GM SFounder's "Murder in Metal City"

Game Master Chris Marsh

Nitpick, his hands shaking, fires off another shot at White.

"Just go away!"

Semi-Auto Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24, for 1d6 ⇒ 6 Piercing damage.

Nitpick's shot knocks out the third of the four forms. The remaining shows no sign of retreat or surrender. It is clearly in the fight to the end.

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

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Tapkey adjusts aim onto the next target.

"LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!" Tapkey shouts at Blue!

Deception (Feint) 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

"HA! TRICKED YOU! GET EM!" the Skittermander decrees once more - punctuated again by the blast of a Boom gun!

Get em on BLUE
Everyone gets +1 to hit and damage on BLUE

Attack 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 6 + 1 = 18
Damage 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 4 = 10

◆ Deception (Feint)
◆◆ Get 'em (two action)

Tapkey directs everyone attention to the remaining form, but then promptly obliterates it!

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

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Wildfire moves further into position, then unleashes a torrent of bullets at the remaining enemies!

◆Stride, ◆◆Auto Fire (◇Strike vs. Primary Target).

Strike vs. primary target (blue): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13
Piercing: 1d8 ⇒ 5

Auto-Fire Piercing Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3
DC 17 basic Reflex in a 40ft cone, anyone who fails is Suppressed.

Machine gun unloaded at end of turn.

Wildfire goes.... wild with the fire.

Blue: 1d20 ⇒ 5
Green: 1d20 ⇒ 6

The opening shot nearly ends the figure, but the spray does it. Only the glitching wingbat remains!

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

******************************************
TACTICAL MAP
Location: Downtown Striving
Party Conditions:
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Thin
Lighting: Normal
Battlefield terrain: -

Jaedana winces as her brain suddenly hurts, but takes a moment to aim at the wingbot, then fires! She ducks behind the ornamental plant next to her, still unaccustomed to being in a real firefight. It's not really like the vids or games make it at all -- it hurts!

Aim, Strike!, Take Cover
Laser rifle: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Fire and precision: 1d8 + 1d4 ⇒ (7) + (4) = 11

Jaedana recenters herself and takes aim. the shot destroys the wingbot! Your victory earns you each 68 XP.

You can catch your breath finally. You each also get the sinking feeling that you just had your first true glimpse at Tierny's killer. Indeed, the confidence carries with it a 40 XP bonus.

"Who, or what, was that?" Jaedana asks, looking around.

She's hurt, but too impatient to wait to see if there are any clues.

+8 Perception to look around

Jaedana picks up an old set of footprints leading down the well, but soon loses the trail when the 20-foot-wide tunnel splits off into a half-dozen narrow spin-offs, some of which are dead ends or meandering maintenance tunnels leading to a waste treatment facility and a condenser station. After getting directions from a startled but helpful anacite laborer, you realize that the shadowy stalker is long gone.

Looks like you're back to one major clue, Striving Polytechnica...

With the threat gone, you've got time to take a short rest if you'd like.

"Curiouser and curiouser."

Lunar-17 is okay without a rest.

Vorza, Jaedana, and Wildfire are all below 50%. If nothing else, Vorza should use that medpatch we found on somedone before we go anywhere.

Nitpick shudders.

"I have no idea, but they seem dangerous!"

If you're going to rest, definitely post whatever resources you use. It's not a spoiler, but you DID just get attacked in pursuit of answers, and you're following up on another lead. Knowing your current HP totals is likely a good idea ;-)

We should definitely take time to Treat Wounds; I'm still figuring out Jaedana's character based on the info, and I'm leaning toward making her a bit of an impatient teenager type, which is what I was aiming for in my last post. But definitely want to be at full health.

"I can't find anything," Jaedana complains -- almost a whine, "and my head hurts."

Can mystic do anything with out of combat healing? Looks like that's only in combat. I'm untrained in Medicine.

The only member of the party trained in Medicine is Old Growth, but no-one has a Medkit, so I don't think we can heal that way.

Apart from that, we have the Mystic, and a few Medpatches, based on what I can see.

I would rather save heal and transfer vitality for in-combat. I don't really have much for out of combat. Maybe we should go buy some medical supplies?

Nitpick looks around cautiously.

"Loathe as I am to involve others, perhaps it would be wise for us to go and get a first aid kit?"

A sour expression crosses his rodent-like face.

"Given our experiences thus far, I fear that we will need it."

You are, after all in a city. A bodega selling medkits fits with the Bladerunner aesthetic of Striving. I've got morning duty and a class to teach. If someone posts fast enough to spend the creds, I'll update. Otherwise, I'll assume that's what you do and I'll move on when I get back.[/ooc]

Transfer vitality should refill at a very fast rate, probably 4 hit points per round. Out of combat healing should not be a problem at all.

Transfer vitality should refill at a very fast rate, probably 4 hit points per round. Out of combat healing should not be a problem at all.

Actually, now I'm curious about how this is supposed to work. The Lunar-17 pre-gen says that others have to download the HP from the Akashic Record, which is super cool flavor... But that's a Recall Knowledge check. I'm interested if anyone can point out where in the CRB that lives. For now I'll go with the rulebook, and say no Recall Knowledge. There are 23 HP to refill. That's 30 minutes (40 to refill the network before leaving.) Is that okay with everyone?

Vitality does refill at 4 points per round... but only during combat. Otherwise, you need to spend 10 minutes to Refocus to refill your pool.

Since no-one else has posted, Nitpick will happily hand-over the credit stick that was left for him, and then give the bought kit to Old Growth - he does not want to keep the stick, after all - someone could track it.

Vitality specifically says it auto-refills only during combat. But the 10 minute Refocus should allow that to work. That said, I think buying a med kit (and maybe some patches!) makes sense.

Got it. I didn't realize I could just Refocus to refill the pool.

Agree that we should buy a medkit/medpatches, and that we can/should spend the time to refill with Transfer Vitality in the meantime.

It's the knowledge check that gets me. It's listed in the pregen, but not in the core rulebook... Eitherway, onward!

Seekers in Striving
Chapter 2

Leaving the charging station, Shalalamula is happy to let you camp out among her sculptures any time you need a rest. As you turn the corner to leave some official investigatory anacites arrive, but they ignore you. It's off to Polytechnica for you.

High-speed automated trains connect Polytechnica’s scattered campuses, so it only takes a few minutes to get around. You take the opportunity to check their directories, labyrinthine as they are:

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19.

"Tier-99-Professor worked at Polytechnica’s Central Archives alongside an assistant nicknamed Eruco. Perhaps we should seek them out?"

A complex of archives, servers, and museums acts as reference libraries for Polytechnica’s analysts and researchers. Central Files collects digital and hard copies of physical media—antique scrolls, vintage vids, and starmetal circuitry etched in ancient stone—plus enormous virtual libraries explored by immersive viewing pods. Nanopress, paper, and other physical media are stored on the ground floors; specimens are contained in basement levels, and holoprojector chambers on the upper levels connect to an extensive virtual library, with digital copies of all records and objects housed within. Public access to everything except the virtual library is restricted.

You are free to explore Central Archives and browse the publicly accessible virtual library, which contains a preview of everything stored within the massive facility, but getting anywhere with their investigation requires authorizations visitors don’t have.

Finding Eruco is either Computers (a legal grey area) or Diplomacy (Gather Information) (not subtle.)

Nitpick steels himself, and 'goes looking' for Eruco.

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15.

Nitpick finds himself stymied.

Jaedana nudges Nitpick aside. "Let me try!" she says, tapping on the nearest keyboard. She finds the desired information easily.

"See! Like that!"

Computers: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23

Jaedana finds all the information you need..... and a button, If it's you and you're looking for Tierny.... CLICK HERE

Tapkey does as his name suggests...

"Oh thats us!"

CLICKS HERE

Tapkey shows no hesitation, and clicks a link on a computer he hacked into.....

....and nothing happens.

10 seconds go by.... nothing happens.

20 seconds, and finally.... three dots...

30 seconds, Vendor Services, basement, 20 minutes.

Located in the basement, vending services is a large room full of vending machines offering everything from prepackaged ready-to-eat “R2E” meals to consumable medical supplies. Cafeteria-style tables provide dining space, and a set of washrooms down the hall offers a place for organic students, professors, and visitors to do their biological functions. A glass door opens to a small courtyard containing a surrealist xeriscape and rock garden.

You've got time. You could eavesdrop conversations here (Perception), chit-cht with people coming in (Diplomacy), or just wait.

Nitpick attempts to look as small and inoffensive as possible.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15.

Nitpick's ears pick up a lot, office drama, home drama, the recap of the Great Absalom Relay, etc. There is one thing that piques his interest: a rumor about “The Prof” acting erratically at work before leaving for deepsync.

Before the yoski can bring the information back to a conversation amongst yourselves, a synthetic approaches you. It's intimidating looking, like it was designed for interrogation more than research.

It's voice doesn't match, coming out as a smooth, calm, and measured research assistant. "Greetings. I am Erudite-Collaborator, or Eruco for short. You are here looking for the Professor, yes?"

Vorza is shy and does not want to talk to anybody, but he tries to eavesdrop on conversations.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20

Vorza hears much of the same, also overhearing the same rumor.

Nitpick glances around nervously.

"Keep your voice down! Let's just say we are trying to find out the reason *why*... something... happened to the Professor. The trail led us here."

Lunar-17 makes some chit-chat with folks.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Wildfire listens for any useful overheard conversation, but his attention is mainly on keeping a wary eye out for trouble.

Perception: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Lunar-17 keeps the conversation directed, but surface level. Unfortunately she doesn't catch anything new.

Wildfire sees only some fascinating choices in the vending machine.

Eruco seems to pick up what Nitpick is putting down, mostly.

Eruco recalls Tierny’s most frequent conversation topics were the First Ones and the wreck on Akiton. For the last few weeks before their shutdown, they were preoccupied with a mysterious stalker who they believed was following them. After security foiled an attempted break-in (but never caught the perpetrator), the professor insisted the item they were studying be moved to a more secure facility. The “transistor” relic was placed in Archive 404, a high-security containment warehouse for dangerous or especially precious relics, along with two other objects classified as “orb” and “piston.” The next day, Tier-99 Professor entered deepsync to analyze their research—they must have experienced shutdown during that time. Eruco suggests you start the process to get permission to investigate Archive 404 immediately, "as it could take some time to get clearance."

"Losers, weepers." Vorza remarks to himself as he discretely picks up the vending card with a grin. "Look what I found!" He remarks. "It looks like we could get something useful for this."

Vorza found a cred stick that has 3 credits where each credit is worth a magic or tech items worth up to 100 credits each.

Earlier
"The pause probably means that's a real person behind that message, right? Otherwise it would've been automated and responded immediately. Someone got alerted when we hit it."

In the cafeteria, she listens in to surrounding conversation before Eruco shows up.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21

Now
"Archive 404? We're probably not going to find anything about that on the server," the kasatha muses. "Who would we talk to to get permission to look at it?

"And why did you approach us? How did you know we were looking for Prof Tierny?" She's curious if Eruco was the person on the other side of the message, or whether it's another attempt at obfuscation.

"I did not know. I figured anyone clicking the link was. I have no idea who any of you are."

"If I had to wager, I would have assumed Vazylyza clicked. Vazylyza was hassling Tier-99 Professor in the time leading up to his disappearance. She kept loudly offering to buy priceless First Ones relics for her personal collection—and Tierny wasn’t the only First Ones researcher she harassed. She was persistent enough that she was able to win a relic from a disgraced researcher in a gambling bet—according to rumor."