| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
@Cueta: I'm sorry for your loss :(
Search Posts
Four years... Damn! Time flies by... Congratulations, everyone! This is the first AP I've finished - and I wasn't sure it ever happened in PBP-format. Kudos to GM Stargin for keeping the game running all this time! It's no small feat.
I liked the campaign in general. It had a little "first adventure of the setting" -feeling, like they tried to fit a little bit of everything in there. Absalom station, jungles, Eox, space stations, etc... But it was entertaining tour of the known worlds (and beyond). I'm with Leila that there's some issues with the SF system. I feel the character classes area bit uninteresting (and class abilities often irrelevant or situational). The weapon / armor progression has issues, and I feel it makes the economy feel silly. e.g. level 5 weapon is ten times more expensive than level 1 weapon, and all it does it basically changes damage dice from 1d8 to 2d6. Funny thing is, in a computer game I would probably accept this without questions, but in a tabletop rpg it somehow irks me. But as stated, an issue with the system, not with out campaign :)
Yeah, we can cut here - watching through the station's window as Cueta-turned-stardust spreads around the solar system. And I'm very intrigued about the PF2 game, please do tell more.
"Where to, next?" Prospero-4 asks, feeling surprisingly empty inside. He isn't sure if this is because of Cueta's passing, or the sudden lack of purpose. For the first time in while there's no need to chase cultists or corpse fleet. And there is no real home to return to, either. The Sunrise Maiden is probably the closest thing to home he has. What next - that's a very good question, indeed.
"Collision course locked. Destruction of the target and this ship are imminent. We should proceed to the escape pods." Prospero says, pulling his consciousness back to his body. But before he can take a step, there is Cueta, handing him her rifle. The android tilts his head sideways, trying to understand what the warrior of ancient times is saying. "You are not evacuating? Why?" he inquires. The ship's course is secured, and there is no way the Corpse Fleet could alter it anymore. Poor as he is understanding human motives, he thinks there is more to Cueta's decision than just not trusting Prospero-4's plotted course. The organics are good companions, but sometimes it's just very hard to understand them.
Ugh, couple of busy days. Couldn't make a post, sorry.
"Shield breached. Structural integrity holding." Prospero-4 says, words coming out both from his own mouth and ships loudspeakers. "Shutting down all non-critical systems, diverting power to engines and shields. Power core overheating, but stable." The amount of energy he was now pushing to the engines could comfortably run a small planet. The power coils are on verge of burning out, so the challenge is just to keep the flow just barely below critical level and keep shutting down all those failsafes trying to ruin his plan. The maintenance crew of the Empire of Bones would have a very bad day tomorrow, if there was any ship left to fix.
"Shields holding." Prospero-4 reports, after the barrage of shots. His consciousness residing withing the networks of the Empire of Bones, the android almost feels pain with each shot they take. But here, he can control everything as well. And he plans to squeeze every bit out of the engine power.
And since I didn't get this answered on the gameplay: Does the "key" give it's +10 bonus to engineering rolls in starship combat as well?
Do we need to deal with the enemy ships at all? Is it enough to stay in one piece and make it to the gateway/degenerator? If we just want to go full steam, pilot action: Full Power (1.5x speed) doesn't need a roll, just RP. I think I should make the divert to engine for +2 speed.
That you? :o Strange having a face for the forum avatar after so long time :)sorry, no feedback yet. I was diverted to check up the whole "paizo controversy" thing I had missed.
"Not to worry. The eyeballs were from the should security unit from sector G-27-5. They will need those no longer." Prospero-4 does feel slightly evil moving the hordes of zombies around the ship, ordering them to kill pretty much everything that moves. Luckily, the deeper inner moral considerations are interrupted by the fact they are at the same time fighting the whole of the Corpse Fleet out there. So he'll keep himself busy switching between the zombie controlling and keeping track of the starship battle.
"Affir..." Prospero-4 begins to say, and then rush of connectedness hits him. He is the ship - the mighty engines, the gun batteries - he is the thousand eyes of security cameras and the thousand arms of the cybernetic zombies. The thrusters rumbles, when he flexes his hands, altering the ships heading as he does. "...mative." Then he brings up the course plotting on the main display for everyone to see, and aligns the Empire of Bones' course directly towards the Stellar Degenerator. And then he starts transferring all power to the ship's engines.
"That... was it..?"
The android picks up the key-shaped object from the fallen necrovite, and approaches the console. "Are we in control of ship, now?" he asks.
"For your information, captain, I am shooting quite well. Especially considering the target has been invisible for good part of the combat." But Prospero-4 has to admit fighting this magically enhanced opponent hasn't been easy. If they ever make it home from this adventure, some training against magic-users should be in order.
Awesome! I've imagined Prospero-4 to have metallic hair, and metallic sheen on the skin as well. Armor probably needs some colour to stand out :)
"Thank you for the advice, captain." Voice calm and steady. And androids wouldn't even know what sarcasm means, right? But then the changes of invisible enemy escaping lowers considerably, thanks to Fianh's trick. While still it's not perfect visibility, the glittering outline of the necrovite makes a much easier target. Prospero-4 keeps shooting with new vigor.
Just firing in the air feels futile, but it's the bets he can offer in the fight right now. Maybe just filling the air with lasers will sooner or later result in a hit.
Oh, what's the occasion? (asks the ignorant European) While unfortunately of normal length, the weekend was nice here as well :)
Prospero-4's echolocators tell him that the enemy is still there and moving. But that is all he know about the situation. Whether they are winning or losing, he has no idea. But best keep shooting until Cueta tells otherwise.
"Cueta, status report. Does our attacks have any effect on the enemy" Hard to fight an invisible enemy with unknown powers. Magic is something Prospero-4 isn't quite familiar with, and has no idea what can be done with it. But the android's short life experience has proven there are few hardships that couldn't be resolved with a volley of laser fire. And that will be his course of action also now.
So only Serovox left, out there somewhere. Cueta's wisps and Prospero-4's own echolocators gives the android quite good understanding where the spell caster could be. Of course, quite good might not be enough when making a shot. But this time, the bolt he launched disappeared mid-flight, and landed somewhere with a satisfying thud.
As fun as the crossbolter is, it's time for heavier fire. The android spends a moment to reload his artillery laser, and within seconds the battery indicator is flashing green again.
Prospero-4 could also point of the location for others (is that an action?). The echolocation gives blindsense but not blindsight so Prospero would suffer from 50% miss change anyway.
"Affirmative, captain" Prospero-4 says. Quite reassured that Astrianna can manage with the permanently dead monk, the android turns towards the wall of force, and slips through the wormhole into the other side. His speed enhanced both by the haste circuit and the powered armor itself, it's merely a blur as he appears into the other side of the battlefield, a healthy distance away from the swirling melee.
His artillery laser still unpowered, the android relies on the backup weaponry - an arm-mounted advanced crossbolter. The weapon fires a heavy wood-imitation bolt at one of the monks, a most traditional way to end undead menace.
"A portal." Prospero-4 observes. "No, a wormhole, connecting the two sides of the room." he continues once the exocortex has analysed the phenomenon further. "But where did that come from?" he wonders, quite unaware of Vek's doings. So there would be a way to the other side now, but a monk here as well. With Fianh on ground, it falls to the android to take out the monk. The enemy focused on Fianh, Prospero-4 uses the moment to smash the heavy bulk of the armour into the enemy, elbow first. Following that, the android brings his knee into the monk's undead stomach.
Wormhole time! Bravo! Well done, sir!
Yeah, I agree that's kinda bad rules design for a scifi setting :D
The battery indicator on Prospero-4's weapon blinks red, telling the android that the battery has now been dried out. But at least it did its job to finish up that one monk. Quick survey to the rest of the battlefield tells him Fianh is still fighting with one monk this side of the wall of force. "Do you require assistance, Fianh?" the android enquires. But he doesn't wait for an answer. The magic of haste still in effect, it takes only a blink of an eye to appear right next to the monk. And even if his favorite weapon is waiting for reload, his powered armour is a fearsome weapon in itself. He frees one wand from the gun, and uses the powered fist to pummel the enemy.
While the events in the other side of the wall of force look quite unsettling, Prospero-4 decides its better to remove at least one monk from this end of the room. He keeps the target locked for his cannon, and keeps blasting.
"There should be a route to the other side through the computer room. Although it is not the fastest way." he says, although Cueta seems to have reasoned the same and is already moving. While the main target is on the other side, the android decides to not to leave Astrianna and Fianh alone with the monks. He activates his haste circuit, takes a lighting-fast guarded step away from the monk, and shot at the undead menace in retribution that blow he took.
"Fianh Jin!? This is most unexpected, but welcome. It is good to see you again." Unarguably, this was a turn of events Prospero-4 hadn't calculated. With the old friend and bunch of monks in the battle field, the exocortex needs to work extra hard to calculate the outcome projections. With Sevoroux gone invisible, the android isn't sure if the captain's previous orders still stand. Everyone else seem to focus on the bodyguard, so Prospero-4 decides that is the best course of action right now. Trying his best to ignore the monk beside his, the android takes aim at the hulk and triggers the artillery laser.
I'm on vacation, and might miss a day of checking the thread. Please bot if needed - Full attack with the laser is probably a good choice.
"-it could spell disaster." "Is that a 'pun'?" Prospero-4 asks, having never heard of an alphabet grenade, and not quite knowing what to expect of upcoming blast. But with the explosion going off, the android understands the talks are over, and it's time to focus on the fight. As per captain's orders, he locks the purple caped figure as his target, and starts blasting his his artillery laser.
Agree, let's take the bridge first, then mess with the controls.
I don't have any ideas how to give us an advantage in the upcoming other than putting the bridge lighting into disco-mode, cyborgs and loudspeakers chanting our themesong, and using security cameras to record the whole fight for Astri's vlog.
"Yes, captain. The door is secured." the android affirms, and moves to investigate whatever the half-elf is talking about. The rows of computers are an impressive sight - and their placement here could mean access to far more secure controls than the networks they've encountered so far. He glances over Astrianna's shoulder, and sees the her seeking access to the security measures.
Prospero-4's level-up is somewhat unexciting...
Advanced Rig:
Your custom rig’s computer functions gain a bonus firewall countermeasure (see page 217). This firewall has no additional cost, does not count against the maximum number of countermeasures your custom rig can have, and can block off a module or group of modules already protected by a firewall. In addition, you can use your custom rig to communicate over an encrypted channel with your ship, allowing you to access the ship’s sensors, control its security systems, and prepare its engines for takeoff (as well as use the encrypted communications functions of your expert rig) at a range of 50 miles. If you have a drone, you can issue commands to or directly control your drone over an encrypted channel at the same range.
feat: Technomantic dabbler (gonna get the BBEG with cantrips and lvl 1 spells!)
And since we were given the heads-up about the invisible enemy, I will change the exocortex mod from flight system to echolocator. I wonder how that work in-game... Nanites? I don't think there was anything I was interested in the baddies' loot. Except for batteries - you can never have too many!
For the invisibility issue, Prospero could use his tech tinkerer to craft "Scanner, Motion Detector" if we have some other technological item of at least 7th level. "Motion detectors have blindsense (vibration) out to 30 feet, but you must take a move action each round to use the sensor." So far from perfect, but could help.
After that final shot, Prospero-4 scans the surroundings for any new enemy activity, and then lowers his weapon. It seems this fighting is over for now. "Sevoroux - have we heard this name before?" the android wonders out loud. But Astrianna was right, Ghrud seemed to have something against this Sevoroux, whoever he or she might be. While the others focus on brining Cueta back from the brink of death, Prospero-4 starts securing the premises. First, as per captain's orders, he locks the door behind them.
Prospero-4 fires into the melee. Together with Astrianna's firing solution, the android's targeting computer times the shots just so they miss Vek, but hit the mohrg.
Happy Midsummer!
Fully charged The Aphelion laser sends update to Prospero-4's targeting uplink, that the battery change is complete and the weapon is again fully functional. The Mohrg is already painted as the new target, so the android just points the artillery laser to the right direction and starts shooting.
Yeah, it's Helsinki where I live. A nice city in summer and fall :) (in winter a bit too slushy and dark for my taste). Although I might disagree about the smart design whenever I need to move by car :D I think all the Nordic capitals are very nice and worth visit. Well, can't speak for Reykjavik as I haven't been there yet (but it's on the go-to list) And welcome back! :) (once Covid is over and done with)
A very satisfactory series of shots leaves Prospero-4 wondering if he overdid it with his optimizations to the artillery laser. But a quick analysis of the ghouls demise leaves the android to the understanding the melting result was mostly a result of Astrianna's shot - although the exact details of it are still left unknown. Still impressed, he sends a thumbs-up emoticon to the half-elf's feed for good teamwork. Unfortunately, the laser's battery indicator displays quite clearly it's time for a small reloading break. He takes a fresh battery from his utility belt and replaces the used one in his weapon. While the artillery laser is feeding new juice and powering up, he aims his wrist-mounted crossbolter at the targeted monk, and hurls out a massive titanium bolt.
@GM: sounds interesting - do tell more! (Although I’m not sure if I want to commit to a new game during summer… End of August I’m up to anything) And yeah, the heatwave is here as well. Problem is, nordic houses are designed to keep the warm in . Works perfectly 90% of the year, but weeks like these are bit of a pain :P
It is somewhat unusual for Prospero-4 to get hit a lot, so this bombardment is a new sensation. Still, the android seems to escape the worst of it. According to the captain’s new orders, he changes his target to the tech ghoul. It only takes a microsecond for the protocol to lock the new target and then he is already firing full burst with the laser.
"More enemies. Which one is the priority target?" Prospero-4 sends in the groups internal comm channel. The Vesk Mohrg seems particularly dangerous, or it could also be just a big ego of the creature. For now, the android thinks it's best to finish what they have started, and focus on the monks. The one monk has suffered greatly fire both from Prospero-4's group and the monk's own, and the android is not going to let him go off any easier. He grips again his artillery laser, turning it towards the damaged monk. He fires the great weapon from his hip, but the targeting systems help greatly on hitting the target.
The sudden shifts in gravity causes Prospero-4 to falter and look for a new footholds, but the frame of his power armor keeps him standing - only slightly bruised. The monk is now too close to fire with a cumbersome weapon such as the artillery laser. So the android shifts the harness to move the weapon out of the way and smashes his powered and armored fist into the enemy.
"Alarm has gone off. I believe more opponents will be here shortly." Prospero-4 states the obvious. He waits for instructions to focus on a particular opponent, but as none comes, he picks to monk who looks to be blinded by Cueta's powers.
|