ctrlsaltdel

I Am Thou: A Persona/SMT Inspired Story

Hm, given the discussion and system so far, I'll switch Herne's focuses--I'm thinking Ailments as primary, Gun as secondary, and Debuffs tertiary. It seems like we have plenty of people with a primary focus in either phys or magic damage, and ailments will probably be more fun to play out that status debuffs.

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

@rush99999, I think the answer is "yes" to both, though we'll deal with XP postmission. (This is another one of those situations where the rules specify "per session", which doesn't really fit with the pbp format, but I think doing it per-mission will probably serve well enough).

That does bring up the point--@POOHEAD189, you also have Predator, so arguably you should have gotten a +1 as well. Do you want to roll another d6 to see if you can get a full success, or let the current result stand?

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

Ijin, as it has so often been, your aim is true. The shot was well chosen and perfectly executed; the dart's blackened point penetrates Cho's wrist just an inch or so back from where it meets his hand, depositing its contents into the radial vein. He's a professional--though he flinches, he barely makes a sound at the impact. You think he probably does say something as he smacks the dart against the side of the bike, but through your scope you can only see the grimace of pain.

The move dislodges the dart before it can deliver its entire payload, but the damage is done.

Cho turns back in the seat, his eyes now focused forward. As he approaches the next intersection in the alley, you think you see the bike wobble.

Silas, from your perch on the second floor of the motel you have only a handful of moments to observe the small... thing clutched onto Cho's neck. Your time doing meatball surgery for the Hegemonic Marines left you with plenty of baggage, but it also gave you plenty of practice at judging someone's height and weight at a glance; you estimate that the figure is about four and a half feet tall. The bagginess of the clothes its wearing--perhaps chosen intentionally to hide as much of its body from onlookers as possible--makes it hard to tell what its build is, but if it were a human child, you'd estimate its age at somewhere between nine and twelve years old.

Oh, also--when Ijin's shot rings out, you see it twist its head about wildly, looking for the source of the sound, and from the middle of its visage you see a single optical unit, glowing with soft lavender light.

Molly, the vendor who seemed so happy to see you just a few minutes before is now watching you drive away in his livelihood, murder in his eyes.

Luckily, murder seems to be in no rush to occupy any other part of his body. Maybe your large, overmuscled companion has something to do with that, or maybe it's just your natural charm. Either way, he's apparently content to stand in the street, shouting invective at you and waving his cheap knife in the air.

Unluckily, in his haste to try and prevent the pair of you from carjacking his food truck, he has neglected basic kitchen safety. You really should turn off all the burners if you're going to leave the stove unattended, otherwise someone might steal your food truck and spill a pot full of hot oil on the stove, starting a small grease fire.

That... could be a problem.

Quintus, even perched on the window of a commercial vehicle being pushed far past its design specs (and we won't even mention its maintenance schedule), Molly has put you close enough to the target that missing him completely would be difficult. You line up your shot to hit the rear AG generator, but the bike wobbles unexpectedly and your heavy blaster instead takes off its back bumper. Cho loses control for a split second from the unexpected impact and goes into a side-on slide. The maneuver isn't the death sentence it would be in a wheeled vehicle, but the road is narrow and he just barely keeps from impacting the detritus on either end of the alley. Cho recovers after a beat and looks up to meet your eyes. The assassin's teeth are gritted, and his expression looks... concerned?

(And holy shit, his pupils are the size of dinner plates--that stuff Ijin hit him with must be pretty strong.)

Now it's his turn again, and the heavy blaster comes up; Cho fires a bolt at the front right tire of the noodle truck. At the same moment, he pins down the bike's throttle, shooting off down the alley intersection. He's clearly hoping that you and Molly will have to turn away from the oncoming blaster fire and therefore from him, giving him at least a slight lead.

Meanwhile, black, pungent smoke is starting to come out of the back of the truck.

Clocks

Clocks
Catching Cho-Tyrek: [ | | | | | - - - - -]
Grease Fire Gets Worse: [ | - - - ]

Crew Status

Gambits: 1

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

@rush99999 - The actual shot sounds like Controlled, Standard to me. That said, I'd like to stay away from nano-scale technology--not that it doesn't exist/can't be obtainable by the PCs, but I don't want it to be commonplace or part of "standard kit", if that makes sense. Do you mind editing to remove the tracker microchip? If you want to change the action to have Ijin put a larger tracker on the bike itself (or something similar), I'm open to that; I'm also open to just removing the tracker bit altogether, or hearing other suggestions.

Eidolon: Conspiracy Theory

"Hey there. I figured I'd quickly check in right away to make sure you have a good first impression of the place." Luka said. "How are you enjoying it here so far? Is everything to your liking? If there is anything I can do to make the place feel homier, you need only ask me and I will make it so."

@rush99999

"Oh! Good evening!" Jehoshaphat had ducked behind a nearby tree as Luka's image materialized, but now he poked his head out to look at his host. "I, uh. Didn't expect you so soon. I do appreciate your concern, but my needs really are very simple. It's not the barrens, but it will do nicely until I can return home." His large, black eyes blinked slowly. Moonlight glinted off the many sharp, pointed teeth that his mongrel snout was too small to contain.

"Maybe a few deer. Here and there. For a snack."

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

@Penny I believe you roll a number of dice equal to your score in a particular ability! For example, my character has 2 dots in Study, so when I make a check with that skill, I roll 2d6 and take the higher number. If I had 1 dot I would roll 1d6, if I had 3, 3d6, etc. If you have no dots in a particular ability, you roll 2d6 and take the lower number.

@meri

Yes, that's correct. Rules are on page 18-21; main caveat to the above is that you can get bonus dice one of a few ways:

• Some character or crew abilities will give you bonus dice to certain rolls
• +1d for receiving assistance from a teammate; they take 1 stress
• +1d for either pushing yourself (take 2 stress) or through a Devil's Bargain (up to me =D) (can't get dice for both)
• Spending a gambit, which I realize now I need to track in your crew status

I Am Thou: A Persona/SMT Inspired Story

@Ryik - I don't mind changing--though for what I have in mind for this character, I'll take Death instead.

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

---

Mission One: Cho-Tyrek

---

Paradise Motel / Outskirts / System Capital, City Moon Warren / Rin System / Procyon Sector

---

The planet Aleph hangs in the sky, only a sliver of its swirling, blue-green atmosphere visible between the towering buildings above. The night sky framing it on either side of it is an unbroken, gold-tinged blackness. The megacity's haze and its uncountable lights produce a wispy glow that blots out the stars entirely, yet leaves the lower levels--and especially the alleyways--a checkerboard of lights ready to reveal a helpless victim and shadows perfect for concealing threats.

If everything goes according to plan tonight, you'll be the latter rather than the former.

Your search led you across two systems--and into a few tight spots--but you've finally run down your man. The second-floor walkway of the Motel Paradise is as poorly lit as the rest of the area (and the trash-drift that has accumulated in the corners gives you the impression that it's more from lack of maintenance than any desire to reduce the local light pollution), but you can read the room numbers well enough. Though you can hear the ambient sounds of the city around you--hovercars whirring overhead, wild city dogs barking, the thumping of bass in the distance--the motel itself is eerily quiet. Perhaps the residents can sense the threat of violence in the air. Or maybe business just isn't very good.

You find the room right at the corner of the building, overlooking the intersection of two alleys, and--your movements quick and practiced--prepare to break in.

The sound of a heavy blaster is unmistakable--like a giant, ripping cloth in its hands. Time seems to slow down for a second as a bolt hits the wall maybe three feet away from the room, leaving a sizzling hole in the plaster-and-particleboard construction. Then a second hits, slightly closer. Then a third.

Just down the alley from you is a face that you know well, at least from holos. A man with a pale complexion, his head shaved completely bald, with black tattoos running from a point on the back of his neck to completely encircle his eyes. He's wearing cargo pants and a ratty coat rather than the sleek bodysuit his dossier has him in, but there's no doubt in your mind.

Your target, Cho-Tyrek, is escaping on a hoverbike he has just recovered from underneath a tarp. A small figure is clutched on to his back--it's roughly the size and shape of a human child, but it's swaddled in a bulky cloth that makes it hard to discern any details, other than that it's holding on for dear life. With one hand, Cho is driving the hovercycle; with the other, he's laying down a trail of blaster fire that is about to become, from your perspective, worryingly accurate.

Things so rarely go according to plan.

OOC

At least one of you is near the motel room door, and will need to deal with the incoming heavy blaster fire. Who that person is--and where the rest of you are--I'll leave up to you.

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

Crew Info

General Info

Ship Name: Cerberus
Crew Cred: 2
Reputation: Daring
Crew Quality: 0/3

Crew Upgrades

• Stun Weapons (A wide variety of less-lethal weapons for capturing and securing prisoners.)
• Tracers (Variety of ways to track targets, including audio/video bugs, attachable beacons, and transmission cloners for comms. Legality varies by device and jurisdiction.)
• Training: Prowess (When training Prowess during downtime, earn an additional XP.)

Abilities

• Deadly (Each PC may add 1 action rating to Command, Scrap, or Skulk. You may not increase an action rating past 3 this way, but if taken during initial character creation, you may increase a skill past the starting limit of 2.)

Ship Info

Comms: 3/4

• Long-range Scanner (Provides a variety of EM spectrum and gravimetric readings, giving the crew advance warning up to a dozen light-minutes away

Engines: 2/4

• Jump Drive (A special engine that can activate Ur gates that connect systems and translate ships into hyperspace lanes)

Hull: 0/2

Weapons: 1/3

• Grappler Arm (Officially for latching onto asteroids and netting cargo, it's an array of nets, grappling lines, and arms that can tie two vessels together for towing or boarding. Legal.)

Auxiliary

• Brig (Space jail. Not meant for long-term incarceration. Will prevent most attempts to escape.)

Faction Status

• Ashen Knives: +1
  
  • Your contacts with the Knives were able to point you in the direction of some tracking equipment, only slightly used; the deal went smoothly, and they took note of that (+1)
• Wreckers: +1
  
  • They helped you get your ship outfitted; you promised them a favor in return (+1)
• Hegemonic News Network: +1
  
  • Your friendly relationship with Stacey Weathers has given you a minor but positive reputation with the other HNN reporters in the sector (+1)
• Guild of Engineers: -1
  
  • The upgrades and surplus weapons you acquired were looted from one of their outposts, and they're not impressed by that (-1)
• House Malklaith: -1
  
  • Somewhere in the endless cycle of feud and counter-feud, House Malklaith's has found itself out of favor with the HNN, and their coverage has consequently been... less than flattering. Your crew's association with the sector's star reporter has not put you in the House's good graces (-1)

Contacts

• Stacey Weathers (Friendly - Ace reporter for the HNN's Procyon office; has the hottest leads.)
• Arlox (Used to be an assassin, now an Ashen Knives Pasha. Gave the crew their first job.)
• Ishi (Weapons dealer--sells both legal and less than legal weaponry, for the right price.)
• Hegsgud (Gweldite tracker--both his name and his purpose.)
• Jezri (A fixer; slimy, but he really does have the hookup.)

Scum and Villainy - Plentiful Bounty

@rush99999 Not a problem, change made. In fact, if you have some kind of Gweldite glossary written up, feel free to send that over and I'll make sure I reference it when/if any more show up.