Into the Maw (Game Thread)

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"Oh, how intriguing..." The psyker purred to nobody in particular. Her peripheral vision caught sight of the bird, but she paid little heed of it, just reached down to lift a flap of her coat and let her own familiar out. The viper soipped out quickly, slipping through the feet of the crowd and possibly causing a small panic before climbing the doorframe, readying to drop on it's prey before it came out.

Ishta meanwhile, had a rather predatory grin on her face as she advanced on the retreating woman. Much further and she would lose the connection, the psyker couldn't bear that. Siggy was all but forgotten, her focus narrowing as she pushed to dig deeper into the fleeing Ash's mind...

Spoiler

First off, I doubt my familiar can get in place before the bird flies out, if it makes it that far. if nothing happens with that, I'm fine with it. Still not even sure where I can post familiar stats on my sheet, eh well.

Power Test:

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24 vs 69, 4DoS. Success on turn three gives the ability to sort through the target's last 12 hours, as well as casual secrets the target may have, such as simple passwords or experiences they don't wish known. I dun expect a 12 hour log from ya, but anything plot-relevant would be fun.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Faydra ripped the Mnemolith away from the bird with the one hand while swatting at the beast with the back of her other. She had seen the bird soaring toward her and she was certainly not daft enough to not be grasping the device by the time it got to her. She also thought that it was the excess of stupidity to design a gene-activated container that opened merely upon touch, and not out of an active press of a button or opening of a latch. What if she'd sneezed on the bloody thing and its contents had rolled off into a grating?

In short order, the incredibly valuable object would be pocketed away and the psyber raven would be sent fluttering away - for if it didn't, she was going to pull out her plasma pistol and melt the little fucker from point blank range.

Spoiler

If I make a perception test to see the thing coming at me, I'm assuming that I get to not have the thing get its grubby talons on the quest item before I get to grab it first, yes? Also gonna roll to bat the bird away.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya was much too distracted as she watched the casket open up. Though she was slightly disappoited when it revealed some sort of black rock. Hearing the flapping of wings she looked up hurridly to see the raven swoop down to try and snatch the object from Faydra's hands.

Thinking quickly after seeing Faydra swat at it, she brought her staff up and attempted to bat the thing away from her. "Get away from her."

 

[Caulder]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

The raven caws a mechanical caw, its talons releasing the stone and allowing it to swoop away, the staff clipping its wing as it does so, soaring back up above the rooftops.

As Ishta pursues Lady Ash, the sound of an autopistol firing off sends the crowd into a frenzy, making it that much more difficult for her to pursue the Psyker, though she still gleaned info from her. Not three hours prior she had thrown someone against a wall with her mind, apparently for not paying her the due respect, in a stateroom aboard what one could only assume was a void-faring ship. A rather young-looking man in rather noble attire, and bearing an emblem of one of the many Rogue Trader dynasties in the Expanse, laughs as the thrown man crumples to the ground, before he issues his orders to Lady Ash. She is to watch Dray, and wait for any sign that "the time has come." She bows her head to him, thanking him for putting his trust in her, and even calls him by name. Hadarak. As she turns to leave the room, a psyber raven sweeps down and lands on her shoulder, the very same Psyber Raven that tried to make off with the Mnemolith. The memory fades, and Ishta gleams nothing more of import from the last 12 hours of her life, except for the fact that she prefers being referred to as "Lady," and anything else often results in bodily harm or even death, depending on her mood. She also seems to have a fondness for apples.

The source of the shots, however, is four armsmen, one of whom is carrying a heavily customized Autogun, two of them approaching the shop where Faydra, Anya, and Orbest Dray were, and the other two, one of whom had the autogun, advance on Ishta and Siggy. As they advance, shots ring out, hitting the front counter and the various shelves of scrap, but none seem to come close to hitting any of them, though Dray does duck under the desk and put his hands on his head.

Spoiler

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4601180/ 74 vs 55, failure by 1 degree. Ishta wins the third round of mind probing.

Initiative time.

Ishta is approximately 20 meters from the Psyker, 10 meters from Siggy.

Siggy is 15 meters away from the Armsmen, who are ten meters away from the scrap shop. There are stalls that could serve as light cover dotted around the marketplace, and you're fighting in a Crowd.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Ishta's viper let out a low screech as the raven winged by, the reptile just starting to climb the doorframe. Slipping back down, it started back towards the psyker, winding through the feet of the now-frantic crowd.

Meanwhile, the crew's Astropath more or less ignored the gunfire, starting to scramble through the crowd herself, chasing after Lady Ash. More and more the other psyker's mind opened to her, and she didn't let up, delving greedily. The woman seemed faster than her however, and that gave Ishta pause. She needed something to slow her down...

Drawing on her font of warp energy further and causing warp energy to whip wind about the plaza, she co-opted her pet's mind to buffer the probing, and drew up a swell of phychic energy alongside it, Sending it as a concentrated burst into Ash's head, dizzying her own scan momentarily, but with luck, doing much more to the other woman. The warp-intensified wind intensified briefly, just enough to steal the air from the Court of the dead almost entirely for the briefest of moments before it disappeared entirely, Ishta letting out a sharp gasp when she was able to breathe again, her wild hair settling around her face.

Spoiler

First off, moving towards Ash. 3, halved for crowd, leaving me 18m away.

Mind Probe Round 4:

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20 vs 79, 5DoS. (Forgot about my psy focus, whee) Success opens the subconscious and long-term memory, granting detailed info about people, places, or things the subject considers important, and how they relate to each other. Beliefs, motivations, personal goals, contacts, personal ciphers are all unlocked. The psyker also becomes aware of pivotal moments in the subject's life.

All that is way too much for the middle of combat. Between this and round five (pretty much an open book for their entire mind), I'd say just give me the ability to ask for pertinent info about them later. Unless you have specifics already in mind, of course. :3

On top of that, letting the familiar sustain the mind probe, and manifesting psychic scream against her. I have to push to reach her with it at all, so may as well double push for some actual benefit.

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43 vs 89, plenty enough to hit.

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6 damage, enough to get the shocking quality off.
Lady Ash needs to make a toughness test at -20. Failure indicates she's stunned for two rounds, half my pushed psy rating.

Finally, I cause a psychic phenomena, as if the crowd wasn't freaked out enough already:

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+10 for the push, and my phenomena options are 35, 55, and 52. I will take the first. everyone around (including myself) cannot take any charge or run actions until the end of my next turn.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"Take cover!" Faydra commanded as she snatched the precious mnemolith away from the bird and then shoulder rolled across the metal counter top and dropped down into a crouched position on the opposite side from where the armsmen with their autopistols and autogun were attempting a very crude ambush.

Faydra's voice had the edge of natural authority in it that hopefully the people nearest to her in the crowd would make use of her sensible order and quickly disperse to a save hiding place. This firefight would go better once she had a clear shot at her enemies.

The mnemolith was pocketed in a tight, concealed fold at the side of her half dress' folds. In the same motion, her plasma pistol was slipped from its holster, ready to melt some unfortunate souls who had dared to piss her off.

"Withering, white warpfire!" She swore alliteratively, with her icy eyes darting toward Dray.

"Confound you, man! You wait a century to deliver me this message and you can't even keep it a secret?! Or did you organize this ambush yourself?" Her pistol wavered in Dray's direction, suspicion and paranoia written across her face. Dray had precious little time to appease her trust in him.

Spoiler

Command roll:

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19 versus 62, 4 degrees of success. She an affect 1d10+4 people.

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The nearest six people (so Dray, Anya, and the other four nearest) will take cover. Anya gets a +10 to any action test she takes this turn due to Faydra's Natural Leader Talent. Ishta and Siggy might as well if they're within the talent's range (ie, they can hear Faydra's voice clearly.)

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Siggy grunted annoyed when he heard the guns firing off. The good old hiver standard, things that shoot enough bullets to fill a room. He looked around him slightly, before shrugging and holding up one arm almost in parody of the inviting handwave a noble dilletante might do, Janus spat out two massive bolter rounds into the air just past the Armsman with an autogun. Siggy's face registered no fear for this situation, seeming actually mildly amused under his helmet.

After a moment for the fact that they just heard somebody firing a bolt pistol at them to register, he announced, shouting through the crowd "Lads, I've stared down orks halfway across the bloody galaxy. You're surrounded by things that would make the most fanatical of battlesisters think it'd be a good idea to back off for a bit. And I'm the -worst- armed of any of us for this combat. Maybe it's time to back off, since all you were supposed to do was stop us from catching that lady running away."

Spoiler

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4601932/ 82, the shot missed by 2 degrees

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya didn't hesitate when Faydra yelled to take cover. She dove down next to her captian and hid behind cover. Sitting next to her and watching her exchange with the scrap picker. Peeking out she cursed slightly as she noticed the fleeing crowd. Though she could use her eye to hit the men, it would also catch anyone glancing her way.

Patting her hip for her guns and cursing when she realized she had left them in her quarters. "Damn, the crowd is in the way!" Looking at the men approaching them, she grabbed some of the scrap laying about and chucked it at them, hoping to buy them enough time for the crowd to clear so they could fight back.

Spoiler

Anya will throw some scrap to either hit them or scare the men into cover until the crowd thins.

36 with a ballistic score of 36. Not sure if the +10 from Faydra will effect throwing scrap.

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[Caulder]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Ishta steals the breath away from all the people present in the square, several of the bystanders fainting and falling over, likely to become casualties of the stampede of people trying to flee the gunfight that has broken out.

The armsman with the Autogun seems to pause in his advance, shouting out an insult in low Gothic at Siggy as his bolter rounds impact a nearby fleeing citizen in the head, causing a rather messy red explosion, before he levels his weapon and shoots a burst of rounds off at him, the Armsman beside him taking the hint and popping off a few rounds from his autopistol.

The armsmen dealing with the Captain and the Navigator duck behind nearby stalls, trying to catch their breath from the Psychic shockwave.

The piece of scrap thrown by Anya hits a random citizen trying to flee from the scene, knocking him out and into the surging stampede of people.

Lady Ash, in the interim, stops in her tracks, the scream paralyzing her as Ishta digs further into her mind.

Orbest Dray, cowering behind the counter and with a plasma pistol in his face, holds up both of his hands "I swear on my oath to House Undynne I had nothing to do with this! Although, I may. MAY. Have let it slip that I knew about the Righteous Path. But most people just figured it was the Amasec." he says, making himself as small as possible to avoid being shot by a stray bullet.

Spoiler

Not physically possible for Lady Ash to beat 5 Degrees of Success, so Ishta delves deeper into her mind. Specifics available after the fight, on request OOC'ly.

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Lady Ash fails her Toughness Test and is stunned for two rounds.

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Weapon Skill rolls for hitting Siggy, Siggy, Faydra, Anya, respectively. All but the attack on Anya hit.

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Armsman with Autogun hits Siggy for 8, with 3 Penetration from Man-Stopper Rounds. Siggy takes 2 Wounds from the shot, hitting him in the left arm.

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Shots fired from the other 2 Armsmen that hit, hitting Siggy and Faydra respectively. Siggy takes no damage after toughness and armor rating, and Faydra's Toughness bonus protects her from damage.

It is now Shrike's turn. Siggy benefits from Faydra's Natural Leadership talent in addition to Anya, however Ishta is too far away within the screaming crowd to hear her command properly, and does not receive the bonus.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

The psyker grinned as she watched her target stumble to a stop, briefly stunned from the uncontrolled energy pushed into her head. Ishta took advantage as best she could, continuing to swim through the crowd towards the woman. There were few barriers left in Lady Ash's mind, so she focused on hammering them down, the crowds around her and even the autoguns behind her giving no pause. Her face had a mad grin on it, her sunken eyes staring nowhere as Ash's mind continued to open to her...

Spoiler

I love these dice. :3
move another 3m, halved from crowd, 16m between her and Ash.

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3 vs 79. Ash's mind is now completely open to her. Prolly gonna spend the round gloating about it, then go and give siggy a hand.

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Siggy stood his ground as the bullets pinged off his armor, although the manstopper rounds gave him pause as they skidded off his bionics, barely scratching through the armor in spite of it all "Idiots."

He looked at the armsman with the autogun, it looked quite flashy, with numerous accoutrements he was certain the adeptus mechanicus would not approve of. He aimed his arm towards him, this time intent on seeing the individual dead for his dual-mixture of disrespect for the omnissiah and the omnissiah's servants, and for the irritation he was causing the Rogue Trader, who, at the moment, seemed to be threatening their contact with a pistol. He was almost certain that was one of the perks of his job, not hers. Two loud cracks echoed out from Janus, this time far, far more effectively on target then previously, the rounds flying through the air and pushing through, perhaps slightly more literally then some would expect, the crowd into the gunner.

Spoiler

I do not take damage from the shot, as it hit me in the arm, and I have a boosted toughness rating of +2 in the arm, resulting in 2 armor from the light carapace, which I stated I was wearing, and 6 toughness bonus total.

I then roll to shoot the guy with the autogun with a semiauto with my right hand.

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- enough success for two shots, testing off an 82 (+10 from leader, +10 from close range, +10 from semi auto, +10 because it's a pistol)

Firing my shot, rolling twice because tearing, taking the better roll. Pen of 4.

First shot:

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I'll take the 13 damage total.

Second shot:

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I'll take the 14 damage total.

No righteous furies, but quite a good deal of damage.

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

"You'd better be telling the truth," Faydra warned Dray before whipping her head around to peek over the metal counter to see where the enemy positions were.

"Sigmeund, take out that autogun!" She yelled, just moments before the metal-armed man rose up to crack off a concentrated burst of bolter fire.

Just after his thunderous rounds hit home she leveled her plasma pistol at the accomplice with the autopistol that had sent a string of bullets ricocheting off of the counter top just missing her glorious hairdo.

She lined up the man in her sights and sent a discharge his way, hoping that the powerful weapon would either kill him instantly or make him quickly rethink what exactly he was up against.

Spoiler

Aim + Short Range +BS skill of 38 = 58 target number.

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Rolled a 9, so that's a hit.

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6+6 = 12 damage with penetration 6.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya watched the ensuing action intensely. Seeing Faydra turn her attention on the armsmen brought a frown on her face. Looking to her captian sternly and speaking so only she could hear. "What ever happens do not look at me or you might fall victem to my eye." Her hands removing her silk headscarf and hood.

Standing up she gave a sharp whistle hoping to get the attention of all four armsmen. Her third eye opening and glowing a baleful red as it gazed at the four gunmen.

Spoiler

She will whistle loudly to get the attention of all four gunmen. Then use the power The Lidless Stare. It has an effective range of 15m. Anyone unaware of Anya or warned beforehand get a +30 to their willpower test.

Faydra will get +30 to her test. Not sure about the guardsmen advancing on Siggy. I also believe Siggy is too far from Anya to be effected by her power.

Opposed Willpower test

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23 of 45. 2 degrees of success

If they fail to get more degrees of success then Anya they take 11 energy damage which is not reduced by toughness or armour. If they take damage from the power they are also stunned for a round.

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Anya also gets one level of fatigue.

Power on Page 180 of Core book.

 

[Caulder]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

The Armsman with the autogun recoils from the shot, snapping back to aim at Siggy and unleash all hell on him, firing a full-auto burst from his gun, not even bothering to advance on him, while the armsman next to him moved for a piece of cover, before poking out and popping off a round at Siggy as well.

Meanwhile, the two who were occupied with Anya and Faydra maintained their gaze at her, even when the plasma pistol shot from earlier scorched the eyebrow off of one, before he begins to scream, clutching at his eyes and going into hysteria, before falling over, likely dead, as many of the people in the crowd catching sight of her third eye as well, also descending into madness before falling over. The remaining Armsman fires off a round at Anya, hoping to shoot her as she reveals herself, shouting something along the lines of "it's a witch, kill it!"

Lady Ash groans as she stumbles, trying to maintain her footing after the shocking effect on her mind from Ishta.

Spoiler

Lady Ash is still stunned until next round, as per the psychic scream.

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99 vs 35 for resisting the Lidless Stare. Failure. The Armsman Faydra hit with her plasma pistol dies a horrible death.

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BS roll for the Armsmen to hit. Failures on all counts.

Shrike is up next, following the regular turn order.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Having pored through all of Lady Ash's mind, Ishta paused in the crowd, standing a little taller to watch the other psyker recover after the mental assault faded. "Time to run now, Ash. Tell Hadarak of your failure." She gloated over the crowd, starting to pace back towards the armsmen, though she was still too far to do much to them. She knew her former opponent well enough to remain prepared for retribution, however.

Spoiler

start pacing back towards the armsmen fight, 9m of travel in the crowd, for a full action run.

 

[Chameon]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Siggy fired another semiauto shot, the crowd knocking the shot far wide of where they should have, he sighed to himself, it seemed like it was going to be one of those days where the Omnissiah's holy munitions were wasted en masse for mere thugs. After a moments thought, he yelled at the autogunner, apparently intent on keeping its' attention as well as it could "YOUR PIECE OF SHIT COULDN'T SCRAPE THE PAINT OFF A PIECE OF FLAK ARMOR. GET THOSE WORTHLESS PIECES OF SCRAP OFF OF IT, YOU RETARDED FOOL." Shouting louder and louder to keep the man's attention. If he couldn't get a kill shot, he could at least make sure they kept watching him.

Spoiler

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4605136/ Yeeep. That's a 91

 

[BlueSlime]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Faydra did her best to avoid the mind slagging gaze of the mutant's fearsome third eye, concentrating instead on the remaining armsman who still faced them. She leveled her plasma pistol again at this secondary target and unleashed another plasma burst. This time however it sailed disappointingly over the enemy's head.

"Take them all down!" she snarled in frustration.

Spoiler

Attack roll (+20 bonus for aim and range).

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89 = miss.

 

[Rathuris]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

Anya gave a nod at Faydra's words. Speaking so that Faydra is the only one able to her her words. "Once last time with my eye." Staring once more at the last armsmen she once more let the light of her third eye gaze upon the him.

Spoiler

She will use the power The Lidless Stare again. It has an effective range of 15m. Anyone unaware of Anya or warned beforehand get a +30 to their willpower test.

Faydra will get +30 to her test. Anya also gets -10 to her test for 1 level of fatigue

Opposed Willpower test

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20 of 35. 1 degrees of success

If they fail to get more degrees of success then Anya they take 11 energy damage which is not reduced by toughness or armour. If they take damage from the power they are also stunned for a round.

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Anya also gets one more level of fatigue. Leaving her with 2 levels of fatigue

 

[Caulder]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

The Armsman with the Autogun aims at Siggy, firing off a semi-automatic burst at him whilst his teammate supports him by firing off another shot at him from behind cover, only one of the Autogun rounds dinging into the mercenary's left arm, the bullet practically bouncing off of the hardened metal.

The remaining Armsman attacking the two within the shop begins to scream in agony, dropping his weapon and falling over, dying just before the body comes to a full rest.

As this occurs, the group notices the crowd thinning, and Lady Ash seeming to vanish within it.

Spoiler

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4605755/ 53 vs 35, the remaining Armsman attacking Faydra and Anya fails, and is now dead.

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Armsman with Autogun hits, 1 Degree of success, so no additional hits beyond the first, which hits Siggy in the left arm. Second Armsman attacking Siggy misses.

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Damage for Siggy's left arm is 5 with a penetration of 3. Siggy's armor and Toughness negate the damage anyway.

The crowd has dissipated now, and no longer provides the benefits or detriments to fighting within a crowd. You know the drill. Shrike's up next.

 

[Shrike7]

Re: Into the Maw (Game Thread)

The crowd began to thin as Ishta reapproached the gunfight outside. Siggy was doing well enough, though progress seemed a little slow. The psyker doubted the pair had anything truly interesting in thier heads, and she still felt a little strained from her push earlier, so Instead she reached into her cloak out pulled out her lasgun, moving to cover as she fired at the pair.

Spoiler

Ballistics test:

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81 vs 36. failed, ah well.