The New Vanguard! Lionheart Issue #8 - Welcome to the Major League!

Admin wrote:Aquator said "We've done our statements. Can you guys take over here while I grab some food and a bath in the river? I'm practically all dried out here."

Lionheart pulled a face, he knew that Combat Queen simply by her tone of voice, felt the same. But to be fair to the police this was their job and the thing that had to be done, though it was a burden to a man blessed with such speed as he had. Nodding to Aquator, he let the young lad get himself comfortable whilst he followed Combat queen to where the police directed them to go to give their statements.

OOC: I figure that Lionheart will take a fraction of a second, slow I know, but he'd have to take into consideration the speed the pen could write at so he doesn't set the paper alight, and then write out his statement. And then when done, get to this Supermax...

Sj

Combat Queen sighed and slumped into a chair, starting writing.

Lionheart frowned and held the melted pen up. The paper had set on fire and he'd gone as slow as he could to make it accurate but still faster than any human could write. This time he started writing again (with a new pen) and regaled how he'd applied for the Ultrahumans and responded to this crime scene.

Aquator came back in "Just before I go, here." He tossed a smartphone to Lionheart and added "Speak to Duplex at Ultrahuman HQ. They need backup in the desert."

Combat Queen sighed again. "Go. I'll sort the reports out and make sure the i's and t's get dotted. Or crossed. Whatever. Be careful partner!"

Lionheart pressed the call button and a video image appeared of a mexican fellow in a dark blue and white costume sat in front of a bank of screens. Behind him an identical person - down to the last detail - operated keyboards and yet another spoke to staff members on board the satellite. This, then, would be Duplex.

"Hey hombre! Good work on the gauntlet man. Computers have been runnin' numbers an we need you out as fast as you can go to these coordinates. Defender and Solar Girl set off a while back but according to the numbers you should arrive even before they do even after the head start, because Solar Girl is having to carry Defender. We're so spread thin, we got no heavy hitters ready an' we need some muscle. You ready for the next big test?"

Admin wrote:"Hey hombre! Good work on the gauntlet man. Computers have been runnin' numbers an we need you out as fast as you can go to these coordinates. Defender and Solar Girl set off a while back but according to the numbers you should arrive even before they do even after the head start, because Solar Girl is having to carry Defender. We're so spread thin, we got no heavy hitters ready an' we need some muscle. You ready for the next big test?"

Having taken a moment to thank Combat Queen and acknowledge Aquator, Lionheart nodded to Duplex in the affirmative before adding, "It turns out I was born ready..." And leaving the phone spinning on the table Lionheart was gone, as if his presence there was but an illusion.

OOC: Ok outside upside and alongside to where I'm going at whatever I can do in atmosphere or like Suborbital and down again if need be.

Sj

With the coordinates in his head Lionheart took to the sky, thundering upwards then when he was clear of the buildings and anything flying about, poured the speed on as he sped up... up and away!

Into space, a glance down then figuring out where he needed to be Lionheart used his Telescopic vision to zoom in on his target as he descended. Was this right? A set of farm buildings in the middle of nowhere?

There! A burning vehicle, sprawled bodies... He scanned about. There was someone else. A charred form and a man pounding away at something, possibly a door. Lionheart shot through what little cloud cover there was now and nearer towards the scene...He couldn't be sure but the charred form looked a lot like that loudmouth COUGAR!

OOC Danger Sense 9 + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,4,+0 Total:9 (18) vs
OV 4 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,1,+0 Total:11 (15)

+3 EV (to 12) vs OV 4=8 RAPs

Lionheart knew suddenly that there was danger about! The man pounding on the door was one... another was... he looked about. Whilst he couldn't see anything he knew there was a dangerous opponent out here, and not far away! He knew it must at least be a major threat to himself as otherwise he generally couldn't pinpoint things like minor threats. A critical threat would have set his head off like an alarm bell ringing!

OOC Miss Victory is a couple of hours ahead at this point so well inside the prison where she is currently incarcerated. Of course Lionheart doesn't know Miss V or any of the villains he's about to face!

Admin wrote:[OOC Miss Victory is a couple of hours ahead at this point so well inside the prison where she is currently incarcerated. Of course, Lionheart doesn't know Miss V or any of the villains he's about to face![/i][/color]

OOC: Miss Victory, who she? Right since the guy pounding seems to be a villain, I best go for him and use my speed to land a nice solid martial arts attack on him, whoever he is. All the while keeping an eye out for the other protagonist that is out there somewhere.

Sj

ooc:



That cover pretty much says it all.

Admin wrote:how many dice you use for attack (up to five extra dice) and how many for defence (five dice less however many you used for attack).  Hopefully that's clear. Ish. Once you decide, Lionheart can start (trying) to punch some bad guys faces in. Good luck...[/i][/color]

OOC: Ok I think I'll go with 3 to attack and hold 2 back for defence...I'll go for a critical attack till I get a better handle of the measure of these things.

Sj

OOC This is NOT going to be easy! You face Ultimatum, a class 4 superhuman! (Lionheart is upper Class 4/low class 5) Here we go...

Ultimatum is boosting his: Dex, Str, Force Field, Mind Field, Kinetic Absorption...

Adrenaline Surge 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,9,+0 Total:12 (32) vs
OV 12 + 6 (multi) + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,5,+0 Total:6 (24)

+4 EV (to 24) vs RV 12 + 6 (multi)= 6 RAPs

No attempt on stealth and with his super senses Ultimatum can hear a sonic boom from a long way away!

Lionheart Initiative 40 + 8 (48)
Ultimatum 36 + 6 (42)

Lionheart is up! With superspeed at 22 I assume (his best attack) going for Crit Blow

LH Dex 22 + three extra dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 8,5,11,8,4,+0 Total:16 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 10,3,+0 Total:29 (51) vs
Ultimatum Dex 18 + 4 crit blow + four extra dice (acrobatics) + Roll(6d12)+0: 6,4,10,2,3,6,+0 Total:12 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 5,4,+0 Total: 21 (43)

HIT +4 EV (to 17) vs RV 25 -6 (crit blow) (19)=NO DAMAGE

SMAAAACCCCKKKKK!!!

Lionheart landed a hundred blistering punches at his opponent who tried to avoid them but got caught every time... but suddenly the British hero form the future figured out what it must feel like to fight... himself!

Despite sliding backwards twenty feet from the blows, the once superhero turned ultravillain smiled as he looked on his assailant. "That it? Whoever you are, you're fast, I'll give ya that! Ain't many who can land a fist on me, and my defensive field protects me against every kind of attack you can think of, and some you can't! I'm... UNBEATABLE!" he laughed.

Then he levelled his arms to blast at Lionheart! Energy spewed forth, enough to melt through steel, diamond, rock... was this the end of Lionheart?

OOC Energy Blast 20 (!) + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,6,+0 Total:9 (29) vs
Dex 22 + Acrobatics two dice + Roll(4d12)+0: 7,7,3,2,+0 Total:14 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,3,+0 Total:18 (40)

Lionheart watches the powerful blast move past him in slow motion as he steps to the side. His problem was that this guy almost matched him in agility and reflexes and had powers too numerous to easily list!

Well, he'd faced off against the challenge of Crusher, an invulnerable brute, now he was up against someone with world class powers!

A bit like himself...

OOC Ultimatum does the same again, adding to the list...

Dex, Str, Force Field, Mind Field, Kinetic Absorption, Energy Absorption, Magic Field, Acrobatics

Adren Surge 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,10,+0 Total:18 (38) vs
Highest OV 12 + 6 multi + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,9,+0 Total:10 (28)

+4 EV (to 24) vs RV 12 + multi 6 (18)=6 RAPs.

Once more boost to same levels.

Initiative... (LH has +4)

5 (LH9),1

Lionheart wins initiative again. He faces a man who can almost match him in agility/reflexes and is practically immune to most attacks. However... a high enough roll and Devastating Attack might wipe that smug look off his face... Remember to save something for defence like you did last time!

Admin wrote:Lionheart wins initiative again. He faces a man who can almost match him in agility/reflexes and is practically immune to most attacks. However... a high enough roll and Devastating Attack might wipe that smug look off his face... Remember to save something for defence like you did last time![/i][/color]

Oh my, Lionheart thought wondering how on earth he was going to win, but that would this just be so evenly matched it would be like chipping away at a mountain?

OOC: Hmm, this seems like it could go on a while, I dodge, he dodges, I hit, He hits neither really make a dent...reminds me of Hulk v Superman etc...Anyway, devastating attack 3 die to hit, 2 on defence, but if he gets through I may end up changing that up and going for defence 3 and hits 2 but we'll see. I'm holding off on Hero points at this stage because... well this is only one guy and you said there was someone else out there. If he joins in I am really on a hiding to nothing. But as with Frostbite, sometimes the dice fall in our favour.

Sj

OOC DEV ATTACK Lionheart attacks Dex 22 + martial arts three dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 6,1,7,8,10,+0 Total:18 (40) vs
Dex 18 + Five dice acrobatics + dev attack 8 + Roll(7d12)+0: 7,5,11,10,6,11,8,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus
Roll(2d12)+0: 10,1,+0 Total:33 (55) Attack Missed

Once more this guy proved just about the most elusive opponent Lionheart had faced in America! Crusher was pretty much the most durable but he suspected in time he would fight faster, tougher opponents even than these!

Trying to deliver blows to someone who was as elusive as yourself proved how frustrated other opponents must feel against him! Still, he couldn't feel sorry for them - most were very bad people...

Ultimatum found the going just as hard. He levelled his arms and blasted at Lionheart again...

OOC Energy Blast 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 3,8,+0 Total:11 (31) vs
LH Dex 22 + two dice + Roll(4d12)+0: 3,5,2,10,+0 Total:15 (35) Attack Missed

Despite circling each other and moving about like lightning, neither opponent could land a blow!

"Dammit! Just DIE! Overlord? You there? I need help! NOW!" he bellowed and Lionheart noticed an earpiece in the villains ear, protected (like everything else) by his force field.

OOC Adren Surge 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,4,+0 Total:11 (31) vs
OV 12 + 6 (multi) + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,4,+0 Total:10 (22)

+4 EV (to 24) vs RV 12 + 6 (multi)= 6 RAPs

All abilities same as last time.

Initiative Roll(2d12)+0:
6 LH (10),2 Ultimatum

LH goes first again... Same again?

DEV ATTACK Lionheart attacks Dex 22 + martial arts three dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 3,3,10,4,8,+0 Total:6 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 2,10,+0 Total:18 (40) vs

Dex 18 + Five dice acrobatics + dev attack 8 + Roll(7d12)+0: 4,3,12,3,9,2,4,+0 Total:8 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,11,+0 Total:20 (42) Attack Missed

And he blasts again...

Energy Blast 20 + Roll(2d12)+ Roll(2d12)+0: 5,11,+0 Total:16 (36) vs
LH Dex 22 + two dice + Roll(4d12)+0: 11,1,11,2,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,11,+0 Total:34 (56) Attack Missed

Adren Surge 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,10,+0 Total:17 (37) vs
OV 12 + 6 (multi) + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,3,+0 Total:5 (23)

+5 EV (to 25) vs 18RV= 7 RAPs

Ultimatum snarls. "GET DOWN HERE NOW! TAKE THIS ******** OUT! DAMMIT NOW!" he roars.

"I can do this all day, can you? Who are you anyway? cat got your tongue?" he snarls as the pair dance, leap, fly and blast at each other. An onlooker would have just seen a blur - these were two of the fastest combatants on Planet Earth!

OOC Roll(2d12)+0: LH is only 3 faster this round
3 LH (6),1 Ultimatum

Once again Lionheart goes first. Same?

I genuinely cannot remember the last time we had a battle so evenly matched where the dice would decide things!

Admin wrote:Once again Lionheart goes first. Same?

I genuinely cannot remember the last time we had a battle so evenly matched where the dice would decide things![/i]

OOC: This is a rules things decided by dice, so there is nothing to do but keep doing the same until we get that one allusive result that takes me down or him down. There isn't much else I can add, or do, I was thinking of going for a mental attack, but realised that might be just as hard with his defences, so, for now, yes keep up the pressure whilst seeking to keep myself from getting the wrong end of a bad die roll.

Sj

OOC DEV ATTACK Lionheart attacks Dex 22 + martial arts three dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 11,11,1,1,10,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 2,12,+0 Total:36 (58) vs

Dex 19 + five extra Acrobatics dice + dev attack 8 + Roll(7d12)+0: 3,8,5,12,6,11,3,+0 Total:6 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 7,2,+0 Total:15 (42)

+6 EV (to 19) vs RV 26 - 12 (14)=5 damage ABSORBED BY KINETIC ABSORPTION! No damage.

With a terrific blow Lionheart lands on the villains chin... only for the energy field about him to glow brightly and the floor about to crack in all directions!

The villain laughs "You cannot defeat me, fast man! You may be faster than I, but I am INVULNERABLE! Eventually I WILL wear you down! No one can beat me!"

There was a sonic boom, like a crack, from somewhere up above. Lionheart was about to have company!

Ultimatum snarled "All I need is one... GOOD hit!" he said as he thrust hands at his foe!

OOC Energy Blast 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 10,7,+0 Total:17 (37) vs
LH Dex 22 + two extra acrobatics dice + Roll(4d12)+0: 10,3,7,8,+0 Total:18 (40)

Attack Missed!

"Gaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Ultimatum. "STAND... STILL and DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" he screamed.

OOC Adrenaline surge 20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 1,3,+0 Total:4 Erm... BURN OUT!!!!

Ultimatum flexed, screaming "NO ONE CAN BEAT ME! I AM... am... I..." he looked about himself.

OOC Roll(2d12)+0: 7 LIONHEART (47) ,6 Ultimatum (38)

Lionheart is first again.

Going for the same...DEV ATTACK

Lionheart Dex 22 + three MA dice + Roll(5d12)+0: 4,2,4,6,1,+0 Total:8 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0:
8,10,+0 Total:26 (48) vs

Ultimatum Dex 12 + four Acrobatics dice + Dev attack 8 + Roll(6d12)+0: 3,1,12,2,11,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE (almost went for the 23, probably will turn out to be the better choice) plus Roll(2d12)+0: 2,2,+0 Total:4 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 1,9,+0 Total:18 (38)

+4 EV (to 17) vs RV 19 - 12 (RV7)=10 RAPs damage. Kinetic Absorption burns out and Ultimatum takes 10 damage leaving him on 1 body!

Desperate now, Ultimatum staggers back, reeling. "No... not again!" In terror he looks at Lionheart, levels his arms... then takes to the skies, flying at hypersonic speed!

A speed that Lionheart sees at a glance that he can easily exceed and catch his opponent up in no time! However, he may not have the chance as a bright light in the sky thundering from the heavens swoops in! "Ultimatum!" it yells, the electrical buzzing form vaguely man like. "Where are you going?"

OOC initiative...

Roll(3d12)+0:
9 LH (49),4 Lightning Overlord (33) ,5 Ultimatum (37)

Lionheart wins initiative. Ultimatum is already a couple of miles away but is only travelling at 12APs speed which is around 7 miles every four seconds. Practically walking speed for Lionheart. He faces a living lightning bolt though...

Admin wrote:Lionheart wins initiative. Ultimatum is already a couple of miles away but is only travelling at 12APs speed which is around 7 miles every four seconds. Practically walking speed for Lionheart. He faces a living lightning bolt though... [/i][/color]

Lionheart lept into the air and within moments had caught up to Ultimatum, shouting loud enough so he could hear, "Where do you think you're going, you coward. You letting a Brit whoop you, man and I thought you yanks were tough."

Lionheart wanted to provoke the man knowing that the living lighting was buzzing about as well. He wanted to make sure he got one villain sorted before he tackled the other- if the moment came to do so. Besides the sky gave him a freedom to move, but if need be he'd hit the ground to earth himself if push came to shove.

OOC: Not sure what is best to do at this point hit him with a mental blast, or go for a physical attack, either way, going to for the same as before Devastating attack with same spread of the dice if physical mental I believe is different.

Sj

OOC In the next round of Games Rules tweaks I will try to involve you more in the character creation process. I know rules are of secondary concern but I think the tweaking will suit you. Basically the only way to add extra Dice is through Skills or HP at the moment. With powers I'd like to have them listed differently. Instead of the single number showing the value of the power representing everything about it, I'd like (for example):

Energy Blast AV11 EV15 R4 Skill: 2 Dice

AV is short for ACTING VALUE. This represents your skill, aim, training, focus. The Acting value in Hand to Hand Combat at the moment is Dexterity. For a power it is the points (Attribute points or APs) of power, so if you have Energy Blast 11 you have an Acting Value of 11, for example. Then you roll 2D12, add to the acting value and compare it to the OPPOSING VALUE which is your ability to avoid the incoming blast. Again, that's Dexterity in this case. This makes Dexterity the single most important stat in most games, which rankles somewhat. I like to get a mix, so you may be good at fighting, not great at dodging, and so on. With his Superspeed boosted to 22 Lionheart can substitute that for his Dex giving him 22 Acting ('to hit') and 22 Opposing ('to dodge') effectively. The latest version of Superman in the DC Heroes game rules we use has 15 Dex, for comparison.

EV is EFFECT VALUE or damage that you inflict. Compare Effect Value - Resistance Value (the toughness of the target)=Damage. So let's say the guy with EV15 hits the target and they have 10RV (which is the BODY stat in this game). 15-10=5 Damage.

R# is RANGE with the number representing distance. This is the effective range of the power and it tails off after this. Range 4 in this game is 150'. With the rules as written an Energy Blast: 11 has an AV/EV of 11 and Range of 11, which is 2 miles.... Dunno about you but I can't hit anything two miles away.

Skill: # Dice. This is a new thing I want to add and allows the player to purchase skill dice for use specifically with that power only, to be used when you roll the Acting Value + 2D12 + any extra dice from Skill, in this case an extra two dice. Note the FIRST TWO DICE of any roll are the 'failure' dice. If they roll 3 or less (or if they have a burnout as happened to Ultimatum, 6 or less on Adrenaline Surge) then stop everything, apply zero to that roll total and go from there. If you are shooting, you miss, if using a power, it fails, climbing a wall, you fall, and so on.

All of these things need to be bought and paid for (otherwise you'd just have Energy Blast AV50 EV50 R50 Skill Dice: 10 and wipe the floor with everything across the universe, so to speak) but the tricky part is putting a cost on things and getting a balance right. Some of the powers inn this game are horribly unbalanced. Darkness, for example. It reduces the AV and OV of a target, requires no roll and basically leaves someone defenceless in a fight for you to critical blow or devastating attack and clean their clock. It's cheap, and it's not the only 'broken' power. Magic Blast is cheap, targets mystical stats (which tend to be lower than all other stats as Magic isn't that common in the game) and you could cook up a starting character that could one shot Superman with the rules as written. Heck, if you can get the drop on them, you could one shot Dr Fate and Dr Strange with a starting character and enough points on Magic Blast. The Spectre is another matter but he's a level of power higher than most others in the DC Universe.

Sorry about the ramble, just thought you should know my thoughts on skills for powers and what's coming, or may come, when I've got time to sit down and work this stuff out.

An example of the change I *might* propose:



Currently Lionheart has Mind Blast 13. That means he has AV 13 (his 'aim' or 'to hit') EV 13 (His damage) and Range 13 (which is about 8 miles ... In theory he could use his Telescopic Vision to see his target and pick them off from his beach house/condo whilst reading the newspaper, if they were committing a crime and there was line of sight... No need to get close and run the risk of being punched! Yay.) Any extra dice you want to roll to increase your chances of a hit are bought through Hero Points at the moment.

The Proposed has: AV 13 (same as now) EV18 (but landing a far greater punch...) at a much reduced range of Range 5 (100yards, so he has to leave the comfort of his Condo to fight evil). The Skill Dice are the three extra D12s (so he rolls 5D12 in total and picks the best two) he rolls when attacking and increasing the chance of a decent roll/double. The Serious Burnout 'Reliability' Number or R#4 means if you roll four or less on the first two dice you roll, the power burns out for an hour. No matter how fast he regenerates, he can't use it for an hour. That's the price for much cheaper stuff in this case.

I also thought about having some kind of energy pool so after a while you stop swinging - you're just worn out but a) Hero Points sort of covered that. When you run out of HP to attack and absorb damage with, you keel over and b) I don't need extra headaches from tracking stuff. Yet. It would make people think about using less than max power all the time and consider breaking off to recover energy, but don't worry about that. I can't see it on the horizon even with Binoculars. Or telescopic vision. From the Beach House.

Back to our scheduled programming. If we need to, we can take this to chat about the game OOC and break it down into easier terms. Many of the game purists on the DC Heroes Facebook group simply tuned out or glazed over when I suggested changes to the game...

=========

Lionheart easily shot up behind Ultimatum and caught him, delivered his little 'Not so fast buster!' speech and a (probable) coup de grace!

"Now hold on a minute, can't we just... OVERLORD! WHERE ARE YOU!" he bellowed to the sky, then saw the distant sparking lightning bolt and knew he was sunk! He glanced down and squealed 'momma' as they were a mile off the floor!

OOC here we go, three dice from Martial Artist, Devastating Attack Dex 22 + Roll(5d12)+0: 10,11,6,9,11,+0 Total:22 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 10,2,+0 Total:34 (56) vs
Dex 12 + four extra dice acrobatics + Dev Attack 8 + Roll(6d12)+0: 8,8,8,11,7,9,+0 Total:16 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 8,2,+0 Total:26 (46)

So we have Lionhearts ACTING VALUE TOTAL (his Dex plus roll) vs Ultimatums OPPOSING VALUE TOTAL (Dex + modifiers + roll) on the following table:



Lionhearts AVT 56 - Ultimatums OVT 46= 10 difference which gives +4 Effect Value, added to Lionhearts Effect Value (his str 13 when punching) giving 17EV. Ultimatum has an RV (Resistance Value, or his toughness if you like) of his initial Body Stat (11) + his personal force field (8)of 19. 17 vs 19 doesn't go! But wait! You hit him successfully with a Devastating Attack! That makes it harder to hit (+8 to Ultimatums Opposing Value which is his Dex 12) but reduces his Resistance Value by 12! That leaves Ultimatum with an RV of 7.

Lionheart has 17EV vs RV7= 10 Damage! Ultimatum is DOWN and OUT!

BANG!

With a CRACK Lionheart finished Ultimatum off, a feat only the most powerful of Ultrahumans have managed! The former hero turned villain starts tumbling through the air. He will thud a mile below if left to fall but Lionheart also needs to consider the other bad guy out there - Lightning Overlord - who may try and strike whilst Lionheart is catching his tumbling Villain 'buddy'.

However Lionheart is reasonably sure this guy can withstand a fall from a mile up. To take so many of Lionhearts punches and shrug them off until his 'ultimate energy' ran out suggested he could shrug off something much more. Much, much more. Possibly even a nuclear blast! He really was fighting in the clouds right now!

Lightning Overlord raced across the sky and was a distant dot. Despite his power he could not fly at the speed of light and saw the two dots fighting in the air. With a squint he took aim. From a mile away!

OOC Shame he left his binoculars back at the condo.

Energy Blast 25 (!) + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,5,+0 Total:10 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 5,8,+0 Total:23 (48) vs
Lionheart Dex 22 + Range 10 + Acrobatics two dice + Roll(4d12)+0: 2,12,1,7,+0 Total:19 (51) ATTACK MISSED

But not by much, even at this range!

Roll(2d12)+0: Initiative
8 LH 48,8 LO 37

Lionheart goes first again. Ultimatum is falling but it's going to take 30 seconds or so (8 rounds of combat) to hit the floor for the bad guy. Lionheart will (very probably) have time to spare after flattening Lightning Overlord. Probably. You're up.

Admin wrote:Lionheart goes first again. Ultimatum is falling but it's going to take 30 seconds or so (8 rounds of combat) to hit the floor for the bad guy. Lionheart will (very probably) have time to spare after flattening Lightning Overlord. Probably. You're up.[/i][/color]

OOC: Thanks for the rules brief, I'll read it through when I get a chance It's kind of busy, busy like Christmas busy at the mo

Lionheart sought to close the distance, no point in not seeing who he was fighting and then trying his mind blast against this Lightening Overlord...recognising that despite the term they chose this was not someone who was to be scoffed at.

OOC: Mental energy attack Devastating blow...

Sj

OOC Maintaining Dex 22 for defence.

Flight 14 easily whisks Lionheart to within punching range of the energy being but he instead blasts with a Mind Blast!

DEV ATTACK. Mind Blast 13 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,6,+0 Total:15 (28) vs
Int 8 + 8 Dev Attack + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,11,+0 Total:23 (39) ATTACK MISSED by a lot.
Crit Blow would have missed as well. Was just a high roll for the bad guy.

Lionheart really pours it on... but perhaps pours it on too much as his attack goes wildly astray!

"I Don't know who you are blue boy, or how you managed to beat that loudmouth Ultimatum... maybe I should thank you! Or maybe I should fry you and save that buffoon so he owes me!" buzzed the electrical living bolt of lightning!

OOC CRIT BLOW Lightning 25 + Roll(2d12)+0: 8,3,+0 Total:11 (36) vs
LH D22 + FIVE extra defence dice from acrobatics + Crit Blow 4 + Roll(7d12)+0: 6,12,12,8,1,3,11,+0 Total:24 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 2,11,+0 Total:37 (63) MISSED MASSIVELY

Lightning Overlord is still laughing when his blast goes WILDLY astray!

"No... It's not possible! No one is that fast! Even that woman I beat earlier... she was fast but..." spluttered the buzzing lightning bolt.

OOC Initiative Roll(2d12)+0:
9 LH (49) ,2 LO (31)

Admin wrote:OOC Initiative Roll(2d12)+0:
9 LH (49) ,2 LO (31)

Lionheart wondered who it was that had suffered at the hands of this obvious egotist. The Supermax break out had been going on for how long... it was probably a war zone and he was eager to help the others of his new team but for now, trying to take on one villain at a time seemed to be what he was up against. But he remained grateful that he hadn't faced off against the loud-mouthed braggart earlier and Lightening Overlord.

Lionheart decided some colour jibes might work to help him counter this villains threat "So Lightening Overlord, what was there a "Lightning Lord" you didn't want to clash with, or do you have something against alteration or was "Overlord" so much more banging for you? I'm just curious because I think there is a fair bit of overcompensating going on here if you know what I mean? I think someone is trying way too hard to get themselves on the poster boy list for bragging rights. What is it you missed out on a franchise deal or something, so thought new costume, new name, Lightning Lord is too last year, Overlord, is the future or something...I'm just asking because I wonder if your friends snigger behind your back...you know Lightening Lord, oh sorry, OVERLORD!!! I can see that would get a guy down maybe that is why Ultimatum was fighting on his own, he did say he hated your guts and saying your name out loud hurt because he found it hard not to snigger in your presence"

Lionheart let the banter role out as he moved in for a better position to use his Mental Attack and hoped he would not miss this time.

OOC: Probably got carried away with the banter there, but you get the idea. I think insults should be a power on the heroes list. Spidey would have like 45! Anyway got for second Devastating attack and yes keep dex high so I can continue to dodge if I can get the dice to roll my way tonight.

Sj

OOC Mind Blast again DEV ATTACK

Mind Blast 13 + Roll(2d12)+0: 9,7,+0 Total:16 (29) vs
Int 8 + 8 (dev attack) + Roll(2d12)+0: 2,1,+0 Total:3 UGH FAILED. OV 0.

+8 EV (to 21) vs RV 9 - 12 (Dev Attack)= 24 Damage. Needless to say very down, very out.

Talk about a lucky break! Still, when you roll dice odd things can happen.

This time Lionheart put all his 'oomph' into the brain blast and something went awry for the villain! The mental 'lion' mauled him and all of a sudden he changed back to human form!

He was tumbling unconscious through the sky like the other villain!

OOC I assume in the next round he snags one then swoops to grab the other? Both men are unconscious and will be for some time, but you can never tell with these villainous types, healing factor and so on...

With both villains held telekinetically Lionheart landed on the ground near the other body. To his amazement, despite the fact the man was charred and blackened with soot, he was still alive!

He groaned and opened pain swollen eyes. "Anyone catch the number o the bus that backed over me?" he mumbled. Lionheart leaned in. "It's you... uh. Shoulda known. Listen... it's me... Cougar. I ain't got long left. My healing power is all that's keepin' me alive an' that will conk out at some point. Listen... tell the others... tell 'em I'm sorry for being an A Hole. Sorry fer not stoppin them chumps. Ya gotta get in there man. Mind Maiden, a guy called Shellghost and some dame called Miss Victory went in. I gotta bad feelin..." He sagged back, still breathing but obviously struggling. He'd taken enough damage to kill him and his incredible ability to heal had stopped him from actually dying but lying here in the desert would finish him off!

Lionheart glanced at the villains. Would they get up soon? He dread to think about going a few rounds with two of them piling on him...

Then he heard a crack of thunder. Incoming! What now?

Admin wrote:Lionheart glanced at the villains. Would they get up soon? He dread to think about going a few rounds with two of them piling on him...

Then he heard a crack of thunder. Incoming! What now?

OOC: WOW go figure!

Lionheart called in the villains he had downed and sought to do what he could for Cougar, trying to at least make him stable. He wondered if he could open the door in time to get them in, the villains so they might not escape and the hero so he might somehow pull through this? What he and they needed right now is back up.

OOC:
1. Call it in
2. Call in incoming
3. Try and get the door open to put Couger inside safely and see if I can't coup de grace the villains to keep them out so I don't have them to deal with in x number of rounds.

Sj

Using the comm link provided Lionheart called to the Ultrahumans. The connection was patchy but Duplex responded. "Lionheart? You're where? How on earth... I forget just how 'super' some of you are. The others are en route but even travelling supersonic..."

He added "We've lost contact with the others. Cougar hasn't responded, Atomic Champion took Blue Eagle to hospital. Photon is... we haven't been able to get in touch with him. Mind Maiden said she was going into the prison with someone called Miss Victory who we don't know. Shellghost is a part time operative of ours who arrived on scene not long after the others arrived and we've lost contact with him too. This is... this is a disaster! Trainees trying to stop a prison break in one of the most secure places on Earth!"

He sighed then continued. "Thunder Woman had to go deal with a disaster in Japan. It never rains but it pours! I've sent out a general call of alarm to support you. We need to get in there and suppress the mess before they spill out and..." his words trailed off. Hundreds of the most dangerous superhumans on the planet would be out...

CRACK!

Lionheart turned. Looking up in the sky he saw a blaze of energy and zoomed in with his vision. Ahhh Atomic Champion! At last! One good piece of news.



(OOC And the characters he refers to...)



The powerful Ultrahuman roared in from high orbit and swooped down to land next to Lionheart. "Good job I recognise you newbie! I was about to blast first and ask... awww heck. Who's that? Not another one! I just got back from the hospital with Blue Eagle!" He knelt and fished in his belt for a sedative. "Say, are you a doctor? He's going to live and his healing factor should clean up the mess he's in." He stood and looked impressed. "He needs a hospital but he's not going to die, I'd say. We need to keep him safe in case more..." He paused as he looked at the downed villains. "This is Fred Horrigan... Lightning Overlord." he said. Clearly he had some gadget that looked up details on a database. "And this? This is Ultimatum... Alex Ford. A real scumbag but I gotta admit, too tough to take on his own. I... did you do this? Take these guys out?"

He stood back and shook his head. "Well, you keep up like this and you're a shoe in. If you want the job. So, rookie..." he asked, unaware that Lionheart had a wealth of experience as a superhero! "How do you propose we get in there?" he asked of the circular metal door set into the floor. It looked unlike steel. Something far, far stronger.

Admin wrote:He stood back and shook his head. "Well, you keep up like this and you're a shoe in. If you want the job. So, rookie..." he asked, unaware that Lionheart had a wealth of experience as a superhero! "How do you propose we get in there?" he asked of the circular metal door set into the floor. It looked, unlike steel. Something far, far stronger.

After acknowledging the other heroes backhanded compliment and affirmation. Lionheart glanced back at the door, he knew his skills as a thief were pretty good, but might even this door prove a challenge. After all, it was meant to keep villains in and without a set of working tools? Still, if it was due to keep villains in, might it be easier for those already out?

OOC: OK, using my various skills, and abilities I'll see if with pretty much nothing to hand, unless it's lying about or I do have something stowed about me, I can try and bypass security and get the door open.

Sj

Admin wrote:When you decide, we'll sort out the rolls. With 22 Dex I expect the first to be a breeze. The second with 9 Int will be a challenge but with 7D12 pick best two chances of a double are good. The third will be the most challenging. [/i][/color]

OOC: Ok I'll buy three more dice for 21 points... and hope that if I can't persuade these guys, Atomic Champion might...as a full paid-up member of the team etc.

Sj

OOC Ooof pages are taking an age to load up. I'll copy everything I post before clicking the send button.

Dex 22 + Five Thief dice + Roll(7d12)+0: 9,3,4,12,9,6,8,+0 Total:18 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 6,3,+0 Total:27 (49) vs
OV20 (BEYOND beyond the limit which was traditionally the highest difficulty in the game) + Roll(2d12)+0: 6,10,+0 Total:16 (36)

+5EV (to 27) vs RV20=7 RAPs

With hands that moved faster than the eye could follow Lionheart dismantles the panel with the retinal/voice/thumbprint and key card access points, knowing that it's booby trapped and will seal the whole place down faster than he could say 'Oh no I needed the blue wire'.

Atomic Champion didn't help. "Maybe we should just wait for the access codes from Duplex. Unfortunately there's a lot of red tape involved and apparently the President himself has to give authority after advice from the joint chiefs. In a way, it's not a bad thing as that will give us time to round up more heroes."

He sat on a rock, fiery body burning away. "The problem is as ultrahumans we put fires out not just in the USA, but all over the world! Thunder Woman is in Japan, Silver Sentinel is in deep space. I mean like, light years away. I'm powerful and a few of the others hit as hard as I do but Silver Sentinel is on his own. As powerful as a star, so they say. He changed his name from Star Sentinel so as not to seem big headed. All that power and so humble."

OOC Dex 22 + Roll(7d12)+0: 11,6,10,6,10,7,6,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0: 4,11,+0 Total:35 (57) vs
OV20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 12,3,+0 Total:15 (35)

+7 EV (to 29) vs RV20=9 RAPs (for a total of 16)

It had taken 8 seconds so far of the most feverish activity Lionheart could EVER remember undertaking! Without Saladins power and skills this would not have been possible. He heard a begrudging 'huh' inside but his 'evil twin' otherwise kept quiet.

OOC Finally Dex 22 + Roll(7d12)+0: 10,5,6,9,12,8,3,+0 Total:22 (44) vs
OV20 + Roll(2d12)+0: 5,8,+0 Total:13 (33)

+5 EV (to 27) vs RV20=7 RAPs (for 23 total. Success).

At any stage if Lionheart had rolled three or less on his first two dice it would have been a bust! So as you can see it's not quite as clear cut as thought...

Atomic Champion leaned back and started juggling small fireballs with one hand. Looking about he glanced at the downed villains. "I'm sort of hoping they DO awake. I can absorb their blasts and it should be a cinch to finish em off. Sometimes raw might isn't the key. You just have to match the right combatant with the right... say, what are you doing over there?"

He walked over and saw a mess of wires, dismantled panels, circuitry and conduits spread out over ten feet with Lionheart feverishly cutting circuits off before the alarm would trip and defying possibly the worlds greatest security system! If there were systems more complex than this they must have been devised by minds as devious anyone had encountered!

Lionheart actually worked up a sweat as he leaned back, wringing damp hands and looking at a single LED that remained red for a few moments... before changing to yellow!

"What in the... how have you done that? This system is supposed to be thief proof! This whole place should be in lockdown, the door energised, the alarms blaring, the armed forces on their way..." spluttered Atomic Champion. "I don't..." he stood back, flabbergasted. Lionheart knew only the first stage was complete though!

OOC Mental. Int 9 + five thief dice + Roll(7d12)+0: 2,10,12,10,2,9,6,+0 Total:20 DOUBLE plus Roll(2d12)+0:
10,8,+0 Total:38 (47) vs
OV12 (same as the gadgeteer that cooked this test up) + Roll(2d12)+0: 7,5,+0 Total:12 (28)

+6EV (to 13 Will) vs RV12= 1 RAP.

This time the test was MUCH sterner and Lionheart knew with faltering confidence that he had almost failed! The rerouting of wires in a way that made NO logical sense and bypassed systems whilst accessing others that seemingly did nothing was a logic puzzle of fiendish magnitude and a mis-step by him would undo all the work he'd managed so far! He hated to admit it but it would need a smarter person than even he was to make light work of this! Only his skill as a Thief had lucked him upon the right sequence of events required so far and he glanced over at Atomic Champion who was staring with rapt attention. He didn't seem like a dummy but to help with this he needed someone really smart. Or he could go it alone. If he carried on picking away it might take minutes - an age for a speedster like him, or he might screw it up and seal the place into lockdown! If he had someone smarter to do the logic solving he could apply his Security Systems knowledge at the same time and perhaps together they could 'seal the deal'.

OOC Know anyone smart enough to help...? Or prefer to plug away. Warning, you'll need 11 more rolls similar to the one you just got to get through this puzzle...One failure and the place locks down completely...