Tales of Battle - Suri Kerrington

Cindurion 12-Dec-21 06:26 PM

Daytime Phase day 5. You give your swarms the command to grow, and send them out into the city. Unfortunately, it would appear the the district you send them to has been mostly cleared already, and your swarms returned not having grown by much. Next time, however, you have a good feeling about how the progress will go. (You failed the roll to acquire a swarm, but have a -10 to the DC next time.) What do you, your servant and your swarms do for your daytime phase?

Suri Kerrington 12-Dec-21 08:17 PM

I'm at 3 swarms currently, right?

Cindurion 12-Dec-21 08:18 PM

Yup!

Suri Kerrington 12-Dec-21 08:18 PM

Cool, made a note in the character sheet.

Cindurion 12-Dec-21 08:18 PM

Nice, also make a note of what type of swarms they are

Suri Kerrington 12-Dec-21 08:18 PM

Right!

Currently wrote down 2 rats and 1 pigeon. Although for a given mission I could mix and match my individual swarm?

Cindurion 12-Dec-21 08:44 PM

Generally speaking no, but if you just need a single pigeon to do something like deliver a letter that's fine

Suri Kerrington 12-Dec-21 08:46 PM

Right!

So, my plan is as follows: Send my servant to the Eagle housing district to scout around, I'll send one rat swarm to the shopping district to see if Boromir wants to have that meeting. This will also be where I'll have my personal focus. My last two swarms I'll send to GROW.

And since I didn't specify before. I want Roaches! The hardiest of Vermin!

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 12:59 PM

The swarm you sent to the shopping district notices a strange woman with long, silvery hair and a trench coat walking around the sub-district accompanied by a clearly undead dog. She seems to spot one of your rats as it scurries into an alley and follows the rat. What do you do? (edited)

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 01:54 PM

I'm going to guess that that is not Boromir...

I feel like hiding and/or running away might be warranted here!

Which ever might be more doable in this alley.

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 02:02 PM

(She does seem to have noticed your rats and is curiously following them)

(So hiding might be a bit hard, but scattering is an option)

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 02:05 PM

Let's do that one.

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 03:07 PM

As you swarm begins to disperse, you hear the woman say "Hello, did y'all decide to run away or...?", as she takes a couple of steps back and her dog walks to be at her side.

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 03:08 PM

A couple rats go back.

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 03:09 PM

(Do they do anything else as they head back?)

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 03:10 PM

Nothing super specific. They make sure they're seen, but they're ready to bolt if need be.

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 03:29 PM

The woman crouches down and takes out a half eaten crushed up dog treat from her her pocket and places it in front of her. "I though y'all wanted to talk. You left me that letter didn't you? ... and the pirate has gone missing."

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 03:39 PM

Some more rats come around as the first start nibbling on the dog treat.

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 03:58 PM

As they're gathered the speak in unison "Our apologies. We did not recognise you, and found the dead dog walking... Concerning."

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 04:33 PM

The woman continues to talk as she scratches one of the eating rats behind their ear with a finger "No, no, Bilbo is not dangerous, he only bites bad rats. It's true he was once dead... but look at him now, running around full of life again, like a good doggo. Anyhow trust y'all have run into those alien creatures at the church since they hindered our last meeting... I can't believe someone had their lair in that area. Can y'all? "

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 04:41 PM

"Were they... Dealt with?"

Cindurion 13-Dec-21 04:55 PM

"Oh, I have no idea how it ended, I only noticed their lair and then I had to get out of there pretty quick, the situation looked pretty bad though. I've been meaning to ask y'all though, what have you been up to? Do y'all have a name?"

Suri Kerrington 13-Dec-21 06:39 PM

"We might have to look into that later... As for us, you may call us the Swarm. We grow, and we learn. That is what we have been up to. If you seek information me might be able to procure it."

"Now, the pirate. You said he disappeared. Please elaborate..."

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 08:40 AM

"Swarm, that's such a fittingly cute name for y'all." She says as she picks up a few of the other rats with her hand, clearly enjoying petting the small animals.

"The pirate is a bit of a long story but to make it short he was preparing to fight against the magus organisation... But then he just disappeared and I read about in the news about a red-tinted treasure which reminds me of the red-tinted gold coins he had... Now I've never heard of a pirate abandoning their bounty so I find it very suspicious, don't you? Speaking of the news are y'all planning to head to Hudson Green tonight? I was tempted to head there but since I don't know how many other mages are planning the same thing I'm thinking it might not be good to head there alone."

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:05 PM

"I am scouting it out as we speak. I am planning to see if I can take the artefact while the others are distracted by each other."

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:13 PM

(Is that a lie or were you actually planning on going to Hudson Green, not Eagle Gardens like you said you sent your servant to?)

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:14 PM

(That was me meaning to send my servant to Hudson! Why am I like this?)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:17 PM

(In this case it's fine, I'll allow you to take it back since you haven't been notified of anything in the area yet. I will highly recommend you take the time to double-check this type of information in the future though as it is not always doable to ret-con and like I mentioned earlier, I cannot be the police of this campaign, I merely take your orders and make them into reality)

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:20 PM

(I should start refering to things like "The meeting place with Boromir" or "The drop point for the artefact"...)

(My brain clearly can't be trusted)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:23 PM

(That is also fine. I might have follow-up questions in cases where it's vague but you certainly don't need to memorize the names of districts. But all right, so Servant is going to Hudson in this case and you are viewing through it and the swarm?)

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:24 PM

(If possible. Would also be OK with getting a report from my servant if that works better)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:30 PM

(Due to your servant having an intelligence of its own now, it doesn't really matter, and you can basically decide its actions fully.) Your Servant checks out the Hudson Green Housing District, and it seems fairly normal. It doesn't pick up on any Mage signals or anything... Though it does notice a strange-looking creature awkwardly shambling down the streets. It seems to be a grotesque humanoid creature and almost looks like it is compromised of several other creatures stitched together. Does your Servant interact with it in any way, or do anything else in this district?

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:30 PM

(Is it similar to the creatures found in the church district?)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:31 PM

(Hard to say, given their equally grotesque nature. But it does seem somewhat different.)

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 02:34 PM

I'm only after information here, so minimal interaction, but let's try and keep this creature in sight. It might go somewhere I'd want to find out about.)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 02:34 PM

(Noted)

Cindurion 14-Dec-21 06:28 PM

"Y'all are pretty sneaky so that might work... Exept me and the pirate who might still be missing or show up, have you run into any of the other mages? Do you have any tips on what kind of magic they use? If you tell me about them I may or may not be able to distract them for a while longer since I'll also be there."

Suri Kerrington 14-Dec-21 09:12 PM

"We have seen the mage of the Church inscribe sigils that seem to cause the riots. We removed these sigils from the docks, prior to our first meeting. This mage also appear to be accompanied by a grotesque monster. We lack the words to adequately describe it."

"We are also seeing a sewn together creature stalking the streets of Hudson Housing district."

Cindurion 15-Dec-21 09:28 AM

"I see, the church mage might be pretty troublesome. For a while I though that The Broker was secretly a mage but then he got impressed by the pirates magic so I think I was wrong. Anyhow this has been a pleasant exchange of information, If you don't have anything more y'all want to talk about I may head back to prepare for tonight. "

Suri Kerrington 15-Dec-21 01:06 PM

"We wish you luck" And the rats all scurry away in different directions.

Cindurion 15-Dec-21 05:16 PM

(Does your Servant remain in the district or return to Base for the evening?)

Cindurion 15-Dec-21 05:34 PM

For participating in a mini-scene you have been awarded 1 CCP! Make sure to note it down yourself. Keep it up! Nighttime Phase day 5. You once again give your swarms the command to grow, and send them out into the city. They return with a new swarm of roaches for the evening. Your Servant remains in the Hudson Green Housing sub-district, ever vigilant. It appears the creature it is tracking does the same. (If this is not the case, feel free to say so and we can ret-con) Armed with new information, what do you, your servant and your swarms do for your Nighttime phase?

Cindurion 16-Dec-21 08:32 PM

(I'm assuming your servant stays in the district?)

Suri Kerrington 16-Dec-21 08:52 PM

Yes

Think I'll send the pidgeon and roach swarm to the same district.

I'm hoping to be able to steal the artefact from beneath the other's noses.

Cindurion 16-Dec-21 10:21 PM

(Fair enough, what about the other swarms? And your action is to look through the swarms?) (edited)

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 10:43 AM

As your swarms enter the sub-district, a beam of purple light descends from the skies. It hits near your swarms, but a decent distance from your Servant, who still keeps the stitched-together creature in its gaze. It seems like something is coming down from the top of the beam. What does your Servant and swarms do?

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 01:52 PM

Do I have any idea what this is? I'm guessing it's the artifact, but you never know.

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 01:58 PM

(Given the fact that you are Not a True Mage, you cannot be certain. It for sure isn't Verminmancy)

(Scratch that, it is Conjuration, something you do have and you succeed in knowing that it is a form of teleportation spell that seems to be dropping something into the district, overly dramatically. It could have been done in a flash, but the spell has been slowed for dramatic effect.)

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 02:12 PM

(As for what is being teleported, it's impossible to tell at this point, it's still hundreds of meters in the air. Will have to wait until it touches the ground unless you do something else)

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 02:35 PM

... Could my pigeons snatch it out of the air?

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 02:36 PM

(Not super likely, but you don't think it would harm them if they tried, so you could give it a shot if you wanted)

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 02:37 PM

Fuck it! Let's do it!

I want my servant to try and keep stitches from approaching, keeping hidden for a sneak attack if it comes closer.

The roaches are on standby.

(Changing the subject just a bit, but could I still scout with my other swarms? Or do I have to keep to much focus here?)

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 02:43 PM

(You could, if you wanted to, scout one other district. But then you'd have to decide which swarm you are taking direct control of, and if something happens to it you wouldn't be able to directly give the swarms commands anymore as they would act on their own initiative at that point) (edited)

(Alternatively you can take direct control of both swarms and not have to worry about that, and then give specific commands for the other swarms to follow to the best of their abilities, if there's anything in particular you want them to do)

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 02:47 PM

Right. Let's just have the rats GROW. Do... do stray cats count as vermin? Could I get a swarm of those? (edited)

(Dreaming about that nat 20 for the pidgeons. That would be hilarious.) (edited)

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 03:42 PM

The abomination starts making its way towards the beam of light and your Servant attacks. It isn't able to attack the creature without being noticed first, but nevertheless, the attack strikes true as their claws tear a huge gash into the monster and it stumbles backwards. (I do believe it is time for a fight. Would you be available to have a 30 min-hour fight sometime this weekend? If so, which days and times work for you?) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 03:43 PM

I am free most of tomorrow.

As in I don't work. (edited)

I'd also be available Sunday, but I would prefer Saturday.

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 03:50 PM

(We should be able to do it tomorrow around 18-ish in that case!)

Suri Kerrington 17-Dec-21 03:50 PM

That works!

Cindurion 17-Dec-21 03:50 PM

(Possibly somewhat later, but around that time at least)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 03:22 PM

(Change of plans, I was able to have a fight scene entirely via text and I'd like to see if that is possible here as well as that way the fight is archived properly.)

(You're currently on the streets of Hudson Green. The Abomination stands right in front of your Servant, within melee range. The beam of light is at Long range from your Servant.) Your pigeons, try as they might, are unable to budge the large treasure chest coming down from the beam of light. You expect it to take about 3 rounds of combat before it reaches the bottom. (Your Servant won the initiative roll, so it goes first! What does it do?)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 04:06 PM

(The nat 20 did not come when I needed it most! The hilarity! The anticlimax! Snatched from between my claws by the 20 that refused to show!)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 04:13 PM

(Do i get the impression that my swarms could carry or open the chest by themselves?)

(Trying to figure out if I need my servant to get over there or not)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 04:14 PM

(Opening should be fine, carrying may be hard, but depending on what's inside they may be able to just take the contents)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 04:18 PM

(Alright, I'll be banking on that then!)

I'd like my Servant to try and envelope Stitches, like really cover him and start biting and scratching and whatever else I might be able to do.

And seeing as this guy is stitched together, let's see if breaking those stitches might do some real damage!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 04:24 PM

(It's not quite that free-form :P But I take it you're attacking "Stitches" then using teeth and claws? Doing any special attacks like rapid strikes (2 attacks but no extra crit damage) or powerblow (cause the opponent to be either unable to perform an action or unable to defend for 1 round). Either of those would give you a -1 Mod to all your stats for 1 round.)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 04:27 PM

Let's do Powerblow, why don't we.

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 04:41 PM

The creature evades your attack and in its unnatural movements it moves towards the beam of light. As your Servant begins to pursue, it notices a red tint on the mosntrosity's neck that seems to be building up, and all of a sudden it spits up a fireball at your Servant. (Attack roll is 13. This looks like it could hurt due to the attack being an AoE and your servant being vulnerable to that type of damage. Your options are to either Evade, to try and beat the 13 for no damage, or to Brace and try to reduce the damage somewhat.) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:11 PM

EVADE EVADE EVADE!

Or wait, hold on. Need to look at my stats.

(I think my evade was decent, but I don't remember.

(Brace is based on Vitality, yeah?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:14 PM

(Correct, but your armor also affects it)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:14 PM

(Eh, fuckit. Evade. My Vitality isn't much better, and if I recall it can't block all the damage) (edited)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:16 PM

(Ooh, nice! 20!) Your Servant rolls away successfully, dodging the fireball with ease. (You may perform a free run action if you either wanna get away or close the distance. The abomination is currently at Close range to both your Servant and the beam of light.)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:16 PM

Let's get closer, I want to prevent this fucker fucker from getting to the damn artefact!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:17 PM

(Also, as I'm sure you noticed, the roll had already been made, so I will again warn you that anytime you send a message it is considered final. Do take the time to think actions through as they cannot always be ret-conned)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:17 PM

(Fair)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:19 PM

Your servant, in one fluid motion, turns the dodge into an opportunity to close the distance and does so successfully. Having caught up to the monstrosity, what does it do?

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:19 PM

(Do I have some way of hindering its movement?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:20 PM

(Grapples generally do so, and if he doesn't escape the grapple by your next turn you can throw him)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:20 PM

(That sound fun! Let's grapple!)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:22 PM

(Not a super good roll, got a 7. Do you have any CCPs and would you like to spend one to re-roll in that case?)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:23 PM

(I do have a 4... Let's turn that into 3 and reroll)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:23 PM

(12. Keep or re-roll?)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:23 PM

(What's on the dice?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:24 PM

(Nat 1s cannot be re-rolled so there is always a risk involved with re-rolling) (13)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:25 PM

(Getting anything better is statistically unlikely... I think I'll save my re-rolls. Let's keep it)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:45 PM

Miraculously, despite not looking particularly agile, the abomination evades the attempt to grapple, and slides back towards the beam of light. It has now arrived at it, and breathes another fireball at your Servant. (Attack roll is 10. How do you defend?)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:45 PM

Evade!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:46 PM

(Oh fuck. Nat 1. Cannot be re-rolled)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:48 PM

Fuck.

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:49 PM

Your Servant is engulfed in flame and screeches out in pain. (It takes 100 points of damage, leaving it at 40 left. One more non-crit fireball will trigger Last Chance unless something is done. They seem to deal 50 damage to your Servant normally.) What does your Servant, (And now your swarms, now that the fight is near the beam of light) do?

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:50 PM

(I could have a swarm merge with my Servant mid-combat yeah?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:51 PM

(Yup, permanently sacrificing it)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:52 PM

Well, my servant is important... My Roach Swarm is gonna merge with my Servant. Is the box arriving this turn or the next?

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:53 PM

(End of this turn. You'll be the first to be able to interact with it)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:53 PM

(Right!)

(Is merging the action of the Swarm, or the Servant?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:54 PM

(The swarm, your Servant still has its action, as does the pigeons)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:55 PM

(Right! I don't suppose I could ready an action for the pigeons to open the box and still have an action on on my next turn?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 05:56 PM

The abomination speaks. "This is what happens when you mess with professionals."

(Sure)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 05:57 PM

(So... I could have the Pigeons ready an action to open the box as soon as it touches down, and then have them try and fly away with the contents on my turn?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:00 PM

(Probably, yes, depending on the contents and if your pigeons roll well enough.)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:01 PM

Well, let's try that for the pigeons.

(As for the Servant... Can I get close enough to attack?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:03 PM

(Yes you can. You could grapple or just attack normally or swift strikes/powerblow, or if you have any cool swarm ability ideas you could try that!)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:09 PM

(Could I... Just kinda cover his face with my Servant's swarm? Blind him, if you will?)

(Seeing as he's shooting his fireballs from his mouth he should be struggling to hit me if I'm literally in his face, no?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:11 PM

(You could definitely do that, would inflict a -2 modifier to anything requiring sight)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:11 PM

(Could I also claw at his face whilst doing so? Trying to claw out his eyes, etc?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:12 PM

(No, you would have to choose between damage and debuff)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:12 PM

(Darnit!)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:13 PM

(You could give him a debuff that gives damage every turn if that's something you wanna do)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:13 PM

I'll try and blind him. At that range he should hit himself if he tries to fireball as well.

(My plan is to get out of here VERY soon :P)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:14 PM

(Probably not, they don't have the mass to stop the engulfing flames, should he do it once more. He does have the penalty to hit though)

(Oh geez, another nat 1.) Your Servant sends some of its own to try and engulf the abomination's face, but the creature's clumsy movements make it fall right on top of the swarms before they got to it, crushing them in a freak accident. Your Servant loses 10 HP due to the crit fail and the action fails. Your pigeons are ready with the chest though.

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:17 PM

FUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:24 PM

The Abomination approaches the chest and seems to try and focus, but shakes its head, seemingly unable to do so. Your pigeons open the chest and see a variety of trinkets and small objects. Trivial for a bird to carry. However, there is also a larger object, a sword, that would be hard to carry for the pigeons. What do you do?

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:26 PM

(Can I grab the sword and get the hell out of dodge with my servant in any meaningful way in a single turn?)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:27 PM

(The creature might try and block your Servant, or any one of the birds, depending on what he values, but if it fails to do so you should be able to perform a run action at least.)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:28 PM

(Can I tell if any of the trinkets are magical?) (edited)

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:28 PM

(All of them seem to be)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:29 PM

(Alright. Well, I suspect that of all the items I will find the least use out of the sword.)

I would like to have my Servant block Stitches so that he can't get at the chest. Meanwhile I would like my pigeons to grab as much stuff from the chest as possible. Anything they can carry easily as their top priority, If there are pigeons left who aren't carrying anything after that they can try and help each other try and go for the heavier stuff.

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:32 PM

(Fair enough, sounds like a grapple check then for your Servant? That's the most effective way of blocking someone) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:34 PM

Let's do it!

I've rolled 2 nat 1s already, what are the odds of a third!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:34 PM

(You got an 8, roll was 8.) (edited)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:34 PM

Re-roll!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:35 PM

(6)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:35 PM

Again!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:35 PM

(Nat 20!!!!)

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:35 PM

FUCK YEAH!!!!!!!

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 06:51 PM

(WTF!? They got a nat 20 too! The abomination actually stops it! I don't even...)

The Abomination grabs the sword, ignoring your pigeons as they grab the smaller trinkets, and starts heading off. Do you attempt to stop it?

Suri Kerrington 18-Dec-21 06:59 PM

*sigh * No. I'll take my spoils and languish in my luck...

Cindurion 18-Dec-21 07:00 PM

Fair enough. You successfully get away as the Abomination only seemed interested in the sword.

As you regroup at the base, you inspect the trinkets, and realize that you have received 2 re-roll beads. 2 skill crystals and 2 Crystals of Potential. (The re-roll beads can be crushed to re-roll any non-1 roll. the skill crystals can increase any 1 stat and the crystals of potential gives CCPs)

(Phew, so despite that shitshow of bad rolls, you made it out with a decently good bounty I'd say, and some knowledge.)