THE KETHERIC-HIVE AFFAIR (Balder's Gate 3 in Space! Quest)

BORN TO TIEF, WORLD IS FUCK
NAME: Karlach Cliffgate
RACE: Tiefling
HIT DIE/MELEE DAMAGE: 1d12 | HIT POINTS: 21/21 | LUCK: 6/6
PROFF: +2
XP: 0 | LEVEL: 2

STRENGTH​
DEXTERITY​
CONSTITUTION​
INTELLIGENCE​
WISDOM​
CHARISMA​
16 (+3)​
16 (+3)​
13 (+1)​
8 (-1)​
10 (+0)​
12 (+1)​
Save: +5​
Save: +5​
Save: +3​
Save: +1​
Save: +2​
Save: +3​

RACIALIZED TRAITS
Darkvision: Can see 100 feet in darkness without colors. Born this way, ma called it 20/Evil vision.
Light Sleeper: Only needs four hours of sleep for a long rest. Learned this in CapFor - nap when you got it.
Energy Resistance [Fire]: Take 1/2 damage from fire. This is why we got the cheap apartments, near the radiators.
Speed Malus: -1 meter of movement per round. Gorby Jr. is a pain in the ass.
Hider: Can hide when even only lightly obscure. Learned to duck pretty fast in the military.
ABLITIES
Action Surge (1/rest): Can take an extra action, refreshes on a short rest.
Reckless attack: Can gain advantage on Str based attacks while giving enemies advantage to hit you.
Rage (2/day): can go into a rage for 1 minute, gaining advantage on str checks and saves, +2 to str damage, reistance to B, P and S damage. Can't cast spells while raging.
Fighting Styles: Defensive (+1 to AC while wearing armor), Ranged (+2 to hit with ranged weapons), Blind Fighting (gain blindsight to 10 ft)
Second Wind (1/rest): Can use a bonus action to get 1d10+Level HP.
Natural Explorer: Ensure that the group has enough vac-suits and full tanks unless enemies take specific actions to negate it. When trapped with limited resources, double what the GM says you have. Create 3 shifts as a crew, rather than 2. Can patch suit as a free action. once per session, you can declare one thing to be true about a space station, habitat or spaceship - if the GM refuses, you're given a Luck Point.
Favored Enemy (Fascists): Get advantage on Wisdom (Survival) to track them and Intelligence rolls to know about their tactics.
Broad Proficiency: Martial Weapons, Heavy Weapons
Single Proficiency: Vac-Suits, Light, Medium, Heavy
Tool Proficiency: Repair, Shuttles, Armored Fighting Vehicle
Fighter's Luck: Get x3 LP per level.
Skills [8]: Skilled in Athletics, Acrobatics, Stealth, Perception, Persuasion, Performance, Intimidation, Insight
Expertise [2]: Expertise in Athletics and Stealth (double proff bonus.)​

GEAR

Armored Vac Suit (AC 19, 7 Bulletproof)
Bulletproof: AC applies to gunfire. If an enemy rolls 8-17, remove 1 bulletproof.)​
M-Gloves: Can create two mage hands as a free action, controlled by focused

Collapsable Knife: +5 to hit, 1d12+3 damage
Concealable: Advantage to hiding, -1 intimidation
Sharp: Deals 3 damage on a miss.​

MP-5: The Solar System's sexiest SMG
Effective Range: 0-25 Meters | 25-50 Meters
Damage: 1d4+3| Caliber: Medium | Recoil: 4 | ROF: 8 | Magazine: 30+1 | Intimidation: +3
Special: Tacti-Cool (comes with a built in, infinite use wand of Ray of Frost, which can be fired from the weapon whenever you want.)
Underslung DC8-ROFW: 60 foot range, 1d8 frost damage, reduces enemy movement speed by 10 feet on a hit.​

Arachne 9mm
Effective Range: 0-50 Meters
Damage: 1d4+3 | Caliber: Medium | Recoil: 7 | ROF: 3 | Magazine: 15+1 | Intimidation: +2
Special: Frangible - you can buy Small Caliber rounds for this to reduce the recoil to 4.​

23 magazines fully stocked of 9mm rounds

Standard patch kit
Effect: It can patch any hole of about palm size or smaller. Unfortunately, since they're designed to be 'slap and forget' patches, they can't really patch bigger holes effectively. Fortunately, you can apply them as a free action.

Computer Tool Kit
Effect: The computer tool kit is the collection of various lengths of wire, soldering gun, screwdriver (magnetized) and other nibbly little bits you need to do repair work on a computer, physically speaking. This won't do anything to debug it, unless you're being really literal about debugging here.

Cuffband
Effect: A plastic set of restraints. Good for dissidents, bounties and, until the Supreme Court's decision re Staton V Solarium Primary School, unruly children.

FINANCES

Q-Card: +0
Specie: 1 Gold

LEGALITY
Current Hab Legality: Not in Hab
Intimidation: Not in Hab
Total Criminality: Not in hab


STARSHIP - USAF-SGF Short Sword (Drizzit Class)
Acceleration Max: 3Gs | Handling: +4
Sensors: 5 Locks, 2 Jams

STRUCTURE SPACES: 300
Thrusters (10): 25 [10 Armor]
Externalities (9-4): 85 [0 Armor]​
Weapons: 72​
2 Fore, 2 Starboard, 2 Port, 2 Aft, 2 Dorsal, 2 Ventral S&R Draconic Limited Twin Linked 40mm PDCs
1 Dorsal Multipurpose 32cm Launch Tube​
EW/COM: 5​
D98 Panopticon Installation​
Cargo: 6 Tons​
Life Support (3): 39 [10 Armor]​
Radiators: 10
Water Recycling & Air Filtering: 15
Cabins: 10 (6 Bunk Rooms, 3 Cabins, 1 Officer's Cabin)
Sickbay: 5
Mess Hall: 5​
Command, Control & Communication (2): 5 [10 Armor]
Engines (1): 90 [10 Armor]
ARMERMENT
S&R Draconic Limited PDCs
Range: 0 | Damage: 1 Damage
ROF: 4d10 | Special: +5 to hit Torpedoes

32cm Launch Tube
Range: N/A | Damage: Per torpedo
ROF: 3 per round | Capacity: 17 Torpedoes

MD-82b Armor Piercing Chemical Torpedoes (12)
Special Note: These use high density hydrogen fuel bricks and have an extremely short duration
Acceleration: 20G | Handling: +4
Structure: 3​
Thrusters: -
Externalities (9-4): 1 [Armor 1]​
Weapon: 1​
High Yield Armor Piercing Warhead: 30 damage​
Life Support: -
Command, Control & Communication: -
Engine: 1​

T2-9 Tactical Nuclear Interplanetary Ballistic Missiles (5) [INOPERABLE]
Special Note: These use Zevar drives and have infinite range.
Acceleration: 10G | Handling: +4
Structure: 3​
Thrusters: -
Externalities (9-4): 2​
Weapon: 2​
Tactical Nuclear Warhead: 300 Damage (5km radius)​
Life Support: -
Command, Control & Communication: -
Engine: 1​
Description: A 300 ton warship, the Short Sword comes armed with 12 point defense cannons capable of covering every angle of attack and a 3 tube dorsal mounted torpedo bay, with 20 torpedoes, currently stocked with 15 MD82b antiarmor torpedoes that burn high density hydrogen fuel (making them high speed, short range), and 5 IPBMs with 30 kiloton tactical nuclear warheads. These have Zevar drives. They do not have "range" limitations.
 
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[X] The bullets hit your belly and thigh. You can keep going through the pain (take Gutshot and Femoral Bleeding, but stay in the fight)
Risky but better odds for stopping Orin right here and now, rather than letting an unstable shapeshifter take a long-term interest in us.
 
[X] The bullets hit your belly and thigh. You can keep going through the pain (take Gutshot and Femoral Bleeding, but stay in the fight)
 
[X] The bullets hit your belly and thigh. You can keep going through the pain (take Gutshot and Femoral Bleeding, but stay in the fight)

Might as well see this through. Maybe we can get our crew to notice us. You know, they might hear the gunshots.
 
[X] The bullets hit your belly and thigh. You can keep going through the pain (take Gutshot and Femoral Bleeding, but stay in the fight)

I think the plan is to run and be as loud as we can rather than actually try to fight while losing all the stuff that's supposed to be on the inside.
 
[X] The bullets hit your belly and thigh. You can keep going through the pain (take Gutshot and Femoral Bleeding, but stay in the fight)
 
Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Oct 24, 2024 at 11:06 AM, finished with 10 posts and 6 votes.


…I just remembered I forgot to give you your next bundle of xp for the downtime!
 
Not Quite Heaven (4.2)
The first bullet hit your thigh. The second hit your stomach. The third whipped past your head and then you were in her guard. Pain was shockingly absent. You were running on pure adrenaline as you grabbed Red's wrist, twisted and slammed your head into her face. Something crunched and her gun skittered away. "Fuck!" She grunted, stumbling backwards. But you were already limping away. Your thigh felt blazing hot, and you were leaving a horribly wide red trail of blood.

Some astros in the crowd saw you, turning.

"Hey-"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" A halfling girl shrieked her lungs out as you looked back.

Red, her eyes blazing with fury, had gotten her gun.

"Down!" you shouted.

She fired. A bearded orc who had been just about to grab your arm jerked backwards, blood bursting from his chest and more exploding out of his beck, splashing two other astros.

"Gun! Gun! Gun!" Someone shouted. More screams exploded into the air and everyone went surging for cover. Three local started to sprint over, but Red was already running down the corridor. You fell to one knee, then to your side, panting quietly. Everything felt...gray and distant. You fell onto your back, whispering.

"Shifter. She's a...fucki'...fuckin..."

You blinked.

Your head felt...so fucking heavy.

A surge of bright white light slammed into you. You jerked your head up and realized that you had been wrong. There was an afterlife waiting for you that wasn't just a face first trip into the wall of the faithless. A gorgeous angel was kneeling above you. Her skin was like marble, lined with dark golden lines, as if she was a repaired statue. Her features were gorgeously butch, and her hair was short cropped and framed her stern features. Her wings were spread wide behind her back. Weirdly, she was wearing a tank top. Oh, no, that made sense. Heaven wanted you to be happy, right?

Next to her was that gorgeous elf girl from before...Isobel Aylin? She was leaning over you, her brows knitting as she muttered. "No, shit, there's still a bleeder!"

"Her BP is dropping, my wife," the angel said, and you saw she had something wrapped around your arm.

"I need light!"

Half a dozen light spells all went off at once. There was another ring of concerned looking people - Heaven had a lot of astros? Your brow furrowed and your eyes filled with tears at the blinding light. You could feel a sudden surge of pain - someone was tugging at your leg. It felt like driving hot spikes into you. You groaned, tried to move - and a big, heavy knee thumped down on your wrist.

"It severed her femoral artery, we need some fucking plasma!" Isobel was shouting over her shoulder. "Get the goddamn ambulance, if I can't catch this bleeder, I am down to one shot slots, and those will...not..." She bit her lip, and there was another bright flash - a hissing spray of Vancian particles and a sudden smell of red meat in your nose. Smoke rose from your thigh and she jerked her hands back. A metal something went pinging up into the air, then clanged and clattered off the ground.

"Her BP's stabilizing!"

"You got it!"

Cheers filled your ears and you winced - but Isobel wasn't drawing away. "That's just the first one. Lets see if I can get this one out. Uh, forceps, honey."

"Verily."

"This is gonna hurt, I'm so sorry," Isobel muttered.

You bit your teeth and tensed as something cold and metal dug around in your guts. Isobel was a lot gentler with this one - you were pretty sure that it was cause there was less time pressure. She eased it out and you gasped quietly, then grunted as a blue-white flash filled your eyes. You laid your head back. The sudden absence of pain was so fucking shocking that it was almost like a physical weight off your shoulders. You panted, while you heard Lae'zel's voice.

"She is ours, what is going on? What has happened?"

"That's what I want to know," a tough sounding, no-nonsense female voice barked in.

"And who are you?" Lae'zel hissed.

"I am from the Harper City Police Department, that means you answer my questions first." The woman leaned into your line of sight. She was an elf. Old. Old enough to have seen the tail end of the Dying Times, you were sure. Her silvery gray hair framed a nut brown face, and she was dressed in a patrol uniform, not a combat one. "Who are you and why did the moment you come into my city, a shootout starts?"

"Tch!" Lae'zel waved her hand. "Our comrade left our side, possibly to nose after some pretty maiden. Then we heard the commotion - and saw she was gone. It was only once we arrived that we found the dead body."

"The other astro is dead?" The HCPD woman asked.

"Yes, Sergeant Jaheira," Isobel said, wiping some blood on her brow by accident. "Straight to the heart. There was nothing I could do, he was dead by the time I got here."

"Which is not her fault," the angel growled.

...you were pretty sure you were not in Heaven anymore. You closed your eyes, then forced the right words into your brain.

The aasimar was looking very defensive.

"It's okay, Dame," Isobel whispered.

Sergeant Jaheira was noticing your eyes were open. She knelt down, frowning. "Can you speak?" She asked. "You've been shot twice and pumped with enough healing magics you should be able to speak."

---
[ ] Tell her basically what happened
[ ] Tell her what happened but leave out that your home government, the government you swore to defend and protect with your life, is involved. Do remember to tell her that a shapeshifter is on the loose, though.
[ ] Clam up. She's a cop, and a Colonial to boot.
[ ] Write in

As Karlach is still standing, she will try an opposed strength check to disarm Red, then fucking book it so she doesn't get shot in the back. She gets a 9 versus Red's 9, and ties go to PCs, getting the pistol out of Red's hand. Then she runs into the crowd.

DEATH SAVE! Faiiiiiled.

Red's turn. She grabs pistol and fires a shot at Karlach! She gets an 11, but Karlach is in concealment (a crowd), so her AC is 15, which means, uh...she shoots some poor astro in the crowd for 8 gunshot damage, killing him instantly, jesus christ, red!

Red flees

Karlach's turn. Karlach tries to staunch her bleeding. She fails.

DEATH SAVE! Succeeded!

Isobel arrives and wammies you with a level cure light wounds spell, healing you for 11 HP, which is JUST BARELY NOT ENOUGH!

DEATH SAVE! Failed!

Isobel hits you with her second AND LAST cure light wound spell and gets 13 HP - got the femoral artery! Good job! Then she hits you with a cure light 1 and heals the gutshot!
 
[X] Tell her basically what happened

Good old James Holden School of Starting International Wars.
Never failed us once.

I mean sure, Karlach got shot, but eh, not the first time.
 
[x] Tell her what happened but leave out that your home government, the government you swore to defend and protect with your life, is involved. Do remember to tell her that a shapeshifter is on the loose, though.
 
[x] Tell her what happened but leave out that your home government, the government you swore to defend and protect with your life, is involved. Do remember to tell her that a shapeshifter is on the loose, though.
 
[X] Tell her what happened but leave out that your home government, the government you swore to defend and protect with your life, is involved. Do remember to tell her that a shapeshifter is on the loose, though.

Very hard not to write in "Hi, I'm Karlach!"
 
Adhoc vote count started by DragonCobolt on Oct 26, 2024 at 2:30 PM, finished with 8 posts and 5 votes.

  • [x] Tell her what happened but leave out that your home government, the government you swore to defend and protect with your life, is involved. Do remember to tell her that a shapeshifter is on the loose, though.
    [X] Tell her basically what happened


Okay! Roll me a Deception check, DC12!
 
The C in CCTV stands for Checking (4.3)
You groaned and were helped to your feet. One nice thing about your mdtech hitting your muscle and not the actual bleeder - and you'd been shot often enough to know the difference - is that the miss refreshes all the blood you lost. So, you didn't have your normal post-bleeder wooziness and fatigue, since, before you had spurted out all that fresh blood, her second shot had actually tagged your femoral and sealed it up good. It also helped that you were being helped up by the medtech, who was gorgeous, and her wife, who was even more gorgeous. You felt almost like you were being spoiled, until your levering up brought you nose to nose with Sergeant Jaheira.

"Well?" the acerbic old elf asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

She had no nonsense, take no shit eyes.

You opened your mouth - and hesitated.

The United States was your home. You'd become a captrooper to get out of Lalune, and to see the solar system, and to keep her safe and free. You couldn't just throw the whole USL under the bus, right? And, plus, what if it started a war. You had to deal with this in house, right? You gulped and said: "Well, I...my friends and I, we...kinda stole a ship."

Sergeant Jaheira cocked an eyebrow, while behind you, Lae'zel let out a soft 'istik!' and you hurriedly continued. "But that's just it - we stole it from Ketherics. Fuck, we have em aboard."

Jaheira frowned. "Ketherics? The anti-Modronist group on Hetes?"

"Exactly the one," you said. "We were on Mardok and ran into em harassing a base, Dr. Halsin can back us up on that one. You can also contact them, Dr. Kaghua will back us up, solid as shit. And the Ketherics, I think they're trying to get their ship back, cause a fucking shapeshifter jumped me and tried to kill me!"

"A shapeshifter," Jaheira groaned, softly. "What is next? Gold dragon? Maybe one of the Old Gods themselves?"

"No, no, just it, that's it, that's as far as it's gone," you said.

Jaheira scowled at you.

***
"Can I just say that this was one big unilateral decision you made for us?" Wyll asked, pacing back and forth inside of the holding cell that the HCPD had escorted the entire group into.

"I didn't have a fuckin' choice dude!" you said, while Raphael - who was still being treated as just a tiefling - beat his head quietly against the bars with a rythmic thumping noises.

"You could have not wandered off after a strange woman," Shadowheart pointed out.

"Zesus Chiste!" you exclaimed. "I thought she was a fucking pickpocket at first - I don't expect everyone to be a shapeshifter every time I meet them."

"We should determine a pass word of some kind," Lae'zel muttered, rapping her knuckles against the bars. "I think we can get through these..."

"How about Rutabaga?" Gale asked.

"Tcsh!" Lae'zel turned to face him, glowering. "What kind of-"

The door leading into the adjoining corridor opened and Sergeant Jaheira and Dr. Halsin came in. Halsin gave you all a big smile and, over Jaheira's shoulders, a huge double thumbs up. Jaheira, meanwhile, was shaking her head as she slotted her keycard into the lock and the bars whisked open.

"You've told nothing but the absolute truth," she said, her eyes looking right into your eyes, her face set as she did so. "Dr. Kaghau has reported back - she confirms your identities, and that of Dr. Halsin. Telescopic observation reports on Mardok registered your ship launch. We've even tracked down the elf you were looking for in the CCTV, using footage of you at the train station."

"Fuckin A!" you said, then, a bit nervously. "Did you arrest her?"

"She was dead," Jaheira said, her voice flat. "Rolled into the exclusion zone around Blight, half eaten by carrion crawlers. We believe the shapeshifter took her form. Though, I doubt she has the same one."

"Why did she kill her? Why take a specific form?" Gale asked, sounding concerned.

"Her wallet, her ID," Jaheira said, shrugging. "If the shifter wanted to buy anything, she or he or they or it or whatever they call themselves wouldn't be able to use any services. So, now, we have a problem, don't we?"

You grinned. "But we can he-"

"Absolutely not," Jaheira said, frowning. "This isn't Mardok. This isn't some backwater utopian asteroid running on two ecotechs and a goblin on a treadmill, this is Centarus. Harper City has its own police force - and we have taken your Ketherics off your brig."

"Do we get...paid for that?" Gale asked.

Jaheira turned to look at him as if he was a bug on her shoe. "What are you talking about? No, we're not in the slave trade."

"Bounties exist, right?" Gale sounded unsure.

Jaheira crossed her arms over her chest. "I...suppose there may be some..." she said, sounding quite irritated about even that being extracted from her. "But they're being offered by the United States. The Colonial Alliance isn't involved in the Ketherics or their activities - we have enough to deal with on our own." She frowned. "But..."

"Listen..." you said, stepping up.

---
[ ] "We'll just get outta your hair, okay?" (Go it on your own!)
[ ] "We can't just walk around while a shapeshifter who wants us dead is out there, and we're way more badass than most people. So, we should, like, ya know, work together! (Team up with the Harper City Police Department)
[ ] Write In
 
[X] "We can't just walk around while a shapeshifter who wants us dead is out there, and we're way more badass than most people. So, we should, like, ya know, work together! (Team up with the Harper City Police

Might as well try to get Jaheira as a party member.
 
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