Al is still with us, along with Ed and Eric, John II, Graeme, and John I.
Al gets a 78 on learning to use the spear, which is good enough to start him at 1@2 (given his high tech bias, I'm sure this is a success on a Use Spear T3@1 skill).
Ed is starting a day, but he's not really done anything with it yet; Eric is also in motion.
John II: just so you don't think I'm giving you a hard time over nothing, fletching on arrows serves the same function as rifling in guns, and it has to be done right to get the ideal efficiency from it.
Graeme is a charming individual, and has apparently been sent by the gods, which would definitely bonus his 2@2 animal magnetism to something like 2@7; a simple check is 12+8=20. The dice then disfavor him, though, as the roll on his first language acquisition skill is 89, well above the 1@2 SAL-7SM+2x7@ world bias+2@2 BRA=41% chance of success. 55, 89, 85, all fail. There's a 39 on his effort to learn Latin, which will be an easy success particularly given that he has an instructor; it will take a while to improve it above the 1@1 SAL, but he'll get there.
John I gets a 13 GE roll, barely good enough, on the interest in his skills; I rolled because in Max's version of this world only George was interested in "primitive combat techniques".
I think that's the whole team.
--M. J. Young
John II: just so you don't think I'm giving you a hard time over nothing, fletching on arrows serves the same function as rifling in guns, and it has to be done right to get the ideal efficiency from it.
Yeah, I know that. I just wish I had gotten a better GE roll on it. Or did you even give me a GE roll on it? Well, you wrote the rules, so you know them better than anyone. If a GE roll was required, I'm sure you made it.
John, a GE roll was not really appropriate here. It's a bit like asking whether to roll to see whether a professional rocket designer is also a famous film actor--the numbers of people to be both are so slim as to be below the need to check. Fletchers are fletchers, usually also bowyers, but carpenters are not fletchers or bowyers. Pastry chefs usually know how to cook other things, but they don't usually also know how to build ovens.
We've got a new player: Harry is joining us, and I need to sort through his post, figure out who and where he is, and move forward from there. Max, Ed, John II, Adam, Graeme, and John I are also waiting.
We'll get Harry organized and started, putting his character sheet into my spreadsheet, and asking a couple of questions.
With a roll of 41 and an SAL of 2@5, Max is going to succeed, slowly, in building this data conversion program. I'm also going to give him one mark for new use, as no matter what he's done before I don't think he's ever built an interfacing program to an alien computer. That's shown on the sheet as "+1", usually at the end of the line defining the skill. Meanwhile, a roll of 69 on creating a few games is strong enough that I'm going to let him create all those first tier games on the basis of that roll.
I keep thinking that there are aliens out there, but Destiny doesn't deal with them; but that's a bit unrealistic in some ways, particularly as they have an alien ship. There might also be diversity in the human population, now that it is scattered to the stars, and this would confuse the issue. A GE of 26 agrees with me.
Ed is moving out into what is very like a post-apocalyptic world that just hasn't figured out yet that this is what it is. I'm going to have an interesting time reconstructing things here.
I seem to recall already saying that there was a fletcher in John II's town, but I'm not sure what I said and he doesn't seem to remember either, so let me give it a GE roll to see what I get: 15 is not unfavorable.
Adam gives a good summary of events of two live games, and suggests a next step. Before I start thinking about rolling for a Supersoldier Serum, I think I'll throw a couple of questions at him.
Graeme gets a 22 GE on finding dry chicken leg bones, which means he's not going to find much in the way of trash or druid supply shops. He also gets an 18 GE on reaction at the temple of Mars. I'll roll for the blessing when I see the need; it should be related to valor, and Graeme might just need that.
John I is advancing the abilities of his team, including himself--but we're not yet sure of the details.
We are sure that we're running out of time, though, so I'd better move.
--M. J. Young
MJ, I can roll with you on that a little, but not all the way. If you were to ask how many truck drivers knew how to rewire a radio control car for different batteries, you would probably say "Not many" however, you are talking to one at the moment. Before I went to truck driving school, I took electronics. It's possible that a carpenter also made bows. Perhaps he specialized in them at one time. A chef that could repair an oven? Not hard to imagine. The assistant manager/head cook of my first job could do basic oven repair. How many truck drivers do electronics? Well, I know of one right now. It's not that hard to imagine. A rocket scientist and a famous actor? That I might be able to roll with you on, but Howard Hughes was a director at one time.
Listen to MJ on this one John: You can stretch it and say that a trucker would be more likely to have comprehension of electronics since they have to deal with electronic couplings and systems, but the leap from "carpenter" to "fletcher" is outside of the bounds of logic. It'd be like saying "He's a trucker, he should know the fundamental principles of engine combustion" or "He's a trucker, he should know how to work sheet metal since that is what makes up his truck." Yes, there could be a trucker who is also an engineer, but the chances are so low in a specific situation it doesn't justify a GE roll.
Also, remember oven repair is different from oven construction. Just because I can reformat my computer's hard drive and fix viruses doesn't mean I can construct a hard drive or write a virus myself.
With Howard Hughes, you kind of emphasize MJ's point; What're the chances of you visiting a random city somewhere in the world and running into Howard Hughes (assuming he is alive)? Not big enough to need to calculate.
Yeah Graham, you're right. I was thinking about signing back on and rescinding that actually. Never mind about it MJ. I just felt like arguing, but Graham is right. Sorry.
Yeah, that would probably take a 3 GE roll just to become within the realm of possibility. Not worth rolling for. I'm still trying to learn to play this, so bear with me while I learn to play it.
Ya know, I was gonna ask why there was no roll on whether or not the blacksmith could do the bow on a crossbow. Isn't that Bowers work after all? But then I realized that to the blacksmith, it's just a metal spring. Tech bias, and all of that. If the blacksmith tried to make one out of wood would probably be a roll. That's it right? Just so I understand. I got thinking about what Graham said, and then I started trying to beat it. Then I realized I was probably wrong about that, too. I just want to be sure though, that's the reason there was no roll on if the blacksmith could bow a crossbow?????
On the other hand, the bower could make a spring out of wood, but could not make one out of metal. The spring being the common thing. I think I got it. Is that about right?
They can both make springs, but not out of the other's material. That's why there's no roll. Gotcha, OK.
Blacksmith could make metal arrows that were too heavy for anything but point-blank range, but could not make them out of wood. Both can make arrows, but not out of the other. I got it. If it doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry, it makes sense to me. I'm agreeing with Graham. He's right.
Since I'm working on more advanced technology than my home world, should I update the Tech level of my computer or first aid skills at all? Doesn't seem as relevant for Cooking though. :)
Max, your question is answered on your other thread.
John II, you've pretty much answered your own question; there's a specific detail that you've overlooked, though. This is a feudal medieval society; the way you learn a skill is by apprenticing as a child to a man who knows it, and then you make your living doing it for the few remaining years of your life and hopefully apprentice some child to replace you when you die. You can't be the apprentice of two masters at once, so you can't learn two skill sets; once you know one skill set, you're too old to be apprenticed to another.
You were very fortunate to find a blacksmith willing to take on someone as old as you, and to some degree you've been fortunate to get others who are willing to share a bit of what they do with you--partly because they thought you were some kind nobleman, and not real competition. In the vast majority of circumstances, if a carpenter asked a fletcher how to make arrows, the fletcher would tell the carpenter that the carpenter doesn't make them, he buys them from the fletcher.
Let's dig in, with Max, Ed and Eric, John II, Adam, Graeme, and John I.
Most of what Max is asking is pretty clear in the scenario description, so I'm mostly passing on information; some of it is filling in the blanks with whatever makes sense within the framework of the character. However, whether George knows any sort of sign language needs a roll--and 25 pretty much eliminates that.
And let's start a mission.
Ed is moving forward nicely. Eric decides to heal him, and I'm not making all those rolls--Tadeusz is a professional or expert, and in some situations you don't roll professional or expert skills. The roll on the psionic healing (psionics working much better in this world for someone who knows them) is 67, which is an easy and strong success, at a dangerous +DC level of healing coming to 14 intensities of healing.
John II has a couple things happening, but easily addressed.
Adam has suggested that we put him in a doctoral studies program in genetic research, and so I'm going with that.
Graeme, whose linguistic skills in his new language are not terribly good, rolls 36--with a 1@5 BRA and 1@1 SAL in a flatlined bias, 26% is his best shot; on the other hand, this is a really simple thing to try to do, so he's going to get close. He needs a string of rolls on the language potion: 10 works, 36, 79, 26, that's three out of four good ones.
John I wants to improve skills he already has, so no rolls are needed, but we'll get him moving forward on learning.
--M. J. Young
Yeah, I see your point there MJ. I'm not trying to argue with you about it, but I did want to make one point. What does a carpenter work with? Answer, wood. What are bows and arrows made from? Answer, wood. I don't think it's that much of a stretch that a skilled carpenter would have learned to make bows and arrows over the years. Likewise, a fletcher would probably be able to do light carpentry, because of his woodworking skills. I don't think those in particular are much of a stretch. However, I do see your point, so I'm not arguing (well, not very hard) just throwing my 2 cents in on the matter.
Again, not arguing (well, not hard) but a blacksmith who had never seen a car could probably build quite a few of the parts for it. A lot of them are just formed pieces of metal. Exhaust systems in particular would be a cinch for a good blacksmith to build. I have a 2 year technical degree in electronics. Circuit boards, TV repair, that kind of thing. The teacher told us that doing house wiring is pretty much the same thing, just larger, but similar, components. The theories and applications of the two would be similar enough. I really and truly see your point here, so don't take this as a serious argument against you. It's just something I was thinking about, and wanted to lay on the proverbial table.
I'm picking up with Harry, then Max, Ed accompanied by Eric, John II, and finally Adam, who is going into some very intensive training.
Harry and I are discussing a skill that might prove important here; but we're also moving forward as he explores the ship, and with a 15 GE roll it's going to be a Not Unfavorable Result--but it's still going to be a surprise.
I'm wondering whether there are lathes aboard for George to use to make the things Max wants, but on a 4 GE roll, that's not going to be a concern. I get a 16 GE on the juggling. His effort to persuade members of the crew to learn Ameslan is a simple attribute check, but 16+12=28, and even his high 2@4 persuasion does not bring them over.
Ed and Eric are mostly talking about what to do next. It's interesting, because I think Ed is looking for ideas from the senior verser, and Eric is trying to let Ed call the shots and decide what direction to take. I agree, though, that coming to grips with the rampant ecological catastrophe that led to the release of Godzilla is an important step. I think Graeme would have approved.
John II is doing a lot of things most of which are burning up calendar--which is something he needs to do, so that he can increase his skills and attributes through the regular work with the blacksmith.
Adam is going to go through the program month by month, and things are going to happen in the outside world during that time--based entirely on GE rolls. October's is 23, Nearly As Bad As Anticipated.
--M. J. Young
Would that 4 GE on the tools (wow!) be enough to let me have some soft materials in addition to the wood so I can make my clubs nice and comfy? All wood works, but is not that nice on your hands.
Yes, Max, I was already thinking in that direction, actually--glad you asked. But first I have to talk to Harry, then Max, then Ed, then Adam, then Shawn, and finally, not counting me, Graeme.
Harry is easy to handle: he stumbled into the captain's office while the captain was there, which is where he wanted to be, although not so abruptly or awkwardly.
Max is moving toward a mission plan.
Ed has asked Eric a question which Eric has not yet answered; but I think it's pretty obvious.
Adam needs a GE roll for the situation in November: 20 is just bad enough, I believe. We'll see if he makes any suggestions for how to deal with the complications.
Shawn is skirting trouble, but that doesn't mean he can't enjoy the route.
Graeme is going to make the rounds of the temples; in each place, a seer or priest will attempt to prognosticate for him. I'm rolling skill checks for each, assuming that the top end would be a 3@10 SAL with a 2@5 BRA, +10 for matching the affiliation of the universe (for those who can be said to be in service to Jupiter), and +14 for the doubled bias, which means 89 is the top successful roll: Mars 16, Mercury 76, Venus 03, Jupiter 79, Neptune 16, Pluto 80, Diana 97, Minerva 30, Apollo 08, and Vulcan 50. He's getting a lot of information; maybe he'll figure it out.
--M. J. Young
You forgot about me last night MJ. It's OK, I know you didn't post until about 3 AM, you were probably whipped. Just don't let it happen again, if you know what's good for you Young man!!! (Kidding of course)
John II is right; in the clutter of active threads last night, I missed his. He starts tonight, with Adam and Graeme also in play.
Does anyone else find something ironic in someone not competing in a first aid skills contest because he is sick? Well, life is like that sometimes. John II gets answers to some questions.
Adam is recommending that the civilized nations take stands against the invasions currently in motion; whether that works will be determined over the course of the next month, for which he needs another GE roll: 25, they seem to be worsening.
Graeme gets a 20 GE on finding a library--which is not bad enough to prevent the existence of such a thing, but bad enough to make it difficult to access. Slightly less discouraging, he gets a 16 on whether Julia knows the top priest of Mercury.
--M. J. Young
We've got three relatively newer players--Harry, Max, and John II--and one player who has been doing this almost as long as I have, Ryan, who started three weeks after I did back in September of '92, I think.
Harry has managed to bypass the usual threats from the first officer and gotten to the more reasonable Captain John. He's started to explain his presence, and given himself a new name.
Max is preparing to be part of the contact team. I'll pull together a few more details there.
I'm adding to John II's sheet
- 1@5 Medical Diagnosis T7@0
1@8 Medical Treatment/First Aid T7@1
Ryan's persuasion score really ought to be higher; in any case, I'm bonusing it on this simple check by +4 for those excellent ways of handling things, making it effectively 1@9; he rolls 17, which is well within it, and I'm boosting the persuasion to 1@6. He then settles back into business as usual.
--M. J. Young
I figured I better mention the first-aid skills if I'm going to be teaching a 10 year old how to box. Might need first-aid there hehehe.
So how does that skill learning roll work? I'm assuming that my bias is so high that I couldn't NOT learn to use the crossbow, but if an 88 is 1@3, what would be a 1 roll?
Fifty or less is 1@1, 51 to 80 is 1@2, 81 or above gets you 1@3 - assuming, of course, that it's a successful roll. I haven't checked it, but you're probably right about your tech bias.
Thanks Scott.
Yes, I didn't do the math. I figure that John has over 100 for his electronics skill plus more than twenty for post-secondary education plus at least 5 for the world area bias, minus the 3@1 target skill puts him well into the nineties even without including an example for that toy crossbow he used, so 88 was going to be successful. I don't need to know the numbers if my estimates are accurate enough that the relevant values are outside the margin of error--in other words, I really only have to check about one in five rolls.
John II is first this time, then Adam, then Ryan.
Even though John explained how to put fletching on metal shafts, his expanation does not create the kind of fletching that makes arrows fly straight. I'm giving the metal bolts ranges of 3:9:15:30:+1/30', which is 1:3:5:10:+1/10 yards, and lethal damage category. The wooden quarrels will be 12:45:90:240:+5/12', or 4:15:30:80:+5/4 yards, damaging.
Adam has apparently recognized that he cannot control everything that the world is doing; his enemies have already infiltrated the powerful nations and undermined their ability to respond in this crisis. He needs a GE roll for January, and the roll is 16, so it's going to continue at present status quo, which is not terribly good. Also, they're in Ph.D. programs, so they'll need thesis subjects.
Ryan is eager to get back into his training sessions, but he's got a 23 GE roll. That will create serious complications, although I don't think it will be entirely thwarting--just seriously disruptive.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. I've been helping with dinner, but must thank John and Joe for doing most of the work. The beef just went in, but a filet shouldn't take that long to reach a fine hundred forty degree internal temperature, so I should be eating inside of an hour.
--M. J. Young
Things just don't taste as good outside of an hour.
So the metal arrows are more dangerous to the opponent than the wooden arrows, but with shorter range? That's exactly what I wanted.
Actually, John, the metal ones are considerably more damaging, but with a much shorter range. You can expect to be able to hit a target with the metal ones at not greater than ten yards, as compared with eighty yards for the wooden ones, but do about four times as much damage. You might still do more damage with the wooden ones within ten yards, because you'll have a much better chance to hit--roughly +45 on the die at ten yards, in comparison.
I've got Harry already answered, Max, Ed, John II, and Adam on this Black Friday. Incidentally, it's called "black" because today is the day most retailers stop using red ink in their balance books.
Harry is attempting to explain himself honestly without sounding crazy, and Captain John is accepting his statements without any suggestion that he finds them evasive, but still looking for answers.
I'm adding 1@8 Use Standard Hand Tools T3@X and 1@4 Use Horizontal Lathe T6@2 to Max' sheet, and addressing his questions and actions.
Ed is moving toward an approach to the situation; I'm not certain he fully understands it, yet, but I think he may be onto something.
John II has raised a question for which the answer is not certain: does the blacksmith know how to use a staff? On the one hand, the staff is a peasant weapon; on the other hand, there's nothing to indicate that the blacksmith was ever a soldier. A GE of 13 is barely good enough, so we'll see what John does with that. Young William rolls 42 on a skill learning roll for Boxing; he'll have a 1@10 strength, 1@6 agility, and 1@5 will power, a bod bias of 5@3, and the benefits of John's 1@6 example and half of his 1@7 Bod BRA, which is 9. He's trying to learn a B7@1 skill, so we have 20+53+16+9=98-71-27, that's a failed roll.
Adam needs his February GE roll, which is 13, barely good enough. That's the first positive roll for humanity in a while.
--M. J. Young
So 27 is the highest roll that would work with me teaching William to box? In which case, William would get 1@1 boxing? Is that it?
The metal arrows are more for inside. But I figure better to have some. They're really only good from me to the computer monitor. Exactly what I wanted. Something devastating at point blank range.
I don't see world bias included in the math, so you can probably succeed with a few numbers that are higher than 27; you just don't know exactly how high you can go without failing. Anything of 27 or less will succeed, and anything of 42 or more will fail. Telling you the exact number would be the same as telling you the world bod bias level.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you get double the world bias in something like that? 42 minus 27 is 15. So the world bias would have to be 7 or lower for that to not work. Maybe MJ goofed there. I'm sure it was an accident, but is it possible that he goofed? I really don't know.
You're right for most skill rolls, but not for skill learning; for learning, the world bias only counts once.
I thought 27 was a little low, too, which is why I looked at the numbers, but it's possible William would have succeeded with a roll as high as 41. Not that we would even know what he'd rolled if we were at a live game . . .
Well, even the best of us makes mistakes. MJ might have been dead tired and forgot to add that into the equation. When he comes back tomorrow, he will see this and be able to explain. Oh and MJ, if it turns out that you did goof somewhere, it happens, no big deal.
Mea culpa, I missed the world bias; however if it were 15@ (and it's almost never 15@), the chance of success would then be 42. A quick check tells me that the bod bias is 12@10, so we're looking at 39% chance of success, and yes, he would learn it at 1@1 or not at all, unless you can find a way to bonus his learning ability here.
Harry, Edward (possibly with Eric), John II, and Ryan are today's players.
Harry has put forward the hint that he'd like a position in the crew; that might be managed (and is what we expect player characters to do in this scenario). I'll just need to have him suggest to the captain where his skills lie.
I was about to roll a General Effects roll for Ed and Eric finding "droves" of Goths at a club, but first I think I'll check about what they're doing during the day and how they hope to find the club at night.
I've got two more failed rolls (67 and 71) on William learning to box, but the next, 02, will be the charm, and John II finally has his sparring partner, with a 1@1 SAL.
Mitzu makes a training skill roll with 02, so Ryan improves the Mitzu Assault to 1@2 inside the month; I see also the Rear Kick, Bo Stick, Spinning Kick, Axe Kick, and Leaping Kick as skills learned here, so I will assume these are also being trained, and will roll Mitzu's training skill rolls, 24, 33, 94, 41, 21, only the Spinning Kick does not improve.
I believe I'm ready to move on.
--M. J. Young
I'm squeezing a lot of people into a very little time tonight--I've somewhere to be, as mentioned in my Blogless Lepolt for the day. Let me start with Harry and see how many steps I can make through Max, Edward, John II, and Adam.
Harry will get an interview with navigation, but the captain is curious and will ask a question up front.
Max wants something good to be the situation, but I'm going to have to ask for details before I can decide whether he gets the situation he wants.
Edward needs a GE roll for whether the clubs are going to be active; Eric needs one for finding psionically resonant crystals. Ed gets 8, which is good enough that he's going to get more than he asked. Eric is not so lucky, getting 24 on his roll.
I feel as if I'm shorting John II, but I've had a lot of interruptions tonight and I've already told him that I'm not going faster than a month at a shot, so I'll move forward a month and hopefully tomorrow figure out where that puts me. He gets a 15 GE roll on the month.
Adam gets a 26 GE for March; I'm only glad it's not yet April, which if memory serves will be the last month of the program (or is that May? I may have to check that).
Got to go; it's really too late already.
--M. J. Young
A month a shot is fine. You're not shorting me. Just understand that I'd like to have 1@10 blacksmithing before I do anything else major. If you could find it in your heart to let me skip ahead faster, I'd appreciate it. Let me get to 1@10 blacksmithing if it is within your power.
I have Harry, Edward and Eric, John II, and Adam today. I'm expecting to add a new player, who will be John IV, later tonight, but he's not here yet.
Harry gets a job offer, sort of. We'll see where it goes from here.
I actually missed one of Edward's posts--cross posted--but it's not too much of a problem. Eric is tossing around some rather useless magic, but the healing spell might work--although difficult, I think, on a 93, even with his powers. Let me check the numbers, though: he gets half of his 2@9 religion is +15, all of his 2@5 BRA, nothing for bias in a flatlined world, puts us at 40%. He did not give me an SAL, but we'll assume 3@5 for 75%. On top of this we get to add a few components: +20 for physical contact required, dangerous baseline (boosted to fatal here for his 3@ skill), +5 for appropriateness, +5 for the Latin, +3 for both hands, +1 for oil, +1 because the oil is destroyed (rendered useless in the process and must be replaced), puts us easily over 100%, so we've got a very powerful healing even in the flatlined bias. This will be a very potent healing.
John II has me a bit boggled with his post, but that's not unusual for him so let me sort out what I can.
The big thing is I have to work out how long it's going to take him to reach a 1@10 SAL in blacksmithing. I see a 1@3 SAL now, and he has an instructor who is not a trainer or teacher, technically. That means 50 days per intensity increase, and he wants to move up seven increases, so 350 days--most of a year. In that time he will also improve a few other things, including those attributes I consider covered by blacksmithing.
Adam and Geneice advance their education levels to 2@5 (I've not kept up on these, but they had been studying a number of subjects and had doctoral level abilities already); this becomes their new Tech BRAs. They also add skills in genetic engineering.
For Adam:
- 2@1 Decipher Gene Code T12@1
1@8 Import Genetic Material T12@2
2@5 Design Organism Modification--virus T12@3
2@5 Modify Organism--virus T12@6
2@2 Mutagenic Virus T12@8
1@5 Design Life Form T12@9
For Geneice:
- 2@1 Decipher Gene Code T12@1
2@5 Import Genetic Material T12@2
2@1 Design Organism Modification T12@3
2@2 Modify Organism T12@6
1@8 Design Life Form T12@9
They still need the April GE roll, and 20 is not pretty.
Speaking of pretty, it's gotten pretty late here, and I've more to do, so I'd better head out of here in pretty much of a hurry.
--M. J. Young
My new player missed me last night; I'm not sure why. I'm also not sure if my phones are working tonight, so I don't know if he can call me. I still have quite a few threads, including Harry, Max, Scott, John II, Adam, and Graeme.
It occurs to me as I check back that Harry said he couldn't climb. I'm not sure exactly what that means or why he can't, but navigators do climb to the top of the masts--on rope ladders of course. It's a natural part of questions about the job, though, so I should find out easily enough.
Max pulls a 10 GE, Nearly as Good as Expected, on getting the conditions he describes. He does get a few complications but a few bennies with that.
Scott finally returns, and presents Alice with a thneeds list. It looks pretty standard, and he gets a 9 GE As Good as Expected. The items that catch my eye as questionable are
- Fireworks (illegal in New Jersey in our world, might be so in the Big Tomato, too)
- Tang™ (I'm sure there are drink mixes, but whether this particular proprietary brand exists will have to be considered)
- Velcro (maybe this is just because I'm old, but I remember when it was new and can see it never having been discovered)
- Sports energy drink (a world that has no caffeine might not have this, either)
- Whiskey (I don't know if we've established whether alcohol is available, although I'm not inclined to push Prohibition into play with everything else)
- Trouble™ (which happens to be a Parcheesi variant board game, but has that trademarked Pop-o-matic dice cube and might not exist)
- Helium (which just strikes me as an unusual item on a list of mostly ordinary ones, something which at one time you had to buy from a chemical supply house, although now you can get it at any party shop and many department stores)
John II has a lot of details to cover, particularly with skill and attribute improvements, but I'll cover them and ask a couple of questions--and then I think he's got to do something about the princesses, or it will be too late.
Adam and Geneice have a lot of skills to roll to accomplish what they intend. First, they have to decipher the gene code of their subject, for which they roll 80, 05, the second roll clearly successful (there are two of them doing this), but very weak, the first roll above the 70% chance of success. It will take time--several months. GE rolls for the months May, June, and July are 23, 21, 20, all bad. Adam then has to design the mutagenic virus, and he's given himself quite a challenge which should put some sit-mods against him, but on the other hand he has professional level skill at this so some of them should be somewhat routine. I'm seeing a 71% chance of success before sit-mods, but I'll dock it by -10 because it is extremely difficult to create a virus that does not mutate; the roll is 32, so he's got no problem with that, but again some time--about a month--will be spent, but a very good roll of 10 on the GE. Next they have to modify the virus itself (they have the design, now they have to implement it), 52 and 95, the latter not a botch and the former a strong success.
It's going to take the last two steps over again to design and create the antidote, but without the -10 because we're not being as strict in what it does and we've already got a good part of the pattern in place. 76 is a solid design, 49 and 53 are both solid implementations. The GE roll for September is 12, Good Enough.
Graeme has two things in the works, and needs two rolls. He gets an 11 GE on getting an introduction to the high priest of Mercury; I'm giving him an Ed Lev check on the research in the newspapers, 6+13=19, strongly in there.
--M. J. Young
I'm Mario now huh? I need to save the princesses?
I'm Mario now huh? I need to save the princesses?
It was an either/or, I think - you've got to save the princess soon or it will be too late. Entirely your call, and I'm not even sure if, in character, you even know how much time you have.
Yeah, but you forget. That's not really my problem. I care about as much about that as I cared about Lady Diana's marriage woes. If someone else saves them, so be it. Not my problem. Oh and if there's something horrible that's going to happen if I don't save them, please don't tell me. I repeat, I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!