JesseLowe/PirateMonkeySession20
- Back to Session 19
You say, "yes indeed. Working out the fleet, at the moment."
You say, "which is a bit tricky, since the wiki's down..."
The Storyteller grimaces.
Captain Kaizoku says, "Yes... I never imagined anyone would try and spam a wiki... I'm insufficiently depraved, I guess."
You say, "Have you checked it recently? Getting 500 Internal Server Error now."
TonyC materializes out of thin air.
Monkey says, "Yo."
Captain Kaizoku says, "Yes, just checked and saw it..."
You say, "hey tony!"
Captain Kaizoku says, "Yo ho!"
TonyC [to Apollonian]: Alright. Q: How much downtime we got between last time and this time?
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 14 days, as I recall. )
TonyC [to Apollonian]: Confirmation?
The Storyteller just got his coffee on.
Apollonian [to TonyC]: Yes, it's been about 2 weeks.
You say, "Bad news: Wiki is down. Good news: I backed up the Pirate, Monkey stuff (kicking myself for not getting the rest of my junk) and should have the important stuff up on my own site shortly -- in a few minutes."
Monkey . o O ( Be advised that due to lack of training time, Monkey actually has three less charms and one less ability that the character sheet says. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I just finished updating the Captain from my own records (Presuming that combo is OK). Shall I e-mail it to you Jesse? )
You say, "Eh? I thought that you had only spent up to 4 weeks total of stuff."
TonyC [to Apollonian]: I recommend backing the wiki stuff up at some other wiki.
TonyC [to Apollonian]: Was that for me or for David?
Apollonian [to TonyC]: to you
TonyC [to Apollonian]: There's actually 3.5 weeks of stuff by my count. The majority of it is used to learn a completely new ability, as per the agreement between me and David.
Apollonian [to TonyC]: Ah, okay.
Apollonian [to jetman]: Oh, and do e-mail me that sheet.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( OK, just have to convert bullets to numbers... )
You say, "It's up. go to: http://www.dichotomystudio.com/exalted/exaltedindex.html"
You say, "don't have the fleet completed yet, but we can work that out..."
You say, "So, let me get my coffee... and then we'll get underway. As it were."
TonyC [to jetman]: Is Monkey on Stormhammer?
TonyC [to jetman]: And what about Captain Kaizoku himself?
jetman [to TonyC]: The Captain is on the Nimbus. Monkey is normally on the Nimbus as well, but when battle is immenient, will go to the Stormhammer
TonyC [to jetman]: Which ship is Nimbus?
jetman [to TonyC]: One of the triremes.
jetman [to TonyC]: Now the flagship.
TonyC [to jetman]: Hmmm, what's the minimum requirement for a Light Imp Bow? I currently don't have access to Outcaste.
Apollonian [to TonyC]: Light implosion bow doesn't have a requirement, save Essence use.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yep, maintaining it takes skills, but if you're familiar with it, firing's no problem. )
TonyC [to Apollonian]: okay, i'm good to go then.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Lighting Ballistae have dragon-blooded gunners now too, BTW. )
jetman [to Apollonian]: And the stats have been mailed
Apollonian [to jetman]: Got 'em. And... goddamn. Nice combo. Spendy, but effective. Are you going to take it?
jetman [to Apollonian]: Oh, Norio and Onyx are on the Nimbus, while the scavenger brothers and Black Sam are on the Corona, with the latter being an understudy to Snarling Wolf, learning how to Proreus.
Apollonian [to jetman]: Also, If you're going to keep going that route -- damage the inanimate -- think about picking up the Athletics Strength-boosting chain.
jetman [to Apollonian]: Yes... with an average roll, that should hole a trireme, and you only need to do that once... Essence Gathering Temper is the next charm on the list, and I only need one day more of training to get it.
The Storyteller . o O ( One more distraction before I set the scene: If you refresh the exaltedindex page, you'll see a map of Cherak. )
The Storyteller . o O ( or not. Phooey. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, now it works. It's not very high quality, but should help. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway... )
It's a good day for sailing, with a fresh breeze (force 6) from the south-south-west driving the Solar Wind Fleet up the coast of Cherak. You're about ten or fifteen miles from the coastline, running roughly parallel to it, presently about 40 miles to the east of The Scarlet Fortress according to your charts. The Stormhammer leads the fleet, followed by the Nimbus and Corona, and trailed by the Venture and the Voyager. At about mid-morning, the lookout on the Stormhammer shouts, "Sail! Sail ho!"
Captain Kaizoku strides to the bow of his flagship and pulls the spyglass from his coat to observe it firsthand, waving a hand in the signal for the top officers to come in.
Monkey clambers up the main mast, over the crow's nest, and perched himself on top of the pole.
Monkey puts his hands over his brows to shade his eyes from the glare of the sun and cranes his neck to get a better look.
You both see a small, ragged squadron of ships -- barely deserving of the name, they're nought but small coasters -- desperately tacking against the wind in an effort to escape their pursuers. The small ships, eight in all, bear animal images on their sails, while their pursuers are clearly Realm triremes, five of them. They're about ten miles away and moving toward you.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What's the Realm fleet's speed and approximate intercept time? And are they displaying or using first-age weapons? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Intercept time with you or with their prey? And no, they're not firing at all, so you can't tell if they have first age weapons or not. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( With us, and it's too far to make out details on the decks then? )
Monkey . o O ( Those triremes, are they currently using sail or oars? (I'm assuming oars, but just to make sure....) )
The Storyteller . o O ( It's about... well, can't give an exact speed (oops), but they'll intercept their prey in about an hour, and your fleet at about forty minutes (given your combined speeds). The triremes are rowing. Oh, and are you displaying the Solar flag? )
Monkey . o O ( Don't think so. Shall we? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Not yet... it's like the Jolly Roger. )
Captain Kaizoku calls out "Artillery Chief!" and points to Saji. "Send a message to the lead of that ship..." He points to the lead animal-sail vessel. "They will have a chance to turn and fight very soon, and to be prepared. Raise the Solar flag and clear the decks for action! Signal the Stormhammer to close for transfer!"
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. What do you do? I'll split things up into ten minute intervals... )
Monkey jumps down from the mast, grabs a rigging, and slides down to the bow.
The Storyteller . o O ( Ah. Signalling in this case still consists of shouting "Ahoy!" correct? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Lookshy recruits have the heliograph code... and Wind-Carried Words, so those are what's being used. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )
Monkey says, "Captain, the Realm fleet will expect us to give a wide berth. If we don't, they'll suspect something. Do we want to circle around or just sail straight into them?"
The Storyteller . o O ( An aside: Does charging 4 xp (3 if Linguistics is favored) sound reasonable for learning a new language without raising Linguistics? )
Captain Kaizoku says, "Oh, they can tell we are not Realm ships already Monkey, and so we must be pirates... you will take the Stormhammer and Marukani and flank them, keeping them close together so they will be good targets for our lightning.""
Monkey . o O ( Magic works, but heliograph works only if there's someone who understands the code. Likely the Realm fleet does but the coasters, if they belong to the northern barbarians, probably won't. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The barbarians get the Wind-Carried words, flag and light signals for inter-fleet messages. )
Monkey says, "Aye aye, Captain."
Captain Kaizoku says, "Should a boarding situation develop, you are to pull up on the opposite side of the battle and board from there. Target the oars and sails of any likely targets with the Implosion Bow along the way"
Monkey says, "Yes, sir."
Captain Kaizoku leans in closer to Monkey and asks in a private voice "Are you prepared for your first command?"
Monkey . o O ( I make no guarantee that Monkey will actually do that. It'll depend on the situation. :) )
Monkey says, "What do you mean, Captain. I'm always ready for anything."
Monkey . o O ( Heh heh heh. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Fortunately there aren't that many shiny objects on the surface of the sea to distract him, at least. )
Ten minutes have passed, and the fleet is almost ready. The decks have been cleared for action, the ballistae and bows are manned, and the Stormhammer is pulling away from the Nimbus with Monkey in command...
Captain Kaizoku trains his spyglass on the refugee fleet to see if they have reacted to the message yet.
Monkey . o O ( By the way, 4 xp/language... I don't know. How many languages is out there in the realm? )
The refugee fleet is still tacking, though now they seem to be making toward the Captain's fleet. On the decks, you can see fighting men crowding against the rails, preparing for battle with brightly painted wooden shields and sharp swords. Some point toward you, others toward their pursuers.
Monkey . o O ( In creation, I mean. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 8 main ones, plus guild cants and tribal tongues, looks like )
The Storyteller . o O ( Languages? Um... 10+. High Realm, Low Realm, Riverspeak, Skytongue, Flametongue, Seatongue, Forest-tongue, tribal tongues, Guild Cant, Old Realm, plus any others that may be spoken in secret. )
Captain Kaizoku has Saji send a messages to Hydros on the Corona, designating the lead Realm ship as the target for the Lighting Ballistae, and to fire once the Nimbus does. "Sailcutters will be aimed at the deck!" he instructs the conventional gunners. "We will show the lapdogs of the Realm who the seas belong to!"
Monkey . o O ( Hmmmm, given the Storyteller system, a better solution is probably a babel fish artifact or charm. )
Twenty minutes since you sighted the ships. The Realm wolfpack is changing in formation, and clearly considers you a potentially hostile force. Instead of the V-shaped formation they had adopted for pursuit, they are now in a staggered line, spread out and -- in all likelihood -- focusing on the Nimbus and Corona.
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain, do you want to use your Tactical Instincts? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, yes. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Tactics and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( nice )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( A good roll. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Do you do anything between now and the clash of ships? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Aside from the traditional lip-chewing, that is... )
Monkey tells the captain of Stormhammer, "Break formation. Make it look like this yacht is avoiding combat."
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Try and size up any Exalted and first-age weapons on the wolfpack... and 10 minutes out, light up the caste mark to let them know what they're facing. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Ah. V. important. Make a Per + Awareness roll, then. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Still no Awareness and got 1 success.
Monkey adds, "Once the fight starts, we'll turn hard to starboard and start shooting. With luck, they'll all be paying attention to Nimbus and we'll get a surprise shot.
The Storyteller . o O ( You can't see any Exalted for sure, but they're armed with firedust weapons, judging from the wicked-looking brass barrels protruding out over each trireme's ram. And when the Captain light's up his Caste mark, there's a barely noticeable ripple of shock through each ship. The refugee ships are also startled. )
Monkey is tempted to flare his anima banner too, but decided that he'd rather not copy the Captain.
Captain Kaizoku is at the prow, standing firm. "Steady... Steady..." Five minutes from close contact, he has the Lighting Ballistae fire at the ship to the right of the lead one, then at the left one after. RE
Monkey . o O ( Ideally I want to circle around the Realm Fleet and attack from behind. If this isn't practical, let me know. )
The Storyteller has reconnected.
The Storyteller . o O ( Well, fooey. What was teh last thing you saw? )
Monkey . o O ( Refugee ships also startled. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( They have firedust weapons and were startled when he lit up the caste mark )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Five minutes after that, a streak of blue zips from the stern of the lead trireme, headed northwest. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Also, are you all charged up as far as Charms go? )
Monkey . o O ( Not me. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Lighting up Majestic Radiant Presence )
Monkey . o O ( Monkey might activate Flow Like Blood, but only just before attacking. )
And... at a turn of the half-hour glass from sighting the enemy, you enter range. (This is Very Long range, 60 successes away from the lead trireme.)
Monkey . o O ( How about Stormhammer? Note that I break formation quite a while back. )
Captain Kaizoku says, "Fire."
The Storyteller . o O ( I figure you've been moving at a tangent, so you're about the same range, just in a different direction. Did you head north or west to break formation? )
Monkey . o O ( Where's the wind coming from? )
Monkey . o O ( Nevermind, backscrolled. )
The Storyteller . o O ( South-south-west )
Monkey . o O ( North. )
The Storyteller . o O ( 'kay. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, working it out now... )
Monkey tells the Stormhammer captain, "get closer, and prepare to turn hard, once we get into range of the implosion bow."
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Though you mean the sailing master... Monkey is in command. )
Monkey . o O ( I can't be the captain though. I mean, if most of my time is on Nimbus, then someone else will be appointed captain of stormhammer. And while I may outrank the captain, generally you don't actually take over the captaincy. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah, that's true. Major Monkey? Combat commander Monkey? Old-time ships used to have a sailing captain and a fighting captain. )
For the sake of simplicity, we're going to say the refugee ships sail past the Solar Wind Fleet and do not participate in combat, since I don't want to deal with an 18-ship battle. (10 is bad enough.) Which reminds me: Captain, make a Wits + Lore roll.
You rolled 8 dice on opposing commodore's roll and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Dang, I was hoping for them to back us up... )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Wits+Lore and got 5 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Hmmm, regular bows have very long range, right? Light Imp. Bow is long range? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Oh. )
Monkey . o O ( Bah, we don't need them. Besides, while they may help when it gets to boarding action, right now they're completely outclassed by the Realm Fleet. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Reg. bows have short naval range. Lt. Imp. Bow is long, yes. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Light Imp. Bow is long, so are regular ballistae. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain, how are you deploying the fleet? As mentioned before, the Realm squadron is in a staggered line, lead ship aimed at the Nimbus. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Nimbus and Corona are in the lead, side by side, with the Venture and Voyager trailing and between them ready to move in to support as needed. )
Turn One: Very Long Range (60 successes) between the Realm fleet and the two Solar elements. Long range (30 successes) between the Captain's triremes and the Stormhammer. Short range between the triremes and the support ships.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Firing at the designated Realm ship at this range. )
Monkey . o O ( Alright, I think I'm out of combat for the moment. With luck, the Realm Fleet will focus on the bigger ship. Meanwhile, Stormhammer will get closer on a tangent. Once she reaches Long range, she'll turn hard toward the Realm Fleet and start firing, aiming at the oars if possible. Once we get into Short range, the Marukani comes above deck and starts firing their bows. )
Situation: The Realm ships are focusing on the Captain's triremes, ignoring the Stormhammer.
Movement: Sailing masters declare intent and roll Wits + Sail + Ship Handling (defaults to 7) + maneuverability (varies by ship) + speed (varies by ship).
The Storyteller . o O ( Don't worry, shooting comes next. )
TonyC has reconnected.
think Well, I guess I'm not the only one...
The Storyteller . o O ( Well, I guess I'm not the only one... )
Captain Kaizoku orders a straightforward advance for the moment.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Kerrigan Sail and got 5 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( So, closing? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yes )
The Storyteller . o O ( As are the triremes... rolling once for all, for convenience's sake. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Hydros Corona Sail and got 5 successes.
You rolled 14 dice on realm sail roll and got 9 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Voyager Sail nw and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay... range closes to 46 successes for this turn. )
Combat Sequence 1: Declare firing and roll Ranged Combat. (Hisato rolls 11 dice on the lightning ballista)
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Hisato firing and got 5 successes.
Apollonian [to TonyC]: Still here?
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And the other gunner too? )
TonyC [to Apollonian]: Yup.
Apollonian [to TonyC]: Just checking. Your distance from the fleet is 50 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Okie. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Hydros firing and got 9 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( He's got 12 dice... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay! )
Monkey . o O ( Am fixing some salsa while waiting. )
The Storyteller . o O ( good plan... )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hopefully we can sink or discourage at least two of the enemy fleet with this superior firepower. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Hrm... flipping pages. Okay: damage to the lead trireme -- call it the Scarled Justicar -- is 19L from the Nimbus, and 23L from the Corona. Roll it. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Nimbus Lightning and got 6 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 23 dice on Corona Lightning and got 6 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Freaky! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Not enough to breach the hull, I'm afraid, even though there's plenty of cosmetic damage. Want to describe it? )
Captain Kaizoku 's powerful weapons send bolts of electricity crackling over the sea, a bolt burning along each side of the command ship, scorching off the nameplate and sending arcs of power along all of the metal fittings, melting some in place.
The Storyteller . o O ( Nice. On the other hand... )
Amid the flash and thunder of the lightnings, it is difficult to make it out, but around the stern of the _Scarlet Justicar_ swirl the arcane sigils and characters of an Emerald Circle spell in the shaping...
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Can I use Countermagic? )
The Storyteller . o O ( No, you can't -- it's at a range of over 700 yards and Emerald Countermagic is only effective out to Essence x 50 yards. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yes, just checked on that... )
Combat Sequence 2: What do you do?
Captain Kaizoku orders the fleet to continue closing, and to direct fire at the lead ship once more.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Kerrigan Sail and got 8 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Hydros Corona Sail and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Voyager Sail and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( No movement... )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( that's only once per long turn. I think. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah... OK, and then three combat per movement. Got it. )
Captain Kaizoku says, "Continue targetting the command ship! FIRE!"
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Roll? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Aye. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Hisato firing and got 8 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Hydros firing and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Damage: 22L, 20L. Roll 'em. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 22 dice on Hisato and got 3 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( you need 8 HLs to breach, 16 to sink )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 20 dice on Hydros and got 6 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Cumulative, or all at once? )
Monkey . o O ( Mmmm, munchies. )
The Storyteller . o O ( All at once. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And lesser hits have no effect? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Pretty much, as long as you're firing at the hull. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Can't really target the sails here... )
The Storyteller . o O ( This is one reason most naval battles in the Age of Sorrows are resolved by boarding or ramming... )
Captain Kaizoku 's new round of fire continues to send bolts of electricity skittering all over the hull of the ship, turning the brown wood black and setting minor fires up and down the length of the vessel.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Though they lacked First Age weaponry, which isn't quite as hot at this job as I envisioned. )
The Storyteller . o O ( True. I may be missing something, though... Need to rework the ship combat system, I think... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Anyway. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Third round of fire? )
Monkey . o O ( What you need to do is convert a big ship into a warstrider carrier. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And any visible morale effect from this long-range bombardment? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Heck, adapt just one warstrider for aquatic warfare and have it poke holes beneath the waterline. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Have one of those first-age paddlewheels mounted on a Strider's chest or back. )
Monkey . o O ( That's a lot of Craft, Lore, and Occult stuff, and requires a team of expert sorcerer-engineers. Converting a ship, on the other hand, just need a good Craft and some competent shipyard. )
Monkey . o O ( Have somebody who has that charm that will let you walk on water, and voila/ )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Roll to hit again Jesse? )
From the swirling sorcery, a streak of nearly-invisible energy flies toward the Nimbus. The mast creaks ominously. Hisato shouts, "Get down!" and dives for the deck as the mast shatters like a tree struck by lightning. Splinters fly across the deck, lethal foot-long projectiles, and the top half of the mast crashes into the waves, trailing rigging, sail, and a pair of unfortunate sailors. (Everyone on deck takes 6L damage, soaked normally.)
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Is there a minimum on that? I have 10 soak. )
The Storyteller . o O ( No. No ping damage in this case. )
The Storyteller . o O ( What are the Raiton's hatchlings wearing for armor? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I'm not sure we ever said... chain shirts maybe? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Sounds reasonable. Say 4L soak? )
Captain Kaizoku has his back to the shattering mast and ducks his head down, letting his breastplate take the spray of splinters. "Rowers!" he calls out.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yep. )
The Storyteller . o O ( And I'll say that about half the crew -- excluding rowers, who are all below decks -- is affected. )
The Storyteller . o O ( So... Er... Hm. Rolling damage for the Raitons. )
TonyC whispers, "Hmmmm, although I agree that Emerald Countermagic can't affect the spell as it was cast over there, wouldn't Countermagic affect the spell as it strikes the mast?"
You whisper, "Hadn't thought of that." to TonyC.
You rolled 40 dice on raiton damage and got 26 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, we'll just have to take one of their masts. )
You rolled 90 dice on crew damage and got 43 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Actually, on long-range voyages, ships often carry replacement masts. )
In the wake of the Mast Shattering Spell, half the marines have suffered a severe wound. The crew has not done so well, and five are dead outright, splinters through lungs, bowels, or throats. Another ten are wounded but will live with medical attention or luck.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It's the principal of the thing. )
Monkey . o O ( Heh. )
Captain Kaizoku is standing defiantly in the face of this attack. "That was their best shot, and it has not slow us down! You wounded men get below for treatment! Onward!"
The Storyteller . o O ( The Corona can't fire till next turn, and will need to clear the decks -- a full long turn of doing nothing but -- before it can maneuver effectively again. Meanwhile, we're on Combat Sequence 3. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Corona was hit too? )
The Storyteller . o O ( No, I'm a doofus. The Nimbus. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona firing and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage 20L )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( As soon as we get a really hot ship, it'll be the Unconquered Sun, which is easy to recall. :) )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 20 dice on Lighting Strike! and got 8 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Breach! Describe. )
The Corona's carefully aimed shot takes the Realm lead ship right on the prow, burning away the dragon figurehead and a good chunk of the keel! Water begins to rush into the narrow vessel.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The strength of a Warstrider at sea just hit me... with Monkey piloting it and his charms, he can leap it a mile at a time or so... outside the engagement range. WHAM, he slams onto the mast, tears it off and spikes it through the hull... )
Monkey . o O ( Ah, you just figured it out, eh. :) )
The Storyteller . o O ( I would _definitely_ be calling for Athletics rolls -- or something -- to successfully land on a ship-sized target from a mile away. )
The Storyteller . o O ( And it's important to note that most warstriders don't come with aqualungs. (most) )
The Storyteller . o O ( OTOH, it's a cool image. Very Evangelion. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I was thinking of conventional Warstrider tactics, not insane ones. :) And Acrobatics are a specialty of Monkey. Besides, if you never fall in, there's no problem, right? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And in the Eva vein, all we'd need is a really long cable and a winch. )
Monkey . o O ( Asuka Langley Jr., eat your heart out. )
Monkey . o O ( I'll even tackle the requisite Leviathan. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Moving on... )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Dang, I should have spent some time summoning up a beast of the sea to unleash on them. Long turn 2 starts? )
Long Turn 2: Present range is 46 successes to the wolfpack (50 for Monkey). The Scarlet Justicar is limping from a holed bow. The Nimbus is staggering under a shattered mast acting as a bit of a sea anchor (-2 dice to maneuver). Declare movement and roll it.
Monkey . o O ( Monkey's sticking with the plan. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Stick to the plan. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Kerrigan Sail and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Hydros Sail and got 1 success.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Generic Sailor Sail and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 2 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So that's three for the Nimbus... forgot the penalties. )
You rolled 9 dice on triremes sail and got 4 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on Scarlet Justicar sail and got 4 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on Stormhammer sail and got 5 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( New Ranges: Realm/Kaizoku 39 successes, Realm/Monkey 43 successes. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Plan for the turn? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What's the range band? Still V. long? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Aye. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Though if things keep going as they are, it'll be Long range next turn. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Corona will move on to the next designated target ship (second in the line) as the Nimbus effects repairs, cuts the mast away and such. )
Captain Kaizoku draws his gleaming Daiklave and uses it as a pointer to direct operations, encouraging the crew and pointing out the lead enemy ship filling with water.
Monkey . o O ( I think Monkey and Stormhammer can handle a trireme, provided he can close in. However, if it turns out to be all five triremes against Stormhammer, it'll sink. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, Combat Sequence 1. The next ship in the enemy line is the Crimson Lash. The Stormhammer is heading toward the northernmost and trailing ship, the Rose Wave. The Realm ships still don't seem to be paying any attention to her. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The fleet will lose cohesion as more of them get holed, and they're not going to use more than one to attack a yacht, if any... at first. Plus there's no obvious Solar aboard. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona fires! and got 1 success.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage is 15L. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 15 dice on something and got 3 hits.
Monkey . o O ( Right. But you see, what's going to happen is Monkey is going to board and sink a trireme. In the process, his anima is bound to flare. The other triremes notices this, and decides not to take any chances against an Anathema. Four barrages later, Stormhammer is in bits and pieces. )
Captain Kaizoku watches with narrow eyes as the next shot from the Corona passes high over the new target, missing the mast, sailors and captain, scorching the rear.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( That's why the plan was to engage the fleet from one side, since the burning hulk will be in the way. And I think the superior firepower and obvious Anathema in front of them will command their attention until it's too late. )
Monkey . o O ( Right. Just stay alive in the meanwhile. :) )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Oh, I have a new secret weapon that could ruin their whole day... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. No shooting from the Realm fleet, since they're focusing on closing the distance. Effectively, you're going to get free shots until they close to ballista range -- since you can now see that they do have sailcutters, one per trireme. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Which are short range weapons... if the quality of the marksmanship gets a bit better on our end, they're hosed. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Note, however, that each shot drains 3 essence from the gunner. )
Monkey . o O ( Ha! Kaizoku got plenty. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And he's not even firing yet... it's the professional gunners doing the job thus far. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Wotcher. So. Combat Sequence 2. Corona fires again? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yes. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona fires! and got 5 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage 19 )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Corona Damage! and got 8 hits.
Captain Kaizoku nods with satisfaction as Hydros corrects his aim and blows a hole in the left side of the oncoming Crimson Lash, exposing the rowers to more of the sea than they were told about.
The Storyteller . o O ( Combat Sequence 3. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The next ship over, the one furthest from the Stormhammer, is the target now. )
The Storyteller . o O ( The Burgundy Lotus. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona fires! and got 5 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage 19L )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Corona Damage Again and got 5 hits.
The Corona's next bolt skitters over the hull of the Lotus like ball lightning, buring a deep gouge in the decking halfway down its length and sending sailors scurrying for cover, or over the edge.
Monkey . o O ( Dude, you need to convert those damage dice into hits better. :p )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. On to Long Turn 3 )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I blame the Dragon Blooded for this! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Declare movement and roll. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Triremes are closing, naturally, though the Scarlet Justicar is now lagging behind a bit more as it ships water. )
You rolled 8 dice on trireme rowing and got 5 successes.
You rolled 7 dice on Crimson Lash rowing and got 8 successes.
You rolled 6 dice on Scarlet Justicar rowing and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Heh. )
Captain Kaizoku orders the Nimbus to stay the course, aiming more for the undamaged further-out part of the Realm fleet now.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Kerrigaan Sail and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Corona Sail and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Generic Sail and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 2 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on Stormhammer sail and got 7 successes.
Long Turn 3. Ranges: Realm/Kaizoku 30 (Long range band), Realm/Monkey 33 (Very Long range band). First Combat Sequence.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Nimbus is back up to full rowing performance after clearing things up? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Ayup. )
Captain Kaizoku returns with Saji to the bow and directs his fire to where the Corona was blasting.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Nimbus fires and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona fires and got 5 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Damage is 19L for each. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Nimbus Damage and got 7 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Corona Damage and got 6 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Dang! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Almost! )
The Burgundy Lotus takes renewed fire from both of the Solar Wind warships now, tearing great swaths through the upper decking and lower rigging, melting metal up and down the length of the vessel, but not scoring a solid hit.
The Storyteller . o O ( Sequence 2 )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( They've got fire cannon and sailcutters, right? Nothing else visible? )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Nimbus fires and got 10 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on Corona fires and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( correct. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Two fire projectors on the bow, one sailcutter on the stern. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I'm seeing a fleet of four fast attack yachts like the Stormhammer as being effective if this is a typical battle of this sort. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Yup. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( All short ranged. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Yes. The primary weapon is the ram. Damage, btw, is 24L and 18L. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 24 dice on Nimbus and got 12 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 18 dice on Corona Damage and got 8 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Sigh. One good hit wasted. )
The Storyteller . o O ( No it's not! Extra successes make the hole bigger. )
Monkey goes down to talk to the Marukani marines. "Men! We are fighting a trireme. Now, I know each of you is worth ten of them, but we don't have time for a proper boarding action. There's five triremes, and if we board one, likely the other four will get away. Instead, once we got close enough, I want you to go up there and prevent them from grappling and boarding us! That way our gun can cripple the other ships, oars, sails, and weapons all. Once that's done, we can mop up at our leisure! Alright! Booyah!"
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( On the 12 hit, yes, but the 8 hit on the holed ship... not so much. )
The Marukani enthusiastically shout, "Hooah!"
Captain Kaizoku slaps Hisato on the back as the bespecticaled man takes careful aim amidships and sends a blast tearing open the hull of the trireme, with the Corona's blast following close after, charring the whole flank of the ship black as it starts to take on water at a rapid rate.
The Storyteller has reconnected
The Storyteller . o O ( Back... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Did I miss anything? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 60% of their fleet taking on water and they're nowhere near closing... I wonder if this is having any effect on morale yet. )
Captain Kaizoku slaps Hisato on the back as the bespecticaled man takes careful aim amidships and sends a blast tearing open the hull of the trireme, with the Corona's blast following close after, charring the whole flank of the ship black as it starts to take on water at a rapid rate.
The Storyteller . o O ( The Corona signals that their gunner is just about out of Essence )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I just worked that out and had a plan... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Well, yes... but they're Realm Navy. Discipline is their watchword, even if they're the enforcers of a corrupt regime. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Sequence 3! )
The Storyteller has reconnected.
The Storyteller . o O ( Dammit. )
Monkey . o O ( I blame the monkeys. )
The Storyteller . o O ( I wonder how long before it flakes out again? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Did you see the roll? )
The Storyteller . o O ( No. )
You rolled 11 dice on Nimbus fires and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, that's 20L damage. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 20 dice on Damage! and got 7 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Arg! )
The Storyteller . o O ( So... close! )
The next shot from the Nimbus blows a hole in the undamaged Realm ship just above the waterline, enough to wet down the insides but not slow it down to any real degree.
Long Turn 4. Starting ranges are Realm/Kaizoku 30, Realm/Monkey 33. Declare movement and roll it.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How is their formation holding up? )
The Storyteller . o O ( It's looking distinctly ragged. Instead of being that sharp line it was at the beginning, it's turning into more of a lopsided V, with the Scarlet Justicar lagging behind on the south end of the line. The Crimson Lash, despite the breach in its hull, is still the lead ship, while the Burgundy Lotus is taking water quickly. The Red Lady and the Rose Wave, closest to the Stormhammer, are the only undamaged ships. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( The Scarlet Justicar is the flagship, right? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Correct. )
Captain Kaizoku turns the Nimbus to the north, planning to get closer with the undamaged ships and distract their attention from the Stormhammer while Monkey goes about his part of the plan.
Monkey . o O ( Stormhammer closing in, Monkey is preparing to fire. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Roll 'em. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Nimbus Sail and got 6 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on red lady rose wave rowing and got 3 successes.
You rolled 4 dice on burgundy lotus scarlet justicar rowing and got 2 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Corona Sail and got 6 successes.
You rolled 5 dice on crimson lash rowing and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on generic Sail and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 5 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on Stormhammer sailing and got 4 successes.
Monkey says, "Turn starboard! Hard as you can! We're cutting in!"
New ranges: Realm/Kaizoku 21 successes, Realm/Monkey 28 successes (both Long range)
Combat Sequence 1!
Monkey . o O ( Can I target the oars? )
Captain Kaizoku brings his blade down in the direction of the Red Lady. "Fire at will!"
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Who goes first? )
Monkey . o O ( Between Monkey and Captain? Given that Captain is the ranking officer, let's call it you. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey )
Monkey . o O ( Awww. )
Monkey . o O ( There goes my chance of asking for a raise. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Distance trumps rank. :) ) Monkey . o O ( Can I target the oars? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Yes. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Only one side, obviously, but yes. They have soak 2L. )
Monkey . o O ( Assuming no penalties for target location nor distance. If there is, I'll reroll. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Imploding the oars. and got 1 success.
Monkey . o O ( Oh, everything will be the 2 motes version. )
Monkey . o O ( that is 15B/12L for 2 motes per shot. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Bashing or lethal? )
Monkey . o O ( For simplicity sake, assume everything is Lethal. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, roll 11L. )
Monkey rolled 11 dice on Destroy the oars! and got 4 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. That'll destroy 14 oars and kill as many oarsmen. This causes great confusion on the trireme, which will be an eensy bit uncoordinated until the oarsmen are replaced and/or they get their rhythm back. (There are 100 rowers per side.) )
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain? )
Captain Kaizoku brings his blade down in the direction of the Red Lady. "Fire at will!"
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Nimbus Lightning Fire! and got 5 successes.
Setting the Implosion Bow for maximum blast, Monkey fires a bolt angling down the Rose Wave. The blast destroy a section of the oars.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage 19L for the Captain )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 19 dice on Damage! and got 7 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( AAARRGGGHHH! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Damn, dude. )
The Storyteller . o O ( test )
Sequence 2!
For a mostly-non-combat trooper, the gunner Hisato works well enough to score a solid hit on the Red Lady, but not quite well enough, scooping a circle out of the hull a third of the way back, but not low enough to hole it.
Monkey . o O ( Actually, for damage, the probability of success is 40%. So 7 hits is just about average. Still doesn't help though. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It's on the low side of average for 19-20 damage though, and has been pretty consistantly that way. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( You're up Monkey. The Bow and Ballistae have the same rate. )
Monkey . o O ( It's okay. You'll find some other non-significant roll, probably involving a Lore or Occult check, and get double successes then. )
Monkey . o O ( Target: the fire cannon of Rose Wave. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Impl Bow and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Maybe we should circle around their formation, harrassing them until they all sink... )
Monkey . o O ( 16L? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, that's the starboard fire projector. You lose 2 successes for attacking a weapon mount. Roll damage 9L -- the projector itself suffers no damage because it's well protected, but the crew isn't. )
The Storyteller . o O ( No, make that 14L, or 2L against the weapon. )
Monkey rolled 14 dice on Against the weapon mount and got 5 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, that's 5 against the crew )
The Storyteller . o O ( roll 2L against the weapon. )
The Storyteller has has a revelation.
Monkey rolled 2 dice on 2L and got 1 hit.
Monkey . o O ( Kaboom?? <hope> )
The Storyteller . o O ( Not kaboom, but crew members scatter like sea foam in a gale. The fire projector is out of action until the crew rallies, and even then it won't be as effective. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( A second hit on an already sinking ship will enlarge the hole, but not do much more, right? )
The Storyteller . o O ( It'll add another breach, is how I'm reading it. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( with 10 needed to make it go down... )
Captain Kaizoku says "Almost got them... steady now..." to his gunner, who is getting a baptism of fire.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 11 dice on Nimbus fires. and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Correct. At the moment, the tally is: Scarlet Justicar -4, Crimson Lash -3, Burgundy Lotus -4. )
The Storyteller . o O ( that's 18 damage )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 18 dice on Damage? and got 10 hits.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Hooray! )
The Storyteller . o O ( That was against the Red Lady? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yep. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Sequence 3! )
Monkey . o O ( Target: sailcutter. )
The Storyteller . o O ( After you describe, of course. Oops. )
Captain Kaizoku 's steady presence gives Hisato the calm he needs to follow up his first hit with a second, nearly bisecting the craft with a lightning bolt, tearing hull plating apart as the Red Lady is breached.
TonyC whispers, "I just discovered that by the rules, I have to wait until short range before I can hit a weapon mount. We'll just let the mistake slide this time, and I'll switch targets."
Monkey . o O ( Change of plan: will target the hull of Rose Wave then. )
You whisper, "Okay" to TonyC.
The Storyteller . o O ( Roll it. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 1 success.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage is 10L )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 6 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Not quite. Describe? )
A bolt of corruscating essence leaps forth from the implosion bow and strikes the hull of Rose Wave. But the angle is all wrong, and rather than bursting the planking, the bolt slides alongside the hull before hitting the seawater in an impressive spray of steam and foam.
Long Turn 5. Ranges are 21 Realm/Kaizoku and 28 Realm/Monkey (long range band). Despite horrific damage, the realm triremes are pressing the attack, counting on ramming and boarding action to survive the battle.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How's their formation? )
The Storyteller . o O ( So, declare movement actions. Is everyone closing still? And their formation's shot to shit. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Then yes, closing, heading for the ship most seperated from the rest, using the rest of their fleet as cover. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on Nimbus Sail and got 8 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( That'd be the Rose Wave, the only one yet undamaged in the hull. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Corona Sail and got 8 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Generic Sail and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Make it so... )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW sail and got 5 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Engage! )
You rolled 8 dice on Stormhammer closing and got 3 successes.
You rolled 3 dice on Scarlet Justicar sail and got no successes but no botches either.
You rolled 4 dice on Crimson Lash sail and got 4 successes.
You rolled 2 dice on Burgundy Lotus sail and got 1 success.
You rolled 6 dice on Red Lady sail and got 1 success.
You rolled 8 dice on Rose Wave sail and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( New ranges: Realm/Kaizoku 10 (Short band), Realm/Monkey 20 (Long range) )
The Storyteller . o O ( Combat Sequence 1. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( And their fire cannon was taken out, right? )
The Storyteller . o O ( One fire projector was, on the Rose Wave. Each trireme is armed with two fire projectors + one sailcutter. The only trireme in position to attack the Nimbus (which is blocking field of fire to the Corona) is the Red Lady, which can use all its weapons. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Who wants to go first? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Monkey first. )
Monkey . o O ( What to do.... )
Monkey . o O ( Eh, let's try sinking it. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 8 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( damage is 17L )
Monkey rolled 17 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 7 hits.
Monkey . o O ( Nope. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Describe it. Meanwhile, Captain? )
Captain Kaizoku snaps into action as the range goes close. "Save your energy Mr. Hisato... Gunners! Time to earn your jade! Ballistae target the Red Lady there, Sailcutters, cut down the crew of the Rose Wave! Fire!"
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What's the gunnery skill of the officer staff? )
Captain Kaizoku adds "Suppress those fire projectors!" as he points at the ballista crews.
The Storyteller . o O ( Using Hisato as the master gunner, you'd roll 8 dice for the ballistae, 6 for the sailcutter. )
Another corruscating bolt of essence flew from the implosion bow. This time, it strikes true, hitting just under the waterline. The crew cheered. Yet when the steam clears, a wave a disappointment ripples amongst everyone. While blackened, the hull shows no sign of damage. Those Realm ships are solidly built!
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 1 and got 6 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 2 and got 2 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Sailcutter and got 1 success.
The Storyteller . o O ( Damage vs. ballista 1 is 7L, vs. ballista 2 is 3L, versus crew is -- are you attacking the sailhands or the marines? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Marines )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, it's 3L )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on B1 and got 2 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 3 dice on b2 and got 1 hit.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 3 dice on sailcutter and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( If the marines were extras, they're history, I think. )
The Storyteller . o O ( both fire projectors are disrupted as the crews scramble for cover. The fang of marines towards the bow is annihilated as the sharpened chains cuts them to pieces. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Combat Sequence 2 )
The Storyteller . o O ( Who's first? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Keep going with Monkey-Captain? )
Monkey . o O ( Why not? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Monkey? )
Monkey . o O ( Hull again. Still long range after all. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 4 successes.
Monkey rolled 13 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 6 hits.
Despite multiple hits, the Rose Wave sails on with mere cosmetic damage. Monkey frowns and yells, "Get closer! The bow's no good at this range!"
Monkey . o O ( Of course, range is irrelevant, but what does Monkey know about how implosion bows really work? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( He knows you point one end at things and it goes boom! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Point and boom. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain? )
Captain Kaizoku makes his encouragement known to the gunners as they continue to close with the undamged ship, its decks running red. "Sailcutters! Another deck shot!" he orders. "Ballistae, sink that ship now that it won't be firing back!"
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 1 and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 2 and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Sailcutter and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Damage on hull is 7L and 9L, and you wipe out another fang of marines. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on B1 and got 2 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on B2 and got 3 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( No breaches, then. )
Captain Kaizoku scowls as the bolts from the manual ballistae do little damage compared with the lightning model. "We board soon!" he calls out to his own surviving Raitions.
The Storyteller . o O ( BTW, that's Raitons. No second "i" unless you want them to turn into MREs. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Whoops. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Speaking of, check the Solar Wind Fleet page on my server -- I just put up a basic character sheet for a Raiton trooper. What do you want as their armor and their primary weapon? )
The Storyteller . o O ( and moving on, Combat Sequence 3 )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Breastplates and chopping swords, with bows for backup. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Keep the target shields? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yep! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Right! Monkey, whatcha do? )
Monkey . o O ( Same as before, sir! )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 3 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Shooty bits? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Shooty bits. )
Monkey . o O ( yup )
Monkey rolled 12 dice on Rose Wave hull and got 7 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Ouch. )
Monkey curses at the ineffective shot. "This is why I prefer boarding rather than long range gun battles."
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain? )
Monkey . o O ( Meanwhile, Kaizoku should consider ramming. It seems that the way to bring big ships down is by ramming them, and triremes do the job quite well. )
Captain Kaizoku meets the eyes of the crew on the approaching ship. "One more sailcutter at the crew!" he calls out in his booming voice. "Ballistae, hit the rowers over there!" he says, pointing to the limping Red Lady
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 1 and got 7 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Ballista 2 and got 6 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, so that's all on the Red Lady? )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on sailcutter and got 6 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( No, the sailcutter was for the Rose Wave )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Got great rolls there... 6 and 7 out of 8, and 6 of 6. )
The Storyteller . o O ( You take out a fang of marines on the Rose Wave, and you have 13L and 12L to roll for the Red Lady )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 13 dice on B1 and got 4 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 12 dice on B2 and got 6 hits.
Captain Kaizoku 's bolts strike deep, but not deep enough to damage the already-injured ship... thus far.
The Storyteller . o O ( Long Turn 6, then. Starting distances are 10 (Kaizoku/Realm) and 20 (Monkey/Realm). Maneuvering? )
Monkey . o O ( Get close to Short range. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Close and ram the Rose Wave with the Nimbus, while the other ships get behind it. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Hm. Given that the Rose Wave wants to return the favor, this is going to be _messy_. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ah, but who has the better sailing master? :) )
The Storyteller . o O ( make those sail rolls )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Nimbus Sail and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Corona Sail and got 2 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Generic Sail and got 1 success.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on WSW Sail and got 3 successes.
You rolled 8 dice on Rose Wave sail and got 1 success.
You rolled 2 dice on Scarlet justicar and got 4 successes.
You rolled 3 dice on Crimson Lash and got 2 successes.
You rolled 5 dice on Red Lady and got 1 botch.
You rolled 8 dice on Stormhammer and got 8 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Funny. Okay, new ranges. Captin, the Nimbus and the Rose Wave are 4 successes away from each other, so no ramming this turn. Meanwhile, everyone is in Short range to each other. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( What are the other three ships doing? )
The Storyteller . o O ( The Burgundy Lotus is sinking, while the Red Lady deals with fouled oars and the Crimson Lash and Scarlet Justicar -- having missed their ramming chances -- try to bring their sailcutters to bear on you. )
Monkey takes a moment and draws on the Essence around him. He channels it through his body and out again, allowing him to sense when an attack is forthcoming and how to avoid it.
Monkey . o O ( Activating Flow Like Blood. )
Captain Kaizoku bellows out "Supress those sailcutters men!" and points out the Lash and Justicar to the ballistae crews. "Clear the decks over there!" he orders his own Sailcutter crew, pointing his blade at the Rose Wave.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Lash and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Justicar and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Sailcutter vs. Rose and got 3 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Damages are 4L, 5L, and 5L )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Lash and got no hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 5 dice on Justicar and got 2 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 5 dice on Rose and got 2 hits.
Captain Kaizoku 's shots directed at the Lash bounce away from the weapon crew, off a broken shard of hull. The one aimed at the flagship's crew strikes better and there is considerable chaos among the crew of the Rose as the two warships draw close together.
Monkey says, "Marines, shield and cutlasses!"
The Storyteller . o O ( That suppresses the Justicar's sailcutter and injures a fang of marines on the Rose. Meanwhile, the Lash fires its sailcutter at the Corona's marines and the Rose Wave fires its sailcutter at the Nimbus. )
You rolled 5 dice on Lash sailcutter and got 3 successes.
You rolled 4 dice on Rose Wave Sailcutter and got 1 success.
You rolled 5 dice on corona damage and got 3 hits.
You rolled 4 dice on Nimbus damage and got 1 hit.
The Storyteller . o O ( A fang of marines on the Corona is injured, as is a single marine on the Nimbus. )
The Storyteller . o O ( So... Sequence 2. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey? )
TonyC decides that saving the world takes priority over chatting and disappears.
TonyC takes a break from saving the world and wanders in.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay... Captain? )
Captain Kaizoku waves his daiklave above him in a circle, the signal to repeat everything.
Monkey . o O ( Sorry, when I typed and hit backspace, I accidentally exited out of the Java interface. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Ah, got it. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Lash's Sailcutter and got 7 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Justicar's Flame Projector and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Sailcutter vs. Rose's crew and got 2 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Monkey will fire at the nearest active weapon mount. )
The Storyteller . o O ( That'd be the Rose's Sailcutter. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Captain, damages are: 8L, 6L, and 5L )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on something and got 4 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Dmg 2 and got 1 hit.
Monkey rolled 10 dice on Rose Wave and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 5 dice on Sailcutter and got 3 hits.
Monkey rolled 14 dice on Rose wave's sailcutter and got 6 hits.
Monkey rolled 2 dice on Rose Wave's sailcutter and got 1 hit.
The Storyteller . o O ( Suppressed, suppressed, and another fang. Monkey, you've knocked out the sailcutter for good by killing the crew. )
Seeing that Nimbus is going to ram Rose Wave, Monkey concentrates on knocking out Rose Wave's weaponry. Taking a shot at her sailcutter, Monkey succeeded in destroying the weapon's crew and damaging the weapon itself.
Captain Kaizoku nods with satisfaction as more and more threatening weapons are removed from the field of battle. He calls over to the crew of the Rose "Surrender and you'll be spared!" over the din of battle and sinking ships.
The Storyteller is losing momentum...
You rolled 9 dice on Rose Captain's leadership and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Kaizoku has Majestic Presence up too. )
You rolled 6 dice on Willpower and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( No dice. The Rose Wave's crew is bloody, bold, and resolute, and led by a charismatic scion of the Realm. )
Monkey . o O ( Hah! )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( For about 10 more minutes, then... )
The Storyteller . o O ( Pretty much.. )
The Storyteller . o O ( I believe you've suppressed the firepower of anyone who can shoot at your ships, so.. Sequence 3. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How many marines are left on the Rose? )
The Storyteller . o O ( 3 fangs )
Captain Kaizoku orders "Sailcutters!" as he brings his sword down at the marines there. "Keep those other ships back!" he tells the ballistae crews.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 6 dice on Sailcutter vs. Rose's crew and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Justicar and got 4 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Shooting the Lash! and got 4 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( That wounds a fang on the Rose, and you get 8L each on the Justicar and Lash. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Ballistae reduce hull soak, right? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Yes, divide it by half. Already taken into account. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Justicar and got 5 hits.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on Lash and got 6 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay, Monkey? )
Captain Kaizoku sees the bolts rebound off the tough hulls of the other triremes as more marines fall on the oncoming Rose beneath the pitiless chains of the sailcutters. "You had your chance!" he adds to the carnage.
TonyC whispers, "I have several suggestions for speeding this kind of battle next time. One: don't bother describing ineffective attacks. Two: consider each long turn all at once. That is, each ship gets their maneouvre and three combat sequences. All those is resolved all at once for that ship. However, damage doesn't actually take effect until next turn. Once all ships gets their turn, describe the carnage appropriately. Third: this is a more tricky approach. Rather than running 5 vs. 5., it should be possible to collapse each side into one single individual unit. However, figuring out exactly how to do this will require some tinkering."
You whisper, "Aye, it's gonna take some work. Thanks for the suggestions." to TonyC.
You whisper, "I'm _really_ glad I left the northmen out of this." to TonyC.
The Storyteller . o O ( test )
The Storyteller . o O ( Monkey, what are you doing? )
Monkey yells to Stormhammer's captain, "Go around behind them! We can't risk them ramming us!"
Monkey . o O ( Fire at crew. Hopefully getting the leader. )
The Storyteller . o O ( You can target the captain specifically. She's standing on the aft deckhouse shouting orders. )
Monkey rolled 10 dice on get the leader and got 8 successes.
Monkey . o O ( Soak? )
The Storyteller . o O ( She'll get a dodge. )
You rolled 6 dice on Captain dodge and got 2 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( soak is 11 )
Monkey . o O ( 11L dang, she's tough. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Probably a Wood type. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Jade Reinforced Breastplate, actually. )
Monkey rolled 7 dice on get the leader and got 2 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( You also tag some of the crewmen around her -- extras, so they're out of the fight. )
Monkey . o O ( Ah well, next shot should put her down. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Or she could get knocked overboard by the ram! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Long Turn 7. Distances are almost meaningless now, so just declare what you're doing. )
Captain Kaizoku braces himself against the bow as he calls out "RAMMING SPEED!"
Captain Kaizoku says, "Brace for impact and prepare to board!"
Monkey . o O ( Avoid getting rammed. Fire at leader if necessary. Fire at other weapons. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Make maneuver rolls. )
Monkey . o O ( Including any enemy crew trying to shoot us with arrows! )
You rolled 8 dice on Rose Wave Ram! and got 6 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 9 dice on Nimbus Maneuver and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Dang. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Wish I'd bought that hull-hardening charm now. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Roll damage of 29L for the ram, and decide if you're going to disengage or grapple. )
The Storyteller . o O ( meanwhile )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 29 dice on Ram! and got 12 hits.
You rolled 29 dice on nimbus damage and got 13 hits.
Monkey . o O ( Hah! Mutual sinking. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Grapple. )
The Storyteller . o O ( roll Wits + Athletics )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( ANd this was the mint one! )
You rolled 7 dice on Rose Wave disengage and got 3 successes.
Captain Kaizoku rolled 4 dice on Wits+ath and got 1 botch.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Curse you athletics! )
Thrown off balance by the shock of the collision, the boarding team fails to catch hold of the Rose Wave as she backs oars and pulls her ram out of the Nimbus' hull.
Monkey . o O ( Well, the good news is that if Rose Wave sinks, it won't be dragging Nimbus down the bottom. Better get on that repair stat! )
Captain Kaizoku calls out the repair crew to the bow where the ram pulls free, calling on the power of Emerald Sorcery as the Rose Wave starts to back off.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( How fast are they moving away? )
The Storyteller . o O ( I'm gonna make this the last turn, as I'm out of energy. BTW, the Burgundy Lotus has just slipped below the waves. Make a Wits + Lore roll to assess the situation. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 7 dice on Wits+Lore and got 2 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Judging from the way the Realm triremes are moving and the signals moving between them, they're getting ready to retreat. They probably hope you'll forgo pursuit to tend to the wounded Nimbus. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Speaking of... )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Will I be able to get off Death of the Obsidian Butterflies while the Rose is still in range? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Easily )
You rolled 9 dice on Nail's carpentry and got 2 successes.
The Storyteller . o O ( Nail That Stands Up is attempting to patch the hole in the prow, but it's a big one. (Difficulty 5 to fix.) )
Captain Kaizoku puts thoughts of that aside for the moment as he gathers up emerald essence and hooks his thumbs together, calling forth a swarm of obsidian butterflies to wash over and eat away at the Rose Wave and its crew.
The Storyteller . o O ( roll it. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Per + Occult + 3 auto successes. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 8 dice on +3 Spell and got 5 successes.
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So 8 successes. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( 16 damage? )
The Storyteller . o O ( 16L damage, which should wipe out every extra on deck and roll 10L versus the ship itself. )
Captain Kaizoku rolled 10 dice on something and got 4 hits.
The Storyteller . o O ( Superficial damage... but you've breached the hull of every single ship. Unless they get out of range soon, so they can start pumping and patching, they're doomed. )
Captain Kaizoku is glowing like a torch as he casts, then a raging wave of Solar energy comes up behind him over the dark wave of glass, his spell devouring all the crew on deck and smoothing out every protrusion there.
The Storyteller . o O ( This probably applies to the Nimbus as well, btw. )
Captain Kaizoku calls out "Mister Hisato! Parting shots for the other three ships!"
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Just occurred to me I might have used the stored Tactics dice for the ram. Whoops. )
The Storyteller . o O ( I was wonder if you would ever use those. )
Monkey turns around to address the marines. "Awww, men, crap. Looks like the other ships will be getting away after all. Well, let's try and bag that trireme so we'll have something to show."
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I'm too set in the idea they're used for morale and command... )
Monkey . o O ( Alright, now what? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Hm. Should have called for some of that, too. Ach, too busy looking at ship stats. Well... )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Well, a last Lightning shot for each of the other ships. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Is there a clear shot on them? )
The Storyteller . o O ( What do you plan to do next? You have four retreating and badly damaged ships. If, say, the Stormhammer and the Corona were to harry and pursue them, you'd probably bag the lot and possibly capture some sailors. (However, this would take a long time to play out.) Fixing the Nimbus is going to be difficult while still at sea -- it would be wisest to beach hear ASAP and repair her on shore. And yes, you have a clear shot at the departing triremes. )
Captain Kaizoku signals the Stormhammer to come in close. "I will be transferring my flag to the Corona for pursuit" he says. "Kerrigan, you're with me. Hisato, you are to take the Nimbus back to Meeting Point B with the Voyager for repairs. We will meet you there shortly. Now, slow them down some more."
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( So pursuit and trying to make a clean sweep, next week? )
The Storyteller . o O ( How far is meeting point B? )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( It's the one closet to shore, the point we departed the coast to get over to where we are now. )
Monkey . o O ( I take it we're done today. )
The Storyteller . o O ( So about thirty miles. Figure that's 10 sailing rolls of varying difficulty. Hisato will be the sailing master? )
The Storyteller . o O ( Yeah. We can finish the rest over e-mail. 5 XP each, and the captain's Willpower is regained. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( I just realized that he has no sailing skills... leave Kerrigan in command then, and take Hisato to the Corona. )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. I'm signing off now... Anything else? )
Monkey . o O ( Have the gunner from Corona go to Nimbus. )
Monkey . o O ( On my end, nope. )
Captain Kaizoku . o O ( Yes, that too. And nope, thanks! )
The Storyteller . o O ( Okay. Night! )
- On to Session 21
