[Main IC] MnM 3e - Geneforge: the Created

[pathfinderq1]

Pounce!
HP: 1; LP: 0; condition: normal

Once the packs had been put together and distributed, Pounce set to the business of tracking where the serviles had come from. There were visual signs, to be sure- these "bandits" had obviously not expected that they would turn out to be the hunted.

But that was not how Pounce did most of her tracking. She paced from bandit to bandit, taking a quick sniff of each one- trying to see if any of them had a particularly strong scent, or a distinctive one. The different habits and clothing of each one made it a far different experience than tracking ornks, where one smelled very much like another.

Once she had a scent, she set out, moving down the trail...

>OOC: Pounce has Acute scent with tracking 1, so she moves at -1 speed while on the trail (in this case, Speed 1). The Senses power says the base DC is 10, but doesn't say which skill to use (the Track Advantage uses Perception for visual tracking, and refers to the Senses power, so maybe Perception?).
-If Perception, +9; if Investigate, +1; I'll just roll a straight d20 and let the GM decide which skill is needed
-Tracking 1d20= 14; roll https://orokos.com/roll/963791 (So a 23 with Perception or a 15 with Investigate, against a base DC 10; modified by circumstance or team modifiers)

[Sakuro]

Arcs of psionic energy lance out from the Mind and plunge into their victim. The physical world becomes subsumed by the bandit's mindscape. Mind becomes the bandit. Feels his memories. Tastes them. You are in the woods. Fighting has begun. You are poised to throw a javelin at the Shaper. Then a shadow descends upon you. There is a flash of black feathers. A kawing sound ... a noise that goes beyond sound and batters at your mind.

Mind's psionic tendrils are forced from the Servile's mind, ejecting them from his thoughts as the Creation experiences what it was like to be targetted by Craze's attack.

The bandit rolled notably higher than Mind in the opposed check and he was very recently injured to such an extent that he was Incapacitated. The Feedback Flaw immediately triggers.

Mind won't be able to get anything useful from this Servile Bandit and needs to make a DC 17 Will check. 1st degree of failure Mind becomes Dazed. 2nd degree of Failure Mind becomes Stunned. 3rd and higher Mind becomes Incapacitated.

Pounce gets a good sniff of the Serviles. They're musky. Unbathed. There is the smell of vegetation, dirt, and over ripe fruit. Fermented. Each has their own smells to. One smells like curdled ornk milk, has many subtle blood scents that are not it's own, a third smells like cooked meats and smoke. But these aren't as unifying.

Pounce leads the way, following the bandit scents in a northerly direction while Craze points out spots that show activity in a more visual sense. It allows Pounce to sniff out hot spots if she ever looses a trail.


Your Shaper does not follow right away. Having noticed the Mind floating off towards the left side of the road he remained under cover while watching where the Mind went.

Pounce has a solid trail to follow. It will take considerable time to follow to the source. We'll resolve Mind's situation. You'll have time to socialize or talk plans along the way as well, and I want to give you all the opportunity to do that before we jump to th bandit lair.

[kenseido]

Chips
HP: 1, LP: 0; Condition: Fine

Chips notices Craze sorting through some items and walks over to the avian.

"I would be happy to carry some of those for you. It serves all of us, including Shaper D'Tan, if you are able to fly freely and unencumbered. So I can carry the coins, and you can come and see them when you like."

[Tony Jones]

Meat Shield
Hero Points: 4; Luck Points: 2; Condition: Fine

"I can carry some too if you like," chips in Meat Shield.

[Doctor Malsyn]

The Mind
HP: 2, Fatigued

Will: 18

Within a second of realizing the danger, instinct took over and the Mind acted by purging the memories it had been tasting. All that was left of the experience was a dull ache, and a sense that this had been a dangerous endeavor. It drifted over to the other incapacitated, considering, yet not acting just yet. Perhaps it would need to attempt a strong form of mental probe if it wished to achieve results.

[mrdent12]

Craze
HP: 2
CND: fine

When someone offers to carry the coins, Craze doesn't make a motion to say no. When mention of helping D'Tan, Craze had mixed feelings. When created, D'Tan was his world. His creator. His everything. Life without D'Tan didn't seem possible. Now, he saw a whole town without Shapers. He couldn't help thinking if there could be more. Freedom from D'Tan maybe even? He quickly banished the thought. D'Tan was his Shaper. "Yes, please take most of them. Maybe in the next town we can buy things we need. Like shiny rock candy or food.", says Craze slipping up before catching himself.

[kenseido]

Chips
HP: 1, LP: 0, Condition: Fine

Chips nods and puts the remaining coins in a separate bag. He thinks Craze values them more than he, himself does. And he wanted to make sure the avian didn't thin he was going to try and steal them from him.

He secures the smaller bag and places it in one of the larger bags, allowing Craze to see the entire action.

Presumably, Craze took 3-4 coins, leaving Chips with 20-21.

[Doctor Malsyn]

The Mind
HP: 2, Fatigued

Mustering itself, the Mind attempts a stronger probe against one of the other bandits. Mentally, it braces itself by trying to skip past the most recent surface memories. Yet no precaution is ever perfect.

Power check: 21 (How many, where located, strongest members.)

[Sakuro]

Mind thrusts it's psionic tendrils into the Servile. It's mental defenses resist, applying pressure that stretched as the Mind probed harder. Like a membrane being pulled tauter and tauter.

Then they are submerged in the bandit's thoughts. The rest of the world fades away as they feed. There is aggression. Greed for things. The desire for more. A hostility towards the Shaper. Then there is a sense of dread and a shadow ... Mind pulls away from the shadow quickly and steers down another path. Less resistance there.

Emotion turns to images. Familiar faces of other Servile bandits. Come and going. Moving in groups. Mind slows things down. Counts them. Then the membrane of the Servile's mental defenses pushes back, rebounding the Mind. Sending it somewhere they did not intend to go: reliving the Servile's recent trauma.

A dark winged shadow descends upon the Mind. There is a deafening, thought twisting 'KAW!' that violently blasts the Mind out of it's victim's thoughts.

Mind learns the number of Bandits, as best this Servile is aware. There are about 42 bandits remaining in the area, but they aren't lumped together in one big group all the time.

After learning this, Feedback kicks in, because you are reading the mind of someone that was recently attacked and suffered meaningful injury. Make a DC 18 Will check. Same penalties for failure as before. You also will not be able to get any further information from this target's thoughts.

[mrdent12]

Craze
HP: 2
CND: fine

As everyone does the looting, Craze readies himself to move once everyone starts heading out. in the meantime, he eyes the rogues he can to see if any passed. He could use a quick snack.

[Doctor Malsyn]

21

The last few fragments of memory are cordoned off and shunted away, as once more the image of Craze was impressed upon them. Floating slightly away, it decided that unless it's Shaper demanded otherwise, the information obtained was suitable. It dutifully informed D'tan about what was learned, with mention of the curious feelings the servile had regarding an unknown entity.

[Sakuro]

"Winged shadow. Dark feathers. A loud 'kaw'. That sounds like an exaggeration of Craze. It makes sense he would leave an impression on them. The only survivors were those Craze disabled."

... D'Tan remarks after the Mind gives their report on the information they had extracted from the two Serviles.

"At least we have an estimate of their numbers and know that they are not centralized."

Craze notes that only the three he disabled, those that Mind was psychically interrogating, are the only Serviles that attacked you which remain alive. Feeling a tad puckish he takes the opportunity to glide down and tear a few beak-fulls of still warm meat from one of the corpses. The meat was lean, lacking fat and because of that lack of fat it wasn't as flavorful as it could be. It had a slight irony sweetness to it though. The meat was fresh too, lacking the tasty flavoring that early rot and decay provided. A touch of spoilage made a world of difference in meat. It wasn't bad, but Craze had eatten better.

Craze was able to get some snacking in, but hardly a meal, before your Shaper signals those lingering at the corpses to move out. By then Pounce had already gotten a lead ahead of the rest of the group. Lead by her nose the feline follows a trail of Servile scents north, deeper into the forest. Once he has had a chance to clean up Craze flies ahead and assists her.

As you progress sign of bandit activity become noticed by Meat Shield, Craze, and Pounce, who all spot a traps. Pit falls. Spring loaded spikes. Net-snares, falling log traps ... and so on. The deeper you get into the woods the more of these the three spot. But time and again the trio are able to steer the others clear of the perilous inventions.

Craze, Meat Shield, and Pounce are able to spot a variety of traps as you progress through the woods. They become more frequent the deeper you get into forest.

[kenseido]

Chips
HP: 1, LP: 1; Condition: Fine

Chips stays just behind D'Tan and isn't in a position to notice the traps the others see.

[mrdent12]

Craze
HP: 2
CND: fine

Once they settle, he'll need to find a more filling meal. Something cooked just right by time. Maybe some juicy eyes. Plucked at the right time they were divine.

Scouting ahead with the others, Craze is glad they didn't delve too deep into the woods without some warnings. Whatever they were protecting, it must be quite valuable. "Is this where we get to their leader or do we know what is this way?", inquires Craze.

[Doctor Malsyn]

The Mind
HP: 2>1, Fatigued

It took into consideration the strange array of defensive fortifications, noting their designs and general placement as they proceeded further along. There was a pattern to them in the way they were laid out, it could sense that much. If it were to estimate their locations onto a metalized map of the area, perhaps with some slight judgements based on the terrain, there might've been a way to find the best path in to take these savage serviles by surprise.

Tactics: 12
(Reroll, I'd like to get some actual use from this skill...) 17+10=27