Not quite a Negaverse but something fun regardless.
Skullgirls & Symbiotes
GM: As you look around the place the Theonite detectors last went off you see a long figure approaching the MART station and attached trainyard.
Valentine: Can we roll Perception to see if it's the Skullgirl?
GM: Sure. Low DC, but details will be limited as the figure is still a bit away.
*The Party Rolls*
GM: You see the newest Skullgirl, dressed in a maid outfit, she looks young. She will be close enough to detect you soon. What do you do?
Christmas: Right, is there any cover around?
GM: There's some trees around and maybe some scattered bushes but nothing too substantial, perhaps a dirt mound near the perimeter road.
Hallow: But I thought we were in a trainyard? Shouldn't there be more cover, like cargo or unused train cars?
GM: No, the Skullgirl is heading towards the trainyard but not quite there yet, remember, you detected them on approach. Do you want to head there for the better cover?
Easter: We could, but that would mean that the Skullgirl would also have access to cover, and more importantly, the trains. So we might just have to make do.
Patty: Yeah, that is a major intersection, so she could use it to go anywhere. Especially if we lose her in there. I vote we try to deal with this out here.
Hallow: The lack of cover sucks but the risk of the Skullgirl escaping is worse.
Christmas: At least there is still some cover, instead of none. I say we stay, Val?
Valentine: No objections from me. Stealth rolls?
GM: If you're sure. Unknown DC for hiding.
*Everyone Rolls*
Valentine: Shit, low roll, at least I still have a decent modifier. Everyone else rolled great though.
GM: Okay... Everyone finds cover a bit off the Skullgirls path, except for you Valentine, the tree you picked is unfortunately directly over her path. You hold your breath as the Skullgirl gets closer and closer, before the she stops just before Valentine's tree. She appears to be really thin, like she hasn't eaten in a while, almost corpselike. *Rolls dice* She tilts her head as if listening to someone. What do you do?
Valentine: Well, it appears that my cover is blown. But she might not realise that the rest of you are there. We should be able to get a surprise round against her while she is off guard. Especially if I distract her, by jumping out of the tree, that way I can start within 5 feet of the Skullgirl and give the rest of us Advantage.
Easter: The malnutrition should also give us an advantage in the fight. Valentine might even be able to convince the Skullgirl that we are just hunger hallucinations.
Hallow: We can also use the opportunity to ready ourselves attack for Advantage when rolling Initiative if the GM lets us.
Patty: Everyone rolls for Initiative, but holds their turn until Valentine goes, I can work with this. Call it in while Valentine distracts her Christmas?
Christmas: Sure. While Valentine does her thing I radio back to HQ "I've got eyes on her, out in the open and heading to the MART station. We'll intercept before she gets there." Then I prepare to attack.
Valentine: I jump out of cover and in front of the Skullgirl what do I see?
GM: Are you sure you want to do that?
Valentine: Well my cover's blown anyway, so might as well use myself as distraction for the others.
GM: Alright then... Roll for Initiative everyone, and yes you all get Advantage. *Some rolls and organization later* As specified Valentine goes first.
Valentine: I move to within 5 feet of the Skullgirl, and then attempt a distraction with the Help action. How does it go?
GM: Right... you jump out in front of the Skullgirl in an attempt to distract her and set up your allies. Getting close enough to count her ribs, her
exposed ribs.
Patty: You already said she hadn't eaten in a while. That's not new.
GM: I don't mean exposed like her ribcage is visible through her skin. I mean exposed as in, the Skullgirl is an undead that is missing most of her spine. So everyone needs to roll for Legendary Action Fearful Presence, Valentine gets disadvantage for literally seeing the Skullgirl's bones.
Valentine: And I just put myself in melee. Fuck.
*Everyone Rolls, the dice are middling, except Valentine's, she gets both a natural 20 and a natural 1*
GM: Everyone fails, and gets the Frightened condition. Valentine, while the Nat 20 is great, Disadvantage means we go with the lower of the two, the Nat 1 means you are also Stunned until the end of your turn. The Skullgirl goes next, she looks you up and down and says "Don't you all get cold in outfits like that?"
Christmas: But Hallow and Patty were only one point behind Valentine in initiative, and we all rolled well.
Easter: And what about Valentine's distraction?
GM: Technically, the Skullgirl tied with both of them for initiative, and had a higher modifier than both of them combined, so that means she goes first. Also, that was the Skullgirl's entire turn. I just declared that the distraction succeeded using GM fiat, also I am ruling that due to that the effects of Frightened don't apply for this turn. I suggest running. Hallow?
Hallow: Can I make a distraction as well? So that Valentine has time to run? She's still stunned right?
GM: Unfortunately yes, but the Skullgirl has dismissed her as an active threat so won't attack her if any of you successfully do anything threatening. Yes, successful attacks count as distractions in this case.
Hallow: Then I use my action to attack the Skullgirl, then move to a better piece of cover. *Rolls dice*
GM: You missed, the Skullgirl uses her Legendary Action to attack you back. She catches the syringe and attempts to throw it back at you, with Disadvantage for the unfamiliar weapon. *Rolls Dice* Your cover means that she misses your AC by one despite her bonuses and it rips up your sleeve instead. Patty?
Patty: I want to go up to the Skullgirl and attempt a trip action. It would make running away easier for Valentine.
GM: ...The GM asks 'Are You Sure?'
Patty: Not really, but what else can we do? Hallow was the only one of us with a ranged attack, and I'm not leaving Valentine out there with the Stunned condition to take the Skullgirl's attack alone. This is also the only round in which we can get closer to Valentine given the Frightened condition and the fact that she is standing next to the Skullgirl. Might as well so something useful while I'm there. So, yes, I am doing this.
GM: *Sighs* Okay then, make your roll.
Patty: *Rolls dice* And given it's lower than Hallow's, that's a miss. I assume that I'm being hit with a Legendary Action Attack?
GM: Yeah. *Rolls dice* That's a hit. First successful attack from the Skullgirl this combat. Now for damage. *Rolls more dice*
Christmas: Holy crap, that's a lot of dice. That's as many as me when I crit, and that's the entire point of my combat build.
GM: Well, you were the ones who decided to fight the endgame boss despite the warnings. And I think that is the same number as Patty's entire HP pool.
Patty: Yep, it is. Reduces me to zero exactly. I'm down?
GM: I'll just say that when you bring your IV pole down to sweep the leg the Skullgirl slams it down sending the other end straight into your jaw, giving you a severe concussion, the type that comes with a migrane, double vision, ringing ears, dizziness, etc. So in effect you are reduced to one hit point and get the Incapacitated condition until you regain at least one more hit point. That way you can still keep moving, and maybe help in later rounds.
Patty: At least that's better than going to death saves, looks like I'm going to be mostly useless until I get to Hallow. Unless... Hallow your syringes allow you to heal at range don't they?
Hallow: I need to make a roll to hit you or I do damage, but yes I can do that. I even go before you so you should be able to act fully on your next turn.
GM: I'll let you auto-succeed the roll for that, Patty's currently only standing by using her IV pole as a crutch, you've had harder targets in basic training. But that's next turn, it's Christmas up next.
Christmas: And I've got a plan. First, I go to the spot directly opposite Patty. Then I attack with my Scalpel, the fact that Patty is up and not Stunned means that I count a flanking. That means that I get the flat-footed bonus as well as the ability to choose a critical effect to apply even if I miss. *Rolls dice* Yes, Natural 20, that means that I get the full effects of a critical. This means that I get extra precision damage and two effects critical effects instead of one. *Rolls more dice* Hah, max damage, and for my critical effects I choose persistent bleed damage and to half the Skullgirl's speed while she is bleeding. And that means-
GM: CHRISTMAS!
Christmas: What!
GM: You do remember that undead are immune to both bleed and precision damage, right?
Christmas: ...
GM: Also that ability is if the other person is not Incapacitated, not just Stunned, which for the record, also causes you to be Incapacitated. You corrected me on it last session.
Christmas: *Checks rulebook* Crap... you're right. *Sighs* And the ability to apply critical damage through immunities is next level, not this one.
GM: Do you want to re-do your turn?
Christmas: No, No. This one's on me. I should have remembered, especially when the rulebook was open on the correct page in front of me. Just have my character be overwhelmed by everything and make a bad call, I was the one calling HQ so missing the fact that the Skullgirl is undead until after my attack lands is plausible. I guess I eat a Legendary Action Attack now?
GM: *Rolls dice* That's a hit, so you stab the Skullgirl with your scalpel and the Skullgirl rips it out and stabs you back. *Rolls more dice* That's you down, there's supposed to be more damage from a damage reflection thing the Skullgirl has here but since that might kill you instantly I'll ignore it for the good sportsmanship.
Christmas: Thanks. So that was a mess.
Valentine: Don't you mean a miss? *Everyone laughs*
Christmas: I hit the Skullgirl, first damage done so that's debatable. What are you doing Easter?
Easter: Joining all you fools in melee range with the Skullgirl so we can technically say we surrounded them and attempting a grapple, with a bonus from my body bag. Should neuter the Skullgirls turn. Then before running Hallow can heal Patty, allowing her to run. I delay my next turn to after Valentine's. Valentine picks up Christmas and runs. Then I release the body bag and run as well, this way only I have to take an Attack of Opportunity and I have the highest health. Sound good?
GM: Sure, if it works I'll just say that the Skullgirl has more important things to do and decides not to give chase. I'll even allow you to avoid the Attack of Opportunity if you leave the body bag behind when you run, the Skullgirl spends the chance getting out of the body bag instead. Opposed roll for the grapple?
Easter: *Rolls dice* Nice, a high roll. *GM rolls dice, frowns, then proceeds to reroll several before their face flattens and they manually changing the number displayed*
GM: *Ignoring the fact that he just messed with the dice* So you get the Skullgirl into the body bag and are attempting to pin her down. Now it is Valentine's turn, but she is stunned and can't do anything for now. Unless any of she has any objections?
Valentine: Nope. But how hard did you just fudge the dice?
GM: I have no idea what you are talking about. On a completely unrelated note, the dice seem to hate the party tonight. Anyway it's the Skullgirls turn and she proceeds to cast a spell. A giant skeletal hand reaches out to grab Easter and force her off the skullgirl. Strength save Easter, for half damage and to avoid being moved. You have Advantage as the Skullgirl is casting while you are holding her down. *Rolls dice, a smaller size than specified for the spell, they roll high anyway*
Easter: At least that isn't too much damage. *Rolls a 2 and a 3, obvious failures*
GM: *With an overly straight face* Oops. *The Party snickers as the GM proceeds blatantly knocks the dice off the table* I missed that, reroll please?
Easter: *Suppressing giggles* O-okay. *Both dice land on a 1, critical failures that double damage*
GM: *Lets out a sigh that morphs into laughter* You know what, I'm done. Easter the hand pulls you off and breaks some bones, at least one rib. You're down. At this point the Skullgirl speaks "You can come out now." An obvious offer of surrender, do you take it?
Valentine: Yes.
Patty: Obviously.
Easter: Duh.
Hallow: I come out of my hiding place with my hands up.
Christmas: Not like we have much of a choice.
GM: Then the Skullgirl waves a hand and a glowing portal appears. "Go through that and take your friends with you," says the Skullgirl "If I have a use for you, I'll let you out. Behave, and I might let you
stay out." Valentine and Hallow pick up Christmas and Easter and move them on through, Patty stumbles in by herself. Inside you see a featureless white void with food, water and the medical supplied needed to keep Christmas and Easter alive. Valentine and Hallow are able to heal up Christmas and Easter while Patty can heal herself, probably by getting help from one of the others and then sitting down and waiting until the world stops spinning. Healing everyone will take up all the supplies and they vanish when used up. We will start next week's session with everyone at full health and sitting around debriefing.
Valentine: Out of curiosity, what was your plan for this session?
GM: You were supposed to detect the Skullgirl and then retreat into the trainyard. Then there would have been a game of cat and mouse as you try to keep track of the Skullgirl without being found out, and she tries to find out what's following her. Direct combat with the Skullgirl was supposed to end in disaster as you have seen but she would not have been all that interested in chasing you. Eventually the Skullgirl would get on a train to New Meridian and you would report in and take the following train. Then the campaign would have transitioned into an investigative one as you try to find out where in New Meridian the Skullgirl has hidden herself and stop whatever she is doing. But instead you decided to fight the end boss early and now I have to figure out where the campaign will go from here. If you have more questions ask, otherwise, good session.
The Party: Same.
AN: Originally each of the last hope and the GM were supposed to have names, but I thought that would be too confusing. I am leaving them here for posterity though. GM: George, Valentine: Valerie, Christmas: Christine, Hallow: Heather, Easter: Eliza, Patty: Patty.
