Roll to Dodge the Alien Threat II: THE SEQUEL

[Chainlinc3]

So! Most/some/a few of you will remember the other "Roll to Dodge" games I've run here. I've been convinced to run another. It's late at night here, so, if you see any strange math going on, or if something just straight doesn't make sense, um, just pretend you didn't see it and I'll probably fix it in the morning. I've revised some things now! Yay! Most notably, you now only get 20 points between your attributes. Wasn't expecting two sheets before I had a chance to edit. xD

Anyway, I'm going to get this started soon-ish, and from then on I'll try to update nightly. It takes a fair amount of time to run this per character, so I'll cap this at eight characters tops. If more people want in after that, I'll start a waiting room. If you miss three turns in a row, your character spontaneously combusts.

Now, without further ado...

ROLL TO DODGE THE ALIEN THREAT

---

Okay, so, what exactly is happening?
Earth is under attack by an alien threat that completely outclasses human military technology. We don’t know where they’re coming from, we don’t know what they want—what we do know, is that they’re taking people.

The XCOM project was founded by a council of nations to defend against the alien threat by whatever means necessary. Normally, the means that are necessary is a wall of corpses to hide behind.

You lot are XCOM's latest batch of meat shields. It's your job to get the hell out there and hold the line at all costs. Well, for at least as long as it takes the next batch of recruits to finish training.

---

So what is this thing again?
I'll take some time aside from the whole briefing thing to remind you all how this nonsense works. All actions succeed or fail based on the roll of a die. Look at this example for, say, a strafing run on an enemy space station.

1- Critical Failure-- You get shot to pieces. Also, your fighter's reactor overheats, and explodes in thermonuclear glory. But doesn't harm the station. Also, somewhere, your failure killed several dozen kittens.
2- Failure-- You get shot down. A plasma bolt hits your leg, evaporating it. At least you didn't harm any kittens.
3- Indeterminate-- You survive the strafing run in one piece, but it doesn't appear to have harmed the station...
4- Progress-- As you scream by in your fighter, you manage to destroy a couple of defensive turrets mounted on the station.
5- Success-- Your aim is true, and one of your targets detonates in a chain reaction, dealing severe damage to the station!
6- Critical Success-- Your torpedo magically flies down an exhaust vent and detonates the station's reactor, destroying it. And you. And the allied fleet. Also, kittens are now extinct. Good job.

Keep in mind that your character can (and probably will) acquire various skills that will apply modifiers to rolls regarding specific topics or situations. IE- Paranoia: +1 to planning for defenses, contingencies, etc; -2 to socializing.

---

The Rules:

• Some rolls are hidden! You may see the outcome, but not the rolls that led to them.
  
• There is a one turn buffer between exceeding your weight limit and being burdened!
  
• Multi-targeting (attacking different enemies simultaneously) incurs a combat penalty, due to having to keep track of two targets.
  
• If someone is behind your target, and you miss, your attack has a 1/6 chance of re-targeting (stacking for each person).
  
• In the event of a tie, I favor the defender.
  
• On a natural six, if the attack hits and the roll is not reduced below six, a crit hits for double damage.
  
• Firing blindly doesn't allow you to distinguish between targets, but denies reaction fire.
  
• In situations where an attack is coming as a surprise, you must perceive the attack to be able to dodge. These will be high-difficulty checks, because you need to realize you're about to be hit in time to act-- something that's not really possible in the first place.
  
• When receiving combat damage, there is a one in six chance that one of your inventory items will be hit. This excludes items you are wielding, or otherwise grasping.
  
• When someone attempts to close to melee, you can take reaction shots at them if you pass a difficulty 5 agility check (and have a ranged weapon wielded). Reaction shots use the last firing mode you used.
  
• When you make a ranged attack against a melee-capable enemy in melee range, they can make an attack of opportunity (provided they survive and pass a difficulty five agility check).
  
• If something happens that I think could deserve a trait, I roll a significance check. You pass on a five or a six, and receive a relevant trait.
  
• If you have impaired grasping faculties, or the enemy is remarkably obnoxious, you may lose your melee weapon in combat.
  
• There is a limit to reinforcements! If it hits zero, mission difficulty will increase dramatically and no further deployments will be permitted.

More to be discovered...

---

Character Creation:
Your character has seven major attributes, that you may assign 20 points between, giving them each values between 1 and 5. They may be familiar to you:
Strength—Used for blocking, determines Health, and provides a bonus to melee damage
Perception—Used for ranged to-hit rolls
Endurance—Used for blocking and determines Stamina
Charisma—Used for being persuasive
Intelligence—Used for intellectual activities
Agility—Used for dodge and melee to-hit rolls
Luck—Used when taking random chances, will also generally mitigate negative outcomes.

Your attributes can never drop below 1, and will increase over time.

Your character also has three primary statistics:
Health—max is 10x Strength, if depleted you die
Sanity—max is 10x Intelligence, if depleted you go insane
Stamina—max is 10x Endurance, if depleted you collapse and are forced to rest

For skill checks, you roll the number of dice for the relevant skill, and take the highest. A one will remove the highest roll from the set. So if you rolled 1, 1, 2, 5, 6, you’d get a 2. If you rolled a 1, 6, you’d get a 1.
 

---

Armory:
You get 18 requisition points to divide however you see fit.
You may carry 10x Strength lbs of equipment before receiving burden penalties. For every five lbs (or fraction thereof) you go over that, you’ll receive a penalty of -1 Agility and -10 maximum stamina. You may not carry so much as to reduce your stamina below 10 in this manner.

Armor—
Armor reduces damage rolls against you, but that damage is placed on the armor instead. If the armor breaks, its effects are gone, but it’ll still be repaired after the mission at no extra cost. Note: DR means Damage Resistance. Damage Resistance is the chunk of each hit that is assigned to your armor instead of you.

Shields replace your dodge checks with a block check, based off of either your strength or your endurance (whichever is higher). On a successful block, all damage is assigned to the shield. They can also be used as an improvised bludgeoning weapon. If a shield breaks, it will NOT be repaired after the mission—you’ll need to requisition a new one.

[Light Combat Armor [20/20]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks]
3 points, 10 lbs
[Medium Combat Armor [50/50]—DR: 8, +2 to Endurance checks]
5 points, 20 lbs
[Heavy Combat Armor [100/100]—DR: 12, -3 Charisma, +3 to Endurance checks]
7 points, 40 lbs
[Riot Shield [50/50]—Shield]
4 points, 15 pounds
[Reinforced Riot Shield [75/75]—Shield]
6 points, 25 pounds

Guns—
Guns include one clip, preloaded. Additional clips cost one point and weigh one pound.
Many guns strike multiple times. Simultaneously means that the target gets a single block/dodge roll and you consume only one unit of ammo, whereas consecutively means they get one for each attack and you consume one for each shot.

(2H) means the weapon is intended for two hands, (1H) means it is intended for one. (1/2H) means the weapon was designed to be used in either one or two hands, with wielding it two-handed providing a +1 bonus to hit. Note that these are merely recommendations. Go ahead, wield a Claymore in your mouth and one in each hand.

The [Precision] tag indicates that a weapon is some variant of a sniper rifle. It provides a bonus/penalty to to-hit rolls equal to (Perception-3)*2.

The [Semi-Automatic] tag indicates that a weapon is, you guessed it, semi-automatic and, more importantly, can be re-fired quickly with relative accuracy. This means that you get 1dAgility shots, with the agility rounding down. Example: With an agility of 3, you’d get 1d3 shots.

[Combat Shotgun (2H) [15/15]{Ammo: 5/5}—-2 to hit, attacks eight times simultaneously, 2d6 damage]
5 points, 12 lbs
[Assault Rifle (2H) [13/13]{Ammo: 21/21}—+1 to hit, attacks once or three times consecutively, 3d6 damage]
5 points, 13 lbs
[Sniper Rifle (2H)[12/12]{Ammo:10/10}—[Precision], attacks once, 7d6 damage]
7 points, 15 lbs
[SMG (1/2H)[13/13]{Ammo:25/25}—-1 to hit, attacks five times consecutively, 2d6 damage]
4 points, 8 lbs
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 8/8]—[Semi-Automatic], 2d6 damage]
3 points, 2 lbs

Melee—
[Stun Baton (1/2H)[10/10]—Deals Stamina damage, 8d6 damage, Strength Mod: 0, Stamina Cost: 3]
5 points, 4 lbs
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0]
3 points, 2 lbs
[Gladius (1H)[20/20]—+1 to hit, 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d6, Stamina Cost: 5]
5 points, 10 lbs
[Bastard Sword (1/2H)[20/20]—-1 to hit, 2d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d6+3, Stamina Cost: 8]
7 points, 14 lbs
[Claymore (2H)[20/20]—-2 to hit, 2d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2d6, Stamina Cost: 10]
7 points, 18 lbs

Equipment—
[Incendiary/Flashbang/Frag Grenade [5/5]— -6 to hit on throw, effects vary by type]
1 point, 1 lbs (select type on purchase)
[High Explosive [3/3]— Cannot be thrown, must be planted or slid, does 20d6 damage and fucks shit up]
2 points, 2 lbs
[Medical Kit [10/10]— +8 to any first aid attempt]
3 points, 5 lbs
[Radio [10/10]— Allows you to contact HQ]
3 points, 5 lbs

---

Character Sheet:
[Character Name], Rookie
Health: [max is 10*Strength]
Sanity: [max is 10*Intelligence]
Stamina: [max is 10*Endurance]
Burden: [Your carried weight/10*Strength)
Attributes-
Strength:
Perception:
Endurance:
Charisma:
Intelligence:
Agility:
Luck:
Inventory-
[List your things here]
Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 0
Achievements:
None

---

The Character Sheet You Should Copy To Save Me Formatting Time:

Code:

[Character Name], Rookie
Health: [max is 10*Strength]
Sanity: [max is 10*Intelligence]
Stamina: [max is 10*Endurance]
Burden: [Your carried weight/10*Strength)
[u]Attributes-[/u]
Strength:
Perception:
Endurance:
Charisma:
Intelligence:
Agility:
Luck:
[u]Inventory-[/u]
[List your things here]
[u]Traits:[/u]
None
[u]Kills:[/u]
None
Requisition Points: 0
[u]Achievements:[/u]
None

---

The Squad:
ZE QUAKER, Rookie
Health: 7/50
Sanity: 16/20
Stamina: 40/40
Burden: 30/50
Attributes-
Strength: 5
Perception: 2
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 2
Agility: 3
Luck: 2
Inventory-
[Medium Combat Armor [8/50]—DR: 8, +2 to Endurance checks]
[Ragefist (1H)[35/35]-- +(Strength-5) to hit, 2d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d9, Stamina Cost: (10-Strength), permits ridiculous feats of badassery when well and truly enraged.]
Traits:
[Orbital Strike Resistant: You're immune to orbital weapons platforms. Or something. Damn you, Quaker!]
Kills:
Citizens One, Two, and Three-- Shot in Mission 1
Citizens Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine-- Detonated in Mission 1
Citizen Four-- Overkilled in Mission 1
Requisition Points: 0
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Open the achievement system.]
[Packrat: Scavenge an item]
[Source Book: Discover a rule.]
[Squaddie!-- Make your first kill]
[Kraftsman!: Craft an item]
[Gauntlet Runner: Because I don't know how you weren't hit.]
[Professional Badass: Acquire a trait]
[Icipher Medal of Approval: This does nothing. Just like Icipher. ]

Jack Phoenix, Rookie
Health: [22/30]
Sanity: [28/30]
Stamina: [20/20]
Burden: [30/30]
Attributes-
Strength: 3
Perception: 4
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 3
Agility: 3
Luck: 3
Inventory-
[Light Combat Armor [12/20]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks]
[Sniper Rifle (2H)[12/12]{Ammo:6/10}—[Precision], attacks once, 7d6 damage]
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 5/8]—[Semi-Automatic], 2d6 damage]
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 3/8]—[Semi-Automatic], 2d6 damage]
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0]
[Sniper Rifle Clip]
[Pistol Clip] x3
Traits:
[Unfettered Movement: You gain a +1 to rolls made to escape... well, most anything you'd need to escape in a combat situation.]
[Enlightened: You understand the grand scheme of the world, and your own place within it. This, naturally, allows you to channel the ether through the fabric of reality itself for minor assistance. Because that's how reality works.]
Kills:
Two Citizens in the Mob, Sniped
One Citizen in the Mob, Rocked w/ Glock
Requisition Points: 1
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
[Squaddie!-- Make your first kill]
[Professional Badass: Acquire a trait]

Ser Triton Galaktikon XIII, Rookie
Health: [30/30]
Sanity: [40/40]
Stamina: [30/30]
Burden: [30/30]
Attributes-
Strength: 3
Perception: 3
Endurance: 3
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 4
Agility: 3
Luck: 2
Inventory-
Medium Combat Armor [50/50]--DR: 8; + 2 to Endurance Check
Pistol (1/2H) [20/20]{Ammo: 8/8}--Semi-Automatic, 2d6 Damage
Medical Kit [10/10]
Traits:
[Ancestral Knowledge Of Cybernetics: +1 to cyborg nonsense]
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 7
Achievements:
None

Carrion, Rookie
Health: 50/50
Sanity: 30/30
Stamina: 30/30
Burden: 44/50
Attributes-
Strength: 5
Perception: 1
Endurance: 3
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 3
Agility: 5
Luck: 2
Inventory-
[Bastard Sword (1/2H)[20/20]—-1 to hit, 2d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d6+3, Stamina Cost: 8]
[Bastard Sword (1/2H)[20/20]—-1 to hit, 2d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d6+3, Stamina Cost: 8]
[Morbid Combat Armor [19/21]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks, +1 to intimidation attempts]
[Incendiary [5/5]— -6 to hit on throw, effects vary by type]
[Radio [10/10]— Allows you to contact HQ]
Traits:
None
Kills:
Operative Caeron O'Donnell, Decapitated in Mission 1
Requisition Points: 2
Achievements:
[Kraftsman!: craft an item]
[TEAM KILLING FUCKTARD: Kill a squadmate.]

---

Remembering The Fallen:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Operative Guilty, Rookie-
Killed In Action
Mission 1, Turn Zero - Mission 1, Turn Seventeen
You’ve Really Made The Grade
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kills:
None
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
[Snap-Crackle-Pop: Suffer more than 50% of your health in fall damage.]
[Source Book: Discover a rule.]
[Packrat: Scavenge an item]
[Kraftsman!: Craft an item]
[Professional Badass: Acquire a trait]
[You made a what check?: Make the DM's friend giggle while reading over his shoulder.]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Operative Calen O'Donnell, Jr., Rookie-
Killed In Action
Mission 1, Turn Thirteen - Mission 1, Turn Seventeen
He Did It For The Dance
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Caeron O'Donnell, Jr., Rookie, Rookie-
Killed In Action
Mission 1, Turn Eighteen- Mission 1, Turn Twenty-one
Tombstone Text Goes Here
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kills:
None
Achievements:
None

---

Noteworth Hostile Entities:
Sol Terran, ???
Health: [2/20]
Sanity: [48/50]
Stamina: [20/20]
Burden: [20/20)
Attributes-
Strength: 2
Perception: 3
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 2
Luck: 2
Inventory-
Traits:
The Mario - [+0 to all Dice Rolls, -0 to all Dice Rolls]
[???: ??? ??? ???]
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 6
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
[Source Book: Discover a rule.]

---

Missing In Action:
Sir Luckington Esquire III, Rookie
Health: [28/40]
Sanity: [4/10]
Stamina: [28/40]
Burden: [30/40]
Attributes-
Strength: 4
Perception: 1
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 4
Luck: 5
Inventory-
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 6/8]—[Semi-Automatic], 2d6 damage]
[Medical Kit [10/10]— +8 to any first aid attempt]
[2X Sword (1H) [20/20]—+0 to hit, 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 1d6, Stamina Cost: 12, Hits twice]
Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 0
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
[Professional Gambler: Win on a 1 in 6 odds when it's all on the line.]
[Packrat: Scavenge an item]
[Kraftsman!: craft an item]
[Source Book: Discover a rule.]

---

Finally, that place where I list tips of varying importance:
TIP: Traits will be acquired for feats that seem to merit them. Generally, I’ll hand these out when I feel an achievement is not enough.
TIP: Alien weaponry is typically high damage, low fire rate. Even if you have high strength and agility, you should still plan to use cover most of the time.
TIP: Melee attackers will be exposed to many more damage sources in the form of reaction fire and counter-attacks. They can, however, have a much higher damage output than an average ranged character.
TIP: Ranged combat will be heavily influenced by the range of engagement, taking the weapons used into account.

[Fadeview]

Sir Luckington Esquire III (The third, for you non-british heathens!), Rookie
Health: [40/40]
Sanity: [10/10]
Stamina: [40/40]
Burden: [40/40]
Attributes-
Strength: 4
Perception: 1
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 1
Intelligence: 1
Agility: 4
Luck: 5
Inventory-
[Medium Combat Armor [50/50]
[Gladius (1H)[20/20]
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 8/8]
[Medical Kit [10/10]
[High Explosive [3/3]
Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 0
Achievements:
None

[Guilty Carrion]

Guilty, Rookie
Health: 20/20
Sanity: 30/30
Stamina: 20/20
Burden: 20/20
Attributes-
Strength: 2
Perception: 2
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 3
Agility: 5
Luck: 2
Inventory-

[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0] Right Hand
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0] Left Hand
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0] Mouth
[Light Combat Armor [20/20]—DR: 1, +1 to Endurance checks]
[Flashbang [5/5]— -6 to hit on throw, 8d6 damage]
[Flashbang [5/5]— -6 to hit on throw, 8d6 damage]
Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 4
Achievements:
None

[quakernuts]

ZE QUAKER, Rookie
Health: 50/50
Sanity: 20/20
Stamina: 40/40
Burden: 50/50
Attributes-
Strength: 5
Perception: 2
Endurance: 4
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 2
Agility: 3
Luck: 2
Inventory-

[Medium Combat Armor [50/50]—DR: 3, +2 to Endurance checks]
[Assault Rifle (2H) [13/13]{Ammo: 21/21}—+1 to hit, attacks once or three times consecutively, 3d6 damage]
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0]
3 points, 2 lbs
[Radio [10/10]— Allows you to contact HQ]
3 points, 5 lbs
[High Explosive [3/3]— Cannot be thrown, must be planted or slid, does 20d6 damage and fucks shit up]
(Total weight = 45lbs)

Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 0
Achievements:
None

[Eternal Phoenix]

I has followed the rules, Sergeant Chainy sir.

Jack Phoenix, Rookie
Health: [30/30]
Sanity: [30/30]
Stamina: [20/20]
Burden: [30/30]
Attributes-
Strength: 3
Perception: 4
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 3
Agility: 3
Luck: 3
Inventory-
[Light Combat Armor [20/20]—DR: 1, +1 to Endurance checks]
3 points, 10 lbs
[Sniper Rifle (2H)[12/12]{Ammo:10/10}—[Precision], attacks once, 7d6 damage]
7 points, 15 lbs
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 8/8]—[Semi-Automatic], 2d6 damage]
3 points, 2 lbs
[Combat Knife (1H)[30/30]— 1d6 damage, Strength Mod: 2, Stamina Cost: 0]
3 points, 2 lbs
[Sniper Rifle Clip]
1 point, 1 lbs
Traits:
None
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 1
Achievements:
None

[Dreamless Days]

Sol Terran, Rookie
Health: [16/20]
Sanity: [50/50]
Stamina: [20/20]
Burden: [20/20)
Attributes-
Strength: 2
Perception: 3
Endurance: 2
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 5
Agility: 2
Luck: 2
Inventory-
[Light Combat Armor [16/20]
[Pistol (1/2H)[20/20]{Ammo: 8/8]
[Medical Kit [10/10]
[Pistol Clip] x3
Traits:
The Mario - [+0 to all Dice Rolls, -0 to all Dice Rolls]
[???: ??? ??? ???]
Kills:
None
Requisition Points: 6
Achievements:
[I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]

[Chainlinc3]

Alllllllrighty, I'mma try and kick this off tomorrow (Friday) night. It won't be a midnight update system, but will be a shortly-before-I-go-to-bed update system, which is generally close enough. If you don't have actions by Saturday whenever I start processing actions, well, tough luck.

tl;dr-- Don't stall putting actions in once a turn opens up. I wait for no man (or woman or child).

[Chainlinc3]

Day 1

Mission 1, Turn 0

---

You sit in Skyranger, hurtling through the skies at "approximately a gazillion miles per hour," according to the pilot. You thought back briefly to the mission outline you'd received back at base.

You were heading for a small town along a seaside cliff. Several odd phenomena had been reported in the town and it's surrounding areas, and thus alien activity in the area was expected. You were going to land a little ways outside of town, and work in-- hopefully trapping any aliens against the cliff where they could be easily eliminated.

After all, the training was very clear about that. The men and women on th--
...
You look around and softly chuckle. Actually, just men.

Regardless, the men around you were humanity's best and last line of defense. You were going to land, get out, and kick some alien ass!

...It didn't help your confidence that veterans spent half their time in the psych ward, though. That was actually quite concerning.

BUT! You have the utmost faith in your own abilities, and those of your squadmates. Those aliens were never going to know what hit th--

There was a hissing sound followed by an explosion, and suddenly the sky was where the cockpit should be. Well, piss.

---

Announcement:
Random Operative Selection...
1d5: 5!
Sol Terran: Trait Acquired!
[???: ??? ??? ???]

---

GO GO GO!
You have 24 hours, give or take, to get an action in. If other people are out there, you're more than welcome to throw out a sheet-- I'll put you on the next reinforcing Skyranger. Believe me, there will be a lot of them.

[quakernuts]

Apparently a Quaker Clone was flying the dropship again...

Grab a parachute and skydive to safety in EPIC FASHION!

*Cues Mission Impossible music*

[Guilty Carrion]

...huh. That is almost a record of Skyranger survival. Disregard explosions, Acquire parachute! Follow quaker out with rocking theme music blaring over our epic jumping/free-falling abilities!

[Dreamless Days]

Seeing my allies jumping out of the skyranger, follow suit and grab a parachute and jump out too. Though, use my higher genius to open the chute at the time most ensuring my survival.

[Eternal Phoenix]

LIke the others, I will be grabbing a parachute and taking that leap of faith. And you know, actually using the thing so I possibly don't die first. That, friends and neighbors, would suck.

[Chainlinc3]

Day 1

Mission 1, Turn 1

---

Global Announcement!
You feel a... ripple, almost as if the world itself were changing it's fundamental system of probability in order to better suit the whims of an outside entity. You contemplate on this for a moment, then go back to panicking about the whole plummeting-to-your-fiery-death thing.

[After reviewing the turn results, and doing a few other test rolls, I've determined that the system I'd originally implemented favors mediocrity far too much. As such, I'm revamping things in an arbitrary manner-- The multiple dice system will only be used in combat. Outside of combat, your skills will just be used as an arbitrary weighting factor-- someone with five charisma, for example, will probably not cause anyone to commit suicide if they roll a one on a motivational speech, but their charisma score won't directly effect the roll anymore. I feel like this allows your attributes (and thus the character building process) to still effect the way you play your character, without unbalancing things ridiculously.]

---

ZE QUAKER
You snatch up a parachute and dive out of the plane, never looking back as the fiery death trap soars onwards!
Deployment Check (Int: 2): 5!
Parachute Check (Luck: 2): 4!
Your parachute is in... acceptable condition, and you sail to the ground in a more-or-less completely un-exciting manner!
Achievement Unlocked: [I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
Achievement Unlocked: [ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Open the achievement system.]

Guilty
You make like a Quaker and DIVE DIVE DIVE!
Deployment Check (Int: 3): 1!
Parachute Check (Luck: 2): 6!
You wait until the very last second, then a couple seconds beyond the last second, then stare the ground in the face and decide your parachute might be a good idea after all.
It's in perfect condition when it deploys, but you're just a bit too late for it to really help. There is much crunching.
Fall Damage Roll (1d40): 17 - 4 (Light Armor) = 12!
Armor Status Update: [Light Combat Armor [16/20]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks]
Operative Health Update: [8/20]
Achievement Unlocked: [I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
Achievement Unlocked: [Snap-Crackle-Pop: Suffer more than 50% of your health in fall damage.]
You groan.

Sol Terran
Who has two thumbs and is a lemming? YOU!
Deployment Check (Int: 5): 2!
Parachute Check (Luck: 2): 3!
The ground hurtles toward you, and though you feel the impulse to wait longer before deploying your parachute, you push it down. Your touchdown is not exactly graceful, but you don't think you broke anything.
Fall Damage Roll (1d10): 8 - 4 (Light Armor) = 4!
Armor Status Update: [Light Combat Armor [16/20]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks]
Operative Health Update: [16/20]
Achievement Unlocked: [I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]

Jack Phoenix
You make good on your namesake, and take to the sky!
Deployment Check (Int: 3): 2!
Parachute Check (Luck: 3): 3!
You wait just a smidge too long to deploy your parachute.
Fall Damage Roll (1d15): 6 - 4 (Light Armor) = 2!
Armor Status Update: [Light Combat Armor [16/20]—DR: 4, +1 to Endurance checks]
Operative Health Update: [28/30]
Achievement Unlocked: [I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]

Sir Luckington Esquire III
You examine the clouds. Is that a cumulonimbus over there?
Roll: 4!
Why yes, I do believe it is. Good show, old chap!

---

Global Announcement!
The Skyranger plummets to earth, carving a massive trench into the small town's only paved road.
Then it explodes.

Sir Luckington Esquire III-- Survival Roll (Luck: 5): 6!
... Well then.
Sir Luckington Esquire III is standing, nonchalantly, in the street next to the Skyranger's smoking corpse. He sips from a teacup he acquired from God-knows-where, and tuts before turning his back on the charred wreckage.
Achievement Unlocked: [I LIVE FOR THE JUMP: Survive the "landing."]
Achievement Unlocked: [Professional Gambler: Win on a 1 in 6 odds when it's all on the line.]

---

Global Announcement!
The squad regroups around the Skyranger's wreckage, and high-fives are had all around for universal survival (Except in the case of Operative Guilty, who requires low-fives due to his temporary inability to extricate himself from the pavement). Townsfolk are gathering around, looking rather irked by your sudden intrusion.

---

I updated the first post with everyone's character sheets.
...Also, sorry Fadeview, but a schedule's a schedule. Besides, it turned out well enough for you.

[Guilty Carrion]

...I'm OKAY. Kinda. Maybe. Everything still bends the right way at least. Promptly clamber up to my feet, and ask the growing crowd(No doubt stunned by the fact that I am not a concrete pancake) about those strange phenomenon that have been happening as of late.

Also wonder how amazing it is that I'm actually attempting the objective .

[Eternal Phoenix]

I greet the populace and ask them to point us towards the nearest aliens.

[Dreamless Days]

Ignoring the civvies for now, use a medkit to try and fix up Guilty a bit.

[quakernuts]

I laugh at everyone seeing as I, ZE QUAKER, was the only one to get out of the jump scott free.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Now that that's over...I inspect the crowd for signs of mind controlled civilians or alien tampering.

[Fadeview]

Spout some snide British comment before hoisting my gladius and announcing that I, Sir Luckington Esq. III, Heir to the Luckington Estate, shall singlehandedly CRUSH THE ALIEN MENACE! /rallying speech

[Chainlinc3]

Day 1

Mission 1, Turn 2

---

Global Announcement!
EARLY UPDATE TIME!
Have a pony.

---

Guilty
You limp about, asking townsfolk for any information that might prove useful.
Roll (Charisma: 4, Luck: 2): Hidden!
The townsfolk don't seem very receptive to your questions...
Then again, you probably just halved property values in this neighborhood, so that's understandable.
Rule Discovered: Some rolls are hidden! You may see the outcome, but not the rolls that led to them.
Achievement Unlocked: [Source Book: Discover a rule.]

Jack Phoenix
"WHERE ARE THE ALIENS?" you cry out! "TAKE ME TO THE ALIENS!"
Roll (Charisma: 2): Hidden!
One woman hesitantly steps out from the crowd and, beckoning for you to follow, begins heading toward one of the houses.

Sol Terran
You attempt a flesh-repair!
Roll (Intelligence: 5): 5!
Heal Roll: 2d6+8(Medical Kit)=15!
Operative Guilty Health Update: [20/20]
Medical Kit Update: [5/10]

ZE QUAKER
You examine the crowd for signs of psionic influence or alien activity!
Roll (Intelligence: 2, Perception: 2): Hidden!
The crowd seems oddly... docile. Your grip tightens on your weapons.

Sir Luckington Esquire III
You invoke the powers granted unto you by the Great British God, ENGLANDIA!
Roll (Charisma: 1): 3!
Englandia has deserted you in your hour of need. The peasants around you are utterly unimpressed.

---

Global Announcement!
The townsfolk begin mumbling to themselves, a gentle susurrus against the coastal breeze. The shock of your landing appears to be wearing off.

---

Global Announcement!
An unseen force assaults your minds, clawing at the edges of your consciousness!
Mental Attack Roll: 1!
Operative Defenses: Irrelevant!
...
You all feel suddenly itchy for a moment, then it passes.

[quakernuts]

Apparently the lady must be under the influence of the ALIEN SCOURGE!

However, she is the only lead we have to go on...so fuck everything and go into her house...

ENTER THE HOUSE AND ASSESS!

[Guilty Carrion]

I shall follow the woman...stealthily, like a shadow, using my superior agility to keep myself hidden. Like a Ninja.

[Fadeview]

Follow the woman also, search the house for any pistol ammo, or any better pistols.

[Eternal Phoenix]

I'll follow the woman who beckoned me, but not too close.

[Dreamless Days]

Rather than blindly follow the woman inside like my allies, stay outside to stand guard. Attempt to ask a closeby civvie some questions about the current situation.

[Chainlinc3]

Day 1

Mission 1, Turn 3

---

Global Announcement!
Double Update!
To celebrate, we're having a double XP weekend!
Now if only the weekend didn't end in... oh... three and a half hours. And you had an experience bar to keep all this delicious experience in...

---

Global Announcement!
The woman heads to her house, your group in tow. Operative Terran remains outside to watch the perimeter; everyone else follows her inside. She sits down at a table with cookies laid out on it, and gestures for you to join her.

"Now, I understand you boys wanted to ask some questions about the... things that've been slinking around at night?"

---

ZE QUAKER
You examine her home, looking for signs of anything amiss.
Roll (Perception: 2): Hidden!
Everything seems to be perfectly normal. Except the cookies. The cookies look fucking delicious.

Guilty
You follow the woman into her home, stealthily skulking around.
Sneak Check (Agility: 5): 5!
Housewife Perception Check: Hidden!
You briefly step on a squeaky floorboard, but quickly shift your weight away from it. You don't think she heard, and otherwise were the perfect embodiment of ninja.

Sir Luckington Esquire III
You begin rummaging around the house for firearms.
Roll (Luck: 5): 5!
...You find a machete. It was in the knife block. No, you don't know how it fit.
Item Acquired: [Machete (1H)[20/20]—+1 to hit, 1d4 damage, Strength Mod: 1d8, Stamina Cost: 6], 12 lbs
Note: You are overburdened! Drop something before you incur a penalty!
Achievement Unlocked: [Packrat: Scavenge an item]

Jack Phoenix
You follow the woman inside.
Note: I can't make an action out of this... I mean, I could make you roll to successfully follow the woman, but...

Sol Terran
You question a nearby civilian as you stand watch.
Roll (Charisma: 4): Hidden!
You don't turn up anything useful...

---

Global Announcement!
Think about your actions! If you don't think an action needs a roll, then you should probably add something else to it.

---

Global Announcement!
The unseen presence quiets in your minds... It seems to be retreating for now.

[quakernuts]

There is something sneaky going on around here...Question the woman as to what is going on here...

Avoid the...delicious...scrumptious...absolutely mouth salivating cookies that are in front of you...

WILLPOWER! AWAY!

[Guilty Carrion]

Through use of impressive stealth abilities and ninja training(IE: Watching a lot of old movies with ninjas), I expertly throw my voice into the cookie tray to ask why everyone else in this quaint town is so...docile and un-receptive to authority figure's asking questions.

[Dreamless Days]

Understanding that the civvie isn't going to tell me anything, bid him goodbye before heading around the side of the house to check for any enemies we have yet to see.

If I find nothing, head inside from the back door. (assuming there IS one)

[Fadeview]

Give my high-explosives to the first unburdened party member, then with all my British ingenuity, find a way to fuse the Machete and Gladius into one amazing (And somehow, lighter!) item.

[Eternal Phoenix]

While quaker questions the woman, I look around the room, not for weapons, but for clues as to this woman's personality and affilations.

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