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Mutants & Masterminds - Table Talk

Started by Reepicheep, January 03, 2018, 03:33:49 PM

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Deaths Jester

I'm not sure if Reep wants you to bother with what those are yet, Unko. I'll let him decide if you guys are ready to worry about that yet seeing as he's the Gm. I just want to know about the answer, just in case.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

catwhowalksbyhimself

Quote from: Deaths Jester on February 10, 2018, 02:13:29 AM
The fact that Reep didn't roll an initiative for you after you shattered the barricade is why I don't think you might have. Reep might've just missed it, unsure, but at least with the edit we know for sure you are there now.

I did notice that Reep didn't mentioned that I had entered the room, but I did indeed say that I would do so if I successfuly destroyed the barrier.  Maybe he either missed it or forgot to mention it. 

Either way, I'm covered now.
I am the cat that walks by himself, all ways are alike to me.

Reepicheep

#152
Sorry for the lack of clarity, I assumed you could all read my mind.

Bill would have been able to enter the room around the time that Lab Rat was advancing. Since the circumstance in the room changed, I didn't know if Cat still wanted Bill to saunter in. Happy to assume he did.

Since you're funnelling in the door one at a time, I'm going by who is in the room first for this round, then rolling initiative on the next. Remember, initiative determines the order that I read the posts, rather than the order you're expected to post in. So Unko's move can hover there until those initiative rolls happen. (Having made the update post and done the rolls, Cat's post is in limbo too)

If the barricade were still up, Lab Rat would be behind full cover from Bill and WC. The thing Lab Rat is holding is protected by Lab Rat's dodge and by its own toughness. Lab Rat doesn't provide cover to it.

I'll start adding code tags at the end of my posts that do my best to update exactly where characters are, states they may be in and any circumstances that may affect them. I forgot about Queen Ant's circumstance penalty, which should really only be -2. -5 is huge, now that I think about it.

I'll add that here in particular is where the nature of running this on a forum deviates from running it on tabletop, since real time discussion makes a huge difference. For instance, you will find your posts aren't being responded to until some time after they're made and they may be seemingly arbitrarily ignored for a post or two. I am reading them, I just may need to let them hover until it is that character's turn. My priority is to keep up the flow and pace first and abide by the rules second. Bear with me while I devise how is best to do that and be aware that the methods I use this time may change as I experiment and refine this format.

I'll also say that I'm pretty pleased with the speed this has gone at. You've gotten through most of this scene in the space of a week, which sets a good tone. I imagine the pace will slow a bit as we find a routine that suits everyone, but I think there's some wriggle room to slow things down.

Deaths Jester

Well, there is some investigating to do after the fight still, Reep. ;-)

Also the free move I get, is it a standard or just a move action?
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

#154
Oh, yeah, it's a standard action. You can move instead if you like. The two are usually interchangeable, you just can't do two standard actions in a turn.

Deaths Jester

#155
...unless you use extra effort and are willing to pay for it the next round...

...either way I think this battle might be over before it gets started. Love that initiative...;-)
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

UnkoMan

Oops, okay, I'm a little lost now.
Did Organ King do his sonic blast then? Did I do my scatter? Or did we skip those because DJ has his turn first?
If so, can I do other actions instead of scattering?
I may need a little bit of a "this is what has happened in the action phase so far" rundown. Sorry, ha ha.

Deaths Jester

#157
The sound blast will happen during Cat's turn as will your scattering happen on your turn. I went first because my initiative beat everyone else's. After that will come Rat, then QA and then Bill. We'll be going in that order for turns until the combat ends or somethings changes the order. You can call out your actions ahead of time and when we get to your turn you'll take those actions. Right, Reep?

And yes, you can change the action ahead of the turn in reaction to things happening. Correct?
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

#158
Those moves are still pending. It's just that DJ is pulling out every trick he knows to get as many hits in as he can. This last post is his last part of his turn. With that done, Bill's and Queen Ant's actions will execute.

After you grabbed Lab Rat, and Lab Rat attacked you, Bill's roll to spot him didn't succeed, so he didn't react during the surprise round.

DJ's staggered turns went as follows:
Stealth won surprise attack
Card throw using surprise attack
Won first in Initiative, so the next turn would be his anyway
Attempted melee, but failed
Used extra effort to get another hit in (pending: I'm on my phone now so I can't check character sheets).

There's a whole load of tricks like this. I was hoping to ease you guys into the strategy, but I think DJ is an advocate of the exposure therapy approach.

I think I may ask that if you are considering using extra effort or a hero point, make an "else" statement so I know ahead of time. I'd quite like to be able to update the whole round in one go. We'll see how practical that is.

Yeah, you're welcome to change at this point. I'll manage things more clearly next time - I did the surprise round clumsily and didn't let you guys in on what was happening enough.

Deaths Jester

Hey, they had the powers to get past things that I didn't...got to get my fun time in too. ;-)

Sorry for making the ease in a little short there, Reep. Didn't know you were going for the ease in setup...my fault. At least everyone gets to see some of the tricks and manuevers that folks can do in combat and maybe give them some idea.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

UnkoMan

Hmmm... I guess I would like to read it as a narrative? It would make sense better in my head?

If Queen Ant caught the dude, he got out, she got slashed, then the other two came in and one of them immediately attacked the creature... I'm just trying to see it from a narrative comic book standpoint instead of a game standpoint. What are the actions this character would take if these other things happened? You know?
That's just how I am coming at it. I'll just leave her action hover until the next round though. She scatters and tries to 'hide in plain sight' if that's an action I can try using right now?

Deaths Jester

#161
Some times you got to wing it on what the character might do, Unko. Just look at WC's actions, would you really had expected him to act like he was in his "element" (he only is kinda in it...but that's something else) with how he's acted up to that point? Not exactly but it's part of his background that drives that...or is it... :P

Consider this, what is the first thing that pops into you mind if someone attacked QA? Is it defend herself? Would she retaliate? Would she run? Whatever it is, go with that!

As for combat as one whole commentary, I'm unsure about that. I'm used to seeing what each action does before deciding how I want to proceed...kinda work tactics and strategy to plan each move (just check my posts for that). It's an old habit I developed from years of tabletop rping.

Actually, Reep, I think we can combine both styles and make it work. If we handle it a bit like the example of play on pgs 242-243 of the Handbook, it might work with some minor changes. Not sure how to handle the unsure of extra effort use like I did would work...probably an if, then situation.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

#162
If it helps, you have to imagine that a lot of these actions will happen simultaniously, with only seconds in between. So Bill and Queen Ant isn't just standing there like a numpty while DJ kicks the rat around; there's a mere sliver of time right now that we're hanging in where Queen Ant is still reacting to getting hit.

Maybe I'll place extra effort / hero point moves at the end of the rounds. That way extra effort only kicks in if other heroes haven't achieved the desired result and makes more sense chronologically. I'll think about that for next time.

There's definitely going to be a difference here from Tabletop gaming, where you have to think ahead or try and predict what other posters might do. If situations require some strategy (this one doesn't), some OOC collaboration could happen.

Also, yeah, hide in plain sight is legit.

Edit: Made the post. I hope it clears things up on how things might happen narratively/chronologically. Turns start and end at approximately the same time, only the things that happen during the turns might happen with a second or two difference. Opting to wait and see what other characters do is, therefore, a viable In-Character decision. It doesn't skip your turn, but it will prompt me to narrate up until your turn so that you can respond (ala: a tabletop game). Just keep in mind that doing so will slow the pace, so only use that liberty if you feel like that level of teamwork is necessary. You could say there's an advantage to going last.

UnkoMan

Actually with Reep's big post now, I am caught up again. Everybody's stuff is laid out nicely.
Thinking of everything happening at once also helps, yeah! And thinking QA will just do what she's going to do anyhow.

Deaths Jester

#164
Prob with putting extra effort at the end is the fact you can use it for other things aside from an extra attack...like improving skills/attacks/advantages during that PCs turn or for defense or whatnot temporarily. That's something we'll have to work out somehow...

...and seeing the numbers, I'll pretty much be the earliest one, unless Reep's dice keep hating me, to go for the PCs which would mean I'd have to declare a delay action on my actions to move my turn to last and have it stay there. As per the actions/manuevers pages.

Edit: Got to ask, is that Science skill for QA - the one you rolled with - an expertise skill? Just wondering...
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

Oh, sure. I'd just take it on a case-by-case basis and you'll all have to live with whatever I decide.

It's only a narrative thing. If the extra effort extends your move by a few seconds, it would be a couple of seconds where other characters are standing around like potatoes.

Yeah, that was Expertise: Science. Glean of her origin what you will from that.

UnkoMan

#166
Okay, so I'm hidden now... are there any sort of hit bonuses for stealth and such?
I'm not as good at resistance checks now. I'm not as good at moving now. Does that also affect elongation? Is that how it works? But I have pretty good elongation.
Sorry about all the questions! Trying to "think out loud" in a way that people can chime in with their knowledge.
I didn't take any acrobatics or athletics, so I'd be just horrible at tripping right? Is that what I'm reading? But with my improved grab and hold, that's suppose to be pretty good, even though he dodged me last time, ha ha.
What's this throw on my sheet? Throwing... enemies? Or throwing stuff at enemies? I am assuming the former right now.

I guess a lot of that info doesn't matter and is metagame stuff. I'll just post with whatever feels right for the character to do, of course.

EDIT: Also, yeah sure, I know about science, unfortunately I don't know enough about people to think it's something worth telling you guys about, at least not right now.

Deaths Jester

#167
Reep: Just wanted to make sure was all on the skill. Didn't see it amongst reg skills so that was why the Q. Also...mmm...taters...

Unko: If you attack while stealth you get a bonus on your attack IF you succeed on your stealth test vs LR's precep test.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

UnkoMan

Ahhh, okay. That makes sense. And I do have a bit of stealth skill.
What about the trip thing? Can I trip or is it more feasible to try grabbing again? Or what is that throw?
These actions are all similar from a character standpoint. Basically seeing you guys attack Lab Rat again she would try to get him prone in some way that you could damage him and she could drop some acid his way as well.
I don't think she's really throwing punches with her colony, for the most part. Grabbing, swarming their feet, having their mouths and eyes fill with ants, other gross stuff like this.

Deaths Jester

#169
If you are able to swarm a target, that's handled like a close combat attack though you'd end up being in the same space as your target till your next turn. Thus you'd be potentially vulnerable to attacks aimed at LR.  Grab is like a grapple, you hold the target and could cause Str damage - depends on advantages - each round you maintain the hold. However, once more the target can resist the grab too. Trip is just that a trip attack wherein you try to trip the target. However, if you don't have certain advantages, your attack has a slight disadvantage and your target could get a free action against you immediatly afterwards. As for Throw, I'm guessing that is if you use an object lying around and throw it at them...but that has a disadvantage without an advantage or a ranged combat skill towards that...and depends on strength too.

Don't you have a ranged acid attack, Unko?

Hate to say it but it looks like of the PCs, Unko's MIGHT need the most potential power/other reworking from what little I know of the character. That's just my opinion though...not worth much, in all fairness as I not the GM or QA's player. :)
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

UnkoMan

Yes, but she hasn't used her acid in that way yet. I was going to fling some but then everybody else showed up and I dunno if she'd just splatter everybody with acid or what.

I didn't super build her for attacking. I mean, I didn't build her for anything in particular other than being a character I thought was really cool. I didn't think about combat situations or how the game was played at all, ha ha.
So she might need some overhauling, I have no clue.

Trip seems like a pretty lame attack to me, now!

Reepicheep

With a lot of those manoeuvres, anyone could do them. You'd only be horrible at them if you have some sort of penalty that makes you sub-average. Otherwise, it's not a case of you being bad at them, rather the opponent being good at resisting them.

Since we've already learned that Lab Rat has the Prone Fighting advantage, eliminating any penalty that tripping him up might have inflicted, it's certainly no use here.

Everybody gets a throw attack. It popped up on some of the tools I was using to calculate the characters. It varies slightly depending on stats, so I put it on the list of attacks to make my life easier for reference.

I don't think Queen Ant is far off the mark. A lot of the effects that go towards the whole 'being a load of ants' thing are expensive, though. Sacrifices were made.

UnkoMan

#172
Oh, he does? Ha ha, I totally missed the prone fighting thing, whoops.
I am okay to change my move also, if you guys don't think it's the correct move. I am okay with a bit of hand holding right now, to be perfectly honest. If you guys think I should try some acid flinging, I can do it.

I had planned to get in close try for grabbing again, then once she did that, you could lay on and she would acid. Even though the first time she tried grabbing him, he smacked her, she feels emboldened by the others and like his being distracted to help her chances. That was my thinking about it, anyhow. But maybe he'll just dodge again, at which point I'd be tossing out some of the acids.

Who knows what'll happen though. It seems that do-hicky is giving him some kind of forcefield, so it might just be a bunch of ants scattering on the air around him.
Yeah, the fighting will take me a bit of time to suss, since I don't really have a kicking punching type of character.
EDIT: Though thinking about it I could see her bringing down the hammer in a sort of Sandman way. Like, having a fist that is a literal hammer and hitting somebody with it. Now that I am thinking about this more.

Deaths Jester

#173
Unless you fail badly on the attack roll, you shouldn't have to worry about hitting anyone else. Trip has it's uses...it just doesn't seem that way at the moment.

NOTE: WC isn't exactly built for combat per say...he's more along the lines of a  utility character. I went that way because after talking with Reep a little, I was worried about the team balance (all I really learned from that talk was that the your two Pcs were an organ grinder and a mass of ant...I used my imagination and guessed on possible powers based on my knowledge of the game). If it weren't for that "unbalanced" feel I had, I probably would've gone with another idea. And really, aside from Reep and myself, who knows how useful WC is as a utility type.

WC does have a deep history, some...potentially interesting EC hangouts, and a few different motivations/intrigues...which gives Reep a lot to work with in the future and a lot for me to RP with. But that's all you get to learn, for now, concerning WC. :P

EDIT: That was why I floated the idea of uping the Pl to 9 after this, Reep. It would allow some PCs the ability to clean those sacrifices a little...not much seeing as it would only add ten to 15 pps at most. But as you said, you got the scenerios made for PL 8 already, so best to stay there so as not to add any extra workload to you.
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

catwhowalksbyhimself

Mine was designed as a support character.  A shield he can put other other people and a disorienting blast, although his blast doing damage was intended too.  Reep seemed to assume the shield was meant more for himself, so the main change I'll want to make it to bump his physical state a bit so he doesn't need the shield to not be squishy (because he's meant actually be able to use it, not get a GM warning about how weak he is every time he tried to do so) and probably knock the sonic blast down to single target.  I see no reason for any other changes though.
I am the cat that walks by himself, all ways are alike to me.

Reepicheep

#175
Unko, if you wanna change your move, you better make it quick. I'm partway through the update post.

Cat: There's a good option where we can make your support power work selectively over an area. It's not quite the same as the protection effect, and I've forgotten the name of it (like enhanced trait, I think?) but it could be used to enhance multiple effects. So instead of the deflect/protection combo, it would have one effect that increases both dodge and protection for multiple people at a time. You could then have your own personal force field to stack on top of that and make yourself less squishy.

I did realise what it was you were after, but it was only when I actually saw your own toughness plummet to 2 that it occurred to me it might be a problem.

Deaths Jester

Somehow I have this feeling Lab Rat is coming after my character...not a nice feeling with how much Reep's dice hate me...oh please be nice dice!
Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

I took a screenshot of the dice rolls.

You're gonna wanna see it when I'm done.

Deaths Jester

Avatar picture originally a Brom painting entitled Marionette.

Reepicheep

#179


Just to at least partially prove I'm not cooking the dice.


(Though I remembered now what that 3 was. Lab Rat can't make a move and attack, so I was thinking of what he could do at range. Originally, I was rolling for Lab Rat to make a feint attack, since he has the Agile Feint advantage. But for the life of me I couldn't work out how to narrate that in a way that didn't seem really clumsy. Then I spotted the 'Charge' move.)