JACK: {Agreed, captain. In addition, if some of you are speedy and don't have a way to take out more than one target at a time, or can't seem to hit a target easily, consider finding large pods and opening them to make sure they don't contain vital parts. Even if you can't rip them free from the columns it will save me time, especially since I am slower than most of you. If you do not have a reason to be spread out, pull back toward the central group. This doesn't really keep them from attacking who they want because they are so small and nimble, but it forces them to crowd together where the area attacks can hurt more of them at once. Oh and Tal, if you can fly and they can't, use it against them... You can probably rip those upper pods right off the column with your TK too, can't you?
JACK (OOC): Seriously guys, I'm one of the slowest people, and if I have to check a pod, then rip it off a column, then throw it, it's probably going to take me most of a turn to get one decent attack in. If someone with SPD 6 or more can check the pod, or rip it off the column, or better yet BOTH... You get the idea. Tal can even get into the action throwing pods with his TK if we get the support we need.
GM: To thoroughly search a 1 hex pod will take several turns if it is full. And if the person doing the searching has no engineering skill, they wouldn't know a hyperdrive part if it bit them in the butt. People can certainly check the large pods to see if they are empty, or close to it, as a full phase action.
JACK (GM): My thinking was perhaps to empty the pod gently onto the ground, but I guess that works best if it's already pulled free of the column.
IANNA (OOC): Though throwing the pods seem to be fairly effective at hurting the bugs I don't think it's really working out. If it takes 1-2 people several actions to deal with a full pod then it's not worth it. We also don't want to risk throwing a pod that has a vital piece we need. Or damaging such pieces by emptying a pod. The best shot would be to check for empty pods and throw those. If they're full then we'd need to move on. Though I love the notion that Jack is smashing several bugs by throwing these pods on them it's just not a good way of taking several actions just to free up a single pod.
JACK (OOC): Yeah, it's a pain overall. At least the open one is near the ground and I can use that one with a minimum of fuss. Keep in mind that even attacking a stunned one they have half DCV which for these things is significant, probably around 7, but most of us can hit that without having to get lucky.
IANNA (OOC): Given that Marco is freezing one opponent per attack and several other bugs get phased each round of attacks, 2-3 people could be following up making sure those bugs don't get back up again. Those with AOE attacks should continue, of course, but that makes the best tactical sense. I'm going to have Ianna finish off her phased bug on her 4 action. Actually, Keith you could have Jack use phased bugs as throwing weapons against other bugs. I guess it wouldn't be an AOE attack but it would have a chance to hit one and surely it should be enough to eliminate the thrown bug too.
JACK (OOC): While good in theory it would fall flat in practice. I would NEVER hit one of them with a thrown bug, they would have their full DCV instead of the hex's DCV of 3. I suppose if I run out of things worth doing with pods I will make a try of it, but would practically need a natural 3 to hit with the thrown bug.
JACK (OOC): As for Marco, it all depends on how long his mental paralysis is likely to last. If it takes a bug out of the fight for several actions and almost never fails, it's more worthwhile than a mental blast that only has a 50/50 chance of knocking them out (just guessing here). It also lines up some easy targets that are waiting to be KO'd by those that can't hit moving ones, much easier to coordinate.
GM: I started Maptool last night but the way that computer has been going I have no idea if it is still running. The pods are marked on the map. For each pod, go ahead and roll 1d6-1 to see how many meters up the column the pod is.
JACK (GM): I just wasn't sure if the Open Pod marked there is the one I've already smashed or the only other available one that's already been searched. I knew some were supposed to be above the ground level but didn't see any heights marked, etc. Here's the vertical distances:
Open Pod#1: [rolled 1 (-1)- Total: 0, Body: 0]
Pod#2: [rolled 6 (-1)- Total: 5, Body: 2]
Pod#3: [rolled 6 (-1)- Total: 5, Body: 2]
Pod#4: [rolled 2 (-1)- Total: 1, Body: 1]
JACK (GM): I will describe my action when I get a better idea of where the next available pod is, and/or whether or not someone else is going to help me get it. In addition I might want to try to hold my throw for the moment they are charging forward and get into as thick of a cluster as possible before they get to us. I have the Teamwork skill for these things, FWIW.
IANNA (OOC): I don't know if you can call yourself one of the slowest persons. :) I'm the only SPD 6, several of you are SPD 5 with two in the group at SPD 4. That's not a lot of difference in number of actions. However, you're right in that as a team we need to be smart with our actions. Right now those with AOE attacks and Marco have the best chance of hitting. Isobella and Ianna are next but if the bugs have a DCV of 13 or better means we have to roll well just to stun them. Curt and Tal, I recommend you start teaming up with others. The phased bugs are easy targets so go after them. I'll have Ianna open pods to help Jack with his pod throwing. We should also move closer together as there's no reason not to and it'll help us coordinate attacks. Tal, you should be airborne as a flyer. Heck, Curt you might want to consider goo form. You'll probably draw a couple attacks that will be wasted. Of course, that means you can't attack but if you're close to going unconscious it's probably the smarter move.
SHOOTER: {Captain, I think I should stay a bit separated from the group. The bugs haven't been able to break my force field yet. I'd like to have a few of them attacking me so I can detonate a frag grenade pretty much at my feet and get at least 2 or 3 of them per shot. My frag grenades have never been able to penetrate my force field although they have occasionally made me a bit woozy.} (In game terms, the BODY damage of the frag grenade has no chance of penetrating Shooter's FF but a combination of good BODY and a high STUN lotto could cause some STUN damage.)
IANNA: {Granted. Isobella, can you move back this way to give Shooter more room to attract some bugs?}
GM: I realized that I resolved Shooter's frag grenade incorrectly last phase. I was thinking that it lost 1 die per hex but it is 1 DC per hex which, for a killing attack, means 1 die after 3 hexes. I won't go back and fix it (Isobella would probably be knocked out) but will work it that way in the future. That means that Shooter will make sure he is further away from everyone when he uses it.
 | DEX | |
| Ianna | 35 | IANNA: {I want everyone to group up. Make sure you take out the stunned bugs so they don't rejoin their friends in attacking us.} Ianna then strikes again at the prone bug near her.
TECH: Maintain Aporting Field, END: 1
+1 in OCV
Offensive Strike on stunned bug; OCV 11, DCV 13 [rolled 11], [rolled 2 4 5 4 3 4 4 6 1 1 1 4 6 1 - Total: 46, Body: 12] damage,
[rolled 21] KB, END: 5 |
| Isobella | 33 | ISOBELLA: Isobella retreats closer to the others (but not leaving Shooter behind to be surrounded). She then jabs at a bug with her walking stick, trading power for evasiveness.
ISOBELLA (tech): Moving to draw attacks from others with her good armor and high DCV. Using Jab on a bug (+1 OCV, +3DCV), 4 levels on defense, 2 on attack for 13 OCV 17 DCV [rolled 15], damage [rolled 6 5 5 1 3 5 6 5 - Total: 36, Body: 9], knockback [rolled 8]
ISOBELLA: {Will do}, responded Isobella. She then opened up plenty of distance between herself and the frag grenade dropping Shooter.
ISOBELLA (tech): Ignore the sticking with shooter part of the previous post. Move back and attack bug on someone else (though I think it was probably a miss anyway). |
| Curt | 26 | CURT: Knowing the bugs will probably knock him out if he stays and fights, Curt changes to goo form and flows up the column. |
| Tal | 23 | TAL: Tal will 1/2 move towards Dasan and Isobella to get away from being almost completely surrounded by the bugs, then try to blast the nearest bug...
TECH: OCV(11-): [rolled 17]; Damage: [rolled 1 5 5 3 3 4 3 4 6 6 4 5 6 2 4 - Total: 61, Body: 17]; |
| Jack | 20 | JACK (GM): The only remaining question is whether there is any value to trying to hold my throw for the best possible mass grouping/swarm of bugs as they move on segment 6 (or segment 9 if I don't rip the pod free easily on 6). I will almost certainly hop easily over to the remaining open pod, but my casual strength probably won't rip it free. Will you allow me to hop, rip it free (using extra inches of leaping in a "Grab By" for extra damage? I do have a martial arts Flying Grab maneuver it if helps) and then leap back without throwing it? I'm sure I can't easily rip it free and throw it this turn, I got lucky to get it free with just casual strength last time. Ideally I can conserve a little END and not use all 60 Str here too. Let's see, 50 Str and the leaping gets me 8d6 on a casual strength, 13d6 if it isn't casual, so I'll make those test rolls, and you can adjudicate what I have left.
TECH: [rolled 4 1 6 4 1 3 3 6 - Total: 28, Body: 8] looking to exceed 7 body to rip the pod free casually. [rolled 4 2 2 6 2 - Total: 16, Body: 6] more dice if the previous effort fails and I use up my attack. OCV 7, DCV 7 for this phase due to movement and grabbing.
GM: There are too many obstacles to be able to do a leaping grab by. Remember that there are a lot of pods that are not drawn in. Jack can get to the other pod and rip it free with 40 STR this phase and then throw it next phase. |
| Dasan | 20 | DASAN: {I am moving over by you guys. I also think I have this thing figured out.}
DASAN(Tech): Dasan will move to his right and end up next to the pillar. If I read it right he should be able to hit five or more bugs to his left. Flame thrower offensive shot OCV 7 DCV 9 [rolled 11] if hit damage [rolled 5 3 5 - Total: 13, Body: 3] 12" line +1, stun [rolled 1] 1 of 4 charges remaining. |
| Shooter | 20 | No Action on Phase 4-5 |
| Marco | 23 or 18 | No Action on Phase 4-5 |
| Bugs | 35 | No Action on Phase 4-5 |
PHASE 4
DEX 35 - Ianna kills bug 28.
PHASE 5
DEX 33 - Isobella does a half move running (4") towards the rest of the group and attacks bug 2 but misses.
DEX 26 - Curt changes to goo form and flows up the column.
DEX 23 - Tal shoots at a bug but misses.
DEX 20 - Jack leaps over to the other open pod and rips it out of the column.
DEX 20 - Dasan lines up 5 bugs with his flame thrower and fires. The prone bug and the 2 stunned bugs catch the full brunt of the blast and are killed. The last two bugs jump out of the way (GM: Bugs 8 and 13 aborted their phase 6 action to leap clear of the blast.)
GM: Ianna can send me her phase 6 action since she rolled higher and gets to go first. Then I will resolve the bugs. |