[WFRP2E] Wyrdstone

[gardenphilosoph]

HEX MAP

http://i48.tinypic.com/30idsub.png
CHARACTER SHEETS
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Name/Clan: Mroxk the White/Clan Eshin, XP: 5
Current Career: Apprentice Grey Seer, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Academic Knowledge (Magic), Channelling +10%, Common Knowledge (Skaven) +10%, Concealment, Magical Sense +10%, Perception +10%, Read/Write, Search, Silent Move, Speaking Arcane Language (Magick), Speak Language (Queekish), Speak Language (Reikspiel)
Talents: Aethyric Attunement, Coolheaded, Fast Hands, Lesser Magic (Ghostly Flame), Lesser Magic (Rat Thrall), Night Vision, Petty Magic (Warp), Public Speaking, Savvy, Suave
WS: 18, BS: 28, S: 33, T: 37, Ag: 37, Int: 46, WP: 43, Fel: 40
A: 1, W: 11, SB: 3, TB: 3, M: 4, Mag: 2, IP: 0, FP: 2
ADVANCES - WS: +5%, BS: +5%, Ag: +10%, Int: +10%, WP: +15%, Fel: +5%, W: +3, Mag: +1 (✓)
Weapons: Quarter Staff - SB-2, Defensive, Pummelling, Hand Weapon (Bladed Club) - SB
Inventory: Grey Robes, 6 Warpstone Tokens, 4 Days of Rations (Dried Human & Skaven Flesh)
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FREMEN
Name/Clan: Arqueek/Clan Flem, XP: 15
Current Career: Slave, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Blather, Common Knowledge (Skaven) +10%, Concealment +10%, Perception +10%, Search, Speak Language (Queekish) +10%, Swim
Talents: Acute Hearing, Flee!, Night Vision
WS: 31, BS: 34, S: 31, T: 50, Ag: 36, Int: 29, WP: 19, Fel: 22
A: 1, W: 10, SB: 3, TB: 5, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 1
ADVANCES - WS: +5%, S: +5%, T: +5% (✓), Ag: +10%, WP: +5%, W: +4
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Notched Sword), Hand Weapon (Scar's Short Sword), Hand Weapon (Mining Pick) - SB
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jerkin) - AP 1, Body
Inventory: Sack, Lockpicks, 10 Yards of Rope, 4 Days of Rations (Dried Human & Skaven Flesh)
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KUMADA
Name/Clan: Hassz Long-Whiskers/Clan Eshin, XP: 15
Current Career: Thug, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment, Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow, Gamble, Intimidate, Perception, Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue), Silent Move, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim
Talents: Disarm, Lightning Reflexes, Night Vision, Quick Draw, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun
WS: 36, BS: 37, S: 36, T: 40, Ag: 41 (31 w/ Armour), Int: 35, WP: 26, Fel: 23
A: 2, W: 10, SB: 3, TB: 4, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 1
ADVANCES - WS: +10%, S: +5%, T: +5%, WP: +5%, Fel: +5%, A: +1 (✓), [b]W: +2
Weapons: Hand Weapon (Rusty Machete) - SB, Knuckledusters - SB-3, Pummelling
Armour: Medium Armour (Mail Shirt & Leather Jerkin) - AP 3, Body
Inventory: 4 Warpstone Tokens, 4 Days of Rations (Dried Human Flesh)
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Status unknown, last seen in the desert ruins in search of water.
Name/Clan: Nagrat the Black/Clan Eshin, XP: 10
Current Career: Black Skaven, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment, Dodge Blow, Intimidate, Perception, Silent Move, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim
Talents: Coolheaded, Hardy, Night Vision, Specialist Weapon Group (Two-Handed), Street Fighting, Strike Mighty Blow, Sturdy, Very Resilient
WS: 40, BS: 26, S: 50, T: 54, Ag: 31, Int: 27, WP: 37, Fel: 27
A: 1, W: 14, SB: 5, TB: 5, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 0
ADVANCES - WS: +10%, S: +5% (✓), T: +5%, Ag: +10%, WP: +5%, W: +2
Weapons: Great Weapon (Jabberwock Jawbone) - SB, Impact, Slow, Hand Weapon (Giant Rat Fang) - SB
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack & Leather Skullcap) - AP 1, Head, Body, Arms
Inventory: 4 Warpstone Tokens, 5 Days of Rations (Dried Human & Skaven Flesh)
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Status unknown, last seen in the desert ruins in search of water.
LEEHAM
Name/Clan: Haqueel/Clan Skab, XP: 10
Current Career: Miner, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment, Evaluate, Navigation +10%, Perception +10%, Scale Sheer Surface, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim, Trade (Miner)
Talents: Hardy, Night Vision, Orientation, Specialist Weapon Group (Two-handed), Very Resilient
WS: 29, BS: 33, S: 40, T: 38, Ag: 38, Int: 35, WP: 26, Fel: 20
A: 1, W: 10, SB: 4, TB: 3, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 0
ADVANCES - WS: +5%, BS: +5%, S: +10% (✓), T: +5%, Int: +5%, WP: +5%, W: +2
Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-handed Pick) - SB, Impact, Slow, Hand Weapon (Goblin Hookblade) - SB
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack) - AP 1, Body, Arms
Inventory: Pick, Spade, Storm Lantern, Lamp Oil, 5 Days of Rations (Dried Human & Skaven Flesh)
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Status unknown, last seen in the desert ruins in search of water.
SHUNKA WARAKIN
Name/Clan: 'Manling-Gutter' Kish-keekt/Clan Flem, XP: 15
Current Career: Miner, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Animal Care, Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment +10%, Navigation +10%, Outdoor Survival, Perception +10%, Scale Sheer Surface, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim, Trade (Prospector)
Talents: Night Vision, Orientation, Specialist Weapon Group (Two-Handed), Warrior Born
WS: 41, BS: 31, S: 36, T: 39, Ag: 36, Int: 34, WP: 31, Fel: 22
A: 1, W: 8, SB: 3, TB: 3, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 0
ADVANCES - WS: +5% (✓), BS: +5%, S: +10%, T: +5%, Int: +5%, WP: +5%, W: +2
Weapons: Great Weapon (Two-Handed Pick) - SB, Impact, Slow, Hand Weapon (Barbed Cleaver) - SB
Armour: Light Armour (Leather Jack) - AP 1, Body, Arms
Inventory: Pick, Spade, Storm Lantern, Lamp Oil, 5 Days of Rations (Dried Human & Skaven Flesh)
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Arm ripped open by a frightened child, shoulder de-boned by the child's frenzied dog, near the emergence tunnel at the stone quarry. Promptly looted by the slave Arqueek.
DA PROPHET
Name/Clan: Scar the Cat Slayer/Clan Skaar, XP: 0
Current Career: Thief, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment, Disguise, Perception +10%, Pick Lock, Scale Sheer Surface, Search, Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue), Silent Move, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim, Trade (Miner)
Talents: Alley Cat, Night Vision, Trapfinder
WS: 36, BS: 29, S: 30, T: 38, Ag: 34, Int: 28, WP: 24, Fel: 20
A: 1, W: 9, SB: 3, TB: 3, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 0
ADVANCES - WS: +5% (✓), BS: +5%, Ag: +15%, Int: +5%, Fel: +10%, W: +2
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RULE REFERENCE
Hit Locations (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v700/LordChilipepa/Hitlocations.jpg)
Combat Actions/Critical Hit Charts (http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/2413588/combat-crib-sheet-pdf-december-2-2010-11-26-am-801k?da=y)

[gardenphilosoph]

SQUEAK
Remember the nature of the Skaven language: use lots of short, sharp sentences rather than one long one, and repeat words to indicate emphasis. Skaven also speak rapidly and typically skip all but the most essential elements of their messages - not because they're dour like the Dwarfs, but because they're trying to talk as fast as they think. They also don't talk about anything else except what's immediately important. The Skaven are pragmatists, and they live in the moment. Keep everything short, punch, and relevant.

It's been days of constant burrowing, excavating deep below the ground through soil and mud, loam and clay, rock and gravel, and the other assorted detritus of geography. Kish-keekt and Haqueel have done the majority of the digging, the slave Arqueek moving excess dirt out of the way, while Hassz and Scar have swapped into the digging roles every couple of hours. Every step of the way Mroxk has berated every single one of you, while he squats behind muttering his prayers to the Horned Rat. Even his guardian Nagrat has been victim to his tail-lashings and insults, though his status has allowed him not to dirty his paws with the low work of digging.

Finally the seven of you have emerged in a small stone quarry at the base of a sheer cliff. The landscape around you is a dry one. Barren plains stretch out around the landscape in every direction, save for the towering cliff behind you, its craggy face looking too hard to scale for all but the most experienced climber. Loose red-brown soil, devoid of any moisture, is everywhere you look.

The stone quarry looks to be still active, scrawny timber ladders and lengths of rope lying around, crude cranes and pulleys perched on the mouth of the entrance. It is night, and it is likely the workers have gone home for the day. There seem to be a small collection of buildings near the equipment above the quarry.

You are here, in the Border Princes, roughly in the region which the Eshin seers have predicted the warpstone meteor to have crashed in. The excavation here has taken longer than expected, and your supplies of food and drink are all but gone.

OOC - This campaign will be a hex-crawl style one, so there's a map that you will reveal as you travel around the region. Each hex represents a roughly 4x4 mile area, so just because you've moved through one don't think that you've uncovered everything there. If you do choose to move, try to hash it over with your group to make sure you all agree on which direction to travel. For simplicity's sake, let's say the directions you can move are NW, N, NE, SW, S, SE.

Right now NE, SE, and S are blocked off by the cliff, so you can't move in those directions, unless you want to attempt to climb it.

I'll be posting little tidbits from the Children of the Horned Rat book every couple posts to help you keep in the Skaven mindset, like the SQUEAK up above, so don't heed those too much, those are just there for flavour.

[da prophet]

lets go. south west-west. nownow
i claim red

[Fremen]

Arqueek rubbed his sore paws together, trying to rekindle some feeling in them after the long days of hauling piles of dirt with sharp flecks of stone still imbedded. He was sure that his discomfort was far from unintentional, and he was beginning to think that Kish-keekt and the others had relegated him to such a demeaning position because they were afraid of what he could be capable of if they let him up front. As well they should...

He cast a quick, sidelong glance at the grey-furred one, careful to avoid his gaze, and ever mindful of the brutish idiot he kept as a bodyguard. So far the black skaven hadn't done much, but he sheer size was enough to keep Arqueek at a respectful distance. Oh, to control such a brute, and have it obey his every command.

For the moment Arqueek turned his attentions back to his new surroundings, and tried not to look up. Something about a sky without end, and an absence of comforting rock at his back just made him nervous. Perking his ears up (while keeping mindful enough to maintain his snout below those of all the others), he tried to catch any sounds on the night wind. He wouldn't be the one making decisions yet, and he knew better than to voice his opinion in front of the pompous fools who thought themselves his superior. For now, he would listen, obey, and wait.

OOC: I claim dark green.

[kumada]

Hassz Long-Whiskers

Grind. Shift. Scrape.

Grind. Shift. Scrape.

Bide, Hassz. You have suffered worse abuse than this. The tunnel will not be forever.

Grind. Shift. Scrape.

Soil puckers and they break through to the harsh moonlight that fills the quarry. Hassz is the first through the breach, slipping away to cover behind an abandoned cart and frantically raking his paws through his fur to clear away the clinging red grit. It is not much, but even a moment free of the company of the apprentice seer brings relief.

Be calm and wait. It is the nature of the strong to eat the weak, and you are not strong yet.

Not yet.

Hassz waits for the others to wriggle out of the dark, spilling like clots from a flooded drain. It wasn't so long ago that he and his littermates were doing the same, boiling out of the understreet to approach a clan Pestilens manse.

When Scar speaks, Hassz doesn't even turn his head, but his ears flick in disagreement.

"No. We scout. Hide tunnel. Study surroundings. If we must retreat, better to retreat to a place we know."

OOC: Those cultural details are going to be a lifesaver. There's only so much usable information I could pull out of the wiki.

Hassz is probably going to talk a lot slower than most Skaven because of his temperament, but I'll try to keep things as fragmentary as possible without losing meaning.

Statline repost for me to edit:
Name: Hassz Long-Whiskers
Clan: Clan Eshin
Current Career: Thug, Previous Careers: None
Skills: Common Knowledge (Skaven), Concealment, Consume Alcohol, Dodge Blow, Gamble, Intimidate, Perception, Secret Language (Thieves' Tongue), Silent Move, Speak Language (Queekish), Swim
Talents: Disarm, Lightning Reflexes, Night Vision, Quick Draw, Strike to Injure, Strike to Stun
WS: 36, BS: 37, S: 36, T: 40, Ag: 41, Int: 35, WP: 26, Fel: 23
A: 2, W: 10, SB: 3, TB: 4, M: 5, Mag: 0, IP: 0, FP: 1
ADVANCES - WS: +10%, S: +5%, T: +5%, WP: +5%, Fel: +5%, A: +1 (✓), [b]W: +2
Trappings: Hand Weapon (Rusty Machete), Knuckledusters, Medium Armour (Mail Shirt and Leather Jerkin), 4 Warpstone Tokens

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt pauses a moment, red eyes surveying the open landscape beneath the silver light, then scuttles out the tunnel mouth, making way for the rest and whirling to face the opposite direction from Harqueel. His whiskers twitch irritably at Scar's suggestion, and Kish-Keekt shifts his grip on his heavy, two-handed pick, lifting one gnarled paw to spit in its palm before re-gripping the tool/weapon and giving a quick, chopping swing to the side. The sharp tip buries itself in the ground, not at Scar's feet, but near enough in his direction to make its owner's intention clear.

"Wrong, wrong!" The miner hisses at Scar, wrestling his pick back up again in the wake of Hassz's suggestion. "That, yes-yes. Hide the tunnel. Ssecure retreat ready, first." He aims a lazy cuff at Arqueek's ragged ears, not doubting that the lazy slave will manage to dodge it from long familiarity with such forms of address. "Sslave! Those rocks above the tunnel. Only the small ones. When the so-revered grey one has given leave, tumble them down. Only the small ones." He gestures with the pick's haft at what he judges to be an adequate spill of scree to hide the small tunnel-mouth, but which any self-respecting skaven could dig through without hardly pausing.

[Shunka Warakin]

And making a perception test, for that little 'survey'.
[roll0] against Int (34) and Perception (+10%).

[gardenphilosoph]

Arqueek responds to Kish-keekt's order, and retreats behind, covering the group's emergence hole with a collection of loose scree and dry soil, effectively camouflaging the emergence tunnel.

Hassz's ears swivel around, and the low murmur of idiotic human conversation rings true from the nearest building at the mouth of the quarry, a wooden hovel made out of planks and dried mud, with a thatch-and-clay roof.

OOC - Silent Move roll if you wish to approach the hovel, Perception roll if you to try to guess the number of different human voices you hear.

[kumada]

Hassz

Hassz's whiskers tense. "Man-things. Building ahead. We should not kill here, lest it draw attention to the tunnel." Nonetheless, he unships his blade.

Perception: [roll0] vs. INT 35 and Perception

[gardenphilosoph]

COWER
In the Skaven mindset, nothing is of value except your life and your status, and these two things are constantly threatened. So the Skaven are constantly afraid, and tend to be inveterate cowards. Even the slightest hint of a changing of the odds in the enemies' favour (even if it is just a bad omen) can cause them to fret, panic, or abandon their mission altogether. Your typical Skaven is incredibly paranoid, seeing hidden enemies everywhere and certain doom at every turn.

In the nearest hovel, Hassz' can make out three individual human voices. None of them are man-voices, thought. There must be women or child-things in there.

Mroxk speaks up. "Weak slave-things, go kill-kill, we need flesh-flesh for the days ahead." Spit drips from his jaw as he savours the thought of fresh meat after the dry, tasteless rations eaten in the tunnel.

[Fremen]

Arqueek bared his fangs in a feral grin at the order, although he was careful to keep his display away from the others. Without hesitation he began to pick his way closer to the sounds of the man-thing weaklings, his ears and nose twitching as he drew his notched blade.

OOC:
Perception: [roll0]

Move Silently: [roll1]

My apologies, but I don't actually know what number I'm rolling against, so I'll just make the rolls, and I'll leave it to garden to figure out how it worked.

[kumada]

Hassz

The young rat's eyes flash warily in the dark. Stealing to survive in a hostile city meant taking things that people wouldn't chase after you for. Things that they wouldn't miss.

The lives of the man-thing breeders and their spawn would most certainly be missed.

"There is meat elsewhere. Safer meat. Animals penned, dreaming and growing fat on man-thing luxury. Why take-take these pups when whole stables of flesh await?"

[gardenphilosoph]

Mroxk hisses and bares his teeth, raising his snout above Hassz's. "Look around. You see city? You see meat? No. Dry plains, stone quarry. No man-things out here. These fleshlings alone."

He stops to gnash his teeth.

"You no kill? Then you no eat. If you scared, Nagrat can kill." His eyes bore into yours, pure mockery emanating out of them.

OOC - No worries, Fremen. For Perception you'd be trying to roll 39 (Int+10), and for Silent Move you'd be trying to roll under 13 (Ag/2).

[kumada]

Hassz

Hassz draws his body upwards, stretching until he stands as straight as a fence-post. "Man-things lazy. You think they pull rock alone? No help from four-legs? Before we strike, let me search."

OOC: I'd like to nose around the camp and see if they have mules penned up somewhere, or else simply a storehouse. I'd rather not give anyone a reason to investigate a series of murders around our tunnel entrance.

[Fremen]

Arqueek picked his way through the quarry, trying his best to remain quiet. He had never really had to mask his movements like this; thus far in his (admittedly short) life, everything he had done had been in the presence of others of his kind, usually a great many. Walking alone in the moonlight was something new to him. Even the way sound traveled here, above the caves, was a new experience, and he winced slightly at every shifting stone under his paws as he advanced.

He wasn't content to remain a slave, and his time to rise was coming soon. If he could garner the appreciation of the big black-furred one, then he might be able to slip free of his collar. It would likely be trading one kind of slavery for another, but accidents happened, and if his new master had no clan associates on hand to pass off his servant, then freedom might not be far behind.

OOC:Arqueek is still going to pursue the sneaking approach as per the orders of Nagrat. I assume I'll be keeping the same (bad) roll as above.

[da prophet]

Scar does not like the orders but still he makes his way up the cliff and ready rocks ro when the lesser worth skaven attacks.

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt gives a short, chittering chirp at the order, pausing a moment to assess what the rest of the ratpack is doing. He works his gnarled claws on the haft of his pick and shrugs.

"Going around. Cut-cut retreat."

He swings wide of the little hut, staying far enough out that creeping shouldn't be necessary...And taking full advantage of that to get some speed.

[gardenphilosoph]

Mroxk squats on a large rock, scratching his palms while he watches the rest of the group. Standing behind him is Nagrat, ever silent, his bulk speaking for itself.

Arqueek, Scar and Haqueel approach the front door, while Kish-keekt has circled round back.

Hassz looks around the quarry quickly. There are three buildings in total, all near the mouth of the quarry. They are all of similar construction, wood-and-clay with thatch-mud roofs. The one that the Skaven are surrounding now is about medium-sized, while the other two buildings are sitting back-to-back about forty feet away, in the shadow of the cliff.

OOC - Rolling Silent Move for Scar, he needs 34 or less to succeed. [roll0]

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt pauses once he's scuttled around to the far side of the hut, keeping low. The miner frowns at the other two huts and then scans the darkness on the far side for any sign of more sentries.

[roll0] against Int (34) and Perception (+10%).

[kumada]

Hassz

They've already decided to attack.

There's nothing else he can do for it now. No possible way to head off this foolishness. Snarling softly to himself, Hassz wheels around and makes his way towards the medium-sized hut. When the signal is given, he will fight.

Silent Move: [roll0] vs AGI 41 and Silent Move

OOC: Uh oh. Quick, guys. Act casual.

[Fremen]

OOC: Just a reminder that Arqueek is also moving towards the humans. I only restate this because he didn't get mentioned in garden's last post.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC: Alright, combat time. Here's where this things will get messy, both mechanically and in the game, heheh. I'll make as many rolls as I can, to keep things clean.

First thing's first. More Silent Move rolls for Haqueel & Kish-keekt.

Haqueel - [roll0] vs. 19 - failed
Kish-keekt - [roll1] vs. 13 - success

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Initiative.

Arqueek - [roll0]+36=37
Haqueel - [roll1]+38=46
Hassz - [roll2]+41=44
Kish-keekt - [roll3]+36=40
Scar - [roll4]+34=39

Mother - [roll5]+22=24
Child 1 - [roll6]+27=31
Child 2 - [roll7]+29=30
Dog - [roll8]+30=32

So order of combat goes...Haqueel, Hassz, Kish-keekt, Scar, Arqueek, Dog, Child 2, Child 1, Mother. I'm acting for Haqueel because Leeham has not posted yet. I've sent him a PM to see if he's still in, but for the time being consider Haqueel under my control.

[gardenphilosoph]

With a nod from Mroxk the attack begins.

Haqueel slams through the door, bursting through into a small, dirty room. The only furnishings are two tiny bunkbeds and a small woodburning stove. The only illumination in the room is the flickering light from the fire in the stove.

There is a peasant woman cowering in the corner, two small child-things behind her. In her hand she grips a mud-encrusted mining pick, and her children seem to be clutching found weapons as well - a blunt knife for one, a tiny wooden mallet for the other. The children's eyes are wide open, their mouths agape. The family must have heard the Skaven scrabbling outside. A dog crouches by the mother's feet, baring its teeth and snarling.

The mother is in tears.

She screams. The dog barks.

Haqueel leaps forward, landing on a bunk bed, and swings his huge pick at the mother, its head still dusty with the tunnel dirt.

Roll to Hit - [roll0] vs. 29

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - It hits. It hits her right arm, if we're using the hit location chart, which I think we will, I like the additional detail.

Damage - 4+[roll1], [roll2] (highest of the two)-3 = 9

EDIT - Says post roll count doesn't match database because I deleted the mother's illegal parry.

[gardenphilosoph]

Haqueel's pick tears through the mother's right arm, tearing flesh and breaking bone. She doesn't go down.

OOC - The rest of you are up. Even if it's not explicitly your turn, please post your general intentions so we can resolve this combat as fast as possible.

For those of you without the core rules, I'll try to post up a little chart of the specific moves you can do in combat, mechanically. For now, your description is enough, I'll translate it best as I can.

Shunka, there are neither doors nor windows at the back of the hut, but the walls are flimsy enough you can probably punch through with a successful Strength test, so 1d100 vs. 36.

[Fremen]

Arqueek risked a glance around Haqueel as the other rat began to attack the man-things. The rooms didn't look too dangerous, devoid of any of the larger humans, with only the animal to defend them. Oh, and the petty weapon the breeder and her pups had. Still, Arqueek had learned as a slave that almost anything could be an effective weapon in the right circumstance; and so he was somewhat wary of the group.

But,he reasoned, Haqueel had gone in already...

Figuring the dog for the biggest threat, Arqueek instead opted for something more reasonable: the breeder. Ideally he's have gone for the pups (did man-things possess a maternal protective instinct? Arqueek couldn't remember), but she was being rather rude and interposing herself.

With a high-pitched cry that came out as more of a squeak, the slave hefted his rusty blade and leapt at the breeder, being careful to ensure Haqueel remained between himself and that canine.

OOC:I assume I'm rolling against WS, but I'm not sure what modifiers, if any, apply, so:

[roll0]

And, in case it affects anything specifically, I'm charging (assuming, of course, I can).

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - You can, and, in fact, it actually really helped you out here. Generally your roll of 32 would just barely fail (your WS is 31), but charging gives you a +10% bonus, making it a success.

I'm wondering if I should just throw initiative out the window in favour of posting order, at least for player characters. Hmm.

Also sorry about missing out on Arqueek in that earlier post, it was my bad.

[Shunka Warakin]

With that perception roll K-K made so nicely earlier...Any movement at all from the other huts now that things have gotten noisy?

[Fremen]

OOC:Cool. I'm not 100% sure on damage either, but given that it seems to be a d10 system from what you've rolled above, I'll do the same. I'm not sure if the target gets any kind of defense, but for the moment I'll assume I succeeded.

[roll0]

As for posting, I'm happy abandoning the strict order and going with something a bit more continuous. It'll help the flow keep going, and help prevent stagnation. Of course, I'm slightly biased because I'm not terribly familiar with the rules to start with.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - While an amazing success, there's still nothing to see. KK is behind the hovel, so cut out of sight from the other two hovels. Plus, even if he was within sight, it's been about seven seconds since Haqueel and friends breached the door. Shunka, any thoughts towards keeping initiative/or swapping it out for posting order?

Thanks Fremen. Damage is 1d10, plus your strength bonus, at least while you're using your hand weapon. So 3 for you, 6+3=9 damage, minus the toughness bonus of the opponent and any armor he/she might be wearing. None, in this case.

Although I am in favour of posting order over initiative, we'll let this combat resolve as normally as possibly before I overwrite anything.

[Fremen]

OOC: Excellent. If the target is no longer alive when Arqueek's turn comes around, then I'll redirect the attack to whichever child is closest at that moment.

[kumada]

Hassz

Keeping his profile low, Hassz sprints over the dirt and loose shale, breaching the hut at speed. Arqueel and Harqueek have already penned in the man-things when he arrives, so he turns his attention on the dog. His machete whips down through the air, intent on separating sinew from bone.

Attack: [roll0] vs WS 36, Charge (if applicable), All-out (if applicable)

Damage: [roll1] + STR bonus 3

OOC: Storm knocked out my power for about ten hours. Everything's back now, so I should be able to resume timely posting.

Edit: Behold! My best of rolls! :smallamused:

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt's ears twitch at the other huts, but since he hears nothing, he turns back to the current target and the sounds of scuffle therein. He hefts his pick and hammers it down, throwing his weight behind the weaponized tool. It's designed to gnaw rock...This manling-hut shouldn't be that hard.

I have no preference, whatever will flow better. With initiative, you get people pausing and confused about who has gone/needs to go/when their turn is. Without initiative, you get people stacking up actions unintentionally when others haven't posted. Both methods have their downside.

Pick, meet wall: [roll0]

[gardenphilosoph]

Arqueek's notched blade severs some critical artery in the mother's shoulder. She collapses to the ground, blood spewing out of the ruins of her shoulder. Death from shock and blood loss is almost instantaneous.

Terror test for the children, from having their mother's blood splatter on them after their house was invaded by stinking ratmen.
[roll0] vs. 26
[roll1] vs. 28

Hassz' bursts into the hovel as well, aiming a swipe at the frenzied dog, but overshoots the creature and slams into the far end of the hovel.

Kish-keekt, at the back of the hovel, swings his pick at the wall, intent on breaking in. It shreds the thin wood, but doesn't make a large enough hole for him to enter.

Scar now jumps into the hovel, the tiny space now full of writhing fur, blood, and noise. He stabs at a child.
[roll2] vs. 36
[roll3] + 3

OOC - Alright, most likely we'll be using a combination of posting order and rolled initiative, then. Meaning that I will still roll initiative as per normal, but for the player characters, their actions will be resolved in posting order.

Also I realized I made a mistake - the peasant woman wasn't allowed to parry that attack, as to parry an attack you must have entered a 'Parrying Stance' on her turn (Half Action), or she must've had a secondary weapon/shield in her off-hand. Neither was true so Haqueel's hit actually goes through, which slightly changes things.

[gardenphilosoph]

One of the children flee, dropping its wooden mallet and trying to force its way through the dense cluster of ratmen blocking the door.
[roll0] vs. Ag 21

The dog, frothing at the mouth, jumps at the most recent attacker, going for the throat.
[roll1] vs WS 25+20 for All out Attack
[roll2] + SB 2

[gardenphilosoph]

The child successfully forces its way through the door and begins to flee, tears mingling with blood on its face.

The dog latches on ineffectually to Scar's fur.

The remaining child launches itself at the same thing it's dog did, clenching its tiny knife.
[roll0] vs WS 28+20 for All out Attack
[roll1]

[gardenphilosoph]

The child's knife finds the nook of Scar's elbow and tears it about, spilling blood and tearing tendon. It is a serious wound.

OOC - Wow, that was a hit. And by reversing the attack roll to 42, we find that it hit Scar's right arm, which isn't protected by his leather jerkin, that only protecting his torso. 10 damage minus Scar's TB of 3 equals 7, taking Scar down to 2 wounds, which means he is heavily wounded.

More initiative!

Arqueek - [roll0] + Ag 36
Haqueel - [roll1] + Ag 38
Hassz - [roll2] + Ag 41
Kish-keekt - [roll3] + Ag 36
Scar - [roll4] + Ag 34

Child 2 - [roll5] + Ag 29
Dog - [roll6] + Ag 30

So turn order is Hassz, Arqueek & Haqueel, KK, Scar, Child, Dog. Nice initiative rolls for the skaven this round.

[Fremen]

Arqueek bared a feral grin over the bloody body of his victim, but before he could celebrate he heard Scar's limb tear beneath the pup's knife. For half a moment the slave stared in surprise, gaping at the successful little man-thing. Fearing that he would be next, the skaven tore his weapon free of the breeder and stabbed at the little human.

OOC:Assuming I can also "All-Out Attack", Arqueek will do so.

[roll0] vs WS:31+20=51

Assuming it hits, here's damage:

[roll1]

Wow... that went well. Also, because I don't know if I was clear: Arqueek is attacking the child who did not flee the house.

[kumada]

Hassz

The wall repositions him.

No, it says, gently but firmly, the fight is that way.

Hassz reels backwards, almost tripping over the dog--which, for reasons unknown, then lunges at Scar.

Ignore it.

Having earthed its teeth in the other Skaven's flesh, the dog is no longer a threat to him. The escaping child, on the other hand, is.

Hassz sprints after it, murder glinting in his eyes.

Attack Child: [roll0] vs WS 36 and all-out attack (if applicable)

Damage: [roll1] + STR bonus 3

[gardenphilosoph]

Hassz shoves past his packmates blocking the door and rushes after the fleeing man-child, lashing out his machete at the small thing.

The rusty blade flays the thing's back, cutting open fat and flesh. The thing stumbles, but somehow keeps running, panting and sobbing.

Inside the hovel, the Clan Flem slave Arqueek slits open the bottom jaw of the resilient child-thing. It slips on its own mother's blood on the floor, but some spark of life keeps it alive and conscious.

Haqueel lashes out at the child-thing as soon as Arqueek finishes.
[roll0] vs. WS 29+30 (20 for All Out, 10 for 2 on 1)
[roll1] or [roll2]

In the claustrophobic quarters of the crowded, blood-slicked hovel, the child somehow manages to avoid the attack.

OOC - I've included some rules reference to the first post, for hit locations, possible combat actions, and critical charts. For hit locations, you just take the successful attack roll and reverse the numbers, comparing it to the chart. Don't worry about critical hit rolls for now, I've been taking care of them. I did one for the mother. I've also been meaning to put up Fate Point rules/Favour of the Horned Rat rules, but for now we can go without.

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt hears the thudding of little feet and the manling's whining outside the hut, and sprints around the small dwelling, moving to cut it off should it run towards the other huts.

Not that anyone in them would miss the earlier screams.

If he can get in range he'll charge: Attack against WS 41 1d100

[Shunka Warakin]

Ffffff. Wrong format. [roll0]

[kumada]

Hassz

The machete rises and falls, but Hassz is unable to make a clean kill. Now the child is crying as it runs, making repulsive blubbery noises from its mouth. Water runs down the sides of its face for no reason the Skaven can understand.

The risk of detection is inexcusable.

Attack: [roll0] vs WS 36, all-out, 2-on-1

Damage: [roll1] + STR bonus 3

OOC: I will keep making these attacks until either the child escapes (and thereby becomes a hero sworn to vengeance on all rat-kind,) or Hassz successfully murders a defenseless kid. Given the trouble we've been having with a bunch of malnourished children and their mother, I'm pretty much expecting the first man-at-arms we meet is going to nuke us from orbit.

[Fremen]

Blinking in confusion at the small man-thing pup which bled before him. He wasn't completely sure how it had managed to survive this long, and the fact that a neck wound hadn't downed the creature was giving the slave cause to hesitate. There was a brief but fierce internal debate, but in the end fight beat flight, and the rat-man launched himself at the human again, hacking again in an attempt to keep the little man-thing down.

Another all-out attack on the same human child:

[roll0] vs WS:31+20=51 (I'm not sure if the child is prone or not, or if a get any bonuses for it)

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Hmm, just realized that since the kid that attacked Scar rolled a 10 on the damage die, he gets to make another attack due to Ulric's Fury. That could prove potentially fatal. Let's see what the dice say.
[roll0] vs WS 28+20 (All Out)
[roll1]

Kish-keekt would have to Run for this round before he could Charge to attack the fleeing child, so I'll assume you just sprint around the hovel and join Hassz in the chase. Next turn you can charge it.

Kumada, even though Hassz has two attacks on his sheet, he can't actually attack twice a turn. As far as I can tell it's only beneficial when you use the Swift Attack full action in combat, which lets you make a number of attacks equal to your Attack characteristic.

Fremen, you won't be able to make another attack until the next round, but if you want I'll keep that successful roll for your next attack.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Holy shet, that kid and his little knife are some lucky duckers. That means that he did a total of 14 damage to poor Scar, bringing him down to -5 wounds. Rolling on the critical hit chart, under the +5 column. And this is for his right arm.
[roll0] - which gets us #8 on the arm chart, meaning....oh. Oh dear. 20% chance of dying every round until medical attention is received, any further hits means he dies. Lets hope that dog misses.

[Fremen]

OOC: A skaven is lying helpless and dying. Decisions, decisions...

EDIT: and yes, I'll just keep Arqueek's roll as is unless things change dramatically before his next turn (ie: the child dies before that).

[gardenphilosoph]

MUSKS
Scent plays a strong role in Skaven communication. The Skaven exude several different musks, depending on their emotional state. Though secretion of these musks is largely involuntary, many Skaven learn to hide their emotions from their companions by will alone. Only a handful of surface dwellers are able to distinguish between different Skaven musks. To the majority of non-Skaven, the Ratmen stink of urine and wet fur.

The most common Skaven musk is referred to as the Musk of Fear. Unsurprisingly, the Musk of Fear is secreted when a Skaven is frightened. Though most Skaven are in a near-constant state of anxiety, they only exude in truly terrifying circumstances. This, of course, depends on the individual Skaven, for some are better able to face their fears than others. In any case, what frightens one Skaven may not necessarily frighten another.

The Musk of Fear is a tool of survival, and it allows a single Skaven to warn his fellows that something is horribly wrong. When displayed between individuals, it is almost always a sign of deference, indicating that the Skaven who exudes the musk is, for whatever reasons, displaying overwhelming awe and fear towards his leader. On the battlefield, however, the Musk of Fear can cause a warlord's best-laid plans to collapse. Units of Skaven Clanrats have been known to route to the last Ratman once the Musk of Fear spreads through their ranks.

Rolling to see if Scar dies. 80-100 means death. [roll0]

Scar shrieks in rage and pain, a raucous high-pitched yelp, and drops his weapon. His right hand has been reduced to a bloody ruin, the child having clenched onto the knife and pulled down the length of his arm.

Barely conscious, blood flowing out of his arm, he grabs at the child and prepares the bite the thing open.
[roll1] vs 36+20 (All Out)
[roll2]

[gardenphilosoph]

The child manages to slip through his bloodslick arms.

The dog launches himself at Scar, in protection of its master. Its eyes are wild and twitching, excited by the abundant scent of blood in the air.
[roll0] vs WS 28+20 for All out Attack
[roll1] + SB 2

It grabs Scar's ruined arm and shakes it, chewing on flesh and bone. There is a wet ripping sound and it emerges, carrying Scar's upper arm bone in its jaw.

Scar is dead.

The hovel is literally painted red. Outside, blood begins leaking through the floorboards onto the cold dirt outside.

OOC - Ouch. WFRP is known for being lethal, but this is harsh. Sorry Prophet.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - More initiative! [roll0] <- accidental roll, please ignore

Arqueek - [roll1]
Haqueel - [roll2]
Hassz - [roll3]
Kish-keekt - [roll4]

Child 2 - [roll5]
Dog - [roll6]

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Reposting Fremen's earlier post for his successful attack, plus rolling damage. I know this will probably be a critical, so I'm gonna roll a d100 as well in advance.

Blinking in confusion at the small man-thing pup which bled before him. He wasn't completely sure how it had managed to survive this long, and the fact that a neck wound hadn't downed the creature was giving the slave cause to hesitate. There was a brief but fierce internal debate, but in the end fight beat flight, and the rat-man launched himself at the human again, hacking again in an attempt to keep the little man-thing down.

[roll0]
[roll1] -> That's a 9 on the arm chart, so insta-death.

The slave's sword plunges through the child's gut, killing it instantly.

[Shunka Warakin]

Daaaaaamn. It's a good thing we didn't run into something seriously dangerous!

I mean, they might've had a CAT. Then we'd really be hosed.

One dead Skaven and we're not through the second round of combat. Is that the pitter-patter of messenger feet I hear coming up the tunnel? A replacement, maybe?

Kish-keekt puts his head down with a snarl, sprinting around the hut, from whose doorway his sensitive nose catches the reek of fresh blood...And fear. Probably the cursed, crack-bell of a slave. He settles into a predatory lope, dogging the heels of the Clan Eshin thug, just to one side, letting his pick shift in easy balance as he runs with the old, familiar tool. How many years of rock chewed? How many skulls spiked to cavern walls?

Time for more of the latter and less of the former. He hurls himself forward, putting every bit of effort into it he can and raising the pick to time its downward chop with the mass of his body coming down on his leading foot.

Time to see which clan brings back this little tit-bit to lay at the gray one's feet.

Charging: Attack against WS 41 with +10% for the charge [roll0]

[Shunka Warakin]

I don't know what I did to upset the forum roller between yesterday and today...

[gardenphilosoph]

Haqueel swings his pick at the only other living hostile in the hovel - the dog.
[roll0] vs WS 29+20 (All Out)
[roll1] or [roll2]

The pick shatters the dogs' skull, adding its blood to the breeder's and the idiot's.

Outside the hovel, another pick gets swinged, but the fleeing child swerves, and the head of the pick barely misses it. It leaves tiny bloody footstep where it runs. It is about half way to the other two hovels now.

Whereas before in the chase, it only quietly sobbed and panted, it now begins to wail and scream.

A window at one of the two hovels begins to flicker with light.

OOC - Damn, Shunka, forgot that you had a great weapon as well. Your pick has the 'Impact' quality, which means you get to roll twice for damage and choose the better of the two. See Haqueel's roll above.

Also Haqueel's roll, since he rolled 10, would usually be subject to Ulric's Fury and critical hits and all that goodness, but duck it, it's a dog. It's dead, haha.

[kumada]

Hassz

Kish-keet's pick rises and falls, biting only dirt. This may be his last chance to stop the man-pup before it awakens more resistance.

Attacks: [roll0] vs WS 36 (swift, 2-on-1), [roll1] vs WS 36 (swift, 2-on-1)

Damage: [roll2] + STR bonus 3, [roll3] + STR bonus 3

OOC: I'd intended to just have my character auto-attack the child until either it got away or I killed it, so I posted a follow-up attack just in case. Also, if I can't get a full attack action while moving--thereby preventing all-outs or swifts--treat only the first roll for attack and damage as being valid.

[da prophet]

scar charges in going for the manbreeber

[Fremen]

Um, Prophet:


Scar is dead.

OOC - Ouch. WFRP is known for being lethal, but this is harsh. Sorry Prophet.

Also, unless I'm mistaken, the breeder and one of the children are dead.

[Fremen]

Arqueek grinned happily as he looked at the ruined bodies at his feet, but his ears quickly perked up at the sound of the other child's screaming. Internally, he cursed the fools that had gone out after the man-thing pup for failing to kill it yet. If that blasted little monster kept its yelling up, then man-thing warriors were sure to arrive soon.

While Harqueek finally slew the wretched mongrel, Arqueek wasted no time, and grabbed at the discarded mining pick the breeder had wielded. He looked frantically about the cabin for anything of value while his busy hands scrabbled through the clothing of two human corpses for anything useful.

OOC:Arqueek is going to try to frantically loot whatever he sees as valuable in the room, including the mining pick the woman was wielding. I'm not sure if a roll is required to search the room/bodies quickly, but just in case it is, here's the roll:

[roll0]

EDIT: wow, for a slave, this guy's rolls are on fire!

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Rolling for Hassz's critical hit on the fleeing child. [roll0]

There's not a ton to loot in the room, but the woman had a mining pick, and you can always loot Scar's body, which had a short sword, a leather jerkin, and a sack with some rope and lockpicks in it.

[Fremen]

OOCThere's not a ton to loot in the room, but the woman had a mining pick, and you can always loot Scar's body, which had a short sword, a leather jerkin, and a sack with some rope and lockpicks in it.

OOC: Well, I guess it's better than nothing. Arqueek will look all of the above (if able).

[gardenphilosoph]

Hassz' first swipe at the running child severs some vital tendons in its left arm, but still the thing doesn't drop.

Another swipe though, and it collapses in the sand. It still breathes, but it won't be getting back up.

The door at the other hovel slams open, and a burly man-thing appears, cudgel in hand. He takes a moment to access the situation, and begins running to the bleeding child.

OOC - Sorry about that brief delay, covered an unexpected shift at work. Kumada, did you power go out because of Sandy?

I originally was gonna only allow one attack since you're running with the child, but I figure a full grown Skaven can keep pace with a fleeing child while still attacking, so I'm gonna roll another critical for you. [roll0]

Also I was updating the character sheets, and realized that since Hassz is wearing mail, he actually has -10% to his Agility. We'll start factoring that in. Sorry about that.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - More initiative.

Arqueek - [roll0]
Haqueel - [roll1]
Hassz - [roll2]
Kish-keekt - [roll3]

Father - [roll4]

Haqueel, Arqueek, KK, Father, Hassz

So general situation right now is, you're near the mouth of a stone quarry, and there's three hovels situated near each other. Inside one, along with the bodies of a slain woman, her child, Scar, and a dog, is Arqueek and Haqueel.

Hassz and KK are between the two hovels, having chased and killed a fleeing child. The hovel at the far end has just lit up, and a large man, presumably the husband to the mother and father to the children, has emerged with a cudgel in hand.

[kumada]

Hassz

Hesitation.

The new man-thing clearly outmasses him. It may not be much of a fighter, but the simple fact of its bulk gives it an edge. All that weight, crashing dumb upon him, could break bones with ease.

Hassz steps back. The child continues wheezing, crying through the ruin of its throat. For a moment, both rat and man stare at the boy. He is in no hurry to expire. He could yet be saved.

Your move, meat.

Prepping an attack on the man for when the man moves to check on the child, or if he attacks/calls out an alarm: [roll0] [roll1] STR 3 WS 36 swift, [roll2] [roll3] STR 3 WS 36 swift

OOC: I lost power for about ten hours or so. Otherwise, not too bad.

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt gives a long, low hiss to draw attention as Hassz steps back from the whimpering man-cub. The miner-rat eyes the adult human warily, tail-lashing. Big. The skaven's brow furrows and it skulks right over to where Hassz had been standing, pick raised in one hand...Obviously threatening to put the child out of its misery. With his other hand he points at the man's stick, gestures towards the ground. Drop your weapon or I kill your spawn. Perhaps it will work. Humans are weirdly protective of their whelps.

Kish-Keekt chitters irritably aside to Haasz. "It attacks, you circle left, yes-yes? I go right. Its back to one of us."

If the man charges, rather than killing the child, who seems pretty much done as a threat, Kish-Keekt will make an all-out attack at the man.
WS 41 +20 for AoA: [roll0]

[kumada]

Hassz

Hassz nods. "Yesyes. Odds good. Less of us die."

He keeps his eyes fixed on the man.

[Fremen]

Arqueek poked his head outside the hut, his hands nervously gripping his new mining pick as he let his eyes adjust to the darkness outside. He felt the reassuring weight of his new sword swinging at his hip, alongside his older, rustier blade, and couldn't help but smile. All this fighting was making him hungry, but he couldn't rest yet.

Seeing the bigger man-thing, Arqueek's smile and hunger were quickly forgotten. Far larger than the breeder or the pups, the male was little more than a big, dark shape against the night backdrop, and the little slave didn't fancy a fair fight with it. Fortunately, it hardly seemed like the other skaven were interested in such a fight either.

Slinking away from the hut and into the darkness, Arqueek made his way around the building, moving as quietly as he could with his new loot to outflank the new foe.

OOC:Testing to move silently as Arqueek attempts to sneak around the buildings, trying to get behind the (hopefully distracted) human man.

[roll0]

[gardenphilosoph]

The man stares at the two ratmen standing by his dying child, confusion and rage fighting to overtake his face.

Suddenly Nagrat appears behind him, his shaggy black mass almost matching the man's. Within seconds Nagrat's makeshift jawbone-weapon is swinging at the man-thing, and he brings up his cudgel to react.

Manoeuvre - Nagrat attemps to force the man backwards into charging distance for Kish-keekt and Hassz, so it's an opposed WS roll.
Nagrat - [roll0] vs 40
Father - [roll1] vs 31

Attack - [roll2] vs 40
Damage - [roll3] or [roll4]

OOC - Fremen, Silent Move is an Agility-based Standard skill. Since it's standard, you can attempt to do it even though you don't have the skill, but since you don't have the skill, the characteristic you'd have to roll under is halved. Your agility is 36, halved, 13, so you'd have to roll 13 or less to succeed. Unfortunately you don't, and the man spots you out of the corner of his eye.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Ugh, both failed on the opposed WS. Gonna re-roll until there's a winner.

Nagrat - [roll0] vs 40
Father - [roll1] vs 31

[gardenphilosoph]

Nagrat manages to force the man back through sheer brute force, but the man is deft, and manages to block every blow of the huge jawbone.

Haqueel leaves the hovel, dragging the body of the slain dog with him. He squats and begins to tear flesh away, eating while he watches his companions fight the last man-thing.

OOC - So he's now within charging distance of both KK and Hassz. Arqueek will have to Run for a full round to be within striking distance.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Initiative.

Arqueek - [roll0]
Hassz - [roll1]
Kish-keekt - [roll2]
Nagrat - [roll3]

Father - [roll4]

Arq, KK+Nag, Hassz, Dad

[Fremen]

OOC: Arqueek will make a run move to get closer to the man-thing.

[Shunka Warakin]

Seeing Nagrat's attention on the man, with a shrill warcry, Kish-Keekt screams and leaps, bringing his heavy pick down with as much of his body weight behind it as he can manage!

Charging: Attack against WS 41 with +10% for the charge [roll0])

[Shunka Warakin]

Woot, ALMOST 4 degrees of success. >_> And with a Great Weapon, too. Hopefully he's not going to dodge that with his face full of Nagrat. Wait, no, with the +10% it is 4 degrees. :D Actually, no, it's more than that because now the human is outnumbered 3 to 1...Eh, I dunno what it even does in this case?! Book is a little unclear about what a degree of success does if you're not disadvantaged in combat?

[Shunka Warakin]

So while I've got the book out, assuming he doesn't dodge...
Hit Location:
[roll0]
Damage, greater of:
[roll1]
[roll2] plus SB of 3.

[gardenphilosoph]

The man-thing attempts to swerve out of the way of the pick.
[roll0] vs Ag 30

He tries, but Kish-keekt manages to tear his shoulder. The man twists, dislodging the pick from his shoulder.

Nagrat keeps up the attack, swinging furiously and still intent on pushing the thing backwards, hopefully into range of Hassz' swift bladework.
Nagrat - [roll1] vs Ag 40
Man-thing - [roll2] vs Ag 30

Attack - [roll3] vs 40+10 (2 on 1)
Damage - [roll4] or [roll5]

The man-thing, now furious, manages to stand his ground against the Black Skaven, but his weaponwork is not as skilled as Nagrat's, and he lets a blow slip in. The jawbone leaves a gaping wound from his neck to his waist. Panic and fear flicker into his eyes, but he fights on, his cudgel blows only growing stronger and stronger.

OOC - So the Hit Location rules are a little odd, in that you don't roll a d100, but rather reverse your successful attack roll, for you that'd be 20, which would be right arm. Really the only way to target a specific location would be to make a called shot. Hmm, seems like the rules don't cover that, but I'd just impose a -10% bonus to WS if trying to hit a specific spot.

Kumada, unfortunately big ol' Naggy failed to Manoeuvre the man-thing, so you'll still have to Charge to attack him.

[Fremen]

The heavy-set man-thing didn't look to be faring too well against the heavy black-fur, and some of the others began to pile into the fight. Figuring that there was not likely going to be a better chance, Arqueek gripped his new mining pick in both hands and raised it high, only the bring it down as hard as his scrawny arms would allow him

OOC:If Arqueek is in melee range then he's going make an all-out attack, and if not, then he's going to charge. Either way, he's going to use his mining pick. I'm not sure if ganging up has an effect either.

Attack:
[roll0] vs WS 31 (not including modifiers)

Damage (Strength bonus of +3):
[roll1]
[roll2]

EDIT: ouch, that's probably not going to connect, unless there's a big bonus from surrounding him.

[kumada]

Hassz

Gathering himself up into a rushing blur, Hassz plows into the man.

Attack: [roll0] vs WS 36, charge, all-out, 3-on-1 [roll1] STR 3

[Shunka Warakin]

Hassz

Gathering himself up into a rushing blur, Hassz plows into the man.

Attack: [roll0] vs WS 36, charge, all-out, 3-on-1 [roll1] STR 3

Don't think you can charge and AoA on the same turn, but the charge and the 3-on-1 cumulatively ought to make that a hit anyway.

Kish-Keekt gives a chittering hiss as his pick bites into the man's side, then he steps back a pace, yanking the heavy weapon up again. He notes Nagrat continuing to give the man a rough time, and Hassz barreling into the man from the other side.

This is taking too long. More will come.

Kish-Keekt lets the haft of his pick slip slightly through his paws, extending it out until he's holding it near the butt and swinging it with the full force of his body behind it at maximum extension, aiming for the human's bobbing head.

All-Out-Attack, 3-on-1 (4 now, technically, heh).
WS 41 +50%-10% for called shot: [roll]1d100[roll]

[Shunka Warakin]

All-Out-Attack, 3-on-1 (4 now, technically, heh).
WS 41 +50%-10% for called shot: [roll0]

I really need to learn to put that closing / in there where I copy-paste the opening part of a die-roll or other tag. :6

[gardenphilosoph]

Hassz plows into the man, knocking him back into Nagrat's bulk. While he is open and defenseless Hassz cuts at his face.

The man's face is near cleaved off, and the falls to the ground, convulsing and spilling blood. He doesn't even scream, just a thick gurgle as he writhes on the ground, still breathing.

By now the child has taken its last breath. Its body begins to grow cold.

The humans are dead.

OOC - Fremen, you got Arqueek to Run for this round, and the next round hasn't started yet, so I'm gonna ignore your attack and roll. Same for you Shunka, KK already attacked this round, so gonna ignore your attack this round, though you can save your roll for next round if you'd like.

EDIT - Nevermind, no next round, Hassz finished it in fashion.

And yup, you can't Charge and All Out on the same round, I'll assume you Charged because you would have to to get within striking range. Either way, you hit.

Rolling a critical hit on the father's, woah, HEAD, in the +5 column. This should be graphic. [roll0]

[kumada]

Hassz

"Hush now." Hassz slits the writhing man's throat.

He stands back up as the gurgles subside into stillness. "Still dangerous here. We check other buildings, make it safe. Or we take meat and leave."

Hassz will move to inspect the other buildings unless someone stops him.

[Shunka Warakin]

Kish-Keekt makes a gutteral sound in his throat, ducking his ears once to Nagrat before loping off after Hassz.

The Eshin clan are known to be fearsome killers, to be sure, but the other rat has shown there is perhaps more to that than just shadowed rumor.

And shown it to Kish-Keekt's dismay. His pick is blooded, but did not bite deeply enough, and the most dangerous foe tonight was slain before the eyes of the warrior Nagrat...And not by Kish-Keekt. He studies the other huts as they approach, but his gaze keeps drifting back to a point right between Haasz's shoulders, and his eyes narrow as he wrings his heavy pick tightly in his long-fingered paws.

KK has just been an unlucky rat, so far. XD

[gardenphilosoph]

The building the father emerged from is sparsely furnished, a thick wooden slab table on one side, and several sacks of potatoes and onions on the other, with some quarry equipment leaning against the wall, various rakes, picks, and chisels. On the table is a candle, still burning, and a warm mug of beer, next to an open book. There is a small handful of human currency on the table as well.

The attached building is just a store-room, full of sacks of various gravels and sands, in differing grain sizes.

The original hovel that you invaded contains nothing of value anymore, just the blood and flesh of the slain breeder and her kit, and Scar's looted body.

[Fremen]

Exhausted already, and left shaking as the nerve-wracking effects of the adrenaline left his system, Arqueek suddenly felt very, very hungry. Knowing the black hunger when he felt it, even in a relatively minor form, he quickly made his way back to the hut which had held the less threatening of the man-things. Making sure he was well out of direct sight of the vicious black-furred one, or his white-furred master, Arqueek quickly began to feed on the dead.

He had no doubt that there would be much to do very shortly, and as a slave he wasn't likely to factor very highly on the priority scale, so he made sure to eat as fast as he could. He wasn't sure when he'd get another chance.

[gardenphilosoph]

SNIFF

Being cowards, Skaven almost never rush into things. Not when they can make someone else rush into things first (which is why they prefer to lead from the back). In the former case, the Skaven never attack without acquiring as much intelligence as possible. They watch a target for weeks or even months, learning everything they can and putting their plans into action with great slowness and infinite patience. This way, they ensure that they won't be observed, and when the trap finally closes - months or even years later - no one sees it coming.

On a personal level, the Skaven always take a sniff around a corner before turning it, for who knows who or what might be waiting there? Likewise, they rarely take action without considering all the possible outcomes and other options. They often delay their first actions in a combat to wait and watch their opponents, so they can best decide whether to fight or run. At the back of the Skaven's mind, there is always the question "What's in it for me?". If the answer isn't one he likes, or if there is too much of a risk of harm or hindrance, he won't immediately go forward - and he may even go backwards.

OOC - Giving out XP for that encounter! Once you have 100 XP, you can spend it on an advance.

Mroxk the White - 5 XP
Nagrat the Black - 10 XP
Arqueek - 15 XP
Haqueel - 10 XP
Hassz Long-whiskers - 15 XP
'Manling-Gutter' Kish-keekt - 15 XP

XP is given out by me subjectively, though killing blows, special actions, and interesting character play all make for more XP.

If you guys decide to pack up all the meat before you move on, I'll give you the expected number of days that the food will last for. You'll get more rations from successful Outdoor Survival rolls - so roll under half your Int for everyone but KK, who actually has the skill. Also you should decide if Scar's flesh is up for grabs.

[kumada]

Hassz

Clear. The quarry is finally clear...at least of man-things. The other skaven are a greater threat now, especially without the two pressing distractions of hunger and death. Hassz sticks close to the others, doing his best to keep them in sight, although he will pilfer anything edible from the hovels, and will assist in carving up the corpses for transport.

As for where it is they're going, he'll wait for a sign from Mrox.

Outdoor Survival: [roll0] vs INT/2, not scavenging Scar, but stripping away the flesh from his body and burying the bones to avoid detection.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - The Skaven Council telepathically beams you all a celebration message. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ek0BB1YJJo&list=UUll0MyrHslZ9HygE-jz0kAw&index=3&feature=plcp)

[Fremen]

OOC: So how does character advancement work?

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC: So how does character advancement work?OOC - Once you have 100 XP you can take an Advance, which is either +5% to one of your main characteristics (WS-Fel) or a +1 to one of your secondary characteristics (A-Mag). Your available advances are on your character sheet, dictated by your career. Once you have taken all the available advances you can choose a new career.

All careers have a choice of pre-destined career exits, which you can get by paying 100 XP and acquiring the trappings of that career. If you decide to go for another career entirely, you have to pay 200 XP.

You're a Slave, so your career exits are Clanrat, Clawleader (this is kinda weird, its like a leader of a squad of Skaven, with a variant slave leader called Pawleader, huh), or any other career within reason. I'll try to give you a list.

[kumada]

OOC: Not all the advances are 5% or +1, there are some higher bonuses depending on clan, profession, etc.

Also, I though it was possible to exit a career before taking all its advances? I think you still have to take a certain number, but I remember being allowed to permanently bypass taking a few advances in order to change careers early.

And, to keep things moving, feel free to pick a direction for the party to travel in, Garden. Hassz doesn't know much about the surrounding countryside, and so will follow wherever.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - You're right, there's also skills, talents, and skill masteries to be had in other careers. And looks like you're right, you can exit a career before you finish its advance scheme, all you really need to do is acquire the trappings of the new career and pay 100 XP.

I'll make some Outdoor Survival rolls for everyone and wait a couple more hours, if no one posts by then, I'll randomly move the group to a new hex.

Also please let me know if your Skaven is willing to cannibalize Scar or not, it will make an impact in the game.

Mroxk - [roll0] vs 23
Nagrat - [roll1] vs 14
Arqueek - [roll2] vs 15
Haqueel - [roll3] vs 18
Hassz - failed roll, no scar
KK - [roll4] vs 34

[Fremen]

As the lowest social ranking amongst the group, Arqueek knew better than to make any suggestions as to where to head to next (although he knew he was likely to be blamed for any foolish decisions). For that matter, he knew better than to try to go for the more desirable meats or loots (other than those he had stolen earlier). Settling upon the notion that he would get his due soon enough, when the Horned One wished it, he made do with what meats were available to him while the other deliberated...

OOC: Arqueek, unless told otherwise, will cannibalize Scar.

[kumada]

OOC: Hassz will assist in stripping Scar's flesh off of his bones, and in burying those bones, but will not eat that flesh. If others do, he will not try to stop them, but he will not partake. If no one eats it, or there's some of Scar left over, he'll burn it.

edit: to clarify, the bones won't burn to ash, so just throwing him whole into a fire will still leave telltale traces of a rat invasion. Butchering the carcass, hiding the bones, and burning the meat will do a lot more to conceal the nature of what happened here.

And will also scare the bajeesus out of any poor empire investigator who digs them up. :smallcool:

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Okay, so everyone gets 5 days worth of meals off each human. Nagrat's successful roll would normally net him more, but there's no way of preserving them, so I'll assume you take your 5-days worth for now, and dispose of the bodies in the way that Kumada stated, burying the bodies in the quarry.

Rolling offscreen to randomly determine the hex you move to, since no one's come to a consensus.

[gardenphilosoph]

The six of you spend the better part of four hours butchering the bodies, taking what flesh you can and burning what you can't. Nagrat does the majority of the butchery. He's surprisingly adept at getting the meat off the bones, but without any means of preserving it, most of it gets tossed in the fire. Arqueek and Hassz take the bones and bury them under sand and gravel at the bottom of the quarry, while Kish-keekt rubs the blood away with sand and dirt.

By the end of it, the only traces left are vaguely reddish stains on the floor of the woman-and-child hovel, and the pick-axe marks on the back of the same hovel, from when Kish-keekt tried to break in.

The sun is beginning to rise when the group sets off towards the northwest.

It is two hours of quiet travel through mostly flat terrain, red-brown sandy dirt with occasional low-lying dunes. It is dawn when you stop.

To the southeast you can see the quarry where you emerged, the sheer cliff towering over it. Barren plains stretch out in every direction, but in the distance you can make out hilly terrain in every direction to the north, and to the southwest.

OOC - Hex map has been updated. Let me know if you want to make camp or keep travelling, and which direction if so.

[kumada]

Hassz

He doesn't like this feeling. Being visible, open, exposed. Every few moments his whiskers flick and Hassz looks to the sky, as if expecting death to drop down on him out of the dark.

He might be tired, exhausted down to his very bones, but this is not a safe place to camp.

OOC: keep moving, same direction, then camp and dry some of this meat to preserve it.

[Fremen]

Arqueek couldn't stop glancing up at the painfully bright and incredible open sky above him. There was something to be said for the dangers of skaven tunnel-work, but no warren was ever as unnerving and threatening as this bright expanse above.

Looking up to the other members of their little band, Arqueek bit back any comments that sprung to mind about the inefficiency of the leaders. If he had been in charge, there wouldn't be this level of indecision.

Know that, as a slave, he was not likely to be heeded, he instead opted to lead to way, picking up the pace slightly as he sought somewhere in the blasted plains to hide for the daytime. He hoped that the skaven leader's natural tendencies would leave them complacent in the back, while Arqueek chose what path to take.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Seems like we lost Shunka on the way. Sent her a PM, sent Leeham one as well a couple days ago, which he responded to saying he'd come on by, but looks like he's MIA as well.

I'll assume that you keep in line with Hassz - keep moving in the same direction and camp and dry the meat in the next hex.

Update won't be until after midnight my time tonight.

[gardenphilosoph]

The six of you continue northeast, further into the red wasteland. The sky above is the colour of muddied water, but the temperature continues to rise as the sun arcs higher up.

You can make out some sort of ruins nearby, or at least some kind of badly crumbled stone formations.

OOC - Do you want to trek to the ruins to make camp, or make camp in the open desert? Also, do you want to stay at camp until nightfall, or set off as soon as the meat is dried?

[Fremen]

OOC: Well, I'm game to keep playing as long as you are. As for the camp, Arqueek will opt to make camp in the ruins.

[kumada]

Hassz

Ruins meant a place where there had once been civilization, and civilization meant water. Hassz was already panting with dehydration. They would make for the ruins if he had any choice in the matter.

[Fremen]

OOC: Good to see I'm not alone.

[kumada]

OOC: No worries. This is a nice distraction from NaNo. Right now my life pretty much consists of NaNo and things to distract me from it. :smallamused:

[gardenphilosoph]

Mroxk decides to take the group further to the outskirts of the ruins, despite being the slowest, least physically capable in the group. His pace is easily slower than everyone else in the group, and yet Nagrat takes care never to outstep him. It is a while before you reach the ruins, and your tongues begin to grow dry. What little water you carried with you in flasks and waterskins is gone, and the blood you refilled it with is beginning to coagulate.


http://i47.tinypic.com/21cgowi.png

It is not until you are within the ruins that you realize their labyrinthine proportions. There are endless dusty crumbled stone walls and mismatched bricklaying, doorways into darkness and pebble-strewn plazas. And no water. As far as you can tell, the ruins were built by man's clumsy hands a long time ago, in a similar desert environment. The odds of water being around are slim to none, unless some lies festering in a clay storeroom somewhere.

The sun is up for long enough that you dry your rations and get some rest, ensuring they'll stay edible indefinitely. It is dusk when they are done drying.

Mroxk speaks. "It is not well here, in this death-place. We needs-must find a man-place, find a man and make it our puppet, yes?"

OOC - Oh, NaNo! Totally forgot about that, though I have been writing a novel - transcribing one, rather. Fun times. What are you writing about, Kuma?

Also I'll try to find some replacements in Recruiting, see if anyone wants to pop in.

[da prophet]

sorry i dropped out, i forgot all about it:smallfrown: if you still need players i hope to keep up now.

[kumada]

Hassz

"Need water first. Water, then worry. There will be some here, or else why build in first place?"

Hassz begins tentatively combing the complex for signs of a well.

OOC: My NaNo project's called Epidemonology. The general idea is that it's about what the CDC would be like in a society with supernatural infections. It's a little bit Delta Green, and a little bit 1984.

What're you transcribing, garden?

[gardenphilosoph]

As you explore the the ruins a mounting sense of unease occurs, mounting the more explore the ruins.

Eventually, as the last rays of the sun begin to fade, Hassz finds what looks to be a well. There's no bucket or pulley system, and looking down all you see is darkness. It may well be empty.

OOC - I've been transcribing Heart of Ice (http://www.amazon.ca/Heart-Ice-Dave-Morris/dp/4939130010), a highly respected gamebook from back in the day. Been trying to digitize it, and I'm fascinated by the way the nodes connect. I'm not anywhere near done, and it's looking something like this now (http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mda08zA7Gp1qfq6u4o1_500.png).

If you're curious, I can send you an html file. Epidemonology sounds really cool.

No worries Prophet, we'll get by. Thanks though.

[Fremen]

Hugging the ground, Arqueek licks his lips as he tries to peer into the depths of the hole, hoping for some indication of water within. Unable to pierce the gloom with his feeble eyes, the slave instead opted to grab a small piece of rock or debris, and drop if into the hole, his ears perking up for any sounds of slashing.

OOC: Arqueek is going to attempt to throw something small, like a stone, into the well, and listen for what sound he hear (ie: water or not), as well as ballpark how far down it might be. Thus, an awareness check:

[roll0]

[gardenphilosoph]

It's hard to tell if the stone makes a noise at all.

[kumada]

Hassz

The rat pricks up his ears, listening at the dark of the well for water. No sound returns. Either the well descends impossibly deep, lunging down into the bowels of the earth, or all traces of the stone's passage have been swallowed soundlessly by water.

They're not going to last a another day of trekking through the desert without something to drink. This he knows. One of them is going to have to enter the well.

"Slave, you have rope? I will tie one end to rock. Lower into well, see if rock comes back wet."

This is stalling, at best. The dark, crumbling pit in front of them is calling, demanding sacrifices. It will not go unappeased.

[Fremen]

Arqueek looked up at Hassz with fearful eyes, wanting desperately to refuse, but well aware that it just wasn't an option. His beady eyes kept darting between the dark hole and the other rats, but he couldn't think of anything better to suggest (not that a slave would likely be listened to anyway), so he took a deep breath and began tying the rope around himself.

[kumada]

Hassz

Hassz's whiskers flick in annoyance at the slave's incompetence. "What are you doing? Around rock. Rock. Pointless risk to lose you without testing well first."

He walks over to Arqueek, grabs the rope away, and begins fastening it around one of the loose blocks from the well.

OOC: Hassz is going to tie one end of the rope around a rock, and then lower the rock into the well. This will at least allow us to gauge whether the well is shallow enough to climb down into without getting stuck out of rope-range, and should give us an idea of whether there's water in easy reach if the rock comes back wet.

[gardenphilosoph]

Mroxk watches Hassz closely as he ties the block to the end of the rope and lowers.

The rock comes up wet.

Nagrat, Haqueel, and Kish-keekt are searching another area of the ruins.

[kumada]

Hassz

"Perfect. Now we do this with canteens."

OOC: Securing canteens near the top with rope, lowering and filling, bringing back up.

[gardenphilosoph]

The first canteen is lowered. Filling it up is awkward, either the water down there is extremely shallow, or it is an uneven well. When it comes back up there is indeed water in it, but it is slathered in red mud.

The second canteen is lowered down. Something snatches it and pulls.

[kumada]

Hassz

"Slave! Grab hold, save rope!"

OOC: Hopefully combining Arqueek's and my strength to resist the wellmonster.

[gardenphilosoph]

Arqueek and Hassz grab the rope attached to the canteen, and lug it up, hauling quickly to pull it out of danger. It comes up, attached to the rope, but slashed and leaking water. It is not salvageable.

Mroxk hisses in irritation, then stands up from his squat and walks up to the well, looking down and sniffing before throwing a puff of warpstone dust down the well and chittering something strange.

Channelling - [roll0] vs 53
Casting Roll - [roll1]+1 vs 6

A small glob of glowing green fire appears out of Mroxk's palm and falls down the well, illuminating as it goes, colouring everything in a sickly, flickering green. The flame illuminates the sandstone walls of the well as it plummets, and finally lands some thirty or forty feet down. Something moves at the bottom, darting away too quickly to be seen.

OOC - So a breakdown of the mechanics of spellcasting in WFRP, for those who are interested. The casting roll is 1d10 per point of Magic you have, Mroxk has 2 so I used two. It's not always beneficial to use the maximum, because with arcane spellcasting there's always a chance things can go awfully wrong. Luckily Mroxk's magic is based off warpstone, so no chance of that.

Casting is a variable action - in Mroxk's case, the spell he's casting, Ghostly Flame, is only a half action, so he uses the other half action he has to make a Channelling skill test, which if he succeeds in will make his odds of casting better (specifically a bonus of whatever his Magic score is, again 2). He has a high willpower and an additional +10 from his Aethyric Attunement talent, so it's a good choice.

Mroxk opts to use an optional ingredient as well, his warpstone dust, adding another +1 on his casting roll.

Every spell has a 'casting number', a number you need to get equal to or greater than on your casting roll. Turns out Mroxk doesn't need the +2 from his successful channeling roll or even the +1 from using warpstone dust. He aces it.

Not as complex as it sounds.

[kumada]

Hassz

Hassz quickly disentangles the leaking canteen from the rope, drinking what moisture he can out of the husk before tossing it aside. He holds up the other canteen, the mostly-full one, and shakes it enough to slosh the contents around inside. "Is not much, but should get us over next hill. We leave here, search for less threatening oasis. Should be easier, traveling by night."

OOC: Walp, that's all the prompting I need to bug out. We can restock somewhere safer.

[gardenphilosoph]

It takes longer than it should to find your way back where you came from, and the ruins seem to twist upon themselves menacingly. Hallways you could have sworn you came from suddenly turn to dead ends, and crumbled walls you passed five minutes ago seem to restore themselves to tall barriers as soon as they are out of sight. It is hard to tell the difference between one section and another - the sandstone walls and red dirt look common everywhere, and night is upon you.

You make it back to the alcoves you were sleeping in at the mouth of the ruins, but the others are not back yet. Mroxk hisses in irritation.

[kumada]

Hassz

"Either they will find us, or they will not. Do not hide your tracks. They will follow if able."

OOC:Unless Nagash objects, continuing with plan to get out of dodge.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC - Alright, where to? Every direction is open for you, you came from the SE.

[kumada]

OOC: Let's get out of this desert. Heading west.

[gardenphilosoph]

You continue travelling the way you have been, giving the eerie ruins a wide berth while leaving obvious tracks behind for the others to follow. Mroxk is uncharacteristically silent, and his actions are ever more silent. He was a domineering bully back in the tunnels, ever since you left the undercities, but the further you've gotten from Skaven society, the more unsure his movements have become. Whereas once he sat behind Nagrat's pitch black bulk, and ordered a full squad of clanrats, here he trudges through a desert with a slave and a statusless common rat.

You all go through one portion of meat each, and the shared water canteen is already running low. The scrubby hills to the north grow closer.

[kumada]

Hassz

Hills mean low places for water to collect. Plants mean foraging animals to graze on them. Hassz turns towards the hills as they continue their march.

[gardenphilosoph]

The hills grow ever closer, and you can start to make out the distinct vegetation decorating the slopes. It still looks like a fairly arid area, but there is pale yellow grass and small, wizened bushes dotting the area.

"Underling! I am your sss-Seer. Gives me the water." demands Mroxk, as your hike through the desert begins to dry out your mouths. "You and I will drink, the slave can wait."

[kumada]

Hassz

"Water will not last long, even split between two. If slave does not drink, he will die. If slave dies, who will dig for water? If we do not find water buried in the dirt, we all die." Hassz passes Mroxk the canteen, and then begins to scout the local terrain for an appropriate place to dig.

OOC: Going to try and find a low point in the hilly badlands to excavate. Hopefully with Arqueek's help.

Also, I'm getting the feeling that I might be the only PC left in the thread. I can definitely keep going with this game, but we could scrap it and start something else, or we could recruit some more able-bodied rats.

[gardenphilosoph]

OOC
Yeah, I think I might go the road of scrapping it. I was really hoping for interparty conflict to be a driving force for the game, which isn't super possible with only one PC. Ah well, it happens, particularly a lot in play by post games.

I'd be up for starting something fresh. Do you have anything in mind?

[kumada]

OOC: Honestly, you come up with game systems that I've never heard of, and they're pretty universally good. I'd be cool with whatever you wanted to run.

I have a slight preference for stuff like Dread, NWoD Hunter, Dark Heresy, etc. I like unknowable, unstoppable monsters and I like trying to fight against them. Some of my favorite games have ultimately had very little to do with that, but I think the format of "go find a thing and kill it" lends itself very well to PbP. Without a strong central goal that can be clearly worked towards, players tend to drift off and lose interest. :smallconfused:

[gardenphilosoph]

Yeah, I would agree. I'm more inclined to run sandbox games, but they just don't seem suited for something as casual as a play and post. Currently I'm fiddling around more with settings than I am with different game systems, but the Beast Hunters thing I sent you in a PM might be worth a look, it has a kind-of back-and-forth mechanic that should work well with two players, but to be honest I don't fully understand it yet, I'll have to read through it again. And as I said before, I really dislike the setting that they throw on us in the book, and I have a couple different ones in my head that could easily be altered to fit.

Strange that you included Dark Heresy in your monster-hunting games list.

Also, as a side-note, I've been digging the post-apocalyptic science-fantasy genre pretty hard lately.

Also, I'm just gonna post the fully revealed hex-map I had made for this game because it's dead, in case anyone's interested in looking over it. You guys started out at H3, the quarry, and went northwest a bit, finding the ruins but never actually encountering the undead warlord mummy there (had you stayed longer you would've run into his skeleton minions). Also every hex you travelled I rolled for a random encounter on a chart I made, but fortunately for you guys nothing ever occurred.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2vinx93.png

[kumada]

Beast Hunters looks interesting from my skim of it, and could probably be re-skinned into some kind of post-apocalyptic tribal society. I think I'd prefer to play it with one or two other players just so that there's some kind of group dynamic, but I'll admit that I have zero comprehension of how having more than one Hunter works.

[gardenphilosoph]

If we did go the path of reskinning I thought a take on medieval hunting culture might be cool, in some sort of infinite forest filled with white harts and intelligent foxes and hundred-year old bears, hunting with hounds and lances. Or another concept I had was the concept of deep-sea divers in perhaps an abyss in an alien ocean, hunting with spear-guns, nets, and floodlights. Or maybe even poaching creatures for an intergalactic zoo. So many possibilities.

I know it's possible to play with multiple players, but my understanding of the mechanics is still pretty vague. I'll read up on it.

Do you have any interest in Jason Morningstar\Bully Pulpit games? They're more shared narrative collaboration-type things than a traditional RPG, but they're definitely really interesting. Fiasco aims for the chaos and drama of a Coen-brothers movie, with a whole range of fascinating playsets, and the newly-released Durance is about a penal colony established on another planet. We would most probably need a third person if you have any interest in these games.

[kumada]

I actually have a physical copy of Fiasco, but it's not really what I'm looking for right now. The underwater setting for beast hunters sounds cool, though.

[gardenphilosoph]

Cool, well give me some time to flesh it out, and re-read the beast hunter mechanics. I wonder if we can skin this over Dogs in the Vineyard perhaps.

[kumada]

Dogs seems like it's tough to do as a forum game. The back-and-forth bidding mechanics are a great way to add tension at the table, but anything that causes slight breaks in action can kill a forum game dead. Plus, at its heart Dogs seems like it's more about strangers arriving in a community than it is about killing things in the wilderness. Don't get me wrong. I love Dogs and I've been trying to get my IRL group to play it for close to four years now, but I'm not sure how functional it would be online.

[gardenphilosoph]

Yeah, I think I ran it once and you were involved. It relies on too many players though, so of course things came to a halt. Alright I'll take a look at the Beast Hunters mechanics. Any other settings/game systems that are piquing your interest right now?

[kumada]

I've been angling for an NWoD Hunter game since forever, to the point where I keep trying to run one for my IRL group, but it's been voted aside for more Delta Green every time I offer it. So, that one's always fairly high on my would-like-to-play list.

I like most of the NWoD line, but the only one I like out-of-box is Hunter. Everything else needs a lot of modification to get good. New Werewolf is basically a western and does amazing things if dropping into a post-apocalyptic setting. Promethean is a road story--it just happens to have frankensteins in it. Vampire wants desperately to be a 1920's crime story, even though it has plastic fangs on, etc.

I'm also generally interested in some day playing a game of L5R, but the setting is so monolithic that I can't just sit down and run it. I'd have to play it first.

In direct contrast, I really like Monsters and Other Childish Things, but that's a game I want to run. I'm not sure if I'd enjoy just playing it as much.

Other than Beast Hunter, are there any games you've been mulling over/would be particularly interested in trying out? I always have five or so concepts of things I could run on the back-burner, and I figure that's pretty normal for a GM.

[gardenphilosoph]

I never got into any of the WoD games, my closest experience of them being the Hunter: the Reckoning games for Xbox and a memorable thread on RPGnet about making a WoD setting based around being the descendants of an ancient primordial sea god.

L5R is interesting, though I've never been comfortable running something involving Japanese history, since it's so rich and I know basically nothing about it. Playing, maybe.

I've actually read a lot of MoCT and like it in theory, though I just can't find it in me to sympathize with playing a child character, or running a game in that kind of child-theme. Has definitely interested me though, and I feel like Sorcerer is a sort of grown up version of that. I also think it'd be fascinating to see Candlewick Manor run in full.

Games I'm interested in running/playing? Cold City, which I've just acquired and am currently reading through. I've always thought the Day After Ragnarok setting is amazing. I've recently read GURPS Fantasy II 'Adventures in the Mad Lands', which is actually a pretty awesome setting, though strange and hard to play in. Blue Planet is another amazing setting that I've been wanting to run, though like you described L5R it is rather monolithic and a little intimidating. I considered a melding it with Eclipse Phase, but there are a few fundamental differences in it's alternative history. Could still be done though, I think. Lately I've really been craving just a collaborative narrative experience ala Fiasco or Durance as well, but I've had little success trying to recruit forum people to play.

Yeah, I always have a good grouping of concepts of settings or outright game systems/settings that I'd like to run, though I don't have, and have never had a IRL group to practice on. Forum games tend to die out rather quickly too, though here and there I meet a couple dedicated interesting players.

[gardenphilosoph]

There's also a french science-fiction saga that I'm dying to read/convert into a RPG, called La Compagnie des Glaces (The Ice Company) by Georges-Jean Arnaud.

Oh, and 3:16 always seemed like it'd be a fun game to me, though again it's heavily group-reliant, something that isn't a good factor on a forum.

[kumada]

3:16 looks fascinating as an IRL pick-up game, but I think you're right. Its mechanics don't really look like they translate well to forums play.

As for Ice Company, let me know if you ever get that translation going. I'd be curious to read it. I've heard vaguely good things about Arnaud, but I've never actually read any of his stuff.

Unrelated question: what's your take on Deadlands? I was just skimming rpg net, and it popped out at me.

[gardenphilosoph]

Weird, I had a whole post written up and tabbed away, and now it's gone. Since I'm leaving for work I'll have to strip it down to the base notes.

- love Western themes, not the late-1800s American West setting
- as in encroaching colonialism and the rise of civilization
- super comfortable with Savage Worlds, among my favourite system
- like Weird-history games, would try running Weird West
- recall that you like Weird West games
- only problem I see is that casting class needs a persistent card deck to draw from
- not sure thats available online

[kumada]

Could simply simulate cards with the forum roller. I'm sure there are charts for that that I've seen before. If we were to do a game of Deadlands and someone is dead-set on chucking mojo at people, dice+chart should make that doable.

[gardenphilosoph]

Yeah, I'm sure that would work. So where have we landed? You and me doing Beast Hunters with a deep-sea alien-world theme, or shall we run something else with more players?

[kumada]

I'd say let's try something with more players. Beast Hunters sounds good, but I'm not sure I have the kind of mental energy for a two person game right now.

Just looked back and realized I'd missed a post.

Blue Planet. Holy crap.

I know very, very little about the setting, but if you're willing to explain along the way, I'm up for a game of Blue Planet.

[gardenphilosoph]

Ohhhhh man. Like I said, would love to run it. And again, it's so monolithic of a setting that I'm a bit intimidated, but no better way to learn than to run! Not super sure of the mechanics of the system, they seem a bit clunky. In fact, a couple months back I had schemed to translate them to Savage Worlds...might just do that, and convert as I run.

I'll look over my materials and get a recruitment post up. I'd want a maximum of, say, three players though.

[Shunka Warakin]

Sorry for dropping the ball at my end. Home life troubles plus very busy work grabbed me and didn't let go. My bad. :( Though I guess I wasn't the only one.

Oh my GOODNESS the things you two've been discussing! L5R?! And Eclipse Phase?! And Cold City?! Some of my favorites! Have you run across A|state by the same people who made Cold City?

I have only heard of Blue Planet, and am not so familiar with it, but I can tell we have some similar tastes in games!

[gardenphilosoph]

It's alright, these things happen.

The conversion of Blue Planet is going slowly. There's a lot to convert.

Would you two be interested in a small game of Cold City? Got the book recently, still reading it - the monster art in it is amazing.

[kumada]

I have no real experience with either, but I would be up for giving Cold City a go.

[Shunka Warakin]

I have no experience either, but I've wanted to try it for quite some time!

So yes, I'd be interested.

Closed or open game? (In the sense of hidden agendas)

Any particular nationalities appeal to anyone?

[gardenphilosoph]

I'll assume closed, but I still have to see how the mechanics work. Give me a couple days to read through the book, I'll assume you're busy with the end of the semester.

[kumada]

Walp, I am assuming that everyone has fled this thread, never to return.

But, if not, lemme know if you're still here?

If Garden isn't up for running a thing, I have a home-made system that could use some testing.

[gardenphilosoph]

I'm still checking every couple of days, was pondering running a game but think that's just a little too big a burden until January. Am trying to get a game of Durance going at another forum, but posting there is slow. What's your home-made system? I think I could participate in a game.

[kumada]

The working title is Insignia Ice.

It's a troupe game set in a high-fantasy/fantasy bizzaro/post-magipocalypse renaissance world. Mechanics-wise, it's about as complex as 7th Sea or L5R. Fluff-wise, I still have a lot of world details that I need to hammer out.

[gardenphilosoph]

Oh man, I love post-something bizarro settings. The renaissance flavour is interesting. I'm neither familiar with 7th Sea or L5R mechanics-wise, but I'd be excited to hear more.

[kumada]

Okay, here's the overview on the rules:

-Dice checks use a pool of d10s, and involve rolling (attribute) dice and trying to get under (skill) number.

-Combat can be either physical or social, and uses a rock-paper-scissors system to add an element of strategy to every roll.

-Game actions take place in broadly defined 'zones.' Outside of combat, an entire city district might be a zone. Inside of combat, there might be separate zones for each room of a building.

-There are separate mini-games for weapon smithing and estate management.

-There is a 'connection' system that allows allies to cash in on good RP for persistent bonuses when they work together.

-There are six categories of weapons to choose from, each with its own unique bonuses. Weapons may be switched on the fly, without penalty, and each starting character is automatically trained in two.

-Initiative uses a bidding system, making turn order a tactical decision instead of a roll of the dice.

-Skills and knowledges are separate things, and knowledges are bought from a different pool of points, allowing your character to know things that fit his concept without compromising his ability to function in combat.

-Tricks and special abilities are provided to further customize characters.

-A detailed list of mounts, all with unique bonuses, allow PCs to ride in style without clogging up the initiative order with separate creatures.

And here's the overview on the setting:

-Nearly a millennium ago, an unexplained cataclysm shook the land, staining parts of it with thaumic energies. Life has adapted to living near a magically radioactive hotspot, and kingdoms have grown around it.

-Playable races include steppe-dwelling russo-mongolian beastmen, golems built from the parts of their own dead, monastic cranes that believe themselves to be angels, philosopher spiders living in massive subterranean swarm-cities, venetian humans with an eye for trade, and their agrarian neighbors who are constantly preyed on by horrifying elves.

[gardenphilosoph]

I like roll-under systems, they seem elegant to me. BRP seemed to be the epitome of this.

The 'physical OR social' element reminds me of DitV, which I like. Also rock-paper-scissors means that for every strength there's a weakness, which I also like.

Your zone idea reminds me of rooms in parser-based interactive fiction, I feel they can be really flexible. Are there different rules within certain zones? Defining them as mechanically different zones must mean that there are some mechanical differences between them, yeah? Or is it just a location thing?

Interesting focus for mini-games, I assume it has to do with the setting.

I'm super curious as to what the six categories of weapons are.

Bidding initiative once again reminds me of DitV, which is, once again, great. I feel like it'd be clunky for play-by-post, but I also assume that you're designing this for your real-life group.

Love the idea of separated skills and knowledge, though I don't envy your job of separating the two. The lines probably blur somewhere...though I guess knowledge of a gun versus skill/handling of a gun are two pretty different things, hmm.

I feel like Edges/Feats/whatever are always needed to give a sense of progression with the character. They also provide a nice game-iness. Crunch, I think they call it.

Once again curious how mounts will be implemented mechanically, they seem to be a pretty niche thing. Outside of combat or large-scale travel I can't see them playing that big a role.

Love what you described of the setting. I feel like Russo-Mongolian beastmen is the most elegant progression of 'fantasy orcs', though I assume that's no t what you're going for. Are the golems organic or inorganic? Cranes are great creatures, and I don't think I've seen any crane-men in any fiction yet. Love the idea of philosopher spiders, curious what their lifespan is, and the level of variation in their race. Venetian humans remind me of the Empire in Warhammer Fantasy, which is not a bad thing. I love fantasy that makes elves exotic and horrifying, notably Dark Sun, though Zak Smith's Vornheim does something similar I think. I always thought that Russian folkloric forest-witch/demons and elves would go hand in hand.

Overall reminds me of a bit of Bas-Lag, from what little you told me. Excited to hear more.

[kumada]

Not gonna lie, this was not designed to be run pbp, so there may be some clunkiness there.

With skills v. knowledges, the major difference is that knowledges cannot be rolled. At maximum level, they do provide a minor mechanical benefit, but otherwise they represent a broad category of information that a player can feel free to ask the GM about. The higher their knowledge, the more accurate the information they get will be.

Zones are very similar to the way they would work in a mud or something similar. They do matter mechanically, since a zone can be stacked with different global effects, and one weapon allows you to target attacks into adjacent zones.

Mounts are basically a big bag of minor bonuses that you can graft onto your character with a high enough mount skill. Mechanically, they give you options like performing aerial evasions or small bonuses to carry capacity, zone movement, or attacks. The major kicker for me is that they don't usually take damage, and so can matter a little more in RP than the usual DnD horse does.

Bas-Lag is definitely an influence, as is Fire Emblem. If you crashed the two together, you'd have a very good model for this setting. I'll go a little bit more into detail on that when I thresh out the character creation thread... although I'm not sure when it is that I'll have that up. Maybe thursday? I'll keep you posted.

[gardenphilosoph]

I'm still curious about how zones work during combat. Such a broad definition, and the possibilities for mechanical interaction during combat are pretty big. I'd think that melee weapons would only be effective in their immediate zone, but-hmm.

Again, I think this is something that will make more sense when I get a better feel for the world, but mounts still seem like a relatively esoteric thing to bestow mechanical benefits on. I assume by mounts you mean tamed/domestic beasts of burden, or possibly vehicles, but they can hardly go around with you everywhere. Indoors, in cities, underground/underwater environments...not to mention they're easily killed, though you did say these don't take damage. The image that comes to my mind is that of an MMORPG mount, a conjurable thing that provides some mechanical boost, though clearly that's not what you're doing. Super curious.

I vaguelly recall playing Fire Emblem, don't much remember the storyline though. Bas-Lag I absolutely adore, I believe you introduced me to Perdido Street Station. I still haven't read Iron Council.

Have you read any of Mieville's other books?

[kumada]

An MMO mount is actually a pretty good analogy. They're not quite the same thing, but I wanted mounts in II to be convenient, rather than a liability.

As for Mieville stuff I've read: Un-Lun-Dun, Perdido Street Station, The Scar, Iron Council, Kraken, Looking for Jake, and The City And The City. I haven't gotten to Embassytown or Railsea yet, but I think Perdido Street Station is his best so far. The Scar has great world-building, and The City and the City packs a hell of a message, but neither one quite surpasses that original novel.

Oh, and as long as we're on the subject of books, two recommendations: "Eutopia" by David Nickle, and "The Alchemy of Stone" by Ekaterina Sedia.

[kumada]

And here we go:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14402457#post14402457

[gardenphilosoph]

I started Embassytown, never got to finish. That and Kraken I loved in concept, and both had a lot of neat Mieville moments, but I couldn't particularly find a taste for the whole thing. Kraken in particular. I loved so many parts of it, but as a whole it was megh. Looking for Jake I haven't been able to find, and I've been meaning to get to the City and the City.

Eutopia looks amazing, I think I'll go scoop it up today. The Alchemy of Stone also looks interesting.

I've been reading Red Claw by Philip Palmer, intelligently written sci-fi pulp with a touch of humour.

Random question, what do you think of Kindles?

[kumada]

I started Embassytown, never got to finish. That and Kraken I loved in concept, and both had a lot of neat Mieville moments, but I couldn't particularly find a taste for the whole thing. Kraken in particular. I loved so many parts of it, but as a whole it was megh.

This. 100%. I never got to finish Kraken, due to someone evidently walking off with it at a doctor's office, but that was the impression I had all along. Cool world-building, nothing I could really feel connected to.

As for kindles, I think I would use one all the time if I had it, although that would also be true for an ipad. Physical books are nice, but they're kind of more of a luxury thing, and any convenient mobile device that would let me both read and write would pretty much never leave my side.

[gardenphilosoph]

I don't think I ever finished it either. Everything was so loosely connected, I don't know.

Heh, an electronic tablet is a cheaper option than physical books? I know what you mean. I don't know, I don't want to replace physical books, but the convenience of a lit screen reading at night would be cool.

[gardenphilosoph]

Also, Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. Amazing.

[Shunka Warakin]

Folks, a bit of a family emergency has come up, my mother-in-law slipped and damaged a few disks, so instead of her visiting us, my hubby and I are going to go visit her.

I have absolutely no idea if I'll be around internet access. She has email, but it might be from a cell phone.

With any luck this won't consist of an interruption other than a couple of all-day-drives but I figured I should let you know just in case I suddenly drop off the map until around New Year's.

[kumada]

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope she's okay. :smalleek:

No worries about the interruption in posting. It seems like I'm actually running a thing now (link above), and you're more than welcome to join if you like, but it sounds like you've got a hectic couple of days ahead of you. :smallfrown:

[Shunka Warakin]

Crud. I posted my reply from the previous page, never saw that a new page ahd opened. Was still waiting to hear about Cold City and a whole new game has started!

And filled up, too.

Ah well, perhaps next time! It's too bad. I was looking forward to playing CC.

[kumada]

It's not actually full up, if you'd still like to get in on the crazy mess that is character creation in Insignia Ice. :smallsmile: