Backup Story in Skye Stalwart #2

I played out the events of the backup story for Skye Stalwart #2... you have the introductory page I did (I posted it again for your reference), and then the actual play of the fight... spoiler alert: it's as ugly as you think it would be.

Battle Master has, obviously, been expecting them. “I knew if I waited until Twilight Archer was on another mission and then just ‘happened’ to have your detection system find me, you wouldn’t be able to help yourselves… I figure that Twilight Archer has taken enough of my students. It’s time to return the favor…” He activates his battle staff and prepares for combat… the Young Wardens do the same.

Initiative. Battle Master has used nemesis to prepare for this fight, so rolls D12. He rolls 1 and 5, so keeps the 5. The team makes a representative roll, and gets 2. He wins, getting to attempt 6 actions (from the +1 shift from nemesis). “I don’t like magic…” he uses 1 action to get close to Minnow, and attacks. He rolls 2 and 8, keeping the 8, and landing a critical hit (dealing D16 damage because it’s a critical hit with nemesis, so a +2 dice shift from his normal D10 damage). He gets 14 (!) and drops Minnow on the first shot. Okay, then. He turns next to Aria, using 1 action to cross to her and attacking. He attacks with 6 and 9, keeping the 9. Even with her shield, she cannot parry this, and it’s a critical hit, so he deals 12 damage; she soaks 5 and suffers 7. He attacks again and gets 12 and 5, another hit (12) that’s critical and that she cannot parry. He deals 11 damage, but she soaks 5 and suffers 6. She has suffered 11 hits, and is at 9. He has one more action, so he attacks a third time and gets 9, 9… so another critical hit. He deals 9 damage, and she soaks 5, so her hits are down to 5. He spends a villain point to add D12 to this damage, and gets a 12 additional damage – OUCH. She’s down. Halfway through the round, Battle Master has already dropped two of the four members of the team.

Windsprint runs at him (using 1 action), and then punches 3 times as he circles around Battle Master; he needs a 7 or better to hit (on D8), so I don’t like his chances… he rolls 5, 8, 3, hitting once. He deals 4 hits, but Battle Master’s armor absorbs all of this. Kid Cadet uses 1 action to pick up Aria’s shield, and then attacks with it, missing with a 5. He spends a hero point, getting only a 2 (!), but this is enough to bump it to a 7, and just barely hit. He deals only 1 point with the shield… he smacks Battle Master in the face, and Battle Master doesn’t flinch.

Ruh Roh.

Round 2. Both Minnow and Aria try to recover… each checks tier (DT 4)… Minnow gets a 6, but Aria only gets 2. She spends a hero point, and gets a 6, so she is back up as well (but only with 2 hero points remaining). Battle Master starts spinning and whirling his battle staff; he attacks Windsprint first, getting 5 and 1, with the 5 barely hitting. He deals 5 damage with his staff, leaving Windsprint at 9. He attacks again, getting 9 and 5, so the 9 is critical. For damage, he rolls 15, and LEVELS Windsprint (basically clotheslining him as Wind is trying to run in circles around him). He has 4 actions remaining; he starts spinning and kicking at Aria, attacking with a natural 12 and dealing 7 hits. She soaks 5 but suffers 2 from her 10, now at 8. Cadet is still holding her shield, trying to find a moment to toss it to her (and availability of an action to do that). Battle Master spins his staff, striking at her and getting another natural 12 (critical damage). Cadet uses a hero point to take an action now, throwing the shield in front of the attack; he gets to make a hero point check, and if the result is high enough (he’d need an 8 on D8), he times the shield so that it absorbs the blow… he gets a 2 (womp womp). Battle Master is actually able to spin the shield as it’s flying and angles the edge into Aria's stomach. He deals 13 hits to her (she soaks 5), but the 8 is enough to drop her again. She’s back down. He still has 2 actions left. He turns back towards Minnow and wallops her again, getting a 3 and a natural 12… so another critical hit, this one dealing 12 damage. She’s down again. Since both Aria and Minnow have been felled twice, they are defeated. He uses his final action this round to punch Windsprint in the head, causing him to be defeated as well. Cadet moves towards him. Battle Master kicks Aria’s shield towards him, telling him to pick it up. He does, and attacks. Cadet attacks twice with the shield as a weapon, getting 2 and 5, so missing twice. He has already used a hero point this round, so there’s not much he can do.

Round 3. Battle Master circles Cadet. Cadet wonders aloud, “why aren’t you attacking me?” Battle Master answers, “you get stronger the more you get hit… so, as long as I don’t hit you, you never get stronger… like this, you cannot possibly challenge me.”

Cadet knows there’s nothing to do, so he activates his communicator. “Cadet to Twilight Archer… emergency protocol seven.”

Battle Master grabs the communicator from Cadet (I don’t bother rolling)… “Ah, Twilight Archer. Good to talk to you. I’m about to kill your students, so I’m glad to have you with us. I’d like you to hear this.”

Twilight Archer’s voice crackles back, “Oh, hey. Battle Master. Glad to have you on the line. You should know that I’ve just planted several hundred pounds of plastic explosive under your primary training facility in Echo City. It’s taken all morning, but I’m pretty sure I can wipe the whole thing out. That’s, what, about a million and a half? Maybe two million bucks.”

Battle Master pauses. “I’m going to kill your students”

Twilight Archer’s voice comes back, “Then I’ll destroy your facility. Checkmate.”

Battle Master resumes, “I’ll let them go, and you disarm your explosives. On my word.”

A pause. Archer’s voice comes back, “Deal accepted.”

Battle Master hands the communicator back to Cadet, “next time I meet you, it ends a lot messier.” And then he’s gone.

Windsprint starts to come around, “So.. did we win?”

END

Analysis:

Okay, Battle Master is as advertised. Having elite tier + nemesis + knowledge of who's most dangerous is lethal... Minnow is by far the most dangerous; she has magic and can basically do anything she can imagine... Aria is second because of her ability to do damage; Windsprint and Cadet are really only minimally able to deal damage to him, and he knows that. He attacks in order. I had him use strategy and tactics, and it paid off. Lots of actions plus several critical hits equals lots of heroes dropping quick. I REALLY like the rules for elite and prodigy.

I had already worked out the 'story' ahead of time, so I knew that if the heroes lost (I expected they would, but not THAT easily), I had a way to save their bacon.

I didn't get to try out magic at all (Minnow dropped both times before she could act), and I would be curious if she and Aria would be able to at least make things difficult for Battle Master if the team had a little bit of strategy in place. I devised Battle Master's strategy on the fly as I was playing, but it made a lot of sense. Cadet never gets to take advantage of his dice shifts and boosts if he never gets felled; so just don't attack him, and he stays at his weakest. It's how a master tactician would think. I'm kind of proud of that one :) But, realistically, if Minnow is able to hit him with a stun spell and rolls really well, she at least gets him to spend a hero point to neutralize it, and then this creates opportunities for her and Aria to beat on him a little more... Aria has the potential to deal 12 hits with her shield, and a hero point could bump this up to as much as 20, so there's a chance she's able to start hammering him a little. I guess we'll never know...