Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Ah, I thought it was one wild card per day/encounter/mission/whatever so I was saving it. So I would get a wild card on this one?
Spencer Collin |
Hank, you've been unfortunately confused by terminology. You, me, and the other PCs are Wild Cards. It denotes us as important, powerful individuals who have extra luck and skill. Mechanically, the main thing it does is grant us a Wild Die, an extra d6 on just about every attribute and skill check, for free.
The expendable pool is Bennies, which grant a reroll among other options. We get 3 of those per "session" (Aubster will tell is when we get a new set).
-Posted with Wayfinder
Aubster |
Ah, I thought it was one wild card per day/encounter/mission/whatever so I was saving it. So I would get a wild card on this one?
Every player gets a Wild Die roll for every trait test (including notice, fighting, etc.). There's no limit to how many wild dice you get during a day. So relax and roll your Wild Dice. Most NPCs don't get a Wild Die but more powerful ones do.
Bennies give you a do-over and they are limited. Normally you get 3 at the start of the adventure session.
Aubster |
Hank, you've been unfortunately confused by terminology. You, me, and the other PCs are Wild Cards. It denotes us as important, powerful individuals who have extra luck and skill. Mechanically, the main thing it does is grant us a Wild Die, an extra d6 on just about every attribute and skill check, for free.
The expendable pool is Bennies, which grant a reroll among other options. We get 3 of those per "session" (Aubster will tell is when we get a new set).
-Posted with Wayfinder
Oops, didn't see you answer which is a better explanation than what I wrote.
Fr. Murphy |
Father Murphy imagines himself as the "Moe" in this particular Three Stooges scenario in which three grown men are all hunched over, listening at a strange hotel-room door.
He thinks that the only thing that would make this more comical is the Benny Hill music...but he doesn't know what that is yet, so the thought goes nowhere.
Notice: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Wild Die: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Hank, if you have access to a computer, and have questions, remember about this free link to a cheat sheet of rules: Quick Drive!
Also, t3h RNG. It h4t3s uS, d00d3s.
Aubster |
Father Murphy imagines himself as the "Moe" in this particular Three Stooges scenario in which three grown men are all hunched over, listening at a strange hotel-room door.
He thinks that the only thing that would make this more comical is the Benny Hill music...but he doesn't know what that is yet, so the thought goes nowhere.[dice=Notice]1d8
[dice=Wild Die]1d6
Hank, if you have access to a computer, and have questions, remember about this free link to a cheat sheet of rules: Quick Drive!
Also, t3h RNG. It h4t3s uS, d00d3s.
You only manage to hear Curly's (oops, I mean Spencer's) breathing in your ear as you squeeze your head through the crowd around the door. Other than that, the room on the other side of the door is as quiet as a tomb.
Aubster |
Guthrie uses his hard won investigative skills and manages to crawl between Hank's legs to get a look under the door of room 410. The room seems to be lit by at least one lamp and reveals the shoes of at least two people moving quietly around the room. There is a large pool of some viscous red liquid visible that is slowly seeping away from the legs of the bed.
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Hank, hearing what Guthrie found, whispers conspiratorially:
Gents, it looks pretty clear there's been foul play. We need one man to fetch the hotel guard, and the others to rush in and grab them. If we act fast, we may be able to save Jackson.
Father Murphy, you're the logical choice to go. I've got a pistol but it's down in my car - does anyone else have a weapon of some kind?
Spencer Collin |
Glancing at the others, Spencer nods at the plan and sees that he's... well, not really the strongest, but not the weakest among the group. Nodding again to make sure they're ready, he takes a few steps back and then launches himself forward at the hotel door in an attempt to burst it open.
Strength: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Eesh. Someone else might want to pitch in on this, or else whoever's in the room is gonna have a big jump on knowing we're here...
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Hank stares after the priest in disbelief, only recovering when he spies Spencer gearing up for a run at the door. Hank quickly joins in for a combined attack.
Strength,Wild: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 2) = 5
Wow, we suck.
Jake Westfield |
About to go for a phone, Jake turns back at the sign of trouble.
"What? Well I have my stick here..."
He took a place by the door.
"Let me take a shoulder boys..." He said, and tried to take the door as well.
Str: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Wild: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Ace!
Str: 4 + 1d4 ⇒ 4 + (2) = 6
Wild: 4 + 1d4 ⇒ 4 + (3) = 7
Aubster |
About to go for a phone, Jake turns back at the sign of trouble.
"What? Well I have my stick here..."
He took a place by the door.
"Let me take a shoulder boys..." He said, and tried to take the door as well.
[dice=Str]1d4
[dice=Wild]1d4 Ace![dice=Str]4+1d4
[dice=Wild]4+1d4
A couple of things...
First, a Wild dice is always 1d6 so you need to give me a 1d6 roll.Second, when you get an Ace, you just roll another die for the Aced roll.
A corrected set off rolls would be
Str: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Wild: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Ace! Roll 1d6
If you ace your wild die, roll 1d6 again. Don't reroll the strength score since you didn't ace it.
Aubster |
Unfortunately, the group still seems determined to imitate the three stooges as Spencer and Hank fling their bodies at the hotel room door only to bounce off and land in a tangled heap on the hall carpet.
Father Murphy, perhaps keeping a cooler head on his shoulder, takes off at a run down the hallway looking for an employee of the hotel.
Guthrie stands back out of the way and thus avoids joining the heap on the floor.
Jake the movie star, channels his inner action hero and gets a running start at the door leaping over his fallen comrades...Need a 1d6 roll from Jake...I'll give him a little while and then if needed I can roll for him
Aubster |
Rolling for Jake
Wild Die: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Jake's theatrical attempt to bust down the door ends on a comedic note as his leap over the pile of investigators doesn't quite clear the pile...his left foot manages to trip on the obstacle of Hank's head upsetting his carefully timed leaped and resulting in Jake crashing face first into the door, bouncing off the door and then falling directly on top of Hank and Spencer.
Even as the latest crashing sound fades in the hallway, you now hear movement in the hotel room. You hear what sounds like furniture toppling, scurrying feet and the sound of a window being thrown open.
Kwan Ho |
Kwan Ho is busy mopping the hall on the third floor when he hears some commotion above him. He is very fortunate to find this job in the capital city of New York. Hopefully his former master will not be able to follow him across the ocean to this new land of opportunity. Still he might, so it was best to keep a low profile. On second thought he probably shouldn't have stolen the man's favorite Katana before leaving, but it was so beautiful, and it almost spoke to him.
After stowing away on a tramp steamer, and making his way to New York's Chinatown, he was able to track down his cousin, who ran the laundry for many hotels in New York. He got Kwan a job as a janitor at this swanky joint, and even got him a single room flat upstairs to keep his stuff.
He knew that what was happening above was none of his business, but is someone needed his help.... Kwan took up his mop and both hands, and quietly moved up the staircase to the forth floor. He cracked open the door, and saw a mass of men trying to tear down the door to one of the rooms. Just as he turned to head downstairs and warn the staff that there was trouble, a large man of seemingly religious persuasion... except for the large pistol in his hand jerked open the door he was behind. His eyes widened a bit as they met those of the hurrying man.
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
...except for the large pistol in his hand
Is that the pistol that Father Murphy gave me before running off?
Connor takes out his .45 and hands it to Hank...
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
They're getting away!
Hank clicks the safety off and points the friar's gun at the lock mechanism.
Shooting: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7 Ace!
Shooting: 1d6 ⇒ 6 Ace Ace!
Shooting: 1d6 ⇒ 1
With the lock hopefully weakened, Hank gives another shoulder rush at it.
Strength: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 1) = 7 This is why I should be a movie star!
Strength: 1d6 ⇒ 4
For the love of Shub-Niggurath I hope none of you stopped me!
Kwan Ho |
GM wrote:...except for the large pistol in his handIs that the pistol that Father Murphy gave me before running off?
Fr. Murphy wrote:Connor takes out his .45 and hands it to Hank...
Missed that. We'll just assume I saw him hand you the pistol, before he came running to the door.
Fr. Murphy |
His hands completely free of any instruments of ultra-violence, Father Murphy passes the janitor and does a Scooby-Do-esque dance on one leg as he comes to a stop and turns to the uniform-wearing man.
"Horrors!" he cries. "Horrors and murder! Murder most foul! We got a letter to come here and then we came here and we knocked on the door but nobody answered so we listened but did not hear so we heard and then saw and then we knocked and Horrors!"
The priest stands, panting, before the janitor, convinced that he's conveyed a message most dire and stares at him, expecting that he'll know quite what to do now.
Aubster |
They're getting away!
Hank clicks the safety off and points the friar's gun at the lock mechanism.
** spoiler omitted **
KABOOOM!!! The hallway echoes to the sound of a gunshot as Hank takes aim and fires at the lock. The bullet shatters the lock and continues into the room before burying itself in the wall. Several guests of the hotel stick their heads out their doors for a look and seeing Hank holding a smoking gun quickly pull the doors shut. Up and down the hallway you hear the sounds of bolts being thrown.
The door to room 410 hangs open in front of you. Over the smell of gun smoke, you detect the coppery scent of blood as well as the foul stench of death.
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Well, we're not going to surprise them, that's for sure.
Hank kicks the door - hard - in case anyone is hiding behind it, and moves into the room, gun raised.
If not immediately attacked, he'll glance at the bed and the windows.
Aubster |
You enter what appears to be a standard hotel room. Well, it would be a standard hotel room if the walls and floors were not covered with blood. You had no idea a human body could hold so much blood, Even more arresting to the eyes though is man with his intestines ripped out laying on the bed.
There is an open window across from the door and a closed door on the left wall.
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
What the...?
Oh, man, that is disgusting. It's like when Sergeant Vickman rushed the machine gun nest in Belleau Wood. But this looks almost...deliberate?
What do you see, Inky?, he directs at Spencer while his gaze is transfixed by the eviscerated corpse.
Notice: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 51d6 ⇒ 2
Edit: fixed Notice bonus. Thanks, Padre!
Fr. Murphy |
Feeling that his duty to alert the proper persons has been discharged, Father Murphy charges to the sound of the door being blasted upon. He stumbles over his friends on the floor in a rush, and gasps "Gott mit Uns!" at the ghastly sight.
"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti," he says, making the sign over the corpse, as a reflex.
Still, this is a murder scene. His basic obligations seen to, he scans about, looking for clues.
Notice: 1d8 ⇒ 3
Wild Die: 1d6 ⇒ 4
And, yeah, that is a thing...although it has different uses.
@Hank: Didn't you take Alertness? That gives you +2 Notice. So your Notice roll is 1d6 + 2. Just sayin' =)
Guthrie Wilson |
Wilson follows quickly into the room, heading in the direction of the closed door since Spenser is checking the window. He wants to head in the direction of the corpse since it almost certainly has to be Jackson, but he tries to force that from his mind since the man or men who did this could still be about...
Notice: 1d8 ⇒ 8 Ace
Notice Ace: 1d8 ⇒ 3 Total: 11
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Aubster |
Spencer dashes into the room behind Hank and takes in the scene quickly. He moves to the window and puts his head out, looking for any signs of the perpetrators.
[dice=Notice]1d6
[dice=Wild]1d6
You see three men rushing down the fire escape. The closest man is already two floors below you while the lead man is just reaching the ground. You also see an idling black Hudson touring roadster, circa 1915, New York license NYL 7 waiting at the foot of the fire escape.
Aubster |
What the...?
Oh, man, that is disgusting. It's like when Sergeant Vickman rushed the machine gun nest in Belleau Wood. But this looks almost...deliberate?
What do you see, Inky?, he directs at Spencer while his gaze is transfixed by the eviscerated corpse.
[dice=Notice]d6+2;d6
Edit: fixed Notice bonus. Thanks, Padre!
The body on the bed is indeed your friend Elias Jackson. He face is frozen in a rictus of pain and fear. You see this Symbol carved into his forehead.
Aubster |
Feeling that his duty to alert the proper persons has been discharged, Father Murphy charges to the sound of the door being blasted upon. He stumbles over his friends on the floor in a rush, and gasps "Gott mit Uns!" at the ghastly sight.
"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti," he says, making the sign over the corpse, as a reflex.
Still, this is a murder scene. His basic obligations seen to, he scans about, looking for clues
And, yeah, that is a thing...although it has different uses.
@Hank: Didn't you take Alertness? That gives you +2 Notice. So your Notice roll is 1d6 + 2. Just sayin' =)
Keeper's Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Under the bed you find an elegant business card with the following information:
THE PENHEW FOUNDATION
35 Tottenham Court Road London, W. 1
Edward Gavigan, Director
Aubster |
Wilson follows quickly into the room, heading in the direction of the closed door since Spenser is checking the window. He wants to head in the direction of the corpse since it almost certainly has to be Jackson, but he tries to force that from his mind since the man or men who did this could still be about...
Keeper's Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 6
Flipping through the pages of the Gideon's Bible in the bedside table you find the following typed letter:
Nov. 7, 1924
Mr. Jackson Elias
c�o Prospero House Publishers Lexington Avenue, New York City
Dear Mr. Elias,
The book about which you inquired is no longer in our collection. The information you seek may be found here in other volumes. If you will contact me upon arrival, I will be most happy to further assist you.
As Always,
Miriam Atwright
Harvard University Library
Aubster |
Connor gazes forlornly at the symbol so garishly and obviously carved into her friend's forehead, wracking his memory for any meaning to it.
[dice=Knowledge Occult]1d10 W00t! Raise!
[dice=wild die]1d6
The murderers cut the rune of the Bloody Tongue into his forehead. You can identify the mark as the rune of a cult thought to be descended from a sect driven out of dynastic Egypt, and that of late it has been centered in Kenya.
Spencer Collin |
Spencer shouts as he sees the men. "Stop! Murderers!" He turns to look at the others. "They're on the fire escape!" With that, he begins to give chase, dashing down as quickly as he can, and nimbly hopping over railings when able to avoid extra distance. As he nears the bottom he leaps down with an acrobat's grace and lands on the pavement--or tries to.
Running Roll: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Agility: 1d8 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 + 2 = 3
Wild: 1d6 - 2 + 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 + 2 = 3
Unless this all constitutes a Chase as described in the rules, but it probably doesn't, since there's too little time and distance, and Spencer isn't likely to close with the others, even with his agility. He's just giving it the old college try.
Kwan Ho |
His hands completely free of any instruments of ultra-violence, Father Murphy passes the janitor and does a Scooby-Do-esque dance on one leg as he comes to a stop and turns to the uniform-wearing man.
"Horrors!" he cries. "Horrors and murder! Murder most foul! We got a letter to come here and then we came here and we knocked on the door but nobody answered so we listened but did not hear so we heard and then saw and then we knocked and Horrors!"
The priest stands, panting, before the janitor, convinced that he's conveyed a message most dire and stares at him, expecting that he'll know quite what to do now.
Totally confused by the tirade, and unsure of what exactly he is saying, Kwan simply offers a small bow, and looks up at the man.
"You need me clean something"?
Aubster |
Spencer shouts as he sees the men. "Stop! Murderers!" He turns to look at the others. "They're on the fire escape!" With that, he begins to give chase, dashing down as quickly as he can, and nimbly hopping over railings when able to avoid extra distance. As he nears the bottom he leaps down with an acrobat's grace and lands on the pavement--or tries to.
[dice=Running Roll]1d6
[dice=Agility]1d8-2+2
[dice=Wild]1d6-2+2
Unless this all constitutes a Chase as described in the rules, but it probably doesn't, since there's too little time and distance, and Spencer isn't likely to close with the others, even with his agility. He's just giving it the old college try.
Spencer demonstrates the agility that made him one of the champion fencers in the tristate area three years running, as he launches himself out the window and rolls to his feet in one smooth motion and then begins to fly down the stairs, taking them two at a time. The first man is already entering the car and the second man is close behind him. The third man however pauses as he feels the vibrations of your pursuit through the metal grating of the fire escape and looks up at you momentarily before he redoubles his speedy escape. He rapidly reaches the car and joins the others inside, slamming the door shut even as the car speeds away.
Even though you're not able to catch the men, you were to get an excellent look at the face of the closest man when he paused to look up. He is a Caucasian man that appears to be in his late twenties. He has a thin almost emaciated face with a desperate look. Immediately you associate that look as the same as some of the cocaine addicts that hover on the fringes of society parties. You're confident that if you see him again, you'll recognize him.
Aubster |
As everyone seems eager to enter the room, Kwan steps to the door, and sees the mangled corpse. He has a feeling that his simple janitor's life is about to come to an end. "Oh"! "This not good"! "I'll never get the blood out of those sheets".
Oh my God! the hotel manager exclaims as he arrives on the scene and looks through the open door at the blood covered walls, the corpse on the bed and Hank holding a pistol. He is momentarily stunned into immobility as the horror of what he sees overwhelms him then with a scream he runs from the room screaming at the top of his lungs MURDERERS!!! MURDERERS!!!
Spencer Collin |
Spencer pauses at the bottom of the stairs, furious that he wasn't able to catch the men, although between the look he got at one of them, and seeing the car in detail (including license plate!), he's sure he can get the police on the trail. He then nearly doubles over as he begins gasping for breath, the sudden rush and the situation catching up with him. He's never had a great constitution, worked toward finishing matches quickly so his poor endurance couldn't work against him. That sprint and leap down the stairs impressed even Spencer, but it winded him.
Hearing shouting from above--"MURDERERS! MURDERERS!"--the young man heaves a breath and heads back up the fire escape, figuring he should be with his friends and give a report to the police once they arrive.
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Hank proffers the pistol to Father Murphy.
Father, I believe this is yours, but I'll understand if you want me to hold on to it until the police finish questioning us. They're gonna ask me if it's mine and how I got it, though -- you got a problem with me tellin' 'em the whole story? It's a bit unusual for a priest to be packin' heat.
Noticing the business card under the bed, Hank carefully picks it up and looks at it. Patting his pockets, and apparently not finding what he's looking for, he turns to Guthrie.
Guthrie! Look at this. It'll be police evidence soon -- can you copy the info so we have it? I'm gonna get the bastards who did this if it's the last thing I do.
While Guthrie copies the card, Hank check the dresser for other clues. Finding the letter in the bible, Hank asks Guthrie to quickly copy that as well.
Both items are replaced in their original locations, assuming no one objects.
While waiting for the police to arrive, Hank examine the arcane symbol on the dead man, memorizing it as best he can.
Guthrie Wilson |
Yeah, I'll copy it. But we had better look over the place for other bits of Jackson's research. Once the law gets it, we'll never see it and we'll never know what Jackson wanted us for. I may have thought he could have set his sights higher given his talent, but he was always doing good work with his investigations. So let's get digging while we still can."
With that, Wilson gets to some more searching.
Notice: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 3
Fr. Murphy |
Connor looks deliberately at Hank. "And what makes you think you know priests so well?"
He addresses the group at large. "Gentlemen, while I commend your instinct to stay and discuss this with the local authorities, having once been an authority myself, I can tell you that while the Lord is all-seeing and all-knowing in his infinite justice, men of this Earth are none of those things. With a grisly murder in a respectable joint, we have an even chance of being thrown in the slammer as being let go.
At the VERY least, we will be suspects, and will be held, unable to leave the city, while the true murders flee back to their terror-homes in Kenya, getting off scott free.
So, I put the question to you all: Does the fire escape look like a more amenable option, so we can be free to track down his murderers?"
He looks at the janitor. "You have a vote in this as well. If we spend any time in the pokey, you'll be right there with us."
Guthrie Wilson |
Kenya? What makes you think the murderers came from Kenya?
Carlyle disappeared there. If Jackson's murderers are linked to Carlyle's fate, then we need to redouble our efforts. Jackson has crossed dangerous groups before, but I don't recall any being strong enough to follow him to New York."
Hank "The Stank" Harrison |
Hanks scoffs.
The local police won't follow this to Kenya. They'll round up the usual suspects, find nothing, and eventually pronounce it unsolved and go back to harassing the negroes.
He looks around.
If this horrific murder of our friend is to be solved, gentlemen, it's going to be us that solves it.
I say we follow the leads where they go. If the police catch us, we can truthfully say that we were chasing the killers who escaped out the window just as we arrived.