Dark Heresy -- Purge the Xenos

[Jak Snide]

"Well ain't that grand." Jim muttered in response to news about the door. At he could be thankful for the light and the imagined protecting it offered him. Now he could see anything he ended up beating with his maul, an all too real likelihood in his mind. As Leveticus began to chant his eyes nervously flickered to the side to see just what Ambrose was talking about.

(Against the better judgement of his player, Jim's going to look at those decorations on the wall there.)

[InquisitorChris]

(Against the better judgement of his player, Jim's going to look at those decorations on the wall there.)

Spoiler for Jim:

Spoiler:

You only get a couple of seconds to look due to what happens immediately thereafter, but you see that the whole wall, from top to bottom, is covered with stylized frescoes (think Aztec in style) that at one time may have been brightly colored. This particular one shows a woman being hurled into a pit. She doesn't seem to be struggling.

Leveticus will speak aloud, "The Emperor stands with us. A spiritu Dominatus Domine. A morte perpetua, Libra Nos.
That thou wouldst bring them only death, that thou shouldst spare none, that thou shouldst pardon none. We beseech thee, destroy them."

OOC: He figures the invocation of battle will steel the hearts of his compatriots, and hopes that if the unidentified whatevers outside his light will either be friendlies and state themselves as such, or if hostile might decide to pick a fight elsewhere. Not sure if a roll is involved here or not, but it works in a roleplay context.

OOC: I think the full effect of what you are trying to achieve here with the first part of this requires one of the more advanced Talents, but what I will do here is make a Command check (which makes your underlings more inclined to follow your orders). This works on a number of targets equal to your Fellowship Bonus, which is 3; however PCs don't count as underlings, so I will check for Ambrose, who although he is far above you in the Ecclesiarchy hierarchy counts as such given your position in the Ordos. You don't have Command as an Advanced skill, so you use half your Fallowhip of 39, or 20. You get a +20 due to the Inquisitorial Writ and +10 for Peer (Ecclesiarchy) and roll a... 9. That's four degrees of success! Ambrose trusts you verily as the Emperor's Representative.

Ambrose intones "in His name and with the Ordos!" solemnly and bravely.

OOC: The next part is an Intimidate Test, based on Fellowship since you're not visible. Again you don't have it as an Advanced Skill, so you use half of your Fellowship, 20. You roll a... 13! A success with no degrees of success.

Leveticus sounds rather intimidating for a scholarly priest. However, it does not have much of an effect for reasons that will be clear.

"THUNK!"

A heavy piston-driven steel leg, about twice as wide as a man's thigh, steps into the intersection, followed by the remainder of its mechanical bulk. It trails blood and internal organs that have been tangled around its foot as it goes. It's a mid-level heavy repair servitor, squat and wide -- taking up almost all of the corridor from side to side and about two-thirds from top to bottom, probably massing a quarter-ton or so. The main still fleshy bit left of whatever poor sinner was made into this thing should be located in the thorax, behind a transparent plasteel plate. However, the plate has been shattered and whatever in it reduced to a pulp, a mass of red pulverized tissue. You're pretty sure it has the capacity to turn you all into bloody paste with great efficiency, especially given the arc-welder attached to its left manipulator -- which fortunately is currently not shooting sparks -- and the fact that it is covered head-to-"toe" with steel plate.

"Abstinence!" shouts Ambrose with horror, his wizened hands covering his face.

"SWISH!"

After Abstinence the Heavy Repair Servitor trails the mangled human corpse, clad in what is left of Ecclesiarchal robes, it has been dragging behind it on the floor. It is covered with blood and moves bonelessly, giving every impression of having been rammed into a solid object with great force repeatedly. It's more a meatsack made of Ecclesiarchal robes than anything else.

"THUD!"

With huge force, Abstinence raises the corpse and rams it into the place where its faceplate used to be.

"SQUERSH!"

A huge fountain of gore erupts from the point of impact. Abstinence holds the corpse in position there for an instant, then lowers it back to its side. Now faced with a bare wall, it turns right -- that is, facing you. It's 3 meters away.

It pauses. It looks almost confused. The bloody hole in its torso seems to gaze at you, then back at the corpse in its manipulator, then back at you again.

Repair servitors don't normally have Fear Ratings, but this gore-encrusted one does, of 1. Since it is not actually making any threatening motions at present, this counts as a Noncombat Fear Test. Anyone who fails will suffer a -10 on all Tests involving concentration while in the area of Abstinence. Anybody who fails the Willpower Test by 30 or more also gets 1d5 Insanity Points. Note that you can spend a Fate Point to get a reroll of the Willpower Test -- which could be worse.

Subprelate Ambrose has a Willpower of 48 and Unshakeable Faith. He rolls a 69, but due to Unshakeable Faith gets an automatic reroll of 19.

"Blessed Drusus Protect Us!", he exclaims.

Kara, being from the Hellworld of Dusk, has the Litle Left to Fear Trait and so Abstinence's Fear Rating is reduced to 0. She requires no roll.

Kara is unphased.

Chani has a Willpower of 32 and rolls an... 11.

The Assassin keeps her wits about her, preparing to meet whatever fate brings calmly.

Jim has a Willpower of 33 and rolls a 97. This is is a hefty failure. Jim takes a -10 on all Tests involving concentration (that is, most of them), and gains 1d5 = 1 Insanity Point, bringing him up to 1 (which I will add to the character sheet).

The Arbitrator, his heart beating in his chest, realizes that he may not be as tough as nails as had imagined.

Leveticus has a Willpower of 43 and rolls a 100! Ouch! He takes a -10 on all Tests involving concentration as long as he's around this grue-covered monstrosity and gains 1d5 = 5 Insanity Points, bringing him up to 5.

Leveticus is pretty shaken. His autopistol and glow lamp jitter in his shaking hands.

From up along the corridor, where the bonks were -- that is, the opposite direction from which Abstinence is blocking the path -- there is a sudden high-pitched piercing whine growing rapidly in intensity. Something is moving toward you rapidly, but it's still outside of the radius of Leveticus' glow lamp.

Spoiler for Kara:

Spoiler:

In fact, a Hearing Awareness role tells you it's several somethings: you can hear several approaching whines.

Spoiler for Chani:

Spoiler:

In fact, a Hearing Awareness role tells you it's several somethings: you can hear several approaching whines.

[InquisitorChris]

IGNORE THIS POST: it was voided by Kara's action.

[helvorn]

(Against the better judgement of his player, Jim's going to look at those decorations on the wall there.)

Kara will glance at the inscriptions also. <ooc> it would have been been a quick glance as the light came on </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

(Against the better judgement of his player, Jim's going to look at those decorations on the wall there.)

Kara will glance at the inscriptions also. <ooc> it would have been been a quick glance as the light came on </ooc>

Spoiler:

You only get a couple of seconds to look due to what happens immediately thereafter, but you see that the whole wall, from top to bottom, is covered with stylized frescoes (think Aztec in style) that at one time may have been brightly colored. This particular one (not the one Jim is looking at) shows some kind of immense snake or worm coiling around a table.

[helvorn]

NOTE: I would like to know what each of you is going to do with the next 5 seconds of available time, i.e., one combat turn worth (despite not being in combat, at least yet). Things are likely to start happening pretty fast. Please read the previous post thoroughly. :)

<ooc> a couple of catch up posts, mostly 'thinking' and then my action(s) </ooc.

Kara struck a listening pose for a moment and then shuddered. The words of Litany of Protection sprang to her lips in an unbidden response burned into her during her sanctioning. As the light sprang forth her eyes along with Jim's were initially drawn to the frescoes on the walls.

Her eyes quickly swiveled back to the grisly sight of the repair servitor as it confronted them down the passageway. The macabre scene of the construct flagellating itself with the remains of the dead acolyte was disturbing but she had seen worse in the haunted swamps of Dusk. "Emperor protect us! We can't fight that thing. Is there a way to shut it off Father Ambrose?

As she speaks she catches the pitch of several whines in front of them down the corridor. "There are several 'things' coming at us from ahead but it's better than facing this monstrosity. Let's go!" She retreats down the passageway to the dim limits of Leveticus' light with her pistol ready to either fire at the servitor or at whatever approaches from ahead.

<ooc> I don't recall if the rules allow 'opportunity' fire but Kara will attempt to be ready to take a shot at whatever might approach </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

<ooc> a couple of catch up posts, mostly 'thinking' and then my action(s) </ooc.

The words of Litany of Protection sprang to her lips in an unbidden response burned into her during her sanctioning.

As the light sprang forth her eyes along with Jim's were initially drawn to the frescoes on the walls. Her quick glance did not show anything that would appear to affect their immediate predicament.

Her eyes quickly swiveled back to the grisly sight of the repair servitor as it confronted them down the passageway. The macabre scene of the construct flagellating itself with the remains of the dead acolyte was disturbing but she had seen worse in the haunted swamps of Dusk. "Emperor protect us! We can't fight that thing. Is there a way to shut it off Father Ambrose?

As she speaks she catches the pitch of several whines in front of them down the corridor. "There are several 'things' coming at us from ahead but it's better than facing this monstrosity. Let's go!" She retreats down the passageway to the dim limits of Leveticus' light with her pistol ready to either fire at the servitor or at whatever approaches from ahead.

<ooc> I don't recall if the rules allow 'opportunity' fire but Kara will attempt to be ready to take a shot at whatever might approach </ooc>

OK that changes things.

Kara runs 6 meters to the edge of the light and runs directedly into something small and airborne that was charging directly at her. The face of an imbecilic infant rears up out of the darkness -- blood-spattered, half its left cheek apparently ripped off, but expressionless. Soundlessly, it lifts something above its head with both hands and brings it down.

The attacker has a Weapon Skill of 20, +10 for the Charge, plus +30 for the Surprise bonus = 60. It rolls a 12, which is a hit to Kara's left arm. Normally she would not take a Dodge Reaction, being surprised, but since she knew basically that something was out there I'll let her do it. Kara does not have the Dodge skill at an Advanced Level, so she uses 1/2 of her Agility of 32, or 16. She rolls a 15. Lucky Kara!

The heavy rock clutched in the Cherubim's two little hands barely misses Kara's arm as she flinches aside at the last instant. The Cherubim makes no sound, its idiotic face expressionless as it wavers back and forth before her, preparing for another blow.

In front of Kara, there arise from out of the blackness into the field of light cast by the glow lamp three, four, five, maybe more of the little religious servitors. At least one more is clutching another large rock, held over its little head; beyond it another wields a blood-soaked stone cleaver -- quite likely one of the artifacts you were sent to investigate.

Their religious trappings trail behind them as they fly murderously forward on their gravitic thrustors.

YOU -- THAT IS, EVERYBODY -- ARE NOW IN COMBAT TIME. I WILL ROLL FOR INITIATIVE. IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEND A FATE POINT TO GET AN AUTOMATIC 10, LET ME KNOW NOW. LET ME KNOW BEFORE ANNOUNCING ANY ACTIONS. PLEASE READ THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE POSTS CAREFULLY.

IMPORTANT: YOU ARE FIGHTING IN AN ENCLOSED SPACE, WHICH IS GOING TO MAKE SHOOTING PAST PEOPLE DIFFICULT, AND ONLY TWO OF YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY FIGHT IN CLOSE COMBAT SIDE BY SIDE. ALSO NOTE THAT KARA IS NOW IN CLOSE COMBAT AND CAN EASILY BE ACCIDENTALLY HIT BY STRAY FIRE.

[helvorn]

<ooc> Can Kara use her laspistol in close combat? It's a far better weapon than her knife. I'm assuming that since she's ahead of the rest of the group and the 'enemy' are ahead of her that she could fire down the passageway at the cherubim that have engaged her with out risk of hitting another party member. Otherwise she'd just use her knife </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

<ooc> Can Kara use her laspistol in close combat? It's a far better weapon than her knife. I'm assuming that since she's ahead of the rest of the group and the 'enemy' are ahead of her that she could fire down the passageway at the cherubim that have engaged her with out risk of hitting another party member. Otherwise she'd just use her knife </ooc>

You can use a pistol in close combat. Can't parry with it though. She'd have to use a Half Action to draw her knife.

Only one cherubim has actually engaged her and it's not "down the passageway," it's a foot from her face. The rest are still coming up the corridor.

EDIT: I'd suggest skimming the rules on combat.

[Jak Snide]

Jim took a step back as the servitor emerged from the darkness. Another was warranted when saw the mangled form trailing behind it. When it began to ram the corpse into its "face" he'd decided that whatever was waiting for them down the passage couldn't possibly be worse than this thing. He was glad the psyker gave him an excuse to run, not that it helped steady his nerves. Nor did the gore-covered cherubim that assaulted her. What they did do was give him a target he could lash out at. He'd always hated the freakish little things anyway.

(Charging down the tunnel after Kara, attacking the first cherubim he encounters.)

[InquisitorChris]

Jim took a step back as the servitor emerged from the darkness. Another was warranted when saw the mangled form trailing behind it. When it began to ram the corpse into its "face" he'd decided that whatever was waiting for them down the passage couldn't possibly be worse than this thing. He was glad the psyker gave him an excuse to run, not that it helped steady his nerves. Nor did the gore-covered cherubim that assaulted her. What they did do was give him a target he could lash out at. He'd always hated the freakish little things anyway.

(Charging down the tunnel after Kara, attacking the first cherubim he encounters.)

Before we do anything, I need an Initiative Order! Is anybody choosing to spend a Fate Point to roll a 10, or not?

[helvorn]

Before we do anything, I need an Initiative Order! Is anybody choosing to spend a Fate Point to roll a 10, or not?

<ooc> No fate points for Kara, yet..

I'll pull out the rules and read the detail. I only lightly skimmed it when I first got the book.

</ooc>

[gsteelwraith]

OOC: Am i to assume I have the priest in my way, between me and the big servitor? Given I'm suffering penalties already, it may be wiser for me to simply stay to one side and keep the lantern in play, otherwise everybody's combat abilities suffer.

[InquisitorChris]

OOC: Am i to assume I have the priest in my way, between me and the big servitor?

Yes, but this does not affect Initiative Order. Do you want to spend a Fate Point for an automatic 10 or not? :)

As I said before, YOU -- THAT IS, EVERYBODY -- ARE NOW IN COMBAT TIME. I WILL ROLL FOR INITIATIVE. IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEND A FATE POINT TO GET AN AUTOMATIC 10, LET ME KNOW NOW. LET ME KNOW BEFORE ANNOUNCING ANY ACTIONS. PLEASE READ THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE POSTS CAREFULLY.

[InquisitorChris]

OK, since I haven't anything from Christian I am going to assume that he does not spend an FP on his Initiative and go ahead and roll.

Initiative rolls are on a d10 + the AB of the person.

Subprelate Ambrose, being frail and elderly, has an AB of 1. He rolls 6 + 1 = 7.
Chani has an AB of 4. She rolls 9 + 4 = 13.
Jim has an AB of 3. He rolls 9 + 3 = 12.
Kara has an AB of 3. She rolls 5 + 3 = 8.
Leveticus has an AB of 2. He rolls 1 + 2 = 3 (eeek)
Abstinence (who's not really doing much at the moment, but might) has an AB of 1. He/she/it rolls 8 + 1 = 9.

The Crazed Cherubim have ABs of 2.

The one with the rock trying to bash in Kara's head rolls 9 + 2 = 11.
The other one with the rock flying down the hall rolls 3 + 2 = 5.
The one with the stone cleaver flying down the hall rolls 2 + 2 = 4.
Another that seems unarmed rolls 1 + 2 = 3.
Another that seems unarmed rolls 1 + 2 = 3.

There may be others out of sight.

So, the order of actions is:

CHANI
JIM
CHERUBIM TRYING TO BRAIN KARA
ABSTINENCE THE SERVITOR
KARA
AMBROSE
FLYING CHERUB WITH ROCK
FLYING CHERUB WITH CLEAVER
LEVETICUS
TWO UNARMED CHERUBS

And whatever Cherubim may be yet out of sight.

So, I need actions from Chani and Jim, in that order.

[ChristianC]

Chani stared as the events unfolded like the first pluckings of instruments in an orchestra. She remained calm, confident in her abilities, in The Great Composer and His will for her as His instrument. The appearance of Abstinence startled her, but she steeled her heart easily and kept her blade steady, eyeing the steel monstrosity as she tried to spot any kind of weakness in its armor... And winged servitors attacked them from behind...

Well, the choices were simple, this mechanical monstrosity would be difficult in the least to end, and she had no desire for her song to end. She turned instead towards the cherubim heading their way. Kara, their psyker, their link to Him who is Holy, was being attacked, and it was her duty to protect the young woman. Leaping into action, she raised her blade, a low wheen as it cut through the air, and with a steely mask on her face she hurried towards Kara, hoping that she could hold out until the assassin could aid her.

[Spending a full turn moving towards Kara, since she's 6 meters gone, and I assume my half-round move won't be enough to attack her attacker]

[InquisitorChris]

IGNORE POST: VOIDED BY FATE POINT EXPENDITURE.

[ChristianC]

((Heya! Thanks for making that assumption, that's what I wanted to do! We can put a fate there, I'll keep the last one for worse things!))

[helvorn]

<ooc> Nicely done Christian and I appreciate adding the Fate point to help Kara out! </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

((Heya! Thanks for making that assumption, that's what I wanted to do! We can put a fate there, I'll keep the last one for worse things!))

The Assassin springs forward (making a Charge move), her blade slicing in an arc at the little monster that is menacing the psyker.

Fate strikes! Chani now has 1 Fate Point left. She has a 71% (41 WS + 10 Best Quality Weapon + 10 Charge Maneuver + 10 Outnumbering Opponent) to hit and rolls a... 60. This is a hit to the head.

The Cherubim is Frenzied. This means it gets no Parries or Dodges.

Chani's sword does 1d10 + 3 from the SB + 1 for Best-Quality = 1d10 + 4. She rolls 7 + 4 = 11 Wounds.

Cherubim normally have a Toughness of 20, but the Frenzy gives it a +10 for a total Toughness Bonus of 3. It also has the Machine (1) Trait, this being doubled to 2 since the sword is a Primitive weapon. So, the Cherubim takes 11 - 3 - 2 = 6 Wounds. Cherubim have 3 Wounds, so this brings it to -3 on the Rending Critical Damage Table.

Chani's blade slices the little servitor's left ear, and indeed a goodly chunk of what is left of its face, clean off. Normally this would cause it some serious inconvenience, but in its current frienzied state it doesn't even blink.

NOW I NEED A MOVE FOR JIM. NOTE THAT THE CORRIDOR UP AHEAD IS FILLED UP BY KARA AND CHANI; YOU'LL HAVE TO TRY TO PUSH ONE OF THEM ASIDE (OR HAVE ONE OF THEM MOVE OUT OF THE WAY) IF YOU WANT TO GET INTO MELEE RANGE.

[InquisitorChris]

{OOC: If I don't get a post from Jim soon, I'm going to assume he makes a variant of the move he suggested above before Initiative Order was determined -- run five meters down the hall and Ready his club (which he can do as a Free Action since he has Quick Draw) -- and then delay until he gets an opening.}

{Then the Cherubim that is attacking Kara and that Chani just diced will go.}

[InquisitorChris]

OK, Jim runs down the hall and readies his weapon.

The cherubim hovering in fronts of Kara stares at her a moment. The left side of its face has been sheared off by Chani's sword, and the sight is pretty gruesome.

It whispers something to Kara in High Gothic. It sounds plaintive, almost pleading and desperate, in sharp contrast to the vapid idocy of its expression and its murderous behavior.

Kara doesn't speak High Gothic -- she can't understand the words. They just sound liturgical, like most things in High Gothic do to someone who can't speak it. Chani, who is adjacent, made a Hearing Awareness roll though over the din of battle and can.

Spoiler for Chani:

Spoiler:

The cherubim whispers "Give of yourself to save your neighbor."

Then it swings its rock clumsily in its two hands. It's a pretty big rock -- about twice the size of your head -- for such a small, childlike creature.

Cherubim have a 10 Weapon Skill, +10 for the Frenzy, +20 because it's making an All-Out Attack = 40. It rolls an 88. Miss.

The Cherub's swing is clumsy and doesn't go near Kara.

Now Abstinence the Heavy-Repair Servitor takes its move.

Due to positioning, only Leveticus and Ambrose can really see this. "THUD!" Abstinence takes another step forward, putting him/her/it at 2 meters from Leveticus and Ambrose -- close to striking distance with its manipulators by the way. It rams the corpse in its right manipulator again with great force into the cavity where its faceplate and head once were. This time, instead of pulling it out, it just tries to keep forcing what's left of the corpse deeper and deeper into the cavity, twisting it back and forth. You can hear bones snap.

I NOW NEED A MOVE FROM KARA. Please look at the PM I'm sending you (especially since I'm not sure that it went through).

[Jak Snide]

Jim founds the path ahead blocked by his fellow acolytes. "Outta the damn way!" he yelled, as keen to vent his anxiety by smashing in one of the horrible little flying creatures as he was to put distance between him and the murderous servitor behind them.

(What Chris said works. Jim's going to try and move forward and hit something when he can or, if something flies overhead, smack that instead.)

[helvorn]

<ooc> I did get the PM; you are an evil, evil GM :) </ooc>

Kara stiffens for a moment as if listening to something and then screams; "Get out of my mind!" She slumps down against the side of the wall, her eyes unnaturally wide and staring. Kara babbles the words of the Litany of Protection as if her life depended on it. Hitting the floor with her butt she seems to snap out of some of the hysteria. With a grimace she brings her las pistol up and blazes away at the cherubim with the stone cleaver.

<ooc> My plan is that by huddling on the floor near the wall that she can clear a path for Jim to attack. Also by shooting at one of the advancing cherubim I am hoping I can cause some damage without risking hitting Chani or Jim. If her shooting would put one of the two at risk then she'll hold fire, babble a bit and wait for an opportunity </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

<ooc> I did get the PM; you are an evil, evil GM :) </ooc>

Kara stiffens for a moment as if listening to something and then screams; "Get out of my mind!" She slumps down against the side of the wall, her eyes unnaturally wide and staring. Kara babbles the words of the Litany of Protection as if her life depended on it. Hitting the floor with her butt she seems to snap out of some of the hysteria. With a grimace she brings her las pistol up and blazes away at the cherubim with the stone cleaver.

<ooc> My plan is that by huddling on the floor near the wall that she can clear a path for Jim to attack. Also by shooting at one of the advancing cherubim I am hoping I can cause some damage without risking hitting Chani or Jim. If her shooting would put one of the two at risk then she'll hold fire, babble a bit and wait for an opportunity </ooc>

The first part of this works. You can Disengage from combat with the first cherubim as a Full Action, which will then allow you to fire at the one further ahead next turn.

So, Kara ducks to the ground babbling, but has no chance to crack a shot off just yet (probably just as well, since the cherubim in question in out of the range of the glow lamp and so in darkness).

[InquisitorChris]

Now for the other rock-wielding cherub (not the one with half its face missing). Another cherub hefting a big piece of stone floorwork cames charging out of the darkness straight ahead at Chani. (Jim can't take a swipe at this one since it's on the other side of the assassin).

The Cherubim has a Weapon Skill of 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge) + 10 (Outnumbering -- since Kara has disengaged, it's Chani who is outnumbered two-to-one, not the other way around!) = 40. It rolls a 25, which is a hit to the Body.

Chani has the option to either Dodge or Parry this attack -- I will assume that she is Parrying, since her chances are better.

Chani's Weapon Skill is 41 + 10 (swords are Balanced Weapons) = 51% chance to Parry. She rolls a 99. Oh geeze.

The cherub comes in from the darkness from out of nowhere and rams Chani directly in the gut with its hunk of masonry. It's an Improvised Weapon (1d10 - 2 I). Cherubim normally have Strengths of 16, but Frenzy raises this to 26, giving it an SB of 2. So it does flat 1d10 damage and rolls 8. Chani has no armor and a Toughness Bonus of 3, so she takes 8 - 3 = 5 Wounds.

14 - 5 = 9. Chani has 9 Wounds left, and a big bruise in her gut.

[InquisitorChris]

Hmmm, Ambrose forgot to take his Turn. I will assume he has been Delaying his Action.

Now, the Cherub with the Stone Cleaver goes. It soars soundlessly over the heads of the combatants in the front and charges straight for Jim, cleaver coming down in a wicked arc.

Since Jim had Delayed an Action, we make an Agility vs. Agility contest to see who goes first. Cherubim have an Agility of 28. Jim has an Agility of 35. Unfortunately, Jim is suffering from fear of the Huge Death Machine thst just took a step in his direction and takes a -10, so he now has an Agility of 25, giving the little bastard a slight edge.

To start off, Jim rolls 53 and fails. The Cherub rolls 32 and fails. Jim rolls 5, suceeds with One Degree of Success. The Cherub rolls 96 and blows it. Jim goes first.

Jim swings his trusty Arbites maul, headcracker of heretics, at the oncoming Cherub.

Again, his terror makes it hard to concentrate. His Weapon Skill is 26 - 10 (Fear) = 16. He rolls 95.

The Cherub easily loops in within the club's reach and brings the cleaver down in both chubby little fists.

The Cherub has Weapon Skill 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge Maneuver) = 30. It rolls an 82.

The blade whistles past Jim's ear. Good thing too, since, despite being made of stone and being who knows how many untold years old, it looks wicked sharp.

I NOW NEED A TURN FOR LEVETICUS. Who is about three meters from Jim by the way.

Relative positioning is this:

Abstinence the Gore-Soaked Heavy Repair Servitor--2 meters--Leveticus and Ambrose--3 meters--Jim and cherub with knife--1 meter--Chani, Kara, and two cherubs with rocks (here is the limit of the glow lamp, beyond which can dimly be seen two seemingly unarmed cherubim flying toward you)

[gsteelwraith]

Does Leveticus have a clean shot at an enemy? It sounds like he does, and if so, he's firing his weapon, while holding the lamp up so everybody else can see. If not he'll manuever around Ambrose to avoid hitting him, and shoot. He will then back up in an attempt to maintain some sort of distance to continue shooting next round.

[InquisitorChris]

Does Leveticus have a clean shot at an enemy? It sounds like he does, and if so, he's firing his weapon, while holding the lamp up so everybody else can see. If not he'll manuever around Ambrose to avoid hitting him, and shoot. He will then back up in an attempt to maintain some sort of distance to continue shooting next round.

I actually messed things up a bit here by not determining who goes first -- you or the two unarmed cherubim, You all go at the same initiative, and you all have Agilities of 28, so who goes first is determined by random die roll. You roll 37. Cherubim no. 1 rolls 68. Cherubim no. 2 rolls 42. So you go last.

One of the cherubim veers to one side and down and charges at the semiprone Kara, trying to pummel the daylights out of her with its little fists.

That's a 10 Weapon Skill + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge) + 10 (Kara is Prone) = 40 - 20 (Unarmed Combatant Attacking an Armed Combatant) = 20. It rolls a 34.

Kara manages to ward it off with her pistol, but she is once again engaged in combat.

The other little psychotic comes soaring over the heads of everybody else and charges directly at Ambrose.

Ambrose has Delayed his Action and, weak as he may be, tries to the fend off the cherubim with his fist.

Who goes first? It's a contest between Ambrose's Agility of 18 and the Cherub's of 28. Ambrose rolls 20 and fails, The Cherub rolls 10 and succeeds.

The Cherub tries to bludgeon the subprelate with its frenzied fists.

The Cherub has WS 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge) = 30. It rolls 4! and hits.

Ambrose does not have Dodge as an Advanced Skill, so he uses half of his Agility of 18 or 9. He rolls 51, which is a failure.

The Cherubim has an SB of 1 + 1 from Frenzy = 2, so its fist punch does 1d5 -3 + 2 I damage. The roll is 3 -3 + 2 = 2 damage. Ambrose has a Toughness Bonus of 2 and no armor, so Ambrose takes 2 - 2 = 0 Wounds. Being an unarmed attack that did at least his Toughness Bonus in damage, it does however cause him a level of Fatigue.

The Cherub is hovering before Ambrose on its thrusters, wings ragged and bloadsoaked from something, beating on him savagely with its fists. It is expressionless and mute, completely belying its insane behavior.

Ambrose strikes punches back, crying "for the Emperor! For SINOPHIA MAGNA!!!!!!"


He has a Weapon Skill of 20 - 10 for being Fatigued = 10 and rolls an 86.

The old man's wild swing goes nowhere.

So, that's the situation. You have no clear shots, as everybody is engaged in close combat with somebody (not counting Abstinence).

Since you are right next to Ambrose, I can count you as engaged with that particular cherubim already.

Since everyone is engaged, missed shots would stand a good chance of hitting the wrong target,. Alternatively, you could use a Half Action to drop the pistol, pull out the hammer, and whack him with it. Or you could really, really, really trust in the Emperor and open up full auto, acquiring a reputation in the process. You do have four (not very reliable) Fate Points.

What do you do?

EDIT: After Leveticus' response, we'll return to our installment of "The Holy Ordos Vs. The Murderous Flying Toddlers."

[InquisitorChris]

OOC: I think this will be a good time to repost some general remarks I made on combat back at the very start of the campaign, so we don't have any confusion about Fate Point expenditure etc.

Dice rolling. Since DH uses a system heavy on Opposed Skill Rolls and Reactions, I'm going to do all the rolling myself -- otherwise it would take way too long. I will tell you the results of all the rolls and the mechanics of determining them (unless something has to be concealed for some reason, as is often the case with for example Awareness). I also will not fudge rolls. If you are in close combat and have the option of either using Dodge or Parry, I will assume that whichever is higher is being used unless you say otherwise.

Death. If the dice say you die, you die (avoiding that is what Fate Points are for -- although while burning an FP will save you, you will still suffer lasting damage, physical, psychological, or other). This is the grimdarkness of dark grimness, not Happy Happy Land. :) If a character for some reason becomes unplayable, another can be recruited from the locals. However, I am not of the "kill the PCs!" Gary Gygax school of GMing. If something nasty is coming up, I will give you warning -- albeit maybe subtle warning.

NPCS get Righteous Fury. If somebody is waving a gun in your face, you shouldn't be thinking, "hey, it's just a laspistol! I have 13 Wounds -- it can't kill me!" You should be worried. By the same token, I don't use the Sudden Death rules for mooks.

Corruption. I will be using the Corruption rules in the Radical's Handbook. They're more CoC-ish. :)

Fate Point use. Fate Points can be used for rerolls of Tests only (as per RAW). Not for rerolls of damage (there's a Psychic Power that does that) or for Psychic Phenomenon rolls, or for the results of Fear, Insanity, etc. (though you could reroll the Test that made you succumb to fear in the first place).

Normally, at the beginning of a combat, before rolling for Initiative, I ask if you want to spend an FP to get the automatic 10 (as in RAW).

Fate Points, as per RAW, can be used to heal back Wounds. NOT the effects of Critical Damage. However, they will let you reduce the effects of Critical Damage in the following way. Let's say that Chani is rammed by a charging Khornate Space Moose and takes 5 Critical Damage. She takes whatever that result is on the CD table. Then she spends an FP and gets back 4 "Wounds." This means that, should she be hit again and take 3 Wounds, which would normally bring her down to a -8 result (and likely mutilation or death), she only suffers a -4 result. The same goes for the Healer Minor Psychic Power and most other forms of healing. (BTW this makes Blood Loss very very dangerous if there is nobody with the Medicae skill or an appropriate Psychic Power around.)

If an FP is spent to heal Wounds, it must be used immediately or very shortly after taking the damage (the "merely a flesh wound!" effect). You can't use them to magically heal yourself overnight.

Fate Points can also be used to increase the Degrees of Success of a Test by One or to instantly recover from being Stunned, as in RAW.

[gsteelwraith]

I actually messed things up a bit here by not determining who goes first -- you or the two unarmed cherubim, You all go at the same initiative, and you all have Agilities of 28, so who goes first is determined by random die roll. You roll 37. Cherubim no. 1 rolls 68. Cherubim no. 2 rolls 42. So you go last.

One of the cherubim veers to one side and down and charges at the semiprone Kara, trying to pummel the daylights out of her with its little fists.

That's a 10 Weapon Skill + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge) + 10 (Kara is Prone) = 40 - 20 (Unarmed Combatant Attacking an Armed Combatant) = 20. It rolls a 34.

Kara manages to ward it off with her pistol, but she is once again engaged in combat.

The other little psychotic comes soaring over the heads of everybody else and charges directly at Ambrose.

Ambrose has Delayed his Action and, weak as he may be, tries to the fend off the cherubim with his fist.

Who goes first? It's a contest between Ambrose's Agility of 18 and the Cherub's of 28. Ambrose rolls 20 and fails, The Cherub rolls 10 and succeeds.

The Cherub tries to bludgeon the subprelate with its frenzied fists.

The Cherub has WS 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 10 (Charge) = 30. It rolls 4! and hits.

Ambrose does not have Dodge as an Advanced Skill, so he uses half of his Agility of 18 or 9. He rolls 51, which is a failure.

The Cherubim has an SB of 1 + 1 from Frenzy = 2, so its fist punch does 1d5 -3 + 2 I damage. The roll is 3 -3 + 2 = 2 damage. Ambrose has a Toughness Bonus of 2 and no armor, so Ambrose takes 2 - 2 = 0 Wounds. Being an unarmed attack that did at least his Toughness Bonus in damage, it does however cause him a level of Fatigue.

The Cherub is hovering before Ambrose on its thrusters, wings ragged and bloadsoaked from something, beating on him savagely with its fists. It is expressionless and mute, completely belying its insane behavior.

Ambrose strikes punches back, crying "for the Emperor! For SINOPHIA MAGNA!!!!!!"


He has a Weapon Skill of 20 - 10 for being Fatigued = 10 and rolls an 86.

The old man's wild swing goes nowhere.

So, that's the situation. You have no clear shots, as everybody is engaged in close combat with somebody (not counting Abstinence).

Since you are right next to Ambrose, I can count you as engaged with that particular cherubim already.

Since everyone is engaged, missed shots would stand a good chance of hitting the wrong target,. Alternatively, you could use a Half Action to drop the pistol, pull out the hammer, and whack him with it. Or you could really, really, really trust in the Emperor and open up full auto, acquiring a reputation in the process. You do have four (not very reliable) Fate Points.

What do you do?

OOC: Wow, its just like the paper games I'm in; I always go DFL.

Leveticus will err on the side of caution, drop the gun, its on a dummy cord so it won't go too far anyway, snap up his hammer from his belt, shout out, "By the Emperor, I abjure thee!" and attempt to play 'whack-a-mole' on the evil flying baby.

OOC: I always thought those things were freakin' creepy. BTW, Between family and other such, I will be unlikely to post much between the 24th through the 26th, if at all. I will certainly be posting on the 27th. Merry Christmas guys.

[InquisitorChris]

OOC: Wow, its just like the paper games I'm in; I always go DFL.

Leveticus will err on the side of caution, drop the gun, its on a dummy cord so it won't go too far anyway, snap up his hammer from his belt, shout out, "By the Emperor, I abjure thee!" and attempt to play 'whack-a-mole' on the evil flying baby.

OOC: I always thought those things were freakin' creepy. BTW, Between family and other such, I will be unlikely to post much between the 24th through the 26th, if at all. I will certainly be posting on the 27th. Merry Christmas guys.

<ooc> Hey I gave you the option to spend a Fate Point for an automatic 10 Initiative! I'm pretty sure things will slow down over the holidays -- Merry (Western) Christmas to everyone! (It's not Christmas here for another couple of weeks.) <ooc>

Leveticus snaps his hammer from his belt (a Half Action) and swings down at the cherubim that is beating of the crap out of Subprelate Ambrose (another Half Action), trying to ignore the fact that his limbs are wobbling from the terror caused by the immediate proximity of Abstinence and part of him really just wants to get the hell out of here.

Leveticus has a Weapon Skill of 28 + 10 (because he and Ambrose outnumber the cherub two to one) - 10 (from the Fear) = 28. He rolls a 05! Hey! That's a hit to the body!

Being Frenzied, the Cherubim can't take a defensive reaction.

Hammers do 1d10 + 1 + SB I damage. Leveticus' SB is 2, so it does 1d10+3 I damage. He rolls an 8 + 3 = 11. The Frenzied Cherubim has a Toughness Bonus of 3 and the Machine (1) Trait, which is doubled to 2 since the hammer is Primitive, so it takes 11 - 3 - 2 = 6 Wounds. It had 3 Wounds to start with, so that puts it at a -3 on the Impact Critical Damage table: "the impact breaks a rib and inflicts two levels of Fatigue. The target is also Stunned for one round." Unfortunately, being Frenzied, the Cherubim can neither suffer the effects of Fatigue nor be Stunned.

Leveticus' hammer rams against the side of the little servitor, generating a loud and satisfying "crack!" as something gives inside. The impact moves the thing over half a meter before its gravitic repulsors reassert control and it starts whaling around with its fists again.

OK, TURN ONE IS NOW OVER. I NEED A MOVE FOR CHANI TO START OFF TURN 2.

(and Merry Christmas!)

[ChristianC]

(Merry Hogwash! Here we gooooo!)

Chani's eyes went wide as the little thing clocked her with the rock. She gave a gasp as the grip of her bladed loosened momentarily, but then she hissed and swirled around, aiming to lop off the head of the little critter (not really aiming), but at the last moment, she stopped her motion, used the momentum to let the blad glide above the cherubim, and then come back in a half-circle to cut at the horrid little creature that was attacking her. Already she was humming something, barely audible, her lips moving with every step, strike and flinch.

[Performing a Feint, then attacking the same cherubim as before, or the one next to Kara if that's easier.]

[InquisitorChris]

(Merry Hogwash! Here we gooooo!)

Chani's eyes went wide as the little thing clocked her with the rock. She gave a gasp as the grip of her bladed loosened momentarily, but then she hissed and swirled around, aiming to lop off the head of the little critter (not really aiming), but at the last moment, she stopped her motion, used the momentum to let the blad glide above the cherubim, and then come back in a half-circle to cut at the horrid little creature that was attacking her. Already she was humming something, barely audible, her lips moving with every step, strike and flinch.

[Performing a Feint, then attacking the same cherubim as before, or the one next to Kara if that's easier.]

<ooc> A Feint doesn't do you any good, since what it does (if successful) is prevent opponents from getting a Parry or Dodge -- and the Cherubim, being Frenzied, can't Parry or Dodge anyway. But Chani doesn't know that. <ooc>

She has a Weapon Skill of 41 + 10 (Best-Quality Weapon) = 51% to hit, and rolls an 81 -- a miss.

The evil little flying baby doesn't even acknowledge the feint, and Chani has a hard time getting a slice in as it's waving its piece of masonry around. She slips a little on the floor and the blade goes over the cherubim's (already missing half a face) head.

NOW I NEED A MOVE FROM JIM.

[Jak Snide]

Jim stepped forward, putting distance between him and the huge and murderous servitor behind him, and went about beating one of the horrid little creatures to a bloody pulp.

(Smack something with a Standard Attack. Use a half-move to get into melee if he must, otherwise he'll use that spare 1/2 action to Aim for a delicious +10 bonus.)

[InquisitorChris]

Jim stepped forward, putting distance between him and the huge and murderous servitor behind him, and went about beating one of the horrid little creatures to a bloody pulp.

(Smack something with a Standard Attack. Use a half-move to get into melee if he must, otherwise he'll use that spare 1/2 action to Aim for a delicious +10 bonus.)

Jim is already engaged with the cherub with the evil-looking stone cleaver (which looks suspiciously like the knife you were shown by Sholmes in the pict).

I had drawn up a crude map of relative positioning, but it looks it was erased when I deleted the post that was voided when Chani spent a fate point. So here's an upgraded one. Note that the corridors are about two meters wide, three meters tall. I have cleverly represented corridors with "-"s and "I"s.

......................................direction of corridor to the East, descending, toward where Ambrose was leading.........>

-----1 m---Abstinence---2 m---Lev & Ambrose, unarmed cherub---2 m---Jim, cherub w/knife---Chani, 2 cherubs w/rocks; Kara, unarmed cherub---->
I
I
I
Direction of corridor is to the South, ascending, toward Our Lady

So, Jim is immediately in back of Chani and has nowhere to move forward to, unless he wants to trample Chani or Kara -- behavior unbefitting of the Adeptus Arbites.

Therefore, I will assume this is a Half-Action Aim + Standard Attack.

Jim, who is more of an investigator than he is a melee combatant and who I bet really wishes he had his shotgun right about now, swings at the Murder Baby. He has a Weapon Skill of 26 + 10 (Half-Action Aim) - 10 (Fear) = 26% chance to hit. He rolls a 29. So very very close.

Trooper Claggett swings his maul -- and would have hit too, if his concentration hadn't been spoiled by the knowledge that just a few feet behind him stood the grue-covered (and extremely strong) Abstinence.

NEXT GOES THE CHERUB WITH THE ROCK THAT HAD TRIED TO BRAIN KARA, BUT IS NOW IN MELEE COMBAT WITH CHANI. THE ONE THAT HAD HALF ITS FACE SLICED OFF BY CHANI'S SWORD AND WHISPERED SOMETHING IN HIGH GOTHIC

The Cherub swings at Chani in attempt to turn the Assassin into pulp. Note that Chani is engaged with two opponents and, since she gets only one Reaction a turn, can only try to parry or dodge one of them.

The Cherub has a Weapon Skill of 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 20 (All-Out Attack) + 10 (Target Is Outnumbered -- watch those bonuses stack up!) = a 50% chance to hit. It rolls an 88 and misses.

Maybe the Cherub's vision was obscured by the blood filling its left eye, but in any case its blow passes through empty air.

NEXT GOES ABSTINENCE THE SERVITOR.

For reasons of positioning and facing, only Leveticus and Ambrose can actually see this.

Abstinence keeps trying to cram and twist the corpse into the place where its faceplate and head used to be. There are more noises of bones snapping. Then the motion stops. Abstinence ceases its forward motion and its manipulators fall to its side, idle. It stands motionless.

About two-thirds of what is left of a human corpse in absolutely blood-soaked Ecclesiarchal robes still protrudes from Abstinence's front. It's feet -- one still has a sandle on it -- dangle about a foot from the floor. There's something almost forlorn about it.

IT IS NOW KARA'S TURN. KARA IS ON THE GROUND IN A HALF-PRONE POSITION WITH AN UNARMED CHERUB TRYING TO PUMMEL HER WITH ITS LITTLE FISTS. WHAT DOES SHE DO?

[helvorn]

Kara continues to mutter under her breath and her eyes are wide and a bit wild but there is a look of grim determination on her face as she stands (and hopefully can fire her las pistol)

<ooc> if things are too close at hand for the pistol she'll draw her knife instead of firing the pistol </ooc>

[InquisitorChris]

Kara continues to mutter under her breath and her eyes are wide and a bit wild but there is a look of grim determination on her face as she stands (and hopefully can fire her las pistol)

<ooc> if things are too close at hand for the pistol she'll draw her knife instead of firing the pistol </ooc>

<ooc> You can use a pistol in melee combat. It just doesn't get the bonus for being in Point Blank Range. <ooc>

Kara takes a Half Action to clamber to her feet and squeezes a shot out of her compact laspistol.

Kara has a Ballistic Skill of 29 + 10 (she doesn't get a Point Black Range bonus, but does get one for it being in Short Range) = 39 - 10 (she's firing at a Scrawny size target) = 29%. She rolls a 59.

There is a "crack!" and a sharp smell of ozone as the lasbolt overshoots the target and vaporizes a bit of the ceiling. NOTE: Laspistols have 30 shots; its being compact reduces this to 15; the overcharge pack halves this again, so 8. There are 7 shots left in the gun.

AMBROSE GOES NEXT

Ambrose shouts out, "they don't have photo-visors!"

He then attempts to Grapple the cherub he is fighting (taking a Half-Action Aim first).

Ambrose has a 20 Weapon Skill + 10 (Half-Action Aim) + 10 (the cherub is outnumbered, since both he and Leveticus are engaging it) = 40, -10 since he's Fatigued = 30%. He rolls a 100. This does not work out well at all.

Ambrose tries to grab the cherub to try wringing its neck, but gets nowhere close.

THE OTHER ROCK-WIELDING CHERUB ENGAGING CHANI TRIES TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HER WITH IT.

Weapon Skill 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 20 (All-Out Attack) + 10 (Chani is outnumbered) = 50% The Cherub rolls an 83.

The Cherub's bit of stonework doesn't get near the Assassin. The fact that these are not frenzied combat servitors (Emperor forbid) is showing.

THE CHERUB WITH THE STONE CLEAVER FIGHTING JIM GOES.

It hacks with its cleaver wielded in two hands.

Weapon Skill 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 20 (All-Out Attack) = 40% It rolls a 74. Looks like nobody this turn can hit anything worth a damn,

The cherub does a little pirrhouette in the air, hacking aimlessly around it with the big stone knife, but can't land a blow.

THE UNARMED CHERUB KARA JUST SHOT AT GOES.

Weapon Skill 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 20 (All-Out Attack) = 40 - 20 (Unarmed Attacker Vs. Armed Attacker) = 20%. It rolls a 95 and misses.

Instead of Kara, the cherub bloodies its fists on the stone wall. The few drops of red shine brightly on the wall carvings in the light of Leveticus' glow lamp.

FINALLY, THE UNARMED CHERUB ATTACKING AMBROSE GOES.

It whispers something to Ambrose in High Gothic with a calm expression in a low voice, as if making a simple observation. Note that cherubim are not normally capable of constructing nonpreprogrammed sentences or expressing thoughts in general. Both Leveticus and Ambrose are close enough to hear, and both speak High Gothic.

Spoiler for Leveticus:

Spoiler:

"False priest." It says it with no particular emotion.

While calmly speaking the words, it proceeds to beat the crap out of Ambrose.

Weapon Skill 10 + 10 (Frenzy) + 20 (All-Out Attack) = 40%. It rolls 07, which is a hit to the Body.

Ambrose uses half of his incredible Agility of 18 to Dodge, or 9, -10 since he's Fatigued. Hey that's a 0%. He rolls a 06 and fails even if the game gives automatic successes at 5% or less, which I can't figure out.

The cherub has a Strength Bonus of 1, +1 since it's Frenzied, so 2 total. Its fist does 1d5-3+2 damage, or 3 - 3 + 2 = 2 Wounds. Ambrose has a Toughness Bonus of 2, so he takes no Wounds but does take another level of Fatigue. He's close to being knocked out.

The cherub punches Ambrose in the gut; the subprelate doubles over in pain.

IT IS NOW LEVETICUS' MOVE, THEN ON TO TURN 3.

[gsteelwraith]

The cherub punches Ambrose in the gut; the subprelate doubles over in pain.

IT IS NOW LEVETICUS' MOVE, THEN ON TO TURN 3.

Seeing the creepy little thing hasn't figured out yet that it needs to be destroyed, rinse, lather, repeat as it were with the hammer. I'm assuming the cherub is now above Ambrose, so I can hit with a side swing without hitting him. Right now, he's classifying the contents of the spoiler in the same vein as Linda Blair's outbursts in the Exorcist.

[InquisitorChris]

The cherub punches Ambrose in the gut; the subprelate doubles over in pain.

IT IS NOW LEVETICUS' MOVE, THEN ON TO TURN 3.

Seeing the creepy little thing hasn't figured out yet that it needs to be destroyed, rinse, lather, repeat as it were with the hammer. I'm assuming the cherub is now above Ambrose, so I can hit with a side swing without hitting him. Right now, he's classifying the contents of the spoiler in the same vein as Linda Blair's outbursts in the Exorcist.

I assume this means a Half-Action Aim + Standard Attack.

Leveticus is standing almost within reaching distance of the corpse that is dangling out of Abstinence's "face," so he is still suffering from the fear.

He has a Weapon Skill of 28 + 10 (Half-Action Aim) + 10 (Target Is Outnumbered) = 48 - 10 (Fear) = 38%. He rolls a 97.

His hammer swings out again but doesn't go near the cherub.

(You know you have Fate Points you can use to get rerolls of these things.)

TURN 2 IS OVER. NOW TO TURN 3.

I NEED A MOVE FROM CHANI.