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Bart's shot blasts a nearby bit of rock, sending debris flying in all directions, but he does not find his mark.

In the distance, you can see the other mech struggling with getting closer to the battle.

One of the slaver guard squads moves up to try and surround Barbara. The other one continues to stay near the slaves, awaiting anyone who dares get close enough.

Burgurk and Bart are up!

An interesting conversation and here are my thoughts. The Glitter Boy in Rifts is tough. At 770MDC and laser resistant armor, it can only really be challenged by heavier robot vehicles, even though it is technically power armor. The NG-V7, which is what hit Barbara in this game, does an average of 70 MDC on a double burst. It would take around 9-11 shots to completely deplete the main body of the Glitter Boy, presuming that's where all shots hit and that they all actually hit the target.

Savage Rifts takes the Fast Furious Fun part of Savage Worlds and makes it super deadly and basically nerfs what the Glitter Boy was in Original Rifts. What I find odd, and I was frantically looking this up while going through the rolls, was why Power Armor is not considered similar to a Robot Vehicle. I would think that it would also have its own wounds and what not. No such luck.

I thought I read about the design philosophy of why they did that in one of the books (like Savaging Rifts), but I could not find it.

The relevant rolls are as follows:

As you can see, if it wasn't for that Ace, Barbara never would have been hit. The damage was average however, with a small boost from the Raise. The AP does negate a lot of the GG's armor bonus. Unfortunately, according to the TLPG, Body Armor, like the Mk II that Barbara is wearing, does not stack with other Worn Armor, which, unless I missed something, the GG counts as. This is in direct contrast to the 'standard' SWADE rules that worn armor stacks for 1/2 the lesser armor's bonus. However, I noticed that Barbara mentioned that her GG is only +18/+6. I think that is from the old SWEX version. The current version is as Burgurk said, +25/+10. Thus, Barbara should have a 42 (25) Toughness rating in the GG. It does stack with your innate Toughness, essentially making you an MDC creature while in it. Frankly though, I feel like the MK II should stack with the GG. It's a whole second layer of armor. That would give Barbara an effective 44(27).

I do like the idea of making Power Armor a vehicle with its own set of Wounds. I'm not sure that I would make it a 42 Toughness vehicle though, that would bring it higher than most Robot Vehicles and Tanks. On the other hand, it would make it similar to the GG in the book. Hmm.. I'll have to ponder that some more. I have to get going and get my 'we're not paying you to work at home after work, but you still have to work at home' stuff done. The joys of being a teacher. I will try to post another update tomorrow.

@Barbara- Were you still wounded from the earlier battle? I thought you were up to full after Bart and Ounce healed you, so you would only have two wounds at this point, other than the Fatigue from Bumps and Bruises.

Terry tries to line up a shot on another of the Coalition soldiers, but their disciplined maneuvering from cover to cover keeps them from being hit.

There is no sign of the enemy leader after Barbara let loose with her boom gun. She was last seen heading into one of the warehouses.

As the Glitter Girl gets raked by high velocity rounds, Ounce says over comms, "That's my cue!" She takes to the air and flies towards the damaged machine and its occupant, but has trouble navigating through the fire coming in her direction.

One of the mercenary groups advances through the trees, spreading out in order to find where the fire is coming from, knowing they can't take on a Glitter Girl with their smaller rifles.

Bart is up!

I'm going to rule that as a move to find half cover and evade. I'll roll the Piloting for you.

Moving away from the incoming mechs, Barbara's Glitter Girl easily outpaces the augmented human running towards her allies. She dodges between trees and outcropped rocks to avoid being targeted by the mechs.

One of the mechs, the one with the big gun for a head, crashes through some trees and makes its way towards the camp. The big cannon on top belts out a burst towards the Glitter Girl, most of which destroys much of the trees around her, but a few rounds tear into the backside of the Glitter Girl, shredding components.

The Coalition Squad moves from tree to tree, sending fire down range towards where the rest of the Legionnaires are, but they are too far away and too erratic to do anything effective.

One of the Slaver teams stays in cover and decides to wait out the Legionnaires, standing overwatch for the Coalition Squads. The invisible Gummitch fires another blast of lightning down at the moving soldiers, but is unable to catch any of them.

@Barbara, two wounds to Soak and you are Bumped to the next area.

Terry is up!

Burgurk should have been a scout...

Finally getting the magic in his binoculars to work, Burgurk scans for the incoming mechs. It isn't too difficult to see them with arcane vision enhancements. One of them has a large rail gun mounted where its head should be (Mech 1) and the other looks like a beefed up suit of power armor carrying a large rifle (Mech 2).

The hyper fast man pauses for just a moment to make a decision and then he is a blur as he runs past the Glitter Girl and towards where the laser blast came from.

Barbara is up! There are two mechs incoming and the guy that shot you is running towards your allies.

Despite his target moving faster than most, Bart also knows that he is currently invisible and it is hard to dodge something you can't see coming. A single bolt of concentrated light flies from the end of the JA-11 and pegs the man in his armor. He stops for a moment, stunned by the random shot. Bart tries to see beyond his target and can make out two large armored humanoid machines bearing down on the fight, but the trees and rocks and buildings don't allow him to identify what kind just yet.

Burgurk is up!

@Terry- from above: 'trees and rocks blocking his line of fire'. You were able to move around and hit the guy, just didn't do much damage.

Burgurk attempts to activate his special binoculars and it appears that they are encountering interference from the nearby ley line.

Or, perhaps, it is Ounce summoning the power to keep her allies protected. A globe of force coalesces around her, Burgurk, Terry and Bart.

The rest of the mercenary guards have trouble navigating the debris that Barbara's gun creates and the panic of forces who are just now realizing they are under attack. However, not all of the troops are out of it.

As Barbara continues to fire on the scattering troops, one of them comes running towards her at an almost impossible speed. His laser rifle powers up and sends blasts in her direction. A few of them hit, but they do little damage to the Glitter Girl. She ignores the man for just long enough to notice two blips on her radar. Something big is coming from the other direction.

@All- You can see that the map has been extended. Two new combatants have joined the battle, along with others that were inside buildings and coming out.

Bart is up! and then Burgurk starts the next round.

The Coalition squad, having had more combat experience than many of these mercenaries, are disciplined enough to find cover first before getting into combat. They move away from Barbara as fast as they can, right towards the waiting Legionnaires.

Terry tries to find a good position to shoot from, finding not but trees and rocks blocking his line of fire. Finally he sees some of the troops in clear view. Terry looks down range at the approaching solders, picks one out and fires. The beam from his rifle finds its mark, but his target's armor absorbs most of the energy.

Seeing laser fire coming from a different direction, some of the soldiers head for the cover of the two buildings.

Gummitch moves ahead, his invisible form shimmering in the air as he takes dragon form. A bolt of lightning shoots out of the sky towards his hated enemies, the Coalition soldiers, but it strikes a tree instead and vaporizes it.

@Terry, a quick side note, since your action card was a Club, there was a complication, so I rolled for you. You passed, so you're good.
@Burgurk- You can always Support your team while you wait for the enemy to get closer. I'll let you take a turn and then I'll do the rest.

Barbara’s assault takes the soldiers by surprise. They scatter for cover when the Boom Gun speaks, going everywhere but in the path of the big machine. A few gather their wits and return fire, but lasers have little effect on the chromium skin of the Glitter Girl. Barbara can see the leader starting to direct troops into a more defensive posture, while telling some of them to fan out. Some start to move towards where the rest of Barbara’s team is waiting.

@Barbara- That roll nets you some Bumps and Bruises (Fatigue), but otherwise you are unscathed.

Round 1
Barbara- AS
Enemy Coalition Squad- AH
Enemy Leader- AC
Terry- KC
Enemy Slaver Squad 2- 10H
Gummitch- 10D
Burgurk- 9H
Ounce- 7H
Enemy Slaver Squad 1- 6C
Enemy Other- 5S
Enemy Psi Stalker- 3S
Bart- 2C

That puts Barbara up again and then the enemy will go. We are in a Chase, technically, so all Chase actions as well as Combat Actions apply. All but Barbara are invisible at the moment, so keep that in mind.

After Barbara’s battle, she will have pushed them towards the rest of you, which is why I am starting at 9 cards (the recommended number) with 5” intervals. That puts you at around 45 to 50 inches (100 yards) away. Far enough that they can’t overwhelm you and close enough that most of you can at least open fire with pot shots. Thank you for clarifying that you are spread out. If they use area attacks, it will make it harder for them to get all of you. Remember also that some of them will be quite occupied with the Glitter Girl and all of you are still Invisible for a while.

I must have forgotten that you guys were going to stay by the barrier edge. either way it works. It appears to be the standard hammer and anvil tactic. Barbara drives them to you and you smash them when they get there. It will take her a few minutes to get into position and then start opening fire on them. That was going to be her Quick Battle. The Clash was meant to be for the up close and personal part, but I can see with you wanting to stay near the edge, a couple of Chase rounds would work better as they close with you. Barbara will be in short range no matter what due to the range of the Boom Gun, unless she wants to get up close and smash some things. So, here's what we'll do: I'll run one round of Barbara getting onto firing position and kicking off the assault, then we'll draw the cards for initiative for a Chase. Barbara and the bad guys will be on card 1 and you guys will be at card 9, starting you out at

-Chase Map-
1. 8S- Barbara, Leader, Two Guard Squads, Coalition Squad, Psi-Stalker, Other
2. 7H
3. KC
4. 3C
5. 5H
6. 3H
7. AH
8. 7D
9. 5D- Burgurk, Bart, Terry, Ounce, Gummitch

Depending on how Barbara does, it could remove some of your opposition.

As Bart looks around, he steels his eyes for any signs of something big that could hurt Barbara's Glitter Girl. So far, he only notices small arms, no rockets or plasma cannons.

The quick battle is to simulate the minute or two it will take the rest of the team to get close enough to do their job. It abstracts the rounds, so you have plenty of time to dig in and fire or wade into them. The description is up to you, but the roll will be Fighting or Shooting, depending on your description. @Burgurk, we could do that if you wanted, else I was going to abstract range based on Action Draws, similar to a Clash.

If it weren’t for the giant rail gun sticking out of it, the Glitter Girl, covered in a mound of snow, would look rather comical. Instead, with its ventilation ‘horns’, the gun, and the massive boosters on its back, it looks like something out of a Pre-Rifts horror holo-vid. There are some sparks as the monstrosity passes through the barrier, but its insulation keeps its lone occupant safe. Once she’s through, it takes the militia a moment to realize what is going on. Slowly, they begin to organize a group to stop the Glitter Girl.

Meanwhile, the rest of you, faded from the minds of those who might glance in your direction, come up underneath the dome, water washing away from you. You figure you can get within 25 meters of the nearest group before they can even notice you. Unless you start firing earlier.

@All- Barbara can start combat right away. The rest of you can join in too, but then you will be noticed earlier. The enemy will still not be able to clearly see you, at least for five minutes. I can run a quick battle with Barbara to simulate those rounds of fighting and then the rest of you can sneak up and start with the Drop on whoever is left.

@Barbara- You can roll one skill of your choice, presumably Shooting, to fight the quick battle for your attention getting activities. I will roll the troops once you do that and then adjudicate what happens.

So, presuming that Barbara agrees to Burgurk’s request, she will go through the dome covered in snow and the Glitter Girl and draw fire. The rest of you will come up through the water and start the assault from there, right?

Ounce thinks for a moment. ”With a ritual, Gummitch and I can make all of us living beings to be forgotten in the minds of those who are not psychically active. Essentially, invisible. It will take us about ten minutes. I should have enough materials around.” She begins to start digging through snow for plants as Gummitch starts clawing a circle to fit all of you inside.

The ritual will allow you to be invisible (-4) for 5 minutes.

Ounce and Gummitch both nod in agreement. ”We can provide arcane support as needed.”

Gummitch nods and suddenly becomes a significantly smaller feline, about the size of a house cat, all black, except for a white stripe down his chest. Ounce says some mystical words as the small cat approaches the barrier, a cocoon of snow surrounds Gummitch. They pass through and Ounce lets the magic fall. Gummitch quickly scouts the area, sneaking in and around the camp. While you are waiting, you check out the Mammoth’s seals. Only the main cabin and the troop cabins are environmentally protected.

About ten minutes later, Ounce repeats the words and the snow covered cat returns through the barrier. Shaking it off, he returns to his larger form and with the help of Ounce, creates an image of the two warehouses and surrounding environs. Little red dots popup that show the locations of all the bad guys and blue dots where all the slaves are. Besides the troops outside, there are five men inside each warehouse. Each warehouse also has about thirty slaves. One red dot flickers green. Ounce explains, ”That’s the psi-stalker. Steer clear of him and you should be okay. Unless you go in shooting, in which case, all bets are off.”

Is there a specific bit of information you are looking for? I believe I have pretty much detailed who is there and the buildings involved, including the area where there is little oversight. I can have Gummitch go in and tell you what you need to know.

Since Ounce is leaving, I will bot her and Gummitch until the story allows them to leave.

Ounce, after conferring with Gummitch in his cat form, offers, ”Gummitch can create a field of snow large enough to cover the Glitter Girl, but it will take all of his concentration. I will have to help him with it. We cannot create one big enough to cover both vehicles.” She pauses, thinking about what the others have said. ”It will also be a big white target too, so as soon as they notice the giant snow girl walking through their barrier, the ‘guns blazing’ option will have been decided for us.” Another pause and then she looks at Barbara. ”I wish it were tech, but the magic behind it is too powerful for even both of us to bring it down. It’s tied to the land and that ley line over there.”

As she speaks, a snowball splatters snow across Terry’s front chest piece as another snowball slips easily through the barrier.

Unfortunate to hear, but understandable. We wish you well in your future adventures.

While Burgurk discusses with the others what to do next, Bart’s random snowball flies through the air. As it hits the barrier, it shatters, leaving only dirt and debris behind, the snow and ice, being all water, passing through easily.

The success roll spoiler Burgurk pretty much spelled out. Psi-stalkers can detect supernatural beings and psychics within range, however, it is not necessarily automatic. Like any other sense, they would have to make a Notice roll. The Raise roll would tell you how to block it. Ahem.. Conceal Arcana.. cough…

Burgurk remembers noting that the field extends 200 yards in all directions from the center of the two main warehouses.

Burgurk gets a +2 on the following roll because psi-stalkers are his racial enemy.

Burgurk relays that the psi-stalker was pointing to the outside of the perimeter, but not in your direction specifically.

Burgurk sees all!

As you are preparing to enter via the water trick, the ever cautious Burgurk pulls out his binoculars and takes one last sweeping look. While the energy field is translucent, there are times when it appears clear enough to see through as it cycles through its phases. Burgurk has instinctively determined this cycle and is able to see all the goings on in the facility. Numerous people in armor mill about the area where two main warehouses stand. Several of them are in Coalition armor, but most are in a mishmash of types. Burgurk counts over twenty armed individuals on the outside. The ones who have their helmets off are all human. The patrols that walk the perimeter are two person groups. They come through each area every fifteen minutes.

A few times, Burgurk can also see some of the armed people herding slaves towards or away from the warehouses. Most of them are human, with some humanoid D-Bees mixed in. However, you do not see any Faelerin so far. What you also notice is that there seems to be one person that all of the soldiers are reporting to, mercenary and Coalition alike. She is a middle aged woman with streaked gray hair wearing armor festooned with runes. Every time the energy field pulses, so do the runes on her armor. As you watch one particular interaction, one of her men take their helmet off and starts pointing towards the outer perimeter. Burgurk recognizes their race immediately. Psi-Stalker. They seem to be having an argument. The Psi-Stalker then storms off, apparently disturbed by what was said.

It is then that several Coalition soldiers and an officer approach the woman. The officer shakes her hand and a handful of Faelerin are brought out from one of the warehouses. They are then placed into the transport that came through. The Coalition appear to be ready to leave.

While Burgurk is watching, Gummitch finds a place that he can easily slip through if he became the size of an otter.

Terry's armor warms up and he is more comfortable than he was earlier.

Bart weighs the options of how to get water back and forth through the barrier.

The others spend their time deciding how to get the Glitter Girl and the Mammoth in without raising an alarm.

Our condolences for your loss. That is always hard to deal with. We will be here when you are ready.

Burgurk scouts the area and notes that there is a spot that is on the opposite side from the river that appears to be uncovered by any sentries. It has an escarpment that bends inwards and is out of sight because of the buildings inside. Unless someone happened to be standing underneath it, they wouldn’t see a person coming in through that area. A vehicle would be out of the question though. Unless it was expected.

It’s a combination of river sand and rock. I think Bart is on to something though. Ounce doesn’t have elemental control that I see, but Gummitch does and Burgurk has telekinesis, he could assist with Gummitch.

Apologies everyone, Paizo seemed to be up and down all last week.

Terry continues his foray underneath the river until he comes to the shore. As soon as the barrier hits water, it ends. He also notes that it does not extend underneath the waves and you could slip beneath the barrier if you could somehow keep water over you. The barrier seems averse to water. To test his theory, Terry sticks a soaked glove towards the barrier and it bends a bit, but then snaps back as his glove dries.

Bart looks over the Mammoth and as he does, he notes several place where water could get in, other than the main cab and the troop areas. Those are environmentally sealed.

By default, Flight does not work underwater. It is specifically for flying through the air. Another power would need to be used to move fast through water. Environmental Protection plus Speed would allow you to move fast through water.

Terry starts his march towards the water and as soon as he enters, he can feel the pull of the water against him. While it doesn't take him off of his feet, he knows it will be difficult going. Though the edge of the river is fairly shallow, the slope of the bank tells him that it will be deeper than thirty feet by the time he reaches the middle. The temperature readout on his armor tells him the water is approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit. For either foot or wheeled vehicle, it would be slow going, but doable.

Basically a 6 yards of movement spent for 2 yards actually moved.

Ounce thinks that the speakers are probably local, based on how they enunciate their words. Human more than likely.

The river itself is flowing at about 3-5 mph (1.3 meters per second to 2.2 meters per second) according to readouts from the electronics aboard the Mammoth and Barbara’s Glitter Girl. It seems that the barrier is only connected to the land and the river’s water stops it. Swimming would be difficult, but not impossible. The real question would be how to get your vehicles through once your people are inside.

Between Ounce’s turning of dials, Barbara’s tuning of her scanner and Bart’s seemingly savant knowledge of radio frequencies, you manage to pick up the following message:

”…Badger Two Five, this is Badger Den. You are cleared for approach. We will open the gates at precisely thirty degrees, azimuth 45 degrees. Do not deviate from your current heading. You have two minutes before the gate closes again. Do you copy?”

”We copy, Badger Den. Transferring command runes now.”

There is then a strange static that covers the frequency and when it is over, you see what appears to be a hover sled flying towards the barrier. At precisely one minute, a hole opens. As the craft goes through, you watch as the hole begins to slowly close.

You can roll Electronics to see if you can pick up something on your radios. The higher you roll, the more you get.

As Ounce fiddles with the radios, Bart tries to find something that you can use to get in, other than the Mammoth you brought with you. Unfortunately, the only other vehicles he sees are on the river and manned. However, he does note that the barrier seems to stop right where the land meets the river.

Throwing a bone..

As you discuss how to get past the barrier, you watch as a low flying craft comes into view. At first it looks as if it might crash right into the field, but a small hole opens up and the craft flies right in. The hole then reseals itself. You lose sight of the craft once it is beyond the barrier.

Does anyone want to follow up to what Burgurk asked or what Bart reported?

Thanks for the update Bart. Have fun!

Before Bart goes on his solo reconnaissance mission, Ounce communes with the local spirits. They show her a vision of a woman dressed in what appears to be clothes made from the hides of several creatures. She has bones and twigs and other materials tied on and around the clothes. Though she seems older than most of you, her eyes betray a power you have never felt before.

From what you can tell, this field is definitely magical in nature. There are no emitters, wires, or other telltale signs of high technology and even if there were, this would be way above the Coalition's current technology level.

You can not get close enough to see anyone through the barrier, but getting close to it sends a jolt of electricity through you, and that is standing a few meters from the edge. You feel if you get any closer, the jolt will be far more than just a tickle.

You are able to see the vehicle and it is inside the barrier, near the warehouses. From what you can tell, other than this barrier, there are no other defenses. So far.

Thanks for posting that. Basically everything is souped up, for you and for the bad guys. There is no nexus here, but the one a few hundred miles from here is too far away to affect the area.

Bart searches the vehicle up and down in between pit stops on the way to the warehouses, but finds nothing in thew way of tracking devices or listening devices. Either they are very well hidden or there were none to begin with.

Friday, December 29th, 109 PA (2395CE). 0842 hours. 28 Degrees F (-2 Degrees C), Light Wind (6 mph (9 Kph), Cold). CS Missouri Territory, Along Illinois River (Near Clarksville, MO)

You listen to Ounce and Barbara's stories, perhaps pondering your own stories of redemption and loss as you travel the route to the warehouses, taking you through forests, swamps and following a river bank for a few miles. A few times you have to dodge CS river boat and SAMAS patrols, but you get within half a klick (500 meters) before you notice that this set of warehouses is more than well protected. A ley line runs along the waterline, sending static into the minds of the psychically and magically sensitive members of your team. There is a glowing field of force that seems to surround the warehouses and it is feeding off of the ley line, judging by the bolts of power that keep jumping between them.

Now, you know magic when you see it, but that doesn't explain why a Coalition vehicle is parked right out front of the warehouses. You would have to get closer to see more, but the barrier seems to extend about two hundred meters from the center of the facility. Whoever set this up must be powerful indeed. The question remains, how to get inside?

@Barbara- Very well written, like a nice heroic soliloquy and some Gm fodder for the future. Benny to you!

@Bart- Roll Notice at -2 to see if you find anything. On a raise, you may find something else...

@Ounce- Great Story! Benny to you!

@Barbara- The draws are in the latest main rule book. Your draw gives you a choice of either Downtime- What is a skill you practice often? Backstory- Who is your greatest love, either now or in the past? Trek- A trying hardship that occurs on the journey to the warehouse.

@All- I will wait until Thursday for anyone else who would like a Benny. Then we can move to the next scene.

You call Captain Tiller on the comms and he tells you that "...the new blues are safe at home and I can bring your reds in, but that's my last run for a bit. Gotta fix up the old girl a bit before she can go out again." When you mention you have other transport, he says "Roger that. A good find that one, but I'd recommend making sure it don't have any trackers or nothing. Never know these days. See you in an hour or two."

It is almost three hours before Tiller gets back to pick up the prisoners. As the last of them are loaded, he gives you a salute and whistles at the Mammoth. "Nice ride. Still don't beat my girl here. In the sky, you are free." He winks, most notably at the women, and then takes off with the prisoners. You are left alone with your new vehicle and coordinates to the warehouses.

I am assuming that you will be using the coordinates and heading straight there. If that is the case, then anyone who wants to can draw an Interlude card and tell us a little story for an extra Benny. Otherwise, we can skip to the next scene.

One more to confirm and then we can do that and start the journey to the warehouses.

Looking over the posts, it seemed as if your first priority was to get the slaves back to base. That was accomplished with the loss of a few due to the cold. You can certainly call Tiller back and send these guys back in cuffs if that's what you want to do.

Unless I completely misread something, you guys sent back the slaves with Captain Tiller in the air vehicle. You are now at the cave with the Mammoth and the slavers only. 7 men still breathing plus their leader.

Welcome back!

The map would give you a bonus +2

Burgurk looks at the timer while Bart tries to figure out where to go. The clock appears to have one day, 3 hours and a few minutes on it. According to the map, those coordinates will lead you to a collection of warehouses along the river. Traveling there by foot would take several days, but using the Mammoth would take about half a day. Assuming you didn't run into a snag on the way.

While there are few magical auras in the area, Ounce picks up a faint trace of one having been attached to the device some time ago, as if they touched it and then gave it to this man. Barbara tells you that the device is a locator beacon, probably either telling someone where they are or telling them where they should be going. As Burgurk handles it, he notes that a set of coordinates and a timer are counting down on it.

I figure everyone at this point is standing around the slavers as the slaves have been taken care of. The weather has died down, so no penalty unless you plan on staying out here another 4 hours.

The leader looks up at Burgurk coming towards him. "Y.. You don't get it. If we fail, we're dead anyway. Dead men tell no tales and all that. I ain't got nothing against you all, it's just a job see, and the Coalition, they pay real good for them blue ones. Like, ten-thousand a head. I see like maybe a quarter of that, but, I can..." He stops when Ounce points out a device to Burgurk that has been pinging in the leader's belt. "Th..that's nothing. Just a timer. We're late and all..." He trails off, knowing the lie is not working.

No worries, Ounce, I don’t usually spend player resources like that without them having a say. Sounds like you had fun though.

The leader shakes his head. ”Fair trial? That’s a good one. On whose authority? The Coalition has our back and the Federation doesn’t care. We got people everywhere and you can’t find us all.”