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Glorious Shotgun Princess (ME/Exalted) Thread #2

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I honestly look forward to the time when Shep gets the stupid beaten out of her by an opponent no amount of guts can overcome, so we can finally move on from powergirl boob jokes to Shep at least trying to understand what she has become.
 
esseresse said:
What is in the cookie: Garrus, who will come crashing through the front doors and out the back doors of the Reaper in an armored car with sunglasses-wearing flaming skull decals on every flat surface and a Hieronymus Bosch reproduction on the door, hood-mounted machine guns blazing, Motörhead blasting on the jury-rigged PA system, the tires leaving tracks painting sex and violence on the floor and walls and 5 arms hanging out of the window making rude hand gestures.
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Did you just quote the Refuge in Audacity page on TvTropes?
 
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    • A golden ring manifests, burning in the air behind Jane as she dives fist first. It illuminates the ground below, bathes the battlefield in warmth and light. Bringing her fist back, golden Essence wraps around her knuckles, burning the blood off the gauntlet before she brings it down upon the rising Seeker. The punch flies true with a burst of gold and flame from the elbow-mounted jets.

    And it hits nothing, passing through an afterimage of Seeker which appears behind Jane and kicks her to the ground.

    Flipping in mid fall, she lands in a crouch. Metal rends beneath her as the raining blood pools at her feet. "The Hell was that?"

    Pria appears on her shoulder, standing. "I don't know. It looked like Duck Fate, but it just felt...off. I can't describe it exactly and pay attention!"

    Kicking off, Jane somersaults as the Reaper's foot caves in the metal floor. Landing in a crouch, she looks up as Seeker is on top of her. A kick deflects off Jane's crossed forearms, a punch missing her face by a fingerwidth. Ducking, she clenches her fist. A flash of gold as she swings, her fist slamming into Seeker's face.

    And sending her back a handful of feet.

    "Oh that is bullshit," Jane mutters, "I can send people flying with that."

    "Celestial Combat, Shepard." Pria taps her on the forehead. "You have two seconds! Form! Now!"

    Taking a deep breath, one foot slams into the steel floor. She draws upon something deep. Something basic.

    Something core to her magic, to her experience. The sundisc on her head glows bright and high, spinning into life as something stirs within. And then Seeker's fist slams into her face, sending her flying.

    She hits the ground, rolls, and grins to a stop as her heels glow red. "Well, that hurt," she mutters, "Need some help here!"

    She looks up, looks around. And at this point, does she sees that the black walls around her. No, not walls. Instead, waves of drones, waves of black that have surrounded them and opened up a circle for Shepard and Seeker. She sees the flashes of gold in the crowd, and knows it's the prothean killing a path towards her. But she does not see...

    Reaching into a compartment on her waist, she pulls out something she was sure was not there before. Small, bent on itself, and crunchy. She never liked chinese food, so it takes her a moment to recognize it for what it is. A fortune cookie.

    Crunching it in her hand, she throws it at the incoming Reaper. It cracks, it sparkles with silver as something forms. Seeker charges through the mist, trails of light flowing from her extended prismatic claws.

    And hits air as Shepard disappears, reappearing right behind her. The hunter turns, swinging, and hits nothing once more, before a three fingered hand strikes her in the face. The strike makes flames leap out from her face, spinning back as tendrils of hair swing out into silver blades. Reegar disappears mid swing, appearing once again as they hit where he was.

    "Ma'am," he says, "I can hold her off for a bit, but whatever plan you have had better be a good one!"

    He disappears as the clawed hand grabs at him, appearing behind Seeker. She moves in a blur, driving her foot into his gut, lifting him off the ground and sending him flying before turning back to Shepard. A gunshot rings out. Claws shatter on her hand in impossible succession, joints and knees shot out faster than the Reaper can react.

    A golden whirlwind of destruction carves through the masses of the drones. But through this all, Shepard looks inward. Standing in the midst of the destruction, surrounded by the carnage, surrounded by the violence, surrounded by imminent death, she reaches down and deep within.

    There is something familiar there. Something more. Something promised deep within. Something basic, something there. Her mind traces back to the beginning, to when this war started.

    And like that, she understands. Lines of emerald run up the seams of her armor. The blue of her armor washes out as the sunlight erupts around her, washing out the color and revealing white underneath. The sigil of the Zenith blazes upon her forehead as green pattern traces itself across her face, framing the disc like a set gem.

    Blazing in green and gold, she slowly brings her fist into her open palm. The disc rotates into existence behind her, a halo of blood and sunlight. And opening eyes glowing pure, solid blue, she levels her gaze at Seeker.

    Pria appears in her vision. Her mouth open for a moment, before she turns and points to the Reaper.

    "Good! Now Kick! Her! Ass!"

    Jane Shepard kicks off her back foot, launching like a loosed arrow. Like a fired missile. The distance between her and the Reaper becomes nothing in the blink of an eye, just as Seeker turns her attention to Shepard and swings her fist to blunt it against Jane's forehead. Ducking down with the swing, Jane brings her clenched hand back, and whispers three words just loud enough for the Reaper to hear.

    "Heaven Thunder Hammer."

    The punch strikes the Reaper in the jaw, shattering metal and bone. The blast wave sends the drones, Kal, and Javik flying. Seeker hangs from her fist for a moment, red eyes wide, before launching into the sky.

    "Take care of those drones!" She brings her fist up, golden sunlight gathering around it in a nimbus flare. "I'm taking this bitch off the battlefield!"

    The ground shakes as she hits it. Steel and stone rend, the prismatic cords of the far off legs shuddering and vibrating with pained notes. Pillars of fire and light rise around her just as Seeker descends.

    And then the ground beneath Shepard collapses, swallowing both her and Seeker.
     
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    • Destrark said:
    what happened? did she make a combo of HTH, Adamant Skin and Racing Hare/Lightning Speed? or have I missed something?
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    Couple things happened. First, Shepard has finally activated Solar Hero Form, which is your basic "I now hit you with double my roll successes."

    Example: Enemy has a DV of 7. You roll 10 successes. Now, normally this will add three successes to your strength+weapon roll.

    SHF adds 20 successes to the strength+weapon roll. A glancing blow from someone using this can ruin you.

    This is combined with Dome Shattering Strike to send Seeker straight up, and then Shepard using Sledgehammer Fist Punch to collapse the floor beneath them.
     
    Not exactly, but Ox Stunning Blow is an expansion Charm in the Solar Hero Style IIRC and it turns all the damage you do into Bashing damage and makes sure it doesn't wrap around into Lethal.

    It's a pretty expensive Charm to use too.
     
    Unfortunately, HTH is not the really abuseable attack. For that, you want Crashing Wave Throw.

    HTH only throws an opponent one yard for each die of damage inflicted and CWT fling syou (Martial Arts x 5) yards away, but HTH always sends you flying back while CWT allow you to throw them in any direction. They both do 1 die of damage for every yard of knockback you would have flown when you hit an obstacle.

    "The ground" is an obstacle.

    "Straight down" is a valid direction for Crashing Wave Throw.

    Yes, that is 25 dice of damage, guaranteed, per hit.

    You then Combo that with Hammer on Iron Technique, which gives you (Essence +1) Clinch attacks in a row. Grab opponent, smash into floor, grab again, smash again.

    I call this Bam-Bam Technique.

    Yes, I want to see Shepard do this to a Reaper.

    ---------------
    Epsilon
     
    Enhancement is the upgrade when you have Form active (and why wouldn't you have SHForm up as a solar hero stylist in a serious battle). And it gets absurdly lethal hence. As Shepard is aptly demonstrating in the story. Solar Hero is great at a.) breaking things, and b.) breaking faces, or face-analogues, ON the other things.
     
    On the "Gregg's adventures in English Teaching" note, one of my students has, in an assignment, used the phrase "Son, I am disappoint."
     
    Destrark said:
    Hasn't there been all this stuff about a Plan that Autochthon mentioned? like how he expected Tali and Wuffles and mentions he expects Jane Shepards is to blame for Wuffles not being named Legion (Exalted-style Screw Destiny moment)
    presumably the current Circle is the focus of the good guys hopes somehow and Zeniths tend to be the best leader, same with Shepard in canon (suicide group vs Collectors etc)
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    Zeniths aren't good leaders, they are inspiring leaders, there is a distinct difference.

    Also, Wuffles being named Wuffles isn't an Exalted screwing destiny moment, remember that it was actually EDI that came up with Legion as the form of address to the geth collective on the platform. No EDI and a different reason will need to be supplied.


    Also, Auto-kun and Plans tend to result in Incoming Disaster.
     
    Hazard said:
    Also, Auto-kun and Plans tend to result in Incoming Disaster.
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    Well, kinda. Autochthon's plans as a primordial ALWAYS produced the desired result, they just tended to have nasty side effects. There are certain advantages to being able to solve impossible problems by building something that does the impossible (see exaltations). He certainly doesn't have the same level of capability to do the impossible as mere incarnae-level god.

    Now planning against him or Deus, that's impossible. Because those two tend to respond to any and all problems by building Artifact N/A's. AK Plot Devices. So there isn't any real way to know what opposition you'll have.
     
    Golden highlights run over the monster. Both from its own power, channeled into it directly from the Reaper, and from the sensors built into Tali's heads up display, diagramming the monster for her. It is massive. It is immense. It overshadows the militia and the artillery and the tanks and everything in the field.

    Hardened soldiers and manipulated conscripts back away from the beast, from the monster overshadowing them all. But over them, the golden giant clenches its fists, and begins striding forward. Grass and cracked dirt crunches underneath heels and treads. Golden lightning paints the skin of the armor as the circle at its chest glows white.

    Standing between the army and the beast, the Armor of Autochthon raises its head to meet the eyes of the creature.

    And, once more, Tali'Zorah vas Neema nar Rayya asks herself, What would Jane Shepard do?

    "You have five seconds to leave this planet," she says, "Or else, I am taking that," She points to one of its oversized, black and blue lined claws, "And shoving it so far up your ass that you will-"

    A hammer like appendage snaps out. Behind her, a line of militia men are tossed off their feet. In the distance, a Mako flips.

    The end of the appendage rests in the hand of the golden giant, held mid extension.

    "Okay, then," Tali says, and her fist clenches with a spark of gold lightning, "Round two, bosh'tet."
     
    We know how this will end..

    ..Orichalcum caste Tali!!!
     
    Cornuthaum said:
    Or, you know, heroic, ass-kicking mortals.

    Those are a thing.
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    She will need a lot of artifact high-tech weapons and some kind of essence batteris if she wants to be able to fight Essence users then.

    As luck has it..she is pals with the being that manages the concept of machine and technology and who is aslo the father of a being that is the avatar of the concept of scientific knowledge. :D
     
    Durabys said:
    She will need a lot of artifact high-tech weapons and some kind of essence batteris if she wants to be able to fight Essence users then.
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    I am not sure if you are serious. Because if you are, I have to ask if you missed the part where she was wearing a magic kung-fu-using magical robot chassis inhabited by magic-using artificially intelligent software.
    (And fun fact: The difference between an enlightened heroic mortal and a non-Elder Exalt are the excellencies. Otherwise, same dicepools.)
     
    Cornuthaum said:
    I am not sure if you are serious. Because if you are, I have to ask if you missed the part where she was wearing a magic kung-fu-using magical robot chassis inhabited by magic-using artificially intelligent software.
    (And fun fact: The difference between an enlightened heroic mortal and a non-Elder Exalt are the excellencies. Otherwise, same dicepools.)
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    I noticed. I am was talking about something more permanent and custom made. I happen to think that Auto-kun will want that War Strider body back.
     
    Actually, I could honestly buy a mortal competing with an Exalt, perfects and all, under these conditions.

    These conditions being "in a battle suit made by Autochthon himself."

    Okay, it's not Primordial-tier Autochthon, but it doesn't need to be - Exalts have made things capable of perfects before (see: Five-Metal Shrike).

    After that, it's just a question of "just what Charms did Autochthon emulate?"
     
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