Sobran's page

Atsuko doesn't have to wait long. A few teleports later, she found herself looking through the dining room window at a strange dinner. Outrunner sits at the head of a long, antique table eating Chinese takeout while wearing a pretty blue dress. Her costume is incongruously visible underneath it. At the opposite end of the table, a man is eating in silence. He wears nice business attire and an expensive watch. He doesn't seem scared, but he is intensely uncomfortable. He steals glances at Outrunner when he thinks she isn't looking.

Between the two silent diners are six places set with food. Next to each plate of food is a weapon. Some places have pistols, others have baseball bats or a shotgun. These places sit empty, aside from the food and weapons. No one sits at the table with Outrunner and her strange guest.

They just have the devices and weapons that the Runners were wearing when your group turned them over to police custody.

Christmas is over, and all through the house, not a creature was crying, as quiet as a mouse. That means a successful holiday, right? No one cried?

So we'll play this as taking place over a couple of days instead of a couple of hours, which should be fine. I'm going to try to address things in roughly the chronological order I think they should happen. I am kind of juggling some things later, just so everyone has a chance to do their thing. Atsuko makes her discovery near the end because it's convenient in play.

The day after the robbery, Warden makes some discoveries about the devices the Runners were wearing on their legs. Initially, the officers aren't keen on releasing evidence, but Cliff takes a break from looking around the docks to sweet-talk the lady at the evidence locker into letting him "borrow" a few pieces.

I hope this sounds like something he'd do. Feel free to make it your own, Cliff.

Once he has some time to poke at it, Warden quickly discovers the devices are based at least in part on his own technology. The alloys used, the space-saving design, and the simplicity all bear some similarity to his own work. To a layman, it would probably seem they were made by Warden himself, but of course that isn't possible. When Warden last saw Outrunner, she wasn't capable of this level of work.

The devices themselves are pretty simple: they resemble hydraulics, in that they give the wearer great strength, but an attached electrical component allows them to act far swifter than most hydraulics allow. While wearing this exoskeleton, a wearer should be capable of jumping extremely far and may even be able to execute a kick that would kill an unprotected victim.

The electrical components integrated near the top are strange: they seem to resist Warden's ability to decipher technology. He is able to grasp bits and pieces of how it works, but seems to have trouble assembling an understanding of the whole in his mind. It is almost as if the device actively resists his understanding.

A complete understanding of the electrical components are possible, but it will take a couple of days of work. More time than Warden likely has right now. The basic function is obvious, but something eludes him about how it accomplishes what it does.

Early that evening, Anthem and Cliff meet up by chance while exploring the dock area. While still having no luck finding a likely spot for Outrunner to be hiding, comparing notes reveals they have heard many of the same rumors. People speak of a Creature that prowls the docks at night. They say it hunts for those with powers. One woman claims the Creature took her son, a man that was using his minor control over fire to show off and earn tips at a Teppenyaki (hibachi) restaurant.

With no hints where this Creature might live or any reliable witnesses to speak of, the information does no good right now. Still, it's something to keep in mind, if one finds the threat credible.

To be super clear, this is foreshadowing. Please don't split the party! I'm just trying to provide something for the failed rolls, instead of 'you find nothing'.

In the mid-evening, around 8 PM, Atsuko finally finds someone who both knows something and is willing to talk. There is a bit of a language barrier, as the woman is Chinese, speaks no English, and has only a halting command of Japanese. After struggling to convey what she has to say, she instead beckons Atsuko to follow her.

The Chinese woman--Lien--leads Atsuko through alleys and down narrow streets to her house. There she retrieves a bike and coaxes Atsuko to ride on the handlebars. She rides the two of them a couple of miles down the road, out of the Eastern District and into the Sunset Hill neighborhood.

Named for its beautiful views of sunsets over the Pacific Ocean, Sunset Hill was once the home of large, stately manor houses. As Emerald City has become more urbanized, most of the old manor houses have been replaced with lawyers' offices, small businesses, and condominiums. Still, a few manor houses remain here and there, either as museums or as private residences.

It is to one of these rare manor houses that Lien takes Atsuko. She stops a block away and speaks in hushed tones. Her palpable nerves seem strange in such a friendly, well-lit neighborhood where people walk their dogs at night without fear.

Lien dismissively waves off Atsuko's attempt to explain that this isn't what she had in mind. The language barrier makes it tough to make out exactly what is being said, as Lien switches between Japanese and Mandarin. Still, snippets are clear. Atsuko gathers that her mother cleans at this home, that things have "changed recently", and that something is "not right". Actually, her mother claimed the place had an "evil air", but that doesn't really translate right. She may not mean literal evil.

Meanwhile, Jin-Soo has called Dough Joe back into the dojo:

"Thank you for coming, Joe. I have been thinking about what you told me and I believe I may have some insight. I do not wish to speak ill of our law enforcement, who work so hard, but... I believe they may be on the wrong track. If I were this woman you say you were after, I would not hide in such an out of the way place. She steals because she desires luxury. Would such a woman keep herself locked away in a warehouse when an escape is as easy as snapping her fingers? No, I believe you are looking for someone hiding in plain sight, Joe..." He sighs. "I realize that complicates things considerably. I wish that I could narrow it down further. Well, there is one thing..."

So Jin-Soo reveals something else deeply wise to Joe, which we will leave undefined. At any point during the course of this adventure, Joe may add +5 to any one roll. This could be anything from deducing the layout of the house, a combat roll, or an attempt at persuasion. So long as it seems even remotely applicable, you may use the bonus on that roll. Just explain, in either broad or specific terms, how Jin-Soo's advice helped and apply the bonus. You don't have to try super hard here. If you sell, I'll buy it. If you choose to use a Hero Point on that roll to reroll a poor result, the bonus will apply on the reroll as well. Fair?

I believe I have a map solution figured out. I should have it ready by the time it is relevant, in case things go sideways. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to tell me. Assume, for the sake of argument, that Atsuko has a way to contact everyone so they can quickly move into position and make a plan.

Welcome back to the game everyone and I hope you had a great holiday! I'm looking forward to where this game is going and I hope you'll stick around for the ride. I'm enjoying everyone's characters so far!

Let's jump ahead. I think everyone has the general idea and I had a couple of suggestions to wrap this up a couple days ago. So let me know where you are searching and how. For the sake of simplicity, let's say the only three feasible options are the Riverfront (a mile to the NW, most likely site of empty warehouses), a separate extended section of docks (mostly private docks, small commercial fishermen, and so on; 4 or 5 miles NE), and the Eastern District (various Asian communities located several miles to the east of the Yellow Brick Row, where you are now).

Let me know:

1) Where are you searching?
2) How are you searching? Choose one of the options and make a roll. If you have a different idea, suggest it and go ahead with the roll you think is appropriate. Options I've thought of:

Ask Around: This is likely for a few of you. No one has Expertise: Streetwise, but I think substituting Persuasion with a slightly higher DC is appropriate. You can get people to cough up info, but aren't that skilled at finding who might have the info you need. Persuasion DC 20

Look For Likely Sites: Maybe you're looking around for a supposedly abandoned warehouse with suspicious signs of activity or power where there shouldn't be. If you think you have a good idea of what to look for, let me know. I may give a circumstance bonus. Investigation DC 15

Shake Down Thugs: Grab a random thug (or three) off the street and shake him until he reveals what he knows. If you want to grab one of the Runners you just beat up, make a Persuasion roll first to persuade the cops to let you manhandle one. (Or whisper sinister things? I dunno how you intimidate people.) Intimidation DC 20 (or DC 15 if you grab one of the Runners)

I'm not jumping all the way ahead to where you find Outrunner because time matters here. Higher degrees of success cut down on how long it takes to find her. More time gives her the opportunity to break out the Runners, set a trap, and so on. To give a baseline, let's say that with only one degree of success by a single person, it'll take three hours to find Outrunner. Degrees of success will reduce that time by 15 minutes each. Degrees of failure will not increase the time, as one person's actions is unlikely to interfere with someone else's investigation.

So, are we clear? Questions? Concerns? Should I skip to the hitting? We're almost there.

After a conversation with Atsuko, I realized I missed something. In general, I'm not going to reward non-interference policies because it goes against the nature of the game, but this once I figure it's fitting.

Reward: +1 Hero Points to Atsuko for struggling to find a meaningful way to help in light of her Acceptance Motivation.

Wilcox nods, then leads the group back into the bank through the shattered doors. Men have begun stringing up police tape, but no one has made it inside to investigate the scene yet. This affords them a great deal of privacy, as the heroes and Wilcox are alone for the moment. The bank lobby is remarkably quiet compared to the chaos of only minutes ago.

"Okay, somewhere secluded, but with plenty of space. Good thinking Anthem. I hadn't thought of her constructing those gadgets herself... You know, most of Emerald City is residential or commercial property. There's really very little industrial space. Down near the docks would probably be her best bet. The fishing industry isn't what it used to be, nor is shipping with the economy the way it's been. There are probably quite a few vacant warehouses near the waterfront that would suit her. The only other area would be the Eastern District, but I think one white lady and her primarily white crew would stand out like a sore thumb. The various Asian communities are pretty tight-knit."

There are two areas in Emerald City that would qualify as this type of waterfront: four or five miles to the northeast there is a several mile stretch of land used for small commercial fishermen, pleasure craft, sail boats for the rich, and that sort of thing. Just over a mile to the northwest is the actual Riverfront, where the majority of commercial shipping comes into the city. This area is comparatively smaller--perhaps a mile or two in length--but more likely to have empty warehouses.

"Now Warden, you know this lady? Personally or just as..." He starts to point at Warden's costume, then turns the gesture into a dismissive wave. "Never mind. Now you think that you can keep her from teleporting. Is there some way that this could be used long-term, to keep her captive once she's caught? Oh uh, one sec."

Captain Wilcox gets on his radio borrows his radio back from Anthem for a moment and asks to have the security in the back of the transport van doubled. He notifies his subordinates that 'the leader', as he calls her, may have a way to free her men. He also asks to have their search concentrated along the miles of waterfront. He hands the radio back to Anthem when he's done, then waits to see if anyone else has something to add.

At this point, you can volunteer more information, ask questions, or head out and start searching the waterfront yourselves if you think that's a good lead. Whatever you think is best. If/when you do move on to searching, I will detail specific guidelines, so we don't get lost again.

EDIT: As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please please please let me know. Also, if you think I have something in error, let me know that too. I think any future combats should be a little clearer now that there will likely be a plan going in. That said, one of you directed me to a couple of decent mapping solutions, so I have some of those bookmarked just in case. (In case of chaos, break glass.)

The captain nods slowly, listening to Atsuko. "I don't think she'd listen to me, but it could be that someone with your abilities could be more persuasive in this instance. A gas might not be a bad idea... Listen, I'll check in with HQ and see if we have anything like that lying around. Typically we stick to tear gas, but it could be that our SWAT unit has something fits the bill. Let me get back to you."

Oookay, it has been brought to my attention that I am, perhaps, not being explicit enough. I've been reminding myself, but it looks like in the interests of not being railroad, I have instead left things too open. I realize that can lead to a bit of paralysis, as you don't know what I expect from you. This post is my attempt to alleviate that.

So where are we?
Right now, the thugs have been defeated and captured and the leader has escaped. The civilians escaped mostly unscathed and are currently being treated by medical personnel. The media has been led away and the heroes are left interacting with Captain Jerry Wilcox of the Emerald City Police Department. A couple lower-ranking members of the ECPD stand nearby. The thugs are being loaded into an armored transport van on the street, near where the media and the gawking crowd are located.

What now?
Now it is your job to find Outrunner. She is a teleporter, so she could be damn near anywhere. However, Wilcox has revealed that he believes she is still within the city. Further, it seems likely that she has a base of operations if that is the case. Finding it would probably be the easiest way to find her.

How do we do that?
So consider Wilcox your backup on this one. If no one can come up with a plausible way to find Outrunner, Wilcox will literally hand you that method. The downside of this is that it will take his men longer to hunt down her location through the old-fashioned "knock on doors and ask questions" approach than it may take you lot.

If you take things into your own hands, there are many ways you might find her:

Is your character likely to know Emerald City well and possesses the Investigation skill? Perhaps you could use your knowledge to at least narrow down likely hiding places Outrunner would go unnoticed.

If you have Expert: Streetwise or something similar, you might be able to get contacts in the underworld to help out with a canvassing operation. They may have more luck than uniformed police officers.

Are you a teleporter yourself? Can you come up with a plausible power stunt that would enable you to track her portal? This may apply to other powers. Sell me on it. Use your discretion.

Spend a Hero Point to alter the scene. It turns out Outrunner left a clue behind. That clumsy harlot.

Most of these options are going to take time. It's really just a matter of how much time. Wilcox is your fallback. If none of these options make sense for your character, we just flash forward to when Wilcox gets back to Anthem with the location.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Let me know here or in the discussion thread.

Just woke up from a 16-hour "nap"... Sudden onset of plague. Feeling better today. On the name front: yes, we can always retcon the name if it turns out that one of your other names seems like a better fit. Incidentally: the "Trouble Shooters" is hilarious.

"The Stormchasers! You've heard it here first folks..." Patricia Kim's voice fades as she and her cameraman are led away.

"Uh, yes... well..." Captain Wilcox stammers at Atsuko. "I'm afraid I can't authorize that myself, but I suppose I could run it up the chain... See what my boss thinks."

When Warden speaks up, Wilcox seems not to hear him at first. As the words register however, the Captain acknowledges him for the first time. He takes the time to carefully inspect Warden's gun then nods curtly. "Carry on, son. I'll admit some of that tech is a little out of my wheelhouse, but it's nice to see you taking precautions. Still, a stray shot... Just be careful with it. Get the media on your side and the chief won't have a reason to send me after ya."

He takes a step back and gestures at Warden to put his gun away as Anthem begins speaking. He listens carefully, nodding here and there. "Military, are you?" He grunts. "Me too. Did a tour back in Desert Storm. That first Gulf War was a little easier than what you kids had to put up with recently. That was a real cluster--" Wilcox suddenly seems to remember where he is and returns to the task at hand.

"Anyway, we appreciate your help. All of you. We have officers spread throughout the city looking for any sign of the perps. We believe they're still within city limits. Gutierrez tells me there have been multiple crimes fitting this M.O. in the last few months. No one took it seriously, but now... If we find her, we'll pass word along. He pulls his own radio and hands it to Anthem, seeming to take an instant liking to her. "Still, if you can think of any way to find her sooner, go to it. We also need to figure out a way to lock her down once she's in custody. I figure a medically induced coma is a weapon of last resort. I'd rather not have to explain that reasoning to the media if it gets out."

So this scene is proving difficult, it seems. Consequently, I am going to handwave a bit here so we can get things moving.

Among the crowd of survivors, EMTs have begun to arrive and triage the injured. Most have only scrapes and bruises, aside from the one woman with a gunshot wound to her forearm. All in all, things could have easily gotten much worse in the chaos.

"Thank you for your help, Miss," one of the paramedics says to Atsuko. "I caught a glimpse of your... tendrils, on the news on the way here. Impressive." He seems unnerved, but genuinely thankful for her assistance.

After Anthem and Warden introduce themselves, some police officers approach the scene and begin to usher the media away. It seems that someone higher ranking in the ECPD has arrived and is taking control of the situation.

"One last question!" yells Ms. Kim as she and her cameraman are gently pushed back. "The people want to know: are you here to save us from these new threats? And what do you call yourselves?!"

Quick! Someone impulsive come up with a group name! Serious or silly, I don't care. You can discuss it over in the discussion thread if this actually ends up being a serious matter for you folks.

Once the media has been led away (after having either received a name shouted by one of you or been left without a name because no one could think of one), a fit middle-aged man approaches the scene. He isn't in uniform, but given the scattered salutes and deferential nods he receives, he's pretty important in the ECPD hierarchy.

"I'm Captain Jerry Wilcox and I'll be locking down the scene." He gestures at the heroes assembled. He eyes Warden's firearm for a moment, but doesn't remark on it. "I saw your heroics on the television. I also saw what this... Outrunner chick can do. We're not equipped to deal with this. Not yet anyway. I'm sure I'll catch some heat for this up the chain, but I would like to ask for your assistance. Can you lot bring her and her thugs in? I can't speak for the force as a whole, but it would go a long way toward ensuring my men see you as heroes, like in the comics, and not the vigilantes you appear to be."

Here, he nods at Warden's gun. He seems good-natured; jovial, even. Behind him, several of Captain Wilcox's subordinates watch with wary curiosity.

Cliff doing a little grandstanding: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

Patricia Kim rolls her eyes at Cliff, but is careful to ensure it isn't visible on camera. All the home audience hears is a girlish giggle. Can't have Action News' biggest new asset embarrassed on the air. She is nothing if not professional.

"Oh Cliff," she says, saccharine sweet. She pauses as Dough Joe and Warden are introduced.

She would have to pause anyway, as the onlookers have drawn closer to be near the heroes. Everyone has been curious about these people with powers. It appears the police line is no longer being maintained now that the danger has passed; some of the police have even joined the gawkers. Some of them, civilian and officer alike, look cautious. However, it seems that Cliff's natural charisma has overcome some of the wariness the general public has about this unknown element. They let out another brief cheer when Cliff's "friends" are introduced.

"Dojo and Warden, ladies and gentlemen!" Kim says, missing the joke.

Elsewhere, Anthem is marching the last Runner back to the police. He cooperates, but seems pretty smug about the whole situation.

"Look lady, you can't hold me. I mean, obviously you're holding me right now. I mean that you can't hold me, ya'know? Outrunner ain't messin' around. You can't catch her. Literally, you can't catch her. Have you seen what she can do? No one can stop that lady. And when she needs me? She's coming for me, you understand? No cop, no freak in a costume, and no cell is gonna stop that. She rewards us, you understand? Family. That's what we are."

Around this time, the duo make it to the police, who have now fully integrated themselves with the crowd, with the exception of a couple that are busy securing the captives in the back of an armored prisoner transport van. One of the officers in the crowd steps out to receive Anthem.

"Hey! We didn't realize one got away. I'll take him from here. We've got all the others ready to go." The officer moves to take custody if Anthem lets him, unconcerned by the thug's ranting.

Patricia Kim calls out to get Anthem's attention: "Miss! Perhaps you'd like to come introduce yourself to Emerald City?"

In the crowd, a man speaking with Atsuko seems confused: "Tendrils?"

"She means the tentacles honey," a woman responds, looking frightened.

"The tentacles! That was you?!" He visibly withdraws, putting one hand to his mouth. The ring on his finger marks him as the woman's husband. "But I mean, she was trying to help us, right? She didn't mean no harm." The man turns to his wife, seemingly for confirmation.

I vote that Warden forever be known as Shotgun Guy, no matter how much he protests.

Anthem catches up with the Runner half a block away. When he sees her coming up the sidewalk like a vengeful Lamborghini, he just stops and puts his hands up. "Aw, c'mon!" he whines. "We weren't gonna hurt nobody! Look, just don't hurt me, okay?"

Outside, Patricia Kim is interviewing the former hostages. When she spots Dough Joe heading toward the police, she seems about to come over. "And now, one of the heroes is emerging. He appears to be carrying two of the robbers calling themselves the Runners. He seems to be quite strong. Let's see if we can get--"

Just then, Meteor Man lands and a cheer goes up among the gathered crowd. A few among the former hostages clap; most still look shaken. Among the onlookers, the cheer steadily rises to a roar. People clap their hands and stomp their feet.

"Oh! And here is another. I believe this man was the source of the fog that filled First National moments ago. It appears that earlier speculation that the heroes might be pow-- Cliff?!" Patricia Kim cuts off her own narration to shout at Meteor Man.

"Cliff! What the hell are you doing here?!" Then, seemingly remembering where she is: "It seems that one of the heroes is none other than Action News' own Cliff Briskly! What a turn of events! Cliff, how about giving your ol' friend Patricia an interview? Maybe you could introduce me to your friends." She gestures at Warden and Dough Joe, then mugs for the camera. Everyone in Emerald City knows that Patricia Kim would do anything for an interview; it's kind of a running joke by now.

"I stopped watching after a friend spoiled the ending," the injured woman says quietly. She still looks scared, but color has returned to her cheeks and she seems more responsive.

Sobran wrote:

Award: 1 Hero Point to Warden for triggering his Rivalry Complication.

On a side note: Does the world already know that Cliff is Meteor Man or should this be his 'coming out'? On a semi-related note, is he in costume or wearing normal attire?

He's been around for a little while now, but mostly dealing with cats in trees and the occasional fire. This is his first MAJOR crime stopping event. He's in a suit, not a costume.

Good to know. I'll be sure to have the news people react appropriately.

Dough Joe is up on the roof, but I'm sure you could throw them up there through the skylight.

Most of the civilians made it through the battle unscathed, but there is one woman slumped against the wall, pale and shivering. She has a single gunshot wound to her forearm. It doesn't appear serious on its own, but she may be going into shock.

The other former hostages are filing out the shattered front door and gathering in loose clumps in the chill night air.

Given how high that roll was, I'll accept that as your roll to treat as well. Describe it however you like!

Award: 1 Hero Point to Warden for triggering his Rivalry Complication.

On a side note: Does the world already know that Cliff is Meteor Man or should this be his 'coming out'? On a semi-related note, is he in costume or wearing normal attire?

As written, the rules wouldn't allow you to get a shot off before the fog returned (when the door was busted down), due to the turn system. However, it makes sense to me that Warden could rush a shot in that time. We'll split the difference and call it Partial Concealment, which reduces the penalty to -2. Unfortunately, with her Partial Cover, this is just enough to miss the shot.

Outrunner is hiding behind the teller desks, which you just jumped. You essentially ran past her in the blindness and confusion.

Warden's shot takes a chunk out of the desk Outrunner is hiding behind. She snarls, "Rust?! That's just playing dirty Joh--Warden."

She yells a couple of choice epithets and flings herself through the portal. It closes swiftly behind her, leaving the nascent heroes alone with now-freed hostages and two surrendered goons, one of which has stopped struggling and resigned himself to Dough Joe's iron doughy grip.

EDIT: It was pointed out that there were two goons left, not one. Corrected.

You're right, I didn't think of it. So: as per standard, everyone starts the adventure with 1 Hero Point. You earn more when Complications come into play and are reset to 1 whenever a new adventure starts. I'll be sure to demarcate that as it can be a little fuzzy in PBP.

Feel free to point out instances where you think a Complication has come up and I missed it. With five characters with two to three Complications each, it's going to happen.

Cliff leaving the building causes the fog to fade away, allowing Outrunner to see Warden's proximity and notice how swiftly her allies have been whittled away. Moments later, Cliff blasts the doors off and the fog returns.

Civilians begin blindly groping their way toward the door. At least the automatic fire from the rooftop has ceased. One of the two remaining goons struggles in Dough Joe's grip while the other begins to reconsider his options. Evidently coming to a decision, the free Runner (no pun intended) throws down his weapon and yells: "I surrender!"

Inside the lobby, Outrunner snorts in disgust. "I guess I'll have to settle for what we already hauled away. I'd love to stick around and play, but I'd like to be able to spend the funds, you know?"

Exhibiting a new facet of her power, the leader concentrates for a few seconds to open a crimson portal which shimmers in the space between her and Warden. She has yet to step through.

If it comes up, Atsuko could probably trace that portal with a power stunt. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with that use of Hero Points, so I figure it's worth mentioning this sort of thing early on. Originally I was going to have her use her other power teleport and vanish, but I feel like I can't deprive Atsuko of the chance to fling furniture.

Yikes. 29 hours since the time of my last post. Bad form. Sorry about that.

The two remaining Runners near the vault turn their attention on Anthem.

"Jesus! Did you see that?!" demands one.

"Of course I saw that! No difference. A bullet will take her down the same as any other," responds the other.

"Good luck with that, friend. Tell the boss I'm sorry." With that, the first Runner behaves like his namesake and sprints out the back door.

"Pussy," mutters the second Runner, then opens fire on Anthem.

Runner 8 Multiattack: DC 16; 10 + 4 (Dodge) + 2 (Partial Cover for being in the room where the first set of Runners were): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18

That is only one degree of success, so the Multiattack doesn't come into play. Basic Toughness save, DC 18; 15 + 3 (Machine Pistol Damage Rank).

Anthem resistance check: Toughness - DC 18: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

As the result is a full 5 points under the target, that is just enough to get two degrees of failure. Anthem now has one bruise (-1 on future Toughness rolls) and is Dazed (she may make a Move or Standard action each round, but not both) until the end of her next turn.

Bullets tear up the area around Anthem. She blocks most of the bullets directed at her with her shield, but a single stray bullet unexpectedly cuts through the door jamb she is using for cover and hits her calf. It is a clean hit, through and through, but it still knocks her to her knees for a moment. Luckily, the Runner's gun runs out of bullets at that moment and he has to change the magazine, providing both a reprieve and an opportunity.

Up front, the situation has changed to the worse for the Runners. One of the men calls to the woman in charge: "It's no good boss! We can't see nothin' in here! We need to fall back!"

One of the two men still standing in the lobby shoots blindly at the ceiling. He empties most of his clip until the sound of shattering skylights greets the occupants of the bank. At that point, both of the men jump through the skylight, a good 80' up. Then both men fire into the blinding fog below to try to dissuade anyone following.

If anyone tries to get to the roof through the egress the Runners made, make a Machine Pistol attack on yourself: +7 to hit, DC 18 resistance check if hit. If the attack hits with two degrees of success, increase the DC by +2, or +5 for three degrees of success.

SitRep: Two Runners on the roof of the bank, firing blindly through the skylight. No civilians have been hit yet, but they're certainly in danger. One Runner is in the back near the vault, firing at Anthem across that back hallway. The remaining conscious Runner is out the back somewhere, presumably running through an alley.

Hey folks, just a heads up. I got home late last night and passed out. Then I had to get up and go right back to work. I haven't forgotten about the game and I'll update right after work. Sorry about the delay.

So it's Atsuko, then the Thugs, right?

That's correct.

I just reread everything and I see what happened. I meant that you would have to either blow the chain or wait for Dough Joe and go in "that way". By "that way", I meant the separate upstairs entrance he said he was going to use. However, this is not at all clear from a casual reading. I didn't even catch what I meant from rereading MY OWN POST at first. This is obviously a problem.

I clearly need to be much more explicit. I will also try to get this map situation sorted out tonight so we have a better solution. Forgive me folks and bear with me as I work out the kinks.

Your post to me from the first page:

Quote:

There's IS the matter of you getting through the (chained) door. For the sake of argument, let's just say you waited for Dough Joe to kick in the door and flew in that way. Otherwise you'd have to spend a Hero Point to both bust down the door and then attack.

And then I waited for him to kick in the door, and flew in after, dropping the fog. Was that a different door?

Crap, you're right. I was confused too, I guess.

We just had a discussion about this. Unless I'm mistaken, Dough Joe went in through the upstairs balcony. You can see his current position on this map, which I'm now going to add to the campaign description tab for easy reference.

Even through the staccato gunfire, a dull pop is audible to everyone in the room as if the air pressure just changed very suddenly. It is accompanied by a brief flash of pink light.

"Ah, here's where everyone is," says a sardonic female voice, hidden in the smoke. Cliff can see its source: a short, svelte woman with chin-length black hair. She is wearing a form-fitting black suit with a strange hexagonal pattern woven into it. A pink starburst is splayed across her chest.

"Warden? Honey? Is that you? I know you're here." Her sneer can practically be felt through the roiling fog. "Sadly, your friends are hurting my friends. I can't allow that."

Yes, I suppose that is a lot of exposition for one combat round. But hey: comics.

She takes cover behind one of the teller desks and waits. Those paying attention might notice the sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard...

Okay, so here's what is going to happen. Outrunner doesn't know where anyone is. However, she's very smart. The first person that attacks her, she will use that to pinpoint their location and attack. She has an advantage that negates Concealment, so she takes no penalty on her attack, provided she can figure out where someone is. So who's the lucky victim? When the first person attacks her this round, resolve the following attack immediately following your own:

Outrunner teleports to their position in a pink/red flash, executes a single sword attack (+8 to hit, DC 23 save), then teleports back to her original position. Any attacks on her position receive a -5 due to fog and a -2 due to cover. Obviously this changes if she is flanked. EDIT: Her Defenses are Dodge/Parry 10, Fortitude/Toughness 6, and Will 8. I'll trust you folks to not metagame too much.

I missed Anthem's attack for some reason. I mean, I read it. I just forgot to account for it. And Anthem: with those rolls, whether they have cover or not scarcely matters.

Runner 5: Resist Anthem's attack (DC 23): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21
Runner 6: Ditto: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

So close and yet so far...

As Anthem charges into one of the pairs of thugs near the vault, they put up a valiant fight. One swings at her with his knife, but Anthem quickly disarms him by spraining/dislocating/breaking (pick one) his wrist and then knocks him out with a shield uppercut to the face.

The second Runner has trained his sights on Anthem's back in the meantime, but has to duck to avoid her shield as she throws it. He successfully dodges the throw and the shield embeds itself in the wall above his head. Unfortunately, it is followed by a swift kick that slams the poor man's head into the underside of the shield, knocking him out.

A moment later, Anthem has retrieved her shield and the fight is over. Total elapsed time? 1.6 seconds.

I hope you don't mind me taking some liberties Anthem. It seemed badass enough to warrant the narrative. With their stats posted, you guys can narrate your own baddassery going forward.

Hmm. That's a good point. To keep things moving, the relevant Runner defenses are as follows:

Dodge 3
Parry 4
Fortitude 5
Toughness 6
Will 4

[ooc]They are minions, so even a single degree of failure on any kind of resistance check immediately incapacitates them.

Technically, the Runner you two described would indeed be the same guy. However, given the confusion, we'll just roll with it and say Cliff zapped someone else if Dough's attack takes him out first. I just realized that Dough Joe's attack missed due to the fog. Ignore that resistance check.

Runner 1 resists Dough's palm strike (DC 21): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19
Runner ? resists Cliff's lightning-o-rama (DC 25): 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

In the confusion caused by the swirling fog, Dough Joe manages to just miss the nearest Runner. A split second later, a bolt of lightning strikes the same man, hurtling him over the railing. Luckily, Joe's proximity enables him to catch the man before he falls to the marble floor and almost certain death.

Runner 1 down. It isn't Atsuko's turn, but I'll allow the off-turn Persuasion this time as it requires virtually no action.

A scared voice cries out from the floor: "The doors... they're chained! Please! Please help us!"

Oh! Ignore the DC by the way. It's irrelevant. It would be used if they wanted to resist being concealed themselves, which... wouldn't make a lot of sense. It won't help them see you.

Yeah, it wouldn't work as intended at all right now. It would just make you concealed which, while cool, isn't what you were going for.

From page 153 in the Deluxe Player's Handbook, under the Concealment entry:

Attack: Use this extra for a Concealment effect you can impose on others (whether they want to be concealed or not). An invisibility ray, for example, is a Visual Concealment Attack, while a field of darkness is a Burst Area Visual Concealment Attack.

For the record, the Attack extra doesn't actually make it any more expensive. It also doesn't change the duration of the power. It is Sustained in either case. That means you have to be capable of taking a free action each round to maintain it. Certain conditions might impede that, causing the power to stop, but it doesn't otherwise interfere with your ability to act.

Atsuko/Conduit: Sheet updated.

Cliff/Meteor Man: How is this build?

Fog: Burst Area Concealment Attack 2
Sense - Normal Sight; DC 12; Burst Area 2: 60' radius; Attack: Dodge

It would only work on normal vision, but it has a large radius. You could also use Cloud Area instead, which would halve the radius in exchange for it lingering for 1 round after you stop concentrating on it. Just let me know what you'd like this to be, so we can get it updated.

Attack is necessary on that particular power effect in order to add Area to it, in case that's not clear.

Can the Runners dodge? Area effects allow the target to make a Dodge resistance check against DC 10 + power rank (DC 12 in this case). Success cuts the effective rank of the attacking power in half.

Runner 1 (watching hostages): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 3 = 11
Runner 2 (at the teller counter): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Runner 3 (at the teller counter; just dodged Warden's attack): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Only Runner 3 made his Dodge check. He's on a roll, apparently. (HA!) Now each Runner makes a Strength or Dodge resistance check against the Strength of the attacker to resist being grappled. In this case, the Strength is equal to Atsuko's power rank in Move Object, which is 2. Runner 1 and 2 get to halve that to 1 because they made their initial Dodge roll.

Runner 1: Strength check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22
Runner 2: Strength check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20
Runner 3: Strength check: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (19) + 3 = 22

<blink> Huh.

It quickly becomes apparent that these are not your normal, everyday thugs. They are trained and disciplined. The three thugs in the lobby still conscious evade the grasping tentacles with no sign of panic. They step, weave, and then activate their leg harnesses.

The three men leap twenty feet into the air, then land on the interior balconies overlooking the lobby. They are spread evenly about the balconies, evidently too experienced to clump together. As Meteor Man is the most obvious target, two of the men turn to where they last saw him and open fire with their machine pistols. The third draws a knife on the way up and slashes at Meteor Man on his way by--or pretends to. He lets out a loud battle cry, drawing attention to himself, then sails right by Meteor Man and lands on a balcony himself.

Consider the three men to be at each of the three interior 14s on the map, excluding the two that are outside.

Runner 1 makes a Feint check against Meteor Man using Deception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Opposed by the higher of Cliff's Insight or Deception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Cliff is now Vulnerable against Runner 1's next attack. However, he has the Setup 2 Advantage, letting him transfer the vulnerability to his two comrades. The other two now make attack rolls. They have a -5 due to the total concealment the fog provides, but Cliff's active defenses are cut in half (rounded up) for the purposes of these attacks. Cliff's effective Dodge is (13 / 2) = 7, making their DC to hit (10 + 6) = 17. Their weapons have Multiattack, which will come into play if any of them get a particularly good success.

Runner 2: Multiattack w/ Machine Pistol: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13
Runner 3: Multiattack w/ Machine Pistol: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Automatic fire shatters the chill evening. Bullets whizz by Cliff on all sides. Behind him, windows shatter and the wall is riddled with holes. Not a single one touches Meteor Man.

The people lying face down on the floor begin to scream. Two of them, completely panicked, make a break for the door--not that anyone other than Meteor Man are likely to see them.

The remaining four Runners, alerted by gunfire and screams, come rushing from the vault. Spotting the fog, the men take positions at the only two sets of doors that lead to the vault, two at each door. They take cover behind nearby office walls and take aim.

I was going to have them ready an action, but that's a little too difficult to work with in this play format. Instead, I'm just going to give them the benefit of cover and call it good.

Coming up:
* If you attack Runners 1, 2, or 3 on the balconies, be sure to take a -5 on your attack roll due to the fog, unless you have some way of circumventing that. If you attack Runners 5-8, take a -2 penalty due to their cover. Runner 4 isn't listed because he got knocked the f~~% out. Be sure to pause for the Leader this round; she's coming back.

Anthem (finishing up round 1)
Dough Joe
Meteor Man
Runner Leader
Warden
Conduit
Runner Thugs
Anthem

Sounds good. A few people are having to make a few amendments. As you say, it's a complex system. It should settle out over the course of this first go, which is why I'm keeping it simple. I'm at work currently, posting from my phone. I'll get the attack rolls and sheet updated on the I'm off.

By the way, if we use Google Docs, we can use little icons to represent our characters. ^^ It might help when we're using maps.

I didn't realize that. I can't seem to figure out how to do that though and I'm running out of time before work. Here are links to that image in a document and another one as a drawing if you want to show me how it is done.

Atsuko is unaffected by the fog and able to direct her tendrils (which are precise), filling... most of the lobby, methinks.

That power doesn't have Selective, which means you would have to grab everyone in the area equally, including the hostages. Is it possible that you were thinking of Selective when you put Precise? I'll wait to hear back before continuing, in case you want to amend your action. If you don't want to actually modify the power, I suppose you could spend a Hero Point to use it as if you had Selective for a round or two.

Warden's electric bola flies past the teller and hits her computer. The charge shorts out the monitor; smoke mixes with the fog as the teller screams and dives to the ground. The would-be target tries to peer through the fog. He takes aim at where he thinks the shot came from...

I can wait for Joe, yeah.

I'm not going to change the initiative order or anything. I was just trying to figure out how to make that work as written.

So wait, the hostages are on the first floor

Yes, they are huddled in the middle of the floor, literally where the '1' is on the map. They are guarded by two one guy and a charred, unconscious body.

Ooooh, I see it. You and Warden both posted while I was writing my post. I missed that you circled. I'm with you now.

There's IS the matter of you getting through the (chained) door. For the sake of argument, let's just say you waited for Dough Joe to kick in the door and flew in that way. Otherwise you'd have to spend a Hero Point to both bust down the door and then attack.

Cliff's Victim rolls Toughness: DC 25: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
And Fortitude: DC 15: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15

One of the Runners looks up at Cliff and looks... well, you don't know, really, with the mask and all. One imagines he is worried, right up until the moment that a bolt of lightning from the fog flings him ten feet backward and into one of those stand-up desks people use to write out deposit slips.

Fair enough on the Fog front. Quick thing though: the hostages are in the customer area on that map (numbered 1). To get there, you need to move across the whole building. With your Flight, you are capable of getting that far easily. I just figured I would point out there are others closer or you should perhaps describe whizzing through the building.

If we are using the actual Concealment power (Fog), its area is based on the Area extra, which starts at a mere 30' and you can't afford much. If you want to run it off the Environment power (your basic Weather Control), then yes, the area will be enormous. Still only 120' though. To be honest, I'm not sure the separate Fog power is really needed, as I think Weather Control can basically cover it.

EDIT: Words.

As Anthem places her hand on the glass, she gets a sense of the interior. There are eight men in the gang: two watching the hostages, two getting money from the tellers (they're almost done), two in the vault, and two just outside the vault.

But there's something wrong... Anthem's senses don't pick up the leader anywhere in the building.

Just then, all hell breaks loose. Warden cracks the maglock and the rear door pops open. After a moment of arguing, Warden heads inside and Cliff summons a thick, cloying fog. All vision within 60 feet of him is obliterated. It covers roughly half the building, inside and out.

Moving into combat time now. I rolled for Initiative in Hero Lab because it was easier than looking up everyone's initiative mod and then entering all the dice formulas here. The order is as follows:

Dough Joe
Meteor Man
Runner Leader (skip her during this first round though)
Warden
Atsuko
Runners
Anthem

Anyone within 60' of Meteor Man is completely unable to see. If you have alternate senses, like Anthem, you may still be able to function fine. Use the description above and this here map to determine if you are inside the fog and where the various robbers are located. Attacking a target within the fog without access to an alternate sense imposes a -5 penalty to your attack roll. Oh, ignore the ATM on that map. Pretend that's the door that Warden just kicked/hacked.

Dough Joe and Anthem: You may or may not be inside the fog, depending on where you are perched. I'll leave that to your discretion.

Round One. FIGHT!

It's kind of a tossup on Quickness. If we say that the hardest part of it is figuring out what to do, then yes. (The Mental Limit is what we're looking at here.) In this case, I think that's accurate.

Let's say only half the ranks apply, but you're able to turn an 8-minute disarm into a 30-second disarm. It's quite quick. Go ahead and make a Technology roll against DC 20. Higher degrees of success will mean an even faster disarm. Describe it as you wish.

I'm gonna trade in Ultrahearing for Immunity to my own powers (I was gonna trade it for Accurate Hearing, but I noticed that was 2 ranks. Will definitely nab that later though).

Sheet updated.

Sorry folks. Work let out a little later than usual. It looks like we're in a holding pattern with Anthem though. I also need to see what Meteor Man is doing before I move forward with Warden's plan. In the meantime, we can see if he successfully breaks down the downstairs door though.

Athletics: Breaking down a door: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

The door cracks a little around the lock when Warden kicks it. He is about to kick it again when he notices a maglock located directly next to the lock itself. Morning employees likely arrive via this door, using a magnetic keycard to gain entry. The alarm is almost certainly armed and will go off if the door is kicked in without disarming the maglock in some way.

Continue? (Y/N)

Okie. I'll get that fixed up when I get home.

You start with two ranks of Detect (the second rank makes it ranged, like hearing and vision, rather than close like touch and taste) and name it something appropriate. Detect Bioelectricity, for example. Then you add the appropriate sense modifiers, noting that each one applies to Detect Bioelectricity.

For example, I might make it Accurate (I can use it to locate things accurately), Acute (I can tell people and things apart), and Counters Illusion because no one thinks to make their illusions simulate the body's electrical signals.

You can find the updated version of your sheet, based on what you told me to modify, over here. Let me know if you spot something off.

Warden's Stealth: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
Warden's Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Warden pries the door off with a loud, brittle crack. Just then, Cliff arrives and the two engage in a little repartee in the doorway. When the two men turn to enter however, find themselves facing a single small room with no obvious entrance into the building proper. It looks like this was once used as some sort of office, but it has long since been converted into storage for unimportant office supplies.

Near the back wall, on the ceiling, Warden spots what appears to have been a trap door leading into the attic. It has been plastered and then painted over, but a faint outline is still visible. It will be difficult to get to, as boxes and even a couple of desks are stacked haphazardly in the cramped room.

When making your post, look for "How to format your text" below, next to a spoiler tag button labeled "Show". Below the general formatting stuff is the syntax for making rolls on this board. If you type in the relevant roll information and then hit Preview, you can see what the roll is going to be and adjust your post accordingly.

I never did get a reply about what senses the Fog blocks. Is it Normal Sight (2 PP) and Normal Hearing (1 PP) for a total of Concealment 3? Is it just All Visual Senses (4 PP) and it was meant to be Concealment 4? Is it just Normal Sight?

If it is only affecting Vision (of whatever flavor), you can use Hearing or another sense not affected by it, provided that sense has Accurate. Wolverine, for example, might have added Accurate on his sense of smell, so that he's able to gut someone even when blinded provided he can smell them. That doesn't seem to fit your character though. There is a way to build a whole new sense (call it Electrical Sense or something) that might fit, but that requires more points than you have to spare. I would save that for later.

You could swap out your Uncommon Immunity to Wind to an Uncommon Immunity to Weather effects for no point cost. This would leave you vulnerable to a pure wind power, but you would be immune to wind related to weather control as well as other general weather control effects. You can also add a 1-point Rare Immunity to be immune to all of your own powers.

There are no obvious escape routes along the side. However, there is a single locked door in the back alley, likely used for taking out trash. Due to the age of the building, there is also a rickety wooden staircase leading to another door about twenty feet up. It's the sort of odd design detail not seen on more modern banks.