Ed Carroll has reappeared, so his game, in which Eric Ashley's character Tadeusz is making a guest appearance, is being revived here. He last posted in John II Is Not At Home, in which my last post reads:
I will mention for your attention that while you are in astral travel you are disconnected from your own body, so you are unaware of events surrounding it. You can counter this by setting up a remote clairsentience or sensory access port from your body to yourself, or if you're not worried about the body you can use a telepathic link to Ed to keep you in touch with things at his end. Those are all rather low concentration skills, so they won't seriously drain your ability, although they do open you to shock should something happen at the other end.
Ed, it appears that you have your bombs.
--M. J. Young
If you follow the link back to the old boards, you can trace back through the thread to see what led to this position; I'll probably wind up looking back over those things as well, and your reminders of points I overlook are welcome.
--M. J. Young
I'm back in my body after spending considerable effort and time healing everyone on the planet. I shut down all psi links, and psi powers.
I stagger wearily to my feet.
"Major problem solved. We still have to deal with the Lizard."
A deep weariness fills my eyes as at the same time a preternatural light more felt than seen fades. I wobble. Its hard to decide what to do right now. I know I ought to do something, but after coming back to Earth as it were from near Heaven, and from such long labor, there is literally almost nothing left.
I blink blearily at Ed wanting ....something, but figuring it out is too hard right now.
I've been trying to catch up to this monster for about an hour now. In the movies, and from a distance with a sense of scale, Godzilla looks pretty slow. But in real life, you understand that scale can be deceptive. I had no more of a chance of catching up with this thing than I did of trying to capture air with a net.
I was thinking about what I had said to Eric, or the one that looked like him anyways. It occurred to me that I had been a little harsh towards him, when I noticed that he had been right there for an unknown length of time.
"Since when did you learn how to sneak up on people?" I'm a bit startled. "Nevermind that question. I've decided on a new course, and I need your help again. This thing, it has a lair, it sleeps. The question is where? If I can catch him asleep, its speed won't be an issue and I can inflict enough damage to it to allow someone with real power to finish the job." I look at Tadeusz. "No magic, no psionics. Good old defective technology should be all we need. I've thought of a way around the natural armomr."
"Started learning to sneak when General Bethleham's army was chasing me over the mountains of Utah. Picked up a bit from some Ninjas and a guy called Whispering Winds since then."
I respond in a monotone because I was asked.
"Ok. Here tote this. The dial on the right side is power. Low end will kill a man. High end will...." I giggle a bit. "Vape him and the main battle tank he's sitting in. Well maybe. Uh, I don't know.Uh, whats your plan?"
I hand him the plasma cannon. Note, I'm not disowning it. I nearly drop it handing it to him (which is something I do when I'm exhausted, I drop things.)
I babble something to him in a foreign language. I try again.
"Lay on, Macbeth, or Edward. I hate to uh, let him wander around stomping people until we find his cave, but I admit, I'm not up to doing anything."
I wave at him irritably to Do Something.
"Just call me, Lassie. Or is that Ol Yeller? I'll trail along behind." With that I start singing something haunting and totally off-topic in Gaelic only stopping to yawn face-cracking yawns. I'm wobbling between irritation, blank staring at walls, wondering what I can't figure out what I need to do, and just demented silliness which is where I sometimes get when I'm very, very tired.
Odd, this apathy is rather unlike him. Of course, it's pretty much comfirmed in my mind that it is not him, and thus I don't have to feel bad about judging him to harshly. Maybe this Eric lookalike really does do stupid acts like that...plasma cannon? Well, large artillery doesn't justify anything, but I can be bribed if the currency is right.
"So this will simply annihilate Godzilla?" I ask him. "So why in the world didn't we just use this first? It's right up there with the Far Side cartoon with Godzilla dead and the redneck holding the smoking shotgun over his body." Meanwhile I go off to test that idea while talking to him. I set this weapon for high end and aim for Gojira's neck. I figure the resultant explosion of energy will probably be tremendous, so I want as much of it hitting the big guy as I can arrange.
To clarify the situation, it happens that Eric was just partnered with someone who stopped time in the entire universe for about two and a half millennia, during which "unreal" time Eric effectively astrally traveled to every dying individual in the universe and prayed a prayer for each that would keep them minimally alive before he returned to his body as time stopped. Ed's perception would probably be that Eric's face went blank for a moment and then Eric was exhausted (because Ed experiences nothing during the time freeze). It would have been mere seconds, as everything had to be done very quickly to work at all.
You examine the strange supertech gadget. It appears to generate plasma, focused out something akin to a barrel. You point the device at the monster, who is almost a hundred yards away, and hit the button you've surmised is the trigger.
The air around you rises in temperature sharply as a glowing beam extends from the barrel extends to hit the creature. It howls. It is suffering from severe burns, its hide smouldering visibly under its right arm. It turns toward you, clearly in pain and its breathing labored, seeking the source of its injury. A burst of flame comes from its mouth into the air, apparently in an attempt to frighten rather than hit anything in particular.
--M. J. Young
OOC: I gathered that much. Again, my character is not only attempting to get his mind around that, but bear in mind I'm not jaded to the idea of four-hundred foot tall fire breating lizards. You don't see that in Tennessee too often, even with the nuclear plants we have. In short, my character hasn't become a jaded verser yet. I'm hoping it will be an interesting change of pace.
IC: Wow. My aim rots with this weapon. I was hoping to decapitate this thing. I start slowly moving backwards, getting ready to bolt like a startled deer if this next shot doesn't do the trick. I'll probably get burned by the heat of my own weapon, not to mention the chance it might overload and blow me up.
I charge up one more shot, this time aiming for the spot I just hit. If I can crack that armor now, even if the attack is less than fatal, I can kill it later.
OOC: I'd say sorry to disapoint, but I'm not. I do have streaks of dumbness, and I really don't deal well with extreme tiredness. You haven't seen me get anywhere near this tired, partially because I know I don't react well,a nd so I avoid situations which would get me in trouble.
IC: I backpeddle with Mentat.
"Good shot! Um, next time, bend your knees."
Meanwhile, I use my TK to pick up a large rock or car, and then reconsider. I put it down. I reconsider. I pick it back up. I reconsider....I'm thinking about using it at bullet speed, but then again, I'm so tired I know my judgement is out the window, and I'm wobbling as to whether I have a right to even act....my body staggers a bit...I pick up the car again....
Eric
My apology to Ed; I missed the note that you were aiming for Godzilla's neck, and calculated the shot as aimed at Godzilla. For what it's worth, "Godzilla's neck" is a much smaller target, and you would have lost a substantial part of that thousand point bonus you had for shooting at something the size of a building, in which case it is likely that the roll you made would have failed, and under the skill learning circumstance would have meant you were unable to learn to fire the weapon. Also, it would have done the same amount of damage to the creature in total, not being a fatal shot, although the crippling effects might have been more serious had it been a successful shot.
Ed, you aim and fire again as the creature turns toward you, but aiming for its flank is a difficult shot at best, and the large weapon is awkward in your hands still. You see the shot hit the creatures forearm, evidentally wounding it slightly but effectively getting its attention. Again there is an increase in temperature; it's now about ninety where you are, when it was about seventy before you pulled the trigger the first time. The breeze is starting to move the air away, but in the downtown area it does not cool quickly, and the pavement has absorbed some of that heat.
Eric, there are cars in the downtown area; there are also chunks of sidewalk and pavement jarred loose by the massive explosion, although it takes a minute of looking to find one that is actually detached and moveable with telekinesis. You've got whichever you choose at this point, bobbing up and down in time with your indecision.
--M. J. Young
A car...and then I'll yell at myself as I realize I might be tossing around someone's dream machine...however if I pick up concrete, I might unleash a natural gas leak....
"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my..." I murmur to myself as I keep bobbing the car up and down a few feet off the ground, and then back.
I try to pray, but healing six billion or so people has left me as dry as a dessert, and with no resources to cope with the knowledge of the near-genocidal error I made. But my brain is slowly recovering....and I get my first clear coherent plan....I need to sleep so I can recuperate. Unfortunately Big Lizard over there is getting in the way of that plan. I sure hope Ed knows what he's doing because I just used up all my mental clarity....My last two brain cells shared a message and are now panting from exhaustion...I giggle softly to myself as I picture two small neurons at the gym panting for breath...Somewhere deep in my mind, I know I'm starting to get better, but its not even really a light at the end of a tunnel yet....
Eric
Ed, it looks like the ball is in your court, but the beast is going to be on your side of the net in a couple minutes, too.
--M. J. Young
The heat just makes me more willing to shoot this thing to rags. The searing ozone matches my mood, and I am happy to continue shooting this monster.
But not yet. I failed to kill or badly damage with the second shot, and that means I have to evade. I start running. I prefer blind corners if they in the area, but I have to be careful. A building doesn't mean the same thing to me as it does to him.
On the other hand, if his attention is on Tad there, I'd be happy to shoot Godzilla once or twice in the back of the head.
The pickings for blind corners are not terribly good. You're standing at the intersection, Godzilla now coming down one street toward you. To your left (as you face him), the road is flooded from a broken water main, and although it is flowing away from you it's less than thirty yards to the headwaters. You could run across the street toward your right, but a building there has collapsed in the street about halfway down the block, and getting over the debris would not be an easy task.
The street is clear behind you, at least for several blocks. You might be able to get some distance between you and the monster.
On the other hand, one of the problems you're having with this weapon is that you're too far from the target to get an accurate shot at the moment. It might be worth considering whether to let the enemy get closer, and then try again.
--M. J. Young
--M. J. Young
The fallen building. I don't intend to climb over it though. I intend to use it for partial cover and something I can prop this heavy weapon upon.
I move over to the building rubble and begin executing my plan. "Hey big, scaly and ugly! Fresh meat! Come and get it!" Hopefully he's moving towards me, and I start charging the weapon up. On the plus side, if he blows fire my way, I can always go for cover. If the backdraft doesn't kill me anyways.
Ed takes off across the street and down the block. Godzilla is running, in his own lumbering way, but covering a tremendous amount of ground very quickly.
Ed scrambles for a hiding place and vantage point as the monster rounds the corner.
I would consider the ability to do this to be "ambush" skill, basically a skill enabling you to use and manipulate your environment to conceal yourself. I'm certainly comfortable giving anyone a 1@5 average amateur ability on such a skill, but before I roll the dice (you with Godzilla frozen in time mere seconds from reaching you) I thought I should ask whether you've any thoughts on how good at this you should be.
Eric, Godzilla is running your direction for those first few seconds while Ed is running the other direction. What are you doing?
--M. J. Young
I'll shamble along after Ed. I expect if anyone gets zapped it will be me unless Ed does good with the cannon.
Eric
This might be a regional linguistics issue, but to my mind a "shamble" is a slow walk; it might be a jog to someone in another part of the country, though, so I thought I would ask: how fast do you intend to be moving here? Godzilla and Ed are both moving somewhere in the region of fifteen miles per hour, and you're looking at distances of under a hundred yards.
--M. J. Young
I'll try to keep up with Ed, but I expect I'm behind him by a few yards.
Eric
Ed is turning around and trying to brace the blaster in the debris as you approach. It is apparent he is using it for cover and hoping for a good shot at closer range.
Godzilla will be upon the two of you in seconds. The weapon is charged. What distance do you hope to have when you pull the trigger?
--M. J. Young
As far as ambushing goes, let's just say that I haven't forgotten anything about jumping out from behind just about anything and scaring my younger brother to death. It was a game we played when we were kids. Nevermind the reason, we were both bored.
I want to be fairly close. Right now seems like a pretty good time, because if I wait any longer I'm lizard toejam.
"Fire in the hole!" Hopefully Eric/Tadeusz will get down promptly, because my aim with this trinket is horrible.
I duck in the path of the monster, which about a half-second later has me reminded thats perhaps not the best idea.
"Please bless his shot, O Lord." I murmur. 1@8 Increase others accuracy, may be large group, mild effect.
Eric
Ed pulls the trigger, and the searing force again heats the air as it cuts into the monster's underbelly.
The creature stops its forward momentum, apparently surprised at the pain. It rears slightly, and then topples sideways into one of the buildings along the road. Debris from the construction is falling, but Ed is under cover and unharmed by this.
Tadeusz is still dazed by the combination of injury taken in the explosion and effort expended in two and a half millennia of suspended time. The debris falls around him as the monster collapses to the ground, but although he is pelted with bits of gravel he is not the worse for it. The air fills with dust, but the beast is still and silent.
--M. J. Young
I leave the weapon where it is, not interested in the slightest in trying to carry that bulky, extremely hot weapon right now. Besides, knowing my typical luck, it would overheat and detonate with the next shot fired.
I move over to Eric. "You okay? The least I can do is give you a hand up after how rude I've been."
You'd be surprised at how amicable I can be when 5000 tons of problem are no longer in my face.
"Rude?" I blink. This guy seems familar. "Um yeah. No, no I'm not okay. I'm three-quarters dead, and my tank is about totally tapped out so I don't want to try to heal myself."
I pause. That took a lot out of me.
"I need sleep, followed by food, and then more sleep. Um, make it about thirty hours before I'll be half-functional, and able to help you."
I grab his hand, and drag myself to my feet nearly dragging Ed to the ground as I'm a lot heavier than I look.
"Get the cannon and my backpack. You don't want to leave some hundred kilotons of nuclear reactor just laying around...." My voice starts drifting off at the end...and my thoughts are wobbling between...ooh,pretty dust in the air....and....ow,ow, ow, I hurt....
But my eyes are tracking much in front of me as I stare vacantly out at a wall of a broken building.
Eric
I should mention that Ed is in worse condition than Tadeusz; he's been running on adrenaline, but is at about one intensity of life left. That is also the state of the majority of humanity--the magical healing power in this world is only sufficient to save a life, not to bring it to full health. Tadeusz may be sick and dazed and badly hurt, but he also may be the healthiest person on the planet.
As Tadeusz grabs Ed's hand, both of you realize just how weak and wounded Ed actually is. Medical attention would be nice, but it's unlikely you would be able to find help under the present circumstances, as the entire planet qualifies for disaster relief and there's no one really to send it (or at least, no one known to you, although I think Eric is aware of the presence of the Dar Koni in this universe, who are not known for offering humanitarian aid). At the least, he needs rest somewhere, and something to help restore his strength.
Also, at this moment, Tadeusz memory kicks in, and he recalls all that he ever knew about Ed (prior to his original verse out sometime around 2003?--not sure of the year).
--M. J. Young
OOC: Smile...I remember saying I'd have to stop posting because my firstborn was coming, and I'd been posting for a while already. Mr. C was born in July of 2001. Time flies when you're having fun.
IC: The mindrush wakes me for a bit.
And I realize what a mess we're in. The fact that its Ed in front of me is a motivating factor. I don't want to look like a klutz here. Also, he needs help. And so does the rest of the world. Its...weighed against the mind-screaming agony of focused thought, and of caring for anything more than my most immediate needs. But I've faced down demons from the Abyss, and sent minions of Cthulu screaming back to Madness, and killed Stalin several times.
Fury rides me, and I force myself to act.
Ok. I pray for the removal of fatigue. 2@1 mag skill. 2@1 skill level--variant spiritual fatigue. "Renew my spirit, O Lord..." I pray for over a minute as I focus my mind. My eyes are closed, and I'm still. I end with a phrase in Latin. I'm speaking out loud. Because of the excess of fatigue, for this spell, I'm going to use an extra two minute bonus for success...its something I do when I really want something to succeed. Its effectively a separate spell of 1@4 Bonus Success. It has roughly the same limits as the attached spell, but the later spell requires success in both to work.
Once that is done. I'll do physical removal of fatigue. 1@8 skill level as my usual response to needing sleep is to sleep. Same general idea as above, with different verse. "They that wait upon the...."
After that, its limited damage repair, lay hands on self as paladin, 3/day, unmoving, over a minute, eyes fixed on the horizon, mind composed. Speak out loud.
If that works, then do likewise for Ed (that is...lay on hands.)
And if all that works, then I tell Ed its good to see him, and now I need to create some sort of massive spell as a low-level ripple, a soliton wave a foot high that will sweep the world, and heal everyone....but its got to have a lot of power behind it.
In essence, I need a very direct spell that moves out in a vast area, and is backed up by a truly enormous amount of power. It will be like building the Pyramids of Giza. Enormous in scope, but simple in concept.
Eric
I'm not making much sense of your bonus success skill. Let me put a couple of options to you:
- You have a separate Bonus Success of Magic Skills skill (which I presume is also separate from your 3@2 Bonus Skills Used to Correct Mistakes M1@4 hold in right hand a stone, say "Oh Lord, I have sinned against you. Please forgive me, and bless my efforts to undo this crime against these people." skill) that takes two minutes to cast, and you cast it before casting any other skill to enhance success; this would add RS/5 to the chance of success of whatever skill followed it immediately.
- You actually know both a 2@1 Remove Spiritual Fatigue M2@1 1:30 TF vocalized prayer with latin conclusion, appropriate words, eyes closed, physically still, alliance magic +30SM and another skill identical but two minutes longer in casting time (3:30, would raise the bonus for time from +5 to +17), same bias, probably different skill ability level.
Also, I have neither an intellect nor an an mag down for Tad, which means his 2@2 intuition is standing as his mag BRA; if he's smarter or more attractive than that, he'll have better numbers for magic skills. It occurs to me that I also need a religion score--which for Tadeusz, Hammer of the Gods, is going to be at least mid-level professional, probably higher, yes? (Remember, it's not a theology issue but a combined faith and knowledge matter.)
I'm moving forward based on a roll that will be successful for the basic skill, which I am assuming is the skill you would use.
The bonus skill does not work, but you do remove your spiritual fatigue completely and immediately. You also relieve your physical fatigue. Then you heal yourself partially, and do the same for Ed.
Ed, you feel significantly but not entirely better after Eric lays his hands on you and prays.
Eric: I will need a skill ability level on the laying on hands healing skill, to determine how much healing it did (because the base damage level is bonused by the SAL level).
--M. J. Young
I almost certainly know several more bonus skills beyond that (one of them being Mana Wheels). I think one time in my WAW I said something like Tad had five different spells suited for starting a campfire. Which is not to say that Tad doesn't have huge gaps in his spellery (He's not the Architect, and he's not as systematic even though he's made attempts over the centuries.) But its that kind of thing...he can call down lightning, shoot lightning from his fingertips by the Will, and also by asking Michael for aid, and also by Balance Magic, clothe himself in a field of lightning, throw lightning, use a lightning throwing rod, create ball lightning 'hunters', ride lightning (a very scary form of 'teleport'), throw sparks, and use lightning as a form of artillery.
Some of this is going to be arcane, and some holy. Others are going to be d20 style magic, and others mental focus, and others like 'throw sparks' are quick and fast and low damage because at one point Tad thought it'd be useful to have a small collection of quick-draw magic. Some is going to be High Ritual, and others involving different schools.
At one time, I estimated he'd probably have slightly over a thousand spells. And the skill levels of them would vary greatly. But, one of his few Expert level spells would be the healing he just learned. An awful lot of them should probably be about 1@3-4 which means he has hardly used it. And this is going to be an eccletic mess of spells from dozens of different schools of magic and a number of variants on holy magic from God as well....and even a few spells from other deities but he's cautious about that.
One area he'd be somewhat limited on is normal healing as he knows he's a verser, and is not inclined to such.
So he'd probably have all four of the variant spells, but since he's smarter than me, he'd probably use the most sensible one. Longer remove fatigue-spiritual skill level 2@3 (yeah, it probably would be higher as Tad would probably be more inclined to spend the extra time in prayer if he was going to do it).
Laying on of Hands, 1@4 skill.
Intelligence....mmmm, I think you put me at 1@9, and my IQ score said I was 129. Tad's had centuries of experience and lots of dedicated practise so by now I'd say 2@5.
An Mag....hmmm, I was told a long time ago that 'Eric, you're almost handsome...when you dress up.' And my father got an offer to be a model at one time. 1@7. More confidence, standing straighter, more muscles, more balance....1@9.
Religion: 2@9.
The healing restores my strength to a point where I almost pass out from euphoria. I maintain my posture and what's left of my dignity, however. I had forgotten how badly hurt I was in the bloodlust to kill this thing and at least give the planet one less megathreat to ignore for the good of mankind.
(Stupid MIB...)
"Thanks." I look at the Godzilla who is down. "Wanna help me make sure it stays dead? I've got an idea, now that he isn't moving." I brandish the explosives he handed me earlier and grin. I still hurt, but if I can function on what I had, I can sure function healed. I ignore the pain, because I still have a giant to blow apart. From the inside.
"Sure." I grin, and stand behind him and doublecheck his work, and give advice and information as needed.
Eric
O.K., Ed, tell me what you're doing with the explosives.
--M. J. Young
Oh, and, um, I don't seen explosives skill on your sheet, so talk to me about what your skill ability level ought to be and what you know how to do. (Give me detail; there is a wide range of explosives skills.)
--M. J. Young
OOC: My knowledge of things that go boom is rather basic, but considering how the timers and switches are already present, I won't need much skill for what I'm going to do.
IC: "What I have in mind is very simple, but extremely crazy. You are going to help me climb down into Godzilla's mouth using this detonator string as an improvised rope. When there I will plant these little beauties," I hold up the time bombs. "set them for seven minutes and then run very, very far away from the cataclysmic blast. He can take tank shells to his flesh, but can he take the equivilant of fifty on the inside of his head?"
"So any questions?"
I double check what he plans to do with the timers, and make him play-act like he's doing it, and then I say...
"Vaya con Dios, my friend. And if you do get blown up, well, you'll be in a different universe. Probably different rules as Big Lizards and Huge towns don't come together very often. I should see you again, but it might be a hundred years for you."
Eric
Copying this from here:
1. An iron ball, spiked, with waxed line filled with black powder.I'm listing these skills on Ed's sheet:
2. Incendiary grenade circa 1950-2050. Magnesium and a small explosive. It can burn through soft stone like marble and limestone.
3. Disc of Electrical Resisting Wire, forty feet. Lay, cut, get far away, push trigger. Electricity races down the wire, and is resisted, thus exploding outwards. Level of damage, about an RPG per every foot. Although you can't just toss the whole forty feet at something and get 40X the explosion. It tops out between 5X and 10X because a concentration of it destabilizes in an explosion. This is 22nd century tech.
4. Stun Grenade: 40th century Tech. Tadeusz has no idea how it works other than he's used one and watched five people fall over, sleep for an hour, and wake up with no apparent damage.
5. 2 pounds of Composition Four with timers, but it requires rigging.
- 1@3 Non-fuse Detonators T6@5
1@3 Timers T6@5
1@3 Plastic Explosives T6@7
There was some mention of "Hotkey" setup in the previous thread, but that's jargon unfamiliar to me, so if someone is going to use that it will have to be explained to me. Tadeusz indicates 2@2 skill with it. Otherwise, I'll roll for the timer use on the C4.
--M. J. Young
"I want to climb down the electrical wire, and after dividing the C4 into four even half pound blocks and distributing it around inside Godzilla's jaws, in all the right places, like say, two under his probable sinus cavities, one under his tongue, and the last tossed down his throat timer on."
"I don't plan one worrying about timers for the other three though. If I am not mistaken, if the wire is connected to them all and then activated, not only will the wire itself to damage, but the current running into the bombs will set them off as well."
"So, how does it sound? I recognize we don't have much time, and there is a lot that could go wrong, but it is the best I could come up with on short notice."
"Using ERC cord as detonator cord, that's not bad." I run the math through my mind. 2@1 Math, and remember what I know of explosives (which I think we've already rated) to see if it works, but offhand it seems like it should. However, I give it a few minutes to be safe.
Then if it seems okay, I'll nod.
"Go get him."
Eric
It seems good. It goes very well, such that there is very little left of the monster's head after the blast, although it's made quite a mess of blood and brains.
I think that part of the problem is pretty much finished.
--M. J. Young
"Well, that actually worked better than I expected it to." I wipe the gore off of my face. "Now then," I move back to where I dropped the plasma ejector. I plan on giving it back. "what's next for this place? Undoubtably the MIB will perform the world's biggest cleanup job, and I don't want to be here when they smoke my memories of this. I don't ever, ever want to forget blowing Godzilla to bits, because that is just too awesome."