GM SFounder's "Murder in Metal City"

Game Master Chris Marsh

These are two narrative threads within the scene. I'll handle the computers one first. The 16 is a success. The Thievery is A success, but you'll need more than one.

Tier-99-Professor’s latest activities are self-reported in their memory storage, along with a kaleidoscope of infographic and sensory memories about various topics and experiences with time stamps that seem to span about 3 months of their daily routine. Their only recent activities were study and rest...

The last time Tier-99-Professor used this memory storage was after charging two weeks ago, during fulldark. But unlike the rest, this is encrypted. Time to Hack, computers check please.

Nitpick continues to attempt to access the physical storage.

Thievery: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23.
Thievery: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22.

Computers 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Seems the Skittermander is not used to this UI...

Nitpick shares some words of encouragement:

"If at first you don't succeed, you can always try again!"

Nitpik succeeds, but let's close out the Hacking thread first. Anyone else want to try, or does Tapkey want to use a Hero Point?

Seeing that Tapkey is struggling, Nitpick takes a crack at cracking the cipher...

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15.

Computers: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

"Did you try shutting it down and booting it back up?" Jaedana suggests which is sadly a crit fail on my Aid check

It's not much better, but Nitpick does get in and decodes an encrypted file with more earnest information about Tierny’s activities, including some potentially disturbing new information.

The party breaks into the physical storage. Those who have hearts feel them drop. Tier-99- Professor’s crumpled chassis is curled inside the bin in a tight, hunched posture as though they were protecting their vitals and face from an unseen attack when they shut down.

One of their hands clutches a note, printed on nanopress and folded with dozens of precise folds to resemble a tiny boat...

Nitpick's whiskers tremble furiously.

"Professor!"

Gently unfurling the note, he reads it, his heart sinking even further.

Striving Lore to recall 'Polytechnica': 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23.

"This is bad, on so many levels..."

Polytechnica is an institution of learning and research headquartered in a campus near downgrid Striving,

"I guess we should check the place out? Although I doubt will we look like a bunch of students, or visiting researchers..."

Well, for the moment at least, investigating Polytechnica seems to be our only lead, unless I am missing something?

Lunar-17's face is inscrutable as she looks at the remains of the Professor. Are there any checks to make looking at Tierny?

"Yes, I suppose we had better visit the university."

the party turns its focus towards going to Polytechnica. you've seen, but not investigated his remains.

Nitpick shakes his head fervently.

"I know they said we could take whatever was on them, but I don't want to loot the body of a friend!"

Someone else is more than welcome to, though!

"Whoa, I've never seen a real corpse," Jaedana breathes, looking more closely at Professor Tierny's remains. Will investigate to see if we can get any more info, or find out what he has.

The Skittermander sighs deeply, clearly moved, but decides to check the remains of its friend - in case there is an obvious way to help, but also because...friend.

Investigating the body proper is a Medicine or Perception Check

Tierny left you supplies that are clearly designed for you to take, since there are 6 credit sticks with your names on them. Additionally there's a commercial null space chamber full of goods:

Medicine: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Wildfire examines the body, but just doesn't have enough experience with the internal workings of SROs to learn much.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"Hmm. Look at this incision here, across their abdomen."

Occultism: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21

Lunar-17's investigative powers are on display, discerning from the nature of the damage that Tierny (and the plinth) were destroyed by a powerful spell called slice reality, which severed sensitive internal mechanisms at an atomic level.... Earning everyone 20 XP.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"Wow," Jaedana breathes. "He left us a lot of things. But why did whoever kill him even want to?"

She carefully handles the weapons, pulling them out of the null space chamber to see if anyone wants them. Will need to spend a little more time to see what seems best for each of us.

Nitpick's eyes nervously dart over the revealed items, lingering slightly on one or two, but he shakes his head.

"I'm not going to loot a dead friend, even if it is what they wished."

He then tightens his grip on his pistol, whether out of anger, or to reassure himself of its physicality, is unclear.

"I do, however, want to see the bastard responsible for the Professor's death brought down!"

Wildfire gathers up the professor's belongings, glancing to Nitpick. I have known the professor for many years, and have never known them to be nostalgic about possessions, nor to say things they didn't mean. If these items might be of use to us, we should take them.

Wildfire doesn't particularly need any of this, so happy to hand things off. They will carry any weapons unclaimed as backups, but are unlikely to use them so someone else should take them if desired.

To be clear, I am playing-up Nitpick's distrust and paranoia. For all he knows, they could be haunted, or have some sort of digital tracker embedded in them ;-)

Take a Hero Point Nitpick. Pregens can be hard that way. Meanwhile, before heading to whereever you'd like to go to next, lay claim by selecting your name from the dropdown.

"I do, however, want to see the bastard responsible for the Professor's death brought down!"

"Yah! I wanna see them pay!"

Jaedana, who never actually met Professor Tierny, has no such compunctions. She stars looking through the items, trying to see what looks interesting. She pockets one of the grenades and then grabs the starfall pistal, twirling it on a finger. "Always good to have a backup, right?"

If someone else wants any of the things I claimed, I'm fine handing them back off.

Tapkey just seems a bit down in the dumps about it all - a dead friend is a Skittermanders nightmare. "I still think its worth taking the things that have been left, whether for the time being or until a more suitable person comes along - otherwise they will just be snatched up or thrown out"

"Wo what do we think? What next?"

Nitpick shrugs.

"Head to the Polytechnica, and look around?"

"I think so - sounds logical!"

With a destination in mind you prepare to head out to the Polyt---

A booming voice echoes, bouncing off the statues in a melodious disharmony. The voice is accompanied by strange static: “You have no idea what you’re involved with. Thus, I give you a final chance. Stay out of it!”

Four staticky images of a masked, hooded humanoid in a heavy hooded coat stand a few yards away from you, seemingly from out of nowhere. They're spread out in all directions and they clearly have ill intent.

To make matters worse, two anacite wingbots flutter around the shadowy figures in a protective formation!

The shadowy figures immediately attack with some kind of psionic blast!
Blue v. Lunar-17: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26 CRIT 2x DMG (Piercing/Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (2) + (1) = 3
White v. Jaedana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20 for DMG (Piercing/Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (2) + (4) = 6
Black v. Vorza: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 MISS
Red v. Wildfire: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14 MISS

Vorza is the quickest to react!

ROUND 1
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza: Go
Wingbots: TBD
Lunar-17: TBD
Nitpick: TBD
Jaedana: TBD
Tapkey: TBD
Wildfire: TBD

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Vorza steps forward and thrashes at the yellow anacite with his graviton-attuned solar hammer twice!

Solar Hammer!: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

Solar Hammer!: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
Bludgeoning: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

Vorza wastes no time going after the flying foe. With a massive swing he utterly destroys one of the wingbots!

The remaining wingbot opens fire with a trio of laser shots, all aimed at Jaedana:
ATK 1: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 for F DMG: 1d4 ⇒ 4
ATK 2: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12 MISS
ATK 3: 1d20 - 5 ⇒ (3) - 5 = -2 MISS

The four shadow figures each lash out with a mind slicing blast!
Blue v. Lunar-17: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18 for Piercing + Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (1) + (1) = 2
White v. Wildfire: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26 for DBL Piercing + Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (2) + (2) = 4
Black v. Vorza: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21 for Piercing + Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (2) + (3) = 5
Red v. Vorza: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12 MISS

ROUND 1
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (18/23): Kill!
Hostiles: Go
Lunar-17 (15/17): Go
Nitpick: Go
Jaedana (13/17): Go
Tapkey: Go
Wildfire (14/22): Go

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Nitpick draws his pistol, and shoots at White.

Semi-Auto Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22, for 1d6 ⇒ 2 Piercing damage.

Tapkey draws a weapon too!

"GET EM!" the Skittermander decrees - punctuated by the blast of a Boom gun!

Get em on BLACK
Everyone gets +1 to hit and damage on black

Attack 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15
Damage 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11

◆ Draw
◆◆ Get 'em (two action)

Nitpick's shot is clean, and it seems to disrupt the figure a bit... but the bullet also seems to pass through it...

ROUND 1
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (18/23): Kill!
Hostiles: Go
Lunar-17 (15/17): Go
Nitpick: Hit
Jaedana (13/17): Go
Tapkey: Go
Wildfire (14/22): Go

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Arcana: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9.

Nitpick remains clueless and terrified.

Jaedana's eyes grow large as she suddenly, unexpectedly finds herself in a fight. She throws a pocket full of lint at the nearby drone, then pulls her rifle off her back and takes aim at it!

Sabotage!, Interact to Draw, Strike!
Computers: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Strike: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Fire: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Jaedana's maneuver causes the drone to start glitching, but unfortunately the laser is wide right.

ROUND 1
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (18/23): Kill!
Hostiles: Go
Lunar-17 (15/17): Go
Nitpick: Hit
Jaedana (13/17): glitch
Tapkey: Go
Wildfire (14/22): Go

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Tapkey fired :)

I missed the post! He did more than fire.

Tapkey draws and shoots, connecting with the thing. The static intensifies and it eventually scratches itself out of existance.

ROUND 1
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (18/23): Kill!
Hostiles: Go
Lunar-17 (15/17): Go
Nitpick: Hit
Jaedana (13/17): glitch
Tapkey: Kill
Wildfire (14/22): Go

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Wildfire hauls their machine gun off their back, moves up behind a nearby planter, and takes cover.

Lunar-17 pulls out her pistol and fires at Red twice.

attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26
ouch!: 1d6 ⇒ 2 piercing

attack: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 6 - 1 = 25
ouch!: 1d6 ⇒ 2 piercing

What amazing attack rolls for such teeny damage.

Wildfire settles in for the firefight while Lunar-17 takes an immediate pair of shots. Her aim is perfect, and despite the small calibre of weaopn, she makes another one of the strange figures wink out.

The two remaining figures fan out and try to catch you in their crossfire. They hurl mental boltsacross the party:
Blue v. Jaedana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 MISS
Blue v. Lunar-17: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 MISS
Blue v. TapKey: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (16) - 1 = 15 MISS

White v. Jaedana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26 for Piercing & Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + (3) = 7
White v. Wildfire: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21 for Piercing & Mental: 1d4 + 1d4 ⇒ (3) + (1) = 4
White v. TapKey: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14 MISS

ROUND 2
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (18/23): Go
WingBot: TBD
Lunar-17 (15/17): TBD
Nitpick: TBD
Jaedana (6/17): TBD
Tapkey: TBD
Wildfire (10/22): TBD

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Vorza quickly moves west and strikes at the next Wingbot (Green) with the hammer!

Graviton-attuned Solar Hammer: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Graviton-attuned Solar Hammer: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Bludgeoning Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

◆ Stride
◆ Strike
◆ Strike

Vorza closes, but finds this wingbot a little harder to hit! This close means it can try to sting the vesk back!
Flat v. Glitching 1: 1d20 ⇒ 9
Stinger 1: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24 for DMG: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
Stinger 1: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16 MISS
Stinger 1: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (15) - 3 = 12 MISS

ROUND 2
Strange figures: ATK!
Vorza (13/23): Miss
WingBot: ATK
Lunar-17 (15/17): Go
Nitpick: Go
Jaedana (6/17): Go
Tapkey: Go
Wildfire (10/22): Go

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:Smog shrouds the area and makes breathing and sight difficult, imposing a –4 circumstance penalty to all visual Perception checks
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -