was instantly melting the metal from the car.
A teen is a baseball uniform was farther away.
As Archer drove closer he sensed two figures flying toward the car. A man was carrying a woman. They flew right by the armored man and the floating woman. The villains did not turn toward them. It was like they couldn’t see the duo. The two landed. Suddenly a third appeared next to the patrol car. This “man” had wings like a dragon. The winged creature picked up the patrol car.
The woman bent over and then all the villains turned as if noticing the three newcomers for the first time.
Archer focused on his bike. It had started shaking badly. He gripped on tight trying to keep from wrecking. His motorcycle went from shaking to vibrating. It vibrated quite badly. It started tearing apart. At the last second Archer leaped from it. He landed in a perfect roll transferring his momentum throughout his body.
{GM Note: 1d8 damage from motorcycle crash. Four points of damage Archer rolled with all of it}
Archer was shocked. He didn’t know what had happened, had he been attacked? Then he heard a voice.
“Centurion, this is Vibron. You were correct in stationing look-outs in all directions. There was a hero following us from the other ambush sight. I am engaging”.
“Roger, that Vibron, we have 3 more here. Happy Hunting.”
Had he heard right, a column of floating debris has spoken? He turned his head to look. He was shocked to see a costumed villain standing there instead. It had a helmet and lightning bolts coming from his extremities to his belt. His hands had glowing auras around him. He flickered like one of those Holo-grams in those old science fiction movies.
{GM Note: Player knowledge only: Vibron has vibration defense. It allows objects to pass through him; he can even walk through walls. Since Archer’s spatial sense is dependent on bouncing off solid object to return to him Archer was not able to read him completely. With vibration defense, there are always different parts of his body becoming solid and then switching to non-corporal while other parts are in an offsetting pattern, it appeared as floating debris to him because Archer had never encountered this before. Now that he knows about it he can recognize it. For his spatial sense to see the whole of Vibron he would have to create multiple layers/waves to adjust for the defense. It will take half his movement to do this. This is only required for Archer to ‘see’ Vibron with his spatial sense but he doesn’t have to do that for any other reason.}
Current Conditions:
Archer Hit Points: 53 Power Points: 67
Blunt Head Arrows: 18
Broad Head Arrows: 8
< Due Date: August 31th, Actions, Goal, Replies>
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Initial Responses to: Archer Issue 12 “Shots in the Dark”
OOC: Tom, I have a rule question. There are certain Powers and rules that call for the character to expend an Action to activate. With the new, one Action per Turn rule in effect, that’s going to have quite an effect on speed of game play for some of those Powers and rules. Would it be possible to exchange either movement or one of the two dual-attacks available to “activate” those effects? In Archer’s case I’m thinking of the “Evasion” rule. Stacking it with Heightened Defense is his only real defensive ability. Others might have different yet connected concerns about the cost of an Action with the new rules.
The serpent’s head smashed into the passenger window. Oww! David heard the woman officer scream in pain.
Within the garbage truck, Archer heard a communications device sound. “Sam, this is Centurion. Dr. Morrow has created a force field within the patrol car. We can’t get him out. Collect your trash ASAP. We will need to bring the whole freakin car back to the Citadel in your truck.
OOC: Okay Tom, you scare the crap out of me when something goes right at the beginning of a combat. I’ll be keeping an eye on that Ice Cream Man buddy. I’m sure he’s going to go all zombie on us or something by the third turn.
<Archer: IC Responses> the Archer watches the Ice Cream Man drop like a puppet with its strings cut, letting out a sigh of relief as he readies another set of arrows. Small wonders, I was beginning to think every crook and gangster in the city had adamantium lining in their skulls . . . speaking of, apparently Trashman there is second cousin to Invulnero. If the slug from a sniper rifle bounces off his skull, my arrows are going to be next to useless . . . the man in the black mask is either a powerhouse or a fool, because Trashman looks like he could give that Adamas guy a run for his money.
Focus on the objective Daniel, save the endangered officers. The radio makes it sound like the third cruiser got stopped at a secondary ambush point. If they need Trashman’s truck to transport “the whole freakin car”, then I guess I can buy them some time by making sure that doesn’t happen.
<Archer’s Actions> Archer will use two broad-head arrows this Turn. He will make a Dual Attack on two of the Trashman’s truck tires in an attempt to disable the vehicle. I assume this effect might require the equivalent of a “Special Attack”, I only hope to get some “to hit” bonus for it being a surprise attack and/or stationary object.
Focusing his Spatial Awareness for optimal combat conditions, the Archer will then use his acrobatic and mountaineering skills to parkour down the side of the building next to the cruiser with the drugged police officer. If the attack on Trashman’s truck tires was successful (I know how you’re bound to roll a 20 at the most inopportune times Tom) Archer will snatch the police radio off the officer’s belt. He’ll then make a run for his motorcycle in an attempt to make off for the third patrol car.
<Archer’s Goals> Flying bumpers, Sniper shots, and some ballsy dude in a black mask. Archer feels that with Ice Cream Man incapacitated and the odds down to three to one, that the officers in the third patrol car are probably in even greater danger than the ones here, at the intersection.
With the changing dynamics of three other parties involved in assisting the police officers, Archer has expanded his Primary Goal of rescuing the officers to include the ones in the third cruiser. If he hadn’t heard the radio message, and if there were not “others” around to take on Trashman, he’d stay and finish the job, but mission objectives are more important that head counts or beating up bad guys.
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GM
With the new, one Action per Turn rule in effect, that’s going to have quite an effect on speed of game play for some of those Powers and rules. In Archer’s case I’m thinking of the “Evasion” rule. Stacking it with Heightened Defense is his only real defensive ability. Others might have different yet connected concerns about the cost of an Action with the new rules.
It will be on a case by case basis. For Evasion, you will have a choice use an action and it will last for an additional turn or evade and attack at the same time as a dual action. As a dual action it will last only for that turn, cost 2 PP and applies a minus of # to hit to the attack (# is equal to their accuracy bonus from base stats). I think that is fair because any character with Agility of 14 or less would had to use Evasion as their only action for the turn under the only method. For the Dual Attack impact it shows that fighting defensively is harder than attacking without concern of being hit. I also don't expect this to have much impact on the game because the use of Evasion is extremely rare.
He will make a Dual Attack on two of the Trashman’s truck tires in an attempt to disable the vehicle. I assume this effect might require the equivalent of a “Special Attack”, I only hope to get some “to hit” bonus for it being a surprise attack and/or stationary object.
To hit the truck, Archer will need to roll a 19 or less. Since he is aiming for a tire on the truck, he will have to roll a 19 or less twice for the Special Attack.
Best,
Tom
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Archer
Wow this as been a nasty weak buddy (Inventory
I'm sure the Dual Action/Evasion explanation made perfect sense but my brain is mush. Archer hasn't had a chance to use Evasion yet but it is his primary defense (Spidey/Daredevil-ish) in my mind) So please have patience with a lame-brain when I try to put it into effect. Thanks.
Cool on the tire attack. Thanks. I still have a weird feeling about Ice Cream Man but the Trashman's radio communication really shaped Archer's Action this Turn. Not only am I curious to the others reactions but thinking Phantom and Archer might mix like oil and water or Punisher and Daredevil if they spend too much time in the same vicinity
Thanks Again
John R
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