MonMusu Mekton Quest: Episode 2

7:46 PM - MekOne on One: Last time, Kari had just drifted off into a fitful slumber aboard the Spyder Sylk Industries vessel, in her own room and on her own bed for the first time in a good while.
7:47 PM - MekOne on One: You awaken, slowly and sleepily, taking a moment to recollect where you are before going about your morning routine and preparing for the day's activities... which you haven't been told anything about, so you assume you're free to do as you please.
7:49 PM - MekOne on One: What will you do with your time?
7:50 PM - Kari: Probably wash my clothes, get a little presentable, and then head to the simulators.
7:52 PM - MekOne on One: And so you do. Washed and presentable, you make your way to the simulators. From within the bland white room lined with large pods, you hear the sound of various powertools, and a deep-voiced man grumbling. Poking your head inside, you spot Dematus, the large-bodied, brown-haired spider from the fitness center the other day hard at work on the innards of one pod.
7:55 PM - Kari: Rapping her knuckles on the side of the pod, she gives the dyder a curt nod of acknowledgement. With a curious tilt of her head, she looks over his work to see if she can piece together just what it is he's doing.
7:57 PM - MekOne on One: He grunts in acknowledgement of your presence, though doesn't make any comment as you peer over his shoulder. At a glance it's pretty obvious that the exterior of this pod's been worked over, but as for the insides he's working on, all you can see is a mess of colored wires, some spliced into others in a patchwork fashion clearly not factory-issue.
7:59 PM - Kari: Skewing her lip, Kari feels at a loss as to what he could be doing. She came here for a reason though, and as much as she wants to respect his space, safety comes first. "Is it okay if I use on of the other pods?"
8:01 PM - MekOne on One: With several more loud whirrs of a powertool and a little bit of hammering, he pulls his head from the pod's insides, stretching his back and legs. You look up at his bald head and muscled body, clad in little but a dirty t-shirt. Once satisfied with his limbering up, he slots the access panel back onto the podl "No. Because they're made for Dryders. But this one's ready for you."
8:03 PM - MekOne on One: "Had to cannabalize one of the universal machines in the fitness center for the chair though."
8:06 PM - Kari: With a small smile and a curteous nod, she takes another peak inside to see the chair in question. She chuckles a bit at the realization, and gives him an apologetic smile. "Sorry to hear that. Hopefully we'll be able to pick up a replacement soon. Thanks for doing the work though. I know it's your job, but I still appreciate it. Could you show me how to work it so I don't mess up your hard work?"
8:07 PM - MekOne on One: A bubbly, excitable female voice you recognize as Widoia's says, "No need! I'll help you with that. You can take a break, Demmy~." The telltale clickity clack of hard-shelled carapace on the metal floor betrays her entrance into the room.
8:07 PM - MekOne on One: Dematus grumbles. "I told you not to call me that."
8:08 PM - MekOne on One: Widoia giggles. "Nevermind that, Demdem. Just scurry along, I'll take care of Kari here."
8:08 PM - MekOne on One: Contuinuing to grumble, he mutters, "That's even worse," before making his way out, leaving you with a small nod.
8:10 PM - Kari: Kari snickers a bit at the first nickname, but tries to stifle it to save Dematus' feelings. She winces a bit at the second one though, shooting him a sympathetic smile. "Catch you later, Dematus," she says before he leaves. Turning her gaze back to the bubbly spider, Kari's smile brightens quite a bit. "How's it going, Widoia~?"
8:11 PM - MekOne on One: "Gooood. I think Demmy likes you though. He never nodded at me when we first met!" She puffs out her cheeks, seemingly jealous, before smiling. It's then that you notice she's carrying a rather large textbook of sorts. "So, ready to get started? We'll throw you right into the training."
8:12 PM - Kari: "Sure thing, love bug~," Kari quips as she turns around and plops herself in the chair.
8:14 PM - MekOne on One: "Ooh, I like that." She smiles. Slamming the massive book onto a small table next to the pod, you glance at the cover. It reads "Piloting Mektons - Zeta Edition." She walks around to the computer setup located on the end of each pod, apparently there for outside observers to control the VR battlefield from the outside.
8:14 PM - MekOne on One: "I don't expect you to read this whole book. It'd take for/ever/! So we'll just get going and give you the basics. The most important things you need to know are how to shoot, run, and which big red button to push when things go south and you gotta bail out."
8:16 PM - MekOne on One: The pod's lid closes on you with a quiet hiss, leaving you in darkness. Then the screens flicker to life in a pixelated mesh before turning blinding white, finally reducing into a dim glow. You hear Widoia's voice through a set of speakers. "Ready?"
8:19 PM - Kari: Kari smiles with an eager grin as she stretches out and lays her hands instinctively on the controls. It's all she can do to stop her trembling. "Oooooh yeah," she says, her enthusiam seeping through her tone. "I've been waiting for this for a loooong time."
8:21 PM - MekOne on One: "That just means you'll do awesome. Okay, initiating training course... now." A few quick taps, and the dull glow of the pod's screens fades into a virtual - but incredibly real-looking - scene. The ground is a flat, seamless gray rock. Surrounding you in a box-shaped canyon are a series of tall mountains. Ahead of you is an artifical, chest-high wall, and off beyond that are raised stone platforms. "Okay, time to put on your learning cap, because this might be a lot to take in. We'll get right in the thick of it, so pay attention!"
8:21 PM - MekOne on One: "On average, and following standard Federation scale, most activities performed by combatants in a fight between Mektons take place within roughly ten-second-long periods called 'Turns.' Within a turn, a pilot can generally perform either one or two Actions. An Action is considered any one particular movement that requires concentration or skill. There are a few exceptions, but we'll get to those in a bit."
8:22 PM - MekOne on One: You hear the flipping of pages; probably her looking through that gigantic tome she had. "First we'll get you acquainted with movement. You'll notice the map shown on your Heads Up Display roughly matches the area you see through your screens, but broken up into hexagonal segments. Each of these 'hexes' is approximately fifty meters in length. As you can see, Mektons are quite big! That little token down there represents yourself; it displays your current position and directional facing. Due to the complexity of moving such large machines as Mektons accurately and safely, you're only able to move once per turn, so always be sure to plan ahead."
8:22 PM - MekOne on One: "With me so far?"
8:24 PM - Kari: "Is this a book or a game manual, Wids?" Kari muses aloud, eyes roaming over the screens. "But yeah, I get you I think."
8:26 PM - MekOne on One: "A little of column A, a little of column B... I've already programmed your Mek into the simulation, so everything's on hand right as though you were in the real thing. Now if you'll look at your Mekton's specs, you can see two Movement Allowance, or 'MA,' values in the top right quadrant of the Overview page: one for Land, and one for Flight. Land MA represents your Mekton's ground speed using wheels, treads and legs. Flight MA represents your Mekton's aerial speed using wings, jets, or other forms of propulsion. One MA is equal in distance to fifty meters, or one hex, so it'll be simple to track where you're going without counting each meter. Now here's where it gets a little tricky: there are four types of ways you can move. Ready to hear 'em?"
8:28 PM - Kari: "Yeah, I follow. Keep goin."
8:28 PM - MekOne on One: "Firstly, you are able to move half of your Land MA for free, at no action cost - just remember that doing this means you can't move again for that turn. Second, you can move your full Land MA at the cost of a single action. Third, you can move half your Flight MA at the cost of a single action, and finally, you can move your full Flight MA at the cost of your complete /turn/. This means that if you put the pedal to the metal when flying, you won't be able to do anything else! Another thing to note, regarding your heading, is that to rotate your Mekton three hexes in any direction costs one point of MA. Always make sure to track your heading, or you may get flanked! Another thing to remember, Mektons move a lot like tanks do; this means you can't strafe. You /have/ to rotate to move!"
8:29 PM - MekOne on One: "Didja get all that, or do you need me to repeat it?"
8:30 PM - Kari: "Half free, full one, flight all. Got ya."
8:31 PM - MekOne on One: "Atta girl. Now let's try it out. First, we'll use your Land MA. Rotate to the left three hexes - remember, that costs one Land MA point. You can check your progress on the HUD's map, but just ease down on the three left throttles, counterbalance with the middle right and... no wait, that's for Dryders... um. Just, push stuff until you turn left?"
8:34 PM - Kari: Kari pauses in confusion until Widoia clarifies that the manual must be for Dryders. "Right. No worries. I think I remember this well enough." Sure enough, her muscles remember her pretend piloting, and the mekton shifts to the desired rotation.
8:35 PM - MekOne on One: "Hey, you did it! Nice work. Then continue rotating left. That'll be another MA point, but will put you back to your original facing."
8:35 PM - MekOne on One: "Looking good. Now, with your two remaining Land MA, walk forwards."
8:36 PM - MekOne on One: "Great! You're getting the hang of it already. Normally you would still have one action left were this a real engagement, but since there aren't any opponents we'll just start you fresh with a new turn. Now that you're all settled in with walking, boost forwards using your Flight MA towards that waist-high wall ahead. While you could walk there, it would take two turns to do so. Flying in this case will traverse the distance quicker, considering your relative speeds for Land and Flight MA."
8:37 PM - MekOne on One: "The thruster controls should be on the handgrips. The switches by the thumbs."
8:38 PM - Kari: "Alright. Got it." Checking her control sticks, Kari fingers the thrusters and double checks her grip before proceeding.
8:38 PM - MekOne on One: "Perfect! Another thing to remember is that when flying, you can go vertically as well. Vertical hexes still count towards movement, so always remember to track your height. Traveling vertically will, of course, allow you to bypass any ground-based obstacles. Now that you're here, we'll start the combat practice. Switch over to your Armaments page."
8:40 PM - MekOne on One: "You'll notice a number of details on each weapon listing. We'll review all of them in this segment. First, switch the active armament to your Light Beam Gun. Because this weapon is located internally within a Servo, you won't need to spend any actions switching it out, no matter what's in your Mekton's hands. Stowing a handheld weapon takes one action, while withdrawing another is free. This means that in the heat of combat, it's always a better idea to just throw aside an empty gun, rather than replacing it on your Mek. You can always collect the discarded weapon when the combat ends... assuming you can find it, or it wasn't destroyed. Still with me?"
8:42 PM - Kari: Kari tabs through her interface quickly, glossing over all the information as Widoia reads it. Checking her switches, she activates the LBG and readjusts her hands on the sticks once more. "Okay. Beam Gun ready. The beam gun runs on the mekton's energy right? Do I have any real concerns about running out of ammo?"
8:43 PM - MekOne on One: "You catch on quick!  The Light Beam Gun runs off your powerplant, so no ammunition is expended or required, but more conventional weapons or battery-powered Beam weapons have limited shots."
8:43 PM - MekOne on One: "Now notice the 'Range' value of your Light Beam Gun. The range is calculated in standard fifty-meter hexes, meaning a range of 4 is equal to 4 hexes. You can fire at anything within the Range of your weapon for no additional penalty, apart from the weapon's listed WA, or Weapon Accuracy. The WA is how accurate or inaccurate your weapon is, and how easily you can damage someone with it. Higher numbers are good: they add to your ability, while lower numbers subtract from it. A zero means no difference apart from your own skill. We'll cover 'Max Range' in a moment, but for now I'm going to place a target four hexes in front of you. Fire at it with your Light Beam Gun when ready."
8:44 PM - MekOne on One: With a few quick taps, a large, red- and white- circled target appears 200 meters away from you.
8:45 PM - MekOne on One: That's a roll of Mecha Gunner, or 1d10+MR+Mecha Gunnery+/-WA
8:46 PM - MekOne on One: "You may notice a bit of a laggy response time when piloting. That's a problem inherent to most Mektons, or at least older and weightier ones. It's something you'll get used to eventually, but they call that lagged response your 'Mecha Reflex.' That is to say, the reflexive ability of the Mekton, taking into consideration the ability of its pilot."
8:52 PM - Kari is now Online.
8:56 PM - Kari: "Got it." With a twist of the controls, she makes to target the circle, squeezing the trigger a little hastily. (3+5+3+1 = 12)
8:57 PM - MekOne on One: Oh right, you're using real dice. Forgot about that
8:58 PM - MekOne on One: You align your Mek's head with the target, wait for the on-screen reticles to align, then pull the trigger. You score a hit, though it's on one of the outer rings of the bullseye-painted target.
8:59 PM - MekOne on One: "Excellent! Don't forget to track your ammunition when firing weapons, or you may find yourself out of bullets. The Light Beam Gun is an exception, like we mentioned. Now get your Autocannon ready. It's time to review BV, or Burst Value. This is equal to the number of projectiles that your weapon fires in a single shot. When tracking ammo for weapons with a BV, remember that no matter what the BV is, only a single 'Shot' is expended - note that this rule does NOT apply at a personal scale outside of your Mekton. BV at that scale is one-to-one with ammunition expended. You can strike a single target a number of times, up to your BV as a maximum, depending on how well you hit them. We'll make an arbitrary term here, call it 'points,' to measure this fact. Fire on the new target now."
9:00 PM - MekOne on One: The original target disappears, and a new, closer one takes its place.
9:00 PM - MekOne on One: Another gunnery roll, this time with the Autocannon
9:03 PM - Kari: Kari flips back to the autocannon, leveling it with the target and squeezing the trigger. She takes a little more care this time, feeling out the mekton's movements. (6+5+3-2 = 12)
9:05 PM - MekOne on One: Aligning the giant gun towards the target, you pull your handgrips' triggers, and the Autocannon roars. While 6 of the shots veer off into the distance, two of the strike the target. Widoia claps. "Not bad for your first time! To review, say you get a 15 on our arbitrary point-scale, and your target gets a 10. With your BV of 8, that means you strike that single target 5 times. Now say you get a 20, and your target gets a 10. With the same BV, you'll have struck the target all 8 times. Again, this only costs 1 Shot of your ammunition to perform."
9:05 PM - MekOne on One: "Ready to move on to the next aspect of BV?"
9:07 PM - Kari: With a little nod and smile, Kari shifts in the seat. "Yeah, let's do it. I think I'm getting the feel for this."
9:08 PM - MekOne on One: "It sure looks like you are. Now, another feature of BV is the ability to spread your shots out among a number of adjacent targets. In such a case, you distribute the BV evenly between all hexes, even if there's an empty one with no target. An odd-numbered BV puts the extra shots in the first or last hex of the lineup. I'll make a line of three targets for you, with a space in the middle. If you're accurate enough, you'll hit all 3 targets with two shots, and two shots will spray into the gap harmlessly. Now try to hit them all at least once!"
9:08 PM - MekOne on One: The target you just struck disappears, and three more take its place. There's two to your left and one to your right, with a gap in the center.
9:12 PM - Kari: "Got it," she says, shifting the Mek to the one side. Squeezing the trigger, Kari pulls her controls to sweep the barrel across each of the targets. (13)
9:13 PM - MekOne on One: You sweep the barrel left to right, effectively peppering each target with two clean shots. They weren't bullseyes by any stretch, but solid hits all the same.
9:14 PM - MekOne on One: "You really are a natural at this, Kari. Nice work! On a related note, missile systems are special. They have an effective BV equal to their entire pod capacity! Any one missile system can fire off as many or as few missiles it stores as you please. So if someone's really making you mad, rain hell! Just don't go overboard, or you'll run dry before you can get another hit in."
9:16 PM - MekOne on One: "Now the final part. Maximum Range! Max Range is equal to your weapon's Range, squared. You can target anything within your Max Range at a penalty of... using the same point scale we did for BV, we'll call it a -4. Anything beyond the Max Range you simply can't hit. I'll put some far-off targets up, and you can try to hit them with whatever weapon you're comfortable with. A trick that might be helpful here is Aiming. You can spend an action to aim, giving you a +1 to your next shot, so long as you have a clear line of sight and are stationary. You can do this up to four times, totaling a +4. So if you've got the time, take it easy, breath deep, and shoot carefully."
9:16 PM - MekOne on One: The close-up targets vanish, and several appear on the platforms in the distance.
9:25 PM - Kari: Kari takes some deep breaths, and does her best to line up the shot. Nonetheless, she was a little impatient. (3+5+3-2+1-4 = 6)
9:25 PM - MekOne on One: Your shots go wide, completely failing to strike any of the targets.
9:26 PM - MekOne on One: "A good try, especially considering how far they are. Just remember to take it slow! Rushing and panicing won't get you anywhere."
9:29 PM - Kari: Kari makes an exasperated groan, but takes another deep breath to relax. "Yeah, I know. I got a bit ancy. Let me try this again." She really takes her time this time, wanting to do it right rather than fast. (4+5+3-2+4-4 = 10)
9:30 PM - MekOne on One: This time, you manage to land a shot on the target. Right on the last ring, but a hit's a hit.
9:30 PM - MekOne on One: "Now you're getting it! Great job, Kari~. Keep it up and maybe we can ride the elevator again later." She giggles.
9:31 PM - Kari: Kari giggles and runs her hands through her hair for a moment. "Keep showering me with positive reinforcement, and I'll be ready for anything~."
9:32 PM - MekOne on One: "I'll keep that in mind," she says cheerily. "But unless you want to try gunning for those last two targets, that about covers attacking! Other statistics to note on Armaments is the Damage value, registered in Federation-scale 'Kills', and the 'Kill' value of the weapon, representing its integrity and how much damage it can sustain before being unusable. If you got all that, we can move onto the last aspect of the training. Taking damage. Any questions on attacking?"
9:33 PM - Kari: "I think I'd like to try out the rockets if that's okay."
9:34 PM - MekOne on One: "Go for it! Remember to take your time and line up your shots."
9:41 PM - Kari: "Got it~." Learning her lesson about patience, Kari turns to face one of her targets, switches weapons, and lines up the shot. Squeezing the trigger, she feels out five rockets before letting up. (5+5+3-1+4-4 = 12)
9:43 PM - MekOne on One: Turning towards the right target, you flip the necessary switches and dial in the relevant number of missiles. Jutting out your chest, the miniature silos open, and the missiles fly to their destination. Though only two make it, they score solid hits all the same.
9:44 PM - MekOne on One: "So, want to go for that last one? Or are you ready to move on?"
9:46 PM - Kari: "Haha!" Kari cries out. "Got ya!" Quite proud of herself, the young mantis girl is practically beaming. "What's next? Taking damage you said?"
9:47 PM - MekOne on One: "Yep yep! Finally, we'll cover damage to your Mekton. This is pretty straightforward, so I don't think a direct example is needed. Each Servo on your - or any, really - Mekton has a few values to take note of when handling damage. Kills, Damage Constant (or DC), and Stopping Power (or SP). Kills is, like on weapons, the Servo's structural integrity. When that reaches 0, the Servo is destroyed, and anything located within that Servo ceases functioning. This includes if any systems have some of their parts split into said Servo. For example, if you were to lose one of your Wings, you would no longer get the benefit of your Maneuver Vernier, despite two Servos still having parts of it intact."
9:51 PM - MekOne on One: "Following so far?"
9:51 PM - Kari: "Seems self explanitory, yeah."
9:52 PM - MekOne on One: "Armor is just as simple. SP reduces incoming Kills directly by its value. So an armor with an SP of 3 being hit by a 5-Kill strike absorbs 3 Kills of damage. This means the respective Servo suffers 2 Kills of damage. Additionally, if the original incoming damage is equal to or greater than the armor's DC, then the armor loses 1 SP of integrity - this is a phenomenon called 'chipping.' If the original damage is less than the DC, the armor does NOT lose that 1 SP of integrity through chipping, though if the damage still exceeds the armor's SP, the Servo will suffer the remaining damage as normal. Lastly, even if the incoming damage doesn't exceed the SP and damage the Servo, if it exceeds the DC, your Servo's armor still chips. Watch out for low-damage, high-burst weapons! They'll eat up armor super quickly."
9:52 PM - MekOne on One: "So to summarize, we'll use your Torso as an example. Take note of these values: 8 Kills, 3 SP, 1 DC. Your Torso suffers a 5-Kill strike. 5 Kills - 3 SP = 2 damage. Your Torso sustains 2 damage, and the Torso armor chips by 1. Your new values are 6 Kills, 2 SP, 1 DC. Now your Torso suffers a 2-Kill strike. 2 SP - 2 Kills = 0 damage. Your Torso sustains no damage, but your armor still chips, because the original 2 Kills of damage is greater than 1 DC. Your new values are 6 Kills, 1 SP, 1 DC. Any questions?"
9:53 PM - MekOne on One: "That ends the tutorial! There are a number of other things we could have discussed, but it's always better to learn by experience, and getting too detailed would drag this on longer than it has. So if you're ready to move on, we can put you in combat against some AI dummies, call it a wrap for today, or you can stick around shooting targets for a while."
9:55 PM - Kari: "I think that all makes sense. It's a lot to wrap my head around, but I think I get it. Basically, when I get hit, my armour soaks part or all of it, but if I take too much, the armour starts to wear down on me, yeah?"
9:56 PM - MekOne on One: "That's the idea. You're a smart one too, aren't you? Mr. Silk's got eight good eyes for talent."
9:59 PM - Kari: Kari chitters happily, clearly quite pleased with the compliment. "So~," she continues. "You said I can go up against some AI meks?"
10:00 PM - MekOne on One: "That you can! Think you can handle them? I've got a general model here that's about half as much as your Yuida, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's half as effective, or that two of them can take you on. How many do you want to try against?"
10:02 PM - Kari: "Mmmmm... just give me... You know what? Go big or go home! Give me two of them!"
10:07 PM - MekOne on One: "Two of them? Alrighty then! Generating map..."
10:13 PM - Kari is now Online.
10:18 PM - MekOne on One: "...map completed, and opponents placed. Alright, we're good to go! Now that we're in proper combat, who goes first is determined by your initiative. That's a matter of using your Mecha Reflex to move before the enemy, so give it a shot now!"
10:18 PM - MekOne on One: Mekton Initiative is a simple roll of 1d10+MR
10:19 PM - Kari: (7)
10:19 PM - MekOne on One: ...
10:20 PM - MekOne on One: -3 and 9
10:21 PM - MekOne on One: "Enemy Unit B gets first move! Watch out, Kari!"
10:22 PM - MekOne on One: "Unit B exits its hiding place between the trees and advances, then goes to lob a grenade in the area ahead of itself."
10:24 PM - MekOne on One: "Unit B has thrown a smoke grenade into the break between the cliffs and trees. You won't be able to see it unless you focus."
10:28 PM - MekOne on One: "Okay Kari, your move. Watch your back out there!"
10:38 PM - Kari: As the map loads in, Kari's eyes dart across the landscape before her. "Whoa... It's so open... Where are all the trees?" At Widoia's notice of enemy movement, she snaps out of it and makes for a nearby cluster of trees. With what little cover she's got, she lines up a short barrage and fires two rockets at the moving mekton. (7+5+3-1-4 = 10)
10:39 PM - MekOne on One: Can't shoot at unit B, because he lobbed that smoke grenade
10:39 PM - MekOne on One: that big scribble is his smoke cloud, so you can't see him past it
10:39 PM - Kari: (Oh. It's a smoke. I through it was a normal greande, heh. My bad.)
10:39 PM - MekOne on One: it's cool
10:40 PM - MekOne on One: so you can take an action to prepare a dodge if you wanted, that'd give you +2 to avoid any incoming fire
10:40 PM - Kari: (Let's do that. Lemme rewrite that fluff.)
10:41 PM - Kari: As the map loads in, Kari's eyes dart across the landscape before her. "Whoa... It's so open... Where are all the trees?" At Widoia's notice of enemy movement, she snaps out of it and makes for a nearby cluster of trees. With what little cover she's got, she prepares to dodge in the event her target leaves the smoke screen and takes a shot.
10:41 PM - MekOne on One: "Very smart! Even if they get a shot off, you're prepared... watch out, Unit A incoming!"
10:42 PM - MekOne on One: Unit A traverses 5 steps out into the open, taking aim and firing at you with its two-handed rifle.
10:43 PM - MekOne on One: ouch
10:43 PM - MekOne on One: 17
10:44 PM - MekOne on One: Actually, make that 14. I forgot some numbers
10:46 PM - Kari: (So what do I do for that?)
10:46 PM - MekOne on One: oh, right
10:46 PM - MekOne on One: that's important to know
10:46 PM - MekOne on One: :v
10:46 PM - MekOne on One: that'd be 1d10+MR+Mecha Piloting
10:46 PM - MekOne on One: +2 from the dodge prep
10:47 PM - Kari: (10+5+3+2 = 20)
10:47 PM - MekOne on One: don't forget about the magic of 10s and 1s
10:47 PM - MekOne on One: 10s explode until you don't get 10, so roll another 10
10:47 PM - MekOne on One: d10, rather
10:47 PM - Kari: (3)
10:47 PM - MekOne on One: that makes your total 23
10:48 PM - MekOne on One: Though the incoming shot was well placed, you sense it coming from a mile away and duck beneath the trees as it flies overhead harmlessly.
10:49 PM - MekOne on One: "Nice moves! You've really got natural talent, you know?"
10:49 PM - MekOne on One: "But Unit B's on the move, so watch out!"
10:50 PM - MekOne on One: Unit B steps into the smoke and prepares a dodge.
10:51 PM - MekOne on One: Your go~
10:51 PM - MekOne on One: You can clearly see Unit A out in the open, or you can try (likely in vain) to peer through the thick smoke to see Unit B.
10:52 PM - Kari: (Could I tell what Unit B had equipped?)
10:53 PM - MekOne on One: Same outfit as Unit A. You can make out its two-handed rifle, saw a handheld blade strapped to the chest, and know of the smoke grenade.
10:54 PM - Kari: (Would it be adviseable to pursue it into the smoke to nullify its advantage?
10:54 PM - Kari: )
10:54 PM - MekOne on One: Your call~
10:54 PM - MekOne on One: But being in the smoke /would/ nullify the advantage
10:54 PM - MekOne on One: and give you the benefit against any outside the smoke
10:55 PM - Kari: (Damn. I can only move once though, can't I? Shit.)
10:56 PM - Kari: (I'd be 1 hex outside.
10:56 PM - Kari: )
10:56 PM - MekOne on One: If you floored it when flying, you could get into the batch of trees ahead
10:56 PM - Kari: (I can? I thought I could only move 8.)
10:57 PM - MekOne on One: Oh, right. You can't even fly in the woods, forgot about that.
10:57 PM - MekOne on One: Though I guess you can, since it only goes up to your legs...
10:58 PM - MekOne on One: but yeah, okay, you can fly. And in 8 spaces, you can get to this spot here. Flying would ignore the terrain restriction of half movement, too
10:58 PM - MekOne on One: Sorry, Mekton has a lot going on and I cross wires a lot
10:59 PM - Kari: (Right. That's okay, I get ya.)
11:00 PM - Kari: (wrackin my brain here)
11:00 PM - MekOne on One: don't think too hard now, it's just a tutorial :v
11:01 PM - MekOne on One: a few mistakes here will give you ideas of what to avoid in the future, after all
11:01 PM - Kari: (I know. I'm just learning my way~.)
11:04 PM - Kari: Kari decides to ignore the one she can't see at the moment, and harrass her sniper. As the shot wizzes over head, she ducks beneath it. Turning and shambling as she stands back up, the chest puffs out to fire two rockets at Unit A. (8+5+3-1-4 = 11)
11:04 PM - MekOne on One: don't you mean 6 instead of 8? don't forget your MR
11:04 PM - MekOne on One: oh nevermind, misread that
11:05 PM - MekOne on One: the 8 is your roll
11:05 PM - Kari: (;3)
11:05 PM - MekOne on One: 16 to dodge
11:05 PM - MekOne on One: though if you want to spend 2 luck, you can force a crit and get another 1d10
11:06 PM - Kari: (Let's do it.)
11:06 PM - MekOne on One: that puts you at 13. Let's see that d10
11:06 PM - Kari: (If I roll 10 on a luck crit, do I roll another?)
11:06 PM - MekOne on One: yep
11:06 PM - MekOne on One: 10s explode until a 10 isn't rolled
11:07 PM - Kari: (10, 7)
11:07 PM - MekOne on One: welp. That puts you at a solid 30, meaning you scored a ~MEGACRIT~
11:08 PM - MekOne on One: When you get 5 points over an enemy's roll, your attack becomes armor piercing. When you score 10 points over their roll, you can choose which of the 3 mecha hit charts you want to roll from: normal, special, or cinematic.
11:08 PM - MekOne on One: https://www.dropbox.com/s/khwjy1fb5ka5zti/Hit%20Charts%20and%20Special%20Damage%20Tables.PNG?dl=0
11:08 PM - MekOne on One: And because of the degree of success, both of your missles are choose your chart rolls.
11:09 PM - MekOne on One: You'll see at the bottom of the r20 page a few button macros. Just pick any of the ones that aren't human hit chart. If you don't see them just go to options and enable the marcos
11:09 PM - MekOne on One: macros*
11:10 PM - Kari: (You mean at the top?)
11:10 PM - MekOne on One: They're at both the top and bottom for me
11:10 PM - MekOne on One: so wherever you see em, click em :v
11:10 PM - Kari: heh, okay
11:10 PM - Kari: And it'll just randomly roll for a location?
11:10 PM - MekOne on One: yep
11:11 PM - MekOne on One: saves the hassle of chart-checking when it's all displayed clearly in the r20 chat
11:11 PM - MekOne on One: like so
11:11 PM - Kari: I get ya
11:12 PM - Kari: So Mecha is for straight damage, Special is for essentially a called shot, and cinematic is a weird assortment of disabling effects, yeah?
11:12 PM - MekOne on One: more or less, yep
11:12 PM - MekOne on One: if you roll something he don't got, you can reroll it
11:12 PM - Kari: Cool
11:12 PM - MekOne on One: so it's not a wasted shot to hit thrusters on a thrusterless mek, since you'll just try again
11:13 PM - Kari: Makes sense
11:13 PM - Kari: For the special and cinematic charts, does the unit still take damage plus that?
11:13 PM - Kari: Or is it one or the other?
11:13 PM - MekOne on One: one or the other. It'll tell you if a servo takes damage or not. Usually it's half damage, plus a side effect, depending on the result
11:14 PM - MekOne on One: Only the normal chart does straight damage
11:14 PM - Kari: (Got it)
11:15 PM - MekOne on One: Subassembly includes weapons and stuff, so let's see what you hit...
11:16 PM - MekOne on One: looks like you hit his smoke grenade! though it's internally mounted on his left arm, so... let's check the damage here
11:17 PM - MekOne on One: The degree of success making both hits AP as well, your shot chips the left arm's armor and explodes the smoke grenade within, as well as chipping and damaging the torso.
11:18 PM - MekOne on One: With a tremendously quick reaction time, you rise from the trees and unleash two missiles at the far-off Unit A, striking it in a vital point in its left arm's armor and rupturing its internally stored smoke grenade, along with scoring a direct hit to its torso, dealing some small damage to that as well.
11:19 PM - MekOne on One: And that was only one action. You can still go again!
11:19 PM - MekOne on One: Unless you moved and I didn't notice
11:20 PM - Kari: (I did)
11:20 PM - MekOne on One: Okie dokes then. That makes it Unit A's turn.
11:21 PM - Kari: (Or do I not need to rotate to shoot my target?)
11:21 PM - MekOne on One: No no, you do. But don't forget about the free movement
11:21 PM - Kari: Right
11:21 PM - Kari: I forgot about that
11:21 PM - Kari: ()
11:21 PM - MekOne on One: :P
11:21 PM - Kari: (No worries, we'll just roll with this)
11:22 PM - Kari: (Cause I rotated AND moved one space)
11:22 PM - Kari: (Which would be 3 MA)
11:22 PM - MekOne on One: gotcha, that'd be a full move then, yep
11:22 PM - MekOne on One: After your series of harrasing strikes, Unit A continues its advance and unleashes another shot!
11:23 PM - MekOne on One: welp
11:23 PM - MekOne on One: 19
11:23 PM - Kari: (8+5+3 = 16)
11:23 PM - MekOne on One: He scores a hit!
11:23 PM - MekOne on One: To your right arm.
11:24 PM - MekOne on One: Shouldering his rifle, Unit A readies a shot proper after coming to a halt and fires, striking true in your right arm with 2 Kills of damage.
11:25 PM - MekOne on One: I should have mentioned before, but this being a "proper" combat, you should be tracking your numbers
11:26 PM - Kari: (Mhmm. I was just about to ask how to track that.)
11:26 PM - MekOne on One: Overview page, orange fields. Current SP
11:26 PM - MekOne on One: Your right arm's got 3 SP, so the servo takes no damage, and the SP reduces to 2
11:26 PM - Kari: (Got it.)
11:27 PM - MekOne on One: After Unit A's successful shot, Unit B moves.
11:28 PM - MekOne on One: Progressing to the edge of the smoke cloud, it takes aim and fires at you.
11:28 PM - MekOne on One: 11
11:28 PM - Kari: (15)
11:29 PM - MekOne on One: The shot goes wide, harmlessly blasting apart a number of trees into splinters.
11:29 PM - MekOne on One: You're up
11:30 PM - MekOne on One: In order to target Unit B, you'd need to spend 1 action on an Awareness roll at -8 and get a 15 or higher because of the smoke
11:30 PM - MekOne on One: so probably not smart to try. The smoke is soon to dissipate anyway
11:31 PM - Kari: (Can I make it to the smoke if I punch it? Full thrusters to land right in front of the guy?)
11:31 PM - MekOne on One: that you can
11:32 PM - MekOne on One: and at that range his smoke screen is worthless
11:32 PM - Kari: (Do I get any bonuses for being point blank?)
11:32 PM - MekOne on One: Nope, but don't forget that punching thrusters takes a full turn, so you can't act until next time
11:33 PM - Kari: (Right...)
11:33 PM - Kari: (Damn, was hoping to rush him either guns blazing or with a sword strike.)
11:33 PM - MekOne on One: You /can/ ram him
11:33 PM - MekOne on One: if you wanted to take damage yourself
11:33 PM - MekOne on One: Or dropkick him, for a -2
11:34 PM - MekOne on One: both of which would be mecha fighting rolls
11:34 PM - MekOne on One: https://www.dropbox.com/s/w8mrkjzexe72bmv/Melee%20Attacks%203%20-%20Knockback%20and%20Ram%20Damage.PNG?dl=0
11:36 PM - Kari: (?)
11:36 PM - MekOne on One: You can ram him or dropkick him, using the Mecha Fighting skill, if you felt like it.
11:37 PM - MekOne on One: Ramming does damage directly to the torso, but you sustain the same damage. Dropkicking does damage like a ram and has a to-hit penalty, but you don't suffer the damage.
11:37 PM - MekOne on One: Ramming and dropkicking are special in that they are both movement and attack in a single action.
11:37 PM - Kari: (OH! I see the entry now)
11:38 PM - Kari: (I dunno why I glossed over "Drop")
11:39 PM - Kari: (Sure. Let's do it.)
11:39 PM - MekOne on One: Dropkicking?
11:39 PM - MekOne on One: 1d10+MR+Mecha Fighting-2
11:40 PM - Kari: (Dropkicking. 9+5+2-2 = 14)
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: wow
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: these guys are on fire
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: 24
11:40 PM - Kari: (Clearly...)
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: can spend a luck to force a crit, but you'd still be a way's out...
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: maybe I'll just reroll that one for you
11:40 PM - MekOne on One: chalk it up to roll20 being shit
11:41 PM - MekOne on One: there we go. 15.
11:41 PM - Kari: (Yeah. Roll20 just seems to love watching you slaughter players. x3)
11:41 PM - MekOne on One: hey now, it only wants to slaughter /you/
11:41 PM - MekOne on One: this shitbag gave me 4 critfails in a row with my mekton party :v
11:42 PM - Kari: (True. Very true.)
11:42 PM - MekOne on One: and they're the ones I want to slaughter
11:42 PM - Kari: (Clearly. I'm gonna drop 1 luck to force a crit and roll another 1d10.)
11:42 PM - MekOne on One: smart move
11:42 PM - MekOne on One: let's see dem dise
11:42 PM - MekOne on One: whatcha get
11:42 PM - Kari: (3. Total of 18.)
11:43 PM - MekOne on One: Well, that's 7 kills of damage, between your weight and the distance traveled. He's crumpled like a tincan and dead. Wanna fluff it yourself?
11:44 PM - Kari: (Oh shit, really? Fuck yes. Guess I basically crushed the cockpit huh?)
11:45 PM - MekOne on One: Preeetty much. His Torso had 4 Kills and 2 SP, so you just OHKO this schmuck
11:45 PM - MekOne on One: even got a little overkill in there for good measure
11:48 PM - Kari: (Am I standing after that? Or does that knock me prone?)
11:48 PM - MekOne on One: We'll say standing
11:48 PM - MekOne on One: because anime convenience also thrusters
11:48 PM - Kari: (Yes. That.)
11:48 PM - Kari: "You want it that bad, huh!? I'll show you my burning passion!" Springing out of the trees, Kari punches her mekton on full burn towards Unit B. Throwing in 42 tons of metal straight at the smaller unit, both feet connect in a firey kick. The chest unit caves inward and blows shattered fragments out the back. Kari's Mekton stands above it's kill, fist clenched with righteous fury.
11:49 PM - MekOne on One: Widoia gasps. "...wow. One hit, in one hit! And you've never piloted a real Mekton before?!"
11:49 PM - Your state is set to Offline.
11:49 PM - Kari is now Offline.
11:49 PM - Lost connection to Steam, will rejoin chat automatically when connection regained.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
12:05 AM - Connected again and rejoined chat.
12:05 AM - Kari is now Online.
12:10 AM - Kari: "Never doubt the fire of a woman's soul!" Kari boasts, obviously quite pleased with herself.
12:11 AM - MekOne on One: "I'll say there's fire, alright. That was incredible!"
12:11 AM - MekOne on One: "But it looks like the other one's not done with you yet. Better watch yourself!"
12:12 AM - MekOne on One: Unit A advances into the forest and grabs a grenade from its undamaged arm, lobbing it at you.
12:12 AM - MekOne on One: Roll to dodge!
12:13 AM - Kari: (11)
12:12 AM - MekOne on One: 17
12:13 AM - MekOne on One: r20 really DOES want to slaughter you
12:13 AM - Kari: (told ya)
12:14 AM - MekOne on One: The grenade thunks to your feet. Looking down at the car-sized construct curiously, you only realize what it is before it's too late. It explodes in a fantastic burst of pain and fire.
12:14 AM - MekOne on One: Your Torso sustains 5 damage, followed by 3 damage.
12:14 AM - Kari: (Oh dear)
12:15 AM - Kari: (So I'm down to 1 armour on the torso, is that it?)
12:15 AM - Kari: (Or is it gone?)
12:15 AM - MekOne on One: down to 1 armor
12:15 AM - Kari: (okay)
12:16 AM - MekOne on One: 5 - 3 = 2 damage, then 3 - 2 = 1 damage, so the torso suffers 3 damage total off its 8 max
12:16 AM - Kari: (Yep. Already done.)
12:17 AM - Kari: (Does the pod actually rock and simulate damage and movement?)
12:17 AM - MekOne on One: Of course
12:17 AM - Kari: (Fun~)
12:17 AM - MekOne on One: also you put the 5 in the wrong spot
12:17 AM - MekOne on One: borked the formulas
12:17 AM - MekOne on One: ctrl z that
12:17 AM - MekOne on One: the orange spots, not the grey
12:18 AM - Kari: (Right~. Oops. Good catch. Thanks.)
12:18 AM - MekOne on One: much better~
12:23 AM - Kari: Kari shrieks at the blinding blast and jolting of her cockpit. With jaw clenched, she looks for payback from the last remaining Mekton. Drawing one sword into her left hand she turns and marches into the forest at close range to Unit A. Turning the autocannon on her foe, the weapon roars to life to perforate her foe. (10+5+3-2+10+9 = 37)
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: i
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: wow
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: -1
12:24 AM - Kari: (I think Roll20 just conceded.)
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: bs 37
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: vs*
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: pretty sure you hit him
12:24 AM - MekOne on One: a lil bit
12:25 AM - MekOne on One: Well, we can just call it a victory in your name, or you can roll the charts however you want
12:25 AM - MekOne on One: because all of those are choose your chart hits
12:26 AM - Kari: haha
12:26 AM - Kari: (We can just sum it up as me ripping the guy to shreds. It's late anyway.)
12:27 AM - MekOne on One: yeah
12:28 AM - MekOne on One: Unleashing your pinpoint-accurate volley upon your suspecting-but-still-getting-it foe, each round tears large chunks from the body. Perforating the torso completely through with your low-yeild rounds, you knick something important, and the entire Mek goes up in a powerplant explosion of a fireball.
12:28 AM - MekOne on One: "W-well... you sure do have a lot of fire in you. Like, a real lot."
12:29 AM - MekOne on One: "That's a lot of fire."
12:30 AM - Kari: Kari would respond, but she's too busy cackling like a lunatic. When she finally manages something other than laughter, she stands up in the pod as best she can, and fist pumps the air. "VICTORY! FOR GREAT JUSTICE!"
12:31 AM - MekOne on One: "I think that's enough practice for today..." Widoia almost sounds like she's in shock now. A few quick keystrokes, and your pod hisses open. Outside, you find Widoia, mouth agape as she looks at you, recalling your achievements.
12:32 AM - MekOne on One: "That was... SO! INCREDIBLE!" Springing forwards with all eight legs, she pounches you in the alread-crammed cockpit, clutching your head to her chest as she continues to rant about how spectacular you were, and how you may as well be a prodigy, her legs clacking rapidly on the floor in excitement.
12:34 AM - MekOne on One: pounces*
12:35 AM - Kari: Kari places her hands on her hips, beaming with pride as Widoia stands there in shock. As the large spider girl reaches in to hug her, Kari's already ready to hug her back incredibly tight. She can barely stop giggling as the dryder showers her with praise.
12:36 AM - MekOne on One: "You're definitely worth that Mek alright, and so much better too! Your sisters would be proud if they saw that. /I'm/ proud!"
12:38 AM - Kari: The mention of her sisters really hits her soft spot, and after an initial twinge of emotion, she settles into Widoia's arms. "Thank you, Widoia. That... That means a lot~. I can't wait to tell them!"
12:40 AM - MekOne on One: "I bet they'll be so excited to hear about all the stories you'll have to tell. I think-" at that moment, an automated voice sounds over speakers located throughout the room. "Now approaching relay. Five minutes to FTL jump. Please brace for jump."
12:42 AM - MekOne on One: Widoia doesn't release her clutch on you, pulling you from the pod and still holding you tightly. "Oops, that time already? Guess we'd better brace then. One moment!"
12:43 AM - MekOne on One: Finally letting go, she walks into a corner of the room, finding a suspiciously empty corner of the ceiling, where she turns around and strings up a series of webs. "Hold on tight, Kari!" Taking hold of you suddenly once more, she climbs up the wall and settles into the webbing, still grasping you tightly.
12:43 AM - MekOne on One: "We may be like this a little while, I hope you don't mind."
12:46 AM - Kari: As she lets go, Kari eyes the spider curiously, letting her go about her task. Standing close, she's taken a little by surprise at first when she's suddenly scooped up, but she's not complaining. A faint blush comes to the girl's face, and she says, "I-I don't mind~. Is the jump really that rough?"
12:46 AM - MekOne on One: "Sometimes. Better safe than sorry, after all. Wouldn't want to conk your head on something hard, would you?"
12:48 AM - MekOne on One: Spending the next few minutes nestled into Widoia and her web, the announcement says, "Now initiating FTL jump. T-minus five... four... three... two..."
12:49 AM - MekOne on One: A quiet whirr quickly builds into a deafening roar, and the web (along with Widoia) shakes and bounces feverently for a solid ten seconds before you feel a "pop." Then everything goes quiet, settling down as normal.
12:49 AM - MekOne on One: And we'll cut it there