Eternal Rains (OOC) [M] - Closed

[techmaster-glitch]

I am cornered, that's how screwed over I've been ever since the original plan I had was messed up.

And no, Arcwelder can't calm down. That's not how insanity works, and he's too far into hate to snap out of it. There are only two things that can change this: the CORRECT external stimuli, or time, and lots of it.

[Cogidubnus]

If Arcwelder's only choice due to the actions of another person is to go into a homicidal rage, than that's his only option. I would warn that I'm not going to stop Tezkat from acting in-character.

In point of fact, someone else has posted after Tez, so it's already a bit too late now. I will also warn that no-one in this game is invincible. This isn't the Honor Circle - and I mean that in all senses.

If Arc is already homicidal, though, I'm still not very worried. I have several ways to calm him down in mind.

[techmaster-glitch]

In point of fact, someone else has posted after Tez, so it's already a bit too late now.

Not so true, you can edit something even after other posts, if no one has made a reference to the edit in question

I will also warn that no-one in this game is invincible. This isn't the Honor Circle - and I mean that in all senses.

That's what I'm afraid of.

If Arc is already homicidal, though, I'm still not very worried. I have several ways to calm him down in mind.

I don't. Could you please be so kind as to share with via PM the ideas you have, so I'm not so trapped?

[Tezkat]

Oh dear... If it's really that much of a problem for Arc to come out and play right now, I'll retcon that bit. Then I'll have to come up with something else to do...

If the guy you have out right now is pure illusion, the zombiebots won't be fooled by it. Meaning: they can't see it. They only 'see' things that are actually there, though if your 'illusion' can actually attack, I'm pretty sure it's not an illusion.

Let's see... technical explanation: I find the old distinction between "illusion" and "phantasm" to be helpful here. Phantasms are psychic attacks in which he directly influences your perceptions, like a hallucination or a dream. They can pull things out of your memory (such as your worst fears, images of your parents, etc.) without prior knowledge and can be resisted through sheer force of will.

Mask's primary technique is rather different. He's a personification of a certain dark essence trapped in the dimensional nexus, and as such his consciousness partially extends into other universes. When he creates an "illusion", he becomes a sentient window of sorts into alternate realities. It's purely a sensory field, and having a mind isn't a prerequisite to sense it. Technological recording devices will pick it up. However, two-way interaction--like trying to touch it or bounce sound/radio waves off it--will reveal that something's amiss. (He can adapt to things like changing light sources or blowing wind, however.) Of course, some kind of supernatural ability to see things as they truly are will work, too, as will blanket magical immunities to illusion-class effects. So... if your zombiebots "see" using sonar or some magical ability to sense their surroundings, then Mask's illusion won't affect them.

The standard opening move here would have used such an illusion to test reactions and direct a potential alpha strike. However, Mask needs a "spotter" for optimal performance (since he can't "interact" with the physical world, either, he has naught but his telepathic senses to guide him), so it's safe to assume that there's a physical presence somewhere close by.

But, if this guy can attack, tell me; can he survive two gatling guns, a multirocket launcher, and a cannon/mortar? (I doubt he can dodge, they are already focused on him. They aren't precision, they are more AoE. You can't really 'dodge' that) If you can't survive that kind of barrage, it's your decision whether or not to edit and save yourself the trouble.

Oh dear... heavy AOEs are indeed one of my character's weaknesses. Best block, no be there?

Robots cannot shoot what they cannot see. And there are seven of him and six of you.

Ack... "Tezkat" isn't a personality in this reality; it's a childhood name that the collective uses because that's what he called himself before he became really fragmented. I really should update the character profile. Everyone seems to make that mistake...

[Tapewolf]

. Cranking on the third bar, measured in Teslas, all the way to the top, Cog slapped the big red button.

Oof.  I can't help but think of the levitating frog (a 16T field, if memory serves).  I hope no-one has any guns, implants, credit-cards or other possession which might be magnetized 

[techmaster-glitch]

Arc does have his mechanical limbs and other parts...

[techmaster-glitch]

Oh dear... If it's really that much of a problem for Arc to come out and play right now, I'll retcon that bit.

I will be very greatful for that. For now I'm playing as if so.

And Cog. I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to accomplish. But it is not helping. Not at all.
Please leave Arcwelder alone until he sees Pandora with the group. Everything should solve itself from there.

[Cogidubnus]

Oh dear... If it's really that much of a problem for Arc to come out and play right now, I'll retcon that bit.

I will be very greatful for that. For now I'm playing as if so.

And Cog. I have absolutely no idea what you are trying to accomplish. But it is not helping. Not at all.
Please leave Arcwelder alone until he sees Pandora with the group. Everything should solve itself from there.

Really? I was having fun.

And like I said, I have a plan to calm him down. And I still have a plan.

Also, it's rather too late for Tez to edit, at this point. My apologies, but that is both Keats and my decision.

Also, I'm fairly certain that Arcwelder himself would have been taken up with the magnet, seeing as he is also made of metal. At least, halfway.

[techmaster-glitch]

And like I said, I have a plan to calm him down. And I still have a plan.

Well then could you at least do the courtesy of TELLING me what it is?

Really? I was having fun.

You have no idea how close I am to leaving this RP. The ridiculous amounts of trouble I'm having to put up with is just not worth it. I am having difficulty seeing any possible benifit in the future, even if this does get worked out. Ever since I posted, not a single thing has gone right.
Not. A. Damn. Thing.
At this point, the only thing keeping me here is that I know I will regret it. But I can't take this much longer.

Also, I'm fairly certain that Arcwelder himself would have been taken up with the magnet, seeing as he is also made of metal. At least, halfway.

You only said "it lifted all five of them up". I'm assuming that's the bots, as there are five of them. Even if, he could still do the same thing.

[Cogidubnus]

Excuse me.

You have had one event, so far, not go your way. I have spoken to you about this, and done it in the politest manner I could, when it would be just as easy for me to yank the carpet out from under you. I'm not going to get into that - that was, and is, a different conversation.
If you are trying to make the argument that nothing you try works, and that we're out to get you, I'm sorry. But I have to think about more things than Arcwelder's temper - such as how I'm going to get him to come with the party, and how I'm going to get the party to accept him. Among other things. So, please do not infer that I'm just a big mean guy who is trying to make your life miserable. I'm not.

I will not tell you what I'm planning on doing. You will see. I will also not tell you how to respond. Your, and Arcwelder's by extension, good judgement and acting in character, are what makes the RP an RP. I am, however, confident that my plan will work despite anything else that might happen.

As far as lifting them up, I may have made a typo with the number - there are six of you in total, and I may have forgotten. I think, however, if it's lifting your robots up, and it's aimed at you, and you're at least made of half of what your robots are, it's going to do the same thing to you.
You're right, though, it isn't very important, as he could do the same thing from the air as from the ground.

[techmaster-glitch]

<all original planned statements invalid>

Cog, you just well and truly left me with absolutely no idea of how to proceed from here, especially if you've done what I think you've done (trapped him and destroyed the bots). If I were playing any other character, this wouldn't be a problem (hell, none of this would have happened), but now, I am lost. I cannot think of any possible way to get Arcwelder into a useable state now. I was trying to avoid a conflict with anyone else at all costs for this very reason. Whatever your plan was for 'fixing' Arcwelder, it better involve powerful mental rewriting psychics or magic, and some instantaneous repair. I can't possibly think of anything else that will work at this point.
If he gets out from under that magnet, he will be nothing more than an irreparable homocidal maniac. And I have absoluetly no idea how to fix this without blatant metagaming.

*sigh* 'Course, I probably brought all this upon myself for creating such a convoluted character in the first place.

[Cogidubnus]

<all original planned statements invalid>

Cog, you just well and truly left me with absolutely no idea of how to proceed from here, especially if you've done what I think you've done (trapped him and destroyed the bots). If I were playing any other character, this wouldn't be a problem (hell, none of this would have happened), but now, I am lost. I cannot think of any possible way to get Arcwelder into a useable state now. I was trying to avoid a conflict with anyone else at all costs for this very reason. Whatever your plan was for 'fixing' Arcwelder, it better involve powerful mental rewriting psychics or magic, and some instantaneous repair. I can't possibly think of anything else that will work at this point.
If he gets out from under that magnet, he will be nothing more than an irreparable homocidal maniac. And I have absoluetly no idea how to fix this without blatant metagaming.

*sigh* 'Course, I probably brought all this upon myself for creating such a convoluted character in the first place.

Arcwelder is fine. Mostly. Just trapped. He can fix the bots. And pretty soon Pandora will be along. And this will also likely keep people from trying to kill you on sight.
Well, probably. Moreso than if you were standing there with your private army.

And we'll work from there. I never planned on 'fixing' Arcwelder. He is who he is. If he is such a character that when he loses a battle, he goes into a simple, irreparable berserk mode, I'm sorry.

It is possible he got knocked out by the blow, you understand. If Pandora saw him, she'd probably recognize him, and not want to...well. Suffice to say that it certainly would be a plausible way to solve this.

[techmaster-glitch]

And we'll work from there. I never planned on 'fixing' Arcwelder. He is who he is. If he is such a character that when he loses a battle, he goes into a simple, irreparable berserk mode, I'm sorry.

He is insane. He hasn't lost until he's dead.
Mainly because he's never even been in a situation like this one. He's never heard the word 'surrender' before and in fact, he doesn't even know that death applies to him (I do, he doesn't).

He can fix the bots.

How the heck do you propose I do that? They just got crushed within half a foot. Smashing/crushing is about the one thing they cannot get back up from. No self-reanimation, physical repair out of the question.

It is possible he got knocked out by the blow, you understand. If Pandora saw him, she'd probably recognize him, and not want to...well. Suffice to say that it certainly would be a plausible way to solve this.

I am such an idiot. Damn me to hell, that actually can work. He'll be in too much despair over the loss of his last bots that he probably won't even be able to think of everyone else.
But of course, that leaves the no-robots problem. Arcwelder is a useless character without them.

Bah. If you let him have enough power, he might be able to use his magic to un-crush them. Problem is, I didn't want him to have that kind of ability for balance issues. If he has it now, he'll have it later.
In the same vein, he actually can't just make a zombie out of any machine he sees whenever he wants to. For balance, it's supposed to take time, and the machine has to be made to his own specifications. Which are hard to make.


And I apologize for making such a fuss over all this. Lesson learned. Mistake will not be repeated.

[Tezkat]

Also, it's rather too late for Tez to edit, at this point. My apologies, but that is both Keats and my decision.

Um... so I should proceed as normal then...?

You have no idea how close I am to leaving this RP. The ridiculous amounts of trouble I'm having to put up with is just not worth it. I am having difficulty seeing any possible benifit in the future, even if this does get worked out. Ever since I posted, not a single thing has gone right.
Not. A. Damn. Thing.
At this point, the only thing keeping me here is that I know I will regret it. But I can't take this much longer.

Just what were you planning to have happen, anyway? Seems to me that the most predictable chain of events would have gone something like: Arc tries to fight small army of PCs... small army of PCs kicks his ass and captures him... Arc and small army of PCs work out mutually beneficial arrangement... everyone lives happily ever after. That's kind of a standard scenario for introducing PCs as antagonists. Despite some unexpected setbacks (like the Mer showing up), we appear to be right on track.

If you're having trouble coming up with IC excuses not to kill us, I'm sure one of us could pull out something like a charm person spell.

But of course, that leaves the no-robots problem. Arcwelder is a useless character without them.

Bah. If you let him have enough power, he might be able to use his magic to un-crush them. Problem is, I didn't want him to have that kind of ability for balance issues. If he has it now, he'll have it later.
In the same vein, he actually can't just make a zombie out of any machine he sees whenever he wants to. For balance, it's supposed to take time, and the machine has to be made to his own specifications. Which are hard to make.

Well... looking at that nice big toy in the hangar and connecting the dotted lines, you may have a nice, long trip ahead to do whatever it is you need to do.

[techmaster-glitch]

Just what were you planning to have happen, anyway? Seems to me that the most predictable chain of events would have gone something like: Arc tries to fight small army of PCs... small army of PCs kicks his ass and captures him... Arc and small army of PCs work out mutually beneficial arrangement... everyone lives happily ever after. That's kind of a standard scenario for introducing PCs as antagonists. Despite some unexpected setbacks (like the Mer showing up), we appear to be right on track.

Yeah, something roughly along those lines was the original plan...As we can see, it didn't work out, but not for the reasons you think.

Also, it's rather too late for Tez to edit, at this point. My apologies, but that is both Keats and my decision.

Um... so I should proceed as normal then...?

I can't say. Whatever it matters, Arcwelder and his bots never saw you.

Well... looking at that nice big toy in the hangar and connecting the dotted lines, you may have a nice, long trip ahead to do whatever it is you need to do.

[Cogidubnus]

Also, it's rather too late for Tez to edit, at this point. My apologies, but that is both Keats and my decision.

Um... so I should proceed as normal then...?

Pretty much.

And Tech - apology accepted. Please try and keep it in mind next time things don't seem to be going your way.

[Tapewolf]

I think the rest of us are stalled on Keaton/Pandora leading us in.  Is it the intention to sort out Arcwelder before we arrive?

[Cogidubnus]

Not really. I've sorted that out as much as I'm going to. So, Pandora and Keats, yes.

[e_voyager]

i'm pretty sure i'm following the group from behind the mole mage right now. not much else for me to do really as i don't want to be lest in this junk yard alone.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I don't think anyone wants to be left in the junkyard.

As for myself, I'm waiting for Pandora to respond to my query, upon which I may, or may not, start up a conversation. Said conversation will be interesting, if only for brevity, as I'm moving house tomorrow so am somewhat occupied...

[techmaster-glitch]

So I don't have to make a pointless in-character post about it, Arcwelder is indeed unconcious at the moment.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Bugger.

I guess I'll have to have Witt notice that after talking, then. :-/

[Tapewolf]

Heh.  Pal, that did make me chuckle.

[Paladin Sheppard]

As was intended

[e_voyager]

very well done. Epyon might have laughed if her were not still disturbed by everything that has been going on. but at least i got a laugh form it.

[Tapewolf]

I'm not entirely sure what kind of vessel Pandora has made.  Cross said 'airship' because it's easiest, assuming you can get sufficient quantities of hydrogen or helium.  A dirigible doesn't require all the computational effort and modelling   However, it doesn't actually tally with Keaton's description - the cabin would not be on the top, for instance, but underslung.
Cross hasn't actually noticed the vessel yet.

[techmaster-glitch]

   The mental picture I've got is a giant machine with a bunch of turbines and engines all over it, not a zeppelin, blimp, or dirigible. I don't know if that's correct, though.

And if Cross hasn't noticed it, he is one blind bugger

[Sunblink]

   The mental picture I've got is a giant machine with a bunch of turbines and engines all over it, not a zeppelin, blimp, or dirigible. I don't know if that's correct, though.

And if Cross hasn't noticed it, he is one blind bugger

Actually, if you want an accurate depiction of what Pandora's vessel looks like.... I think something similar to the Highwind would be just about right. At first I wanted for it to be like a zeppelin or the Hindenburg, but the Hindenburg was enormous (even bigger than Pandora's ship; the LZ 129 Hindenburg rivaled the Titanic and fell short by 78 feet) and zeppelins just... didn't seem to fit. As much as I love them.

I'll need to dig around for a picture.

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[techmaster-glitch]

This thing?

[Sunblink]

Ja, that seems about right to the illustration I saw. Actually, it's spot on. Thank ye Techmaster.

~Keaton the Black Jackal