Post by: AzyWng on August 20, 2023, 02:36:23 pm
The TV dropped the team into a rather small room with a large black table at its center. Against the walls were shelves of boxes and crates with labels like "HANDLE WITH CAUTION", "EXPIRY DATE 8-23-4523", and "FRAGILE". A few dusty-looking lockers sat in a corner. It looked like the kind of place almost no-one went to. A single ceiling light illuminated the table. Stood at it were Lyra and Annie, both clad in their armor and with blades sheathed in scabbards on their backs. A small tablet, projecting an image of a map of the galaxy, rested just in front of Annie and Lyra. As the crew approached the two, Annie gave a friendly wave.
"Hey, you're here! Glad to finally get this done. To bring you up to speed - we already have a good idea of where the Trespasser is located." Annie points a gloved finger at a small collection of asteroids marked near the edge of The Drift. "The real problem is actually getting there safely and then reaching the Trespasser, not to mention being able to pinpoint the Trespasser's location so we don't waste time. But let's start with the most important things first." Annie waved at a few dozen red triangles and chevrons that were clustered around the asteroids. "Sovereign's got their crews guarding this thing fiercely. I'm not sure whether they've already been possessed, or if they just think they can still turn the situation to their advantage, but the point is, they're in the way.
Thankfully, Lyra and I have done a little prep work, so we've already got a few ideas on how to get past these guys. We could do one... or more... or maybe all of them!" Annie cracked a wicked grin at the prospect.
Lyra nodded, but she wasn't smiling. "But don't forget that this is just the first step. We've still got the actual base infiltration to worry about, not to mention killing the Trespasser itself. Plus, as disorganized as Sovereign's become, they've still got plenty of eyes in plenty of places. I'm worried that if we take too many of these opportunities, Sovereign will notice, and be ready to intercept us when the time comes to attack. Might be better to prepare our gear and tactics. Prepare ourselves best we can before we start sticking our heads out.
Which brings us to the next point - discretion is going to be our primary advantage. We can't just force ourselves into the facility and bombard it with missiles until it explodes, as much fun as that would be." Annie's smile faded and she rolled her eyes.
"Anyway, if you need one of us to fill you folks in, get a lay of the land, that sort of thing, just ask. We'll lay out our options in a little bit."
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on August 20, 2023, 02:50:10 pm
For Mira, she simply stood by, arms folded as the briefing began. Truthfully, she didn't care much about the tactics of this; Even if this Sovereign took notice of them, it would be simple to just punch through. But she was the weapon, not the wielder. If they wanted to go 'quietly', then fine. She would simply wait until her methods were needed. But a strategy talk barely required her own input.
At the very least, Annie seemed to be of the same mind as her. Simply blowing the place up would be the simplest solution. Hardly the most fun, however.
Post by: Chevaleresse on August 20, 2023, 06:26:44 pm
The Slayer quietly took in the information. Sneaking about wasn't her forte, exactly, but she wouldn't have to deal with the guards sniffing out her blood.
Probably.
"What do I need to do to blend in here?" She shrugs, vaguely indicating her style of dress. It was a bit archaic even in her home; she doubted that this place full of futuristic mercenaries saw a lot of people dressed like nineteenth century Japanese soldiers.
Post by: DragonRage on August 20, 2023, 07:47:05 pm
Post by: Sora on August 21, 2023, 02:47:44 am
"Normally I'd volunteer to put us all into an illusion that'd make us blend right in, but I fear that given the state of this world that I'd run out of Magical energy as we reach the middle of the enemy base. Disguising you three doesn't seem too hard, you could fit right in with different clothes. Myself on the other hand..."
Ea looked down on her own clothes and form. Even if she was hiding her more draconic features, she was still very visibly a fey. Hard to explain that away with poor make-up choices and a more eccentric personality.
Post by: AzyWng on August 21, 2023, 10:34:39 am
"I'm sure any oddities can be explained away as a result of... glitching, or something, anyhow. Not that we'll need much of a disguise once we get to the fun part - we'd just rather not reveal our true abilities until we're fully prepared, you know?"
"Speaking of preparations..." Lyra pulls out a list of things, then uses the device on the table to magnify it for everyone in the room to see.
Each character chooses one of the options below
Spoiler: Stage 1 - Pinpointing The Facility (click to show/hide)
"Oh, I nearly forgot," Annie says. "Our supplies have gotten more than a little limited with all the fighting going on, and getting what we want... it might not always be possible. If we want to prepare... we may need to take the time to get more people on side, first. Depends on what we want to do, exactly."
Current Favor: 5
Each character can choose one action below to prepare before this mission.
Spoiler: Mission Prep (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on August 21, 2023, 01:27:01 pm
Tsubasa took off her haori and folded it carefully, before perusing the proffered clothing and picking out some clothes she could put over her uniform without too much fuss.
"Let's just raid them." No need to overcomplicate things. If they needed any help, she could help them gain favor as needed without drawing so much attention.
Post by: DragonRage on August 22, 2023, 02:14:36 am
Joan will acquire stealth pods, spending the maximum of 5 favor unless anyone has something else they really need it for. "My sisters always complained about fighting Romulan ships with their cloaking devices, so not being seen before you strike must be a pretty serious advantage. The Treaty of Algeron meant I never got to have one, of course, but I always wondered what it would be like. And if it's not a Federation cloaking device, it's outside the treaty limits. ...As long as we don't run into any Romulans. You don't have Romulans here, do you?"
Post by: Sora on August 22, 2023, 07:06:51 am
"If I know one thing it's that you can never have enough friends. Then again these guys from sovereign look like they'd be a pain to deal with down the line. So let's try to raid this sovereign Ship and hope nobody misses them. I'd bring in Cathares, the less people we have to deal with the better our chances of going unnoticed"
Then Ea looked over the selection of disguises she got here at her disposal. There was no helping it, she'd have to cram herself into one of these things.
"Let's hope our mission goes smoothly. The sooner we can get out of these things the better."
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on August 23, 2023, 08:18:31 pm
The Dark Knight simply stares at the uniforms being handed out for a few moments, then sighs, begrudgingly taking them, "Let's just get to work. Raiding their ship will be a good staging point" she said simply. And even though she herself is not an expert at diplomacy, she figured she could help Tsubasa gain favor. The more supplies they can get, the better.
Post by: AzyWng on August 24, 2023, 11:26:34 pm
Annie's supplier is a nervous-looking fellow with a prosthetic right arm. He and Joan meet in a quiet-looking lockup, and after passing along a message from Annie, he just nods, and shows Joan to some of his pods. It's obvious just from looking that these black breacher pods are high-quality, and Annie's more than eager to take them out for a spin once they're brought to the hideout.
"Hey! Hey, Lyra! You still know tech shit, right?"
"A little bit-"
"You. These pods. Work your magic!"
"... I'll see what I can do, I suppose, but I'll need supplies of my own if you want me to take things a step further..."
"I... well, all right. Start thinking of ways to do that and get a shopping list ready by the time this first mission's done."
Stealth pods acquired: Reinforcements are delayed by two turns (now four). Missions attract less attention from Sovereign (and sometimes, none at all).
Quality bonus I: One ally of the party's choosing starts battle with 2 turns of Smoke!
Quality bonus II: Non-boss enemies can only use basic actions on the first turn of battle!
5 Favor spent (new total 0).
Meanwhile, Tsubasa and Mira are put in contact with people in need of help - some of them are people Lyra has known about, others are people who Annie has contacted. The work is fairly simple - everything from package deliveries to guard duty. Sometimes the jobs take less than five minutes - but the tension in the air around Coldrock Haven makes it obvious that their help is needed.
Plenty of people seem keen to take advantage of the chaos this whole mess has caused, and it often takes people like Tsubasa and Mira to remind them why that's a dumb idea.
8 favor gained.
It takes a bit of time for the meeting with Cathartes to be set up. When Ea is finally sent off, she's pointed towards a night market, bustling with activity. Whatever traces of Sovereign there were are gone now, at least for the time being, but people still move around uneasily. Whatever conversations are being held seem far more urgent, and it's clear that Ea stands out, even with the aid of the disguise she's been given.
Cathartes, clad in an oddly familiar yellow-and-black armor, slips out from the crowd and pulls Ea away. She acknowledges that yes, she's the person Ea's been sent to retrieve, and begins to follow Ea to the hideout. She doesn't say much of anything to Ea or Lyra or even Annie. But Annie doesn't seem bothered by the silence at all.
"Don't worry. I can recognize the people I work with, and that's definitely her."
"... Is she always this quiet?"
"Pretty much. But she can make other people quiet in pretty short order, and that's the more important thing."
"All right. Just... be careful, okay? She gives me a weird feeling..."
"Not sure you can trust her? That's rich, coming from you."
"That isn't... Never mind."
Cathartes acquired: Once, at the start of combat, Cathartes can snipe one enemy of the party's choosing. This enemy will take extreme damage and may be killed outright.
It's not long before Annie and Lyra have gathered the group before them once more, this time having highlighted a few routes that Sovereign has been using to 'acquire' and move supplies. Three ships in particular are highlighted.
"We've picked out a few targets of opportunity - and while they're largely carrying the same information, the different security on each ship suggests that there's more valuable intel on some, particularly this one," Lyra gestures towards the largest vessel that's been highlighted.
"Naturally, I think we should hit it."
"It could be carrying something especially valuable - intel, valuable equipment, or something else. But it'll definitely get noticed by Sovereign - not to mention other actors in the Drift. Ultimately it's your choice whether to hit it or not. We've got notes on the security inside to help you make your decision."
Choose which target to attack. Only one may be chosen.
Spoiler: The three targets: (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Preparations (click to show/hide)
Current favor: 8
Current heat: 1
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on August 31, 2023, 08:02:24 am
"Whatever their defenses, it won't be enough to hold out against me. This 'Phlogistion' should be a suitable target. Deal with that, and their defenses will still have a significant hole" Mira stated bluntly, eyes focused entirely on the display, and on the target. She could certainly use a warmup soon.
Post by: AzyWng on August 31, 2023, 11:03:32 am
As the breacher pods leave for the target, the team gets a chance to see the outside of Coldrock Haven.
And... it doesn’t look good. The wreckage of various structures litter the landscape, and the pilots (Cathartes, and Annie and Lyra who are controlling the pods remotely) have to slow down to move the pod around more than a few pieces every so often. Thankfully, they manage to clear the debris field without so much as a scratch, and from then on, it’s less than an hour’s wait before their target comes into view. The pods enter into stealth mode and slowly make their way to a series of docking ports in the side. From there, the pods attach to the ship with a quiet click before the airlocks cycle and the team can board the Phlogiston.
Of course, Sovereign’s crew isn’t going to just let them grab the data they’re after...
Choose one target for Cathartes to snipe.
Choose one ally to gain Smoke for 2 turns.
Enemies are taken by surprise and can only perform basic actions for the first turn!
Reinforcements will arrive in 4 turns.
Positioning:
1: Mira, Tsubasa, Joan, Ea, Solemn
2: Empty
3: Sovereign Elite Guards A, B
4: Sovereign Elite Guards C, D, E, F, Sovereign Commander, Sovereign Drone Op A
5: Sovereign Elite Guards G, H, Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B, Sovereign Drone Ops B, C
INIT:
5: Sovereign Commander
4: Sovereign Drone Ops
2: Tsubasa
1: Sovereign Elite Guards
0: Sovereign Medium Combat Robots
-3: Mira, Joan Dark
-4: Ea
-5: Solemn
Status:
Sovereign:
Commander: Undamaged
Drone Ops A, B, C: Undamaged
Elite Guards A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H: Undamaged, Under Command
Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B: Undamaged, Under Command
(Unnamed group):
Tsubasa: 36/36 HP
Mira: 45/45 HP, 3 Magra
Joan: 24/24 HP
Ea: 36/36 HP, 0 Eternal Bloom, 0 Mana
Solemn: 24/24 HP, 1 Aetherflow
Post by: AzyWng on September 02, 2023, 10:32:57 am
The Sovereign Drone Ops B and C advance to Zone 3 and guard.
Positioning:
1: Mira, Tsubasa, Joan, Ea, Solemn
2: Empty
3: Sovereign Elite Guards A, B, Sovereign Drone Ops A, B, C
4: Sovereign Elite Guards C, D, E, F, Sovereign Commander,
5: Sovereign Elite Guards G, H, Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B
INIT:
5: Sovereign Commander
4: Sovereign Drone Ops
2: Tsubasa
1: Sovereign Elite Guards
0: Sovereign Medium Combat Robots
-3: Mira, Joan Dark
-4: Ea
-5: Solemn
Status:
Sovereign:
Commander: Undamaged
Drone Ops A, B, C: Undamaged
Elite Guards A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H: Undamaged, Under Command
Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B: Undamaged, Under Command
(Unnamed group):
Tsubasa: 36/36 HP
Mira: 45/45 HP, 3 Magra
Joan: 24/24 HP
Ea: 36/36 HP, 0 Eternal Bloom, 0 Mana
Solemn: 24/24 HP, 1 Aetherflow
Post by: Chevaleresse on September 02, 2023, 11:11:27 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on September 07, 2023, 08:54:59 pm
Post by: DragonRage on September 10, 2023, 07:05:54 pm
"Mira, I have deduced that the Sovereign Commander is providing substantial morale and coordination benefits to his allies. He needs to be removed from the field," The Starfleet officer states, projecting a holographic representation of the offending soldier for Mira to peruse, "I have highlighted several likely weak points in his armor. Please, do what you do best. Transporter room, one to beam up!"
Mira vanishes in a shower of golden sparks, only to reappear next to the Sovereign Commander.
Joan uses Fire Control Assistance to give Mira Enhance and Increase 2 during her next turn, and then uses One to Beam Up to teleport Mira to Zone 4.
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on September 10, 2023, 09:04:37 pm
Mira vibes until Joan teleports her, then uses Black Flame to increase her damage by 1.5Con, then uses Sequence Start on the Sovereign Commander, dealing (4d8+1d6+14.5)x1.3 damage.
Post by: Sora on September 11, 2023, 11:40:55 am
Post by: AzyWng on September 11, 2023, 10:55:28 pm
Tsubasa gains 1 Concentration and 10 SHD, and Provokes the Sovereign Commander. She’ll be targeted by the Commander’s attacks until she changes her target.
The Elite Guards at the front open fire with their rifles. Elite Guards A and B attack Tsubasa and Joan for 8 and 12 damage, respectively.
The remaining Elite Guards guard.
The Sovereign Medium Combat Robots do nothing.
Joan Dark gives Fire Control Assistance to Mira, giving attacks during her next turn Enhance and Increase 2. She then uses One to Beam Up to teleport Mira to Zone 4.
Mira consumes 2 Magra to use Dark Flame, increasing her damage output by 1.5CON, then attacks the Sovereign Commander with Sequence Start. She deals 37 damage and kills the Sovereign Commander! She gains 1 Magra (now 2).
The Elite Guards and Medium Combat Robots become Commanderless!
Ea gains (9/2) 2 Mana from Dessicate Magic. She moves to Zone 2 and guards with Clairvoyance (10% extra defense (30% total), attackers roll for damage twice and take the lower result).
Enemy movement...
The Drone Ops will stay put.
Elite Guards A and B will advance to Zone 1.
Elite Guards C and D will advance to Zone 3.
Elite Guards E and F will advance to Zone 2.
Elite Guard G will advance to Zone 3.
Elite Guard H will stay put.
The Medium Combat Robots will advance to Zone 4.
Reinforcements arrive in 3 turns.
Positioning:
1: Tsubasa, Joan
2: Ea
3: Sovereign Elite Guards A, B
4: Sovereign Elite Guards C, D, E, F, Sovereign Drone Op A, Mira
5: Sovereign Elite Guards G, H, Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B, Sovereign Drone Ops B, C
INIT:
4: Sovereign Drone Ops
2: Tsubasa
1: Sovereign Elite Guards
0: Sovereign Medium Combat Robots
-3: Mira, Joan Dark, Ea
Status:
Sovereign:
Commander: Dead
Drone Ops A, B, C: Undamaged
Elite Guards A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H: Undamaged, Commanderless
Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A, B: Undamaged, Commanderless
(Unnamed group):
Tsubasa: 34/36 HP, 1 Concentration
Mira: 45/45 HP, 2 Magra
Joan: 17/24 HP
Ea: 36/36 HP, 0 Eternal Bloom, 2 Mana
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on September 19, 2023, 09:49:49 am
Additionally, Cathartes shall take a shot at Sovereign Drone ops B.
Post by: Sora on September 19, 2023, 11:12:31 am
Post by: Chevaleresse on September 19, 2023, 01:56:19 pm
Post by: DragonRage on September 20, 2023, 12:30:55 am
Post by: AzyWng on September 20, 2023, 10:25:47 am
Cathartes snipes Drone Op B, instantly killing them!
The Drone Ops remain at their positions.
Drone Op A calls in an Anti Personnel Drone! It arrives at Zone 5.
Drone Op C takes command of the Medium Combat Robots! Sovereign Medium Combat Robots A and B are no longer Commanderless.
Tsubasa advances to Zone 2 and gains 11 Barricade.
Tsubasa gains 11 SHD from Barricade. Barricade falls to 5.
The Elite Guards move to their new positions (A, B - Zone 1, C, D, G - Zone 3, E, F, Zone 2, H - Staying in Zone 5).
Elite Guard A sprays Joan down with another burst of gunfire. He deals 3 damage (1 reduced by DR) to her.
Elite Guard B also sprays fire on Joan - this time aiming to pin her down rather than directly damage her. He applies 1 Enfeeble to Joan.
Elite Guards C and D move to protect Drone Op A, shielding them from attack.
Elite Guards E and F spray suppressive fire upon Ea and Tsubasa, too. They apply 1 Enfeeble to Ea and Tsubasa each.
Ea’s Ephemeral Dream means she instead gains 1 Mana instead of becoming Enfeebled.
Elite Guard G sprays suppressing fire at Mira, applying 1 Enfeeble to her.
Elite Guard H sprays down Ea with his rifle, dealing 2 damage (2 reduced by DEF, 1 reduced by DR).
The Medium Combat Robots advance to Zone 4.
Medium Combat Robot A begins to open up on Ea and Tsubasa with its machine guns. It deals 2 and 2 damage to Ea (4 reduced by DEF, 2 reduced by DR), and 6 and 6 damage to Tsubasa (2 reduced by DR).
Mira slashes at Medium Combat Robot B with her sword, dealing 13 damage (reduced to 70% from Enfeeble).
Mira can now use Sequence Second!
Mira gains 1 Magra.
Ea taunts Drone Op A, forcing her to attack her, and defends using Clarivoyance (10% extra defense (30% total), attackers roll for damage twice and take the lower result).
Ea gains 1 Eternal Bloom from remaining in the same zone. Ea gains 2 Mana from Dessicate magic.
Joan advances to Zone 2 and blasts Elite Guard A for 13 damage, leaving him barely able to stand. She then uses Triage to heal herself for 18 HP. She also shields herself for 9 HP due to Going Boldly.
Reinforcements will arrive in 2 turns...
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on September 20, 2023, 02:18:30 pm
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on September 22, 2023, 02:32:36 pm
Post by: Sora on September 26, 2023, 12:26:06 am
Post by: DragonRage on September 29, 2023, 08:36:02 pm
Post by: AzyWng on October 02, 2023, 09:36:54 am
Drone Op A marks Mira with a designator! Mira gains 1 Fragile!
Drone Op C is still taking command of Medium Combat Robots A and B.
Tsubasa heads to Zone 3 and uses Second Form to gain 11 Barricade (now 16).
Tsubasa gains 16 SHD from Barricade. Barricade falls to 8.
Tsubasa is no longer Enfeebled.
Elite Guards A, and B fire upon Ea, dealing 3 and 5 damage to her (reduced from 4 and 6 by DR).
Elite Guards E fires on Tsubasa, dealing 3 damage to her (reduced from 4 by DR).
Elite Guard F shoots at Joan, dealing 5 damage to her (reduced from 6 by DR).
Elite Guards C, D, G, and H all fire upon Mira, dealing 4, 5, 3, and 4 damage to her (reduced from 5, 6, 4, and 5 by DR).
The Anti-Personnel Drone advances to Zone 3 and opens up on Tsubasa with some kind of cannon, dealing 5 (reduced from 6 by DR) damage to Tsubasa and giving her 1 Fragile.
Medium Combat Robots A and B open up on Mira with their machine guns, dealing 4, 4, 5, and 4 damage (reduced from 5, 5, 6, and 5 by DR). Both Medium Combat Robots gain 1 stack of Spun Up each.
Mira slashes at Combat Robot B for 13 damage, breaking what remains of its armor and leaving it sparking and smoking.
Mira unlocks Sequence End.
Mira gains 1 Magra (Now 4).
Mira gains 2 Magra from Relentless (Now 6).
Mira is no longer Enfeebled.
Ea attacks Elite Guard E with Askalon, dealing 15 damage and killing him!
Ea gains 1 Eternal Bloom from remaining in the same zone. She also gains 2 Mana from Dessicate Magic.
Joan uses a Hypospray Vaccination on Tsubasa.
Tsubasa is no longer Fragile.
Joan heals Tsubasa for 21 HP. Joan also gains 10 SHD from Going Boldly.
Joan gives Mira Increase 2 and Enhance with Fire Control Assistance.
Joan is no longer Enfeebled.
Reinforcements will arrive in 1 turn...
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on October 04, 2023, 09:54:13 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on October 04, 2023, 12:25:35 pm
Post by: DragonRage on October 05, 2023, 05:55:02 am
To those on the outside, Joan vanishes in a blur of motion, only to reappear above Zone 3, phaser turrets already locked and loaded. Beams of energy lance out in an impressive (but rather inaccurate) display of power, even as coruscating beams wash over Mira from her Genesis Replicator, sealing wounds and armor alike. Only when the beams cut off, does she land, slightly out of breath. "So that does work in atmosphere. Excellent. It would have been inconvenient to suffer a warp core containment failure, but the other possibility happened, so we're good, and I'm definitely probably not going to explode."
Joan Goes To Warp, giving herself Haste for this turn so that she'll act first. Then she moves to Zone 3 and applies her Basic Heal on Mira, restoring 3d6+9+8 HP as her Shining Under Pressure perk triggers to make her healing a critical hit on allies below 50% HP. Scoring a critical hit causes her Genesis Burst perk to also trigger, giving all allies in Zone 3 (including herself) 4 stacks of Regenerate. Going Boldly triggers on the basic heal, but not the Regenerate stacks. She also fires her Phaser Bombardment skill on Zone 3, dealing (1d6+7)/3 damage to all enemies in that zone, and inflicting Burn 4 upon them.
Post by: Sora on October 09, 2023, 01:33:51 pm
Post by: AzyWng on October 09, 2023, 11:37:48 pm
Joan restores Mira to near tip-top shape in a flurry of top-grade medical tech. No explosions for her team, at least not right now.
Joan Goes To Warp and will act first this turn.
Joan moves to Zone 3 and heals Mira for 29 HP. She performs a critical due to Shining Under Pressure!
Joan gains 15 SHD from Going Boldly.
Joan activates Genesis Burst, providing herself and Tsubasa with 4 stacks of Regenerate.
Joan then fires her Phaser Bombardment, dealing 3 damage to Elite Guards C, D, and G, and the Anti-Personnel Drone, as well as inflicting 4 Burn on them.
Joan’s Hypospray Vaccination comes off of cooldown and can be used again.
Ea hears an irritated sigh before Cathartes darts from her hiding place and snatches up a dead guard's rifle, spraying it at the pair of guards behind her.
Cathartes appears in Zone 2.
Cathartes deals 15 damage to Elite Guard A, killing him!
Cathartes deals 16 damage to Elite Guard B, killing him!
Cathartes’ weapon runs out of ammo.
Cathartes gets painted with a laser in the hands of the drone operator.
Drone Op A Marks Cathartes with a designator.
Cathartes gains 1 Fragile.
The other operator remains busy, concentrating on commanding the two Combat Robots in play.
Drone Op C is still commanding Medium Combat Robots A and B.
Tsubasa throws off the aim of the nearby guards, then rushes over to Mira.
Because she has SHD, Tsubasa gains 1 Concentration from Meikyo Shisui.
Tsubasa Concentrates, gaining 10 SHD and 1 Concentration.
Tsubasa enfeebles Elite Guards C, D, G, and the Anti-Personnel Drone with her Sixth Form, then advances to Zone 4.
She gains 8 SHD from Barricade. Barricade drops to 4.
The Elite Guards fall into disarray amidst the actions of Cathartes, Joan, and Tsubasa, firing in multiple directions and failing to concentrate their fire very well on any of their targets.
Elite Guards C, and D fire upon Cathartes, dealing 6 and 5 damage to Cathartes.
Elite Guard F fires on Ea, dealing 4 damage to her.
Elite Guard G fires upon Tsubasa, dealing 2 damage to her.
Elite Guard H fires upon Mira, dealing 2 damage to her.
Elite Guards C, D, and G all Burn for 4 damage each.
Elite Guards C, D, and G are no longer Enfeebled.
The drone manages to get a few more shots off on Tsubasa before it the flames applied by Joan cause it to lose control and smash into the floor.
The Anti-Personnel Drone continues to open up on Tsubasa with its cannon.
The Anti-Personnel Drone deals 4 damage to Tsubasa and applies 1 Fragile to her.
The Anti-Personnel Drone burns for 4 damage and is destroyed!
The Medium Combat Robots continue to spray down Mira with their machine guns.
Medium Combat Robots A and B attack Mira for 4, 1, 2, 4, 2, 1, 3, and 4 damage (Total 21).
In a surge of Magra and metal, Mira tears apart a Combat Robot and the person commanding it, leaving the remaining robot to rely on its automated programming.
Mira activates Dark Flame to boost her damage by 1.5Con.
Mira uses Sequence Start on Medium Combat Robot B, dealing 46 damage and destroying it!
Mira uses Half Moon - Crescent Slash on Drone Op C, dealing 48 damage and killing her!
Mira will gain 10% DEF against the next attack that hits her from A Weapon.
Mira gains 1 Magra from her Magra Generator.
Mira is no longer Fragile.
The Erlking lands an excellent strike on the last guard in her zone, leaving him on the floor in a heap.
Ea deals 15 damage to Elite Guard F, killing him!
Ea gains 1 Eternal Bloom from remaining in the same zone. She also gains 2 Mana from Dessicate Magic.
A large, bipedal mech with missile pods on its shoulders appears near the back in a burst of multicolored particles.
A Heavy Combat Mech arrives in Zone 5!
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on October 10, 2023, 09:35:49 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on October 17, 2023, 09:58:34 am
Post by: Sora on October 18, 2023, 07:24:07 am
"I appreciate the help right there but it'd be of even greater help if you survived this little skirmish."
Ea takes a deep breath and as she exhales, covers Cathartes in a jet of purple flames. Unlike the scorching pain one might expect from such a direct exposure, Cathartes only feels gentle warmth around her, and the worst of her wounds closing.
Ea uses Cauterizing Flame, Healing Cathartes for 0.5*Syn [7] HP and removing the fragile debuff, then moves up to zone 3
"Hey you piece of oversized scrap metal! Over here!"
Ea (rather poorly) taunts the Heavy Combat Mech as a free action
Post by: DragonRage on October 22, 2023, 06:30:59 pm
Post by: AzyWng on October 24, 2023, 11:54:11 am
Cathartes tosses away her empty gun and goes to take another from the dead guard. Rather than attacking, however, she chooses to hunker down, trying to make herself as small a target as possible.
Cathartes loses Out of Ammo and Fragile.
Drone Op A shoots at Tsubasa with a sidearm, dealing 3 damage to her.
In return, Tsubasa cleaves him into multiple pieces.
Tsubasa gains 1 Concentration from Meikyo Shisui.
Tsubasa slashes at Drone Op A for 25 damage, killing him!
Tsubasa gains 4 SHD from Barricade. Barricade falls to 2.
Tsubasa is no longer Fragile.
The remaining elite guards continue to fire wildly and largely ineffectually.
Elite Guard C fires at Cathartes, dealing 3 damage to her.
Elite Guard D shoots at Ea, dealing 4 damage to her.
Elite Guard G sprays wildly at Joan, applying 1 Enfeeble.
Elite Guard H fires at Tsubasa, dealing 2 damage to her.
Elite Guards C, D, and G all burn for 2 damage each. Burn falls to 1.
The Medium Combat Robot sprays down both Mira and Tsubasa with its machineguns.
Medium Combat Robot A sprays Mira for 1 and 1 damage, and Tsubasa for 3 and 2 damage.
Mira slashes at Medium Combat Robot A for 35 damage, destroying it!
Mira gains 1 Magra.
Ea taunts the Heavy Combat Mech as a free action. It will now exclusively target her until a new target is chosen.
Ea restores 7 HP from Soul’s Light.
Ea restores 7 HP to Cathartes, then advances to Zone 3.
As Cathartes is swallowed by the healing flames, she freezes up for a moment before realizing what’s happening. At Ea’s words, she simply says, “... Yeah.”
Ea loses all stacks of Eternal Bloom from moving to a new zone.
Ea gains 2 Mana from Dessicate Magic.
Joan quickly patches Mira and Ea’s injuries.
Joan restores 21 HP (Critical!) to Mira and 16 HP to Ea.
Joan gives Ea 4 stacks of Regenerate.
Tsubasa doesn’t have any status effects right now, so Joan doesn’t use Hypospray Vaccination on her.
Joan is no longer enfeebled.
The Heavy Combat Mech opens up on Ea with a set of cannons, dealing 3 and 6 damage to her.
The Heavy Combat Mech fixes Ea with a missile lock...
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on October 24, 2023, 11:07:01 pm
Post by: Sora on November 01, 2023, 03:14:03 pm
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on November 06, 2023, 01:46:18 pm
Post by: DragonRage on November 07, 2023, 02:22:40 am
Post by: AzyWng on November 09, 2023, 01:54:30 am
Cathartes focuses her fire on one of the guards near Joan and Ea, making him crumple in a hail of bullets.
Cathartes deals 16 damage to Elite Guard G, killing him!
The heavy armor of the mech is no match for Tsubasa’s techniques. It’s not long before it - and the pilot inside - lie in pieces, too, same as the other machines that stood in her way.
Tsubasa deals 36 (increased from 24) Pen damage, then 38 Pen damage to the Heavy Combat Mech, destroying it!
Tsubasa deals 11 damage to Elite Guard H.
Tsubasa gains 1 Concentration from Meikyo Shisui.
Tsubasa gains 2 SHD from Barricade. Barricade falls to 1.
The remaining Elite Guards have lost all semblance of discipline at this point, and seem to spend more time tripping over themselves in a panic than actually fighting back. They do fire a few shots, but they’re largely ineffectual.
Elite Guard C deals 1 damage to Joan.
Elite Guard D deals 1 damage to Ea.
Elite Guard H deals 0 damage to Tsubasa.
Ea obliterates a guard with her breath, then cuts another down with her sword.
Ea deals 40 Pen damage to Elite Guard C, killing her!
Ea deals 14 damage to Elite Guard D, killing him!
Ea gains 2 Mana from Dessicate Magic.
Ea gains 1 Eternal Bloom.
Ea heals 4 HP from Regenerate. Regenerate falls to 2.
The remaining guard drops his rifle and begins to run somewhere - anywhere that isn’t where these deadly intruders are right now.
A quick burst from the rifle Cathartes picked up leaves him shaking on the spot.
““… You’re Sovereign?” Cathartes asks with barely-concealed skepticism.
Post by: Sora on November 09, 2023, 12:46:11 pm
"I hope that your deaths came swift and without pain and that your gods, whoever they may be, judge your brave Souls to be worthy of staying with them."
She ended the little sequence with a quick prayer she spoke in Sylvan, the language native to the fey, before continuing with the mission ahead of them.
Post by: Chevaleresse on November 14, 2023, 09:17:56 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on November 15, 2023, 09:23:13 pm
With the battle done, Mira lets out a breath, flipping her sword around and sheathing it... Before she turned her attention towards the survivor currently cowering from Cathartes'. A bit of disgust as a fellow soldier passes her mind for a second before she marches forward, looming over the Sovereign soldier as black mist coiled around her, "Sovereign's new pen. What do you know of it" Mira began sternly, narrowing her eyes slightly as she stared down, "Start talking, and do it fast. I'm not patient."
Post by: AzyWng on November 15, 2023, 11:27:53 pm
"L-look, I'm just hired muscle! Did what the boss told me, he said the risk was gonna be worth it..." His eyes flick towards the destroyed mech and the pool of blood that's growing from its cockpit.
"What did he tell you?"
"That Sovereign was giving us an opportunity to get out of the gutter! That we wouldn't have to live off of scraps, hiding from every other-"
"Okay, enough," Cathartes says. "What's this ship's cargo?"
"I don't know!" Seeing Cathartes aim her rifle at his leg, the man adds, "Looked like shield shit to me! For big, big fucking shields! They didn't tell us shit, okay?"
"And their base. You been there?"
"O-once. H-had lots of entrances... But we only used one. Didn't see much..."
Cathartes nods, processing the information. After a few seconds, she turns to Mira. Sensing a bit of leniency, the ex-Sovereign ex-ganger asks, "P-please let me go?"
Post by: DragonRage on November 17, 2023, 02:44:54 am
Post by: AzyWng on November 17, 2023, 11:56:28 pm
"Not dictators," Cathartes corrects. "Corporate. Anyway..." She studies the captive for several seconds, then asks, "What's your name?"
"O-Orion... Orion Vanderstar."
"Okay." Cathartes walks up to Orion and extends her hand. "Orion. Wanna join us?"
The offer seems to make Orion perk up. "Yes, yes I do! I-I'm a fast learner, and - and a pretty good shot with a pistol, and I know how to pilot light spacecraft, and since I was with Sovereign, I can tell you about their operations, and-"
Orion continues to rattle off a list of skills and qualifications, most of which sound pretty basic. Cathartes, for the most part, seems to be patiently listening - although it's hard to read her expression through her helmet.
Post by: Sora on November 20, 2023, 02:15:43 am
The kind of enthusiasm Ea put into her voice was, for anyone who has been around her at all, pretty unnatural. And so was the offer that followed that.
"Hey Orion, now that you're officially joining the team, we got a little welcoming ceremony. Don't worry you won't have to say any kind of vows or anything. We're just gonna eat some nice fruit together, it's gonna be a sign of our newly formed friendship! Do you have an apple at hand that I could cut in two pieces perhaps?"
Post by: AzyWng on November 26, 2023, 10:41:54 pm
The aftermath is relatively uneventful - the team takes what data and equipment they can from the ship and leave it for Sovereign to (eventually) find.
After being told of the results of the attack from Cathartes, Lyra and Annie both seem worried by the news of the ship’s cargo.
“If it’s shields, then it could be that they’re trying to keep the Trespasser locked up, like caging an attack dog until it’s ready...”
Annie grimaces at the idea. “Yeah, that definitely sounds like them. Welp, at least with the maps Cathartes got from the Phlogiston, we know where to go when we do get to bringing these pricks down.”
Lyra nods. “Of course. We need to think about what we want to do first, of course...”
Favor: 20 (+12 from attacking the Phlogiston)
Heat: 5 (+4 from attacking the Phlogiston)
“Oh, we got some things together while you were out. No big.”
"Plus, I think I can make use of some of the stuff snagged from the Phlogiston. It's state-of-the-art for what it does, but I think I can modify it to suit our purposes..."
Annie and Lyra bring:
Extra Ammo for Cathartes: Cathartes can now fire her rifle up to five times per battle.
Improved Thrusters: Ally INIT can never fall below 1.
For attacking the Phlogiston, the team also gets:
Emergency Shielding: At the start of a fight, the entire team gains 10 SHD.
Spoiler: Mission Prep (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Current Prep (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on December 05, 2023, 10:07:16 am
Post by: DragonRage on December 08, 2023, 05:31:12 am
Post by: Sora on December 08, 2023, 04:33:09 pm
"I'll go with whatever all of you think is important, but if you want my personal opinion on the matter, I believe these...drones you called them? They sound rather useful to me. Or maybe I'm giving them more credit than they're worth."
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on December 13, 2023, 05:22:52 pm
Post by: AzyWng on January 06, 2024, 10:30:38 pm
Everyone gains 1 Level.
In between preparing equipment, providing pointers, and otherwise getting the crew ready for what’s ahead, the two also call on their contacts for more info.
At Ea’s suggestion, they also make a few calls. They’ve already met Oxide, and she’ll be ready to join battle with the team.
Spoiler: Mission Choices: (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Advantages (click to show/hide)
Post by: Chevaleresse on January 10, 2024, 08:59:39 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on January 16, 2024, 11:24:16 am
Post by: DragonRage on January 23, 2024, 08:40:22 pm
Post by: Sora on January 24, 2024, 11:56:10 am
Post by: AzyWng on January 31, 2024, 11:24:56 pm
The sniper looks up from the rifle she’s cleaning. Annie shouts, “Left, or right?”
"Either."
“That’s not one of the options.”
“With this rifle, it doesn’t matter. Oh, and thanks for the ammo.”
Annie facepalms. Before she can explain why it matters a whole fucking lot, Lyra interrupts, “Just for the sake of a tiebreaker, I’ll be sending you to the comms post. Now, I did mention just destroying the equipment as an option, but, like Joan mentioned, there could be other ways to interfere with things.”
The mention of other options gets Annie’s attention right away. “Oh, oh! You got a lot of your intel from listening to stuff like this, right Lyra?”
“That’s only because the people I was taking down and listening in on were lax and inept. In between our actions and Sovereign’s shift to a more aggressive stance, they’ve definitely increased their security.”
“Yeah, that might be true, but never mind just sending dubious information. Imagine the looks on their faces when the base commander asks for a status report and gets Ride of the Valkyries instead. And then the penny drops…”
Lyra grins despite herself.
“Okay, I’ll admit… that is an appealing image. But I’m not sure we can guarantee they won’t notice our tampering and counter it. If you decide to smash it all up, they’ll have to break out whatever backup systems they have.”
“Well, something to think about, right? Anyway, best of luck!”
The trip to the comms station is uneventful - but it's not long before the team runs into their opposition.
Reinforcements will arrive in 4 turns.
Non-Boss enemies can only perform basic actions on the first turn of battle.
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT: (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: DragonRage on February 18, 2024, 10:05:18 pm
Post by: Chevaleresse on February 19, 2024, 02:24:25 pm
Post by: Sora on February 23, 2024, 01:08:37 am
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on March 07, 2024, 04:42:21 pm
Mira spends two Magra to activate Black Flame to deal an extra 9 damage to her attacks for 3 turns, then uses Sequence Start on Heavy Turret A to deal 3d6+18 damage (not including the Enhance and Increase 4 from Joan)
Post by: AzyWng on March 10, 2024, 11:03:21 pm
Close Combat Specialist A dashes towards Area 1 and slashes at Ea twice, dealing 7 and 6 damage, gaining 2 Combo, and applying 2 Struck. Ephemeral Dream immediately converts this into 2 Mana.
Close Combat Specialist B moves towards Tsubasa in Area 2 and also slashes at her twice, dealing 6 and 6 damage, gaining 2 Combo, and applying 2 Struck.
Joan uses Fire Control Assistance to Enhance Mira and give her Increase 4, then teleports Mira to Zone 5.
Ea advances to Area 2 and defends using Clairvoyance, forcing enemies to roll damage twice and take the lower result.
A dog-sized piece of brown-and-red metal punches its way into the comms post as a blue field appears to block the hole it just made. As the roach-like drone stands up on six legs, it reveals a pair of barrels sticking out its “mouth” and a machine pistol sticking out the top of the body. The name “WASTER” is painted on its side.
Waster appears in Area 2 and sprays Close Combat Specialist with bullets, dealing 7 damage.
Mira activates Black Flame for 2 Magra, then slashes at Heavy Turret A for 48 damage, pulverizing it utterly!
Mira can now use Sequence Second.
Heavy Gunner A moves to Area 3 and shoots at Tsubasa with a sidearm for 4 damage.
Struck falls by half to 1.
Sovereign Heavy Gunner B moves to Area 3 and shoots Waster with a sidearm for 3 damage.
Heavy Turret B appears to do nothing.
Turn 2:
Reinforcements will arrive in 3 turns.
Cathartes: 5/5 Snipe
Spoiler: Positioning (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Enemy Movement (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: INIT (click to show/hide)
Spoiler: Status (click to show/hide)
Post by: Sora on March 11, 2024, 07:12:11 am
Post by: Chevaleresse on March 11, 2024, 10:35:10 am
Post by: DragonRage on March 25, 2024, 05:43:10 am
Joan will then use Fire Control Assistance on Waster, giving him Enhanced and Increase 4 during his next turn. Sic 'em, bug!
Post by: GodofGamingRWBY on March 25, 2024, 12:04:31 pm