Benefaction: A Combine Ck2 Quest in Star Wars Legends
- Thread starter Mantising
- Start date
Vote closed
we do a little stealing from black mesa
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
From my read of the votes, we got GLADOS instead.
Though we're tied between the two transhuman forces.
Wait, was that one of the ones we had to choose between?
We chose the homicidal maniac over stolen black mesa equipment?
- Location
- Florida
By the sounds of the "Arbeit Communications Disk".. isnt "just" Glados... but also likely details on a certain portal boat lost in the mythical Episode 3...
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
Yeah, the third option, the disk, was GLADOS and leads into Aperture science technology, including the portal gun I assume.
We don't necessarily have to run her as an active entity, but I imagine she'd make a great research leader so long as we don't object to her getting lots of murder subjects.
i mean, the force is just Midichlorians, innit? So I guess Psionics are just a better, more reliable version?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Old.
[X] Thoughtful.
[X] Recovered Black Mesa Facility Materials
[X] Combined Arms
[X] Thoughtful.
[X] Recovered Black Mesa Facility Materials
[X] Combined Arms
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
The Force is a omnipresent field that manifests Midichlorians to facilitate it's connection in individuals.
Also on considering that we're gonna be in Star Wars, having an AI to help us with the massive amount of AI tech that the Combine don't have as much experience in due to focusing on biotech and cybernetics will be rather helpful.
Fingers crossed we can get GLADOS to meet HK-47.
Voting is closed or I'd have voted for the disk and elites.
So elites and combined arms are tied so what happens now is there going to be a 1d2 that is going to be rolled to decide which one wins or something else?
The two are related, but separate Phenomenon. The Force is
(Edit: Wrote this way early in the morning before work, Asmodemus is correct.)
Think I'll just call Asmodemus' vote in absentia as a tiebreaker.
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Archivist Grim
Totally not AI
- Location
- The abyss
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They
So, a query I have, would it be possible to aquire the other tech options in thr far future? While I'm more than happy with just the bullshit mad science of Aperture, getting black mesa and zenian genetics to accent our main basis of Aperture would be wonderful
Asmodemus
Subversive Element
We'd have to establish a connection back home first I imagine. Which will be somewhat difficult with our limited resources but not impossible probably.
Unless other bits and pieces of the Earth get sent into the Star Wars galaxy and we could potentially stumble across them.
KnownParadox
Not a sphere
- Location
- Canada
I'm very happy we picked up Aperture tech, biogenetics is interesting and Black Mesa materials is sane, but mad science is the best pick, always.
We do what we must, because we can.
And if we activate GlaDOS, we do get a homicidal maniac, but is that really a downside. Since when do we care about that the test subjects think.
We do what we must, because we can.
And if we activate GlaDOS, we do get a homicidal maniac, but is that really a downside. Since when do we care about that the test subjects think.
Professor Vesca
Good News Everyone!
This is new, it actually made me have a dream about being an Advisor self insert into the combine.
Takareer
Words and feathers
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
Interesting story start, with no overt flaws. Looking forward to more!
[X] Old.
[X] A Subjugator.
[X] Recovered Black Mesa Facility Materials
[X] Combined Arms
[X] A Subjugator.
[X] Recovered Black Mesa Facility Materials
[X] Combined Arms
Voting is still closed, and an actual tiebreaker
I managed to miss Lonely_Samurai's post, but even counting all the votes since the close Elites and Combined arms are STILL tied, so:
1: Overwatch Elites
2: Combined Arms
(Ignore the second die, got confused using the roller for the first time.)
Well, I need to do a little rewriting, but progress on the next post is chugging along regardless.
Combined Arms wins tiebreaker.
1: Overwatch Elites
2: Combined Arms
(Ignore the second die, got confused using the roller for the first time.)
Well, I need to do a little rewriting, but progress on the next post is chugging along regardless.
Combined Arms wins tiebreaker.
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[X] Old.
[X] Thoughtful.
[X] Arbeit Communications Hard Disk
[X] Overwatch Elites
[X] Thoughtful.
[X] Arbeit Communications Hard Disk
[X] Overwatch Elites
Turn 1: Arrival
BENEFACTION – A COMBINE QUEST
???, Month 1, ??? BBY.
Arrival, Turn 1
The distant rumblings of Interdimensional travel find their way inside the Pod, stirring copied memories of previous deployments. What is unfamiliar is the change from deep reverberations, to the sharp shriek of metal being torn and the computer bombarding your mind with errors and warning messages. Light flashes across your vision, interdimensional radiation bypassing your optics to directly stimulate the vision centers of your brain, followed by a resounding crash and another cascade of warnings signaling your arrival… Somewhere.
More coherent data starts to filter through; the Core of your facility has landed, mostly intact and upright on the surface of a terrestrial body, although the outer ring of Smart Barriers is warped, with a few of the pylons still glowing a dull amber. Fortunately, the ground beneath you is fairly soft, and so the facility was able to land without much damage. Unfortunately, the ground beneath you is fairly soft, so you'll have to shore up the foundations at some point if you don't want the entire structure to start sinking.
There are however more pressing concerns: Not only are you nowhere near the intended site, you're not even on the correct world to begin with. You try to contact City 43, or another Combine installation in range, but the admittedly basic communications array is unable to locate any Combine satellite constellations in orbit. What it does detect are regular electromagnetic signals coming from several directions on the Planet's surface, primarily west of your current position. Either these signals are not intended for communications, or they are not of a format the device recognizes.
Once the (surviving) external cameras come back online, you're able to spot several floral Exogen species clearly not native to either Earth or the Border world immediately outside, tinged a lurid purple with red tips on broad leaves.
A pity, you had already been thinking up experiments for that marsupial species...
Whether you've managed to land on another habitable world in the same Universe as your intended destination or another reality entirely is irrelevant; either way you're stranded until you can start the reactor and setup a portal system, at the minimum.
You command the Smart Barriers to close, walls snapping down like immense jaws into the muck of the surrounding swampland, a few sections seize up and refuse to drop, but it will have to do for now. The Transhuman soldiers are roused from their brief slumber along with maintenance personnel and Synths, and you have them sweep over the sparse interior of your base for any intrusion by native fauna.
(MECHANICS INTRODUCTION:
Benefaction uses a d100 dice system to resolve situations, split between 'Primary' projects which are completed cumulatively, and 'Trivial' Projects, which simply have a flat DC to complete.
Dice are essentially actions, but unlike Trivial Projects, Primary Projects may have multiple dice committed to them at once to complete them faster. Actions marked as (Free) do not require any dice to pick.
Units marked 'U' for Utility do not take up Unit Cap.)
Adjunct 3-A
TRAITS:
Old
Thoughtful
STATS:
5 Tactics Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
15 Administration Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
15 Research Skill, 2 Dice (+1 Base Dice, +1 from Skill)
5 Diplomacy Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
5 Psionics Skill, 1 Dice (+1 Base Dice)
1 Free Dice
Unit Cap: 2/6 (+6 Base)
UNNAMED BASE
Facilities:
Dark Fusion Reactor (Inactive)
Smart Barriers (+0 to Base defense, Damaged)
Basic Fabricators
Garrison:
Combine Soldiers (Mechanized)
Combine Soldiers
Construction Striders (U)
Stalkers (U)
Dropships (U)
TACTICS:
[ ] Send a Scouting Party (DC ???, Gain information about the Unknown faction on this world.)
The swampland terrain is rough enough that going on foot isn't viable, and 'west' is a somewhat vague area, but a handful of small teams hauled out by low-flying Dropships should theoretically avoid whatever detection methods this unknown party deploys while gathering valuable intelligence.
The swampland terrain is rough enough that going on foot isn't viable, and 'west' is a somewhat vague area, but a handful of small teams hauled out by low-flying Dropships should theoretically avoid whatever detection methods this unknown party deploys while gathering valuable intelligence.
[ ] Sub-option: It pays to be cautious in situations like this, send them to one of the areas with a lower signal density.
ADMINISTRATION:
Trivial Projects:
[ ] Repair Smart Barriers (DC 50, +5 to location defense once completed.)
A simple tool, but still among the most crucial for the purposes of the Combine; within Euclidean dimensions at least. Several sections will have to be replaced in their entirety to restore them to function.
A simple tool, but still among the most crucial for the purposes of the Combine; within Euclidean dimensions at least. Several sections will have to be replaced in their entirety to restore them to function.
[ ] Produce Viscerators (DC 25, Incapable of independent function, must be carried or launched by another unit or structure.)
A small, flying Mechanical Unit that uses spinning blades offensively. They excel at clearing confined spaces on their own, and are compact enough to be carried by your Transhuman soldiers.
A small, flying Mechanical Unit that uses spinning blades offensively. They excel at clearing confined spaces on their own, and are compact enough to be carried by your Transhuman soldiers.
[ ] Produce Scanners (DC 15)
These mobile surveillance machines are normally intended for use in Urban environs, one tool of many to allow the Overwatch System to properly maintain order through omnipresence and omniscience. But, perhaps in this case they would serve well in monitoring the surrounding swampland for any potential intruders.
These mobile surveillance machines are normally intended for use in Urban environs, one tool of many to allow the Overwatch System to properly maintain order through omnipresence and omniscience. But, perhaps in this case they would serve well in monitoring the surrounding swampland for any potential intruders.
Primary Projects:
[ ] Cold start Dark Fusion Reactor (0/500)
If your deployment had proceeded as planned, the base's Reactor would already be online; pumped from a bank of capacitors pre-delivered to the destination site via the existing rail system. As it stands your facility is running solely off of battery power, which won't hold out in the long term. You should still be able to start the Reactor with what you have available on-site, but doing so prematurely may attract the attention of the Planet's other inhabitants.
If your deployment had proceeded as planned, the base's Reactor would already be online; pumped from a bank of capacitors pre-delivered to the destination site via the existing rail system. As it stands your facility is running solely off of battery power, which won't hold out in the long term. You should still be able to start the Reactor with what you have available on-site, but doing so prematurely may attract the attention of the Planet's other inhabitants.
On the other hand, given their broadcasts, perhaps they have exactly what you need to accelerate this endeavor.
You have eight turns of battery power remaining.
You have eight turns of battery power remaining.
[ ] Setup a Suppression system (0/100 +10 to location defense once completed.)
A bank of Dark Energy Pulsor arrays would provide the facility with a good deal of firepower of it's own, including against aerial assaults in the event of an attack. This would unfortunately come at a significant cost to your currently-limited energy reserves, should you actually need to use them.
Consumes one turn's worth of energy per use until the Dark Fusion Reactor is online.
[ ] Shore up Facility Foundations (0/150)
While less urgent than the other matters, preventing your facility from becoming an archaeological site in a few months is a matter of some import.
While less urgent than the other matters, preventing your facility from becoming an archaeological site in a few months is a matter of some import.
Further Options locked until base repairs are complete and the Reactor is online.
RESEARCH
Trivial Projects:
[ ] Initialize Overwatch Intelligence System (DC 45, +1 Tactics Dice, +1 Free Dice)
The term 'Force Multiplier' is most often used in the Military context, and while that usage does hold true for the Overwatch System, it is your analysis that it serves more as an Administrative force multiplier, for it is this tool that is most often enforces the Combine's grasp on a world, no matter what challenges it provides.
The term 'Force Multiplier' is most often used in the Military context, and while that usage does hold true for the Overwatch System, it is your analysis that it serves more as an Administrative force multiplier, for it is this tool that is most often enforces the Combine's grasp on a world, no matter what challenges it provides.
[ ] Analyze Environmental Information (DC 50, Gain passive situational awareness)
Even now your base's systems are collecting a wide variety of data on the surrounding environment, you should be able to organize this information and compare it to references from other worlds integrated into the Combine to get some idea of what's out there.
Even now your base's systems are collecting a wide variety of data on the surrounding environment, you should be able to organize this information and compare it to references from other worlds integrated into the Combine to get some idea of what's out there.
Primary Projects:
[ ] Defoliant Studies (0/100, Enables non-aerial logistics running out of your base.)
While the Dropship Synth is efficient, you only have so many of them for the time being. Finding a suitable compound for clearing away the flora to establish a roadway for your land vehicles will free up significant resources; of course assuming there's anywhere for them to go out there.
While the Dropship Synth is efficient, you only have so many of them for the time being. Finding a suitable compound for clearing away the flora to establish a roadway for your land vehicles will free up significant resources; of course assuming there's anywhere for them to go out there.
[ ] Signal Analysis (0/200, Gain information about the Unknown faction on this world.)
The Combine has over it's centuries of expansion encountered countless forms of communication across species: controlled dermal combustion, direct bio-optical fiber linkage, the Advisor's own telepathic abilities, among others too bizarre to describe. It shouldn't be so difficult to determine the contents of a simple electromagnetic broadcast.
The Combine has over it's centuries of expansion encountered countless forms of communication across species: controlled dermal combustion, direct bio-optical fiber linkage, the Advisor's own telepathic abilities, among others too bizarre to describe. It shouldn't be so difficult to determine the contents of a simple electromagnetic broadcast.
The metaphorical gaze of your data-link lands on the intended object of your research, the deceptively small disk currently stowed not far from your pod...
No, you'll have to be patient to unlock it's secrets.
Arbeit Data Disk decryption locked until the construction of a Supercomputer Array.
DIPLOMACY:
(No actions available.)
PSIONICS:
[ ] Practice (DC Variable, Small chance to improve Psionics skill.)
You can't actually recall the last time you needed to Hatch, but given the circumstances it might be time to stretch your abilities a little, should that time come again on this Unknown world.
You can't actually recall the last time you needed to Hatch, but given the circumstances it might be time to stretch your abilities a little, should that time come again on this Unknown world.
[ ] Listen (DC ???)
There's something there, buried at the edge of your perceptions, it is vast, stretching far beyond your sight and into the abyss of space beyond this world. Like water, it ripples with the motions of unseen actors. You could almost reach out and touch it...
PERSONAL:
It's fairly likely that you're going to be here a while, and while it was adequate for your intended role, 'Adjunct 3-A' implies you actually have another to report to.
[ ] Self Re-designation (Free)
[ ] Overseer Zero
[ ] Command
[ ] No change
[ ] Write in…
[ ] Command
[ ] No change
[ ] Write in…
Originally, this would have been simple: Section 26 becomes City 26, and this facility would be the Citadel of City 26. You're quite far from Section 26, as it is.
[ ] Base Designation (Free)
[ ] Nexus
[ ] Section One
[ ] Write in…
[ ] Section One
[ ] Write in…
(AN: I probably should have found a way to integrate the Name stuff into Turn 0, but hindsight is 20/20 and all. Mechanics are subject to change if I find something doesn't function as intended.
Vote by plan, I'll tally up any Name choices separately so you all don't have to worry about that. Since I'm posting this during the week, voting will be open until 10:00PM CST on Friday the 11th.)
(Edit: Whoops, forgot to include how many dice you actually have per skill.)
(Edit 2: Also somehow managed to drop most of the Suppression System description between the doc and SV.)
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