Vanguard had been
gated to the Lost Lands of Antarctica, a hidden valley that time forgot. They
searched for the next mysterious Artifact of Power in order to stop the end of
the world. They found it at the center of a ruined temple filled with two
thousand Dino Men, the evolutionary descendants of the dinosaur! Beneath the
valley’s mist, the World Storm, and the solar eclipse beyond, the Dino Men had
gathered for some sort of unspeakable, occultic ritual.
Vanguard quickly made
plans and leapt into action!
Then all hell broke loose. The
Ruin somehow negated many of Vanguard’s superpowers!
Vanguard’s element of surprise was over. The two thousand Dino Men were about to
react.
[OOC: Avatar,
Lightning Strike, Sentinel and Symbiote are by the treeline, near the spot
marked “V.”
Clone is everywhere there
is a spot marked “C.”
Menagerie and Slate
are sprawled on the ground in a heap at the spot marked “MS”.
Slingshot is hovering
weightlessly at a height of 200 feet at the spot marked “SL,” thanks to
Symbiote.
All of Vanguard currently have
their superpowers except Menagerie.]
Avatar used the power
of Zeus to cause the temperature to suddenly plummet! (Costs 6 Power Points)
The rain immediately turned to
snow! Visibility was severely reduced due to the instant white out everywhere…
except inside the Ruin! The snowfall served to surreally define the perimeter
of the Ruin’s mysterious effect! Within it, the temperature remained tropical,
and the snowfall melted into rain again as it entered the Ruin’s area of
influence. That area was the marked by the Ruin walls, rising into a half
sphere, over 150 feet above the Ruin. The center of that semi-sphere was the
altar!
None of the Dino Men inside the Ruin felt any cold. But those outside did!
All four Tyrannosaurus Max riders and five of the six Terrordactyl riders were hit
by the impossible wintry cold and white out conditions that gripped the valley!
“ROOOAAR!” A T-Max shook its head against the chill.
(These dinosaurs and Dino Men take
d10 damage to Power, and lose d10 from their initiative! The sixth Terrordactyl
rider was safe inside the Ruin’s sphere of influence.)
No Dino Man had ever seen snow
before. They all looked up, in wonder. Were the stars falling from the
sky? (All must roll a d20 saving throw
vs. Intelligence. If they miss their saving throw, then their initiative is further
delayed one phase for every point they missed their save by)
Sentinel was genuinely
surprised by the method of rescue he had just experienced. (see last ish!)
He sometimes forgot just how much
scientific genius and acumen Lightning Strike possessed since it was usually
overshadowed by his lone wolf tactics and superhuman ego. Ever the peacekeeper, he genuinely said,
"Thanks for the save Strike."
But realizing Strike seemed even
more frustrated with him than usual, he couldn't resist and he smiled,
performing a quick air kiss towards Strike, "I knew you couldn't live
without me."
Then, back to business, added,
"Looks like it’s 'magical' based powers that aren't working in the
ruins. You're up, hotshot."
Meanwhile, in the warmth of the
Ruin:
Clone entered the
temple and saw a large stone altar. Atop the altar was a stone idol of Cthulhu.
It was two feet tall and gave off a soft green glow.
It illuminated the five Dino Men
that surrounded the altar. They were involved in a mystic ritual of some sort.
The central one was a female.
This High Priestess
appeared to be a hybrid between Dino Men, Humans and something else entirely.
Flanking her were her four High Priests
(two on each side) who also looked different from Dino Men. None were happy to
see Clone.
Clone raced to the Ancient Altar and placed his hand on the
Stone Idol! (That was Clone’s “attack” and his action ends here!) Clone said in
a playfully roguish way, “What’s shake’n ladies? Come here often?”
The high
priestess and her high priests screamed in
hate at this profane sacrilege!
The high priestess glared malice at Clone and her eyes seemed to penetrate
his very flesh!
Clone could feel her mind merging with his! And then it stopped. His fractured psyche, the chaos of all those
Clone personalities coexisting, formed some kind of mental labyrinth that
defended him (as per his Power description). She hesitated….
Then, SHAKOW!!!!!
A bolt of lightning suddenly came
from nowhere and struck her chest in an explosion of hot electricity!
Moments earlier, when the snowfall
had begun, Lightning Strike had sprinted
into the Ruin. Avatar’s power to bolster morale didn’t exist in the Ruin, but
Strike kept his resolve (made a successful Charisma saving throw). Avatar’s
power over the weather didn’t work there either, and Strike’s visibility
returned.
Seeing that Clone had his hand on
the artifact, Strike raced halfway to the altar, following the trail that had
been blazed by the pack of invading Clones, to get a clear shot at the
priestess and finally provide Clone that cover fire he had requested! (Costs 4 Power Points)
The high priestess
collapsed to the stone floor, unconscious!
The four high priests
howled like wild animals and attacked Clone with fast, razor sharp claws! Three
missed completely (due to Clone’s evasion!) but the last one tore him to
ribbons! (8 points of damage)
The Clone at the altar
fell to the ground, incapacitated. His bloody
hand slid from the Idol of Cthulhu.
Suddenly, another Clone appeared in the doorway to the temple. And another.
And another.
Sensing that he may have
overstayed his welcome, Clone grabbed the idol. The Clone behind him placed a
hand his shoulder, and on the fallen Clone who lay bloody at their feet. The
third Clone grabbed the second Clone’s shoulder and turned his head toward the
entrance and shouted out desperately, “If we’re going to start teleporting, NOW
would be a great time!”
A hand appeared on his shoulder
and Zwooomp!!!
All the Clones disappeared!
Clone had formed a line from the
altar to the gate and “chain absorbed” himself all the way back toward the main
gate of the Ruin!
Lightning Strike, Menagerie and
Slate watched two dozen Clones evaporate right past them! (Strike is located at
“LS” on the maps)
Clone suddenly was one body again.
That body was near the main gate and he raced through the snow toward Avatar,
Sentinel and Symbiote, outside the Ruin. Clone had the idol. It weighed nearly
100 lbs.
Suddenly, snow began to fall into
the Ruin, and bitter cold with it!
Menagerie’s powers
returned, along with his connection to Archimedes!
Sentinel could read
energy in the Ruin!
Avatar’s power to
bolster the morale of his comrades in the Ruins returned!
Once the Idol had been removed
from its place on the altar, its mysterious effect stopped!
(Due to the freezing cold
temperatures, all 2,000 Dino Men take d10 damage to Power, and lose an additional
d10 from their initiative, including the sixth Terrordactyl rider. Also, their
vision was obscured!)
Slate, flush with the
success of saving Menagerie inside the Ruin, delayed his action until the Dino
Men responded to Slate and Menagerie’s appearance. He wanted to try to
communicate with them.
Menagerie looked at
the four Dino-Men that Slate and he had plowed into unconsciousness, and saw
they had their own primitive technology of clothing, weapons, tools, etc. All
four wore necklaces of stone charms on a leather-like cord. All had leather-like belts that could hold
weapons. Two had swords that appear
fashioned from the fierce jawbone of a dinosaur, complete with layers of razor
sharp teeth. They were treated with something like black lacquer. One had a
similarly-fashioned dagger, and the fourth had a long spear.
Menagerie quickly picked up the
spear. He put his back against Slate's. "Are you really sure about this
kid?"
Menagerie held the spear in a
nonthreatening manner as he waited for "Internet Jones" to talk with
the "natives". Menagerie held his action, ready to coordinate with
Slate on their flight. And, heeding Clone’s advice, he reached out to Archimedes,
to let him know Vanguard was ready to depart.
BOOM! Mystic’s familiar portal opened near the heroes
by the main gate of the Ruin!
The Dino Men near Menagerie and Slate were slowed by the
cold and snow, but from their hateful expressions, it was clear they would attack
as soon as they were able.
"Time to move, kid!"
Menagerie said. He evaded and used the spear to defend himself. He grabbed
Slate and the two ran toward the main gate! The snow blinded them, and they
became lost in the seemingly infinite ranks of Dino Men. They couldn’t find the
main gate! (continued below!)
Meanwhile, Slingshot was hovering weightlessly in midair over the Ruins, like
an astronaut in zero gravity. From his vantage point, he saw Clone leave with
the Idol before the snow began. It was time to go.
(Using his saved action…) The
riotous renegade of rubber stretched out to the volcano base, reeled himself to
it, and then ricocheted off the stone face to bounce toward the main gate.
WHAM! Slingshot landed beside the Vanguardians
that were gathered there.
When he did, three Dino Men near
the gate noticed Slingshot and were stunned by his appearance. One pointed at a pictoglyph on the Ruin wall
that looked like Slingshot, and then gestured back at Slingshot. Other Dino Men took note. Murmurs of
astonishment rippled through their ranks. One fell to his knees and
outstretched his hands at Slingshot. Then another. And another.
At the gate, Sentinel noticed this. He turned to look at the Idol in Clone’s
hands and then out at the collapsing bubble of warmth that had been overcome by
the magical snowfall.
Kirk had realized some time ago,
when Symbiote had tried unsuccessfully to duplicate his powers, that the source
of his gifts might have been different than he and Gramps had originally
speculated. From his energy sense he
knew he was in touch with universal forces, with the natural environment, but
this seemed to confirm that the source was what most would define as
magic. Although not a shock about
himself, it was a surprise to him regarding Slingshot.
Realizing his powers couldn't help
directly within the ruins and that Vanguard's element of surprise was now most
definitely lost he thought he could provide assistance in another way; a major
distraction to keep the inhabitants confused and off-balance. He figured either the Dino Men were trying to
summon Cthulhu or satiate him. Either
way, John's manipulation of the supernatural storm had 'nature' responding to
the ceremony beyond what he assumed was the imagining of the Dino Men. He could work with that.
Perhaps it was his thoughts about
the source of his gifts or the environment surrounding them itself but Kirk
outstretched his arms palms upward looking more like a mage casting a spell
than his normal self, exercising his powers as he concentrated. His energy shield around him began to change
form and morph into the appearance, color, and texture of the images of Cthulhu
they had all seen. Once fully
convalesced around him Kirk began to rise into the sky, the image growing into
massive size around him towering outside the Ruins. To the denizens of the ruins
it appeared as if Cthulhu had arrived!
(Costs 8 points of power and an action to rebuild shields into a giant
Cthulhu construct!)
The gigantic form of Cthulhu rose up over the Ruins as the snow (stars?) fell around
him!!!
The two thousand Dino Men that had been slowed due to havoc the plummeting temperatures played on
their cold blooded physiology were finally able to act!
But they chose not to. Instead
they stopped in their tracks. Peering up
through the snowy night sky, they witnessed the return of mighty Cthulhu! The Dino Men slowly fell to their knees with
their hands held above their heads in worship.
Menagerie and Slate looked
up through the snow and saw that Cthulhu had come to earth! Vanguard’s quest to stop him had failed! They
could see that the Dino Men were exultant and triumphant!
Menagerie (used his saved
action) to cast the spell of Nature Sense to try to contact his mystical patron
at this, the ending of all things. He immediately
detected that somehow Cthulhu’s coming created no threat to the Natural Order!
Then the sorcerer superhero knew “Cthulhu” was Sentinel. He moved to tell Slate
but saw that Slate had already deduced it with his heightened sense of
comprehension (and a successful Detect Hidden).
With the ranks of Dino Men on
their knees, Menagerie and Slate (and Slate’s heightened sense of
comprehension) located the main gate of the Ruins. They ran for it! When they
got there, they saw Avatar, Clone, Slingshot and Symbiote! Clone had the
artifact!
Symbiote had already deduced
“Cthulhu’s” true nature, due to the inexplicable silence accompanying his
arrival (and a successful Detect Hidden), and had already shared the good news
with the Vanguardians near him at the main gate.
Lightning Strike,
still in the Ruins, could sense the electrical power of Sentinel’s communicator
from within “Cthulhu” and surmised the reality of what he was looking at.
The four high priests suddenly
began barking orders from the altar in their inhuman tongue!
The two thousand Dino Men worshippers of Cthulhu listened and then rose slowly, in confusion and
disbelief. They were beginning to focus away from “Cthulhu” and toward the area
beneath him: the main gate. Snarls and
barks came from the horde and they began to rush forward at Vanguard! Two Terrordactyl
riders came screaming in! “KRAAAAA!!
Symbiote said, “Let’s
go!” He targeted the higher Terrordactyl and increased its weight fourfold with
gravity control! The Terrordactyl and his rider fell out of the sky like a
stone, crashing hard into the other Terrordactyl beneath them, and they all smashed
to the ground at the gate in a whirling tangle of wings and limbs!
Slate threw two flash
bang grenades at the gate in an attempt to stall the advancing horde of claws,
teeth and swords! WH-WHOOM!
Mystic’s gate was
closing soon (at the end of this turn/issue)!
Most Vanguardians wouldn’t reach
it in time under their own power (i.e. they’ve already used up their action and
movement!)
If the gate shut, the two thousand
Dino Men would tear Vanguard apart!
Symbiote grabbed Clone
and dove into the portal with him! The Idol was successfully extracted!
Slingshot (using his regular
action) expanded one arm into a net shape and enveloped all of Vanguard.
He stretched his other arm into
the Ruins, looping around Lightning Strike’s waist, and then straight back and up
at “Cthulhu” to grab Sentinel out of his construct! The Cthulhu construct would
not fit through the gate (and Sentinel had no actions left to alter its shape
before the gate closed) so Sentinel deactivated it! With no construct, Sentinel
had no shields, and no ability to fly! He fell into Slingshot’s oversized,
waiting hand.
“Cthulhu” disappeared!
Poof!
The Dino Man advance
suddenly exploded in sound, speed and fury! They were nearly upon Vanguard,
screeching and howling like a demon army from hell!
Slingshot reeled the
rest of Vanguard to him and, bearing all their weight, leapt through the gate
without a moment to spare! KZZHROOOM!!
The gate closed behind them!
Vanguard found
themselves in the Special Projects Room of Vanguard Vault with Mystic,
Archimedes, Oracle, Shelley Harper, Nanite, Doc Rocket, Sgt. Stone and CHESS
Agent Drake.
At Vanguard’s feet were a half
dozen severed Dino Man arms in a small pool of blood.
“Cutting it a little close, huh
kids?” said Sarge.
Clone handed the Stone
Idol of Cthulhu to Mystic.
Sentinel said, “It seems
to nullify magic in certain circumstances. Not now, clearly.”
Mystic examined it
carefully and Archimedes said, “Not ‘nullify.’
Absorb.”
Slingshot was embracing
Nanite and Slate. He turned his head around and said to Sentinel, “Huh? What do
you mean? I must have missed the whole "nullifies magic only" part. I
thought it nullified all super powers.”
Sentinel replied, “Slate’s
powers were unaffected within the Ruin.
Clone’s also. But Strike's powers projected successfully into the Ruin. Avatar's
powers projected and failed to work within the Ruin. Menagerie, Sentinel, and
Slingshot lost powers within; Sentinel and Slingshot regained powers once
outside the Ruin. The height of the
'field' over the ruins was measured by Symbiote when he raised you high enough
to revert you back to superhuman form. That was the evidence I used to reach
that conclusion. At this point it is
only a conclusion but it makes sense to me.”
Nanite looked up at her
husband. “Wait. What?”
To be continued!
OOC:
Mystic wants to gate the Idol of
Cthulhu to his pocket dimension for safe keeping.
After doing that, and recovering
from the exertion to do that, Vanguard will be ready to target the next
artifact in two hours – leaving only two days and 19 hours until the end of the
world!
During those two hours, Vanguard
will naturally heal all their Power Points and none of their Hit Points.
Everyone, please provide:
a) Reactions/replies to any and all of the above issue
b) Your vote for what location Vanguard should target next! Vanguard
has three artifacts: the Splinter of the True Cross, the Mayan Sacrificial
Dagger, and the Stone Idol of Cthulhu. Six Artifacts remained, and Vanguard knew
their locations, thanks to the invention of the Janus Chair. They were:
• The middle of the Atlantic Ocean
• Northern France
• The Nevada desert
• Moscow (This is assumed to be the
Spear of Destiny, in possession of the SSS)
• Northern California
• China
c) A few Vanguardians have saved Level Advancements. (Avatar,
Slingshot and Slate.) If any of you want
to use them, you may do so now.
Avatar:
fyi, an advancement for you could be a new power, tied to another Greek God,
adding to your list of manifestation possibilities.
d) Anything else you want to do or say
The sooner you answer question “b” the sooner your poor GM
will know what he needs to prepare for next issue!
It’s 2am and the world storm rages
on! Vanguard gates next at 4am.
Thanks everyone!
Best,
Jeff
Current Conditions upon gating back to Vanguard Vault:
Avatar: Hit Points: 49, Power Points: 56, Manifestation:
Zeus
Clone: Bodies: 1, Hit Points: 22, Power Points: 40, Hit
Point Pool: 22
Lightning Strike: Hit Points: 39, Power Points: 70
Menagerie: Hit Points: 14, Power Points: 62, Form: Man
Sentinel: Hit Points: 21, Power Points: 43, Creation Points:
86
Slate: Hit Points: 31, Power Points: 69
Slingshot: Hit Points: 79, Power Points: 90,
Invulnerability: 8
Symbiote: Hit Points: 62, Power Points: 83, Charges: 12,
Activated: Zero G
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Hi Jeff.
Hopefully I will get to do post
this weekend but just for the vote Kirk was going to go along with the already
suggested choice with most of the reasoning that they may as well hit the most
hostile environment at their strongest and he is banking on the location likely
being Atlantis and one of the two places the last entry was thwarted so perhaps
they may learn something more they can use in their own efforts (other than
massive sacrifice).
But I figured at least my vote now
would help you. (nudge nudge wink wink)
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Do we have any watercraft that we could use for this? While some have powers to allow some movement and survival in an aquatic environment, not all of us do. Even those who might be able to support several others (i.e. Sentinel) might be needed in other capacities once a fight or some other plan begins.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: We should have a CHESS
watercraft but unless we want to push it through the gate or there is some way
of knowing if we are porting into water or an area of air under the water ahead
it is hard to what to use. We also have
protective environmental suits. Sentinel
used it also because although his powers would protect him temporarily once we
go too far beneath the surface the water pressure begins damaging his
constructs... and if rendered unconscious in battle or exhaustion they
dissipate too.
Likely we'd all enter in the Chess
environmental suits without the craft since we should be porting close to the
object. If we're fortunate we enter into
an air environment. In addition to the
suits Kirk will also recommend that each of us carry an extra small handheld
type extra container of air with a couple minutes supply of air - since
someone's protective suit always gets punctured in these sort of situations and
it will buy them some time.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: There was a mantacraft last
time we went there, if I recall properly.
There are also pressurized suits
available.
Something to think about: It's 2am we have two days to go and six artifacts..
When are we going to take a power nap? There's going to be a point where we are
going to hit some form of penalty. Are we getting "tired"? I assume
that some of us can keep on trucking for a while, but we will get to a point
where we will be starting to lose some folks.
Jeff can you tell us when we
should start feeling the pull of the ZZZZs?
IC:
At Vanguard’s feet were a half dozen severed Dino Man arms
in a small pool of blood.
“Cutting it a little close, huh kids?” said Sarge.
"Tell me about it! But that
was way easier than seeing the ground coming at you at 60 miles an hour and
you're human again. I have to say that put things in perspective." He
fist-pounds, gently, Symbiote, "But Symbiote saved my, then, skinny
bottom. So I'm more than happy to pull his bacon out of the fire, Same goes for
everyone." He surveys the rest of the team.
He continues, "Sentinel, that
was inspired. Well done."
----
Nanite looked up at her husband. “Wait. What?”
Embarrassed, he scratches his
head. "Sorry, Nan. Ethan dug up some books that seemed to point that I had
more than a passing resemblance to some sort of Cthulu freakazoid, but that was
after this mess started. We kept looking into it, but we didn't find much. I
figured it was just a coincidence. We've been jumping from one thing to the
next and, well, I didn't want to worry you, honey. If my powers are actually
magical in nature, then there might be more to it than it appears."
He looks at the reflective glass
of the cabinet and he sees the family picture: Scott looking back, Nan looking
up at him and Ethan leaning close to his mother. He laughs, "Sounds like
we each have a part to play with some disaster. Three's a charm!" He hugs
them both again.
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
I am also OK with the middle of
the Atlantic Ocean but I want to use what little downtime we have to
investigate Atlantis and any other mythology about lost civilizations so we
understand what kind of artifact we might be looking for.
Also, given my aversion to water
(as per my weakness) is it possible that any underwater craft can be configured
so that I can fire electrical blasts underwater similar to an electric eel.
Thanks,
Tony
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Hey Stephane:
Thanks.
Manta craft won't fit through
Mystic's gate.
Sleep deprivation: after 18 hours
without sleep ( at 2am, or right now ) everyone needs to make d20 saves vs
Endurance and Charisma per hour. Each failure gives a -1 to each stat, skill
and saving throw.
A roll of a 20 is an automatic
failure.
After 24 hours with no sleep ( at
8am ) a failed d20 roll means the character acts Fatigued as per the rules.
Nap-wise, every hour of sleep buys
you a three hour delay on any of these saving throws being required.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: So the question is do we
sleep 4 hours now and delay the outing by 2 hours.
I think that would be the best
course of action. that should give us enough rest to complete 4 or so artifacts
before another rest and the last 2
artifacts.
What say you? Fatigued is not a
good thing if I remember correctly.Lots of small minuses everywhere, but since
we have managed to do each of these excursions by the skin of our teeth, Every
minus counts.
IC:
On the debrief meeting, Slingshot
tables the topic of sleep. "I think the best course of action right now is
to have a short rest. If it wasn't for Sentinel's quick thinking and his
illusion, we wouldn't be here and we would be neck deep in dinomen right now.
We need to stay sharp. I propose we go down for a 4 hour sleep. It will let the
magus rest and we will be ready. It's only a two hour delay, but it'll give us
a great boost for the next set of teleports."
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC:
Menagerie agrees to sleeping for 4
hours
Tom
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: Mantacraft - Doh!
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: I thought I had sent
something last week, but I can't find my post... Slate is good with the
Atlantic, I'm not sure if Life Support protects him from lack of sleep, but
he'll go along with the team, and work in some research time on Atlantis, as
well as reading the logs of the teams encounter with the Star Giant, which
seems reasonable that this would be related as he recalls some non-Euclidean
designs from those logs, that might have been similar to the writings he found
in the book from Swastika's lab, or on the temple in the Lost Lands.
He will request a DPV (Diver
Propulsion Vehicle), some kind of communication devices for the team that will
work above or under water, and he'll trade in his Indy outfit for diving gear
and a spear gun with grapnel. He'll
still be carrying his bag of tricks and supernatural defenses, ensuring he has
water proof bags for anything that should stay dry (salt, garlic, etc...) but
he'll forgo the flash bangs.
He'll also try to spend some down
time with his mother.
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
Clone:
OOC: My gut tells me that the
Atlantic might be a good choice, but with so little time to get all the
artifacts we may want to consider "Base Raiding" the group(s) that
are also collecting artifacts. With that in mind, we may want to prepare for
the possibility of getting "Base Raided" ourselves - they may be
thinking the same thing.
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
[OOC]As per the last time, I won't
need a pressure suit, but I'll need a re-breather.
I would like to have a few handy
in case we run into underwater problems.
Beyond that, Scott's focus is to
get some rest and get on with it. Not sure if you want to expand on the
Nanite/explanation scene.
Jon: You can interject into that
one as well if you feel the need for it.
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
Avatar goes for the Atlantic, too.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Good evening.
Never had time to do more detailed
post but most of the things Kirk was going to cover were covered by other PCs
at this point so all good. I'll just
add after Kirk heard what Slingshot said
about the picture he found like himself he would add something along the lines
of, "That adds up. I noticed some
of the Dinomen reacting towards seeing you and pointing; their reaction seemed
to be more of recognition and astonishment.
I also get the feeling that you or your origins will play a much more
significant role in events than perhaps we anticipated."
In addition to the pressured suit
with oxygen supply Kirk would like the each member to have an additional small
separate mouthpiece that houses an additional supply. I think divers sometimes use these - might only
contain a few minutes air but just in case someone's main supply is cut off
(which tends to happen in this situation) it might buy some extra time to get
help if needed.
On resting, sounds fine. If it will help perhaps Kirk would try
meditating and sleep combo as meditation tends to have good results and Kirk
has some training from his mental discipline training, also in case of
encountering the Star Giant again that might prepare his mind... but I do want
him to receive at least the same benefit in preventing fatigue etc - if this
will work game-wise (rule wise) do it and it would be in character. Thanks.
Seth
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: I know this is really late,
and it's OK if you can't work it into the episode, but this has been bouncing
around in my head, so I thought I'd send it in...
IC: Slate rolled to the ground
falling atop his father in a tangled mess, along with half of Vanguard. He crawled out of the tangle as his father
pulled himself together. Pulling his
mask off, he looked around at the rest of the team, no one looked damaged or
hurt, but they did look tired. Moving
off to the side, Slate waited for them to determine their next steps.
“I know we’re all tired,”
Slingshot said pulling himself from the floor, “Maybe we should take a short
break and grab some z’s while we can. I
feel we should head for the Atlantic site next, and we’ll need to be at our
best. We got lucky this time, thanks to
Clone and Lightning Strikes quick thinking.
We’ll need everyone at the top of their game if we’re going to pull this
off.”
Several of the team members nodded
their agreement, and some voiced their opinions and thoughts on the last
mission, as they began to disburse.
Slate saw a technician off to the side setting a countdown clock to the
6am time frame Slingshot had appointed as their next mission.
Looking around, Slate realized it
was 2am, which explained why the Doc, Shelly, and Nanite were not there. The three mages looked exhausted as well;
even Archimedes’ feathers appeared ruffled. He glanced around to see a few team
members drifting off in groups until Slingshot came over and said, “Let’s head
upstairs, I’m sure your mom will want to hear about this.”
After a short conversation with
Nanite, they headed to their rooms.
Slate logged in to his computer and started a search on the Star Giant,
and any information he could find on Atlantis… all the while listening to the
wind howling against the Vanguard Vault.
Rain virtually coated the tower as he looked out the window, peering
into the darkness punctuated by lightning followed by thunder. He turned back to his room, taking in the
contrast… immaculate, clean, warm, and bright, he began to see how life could
be changed if they failed, and a grim determination came over him. “We cannot fail,” he thought to himself. He pulled a list of supplies he would need
from the internet, and slipped out of the apartment, he could hear Slingshot
and Nanite talking softly behind their door.
He headed to the basement, to the
Quartermaster to requisition his equipment.
Stace, the young agent that had helped him before was sitting before his
computer inside the cage that surrounded the storage area. “Hey Stace, I need to get a few things,”
Slate said smiling. His smile was short
lived… Stace practically snarled at him, “I’m not giving you anything.” Slate’s smile disappeared… “Why, you helped
me before.” Slate responded.
“Are you kidding me,” Stace
slapped his hand upon a book on a nearby counter. “I nearly lost my job over that flash bang
fiasco. I thought you had gone through
the channels, your forms looked legit.
How did I know you created them yourself off of historical documents? You’re not even an official member of the
team.”
“I thought we might need them,”
Slate responded. “Menagerie showed me
how to use them, you saw him he was right here with me… I didn’t know I
couldn’t just copy the forms… I wasn’t trying to trick you,” Slate stammered
trying to defend his actions. “I wasn’t
trying to cause any trouble.”
“Well you sure did. I’ll be lucky if I ever get off clerk
duty. You know I didn’t join to sit
behind a desk all day,” Stace said less aggressively. “Look kid, I know you didn’t mean any harm,
but I’ve got to do things by the book.
You are going to have to get an official Vanguard member to requisition
this stuff, or your going to have to be added to the team. I can’t help you anymore.”
Slate folded the form he had laid
on the desk and turned slowly away… “Thanks,” was all he said as he trudged
back to the elevators and up to his room.
Everything was quiet as he entered
his room, and lay down on top of the covers, still wearing his uniform. Looking out the window he sighed, closed his
eyes and shut down for the night.
OOC: The equipment Slate wanted
was in my original post, I leave it open as to what he actually gets/needs for
the next mission.
Still having fun!
Jon
--------------------------------------------------
Symbiote:
OOC: For next stop I vote the
Atlantic. If we go there I'll take
Inhuman's power set. Anywhere else, I'll
take Accelerator.
Thanks,
Greg
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Hey heroes,
I'm busy writing up the next issue
and I had an idea.
Right now, you're taking a nap and
then gating to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in your pressurized scuba
suits. Once there you have no transport (or shelter) because the Manta Craft
can't fit through Mystic's gate. But you guys were trying to find a way to
include the Manta Craft.
What about this instead? Vanguard flies to the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean in the Manta Craft. CHESS pilots
fly it there while Vanguard naps on the trip (except Slate, whose Body Power
doesn't require sleep.) The trip will
take about 5 hours, so Vanguard can count on 4 hours of sleep, flying above the
turbulence of the World Storm. This way, you get the nap, you're close to the
same schedule, but now you have the amphibious Manta Craft with you at the
hostile environs of the artifact site.
After the mission, Mystic can gate
Vanguard back home to save time, while the CHESS pilots fly the jet back.
Everyone, please get me your vote
on this subject: "Gate" or
"Fly."
--------------------------------------------------
Menagerie:
OOC: Fly
--------------------------------------------------
Slate:
OOC: Slate would vote for using
the Manta Craft. Since he doesn't need sleep (which I don't think I'd
realized), he'll observe the pilots and read the manual to learn how to fly...
above and below water.
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Fly
--------------------------------------------------
Lightning Strike:
OOC: I will go with flying as
well. We can sleep in the storm and be
better prepared.
--------------------------------------------------
Slingshot:
OOC: I'm good with flying there.
I may want to gate back though.
--------------------------------------------------
Sentinel:
OOC: Fly
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Jeff, could you give me some
examples of what Avatar could use as his power boost? I'm actually considering saving things up and
getting another permanent power, although that would be some time before it
happened (unless I took a corresponding weakness?).
Could I work something from myth
into the character without an extensive backstory? Examples that I considered might be
Invulnerability a la Achilles with the with a weakness like his (although not
an ankle...can't copy directly) or an Invulnerability item a la the Nemean lion
skin. Not that I want Invulnerability,
necessarily, but those were things that came to mind.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC:
Sure thing.
Here's how the power works right now:
Magic Power: Divine Manifestation: (Level Three Advancement)
Avatar may manifest an ability of the Twelve Olympians, as a true Avatar of Olympus.
That ability is a temporary superpower (costs 15 power points and one action to manifest)
or a temporary knowledge area skill (costs 5 power points and movement to manifest). Duration is Charisma minutes.
More than one ability may be manifested at a time (Level Four Advancement).
· Ares: Heightened Strength or Heightened Expertise with held weapons or Intimidation skill
· Zeus: Weather Control or Oration skill
· Hephaestus: Immunity from Fire/ Heat or Weaponsmith skill
· Aphrodite: Heightened Charisma or Seduction skill
· Poseidon: Summon Pegasus for Current Power minutes, Water Breathing or Swimming skill
· Artemis: Heightened Expertise with ranged weapons or Hunting skill
· Athena: Heightened Intelligence or Cosmic Awareness or Tactics skill
· Hermes: Heightened Speed or Languages Skill
· Apollo: Light Control or Equestrian skill
· Hera: Heightened Endurance or Diplomacy skill
· Demeter: Speak with Plants or Plant Lore skill
· Hestia: Heightened Defense or Healing skill
So with one level advancement, you can add another superpower under any of the gods in your Olympian Pantheon.
For example, under Athena, add "Invulnerability: 8" to the list of powers that can be manifested. It's the Aegis of Athena that appears.
I'd rather not add heroes to those that can be manifested (like Heracles or Achilles), in keeping with the 12 Olympians / pantheon motif.
Also, Avatar IS the modern day version of those heroes, similarly empowered by the gods.
Does that make sense?
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: Yes, but I can't think of
powers to add under the spheres of those gods.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Hi
Here are some superpowers that could fit under the Olympian Pantheon:
Any Heightened Stat (most dieties)
Heightened Attack (Ares, Athena, Artemis, others)
Heightened Senses (most dieties)
Pet (Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, others)
Weakness Detection (Ares, Athena, others)
Willpower (Hera)
Animal/Plant Control (Poseidon (fish), Artemis (mammals), Zeus (birds), Demeter (plants), others )
Armor (Athena, Ares)
Dimensional Travel (Hermes)
Emotion Control (Fear or Love or Hate or others) (Ares, Athena, Aphrodite, Hera, others)
Flame Power (attack blast only) (Hephaestus or Apollo)
Invulnerability (Athena's shield)
Lightning Control (attack blast only) (Zeus)
Regeneration (ie: Heal Self, or Heal Other) (Hestia, or even Apollo)
"Life Support" (immunity to poison, no need for sustenance, etc.) (Hestia)
Revivication (Zeus, Hestia)
Control Water (Poseidon)
Create Earthquake (Poseidon)
These are just off the top of my head. There could be others. Were you looking for anything in particular?
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: No, that's a good list. You have an expanded idea of Avatar's
possible powers over what I had. I will
take a look at these and others and get back with you.
What about either reducing the
Power cost for manifesting even further or adding another manifestation (from
two up to three)?
If no, then probably either
Heightened Attack (under Ares or Athena) or Lightning Control (lightning bolt
attack, under Zeus).
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: You could do either (ie:
reduce power cost, or increase manifestations up to 3 at the same time)
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: What could I reduce the PR
cost to?
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: From a PR of 15 for
superpowers and 5 for skills, to a PR of 10 for superpowers and 3 for skills.
Best,
Jeff
--------------------------------------------------
Avatar:
OOC: I'll go with that one.
--------------------------------------------------
GM:
OOC: Done. I’ll get you a new sheet.
--------------------------------------------------
