This is a mini-boss battle, the full rules and mechanics of which can be reviewed here. The room beyond the door seems empty from the hallway, but stepping inside you are swiftly aware that you are not alone! For lurking in the corner is a dark groaning shape. As it turns towards you, you realize you are entering strife! You have encountered a Skeletal Swift Undead Slime Lusus!
Dice 1 1. ... Shambling... (+1 on accuracy rolls) 2. ... Grotesque... (-1 to all attacks) 3. ... Rotting... (+1 to all attacks) 4. ... Skeletal... (-1 on all accuracy rolls) Dice 2 1. ... Armoured... (only 3 players per turn may use a special artifact/ability/item) 2. ... Oozing... (-1 to weapon attacks that deal less than 6 damage) 3. ... Disemboweled... (-5 miniboss HP) 4. ... Swift... (players take 2x the amount of damage on their first turn) Dice 3 1. ... Daywalker Captain! 2. ... Zombie Gerbil Pack! 3. ... Mutated Daywalker! 4. ... Undead Slime Lusus! MINIBOSS STARTING HP: 20/20 If you rolled a 1, take 4 dmg. If you rolled a 2, take 4 dmg. If you rolled a 3, take 3 dmg. If you rolled a 4, take 3 dmg. If you rolled a 5, take 2 dmg. If you rolled a 6, take 2 dmg. Your attack this turn does double damage. If all party members reach 0hp, look below:
You must make a tactical retreat! Scrambling back out of the room, you barely make it to the pod with all your limbs attached. Better luck next time! You have retreated from your mission and returned back to the docking area! Squad commanders, be sure to report in!
If the mini-boss reaches 0hp, look below:
If this is your first mini-boss fight look below:
If a member of your team is a trained Discipline or Endurace specialist OR registered as in-training for either:
You can close your eyes and draw on inner reserves to keep going. This can only be done once per ship exploration per troll trained. If you are a Journeytroll or higher in your skill: Restore 1d10+3 OR 1/3rd (rounded down) of your hp. If you are a Novice in your skill: Restore 1d8+2 OR 1/4th (rounded down) of your hp. If you are training your skill: Restore 1d6+1 hp. You cannot roll the dice then choose the flat restoration, one must be picked beforehand.
If a member of your team is a trained Troll Relations or Leadership specialist OR registered as in-training for either:
You can manage to cheer, rally, or cajole your teammates into finding more energy. This can only be done once per ship exploration per troll trained. If you are a Journeytroll or higher in your skill: Each team member restores 1d6+3 (rolled separately) hp. If you are a Novice in your skill: Each team member restores 1d6+2 (rolled separately) hp. If you are training your skill: Each team member restores 1d4+1 (rolled separately) hp.
If this is your second mini-boss fight, you have reached the control room! Roll 1d4 and look in the spoiler below:
1 - Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. The screens show that the ship is functioning perfectly, and headquarters patches in the control of a remote helmsman. They wait until you have returned to your boarding pod and leave, before steering the ship away.* 2 - Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. As the screens boot up however, dozens of red warnings and errors flash across the screen. It seems like there has been critical damage to the ship in multiple places. Your team is instructed to leave the small black boxes containing deadly explosives in key positions on your return path to the exit. 3- The ship refuses to power on, even after you follow headquarters instructions to make sure they are plugged in, and hitting ctrl-alt-del. It looks like something core is not functioning. Your team is instructed to leave the small black boxes containing deadly explosives in key positions on your return path to the exit. 4- Powering on the ship is easy enough, with the instructions from headquarters in your ear. The screens show that the ship is functioning perfectly, and headquarters patches in the control of a remote helmsman. They wait until you have returned to your boarding pod and leave, before steering the boarding vessel away.* If any troll in the party has helmsman authority, they can steer the ship to given coordinates, then return to the boarding vessel with the rest of the team. Congratulations! You have completed your mission and returned back to the docking area! Squad commanders, be sure to report in!
"Well that was extremely anti-climatic." Trusci said this aloud, even though it was mostly just for herself. Bombee seemed alright, tile or not. "Still better be careful in case the trap decides it wants to--watch out!"
She hadn't caught the movement at first, but the fact of the matter was that she was acting now. Rushing past Aprife (who seemed to just be standing there like no big deal), she brandished her sword again. Unfortunately, blades and... gelatinous bodies didn't really mix, and despite the slash the creature just seemed to reform. s**t. Alright, time for plan two.
Quote:
HP: 14/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 2/2 Training in Endurance
The mutated lusus had retaliated at the last moment, sending her sword out of her hand and clattering across the ground. Despite the scowl on her face, Trusci didn't look as phased as she could be. "You think that's gonna stop me?" Now she was sneering at the creature, as if it could understand her. "Hey, hey! Sparks, you ain't the only one, watch this s**t!"
She unleashed a bright teal explosion of energy at the creature, the crackling seeming to disrupt its body to some extent, at least. Her other hand waved to call her blade back. ******** with Trusci Modsat, huh? Bad choice.
Quote:
HP: 14/20 Telekinesis (Novice Offense A): 1/2 USING (1d6+1 auto hit on this attack) Training in Endurance
Nictor Sabbat HP: 20-4-4+3=15/20 (ARTIFACT USED) Damage: 5+1=6 In Training: Endurance 0/1 Trinkets/Artifacts/Items: Military Grade Weapon (2d6 + 1) Adept Artifact Defense A (style A -3 damage taken, 4x per battle) 3/4 Novice Support Trinket, Style A (Heals another troll by half their maximum hp, 1x per battle) 1/1
Advancements: 2 Minibosses Defeated: 1
Quote:
Miniboss: 16-6=10/20 3-1=2 - If you rolled a 2, take 4 dmg.
It was a good thing that he was the only shaky one of the group. Though it did make him rather aware of how out of place he was. Too nervous, too shaky, too much. Any one of them, Trusci, Bombee, or Sascha, had more confidence in their pinky finger than Nictor had in his whole body.
They were in good spirits at least? He wasn’t dragging them down, despite the constant state of crisis he seemed to enter on every one of these forsaken vessels. So, that was good. Except that also meant he was pulling his weight enough to not be an issue, which meant he was fighting and hurting things and there was literally no winning in this situation.
Bombee ushered them along and Nictor followed at the back, nervously eying the next door, which, as it happened, was trapped. And if Nictor knew anything about these ships yet, a closed door meant trouble. He followed into the next room after Trusci, feeling dread squirm in his guts because there was going to be something and he was willingly entering the situation and the train of thought was quickly abandoned when Trusci cut herself to call out a warning, nictor stumbling back with high hum of panic.
Within seconds, he sword was gone but there was little time to react before she was calling attention back to herself and bright blue sparks flew. Nictor startled at the lightshow, but luckily wasn’t blinded. Not so luckily, the lusus turned to retreat from Trusci and found Nictor, whom it had no compunctions about laying into.
Nictor had his staff out and ready this time but it was fast, too fast as the bony mass coated in gooey translucent flesh attacked. Nictor braced for impact, brought his staff up to try and diver the lunge but it was too late and they toppled to the floor in a tangle of limbs. The slimy flesh was dampening his suit and sharp claws tore through to his stomach but he was a little busy blocking the mouth from his face. Why was everything trying to bite his face!?
There was little time left for thinking, and as the creature tried to tear into any part of him that it could reach, Nictor couldn’t afford to waste time. Nictor rolled them, trying to disengage but the lusus wanted none of that and the claws were digging deeper, deeper, pain and adrenaline and panic he couldn’t hear.
Nictor slammed his fist into the things face, unmindful of how knuckles bit into and broke on the bone of the skull, only caring that it was stunned long enough for him to get push it off. He was upright in seconds and smashing his staff into one of the few solid bits of the slimy creatures body. Goodbye pointy teeth and cheekbones, hello cold unforgiving steel being wielded in pure mortal panic.
Sascha attacks the skeletal, swift, undead slime lusus!
HP: 12/20 Military Weapon: +1 DMG Trinkets: 3/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack. 1/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack. Telekinesis: 1/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.
Sascha laughed outright as the tile bounced off of Aprife's horns. The cackling trailed off upon realizing what else was in the room with them. More slime. Sascha winced preemptively. The s**t from the last zombie hadn't even dried yet.
Thankfully Trusci was more than willing to take initiative against the monster. It shrugged off her swordplay easily, but she had a counter prepared. Sascha's eyebrows raised not just at the presence of another telekinetic, but the showmanship of it all.
Less showy was the performance Nictor displayed. The young man bore the full brunt of the slime beast as it bore down on him. Sascha grimaced sympathetically as he moved in to assist. Nictor beat back the monster and Sascha pursued it. He was already filthy. What was more sludge on his shirt? Sascha punched into the lusus with his knives. He sunk up to the elbow, but snagged a chunk of rib cage. He pulled it out with his arm and the creature collapsed in on itself slightly. "Gross!" Sascha declared again, though there was an edge of laughter to his voice.
Sascha attacks the skeletal, swift, undead slime lusus with telekinesis!
HP: 12/20 Military Weapon: +1 DMG Trinkets: 3/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack. 1/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack. Telekinesis:0/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.
Sascha reeled back to continue whaling on the slime lusus, but realized in the act of wrenching out the fistful of bones, he'd gotten the mess tangled around his deer horn knife. Sascha swore and shook his arm. It accomplished nothing but flinging slime and rattling the bones like a morbid percussion instrument.
Sascha skipped out of the way of the thrashing monster, nearly slipping on its slime trail. Now truly frustrated, Sascha's fist crackled red and he telekinetically wrenched the bones from his weapon. Nightmarish shrapnel scattered around the room.
Why did everything on this ship have to be so wet!?
It was impossible not to laugh. Sascha really didn't like the slimy ones, did he? That was fine, Aprife didn't mind getting a little sticky. They'd already done a number on the thing, anyway, and it was easy to tell it wouldn't be a problem much longer.
"Let me help this time," he said with a grin, lunging at the creature, scourge drawn back and ready. Its bones were already a broken, mangled mess among the slime, but its claws were just as sharp as before, cutting past Aprife's suit at the shoulder at the same time he drew down on its head.
The whole mass seemed to shudder, the slime squelching apart as its broken bones no longer looked able to hold it up. That was that.
--
Bombee Nifera (Aprife Invasi) HP: 28/40 Adult + Military Grade Weapon: +2 dmg Training in Tactics
Sascha determines the state of the ship... It's unsalvageable.
HP: 12/20 Military Weapon: +1 DMG Trinkets: 3/3 Defense Style A: 2 damage is detracted from last incoming attack. 1/1 Defense Style B: Nullify damage from the last attack. Telekinesis:0/2 Offensive Style B: Attack does double damage, and detracts 1 health from opponent every remaining turn. Recurring damage effect stacks.
Sascha did a double take as they entered the control room. Already? Well he wasn't about to look a gift lusus in the mouth. Especially not if it was as slimy as anything they'd just fought. The parts of his clothes that had started to dry out were becoming stiff and crinkly. Sascha frowned as he set to work testing the equipment on the bridge.
Sascha's frown deepened into a full scowl. "Not ********> he growled. Yes ********. The power was out and the ship was dead in the void. It was hardly surprising for how small the vessel was. Sascha tsked derisively. "No good. Not much of a loss, though. Better to blow this than a culler class. Hell, it's practically scrap metal already. Let's get out of here."
