Drat. :(
Fair enough I will try to find another way to skin this particular cat.
"The exhaust ducts are filled with hot fumes: a Resolve + Survival (Difficulty 18) lets a character endure them without injury.
Same damage amounts as above to the same range of attributes; roll random to see which attribute."
I would have thought hot fumes are not going to hurt K 9, or at least hurt him less than a human. He does not have lungs to injure or destroy.
If so I can take the -4 x2 on the last roll for the 2 +4's on the first 2 rolls essentially w/o penalty.
Does that sound right Mr GM?
While heat might not damage his lungs, it might cause damage to his internal circuitry, so if he has no specific trait that provides him an advantage against heat, I hesitate to change the rules on the damage rolls. Consider how using a story point might help.
A point of procedure on using story points to gain a +2d6 to the roll:
If you want to use the option, do the following: make a post and announce that you are using the story point to add dice to the roll. Then make a new post and use the extra dice. This makes it so you don't know the effect of the initial roll nor the bonus added for the extra dice until you have committed to using the story points.
If you spend the story points without announcing the use before the post that uses them, you are limited to buying up the success level or halving the damage sustained. Note, this second option can only be used when the immediate danger has passed and when it can be rationalized by some action or other taken in a moment of rest.
Note you can spend more than one point to get more than 2 extra dice at a rate of 1 extra die per story point spent above the first, but you must get GM permission before doing this.
I will be watching for players to do things that can earn them more story points, now that you're spending them. This first requires good role playing, so that means posts that provide everyone a good dramatic read to what's happening. This generally means doing something that is in character but which may not be wise from a meta-gaming perspective. This could be a character who normally is most concerned with himself taking a risk to help someone else, or vice versa, someone who normally looks after others first takes care of himself out of fear or some other motivation. Most importantly it should make the game fun. So ham it up and take chances. I'll be watching for ways to reward you, particularly after you've spent some story points and will be needing to build them up.
This is an essential element for a game like this where the rules are not highly detailed and don't alone determine things that most games provide with more complicated rules. You can also negotiate with the GM for bonus points in return for attempting something dramatic and suspense inducing. If you want to do that, send me a PM.
Review the rules in chapter 3 for details. Let me know if you have any questions.
A point of procedure on using story points to gain a +2d6 to the roll:
If you want to use the option, do the following: make a post and announce that you are using the story point to add dice to the roll. Then make a new post and use the extra dice. This makes it so you don't know the effect of the initial roll nor the bonus added for the extra dice until you have committed to using the story points.
I understand about having to decide on using a story point for +2d6 before rolling.
I am a little at a loss as to why making 2 posts effects that, rather than just typing using a story point in the 1st post, but I will do it.
Fair enough about K 9 not having an immunity to hot smoke. I think logic is on my side, but the rules and maybe fairness is against. Sa la vie.
Additional notes on story points:
I you are going to use a story point(s), please work something into the narrative that represents how that story point manifested in the events. For example,
When Ted used a story point to avoid damage from the heat and steam, he wrote: "He feels the heat, and knows he can't make a single mistake. A blast of steam almost hits him square in the chest, but by some miracle he manages to dodge."
Better would be something specific. How does he dodge? Maybe he turns his back so the steam hits his overcoat and that avoids a burn. Or a piece of insulation was exposed and Ted was able to grab it and cover his face with it. Or he was able to grab something where the heat was less intense, hang on until he cooled off, and then dropped to continue the fall.
Once you've spent some story points, you will want to be on the lookout for opportunities to earn some back, as mentioned above. If you're looking for ideas of how your character can do that, look at your list of bad traits and do something that is consistent with your bad trait that puts you or the group at a disadvantage.
If you have a code of conduct, refrain from doing something that would be helpful but would be inconsistent with your code or do something that is not helpful because your code requires you to.
If you are curious, poke into something dangerous looking just to see what it is.
If you're argumentative, be argumentative at an inconvenient moment.
Think like you are a Doctor Who scriptwriter inserting a plot complication or bringing the story to a dramatic point of tension and then providing the twist that keeps the character from buying the farm. Be creative. You have a lot of script approval. Use it (just keep in mind I may overrule some attempts, since I'm the executive producer).
Doctor GM - after I made my last post in Gameplay, I got an email saying I had papers to grade, so I went off to take care of them. It was only after that that I checked the Discussion, but the hour limit to edit was already past. I'll be sure to follow the procedures you outlined for using Story Points in the future.
Understood, I will keep those things in mind going forward.
Not sure if you realised but i did this by updating my last post.
No worries. This is the first situation where story points have been called for. It's a new system for us all.
Sorry for the delay. I was going to post yesterday but I ended up busy at the office all day and then after supper, our home Internet connection cut out and is only back this morning. I'll be working at night the next five weeks, so my posting on M-Th will be mostly in the AM or early afternoon.
I'm opting out of my Keen Senses trait for this roll, since I think his familiarity with Cybermen would cloud his judgement. What would be the difficulty?
Somewhere 9 to 12. It is easy to see through. This is more of a role playing flavoring roll rather than something hard and fast that has to be made or bad things ensue. Have fun with it.
Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting. I was out of town with limited internet access. I'll get caught up.
Before making a post I want to make sure I am properly understanding our GM and reading the map right.
A metal stairway leads down to the floor of the power core area. Another leads down on the opposite side of the chamber, with short ladder up into the level above. The energy feeding into and amplifying the axonite activity is near the bottom of the other stairway, but to get to it will require dealing with the tendrils.
So the first stairway is to the left?
And the second to the right?
And where is the vehicle being launched, at the end of the ladder going up from the "High Platform"?
In the perhaps unlikely case that I am correct about where everything is I suggest going right. That way we can directly try to interfere with the energy feeding into and amplifying the axonite activity, try to get to the vehicle being launched and try to shut down the launch etc. via access to the control panel. This may involve splitting up, but we can decide on that later.
Heroic robot dog ready to lead the charge. :)
You are in the vehicle being launched. The exhaust pipes you came through end in an access cabinet inside the power core of the Golden Promise. You are at the top of a stairway that goes down and to the left. If the top of the map is north, you are at the south side and the stair leads down and clockwise to the west side of the cylinder. From there you can access the control panel that regulates the power supply or go around to the other stair that leads up from the SE side to the north in a counterclockwise direction.
One other detail, you do not come into range of the tendrils until you are halfway down the stairs. K-9 may have problems with the stairs, which are not solid but welded strips of aluminum for reduced weight.
I have a cold so my posting may be a bit delayed this week.
Didn't you say when we were creating characters than K 9 had a hover function, because you didn't want to constantly consider what surface we were adventuring on and how it might exclude K 9 from the adventure?
Or is his weight the problem, though I wouldn't have thought so.
I remember the topic was discussed, but was relying on what was in K-9's profile. It says he can to hover up to a metre above the floor, ground or surface of a liquid and move at his normal speed. Let's just say he can move down the steps but he'll have to make a coordination + Ingenuity roll to do anything tricky along the way, like stopping and landing on a step before getting to the bottom. DC 9.
Ted will want to fire at the tendrils to help the smarter people make it to the console. I know it was discussed a while ago, but just to be sure do you want me to post the action now and you will resolve everything in the proper order?
Damn, wish I'd thought to bring a gun. :( Can I throw my knife?
Further Question- can K 9 move and shoot? My preference would be moving then shooting a tendril if it catches me.
Please excuse my ignorance. :(
Sorry I've been slow to respond. Dealing with a cold and work has meant I'm spending lots of time sleeping. I will try to respond to these questions when I have a bit more time to consider things. Then we can set things off.
You are caught in the remarkable cold snap as well? It has made the news here in Australia. Take care.
Bryce and I did not suffer much. I think it got down to 10 F and the high temperatures never got much below 30 F. But it has been a challenging week. I could have forced a quick update, but there is something special coming and I didn't want to rush it. So thanks for your patience.
Regarding the questions asked about how to proceed to get to the control panel while the tendrils menace:
I don't want to get too bogged down in rules but as I understand the system, those who want to move get to go first, but if anyone is in a position to try to interfere with that movement, they get to roll (what they roll depends on how they are interfering). This sets the Difficulty for a roll to move without being affected or hindered by the action. Most movement rolls will be Coordination + Athlethics, unless you can think of something clever that requires different attributes.
You could, of course, have no movement this round and let those with weapons attempt to attack the tendrils. Eliminating two will eliminate the threat for a full round. After that, another one has sprouted and again threatens any who would move through the space. IF the movement roll fails, a tendril succeeds in gripping the person/robot and preventing further movement until an action sets him free.
If the tendrils do arrest movement, anyone with the ability to attack may do so. The tendril gets a dodge roll, unless it has gripped someone, in which case the target is 12 and the tendril gets no roll to avoid.
Anyone can attempt two or more actions in one round, but each action after the first has a -2 penalty. You may, of course, spend story points as before.
After getting to the power core, the roll to disrupt the power launch is Ingenuity + Technology 18. If the result is 21 or higher, it also destroys the axonite. If you fail, you may try again the next round, although you may have to deal with tendrils or other threats.
When you post, please narrate your actions as creatively as you can, providing a description that would be how you would imagine the TV show to portray the actions for maximum drama. I'll try to give you the rolls to beat before you post so you know if you succeed or not and so can narrate based on the rolls. Also, if you use a story point, explain how it comes into play.
Good luck.
I added a section on how to use story points on my character profile for easy reference. Copied directly from the character sheet pdf.
Good idea. I should put some of that kind of information in the campaign tab. A project for a rainy day.
It's important to note that you get 12 story points and they generally refresh for each new adventures. So it's expected that you will use them and not just as a way to cheat death in case of a series of bad rolls, as tends to be the case with things like Hero Points in Pathfinder. They are also good for more than just tweaking rolls.
We're near the end of this adventure, so don't hold back. I would think of them in terms of how a writer of the show might develop an ending to an episode. Good show writing takes the characters up to a point where it seems hopeless. Then someone gets a brilliant idea, the Doctor uses his sonic to create a diversion, etc. And it creates just enough plausibility that the characters can live to travel through space and time another day (so to speak).
I was looking through the episode list for the 3rd and 4th Doctor. The Master tangled with the 3rd Doctor just once, which is why his temporal trace is here. But the one time he encountered the 4th Doctor was an episode in which the Doctor had no companions. So I don't think any of the PCs would have encountered the Master directly. But there are lots of ways they may have heard of him. So role play it any way you wish.
Hey Doctor GM- are there any doors with electronic locks near the Master. I am looking at using K ('s open/close as a distraction. I have a feeling the locks are old fashioned so I am out of luck, but no harm in asking.
There are various panels on the power source itself. There are pipes with unknown substances flowing through them, potentially, with valves that might be available. No point in locking things in a spacecraft, so no locks.
Fellow Players- We have been delaying I think because none of us quite know what to do. That is true of me anyway. We should reach a decision asap.
The best plan I can come up with is using my Open / Close ability to open whatever can be opened in the power core as a distraction, then start bolting for the control panel. I can try a enginuity + technology roll to see if I can figure out exactly what that will do. If a tendril grabs me I will nose laser the thing [if I can under the rules].
The Doctor GM- Can the others use the power core as cover from The Masters fire?
Yes, I too am completely stuck on what to do. The problem lies with the Doctor GM's "then someone gets a brilliant idea" - that's easy to do in a pre-written plot, but hard to do on-the-spot. And often, it's the Doctor that gets the idea, and we don't have him to rely on here.
Your plan sounds as good as any.
I think it is time to get on and do something. Brilliant or not. :(
I would plan better in a system I knew. A bit of an excuse but true enough.
To some extent, story points can buy you something that might help. I think that's pretty much how the show's writers work.
Example: In "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship, they are confronted with two triceratops dinosaurs. Rory's dad reaches in his pocket and he finds a golf ball. He throws the ball and the dinosaurs respond like dogs and chase the ball.
What could you reach in your pocket and find? Or what might be found inside a spaceship about to launch that could be used to create a distraction, or disrupt the tendrils or block them or ...
Most systems are designed to have ready made skill rolls or attack rolls or saving throws to handle almost everything. But this game is meant to be more flexible.
If you get really stuck, there is the following option for a story points:
“I dunno… I’m stumped…” The Gamemaster gives you a subtle clue or some event occurs that nudges you in the right direction. Cost: 1
I'd rather you think of something but I'll provide something if you want.
Okay, I'm thinking about spending some story points to try to shoot the ray gun out of the Master's hand. What would I need to roll to draw it without him noticing?
A distraction would be the ticket. K-9 has already asked about that. There are some valves about the area that could be opened with one of his internal gadgets.
Does this include K 9 or has he already acted?
Let's say for simplicity that the valve opening was last round. The Master will fire a blind shot but short of box cars for the roll, it shouldn't have much chance of hitting. Let's consider actions to come part of the new round.
Cool thanks. I believe I am waiting my turn.
Yesterday was my wife's birthday, so we've been celebrating doing things we enjoy together. Might not get a post up until later. I'll 'bot Kyle and then lay out the rolls. Sorry for the delay.
Best wishes to your wife. :)
And we have been worse. Taking time making a quite complicated and important decision when we can't just talk it through.
We will sort out this Master nonentity.
Working on my post now. I will be using a story point to buy 2 extra dice.
I'll make a roll by the Master to see if he takes the bait. The result won't be evident until later, so K-9 can make his dash for the controls. There is no roll needed to succeed in moving, but if he is expecting to be attacked along the way, he should roll a Coordination plus Athletics to set the target number for success. There will be minuses to hit due to the liquid nitrogen for anyone or anything attacking K-9 or any other PC.
Is this something I could use 2 story points to bump up to an ordinary success?
Not sure what "this" is. Your roll was to create a distraction and doesn't really have a target number but rather becomes the target number to a resistance roll by the Master to keep focused.
I meant the distraction, what I was trying to achieve with the roll. I wasn't sure if that rule with story points would apply with a roll that was contested instead of having a straight target number. I assumed it wouldn't apply and by your wording I think that's accurate, but figured I'd ask to be certain.
Before rolling you could spend a story point to increase the number of dice rolled, so that the result is higher than normal.
At work, I'm at the end of a term and have grading and class prep for next term to complete, so I'm sorry to delay things at such a suspenseful moment. I'm hoping that as I get more familiar with the system, I can keep things moving better, but I'll try to get a post up before tonight becomes tomorrow. If only I had a TARDIS, I could go back and always have timely posts. :)
The Doctor GM-
A couple of questions, sorry.
Can K 9 both figure out how to use the control console and use it in one round?
And can I take cover from The Master behind the console while so doing. I would have thought I could study the console by peeking over the side of it, so I Mostly have cover from attacks from where the Master is. But I would have to go in front of the console, out in the open, to use it.
I could be lucky I guess, and the relevant controls are up the end near the other PCs so I can do it from cover.
In principle I would like to blow away the Master as well, but I think I am going to have to do that later if I get a chance.
Unfortunately, a rocket isn't built with a lot of space in mind, so no cover for working the control panel. Others will have to distract the Master.
My other question was- Can K 9 both figure out how to use the control console and use it in one round?
And I am not sure I quite got across what I was trying to do. Please look at the map and where K 9 and the Master are. I assume the control panel is like a desk with instruments on controls on it, sticking out above the floor. If that is so I can't see how I can't be able to get cover by moving slightly toward it to K 9's left. The only way I can't do that I can see if the control panel is flat on the floor, which is very weird indeed.
I must be able to just poke K 9's eyes above the panel to see the top and study it, presenting a much smaller target.
That is why I want to know if I need one round to study it and a second to enter commands. To enter the commands K 9 is going to have to reach the appropriate gizmo on the panel. Unless I am lucky and the appropriate gizmo or gizmos are conveniently located near where K 9 is now, I am going to have to be shot at w/o cover for one round.
But if I need 2 rounds I will have to be w/o any cover for the second round [unless I am lucky] but not the first.
Sorry to be so particular, but I have a dangerous enemy shooting at me and i am nearly disabled.