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You can pick it back up, but yeah, it would take a few seconds to do so because Marcus is WEAK.
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Cloud is Dead (Final Fantasy VII CYOA)
- Thread starter Random
- Start date
Baltika9
Arcane
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Time to get the DISCUSS going.
I'm not sure that bluffing is the best course of action right now. The update states that we are working against the clock:
If the security guards win quickly, then we're in a good spot (but Dave isn't). Otherwise, it's just us against two armed terrorists who are clinging to that hostage for dear life.
I'm not sure that the odds of us breaking their focus with words are good. The best we can hope for is to keep their attention long enough for security to break through and shoot them in their backs.
We have no control over that, so we shouldn't rely on them. I think our best choices are A, C, or D, with D being the safest, C the riskiest, and A the path of least resistance (that might get us recognized and shot).
I'm not sure that bluffing is the best course of action right now. The update states that we are working against the clock:
If the security guards win quickly, then we're in a good spot (but Dave isn't). Otherwise, it's just us against two armed terrorists who are clinging to that hostage for dear life.
I'm not sure that the odds of us breaking their focus with words are good. The best we can hope for is to keep their attention long enough for security to break through and shoot them in their backs.
We have no control over that, so we shouldn't rely on them. I think our best choices are A, C, or D, with D being the safest, C the riskiest, and A the path of least resistance (that might get us recognized and shot).
The Brazilian Slaughter
Arcane
C >>> D
I've decided to play hero because I'm a congenital good guy.
But if it fails, waste 'em.
I've decided to play hero because I'm a congenital good guy.
But if it fails, waste 'em.
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We have a tie, so both B and C will be attempted simultaneously as they are not mutually exclusive options.
The Hero Returns, Part XII
"Like I give a shit about that fake, gil-grubbing bastard! So help me, I'll shoot all of you fucks to pieces right now! Lower your weapons!" you shout, hoping to convince them you're coldblooded enough that Dave is not a useful shield, and, barring that, unsettle them enough to slow down their reaction time. To emphasize your seriousness, even though it's a risky move, you choose to fire at their feet, which causes all three of the men, Dave and the terrorists, to stumble in shock and back away. [Bluff]
While you can tell the terrorists have lost a lot of their cool with the pressure you put on them, you almost can't believe your eyes. Both of the terrorists flinch at your ballsy gunfire, but the unintended and most successful target of your intimidation happens to be none other than Dave himself. He flips out, screaming in terror and wrestling against the chokehold of the terrorist leader, elbowing him in the face hard enough that the leader curses, throwing the talk show host aside and leveling his pistol at him. Now a wide open target, you act out of sheer reflex; already zeroed in on the leader, you simply flick the rifle to full auto with your thumb and yank the trigger hard.
Chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka!
Without the hostage, it's almost too easy to gun down both of them in one good spread of hot lead. Bullet holes open up in the torsos of both the terrorists, tearing their organs to shreds as smoking brass flies out of your rifle and tink against each other in a small pile by your shoes. Your rifle clicks dry and you discard it, its purpose served well enough. [Marksmanship]
"What the Hell, Major?!" John screams at you as you sprint over and slide to the ground beside the two dead, or at least well on their way to it, terrorists. You ignore the fear-crazed host because there's no time for that. You can hear the gunfight between the guards and the rest of the terrorists progressing, and without eyes on it you can't be sure who's winning. You grab the rifle from the fallen terrorist and check how much is left in the magazine, a luxury you didn't have before. Twenty-eight bullets. You load the mag back in and cycle the rifle's action with a big, satisfying clik-clak. It doesn't sound quite right to you, but that's because you're used to SM2 and SM3 rifles, not these Wutai-made Shangwu rifles. They're reliable and high caliber, but don't offer the same level of quality in parts, ergonomics, and ballistics as Shinra rifles do.
You don't have time to pull off the assault webbing from these guys and bring their entire kits along. You have pockets in your suit coat and pants, enough to carry a good amount of gear, but you'll have to make some decisions about what's most important. You glance up and scan the studio quickly. The audience is stunned into frightened silence, sitting in their seats with their heads down and eyes closed like they were told, with their hands on the backs of their heads, completely unaware of what just happened. The assailants who were guarding them ran off to fight back the security teams, which means you could actually free them right now. But is that a wise idea? You can't currently guarantee that there's a safe route out of the studio.
"Major! Major! Get us out of here!" John screams, grabbing you and shaking you, making it hard to concentrate on arming yourself and thinking of the next thing to do.
Off the top of your head, the emergency exits may have been booby-trapped from the outside, there might be enemy snipers on the roof waiting for people to run out of the building to gun them down, there could be bombs waiting to go off somewhere in case the enemy finds out their hostages are escaping. Furthermore, even if you do get the audience going out an emergency exit, it'll take time for them to get out the door and the terrorists might be coming right back before they can all escape. You don't get the impression that the terrorists are an elite outfit—they're pretty amateur in a lot of ways and their equipment isn't what top dollar can buy—but they managed to pull off this attack to begin with, which means they must have some idea of what they're doing or they had support on the inside. This sends a chill down your spine. What if there are terrorist sympathizers or terrorists themselves infiltrated in the audience, in the studio staff? [Intelligence]
What do you do?
How do you handle John?
A) [Discipline] Talk him down
B) [Hand to Hand] Gently sit him down
What gear do you stuff into your pockets? Max of four of the choices below
C) Two spare AR-16 .308 mags
D) Shangwu Arms "Raiden" Magnum .44 Revolver with a barrel-mounted flashlight, six rounds in the cylinder
E) Four spare full-moon clips for the Raiden
F) What looks like smoke grenades, Wutai-made
G) What looks like fragmentary grenades, Wutai-made
H) Telescopic baton
I) Butterfly knife
J) A handheld radio; terrorists seem to be using for communication
K) Give John the pistol?
L) Give John the spare radio?
M) Give John the Buster Sword as a joke.
N) Any alternative loadouts or arming Dave as you please.
What do you plan to do with the civilians?
O) Try to scope out the emergency exits for booby traps, then send the civvies through if possible and focus on buying them time to get out
P) Tell the civvies to crowd into the bathrooms and keep their heads down, the walls are made of brick so they should be safe in there as long as you can keep the terrorists out
Q) Any alternative
What do you plan to do, yourself?
R) Focus on mounting a defense and barricading the studio from the rest of the building; set up a killzone and wait for the cavalry to arrive. Play it cool. Let them come to you, where you're ready to face them.
S) Tell the civvies to barricade and lock themselves in, then go after those sons of bitches yourself, clear the building room by room, save as many people as possible, and push the enemy back. Seize the initiative and don't permit them the opportunity to regroup.
T) Any alternative
Roll Results
Bluff has improved to Lvl. 2 from consistent and successful usage!
Character Sheet
The Hero Returns, Part XII
"Like I give a shit about that fake, gil-grubbing bastard! So help me, I'll shoot all of you fucks to pieces right now! Lower your weapons!" you shout, hoping to convince them you're coldblooded enough that Dave is not a useful shield, and, barring that, unsettle them enough to slow down their reaction time. To emphasize your seriousness, even though it's a risky move, you choose to fire at their feet, which causes all three of the men, Dave and the terrorists, to stumble in shock and back away. [Bluff]
While you can tell the terrorists have lost a lot of their cool with the pressure you put on them, you almost can't believe your eyes. Both of the terrorists flinch at your ballsy gunfire, but the unintended and most successful target of your intimidation happens to be none other than Dave himself. He flips out, screaming in terror and wrestling against the chokehold of the terrorist leader, elbowing him in the face hard enough that the leader curses, throwing the talk show host aside and leveling his pistol at him. Now a wide open target, you act out of sheer reflex; already zeroed in on the leader, you simply flick the rifle to full auto with your thumb and yank the trigger hard.
Chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka-chaka!
Without the hostage, it's almost too easy to gun down both of them in one good spread of hot lead. Bullet holes open up in the torsos of both the terrorists, tearing their organs to shreds as smoking brass flies out of your rifle and tink against each other in a small pile by your shoes. Your rifle clicks dry and you discard it, its purpose served well enough. [Marksmanship]
"What the Hell, Major?!" John screams at you as you sprint over and slide to the ground beside the two dead, or at least well on their way to it, terrorists. You ignore the fear-crazed host because there's no time for that. You can hear the gunfight between the guards and the rest of the terrorists progressing, and without eyes on it you can't be sure who's winning. You grab the rifle from the fallen terrorist and check how much is left in the magazine, a luxury you didn't have before. Twenty-eight bullets. You load the mag back in and cycle the rifle's action with a big, satisfying clik-clak. It doesn't sound quite right to you, but that's because you're used to SM2 and SM3 rifles, not these Wutai-made Shangwu rifles. They're reliable and high caliber, but don't offer the same level of quality in parts, ergonomics, and ballistics as Shinra rifles do.
You don't have time to pull off the assault webbing from these guys and bring their entire kits along. You have pockets in your suit coat and pants, enough to carry a good amount of gear, but you'll have to make some decisions about what's most important. You glance up and scan the studio quickly. The audience is stunned into frightened silence, sitting in their seats with their heads down and eyes closed like they were told, with their hands on the backs of their heads, completely unaware of what just happened. The assailants who were guarding them ran off to fight back the security teams, which means you could actually free them right now. But is that a wise idea? You can't currently guarantee that there's a safe route out of the studio.
"Major! Major! Get us out of here!" John screams, grabbing you and shaking you, making it hard to concentrate on arming yourself and thinking of the next thing to do.
Off the top of your head, the emergency exits may have been booby-trapped from the outside, there might be enemy snipers on the roof waiting for people to run out of the building to gun them down, there could be bombs waiting to go off somewhere in case the enemy finds out their hostages are escaping. Furthermore, even if you do get the audience going out an emergency exit, it'll take time for them to get out the door and the terrorists might be coming right back before they can all escape. You don't get the impression that the terrorists are an elite outfit—they're pretty amateur in a lot of ways and their equipment isn't what top dollar can buy—but they managed to pull off this attack to begin with, which means they must have some idea of what they're doing or they had support on the inside. This sends a chill down your spine. What if there are terrorist sympathizers or terrorists themselves infiltrated in the audience, in the studio staff? [Intelligence]
What do you do?
How do you handle John?
A) [Discipline] Talk him down
B) [Hand to Hand] Gently sit him down
What gear do you stuff into your pockets? Max of four of the choices below
C) Two spare AR-16 .308 mags
D) Shangwu Arms "Raiden" Magnum .44 Revolver with a barrel-mounted flashlight, six rounds in the cylinder
E) Four spare full-moon clips for the Raiden
F) What looks like smoke grenades, Wutai-made
G) What looks like fragmentary grenades, Wutai-made
H) Telescopic baton
I) Butterfly knife
J) A handheld radio; terrorists seem to be using for communication
K) Give John the pistol?
L) Give John the spare radio?
M) Give John the Buster Sword as a joke.
N) Any alternative loadouts or arming Dave as you please.
What do you plan to do with the civilians?
O) Try to scope out the emergency exits for booby traps, then send the civvies through if possible and focus on buying them time to get out
P) Tell the civvies to crowd into the bathrooms and keep their heads down, the walls are made of brick so they should be safe in there as long as you can keep the terrorists out
Q) Any alternative
What do you plan to do, yourself?
R) Focus on mounting a defense and barricading the studio from the rest of the building; set up a killzone and wait for the cavalry to arrive. Play it cool. Let them come to you, where you're ready to face them.
S) Tell the civvies to barricade and lock themselves in, then go after those sons of bitches yourself, clear the building room by room, save as many people as possible, and push the enemy back. Seize the initiative and don't permit them the opportunity to regroup.
T) Any alternative
Roll Results
Bluff roll to intimidate the terrorists:
Roll: 1d20 + Bluff Lvl. 1 - Exhausted status effect - Outnumbered = 20! + 2 - 2 - 2
TN: 14 (for the terrorists), 6 (for John)
Final Result: 18
Success and CRITICAL SUCCESS!!
Easy Marksmanship roll to blow away the terrorists:
Roll: 1d20 + Marksmanship Lvl. 2 - Exhausted status effect + Close range + Flatfooted = 5 + 4 - 2 + 2 + 4
TN: 8
Final Result: 13
Good Success!
Intelligence check passed!
Roll: 1d20 + Bluff Lvl. 1 - Exhausted status effect - Outnumbered = 20! + 2 - 2 - 2
TN: 14 (for the terrorists), 6 (for John)
Final Result: 18
Success and CRITICAL SUCCESS!!
Easy Marksmanship roll to blow away the terrorists:
Roll: 1d20 + Marksmanship Lvl. 2 - Exhausted status effect + Close range + Flatfooted = 5 + 4 - 2 + 2 + 4
TN: 8
Final Result: 13
Good Success!
Intelligence check passed!
Bluff has improved to Lvl. 2 from consistent and successful usage!
Character Sheet
Name: Marcus "Steelwall" Westford
Class: Ranger
Profession: Major of the Shinra Co. Peacekeeping Corps, Department of Public Safety, Military Police Division
Age: 23
Inner Nature: X
Dominant Inner Nature: None
Health: Fine
Status: Exhausted
Characteristics:
Strength 4 Agility 7
Tenacity 6 Intelligence 7
Skills:
Discipline Lvl. 3
Marksmanship Lvl. 2, Athletics Lvl. 2, Bluff Lvl. 2
Hand-to-Hand Lvl. 1, Fieldcraft Lvl. 1, Stealth Lvl. 1, Academics Lvl. 1, Observation Lvl. 1, Electronics Lvl. 1, Computer Use Lvl. 1
Inventory: Nice Suit, PHS, note from Janice, Tom's business card
Gear: Shangwu Arms AR-16 w/ 1 clip (28 bullets remaining)
Class: Ranger
Profession: Major of the Shinra Co. Peacekeeping Corps, Department of Public Safety, Military Police Division
Age: 23
Inner Nature: X
Dominant Inner Nature: None
Health: Fine
Status: Exhausted
Characteristics:
Strength 4 Agility 7
Tenacity 6 Intelligence 7
Skills:
Discipline Lvl. 3
Marksmanship Lvl. 2, Athletics Lvl. 2, Bluff Lvl. 2
Hand-to-Hand Lvl. 1, Fieldcraft Lvl. 1, Stealth Lvl. 1, Academics Lvl. 1, Observation Lvl. 1, Electronics Lvl. 1, Computer Use Lvl. 1
Inventory: Nice Suit, PHS, note from Janice, Tom's business card
Gear: Shangwu Arms AR-16 w/ 1 clip (28 bullets remaining)
Last edited:
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Sorry bro, I added "alternative" options to each section and threw the original letter order out of whack. I believe under the new letter order your votes would be:
Gear C, J, F, G
Civvies: P
Plan: R
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Last edited:
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
My knee-jerk reaction is to barricade the studio and wait for reinforcements. In a mundane hostage situation, going Rambo is the absolute worst thing you can do.
The rescue teams may mistake you for a terrorist and shoot you, and that's just for starters.
The question is, why are the terrorists here? I suspect that Marcus is the target, and this entire operation is a show of force by AVALANCHE.
What are your takes on this?
The rescue teams may mistake you for a terrorist and shoot you, and that's just for starters.
The question is, why are the terrorists here? I suspect that Marcus is the target, and this entire operation is a show of force by AVALANCHE.
What are your takes on this?
The Brazilian Slaughter
Arcane
I am fortifying this position.
My options:
Dave: A
Gear: C, F, G, J
Civvies: P
Plan: R
In short, this is my plan:
My options:
Dave: A
Gear: C, F, G, J
Civvies: P
Plan: R
In short, this is my plan:
The Brazilian Slaughter
Arcane
Agreed. If we had someone else we could count on, we could leave him here and go Rambo, but right now, we control the situation. For all we know, the moment we leave, we get shot by twenty dudes. It also pays better into our current strengths and the fact Marcus is exausted. Time favours us, not an irregular terrorist force.
Counter: Going now will surprise them because the last thing they expect is Marcus coming from their back.
Good argument.
Also, we don't have full intel and Marcus is tired.
I don't think so, Marcus is know now. If Marcus was the target, they would have shot him up already. Unless they wanted to only shoot him up live.
I suspect they had another plan.
Dayyālu
Arcane
We went Die Hard we keep Die Hard'ing. If we are the target, let 'em come at us. They'll only die tired.
DAVE: A
Gear: C F G J K Give Dave the Revolver and Spare Mags
Civvies: P
Plan: Tentatively S, because being passive .... doesn't click with me. We'll need to think this one tho.
DAVE: A
Gear: C F G J K Give Dave the Revolver and Spare Mags
Civvies: P
Plan: Tentatively S, because being passive .... doesn't click with me. We'll need to think this one tho.
a bear named spigot
Arcane
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
- Messages
- 784
SMACK DAVE IN THE HEAD WITH THE GUN
GRAB THE ASSAULT RIFLE MAGS
GRAB THE REVOLVER
GRAB THE AMMO FOR THE REVOLVER
GRAB THE FRAG GRENADES
IGNORE THE CIVILIANS WHO GIVES A SHIT
START SHOOTING BAD GUYS WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE EXCEPT OUR OWN
GRAB THE ASSAULT RIFLE MAGS
GRAB THE REVOLVER
GRAB THE AMMO FOR THE REVOLVER
GRAB THE FRAG GRENADES
IGNORE THE CIVILIANS WHO GIVES A SHIT
START SHOOTING BAD GUYS WITH NO REGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE EXCEPT OUR OWN
The Brazilian Slaughter
Arcane
Nobody else up for Operation "Imperial Fist"?
Dayyālu
Arcane
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
I'm in.
Dave: A
Gear: C, F, G, J
Civvies: P
Plan: R
While this scenario stinks to high heaven, we are a Major of Shinra Security, and by God, we will provide these people security. With luck, any insider threats can be contained in the bathroom and effectively neutralized.
P.S.: forget Marcus' pride, we're calling that nurse tonight.
a bear named spigot
Arcane
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2012
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- 784
I got caught up in the heat of the moment, my official Cloud is Dead™ vote is to support TBS' plan
Dayyālu
Arcane
ARE WE GOING TO COVER IN FEAR WHILE THE TERRORISTS PLANT BOMBS AND TAKE CONTROL OF THE BUILDING?
I SAY NO
John Mullins would cry.
Plus seriously, we are alive and well because we were ballsy. Sure, our luck will run out sooner or later, but hiding in the bathroom with the civvies truly doesn't click with me.
Hell NO. We're going to fuck something worthwile, not some Company whore 'cause we are starved for pussy.
(And if we end up fucking nothing, all the better, sexual frustration is essential for the true basket case soldier).
I SAY NO
John Mullins would cry.
Plus seriously, we are alive and well because we were ballsy. Sure, our luck will run out sooner or later, but hiding in the bathroom with the civvies truly doesn't click with me.
Hell NO. We're going to fuck something worthwile, not some Company whore 'cause we are starved for pussy.
(And if we end up fucking nothing, all the better, sexual frustration is essential for the true basket case soldier).
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
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That is not the path I want to steer Marcus down, though. I view him as a consummate professional, dedicated to his duty, and completely mentally stable. no Colonel Kilgore nonsense.
Unless someone offers Marcus a better deal, that is.
Random, do Shinra Security grooming standard allow officers to grow facial hair?
- Joined
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Most troops don't seem to have that right. General Heidegger does have a slammin' dwarfy beard, though. In all likelihood you're probably allowed to grow facial hair but only if you keep it well-trimmed and there can't be any hanging off your chin that can be exploited in a brawl.
Dayyālu
Arcane
I just thought of something: how hilarious would it be if this entire scenario is a photo-op by Shinra?
There's a legit chance that they knew about it and did nothing just to get extra points for PR or advance some weird plan or make us into a martyr or something.
We're talking ShinRa, the retardo cousin of Weyland-Yutani, after all.
But Colonel Kilgore was incredibly sane!
(On the other hand, yeah, solving problems through Superior Firepower and Corporate Oppression would be interesting. Not ethical, but interesting.)
- Joined
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I'm somewhat disappointed that option A) has unanimous support and none for B). How very Paragon of you, Codex.
The Hero Returns, Part XIII
You wrestle John's hands off of yourself and grab him by the arms to pin him in place so you can muster your full strength of personality at him by looking him in the eye. "John," you say very calmly, resisting the urge to just shout him down or something like that, "you will not survive this by being a panicky bitch." [Discipline]
John's jaw drops, clearly more than a little insulted. That's good. That means he's able to understand you. And if he has the brain power to be insulted, he has the brain power to follow instructions.
"John, I have a plan, so listen to me. The emergency exits could be booby-trapped, so you take the audience and you drag them into the bathrooms. Tell them to take tables, chairs, anything they need to barricade the doors shut. And tell them to stay away from the doors, because if the terrorists make it past me, they will try to shoot the doors down if they can't open them."
John slowly nods. It seems your plentiful practice in calming down panicky troops is paying off. "W-what about you, Major?"
"I'm going to shoot every motherfucker that comes through the door and isn't flashing a Shinra badge," you explain succinctly.
John stumbles off to go wrangle up the audience as per your instructions, leaving you alone to ponder the particulars of how to mount your defense.
You quickly scoop up the spare mags, the radio, and the couple of both kinds of grenade. You briefly consider taking the butterfly knife, but you banish the thought. You look at the revolver still clasped tightly in the dead leader's hand. You don't have any room left in your pockets to take it with you as much as you'd like to have a sidearm handy, and think about maybe giving it to John. Then you remember the guy's general panic and think better of it; it's probably better left where it lies.
As the audience crowds into the bathrooms and hauls in some furniture to jam the doors shut, you notice them casting fearful glances in your direction. You wonder, briefly, if they're expecting something heroic out of you. One of the staff members, some guy who looks important, hands you the keys to the building and runs off. After a quick sweep just locking all the doors, though it may be of dubious helpfulness since the terrorists may well have acquired keys too, you focus on shoving shelves and tables in front of as many of the doors into the studio as possible. Unfortunately, since it was designed to be easily accessed for the sake of convenience from many angles, the amount of doors you have to barricade quickly outpaces the amount of good, heavy furniture you can use. The only bright side is that all the doors open inward, so anything you put in front of them effectively blocks the whole door. You turn and glance around the studio, trying to find some alternative things you can use. You've already used the filing cabinets and the snacks table. You have three more doors to block off as best you can. But what can you use?
There's really no time to think about it very long, because the gunfire of the battle between security and is trickling to a stop. That means you're out of time. You either improvise or you deal with having three enemy entry points, which is a tactical nightmare.
You give a quick scan of your surroundings again and notice the cameras. They're designed to be easily wheeled around, but also have locking functions in their wheels to keep them solidly in place. In addition, they're massive and heavy as Hell. You don't give it a second thought and dash over to unlock their wheels and push them over then lock them in place, blocking off two more doors as best as you could hope to. The last door is directly east of the set itself, with absolutely no cover near it thanks to you rearranging all the furniture. There are no more portable cameras, so you look around. Eventually, you see the cart and the buster sword still lying on it. You almost can't help but chuckle under your breath at the thought of finding a good use for the piece of junk.
You push the cart over to the last door and, with a bit of finagling, lift and drop the blade of the sword behind the push-bar of the door, letting it lean against the door itself. That thing might never open again with the mechanism itself jammed now.
"Security teams are down, the building's ours!" you hear crackle out of the radio in your coat pocket. You trot over to Dave's desk, a massive mahogany mammoth that you figure could stop quite a few bullets. You wish you had sandbags or something more reliable, but your options are extremely limited in a studio like this. You went ahead and leaned a bunch of metal folding chairs on the outside of it, but it definitely won't last forever. Now the only question is time. How long until a Shinra response team arrives, how long until the terrorists breach the doors, and how long can you hold out?
"Boss? Boss? You there? I said we took the building!" the same voice calls out of the radio. "Boss, respond!"
You contemplate what to do. It seems like a given that, whether you answer or not, they'll be coming back to the studio. But maybe this is a chance to gain some intel, if you use it right. Or maybe feed them bad intel. Or you could try to incite them to stupidity. The only issue is that they probably use code phrases, so you'd have to be very convincing to get away with anything particularly complicated.
What do you say?
A) Nothing.
B) "Who is this?"
C) "Your boss is dead. I've taken the studio. Surrender now. A Shinra counter-terror squad is already on its way. If you don't surrender peacefully, the only way out of here for you is in a bodybag."
D) [Bluff: Hard (TN 15+)] "The boss says to double-check the east hallways on every floor. He thinks that's where the Shinra response team will try to enter the building."
E) [Bluff: Legendary (TN 30+), pretending to be Boss] "Shinra got me, boys. They've got the studio. Our plan's a wash. Everyone withdraw, use the escape routes, right now!"
F) [Bluff with the intent of discerning identity of the terrorist group] "Glory to AVALANCHE! Well done!"
G) Absolute nonsense; "Ever seen that TV show where the pink cat tries to sew a dress for the mayor? I thought the acting was superb but the sex scenes were only so-so. You guys have a date to the prom? Don't forget your tuxes. Blueberry pie is made by tiny little green gremlins. President Shinra is a reptillian."
H) Any alternative or combination of the above
Roll Results
Character Sheet
The Hero Returns, Part XIII
You wrestle John's hands off of yourself and grab him by the arms to pin him in place so you can muster your full strength of personality at him by looking him in the eye. "John," you say very calmly, resisting the urge to just shout him down or something like that, "you will not survive this by being a panicky bitch." [Discipline]
John's jaw drops, clearly more than a little insulted. That's good. That means he's able to understand you. And if he has the brain power to be insulted, he has the brain power to follow instructions.
"John, I have a plan, so listen to me. The emergency exits could be booby-trapped, so you take the audience and you drag them into the bathrooms. Tell them to take tables, chairs, anything they need to barricade the doors shut. And tell them to stay away from the doors, because if the terrorists make it past me, they will try to shoot the doors down if they can't open them."
John slowly nods. It seems your plentiful practice in calming down panicky troops is paying off. "W-what about you, Major?"
"I'm going to shoot every motherfucker that comes through the door and isn't flashing a Shinra badge," you explain succinctly.
John stumbles off to go wrangle up the audience as per your instructions, leaving you alone to ponder the particulars of how to mount your defense.
You quickly scoop up the spare mags, the radio, and the couple of both kinds of grenade. You briefly consider taking the butterfly knife, but you banish the thought. You look at the revolver still clasped tightly in the dead leader's hand. You don't have any room left in your pockets to take it with you as much as you'd like to have a sidearm handy, and think about maybe giving it to John. Then you remember the guy's general panic and think better of it; it's probably better left where it lies.
As the audience crowds into the bathrooms and hauls in some furniture to jam the doors shut, you notice them casting fearful glances in your direction. You wonder, briefly, if they're expecting something heroic out of you. One of the staff members, some guy who looks important, hands you the keys to the building and runs off. After a quick sweep just locking all the doors, though it may be of dubious helpfulness since the terrorists may well have acquired keys too, you focus on shoving shelves and tables in front of as many of the doors into the studio as possible. Unfortunately, since it was designed to be easily accessed for the sake of convenience from many angles, the amount of doors you have to barricade quickly outpaces the amount of good, heavy furniture you can use. The only bright side is that all the doors open inward, so anything you put in front of them effectively blocks the whole door. You turn and glance around the studio, trying to find some alternative things you can use. You've already used the filing cabinets and the snacks table. You have three more doors to block off as best you can. But what can you use?
There's really no time to think about it very long, because the gunfire of the battle between security and is trickling to a stop. That means you're out of time. You either improvise or you deal with having three enemy entry points, which is a tactical nightmare.
You give a quick scan of your surroundings again and notice the cameras. They're designed to be easily wheeled around, but also have locking functions in their wheels to keep them solidly in place. In addition, they're massive and heavy as Hell. You don't give it a second thought and dash over to unlock their wheels and push them over then lock them in place, blocking off two more doors as best as you could hope to. The last door is directly east of the set itself, with absolutely no cover near it thanks to you rearranging all the furniture. There are no more portable cameras, so you look around. Eventually, you see the cart and the buster sword still lying on it. You almost can't help but chuckle under your breath at the thought of finding a good use for the piece of junk.
You push the cart over to the last door and, with a bit of finagling, lift and drop the blade of the sword behind the push-bar of the door, letting it lean against the door itself. That thing might never open again with the mechanism itself jammed now.
"Security teams are down, the building's ours!" you hear crackle out of the radio in your coat pocket. You trot over to Dave's desk, a massive mahogany mammoth that you figure could stop quite a few bullets. You wish you had sandbags or something more reliable, but your options are extremely limited in a studio like this. You went ahead and leaned a bunch of metal folding chairs on the outside of it, but it definitely won't last forever. Now the only question is time. How long until a Shinra response team arrives, how long until the terrorists breach the doors, and how long can you hold out?
"Boss? Boss? You there? I said we took the building!" the same voice calls out of the radio. "Boss, respond!"
You contemplate what to do. It seems like a given that, whether you answer or not, they'll be coming back to the studio. But maybe this is a chance to gain some intel, if you use it right. Or maybe feed them bad intel. Or you could try to incite them to stupidity. The only issue is that they probably use code phrases, so you'd have to be very convincing to get away with anything particularly complicated.
What do you say?
A) Nothing.
B) "Who is this?"
C) "Your boss is dead. I've taken the studio. Surrender now. A Shinra counter-terror squad is already on its way. If you don't surrender peacefully, the only way out of here for you is in a bodybag."
D) [Bluff: Hard (TN 15+)] "The boss says to double-check the east hallways on every floor. He thinks that's where the Shinra response team will try to enter the building."
E) [Bluff: Legendary (TN 30+), pretending to be Boss] "Shinra got me, boys. They've got the studio. Our plan's a wash. Everyone withdraw, use the escape routes, right now!"
F) [Bluff with the intent of discerning identity of the terrorist group] "Glory to AVALANCHE! Well done!"
G) Absolute nonsense; "Ever seen that TV show where the pink cat tries to sew a dress for the mayor? I thought the acting was superb but the sex scenes were only so-so. You guys have a date to the prom? Don't forget your tuxes. Blueberry pie is made by tiny little green gremlins. President Shinra is a reptillian."
H) Any alternative or combination of the above
Roll Results
Discipline roll to calm down John:
Roll: 1d20 + Intelligence 7 + Discipline Lvl. 3 - Exhausted status effect = 10 + 7 + 6 - 2
TN: 14
Final Result: 21
Good Success!
Intelligence roll to improvise blocking the doors:
Roll: 1d20 + Intelligence 7 - Exhausted status effect = 14 + 7 - 2
TN: 10
Final Result: 19
Great Success!
Roll: 1d20 + Intelligence 7 + Discipline Lvl. 3 - Exhausted status effect = 10 + 7 + 6 - 2
TN: 14
Final Result: 21
Good Success!
Intelligence roll to improvise blocking the doors:
Roll: 1d20 + Intelligence 7 - Exhausted status effect = 14 + 7 - 2
TN: 10
Final Result: 19
Great Success!
Character Sheet
Name: Marcus "Steelwall" Westford
Class: Ranger
Profession: Major of the Shinra Co. Peacekeeping Corps, Department of Public Safety, Military Police Division
Age: 23
Inner Nature: X
Dominant Inner Nature: None
Health: Fine
Status: Exhausted
Characteristics:
Strength 4 Agility 7
Tenacity 6 Intelligence 7
Skills:
Discipline Lvl. 3
Marksmanship Lvl. 2, Athletics Lvl. 2, Bluff Lvl. 2
Hand-to-Hand Lvl. 1, Fieldcraft Lvl. 1, Stealth Lvl. 1, Academics Lvl. 1, Observation Lvl. 1, Electronics Lvl. 1, Computer Use Lvl. 1
Inventory: Nice Suit, PHS, note from Janice, Tom's business card
Gear: Shangwu Arms AR-16 w/ 1 mag (28 bullets remaining), 2 full spare mags, 2 smoke grenades, 2 frag grenades, handheld radio on terrorist frequency
Class: Ranger
Profession: Major of the Shinra Co. Peacekeeping Corps, Department of Public Safety, Military Police Division
Age: 23
Inner Nature: X
Dominant Inner Nature: None
Health: Fine
Status: Exhausted
Characteristics:
Strength 4 Agility 7
Tenacity 6 Intelligence 7
Skills:
Discipline Lvl. 3
Marksmanship Lvl. 2, Athletics Lvl. 2, Bluff Lvl. 2
Hand-to-Hand Lvl. 1, Fieldcraft Lvl. 1, Stealth Lvl. 1, Academics Lvl. 1, Observation Lvl. 1, Electronics Lvl. 1, Computer Use Lvl. 1
Inventory: Nice Suit, PHS, note from Janice, Tom's business card
Gear: Shangwu Arms AR-16 w/ 1 mag (28 bullets remaining), 2 full spare mags, 2 smoke grenades, 2 frag grenades, handheld radio on terrorist frequency
Last edited:
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
- Messages
- 29,892
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