Zeitgeist Blue

Alright. I'm guessing you'll do much of the same? Toughness Save vs DC 26 Takedown attacks? Give me an IC for it first.

GM At your sudden appearance, as one the multitude of zombies turn to you. Their undead miens are animalistic, primal things and they snarl and claw for you. By the time you land, you count a dozen zombies ahead, crammed into the path like so many bodies in a grave. Yet no doubt there is more around the corner and there are zombies behind, already stumbling towards you. They outnumber you by so much, a whole warehouse's worth and like you they do not feel fear. The fight down the path is less of a fight and more a one-sided butchery. There is little need to hold back against the things that merely ape the humans they once were, and you leave in your wake a bloody trail of broken bodies and bones. They go down by the handful every few seconds and they are so rent apart that even as puppets who care not for pain or death, they cannot match your pace down the twists and turns of the basement's path. Several zombies try to catch you, rip you apart with their claws and bites, but you give them little opportunity to do so. You turn the corner and the path before you opens up to an open space. A horde of zombies wait for you, slack-jawed and standing dumbly. Behind the horde, you see the lift area from where you had descended from the warehouse floor. The lift itself is not there. You would have to wall-climb your way out. From a speaker to your side, Abracadaver screams in rage. "I'll tear your limbs away! Wear your face and chew on your eyes! Thief! Coward! I'll killl youuuu!" Then as one, the zombies rush forward. Behind you, you catch the sound of more. Then the start of a song.

GM Wisps of smoke ooze from the doorway as you approach and fill your nostrils with the smell of incense. The smell hits you even harder as you push at the door, chimes tinkling to announce your entrance to those inside, but the smoke here is damp and heavy and seeps easily into your clothes. The shop is composed of one small room, illuminated dimly by a single light bulb that gives the whole thing the feel of a darkroom. Shelves line the walls and various items fill the shelves, from scrap and junk to books and memorabilia. Charms, much like dreamcatchers made of feathers and bone, hang from the ceiling and an assortment of knives are displayed along the one shop window. Beside the window are sacks piled up together, unlabeled but packed with powdery substances of differing colors and sizes. And behind the counter are dozens of photographic film, strung across several wires that cross almost the whole length of the counter. Those photos each have a person captured on them, their poses and the angles suggest as if they were taken without the subject's knowledge. Alaynah's companions look up from your side as you enter, and you catch a glimpse of hard faces underneath the hoods and shadows. They do not say anything but continue to stand as if waiting for something. Alaynah herself is right in front of you, unaware of your entrance as she leans over the store's counter and hands a wad of bills to a man behind the counter. The man wears an apron, once white but now dirty with grime and burn marks, and even in the dim lighting has a pair of aviators on. Dark, greasy hair runs down to his shoulders and he wipes them away from his face as he accepts the cash and in return hefts Alaynah's duffel bag, now full, across the counter. Alaynah in turn, hands it over to one of her companions. Then with a gesture from the man, one of Alaynah's hooded companions crosses the counter and exits the shop through a door behind the counter. Alaynah follows and shuts the door. Only then does the shop owner turn to you. "Yes? Is there something you need?" The lone hooded figure still seems uninterested with you. It holds the duffel bag easily in one hand as it browses the shop's contents.

The zombies are minions as stated in Abracadaver's profile sheet, though it doesn't give stats for them except to say each minion has 30 points. Considering zombies are a PL1 enemy in the M&M2e book, think of each 30 point minion as a bunch of zombies together, like 6 or so. Toughness Saves: 16#1d20+7 = https://orokos.com/roll/810613 5 groups of zombies destroyed. Rebellion is more than halfway to the lift, hemmed in by empty cells on either side, after which is a more open area where zombies can surround him. Then the lift. One group of zombies charges at him down the path. Melee Attack Roll: 1d20+6 = 21 Roll a Lethal Toughness Save vs DC23.

Salvo The Justice did not give her an answer. On second thought, given how much electrical output erupted from her armor, Salvo doubted the Justice was capable of making speech. Perhaps the Justice could mumble or slur a word or two but Salvo wouldn't understand her anyway. So Salvo reached for the Justice's arm, missing as the other woman overcame the energy vent at just that instant. Salvo overshot but her sabaton stomped down on the ground hard and she turned darkly at the fake Justice. "Trying to escape? Huh?" Salvo's gears rumbled dangerously. "That's an admission of guilt, imposter. You can barely move, barely speak, so why don't you turn around, put your hands up, and make this easy on all of us?" Salvo steadied her stance, her visor reflecting the fake Justice's face back. Then with a burst of flame from her boots, she lunged forward. "You'll regret it otherwise!"

GM You catch the morlocks by surprise and several of them whirl around, clutching their spears or clubs tighter, only to relax when they see only one of you. None of them respond to you, instead thee two closest to you deliberately move to block your path. From the front of their group, a morlock crossed the narrow ledge, its fellows letting the morlock squeeze through and its stops right behind the two morlocks blocking you. "Human. Stop!" It says in halting English. It waves at you with both hands, clearly annoyed. "No want you here. Leave now!" The leader barks out a few words to the two morlocks between you and it, then returns to its place at the front of the group. Whatever what was told them, the two morlocks in front of you definitely seem determined not to let you pass. They brandish their clubs and eye you suspiciously. As for the rest of the group, they continue single file on the ledge until they reach the dead end. Then their leader jumps against the cliff face and instead smashing face first into the stone, disappears within it. The rest follow their leader's lead and march into the cliff. Soon, most of them will be gone and enact whatever scheme the morlocks did not want you interfering with.

The computer is still there. And the ceiling is low enough that they could reach up and touch the ceiling with their fingertips. It'll be an Acrobatics check for Rebellion to crawl out of the basement without being touched by any of the zombies. DC 20.

GM Your powers affect Lady Mingzhu's bodyguards almost immediately. Two of them flee as fast as their feet could carry them down the corridor they had arrived from. The other two stand firmer than their colleagues, though you see their hands shake as they reach for their pistols. They back away, further into the corridor, but keep their charge in their sight. "How dare you, you filthy animal. Show yourself!" Lady Mingzhu's eyes narrow and bares her teeth in your direction. She does not shake with fear, nor are her eyes wide and frightened, but still she backs away warily as if she was facing a rival predator. When she reaches her remaining bodyguards, she snaps at them in Chinese and the three of them turn heel down the corridor, walking quickly. One of them hands Mingzhu a mobile phone and she speaks into it. Mingzhu glances one more time at your direction, a scowl on her face, before they turn the corner. Then she and her bodyguards are gone. The respite is short-lived however, as a zombie enters the central space, waving its arms as it weaves around the various equipment and tables. Another zombies follows soon after. It takes up the space of an entranceway. Another zombie appears opposite that entrance and guards another. From all the entrances you see the zombies trickle in. Soon enough there would be enough to fill the whole space with dead bodies.

Willpower Saves Lady Mingzhu: 1d20+13 = 16 Bodyguards: 4#1d20+5 = 24, 6, 24, 12

Lol. Can we go the another OOC round again, before I write the IC? Salvo will keep on trying to grapple a Justice.

All-Out Attack: +5 Attack Bonus/-5 Defense Action 1: Grapple Justice 1 Move: Fly towards Justice 2. Pin. Use Improved Grapple. Melee Attack: 1d20+8 = 11 Grapple Roll: 1d20+18 = 25 If grapple of Justice 1 is successful, Extra Effort to grapple Justice 2. Melee Attack: 1d20+8+4 = 27 Grapple Roll: 1d20+18 = 22 Move: Fly 900 feet above Justice's old workshop while still grappling both Justices. Keep an eye on the workshop.

FYI, Salvo has 0 HP now.

Salvo "Gaarrghh!" Salvo's arm swung in the space where Mrs. Doors had been a moment before. Now she was gone, teleported to somewhere far away or another dimension even, and Salvo knew there was no chasing her now. Maybe if she had the time to analyze or find a residue, but time was something she could not afford and the trail would be cold anyway. She turned her attention to Justice's fight outside and saw two Justice's firing at each other. It was absurd but it got Salvo dashing towards a nearby window, her sabatons thundering against the ground with every fall. She dove through the window, glass shattering easily, and her jets ignited in flames. She was airborne, a ton of steel and fire hurtling through the night air. The fake Justice could teleport at a moment's notice and they could not let another one escape. Salvo slammed between the two Justices and waves of electricity exploded from her, washing over both Justices. One Justice was down. Salvo could see her fall unconscious but the other was still up and still a threat. Salvo stomped towards her. "You have one chance to prove you are who you say you are." Salvo reached for the Justice's arm. "Or I shock you again."

GM The Meta-Naut's voice rings out and almost immediately Abracadaver bolts upright, screeches in return. "I'll killllll youuuu!" He sprints as fast as his legs could carry him towards the sound of Meta-Naut's voice. In his wake, dozens zombies tear open the doors of their cells, stream out and follow their master's headlong flight. It is not long before he disappears into one of the narrow passages, a few stragglers zombies limping away from where you hide. Finally, even his screams are a distant sound, easily swallowed up by the basement. A small smile graces Lady Mingzhu's lips as she watches Abracadaver leave but her guards remain impassive. "I never knew it could turn invisible." She turns to look straight at you, her guards following her gaze as one. Then she strolls forward, her small smile visible, until she is an arm's length away from you. "Fascinating. I must admit, I was barely able to smell you. The scent is too obscured here, too mixed in with the air, though considering the ritual being conducted I'm not at all surprised." She leans in and crosses her arms as if considering a work of art. Her eyes are unfocused. "Coffin should see you when he returns. It'd do him well to know what he is creating after all, so don't go running off now."

Alright. I'll toss an HP onto Rebellion. The Chamber does need to find out about him eventually! Abracadaver Bluff Opposed Check: 1d20+12-5 = 19 Lady Mingzhu Bluff Opposed Check: 1d20+12-5 = 20

Oh yeah, that is some mind-bending stuff. Free Action: Check around Salvo. AP: Super-Senses 9 (Direction Sense [+1], Distance Sense [+1], Radio [+1], Radar [+3]; Radar [Enhancements: Accurate (+0), Acute (+0), Extended 2 [1,000 ft] (+2), Radius (+1), Ranged (+1)]) {10/11} Move Action: Fly towards Justice's position if Salvo can see what is going on there. DBE: Flight 0-6 (500 mph / 5,000 per Move Action; Feats: Subtle) {0-13} Action: Stun both Justices. Power Attack/All-Out Attack: +5 DC/-5 Defense Stun 7 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Affects Objects [+1], Selective Attack; Feats: Accurate 3, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {38/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity) Energy Vent Attack Roll: 1d20+13 = 32 Spend HP: Add Improved Critical. Attack is now a critical hit. DC 10 +12 + 5 = Fortitude Saving Throw DC 27 for both Justices

Toughness Save: 1d20+15 = 34 Free Action: See if Salvo can find Mrs. Doors. BE: Super-Senses 4 (Visual [Technology] Awareness [+3] [Enhancement: Accurate (+0), Acute (+0), Analytical (+1), Ranged (+0)]) {4/4} If she can't find her then, spend an HP to create an AP in Weapons Systems Array AP: Stun 10 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [General, Burst] [5 Feet Radius per Power Rank]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial, Extended Reach 9 [95 Feet Radius]) {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity) If nothing happens, Salvo will take a Move Action to fly to Justice.

It seems like an edge case but I'd rule Lady Mingzhu can still smell Rebellion's use of his powers, such as the Terror array, as compared to the Covers Scent feat, which refers to mundane scent. Unless I'm misinterpreting the Morph power? Also, give me a Bluff roll for the Vocal Mimicry. Abracadaver gets -5 for his Resistance modifier.

GM The elemental takes your card, holding it close to its face as it reads the text printed on it. Then it passes it to its partner and that one does the same. You hear the sound of rocks grinding and shifting as the two elementals exchange words, and finally your card is passed back to the first elemental. Its fist closes on the card as it begins to meld back into the pit's surface. "You may pass." Only its face is above the surface now. "Do not loiter." Then it and its partner is gone, leaving you alone with a good long way to go down the ladder. In the end, you estimate the climb down to be seventy feet, a good twenty feet more than you had thought. *** Now fully in Sub-Terra you begin your trek. Unlike the only seemingly empty tunnels of the Undercity, where one can find sporadic human (and not entirely human) habitation and traffic if one knew where to look, Sub-Terra is truly an empty and desolate place. Even deserts have their snakes and birds and cacti but life underground is both more rare and hides better. You see a few mushrooms and moss, a bone half-buried in a pile of rocks, a miner's pick strewn against a rucksack and signs of a camp. You may have even heard a animalistic shriek coming from a pitch-black side tunnel, but you do not investigate that further. Advay Upal's clairvoyance focus leads you like a compass. However, a compass would be near useless in the maze-like caverns and tunnels but its own needle swivels with every twist and turn of your path. If there is a fork, the needle points left. If you are going the wrong way, it makes a 180 degree turn, pointing your way back. As the clock ticks, two hours give or take a few minutes according to the time, you first feel the heat. Sweltering, dry air coming from where the focus is pointing you towards. When you round a corner, you find yourself on top of a cliff. You are greeted by a large cavern, gently sloping downwards and possibly the size of three football stadiums and room to spare for the parking lot. The ground of the cavern is craggy, with many sharp boulders jutting from the ground. A river of lava snakes through the cavern, starting from a waterfall in the rock face and ending in a pool at the other side. In the other side of the cavern and near the bottom, you spot a pair of figures resting around a spartan campsite. They carry flashlights with them and have bedrolls spread out. One of them looks to be an anthropomorphic badger while the other is a dwarf. A black hellhound, the size of a pony, carries more packs on its back. Your focus' needle however is pointed the other way, a short trek near you, straight into what looks to be a sheer cliff face beside the waterfall. A group of morlocks, their skin albino white and wielding a variety of spears and clubs, straddles a narrow path on the cliff. The path itself leads to a dead end on the cliff but they seem to know where they are going and look to be ready for a fight. You count fourteen of them. The focus' needle, of course, is pointed right at the dead end.

Are you rerolling? If so please roll.

Christopher judges the drop to be 50 feet. Mechanically, that's a DC 20 toughness save.

GM "Show me your identification." A hand extends from the rock, palm up. You see its eyes narrow, the heavy brow jutting forward even more. "And the identification of the missing person." It continues, grinding the words. "And a proof of employment." The other elemental stays quiet, merely watching the proceedings.

Sense Motive: 1d20+5 = 25

Sense Motive: 1d20+5 = 25

GM You see Vicente breath out a sigh of relief as you accept his request. Then almost immediately he is sliding even more documents and pictures at you. "Now we have a lead for you. I doubt it would lead to much but it will get you acquainted with the Rock Clan's territory better." Four pictures are scattered before you. You see a woman with a glass eye and roughly cropped hair, brunette. Then a blonde man with glasses and a goatee. The other two pictures depict identical gargoyles with red runes marked on their foreheads. Vicente goes on to explain "The crew of The Vindictive. They're a rough and tumble bunch, quick to pick a fight and to skirt around the ECPD and the Clans..." *** The Sunken Bazaar, The Undercity, Emerald City Sunday, May 17, 2020 05:50:55PM In the end, Vicente's briefing was quick. Alaynah Potts, the Captain of the Vindictive, had a job to smuggle something out of the city tonight. It was most likely nothing as crime continued in the Undercity and Sub-Terra, even with the Rock Clan clamping down hard in their perceived territories, but Alaynah was someone the Forest Clan had yet to check-up on. So the task was up to you. If you're lucky, you'd be able to catch them red-handed and take them to the authorities, ECPD or Cryptid Clan. So now you find yourself in an alleyway off the Sunken Bazaar in the Undercity. Everyone in Emerald City knows of the Maze, an old portion of Emerald City that was paved and built over. Now it serves as a tourist attraction with a spooky theme. Long abandoned hotels and storefronts lie abandoned. Old cobbled streets are wreathed in shadow, lighted only in gas-lamps. Beyond that preserved portion of Emerald City's history is the Undercity where criminals and outcasts are hidden away, living lives in warrens far from the eyes of law-abiding citizens walking the streets above. Yet these Underdwellers, suspicious and reclusive as they are, manage to thrive in the tunnels. One only needs to find the Sunken Bazaar to see the community they have built among themselves. It is a mostly-permanent marketplace, about two city blocks long and a handful of alleys shooting off along its length. All manner of goods are sold as electric lights dimly illuminate the stalls, carts, and storefronts which clog the thoroughfare. Many of the Underdwellers scurry about their business, hidden under cloaks and hoods, exchanging whispered words and cash. Some of the cloaked figures merely merely watch the proceedings from alleyways or high above in old apartments. They are enforcers of the Rock Clan, you are told, here to watch their territory. For the goods and services sold here make profitable business, under the reinforced walls and rafters of the old city, especially the illegal and unsavory ones. The storefront you are surveying is no exception. A thick haze chokes the inside, making it hard to make out anything through the storefront windows save for the red light that suffuses the whole shop. But soon enough you see Alaynah, carrying an empty duffel bag, walk towards the shop. Behind her are two hooded figures, more than a head taller each and large. The trio say nothing to each other as they slip into the store, tendrils of haze snaking from the open entrance before the door shuts. The haze quickly swallows them from your sight. What will you do?