OOC- Shadow's Dawn: Diving into the past Options

[Seth]

Absolutely: Angel's aura is 10m across, your's barely reaches beyond arms length. (Mind you: if you grapple a spirit it's toast).

[sabs]

Seth, can I get the Magical TacNet to give them a path to follow.
And I'm going to Astral Project into the Temple, whilst holding the dagger and the skull. To look around.

[Edana]

@Edana
The orderly is tough, and currently undamaged. It looks as though it is a special model designed to restrain very strong un-cooperating 'guests'. You slice through the security as though it wasn't there (its a rating 4 device, no need for rolls, takes 1 combat turn max), although see the IC post...
MR CHIPS first aid's you 7 successes

Hehe, well, I guess that saves me the trouble of compiling a machine sprite to pilot it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) . Can I split the first aid between stun/physical? I'm only down 2 of each, and with 20 dice he should be able to just buy the necessary successes to cover those, even if they're separate tests.

Still going to make myself an admin account just in case, but I'll leave the wireless whichever way the sprites prefer (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) .

[Seth]

@Edana
With the 7 successes that he rolled, he can heal 5 things.
I suspect there is a RAW order that things get healed in, but I'm mostly not worried, and anyway you are only down 4.

MR CHIPS might need to run a diagnostic on Immortal Li, its a good thing that Evo-Orderlies have robotic arms especially designed for doing that sort of thing.

@Sabs
You brave dwarf you. Alyena is just putting her hands over her eyes and saying "You what! Please tell me again. No this is just a bad dream".

I'll give you a minute of messing around while the others are grouping. During that time you work out how the magical TacNet works (you have been kind of busy up till now). Your head is beginning to hurt with the hard thinking you have put it through.

The tacnet will run just like a standard tacnet, except it needs to run over a mind net. Mandala can cast that spell, I don't know if anyone else can. The bonus's are capped at 3, with the same sort of rules as normal (except the one about the number of sensors you need to have). You have to spend a complex action to activate it. It will collapse if the mindnet goes down.

I'll do you an IC post when I have thought about what you find in there...can I get an assensing roll and a composure roll anyway?

@General
I don't think I am behind on answering any questions. If I have missed anything please tell me again.

[sabs]

Worse comes to worse, Marduk will die a horrible painful death.

intuition(3)+assensing(6) = 9d6 6 3 3 3 6 1 6 2 4 (3) hits.
Composure, thats' willpower+charisma right? 6 2 4 6 6 3 3 2 1 6 2 (4) hits

[Seth]

Worse comes to worse, Marduk will die a horrible painful death.

Ask Boris if that's really the worst. Cyberzombie Marduk. I like the sound of it.

[sabs]

Given that Marduk's powers are assensing and knowledge skills (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) I don't think it would change him much.

Besides, he's got to get my Body before he can Cyberzombie me.. I don't think he has enough time in the next 15 minutes.

[pbangarth]

I'll give you a minute of messing around while the others are grouping. During that time you work out how the magical TacNet works (you have been kind of busy up till now). Your head is beginning to hurt with the hard thinking you have put it through.

The tacnet will run just like a standard tacnet, except it needs to run over a mind net. Mandala can cast that spell, I don't know if anyone else can. The bonus's are capped at 3, with the same sort of rules as normal (except the one about the number of sensors you need to have). You have to spend a complex action to activate it. It will collapse if the mindnet goes down.

Uh oh. Mandala's Mindnet has been down for about 10 combat rounds. He dropped it way back to avoid the -2 penalty for sustaining a spell.

@General
I don't think I am behind on answering any questions. If I have missed anything please tell me again.

I need help figuring out what Mandala will be like in the Fourth World. Folks here are talking about being different kinds of 'adepts' back then. I have no idea what that means. Sorry, I'm just ignorant of most things Earthdawn.

[Seth]

I need help figuring out what Mandala will be like in the Fourth World. Folks here are talking about being different kinds of 'adepts' back then. I have no idea what that means. Sorry, I'm just ignorant of most things Earthdawn.

I'm a little weak on this topic. Spirits existed in Earthdawn, but it wasn't a player option

• One option is that you weren't free yet, but were one of Alyena's pets (shes a fine upstanding Nethermancer)
• Another is that you are a free spirit masquerading as .... in which case you can masquerade as anything you want.
• Masquerade as a thief would be good: everyone expects thiefs to be a bit secretive.
• Masquerade as a rare adept class: Herald (so rare I just made it up) whose powers are not well known by the general population
• You could be a known free spirit: that would make you something of a celebrity, which has pluses and minuses

[Sephiroth]

I have very little knowledge of Earthdawn, so I have no idea what form my Free Spirit Mandala would take in that time period. Suggestions are most welcome.

Seth, later I will pmail you about an idea for rejigging Mandala in his modern form just a bit, before we run out of time for the stats being set.

That is an excellent question. To my knowledge, spirits are not a playable race in Earthdawn. However, I only now have the 3e core GM and PC compendiums, so it's possible that earlier/other books have rules for playing as spirits. If anyone would know, it'd be Seth or sabs. We could try helping you build ED Mandala using the rules for spirit NPCs.

@Seth: Just a couple quick things before I get some much needed sleep (it's been a rough day):
1. I'm pretty sure Fearghas would be a dualclass adept. One of those is Swordmaster, I'm pretty sure, it just fits his personality better than Warrior. I was originally thinking the other would be Wizard, but I realized that the Wizard adept is very similar to hermetic/chaos tradition magic, where Fearghas follows the charisma-based Path of the Wheel. Elementalist doesn't really fit his concept, and neither does a Nethermancer. Illusionist might work, but those are all the magician Disciplines in the ED player's book I finally got. Do you know of any others from earlier editions or supplemental books or whatever?
2. Maybe I missed something, but should I be worried that this Mr. Chips guy knows what a Horror is, given the super-hinting and vague treatment they've been given in all the non-novel SR material? Including that the immortals apparently are a little afraid to even talk about some Horrors, given the power of Names? Or are you just simplifying the explanatory parts IC to make it easier for us? I'm just curious.
3. Out of curiousity, whatever happened to Zadaine? Is he still interested in playing?

[Seth]

MR CHIPS is hyper intelligent, and has been living in a pyramid spying on a horror for years, and listening to you lot. He's worked it out.

I believe that I made a mistake with Mr Zadaine: I didn't put him on the reserve list. Thank you for pointing him out. Ah well one more will be fine: another learning lesson for GMing this kind of game. Alyena runs a scouting group (two beaver colonies...6 to 8 year olds), and the hardest part of the job is managing the waiting list. I begin to see her problems.

[Aria]

I will start work on the brief for the Astral Quest and kitting people out with equipment. If you have any particular desires, just post them in this thread.

Did you decide whether or not we are still using SR rules for the ED stuff (I may have missed it)...

I've got an old ED rulebook and I'm sure I can approximate air sailor powers from the SR adept power list...

[Seth]

There wouldn't happen to be a sewage or water pipe near the pipes that support the blood ward, would there? Where we might be able to hook the two pipes together and flood the blood ward with water, or better yet, sewage?
Keeping in mind that we can create some limited pipes on our own to connect them if necessary.

The pipes for the blood ward are embedded in the concrete of the pyramid. This is of course maintenance hell, except that they have some pigs that they use to crawl along the inside of the tubes and keep them clean. There are three places where the pipes are exposed: these are the blood pump rooms

• One of them is the room opposite Angel's original room.
• One of them is in the temple (NE corner IIRC)
• One of them is in the top level (just above the temple)

Currently the rage spirits have trashed the pump in the room opposite Angel's room. Blood is not spewing out into the room, so you would guess that they have valves that prevent this.

Someone with mechanical engineering skills would be able to do something. And with a suitable roll (preferably standing in a pump room) I'll give more data. Marduk has already identified and located suitable chemicals.

Obviously the more access points you inject chemicals into the more effective the result will be.

[pbangarth]

The "Herald" idea sounds like something Mandala would like. Can someone explain or point me to an explanation?

Man, from our backgrounds, it would be amazing if Immortal Li and Mandala did not know each other! At least in passing or by reputation. Take a look at Mandala, PoliteMan, and tell me what you think. We could have some fun with a 'reunion' in the midst of a Horror's stronghold.

Edit: "Ahh.... sooooo.... we meet at last, Immortal Li. I am Mandala. I have long desired to make your acquaintance. How unfortunate to do so in such circumstances. Interesting times, no?"

[sabs]

I think, what would make sense for Mandala, is that he was a Free Spirit who was impersonating a Troubadour. That seems to fit well with most of his powers. (Admittedly not so much the stunball (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) but hey.. )

Adepts are known quantities, but Human adepts were known for funky tricks. And even amongst Adepts, they sometimes would develop slightly different power structures. (in the fluff).

Fearghas: If anything, given the fighting style you've displayed. I would go with warrior/swordmaster. You've been doing Airstrikes most of the game (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Fearghas not being a warrior would be weird. You could have developed the 'spellcasting' part more recently. You have after all seriously expanded your skills in the last 2000 years.

[Seth]

The "Herald" idea sounds like something Mandala would like. Can someone explain or point me to an explanation?

I invented it yesterday. However it sounds exactly like an ED adept. With powers for travelling, gaining (legal) access to premises, beaurocracy maybe, and a loud voice that people listen too.

I think, what would make sense for Mandala, is that he was a Free Spirit who was impersonating a Troubadour

Have to say I agree

Fearghas: If anything, given the fighting style you've displayed. I would go with warrior/swordmaster

Ditto. Warriers get cool powers like air dance, gliding stride, death from above... pretty much all levitate powers.





Remember I only need the titles, so that I can distribute nice fluffy powers and loot.

[sabs]

Seth here is that roll you wanted:

15d6: 1 6 6 4 5 4 5 6 3 4 6 4 3 6 3: (7) hits.

Here goes nothing!

[pbangarth]

Yeah, "Troubadour" sounds even better! I'll go with that. Have fun with the kinky stuff, Seth.

[Seth]

@Sabs
Good time for a good roll

@Mandala
Kinky? I wasn't going to get stuff from The Book of Erotic Fantasy but if you insist.

[PoliteMan]

Man, from our backgrounds, it would be amazing if Immortal Li and Mandala did not know each other! At least in passing or by reputation. Take a look at Mandala, PoliteMan, and tell me what you think. We could have some fun with a 'reunion' in the midst of a Horror's stronghold.

Edit: "Ahh.... sooooo.... we meet at last, Immortal Li. I am Mandala. I have long desired to make your acquaintance. How unfortunate to do so in such circumstances. Interesting times, no?"

Wow, yeah, just double checked that. We must have bumped into each other at least once in couple thousand years. I'd imagine, given the Buddhist and Confucian beliefs, they've had at least a few philosophical discussions. And yet we haven't really seemed to recognize each other yet. Li, at least, looks and feels very different from how he was back in the day, which might explain it.

[pbangarth]

OK, well unless Seth has a problem with it, I can have Mandala RP a little shock at the transformation... as we high-tail it away from the ravening spirits.

[Seth]

OK, well unless Seth has a problem with it, I can have Mandala RP a little shock at the transformation... as we high-tail it away from the ravening spirits.

Make it so Number One.

@General
I have made a link to all the conversations that the Horror has had with you. This should help clarify the horror's motives., although as everyone knows the plans of the horrors are incomprehensible.

[Seth]

My plan now is to to let you lot get together and coordinate a mini-ritual for a trip to the past. If you decide to go do something else that is OK too. You are now in "sandbox" mode: i.e. I will only be responding to what you do, not driving events. Mind you if you leave it a while, I might trigger an Apocalypse!

Alyena is away this weekend (lots of Scouts/Cubs/Beavers) so I will have plenty of time to sort out Earthdawn stuff.

[pbangarth]

My guess is we would like to deal with the pump first, no?

[sabs]

yes, and I'd like to know if my attempts to use the tacnet to mind-speak with Alyena are successful, or a giant dud (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)