MNM Amazing Adventures (Inactive)

Game Master tumbler

Duke's countenance becomes more focused on his workstation as he turns away from the impending conflict and back to his workstation. He types furiously. His face does not suggest that he is happy with what he is seeing.

Technology: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Back to the top. Round 2.

Darque turns her attention from Duke to Dottie.

"Whatever you are being paid, I'll double it. No, triple it. There is no reason for violence."

Her hand stays near her watch.

The only rule I can find for Sleight of hand is that it is a standard action. I'm fine with doing it as a move action, maybe with a penalty? We'll see if it matters.

[dice=Deception]d20+5

[dice=Perception]d20+4

No, if it is a standard action, then she just doesn't take the action and remains unarmed. I was not asking for rules flexibility, I was making a conditional statement because I couldn't find the rule. Since the condition is not met, I would prefer the thing to not happen (this would still be true if I rolled well. That ok with you?

Despite the urgent klaxon, Frank allows himself a moment of professional pride on the two goons recognising his rep;

"That's me. Smart move... All I need you to do is stand aside, and give us a clear passage off when we leave. No harm, no foul. You two don't burn bridges an' I don't break bones."

He pauses as he moves toward the heavy door and past the guards;

"Opening that would be a start of the welcome wagon."

GM SuperTumbler wrote:

The only rule I can find for Sleight of hand is that it is a standard action. I'm fine with doing it as a move action, maybe with a penalty? We'll see if it matters.

[dice=Deception]d20+5

[dice=Perception]d20+4

No, if it is a standard action, then she just doesn't take the action and remains unarmed. I was not asking for rules flexibility, I was making a conditional statement because I couldn't find the rule. Since the condition is not met, I would prefer the thing to not happen (this would still be true if I rolled well. That ok with you?

That's cool. So she has the dagger in her sleeve but not in hand.

Despite the urgent klaxon, Frank allows himself a moment of professional pride on the two goons recognising his rep;

"That's me. Smart move... All I need you to do is stand aside, and give us a clear passage off when we leave. No harm, no foul. You two don't burn bridges an' I don't break bones."

He pauses as he moves toward the heavy door and past the guards;

"Opening that would be a start of the welcome wagon."

Again, the taller one answers, "Sorry, no can do. Only the Doctor, Watch directors, and the Station Manager have access. You could open it from the Doghouse. They have remote access to all the doors. Up there..."

She motions with the muzzle of her gun to a windowless steel walled room back down on the main deck.

Footnote: Of course I don't know if I'm getting this right or not. My intention is that there is the standard sort of Ops center/storm shelter/Command center, and that that is different from this room which is focused on a more unorthodox sort of research. Apologies if any of that rings false.

Duke stands, the chair creaking under the movement of his bulk. "Well, hell, I thought we were going to be able to do this all friendly, like. But I guess not. Dr. Dark..." (in his Texan accent it comes out more like "Dahk") "Ahm not sure what you are up to heah, eh-zact-ly, But surely Roxxon doesn't approve of human trafficking and false imprisonment."

He steps toward Darque, her hand on her watch, and swings his meaty fist at her.

Duke attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

But she sidesteps it neatly.

If I am getting this right, Frank has an action and then Darque. Frank would have good reason to think that his coils would cut right through the door or the hardened windows of this control room.

"Whatever you are being paid, I'll double it. No, triple it. There is no reason for violence."

"Tempting as $21.75 an hour is, how about something actually valuable, like information?"

This time she does drop the knife into her hand, openly. "I mean, you don't expect me to believe your life is worthless as money, do you?"

Taunt to Demoralize: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

As Duke launches himself at Darque: "Oh sweetie, don't pretend to be naive. Why else would they work with street gangs? Deliver some girls to the CEOs, some to research, the rest to gangs for the sex and war trade. It's all just business." She starts to move over to the computer. But can't just yet because she is out of actions

You are indeed correct ST - control room makes sense. Where Dot, Duke and Darque are sounds more like a plant or production style room.

Frank eyes the muzzle of the gun momentarily, then switches attention to the Doghouse;

"Makes sense. Now when I head there, don't be gettin' any ideas with those pop guns. Suits bulletproof, and you'll just p1$$ me off."

Frank moves down toward the main decking and brings his coils to bear on the heavy steel door;

Coil Whip: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13 (Damage 7; DC 22)

He doesn't have the raw grunt to coil and wrench the door open, but figure he can bust it apart?

door toughness: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Frank's whip tears through the door, I mean, it isn't a lightsaber or anything, but it is pretty impressive.

Resist Demoralize: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 2 degrees of failure so impaired. -2 to checks.

Darque moves to put a wall at her back, she flinches as the door is torn in half and falls out of its frame.

"Information, what sort of information? You might need to speak to Dr. Ohnn, but I'll do what I can to help you until he can get up here."

I am so sorry I missed the update

Dottie smiles amiably, like Duke isn't trying to punch the woman in the face and Frank isn't tearing down the door. "Great! Let's start with what's going on with your watch, then move to Roxxon's connection to Martin Li."

She glances down at the face of the watch, "Well, you see, the watch allows me to interface with various systems both here on the station and around the world. I've been using it to monitor the security response to your little incursion, and also to speak to my colleague, Dr. Ohnn. It also has a pulse monitor, step counter, and blood oxygen monitor. Quite a useful device."

Tearing the door asunder, Frank enters the control room just as Dr Darque faces off with Duke and Dottie;

"Sorry 'bout your door Doc..."

He enters with a nod toward Dottie, coils poised;

"So what or who do I need to break next?"

Intimidation vs Doc Darque: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

GM, what's Duke doing at this point?

Duke holds back, waiting to see where Dottie takes this, but his attention is still half toward the computer monitor.

"Lovely, now tell us about Li--" She turns and smiles to Frank as though she is welcoming him to her tea party. "Oh, the Constrictor! How nice of you to pay us a visit. Dr. Darque here was just about to tell us about her human smuggling/trafficking operation and what Li and his Darkforce powers have to do with it. Note there IS a Dr. Ohnn to be joining us shortly, so please be ready to give him or her a big welcome."

Frank flashes a hard grin;

"Copy that War Widow, one Ohmm special welcome coming' right up. Meantime, do carry on Doc. Spill what you know..."

As he speaks, he shifts to face the sundered door he just entered through, coils readied...

"Lee? what do you mean...? Oh, you mean the situation in New York. I see now what has you all stirred up. Let's all calm down and take a moment. You want something, you are prepared to take extreme measures to get it. If the Negative Man or whatever he is calling himself has hurt someone you know, or you are trying to push him out of your territory or something, I can help you understand how to do that. You see, Roxxon is an energy company first and foremost. They have diversified into many other areas, but at their roots they are petroleum, natural gas, and other, more exotic energy sources. In the drilling business, it is not possible to capture all of a resource. When you drill a well, when you pump, there will be leakage. We call that fugitive emissions. Martin Li is a fugitive emission. He left our care against our wishes, and now he is causing some disruptions in his environment, just like an oil spill. We haven't had time to send in a team to clean him up, but if that is your goal, perhaps we can work something out."

"We've at least incapacitated Li for a moment, if not killed him, so perhaps you owe us repayment. In that, you can help me by helping me understand: you are 'drilling' Darkforce?" She meant to leave it there. But her fear of the stuff made her talk too much, pressed her to ask more questions. "How? Why? What does it do besides cause unimaginable pain, make people go crazy, turn people into ghosts, and tear holes into reality in people's faces? If you haven't caught up with him, then why was your man Hale at Li's party last night and on the list to be dosed with Darkforce? What would that do?"

"If by 'you' you mean Roxxon, yes, we are working all over the globe to recover Dark Force. If by 'you' you mean me, no, I am not personally in charge of those operations."

And as she transitions into answering the questions that interest her more, her eyes twinkle with a clear mania. "We don't even know the limits of what it can do, but we have seen all of those effects and more. Intangibility, invisibility, matter absorption, energy absorption, teleportation, strength enhancement, near invulnerability, energy projection, emotional manipulation, even personality manipulation and mind control. The ramifications for energy production alone are immense, but here we are interested in the more esoteric applications."

"Hale was Li's handler, and you can see how that went. Li has the ability to make people more compliant. I imagine that would be the purpose of 'dosing' someone with it if Li was involved. There would be much easier ways to kill someone with his abilities."

"My you must have considerable genius to manage all that. You have the capability to prevent your samples from harming you, of course..."

She will also gesture to Duke to ask any questions but in the meantime hopes flattery will keep her talking.

Frank keeps his sentinel, coils readied. As he does he listens, jaw set at the litany of Dark Science being bandied about;

"Where's this Ohnn? They on their way or not?"

Yeah, I wasn't really expecting this to turn into a question and answer session for as long as it's gone on, but Dottie will keep someone talking as long as she can. It doesn't mean others shouldn't be taking action... we are still in combat... and this is not my solo show.

It would have gone violent a lot sooner if Frank hadn't cowed the muscle. Figured it was a good moment to throw out some exposition.

At Frank's urging, a voice replies. It is strange, deep and distorted, seemingly coming from several places at once.

"Indeed, Constrictor, is it? Dr. Ohnn is here on the spot." And, with a sort of "fwoo-pop" sound, a man appears behind Frank. He wears a white lab coat with black stains that remind you of a Rorschach test.

Frank doesn't see it because it is behind him, but over Frank's shoulder Dottie sees a coherent black oval almost the 6 feet tall appear and the newcomer step through it as though ducking through a low door. This is clearly the Zero Matter with which you are familiar, but in a much more organized form than you have seen before.

Are we still in initiative, and if so who's turn is it? Sorry, hard to tell what has been counted as actions.

Ohnn just took actions, Darque is focusing on defense, so if you guys want to do something actiony, it would be either of you.

I'll wait on Frank then (Dottie is largely in a "eat popcorn and watch the chaos" mode, and is also not immediately going to lash out at Darkforce guy)

Frank whirls at the mention of his nom-du-guerre, turning his attention to the newcomer;

"That's me. Since you know my name, you'll know my rep Doc. Now play nice..."

He flexes his coils with a hard smile.

Frank not looking to kick anything off, just keep the villains in check

Ohnn grimaces, "All I know is what our guards tell me, 'Constrictor.' They say you have a reputation for violence, and that you are someone they respect. I believe that Dr. Darque asked your companions to name their price, and they declined. At least one of them did. Maybe you have a different answer. We have deep pockets, here, and an obvious need for security. Why not make the smart choice and work with us."

Darque nods in agreement. "As you can see, we are doing advanced work with the Darkforce. Dr. Ohnn here has perfected a device that lets him actually move through the dimension that appears to be the origin of the energy. And that is built on top of my work on the biological side. Obviously, you have had Negative experiences with the material, as have many of those who have encountered it. But think of other advances. Madam Curie and radiation. Nuclear weapons led to nuclear energy, Howard Stark's weapons research led to the arc reactor. And you asked about safety. This entire facility is equipped with a system that can neutralize the Darkforce, and none of the subjects here have the ability to leave the installation."

Dottie uses the time they take talking to

1) size up Ohn

Assessment: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Obviously that won't tell her anything about his darkforce abilities but assessing apparent combat capability she would reason would still tell her about ability to keep cool under pressure, have situational awareness, etc.

2) Observe the disk he came through--is it stable or disappearing?

3) Slowly move toward Dr. Darque. (Yes, Dr. Darque, not Dr. Ohn.)

4) Roll her eyes epically.

"Ugh, filthy capitalists use more filthy capitalist examples. Do you know how many suffered, how much was destroyed by Howard Stark's weapons research? His son flying around as the Tin Man doesn't reverse what Howard wasted. What advances could possibly be worth 70 years of the likes of Negative... or what happened to Marcus Daniels back in the 70s, say?"

(And of course she is paying attention to every word they've said so far otherwise, the details percolating in the back of her mind...)

1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

1. Dottie reads Ohnn like a book. Attack +3. Dodge/Parry +4. Ohnn is not a trained fighter.

2. The disk wavers and disappears.

3. I wouldn't move toward the Ohnn either.

4. lol.

Frank listens to Ohmn's offer with a hard smile;

"See once upon a time that would have tempted me Doc. Fair offer and slick operation... the younger me would have signed up in a heartbeat. Older me. Well here I stand, a happily independent contractor..."

He pauses, wary of what Dot might be planning, before trying to change gears;

"Safety notwithstanding Doc Darque there said subjects... You have subjects here? How many?"

Ohnn nods. "Then no more need for talk. We have a few subjects here on the station, why don't you join them."

He points at the floor under Frank and darkness suddenly gapes underneath the Constrictor.

DC 16 Dodge for Frank.

Frank Dodge: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11 I'll wait to see if you want to resist that. Otherwise you are affected by a teleport attack.

I'd say that kicks off the fighting, probably?

Apologies ST - having a brain fart - you've rolled Frank's dodge successfully? What I am potentially resisting (presuming that his DC16 dodge is good)?

Ohnn opened a darkforce portal beneath Frank. The Dodge check was to not fall into it (be hit by the attack) which is a teleport attack.

@ST: Sorry been playing WFRP and mixing my over/unders success... Let's roll with the fail as I'd prefer to keep my Hero Point just now

Dottie reaches out, attempting to grab and restrain Darque.

Grab: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

Darque should still be at -2 for defending against me from my feint way back, as we never left initiative and this is my first attack against her.

If she succeeds, she will hold Darque with the knife against Darque's throat. "Is this woman worth anything to you? Then bring him back."

Frank sinks into Darkness, his coils sliding over the decking with the sound of slithering carbonadium.

Frank finds himself in a cell of some sort. 6 feet by 8 feet, cot attached to the wall. Stainless steel sink-toilet. In one of the 6 foot walls is an oval door, a waterproof hatch, no window.

Frank's ears pop, as though driving through an underwater tunnel.

Darque Resist grab: 1d20 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 - 2 = 10 Leaves her bound: defenseless, immobile, and impaired

Darque speaks through gritted teeth, "This watch I'm wearing is linked to my vitals. Anything happens to me and this whole installation is flooded with radiation that will peel the flesh from your bones and leave your bones glowing for 10,000 year. Your friend is fine, and who knows, with a little help from us he might get even better..."

Ohnn's eyes flick from side to side, clearly undecided.

Duke moves back behind the desk, looking over the screens. "I've got him. He is on one of the cameras, here."

Frank stands slowly, the popping sensation more acute in his damaged ear.

Seeing the hatch he shakes his head and mutters to himself;

"Dammit Frank. You're likely underwater..."

Loving the Mexican standoff uptop

Frank, you have actions to take, we are in initiative. :)

Dottie snorts. "So you're one bad reaction to shrimp salad away from causing a major radioactive incident off the coast of the largest city in America? Either that's unlikely, or Roxxon is even more rich and far more stupid than I thought." She digs the knife in just deep enough to draw a trickle of blood.

She looks at Ohnn. "You have the count of three to bring him back, and if she's not bluffing, or destroy her, you, and all your experiments. If you'd done your research, you'd know Roxxon proved in a court of law that I am more than happy to destroy entire facilities of theirs, no matter the cost. Given my trainers used to expose me to radiation for fun, I'm kind of curious to see how much I might survive before I burn to a crisp." An unnatural grin slowly etches itself across her face, devoid of humanity or sense. "ONE..."

Is Darque Bluffing? Insight: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

Sense Ohnn's motives. Insight: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

Maintain Grapple: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

@Dottie: Yeah I know, just bereft for ideas. My instinct was to bust the door open, but that'll likey result in drowning :S

Frank turns his attention to the ceiling - trying to discern something of the hatch which he dropped through... and if it could provide an escape route.

Perception?: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

1d20 ⇒ 6
1d20 ⇒ 6
1d20 ⇒ 18

Dottie doesn't think Darque is making that radiation thing up wholesale, but it maybe isn't as simple or automatic as she suggests. Also, she is trying to project the appearance that she is in control of the situation, but inside she is shaking in her boots.

Ohnn is mostly interested in protecting Darque. He is looking to her for guidance.

Frank can't hear much but the sound of the facility moving, popping and groaning.

I don't think I described this clearly. Frank dropped through a black portal summoned by Ohnn. He had a sense of falling through shadow and then found himself in this room. The room has a water tight door in one wall as an exit. Like in a submarine, not like an airlock.

Reading back you did describe it chief - was me making an assumption he'd been dropped into a chute rather than straight by portal. My bad.

Frank eyes the door, and realising there is little option lashes out at the portal with his coils;

Coil Whip: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 (Close, Damage 7; DC 22)

Door Toughness DC 27: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24 One degree of failure, so -1 to checks

Franks coils score the steel of the door, but down here things are built slightly tougher than up above.

Technology: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Duke's meaty hands punch the keyboard, but in increasing frustration.

Ohnn gestures with one hand in a flat circular motion. Another black aperture appears, this time on the desk beneath the screen and part of the keyboard. The computer peripherals topple into the opening before it snaps shut, slicing through the cords attached to the monitor.

1d20 ⇒ 15

"No more of that. We don't need you messing with any of that..."

Darque flinches (not a good idea), "Are you crazy? You cut me! What are you trying to accomplish here?! I've given you information, you've done nothing but threaten and assault us. What can you possibly hope to gain?"

That's all of the NPC actions.

"You're right. You kept up your end of the deal. Until your friend teleported my partner away." She looks meaningfully at Ohnn. "TWO."

She squeezes Darque, somehow simultaneously a threat and a hug. Maintain Grapple: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28

"What I hope to gain? You've mostly been honest with me, so I'll exchange: I hope to drive Darkforce completely off of this world. It's a threat that could destroy us all, and I don't want to be destroyed by it. I have breathed that stuff in. I know it is nothing but a force of total destruct-- no, oblivion. It will make you not die, but disappear. The fact that you call that potential, that you haven't felt what it can do, that you believe you understand it and yet dollar signs blind you from how all it does is whisper and try to pull us all into the void..." she trails off, then collects itself. "That you are so willfully ignorant is more dangerous than even the substance itself. It might be worth even sacrificing my survival to end that, because what's the point of living if I can't be rid of this stuff, that people like you will just turn around and start over and bring it here again, like you've been doing for the last 70 years?"

She glares, not at Ohnn or Darque, but at Duke. Her look of madness melts from forced mania to a genuine loss, a grief so overwhelming she can't put it into words. There is a true insanity there, not cartoonishly villainous threat but a destructive maelstrom of 9 decades of loneliness, loss, and fear, triggered and aggravated by grief for all anchors that would have once held the worst of her back (and her last anchor teleported into a holding cell). "I've lost every other reason to live. I have nothing left except to be able to fight the onslaught of nothing-ness you want to inflict upon us. TH..."

Just for fun I'll throw in a persuade check, though I expect very little, plus these are the kind of NPCs die rolls don't convince anyway.

Persuade: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9