Chapter 4: The Command Center

Forum for online DragonMech game "Destiny of Steam and Steel."

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Chapter 4: The Command Center

Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Command Center

Music
Green liquid flows over you in a tidal wave of slime. It is hot and the smell hits your noses. It smells like wet moldy bread with just a hint of mint. Tempting? Perhaps not. A lot of mouths close.

Robert manages to surge forward fast enough that he can get to the door before the tide hits him. He doesn't get into the next room but he manages to grab the doorframe to prevent himself from being swept away. Air hisses around his head at his internal airsupply comes online and his face place turns green with slime. Almost blind, the noise obscures his ability to hear and he can not tell what is going on.

"Holy Mother" Namfoodle manages to utter before taking a face full of slime. He whirls down the passage banging into the walls. Blood mixes with slime. Slime rolls down his throat. Namfoodle throws up underwater. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail. It's just as horrible as you imagine it is. No, a little bit worse than that.

Connaught manages to grab part of a ladder, or perhaps its just a pipe. Luckily it's not boiling hot or freezing cold. It wouldn't be the first time someone falling had grabbed onto something and then let go. Connaught is engulfed by slime. Not strong enough to make any headway, he tries to drink a potion of Bull's strength. Then he has a fun experience. Slime and muck, and not a lot, head on down with the potion. Connaught gets to experience the thrill of throwing up underwater too! The potion functions at half effectiveness, giving him a +2 enhancement bonus to his Strength score for the next hour.

Glod is able to move before the green wave hits and grabs onto some pipes. He is able to move slightly behind the pipes so that the "water" his the pipes. He hears a loud groaning sound but the pipes hold. He isn't swept away but is covered in slime. Glod scrambles around for his force generator and activates it underwater.

There is a loud, but very low, base, sound as the water explodes away from the force generator, creating a void bubble. The generator starts to hum loudly without air-cooling and the bubble starts to shrink. There is nothing in the bubble - no air. It's a true void. This is forcing some of the slime away from Glod but it's not especially helping the situation.

Music
Thirty Seconds
It's just thirty seconds. Heck thats five combat rounds. I can hold my breath that long. Robert can breath normally. But trapped in a fairly small room filled with hot green slime and your half digested lunch, it seems like forever. The slime pours and pours like a river.

Namfoodle is pinned on a grate. Connaught dangles from pipes. Robert clenches the door frame. The slime is hot and hateful. A wave of dark emotions pass by. It, they, want you. For a time, for a short time, you want them. It would be easy to let go and be swept along by this mob of souls that washes by you.

There is little mercy in this devastated world. There is no Yamato bringing back the Cosmic DNA to make everything better. The world is a desert invaded by lunar aliens and they are well on their way to winning their war. Just give up. It would be easy. Just surrender, let go, breath in and it will all be over. No more pain. No more cares. Just slide through Neddirpik greasing it's gears with hate.

Then, suddenly it is over.

Connaught wipes slime from his face and can make out the main entrance to the command deck just past Robert in his armor.

Music
A green figure stands before Robert. He holds in on hand a curved blade, broken about halfway up. There is a red bandana on his forehead and his clothing has almost disolved. He's still got most of his teeth.

Hammer steps forward and drives his blade into Robert's helmet. The broken sword punches through the armor and drives right through the helmet to jut out on the other side. Robert can see a shaft of steel right beside his head and his left ear hurts something feirce (1 pt of damage) but it missed his skull because Robert cocked his head to the side. Hammer kicks Robert in the gut as he tries to pull the sword out.

Image
Music

Better give me some combat actions.

Namfoodle and Connaught take 1 pt of Constitution damage from the slime they have injested, even though they threw it up.


Mark Charke
Reese
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Post by Reese »

{Wounds -9; HP = 14/23}

[initiative: 3 + 3 = 6 ... or 7 if we're still in the initiative from last thread]
[move action: stand from prone]
assuming he is in the room:
[std. action: casts shadowbinding range 40', 10' radius, DC 19 will save or dazed 1 round then entangled for 5 additional rounds(DC 20 escape artist or strength check to escape entangle)]
otherwise:
[moves full 20' back towards the room]

A much abused gnome stand himself up, shaking his head to clear it, the slime, and other matter best not described, flying free of his shaking head and dripping from his bruised and battered body. Feeling rather ill used, the poor gnome orients himself and goes to the aid of his allies.
Namfoodle "Sparklediver" Raulnor
{Wounds -12; HP = 11/23}
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Post by Raptor »

Init roll 12+6=18 (or 16 if still going from previous thread).
Robert swings back with his buzzaxe, expending his psionic focus to use his psionic weapon feat on the first attack.

Attack #1: 11+10=21, damage 5+5slash+3+2psionic=15.
Attack #2: 15+6(-4 hit,+4AC combat expertise)=21, damage 2+5=7
Attack #3: 18+6=24, damage 11+5=16
Attack #4: 13+6=19, damage 10+5=15
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Post by sedm1549 »

con damage 1pt, con 12 to 11
-6 hp, now 17/22 (28 old max)
fort -1, +4 to +3

- - - - -

init 12+4 = 16 (or 16 from previous thread)

connaught draws his rapier and trys to tumble past hammers twisted form into a flanking position with robert.

tumble 11+5 = 16

"sorry hammer"

Connaught attacks

att #1 13+10=23 (25 if flanking)
damage 1d6+2 (+2d6 if flanking) = 7 (or 18)

att #2 8+10=18 (20 if flanking)
damage 1d6+2 (+2d6 if flanking) = 3 (or 10)

att #3 7+10=17 (19 if flanking)
damage 1d6+2 (+2d6 if flanking) = 7 (or 14)

att #4 14+10=24 (26 if flanking)
damage 1d6+2 (+2d6 if flanking) = 5 (or 9)
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Post by Reese »

{I had forgetten we are playing it where we take 4 moves at a time. :? My next move will depend on how my spell works out. If it takes hold, I'll Cast some other spells, otherwise I'll start looking around for some weapons or something.}
Namfoodle "Sparklediver" Raulnor
{Wounds -12; HP = 11/23}
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Post by Orin »

Init 4+3 = 7

Attacks with steam gun

(1) 12 +6 = 18
dmg = 11

(2) 4 +6 = 10
dmg = 18

(3) 19 +6 = 25
dmg =18

(4) 3 +6 = 9
dmg =6
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Steam

Reese's spell goes off. The shadows grab at Hammer and hold him, but only for moments. He starts to move through the shadows. They struggle to hold but it is like holding water....

Raptor lunges forward with his buzzaze. There is green material everywhere. That thing about hitting the fan? Well you took the fan and hit Hammer with it. Ooze everywhere!

Connaught rolls past Hammer, spins and drives his rapier right through him. It seems to have some effect but the ooze closes the hole up fairly quickly.

Glod's steam gun is very effective. Instead of just green bits splattered all over, trying to claw back to the original, there is green steam everywhere.

DING ROUND II

Stunned for a round, everyone takes another whack at the slimy version of Hammer. Bits chunk off of him, boil off him, get peirced off him. Of course he doesn't go down. These wounds might have killed a living person, but he is slime now - less of it - but he's still there, an almost skeletal reminant still fighting.

He hauls on the broken sword in Robert's helmet and it slides free. He swings wildly but there is just no strength in the attack. Being skeletalized does that. The slime is reforming but much of the mass is lost. He misses for the most part.

Ding Ding!

It doesn't take much more to cut his legs out from under him. The combination of the buzz axe and steam gun are really cutting him appart and destroying the bits that come off him. The rapier used more for slashing than stabbing suddenly becomes useful for getting those bits off, y'know - ears, fingers, his hand.

"Sorry? Don't feel sorry. Feel dead."

They are words from underwater spoken by a fishman. That is how Hammer sounds. Then he says something arcane. Just hearing the words is a contradiction. The arcane words he says smell of smoke and flame, even comming form that bubbly underwater voice.

"Heh." It laughs. "If this doesn't kill you, you've still got to get past Goy."

It starts to get very warm.

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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Steam

Music

Reese's spell goes off. The shadows grab at Hammer and hold him, but only for moments. He starts to move through the shadows. They struggle to hold but it is like holding water....

Raptor lunges forward with his buzzaze. There is green material everywhere. That thing about hitting the fan? Well you took the fan and hit Hammer with it. Ooze everywhere!

Connaught rolls past Hammer, spins and drives his rapier right through him. It seems to have some effect but the ooze closes the hole up fairly quickly.

Glod's steam gun is very effective. Instead of just green bits splattered all over, trying to claw back to the original, there is green steam everywhere.

DING ROUND II

Stunned for a round, everyone takes another whack at the slimy version of Hammer. Bits chunk off of him, boil off him, get peirced off him. Of course he doesn't go down. These wounds might have killed a living person, but he is slime now - less of it - but he's still there, an almost skeletal reminant still fighting.

He hauls on the broken sword in Robert's helmet and it slides free. He swings wildly but there is just no strength in the attack. Being skeletalized does that. The slime is reforming but much of the mass is lost. He misses for the most part.

Ding Ding!

It doesn't take much more to cut his legs out from under him. The combination of the buzz axe and steam gun are really cutting him appart and destroying the bits that come off him. The rapier used more for slashing than stabbing suddenly becomes useful for getting those bits off, y'know - ears, fingers, his hand.

"Sorry? Don't feel sorry. Feel dead."

They are words from underwater spoken by a fishman. That is how Hammer sounds. Then he says something arcane. Just hearing the words is a contradiction. The arcane words he says smell of smoke and flame, even comming form that bubbly underwater voice.

Music
"Heh." It laughs. "If this doesn't kill you, you've still got to get past Goy."

It starts to get very warm.

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Post by Reese »

Namfoodle tries to guess what spell the thing might be casting/have cast.
[spellcraft 3 +14 (extra +2 if illusion) = 17(19) ]
Namfoodle "Sparklediver" Raulnor
{Wounds -12; HP = 11/23}
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Post by sedm1549 »

connaught keeps on hacking as per last post
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Post by Orin »

Glod continues to use the steam cannon.
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Music
Namfoodle tries to guess what spell the thing might be casting/have cast.
Oh it's a classic - just a fireball.

There is steam and hacking and suddenly there is fire. The room turns bloody red for an instant as it becomes blinding hot.

The fireball inflicts 17 points of fire damage to everyone (Reflex saving throw DC 16 for half damage or none if you have evasion).

Namfoodle recognizes the spell. He gains a +2 circumstance bonus to the Reflex saving throw.

After the fireball, hammer is little more than a oozy skull on the floor, Namfoodle's shadow binding still clinging at it.

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Post by Reese »

[saving throw, DC16 fireball: 13 + 5 + 2 = 20; success; takes 9 damage]

Namfoodle recognizes the spell and ducks behind some coveniently placed piping, which cuts the brunt of the blast, though he is still badly burned.

{Wounds -18; HP = 5/23}

{assuming the potions and gear were split like discussed in the OOC thread}
Namfoodle fishes a potion out of his pack and consumes it.
[cure light wounds, 1d8+1 = 5+1 = 6]

{Wounds -12; HP = 11/23}
Namfoodle "Sparklediver" Raulnor
{Wounds -12; HP = 11/23}
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Post by sedm1549 »

[saving throw, DC16 fireball: 20 + 9 = 29; success; no damage - evasion]

Connaught hits the deck and avoids the blast (bar a few syinged hairs on the back of his neck)

"every one ok, whats Goy?"
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Post by Raptor »

As the fireball explodes, Robert crouches down, deflecting most of the flame with shield and armor. {ref save 20+3=23 vs DC 16 takes 9 dam. 33hp - 9 = 24 hp.} After determining Hammer is down, Robert takes out a potion and drinks it. {Cure light wnds 5+1 = 6, 24 hp +6=30}
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Post by Orin »

Glod Ref 17 + 5 = 23

Glod moves quickly enough to bring his force field steam power between him and the flames.
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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
The Command Center

Music

Namfoodle 11/29 HP
Connaught ?/24 HP
Robert 30/34 HP
Glod ?/36HP

Healing potions go down throats and things feel better. A little anyway. Burned, slimed, drowned, blow up and trapped in thousands of tons of steel, how good could it be.

The clockwork puppet, covered in slime but unharmed by the fireball, wanders up the corridor. It pauses at what is left of hammer, scoops it up and deposites it in a glass potion container, which vanishes into a storage compartment within the puppet. Then it stands and waits for commands.

Beyond is a burned slime coated set of stairs. They lead up into the command center proper. It looks something like Hemisphere's command center except that it is much larger. There are buttons and knobs as far as the eye can see.

There is room for several dozen people to sit at different control stations. There are thick glassed windows which look out over the whole world. The command chair looks like something out of a borg nightmare, covered in various controls for the Captain.

At least in theory, you should be able to control most of Neddirpik from this location. That includes environmental controls, movement, primary weapons, a variety of video survalence, doors, locks, emergency shut offs, communications and even an automated food system for the command crew.

The deck is clear and most of the systems appear to be offline. Some of them have been paddlocked, a crude security system. It looks like the crew set everything to a secure status and bugged out. No one is here.

About half the deck, the back half, is slimed with a thick hard green material. Looks like dried slime. At the back of the room is a large door. It is shut and completely covered in hard slime. It would take a minute to crack through the slime until you could open this door.

Beyond the door you can hear machinery. Well at least it sounds like machinery at first. There is a thumping sound. It's like a great big piston but it's not one you are familiar with - of course, none of you have been on the command deck before. Still, the more you listen to it, the less it sounds like a normal piston. Perhaps two pistons. No wait... ...it's a heart beat.


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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Thought Process

Image

Music
On...click, whir......dat, dat, dat, dat
Data: Audio
Data: Visual
Data: Heat
Data: Unknown_

Query.....[See: Thor]

Command.Com
Autoexec.bat
...
..
.
Automosis.Exe
Automosis.Dat
.
You are.
.
I am?

What am I?

Walk 122:144:13
Walk 14:233:01
Walk 14:40:02
Walk 14:10:03

Data: [Heat]: 140 degrees

Data: [Video]: Malfunction
Data: [Audio]: Malfunction
Data: [Known]: Asking for Divine Intervention_

-Repair Sequence Activated-
-Repair Sequence Activated-
-Repair Sequence Activated-
-Repair Sequence Activated-
-Repair Sequence Activated-
-Repair Sequence Activated-

-Repairs Sequence Deactivated-

Walk 14:200:03

[Iniate Retrieval]

Wait for Commands>_

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Post by Charke »

Destiny of Steam and Steel
Goy's Grip


Music

He can smell you. Sitting in the air duct right behind you he waits. He waits for you to drop your guard. He's watching. He watched you kill Hammer. He watched you breach the command center. He's watching you now. And he's still hungry. He's always hungry.

Music

He arrives, a creature of white in a suit the same color as a lunar dragon. Perhaps he skinned one to get it. Perhaps not. How many lunar dragons have gor-tex hides? Not a lot one would imagine.

He stands there in the corridor. He wasn't there before. At least at some point in time he wasn't there but you can't really be sure when he wasn't there and when he is - wasn't? He could have always been there. That feels right but at some level you realize that isn't possible. He's there now. Will he always be there? He's moving but that doesn't change anything. Was he ever where he started moving and not where he is now?

The answer requires a Fortitude saving throw (DC 40) to resist temporal change...

The black man in white storms across the command deck. Santa he is not but he did bring gifts. A spellbook. A magic tool. A magical rapier.

And then nothing. No one gave you those gifts. There was never anyone there. Santa is a myth. Certanly. If he had been you would have remembered Santa. No this was the man in white. And never in all of history has he been anywhere.

These are items you made. When becomes something of an issue. Perhaps it was just sideways of last tuesday for six months in another world, one forgotten? You can't remember. The items are not from the future and you did not spend any time on them but they are there regardless and of your own crafting.

Thought Process
With no commands to the contrary or otherwise, the clockwork puppet stands there in the command center. He is mostly oblivious to the small steampowered device in his hand. It looks like something Glod and Hammer might have cobbled together in another time, if Neddirpik hadn't left them behind and if Goy hadn't shown up. It's a very complicated peice of technology. It even comes with instructions. Of course "insert here" isn't the best of instructions.

Waiting for commands>_

Music

Don't worry that heart sound is still beating. No I didn't forget about it. Someone's trying to use Neddirpik just like some of those slime creatures used some of the smaller mechs in the hangar. Its a good thing none of them succeeded. No wait - there are two green mechs, they look like bugs from up here. They're outside stomping around on the ants nearby. No wait, those are people.

Music

Hemisphere II just stands there, a great useless giant. Perhaps the engine gave out or it ran out of steam. Perhaps some changes made to the steam pipes went wrong and blew out the boiler. Perhaps it ran out of fuel. Perhaps - yeah right. You can tell with a glance what is wrong. The mech has no soul. Its soul was turned to slimey goo and is painting the walls in a room below the command deck. Hammer is gone. Someone strong enough to weild Hemisphere II is required.

And what is it about Hemisphere II that requires such a strong soul? Perhaps the clockwork puppet can shed some light on the subject. A clue perhaps, hidden from the sun. It doesn't really matter. You've got Goy and his Grip to deal with first.

Music

"Tell Lurn I said hi."

Now who do you suppose said that? Of course. You can't remember who said it. It's a memory, like something you read in a book five years ago that you remember only today. It would have been nice if he'd mentioned that Lurn is that lovely lady you met in the shower a couple of weeks ago and that she is still on Neddirpik with very little interest in what is going on but more focused on finding someone who barely knows she exists or that her heart belongs to him. Of course she doen't know they are waiting for the Prime.

Merry Christmas Everyone,

Mark Charke
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Post by Raptor »

Fort Sv roll 16+5=21
Robert shakes his head to try and clear his disorientation and says "I think what we're looking for is behind that door. Connaught, I think you should get that steam bomb back out to blow the door, the try to gain control of Nedderpick to stop the smaller mechs attacking the people outside." Robert then spends a full round action to attempt to regain his psionic focus (DC=20, roll=11+10=21).
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Post by Charke »

You could use the steam bomb to open the door, but a chisel or a sledgehammer to remove the slime and then just opening the door would take about 1 full minute of work - unless the door is bared somehow on the other side. The doors in this room are designed so you can always get out. The locking mechanisms are on this side of the door. The door is locked but it opens easily from this side - once you get the slime off. (Besides you might need the bomb for what is on the other side...)

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Post by sedm1549 »

fort save 16+3=19

"lets get that door open quick, if we can't shift it by hand i'll blow it open. we have to stop those mechs wiping out hemisphere and the refugees."

connaught pulls out his crowbar and a magnet bomb. if the door isn't open in 1 min then he'll use the magnet bomb.

looking at the clockwork puppet;

"may be we can use that ..... clockwork thing, to get it open a bit faster."

-----

"gifts??"
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Post by Charke »

You don't actually need to open this door to control Neddirpik - you ARE in the command center. The next room could be a closet....
"gifts??"
Bad Command or File Name
Searching...
Bad Command or File Name
Bad Command or File Name
Bad Command or File Name
Bad Command or File Name
Santa.Exe.............12/25/06?
Run

Input required...

"What do you want for Christmas?"

Waiting for Commands>_

Running Christmas.Bat

We Wish You A Merry Christmas
So this is Christmas
Oh Christmas Tree
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Carol of the Bells 2
Carol of the Bells
Silent Night 2
Silent Night (soft)

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Post by sedm1549 »

If we're in the control room then ......

connaught goes for a gunning station. mechcraft / knowlege (mech) checks to try and identify a set of steam gun controls.

mechcraft 3 + 8 = 11
knowlege (mech) 14 + 6 = 20

"lets see what we can do about those mechs out side. Robert, take this bomb, blow that door if you have to. lets stop this one way or another before neddirpik's crew is wiped out."

connaught passes robert the magnet bomb, then aims at the mech closest to the stranded crew and pushes the weapon to the limit. If it turns out to be a short range weapon, not able to engage the attacking mechs he switchs to another weapon station.

checks to by pass lock outs

open lock 14 + 11 = 25
meck craft 17 + 8 = 25

push envelope +2 att and damg (first station only)
attack #1

11+7+2= 21 - range pens damage - weapon +2

attack #2

3+7+2 = 12 - range pens damage - weapon +2
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Post by Charke »

One of Nedderpik's cannons slowly rises and turns to face the oblivious mech below. There is a tremendous whoosh. The air turns green with steam, not white, and the mech's softer components are vaporized. Being that the mech was controled by green slime, it has no controller and no ruber components left and just teeters over and slams to the ground. With all the seals evaporated, the boiler hisses green and white steam as it depresurises.

Cognaught dials a giant wheel and the arm turns a few degrees. Steam gushes forward again and another one of those tiny steammechs below falls over.

"What are you doing to my children?" A disembodied voice asks....

Mark Charke
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