A gunmen tried to kill Dresden at a Wendy's. Assuming it's just bad luck when Sandra has repeatedly sent mortals with various bits of weaponry to attack us or other targets of interest makes no sense to me.
A gunmen tried to kill Dresden at a Wendy's. Assuming it's just bad luck when Sandra has repeatedly sent mortals with various bits of weaponry to attack us or other targets of interest makes no sense to me.
Prep time in general isn't a waste, but there are limits to all things. Sandra has repeatedly demonstrated that her prep game is on point and chronically surprised us with her resources. Note that she did exactly what we were just talking about prior to this and tried to mess with us again. It didn't do much, but the encounter table roll wasn't spectacular and Dresden rolled well to mitigate.
Point of correction:
This was a random encounter from when Sandra put a number on our head last night. Not anything new or aimed.
There's probably still Mob hitters out there crawling the streets.
Unlike hypothetical mundane power armor anything from sanctuary would be filled with demons and therefore immune to techbane, so I don't see why not.
Especially since this isn't exactly a low profile event they need to look like locals for and is basically taking place in the riskiest battlefield the Courts have every faced.
As far as any of us know it's more likely than not that dying here is final in a way they don't really deal with. If I was the commander for this sort of operation I wouldn't want to just roll up in standard kit. First operation at the command of their living goddess in a realm that will keep your soul if you die there?
Yeah; bring the heavy flamer, best armor on the market, and wildest fever dreams of cheating bullshit the military industrial complex of a place calling itself the city of war can provide.
Techbane sure. Other forms of attack, not so much.
Can these spirits resist being displaced by others, for example? They arent HMP-installed.
As for why they might be weighing loadout: Tunnels. Tunnels that might soon be flooded at unknown levels of water. You have to worry about shit like loadbearing parameters, tunnel widths, combat maneuverability and the ramifications of using plasma- and fire-weapons in confines with questionable ventilation and heat dissipation.
Plus of course, flooding, and the potential to literally end up in above your head in water in a powered suit with electricity running in it. Tunnelfighting is a unique hell all its own.
That may not be a problem for someone in an Iron Man suit, assuming we have those.
But something like a 40k Tactical Dreadnought suit, or an Iron Man Hulkbuster, which was allegedly around 4m tall? Has ground pressure and mass problems to figure out.
And there's the question of how good any such suits might be in melee against supernaturals, and tunnels are very friendly to that form of combat. So yeah, it might be more reasonable for them to simply show up in unpowered gear, with maybe a spirit-controlled SHIV weapons platform attached to each fire team.
Point of correction:
This was a random encounter from when Sandra put a number on our head last night. Not anything new or aimed.
There's probably still Mob hitters out there crawling the streets.
What exactly is aimed to you if not setting a large number of people to the task of killing you and then letting them loose where you think they can do it? We didn't get caught in an unrelated bit of violence by accident or something.
We just got a warning that it's a good thing we have goblin guards for the ritual too, which strongly implies someone is going to attack us again. As in, the web of hitters tried to cause of problem and then performed its other function of pointing the real threats in our direction.
Seriously; If they couldn't handle those problems in the design phase they couldn't make any of this work at all. You could do the same thing with the electro lasers and when you get down to it the answer on why they work is the same.
There are plenty of practical concerns that would apply, but this reads like being a killjoy instead of legitimate concern.
On a practical issue, heavy Power Armor did, as far as I remember, require specific augmentations to use efficiently.
Obviously none of the infiltrator-team that came first into our world has that, since they are supposed to fit in, not be obvious mil-tech cyborgs from a distant glance.
A gunmen tried to kill Dresden at a Wendy's. Assuming it's just bad luck when Sandra has repeatedly sent mortals with various bits of weaponry to attack us or other targets of interest makes no sense to me.
Makes perfect sense to me. Her thralls are everywhere, Dresden and co randomly ran into them on the way here because bad luck enforced by the current city-wide spell. Your just interpreting it in the worst way possible.
Makes perfect sense to me. Her thralls are everywhere, Dresden and co randomly ran into them on the way here because bad luck enforced by the current city-wide spell. Your just interpreting it in the worst way possible.
I don't see how interpreting *the guys sent in the city to attack us attacked us* as *the guys sent in the city to attack us attacked us* is in any way, shape, or form, the worst possible interpretation of events.
Part of the concern was that we would be attacked while waiting, risking to negate our mote recovery, and lo and behold, our allies were attacked, and the QM is saying that we are lucky we have bodyguards.
I don't see how interpreting *the guys sent in the city to attack us attacked us* as *the guys sent in the city to attack us attacked us* is in any way, shape, or form, the worst possible interpretation of events.
I'm saying that the attack more than likely happened due to sheer bad luck because of the curse gripping the city as opposed to Sandra knowing where they were and sending them to "mess with us" as Bronzetongue says, which would be the worst possible interpretation of events.
I'm saying that the attack more than likely happened due to sheer bad luck because of the curse gripping the city as opposed to Sandra knowing where they were and sending them to "mess with us" as Bronzetongue says, which would be the worst possible interpretation of events.
But they were sent to *mess with us* even in that case is the thing.
Not just us, everyone, but we are part of everyone, and thus meeting the guys is absolutely meeting guys that were sent to attack us, among others, but it doesn't matter as what was originally discussed was that we were extremely likely to be attacked, which, I want to point out again, happened.
A gunmen tried to kill Dresden at a Wendy's. Assuming it's just bad luck when Sandra has repeatedly sent mortals with various bits of weaponry to attack us or other targets of interest makes no sense to me.
But they were sent to *mess with us* even in that case is the thing.
Not just us, everyone, but we are part of everyone, and thus meeting the guys is absolutely meeting guys that were sent to attack us, among others, but it doesn't matter as what was originally discussed was that we were extremely likely to be attacked, which, I want to point out again, happened.
Ah I think I see where the confusion came from now, I read Bronzetongue's comment as saying Sandra knew where we were and sent them to attack rather than the spell triggering he encounter.
What exactly is aimed to you if not setting a large number of people to the task of killing you and then letting them loose where you think they can do it? We didn't get caught in an unrelated bit of violence by accident or something.
We just got a warning that it's a good thing we have goblin guards for the ritual too, which strongly implies someone is going to attack us again. As in, the web of hitters tried to cause of problem and then performed its other function of pointing the real threats in our direction.
Aimed is "This man/woman/group is at X location; go there and kill him."
Its not "These people are on the kill list; if you run into them in this city, kill them" which is what we just saw happen.
Furthermore, we know that Sandra put out those orders yesterday.
We have known that ever since Little Tommy tried to kill us on sight at the Hanging Gardens despite never having met us, or even knowing our name.
Its not a recent development. Its not something new that she just thought up because we gave her time to think..
There's a reason Molly has been going around dressed like a Toy Story character since yesterday.
Magic.
Seriously; If they couldn't handle those problems in the design phase they couldn't make any of this work at all. You could do the same thing with the electro lasers and when you get down to it the answer on why they work is the same.
There are plenty of practical concerns that would apply, but this reads like being a killjoy instead of legitimate concern.
Pure magic can be interfered with, which is why most wizards would rather walk than fly in combat situations (unless you're Rashid). A situation where spammed counterspells can mobility kill all your hardware is contraindicated.
The less complex, less power-intensive solution is usually preferred in military hardware.
That does not follow.
Magic involvement might be in material science enhancement in the factory, or producing the power system; the weapons platform itself might well have no, or minimal active magic in it. Power armor built with primum metallum is still magic power armor, even if there's no other magic anywhere else.
There's also a limit to how much magic functionality you can squeeze into one item, at least with mortal magic.
They might rather use that budget on power management or armor than footing, when footing has mundane solutions.
On a practical issue, heavy Power Armor did, as far as I remember, require specific augmentations to use efficiently.
Obviously none of the infiltrator-team that came first into our world has that, since they are supposed to fit in, not be obvious mil-tech cyborgs from a distant glance.
Depends on the inspiration.
Assuming we're using Mage here? Samurai Suits are the ones that Im sure require implants, and they are like 12 feet tall.
Advanced Alanson hardsuits, the R-25 variant that have Armor 7 before options, are small and light enough to be hidden under trenchcoats, but have no standard ranged weapons. Martinez hardsuits with come integral miniguns and autocannon, but are significantly bigger and older tech.
A gunmen tried to kill Dresden at a Wendy's. Assuming it's just bad luck when Sandra has repeatedly sent mortals with various bits of weaponry to attack us or other targets of interest makes no sense to me.
What does she need to do, sign her thralls?
There are 23 Wendys in Las Vegas as of 2024. Its implausible that she had people staking them all out.
And its a Wendy's, when anyone who has a dossier on Dresden will know of his preference for Burger King.
Id buy an argument that she sent a new hit team after us if the attack had been outside the Hanging Gardens, or the Pallbearer Temple, or even the Luxor.
But a Wendy's?
There is no chance that a gunman running into Harry in a Wendy's was anything other than a random encounter, possibly enhanced by the chaos hex. It certainly wasnt Sandra suddenly putting a price on our heads; she did that yesterday, before we were even attacked on the Strip. The attack that happened is not evidence of Sandra looking to further harass us.
Ah I think I see where the confusion came from now, I read Bronzetongue's comment as saying Sandra knew where we were and sent them to attack rather than the spell triggering he encounter.
My read is that Sandra has kill teams hitting specific goals across the city/region and general and also a number of people like that mob boss who we cleared and the minions we very much haven't who are hunting us.
Keep in mind that they managed to track us with the rental car's gps, so this isn't a futile effort. They didn't necessarily specifically know where Harry was, but they were looking. Potentially as a result of chaos magic shenanigans one managed to find him, and now they potentially have a vector to come after the rest of us.
Harry probably wasn't shot at because the curse made a crazy guy shoot up a fast food place, but because he was recognized and that recognition may have future consequences.
[X] uju32
I see no reason not to, unless I am mistaken about how bashing damage works, and whether we can quickly remove it via healing potions / patches.
Good night guys, see you tomorrow as Alexander Harrowmont tries to balance let's see: angelic lore, wizardly might and insight, deathly patronage and and tainted power out of the deep ages all struggling against powers unbound by time and space.
Good night guys, see you tomorrow as Alexander Harrowmont tries to balance let's see: angelic lore, wizardly might and insight, deathly patronage and and tainted power out of the deep ages all struggling against powers unbound by time and space.
Aimed is "This man/woman/group is at X location; go there and kill him."
Its not "These people are on the kill list; if you run into them in this city, kill them" which is what we just saw happen.
If you don't know where someone is but think you have an idea of the area they might be in, then use that to target a spread of killers who may or may not have further means of homing in on you that's targeted as far as I'm concerned.
It's like going to a stretch of river you know a ship you want to attack may pass through and putting mines in the water. The goal is to hit something specific, the means is constrained by the information you have.
The mine detonating sending out a signal for what is likely to be further interference seems like a given based on DP's follow up.
You can draw a distinction here if you want, but it's one without difference.
Furthermore, we know that Sandra put out those orders yesterday.
We have known that ever since Little Tommy tried to kill us on sight at the Hanging Gardens despite never having met us, or even knowing our name.
Its not a recent development. Its not something new that she just thought up because we gave her time to think..
There's a reason Molly has been going around dressed like a Toy Story character since yesterday.
We're being actively hunted and just put a blip up on the radar and nearly had a party member take an injury that would have eaten into Lash's faith reserve. It's reasonably likely that the follow up from that will hit in the three hours we sit in one location and let them cook.
That we haven't seen a new trick yet in the half hour period the chapter covers is a pointless technicality to argue over. It's war best half the argument I was referencing and doesn't make a difference in outcome. The extra time is giving her more opportunity to deploy her assets against us, which she's still clearly invested in doing on an ongoing basis.
If she manages to track Dresden here and converges her Mob goons on us in the middle of our afternoon nap are you going to contend that it doesn't count because it's the same old ones from yesterday too?
Pure magic can be interfered with, which is why most wizards would rather walk than fly in combat situations (unless you're Rashid). A situation where spammed counterspells can mobility kill all your hardware is contraindicated.
The less complex, less power-intensive solution is usually preferred in military hardware.
That does not follow.
Magic involvement might be in material science enhancement in the factory, or producing the power system; the weapons platform itself might well have no, or minimal active magic in it. Power armor built with primum metallum is still magic power armor, even if there's no other magic anywhere else.
There's also a limit to how much magic functionality you can squeeze into one item, at least with mortal magic.
They might rather use that budget on power management or armor than footing, when footing has mundane solutions.
Everything you just said applies to any bit of magitech that needs rule bending to work.
I'm going to take it as given that if our people make power armor walking in moving water, extreme temperatures, and realistic combat conditions more constrained than an open field on a nice day aren't enough to make it a liability. I doubt the guys who's combat environments are places like cities with a billion citizens, rivers of liquid oxygen, a magical super prison, and jungles full of giant monsters would bother with something that only works if you're stand on a well maintained public road.
There are 23 Wendys in Las Vegas as of 2024. Its implausible that she had people staking them all out.
And its a Wendy's, when anyone who has a dossier on Dresden will know of his preference for Burger King.
Id buy an argument that she sent a new hit team after us if the attack had been outside the Hanging Gardens, or the Pallbearer Temple, or even the Luxor.
But a Wendy's?
There is no chance that a gunman running into Harry in a Wendy's was anything other than a random encounter, possibly enhanced by the chaos hex. It certainly wasnt Sandra suddenly putting a price on our heads; she did that yesterday, before we were even attacked on the Strip. The attack that happened is not evidence of Sandra looking to further harass us.
So to be clear "targeted" in this context isn't having killers lie in wait where you think someone might go, or sending them looking for them by some other means? It isn't having your old guys use the resources they have to continue the search after losing them? You can only target people if you know where they are and go straight there with fresh goons. Cause that sounds ridiculous to me, and I don't see why splitting this particular hair matters.
Let's accept that argument for the moment; they aren't targeting us because the hitmen didn't come from the targeting region of France. They're still hunting us, still got a ping that easily may have cost us important resources, and still have hours to work in that we're not going to contest.
I find it weird how you went from pointing out the competence involved in the setup required for the rpg attack to insisting the other side won't surprise us for a fifth time or competently apply their known resources.
Edit:
Not saying the Wendy's thing was them lying in wait, though they have run ahead after noticing our immediate destination before.
We don't actually know how they're sketching for us right now, but I think we can assume it isn't something stupid. Sandra had demonstrated enough skill to have earned that.
Even if it was dumb luck she's also not one to pass up an opportunity.
Good night guys, see you tomorrow as Alexander Harrowmont tries to balance let's see: angelic lore, wizardly might and insight, deathly patronage and and tainted power out of the deep ages all struggling against powers unbound by time and space.
I'm actually curious what the hell everyone will feel and interpret (for those who don't know the situation and those who do) of the confrontation of two strategic class magical rituals each powered by these terrifying sources of power rarely used in the mortal world.
I'm sure everyone will realize at this point that the situation in Vegas has really gotten completely out of control and that a fight of legendary class is going to take place.
I'm actually curious what the hell everyone will feel and interpret (for those who don't know the situation and those who do) of the confrontation of two strategic class magical rituals each powered by these terrifying sources of power rarely used in the mortal world.
I'm sure everyone will realize at this point that the situation in Vegas has really gotten completely out of control and that a fight of legendary class is going to take place.
I mean,we have already contacted the Library of Congress, Archive (I am fairly sure there was a vote to write her a note), our own guys who are mobilizing. We are squarely at godzilla threshold, where strategic nuclear deployment becomes an option, and I am still betting that there are currently bombers on the runways ready to launch.
Handing out the gifts of the Fallen-by-Proxy should really have more ceremony to it than this, you cannot help but think very, very privately as Tiffany centers herself for a moment, all her attention turning inwards to gift herself clarity beyond what her brain can ordinarily achieve. Next she steps up to you, at your nod touches your temple and... D...damn Out of body experiences are one thing, but this is your first go at an out of mind experience. It's like looking at yourself looking at yourself down an infinite hall of mental mirrors, each iteration looking over the shoulder of the last for mistakes and missed connections low probability outcomes and [pattern-false-weavings]. It is only when the last thought comes out not in English that you realize there's this weird whooshing in your ears and something wet on the side of your head and neck. Yep, that's blood.... a lot of blood actually.
Tiffany's intelligence temporarily increased to 7
Your Intelligence temporarily increased to 15 10 (Capped) You take 8 Bashing Damage -> Now at 7/15 Wounded -1 Die
"Maybe go a little easier on everyone else," you detach one mind thread to too low for anyone else to hear as you pull out a full third of the wafer thin healing patches. "I''m pretty sure that that was overshooting."
"[Regret/unintended harm. Appreciation for sturdy/self-contained/trans-substantive pattern. Tools/echoes/evocations utilized/sung/spun beyond design/amplitude/scale]," she shoots back, making it sound like she's casting a spell and getting a look of wide eyed winder Harrowmont. He'd probably be less sanguine if he understood the words to be something like. 'Oops sorry, I'm using construction tools for fine sculpture.'
4 Healing patches used -> Now at 10/14
Thankfully she manages to take a lighter touch on Lydia whose only response is a small wince as she takes a single healing patch. Maybe they won't run out after all.
Lydia's intelligence temporarily increased to 7 Lydia takes 1 Bashing Damage -> Now at 11/12
1 Healing patch used -> Now at 9/14
Alas judging judging from the cursing coming from Harry as he stumbles against the wall things to not continue to go as well, though as a mark of progress he does keep his feet and he's not bleeding. Ah... no here it comes, crying blood for him. Good reason not to use this in a fight, that could obstruct vision.
Harry's intelligence temporarily increased to 10 Harry takes 3 Bashing Damage -> Now at 4/7
4 Healing patch used -> Now at 5/24
One has to hand it to Harrowmont, he's not backing down, just bracing for the moment, starting a little when the first thing to touch him is your cold hand on his shoulder and... His eyes roll back in his head and he would have collapsed onto the desk if you had not been supporting him. As you apply almost as many patches as you had used you look towards Oliver Adkin's distressingly fragile frame. "Maybe you should hold off sir, we don't have that many..."
Harrowmont's intelligence temporarily increased to 12 10 (Capped) Harrowmont takes 7 Bashing Damage -> Now at 0/7 (Unconcious)
2 healing patches used -> Now at 3/14
"I don't know what you are girl, I do know she is something, someone many students of the Kabbalah would either propitiate themselves before or flee in terror and I am enough of an alchemist to know those healing poultices are uncommon in more than you walking into the lady's room to aquire a dozen of them. In all my years I have never stood on the precipice of a battle more portentous than this and if it be my fate to sacrifice health or life to ensure the side of light and law takes the field so be it." Were he a younger man or one more given to bragging you might have thought this grandstanding, but there is no give in his posture, no challance in rheumy eyes among the mass of wrinkles.
And it looks like you are not the only one to think so. Tiffany nods to herself thoughtfully and when she reaches out it is with a miracle less blunt and more long lasting. Bone shifts and reforms under muscle that is growing back up, skin is cleared of spots and eyes made clear. For a moment his posture does not change, still the same delicate care, then he stretches out his hand, fingers splayed by the light of the sputtering many-colored lantern, he straightens his posture and bones to not creak. "Ah almost enough to get me looking for my old cavalry saber."
Oliver Adkin restored to Perception 2 Stamina 2
Tiffany uses 1 Faith -> Now at 1/3
Like Lydia Adkin barely seems to feel the pain of mind opening, seeming to shake off the pain. He si paying less attention to getting healed than to Alexander Harrowmont, slowly and rather sheepishly coming to. "Well lad time to strike the books as they say here in these United States."
Adkin's intelligence temporarily increased to 8 Adkin takes 2 Bashing Damage -> Now at 5/7
1 Healing patch used -> Now at 2/14
A few smiles show fliker on the faces of the others, but one corrects him. You are all too busy cracking open books, pulling out notepads and pancils, studying the geometry of the chamber. Time to set this city back in order.
OOC: Given how pivotal it will be for him one way or another I want to do the ritual from Harrowmont's PoV as an interlude so I had to break this off here. The interlude will hopefully come today. As for the tune-up for Adkin, that was voted previously, but this is where it fit in.
