ALL THE BRICKS - Prologue: What Rough Beast

Initiative: Round One, Pass One
Death Otter - 27 ^link
Faust - 25 ^link
Lum's MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone - 21 ^link
Patrol IC - 18
Lum the Mad - 16 ^link
Lunchmeat - 16
Balaclava - 14
Herald - 11 ^link
Cyberarms - 11
Pig mask - 9

Death Otter - The Matrix, NYNet, NYS Transit Train 213 Host

Death Otter doesn't realize it yet, but she's made a mistake. Somewhere in her code she forgot a semicolon or else put a 1 where she should have put a 0. The icon is suddenly glowing red-hot and shaking in her claws. A blast like a train whistle makes her release it and she knows immediately that she's in danger.

"Here! It's in here!" The patrol IC is two cars down, directing the beam of his flashlight at Otter.

The host knows she's here.

[sblock=OOC]Technomancers are always hot-simmed so you get an additional 2 dice on your hacking attempt, for a total pool of 13.

Unfortunately you rolled poorly, scoring 2 successes. ^Link

The lights were rolling only 6 dice (from device rating 3. Targeting a single car would have given it 4 dice to roll from device rating 2, a single light would have only had 2 dice from device rating 1 - just to provide transparency and give insight into how my GM mind works for the future) but it was enough. ^Link

I realize now that it's possible to simply increase the rollid number (924 to 925, for example - you can even go back to 923 to see my messed-up roll for Death Otter!) in order to view GM rolls. I'll likely use another dice roller in the future in order to keep it super secret. In any case, the lights resisted.

Death Otter's Overwatch score has increased. The host is aware and has gained a free mark on you. It will begin spawning up to its rating (4) in IC at a rate of one per round starting at the beginning of the next round. In the meantime the patrol IC has rolled initiative. It can't attack but it knows you're here now - if you try to erase the mark and hide it will be able to make Perception checks in order to find you every time it gets a turn.

This was horrible first-turn luck - you had more than double its pool![/sblock]
[MENTION=6763059]Rubberneck[/MENTION], it's Faust's turn.

Faust - Newark, Subway Tunnels, Train 213

The train continues on its high-speed journey, lights very much on. The commuters in cars four and five are clinging to the walls with their arms over their heads in a desperate bid to stay out of the line of fire. Through the shattered window of the door separating cars five and six Faust glimpses one of Lunchmeat's crew taking point. They're getting ready to advance into the fifth car.

It was only a glimpse and it happened quickly but it was enough for Faust to target. He pops from cover, bullets spraying from both weapons, then tucks back in behind the seats.

"They are about to breach, I'll hold them back."

Faust rises out of cover in time to spot the flash of a pig mask in a window three cars down. He lets off a quick pop pop pop with each gun. More plastic exploding. It's a damn tough shot, firing through three windows, but one of the bullets knocks the man out of view - the others ricochet off the doors.

Pig mask is back at the window in an instant, hollering over the screams of the wageslaves. "I'm gonna tear you a new slit!" There's blood on his snout.

Faust drops back behind the bench.

[sblock=OOC]Faust is using the Burst Fire simple action along with the Multiple Attacks free action. Then he's using the Take Cover simple action.

He's firing 3 bullets per gun, for a total of 6. He has a Recoil Compensation of 5, for total Recoil of 1.

Agility 8 + Automatics 6 + Machine Pistol spec 2 + Smartlink 1 - Recoil 1 = 16 dice

Attack 1
Faust rolls 1 total success ^Link
Faust fails to score any net successes
Attack misses

Attack 2
Faust rolls 4 successes ^Link
Faust scores 3 net successes
Ares Crusader II base Damage Value 7P + 3 net successes = 10P modified Damage Value
Damage Value greater than Armor Value - Damage is physical
Target reduces damage to 6P
Attack hits, deals 6P damage[/sblock]

---

GRRRRRRRRRR goes the roto-drone's double blade pairs. It lifts off and hovers in place, appraising its environment. The MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone isn't the smartest combatant but it knows anyone Lum the Mad is taking cover with is probably a friendly. It drifts slow and balloon-like toward the center of the car, following Faust's aimed guns with its camera.

It watches pig mask when he reappears at the window. CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK. The drone rakes the doors to cars four, five, and six with heavy gunfire from its underslung Shiawase Arms Monsoon. Pig mask isn't going to be getting back up.

[sblock=OOC]The MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone is using the Take Aim simple action and the Full Auto simple action.

It's firing 6 bullets, with Recoil Compensation of 4. Total Recoil of 2.

Pilot 3 + Autosoft 6 + Take Aim 1 - Recoil 2 = 8 dice

Attack
The MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone rolls 2 successes ^Link
The MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone scores 2 net successes
Shiawase Arms Monsoon base Damage Value 10P + 2 net successes = 12P modified Damage Value
Damage Value greater than Armor Value - Damage is physical
Target reduces damage to 9P
Attack hits, deals 9P damage[/sblock]
Initiative: Round One, Pass One
Death Otter - 27 ^link
Faust - 25 ^link
Lum's MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone - 21 ^link
Patrol IC - 18
Lum the Mad - 16 ^link
Lunchmeat - 16
Balaclava - 14
Herald - 11 ^link
Cyberarms - 11

---

[MENTION=40413]GlassEye[/MENTION], it's Lum the Mad's turn.

With no new targets in sight Lum's drone is idling. Lum knows the other three are still there, hiding in the last car.

[sblock=OOC]Lunchmeat, balaclava, and cyberarms are all in the rearmost car. They're in cover and out of view - attacks against them from Lum's current position would suffer cover and blindfire penalties.[/sblock]

Lum grins wildly and hoots as his drone takes down Pig mask. He does a quick check to make sure the drone's maneuvering autosoft is up and running then scrambles up onto the seat at the back of the car. He stays to the corner so that it will give him a bit of cover and edges the barrel of his Ares Predator V around the broken window so he can see what's going on behind them.

[sblock=OOC]Not sure what sort of action checking the autosofts on his drone would be. Minimal movement and Take Cover action. Take Aim if he has enough action left.[/sblock]

Informative windows cloud the edges of Lum's vision. This one shows an ammo count. That one is displaying rangefinder data. He only has to think about one of them for it to enlarge and fill his field of view - in the next moment he's seeing from the point of view of his Predator's smartgun camera as he inches the barrel through the window into car four.

There are thirteen people huddled in the corners here. Two orks, a dwarf, and the rest are human, with an even gender split. Most of them are business casual - only the dwarf is in an actual suit. Three of the humans are Chinese and they're whining at each other in Mandarin.

Lum readies the barrel down the length of the train.

[sblock=OOC]Lum's RCC is able to broadcast to his comm, which is in turn broadcasting to his contacts' image link, so somewhere in his vision is a display with information on the drone. Its maneuvering autosoft is functioning just fine - it didn't have a simple action left to take cover and it's not going to leave Lum's side to advance down the length of the train without being ordered. Lum can simply speak commands aloud (no action required) to deliver orders and the drone will obey as intelligently as it can. It's patched to Lum's comm (which is receiving audio from his subvocal mic) so it can hear him from a distance - no shouting required.

Go ahead and make a post (even out of initiative order) with an order if you'd like to have added one to your Take Cover and Take Aim actions. The drone won't be able to follow it until its next pass.

I'm assuming from your description that Lum is aiming around the corner without exposing himself as described on pg 433 (enemies firing at Lum will take a -4 blind fire penalty, but Lum also takes a -3 penalty to attacks of his own). I'm also assuming "back of the car" means closer to the tail of the train. Apologies if this is not what you intended!

Lum is currently at a +1 Take Aim bonus against anyone from cars four, five, or six. Taking any action (other than more Take Aim actions, which will accumulate bonuses) prior to shooting will negate this.[/sblock]

---

The door between cars six and five opens, revealing pig mask's motionless corpse. "You bastards!" Lunchmeat charges down the length of the fifth car. She's about 5'5, no more than 110lbs, blonde with a bright red maple leaf tattoo under the fuzz of her buzz cut. She's got a leather jacket over a ballistic vest and a machine pistol in her left hand. In her right hand is a grenade and she tosses it overhand when she reaches the threshold between cars five and four.

The grenade soars through the window of the door between cars four and three, landing at Herald's feet before bouncing aside toward the hovering roto-drone.

The train lurches suddenly as it goes hot around a corner with no brakes and the grenade slides and bounces toward the door, coming to a rest at Lum's feet. That's not good.

[MENTION=40413]GlassEye[/MENTION], [MENTION=6776381]Mosier[/MENTION], [MENTION=6763059]Rubberneck[/MENTION], [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION], the following OOC information is important for all of you.

[sblock=OOC]Lunchmeat's aim wasn't great but the scatter put it more-or-less where she wanted it to be anyway. Everyone in car three (that's all of the runners) and most of the people in car four are in extreme danger. The grenade is currently on the ground at Lum's feet, so he's clearly in the greatest danger. Herald isn't much better, a meter away on the opposite side of the doorway. Lum's drone and Faust are a couple meters up the length of the car, still well in the danger zone. Death Otter, still comatose in her trance, is also in danger. Woodley is cowering near the very front of the car and has a small chance of being hurt. Grenades have the potential to harm anything within 18 meters!

The grenade will detonate at initiative 06 during the next combat round (not the next pass). Thrown grenades using the default timer settings can be picked up and re-thrown. Throwing this one back at Lunchmeat and her crew is an option but there will almost certainly be significant collateral damage and multiple wageslave deaths are assured - whether this is important to the runners is up to you. The safer option is to throw it outside into the subway tunnel - none of the exterior windows have been shot yet but that can be fixed easily. It's also possible to chuck the grenade outside through the gap between cars.[/sblock]

---

Balaclava runs up the length of the train behind Lunchmeat. He's shorter and skinnier than she is, his face concealed. He throws himself into cover beside Lunchmeat and peppers gunfire in Lum's direction. Lum is tucked deep in cover and balaclava's shots are wild but a single bullet penetrates the exterior wall of the subway and enter's the runner's abdomen through his back, finally exiting just below his right breast and ricocheting off into the car. Better hope it's not the liver. It's almost enough to make Lum forget about the grenade.

Lum is still on his feet but he's seriously injured with a sucking chest wound.

[sblock=OOC]Incredibly bad luck! Balaclava's 5 dice somehow managed to beat your 10.

Balaclava scored 2 total hits on his 5 dice attack (his more significant starting pool was reduced by recoil (-1), running (-2), and blind firing (-4)).
You rolled with Reaction 5 + Intuition 3 + Cover 4 - Burst Fire 2 for a total pool of 10. Somehow you scored 0 successes! ^Link
Balaclava has 2 net hits for a modified Damage Value of 12. This equals or exceeds your armor (12 armor jacket - AP 2 = 10) and so is doing physical damage.
You roll Modified Armor 10 (12 - 2) + Body 3 for a total pool of 13. You score 3 successes. ^Link
You take 9P damage.

You have 1 remaining empty Physical Condition Monitor box. You are taking -3 wound penalties to all actions.[/sblock]
[sblock=Rough Map] [/sblock]

---

[MENTION=6776381]Mosier[/MENTION], it's Herald's turn.

Lunchmeat and her surviving crew are advancing. Lum the Mad's been critically injured. There's a grenade a little over a meter away.

[sblock=OOC]Just in case you weren't still planning on summoning.[/sblock]

Herald's faux-Latin chant is cut suddenly short as the grenade bounces and comes to rest near him.

With a sense of urgency that borders on panic, Herald grabs the grenade. He tries to toss it outside in the gap between the two cars. Piling civilian bodies on top of this drekstorm would only make things worse.

(Use Edge for this roll please!)

Herald easily scoops up the grenade and tosses it out the window of the door between cars three and four. The grenade pops against the exterior wall of car four and drops out of sight beneath the train, likely to explode in the tunnel behind it.

[sblock=OOC]Using a simple action to pick the grenade up and a simple action to throw it.

Agility 5 + Edge 3 (2 +1) [exploding 6s] = 4 successes ^Link

Herald has 1 Edge remaining.[/sblock]

---

Cyberarms is either Asian or Hispanic, difficult to tell with her face painted black. Both arms have been replaced with cyber and they're decorated with potentially seizure-inducing pulsing lights forming Japanese katakana. She's sprinting down the length of the train with her sword overhead, wailing "Banzai!"

[sblock=Rough Map][/sblock]

---

Initiative: Round One, Pass Two
Death Otter - 17 ^link
Faust - 15 ^link
Lum's MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone - 11 ^link
Patrol IC - 08
Lum the Mad - 06 ^link
Lunchmeat - 06
Balaclava - 04
Herald - 01 ^link
Cyberarms - 01

---

[MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION], it's Death Otter's turn.

Unlike meatspace, in the host things are still quiet and clean. The patrol IC has his flashlight locked on Otter but he isn't interrupting her otherwise.

A choice profanity utters from Death Otter's avatar, and she scrapes a circle in the floor of the train car. Concentrating on that circle, she begins to snatch at random bits of code, tugging at the 'fabric' of the Matrix itself. The illusion of the train car warps and distorts, revealing its true nature before rubberbanding back to its artificial appearance. Something begins to form there. A hunched figure, swathed in cape or cloak or something. What lurks inside is shadowed, but has a disturbing silhouette and seems to exude an aura of menace.

"Crack Horror, get over here!" Death Otter shouts. "Mama's got work to do!"

(Compiling a Crack Sprite. Pool is 11 dice, but I will spend Edge on this because it's absolutely essential that I nab this sprite. Fade resist roll is also 11 dice.)

Death Otter - The Matrix, NYNet, NYS Transit Train 213 Host

The patrol IC is wide-eyed when he sees the crack sprite materialize. He takes a step back.

[sblock=OOC]Resonance 6 + Compiling 5 + Edge 3 (2 + 1) [exploding 6s] = 5 successes ^Link
The sprite rolls 6 dice and scores 1 success
Resonance 6 + Willpower 5 = 2 successes ^Link
Death Otter suffers no Fade damage
The sprite owes Death Otter 5 tasks

Crack Sprite - 5 Tasks
Attack 6; Sleaze 9; Data Processing 8; Firewall 7; Initiative 8+4d6; Resonance 6
Computer 6; Electronic Warfare 6; Hacking 6
Overwatch: ???

The crack sprite will do nothing until ordered.[/sblock]
Initiative: Round One, Pass Two
Death Otter - 17 ^link
Faust - 15 ^link
Crack Sprite - 14 ^link
Lum's MCT-Nissan Roto-Drone - 11 ^link
Patrol IC - 08
Lum the Mad - 06 ^link
Lunchmeat - 06
Balaclava - 04
Herald - 01 ^link
Cyberarms - 01

---

[MENTION=6763059]Rubberneck[/MENTION], it's Faust's turn.

Faust watches Lum take the shot and watches as Cyberarms starts sprinting the length of the car.

"Lum's hit."

Faust lines up his shot and takes aim with both machine pistols switching from burst mode to semi auto to conserve ammo using his smart link.

"I don't think so b***h"

And opens fire.