It's all good. Nobody's being amusingly written out in any permanent ways ... yet ...

OK, it's time for me to do Connor's first summoning to make us harder to notice. It'll have to be a little spirit so he doesn't beat himself up. I'll try to role play it up a bit, but that aspect will improve as I play Connor more. If you want to do the spirit appearance and initial reaction, Koekepan, then next time I'll hold off the description.

Force 2 hearth spirit

Target Force 2 + daytime 2 = 4

3 Conjuring dice (save 2 for the Drain test) : 2 hits

So, 2 services owed.

Drain test : Target Force 2 + daytime 2 ; L because 1/2 of CHA = 4(L)

CHA 4 + saved conjuring dice 2 = 6 dice: 3 hits

Drain reduced to nil.

Yup, you do your summoning action, I'll handle the spirit. However, within the basis of sanity I won't scream or kick too much at anything reasonable.

OK. I posted before I read your reply. I'll comply from now on.

That should get a chuckle out of Carlos!

Watch for puddles there shortly.

Connor would know this. What spirit types are available in the multi-environment at the hatch of the tank?

The tank itself offers an extension of the hearth spirits available at the lab, but as long as the hatch is open, he can call upon the spirits of nature appropriate to the area; the rain and breeze and forest spirits are immediately accessible at that point.

A little extra rain never hurt, although forest would take us the rest of the way out of here presumably.

Summoning a forest spirit, same number of dice as for the hearth spirit earlier.

Force 2 forest spirit

Target 4, 3 dice: 1 success

Resist Drain

Target 4(L) 6 dice: 0 successes !!

Well, shit. Here's the fork in the road -- use that solo karma pool point to reroll to get rid of the drain, and make later rolls easier, or save it for the one roll that really counts?

I think once we get into the forest we are in good shape, so I'm going to use the karma pool (DON'T roll a 1 on the Bad Karma tes!)

Bad Karma test: It's a 5!! Whew!

reroll failures : 6 dice, target 4(L): 2 successes

No drain

Connor wants the spirit to conceal them as they slip into the forest.

I won't show rolls in all cases, but to tell you what you're up against:

Four goons could theoretically spot you.

Base target 4
A force 2 spirit's concealment raises their target +2
Some degree of distance through light rain and attendant forest fogginess +4
They're mildly distracted +2
You both stand out against the tank, and aren't dressed in camo anyway -2
Climbing out of a tank, walking off it, and into the forest, is pretty obvious -4
Total target: 6

Their average intelligence is 2 (not brilliant, but not idiots), and with four of them, that's 6 dice ...

Is the hair on Connor and Carlos's necks rising?

Yeah, well, you still have to roll it! I'm not worried. I got Carlos on my side! Right, chummer? Right?

...
...
...

Carlos?

Carlos?

Oh, I rolled it. Want to see the roll? I can give it if you insist, but I think the game will go better without ...

Nope, no need to see. Just a little posturing.

Carlos hadn't planned to stand up and just walk off. Stealth is there for a reason, even if it's just crawling quickly towards the woodline under his brown longcoat, taking what advantage he can from the tank itself.

That's what I get for not reading the previous IC closely enough.

It's all good. Make a stealth roll if you like, and make your IC post.

Stealth:5

The backup plans were going to get a bit more noisy so let's see how it goes. I really need to get on the computer to read and post rather than trying to do it from my phone.

And I need to read my own character sheet more closely. Not only did I give Connor some Stealth in the last edit, but I completely forgot his Fashion spell, which could have given us great camouflage. Sorry, ntwi.

Should we survive this encounter, I will do better.

If I act too often, ntwi, give me shit and I'll slow down. I'm trying to make up for my mistake, now.

Summon F2 forest spirit, Target 4, give it 4 dice this time: 2 successes

Drain 4(L) 5 dice : 2 successes No drain.

No problem, I'll let you know if it's an issue.

It's amazing how much easier it is to remember what your PC can do if you have the character sheet in front of you. I have half a dozen things I would like to do.

So, Koekepan, the ball thingy is bouncing into the forest. Can a dome-shaped Physical Barrier be ensorceled around it with all those trees, or do they interfere with the structural integrity of the barrier? If interfered, are the trees open enough to allow a flat, rectangular barrier?

Time to move. Quickness 7 plus 2 success on the Athletics means I'll have some distance from the Gas Grenade? when it goes off, but will it be enough.
Athletics test to sprint: 3d6t4 2

pbangarth:

It comes to rest in deep vegetation. The problem is that the forest floor is not level (hillside), clear (ferns, moss, brambles, shrubs) nor even.

I would say that the physical barrier could be made small enough to contain the ball - but only if you could see where it rests with any confidence, which you can't. Carlos glimpsed it, Connor's barely aware that it's there and could easily spend half an hour combing the forest floor looking for it, and still come up empty-handed. If you want to block off a random chunk of forest, then yes, the vegetation would interfere.

ntwi, you can definitely stretch your legs and make distance. The athletics roll is good enough to keep you from tripping.

Somehow my psychic powers told me it's not the gold watch for however long I've worked here.

We had to leave the masks back in the holding tank, didn't we.

If you want to run with a respirator on, I may start adding penalties ... but yes, I assumed, based on your shucking the suit, that the respirator landed with it. You made no mention of hanging on to it.

OK, Koekepan, most spells explicitly state successes are limited by the Force of the spell. The text for Oxygenate does not say so. What say you?

After some thought, I'd say that successes are not limited by the force of Oxygenate - but that the force will increase resistance to magical interference.

Koekepan, let me know if along with the spirit's help I need to roll an Athletics test for Connor, defaulting to Body. (Or go ahead and do it yourself, I have no Karma Pool left.) Defaulting to Body? Hah! I only need to roll an 8 with 3 dice.

No, I'll let this one pass, but your supplication for assistance eats up service.

In any event, Connor can scramble well enough, bouncing off the occasional tree, to keep up.

Absolutely. One service left.

And this is why I'm glad I downloaded the area for offline map use when the goon squad first showed up. Given the remoteness of the lab my response is predicated on this not being a path that looks connected according to the imagery that I have. I'm also presuming that the scanner can begin looking for active radio / drone networks while we are moving.

R6 Scanner TN is (Transmitting Device Rating + 3 - 1 per 2 Flux the device has)
Scanner Test: 6d6o6k6 9,5,5,4,3,1

Electronics (Electronic Warfare) is a complementary skill on the test.
Electronic Warfare (Comp Skill): 6d6o6k6 17,8,5,2,2,1

ntwi:

Your scanner picks up a few networks, of varying degrees of strength:

***** Olympia-region emergency radio services
**** Mitsusec private comms
**** Bhagwan Eternal Spirit
*** LacForMon
** Salish-Sidhe Enclave Borderers
** Mitsusec survcomms
* BioZu Maintenance
* Nisqually Road Management

As of right now, that building is barely identifiable on the overhead map. It's tentatively marked as DECREPIT BARN(?) but that's speculative. It's possible that there's a convenient travel path for foot or even bicycle, but there's nothing that looks like a traversable road for anything bigger than a dirtbike.

A one kilometer hike will get the couple across the ridge of a hill, and down to a regional road that sees regular maintenance.

The Condor is under way, and as long as Carlos has a suitable view of the sky, he can communicate with it, even to the point of getting sensor views.

Starting tomorrow, July 2nd, my wife and I and our two dogs will go on a short road trip. We will return home on Monday, the 6th. During the trip, I am sure we will have occasional internet access, but it may be spotty. I'll try to keep up and in touch.

Happy Canada Day today, Happy Independence Day on the 4th!

.... start vampire toxic insect spirit invasion on night of 2nd ....

Got it! Thanks, have a great trip!

From the top of a mountain... Normally the wife picks campgrounds closer by that have cell service... not this time. Beautiful area but no service (which is my preference as work can't call me). I'll post when I get back to civilization on Thursday.

Passive Sensors (Intelligence): 9d6o6k6 10,5,4,4,4,4,4,4,1

Just making sure we are leaving the area cleanly and that our ride will be there.

ntwi: Duly noted. You're pretty sure, based on available signal information, that you'll be fine if you wait by the roadside under some low-hanging branches where your ride can pull off the road a bit.

It would have been different if the trees were wired up, but they're not.

Heather's contacts:

Free Level 1: Plainclothes cop
Marilyn Gepard is a CAS girl who came to Seattle because she works for Lone Star. She knows who Heather is, and while they don't know each other well, there's a sisterhood of confederacy girls, and a sisterhood of single moms. They understand each other.
Free level 1: Street Doc
"Boiling Pitch" is an old military cyberdoc. In civilian life, he's just licensed as an EMT, but who cares? He lives on the northern fringes of Tacoma, and while he isn't best man with a suture needle, he will stabilise you and fix your 'ware and get you painkillers.
Level 1: Gang Leader
The Drive-throughs are a group of toughs who specialise in BTLs, and in some cases keeping a squat where their customers can chip in peace and (relative) safety, for a price. Their boss is Joe, the Manager. Yup, that's what they call him. He's human, and a little strange, but that comes with the job. His one big hate is the Yakuza, and after a little shoot-out in which Heather left some yak soldiers dead (nothing personal, they just mistook her for a target), he decided she was OK.
Level 1: Military contact UCSA
Technically, Carson Redd is a military attache in the CAS consulate in Seattle. In theory this makes him half recruiter, half spy. More to the point, he knows who Heather is (of course) and what her history is (naturally) and has been nothing but courteous to her. He's an older man who ranks as a lieutenant-colonel, and specialises in knowing people, events, and things.
Level 1: Stripper
Juelle (pronounced "jewel") la Divida has a job that involves putting little on, taking it off, and shaking what's left. Somehow, she's an elf with perky DD breasts, broad rounded hips and thighs, and a waist like a willow wand. She does OK for herself, financially.
Level 1: Pilot
Brian "Thunderfarter" Brown is a human thunderbird pilot. There's nothing wrong with his digestion; it's just that those birds are noisy, and a lot of the people he works with are crude. He mostly runs cargo for EC Transportation, Inc., an independent cargo company.
Level 1: Boat Captain
Carol Westhauser is a UCAS merchant marine certified master, but while she can, and occasionally does, hit the water for money, she spends a lot of her time ashore, dealing with things like boat inspections, certifications and related paperwork. It pays a bit less, but sometimes companies need someone with the right diploma to sign off on things, and the work isn't hard.
Level 2: Judge
Sam Borgard is a fairly old-school judge. Lawyers tend not to like appearing before him, because while his opinions are sound, his sentences can range widely depending on his reading of the situation. Strange old cove, but easy to get along with. Heather appeared before him in connection with routine certifications at first, because she's not from the UCAS, but over subsequent times, she turned up in his courtroom in various capacities. Now, relating to a bounty she collected; then, assisting bailiffs in the apprehension of a rogue. Eventually, he started feeding her jobs like watching over a threatened witness, or an abused child. He's even invited her to a few get-togethers with cops, bailiffs and so on.
Level 2: Fixer
Back some time, Snoochy offered her a career change. Easy work she could do lying down, with those lovely blue eyes and pneumatic bust - oh, hey, whoa, take it easy! After some apologies and explanations and a readjustment of personal expectations, Snoochy offered her some work guarding certain ladies from a predator. This went a lot better, and then Snoochy offered her more work, then more, then better work, and ... he doesn't even stare at her rack any more. And he calls her ma'am.
Level 2: Mr. Johnson
Heather met Mr Johnson as part of a gig she had some time ago. He played pretty straight with her. He's professional, cool, and so on but the jobs have paid well. As far as she knows, he works for Saeder-Krupp (although she suspects that's another layer of front), but she suspects that he may actually work for Renraku. Everything was just biz between them, until one day she found him as part of a selection of hostages taken by some Terrafirst! idiots. She kept her mouth shut, and he kept his shut, but their eyes met, there was a little nod, and he held up three fingers right before she broke cover and gunned down three idiots. Since then he's called her directly a few times for jobs that were good, solid work. And she knows a matrix address to reach him directly.
Level 2: Technician
Heather knows Billy Morgan quite well. She first ran into him when her job led her to kick in his door and demand the return of some stolen goods. Then he showed her detailed paperwork proving that she'd been hired by a gang of shifty rattlesnakes, and that not only was he the wronged party, but that there was every reason to believe that they intended to double-cross her afterwards. She told him that she'd check it out, and that if he had lied to her, he would turn into sharkbait. But she went to them ahead of schedule - just in time to find them getting ready to bug out. This resulted in a frank and open exchange of views, in which she ended up picking up one of the snakes and using him as an improvised weapon for the persuasion of the others. Then she went back to Billy, apologised for the inconvenience, and even brought him a few interesting doodads that the snakes no longer needed. Friends? Maybe in future. But definitely more than biz.
Level 2: Arms Dealer
Joelle Bentler works for Ares, getting potent equipment in the hands of potent people. She's an Ares citizen, even though (for complex reasons) she's technically an independent contractor. This means that as long as she makes her sales quotas, she will skirt the laws of many places. This alone would have made her one of Heather's top contacts, but what took it to the next level is that she likes to go fishing, she has a boat, and likes company while she goes fishing. And if she closes a deal or two on some grenades while doing so? That's just a win-win.

Cindy and Chuck??

I can't wait.

Aww, you know Cindy? Cindy from the night shift? The one who keeps joking about marrying rich and then poisoning the husband with an undetectable poison? The one who marks her food in the fridge PLEASE STEAL I NEED THE LAUGHS ANTIDOTE NY100? The one who looks anorexic but talks about her pet tapeworm?

Great gal.

And Chuck! How could you not remember Chuck? The maintenance tech who lives for the big holidays so he can mount unofficial firework celebrations from the office roof? The guy with a collection of dollhouses that he's rigged with functional scale correct air conditioning and heating? The guy who homebrews beer stronger than most wines?

Swell guy.

We need to save Chuck.

I see that we are using commlinks? Unless I miss my guess that's 4th edition? are we using some of the stuff from there here too? I don't mind, just need to adjust my way of thinking seeing as we're in a wireless world. ^^;;

For commlink, consider it not what 4th Edition had, but a wireless-enabled Pocket Secretary. Consider it a quirk of people who've played too damn many different editions already ...

But seriously, wireless activities came in late in 3rd Ed, and I can't see how people would NOT have communications across pocket secretaries anywhere that they could get bandwidth.

I gotcha, thanks.

In fact, they're probably playing updated 3D AR multiplayer versions of breakout and angry birds on them ...

Sorry. I'm playing in both 3rd and 4th editions here on DS. Terms will migrate on occasion.

It's all good.

I'm less interested in the details of terms, for the moment, than I am in clarifying the rules base, which I think that I have done.

Party on, Garth.

Foxx: give me a roll for your parking lot observation, looking for other stakeout types. You know what you're looking for, but it's a busy area and false positives abound, so target 5.

[6d6=1, 2, 6, 1, 3, 3]
Perception roll using stealth: 6d6 16

Re-rolling the six:

Perception roll using stealth: 1d6 5