[Tecumseh]

Illeana has been laying low, as she has the mother of all migraines.

The suppressive fire stops behind you. ICly, James may attribute this to a need to reload, given the 9 seconds of sustained suppressive fire.

There is no suppressive fire. There has not been any suppressive fire during CT3.

James isn't using a range finder and does not know the distance to the grenadier or the troll nor the distance between the two. He's looking over his shoulder while driving at 60mph, so estimations is difficult.

The grenadier is at the 4 o'clock position, so he/she is closest. More than 20 meters away but less than 50.

The troll is at the 4:30 position so he/she is further away than the grenadier. 50 meters would be a ballpark estimate, but the estimate could be off by quite a bit.

Grenade scatter: Scatter: 2d6 8 meters

James can buy hits against the 2S. Illeana needs to roll. Body 5 + Lined Coat 9 + Mask 2 - AP 4: 12d6t5 4 hits, no extra damage

[rednblack]

There is no suppressive fire. There has not been any suppressive fire during CT3.

That's right.  I misread.

As for distance, and the upcoming questions, I'm just trying to get a sense of what things look like from James' perspective.  Sounds like the grenadier is not currently on a vehicle, but the LMG chummer might be.  If he's in tall grass James wouldn't be able to tell in these lighting conditions most likely.  I'm also not sure if at that distance James would be able to tell if he can get both the grenadier and the troll in a Suppressive Fire cone.  I'm going to chance it.  If James can, then great.  If not, and he has a choice, he'll direct more fire at the troll who just shot up his girlfriend.  If he doesn't have a choice, we'll leave it to the dice gods, or put the fire between the two -whoops!

CT3 IP3
Free: Comm Illeana
Complex: Suppressive Fire

For Suppressive Fire I have: AGI (11) + Firearms Group (8) - Attacker in a Moving Vehicle (2) - Vision Mods (3) = 14 dice.
Suppressive Fire: 14d6t5 7
Boy, I probably just should've picked a target with that roll.  Accuracy is 6 if the Alpha doesn't benefit from Smartlink, and 8 if it does, due to James' Personalized Grip.  Suppressive Fire should last until the end of CT4 IP2, right?  Or are we going by a strict RAW interpretation which says it ends at the end of the CT?

Initiative: Initiative: 16+4d6 34

By RAW it does not appear as though James can use a Free action to comm Illeana after he starts Suppressive Firing, so my first IP action will just be to maintain the Suppressive Fire cone.

James is at 10/42 Alpha 1/5 Edge.

ETA: Base damage is 11P -6AP.

Do you want to handle the next IC?  Illeana saving James' hoop is a pretty cool move, and I'd hate to deprive you.

[Tecumseh]

Ah, geometry. Can James catch LMG and Grenadier in the same cone of fire? Let's flip for it rather than me digging out a protractor.

Coin flip: 1 = no, 2 = yes: 1d2 1, equals no, so just the LMG

You can keep all the hits.

Suppressive fire is a funny beast. I like it, but which modifiers should apply? If you are targeting a 10 meter area, which is huge, should vision modifiers apply? Maybe yes, but offset by the target-size modifiers from Run & Gun? That would be +3. Seems reasonable, but is that too complex? Probably. What about other environmental modifiers, like wind? Does it matter if you're just shooting to make someone keeping their head down (i.e. shooting randomly, so wind hardly matters), or are you actually shooting at anything that moves (i.e. more precisely, so wind might matter)? Do I ask too many questions?

Ignoring the implication that characters with more IPs can somehow make their guns shoot faster the characters with less IPs, we'll note that a Full-Auto Complex action is 10 rounds. Since James is a super-soldier with a smartlink, and therefore more control than most, we'll say that he can either burn through his suppressive fire in 2 IPs or 1 CT, whichever he prefers.

Troll dodge: Reaction + Edge: ?d6t5 2 hits

Suppressive fire scores a hit.

Troll soak: Body + Armor - AP: ?d6t5 7 hits

LMG takes 4 boxes of unknown damage.

I'll handle the next IC to give Illeana the spotlight. I'll tackle the remaining actions of CT3 IP3 later this afternoon/evening.

CT3 IP3
James: 9
Shooting at fire spirit: 9
Grenading fire spirit: 7
Grenadier (4:00): 6
LMG (4:30): still 2 (not 1 due to DV) due to unknown forces

[Tecumseh]

Sniper
Shooting at fire spirit: Agility + Firearms + Bulky + Smartlink + Take Aim: ?d6t5 1 hit
Fire spirit dodge: Reaction 11 + Intuition 8 - Background Count 5 - SA Burst 2 - Wounds 2: 10d6t5 3 hits

That's a miss.

Grenading the fire spirit
Action hidden

Grenadier
Grenading the airboat: Agility + Heavy Weapons + Aim: ?d6t5 0 hits, ugh
Scatter: Scatter: 3d6 14 meters, nowhere near you

LMG
Getting revenge on James: Agility + Heavy Weapons + Smartlink + Aim: ?d6t5 8 hits, I actually forgot a die but it's moot because hits are limited to 7 by Accuracy anyway

Tough spot here, as Illeana doesn't have any Initiative to spend on an interrupt to protect the principle again. You get +2 for Partial Cover and +3 for being in a moving vehicle, but you're at -4 for space constraints (no room to dodge), -5 for a long burst, and -3 for flechette. You've spent your Free Action so you can't drop prone, nor do you have enough Initiative to drop prone as an interrupt action nor go on Full Defense. I think that leaves you about 7 dice to dodge 7 hits.

DV is 11P +3AP plus net hits.

If you dodge a couple hits, that should get the damage down into Stun. In theory you should soak ~9 boxes, leaving you well-bruised but conscious (at least until the stim patch wears off.) Your Physical limit is 10 when checking for Knockdown.

Philosophical question: would knockdown push James over the edge of the boat that's traveling 60mph? Hmm!

[rednblack]

Tough spot here, as Illeana doesn't have any Initiative to spend on an interrupt to protect the principle again. You get +2 for Partial Cover and +3 for being in a moving vehicle, but you're at -4 for space constraints (no room to dodge), -5 for a long burst, and -3 for flechette. You've spent your Free Action so you can't drop prone, nor do you have enough Initiative to drop prone as an interrupt action nor go on Full Defense. I think that leaves you about 7 dice to dodge 7 hits.

Isn't James still at Initiative 9?  I thought you only lost your score at the end of each Pass, which would still leave James the 5 he needed to Hit the Dirt?

For Defense I have: REA (7) + Intuition (6) + Partial Cover (2) + Moving Vehicle (3) - Space Constraints (4) Long Burst (5) - Flechette (3) = 6 dice.
Defense: 6d6t5 0
Oh, ho, ho, it's not meant to be.

So James is Soaking 18P +3AP.

I have: BOD (5) + Globetrotter Jacket (12) + Ballistic Mask (2) + Cyber Armor (4) + AP Mods (3) = 26 dice.  Still looking at Stun damage.
Soak: 26d6t5 10
Not bad.  James stays standing, and he's got another Stim Patch on him.  14S in one hour isn't going to be lovely, but it's manageable.

In addition to the -2 to James' Initiative score for Wound Modifiers, I've neglected to take my lowered Intuition into account for accounting Initiative.  For CT4, my score should be 31, dropped to 29 with Wound Modifiers.  REA (7) + INT (6) = 13 + 4d6, not 16+4d6, as I've been rolling. 

[Tecumseh]

The book says don't subtract 10 until the end of the IP, but I think that's to:
1) simplify bookkeeping, and
2) avoid any possible interpretation that someone with initiative 19 gets to act on both 19 and 9 before someone who is at 8 or lower.

#2 was the 1E/2E approach to initiative, which resulted in the street samurai mopping up all the opposition before anyone else acted. It was not fun for the group as a whole.

Another implication of not subtracting 10 until the end of the IP is that it would essentially grant everyone a free interrupt action on their last IP, which certainly doesn't seem to be the intent.

Conceptually, I'm not opposed to the idea of "borrowing" initiative from the following CT but I haven't put enough thought into the implementation and potential consequences. It would certainly be reasonable, since CTs are an artificial construct of a turn-based game, but it would also require more bookkeeping.

That said, we can experiment. The primary advantage to dropping prone would be to improve your cover from Partial to Good. That would add +2 dice to defend, plus you should still have 1 die left from Combat Sense. (The F6 spell is reduced to F1 by the background count, which preserves 1 hit.) If you want to go that route, we can subtract 5 from your CT4 Initiative. If so, roll your 3 and subtract any hits from your 8S. Otherwise, you can still roll your +1 from Combat Sense, or save it for your next soak.

Note that James cannot pilot the boat from the prone position. He will be depending on the boat's Pilot and Sensor ratings, and hoping that they know what to do at 60mph in the dark. It also means that you will not be able to dodge any future grenade attacks by piloting the boat manually.

[rednblack]

Interesting discussion, but I think it's a moot point.  I took a closer look at Hit the Dirt, and it's only good against Suppressive Fire, so it will not save James' bacon in this case, and I don't think it's worth the cost for 2 extra dice.  I will take advantage of the die for Combat Sense, though. 

Combat Sense: 1d6t5 1
That's lucky.  That drops James down to 7 stun.

As for the discussion, though, I see your points, especially concerning the basically free Interrupt Action on the last pass, which I agree is not likely to be RAI.  I know I don't want NPCs using it  

As for Piloting, my understanding is that so long as a Piloting action is made each CT, the air boat will not need to rely on its auto-pilot.  So, James could effectively shoot during his first two passes, and then take control of the boat on his third.  Is that your understanding as well?  I'm getting that from the "Action" section on page 202 of the CRB.  Let me know if I need to adjust my ordering in IPs.

The air boat has now traveled 80 meters since the beginning of CT3.  That's about 26 meters a pass, assuming 3 passes per CT.  This should also put them at the island, should there be any cover benefits for skirting past the north side of it.  That said, they've got a long ways to go before they get out of Medium range for the LMG, but things will go quicker for the grenade launcher.  I'm re-thinking bailing into the swamp, but that's somewhat dependent on how cover starts to look the further they get away from the opposing shooters.  Since this is a pretty wooded area, at what point will they be breaking LoS?  Is there some sort of Piloting test that James can make to accelerate that process?

Since it's entirely possible that at least one participant from team geek James and Illeana will go first, I'll hold off on declaring my actions for CT4 IP1.

James is at 10/42 Alpha, 1/5 Edge, 7/12S, 0/10P.

[Tecumseh]

You do need to pilot once each CT. I mentioned it in this case because, yes, you're at the island, and you probably don't want to hit it. At least, not at 60mph. Making sure that you don't hit it will require a test. If James does not make it, Illeana (defaulting) or the Pilot will. It's a relatively simple test (Threshold 1), but it would be bad not to make it. After that, James will be free to shoot for a couple of passes, although the fan to the rear of the boat may complicate things depending on the heading you choose. In theory there should probably additional negative modifiers from shooting from a standing position on an open-air boat going 60mph, both for balance concerns and airflow reasons. (I probably should have used Strong Winds for James' last shooting action.)

With a slightly more complex test (Threshold 2), James could use the island and tree to break LOS with at least one of the shooters.

Illeana's Regeneration roll: Body 5 + Magic 12 - Background Count 5: 12d6t5 8 hits

Goodness, I didn't even need her 5 auto-hits. She's back at 0S.

CT4 IP1
James: 29
Grenadier (4:00): 25
Shooting at fire spirit: 24
LMG: 21
Illeana: 20
Fire spirit: 18

[rednblack]

It sounds like James needs to make his Piloting test this IP, lest he run into he island.  Goodness, that's going to be some stacking of negative modifiers.  I'm not sure why I didn't put all of James' Stim Patches in his Auto-Injector.  That's something I plan to rectify going forward.

CT4 IP1
Complex: Pilot Water Craft
Free: Comm Illeana

For Piloting I have: REA (7) + Pilot Water Craft (2) - Vision Mods (3) - Wound Modifiers (2) = 4 dice.
Pilot: 4d6t5 2
Lucky break.  Looking forward to seeing who we break LoS with.

James will likely be going Full Defense so long as that has an effect.  You ruled that Full Defense is not allowed for Suppressive Fire against Flechette ammo, but is it still ok vs. direct attacks?

I'm also trying to figure out how much OOC knowledge James would be able to intuit ICly.  If James and Illeana are still in the AoE -- for lack of a better term -- of the Mana Surge, and considering that the enemy shooters don't seem to be taking Vision Penalties, I'm leaning toward some crazy mojo being responsible -- these new additions also being vessels of Possession Spirits, for instance.  The lack of Astral Combat directed toward Illeana undermines this theory, but considering how she has been prone for most of this combat, that could very well explain it.  The other spanner in the works is that the Fire Spirit has been very successful using its Fear power, and that doesn't seem likely if it was doing so against Possessed Vessels.  So, maybe I just don't know what's going on at all.  James must be as confused ICly as rednblack is unclear OOCly. 

[Tecumseh]

Nailed your roll. You have broken LOS with the LMG.

Full Defense is a bit of a question mark in this instance. If you're applying it to James' person, then the limitations of the boat's space still pretty much require him to jump overboard to improve his defensive position significantly, or at least as significantly as Full Defense implies. If you go Full Defense while driving/piloting, then you are still limited by Handling. Plus, defensive maneuvers would potentially put you back into LOS of one or more shooters. Given the less-than-lethal nature of the grenades, James may decide just to take his chances and soak any that get through.

ICly, James is not explicitly aware of the effectiveness of the fire spirit, although he might reasonably conclude that it has helped draw away a significant amount of fire.

ICly, James could reasonably appreciate:
1) the relative speed/initiative of his attackers
2) their combat tactics
3) their aim

I'll roll the rest out this afternoon or evening. I'll try to get an IC up that takes us through Illeana's protecting the principle action. You can IC for James' response, James getting shot, then James taking the helm to dodge the island.

[Tecumseh]

CT4 IP1
James: 29
Grenadier (4:00): 25
Shooting at fire spirit: 24
LMG: 21
Illeana: 20
Fire spirit: 18

Grenadier & Sniper & LMG
Actions Hidden

Illeana
Illeana blankets herself over James, providing effective cover but making it challenging to steer and/or shoot effectively

Fire Spirit
Using Fear: Magic 8 + Willpower 8 - Background Count 5 - Wounds 3: 8d6t5 4 hits
Resisting Fear: Willpower + Logic: ?d6t5 4 hits, not this time

CT4 IP2
Thing are quieting down. James and Illeana do not hear any active gunfire, although the fan and 60mph wind and the boat crashing through the water do make hearing exceedingly difficult.

Action to James

Note: I'm not seeing a 2nd stim patch available on his load-out for the meet.

[rednblack]

CT4 IP2
Thing are quieting down. James and Illeana do not hear any active gunfire, although the fan and 60mph wind and the boat crashing through the water do make hearing exceedingly difficult.

Action to James

Quieting down, and hidden actions.  Well, nothing like that to make a player paranoid.  Fluff for Select Sound Filter says that it "lets you block out background noise. . ." but the rule text says that you use it to "select a single sound group. . . and focus on it."  James is going to set his Select Sound Filter to focus on engine noises and his Spatial Recognizer to pinpoint any of those noises in the distance.

CT4 IP2
Free: Select Sound Filter
Simple: Observe in Detail
Simple: Ready Weapon

For Observe in Detail I have: INT (6) + Perception (6) + Audio Enhancement (2) + Spatial Recognizer (2) + Specifically Looking (Hearing) (3) - Wound Mods (2) = 17 dice.
Perception + Specifically Looking + Audio: 17d6t5 6
Wiz.

Note: I'm not seeing a 2nd stim patch available on his load-out for the meet.

I'm not seeing it either.  To mitigate this problem in the future I'm creating a section on my char sheet for Current Load Out, so I won't be relying on memory anymore.

[Tecumseh]

Let's drop out of IPs and go CT-to-CT for the moment. Given the wound modifiers, let's assume 3 IPs per CT.

James can't hear any pursuit. He knows that he must continue to vigilant, given that this is not his home turf but it may (or may not) be territory intimately familiar to the opposition.

To finish off CT4, Illeana will release her fire spirit then attempt to summon a water spirit. It will have to be reasonably powerful to counteract the background count.

Summoning F8 Water Spirit: Magic 12 + Conjuring 4 - Background Count 5: 11d6t5 3 hits, let's Edge that
Edge reroll 8: 8d6t5 4 hits

7 hits total.

F8 water spirit, no background count yet because it technically hasn't been summoned yet: Resist summoning: 8d6t5 0 hits

Well that one didn't put up any fight. Maybe I should have done F9 to get the third optional power.

Soaking 2 boxes of drain: Willpower 6 + Intuition 7: 13d6t5 7 hits, definitely should have summoned something bigger

Optional powers: Guard and Weather Control.

Services: Guard, Movement, Concealment, Weather Control

3/7 services remaining, 3/5 Edge remaining

[rednblack]

Ok, so let's look at immediate, intermediary, and long term goals. 

Within the next few seconds, James will swap out his nearly spent mag for a fresh one, pilot the craft, and keep a close eye out for any combatants. 

In the next few minutes, he will swap out his APDS for Ex-Exlosive on his Crusader II, pilot the craft, keep close ears and eyes out for any combatants, and set course for the coast near a lonely stretch of road where they can rendezvous with Stevens.  If the speedometer on the air boat is accurate, near accurate, James will estimate the time it will take to get back to the RV, and hope that he'll still be conscious.  I don't see this being an issue, but I'd like to know if it's likely to be.  He'll also be checking in with Illeana on whether or not they exit the Mana Surge.

Assuming nothing frags up so far, the first long term goal is to have a conversation with Illeana about retreating and getting the frag out of Louisiana, vs. setting a trap for these guys at the boat rental.  If it were James, and he'd found the Waveskimmer, and there's no way these guys didn't find the Waveskimmer, he'd want to be at the boat rental place as soon as they opened so he could start planning the next trap.  But for this, they're likely to send a pair or trio -- face and muscle -- and the face is likely to have some intel that will close the matter permanently -- or know someone who does. 

Then it's on to the RV and either crashing hard or gearing up for the next move.

Those are the broad strokes.  If James can star to have that conversation with Illeana before something happens I'll roll that into my next IC.  If not, then here's to hoping that they at least get out of the Mana Surge first.

Also, let me know if you want any Perception tests.

[Tecumseh]

James does not hear any Waveskippers but, given his good Perception roll, he does hear the high-pitched hum of other airboats.

Unless you crash or navigate yourself into a dead end, you will outrun them. Crashing is unlikely given the spirit's Guard power.

Give me a Navigation roll, minus wound modifiers. We'll do a teamwork test since Illeana knows a bit about Navigation too although the background count eats most of her dice. Intuition 7 + Navigation 1 - Background Count 5 = 3 dice = 2 hits. That counterbalances your wound modifier.

The fatigue and environment rules are a bit of a hash but the temperature and humidity it seems that I should have made you roll for fatigue at least once during the combat, maybe twice. The same is true for the trip back to Stevens (maybe once, maybe twice, depending on interpretation). The water spirit will help, so let's call it two rolls: one for combat and one for the trip back. The first one you are soaking 1S, the second one you are soaking 2S. Your dice pool:

Body 5 + Willpower 7 - Half Armor 7 - Insulation 2 = 3 dice

You can improve your dice pool by removing your armor, if you are brave enough. It should be okay, but sometimes the swamp doesn't cooperate.

As long as you don't try to double-back or make any side excursions, you can make it back to Stevens before James' hour is up. Do you have any plans for your airboat once you reach Stevens?

The mana surge will not abate until you are back on solid ground, so around the time Illeana is feeling much much better, James will be feeling much much worse.

We can IC the conversation with James and Illeana or we can cover it at a high level here. Illeana will ask what the goal is for creating a trap. From her standpoint, the biggest advantage would be to potentially recover the Waveskipper so that James' SIN doesn't get burned, but she's not sure that the potential loss (¥9,000 SIN) outweighs the potential risks.