After landing, getting cleaned up and treated for any bumps and scrapes you have, you gather in the auditorium. Ozpin, his earlier amused gaze having leveled back out to his usual boredom, stands back and lets Glynda take over announcing the team lineups for him. "Congratulations," she says, after a long, deep breath. "Not one student has failed today. You have all been deemed worthy to go on learning here at Beacon Academy."
"There was an element of randomization in the test today," she continues. "The relics you selected will match you with your teammates, first into two man teams, then into your ultimate, four-man assignment." She waves a hand behind her, a massive holo-screen spinning renders of the orb relics before bringing them together. You can see now that the silver and gold halves twist together to form one complete piece, with lines on each forming complete pieces. "Felix Ramakrishna and Raz Morris," she says, putting a name to the face of the weasel-boy from earlier. "Brought back the pieces of the Quicksilver relic." Their names and faces display on half the screen, superimposed over the finished symbol of their relic. The other half displays another spinning render. "Eloysius Floyd Dorado and Tawny Deschanel brought back the pieces of the Tin relic." The screen displays the big boy and the small girl, then arranges their faces over the first letters of each of their names--Floyd looks embarrassed about his first name, and Tawny gives him a friendly punch in the shoulder. "Henceforth, you will be known as team Ferret," she says, the screen displaying FRET. There's a smattering of polite applause. "Led by Felix Ramakrishna." Mixed in amongst the applause, you can faintly hear Raz Morris cursing.
"Carmine Rouge and Azure Crowder brought back the pieces of the Luna relic," she continues, their faces lighting up on the screen in front of a crescent moon symbol. The other half spins briefly before coming to rest on a sparkling sun. "Shamrock Duille and Esper Fiore brought back the pieces of the Sol relic," Glynda continues. "Henceforth, you will be known as team Case." The screen displays CASE to significantly louder applause. You're able to see Ozpin giving a mildly enthusiastic clap on stage, his eyes fixing on each of you in turn. "Led by Carmine Rouge."
"Sorzar Dhabab and... Beoh," she says, audibly hesitating before realizing Beoh has no last name. "Brought back the pieces of the Iron relic," their faces illuminate on screen, a few students giggle at the sharp contrast--Sorzar's picture is broadly smiling, Beoh's is much more severe. "Onyxia Irises and Tana Kazakh brought back the pieces of the Copper relic. Henceforth, you will be known as team Sabot." The screen displays SBOT below your faces. "Led by Sorzar Dhabab." The applause continues for a moment, Ozpin again casting his judging eye over the four of you and applauding with polite interest.
The other two teams are announced afterwards, (the only name you recognize is Tora's--on team TOST). Ozpin steps forward to take the mic from Glynda. "Your schooling begins in earnest starting tomorrow," he says. "Take the rest of today to move into your new accomodations and familiarize yourselves with your teammates if you haven't done so already."
So there we have it! Our teams are Carmine-Azure-Shamrock-Esper CASE and Sorzar-Beoh-Onyxia-Tana SBOT. We'll be posting up links to our individual campaign threads soon.
In the meantime, everybody refresh to your default number of bennies and take three experience for a first game well done. :)
Not long after Beoh asks his question of Esper, he's likely the first to notice the airship off in the distance. It's not the same one you flew in on, it's a little smaller and seems designed more for maneuverability than comfort. It gradually lowers, drawing down the distance to the ground by making tighter and tighter circles. The back end opens as it finishes lowering and Ozpin gives all of you a nod (slightly more interested and appreciative than any other interaction you've had so far) as the ship lands.
A few moments later, the remaining students file up the hill. A few of them look worse for wear, but Tana is easily still the worst off. You don't see much worse than the odd split lip here and there. Each of them seems to have acquired an orb, meaning nobody failed the challenge. Ozpin beckons all of you, saying loudly enough for everyone to hear "Ordinarily, we might have you walk and climb back, but circumstances have required otherwise. It's a little cramped, but we should all be able to fit on board."
The inside is loud, cramped, slightly hot and the seating consists mostly of rock-hard cushions and cargo netting with seat belts. Port and Glynda bring up the rear as you get buckled in and once everybody is settled, Glynda waves her wand, lifting up the rear hatch as the airship takes off.
"Congratulations," says Ozpin, taking another sip. He and the other teachers have remained standing, but he has no trouble keeping his footing as the ship makes a tight U-turn to return to Beacon "You have all passed your entrance exam."
"Some of you," booms Port, casting an eye over several of you, "Have done a great deal more than passed. You have survived. You know who you are. You especially, deserve to become the next generation of Huntresses and Huntsmen."
"Please hold up your relics for a moment," says Glynda, pulling a scroll from an interior pocket hiding somewhere on her form-fitting garb. Once everyone has their relic in view, she snaps a picture. "Thank you. Once we land, you'll have an hour to shower, clean up, and see to any wounds. After that, please gather in the Auditorium to receive your class assignments."
Only another couple of updates before we get teams and split up. Get hype! :D
The dice on Paizo run on blood magic. The only person who had a personal connection to that spoiler had the only success. ;)
Glynda nods sagely to Esper as she leaves. "Combat training is the only class I teach, young lady," she says, adjusting her glasses with one hand, the other still gently rotating the wand, making the web swirl in the air. "The rest of my time is consumed being the vice headmistress."
"That sounds cool," Floyd says to Esper on the walk up. "I think I like being here too." He's mostly quiet on the walk, though he seems to be happy to listen. Tawny and Felix, a safe distance away, cast glaring looks at him and Esper, but don't seem to interfere otherwise.
Onyxia:
The scroll appears to be running a group text between the teachers. There are a few names you don't recognize yet. Oobleck looks to be letting the other teachers know that there's one wounded but stabilized student. The last message before Oobleck picks up the call is that there has been a severe misstep in the initiation, and to call a meeting of all teachers with the Vale council as soon as possible following its conclusion.
Oobleck nods to Onyxia. "Indeed-young-lady. Though-we-would-be-wise-not-to-undervalue-the-Grimm, most-who-exist-this-close-to-civilization-are-indeed-not-intelligent-enough -to-concoct-this-sort-of-operation," he pauses to take a breath and a sip of coffee. "Indeed-a-trap-of-that-nature-is-beyond-anything-recorded... Most peculiar." He pauses, putting his scroll up to his ear as he continues to work on Tana, giving her a set of stitches across the top of the wound on her stomach.
"Yes-sir," he says into the phone as the remaining group of students crests the hill. "There-is-one-casualty, though-she-appears-stabilized. The-internal-damage-is-mostly-centered-on-her-uterus." There's a pause, just long enough for someone on the other end of the line to say "What?", before Oobleck repeats himself at deafening volume. "I SAID HER UTERUS!" He waves the group over, oblivious to any embarassment he may have caused Tana.
"Children-please-gather-around-in-an-orderly-fashion," he says. "An-airship-will-be-here-to-return-you-to-the-academy-shortly. Please-guard-the-perimeter-for-a-moment-while-we-find-the-rest-of-your-clas smates."
At the top of Satellite hill, Professor Oobleck produces a first aid kit. Checking his scroll with one hand, he expertly juggles it, a bandage and his mug of coffee as he sees to Tana's stomach wound. "My-dear-sweet-girl!" He says to Onyxia. "That-was-no-trap-of-ours!" He pauses, one hand holding the bandage to Tana's stomach, he tosses the scroll in the air, deftly takes a sip of coffee, and then places the cup on the ground in time to catch the tumbling scroll. "We-caught-that-spider-on-our-cameras. We've-never-seen-anything-like-it-before!" His thumb flies across the scroll, sending a text message you can't quite see. "But-you-and-your-friends-appear-to-have-performed-exceptionally-well."
Glynda casts a stern eye to each of you in turn as you explain yourselves. Looking at the others, Tawny gives a shrug from inside the web. "Teeth over there is pretty much right," She says, waving her arm half-heartedly in Esper's direction. Felix gives a low growl before nodding his assent and jerking his arm pointedly away from Azure as she releases her grip.
Floyd stays silent, but gives Esper a nod, accepting her handup and quietly saying "Thanks. Sorry."
"I don't believe for a moment that this was just an argument, young man," says Glynda, gazing imperiously at Carmine. Out of a side tunnel, Professor Port's chuckling voice booms out.
"It sounds like a mere schoolyard scuffle to me, Professor Goodwitch! Consider letting them off easy." He pokes his head around the corner. "We were all children once. Even you."
"However,"Glynda sighs, though her expression softens considerably as Port disappears back into the tunnel. "Owing to the exceptional circumstances here you will not be punished. You and your friends appear to have defeated an uncatalogued type of Grimm, young man," she says, glancing over to Carmine with a faint hint of approval. "No mean feat for new recruits." She flicks her wand up, pulling the web from Tawny and rotating it a few times, bundling it neatly. "As for you three, and your mystery friend--Mr. Morris, if I'm not mistaken--You'll be on detentions for your first two weeks following team assignments. Starting a fight outside of supervised classroom exercises is not tolerated." Felix grimaces, but Floyd and Tawny seem unconcerned. "Even if you lost." She adds curtly, to another growl from Felix.
"Take your artifacts--just one for each of you--and proceed to Satellite hill." Quietly, as you leave, she adds, "Bartholomew is looking after her. She should be alright." After checking around and making sure that all nine of you total have left, she walks to the entrance, the bundled up web hovering behind her. "Professor Oobleck will be awaiting you."
Notice at -2:
Glynda waits conspicuously near the tunnel entrance, waving off any stragglers and pointing you in the right direction. Port emerges after a minute or so. To his credit, he tries to keep his voice low, but for him even that comes out as a stage whisper at best.
"It's incredible! Tons of solid rock shifted immediately. Nothing like it in the area when we swept through this morning." Glynda's voice doesn't carry as she responds to him, but you can make out his response. "I'm forced to assume it was intentional, Glynda. We'll inform Ozpin immediately, of course. The Vale council should be made aware. The White Fang have made it to Vale."
Yeah no this is all on me. I've been doing (or at least starting) some of my posts from work, but since I got back from the wedding everything at my workplace has been on fire* so I haven't had much time. The holidays have been hitting me hard as far as mornings and evenings go. Once Christmas is over things should level out. For now, I posted up and sent Rungok another PM about those teams, so we should be set. :)
(PS: You guys did a really good job of non-violently resolving this situation. Although, since they were outnumbered, it didn't take too much. ;) )
Against any protest she could put up, Tana is carried to the top of Satellite hill by Onyxia. A concerned-looking Professor Oobleck is waiting for the two of them. "My-goodness-gracious-girls!" He exclaims, adjusting his glasses and helping to take Tana's weight off of Onyxia's shoulders. "Are-you-two-quite-alright? The-other-teachers-ran-off-in-a-tizzy-about-something-they'd-seen-on-their- scrolls!"
Below, in the cave, the four newcomers seem to have been almost completely subdued. Felix, still held by Azure, seems to pale slightly at Beoh's nonchalant talk of killing, and acquiesces, quietly and ungratefully, to Sorzar. "Fine. No fighting today," he mutters, working his arm free of Azure's grip, if she lets him. Tawny lets her hands drop, muttering to herself, but still unable to get free of the web Carmine trapped her in before dropping her arms to her sides in exasperation. "I'm done, then. You and fox guy are like, total buzzkills."
The weaselly boy who still hasn't given a name makes an annoyed, barely-audible "Tch, amateurs."
Semblance:1d8 ⇒ 6 Wild:1d6 ⇒ 2
Just outside of Sorzar's range, the boy seems to pop out of view, a wave of camouflage washing over him from head to toe. In a low hiss, you can barely hear "I'll be watching you, punk," and faint puffs of light footsteps as he flees the cavern.
Floyd sighs, his hair seeming to wilt and the sparks fading. "You mean you really weren't... But you...," he says to Esper, looking confused, his gauntlet still clenched and ready. He raises it, half-heartedly, as if to swing it down, but lets it sit out-stretched in the air. Looking like he can't make up his mind, he totters back and forth on his feet, and is abruptly flung at the wall.
"Explain to me," says Glynda Goodwitch, to the lot of you, "Exactly what is going on here." Her eyes glance from Tawny, to Felix, to the confused looking Floyd, to the remnants of the web on the floor. She flicks her wand, letting Floyd, who looks much calmer now, slide to the floor. The remaining orbs drop from his gauntlet, and he grabs one. Another rolls away past the cave entrance and Esper, out into the sunlight, and keeps going.
Onyxia, you could probably make a litter out of the scraps of Beoh's shirt and a couple branches. You'd need someone else to help you carry her though. Otherwise, if you're picking her up and carrying her up on your own, it'll be at least another check or two (she is Brawny). :)
"Tch," says the Weaselly looking boy, dancing backwards...
"...Using a clone because you don't want to fight your own battles?" He says with a s*#%-eating grin. He looks completely unaware of the irony. He drops the strings for a moment, as Sorzar grabs his arm, but he manages to twist out. Glancing to each side, he barks short orders. "Felix, drop 'em! Tawny, get 'em over!"
Fighting (opposed):1d10 ⇒ 3 Fighting Wild:1d6 ⇒ 6 Fighting ace:1d6 ⇒ 3 = 9, Azure still easily beats him
"I am not prey," says Felix raspily, dropping the orbs, which clang together on the floor and flicking his hands to the side, revealing two long blades that fold to jut down from his wrists. "I am a hunter." He puts one blade towards Beoh, the other he is unable to aim due to Azure locking up half his body a second later. He lets out another low growl--up close you can feel it vibrating in your bones. "Unhand me."
He's more or less completely unable to actually attack right now. It's up to you what sort of octopus judo hold you just put him in, Azure. :)
"What is this supposed to do?" Asks Tawny, smirking. She puts up a hand, unable to raise her arm fully from the sheer volume of webbing, looking bored again. "Pow!" She says, instead sending the blast from her hand behind her back, blowing the orbs across the tunnel floor towards the exit.
Semblance:1d8 ⇒ 7 Semblance wild:1d6 ⇒ 1
"I get it," says the big boy to Esper, his gauntlet flexing to catch the orbs--he misses one, but still has a good seven in his hand. "You think I'm dumb just 'cause I'm big." He grits his teeth and sparks begin to pick up across his skin, centering on the gauntlet.
Semblance:1d6 ⇒ 2 Semblance Wild:1d6 ⇒ 4
"Well I'm not. There doesn't have to be a fight if you just get out of my way," he says. "So I'd really like it if you could move now, please."
Satellite Hill is about a quarter mile, so not terribly far.
With regards to lethality: Yeah, aura protects you from bullets generally speaking. And I mean, we've seen humans fighting between the Vytal festival and Qrow/Winter dueling. The general impression I got is that you're safe as long as your Aura is not depleted. That said, somebody attacking someone else with a genuine weapon is probably more serious than somebody knocking someone else down with their Semblance.
Either way though, the bullies started it. They're meant to be jerks. This isn't a friendly maneuver they're trying to pull. Think team CRDL with better combat ability, but a much, much poorer choice of targets. :)
Either way I love that you guys are all playing your characters absolutely to the hilt. As long as everybody keeps a cool head OOC, I actually thrive on party conflict. ;)
So posting this real quick to both of the games that I GM:
I got very short notice that I'm going to be in a friend's wedding party this Friday. I'm going to get you guys an update tonight (within the next couple of hours if time allows). I'll try to get you an update while I'm travelling tomorrow. Friday I will likely not be online at all, and then I'll get an update either late Saturday when I'm travelling or early Sunday when I'm home.
Sorry for missing an update last night! Back on track we go.
All four of them wince as Carmine's shot goes overhead, the girl riding on the big boy's shoulder lets go and slides to the ground to dodge, tossing her hair and making an arrogant "hmph". The skinny one in front licks his lips, tugging his strings very slightly with his thumbs. "So you noticed? I guarantee you don't want to see me fire," he takes a couple short choppy steps forward, fixating on Sorzar. "So are you like... The leader?" He grins. "Oh, were you going to actually wait for Ozpin to select your teams? Gradeschoolers."
Felix lets out an honest-to-god growl towards Shamrock, a tiger-striped tail quirking behind him. He looks to the skinny one for guidance, and the weaselly looking one quails a little, glancing between Azure, Beoh and Carmine before looking back at Sorzar. "Tch. Take what we got, we don't need the rest," he says. Felix withdraws his hand, dropping the last one he was reaching for, but stepping back with the others still in his arms.
"Tawny, cover the exit," says the weasel, backing up, keeping his thumbs on the strings. "Floyd, deal with the new one." The little one strides forward, checking her scroll with one bored hand. The fat boy with the gauntlet turns, walking towards Esper.
"Hey. Maybe you could move," says the big boy quietly to Esper. He sounds shy, but he does take up a fighting posture. His gauntlet flexes, the fingers moving independently despite being much longer than his real ones.
"Rah." Says Tawny, sounding bored, putting up her hand...
Semblance:1d8 ⇒ 6 Wild:1d6 ⇒ 4
...And letting loose a massive gust of wind from the mouth of the tunnel. She pockets her scroll, putting up her other hand and redoubling her effort for a moment.
Azure, Beoh, Carmine, Shamrock and Sorzar, give me strength checks or be knocked prone.
Any ones that weren't grabbed fell. There's enough for everybody to have one, and you launced with 20 students in total. The new guy grabbed about enough for two teams.
There should still be about a team's worth on the ground.
Considering Tora has a phobia of spiders, and I swear to god I did not plan this, I created that encounter before I even put the recruitment up, let's say she's probably stopped running about now. :) (I might use her as an NPC, but I don't think I can get in touch with her player now, so... :\ )
I thought Onyxia was jumping down because I was confused about her positioning, but you intended for her to fire from up above, so... Your call.
As Sorzar's attacks land, they draw two long crossing lines through the Beowolf. Mirage spins through its flesh as it gives off one last angry howl before dropping to the ground in four pieces. A silence passes over the surrounding cavern as the Grimm silently disentegrate into the air. Scattered relics rest on the ground, surrounding the web, which still remains.
With the dust barely having settled, a boy strides in through the tunnel to the cavern with the air of a cowboy walking through the batwing doors. He's skinny, weaselly, his back is crooked into an artificial stoop as he leans forward, tossing his chin-length bangs arrogantly to one side. He's flanked by two larger boys, one a scarred up, orange-haired Faunus, the other one chubby, grey-haired and shy-looking, tinkering with the circuits of what looks like an immense iron glove. A skinny, tiny girl with a bored-looking expression rides on his shoulder, tapping on her scroll and barely bothering to look up, her pink-and-black hair bouncing as the boy walks forward. "Well, well, thanks for the help," says the one in front, grinning and steepling his fingers. "Felix, get the stuff," he says nodding to the Faunus boy, who silently picks up an armful of relics--several more than the four they need.
"That spider thing was like, weird," says the small girl, glancing at the web and snapping a picture with her scroll. "I think it was a new breed. That's gotta be worth something. Maybe they'll like, still let you be hunstmen when we win this little training exercise." She tosses her hair, crossing one leg down and bumping the chubby boy who puts on the glove up to his elbow and gives a weak-sounding "yeah."
Notice -2 for Faunus, -4 for Humans:
The boy in front is subtly holding some strings that extend into his jacket. You realize that the double row of buttons on his uniform are alternating in a zig zag between real buttons and what look like very short, stubby weapon barrels.
The combat is over for now. :) Everybody take one additional benny for awesome roleplaying in combat, taking down a boss that was probably overstatted for novices, even RWBY novices, and just all around being excellent dudes.
Esper you are free to pop in as you want now. You can assume for the moment, that if you come out of the tunnel behind them, these new nerds don't notice you.
I knew about Level-Headed. :) I think the confusion came from Deadlands: Reloaded, since it's description of Quickness doesn't make it clear that you get one card, it just says "Two actions per round". Since that was my transition over from Deadlands: Classic I think my group just kind of assumed it meant two cards.
I'm learning so much about Savage Worlds that I've always taken for granted is actually house ruled in by the GMs I usually play with IRL. For instance, they've always dealt characters with Quickness two separate cards! Sorry for any confusion on your initiatives, Azure. :)
As Onyxia dives for the spider, it rotates its wincing eyes to look at her. Carmine's shot from Red Queen catches it across the side of the head, skimming off without damaging it, but making it round on him with another bizarre snarl. As it starts to step toward him, Onyxia's multiple blasts go off, propelling her up on top. As she whirlwinds around, beating the spider through multiple segments of its body, it screeches, growing louder, until finally, it collapses to the ground with her on top, Rose and Gild covered in black Grimm blood, its remaining huge legs curling in and piercing through its chest as it ceases to move. It begins to disintegrate after a few seconds, but its huge web remains intact.
On the Six of Diamonds The last Beowolf gives a snarl and swings for Shamrock as the only person still in reach, but can't manage to hit him, only digging its claws into the rock wall of the cavern.
Fighting:1d8 ⇒ 1
The boss is officially dusted. :) Only one Beowolf remains, and Sorzar is the only one with a remaining action.
I've been keeping track of the strength and toughness benefits on my end for the Spider. You *do* get a +2 to hit it, but it's effectively canceled by the -2 darkness penalty of being in the hole. :)
So since she was incapacitated, first of all, let's roll for Tana's injury. Injury Table:2d6 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2 ...Poor girl. :T She's damaged in the Unmentionables until all of her wounds heal. No other real effects.
And Azure is correct about Beoh's healing roll. Since he's untrained and also taking the penalty for Tana's wounds, he can't patch her up, though giving her something to staunch the blood was probably helpful. :)
I think he was counting his +2 from the joker as cancelling out his MAP on those swings, and then taking the +2 from Wild Attacks. Since the agility roll isn't an action, just a result of his jump, it doesn't suffer from MAP and he gets his joker bonus as per normal. :)
Shamrock pops to the base of the cavern, his first shot knocking the Beowolf off balance, and the second popping it into an impromptu backflip as it crashes into the ground. The other snarls, running towards him in a zig-zag.
On the King of Diamonds: The Spider, pinned by Beoh's claws and Azure's fire, can barely move under the onslaught. Letting out a feral, eerie screech, it tries to get ahold of itself...
Spider Spirit:1d8 ⇒ 7 Spider Wild:1d6 ⇒ 2
After a moment, finding a pause in the fire, it scuttles toward Azure and sweeps out with its remaining legs, stretching to hit both her and arcing a leg up to Beoh.
Round 4 Combat Card Draw: Red Joker: Beoh
Ace of Spades: Shamrock
King of Spades: Azure
King of Diamonds: Grimm Spider
King of Clubs Carmine
Nine of Clubs: Onyxia
Six of Diamonds: Beowolves
Three of Diamonds: Azure
Two of Clubs: Sorzar
Carmine's shot from Red Queen lances through the spider's abdomen, giving it a clear wound that leaks black across the webs on the cave floor. The huge things winces, screeching, and charges. Before it can bear down on Carmine, Azure shoots into its back and then jumps off...
The GM spends another of his dwindling multitude of bennies Spider Soak:1d12 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14 Spider Wild:1d6 ⇒ 3
...Stopping its momentum, but not managing to truly wound it.
On the Nine of Diamonds: The Beowolves, dodging around Onyxia's short-range fire, growl. One goes low, the other high, as they swing for her...
The huge bite is thrown off course, however, as Sorzar leaps down. His chain once again, doesn't quite manage to wound it, but throws it off course, makign it miss Carmine by a mile.
Azure your second action is remaining in the round. I'll post up the card draw for the next round if you don't kill the spider. :)
Carmine, when you get a raise on a fighting/shooting roll, you ordinarily add a d6 to the damage roll. My understanding is that the weapon ability you purchased (Very High Raise Die) changes that d6 into a d12. In this case, you didn't get a raise on your shooting, but your damage did ace due to rolling the maximum number. :) I'll rule on your damage once you roll that last d8.
Shamrock's damage only really changes on the first one, and since he had teleport, I'm going to say he was within the first range cat for his spread. I'm just going to keep the first ace and first raise die. His first three dice came out to 11 (one ace), plus his first die he rolled for the raise was 3, plus the first ace he rolled was 2, plus 2 damage for the joker. At 18 he already kills an extra creep handily. Recounting by the way the dice might have fallen if he'd rolled the proper number of dice is cool, but a lot of extra effort. Between him and Beoh, they already shred the three creeps pretty much no matter what. :)
Beoh, I feel you. I gave Tana a ranged option because it's RWBY and everything is bullets!!* but there's so much extra math involved when you start including customizable ranged weapons. This is the price you pay for rule of cool. :)
Beoh's claws cut clean through the Creep tearing into Tana, and it shrieks as it dissolves into dust across the forest. His second swing doesn't quite kill another Creep, but it impales and picks it up, the creature screeching and leaning in for a bite before being blown off of his claw by Shamrock's close-range spread. The remaining creep is dusted by a shot to the neck that sends it flying into a tree, where it smashes into rapidly-dusting pieces.
With the creeps dead, Azure and Onyxia are up. The only remaining Grimm in the immediate area are the spider and the two beowolves below ground. :)
Apologies again for the stutter-stops. I'll make sure to get you guys back to more frequent updates (Every other night or so) up until we split the threads. Still working on the updated PDF, but my home copy of Acrobat is kind of borked so I'm having some trouble editing.
By all means, if I stall, feel free to keep moving. I'll place people on hold if they don't post in time, so no reason you guys can't do the same to the GM. :P
I forgot to post the card I drew for the Ursa, so we'll resolve it's action along with the Creeps.
Tora if you're still around get with me, if you're having difficulty understanding, send me a PM.
Below Ground:
Azure's first swing whiffs, being easily dodged, but the follow up is swift and brutal, pounding one of the Creeps into the ground where it melts away into the dirt. The extra range of her weapon is keeping them from closing in or swiping at her as she backs up.
Beoh's wild swings do the first real damage to the enormous spider. The first shot seems to stun it, and the second swing actually pops one of the huge leg joints, leaving it skittering and reeling for a moment. Shaken > 1 wound It rears back to swing before being caught off guard by Carmine's shots from the Red Queen skimming along its carapace. They don't pierce, but knock it off balance as Shamrock, reeled in close, is able to get a cleaner shot and shoots the injured leg clean off.
Shaken from Beoh's first swing, wounded once by the second, wounded a second time by Shamrock's first shot. Spending a GM benny to soak Shamrock's second. Grimm Spider Soak:1d12 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16 Wild:1d6 ⇒ 6 Grimm Spider Ace:1d12 ⇒ 5 Wild ace:1d6 ⇒ 6 Wild ace:1d6 ⇒ 2 Soaks the wounds from Shamrock's second shot.
Above Ground:
Fighting:1d8 ⇒ 1
Tana, unable to budge the Ursa is instead kicked by the beasts' back paws. It can't find any purchase as it kicks blindly, but shakes her off. Sorzar's swings skim off the carapace, but as it arches its back up to bite at the empty air where he was, Onyxia is free to skim under, her shot from Rose...
Benny Ursa soak:1d12 ⇒ 2 One more Ursa soak:1d12 ⇒ 3
...Obliterating its right leg and dusting the whole creature.
Below ground, the creeps seem wary enough of Azure that they're barely able to land a hit on her even as they try to corner her.
The creeps above ground converge on Tana as the weakest available target, still bowled over by the swings from the Ursa. Her armor asbsorbs the first shallow strike, but before long, two of them have gripped her and pinned her for a brutal finishing strike.
The spider spins, throwing out its huge legs. Off balance from its wounds, its unable to hit Shamrock or Beoh, the only targets in range.
Combat Card Draw Round 3:
Red Joker: Beoh
Black Joker: Shamrock
Queen of Spades: Carmine
Queen of Clubs: Creeps
Jack of Spades: Onyxia
Ten of Hearts: Azure
Nine of diamonds: Beowolves
Five of Spades: Grimm Spider
Four of Hearts: Sorzar
Four of Diamonds: Azure
Beoh, I'll save your rolls but they'll come up on your action. :)
Tana's roll should be opposed, so...
Ursa Fighting:1d8 ⇒ 8 Ursa Fighting Ace:1d8 ⇒ 4
Not even close.
And I'm putting Tora on hold.
On the Spider's Sleeved King of Spades: The huge thing finally stirs, moving forward and aggressively pulling its web, including the far stretches of it that are barely visible in the darkness. Thin fibers that have fallen under chunks of rock and altar stretch away, coming up from under the dirt and pulling inward.
Carmine and Shamrock, give me an agility or strength check (your choice) at a -2. Failure means being pulled in 6 pace closer.
On the Two of Clubs: The creeps above ground circle for Tana as she clings to the Ursa's leg. Those below sprint for Azure as she retreats from the spider.
Azure is able to easily keep moving and keep the Creeps at bay, however Tana is not quite so lucky. Trapped between the bear and the creeps, she's constantly fighting to keep them off of her and ends up stunned and off balance.
Tana is shaken. Azure is unharmed, but withdrawing from combat with the creeps will allow them an attack on her.
Round 2 Combat Card Draw:
On Hold: Tora
Ace of Spades: Beowolves
Ace of Diamonds: Beoh
Ace of Clubs: Azure
King of Spades: Tana
Jack of Diamonds: Sorzar
Ten of Spades: Grimm Spider
Ten of Diamonds: Carmine
Eight of Clubs: Onyxia
Five of Diamonds: Azure (Action 2)
Three of Hearts: Shamrock
Creeps: Two of Spades
On the Ace of Spades:
Spirit:1d6 ⇒ 1 Spirit:1d6 ⇒ 5
One of the fallen Bewolves is able to shake off the fall they took down below, but the other is still stunned. Out of range of the combatants, they wait this round.
I'll move us into the second round of combat tomorrow. In the meantime, Carmine and Tora get your actions in, otherwise I'll put you both on Hold and at the top of the initiative for next round. :)
Shamrock, that's correct on range penalties. Each shot is counted as a separate instance of damage, though. So you have two separate hits of 9 and 7 damage. Sorzar, you're also correct about that raise. Sorry about those damage rolls >_>
Note (that I should have remembered to mention--this sort of rule doesn't come up much in the settings I usually run): the Ursa Major is Size +4, so any rolls against it have a +2 to hit.
The Spider is Size +5, but darkness penalties down in the hole, so... It basically cancels itself out.
In the hole, Beoh's swings bounce off of the armored spider as it lowers itself to the ground, beginning to scuttle and rotate, it's long legs stretching out and plucking at its web before finding purchase on the ground. Shamrock's shots spray lead across it, which pings off of the stretch of white armor.
Above ground, Sorzar and his clone slice diagonally across the neck of the Ursa major. Unfortunately, their timing is a fraction of a second off, as the beast rolls its shoulders forward, their weapons glance along its carapace, and as they land to either side, the bear lets out a massive, rumbling growl that you can feel down to your bones.
On the Seven of Diamonds: The Ursa Major growls low before pouncing on Sorzar's clone and smashing it into the ground heavily.
Onyxia's shots tear through the Beowolves, which dust into the ground, leaving only the Creeps and Ursa Major living above ground.
Azure's shots ping off of the spider a moment after Shamrock's, leaving it hissing and spitting. The damage is only cosmetic, however, it looks like it can't decide who to attack, its eyes following Azure and Shamrock, disregarding the much closer Beoh and Carmine.
Apologies for the massive delay. I've been covering at work since one of my coworkers left on short notice and working 10s and 12s. Never meant to leave you guys hanging this long.
Tora, yes you can roll for Semblance before the battle starts
Beoh is thrown backwards from the Ursa major, his first blow skirting along its armor, and his shot to the eye going off course. Sorzar deposits Carmine just on the edge of the falling ground, then lands on the bear, doing his best to pull the beast off course and hinder its movements.
Agility:1d8 ⇒ 2
And succeeds powerfully, the annoyed beast unable to buck him or get its movements back under control. A short distance away, Azure and Onyxia shred two beowolves to pieces
As the crumbling ground around the altar gives way, Onyxia and Tora are able to jump to solid ground on the surface. Onyxia, using ballistic movement, is able to scoop Tana out of the air and deposit the big girl on the other side of the opening ravine. The fault widens dramatically, huge chunks of earth falling away, and Azure and Carmine are able to slow their descent into the ground, landing safely in a huge cavern.
Fall Damage:2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9 Fall Ace:1d6 ⇒ 4 = 13, 1 wound to Beoh
Beoh lands hard on his shoulder, but its the least of his worries. Looking up, everyone inside the cavern can see a massive Grimm spider, red eyes and white armor gleaming over a shadowy, hairy body and a stretch of eight massive legs. The web surrounds you, but the gaps are large enough that none of you are yet touching the web. Around the edges, as the earth continues to fall, exposing more sky above, three of the creeps and two of the beowolves fall into the cavern.
Shamrock dodges backwards as a portion of the tunnel collapses. Distantly, he can see the huge shadowy worm thing take off much faster, the mountain shaking from its movements as they accelerate and the creature disappears deeper into the earth.
Combat Card Draw (and Positioning)
Beowolves (two above ground, two below): Red Joker
Grimm Spider (Below ground): Acts on King of Spades (Ate Jack of Spades via Level-Headed)
Sorzar (Above ground, already in melee with Ursa Major): Queen of Spades
Shamrock (Below ground, 20 pace from spider): Jack of Diamonds
Beoh (Below ground, shaken with one wound (can soak), in range of spider): Eight of Spades
Ursa Major (Above ground, away from faultline): Seven of Diamonds
Tora (Above ground, in range of Ursa Major): Seven of Clubs
Azure (Below ground, in range of spider): Six of Clubs
Carmine (Below ground, in range of spider): Four of Hearts
Onyxia (Above ground, in range of Ursa Major): Three of Clubs
Tana (Above ground, in range of Ursa Major): Two of Diamonds
Creeps (three above ground, three below): Two of Clubs
On the Red Joker: The two Beowolves above ground lunge for Tana and Onyxia as they're still off-balance from their landing.
And tear viciously into Tana, with Onyxia as an afterthought.
On the King of Spades: The spider goes on Hold
Beoh, Shamrock and Sorzar are up next, the rest can still post their actions if they'd like. I'll shift targets for you if anything dies or moves before your card comes up. :)
Tora, go ahead and take those 3 power points, which puts you at 7/10. :)
Everybody give me an agility roll after completing your actions this round.
Onyxia, Sorzar and Tora start to run as the ground shakes more and more violently by the second. Closing in on the other sounds of gunshots they arrive at the altar several moments after Azure has already gotten there. From the woods to the side of the altar, the sound of gunfire and loud clangs continues to echo.
As they watch, Tana comes sailing out of the woods, breaking through a decently sized tree and skidding to a stop at their feet. The Ursa growls as Beoh throws blood on it, its head bobbing back and forth between its two targets. Before it's able to select, the ground gives another violent shake. You're all able to see large dust clouds rising from the forest, tall enough that they eclipse the trees. As the ground gives one more violent shake, the whole altar tips to a slight angle, and starts to fall inward. Any unclaimed artifacts go rolling across the ground.
Growls sound out from almost every direction. Beowolves and Creeps begin to crash through the underbrush, not quite surrounding the altar, but attacking from three different sides at once.
Shamrock:
The tunnel is almost perfectly sized for the thing. You can see it up ahead, perhaps a hundred feet distant, with a faint red glow lighting up an armored white grim carapace. It twists, writhes and then moves with an almost blinding speed, crashing into the rocks and tunneling clear through them. The mountain shakes around you, and rocks begin to fall from the ceiling of the tunnels.
Even after it moves out of sight, the shaking continues, and you can tell it's still moving somewhere through the rocks.
Next update will start combat for real. :) For now, your available targets aboveground are six creeps, five beowolves and the Ursa Major.
Yeah, we're definitely going to change that once we split the threads because Rungok and Schythe both have systems for soaking with Aura that are more elegant and involve less system bloat than my original idea (there's a reason I don't usually do homebrew. :) ).
Let me think about 1 PP per wound. Rungok had the idea of spending PP for a soak roll using Spirit instead of Vigor, which might be a good solution. 1 PP per wound still means you could soak 10 wounds without ever rolling anything.
He also had the idea of the GM handing out Aura whenever someone displays Heroic Resolve, which I love and will absolutely be a thing, since the "battered shonen protagonist stands up against all odds because they fight for their friends" trope is literally my favorite.
@Tora: If you're really unhappy with your semblance, you can change it, but do consider the creative options. This isn't a system where a power can do just the one thing. Some options for Teleport:
Aerial Warping: You can flash step into mid-air, and your range is long enough that you can beat your own terminal velocity for multiple rounds. Since your semblance is a free action this means you could effectively stay out of melee range (Which nearly every Grimm is) while still being able to fire (or make wild attacks from falling using the ballistic movement rules)
Holding an Action: If you hold your action once we're actually in combat, then teleport as a reaction, you'll roll opposed agility with whoever's attacking you. Since you have a high Agility, it's a fairly safe bet that you'll win. You can then Teleport and act for free after causing whoever's attacking you to basically waste their action.
Power Stunts: I've mentioned in the thread a couple of times that I don't mind people spending a Benny to use their powers in a clever way that isn't covered by the rules. Rapid blinking teleporting could work as the Deflection power, for instance.
Also, you can just make melee fighters tear their hair out by going neener-neener and flash-stepping your full pace every action. :)
There are defensive and offensive uses to most powers if you're willing to get real creative and occasionally grease the wheels with a benny.
Didn't miss it Beoh, just updated Sorzar because I missed him and Shamrock because he's really separate from the party so I can update everyone all at once this post. :)
And good catch Azure, rolling Tana's wild die for her now Wild Offhand:1d6 - 2 ⇒ (3) - 2 = 1 so she actually whiffs both with the appropriate penalties figured in. :)
Azure continues to close distance, and she arrives at the altar at the same time as Carmine picks up one of the artifacts--a silver half-sphere with an uneven edge. The others look similar, but in a variety of colors and finishes.
Beoh continues to run, barreling through the path as Tana goes sprinting off of it. You watch her overcommit to a swing and get caught by two Beowolves who body her back towards the road. Catching one, you're able to grip it with your claws and tear it in half. From a short distance behind it, somewhere still in the woods, you can hear a louder, lower growl. Ursa major.
Carmine grabs a silver half-orb with an uneven edge. Faintly, there are embossed lines in it that look to form some sort of symbol or character, though what it means you aren't sure. You'd likely have to find its twin to be able to completely tell.
Onyxia is able to take off successfully. Looking around, she's able to pick up on the sound of multiple gunshots in a row from a short ways off. Seconds later, the growls of Grimm a few hundred feet away, and even more screams. You've got a good heading for now.
Shamrock:
The earth gives another rumble, and the light in the cave gets suddenly fainter. You glance behind you and realize that another shadow is blocking the cave exit. A huge tube of a body, almost as big as one of the tunnel entrances. At first, you think of the snake Grimm you've seen in books--King Taijitu. But you realize it's far larger, and the head looks misshapen. Its body pulses in a strange rhythm, and it retracts into one of the side caves. As it does, the earth shifts slightly beneath your feet.
Sorzar is able to close in as Onyxia takes off running. Tora pours a shell into the approaching Beowulf but is barely able to slow it before it brings its claws to bear on her.
Fighting:1d8 ⇒ 8 Fighting (Ace):1d8 ⇒ 2 = 10
Damage:1d10 + 1d4 + 1d6 ⇒ (3) + (4) + (4) = 11 = Shaken and 1 wound. Tora, you can spend a benny and either roll vigor to soak the wound, or spend a benny to roll a d6 and take that many power points.
Shrugging off the shell, it digs its claws into Tora's shoulder. As Sorzar lands, but just before he's able to interfere, he turns and realizes something is happening in the woods. All at once, a tree a hundred feet away disappears into the ground with a woosh. A deep crack in the ground where the tree was widens, tearing a path through the forest towards you, though it's still a ways out.
Tana's blades glance ineffectively off the Grimm. Her swings failing to do any damage, she's thrown backwards half a step before Beoh tears one of the Beowolves in half. Before she can respond, the other one snarls and goes for her throat.
The claws go scraping across her armor but don't hit with enough force to do any real damage, only keeping the big girl off balance.
Everybody can feel the earth shake violently, twice from side to side. This time, it gives off a loud, screeching noise that seems to echo throughout the entirety of the forest.
...dangit. Sorry Sorzar. I'll update you and Shamrock (since he's pretty separate from the rest of the party) and give you, Azure and Tora a chance to respond before I post the next full update for everyone. :)
Tora You're a little farther than your full pace away from the Beowolves in front of you (10 pace) and a little farther than that (14) from the ones attacking Onyxia. If you move full pace towards the Beowolves, you can roll to fire with no range penalty, but that will easily put you inside their range for any surviving Beowolves to attack you.
Sorzar continues to bound through the woods, following the sounds of loud gunfire. Abandoning some of your stealth for speed, you're able to close in on the sounds of gunshots, grunting and fighting. You're not too far now, and at the apex of one of your leaps, you can see two of the girls from earlier, surrounded by a group of Beowolves in a clearing, though they're both holding their own.
Notice:1d8 ⇒ 7
Give me a notice roll again, Sorzar. You'll be able to join their fight once I post the next full update. :)
Shamrock:
The ceiling of the cave seems clear, but as your eyes start to adjust to the darkness, you realize there's more than one tunnel. The massive spider leans forward, again pulling the web, and the ropes twitch again. You realize that stepping much further into the cave will put you inside of the web itself. You can still continue, but you'll have to start stepping between the ropes, which are starting to shake and move as the spider plucks them. Dimly, you can make out the faint glow of multiple pairs of red Grimm eyes, and the faint sheen of a dusty white carapace.
You're also able to notice that there's more than one tunnel. They spread out, branching in multiple directions. They all seem to extend outward from the huge spider in the central cavern.
So I am playing it pretty fast and loose. Combat hasn't technically started because combat tends to slow things down and the people who are fighting are only fighting mooks and will basically just be rolling combat skills back and forth or running. Once combat actually starts, I'll deal out cards from a deck IRL and post the initiative order. :)
I don't know about Rungok but I may start using maps again once we split into the team threads. For now it feels like there's too many people scattered too far for maps to be much use without driving myself crazy.
@Tora: The grimm are a little further than your full pace away from you (ten pace).
Schythe/Rungok/Rules (putting it back in spoiler since I'm going to make a massive text wall and we've got a lot of those going on already):
That's a really good set of ideas and I wish I'd thought of them before I started.
If we're going to kick over to using those rules, lets get Rungok to sign off and we'll do it when we split the threads for teams.
So just to lay the rules out nice and neat:
Aura is your power pool (10 + any edges) + vigor + spirit. This means an "average" huntsman would have an Aura pool of 22, with the absolute maximum being somewhere around 25 (power points edge at every rank) + 24 (max vigor and spirit) + 15 (default powerpool and Aura Mastery) = 66.
Aura soaks damage automatically unless you are caught by surprise or willingly turn it off to soak with your vigor or body damage outright. Every wound and shaken result taken rolls 1d6 that subtract directly from your aura pool. These dice do not ace unless that attacker had a raise.
By spending a benny, you can roll Spirit or Vigor (I would say Spirit for Aura soak rolls, keep Vigor for non-Aura soaks). Every success and raise reduces the incoming wounds by 1.
Once you are out of Aura pool damage and soaking both work as normal in Savage Worlds.
Overall this is a really good marriage of Wind (in the form of Aura) and Wounds into Savage Worlds and I think its a lot more useful and integrated than my original Aura soaking rules. Pretty much my only objection is that this lends itself to really massive power pools for people who spec into Aura Mastery. I feel like keeping Power Points and Aura Pool separate takes away from the nature of Aura though, and will get confusing fast. On the other hand since this is a high-damage setting the power pool will likely go away fast in combat, so it's likely relatively balanced (with a healthy dose of rule of cool). It also doesn't invalidate a high-vigor character since with sufficiently high vigor and some of the additional soaking edges in RWBY you can still body attacks without Aura if you're confident enough
My seal of approval stands. Rungok, how do you feel?
Yeah, this is a really easy system when you're rolling the dice in person. It feels a little more confusing in a PBP.
Don't forget that you can preview your post to see what your rolls come out as so that you can plan your post accordingly and reroll your aces to get your total. :)
Carmine I'm going to have you hit with one since you should have the penalty for firing an automatic (and no wild dice past the first count). I don't want to waste a beautiful double explosion so I'll give you the higher of your two damage rolls. :)
Tora, drawing your weapon is ordinarily an action, but since we haven't actually drawn cards for combat, I'll let you get away with it. :)
Azure continues to sprint, rapidly closing the distance. Down the hill you're able to see Carmine blasting bullets into the Grimm closing in on Tana. As you start to close in you feel the ground rumbling beneath your feet. Not enough to throw you off balance, but enough you start to plant your feet a little more surely.
Beoh is able to navigate much closer with the aid of tracks. Before long you crest the top of a hill looking down to a series of stone pillars. You're able to hear gunshots from that direction, and you can distantly see someone fighting Grimm along the path. As you start to head down the hill, the ground rumbles beneath you, as if in a faint earthquake.
Carmine sprays lead downrange at the Beowolf that clears the trees. Bullets from Gravitas ping across the Grimm's mask before one catches it in the eye, stopping it dead. Its arm swings down towards Tana, scattering in the wind as it turns to ash before the shot lands. Your feet tremble as the ground rumbles beneath you.
Onyxia spins Gild up, but is blocked by the Bewolf's raised arm. It leans in, roaring and aiming a bite at her neck, but Rose bashes through its jaw, spinning it all the way around before it dusts and blows away. As you draw your weapons back to your regular fighting stance, the ground rumbles beneath your feet, and you can hear more growls. Three more Beowolves start to step through the trees, though they're still somewhat distant from you.
For Shamrock Only:
As you walk into the tunnel, you're able to take in the sight of something massive stirring. Just in time, you stop short of a thick white rope stretched like a tripwire across the cave's entrance. Looking up you realize a massive web spirals away into the cavern, and the shape distinctly stretches a few long legs across it. One of the legs draws back, plucking the web, which vibrates along its length.
Faintly, you feel the same rumble as everyone else.
Tora lands safely in time to see Onyxia dust a Grimm and feel the ground rumble. The growls around you start to close in. As the first of three more Beowolves step through the trees, you blast one hard enough that it skids backward into a tree before evaporating. The ground rumbles beneath your feet, threatening to throw you off balance.
It is pretty great, except that it leads to Cool Guy syndrome when somebody gets a higher stat draw than the rest of the party. That and progression being so slow and painful were really the only disputes I had with the system.
Everyone, take one benny for all the great roleplaying so far. :)
Tora, the standard number you're shooting for is 4, so your Semblance didn't activate on either of those dice. Roll your d6 wild die instead of the d4 you rolled, and if you still don't make it, you can spend a benny and reroll both dice.
Except for that, everybody succeeded at breaking their fall. :)
"...One!"
Half of the metal squares catapult upward, sending students flying. The others give out from under your feet, sending you down a sliding ramp before arcing up again. The intent seems to be to fling you all in as many directions as possible. Behind you, on the cliff, Ozpin quietly sips his coffee and watches your trajectories.
A whole mess of dice rolls you don't need to concern yourself with:
if you're looking under the spoiler, don't mind all these. :)
Azure lands a fair distance away from the altar on a downhill slope. Between the slope and her Semblance, she's able to start rapidly closing the distance. However, she can faintly hear growls and snarls from the forest around her. With her speed, maybe the Grimm won't catch up.
Beoh lands in a copse of trees. He can't see much, but is able to identify tracks on the ground. Most are Grimm paws, predominately Beowolves with a few larger tracks that indicate Ursa. He also sees at least one human trail with a heavy set of footprints from a landing. It might not be a direct route, but a student's shoes would have to eventually lead him on the right path.
Carmine is able to use his semblance and weaponry in tandem to put himself right where he needs to be. Glancing around, he can see the artifacts are uneven half-spheres with symbols carved into them. Tana isn't far from him, though she's on the ground concentrating hard and activating her semblance. She doesn't seem to notice an approaching Ursa Major lumbering through the trees toward her.
Onyxia and Tora land only a few dozen feet or so away from each other. In the distance, the altar looms next to a tall hill. Onyxia takes off toward it, only to have an outstretched paw swung directly at her head.
Grimm Wild Attack:1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
But she's able to bring Gild up and around, spinning it and throwing the claws off course. Of course, she still has a Beowolf in melee range to contend with. The sounds of growls and snarls from the forest seem to surround her and Tora.
Shamrock lands in an unfamiliar patch of woods. The trees are thick and dense, unable to give him a good vantage point. After walking in his random direction for a moment, he comes to the side of a tall hill, with a large, dark tunnel, almost ten feet in diameter, boring into the landscape. A faint shiver runs up his spine, as if he's being watched.
Sorzar lands in a nice, open clearing, but soon takes to weaving between trees and staying out of sight. Without a good direction to turn in, he begins to cover ground through the forest, whisking past Grimm easily without being noticed.
Tana lands only a dozen feet from the altar, but doesn't seem to realize how close she is. Instead, she starts to activate her semblance, not noticing the growls until the Grimm are already closing in on her.
Anyone who does not have a sense of where they need to go yet or has not found any other students can give me another Notice or Tracking roll. :)
Actually bringing back Wind is a great idea and I'm not sure why I didn't think of it. I miss you, Deadlands Classic. You were a beautiful system even if you were as slow as molasses in January.
@Azil: I'll send you a PM about playing. With regards to your power, I don't see why not, as long as it's activated. Seeing as how at least one person can perfectly duplicate himself with his Semblance, I don't see why not.
Hey! Since I've gotten a couple of confused PMs and this post about Semblances, I figured I'd break everything down about how they work.
Aside Ramble With Minor Volume 3/4 spoilers:
In RhinoBug's original RWBY Savage Worlds mod, Semblances worked different (they were effectively "always on" superpowers, which doesn't seem consistent with how they're used in the show. Except now in season 4, Ruby kind of uses hers all the g~+$@%n time, so maybe I was wrong >_>). I made a couple of changes to that and made it so you got your Semblance for free instead of the more non-specific and broad-ranging Aura Mastery, while RhinoBug had it the other way around.
Basically, I wanted people to have a power pool they could use to soak wounds (which is how Aura is depicted, see the health meter in the Vytal Tournament). Rhinobug's solution was to give everybody access to powers like Armor and Speed to simulate on-the-fly superpowers.
I only really am comfortable running Savage Worlds (and I was pretty attached to this weapon creation system), but I think RWBY is actually one of the only settings where hit points might work better than wounds. Oops.
Semblances all require activation via Spirit roll. However, rolling to activate your semblance is a "free action" in that it does not impose a Multi-Action Penalty or use a portion of your movement for a round.
Most negative modifiers, upon review, in both Necessary Evil and the Super Powers Companion don't really work for this setting or how Semblances work in general. Effectively every power has Requires Activation, and the only other negative modifiers I could see working are Device, Limitation, and Slow to Activate. Contingent is not okay, but you can have multiple powers in one Semblance as long as they work coherently together. This does mean they activate simultaneously.
Almost all of the positive modifiers are OK, based on GM discretion.
When creating a semblance using superpowers from the Super Powers Companion or Necessary Evil, use the more expensive version of the power (generally, this means the Super Powers Companion).
Semblance powers from the Super Powers Companion and Necessary Evil are activated until your next action, at which point you can reroll as a free action to keep them on. Since those powers are effectively a "free action", being Shaken does not automatically turn off your semblance. If you fail your roll to unshake, you can still roll to maintain your power.
Semblance powers from the core book stay active for their listed duration and then need to be re-activated. A shaken status does not turn them off either.
Power Stunts (using your power to simulate another power--think the Flash making a tornado with his Super Speed, or the Hulk using his Super Strength to make a "burst" attack by clapping) are okay, they still require a spirit roll and spending a benny.
Apologies for not getting this all pinned down in the book as I should have. Still working on that updated PDF for you all so you have a better reference. :)
The night passes, though not without you learning in graphic detail which of your classmates snore. The early morning is punctuated by the sound of a microphone feeding back, and then the echoing audio of a cough. "Good morning students," says a bored-sounding man through the loudspeaker. "This is Professor Ozpin. Breakfast will be served in ten minutes. Afterwards, please report immediately to Glynda Goodwitch. Do not wear your uniform. The coordinates have been sent to your scrolls. Good day."
Breakfast is taken in the ballroom. Professor Port explains in a surprisingly concise manner that the dining room won't actually open yet--if all goes according to plan, you'll take lunch there once the initiation is complete. The food is plain Vale fare, with just enough selection to hit all the major food groups. Once you've all bolted down some breakfast, Port escorts you out onto the grounds. He seems somewhat on edge, far from his usually locquacious self. "Today, you'll start your journey towards becoming huntsmen and huntresses. It will be a long morning for you, I'm afraid." He says, twisting his mustache as you cross the edge of the grounds, into some tall trees that skirt the edge of the Academy. "But it will be fine as long as you remember your training and trust your better judgment."
Glynda waits, along with Ozpin, on the edge of a cliff, both unsmiling. The headmaster nods to her, and she clears her throat. "Children," she says, nodding to all of you, her arms behind her back in a near-parade-rest. "Today will mark your initiation. You have a very simple mission. Once you land in the forest, you will have to find the stone altar. Take one artifact, only one, and proceed to the top of Satellite Hill to await further instruction."
"Simple," says Ozpin heavily, before taking a sip of his coffee. "Does not mean easy. The danger involved is very real. The verdant forest is still a hotspot for immature Grimm. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path. We will be monitoring your progress, but the faculty will not intervene unless there are extremely extenuating circumstances."
"Please stand on these markers," says Glynda, gesturing to a set of grey squares set not far from the edge of the cliff. "Take a moment to prepare your landing strategy." She breathes in and adjusts her glasses, glancing down over the Verdant Forest below. "We will begin in three... Two..."
You can use an RSS feed reader to keep tabs on individual threads. I believe you can get an RSS reader app and set it to send you notifications on updates as well.
I just refresh my dotted threads like a madman whenever I'm in my browser. :')
Port's long and impromptu lecture at last dwindles down, punctuated by the sound of Oobleck thumping his head into the wall every few seconds. "So in short, to answer your question young lady," he says, talking over Onyxia. "I am exactly as magnificent as you have heard, oho!"
"Professor," breathes Oobleck, with barely-concealed irritation. "It-might-be-wise-to-introduce-our-proteges-to-their-quarters."
"Of course!" Says Port, at last dropping his arm from Onyxia's shoulder and thumping open the double-doors of the ballroom. "Follow me, children!" He waves a grand arm, but at last has no speech prepared. The inside of the ballroom is plain and undecorated, but for a stage with a large banner that reads "Welcome New Students". Cots are placed in neat rows and pre-labeled with your names, dividing the girls from the boys by placing them on either end of the room with a sizable gap between. On each cot is a set of four school uniforms, a scroll for anyone who does not already have one, and two leatherbound books. One, On Grimm is penned by none other than Professor Port. The other, The Life and History of Remnant has a vast list of collaborative authors, including Professor Oobleck.
"Of-course-you-will-be-provided-additional-material-for-the-rest-of-your-cl asses," says Oobleck, "But-we-thought-it-wise-to-provide-you-some-light-reading." The two thick books look anything but light, but both teachers soldier on regardless.
Oobleck blissfully and hastily handles the rest of your orientation. He shows you each how to bring up a map of Beacon Academy on your scrolls, explains to you the rules of the grounds at the Academy and expediently answers any questions you may have--save for anything about tomorrow's task. "That," he says with a rare air of portense, "Is not for you to know. My-dear-children."
Aside from a meal in the nearest dining hal, there is nothing required of you tonight but to take stock of your fellow students.
Next post will put you all on the first task. You can RP amongst yourselves a little further as you wish, otherwise my update tomorrow will take you onward. :)
Y'all can talk about it if you want, just use spoiler tags and mark it.
Episode 1 spoilers:
yang my waifu where u at
Is it just me or are there a bunch of cues from Avatar this season? Maybe it's just a coincidence between Cinder and the Asian-influenced village they were in, but... Man, I can picture almost all the new characters in Avatar very easily. Lookin at u, creepylaugh mcgee
UNIQUE BODY TYPES FOR DIFFERENT CHARACTERS, FINALLY
I explained some of that to you before. Extras don't roll the wild die and can only take a single wound. They're unimportant characters. But you're important, so you're a wild card :)
"And last, but certainly not least, we have a dedication to our very own..." Port continues, but stops short of the entrance to a large, domed building at one corner of the facility. "Hmmm. I must have mistimed my speech. Or perhaps I was simply striding to catch up with Bartholomew, hoho!" Oobleck shakes his head snappily to each side before...
Notice:1d6 ⇒ 1 Notice:1d6 ⇒ 2
...Getting immediately distracted by Onyxia's question to Professor Port. He shakes his head again, putting up his hands and mouthing "No no nonono--" as Port inhales a huge breath.
"Oh-HO!" Booms Port. "So you've HEARD of my exploits, have you?!" He puts an arm around Onyxia, waving to the students as they pull up around the building, not noticing that one is missing. "Yes, it's true! Capturing Grimm alive is a unique skill that not many possess! The instincts of Grimm compel them to attack without question or cessation as long as they are able, with the exception of Grimm that have lived for longer than a human lifetime, of course..." He breaks away into another long ramble, as Oobleck gesticulates helplessly between him and Onyxia.
I am on my trip, so I'll post when I can, but it may be a bit limited. :) I'll get you guys inside the ballroom at some point this week, and then we'll be all set for when I get back. Tana just kind of fades into the background for the moment.
"Ah! One of my favorite stories, the gentleman depicted in that statue is Arc the Fist, a war hero, though perhaps better known for his innovation of the pedal-powered dust mill..." Port continues to drone. Except for a skinny, nerdy girl in light blue who seems to be hanging on his every word, not one person in the group is paying anything more than casual attention.
"My-dear-girl!" Says Oobleck, appearing so fast next to Tora he might as well have teleported. "Are-you-telling-me-you-couldn't-have-used-the-restroom-on-board-the-airshi p?" He asks loudly. A couple of boys with hoodies casually snicker, eyeing the girl, taking note of a future target. He pauses and slurps his coffee noisily, eyeing her heavily, the other eye seeming to have developed a momentary twitch. "That's-quite-alright-as-long-as-you-can-hold-it-until-we-reach-the-ballroo m!"
HAHAHAHAHA I didn't even think about my 8 benny starting draw :D
Mark down the appropriate number of bennies for now. I tend to plan things out as story beats or games--it takes a lot longer in a PBP, but the amount of actual gameplay is approximately the same. Once we reach the end of the planned game (or an equivalent amount of gameplay in case of Things (tm) the GM didn't plan for) I'll let you know to refresh.
Also, feel free to beg the GM for a benny when you play to your hindrances. I try to remember, but with this many people I may forget.
