{Mutants & Masterminds} United Heroes Limited Series
Insight
Adventurer
Issue #10 - "Chaos" (Continued)
-Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel-
***** Round Seven *****
"Man, you guys really need some target practice," Acrobat Ace commented as he dodged a set of red rockets flying through the air. As he landed, he spun and, in the same movement, produced a razor-ring and flung it at Fang, who was too easy of a target. The ring bit Fang in the abdomen, but did not slow him much.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He throws a Razor-Ring at Fang (DEF 14) and hits with 22. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 25) to evade and fails with 14. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 20, still failing. Fang takes a Lethal Hit.}
Electrostatic moved up next to Cyber-Knight's mechanical horse. This guy is pretty weird, Electrostatic observed and he placed his hands on the device. Electrostatic felt energy transferring from the 'horse' to his own body, until he could draw no more.
Cyber-Knight, catching Electrostatic out of the corner of his visor, turned. "Thou art too brave for thine own good, methinks." The cyborg villain swung his Vibrosword near Electrostatic, but the electric hero dodged aside and evaded the rushed attack.
{Electrostatic tries to Drain Energy on Cyber-Knight's Steed. He makes a touch attack against the vehicle (DEF 10) and hits with 19. Using his Energy Control, Electrostatic lowers the vehicle's Movement to 2 ranks, or 10' per action. Electrostatic uses his other Half Action to move 20' away from Cyber-Knight.}
"Two for the price of one," the Scoundrel said as he fired his Hellfire Pistols, one at Fang, and one at the Duchess. His shot just barely missed the unbelievably agile Fang, but tagged the Duchess square in the back.
She fell to one knee, but then started to get up, and shot a look at the Scoundrel. "Fiery bullets?" she asked. "What will you mortals think of next?"
{The Scoundrel shoots at Fang (DEF 14) and the Duchess (DEF 18). He hits Fang with 21 and the Duchess with 23. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 23) to evade and succeeds with 26. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 12. The Duchess takes a Lethal Hit.}
"Fang," the Duchess commanded, "Acrobat Ace is yours for now. I have other duties here, namely that electric fool." She concentrated for a moment, and, catching Electrostatic's gaze, gave the hero a look that nearly melted his mental resistance in an instant.
Electrostatic's mouth fell open at the sight of the vampiress. "Serve me, mortal!" the Duchess commanded, and Electrostatic, in no position to refuse her, complied. "Destroy these two," she commanded, indicating Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel. "It pleases me."
She turned toward the Scoundrel and hissed, giving the masked pistolier a start. Her teeth bared, the Duchess seemed ready to pounce.
{The Duchess uses a Free Action for Leadership. She attempts Mind Control on Electrostatic. The Duchess' Mind Control check is 25, opposed by Electrostatic's Will save of 16. The Duchess now has control of Electrostatic. She commands him to attack Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel, and she must make a Mind Control check (DC 16) and succeeds with 19. As her other Half Action, the Duchess tries to use Startle on the Scoundrel. She gets an Intimidate check result of 17. The Scoundrel now gets a Will save (DC 17) and fails with 15. Next round, the Scoundrel gets no dodge bonuses to DEF against the Duchess.}
But Fang's bloodlust did not permit him any distinction between his foes. He rushed at the closest one, which happened to be the Scoundrel. With Fang on one side and the Duchess scaring the wits out of him on the other, it was surprising that the Scoundrel managed to leap away from Fang's charge in time.
"No, Fang," the Duchess called out, scolding him like a bad puppy. "I said Acrobat Ace!"
Fang whimpered a bit, and then continued to go after the Scoundrel.
{Fang charges 20' at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and hits with 30. The Scoundrel gets a Reflex save (DC 26) to evade and succeeds with 32.}
His mount weakened, Cyber-Knight vaulted off the mechanical horse, and charged right at Acrobat Ace, swinging his Vibrosword with great skill. Ace, knowing Cyber-Knight's capabilities quite well, made sure not to get hit with that sword.
"Hey now, Knight," Acrobat Ace said. "How about we go back to being friends, OK?"
"That cannot be, flagrant fool!"
{Cyber-Knight attempts a fast dismount, a Ride check (DC 20) and succeeds with 22. He dismounts as a Free Action. Cyber-Knight charges 20' at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31), but misses with 19.}
The remaining Atlanteans, now all but ignored by the heroes, opened fire at Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel, trying not to catch any allies in the crossfire. Despite the divided concentrations of their targets, the soldiers still missed.
{The Atlantean Soldiers position themselves behind Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel to get flanking bonuses. 3 Soldiers fire at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31), but all miss with 9, 9, and 5. 2 Soldiers fire at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and both miss with 20 and 10.}
***** Round Eight *****
What happened to Luther? Acrobat Ace wondered about his ally and friend. Why hasn't he gotten up yet? It's not like him...
"Electrostatic," he said, "See if you can take out that vampire lady. She seems pretty dangerous."
But the electric hero did not respond, only drawing nearer to Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel.
Even the Scoundrel noticed a change in Electrostatic's behavior. "Um, something's wrong with him," the Scoundrel commented.
Fang was getting too close, so Acrobat Ace fluidly flung a razor-ring at the bestial villain, catching Fang in the forehead. The weapon merely bounced off, leaving Fang unharmed.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He switches his Dodge to Cyber-Knight only, adding 2 to his DEF against the villain. As a Half Action, he moves 20' away from the villains and then throws a Razor-Ring at Fang (DEF 14), but gets a natural 1 -- a miss. Spending a Hero Point to re-roll, Acrobat Ace gets 32 and hits. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 25) to evade, but fails with 12. Spending a Villain Point to re-roll, he gets 25, a success, for no effect.}
Despite struggling to resist the Duchess' compulsions, Electrostatic fired a lightning bolt at the Scoundrel, but his former ally, aware that something was wrong with Electrostatic, halfway expected the attack and dodged the bolt of lightning.
{Electrostatic gets a Will save (DC 19) to resist the Duchess' commands, but fails with 11. As a Half Action, he moves 15' towards the Scoundrel. Electrostatic fires his Energy Blast at the Scoundrel (DEF 29), but misses with 23.}
The Scoundrel took a few steps to one side in an attempt to keep the freaky vampiress away, and blasted both Fang and a nearby Soldier with his Hellfire Pistols. Though Fang ignored the attack, it felled another Atlantean soldier.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step to interpose Fang between himself and the Duchess. He shoots Fang (DEF 14) and a Soldier (DEF 12), hitting both with 27 and 29 respectively. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 23) to evade and succeeds with 24. The Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 20) and fails with 3. There are now 4 Soldiers left.}
"You cannot escape me, mortal!" the Duchess called out as she sidestepped Fang and lunged straight at the Scoundrel, who could not avoid her. The pair fell to the ground, and the Duchess' fangs bit into the Scoundrel's shoulder.
"Augh! What the --" the Scoundrel yelled out in response to the attack.
The Duchess, pleased with herself, smiled at the Scoundrel. "See what I mean?"
The Scoundrel, fearful of what that bite might mean, forcibly rolled to the side and rejected the Duchess, standing in a fluid motion.
{The Duchess uses a Free Action for Leadership. Using Power Attack she adds +3 to her Damage and subtracts -3 from the Attack Roll. She moves 25' as a Half Action. The Duchess bites the Scoundrel (DEF 18) but misses with a natural 1. She spends a Villain Point for a re-roll, and this time gets 22 -- a hit. Since the Scoundrel can't use Evasion, he gets a Damage save (DC 28). This is an Impossible Save since the Scoundrel's Damage save bonus is +1. He rolls anyway, and gets 14. Spending a Hero Point to re-roll, he gets a natural 20 and takes only a Lethal Hit.}
Just as he completed his stand, the Scoundrel was beset by Fang, who tried to claw at the agile hero. The Scoundrel dodged aside, and the bestial villain missed by quite a significant margin.
{Fang claws at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and misses with 17.}
Too quick art these jack-rabbits, Cyber-Knight realized. Methinks accuracy instead of power shouldst be the order of the day. He stabbed at the Scoundrel, piercing the hero's side.
"What is it, 'Pick on the Scoundrel Day'?" the wounded hero demanded.
{Cyber-Knight 'turns off' his Power Attack. He charges 10' at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and hits with 32. The Scoundrel gets a Reflex save (DC 32) to evade and fails with 27. The Scoundrel takes a Lethal Hit.}
The remaining soldiers concentrated their fire at Acrobat Ace, but missed wildly as the deft hero easily sidestepped their rockets.
{The Atlantean Soldiers surround Acrobat Ace and then all 4 Soldiers fire at the hero (DEF 31) and all miss (highest result is 20).}
***** Round Nine *****
Things are going badly for us, Acrobat Ace realized. Time to turn the tide. I only hope Luther can join us...
Acrobat Ace spun in place, flinging razor-rings every which way. The blades caught the Duchess and four soldiers surrounding him. The soldiers, the only ones remaining upright on the field of battle, were caught by surprise, and all fell with the attack. The Duchess, who like the soldiers wasn't expecting such a tactic, nevertheless had a better reaction time and managed to keep herself out of harm's way.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He uses Blade Storm, which affects the Duchess and all 4 Soldiers standing around him. Each gets a Reflex save (DC 19) to halve the effect. The Duchess fails with 7, and the Soldiers all fail with 10, 5, 9, and 10. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 17) and fails with 4. She uses a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 19 for no effect. The Soldiers get Damage saves (DC 21) and all fail with 3, 4, 18, and 5, and all are Disabled. There are no Soldiers left.}
I... cannot... hurt... the... Scoundrel... Electrostatic thought as his mind tried to overcome the compulsions of his body. But despite this resistance, more lightning bolts shot out from his hands at the dodging Scoundrel, who still managed to avoid the attack.
Electrostatic shot a look at the Duchess. She's making me do this, he realized.
{Electrostatic gets a new Will save (DC 19) to break the Duchess' Mind Control, and fails with 17. He uses a Half Action to move 20' and then fires his Energy Blast at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) but misses with a natural 1.}
"Geez, lady," the Scoundrel said. "Back off!" He fired both Hellfire Pistols at the vampiress, missing once, but striking her in the forehead with the other shot. The Duchess took a few steps backward, then fell to the ground with a thud.
Electrostatic's mind was clear, and he could once again control himself.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step back near Acrobat Ace and shoots the Duchess (DEF 18) twice, hitting once with 27 and missing once with a natural 1. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 8. She takes a Lethal Hit and is Stunned. Electrostatic is released from her Mind Control.}
{The Duchess recovers from being Stunned.}
Fang, still red with rage, lunged at the pistol-wielding hero, but the Scoundrel sidestepped the attempt.
{Fang takes a 5' step and claws at the Scoundrel (DEF 29), missing with 14. He regenerates a Lethal Hit.}
Focusing his attention on his former ally, Cyber-Knight ran toward Acrobat Ace and swung his Vibrosword, nearly hitting Ace with the electrically-charged blade.
{Cyber-Knight charges 15' at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31) and misses with 22. Using Move-By Attack, Cyber-Knight moves another 15' after the attempt.}
Next Up, Rounds 7-9 of Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder!
-Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel-
***** Round Seven *****
"Man, you guys really need some target practice," Acrobat Ace commented as he dodged a set of red rockets flying through the air. As he landed, he spun and, in the same movement, produced a razor-ring and flung it at Fang, who was too easy of a target. The ring bit Fang in the abdomen, but did not slow him much.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He throws a Razor-Ring at Fang (DEF 14) and hits with 22. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 25) to evade and fails with 14. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 20, still failing. Fang takes a Lethal Hit.}
Electrostatic moved up next to Cyber-Knight's mechanical horse. This guy is pretty weird, Electrostatic observed and he placed his hands on the device. Electrostatic felt energy transferring from the 'horse' to his own body, until he could draw no more.
Cyber-Knight, catching Electrostatic out of the corner of his visor, turned. "Thou art too brave for thine own good, methinks." The cyborg villain swung his Vibrosword near Electrostatic, but the electric hero dodged aside and evaded the rushed attack.
{Electrostatic tries to Drain Energy on Cyber-Knight's Steed. He makes a touch attack against the vehicle (DEF 10) and hits with 19. Using his Energy Control, Electrostatic lowers the vehicle's Movement to 2 ranks, or 10' per action. Electrostatic uses his other Half Action to move 20' away from Cyber-Knight.}
"Two for the price of one," the Scoundrel said as he fired his Hellfire Pistols, one at Fang, and one at the Duchess. His shot just barely missed the unbelievably agile Fang, but tagged the Duchess square in the back.
She fell to one knee, but then started to get up, and shot a look at the Scoundrel. "Fiery bullets?" she asked. "What will you mortals think of next?"
{The Scoundrel shoots at Fang (DEF 14) and the Duchess (DEF 18). He hits Fang with 21 and the Duchess with 23. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 23) to evade and succeeds with 26. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 12. The Duchess takes a Lethal Hit.}
"Fang," the Duchess commanded, "Acrobat Ace is yours for now. I have other duties here, namely that electric fool." She concentrated for a moment, and, catching Electrostatic's gaze, gave the hero a look that nearly melted his mental resistance in an instant.
Electrostatic's mouth fell open at the sight of the vampiress. "Serve me, mortal!" the Duchess commanded, and Electrostatic, in no position to refuse her, complied. "Destroy these two," she commanded, indicating Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel. "It pleases me."
She turned toward the Scoundrel and hissed, giving the masked pistolier a start. Her teeth bared, the Duchess seemed ready to pounce.
{The Duchess uses a Free Action for Leadership. She attempts Mind Control on Electrostatic. The Duchess' Mind Control check is 25, opposed by Electrostatic's Will save of 16. The Duchess now has control of Electrostatic. She commands him to attack Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel, and she must make a Mind Control check (DC 16) and succeeds with 19. As her other Half Action, the Duchess tries to use Startle on the Scoundrel. She gets an Intimidate check result of 17. The Scoundrel now gets a Will save (DC 17) and fails with 15. Next round, the Scoundrel gets no dodge bonuses to DEF against the Duchess.}
But Fang's bloodlust did not permit him any distinction between his foes. He rushed at the closest one, which happened to be the Scoundrel. With Fang on one side and the Duchess scaring the wits out of him on the other, it was surprising that the Scoundrel managed to leap away from Fang's charge in time.
"No, Fang," the Duchess called out, scolding him like a bad puppy. "I said Acrobat Ace!"
Fang whimpered a bit, and then continued to go after the Scoundrel.
{Fang charges 20' at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and hits with 30. The Scoundrel gets a Reflex save (DC 26) to evade and succeeds with 32.}
His mount weakened, Cyber-Knight vaulted off the mechanical horse, and charged right at Acrobat Ace, swinging his Vibrosword with great skill. Ace, knowing Cyber-Knight's capabilities quite well, made sure not to get hit with that sword.
"Hey now, Knight," Acrobat Ace said. "How about we go back to being friends, OK?"
"That cannot be, flagrant fool!"
{Cyber-Knight attempts a fast dismount, a Ride check (DC 20) and succeeds with 22. He dismounts as a Free Action. Cyber-Knight charges 20' at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31), but misses with 19.}
The remaining Atlanteans, now all but ignored by the heroes, opened fire at Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel, trying not to catch any allies in the crossfire. Despite the divided concentrations of their targets, the soldiers still missed.
{The Atlantean Soldiers position themselves behind Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel to get flanking bonuses. 3 Soldiers fire at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31), but all miss with 9, 9, and 5. 2 Soldiers fire at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and both miss with 20 and 10.}
***** Round Eight *****
What happened to Luther? Acrobat Ace wondered about his ally and friend. Why hasn't he gotten up yet? It's not like him...
"Electrostatic," he said, "See if you can take out that vampire lady. She seems pretty dangerous."
But the electric hero did not respond, only drawing nearer to Acrobat Ace and the Scoundrel.
Even the Scoundrel noticed a change in Electrostatic's behavior. "Um, something's wrong with him," the Scoundrel commented.
Fang was getting too close, so Acrobat Ace fluidly flung a razor-ring at the bestial villain, catching Fang in the forehead. The weapon merely bounced off, leaving Fang unharmed.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He switches his Dodge to Cyber-Knight only, adding 2 to his DEF against the villain. As a Half Action, he moves 20' away from the villains and then throws a Razor-Ring at Fang (DEF 14), but gets a natural 1 -- a miss. Spending a Hero Point to re-roll, Acrobat Ace gets 32 and hits. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 25) to evade, but fails with 12. Spending a Villain Point to re-roll, he gets 25, a success, for no effect.}
Despite struggling to resist the Duchess' compulsions, Electrostatic fired a lightning bolt at the Scoundrel, but his former ally, aware that something was wrong with Electrostatic, halfway expected the attack and dodged the bolt of lightning.
{Electrostatic gets a Will save (DC 19) to resist the Duchess' commands, but fails with 11. As a Half Action, he moves 15' towards the Scoundrel. Electrostatic fires his Energy Blast at the Scoundrel (DEF 29), but misses with 23.}
The Scoundrel took a few steps to one side in an attempt to keep the freaky vampiress away, and blasted both Fang and a nearby Soldier with his Hellfire Pistols. Though Fang ignored the attack, it felled another Atlantean soldier.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step to interpose Fang between himself and the Duchess. He shoots Fang (DEF 14) and a Soldier (DEF 12), hitting both with 27 and 29 respectively. Fang gets a Reflex save (DC 23) to evade and succeeds with 24. The Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 20) and fails with 3. There are now 4 Soldiers left.}
"You cannot escape me, mortal!" the Duchess called out as she sidestepped Fang and lunged straight at the Scoundrel, who could not avoid her. The pair fell to the ground, and the Duchess' fangs bit into the Scoundrel's shoulder.
"Augh! What the --" the Scoundrel yelled out in response to the attack.
The Duchess, pleased with herself, smiled at the Scoundrel. "See what I mean?"
The Scoundrel, fearful of what that bite might mean, forcibly rolled to the side and rejected the Duchess, standing in a fluid motion.
{The Duchess uses a Free Action for Leadership. Using Power Attack she adds +3 to her Damage and subtracts -3 from the Attack Roll. She moves 25' as a Half Action. The Duchess bites the Scoundrel (DEF 18) but misses with a natural 1. She spends a Villain Point for a re-roll, and this time gets 22 -- a hit. Since the Scoundrel can't use Evasion, he gets a Damage save (DC 28). This is an Impossible Save since the Scoundrel's Damage save bonus is +1. He rolls anyway, and gets 14. Spending a Hero Point to re-roll, he gets a natural 20 and takes only a Lethal Hit.}
Just as he completed his stand, the Scoundrel was beset by Fang, who tried to claw at the agile hero. The Scoundrel dodged aside, and the bestial villain missed by quite a significant margin.
{Fang claws at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and misses with 17.}
Too quick art these jack-rabbits, Cyber-Knight realized. Methinks accuracy instead of power shouldst be the order of the day. He stabbed at the Scoundrel, piercing the hero's side.
"What is it, 'Pick on the Scoundrel Day'?" the wounded hero demanded.
{Cyber-Knight 'turns off' his Power Attack. He charges 10' at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) and hits with 32. The Scoundrel gets a Reflex save (DC 32) to evade and fails with 27. The Scoundrel takes a Lethal Hit.}
The remaining soldiers concentrated their fire at Acrobat Ace, but missed wildly as the deft hero easily sidestepped their rockets.
{The Atlantean Soldiers surround Acrobat Ace and then all 4 Soldiers fire at the hero (DEF 31) and all miss (highest result is 20).}
***** Round Nine *****
Things are going badly for us, Acrobat Ace realized. Time to turn the tide. I only hope Luther can join us...
Acrobat Ace spun in place, flinging razor-rings every which way. The blades caught the Duchess and four soldiers surrounding him. The soldiers, the only ones remaining upright on the field of battle, were caught by surprise, and all fell with the attack. The Duchess, who like the soldiers wasn't expecting such a tactic, nevertheless had a better reaction time and managed to keep herself out of harm's way.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He uses Blade Storm, which affects the Duchess and all 4 Soldiers standing around him. Each gets a Reflex save (DC 19) to halve the effect. The Duchess fails with 7, and the Soldiers all fail with 10, 5, 9, and 10. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 17) and fails with 4. She uses a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 19 for no effect. The Soldiers get Damage saves (DC 21) and all fail with 3, 4, 18, and 5, and all are Disabled. There are no Soldiers left.}
I... cannot... hurt... the... Scoundrel... Electrostatic thought as his mind tried to overcome the compulsions of his body. But despite this resistance, more lightning bolts shot out from his hands at the dodging Scoundrel, who still managed to avoid the attack.
Electrostatic shot a look at the Duchess. She's making me do this, he realized.
{Electrostatic gets a new Will save (DC 19) to break the Duchess' Mind Control, and fails with 17. He uses a Half Action to move 20' and then fires his Energy Blast at the Scoundrel (DEF 29) but misses with a natural 1.}
"Geez, lady," the Scoundrel said. "Back off!" He fired both Hellfire Pistols at the vampiress, missing once, but striking her in the forehead with the other shot. The Duchess took a few steps backward, then fell to the ground with a thud.
Electrostatic's mind was clear, and he could once again control himself.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step back near Acrobat Ace and shoots the Duchess (DEF 18) twice, hitting once with 27 and missing once with a natural 1. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 8. She takes a Lethal Hit and is Stunned. Electrostatic is released from her Mind Control.}
{The Duchess recovers from being Stunned.}
Fang, still red with rage, lunged at the pistol-wielding hero, but the Scoundrel sidestepped the attempt.
{Fang takes a 5' step and claws at the Scoundrel (DEF 29), missing with 14. He regenerates a Lethal Hit.}
Focusing his attention on his former ally, Cyber-Knight ran toward Acrobat Ace and swung his Vibrosword, nearly hitting Ace with the electrically-charged blade.
{Cyber-Knight charges 15' at Acrobat Ace (DEF 31) and misses with 22. Using Move-By Attack, Cyber-Knight moves another 15' after the attempt.}
Next Up, Rounds 7-9 of Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder!
Insight
Adventurer
Issue #10 - "Chaos" (Continued)
-Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder-
***** Round Seven *****
"Mana," Surge said. "Leave me alone and take care of their stupid leader!" The villain threw a punch, charged with electricity, that clocked Iron Dragon right in the nose.
Falling to one knee, Iron Dragon was momentarily stunned by the blow.
"And you call yourself a martial arts expert?" Surge asked. "I'm just a poor kid from the streets, and I can take ya!"
{Surge uses a Half Action to move 15' to flank Iron Dragon. He strikes Iron Dragon (DEF 21) and hits with 28. Iron Dragon gets a Reflex save (DC 18) but fails with 14 and takes a Lethal Hit.}
MorningStar's in trouble, Iron Dragon realized. Who knows what Bombardier might do to her while she's paralyzed. I can't afford to wait and find out.
The Asian hero charged at Bombardier, who was busy thinking of ways to attack the helpless MorningStar. Iron Dragon, using all of his might, plowed through the armored villain, sending his hurtling through the air, and landing in a cloud of sand some 45 feet away from MorningStar.
Landing, Bombardier cursed Iron Dragon. You haven't seen the last of me, he thought.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and fails with 17. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. He charges Bombardier (DEF 18) and hits with 18. Bombardier gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 6. He is Stunned and takes a Stun Hit, and is knocked back 45'.}
"Good job, ID," Harpy said. "Now, Surge, you are mine."
"Sounds great," Surge quipped. But then, he felt a familiar mental overload start to put pressure on his faculties. "Aw, not again!"
Harpy stared him down. "This time, I win!"
"Augh!" Surge yelled as he fell prone with the sheer mental force of Harpy bearing down on him.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She uses a Half Action to move 15', and then uses Mental Blast on Surge (adj. DEF 14), hitting with 24. Surge gets a modified Damage save (DC 21) and fails with 11. He is Stunned and takes a Stun Hit.}
Pathfinder, seeing Harpy and Iron Dragon taking care of the supervillains, continued to work on the Atlanteans. He fired another shot from his crossbow, and another soldier fell in its path.
The hero looked toward Mana. I know that force field likely protects her from my crossbow, but perhaps we should be keeping a better eye on her. That sorceress is truly dangerous.
{Pathfinder fires his crossbow at a Soldier (DEF 12) and hits with 12. The Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 17) and fails with 7 and is Disabled. There are now 6 Soldiers left.}
Her powers sapped and unable to turn them back on, MorningStar again struggled to free herself from the magical paralysis imposed on her.
{MorningStar gets a Will save (DC 18) to break the Paralysis, but fails with 11.}
"Now, now," Mana said to Harpy. "We can't have you harming Surge. He's almost a valuable member of the team." She incanted a few words of power, and then Harpy rose into the air.
"Not good..." Harpy replied.
Wielding arcane power, Mana tossed Harpy carelessly to the ocean, the heroine landing just at the edge of the water with a minor splash.
{Mana uses Telekinesis to lift Harpy. Mana's Sorcery Power Check of 22 opposes Harpy's STR check of 8, so Mana has telekinetic control of Harpy. Mana throws Harpy 40' away into the ocean. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 17) against the Falling Damage, and succeeds with 18. Harpy lands on the edge of the water and is prone. Mana uses a Free Action to reactivate her Force Field.}
After conversing for a moment in the Atlantean tongue, the soldiers charged Pathfinder, who was a bit surprised by the tactic, and was easily tackled.
He tried to belt a few of them with the butt of his crossbow, but there were four of them, and this greatly restricted his movement.
{4 Atlantean Soldiers charge Pathfinder (DEF 18) to grapple. This is treated as an Aid Another, so with 3 Soldiers adding a total of +6 to the roll, the Soldiers gets 23 vs. Pathfinder's 7, so the hero is Grappled.}
{Bombardier recovers from being Stunned.}
***** Round Eight *****
Standing, Surge saw that MorningStar was still vulnerable, and took the opportunity to try to get rid of her permanently. He rushed forward at a superhuman pace and plowed into the paralyzed heroine, enveloping her in electricity. To add insult to injury, the blow also pushed her back toward Bombardier, who was just starting to get up from Iron Dragon's assault.
MorningStar rolled to a stop, and felt some internal damage. She would need some help fast.
{Surge spends a Villain Point to instantly recover from being Stunned. He charges 55' at MorningStar (DEF 18) and hits with 32. MorningStar gets a Damage save (DC 24) but fails with 11. She uses a Hero Point to re-roll, and this time gets 14. MorningStar is Stunned and takes a Lethal Hit. MorningStar also gets a Damage save (DC 20) against Surge's Energy Field and fails with 7. She takes another Lethal Hit and is Disabled. The knockback sends MorningStar 25' back.}
"Leave her alone!" Iron Dragon commanded as he rushed Surge, blasting the villain in the back. The attack turned Surge away from MorningStar, but he seemed unharmed for the most part.
"Aw, did I hurt yer girlfriend?" Surge asked sarcastically.
She's already injured, Mana observed. Surge should leave her alone. We're not here to kill them, just to stop them from destroying the Chaos Engine, right? Maybe I'm on the wrong side. I'm not a killer after all...
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and fails with 15. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon charges 25' at Surge (DEF 21) and hits with 28. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 20) and succeeds with 21. Iron Dragon's Protection of +6 is greater than Surge's Energy Field of +5, so he doesn't need to save.}
Regaining her footing and dignity, Harpy saw that Pathfinder was in serious trouble. Examining her options, the leader decided to help Pathfinder and allow Iron Dragon to take on Surge and Bombardier, and possibly Mana, on his own for the moment.
Harpy concentrated on the mind of one of the soldiers tackling Pathfinder, and, using her mental blast, annihiliated the soldier's mind and dropped him to the sand, freeing Pathfinder a bit.
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses a Half Action to stand, and then uses Mental Blast on a Soldier (adj. DEF 11) grappling with Pathfinder, and hits with 26. The Soldier gets a modified Damage save (DC 21) and he fails with a natural 1 and is Disabled. There are now 5 Soldiers left.}
Struggling to get free, Pathfinder used his elbows, knees, and butt of his crossbow to smack the soldiers who were keeping him down, but to no avail. The soldiers were at least as strong as the Native American hero, and he had little chance against three of them.
{Pathfinder attempts to escape the Grapple. He makes a Grapple check of 5, opposed by the Soldiers' Grapple checks of 12 each. Pathfinder is still being held.}
I... must... break... free... MorningStar thought, and suddenly, she was free. Her injuries were significant, but she couldn't allow her allies to suffer needlessly to save her.
"MorningStar!" Harpy yelled. "Get rid of these soldiers!"
The fiery heroine looked toward Iron Dragon, who said nothing but gave an approving nod. MorningStar fired an explosive blast toward the Atlantean soldiers who were holding Pathfinder down and now trying to remove his armor. The soldiers did not see MorningStar's blast, and were completely destroyed in its wake. Due to her control of the flames, Pathfinder was uninjured. After the attack, MorningStar tried to activate the flames that protect her from harm, but just fell back to the sand.
{MorningStar gets a Will save (DC 18) to break the Paralysis, and succeeds with 20. She spends a Hero Point to overcome injury. MorningStar fires her area EB at the group of Soldiers near Pathfinder. Each Soldier gets a Reflex save (DC 18) to halve the effect, but all fail. Each Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 20) and all fail and are Disabled. There are no Soldiers left.}
Mana considered the situation. She was ostensibly on the side with an advantage of having the Chaos Engine and superior numbers. The Atlanteans were all gone now, and the heroes all remained, except for MorningStar who was badly injured.
Maybe I should wait to see what happens, Mana thought. If Surge and Bombardier keep attacking poor MorningStar...
Just then, Mana felt Trickster, her erstwhile leader, trying to contact her telepathically. She resisted him, explaining that she was unsure that this was the best course of action.
After shutting him out of her mind, Mana approached the situation near MorningStar, but took no decisive action.
{Mana is contacted telepathically by Trickster. She uses a Half Action to move 30' and then holds her action.}
I've got something for Iron Dragon and his little girlfiend, Bombardier thought as he stood up and approached the pair.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to stand, and another Half Action to move 10' closer to MorningStar.}
***** Round Nine *****
"Too bad for little MorningStar here," Surge said. "She's pretty hot. Get it?" The villain moved toward her, and kicked her in the ribs, electricity dancing all over her nearly helpless form. He laughed as MorningStar cringed in pain.
This told Mana everything she needed to know about which side to choose. She looked at Harpy, who gave her a quizzical glance.
{Surge charges 10' at MorningStar (DEF 18), critting with natural 20. MorningStar gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 9. She takes another Lethal Hit, and her condition changes to Dying. She gets a Fortitude save (DC 10), and succeeds with 12.}
Iron Dragon, concerned with both Surge and Bombardier, knew that he could only act against once of them.
Bombardier was potentially the greater threat, as he observed the gadgeteer reaching into his pack for a new grenade. Iron Dragon charged forward and tackled Bombardier, knocking the villain prone once again.
Then, Iron Dragon looked back toward MorningStar, and saw that Mana the sorceress was closing in on her.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 32. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon rams 15' at Bombardier (DEf 18), hitting with 27. Bombardier gets a Damage save (DC 23) and fails with 13. Bombardier is Stunned, takes a Stun Hit, and is knocked back 50'.}
I need to know what's going on with Seraphim, Harpy thought. I hope he has made contact with the others.
She concentrated, and was able to make contact with the angelic hero. Harpy learned that Seraphim had found the Chaos Engine, and was currently working to destroy it before Trickster activated the terrible device.
The United Heroes leader then looked to Mana, the sorceress who had not done anything when she had the chance to destroy MorningStar and gave Harpy a strange look. What's she up to? Harpy wondered.
Open your mind to me, Harpy sent via telepathy.
Mana did not resist. That in itself was telling.
Tell me what you're thinking, Harpy suggested.
I have made some poor choices here, Mana replied. Leave me alone, and I promise I won't hurt you any more.
Are you saying you're giving up on Trickster and his goons? Harpy inquired.
Yes, Mana replied. Maybe I... never mind.
What? Harpy asked. You could help us. If you do, we could put in a good word for you with the authorities.
Authorities? Mana demanded. You don't really think the cops are coming all the way out here do you? They don't even know this island exists.
They do since I told them about it, Harpy retorted. DEMA* is on their way now.
* DEMA: Department of Extraterrestrial & Metahuman Administration - editor.
DEMA? Mana asked. They could imprison us all...
Make a decision, and make it soon, Mana.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She uses a Free Action on Telepathy to contact Seraphim. She uses her other Half Action to use Telepathy on Mana, to read her surface thoughts. This requires a Telepathy check (DC 7) and she succeeds with 13.}
Now freed from the grabbing hands of the Atlanteans, Pathfinder moved quickly to help the wounded MorningStar. Leveling his crossbow, Pathfinder fired at shot at Surge, but the villain easily dodged the attempt.
{Pathfinder uses a Half Action to move 30'. He fires his crossbow at Surge (DEF 21) and misses with 20.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
Things had changed, that was for sure. DEMA would be here in moments, and they would start rounding up Trickster and his minions. That would include Mana, since she had helped them. Harpy, as leader of the United Heroes, could put in a good word for her and help Mana avoid serious consequences.
Mana incanted a few words of power, and a bolt of eldritch energy fired from her hand at Surge, who was understandably surprised by the attack, and had no chance to dodge. The blast hit him squarely in the chest, but did not drop him.
"Mana?" Surge asked. "What the hell?"
"It's just not worth fighting on your side any more, scumbag!"
{Mana uses a Half Action to move 20'. She fires her Energy Blast at Surge (DEF 21), hitting with 25. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 20) and succeeds with 23.}
{Bombardier recovers from being Stunned.}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Barracuda vs. Torpedo!
-Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder-
***** Round Seven *****
"Mana," Surge said. "Leave me alone and take care of their stupid leader!" The villain threw a punch, charged with electricity, that clocked Iron Dragon right in the nose.
Falling to one knee, Iron Dragon was momentarily stunned by the blow.
"And you call yourself a martial arts expert?" Surge asked. "I'm just a poor kid from the streets, and I can take ya!"
{Surge uses a Half Action to move 15' to flank Iron Dragon. He strikes Iron Dragon (DEF 21) and hits with 28. Iron Dragon gets a Reflex save (DC 18) but fails with 14 and takes a Lethal Hit.}
MorningStar's in trouble, Iron Dragon realized. Who knows what Bombardier might do to her while she's paralyzed. I can't afford to wait and find out.
The Asian hero charged at Bombardier, who was busy thinking of ways to attack the helpless MorningStar. Iron Dragon, using all of his might, plowed through the armored villain, sending his hurtling through the air, and landing in a cloud of sand some 45 feet away from MorningStar.
Landing, Bombardier cursed Iron Dragon. You haven't seen the last of me, he thought.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and fails with 17. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. He charges Bombardier (DEF 18) and hits with 18. Bombardier gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 6. He is Stunned and takes a Stun Hit, and is knocked back 45'.}
"Good job, ID," Harpy said. "Now, Surge, you are mine."
"Sounds great," Surge quipped. But then, he felt a familiar mental overload start to put pressure on his faculties. "Aw, not again!"
Harpy stared him down. "This time, I win!"
"Augh!" Surge yelled as he fell prone with the sheer mental force of Harpy bearing down on him.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She uses a Half Action to move 15', and then uses Mental Blast on Surge (adj. DEF 14), hitting with 24. Surge gets a modified Damage save (DC 21) and fails with 11. He is Stunned and takes a Stun Hit.}
Pathfinder, seeing Harpy and Iron Dragon taking care of the supervillains, continued to work on the Atlanteans. He fired another shot from his crossbow, and another soldier fell in its path.
The hero looked toward Mana. I know that force field likely protects her from my crossbow, but perhaps we should be keeping a better eye on her. That sorceress is truly dangerous.
{Pathfinder fires his crossbow at a Soldier (DEF 12) and hits with 12. The Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 17) and fails with 7 and is Disabled. There are now 6 Soldiers left.}
Her powers sapped and unable to turn them back on, MorningStar again struggled to free herself from the magical paralysis imposed on her.
{MorningStar gets a Will save (DC 18) to break the Paralysis, but fails with 11.}
"Now, now," Mana said to Harpy. "We can't have you harming Surge. He's almost a valuable member of the team." She incanted a few words of power, and then Harpy rose into the air.
"Not good..." Harpy replied.
Wielding arcane power, Mana tossed Harpy carelessly to the ocean, the heroine landing just at the edge of the water with a minor splash.
{Mana uses Telekinesis to lift Harpy. Mana's Sorcery Power Check of 22 opposes Harpy's STR check of 8, so Mana has telekinetic control of Harpy. Mana throws Harpy 40' away into the ocean. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 17) against the Falling Damage, and succeeds with 18. Harpy lands on the edge of the water and is prone. Mana uses a Free Action to reactivate her Force Field.}
After conversing for a moment in the Atlantean tongue, the soldiers charged Pathfinder, who was a bit surprised by the tactic, and was easily tackled.
He tried to belt a few of them with the butt of his crossbow, but there were four of them, and this greatly restricted his movement.
{4 Atlantean Soldiers charge Pathfinder (DEF 18) to grapple. This is treated as an Aid Another, so with 3 Soldiers adding a total of +6 to the roll, the Soldiers gets 23 vs. Pathfinder's 7, so the hero is Grappled.}
{Bombardier recovers from being Stunned.}
***** Round Eight *****
Standing, Surge saw that MorningStar was still vulnerable, and took the opportunity to try to get rid of her permanently. He rushed forward at a superhuman pace and plowed into the paralyzed heroine, enveloping her in electricity. To add insult to injury, the blow also pushed her back toward Bombardier, who was just starting to get up from Iron Dragon's assault.
MorningStar rolled to a stop, and felt some internal damage. She would need some help fast.
{Surge spends a Villain Point to instantly recover from being Stunned. He charges 55' at MorningStar (DEF 18) and hits with 32. MorningStar gets a Damage save (DC 24) but fails with 11. She uses a Hero Point to re-roll, and this time gets 14. MorningStar is Stunned and takes a Lethal Hit. MorningStar also gets a Damage save (DC 20) against Surge's Energy Field and fails with 7. She takes another Lethal Hit and is Disabled. The knockback sends MorningStar 25' back.}
"Leave her alone!" Iron Dragon commanded as he rushed Surge, blasting the villain in the back. The attack turned Surge away from MorningStar, but he seemed unharmed for the most part.
"Aw, did I hurt yer girlfriend?" Surge asked sarcastically.
She's already injured, Mana observed. Surge should leave her alone. We're not here to kill them, just to stop them from destroying the Chaos Engine, right? Maybe I'm on the wrong side. I'm not a killer after all...
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and fails with 15. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon charges 25' at Surge (DEF 21) and hits with 28. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 20) and succeeds with 21. Iron Dragon's Protection of +6 is greater than Surge's Energy Field of +5, so he doesn't need to save.}
Regaining her footing and dignity, Harpy saw that Pathfinder was in serious trouble. Examining her options, the leader decided to help Pathfinder and allow Iron Dragon to take on Surge and Bombardier, and possibly Mana, on his own for the moment.
Harpy concentrated on the mind of one of the soldiers tackling Pathfinder, and, using her mental blast, annihiliated the soldier's mind and dropped him to the sand, freeing Pathfinder a bit.
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses a Half Action to stand, and then uses Mental Blast on a Soldier (adj. DEF 11) grappling with Pathfinder, and hits with 26. The Soldier gets a modified Damage save (DC 21) and he fails with a natural 1 and is Disabled. There are now 5 Soldiers left.}
Struggling to get free, Pathfinder used his elbows, knees, and butt of his crossbow to smack the soldiers who were keeping him down, but to no avail. The soldiers were at least as strong as the Native American hero, and he had little chance against three of them.
{Pathfinder attempts to escape the Grapple. He makes a Grapple check of 5, opposed by the Soldiers' Grapple checks of 12 each. Pathfinder is still being held.}
I... must... break... free... MorningStar thought, and suddenly, she was free. Her injuries were significant, but she couldn't allow her allies to suffer needlessly to save her.
"MorningStar!" Harpy yelled. "Get rid of these soldiers!"
The fiery heroine looked toward Iron Dragon, who said nothing but gave an approving nod. MorningStar fired an explosive blast toward the Atlantean soldiers who were holding Pathfinder down and now trying to remove his armor. The soldiers did not see MorningStar's blast, and were completely destroyed in its wake. Due to her control of the flames, Pathfinder was uninjured. After the attack, MorningStar tried to activate the flames that protect her from harm, but just fell back to the sand.
{MorningStar gets a Will save (DC 18) to break the Paralysis, and succeeds with 20. She spends a Hero Point to overcome injury. MorningStar fires her area EB at the group of Soldiers near Pathfinder. Each Soldier gets a Reflex save (DC 18) to halve the effect, but all fail. Each Soldier gets a Damage save (DC 20) and all fail and are Disabled. There are no Soldiers left.}
Mana considered the situation. She was ostensibly on the side with an advantage of having the Chaos Engine and superior numbers. The Atlanteans were all gone now, and the heroes all remained, except for MorningStar who was badly injured.
Maybe I should wait to see what happens, Mana thought. If Surge and Bombardier keep attacking poor MorningStar...
Just then, Mana felt Trickster, her erstwhile leader, trying to contact her telepathically. She resisted him, explaining that she was unsure that this was the best course of action.
After shutting him out of her mind, Mana approached the situation near MorningStar, but took no decisive action.
{Mana is contacted telepathically by Trickster. She uses a Half Action to move 30' and then holds her action.}
I've got something for Iron Dragon and his little girlfiend, Bombardier thought as he stood up and approached the pair.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to stand, and another Half Action to move 10' closer to MorningStar.}
***** Round Nine *****
"Too bad for little MorningStar here," Surge said. "She's pretty hot. Get it?" The villain moved toward her, and kicked her in the ribs, electricity dancing all over her nearly helpless form. He laughed as MorningStar cringed in pain.
This told Mana everything she needed to know about which side to choose. She looked at Harpy, who gave her a quizzical glance.
{Surge charges 10' at MorningStar (DEF 18), critting with natural 20. MorningStar gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 9. She takes another Lethal Hit, and her condition changes to Dying. She gets a Fortitude save (DC 10), and succeeds with 12.}
Iron Dragon, concerned with both Surge and Bombardier, knew that he could only act against once of them.
Bombardier was potentially the greater threat, as he observed the gadgeteer reaching into his pack for a new grenade. Iron Dragon charged forward and tackled Bombardier, knocking the villain prone once again.
Then, Iron Dragon looked back toward MorningStar, and saw that Mana the sorceress was closing in on her.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 32. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon rams 15' at Bombardier (DEf 18), hitting with 27. Bombardier gets a Damage save (DC 23) and fails with 13. Bombardier is Stunned, takes a Stun Hit, and is knocked back 50'.}
I need to know what's going on with Seraphim, Harpy thought. I hope he has made contact with the others.
She concentrated, and was able to make contact with the angelic hero. Harpy learned that Seraphim had found the Chaos Engine, and was currently working to destroy it before Trickster activated the terrible device.
The United Heroes leader then looked to Mana, the sorceress who had not done anything when she had the chance to destroy MorningStar and gave Harpy a strange look. What's she up to? Harpy wondered.
Open your mind to me, Harpy sent via telepathy.
Mana did not resist. That in itself was telling.
Tell me what you're thinking, Harpy suggested.
I have made some poor choices here, Mana replied. Leave me alone, and I promise I won't hurt you any more.
Are you saying you're giving up on Trickster and his goons? Harpy inquired.
Yes, Mana replied. Maybe I... never mind.
What? Harpy asked. You could help us. If you do, we could put in a good word for you with the authorities.
Authorities? Mana demanded. You don't really think the cops are coming all the way out here do you? They don't even know this island exists.
They do since I told them about it, Harpy retorted. DEMA* is on their way now.
* DEMA: Department of Extraterrestrial & Metahuman Administration - editor.
DEMA? Mana asked. They could imprison us all...
Make a decision, and make it soon, Mana.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She uses a Free Action on Telepathy to contact Seraphim. She uses her other Half Action to use Telepathy on Mana, to read her surface thoughts. This requires a Telepathy check (DC 7) and she succeeds with 13.}
Now freed from the grabbing hands of the Atlanteans, Pathfinder moved quickly to help the wounded MorningStar. Leveling his crossbow, Pathfinder fired at shot at Surge, but the villain easily dodged the attempt.
{Pathfinder uses a Half Action to move 30'. He fires his crossbow at Surge (DEF 21) and misses with 20.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
Things had changed, that was for sure. DEMA would be here in moments, and they would start rounding up Trickster and his minions. That would include Mana, since she had helped them. Harpy, as leader of the United Heroes, could put in a good word for her and help Mana avoid serious consequences.
Mana incanted a few words of power, and a bolt of eldritch energy fired from her hand at Surge, who was understandably surprised by the attack, and had no chance to dodge. The blast hit him squarely in the chest, but did not drop him.
"Mana?" Surge asked. "What the hell?"
"It's just not worth fighting on your side any more, scumbag!"
{Mana uses a Half Action to move 20'. She fires her Energy Blast at Surge (DEF 21), hitting with 25. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 20) and succeeds with 23.}
{Bombardier recovers from being Stunned.}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Barracuda vs. Torpedo!
Insight
Adventurer
-Barracuda vs. Torpedo-
***** Round Ten *****
"Uhh..." Torpedo managed as he rolled over.
Barracuda looked on his foe, apparently disabled. "Fear not, Markandorim, soon it will be over for you!"
{Torpedo recovers from being Stunned.}
Barracuda lunged at the fallen Atlantean hero, biting down hard on Torpedo's abdomen. The hero felt pain wrack his body, and writhed in agony.
{Barracuda is still using Power Attack (+5/-5). He bites Torpedo (DEF 21) and misses with 12. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll, and this time hits with 21. Torpedo gets a Damage save (DC 31) and fails with 17. Torpedo spends his last Hero Point to re-roll the save, and this time gets 21. He is Stunned and takes a Lethal Hit.}
***** Round Eleven *****
A noise could be heard from above, perhaps from the Chaos Engine itself.
What is going on up there? Torpedo wondered as he laid helplessly on the floor of the cavern below.
{Torpedo recovers from being Stunned.}
The large-jawed Atlantean villain looked up when he heard the strang sounds. "Time is short," he said. "One more for the road." Barracuda bit down on Torpedo, but a loud thump from above shook Barracuda's concentration and distracted him for the moment.
"Now what's going on up there?" Barracuda wondered aloud. He took a look at the apparently unconscious Torpedo. "He'll keep," Barracuda said and darted outside to get a look at the mountain and the Chaos Engine above.
{Barracuda is still using Power Attack (+5/-5). He bites at Torpedo (DEF 21) and misses with 12. He uses another half action to move 30' outside.}
***** Round Twelve *****
That fool, Torpedo thought of Barracuda, who had left him alone for the moment. I am not that bad off, although I will probably need medical attention. I can't let that stop me, however. The Chaos Engine must have been activated. I must get to the top of the mountain!
The hero stood and groaned a bit, then rushed out of the cave opening toward the top of the mountain.
{Torpedo double-moves 60' up the side of the mountain.}
"Where are you going?" Barracuda demanded, rushing after the Atlantean hero. He clawed at Torpedo, raking the hero's back, and drawing more blood. Torpedo fell for a moment, then continued to try to climb the mountain.
{Barracuda turns off his Power Attack. He pushes his Movement to 80', spends a Villain Point to ignore fatigue, and then charges 90' at Torpedo (DEF 21) and hits with 27. Torpedo gets a Damage save (DC 26) and fails with 25. Torpedo takes a Lethal Hit.}
"It cannot be!" Torpedo exclaimed. "The Chaos Engine has been activated!"
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Lodestone & Trickster vs. Seraphim!
***** Round Ten *****
"Uhh..." Torpedo managed as he rolled over.
Barracuda looked on his foe, apparently disabled. "Fear not, Markandorim, soon it will be over for you!"
{Torpedo recovers from being Stunned.}
Barracuda lunged at the fallen Atlantean hero, biting down hard on Torpedo's abdomen. The hero felt pain wrack his body, and writhed in agony.
{Barracuda is still using Power Attack (+5/-5). He bites Torpedo (DEF 21) and misses with 12. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll, and this time hits with 21. Torpedo gets a Damage save (DC 31) and fails with 17. Torpedo spends his last Hero Point to re-roll the save, and this time gets 21. He is Stunned and takes a Lethal Hit.}
***** Round Eleven *****
A noise could be heard from above, perhaps from the Chaos Engine itself.
What is going on up there? Torpedo wondered as he laid helplessly on the floor of the cavern below.
{Torpedo recovers from being Stunned.}
The large-jawed Atlantean villain looked up when he heard the strang sounds. "Time is short," he said. "One more for the road." Barracuda bit down on Torpedo, but a loud thump from above shook Barracuda's concentration and distracted him for the moment.
"Now what's going on up there?" Barracuda wondered aloud. He took a look at the apparently unconscious Torpedo. "He'll keep," Barracuda said and darted outside to get a look at the mountain and the Chaos Engine above.
{Barracuda is still using Power Attack (+5/-5). He bites at Torpedo (DEF 21) and misses with 12. He uses another half action to move 30' outside.}
***** Round Twelve *****
That fool, Torpedo thought of Barracuda, who had left him alone for the moment. I am not that bad off, although I will probably need medical attention. I can't let that stop me, however. The Chaos Engine must have been activated. I must get to the top of the mountain!
The hero stood and groaned a bit, then rushed out of the cave opening toward the top of the mountain.
{Torpedo double-moves 60' up the side of the mountain.}
"Where are you going?" Barracuda demanded, rushing after the Atlantean hero. He clawed at Torpedo, raking the hero's back, and drawing more blood. Torpedo fell for a moment, then continued to try to climb the mountain.
{Barracuda turns off his Power Attack. He pushes his Movement to 80', spends a Villain Point to ignore fatigue, and then charges 90' at Torpedo (DEF 21) and hits with 27. Torpedo gets a Damage save (DC 26) and fails with 25. Torpedo takes a Lethal Hit.}
"It cannot be!" Torpedo exclaimed. "The Chaos Engine has been activated!"
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Lodestone & Trickster vs. Seraphim!
Last edited:
Insight
Adventurer
Issue #10 - "Chaos" (Continued)
-Lodestone & Trickster vs. Seraphim-
***** Round Ten *****
That winged fool is going to ruin everything unless Lodestone can get rid of him, or at least keep him occupied, Trickster realized.
Tinkering with the communications array, Trickster let the Nano-Bots know what to do, and off they went to repair the Chaos Engine.
"The Nano-Bots are on their way, Lodestone," Trickster announced. "Please do something about that sword-wielding interloper!"
{Trickster spends a Free Action on Leadership. He makes another Science check (DC 20), and fails again with 12. Trickster uses a Villain Point to re-roll, and this time gets 20. He tries to 'aid another' with the Repair check, needing only a result of 10, and gets 21, so Lodestone gets a +2 to his Repair check.}
Taking a quick look at the damaged area, Lodestone realized what need to be done. "This shouldn't be too tough," he commented. Concentrating on the area, Lodestone, using his magnetic powers, repaired most of the critical components.
Once he realized that the repairs had been made, Trickster pulled down a few levers, then waited a moment, savoring it. Then, the evil mastermind pressed a large red button and smiled.
"As for you, Seraphim," Lodestone called out, "I have plans for you as well." The rockey villain aimed and fired a magnetic blast at the angel, but Seraphim easily dodged the attack.
{Lodestone makes a Repair check (DC 20) on the Chaos Engine, and succeeds with 25. The Chaos Engine is now Undamaged. Lodestone blasts Seraphim (DEf 22) but misses with 15.}
Perhaps if Lodestone is removed from the equation, Seraphim considered, Trickster will not be able to repair the machine. The winged hero charged at Lodestone, his Sword of Truth held high, and slashed the villain across the chest.
Lodestone chuckled. "C'mon now," he replied. "I'm made of metal. You don't think yer little toy can hurt me, do ya?"
{Seraphim charges 50' at Lodestone (DEF 16) and hits with 18. Lodestone gets a Damage save (DC 29) and succeeds with 36. Using Move-By Attack, Seraphim flies another 30'.}
***** Round Eleven *****
A weird humming sound began to emanate from the Chaos Engine. A mechanical whine could be heard for a moment, and then odd silence. Then, a thunderous boom shook the mountaintop, sending trees crashing down and everyone, stunned by the boom, took a moment to stare at the Chaos Engine. It had been activated.
Trickster got up from his seat at the controls. That's that, he thought, slapping down a hood over the panel. "You're too late, Seraphim," he called out. "Might as well pack up your things and go home!"
In mid-flight when the boom occurred, Seraphim turned to gaze at this machine of terror. "What have you done, madman?"
"Oh, nothing any incredibly intelligent evil genius wouldn't have done in my place, Seraphim."
{Trickster uses a Free Action on Leadership. He activates the Chaos Engine. Trickster gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that it's unstable, but fails with 19.}
Seeing his foe temporarily distracted, Lodestone made another attempt to grab Seraphim's weapon. The angelic hero felt Lodestone tug on the sword with his magnetic powers, and Seraphim, in response, flew further away from Lodestone, keeping himself out of range for the time being.
"Stop fooling around up there, Lodestone," Trickster suggested. "Our work here is done."
{Lodestone tries to take Seraphim's Sword of Truth using Telekinesis. Lodestone's Telekinesis power check (18) is more than Seraphim's STR check (8), but Seraphim spends a Hero Point to re-roll, and this time gets 22, so he retains the weapon.}
"It is not done until I say so!" Seraphim countered, charging headlong at the Chaos Engine. Ignoring personal safety, the angel lunged sword-first into the heart of the great machine, though initially repelled by a searing heat and substantial force field.
Seraphim's weapon penetrated some significant systems, causing controlling mechanisms to go off-line. Since Trickster was now away from the control panel, neither he nor Lodestone had any idea that Seraphim had dealt the Chaos Engine a telling blow.
{Seraphim stabs the Chaos Engine (DEF 1), hitting with 17. The Chaos Engine gets a Damage save (DC 24), but fails with 22. It is Damaged once again, and loses another point of Hardness (down to 8).}
***** Round Twelve *****
"Let's go," Trickster said, climbing onto the platform he and Lodestone had used to get here.
I wonder... Perhaps Lodestone should stay here and finish off Seraphim, Trickster thought. But I don't think he can do it alone. Seraphim has proven to be elusive and dangerous. I know someone who can be here in an instant, however.
He used his telepathy to contact Surge, who was embroiled in his own struggle. Surge, I need you to come to the mountain.
Eh, no can do, Trickster, Surge replied. Busy.
Nonsense, the illusionist replied. You are urgently needed here at the Chaos Engine. It has been activated and I need you to help with this Seraphim fellow who seems anxious to destroy our lovely device.
That will leave just Bombardier here to face the rest of these hero types, Surge replied.
Did they defeat Mana too? Trickster inquired.
Not exactly, Surge said. I think she switched sides.
Hmm... Trickster responded. Nevertheless, I need you to come here immediately. Help Lodestone finish off Seraphim and everything we ever wanted shall be ours!
With that, Trickster looked up to Lodestone. "On second thought," he called out. "Stay here and defeat Seraphim. Surge should be here in a few seconds to help out."
Trickster got off the platform and disappeared into the woods, headed for parts unknown.
{Trickster uses a Free Action on Leadership. He gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 16. Trickster contacts Surge with Telepathy, requiring a Telepathy check DC 0, and succeeds with 9. Surge uses Extra Effort to add the Power Stunt Super-Running to his Running power (also spending a Villain Point to ignore fatigue), and will be here next round.}
There's something strange about the Chaos Engine, Lodestone observed. Can't quite put my finger on it... He blasted Seraphim with a mighty magnetic blast, sending the winged hero to a ledge atop the Chaos Engine.
"Ha, that oughta teach him."
{Lodestone gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 12. He uses Extra Effort to add +2 to his Energy Blast (spending a Villain Point to ignore fatigue) and shoots Seraphim (DEF 22), hitting with 28. Seraphim gets a Damage save (DC 17) but fails with 12. Seraphim takes a Stun Hit.}
Getting to his feet, Seraphim too thought something was happening to the Chaos Engine, but didn't know exactly what it might be. My best course of action is to continue to work on this machine, to see if I can destroy it. Heaven help me, I will!
The angel again plunged the Sword of Truth into the Chaos Engine, splitting wires and blowing fuses, sending sparks everywhere.
"I won't stop until you surrender or this machine is destroyed!"
"Forget it, hero," Lodestone replied. "Besides, help is on the way. You're finished!"
{Seraphim gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 17. Seraphim again attacks the Chaos Engine (DEF 1), hitting with 20. The Chaos Engine gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 19. The Chaos Engine loses another point of Hardness (now 7).}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel!
-Lodestone & Trickster vs. Seraphim-
***** Round Ten *****
That winged fool is going to ruin everything unless Lodestone can get rid of him, or at least keep him occupied, Trickster realized.
Tinkering with the communications array, Trickster let the Nano-Bots know what to do, and off they went to repair the Chaos Engine.
"The Nano-Bots are on their way, Lodestone," Trickster announced. "Please do something about that sword-wielding interloper!"
{Trickster spends a Free Action on Leadership. He makes another Science check (DC 20), and fails again with 12. Trickster uses a Villain Point to re-roll, and this time gets 20. He tries to 'aid another' with the Repair check, needing only a result of 10, and gets 21, so Lodestone gets a +2 to his Repair check.}
Taking a quick look at the damaged area, Lodestone realized what need to be done. "This shouldn't be too tough," he commented. Concentrating on the area, Lodestone, using his magnetic powers, repaired most of the critical components.
Once he realized that the repairs had been made, Trickster pulled down a few levers, then waited a moment, savoring it. Then, the evil mastermind pressed a large red button and smiled.
"As for you, Seraphim," Lodestone called out, "I have plans for you as well." The rockey villain aimed and fired a magnetic blast at the angel, but Seraphim easily dodged the attack.
{Lodestone makes a Repair check (DC 20) on the Chaos Engine, and succeeds with 25. The Chaos Engine is now Undamaged. Lodestone blasts Seraphim (DEf 22) but misses with 15.}
Perhaps if Lodestone is removed from the equation, Seraphim considered, Trickster will not be able to repair the machine. The winged hero charged at Lodestone, his Sword of Truth held high, and slashed the villain across the chest.
Lodestone chuckled. "C'mon now," he replied. "I'm made of metal. You don't think yer little toy can hurt me, do ya?"
{Seraphim charges 50' at Lodestone (DEF 16) and hits with 18. Lodestone gets a Damage save (DC 29) and succeeds with 36. Using Move-By Attack, Seraphim flies another 30'.}
***** Round Eleven *****
A weird humming sound began to emanate from the Chaos Engine. A mechanical whine could be heard for a moment, and then odd silence. Then, a thunderous boom shook the mountaintop, sending trees crashing down and everyone, stunned by the boom, took a moment to stare at the Chaos Engine. It had been activated.
Trickster got up from his seat at the controls. That's that, he thought, slapping down a hood over the panel. "You're too late, Seraphim," he called out. "Might as well pack up your things and go home!"
In mid-flight when the boom occurred, Seraphim turned to gaze at this machine of terror. "What have you done, madman?"
"Oh, nothing any incredibly intelligent evil genius wouldn't have done in my place, Seraphim."
{Trickster uses a Free Action on Leadership. He activates the Chaos Engine. Trickster gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that it's unstable, but fails with 19.}
Seeing his foe temporarily distracted, Lodestone made another attempt to grab Seraphim's weapon. The angelic hero felt Lodestone tug on the sword with his magnetic powers, and Seraphim, in response, flew further away from Lodestone, keeping himself out of range for the time being.
"Stop fooling around up there, Lodestone," Trickster suggested. "Our work here is done."
{Lodestone tries to take Seraphim's Sword of Truth using Telekinesis. Lodestone's Telekinesis power check (18) is more than Seraphim's STR check (8), but Seraphim spends a Hero Point to re-roll, and this time gets 22, so he retains the weapon.}
"It is not done until I say so!" Seraphim countered, charging headlong at the Chaos Engine. Ignoring personal safety, the angel lunged sword-first into the heart of the great machine, though initially repelled by a searing heat and substantial force field.
Seraphim's weapon penetrated some significant systems, causing controlling mechanisms to go off-line. Since Trickster was now away from the control panel, neither he nor Lodestone had any idea that Seraphim had dealt the Chaos Engine a telling blow.
{Seraphim stabs the Chaos Engine (DEF 1), hitting with 17. The Chaos Engine gets a Damage save (DC 24), but fails with 22. It is Damaged once again, and loses another point of Hardness (down to 8).}
***** Round Twelve *****
"Let's go," Trickster said, climbing onto the platform he and Lodestone had used to get here.
I wonder... Perhaps Lodestone should stay here and finish off Seraphim, Trickster thought. But I don't think he can do it alone. Seraphim has proven to be elusive and dangerous. I know someone who can be here in an instant, however.
He used his telepathy to contact Surge, who was embroiled in his own struggle. Surge, I need you to come to the mountain.
Eh, no can do, Trickster, Surge replied. Busy.
Nonsense, the illusionist replied. You are urgently needed here at the Chaos Engine. It has been activated and I need you to help with this Seraphim fellow who seems anxious to destroy our lovely device.
That will leave just Bombardier here to face the rest of these hero types, Surge replied.
Did they defeat Mana too? Trickster inquired.
Not exactly, Surge said. I think she switched sides.
Hmm... Trickster responded. Nevertheless, I need you to come here immediately. Help Lodestone finish off Seraphim and everything we ever wanted shall be ours!
With that, Trickster looked up to Lodestone. "On second thought," he called out. "Stay here and defeat Seraphim. Surge should be here in a few seconds to help out."
Trickster got off the platform and disappeared into the woods, headed for parts unknown.
{Trickster uses a Free Action on Leadership. He gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 16. Trickster contacts Surge with Telepathy, requiring a Telepathy check DC 0, and succeeds with 9. Surge uses Extra Effort to add the Power Stunt Super-Running to his Running power (also spending a Villain Point to ignore fatigue), and will be here next round.}
There's something strange about the Chaos Engine, Lodestone observed. Can't quite put my finger on it... He blasted Seraphim with a mighty magnetic blast, sending the winged hero to a ledge atop the Chaos Engine.
"Ha, that oughta teach him."
{Lodestone gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 12. He uses Extra Effort to add +2 to his Energy Blast (spending a Villain Point to ignore fatigue) and shoots Seraphim (DEF 22), hitting with 28. Seraphim gets a Damage save (DC 17) but fails with 12. Seraphim takes a Stun Hit.}
Getting to his feet, Seraphim too thought something was happening to the Chaos Engine, but didn't know exactly what it might be. My best course of action is to continue to work on this machine, to see if I can destroy it. Heaven help me, I will!
The angel again plunged the Sword of Truth into the Chaos Engine, splitting wires and blowing fuses, sending sparks everywhere.
"I won't stop until you surrender or this machine is destroyed!"
"Forget it, hero," Lodestone replied. "Besides, help is on the way. You're finished!"
{Seraphim gets a Spot check (DC 20) to notice that the Chaos Engine is unstable, but fails with 17. Seraphim again attacks the Chaos Engine (DEF 1), hitting with 20. The Chaos Engine gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 19. The Chaos Engine loses another point of Hardness (now 7).}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel!
Insight
Adventurer
Issue #10 - "Chaos" (Continued)
-Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel-
***** Round Ten *****
Seeing that Puncture Proof still hadn't gotten up from the blow Cyber-Knight delivered, Acrobat Ace yelled, "I have had enough of this!"
Dodging Cyber-Knight, the hero spun and released more razor-rings, assailing the knight, the vampiress, and the bestial Fang in one move.
All were quite close to the spinning hero, and had much less time to react to Acrobat Ace's tactic. Despite their best efforts to get out of the way, the villains were all hit multiple times with Ace's razor-rings. Fang bore the worst of it, getting hit in the shoulder, neck, and head, and dropped to the ground instantly. Cyber-Knight and the Duchess, more resilient than the bestial villain, took hits as well, but survived.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He uses Blade Storm again. This time, Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, and Fang are all within the affected area. Each gets a Reflex save (DC 19) to halve the effect. Cyber-Knight fails with a natural 1, the Duchess fails with 13, and Fang succeeds with 19. Cyber-Knight and the Duchess each get Damage saves (DC 17), and both fail with 15 and 13 respectively, and both take Lethal Hits. Fang gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 8. He is Disabled and takes a Lethal Hit.}
Wow, Electrostatic observed, Acrobat Ace sure seems mad now. I need to keep myself on his good side!
The electric hero blasted at the Duchess, but she easily sidestepped the errant lightning bolt. The villainess had a certain fear in her actions now, dispelling the bravado that normally colored her personality. She was obviously scared.
{Electrostatic uses a Half Action to move 30' and get into flanking position on the Duchess. He then fires his Energy Blast at the Duchess (DEF 18), but misses with a natural 1.}
"Yeah," the Scoundrel added. "I've had enough of this too." He fired off two shots at the jumpy vampire. The Duchess dodged one shot, but the other Hellfire Pistol hit its mark, blasting the Duchess in the chest. The villain dropped to one knee.
The Scoundrel felt a familiar presence in his mind. Scoundrel, Harpy sent. How are things progressing on your end?
OK, I guess, the Scoundrel replied. He didn't particularly care for telepathic communication, but since they didn't have radio communication at this point...
MorningStar is down, but the rest of us are still fighting. Did you run into any of Trickster's goons?
Yes, the Scoundrel responded. But we also have some new friends. We picked up two allies who were in Pandemonium - Acrobat Ace and his friend Puncture Proof. Apparently, they were once enemies of Trickster as well.
We have a new ally as well, Harpy said. Mana, the sorceress. She switched sides.
Hmm... the Scoundrel wondered. Will wonders never cease?
The communication ended, leaving the Scoundrel wondering what to do next.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step back and then shoots the Duchess (DEF 18) twice, hitting with 25 and missing with 17. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 8. She takes a Lethal Hit and is Stunned.}
"You fools think you've won," the Duchess remarked. "Mortals are so short-sighted. Trickster has completed the Chaos Machine and in staying here and doing battle with us, you have sealed your own doom."
With that, the villainess turned into mist and sank into the ground.
{The Duchess spends a Villain Point to ignore her Stunned result. She turns Incorporeal and sinks 30' into the ground.}
{Fang, due to his Regeneration, gets a CON check (DC 20) to see if he can recover immediately from his Disabled condition. He fails with 15, so Fang won't be taking any more actions in this combat.}
"Have at you, varlet," Cyber-Knight said as he charged forward and took a swipe at Electrostatic with his sword. The electric hero, wary of the knight and his deadly weapon, somersaulted around and then behind Cyber-Knight to avoid the attack.
{Cyber-Knight charges 15' at Electrostatic (DEF 30) and misses with 23. Using Move-By Attack, Cyber-Knight travels another 15'.}
***** Round Eleven *****
Is she right? Acrobat Ace pondered. Have we spent too much time here? Maybe we should have been looking for that Chaos Machine.
The hero flung a razor-ring at Cyber-Knight. "C'mon, knight. You're through. All alone and nearly done for. Why don't you just give up already?"
The armored villain turned as the razor-ring tinked off his metal plating. "It is thou who art nearly finished! I shall slay thee as I did thine dark-skinned accomplice!"
What? Ace thought. That can't be! Luther's not dead... is he?
Acrobat Ace broke from the battle and ran to Puncture Proof's side, hoping that Cyber-Knight was bluffing.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He throws a Razor-Ring at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits with 31. Cyber-Knight gets a Damage save (DC 18) and succeeds with 29. Acrobat Ace attempt to Taunt Cyber-Knight. It will be opposed Taunt checks. Acrobat Ace gets 9 on his check, and Cyber-Knight counters with 30. Acrobat Ace is instead Taunted, and must flee next round.}
Seeing that Cyber-Knight was distracted for the moment, Electrostatic took the opportunity to blast him with a lightning bolt. The villain was hit right in the back of his helmet, nearly knocking it off.
"Dastardly peasant!" Cyber-Knight replied, turning his attention now to Electrostatic and the Scoundrel.
{Electrostatic assigns +2 to his DEF against Cyber-Knight (Dodge feat). He shoots his Energy Blast at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits with a natural 20 for a crit. Cyber-Knight gets a Damage save (DC 21), and succeeds with 31. As his other Half Action, Electrostatic moves 40' to get behind Cyber-Knight.}
With a steel resolve, the Scoundrel fired off twice at Cyber-Knight, hitting the armored villain. He noticed that Cyber-Knight was starting to wear down, and could see a trickle of blood coming from a join in his armor.
"Keep pouring it on," the Scoundrel suggested to Electrostatic. "We've got him now!"
"Where did Acrobat Ace go?" Electrostatic asked.
"I don't know," the Scoundrel replied. "I guess we're on our own now."
{The Scoundrel assigns a +2 to his DEF against Cyber-Knight (Dodge feat). He takes two shots at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits twice with 22 and 18. Cyber-Knight gets two Damage saves (DC 16), succeeding once with 29, and failing once with 11. Cyber-Knight takes a Lethal Hit.}
I must get to the Chaos Engine, the Duchess realized. Trickster will need help to defend it once he has activated the device. These heroes will still try to destroy it. We cannot let that happen!
{The Duchess sprints 60', still underground and Incorporeal.}
"Thou art on thine own, 'tis true!" Cyber-Knight shouted as he charged forward, recklessly lunging with his Vibrosword. The Scoundrel retreated and flipped backwards to avoid the attack.
"Stayest still, so that I might slay thee!" Cyber-Knight commanded.
"Yeah," the Scoundrel replied. "What are the chances of that?"
{Cyber-Knight rams 30' at the Scoundrel (DEF 30), but misses with 21.}
A thunderous boom could be heard, and it shook everyone's senses. They looked towards the mountain, obviously the source of the strange noise, and saw a large, glowing object atop the mountain.
"The Chaos Engine," Acrobat Ace said, looking up from the injured Puncture Proof. "Trickster must have activated it."
***** Round Twelve *****
Acrobat Ace stood up and looked at his comrades, who were still dealing with Cyber-Knight. "We've got to get over there -- now!"
"There you are," Electrostatic said.
"Look, I'm probably the fastest one here. I've got to get over to the machine and see what I can do to destroy it before anything bad happens," Acrobat Ace said and disappeared, running toward the mountain with lightning speed.
{Acrobat Ace arrives at the mountain at the end of this round, sprinting 1800'.}
"He's right," Electrostatic said. "Play time is over, Cyber-Knight. I've got to go. C'mon, Scoundrel." The electric hero, not quite as fast as Acrobat Ace, took off for the mountain as well.
{Electrostatic sprints 640' toward the mountain. He is 1160' away.}
"No time like the present," the Scoundrel said and took off toward the mountain.
{The Scoundrel sprints 1440' toward the mountain. He is 360' away.}
Coming out of the ground, the Duchess noticed that she was safely alone. She saw the Chaos Engine aglow. Yes, it has begun! Shapeshifting into a bat, the Duchess flew toward the mountain.
{The Duchess rises 15' to the surface as a Half Action. She turns off her Incorporeal power as a Free Action, then Shapeshifts into a bat as a Free Action. Finally, she flies 25' toward the mountain as a Half Action. She is 1715' away.}
"Cowards! Come back here!" Cyber-Knight called out to no one. He made his way to his mechanical steed. "Cyber-Knight shalt not be left alone!" He climbed onto the steed and activated it.
He would never make it to the mountain in time.
{Cyber-Knight moves 25' to his Cyber-Steed as a Half Action. As his other Half Action, he powers it up (back to full movement).}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder!
-Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, Fang, and the Atlantean Soldiers vs. Acrobat Ace, Electrostatic, Puncture Proof, and the Scoundrel-
***** Round Ten *****
Seeing that Puncture Proof still hadn't gotten up from the blow Cyber-Knight delivered, Acrobat Ace yelled, "I have had enough of this!"
Dodging Cyber-Knight, the hero spun and released more razor-rings, assailing the knight, the vampiress, and the bestial Fang in one move.
All were quite close to the spinning hero, and had much less time to react to Acrobat Ace's tactic. Despite their best efforts to get out of the way, the villains were all hit multiple times with Ace's razor-rings. Fang bore the worst of it, getting hit in the shoulder, neck, and head, and dropped to the ground instantly. Cyber-Knight and the Duchess, more resilient than the bestial villain, took hits as well, but survived.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He uses Blade Storm again. This time, Cyber-Knight, the Duchess, and Fang are all within the affected area. Each gets a Reflex save (DC 19) to halve the effect. Cyber-Knight fails with a natural 1, the Duchess fails with 13, and Fang succeeds with 19. Cyber-Knight and the Duchess each get Damage saves (DC 17), and both fail with 15 and 13 respectively, and both take Lethal Hits. Fang gets a Damage save (DC 24) and fails with 8. He is Disabled and takes a Lethal Hit.}
Wow, Electrostatic observed, Acrobat Ace sure seems mad now. I need to keep myself on his good side!
The electric hero blasted at the Duchess, but she easily sidestepped the errant lightning bolt. The villainess had a certain fear in her actions now, dispelling the bravado that normally colored her personality. She was obviously scared.
{Electrostatic uses a Half Action to move 30' and get into flanking position on the Duchess. He then fires his Energy Blast at the Duchess (DEF 18), but misses with a natural 1.}
"Yeah," the Scoundrel added. "I've had enough of this too." He fired off two shots at the jumpy vampire. The Duchess dodged one shot, but the other Hellfire Pistol hit its mark, blasting the Duchess in the chest. The villain dropped to one knee.
The Scoundrel felt a familiar presence in his mind. Scoundrel, Harpy sent. How are things progressing on your end?
OK, I guess, the Scoundrel replied. He didn't particularly care for telepathic communication, but since they didn't have radio communication at this point...
MorningStar is down, but the rest of us are still fighting. Did you run into any of Trickster's goons?
Yes, the Scoundrel responded. But we also have some new friends. We picked up two allies who were in Pandemonium - Acrobat Ace and his friend Puncture Proof. Apparently, they were once enemies of Trickster as well.
We have a new ally as well, Harpy said. Mana, the sorceress. She switched sides.
Hmm... the Scoundrel wondered. Will wonders never cease?
The communication ended, leaving the Scoundrel wondering what to do next.
{The Scoundrel takes a 5' step back and then shoots the Duchess (DEF 18) twice, hitting with 25 and missing with 17. The Duchess gets a Damage save (DC 16) and fails with 8. She takes a Lethal Hit and is Stunned.}
"You fools think you've won," the Duchess remarked. "Mortals are so short-sighted. Trickster has completed the Chaos Machine and in staying here and doing battle with us, you have sealed your own doom."
With that, the villainess turned into mist and sank into the ground.
{The Duchess spends a Villain Point to ignore her Stunned result. She turns Incorporeal and sinks 30' into the ground.}
{Fang, due to his Regeneration, gets a CON check (DC 20) to see if he can recover immediately from his Disabled condition. He fails with 15, so Fang won't be taking any more actions in this combat.}
"Have at you, varlet," Cyber-Knight said as he charged forward and took a swipe at Electrostatic with his sword. The electric hero, wary of the knight and his deadly weapon, somersaulted around and then behind Cyber-Knight to avoid the attack.
{Cyber-Knight charges 15' at Electrostatic (DEF 30) and misses with 23. Using Move-By Attack, Cyber-Knight travels another 15'.}
***** Round Eleven *****
Is she right? Acrobat Ace pondered. Have we spent too much time here? Maybe we should have been looking for that Chaos Machine.
The hero flung a razor-ring at Cyber-Knight. "C'mon, knight. You're through. All alone and nearly done for. Why don't you just give up already?"
The armored villain turned as the razor-ring tinked off his metal plating. "It is thou who art nearly finished! I shall slay thee as I did thine dark-skinned accomplice!"
What? Ace thought. That can't be! Luther's not dead... is he?
Acrobat Ace broke from the battle and ran to Puncture Proof's side, hoping that Cyber-Knight was bluffing.
{Acrobat Ace uses a Free Action for Leadership. He throws a Razor-Ring at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits with 31. Cyber-Knight gets a Damage save (DC 18) and succeeds with 29. Acrobat Ace attempt to Taunt Cyber-Knight. It will be opposed Taunt checks. Acrobat Ace gets 9 on his check, and Cyber-Knight counters with 30. Acrobat Ace is instead Taunted, and must flee next round.}
Seeing that Cyber-Knight was distracted for the moment, Electrostatic took the opportunity to blast him with a lightning bolt. The villain was hit right in the back of his helmet, nearly knocking it off.
"Dastardly peasant!" Cyber-Knight replied, turning his attention now to Electrostatic and the Scoundrel.
{Electrostatic assigns +2 to his DEF against Cyber-Knight (Dodge feat). He shoots his Energy Blast at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits with a natural 20 for a crit. Cyber-Knight gets a Damage save (DC 21), and succeeds with 31. As his other Half Action, Electrostatic moves 40' to get behind Cyber-Knight.}
With a steel resolve, the Scoundrel fired off twice at Cyber-Knight, hitting the armored villain. He noticed that Cyber-Knight was starting to wear down, and could see a trickle of blood coming from a join in his armor.
"Keep pouring it on," the Scoundrel suggested to Electrostatic. "We've got him now!"
"Where did Acrobat Ace go?" Electrostatic asked.
"I don't know," the Scoundrel replied. "I guess we're on our own now."
{The Scoundrel assigns a +2 to his DEF against Cyber-Knight (Dodge feat). He takes two shots at Cyber-Knight (DEF 14) and hits twice with 22 and 18. Cyber-Knight gets two Damage saves (DC 16), succeeding once with 29, and failing once with 11. Cyber-Knight takes a Lethal Hit.}
I must get to the Chaos Engine, the Duchess realized. Trickster will need help to defend it once he has activated the device. These heroes will still try to destroy it. We cannot let that happen!
{The Duchess sprints 60', still underground and Incorporeal.}
"Thou art on thine own, 'tis true!" Cyber-Knight shouted as he charged forward, recklessly lunging with his Vibrosword. The Scoundrel retreated and flipped backwards to avoid the attack.
"Stayest still, so that I might slay thee!" Cyber-Knight commanded.
"Yeah," the Scoundrel replied. "What are the chances of that?"
{Cyber-Knight rams 30' at the Scoundrel (DEF 30), but misses with 21.}
A thunderous boom could be heard, and it shook everyone's senses. They looked towards the mountain, obviously the source of the strange noise, and saw a large, glowing object atop the mountain.
"The Chaos Engine," Acrobat Ace said, looking up from the injured Puncture Proof. "Trickster must have activated it."
***** Round Twelve *****
Acrobat Ace stood up and looked at his comrades, who were still dealing with Cyber-Knight. "We've got to get over there -- now!"
"There you are," Electrostatic said.
"Look, I'm probably the fastest one here. I've got to get over to the machine and see what I can do to destroy it before anything bad happens," Acrobat Ace said and disappeared, running toward the mountain with lightning speed.
{Acrobat Ace arrives at the mountain at the end of this round, sprinting 1800'.}
"He's right," Electrostatic said. "Play time is over, Cyber-Knight. I've got to go. C'mon, Scoundrel." The electric hero, not quite as fast as Acrobat Ace, took off for the mountain as well.
{Electrostatic sprints 640' toward the mountain. He is 1160' away.}
"No time like the present," the Scoundrel said and took off toward the mountain.
{The Scoundrel sprints 1440' toward the mountain. He is 360' away.}
Coming out of the ground, the Duchess noticed that she was safely alone. She saw the Chaos Engine aglow. Yes, it has begun! Shapeshifting into a bat, the Duchess flew toward the mountain.
{The Duchess rises 15' to the surface as a Half Action. She turns off her Incorporeal power as a Free Action, then Shapeshifts into a bat as a Free Action. Finally, she flies 25' toward the mountain as a Half Action. She is 1715' away.}
"Cowards! Come back here!" Cyber-Knight called out to no one. He made his way to his mechanical steed. "Cyber-Knight shalt not be left alone!" He climbed onto the steed and activated it.
He would never make it to the mountain in time.
{Cyber-Knight moves 25' to his Cyber-Steed as a Half Action. As his other Half Action, he powers it up (back to full movement).}
Next Up, Rounds 10-12 of Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder!
Last edited:
Insight
Adventurer
Issue #10 - "Chaos" (Continued)
-Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder-
***** Round Ten *****
"I don't care whose side you're on, Mana!" Surge yelled as he spun in place, sending bolts of lightning flying everywhere. Iron Dragon and Mana dodged aside, but could not avoid the electricity. Both fell, but were none the worse for the attack.
{Surge uses Multi-Lightning, affecting Iron Dragon and Mana. Iron Dragon and Mana get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect, but Iron Dragon fails with 15 and Mana fails with 10. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 20. Since Mana's Force Field (+10) is greater than Surge's Energy Blast (+8), she ignores the attack.}
Getting up, Iron Dragon was seething. He looked at the badly injured MorningStar, and considered his next action. Apparently, Mana was now on the United Heroes' side. Perhaps she could do something for MorningStar. Surge would need to be dealt with.
Iron Dragon charged forward, jumping and slugged Surge. The speedy villain dodged the blow and laughed.
"You'll never stop me, slowpoke!"
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 24. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon punches Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 14.}
I need to find out what's happening with the others, Harpy thought. She concentrated and contacted the Scoundrel using telepathy. Things seemed to be going well over there, and they had managed to find a few more allies. That was a good thing. The heroes needed all the help they could get.
"Keep after Surge," Harpy suggested, as she moved next to the sorceress. "You're still with us, right?"
"I have had enough of Trickster and his games," Mana replied. "The Chaos Engine is a terror that should not be unleashed on the world."
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses a Half Action to contact the Scoundrel via Telepathy. She uses her other Half Action to move 30' closer to Mana.}
Pathfinder drew closer to Surge and fired his SuperX Crossbow at the spinning villain, but the bolt just missed. He is an elusive target, that's for certain!
{Pathfinder uses a Half Action to move 25' closer to Surge, and then fires his crossbow at the villain (DEF 23), but misses with 14.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
"Shades of evil, your turn here is done!" Mana announced, incanting words of power in an attempt to freeze Surge in place. The wily villain saw the purple ray fire at him from Mana's hand, and rolled aside to avoid it.
"Not done yet, traitor!" Surge replied.
{Mana uses Paralysis on Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 19. She uses a Free Action to activate her Force Field.}
They have forgotten about me, Bombardier realized. Focusing all their attention on Surge... They must not realize who is the greater threat!
The armored villain drew closer to the group and produced a Nega-Bomb from the pouch at his side. He lobbed the grenade at the group of heroes surrounding Surge, ignoring the fact that Surge was in the middle of the blast area.
The bomb went off, the explosion sending radiation all over the area. They all saw it coming, and tried to jump out of the way. Pathfinder, who was the furthest from the blast area, managed to escape harm. Among those in the blast area, Harpy was the only one truly injured, as the rest had some sort of protection to protect each one.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to draw a Nega-Bomb. He throws it near the group of heroes, and it affects Iron Dragon, Surge, Mana, Pathfinder, and Harpy. All get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect. Of these, only Pathfinder succeeds. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 19) and fails with 6. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 22. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 18. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 23) but she fails with 20 and takes a Stun Hit. Since Pathfinder's Protection of +5 is greater than the halved damage bonus of +4, Pathfinder can ignore the attack.}
***** Round Eleven *****
"Ah, Bombardier, mind those grenades, OK?" Surge asked. "Watch where you're throwing those things!"
He spun in place again, emitting several bolts of lightning in random directions. Iron Dragon, Pathfinder, and Mana were the closest, and took the brunt of the attack. The Asian hero took the most lightning strikes, and it showed as he fell to the ground, his chest area smoking. Pathfinder and Mana managed to avoid harm with their protections.
{Surge takes a 5' step and again activates Multi-Lightning. In the affected area are Iron Dragon, Mana, and Pathfinder. All get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect, but all fail. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) but fails with 16 and takes a Lethal Hit. Mana gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 16. Pathfinder gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 21.}
Iron Dragon popped up as if nothing had happened and raged forward at Surge, performing a flying jump kick in an attempt to take Surge out of the battle. Surge, no stranger to hand-to-hand combat, stepped aside with inhuman speed, and avoided the attack.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 24. He uses Power Attack for a +3/-3 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon strikes Surge (DEF 23) but misses with 22.}
"I'll take care of Bombardier," Harpy said. "The rest of you, focus on Surge."
She concentrated on the armored grenadier, and assaulted his mind with psionic energy. The villain was prepared, however, and resisted the attack.
"You'll take care of nothing, girl!" Bombardier replied.
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses Mental Blast on Bombardier (adj. DEF 16), hitting with 21. Bombardier gets a modified Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 18 for no effect.}
Pathfinder took another shot at Surge, but the villain's dodge against Iron Dragon threw off his aim, and the crossbow bolt missed its target.
{Pathfinder fires his crossbow at Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 18.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
He just won't stay still, Mana thought of Surge. She chanted more words of magical power, and another purple ray shot forth from her outstretched hand, but the agile Surge again dodged the attack.
{Mana uses Paralysis on Surge (DEF 23), but misses her attack roll with 15. She uses a Free Action to activate her Force Field.}
"You'll never stop me!" Bombardier called out, defying the heroes. "I don't need anyone's help. I can defeat you all by myself!"
He produced another Nega-Bomb and tossed it into the crowd surrounding Surge, including the electrical villain in the blast. As before, the targets saw the grenade coming, but could do little to avoid its effects. The two females, Mana and Harpy, were the only ones harmed in the blast this time.
I'm really getting sick of that Bombardier! Harpy thought.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to draw a Nega-Bomb, and then tosses it into the crowd. In the affected area are Iron Dragon, Surge, Mana, Harpy, and Pathfinder. each gets a Reflex save (DC 18) to halve the effect. Iron Dragon, Harpy, and Surge succeed, while Mana and Pathfinder fail. Iron Dragon's Protection of +6 is greater than the halved damage bonus (+4), so he ignores the attack. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 21. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 19), but fails with 15, taking a Stun Hit. Pathfinder gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 18. Mana gets a Damage save (DC 15) but fails with 14 and takes a Stun Hit.}
Just then, a thunderousboom came from atop the island's only mountain. Everyone looked, and saw the Chaos Engine, in all its glory, energized and ready to cause worldwide disaster.
"What is that?" Iron Dragon asked, dumbfounded.
"It can only be the Chaos Engine," Pathfinder replied. The Native American hero used his distance sight to get a good look at the structure. "Seraphim is there, fighting off Lodestone and trying to destroy the device."
"We need to help him," Harpy said. "But can we get there in time?"
"I believe we can," Mana replied. "Come to me, my new friends. I will spirit us all there in an instant."
***** Round Twelve *****
Surge felt Trickster in his mind, beckoning the villain to the Chaos Engine. Without a second thought, Surge was gone, speeding to the mountaintop with superhuman speed.
{Surge is contacted telepathically by Trickster. He uses Extra Effort to add the Power Stunt Super-Running and spends a Villain Point to ignore the fatigue. Surge sprints to the top of the mountain.}
"All right, lady," Iron Dragon said, picking up the wounded MorningStar. "I hope you're right." He made his way over to Mana, who was preparing a new spell to teleport everyone to the Chaos Engine.
{Iron Dragon picks up MorningStar as a Half Action and then moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
"C'mon everyone," Harpy said. "Let's go!" She stood next to Mana and awaited the spell.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
Pathfinder, after watching the action at the Chaos Engine, made his way to the sorceress as well. "We must hurry. Time is short now."
{Pathfinder moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
Mana cast the spell to transport everyone instantly to the top of the mountain where the Chaos Engine stood.
{Mana uses a Free Action to touch those around her. She uses Extended Teleport to get everyone to the base of the mountain.}
Bombardier was now alone. He could see helicopters on the horizon, doubtlessly DEMA coming to capture any supervillains they might find here. If the Chaos Engine worked properly, the helicopters would be destroyed en route, but that was in question now.
The villain sped to the United Heroes' hydrofoil and started up the engines. I've got to get out of here, Bombardier realized.
{Bombardier sprints to the hydrofoil.}
Note: From now on, the combat will take place as one scene, since everyone is basically in the same area.
Next Up, the Conclusion of the Battle of the Chaos Engine!
-Bombardier, Mana, Surge, and Atlantean Soldiers vs. Harpy, Iron Dragon, MorningStar, and Pathfinder-
***** Round Ten *****
"I don't care whose side you're on, Mana!" Surge yelled as he spun in place, sending bolts of lightning flying everywhere. Iron Dragon and Mana dodged aside, but could not avoid the electricity. Both fell, but were none the worse for the attack.
{Surge uses Multi-Lightning, affecting Iron Dragon and Mana. Iron Dragon and Mana get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect, but Iron Dragon fails with 15 and Mana fails with 10. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 20. Since Mana's Force Field (+10) is greater than Surge's Energy Blast (+8), she ignores the attack.}
Getting up, Iron Dragon was seething. He looked at the badly injured MorningStar, and considered his next action. Apparently, Mana was now on the United Heroes' side. Perhaps she could do something for MorningStar. Surge would need to be dealt with.
Iron Dragon charged forward, jumping and slugged Surge. The speedy villain dodged the blow and laughed.
"You'll never stop me, slowpoke!"
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 24. He uses Power Attack for a +5/-5 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon punches Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 14.}
I need to find out what's happening with the others, Harpy thought. She concentrated and contacted the Scoundrel using telepathy. Things seemed to be going well over there, and they had managed to find a few more allies. That was a good thing. The heroes needed all the help they could get.
"Keep after Surge," Harpy suggested, as she moved next to the sorceress. "You're still with us, right?"
"I have had enough of Trickster and his games," Mana replied. "The Chaos Engine is a terror that should not be unleashed on the world."
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses a Half Action to contact the Scoundrel via Telepathy. She uses her other Half Action to move 30' closer to Mana.}
Pathfinder drew closer to Surge and fired his SuperX Crossbow at the spinning villain, but the bolt just missed. He is an elusive target, that's for certain!
{Pathfinder uses a Half Action to move 25' closer to Surge, and then fires his crossbow at the villain (DEF 23), but misses with 14.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
"Shades of evil, your turn here is done!" Mana announced, incanting words of power in an attempt to freeze Surge in place. The wily villain saw the purple ray fire at him from Mana's hand, and rolled aside to avoid it.
"Not done yet, traitor!" Surge replied.
{Mana uses Paralysis on Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 19. She uses a Free Action to activate her Force Field.}
They have forgotten about me, Bombardier realized. Focusing all their attention on Surge... They must not realize who is the greater threat!
The armored villain drew closer to the group and produced a Nega-Bomb from the pouch at his side. He lobbed the grenade at the group of heroes surrounding Surge, ignoring the fact that Surge was in the middle of the blast area.
The bomb went off, the explosion sending radiation all over the area. They all saw it coming, and tried to jump out of the way. Pathfinder, who was the furthest from the blast area, managed to escape harm. Among those in the blast area, Harpy was the only one truly injured, as the rest had some sort of protection to protect each one.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to draw a Nega-Bomb. He throws it near the group of heroes, and it affects Iron Dragon, Surge, Mana, Pathfinder, and Harpy. All get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect. Of these, only Pathfinder succeeds. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 19) and fails with 6. He spends a Villain Point to re-roll and this time gets 22. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 18. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 23) but she fails with 20 and takes a Stun Hit. Since Pathfinder's Protection of +5 is greater than the halved damage bonus of +4, Pathfinder can ignore the attack.}
***** Round Eleven *****
"Ah, Bombardier, mind those grenades, OK?" Surge asked. "Watch where you're throwing those things!"
He spun in place again, emitting several bolts of lightning in random directions. Iron Dragon, Pathfinder, and Mana were the closest, and took the brunt of the attack. The Asian hero took the most lightning strikes, and it showed as he fell to the ground, his chest area smoking. Pathfinder and Mana managed to avoid harm with their protections.
{Surge takes a 5' step and again activates Multi-Lightning. In the affected area are Iron Dragon, Mana, and Pathfinder. All get Reflex saves (DC 18) to halve the effect, but all fail. Iron Dragon gets a Damage save (DC 17) but fails with 16 and takes a Lethal Hit. Mana gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 16. Pathfinder gets a Damage save (DC 17) and succeeds with 21.}
Iron Dragon popped up as if nothing had happened and raged forward at Surge, performing a flying jump kick in an attempt to take Surge out of the battle. Surge, no stranger to hand-to-hand combat, stepped aside with inhuman speed, and avoided the attack.
{Iron Dragon makes a Concentration check (DC 20) to activate his Strike power, and succeeds with 24. He uses Power Attack for a +3/-3 mod to damage/attack bonus. Iron Dragon strikes Surge (DEF 23) but misses with 22.}
"I'll take care of Bombardier," Harpy said. "The rest of you, focus on Surge."
She concentrated on the armored grenadier, and assaulted his mind with psionic energy. The villain was prepared, however, and resisted the attack.
"You'll take care of nothing, girl!" Bombardier replied.
{Harpy uses a Free Action on Leadership. She uses Mental Blast on Bombardier (adj. DEF 16), hitting with 21. Bombardier gets a modified Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 18 for no effect.}
Pathfinder took another shot at Surge, but the villain's dodge against Iron Dragon threw off his aim, and the crossbow bolt missed its target.
{Pathfinder fires his crossbow at Surge (DEF 23), but misses with 18.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
He just won't stay still, Mana thought of Surge. She chanted more words of magical power, and another purple ray shot forth from her outstretched hand, but the agile Surge again dodged the attack.
{Mana uses Paralysis on Surge (DEF 23), but misses her attack roll with 15. She uses a Free Action to activate her Force Field.}
"You'll never stop me!" Bombardier called out, defying the heroes. "I don't need anyone's help. I can defeat you all by myself!"
He produced another Nega-Bomb and tossed it into the crowd surrounding Surge, including the electrical villain in the blast. As before, the targets saw the grenade coming, but could do little to avoid its effects. The two females, Mana and Harpy, were the only ones harmed in the blast this time.
I'm really getting sick of that Bombardier! Harpy thought.
{Bombardier uses a Half Action to draw a Nega-Bomb, and then tosses it into the crowd. In the affected area are Iron Dragon, Surge, Mana, Harpy, and Pathfinder. each gets a Reflex save (DC 18) to halve the effect. Iron Dragon, Harpy, and Surge succeed, while Mana and Pathfinder fail. Iron Dragon's Protection of +6 is greater than the halved damage bonus (+4), so he ignores the attack. Surge gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 21. Harpy gets a Damage save (DC 19), but fails with 15, taking a Stun Hit. Pathfinder gets a Damage save (DC 15) and succeeds with 18. Mana gets a Damage save (DC 15) but fails with 14 and takes a Stun Hit.}
Just then, a thunderousboom came from atop the island's only mountain. Everyone looked, and saw the Chaos Engine, in all its glory, energized and ready to cause worldwide disaster.
"What is that?" Iron Dragon asked, dumbfounded.
"It can only be the Chaos Engine," Pathfinder replied. The Native American hero used his distance sight to get a good look at the structure. "Seraphim is there, fighting off Lodestone and trying to destroy the device."
"We need to help him," Harpy said. "But can we get there in time?"
"I believe we can," Mana replied. "Come to me, my new friends. I will spirit us all there in an instant."
***** Round Twelve *****
Surge felt Trickster in his mind, beckoning the villain to the Chaos Engine. Without a second thought, Surge was gone, speeding to the mountaintop with superhuman speed.
{Surge is contacted telepathically by Trickster. He uses Extra Effort to add the Power Stunt Super-Running and spends a Villain Point to ignore the fatigue. Surge sprints to the top of the mountain.}
"All right, lady," Iron Dragon said, picking up the wounded MorningStar. "I hope you're right." He made his way over to Mana, who was preparing a new spell to teleport everyone to the Chaos Engine.
{Iron Dragon picks up MorningStar as a Half Action and then moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
"C'mon everyone," Harpy said. "Let's go!" She stood next to Mana and awaited the spell.
{Harpy uses a Free Action for Leadership. She moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
Pathfinder, after watching the action at the Chaos Engine, made his way to the sorceress as well. "We must hurry. Time is short now."
{Pathfinder moves to Mana as a Half Action.}
{MorningStar takes no action.}
Mana cast the spell to transport everyone instantly to the top of the mountain where the Chaos Engine stood.
{Mana uses a Free Action to touch those around her. She uses Extended Teleport to get everyone to the base of the mountain.}
Bombardier was now alone. He could see helicopters on the horizon, doubtlessly DEMA coming to capture any supervillains they might find here. If the Chaos Engine worked properly, the helicopters would be destroyed en route, but that was in question now.
The villain sped to the United Heroes' hydrofoil and started up the engines. I've got to get out of here, Bombardier realized.
{Bombardier sprints to the hydrofoil.}
Note: From now on, the combat will take place as one scene, since everyone is basically in the same area.
Next Up, the Conclusion of the Battle of the Chaos Engine!
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