11-25-2016, 12:02 AM
I haven't posted in a little while, so I hope this works...
This is using the Numenera RPG as a base, and the site platform as my engine. I haven't quite formalized how to award xp yet...
There's this flash of light, and now I'm in a closet at the end of a hallway. I have no idea where I am. This closet I'm in is elevated, with 3 steps leading down from it. At regular intervals along the hallway walls, there are large symbols on the walls that bear a mild resemblance to Japanese characters. Each character is different, I can see that much, but I don't know what they mean. I realize belatedly that I'm nude. I don't know what happened to my clothes, food or weapons, but apparently I no longer have them.
Nifty! Well, I guess I'd better find something to wear, then. At the very least, I'm going to need pockets, although it would be nice if I had something to cover my dangly bits. I step off the platform. Does the light from the platform go out as soon as I step off it? 50/50
Yes.
How about the light in the hallway? 50/50
Yes.
Nifty! So I'm completely in the dark! Is there any light at all? SU
No.
Marvelous. I stick out a hand to feel for a wall, and shuffle to the side until I find one. Do I stumble over anything? SU
Yes.
Is it machinery or cloth? d2
1 = 1[d2]
Machinery. I get down on my hands and knees and try fiddling with whatever the thing is. Do I activate it? VU
No.
Huh. Do I feel any sort of power source in it? SU
No, and... +Event: Return / Plans
There's the possibility that stepping back onto the platform will return me to where I came from. At least there'd be light and clothing there.
I start making my way back in the direction I think I came from. Do I get lost in the dark? 50/50
No.
Does the light come back on when I get onto the platform? 50/50
Yes.
Do I return to where I came from? VU
Yes.
Do I end up coming right back? 50/50
No, but...
Oh, great, now I'm somewhere else. Am I on another platform? SL
Yes.
Is there light here? 50/50
No, and...
Are they friendly? 50/50
Yes, and...
I notice the attention before I realize what it is. I know there's someone there, but I can't see them. It's just a sort of sense that I have.
Someone takes my hand and turns it palm up. They put something on my hand and then close my hand with theirs.
I feel a small surge of something as I feel the thing in my closed hand.
They release my hand and step away.
I can't see anything in this darkness. Then I remember that I'm nude, and I feel embarrassed. Not that there's anything I can do about it at the moment.
The thing in my hand is hard and round. One side of it is flat, and the flat side is slightly sticky, and yet strangely dry.
Is there any light in this room, now that my eyes have adjusted somewhat to the darkness? 50/50
Yes, but...
I can see it across the room, a small, dim blue light. It casts very little light, but it's there, and it's comforting.
I step carefully off the platform and move toward the light. Do I stumble over anything? 50/50
No.
The light is very small, the size of a pebble. I pick it up off a surface of fabric which has been laid on a table and turn it over in my fingers, admiring it. It's amazing how small it is, and yet the light doesn't seem to fade or flicker.
Eventually I check the fabric, still not putting the light down. It seems to be a long scarf of something like silk. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. I put down the pebble on the table along with the disk I was given so I have both hands. Then I loop it under my balls and then around my waist, creating a sort of loincloth.
Next, I use the dim light from the pebble to try and examine the disk. Flat on one side, round on the other, the object feels like crystal, and seems very slightly dark red in this light. I can feel what seems like a kind of energy from it, although when I drop my hand, the energy seems to get weaker to the point where it seems almost non-existent.
That seems significant. Trying it in the other direction, I notice the feeling of energy seems to increase the closer the disk gets to my head. Finally, I touch the disk to my forehead to see what happens. There's a momentary rush of mental energy, and my awareness reaches out, contacting something in the darkness.
I can't tell what I touched, though. All I can tell is that it's active, although I can't even tell where it is.
As I take the disk away from my head, the feeling of being in contact with something drops off sharply.
Something I notice in the periphery of my vision is that the disk, the bauble in my hand, is now glowing. It's not glowing even as much as the pebble, but there's a very tiny bit of light coming from it that wasn't coming from it before. I lift it and look at it, holding the pebble in my closed fist behind my back. Yes, it's putting out a bare level of reddish-blackish light. I wonder at that for a few moments.
Holding the pebble in my left hand with the palm away from me to block the dim light, I use it like a flashlight and look around a bit. The room is large, and there are several long tables in it, all arranged parallel to one another. The top part of each table is slightly rounded and transparent, the lower part is darker and opaque.
The floor is another matter. Pathways have been made in the clutter, but near the walls, tables and other barriers, it's everywhere. It's underfoot as dust, and reminds me of the second thing I'm going to have to look for: shoes.
Do I see anything I can use for shoes? VU
No, but...
I find a ring on the floor, amid a pile of junk. It has what looks like a button on one side, like a jewel. I slip it onto my ring finger and look for anything else
13 = 13[d20]
9 = 6[d6]+3
So the level of the ring is 9. And there's a sense on it, left from some previous bearer, that it is some sort of defensive device. The stud activates it, as I suspected.
Of course, I still have no idea what it actually does, but now I have an indication, and that's good enough.
Is there anything else of any size on the floor near me? SU
No +Twist: Item / Ends the scene
Is it really big? L
Yes
Is it mechanical? L
No, but...
It has a mechanical head and glowing red eyes.
It sweeps the room with those eyes and I duck. What level is it?
10 = 10[d10]
Oh, bloody bat fuck. I'm trained in sneaking, which brings the difficulty down to 9, but I have +1 difficulty when it comes to moving fast, bringing it back to 10. I have no equipment whatsoever, although the room is dark. Did I grab both my hands closed when I ducked? 50/50
Yes
Okay, so it's dark in the room, which means it can't find me via shed light, although that means I can't really see, either. I'd have to get a perfect 20 to escape notice. Did it spot me?
14 = 14[d20]
It spotted me. All I have to see with is is the thing's eye light, and a tiny little light I have in one hand.
Does it charge in my direction? 50/50
No +Twist: Organization / Helps the hero
Remembering the contact I made earlier, I slap the disc onto my forehead and get ready to run. The sense of awareness leaps out from my position, and something streams from where it is, across the room in a tight line, and surrounds me, although I can't see it. I can't tell where it came from, so the best bet I have is to head back to the portal and hope it takes me somewhere safer. I get up and dash across the room to the alcove with the portal in it. Does the portal take me somewhere else? 50/50
No
I turn back around to see where I am, only to see a garish, multicolored display across the floor and ceiling, glowing brilliantly. The intruder seems to be confused, even though it's looking directly at me. The red lights it has for eyes are now multicolored and hypnotic, and it's hard to look away for a moment. I'm clearly not somewhere else as I'd hoped. Is there a visible exit? SU
No, and...
Okay, now the hulking thing is heading for me. Rapidly. I don't know where to go, and there doesn't seem to be an escape route. Where did it even come from? And that's when I see her. I don't know how I know it's female, I just know somehow. She's like a life-size teenage mutant ninja turtle without the mask or belt, but she's carrying all kinds of things on her person, including things that look suspiciously like they could be rifles or spears or something. She points my way and waves to the side, indicating I should move out of the line of fire. I jump to the task as the big thing gets into a clear space between me and it.
And then she throws the spear.
15 = 15[d20]
The spear goes right through his midsection, and fire pours from the spear tip, burning him. He looks down at the spear, sticking out through his belly, and then he starts to pull it forward, slowly, out his front.
She waves me over in her direction and I get moving her way while she gets something else out of her pack.
Do I make it over to her without stumbling? SU
No
The lack of shoes make themselves known again as I step on something hard and sharp. I scarcely feel it, but I go down just the same. Do I lose the blue stone? 50/50
No, and...
As I'm getting to my feet, I find my hands is wrapped in a wad of something I can't easily let go. I just get to my feet and take it with me, getting to her just as she shoves me to the side. I find myself going straight toward the wall and put my hands up to catch myself. The next thing I know, I'm on the floor of a hallway and I don't know how I got there. There are tiny lights running down the walls and floor, dimly illuminating the environment.
Behind me, I can feel her triumph, and her urgency, and I scramble to my feet just as she appears through the wall, clutching the spear in one hand.
The spear tip is still glowing fiery red, and she indicates the hall with the tip, suggesting departure.
A long way down the hall and two rooms away without pursuit, she produces a globe from her pack and releases it. The globe hovers nearby and illuminates the immediate area as we travel. Neither of us has tried to talk to the other, but the empathic link we seem to share makes speech unnecessary.
She stops, looks me over with concern, and notices the wad in my hand, says something I don't understand. Does she seem to understand that I don't speak her language?
(Somewhat Likely | 7[d10]) Yes
She nods, indicates herself with something gloved between a hand and a paw, and then knocks twice on her carapace-covered shoulder. Then she says something I don't quite catch. She gestures to me expectantly.
Names, then.
I point to myself and say "Jon."
"Zhawn," she says, carefully. She seems pleased, although it's almost impossible to tell from her face, which is covered in what looks like scale.
She gestures to me. "Zhawn." She gestures to herself and knocks twice on her carapace-covered back.
I make a guess at what she means and hazard a guess. I gesture toward her and say, "Shell."
She looks at me carefully. "Zhell."
I smile and knock on her shoulder twice. "Shell."
She makes a small sound, repeated. It sort of sounds like laughter.
She points at the wad in my hand, and I nod and start unraveling it. Is it fabric?
(Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
Webbing of some sort?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
Some sort of netting, I guess. Plastic?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Not stretchable, like the plastic netting I'm used to. Is it a large piece?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
...larger than the scarf I'm using for a loincloth. When I finish unfolding it, I see I could almost use it for a shirt but for the lack of arm holes, or something to fasten it with. Is Shell interested in it?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
She seems to have an idea. I can feel the attention she has for it. She takes the netting from me and wraps it around my torso, sewing it together with thread she got from somewhere. When she gets done, it's a serviceable shirt, although I don't think I could get it off easily. For now, that doesn't seem to be a concern, as I can get the loincloth off easily enough if I have to pee. This material might afford some kind of protection.
I still need shoes, though. And pockets.
We move on.
In the distance, I can hear regular sounds of some sort, and a kind of rhythmic rumble. I have no idea what it is, but it doesn't stop, and Shell doesn't seem concerned about the noise, so I don't let it bother me, either.
The cloud of tiny objects around me is almost invisible, but I notice them now. They continue to hover around me like before, as if they've found their spot in the world and they're sticking to it. Shell seems not to notice them at all, which makes me wonder. Does she really not see them, or does she just consider them to be normal? I have no way of knowing.
Shell glances back at me, and I detect concern, although I don't know why. She doesn't seem suspicious of me, just momentarily worried.
We come to a doorway into a large room and I stub on nothing and fall on the grating under my feet, making a loud noise as I hit the ground.
Bounty hunter
Female. She has a tall, muscular build. I'll use the Warlord stats. She's heard us, of course.
Shell is on high alert, and is preparing to flee.
Does the bounty hunter attack?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
Is it that she hasn't seen Shell yet?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Is the bounty hunter on alert?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
...she looks friendly. She smiles and nods.
I smile back, but Shell fades back and waves me forward. It's not like she's specifically afraid of this person, but of something more general. I can't really tell what it is. She waves me forward again.
The woman has jet black hair pulled back and braided, with a thong at her forehead. Her face has a light tan from the sun, and she's wearing what looks like black leather armor with a chest plate of some kind of shiny black material. I can see a knife at her belt and other things strapped to her back.
Then I see a small door open in the far wall, and several somethings come rapidly out of the opening.
The woman sees them, too. She reaches down, and suddenly she has a short sword in her hand as she backs in my direction.
I look around for Shell, but she's gone.
Did Shell know there was a danger before I did? But then, why didn't she take me with her, instead ushering me in this woman's direction?
I don't know, but something is attacking the woman from the other side, shooting something at her. Thankfully, she's produced a shield from somewhere, and is hiding from the projectiles with that. All the same, she's got a cut on her forehead and a gash in her arm by the time she gets to me.
She says something, I can't make it out, but it almost sounds Russian.
"Sorry, I don't speak that language," I respond.
She grins at me and nods. "Corso," she says, slapping her chest with her sword hilt and raising her chin to me. Introductions, then.
"Jon," I reply, and she laughs and waves me back with the length of her sword.
(on 1d20, 15+ hits)
46 = 19[d20]+11[d20]+16[d20]
Just beyond the door I could see three stubby robots on tracks with little arms raised toward us. All three fired, and the shield held back one of the projectiles, but one ricocheted off the floor, scoring a hit on Corso's injured shin; the other bounced off the door edge and into her uninjured thigh.
Corso reached around the shield and made a swipe at them
17 = 17[d20]
--tagging one of the little robots in a shower of sparks.
6 = 1[d20]+5[d20]
While she pulled her sword arm back behind the barrier, the two remaining robs fired at her offending limb. One of them shot the shield dead-on, which ricocheted and hit it dead center, frying it and spinning it about. The other shot the shield, its rebounded shot flying off back into the room.
11 = 11[d20]
Corso took another swipe, missing, then dragged her arm back in,
5 = 5[d20]
--managing to get the shield in the way before the next projectile could get at her. It seemed to be a stand off.
Through the shield, I could see another three robots zooming in our direction, and I pointed.
Corso made a noise of frustration and started backing down the hall toward me.
49 = 13[d20]+6[d20]+13[d20]+17[d20]
Reinforced, the robots fired off another volley as Corso tried to take another swipe at them with her sword.
16 = 16[d20]
She managed to take out one of the bots, but the doomed bot shot her in the sword arm, scoring another ugly gash along her forearm.
We backed off down the hall again, and then a hand grabbed me and pulled me backward into a dimly-lit room. I saw it was Shell who had grabbed me, and just as quickly noticed my ankle was half in and half out of the wall, where she'd pulled me through.
Hoping the wall would throw these robots off the trail, I stuck my head out, reached, and hauled Corso sideways, through the wall after me.
The room was now dark, and I was sure Shell had vanished again.
Off balance, Corso fell against me, and we fell to the floor with her on top of me.
This is using the Numenera RPG as a base, and the site platform as my engine. I haven't quite formalized how to award xp yet...
There's this flash of light, and now I'm in a closet at the end of a hallway. I have no idea where I am. This closet I'm in is elevated, with 3 steps leading down from it. At regular intervals along the hallway walls, there are large symbols on the walls that bear a mild resemblance to Japanese characters. Each character is different, I can see that much, but I don't know what they mean. I realize belatedly that I'm nude. I don't know what happened to my clothes, food or weapons, but apparently I no longer have them.
Nifty! Well, I guess I'd better find something to wear, then. At the very least, I'm going to need pockets, although it would be nice if I had something to cover my dangly bits. I step off the platform. Does the light from the platform go out as soon as I step off it? 50/50
Yes.
How about the light in the hallway? 50/50
Yes.
Nifty! So I'm completely in the dark! Is there any light at all? SU
No.
Marvelous. I stick out a hand to feel for a wall, and shuffle to the side until I find one. Do I stumble over anything? SU
Yes.
Is it machinery or cloth? d2
1 = 1[d2]
Machinery. I get down on my hands and knees and try fiddling with whatever the thing is. Do I activate it? VU
No.
Huh. Do I feel any sort of power source in it? SU
No, and... +Event: Return / Plans
There's the possibility that stepping back onto the platform will return me to where I came from. At least there'd be light and clothing there.
I start making my way back in the direction I think I came from. Do I get lost in the dark? 50/50
No.
Does the light come back on when I get onto the platform? 50/50
Yes.
Do I return to where I came from? VU
Yes.
Do I end up coming right back? 50/50
No, but...
Oh, great, now I'm somewhere else. Am I on another platform? SL
Yes.
Is there light here? 50/50
No, and...
Are they friendly? 50/50
Yes, and...
I notice the attention before I realize what it is. I know there's someone there, but I can't see them. It's just a sort of sense that I have.
Someone takes my hand and turns it palm up. They put something on my hand and then close my hand with theirs.
I feel a small surge of something as I feel the thing in my closed hand.
They release my hand and step away.
I can't see anything in this darkness. Then I remember that I'm nude, and I feel embarrassed. Not that there's anything I can do about it at the moment.
The thing in my hand is hard and round. One side of it is flat, and the flat side is slightly sticky, and yet strangely dry.
Is there any light in this room, now that my eyes have adjusted somewhat to the darkness? 50/50
Yes, but...
I can see it across the room, a small, dim blue light. It casts very little light, but it's there, and it's comforting.
I step carefully off the platform and move toward the light. Do I stumble over anything? 50/50
No.
The light is very small, the size of a pebble. I pick it up off a surface of fabric which has been laid on a table and turn it over in my fingers, admiring it. It's amazing how small it is, and yet the light doesn't seem to fade or flicker.
Eventually I check the fabric, still not putting the light down. It seems to be a long scarf of something like silk. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. I put down the pebble on the table along with the disk I was given so I have both hands. Then I loop it under my balls and then around my waist, creating a sort of loincloth.
Next, I use the dim light from the pebble to try and examine the disk. Flat on one side, round on the other, the object feels like crystal, and seems very slightly dark red in this light. I can feel what seems like a kind of energy from it, although when I drop my hand, the energy seems to get weaker to the point where it seems almost non-existent.
That seems significant. Trying it in the other direction, I notice the feeling of energy seems to increase the closer the disk gets to my head. Finally, I touch the disk to my forehead to see what happens. There's a momentary rush of mental energy, and my awareness reaches out, contacting something in the darkness.
I can't tell what I touched, though. All I can tell is that it's active, although I can't even tell where it is.
As I take the disk away from my head, the feeling of being in contact with something drops off sharply.
Something I notice in the periphery of my vision is that the disk, the bauble in my hand, is now glowing. It's not glowing even as much as the pebble, but there's a very tiny bit of light coming from it that wasn't coming from it before. I lift it and look at it, holding the pebble in my closed fist behind my back. Yes, it's putting out a bare level of reddish-blackish light. I wonder at that for a few moments.
Holding the pebble in my left hand with the palm away from me to block the dim light, I use it like a flashlight and look around a bit. The room is large, and there are several long tables in it, all arranged parallel to one another. The top part of each table is slightly rounded and transparent, the lower part is darker and opaque.
The floor is another matter. Pathways have been made in the clutter, but near the walls, tables and other barriers, it's everywhere. It's underfoot as dust, and reminds me of the second thing I'm going to have to look for: shoes.
Do I see anything I can use for shoes? VU
No, but...
I find a ring on the floor, amid a pile of junk. It has what looks like a button on one side, like a jewel. I slip it onto my ring finger and look for anything else
13 = 13[d20]
9 = 6[d6]+3
So the level of the ring is 9. And there's a sense on it, left from some previous bearer, that it is some sort of defensive device. The stud activates it, as I suspected.
Of course, I still have no idea what it actually does, but now I have an indication, and that's good enough.
Is there anything else of any size on the floor near me? SU
No +Twist: Item / Ends the scene
Is it really big? L
Yes
Is it mechanical? L
No, but...
It has a mechanical head and glowing red eyes.
It sweeps the room with those eyes and I duck. What level is it?
10 = 10[d10]
Oh, bloody bat fuck. I'm trained in sneaking, which brings the difficulty down to 9, but I have +1 difficulty when it comes to moving fast, bringing it back to 10. I have no equipment whatsoever, although the room is dark. Did I grab both my hands closed when I ducked? 50/50
Yes
Okay, so it's dark in the room, which means it can't find me via shed light, although that means I can't really see, either. I'd have to get a perfect 20 to escape notice. Did it spot me?
14 = 14[d20]
It spotted me. All I have to see with is is the thing's eye light, and a tiny little light I have in one hand.
Does it charge in my direction? 50/50
No +Twist: Organization / Helps the hero
Remembering the contact I made earlier, I slap the disc onto my forehead and get ready to run. The sense of awareness leaps out from my position, and something streams from where it is, across the room in a tight line, and surrounds me, although I can't see it. I can't tell where it came from, so the best bet I have is to head back to the portal and hope it takes me somewhere safer. I get up and dash across the room to the alcove with the portal in it. Does the portal take me somewhere else? 50/50
No
I turn back around to see where I am, only to see a garish, multicolored display across the floor and ceiling, glowing brilliantly. The intruder seems to be confused, even though it's looking directly at me. The red lights it has for eyes are now multicolored and hypnotic, and it's hard to look away for a moment. I'm clearly not somewhere else as I'd hoped. Is there a visible exit? SU
No, and...
Okay, now the hulking thing is heading for me. Rapidly. I don't know where to go, and there doesn't seem to be an escape route. Where did it even come from? And that's when I see her. I don't know how I know it's female, I just know somehow. She's like a life-size teenage mutant ninja turtle without the mask or belt, but she's carrying all kinds of things on her person, including things that look suspiciously like they could be rifles or spears or something. She points my way and waves to the side, indicating I should move out of the line of fire. I jump to the task as the big thing gets into a clear space between me and it.
And then she throws the spear.
15 = 15[d20]
The spear goes right through his midsection, and fire pours from the spear tip, burning him. He looks down at the spear, sticking out through his belly, and then he starts to pull it forward, slowly, out his front.
She waves me over in her direction and I get moving her way while she gets something else out of her pack.
Do I make it over to her without stumbling? SU
No
The lack of shoes make themselves known again as I step on something hard and sharp. I scarcely feel it, but I go down just the same. Do I lose the blue stone? 50/50
No, and...
As I'm getting to my feet, I find my hands is wrapped in a wad of something I can't easily let go. I just get to my feet and take it with me, getting to her just as she shoves me to the side. I find myself going straight toward the wall and put my hands up to catch myself. The next thing I know, I'm on the floor of a hallway and I don't know how I got there. There are tiny lights running down the walls and floor, dimly illuminating the environment.
Behind me, I can feel her triumph, and her urgency, and I scramble to my feet just as she appears through the wall, clutching the spear in one hand.
The spear tip is still glowing fiery red, and she indicates the hall with the tip, suggesting departure.
A long way down the hall and two rooms away without pursuit, she produces a globe from her pack and releases it. The globe hovers nearby and illuminates the immediate area as we travel. Neither of us has tried to talk to the other, but the empathic link we seem to share makes speech unnecessary.
She stops, looks me over with concern, and notices the wad in my hand, says something I don't understand. Does she seem to understand that I don't speak her language?
(Somewhat Likely | 7[d10]) Yes
She nods, indicates herself with something gloved between a hand and a paw, and then knocks twice on her carapace-covered shoulder. Then she says something I don't quite catch. She gestures to me expectantly.
Names, then.
I point to myself and say "Jon."
"Zhawn," she says, carefully. She seems pleased, although it's almost impossible to tell from her face, which is covered in what looks like scale.
She gestures to me. "Zhawn." She gestures to herself and knocks twice on her carapace-covered back.
I make a guess at what she means and hazard a guess. I gesture toward her and say, "Shell."
She looks at me carefully. "Zhell."
I smile and knock on her shoulder twice. "Shell."
She makes a small sound, repeated. It sort of sounds like laughter.
She points at the wad in my hand, and I nod and start unraveling it. Is it fabric?
(Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
Webbing of some sort?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
Some sort of netting, I guess. Plastic?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Not stretchable, like the plastic netting I'm used to. Is it a large piece?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
...larger than the scarf I'm using for a loincloth. When I finish unfolding it, I see I could almost use it for a shirt but for the lack of arm holes, or something to fasten it with. Is Shell interested in it?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
She seems to have an idea. I can feel the attention she has for it. She takes the netting from me and wraps it around my torso, sewing it together with thread she got from somewhere. When she gets done, it's a serviceable shirt, although I don't think I could get it off easily. For now, that doesn't seem to be a concern, as I can get the loincloth off easily enough if I have to pee. This material might afford some kind of protection.
I still need shoes, though. And pockets.
We move on.
In the distance, I can hear regular sounds of some sort, and a kind of rhythmic rumble. I have no idea what it is, but it doesn't stop, and Shell doesn't seem concerned about the noise, so I don't let it bother me, either.
The cloud of tiny objects around me is almost invisible, but I notice them now. They continue to hover around me like before, as if they've found their spot in the world and they're sticking to it. Shell seems not to notice them at all, which makes me wonder. Does she really not see them, or does she just consider them to be normal? I have no way of knowing.
Shell glances back at me, and I detect concern, although I don't know why. She doesn't seem suspicious of me, just momentarily worried.
We come to a doorway into a large room and I stub on nothing and fall on the grating under my feet, making a loud noise as I hit the ground.
Bounty hunter
Female. She has a tall, muscular build. I'll use the Warlord stats. She's heard us, of course.
Shell is on high alert, and is preparing to flee.
Does the bounty hunter attack?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
Is it that she hasn't seen Shell yet?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Is the bounty hunter on alert?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
...she looks friendly. She smiles and nods.
I smile back, but Shell fades back and waves me forward. It's not like she's specifically afraid of this person, but of something more general. I can't really tell what it is. She waves me forward again.
The woman has jet black hair pulled back and braided, with a thong at her forehead. Her face has a light tan from the sun, and she's wearing what looks like black leather armor with a chest plate of some kind of shiny black material. I can see a knife at her belt and other things strapped to her back.
Then I see a small door open in the far wall, and several somethings come rapidly out of the opening.
The woman sees them, too. She reaches down, and suddenly she has a short sword in her hand as she backs in my direction.
I look around for Shell, but she's gone.
Did Shell know there was a danger before I did? But then, why didn't she take me with her, instead ushering me in this woman's direction?
I don't know, but something is attacking the woman from the other side, shooting something at her. Thankfully, she's produced a shield from somewhere, and is hiding from the projectiles with that. All the same, she's got a cut on her forehead and a gash in her arm by the time she gets to me.
She says something, I can't make it out, but it almost sounds Russian.
"Sorry, I don't speak that language," I respond.
She grins at me and nods. "Corso," she says, slapping her chest with her sword hilt and raising her chin to me. Introductions, then.
"Jon," I reply, and she laughs and waves me back with the length of her sword.
(on 1d20, 15+ hits)
46 = 19[d20]+11[d20]+16[d20]
Just beyond the door I could see three stubby robots on tracks with little arms raised toward us. All three fired, and the shield held back one of the projectiles, but one ricocheted off the floor, scoring a hit on Corso's injured shin; the other bounced off the door edge and into her uninjured thigh.
Corso reached around the shield and made a swipe at them
17 = 17[d20]
--tagging one of the little robots in a shower of sparks.
6 = 1[d20]+5[d20]
While she pulled her sword arm back behind the barrier, the two remaining robs fired at her offending limb. One of them shot the shield dead-on, which ricocheted and hit it dead center, frying it and spinning it about. The other shot the shield, its rebounded shot flying off back into the room.
11 = 11[d20]
Corso took another swipe, missing, then dragged her arm back in,
5 = 5[d20]
--managing to get the shield in the way before the next projectile could get at her. It seemed to be a stand off.
Through the shield, I could see another three robots zooming in our direction, and I pointed.
Corso made a noise of frustration and started backing down the hall toward me.
49 = 13[d20]+6[d20]+13[d20]+17[d20]
Reinforced, the robots fired off another volley as Corso tried to take another swipe at them with her sword.
16 = 16[d20]
She managed to take out one of the bots, but the doomed bot shot her in the sword arm, scoring another ugly gash along her forearm.
We backed off down the hall again, and then a hand grabbed me and pulled me backward into a dimly-lit room. I saw it was Shell who had grabbed me, and just as quickly noticed my ankle was half in and half out of the wall, where she'd pulled me through.
Hoping the wall would throw these robots off the trail, I stuck my head out, reached, and hauled Corso sideways, through the wall after me.
The room was now dark, and I was sure Shell had vanished again.
Off balance, Corso fell against me, and we fell to the floor with her on top of me.