The Found Arcana – Chapter 6 [OOC], Continuation of www.rpgplayroom.net/forums/topic/the-found-arc Options

[Tecumseh]

I put up an IC post with what Mato knows. Teeing it up so that AM and Jawsey can deliver the j'accuse.

[Gilga]

AM has 9 intuiton and 5 charisma:
Judge intentions: 14d6t5 5

[Jack_Spade]

Alright, you are almost 100% sure she is lying - and ready to get violent if she is pushed further.

[Tecumseh]

Oo, oo, I'm going to roll even though my dice pool is lower because I have social software that I've been paying for for this exact purpose and I need to feel that's been worthwhile.

Charisma 4 + Intuition 6 + Social Software 3: 13d6t5 2 hits

Damnit, I could have sucked that badly without a subscription. Thankfully AM is juiced.

[Beta]

AM already has this, but Jawsey's judge intentions roll:
judge intentions: 13d6t5 4

and since violence hasn't broken out yet, asensing rolls just to be on the safe side: 1st roll is a general check for no astral beings/spells hanging around, the 2nd roll is aura reading on Katya (he'll get to the Duke and Duchess soon, if things stay calm)
asensing: 11d6t5 3 -- I forgot to take off the two dice for dual sensing, so actually 2 successes once I drop the last two dice
aura reading Katya: 13d6t5 3-- I forgot to take off the two dice for dual sensing, but still 3 successes once I drop the last two dice

[Tecumseh]

The -2 is only for things you're trying to do with your body, like shoot a gun or perform first aid or tie your shoelaces while hanging off the landing skids of a helicopter. See p. 312, emphasis added:

Astrally perceiving while trying to accomplish mundane tasks is very distracting; you take a –2 dice pool penalty to actions on the physical plane.

[Gilga]

Aha, I keep forgetting about the social software.

[Tecumseh]

Well I keep remembering it and it still doesn't do me any good, mechanically.

[Jack_Spade]

The dice are a cruel mistress (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

As you might expect, Katya isn't going to listen to reason - and yes, infatuation is a good description for the impression Mato has from this scene.

[Tecumseh]

Jack, how tightly do you want to play the initiative passes? Mato's initial thinking isn't so much to stop Katya immediately as it is to contain her. Doing so will take some messages, each which would presumably require an initiative pass. I'll put them up and you can tell me how granular you want to get.

...

damnit, gilga, save some hits for the rest of us!

Well, I'll post what I was going to post anyway, pending the outcome of AM's monster spellcasting.

[Beta]

First pass, init rank 13:
- simple action to command spirit
- free action to message Mato
- simple action to message McElroy

[Tecumseh]

Alternatively, Movement could be applied to Katya to slow her down.

[Jack_Spade]

Jack, how tightly do you want to play the initiative passes? Mato's initial thinking isn't so much to stop Katya immediately as it is to contain her. Doing so will take some messages, each which would presumably require an initiative pass. I'll put them up and you can tell me how granular you want to get.

...

damnit, gilga, save some hits for the rest of us!

Well, I'll post what I was going to post anyway, pending the outcome of AM's monster spellcasting.

The two external messages take a simple action each, the two to your colleagues can be handled as free actions. So that would take your whole initiative pass.

Resist: 14d6t5 2
Yeah, not surprising, you have caught Katya.

[Tecumseh]

Under the weather today. Ate something I shouldn't have. I'll be able to post tomorrow.

[Beta]

Alternatively, Movement could be applied to Katya to slow her down.

I'd completely forgot that was an option! Yes, would have been a better option.

I hope you are feeling better soon.

[Jack_Spade]

Yeah, get well soon.

Two tipps from your friendly GM: While suspended midair, a target can't evade and disarm is an option for ranged attacks too.

[Gilga]

@Tec get well.

Anyone has initiative order?

[Tecumseh]

Alright, back in the saddle.

Really, the first two hours were the worst. I had rolling, stabbing stomach pains that felt like a knife in the intestines. Every five minutes or so I would get 10 seconds of incapacitating pain, followed by a few minutes of normalcy. A very strange come-and-go pattern. Anyway, after that passed I was achy and lightheaded but largely fine. Maybe a bit headachy this morning but I solved that with a lot of coffee.

Returning to the action currently in progress.

Mato's initiative is better than I remembered it. Of course, I probably don't remember it well because I think this is the second time I've ever rolled it.

Initiative: 1d6+14 20

CT1 IP1
Katya: 30 then 20 after Full Defense (fleeing)
Mato: 20 (messaging, in pursuit)
Jawsey's Spirit: 20 (being summoned)
AM: 18 (casting Levitate)
Trouble: 17 (purring)
Jawsey: 13 (summoning)

CT1 IP2
Katya: 10
Mato: 10
Jawsey's Spirit: 10
AM: 8
Trouble: 7
Jawsey: 3

I don't know if the Leadership rules would technically apply in this instance - i.e. whether Mato would recognize AM or Jawsey as a superior, as the book stipulates - but the Rally action could buy Mato a third initiative pass if someone can drum up 2 hits on a Leadership test.

I'm not really sure what is and isn't possible so I'm going to talk through Mato's thinking:
- If Katya were on the ground, he'd use his shock hand. The rules don't cover this, but the "reality" of our situation (Katya floating) is that the charge would go to ground through Mato, meaning he'd take the full brunt of it. Not ideal.
- Shooting a gun anywhere near the Duchess is going to make him nervous. The Walther P118 has gel rounds but Mato would assume that the Walther's Safe Target System would prevent him from firing at a target within 1m of the Duchess.
- His cyber SMG in his arm does have gel and SnS rounds available, but I'm going to be honest that I usually assume it's loaded with APDS or Explosive.
- As such, his default preference - especially given the Duchess' predicament - is for melee.

My default approach here is to use the Subduing rules on p. 195. The backup plan is the Disarm technique from Run & Gun p. 111, but this isn't optimal because it requires the use of a martial art technique which Mato doesn't have so it would cost a point of Edge for the Lucky Move maneuver (R&G p. 126). If these aren't possible for some reason - Katya being too far off the ground, or Mato being too far away - then I'll revisit my options. I'm trying to be cautious with Mato's use of Edge because I think he's down to 2 points (maybe 3 if we recovered one overnight).

Anyway, he's my Subduing attempt, pending Jack's approval of its plausibility. Basic rules are Unarmed Combat vs. Defense, and then you compare Strength + net hits vs. defender's Physical limit. I'm trusting in Mato's troll-like Strength in his arms here. I'm going to roll charging attack (assuming Mato is running) and superior position, but these can be subtracted if they're not appropriate.

Agility 10 + Unarmed Combat 5 + Charging 2 + Superior Position 2: 19d6t5 5 hits

The last 4 dice are misses so subtracting Charging and/or Superior Position doesn't change anything.

So, depending on Katya's defense roll (if any, unsure if Full Defense will benefit her), it will be Strength + net hits vs. her Physical limit. Strength is a bit of a question mark in this case since Mato's limbs differ, but I might suggest 11 as the average of the arms. If we average in the legs as well then it would be Strength 8.

Even if it succeeds, it's relatively easy for Katya to break out of the subdual, but I'm hoping that she at least needs to let go of the Duchess to do so. Then we can settle things the old-fashioned way: with cybernetically-enhanced fisticuffs.

[Jack_Spade]

The answer to your question depends on how high AM made Katya float.
You can make a disarm attempt in melee with the core disarm in melee ( main difference is that the weapon goes flying instead of you picking it up.

Subduing isn't optimal due to the very high physical limit of Katya (12). Her defense pool is currently zero.
You can use 11 Strength, but you might hurt the Duchess in the process.

[Gilga]

She lifts her 1 meter or so, not high just high enough not to touch the floor.

[Tecumseh]

Okay, cool, thanks for the clarification.

Definitely don't want to hurt the Duchess so I'll go for the disarm move from the core rulebook. Picking up the weapon is very distant priority in this case.

I believe that makes it a called shot for -4. If the charging and superior position bonuses apply then I'm still at 5 hits.

If they don't apply, then I'm down to 2 hits on 11 dice. Which maybe doesn't matter if Katya's dice pool is 0.

Katya still has her cyberspur, which is fine. Mato's primary concern is the Duchess; if that means he has to present himself as a target to avoid a "If I can't have her then nobody will" scenario then so be it.

I'll update my post accordingly.

[Jack_Spade]

Alright, Jawsey and AM are up - Katya is at the moment out of options, although AM can notice that she is using her commlink.

[Gilga]

Jack, what other rolls are needed to see Katya's last calls?

[Jack_Spade]

A computer+int matrix perception roll with one simple action

[Gilga]

Well, not before the next initiative phase.
Initiative #2: 10+1d6 13