Salted Wounds [OOC], a Deep Black Sea game Options

[Luckace]

Ok.
Yes, he kept close to the van. If moving furhter ahead was required to spot it, he didn't see it.
But he did astrally perceive, that was the roll. Assensing: 7d6t5 5
So I take it he doesn't count as surprised.

[Gilga]

Anna with init 20 :
Initiative: 14+2d6 20

Her spirit with 24. (but is only summoned at the first combat turn).
Initiative: 10+3d6 24

[Jack_Spade]

@Luckace

That is correct. Don't forget to roll for your spirit who already told you it would be happy to take care of the other spirit (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

@gilga

Your summoned spirit counts as late to the fight and therefore also loses 10 Ini.
Edit: Also don't forget that giving it a command will take another simple action - unless you'd prefer to cast reckless with one simple action instead of a complex and add 3 drain to your total.

[Gilga]

1. if it makes a difference, she'll do reckless as she likes bnc. 9 stun though.
1a. Will the spirit still be late if I summon it recklessly?
1b. If I give it a command on the second initiative pass - does it still act in the second initiative pass?

I considered that, but my mechanic is too sketchy to know if it makes a difference.

[Jack_Spade]

With reckless you can give it a command in the same instance that you summon it.
That means it will be still late to the fight but can act directly on Ini 14 which is before the other spirit can take its first manifested action at 13

[Luckace]

@Jack_Spade: oh, thanks!
Initiative (spirit of air): 2d6+16 24
Before the evil demon

[Thanee]

Anyone who isn't astrally perceiving starts the round surprised with -10 to ini

Even if we are specifically watching out for trouble near the van? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Bye
Thanee

[Thanee]

@Luckace: Bound spirits usually reside somewhere in the metaplanes. You can call one of them to your side with a simple action and give commands as a simple action, thus allowing you to have it do something within one action phase. When it appears, however, combat will already have started, hence the "late to the combat" penalty to the initiative score.

Of course, you can prepare ahead of time and call the bound spirit to your side, then, if a combat starts, it will already be there, waiting for your command.

Bye
Thanee

[Gilga]

I assume that stun damage from the initial combat is fully healed after a 3.5 hours drive. Is that so?

If so, she'll do reckless...
Astral combat: 10d6t5 3 (I'll edge it hoping for a hit).
Astral combat (edge): 7d6t5 2

Do friends in melee apply to astral?

[Jack_Spade]

Yes, you had three tries to heal stun damage.

@Volker

Without being able to see your opponent you can only guess where he will appear - especially with its natural invisibility at work.
Your flying drone is outside the car, and even with opened doors the spirit get's the car's armor added to its defense.
Now, your anthrodrone can take you outside, but it will also have to act on its own initiative as long as you aren't jumped in - also this is a complex command (open door, pick up bnc, shield her with his body against an attacker that can only be seen on Ultrasound sensors and that doesn't correspond with anything in its databanks + there are two elementals also appearing inside, confusing the situation even more), so it has to roll 2x it's pilot rating and reach a threshold of 2
Picking bnc up alone will take a complex action - unless you want to be just grabbed by a foot and dragged outside.

But this might all be moot by the time the spirit dogpile is resolved

[Gilga]

Well, my elemental would stick to astral combat for action economy. Wraith's may be close enough to just fly there in meatspace. (need to verify).
PS: Did you factor the 1 damage from stunbolt he took earlier?

[Gilga]

Wow... Nova is quite deadly with the gun!

[Luckace]

@Luckace: Bound spirits usually reside somewhere in the metaplanes. You can call one of them to your side with a simple action and give commands as a simple action, thus allowing you to have it do something within one action phase. When it appears, however, combat will already have started, hence the "late to the combat" penalty to the initiative score.

Thanks!

Yes, you had three tries to heal stun damage.

Oh, nice!

Btw, I am a little confused as to why neither Wraith (init5) nor my bound spirit (init11) got to act before Nova (init4, I thought). Am I missing something?
Don't want to be nit-picking, and I'll gladly let Nova have the kill, but i'd just like to know whether I'm getting something wrong and whether Wraith's planned action (two reckless lightning bolts at the spirit, unless the engulfing was successful, then it's two stunbolts) is even relevant anymore.

[Gilga]

I think your spirit acted and missed (it had some astral combat roll?) or did we get that wrong?
Wraith should move before Nova though.

PS At least Anna's spirit never materialized, it is invisible without astral perception.

[Luckace]

The spirit that missed was the one Wraith had just summoned. The one that got skipped (?) is the one I had bound earlier and calles ad initiativ 15 (+9000 due to edge)

[Thanee]

Btw, I am a little confused as to why neither Wraith (init5) nor my bound spirit (init11) got to act before Nova (init4, I thought). Am I missing something?
Don't want to be nit-picking, and I'll gladly let Nova have the kill, but i'd just like to know whether I'm getting something wrong and whether Wraith's planned action (two reckless lightning bolts at the spirit, unless the engulfing was successful, then it's two stunbolts) is even relevant anymore.

Moved my post behind yours now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

TBH, I don't exactly know how you handle those combat posts. It seemed somewhat chaotic to begin with. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/spin.gif)

I am used to just posting actions in any order, because otherwise there is so much waiting involved and have the GM sort the order in which they happen while posting the results in one summary post.

BTW, if you want to let the spirit manifest to attack (which it does not have to, it can attack the other spirit in astral combat), that would take its whole turn, and it would only attack during its next action phase.

Bye
Thanee

[Luckace]

Ok, thanks.
I'll edit eht BOUND spirit's post so that it only materializes and will add Wraith's action before Nova's.
Then the init chain should be fullfilled.
bnc (surprised) 24 escape, attack 14
Anna's spirit 24 (I assume that it's down to 14 as Anna can't command it earlier)
spirit of air 24
dark spirit 23 manifest 13
Anna 20 astral combat 10
James 19
Bound Spirit 11 manifests
Wraith 5
Nova (surprised) 4

I am fine with any way to do the combat posts, as long as Jack approves (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Volker]

Phew, leave you guys alone for a couple of seconds and the whole combat is done. I have this strange déja vu experience ... shall we not try to do combats after the initiative score?

Why on Earth do I have no direct line of sight? I stated on several occasions that I explicitly prepared for the event of the spirit appearing inside the van. I posted that I positioned the drone accordingly. Also, the van won't go anywhere as I took over command. Two or three posts ago, I stated that I'd prepare the van to take off. I already started the engine, i.e. the autopilot can't take control of its own, as it is overridden by mine.

[EDIT: I just realized that Eliza is steering the van. She is, of course, allowed to do that.]

That's also why I don't understand how I can be surprised by the exact event I foresaw and prepared for happened (and scolded the group for ignoring). It's a bit like if you stand at a corner and wait for someone to show up, then he does, and you are surprised without a surprise roll. What I did was basically an ambush at the spirit. Maybe you missed that part in the course of the discussion but If I'd known that I have no LOS (windows? doors?) at the spirit, I wouldn't have shot - especially since I'm in control of the van.
Please don't just edit "shoot at the spirit" to "shoot at a heavily armored van" without asking. If there's indeed no possibility to shoot at the spirit inside, please let me change the action to "open doors" or something like that (and, while I absolutely don't blame you as this was kinda chaotic, I would ask you to tell me if from your point of view I'm doing something that absolutely makes no sense at all. When I said I move the drone back to be able to shoot at the spirit when it is inside the van, I obviously assumed that I would be able to shoot at the spirit when it is inside the van. Telling me that this is not the case could have prevented a lot of confusion).


The first pass is over, so for the second, it should be:
bnc 14
Anna's spirit 14
spirit of air 14
dark spirit 13
Anna 10
James 9
Bound Spirit 1

James has taken up bnc in a complex action and while now use his pass in turn 9 to dash out of the car.
bnc should now, in turn 14, be able to shoot at the spirit. Over various sensors, she should be able to roughly guess his location but as it is obviously invisible, the -6 dice pool modifier still occurs. There should be no armor from the van between the drone and the spirit anymore, should it? I'd like your okay on all of this before I do the roll (or else, you can do it for me. It's bnc's turn now. Please also note, that I'll have a simple action left.

[Thanee]

shall we not try to do combats after the initiative score?

I think we did that, more or less. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

For me it would certainly be helpful to know how exactly you wanna run combats (you being everyone here, but esp. the GM, of course). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

i.e. Roll initiative. Absolutely no IC posts unless it is your turn in the iniative order. Wait for GM to post combat beginning with initiative order. Then wait for the first combatant to act. Then the second. Then the third. And so on. -- I feel, this will take longer, usually, since all the waiting involved (esp. with different time zones), but people usually post fast enough here, so it might work, and it is closest to the way the rules work. The biggest "problem" is, that the GM is needed after every player post to post results (unless they are not necessary), so more stress for him.

Alternative would be to just have everyone post their action for the current pass (it is not happening, yet, just a declaration, basically), and the GM makes one summary post for each pass. It is faster, but also a little less accurate, especially, when the result of one action might affect yours.

Also, wouldn't posts that include nothing but spoiler tags and an initiative roll be better-suited here than in the IC thread?

Bye
Thanee

[Volker]

To be honest, I'd prefer people at least roughly posting in order. I once missed an antire (and very important) fight because people just kept posting on when I had no chance to for a day or so, which I found rather frustrating. Similarly, things like this can happen where there was a misunderstanding between the GM and me which affects all actions afterwards. We are way beyond the "1 post a day" we agreed upon and I'm starting to feel a bit stressed. I'm somewhere in Nepal where I can't access the internet whenever I want and each time I check, many things happened where I'd have liked a chance to react to. So, if (roughly) waiting for the one whose turn it is would slow down things a bit, I'd very much welcome it. I would enjoy if I wouldn't have to choose between enjoying my vacation and following this game.
I can't keep up with this pace.

[SquirrelDude]

To be honest, I'd prefer people at least roughly posting in order. I once missed an antire (and very important) fight because people just kept posting on when I had no chance to for a day or so, which I found rather frustrating. Similarly, things like this can happen where there was a misunderstanding between the GM and me which affects all actions afterwards. We are way beyond the "1 post a day" we agreed upon and I'm starting to feel a bit stressed. I'm somewhere in Nepal where I can't access the internet whenever I want and each time I check, many things happened where I'd have liked a chance to react to. So, if (roughly) waiting for the one whose turn it is would slow down things a bit, I'd very much welcome it. I would enjoy if I wouldn't have to choose between enjoying my vacation and following this game.
I can't keep up with this pace.

Something on the same topic from me.

Please note your goddamn initiatives once you start posting during combat because they're going to change every time you take a reaction.

[Thanee]

I'm perfectly fine with that. Mostly want for everyone to be on the same page, which surely helps. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Enjoy your vacation! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

I am also going on vacation tomorrow for two weeks, but internet won't be much of an issue, at least in the morning and evening hours.

Bye
Thanee

[Gilga]

Well, I think that the combat is over one way or the other. Three spirits, a sniper rifle, and lighting bolts.

I am sorry to be the one with the rulebook, but even with reckless spellcasting, you cannot make two attacks. You can make multiple attacks only by splitting the dice pool.

[Luckace]

Oh, you're right of course, thanks! Will edit the post

I'll have a lot more spare time in five days or so, I'll then take some time to revise all the relevant rules again, I feel like I'm lacking a certain expertise.

[Jack_Spade]

A quick heads up: Starting on Monday till Sunday I'll be on holiday in Ireland, so expect me to post whenever I have some WiFi which isn't necessarily evey day.

Also yes, the spirit - a corpselight by the way - is done for, one way or the other.