@LordArcana,

Sorry to hear about your plumbing disaster

I don't think there is a need for me to IC the torture scene, so I put up a post describing what happens after, and the setup for questioning the woman.

Let me know if there is anything else you need.

Give me an Intimidation test with a +3DP and i'll IC up the final reaction. Get more than one hit and you are golden

Red-Devil Willpower: Willpower(x2) vs. Intimidation (4d6.hits(5)=1)

Ok - so normally I roll 7d6, with the 3DP modifier I get 10 dice

10d6.hits(5)=4

So 4 hits

Nice roll. I'll get everyone updated IC in the morning. Finally got everything done around the house. I am officially on vacation now

Oh Arty... would you be a lamb and roll a matrix initiative for me please? Unless you were ding this full AR then an augmented Initiative will work.

Digital Programs Initiative: Initiative (10d6.hits(5)=3, 10d6.hits(5)=4, 10d6.hits(5)=4)

Agent 1: 13
Agent 2: 14
Black IC: 14

IC updated.

Before I forget I just wanted to see if anyone had any specific plans for the US Holiday this week? I am currently on vacation so i will be in and out most of the week. Thursday i will be on some in the morning but most of the day and evening i will be away at multiple dinners with the family. Just a heads up.

as stated before, Artemis only hacks in AR, VR runs the risk of rendering him unable to talk out of a situation.

His Motto "in case of black IC, GTFO !"

*Get the Frag Offline

That is a fantastic motto, but that is where initiative comes into play. There is still a chance of bad things happening before you can get out... even if you plan on just killing the connection there is a chance they get an action or two off first.

I'll roll it later mate, or feel free to roll for me to move along.

the joys of AR over VR, the only risk to me is the comm fries itself... as far as I believe ?

not done it before so, guess I'm about to find out

Yeah there is little to no risk to you directly from the "combat"... its whats going on that can affect your equipment that is the potential issue. Doubtful anything serious but there is a chance for an uber critical glitch or an amazing success... plus there is always EDGE

INIT (7d6.hits(5) =2)
total = 9 (2 IP)

With regards to the holiday, I will be unable to post on Thursday, but apart from that should be fine.

***********************
Matrix Initiative Order
***********************

IP -1
***********************
Black IC - 14
Agent 2 - 14
Agent 1 - 13
Artemis - 9


IP-2
***********************
Black IC - 14
Agent 2 - 14
Agent 1 - 13
Artemis - 9

IP-3
***********************
Black IC - 14
Agent 2 - 14
Agent 1 - 13


EDIT

The Black IC has no effect on AR users so its attack is unimportant. The two agents on the other hand each perform complex actions requiring an opposed Ratingx2 vs. your System + Firewall so if you would please make two tests please and i will IC up the result.

Agent Ratingx2 tests: Agent actions (10d6.hits(5)=5, 10d6.hits(5)=2)

So Nick is unsupervised, and he's decided to scope out the security of this safehouse. He's looking to see just how secure it really is, with a particular eye for being able to return at a later date and swipe the couch he's decided he really likes.

He's taking his time, though, and he's being casual about things. Mostly he's looking for cameras (both inside and out, both obvious and hidden) and inspecting the security system and its keypad, with a little bit of checking of sightlines for potential neighbors on the side. He figures he could certainly get the couch out unseen the same way they got the gangers in, but he'd need to be unrecorded doing so and be able to disarm the security via the keypad or some other approach.

He doesn't quite expect to find a big enough security hole, but you never know until you look, neh? He's also unaware who owns this place, and it's not the sort of thing that would occur to him to wonder, but maybe the security system's sophistication will give suggest a few things to him.

Security Design 3 + Intuition 3 = (6) : [2,6,5,3,3,2] : 2 Hits

I'd also roll Perception 4 + Intuition 3 + Visual Enhancement 3 = (10), but I find perception's best left to the GM.

~Umi

That was weird, the link in the first roll didn't show until i went to quote the text. Anyway... i can roll the perception if you want but i have no problem with you doing it either.

One thing you do notice is that there is a lot of Saeder Krupp logo items around the condo. Including when the trid was first turned on and any AR displays you access.

11d6.hits(5)=3

11d6.hits(5)=4

Ok. At this point as far as you are aware you began digging into information on the last link when you noticed an active alert. The three programs each take actions which have no apparent results. Give me a few and i will post up an IC.

Okay, so, the transponder - is it obviously a transponder? Or does Nick only recognize it as such from his experience with security and electronics? Answer will influence immediate response.

~Umi

From Nick's experience and skill sets he knows what it is. To the average Joe it would appear to be just a flashing gizmo.

And that is her reaction to a successful intimidation roll?

yep for three specific reasons which you will find out shortly

1) will find out soon.

2) You are fairly certain she is telling the truth.

3) She thinks you tortured and beat her brother, compounded by the fact she is crazy. Not just a little, take some antidepressants, mentally unstable but full blown break into your house and gut your cat and hang it from the chandelier over your kitchen table kind of crazy. I had originally intended to make more of a key point to their "personalities" as your group was falling to the effects of the neuro-stun grenade, but we see how well that worked out for them

Hoo boy. The one guy who is least likely to be understood has to convey critical information to his teammates about imiment danger which is going to cause him to be spooked and even less understandable than normal. Fun!

~Umi

I sense a disturbance in the force !


I'm in the car !!

Yeah, I know. You're out in the open, where "Dem Bad Dudes" are gonna be when they come knocking with machine guns and something on their mind OTHER than Urban Brawl. (Although surprisingly similar in form, if not scorekeeping!)

Meanwhile, Lobo and Nick are indoors and reasonably defensible... yeah, was nice knowing you, try not to get geeked INSIDE the car, we might be able to sell it if it doesn't take too many bullets. AGAIN.

Oh, and if you put the van in danger, Nick will end you.

~Umi

Okay, dice stuff.

Nick's gonna run and bolt the front door, ready at least one collapsible baton from his back pocket (as Lobo has the stunsticks), then run to the sliding glass doors and make a (situationally modified at your discretion) Perception check to see if "Dem Bad Dudes" are already here and outside approaching the safehouse.

What happens after depends on how clear the coast is. Obviously clear means I have a minute to run and prepare a little. Conversely if we're being stormed, like, right fragging now, I'll only be able to yell or send a quick digital headsup before having to flip out full ninja mode.

~Umi

Van?


ohhhh ... you mean 15 feet of "good cover!" ... gotcha

nice IC

so, what are my options here .... ELI'5' !

and if I don't have the programs available to defend myself
(if you're willing to let me do some creative re-assessment of my wares)

then Arty will drop out of the comm and switch it off hard!

That van is worth more than you can make in a dozen runs, and far more than the price of your vital organs.

...just something to think about.

~Umi

Paranoia is a wonderful thing. Fortunately Nick is able to do all the above actions without an issue. He gets to the sliding glass window and carefully peers out. He can see the BMW sitting in the parking area as well as his van. At first glance there appears to be nothing out of the ordinary. There are two other vehicles (a spirit and a comet) were both in the parking lot when you arrived and are at far end of the parking lot about 150 meters away.

Go ahead and make a Perception test with a -2 unless you have lowlight vision then no penalty.

You can turn off the comm, or you can turn off the other comm. You can exit the node and provided the agents haven't managed to hack your commlink you would be ok... unless its a mook and actively trying to locate your singal and hack you in return. Feel free to get creative within reason but if you are going to do something that requires a test or opposed test OOC it first and we can work through it.

I have to say I find it amusing that my two teammates don't think to send a message to the bodyguard guy when it looks like combat is on the horizon.

Lobo probably won't find amusing in the long run, but in the meantime I'm laughing a bit

I have to laugh at the paranoia at times but then how quick people just went their own ways when they got to the safehouse. Not that it should be taken something bad is going to happen or anything but still. In terms of IC though Artemis has no clue whats going on inside the condo... Nick is just trying to assess the situation before overreacting... it would have to be a funny scene for Lobo to walk in on though. After dealing with crazy wild eyed chick only to pop out into the kitchen for a breather and seeing the new guy acting all paranoid

Don't have low-light at the moment. 8d6 → [3,4,2,6,5,5,4,4] = (3 Hits)

And to be fair, Nick IS a bit paranoid. He grew up not far from The Dome. (Two men enter! One bug leaves!)

~Umi

Kill the comms .. reboot mine and analyze for threat ..

A little help from anyone who knows more about this stuff would be welcome .. meany GMs need not apply

And yeah, we really took the safe from safehouse ..huh.

It would've been hilarious to see lobo coming out to see Nick trying to man handle the sofa out the door

LOL

Please. Nick's an opportunist, not an idiot.

Even if he somehow got it into the van without anyone hearing or seeing, surely Lobo'd ask "Where the frag did the couch go?" when he came back out into the main room? He doesn't think Lobo's quite THAT unattentive.

Now Artemis, on the other hand...

~Umi

Checking to see what is outside (my cybereyes have basically the full sensor suite in them )

11d6.hits(5)=4

Crap i updated the IC before i read this. give me a second and i will update it for Lobo as well. Basically as you make your way over you see the car pull in the parking lot.

EDIT: Updated

Ahh, drek + oscillating ventilator.

Activating my jumpsuit's chameleon coating, turning off my commlink entirely, and Infiltrating to the back of the van, hoping to slip inside, grab two or three flashbangs from a "special toolbox" stashed in a corner, and slip back out.

14d6 → [2,2,2,2,4,4,1,3,6,5,5,2,5,6] = 5 Hits

Chameleon coating gives me -4 to be perceived visually.

~Umi

The car is a little over 150 meters away moving very slowly so you have at least one minute to prepare before it gets to the edge of your building... four parking spots away from where Artemis is parked.

Speaking of... at this point If you want to roll a perception test for Artemis... -2 penalty since i doubt you would be using lowlight vision while working in AR in your car. If you get at least 1 hit you notice the car rolling through the parking lot at low speed with its lights off.

I want to wish everyone a safe and happy Turkey Day. If you are in the states and along the east coast please drive careful... this storm is just ugly.

Happy Thanksgiving to all as well.

If you are driving, don't make a u-turn near a corporate building. Who knows what mischief you'll get into.

HAPPY BLACK FRIDAY!

@phlapjack, IC is updated for the last directory you looked through. If you want to phish for more information feel free to do a Data Search + Browse test and I will give you any other information that may be available.

@Umi, You are comfortably certain you are not spotted as you sneak to your van to get your tools. Not sure where you wanted to go from there but feel free to IC at least 30 seconds up to 1 minute worth of activities if you want.

@Lobo You see Nick in electronic camo sneak out of the sliding glass door but have a hard time following him a few steps out. Feel free to IC the next 30 seconds up to 1 minute worth of activities.

@Artemis Just a Perception test (-2 for lighting conditions) if you get at least 1 hit you notice the slow moving car heading your way. Feel free to IC the next 30 seconds to 1 minute worth of actions. For the time being your comm seems to work but your Analyze program just doesn't respond.

@Everyone, With Turkey Day interrupting the week and some unforeseen issues on my end I apologize for the inconsistent posting. I went through the last three pages of IC and OOC and i think everything is caught up. If i missed questions or didn't respond to something please bring it back up. With today being the massive shopping day of the year and the fact its really fraggin cold outside and snowing I have no intentions of leaving the house. Got a nice fire going in the fireplace, scented candles burning...maybe I'll go out and plow but then again maybe not.

Building Image

This is about what the condo/townhouse/apartment you guys are in looks like. The only difference is the big front window replace with a sliding glass door. So Nicks van is pulled up in the alcove to the right of the sliding glass window. The apartment you are staying in is the one on the far right.

I was slipping out chiefly to grab two or three of my flashbangs from inside the van and anything else that might be of use, and then possibly set up an ambush spot.

One idea was that if the building wasn't too terribly tall, I might climb onto the roof and "take the high ground" so to speak. Judging from the picture, that should be eminently doable with all the ledges and my Climbing dice pool. However, I'm not certain on time-frames and how you would want to combine Climbing and Infiltrating at the same time. It might not be feasible.

Another concern is how you would want to handle something like Nick dropping off the roof onto the unsuspecting enemy to perform a surprise melee attack (or even attacks) from above. Unfortunately the 4E rules never came anywhere near to addressing unusual sorts of situations like that, so I'm not sure how you'd like to manage something that ought to be doable, but which the rules weren't built to handle.

A Gymnastics test to jump down seems like an obvious choice, but can I also make an attack with the same Complex Action? Presumably I suffer Fall Damage, but is it lessened if my fall is broken by something - say, one of the enemies that I'm jumping down feet-first and full weight onto the collar bones of? Does being struck in this manner inflict "Fall Damage" on them? If not, does the extra speed and force modify the damage of my melee attack itself?

I leave it up to you, of course - as GM you have full final say - but how we agree to handle these "mechanical" aspects of the next few actions will have a major influence on how I proceed here, because it will dictate what Nick would be physically able - and therefor likely - to do.

~Umi

WoW... nothing like pushing the rules

No seriously its cool. I like having to think on the fly. As I see it getting up on the roof isn't too big of a deal. In 60 seconds you have plenty of time to grab the grenades and run back inside... up the stairs to the second floor landing and attempt to climb on the roof. I would say make a Running test and provided you get a success without a glitch you have enough time to get onto the roof. Basically you travel the distance through the house fast enough to buy you the extra couple seconds to get up there... PROVIDED... you have a decent Climbing Test(+2) for ledges and hand holds. If you want to be stealthy doing this it will be difficult but you can attempt an Infiltration(-2) just because its hard to be sneaky climbing the face of a building but the chameleon coating still grants the -4 to being seen.

As for jumping to make an attack I don't want to give away everything i am thinking because that would make or break your decision to try the maneuver but i want you to think realistically about the scenario. Jumping down 7-8 meters onto a small target that will most likely collapse under your falling weight would not even be close to easy. Not to mention it wouldn't be all that predictable on what would happen. I will say that there would be a melee attack in there (most likely with some modifier) and a gymnastics test (with some modifier) for being able to maneuver yourself from the landing as to not do more harm to yourself.

All in all i see it working something like this:

* A fall of that distance is 6P for each of you base.

* He would get a Perception test to see you jump (maybe) but most likely would be caught unaware.

* The damage for him would be modified by the number of net hits you get on your melee attack roll (assuming unarmed attack: martial arts) unless you are attacking with a weapon other than your feet. Threshold for attack would be slightly more than 1 since not only is he moving but you have to judge falling distance and speed on a small target. a tad harder than swinging a stick or pointing a gun and pulling the trigger.

* He would resist with Body + 1/2 Impact

* The damage for you would be modified by the difference in a secret threshold of your Gymnastics test -/+. (it won't be an easy threshold but you have a good DP).

* Your resist would be Body + 1/2 Impact + net gymnastic hits (unless you glitch then you get no gymnastics. Critical Glitch and that is just BAD)

* Just for the severely unpredictable nature of the maneuver i would ask for an Edge test to finish it off and depending on the result of that would determine and final touches.

Judging by your DP i would say its more doable than realistic... but it would certainly be cinematic

EDIT

If it comes to you doing that maneuver and you commit to doing it, i will give you the thresholds before you make the rolls so you can fee the full weight of your decision

Damn. I was almost hoping you'd shut the idea down. Choices, choices...

Okay, high ground is good ground. The roof offers concealment and cover, a good vantage point with clear sightlines, and plenty of escape routes. It'd be better if I were a sniper with a firearm, but I've got two flashbangs and the enemies are around 50m away, which is Long Range -3 with my Strength, and they're closing even nearer, so that can easily drop to Medium Range -1 or Short Range +0.

Scatter is a concern, but shock and awe is still valuable, and a 10m AoE with no damage falloff makes up for scatter quite a bit. I can even land them next to Artemis safely as long as he stays in the vehicle. Of course, the same applies to the enemies - flashbangs won't affect them through their vehicle. Gonna have to let them come to us a bit first.

Time to go King Bumi on this mess, Neutral Jing - listening and waiting for the right moment to strike.

...asuming I even make it onto the roof!

~Umi

Unfortunately, Invisible Castle appears to have allowed their domain name to expire. Do we have a backup online roller? If not, and if we'd rather not wait to see if IC gets back online in the next day or two, I'm happy having Arcana roll for me via the built in Chummer Dice Roller or whatever over roller seems appropriate.

Strength 7 + Running 1 = (8 Dice)
Strength 7 + Climbing 1 + Assisted Climbing (Gecko Tape Gloves) 2, +/- Surface ? = (~10 Dice)
Agility 7 + Infiltration 5 + Urban Specialization 2 - Climbing Penalty 2 = (12 Dice)

~Umi

I am praying for a quick return of Invisible Castle but if they are not up and running by Monday i will roll the dice in some other method until we have an alternative.

WOOHOO! Looks like Invisible Castle is back up and working