[PBP Gameday VII] Hmm’s Skitter Shot! (Inactive)

Game Master Hmm

"We don't know where Nakonechin is and we must find him as soon as possible! He can be in any of these rooms, so let's open the nearest door and look!"

Left is fine by me!

Left is the slightly further door on the same side of the hallway as you, right? You have a somewhat dyslexic GM.

The sign over this door reads, Gaming Room.

The door opens easily.

Wooden panels line the walls of this cozy room, and an emerald green carpet covers the floor. Two wooden tables, each adorned with a deck of shiny playing cards, are surrounded with comfortable chairs. Two digital dart boards hang on the forward wall in the other corner. A holo-billiards table, its holographic balls glowing serenely, occupies one of the aft corners. A closed cabinet stands in the final corner of the room.

When you search cabinet -- you're skittermanders, why wouldn't you search the cabinet -- you discover that it is full of all manner of interesting things! The closed cabinet contains augmented reality goggles and gloves that function with the dart boards, allowing players to throw all manner of digital projectiles; half a dozen holo-cues for the billiards table; and a jantz set.

Gazigaz and Xnouq spot a really cool dart here that's different than all the others. When they toss it, it returns back to their hands!

Is there anything you want to do here, or do you head to the room across the hall?

"This room looks like fun! Be we don't have time for fun! Onwards nufriends!!! To across the hall!! Nakonechkin, don't worry! We'll find you soon!!!"

Yep, I say we head across the hall!

The door to this room reads, Bar and Restaurant.

Oh no! The door is locked or stuck or something! You can hear people inside. They might be trapped in there.

Do I hear an Engineering or Strength 15 to open the door?

Dakoyo bangs on the door and yells, "Never fear! I, Dakoyo, will save you!!!"

Dakoyo confidently grabs at the door and tries to force it open!!!
Strength: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Dakoyo again bangs on the door and yells, "Never fear! My friends will save you!!!"

Dakoyo gives the rest of the party a sheepish look....

When Dakoyo bangs on the door, he can hear people inside scream, "EEEEEEEeeeeeeek! They're coming for us!"

Nechkin tries to reassure the people on the other side of the door, "Don't worry, we're not those weird robots who think everyone is a pet and shoot gross goop with their lasers!" She whispers reassuringly to Dakoyo, "It happens to the best of us. See the way the door buckled right to the side of where you grabbed it? That's a sign you hit it in a reinforcing joint. You got unlucky."

Aiming of a different part of the door entirely, Nechkin draws back her doshko and strikes the door with the butt of her weapon.
Strength: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Ooh, so close! Is anyone going to aid Nechkin?

Feeling better after hearing Nechkin's reassuring words, Dakoyo says, "Thank you. Here, we'll need to work allsix to get that door open - let me help you!" Dakoyo continues trying to pull on the door...

Strength: 1d20 ⇒ 8

...but doors are rapidly becoming Dakoyo's greatest enemy!!

"Nechkin, how about a 12-arm special!?"

Strength Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Nako puts her shoulder into helping Nechkin and the door bursts open!

Smooth wooden flooring and paneled walls give this chamber an air of elegance that is immediately countered by the obvious mess and rank smell of body odor and other foulness. In the aft part of the room is a bar made from real mahogany. In front of the bar are several stools and behind it is the nonfunctioning husk of a bartender robot and an unmarked door. Half a dozen tables and accompanying chairs are pushed against the forward wall to make room for makeshift cots.

There are thirteen other people in here, of varying races: an elderly male human, a young female human socialite, two middle-aged male human vidgamers, two fastidious female shirrens, a female kasatha with a cybernetic arm, a drunk male ysoki, a matronly female vesk, a melancholy agender android, and a male bleachling gnome. Behind them, is a wounded human man on a cot.

In front of them is a panicked looking female lashunta. She's tall and lithe, and has an air of authority despite having hands that shake as she points her azimuth laser pistol at you. "If you're from that crazy AI, you can go back out the way you came! We've suffered enough!"

Dakoyo begins dancing the robot...badly. "That was good, gree? But I'm Just kidding, nufriends! No we're not with the AI and we can help get you off this ship.

"Let me examine that man, I'm a doctor! And have you seen our boss? Vesk captain Nakonechkin?"

Dakoyo moves forward to examine the wounded man,assuming they allow it.

"What happened to you? What caused your injuries?"

Medicine: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17

Her weapons stay up. "No further until you tell me why you're here!"

Can I have a diplomacy check? Or even multiple diplomacy checks?

"Woah woah, nufriends!" Dakoyo holds his hands up. "We're here to help boss Nakonechkin. He thought this ship was dead so came on board to salvage. But he disappeared! Now we rescue him! And we rescue you too! I fix up the hurt man and we also help you off this ship, gree?"

Nechkin points to the sticky goop that's matted up her fur. "See this? This is how that 'crazy AI's' robots attacked us. We're not with them."
Diplomacy aid another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 1 = 8
"They called us pets. PETS!" Nechkin screws up her face in disgust, as if she'd just tasted an unexpectedly sour candy. "The AI can't be that smart if its robots can't tell the difference between a crew of handsome skittermanders like us and pets!"

The lashunta shakily lowers her weapon. "Okay, you guys are just too weird to be from the AI, and since she's crazy, and she warned us about you... You must be okay, right?"

Having given that spurious piece of logic, she says, "I'm Voryna Kopalli -- from Castrovel. The AI was getting wackier and wackier. It took us off course, sang us lullabies, put sedatives in the food -- and I know this because sedatives give me hives! It's unacceptable, right? We're unable to trust the very mechanisms that were designed to keep us comfortable! "

She jumps around a bit, as if she's sure that even now the AI is watching. "We eventually had to barricade ourselves in the ship's bar and restaurant and have survived on alcohol and self-preparing meals for over a week." She gives a nauseated look. "I think I'll be happy if I never see a saurian stroganoff again."

The drunken ysoki pipes in. "We couldn't even trust the bartender," he points to a disabled robot behind the counter. "And now we have all this booze and no one who knows how to make a good Gimlet!" He starts to cry. "Do any of you know how to make a Gimlet?"

One of the shirrens pats the ysoki on the shoulder. "There, there. These bizarre furry sentients will surely rescue us!"

Turning to Dakoyo, Vornya says, "That wounded guy's one of the crew. Lance or Leo or Larry or something. He stumbled in here, all wounded, and then fell unconsccious. We haven't been able to rouse him!"

Dakoyo sees signs of electrical burns and other trauma. Do you try to rouse him?

Dakoyo will examine him and try to rouse him.

Medicine: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Or if that doesn't work, Dokoyo will use healing touch on him which heals for 10 HP.

Dakoyo's healing touch does rouse the crewman, who looks up blearily. "Wha... who are all of you? Did the computer trap you, too? I'm Locke Linler." He tries to get up but trembles and then falls back into my cot. "Gah, I feel like I'm a single seared synapse."

Linler does not more healing, but he's still in no shape to go anywhere. Do any of you have questions for him?

"Nufriend Linler, do you know exactly what happened to you?" Nako asks. "And what do you think we can do about this crazy AI? I'm all for smashing some computers allsix style, but maybe there's a better way?"

"And what happened to you? How were you hurt?"

"When M2 -- that's our AI -- took us off-course, Alazea and I decided we had to do something. We went down to the engine room to pull the plug, but M2 had already commandeered the vessel's security robot. She must have removed its safety protocols, and set it to guard the area. It attacked the two of us on sight. There was electrical beams everywhere! I was wounded and escaped, but... Alazea..." Locke pauses, suddenly looking very pale as he meets your eyes. "Alazea wasn't so lucky. She jumped in front of a shot meant for me she..."

Locke breaks off, and swallows. "We need to take the AI off-line. Smashing won't be good. We need to take some of the systems to manual, but we'll still need them. The engine room -- it's hidden. Let me tell you how to get there." Locke tells you about a hidden panel that leads to the engine room on the lower deck. "You'll have to travel the whole length of the ship to get there. Are any of you engineers?"

By now, the other passengers have started to calm down and greet you curiously, but it's clear that none of them have seen Nanonechkin. The vesk must have passed right by this barricaded room.

Ready to explore the room straight ahead?

If any of you want to continue the conversation here, we can continue it in a Flextime flashback. I'm moving us forward now.

Finishing up your conversations with the passengers and Locke, you move forward in search of Nanonechkin towards a door marked, Observation Deck.

The circular chamber contains two rows of reclining seats curving around a central space. The ceiling appears to be made from a dome of transparent aluminum, but panels covering the outside of the dome block the view. Four pedestals, each topped with a large chunk of onyx, are evenly spaced around the outside of the room. Doors lead forward and aft.

The room is completely dark, and when you turn on your suit lights, they only shine with a radius of ten feet. Even worse, you can hear something skittering in the darkness.

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Little creeping insects that seem to be made of shadow try to make their way forward to you.

The blue creeper enters Nako's space and attempts to bite her, but misses!

Blue Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

The green creeper bites at Quonx!

Green Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Chomp!: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

The purple one bites at Nechkin!

Purple Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20
Chomp!: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Ouch, their little teeth are sharp!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 1
Active conditions: Darkness

Blue
Green
Purple

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Nako
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-3)

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Pink
Red
Orange

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Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

Click. Whirr.

Botting Quonx because Elinnea is traveling.

Physical Science: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

"Ouch!" Quonx says as she gets bit. "Hey, old friends, the darkness in made out of magic! There's some kind of mystical darkness generator on those pillars! Dakoyo, can you turn the darkness off?'

She stabs wildly at the creature who bit her. "Bad bug! Bad bug!"

Survival Knife: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14
Slashing Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Quonx's wild stab hits, and does some small amount of damage to the bug that's biting her!

The light from her suit extends 10 feet -- enough to allow her to hit the shadowy creeper right next to her.

Quonx manages to slash at one of the creeper bugs!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 1
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.)

Blue
Green (-2)
Purple

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Nako
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-3)

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Pink
Red
Orange

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Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

Mysticism, darkness: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21
Mysticism, bugs: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

"This darkness is not natural but magical! The shadow is a magic gateway to another plane where creepy crawlies are coming from. Quick, turn off gate at each of the four pillars!"
(Mysticism check required to turn each pillar off... I guess that is what Dakoyo will be focusing on during this encounter.)

"And I recognize the creepy crawlies! They bite but are sensitive to light!!"

"Turn off the gate by attuning the mystical energies and ascending to the higher plane of the what now?" says Nechkin, baffled by the task of stopping the darkness. "I'll stick to what I can do with my doshko. I'm coming to help you, Quonx!"
Nechkin is about to step up to attack with her dosko, but then she has an idea. "Wait, you said they don't like light? Then this should help. Take this, you oversized fleas!"
She lobs a flash grenade at the grid intersection between red, blue, and green.
flash grenade attack (explode [5 ft., blinded 1d4 rounds,
DC 13: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

"A flash grenade, huh? Good thinking, nufriend! Let's see how tough they are when they can't see!"

Nako tosses her doshko to her dominant right 3 arms and swings it with all of her skittermander might!
Attack blue: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Will Save Blue: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (3) + 0 = 3
Will Save Green: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (8) + 0 = 8
Rounds Blinded!: 1d4 ⇒ 3

Will Save Red: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (17) + 0 = 17

Blue and Green shriek, their smoky eyes burning! "Skrrrrriiieeeeeek!' Meanwhile, Red is also blinded, but only for one round!

Nako, because Blue is blinded, you hit!
Nako's Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

Nako smashes the blind blue creeper!

Meanwhile, it is the turn of Pink, Red and Orange!

Pink attacks Dakoyo!
Bite: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Chomp: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

The blinded Red spins in circles, uncertain where to go.

Orange attacks Nechkin, going straight for the jugular. This triggers an attack of opportunity because the creature is tiny and Nechkin's no longer flat-footed!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 1
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.)

Blue (dead)
Green (-2, blind)
Purple

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Nako
Nechkin (-5) Attack of Opportunity on Orange
Quonx (-3)

================================

Pink
Red (blind for one round)
Orange

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo (-7)
Xnouq

"Thanks, Nako! Dakoyo has all sorts of smart ideas. He said they hate light, so I made light." Nechkin shudders as the bitey jaws of the bug approach her. "Hey, back off, flea-brain! I'm not for dinner!" She wildly slashes her doshko, hoping to take it out before it takes a bite out of her.

doshko: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
fire damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Nechkin cleanly slices through that shadow creeper! Orange is dead!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 1
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.)

Blue (dead)
Green (-2, blind)
Purple

================================

Nako
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-3)

================================

Pink
Red (blind for one round)
Orange (dead)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo (-7)
Xnouq

The flash of the grenade finally pulls Gazigaz from his careful reordering of his oh-so-shiny cloak. "Don't worry, doc! I'll cover you while you do the whats-it to the crystal thingies!" With an inspiring word, Dakoyo regains 8 stamina. True to his word, Gazigaz takes a hipshot at Pink...

Arc pistol: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

And cringes in embarrassment as the shot goes wide!

"Thank you Gaz! Here goes nothing!"

Dakoyo will move through Nako's square to his final position on the other side of the pillar, provoking the pink creeper but not the dead blue one or (I assume) the blind green one. Dakoyo will try to tumble, however, and see if he can avoid provoking.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Dakoyo attempts to duck left and right thinking he'll making himself hard to hit but in reality he just shuffles his feet a bit as he moves into position.

Dakoyo then attempts to shut down the pillar!
Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28

Gazigaz, that shot never happened because Inspiring Boost is a standard action. Shall we use Get'Em on one of the smoke creatures instead?

Bot Buddy declares Gazigaz did Get 'Em on the Pink shadow creeper.

Dakoyo powers down one of the Onyx pillars, but there's still plenty of darkness coming from the other three!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 1
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), I Onyx down!

Blue (dead)
Green (-2, blind)
Purple

================================

Nako
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-3)

================================

Pink (GET 'EM)
Red (blind for one round)
Orange (dead)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

Still trying to figure out why this room is so dark, especially when he knows he can see farther than two paces in front of him. Xnouq begins mumbling calculations then suddenly brightbfkashes happen along with yelling.. lots of yelling.
"Ahhh what was that! What are those? Space bugs, and they hate light! Hmm I don't think I have those." seeing the pink creeper is very, very close to him Xnouq takes a shot with his rifle.

azimuth laser rifle vs. Pink Creeper: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
Fire Dmg: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Gazigaz heals Dakoyo, Dakoyo shuts down a pillar, and Xnouq hits the Pink Creeper!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

It's now time for Green and Purple to act!

The blinded Green lashes out at Quonx. This triggers an Attack of Opportunity.

Meanwhile, Purple realizes that someone is trying to shut down the Onyx pillars! It leaves Nechkin, which triggers and attack of opportunity, and loops around to attack Dakoyo!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 2
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), I Onyx down!

Blue (dead)
Green (-2, blind)
Purple

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Nako
Nechkin (-5) + AoO on Purple
Quonx (-3) +AoO on Green

================================

Pink (GET 'EM, -5)
Red
Orange (DEAD)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

Click. Whirr.

BOTTING QUONX

Survival Knife AoO: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Slash: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Quonx slashes out reflexively, but the Shadow Creeper survives long enough to get another bite in!

"OUCH!" Quonx screams as she takes another 4 damage. "GET IT OFF ME!"

Survival Knife AoO: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 1 = 18
Slash: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Quonx manages another attack on the creature, but still does not take it out!

Quonx hits twice, but neither strike is enough to take out the blinded creeper!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 2
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), I Onyx down!

Blue (dead)
Green (-5, blind)
Purple

================================

Nako
Nechkin (-5) + AoO on Purple
Quonx (-7)

================================

Pink (GET 'EM, -5)
Red
Orange (DEAD)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

As the Purple tries to scurry away to munch on Dakyo, Nechkin brings her doshko down on its head. "Nuh uh! No biting anyone else, either! Whirling....Skittermander....SKITTERBUGCHOP! "
AOO: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Then, she moves up into the thick of the bugs. "Woo, Nechkin the Exterminator!"
If purple survives both her AOO and Dakoyo's AOO, this attack will be on purple. Otherwise, it's on green.

AOO: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25
damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

"Ewww, more goop!" she cries, as the entrails of the bug splash out at her. A glimmer of an idea lights up her eyes. "Nufriends! Once we rescue Nakonechkin, let's all go to Silky's Serene Salon-Spa together. I can't be the only one who could use a good low-gravity bubble bath. And their fur stylists are excellent."

Nechkin the exterminator successfully chops the purple shadow creeper -- but it survives her AoO!

BOTTING DAKOYO's AoO

Dakoyo sternly swings his Battle Staff! "Oh no you don't!"

Dakoyo's Battle Staff AoO: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Dakoyo takes out the nasty shadow creeper before it bites him, and Nechkin polishes off Green!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 2
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), I Onyx down!

Blue (dead)
Green (dead)
Purple (dead)

================================

Nako
Nechkin (-5) + AoO on Purple
Quonx (-7)

================================

Pink (GET 'EM, -5)
Red
Orange (DEAD)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo
Xnouq

BOTTING NAKO

"How did that go again? Skitterbug Chop?"

She swings her flaming doshko at Red!

Doshko: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9

Nako one-shots the red shadow creeper, slicing it in two!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

At that point, a dark grey shadow creeper materializes into the room! Apparently, if you haven't shut down the Onyx portals, they keep materializing! It slithers away from Nako, triggering an attack of opportunity, towards poor Dakoyo!

Pink attacks as well!
Bite!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 2 / 3
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), I Onyx down!

Blue (DEAD)
Green (DEAD)
Purple (DEAD)

================================

Nako + AoO on Grey
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-7)

================================

Grey
Pink (GET 'EM, -5)
Red (DEAD)
Orange (DEAD)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo (-4)
Xnouq

Xnouq moves through the room trying to make a grand show of his movements. Smiling wide setting his aim at the Grey Creeper and squeezes the trigger. "Ahh.. Why are they trying to bite us?."

azimuth laser rifle, Get'em vs. Grey Creeper: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 1 = 6
Fire Dmg: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Xnouq, startled by the smoke grey creeper's appearance, misses it completely as it slithers under the benches towards Dakoyo!

"Must shut down the pillars!"

Dakoyo will try to tumble away from gray and pink.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10

Dakoyo then attempts to shut down the pillar!
Mysticism: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

"Skitterbug chop indeed!" Nechkin replies to Nako. "And since it worked so well last time...Skitterbug Chop Mark 2, Nako-nechkin team doublestrike!"
Nechkin swings around into a flank with Nako.
doshko attack on pink with Get em: 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 1 = 24
doshko damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Dakoyo manages to douse another onyx! Nechkin slices Pink in half!

★ --- ★ --- ★ --- ★

Round 2 / 3
Active conditions: Darkness (light from your suits extends only 10 feet.), 2 onyxes down!

Blue (DEAD)
Green (DEAD)
Purple (DEAD)

================================

Nako + AoO on Grey
Nechkin (-5)
Quonx (-7)

================================

Grey
Pink (DEAD)
Red (DEAD)
Orange (DEAD)

================================

Gazigaz
Dakoyo (-4)
Xnouq