Savage Rifts and the Tomorrow Legion

Game Master Shadow Bloodmoon

looks like the system ate my reply from yesterday..
"First priority is making sure these people are safe. While escapoing and leaving these wretches here would be ideal I fear the slavers may want our new friends more and may just free them and we end up fighting them again."

The highest vantage point is the hills in the East where K12 started from. Barbara could set up there if she wanted, but it would also be painting a big target on her G10. Other than Sentry flying in the air of course. Let me know what you guys want to do to get setup. Burgurk is powerful, but he may not be able to cover the entire encampment.

looks like the system ate my reply from yesterday..

"First priority is making sure these people are safe. While escapoing and leaving these wretches here would be ideal I fear the slavers may want our new friends more and may just free them and we end up fighting them again."

I agree that we might be fighting them again, but I cannot nor will I let you kill them out of hand. If they die fighting, its one thing. But I will not condone murder.

Terry takes a breath.

But yes, we need to get moving as soon as we can.

+++ Barbara, keep an eye out from the high ground, try to keep the unicorn hull down. Sentry, stick with her, but on the ground. Both of you fall back with us, when we get this group on the move.+++

"If our Glitter Girl takes the high ground, we will absolutely have their attention while you all are making your way out of here, but it's also worth remembering, this is business to them. Getting their "goods" is what they will be focused on. They will be wary of seeing a G10, but they'll be focused on their payout. We may need to distract them."

Sentry, what I am thinking of

Picking up a stick of debris, and starts to draw what he thinks of.

We get her to stand with just the barrel and her canopy just over the ridge of the hill like this, using the hill as cover from the bad guys and she isn't as visible. But she can still be used as cover for us, if we need to move quickly.
As for slowing them down, we can lay an ambush.

"That actually seems perfect to me, because if they have Barbara drawing fire initially, and then an ambush dividing their attention, I could very easily fly around the back of their force to take them by surprise."

"Roger that." Barbara moves into a cover position behind the outcropping and kneels down. "The G-10 will still show up on some sophisticated long-range sensors, though the scattering ceramics offer some protection. But as long as I kneel down I can stay out of sight, then pop up when I need to lay down cover support."

"All of you should know that *our* mission was to free these creatures and bring them back to Legion HQ. So there will be no more talk about leaving them here to be re-captured. We have a large vehicle (with a trailer I think?) that should accommodate them. I suggest we take them there now to put them out of harm's way.

I can do massive damage with my mind, but my range is about 100 feet. Any ideas about how I can get that close without being in the open?"

Bart looks around to see if there is somewhere he can hide to cover Barbara. Somewhere with an avenue of escape.
"Yeah, getting these people out is essential. I think I can find a quick hide over yonder." He points off to the side. "I should be able to see if they try to flank our glitter girl and take some pot shots at them. As long as we disable all their vehicles we should be able to get away clean if need be."

Burgurk, you misunderstand. The group that we rescued, are the ones we are going to bring with us.
The group that was guarding them, were the ones I was thinking of leaving for the oncoming slavers.
As for the vehicle, that would be best. Can you get your vehicle behind that ridge for cover, and get the folk loaded, and if we need, to ambush, we have a covered route out.
I am willing to hang on the top, if we need to depart rapidly.

I (the player) was a little confused as to how to interpret the other PC's comments, so I passed that confusion onto Burgurk...
I believe Jingu could make me invisible for some time, but its player seems to be MIA.
Anybody have any ideas as to how I can get within my range without being seen?

I (the player) was a little confused as to how to interpret the other PC's comments, so I passed that confusion onto Burgurk...

I believe Jingu could make me invisible for some time, but its player seems to be MIA.
Anybody have any ideas as to how I can get within my range without being seen?

Provided that Sentry could carry Burgurk, up/over/behind would be my suggestion; I think it's really unlikely these folks would be expecting the G-10, let alone air support. Sentry could bring you to within 100' of the back of their team and you could both let loose.

Elsie’s trailer has some command equipment in it, remember you also have two squads of legionnaires as well. You could certainly try to squeeze the former slaves into the trailer if you wanted, but it would be slow going, then as the squads and anyone else without a vehicle would have to walk.

As the teams decide on a plan, Barbara takes her GlitterGirl to the top of the ridge and attempts to hunker down. A ten foot tall shiny metal object is difficult to hide in the best of circumstances, but she does her best. Off in the distance, now about seven minutes out, Barbara’s scanners spot a mass headed toward the town. As she focuses her sensors that direction, she notes at least one Coalition APC and a Spider Walker. Just past them and slightly above are a flight of SkyCycles on over watch. All of them are sporting Coalition States colors and not even trying to hide it. I am assuming Barbara will relate all this to the rest of the team, so I’m not putting it in spoilers.

It sounds like we have agreement on getting the targets of the slavers to the vehicle and/or away from the upcoming combat. Do we have time to do that if everyone hustles? Ounce and Gummitch could aid in that effort initially.

"Both Gummitch and I can make people invisible for a short while," Ounce explains. "I can also create an illusion that could cover an area of about eight yards in diameter. I could create a thicket of bushes, something similar to what is out here. Both effects only last about a minute, although they can be extended a bit."

After the scouting report:
"Well. No surprise.That walker is trouble but if we need to run those skycycles are the biggest worry. When the shooting starts I might be best used to target them."

hearing the scouting report.

Well, I think we are going to get our bumps and bruises in the upcoming scrap.

Quickly thinking.

Bart, Sentry, I need you around Barbara to keep dismounts from harassing her. priority skycycles.
+++ Barbara, can you handle the walker solo, or will you need assistance+++

He pauses and grins at Burgurk
I guess that means that you and I have to let them come to us, I think we cannot get away from them.
As for getting close, cover, concealment, and a whole lot of luck.

"and at some point, someone who isn't me, who knows a lot more about whatever PPE is and what "shaping the world around them" means, will ask our new friends if they can shape the world around them in a way that will help us defend them ... right? Whatever powers they have that make them such valuable slaves could in fact make them really handy in this fight."

Sentry lifts off to fly over to Barbara's position saying, "Just a thought."

Bart nods and hurries off to join Barbara. He'll look for a good hide with some cover. And of course... an appropriate distance away from the boom gun...

stealth, if needed: 1d6 ⇒ 1
wild: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Lol, Dicebot has hated me in all my games for like a week now...

I will be lucky if the diebot doesn't kill me in the upcoming fights. It seems to do that for all of my games. :(

It will take most of the remaining few minutes to get all of the slaves to Elsie’s trailer. By the time you do that, the railguns on the walker and APC will be at long range. I’m planning on running this as a square chase, 4x4 card setup with Zones, each one about 100 meters apart. We can close it in as the battle progresses. I’ll post that up as soon as I get a chance and then deal initiative cards.

DBSBM - while you're at it, I don't think the Supers Companion talks about how much a flying PC can lift (altho I may have just missed it). What's your take on how to determine that, so Sentry knows who he can carry?

Ounce will talk to the DB's as she and Gummitch are explaining the need to get them away from the soon-to-be war zone. She explains what is coming and suggests they use whatever they can either to help in the fight or protect themselves. She does her best to emphasize the urgency of the situation and to encourage them to be brave and fight for their freedom as best they can.

In case it's needed.
Persuasion: 1d10 ⇒ 5
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Free Reroll (Charismatic)
Persuasion: 1d10 ⇒ 10
Persuasion, Ace: 1d10 ⇒ 8
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Best Result = 18

Those who need to keep out of sight could hide in one of the building unless they were damaged too much by the fight. We should also try to secure one or more of their vehicles for help with transporting the people freed. Ounce and Gummitch will start the battle invisible hiding from view behind one of the buildings. Anyone who wants to join in being invisible, stay close; it costs the same in PPE for 2 or 10.

Here is the layout of the battlefield: Remember each card is 100m from the next.

4H 5H. 3H. Joker
3S. 5S. QH. 8C
QS. 10C. 7S. 6D
4S. KS. KH. AS

4H- Rough terrain, mostly rock and sparse grass
5H- same as 4H
3H- same, but has a dirt road that the Coalition is approaching from. This is where they will start.
Joker- There is a large rock formation here that can be used for cover that overlooks the road.
3S- A steep hill leads up and away from the town.
5S- Smaller hills on both sides of the road that leads through the encampment.
QH- The northern most part of the encampment. This is where most of the wrecked vehicles are.
8C- There is a sinkhole here that has been used as the camp’s waste disposal area.
QS- The road continues through here into the hills. This is where Elsie is parked.
10C- The western edge of the encampment buildings. Lots of cover here.
7S- The center of the encampment. This is where most of you are. Again, lots of cover here.
6D- The larger hills to the east of the encampment. Barbara, Sentry and Bart I believe are here.
4S- The beginnings of a valley that leads out of Thaytown with the road.
KS- Most of the now empty slave buildings are here.
KH- The barracks where the mercenary slavers were staying are here.
AS- High hills and mountainous terrain.

Also note that you have two squads of legionnaire grunts at Elsie and you have enough combat capable slaves to build one more squad of fighters. Ounce, since you spoke to them, you can take command of them. The other two squads were assigned to Burgurk and Jingu, but they will follow the orders of any Legionnaires above them, i.e. any of you.

Initiative Round 1:
CS APC-AS
Ounce- AH
Josiah- AC
Sentry- KC
Barbara- JH
Gummitch- JD
Burgurk- 10S
Hunter Squad (Infiltrators)- Jingu?- 10D
Terry- 7H
Jingu- 6H
Griffin Squad (Heavy Weapons)- Burgurk?- 6C
CS Skull Walker- 5H
Bart- 5D
Free Folk Squad- 4D
CS Sky Cycle Flight (x6)-3S

As you get the last of the slaves that are incapable of fighting to Elsie, you hear something over the comms on the mercenary leader’s radio. ”Bravo 21, this is Range Rover 6 Actual. We can’t reach you on the radio, some sort of interference. We are inbound to your location, do you copy? Over.”

Barbara, Sentry and Bart watch as the APC and its guardians come into view from the road. It slows to a crawl and begins to disembark troops, its turret mounted railguns turning slowly to find a target.

Electronics, Group, Scan the Area, Mountain Interference: 1d8 - 2 ⇒ (2) - 2 = 01d6 - 2 ⇒ (5) - 2 = 3

Everyone else is up except Bart and the Free Folk Squad that Ounce put together.

"Sis, say the word, and I will take off and get behind them. I don't NEED to go sonic but stafing them and producing a sonic boom over their convoy could be fun."

Sentry is hovering next to the G-10 clearly watching the Coalition Forces with his Telescopic Vision

"A little gamma vision into the rear of that APC should set them into a tailspin; it isn't like they're so maneuverable that they can all 180 on a dime. What do you think?"

Can Sentry carry a person with him as he flies?
I've never heard of a "square chase" before, and can't find it in SWADE. Even Google returns no results! What are we supposed to do?
Since the landscape wasn't laid out until just now, would Burgurk have had time to get to the Joker before the APC arrived?
Also, please see Discussion...

It is in SWADE under the Chase heading. In my PDF it is on page 119 under Dogfights and Duels. As far as Sentry carrying someone,I am going to say, from what I have read, that Sentry has the strength to carry one other person, but it will affect his ability to maneuver. A regular person will be -2 to the roll, someone loaded in armor would be -4, etc. I can agree with Burgurk getting to the Joker before the Round starts.

Sorry, but now that I've had time to think about things, I think I'd like to stay with the majority of the group in the central compound.... Or maybe with the Hunter Squad (whatever that is), if they can make me invisible.

The disembarking bad guys are on 3H, yes? Where are the Sky Cycles? Do the PCs have to state what card they're on when they take an action?

Sorry to be such a pain, I'm just really confused by all that's going on...

No worries Burgurk, big battles are as tough to run as they are to play in, but we’ll try to keep it as smooth as we can.

@Josiah, Sentry and the commander of Griffin Squad- all of you had Clubs on your action card, so your actions will have a -2 penalty this round. We can work into the story what happened, as most of you haven’t moved yet, I’m not going to force maneuver rolls this turn, but I will impose the penalty on other actions. This is only for this round though, after that I will use the normal Chase rules for Club Action Cards.

@ALL- When you post your actions, please also post what card you are on for clarification. All of the Bad Guys are still in 3H. Only the APC has taken a turn and it chose to Hold Position and Scan for Targets.

Re: Squads- Griffin Squad is a Heavy Weapons Squad, they have d6 in all except Shooting and Vigor, which are d8s. They are armed with weapons that can do Mega Damage. Hunter Squad are Infiltrators. They have d6 in everything except Stealth, Fighting and Shooting, which are d8s. They are armed with laser rifles. Free Folk Squad is d6 in everything and also have laser rifles. Who ever chooses to command them can also roll for them. Because they are groups, they get the d6 Wild Die.

Current Card Locations:
3H- CS Forces- APC, Skull Walker, Troops, Sky Cycles.
QS- Elsie, Josiah, Griffin Squad, Hunter Squad, Remaining Free Folk
6D- Barbara, Sentry, Bart
7S- Burgurk, Ounce, Free Folk Squad, Terry, Gummitch, Jingu. Those who chose to use Ounce’s blessing are invisible.

That should be everyone. Let’s have some fun!

DMSBM - thanks for the summary! I've created a table in Word with the card names and who's in them for a visual description for myself. Unfortunately, I can't copy it into a post here...

Burgurk is in 7C and will accept Ounce's invisibility.

He concentrates :

Psionics & Wild: 1d12 ⇒ 51d6 ⇒ 4

And now his Parry is 9, and ranged attacks need an 8 or better to hit him.
DMSBM - does Ounce's invisibility stack with that? Since they're different effects, I would think so, but want to check...

DMSBM - I'm going to assume that the Legion and the CS use different comms frequencies and encryptions, if that's *not* the case, Burgurk will turn his comms off and ask everyone else with him to do the same.

He says to the group "So, does anyone have a plan? Move to meet the bad guys, or stay here and wait for them to come to us, or what?"

32 ISP

With a whisper as Burgurk fades out.

We should wait here, for them to comeo to us.

I messed up on my PP. its supposed to be 20.

Going on Hold is always an option. That sounds like what Terry is going to do, with Burgurk prepping defenses. Yes, as far as I am aware, Invisibility and Protection stack. The Legion and CS definitely use different frequencies, but an Electronics roll would help someone listen in, if that’s what they wanted to do.

So that’s Burgurk and Terry’s turn. Everyone else except Bart and the Free Folk Squad are up!

Well, obviously Bart is in favor of letting them advance. He's practically brewing a cup of tea while waiting. :)

Terry is waiting for the best spot for a close range ambush.

Ounce will recommend everyone who wants to be invisible stay close to her and wait behind cover near her. She will make everyone who wants to be invisible when the fighting starts or when someone wants to begin to move to a new location.

I'd feel better if everyone in 7S center of the encampment would instead start in KH Barracks so those who cannot stand up to Mega Damage weapons can start inside or behind a building. Also let me know if the Faelerin have any powers useful in battle or are they just firing lasers.

Assuming Ounce made her request to move inside out loud to everyone, Burgurk replies "Being inside may protect us, but how are we supposed to attack them once they get close enough if we can't see them? Or even know that they're close enough in the first place?"

Ounce would suggest the move to buildings to the group.

If the cover mentioned for the central area includes solid things like rocks or small buildings or disabled vehicles, that would perhaps be just as good as being in a building as far as avoiding being a target for an mega damage attack type. Not sure if the chase rules will make that moot, however.

I'm assuming the buildings have doors and windows. And/or we can hide behind the building and peer around the edges to see what's coming. Additionally, we have the comms so that those watching over the battlefield can alert us to opportunities to move and attack. Finally, if we are invisible, we can be at the entrance to a building and retreat inside if need be.

There is cover practically on each card, except for the ones that mention the valley. The buildings all provide cover and yes, most of them have doors and windows. The only one that doesn’t have windows is the one where the slaves were being kept. On the other cards, large rocks and a few trees make for nice cover.

@Ounce, if you are going to spend your turn turning everyone near you invisible, let’s make that roll. And, if you missed it in Discussion, you get an extra Benny for making the map for everyone. Finally, the Faelerin are PPE batteries. They can be used to get more PP during the battle if necessary. Other than the shaman, who is busy taking care of the non-combatants, they have no other powers useful for combat. They can shoot though.

"Hey...Ounce is it?...you want to talk about the issues I just brought up before you start moving people?"

DMSBM - are the Faelerin just PPE batteries, or do they have a setting for ISP as well? ;)

I covered Burgurk's issues in an OOC comment. I can make it in character if you want. And I'm envisioning this happening before the enemy gets to our doorstep rather than once they are entering the map.

"We can watch from in doorways, at windows, or around the walls to see when they are coming. Plus our folks on high ground can radio us a signal when they are in range."

If there is sufficient cover in either square, we can stay in the center square. However, it seems a building is better than a rock or a tree when things start blowing up.

Once in place, Ounce gathers those who want to go invisible near, concentrates a moment, makes a few rune-like motions with one hand, and ...

Faith: 1d10 ⇒ 8
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 4
That's a raise, so any action taken against invisible ones are at -6, including rolls to notice the unseen presence. The PPE is 5 for the effect +3 per additional individual. So for Ounce, Gummitch, and Burgurk, that would be 14. I'm not sure the logistics of getting PPE from the Faelerin, but if each can contribute 3 PPE, they can be made invisible too, depending on what the maximum number of PPE per use of a power. Gummitch can also cast invisibility, so I'll roll for him and that can add more Faelerin to the group invisibility. If Terry and/or Jingku want in on it, let me know.

Thanks for the Benny.

If others want in on the invisibility, Gummitch can oblige.

Spell Casting: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Spell Casting, Ace: 1d8 ⇒ 3
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 1
Also a raise, so actions and notice rolls against any who he casts on are at -6 while invisible. Duration 5 rounds.

Within a few moments of Ounce and Gummitch's spells, they and others affected vanish. The locations those who are invisible occupy shimmer ever-so-slightly, but this is the only evidence of their presence.

Ounce and the Faelerin squad hunker down behind cover and peer around edges to watch for the approach of the enemy.

Terry takes advantage of the invisibility, and joins in on the squad enjoying the invisibility.

Sorry, I did read your OOC comment, but I only noticed the stuff about cover, I missed the part about windows...I have a terrible real-life Notice (like, d4...). But I do appreciate the in-game PC-to-PC response.

PPE and ISP are interchangeable in Rifts when it comes to Power Points, except if you have two or more Arcane Backgrounds, those points can not be switched. The Faelerin will provide power to both PPE and ISP. As far as how much power you can use per spell, I am not aware of a limit as the Resurrection part of Healing takes at least 30, if I remember correctly and some rituals go far above that.

Ounce spends 8 PPE to turn herself and Burgurk invisible, drawing the points from her ISP pool and converting them to PPE. Gummitch spends the same for himself and Terry, except he uses his own PPE. If the Faelerin can cover that either by providing the points up front at the time the power is utilized or after to replenish the pool, let me know. If there has been enough time before the enemy arrives, all the Faelerin can become invisible if they want, if they provide the points. Let me know if you want me to roll the activation rolls for those. A raise makes them harder to attack or notice, so it might be worthwhile.

Now invisible, Barbara moves the G-10 into an overwatch position and gets ready to deploy the literal big gun against the incoming enemy armored vehicles.

Just tell me when to shoot, gang.

That will add 3 to the PPE Ounce spends, which is fine.

Did you miss my request to be with the invisible group

I think at this point, we can presume that everyone who has chosen to will be invisible, because Barbara would have to have come back before she headed out to her spot with Bart and Sentry. I am not going to make you reroll all of those, but the Faelerin will provide the PP up front for you.

Bart invisibly makes a cup of insta-coffee as he waits his turn :)
That's a joke about my characters, this game and others, having a hard time pulling higher than a 5 in savage worlds based games..

Bart invisibly makes a cup of insta-coffee as he waits his turn :)

That's a joke about my characters, this game and others, having a hard time pulling higher than a 5 in savage worlds based games..

Pretty sure your coffee-making is uncontested, so rolling a 5 would totally be okay ;)