DermPushing off from the ceiling, you [6] fire a massive blast of pure energy towards the floor at the rear of the building. The wooden structure explodes outward as chunks of stone and wood are ripped from the ground. You barely miss a twisted square of iron as a pressure wave pushes you away in a cloud of debris. Sparing a glance, you see a large crater, at the edge of which is the forward third of the meeting hall. With a mental shrug, you raise your other hand. You shape a pulse of "astral fire", launching it towards the hilltop [2], but the sphere erupts after covering barely half the distance. [1] v. [6] You feel completely fine.
-20 MP
+2 XP
____
AeroYou make a rather weak attempt at a one-liner, thinking back to a play you once saw about a rogue named "Jahimz Bawnd".
[6] Bursting through the roof with only a few cuts and scratches, you quickly spy a pair of figures at the top of a nearby hill, apparently facing off against a massive Inside-Out Man. You try to pull down rain to wash away the slime coating your body [3], but nothing happens.
You notice Derm holding his hand out, firing a blast of something that you can't quite make out towards the hill. [3] v. [4] Nothing appears to happen, and you fly on towards your companions.
-1 HP
-4 MP
____
Talendir((Yes, it did. I've been trying to apply damage based on several factors: The rolls relative to one another (a 4 vs. 3 would be much less damaging than a 5 vs. 1, for example; "closer" rolls will result in less damage, and lower defensive/higher offensive rolls will result in more); the strength/magnitude of the attack (having what is essentially a little brother of a Bloodthirster smack you around or grab you will hurt more than a human doing the same thing); and a bit of my mind remembering to not make it too easy or too difficult (this encounter could very easily end with multiple PC deaths if you handle it badly or get a streak of poor luck; I don't want to make it a walkover, but I also don't want to have it be a TPK within three attacks).
The way your (and any future) damage-related skills and attributes work is that I figure out what amount of damage fits a specific strike, and then add or remove whatever bonuses they give. The system isn't pinpoint precise, but I'm actively trying to keep it fair [each combat roll that results in damage is typically at least 3-4 minutes of thought on exactly what level of damage would be appropriate]; in all honesty, I probably would lose interest if I needed to write up precise damage tables for absolutely everything that you hurt/hurts you. Hope that helped clear things up.
))
Coming to a swift decision, you move to cripple the daemon, attempting to distract it from Mina. Dashing under it, you [5 + 1] v. [4] slash at its ankles, cutting it deeply. Blood flows from the wound and the daemon staggers, dropping to a knee. You take a ready stance with your shield raised as it turns towards you.
((S' a shame
Thank goodness your bonus made the difference large enough to justify you succeeding; I was really
not enjoying working out exactly how thick the skin and flesh over its Achilles' tendon would be, extrapolating from scaled up human norms, and if that plus the thicker material would prevent a broadsword [also working out exactly how long the blade would be] from severing the tendon. I had almost finished, too.
))
In the distance you notice Derm drifting up in an expanding cloud of debris. He raises his hand, and a few moments later a sort of nothingness detonates in the air between the hilltop and him. [3] v. [5] You don't feel any different.
+5 XP
____
Mina((S'fine. You forgot about your Smite Evil passive +1, as well. Still won't help you.
))
Time slows around you as you monologue, snapping back to normal as you [1 + 1 + 1] v. [4] flail at the daemon's arm with the flat of your blade. Out of the corner of your eye you see Derm floating upward (
again), his hand raised towards you. Well, towards the daemon holding you. A pulse of something bursts between you and him [3] v. [1]. You don't
think you feel any different...
Oathsword Cooldown:
3____
SinterousMaking sure that you look presentable, you unleash the fury of terrible one-liners in sync with Aero, firing a cone of freezing air at the daemon's shoulder. [2] v. [3] The stream of air misses, flying past its head. Behind you, strange energy bursts in midair. [4] v. [1] Your concentration prevents you from noticing anything.
-5 MP
____
LeiYou scream as a massive blast of energy rips the hatch from its frame, shattering the roof of your cell. Through the gaping hole, you can see the remnants of a passage, and the starry sky above that. Hesitantly climbing up a newly-formed slope, you find yourself in the center of a decent-sized crater. A crumbling building rests along one side; above you, you can see someone floating upward. He points his hand at a hilltop, drawing your attention to the figure atop it. An invisible burst of energy erupts in the sky [3] v. [4], but you don't really notice anything out of the ordinary. You ask the empty night if it knows what is going on. A voice answers in a hissing whisper, "
Yeeess..."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The daemon glowers down at Talendir as purple-green flames race along the spines protruding from its skin, enveloping both of its arms as it swings them down at him. Jets of flame shoot from its back, launching streaks of abnormal fire towards the village.
____
Mina [6] v. [2] utters an involuntary cry of pain as the flames wash over her moments before she is smashed into the ground feet-first with a loud snap, a thin trail of blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. The daemon releases its hold on her as it draws back.
-19 HP
____
As the daemon's fists streak towards him with surprising speed, [3] v. [2]
Talendir awkwardly rolls out of the way.
____
Sinterous [2] v. [4] easily evades the daemonic fire as it flies past him, thumbing his nose at the otherworldly abomination.
____
Lei's attention is diverted from the whispering voice as she notices streaks of strangely-colored fire falling towards her [5] v. [5], running and rolling about to avoid them as they land.
____
Derm and
Aero are too high for the shallow-angled projectiles to reach, and watch buildings in the town flare up while their comrades struggle on the hill. Derm continues to drift upward.
____
((Okay, that should be it. I honestly didn't think I'd need to do research on gamma rays and Acute Radiation Sickness
this early into the game. Well done, derm.
Of course, the point will be moot for someone if there isn't a rapid turnabout here.))