Not wanting the cultists to escape to their allies beyond the door, Xylian remotely hacks the far door and engages the contagion containment protocols, disabling the control pannel for the time being.
Move up. Standard Action to use Overload on the door.
Overload:
As a standard action, you can cause a short in an electronic device, including most ranged energy weapons, melee weapons with the powered special property, or a single armor upgrade. This makes the device nonfunctional for 1 round. Overload doesn’t cause a locked door, safe, or other device to open, but it prevents anyone from opening it for 1 round. You must be adjacent to the device to use this ability. If you have a drone, you can instead use this ability on an electronic device adjacent to your drone. If you have an exocortex with the wireless hack ability, you can instead use this ability on any electronic device within range of your exocortex’s wireless hack. If you use overload on an item or armor upgrade in someone’s possession, the owner can attempt a Reflex saving throw to negate the effect (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level + your Intelligence modifier). Overload doesn’t affect androids, cybernetics, drones, powered armor, robots, or creatures with the technological subtype (all of which have shielding against this sort of attack), or items larger than Medium. Once a device has been successfully overloaded, a residual static charge prevents that device from being overloaded again for 1 minute.
The panicked female cultist turns to fun, only to find the door suddenly locked! She turns back just in time to catch a pulse gauntlet punch from Hani, and collapses unconscious. Seeing her fall, and surviving another terrible blow from Jin, the other solarian's face becomes enraged as the temperature in the room starts to rise!
Hani's punch knocks out Red.
Jin hits Blue--one more will do it. (but Jin's OOC instincts are right on the money!)
Hani's 16 "*just* missed Blue" last round, and it was also mentioned that Blue was female in that post... so I think something got confused in there as to which was which. No big, but it confused me into thinking my attack would succeed.
Zharis stared at her claws, not believing that she had missed. Hmm. That shot was going to take some creative editing.
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
Tulgram grunts contentedly when the cultist can't open the door, and then passes out from the blow. And now it's my turn! Take a bite of Uncle Tulgram's poison, bhaha!
Merciful Capture Pole:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 191d8 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18(piercing vs KAC; non-lethal dmg) Guarded step and strike VS BLUE | + Basic Inhibitor: -2 AC for 9 rounds
Tulgram manages to drop the remaining cultist just an instant before he would have gone nuclear!
Tulgram's attack hits and drops Blue.
We are off Initiative.
@Zharis: How dare you! Just like a wizard is never late, a GM never makes mistakes! Hani's attack was actually against Red, not Blue--sorry for the confusion. The result was correct, just not the color in my summary.
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
By the way, Blue is alive - I hit him non-lethally, so he's just passed out. Perhaps it will be useful to us later.
Bha. I'm more and more convinced that these guys are rare cretins. Maybe I should take an analysis of their DNA to find out what can cause such stupidity? Grumbling, Tulgram is simultaneously engaged in examining the premise and accessories of the cultists for something useful.
The male cultist has the following: a ysoki refractor suit, resonant dirge pistol with 1 battery (20 charges), a least gluon crystal, and an orange pendant with an 8-pointed star cast in black and white metal; the geometry of the star symbol seems slightly out of alignment or phase, causing a sense of unease when viewed (Mysticism to identify/value). The female cultist has: Casual stationwear, frostbite-class zero pistol with 1 battery (20 charges), survival knife.
Confirming that the door is not trapped and that his allies are ready, Jin opens the door to reveal an operating room.
Most of the equipment in the chamber is covered with sheets, although a bright light in the center of the room shines onto a metal operating table with a swivel tray holding an array of surgical instruments.
The plastic door you entered through contrasts with a door resembling an airlock to the east.
As you enter, you first notice that Nib and Otlo are here, bound together in the center of the room! Nib, obviously under some form of sedation, struggles to fight off sleep enough to half-shout “watch out for the elf!”
“Yes, ‘watch out’ for me," says a male elf with long blonde hair from a corner of the room. He wears a necklace with the same symbol as the other cultists of Azathoth, but he's surrounded by a thin purple force field and holographic clones dance around him as he speaks. “My name is Amaldrel Vershian. I thought I’d have to hunt you down. So obliging of the prey to come to the predator. Turn over the tablet and you can all walk away with your lives.”
DC 15 Culture:
You recognise this guy! You've seen him around the Deep Cultures Institute--he's a specialist in solar religions.
A pic of this guy is on Slide # 1 (the elf on the cover of the issue).
As, theoretically, there's still a chance to resolve the matter without violence, we won't go to Initiative quite yet unless you want to launch an immediate attack.
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
Did it ever occur to you that before you fight, you can talk first? I know you elves aren't very smart, but still... Okay, let's try again. What do you want to do with this tablet? Sell it on the black market and get rich for life?
Diplomacy:1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22Tulgram knows that this is not the case, but he wants to bring Amaldrel to frankness with such a light provocation on the topic of the elf's self-interest.
Zharis walks in, followed by her drone camera of course, and she says
Skinny thing like you? You don't look like much of a predator to me. Also, I can never tell with your race... are you a male or a female? I love the beautiful hair either way, of course. Tulgram asks a good question. I'm interested as well.
She positions herself so that she is facing the elf, but between him and the prisoners, if possible. (Not sure what corner he is in... feel free to move me to as close as that position as he allows.)
"The tablet has to be destroyed," Amaldriel says. "Lest it free the Eshtayiv from Ezorod, and even you yokels from Near Space could not be so foolish." Seeing Zharis advance into the room, Amaldriel holds up a pistol. "Don't come any closer. Your next step will be your last."
@Zharis: I've now placed tokens on the map, and Amaldriel clearly means what he says--if you move any closer to him (or try to free the prisoners) he'll attack immediately.
@Everyone: You can tell that that Nib and Otlo are both alive, but badly wounded. If they get hit by area effects, there's a good chance they could die.
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
Okay, okay. Tulgram raises his hand as if to show that it is not necessary to get hot (but still clutches the weapon in the other). His voice sounds extremely unexpected now - like a kind grandfather talking to his beloved granddaughter. The intonation is so soft that it's even surprising for you. Maybe I'll agree with you and give you a tablet. Big danger, some chained evil... Azathoth's cultists must understand something about this. I'll take it seriously. But what is the essence of the danger, please explain? What is Eshtayiv?
I think we're all on the same page about this, but just to make sure it is clear... Zharis is carrying the tablet, and she will never agree to give it to this guy. All we're doing is delaying to get information.
Zharis has never been called a yokel before, and although it makes her want to shoot something, she waits to see how the elf will respond to Tulgram.
"The Incandescent Doom, you fool!" shouts Amaldriel. His eyes are wide and he's starting to resemble a serious scholar of solar religions less and a scary fanatic more. "The Eshtayiv is all-consuming light, scorching flesh and burning the mind. Only the pervasive darkness of Ezorod can contain it, and that tablet could unleash its doom on all of us!"
Neither of the hostages will thank us for saving them if we give up the tablet, it negates what they are working for, the culmination of the last adventure, and primarily for in-character... never negotiate with terrorists. He's been torturing these people. I think that means it is a mistake to believe that he has good intentions and that things will just get better if we do as he says. Thinking about any information we get and using it as we make further decisions is good... trusting him, or even giving in to evil, not good.
As far as changing him to helpful, Expert Negotiator moves initial attitude up by a category already (which would basically have been reflected in his response to my previous diplomacy roll). I don't have anything that works like that for intimidate. Zharis is trying to save the hostages, but has zero intention of letting this guy live.
Zharis says
Okay, okay, we'll give you the tablet if you let our friends here go. They don't know anything about it, but we do. We're the ones that recovered it. But no tablet until you let them leave. That happens first.
He wants to destroy the tablet... he might do it before we could stop him. It's going to be battle either way. We just need to avoid area of effect spells until we can get the other guy free as well. ... But agree that their safety is important. I'll try for the second guy as well before starting anything.
Elves have low-light vision rather than darkvision, right? Just want to make sure that cutting the lights will actually give us an advantage.
Thank you. says Zharis in response to the elven kidnapper / torturer / fanatic, and she steps forward to free Nib, making sure she is playing the correct part, of the compliant and worried negotiator.
As she cuts her free (or picks the lock or whatever is necessary), she looks towards the door and says
Hey guys, can you come in here? It's okay. He isn't going to kill us if we give him what he wants. I just don't think she's going to be able to walk. We might need to carry her.
Once Nib is free, Zharis says to the elf,
Okay, how about I become your hostage and you let this other guy go too? He looks bad, and I need to know that they are going to be safe before I agree to this trade. Here is my show of faith. I'm going to put my weapons on the floor and kick them over there, okay?
If he agrees, she carefully (still playing her part, making sure he sees that she isn't trying to threaten him) takes both the pistols that she keeps in her holsters out, sets them on the floor, and kicks them away (towards the three crates on the NE side of the room), hopefully gaining his trust enough that he will allow the others to free Otlo as well.
Oh yeah, and these too.
She lays her sword on the ground, and takes her bandolier off that has all the grenades attached to it, and kicks those in the same direction.
Note: the bluff is just that she is agreeing to be a hostage... she really is removing all of her weapons, except her claws, but even if he knows Pahtras he won't necessarily know that hers are lethal, since that isn't the default for the race.
I can use a telepathic message to signal everyone/tell Xylian to cut the lights as well, but saving that for now since we don't even know if he will agree to take me as a hostage instead yet.
Nib staggers and stumbles as she's led into the next room, and then collapses heavily in a corner. Her head lolls on her chest, and it's clear the sedatives have taken full effect.
Almaldriel shakes his head at Zharis' offer to trade herself for Otlo. "The ichor-licker stays until I see that tablet. Bring it out. Walk it over to me, and your pals can start dragging him out for all I care."
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
Tulgram silently watches Zaris' brilliant work. He certainly does not approve of pahtra' choice - he would prefer to save Ottlo first, but... At least something.
Anyway, Tulgram quickly examines Nib, checking that he will not die right now or that he has not been injected with a cunning poison, the antidote for which only this elf has (or something similar... a bomb sewn into the liver in a hurry and so on).
Zharis sends a telepathic message to Xylian, but includes the whole team so they all know the plan.
>Okay, Xylian, you're up. I'll try to keep up the bluff and act when the lights go out unless he catches on sooner.<
Outwardly she just sighs and says
Okay, I'll show it to you.
Is Otlo tied up or manacled? Need to know so that I can know how fast I could free him. Standing beside him already... if it just takes a couple of slashes of my claws through the rope, maybe I could free him before he could kill him.
She takes off her backpack, placing it on the floor but keeping her body between the elf and it, and starts rooting through it. She pulls out some toolkits, some extra batteries that start rolling around on the floor when she stacks them too high, copies of her movies, some autographed glossies, extra comm units, mess kit, flashlight... she keeps pulling things out, stalling for time until Xylian does something.
--If the signal comes, and it is easy to free Otlo, she will do that first, and then move herself between Otlo and the elf.
--If the signal comes, and it is NOT easy to free Otlo, she will move herself between Otlo and the elf and attack.
--If she can't stall that long for some reason, or if Xylian's signal doesn't come, she'll pull on the glove of storing (or we can say she had it on all the time if you're willing to go with the idea that she had it modified to work with her claws using some of her stipend money), then finally pull out the tablet to show him, carefully get up and walk over to him with it, but as soon as he reaches for it, she snaps her fingers to store it instead and claws him. (If this option happens, happy to roll another bluff roll, acting roll, or both... or for you to do it for me, either way.)
In the adjoining room, Tulgram performs a quick medical evaluation of Nib. Meanwhile, Zharis continues trying to stall Amaldriel while telepathically broadcasting a cunning plan to her allies.
@Zharis: This wasn't a well-designed plan by the cultists, so they didn't bring handcuffs or other restraints. Otlo is tied to the bed by a "rope" of bedsheets that would be easy to cut (or untie). It's really the sedative effect that is the obstacle for him escaping.
@Xylian: It looks like what happens next is up to you!
Nib:
She's suffering from cracked ribs and various bruises and scratches. She's at 15 hit points. She's also been dosed with surgery-grade anesthesia and is now unconscious from it.
m N duergar Biohacker 8 | sp 74/74 | hp 54/54 | rp 10/10 | EAC 20 KAC 21 [+4 bull rush and trip] | Resist Fire 5| F+9 R+3 W+8 [+2 vs poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities]| Init +1 | Perc +18 | SM +21, LS +21, PS +20 | DV60' | Biohack 7/7 | BT + | Spark + | Tranq + | Haste 10/10
:: Nib's all right. Not poisoned, not dying, unconscious. By the way, it turned out that she is her, not him. Huh, anthropomorphic rats. ::
, Tulgram reports telepathically.
~~ I cannot see in the dark. ~~ Xylian moves up and closes the door so light will not spill into the room and ruin the whole thing. Then he quite passionatlessely attempts to kill the lights via his exocortex...
Overload the light switch! Cuz nobody flips light switches manually in... The future! Then Overload vs Gun Reflex DC 17. On second thought, I suppose the DC isn't very hard to beat.... Two standard actions, so twill taketh two rounds.
Overload:
As a standard action, you can cause a short in an electronic device, including most ranged energy weapons, melee weapons with the powered special property, or a single armor upgrade. This makes the device nonfunctional for 1 round. Overload doesn’t cause a locked door, safe, or other device to open, but it prevents anyone from opening it for 1 round. You must be adjacent to the device to use this ability. If you have a drone, you can instead use this ability on an electronic device adjacent to your drone. If you have an exocortex with the wireless hack ability, you can instead use this ability on any electronic device within range of your exocortex’s wireless hack. If you use overload on an item or armor upgrade in someone’s possession, the owner can attempt a Reflex saving throw to negate the effect (DC = 10 + half your mechanic level + your Intelligence modifier). Overload doesn’t affect androids, cybernetics, drones, powered armor, robots, or creatures with the technological subtype (all of which have shielding against this sort of attack), or items larger than Medium. Once a device has been successfully overloaded, a residual static charge prevents that device from being overloaded again for 1 minute.
Moved Xylian into the room as he mentioned in his post.
With her limited amount of time before the elf can react, Zharis doesn't think she has time to free Otlo and pull him behind cover, so instead, she moves directly in front of the elf and extends her claws, intent on making sure he stays engaged with her and can't get to drugged Otlo or blind Xylian.
Her backpack and a whole jumble of stuff is in the square she left. Put a box on the map indicating a possible hazard (and, incidentally, the location of the tablet, which is still in the backpack).
Zharis, Tulgram, and Jin advance in the darkness as Amaldriel gasps What the--!"
@Xylian: You're up with a standard or move action. I wasn't sure if you wanted to try to overload the pistol or do something else, but keep in mind that you're in total darkness and need to be able to see the pistol to overload it.
"You've only doomed yourselves!" shouts Amaldriel. Brief flashes of light strobe through the room as he sprays pistol shots with wild abandon!
These shots don't actually have a chance of hitting anything as Amaldriel is effectively blind and doesn't know that you've moved around. Because he has the Uncanny Shooter ability, however, these shots don't provoke an AoO from Zharis.
