Adventure Blog 9/3

The group hoofed it back to the Inn after defusing the situation with several potential executions. Hungry and tired they decided to deal with the hunger issue first.  Danika the proprietor of the Inn/Tavern was pleasant enough and gave them some nuggets of information regarding the Baron who ruled the city as well as his recent sort of manic interest in "festivals" to keep the populace in high spirits and happy. He seems to have gone to extremes by literally marking a little list of which townsfolk did not attend, how often, if they had good reasons or just excuses, and other absurdly petty observations.  The next festival was to be the festival of the sun at noon the next day. These festivals were happening now at least every two weeks with the idea that even if evil abounds all around if you simply "force" happiness, people will magically become happy.  Uriel decided to make some extra coin for the food by playing for the local populace who were decidedly more friendly than the population of the village of Barovia. The barkeep also said that a comically flamboyant fellow had been visiting lately trying to "entertain" with tall tales of monster slaying, adventure, and mayhem. It worked the first few times but people quickly lost interest as they seem exaggerated and repetitive. Her 7 and 9 year old kids were still interested in hearing the stories, but few others besides that.  After finishing up the chat and meals people wanted to start heading up for bed. Talia's food wasn't agreeing with her for some reason, so she didn't keep it down too well. The reason was pretty obvious given the 'changes' of the last few days. Valeros attempted to discreetly offer Talia a goblet of what she really wanted but it only induced a blood frenzy in her. She then latched onto Uriel biting him in public. Vitallis sensing that the worm could turn at any moment if the common folks observed all this in a public area attempted to intervene. Valeros wasn't too happy about that but Vitallis was oathbound not to let blood rituals occur in his presence and especially in public where it could endanger the entire group with the population.  Words were exchanged, and the rest of the group jumped in with both some magical and persuasive abilities to defuse the situation before it got even more out of hand than it already was. After regaining their collective composure everyone retired for needed rest, oversleeping the scheduled "crack o' dawn" meeting time. In the morning, breakfast was offered and after a period of time Father Lucian impatiently appeared wondering where everyone was. They decided to move the meeting to a corner table. Quick plans were drawn up for a stealthy infiltration while Lucian distracted the militia guards. He explained a large group prayer happened thrice per day. Dawn, Noon, and Dusk. They decided the noon window with the festival of the sun keeping the rest of the townsfolk occupied would be ideal since the streets would basically be deserted.  Plan in place, they exited and prepped. Nano reminded them he was a risk at this range to the rogue AI so Sana and Tess took a little detour to BURY HIM ALIVE!!  :-)   He was the one that actually came up with the plan and assured that he'd be fine just outside the city proper. He used a backup com device using an ancient and crude magic called "radio waves". They took the magic mouth from Nano and departed. Just as they arrived at the church proper the group was ready to infiltrate. Father Lucian seeing the signal started a spectacular and wildly exaggerated display for the guards complaining about the dangers of leaving sharp weapons laying about in the graveyard unsecured as well as molten iron ore runoff from the makeshift foundry pouring into the ground water nearby during the smithing / smelting process.  Properly alarmed the guards snapped to attention and took notice. The group slipped past through the unlocked large double doors. Inside Lucian snuck in as well with them and the Vindicator Paladin with his militia lackey looked quite skeptical about this group of well armed people waltzing into the foyer of the church. Lucian performed some mental jujitsu on the Vindicator saying the group was several priests with their armed escort from Barovia here to see the wonders of what the Church of the Salvation had built. Playing to the righteousness and ego of the vindicator paid off and his suspicion lessened. He was adamant that weapons would not be allowed in the temple proper. With some quick finger waggling and suggestion he was convinced otherwise. Lucian continued the quick tour giving a basic description of the layout of the ground floor of the temple with who was where and why. They hastened to the far end of the long hallway to a spiral staircase which disappeared into darkness above and went one floor down too. Lucian explained it was the central hub point that went all the way to the bell tower above, but the prisoners were below so they descended.  As they hit the sub-basement, again Lucian gave a quick floor plan so they knew what they may encounter. A converted storage space to the west was now a mess hall, and occupied. To the east other storage had been converted into opulent bed chambers for the High Confessor himself and the Pontificate. The 1st and 2nd in charge, respectively. At that moment Jules rolled a 1 on the random encounter table. LOL! The Pontificate himself appeared at the top of the steps yelling down for Lucian who apparently he had just seen pass by. He had that snippy and condescending tone & urgency in his voice that all the highest ranking clerics seemed to carry with them. Lucian became notably panicked at that moment. Arlin produced a philter of glibness and told Lucian to quaff it if he wanted to escape the lie detection of the priests. Lucian having no real other option complied and hurried up to test whether the potion was the real deal or a death sentence.  On a tight time window the group wasted little time searching the bed chambers helping themselves to a few valuables that such a rich church and faith could certainly spare. After some searching around they found a much newer piece of stonework behind a full sized wardrobe. The pontificate (unsurprisingly) had his own private tunnel to the areas below. They closed up the passage behind them and descended. They alighted into total darkness in narrowly carved 5 foot wide tight passageways. Being an excitable bunch instead of inching along stealthily they charged forward with abandon alerting the first full room of Churchians. The priest decided they were definitely uninvited after being told otherwise by the group and decided to go summon help. They were caught completely off guard and flat footed since very few people would be able to get to this level and especially through the northern route that only the highest church members would use.  They used this to handily decimate both the force in that room as well as the rest of the militia and priests in adjoining rooms. To the east some "experiments" seemed to be lingering about in tight corridors in the form of reanimated townsfolk. So much for the good and noble Church of the Salvation, it would be a tough sell to explain away reanimating corpses. Talia decided to put them to rest in short order. Part of the team went west and dispatched the remnants of the force the other part went east and found a lone militiaman in some horrific and grim duties stuffing tubes into bodies. Talia dispatched this fellow as well as others joined her. On the western front the group decided to frolic and leap through the hallways setting off 12d6 worth of spike traps along the way because why not? (LOL)  On the "eastern front" Valeros decided waiting for the lockpicker was also not a viable strategy and started to batter the reinforced door they found there. A poison needle and good CON save later he was able to accomplish the task. The party regrouped after soaking some damage from the various traps and decided sticking a bit more together was probably a better survival strategy. In the next room was a converted bedchamber. The bed had been removed and a large iron cage placed into the area with a padlock. Inside the cage were all manner of implements and odd devices. Sana looked at the setup and kind of got the impression this appeared to be a makeshift armory. Though most of what was in the cage didn't seem like any weapons or battle implements they'd ever encountered before excepting a broken sword hilt. After some deft lockpicking Tess popped the lock and they got a better look at the items.  Many of the items had obvious switches and buttons which they AAAAAALLLMMMOOOOSSSTTT wanted to just haphazardly press because again, why not?! But still stinging from 12d6 trap damage decided maybe rando button mashing wasn't the sound tactical strategy. They got on the "magic radio wave mouth device" to Nano who quickly ID'd most of the items as either combat gear or weaponry of some sort. He told them that at one time he would have been able to simple "download" the knowledge of how to use these items instantly to them but that part of his memory had been purposefully blocked for some reason. He had to use a cruder method and simply give them audio instructions while showing magic moving pictures on the device they had. The combination, while inefficient, gave a basic set of instructions how everything worked.  After finding out what everything was in a rough way, the party breathed a collective sigh of relief. As Nano explained some of these items, improperly used, would end up causing extreme damage and/or death to the group themselves due to their advanced nature and the skill needed to wield them properly. Even that being the case, once he used the magic picture box to show how they work the group was very excited as their effects were extraordinary in different ways and clearly a case of the advanced magicks of the Far Realm from whence Nano and all these items originally came. Nano also quickly assessed these items were basically "borrowed" (read: stolen) from the shipwreck they had encountered earlier in the middle of the lake. This was the salvaged gear the Churchians recovered that wasn't damaged beyond use. But every single item in the cage had various amounts of damage so Nano explained they were "functional but not optimally". He speculated they could be repaired and made more effective if an advanced fuel source could be acquired. These crude "essence shards" that have been used thus far would not be enough as these items were the height of the magick of the world he came from and extremely complex devices.  The group were excited to "field test" their new toys on the lower levels of the complex as surely more Churchians awaited and would likely be shocked that their own technology would be turned against them. They collected everything up, Nano did some rapid calculations based on the video he received and spit out some instructions that could easily be followed for basic function of each thing. The group assigned the items to who could maximize its use logically and proceeded out of the armory back towards the door they entered from. Just at that moment an odd whirring and clicking noise was heard from the north entrance to the room with an ominous pronouncement coming from the wooden barricade to the north:  "Intruder detected, countermeasures being deployed for reacquisition of stolen armaments" NOTE: There will be a follow up post here soon detailing those items in a mainly mechanical sense. I.E. Their basic function from a game mechanics standpoint, Nano's speculation regarding "ammo, charges, etc." which is not 100% known because of all the items being in various states of disrepair. They are his best guess based on the quick visual analysis, your own field testing will likely fill in the blanks.

Just because I'm curious at what the items do, is that post detailing how our new toys work going to be posted before Sunday? Or did you want us to figure it out in game before you posted it? Edit : See Below! -Jules

VERY LONG! Lots of info, including a few inside geek / sci-fi jokes here and there Nano's Magical Mystery Tour! "Hello obsolete carbon-based meatbags! Oh wait... I mean hello Commanders! Tis I, your friendly, completely harmless, subservient, and docile&nbsp; slave hyper-intelligence unit, Nano! Welcome to my magical mystery tour. Since your comparatively limited minds, respectfully and humbly stated of course!, can scarcely figure out how to operate advanced weaponry much less understand the exceptional physics required to produce such items, I'm here to help you get how they basically work." (listed in no particular order) Maliwan Mark-3 Hypersonic Repulsor Basic Usage: The Mark-3 is an area denial weapon which fires a conical blast of hypersonic waves designed to create non-lethal impact force. The weapon uses a Standard Portable Fuel Cell (SPFC) shown as the smaller circle in the diagram above. It uses a novel reload mechanism using kinetic energy by "winding" the barrel around the frame of the weapon. In the hands of a highly trained user this allows for rapid reloads between shots. Advanced users can also learn to compensate for recoil force and fire the weapon one-handed instead of using the second hand as a recoil brace. Video Tutorial: <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byom9AuLNMyWSVJ6" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byom9AuLNMyWSVJ6</a>... D&D Stats: The weapon can be used one or two handed if proficient with the device. Using a standard action the weapon will produce a conical sound wave that radiates outwards in a 5 x 10 cone. This means that up to 3 creatures can be hit at once with the blast. On impact the creature must make a STR save. On a successful save the creature is able to keep it's footing. On a failed save the creature is knocked back 10 feet from point of impact vector. A second DEX save is then required. If the DEX save is failed the creature is knocked down prone as well and loses its action that turn. Additionally, depending on environmental factors force damage may result from the impact. This particular weapon is currently damaged and not calibrated. All saves are DC14. This could theoretically increase if the weapon could be repaired and calibrated. This weapon shows 4 out of 8 green bars on the SPFC indicating it has about 25 shots remaining. (Weapon only affects Med / Small creatures) Basic users reload the weapon as a heavy crossbow. Advanced users may use the weapon one handed and drop the "Loading" requirement of the heavy crossbow potentially allowing for multiple shots in a single round. BlackMesa BRB-8 Riot Baton The BRB-8 (AKA "Stun stick") Riot Baton is the latest non-lethal advancement from BlackMesa Industries. At BlackMesa we are always pushing the limits of what we can design and produce, the BRB-8 is no exception. Using a minimalist design philosophy the Riot Baton is easy to operate even for a novice user. This allows it great flexibility for security forces, paramilitaries, and law enforcement with very little training cost. A simple 2 button mechanism will extend and retract the baton as well as energize the last segment for riot control. Using the Standard Portable Fuel Cell (SPFC) the baton can easily be recharged with the screw in mechanism on the base plate of the unit. When you want to send a message of calm and control, BlackMesa is the go to solution. D&D Stats : Functions as a light mace but does 1d8 damage instead of 1d6 due to dense material. If activated a successful hit forces a DC 15 CON save or target is stunned for 1 round. Uses 1/ charge per hit. Hyperion VB-4 Vibroblade Remember what Handsome Jack says "Why settle for maybe, when want you want is dead?!" The Hyperion VB-4 Vibroblade puts that principle into action. Nanoblades, Monoblades, and other tech claiming to be the pinnacle of piercing and slashing weapons don't always get the job done. That enemy wearing the nanosteel battlesuit, are you willing to bet your life your nanoblade is going to make the lethal cut? With the VB-4 don't leave it to chance! Using state of the art electron agitators the Hyperion Corporation has crafted what Handsome Jack himself originally calls "A more elegant weapon, for a more civilized age". With the press of a button the vibroblade springs to life creating a 76cm (30 in.) long local molecular disturbance. By relying on advanced harmonic algorthims the electron agitator violently perturbs local space but without causing atoms to break apart with unwanted fission energy bursts! (Thus killing the operator and most of their allies in all likelihood, and anyone else in a large radius). Nanosteel, what nanosteel? Those high harmonic vibrations will peel that tin can open in no time, and at minimal danger of malfunction to the operator. (see section 3, line 8, letter A of the Hyperion Terms of Service for liability matters) Now I know what you're saying, this sounds just as dangerous as a monoblade, and there you would be wrong! Unlike our competitors who think a molecularly sharp "invisible" sword is a good idea, Hyperion is one step ahead of the game. That newbie wielder who is just as likely to stab himself or an ally, don't worry about him. With the press of the smaller blue button our patented NoobGuard(tm) system springs into action! The blade will be outlined in a shape that is clearly visible from the wielder's POV but appears as only a dim shadowy green transparency to the outside observer. This allows for a new user to train effectively with the blade but also considers covert ops and concealment. D&D Stats: Defeats 2 points of armor, 2-9 damage (1d8+1). Seems damaged and not fully operational. So effective mechanical stats currently are (+2 to hit / +1 dmg). Can also do piercing or slashing damage as decided by wielder. TST-11 Dual Stage Linear Accelerator (CHEMRAIL) The TST-11 Dual Stage Linear Accelerator (known commonly as 'The ChemRail') has a low rate of fire, but its high-velocity rounds rip through walls and hardened cover easily and shred armored enemies. The rifle fires 18.75x52mm FSDRAS (Fin Stabilized, Discarding Rail Accelerator Sabot) rounds with a muzzle energy of 18 kilo joules. It is a dual-stage weapon, using chemical propellant first and then electro-magnetic rails as the second stage, which is where it derives its moniker from. The weapon requires a spooling up phase during which the rail magnets must acquire maximum charge. It can be "off-fired" at half charge though with less kinetic energy. The weapon also has embedded advanced optics as well as a ballistics / targeting computer. Expert users well trained in the weapon can utilize these in tandem to great effect often acquiring targets BVR. (Beyond visual range). Video Tutorial displays the BVR concept w/ several feet of plas-steel penetration. NOTE this shows the fully automatic rifle (higher ROF, far less energy per shot) not the Assault Cannon version you acquired:&nbsp; <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byom9AuLNMyWeFJ4" rel="nofollow">https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Byom9AuLNMyWeFJ4</a>... Great care should be taken when firing the TST-11 as its projectiles reach speeds that are about a third of orbital escape velocities (7,500mph or 11,000 feet / second) when fully operational with a reliable power source. Using standard ammunition this gives the weapon the ability to penetrate several feet of stone or steel. Using specialized ammunition (depleted neutronium, etc) this penetration is even more acute and should only be considered for outdoor use in a well-ranged environment. Likewise anything beyond visual range near the fire vector is a potential target and the operator is also subject to extraordinary recoil forces if not wearing power armor or a control harness. The Mark 11 variant has a select fire switch and allows for the round to be "lobbed" slowly from the barrel more like a grenade. In this alternate fire mode the velocity of the round is greatly slowed but it discharges energy in a wider area as well for the same reason. This configuration approximately equates to an under-barrel grenade launcher from more ancient technologies often found mounted under ballistic weapons. D&D Stats:&nbsp; Defeats 3 points of Armor, only one to hit roll needed. At full charge in either mode rail fire or lobbed any target in area of effect takes 6d8 Dmg, 1/2 on Dex Save. Half charge mode defeats 1 point of armor and does 3d8Dmg Dex for 1/2 Weyland-Yutani Series 7 Monomolecular Wire (Monofilament Whip) The Weyland-Yutani corporation is proud to bring you the pinnacle of advanced materials technology. After decades of attempting to create materials with strong enough atomic bonds to be made thinner and thinner our scientists and physicists finally found the winning formula. The 7 Series Monomolecular Wire is the gold standard in atomic cutting technology. WY utilizes this tech in a myriad of applications from production industry, to mining, to medicine, and others. But we also recognized the power of monofilament is an exceedingly effective close quarters weapon. Previous attempts had always met with degradation of the material after repeated strikes had been made. The tiny molecular width and atomic bonds would start to be compromised by impact trauma. Our 7 Series we are proud to say, has largely solved that problem. The whip is powered using a Standard Fuel Power Cell (SFPC) like most modern battlefield implements for infantry. After feedback on some of the errors of the 6 series, we have now incorporated a second button on the handle base of the weapon. When hit this button will illuminate the whip cord so it is visible. Many operators prefer to use this mode of operation not only because of safety issues with the wire being invisible, but also for the visual intimidation factor. (Which we surprisingly did not intend during development). There is a psychological factor to actually being able to see the whip when deployed in combat situations we had not anticipated but have received positive feedback about. Of course, advanced users may opt to keep the whip non-illuminated for covert operations and stealth. As with all Monofilament Whips and Monomolecular Wires of any sort Weyland-Yutani advises -extreme- caution in the hands of an untrained operator. Quick forwards snaps are safest for the novice user. Advanced sweeping techniques or "lasso" style techniques while very effective, can be quite dangerous in untrained hands. (Weyland-Yutani is not responsible for, and disclaims all liability from improper usage of the whip, up to and including: grievous bodily injury, permanent maiming, dismemberment, accidental beheading, or death) D&D Stats: The monowhip ignores 3 points of armor. It inflicts 2d8 per hit and has a 5 foot reach giving its effective attack distance out to 10 feet. It can be used by advanced users to attack "through" melee range striking targets farther away or in sweep attack hitting both targets in a line. The whip also has a higher critical threat range critting on a natural 19 or 20, and fumbling on a natural 1 or 2 due to its extremely advanced materials and expert use requirements, respectively. Remington R80 Riot Suppresion Grenades Remington R80 Riot Grenades- A staple of law enforcement for centuries the riot grenade has undergone many iterations throughout that time. The R80 is the latest in riot control technology using the tried and tested fuse timer system. Updates from previous versions include a visual display showing grenade state as well as blow off handle once the depressor is released to prevent snagging during throw. The R80 has also been repurposed as an instant effect weapon with a very short but powerful effect. It's cousin the R60 follows a more classic stun grenade model with lingering effect time. The Mark 2 series of R80 also include an adaptive motion detection system meaning the grenades can be set as area denial weapons without immediate detonation. Upon detecting motion within the blast perimeter the grenade will detonate as if thrown in impact mode. The user display allows the operator to be certain the grenade is properly armed by prominently displaying CROWD. D&D Stats:&nbsp; Whether used as an impact weapon or a mine the weapon will detonate when triggered causing blindess and deafness in a 20ft radius of impact. DC 15 CON save to resist this effect. The duration of the effect is variable but usually last 2 to 6 rounds. (DM Dice) Cyberdyne Systems 2430 Series Ferro-EM Field Generator (Personal Defense Shield) The Cyberdyne 2430 Series is considered by many to be the height of personal defense shielding for paramilitary units. Extremely lightweight and portable as well as very easy to operate many of the units have seen combat throughout various theaters. The harness design with simple button switch mechanisms allow for maximum mobility even while wearing the harness over bulky body armor or nanosteel battle suits. Likewise, the button being centrally placed and large allows the operator to activate the switch without having to free a hand and disarm himself in the process. The ferro-electric current generated by the top and bottom magnets in the harness project a body wide field that is highly polarized against metal objects. The SmartStrike(tm) system is able to delineate lethal ballistic threats from simple objects passing into the shield's ablative radius. The system also uses the latest nano-regenerative tech to allow the shield to operate again with minimal downtime. The shield can endure repeated sustained hits unlike the earlier 23 Series models. As always, be careful around non-metal ballistic threats such as the Armatech 300 Series Plas-steel Needler which is designed specifically to defeat ferro-electric shielding. And like any Ferro-Electric based shielding the operator must of course be wary around directed energy weapons of all sorts. The shield has a grounding mechanism so that it is resistant to disruption and shorting but the wearer will not receive this benefit so as to keep the shield operational for ballistic threats which may follow. We are also proud to say we listened to customer feedback! The SmartSystem will now deal with localized dangers as well such as Chainswords, Vibroblades, Monomolecular Whips, etc. As always, be aware that while the system can offer some resistance to these very slow moving threats, the operator is not fully immune to injury. Seek hard cover immediately if presented with bayonet style attacks of this nature. If the operator will be facing primarily directed energy, elemental, or plasma attacks Cyberdyne highly recommends using our 4000 Series line Ionized Particle Deflection Sphere. The height of energy protection! Please contact your Cyberdyne Sales Rep for further information regarding pricing and bulk discount. D&D Stats: The device approximates the 3rd Ed. Protection from Normal Missiles spell but up to and including Far Realm weaponry of the type it was designed to defeat. This particular model is a variant which offers some resistance against slow melee attacks giving the user +2 AC against such attacks while the shield is active. Strikes from either damage source will eventually defeat the shield which then needs to recharge over time. (Short Rest will regain a single charge, Long Rest will fully recharge the system) Omni-Corp Active Camoflauge Suit The Omni-Corp Active Camoflauge suit (commonly called the "Stalker Cloak") is an infiltration unit's best friend. By bending light waves around the thin mesh of the cloak the infiltration unit becomes extremely hard to detect. When moving and in bright light this effect is heavily mitigated but in dim light and when perfectly still the infiltrator is nearly invisible to all but the most trained eye. D&D Stats:&nbsp; This item functions identically to a cloak of elvenkind with the following exceptions. First, it is an active powered item and therefore requires a power source (standard portable fuel cell) and second if the operator is perfectly still only those with devilsight, ultra-vision, true seeing, detect inviso, etc. have a change to notice the wearer. Omni-Corp Bonded Nanosteel Composite Vest Bonded nanosteel composite vest. This light trauma vest is primarily designed for force recon and infiltration units due to its extremely lightweight and freedom of movement. It has adjustable straps making it able to fit virtually any body size and shape. The composite is formed of overlapping welded nanosteel sitting atop a ballistic mesh fiber underneath. The armor is not as protective as a full nanosteel suit or power armor but trades off its protection for speed and stealth. As with any piece of body armor eventually the vest will degrade after taking repeated hits and trauma. A competent armorer can maintain the suit with minimal materials and skill. D&D Stats: AC 14 +4 max dex bonus, no stealth disadvantage, weighs as much as padded armor ~ 8lbs. Renraku Retractable Titanium Handrazors This space left intentionally blank!

Nooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

he's just doing it to mess with you, onyx XD

Well, guess you're going to have to cut into some people to find out now. I do love all the details with the companies you used for the branded products. All the more enjoyable when I cut people up with the Vibroblade XD

Giovanna said: I do love all the details with the companies you used for the branded products. All the more enjoyable when I cut people up with the Vibroblade XD Thankfully, these things "existed" in a pen and paper game of mine from a while back so they just needed some modifications to work in this setting basically. About 70% Jules and 30% egregious rip-off of basically any sci-fi thing I found cool from various sources. As I said before, I'm a shameless thief when it comes to my campaigns. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and all than, innit?&nbsp; The "marketing cheese" is just the texture of both the game world fiction and the item itself. I've mentioned before I think its the height of laziness to say "you, umm, find a +1 sword. Just write down +1 on your character sheet". Intellectually weak, and lame. Items of any -real- value should have histories and stories where appropriate. These most definitely qualify given their exotic birth place and the way they do their "magic" abilities. ;-D

Erik L. said: he's just doing it to mess with you, onyx XD Grumble, grumble ....... &nbsp;This space left intentionally blank! (Thank you Thumpers' Mom)

Giovanna said: Well, guess you're going to have to cut into some people to find out now. I do love all the details with the companies you used for the branded products. All the more enjoyable when I cut people up with the Vibroblade XD this. &nbsp;all of this.

so how does the "ignores armor" work? is it just a +whatever number to the attack roll?

Amanda said: so how does the "ignores armor" work? is it just a +whatever number to the attack roll? Its either a to hit Bonus, or preferably and to make it rule of cooler, &nbsp;a target number reduction (same result different thematic in my mind)

LordOnyx said: Amanda said: so how does the "ignores armor" work? is it just a +whatever number to the attack roll? Its either a to hit Bonus, or preferably and to make it rule of cooler, &nbsp;a target number reduction (same result different thematic in my mind) Door #2. There -is- a difference albeit a small one. If you hit an unarmored target with a Mono-Whip (for instance) and you also hit a guy in full plate you will roll the attack roll-- The full plate guy your target number is simply 3 points lower than normal because the whip is incredibly sharp. Since hitting someone w/o armor wouldn't benefit it doesn't "Add" to your attack roll they way say a +3 weapon would. This goes for all the equipment above but so its 'sort of' a +whatever to hit but (accurately) more of a -whatever against their armor rating. Hope that helps.&nbsp; Real world example: Difference between a laser sight and an armor piercing round. One affects accuracy (to hit) and the other is a dense material that simply allows hits on targets that may have been misses (armor reduction)

...back on at my house. I was too excited, so I thought I'd share. While I was humbled by the fact that no AC, no wifi, and unbelievably cold showers were the worst of my problems from Hurricane Irma, compared to others, I can now say all of those modern luxuries have returned. Thus, I will no longer have to use extension cords or generators, and now back to our regularly scheduled programming.