The New Vanguard! LIONHEART Issue #4 - The Mission, Part 2

Admin wrote:Lionheart didn't sense danger, as such, but he COULD sense a field of mental energy about the boy. As strong as his own? Perhaps. This armour, as it was, had been designed to elevate the boys mind to nearly 100% capacity, to unlock mental powers and give him the means to strike out on a path of his choosing. He could be a dangerous opponent, one Lionheart had the opportunity of stopping right now, before he became fully versed in his new abilities or...

...or he might be a powerful ally.

The man from the future realised that he was acting in the role of sign post for this young man. Wherever he went from here, Lionheart would have a hand in it...

"What is happening, are you ok?" Knowing that there wasn't an immediate threat of danger gave Lionheart pause for thought. He could have perhaps attacked back with his own considerable mind powers. But the threat wasn't one to him, therefore he felt it worth the risk to find out just what was happening.

OOC:
Hmm interesting didn't expect to get something positive out of this. Though would be thrilled if that did happen. Its been great to see the introduction of the wider world's past heroes, but this might bring in some new ones.

1. So I'll hold fire, and wait and see what Charlie did next.
2. Assuming he is on the up and up, I'll explain what his Grandfather was to give us in return for his freedom.
3. And assuming that this is ok, then we'd best go find out where the Shrinker can be found.
4. However if things go south, then we'd best be thinking back up plan, this could be an elaborate ruse I've no idea if my warning danger sense works off intent, or just immediate danger. Whilst no immediate danger I might be or appear to be fine, but I've yet no reason to know if there might be a longer game being played out here, after all. So proceed with due caution in any case.

Sj

Charlie seemed fascinated, examining himself in the suit and armour before levitating several feet from the floor and laughing out loud.

"Man, can you see this? I'm not dreaming!?!?" he laughed, before rotating several times and slowly dropping to the floor. He clenched a fist, which started to glow with energy, then seemed taken aback. "It's too easy." He looked up, fear on his face. "To go from here and knock a bank off, jewellery store, set yourself up as lord and master. The cops wouldn't stand a chance... I'd be up against the likes of you and others. This... this is going to take some getting my head roooouuuuuuuuuu....."

Lionheart caught Charlie as he fell, and lowered him gently to the floor.

"....nnnnnnnnnnd." the young man finished, but Lionheart caught something in his voice. "Where... ahhh. I see. You. 'Hero'... I... See you held your end of the bargain up. Very well. PROTOCOL 940714 EXECUTE!"

SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ABORTED! declared a computer voice from the room. Lionhearts danger sense hadn't warned him of impending doom, but then it may have been on a slow timer.

"You want the plans, access the computer terminal on the desk... Yes, that one. The password is Charlie. The plans for the shrinker are in there. You will need a genius to put them together, money for components - or simply steal them - and a little time to assemble them. Make sure you get it right. The technology was volatile. I never told the buffoon that he was, in effect, wearing a fusion bomb, if the White Dwarf star energy imbalance was even slightly out. Good job then my calculations were never wrong. My technology never failed! The buffoons using it however..."

Charlie shuddered, and cried out before looking about, wild eyed. "What... what just...?" he yanked the helmet off and gasped. "He was in me wasn't he? The old man!"

Lionheart helped him up and checked out the computer terminal. Sure enough the diagrams and plans were laid out. Thousands of pages of them. The shrinker device was the only one available to view - if there was anything else in there of value, it wasn't available to access.

"The powers... my brain... these gizmos provide it. I'm just his... his puppet." said Charlie, dropping the helmet to the floor and sagging back. "I want to help you, but if I put that back on, who is to say the old man won't be back, and what he can do? What would YOU do?"

Lionheart picked a usb stick up to transfer the files as he pondered the question. The young man had seen a glimpse of a far wider world, and needed guiding in the right direction. Could Lionheart do that and what would be the risk in wearing that helmet again? Or would he be better to advise Charlie to forget it and move on, find something else to do?

Admin wrote:"The powers... my brain... these gizmos provide it. I'm just his... his puppet." said Charlie, dropping the helmet to the floor and sagging back. "I want to help you, but if I put that back on, who is to say the old man won't be back, and what he can do? What would YOU do?"

Lionheart picked a usb stick up to transfer the files as he pondered the question. The young man had seen a glimpse of a far wider world, and needed guiding in the right direction. Could Lionheart do that and what would be the risk in wearing that helmet again? Or would he be better to advise Charlie to forget it and move on, find something else to do?

"Charlie my friend," Lionheart said as he turned back to the disheartened lad with an understanding glance. "I know exactly what you mean. But this is about taking back control, making the most of what you've got rather than allowing circumstances to dictate your moral outlook. We're not animals that need to react, we're human and we can choose to respond. Besides which it helps if you have someone with some experience with powers that come their way."

At which point Lionheart pointed toward his own head with a knowing expression. "I've got what I need, and I think your Grandfather might actually be on the up and up. Well at least partly. It makes some sort of sense, having backed and equipped so many strangers that he should back family."

Lionheart gestured and they both moved out of the warehouse. He didn't want to hang around any longer. This place was a death trap, and Lionheart wasn't here to set it off.

As they moved off, Lionheart took a glance at the helmet and added, "Let's go, if it bothers you still I've got a friend who can take a look at this and we can see where we go from there."

OOC:Ok lets take Charlie away from here, and back to base. I think I will ask him to trust me and then have Wandafar have a look at his pack and the blueprints. I'll get him to meet the group Frostbite is looking after so he can see we're about taking on waif's and strays and making good their situation. Kinda paying it forward.

Great stuff by the way, loving the current story lines, for both my characters. Impressive.

Sj

OOC Having one of 'those' weeks where I'm at work for long hours then start again with the kids as soon as I walk through the door. Doh. Anyway, on with the show...

LIONHEART

Using telekinesis to provide a more dignified method of travel for passengers, Lionheart sped back to base in moments. He'd left Timmy Jones - or at least the 'soul' of Timmy in a mannequin - to his own devices. Presumably he meant to investigate the secret Justice Legion base under Battersea Power Station but hopefully he'd consider gathering some firepower first. Whoever had murdered Timmy was powerful and more importantly, prepared. Worrying.

Back at the mansion Charlie gasped. "Wow man. I mean... wow! Look at this place!" Lionheart led him in and Jethro the Butler appeared from around the corner - whilst Lionheart knew the solid light hologram had simply decided to materialise out of sight. No need to give away his nature as an artificial life form, after all.

"Ah, will sirs be requiring sustenance, or will that wait until after you have consulted with Dr Wilgommen?" enquired Jethro.

"I'm famished!" declared Charlie, helmet under his arm and forgetting the fact that his evil genius grandfather had possessed him for a short period of time. Jethro nodded, then added to Lionheart. "I shall keep our guest entertained, sir. Dr Wilgommen is in his laboratory. This way Mr Hammond."

As they walked off Charlie asked. "How do you know my name? how come I didn't see you? Why don't you make any sound when you walk..."

Jethro would have his hands full.

=========

"Vat! I em always busy und you lot never give me any... oh. It's you." said Wandafar as Lionheart stepped from the lift to the sprawling lower floor science lab. It was impressive, state of the art and something beyond, though not beyond Lionhearts ability to comprehend. Well, most of it.

"Don't touch that!" shouted Wandafar as Lionheart leaned in to look at an energy beam dancing between two metal strobes. "You hef ze plens?"

Handing over the stick Lionheart looked about. He was from the future, and although not a scientist could easily get his head round the most advanced of 21st century technology, but the stuff in here was cutting edge. Wandafars 'Synth Muscle' for powered suits, various compact energy sources, exo skeletons, designs for vehicles, composite materials, alloys, advanced miniature electronics...

"I em particularly proud of zet vun." said Wandafar as he waited for the computer - a mass of wires and exposed bits - to finish virus scanning the stick. "It allows me to control ze tv over wireless router." Lionheart didn't want to tell him that such devices could be had cheaply from China from ebay and the like. "Took me ages to figure out. It never vorked right. Cost thousands. Don't tell Justin..."

*cringe* Despite that Lionheart kept a calm, professional exterior face on.

"Ah." the diminutive genius said, scanning the plans. "Yes. I see. Ah ha. Yes.... ze old man was genius, no doubts. Zis should not vork, but because it should not vork, von suspects it does ze very nicely. Thinking outside ze box. I vill need... 12 hours to assemble ze parts. You may rest in zet time, or do votever. Ven you come beck I vill hef finished ze shrinking device. Hmmm I vill hef to record Eastenders..."

OOC Lionheart has a rare respite - he can:

1) Check out Battersea power station
2) visit Prof Power to find ouot if the old man has any more tricks up his sleeve
3) Visit Timmys house - scene of his murder
4) Check out what Frostbite and the others are doing
5) Rest... the world can save itself for 12 hours
6) Try to start a training regime with Charlie in the use of his suit/mind powers
7) something else...

Admin wrote:
OOC Lionheart has a rare respite - he can:

1) Check out Battersea power station
2) visit Prof Power to find out if the old man has any more tricks up his sleeve
3) Visit Timmys house - scene of his murder
4) Check out what Frostbite and the others are doing
5) Rest... the world can save itself for 12 hours
6) Try to start a training regime with Charlie in the use of his suit/mind powers
7) something else...

OOC:Ah no fair, so many choices, I want to do them all ;-). But then again maybe that would be the longest 12 hours in history. However I am hoping that I can cover a couple of bases. I do want to see Prof Power, to follow up on Charlie and makes sure there are no further side games. That its my intention to look out for him, so that the 'gifts' given do not get exploited by someone else. Then off to check in with Timmy at Battersea. I seem to recall us being near there in the very earliest days of the team. In any case it's been a long while, so lets head over there asap. I am hoping my visit to the prof is nothing but a sad stop.

Sj

Considering rest, then the fact that there was so much else going on - not the least of which being a microscopic invasion force too small for anyone to believe in its existence.

Wandafar was pushing himself - hard - to gather the parts he required for the machine then set to crafting them in such a way that they formed a machine capable of focusing energy through a wafer thin series of magnifying lenses to produce a shrink ray to enable Lionheart to enter the subatomic world.

He checked in on Charlie. He was in a training room, practising the levitation of objects large and small. From the sweat on his face it was no easy task, made harder when Jethro the butler upped the difficulty level, and Charlie yelped as objects pinged off him. He glanced up at the observation window and grinned at Lionheart. "It's not easy, but I'm getting there! I seem to have a natural OOOF!" he staggered back as a basketball pinged from his groin, having got through his shields. Curled up in a foetal ball as squash, tennis, rugby and footballs whizzed over his head he yelped "I'm not there yet!"

Jethro materialised next to Lionheart. "I shall oversee his progress. We have a training regime laid out and he wasted no time in starting. He is eager to learn. Perhaps too eager." He turned to the window. "Enough for the larger objects. Move back to the smaller ones. Control is everything! Without control, power is wasted, and wasted power is your enemy as much as the foe that faces you!"

The computer simulation was impressive, doubtless programmed by Wandafar to have some semblance of life, albeit with somewhat stunted emotional abilities.

OOC Do you plan to take Charlie with you to Battersea/his Grandfathers rest home? If not...

Lionheart took his leave and raced from the manor, quick as a flash taking a roundabout route so as to disguise the places' true nature. Justin St John was a generous and forgiving man, but carelessness resulting in revealing his part in bankrolling a team of superhumans would be unforgivable.

Taking to the air, he sliced through it like a missile towards the old Battersea power station. In another timeline, another reality, he had been here before, but this one was new. According to Timmy a team called the Justice Legion had made their home in its secret cellars and workshops, away from prying eyes. With that in mind he hovered over the site and looked for some means of entry. With nothing obvious he knew he would face a search for some way in at ground level, which would take time.

Landing, he looked about. Pipework, old stone, empty windows, pigeons fluttering about... it stood derelict...

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 7,2,+0 Total:9

Lionheart knows he is in danger. He doesn't know from where, or whom, but feels like it is a threat with a similar power level to his own. That in itself is cause for concern as few single supervillains could match him as far as he knew.

Which meant a group.

And they were somewhere still in this labyrinth of a derelict building...

Admin wrote:

Lionheart knows he is in danger. He doesn't know from where, or whom, but feels like it is a threat with a similar power level to his own. That in itself is cause for concern as few single supervillains could match him as far as he knew.

Which meant a group.

And they were somewhere still in this labyrinth of a derelict building...

OOC:Firstly as regards to Charlie, I wasn't planning to bring him along just yet. A bit much like the same line that Frostbite is tackling, although Charlie seems to be a bit more powerful and under Jethro's 'care' I am sure things will progress well.

Lionheart didn't want to betray the fact he knew he wasn't alone nor did he want to alert what or whoever was here. Taking a moment to pause and look about using his amazing senses he took in all that sight, sound and Psychic sense could before moving off. One thing that troubled him greatly was what had happened to Timmy? He was sure that though he had shifted his consciousness to the mannequin, it was far from certain if this was but a fluke. He could be greatly at risk, especially if what he faced was on the same level as Lionheart. What was required was an element of finesse that Timmy might lack, even after his years of experience. A thirst for revenge or indignation can skew anyones judgement.

OOC:OK lets formulate a plan, firstly let's add some HP points to 3/2 to my strongest sense that of analytical smell 10/4 and from that start to work out in order of suitability, directional hearing, super hearing, also I might use postcognition when I know more about who and what entered the place. Might give me some wiser clues as to what I and who I am facing if not what they're here for.

Sj

OOC You have Analytical Smell 8, Directional Hearing 8 and the others are all... 8 aside from Super Hearing 7. Your best bet is to use 3HP on Acting and Effect to bump it up to 11.

LIONHEART
HP: 187

OOC The roll for analytical smell...
Roll(2d10)+0:
10,7,+0
Total:17

Lionheart takes a deep breath, exhales, then breathes in through his nose, taking in all the information he can glean.

Four individuals and... something else. The four are human, two are female. The other thing is possibly an animal, or hybrid of some kind. One of the humans gives a faint whiff of something else. Metal? Gear oil? A cyborg, perhaps. One of the females is wearing perfume, an expensive brand. The other smells like she's not washed for a day or two, not offensive, just like she's not had time. Or been on the run, perhaps. The males are quite distinctive. One wears light cologne aside from the faint gear oil smell, the other smells like he's slept in a barn.

Looking about, he closes his eyes and follows the trail somewhat. Just a few feet in one direction, they stopped, possibly to converse, then split up. They are looking for something. The other 'thing', hybrid animal/human perhaps, has followed the woman who needs a wash. Four directions into the labyrinth of corridors and access tunnels. Scent is maybe... an hour old?

Wait. Something else, another smell, not human.

Plastic. Timmy.

Lionheart looks about. Timmy followed in the direction of... he sniffs again. Hard to say. The woman with perfume or the cyborg.

He stands, satisfied he's gleaned enough until he catches a faint whiff of something else. Higher. The rafters. Floating up, he smells something else. Another scent, male this time, somewhat older than the others but no more than a few hours. The whiff of blood is about him too. Timmys killer is here, somewhere in this place. Now.

Admin wrote:Wait. Something else, another smell, not human.

Plastic. Timmy.

Lionheart looks about. Timmy followed in the direction of... he sniffs again. Hard to say. The woman with perfume or the cyborg.

He stands, satisfied he's gleaned enough until he catches a faint whiff of something else. Higher. The rafters. Floating up, he smells something else. Another scent, male this time, somewhat older than the others but no more than a few hours. The whiff of blood is about him too. Timmys killer is here, somewhere in this place. Now.

It seemed to Lionheart that it was with the killer particularly that he had an issue. And with which the greatest threat yet remained to Timmy's life. So once again fixing the subtle scent he started to follow its trail, eyes, ears and all other senses alert to obvious danger and opportunity.

OOC:
Ok lets follow the scent, whilst being mindful of my surroundings, obvious signs of disturbance and or where the others might be. No need to be stumbled upon, since Lionheart has the element of surprise, it would be good to retain this with reasonable precautions as long as I am able.

I will attack if attacked, but otherwise I am in predator/spy mode, wanting first information and trying to gain an evaluation of the situation before I make any other moves.

Sj

Moving with cautious speed and following the scent of his prey, Lionheart was surprised by how little his other powers came into use in his time as a hero.

More than anything he relied on his speed and his mental powers, generally force field and mind blast as well as his 'psionic enhancement' that elevated him from 'mere' superhuman to the upper tiers of the superhuman community.The others had some sense of that power, and more besides. He had been the weak link at one stage when they had their cosmic 'dark power' to call on, with nothing seemingly beyond their grasp. Like the true heroes they had given up that limitless power to save the universe, and before they themselves could be corrupted. Not all had survived the journey through time and space. Wherever they were, he could only hope they had gotten some well earned rest.

Back to his situation, he paused. The scent mingled with the smell of plastic here. He looked about, stood half way down a stairwell leading into the bowels of the old power station. Thinking about the way the scents crossed, he figured the Killer had lingered to... lay a trap of some kind? Timmy had fallen for it. So reliant on his miniaturised army he himself had been a general in the background, guiding them ttheir goal of putting thhe bad guy down. Now he was a fish out of water, angry and not thinking straight. Examining the concrete stairs he found shards of shattered plastic, but of the main part of Timmys mannequin form there was no sign.

Continuing down the stairs, he came into a damp, dark corridor. The floor was wet, and Lionheart paused again to check the scent.

OOC See the OOC post about the use of hero points. I will make this check using 6 HP to roll 3 dice and keep the best two (discarding the other). It's a major shift in the way they are used and gives the bad guys more of a fighting chance, but to compensate I will make it cheaper to improve the characters.

Roll(3d10)+0:
4,10,5
Use the 5 and 10,, discard the 4

LIONHEART 181 HP

Lionheart turned to his left. He was 'reasonably' sure that the corridor in this direction was the path both had taken. Just then...

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

His Danger Sense gave him pause. No specifics, but the corridor in this direction held some danger of some kind. From what he could tell it was near pitch black, dripping wet and the floor was pooled. Nothing sprung to mind but given the nature of the foe he tracked, an extremely catious and professional killer, chances were another trap awaited...

Admin wrote:His Danger Sense gave him pause. No specifics, but the corridor in this direction held some danger of some kind. From what he could tell it was near pitch black, dripping wet and the floor was pooled. Nothing sprung to mind but given the nature of the foe he tracked, an extremely catious and professional killer, chances were another trap awaited...

OOC:I've briefly had chance to read the OOC post, but will save it for later when I can get at it. Busy day ahead of me today.]

Lionheart flicked on his forcefield, he was reasonably sure that would stave off the worse of what he faced. But had to hope it didn't stop his sense of smell working effectively. Floating forward, mindful of any possible use of the water, or indeed the way that the water itself might hide hidden areas below into which he might fall, he moved forward with caution. Although his senses afforded him a level of awareness unknown to most, he still didn't do his best without sight. And sight was the one thing he lacked here.

OOC:Ok moving forward cautiously, seeking to maintain the link to the smells I'd previously followed. I am aware that the water and what not will cover foot prints, but imagine in the dark that people would use their hands to guide them and every touch, leaves a trace. So I'll be mindful of that, as well as trying to stay closer to the ceiling and also seeking to utilise my other senses so as not to be taken unaware.

My one worry, is that if I am attacked my assailant might have the upper hand in darkness. So to that end if there is a way for me to create light, find a source or if need be retreat to a place where I can be less effected by the absence of light, I'll aim to do that.

Sj

Admin wrote:OOC NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Lost a full page of text and typing. This is getting frustrating, fast.

Right, to try and summarise. With the new rules being proposed the main mechanic gives value to individual stat values rather than grouping several together in the old system. For instance if Lionheart has 22 Dex and attacks someone with 22, 23 or 24 dex its the same difficulty in the old system. Now it will be harder (as it should be) and if you have a higher stat you will find it easier (again, as it should be)

Hero point changes were needed as it was too easy to one shot bad guys simply by outspending them with HP. Now you buy bonus dice to roll in addition to your normal 2D10 and pick which two dice to use, discarding the rest. This way you rely on the dice more but have greater control over the rolls. Want to have a better chance of scoring a double or getting a higher roll? Spend hero points to buy bonus dice. It also simplifies things as there is no increasing Acting/opposing/Effect/Resistance values individually. Simpler, hopefully faster.

Last ditch defence allows you to absorb damage. The more damage you absorb, the greater the cost in hero points. As it should be.

Skills give bonus dice like hero points do instead of (in the old system) substituing for stats (at best) or nullifying an unskilled penalty (at worst). They work like hero points giving you extra dice to roll to (hopefully) increase your chances of success.

that's the changes I have so far. If everyone is ok with them I will integrate them immediately and write them up into a pdf to look at. I will write in the manner of explaining the game to a new player so as to avoid all the terms and gobbldigook that makes peoples (including mine) eyes glaze over. I'm at the age where learning a new rule set is too much like hard work, so have to rely on the games I know how to play and go from there.

OOC: Don't you just hate that when it happens.  Sometimes I type in a word document just so I can not lose anything.  ANyway this all sounds fine, you know me I am easy with anything that I can roleplay off, get the story out front and centre and the rules to a minimum.  Although I should warn you, with the way that dice rolls tend to fall for Frostbite, be prepared for my hero to limp his way to victory.  But then that is what makes him a hero, if it was easy it would hardly be considered fair, sporting or heroic.  ;-)

Sj

As he moved through the dark corridor, Lionheart became aware of a faint beep beep beepbeep beepbeepbeep beeeeeeeee!

Then FWASSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!

Something 'went off' and flooded the place with white, blinding light!

His first thought was 'proximity triggered booby trap' then 'I can't see'...

OOC FLASH attack vs our hero. Using the new rules...

Target Number is 11+Dex (8) of Lionheart. Acting value is 10 (Flash) plus:
Roll(2d10)+0: 10,9,+0 Total:19
10 difference +4 Effect
Effect value now 14 vs Dex (8) means 6RAPs

Oh, ouch. This is Wizards of the coasts dice roller as Invisible Castle appears to have vanished.

Lionheart has been sort of blinded, losing Six (6) from his Dex score for 2 minutes (6RAPs) of time. You can spend Hero points to reduce this but he couldn't really avoid it as a) his superspeed wasn't activated and b) there's nothing to dodge - he needed to have his eyes covered somehow. His forcefield provides no protection as it doesn't block light (otherwise he'd not be able to see!)



The last ditch defence table where you can spend Hero Points to reduce that 6RAPs down to zero if you want - at a cost.

Lionheart squinted. Everything was a blur! Was that... was something moving through the corridor towards him, or was his mind playing tricks on him?

Admin wrote:Lionheart squinted. Everything was a blur! Was that... was something moving through the corridor towards him, or was his mind playing tricks on him?

Admin wrote:Lionheart squinted. Everything was a blur! Was that... was something moving through the corridor towards him, or was his mind playing tricks on him?

Lionheart summoned his considerable powers, unsure as to how he might effectively overcome the blindness that had so affected him. But using his considerable and as yet still somewhat mysterious powers he tried to ‘by-pass’ sight by relying on his danger sense.

OOC: This is me rationalising the spend of 21 HP to mitigate the whole effect of the blindness. I imagine that perhaps I can’t see in colour, and see might be the wrong word anyway. But that perhaps I can, for the duration, grasp the shape of things around me, like Daredevil does.

Lionheart got some idea of what was ahead and switched on his super speed and shield, but something told him that this wasn’t all that it appeared. He had no doubt that there were dangerous forces at work, but had they meant to kill him, it could just as easily been a bomb and not a light flash bang. Besides his danger sense hadn’t gone completely haywire, so he had to question the motives of the quarry he was following. Was he a killer? Or more an interested party? Caution was, without question still needed, especially without his sight working as it should.

OOC:Ok so lets get me into a position where I can stop reacting in offence and be more proactive. But as I do that I don’t mind dodging and moving to try and gain time to avoid any further unpleasant consequences of my temporary blindness.

Sj

LIONHEART

With bright spots in front of his eyes, and the world reduced to a dark blue, Lionheart relied on his danger Sense to tell him where hazards were. The problem was, with his Force Field raised simply bumping into walls wasn't much of a hazard, so he wouldn't get much warning there.

OOC Power reserve 6 points into Superspeed. Technically I suppose Superspeed should also be reduced by the RAPs of flash when substituted for his dex. HOWEVER, since in Lionhearts case Superspeed ADDS to his Dex, he's already paid that penalty. That boosts his dex from 2 up to 16.

Power Reserve to see if he has one of those annoying nose bleeds...

Roll(2d10)+0: 2,3,+0 Total:5

No problems there.

That roll will be made every round to see if he's fatigued.

Lionheart has 14 Superspeed, Dex is (currently) 16 for 1 minute before it goes up to 22.

"You aren't welcome, or wanted here. When Executor hired me for this job, he said it was a simple 'Watch my back'. Ha, like he needs it watching, but the money was good and the man has the plan, as always, executed to a 'T'. So whilst he's rummaging about in the Justice Legions vault, you and I get to dance!" said a disembodied voice.

Lionhearts danger sense told him...

OOC Roll Roll(2d10)+0: 9,7,+0 Total:16

Danager Sense 8 +16 vs TN11 + 4 (Major Threat) means 9 difference, +4 effect. That's 8 Danger Sense +4, less 4 Resistance. 8RAPs. 'The GM must reveal the exact source of the danger'

Lionheart looked down at the floor. THERE!

The 'Fluid Form' of the villain rising from the floor looked to have surprised the flying hero... except he was disappointed to find Lionheart looking right at him! "How did...? That gets 'em every time." he muttered.

Forming into a watery shape that filled the corridor in front of him with vaguely human arms and two darker water shapes for eyes, the villain known as 'FLOOD' theatrically rolled what Lionheart supposed was his neck. "Executor said not to mess about, but don't go too barmy as I won't get paid extra for offing heroes. That leaves things up to you. How's it gonna go down, flyboy? Never heard or seen o you before so I'm gonna call you 'Drowned Rat' cause that's what's gonna happen shortly. Let's go, Rat!"

OOC Initiative. Lionheart wins. Here's a roll. Roll(2d10)+0: LH 10, Flood 6 Wouldn't have mattered if it was reversed, LH goes first. If you want to figure out what you know about Flood, aside from having seen him mentioned in one of Ms Stowes (Captain Ion mentioned a few issues ago) briefs about current bad guys at large, that will take you Dice roll for the round, so probably not advised.

As I/We haven't figured out what Lionhearts main attack will be after the rules change (mental blast or something else, will give you a choice and rewrite character) I will wing his main attack. Suggested choices:

1) hit the guy with superspeed
2) Blast him with Mind blast
3) try to scoop up his water in a telekinetic bubble
4) go on the defensive, see what he does
5) try to reason with him, as that usually works. Yeah...

Admin wrote:LIONHEART

As I/We haven't figured out what Lionhearts main attack will be after the rules change (mental blast or something else, will give you a choice and rewrite character) I will wing his main attack. Suggested choices:

1) hit the guy with superspeed
2) Blast him with Mind blast
3) try to scoop up his water in a telekinetic bubble
4) go on the defensive, see what he does
5) try to reason with him, as that usually works. Yeah... [/i][/color]

Lionheart pretended to be taken aback momentarily, wanting to draw in the the villain, "Please, stop I'm here because that toy boy threatened me. I'm just as much a pawn in this as you. Well except you're getting paid."

Lionheart didn't know if his ruse would work, but playing the part of the villain, or victim seemed like a good way to find some more out before executing the plan he otherwise was intending to fall back on if all else failed.

OOC:Since it is clear from the villain's monologue that the real villain and the real danger is still at large, taking this guy out pronto is got to be my priority. However if I can glean more information so as not to blunder forward it might help to play this bluff out. Since I've no skills or abilities in acting saving what I can glean mentally from him, I can try and make use of that if need be. I don't mind putting a dice to this if its going to be a worthy way of investing the points, otherwise...

However if this is too much of a long shot, then my fall back plan is to assume that since he must still have to breathe, option 3. However can I extend my forcefield forcefield around him, to starve him of oxygen [I have the ability Sealed Systems, so I am presuming I can last longer than he without Oxygen] might be the way to put the kibosh on him. Lets use 3 dice for this effort as necessary to make sure that this succeeds. I wasn't planning on waiting around for this guy. But if plan a above fails or I can only scoop and not extend my FF around him then when I've got him I'll go to Mindblast as a backup option. Presuming that he has a mind I can actually find and attack?

Sj

OOC Persuasion is a Charisma skill. According to the rules it can't be used unskilled, which is a load of cobblers as it contradicts itself later in the character interaction rules... doh. As persuasion is something most people can have a go at (though being successful is another matter) I will say that it carries a -1 Bonus Die Penalty, meaning I roll 3D10 and I pick the worst dice for you, not the best. In addition is a modifier to the opponents Influence/Spirit (whilst you use your Influence/Aura as Acting/Effect). This guy is naturally Opposed (he's a bad guy, thinks you're a good guy) so for you to persuade him otherwise.... Well let's just say it's one of the hardest things Lionheart has EVER attempted!

Using 3 Dice (21HP, see the table in the sig ) the first one cancels out the penalty die so you get to add two dice to the check. It's going to take the mother of all rolls to pull this off!

LIONHEART
HP: 172

OOC Dice roll ...

Roll(4d10)+0: 6,10,8,5 Some nice results, pick the 10 and the 8, but you really needed a double.

influence 8/Aura 5 vs Influence 5/Spirit 7 with +10 modifier from being opposed, so 15/17... Target Number is 26 (11+15), Lionheart got ...26.
However his Aura 5 vs Resistance Value 17 needed a double to boost it up. So, no dice... which means...

"What the hell are you talking about?" growled Flood. "Think I was born yesterday? I ain't as dumb as you look! hahahaha!" With that he hurled a huge watery fist!

OOC With regards the forcefield plan, Lionheart is out of luck - his is a personal field, tied to him within an inch or so of his body so it protects clothes and to an extent (as far as he can cover with his arms/body) someone he carries. That leaves the Mindblast plan. Let me know if you want to burn HP on that. In the meantime, the attack on Lionheart...

Flood doesn't know Lionheart so expects one punch to end the fight... Fool!

Roll(2d10)+0: 6,5,+0 Total:11

Acting Value 8 + roll 11 vs Target Number 11 + Opposing Value (Lionhearts Dex) 15 = swish!

"Wha...?" spluttered Flood as Lionheart simply wasn't where his fist landed!

OOC Over to you...

Admin wrote:"Wha...?" spluttered Flood as Lionheart simply wasn't where his fist landed!

OOC Over to you...

"Yeah, thats me. I guess one of us is going to walk away from this regretting their actions. Somehow I don't think it's going to me, chump. Its your turn for a wash out!"

Lionheart focused his mind considerable as it was, he was still somewhat uncertain as to how the physiological makeup of this meta human would work with his mind powers. Bu then again, that had never stopped him trying before. With the present glow of his Lionheart symbol on his chest, he sent his mind blast at Flood.

OOC:Ok I think I need to hang back on HP, who knows where this is going to go and I don't want to get into an attrition situation where I'm eeking out the HP like its going out of fashion. I also am not aware how long this present adventure will last, and at what point I get to replenish my HP. In any case lets go for the best Mindblast the dice will allow naked without HP. This ought to be fun...

Sj

LIONHEART
HP: 172

"Heh. Comedian. You're fast, whoever you are. No mask, flying, that aura.. force field? Yeah, I been around the block. Who were you before you lost the mask? Yeoman? I still owe that asshole." growled Flood.

OOC Mind Blast 7 vs Intelligence 5/Mind 7. TN16

Roll(2d10)+0: 2,3,+0 Total:5 Oh.

Lionhearts eyes glowed, the lion emblem on his chest (from his old costume) wasn't there and somehow seemed to affect his power (or lack of). Flood braced himself, then...

"Wait. Was that it? you... you a psychic? And that was all you got? Look man, you are way outta your league. I got ways o hittin' guys like you an' lets face it, you ain't ready for this. get back up them stairs, pronto, and stay away. I'll be outta here soon and you don't have to wake up feeling like you been waterboarded for a year. trust me, I met guys after what I done and none of them like me. Sayin' that, I gotta job to do so..."

OOC So he uses 13Hp for two Bonus dice, and takes another swing. Also Lionheart checks for his nosebleed thing.

Nosebleed. Roll(2d10)+0:1,2,+0 Total:3 No Problem

Attack. Dex 8 vs Dex 16, TN27. Roll(4d10)+0: 9,5,3,2 best dice 9 +5. His total of 22 falls well short.

FLOOD HP: 37

"Ok now you are startin' ta p*ss me off! I tried nicey nice, you want the flood? It's commmmminnnnn...." he started to swell...

OOC But it's Lionhearts action. you still have Power reserve allocated to Superspeed hence he keeps missing you but really need to boost Mind Blast to do more than tickle him. You're up.

Admin wrote:LIONHEART
HP: 172

OOC But it's Lionhearts action. you still have Power reserve allocated to Superspeed hence he keeps missing you but really need to boost Mind Blast to do more than tickle him. You're up.

Switching gears, Lionheart knew that he could keep on dodging or just give this guy the nightmare of all hangovers, he opted for the later.

OOC: Ok so mindblast with power reserve, titled right up. No HP again, trying to conserve as much as possible. If I fail again, I'll need to take this outside, fly around him tease him rotten and head outside if I can. I can see he isn't some patsy though, so using extreme caution as well.

Sj

Lionheart felt himself slow down considerably (OOC he's Dex 10 now, still partially blinded!) as he switched his psionic energy from one power to another.

Hopefully this guy didn't have anything up his sleeve in the way of mental protection!

OOC Mind Blast 15. Also need to check for the Power Reserve nosebleed thing...

Roll(2d10) 10,8,+0 Total:18

Ouch. Had to happen sometime. TN19 (Lionhearts Int+11) and resistance value 9 (Mind). Roll 18 + Power Reserve 8=26. 7 difference is +4 Effect. 12 Effect-9 Resistance. LIONHEART TAKES 3 MIND DAMAGE and is on 6/9 MIND

He attacks his foe with Mind Blast...

Roll(2d10)+0: 5,3,+0 Total:8 plus 15=23. Target Number Floods Int (5)+11 so 16. 7 Points difference, +4 effect. Effect is 19 - Resistance (7) means that Flood takes 12 Mind Damage dropping him to zero, and out for the count. Had Lionheart failed he would have been dropped - Dex 10 against Floods main attack would have seen the bad guy pulverise him!

Lionheart breathes a sigh of relief as the villain reverts to human form, clattering to a heap in the corridor. Possibly his most potent attack, his Mind Blast had saved the day (when powered up!) as the Lion 'roared' and engulfed the villain in psionic energy. How long he was out for was another question - this guy was no pushover noob villain. This 'Executor' had clearly splashed the cash to pay him as a bodyguard so whatever was down here must be worth searching out.

OOC How are you assigning abilities now? Power Reserve used every round with rolls like that (18) willl hurt...

Admin wrote:OOC How are you assigning abilities now? Power Reserve used every round with rolls like that (18) willl hurt...

Lionheart took a moment to breathe deeply. That hadn't gone to plan, but at least it had worked. For what it was worth he made sure Flood wasn't coming around for a good long while. Before mentally switching his reserves over to speed and agility. It was what he felt most comfortable with. And then moved off, he knew he had to use caution. No telling what other tactics these fellas were up to, and indeed what had drawn them here and now.

OOC: Ok so speed is my main thing I want to amp up, but not by much. Give my regen a chance to operate and recover me my damage.

I'll move off cautiously, using my advanced heightened senses to 'scan' ahead for any early warning signs, booby traps, or ambushes etc. And try and press in, if the scents reveal anymore, assuming Flood didn't wash them away, I'll also take note of that to.

Sj

Lionheart didn't have much choice if he wanted to keep Flood 'down' for a long time other than to clobber him whilst he was unconscious.

Hovering over the water on the floor he tried to pick up the scent again...

OOC Roll(2d10)+0:2,7,+0 Total:9

Unfortunately it appeared to have been washed away. Keeping his senses peeled he advanced down the corridor and to the top of a set of steps leading down, whilst the corridor went on. Figuring down to be the best option, he continued to move carefully at a speed he figured he could still react at.

Feeling the effects of his regeneration kick in, he shuddered and...

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 10,6,+0 Total:16
Both his MIND and DEX are restored to their normal levels so LIONHEART MIND 9 and DEX 8

Relieved to be back up to his best he figured that those flash bombs needed to be avoided somehow. They could really slow him down, and he figured that his sometime team mates Frostbite, Haunt and the others would struggle against such things. He was probably best suited to...

OOC Roll(2d10)+0: 6,10,+0 Total:16

He turned, and watched as a dark cloaked form stepped out of the wall behind him! The shadows were so dark the ... man? ... was practically invisible, but he hovered several feet off the floor about ten feet up the stairs behind ...



"Your move." growled a rasping voice from within the folds of the cloak.

The costume was different, but the mannerisms... the voice... could it be...? this realities version of...

Nowhere Man???