Excellent. We will have a Captain/Spellcaster in Artios 2, a ?Gunner?/Healer in Netharan 2, a Pilot/Warrior in Miles 2, and an Engineer/Buffer in Tetch 2. I will upload my character and post in Gameplay soon.
Okay, I have built a Human pilot/soldier at second level with the proper credit expenditure and ability scores as rolled. Also, I can still use the Dwarf Miner/Mystic if needed for healing, but I am not sure what starship role he would play.
I have an idea for a pilot who is also a pretty decent frontline warrior...Let me see what I can come up with. I still think we need someone who can heal decent amounts of HP damage, though...
As you went down first, I'll give you first choice on role.
I'll admit to being intrigued by the Biohacker, and focused on injections at range, with a somewhat manic character that would likely be played by Jim Carey, or Cillian Murphy.
That sounds interesting, Me’mori, would that make you our primary healer, or would we still need someone to fill that role?
My idea for the Dwarven miner stuck on board the rock seems like a no-go since we are sending a new team from Absalom station. I can stick with a version of the mystic, or go soldier depending on what you guys want to do.
So, for what I have seen, you need a face (envoy or solarian probably) to deal with social situations and help keep people's stamina up during combat (envoy ability). You need someone with skills (operative, mechanic, possibly technomancer) to know stuff and get through technical challenges. You need someone who can heal (mystic). Then you need combat specialists (soldier, possibly others), especially ones who can enter melee combat against the enemy. Also, everyone else needs to have effective roles in combat. At low levels, it is hard to do much damage with weapons unless you specifically build for it.
For example, Miles was built with an 18 strength and chose a weapon that does 1d4 damage for role-playing reasons, but he still did 1d4+4 at range and in melee. He was planning to take that star metal and make a cool melee weapon out of it that did more damage, but he never got the chance. Instead, I could have made a big Vesk with an 18 strength who uses a Doshko and done 1d12+4 damage, which probably works the best, but is very overdone.
The zombies were attacking at +8 and doing 1d6+5 damage, which is a very strong attack bonus and robust damage (at an 18 strength, using a feat, and at level 2 base attack, a soldier would only be +7 to hit), so to combat that we needed good defenses (high AC), good damage output (okay but diminishing during strength damage, would have been nice to have some more ranged/arcane support for the damage), and healing to keep us in the fight (nonexistant). In the end, though, the enemy rolled well and we rolled between okay and poorly, and just didn't have the damage output to even take one of the zombies down to reduce the number of enemy attacks.
Yeah, a combination of poor rolls for us, good rolls for them, and the lack of a healer to keep us in the fight has wrecked the party. The zombie high attack bonus and damage potential are bad enough, but the strength damage is what killed Miles. I can see them revisiting that portion of the rules...a Con drain that makes it harder for you to stabilize, sure, but a Str drain, a Dex drain, or Wis drain (based on your class prime stat for RP)? Maybe not auto-failing to stabilize when RP=0 would be a better rule, giving some Con-based save or something.
Anyway, it is what it is. Sometimes the party is not strong enough to defeat the enemy.
That works, of course you'll be out of the combat for this encounter for now, but you're new character should be in by the next one :)
Okay, sounds good. I will work on finalizing the character. For equipment, how many credits should he have to spend? Anything else in particular I need to consider for him starting out?
Thinking perhaps a dour Dwarven miner who has somehow survived on this rock until he is rescued by the party--could go either Mystic (for healing) or Soldier (think dwarven mechwarrior).
Thinking perhaps a dour Dwarven miner who has somehow survived on this rock until he is rescued by the party--could go either Mystic (for healing) or Soldier (think dwarven mechwarrior).
I'll be reflecting that in the next post. Looks like we'll be getting a new character then... this has been a rough rock for you guys...
Yeah, I really liked Miles, but I didn’t make the connection between Strength Damage and RP loss until I saw that portion of the rules while I was trying to figure out how fast it would heal.
We are really hurting without a healer in the party, but we still need the Tank up front. I am open to making either.
Miles regains consciousness (spending a RP to stay in the fight) and pulls out the flame pistol as he rolls, trying to line up a clear shot on the zombies. "Step back, Tetch," he croaks as his voice cracks from the pain, and he levels the flame pistol at the zombies.
** spoiler omitted **
My fault guys, I didn't calculate Miles' resolve points correctly. He normally has 5 RP, but the strength damage also reduces RP, so he was at zero RP when he went down from damage last round and he dies this round.
Miles struggles to fight the oncoming darkness, but his small body has lost too much blood to the zombies, and his breathing ceases as his skin pales in death.
So, I just saw the rules for ability damage on aonsrd.com:
Ability Damage
Pertinent Section:
"Reductions to your ability score modifier from ability damage affect skill checks and ability checks that use that ability score, as well as on the DCs of spells and other abilities based on that score. If you take damage to your key ability score, you also lose 1 RP for every 2 damage you have taken to that ability score."
This means Miles did not have 3 RP when he went down, since he is a soldier and Strength is his key ability. Since he had 8 points of strength damage, he lost all his RP. Instead of stabilizing and staying in the fight, he dies on his turn this round.
Miles regains consciousness (spending a RP to stay in the fight) and pulls out the flame pistol as he rolls, trying to line up a clear shot on the zombies. "Step back, Tetch," he croaks as his voice cracks from the pain, and he levels the flame pistol at the zombies.
Readied Action to fire flame pistol:
Assuming he can get a line on the zombies, Miles triggers the flame pistol, sending out a line of burning petrol over the implacable enemies!
Flame Pistol Line Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Flame Damage:1d4 ⇒ 3
(One attack roll, one damage roll, affects all enemies in a line)
Weakened and injured by the repeated attacks, Miles cannot stay conscious and drops to the ground, his starknife tumbling from his hand. Nevertheless, his breathing quickly evens out and he seems to, at least currently, stabilize.
Staggering and bleeding from the damage taken, Miles lashes out again with his starknife desperately, swinging twice, but with less strength than before, at the wounded zombie. If he is fortunate enough to take the first one down with the first attack, he will throw the starknife at the second one.
Reeling from the hits and feeling weaker, Miles keeps his focus on the damage zombie and swings more carefully this time, aiming for its neck again--or at least a major artery..."Do zombies bleed?"
”Netharan!” exclaims Miles as the detective falls under the zombie’s attack. Surging with adrenaline, Miles makes a full attack, trying to quickly take down the enemy before it can hurt anyone else.
Swinging first against the first zombie who has been hit several times, Miles will swing a second time if needed. If he takes the zombie down with the first attack, he will instead throw the Starknife at the second zombie who is currently too far to reach in melee (then using a swift action to recall the weapon to his hand).
Assuming Artois' action does not change the tactical situation signficantly...
Miles steps up to the Zombie they just hit as his starknife magically re-appears in his hand. He attempts to plunge the weapon into the creature's neck, ending its unlife once and for all.
Assuming the concentrated damage was on Zombie 1, and Zombie 2 is the one who just attacked...is that right? Also waiting for Artois to throw his Hazard cantrip before posting next round actions...
Miles keeps his same action, although it will be a melee attack and not a ranged attack if a zombie acts first and closes with him (rolls are the same for thrown weapon and melee weapon attacks).
Miles steps up to the front again and indicates with hand signals that they should all fire on the closest zombie at once to try and take it down before they can react. When everyone has a clear shot and looks ready, he will start a silent countdown and throw his Starknife while (hopefully) the others unleash their ranged attacks.
"Do we have time for me to rest, or should we press on as soon as we have investigated the room?" asks Miles, adding after the comments about the fusion seal, "My weapon does piercing damage, so it is not appropriate for this seal...does anyone else have a blunt weapon they use?"
Once again, Miles is left battered and bruised, reeling from taking the brunt of the enemy's attack. "Well you wanted to be a soldier, that's your job," he thinks to himself. Finding himself leaning against the wall once again, he asks, "What do we need to get that fusion against the undead to work? Some kind of weapon perhaps?"
"If'n we had sometin to attach that fusion ta, that'd be a fair start," grunts Miles in the heat of battle, losing his concentration and swinging wildly during his readied attack.
Miles steps further into the room to give the others space and perhaps box in their enemy (two squares to the east), then calls his starknife back to his hand. Still shuddering from the effect of the strange creature's attack, Miles prepares to strike as soon as it exposes itself again!
Miles is hoping to get a melee attack on the creature, as that would activate his "Opening Volley" feat and give him +2 to hit.
Miles steps forward into the room and holds his Called Starknife at the ready, prepared to throw it as soon as the apparition makes another appearance.
Still breathing heavily from that hit, Miles pivots and attempts to skewer that larvae with his starknife before it can wander off and grow into something (more) repulsive.
Miles then leans heavily against the wall, trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of him as the others survey the situation (taking a short rest to spend an RP and regain stamina).
Miles flies back into the wall behind him from the fearsome blow the void zombie just smote him with. Staggering back into the fight, he attempts to return the favor, spinning his starknife in a savage arc at the creature's throat!
Miles has only done the one turn so far, so he has just moved from his original position one square to the NE. No plans to move E after that right now, but just trying to make sure the others knew I wasn’t fully blocking the doorway since I don’t think that map has been updated to show the one square of NE movement yet...
"No good shot, Miles", Tetch said from their position, judging the angles of the tunnel and the entryway. "Advance or Retreat, else you'll have to fight it alone."
Another member of the crew, most likely. Did any of them escape?
Miles is currently one square northeast of his currently indicated position on the map, as it has not been updated for his "guarded step".
Recoiling at the bizarre attack and feeling weakened, Miles nonetheless takes a guarded step to the "northeast" to give the others a clearer shot and stabs vigorously at the creature with his called starknife!
Miles will take the empty flare gun and pass it to the next person in line, then set the body in a respectful position and move it to the side of the room, trying to anchor it somehow so it doesn’t keep floating around and get in the way.
Miles looks back and waits for cap’s signal before moving forward, still following the left wall as Tetch suggested.
Miles will nod to the cap and move up, his Starknife held in one hand as he approaches. He will look carefully at the body before touching it, then use his weapon to touch it if needed to look more closely.
