Cool. Now, the question is if Gardner is going to trying pushing through the ward so that he can do some healing on you or if somebody else will do some first aid in the middle of the firefight.

Well, because he needs to move closer to avoid shooting at you at extreme range. The guard is going to have to reroll his dice (I'm definitely seeing an advantage with invisible castle keeping dice rolls in order here, guess I should think about switching to it). The second guard moves one table closer to the balcony and shoots at Silas first shot gets 3 hits this time around and the second shot gets 2 hits. same base damage as TundraWolf was taking 6S(e).

You do have partial cover though. So, +2 dice for defense.

Yeah, I was under the impression that:

1. The drone was much closer to the balcony, given that it's already fired upon the balcony once;
2. The guard by the door was by the glass doors to the balcony.

Hmm...considering that the drone isn't close enough to the balcony to do anything, nor are there any targets in sight that I could fire upon with any type of ease...plus adding in the speed at which it is falling and calculating that for any more drones that might pop up from the roof...

There really isn't anything I CAN do at this point. I can give a command to the drone to continue its free-fall to the balcony, but it's going to do that anyway. I can't give the command for a system shutdown because that's limited to Admin access. There aren't any other drones in the area, and hacking the building is going to be pointless with the alert that's already been triggered AND the fact that it's currently under siege from the balcony.

So I basically get to sit here and do nothing, pretty much. Unless someone has any insight on something I've obviously missed but should know?

Well, stop it from free-falling by engaging it's rotors. Then either move back up and unload on the sniper, bring it down and engage the two remaining guards in the room in later turns, or go on overwatch for further outside threats. I'd imagine that a AAA is going to have more defenses than a sniper, two SMG-packing light drones, and some pistol-wielding guards for an important company function in one of their own extra-terratorial buildings.

The drone has not fired on the balcony at all yet. It's not in the script to fire until the start of the third combat turn.
You can fire at the sniper on the roof, your dice pool will just be lowered by the range and possibly recoil depending on if you do a short burst or a long burst. You could just issue a command to the drone for it to fly up and attack the sniper rather than controlling it like a computer game. It would then fly up and start attacking the sniper as soon as it can with using it's pilot rating + Targeting software.
You could tell it to open up with full auto into the building as a distraction and waste of it's ammo you can tell it only has a single 50 round drum.
Heck, I'm not sure if it's designed to let you eject the ammo drum, but I'd allow you to do that anyway.

Well, I'm not opening up on the sniper. I've only got 5 dice to begin with, and the -3 would really blow.

Giving a command is an option, but I immediately discounted it due to not having an Admin account. I figured that it's programming would over-ride the security command to open fire on Horizon personnel unless an Admin gave the order.

Providing cover fire is kind of pointless outside of wasting ammo considering there are no guards on the balcony to force to duck and cover. And I don't want to waste ammunition in the event I need it later.

HOWEVER - I have been given an idea on what to do, and this is something I should have thought of on my own as I would know this. The only problem is that I'm not sure if this is a Simple or Complex Action to issue the command. Taking control via AR is Complex, but the book doesn't state (at least not that I could find) what type of Action issuing the Command would be. So I'll let the GM rule on this.

Free Action: Message to team. "Drone is on its way to help."
Simple Action: Issue Command for the Drone to fire up its rotors.
Simple Action: Issue Command for the Drone to fly at top speed towards the balcony and into the room.

Now, if if is a Complex Action to issue the Command, I will simply give the second order above. Per the book, the Drone will do everything in its power to follow the Command given assuming it understands the command. Flying at top speed into the room should be understood, and the Drone would need to turn its rotors on to do that.

Also per the book, this will be done on the Drone's initiative on its next pass. I'm not sure what will happen if there are any Commands queued up for it or not. GM's call on that.

Assuming this is all good, that should be my 2nd of 3 Passes this CT. I've got 1 pass left.

here you go :




<"Mommy!"> I have GOT to get me some of that Ammo ... Gel rounds blow HARD in comparison (-2 just for being hit regardless ? just wow)

Stick and Shock should be standard equipment for any runner.

It's actually been doing a controlled drop at 30m/turn. It's running acceleration rate 25m/turn and it gets 1 hit on its vehicle test. That means it doubles its speed and so this pass it drops another 20m and it will continue to accelerate until it reaches the balcony or you give it another order. So, next pass it will be at roughly 30m above the balcony.
Oh and the way i'm handling commands is that any new command deletes any previous command. And any commands you give it to attack somebody includes a designation of that person being an enemy. So no worries about targetting horizon employees, unless somebody comes in and overrides your command.

I have to ask though, why would anyone use anything else, -2 is equivalent to 6 full stun tracks, just because you can't dodge bullets ?

there's no reason to carry any other ammo .. I don't mean it's OP ... it just has no relevant drawbacks vs. say flechette etc.

***EDIT*** Let's not do this here ... I'm sure it has been discussed to death in threads so, apologies for the de-rail

Yep, Stick-n-shock are great which is why these suited guards who only have light pistols are using it.
Also correct on the 3 stun damage.

It's why I had it in the Ingram to begin with. I figured that since it's a meet and not combat, don't bring lethal. Sadly, the drone combat happened before the meat combat...from the perspective of the dead guards, anyways.

...Whooooboy.

With TW down and Gardner still mostly OK...

He'll curse, lean out, and attempt to grab TW by the collar and yank him over into the shade of the tree giant. 4d6.hits(5)=1 for str, if so needed. If possible, he'll also grab the submachine gun, but it's not the priority.

Second simple action is a Security Design check to see if he knows the quality of medical supplies a AAA corp would have in a kitchen, or if they'd stash them elsewhere in case of kitchen cuts or accidental guest injury. 9d6.hits(5)=5

Free action:

"Shitshitshit. We can't keep takin' this fire!"

I'm actually giving Gardner the chance to change his actions since his turn would have happened after TundraWolf went down.

If he doesn't go for TundraWolf you can try it.

I've updated the MAP(click me) with current positions for everybody.

TundraWolf is about 5 meters inside the banquet hall next to a table he was using for cover, not within easy reach of you though you could certainly run to his position pick him up and start heading back out onto the balcony. If you make a running check and get at least one hit you can make it all the way back out onto the balcony with him. The running test will be one Simple Action, and picking TundraWolf up will be another (I'll say the convulsions caused by electric shock has locked his grip on his gun. So no need to pick it up). There's no action required for a knowledge test, you'd guess they would have a low level medkit somewhere in the kitchen (no hire than a rating 2 or 3).

Gardner are you still going to just check astral for magical threats on your turn considering that TundraWolf just went down?

-------------------

Following Gardner confirmation/change of actions, we are back up to the top of the Initiative for the third pass.

Needle give me another Analyze + Firewall test.

Eclipse has already posted his intent to try to grab TundraWolf and get him to safety.

Silas you can go ahead and post your actions.

Once we have those resolved, we can move on to Needle's and Gardner's actions for the third IP.

Analyze + Firewall: 12d6.hits(5) = 6

Heehee... running. 9d6.hits(5)=4 (Athletics 2, Synthacardium 3, Str 4)

Since the two guards by the kitchen are down, if I can I'd take TW to the kitchen instead of back out onto the balcony. It splits us up a bit, but my goal is to get him to a medkit and back into the fight as quickly as possible.

NO, get him on the balcony and ready to extract. We need to not be here .. Asap.

My reasoning is by the time we have the sniper dealt with and Ascon and White out to the balcony (there's still two guards shooting!), I can have TW at least conscious. Even if he's too fucked up to fire effectively, I can grab his gun and he can at least carry himself out of here.

Your commlink alerts you to a new user that apparently just obtained admin access on your node.

I'm wearing a dead man harness, that i rigged earlier in case the target was unconscious, will just strap him to me and extract, seeing as parker seems willing, it,s easier to medic him up in the van.

Just need to move asap cause this is escalating fast . Exciting huh

I might add that you are more deadly in this fire fight than i am!

You wouldn't be able to make it to the kitchen this pass, but you could make it there in the next pass.

Though really, i would suggest following Mach_Ten's advice and just getting him back to the balcony for all of you to get out of there that much faster. With first aid taking a number of combat turns equal to the number of boxes you are trying to heal, attempting first aid in the middle of this combat is going to take you out of the combat for a while and TundraWolf still won't be up until you finish. You guys are in the middle of the second combat turn and already are down one runner. What do you think will happen once you aren't just dealing with Horizon's first responders/flunkies?

Fair enough! Back to the balcony, along with a shout in Mr White's direction.

"We're out of time!"

Yeah, not for long.

Simple Action: Command drone to increase speed to get to balcony.
Simple Action: Command drone to lay down cover fire, specifying Horizon employees as enemies.
Free Action: Reboot commlink.

Take that you bastard. Enjoy the dumpshock, fuck-head.

If you remember, it took the sniper a Complex Action to reboot the commlink. Not a Free Action. The rule would be the same for you. So it's either give the commands to the drone or reboot the commlink, not both.
Which are you doing?

Btw, if anybody has a stim patch, they could slap it on TundraWolf to let him ignore enough Stun damage to wake back up instantly. He'll take another box of damage once it wears off, but it would certainly keep him awake for the remainder of this combat since it last for Rating x 10 minutes.

What about hitting the power switch to turn it off?

On a side note, did the sniper roll System + Response (10 threshold, 1 CT interval) to reboot? I want to make sure that I'm following the same rules here. I do remember he rebooted, I just didn't recall off the top of my head that he used a complex action to do so.

If the power switch is a free action, I'll do that. Otherwise, I'll have to initiate a reboot. Following the rules, it's going to take at least 2 full combat turns to do so (but I recall the sniper doing it much faster than that).

Let me know what's what.

Silas' actions are

Free action : Yelling into Comms "Needle , we need to get out now ! where are our wheels ?"

Simple action offhand shot from cover @ Guard nearest to White
pistols DP 12 -2 offhand -2 cover -1 damage -2 disorientated
(5d6.hits(5)=2)
4S AP +1 (gel)

Simple action offhand shot from cover @ Guard nearest to White
pistols DP 12 -2 offhand -2 cover -1 damage -2 disorientated
(5d6.hits(5)=0)
dammit

The physical power switch was the complex action of pressing and holding the power button down. And yes the sniper rolled that. That's why it took him 18 seconds for the commlink to come back nonlinear. Remember we weren't in initiative order at that time.

You just standing there shooting? Or moving in at all?

Sorry, but your math doesn't add up.

A CT is 3 seconds long. It took the sniper less than a full CT to go from trying to make a call to alert Horizon to me getting dumped:

1. He tried to call; I shut off his microphone.
2. I entered the rifle node
3. I ejected his clip, at which point I got dumped.

That's 1 CT, or 3 seconds. In fact, it was 2 IPs, or 2 seconds, since I shut his microphone off. I even went back through the posts to validate this, and unless I'm blind I don't see where it took him 6 CTs to reboot. Hell - I wasn't even in his commlink for 6 CTs total, and that includes both times I was in there.

Can you just clarify how it was 18 seconds when by my count it was only 3?

Or are you stating it took 18 seconds from the time he depressed the power switch to the time his commlink completely rebooted? I ask because the commlink won't start the reboot process until after the threshold is hit, which would be no less than 2 full CTs from the time he initiates the reboot. RAW.

If it's a complex action to reboot, I have no problem with that. I can use the Free Action to let the guys know where the bus is, and then the complex action to reboot. I am concerned with the RAW because according to RAW, my commlink is still active and usable until I hit the threshold. And I'm trying to find out how you played it with the sniper because according to RAW I still should have had several CTs to mess around before being dumped.

The guard managed 2 hits on reaction. So no damage.

Remember the single complex action turns off the commlink. That is what dumpshocked you. Then it was the extended test which took him 18 seconds for the commlink to come back online at which point you hacked in again.

Ok, I get it. I flip the switch, the power goes out. It then takes [insert number of CTs] CTs to come back online. Now I understand how you played it. Thank you for putting up with my inane questions.

Ok, so considering I cannot perform all of those actions in one CT...

Free Action: Message to team informing them where the bus is. "The bus is parked in front of our original starting point."
Complex Action: Hit the power switch on my commlink.

I'm gonna roll System + Response to see how long it's going to take my commlink to come back online.

System + Response 1: 9d6.hits(5) = 5
System + Response 2: 9d6.hits(5) = 3
System + Response 3: 9d6.hits(5) = 4

3 full CTs, or 9 seconds, where my commlink (and by extension, my digital persona) is offline.

That should be pass 3 in this CT for me. Let me know when it's my action in the next CT.

As I explained earlier when we were handling the sniper's commlink, the RAW you are talking about is doing a controlled system shutdown via software much like shutting down a modern day Windows PC where it goes through a process of closing down all open programs, saving data, etc. What the sniper did and what you are talking about doing is different. It's forcing an immediate shutdown by holding down the power button on the commlink, just like you can do with a modern day computer or cellphone. This is a hardwired thing that just forces all power to shut off in the device regardless of what it was doing.

Ok, that sounds good. You going to start climbing down while you're commlink reboots?

I think your map may be slightly out, since smashing the glass i had actually said i was continuing moving, so i should be 2IP phases in towards the guard near White, use movement as cover if you like, same modifier.

My first IP in the next CT is going to involve some surgery for the nearest bad guy

That depends on your answer to the next 2 questions:

1. How long would it take to descend 30 flights of stairs?
2. What is the dice test for rappelling? I do have the wingsuit on, you know...

Ok. Ill update the map when I get a chance.

It'll take you significantly longer to run down the stairs than rappelling down at least a minute or two.

Rappelling down is easy since you have all the gear setup for it. Its a climbing (2) check. It only takes one simple action to rappel down 20m (each hit over 2 increases your speed by 1m). At the bottom you make another climbing check. If you fail a check you have to resist 4s damage.

Actually, I have no choice but to take the stairs or the elevator. I have a STR of 2 + zero climbing skill. This means that, after defaulting, I have 1 die with which to try and garner 2 successes. And that doesn't count the -2 dice penalty I'm suffering for being disoriented for the next 4.5 minutes (give or take 10 seconds).

Sorry guys, but unless base jumping uses skills/attributes that I actually have, I'm going to be quite some time in getting down. And with my commlink not active, I can't even tell you this for 3 CTs.

Ill be nice. Normally the bonus for the gear would be cNcelled out by the penalty for the surface. But ill give you +2 for the gear and +2 for the surface. Is that enough for you to risk rappelling? Also Gardner was offering a spirit's guard power to prevent glitches earlier.

Or you can take the elevator. That will take you less than a minute.

That gives me a total of 3 dice at the moment, with only 1 edge left. I did tell Gardner earlier that I'd take all the help I could get, but now with my commlink out of commission for 3 CTs, I can't tell him I need that help right now.

And what would I need to roll to base jump the 30 stories? Yes, I am considering this action. I mean, if it is no worse than rappelling...

You would have 5 dice. 1 from defaulting +2 for gear and +2 from surface type. And I would allow Gardner to say he was sending the spirit to assist you.

Wing suit uses the parachuting skill which defaults to body if you don't have it. I'm having a hard time finding specific rules for the skill. So let's just say you'd need to resist the same damage on landing as from the rappelling.

It's 3 dice; I have a -2 dice pool penalty from Dumpshock.

Not sure which direction I'm going here. Will wait for my turn for epicness!

For added intensity, wait until you've already jumped before deciding what option to take.

Wow, don't look at a computer for an evening and look at what happens... I'm still not at a computer (using my phone), but I can at least put something in.

As far as I'm aware, trying to press through the ward is an action, and failure would drop my spell (as I go through), so I probably wouldn't try it unless we really needed it... I can be ready to help drag TW the rest of the way out, but I'm not sure I'd be much help if I tried to rush in.

On the other hand, pass 3 I was planning to command the earth spirit to help the team get down safely and use guard on us. This would include Needle, and the now unconscious Tundra Wolf, and even Mr. White and Acson when the come out if I can.

Doh. I forgot about the dump shock. Let's ignore that for the rappelling rolls then. I don't want to prolong this scene any more than it has to.
Alternatively, the freight elevator is still at the top floor since its had no other calls and the building doesn't auto recall elevators to the lobby.So you could take that. It would probably be a 15-20 second ride down.

OK. Sounds good.