Variel the Old's page

That DC 35 Perception check, Variel passes it with my prior roll or should I roll again?

"I'll be right behind you, Mephiston" whispers Variel without looking at the Chelaxian: his eyes are scanning the group's surrounding and his ears keen on possible ambushes.

Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (3) + 18 = 21
Perception: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (8) + 27 = 35

Freaking forums, every time I tried to post in a game it went down and it kept going down the whole week so I have to catch up now... Sorry for the delay

Variel kept his eyes wide open and his hands ready to draw the irons.
The elf closes his eyes and places one hand over his chest while the other draws a small magical symbol "I've been tempered by time and struggle, fire cannot harm me..." he mutters under hid breath, memories flashing through his mind.
Casting Resist Energy: Fire. Duration 50 minutes.

Mephiston's words return his attention to the present time. The ranger draws his irons and checks the ammunition inside before nodding to the Chelaxian.
"Ready when you are, fellas"

Good idea!

Should have posted that I was ready to proceed. No more questions on Variel's end.

"Take up the scraps? Do we look like a gang?" Variel answers from behind his improvised cover "Must tell you, son, you looked like you were about to jump us... but I am no friend of those Tail freaks nor we want to take your turf from you or anything, we only want information and I'm willing to pay with gold for it, better than starting a bloody turf war over nothing."

I was actualky waiting but figured I could 'defuse' the situation by forcing them to be greedy and stupid.

And I would like to apologize if my actions are disliked by the less cocky members of Puddle Team.

Any non-prying-eyes filled building close buy? In particular any with a ground level window we can jump through? As much as I love a brawl, covered positions seem like a good idea for a shootout

Variel walks up to Ahto and Varren, whistling as he does so "If the Pharasman and Chelaxian are going to vanis-... He just did, we are the ones in charge of being bait. Let me be the first." he adds with a confusing smile.

Keeping his calm stance, the Old focuses on his Pack link with Pyrrha to alert her of danger Remember when I casted Pack Empathy? Cool stuff, but if mire than five hours have passed it won't work. DM decission here. before marching towards the closest piece of rubble that could pass for cover between him and the conspicuous thug eyes and draws a handful of gold coins Let's say, 20 and waits for Varrren and Ahto to react A courtesy round of buffing or whatever

"Listen here, you punks!" he yells to the best of his lungs' ability "I got a pouch full of gold and a mind full of anger! Wanna piece of this? Come and get it, I dare you chummers!" he says before throwing the coins to the ground and drawing his pair of irons.

Variel's hands casually move until they are placed over his belt, close to his guns. Spitting to the ground and turning on his heels to unconspicuously scout the place.

"This is as good a place as any other. And I don't think they'll want to fence words, so be ready and leave at least one of them breathimng, fellas."

Variel doesn't seem to mind the mud and water as the group heads through the Puddles, the elf has been in far more awful places. The smell, though, forces him to button up his coat to cover his mouth and nose like a scarf would.

"Pretty inviting, I bet the tourism is flourishing around these parts." comments the ranger when the group finds the tiefling tails "That dragon head seems to be much more present than the rest of symbols... Well Ahto, if we were psychotic murderers in need of a hiding place, which gang would we seek for protection?"

Perception: Anyone stalking us: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (7) + 27 = 34
Kn. Local: Gang signs and tiefling tails: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

"Then is set: we got ourselves a deal." the elf smiles as he spits on his right palm and extends the hand to SixFingers.
Returning his attention to the others, Variel shrugs "All of that sounds fine and dandy. I can't add s@+#e, tho, I'm too new to the city... But perhaps me and one of you brave younguns want to take a stroll 'undercover' through the Puddles to get a first-hand impression."

"If our irons are showing and we take care we should be fine, no matter how s+!+ty Absalom's slums are."

I'll try to get a post in tomorrow, but failing that expect it before Monday... I'm chaining camping after camping and I truly miss my laptop and home.

As for wet work, I am familiar with the term. I simply figured Variel, being old as balls, wasn't. Same would go for things like Popping a cap on the guy, he would be confused and probably think of youngsters a dumbasses.

Variel seemed puzzled shen Six Fingers mentioned 'wet work', but Pyrrha and Tosguld managed to make him understand.

"I have sent people to their maker before, I'm sure most of the people here have... but I'm no paid slayer and will never be, Six Fingers." says the frowning elf "You better paint a really nice picture about who you want us to kill being a threat to innocent people and a psychotic madman or else I'm with the lady and the gentleman."

Examining the bullets lodged firmly in the wall, Variel scoffs "There go my hopes of finding Sixfingers alive." he mutters "Blood's fresh, but blood isn't jelly like... or a grayish pink. Those are brain bits."

The elf continues looking for clues until Varrren informs them of their company. His revolvers seemingly materialise at his hands as he draws them fast as lightning "Dammit, I'll check it upstairs. Someone get up in the air and cover me, be prepared for trouble."

Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (9) + 18 = 27
Perception: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (11) + 27 = 38

Variel holsters his firearms before crossing the door. "Don't walk all over the place, you might screw up any possible trail... I wish I could take the time to search thoroughly, but whoever got to poor Sixfingers before us won't wait..." he whispers to the ones inside.

Gotta use my absurdly high Survival and Perception
Survival: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (7) + 17 = 24
Perception: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (14) + 27 = 41

And Stealth just in case
Stealth: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26

"Take care with your little angel, Mephiston. Unseen doesn't mean unheard... nor unsmelt." Variel mutters back.

Variel draws his irons and steps closer to the door, trying to detect possible sounds coming from the inside.

Perception: 1d10 + 27 ⇒ (7) + 27 = 34

"Or when they have them..." mutters Variel "That sounds like a plan, anyway, and we shouldn't waste time just in case the Mantis decide we need some more training."

Variel grabs the parchment and smells it "A magic scroll, ye say? Well, I can smell brimstone, so some kind of devilish scroll wouldn't surprise me."

The hunter stops crouching and cleans his hands off dirt. "So unless any of ye have a good idea, I think the Chelaxian might know where to start."

I was actually waiting on... I'm not sure, truth be told, perhaps some info sharing.
Variel can't track the Red Man by scent alone, but we perhaps can look for the scroll seller. We'd need to check on anyone selling demonic/evil scrolls.

Variel waits for the others that offered to go with him, fidgetting with his revolvers "Ya ready? Great, a lot of eyes better than two... just don't step all over the place until I give you the go signal."

Once at the place where the Red Man was sighted, the elf turns to Pyrrha "If we are going to be pack hunters, we might as well do it properly. Relax your mind and let me in for a second..." before closing his eyes, gesturing with his right hand towards her and placing his left hand over his heart. Strength in numbers, spirit of the wolf... he mutters, yet the words can be heard inside their heads.

Casting Pack Empathy if Pyrrha isn't willing to let him, I won't take offense.

The elf then searches through his pockets, picking a pinch of cinnamon as he cuts the back of his left hand with a knife, obtaining a drop of blood. The trail never disappears, not for a trained hound...
And casting Bloodhound on himself

Variel sniffs the air and exhales "I'm ready." and turns to the alley, crouching as he explores it. He sniffs at every step, trying to separate the city's smell from any particular one, and at the same time looking for different tracks and clues. His eyes focus on the ground and items that might be around, using his instinct to distinguish between the common and the extraordinaire.

Survival: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (19) + 17 = 36
+4 if tracking ny Scent can apply

"Beauty always comes with a prize, innit? Stubborness seems a small one." he jokes after Ahto's comment about Pyrrha, smiling to her "If I can but get a word, one from hard earned experience and years of running... we the long lived have too many years to regret our mistakes... too many years to mourn actions and absences..."

The elf's voice seem to break at the end, but he quickly regains his composure.

Variel listens to the others' suggestions and meditates his part. "I said I can tryna track the Red Man, and I will do so. Capt'n... Tosguld? Innit? I think we should split to do the research, return to share the info afterwards. You know that crime scenes tend to get muddy when half a dozen people walk around willy nilly. Ahto said he comes, any other volunyeer to cover my ass while I'm at it?" he says out loud, furtively looking at Pyrrha and Varrren.

"Gory. You would say chelaxians know a great deal of classy executions..." Variel jokes as the construct's head takes a funny shapeSpoiler Alert!!: The Walking Dead stuff

The elf turns to the Captain and starts reloading his irons "If there's any trace of the Red Man in the alley, I can track it. I want in, I mean, Capt'!... plus this way you'll owe us a favour that I sure as hell need." with a smile, Variel turns to Pyrrha "I won't judge you for leaving, m'lady, this is some A grade strange s~*@e going on and I know jackshite about Red Scorpions or whatever they fancy themselves, but it won't be easy neither... that said, I'd be glad to have kin watching my back if you decide to stick around."

Quoting Jon, from another of his games

Existing characters are:

Gavril Vasilescu: Gavril is a French-Romanian who served with the French Foreign Legion in the Middle East combating terrorist threats before joining the UN Peacekeepers. He's a massive, muscle-bound machine gunner who also uses a shotgun and a tactical tomahawk in battle. He also speaks a large variety of languages and is currently serving as the group's translator since they're still in the Middle East. He's tough to take down and built to be a mix of Heavy/Assault from the new XCOM games. In addition, this character is played by Loup Blanc, who plays Prophet in this game.

Rosa Vasquez: A medic who originally worked with the LAPD SWAT team, she volunteered for service as a combat medic with the UN Peacekeepers in Basra. While still capable in combat with a submachine gun, she's less focused on outright damage and instead is a very good support character; she currently has abilities to make her a more capable healer and also to make her good at talking with people. She's building to be a Support class character, mainly. In addition, this character is played by Kamenhero25, who plays Annika in this game.

Jacob Farrell: Jacob is a former IRA terrorist who ended up working with the Royal Engineering Corps and has been working with bringing technology to improve the lives of those in less developed areas of the Middle East. He was working with the Peacekeepers as a demolitions expert as well as having an advanced knowledge of repairing all sorts of technology. He has an assault rifle but as of now seems to certainly prefer his grenade launcher in combat. He's similar to the Grenadier in terms of roles from XCOM 2 but isn't exactly correlated to any specific class from the games. In addition, this character is played by EmissaryoftheNorth, who plays Jonathan in this game.

Borax Bohan: Borax is a former member of a US-led black ops team devoted to looking for any trace of alien activity; the program was shut down after...

I, for example, am Jacob the demolition expert/grenade launcher aficionado/mechanics and repairs' man/crazy old irish with three long weapons and two side handguns.

Come with us, it's calm and cozy.

Variel eyes the assassin, his mind racing to discern what the hell the man sitting in front of them was.
Kn. Arcana: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30
Not sure if Arcane was the right call. If Local or Nature work, add 3 to the roll

. "They didn't believe anything else would be... necessary to deal with the resistance presented, even in the embassy."

Variel scoffs "Cocky bastards, aren't they?" he comments towards Pyrrha, Ahto and Varrren -or whoever listens to him- before returning to being silent as Mephiston keep the interrogation going on.

I can't recommend that game enough, same goes with the system.

As a player, I can say it's been hella fun son far, and as soon as I can b@@*$~#@ my way into a tank it will be loads funnier.

So go ahead and join us, and remember that whatever happened the irish wasn't there and he ain't seen s&@$e.

Please, ignore the following if I am mistaken regarding if you can pass through allies' squares, because Variel is gonna do that: run blindly till the door, through Edward and pirouette between the assassins so he can do something other than remain in the dark.

"Damn it, boy, you f~$%ing blocked my line of fire!" exclaimed the elf, quickly going through his options... which amounted to waiting or doing some stupid and reckless s!~&. "I'm not one to wait." he muttered to himself before darting towards where he last saw the door, somersaulting over the table and trusting his luck and reflexes to duck when he had to.

When he bumped into Edward he knew it was such time "Move aside, altar boy!" Variel said before pushing in through the assassins with fluid, acrobatic movements.
Acrobatics at full-speed: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (16) + 23 = 39
Without waiting to breath the ranger darted towards the wall to the left, turning to shoot at the assassin as he did so.

The elf moved quick, jumping and sliding over the table till he was in front of the door, firing once before touching the ground.
"F~@&ing young'uns! I told ya to dive for cover, godammit!"

Once on the ground he fired again, alternating his pistols as he took aim and focused fire on the man right in front of the door.

Pyrrha did lunge from 10ft away at her nearest target, so I don't understand how she was moved to where she is standing now. Unless there was a spell that forced her to moved there. Also I have lots of questions about just being owned by this mook. Did Pyrrha just get sneak attacked? How does one move more than 5ft and get a full attack? Just curious so if you want or need to keep it a secret don't worry.

I, at least, can explain the move and full-attack. Under Jon's -might I say nice- houserules, from level 6 onwards you can move half-your speed and full-attack.

I know from certain level you can do a full-move too, and there's abit about basically getting pounce -full-attack on a charge-, bht I'm not sure about any level reqs.

About the damage? No clue, if it's worth s!+~e, I'll post soon and I do believe my damage will be same as theirs... if not superior. What the Mantis guy did to you is, to put it simply, a hell of an entrance!

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Before he realised what was going on, Variel's hands already were on his revolvers' grips. The bard's stories always mention elven supernatural agility and reflexes, but the way he drawed and aimed his guns, one arm extended farther than the other, had nothing supernatural to it... it was mechanical, ingrained into his mind, something he has been doing for so damn long it was as natural as blinking or breathing.

"Dammit! Dive for cover, they got irons!" he yelled as he pulled the trigger and the gun's hammer made a distinctive click.

Aaaaand cinematic scene change before the "click-click-bang-bang" is heard!

Perception: 1d20 + 27 ⇒ (7) + 27 = 34

The elf nods, agreeing with the imp. "I remember it now Capt'n, clear as the sky, red skin isn't very common and he wore a cloak that looked heavy. I think I could point to where they stumbled off, between the buildings."

When the "prisoner" mentions additional details he scratches his chin, unconsciously caressing one of his revolvers' grips as he tries to think what could fit the description.

Would Knowledge Local or Arcane be appropiate?
If he isn't an humanoid or magical beast,
it falls out of Variel's area of expertise.

"Don't think we have much choice, mate... Capt'n seems one of those that orders instead of asking, comes with the charge I guess." comments Variel, his eyes studying the Captain before pointing with his head towards Mephiston "Oi Ahto, who'sat? I swear my hearing gotten ill with the years, or else I'll be sure the Capt'n mentioned Cheliax."

The elf closes his eyes for a moment, gathering his memories -clear as if looking at them directly- before speaking "Twas a hand and a half sword, a beautiful one... Longer than average, 54 inches, maybe more. Numerian starmetal was used for the blade, Dawii Korim inscribed "The most beautiful rose has the sharpest thorns"... the original hilt was damaged years ago, now it should have a laquered mithral one with an eagle head in each side of the crossguard... The tip wasn't centered, instead raiaing from one of the edges... I can give you more details if I can get some time to think..."

As he finishes he opens his eyes and shows a shy smile when Varrren adresses him "Can this be... it shouldn't but it must be... Var? Var!" he exclaims as he finally recognises the accent "Sorry, I should introduce y'all. These two are Ahto and Pyrrha, they will helo me find... well, a relative of mine... but I'm not sure this is the place or time to explain. Who's that?" he asks pointing with his head towards Captain Varris and Toswuld.

Varrren, sounds hella good to be honest (missed the dot, should have checked before :( )

Jon, would you like me to describe the Sword I mentioned or should I leave it to you?

Almost forgot, I will be camping till Wednesday. I'll try to check things but truth is I don't think I'll be able.
Please do bot me!

You are completely right, and it isn't the only thing I forgot (I added my traits this morning).

Variel shuffles his feet as Ahto introduces him "Please don't call me Master, Ahto, only Variel..." awkwardly says the elf as he turns to Pyrrha with a smile and a extended hand.

"Thing is, I know jackshite about this huge city. I heard the Gatewatch might know, perhaps the local Society. Truth is I have no idea where to start and no friends in town." the bout of honesty seems to improve his humour as he taps his coin purse "Hell, judging by the weight of this I might as well look for a job and a place to stay first!"

Variel clumsily shakes the man's hand. "Not a district... I'm looking for someone. A distant relative, really distant." starts the elf when the commotion erupts.

With trained reflexes, he moved his hands to his guns and... and stopped. The full plated man should be stopped, but he was a newcomer... a newcomer that didn't knew the rules and codes reigning the city.

As the fight dies down, Variel turns to Ahto again with a smile "I'm not worried abouy my security, Ahto, but I know gobshite about this city and its people... and the only thing I have to find the person I look for is a sword's description." says the elf as he scratches the back of hia head once again "Figured you, a guide and streetsmarts fella, might know where should I start asking. Or who should I start asking. And I wouldn't ahy away from honest to God work, this "hunt" drains money like a heartbroken dwarf in an ale brewery."

"This has to be the Cathedral." muttered the elf as he observed the impressive building.

Removing the hood he had been wearing as he made his way through the streets and using the cloak to partially cover the firearms he had been purposely showing -it's always better to prevent foolish robberies than having to explain to the guards why there was a bunch of corpses full of holes- he eyed the crowd.

He stood tall, by human or elven standards, with wild hoary hair flowing almost till his shoulders. His sleeveless 'leather' armor covered in as many scars as his arms and hands. The hilt of a long knife sprouted behind his left armpit while a scimitar hanged from his back with the tip of the scabbard pointing to the sky.

"New to town? Need a guide or bodyguard? Hot-spur! Hot-spur!"

The noisy scarred man offering himself as a bodyguard caught his attention He looks kinda like Abel, a distant relative perhaps? Cannot be, he didn't have no family and it's been too long..." but he dismissed those thoughts, delving too long in the past was dangerous, before approaching him.

"I need a guide, or answers whatever takes less time. I'm Variel, arrived yesterday." said the elf, unsure if he should offer his hand or not.

If it helps in any way, I do intend to make use of Jon's homebrew rule regarding movement during full-attacks. So unless we are in a small room, I shouldn't usually be inside the channeling range.

There's something about dual wielding guns as you jump and run that makes my inner John Woo go happy.

Wow, eight's a pretty big group.

Wouldn't have been fun if the 8th passenger was even stranger than the non-evil chromatic dragon?

Anyway here I am! Sorry for making you all wait on this weary, old minded yet young bodied elf. Make sure to wear a sweater while we adventure, eat your vegetables and always exhale when you pull the trigger.

I see you are speaking of bonding backgrounds, and I'm up for it. If our friendly blue dragon wants too, we should be aproximately of equal age so perhaps we know each other from before?