GM Quirk's Threefold Conspiracy

Game Master Quirk, Private Eye

Now that we're in the reactor room, we're supposed to create a diversion.

Did we ever qualify what a "diversion" is in this case? Are we shutting down the reactor, setting it to explode, lowering power levels, or just shooting everyone and smashing some control panels?

Shooting everyone will ne a good start. Or just crushing their heads in your bare hands. RAR'GUL!

Concur. :)

Thanks Tom. I am pleased with how that turned out. Usually, when I make a threat or talk smack, the dice don't roll my way ;)

One small hiccup: I had been planning that turn in my mind for a while before being able to post - which way he'd move, who he'd attack. Then when I posted, I thought I'd already moved Rar'gul into the room and did the full attack, but he's not actually in range of the drone, so only the first attack would actually occur.

I will bot T'sorkel tomorrow if we don't hear from him.

Sorry, all! I'm traveling and lost track of the game.

No problem. Happy travelling! I hope it's for leisure and not business (or at least leisure and business).

Definitely business, but I've managed to fit in a street art tour a couple days ago and a nature hike today. Lots of drinking and socializing too, which is fun until it's just draining.

Hey GMQ, a question for you: does Rar'gul get an AoO on the technician?

Hey GMQ, a question for you: does Rar'gul get an AoO on the technician?

I gave that some thought last night when I posted. I think I decided that the technician was -just- high enough, with just enough of a hand rail, that an AoO would have been impossible (even with Rar'gul's reach).

Don't worry. This mook isn't long for this world. Her biggest hope is to do one more hit worth of damage and force one of you to spend an RP following the encounter! :)

No problem. Good to know for his next turn.

It didn't occur to me until looking over the posts now that he is still flat-footed so wouldn't have the reaction to take the AoO anyhow!

Phrased kind of like orders but take them or leave them. I do think it's important not to get holed up in the reactor room. For diversions, I was thinking about scramming the reactor, but then we might not be able to open the bay doors. How many of us can see in the dark? John's got blind-sight, so I'm not too much afraid of being blind. Maybe I can douse the lights or turn off life support. What do you think?

Now that you ask, I just realized that Lilly has no vision enhancements at all. She'll be on armor flashlights in the dark.

Ending the technician and quickly moving on to the control room seems like our best play.

I'm hoping we get useful info from Beauregard's look in the hallway, but regardless our target is the control room and then the hangar bays.

Lilly's game for whatever you we to do.

I think we want to get Rar'gul to A20 where he won't be squeezing and can control a key point on the route from the control room to the hangar bay. Do we want to try to get a flanking buddy into A20 ahead of him?

Squeezing's not such a big deal for Rar'gul, due to having the feat Tight Fit. This means the only penalty he takes is a loss of 5ft of movement.

That said, that was pretty much my plan. Try to get down the corridor and claim a spot near the control room/passage to the hangar so we're not cut off from our objective.

Oh, and Rar'gul has darkvision.

I'd totally missed that Beau had closed the door behind him when entering the reactor room. Sorry VBD!

That means Rar'gul wouldn't have been able to get down the corridor on his previous turn as he would have needed to: 1. Move to cross room to door and 2. Move to open door.

Sorry for confusion, GMQ - to clarify, Rar'gul's hit for 19 dam was his AoO against the red Steward.

I'm guessing his attack on Hird missed.

THAT SAID, it would be my preference that Rar'gul attempt to move to a position where he can be his full token size in the next turn or so. Please keep this in mind as the rest of you move into the space where the battle is currently ongoing.

I'm working on it! Next turn should see him clear with a Guarded Step.

GM Q: Speaking of "previous damage," Lilly is at -49 (cumulative).

Between the security booth and the incident with Nodens, she was exactly out of stamina.

The 7 point shot from Hird took her into hit points.

Ow.

Does anyone have healing serums -- T'sorkel or Beau particularly?

If so you could toss them to Lilly and she'll shoot them into our front line.

Lilly has two L1 serums on her. They won't do much, but they're something.

John's got a mk2 serum from the you build it machine, but not a lot of time to get it to you. I might use it myself.

Mean doctor's lab might have something. I pushed us to move on before we could properly search it.

If you have to make choices, I'd say keep Rar'gul and Beau up.

Hmm... Lilly could go back to the Evil Doc's lab (1 round), go in and search (1-2 rounds), and come back (1 round) but the fight will probably be over by then.

Thom -- I vote for John using the Mk 2 on himself.

GM Q -- Did we establish what room A114 is?

No serums on T'sorkel. He can heal if he can get in there to touch.

A14 is Noden's personal quarters. I don't think anyone was ever in there.

Chins up! Hird is definitely bloodied! The other two could both go down after a concerted effort.

Hird is most certainly the "boss," though there may be at least one more tough encounter in this complex. It's been a while since you have had such a tough encounter. Maybe the troll? Although if I recall, the troll went down much quicker than I thought it would.

That mutant ikeshti might have been tough if it had come to a fight. I remember the last encounter in the last scenario hit really hard. Was that the troll? OR did the troll come with the old grey? Rar'gul must have savaged it.

Was just looking at the map. John doesn't have a safe square to retreat to where he can drink a serum without giving up an AoO. I think the best I can do is keep blue off Rar'gul. Could do it while fighting defensively, but then I might as well go full defense, and not bother to attack. Trick attack is the only thing that let's me do any real damage. On the plus side, I think I tagged blue again.

Wasn't suggesting you go back to the lab now. We need everyone in the fight. Maybe when this fight's over.

Maybe we can vent the whole complex if we control the reactor and/or control room. Perytons ought to be on board the ship. Probably safe enough for them.

Leaving right now doesn't seem to be a good step. :)

Lilly hasn't been connecting much, but hopefully her luck is about to change.

Posting on phone from work, so can't check in on map right now, but to answer the earlier question: Rar'gul has 3x MK1 healing serums.

Copy that, SuperS.

...John doesn't have a safe square to retreat to where he can drink a serum without giving up an AoO...

I don't think using an item provokes in SF. It would likely burn a round to get item and then use it, though.

Let me dig up rules wordings:

You can use your reaction to make an attack of opportunity against an opponent in any of these three cases.

* When you threaten a space and the opponent moves or is moved out of that space in any way other than a guarded step (see page 247) or withdraw action (see above), you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against the opponent.

*When the opponent in a space you threaten makes a ranged attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against the opponent.

* When the opponent in a space you threaten casts a spell or uses a spell-like ability, you can use your reaction to make a melee attack against the opponent. However, some spells or spell-like abilities state in their descriptions that they don’t provoke attacks of opportunity, so be sure to confirm that the enemy has provoked your reaction before you take it.

Additionally:

Serums are vials of magic liquid that you can imbibe as a standard action or carefully trickle down the throat of a helpless or unconscious creature as a full action

So I think probably a move action to access the serum, then a standard action to imbibe.

In an effort to open a line of retreat and reduce the number of opponents chipping away at us, I plan on focusing on one of the Steward lackies.

Don't think I can get to blue as he is around a corner from Rar'gul, so thinking to full attack red.

I can help with red.

I can get 'em on Red and send a shot their direction.

Count me in.

Feels like taking down Red was a big turning point for us. Nice work.

Wanted to apologize for the slow posting. Had a busy weekend that started with the work holiday party. Unfortunately, that was quickly followed by a bad head cold complete with body aches and fever on Saturday. I missed Christmas at my Mom's yesterday because I really didn't want to get anyone else sick. Also took off work today.

Still a little stuffy, but all in all, I'm feeling better.

Kind of a good news/bad news situation I just posted about in game play. On one hand, you have Hird and his crew on the ropes. He probably won't last another round if a couple of you can hit him.

On the other hand, it sounds like your ticket out of here may have just been blown up! And what's going on with that countdown on Hird's armor?

Hird has some pretty good gear. I'll list it here:

battle harness (mk 1 thermal capacitor, Tyrkalis kill
switch, static arc rifle with 1 high-capacity battery [40
charges]), static stun staffAR with 1 battery (20 charges),
personal comm unit

The two steward constables with Hird each had the following gear:

basic lashunta tempweave, hook swordAR, pusher
decouplerAR with 2 high-capacity batteries (40 charges
each), personal comm unit

There was a clue earlier that might give you an idea about where you should head when you leave here. I want you all to think back to just before you invaded the secure area. If someone thinks of it, I think a bottlecap is in order. If you don't, I'll make sure to fill you in. I know play by post games often have lots of things going on.

We're out of combat! Nice crit, Rar'gul! Awarding you a bottlecap.

Thanks GMQ! Much appreciated :)

Sweet move at the end there, SuperS. Head-crushing is becoming Rar'gul's signature.

And see how cleverly the scenario writer has made sure it's a true dungeon crawl? We

There was a small abandoned or semiabandoned structure peripherally attached to the base. Pretty sure it was on the schematic. Need to double check those posts.

Nice one Thom! And thanks for fleshing it out Janosian! I'd forgotten about Terrapin Station.

Thanks, SuperS! I knew it had to be back there somewhere. At first I thought it was the mention of the random mining camps and prisons, then then I tripped across the description of what John found on the computer.

Let's hope that's it so we can kick some reptile tail. :)

I have awarded bottlecaps to Dr. Flint-Bridge and T'sorkel. Truly a Christmas miracle!

Dr. Flint-Bridge gets one for digging up the information on Terrapin Station. Yes, that will be your best hope for escape assuming you don't find anything better at your current location.

T'sorkel gets one theorizing the connection, and perhaps the conflict, between grays and reptoids. An interesting thought there.

Things will get underway once again tomorrow night. I was travelling today, and just ran out of time to start posting again.

Hope everyone's holidays were pleasant!

Doc, don't forget Rar'gul has those 3 serum of healing mk I of you'd like them, as well. They are probably better in Doc's hands than his.

Lilly will happily hold onto the serums since she can apply them from a distance.

I'll get a post of some kind up tonight to recap what John and Lilly found.

Things are a little hectic at the moment, so in the event I don't get to make an in character post,

My preferences are:
- check out hangar to see what came if the Peryton and the Perytons
- check the training room/barracks/office for gear
- get the heck outta there!

re: the "uneasy presence" in the Chapel - I'm sure it was sealed for a reason and we should avoid it but my curiosity, and Rar'gul's spiritual inclinations have me wondering if maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a peek...

Edit: happy to roll with Doc's suggestion. For some reason my browser didn't refresh to show the new post.

Sorry for my absence. Lots going on in work and personal life lately. Just got overwhelmed. I will try to get a post for T'sorkel soon.

As an aside, when Winter Fantasy was in DC, it was the first time 4e was being played and showcased. Edition wars aside, it was a fun con and very cool to attend since I was local.

Away for the weekend:

Back in gear tomorrow night.

Just spent the past five days at the Winter Fantasy game convention in my home town. Had a great time.

Sorry for the radio silence, all. The last fortnight has been a real pain in the a$$!

Going to try and catch up and post in the nest day or so.