Ask about different types of immortality like maybe just aging slower or coming back from the dead,
differences between the many undeads like ghouls, liches, vampires, and if undead are stronger at necromancy or how do I become one.
Different types of undead? The necromancer enthusiast launches into a topic he feels passionately about. Ghouls are mindless, sick beings, that try to drag the living down to their level, infecting and consuming them.
Liches are undead necromancers, aligned with death and feeding on the living for magical power, stronger than other necromancers through their proximity to death and survivability. Liches are also noted for transhumanism: skilled enough to adapt themselves, and tough enough to endure radical modifications.
Vampires are descended from other vampires or have been infected. It's hard to become one, as you'll likely have to carry out tasks for the head of a vampire family, pay large amounts of money, or do something very unscrupulous indeed to get your hands on the required blood. Vampires have a wide range of abilities, which vary from family to family, but almost all of them have inhuman charisma, strength, reactions, and longevity. Some have more interesting innate abilities, such as hypnosis, or turning into a bat.
Aging slower is pretty easy. Coming back from the dead... very hard. Need some special tech or potion or something. Killing yourself in a controlled environment to become undead is actually easier, then you just need a necromancer to stuff the spirit back into the body.
So he wants ammo, does he? I'll give him some fucking ammo. Use the pistolwand spell on Ben's leg, see if he can rationalize that. No muzzle flash, no gunshot. If possible, try to make the resulting bullet 5.7×28mm, rather than 9mm. A tasty flesh snack for his gun, no?
Note, I'm going to do this unannounced, from and angle Ben can't see me from immediately, so he can't shoot me before i cast.
Also I'm doing this outdoors. I'm assuming that Ben goes outdoors occasionally.
I'm not going to assume I survive that, but if I do:
What do I need to burn to learn Heal Burn? That's kinda important. Maybe find a magical aloe plant to burn.
Try making a bullet from my Pyromancy Flame. Probably weakens my power a little, but it's worth it for the single "magic bullet".
Make bullets from cardboard, wax, a ceramic plate, glass, water, scrap metal, hard plastic (from bigger outdoors trash bins), grass, dirt, concrete, and Nanami's hair.
See if I can make bullets in calibres other than 9mm.
Burn all the bullets I make, except for a few which I'll test fire with an empty magazine in a quiet place.
Wander around and look for random magical things which I can swipe and burn/bulletify.
You make the shot from behind Ben as he walks outside, just before the door slams shut.
Aim/Banal: 2+1
You manage to hit his lower calf. The bullet that ejects is composed of steel, fabric and a small quantity of flesh and skin. Huh.
Ben feels a twinge in his leg, and reaches down behind the knife, feeling the depression. Just an old gunshot wound playing up.
Heal burn? You need to burn a magical healing item. You can't make a bullet from your pyromancy flame. It would be like trying to aim a gun at an abstract concept. The flame is part of your magical metabolism: present throughout your body.
So bullets from cardboard, wax, a ceramic plate, glass, water, scrap metal, hard plastic (from bigger outdoors trash bins), grass, dirt, concrete, and Nanami's hair.
The cardboard one creates a sheet of cardboard on impact, sticking out of the ground. The wax one makes a splash of burning hot wax. Ceramic: shard of plate. Glass: many long splinters of glass. Water: spray of boiling water. Scrap metal: like a normal bullet but crappier. Same for plastic. Grass makes a patch of greenery sprout from the point of impact. Dirt bullet comes out as a brief spray of mud. Concrete sends a spary of hot fragments. Hair (yours) just burns up in midair.
Magical things generally have minds attached, and hence aren't up for nicking. The bullets aren't magical enough to teach your flame anything new.
"Hmm, forty-eight hours, I'd better put everything else on hold."
There's three ways that come to mind right away to provide someone with an opportunity for embezzlement. The first two require some investigation as to their viability.
Most important piece of info is how large of a charity is this? How much money seems reasonable to count as an opportunity?
First, is the charity dealing with any kind of material donations, or just cash? Goods, equipment, labor, etcetera? That'll be required for the first plan.
Second plan is dependant on how the charity is funded. Does it seek donations from businesses or private individuals? Is it government funded? Is there a trust or stock fund that pays for the charity's operations?
If neither of those are viable, I'll proceed with plan #3, but the other two will be better if the charity is suitable.
I doubt it's required, but don't let Bella take my hair. It's mine and I don't trust Bella enough to give it to her without her at least asking first.
Also, don't let Sir Worthington loot any bodies or burn corpses. If he wanted a cut of the loot, he should have been there for the fight, and if Bella should die her broom belongs to me, as per our agreement that was literally just made last turn.
Christian Aid is the charity, btw. Total charity income £100 million. The CEO earns 90k a year, so around a million pounds seems reasonable. It doesn't work with anything valuable and easily stolen. About half the donations are from institutions and government. No individual trust fund, but there are several very large ones.
You manage your property, carefully collecting any hair you may have left behind. No, you don't look paranoid at all.
So, does anybody wanna help me kill a ghost-alligator that's affiliated with the spirit mafia? It's for a good cause.
"I wouldn't get mixed up with the mafia, kid. They'll eat you alive, maybe literally. A lot of crazies hook up with them, it's the drugs frying their brains."
Ben's going to go out--with the Minimi and his other stuff in overly suspicious bags--and case a pharmacy. Preferably early early morning, while it's still a bit dark out, and minimizing time taken. He's fully aware of how suspicious he is and doesn't want to stay in any one place for long.
Also, he'll check the P90 for ammo again when he gets back to Vince's.
((I don't mind Egan's action, it seems completely reasonable and IC. Bella isn't even trying to kill Ben, which is better than what he's said he'd do to her. If anyone's being disruptive, it's the guy who's bullying an ally into doing work for him.))
You identify an entry point through a window nearly hidden by a public toilet. You reckon you could probably get in and out of the back, where they keep the real goods, without being detected. Unless someone was in the room.
Oh, speaking of legs, do I still have my severed legs? IIRC, NJW2000 said that a pyromancer could burn them to learn the pyromancy spells that I knew when I lost my leg. I'd be willing to give it to Egan_BW in exchange for him helping me kill the alligator spirit and getting the ghost-mafia off of my back once I do so.
Burn the corpse of Amdukias's messenger beetle.
If a fight breaks out between Egan_BW and Ben, burn the corpses of anyone who dies in the fight. Save their gear first, though.
Burn my scuttle gem.
You still have your original leg, provided noone has eaten it. The beetle has very little magical residue, so nothing good from burning it.
A Gem Pyromancy eh? That's a first. You attempt to consume the gem with your pyromancy flame. The fire licks the outside for a bit, and nothing happens. Then it explodes.
You come to in the middle of a charred patch of living room, hair and clothes slightly singed. And you have a new, one-shot recharging pyromancy. It costs no puissance to use, but you have to wait for it to recharge. You test it outside.
Hundreds of white-hot insects pour from the cracks in the bubbling asphalt, as thick waves of heat blur your vision. The burning creatures move around you in waves, some taking to the air, stings and teeth vibrating. Sheesh.
Vince strides into his house, forcibly collects all witches present on a sofa, and explains your next step. He has tracked the objects that fell from the sky recently, and has pinpointed the locations of each of them. One, a powerful occult thing, fell in a park. The second, something glowing very brightly, fell into a canal. And the third, something very large and heavy, fell beside a sports stadium. He's almost certain one of these is a possible power source. And that the other two will present problems if it is. He gives you the locations. Your move.Bob Howard
Puissant fettle - 1
Ritual potency - 1
Runic sight - 1
Banal combat - 0
Practicality - 3
Inventory: £50, 1d20
{Certificate from Belial; Valid for one Potent Medium}
Puissance: 5/5
Puissant Clots: 2
Name: Nanami Adachi. (Nanami)
Unnatural beauty granted by demonic contract and the adoration of mortals. Slight charisma/popularity boost.
Power from mortal media.
Conscripted into twenty-nineth legion of Amdukias.
Puissance: 2 +1 not from Amdukias
Ritual: 0
Runic Sight: 0
Banal Combat: 0
Aim: 1
Melee: 0
Agility: 1
Praticality: 2
Inventory: £245
Backpack, expensive camera + memory cards
Quality sketching paper, art pens+pencils, charcoal, etc.
Sketches of self as main character, Amdukias, the non-mortal world, etc.
[Glass Rod Crystal Wand] - Enhanced slightly through media
Mediocre Pistol (4/6)
Large, fist-sized mind-controlling spacerock fragments.
Painting supplies, a glass cutter, battery powdered soldering iron, eighty feet of red cloth, white rag and thread
Puissance: 13/13
Puissant Clots: 2
Goethe T. Helle
Puissant fettle - 1
Ritual potency - 2
Runic sight - 1
Banal combat - 0
Aim - 1
Melee - 0
Agility - 2
Practicality - 1
Inventory: £20, clockface minus one hand, highlighter pens, two kitchen knives, half-empty cologne bottle
From the beast: one bone,
Italian Dinner suit, stored at Vince's place.
[Dog Collar Pendant][Molasses Clockhand Wand]
[Icecream Beast Blood Fur Chalice][Beast Remains Wand]
Runes:
Isolation: you never had many friends or allies, so are used to poor odds. +1 to rolls when outnumbered and alone.
Stoicism: a rune that calms those dealing with shock, tragedy or injury.
Perseverance: despite all the odds, you managed to kill a huge beast using nothing but hot syrup. Bonus to attack and extra damage to powerful or resistant enemies after several turns of combat or aggression.
Dwarven Weapon Storage: learned from a dwarf carrying a small armoury on his back. Increases load of weapons and tools that can be borne without being hampered or slowed down, or collapsing outright.
Ruination: when written, it makes a bad situation worse, and an irretrievable one more so. Learned after the second mission.
Puissant clots: 1
Puissance: 5/6
Name: Sir Worthington the Fourth
Has a demonic leg. Old leg is in possession of monarchs of hell.
Enslaved young man under demonic contract, wields katana, wears combat pants + green sweatshirt.
Stats: Ritual Potency: 3
Practicality 3
Inventory: £25, Pint of royal blood (stored at Vince's), blood covered knife, Cursed String
Stored at Vince's place: mortal's tendons, skull and leg bones.
[Glass Eye Pendant] [Paintbrush Wand]
[Toad Demon Battery Acid Tupperware Chalice]
Shards of mind-controlling spacerock.
Beginner's Pyromancy Flame - Heal Burn (1P), Create Flame (1P), Flame Claw (3P), Mesmerising Flame (2P)
One shot, recharging: Chaos Insect Swarm
Puissant Clots: 0
Puissance: 5/5
Jimmy "Car bombs" Castanza
Slightly slowed by a heavy load.
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 3
Banal combat - 1
Aim - 1
Melee - 0
Agility - 0
Practicality - 3
Inventory: £20, very rusty saw, length of pipe stuck to block of concrete, highlighter pen
[Lightbulb Antenna Wand]
[Broom - TIER 3] - Bike handles for steering.
[Omni-tool]
Milk Bottle full of space-warping venom.
Glock 17 (7/10)
Runes:
Detonation: volatile stuff explodes or catches fire more when you're around it. You can't help it, it must be genetic. Written rune used to detonate volatile substances.
Dead Man Running: you escaped the wrath of a mafia boss. Higher chance of surviving things that should really be deadly.
Mafioso: a mafia hitman, you preferred not to let your targets know they were hunted until after they were spread over an area of three hundred metres. Bonus to carefully planned unexpected attacks.
Alchemical (definitely idiot) savant: you saw an alchemist's shop when wandering around London, and deluded yourself that you understood something of how it worked. Because of the nature of magic, this belief is now partially true. Use this rune to make substances a bit more useful or volatile when used in alchemy.
Trader: a rune that when signed signifies to people that you'd be a good guy to buy from and sell things to.
Reticence: a rune whispered to you by birds perched on phone lines, you can get information without giving away much about yourself.
Bethel: a rune that enhances and aids summoning performed where it is written.
Degeneration: you saw men turned into animals. This rune turns advanced things like steel bolts into crappy primitive things, like wooden bolts.
Entrance: a god tried to break into our world. You now have a +2 in breaking into magic places you shouldn't be messing about with.
Hiijacking: Sand crashed a summoning-party and inserted herself into the centre of the ritual. Things with this rune written on will be more central to events and will conduct more power and magical energy than they should by rights.
Hassle: a rune that allows you to deal more effectively with multiple threats, distractions and tasks at once.
Scrap-crafting: after making a wand with bicycle horns, you have improved at making stuff out of junk. And you were already great at making stuff out of junk.
Oligarchy: a rune revealed to you the first time you flew over London, spelled out in the twistings of the financial buildings and the houses of millionares. Increases your power according to how much money you have.
Punctuality: You're good at getting things done on time.
Puissant clots: 1
Puissance:5/5
Ben Breeze
Stats:
Puissant fettle - 0
Ritual potency - 0
Runic sight - 0
Banal combat - 5
Aim - 1
Melee - 1
Agility - 2
Practicality - 0
Inventory: knife, 2xtaser, handcuffs, police baton, stab vest, torch, incapacitant spray, and a first aid kit. All in sports bag.
Also a bag of athames, 2.5 legs War Bacon (Vince's Fridge), a worn face-concealing hooded coat, bin bags.
Concealed: knife in one boot, knife on a leg, and one on his torso.
Two generous Roast Beef and Horseradish Sandwiches
£20
Set of keys and passcard
Gunfarmer P90 (0/50) (in bag)
FN Minimi light machine gun, 2 magazines
Puissant clots: 4
Puissance:5/5
Steve
Banal combat - 3
Agility - 3
Inventory: £50
Rusty, shard curved sword
Puissance: 5/5,
Clots:3
Name: Bella, the Speed Witch
Runic sight: 2
Banal Combat: 2
Melee 1
Agility 2
Inventory: £0,
Delicate Rune-engraved Machete: heavy bonus when facing multiple weaker victims. Likely to break on misshits/heavy armour.
[Tier Four Racing Broom]
Runes:
Speed lover: +1 to doing anything while moving faster than you need to. Does not prevent (but can negate) maluses from trying to do things while moving faster than is sensible.
Slaughter: enhances speed and efficiency of murder when facing many opponents/victims. Passive boost, but can be written on things.
Broom Dodging: makes you better at dodging things while on a broom.
[Sub Nosed Glock Wand] 9/9
Nascent Pyromancy Flame: Create Flame 1P
Puissance: 5/5
Clots:0
Name: Aisha Kassem
Ritual - 1
Runic sight - 2
Practicality - 3
Runes
Intoxication: a rune that can be muttered over an alchemical procedure, bring out the hallucinogenic and mood-altering qualities of the product.
Improvisation: passive, improves lab work/alchemy in unusual conditions, using odd or dubious ingredients or tools.
Griffon Roar: makes something or someone more intimidating and more visible when written.
Biotechnical: passive rune, boost to integrating organics with technology.
Psychologist: a rune letting you see people's motivations, triggers, interests, personalities, etc. more clearly.
Inventory: £43, Certificate from Belial (valid for one sample of occult substance)
Cheap backpack, four bottles:
River water, crocuses, rose petals, peonies, blades of grass, stagnant pond water, sticks, charcoal, rain water.
Also three cans, six lengths of rubber tubing, two copper pipes, a broken coffee machine, a mostly empty lighter and a teapot.
One rubber tubing, copper pipe, teapot and coffee machine set up as Distillator in Vince's garage.
{Potion of fleshly regeneration - One Dose}
Puissant Clots: 2
Puissance: 5/5
Name: Zamenis Paean
Puissant fettle: 3
Agility: 2
Aim: 2
Inventory: £5, Certificate from Belial (valid for one sample of occult substance)
Duct tape, Large Knife, knife.
Surgical tools: scalpel, a first aid kit, a saw, and tweezers.
[Tier 1 Broom, knife on end]
[Human Leg Wand]
Puissant Clots: 1
Puissance: 14/14