[IC]TotMG:LF Flight of the White Dove

[IntSys]

After Pirate Jack and Akihiro left for the Forgotten Realms, Scarlet, Harold, and Raider Jack gathered before the Bounty Board and arranged to get transported to the target world.

 

--

 

Layers of clouds loomed over the plains and hills before the group. The sun barely glimmered through the gray seams. It seemed to be around noon.

 

The air felt off. Something in the air was passively hostile, though at best they could only detect radiation, strange considering how there didn't seem to be any visible hints of a nuclear explosion nearby. Otherwise, there was noticeable moisture in the air.

 

Asphalt roads lined the hills, yet the suburban houses situated along them looked so lifeless that one could only assume that no one had used the paths for decades. The roads lead to a city that didn't really look much better. A river ran by the city, reflecting the gloomy colors of the sky. That must be Smederevo, the slums mentioned in the pitch.

Shifting figures dotted the hills sparsely, wandering all on their own. It wouldn't be hard to avoid them, but perhaps investigating them could lead to greater understanding of this world.

 

An address was enclosed in the pitch. If the group knew Serbian, they could infer that their client would be meeting them at a shopping mall. But in plain English, the specific spot was apparently a broken toilet in the basement. In any case, with the city in a ruined state, that mall would probably only have the facade of a huge building left, so it'd take some time to find it.

 

 

???

Spoiler

Earlier...

 

"Kar, are you sure that this information can be trusted? Every second we spend following this clue is one that could be used to keep looking for Dove."

 

"Not completely. But, it's extremely detailed, is it not? More so than any of the tips we've gathered. And besides, it's been four months since the operation began. We've chased this foolish bird all across Serbia, and a lot of things have happened to Grifon while we were away. The least we could do is bring back more good news to cheer everyone else up as soon as possible."

 

"Understood."

 

"Then... Girls, let's get to work."

 

[Chevaleresse]

"Well this is cheery," Scarlet groused, already starting to trudge forward and look for signs of the meeting place and the client. "Maybe we'll get jumped by mutants. Or a cult, I haven't seen one of those in a while." Not that she saw a lot of mutants, either, but the vaguely radioactive edge of suburbia seemed like prime real estate to encounter them. At least she wasn't here with the unrepentant pirate or the actual delusional. . . whatever the hell Stella was. Scarlet watched the figures in the hills warily, too; chances are they wanted to avoid the mercenaries as much as the mercenaries wanted to avoid them, but experience had taught her that always expecting the worst was generally the best approach.

[StormLord]

A confused man in a brown leather jacket with a khaki space suit underneath looks around at where he was and the two others near him.

"What in the great beyond just happened?  This is not deck 63.  Damn radioporter must'a sent me to some godforsaken death world."

He takes a closer look at Scarlet and Jack.

"Names Harold.  One of y'all wouldn't happen to know where we are would'ya?"

[Chevaleresse]

"You have the unfortunate distinction of now being employed by a guy that calls himself Handsome Jack. At least for the moment. And this place is called Smedervo. Lovely little shithole, this." The apparent teenager shrugged. "I assume you got dragged in the same way we did." She gestured around at her surroundings. "Considering you're the first thing to actually speak, I recommend actually coming with us." Scarlet wasn't particularly keen on trusting some random disoriented guy that had appeared alongside them at their target destination, but she found herself in an unfortunately large number of extenuating circumstances. Maybe I should pull my own crew together once I make enough to get my own ship. . . That, or set up shop in some godforsaken backwater where they haven't heard of me yet.

[Powder Miner]

The passive hostility of this place was largely a mere curiosity to Jack -- it was something unfamiliar to the New Conglomerate mercenary, but it wasn't something of real concern. It wasn't like he really expected to be sitting around in some serene peaceful landscape or something, after all. He'd have to keep on his guard, but just because getting the first shot off inevitably meant an advantage in combat, and he wanted to pad his KDR, not take a hit. Plus, he guessed he'd be back at Auraxis if he got popped here, and that would be lame; this whole thing was the most interesting thing he'd seen in quite some time. As for the deserted status, well... Jack was used to seeing empty land. Civilian population on Auraxis had largely fucked off back up to the stations when the war'd become as big as it did, after all.

 

His train of thought was derailed with the appearance of a new figure, though. "Right, so she mentioned Handsome Jack, my name is Jack, but not Handsome Jack, a different Jack, and also a different Jack from the pirate Jack that also isn't Handsome Jack. Got it? You'll need to, or else you might get... jacked up." The blue-and-yellow armored man grinned and shot finger guns at Harold. "But, nah, we're basically mercenaries, though our employer is some doofus who seems to think he's really scary. I don't really know why he thinks he's having some grand effect, but going out and fighting new shit is nice, and getting shit to spend that isn't the same-old is pretty nice too -- and if you want fuckin' gold and weapon tech you've come to the right place. We're on a mission where those are our rewards, to escort some dude with information other people don't want him to have, and we'll have to blow some guys away in the process more than likely. If you want in on that, come with us."

 

Jack paused. "I guess you're kinda on your own out here if you don't, though, considering there's not exactly a ton out here. Sucks for you, I guess."

[IntSys]

In any case, the group continued on to the city, avoiding the unknown figures. As they climbed down the hill they were on and neared the city, the first thing they'd notice were the a tall walls and red towers that surround the city. The walls were slightly slanted inwards, with a pair of large pipes running down them in between two towers. They spewed smoke, making it look like the whole city was snorkeling. And then, they'd notice the checkpoint located at the bottom, a small gate that was closely guarded.

 

Using the provided false ids, the group made it past the checkpoint. From the soldiers' chit-chats, seeing how Jack was so healthy seemed to make them more willing to trust the group. They were given two days of stay.

 

"Welcome to Smederevo. There's curfew at two in the afternoon today. Enjoy your stay."

 

--

 

Truly, slums look the same wherever you go. Whether it's an advanced space civilization's junkyard planet, or a post-apocalyptic world's cities. they all had the same grimes and neon lights that could invoke nostalgia across the multiverse. Maybe the people are different in shape, but they all do the same things.

 

The street rats paid no mind to Scarlet and Harold. Jack, however, attracted most of the attention. He most definitely didn't look the part. People chattered as they looked at him from a distance. Curious, yet also somewhat alerted. Could he be some powerful figure? What could be his business here? As they walked, the locals instinctively stepped away from them.

 

Despite all that, Scarlet could still feel like she was being watched. Whether it was from the dark alleys, or the stream of passersby. Surely the locals wouldn't know what they were up to exactly. So, would it be safe to head straight to the meetup spot?

 

Walking on the streets, the group would notice a particularly interesting kind of store, selling service-model "dolls" which looked startling akin to a real woman. Of all the people observing Jack, how many of them could turn out to be dolls?

 

 

???

Spoiler

"Today's weather will be cloudy until the afternoon. By then, a thunderstorm will bring the high concentration of Collapse fluid from Belgrade to here. Curfew will begin at two in the afternoon. Any wanderers will be arrested on the spot, and any personnel left on the streets displaying ELID symptoms will be executed immediately-" The television was turned off. The image of a woman clad in black garbs could be seen off the reflection of the black screen.

 

"Hmm~ So, the specters of Belgrade have come to haunt the refugees. Any change in Grifon's movements, Scarecrow?"

 

"Three of them are spreading towards the city's perimeters. Two others remain close to each other."

 

"Interesting... You've already deployed the Dinergates along the walls as I ordered, right? If Dove were there, he'd have no chance of hiding from our sights. And so, there's only one real possibility. Do you know what that is, Scarecrow?"

 

"... No."

 

"And that's why you're the Scarecrow. Keep me updated on their positions, and tell me what they could see through their eyes. Hunter and Executioner will continue to stalk the two. That is all."

 

*click*

 

[Powder Miner]

As Jack walked throughout the streets of Smederevo, met with curious stares and wary glares, a grin slowly spread across his face, filled with more than just mirth or cynical amusement... this was a pure grin, almost childlike, of awe and wonder. People, so many people, massed together, living in their buildings and sprawling across their city. Having a hard time of it, oh, sure, probably, but being there, being there in enough of a teeming crowd to bring back muddled glimpses of very old memories. "Oh, man. This is pretty fucking rad, isn't it?" Behind his sunglasses, his eyes darted from person to person, taking in their faces as much as they took in his appearances. "I barely even..." Jack trailed off.

 

And then he just shrugged and kept walking, pointing finger guns at some random person staring at him and regaling them with a casual but loud "Whaddup." He turned back to the others, one of his more normal, unsettling grins on his face this time. "So, what're you guys thinking? I figure we might as well get the fuck on wherever we're getting going. We don't have all that much time, I bet, and if something tries to fucking shoot us or something we can pop 'em pretty well in turn, yeah? Better than some sneaky-deaky infil shit, I think. Miss me with that. Assholes. But anyway, what I mean is that some cloak and dagger bullshit would be just doomed to get fucking dumb for everyone involved so we might as well just bulldoze through instead."

[Chevaleresse]

Scarlet pitched her voice low. "I still don't like this." A shootout in an unfamiliar urban area was not exactly her idea of a clean engagement, insofar as there was a such thing. "Anyone who wants to pull anything is going to know the area better than we do, and I know there's someone watching me." A century of experience with sketchy situations and unsavory individuals (not that she wasn't included among the latter) had given her a good sense of when a place was even less friendly than usual. Maybe they think I'mm one of those 'dolls.' Wouldn't be the first time. She was aware of how she stood out in a crowd, even taking an effort to hide it. Her gait, her mannerisms were at odds with her physical stature, not to mention the fact that she nearly looked like an albino. The mercenary flexed her hands, feeling the fit of the flamethrowers on her wrists. An outright weapons check would probably attract attention, but she couldn't shake the nervous habit entirely. . .

[StormLord]

While Jack had his grinning fit and was actively attracting attention Harold leaned over to Scarlet to quietly ask a question.

"Is your friend alright there ma'am?"

Moving on the to louder more open conversation
"Let's avoid gett'n shot at for as long as possible thank you very much,  Ah' done my share of fight'n in unfamiliar cities.  Once was enough."
Harold thought for a moment as he glanced around and looked for any tallsih buildings that could be scaled in some capacity.
"Maybe we should get a better look at the place though."

[Powder Miner]

"Ehhhh," Jack replied, "In this place if we're gonna get shot, we're gonna get shot in an urban environment, and I'm preeeetty sure we're gonna get shot at at some point considering the job. I'd rather just walk headfirst into it and rock 'em off kilter than give 'em the opportunity to set where and when to fight and get the first shot." Covered in weaponry as Jack was, he really didn't seem to give as much of a shit about attracting attention... but, well, he was in fact drawing attention. "If one of you guys wanna go climb a roof or some shit, you can go ahead. Probably a little more difficult for me to do it, all told. Bet Scarlet's the best bet, if someone does tag her it shouldn't slow her down much. 'spose I'd just wait and watch for now."

[StormLord]

"I'm going'ta take a look around.  I'll keep an eye out for you."

Harold heads up one of the nearby buildings to get a better look out and see if he sees the mall their headed for, leaving Jack and Scarlet to look around on foot.

[IntSys]

Harold took the lead and scaled up an office building's scaffolding. From a vantage point, he got a better look at the city, in all its ugly glory. Aside from the center of the city, close to the riverside, everywhere else was covered by a sprawling slum. The city center was mostly made up of barracks, though it wasn't possible to see what was in there. On a brighter note, Harold was able to tell apart the few large buildings left in the city and determine the mall's location and a shortest path there.

 

Having decided their approach, the party moved headfirst towards the mall.

 

 

A fifteen-minute walk brought the party to a huge building that barely resembled a mall. In fact, in its current state, it might look more like a parking lot. Of course, all that was ignoring the people who took residence in there. Shoddy stalls stood in what used to be wide, clean hallways, and rusty metal sheets walled up the storefronts, giving the residents a meager protection for their privacy.

 

An electronic Slavic turbofolk tune served as the mall's musical backdrop, performed not by a broadcasting system but rather old war veterans seeking warmth in the nationalist spirit they once fought for.

 

The party quickly made their way to the basement, through an equally-crowded floor, and arrived at the front of the toilet. The men's toilet seemed to have collapsed upon itself, and stains of dried urine could be seen at its doorsteps. That left the women's, which was only better in the fact that it hadn't cave in just yet. The stench only got worse as the three ventured into the toilet.

 

Suddenly, a stall in the far end opened up. A feminine figure emerged. Long, black hair, and masked with a surgical mask. Fairly lean.

 

"I'm your client." A muffled voice came through the mask. Recalling the pitch, it was apparent that Dove had disguised himself. "Let's go." His words were rapid, almost slurring, and his eyes blinked quickly too. An expected attitude from a man who might be in a black site tomorrow if he were to make even just one mistake.

 

As for that mistake, it was only getting apparent.

 

A soft ping came from his left pocket, and he yelled. "RUN!"

 

[Insert Song] MADE IN HEAVEN

Spoiler

 

 

Explosives hidden beneath the toilet sent the whole room collapsing down to the sewers below. As the blasts rang in their ears, a pair of bullets flew over them and struck the wall.

 

"You're going nowhere, scoundrel!" A confident voice came from above. Her red eyes flashed briefly, and four more figures jumped down the collapse floor to give chase. As the toilet's flickering lights blended with the sewer's maintenance lights, it became a bit easier to see their appearance. They were all... girls?

 

Of the four, the one taking the lead was a girl with short red hair, red tops and black shorts. She had a hand axe with a scope on its back in one hand, and a handgun - CZ75 - in another. "Out of the way, big guy!"

 

The other three quickly took position. One of them had short blond hair, and wore her blue British jacket like a cape for some reasons. The pistol in her hand was a Welrod MkII. Another had long brown hair, with a long black jacket on the outside and a white shirt and a red tie on the inside. She was carrying one of the many clones of CZ75, the NZ75. The last one had silver hair, and wore a lightweight mix of gray and purple. Her disturbingly large handgun - the Contender - was of note.

 

The smoke above began to clear, revealing their leader. Graceful white hair, contrasted by the intimidating and dreadful German uniform. She began to adjust her aim again, pointing her rifle downwards.

 

The chain of events was absolutely baffling. Were the party tailed? How could they have gotten the information that they were heading to meet up with Dove?

 

It was one mystery that wouldn't matter anymore if they couldn't escape alive.

 

 

Win Condition: Defeat Welrod, CZ75, NZ75, and Contender

OR Somehow block them from continuing the chase

 

Init:

Spoiler

Average Dex: 4

 

Welrod: 8

CZ75: 7

NZ75: 7

Jack: 6

Scarlet: 5

Contender: 4
Kar98k: 2

Harold: 0

 

Status:

Spoiler

Jack: 36/36 [Shield: 18/18]

Scarlet: 36/36

Harold: 30/30

 

Kar98k: Healthy, on a vantage point (negates Melee, -25% damage taken from ranged attacks.). 

Welrod: Healthy.

CZ75: Healthy.

NZ75: Healthy.

Contender: Healthy.

 

 

 

???

Spoiler

Earlier...

 

A short girl clad in brown garbs walked through the alleys. Her red tops and black shorts could be seen through the seams. Her steps were casual yet confident, kicking aside the tiny rubbish and cans in her way.

 

Two men ahead of her, leaning against the walls and holding a cigarette in their mouths, suddenly got up. Their eyes met, and they stood their positions firmly.

 

"Oi. Out of the way." The girl spoke, annoyed.

 

One of the men cracked a smile. "Heh, and they said that money doesn't fall from the sky." Their hands shifted subtly but surely, and all the sudden, they flashed their tasers. The faint smell of ozone drifted towards the girl.

 

A quick lunge from the right, a taser missed its mark and sank into the garbs. The girl's elbow dropped onto the back of the man's head, and he quickly collapsed with a whimper.

 

"Wh-What the hell?! You're not supposed to- Urk!" The other man took a punch to the gut and was held against the wall with just one hand. The girl revealed her previously-concealed axe, and held its sharp edge against his neck. "Son of a bitch, you want a piece of me? Huh?" Her words fell on deaf ears as the man was busy comprehending all the confusion and fear binding him. The only response was an incoherent babble.

 

"Listen up, punk! I know your kind. The worst of the worst. Wherever I go, rats like you always try to sell me off in the black market. Well, TOUGH LUCK." Another slam against the wall, and the man was barely conscious. "Oi! Wake up, idiot. I'm not done with you yet!"

 

With a sigh, the girl tossed the man aside, piling him on top of the other. She was no longer held back by the limitation that prevented her from attacking humans thanks to the special authorization from above, yet she still couldn't bring herself to use the axe.

 

"Tch. What a waste of time..." She mumbled, and disappeared into the next turn.

 

[StormLord]

Harold attacks CZ75 with his Raygun dealing 2d6+8 Disintegration damage.

 

 

Spoiler

Essence: 8

Constitution: 5

Dexterity: 0

Intelligence: 8

Strength: 0

Synergy: 0

(12 DR/High Velocity)

 

New Model Rayrifle: A long Raygun that fire especially powerful bursts of quasi-plasma, uses a six shot cylinder similar to that of a revolver to cycle Chemshells.

Deals [Int]+[Shell effect] Disintegration damage to one target.

Basic Chemshells add 2d6 damage.

 

Cure: A small cloud of healing mist created from seemingly nothing.

Restore 1d4+[Ess] HP to one target.

 

Water: Create a small sphere of water that homes in on a target before exploding on contact, great for putting out fires.

Deals 2d6+[Ess] chemical damage to one target, cannot be dodged.

 

Aim twice, shoot once:

+25% chance to crit for +100% damage with your next weapon attack against a chosen target.

 

Will Manifest: Choose one ally and create an action based on that ally's greatest immediate desire or will, the effect may create an entity, cause an instant or passive effect, alter the terrain, or grant the ally an ability, but always makes use of the ally's Essence stat to do so.  That action replaces this action until the end of combat when this action reverts.

Exact details of the effect are up to the GM, but are equivalent to any other action of the same level.

 

Adventurer’s Jacket: A brown heavy leather jacket that has a surprising number of hidden pockets, it has a bullet-proof lining.

+12 DR/High Velocity

 

[Chevaleresse]

Great, an all-girl merc squad. Those types definitely weren't annoying. There was a 50/50 shot of them trying to recruit her, and it was better odds than that of them giving either the "men are evil" speech or some variety of "girl power." All-gender groups tended to attract a certain kind of person. Of course, they could be a squad of those "dolls," too, which made it less likely. Here was hoping.

 

A quick assessment revealed her target priorities. The oversized handgun couldn't manage a rate of fire meaningful enough to make her anything something other than bottom priority unless that bulk was hiding a magazine and autoloader. The other handguns were threats, but the assault rifle could do some serious damage if left unchecked. Of course, that assumed they couldn't get away from them in short order. . . and she had an idea. "Watch your heads." In the chaos of the initial attack and the posturing of their assailants, she'd been reassembling her least favorite piece of gear. Now, the oversized railgun buzzed ominously as the magnets charged up. A loud boom reverberated down the tunnel as Scarlet let fly - into the ceiling. 

 

Scarlet fires her Archer into the ceiling above their attackers, dealing 4*DEX (20) damage to it and 5 to her. 

HP: 36

Stats:

• Essence: 1
• Constitution: 8
• Dexterity: 5
• Intelligence: 5
• Strength: 1
• Synergy: 1

Perks:

• Immortal Smoke (level 2) : Scarlet's body is suffused with a set of powerful, specialized nanites that have fully integrated with her biology. Among other factors, this allows her to recover from injury with great speed, as well as allowing her to boast an impressive resistance to all manner of toxins and foreign bodies. They carry a full blueprint of her body; this allows her to regenerate even lost limbs, given time.
  • Effect 1: Scarlet recovers [CON] HP per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 2: Scarlet receives a CON saving throw against a difficulty of the GM's choice (generally the inflicter's attacking stat + 10) against any poison or disease-based effects, immediately before they would come into effect, once per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 3: If Scarlet goes for an entire plot without suffering a wound, the oldest wound she has is automatically removed.
• Reach for the Moon: While specialized, Scarlet's augmentation still shares the baseline functionality of all Iron Weavers, allowing her to control a nanite swarm that can create and destroy objects, performing acts such as erecting cover on the fly from environmental materials and chewing through the armor of a mech. 
  • Effect: Whenever Scarlet successfully completes a craft, she receives an Iron Weaver action. 
• Flaw: Hourai Victim: "It must be fate." Scarlet has made a few friends and a lot of enemies over her career.
  • Effect: Scarlet occasionally attracts corporate bounty hunters, non-corporate bounty hunters, and various other flavors of hit squad, who will attempt to capture or kill her, at the GM's discretion. This flaw may also have other effects in sci-fi settings.

 

 

 
Goal:

Actions:

Field Patch: Iron Weaver action, infusing a target with nanites. Heals target by Scarlet's [CON], and allows them to roll a save using her CON against a poison or disease effect on them.

-Level 1: [CON]+save vs. poison using Scarlet's CON.

"Yeah, I know it hurts like a motherfucker, but it's better than being dead."

 

Wrist Flamers (Merit equipment): Wrist-mounted flamethrowers, an effective terror weapon in melee combat. Their relatively low profile makes them easy to carry and conceal, but doesn't exactly do away with the laws of thermodynamics. If she was well-known for anything, it would be her usage of these. Deals heat damage. 

-Level 1: Up to three targets gain the "Shaken" status until the end of the encounter, if they already have Shaken they instead lose it and gain "Frightened", if they already have Frightened they instead lose it and gain "Panicked".
Shaken enemies deal [DEX/2] less damage in the presence of their fear, Frightened enemies deal [stat] less damage, and Panicked enemies deal [DEX] less and and must also make an Ess save in order to take any action that isn't running from the source of their fear.

The user takes [DEX] backlash damage, this action can only be used once per round.

-Level 2: This piece of equipment does not take up a slot. 

-Level 3: Can instead be used to inflict 2d4+[DEX/2] burning damage for 2 rounds, inflicting [DEX] recoil damage. 

"Yeah, they're not actually all that practical. They sure do scare the shit out of people though. Funny how people would rather get shot than lit on fire."

 

HelioSys LWP-R Laser Rifle (Merit equipment): Scarlet's weapon of choice. A lightweight weapon more or less occupying the same role as a carbine. What it lacks in armor penetration it makes up for in versatility. Deals 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by damage reduction. Can deal nonlethal damage, and is not obviously a weapon when disassembled (fooling most conventional low-level security systems that would be scanning for such. Takes a turn to assemble if combat starts while it is hidden.) Deals heat/radiation damage. 

-Level 1: 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by DR, can deal nonlethal damage, is stealthy. 

"Apparently it looks like a laser hair trimming kit." 
-Trumps
Omnidyne-M "Archer" Counter-Armor Platform (Equipment): An oft-maligned weapon that painfully stretches the definition of man-portable, as well as the compressive strength of the bones of those unfortunate enough to man it. However, it still does an excellent job of putting very neat, very large holes in things. Deals HV Piercing damage. 

-Level 1: Deals [STR or DEX]*4 damage, ignoring damage reduction. Stuns and inflicts half the damage dealt to the user on firing.

-Level 2: Recoil reduced to 1/3.

-Level 3: Recoil reduced to 1/4.

[Powder Miner]

Things got pretty chaotic pretty quickly but despite the concussive blast of the explosives, the raucous clatter of debris and stone, the fall, the gunfire, and the explosion (hah) of enemy mercenaries or something onto the scene... well, Jack wasn't terribly fazed. After all, this wasn't really anything compared to a real battle at TI Alloys, hundreds of soldiers firing walls of bullets of each other, the constant and all-pervading cacophony of SAWs and TARs and NC1s and Watchmen and Phoenixes and Strikers and Vipers and HESH shells and Basilisks and Kobalts and Mjolnirs and rocket pods and Claws and Railjacks and RAMs, and the constant mowing down of soldier after soldier, waves of flesh and metal that came together and then blew apart before disintegrating into motes of light to return again, the ground torn apart by the ceaseless, thunderous barrages only to be knit back together again.

 

Or, in other words, compared to the pitched battlefields he'd seen, four bints with some guns just blowing up a floor was kind of not all that wild. One of them shouted at him to 'Move out of the way, big guy!' and he just favored her with a casual "Nah, I'm actually gonna do the exact opposite of that." He'd been about to reach for his Magshot and show them what a real handgun looked like, when he noticed Scarlet beginning to swing a really big-ass gun (hey, he had railguns too) at the ceiling -- and very rapidly he changed course, his other hand grabbing a grenade from his hip by the pin, and flinging it out in a way that twisted that pin out, all in a smooth motion that came out at the exact instant before Scarlet pulled the trigger, ideally sending the grenade in riiight in time for the rubble to trap the dolls next to it. "Get fucked!"

 

Jack throws a Frag Grenade at CZ75!

Spoiler

HP: 36

 

Stats: 

 

Essence: 2

 

Constitution: 8

 

Dexterity: 6 

 

Intelligence: 1

 

Strength: 4

 

Synergy: 0

 

 

Perks: 

Safeguard: This isn’t Jack’s first rodeo with death, not by a loooong shot. Jack’s bloodstream is optimized with implanted medical nanites to keep him alive for a while after what would normally be a gory demise — normally meant for providing a space for revival nanites, this means that he can be healed within a few seconds to be essentially brought back to life. For one turn after Jack’s HP hits 0, he can receive healing normally and be brought back from the 0 HP state.

 

New Conglomerate Particle Shield: A common piece of technology on the battlefields of Auraxis is the particle shield, projecting a field of mostly transparent particles which can take a few bullets and which will eventually regenerate if left alone. This New Conglomerate model operates electromagnetically, both exerting resistance with the particles and keeping them in place through carefully tailored electromagnetic fields. Jack has shields which are added on top of his health, equal to 50% of his health. One turn after each turn he isn’t attacked, or if he is healed to max health in a turn, these shields regenerate 33% of their total.

 

Liberty or Death!: The New Conglomerate is infamous for being loud, rowdy, and causing one hell of a chaotic ruckus, and Jack is most certainly not an exception. Through shouting of typical NC insults, rushing in, and blindly firing, Jack becomes a completely unignorable presence on the battlefield. Jack gains the perk-backed move YOUR BEST IS MY WORST!

 

Flaw:
Liberty AND Death: It would not even be slightly an exaggeration to say that Jack has literally no sense of self-preservation. Death has become utterly meaningless to him, and though he may want to avoid getting shot sometimes so he can get something done, generally moving or charging with safety in mind is no longer a concept that makes any sense to him. Incoming attacks against Jack have a 20% chance to score a x2 crit against him.

 

Actions:

-Actives

Live Free in the NC!: For when Jack is JUST taunting, not screaming like a madman and firing wildly and sprinting in. He IS capable of much more mild obnoxiousness, after all. Jack taunts one enemy for one round. 1 turn cooldown.

 

-Passives

 

-Trumps

Frag Grenade: This little ball of chaos is a Nanite Systems issue fragmentation grenade, which packs one hell of a punch if you’re around when it goes off. It may take a while to detonate, but everything in its blast radius is dying unless it is one seriously, seriously tough son of a bitch. When thrown, this grenade targets the initial target as well as the enemies before and after it in initiative. It detonates at the end of the turn after it is thrown, and enemies targeted by it can use an action to escape the blast. Does 6d6+[DEX]*2 sonic/high-velocity damage to those it hits. Once per Battle.

 

Equipment:

Nanite Mesh Generator: Those on Auraxis designated as Heavy Assault usually have some form of utility built into their suits, specs purchased from Nanite Systems, that is useful for letting them survive a bullet or two more than they normally would. The Nanite Mesh Generator is one of these, creating a nanite-made defensive mesh structure that moves with the soldier, but needing to recharge afterwards. When activated, Jack gains the Overshield status, which absorbs the next attack he is hit with. Free Action. 5 turn cooldown.

 

Mag-Shot: The most standard weapon in Jack’s arsenal, being a simple pistol. The gun looks like a brick with a handle and trigger, and the bullets are pretty goddamned powerful, just like on the SAW, but this one pretty much just handles like a normal pistol, much unlike the SAW. Deals 2d6+[DEX] high-velocity damage.

 

Nanoweave Armor: Another way of squeezing an extra bullet’s worth of life out of soldiers on Auraxis, this type of armor consists of a great deal of nanofibers woven together when the armor is printed by the nanites that create it. 3 DR to Piercing and Bludgeoning damage.

 

[IntSys]

[!] Precision Suppression [!] Welrod pointed a finger towards the party and blinked.  [7 vs 13] A surge of unstable interfering signals struck Scarlet's weapons, suppressing her attacks' precision for two turns! [6 vs 8] Jack's weapons were afflicted as well! [16 vs 16] Harold was able to resist the interference!

Welrod then followed it up with a successive series of shots aimed for Scarlet, dealing 9 damage.

[!] Observer's Strike [!] "Heh," CZ75's eyes met with Jack's, her hand gripping her axe confidently. "Then I'll split you in half!" With a sideway swing, the axe was launched forward and up, slicing past Jack's armor and arcing back to her hand, dealing [CRITICAL HIT] 50 damage and opening a nasty cut around the breastplate!

 

NZ75 fired several shots at Harold, but his armor completely negated the attack. She grunted and took a step back, but she was hardly fazed by the result. "Blackbeard's armored!" She relayed, and the others nodded in response.

 

Jack launched a Frag Grenade at CZ75!

 

Scarlet, in spite of the interference, was still able to aim at the ceiling, though a bit too close to the wall than she'd like. Gnarly cracks opened up all over the ceiling, spreading to the walls like a web. It was on the brink of collapse! Scarlet took 5 damage from the recoil.

 

[!] Inquisitor's Bullet [!] Contender glanced over the ceiling, and took out a special bullet from her waist. "Let's make this count, then..." Taking her stance, she fired the bullet. It made a loud bang and sank into Harold, dealing a piercing 7 damage! It most certainly felt like an AP round, despite it being fired from a measly handgun. The damage he'd take was increased for two turns.

 

"Perfect." Kar98k loaded that antique of hers, and set her sights on Harold, dealing a piercing 15 damage!

 

Harold fired his Raygun at CZ75, dealing 14 damage!

 

 

The Frag Grenade went off with way less effective frags than usual, but the explosion itself still packed a punch! Welrod, CZ75, and NZ75 all took 12 damage and were knocked backwards! The explosion rocked the place just enough for the ceiling to finally give way!

 

A deluge of debris came crashing down. The dolls' leader could be heard, declaring a simple "Retreat" amidst the noises. Before long, the passage was entirely sealed in. The last thing you could see between the closing seams of rubble was a smile that did not fit the word that just came out of it.

 

 

BATTLE SUCCESS

 

The party gained 1 Merit.

 

--

 

Dove leaned against a wall, clenching his chest. His eyes were as wide as they could be. He was frustrated, yet he couldn't bring himself to vent it. Shuffling through his pockets, he took out a tablet. A holographic projection of the floor maps of the sewers was displayed over it. There was apparently another floor beneath the current one. Exits to the surface were marked and labeled with the names of the streets, and passages to the bottom floor were also marked.

 

"You were followed. This changes everything..." He shook his head. "The sewer plans are no secret. They'll find us soon if we stay here for too long. We have to move fast." His eyes floated past Jack's terrible wound, and he recoiled back a step.

 

"B-But, could any of you fix that first?"

 

 

TIME ALLOCATION: You have three minutes to allocate between healing and moving.

 

- Healing: For every minute allocated, Scarlet and Harold can both use their respective healing actions once each.

- Moving: As long as you allocate one minute on moving, you can decide whether to move forward in the current floor, head for an exit to the surface, or escape deeper into the bottom floor (Or other movement strategies you have in mind). The more time you spend on moving, the further you can go.

 

In either case, Scarlet's passive regeneration (if she doesn't use a healing action) and Jack's shield regeneration will kick in three times.

 

 

Status

Spoiler

Jack: 4/36 [Shield: 0/18]

Scarlet: 22/36

Harold: 8/30

 

 

???

Spoiler

On the top of a derelict building overlooking Smederevo, two dolls in black drew their guns against one another.

 

It was three guns against two, yet the odds were completely even. But that was the last thing on their minds. It seemed that this was the only kind of condition that would allow the two to even be willing to withhold their malice for a moment.

 

A minute passed, and neither side moved even so much as an inch. The noises from below had gradually degraded into white noise, hardly distinguishable from an afternoon rain.

 

Finally, one of them spoke. "Enough with the act already. This is going nowhere, and I still haven't had breakfast. Have you figured out if you want to stop wasting our time?"

 

"I am not obligated to tell you anything."

 

"Well, fine then! I'll just be eating over here." The brown-haired doll lowered the handgun in her left hand and reached for some sort of a pastry wrapped in newspapers, a lousy Proja. Despite it being poverty food dating back to the last century, she somehow seemed to enjoy it. Even then, she still had a gun left to point at the other side.

 

The other doll, black-haired, with mouth concealed by some sort of a gas mask, remained absolutely still.

 

"So, as I see it... You've been stalking us for quite awhile. Maybe you thought we had collected better information? Weren't you built for scouting by the way, Scarecrow? Shame that you can't even rely on your own head with your job, huh?"

 

Scarecrow remained content with her policy. Or perhaps it wasn't even hers.

 

"You didn't want to engage us directly, but now that I've found you, you're considering beating me up for that info instead. And you're thinking if it's worth the risk. After all, you're the weakest of the ringleaders."

 

The brown-haired doll finished her Proja and laughed. Her black jacket flowed along the strong winds over the rooftop. "But, you didn't even realize one thing... I have reinforcements!" She suddenly shouted towards the left of Scarecrow. "Contender, now!"

 

Scarecrow turned in surprise, sidestepping instinctively to avoid the sneak attack and countering with a volley of bullets.

 

 

But there was nothing there.

 

 

And her foe was no longer there. Only another bag of Proja was left.

 

Scarecrow picked up the bag. Something was scribbled on it with a marker. She stared into the distance, where her foe had escaped towards, before finally pulling down her mask to taste the food.

 

 

 

[Powder Miner]

A truly horrific wound had sundered Jack's chest, musculature and bone clearly exposed by the deep, wide gash cloven past his breastplate and through his flesh. Blood ran out in terrifying rivulets, earlier spurts of blood having misted the whole front of his armor... but despite his horrific state, Jack himself really didn't seem all that bothered. "Nah, we're all good, honestly. Don't need to bother with this shit for now, we just gotta get going where we're going." Bleeding all over the ground still, Jack gestured down one of the tunnels. "We're trying to get your ass out of here, right? Well, I'd wager they have guys up at the surface, but probably not all that many since we JUST made their attack fuck off -- if we just bolt up there right now, we can probably get through only having to clear one or two people out, yeah? Easy money."

 

Jack votes for the group to move up towards the surface for two minutes, with only one healing turn!

[Chevaleresse]

Scarlet prodded at her collarbone gingerly. Bruised, possibly cracked, but not so badly that it was palpable. "You look even uglier than usual, though." Unfortunately, judging by the man's statements and the fact that he had a personal shield, she couldn't fix his yawning chest wound quite yet. "The surface is the most obvious path; you sure that's a good idea?" While she spoke, she attended to their other companion's wounds for a moment, holding a hand close and allowing a small stream of nanobots to escape her body. "This is probably going to hurt." I really need to find some actual damn medical supplies. . . 

[StormLord]

Harold heals himself for 1d4+8
(Placeholder)

[IntSys]

Healing:

- Harold healed himself for 10 HP.
- Scarlet healed Jack for 8 HP.

- Jack's shield went back to full HP overtime.

- Scarlet additionally regenerated 16 HP overtime.

 

 

 

"...Okay then." Dove nodded with a hint of uncertainty. The party began to make a beeline for the surface, with the client doing his best to keep up from behind.

 

Once again, you felt like you were being watched. Pausing briefly at a crossroad, you heard a wave of light steps, as if they were from a pack of wild dogs. Luckily, they weren't in range yet, and so you made it to a ladder in time and escaped into the surface.

 

--

 

The sky got a lot darker. The streets were mostly emptied out. A passing glance at a public clock revealed the time - 1:50 in the afternoon. It was almost time for the curfew the soldiers had told you about. Maybe it had something to do with the worsening weather. It might just work out in your favor, with there being little obstacles left in the way to the gate.

 

With that, you began to pick up your pace again. For a moment, it seemed that this would be a quick mission after all.

 

[Insert Song] SNOWFLAKE

Spoiler

 

 

... But the opposition you had anticipated for finally showed up.  A woman with long, black hair, standing in the middle of the street. Her left hand was a mechanical monstrosity, cast in a sturdy black metal that hinted at its strength. And in that hand, she held an even more horrific metal blade, with a handle tailor-made for that hand. She seemed lightly-armored.

 

She fired a warning shot from the handgun in her right hand, and grinned at you directly. "I, Executioner, will be your opponent today. Hand the birdie over, or prepare to die!"

 

 

Win Condition: Defeat Executioner within the time limit!

 

[TIME LIMIT] The battle will end in a draw automatically after the fifth turn! (1/5)

 

 

Init:

Spoiler

Average Dex: 3

 

Jack: 6

Scarlet: 5

Executioner: 4 [2x Action]

Harold: 0

 

Status:

Spoiler

Jack: 12/36 [Shield: 18/18]

Scarlet: 36/36

Harold: 18/30

 

Executioner: Healthy and confident.

 

 

???

Spoiler

A few days ago...

 

"Uuu..."

 

Chunks of slimy blood poured out of the pores on the man's skin, as he struggled to take another step. He desperately tried to wrap his arms around his neck, yet he could not exert anymore force to apply a meaningful strangle.

 

A little girl watched in horror and confusion. She clung to her mother.

 

"... Sorry," one word to steel the woman's heart. "You're right. We all have to be strong now." She knelt to look at her daughter in the eyes. "Katarina. You have to understand... Daddy can't protect us anymore. We have to go now."

 

The man's shape began to resemble the horrific corpses that had terrorized humanity for decades, as the last of his resistance withered away.

 

"Run!"

 

The mother and the child ran for it, hand in hand, towards the fortified city in the distance. Shrieks came from their rear, completing the infection.

 

Eurosky Low-Emission Infectious Disease. A plague that rode the winds of destruction. All carbon-based creatures alike could be victims to the collapse particles traveling through the wind, and so the humans had to build mighty walls and purification towers to keep cities safe.

 

But, when they fall, the same tragedy is replayed again. Where would it be replayed next? That is the kind of uncertainty the survivors of the catastrophe live under.

 

[Chevaleresse]

"Can we just not and say we did?" Scarlet said out loud to nobody in particular as she brought her gun up and snapped off a burst of three shots in her direction, aimed more to suppress attempts at return fire than to inflict actual damage. She turned to look at their client while she moved for cover. "What'd you do to make this many friends?" She'd assumed that anyone wanting to meet in that cesspit of a location had their share of enemies, but hit squads out in the open were another thing entirely. Though he didn't seem to have upset anyone with enough cash to kit said squads out with anything particularly powerful or exotic, except for that arm. Hopefully this one's ego would be as excessively large as it was.

 

Fire Laser Rifle for 2d6+5 damage

 

 

 

HP: 36

Stats:

 

• Essence: 1
• Constitution: 8
• Dexterity: 5
• Intelligence: 5
• Strength: 1
• Synergy: 1

Perks:

• Immortal Smoke (level 2) : Scarlet's body is suffused with a set of powerful, specialized nanites that have fully integrated with her biology. Among other factors, this allows her to recover from injury with great speed, as well as allowing her to boast an impressive resistance to all manner of toxins and foreign bodies. They carry a full blueprint of her body; this allows her to regenerate even lost limbs, given time.
  • Effect 1: Scarlet recovers [CON] HP per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 2: Scarlet receives a CON saving throw against a difficulty of the GM's choice (generally the inflicter's attacking stat + 10) against any poison or disease-based effects, immediately before they would come into effect, once per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 3: If Scarlet goes for an entire plot without suffering a wound, the oldest wound she has is automatically removed.
• Reach for the Moon: While specialized, Scarlet's augmentation still shares the baseline functionality of all Iron Weavers, allowing her to control a nanite swarm that can create and destroy objects, performing acts such as erecting cover on the fly from environmental materials and chewing through the armor of a mech. 
  • Effect: Whenever Scarlet successfully completes a craft, she receives an Iron Weaver action. 
• Flaw: Hourai Victim: "It must be fate." Scarlet has made a few friends and a lot of enemies over her career.
  • Effect: Scarlet occasionally attracts corporate bounty hunters, non-corporate bounty hunters, and various other flavors of hit squad, who will attempt to capture or kill her, at the GM's discretion. This flaw may also have other effects in sci-fi settings.

Goal:

Actions:

Field Patch: Iron Weaver action, infusing a target with nanites. Heals target by Scarlet's [CON], and allows them to roll a save using her CON against a poison or disease effect on them.
-Level 1: [CON]+save vs. poison using Scarlet's CON.
"Yeah, I know it hurts like a motherfucker, but it's better than being dead." 

Wrist Flamers (Merit equipment): Wrist-mounted flamethrowers, an effective terror weapon in melee combat. Their relatively low profile makes them easy to carry and conceal, but doesn't exactly do away with the laws of thermodynamics. If she was well-known for anything, it would be her usage of these. Deals heat damage. 
-Level 1: Up to three targets gain the "Shaken" status until the end of the encounter, if they already have Shaken they instead lose it and gain "Frightened", if they already have Frightened they instead lose it and gain "Panicked".
Shaken enemies deal [DEX/2] less damage in the presence of their fear, Frightened enemies deal [stat] less damage, and Panicked enemies deal [DEX] less and and must also make an Ess save in order to take any action that isn't running from the source of their fear.
The user takes [DEX] backlash damage, this action can only be used once per round.
-Level 2: This piece of equipment does not take up a slot. 
-Level 3: Can instead be used to inflict 2d4+[DEX/2] burning damage for 2 rounds, inflicting [DEX] recoil damage. 
"Yeah, they're not actually all that practical. They sure do scare the shit out of people though. Funny how people would rather get shot than lit on fire."

 HelioSys LWP-R Laser Rifle (Merit equipment): Scarlet's weapon of choice. A lightweight weapon more or less occupying the same role as a carbine. What it lacks in armor penetration it makes up for in versatility. Deals 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by damage reduction. Can deal nonlethal damage, and is not obviously a weapon when disassembled (fooling most conventional low-level security systems that would be scanning for such. Takes a turn to assemble if combat starts while it is hidden.) Deals heat/radiation damage. 
-Level 1: 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by DR, can deal nonlethal damage, is stealthy. 
"Apparently it looks like a laser hair trimming kit." 

-Trumps
Omnidyne-M "Archer" Counter-Armor Platform (Equipment): An oft-maligned weapon that painfully stretches the definition of man-portable, as well as the compressive strength of the bones of those unfortunate enough to man it. However, it still does an excellent job of putting very neat, very large holes in things. Deals HV Piercing damage. 
-Level 1: Deals [STR or DEX]*4 damage, ignoring damage reduction. Stuns and inflicts half the damage dealt to the user on firing.
-Level 2: Recoil reduced to 1/3.
-Level 3: Recoil reduced to 1/4.
 

[Powder Miner]

"Oh, well, that was fast." Jack commented, the blue-armored man's tone entirely casual despite the fact that he was still mostly bleeding everywhere. "Not a huge problem though, yeah? Can just light a bitch up, e-z." At this point. Jack reached down towards his hip, unclicking the strap on a blue, square, metal holster there. "You all sure seem to like pistols... how about I show you what a real pistol looks like!" And Jack pulled his own sidearm from his holster, revealing a rather interesting pistol... this thing was just more or less a brick, fat and large and square, with a grip and trigger attached at the bottom. Grinning widely, he said "Meet the NC4 Magshot."

 

And leveling his pistol at the enemy with that wide grin still on his face, he pulled the trigger, visibly jerking his arm, letting out a loud noise -- not the typical noise of a gunshot, but rather the zipping, metallic sound of a railgun, a blue light flaring out as a large bullet sped towards his foe. At the same time, a thickly shimmering and blue shield popped up around him, wreathing him in bright light.

 

Jack fires his Mag-Shot at Executioner twice, dealing 3d6+[DEX](6) high-velocity damage! Jack also activates his Nanoweave Mesh, absorbing the next attack he is hit by!

 

Spoiler

Stats: 

 

Essence: 2

 

Constitution: 8

 

Dexterity: 6 

 

Intelligence: 1

 

Strength: 4

 

Synergy: 0

 

 

Perks: 

Safeguard: This isn’t Jack’s first rodeo with death, not by a loooong shot. Jack’s bloodstream is optimized with implanted medical nanites to keep him alive for a while after what would normally be a gory demise — normally meant for providing a space for revival nanites, this means that he can be healed within a few seconds to be essentially brought back to life. For one turn after Jack’s HP hits 0, he can receive healing normally and be brought back from the 0 HP state.

 

New Conglomerate Particle Shield: A common piece of technology on the battlefields of Auraxis is the particle shield, projecting a field of mostly transparent particles which can take a few bullets and which will eventually regenerate if left alone. This New Conglomerate model operates electromagnetically, both exerting resistance with the particles and keeping them in place through carefully tailored electromagnetic fields. Jack has shields which are added on top of his health, equal to 50% of his health. One turn after each turn he isn’t attacked, or if he is healed to max health in a turn, these shields regenerate 33% of their total.

 

Liberty or Death!: The New Conglomerate is infamous for being loud, rowdy, and causing one hell of a chaotic ruckus, and Jack is most certainly not an exception. Through shouting of typical NC insults, rushing in, and blindly firing, Jack becomes a completely unignorable presence on the battlefield. Jack gains the perk-backed move YOUR BEST IS MY WORST!

 

Flaw:
Liberty AND Death: It would not even be slightly an exaggeration to say that Jack has literally no sense of self-preservation. Death has become utterly meaningless to him, and though he may want to avoid getting shot sometimes so he can get something done, generally moving or charging with safety in mind is no longer a concept that makes any sense to him. Incoming attacks against Jack have a 20% chance to score a x2 crit against him.

 

Moves: 

 

YOUR BEST IS MY WORST (Perk-backed): Faction-themed taunts are a long tradition in the Auraxian war, and since Jack has been in that war for more than 20 years, he’s been shouting insults at the top of his lungs for a long time. Oh, and with this he adds incoherent screaming, charging directly and recklessly at the enemy, and firing bullets blindly in every direction. Jack taunts five enemies for their next action. 2 turn cooldown.

 

Live Free in the NC!: For when Jack is JUST taunting, not screaming like a madman and firing wildly and sprinting in. He IS capable of much more mild obnoxiousness, after all. Jack taunts one enemy for one round. 1 turn cooldown.

 

Frag Grenade: This little ball of chaos is a Nanite Systems issue fragmentation grenade, which packs one hell of a punch if you’re around when it goes off. It may take a while to detonate, but everything in its blast radius is dying unless it is one seriously, seriously tough son of a bitch. When thrown, this grenade targets the initial target as well as the enemies before and after it in initiative. It detonates at the end of the turn after it is thrown, and enemies targeted by it can use an action to escape the blast. Does 6d6+[DEX]*2 sonic/high-velocity damage to those it hits. Once per Battle.

 

 

Mag-Shot: The most standard weapon in Jack’s arsenal, being a simple pistol. The gun looks like a brick with a handle and trigger, and the bullets are pretty goddamned powerful, just like on the SAW, but this one pretty much just handles like a normal pistol, much unlike the SAW. Deals 3d6+[DEX] high-velocity damage.

-Level 2: Damage increased from 2d6+[DEX] high-velocity damage to 3d6+[DEX] high-velocity damage.

 

Nanoweave Armor: Another way of squeezing an extra bullet’s worth of life out of soldiers on Auraxis, this type of armor consists of a great deal of nanofibers woven together when the armor is printed by the nanites that create it. 3 DR to Piercing and Bludgeoning damage.

 

Nanite Mesh Generator: Those on Auraxis designated as Heavy Assault usually have some form of utility built into their suits, specs purchased from Nanite Systems, that is useful for letting them survive a bullet or two more than they normally would. The Nanite Mesh Generator is one of these, creating a nanite-made defensive mesh structure that moves with the soldier, but needing to recharge afterwards. When activated, Jack gains the Overshield status, which absorbs the next attack he is hit with. Free Action. 5 turn cooldown.

 

[StormLord]

With a soft hiss Harold seals his helmet onto his head while stepping out of the sewer.  As the Executioner started speaking he turned to grab the Dove and pull both of them behind cover, his new allies had already proven themselves more adept at taking and dishing damage.  After hitting the backside of some cover he glanced around and took a look for whoever seem the closest to bleeding to death.  He raised his hand and snapped his fingers summoning up a pulse of green light and the image of a leaves around his target.

Harold heals the lowest HP ally for 1d4+[Ess](8)+[Int/4](2) HP.

 

Spoiler

Essence: 8

Constitution: 5

Dexterity: 0

Intelligence: 8

Strength: 0

Synergy: 0

(12 DR/High Velocity)

 

New Model Rayrifle: A long Raygun that fire especially powerful bursts of quasi-plasma, uses a six shot cylinder similar to that of a revolver to cycle Chemshells.

Deals [Int]+[Shell effect] Disintegration damage to one target.

Basic Chemshells add 2d6 damage.

 

Cure: A small cloud of healing mist created from seemingly nothing.

Restore 1d4+[Ess] HP to one target.

Level 2: Now also restores an additional [Int]/4 HP.

 

Water: Create a small sphere of water that homes in on a target before exploding on contact, great for putting out fires.

Deals 2d6+[Ess] chemical damage to one target, cannot be dodged.

 

Will Manifest: Choose one ally and create an action based on that ally's greatest immediate desire or will, the effect may create an entity, cause an instant or passive effect, alter the terrain, or grant the ally an ability, but always makes use of the ally's Essence stat to do so.  That action replaces this action until the end of combat when this action reverts.

Exact details of the effect are up to the GM, but are equivalent to any other action of the same level.

 

Spaceman(™) Space-Suit: A comfortable, affordable, self-repairing option for the average space farer to step out into the void in.

Grants protection from high or low atmospheric pressure and 9 DR/Radiation.

 

Adventurer’s Jacket: A brown heavy leather jacket that has a surprising number of hidden pockets, it has a bullet-proof lining.

+12 DR/High Velocity

 

[IntSys]

Dove followed Harold's lead into cover instinctively, and, under the fleeting sense of security, he mustered halfheartedly to Scarlet. "Would you take 'making the world a better place' for an answer?"

 

 

Jack fired his Mag-Shot at Executioner twice, dealing 14 and 15 damage on each shot!

 

Scarlet continued the offensive by firing her Laser Rifle at Executioner, dealing 12 damage!

 

Executioner stood her ground with a confident grin. Her red eyes crossed with yours. "Pistols? I'm more of a sword person. Now, let me repay the favor!" She zoomed towards Jack, sizing him up as she neared him. And then, a swift strike- absorbed into the mesh!

 

"Tch. If that's how you want to play, then I'm all game!" Executioner's blade almost seemed to be revolving around her, as she leaped forward again, cutting through the half-patched wound that CZ75 had left him for a [CRITICAL HIT] 32 damage! Jack was knocked out! 

 

Gore spilled out from the wound, dying parts of Executioner's blade red. With the help of his own Safeguard, Jack hung on to his life barely.

 

"Hah! How's that? Hey, the other two! Have you changed your mind yet?"

 

And then, Harold made the party's stance clear, healing Jack with a Cure for 13 HP! Jack was brought back to life in time!

 

"Son of a bitch..."

 

Harold could feel a cold stare from Executioner.

 

 

Scarlet regenerated 8 HP!

 

 

 

[TIME LIMIT] The battle will end in a draw automatically after the fifth turn! (2/5)

 

Init:

Spoiler

Average Dex: 3

 

Jack: 6

Scarlet: 5

Executioner: 4 [2x Action]

Harold: 0

 

Status:

Spoiler

Jack: 13/36 [Shield: 0/18]

Scarlet: 36/36

Harold: 18/30

 

Executioner: Somewhat damaged. Tilted.

 

???

Spoiler

Two figures were sitting just outside of a mall side by side, next to a bus sign that's barely recognizable beneath the graffiti. If not for the fact that the mall had become a monstrous tumor of the city's ills and injustices, they could really pass for a couple waiting for the bus home.

 

"What the hell... is Scarecrow coordinating with Grifon's dolls? Why the hell aren't we striking now?" Executioner gnarled, her eyes rolled and rolled. The final fight for the informant was about to unfold before them, yet she couldn't even witness it with her own eyes. "I'm not about to let what happened in Belgrade go, Hunter."

 

"You and me both. But the same goes for Scarecrow. She must have figured out something about Dove's escape plan." Hunter replied calmly. In meantime, she began to count the thinning crowd on the streets. Seeing the streets without so many people somehow made her feel more comfortable. Ideally, the whole place should just be emptied out, she thought. Even the grimes left by the humans looked prettier without them.

 

The pebbles before the duo jittered ever so slightly, before they were swept away by the wind. A message came through, and everything was clear. “Intruder’s plans are in. You can do it, right?”

 

“Of course!”

 

Executioner strode towards her destination without a slight bit of hesitation, already itching for a fight.

 

--

 

“And with that, the show has finally begun!” The woman picked up her weapon and stood up in excitement. It was a peculiar piece of engineering marvel, a double-ended hybrid of an assault rifle and a machine gun. “Dove, oh, I’ll be sure to give you a climatic ending.”

 

She swung her way to the window, kicking aside the smashed corpse of the apartment’s previous owner. Her blue eyes gleamed before the cityscape. “This is my stage now. Maybe you haven’t been cast yet… citizens, refugees, soldiers, or trespassing scoundrels, but now, you’re all my extras!”

 

“And so… When I tell you to exit stage left, you shall do exactly that.”

 

[Chevaleresse]

"Ah, so you're one of those." She gingerly stepped sideways, dodging a few droplets of blood that had arced through the air after Jack caught the blade with his everything. "You know, there's one thing about blades; you have to get close to use them. How realistic is your sensor suite again?" The mercenary let her gun swing to the side on a strap, while her sleeves rolled down to reveal two devices mounted to her wrists. "'Cause it's going to get a a test run here." She stuck her arms out towards Executioner, and seemingly just clenched her fists. A wave of flames roared out ahead of her, surging towards their opponent.

 

Wrist Flamers on Executioner, dealing 2d4+2 burn damage for 2 rounds, and 5 recoil damage to Scarlet.

 

HP: 36

Stats:

 

 

• Essence: 1
• Constitution: 8
• Dexterity: 5
• Intelligence: 5
• Strength: 1
• Synergy: 1

 

 

 

Perks:

• Immortal Smoke (level 2) : Scarlet's body is suffused with a set of powerful, specialized nanites that have fully integrated with her biology. Among other factors, this allows her to recover from injury with great speed, as well as allowing her to boast an impressive resistance to all manner of toxins and foreign bodies. They carry a full blueprint of her body; this allows her to regenerate even lost limbs, given time.
  • Effect 1: Scarlet recovers [CON] HP per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 2: Scarlet receives a CON saving throw against a difficulty of the GM's choice (generally the inflicter's attacking stat + 10) against any poison or disease-based effects, immediately before they would come into effect, once per round. Disabled if an Iron Weaver action is used.
  • Effect 3: If Scarlet goes for an entire plot without suffering a wound, the oldest wound she has is automatically removed.
• Reach for the Moon: While specialized, Scarlet's augmentation still shares the baseline functionality of all Iron Weavers, allowing her to control a nanite swarm that can create and destroy objects, performing acts such as erecting cover on the fly from environmental materials and chewing through the armor of a mech. 
  • Effect: Whenever Scarlet successfully completes a craft, she receives an Iron Weaver action. 
• Flaw: Hourai Victim: "It must be fate." Scarlet has made a few friends and a lot of enemies over her career.
  • Effect: Scarlet occasionally attracts corporate bounty hunters, non-corporate bounty hunters, and various other flavors of hit squad, who will attempt to capture or kill her, at the GM's discretion. This flaw may also have other effects in sci-fi settings.

Goal:

Actions:

Field Patch: Iron Weaver action, infusing a target with nanites. Heals target by Scarlet's [CON], and allows them to roll a save using her CON against a poison or disease effect on them.
-Level 1: [CON]+save vs. poison using Scarlet's CON.
"Yeah, I know it hurts like a motherfucker, but it's better than being dead." 

Wrist Flamers (Merit equipment): Wrist-mounted flamethrowers, an effective terror weapon in melee combat. Their relatively low profile makes them easy to carry and conceal, but doesn't exactly do away with the laws of thermodynamics. If she was well-known for anything, it would be her usage of these. Deals heat damage. 
-Level 1: Up to three targets gain the "Shaken" status until the end of the encounter, if they already have Shaken they instead lose it and gain "Frightened", if they already have Frightened they instead lose it and gain "Panicked".
Shaken enemies deal [DEX/2] less damage in the presence of their fear, Frightened enemies deal [stat] less damage, and Panicked enemies deal [DEX] less and and must also make an Ess save in order to take any action that isn't running from the source of their fear.
The user takes [DEX] backlash damage, this action can only be used once per round.
-Level 2: This piece of equipment does not take up a slot. 
-Level 3: Can instead be used to inflict 2d4+[DEX/2] burning damage for 2 rounds, inflicting [DEX] recoil damage. 
"Yeah, they're not actually all that practical. They sure do scare the shit out of people though. Funny how people would rather get shot than lit on fire."

 HelioSys LWP-R Laser Rifle (Merit equipment): Scarlet's weapon of choice. A lightweight weapon more or less occupying the same role as a carbine. What it lacks in armor penetration it makes up for in versatility. Deals 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by damage reduction. Can deal nonlethal damage, and is not obviously a weapon when disassembled (fooling most conventional low-level security systems that would be scanning for such. Takes a turn to assemble if combat starts while it is hidden.) Deals heat/radiation damage. 
-Level 1: 2d6+DEX damage, affected doubly by DR, can deal nonlethal damage, is stealthy. 
"Apparently it looks like a laser hair trimming kit." 


-Trumps
Omnidyne-M "Archer" Counter-Armor Platform (Equipment): An oft-maligned weapon that painfully stretches the definition of man-portable, as well as the compressive strength of the bones of those unfortunate enough to man it. However, it still does an excellent job of putting very neat, very large holes in things. Deals HV Piercing damage. 
-Level 1: Deals [STR or DEX]*4 damage, ignoring damage reduction. Stuns and inflicts half the damage dealt to the user on firing.
-Level 2: Recoil reduced to 1/3.
-Level 3: Recoil reduced to 1/4.