August Vydoc's page

Having DM'd a tabletop group through to Book 5 in Dead Suns I will tell you that lower levels are very frustrating and some mobs/bosses will be way more challenging than others.

I do feel they need to do some more optimization for combat but a lot of it depends on us using the rules correctly - for example using harrying fire to lower target AC on top of "Get 'Em" or using cover/partial cover more often.

Around 7 to 9 your damage starts to skyrocket. I have a Blitz soldier in my game who adds +17 to a 2d10 axe. I hate that guy.

Yep, thanks for GM'ing Dink! Have fun out there guys, best of luck.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
Culture: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13

"What a bunch of junk."

"Get in the ship and fly away!"

Have we looted any healing serums?

People are lobbing grenades, it's distracting!

0/21 SP, 17/22 HP

"Are you kidding me?!"

Trick Attack (Sense Motive): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (7) + 13 = 20
Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 6 + 1 = 16
Damage (Static Arc Pistol): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

"Go offworld, see the galaxy they said! Back home I just had to shoot dissidents, not life sucking leech things!"

Yeeesh, sorry!

Trick Attack (Sense Motive): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19
Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 = 17
Damage (Static Arc Pistol): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

August tries to read the thing's movements and fires again.

"That's harsh, D! Jagjug may have been a piratical goblin but that doesn't necessarily make him a monster. To know that we'd have to check his warrants."

Another step back and another shot!

Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Damage (Static Arc Pistol): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Forgot to reset my SP from the rest in my tag line but I should be at 10 SP, 17 HP if memory and text lookup serves. Skill to identify?

"Son of a b%*$%!"

August takes a guarded step back and fires his arc pistol at the beastie.

Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
Damage (Static Arc Pistol): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

August keeps an eye out for...something as he moves to the ship.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

He sees nothing.

Piloting: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17

"I don't think they do - that's exactly what it is."

Did my perception roll detect any traps?

August nods at Diamaante, Telion, Jagjug and Jaxom to flank the doors pointing their weapons towards it as he examines the door itself.

If he doesn't detect any traps Augusts steps to the side of the button and hits it with an elbow, moving to the left as fast possible to stay alongside the door to the end of the corridor for cover.

If a fusilade of fire doesn't pour through the door he'll take a peek, leading with his pistol to allow him to engage instantly.

Solid Ghostbusters reference Diamaante!

August looks really hard at Jagjug and then decides to move down the corridor himself.

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27

"Oh good, I was right about the blinking lights. Joy."

August will take as many pictures with his commlink as he can since he (probably?} can't build an input port to just pull directory, language or OS files over or doesn't have storage to do so.

Then he'll pull his weapons back out and make sure there's still charges.

"Now let's go find a spaceship and get the Hells off this rock so the Stewards can send about 200 marines down here to find whatever killed Captain Nash and burn it to cinders."

I was waiting to see what I saw on the screens since I cut in front of Jagjug?

Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30 Aw yeah!

"I think this rock was part of something much, much bigger. Considering the size of the asteroid..."

August walks around Jagjug and inspects the panel.

"It's worse than that, Telion. Looking at this information it looks like this might have been a control node for a much larger system. I've got labels here for 'Power Transmission', 'Maneuvering Thrusters' and one labelled 'Auxiliary Fire Control.' This rock is probably worth hells of a lot more than anyone thought and it's unknown tech. This language is barely decipherable."

August looks around.

"I don't know what got Captain Nash but frankly I don't want to stick around to find out."

I would! For science!

August looks at the lights and holds up a finger to his helmet, shushing everyone else as the camera bot probably looks at him funny.

I think I can figure this out...give me a minute here.

Can I take the 2 minutes to take 20? If not...

Culture: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18 ...nevermind!

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

That's true, I have 21/21 and ...17/22? I don't remember not resolving that damage but it's fine.

I definitely did use the resolve point.

I don't need to use the ampule - yet - so I've kept the second one.

Short rest and spending a resolve point to recover stamina, handing one of the amps to Telion for him to use.

Culture: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

August reads through the entries on the datapad and tucks it in a pocket once the playthrough is done.

"Well. Bad news is some creature feeding itself on souls is somewhere on this rock. Or was. The good news is there's a starship here somewhere too - the Sunrise Maiden, lost in 242 AG if I recall correctly. And thanks to the datapad it's...well, mine I suppose until we get it back to Absalom Station and register it with the Society. But as a sign of good will I'm more than happy to take us all off this rock until we can get to an Admiralty court for proper distribution of the spoils."

Do I have a space disease the amps could cure by the way? I can't remember.

August will likewise grab the amps, the empty static arc pistol and the force field upgrade. The he tags the body for retrieval once they find a way home.

August pulls the datapad out and powers it on, trying to look through the data to see if any messages or information about this corpse are present.

Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

August examines the body.

]"Suicide. Not a bad way to go when the chips are as down as they were here."

August will thoroughly search the body for any equipment, paying special attention to the suit and looking for a ship patch.

Take 20 on Perception for 29!

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

August calls the hatch to the attention of his compatriots and attempts to open it.

If it does he looks around inside and enters the room.

The GM just stole our thunder!

August briefly contemplates shooting Jagjug to get him to stop but decides it wouldn't play well off Eox. Probably.

[B]"Stop shooting, the robot's deactivatef.[/ooc]

After the goblin holster his laser, or at the least doesn't point it in his direction while he moves, August moves to inspect he robot and the area it appears to have been guarding.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Trick Attack (Sense Motive): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15
Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 1 = 17
Damage (Static Arc Pistol): 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

August tries to line up a shot but isn't able to place the shot just the way he wanted.

August fires his static arc pistol.

Trick Attack (Sense Motive): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (14) + 13 = 27
Attack (Static Arc Pistol w/ Get 'em): 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 1 = 12
Damage (Static Arc Pistol + Trick Attack): 1d6 + 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + (3) + 1 = 10

Happy birthday indeed!

Definitely wanting to finish. To the Drift Rock and beyond!

I swear like 2 seconds ago there was 0 new notifications in the game.

Ah, we're back again.

Yeah this is honestly a terrible outage for the forums - how long was it, almost a week and half? And then the site was down for several days.

I'm shocked at how bad it was and how uncommunicative they seemed about it.

Site seems intermittently up, and down, but one can finally post.

"They can talk, they can talk!"

August rips the bandage from the server's network port.

"We can siiiiing!"

Trick Attack (Sense Motive): 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33
Attack (Static Arc Pistol): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Damage (Static Arc Pistol, Trick Attack): 1d6 + 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + (6) + 1 = 10

August advances firing his arc pistol.

August's eyes adjust to the increased illumination.

Note to self: get Jaxom to install cybernetic eyes. Offer biotech if Jaxom is squeamish about mechanical replacements.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

"Pistons? I think there's something moving ahead."

August follows, reminding himself to buy a camera ball he can throw around corners as soon as he gets a chance.

Yep. You can "build in" weapon slots but that's about it? Maybe others really like it but I was disappointed.

"I say we head right since that's the way we came in from. I'd like to clear our backs before venturing into the unknown."

Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

August swaps out his batteries as well.

"If you say so - but I see why Astral Extractions and the Collective are fighting over this place. New tech I haven't even heard of, working anti-grav buried in a rock could fetch a price. Hopefully we can find a working terminal. I just hope we don't find any stairs."

There are some cool options but I think power armor should be like firearms in Pathfinder - if you use it it changes the game but it is awesome.

My underlying issue is it's heavy armor with a built in melee weapon.

Honestly it feels like power armor replaces the special magic armors from Pathfinder which is fine but maybe not worth a feat.

For me a targetting computer and gyroscopes should allow you to play a power-armored space marine specialized in range attacks but that's not how the balance worked out I suppose.

That's what she said.

"Well, that's not ominous at all."

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Can I roll Culture to determine if I recognize the corridor architecture as Pact Worlds, Vesk, Shirren/Swarm, Kasthan, etc.?

First impression was underwhelming and expensive.

I might homebrew some stuff. Also they should fire the art director for that book pronto.

Pronto. Horrible, horrible job.

And there was much rejoicing.

Reminded of all the bodies he's left behind him, August's own usually measured voice takes on a tinge of sadness.

"I'd be angry with the miners but they already paid. Now we have to make sure something worthwhile comes out of all this."

He moves to the door and examines it closely.

Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17 Yep, that's a door.