THE INFINITE BROOD (Starcraft/Supreme Commander Crossover Quest!)

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THE SWARM SHEET
  • Informational
    • The Brood of Blades
    ​
    Cerebrate Prime: Samantha Clarke
    LEVEL: 5
    XP: 205/210
    TRAITS
    Strategic Genius: Once per structured encounter, Sam can create a piece of the environment that is in her favor as a sticky spark. Roll a d3 for its value.
    Empathetic: upon meeting an NPC, learn their motivation!
    Legendary Commander: Gain 4 Command sparks at the beginning of each mission/combat. Command sparks may be spent to give NPCs orders, which they may either obey or refuse to obey (doing nothing instead.) Command sparks may not be regained via skills or powers.
    Hunted: Something wants her - but for what? +1 Danger to all scenes​
    SKILLS
    CLOSE COMBAT (2): Brawling, Edged Weapons
    PERSONAL (2): Awareness, Resilience
    SOCIAL (4): Charm, Empathy, Leadership, Taunt​
    MASTERY
    ACU Pilot (2): Nanofabrication [Mass], ObSat Operations [Range]
    The Hilt (4): Biomorphic Spawning (People), Regeneration (Durability), Physical Perfection (Speed), Telepathic Dominion (Range)​

    POWERS
    The Living Swarm
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Gain 1 Living Swarm spark, +1 per vent reduction.​
    The Living Swarm: While this swarm exists, move in three dimensions and through anything smaller than a keyhole, reforming at will. You may expend these sparks to cause 3 Hit Sparks in a Area 2 radius.​
    Area Upgrade: +1 to Area Characteristic​

    Biomorphic Reinforcement
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Create 1 Biomorphic Reinforcement spark, +1 per vent reduction, which can be given out to anyone within Range 2, or to yourself
    Biomorphic Reinforcement: +1 to Damage or Mass characteristic for the purpose of raw physical strength/feats.

    Back to Back
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Choose 1 ally (+1 per vent reduction), within Range 1. Each can take one action using one of your skills, any of them that you wish. Once they have done so, you may make a free attack with your melee weapon, getting +1 to your skill per ally that acted.​

    Adaptation
    Vent: 4-0
    Effect: Create a number of sparks equal to the enemy's difficulty, narratively based on turning their abilities against them. Works on enemies of Diff 2>, +2 per vent reduction.​

    Just as Planned…
    Vent: 6-0
    Effect: Vent 6 heat and create 1 Planning Spark for her or an ally, +1 Spark per vent reduction.​
    Planning: The person holding this Spark can expend this to get +1 to a skill check as a free action. Using this Stack counts as you are helping for the purpose of relationships.​

    GEAR
    Zeratul's Psi-Blades
    Adds: +0 (Edged Weapons) | Characteristics: Damage [Speed] (4)[1]​
    Shadowstep (3): Can expend as a free action to move without crossing intervening space.
    Guarded Space (3): Can expend to use Damage as a secondary characteristic for Durability, reducing incoming Damage characteristics.​

    GALACTIC WAR
    Victory Points: 5    ​
    RESOURCES​
    TERRAN DOMINION [Background] (1)​
    The men and material of the Dominion - limited, but they're mustering as we speak. ​
    ALLIANCE EXPEDITIONARY FORCES [Mastery] (1)​
    While you have access to several ACUs of every faction, they lack economic and technological support to be fully effective. ​
    ZERG HIVE [Mastery] (1)​
    The scant few Zerg you control that are free of Amon's influence. Mostly Zerglings. ​
    AEON FLEET [Background] (1)​
    While half a dozen CZARs seem impressive, they're not actually well made for ship to ship combat. ​
    ALLIED COHESION [Motivation] (1)​
    The alliance is fragile and weak.​

    FRONTS​
    Trade Sector-34-51 [Pirate Activity]
    Pirates Raiding 6 (Supply Lines in Disarray 1)
    COMMAND: Jim Raynor | ARMY: Raynor's Raiders
    RESULTS: Pending

    Braxis [Zerg Invasion]
    Borealis Siege 6 (Zerg Rampage1)
    COMMAND: General Samantha Clarke | ARMY: Brood Clarke
    RESULTS: Pending

    Typhan II [Active Xel'Naga ACU]
    Typhan II Occupied 6 (Xel'Naga ACU Spotted 1)
    COMMAND: Lt. Colonel Mathew Horner | ARMY: UEF Armored Command Unit
    RESULTS: Pending

    Deep Space Sector 981 [Hive Fleet Identified]
    Zerg Hive Fleet Spotted 6 (Kerrigan? 1)
    COMMAND: Citizen-Commander Dostya | ARMY: CN Armored Command Unit
    RESULTS: Pending
    ​
    ENEMY ASSETS (Currently Known)
    ​
    THE GOLDEN ARMADA
    ACTIVITY: Unknown | Threat Level: 6​
     
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  • Informational
    • I really like the concept of the Zerg being endlessly reborn in new bodies, it makes for some neat images.

    [X] Send in the Zerglings to direct strike the hatchery - leave the dens and sunks to be captured by yourself
     
    [X] Send the Zerglings to overwhelm the sunks, then rip apart the hydralisks, then sunder the hatchery to pieces

    The only proper way to play zerg is to use zerglings and only zerglings. Please ignore the fact that will get you absolutely wrecked in any actual PvP situation.
     
    Evillevi said:
    A quick mechanics question.

    As I understand the situation, We have 3 enemies which represents 3 distinct obstacles
    ENEMIES: Diff 2 Hatchery (People[Size] 3/2), Diff 1 Dens (Damage[Range] 3/1 [Attached]), Diff 1 Sunks (Durability[Size] 3/2[Attached])

    For our combat resolution the main mechanic is our Main Character stats/Sparks vs the Enemy (Diff + Nactions in a turn). We can do any amount of actions so long as we don't overheat or use our powers.

    Since our combat stat is 3, our ACU could solo them in reverse order of the nesting (Sunk>den>hatchery) for diff 1,2,4 with the hatchery resulting in 1 heat as the cost of fighting something whose difficulty is greater then our combat skill.

    My question is how does the zergling [4(2) stats ] translate to the fight. Does their stat cancel something out, add to our combat stat or ...?
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    So characteristics create free stacks of sparks when they are used. So, your spawning pools give you vast swarms of zerglings, which is represented by the damage (4) and speed (4) because they're omnonom and fast (though on reflection, I think that I should split the speed into an equal number of people because they are a swarm and more zerglings doesn't mean faster zerglings…)

    Enemy characteristics work the same way! So, someone with 3 durability is protected by (6)(6)(6) durability sparks, but if you have 3 damage, you make (6)(6)(6) damage sparks that eat their durability up!

    This is to model how gear, armies and superhuman powers stack up against one another.
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    So characteristics create free stacks of sparks when they are used. So, your spawning pools give you vast swarms of zerglings, which is represented by the damage (4) and speed (4) because they're omnonom and fast (though on reflection, I think that I should split the speed into an equal number of people because they are a swarm and more zerglings doesn't mean faster zerglings…)

    Enemy characteristics work the same way! So, someone with 3 durability is protected by (6)(6)(6) durability sparks, but if you have 3 damage, you make (6)(6)(6) damage sparks that eat their durability up!

    This is to model how gear, armies and superhuman powers stack up against one another.
    Click to expand...
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    I know we haven't gotten to evo chambers and upgrades yet but ling speed is a crucial decision for any Zerg player. I'm also curious how creep plays a role in something like this too. Sorry if this is unhelpful, just some idle observations.

    Also
    [X] Have the zerglings flank to surround the place - then destroy the base yourself, in your ACU
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    So characteristics create free stacks of sparks when they are used. So, your spawning pools give you vast swarms of zerglings, which is represented by the damage (4) and speed (4) because they're omnonom and fast (though on reflection, I think that I should split the speed into an equal number of people because they are a swarm and more zerglings doesn't mean faster zerglings…)

    Enemy characteristics work the same way! So, someone with 3 durability is protected by (6)(6)(6) durability sparks, but if you have 3 damage, you make (6)(6)(6) damage sparks that eat their durability up!

    This is to model how gear, armies and superhuman powers stack up against one another.
    Click to expand...
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    Hmmm. So if I'm understanding this correctly.

    We have 2 Heroic people in Mission 1, Samantha and Zagara. These 2 have some amount of overheat they can theoratically take and past a certain amount of overheat they instantly die. For ease of play NPC's may be modelled in other ways besides overheat.

    Each Heroic party has some amount of Sparks representing both their resource and attacks. This shrodinger Sparks can change the Diff or remove other sparks from play.

    So Samantha being our MC has
    1. Her core skills which we roll against the Diff of an actions.
    2. Resource Sparks
      1. hatchery Spark that generate Larvae Resource sparks.
      2. Spawnere to convert Larvae sparks into NPC sparks
    3. NPC Sparks in this case Zergling that represents forces under our command and their theoratical values.
    4. Defensive sparks , in this case Sunkern Colonies, that can tank damage/use up resources to prevent damage.
    In the fight
    1. Zagara is protected by some stuff.
    2. Since our Zergling is in the same general powerlevel of Zagara Defenses, the Zerglings generate a number of attacks taht zero out the defensive sparks of the defenses.
    3. Because we didn't have enough zergling to generate mroe Damage sparks then defensive sparks, it reduces the diff to something more manageable as opposed to winning outright. If we had more zergling the damage would stack on Zagara who would instantly die the moment the sparks decay.
    If the order of operations is right, what do the numbers represent. like Zagara has
    Diff 1 Sunks (Durability[Size] 3/2[Attached])
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    And our char sheet has
    DragonCobolt said:
    Spawning Pools
    Cost: 14
    Characteristic: Damage[People] (4)[2], Speed[People] (4)[2]
    Sparks: Internal (2)
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    Evillevi said:
    Hmmm. So if I'm understanding this correctly.

    We have 2 Heroic people in Mission 1, Samantha and Zagara. These 2 have some amount of overheat they can theoratically take and past a certain amount of overheat they instantly die. For ease of play NPC's may be modelled in other ways besides overheat.

    Each Heroic party has some amount of Sparks representing both their resource and attacks. This shrodinger Sparks can change the Diff or remove other sparks from play.

    So Samantha being our MC has
    1. Her core skills which we roll against the Diff of an actions.
    2. Resource Sparks
      1. hatchery Spark that generate Larvae Resource sparks.
      2. Spawnere to convert Larvae sparks into NPC sparks
    3. NPC Sparks in this case Zergling that represents forces under our command and their theoratical values.
    4. Defensive sparks , in this case Sunkern Colonies, that can tank damage/use up resources to prevent damage.
    In the fight
    1. Zagara is protected by some stuff.
    2. Since our Zergling is in the same general powerlevel of Zagara Defenses, the Zerglings generate a number of attacks taht zero out the defensive sparks of the defenses.
    3. Because we didn't have enough zergling to generate mroe Damage sparks then defensive sparks, it reduces the diff to something more manageable as opposed to winning outright. If we had more zergling the damage would stack on Zagara who would instantly die the moment the sparks decay.
    If the order of operations is right, what do the numbers represent. like Zagara has

    And our char sheet has
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    No, sorry!

    Sam is a PC - her rules work differently and more complexly than NPCs.

    PCs can take actions using their Skills - these actions are checked against Difficulties, and you can take Heat to add +1 to your Skill. If you meet or exceed the Difficulty, you create Sparks (1 spark for meeting, +1 per each additional point above difficulty you get.) Sparks are chunks of narrative control that influence the game, though you often don't need to track them.

    So, if Sam is using her Awareness skill to spot something and it's Diff 3 to spot it, she can take 1 Heat to succeed - this creates a "Spotted!" spark that means you now see the thing you're looking for, but since that spark isn't crazy important to track, it all operates behind the scenes.

    Characteristics just add nested sparks to this automatically! So, if you had, say, Damage 2 and you attacked someone, you'd make (6)(6)(1) sparks representing damage instead of just (1) spark.

    So, in this case, a Diff 1 Sunken Colony with 3 durability is Diff 1, protected by (6)(6)(6) durability sparks. So, you need to smash those sparks aside before you can tackle the difficulty. Since you have a Damage characteristic of 4, you easily do so.

    It Zagara was to act, she would create sparks equal to Difficulty+Characteristics, which would be narratively shaped by her actions and the characteristics in questions. So, if she sent her hydralisks to attack you, they'd make 1 spark representing their attack, modified up by their characteristics (and modified down by yours.)
     
    Evillevi said:
    That makes more sense.

    That said why is 3 durability phrase as (6)(6)(6). does teh system use a D6 to track damage and in this case using 3 d6 dies as counters for how many sparks are being used?
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    It's cause of how sparks work, there's this system where sparks slowly decay over time and if they're nested rather than stacked, they have more narrative impact and become permanent Sticky Sparks!

    (18) sparks is a very long lasting temporary thing, while (6)(6)(6) sparks will eventually become something permanent.
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    It's cause of how sparks work, there's this system where sparks slowly decay over time and if they're nested rather than stacked, they have more narrative impact and become permanent Sticky Sparks!

    (18) sparks is a very long lasting temporary thing, while (6)(6)(6) sparks will eventually become something permanent.
    Click to expand...
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    Ahhhh okay.

    So if we were fighting a stronger zagara, the nested damage system would become mroe valuable since the damage would either tick down faster, or apply more narrative damage (including sticky debuff/damage) after a few more rounds. But since this was a one turn thing the characteristic of decay wasn't seen.

    So this would mean that I should interpret
    Spawning Pools:
    ...
    Damage[People] (4)[2], Speed[People] (4)[2],
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    For teh Spawning Pool Spark, it produces 4 Damage sparks done by 2 People (zerglings in this case) and/or 4 speed sparks done by those same 2 people.
     
    [X] Send the Zerglings to overwhelm the sunks, then rip apart the hydralisks, then sunder the hatchery to pieces
     
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Dec 21, 2023 at 12:37 AM, finished with 25 posts and 16 votes.
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    stompy stompy!

    ALso, I hope everyone's still enjoying the quest!
     
    ACT TWO, MISSION ONE: Among the Vileness (0.9)
  • Threadmarks
    • Thrumming in your veins, coursing through this vast, infested machine...you felt something pulsing. Throbbing. It was...it was nothing you'd ever felt before. You wouldn't call it a song. It wasn't quite...audible. It wasn't something in your mind, though. It didn't come from the hive mind or the thoughts of the Swarm. It didn't come from anywhere.

    It came from your form. From your nerves. From your tingling glands. The thrumming pulse beat of your heart. It was terrifying and dehumanizing. You tried to cling to what it was you were supposed to feel. But it was like...trying to lift a boulder with your bare hands. You were caught in a tide, a flood, a rushing river, a pounding avalanche of raw focused feelings. Your eyes closed and you said a single word.

    "Now."

    The Zerglings perked up. They were lurking in the spawning pools. They were watching, intently, at the surrounding landscape. Their beady, dark on dark eyes gleamed. Theirs teeth flashed. Their wings fluttered. Then one scuttled out of the pool, leaving behind a glittering trails of green slime. Their claws flashed. More came out. They pressed, side to side. They flowed like a tide. Your hand thrust out and you felt them now. This was from the hive mind. This was the heartbeat of the Swarm, and it felt good. Your eyes flashed and you started to walk forward. The ACU moved like a person did - not with the programmed thumping that had been coded into its synthetic muscles. The zerglings thronged around your feet, making way, then fanning left and right.

    The first cluster came upon the hydralisks that lurked at the edge of Zagara's den. They hissed, then spat. You felt the impacts, you knew some were dying.

    And you felt them renewing. Sliding back into you - hissing and yipping and furious at being knocked from the fun. Their minds flew back out again, leaving you ringing with their passage as the first wave of zerglings leaped out. Claws flashed and hydralisks went down under snarling tides of flesh. Your flesh. Your Brood. And you?

    You had reached the hive.

    A sunken colony slammed its tentacle up at you. You grabbed it and wrenched it out of the ground, the impact rippling through the earth and causing the sunken colony the tongue thrust came from to explore in a spray of gore. You released the tentacle, then lifted one of the arms of your ACU as half a dozen hydralisks opened fire at you.

    You were in your element.

    But...

    Something else burned in your body.

    You wanted more.

    You slashed out with one arm and cut the hydralisks in half with the infared laser attached to your ACU. Their bodies burst into flame and red ruin, while Zagara's mind screeched at you. How do you control so many, so fast?

    You stepped on her hydralisk den. Metal and muscle tore through flesh, blood gushing around your ankle. Splashing your shin. But there was Zagara herself, emerging from her hatchery. Her arms spread wide, then she spat something hissing and corrosive - adding to the spines the hydralisks had sprayed at you. The same instinct that told you how to purr and how to stretch crooned liquid warmth in your ear, words singing from your nerves to your bones.

    Do it. Face to face. Do it. Do it. Do it.

    Your focus refracted. Shfited. Bloomed.

    A thousand minute creatures exploded from the ACU, which stood looming above Zagara. You saw through their eyes, a thousand different angles on the shocked queen. The creatures slammed together, flowed, and you came to your feet, claws flashing. She hissed, lifting one of her legs up. The spike at the tip thrust to your chest. You jinked left, but her arm caught you, flung you. You lifted and dropped - then landed on a pack of Zerglings. Their backs heaved and sent you back to your feet. You were low and you glared at Zagara as she snarled at you, verbally. "You're no Queen of Blades. More of a...Queen of Brick."

    "Jealous of my shoulders, huh?" you licked some blood from your cheek with a tongue longer than it should have been.

    Zagara looked around at the zerglings that lurked around her. Watching. Behind her, her hatchery was already starting to bleed as other zerglings ripped into it. She spat. Not at you. At the ground.

    "Lets end this," she hissed.

    Her multilimbed form rushed forward. You slashed at her armored belly. Chitin cracked, but she twisted aside, turning it to several thin gouges. Her forearm cracked against your face. Cartilage crunched and your head snapped back. Claws grabbed onto the back of your head and then smashed you down against a rock, protruding from the slowly dying creep. White flashed before your eyes. "Your zerglings might kill me, but I will-" Zagara growled.

    You came to pieces.

    Scuttled.

    Reformed.

    Your legs scissored around her belly, your arm locked around her neck and your teeth bared.

    "I don't need them," you churred. The urge burned in your arms. Twist. Rip. Tear. Splatter yourself in her blood and exalt in her death. Go back to the Levithan and fuck Sarah in the aftermath. Blazing heat shot through you as you tightened your grip. Zagara's claws drew lines of blood along your forearms, catching against chitin and tearing. Blood flowed between her fingers and dripped along her wrist. Her eyes were wild and full of a fear you never expected to see in a Zerg. You tightened your grip more - heart hammering.

    Kill her. Kill her.

    Kill her.

    The voice was deep, buzzing throughout your bane like a bass note.

    ---
    HEAT: 0/6

    [ ] Kill her (Gain 6 "Bloodthirsty Reputation" Sticky Sparks)
    [ ] Remember your mission. (Gain 6 "Captive Zagara" Sticky Sparks)
    [ ] Write In (gain 6 sticky sparks as determined by me, the QM.)
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Remember your mission. (Gain 6 "Captive Zagara" Sticky Sparks)

    If there's one thing Clarke should keep from being a human, it's professionalism.
     
    [Joke] Dump Kerrigan, Romance Zagara

    [X] Remember your mission. (Gain 6 "Captive Zagara" Sticky Sparks)

    Edit:

    [X] Write In: "Sarah wants you, so I'll take you for myself." Make her submit.
     
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    Great update.

    I'm still looking forward to what the ACU addds to the zerg gameplay
     
    SweetJackal said:
    [X] Write In: "Sarah wants you, so I'll take you for myself." Make her submit.
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    pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft zxczxcm XD
    I'm not sure if Sarah wants to share lmao



    [x] Remember your mission. (Gain 6 "Captive Zagara" Sticky Sparks)

    I know the "fuck Sarah in the aftermath" thing comes after the whole bloodthirst and adrenaline thing, but I mean- she could still decide to do that anyways no matter what happens to Zagara, and hey- getting a hold of her urges so she decides what to do and all that XD
     
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