[rednblack]

Well there wouldn't be any reason for anyone to know if I hit him with a F7 or 8 Blast or Lightning Bolt. . .

Sure there would.  Perceiving Magic is Skill - Force = Threshold for a Perception check.  In this case: MAG (6) - Force (7) = -1, which is bumped up to 1 to stop things from being silly, but it does make the spell as easy to perceive as a neon sign, a running crowd, and gunfire.  Again, if you can make sure thing are nice and private, the risk may be low, and the loud music and lights from the club may be distracting, but it's a risk that you probably won't be able to mitigate into nonexistence. 

*EDIT* I looked over the spells again to ensure I hadn't missed anything, and it turns out I did. Blast is 1 higher drain then ball lightning, which is NOT what I'm after. It seems meta-gamey to change it as I enter a 1v1 fight, but I'd love to swap my spells back to Ball Lightning and Clout, but I can wait until after this scene is over. I had listed the wrong drain, assuming Blast was the same as Ball Lightning. Anyway, let me know, and I'll let that inform my decision. In the mean-time...

That's fine by me.  Been there.

Also, since it hasn't affected anything, I'm thinking I would like to switch my metamagic into Shielding. I'm just thinking I'm likely better off focusing on my magical security role and going shielding - absorption - centering, and by that point I'll have VASTLY more things to spend karma on anyway, but absorption makes me fully capable of decimating any magician that stands before us, through applying 3 bonus counterspelling die and sucking up spell force then spitting them back out as bonus force.

Ditto.  We'll run the char as is through the next rest, and you can update as you see fit.

Combat Sense Roll: 15d6t5 7 This is relevant to my next post

Nice rolling.  Be sure to list the Force of the spell in your rolling descriptor so I know how many Hits count.  Assuming you meant Force 6 bc of the drain comment.  Will Flickr be Sustaining this spell?  Nothing is pinging off the Combat Sense at this time, but that may change depending on what transpires between Flickr and the Amerindian. 

ETA: Just read the IC.  Yeah, Combat Sense is pinging.  Chummer isn't particularly happy.  I'll let Tec get Achak with Lola and post a response ICly.

[bangbangtequila]

While sustained, I'm pulling 20 defends dice without going full or dodging or anything, plus I get a massive bonus if there's a surprise test. So right now I'm taking a -2 dice pool to magic, but I've got 20 defender dice and a heap of bonus reaction for surprise checks. I used this because a defensive cast wouldn't raise eyebrows.

[rednblack]

I think it's 18 dice with the -2 Sustaining penalty, but yeah that's pretty healthy, and you're right a defensive spell isn't likely to raise eyebrows.

[Tecumseh]

IC post is up.

Achak's mentor spirit will give him drek if anything happens to the others, but I've been wanting to play PCs with more flaws (i.e. PCs that behave sub-optimally from a professional standpoint, especially when confronted with personal conflicts) for a while now.

Achak is currently at +1 Reaction, +1 Charisma, +1 Perception, and +1 Social Limit due to the novacoke, plus he now has High Pain Tolerance 1. The effects will last 7 hours, until 2am-ish, at which point he will be at Charisma 1 and Willpower 1 until 9am.

I didn't describe what happens in the Champagne Room, mostly because I don't know. If it's hired goons, that that's certainly interesting. If it's Lola, then that's equally interesting, although it doesn't need to be described ICly. I'll need a sense of how things go so that I can RP accordingly, but I don't need gritty details. Achak is feeling relatively rich and his inhibitions are low, so he'll spend up to ¥500 (including the minimum) if it turns out to be a legitimate party with Lola.

(Is that good? This is pretty far from my realm of experience and I can't Google this at work. Oo, I know I'll search on my phone! ... ... hmm, that was ... enlightening. Seems like ¥500 should be plenty for 30-45 minutes. The Champagne Room, where corks pop.)

[bangbangtequila]

My personal record, not having done any bachelor parties, was roughly 700 on drinks, drugs, and strippers. My advice on role playing a cavalier attitude on money for women and parties would be to simply not set limits OoC. Pick your brand of drink, your brand of drug, and roll a die and see how wild he goes. My experience on that atmosphere is that the first sober thought in the morning (more commonly afternoon...) is to Che k the bank account and buy cigarettes.

Just some real life anecdotal advice. Feel free to disregard, I won't be offended

[Tecumseh]

Did that $700 cover the whole night though? I figure that if Achak has a relatively tight time frame then basically he'll be going supernova if he drops several hundred nuyen all at once, especially if it's concentrated on one dancer. If that's not the case, or if rednblack says he needs to spend more to impress a woman of Lola's unique talents, then Achak is probably willing to push the envelope. He has four months of Lifestyle payments saved up, plus more cash coming in from Duncan Abbey, so he's feeling wealthy and indulgent at the moment, especially given the stress that he's been under.

There's another underlying theme here that I'm toying with of "live fast and die young". Achak knows from personal experience that this is a deadly business, so there are two approaches:
1) spend all that you make, since you won't be around long to enjoy it anyway; or,
2) save everything and try to get out of the game intact.

Now with his Combat Sense and Danger Sense and all the other senses, Achak thinks that he can survive, but if they could get a long-term professional like Stake then they can get anyone. So maybe #1 starts to creep back in, especially if it's spending money on Lola who he wants to marry and have lots of babies with. (He hasn't fully figured out how he would support Lola or said babies if he gets out of the game, but he does have a SIN so there is at least the possibility of legitimate work if he has the proper motivations.)

It also occurs to me that he would be behaving differently if Sister Rebecca were still involved, but she's not, so he isn't.

[bangbangtequila]

Well, it did, but I was 22 and a server at a restaurant I had to wear a cowboy hat at. So, my feelings of wealth likely didn't compare. My point was simply that when you let loose, particularly with drugs like novacoke, you lose track, and whatever you have available becomes spending money. If he's going big, and taking stimulants, he might fall in that trap.

Your thinking is all clean and sounds interesting. You know best what you're going for, and all the things you've listed both make sense and are really interesting. So explore this however you see Achak going at it, and I'll read with genuine interest!

[Tecumseh]

It sounds to me that the name bangbangtequila might be autobiographical.

[rednblack]

Achak's mentor spirit will give him drek if anything happens to the others, but I've been wanting to play PCs with more flaws (i.e. PCs that behave sub-optimally from a professional standpoint, especially when confronted with personal conflicts) for a while now.

Which I appreciate.  Makes for more interesting games.

If it's Lola, then that's equally interesting, although it doesn't need to be described ICly.

Agreed.  Last post was mostly to show Lola in seductress mode and let you know that Achak wasn't walking into a trap.  Or that it hasn't been sprung yet at least   I'm also stalling a little bit on time, to be honest. 

Seems like ¥500 should be plenty for 30-45 minutes. The Champagne Room, where corks pop.)

Works for me. ¥500 is a lot of jing, especially on a weeknight. 

My advice on role playing a cavalier attitude on money for women and parties would be to simply not set limits OoC. Pick your brand of drink, your brand of drug, and roll a die and see how wild he goes.

Cool idea.  I like it.

There's another underlying theme here that I'm toying with of "live fast and die young". Achak knows from personal experience that this is a deadly business, so there are two approaches:
1) spend all that you make, since you won't be around long to enjoy it anyway; or,
2) save everything and try to get out of the game intact.

Now with his Combat Sense and Danger Sense and all the other senses, Achak thinks that he can survive, but if they could get a long-term professional like Stake then they can get anyone. So maybe #1 starts to creep back in, especially if it's spending money on Lola who he wants to marry and have lots of babies with. (He hasn't fully figured out how he would support Lola or said babies if he gets out of the game, but he does have a SIN so there is at least the possibility of legitimate work if he has the proper motivations.)

It also occurs to me that he would be behaving differently if Sister Rebecca were still involved, but she's not, so he isn't.

This is also good stuff for me to know.  Thanks.  The more I know about each character's motivations the more I have to offer as a GM.  And this kind of tension between modes of thinking/living is just gold.

@bangbang, I got a little long-winded, but I also wanted to leave my post with the ball in Flickr's court.  If Flickr is ready to let things devolve into fisticuffs, then roll a Surprise Test (just a formality with 18 dice) and Initiative.  If Flickr is going to try a different approach -- move the altercation outside, diffuse the situation, intimidate the guy into backing down, or some other thought that you may have -- make the appropriate roll and/or response ICly.  I gave you plenty of room to butt in on his droning.

[Tecumseh]

ICly, Achak is happy where he is. He will probably tell his commlink not to interrupt him unless it's an emergency.

OOCly, I'm fine sitting on the bench if Flickr (and any of the others) gets into a scrap. I'll be disappointed if I miss out on a full bar brawl, because a general melee while wearing a suit and wielding improvised clubs sounds fun and cinematic, but I know Flickr and Spitfire might need an opportunity to cut their teeth.

[bangbangtequila]

Surprise Test: 18d6t5 9
IF he pulls a gun, I'll hit him with a single target combat spell, otherwise I'll wait until we are outside and then nail him with it. You have to respect the bar, after all.

[rednblack]

@Tec, understood

@bangbang, I need an Initiative roll as well.

ETA: if you're going to try to talk the guy into an alley I need a Negotiation roll.

[bangbangtequila]

I was simply goading him and stepping out. If he wants to fight inside then fair enough. I'll be nailing him with something hard enough to knock out teeth, but I'll need him drawing a weapon to justify the lightning bolt.

Initiative: 14+1d6 18

[Zweiblumen]

Got a couple of things going here, 1) did I loose any spies? 2) between the spies and Patsy and Home I should have pretty good eyes on the area, what is Shur doing? 3) unlikely for a stipclub, but any paths for flying drones to get in to the build without shooting their way in?

I'm guessing Mercer and SF can see what Flickr is doing?  That said, SF doesn't know these blokes since Achak left, and pickin' fights in strip clubs ain't exactly good for business.  It's possible he just sits this one out.  It's not unlikely that he's got tertiary or related contacts in the room (not char sheet type, but remote business general rep type) given how often he's sneaking shit past the guys... or for them.

[bangbangtequila]

Negotiation: 4d6t5 0
I was more of the mind that he's either going out, or not. I didn't really see it as a negotiation simply because there is no positive or negative benefit or loss. I mean there is OOC, but in character it is more of a... let's take this outside kind of a sentiment...