Introduction

James wasn't available for the session this week although that wasn't an issue as Six was primarily down to fly the Marauder as and when required.

As this was the second major bout of combat and people commented they still didn't understand how it works I've added some notes below (most of these are in the relevant bits that you should all have links to).

Some Notes on Combat Mechanics

In essence Combat is simple. Roll a D20 and if you exceed a target you may hit, but there are complications imposed by Armour (magic or otherwise) and whether the combat is melee or ranged, and whether the character has applicable training.

Melee combat is generally governed by two skills Hand-To-Hand (HtH) skill and Weapon Proficiency (by weapon or group). There are some skills which either give a basic combat ability or add to the HtH skill. HtH comes in 3 basic forms Basic, Expert, and Martial Art, although there are some other specialized form Assassin and Gung Fu being 2 examples. The abilities bestowed are dependant on Skill level and are cumulative. Characters can only learn one HtH skill and this is typically based on 'Class' or 'Archetype'.

Combat at range is again generally governed by two skills Ranged Combat and Weapon Proficiency (by weapon or group).There are some skills which either give a basic combat ability or add to the Range Combat ability. Range Combat like the HtH skill comes in 4 basics forms Rogue, Infantry, Special Forces, and Sniper. Characters can only learn one Ranged Combat Skill and this is typically based on 'Class' or 'Archetype'.

Characters with out any form of training may still attack but all attacks are at a penalty. For Melee combat they use the Melee:Untrained selection, and for Ranged Combat they use the applicable weapon WP but all attacks are classed as 'Wild'

During combat you have both 'Attacks' and 'Actions'. Generally most of you have 2 Attacks per round and 3 Actions. The most notable exception to this is Five as she has no combat training (she could learn but somebody would need to teach her, but she may need to convince them to do so as most of them still see her as a 'Child' and not at all like the rest of them - you are all hardened criminals/mercenaries aren't you?). Note also that Five is also somewhat unique in that which HtH and/or Ranged Combat skill she may learn is based upon which skill her 'Teacher' has (there are a couple of exceptions to this where she would get the same skill but the next best lower skill).  Whilst I'm on the subject of Five, she will get more skills when she turns 16, some of which are 'pre-defined' by what she's been doing so far, and some that she will have the option to decide herself, such as learning combat skills.

Actions allow you to do things other than Attack, move, parry attacks, draw weapons (unless you have the applicable quick draw skill), quaff a drink already in hand etc. There is one additional action which requires an available Attack to use which is 'Dodge' (unless you have Auto-Dodge which just requires an available action). Most melee attacks can be parried, but attacks such as a Power Punch or Jump Kick can only be dodged. Ranged attacks from modern weapons generally cannot be Dodged. There are exceptions, but these require the character to know they are being target by such a weapon, and typically this means area effect weapons, such as grenades, but it also means you have to have enough space to be able to move into to avoid the attack.

If you or your target is wearing armour, then you need to overcome the Armour Rating (AR) of the Armour to hit the target. This applies to both Ranged and Melee combat. There are special rules for 'force field' type Armour including Magic or Psionic spells/abilities. These always have an AR of 20 until dispelled/canceled, although there are ways to damage a target through these.

If the attack roll would have hit the target (ie wasn't parried or dodged) were it not for the Armour, then the effect depends on the Penetration Value (PV) of the impacting blow and the Damage Resistance (DR) of the Armour. Note as I've noted previously the PV of a weapon also determines the 'Bleeding Damage' inflicted (See the Log for Session 9:Unexpected Outcomes).

Melee Combat

A Natural 1 is always a miss.
A modified roll of 2,3,4,5 misses the target
A modified roll of 6 or 7 glances off the target but effectively does no damage.
A modified roll of 8 or more may hit the target.
If you want to hit an area other than the main body of the target then you need to make a 'Called Shot' which means you need modified roll of 12 or more.
A natural 20 is always a critical but even these can be parried either partially or completely. If you have a high enough skill level then your critical my apply on a natural 18,19, or 20.

To parry an attack
1) you must have an available action
2) you need to roll equal to or greater than the attackers roll.

For Critical Attacks and Critical Parries there are complications.
A Critical attack will do half damage instead of double damage if the roll to Parry exceeds the modified attackers roll. Thus if the attacker has a +4Strike bonus you would need to roll 24 or more to partially parry a Natural 20. A critical Parry (natural 20) will negate a critical attack, even if the modified roll does not exceed the attackers roll.

A critical Parry against a non-critical attack allows the Parrying Party to do one of two things
1)If the Attacker is using a weapon then the weapon is knocked out of the attackers grip and potentially flung aside
2)If the Attacker is using unarmed attacks (punches/kicks) then the target has effectively 'grappled' the attacker grabbing hold of the limb. This means they can either throw the attacker or joint lock them on their next attack - as the Android did to Two on Tuesday.

As noted above you also have the ability to 'Dodge' an Attack but
1) you must have an available attack to do so (unless you have AutoDodge)
2) you need to roll equal to or greater than the attackers roll.

A successful dodge generally means you avoid the attack completely, but there are complications for area effect weapons (such as breath weapons or wing sweep attacks)

There are various things you can do when attacking unarmed, some of which require training (generally at least a HtH skill), but all of which require you to make a successful attack. Generally most of these fall under the category of Melee:Punch. These include Grapple attacks, a successful grapple enabling you to potentially Bear Hug, Throw, or Joint Lock (requires the correct level of training) your target (note this counts as a separate attack).

When using Foundry VTT you need to ensure that 3 abilities are checked, your HtH Strike bonus, your HtH Damage bonus, and the applicable WP skill. You then roll on the applicable Melee: skill (Melee:Punch, Melee:Kick, Melee:Sword etc).

People commented on Tuesday about the disparity between the damage inflicted by the Android when Punching and Kicking vs Four with his swords. For normal humans a punch does 1D4, a kick 1D6 or 1D8 (dependant on HtH skill), and a sword 1D6 or 1D8. Those with HtH training or certain other skills will do higher amounts of damage based on their skill level. Androids and Robots do significantly more because they are significantly stronger than Humans plus they have the ability to Power Punch. Four does 4D4 with his swords because of his training, but it also classes as a PV4 attack, so inflicts a 4D3 bleeding wound.

Additionally you may choose to 'Roll with Punch/Fall/Impact' but this effectively means you lose any remaining attacks for that round. For those of you with a high DR, your DR may negate any Punch, Impact, or Fall Damage, so unless I suggest you may want to use this (as I did on Tuesday when the Android threw Two, although she failed her roll). To succeed you need to roll higher than the attackers modified roll. A success will halve the damage taken (which if reduced to less than your DR means you don't take any damage).

Note: there is a reverse to this. If the damage inflicted is more than 2xDR then 10% is lethal damage as opposed to 'bruising' damage and is healed in the same way as normal wounds (basically PE/2 per day).

Range Combat

A Natural 1 is always a miss.
A modified roll of 2,3,4,5,6,7 misses the target
A modified roll of 8, 9, 10, or 11 glances off/ grazes  the target but effectively does no damage.
A modified roll of 12 or more may hit the target.
If you want to hit an area other than the main body of the target then you need to make a 'Called Shot' which means you need modified roll of 15 or more.
A natural 20 is always a critical. If you have a high enough skill level then your critical my apply on a natural 18,19, or 20.

Ranged Attacks from Modern Firearms cannot be Parried. Some may be dodged but it depends on the weapon and range. If you're attacking with a ranged weapon, an it generally has to be small such as a pistol, from 3 feet or less the Melee rules apply, which means the target can parry the attack - they effectively knock your arm aside spoiling the aim.

When using Foundry VTT you need to ensure 2 things
1) The drop down menu for the WP <type> is set according to the attack type you are using Wild, Aimed, Burst, Snapshot. This sets the attack penalty correctly. (You also need to tell me because this also affects your action point - basically when you attack). Note if you have the 'Snapshot' Skill you can use Aimed even if Snap Shooting (this is restricted to small weapons such as pistols only)
2)You roll on the Ranged:<weapon> type (for Example Ranged:GP34 Pistol)

There are also other 'Range' and 'Cover/Concealment' affects that also come into play when making ranged attacks. So far all combats have been pretty much at Short range, thus these haven't really come into play so far.

So Far So Good

As is typical we started with a brief recap of where we'd reached at the end of the last session. ie, Wexlar was out of commission for the upcoming mission, having been Two'd, and Five was going to have to go in his place, the complication being that they had no ID for her, and thus she would have to travel 'Trolley' class. There was of course an additional complication, as on modern aircraft the Trolley would need to travel in the hold, and whilst it was pressurized, that's about it. The cramped confined conditions in the hidden compartment in the trolley would provide some protection, but she would still need a thermal blanket and an oxygen supply for the 2 hours she was likely to be confined inside the trolley. They also realized that the could smuggle Fours swords inside the compartment with Five. If she'd thought of it at the time Two could also have given her boot knife to Five but she didn't.

The Razza completes the FTL transit to Calden Prime, where the "Away" Team board the Marauder, and Six flies them down to the Transit Station. Five is stuffed into the Trolley before the Team exit the Marauder and make their way through the Transit Station to the Boarding Gate for the Transfer Shuttle to Calden 4 Research Station. Note the Transfer Shuttle is a limited range FTL ship with a maximum jump range of 12AU. Calden 4 is 8AU from Calden Prime and the transit takes 130 minutes end-to-end, 10 minutes to orbit, 80minutes  FTL,  5 minutes  to transit to the station, and 15 minutes to disembark. The shuttle has a capacity of 60 passengers and generally carries  around 50 each way.

Meanwhile, having recovered Six and the Marauder, the Razza leaves orbit and jumps to the far side of the sun to await the activation of the sub-space beacon signaling lockdown of the Research Station.

Cain is pushing the Trolley and is near the front of the queue through station security. Having scanned  Cains  badge  and  joked "So you're back again then" to which Cain responds "yeah, can't keep me away", the guard taps the trolley as Cain is about to push it through.
Guard: "Whats in the Trolley?" opening the lid
Cain, stepping back away from the trolley, "Plumbing Supplies. Finally got the work order through to fix the washrooms on Level 6"
Guard, taking a few items out of the top tray "About time. Hate sharing with the GL guys, their all pigs"
He hesitates then puts the items back and closes the lid waving Cain through. Cain heads down the central axis to the elevators followed by Two and Four.

Vons and Tash, followed by Three take the stairs on the right, ascending to level 3 where the Control room is.

As they approach the control room Vons warns Three "There are typically 2 technicians on duty in the control room. They can initiate a security alarm from their consoles, and it would really screw things up if they manage to do so" He moves to the door release and then counts down "Three, Two, One, Mark" opening the door. Three and Tash move inside. There are indeed two technicians present, one at the far RH console and one at the near LH console. Three moves towards the Technician at the far console whilst Tash takes the nearer technician. Vons enters closing the door behind them.

The technicians respond unsurprisingly (although somewhat surprised by their entry) "Hey you're not authorized to be in here", before Three punches his target, whilst Tash grabs and throws her target away from the consoles. The fight is somewhat one sided and fairly short, but Tash continues to punch her victim, being held by Vons, after he is unconscious until Three tells her to stop.

Vons then approaches one of the consoles in preparation to trigger the lockdown at the designated time.

Elsewhere, and I actually forgot this in the session, Two, Four, Cain and the Trolley, exit the elevator on level 5, Cain putting the elevator into "Maintenance Mode" thus locking it in place. They then head into the restricted section, Cain warning Two and Four "If we get seen beyond this door we're screwed". Once beyond the door he opens the trolley allowing Five out of her confinement. There is a short delay whilst she recovers, and then another brief delay as they approach the Lab when 2 Scientists exit, although they head down the corridor to the right.

Once clear Cain heads for the Lab access and opens the door pushing the trolley inside.  They then move to the Lab access door, which Cain opens and they move inside. The Serillium Alloy vault is clearly visible at the end of the room. As Five and Two move towards the vault, Five suddenly goes "Shit, Android" and backs away. Two approaches. The Android appears to be in a recharge cycle so is currently off line.  Aside from questioning "who the heck scouted this mission" (Now given that Traufett didn't have the duplicate Restricted Access Key until she briefed you at the Rendezvous, scouting this area wouldn't have been possible), Two correctly surmises that "as long as it stays off-line it shouldn't be an issue" before (and I can't remember if it was my hint or not) people realized that once lockdown is triggered the Androids recharge cycle will be interrupted and it will come online. Cue Triggering of Lockdown and the Activation of the Android.

Elsewhere the Razza now jumps to the Calden 4 orbit, and Six and Seven board the Marauder in preparation to retrieve the Away Party.

The Android responds on awaking by stating the obvious "None of you are Authorized to be in here. All of you places your hands on the wall to the right and wait for the arrival of the Security Team". Five backs away toward the Trolley, Four moves in the direction of the Trolley to retrieve his swords, and Two and Cain attack the Android. Again this turns out to be a somewhat one sided affair in favour of the Android, who starts to throw Two around, block Cain who when he does manage to get past the Androids Guard hurts his hand, and kick Four across the room.

Five remembering (even if Paul didn't) the conversation that took place when they faced down Wendy, that other than a Stunner, a large electrical discharge had the capability to knock out an Android, realizes that the power pack should have the capability to take down the Android, and the given the choice between being alive even if the mission failed, and being dead, decided that being alive was the better option, and began decoupling the interface unit for the door access from the power pack. Once decoupled she then removed the shrouding from the cable connectors.

With Two struggling to regain her feet after being knocked down and Four having just regained one of his swords having been disarmed by the Android, and Cain providing a distraction (if nothing else) Five manages to slip in unnoticed by the Android and unload the power pack into the Android rendering it unconscious. She then (I think) removed the Androids control chip.

With the power pack now discharged the question of how to power the door open arises. Two (because the dice gods hated Five at this point) realized that the Android both has a charge of its own (because it was on a recharge cycle - and yes this does apply to Lisa as well) and had just absorbed a large discharge from the power pack and in theory it should be possible to use the Android as the power source. Thankfully to dice gods were kind to Five and she figured out exactly what was required to do this, basically reconfiguring the charging circuits of the power pack to work from the Android ( and no I didn't make her roll to do this - narrative imperative precedence here...)

With the vault no open they transfer the device, a box approximately 3ft long by 2ft wide by 2ft 6" high, which just fits into the concealed compartment in the trolley. As they do so 'lockdown' is ended with the announcement from security that "Everyone is to remain where they are until cleared by the Security Teams". Cain, Two, Four, and Five head for the elevators and thence to the airlock, whilst Vons, Tash, and Three head directly for the Airlock.

Vons, Tash and Three arrive first, to find the airlock guarded by 8 security guards all armed with shock sticks. Given the guards' superior numbers, their tactical advantage, and the fact they are armed they decide to wait.

Meanwhile the Marauder has docked, and Seven has made his way into the airlock corridor. Noting the presence of the guards beyond he readies a stun grenade ("flash bang"), opens the door and throws it into their midst stunning all bar one of them. Seizing his opportunity Three rushes through the middle of them, failing to grab a shock-stick on the way, whilst Vons and Tash engage the stunned guards.

Initially things go okay. Three manages to avoid the Guards attack, and retrieve a stunner from Seven, Seven managing to put two bullets into the guard. Tash and Vons each manage to knock a guard out, Tash taking out a second one before they recover and render Vons unconscious. Three doesn't fair any better, failing to stun the guard Seven shot, whilst succumbing to the Guard's shock-stick attack.

We leave things with Two and Four joining the fight, and 5 guards still active, although one is bleeding from the bullet wounds inflicted by Seven.

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