Derek has found what to his is the equivalent to you of a free weapons cache--take all you want. He loves working with computers, and the information about computer systems here is so far beyond even the world in which he started really hacking systems that he spends every spare minute learning everything he can about them. There is a moment in his future when two people who know him will comment that if you put him at a strange computer in a few minutes he could have it tell him its designer's mother's maiden name. This is where he is learning that stuff, and you're pulling him away from it because you want him to teach you how to fight--and he's neither a very good fighter nor very interested in it. He considers hand-to-hand a choice of last resort, and will first use his laser rifle and his thrown paralyzing darts.
Discussion of mechanics of comparative checks will be behind the screens.
"No, no, that's all right. I should probably take a break anyway, get some exercise--Lauren would approve of me getting in a bit of practice with the knife and chain."
Derek's knife is a butcher knife, well-crafted. He took it from the kitchen of what he thinks was a seventeenth century mansion in the Italian Alps, where a man named Montressor shot him with a cap and ball pistol. He practiced with it more when he was with Lauren, and has gotten pretty good with it.
He takes the knife in his left hand and a cast iron skillet in his right.
"All right, I should probably try to do this martial arts stuff Lauren was showing me." He rather awkwardly tries to get into what might be described as a parody of a familiar form.
"This really is not working," he says. "Well, I never really use it to fight anyway. What's your plan here?"
--M. J. Young
"This really is not working," he says. "Well, I never really use it to fight anyway. What's your plan here?"
Put my Kabar away and say to Derek "I can see you're not terribly comfortable with this. I don't think I could use a knife in a fight anyway. It's just not my style, ya know? Well, since I can see we're really not doing what we want to be doing, how about you check and see if you can locate me a double barrel 12 gauge and figure out how to book passage to the place where they are sold. Sorry man, didn't realize this wasn't your thing."
That's it and that's all. See if he can find me a double barrel. Eighteen inches or more on the barrel. If it's longer, I'm going to cut it down. There's a reason shotguns on our world are supposed to have an 18 inch barrel or more to be legal. Shorter barrels become kind of dangerous.
"Derek, if you can pay your own way, you're more than welcome to come with me when I go pick it up. I've been in TerraNova for a couple of months now, and I want to see what else is around here. They said there were a lot of lower tech planets. Maybe go check out one of them."
Derek would have to be insistent that he wants to try the knife fighting for me to change my mind on it.
MJ, you said that you don't normally push the issue of encumbrance unless the player pushes it. If it's OK with you, I'd just as soon not push it. At least not right now. Since it seems my verse out is imminent when Lauren's disaster strikes, we can just put that off until the next world. I might decide to make an issue of it then, but for right now, if you're cool with dropping it, so am I.
Multiple Posts
Completely deleting post.
(Doing Therapy)
Multiple Posts
In the time when I'm not doing anything, I would be watching movies in my hotel. I'd watch movies at random. In the thread Inspiration, I asked about magical items and being inspired to make them by a movie. Could I have seen the same movie, or one similar enough to get the inspiration to make these magical items?
(This is more for me)
The items are:
4, yes, no, maybe rune stones,
enchanted chain
Babylon candles
Bottled Lightning (Or was that Tech?)
(Doing Therapy)
More than one post
Can I get that 9mm carbine with a selector switch? Fully automatic weapons are commonplace, from what you've said so far. If I could get it with a 3 position selector switch, semi-auto, tri-burst (three rounds fired per trigger squeeze) or fully auto, that would be good.
(Doing therapy)
Yes on the gun. Note it as such, and be sure to tell me how you are using it. (Full auto is not usually treated as aimed shots, but as GE roll for effects, because you cannot aim and fire separate shots at full auto--although you could insist on rolling a hit on the first and taking the GE thereafter. I would say that tri-burst would be treated as one attack roll for the first shot with two damage riders rolled separately for damage, but I don't have to decide that now.
If you want to know whether you've seen those items in a movie your character saw, it is only relevant if you are trying to perform a spell which relates to one of those items. If it's merely that you want to be "inspired" to create something like that, I don't really care--you can say you saw it in a movie or not. If you want to use it as an example which will bonus your chance of success, I do care, and you'll have to get a GE roll at the time you attempt the magic to determine whether you did or did not see such a thing in a movie.
--M. J. Young
Can Derek do a computer search for the double barrel shotgun, and book us passage to get there?
There is no chance that Derek can or would take time away from his job to travel elsewhere, but he will do a search for you. He finds nothing that fits your description in the database of the station. If such a shotgun exists in this universe, the TerraNova computer does not know it.
You could try taking a tour of less-advanced planets to see if you can find something out there somewhere, but the cost would be probably more than you've saved at this point, and there's no way to know where you would have to go, as far as he can tell.
--M. J. Young
"Well hey Derek, whilst you're at the computer, why not see if you can book me passage to a less-advanced planet? Just for the fun of it. I've seen pretty much everything that was here, why not check and see what else is out there? I don't care about the money. I mean I found 84 gemstones growing on trees. It's not like I'm hurting for cash, ya know? I'm no longer going after the gun, I just want to see what else is out there. Maybe see if there's a nice, quiet planet somewhere where I can do my metalworking in peace."
I mean, if the concept is to play test the world, let's see if I can break it, ya know?
(Doing Therapy)
Two Posts
And yeah, I have no problem with the notion that I wouldn't have enough money left to make any trips. However, I've got one gemstone that's worth 4,000 credits. If that ain't enough money......
"Where and when?"
--M. J. Young`
"Check for a world with roughly late 20th century earth technology. (I wouldn't know how to check for that, but let's see if we can figure it out) Can you carry weapons? How much is it, and what is the schedule like? (I mean, if they have flights leaving every 2 hours, then it doesn't really matter when) I wouldn't want to go before tomorrow (My holsters come in then) and I'd need to get some time off work, but what the hey? It sounds like a lot of fun. Why won't you come Derek? I bet you could get a few days off of work for it. I'm not talking about staying forever (Unless the world is REALLY cool) Maybe a week, tops. I just want to see what else is out there. Why not?"
Derek is willing to hunt for worlds based on specific parameters, but he's not sure how to find them. For example, he lists things that might characterize late twentieth century Earth, and although he can't see yet how to check for them he asks which ones should matter:
--Cars but no hover cars
--Jet travel but no orbital or suborbital transport
--Computers but no artificial intelligence
--Explosive-driven guns but no rail guns
--Lasers but not for weapon use
He points out that any planet that does not have space travel probably cannot be reached by space travel without making special arrangements, and so it might be both tricky and expensive to get there. He's also not sure whether there are any rules about visiting planets that do not have space travel, and might mean either you're going to have to get special permission of some sort or hire private transportation for an illegal run.
Derek is not interested in the least in giving up the comforts of this world to visit some backward primitive location, particularly given how very much he is learning about advanced computer systems working with Raeph here. Did he tell you that they use trinary systems, and he's upgraded his laptop to use the same high-speed processing? That they have biocomputers doing the error checking? That he has keys and passes that give him access to nearly every space on the station so he can do repair work on computer systems? He loves it here. He thinks you're an idiot to want to leave. But he'll try to find a place if you give him more specifics on it.
--M. J. Young
I'm sure I would have already told Derek about Dancing Princess in casual, out of game conversation, so here goes.
"If you saw the way I lived back home, (And MJ, you saw my apartment) you'd understand. This place is the lap of luxury compared to my last world, but my last world was the lap of luxury compared to how I lived back home. Ya know what? Forget it. Sounds like there's too much red tape involved with this. I think I'm just gonna sack out right now. Peace out dude."
When I awaken from my slumber, it will be day 10. Go pick up my holsters. After that, I will be wearing one of the 9mm pistols under my jacket and the 357 behind my back, also under the jacket, at all times. Sometime before or after work, contact Lauren for some more sparring. I still want to do fighting blind. If it's OK with you, I want the new use on boxing. After that, one more, and I'm good to go.
Just an aside, my mental picture of Derek looks a lot like Spencer Breslin. If you know who that is, then you'll know why I find it so funny.
I've managed to confuse myself here; it would be quite helpful if you would fill in the blanks.
My notes say:
Day 8Lauren starts coaching on Great Leap
Sparring--John +1 mark on Boxing to 1@10+1
John learns Blank Mind P2@4
Martial Arts Lesson; next Day 15
Day 9
They don't say what you learned or did on Day 9. If you can supply that, I'll put it in the notes and start Day 10. If you can't, I'll hunt it down. I just thought you might remember, since you have only the one game to remember.
Thanks.
--M. J. Young
Day 9. New use on Boxing. Fought Lauren whilst wearing backpacks.
Two Posts
Bought the folding shotgun, ammo, 9mm carbine, shotgun bandoleer, what else?
My day 10 actions are cited in the above posting, before your last.
MJ, I think I'm going to be disowning some things here soon. Let me take a look at my sheet. I don't think I'm going to need my bike, for instance, and I need to drop some weight. Let me think on it for a little while.
What I am not seeing on your Day 9 list is what skill Lauren taught you. That should probably be added, unless it there is some reason why you did not learn it.
I think she would be teaching you clairaudience.
--M. J. Young
Lauren didn't teach me any psionic skills on day 9. That's why I didn't mention it. We did fighting instead of psionics.
Two Posts, 2 days later
The Tri-burst on the 9mm carbine wouldn't be "throwing lead". At least I wouldn't think so. It should count as 3 aimed shots fired simultaneously. Fully auto, the recoil throws the aim off, but tri burst, it would (probably) fire all three shots before the recoil really became an issue. I'd think it would count as 3 aimed shots.
When I get it, the gun is on tri-burst, unless otherwise specified. I would never use full auto. Just a waste of ammo. My day ten actions are up about a half-dozen posts.
Oh yeah, and the first time I shoot it, it would be a new use on my large explosive-driven slug thrower skill. Never shot a tri-burst.
Tri-burst: I'll think about it.
Lauren would not skip a day of psionic lessons unless you specifically said to skip it. Your call.
--M. J. Young
Lauren might not skip a day, but MJ could have been tired one day and forgotten about it. Point is, I didn't learn any psionics. You can argue with me all you want about it, but I still didn't learn any psionics.
Just go to day 10. Why are you wasting all this time on it? I didn't learn any psionics. Go to day 10 and learn them.
Two Posts
Or is it that you can roll the dice once and I get a new psionic skill? If that's it, I'll take it.
Multiple posts
On the tri-burst, would it be 3 rolls? It should be 1 roll for three attacks. I don't know. Damage rider on a single attack? who knows?
Day 9: Lauren projects into your how to hear remotely--"clairaudience" she calls it--and you find that this skill comes fairly easy to you.
It is now Day 10.
--M. J. Young
When I awaken from my slumber, it will be day 10. Go pick up my holsters. After that, I will be wearing one of the 9mm pistols under my jacket and the 357 behind my back, also under the jacket, at all times. Sometime before or after work, contact Lauren for some more sparring. I still want to do fighting blind. If it's OK with you, I want the new use on boxing. After that, one more, and I'm good to go.
Just an aside, my mental picture of Derek looks a lot like Spencer Breslin. If you know who that is, then you'll know why I find it so funny.
That is not really too far off my image of what Derek looks like, but since I've no idea who he is, it's not funny.
I vaguely recall that you had some plan for how to handle the blind fighting situation that did not involve blinding both of you, but I don't recall what it is. There was some place you thought you could make dark enough for this, but it's not going to be the gym (you have no control of the lights there). So, what was the plan?
Sparring is after lessons anyway; Lauren was going to teach you clairvoyance, but you already know that, so she shifts to clairolfaction: the ability to detect and identify odors remotely. She projects the skill pattern to your mind, and you find you can do it rather easily.
She then goes off with Derek to learn more about computers, promising to catch up with you later wherever it is you said you wanted to do the sparring.
--M. J. Young
The plan for the sparring was to do it in my hotel room. In there, I can lower the lights to almost pitch black. That's where I'd want to do the fighting blind. I'd want the new use on the boxing, not on the fighting blind. (Or can I have it on both?)
"And yeah Lauren, I know I'm not much of an opponent, but were you that big of a challenge for your instructor when you first started? I'm getting better, you must admit. Give me a couple more days, I'll be twice the opponent I am now." (Literally, since I'll have twice as many attacks per round)
Two Posts
Are the ceilings in the apartment high enough to allow a great leap to be done? Reason being, round one, I have the new use for fighting blind. If the ceilings are high enough to pull off a great leap, round two, call for lights on (voice activated lights, right?) Then, use my one attack to leap over and behind Lauren. Incorporating the great leap into my boxing would also be a new use. (At least I would hope) A fourth new use in the middle of the fight, takes my skill level up. So when I make the jump, I will be 1@10+3, when I land, I will be 2@1, and have a second attack to tag Lauren. That should make things really interesting. Don't even try it until you're satisfied that I've got my new use and am at 1@10+3. Once that happens, call for lights on, great leap over and behind Lauren, land a 2@1, and tag Lauren again. She's gonna be surprised. Going for two new uses in the fight.
If I pull that off: "And you thought I wasn't much of an opponent. Shame on you....."
I know I probably shouldn't say this, but it would mean the world to me if you would allow the ceilings to be high enough to do this. The ceilings in my apartment here are high enough for that. If I pull this off, it's gonna be so cool....
Also, I'd think that the lights suddenly coming on would momentarily confuse Lauren, giving me an edge in pulling off the attack when I land. I'm expecting it, she isn't.
Three Posts
And of course, no one moves until I call for go on the fight. That is imperative here. I don't have a chance against her when I can see, I certainly don't want to get caught off guard when I can't see.
Don't forget, I have 2@8 night vision and 2@10 eyesight. That might be my only advantage here.
Oh yeah, Spencer Breslin. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0107748/
He played Bruce Willis' younger self in The Kid. (The way he talks, it should probably be Sthpencer Bresthlin.)
Lauren meets you in your room. You dim the lights.
At your comment about her trainer, she laughs. "He never sparred with me, not once. He taught me forms and katas, and sometimes when I was doing them he would do things to knock me off balance. At my first lesson, he threw me in the lake several times simply by grabbing the tip of my weapon out of the air and giving it a tug in an unanticipated direction--but I managed to sink him a couple times, too. He did not think that I would benefit from sparring with him, and honestly I saw him fight a few times against vampires, and agree that there was no way I could have touched him at all."
Ceilings in a space station hotel room are only seven to eight feet. Part of that is to make maximum use of horizontal space (the taller each ceiling, the fewer floors can fit in the station), and part of it is for environmental reasons (the movement of warm air is effected by gravity, and the higher the ceilings the less consistent atmospheric temperatures are). Do you think that is high enough for your maneuver? I don't think you could easily pass between her and the ceiling, but I'll give you a chance on it if you want.
She drops into stance, a bit slowly. "Are you sure you want to do this? Anyway, I'm ready when you are."
--M. J. Young
Would it be 2 new uses, one for the dark, and one for the great leap in boxing? (DAMMIT!!! I really wanted to do that!!!!)
The great leap can be horizontal too, right? In that case, instead of trying to leap over and behind her, I'd try to leap to her side to get behind her. Perhaps use the leap to dodge an attack. That would be a new use on the great leap too, since I've never used it for horizontal jumping. I'd rather get the new use on boxing, if I can only have one, but I'd think it would be on both. Your call though. On boxing if I can only have one. (I really want 2@1 boxing)
So yeah, once I have 1@10+3 on the boxing, use my attack to great leap to the side of and behind Lauren, bringing me to 2@1 boxing, giving me the second attack, to tag her. Once I'm ready to dance, call for it.
Or if she gets away from me, use the great leap to close the gap quickly, or something, just as long as the great leap is used, giving me the new use, and taking me to 2@1. I'd want to put that in and get the new use. To impress Lauren would also be part of my scheme.
And don't forget the roll the night vision. My friends always complain that they can't see when they come over. I keep the place pretty dark. I can see fine, they're half blind.
Multiple Posts
I think that single shot 12 gauge and the 9mm carbine are coming in on day 22 if I'm not mistaken. I also ordered 10 thirty round magazines and 20 flares. As soon as those come in, I'll revise the Verser's Survival Pack, and it should be at the weight limit. I can't revise it just yet, because I don't actually have those two guns. (Together, they would weigh less than the Mossberg Persuader does alone, and provide a whole lot more firepower) A small assault rifle and a "blooper" shotgun. Those are the long guns I want to carry.
Since I'm likely versing out shortly after day 22, we will worry about the weight and encumbrance in the next world. I'd like to get the benefits from that, but at the moment, I can't do anything until I get those other two guns.
Just a minor clarification of the way I think about these things: your character will not know that he has a new skill mark on boxing, so he can't make decisions based on when that happens. Since he can't know it and can't make decisions based on that, it does not so much matter whether it happens in the first round or the last; and since a single skill mark will not change anything about the combat, I don't have to decide when it happens, only whether the fight provides sufficient basis for new use in its totality. Also, it is unlikely in the extreme that you would get two "new uses" marks for the same fight, unless you did two very distinct and distinctive new things (and nothing like that comes to my mind for the current situation) or the fight ran long enough that two such new uses are sufficiently separated within the context of the one fight to be separate advances.
That means that if your character is not going to jump until he has the skill mark, he will never jump in this fight.
So, let's try to revise your plan.
You drop comfortably into stance; it is definitely too dark for you to see. You reach out with our other senses, but find nothing. Lauren is apparently waiting for you to say go.
--M. J. Young
"Lauren, how well can you see? I'm blind as a bat, so seriously, take it easy on me. OK honey, let's dance."
roll that fighting blind and the night vision skill as often as possible. As I'm sure you're aware, your eyes adjust slowly over time. Within a few minutes, my night vision would be up to par, so roll it again in a minute or so.
Two Posts
After this:
I'm assuming she's told me about those 50 caliber pistols by now.
"I'd like to go to the range and fire those 50s of yours, if that's OK with you. They sell 50 caliber ammo here, I'll buy a couple of boxes. You can shoot my 9mms if you want to."
That should be a new use on my hand-carried explosive-driven slug thrower skill of mine. I've never shot anything even remotely that big. I've shot a 44 magnum, but that would be a pellet gun compared to these guys.
(Doing Therapy)
Multiple Posts (Hey, it's the game, I can post here as often as I want)
On that 9mm carbine, on second thought, I wouldn't even want a full-auto setting. The only reason I want tri-burst is because it's only a 9mm. I wouldn't even consider that with the MAK 90. Safe, semi-auto and tri-burst are the settings I want. Is that OK with you?
Regarding that, I was thinking about it. Probably 1 attack roll, 2 damage riders of equal value, but say with a -5 chance to hit for the second and third shot, progressively. The recoil would probably throw the muzzle up an inch or so for each shot. Still aimed in the general direction, but just climbing a bit. Just a suggestion. Would this be an acceptable way? (Asking because of desire to learn to referee)
Also, same damage category to hit, but (perhaps) a +10 sit mod on damage. It would be marginally more powerful than the handgun, but probably not enough to raise the damage category. Just a thought.
(Doing Therapy)
Multiple posts, probably the last.
I think that vampire world that Lauren goes to in the book would be a good one. Maybe set it in an old-west town. That would be even cooler. I know, players shouldn't make suggestions, but what the hey?
In fact, I'm practicing my prayer skill praying to go to a world like that. I said that a couple dozen posts back. Maybe it was an old west world, I don't remember. Anyway, that would be like perfect at this stage in the game.
(Doing Therapy)
Her thoughts come into your head telepathically: John, I've spent centuries fighting vampires. If I couldn't see in the dark, I would not have fared near so well as I have. Oh, and I'm also experienced enough to know that talking can give away your position pretty quickly.
Nothing happens for most of a minute.
Were you going to do anything? she sends.
Suddenly you catch a whiff of her shampoo, and know where she is.
My recollection is that she has already declined your request to play with her guns. Or was it your intention to nag her about it? Besides, it's not a new use on any of your weapon skills, because those pistols are in a different class: heavy hand-carried.
If I missed anything to which I should have responded, I apologize--there is too much on this forum for me to process tonight, and I'm going to have to quit now.
--M. J. Young
My recollection is that she has already declined your request to play with her guns. Or was it your intention to nag her about it?
I didn't recall asking. Forget it then.
Great Leap time. I would have cleared the room out, and I would have a mental picture of where everything is. I'm doing it blind, but trying not to hit Lauren. I want to get behind her and try to tag her that way. Would this be a new use? If not on boxing, I've never tried to great leap forward before. I'd rather have it on boxing though.
MJ, they don't have double barrel 12 gauge shotguns, do they have double barrel 8 gauge shotguns? And if so, can I get a chamber insert to take it down to the size of a 12 gauge? (This is very common. 16 and 20 gauge inserts are made for 12 gauge guns all the time.) And of course, I'd get some 8 gauge ammo. The last roll on the subject said that they existed but were hard to find. Would an 8 gauge be easier to find?
Ya know MJ, given what I know about this world, I would think this would be likely, actually. Double barrel guns will always be popular. Some things just never go out of style. However, they aren't popular enough in this world to merit making all of the different calibers, so they make one caliber gun and make barrel inserts for anyone who wants a smaller caliber gun. I'd think this no worse than a 17-20, based on what I know of the world.
(Doing Therapy)