So pleased to see glitches on etiquette rolls with dragons.

Luckily for you, that was the etiquette roll to get in to see Hestaby. You are basically stonewalled. Sorry

I'm in the process of moving from one house to another. Internet access may be spotty for a couple of days. I'll do my best.

You may have missed this post, too. Happens to me all the time when a page change occurs.

If you look at the time line you all have a few hours free
The journey time in the helicopter (I didn't say but say its 6 hr), and the 6 hours waiting to get arrested.
The time in captivity (a day)

Your communication options are:

• via spirits (summoned or Mandala) that can teleport
• via commlink (Ryl can just own the rating 4 detention centre nodes)
• Via Aren who is stealthing around, and about as sneaky as its possible for a sneaky thing to be
• Anything else you can think of

I'm mostly trying to fill the time until kick-off productively and build up the background for the story.


As far as adding loyalty rating...you do?? awesome I didn't know. Doesn't work with the relationships though, only contacts.



Wow honesty and trust from a shadowrunner, ok working on it.

I didn't think we were technically shadowrunners.

Fair point

Outstanding actions:
Before we can kick off we need:

• Halinn's first IC post
• Fearghas's first IC post

Things that can be still investigated:

• The background to Aztechnology research pyramid code name Huitzilopochtli
• The names in the security briefing (there was a lot of redacted stuff)
• The encrypted file in the security briefing
• Zero's address "sexy@lotsOfFriends.com"
• If you really want to you could track Thais through the horror mark

I will have my post up tonight.

I'm still a little confused about the redacted stuff in the security brief. You said that this was information obtained by spies (perhaps unknowingly) serving the Council/Alachia, right? Then why would she black out all that information? If she actually wants us to do the job she's assigned, we kinda need to be aware of those kinds of security details so we can plan accordingly.

She didn't
The AI living in the Pyramid we're infiltrating redacted it.

It turns out that the only stuff Zero modified was DISPLAYED LIKE THIS.

The redaction had been applied at the source: apparently you didn't "Need To Know"... The reasoning of security weenies is always hard to understand.

Still thats what contacts are for.

• Decrypt + electronics warfare (1 hour): 3 successes, then 1, then 2, then 2, then 2
• Find sexy@lotsOfFriends.com? Extended data search (1 hour, 12 successes): 4 successes, then 5, then 0, then 2
• Aztechnology research facilities external matrix, or leave it to "The Thornies"?: Probe = Hacking + Exploit Extended Test (1 hour VR): 9 successes, then 10, then 8, then 6 (Ryl ROCKS!)
• Data search any of the names / matrix ids: 3 then 3 then 2 then 4

Hopefully have time for all that lot, I didn't add up the hours! If I have some spare time I'll check out AzzieWatch to see if they have anything on the pyramid - or I could send my Agent 'Garyn' (after my lost love) to do it. Oh, and I've finished updating my sheet with a weaponised drone (which I guess isn't coming) and my Agent. I have assumed I can make copies of my progs to run on the Agent but if that's not the case the he'll need a series of pirated ones to run

All rolls can be found from the Invisible Castle link in my sig. Just out of interest is there a way to tell Invis Castle to take off 1D after each test? Would save some counting

OK rules stuff first:
I believe that as a competent hacker you can remove the copy protection on your programs to get to your agent. I assume you do it in the day or so a month that you have to devote to keeping your skills and programs up to date.
I don't think you can modify invisible castle: very sad.

Easy Results:

• Keep going on that encryption. Its seriously hard. You think you are making headway
• You have the link to sexy@lotsOfFriends.com.
• Jonathan Beaureguard: Lot of respect for this guy on the security forums. Good solid hacker with the odd flash of genius.
• Master Sergeant Huicton: Aztlan special ops for 5 years. Very bad man. Lots of suspected atrocity stuff
• Master sergeant Tiacapan: Aztlan paras. 7 years. Nothing bad on record.
• Camaxtli Cenyaotl (Spirit Bane). Failed Graduate of Charles University (3 years ago he was kicked out for gross misconduct).
• Tenzacatetl (Boss). VP of aztechnology. No records past 5 years ago.
• Ezhuahuacatl Opochtl (Snake head). You find video footage of him morphing into a man with cobra head, eating someone like a snake (totally and utterly sickening) and turning into them.
• Acatlozin Ahexotl (Warder). One seriously unpleasant dude. Born 2000. First murder when he was 6. Been killing ever since. You have find a recording of his being killed in a Texas prison (electric chair) in 2022. The same guy (finger prints and DNA match) re-emerged in the shadow scenes and ran a snuff movie house for 10 years before being closed down. He's now a respectable Aztlan citizen.
• There are a lot of Zeros. Really...lots and lots

Medium hard stuff (Inside the Aztech external security)
There is a spider on duty. Please make me a hacking+stealth roll, and a computer + analyse.

Exert from the medical requisitions:

"Major Nopaltzin. He's having some problems. Extradoses of clozapine, risperidone and aripiprazole are requested. Lots"
Captain Zeia is on a heavy diet of Manerix

Exerts from the email logs inside the external matrix.

From: Captain Zeia
To: Commandant Heisler

Bob,
I find myself in a difficult position. As loyal as I am to the goals of the company, I am finding this mission particularly challenging. Please reassign me immediately.

Zeia
---------------------------

From: Mst Sgt Tiacapan
To: John Rogor

<encrypted - but you cracked it>I'll tell you John, there is some weird shit going on in here. I have never felt so powerful, but the air feels twisted like a bad taste in the back of the throat. I had a run in with the boss last night. It was all I could do to avoid a show down. It feels like we are building to a climax. Everyone is so busy and the clock is ticking.

I love you
Sally
----------------------------
From: ZERO
To: Ryl
KNEW YOU WOULD GET THIS. ARE YOU GOING TO FIGHT ME? HOWS THE DECODING GOING?

Could

5 Successes & 6 for computer+analyse

Oh, and my shadow handle is eTher - would that be the name Zero addressed me by?!?

OK the game kicks off for real tomorrow (7th March).

If you have any information gathering or anything to finish off please do it asap.

Hang on to your hats, it should be a fun ride

I have yet to do Mandala's gear, but given the current situation, i don't think that will interfere with play. I'll do that as we go.

Could you let me know what your plans are for the next 10 seconds or so:

Do you want to stay in the tunnel, or come out?
The background count is seriously unpleasant: your magic is reduced by, as are the force of any spells you have active, and any foci. Adepts can you decide what powers you loose?
The sound levels are horrific. Those in the tunnel are -2 to everything, those in the room -4. These penalties can be countered by damper ears (reduces the penalties by 2)

For those of you that are astrally active, the toxic spirits (just on the astral plane) are throwing a ball of fire in your general direction, it's travelling quite slowly. What do you want to do with it (duck, catch, blast it...)

The door to the observation area is to the south.

Currently you can detect no wifi network in the area: only huge amounts of electrical static noise.

Don't like the way the toxic background is rising.... will get rid of that asap.

Will use cleansing meta magic to remove it: magic 9, counter spell 6, mentor 2, minus background level.
Default dice (4:1 rule) will just work. This will remove 1 level of background/sec.

Have spoken with the GM, assensing the ball of fire it looks to be a magical construct round a glob of nuclear fire.

Here is my slaughter spirit casting:
Casting roll: 9 successes (sadly capped to 7)
Drain roll: Using the 4:1 rule, no drain

If only i had done the force 9...

I confess I lost track of the timings for the IC post...let me know if there should be more of a gap before I report on my matrix findings...

...oh, and in relation to fireballs, I'll stay near the back for now no point in the comms getting fried before the group has a chance to do anything...

@Aria - Marduk passes over a Hermes Ikon that's still in the shrink wrapper, including a shrink wrapped Response upgrade chip. He also hands over a datachip, which when you search it holds the basics for his custom operating system, including his personalized config files, etc. It's geared towards Data Searching, Research and Organizing large data-sets.

@seth - Quick question for you. How high is the background count? How many ranks of Magic are we losing? I'm planning on running up to the big giant door, and lightly touching it with my fingers. I'm doing a combo move:
1) Psychometry/Assensign the door
2) Casting Analyse Device on the door to analyze the purpose and operation of a piece of equipment. I need to beat it's OR, so I'm probably overcasting the crap out of this spell.

Force 9 spell:

Spellcasting + Magic + foci 3 + edge = 4 + 6 + 3 = 13 - Background count
13d6 = i 3 6 4 5 5 3 5 1 5 4 6 1 5 = 7 hits (not sure what the OR of the door mechanism is)
Drain Value: 9/2 = 5?
Drain Test: Willpower(7) + Logic( = 15d6 4 6 6 5 5 4 1 5 6 6 5 3 6 6 3 (10) hits
So I take 0 drain from that spell.

Assensing Test: Inuition(3)+Assensing(6)=9d6 3 4 4 5 6 1 4 6 3 (3) hits

@Sabs: The background count is 4, but Alyena is reducing it to 0 near here. The door is probably still at 2 at the point at which you get to it, although it is still dropping (cleansing takes time). That comes off magic attribute, and any foci. So only cost you 1 success. It added 2 to the drain, but with that roll you resisted it anyway

Edit: removed this post: it was for the wrong game

Wrong game but yes no problem...consider yourself healed

How embaressing is that ::blushes::

@everyone:
As you know this is my first pbp game that I am GMing, and I am struggling with how to manage time. At the moment we are all posting in an ad hoc way and that seems to be working OK. As I post Alyena is raining down unpleasantness on the spirits, and cleansing the air. Ryl has left her to deal with the threat, and is moving across to the door to investigate it. Ambrose / Ol'Scratch has sent me a PM and will be not posting for a few days at least. I'll wait until Wednesday pm for the rest of you to post, then respond IC. At the moment I don't think we need initiative as all the actions seem to be separate.

@aria:
can you chance the post details of your matrix post to include the words "-flashback" in the "when it happened sections. The covers your question about when it happened: it happened some time before the mission began, and the exact when isn't important. Thanks for pointing out I was posting in the wrong game.

@alyena:
the spirits reel back under the effect of that most impressive spell, they are fairly blasted and are covering taking cover in the heart of the reactor itself, which seems to be regenerating them.

@sabs, now that I am replying for the correct game:
The door looks about as tough as you would expect the main gamma shield into a reactor. Its made of concrete, boron, lead and quartz. The window through the door looks to be 15 centimetres but you are good enough at science to realize that its probably a meter or more thick and the apparent closeness of the other side is because of the high refractive index of the "glass".

The OR of the door is three (its made of some fairly exotic materials and has some some simple electronics)

The analyse device on the door reveals:

• The primary purpose of the door is to act as a barrier between 2 places, to stop motion except that which is allowed.
• The allowed direction is to allow people in. People rarely leave through the door, and only when they leave the door open.
• Its other main purpose is to stop radiation coming out of the room
• A secondary purpose of the door is to inform others and raise an alarm when the door is opened.
• Another secondary purpose is to provide enjoyment for toxic priests

The psychometry reveals a very distressing image from the door of a series of people who are hammering on the door, and slowly dying while trying to get out. A snake headed man watches them through the window, and is using their deaths to feed his magic.

Now that you look you can see some scratch marks on the door.

Your guess is that the concrete here is 2 or so meters thick, as is the gamma shield.

You are pretty sure that the door cannot be hacked: no wireless, or wires connect it. It looks pretty straightforward although to open it from the other side. You would guess "that" big green switch that you can see through the quartz would open it. Probably take 10s or so to open: its a very big door.

Oh hey.. Mandala can use psychokinesis and open the door

Sorry, out to job interviews etc. Caught me by surprise here, I had finished background work but not action in the tunnel. No probs.

Mandala raising a Radiation Barrier: I think his Magic is currently 8.

Radiation Barrier Force 5: Magic 8 + Spellcasting 3 = 11 dice ==> 6 HITS limited to 5 by the Force of the spell.

Drain resistance (5/2) + 5 = 7DV
WIL 7 +INT 8 + Centering 4 = 19 dice ==> 7 HITS leaves no drain!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

That's a good question
1) Is there a Ward at the door's edge?
2) If so, what does it look like
3) Is Psychokinesis blocked by wards?

Cool idea


Vaguely on the other side of the quartz window you can see an astral ward glowing with the same green colours as the nuclear fires of the reactor. The quartz makes it hard to assense through (-6 total minus's for casting though it). You would guess its a charged ward (p125 street magic) and a seriously high force one at that ( force 16). Probably lethal to attempt to touch it (16 damage soaked with body/will + mystic armour).

You options as I see it for the ward are:
1: Try warding and sleeze past it (intuition + magic + initiate grade) you think you need 4 successes (I am taking the 4:1 rule for the wards opposed roll), fluff it and get fried
2: Blast it with spells.
3: Do something clever I haven't thought of

Psychokinesis will be reduced by 6 strength/agility (reading p194 of sr4a ) You only need 1 strength/agility though.

@Pbangarth, you have a spell specifically designed for this "shatter shield". If you want you can change the spell for the "ranged LOS" version which has 2 more drain, but doesn't end up with you getting fried by the charged ward. This is probably one of the most unpleasant wards you have ever seen.

Your radiation barrier also appears to be warding the nuclear fire spirits: they don't seem to want to play any more. It increased the intensity of the commlinks whining: "Gamma pulse imminent. Gamma pulse imminent. Run. Run. Run." it's saying now. None of this "walk carefully and calmly to the nearest exit" stuff.

Edit: Alyena said to remind you that if you smash the ward, you will alert who ever created it: she was too lazy to post herself

I'm happy to change the Shattershield spell to a ranged version, thanks, Seth. Given that, I can blast the ward with this spell. Sleazing through a Force 16 ward would not be easy. (Force 16??!! Are you for real??!) Hmmm... actually sleazing is Mandala's best ability, but it would still be 24 dice for him versus 32 for the ward, unless he uses Edge, which would give him somewhat better than 50% chance. Also, I don't believe I can take other people through with me when I sleaze the ward. They also have to do it, so in this instance we will have to remove the ward rather than sneak through, because some of us are likely to fail.

As we understand it, the door will give an alarm if it is opened. Since it can't be hacked, we will set off an alarm as soon as we open it anyway. So unless someone vehemently objects, or something else happens, Mandala's next action will be to destroy the ward. (Positive thinking.)

Going well so far

Sounds like we need to blow the Ward no matter what, taking 16 damage sounds Icky. This of course means that we're going to suffer some serious opposition, and Warder will be awake and aware of what we're doing. WHose bright idea was it to sneak in via the Nuclear Death RItual Chamber.

The "plan" was dumped on you by people that weren't going to take part in it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chicken_and_the_Pig lets you understand this more. They were interested in the plan, but you were committed to it.

You can just try astrally sneaking through the ward: that's why you were shown the astral signatures during the briefing.

@Pbangarth
Warder is pretty good at his job, and he gets all the nice blood magic benefits. The aztechs really don't want visitors.

For the ward I will just be using the 4:1 rule, so you "only" need 9 successes. The ward doesn't blast you if you fail in this attempt (see p124 street magic: "the ward doesn't alert the creator unless you try another approach"). The retry rule of "roll again but you have 1 fewer die each time is applicable, but I suspect you can all get through. The die you need is magic (9 for most people) + initiation (4 for most people) + intuition (say 3) so thats 17 die. I suspect this is the time to use a point of edge.

Most people can just walk though the ward (deactivate foci / cancel spells). People who cannot:
Mandala: spirit
Bjeorn: dual natured
Fearghas: has quickened spells

Now Mandala can be summoned on the far side by someone who can just step through it, (your group thread is a good enough link to allow any group member to summon you) so that just leaves Bjeorn and Fearghas.

If we can figure a way through for Bjeorn and Fearghas, then I'm happy sneaking through, otherwise I will shatter the ward. Any thoughts, gang? Presumably the moment we take here in RL to think this through represents our long-term association... "Oh yeah, remember when Mandala did that thing with his dooey ...we could do that now, too."

Fearghas can, just not right away. He would need to have a spirit follow the astral link back to Warder and assense him, and then Fearghas would be able to attune his aura to match Warder's so as to fool the ward.

Fearghas you probably missed it, but during the briefing you were shown warders aura.

Ah yes, that's right. That certainly simplifies things. I will have a post up tonight.

It would certainly be better to sneak than set an alarm off five minutes into the mission

Just out of interest, what's the background count now? Has it been cleansed fully?

One rounds worth of bashing the door: 3, 3, 2 and 4 successes
Base damage str 4, Claws 2, critical strike 7, Martial arts DV+3 = 16. Times 2 using focus = 32.

So damage 35, 35, 34 and 36. That should do the job!

Masking my way through the ward: 19die. Made it on the first try(needed 9 successes, got 10) http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2925229/

Is the door bashing coming after or before dealing with the ward? I thought after.

The concrete wall is armour 24, so rolls 48 die to absorb damage:

18, 17, 18, 15 damage absorbed

The first punch has 35 - 18 = 17 damage. Thats a one square meter hole.

After the four punches we have a 1m *2m hole thats smashed through the 2m thick concrete wall.

The rubble errupting on the far side is (I think) impressive, so the people on the far side need to make composure rolls or just gibber. In any case they are stunned for a round (at -2 on all actions).

One of them is just gibbering, the other is reaching for the communicator.

At the end of every cycle of me posting, your replying, when a couple of combat rounds have gone by, I will try and do one of these situation summaries.

Situation summary: 00:00:18 21st Jun 2010 (end of round 2 in the reactor room)

At the end of couple of combat rounds inside the reactor:

• Alyena has cowed the spirits (they seemed to be just playing) and cleansed the area up to the ward (background count down to zero).
• Mandala's radiation ward is keeping them at bay, and preventing the rest of you from taking radiation damage.
• The sound is still a problem, even with damper ears you are at -2.
• The ward is a force 16 charged ward, created you are fairly sure with blood magic.
• The door has been examined is between 1m and 2m thick, and has a quartz window that you can just see the controls (which are on the other side of the ward).
• Psychokinesis would probably work, but would have to overcome the ward.
• You have discovered that the reactor is actually a Nuclear Death Ritual Chamber.
• Bjorn has smashed a hole through the concrete wall (ignoring any subtleties such as TKing buttons), masked his way through the ward and is facing the reactor technicians
• Visibility modifiers in the reactor room and observation room are equivalent to smoke because of the dust from the wall being smashed.

Fearghas and Arren still have to post

Things for you lot to do:

• I would appreciate it if people could roll initiative now for rounds 3 and 4, as the deadly reactor technicians with their lab coats and clipboards will be acting next round. So far you have been unopposed clearly the bad guys are not prepared for you!
• When you get into the observation room, you discover that there is a wifi network around. (it is not hidden)
• What are you doing with your commlinks(are you slaving them to Ryls?)
• Do you have a tacnet?

As a side note: Ambrose / Ol'scratch is sadly not going to be posting for a few days, perhaps longer (medical reasons), I will play him as staying at back recovering from the drain of using the tunneling device.

@Aria, you can roleplay Aria's involvement freely. I don't mind what assistance she gives, as long as it is in character for her.

Well, OK, then. If Fearghas is going to try to sleaze through the ward, and Bjeorn is already through, then Mandala might as well try it, too. I'm not sure there is much surprise anymore, Aria, what with the earthquake through the wall. There must be radiation warnings going off throughout the building, or there will be as soon as the Radiation Barrier is dropped.

Mandala's Initiative rolls for rounds 3 and 4 (I'm assuming the -2 for the noise does not affect this?):

12 dice (on physical plane) -2 for sustained Radiation Barrier = 10 dice ==> 2 HITS, 2 HITS ... hmmpph.

round 3 ==> 14
round 4 ==> 14

That was my Stealth attack

That was me stealthy

Gamma radiation (the only serious threat) travels in a straight line, so you would be surprised if much of the building is impacted. The tunnel through is oblique to the reactor itself, so only a very narrow strip is affected.

I've not had to worry about seismic sensors to detect players before now...

I've no idea what RAW says, but I am happy for it not to affect initiative

Heaven help us!

I'll take on the challenge of playing my namesake, just need to get myself into the mindset of mischevious ten year old meets ancient wisdom

Not sure about the hacking rules of all this but in principal Ryl will want to stop the techie making a comm call...electronic warfare jamming or hacking an account on the commlink? Any thoughts which would be best...I assume Ryl would know even if I haven't got a clue

I'll be in AR as I don't want to drop my body on the floor in the middle of a reactor (or the control room)...oh, and Ryl's naked and running her optical camoflage...initiative (at -2 response - see character sheet) = 19 with 3IPs hot sim

Seth, now that you have had us roll Initiative, do you want us to wait to declare our actions in Initiative order, or just go ahead as before?

In any case, it looks as if Mandala's first action in round 3 will be to sneak through the ward, but he will leave the reactor room after everyone else has passed through the ward, as he wants to drop the Radiation Barrier to lose its distraction while attempting to pass through the ward.

Here's the roll for scamming the ward, whenever it takes place (I'm assuming the background count is no worse than 1):

Magic 9 + INT 8 + Edge 8 = 25 dice ==> 9 HITS

That should do it.

On the other side, his second action in round 3 will be to study the frightened technician in detail, both in the astral and in the physical. He wants to have the option to masquerade as this individual. You'd be surprised where an insignificant lackey blubbering in abject terror will be allowed to go.

I'm not sure whether a dual-natured being such as Mandala needs to make separate Assensing and Perception Tests in such a case. I'll roll the Assensing now:

INT 8 + Assensing (auras) 4 + Active looking 3 - distraction of noise 2 = 13 dice ==> 2 HITS

Hmm... enough to recognize him again, anyway, so that should do for pretending to be him.

Stealthy is as stealthy does.
I gotta figure out if I can even come close to 9 successes for sleazing that ward.

Sleazing: Magic(+Initiate (4)+Intuition(3)+edge(2)=5 5 1 3 1 1 3 6 5 3 6 3 2 6 5 2 6 2 ( hits, 4 Rerolls: 3 5 3 6 (2) hits, 1 Reroll: 2 Total hits (10)

Woot, I made my sleaze roll.

Initiative: 6+6d6=1 6 4 5 1 6(3) = 9

Since I was standing right there, I'll match my aura, slide through the ward and then on my initiative cast Mana Bolt on the guy going for the comm system.

Spellcasting test:
Magic(6)+Spellcasting(4)+SpellFocus(3)=13d6 5 2 1 5 5 2 3 5 4 6 3 2 2 (5) hits
Force: 9 Spell going to use up to 3 hits for damage value increase. So it would do 9
Drain Value: (9/2)+3=5+3=8
Drain Test: 15d6 = 6 3 5 6 1 6 3 4 1 2 6 2 4 4 5 (6) hits 2 Drain

Stun Track: 2/12