Hi, guys. To all my games: sorry I've been such a butt lately.
Basically, I was away from the internet for a while, but before and after that, I've been writing so much for work that PbP just felt like a chore. And I've come to realize that while I love my job, right now it's just not leaving me the time and creative energy I need forPbP, so, while I've sort of been sliding down that slope for a while, I figured I should actually tell all my games that I've gotta drop out.
Sorry to disappoint and potentially leave a bunch of people hanging at the end there, and I hope I was generally fun.
-Thunderbeard
Sorry guys! Just gave a conference talk to a room of 250 people, including two Nobel laureates, and uh... this is taking up more of my time this week than I thought it would.
Luckily, Hudson took a linguistics class in college!
As Hudson walked past, he tried to see if he could get a better sense of what the girls were saying to him, though his first priority was seeing how bad the injuries were.
Linguistics: 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (5, 6, 6) = -6
Diagnosis: 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (3, 2, 2) = 4
Hudson steps off the LAV, opening a medkit to show that it's not a weapon. "Medicine!" he shouts out, in the broken local speech that he's learned. "I am Doctor!"
"How close can we get to that wagon?" Hudson shouts out, "We need to cut it free or kill that lizard, fast!"
I'm also not a *completely terrible* driver, if we need a sub in the future, though the NPC is probably better (I'm tricked out for horses, not cars). Hudson is uh... not great at combat-type things, though hopefully that will change eventually.
"What's our status on their sniper?" Hudson asks as he runs back to the LAV, shielding his face with his hands.
"I... get... behind something?" Hudson stammers out in response to Laine, unsure of whether the sniper managed to hit anything.
"Lightning isn't something you can put a bandaid out!" Hudson calls out from hiding behind the LAV. "Everyone, in cover! If we're going to pursue we need a plan that keeps that weapon from hitting any of us!"
Guyyyys they just disabled our vehicle with a lightning bolt from a mile away.
If we try to run, we're probably dead. I think "snipe the mage" is as important to a retreat strategy as it is to an attack strategy.
Do we have a megaphone/speakers of some kind with us? If so I could shout a message in the language I've learned.
"As horrible as that sounds," Hudson adds, "Do we know this is someone taken prisoner from the village? Could be these are the good guys, and they just captured a genocidal monster. I'd rather not snipe everyone without knowing a bit more."
Sorry everyone! I've been having trouble connecting to paizo for like 4 days, it might've been my internet, I think it's good now.
"Same. We're not supposed to be engaging a military force, but a single prisoner wagon? Maybe there's a chance to do something humanitarian, as long as we don't wind up in any dangerous mountain passes."
"There as definitely a massacre here. Most of the bodies didn't die from the fire; but some did. It's certainly valuable intel—there's at least two factions in this area—but without more identifiers we can't link it to much. Do we want to follow either set of tracks?"
Hudson examines the bodies for obvious identifiers or causes of death.
Physician (human): 13 - 3d6 ⇒ 13 - (1, 6, 4) = 2
Physiology (human): 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (2, 5, 1) = 3
Physiology (ogre): 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (4, 3, 3) = 1
Hudson spends most of the ride trying to get others to play any of the several card games he's brought. "We're six hundred miles out," he points out to Dawn. "Are we assuming this entire world is a single nation? It's quite possible we'll find enemies of the people we were invaded by, and I can think of a few politicians who would certainly be interested in eventually arming any pro-Democracy rebel factions we might run into."
* * *
"Do we have any fire suppression?" Hudson calls out. "I can set up a burn tent if we find survivors, but if the town is abandoned, there might still be useful information in the ruins."
Oh, if we've already got M72s, then I'm fine not taking manpads.
Also if we buy a horse or a unicorn or something, I can ride on that for extra space in the vehicle.
I don't think we need to be too flashy—don't want to be an obvious target for thieves or bandits—and hanging valuable stuff on the roof might be problematic.
How many MANPADs are we planning to stick in the car? I'd assume the 20mm works better against ground target, maybe we could just stock 1-2 emergency RPGs and decrease trad good space?
Yep. Time to buy some overpriced local souvenir crafts!
I mean no, it's terrible. Synthetic fabrics might be decent, especially if they're incredibly warm, but probably have more trade value as socks, shoes, or coats. Still, metals would be the most valuable if we were trading with Medieval people--Silver's not a bad trade idea, but ingots of aluminum or stainless steel tools would be hugely valuable.
"I can keep inventory on trade goods," Hudson comments. "I've been learning a bit of the local language from our prisoners in the medbay."
I'm fine with "generic trade goods," as long as we have plenty of medical supplies.
Should we be choosing trade goods/cargo from a list of things, or should we just expect it to be a sort of standardized set of gewgaws they give us?
Hudson has no questions to ask his superiors, but he is interested in making sure his ride will be stocked with medical and trade goods.
Cool. Let's go on a road trip!
Just let me know if there's any skills from those I was asking about that I can't train, I guess (local language from the prisoners, ogre-thingy phisiology)
Okay, skills to ask about.
Are there prisoner-patients I can speak with to learn some of the local language while I treat their wounds? Thinking 1-2 XP on basic spoken proficiency.
1 XP spent on Physiology (orcs? ogres?) from performing dissections in my free time, unless there's multiple nonhuman races available, in which case it's 1 XP on each
1 XP on stealth from generally sneaking around and hiding.
Probably banking on the rest, unless there's a combat skill (rifles, gunner, driving, spotter, something like that) that the party would like me to take.
Hudson spends most of the next few months in the medical tens, as is his actual job in the force.
Still. He volunteers for night shifts whenever possible, and this gives him some time alone, where he can get it, with prisoners. Because ENS Hudson has his notebooks, and a tape recorder app on his phone, and more than one college course in linguistics—and at some point, the military might need translators.
Linguistics (month 1): 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (6, 4, 3) = -2
Linguistics (month 2): 11 - 3d6 ⇒ 11 - (6, 5, 2) = -2
So I don't get any free points in linguistics; can I potentially spend 1 point to get broken spoken proficiency in these guys' language?
I plan on learning healing magic as soon as possible (probably not that soon), which should help with injury recovery speeds in the future o.O
I'll be traveling for most of the next week with uncertain internet, feel free to bot me as needed.
Hudson hides in a safe place under the walls, waiting for a medical order and trying to keep up with just how far out the flying dragons are.
EDIT: I guess it'll wait until after this battle, when there's clearly a surplus, but I kinda want to start stockpiling spare weapons/armor from the enemies if the government doesn't immediately ship it all out for research.
Okay, back for a bit.
What's the chance I can get my hands on some dragon torsos/organs to dissect and document in a field report?
It depends on the first aid kit purpose. The first aid kit in my lab doesn't have any, but my roommate's does, because it's an acids-included first aid kit. A hazmat or chemical spill kit might be placed next to the trauma kits, minor injury kits, burn kit and defibrillator on the humvee, although it depends on how we're set up. That said, if the dragon fire happened in CA, they probably know just what to pack, so all good.
(my point was just that in this case it's actually an important question).
Because of its amphiphility, baking soda can be used to neutralize both acid and base spills, and is a very common ingredient in chemical spill kits. Whether or not I have access to it determines whether Hudson can actually neutralize acid burns, or just try to slow down the damage.
Fun! Does my basic medical kit include baking soda?
Hudson spent most of his time bandaging burns, prepping casualties for (hopefully) evacuation back to a hospital site on the other end of the tunnel, since the facilities here would be limited.
He did ask idly, however, if anyone had found a dragon corpse, since the right scales or organs from one of those things might be valuable to the locals, if the fantasy tropes held.
I think if you dissolve completely, though, you're MIA, not KIA.
Oh man, misread Phosphoric Acid as Hydrofluoric Acid and was freakin out for a bit. HF will ignore your skin, dissolve your bones, and make you die of calcium poisoning. Phosphoric Acid, on the other hand, is in Coca-Cola (at lower quantities of course).
Physician\TL8 (I don't think any basic equipment gives bonuses?): 13 - 3d6 ⇒ 13 - (3, 1, 2) = 7
Hudson, it seems, takes quite readily to field medicine.
"Right, then. Makeshift medical team—anybody want to help me carry supplies and stretchers?"
So uh... the forum doesn't seem to be tracking dots right now, just FYI.
Hudson looks around for a triage tent or medical officer he might be able to report to in assisting with any injuries.
Eh, if I were in the Humvee with Nadezha, I'd be wondering why a PFC is talking like a Shakespearian protagonist.
Hudson just keeps his mouth shut and his eyes wide for a few seconds, stunned at the actual dragons and uneager to draw their attention by firing at anything.
And I'll keep pointing at things and naming them.
"Dragons!" Hudson shouts out. "Oh man, dragons!"
Perception: 13 - 3d6 ⇒ 13 - (6, 2, 6) = -1
Whee! I'm bad at things! Figured Driving 8-10 is about "standard guy with a drivers' license range" though.
Ah right, good point. Snipe snipe snipe!
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