Savage Rifts and the Tomorrow Legion

Game Master Shadow Bloodmoon

Ounce and Gummitch just used ranged attacks while invisible, so they are probably not intermixed with the coalition squad. Gummitch is flying above the squad far enough that they cannot hit him with melee weapons. Ounce would be around the periphery. Also they were stunned and only just recovered and were down to just two.

As Ounce said, Verdant squad is about out of the fight. They can't hit anything really, as they just recovered and there is only four three left.The Skull Walker only has Hunter squad in it now, they have neutralized the pilots and are working to take it over. Also, I thought there was a selective power modifier so you could do exactly that, Burgurk. However, as Ounce said, she and Gummitch are not in melee range of Verdant squad.

Terry charges the APC, its side lasers trying to defend it from his charge. Narrative license He leaps through the fire and lands atop the APC, hacking away at the railguns on top, but its armor is too strong for his psi-sword and he is only able to keep it from targeting anyone else.

The remaining members of Verdant squad try to hoof it back to the APC, not wanting to tangle with an invisible dragon and someone casting spells at them. They make a run for the safety of the APC, not knowing that the APC is being attacked directly. One of them gets blasted from a bolt of lightning out of nowhere, pushing the others to move faster.

With the Sky Cycles distracted, Bart tries to help Barbara, but the damage is quite severe. While the feed is indeed damaged, so is the shell casing port and the drum roller. It's going to take some work to get it going again, something that Bart may need a shop to do. While it can still fire, it is dangerous to do so.

I believe that leaves Barbara and Burgurk up!

Barbara exits the ruined power armor and collapses into a wounded heap. She will from now on just be regular infantry, but first she'll be spending a month in an infirmary.

Retcon : Burgurk moves east into C2 (in his ret-conned Round 5's Turn), and moves east again into D2 (in Round 6's Turn). That way in this Turn, he can move into D1 where there seems to be a high concentration of CS troops (DMSBM, please let me know if this is not the case).

Faelerin Group Healing: 1d8 ⇒ 61d6 ⇒ 4

Barbara disengages from her damaged armor, hoping that her smaller form will be less likely to be targeted by the Coalition. Luckily, they have
their hands full with the rest of the team. While she floats in and out of consciousness, Barbara sees the blue people sling their rifles on their backs and hold hands in a circle around her. She feels a strange energy go over her body as her wounds begin to close and the pain starts to subside. You have only two wounds now.

@Burgurk, that is correct, most of the Coalition is now concentrated in D1. You still have an action this turn.
@All- I haven't seen Sentry post in a bit, so I am going to pull him from the active initiative and assume that he is keeping the Sky Cycles occupied (Distracted -2). I will hold on the CS's actions until Burgurk posts an action, but Ounce, you may go now as well.

Ounce calls out to Gummitch to encourage him, since he is inexperienced in battle and sometimes feels self-conscious about it. "Good shot Gummitch! Keep 'em runnin'!"

Persuasion: 1d10 ⇒ 3
Wild: 1d6 ⇒ 3

Meh. He's excitable so maybe he wasn't listening.

Burgurk moves into square D1 and tries to find cover (please let me know if I find any, and how good it is). He looks for the largest, most concentrated group of enemies, and attacks :

Using Force Bolt, Improved Force Bolt, Force Blast, and Rapid Force Bolt :
- 5d6 MegaDamage (6d6 on Raise) for 2 ISP
- SBT for 1 ISP, MBT for 2 ISP, LBT for 3 ISP
- ROF2 for 1 ISP
So, for 3+3(for LBT) ISP out of my 23 :

Psionics & Wild: 1d12 ⇒ 41d6 ⇒ 2
Damage: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 4, 4, 1, 3) = 17

Psionics & Wild: 1d12 ⇒ 91d6 ⇒ 5
Raise Damage: 6d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 6, 4, 4, 3) = 21
ACE!: 1d6 ⇒ 5 = 26
RAW Raise Damage Bonus: 1d6 ⇒ 5 = 31

DMSBM - I don't know how to interpret Improved Force Bolt's (which is based on Improved Flame Bolt) Raise damage. The text says "5d6, 6d6 on a Raise", so is that 6d6 PLUS the standard RAW extra d6 Damage die from a Raise? I included it separately, so you can decide.

Also, I'm assuming that there's a highly concentrated group of enemies as large as a LBT. If there are smaller groups highly separated from each other, a MBT or even a SBT might be more efficient. Please let me know which BT would do maximum damage, so I can update my ISP appropriately, thanks!

ISP=17 (LBT)

@Burgurk- You have -6 cover, as does Gold Squad, you would not have been able to hit them, so I had you hit the remainder of Verdant Squad, which only recently entered the area as they were trying to get to the safety of the APC. To hit all 4 of them took an LBT, but it took out the rest of them, so Verdant Squad is out of the picture. If it had raised, the only extra damage would have been from the spell itself, which is essentially the same as the +1d6 from non-power raises.

Burgurk's extreme telekinetic ability shows when half of the tall rock formation explodes and sends falling rock and debris onto the heads of what is left of Verdant squad. They will not be getting back up from that.

Ounce attempts to help the wildly excited dragon flying around, but he is busy enjoying his game of cat and mouse in the air.

The Coalition troops, seeing that they are being slowly mopped up and with the Skull Walker out of commission, decide that they are leaving. Gold Squad breaks for the APC as the APC sends out fire in all directions to keep anyone from getting too close. Other than Terry, who remains atop it. The remaining Sky Cycles veer off with Sentry chasing them down. All that remains is the APC, which is quickly attempting to get away.

The CS is breaking off. If you wish to continue to fight them, you may, in which case it will turn into a "normal" chase. Otherwise, you can let them go. Up to you guys. If you act, all of you may go first for Round 8.

Bart thanks the Faelerin and goes to make sure Barbara is stable.
"OK young lady,You're gonna be fine."

healing with medkit: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
heal xplode: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
heal xplode again: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
heal master!: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

wild: 1d6 ⇒ 2

Um,I think a 23 is gonna get Barb feeling much better.

Doctor Bart assesses Barbara's wounds Remember that this takes 20 minutes. and realizes that most of them are related to cuts and abrasions she received from the impact of the rail gun rounds into her Glitter Girl and the accompanying shock. The armor saved her life and Doctor Bart believes that over the next few days, the scrapes will heal with no scars.

Barbara, after the requisite 20 minutes, will be fully healed, no wounds.

Nice roll on the doctoring. :)

After 20 minutes Doctor Bart looks pleased with his work and wonders where he could find a white lab coat for his new profession...

It's funny. Crap rolls over and over and suddenly DiceBot (surprised he hasn't jumped in to comment in a while) gives him a few aces in a row..

Are both groups (of us) now on the same comms frequency? If so...

"Hey everybody, it looks like the Coalition is leaving. Let 'em go, or hunt them all down?"

Barbara groans as she sits up and then slowly gets to her feet. She looks terrible, covered in blood and ballistic gel (used as a shock absorber inside of the pilot compartment of the armor), with her own battle armor scorched, scratched, and punctured in many places.

"Thanks, doc. And to your nurses, too."

She checks her headset comm and then says over the radio, "If you let them get away, they'll just come back with reinforcements."

Rolling off the back of the APC.

+++No, we got another priority, and killing the deadboys isn't that right now+++

He makes his way back to the deadboy squad that got in his way on the way to the apc, and quickly checks them over.

"There's no way we're stopping the sky cycles. They would have gotten away anyway. Let's just hope they don't have a fast reaction force just waiting close by."

Burgurk says "Terry, what priority is that?"

+++ Dealing with any injuries and quick damage assessments. Plus getting this group on the move towards safety are the priorities +++

He comments over the radio.

The Glitter Girl is still mobile, correct? If not we'll need to request a tow.

The Glitter Girl can still move, but it's going to be very slow going. Though the player hasn't been seen in a bit, Elsie, the Big Bertha Hover Truck, is still here. With some work, she can haul the GG back to base.

Ounce becomes visible and urges the Faelerin to head for Elsie.

Gummitch also becomes visible as soon as Ounce does and he puts himself between her and any fleeing coalition forces.

Then he lets Ounce climb onto his back and flies toward Elsie.

Ounce use the comm link and says, "Anybody wounded report to me and I can patch you up some."

I'd assume Bart's ministrations to Barbara can take place once they get on Elsie and the whole group puts some distance from any attempts to reengage. Ounce can do healing much faster if we need to save time.

Terry doubles up towards the glitter girl.
Concerned with the state of driver and mecha.

Barbara says, "My armor's in bad shape, much worse than I am. Might be able to limp along at a very slow speed, but it could break down completely at any moment, and it'll likely pop up on any radar for miles around."

+++Burgurk, do we have anything that can tow the GG, its going to need it+++

Can our vehicle (Elsie) tow or carry the glitter girl rig? If not, Gummitch might be able to carry it flying, if it's not too heavy. Not sure of the rules on carrying capacity for a flying dragon.

Though the player hasn't been seen in a bit, Elsie, the Big Bertha Hover Truck, is still here. With some work, she can haul the GG back to base.

Don't forget, that we have not seen Elsie yet, we just got here before the fights

Unfortunately for Gummitch, the GG weighs over 1.2 tons, far more than his supernatural d12+2 Strength can carry easily. As I mentioned though, once Burgurk inroduces you to Josiah and Elsie, the Big Bertha can haul it.

Thus the radio call the Burgurk about anything that could tow the GG.
I have not seen the Big Bertha yet.

"+++Yes, we have a heavy craft that might just barely be able to carry the Glitter Girl. Josiah, please bring it over to where the GG is. But how are we going to get the GG onto it? Can it still move even a little bit on its own?+++"

I have no idea about Bertha's equipment. Does she have a (very) heavy winch capable of lifting 1.2 tons?

Bart gives the GG an affectionate pat.
"+++Yup. She can move enough to get loaded up for sure. Get that transport over there, we should think about leaving. Are our new friends coming with us? Do we have transport for them as well?+++"

He'll then turn to Barbara, "You up for getting her loaded? Or do you want me to try it?" He adds a smile at the end.

The GG can still move, it's main problem is the boom gun and some of the armor. Yes, the Bertha can carry it, but also remember you have a few slaves and some prisoners from the mercenary group to move as well.

"I can limp it up onto the truck and lie it down. I think we both need a nap," replies Barbara. She pushes some of her bloodied hair out of her face and ruffles it briefly. "Lucky to be alive. Ugh, I forgot how sticky blood is."

Can Bertha hold the GG and the NPC's, or are we going to have to make different arrangements for the people?

The Big Bertha itself can haul most of the slaves and prisoners and the trailers can haul several hundred tons. You have plenty of room to spare.

Are we basically ready to move on to the trip home or did we want to stop somewhere along the way?

Ounce and Gummitch are ready to move toward safer territory. They are also looking forward to getting to know the other Legion members.

Gummitch can shapeshift to a humanoid form or stay in dragon form and fly as an advance scout while watching for hazards and recommending the best path. Ounce can ride on Gummitch for an extra pair of eyes.

"Alright then. Let's load up and get out of here."
Bart will help guide BB in and find a halfway comfy seat.

I agree, once loaded, lets make tracks

"We all agree we're heading back to Legion HQ, right? We've got refugees and prisoners to drop off, as well as a Glitter Girl to get repaired."

I forget - do we have a radio that can reach HQ, to give an update on our situation and let them know we're coming?

Elsie's command suite has that capability. Looks like most of the party agrees to head back. Let's see if something turns up along the way...Nothing of interest, so it is Interlude time: Anyone who wants to tell a story can gain a Benny by choosing either Downtime (what you do in the quiet moments, Backstory (a bit of your history) or Trek (something happens along the way). I am not going to write all out the choices, as they are in the main book, but I can explain certain ones if you like. Here are the draws for each of you:

Interlude Draws:
Burgurk:Spades
Barbara:Spades
Terry:Joker- Everyone Gets a Benny and you can tell any story you want!
Bart:Spades
Ounce: Clubs
Gummitch: Diamonds
I think that is all of our active characters. This is the time to get to know each other in character. When that's done, the arrival is below.

Sunday, December 29th, 109 PA (2395CE). 1523 hours. 34 Degrees F (1 Degrees C), Light Wind (2 mph (3 Kph), Wintry Mix). Northern Arkansas Territory, Castle Refuge. (Lead Hill, AR)

Knowing the route you took to get here, Josiah expertly pilots Elsie through the intervening terrain and over the hills and valleys that make up most of the southeastern territories of the Coalition. Though their hold is tenuous at best, their presence is still felt in many areas. It is this presence that gnaws at you as maintain vigilance heading back to Castle Refuge, a place of relative safety and for the charges with you, the possibility of a new life.

The prisoners are another matter. They are mostly tight lipped about their work with the Coalition and most of what you get out of them is about how much money they were getting paid to collect the slaves, especially the blue ones. However, the mercenaries do not know what the Coalition is doing with them. There is one thing that their leader mentions that sparks a bit of interest. Apparently, some of the soldiers had markings on their armor that the mercenaries hadn't seen before. They were marked with RCSG. Some of you may have heard of it.

After sending Elsie and the Glitter Girl to maintenance, you get some dirty looks from the mechanics as to the state that they are in. You know they will be in good hands though and continue to the briefing rooms.

Lt. McDare is nowhere to be found when you report in, but Major Grimjack certainly is and his usual gruff dwarven demeanor is more abrasive than the norm. "I suppose you yahoos finally found something useful. Else, why are you darkening my office door?"

Came across a painting that could be Ounce and Gummitch.

Ounce tells the Faelerin about how she came to be a kind of Rift Shaman. "I grew up an orphan with various foster families. I started having visions and dreams in which I was approached by a snow leopard ..." here she pauses and glances at Gummitch, who is riding as a human in Elsie, taking a break from scouting duties. He senses her wish and shifts his shape into that of a snow leopard and curls up with his head on Ounce's lap. "... like this, but she would then change into a woman who looked a lot like my mother. She explained that the earth was a powerful goddess who needed priestesses to help her heal from the rifts. She taught me spells, lore about the various animals, and how to survive in the wilderness. Sometimes, I would spend what seemed like several days and nights in a wilderness setting, dealing with various hazards but also experiencing such beauty it sometimes made me almost cry. Then I'd wake up and it was just the time it took for a normal dream."

"I was driven from my home by the same people who captured you and would enslave you. The Goddess taught compassion for all people and animals, so I knew I could not tolerate their hate and prejudice. And while I was trying to get to the same place we are going to now, I met this guy, but that's another story."

While scouting for trouble and suitable places to pause for the night, Gummitch spotted an unusual clearing a ways ahead of Elsie. He notified Ounce with a mind link spell and flew to see what was there.

As he approached, had trouble finding what he thought he had spotted earlier. Feeling certain there was something there, he flew lower and concentrated. He seemed to pass through a thin layer of fog and suddenly could see a wide expanse surrounded by a mount 20 feet high and 50 yards in diameter.

Camped in the circle were strange beings, humanoids with golden skin, four arms, bat-like wings, and heads that resembled hawks. Seeing him at the same time as he saw them, a group rose in flight and confronted him. Gummitch sensed their peaceful nature instantly and did what he could to assure themhe meant them no harm.

After establishing intentions, the beings identified themselves as Lyn-Srial, also known as Sky-Knights or the Golden Ones. He learned that they were far from the place they settled after being grounded in the earth dimension far from the sky cities they once inhabited. Now they were an exploratory group locating places they might establish colonies. The mounds were ancient sites of the original indigenous people of the area and contained much magical energy, so they have been trying to learn what they can.

When they learned of the plight of the rescued race being taken to a safer location, they offered to shelter the group at their site. So Gummitch directed the driver of Elsie and the group was able to spend a night without worrying about ambush or monster attacks, as the site was hidden by cloud magic that kept hostile creatures away.

It was a peaceful night with clear skies and a fine view of the stars above.

Nice! Two Bennies to Ounce and Gummitch, one for the stories and one for Terry's Joker. Anyone else?

The trip back is a rough one for Barbara. Her injuries are significant and she spends a lot of time sleeping when she can, as it's the only time that she's not in a lot of pain. Even so, she isn't always able to fall asleep because of that same discomfort.

In between feverish bouts of sleep, Barbara checks mournfully on her power armor. The suit is a ruined wreck, its batteries and hydraulic fluid drained, its actuators seized, its control surfaces shattered. She feels much the same.

"Fat lot of good we did anyone," she says as she runs a hand over the frame near impact mark that used to have the unicorn power art piece.

Her low point is at night, when she is uncomfortably trying to sleep in a seat with a lightweight blanket. One of her hastily-stitched wounds starts seeping and she awakens with a start, pressing her hands over her abdomen.

"Nononono not again—"

A mixture of blood and synthetic biofluid oozes out of the puncture wound where her cybernetic replacement organs were damaged by the attack. There's nowhere to get help: She's literally in the back seat of a truck, which is being driven by the night shift crew, to travel day and night to make it back to Castle Refuge. She couldn't get out if she wanted to, and everyone else is asleep.

With a wince, she leans forward for her traveling bag. Medical supplies are scarce and she has nothing with which to replace the already-soaked bandage. She grabs a few washed rags that she was planning to save for later sanitary purposes and layers them over the injury, pressing down and closing her eyes, hoping that the bleeding stops before someone finds her dead in the morning at the breakfast stopover.

She lies in the seat, wincing, doing her best to moderate her breathing as she waits for either sleep or death to claim her.

It will take me another day or so to figure something. Currently impaired on strong painkillers as i re hurt my back

No worries, Terry. Get yourself healed up first. @Barbara- very nice and quite visceral. Well done. Two bennies to you.

Once everything is loaded up a very tired Bart finds an unoccupied piece of deck and lays down for a nap.

Some time later a little turbulence wakes him up. He was dreaming of team mates he lost in the past and how close it came to happening again today. He grunts and rolls over but his thoughts would not let his tired body sleep.

He finally gets up with a loud groan, eliciting a ”Quiet” from nearby. He makes a rude gesture at the already asleep figure, a little jealous he can’t reach that state at the moment. Slowly walking through the transport he sees a glimpse of a large glittery figure, The Unicorn adorned Glitter Girl. Imagining the artwork makes Bart smile again. It also makes him realize he should check on his team mate. He felt like he had stabilized her well and with the healing the DB’s gave her she’d be good for the trip.

Tip toeing as quiet as his large frame allows he steps up to the bench seat she was set up on. She has a slightly pained look on her face but seems to be sleeping peacefully. Bart takes another step forward and almost falls forward on her. Stepping back he grabs a small flashlight, flicks it on and sees a small pool of red, blood and something else he slipped on. Raising the beam it seems to be coming from her midsection.

He quickly hits the overheads and gently pulls the blanket back, Barbara lets out a little groan. He pulls the bandage and gauze back and cusses. Some stitches came loose. He looks closer and sees metal and plastic. Bart has no clue how many bionic upgrades she has but this one is damaged, has poked the skin from underneath right where the stitches were and is leaking what he thinks is lubricant. He reaches down to his waist and pats his belt where a medkit should have been. Nothing. It’s back with his kit. He cusses again and takes a second to center himself.

He looks around and sees no medkits here so loudly shouts ”I NEED A MEDKIT! ASAP!” and then does his best to seal the break that is seeping fluid that probably shouldn’t mix with a human body.

”You’re OK, Barbara. You’ll be OK…”

Story to come, working on it now.

Snapping awake, to the yell of needing a med kit, Terry grabs one off of his armour.

Bart, here, I'll get another at the fort.

He comes over.

Anything I can do to help? He inquires
He thinks for a second. Maybe I can

Dont have my books with me, but healing Psi Power, how does that work?