Run #7: Through the Looking Glass

[Elliott]

((How do situational modifies work when splitting dice pools? I thought reach got applied to each opponent based on their individual reach modifier. I dont think it is just a dice pool addition because what happens if one opponent has reach and the other doesn't? Similarly, I am still invisible, so just like a cover modifier, shouldnt any target that can't see me lose 4 dice? Doesn't make sense that it is split between two opponents. What if one of them could actually see me? Basically, I thought that when making multiple attacks your split your intrinsic dice pool (skill+ability+weapon focus) but modifiers were applied individually.))

[GM Nick]

(( Combat dice pools are split evenly when attacking multiple targets in melee combat, including all modifiers. I did however re-roll with visibility (-6) penalty. The results are the same. ))

[GM Nick]

Combat Phase 1, Initiative Pass 2

[ Doc = 43 ]
[ Rawhide = 42 ]
[ Cyber-zombie = 34 ]
[ Max = 32 ]

[Drew Buddy]

Doc sights down the barrel at the pitiful creature, and fires.

[GM Nick]

Ranged Combat

[Rifles (7) + AGI (7) + Smartlink (2) = 6]
5 3 2 1 5 4 1 2 6 1 6 5 3 1 1 5
[REA (7) = 2]
3 5 6 4 1 4 1

Damage Resistance

[BOD (7) + Armor (6) + AP (-3) = 3] (( 15P DAMAGE! ))
3 2 6 1 1 2 1 6 5 2

The cyber-zombie's head explodes in a fountain of gore.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc thumps to the floor with his back to one of the machines, clutching his chest.

[John]

Max watches as Tyros moves over to Doc, presumably to heal their injured teammate. Max gives Doc a hard time,

"Pssh. Looks an awful lot like a minor flesh wound to me. Do you call in troll healers when you stub your toes, too?"

[Drew Buddy]

Doc reaches over to the corpse of one of the cyberzombies with its blades still out. He grabs its hand and holds it up.

"Why don't you come over here and find out?"

[John]

Max winks at Doc and says,

"Kinky."

[GM Nick]

Heal (f4)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) + Essence Penalty (-4) = 6] (( 4P HEALED! ))
6 5 2 5 6 6 4 5 3 4

Resist Drain

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Focused Concentration (2) + Centering (1) = 8]
2 5 5 3 6 5 1 6 1 3 5 6 6

Doc's wound knits itself back together.

[GM Nick]

The crab drone skitters up next to Doc.

"Engaging servants of Deus in combat is not recommended. I calculate an 89% chance of death or dismemberment."

[John]

Max blurts out defiantly,

"Never tell me the odds."

The elf continues along the catwalk, wanting badly to longer be standing in a room so wont to combust.

[Drew Buddy]

"Yeah, uh, thanks for the advice." Doc replies to the drone.

He gives a thankful nod to Tyros, and gets up. Sending the dragonfly out ahead of the group, he starts walking after Max.

[GM Nick]

<I've got news and I've got bad news. Which do you want first?>

[John]

Max is impatient,

<Just spill it.>

[GM Nick]

<Lo got us a few hours on a satellite, but I'm having trouble nailing down the coordinates to your location. According to these schematics I was able to piece together, there should be a communication tower somewhere in the facility. You can use that to broadcast my frequency so that the satellite will lock on to it.>

Milly pauses.

<We still don't know enough about Deus to destroy him. You'll need to keep digging.>

[John]

Max affirms the information,

<So we're looking for a comm tower. Any suggestions?>

[GM Nick]

The crab drone pokes Doc with a spindly appendage.

"Operator. Please be aware that emergency defensive protocol B2 has been invoked."

[John]

Max turns to the drone and asks,

"What the frag does that mean. Define protocol."

[Drew Buddy]

"And how was it invoked?" Doc adds.

"You're supposed to be unsubscribed from all other nodes."

[GM Nick]

"Affirmative. I am only subscribed to PAN: "DocAdamsLuvs2Party."

The crab drone clicks its appendages.

"Defensive protocol is triggered by the detection of firearm discharge within the manufacturing area. Defensive protocol B2 involves --access denied-- which results in extermination of intruders."

An eerie silence pervades the vault as every 3D printer shuts down simultaneously.

[John]

Max takes stock of the situation and weighs the options in his head. With dawning terror, he shouts,

"Run! Let's get the frag out of here!"

The elf takes off, scrambling to get away from the oncoming swarm of drones.

[Elliott]

Tyros slips his respirator down over his mouth, concerned about the toxicity of the fumes in the cavernous vault. Taking point with his long troll strides, Tyros quickly creates some space between himself and the rest of the team, who can catch an infrequent glimps of distorted vapors as his invisible form plows through. Peering ahead, Tyros strains to see where the walkway leads.

[GM Nick]

At about one third the distance to the opposite end of the vault, all of the hatches open in unison and usher forth a veritable swarm of small crab-robots.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc keeps running, using his internal commlink to queue up a set of commands to the C-12 packed Dragonfly flying in front of them.
(( Roll Engineering to see if the coolant is actually flammable. If not: ))

Set Target = drone cluster;
Set move_Position = target;
move;
detonate;

The tiny drone streaks toward the nearest cluster like a Japanese kamikaze pilot.

[GM Nick]

From Doc's best estimate, he deduces that the coolant is likely a fluorocarbon derivative. It would not be flammable under normal circumstances.

[GM Nick]

(( Just some logistics: The room is about 100 meters from end to end. You're about 33 meters in. ))

[GM Nick]

A massive explosion rips across the chamber as the dragonfly does a suicide run into the nearest group of bots. The pure force of the expanding gasses lays each runner flat on their backside. When the smoke clears, most of the walkway is gone--leaving in its place a smoldering skeleton of steel.

[John]

While their exit has been impeded, so has the drones' access to the team from that side of the room. Covering their rear, Max turns and fires into the advancing mass of defense drones behind them while shouting,

"Tyros! How about giving us a lift?!"

[Drew Buddy]

Doc blinks in confusion at the hole.

"The tech specs said that thing would have the force of a standard HE grenade," He says, picking himself up off the ground.

"They really need to update their data sheets."

He spits out a cracked ocular lens that had become stuck in his mouth.

[Elliott]

Tyros climbs to his feet, eying the gaping hole in the walkway. "Doesn't look like these machines can shoot or fly, so it's time for a tactical flanking maneuver. Think happy thoughts!" Tyros lifts his arms above his head (centering) and launches the team into the air (levitate, f4). Bringing the team up about 10 meters above the walkway, and well out of the crab drones' reach, Tyros flies everyone towards the far exit.

[GM Nick]

Levitate (f4)

[Spellcasting (6) + MAG (6) + Power Focus (2) = 3]
2 6 1 3 3 3 4 5 3 2 4 2 6 2

Resist Logic

[WIL (4) + LOG (6) + Centering (1) + Focused Concentration (2 ) = 2] (( 1S DAMAGE ))
4 1 3 6 4 1 3 6 3 3 3 2 1

Tyros lifts the team off of the grating and they begin to float serenely across the twisted wreckage of the walkway, towards the opposite end.

[GM Nick]

Rawhide spins somewhat uneasily as he floats.

"We ought to take out the rest of the walkway, to discourage those little critters from following us."

[John]

Max agrees,

"Good call."

Taking a grenade from his pack, Max lobs the explosive at the catwalk a short distance shy of the exit toward which Tyros is guiding them.

[Drew Buddy]

Doc swings the rifle behind them, and moves his left hand onto the handle of the underslung grenade launcher.

He takes aim at the entrance where they came in, and lobs a high-explosive round at it.