World War II - The Vanguard Issue #11 Long way from home...

With a gesture Frostbite tries to use the incredible reality warping power to change the very nature of the enemy they faced!

OOC Roll of 67. This is a toughie. You face a man so evil he was picked to be the 'poster boy' of a race of evil aliens and in doing so, open a gateway into the Earth dimension for the aliens to reside once more and make the universe a far more miserable place to live in, at least for a while before they bore and turn Earth into a charnel house...

The creature stopped, sensing the power and might of the being facing off against him. The others had been cowed by his presence, which was right and proper. It referred to the human, now submerged in its mass, just another voice in its great unfathomable mind. It felt the chaos effect crackle against its form, and knew pain!

But this creature was old, a being from another place and time that mere human minds could not easily understand or deal with. It would 'let' the power wash over it... then throw some back!

Frostbite grinned. He was doing it! He could sense the beast somehow coming apart! It was... turning into more than a dozen smaller versions of itself???

Just then Frostbite felt something wash over him. What was that?

OOC Roll 30, not a complete transformation, but enough to...

Frostbite screamed! He clutched his head, then looked on in horror as a ghostly image mirrored his body! It was his 'other' self, Joe Rigdon! More than that, he looked to his left, and saw... argh! A large ebon skinned creature cast a ghostly image as it pulled away from his body! What was happening? He heard shouts from the other two, but it was hard to make out what was going on!

OOC Next round will be crucial - you now have a dozen man size Cthulus to worry about, instead of one house sized one! The creature can call on strange old magic itself - it truly is a power of the universe, drawn into this reality by the evil of one man!

Sentinel and Lionheart - you can attempt to overcome the creatures fear effect with an action (you have an action to act before Hitlerthulu acts) but for each round you 'waste' you add +1 to your roll to overcome the fear effect, your call. You can also use Hero Points this time round, so feel free to make that choice. When you've chosen, I'll resolve your actions then its the dozen Cthuloids actions...

OOC: yep we are boned. Okay i would like to use hero points to boost sentinels save.

IC: Steve tried hard to shake off the effects that the giant squid like Hitler threw over him once it shrunk but yet multiplied. This was it, it was now or never, this could very much be there last stand and he'd be dammed if he was going to die standing there like a lemon frozen by fear. Sentinel heard of the devourer and knew if they survived this they would have to face him as well but he couldn't be as bad as they were possibly making out, could he?

Admin wrote:Frostbite

Frostbite screamed! He clutched his head, then looked on in horror as a ghostly image mirrored his body! It was his 'other' self, Joe Rigdon! More than that, he looked to his left, and saw... argh! A large ebon skinned creature cast a ghostly image as it pulled away from his body! What was happening? He heard shouts from the other two, but it was hard to make out what was going on!

OOC Next round will be crucial -

Lionheart - you can attempt to overcome the creatures fear effect

OOC:
Ok firstly from the description above it sounds as if I'd been split into three? Can I have some clarification as to what now stands. I'd sort of forgotten about Lionheart, but yeah pour it on hero point wise to break free. No time to worry about how much I spend if I get killed before spending any more. If need be use a effort point also.

Lionheart struggled under the ebon cloud that gripped him, struggling to find his reserves that could yet defy the grip of fear that held him.

OOC:
If Frostbite can act, he'll use his dark power to fire on Hitlerthulu. My only worry is that all the dark powers we rely on are going to be useless against him?

Sj

The unspeakable alien creatures crawled and stalked their way from the command centre as Frostbite felt the strain of what felt like being torn apart!

Sunburst flew into the air to stand between the creatures and her team mates, determined to blast them back to whatever cosmic hell they came from!

Meanwhile Sentinel ground his chattering teeth together in an attempt to overcome the all encompassing fear that gripped him! Likewise, Lionheart used his amazing willpower to attempt to overcome this psychological attack!

OOC Frostbite - the creature has reflected some of the probability manipulation back at Frostbite. The effect he used - to split the creatures body had actually gone slightly awry. Instead of one all powerful creature it was instead a dozen smaller ones, probably easier to defeat. The flipside is that the effect has been reflected back at him and now threatens to split him from his other selves - Joe Hoskyn, Joe Rigdon and the Shadow Demon! That is a process that is not complete, so at the moment he's holding himself together, but it will require an ego check to prevent himself being transformed into three separate beings.

Sentinel - Ego check using 4 hero points + Ego 12. Roll 5,1,6,3,7,4 (6,7 total 13+12=25, failed).

Lionheart - Ego Check using 4 hero points + Ego 18. Roll 3,7,6,6,5,8 (8,7 total 15+18=33, passed)

Lionheart 'broke free' of the fear effect, but whirled to see his friend Silver Sentinel still frozen in place! The creatures were spilling out of the room now. With his enhanced senses Lionheart could see something else in the darkened room - a man! He was naked and curled up, but there was no mistaking - Adolf Hitler! In the process of using the Dark Power to attack the strange alien creature Frostbite had split it into 13 separate forms - 12 smaller aliens and 1 Adolf Hitler!

Sunburst shouted out "Get Sentinel clear! I'll try to hold them off!"

Frostbite tried some of his own holding - except he was fighting the effects of his own power! The computer inside seemed to coming in and out of his hearing vision, and he heard the words "...enemy can send your own attack against..." before the words faded! He looked at his hand - he could see a ghostly human hand on one side of it, a ghostly monstrous black clawed hand on the other!

OOC Frostbite tries to overcome the effect that will see him split into three beings. Ego 12 + Roll (using 4 hero points) 7,3,3,1,9,8 (3,3, double) plus 6,8 (14) = 32, test passed.

With a colossal effort of will he 'pulled himself together' and breathed a sigh of relief, but he could see they would soon be swamped!

OOC initiative 10 Heroes, 2 Bad guys. Your frames. Sentinel is still immobile - I take it he wants to keep fighting the fear effect and will keep spending hero points. All of you have 3 Cthuloids on you each. Map to follow - still at work (12 hour killer ) and it's taken me three attempts to finish the post... Over to you! By the way, when you want to use hero points, give me a clue how many you want to use Ross - you want to use a fate point instead? That gives you a guaranteed double result by replacing one of your dice with a matching die to your remaining one. Your call.

OOC:
Sorry to hear about your current shift mate, gruelling, don't know how you do it.

As an aside, we've got Dave/Anyman telling us we're going to be pulled out of this fight, if that is the case then the one person I want pulling out with me is Hitler. So if that happens and we have no choice, then I will use whatever I need to, to get to him.

I'm not sure if Dave is intended us to be got out or is attempting to pull us out? If he is waiting for us, Frostbite will ignore him as he feels that defeating the Destroyer means nothing if the world you're defending is zombiefied.

Lionheart stood by Sentinel, as he used his considerable strength and powers to knock back the Squid like beings away from either of them if they came too close.

OOC: Unlikely that mind attack, against such a great old mind is going to work easily, so rather than use thought I'll go with force and bat them back with my considerable strength and speed. Powers switched on are speed g1, Str g4, force field g1 and Psi g1 just in case I need it. And will use effort points to make sure I hit effectively to knock them back away.

As Lionheart attempted to bat away the creatures that came to close to him he shouted out to Frostbite, "Frostbite, Hitler, he's in there split apart from them this is your chance to grab him if you wish."

With that Frostbite became intangible and flew over to where Lionheart had pointed beyond the grip of the creatures that were seeking to swarm over them.

OOC:
Make my way to Hitler, use all my movement and grab him sling him over my shoulder. If at all possible and try to avoid open conflict unless I need to for the time being. Also whilst I am here, I think I might suggest that the computer shuts down this facility, shuts off power so that at least the place cannot be used until we return. And then get the computer back onboard with me, so its not left behind if we get whisked out.

Sj

OOC: Your quite right, spend as many points as it takes to snap sentinel out of it and myself with the shock that i have to wait another year for the walking dead series 3. So what's happening are we being teleported with Hitler and leaving the squids behind?

IC: In his mind sentinel was screaming 'just snap out of it', as he felt like he was having a outer body experience with himself just standing there like some goon when all hell was about to break loose. The dread was so terrible Steve struggled to will the motivation but he couldn't let him friends down, WOULDN'T idly watch.

ooc: Unless you tell Anyman to bring Hitler with you, it is just you guys that will be teleported over.

YOu got to tell Anyman that sincd he doesn't know what's going on.

DavidMcMahon wrote:YOu got to tell Anyman that sincd he doesn't know what's going on.

OOC: Yeah I will Dave, just as soon as I know I've got to him or not. Assuming I do get to him, I'll let you know.

Sj

ooc: Right now, I'm going with Plan D - you tell me about Hitlerchathulu and I bring him over with you guys and throw him at us - er -- the evil us -- and see what happens.

Lionheart moved forward to face up against the strange creatures, miniatures of the vast house sized creature only moments before.

They stopped short of actually engaging with Lionheart, and seemed to be sizing up their foe!

Sunburst soared down, glowing bright like a tiny sun! The creatures covered their eyes and hissed, momentarily confused!

Sentinel dug deep to fight the fear effect that threatened to leave him a sitting duck as the creatures rushed towards him!

OOC Using, what, 6 hero points (Silver Sentinel is now on 55 hero points) Sentinel tries to break free of the fear effect! Ego 12 + Roll 6,8,8,6,6,6,5,3 (plenty of 6s, but double 8, 16 takes it) plus roll 3,9. Total 40, test passed.

Sentinel growls, then bellows his rage and finally moves an arm, then the rest of his body! He was free of the fear effect!

Meanwhile, ghostlike, Frostbite flew over the heads of the Cthuloids and headed into the darkened control room. The three creatures that had been heading for him turned and made ready to follow!

In the darkness of the large room, Frostbites chestplate cast a blue glow over the place. Making a mental note to set his computer to disabling the systems in here that kept the missiles spewing forth towards planet Earth!

He turned to the pale form curled up in the middle of the floor. The man shivered, and Frostbite realised the thin atmosphere and painful well below zero temperature that he and the Vanguard were spared from by swimsuits were taking their toll on Hitlers body!

As he neared, Frostbite saw Hitler thrust a hand out... then the hero saw what looked to be a stick on the floor near Hitlers prone form.

A stick? No, it had a pointed tip, and was wrapped in leather in places. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like there were carvings, or runes down its length. If Hitler thought that weapon would save him, he needed another think coming! Frostbite noted that Adolf Hitlers body was extremely muscled and athletic, a 'gift' from Bentham and Trowers.

OOC Frostbite flies over to Hitler (2 frames) and can turn tangible to reach him if he wishes, unless he wishes to use his final 2 frames to do something else. Sentinel has 2 frames having broken free of the fear effect. Lionheart has his frames (5) saved - the enemy stopped short of physically engaging him. Sunburst is using her light effect on the three creatures facing her and holding them at bay - she's used 4 frames to do that. Meant to do map, run out of time but it will be done tomorrow. Truth told you might not need one anyway if Anyman whisks you away from the battle and to his location. Frostbite, Lionheart and Sentinel to act, then the creatures. To engage in hand to hand combat, Lionheart and Sentinel will need a frame to go into range.

The now freed silver sentinel moved over to lionheart so they stood back to back as the squid like beings slowly sized up and started to circle the vanguard.

"What are they waiting for?" Steve asked no one in particular, why weren't they attacking yet? He readied a quick blast from his gauntlet but wasn't going to fire until his gruesome foe made the first move.

Frostbite used his power to manipulate cold to blast Hitler, the last thing he wanted was the man trying to fight him at every turn. Icing him up, in his new super fit body would probably render him inert and therefore less trouble. They'd got what they came for, with the base disabled, they could finally rejoin Anyman to find out what they could do against the Devourer.

OOC:
Ok am going for using field manipulation to cocoon Hitler, if at all possible. If this is out of my current range of abilities, then perhaps just a couple of quick blasts, via energy manipulation might be better. But I'm going more for flavour and capturing the bad guy than beating him up. After this, Frostbite will make sure Frostbot is with them or that Anyman takes the computer with him when we are all teleported out, including Hitler. I won't do a group telepathy message, until I know I've got Hitler, but if I do then feel free to let Dave know so he can whip us out with Hitler etc.

Sj

Lionhearts mind raced. He suddenly realised, thanks to Silver Sentinels question, what the strength - and weakness - of the things opposing them were!

He'd seen the Dark power of Frostbite impossibly reflected back at the Vanguardian, and knew then that these creatures, so recently awoken by Hitler and his allies, had been asleep, or at least dormant, for so long, that they lacked the intelligence and imagination to use the vast range of abilities that they could undoubtedly call on! Instead they watched, learned, and copied the abilities of their foes!

He turned, and saw out of the corner of his eye one of the creatures swell with muscle, and knew then that the thing had copied his mental powers, and was trying to get its head around how they worked. Once it realised...

The others were frowning, adjusting, adapting.

There! Their great power, the ability to adapt and learn from any foe! The only chance was to hit them - hard - and take them out with a single blow, or several coordinated blows! They were eager to learn and copy as much as they could before they could fully realise the range of abilities their foes could use against them, and make them their own!

The Cthuloids facing Sunburst suddenly uncovered their eyes, and started to glow, getting brighter and brighter!

Beth looked across at her team mates "What's happening? They are glowing like me! What the...?"

The room started to get brighter and it became hard, then impossible, to see the three Cthuloids!

In the next few moments the creatures would copy the abilities of those superhumans ranged against them, then they would find a dozen creatures fighting them with the best and most useful of their abilities used against them!

=========

Frostbite turned tangible, and glanced at the Cthuloids following him...

He suddenly realised something. They were watching and learning, and one of them seemed to shimmer - and Frostbite realised at least one of them had taught itself to become intangible!

He whirled back to Hitler, and saw the man reaching desperate fingers towards the haft of the spear on the ground! With a hand thrust out at Adolf Hitler, Frostbite cooled the thin air around him instantly, turning the moisture into rock hard ice - with Adolf Hitlers fingers a mere fingers length away from the...

'My internal database is not complete on this subject, but that object appears to closely resemble the fabled artifact known as the Holy Lance, Lance of Loginus, or more commonly known as the Spear of Destiny. According to legend, the artifact has significant magical power which is of course nonsense as magic does not exist.' said the calm, logical voice of the computer in Frostbites head.

Landing next to the ice block containing Adolf Hitler, Frostbite knew he'd stopped his enemy, but the three alien creatures were sprinting across the floor - no, one was flying now! Another was playing with its hands, creating ice crystals between the fingers!

Just then he had a chilling thought - what if they were able to mimic the ability to draw on the Dark power, turning negative emotions into nigh on limitless power? Had he given it to them?

OOC ok, just a quick declaration of actions from everyone, because the next round will be critical - you either have to battle these things who can use your own abilities against you, or teleport to Anymans location (if he gets the chance to do so!). Your call...

Admin wrote:OOC ok, just a quick declaration of actions from everyone, because the next round will be critical - you either have to battle these things who can use your own abilities against you, or teleport to Anymans location (if he gets the chance to do so!). Your call...

OOC:
Either I've been taking some thick pills or I am just tired or something, as I am completely stumped as to how to tackle foes that can mimic what you do. Typically the usual solution is to get them to copy something that proves fatal, or traps them, but they seem to be able to copy us so that whatever they do means they are immune also. Sorry Paul, not sure what to suggest especially as part of what we do to them, seems to be that they turn our power back on ourselves. So even using Prob Manipulation isn't full proof. How much energy would we need to kill them totally. To atomise them so that they physical form cannot be reconstituted. As the only thing I can think off is overwhelming force that they can't counter. I.E the biggest amount of dark power - together with enough vigour so even if they reflect half of it back, half is enough to destroy then and vigour so we can survive the backlash? Other than that I've got to get me something to counter act these thick pills.

Dave Anyman can teleport us out (including Hitler and the spear of destiny - which sounds useful), but not before we make sure we kill these things or else the shadow demons will use them and we'll be in a much worse situation.

Oh just a thought, can the speak help us, Frostbite makes a move toward it, even as he things about what is going on and messages Anyman.

Sj

OOC: I think your right sj about killing them outright or maybe trapping them. How's mass teleportation, like into the sun or something, or do you think they would just feed off the dark power? What about the Sebastian shaw method (not from the new film where he gets killed with a coin but from the original series or comics) where he can absorb energy if directly applied, so manipulate objects around the 'squids' but don't harm them directly e.g. drop the roof on them, send them into the cold vacuum of space

OOC Ross is bang on the right track. These things can copy your own abilities when you use them. If you don't use them or they aren't active (things like super strength and agility are always 'active'), they can't mimic them. Therefore use your abilities to skirt *around* them - yes, drop the roof in on them, or teleport this section of the base into the sun, or freeze them into a block of steel or whatever with Sentinels power. So rather than go for them directly, go *around* them, so to speak, with an attack that affects them indirectly. You might not be able to kill them, but 'putting them on ice' might be good enough - it's what happens in the Call of Cthulu game if I recall (though admittedly its 25 years or more since I GM'd that. My players couldn't get their head round the fact that they were at best above average and more than likely about to be killed or go insane through no fault of their own). Any comic that has the Super Adaptoid or Amazo, or any character (like Mimic in an ancient X Men comic I recall which kind of gives away my age) that can seemingly use all the strengths of their opponents might give a clue of some kind.

Frostbite sees the shivering hand go for the Spear of Destiny and figures that if Hitler wants it, it can't be good for anyone else! With that in mind he lands, scoops it up and... nothing. If he expected the lights to shine down from above, or some powerful mystical effect to occur, he was sorely mistaken! With the spear in hand though he was easily able to keep it from Hitlers grasp. The man might be wearing a new body that put him at the peak of physical fitness, but it was deprived of air, freezing cold and encased in ice right now - he wasn't going anywhere.

Meanwhile the three creatures moved closer, and seemed to spread out - they were about to attack!

OOC Last call before the Cthuloids get stuck in!

Admin wrote:OOC Last call before the Cthuloids get stuck in!

OOC:
Ah never read comics with either the super adaptoid or the absorbing man so I was struggling to think laterally. To be honest, had I thought of it, I would have still been hesitant as I would be unsure if it would be a wasted action at a time when every action seems to count. Good call Ross.

Shouting to Sentinel over the silence of the room as the creatures shuffled about, Frostbite said, "Sentinel get ready to drop these things into the floor bury them deep so that they can be left safely for now. The rest of you get ready to make sure you're not on the floor.

With that Frostbite prepared for the oncoming onslaught. But not before flashing a message to Anyman. OOC:See Telepathic thread....

Sj

"you heard the man" sentinel shouted at the space behind the main bulk of the squids causing a few of them to turn around in horror as standing there were obilisks of molten metal stretched from the floor which held together loosely from a second before washing over the amphibious life forms. As the liquid quickly harden the hard steel checked floor below just as quickly melted causing the now half tonne monsters to be forever encased metres below.

"How's that Joe? 9/10 for style?"

smaug wrote:"How's that Joe? 9/10 for style?"

For the first time in ages, Sentinel saw Frostbite give something like a begrudging grin, before he was all business again. "Anyman if you are going to get us out of this, now is the time to do it."

Sj

With Hitler gasping for breath and incapacitated, Sentinel saw to the other enemies by simply using their surroundings against them! Had the creatures more time to adapt to their new abilities, all present knew there'd have been little chance of beating them when the creatures had fully realised the breadth of Lionhearts powers, or the Dark power itself! As it was, the inside of this place morphed and shaped itself to Sentinels will, the walls, floor, superstructure, everything about the place conspired to entrap and entomb the creatures.

Somehow the group figured it wouldn't be the last time they saw or heard of the things, but thanks to Silver Sentinel and this vast building, almost entirely made of metal, the creatures would not pose an immediate threat.

OOC Sentinel comes into his own. We're almost at a wrap for this issue. Will catch up with the other posts and see what's what, then my next post will wrap with a new issue starting up tomorrow. World War II is over.

Turns out it was just a minor skirmish.

The real battle is about to begin...