[rednblack]

@Mal, thanks.

@Zwei, things are currently pretty calm outside. Within the next 2-3 seconds Shur's head is gong to violently snap as he first looks and then starts racing inside the club.

@bangbang, you can do either of those with your next IP if you'd like. You're up first, at least as far as you can tell. Or more appropriately, the GM is still in his phone and needs to do some rolls still. I'll get an IC up tomorrow morning when I know what kind of direction you're heading in.

[rednblack]

CT2 IP1
Flickr 18
Q2 14
Q1 10
Crowd 9
Q3 9

Action to Flickr

[bangbangtequila]

Do I know who Q1-2-3 are? Just to inform my next actions. Regardless I'm going to attempt diplomacy. Negotiation?

[rednblack]

Do I know who Q1-2-3 are? Just to inform my next actions. Regardless I'm going to attempt diplomacy. Negotiation?

Not really. Your Combat Sense will alert you to any immediate threats as they become immediate, but without taking an Observe in Detail or equivalent Flickr doesn't know who's around that's horrified and frightened and who may be about t jump into the fray.

Who is Flickr diplomacing with?

[bangbangtequila]

The fellow I nailed with a spell by mistake. He'll be trying to offer a heal spell to make amends for blasting him with a lightning bolt haha

[rednblack]

Ok. We'll call him 7 meters out. We're still in Initiative so keep your opening salvo to a few words unless you're spending a Complex on it.  I'm on the phone again so I don't know what your AGI is but you may not close the distance this IP completely. Let me know what your actions are and post ICly when you've got it figured out.

I do think Negotiation is the way to go. Etiquette would fit too I guess.

[Zweiblumen]

I got a shitty little post up to get Mercer the live feeds from Home, Patsy and the fly-spy that's on patrol.  When Shur starts to crash the door SF will send a message to the Team.  Dunno if we got comms up and running across all 4 of us yet, but I know I've got Achak and Mercer's digits, so they'll get the warning.  FWIW, as soon as there's any incoming fire (magic or metal) SF is gonna throw all 5 'zquitos up and have them start distracting everyone as cover to try and prevent a full on bar-brawl.  He's a smuggler, going loud isn't really his style.  It occurs to me that I grabbed the 'zquitos but left any ear-protection.  But yeah, with them going everyone that isn't compensating in some way is at a -20 DP.  Assuming that the rest of the team isn't prepared for them either, he'd give warning before throwing them a message along the lines of "keep your eyes on the floor and cover your ears, head for the nearest exit!"  Even if that's a Complex action, he'd do that before activating the drones.

The above is his current "plan" for lack of a better word.

[Tecumseh]

I might IC post this evening to have Achak turn off his commlink, as he doesn't want to be distracted during Lola's performance. (It's possible that this might be a requirement anyway, along the lines of "no photography" given the cybereyes and ears people have.)

Odds are good that Achak will sense the spells going off. Wait, tangent:

Rules oddity. The adept power Magic Sense works the same way as the spell Detect Magic. The spell Detect Magic is resisted by Force * 2 for non-living things, like spells and foci. Doesn't it seem strange/backwards that the more power a spell/focus is, the harder it is to detect? That means that these F8 spells are harder to detect than F1 spells, which seems silly and contradictory to the "6 minus Force" rule for regular Perception. But, per a strict reading of the rules, perhaps Achak does not detect Flickr's spells... Odd.

End tangent.

I have no idea what 'zquitos are or what they do, although Zweiblumen is making them sound like flash-bangs. Depending on whether they emit a high-pitched sound (as one might expect of something compared to a mosquito) or a low-pitched one (like a flash-bang's concussive force), Achak and his adept hearing might have a hard time ignoring them. I will let the GM rule on the sound-proofing of the Champagne Room, how loud Lola's music is, and the volume of the general commotion to determine whether Achak is aware of what's happening. (Even if he's aware, he might ignore it if he's able.)

[Malevolence]

Rules oddity. The adept power Magic Sense works the same way as the spell Detect Magic. The spell Detect Magic is resisted by Force * 2 for non-living things, like spells and foci. Doesn't it seem strange/backwards that the more power a spell/focus is, the harder it is to detect? That means that these F8 spells are harder to detect than F1 spells, which seems silly and contradictory to the "6 minus Force" rule for regular Perception. But, per a strict reading of the rules, perhaps Achak does not detect Flickr's spells... Odd.

Play-testing FTW!


Dammit, I really thought I'd gotten mocking the shoddy state of the rules all out of my system for a few more months...


Anyway, IC up setting the scene for chaos to ensue. Mercer is going to let the new team members handle themselves as a sort of "test", or to gain a full measure of their ability to handle themselves. If he's forced into the fray (either by being attacked or generally feeling endangered), he'll jump in, and if it looks like the two might be in trouble, he'll jump in. But for now he's treating it like a fairly harmless bar fight where lethal weaponry (excluding magic) is mostly absent. If the unidentified bogeys are just other rowdy patrons looking for a fight, he'll stay out of it as much as possible. If it begins to look like an ambush targeted at his team, he'll take the leadership mantle and organize a tactical retreat.

[bangbangtequila]

The magic perception rules make it very easy to sense some kind of magic in the air. I interpret that to require some pretty close proximity. A ruling would be nice to bring that general sense in line, especially since the influence power specifically states you can use it with nobody knowing. Something like F x 2-3 meters to feel the magic, or whatever perception would be normally for visible effects (a lightning bolt wouldn't need you to sense the mana so much as notice the giant flash of lightning). Just a thought to settle it before it becomes relevant later.

IC post coming up now.
Charisma Skill (Negotiation or Etiquette): 4d6t5 1

[rednblack]

Proximity to what, the magician or the victim?  I do think proximity matters, but I would also think that mana being manipulated could be sensed both where the magician is casting the spell, and where the spell manifests itself.  Unsure if any space in between would be affected.I'd also rule that cover would affect sensing magic.  For example, if one is perceiving in the astral, there's the astral world to take into account, the auras of all living things, whatever background count, etc. exists, and then the magic.  I'm unsure if I want to apply a formula to it so much as just wing it with what makes sense.  Distance especially seems problematic, as an area with very little astral presence probably wouldn't be difficult to sense through for spells.

Also, while I'm sympathetic to your concern, the CRB does explicitly state that magic is rarely subtle.  For Control Thoughts things get a little swimmy.  According to the CRB victims get a chance to both resist the spell and notice the spell, but it also states that while Control Actions is very obvious Control Thoughts can be "insidious."  I'm a little torn on how to run that.  One possibility is to only give the Complex Action to resist the spell to targets of Control Thoughts, but both tests to victims of Control Actions, until the spell has been fully resisted and then immediately give the victim a Perception test to see if they notice that they were being magically controlled.  Another option, and this seems to be the best way to run Control Thoughts to begin with, is to cast it at a low Force and use Reagent to bump up the Limit.  But, that reduces the penalty that the victim faces for their resistance roll.  I'm open to suggestions here.

One last point about Control Thoughts is that it seems like a spell best cast in private away from prying eyes.

Also, what were your actions for CT2 IP1?

CT2 IP1
Flickr 18
Q2 14
Q1 10
Crowd 9
Q3 9

CT2 IP2
Flickr 8
Q2 4

Action to Flickr

ETA: @Tec, can I get an Auditory Perception test?  Let's call this at a -4 modifier.

ETA2: The interior of the club is now experiencing a Noise rating of 7.  @Mal and @Zwei, let me know how your drones are doing, and if you've lost connection to them.

ETA3: Thanks for the good posts everyone.  Really glad about the energy we've got going on here.  @Tec, the rules oddity for Detect Magic is strange, counter intuitive, and seems contradictory to the section on Perceiving Magic.  Not sure I like that.  Do you have any ideas?

[bangbangtequila]

Mental spells would make sense to work like an artillery shell - you don't hear the whistle if it is going to hit you. So what you're saying makes sense, in that you should use it away from prying eyes, while allowing them to be pretty useful. Obviously things like inspiring a bloodlusting hatred for their boss in a bodyguard would seem decidedly suspicious after the spell ends, but things like believing business card is actually a security clearance badge, and that you're a familiar face shouldn't tip off the victim until they are presented with contradictory evidence. Subject to case-by-case fiat of course. I wouldn't want to grow reliant on it 

My action is simply delaying that complex action while I wait to see if I'm attacked. I'd rather heal this guy to avoid further unpleasantness, or if it erupts I can throw down an invisibility or phantasm to cover an escape.

[Tecumseh]

Audio perception for Achak: Intuition 6 + Perception 6 + Specialization 2 - Environmental Modifier 4: 10d6t5 2 hits, hurray, below average! Maybe he can get back to the business at hand, hehe.

As for Detect Magic, I'm tempted to piggyback on the regular Perception rules for noticing magic. The threshold for the spell/sense would be "6 minus Force" of the preparation, focus, spirit, etc. An F1 spell would be hard to detect but an F6 spirit would be immediately obvious. The spell (and adept sense) have their own ranges, so I would use those. GM discretion on the affect of background count and other environmental. (The threshold would also increase if the focus or spell is being concealed by an initiate with Masking or Extended Masking. The threshold increase would be equal to the mage's initiation level.) This does away with the Opposed Test, which simplifies things.

Oh man, I had a totally killer line in store for my last IC post but I forgot to use it. I'll try to work it into the next one.

[rednblack]

@Tec, that sounds good to me on perceiving magic. 2 hits is actually enough to hear the mechanical sound of a heavy door closing. Probably at the top of the stairs leading into the champagne room if Achak had to guess.

@bangbang, for CT2 IP1 Flickr would have to spend at least a Simple for speaking so no Held Actions there. He can certainly hold on IP2 to wait and see how things develop. I'm guessing that he will not be lying down on his belly and closing his eyes?

If I get a chance I'll post ICly on what happens next later today. Probably won't affect anyone else's actions and will be pretty short.

So then back to rolling Initiatve.

[bangbangtequila]

How high is the ceiling with the windows, and could I easily fit through them?