As you warn Oo-hii, the two humans emerge.
One - the one on the left - has skin of a deep, vegetable green, and appears to be dressed only in such belts and straps as are necessary to secure her equipment, which is extensive. She has a very high forehead (which makes her appear a bit eggheaded), and a modestly athletic build. Her gear, among many other items and containers, includes a rifle on her back and something resembling a pistol on one of her many belts, though she currently wields a machete.
The man on the right is the taller of the two. He is not green; his only physical oddity is his astoundingly ugly face. (It puts one in mind of a bulldog licking lemon juice from a nettle.) He also wields a machete and carries a stowed rifle, and though he is burlier than his companion, he looks like he's been exerting himself to a greater degree.
They both spot Oo-hii just as the man finishes his sentence:
" . . . elusive."
The three only stand and stare at each other for an instant before Oo-hii bolts, fleeing at top speed along the ground (away from the humans, perpendicular to your prior path of travel). As you greet the humans telepathically, the woman - presumably Aran - shouts, "After him!"
" . . . we could search for it together."
As the two humans begin to take off in pursuit of Oo-hii, the man thinks back,
::If you want to help, then stop that monkey! Don't let it get away!::
___
Maxx's side had First Strike (due to surprise, see above posts). Oo-hii exercised his option to retreat rather than attack, and Maxx chose to negotiate. The other side has initiated its action for the round, namely pursuit of Oo-hii, who has a bit of a head start but is not using his preferred mode of travel. Next round, first strike will be determined by an initiative roll.
So I guess the target is Oo-hii's race then.
::If you want to help, then stop that monkey! Don't let it get away!::
::Could you match that speed?
Stopping something like that is too much even for me.
I could probably search for them though.::
I will then follow them to see if they could catch up to Oo-hii.
Oo-hii's pursuers quickly leave you behind, but they're not difficult to follow. You float along after them at your sedate spirit pace, uninhibited by the vegetation. A few seconds into the chase (while you can almost still see the humans), there is blue flash up ahead, accompanied by a low, thrumming vwmmm; after about a minute, you catch up to them.
The man is breathing heavily, machete held limply in his right hand while he braces himself against a tree with his left. Aran is just catching up with him herself; her machete is stowed, with her gleaming silver ray-gun having taken its place in her right hand.
"I was so close," she says. "I could swear I almost got him."
The man looks like he wants to reply, but is breathing too heavily to articulate his response.
___
Oo-hii is fleeing at a wing-assisted base speed of 12m/melee turn through his native terrain; his pursuers also have base speeds of 12, but as they are inhibited by the terrain, I'm cutting that to 9. The book tells me trotting speeds are 4/3rds of base, charging is double, and maximum speed is five times base, or 60 for Oo-hii and 45 for his pursuit. Since he had a five meter head start and a round has passed, that puts the gap at twenty meters. (One melee turn is ten seconds.) Of course, both sides are putting themselves in grave danger by traveling through a Gamma World jungle at maximum speed, but this is not necessarily a bad move on Oo-hii's part: ranged weapons cannot be fired if the attacker is trotting or charging, much less moving all-out.
Initiative for the second round comes up 4, 4. As there are no initiative adjustments for Dexterity on either side, action for this round is simultaneous. (It's meant to be imagined simultaneously anyway, but in this case it will be adjudicated simultaneously). By this time the humans have realized they will lose Oo-hii soon, so Aran will take a shot before she loses the opportunity. I'll interpret simultaneous action to mean that Oo-hii has traveled 30m and Aran has traveled 5m at the time she takes her shot (she's slowing to base speed to allow ranged attacks), placing the gap at 45m: just inside the maximum range of her pistol, but well outside of the effective range (25m). Taking a -5 penalty on the attack for range, she rolls 13 on 1d20, reduced to 08; checking the Physical Attack Matrix, we find that for a Weapon Class of 12, she needed at least a 09 to hit Oo-hii's Armor Class of 8.
A very near thing, for reasons which may become apparent.
No need to check for the other human - Oo-hii is already beyond the maximum range for all his weapons, and at this point there is no hope for closing the gap barring extraordinary good luck for the pursuers (Oo-hii caught by a carnivorous plant, etc.). No such luck occurs. After another melee turn or two, the winged lemur-creature has escaped.
::The pursuers have lost track of the target.::
I think to myself and to Oo-hii so that he will know that he is not pursued anymore.
I will examine the ray-gun then after that I will examine the machete.
::Wow! That was close. So why have you been hunting those creature?
Do you have a way to track them?::
I will also try to examine the skin of both human to see if anything is different from normal human.
*****
A very near thing, for reasons which may become apparent.
I wonder what that is.
::The pursuers have lost track of the target.::
I think to myself and to Oo-hii so that he will know that he is not pursued anymore.
You no longer feel any connection to Oo-hii. You don't think your thoughts reached him.
I will examine the ray-gun then after that I will examine the machete.
What do you hope to discern?
The machetes are broad iron blades with slight back-curve, all of one piece with their handles; they greatly resemble the blades in these two images. They are designed for hacking and slashing, not for piercing, fancy swordplay, or peeling fruit.
The ray-gun is shiny, of a silvery hue. It is small, and looks lightweight.
I will also try to examine the skin of both human to see if anything is different from normal human.
The man's appears normal - deeply tanned, hairy where you would expect. Aran's is a deep, vegetable green, as mentioned earlier. All else appears normal. Unless you employing some special means to examine them, you wont be able to tell much more than that.
::Wow! That was close. So why have you been hunting those creature?
Do you have a way to track them?::
The man looks around as though searching for you as he replies (still catching his breath),
"They . . . they've got . . . " he gestures vaguely toward his own face with one hand, "we need . . . "
Aran, also glancing every which way, interrupts him.
"Okay, first off, could you quit hiding and come out in the open? It's unnerving trying to talk to somebody you can't see."
What do you hope to discern?
The material of the machete and the ray-gun.
Unless you employing some special means to examine them, you wont be able to tell much more than that.
As long as it is detectable later on.
could you quit hiding and come out in the open?
::I am right in front of you but I do not blame you for not able to see me. Everyone has its quirk here and there in this world right?
I am Morach. And you are?::
::Can you tell me more about what you need?
I would also love some history lessons because my memory of this world seems a little blurry. You know what this world does to your mind right?::
As long as it is detectable later on.
All right, I've given this some thought, and I'm not sure I'm comfortable with your detect skill being able to do things like detect 'tiger fur' as opposed to 'rabbit fur' or 'lion fur'. I think if I were to let you do that, we would have to list all the individuals you had examined on the materials list, which is NOT something I'm willing to do. Skin is skin, and if you attempt to detect skin, that's what you'll detect. I'm stretching a point by allowing you to detect skin in the first place; I'm not going to allow a Detect Materials skill to be twisted into a Detect Animal Kind skill, or worse a Detect Individual.
My justification for this in-game is that the degree to which you can discriminate between materials when detecting them is the exactly degree to which you can discriminate between materials when examining them. I'll add that this is context-free: that is, if the only reason you can tell it's rabbit fur instead of cat fur is because it's on a rabbit, that's not good enough; you have examined merely 'fur'.
Accordingly, I have added 'fur,' 'skin,' and 'iron' to your detectable materials list. Sight alone is not sufficient at present to identify the ray-gun's material, so I have neither added it nor named it.
I'll respond to the remainder of your post in a second post, forthcoming.
::I am right in front of you but I do not blame you for not able to see me. Everyone has its quirk here and there in this world right?
I am Morach. And you are?::
"Fair enough. I'm Aran. This is Rogar."
Rogar has his breath back. "Hi."
Aran, still looking around for you, says, "Could you at least tell me what you're near? I'd like to be looking at you, even if I can't see you."
::Can you tell me more about what you need?
I would also love some history lessons because my memory of this world seems a little blurry. You know what this world does to your mind right?::
Aran says, "Listen, we don't have time for history lessons. We need to get our hands on one of those monkeys."
Rogar gestures toward his face again, "They have venom sacs, in their mouths and throats. A man back at our village knows how to make medicine from it."
Aran cuts in, "My daughter is sick. We left two days ago, so by now it's probably spread to the other children. Even if we catch one today we might not make it back in time for all of them, so either help us or stop wasting our time."
Rogar mutters, quietly, "Aran, please, you'll drive it off . . ."
My justification for this in-game is that the degree to which you can discriminate between materials when detecting them is the exactly degree to which you can discriminate between materials when examining them.
What if Morach examine the material with the below skill?
1@1 Analyze Chemistry by Spectroscopic Imaging P9@1 allows user to perceive all energies emanating or reflecting from all materials in view as color bars which can be sorted to identify materials and energy levels, following 4:00 preparation, an intellect check may be necessary to interpret the information, +30SM
Can he detect the exact material if he can discern it with the above skill?
Sight alone is not sufficient at present to identify the ray-gun's material
I will try to use Analyze Chemistry by Spectroscopic Imaging skill to check the material of the ray-gun.
(Replying to the newer post)
::Hi Aran. Hi Rogar.::
"Could you at least tell me what you're near? I'd like to be looking at you, even if I can't see you."
::You do not have to worry about that. You are looking at me right now.::
"They have venom sacs, in their mouths and throats. A man back at our village knows how to make medicine from it."
::How much venom sacs are needed? Can you make more if you get a little sample?
Is it possible to let the "monkey" survive the venom sac extraction?::
My daughter is sick. We left two days ago, so by now it's probably spread to the other children.
::I would like to examine the sick ones. Could you tell me or just think of the nearest patient direction so that I can attempt to cure them?
A sample of the disease would probably suffice too. I do not want to waste more of your time so you can talk to me via telepathy while searching for the cure.::
If they tell me the direction of the nearest patient or the disease sample then I will go that direction while maintaining the connection to them telepathically.
Yes, the Analyze Chemistry by Spectroscopic Imaging skill would be a great help in determining the materials of items for later detection. However, I note that it requires four minutes of preparatory concentration, which in this particular circumstance would somewhat inhibit your ability to converse with the humanoids. I'm not saying you can't do it, I'm saying it would be awkward and/or difficult. Do you still want to proceed?
::How much venom sacs are needed? Can you make more if you get a little sample?
Is it possible to let the "monkey" survive the venom sac extraction?::
Rogar responds, "I don't know. We were going to bring back the whole monkey, just to be safe. Fresher that way, too."
Aran's brow tightens. "Old Man Vita doesn't talk much about the process."
::I would like to examine the sick ones. Could you tell me or just think of the nearest patient direction so that I can attempt to cure them?
A sample of the disease would probably suffice too. I do not want to waste more of your time so you can talk to me via telepathy while searching for the cure.::
They look at each other for a moment; then Aran says,
"No offense, but we don't usually give out the location of our village to people we just met. It's not that we don't trust you . . . "
Rogar says, "Isn't it? I mean, we don't, and that's why, right? No offense to him or anything."
"Okay, fine, we don't trust you. But you know what would go a long way toward making me trust you? If you would scout out that monkey's new hiding place and report back to us so we can sneak up on it. If we can't see you, it can't either, right?"
Rogar looks very impressed with Aran. "Say, that's a good idea!"
Do you still want to proceed?
I will proceed with the analyzing skill during the time they need to catch their breath then I will start the conversation with them.
Fresher that way, too.
::Do you have anything to stun the target but does not kill it then to preserve it longer?
Or can you extract it from any dead "monkey"?::
we don't usually give out the location of our village
::That is why I only ask for a sample and not the location of the village.
I could possibly track your village location just like how I could track the "monkey" location but that might take some time and lives might have been lost if the disease is not cured on time.
Can you ask someone from your village to come to a specific meeting place or something and bring the sample?
Do anyone in your village have fast transportation, the ability to get here quickly or the ability to communicate from afar?::
If we can't see you, it can't either, right?
::Some animal could "see" me so I am not completely invisible or anything. It also seems that the "monkey" earlier reacted to my presence.::
::Let me see what I can do about it. If I have any luck then I will contact you guys again.::
I will then continue my search for Oo-hii's brother by trying to detect fur.
I will proceed with the analyzing skill during the time they need to catch their breath then I will start the conversation with them.
You get an interesting spectrum from the pistol-shaped device, filing it away in your memory and noting that looks like some sort of complex metallic alloy.
::Do you have anything to stun the target but does not kill it then to preserve it longer?
Or can you extract it from any dead "monkey"?::
Aran replies, "The plan is to bring it back alive. Don't worry, we've got the stunning covered."
::That is why I only ask for a sample and not the location of the village.::
Rogar asks, "What do you mean, a sample of the disease? Wouldn't that be a sick person? Neither of us are sick. The sick people are back at the village."
::Do anyone in your village have fast transportation, the ability to get here quickly or the ability to communicate from afar?::
Aran says, "No. Even our telepaths can't think farther than thirty meters or so. We don't have any way of contacting them that doesn't involve someone going back there with a message."
Rogar adds, "And if anyone could move faster than us, we'd have brought them."
::Let me see what I can do about it. If I have any luck then I will contact you guys again.::
Aran says, "Good luck. We'll wait, but not for too long; if we don't hear back from you after a while, we'll pick up the hunt on our own."
Rogar says, "Thank you for helping, Morach. I'll remember this."
I will then continue my search for Oo-hii's brother by trying to detect fur.
You don't detect fur in the immediate area. Are you setting off in the direction in which Oo-hii was last seen to be traveling, in the hopes that you will detect fur eventually, or are you trying some other tactic?
_______
Four minutes is a long time for them spend catching their breath, but I'll stretch a point and allow it this once - only because we were discussing the mechanics concurrent with the conversation and I don't want to redo the entire sequence of events. In the future, we'll keep in mind the time investment required for examinations this detailed, yes?
His Multiverser chance of success in this world would be 91% (20 BRA + 11 SAL + 30 bias + 30 SM), and since there's no Gamma World equivalent for the skill (I'm unwilling to award him Ultravision), we'll use that chance of success. The roll is 89, so I'm adding 'Aran's pistol alloy' to the materials list.
His attempt at fur detection requires both a skill check and a GE roll, neither of which I will reveal here (.5love from pungent and tranquil cardiojurisprudence, respectively).
You get an interesting spectrum from the pistol-shaped device
Did I get anything else from the surrounding when the analyzing skill is active?
we've got the stunning covered.
I got to get my hands on one of those stunning weapons (pun intended) in the future.
What do you mean, a sample of the disease? Wouldn't that be a sick person?
::A sick person could be a sample but carrying that somewhere else would be hard. What I have in mind is more to tissue or blood sample of the infected person.::
Even our telepaths can't think farther than thirty meters or so. We don't have any way of contacting them that doesn't involve someone going back there with a message.
::Too bad that you cannot teleport back quickly to base when you caught the "monkey". That could save you a lot of time.::
And if anyone could move faster than us, we'd have brought them.
That makes me think that Aran can teleport or something and Rogar can detect a targeted animal with sense of smell but that is just a guess.
we'll pick up the hunt on our own.
::That will be up to you but I think searching together will be a lot faster because we will cover more ground.::
Thank you for helping, Morach.
::You are welcome.::
are you trying some other tactic?
I will use my Locate Telepathically Known Person skill to detect Oo-hii. I will probably use this skill to find Aran or Rogar later on so I hope that I know their minds enough to detect them later.
*****
In the future, we'll keep in mind the time investment required for examinations this detailed, yes?
I hope so.
Bump for Scott's attention.
Bump again for last poster.
No need for the bump; all of my game threads are tagged 'Scott', and I check that tag anytime I'm looking for player posts. And anyways, I'm monitoring the Random Chat thread in the other forum, and saw your post there first.
Speaking of the other forum, this game will continued there in the thread titled Maxximum Realities.