GM Jhaeman's Dawn of Flame, Chapter Five: "Solar Strike"

Game Master Jhaeman

Realising there's no escape, the surviving azer drops his disintegrator and raises his hands in surrender. His Common is oddly accented: "Am become prisoner of war!"

But the so-called "Reanimated" show no signs of surrender, and continue the assault! Three continue firing their built-in forearm lasers at Theodore, while two others press the attack on Zharis!

Gray, Yellow, and Blue shoot at Theodore. Results: One hits for 6 F. (@Theodore: You have a "+1" next to your ACs--I'm assuming that should be added in for this encounter?)

White shoots at Zharis and Black does a slam attack. Results: White misses, but Black hits for 19 B.

Initiative (Round 3)

Theodore
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

Zharis grumbles, but loud enough to be heard... projecting for the camera.

Prisoner of war... you expect mercy when you turned these non-combatants into undead? Innocents that we now have to *kill* because there is no way to save them? That's some gigantic hypocrisy. Although, it's likely your leaders chose this rather than you. Fine. Get down on your face on the floor and act really submissive. If you seem threatening at all, Mister Bear over there is going to kill you anyway, so try to be convincing.

In the middle of her monologue, right at the word "kill," Zharis again attacks Black.

Claw Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
Slashing Damage: 1d3 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16

Note: my claw bonus is one higher than earlier in the battle because I noticed it was wrong on my sheet. Likely doesn't matter with that lame roll, but just in case anyone was concerned.

The dramatic timing unfortunately fails because of her lame attack. Letting her emotion affect her delivery... old habits coming back to haunt her. Zharis expects that her acting coach of long ago would be turning over in her grave. At least SHE wasn't a zombie.

Oh, a lot o' unnecessary gestures. Aye, let's destroy these undead too.

Tulgram quickly descends due to the injection, runs up to the nearest "reanimated" and strikes it.

Capture Pole: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 262d8 + 17 ⇒ (7, 7) + 17 = 31 (piercing vs KAC) vs BLUE

"Welp, here goes nothing," Solras says as she fires her armor-mounted weapon, precariously avoiding shredding her prized Sniper Rifle (still in her hands!) with the cold shards of ice. It's nowhere near effective as Xylian is at using the same kind of weapon in his power armor, though.

Multiattack (not sniper): 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 12 - 4 = 21
Multiattack (not sniper): 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 12 - 4 = 19

Attack #1 Damage: 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Attack #2 Damage: 1d10 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Full attack at the nearest zombie, assuming I can hit it.

Gray, Yellow, and Blue shoot at Theodore. Results: One hits for 6 F. (@Theodore: You have a "+1" next to your ACs--I'm assuming that should be added in for this encounter?)

I'm not sure. Possibly from a booster of Tulgram's in a previous fight? I got the speed one this time. Let's play it safe and assume I forgot to update the header. I'm bad about changing it on my sheet and not there. Should be fixed now.

Although Zharis' dramatic speech is impressive, it distracts her from tearing at anything vulnerable in the zombie's flesh. Tulgram doesn't have the same trouble, as his capture pole nearly tears one in half--though somehow it continues to stagger on! With an astounding feline-leap, Amhesha lands on the magtrain platform and blasts the nearest "Reanimated" in unmoving lumps of flesh and circuitry!

@Theodore: Okay, thanks. In that case, you'll have gotten hit once more by a laser blast and take an additional 7 F.

Zharis' attack missed Black.

Tulgram's attack hit and badly damages Blue.

@Amhesha: I've taken the liberty of moving your token onto the platform where you can see and shoot the nearest zombie (White) because in your previous position, you were down in the tunnel with the magtrain and it was blocking you completely. This means you only get one attack, but it does hit and destroys White anyway.

Initiative (Round 4)

Theodore
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

Xylian crosses further the bridge and shoots at the zombie engaged with doctor Tulgram.

Cannon vs Blue KAC (Ignores up to 4 AC from Cover): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24
P + C Damage: 4d8 + 9 + 2d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 2, 3) + 9 + (1, 5) = 25

From his perfect vantage point atop the walking bridge, Xylian gets a solid shot on one of the zombies and blasts it until it stops twitching!

Meanwhile, Theodore wraps a massive bear-like arm around the much-smaller azer's shoulders, sending a clear message that no reinforcements will be summoned.

The remaining pair of zombies to the north fire their in-built lasers at Tulgram, while the one still in the magtrain continues to flail away at Zharis!

Xylian's attack hits and destroys Blue Zombie.

Botting Theodore as grappling Yellow Azer (there's no resistance and so no check necessary).

Gray & Yellow Zombies try to shoot Tulgram. Result: Both miss.

Black Zombie does a slam attack against Zharis. Result: Hit (exactly) for 19 B.

Initiative (Round 4)

Theodore (grappling)
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered/grappled)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

Zharis is really beat up, which makes her angrier at the whole situation. She attacks Black.

Claw Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Slashing Damage: 1d3 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17

"Back to combat I'm decent at," Amhesha thinks as she locks on and fires at the Yellow undead. She doesn't have time to aim it properly, but it is still a literal sniper rifle, so she doesn't have to worry about distance too much. The graviton-operated automatic loading system then puts more bullets in her sniper rifle.

Sniper, Deadly Aim, Tracking: 1d20 + 13 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 13 - 2 = 31
Damag, Deadly Aim, Tracking: 6d4 + 24 ⇒ (2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3) + 24 = 37

An arm falls to the ground! A huge hole is blasted open in a chest! But yet the undead anassanoi keep coming!

Zharis hits Black, reducing the zombie to single digit hp.

Amhesha hits and *almost* takes out Yellow.

Tulgram is up.

Tulgram heads towards the pair of zombies shooting at him and crushes one between the twin prongs of his capture pole! It explodes in a shower of sparks and crackling electrical bursts!

Botting Tulgram as doing a move action and an attack on Yellow Zombie. Result: Yellow is destroyed. The zombie's self-destruct system does 8 E to Tulgram.

Gray will also take some damage (4 E).

Tulgram Capture Pole vs Yellow Zombie KAC: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28
damage (P): 2d8 + 17 ⇒ (8, 1) + 17 = 26

self-destruct damage (E): 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Tulgram Reflex save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Gray Reflex save vs Yellow self-destruct: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Initiative (Round 5)

Theodore (grappling)
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered/grappled)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

As Theodore tightly binds the azer prisoner with a spare belt, Xylian blasts away at one of the two remaining zombies!

Botting Theodore as tying up the prisoner.

Botting Xylian as shooting at Gray. Result: Miss.

Cannon vs Gray KAC (Ignores up to 4 AC from Cover): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
P + C Damage: 4d8 + 9 + 2d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 4, 2) + 9 + (2, 2) = 25

Showing no signs of fear, the "Reanimated" continue flailing away at the intruders!

Gray does a guarded step and tries a slam on Tulgram. Result: Hit.
Tulgram, you take 17 B.

Black tries a slam on Zharis. Result: Miss.

Initiative (Round 5)

Theodore (grappling)
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered/grappled)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

Zharis attacks Black again.

Claw Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24
Slashing Damage: 1d3 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16

Solras takes a shot at the farthest Anassanoi farthest from her, being held by a capture pole. This time, however, she properly lines up her shot to not hit the Dwarf-like ally holding the mindless undead.

Sniper Rifle v. KAC: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18 Ouch. Don't know if that hits.
Damage, Piercing & Cold: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (2, 4, 4) + 8 = 18

Capture Pole: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 242d8 + 17 ⇒ (3, 4) + 17 = 24 (piercing vs KAC) VS GRAY

Incredibly sharp feline claws slash through a zombie's chest, causing its internal power pack to overload in a burst of electricity! Although Amhesha can't line up a clear shot, Tulgram tears a huge chunk of rotting flesh from the last active undead threat!

Zharis destroys Black. The self-destruct system does 7 E to Zharis (DC 12 Reflex save for half damage).

Amhesha's attack misses due to soft cover from Tulgram.

Tulgram's attack hits Gray, but doesn't manage to destroy it.

Initiative (Round 5)

Theodore
Xylian
Occupation Soldier (surrendered/bound)
Undead Anassanoi
Zharis
Amhesha
Tulgram

Bold should go!

Xylian shoots at the last zombie, but its grey skin blends in with Tulgram.

Cannon: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14

A freezing projectile hits the ground at the last zombie's feet just as Theodore rushes in, a blur of fur and claws, to tear its head from its body!

Xylian's attack missed.

Botting Theodore as doing a move and an attack. Result: The attack hits and Gray is destroyed. The self-destruct system goes off. Theodore and Tulgram, you each take 5 E (DC 12 Reflex halves).

Theodore hasn't posted for a couple of weeks--I'll send them a PM.

Combat's over, and we're off Initiative. Everyone, please make sure your taglines are updated from the combat.

Amhesha walks up to the surrending Azer. "Alright. What do we do with this surrendering hothead?"

Their player has been on, though?

The azer looks simultaneously angry and frightened--he obviously hadn't been briefed that the anassanoi had an exotic array of foreign fighters on their side!

@Amhesha: Yep, I think we're all set.

@Everyone: Thank about how you want to blow the magtrain. Meanwhile, I'm away for 48 hours to engage in exciting trans-hemispheric aviation (a.k.a., catching a flight).

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Zharis quickly searches the fallen, and the train, for loot.

Okay, let's set the charges and get out. Hothead can come with us, unless he wants to ride in the train.

Tulgram grunts and puts the manacles he has in stock on azer. Aye, let tha engineers do their blasted thing an' it's time ta get out o' here.

"Agreed. Let's get this over with," Amhesha says.

Theo cleans the blood off his claws while those better versed in architecture and engineering do their work. I'm the Life Sciences guy! I don't do physics!

Can we just say we search, then set charges, then leave to trigger them remotely, or do we need to roll something?

After searching, Zharis assigns people to set charges at the front and the back of the train, and one in the tunnel itself.

That takes care of the explosives we were given... were you planning something more spectacular, Xylian?

Engineering Checks: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (11) + 21 = 32
Engineering Checks: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (4) + 21 = 25
Engineering Checks: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29

Just in case. Unsure of the rules for this.

Amhesha either assists, or sets each the charges herself, as the crew's resident Engineer by profession, well, profession that nets a livable wage, anyways.

As the others do a quick search and escort the prisoner out of the station, Amhesha quickly sets the massive mk 5 havoc charge that Xylian cobbled together from Sun Diver ordinance. With the three explosives provided by the resistance serving as secondary charges, the magtrain and tunnel are ready to blow!

From a safe distance, the countdown begins. 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . . DETONATE!

The massive explosion works exactly as planned, utterly destroying the magtrain and collapsing the exit tunnel, but leaving just enough of the tunnel to the Spire intact that an insertion team will be able to make use of it when the time is right.

With the mission completed, the anassanoi distraction teams pull back and an armored hover-tank arrives to take you back to resistance headquarters.

Mission complete--good work!

The Engineering DC for the primary explosive was 30, and you get a circumstance bonus equal to mk of the primary charge (+5 in this case), so Amhesha succeeds on the check.

Back at resistance headquarters, the mood is jubilant. A successful raid has certainly bolstered spirits worn down by a long and deadly occupation. While you were away, Nib seems to have talked the ears off the hosts, gathering information about anassanoi culture. Taeress is still resting from the exertion of trying to communicate telepathically through the dampening field.

A few minutes after you return, the resistance leader Nyralaen arrives. Honored warriors from afar, you have struck a mighty blow to our shared enemy. And although our military planners have many more heroic deeds they wish you to perform, I must take precedence to request your immediate assistance. Nyralaen turns towards Tulgram. Earlier, we discussed removing the symbien from Protector Mehrren. Our physicians have conducted tests, and the creature is deeply embedded within her organs. Removing it could kill her, but she would not wish to exist in such a state. Please, will you lead our surgeons in the attempt?

Surgery would take at least 6 hours and would require a Medicine (Treat Deadly Wounds) check.

Take me to the patient. Tulgram behaves calmly and professionally and only a slight glint in his eyes hints to those who have known him for a long time that he is very curious to study the anatomy of the local race.

Medicine: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

Not often is Xylian the assistant...

Medicine Aid: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Medicine Aid: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (11) + 17 = 28

Nor is Amhesha often the assistant, but now was a time where pride or limited expertise didn't matter.

Zharis can't help with the surgery, but she stays near and works to keep everyone's confidence high and reinforces the hope that they will have their leader back soon.

Medicine Aid: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Theodore manages to do no harm, but is mostly just passing tools and holding things.

Try as they might, the anassanoi can't help but telepathically broadcast emotions of concern and anxiety as Tulgram enters the surgical bay and calmly picks up a vibro-scalpel. With his companions uttering a helpful suggestion here and handing him an implement there, the duergar makes surprisingly quick work of slicing opening Protector Mehrren's chest cavity. Perhaps disappointingly, anassanoi physiology is rather simple and unremarkable.

But what's bonded to the patient's heart certainly isn't! Smaller than a fist, a many-legged arthropod is clutched tightly to the slowly beating organ, constantly trickling pure adrenaline into the normally placid anassanoi's system. The telepathic storm of anxiety raises even higher as Tulgram prepares to remove it, and the creature doesn't come willingly! But as it is forced to let go, tiny clawed leg by tiny clawed leg, the read-out of Protector Mehrren's vital signs tick closer to normal.

Soon, it's done! Sealed in a small plasti-glass jar, Tulgram holds in his hands an example of the extremely rare species of symbiends known as Damoritosh's Arm. As the anassanois watching the procedure now openly express their feelings of utter gratitude, a new question emerges: what should be done with the symbiend?

A rousing success! Here are the stats of the symbiend just in case one of you wants to have it inserted--probably a terrible idea :) Damoritosh's Arm

Wow. Yeah, I am not volunteering for that, but it does seem like a really on-brand Tulgram thing. :)

Same here, Amhesha can't even make full attacks half the time!

I've already got most of those benefits. Frothing Rage would be tempting, if not for those drawbacks, though.

As the group ponder what to do with the symbiend, Zhyffor arrives, mildly wounded from another resistance operation some distance across the city. Still, warm feelings accompany their words, indicating the mission must have been a success.

Esteemed colleagues! All throughout Kahlannal, hope blooms! Not only has the resistance struck mighty blows with your aid, but soon Protector Mehrren will walk among us once more! Truly we are in your debt--and with just a few more steps, the pathway to an attack on the Spire will lay before us!

Preferences for your next mission?

Okay, the ones left are Chariot Recovery (Occupation base), Comm Infiltration (Data Center), and Object Retrieval (Shrine). I am game for any, but my preference is... the Shrine I think. They are all interesting in different ways, though so if someone else has a big preference, shout it out like Xylian did last time. :)

Pulling the parasite away from Mehrren's heart, Tulgram is extremely focused. Theodore, would you be so kind as to wipe my forehead? Xylian, please hold the edges approximately in the middle of the incision. Amhesha, when I start taking this creature out, add some anesthetic through the sprayer, please. Tulgram's brain, enhanced by a fungal biocomputer, allows him to unfold what is happening in Mehrren's body in three-dimensional space, turning the image from all sides. But this is more like not a cold analysis, but a mixture of intuition on the verge of a brilliant epiphany and that inexplicable creative impulse, as a sculptor creates a masterpiece…

Finally, having separated the arthropod, Tulgram lifts it up and examines it for a couple of seconds in the light of surgical lamps, whispering the words "this is wonderful." Then he puts arthropod in a special flask where it instantly goes into suspended animation, and switches to suturing the wound...

Without waiting for words of gratitude, Tulgam leaves the assistants to monitor the condition of the already stable patient and quietly grabbing the flask, heads out of the operating room. The next time you meet him, he already looks a little different. Tulgram looks from under his brows, his eyes are bloodshot and furious, and his hands seem to be swollen - especially his forearms and fists. In principle, it is only by the last detail that you can understand that something has changed. The rest of the aggressive non-verbal behavior is inherent in this duergar for a good fifth of the time that you spend in his company. Oh, if in me youth, when I was a collegiate wrestler, I had such steroids, I wou' have shown them what real pain be on tha mats, bhaha... Well, kids, shall we kick a couple o' asses? Tulgram seems to be more energetic than ever.

1) I'll implant Damoritosh's Arm - I'm a biohacker after all! GM, but before I will conduct a study of this thing for the possibility of controlling the owner of this particular improvement.

2) I vote for Shrine too!

Shrine is fine by me.