Murder on the Victorian Express (OOC)

[Aoiroo]

Maybe, huh, what can you do to a train on the outside to slow it down.

[KnightDisciple]

Maybe, huh, what can you do to a train on the outside to slow it down.

I can shoot it? I mean, take a look at his sheet. There's a Blast power and a Strike power that includes some Enhanced Strength. At its peak, his strength is 24. Not enough to give the train a hiccup.

Hence my suggestion about decoupling it. Especially if I can just pull the pin, which should mean it can be re-coupled later.

[Aoiroo]

Kay, he can seperate the front part from the rest of the cab while Ms. Wells and Carrie work on stopping that and they can just bring it back to the rest when they fix it.

[Cubist]

When Jubatus first notices the train is moving, he's going to zip on up to the engine and see what's going on there. If he sees Ramstein along the way, Jube will make a mental note and continue on his way; stopping the train is the highest, or at least most immediately urgent, priority.

At the engine: Jube will do whatever seems appropriate to get the train under control. If somebody is at the controls and making the train speed up, Jube will take them down, because they're part of the problem. If the train's engineer is tied up, Jube will untie them and let them do their job. If the engine is completely unmanned, Jube will do his best to figure out which lever(s) control the brakes, and he'll try to brake the train.

If the controls are wrecked, Jube will grab a wrench and zip on down to the drive wheels, with the intent of disconnecting the driveshafts from said wheels. Ideally, Jube can find a suitable wrench on board; if not, perhaps Jube can improvise a suitable tool from the stuff he carries in his vest-pockets. And if all else fails, maybe Jube's Timeshift-enhanced strength of 18 may be enough to turn the ruddy bolts?

Of course, disconnecting the driveshafts won't negate any of the velocity the train's already carrying. However! By my back-of-the-envelope calculations, Jubatus' muscles should be able to generate about 10,000 foot-pounds of force per second, which works out to a little over 18 horsepower. Roughly speaking, said muscles can propel a 100-lb body at a speed of 70 MPH; since 1 horsepower is 550 foot-pounds per second, at the normal tempo of 1, said muscles are good for a baseline figure of about 18 horsepower just because. Now throw in Jube's Timeshift, which effectively multiplies Jube's force-per-unit-time output by a factor of 40, and the feline is up to about 720 horsepower. For comparison, modern-day train engines have horsepower ratings in the 3K-to-6K range. If Jube gets in front of the train and puts his body into it, I guarantee you that his 720-horsepower worth of braking force will have some effect on the train's forward motion! Rather less of an effect than the train's engine would, to be sure, but some effect.

And I'll bet Fenris, with his STR 24 (one-third again larger than Jube's STR of 18, we note), would be at least as effective as Jube at slowing the train down. And with both of 'em working together...

Once the train is brought back under control, Jube will go looking for Ramstein.

[Supercape]

OK:

Ramsteinh has KOd the Drivers (all three) and has jammed the engine so Train is accelerating as fast as possible and continuing to do so. Eventually, on a mountain track, that will lead to a crash!

There are three broad tactics I can see you using.

Uncoupling the train will certainly work, to a point, in that the uncoupled parts are no longer accelerating and will have less mass to slow down.

Alternatively, you can KO Ramstein (who presumably has some plan to get off said train...) and fix the engine.

Lastly, directly halt the train somehow.

The last ones mechanics are of course only broadly mechanically simulated in M&M. Cubist, I am sure your calculations make perfect physical sense, but from a games persepective that seems to be swapping QUickness power for Superstrength. And that is... a power stunt!

Which is perfectly legal, but will mean extra effort and thus fatigue (which can be countered by a hero point). At the end of the day that actually ends up simulating it even better...

If you Stunt your time shift array all into Superstrength, you would gain Superstrength 15 (+75 STR) or a total effective (for purposes of slowing train) STR of 80. The locomotive is probably about 50 Tonsas it is, so a STR of 80 would be more than enough to stop it, and even derail it (effectively making the engine non-functional!).

Of course decoupling the train and Jubatus stunting the above would allow even more control.

But Ill let you guys sort out exactly what plan you wish to use.

[KnightDisciple]

Actually, it just occurred to me. Fenris has Disable Device 10, Knowledge Technology 12, Knowledge Life Sciences 6, and Craft Mechanical 12. Couldn't he just zip up there and un-stick the train? He's the bloody scientific genius in the house!

[Supercape]

He could indeed!

Ramstein is there too, however! FIGHT!

EDIT! I will miss Fenris!

[Cubist]

Rammstein is actually in the engine compartment? If so... Jube goes for the driveshafts. Again, stopping the train takes priority over nuking Rammstein. Jube zips in, looks for a suitable wrench, and whether he finds one or not, he zips right back out to deal with those annoying shafts. Jube isn't sure if he actually can stop the train at all, so taking the engines out of the equation is a Very Good Thing.

I hadn't considered it as a Power Stunt, but yeah, that's it -- stunting SuperStrength off of the Timeshift container. And yes, Jube will be bloody exhausted afterwards. His 720-horsepower output is positively anemic by comparison with the force produced by actual train engines, so he will be putting his all into it, and however long it took for the real engine to accelerate the train up to whatever speed, it will take a good deal longer for Jube to bring the train to a halt. Derailing the train is not Jube's first choice; he'll just try to brake it 'normally', unless there's an approaching hazard on the track that it looks like the train will hit before it stops normally.

Meanwhile, Fenris has a golden opportunity to neutralize Rammstein in the engine compartment.

[KnightDisciple]

Feel free to initiate a combat round now. Or we can fluff it; Fenris isn't world-shattering, but he's pretty well in his element, and Ramstein didn't seem that heavily armored when last seen. Up to you, Supercape.

[Supercape]

Feel free to initiate a combat round now. Or we can fluff it; Fenris isn't world-shattering, but he's pretty well in his element, and Ramstein didn't seem that heavily armored when last seen. Up to you, Supercape.

Ramstein is PL 9. Easyish, but not a Pushover. Also, whilst Armed, he will be pushed up to PL 10 offensively.

Using the "Exemplar"Template from Freedom by Gaslight.

Variable power set to Improved Initiative 2 (+8), IMproved Critical 2 (Club), and Sense Motive +4 Ranks. He is on the alert for trouble.

He has also set up a Master plan, positioning himself for attack.

1d20+5=6 which is FAIL!

1d20+12=17 is his initiative.

[KnightDisciple]

Initiative: 15. Just behind the crazy German guy.

[Aoiroo]

25, for Carrie.

[Supercape]

Roo, not clear if you were following Fenris?

If so feel free to take some combat actions, if not, then your action I guess would be to move to the Engine?

[KnightDisciple]

So....what's going to be happening?

[Supercape]

Waiting on Roo!

[Aoiroo]

Roll trip attack, if that hits, He has to beat this roll, so DC 8

[Supercape]

Waiting for IC to come back up but that looks like a miss.

For refence from chat, Carrie has 4 HP and tripping him onto his rear.

[Aoiroo]

23 reroll, so time for the dex roll, 23 too so he has to beat that.

[Supercape]

1d20+5=11 On his rear. Post away IC. And then Fenris is up!

[KnightDisciple]

I think Fenris will go for the classic "Ranged Taser" approach.

Free Action:

All Out Attack 2: Attack goes to 10, Defense to 3

Power Attack 2: Attack is 8, DC is 25

Standard Action: Ranged Attack!

Hopefully 20 hits.

If it doesn't, I'll burn an HP for reroll, perhaps.

[Supercape]

It hits! even more so because he is grounded due to Carries trip attack.

1d20+6=10 KO!

A suitable end victory for Fenris' retirement! :D

[Supercape]

Wrapped up thread and locked!

Thanks for playing! :D