The Second Forumised Shadowrun Adventure

[HereComesPete]

<img src="http://www.killingvodka.co.uk/pictures/ ... people.jpg">

/3am brain spazz

[Joose]

Right, so Leland and Al are staying at the top of the stairs to the bottom level (east side of the second level) and Chopper and Frank are heading towards the other side of the level, correct?

Deject: as soon as you flip over to Astral space you realise that the shitty background count that was here before has got way worse. Whilst it was just an irritation before, something has kicked it up a notch, and its now going to affect both your assessing and your spells. You are not sure exactly what has caused it, but its centered on the room in the middle (which was quite the hotspot anyway), so it may be just because choppers grenade has fucked things up in there. Where you are at the moment isnt too bad (background count of 1), but in the room in the middle it shoots up to 4 or 5, maybe more. There also seems to be something floating through it, looks like a FAB cloud (no, nothing to do with thunderbirds. Page 126 of Street Magic.), all of which makes it almost impossible to see through the middle of this floor.
In case you dont know, background count gives you a negative modifier to your Magic attribute whilst you are in it (so -1 at the moment) and a positive modifier to the horse of spells for the purposes of Drain resistance (so +1). Chopper, this affects you too, so your magic rating is reduced by one. 1 points worth of your adept powers stop working, just whilst you are down here, but you get to choose which ones. The closer to the middle of the floor you go, the more it will affect you. You are aware that you feel wrong, but unlike Leland you are not sure exactly why.

Frank, you can hear movement in the middle room.

[HereComesPete]

Guys, there's something in that shit pit that chopper 'naded, and it's moving about. I'll log the noises so I can keep them tuned separately to the rest of what's going on, we can't afford to check it out now.

Al, if your in danger of getting overwhelmed by any that get past, or if you see them arriving from another direction, sing out and get over to us as fast as you can, better than dying trapped down those stairs. Don't hesitate on calling us back if you think you're in trouble, we'll needs a few secs to get to you, ghouls don't need long to finish you off.

Leland, I hope you got a way of waking up fast when your body is in danger, you're looking after Al too remember!

Right, let's get some!

I forgot to hand over the ultra power with high ex bullets, that would have helped Al/Leland.

[Dog Pants]

I've already got flechette rounds. Should do okay.

[Roman Totale]

Let's fucking do this!

[deject]

As soon as Leland realizes the stuff is FAB, he heads straight back into his body.

SHIT! Chopper stay the fuck away from the center of the room! There's fucking FAB in the middle area now. At best it will just mark you as being in the area, at worst that shit can kill you. I'm not quite sure what kind it is but I know I'm not going near it. I don't have anything to get rid of the stuff either, so if you get it on you I can't do much.

[Roman Totale]

Fuck it then. I'm pulling back to the stairwell with you and Al. I reckon you should join us in that case, Frank.

Thinking about it, this could give us an advantage - especially if there is an adept ghoul up there like you say.

[HereComesPete]

Joose, how near are we to the stairs up? And are my wunder ears picking up anything in regard to extra ghoul movement/levels of angry eat your face rage/confusion as to what's going on?

I'd sooner hold near the door as long as I can. I don't want to engage and get overwhelmed, but I can hear the ghouls moving and I want to pick up as much as I can about their numbers and placement.

You head back if you want Chopper, be careful of the middle, whatever it is moving is no doubt real pissed at you, take this pistol to the others, I've got more than one and it's high ex rounds are a good back up to what they got.

Leland, the stuff in the middle, I've heard of it, what exactly does it do? And can you tell if it's the kill you or the mark you stuff? If we draw the adept in will it at least numb it's intelligence levels? We could try sever the head from the pack with the stuff, or it may not change a thing.

Right now we need more info, running backward and forward changes nothing, they're coming for a fight and we need to deliver, here is better than there for that. Hitting them as they arrive down the stairs or the lift shaft boxes them in instead of us.

[deject]

Judging by the fact that there is an adept ghoul in here, I'd say it is a pretty solid bet that the stuff in the middle area right now would only suppress magic, not drain energy and kill as this is to my eye a research facility. The problem is I think Chopper's abilities and mine would be rather useless even in that case so us getting into a scrap there would be bad either way. Frank, you and Al should be perfectly OK in there, but I don't think I'll be heading that way.

[Joose]

Joose, how near are we to the stairs up? And are my wunder ears picking up anything in regard to extra ghoul movement/levels of angry eat your face rage/confusion as to what's going on?

You have barely moved away from the stairs where the rest of them are (east of the map).

Basically, you have three choices of route to the stairs up: straight through the middle, around the top, or around the bottom. Which way are you going?

Theres enough noise in the middle that makes you think theres a few of them in there, but you can't tell numbers. You can also hear some scuttling from the level above you.

Deject, your detect enemies spell suggests that some have moved down to your level from upstairs through that middle room, somehow.

[deject]

Shit, some of them are on this level now. I am going to launch a 'Ball in there, hopefully I can stay far enough back so that fab shit won't affect me too much.

Assuming Leland can see where the middle of that room is, he's launching a Powerball horse 5 into the middle area.

Powerball horse 5 (DV: 5)
Magic + Spellcasting (14 dice): 5 hits
Drain Resist (9 dice): 4 hits, 1 point of stun

[Joose]

Assuming Leland can see where the middle of that room is, he's launching a Powerball horse 5 into the middle area.

Powerball horse 5 (DV: 5)
Magic + Spellcasting (14 dice): 5 hits
Drain Resist (9 dice): 4 hits, 1 point of stun

Two things wrong with that, im afraid. Well, one thing wrong, one thing possibly wrong. I'll start with the possibly: does that take into acount the -1 to your magic attribute and the +1 to the horse for the drain resist?

And secondly (and more importantly, as the above doesnt really matter because of this) spells only affect things you can see. Although you can just about see into the middle room a bit, you definately cant see any ghouls. So even though its an area affect physical spell, it wouldn't do anything anyway. The reason for this is spells are sort of "tuned" to your targets aura. Area affect spells are just spells that affect multiple auras in one area. If you cant see your target, you cant see their aura, so the spell won't affect them.

[deject]

well fucksocks. I did forget about the -1, so then let's just forget that.

In that case I'm going round to meet up with Frank and Chopper then.

Al come on lets go catch up to Chopper and Frank.

[Roman Totale]

Poncy magic fail!

Let's see how these fuckers like a bit of light in there.

I'm going to be chucking a flashbang into the middle room - just to see what effect it has really:

Agility(5) + Throwing Weapons(4) = 9

5,1,6,3,5,2,5,4,2 = 4 hits

However, am I at -1 for this FAB stuff? None of my Adept powers seem to affect throwing, but I've done another roll just in case:

Agility(5) + Throwing Weapons(4) - FAB(1) = 8

4,4,6,1,1,6,3,4, = 2 hits

Edit after reading deject's post: I don't think me or Frank have actually moved yet, and by the sound of it things have already come down the stairs - sounds like we need to make our stand here.

[HereComesPete]

Edit for romans post - I'm not sure they've got us locked on yet, lets see if we can get away from where we are now, maybe we can get past without a fight.

The 'eyes of the demon' voice still has me spooked. Reckon if we kill lots of stuff in there it'll spark up some angry bastard ghost demon pirate thing?

Did we not come out the lift and skirt it around the edge of the lab as opposed to right around the outside? Better we don't try that again. If we skirt around the outside there's less doors to pass that may well see us dragged off as lunch.

I'm thinking right from the top of the sub-basement stairs, so around the top of the map as you presented it to us joose. We can then see into the lift/stairs area from further away.

I'll head back with chopper away from the middle for now, meet up with the others and we can form up.

Right, I'll head back with chopper, skirting an edge will take longer but offer us a better chance I think, plus it keeps you two away from the stuff. I could hit the middle with choppers 'nades and a shotty but I might bring more down upon us. Best we act a bit sneaky really.

[Joose]

Deject, although theres not much definition on your spell, the "blips" that are on this level are starting to head outwards, apparently in all directions at once. The walls/door of the big central lab is about 50 feet away, and the blips are about 55-60 feet away, and moving. You cant see much through the door (theres all manner of crap smeared across the windows) but you can see *up to* the door clear as day. You cant see any movement yet, and the door is closed, but has the green icon in front of it (in AR).

Roman, you can throw the flashbang if you like, but im guessing you thought the door on this side was open, and it isnt. The door on the *other* side (by the elevator) is the one you lobbed the grenade through.

[deject]

I've just had a thought actually. Would my Clean Air spell be able to get the FAB out of the air, at least around me if I get enough hits?

Edit: Also if I cast Foreboding around me, would I have to resist its effects?

[Dog Pants]

Just a thought, check the ceilings. I've seen Aliens. Mi hearties.

[deject]

Just a thought, check the ceilings. I've seen Aliens. Mi hearties.

Yarrrr, that be a good idea jim lad! I be castin' ye Spatial Sense horse 3 to see if I can be determining if there be any Gordon Freeman ducts above us me hearties!

Spatial Sense horse 3 (DV: 3)

Magic + Spellcasting - 1 (11 dice): 6 hits
Drain Resist (8 dice): 2 hits, one point of stun

[HereComesPete]

They mostly come out at night, mostly.