NorseQuest (A Norse Xianxia)

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

I'm going to need a Tactics roll, please. 12 dice

Click to shrink...

Sure.

EDIT: Our history of rolling absurdly on these continues. That's 17 successes on the dice, 31 with Analysis and Skill, maybe a tad more from this being round 2.

DeadmanwalkingXI threw 12 6-faced dice. Reason: Tactics Total: 50

 

[I.F. Ister]

Spoiler: Directly Help Kare

[X] "Those you have wronged are no warriors, mostly women and children, in truth. If your sister was wronged, would you want Griss to bring her along to seek vengeance against a man like you, a Third Grade Berserk who has shown no compunction about attacking and enthralling a woman? What of one of your retainers wives or daughters kidnapped away into thralldom and then freed, would you bring her into the din of battle to no purpose? Or children no more than seven winters old? Those are the sort of people in my service who you have wronged. It is the place of warriors in their household to avenge slights against those who are no warriors, as some are not."

[X] Plan Directly Help Kare
-[X] Orders: Tell Stigmar to take to the air with us and the archers to abandon the rocks, have Magni and Trausti secure our men's footing against mud with their Hugareida and grab Eysteinn and Tryggr and go to keep Griss's men busy while trying not to kill them, ask Abjorn to go handle Kjallakr and keep him from being a problem with his ranged and area-of-effect abilities (using his flight item to close), and bring Stigmar along with us and Kare to force our way through to Jogrim.
-[X] Goal: Take to the air and personally target Jogrim using Flashfire Cleave trying to use Dead Air to suppress his and other uses of Shattering Scream, while wrecking his armor and using our disabling Tricks to set him up for Kare to kill him. If he uses Mirror Waltz to return attacks at us, that's when we use Contested Movement to counter that effect and wreck his armor or disable him as appropriate.
-[X] Shapeshifts: Adrenaline Rush x5, Dense Muscles x2, Increased Lung Capacity x1, Strengthened Bone Structure x1, Supported Grip x1,
-[X] Utility Tricks: Ember-Winged Cloak, Dead Air (adding **1 Odr**),
-[X] Defensive Tricks: Reinforce Shield, Explosive-Reactive Armor, Slowing Slog, Stutter-Step, Contested Movement (17d6+16 including minimal Stoked Pool), Semi-Halting Vortex (to deal with multiple simultaneous attacks), Time Stands Still (only in an emergency, such as to defend against another Finale),
-[X] Offensive Tricks: Devouring Blaze, Flashfire Cleave, Shatter-Wrist Trick, Stunner Slam, Tendon Cut,
-[X] Orthstirr: 20 Levels
-[X] Stoked Pool: Burn at least 8 on each Contested Movement, and make sure to keep the total below 63 by using it either there or on Stoker State Tricks.
-[X] Other: Activating Sharpen, Stoker State Level 4, Lightning-Charged on Sagaseeker, and Puncture on Tricks, and use quick-drawn Shields as needed for defense (especially against ranged attacks like Fleinns, and we will only use Stutter Step if this is not an option). Using Sundersight.

0~0~0

"None of the Slavs are warriors, mostly women and children," your words ring out in answer across the would-be battlefield as silence reigns supreme. All eyes fall on you as you speak, "If your sister had been wronged, would you have Griss bring her along to seek vengeance against a man like yourself? A Third Grade Berserk?" You shake your head and sigh, plucking at a slightly different thread, "What if one of your retainer's wives or daughters were kidnapped away and then freed? Would you bring her or children no more than seven winters old into battle, to face off with a man more powerful than any they'd seen before?"

After a moment's thought, the wind whistles as Jogrim lifts his head to look you in the steely eye, "But we are not talking of women and children, we are speaking of men, of warriors." A finger points towards the sky as Jogrim sets his jaw and plants his feet, "I ask you of the one called Kazimir, a man absent among your ranks. A real man, a dreng, should be willing to die for his honor. Even if he lacked the courage to fight me himself, he should've still shown up!" Spreading his arms wide, his voice booms across the battlefield like a storm looming on the horizon, "If a man is meant to die, then there is no saving him! If a man is meant to live, then no arrows will find their mark nor will swords cut flesh! A real man should be willing to die for his honor, for he knows his death is certain either way!"

As Jogrim's words flee his mouth and his jaw snaps shut, three things happen at once. Born of a thousand hours of fighting together, side by side, Jogrim and Kjallakr's arms swing up with hugareida sparking to life in a shower of blue and green orthstirr. Just as they act, Kare's lips peel back into a growl as his naked sword darts forward like lightning across the sky.
(Attack: 23+42=65 vs Defense: 18+15=33, Attacker Wins! 8+4(Wolf)+3-3=12 Damage!)
Neck's blood paints Kare red as he advances past the falling body. Time trickles into slow motion as the Berserk next in line from the now dead man twists and lifts his weapons in defense. Kare growls, teeth and snout coated in the deadman's lifeblood, as the horns of Ragnarok roar loose around you.

Moving like Garm was on his heels, Jogrim's palm fills with dust as a wave of the stuff washes out. Filling the distance between him and the boulder in an instant, a grinding sound flees the mass of silty gray as a single spark flies free from the friction of grain-on-grain.

Red fire reflects in an ocean of steel as your eyes widen to their limits.

And then, nothing.

You blink, a motion mirrored by Jogrim, as the both of you stare confused at the arrow as it carves through the explosion, rendering it ultimately harmless. The arrow rattles against the ground, bouncing once, twice, then rolling to a stop at the foot of the boulder.

A loud swallow pulls your gaze to the side, to where Joarr Halfdansson stands staring at his bow. Brows raised in utter surprise, he's as shocked as you are at what just happened.

Jogrim shakes his head, ridding himself of the shock and slight awe that left him so rattled, and resumes his fighting stance just as you do the same. Locking eyes with your foe, you drive a foot into the ground and throw yourself into the air at full speed. The boulder rocks back from the force of your launch, sending the archers atop it scrambling for balance—a slight mistake, you realize, but one you can't rectify in the middle of a fight.
(H1Trick Attack: 34+39+20=93 vs Defense: 31+36+25=92, Attacker Wins! Shield Sacrifice!)
Fire streaks from the blade of Sagaseeker as you hurtle across the sky like a meteor. Thunder cracks as you swing with all your might mere heartbeats before you hit the ground. Like a tidal wave, you crash against the rocks that are Jogrim's defense. His teeth grind together as his shield buckles beneath the impact, but he and his shield stand strong regardless.

One of Jogrim's men sees his chance and takes it. Racing forwards with sword held in both hands, the man lunges with all his might, only for the sudden appearance of a shield to stop it dead in its tracks!

While it's nothing that you'd have struggled against, it still would've stolen attention away from Jogrim, which could very well be a lethal mistake in this kind of fighting. With Stigmar singlehandedly holding any potential would-be helpers at bay, you're able to put all your strength towards ending the life of Jogrim.

But despite yourself, there's a certain sense in the back of your head, a certain voice whispering traitorous thoughts. As Jogrim pulls back to make his play, you can't help but feel that this is not your fight. No matter how hard you battle, how mighty your efforts, you won't be ending Jogrim on this day. Wound, almost certainly. Kill, it's a possibility. End? Not a chance.

Your eyes fall across the battlefield, to the person meant to slay the man before you. Kare Wolf-Seek trades blow after blow with the Berserk before him, his previous foe collapsed to the ground and choking on his own blood. Kare's sword clatters against bronze-rimmed shield as the Spear-Berserk pushes back, throwing Kare off his feet as one of Halfdan's men rushes forwards to take his place. The exchange is short, bloody, and brutal, with Halfdan's man bleeding from the kneecap and gasping around a punctured lung in a handful of heartbeats. Halfdan himself steps in to drag his man away from the fighting, all while warding away another pair of the Berserks.

A rabid, frenzied howl rips across the fighting ground as one of the Berserks enters Berserkergang and memories of Hooknails flash across your mind, but you're given no time to react as Jogrim jabs forth with spear in hand. Lightning wraps around the Storm Iron spear-blade as it carves through the air, the smell of burnt ozone sharp in your nose.
(J2Attack: 18+26+25=69 vs Defense: 25+31+20=76, Defender Wins!)
Skin singes from just how close the shock-wrapped spear passes to your face, but you pull yourself aside just in time to catch the attack on your helm. Eyeing your foe with new appreciation, your dig your heels into the ground and throw yourself into an attack of your own.
(H2Attack: 30+39+20=89 vs Defense: 37+36+25=98, Defender Wins!)
Fire sparks in your palm as Jogrim reacts just in time. A perfectly time duck sends the burst of flame sailing clear into the distance. Striking against a tree trunk, a spray of splinters is all the reward of your strength.

Jogrim's hide-wrapped feet strike against the ground as he rides the momentum into a spear thrust. Lightning arcs as the spear flies free, bolts frying the ground beneath its passage.
(J3Attack: 33+26+25=84 vs Defense: 27+31+20=78, Attacker Wins! Shield Sacrifice!)
A flick of the wrist draws a shield from soul-storage as Jogrim's eyes narrow from behind his helmet. As his spear impacts with the hide-bound wood, a twist of the spear sends forth a shower of sharp shards of glass. Raining down against your shield, it shreds the hide while digging deep pockmarks in the wood, rendering it effectively useless as Jogrim wrenches the spear free for another pass.

But you don't let him. Sensing an opportunity, you toss your ruined shield aside, take hold of Sagaseeker with both hands, and drive your next blow not towards Jogrim, but his spear.
(H3Attack: 28+39+20=87 vs Defense: 39+36+25=100, Defender Wins!)
Pulling his spear back just in time, he manages to avoid Sagaseeker's ire only to set himself up perfectly for your next attack. Jogrim's shield is of a very good quality and it's doing more than enough to annoy you, but Jogrim is too good of a fighter to just let you batter away at it. He ducks and dodges, weaving around your strikes as you try to lock him down. Pulling his spear back leaves him slightly off-balance, but the same also applies to you and Sagaseeker.

However, you've got strengthened wrists thanks to your shapeshifting prowess, meaning you can recover far quicker than Jogrim can. Bringing your superior speed to bear, you dart forwards with orthstirr coating your weapon in your crimson hue.
(H4Trick Attack: 38+42+20=100 vs Defense: 29+36+25=90, Attacker Wins! Shield Sacrifice Negated by Trick! Wrist Broken!)
The shield does its job by protecting Jogrim from your weapon. What it doesn't, do, however, is protect him from the surge of orthstirr drilling through the linen-bound wood and directly into his wrist.

A sharp snap rings out as his shield slips free from suddenly limp fingers and falling to the ground. Stumbling back, Jogrim grips his teeth as his broken wrist musters what strength it still has, his weakened hand managing to just about draw the sword from his hip.

In the time it took for him to do that, however, your superior speed once more rearing its fearsome head as you hound him across the killing grounds.

It is said that a man without a shield is a dead man and, though you have your qualms with that message, it isn't entirely wrong. A shield provides you with the opportunity to make mistakes that don't cost you life or limb. It's a comforting presence on the battlefield, an assurance against danger. To suddenly lack it is a shock to the sense and a blow to the morale. More than a few men have turned tail and fled at the breaking of their shield, you've seen it yourself on many a battleground.

Pulling Sagaseeker back for another powerful blow, you aim to see just how true that saying is as Jogrim prepares to receive your strike.
(H5Attack: 27+39+20=86 vs Defense: 33+30+25=88, Defender Wins!)
Sagaseeker sends sparks flying as he screeches across Jogrim's helm as he barely dodges out of the way. Jogrim's leg snaps out, driving against the ground as he grits his teeth and fills his lungs to the fullest. As his mouth opens wide, you realize exactly what he's about to do.
(J4 Trick Attack: 27+37+25=89 vs Trick Defense: 31+31+20=82, Attacker Wins! Defender Stunned!)
You muster the wind to your will and direct it in defense, but Dead Air was never meant for defense—let alone against sound itself.

Your ears cry out in pain as your eyes screw shut and your hands clap against the side of your head. Though Dead Air failed to protect you from the Shattering Scream, in the instant before your eyelids fell, you saw that it managed to keep your friends safe from the blast.
(J5 Trick Attack vs Stunned Defense, Attacker Auto-Wins! Reinforce Shield!)
If it weren't for your good thinking before the battle even began, your armor would've just taken significant damage. Fortunately, you're a rather intelligent person, so you made certain that your armor had a healthy serving of Reinforce Shield to keep it safe. It was that trick that kept you safe and it was that trick that allowed you to back off and regain your bearings.

(Round Break: Reinforce Shield!)
0~0~0
(Tactics: 17+14+1(Rounds)) 32 Successes, damn

The battle is still up in the air, as there has been blood on both sides, but you have the advantage so far. Notable events are as follows:

Kjallakr, it turns out, had imbibed blood of some manner of mud beast. Unfortunately for him, Abjorn is used to dealing with foes made of malleable substances—thanks to his spars with you—and knew just how to get around such a defense: namely, hit them faster than they can shift. Abjorn managed to break Kjallakr's elbow before he turned the ground to mud, but the arm turned to mud before Abjorn could rip it off the bastard. Still, Kjallakr is more than on the back foot with Abjorn in hot pursuit.

Trausti caught a spear-throw early in the fight—which entered through his palm and out of his elbow—and had to pull back as his right hand had been rendered useless. Healing with an Aspect, he'll be back in the thick of it in the next stage of combat thanks to Tryggr keeping him safe from any further danger, though Tryggr wasn't able to engage Griss' men.

Jordan and Eric fought together to keep any more foes from getting in Kare's way, managing to wound three in the process.

Kurt, with a blow that surprised everyone around him including himself, managed to cleave a Berserk's shoulder clean off his body. Of course, that immediately threw the Berserk into Berserkergang, but with only the one arm, Kurt was able to fend off the powerful blows as Sten bounds across the battlefield, aiming to lend him aid in the next stage of combat.

Halfdan's men, unfortunately, each fell after taking sword, axe, and spear blows to vital organs. Halfdan, in a show of surprising agility, managed to fend off any opportunistic attackers while dragging his men to safety. Healing with their Aspects, they'll be back in the next round of the battle.

Alvis nearly fell off the boulder after you kicked it, but Joarr's timely actions managed to pull him back just before he did.

-~-~-

You definitely have the advantage in your battle with Jogrim, though that was never in doubt. Now wielding a weapon in either hand, he'll be making his attacks quicker than before and, judging from his body language, he'll be pouring on the pressure next round. As best you can tell, he's going to be stoking one of his Aspects and using that, plus the rest of his Orthstirr supply, in the next round.

He's aiming to try and take you alive, so he can force the rest of your men and allies to back away under threat of your death. Kare will either be through with his foe this round or the next after, but he'll be through soon enough.

Sundersight Reading:
-Jogrim used half of his orthstirr supply—barring his Aspects—in the initial round and will likely either be reining it back or using an Aspect to keep up the pressure. He won't be able to keep up this pace for longer than a small handful of rounds.
-He's overly reliant on having support to back him up in fights, meaning that he's at something of a loss here as Stigmar is single-handedly keeping any support from reaching him.

(He's using ~35–40 Orthstirr in the next round)

Endurance: (19/19) | Frenzy: (8/8) (+8 to all Combat Rolls) | Armor: (21/21) (+9 to Defense Rolls)
Orthstirr: (45/65) | Odr: (43)
( ) Frami: 22 | ( ) Virthing: 22 | ( ) Saemd: 21
Your Combat Dice Pool for Basic Moves is 8d6

What do you do?
[ ] Plan Name
-[ ] Goal: Write in
-[ ] Tricks: Write in up to Capacity (14)
-[ ] Orthstirr: Write in


0~0~0

AN: Sorry for this taking so long to get out. For whatever reason, I've been suffering from insomnia for the past couple days and that's been screwing with me something fierce.

15-minute moratorium.

 

[Alectai]

These doots have been on fire with the new schedule, very nice.

 

[I.F. Ister]

These doots have been on fire with the new schedule, very nice.

Click to shrink...

Thank you very much.

Voting is now open

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

Yeah, these updates have been great.

So, tactically, what do we actually want to do here? I think we want to burn a whole pile of Orthstirr so he doesn't just outspend us, but beyond that...I'm really not sure. Keep going with the disabling blows but be ready with at least one killing blow in case Kare can't pull it off? Anyone have any clever ideas beyond that?

 

[KittyEmpress]

So, tactically, what do we actually want to do here? I think we want to burn a whole pile of Orthstirr so he doesn't just outspend us, but beyond that...I'm really not sure. Keep going with the disabling blows but be ready with at least one killing blow in case Kare can't pull it off? Anyone have any clever ideas beyond that?

Click to shrink...

I know it won't be what you want to do; but time stands still to slip away from Joe and kill the man holding Kare back is my first thought. Maybe the berserkergang guy too, so Sten and Kurt can focus elsewhere. Then we gang up and play like we are Stigmar for a bit; all in on intercepting and defending Kare as he fights Joe.

 

[Oshha]

Anyone have any clever ideas beyond that?

Click to shrink...

I think we should keep him from taking us hostage as our main priority. The rest of the battle appears to be going favourably for us and taking us hostage is basically the only way Jogrim can win or we can lose. We don't need to beat Jogrim, that will ultimately be Kare's job. So avoid getting taken hostage, soften up Jogrim and keep Kare from getting killed.

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

I know it won't be what you want to do; but time stands still to slip away from Joe and kill the man holding Kare back is my first thought. Maybe the berserkergang guy too, so Sten and Kurt can focus elsewhere. Then we gang up and play like we are Stigmar for a bit; all in on intercepting and defending Kare as he fights Joe.

Click to shrink...

I'm at least partially against the final part of that (I think we should keep taking disabling shots at the very least), but using TSS to remove threats has potential assuming we're not in 'Norns Object' territory. Which...I have no idea if we are, honestly. Probably not?

I think we should keep him from taking us hostage as our main priority. The rest of the battle appears to be going favourably for us and taking us hostage is basically the only way Jogrim can win or we can lose. We don't need to beat Jogrim, that will ultimately be Kare's job. So avoid getting taken hostage, soften up Jogrim and keep Kare from getting killed.

Click to shrink...

This is a fair point, and a potential reason not to use TSS offensively...it's a great 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card against something like being taken hostage. We could technically use it twice, but that's getting really pricey...

Of course, if we free Kare up to join us, we likely aren't getting taken hostage anyway.

 

[wrecksalot]

Wait, he's increasing the tempo of his attacks, so Atgeir Counter-Stab would probably be good here. Not sure if attack spam still helps in this system, but just getting to roll like twice as many attacks should be helpful, since it increases the chances that he rolls low and we roll high.

 

[Oshha]

I'm at least partially against the final part of that (I think we should keep taking disabling shots at the very least), but using TSS to remove threats has potential assuming we're not in 'Norns Object' territory. Which...I have no idea if we are, honestly. Probably not?



This is a fair point, and a potential reason not to use TSS offensively...it's a great 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card against something like being taken hostage. We could technically use it twice, but that's getting really pricey...

Of course, if we free Kare up to join us, we likely aren't getting taken hostage anyway.

Click to shrink...

I'm inclined to suggest that we focus on the defensive. We aren't killing Jogrim so we don't need to go for the kill and we can soften him up for Kare to finish off by letting him expend his Orthstirr on us. Additionally, focusing on the defensive should make it hard for Jogrim to take us hostage, which is our lose condition and his win condition.

Also, I've been thinking about it and I feel we might not need to help Kare out with his current opponent. If this is meant to be a duel between Kare and Jogrim, then the guy trying to kill Kare will be fighting against fate to do it as we would be when trying to kill Jogrim. Then again, I don't have the best read on the narrative/fate/Norns aspect of stuff so I might be wrong.

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

I'm inclined to suggest that we focus on the defensive. We aren't killing Jogrim so we don't need to go for the kill and we can soften him up for Kare to finish off by letting him expend his Orthstirr on us. Additionally, focusing on the defensive should make it hard for Jogrim to take us hostage, which is our lose condition and his win condition.

Also, I've been thinking about it and I feel we might not need to help Kare out with his current opponent. If this is meant to be a duel between Kare and Jogrim, then the guy trying to kill Kare will be fighting against fate to do it as we would be when trying to kill Jogrim. Then again, I don't have the best read on the narrative/fate/Norns aspect of stuff so I might be wrong.

Click to shrink...

So, the thing about this is that the more turns this lasts the worse for us. We want Jogrim dead, but there are a lot of people here we don't want dead or hurt, and even of Jogrim's guys, the more we kill the more weregild and enemies we're talking about. The longer this takes the more casualties on both sides mount which is actively bad for us. And this is a way to make the fight take more time, not less.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Also, I've been thinking about it and I feel we might not need to help Kare out with his current opponent. If this is meant to be a duel between Kare and Jogrim, then the guy trying to kill Kare will be fighting against fate to do it as we would be when trying to kill Jogrim. Then again, I don't have the best read on the narrative/fate/Norns aspect of stuff so I might be wrong.

Click to shrink...

We've basically had it confirmed Kare will make it to the fight. The idea of TSSing to get him there faster is just so he's more rested, less wounded, and more ready to act. With Joe having spent two aspects, I feel tactically fine with spending one on a Finale. But knowing what Mirror Waltz does, I'd wanna go for our perfected one and target someone else.

Thus they idea of taking down a couple of Joe's men, so we can gang up more fully.

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

Hmmm. A few of questions/comments @Imperial Fister:

1. Going through the numbers I think there's a problem with our Basics. It's not a huge deal in isolation, but unless we rolled really badly, I don't think our x1.5 on the roll for Basic Attacks and Defenses was getting added, which is something we definitely need to get added in long term. Not a huge deal if it gets forgotten once, but we invested pretty heavily in it, so it getting forgotten long term would suck.

2. Having experienced his Stunning Effect, how many shapeshifts would likely be needed to resist it? We had one devoted to that which appears not to have been enough, but can we tell how many would be enough? It's probably not worth it, but knowing would be good.

3. Since it's under discussion, would using TSS be valid now? I'm thinking yes, but it seems reasonable to check.

4. Do we know how resistant to flames a person in the throes of Berserkergang actually is? Would 20 damage be enough to kill them? 30? What are we talking here? Or do we not know?

 

[I.F. Ister]

1.

Click to shrink...

Oh darn, I guess that's what happens when you're a bit sleep deprived. I'll do better next time, I'm sorry.

2.

Click to shrink...

See above. I forgot you had that shapeshift active, my apologies.

3.

Click to shrink...

Sure!

4.

Click to shrink...

Berserkergang makes you immune to fire and blades, if I'm recalling correctly

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

Oh darn, I guess that's what happens when you're a bit sleep deprived. I'll do better next time, I'm sorry.

Click to shrink...

No worries, just mentioning it.

See above. I forgot you had that shapeshift active, my apologies.

Click to shrink...

In fairness, we only had one slot of it, and it says 'resistant' not immune. Ruling one single shapeshift doesn't shut down a whole style is reasonable. It probably should have given some sort of bonus on the defense, but a +5 would be a great bonus, and still mean we lost.

Sure!

Click to shrink...

Sweet.

Berserkergang makes you immune to fire and blades, if I'm recalling correctly

Click to shrink...

The exact text you gave us was immune to weapons and resistant to fire, and we killed Hooknails with a Fire Finale, so there's some amount of fire that gets through. Of course, that amount might easily be 'requires a finale'...

 

[I.F. Ister]

In fairness, we only had one slot of it, and it says 'resistant' not immune. Ruling one single shapeshift doesn't shut down a whole style is reasonable. It probably should have given some sort of bonus on the defense, but a +5 would be a great bonus, and still mean we lost.

Click to shrink...

+5 works for me, yeah.

The exact text you gave us was immune to weapons and resistant to fire, and we killed Hooknails with a Fire Finale, so there's some amount of fire that gets through. Of course, that amount might easily be 'requires a finale'...

Click to shrink...

Right, right. They take half damage from fire

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

+5 works for me, yeah.


Right, right. They take half damage from fire

Click to shrink...

Cool. That works.

 

[Shard]

Hey Blackhand,

1) You've mentioned it before, but have you ever seen or heard of someone survive their head getting lopped off in a fight? Like, not Bodily-Dead even.
2) How was it meeting Hasvir?
3) Also how are you chill these days?

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

Okay, tentative plan using TSS to disable a bunch of people around the battlefield and take out Kare's current opponent so he can actually join us.

[X] Plan Time Stop Disabling

-[X] Goal: Stoke Saemd to use Time Stands Still and, while time is stopped, use 4Fold Eyeshine Blind on Kjallakr and Griss's men, then a 3Fold Tendon Slice to disable Griss's people somewhat more (making it easier for our people to keep them alive), use a 2Fold Inertia-Arresting Throw (spending 1 Odr on each) to trap Kjallakr and the man lost in the throes of berserkergang momentarily, giving Abjorn an opening and Sten time to get there, and use a Threadcutter (with follow-up Stoking Strike) on Kare's current opponent to take that guy out and allow him to join the fight more quickly. Once that is done, engage Jogrim with an emphasis on stripping his armor with Flashfire Cleave, lots of Atgeir Counter-Stabs, disabling him with Stunner Slam (especially to render him voiceless by hitting his diaphragm), Tendon Cut (to disarm him), and/or Eyeshine Blind, and otherwise creating openings for Kare to finish him off. We would also use our shield and/or Semi-Halting Vortex to protect Kare at need and use TSS again if absolutely necessary to avoid capture. Like last turn, if he counters any attack with Mirror Waltz, that's when we respond with Contested Movement. Once one of the earlier IATs is broken, we might well use one of those on Jogrim as well to make an opening for Kare.

-[X] Shapeshifts: Adrenaline Rush x4, Dense Muscles x4, Strengthened Bone Structure x1, Supported Grip x1,
-[X] Utility Tricks: Ember-Winged Cloak, Dead Air,
-[X] Defensive Tricks: Slowing Slog, Stutter-Step, Contested Movement (16d6+16 including minimal Stoked Pool), Semi-Halting Vortex (to deal with multiple simultaneous attacks), Atgeir Counter-Stab, Time Stands Still,
-[X] Offensive Tricks: Flashfire Cleave, Eyeshine Blind, Tendon Cut, Stunner Slam, Inertia-Arresting Throw, Threadcutter, Stoking Strike,
-[X] Orthstirr: Stoke Frami and spend 50 Levels
-[X] Stoked Pool: Burn at least 8 on each Contested Movement, and make sure to keep the total below 63 by using it either there or on Stoker State Tricks.
-[X] Other: Activating Sharpen, Stoker State Level 4, Lightning-Charged on Sagaseeker, and Puncture on Tricks, and use our Shield or a quick-drawn backup as needed for defense (we will only use Stutter Step if this is not an option). Using Sundersight. Use Banish The Night and Fight of Our Lives to give our allies a bonus.

I'm a little unsure Eyeshine Blind works in time-stop, but is should, damage persists and thus so should effects like blinding.

EDIT: Edited slightly to line up with the new rules noted below (mostly, we gained a Capacity in the changeover). Added Stunner Slam to potentially render him voiceless.

 

[I.F. Ister]

Hey Blackhand,

1) You've mentioned it before, but have you ever seen or heard of someone survive their head getting lopped off in a fight? Like, not Bodily-Dead even.
2) How was it meeting Hasvir?
3) Also how are you chill these days?

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1. 'I've heard of some manner of Irish warrior that could do that, though the details escape me now. Other than that, I've never seen it myself and I'd be rather surprised to. Cutting off someone's head tends to put them down, at least for a good while.'
2. 'I regret killing Hasvir, but I'd do it again if I had to make that choice again. There's not much else to say other than that.'
3. 'I'm not sure I follow.'

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

After some discussion in Discord a few changes have been made in the combat (and one non-combat) rules for NQ2 and/or added to the document when they were mentioned previously but not there. These are, in brief:

1. Father's Cindersoot Owl now gives a flat numerical bonus rather than a multiplier, for simplicity (this is found on our character sheet).
2. Stamina governs the number of rounds you can fight before suffering fatigue penalties.
3. Combat Infusion has been changed from giving a bonus to Basic Attacks and Defenses to granting bonuses to the Prowess stats, specifically +1 to each, starting at the top of the list and proceeding in order. This gives us some minor gains there. Credit to @KittyEmpress for coming up with this idea, it's very cool.
4. It has been noted what dual-wielding and wielding a two-handed weapon do in the new system (a two-handed weapon doubles the wielder's Pierce, but every round they wield it counts as two for Stamina purposes...plus, obviously, they can't use a shield...the shapeshift allowing wielding such a weapon in one hand removes both the benefits and penalties).
5. Crafting is not ever an action any more after this turn, not on its own anyway. It just costs variable amounts of Work.
6. Our ability to instantly replace shields via our Fylgja is limited to once per round. This is still really good (and found on the sheet), but worth noting. The shield rules also changed very slightly (current rules shown in the Iron Cost of Forging Things post along with Armor stats).

I also moved the NQ 2.0 post from the Threadmarks category to Informational.

EDIT: Forgot to note #6 here, edited it in.

 

[Mystic Pentagram]

[X] Plan Time Stop Disabling

I like this Plan.

"I ask you of the one called Kazimir, a man absent among your ranks. A real man, a dreng, should be willing to die for his honor. Even if he lacked the courage to fight me himself, he should've still shown up!"

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Yeah, i expected an answer like that. We probably should have worded better our speech, so we didn't give him an opening to doubt Kazimir honor.

This could create problems with our other retainers.

 

[DeadmanwalkingXI]

Yeah, i expected an answer like that. We probably should have worded better our speech, so we didn't give him an opening to doubt Kazimir honor.

This could create problems with our other retainers.

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Eh. All we did was say he wasn't a warrior which is, I think, objectively true. We can give him some combat training if he wants it, though.

 

[I.F. Ister]

I figure I might as well have you folks roll the dice now

Please roll a d20 for each of the fighters on your side, plus modifiers depending on how good they are. Equipment and rank provides immunity to a certain amount of failures.
Abjorn: +6
Stigmar: +5
Tryggr: +4
Trausti: +4
Kurt: +1
Kare: +6
Ingolf: +0
Eysteinn: +2
Alvis: +3
Magni: +3
Joarr: +2
Jordan: +4
Halfdan: +8
Eric: +6
Sten: +7
Steve: +3
Bob: +3
Phil: +3

Getting 9 or below is bad. 10 to 19 is decent, while 20+ is great


(Steve, Bob, and Phil are the names I've assigned to the men that Halfdan brought along)

 

[mythfan12]

Kurt honey let's try again to get you the big ones.

Edit: Not great but also not bad, I'll take it.

mythfan12 threw 1 20-faced dice. Reason: Kurt Total: 16