Numenera (Inactive)

Game Master Aubster

Is the synthetic bow exceptional in some way mechanically or is it simply a rarer material?
"What do you say? Continue straight ahead and risk peril or take detours to... relative safety?"

Balon shrugs. "In my experience, the greater the danger, the greater the opportunity. I'm out here to test the strength of my numenera, not take a leisurely stroll." His grin is wolfish. "That being said, if you ladies don't feel up to it..." he shrugs again as he continues down the straight path.

Is the synthetic bow exceptional in some way mechanically or is it simply a rarer material?

"What do you say? Continue straight ahead and risk peril or take detours to... relative safety?"

It's a bow made out of plastic instead of wood. Functionally it is no different.

Fine, fine, if we're going to be macho about it.

Amadeus rolls his eyes but keeps walking with Balon.

"The faster we move the better ..."

I will take the arrows, then, if no one else wants them.

Nasir follows, taking point on the group's expedition and keeping an eye out for local wildlife, as well as tracks that may be of consequence.

Tracking test: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Identify natural animals/plants: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Galahad follows the group, no complaints.

Your first day on the plains passes uneventfully.

You are able to find what appears to be safe place to camp near a good source of water.

You take turn standing watch but nothing disturbs the night until about an hour before dawn. Nasir's turn of guard duty is interrupted...

Nasir please make a notice check...

Notice: 1d20 ⇒ 17

Freshly rested, Nasir is surprisingly alert.

You see what appears to be a group of bandits rushing towards you from the darkness. You're struck by their coordination as they all seem to move in perfect unison. You have about a minute at most before they could be in immediate range (less to be in bow range).

"BANDITS! GET UP!", Nasir shouts, drawing his bow and firing when they're in range.
Longbow w/Pierce: 1d20 ⇒ 12
Have our pools refreshed?

"BANDITS! GET UP!", Nasir shouts, drawing his bow and firing when they're in range.

Longbow w/Pierce: 1d20
Have our pools refreshed?

Yes...everyone is back to full stats.

Can we sleep in certain types of armor, like in DnD?

Galahad gets up with a roll, grabbing his sword and shield in the process.

1d20 ⇒ 14 with "balance and careful movement" as well as "physical performing arts" trained, so figure a wake-up combat roll would fall under one or both of these.

Balon wakes with a start, "Huh? Wha? Oh! Bandits! Got it!" then struggles out of his cozy sleeping bag and stands, drawing his numenera about his fingertips.

As soon as they're within bow range, Balon fires off another Onslaught. 1d20 ⇒ 18

He pictures a helpless flutter-bye on one of the bandits' face and fires unerringly at it. It does an additional point of damage.

Can we sleep in certain types of armor, like in DnD?

Galahad gets up with a roll, grabbing his sword and shield in the process.

1d20 with "balance and careful movement" as well as "physical performing arts" trained, so figure a wake-up combat roll would fall under one or both of these.

The rules don't address donning armor so feel free to assume that a billion years from now armor can be slept in :)

Amadeus rolls out of bed and seeing the enemie's numbers, uses a different strategy. He grabs his greatsword (not the one he just got from Elochaid) it's heavy-looking and cumbersome, single edged and is bright orange with blue patters painted on it, unlike his more utilitarian broadsword. He concentrates for a second and suddenly flames shoot up around him!

Used Shroud of flame. 1 intellect, +2 armor against any fire attack, anyone who touches or strikes me in melee takes 2 damage.

Callidus wakes, rolls and crawls out of any light ... lying prone he fires onslaught ...

Onslaught: 1d20 ⇒ 5

Groggy ... "damn!" Callidus starts readjusting ports and wires, he'd been set for relaxing ...

Round 1

Luckily for the group, Nasir's keen sight spotted the bandits before they can attack the party. As Nasir yells to get everyone's attention he simultaneously fits an arrow to his bow and fires in one smooth motion. The arrow buries itself into the head of the lead bandit. It is immediately followed by Balon's bolt of energy hitting the same spot. However, instead of falling the bandit explodes in a shower of bits of organic matter. The other 4 bandits hesitate for a split-second then resume their rush to the camp still moving in perfect unison. Callidus attempts to strike another bandit with a bolt of force but unfortunately his bolt sails wide as his targeting array was not fully aligned when he fired. Galahad and Amadeus move to the front of the group and prepare to receive the charge of the bandits. Amadeus concentrates for a moment and suddenly is enshrouded in flames.

As the bandits move into the light cast by Amadeus' shroud of fire you are shocked to see that in truth, it is a single creature. Its sluglike main body is wide and flat and crusty extrusions on its back grow 5 to 6 feet (1.5 to 1.8 m) in height—the “bandits.” The creature’s lower half is about 10 square feet (0.9 sq. m) and is the color of the ground below it.

Amadeus yells and charges at the thing, swinging his greatsword at one of the "bandits", since it clearly didn't like it the first time.

Pierce: 1d20 ⇒ 8
Speed Defense: 1d20 ⇒ 17

After a quick adjustment to his circuitry and rising up kneeling on one knee, palm towards the creature, fingers spread wide ...

Edge + 2
onslaught: 1d20 ⇒ 12

... feeling a nice solid pulse, his machinery starting to hum, Callidus can feel the heat not fully dissipated by the heat sinks ...

(If necessary defense: 1d20 ⇒ 10)

1d20 ⇒ 12 Dao with panache
1d20 ⇒ 5 speed defense, specialized plus shield asset

Galahad moves forward to fight, slashing at the odd creature while trying to flip out of the way of any counterattacks.

Nasir backs up, shooting another arrow- this time trying for the creature's bulky lower quarters.
Pierce: 1d20 ⇒ 12
Defense: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Balon's eyes narrow as the beast's true nature is revealed. With a triumphant snarl, he aims his finger at the main body of the beast, firing off another bolt.

Attack + panache bonus: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 1 = 19 It does 1 additional damage!

Defense if necessary: 1d20 ⇒ 10

Your experience gained fighting as a group is now paying great dividends. Amadeus distracts the beast with his fiery shroud as Galahad swoops in to attack the other side with his jeweled Dao. You are all cheered to see the graceful Jack fight with such panache. Threatened on two sides by doughty fighting men, the creature is in no position to react as first an arrow and then 2 bolts of force slam into it. It rears up as if to strike but then shudders and falls to the ground dead overwhelmed by the might of the group.

By the way, it was lucky for the group that Nasir saw it approach. It has a really nasty way to attack sleeping figures...

"Thanks for the warning, hunter. I was dead asleep...I would've been just dead, if you hadn't said anything."

Nasir prods the thing with his knife, studying it closely.
"No worries. You've helped me out plenty an it was my job to be on watch. You think this thing had anything to do with the disappearance of those pilgrims? Wonder if there's anyone interested in paying out to see it dead... Or that will at least acknowledge that we took care of it."

"I wonder how those things on its back were made to look like people... had it seen those people before, or made them up entirely.... or eaten them?"

"I wonder how those things on its back were made to look like people... had it seen those people before, or made them up entirely.... or eaten them?"

A zaelem lowers itself over a prone creature and attempts to suffocate its prey before sucking the entirety—body, clothing, and possessions—into its mouth.

Lovely thing, really, but I doubt that's the only cause of the disappearances, these things aren't exactly the rarest of beasties.

"One less thing to haul...", Nasir grumbles, looking for anything to scavenge from the zaelem's protrusions.

Balon looks to the lightening sky. "Well, my blood's up, and it's almost dawn anyway. Should we continue on, or rest a bit more?"

"One less thing to haul...", Nasir grumbles, looking for anything to scavenge from the zaelem's protrusions.

You find some chainmail armor, 10 shin, one synthweave helmet, and 3 Cyphers.

Cypher 1 - Blue Sticky Globe (Numenera Skill Roll or Aeon Priest to determine what it does)

Cypher 2 - Noxious Gas Cube (Can be thrown - releases a gas that can incapacitate all within a 5 foot radius unless they pass a might test)

Cypher 3 - Wind up rodent (Numenera Skill Roll or Aeon Priest to determine what it does)

Let's get moving. Unless someone wants to I.D. the numes.

Trained in understanding Numenera ... 1d20 ⇒ 18

I am a Cypher down ... I will carry any of the three ...

Trained in understanding Numenera ... 1d20

I am a Cypher down ... I will carry any of the three ...

The Blue Sticky Globe will immobilize anything/anyone it hits for 2 rounds.

The Wind up rodent can independently move up to 100 feet away (following simple instructions) and then return; on its return it will project a holographic image of its journey.

1d20 ⇒ 11
1d20 ⇒ 17
trained in Numenera today

Im at my max cyphers but i would trade my stim pill for that rodent. is the rodent one-use? I think i will always end up hoarding my stim pill...

"I can carry another without fear of their radiations- that gas cube seems useful.", Nasir says, picking up the incapacitating cube.

I'm at my limit, take your pick.

Nasir may have the gas cube, Galahad switches to the rodent ...

Leaving

Stim Pill - Decreases the difficulty of the next action by 2 steps
Blue Sticky Globe - will immobilize anything/anyone it hits for 2 rounds

Balon can you use either (any cypher space left?)

Im at my max cyphers but i would trade my stim pill for that rodent. is the rodent one-use? I think i will always end up hoarding my stim pill...

It is indeed an one use item.

Once you have sorted out the Cyphers, you resume your westward journey. As the day progresses Callidus and Balon feel an increasing pressure building in the Numenera, almost as if a dam were about to burst. They can now also feel rage and sorrow and fear all intermixed beginning to seep into their thoughts and emotions. On a critical failure (roll of 1), randomly lash out with your powers.

As your enter the foothills of the mountains, you come upon a shallow stream flowing through a rough, lightly wooded landscape. Pausing at the bank for some water, you see that upstream something artificial rises from the flowing water. It appears to be a single structure of grey metal and bits of yellowed synth. A few white symbols are precisely painted on the sides, but they are scratched and faded with age. From above, it is roughly in the shape of a human eye (an oval with sharply tapered ends) about 20 feet (6.1 m) long. It has no windows or obvious doors.

Balon is at his cypher limit. His expression looks troubled as he tries to decide which cypher would be most useful to trade.

Finally, he replaces his Monoblade with the Stim Pill.

1d20 ⇒ 6 His mental fortitude is too strong for Balon to lose control, even with such troubled Numenera about him.

As he washes the road dust off his hands in the river, he notices the structure. Intellect check to recognize the origins of the markings? 1d20 ⇒ 17

Balon is at his cypher limit. His expression looks troubled as he tries to decide which cypher would be most useful to trade.

Finally, he replaces his Monoblade with the Stim Pill.

1d20 His mental fortitude is too strong for Balon to lose control, even with such troubled Numenera about him.

As he washes the road dust off his hands in the river, he notices the structure. Intellect check to recognize the origins of the markings? 1d20

You've never seen markings like those on the building before.

Well, that seems suspicious. Let's go see what we can dig up.

Amadeus walks over to the structure.

Well, that seems suspicious. Let's go see what we can dig up.

Amadeus walks over to the structure.

Even after walking all the around the building you do not see anyway to get in. You note that the sand and rocks are positioned in a way that that suggests the structure has not been there long, even though it is obviously ancient. There are also a few dead fish, insects, and frogs on the riverbanks around it.

"Hnn. Maybe on top."
Nasir looks for any proper handholds to start climbing up the structure.
Climbing (specialized): 1d20 ⇒ 16

Nasir easily climbs to the top of the structure but is unable to find a window or door.

Nasir looks at the surrounding area, lacking any other idea than to take advantage of the view.
Can I feel any machinery rumbling or anything like that from the structure? Is it warm, is it cool?

"Well. Balon, Callidus: how do you feel near this thing?"