Tales of Battle - Suri Kerrington

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:06 PM

Daytime Phase day 11. Having reduced the corruption in your area by a large amount, your swarms look to you for guidance. What do you, your servant and your swarms do for your daytime phase?

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:10 PM

(I'm gonna have to root out the source of the madness in the district. I don't suppose I get a feel for any direction or anything like that? Anything to go on for where to start looking?)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:12 PM

(Not really, no. Good thing you can scout several sub-districts! ^^) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:13 PM

(Indeed! Would have been nice to know where to send my servant to get to work though :P)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:13 PM

(You can technically send your swarms to scout, and once you've received word you can send your Servant I guess)

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:14 PM

(Oh! That'd be nice! Could the swarms assist in any meaningful way when it came to dealing with the totems?)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:14 PM

(Not while scouting)

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:15 PM

(Yeah, didn't think so.)

I'll send one swarm to each sub-district in Downtown, including my own. You never know if they decide to do something shady here. And wherever I detect the greatest concentration of madness I'll send the Servant to start cleaning up. (edited)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:18 PM

(You would quickly realize it's at the Bank)

As your Servant makes it to the Bank sub-district, it notices that there's a strange, singular totem at the source of the madness. While it has been possible to claw out the madness before, in this case it looks like this totem is pulsating madness outwards from its position. What do you do?

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:23 PM

(What do I do? I regret giving away the book, that's what I do! I would love to consult that right now!)

(Could I... just try and destroy it?)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:25 PM

(You certainly could! Doesn't look super durable, but might take some time. Would essentially be a phase action)

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:25 PM

(Are there any other sources in the area? Just to make sure.)

Cindurion 23-Jan-22 09:27 PM

(Not that you could detect)

Suri Kerrington 23-Jan-22 09:27 PM

Then let's tear this thing down! And hope nothing bad happens!

Cindurion 26-Jan-22 08:15 PM

As your Swarm is scouting your home area, all of a sudden they see a familiar man. The man with the large weapons arsenal. The worrying part is that you don't pick him up on your Mage Sight, you just happened to notice him as he sneaks around the area. Do they react in any way?

Suri Kerrington 26-Jan-22 08:22 PM

They make sure they're hidden, that's for sure!

Cindurion 26-Jan-22 11:50 PM

Nighttime Phase day 11. Having destroyed the totem, your Servant returns to your Base. Hopefully this should stop the spread of madness… The man who entered your district leaves at nightfall. You aren’t able to tell where he goes. What do you, your servant and your swarms do for your nighttime phase?

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 11:15 AM

(Reminder to get your action in before 21 tonight if you wish to participate in tonight's drop.)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 05:23 PM

(Ah, shit, right!)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 09:07 PM

I will send my servant and swarms to try and ambush Walter, whom I presume is going to the drop off, to try and ambush him when he comes home. This is riding on the hope that the house i saw him in the hospital district is in fact where he lives.

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 09:16 PM

...I just realised that that is a very bad idea considering that being close to him seems to negate my swarm control. And I don't want to know what that will do to my servant.

So completely scratch that.

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 09:24 PM

Actually... am I supposed to not have access to the newspaper channel?

Cause I don't seem to.

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 10:04 PM

(Ah, strange! What about now?)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:04 PM

(Fixed!)

(OK! With the knowledge of the contents of the cashe, I should probably get involved! If it isn't too late now?)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 10:18 PM

(Fortunately for you I have been a bit slow so far so you have one final chance to join on time. No takebacksies after this though!)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:19 PM

(Yeah, I'm going in with everything I got! If he gets that thing I'm guaranteed dead either way!)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 10:23 PM

(The area you're in, being the luxury apartment district, has many large apartments with some as tall as 20 floors, and several smaller but still good-looking buildings. There are many small parks in the area, all of which look very classy and bare. Hiding in a bush inside a park would be trivial. Getting access to any of the buildings would require some deception, whether it involves breaking into someone's apartment, trying to sneak past hotel managers, or just outright threatening someone to get a good position to view from. If you choose to lay low, where would you be? In addition, is there any part of the terrain you're curious about and wish to establish before an eventual battle?)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:28 PM

(I would like to keep an aerial eye with my pigeons on the rooftops, the rest I'd like to hide in the bushes in the park.)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 10:31 PM

As you enter the district and scout it, you pick up a magic signal in the area, but you are unable to pinpoint it. As the clock strikes 20, you notice a purple beam of light off in the distance. (It appears at Close Range from where your Servant is, in the same park.)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:32 PM

I remain hidden.

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:49 PM

(I just realised that there is a step closer than Close, that being Melee. Are there any bushes to hide in closer to the light, if it's not too late?)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 10:57 PM

(You could move closer to Near or Melee range. Unfortunately the area is completely open with almost no cover within near range of the beam of light. Doing so might trigger additional perception/stealth checks from anyone keeping watch over the area though. Additionally you could attempt a Perception check as your action.)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 10:58 PM

(Let's take the perception action then.

Also, am I getting anything from my pigeons in the air?)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 11:06 PM

You notice a gang of bikers roaming the area. In addition, you think you see some movement at the top of a tall building at Long range, seems like a man wearing dark clothes, but it's hard to make out. The building doesn't have a great angle on the park though, so you think you're safe.

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 11:42 PM

(Gonna try and keep track of both of those entities. Otherwise until something changes I'm gonna stay hidden and wait.)

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 11:55 PM

The gang of bikers seem to move towards the park, loudly. They are still at Medium range though. In addition, the man you spotted on the building seems to use a grappling gun of sorts and gets to a building at Close range from the park. You can now see that the man appears to be wearing a hood and has a sniper rifle. What do you do for your action?

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 11:56 PM

I'm gonna start spitting acid from my pigeons on the dude in a sniper rifle. From range.

It's never gonna be efficient for him to take out a swarm of pigeons with a sniper rifle! Right? Nervous laughter

Cindurion 28-Jan-22 11:58 PM

(You got a 7! 10 - 5 accuracy, +2 from crown. Keep?)

Suri Kerrington 28-Jan-22 11:58 PM

(It's mainly meant to serve as a distraction, so I'll keep.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:02 AM

Your pigeons actually hit! the acid spit barely nicks the man, causing his hood to dissolve. Once it does you can tell that is not the same man you saw earlier in the Mage War. (You still have your actions with the other swarms and your Servant.) (edited)

(The chest will drop in 3 turns. Remember you can perform "magical effects" using your Swarm stat in combat by using AP. This could include almost anything you could think of that makes sense for the stat. Alternatively you can use perception checks to search the area. What actions would you like to perform?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:10 AM

(Well, my other swarms are somewhat useless, they're mostly here as health packs for my servant...)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:11 AM

(So no actions this turn?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:13 AM

(Not from the swarms at the very least. They'll just stay hidden within range of my servant.)

(ACTUALLY!)

(I remember we made rules for adding on swarms to the servant, let me go back and check them.)

(Ok, no. Not super useful right now. I'll just remain hidden with both my swarms and my servant.)

1

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:17 AM

The sniper retaliates by throwing a grenade at your pigeons. Attack roll is a 17. How do you defend? (Pigeons have a total of -1 to their Evasion stat thanks to your bonuses, or -5 to Brace) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:27 AM

(Man, It's brave throwing a grenade at an airborne target. Without perfect knowledge of the arming and fuse time of the grenade there's simply no way of knowing if it'll even explode at the right time to harm the target! Not to mention that there's no barrier against shrapnel!)

(I'll try to evade and scatter a bit.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:28 AM

(Tell you what, you make a good point. Attack roll is a 15.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:31 AM

(Against my evasion? I'm afraid I'm not quite following (I've had a few drinks, I wasn't quite anticipating to be doing this tonight))

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:31 AM

(You got a 12 to defend with the swarm. Not enough to get a glancing hit. Keep?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:32 AM

(A 12... That's a 13 on the die, right?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:35 AM

(Yup, that's correct. 13 on the die. I gave the attack a -2 Mod for the difficulty of timing the airborne attack)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:37 AM

(So I would need a 16+ on the die... The odds are not in my favour... But getting anything lower(not counting 1) isn't gonna get me worse result is it?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:38 AM

(Correct. aside from 1s you can't get a worse result. You would need a 15 to get a glancing hit I believe, or did you upgrade their armor..?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:40 AM

(I meant on the die, and no, the only armour upgrade went to my servant... kinde wishing I'd have increased the armour of my pigeons as well, but such is hindsight, isn't it?)

Fuckit, I'll use a CCP to re-roll. Getting this artefact is a big deal.

(Changed CCP from 5 to 4)

(Que the nat 1)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:51 AM

(You got a nat 5, so 4)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:51 AM

(Yeah, figured it wasn't gonna work out. I'll just leave it.) (edited)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:52 AM

(Let the roll remain you mean?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:53 AM

(Yeah, let the roll remain.)

(Edited the message to say what I meant to say.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 12:54 AM

You pigeon swarm is blown apart by the explosion. what few pigeons remain no longer constitute a swarm. You have lost the pigeon swarm.

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 12:54 AM

(Yeah, suspected as much...)

(I could have handled that whole situation a lot better, but what can ya do.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 01:00 AM

(Well, at least it was only a walking healthpack :P)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 01:01 AM

(The pigeons could spit acid! And fly! The pigeons were actually good!

) (edited)

(Had I thought about the time it would take for the artefact to arrive I would have held off...)

(I should have been the Pigeon Queen instead of the Rat Queen!)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:01 AM

It is once again your turn. Treasure chest will land at the end of the next combat round.

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:14 AM

(You said there were still a few pigeons left, even if they do not constitute a swarm. Could I still see through their eyes?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:33 AM

(No, the swarm lost all its hit points, it was mostly for fluff. I would probably allow you to keep the talking pigeon upgrade if you get another swarm, but any surviving pigeons need to recover or retreat.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:33 AM

(Darn. Worth a shot!)

I'll stay hidden, taking the perception action to see if anything else approaches.

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:39 AM

You notice the bikers are getting pretty close to the park. In addition, you notice a hooded man standing next to a building, observing the scene. He seems to be talking to someone. If you wish, you could say this was a swarm's action and take a separate action with your Servant.

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:40 AM

(Could my servant, at current, both reach the chest, and grab its contents? Or would I have to get closer?) (edited)

(Assuming it had arrived.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:42 AM

(When the chest touches down, your Servant would be able to move to it, open it up, and grab any contents inside. It would be unable to move afterwards and that would be its action for the turn. Remember that as long as you are alive, your Servant is affected by the mage tether, so grab'n'go might be hard.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:44 AM

(The tether! I forgot about that... Haven't been affected by that yet...)

(Were I to move closer, could I grab the contents and then make a run for cover?)

(I'm not particularly fond of the Sniper being out of my sight...)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:45 AM

(Yes, but you would have no cover if you do move closer since the area within Near range of the beam of light has no cover, just an open patch of grass.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:46 AM

(Damned if I do, damned if I don't, eh? Is my position in the initiative open knowledge to me?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:47 AM

(No, but I can tell you you got a 17.)

(So presumably you'll be going pretty quickly after the chest touches down.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:50 AM

(Indeed.)

(Just so I'm getting this right. It's this round, next round, and then it arrives ready to be interacted with for the third round, correct?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:52 AM

(Correct.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:52 AM

(OK, I shall remain hidden this round.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:58 AM

(You got a 11+1+2=14 for your Stealth check. If anyone has noticed you they would have to roll perception against this roll to keep you in their sights. Keep?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:58 AM

(Keep)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:21 PM

(Since this fight might drag on past the deadline, would you be available tomorrow evening for a call to wrap this up if it isn't close to being done by then?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 04:32 PM

(Should be, yeah.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 04:49 PM

Suddenly, out of nowhere, your servant is shot at! Fortunately it notices the attack in the last second, but the bullet is creeping steadily closer. How does it defend? (Got a nat 20 to notice the surprise attack, so you have a chance to defend against the attack. The attack roll is a 19.) (edited)

(Given the nat 20, and the fact that you already have a +2 Mod you will have a free re-roll if you wish.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 06:24 PM

(I'm guessing you'd want to evade?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 07:15 PM

(Yeah. Sorry for slow responses. I'm at a boardgame night.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 07:16 PM

(You got an 18. Not quite enough to dodge the attack, but enough to make it a glancing hit, meaning only half damage taken and no adverse effects from the attack itself. Do you want to keep or re-roll? Remember that re-rolls are not advantage, you have to keep the last re-roll you made after you are done re-rolling.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 07:19 PM

Getting more seems VERY unlikely. I'll keep.

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 07:25 PM

(Your Servant takes 30 damage from the attack, as the bullet hits the ground, causing it to explode into a bundle of thorned metal wire. If that bullet would have hit it would have been real nasty.) Looking up at the direction of the attack, you see the man you encountered some nights ago that gave your pigeons a crystal, his sniper trained straight at your Servant. You also notice the hooded man heading off to hide behind a building. You can still see him, but it will be hard to keep a track of him soon. You've now lost track of the other sniper that your pigeons attacked earlier. In addition, the bikers that were about to enter the park seems to have backed off. What does your Servant and your swarms do? (edited)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:33 PM

(Snipers are like the worst case scenario here...)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:34 PM

(Yup, and you've got two of them in a crossfire with you in the center :P)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:34 PM

(And if I don't get that artefact I'm really quite doomed either way!)

(Whatever happens, I'm pretty sure my fate in the wars are decided this evening...)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:35 PM

(Actually, I just realized your Servant has the swarm ability, so the sniper only dealt 15 damage)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:35 PM

(AHA! There's hope!)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:38 PM

(If you're planning on just trying to tank the bullets and then doing... Something? With the chest, there's always the focus action which can give modifiers and re-rolls to an action you will perform, such as evasion. That or just attempting another stealth check, but not sure if either of those are the best course of action.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:40 PM

(I think my plan of action here is to grab the chest (I think they were carrying size the last few times?) and then bolting for cover...)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:40 PM

(What are you planning on doing with the chest? Mage Tether is currently active)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:42 PM

(I just don't want anyone else to snatch it up while I'm busy.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:43 PM

(Ah, fair enough. So what is your action for this turn?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:44 PM

(It was gonna arrive at the end of next turn, yes?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:45 PM

(Correct)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:50 PM

(Are the bushes providing any cover from the snipers? And could I move over to where the chest will appear and still be able to take a focus action?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 09:55 PM

(Not from the shots, but allows you to make stealth checks with a +1 Mod (You already have a +2 Mod though so it doesn't really affect you). If you go out in the open you would be automatically revealed to anyone watching the area.) (As for moving and making a focus action, yes you can.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 09:59 PM

(Right.) I would like to stay where I am and focus on evasion.

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 10:01 PM

(Oooh, nat 19. You get multi-rolls on evasion until the end of your next turn. Multi-rolls are like re-rolls but you can pick either die as long as neither is a nat 1, in which case you have to pick the 1. It's basically advantage but with an added risk)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 10:01 PM

(Dope!)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 10:01 PM

(Swarms doing the same?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 10:01 PM

(Ye)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 10:02 PM

(Rats got free re-rolls for evasion, Roaches got nothing)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 10:03 PM

(

)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 11:47 PM

(Where are your Swarms in relation to your Servant? They only have a speed of 1 so I'm just thinking what kinda distance they would be from it. Could be anywhere from Melee to Near to Close range while remaining within the same park.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 11:48 PM

(I'm thinking some neighbouring bushes, so near, I guess?)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 11:52 PM

The same guy who recently tried to shoot your Servant seems to toss something right at your Servant. You realize quickly that staying near that thing would be bad. (Attack roll is a 19. Evade?)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 11:52 PM

(SHEIT THESE ATTACK ROLLS!)

(YEAH I'M EVADING!)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 11:53 PM

(You got an 18. Enough for a glancing hit. You could chance a second roll, and as long as it's not a nat 1 you can keep the highest number.)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 11:54 PM

(Yeah, sure.)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 11:54 PM

(It's a 9. So you could take the 18 or pay for a re-roll)

Suri Kerrington 29-Jan-22 11:54 PM

(I'll take the glancing) (edited)

Cindurion 29-Jan-22 11:55 PM

(All right. What about your swarms, also evading?)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:00 AM

Ye

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:00 AM

(That's a 5 for the Rats, re-roll for free? And a 14 for the roaches.) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:02 AM

(I'll take the re-roll for the rats.)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:02 AM

(That's a 7. Re-rolling anything for CCPs?)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:03 AM

(My only hope for them is a nat 20, isn't it?)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:03 AM

(Most likely unless it's a weak grenade)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:04 AM

(At which point what I roll wouldn't matter, I presume?)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:05 AM

(Yeah, since a nat 19 isn't even enough to turn it into a glancing hit.)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:05 AM

(Seems like spending any CCPs is kinda worthless then!)

(Bye bye swarms!)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:11 AM

The small item hits the ground and you can tell it's a magical grenade of sorts that bounces up into the air and begins glowing before violently exploding, shredding your swarms apart and injuring your Servant. (You lost both your swarms and you Servant took 60 damage from the glancing hit! What is terrifying about this weapon is that you feel like this was partly an unpreventable attack! At least half of that damage would have been inflicted even if you had saved against it entirely, save a nat 20! So if he's got more of these things he can blow you apart no matter what you roll! You cannot afford to tank further hits of this kind.)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:12 AM

(What's my health at?)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:12 AM

(65)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:13 AM

(Fuck...)

(So... What's that formal phrase of surrender? I might have need of it soon

) (edited)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:17 AM

(No such thing, you just say you withdraw from the war in whatever manner you feel like and then you are no longer eligible for the Wish nor bound by the tether.)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:18 AM

(Yeah... Cause I'm starting to feel like I might not quite be able to win this... And running away from the city before the nuke feels like the smart thing at thing point...) (edited)

(Was the mage organisation guy I spoke with a part of the war, btw?)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:21 AM

(With the swarms you might've been able to do a prolonged fight, but now it's looking reaaal bad indeed. You could just throw your Servant at the guy out of spite but if you care about your character surviving, escaping seems like a better idea)

(Not sure, don't think you ever asked?)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:22 AM

(I didn't...)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:33 AM

Fuck it. I'm not dying for this. I'll call up the organisation guy and tell him "I withdraw from the war." and hang up. My servant will bolt for the nearest sewer access it can find and come back to me. I'll bring as much stuff as I can and escape to some other city and try and set myself up again there.

Would I be allowed to send a message in Trash-talk on my way out in relation to my withdrawal?

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:34 AM

Nobody picks up the phone. You could if you wanted send a message in trash-talk. You get the impression that it doesn't matter who you tell, as long as you formally declare it. Technically it's enough for you just to whisper the words.

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:36 AM

(Well, crap. Ah well, that gives me a moment to think of something slightly more theatrical.)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:37 AM

(All right, it's technically your turn now, just so you know!)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:37 AM

(Ah, shit!)

I'm going to say out loud (in my sewer) "The Queen abdicates her throne, and surrenders the war."

(Hopefully that works, and my servant is gonna do what I said earlier.)

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:42 AM

(Just to be clear, you would have to send the trash-talk message before or directly in conjunction with your declaration to exit the war, as your link will break afterwards)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:42 AM

(Right!)

(Gimme a moment to think of something clever.)

1

Cindurion 30-Jan-22 12:49 AM

Your Servant, no longer bound by the Mage Tether, proceeds to escape the area. (Rolls a 19 so it has officially disengaged from the fight and will be heading over to pick you up and escape the city.)

Suri Kerrington 30-Jan-22 12:50 AM

Woop!