[SFS/Shifty] #3-16: Silence at Outpost 634 (C) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

Joe lets Ayoka work on the computer....as Joe seems more worried about Jinsuls coming from the vents or falling out of the false ceilings than working on computers.

When Ayoka asks about needing help with a hidden file Joe looks toward the computer, sighs and puts down her capture pole and walks over.

Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

"Hmm....here it the problem, you forgot to go into the root command prompt and type 'attrib -h *.* . Simple mistake."

Oh....old DOS....how I miss you!

Joe cracks the secure module in the computer database, it contains blueprints for the outpost, including those for a backup starship hangar.

The entrance to the hangar is concealed in the tunnel network on the west side of this complex!

Maps up

Attrib .... oh yeah .... thanks Joe Ayoka replies with a smile. That was SO helpful. I kept thinking it was chmod

A few keystrokes later ......

Ooooooh .... now this is interesting

Yep .... me too

"Hmm...maybe the unidentified ship was a jinsul craft and that's why it doesn't match any Pact transponder codes? I wonder if the jinsuls are still here. Maybe in the other hangar..."

Ayoka downloads the blueprints into her datapad. There can't be much room in there by now.

Judging by the map there is the strange store room with the bulging door to explore, or down the tunnels to the hangar

Buddy downloads a copy of the map and looks at it with his furry face focused on the task.

"Ok! I think I know where we are, why don't we go and check that strange storage room? Why did I call it strange? hmm..." wonders Buddy

Dos? Yuck! Open a command line and go crazy :P

Just make sure it's not stuffed full of bowling balls Ayoka quipped. ..... or tribbles

You crack the bulging door.

Image in slides

This room is foul with the stench of excrement. Hidden among the smashed crates littering the floor are the cracked-open, chitinous exoskeletons of multiple human-sized creatures. A hulking, spined mammal rises from the floor to menace intruders with a rumbling growl.

Survival or Life Science might be handy now

Buddy looks at the creature and says
"Hi, I am Buddy! How are you? Are you a nufriend in need?" says with a trembling voice

He turns his head sideways and asks

"Hey nufriends, is it the intelligent skitter that we read about? They do not have 6 arms! The horror of living with only 2 of them, can you imagine!"

Joe pulls out her custom microlab to determine what this critter is.

Take 20 Life Science: 20 + 11 = 31

"Umm.....interesting."

Szama stifles a scream as she spots the creature. Her hands begin to glow faintly with magic as she prepares to defend herself and her friends.

It doesn't reply to Buddy, looks like it doesn't do 'talking'.

Joe has no idea what this large beast is - having never seen or heard anything about such unique creature - but it appears to have some interesting looking barbs in its tail that look like they could be flicked and fired with force like the manticores from the sword and sandal trideo broadcasts. Also seems to have fairly powerful claws for burrowing through earth (and flesh), and has a pretty tough looking hide.

Joe can tell by the ribs showing and demeanour that it is more hungry than angry, but if it isn't fed super quickly there's about half a dozen bright furry creatures that resemble a meal in front of it.

Actions?

Squizzer digs through her pack, but finds nothing yummy. "Does anyone have one of those fruits we found?" she asks her oldfriends.

Joe gulps a little, and quickly feels on her back....

"Umm....I am not carrying my R2E's...they are back on the ship....can somebody hyper like run to get some of the fruit and get back here pronto????"

Ayoka was about to do that but remembered she is one of the few skitters without hyper move. She instead goes rummaging in her kit for rations.

Uh ... darn .... I ate mine. The only pineapples in here are grenades

Sounds like everyone is standing in front of it fishing around in packs... :p

Buddy after consuming the fruit suggests.

"Ok Szama, show us what you discovered in that chamber of yours. Should we take some fruits with us? Maybe the nufrieds are hungry?" says Buddy hiding one of the fruits in his bag.

Why don't we go to the room that Szama was in?

'Hiding one of the fruits' - who is the skitter who played adventure games? When you walk past a fruit you pick it up :D

Buddy realize something, he reaches to his bag and reaches for a bit dull fruit. He raises it high saying.

"I will give it to this gentle creature." says Buddy as he turns around and sees Mujina standing a bit still

"Mujina run and get some more fruits? All six that! Gree?"

He takes few steps towards and puts the fruit on the ground, then Buddy takes a step back.

"Don't worry, we will get some food for you. Don't need to be afraid" says not convinced Buddy

"It is more afraid of you than you of him, it is more afraid of you..." keeps repeating Buddy

The creature launches itself at the fruit, buying you a moment...!

Working out the creature wants more fruit, you leg it back to the earlier room and get a few armfuls. The creature devours them mightily, gorging away. It seems happy to ignore you now and keep chewing.

Checking the room it was in you find piles of chitin and some equipment - a set of basic lashunta tempweave, two leg blades that function as hook swords, and a vector graviton pistol. The remaining supply crates in the room contain 200 feet of titanium alloy cable line and two grapplers.

Judging by the gear and heaps of chitin, it appears that this large beast must have been driven into (and locked into) this room, but not before it killed a few invading jinsul. It has since devoured them as the only source of food.

"Poor creature...I hope we can keep it and bring it back to the society...I bet the researchers there would treat it well, and give it lots of fruit to eat. Hmm...cable and grapplers...might want to bring that along. Best to keep safe. Also...I keep forgetting to buy my grappler....sigh. "

Szama ogles the graviton pistol while Joe looks at the cable and grapplers. "It's beautiful," she says, hefting the rather heavy weapon and looking down the sights as she points it toward the wall. "Can I keep it? I promise I'll take good care of it!"

"Considering I think the owners...the people we were sent here to let them have some R&R are likely dead....yeah. I think you can keep it at least for now."

I presume that means we're stuck here as the caretakers for a bit. Although it must have been really really sudden. Cause we were talking to someone on our final approach

Buddy takes one grappler and stashes it.

"So... you stay here and eat those fruits while we go out to find the scientist. Gree?" Buddy says to the large creature

I think we are left with one doors.

To the hangar! :)

Szama actually looks a little excited about going to the hangar, figuring that even if there's some horrible monster there, at least she'll probably get to see their ships!

The creature doesn't answer, but it does seem to 'gree as all it wants to do right now is eat fruit and have naps - it no longer thinks Skittermanders might be delicious like the stinky not-friend Streidermanders.

You make your way down to the underground hangar.

This hangar contains a dilapidated starship of a classic Pact Worlds model in the final stages of repair. While most of the area was cleared in preparation for the ship’s departure, a few supply crates occupy the edges of the space. The ceiling arcs into darkness above, and a massive, curved metal door stands shut on the far side of the hangar.

You see two Jinsuls laying in wait, prone on the wing.

The hangar ceiling rises to a height of 50 feet. Climbing the side of the starship requires a successful DC 20 Athletics check, and the starship’s wing is 20feet in the air.

R1
Ayoka
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama
Buddy

Ayoka hasn't had a decent chance to show off her new Star Mystic powers so it is a bit surprising when the skittermander mechanic fire a full round set of shooting stars at Orange.

mm: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) + 3 = 10

Buddy's avatar was missing, I guess do to me moving him on the previous map to the last doors (away from the party).

Buddy runs for the crates closer to the ship. As he runs he makes a loot of noise smacking his shield on the doshko.

Attack@orange vs KAC, 1st increment: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 3 - 2 = 10
Damage, cold & piercing: 1d8 ⇒ 1

"Sorry!"

A pile of missiles tear into one of the Jinsuls.

Buddy misses a shot.

R1
Ayoka
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama
Buddy

R
O 10

Squizzer begins to summon a little friend.

Szama brings her hands up to call upon the old stand-by--the needle reality--and brings a barrage of needles into being to stab into Orange.

Full action cast Puncture Veil. Orange takes the damage below plus bleeding 2 for 3 rounds

PV Damage (P): 2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6

Joe gives Mujina a quick boost.

[ooc]Mujina +10 move speed, for the next 5 rounds).

With that Joe heads for cover, aiming her gun toward the Jinsuls.

@Buddy - was my bad copypasta :)

Squizzer starts summoning.
Joe Bones gives out the energy drink.
Szama pierces the veil.

R1
Ayoka - cast
Joe Bones - boost
Squizzer - summoning
Mujina
Szama - acted
Buddy - acted

R
O 16 (Bleed 2)

@Shifty the last time I saw Mujina's post was HereI think we need to bot him (Hiding behind the crate is also fine).

OK he can chill behind the crate

The bleeding jinsul bleeds out!

The other one opens fire at Szama
Attack 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9 vs EAC
Damage 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

R2
Ayoka
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama
Buddy

R
O - Dead

Buddy looks out from behind the crate and again takes aim with his cannon

Attack vs KAC, 1-st increment: 1d20 + 3 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 3 - 2 = 8
Damage, c&p: 1d8 ⇒ 4

"I think my gun is broken, it does not shoot where I want it to!" says Buddy hiding again behind the boxes.

Btw. hitting the jinsul from the graviton pistol and pulling them out of the wing would be nasty :D

Buddy misses a shot.

Szama jumps and screams as the jinsul's shot strikes at her feet. She runs as fast as her feet can carry her to get behind some cover, then her arms begins flashing in and out of the folds of her robes holding little circular windows into a different reality. As her arms come out, it is revealed that each is of a different color, somehow even showing more than the six colors that would be the expected limit for a skittermander! As she does brings out the various windows, her masked face looks from one to the other until she finds the one she's looking for--a reality suffused with brilliant light. She clutches the desired window, shapes it into a ball, then lobs it like a grenade toward the remaining jinsul. The window explodes in a flash of light!

Infinite Worlds (1, instantaneous) - Red needs to make a DC14 Fortitude save or be dazzled for 3 rounds. If Red rolls a natural 1 on its saving throw, it is also blinded for 1 round.

Fort 1d20 ⇒ 17
The jinsul is not interested in different worlds, only taking aim.

R2
Ayoka
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama - acted
Buddy - acted

R
O - Dead

Pass it over Buddy Ayoka calls out I should be able to fix it for you.

She fires more shooting stars at the remaining Jinsul.
ss: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (4, 2, 2) + 3 = 11

Buddy takes aim with their caustolance rifle, adding an inhibitor to it.

Caustolance, Liquidator (EAC): 1d20 + 5 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 5 - 2 = 9
Almost certainly a -2 to hit from range (range 60), so added that in
Nope....rerolling, +3 novas (right now)
Caustolance, Liquidator (EAC): 1d20 + 5 - 2 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 5 - 2 + 3 = 25
Damage (Acid): 1d6 ⇒ 4
Inhibitor, for the next 8 rounds, has a -2 to AC

The jinsul is peppered with flying missiles!

R2
Ayoka - acted
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama - acted
Buddy - acted

R - 11
O - Dead

Mujina snaps out of his lethargy and starts rolling furiously towards the jinsuls.

Move, Move, Move (Hyper)

Mujina shifts!

R2
Ayoka - acted
Joe Bones
Squizzer
Mujina
Szama - acted
Buddy - acted

R - 11
O - Dead

Squizzer & Joe up

Uhh....I posted right before you did on Friday (and right after Ayoka)....I shot (and missed, then shirt rerolled) and hit.....

Squizzer finishes summoning a friend, and a little skittermander whelp of goodness pops into existence and attacks.

attack: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
damage: 1d4 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1
roll for attach: 1d20 ⇒ 11
sorry, I'm not sure how to tell what the bonus is for attach

Squizzer the moves forward as far as she can (three move actions, because using hyper)

Joe lands a solid shot.

The small summoned Skittermander goes allsix though and wedges on.

The last jinsul is easily overcome as a result!

1hp left and a Skittermander stuck to it

End combat

Ayoka moves up for a closer look.

I've heard about them, but this is the first time I've seen a jinsul Ayoka remarked. Creepy looking things. Looks like something you'd encounter as some sort of ...... um ...... monster from the Dark Beyond. That many eyes can't be natural.