[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
I love these tiny rat aliens and I can't wait to see humanity help them rebuild.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
I hope the rangers have been playing Shadow of the Colossus.
Not recommending the zords because they're not production-ready. I'd rather we not roll against mechanical failure just now.
I view it as, we can call it in now and ask for the zords, and we'll need to prep before battle. Or we can go directly to battle, and we won't have time to prep the zords. Maybe the "just backflip into the cockpit" stuff isn't working and it's going to take a full minute to transfer into the zords. Maybe the rangers have to go to their landing site to pick up the zords because the autopilot isn't ready.
Point is, this engagement specifically, we can't switch to the zords midway through. When the tech is mature, it's going to be an option, though we might end up splitting plans between the initial phase of battle and the post-gigantamax phase.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
[X] The people of this planet need help. There's clearly a monster on the loose, and the previous Rangers left a job undone, even if it wasn't intentional. Besides, the resources of an ancient battlefield could be very valuable for the Project. It's time to hunt.
-[X] Have Talia look for any trail left by the monster to figure out it's path and identify a sutable ambush spot (preferably a under a cliff).
-[X] Have Nico help the locals move some boulders into place to set up a artifical avalance to crush the monster.
-[X] Have Lewis help any injured locals.
Dorsett considers. This is exactly the sort of foe that the Zords are meant to fight. But unfortunately, they just aren't ready for deployment. There's clearly much to be gained if the Rangers can defeat this monster, but asking them to fight such a monster… she can't order them to do that. But she can feel the Rangers chomping at the bit. None of them want to give up here. She shares a look with Dr. Nzara, then clears her throat. "I don't want to order you, but –"
Talia glances at the nik-niks around her, and the blasted battlefield below, no different in its way than other battlefields she's walked through.
"We'll do it."
"Then do it smart. Be clever, be cautious. And remember, I chose you all for a reason." Dorsett cuts the com, and hopes she hasn't signed their death warrants.
From the nik-nik's description, the creature is a giant snake. It used to be just a normal, lesser machine-monster, but over time, it's grown much larger, feasting on power cores and metal from other remnants of the ancient machines here.
The plan is simple. They're going to try to drop a mountain on it.
Talia spends some time with the nik-niks, drawing diagrams in the sand as they map out the serpent's usual routes, and try to find the right place to drop boulders below it. After some time, they think they've got a likely spot, where the snake has clearly passed by before.
Nico works with the nik-niks to move boulders and debris. It's rough, especially for the nik-niks, who are surprisingly strong for their size, but Niko manages to make up for it, and the nik-niks are clever. Working with wires and bars of metal, they're able to rig together a trap that will collapse most of the cliff on top of the monster.
The Rangers wait on the cliff, already morphed, hiding as best they can in the terrain. Eventually, they feel the rumble of the snake's passage. It's a furrow in the debris field, travelling underneath the earth. The nik-niks grasp their spears nervously. Talia's eyes trail every movement, while Lewis's hands are clenched with tension.
This close, they realize something. The snake may be huge, but it's not big enough to make the earth shake. Rather, the tremors are associated with some sort of pulse or wave out of the snake - they can see the ripple in the debris as it radiates outward. Some kind of weapon?
The Rangers wait.
And wait.
The snake isn't coming closer. Maybe it's been alerted by something, maybe it's just not in the mood. Either way, it's not coming to the cliff.
At some unknown whim of the snake's electronic brain, the furrow in the ground moves away.
Nico breathes a sigh of relief. "Well, we tried."
Talia glances at him, and then at the snake. She shakes her head. "No. We said we'd do this."
Lewis looks at her. "What are you thinking? Without the ambush, we don't have a chance-"
"I'll get you your ambush."
"Wha-?"
She jumps down, and immediately starts running. As she gets closer to the snake, she waves her arms and yells, before climbing up the remains of something that might have once been some sort of vehicle. "Hey! Ugly!"
A tremor ripples out, nearly knocking her off balance before she steadies herself on the metal.
A head the size of a car rises out of the debris. Floodlights in the shape of eyes fixate on Talia. It opens a fanged mouth, and screams.
Talia runs like she's never run before.
It slithers after her, faster than she would have believed possible. But Talia has the power of the Red Ranger, the power of the universal bio-electrical field known as the Morphing Grid. She's faster, stronger, better in every way than she was without the suit.
Talia's Roll -1d10 +4 (Morphed, Endurance) = 13. Great Success! Resource gained! Alien Artifact x1
Because of the critical failure earlier, Talia had to expose herself to harm in order to lure the snake into ambush. This also means she doesn't get to strike back, since she's just luring it in. But good rolls deserve rewards, so you get a resource.
As the snake emits another one of those...gravity waves? Talia is knocked into a wall of debris. Thankfully, it doesn't seem to hurt her. However, as she gets up, she notes that something literally fell into her hand. Some sort of… hmm. What the hell was that? No time to think about it now. Talia engages the inventory function of her Morpher and stows it.
Where do the Rangers keep stuff when they have a spandex uniform? The Morphers have an extradimensional storage space based on Quantum Tunnel technology. It's where they keep their gear, and they can stow some things to take home, but nothing too extravagant.
Dodging and weaving, she's eventually able to get the angle right, and run the monster under the cliff. And the rocks fall.
The serpent roars and shakes as boulders pound into it's back, sending up puffs of dust. Nico, Lewis and the nik-niks hold their breaths. Did they kill it?
There's a tremor, and rocks blast outwards. Lewis grabs a nik-nik and pulls it back, just as a rock shoots up past it's face.
They've succeeded in one thing.
They've made it mad.
Combat Begins!
The Gravity Serpent is a giant monster! Rangers usually don't fight giant monsters without their own giant robots on their side. Carter tried that one time, but at least he had a gun, and no one said it was a smart move. Still, you started out strong - with an environmental attack, you did a point of damage to the creature.
For this fight, this is how this will work.
The Serpent's DC is 11. It's a giant snake, though, so it's got scale on its side. Because of the scale of the fight, the Rangers will have to do two points of damage in a single round to knock off a point of health. A single failed attack will do two points of damage to the Rangers.
It's got 5 health boxes, one of which has been taken out due to the rockslide.
Good luck!
Talia's Roll: 1d10+6 (Morphed, Quantum Saber, TKD) = 7. Critical Failure! Morpher damaged!
Nico's Roll: 1d10+9 (Morphed, Street Fighting, Quantum Saber, Super Strength = 18 . Great Success! Quantum Saber does an extra point of damage the first round! 3/5 health remaining!
Lewis's Roll: 1d10 + 7 (Morphed, Boxing, Quantum Saber) = 14. Quantum Saber does an extra point of damage the first round! 2/5 health remaining!
Nik-Niks: 1d10 + 3 (Spears, Hunting): 12. Success! 1/5 health remaining!
Talia turns to face the monster. It's utterly massive, and it glares at her like it understands that she's responsible for injuring it. She slaps a button on her suit. "Odyssey Saber, go!"
A red-rimmed saber materializes in a crackle of energy. Red lightning covers its surface, waiting to be unleashed.
If she keeps running away, the others won't be able to attack it. She stares the serpent down, and starts running at it.
She slashes at its head as it strikes. There's an explosion of sparks, and then Talia is flying backwards.
She hits the wall of the canyon, and her suit flickers away, leaving a slumped figure that seems suddenly very small.
"TALIA!" Nico doesn't wait. Eyes glowing, a glare underneath his visor, he leaps down, his own Odyssey saber in his hand, and he strikes the serpent in a downward slash that cuts deep into it, causing an explosion as power vents from the saber and the serpent's body into the environment.
Lewis doesn't say anything. Inwardly, he's torn between a desire to be angry at Talia for her recklessness, and the knowledge that the mission needs to be completed, now more than ever. He activates his own saber, and jumps down, landing on the serpent's back. Spotting where the creature's spine would be, he stabs down into it, the blade sinking deep to the hilt. Electricity flares around it and tendrils of white-hot lightning burrow deep into the creature, and it writhes in agony.
Meanwhile, the nik-niks scream shrill cries of challenge and launch a barrage of spears and other weapons at the snake. A few of them strike at the eyes, causing actual damage and cracking one of the giant floodlights.
Then the snake sends out a gravity pulse, and the two Rangers go flying off it, landing as the earth shakes around them.
Combatants take a -2 to their rolls this turn due to tremors!
Talia is unable to re-morph and is not part of the battle!
Nico's Roll: 1d10+7 = 13. Success!
Lewis's Roll: 1d10+5 = 13. Success!
Talia remains where she is. It doesn't escape Lewis's eye that she's not moving, even after the tremors. But he has other things to worry about.
"The head!" he cries. It's a robot, but it seems strangely lifelike. Perhaps it will still be vulnerable?
Nico gets up, and nods to Lewis. "I'll distract it! Hey, you big jerk! Come at me!" He waves his sword, angling it away from Lewis.
Lewis reflects that they really need a better tactic, considering how well that worked for Talia, but silently he stalks towards the side of the snake.
The nik-niks prepare to hurl more spears, but a word from their leader and an upraised hand forces them to hold. The leader can tell - the final moment has arrived.
The snake is wounded. It wants to run, to hide, to heal. But it's also angry. It remembers these uniforms, these colors. It's been hurt, more badly than it ever has before. And it wants to devour the technology that these Rangers possess. Even as crackles of electricity race along it's hide, it rears back. And strikes.
Nico strikes at the same moment, aiming his sword up into the creature's mouth.
Lewis leaps up and stabs his saber into the back of the creature's skull.
There's a momentous blast of sparks as the two weapons meet, and the creature writhes, throwing Nico and Lewis clear.
It shakes, electricity crackling over its surface and inside its body. It curls into a circle, then expands again, turning over and over, sending debris flying.
Eventually, it falls silent.
---
The nik-niks are celebrating, but there's a dark note hovering over the proceedings. Lewis is immediately next to Talia's side in the cave, as Nico hovers nearby. "Is she going to be alright?"
Lewis's Roll: 1d10+1 (Medicine) = 9. Great Success!
Lewis's mouth is twisted into a grimace. "I think so. I don't see any signs of internal bleeding or skull fracture. She'll ache like hell for a few days, though."
"I already do…" Talia moans, as she struggles to sit up.
"Nope, down you go." Lewis says as he forces her back onto the blanket.
"Oh, down is good too." She murmurs.
Talia escapes without injury (Thank Lewis for that) but her Morpher, damaged earlier in the fall, has taken serious damage and will need to be repaired.
Thankfully, the Rangers have completed a difficult mission! They have received commensurate rewards!
MISSION CLEARED
Rewards:
● 100 Experience for each Ranger!
○ Talia: 150/225 Level Up!
○ Lewis: 150/225 Level Up!
○ Nico: 175/225 Level Up!
○ Experience levels the Rangers up. Level-ups allow the Rangers to increase their skills and gain special Traits.
● +3 Relationship with the Nik-Niks! Increasing relationships with a faction may unlock additional opportunities!
● Loot!
○ +1 Alien Artifact
○ +1 Serpent Corpse
○ +2 Rare Resources from Scavenging and Rewards
○ +4 Basic Resources from Scavenging and Rewards
You have 9 Basic Resources and 3 Rare Resources this turn!
[] Repair Talia's Morpher [MANDATORY] - Talia's Morpher was damaged. Must be repaired, or you will not have a complete Ranger team to deploy on missions. (Automatic Success, 1 Rare resource required)
[] Quantum Field Evaluator - By refining the information you receive from the Quantum Tunnel, you will be able to get more information on the target location. Progress: 0/10. 1 Rare resource required.
[] Expanded Targeting - You will be able to locate a wider variety of Space Time Points, giving you more choices for where to send the Rangers. Progress: 0/15
[] Scanners - Sometimes information is the ultimate weapon. Develop handheld scanners for the Rangers to use on their travels. Will unlock additional opportunities and rewards on missions.. Progress: 8/10.
[] Sidearms - Currently, your Rangers have only their exploration suits, with no weaponry that can be carried through the Quantum Tunnel. Developing some basic weapons powered by the Morphing Grid is well within your capability
-[] Ranged: Progress: 0/15. 1 Rare Resource required.
[] Personal Weapons - Your Odyssey Sabers have performed with flying colors, but they're very much a start rather than a finish when it comes to the matter of personal weaponry. Designing personal weapons for the Rangers will significantly increase their combat potential. Progress: 0/15, requires 1 Rare Resource.
-[] Which Ranger?
-[] Melee or Ranged?
[] Extra Morpher - A team of three Rangers is really the bare minimum for an effective field team. If one is injured or otherwise unavailable, your expeditions will be critically understaffed. An extra morpher, and an extra Ranger, would help matters. Progress 0/20. Requires 2 Rare Resources.
[] Research Facility - While the Project has basic scientific equipment, a dedicated research lab for exploring alien technology will offer benefits to your future analysis and experimentation. Progress: 0/10.
[] Medical Facility - Talia escaped serious injury on this mission, but the next Ranger might not be so lucky. Develop a full infirmary for treatment of injuries. Progress: 0/10.
[] Finish the Combat Vehicle Project - It's clear that the Rangers are going to need something to even the odds against opponents that are greater than human size. Dive back into the program and figure out what the flaws were and fix them so you won't be caught offguard again. Progress: 15/25, 1 Rare Resources required.
[] Translate the Nik-Nik Language – Most aliens seem to speak English, for some reason. However, the diminutive creatures of STP-R19 seem to communicate in high pitched noises that are difficult for a human to understand. Maybe studying them would help? With future contact you could learn more about their world's strange history. Progress: 0/10
[] Analyze the Snake Corpse - Your Rangers brought back the parts of the Snake that seemed most interesting - the eyes, the power core and other internal components. Time to see if you can find out what made this thing work. Progress: 0/10.
[] Analyze the Alien Artifact – Talia found this literally fall into her hand as she was fighting on the battlefield of STP-R19. It appears to be some sort of circular disk with strange markings on it. What secrets might it hold? Progress: 0/5
It's a fun example of how dice can work to tell a good story. Talia made a mistake, was reckless, got absolutely wrecked, and Nico and Lewis went apeshit with their rolls.
It's a fun example of how dice can work to tell a good story. Talia made a mistake, was reckless, got absolutely wrecked, and Nico and Lewis went apeshit with their rolls.
That's really what happened to a T. Ah, one of the reasons I like the randomness of dice rolls. It's so unpredictable that everything can go wrong and end up perfectly right. And it stays perfectly in-line with how most red rangers are. Oh, and a question. When we choose a project, we spend a basic resource on it, right? Or whatever resource is detailed. Oh, and what are combat vehicles?
[X] Plan: Finishing Basic Infrastructure
-[X] Repair Talia's Morpher [MANDATORY] - Talia's Morpher was damaged. Must be repaired, or you will not have a complete Ranger team to deploy on missions.
--[X] 1 Rare Resource
-[X] Scanners - Sometimes information is the ultimate weapon. Develop handheld scanners for the Rangers to use on their travels. Will unlock additional opportunities and rewards on missions.. Progress: 8/10.
--[X] 1 Basic Resource
-[X] Sidearms - Currently, your Rangers have only their exploration suits, with no weaponry that can be carried through the Quantum Tunnel. Developing some basic weapons powered by the Morphing Grid is well within your capability
--[X] Ranged: Progress: 0/15. 1 Rare Resource required.
---[X] 1 Rare Resource
-[X] Research Facility - While the Project has basic scientific equipment, a dedicated research lab for exploring alien technology will offer benefits to your future analysis and experimentation. Progress: 0/10.
--[X] 2 Basic Resources
-[X] Medical Facility - Talia escaped serious injury on this mission, but the next Ranger might not be so lucky. Develop a full infirmary for treatment of injuries. Progress: 0/10.
--[X] 2 Basic Resources
-[X] Finish the Combat Vehicle Project - It's clear that the Rangers are going to need something to even the odds against opponents that are greater than human size. Dive back into the program and figure out what the flaws were and fix them so you won't be caught offguard again. Progress: 15/25, 1 Rare Resources required
--[X] 1 Rare Resource
--[X] 2 Basic Resources > 1 Rare Resource
-[X] Translate the Nik-Nik Language – Most aliens seem to speak English, for some reason. However, the diminutive creatures of STP-R19 seem to communicate in high pitched noises that are difficult for a human to understand. Maybe studying them would help? With future contact you could learn more about their world's strange history. Progress: 0/10
--[X] 1 Basic Resource
-[X] Analyze the Alien Artifact – Talia found this literally fall into her hand as she was fighting on the battlefield of STP-R19. It appears to be some sort of circular disk with strange markings on it. What secrets might it hold? Progress: 0/5
--[X] 1 Basic Resource
Edit: Added the Alien Artifact project since I had an extra point left over.
[X] Plan Sweet Success
-[X] Repair Talia's Morpher [MANDATORY] - Talia's Morpher was damaged. Must be repaired, or you will not have a complete Ranger team to deploy on missions. (Automatic Success, 1 Rare resource required)
-[X] Scanners - Sometimes information is the ultimate weapon. Develop handheld scanners for the Rangers to use on their travels. Will unlock additional opportunities and rewards on missions.. Progress: 8/10. - 1 Basic Resource
-[X] Personal Weapons - Your Odyssey Sabers have performed with flying colors, but they're very much a start rather than a finish when it comes to the matter of personal weaponry. Designing personal weapons for the Rangers will significantly increase their combat potential. Progress: 0/15, requires 1 Rare Resource. - 2 Rare Resources
--[X] Nico
--[X] Melee
-[X] Analyze the Snake Corpse - Your Rangers brought back the parts of the Snake that seemed most interesting - the eyes, the power core and other internal components. Time to see if you can find out what made this thing work. Progress: 0/10. - 2 Basic Resources
-[X] Medical Facility - Talia escaped serious injury on this mission, but the next Ranger might not be so lucky. Develop a full infirmary for treatment of injuries. Progress: 0/10. - 3 Basic Resources
[X] Analyze the Alien Artifact – Talia found this literally fall into her hand as she was fighting on the battlefield of STP-R19. It appears to be some sort of circular disk with strange markings on it. What secrets might it hold? Progress: 0/5 - 1 Basic Resource
That's really what happened to a T. Ah, one of the reasons I like the randomness of dice rolls. It's so unpredictable that everything can go wrong and end up perfectly right. And it stays perfectly in-line with how most red rangers are. Oh, and a question. When we choose a project, we spend a basic resource on it, right? Or whatever resource is detailed. Oh, and what are combat vehicles?
You allocate resources to the project, as many as you like. Note you get a +2 per die to making equipment due to your Proving Ground.
The proto-Zords are a flying vehicle that looks a bit like a DS9 runabout, a car/truck that looks rather like the Mako from Mass Effect, and a sort of upsized mars rover-looking thing with sensor panels and manipulator arms.
As for the long-term plans, I think I only made things easier (removed the Rare requirrement from a couple), so should only help!
You allocate resources to the project, as many as you like. Note you get a +2 per die to making equipment due to your Proving Ground.
The proto-Zords are a flying vehicle that looks a bit like a DS9 runabout, a car/truck that looks rather like the Mako from Mass Effect, and a sort of upsized mars rover-looking thing with sensor panels and manipulator arms.
Ahhh I see. So the bonus for making equipment, it'd apply to Scanners, Sidearms, and Personal Weapons but not the Combat Vehicles (though I'm pretty sure that last one you described is a mechanical tentacle monster). Good to know. Although with so much of the CVP done, I guess this means no more non-zord cool power rangers.
Can't wait to see what that alien artifact is though!
