Vegas

Cool post.
Okay, what he wants you to understand - sorry for all the mumbo-jumbo talk - is that when he take down the ward, he will either make a break for it on the astral, with you flying escort, or he will rely on you to lead him to some sort of relative safety in the flesh.

By your post, it seems like you are ready to fight alongside him once the ward comes down, and not flee unless it becomes absolutely necessary, which is fine too. But I need to know whether you are astrally perceiving or projecting (seems like perceiving, but I want to be sure before we get into any numbers).

Adam

She's perceiving now yes, not projecting.

I got the impression Paddy would obviously be alerted when the ward comes down, but unable to *do* anything because he's tied up in the study with the Night One and the whole drama there at the stroke of Midnight.

Basically my response for Etain was that she'd go either way. She's willing to "fight" (and by fight I do mean banish some spirits where she can) and if it becomes far to overwhelming or she's in mortal danger her flight response will kick in and she'll try to run.

The question becomes, are her doors still locked tight?

Good question.

And you are right about the Paddy/Ward thing.

I have to go to work now, but that ward comes down in my next IC post....

So if you have some time to kill, a collection of die rolls would be nice to have waiting for me next time I have a chance to log on -

E.g., banishing, melee defense, soak, and willpower resists. And initiatives.

However many you've got the energy to list out for me....

Just so you are clear in tactical game terms what I'll be describing in the IC - at first, the spirits (a LOT of them) will be swarming the Messenger - they don't care about you. After that, we'll see...

Carla, First Wave

Just a clarification, Adamu. Is Carla approaching the gate with her arms full of supplies? I just want to know if her arms are free to immediately tug away Esmeralda, or does she have to drop everything first?

BlueRondo

Well, I can't really say how full your hands are since you haven't yet told me what you are throwing together. You mentioned something about having your arms full of stuff, but since the nun is by the gate, even if you decide you have to drop it, well, I thought you wanted it by the door anyway.
So what I'm saying is, whether your hands are too full or not is not really an issue to me, but I appreciate your conscientiousness.

What is an issue to me is whether Sister Esmeralda gets her arm or hair snagged and is pulled up against the gate so they can rip her innards out and dine on her spleen.

So let's say you are about three meters from her, with, say, one-arm's equivalent of chemicals or whatever you're carrying. The weight isn't an issue - even your meat arm is 3 strength if I recall correctly.

So from that point you notice that while some of the zombies - you can't really count them without a perception test - they are pretty packed in there, plus it looks like after they chow people, the victims turn into zombies almost immediately, so they are multiplying - anyway, that's where you are when you see some of them leave off eating and reach for the nun.

So I need initiative and actions and all that.

Carla, First Wave

Carla's going to try to get to Esmeralda before the zombies do. Once she reaches her, she's going to try to tug her away from the gate, out of their reach (unfortunately, Carla's meat strength is 2)

Initiative Test (Rea 4 + Int 4) = 5 2 1 3 2 5 3 3 = 3 + 8 = 11

I'm not sure if this requires a "grapple" test or simply a Strength + Body test, so here's both.

Strength 2 + Body 3 (2 6 5 4 1 = 2 hits

Grapple Test (Agi 3 + Unarmed Combat 1) = 4 4 6 3 = 1 hit
Compare Str + net hits vs. Esmeralda's Body to determine grapple.

2nd wave, John

I didn´t know, when exactly the game would end. Manolo & Kob will arive at 14:45. Until then, John will be chatting with Alice. Manolo will join the conversation, while Kob serves some drinks (no alcohol) and then prepairs the food and the table. They will eat at 15:00 and stay together until 16:00, but he will ask them to stay at work in their offices, until after XX when the match ends, if it has not, yet. John will go to his desk in his office next door and do what he did before Alice came, though he will also be checking the databases through his glasses all the time, while they are with him.

BlueRondo

Thanks for including both sets of rolls - that's a great technique for saving post cycles.

She is not going to resist you, so it's the body + strength test. I decided you should get to use your 3 strength cyberarm for this (though as you know that won't always be the case), but rolled a 2.

But the most important thing was initiative, which you won handily, so you simply yank her back from the gate to where they can't reach her - yet.

So go ahead and IC post next. Or OOC about your critical success Anarchist's Cookbook action.

The zombies have been multiplying - all three of the stairway victims have joined them, and in fact, you recognize all their faces from the neighborhood - and are backed up in the stairway as far as you can see and are all pushing against the gate en masse.

I know how long the gate will hold (!?!?!?!?) I don't know how long it will take you to MacGyver something up, since you still haven't told me what you are doing. I will say that since it was a Critical Success, I am likely to be very liberal on how quickly you can throw it together.

Vegas, MJ & MK

Hey guys, every fiber of my brain wants to launch ahead with y'all's stories, but every part of my body (been in mountains all day) says I should sleep.
I like to put fun before sleep, but important scenes are coming up for all of you, and I want to do it right.
So I am thinking I will have posts for the three of you by my Tuesday night, I really hope.

MJ - you are totally free to post at any time - your thoughts, impressions, words, or even any sort of action. But if you want to let things move forward for now, that's fine - there will be PLENTY for you to do soon.

Vegas - got your PM with all the rolls. I look forward to resolving a big chunk of astral mayhem next week.

MK - I don't need a huge amount of detail - but could you just OOC me with a brief rundown of exactly WHERE your standby runner team is, and exactly HOW you will contact them when you wish to give them orders?

Thanks to all for your patience.

Carla, First Wave

Here's Carla's plan: she places the bottle of oxygen near the gate (though out of the zombies' reach) and starts opening up her bottles of flammable liquids. She tries to douse the zombies with as many chemicals as possible until she spots the first sign that the gate is starting to give. At that point, she just drops the remaining chemicals by the oxygen bottle, draws her pistol, and runs to the far side of the basement, telling everyone else to get back as well.

Carla's top priority is to shoot the oxygen tank just after the gate comes down - otherwise, the zombies will trample over it and she'll lose her line of sight. Ideally, she'll have time to get to the far end of the basement, take aim, and fire just after the gate comes down. However, if the gate comes down before that, she will try to ignite the bomb, regardless of whether she or anyone else is still within the blast radius.

Here's a pistol roll for trying to hit the oxygen tank.

Pistols (Agi 3 + Pistol 1): 4 4 1 4 = 0 hits
+ Edge (4): 5 2 4 3 = 1 hit

2nd wave, John

No problem. BTW, I have much fun, reading how Everyone´s stories develope (I miss DireRadiant´s teaser-lines - too occupied with the nine dragons? ).

The team will be situated in Vermont - I´d like them to be in Boston, but that might tip off NeoNET, so they are not. They have orders to keep very quick transportation to Boston available on short notice, however.
The Orders are send through a string of unrelated metahuman agents, that pass the data on via direktional cybereye-to-cybereye lasercommunication, skinlink-transmission (i.e. a casual touch in mass-transit) or disguised storage-devices (i.e. a modified stealth-tag on the heal of an unknowing RSF-employee, released from the heel via wifi signal from an indipendant agent and then pickedup by that agent´s heel), somtimes dead drops, if time isn´t of the essence.
Each string of agents starts with official RFS employees, that are inofficial -and sometimes unknowing- data-couriers, that pass the data on to an independant courier, who passes it on directly or through a number of other independant couriers to the runners (or where else data needs to go). Each string consists of a different combination of agents (another for the next transmission, even if the destination is the same). The number of agents depends on the need for deniability (many) and quickness (few).
The indipendant agents are alarmed by unconspicious signs (i.e. the forum-activity of some forum-member on a regular game-messaging-board). Upon activation, they pick up the data and take it to the next agent (or the runners). Time, spot and means are prearanged.
I.e. an agent could be activated when 'Artlu KM' posts in 'Welcome to the Crisis' on a Paranormal Crisis forum. The pick-up time could i.e. always be 30 min. after posting, the spot could depend on the time of day and the 27th letter in the post (i.e., an 'e' from 6 till 9 a.m. could mean pick-up in the sports bar), means of the transfer could be similarly encoded (i.e. an 'A' as the 8th letter between 12:00 and 00:00 could mean transmission through skinlink, from a black male waring a red scarf, using this-and-that pass-key and subscriber ID).

The three mission objectives described before (confessor-extraction and john-extraction-without-fake-assassination & -with-fake-assassination) are -each seperatly- allready passed on -through a string of agents- to an indipendent agent, who holds it until he gets the sign to pass it on or deleat it. These two agents would both deliver directly to the runners, upon receiving the sign to do so.
Another objective -not yet prepaired- could also be send to the runners through another string of agents.
The confessor-agent will have instructions to deleat the data, if there is no forum activity at all from his sign-poster for more the 24 hours, but pass it on on a special sign. The john-agent will have instructions, to delaet the data on a special sign, but pass it on on another sign or if there is no activety at all from his sign-poster for more then 24 hours.
Of course both sign-posters will post (but not necessarily give any deleation or release command) at least every 20 h unless something goes wrong - in which case the deleation of the confessor-instructions and the release of the john-instructions is necessary.

For the John-Info, I also wanted to note, that the runner-team off course would get all the cool information, I could give them to help extract (and possibly assassinate) me. If they are going to assassinate me, this would encompass getting a clone-body of mine (from Doc Waggon, blowing up the storage facillity to obscure any hints of their motivation) and 'kill' the clone with something destructive enought, that it can´t be recognized that it was a clone-body (after altering ID data to make fingerprints and stuff match) - effectively erazing the ID.

So this is the no details version

BlueRondo

By the time you get that all set up and while you are waiting for the zombies to break down the gate (about 30 agonizing seconds), Sister Esmeralda has come to her senses and is shepherding everyone into the treatment and lab rooms.

Lucky for you the gas tank has no reaction test - so one hit is sufficient.

Your plan essentially goes off without any further hitches. Between the blast and the accelerants you added, you waste all the zombies.

With flying glass and gouts of flame and so on penetrating into the rooms where everyone was sheltered, I reckon everyone including you should resist 3S and 3P damage.

Go ahead and IC all that.

Carla, First Wave

Physical Damage Restance (Body 3): 6 2 5 = 2 hits
Stun Damage Restance (Will 4): 4 5 5 4 = 2 hits

MK Ultra

Okay, some points you'll want to know before you respond -

1) The security guards, though they wear the RFS uniform, are apparently brand new hires. They don't have any personal relationship with you.

2) The board members there as witnesses are old-timers with close relationships with Kip's father, one of the original partners.

3) You are being spot jammed - if you want to broadcast or send anything, you will need a complex action to make a Electronic Warfare + Signal test.

4) With your photographic memory, you can remember all the parts of the contract he quoted. However, just because you can call it up in your conscious memory doesn't mean you are instantly conversant with it - even in your head you will need some time to read it over and suss it out.

5) You do realize right off that all the clauses he quoted are from portions of the contract that you had Kip write himself.

Vegas & MJ

Sorry to be sooo very busy in RL lately. You guys are my TOP priority tomorrow night. Apologies.

Ankle Biter

I totally had an IC post planned for you, but every time I sit down to write it, I just can't. The way you have mind-warped poor little Trevor has me totally unable to hear his voice in my head. Have no idea how he would address you or how your interactions go. 'Fraid you are going to have to do the next IC post.

Here's what needs to happen - he gets a call from his Green War contacts sometime when you are not around.

When he tells you about it, he is all excited that you are going to finally meet the great Stephen Cannon. But from the way he says it, you are pretty sure he got in trouble/is in trouble for not killing you. Only you have got him so brainwashed that he can't see reality and is sure that Green War is going to welcome you with open arms - you are not so sure.

You hear from him about the call at about 01:00:00 on some night shortly after your last three-week post. The meet is in four hours, in a forest grove deep in Hampstead Heath.

Okay,

Here's how I think it may work,

Electra has Trevor more or less Brainwashed. She is his main reason to be following the casue, as Trevor thinks that the Mother herself is disaproving of his actions, and Electrra was always on his side.

It is at this point that the mother will appear to Electra, Any chance of some special effects from Jackal? A presence in the room would be a help, if he can manage it, I do ask

Electra gets converted by the mother, and the idea is that as Trevor has anchored to Electra rather than the casue, he converts with her to peaceful protest, and the voluntary extinction of mankind.

Can I run with this? I want Trevor completely on Electra's side when he gets to the meeting.

2nd wave, John

Oviously, I´m trying to steal time, untill I have a chance, to get together those paragraphes.
Remember that even though John´s trying to tap the desks data storage, there is no regular link to his cyber, that a hacker could exploit, he has all the wifi options turned off on default and even locks his datajack´s skinlink conection, before he opens any conection to outside devices.
Besides wetware, John will also have both contracts stored in his headware -that´s what it´s for- with full text, synopsis, accompanying precedentsand crosslinks, as much post-processing as would be appropriate for a man like him and a corp like RFS.

Here are some rolls, that might be usefull to judge how this scene evolves:



BTW I allways thought the complementary skill bonus should rather be rounded up, because that´s what would make knowlede-aptitude at least a bit usefull, but I understand that you don´t want every knowledge 1 to give a 1-die bonus (though I´d also dissaggree there), anyway this dosn´t mean I want an extra die, for the time beeing the rounding down rule aplys!

Ankle Biter

I assume you already have Trevor under your absolute psychological control. You are now free to basically run him IC as you please.

You can run with your entire plan EXCEPT the special effects from Jackal - he gives IC advice and OOC adept powers and totem bonuses. That's has to be the limit for game balance purposes.

Once you IC getting the news and then your approach into Hampstead Heath, I will IC from there.

Second Wave - Etain

Adamu

In case it's not crystal clear in the last post, yes Etain will maintain astral perception going into round 2.

[note to self: be sure to spend next available karma on armor spell and or combat spell]

Vegas

Okay, I need declarations. I'll keep your existing initiative rolls. If you do any of the things you have already given me rolls for, I'll keep those rolls. If you do something else, well....

MK Ultra

You are at the top of the list - probably tonight or tomorrow morning.

Adamu
I'll have a post up tomorrow... I just got back from work and I'm looking at a 6 hours night so I'll crash and post later.
Sorry for holding up the game.

Work's a bitch...

Adamu

Well considering she's at a -4 to all actions I don't think there's much hope of her doing anything I've sent you rolls for. Summoning spirits of her own right now to fight might kill her, literally, if she overcasts.

Outside of begging the guard to get help for her and the messenger, and or attempting to make a "run" for it, I'm honestly torn as to what to do.

Quick clarification, if she is astrally perceiving she is or isn't susceptable to astral attack? If she is putting herself at risk (because I misunderstood OOC'ly that as long as she wasn't projecting... ) I'd like to change that and have her shift entirely physical.

Vegas

Don't know where you are getting the -4. I see -2 for your wounds. Are you adding the -2 for being in astral perception? If so, remember that that only matters for physical tests. Astral combat, banishing, spellcasting (astral targets, anyway), summoning - all that is unimpeded by being in astral perception.
Or is there some other -2 I'm missing?

All the naughty spirits are fully astral. That means if you are perceiving, yes, they can target you. If you drop perception, you cease to be dual-natured, and they can't touch you without manifesting. You also won't be able to see or affect them.

Another thing Etain would know is that, depending on what sort of being he is, the Messenger probably doesn't have that option. If he was a projecting mage, he doesn't have the option of manifesting and turning physical. Since he suggested the option of trying to gain some advantage by doing something in the physical world, he is most likely a spirit, in which case even if he manifests he will still be dual-natured, and targetable by the attacking elementals.

I am sorry you are torn as to what to do - it is a tight spot, no doubt. Take your time, and ask any other question you need. But at some point I need a specific and final declaration, as in a free and one complex, or a free and two simple.

-4 for Low Pain Tollerance, -1 for ever 2 boxes of damage (I assumed it rounded up as opposed to down) but if she'd just be at -2 normally she's only at a -3.

If that's the case regarding perceiving she would drop her perception to sheild herself and strongly suggest to the guard and the messenger it was time to take to the physical and make a break for it.

I have to run out the door to make it to work (5am starts suck) but I'll try to toss up a post later and make my intentions clear and declare my action(s).

Thanks for helping clear my muddied mind

Ah ha - Low Pain Tolerance. So yes, you're at -3. Looking forward to your declarations.

MK Ultra

Okay, I believe my IC post answered all your IC and OOC questions, and showed the results of your successful rolls. Let me know if I missed anything.

Adamu

OK, Here's my plan. She'll try to summon her spirits, if she's successful and gets services she'll tell them to use movement to slow the spirits and aid the messenger. She'll then try to get away from her room with the aid of the guard. Once she's got a little distance, she'll try to summon additional spirts to protect her and aid the messenger if he still needs help. Obviously she'll stop summoning if she takes more than 5S in drain.

Let me know if you need any additional rolls from me. She'll be laying off the astral perception for a while

BlueRondo

That last post is pretty eloquent for a 2 in the language. No big deal so far, but let's have a language test to see how well the communication goes for the rest of the conversation.

Carla, First Wave

Spanish (4 Int + 2 Spanish): 6 4 1 6 2 6 = 3 hits

Also, a first aid roll, just for the heck of it.

First Aid (5 Log + 5 First Aid): 1 2 3 6 4 1 4 4 4 1 = 1 hit

Hmm, that was unexpected.

BlueRondo

Okay, Spanish roll looks great - as long as you don't use huge words or discuss philosophy or geophysics, you can communicate freely in this scene.

For the first aid roll, well, you are forgetting all the bonus dice you get for whatever rating I said the autodoc in this clinic was. Add those and see what happens...anyway, you didn't glitch, and in fluff terms, you can still say you closed the wound.
Remember the bonuses on the healing table.
Remember that for the First Aid test your threshhold is 2, so the first two successes don't do anything, but you heal a box of damage for every success after that.
Remember that the NPC has only a vague idea how many successes you got, as long as you don't glitch.
And remember that on top of the First Aid test, you can do a Medicine test to help him get bonuses on his own heal tests.

Another thing to remember is my house version of the old complementary skill rule, which I introduced very very early in this thread, and which only MK Ultra has ever used. It would be very useful to Carla.

Carla, First Wave

Okay, here are some extra modifiers for the first aid test:

First Aid (4 Medkit + 4/2 Surgery Knowledge Skill): 4 1 6 4 6 1 = 2 hits (3 total)

Medicine (5 Int + 5 Medicine + 4/2 Surgery Knowledge + 4 Medkit): 3 1 6 5, 5 6 5 1, 4 5 2 1, 6 5 4 1 = 8 hits!

2nd wave, John

I´m working on an IC reply, but it will take at least till tomorrow night (GMT).

Just one possible loophole I came up with. Is 'The Majority of Clients' measured by number of persons/entities (sounds resonable to me) or by cash-volume.
In the first case, there might be a way out. While all or most 'external clients' except NeoNET have been dropt. RFS is for sure still providing legal services for it´s own employees. The may not be the clients in the true spirit or letter of the paragraphs, but it should be possible to demand that they count, making signatures from the mayority of RFS´ employees -and giving them all insight into the issues, that John should not see- or their legal representative -which would naturally be the chief legal council- necessary.
Could that work? I´m aware that John might need some more time, to make it work.

I might have busted my internet-conection last night. Need to check it out tonight. Just so you all know, in case I drop off the screen for a few days.

Vegas & Mister Juan top of stack for tomorrow!

2nd wave, John

Yay, delicious karma

The computer is fine, fortunately it seemd to be just a temporary provider-based problem. I was just worried, because a droped a piece of hardware from a shelf last night

Looking forward to read more on Etain & Conall!

2nd wave, John

There is more IC to come, but I just thought I post that much now, before I need a nother 2 days to finish the whole post (I hope I don´t regret droping the chance to edit the whole scene a final time before posting - but PCs and face-to-face RPers don´t have that option either, so ..)

I made up some details about the three man, even though John probably dosn´t have the compleat intelligence-knowsofts on them at the moment, I found it apropriate to have the intel on drinking habits in the mini-bar. The devil is in the detail

BlueRondo

If you want to have a conversation in French, need another language test.

Vegas

Okay, 4th combat turn and you command your spirit to help the messenger and also say what you said to the guards, just like you said in the IC.
That immediately takes a ton of pressure off the messenger.
5th combat turn, as your IC said you would do, you summon another air spirit. You get two services and take one 1S damage from drain.
By the time the 6th turn comes around and you have the chance to command it, it just moves in for mop-up.
Between the mage and the adept guard, their two spirits, and your two spirits (plus the one spirit you initially banished), the Messenger survives the attack, visibly the worse for wear.
I'll let you IC the rest of the battle or whatever, then I'll do some IC for the Messenger.

Carla, First Wave

French Test (4 Int + 2 French): 1 2 1 3 1 5 = 1 success

Adamu

No problem, I'll try to get up something before i head to bed.

BlueRondo

Ouch. Looks like really speaking Spanish every day is beating the pants off remembering French from college.
Note that in the future, for both those languages I would consider your Latin score applicable as a complementary skill.

Anway, afraid if you want to take him up on an offer to speak French (he seems not to want to speak freely in front of his fellow gangers), you'll have to dumb down your speech a bit, and there is a possibility of misunderstandings on his/my end of the conversation.

Adamu
If you ever need some to "correct" your french messages and such, PM me French is my first language

S'il vous plaît, Monsieur Juan, vous pouvez corriger mon français aussi.

Anyway, I'm going to apply a Latin complementary roll to see if I can get any extra hits:

Latin (4/2): 3 4 = rien

EDIT: The SR4 Language Skills table says that 1 hit covers "Basic conversation (concerns of daily life)." So just for future reference, just how much "dumbing down" is needed for 1 hit? I mean, would she be talking like Borat?

Well, that was pretty much impecable