The NEW Vanguard! Haunt Issue #5

haven't looked at it yet, see other post.

If memory serves, the Fog isn't as big a diameter as my stretching? If so, create mallet hand and slam into one of the creatures while staying inside the boundaries of the church. If not, wait until they are closer.

The enemy seemed to be of insubstantial smoke, so that when the ghost white hammer swung at it, the smoky form seemed to try and drift around the blow!

OOC Attack with Omni Arm, Dex 9/EV13 vs TN 25 (!) (Dex 7 Fluid Form 7) to hit the wispy smoky form...

Roll(2d10)+0: 2,5,+0 Total:7

Total 16, 9 short of what is required. Haunt might need to put more effort (hero points) into improving his chances of hitting!

The Shadow Demon danced aside from Haunts blow and reached out with an elongating arm to slash at Haunt... only to hiss and shy back as its hand crossed the threshold of the church by several feet, and the smoke seemed to disperse! Nursing what had been an arm, and was now only a dispersed smoke mass, the creature floated up in the air and looked down. Then it seemed to breathe in, and flames started to lick about its eyes and mouth...

OOC Intelligence check Roll(2d10)+0: 4,2,+0 Total:6 Haunt doesn't gather any new intel about the foe he faces. Haunt is up next. He gets the idea things are going to get hotter when this thing unleashes hellfire on the church! Over to you!

Oh what the hell!  Form a plug with my fist and jam it into his mouth just as he is about to breathe out.  Be interesting to see if the flame comes out his ears.

HP for the attack and HP for the timing and HP for defense - flame is going to hurt!

OOC Ok quick update...

Since last week the way Hero Points are used have been changed.

You buy 'bonus dice' which are rolled the same time as your normal dice then pick which two to use. This replaces adding hero points to acting, effect, damage and resistance.

You can absorb damage through last ditch defence with hero points.

If you go on the defensive you can dodge instead of attacking and roll the target number you opponent needs (+Dex) instead of accepting an 11. You can spend hero points on this roll.

Skills don't quite work like they used to. Instead they either swap their value for acting/effect value if needed (just like before) OR give bonus dice just like spending hero points would, decided when you use the skill on that occasion.

I don't know if you can make this picture out ok (I'm squinting) but:



I proposed an updated Haunt. In a nutshell, smarter, stronger, tougher, more accurate with his omni arm and heals quicker. You can decide whether to accept or reject this changes, or even use the extra points to buy more powers/skills/whatever, your call. Anything missing from the character you want to add?

Haunt conjured a cork from his hand and thrust it at he gaping maw!

OOC Omni Arm will give a neutralize type effect vs the bad guys flame breath in this instance, because its stoppering up his mouth. He might get singed though...

Does Haunt 'hit'?

Using Weaponry to give +5 Dice to the attack against the wispy dark form... (no point in using hero points as you would pay 51 - yes 51! - to add an extra die!!!!)

Dex 9 + Roll(7d10)+0: 1,8,4,4,1,10,10 BOOM! Double 10. Followed by Roll(2d10)+0: 3,1 Total:24 Second roll not so great...

Still that's 33 vs TN 11 + Dex 7 + Fluid Form 7 + 4 Trick Shot meaning Haunt hits despite his elusive foes best efforts, and scores an extra +3 effect for his efforts!

Bad guys Flame Project - Mystic Linked Flame Project 13 vs giant stopper in mouth 14+3. Roll:

Roll(2d10)+0: 4,7,+0 Total:11 + 13 vs TN11+17. mmmmfffflffff...

With unerring accuracy Haunt fires off his hand, creating a giant stopper to ram into his foes mouth! It has a heartbeat to look surprised before flames jet from its ears! The creature pulls back, shaking and clutching its head, and flies up into the darkness of the clouds above!

Haunt pulls his hand back. Is it singed...?

OOC 13 Flame vs (new improved) 13 Body? Not a mark! And no hero points spent!

These changes are 'phase 1' of my attempt to marry the DC Heroes rules with the combat from Golden Heroes. That's going to take some persuading to get the two of them to work together, but if I can, well, fights will more or less be resolved in a couple of posts.

Haunt had driven one of the Shadow Demons away, and bought the Priest/Conrad more time!

"Found it!" came a shout from indoors. "Last piece of the blade! We're going to have to dig to get it though..." the voice carried. "There's a lot of debris and dirt to get through!"

Haunt glanced outside. Black clouds, but no baddies. Dare he leave the doorway to go help out?

Let's get creative again and see how it affects the new house rules.  My mind kind of blurred over the details of the points used in the combat but since Haunt is still standing, think that so far so good.


So ...  Omni-arm or hand in this case a giant drill with handgrips, stretch arm back into church, yell directions, stand watch where the Haunt is.

"Use this," the Haunt yells back, converting one hand into a giant drill and snaking it back inside by stretching his arm.  "Just let me know when you want "it" turned on and off!"

He will then turn on and off his "drill-hand" as directed while staying outside to watch for more intruders.



ooc: Dang! Totally forgot I had acrobatics, even have it without the suit. Wonder if it is any good for me or if other powers overwhelm it?

OOC Acrobatics is one of those powers that works differently. The boring stuff - gymnastics - works the same, so you use it to impress a crowd. Dodge is where it's at. That takes up you dice action for the round (so no attack) but you roll the target number instead of taking a basic 11, plus your Dex to get the number the other guy has to match or beat to hit you. Your Acrobatics 5 allows you to roll 5D10 and pick the best two dice to use for your defence. Chances are that you will get a much better result and be hard to hit.

Haunt makes a drill and conveyor belt with one hand/arm and a miniature skip to pile dust and rock into with the other whilst he's stood at the door and looking outside.

Would they give up this easy?

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 8,10,+0 Total:18 Oh, that's rather a good roll.

Haunt looked up. Darkness. These creatures are invisible in the darkness, seem to draw their power from it.

"We're getting closer! Keep drilling!" shouted Conrad from the cellar.

Haunt glanced up. Boiling clouds. Maybe a strong enough wind could punch a hole through them, then what?

Uh oh.

He saw a shape, slightly darker than the others, and squinted. No, not one shape. Two. Two coming at him from the sky at the same time...

"Whatever you do, don't stop, or the whole lot will cave in and we'll be back at square one!" shouted the Priest. Haunt looked up... gahhhh! Seconds away!

Swallow debris coming off conveyor belt arm, inflate stomach and then fire debris out of mouth like a compressed air machine gun at the figures flying down.

ooc: Saw Plastic Man do something similar in an episode of Batman the Brave and the Bold except he was using gold bars he shot out of his mouth and punched himself in the stomach and hit his stomach with his big fists in order to shoot them out like a machine gun.

OOC Ok, blasting the gravel/debris.

Range isn't an issue - they are flying right at the churhc, making a dive bomb run to drop their hellfire type blasts on the church.

Roll(2d10)+0:  1,10,+0 Total:11 plus Dex (9) (20 Total) vs Dex 7/Fluid Form 7 + TN11 (25 total)

Haunt misses!

The shrapnel and debris passes through the creatures forms as they flew at Haunt.

Swooping down, they inhale... and unleash blue fire at their foe!

OOC Team Attack reduces Haunts Opposing Value by 2.

Roll(2d10)+0: 6,5,+13 Total:24 vs Dex 9 -OV2 +TN11 (Total 18). Hit! +3 Effect. 16 Effect vs Haunts RV13. Haunt takes 3 damage (Body 13 down to 10)

Second attack by other Demon...

Roll(2d10)+0: 1,9,+13 Total:23 vs Dex 9 -OV2 +TN11 (Total 18). Hit! +3 Effect. 16 Effect vs Haunts RV13. Haunt takes 3 damage (Body 10 down to 7)

HAUNT BODY 7 (Down from 13)

Haunt staggered as the mystical fire bathed him! His hide was tougher than steel, but even steel could be melted! They were within swinging distance now though...

ooc: surgery is tomorrow morning. Off to pick up my dad at the airport in about 2 hours. He will be staying with me for a week while I recover. Should be able to take care of myself after that.

Didn't go with the swinging attack as the arms are being used by the guys inside the church to dig their way in.

But my feet are free!

actions: Huge Jack-booted feet to kick/smash/stomp demons with stretching.

"Look! I'm clog dancing on demons!"

Use HP to stay on my feet. Too bad they aren't using physical attacks so I could use my stretching to absorb their blows.

Let's go one dice into attack on one of the creatures. Kick it again.

HAUNT HP 214
Body 7 (of 13)

OOC Haunt absorbs all 7 points of damage for 16HP (3 from one blow 4 from another) His best attack is Weaponry (Melee) using his Omni Arm as a Hammer or other weapon. That would give him either 13 Acting Value (as opposed to his usual 9) OR he can use 9 Acting Value (his Dex) AND he rolls 7 (seven!) dice to attack with! No need to spend Hero Points doing that! I will assume you go for that, stretch and whack one over the head with the hammer...

Haunt has to stop with the digging and shifting soil, which draws a cry of "Hey!" from Conrad and the Priest, but if he goes down, they will have no one to protect the place!

With his hands to use at last he lashes out with a huge mallet shaped fist!

OOC Rolling 7 dice to attack with, no HP expenditure required. Roll(7d10)+0: 3,10,2,5,9,6,9,+9 Total:27 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0: 7,2,+0 Total:9 total 36. Hit, 11 points difference for +5 damage. EV19 (Strength +5) vs RV14, 5 damage.

Finally, he connects with a solid blow, and the Demon doesn't like it! It wails and soars away. The other seems uncertain, then looks at the clouds above. Their time is running out! Cracks of sunshine break through, and light shines down on the church! The demon hisses, swoops down at Haunt then cries out as it touches a beam of sunlight and seems to shrink in stature! The smoke demon howls, casts a venomous glance at Haunt then flies off after its injured brethren towards the dark sky overhead which is shrinking to a central point so rapidly it can only be a magical storm!

The black sky draws into one point, like a vortex, which shrinks into nothing!

Then the sun beams down and the demons are gone! Haunt breathes a sigh of relief and notes that at least the Demons storm brightened up what had been a dreary rain filled day!

Going back into the church he sees the priest and Conrad covered in head to toe with dirt and sets to with the digging.

Soon there is a great pit dug, and he strikes something hard. The three look at one another then watch as Haunt clears the soil away from what appears to be an ancient muck encrusted metal bound chest. Despite the age and soil stuck to it, it is neither rotted nor rust covered, which is surely not possible for something that had been buried for hundreds of years!

When Haunt finishes clearing the soil away, the Priest looks fearful. "That shard of the sword in there is evil! Whosoever touches it will surely be corrupted!"

Conrad sucks in a deep breath. "If we recover the shard, that will mean we have two of the pieces. We must take it from here and scatter them! Unfortunately the sword that slew King Arthur is of pure evil, it's essence like a magnet drawing them like flies to it in the hope of resurrecting their dark master. Perhaps there is a way to destroy it. First though.. I carry one shard in my case. I have been trained to withstand its evil power, but two would overwhelm me! Would... would you, Haunt, be able to take this one?" he points to the chest.

"I'll give it a try," the Haunt says. "Maybe fighting demons has given me extra protection against such things. How do we hide these things if demons can sense them? Put them in very holy places like the Vatican? Or can we destroy them? Take them to a steel making plant and dump them into the molten metal?"

"Your knowledge is greater than mine in this area," he finishes up, "I will be guided by you in this."

Conrad considers. "I suppose... dipping them in a vat of molten metal might make it more difficult to get at, but the people behind this threat have a far reach and money is little in the way of obstacle. Their magicians - yes, magic is real - will find it and one of their cabal will buy the Steel manufacturing plant, for example."

"There may be a way of disposing of the two shards we have. Separation will only slow them, but perhaps..." he looked at the Priest who looked uneasy "This plane of existence might not be the best place to hide it. I will think on it but..."

"DO NOT SAY IT!" hissed the Priest. "What you suggest is blasphemous and should not be spoken of in this hallowed pla..."

Conrad sighed "Would you rather that the dark one be returned to say your conscience, Priest? You of all people realise the darkness we encountered today would be replicated across this Isle and the world! The stakes are as high as any this world has faced!"

Haunt wasn't sure what these two weren't saying, but saw Conrad turn to the chest, and pull a key from his inner shirt on a string. It clicked without issue and the chest opened to reveal a blood red cushion upon which sat a shard of metal several inches long.

The Priest started to object, but Conrad waved him away. "This man is true of heart. He will bear the burden, as I do."

Haunt closed his hand around the shard... and... nothing. The Priest and Conrad watched the white clad man closely but breathed a sigh of relief a few moments later.

Conrad spoke up "Go home. Keep that safe and hidden. Your goodly nature will hide it for a time, as mine did. However, this is a shard of evil, despite looking like a slither of metal. The blow it struck plunged Britain into darkness for an age. Only the Kings own sword, Excalibur, saved Britain from a reign of terror under Mordred.

"I need some way to contact you. Here." he handed a card with a telephone number on it. "Call me tomorrow. I will have more details of what need be done. In the meantime I shall contact my order and advise them of what has happened."

OOC Haunt can get back on with his normal life for a day. Does he have plans? He has a play to prepare for after all in his mortal guise...

Yep, time to do some civilian ID stuff. Start working on lines. Do some shopping. See what my manager has lined up for after the play. All that kind of fun stuff.

Also got to figure out a place to hide the shard, so that I'm not carrying it around all the time. Hide in plain sight would be best. Hmmm ... maybe a wooden base, stick the shard in it and make it look like some kind of award, a little brass plaque attached - maybe as some kind of high school achievement award and stick it in the old junk box with all the other awards from that time period. That sounds like a plan to me.

Also go see my friend the mad scientist, get him updated on my latest activities and get some kind of communicator from him. Give him the contact info on the new heroes I helped out a bit ago, so in case anything happens to me, he will have someone to contact.

Rush King stepped out of the shower and towelled himself off.

He glanced at the statuette in the corner of his room and tried to spot the shard hastily taped to the back of it. In plain sight, but not so obvious that someone looking for it would look on the back of the statuette. Ugly thing that it was. Dressed and combing his hair he began to reel off a number of his lines. Whilst playing hero was vital, exhilarating and fun, it wouldn't pay the bills so he needed to be on top form. It was already bad enough having to dash off at a moments notice when evil reared its head and he knew that a successful run in a play might bring things into conflict, and not just with his fists meting out justice to ne'er do wells.

He scanned through his phone and found Dr Praetorius, his friend and one of the few who knew of Rush Kings dual identity. 'On my way over to catch up.' he texted.

'Not going anywhere, got some things to watch for over next few hours. Will have the kettle on. P.' came the reply after a few moments.

His friend was quite barmy, always with his head in a book or scratching formulae down on a chalkboard. He possessed a fine imagination and keen intellect, but marrying the two was ever the challenge of genius down the ages, from Da Vinci to Einstein and all in between. Theory was one thing, practise another, and usually explosively loud in Praetorius' case.

=========

The Taxi dropped him off at the end of the street and Rush walked the short way down the leafy avenue.

The patents from Praetorius' work even as a child had allowed him to buy out his siblings from the family home which he still resided in, an eight bedroom Victorian townhouse in an exclusive area of London normally reserved for millionaires and above. Dr P had no interest in money or the trappings, however, and the two levels below ground boasted extensive design and research facilities whilst the rest of the house remained in a kind of Edwardian time warp, all creaking floorboards, wall to ceiling bookshelves, antiques, paintings and wood burning fireplaces in the rooms with 10 foot or higher ceilings. The place was enormous, lived in only by Dr P and his house maid, Martha, a woman who'd practically raised the scientist since he was a toddler and now with the help of her own daughters who popped in as part of their cleaning duties, kept things in order for the scientist.

They knew little or nothing about Praetorius' work, only that he paid them well and trusted them implicitly with the family silver and anything else of monetary value, and they in turn were devoted to the odd, bedraggled, driven young man with a twinkle in his eye and a breathless speed about him. If he could invent more hours in the day, he would do.

Rush pulled a key from his pocket, unlocked the front porch door and stepped in whilst he knew that invisible scanners were giving him the once over. A robotic female voice announced 'Welcome Mr King' and he stepped into the long hallway. "Only me Martha" announced Rush. He wondered if Marthas university age daughters were here. Both were pretty, smart and... and he didn't have time for that sort of thing, he thought with a sigh.

There was no reply from Martha - not surprising given the size of the place.

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 9,4,+0 Total:13

He moved to the doorway under the stair case and to a grandfather clock next to it. With a glance about he altered the time to 02:17 and stopped the pendulum from swinging. A moment later the doorway to the basement shimmered and revealed a steel reinforced door which housed a thumb pad and retinal scanner. Using both he heard a number of locks click and the door to a lift leading down swished open. He was just about to step in when something made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A sense of being watched? He glanced about. No one he could see. "Martha?" he called quietly. Silence, aside from the numerous ticking of clocks in the place and distant sounds of cars outside.

Yet there was that feeling...

Rush King sighed. "It's never easy, is it," he mutters, picturing Martha lying dead in the kitchen from some hop-headed burglar looking for money for a quick fix. He put things back to normal, hiding the hidden door and move silently as he could towards the kitchen, thinking to start looking there for what seemed to bother him.


ooc: Just as an aside, a few weeks back they were doing a Mythbusters marathon and I caught an episode where they easily fooled a high tech heat sensor and motion sensor by using a plain ole bedsheet held up in front of them. And the fingerprint scanner by using a photcopy of the fingerprint as well as the more high tech way of making a plastic mold of the fingerprint. Cool episode. And I wonder how great a retinal scanner would be for someone with changing eye conditions that affect their eyes.
Hollywood is going to have a fit when they figure that out.

Rush wondered about how much a scientist might know about security systems and considered that the expert about such things would be an actual thief.

He figured his friend hadn't thought of that, despite having a genius IQ. He'd have simply cooked something up in the workshop and installed it then got back on with other stuff. Creeping around the corner (OOC Remember he's not in Haunts costume...) he looked in the kitchen.

Martha was there, trussed up and gagged, eyes wide in fear!

Rush moved to her and glanced about - too wily an operator to fall for the 'he's behind you!' schtick. He looked back to Martha and pulled the gag from her mouth "Oh Mr King! Someone's in the house! I swear! You... I... can't see them!"

Invisib...

OOC Attack... Roll(2d10)+0: 6,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0:  2,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE again plus Roll(2d10)+0: 2,1,+16 Total:19 plus Dex of attacker (8) (Total 27) vs Dex 9 - modifier surprised -4=5 +TN11. +5 Effect so 10EV vs RV13... no damage.

Rush was slugged from behind with enough force to utterly flatten an ordinary person. If the attacker had struck his friend...? Question was - and this thought flashed through his mind - did he want to tip off his attacker that he was not 'an ordinary person'?

Rush went down and played very unconscious while trying to listen and see where his attacker was at.

"Hush!" hissed a disembodied voice from somewhere. "Now then, oo we got ere, eh?"

Rough hands turned Rush over... luckily he was a master actor, and played dead - or rather unconscious - very convincingly!

"Looks familiar... ee been on the telly or sommink?" said the voice from thin air.

Martha looked terrified!

"No matter. Let's see..." rough hands rifled through Rushs' jacket, pulling out his wallet. "Rush King? What sorta poncy name is that? Sounds like a right lar dee dar stuck up tosspot name that." he pulled out bank cards, actors union card, what money Rush had on him... "Well clearly ees no movie star. No fancy credit cards, naff all money." He tossed it all to the floor.

Footsteps.

Martha gasped as her head was hoisted up somehow, fear across her face! "Now then loveee. You have yourself a choice. You tell me where the scientist is... or the ponce gets it."

Martha's eyes flicked to Rush in fear... she was about to blurt it out!

If my datafile is up to date, and I don't remember if it is or not, then only Aura of Fear and Fog require the suit in order to work. The rest of the powers I can use out of costume. If that's wrong, will have to rethink this.

Rush opened his eyes and then winked at her, then mouthed the words "Go ahead and let him attack me," to her. Stretching his eyeball that was closest to the floor, under his head, he took a quick look around the kitchen for Martha's flour tin, with the intention of stretching a hand and grabbing it and throwing it at the invisible crook.

"Pounce," he thought to himself in outrage.

actions: After throwing it at the invisible crook's area, using extra die or dice to hit him, he is going to use Chameleon and turn himself into Herr Mad Scientist Doktor in a battlesuit and beat the crap out of the guy. Pounce indeed!

OOC You are right about Haunts powers - Aura of fear and Fog require him to be 'in character' /in costume. The rest is fine

Rush noted that Martha kept her surprised expression limited to her eyeballs, which widened but otherwise she looked around in fear at this invisible 'Poltergeist' that was plaguing them.

She glanced back at the actor/hero to see him mouthing the words then gulped before saying "You go right ahead and do what you want to do. I don't think ye'll be hurtin' no one an ye're all mouth."

There was a pause. Rush extended an eyeball, snaked it underneath himself and around the kitchen in double quick time! (OOC Using self manipulation to give him a form of full vision, and adding cling to it to give his eyeball/stalk some creepy suckers. Eeewwww....)

Dragging the bag of flour from the kitchen worktop (ever the dutiful cook Martha had been in the midst of making cakes when this miscreant entered the place) and flipped it up into the air!

"What...?" spluttered a disembodied voice near Martha. The flour revealed the upper torso of a man around 6' tall and solidly built, but little else in the way of detail.

Rush sprang up and transformed himself into a 'Mad Scientist' before pounding on the bad guy with armoured fists!

OOC Using his Omni Arm as a weapon and Weaponry to give a pile of extra dice is the best bet. Alternately he can sub his Weaponry 13 for Dex 9 but that means spending HP to get extra dice. Seven dice into the attack... He's surprised Poltergeist too.

Roll(7d10)+0: 10,9,8,1,1,10,5,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d10)+0:  10,6,+20 Total:36 + Dex 9 (attack 45) vs Dex 7 (-Surprise mod 4) + TN11 (TN is 14). Ouch. +8 Effect (up to 22) vs RV7. KA POW!

Rush King didn't mess around, pounding the tar out of the invisible man who never got chance to recover from his surprise! He went down easily enough - Rush figured the guy was more used to scaring the heck out of his foes! As he went down, sliding from a far wall where the plaster was smashed and cracked where the guy had struck, he materialised and Rush noted the fellow had a belt with a large glowing buckle on and wires from said belt running to various tucked away garments under his ordinary shirt and jeans. Some kind of technological power suit?

He turned back. Martha looked terrified! And of course now knew that there was more to Rush King than met the eye...

"Do you know if there is another one around, my dear," he said in her husband's voice, still maintaining his guise as her husband in a battlesuit.

He went over to the man and looked over the belt, trying to figure out the best way to remove for later inspection.

"The chameleon circuits worked better on this experimental battlesuit than I originally figured, dear. I guess you really thought I was Rush King! He will get a laugh out of that when he hears about it." [ooc: yeah muddying the waters as to who saved her]

He laughs in Pratorious' laugh.

actions: take care of Martha, tie or tape up bad guy [assuming there isn't a second one around I have to worry about], go find the professor while Martha calls the police.

OOC Martha is just Dr P's housemaid rather than her husband. Still, this ruse should work...

"D...Doctor Praetorius?" Martha spluttered. "Is that you? I thought..."

"Yes, that I was my friend, Rush? No my dear." said the Actor in his near perfect performance of his friend. He hoped Martha was still in shock to realize where his performance might slip up in one or two places, but figured he more than anyone was most likely to 'do his friend right'.

He asked if there was another...

"I... I'm not sure." she looked at the unconscious intruder. "How is... oh silly me, I've seen enough strange things around this place to know what is possible, what seems impossible, and what simply 'is'. I don't know if there are others. There was an error on the alarm system, you know like the time when the cat brought a still living mouse home and you had to reboot it all? I thought it had, you know, detected a fly or something that had entered the house when I got back from the shopping. It was him!" she screeched, and leaned over to give a gentle boot to the fellows side. He didn't even grunt.

"Who is he?" she asked, peering at the guy.

'Dr Praetorious' looked him over. 'Not seen him before' he figured. Best thing was maybe to question him when he woke, but first... He knelt down and looked at the belt. There were wires trailing from it. He turned the guy over and lifted his shirt.

The wires trailed from the belt into sockets implanted all over the mans body! What in the...? Martha gasped, hand over mouth. "Oh my! Who... why would...?"

Rush was presented with a dilemma. What if the power supply - the belt - was doing more than simply powering the fellows superhuman abilities? Where was his friend? What had this man broke in for?