Since we've had a lot of vibrant rule discussion as of late, I'd like to ask about something that has been bothering me again and again, and now shows it ugly head again: Movement.

I'm springing a Greater Wolverine on a group. Since it's not really a threat to an aware group, it sets up an ambush, and then charges the closest character with the intent to maul him. Since charging confers a +2 modifier and removes the running penalty on actions, this seems like a reasonable course of action for our groups furry, psychotic new friend.

Now:

- Charging only applies if you run and attack in the same phase. The wolverine is able to do this, but only because it has 2 IPs, yes?

- It can move a respectable distance, so I thought perhaps it was possible to run (the 2m required for a charge bonus) and attack in one pass, but there are no such action in the rules. Am I stuck with running (slow) for one pass, and attacking in the second? This means that it is impossible to melee attack any characters while they're still surprised, which I suppose is reasonable enough.

- There is a "receive charge" option, which a character who has delayed an action can "intervene" and "receive a charge in this way" for a +1 to his own attack. It is horribly vague in its wording, though. Does the character who delays opt to attack the charger, and gets a +1 for doing it as an intercept? Does the prey roll attack before the wolverine, then?

- Also, there seems to be no negative modifier for shooting at a running target, only for the attacker if he or she runs while firing. Any thought on why this is?

There is a Run for movement, and then there is Sprinting, which takes a simple action. If you just RUN (your higher movement rate) you make make a Complex action (attack) with a penalty (which the Charge maneuver eliminates). If you sprint (Use the Running Skill to increase your running movement), you may not make a Complex action followup.

Running is a free action.

Also, while there is no negative modifier for shooting at a running target, there's a positive modifier to dodging if you're running.

Turns out I've been doing it wrong for a long time, then! (I wish this was the first time I've said this for 4E..). Thanks a lot

Edit: Holy shit, being charged when surprised relieves one of a defense roll, it becomes a succes test. I am liking this wolverine scene more and more <3

I used a Gabriel Hound to similar effect on my group when they were first getting started in SR. They were trudging down a long, narrow tunnel connecting to some sewers when I inform the PC who has point that their body suddenly freezes up against their will and they can't move. Confusion, apprehension, the mobile characters draw weapons.

Suddenly they suffer a surprise attack, a gangly metahumanoid... thing... leaps out of nowhere and knocks one of them flat on their ass. Before they can react, it bolts down the tunnel at impossible speeds (120m per turn using the Movement power, 40m per IP) and is lost in the gloom. Had it hound them a good long way, leaping from Concealment, wearing down their condition monitors slowly, freaking them out and making them spray lead with abandon. Eventually the sneak-thief tags it with her pistol, and suddenly it no longer looks metahuman, but some bizarre canine monstrosity with a face like a twisted human child. It feezes her in place, slips away again, and then goes for the bleeding minotaur. It latches onto his abdomen, trying to knock him to the ground and rip out his throat. The minotaur rallies, grapples it, and suplexes it facefirst into the uneven brick floor.

~Umi

Indeed....

That is one of the best critter-related stories I've heard in a while! Got any other good critter encounters one could spring on my hapless players?

Well. A greater wolverine nearly tore out two character's throats like this.


Actual story:
The mage was somewhere up in Alaska, trying to acquire raw enchanting materials to produce orichalcum. She had hired a guide who was handy in the wilderness and good in close combat as well with rifles.
After a hard day's work of scraping minerals out of the earth, they decided to return to their base camp and retire for the night.
On their way home, the women chattered a bit about how successful they were and what they'd eat for supper, when suddenly, without warning, a growl came out of a shrubbery, followed by a furious black-brown ball of claws, fangs, saliva, red eyes and death.
The wolverine went straight for the throat of the guide (who walked in front, as was her job) and rips it straight out. The hermetic mage saw her companion spurt a veritable fountain of blood as the red eyes focussed on her, reacting just on time and casting a stunbolt while throwing herself aside, as the wolverine charged again. It sank its fangs into her hastily raised forearm, biting down to the bone. With a panicked scream, she concentrated and poured all she had into another stunbolt (her only offensive spell) and the wolverine went limp.

What happened in game terms:
Both characters had 1 IP, but reasonable initiative (8 and 6, but the mage also has combat paralysis).
Greater Wolverine stalks characters, defeats 2 perception rolls, ambushes, attacks, inflicts 10P damage against 12 damage resistance dice, resists a stunbolt and takes 5P damage, attack, inflicts 7P damage against 8 resistance dice, loses initiative to mage, knockout by overcast stunbolt (which was enhanced by panic edge )
Said guide narrowly escaped death only because the mage was able to heal her in time and was lucky not to have lasting effects apart from nasty scars at her throat
You'll have fun.

Wolverines, small packets of unbridled fury and enormous strength, has been known to kill Brown bears and Elk! For those not realising how ludicrous that is; Wolverines are about 1 meter long and weight like 30 kg's, a brown bear is 3 times as long and weight 600kg.
So exactly what kind of nightmarish demon spawn is a greater wolverine?!

90cm shoulder height, about a 100kg, 7P damage, 2 IP, similar BOD to an average troll, armored fur, stealthy, heightened senses and a ludicrous amount of dice to kill you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r7wHMg5Yjg

I guess badass runs in the family...

I am a big fan of Wolverines give-no-fucks attitude to life, so I just had to do it. I'm thinking these guys (90cm at shoulder, over 2 metres long and 100+kgs) attack grizzlies, trolls and probably also armored vehicles on general principle!

This particular bundle of joy has killed every other predator in the area, so gets an extra point of strength and an extra point of impact armor rating

Still, they will be able to spot it if they're competent and lucky, and I've thrown in an encounter before with a blackberry cat. If they befriend the pussy, it's innate combat sense spell will pick up the beast and it starts up, giving them +3 on the surprise roll..

I'll let you know how it goes, but the game won't start for another week.

Same run as the gabriel hound they had to wade through a disused water clarification pool to exit the tunnels they were in. The lights had gone, and the water was murky, and they almost lost one of the NPCs they were escorting to a pair of alligators. Unfortunately for the first gator, the minotaur was better at drowning his prey with a death roll than it was. As for the second one, it didn't much care for being levitated out of the water by the mage and pumped full of lead by the sneak-thief.

Which reminds me!

It wasn't a critter encounter proper, but at one point the team was busting into a dockside shipping yard. They wanted to try an amphibious assault to avoid the guards and workers, but I pointed out that Seattle isn't known for it's clean bay - and by that I meant the water was a teeming cesspool of filth and toxic chemicals. The minotaur wanted to try swimming anyway because, quote, "I still have that wetsuit and snorkle I picked up in FreeCal in the back of the van!" The mage (the token sensible team member) is trying and failing to convince him that it's a bad idea. Then I made the mistake of trying to drive the point home by rolling perception for the minotaur and informing him that he thinks he sees a decent size shark a distance away in the water.

Within seconds he convinces the mage to cast and sustain first Oxygenate, and then Levitate on the shark. They then climb in the van, levitate the shark onto the luggage rack, ram through the perimeter fence, and then magically hurl the shark face-first into the nearest dockworker, whom it mauls alive. They then levitate it around the compound with them, using it to confuse, distract, and eviscerate their foes. Lady luck was with them for a decent while there, as almost everytime I rolled for the shark it scored phenominally, even with the huge dice penalties I was giving it for being out of water.

Eventually, just as the sneak-thief decides she wants to go and ride on the back of the shark to get a better vantage point with her pistol, one of the braver security guards manages to blow the shark's jaw off with a short burst from a shotty, killing it in a spray of salty red mist. They saved that guard for last.

~Umi

I want to see Umi's version of Jaws

It would probably involve a shark-based Thor shot or two.

*rubs chin thoughtfully*

~Umi