[Game thread] Skull Ruins Pokerole

[PhantomUnderYourDesk]

How pretty these sparkles of shiny sand were, so both psychic kitten and Master ended up admirering these for a little... Before they realized that special Shellos was nothing to be taken lightly. Kyuu was handling his new move great, but it was clear that he's having problems... Besides, that neverending rain began to annoy Shiva.

"Kyuu, dear one, you did great! Nice wall of light you casted for us. Now though, retreat to me to rest for a little, clean your fur from any mud - I'll take care of the more stubborn stains - and watch us hopefully ending that rainfall."

Summoned to the scene now, once again by being thrown up high, releasing herself from the Pokeball at the peak and securely landing in her Master's held open hand (it...was true what Tanuki said, Nightshade clearly felt more plump now since then when Shiva picked her up from that whitered cherry tree -, was her sweetish sunbringer, Nightshade! "Welcome again... This time things look more dire, I'm in need for your skills again - you see this rain? Good. We'll end it, for us and for the crowd."


----------------
Mechanics:
Awaiting Init order now, as there is a chance we can act before Shellos does, order may be slightly different then. According to Bulbapedia, a Cherubi has 35 Base Speed while a Shellos (no difference between the forms) has 34. Learned something, that one point could matter, lol.

[Iron]

Yeah I'll just auto Valder/ @Nylon when he's not here, and when he is he can take the reins back immediately.

Ventus gets a call from Valder - not a whole lot of words, just saying to head for the basement of the Department store.

[Iron]

Swords Dance
(3)(6)(5)(3)(6)(3)

Future Sight
(4)(4)(3)(5)(2)(4)

Razor Wind

Lucky Chant
(1)(5)(5)(6)(5)(2)

Calm Mind
(6)(1)(6)(3)(5)

Double Team
(2)(4)(4)(3)

Without looking up each individual buff, they all have plenty of successes to succeed.

The manhole cover moves, and two men in robes come out. With a careful eye, Nathan sees that at least the leading one has an iron hand. They see Nathan immediately, and a fleet of Kirlias. "Reinforcements!" Both men make flicking gestures, and with a "Whoosh!" the room is suddenly positively crawling with robed men. Most of them seem to have metal hands, and all have obscured faces.

[Iron]

Shellos has higher Dex, so base speed would never come into play. But I would always rule that a slug pretty much loses any initiative tie.

Cherubi: (2) + 5 = 7, same as Kyuu had.

[Lord Windos]

Yeah I'll just auto Valder/ @Nylon when he's not here, and when he is he can take the reins back immediately.

Ventus gets a call from Valder - not a whole lot of words, just saying to head for the basement of the Department store.

The researcher received the call just as he was about to see if Haziel could detect/find a sunflower seed in the same places he stores his Pokeballs (Its a mystery known only to him and Lucifer thus far!), and his eyebrows rose when the caller ID showed it was Valder or all people trying to get a hold of him. That had never happened before (to his knowledge, at least) , since his mercenary was not the talkative sort at the best of times, so he promptly answered.

A raised eyebrow and an "Affirmative," from Ventus, before he went to his PC to swap out Haziel and his Egg for Michael and Abaddon and rapidly speed towards the basement of the Department Store. 'The ambiguity of the call, that slight sense that something was ever so slight  amiss, a feeling of urgency welling up within him......something is wrong,' his intuition/mind whispered to him, and since he had full faith in his gut/was extremely paranoid, that just spurred him all the more faster to his destination.

Order: Head towards the basement of the Department Store! When he gets there, if its only Valder and him there, he'll put on his Disguise (Mask, Hat, and Cloack) once it becomes clear that something dangerous/devious is afoot. Never hurts to protect one's identity, yes?

[Dragonstrike]

"Oi.  You know there's a sign on the door that says Employees Only, right?  No?  Too bad.  Calam, Kirlia, now!  Illusions won't be able to hide them for long against psychic powers and area attacks!"

VS Scimitar: Mechanical Rhythm - Xenoblade Chronicles 

Razor Wind!
Accuracy: 5* Dex + 3 Fight + 3 Canalize - 3 Actions = 8 D6
Damage: 3 Power + 5* Strength = 8 D6 base
Effect: Only 3 successes to crit, and it hits many targets at once!

Night Slash x2 (non-lethal...for now)
Accuracy: 5* Dex + 3 Fight + 2 Brawl - 4/5 Actions= 6/5 D6
Damage: 8 + STAB + BG = 10 D6! Base
Effect: 3 successes to crit!

Future Sight automatically strikes at the end of the round!
Damage: 5* Strength + 5 Power + 2 CRIT! (Accuracy roll had 4 successes, so BAM!) = 12 D6! Base
Effect: Bypasses cover and shield moves.

Confusion x3!
Accuracy: 4 Dex + 3 Fight + 3 Canalize - 3/4/5 actions = 7/6/5 D6
Damage: 4* Strength + 2 Power + STAB + CP = 8 D6 base
Effect: Confusion (1)

Nathan has two Sweetroots prepared, one for each pokemon, if they reach a -2 or -3 Pain Penalization

[Iron]

"This one knows the girl. Take him in."
"And two Psychic Pokemon. We shall take them too."

Kirlia doesn't trace any abilities, but he does look in wonder at his right hand.
Calam: (6) + 100 = 106
Kirlia: (5) + 4 Dex + 3 survival = 12
Group 1: (6) + 3 Dex + 1 survival = 10
Group 2: (1) + 3 Dex + 1 survival = 5

Nathan really gets the drop on them.

Calam howls, and the wind he summons rips through all the rafters and beams.
Razor Wind 1
(5)(4)(1)(3)(2)(1)(6)(2)(3)(5)
(5)(6)(1) Group B takes 3 dmg.
As the Razor Wind whips through the crowds, you can confirm that most of the men here are a mere illusion. Some of them seem to take no damage at all. All seem protected from it to a certain extent.

Confusion 1
(5)(4)(2)(4)(6)(3)(1)
(2)(5)(1) This attack doesn't seem to faze your target.
(6) His eyes do cross a little, though.
*roll?*
Group 1 suddenly goes semi-transparent with a wave of a hand.

Just as suddenly, Calam is buffeted back and forth as if shaken by invisible hands.

Buffet
3 Dex + 3 Fight + 1 Brawl -1* -3/4 actions
(5)(4)(4)
(4)(3)
Each buffet is 3 str + 1 power -3 vit = 1d6x2
(3), (4) Calam takes 1 dmg 6/7hp

Night Slash 2 - Calam decides to aim for the one who is not half-invisible.
(6)(2)(1)(6)(4)(5) Potential crit
Evasion 2: (3)(2)(6)(6)(1) Yep!
(3)(4)(4)(3)(3)(3)(6) Scimitar B takes 3 dmg. -1 pain.

Confusion 2
(6)(3)(6)(1)(5)(3)
(3)(2)(4) Again, the attack does nothing.
(2)

Night Slash 3
(5)(6)(2)(3)(4) Crit.
(5)(3)(2)(6)(2)(4)(3) Scimitar B takes 3 dmg.

Confusion 3 Kirlia tries the other guy this time.
(5)(4)(2)(6)(1)
(2)(3)(5) Again, nothing.
(3)

The invisible Scimitar (A) raises his hand and speaks in an ancient, foreboding language. Kirlia suddenly jerks into the air and twitches like a puppet on a string.

Puppetry 3
(2)(3)(3)(6)
3 Str + 3 power +1* -3 vit = 4d6+1
(6)(6)(3)(5) Kirlia takes 4 dmg 3/7hp -2 pain.
Kirlia drops to the ground, and Nathan runs over to put slices of Sweetroot in his mouth. 7/7hp.

"Ha, ha, ha! See how the fool must run onto the battlefield himself to care for his weak Pokemon!"

The more visible Scimitar points his finger at a steel rafter, and it bursts neatly into stinging particles, flying everywhere in the remnants of the wind. The tower creaks.

Burst Rafters 3
(4)

Future Sight - the wave of psychic energy washes over the first Scimitar out of the hole, the one who has just faded back into physical form, and has not taken any damage.
(4)(2)(3)(5)(4)(2)(6) Scimitar A takes 3 dmg, almost as much as you'd expect. Their uncanny powers don't appear to be any kind of shield move, then.

Sandstorm from the stinging pieces of steel.
Kirlia takes 1 dmg. 6/7hp. Calam takes 1 dmg. 5/7hp -1 pain. Nathan takes 1 dmg. 7/8hp.


The illusions flicker on and off, but do not go out. Scimitar A has taken 3 dmg, -1 pain. Scimitar B has taken 9 dmg, and -2 pain.

I triple-checked the enemy moves because it's pretty hard for you to do math on mechanics you can't see. But let me know if I forgot anything on your side.

[Iron]

Ventus (and Valder?) take the elevator to the lower floor of the Dept Store. Ventus' sharp eyes detect two security cameras: one in the elevator, and one in the basement pointed at the maintenance door.

He punches in the keycode and the door opens. Ventus finds himself not underneath the Battle Plateau, but in a small makeshift lab, filled with wires and a bank of computers and a nearly empty rack of discs. There are two gentlemen inside: one has his hands (both gauntleted) held out over the computer. Lines of energy are flowing between the hands and the computer. The other gentleman is coiling up wire, when the alarm beeps thrice to indicate the opening door. He points his finger at the two, and gives a complicated salute with his metal hand.

"Masks aren't allowed in here."

[Lord Windos]

Spoiler

Ventus (and Valder?) take the elevator to the lower floor of the Dept Store. Ventus' sharp eyes detect two security cameras: one in the elevator, and one in the basement pointed at the maintenance door.

He punches in the keycode and the door opens. Ventus finds himself not underneath the Battle Plateau, but in a small makeshift lab, filled with wires and a bank of computers and a nearly empty rack of discs. There are two gentlemen inside: one has his hands (both gauntleted) held out over the computer. Lines of energy are flowing between the hands and the computer. The other gentleman is coiling up wire, when the alarm beeps thrice to indicate the opening door. He points his finger at the two, and gives a complicated salute with his metal hand.

"Masks aren't allowed in here."

Ventus slowly tilts his head in a bow towards the saluting 'gentlemen' , his entire posture and body language relaxed and at ease despite feeling anything but that in the presences of the Scimitars?/Arcane looking people. His paranioa was practically blaring 'Shady secrets and security!' on repeat the moment he entered into the place, and it only intensified by the man's first words, though fortunately he was able to keep his cool due to his iron clad grip on himself/his emotions.

"I'm sorry.....but I would prefer to keep it on. A few years ago I had a rather.......rude Encounter with a Stunktank, and while I managed to escape with my life and terminate its own, I did not do so.......untarnished. To be blunt, the beast shredded my face and most of my body......and plastic surgery did not fulfil any Wishes. If you need any proof, I can show the......scars on my torso, as they are far more pleasant to see than what remains of my.....'charming' complextion," the empath said in entirely different voice, pitched to be quite deep/low, and contained a distinct rasp one would except with mangled lips/throat. While he was speaking, the disguised empath also carefully look at those guantlets one of the 'gentlemen' were wearing to compare it to the one he has saw in the past/now owns AND sweep his empathetic sense across the room to see if he could pick up any animosity/hostility from ANYTHING, apparent or not.

For now, he would take the 'Quiet' option. Should that prove untenable.....well, he would just have to improvise.

Order: Bluff the guy and use Ven's Skunktank scars on his chest to reinforce that claim if necessary to keep mask on, while also at the same time doing the above examinations. If the guantlets match or closely match the ones he's seen /own and/or they harbor Bad Time Feelings for him and co, he'll proceed with the notion he's in enemy territory and: A) If allowed to keep mask on, he'll remain calm and inquire if he can continue moving/exploring the lab or B) If not, he'll say: "Well, since masks are not allowed here, might you direct through here so that we may be on my way and out of your hair?" If option B occurs and they refuse/grow hostile, I'll decide how he'll react from there.

Oh, and if they forcibly TRY to remove the Mask in any way rather than asking (Via Manually or through 'Supernatural' means') , initiate incapacitation of the two with Apsis Glaring them and Michael drenching them in Spores (and most likely starting a MASSIVE kerfuffle in the process) , and resume/start manual control.

If Gauntlets don't match, then Ven will draw attention to them and ask in a curious tone: "Hmm....curious thing you're doing with those metal gloves of yours. Reminds me......of ones that some bloke wore while he was trying to shake me down for.......Poke. Can you........tell me a little about them.......and where you got um at? They look rather....neat."

[Nylon]

Tiny flashback:
 While Ventus and Valder where in th elevator, Valder asked Ven about where Shiva had gone and what she was doing. "Thanks for coming so quickly, by the way".

 When they reached the lab Valder immediately saw that gauntlets. He's having Theo out, (I believe) steel types are their favourite...