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​
     
    Last edited:
  • Informational
    • [X] Write In "Walk The Lion:" Use your new zerg biology to analyze Fenix's DNA so you can use Biomorphic Spawning to restore his ruined body to its prime. Use your Telepathic Dominion to find his consciousness and cradle it until it's vessel is suitable for taking it back. Assuming this doesn't overheat us, use Back To Back to give Matt the order to shoot Aldaris and allow any other allies to act in this moment. If there was heat to spare before, then using Regeneration to remove Crush would also be handy.
     
    A question, isn't Zeratul currently on the field somewhere. And could hypothethically come in and shanked a blue boy
     
    DragonCobolt said:
    When two NPCs fight, you compare their difficulties and characteristics exactly like how a PC vs NPC fight goes, save NPCs don't have the heat track (which lets them add to their result.) So, functionally, the Archon had a skill result of 10, utilizing a Damage characteristic of 7 versus a difficulty of 10 and a Durability characteristic of 6.

    Which means he would succeed in hitting Fenix with 1 extra Damage characteristic left over!
    Click to expand...
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    Okay that clears up some things, thanks.

    So Fenix ends up with 7 "ouch" sparks (6 from the 1 uncancelled damage characteristic, +1 from a hit)? Or just 6 "ouch" sparks?

    And because there's more than 6 of them, when they decay the ones on top get sticky? Or because there's more than one of them?

    And for us to avoid Fenix dying we need to remove all of these sparks because NPCs can't take injuries or overheat?

    Or we only need to remove some of the sparks because Fenix has some health?
     
    Draz said:
    So Fenix ends up with 7 "ouch" sparks (6 from the 1 uncancelled damage characteristic, +1 from a hit)? Or just 6 "ouch" sparks?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    He ended up with 7, but they're stacked! So, it's 6(1). Stacking takes multiple actions or high characteristics, so it requires more effort than just making 7 flat out, which is why they make permanent effects.

    Draz said:
    And for us to avoid Fenix dying we need to remove all of these sparks because NPCs can't take injuries or overheat?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Yup, if you remove the sparks before they decay into a permanent effect, you will have healed him!

    Evillevi said:
    A question, isn't Zeratul currently on the field somewhere. And could hypothethically come in and shanked a blue boy
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    This is also a valid write in
     
    Thanks for your patience, DC. Maybe this will all make sense when I read the Kickstarter rulebook rather than little bits of rules every now and then :)

    If we removed just the sparks on top of the stack, would we prevent a sticky effect or do we need to remove all 7? And is the 1 or the 6 on top?
     
    [X] Write In "Walk The Lion:" Use your new zerg biology to analyze Fenix's DNA so you can use Biomorphic Spawning to restore his ruined body to its prime. Use your Telepathic Dominion to find his consciousness and cradle it until it's vessel is suitable for taking it back. Assuming this doesn't overheat us, use Back To Back to give Matt the order to shoot Aldaris and allow any other allies to act in this moment. If there was heat to spare before, then using Regeneration to remove Crush would also be handy.
     
    I support the write-in, but a Protoss having a body provided by a Zerg Hybrid will definitely have some interesting results, especially politically.
     
    Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Mar 10, 2024 at 11:52 PM, finished with 36 posts and 22 votes.
    • [X] Write In "Walk The Lion:" Use your new zerg biology to analyze Fenix's DNA so you can use Biomorphic Spawning to restore his ruined body to its prime. Use your Telepathic Dominion to find his consciousness and cradle it until it's vessel is suitable for taking it back. Assuming this doesn't overheat us, use Back To Back to give Matt the order to shoot Aldaris and allow any other allies to act in this moment. If there was heat to spare before, then using Regeneration to remove Crush would also be handy.
      [X] Show Aldaris what you can do - sprint straight for him as fast as you can, shadow-step around his defenses, and take his head with your psi blades.
      [X] Show Aldaris what you can do - telepathically rip apart his defenses, regenerate a new heart, and then swarm and get ready to tear him limb from limb.
      [x] Write-in: (telepathically)Kerrigan, A dark Swarm her would be nice.(vocally) Artanis, Stasis field, NOW!
      [X] ...that's a telepathic force field, focused primarily on stopping you. And you don't fight alone. Raise your voice: "Major! Shoot that man."
      [X] Write In "Walk The Lion
      [x] Plan: Like a Fenix
      -[x] Major, shoot that man!
      -[x] Use our psychic powers, first aid skills and our Biomorphic Spawning to give Fenix the best chance of living long enough for a medic to turn up.
    Click to expand...


    I just noticed that this vote also lets me drop the insanely stupid lore tidbit that, for some baffling reason, the sidearm of the UEF is still the 1911
     
    ACT TWO, MISSION FIVE: True Colors (0.9)
  • Threadmarks
    • Your knees hit the ground next to Fenix.

    Your hand took his hand, squeezing the grayish skin, feeling the heat slowly throbbing out of it.

    Then you did something that...didn't quite make sense to your conscious brain - which was still reeling with the pain of seeing someone you had counted as a friend going down before your eyes. You leaned forward and flicked up a tiny bead of blue blood onto your tongue. You tasted the Protoss DNA and...felt...

    Knowledge.

    Understanding.

    Fleeting.

    You scowled, hard. You were a Commander, damn it. You knew that every answer was buried deep inside of an ACU's computers - across a thousand years of war, you invented a whole hell of a lot of fixes. There had to be something similar in the Zerg DNA that wound through you. You were a Cerebrate. And as your mind tore through it, you found it. For sixteen weeks, the Overmind had once needed to keep a Protoss captive alive, despite everything. He had called for his best gene-crafters to sculpt...this. You dragged Fenix's body from the crumpled pod, grunting as you did so.

    Unhand the honorable Fenix, you Zerg harpy, Aldaris growled, more furious at you touching him than the fact Fenix had died on his watch.

    You glared at Aldaris - then lifted your palm up. Your skin peeled back and you pushed. The creatures living in-with-around you blazed with heat as their biological processes ran faster than they were ever meant to go. The creature that came free was a kind of a polyp - thick, covered in gleaming muscle and sinuous tissue. It dropped onto Fenix and latched onto his throat. Aldaris jerked back in surprise, his eyes widening - horror exploding from his mind. The Archon, the Zealots, all of them looked at you. The entire arena remained still, for one long moment.

    Sarah was leaning over the railing, her body trembling - Artanis' hands on her shoulders.

    Fenix's head jerked upwards and his mental cough rattled through your bones. Damnation! That hurts!

    ...P...Praetor?     One of the Zealots asked.

    What? I...feel air... Fenix said, his hand reaching slowly up - withered fingers touching the polyp attached to his throat. His eyes widened. What the-

    "Don't...don't touch that," you said. "It's replacing a lot of your internal organs. Uh, mostly just blood flow, right now, for your brain. We need to get you to a real hospital and...and get it off you before it, uh, burrows in."

    Ah. Zerg first aid. How...unpleasant...

    The archon crackled and sparked, then lowered its head. Flames guttered out and you heard a soft voice in your mind.

    We beg your forgiveness, Samantha Clarke of Earth...we did not...know...

    The last word brushed away, like a leaf blowing away on the breeze. You blinked. "W-Wait, are those two dead?" you asked.

    An archon's sacrifice is a great honor, Aldaris said, sounding like a horse had kicked him in the head. Dazed. Numb. He was looking down at Fenix, his eyes locked on the polyp. Fenix, though, wasn't having any of it. Despite being a withered husk, despite missing his legs and one arm, he still lifted his remaining fist, shaking it the Justiciar.

    It was no honor! It was a tragedy! A farce! You betrayed everything the Khala have stood for!

    Aldaris, you must stand down,     Artanis said, his voice firm.

    No. No! No! Aldaris' body swirled as energies started to gather around him. All of you have been corrupted - putting Terran lives, Zerg lives, above the lives of your brothers! Turning your back on the Xel'naga, consorting with the Queen of Blades. I will die before I let this happen!

    The psychic wave of force that slammed outwards crashed into you, Fenix, Artanis, the Zealots. Everyone stumbled backwards as wind whipped around you - and you felt Aldaris' mind, blazing with rage and focus and the power of a thousand years of training, all of it focusing on one thing: Snuffing out any hope of fighting him. You tried to will poison spines, to activate your psi blades, to spring to your feet and brain him with a chunk of Fenix's chassis. Nothing. None of it did anything - the nerve impulses simply stopped between will and thought.

    You saw Sarah starting to move. She was pushing through it, even as blood started to stream from her nostrils.

    But...

    You saw the one weakness, flaring bright and obvious.

    Aldaris was blocking the minds and will of everything and everyone...that he saw as a threat.

    You spoke, clearly.

    "Major Horner. Shoot that man."

    Matt drew his UEF sidearm and put three .45 ACP rounds in Aldaris' back.

    The ancient Protoss dropped an inch, his floating feet touching the floor. The pressure in your mind snapped off.

    He wobbled.

    K...kinetic...weapons... Aldaris thought. How...primitive.

    He collapsed forward onto the ground.

    Major Horner holstered his pistol as Sarah sagged against the railing. You stood up, holding Fenix against your side.

    "Which way to medbay?" you croaked.

    ***
    ​
    President Riley couldn't sleep. He laid in his bed, his hand clenching and unclenching a gripper that he had used for pretty much his entire life. Not just to keep up hand strength. It was also to deal with stress. He had many times, laid awake and worked the gripper as he watched the ceiling. The light pollution that crept in under the blinds didn't help.

    President Riley sighed and slowly let the gripper relax in his palms.

    He turned his head. The clock said 02:23.

    He frowned, then looked back up at the ceiling.

    Less than twenty four hours now.

    The Infinite War was less than twenty four hours away from victory.

    Assuming it worked. Assuming Dr. Narud's amazing work held true. Every report that Riley had said that the equations worked out, that the energy flow was perfect. When Project Black Sun was activated, the very quantum gate network that allowed the Infinite War to be fought at all would be turned into the galaxy's largest gun. In a few seconds, the Aeon Illuminate, the Cybran Nation? They would both be nothing but multibillion casualty figures and expanding clouds of debris.

    In truth, Riley wasn't as worried about the possibility of failure as he was about it working. The Psychohistorians from Analytics had assured him that, on the whole, the UEF population would accept the casualties as a grim but necessary act - similar to Tai Chen and Kolondoro IV and their own, even murkier historical antecedents of New Rome and Chicago. But...

    The numbers.

    The scale.

    Could even a thousand years of war really harden enough hearts against that?

    Riley frowned, then closed his eyes.

    Even if he spent the rest of his life in a cage...he knew he had done the right thing. That he had assured a future domination of the galaxy by humanity, for humanity, and from humanity's homeworld of Earth. He could lift his gaze past the dead and see the silver, shining glory ahead. With this vision...Riley managed, at last, to sleep.

    ---
    END OF MISSION FOUR

    You are now LEVEL FIVE! You get to pick ONE Legendary Trait

    [ ] Death Dealer (at the beginning of your round, deal one free hit spark to each enemy within range of your armed weapons, automatically removing 1+[Damage Characteristics] Diff enemies from the field.
    [ ] Speed Runner (Ignore all sparks related to slowdown, immobilization or terrain - including stasis fields, lockdowns, being turned to stone. Also, get +1 to your Speed characteristic.)
    [ ] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
    [ ] Unkillable (you simply cannot die - even without Kerrigan's help or proximity. If you take 13+ heat, you are simply rendered unconscious.)

    So, here's how I'm gonna do this. Removing the hit sparks on Fenix takes you 7 of your frigging 6(6)(6)(6)(4) sparks you can make with Biomorphic Spawning. I'm gonna say that the excess counts as being narratively linked to "Impressed Awe" sparks which you can roll into a Charm check against the Archon - which takes him down with 0 heat. Narratively, the Templar are so damn impressed by your healing mojo that they don't wanna fight anymore.

    Then, take a diff 1+3 action to flush Crush away with Regeneration, and vent your remaining heat for Back 2 Back! Done and done! You get 30 XP!
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] Death Dealer (at the beginning of your round, deal one free hit spark to each enemy within range of your armed weapons, automatically removing 1+[Damage Characteristics] Diff enemies from the field.

    This is probably the one that we regularly try to do, given that we actively try to plan around minimizing how much Heat we take by taking out as many NPC aspossible
     
    Well that turned out remarkedly well all things considered. Aldaris was dealt with with minimal lost of life and Fenix is going to at least live to the end of this campaign.

    So Sam has managed to make the universe a better place so far.

    Dagoth and Megnsk still need to be dealt with which I hope will turn out to be fights like the Slay the Beast or the Finale of the Heart of the Swarm. (Honestly I just want to see a Scathis or Mavor go ham on something and play a little late game supcom for a mission)

    In other news it looks like Duran with a fake mustache Narud has gotten Black Sun "working" faster than Canon, given that Riley is not worrying about the Aeon invasion of Earth here. That could have massive ramifications even beyond summoning Amon with Chicken support and t4 bombers. If the Tip of the Spear have not completed Operation Artifact than QAI will probably remain under Brackman's control.

    Also if Marxon does not die in the assault of Black Sun he will be in control of the Militaristic faction of the Aeon instead of Kael. A much more cynical and true believer he might not go along with Amon, although I suspect he will due to things cannot go our way that much.

    For what we will be needed I would suggest

    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)

    Because I suspect that we will need to be working as a team on larger battlefields. We are going to need help as well, Sam is good but there are better Commanders in this fight, Notably Marxon which I suspect will be an opponent in Act 3, But I could see the GM arguing any of the Commanders used by the Factions in the last Supcom mission, Supcom Player characters, Dagoth or Mengsk could get an upgrade or an original character to help commander their forces, QAI if it already has too many Xel Naga tach parts in it, or other factors.

    Over all I like the writing that has been presented so far and I await where we go next.
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)

    I really want to go for Unkillable because IMMORTALITY and also the ability to just do ridiculous overheat emergency actions if need be. But Legendary Leader fits the character better. By a mile.
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)

    All of these are awesome but this fits Clark as a tactical and strategic savant.
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
    ngl, this sounds pretty busted if it refreshes every round? I guess it competes directly with literal immortality, being a giant murder blender and being close to impossible to restrain, so it's not exactly unwarranted for it to be strong.
     
    [X] Legendary Leader (get 4 free Command sparks at the beginning of each round. Command sparks can be spent as a free action to compel them to do an order - if they're an enemy, these represent tactical confusion, intimidation, or trickery to make them do what you want.)
     
    Velocci said:
    In other news it looks like Duran with a fake mustache Narud has gotten Black Sun "working" faster than Canon, given that Riley is not worrying about the Aeon invasion of Earth here.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    There are two reasons in addition to Narud for this! One is secret and has to do with the crossover lore I've been working on, and the other is because I forgot that happened!

    I can't believe i wrote all this mostly on memory and how much I wanted girls to kiss
     
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