Hermena's page

Thanks a million, Gustavef! Hermena's going to remember this one for a while; as a former colonist in the Diaspora she enjoyed being the first one anywhere, so having Datch beat her to her prize and then mock her for it will definitely fuel a vendetta.

I would use my Day Job check for Rebuilding Nakondis again, and take 10 on the check to automatically succeed. I'll change that on my Chronicle sheet.

Do we get a copy of the "Playing a Kiirinta" appendix from you, or is it available online?

”Yes,” Hermena says, trying to sound conciliatory without fully lowering her weapon yet. ”Though the Society is more of a creed, a way of life instead of reverence to an entity. We explore the universe and try to learn about the many peoples that inhabit it, while striving to maintain harmony and cooperation. These tools were delivered to you... prematurely, without the right staff to oversee our introduction to you and the Builders. We have already spoken to the Builder leadership, who agree to an armistice mediated by the Society to de-escalate this conflict. We know you have lost comrades, but we implore you to consider peace and mutual benefit the best course forward for all of our factions.”

"Well, that's a freebie." Hermena mutters to herself as the giant insect bursts from the ground. She snaps her assault rifle into position and takes two shots at the beast. Use Focused Fire to make a full attack with a ranged weapon, so I can make both attacks with a –3 penalty instead of a –4 penalty as long as they both target the same creature.

dispelling accelerator rifle 1 attack 1: 1d20 + 9 - 3 ⇒ (10) + 9 - 3 = 16
Piercing damage: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (2, 1, 2) + 8 = 13
dispelling accelerator rifle 2 attack 1: 1d20 + 9 - 3 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 3 = 22
Piercing damage: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (2, 3, 3) + 8 = 16

Hermena reloads her rifle and sighs. "If we still had my grenade I might have been able to set up a a booby trap for anyone trying to grab the crate... hey, maybe there's another one in this box that we could use!"

Can I search the crate for loot? Also, I'll ready an action to turn on my force field if the Reflectors attack.

Hermena peers through the underbrush, scouting a way ahead for the party. ”I think I can get us there before the Reflectors, but if someone has a way to contact the Builders and get them to hold off their own approach that would be helpful.”

Survival: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28
Survival: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (3) + 13 = 16 use higher result as per Helpful Telepath, result does not include any Aid Another bonuses.

Hermena sits down at the Death Match table, hopeful that the drink will affect her mental agility less severely than her physical agility.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19

Not fully appreciating how the kiirinta’s drink had affected her, Hermena leaps at the chance to demonstrate her agility.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (2) + 13 = 15

This always happens to Hermena - decent in combat, but the minute a social encounter starts she can’t roll above a 5.

Hermena smirks when she sees what Viper-6 is up to, and raises her own glass for the toast. "Since were here speak directly on behalf of the Nameless, I should mention that our creed is one of cooperation - your civil war may have arisen from the arrival of our devices, but our order will not condone a genocide."

Fortitude: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7 Oof.

Hermena reloads her rifle and raises an eyebrow at Tavi. "I see, and just to make sure our... 'divine mission' aligns with yours, can you tell us what you know about the 'gods'?" She shoots a worried look at the more interactive party members, hoping to subtly get a sense of whether the plan was to impersonate deities or try to clear up the misunderstanding.

Cursing under her breath that the grenade wasn't worth the credits, she hoists her accelerator rifle back onto her shoulder and tries to bring down the blue builder nearest to her with a nonlethal shot. Use Stunt and Strike (Operations Manual 80) as a full action to move up to speed, make relevant skill check (Stealth) to render target Flat-Footed, and attack; Sniper's Aim reduces any cover bonus to AC by 2, taking -4 penalty to deal non-lethal damage.

Stealth Stunt Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22
Dispelling Accelerator Rifle Attack: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 9 - 4 = 13
Piercing Damage: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (2, 2, 2) + 8 = 14

Though she knows she needs to aim carefully when bringing down the kiirinta so as to minimize the fallout, she still holds out hope that sufficient displays of force will end the firefight early. She unclips her shock grenade from her belt, and hurls it into the midst of the northern attackers. Swift action to draw mk 1 shock grenade (Quick Draw feat), Standard Action to throw it with 1 range increment at the white X on the grid; with a spread of 15 ft, that should hit all three attackers without hitting Thomagar.

Ranged Attack vs. AC 5: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 2 = 25
Electric Damage, Reflex 12 half: 1d8 ⇒ 3

"UUUUUGH," Hermena growls as the instectoid guerrillas make an already delicate situation even more volatile. She darts behind one of the larger trees, and uses the cover to take a snap shot at the green kiirinta to the north. Use Stunt and Strike (Operations Manual 80) as a full action to move up to speed, make relevant skill check (Stealth) to render target Flat-Footed, and attack; Sniper's Aim reduces any cover bonus to AC by 2, taking -4 penalty to deal non-lethal damage.

Stealth Stunt Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (1) + 16 = 17
Dispelling Accelerator Rifle Attack: 1d20 + 9 - 4 ⇒ (16) + 9 - 4 = 21
Piercing Damage: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (1, 1, 3) + 8 = 13

Hermena nods at Rocket's suggestion. "Alright then, let's bring down that remaining drone. Hey Doc," She winks at D'zyliit, "Try to put an end to that thing's launch party while we're at it!"

Firing forward coilgun, won't need +2 from computer on this check (recommend Science Officer take it to attempt to disable the platform).

Hermena watches Viper maneuver the yellow drone drift into the forward arc, and decides to leave rocket to bring that one down. Instead she turns to the rear-facing coilguns and takes aim at the green drone.

I won't need the +2 for this attack, if someone else wants it for their attack.

"Looks like their going in for a flank, but that only works if they both survive. If we focus fire, we can end this before it begins!" Hermena opens the targeting interface for the forward and broadside coilguns and tries her best to align her shots with Rocket's initial volley.

Left the torpedo launcher for Swizzers, but did take one of the +2 bonuses from the computer. Fire At Will to shoot forward coilgun at green and port coilgun at yellow (or forward coilgun at yellow and starboard coilgun at green, if we turn downward) at -4 penalty each.

Hermena will default to the Chief Mate position, and can flex to additional gunner slots as needed.

FYI, Hermena has the Aeon Caster Launcher and Runedrive Rewrite starship boons from the Against the Aeon Throne AP chronicles available as well. The Drake's current weapons are likely better than the Aeon Caster Launcher unless we need a gunner to use Mysticism, and I'd rather not use one of the Runedrive Rewrite slots unless we are expecting a particularly tough combat.

Hermena hails the Clutter Collector as they drift by, taking a moment to personally thank Captain Winks for getting the Society back on track to securing the Bulwark. Hermena has the Chronicle for 1-04, where Captain Winks provided the intel that got the scenario started.

"I suppose we'd better keep an eye out for hidden cameras. If Datch is trying to catch the Society in an embarrassing position with this gambit, we should do our best to minimize our chances of being caught with our figurative pants down."

Hermena frowns. ”I suppose it’s too much to ask for a pre-industrial culture to have some kind of record keeping we could use to track down the ones who got them those weapons? Also, do we have any information about pre-existing peace prospects we might be able to capitalize on? I’d rather not need to go in guns blazing just to get our stuff back.”

Can I buy a new set of armor between the last scenario and this one?

After a long stare at Datch's recording, Hermena begins to fiddle with the hilt of the holy sintered longsword she grabbed on the upper level. "Do you think the 'holy' function will still function for me if I use the blade to widen that ysoki's various orifices?"

Hermena is still at level 6, and is best as a pilot or a gunner, depending on what the party needs.

Also curious about purchases before part II...

Reflex 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 Full 21 acid damage, reduced by 2 due to force field.

The partially-reformed forcefield barely takes the edge off of the spore's stream of acid, which eats away through the thinner mesh at the joints of her armor. Furious, the sarcesian turns her machine gun on the spore pod that just drenched her in bile. Using Deadly Aim and Focused Fire to shoot red pod twice at a -5 penalty each, with +2 to damage on both attacks.

Squad Machine Gun Attack 1: 1d20 + 9 - 5 ⇒ (5) + 9 - 5 = 9
Piercing Damage: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20
Squad Machine Gun Attack 2: 1d20 + 9 - 5 ⇒ (6) + 9 - 5 = 10
Piercing Damage: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

Sorry guys, my dice are ice cold at the moment.

Sorry, I forgot the Reflex save.

Reflex 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 8 damage, occurred before force field regenerated so all goes to SP.

I'm still game for part 2. Will we still have a chance to buy new equipment?

Hermena's forcefield shatters from the impact of the plant's tendril, but leaves her relatively unharmed. As the energy matrix starts to reform, she loads the second incendiary grenade into the launcher. "Save room for seconds, you overgrown shrubbery!" she shouts as she lobs the grenade towards its maw. Use Stunt and Strike (Operations Manual 80) as a full action to move up to speed, make relevant skill check (Stealth) to render target Flat-Footed, and attack; Sniper's Aim reduces any cover bonus to AC by 2.

Stealth Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (1) + 16 = 17
Ranged Attack vs grid intersection (center of plant monster): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15
Fire Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 5) = 11 Reflex DC 18 for half damage; if save fails target's burning condition increases by 1d6 (I think you have it as 1d8, GM).

Fortitude 16: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21 Not blinded.

"Whoever this 'Datch' vermin is, I'll make sure she doesn't get the last laugh here." Hermena grits her teeth and swallows her fury, redirecting her anger at the massive plant. She flicks off the safety on her new machine gun's grenade launcher before firing a mk III incendiary grenade into its undulating maw. Use Stunt and Strike (Operations Manual 80) as a full action to move up to speed, make relevant skill check (Stealth) to render target Flat-Footed, and attack; Sniper's Aim reduces any cover bonus to AC by 2.

Stealth Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21
Ranged Attack vs grid intersection (center of plant monster): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12
Fire Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 5, 2) = 12 Reflex DC 18 for half damage; if save fails target is burning 1d6.

Sorry for the delay, had a lot of distractions this weekend. I’ll post tomorrow, I promise.

Hermena clicks her force field back on, readies her new machine gun/grenade launcher, and waits for Viper to pop open the panel.

Force field on for combat (if it starts), will turn off again if no enemy in sight. Does Hermena get cover from the object in the middle of room 3?

Hermena's eyes light up when she sees the squad machine gun with the grenadier accessory, strapping her accelerator rifle to her back while hefting the weighty weapon to test its grip. "Wow, you've got some impressive stockpiles here, and this is an ancillary facility. Imagine what we might find in the Bulwark itself!"

With the spores evacuated, she turns to the rest of the group. "Do we think those spores were causing us to get jumpy, or is there still something lurking around in here now that we opened the environmental seals?"

The alarms send a jolt of adrenaline down Hermena's spine, and she picks up the pace in her effort to secure the last terminal.

Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 26

Once again Hermena tries to glide through the spores without disturbing them too much, though the extended period of compressing her large body against the wall has caused her legs to start cramping.

Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22

After a deep breath to regain her focus, Hermena forays into the spore-filled passageway once again.

Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24

Hermena mutters under her breath as she continues to sneak through the cloying spores towards the remaining nodes.

Stealth: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (18) + 19 = 37

Hermena cinches the holy sintered longsword to her belt and offers the holy corona laser rifle to Rocket. Hermena will take the laser rifle as well if no one else wants it.

"If the evil we're up against compromised a squadron of angels, then we'll use all the help we can get. Thank you, Negator-XIII; we'll try to do you and your fallen comrades proud."

---

Hermena's gangly form makes the spore-filled chamber difficult to navigate, so she does her best to hug the wall.

Stealth: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (19) + 16 = 35

Hermena keeps her finger on the trigger, but with her allies making headway on the celestial stranger’s disposition, she finds herself scouring the room for the ephemeral horror she suspects is lurking in the shadows.

”Woah there, we’re not trying to steal anything.” Hermena says, glad to finally have a target in sight that’s not always darting into the shadows. ”Our organization built this facility, and the Bulwark down on the surface. We’re here to set everything back to normal and make sure the fortress’ contents don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

Hermena shoots Rocket a sidelong glance. "Do you want that laser, or shall I?"

She then turns her eyes to the airlocks. "I don't think we're alone, and I'm not sure we should open an airlock until we sweep the rest of the facility. Whatever's lurking just out of sight might be waiting for us to grant it access to something it can't reach on its own."

That Diffraction Cloak is awesome, someone who's worried about saving throws should take it.

Hermena's training keeps her startle response to a minimum as shapes dart through her peripheral vision, but she is concerned when she sees her allies also starting to jump as shadows. "Maybe we should start closing the doors behind us. I'm worried we're not alone here, and any extra bit of warning might help."

Hermena agrees with Viper's order of interest, and tries to listen at the door before entering.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

With nerves fraying in the spooky facility, Hermena does her best to approach the situation systematically. She slides as quietly as she can towards the west-most door, pressing an ear against the wall and the door itself to try to identify anything abnormal.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

"No blood, no broken furniture, no sign of a fight... so where is everybody?"

Hermena blanches a bit reading through the macabre mission briefings. "I'm liking this less and less. Anything that leaves a contact team with 100% casualties should probably be nuked from space."

Agree with Diz, down door.

I moved us all into the new room, feel free to rearrange marching order based on character preferences. I'm also nabbing the darksight goggles unless someone else wants them.

After slipping on the darksight goggles pre-emptively in case of an ambush, Hermena looks around the flickering monitors, her forehead creased with concern. "Those screens don't look too promising. Can anyone try to get into the servers? Maybe there's some useful information that isn't corrupted by whatever's causing that error message."

Hermena clicks three new rounds into her rifle and shuts off her force field, saving the power for later. "I vote we go right and hug the right-hand wall, it will minimize the chance we miss anything."

Once Thomagar's blast dissipates, Hermena sneaks back into her original position and takes aim at the hive mother. Aim at Large enemy, using Deadly Aim feat.

Stealth Stunt Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (20) + 16 = 36 Target flat-footed against this attack.
dispelling AG accelerator rifle Attack: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 2 = 25
Piercing damage: 3d4 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (4, 4, 3) + 8 + 2 = 21

Hermena's purple forcefield ripples as the constituent's claw scrapes through and gashes her armor. As the forcefield starts to recharge, Hermena snarls, rolls away behind Rocket and Diz, then turns the barrel of her rifle towards her assailant. Aim at Yellow Constituent, using Deadly Aim feat. Move may provoke AoEs, but Hermena has Mobility and gains +4 to her AC.

Stealth Stunt Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (6) + 16 = 22
dispelling AG accelerator rifle Attack: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 9 - 2 = 26
Piercing damage: 3d4 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (3, 2, 2) + 8 + 2 = 17

Hermena follows Rocket, making sure to stay out of his blaster's line of fire. Once the ysoki's discharge subsides, Hermena slides up against the wall, raises her accelerator rifle, and fires at the giant beetle creature. Use Stunt and Strike (Operations Manual 80) as a full action to move up to speed, make relevant skill check (Stealth) to render target Flat-Footed, and attack; Sniper's Aim reduces any cover bonus to AC by 2.

Stealth Stunt Check (DC 20 + target's CR): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31 Target likely flat-footed against this attack.
Dispelling Accelerator Rifle Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Piercing Damage: 3d4 + 8 ⇒ (2, 3, 4) + 8 = 17

"Hey, at least you asked nicely," Hermena chuckles at Diz, offering up her arm for a biosample. "The most courtesy I ever got from the Azlanti researchers on Gulta was a 'Halt!' moments before they started shooting."

Hermena open to attunement for Diz.

---

Hermena nods to Thomagar before clicking a magazine into the pale-green accelerator rifle she picked up from her last foray into Azlanti space. "Ready when you are, boss."

Boons Slotted this Adventure
--------------------
Ally: Cedona
Faction: Exo-Guardians Champion
Personal: Sarcesian Admittance (Chronicle #5 from SFS# 142160-701)
Promotional: None
Starship: Aeon Caster Launcher Upgrade
Social: Athaeum Insight
Slotless: Rebuilding Nakondis

Right, forgot about boons. Any we should prioritize, GM? I had a crazy busy day today, I’ll post tomorrow.

Hermena nods as Ziggy recaps the hunt for Sangoro's Bulwark. "Yeah, I remember hunting down that derelict ship. If the welcoming committee on Mazdrun is anything like the one on the Struggle's Scholar, we'll need a plan going in."

Hermena has the Chronicle for Cries from the Drift, FYI.

"You said the dark shroud isn't enveloping the Arsenal, but is there any evidence of it making forays towards it? Should we expect undead or other nightcrawlers to be inside?"

Player Name/Alias (for Chronicle): Nick Wasko
Character Name: Hermena
Org Play and Character Number: 142160-702
Faction: Exo-Guardians
Race, Class and Levels: Female Sarcesian operative (ghost) 1/soldier (sharpshooter) 5

Initiative: +5
Perception: +7

Day Job Roll Taking 10 for a total of 18, but using it to check a box on my Rebuilding Nakondis boon rather than earn credits.

A gaunt humanoid just over 10 feet tall enters the Nest, looking at the arched doorway with pleasant surprise. "Look at that! Ziggy heightened the entryway so I don't have to crouch to get in anymore. Not too shabby!"