Supercape

"I don't know what you doin' my friend" snarled Bloody Mess, his normally intimidating growl somewhat losing its punch with his diminished stature. "But the Mob didn't pay you enough. There ain't no money that's enough. Because you messed with the wrong people in the Fens..." "This is my turf...and nobody gets to burn it down!" Jeesh...why ain't anybody got the good nature to drop when I hit em today? he asked himself. He ducked to the left, and right, and with a blistering turn of speed, jumped straight up, hooking his left arm under him to deliver a fast uppercut.

Hound: Moving down to the ground level where the action is, and fretting... Mess: Surprised at Firebugs resilience! Move Action: Feint 1d20+5=20 Standard Action: Unshifted punch at Firebug 1d20+12=17 bah (unless the feint works, I guess). Its a DC 23 Toughness if it does connect.

Initiative Rolls 1d20+7=10 for the Mess and as Harry is probably going to get involved stamping out fires 1d20+6=15 For what I guess (?) is a suprise round, the Mess will drop from above and give Firebug a solid straightforward punch. As he is in dimunitive form, lets shift that +4 DC, -4 Attack 1d20+8=15 Not so good. Might hit if he is flat footed. If it doesn't Ill actually go reroll that with an HP as, to be frank, it seems a little odd to miss... 1d10+18=25 Presuming one or the other hits, then its a DC 27 Toughness save.

Holy schmoley...its blazin'! I got stop this guy...now! Dropping from the ceiling, Bloody Mess whirled his right arm once, twice, and then gave a mighty propelled blow straight to the chest of Firebug. "Time to mess up your plans, hot shot!" he sang out as he fell into a boxer's pose. It was, admittedly, a little odd coming from a two foot high blob of blood, but Mess was just as deadly in this form - what he lacked in strength, he made up in speed. "Hey Hound!" he yelled "I need you to put out a fire whilst I take care of this insect!" "You want me to what????" came the incredulous reply from above as the Hound started to run down the stairs, shifting into human form as he did.

Ok, its Mess' turn to sneak, trying to get the hop / surprise on who I presume is Firebug... 1d20+15=34 stealth roll!

"Firebug? Here?" said Mess, surprised. I'd have preferred my body...but this will have to do it. It will be a bloody mess.... He jumped down to the floor. Even diminutive, his bloody form oozed strength. He might not have been quite as strong as with his normal form, but...even so... His blood bubbled, boiled, and burst with a pulsing strength. Pumping up in this form was essentially just the same, making his supercharged blood fizzle with energy. Of course, it didn't lead to the swollen biceps that happened when he was in his bone and muscle. "Careful! He looks dangerous!" muttered the mutt. "I can handle it!" replied Mess, confidently. Even so, the element of surprise would be best, he decided. He may have been a boxer, but he was also a street fighter. And when things got ugly, a fighter didn't fight fair... Leaping to the ceiling, he slithered his way downstairs, quietly, leaving a trail of blood, to meet the arsonist...

NPC Firebug I presume... Man, he looks some mean dude. I don't like the look of that gun he has. Probably shoots out fire or something. Hell, by the look of him, he probably breathes fire... ...he looks like trouble to me. But then, Ol ' toothless Mary the mad homeless gal looks like trouble to me.... He edged sideways, a quiet as a mouse. Gotta get to Mess...he'll know what to do...yeah...that's right. Mess will give him a good right hook and then bam...we can all breathe easy. And not burn to death. That last part, I particularly like... He backed away from the man, heading silently up the stairs. There's Irony for ya! we are in an opticians shop and he didn't see me. Sweet Lord, let my luck hold... He found Mess upstairs, his bloody form perched on the window observing the old man... "Mess! I've found him! Firebug! He's downstairs!" "Err...don't mind me, old man!" he said to the optician. "I'm just a hungry stray dog. Woof Woof!"

If it counts, taking 10 on stealth check (with skill mastery) for a stealth roll of 22.

NPC "Dammit Dammit Dammit" gruffed the Hound, hopping from one paw to the other. "I hope Freddy knows what he is doing...." he muttered "...although I doubt it...." He circled twice, as if chasing his own tail. "I hope I know what I am doing..." he muttered more softly. "I doubt it..." he concluded. He stuck his nose into through the back door, alive to the scents that confirmed what, in his heart, he already knew. Firebug was most likely here already - or had at least had his incendiary tools of the trade planted. "If he see's me, I'm just a stray dog looking for food. That's right" he reassured himself "Woof woof" he said, speaking the "woof" rather than barking it. "Woof woof, I'm just a hungry stray dog. That's me!" As softly as he could manage, he padded in, almost silent...

After discussion in chat I will be pulling together two NOS threads (assuming the below are still interested) 1. TiffanyK (Agnus) and Arichamus (King of Suits) 2. Granspear (Crusader) and KnightDisciple (Carson) the Absurdist, I know you mentioned interest earlier in thread but I havent had confirmation. If you would like a solo thread let me know. In the mean time, Ill try to set these two up. Once you have your NOS character ready pm me or post for some fleshing out (please remember the fatal flaw you want to play on!), and then Ill get going!

NPC "Whats ya problem?" hissed back Mess, his voice gurgling slightly as was custom in his liquid form. "There's nothing up here but the old man. Everything looks good!" he said, peeking in through the window. "I'll just take a look inside..." he continued, as he oozed himself through the tiny gap in the window and into the room. "No! Goddamn it and blast!" hissed the Hound, looking left to right. "Hellfire! I've had enough anxiety today to last me a lifetime..." he said, wiping the sweat from his brow and loosening his tie. "Well there isn't anything I can do about it. I'll probably get scorched to a cinder by the end of the night, bar some miracle. Jesus H. Christ, if you are up there, gimme a break huh?" he garbled to himself as, in a blink of an eye, he transformed into the mongrol mutt. The smell was brighter somehow, as a dog. He could pick up the trace of accelerant and track it. With his wet nose to the ground, snuffling along, he followed the scent around the side of the building...

NPC "What's that smell...." said the Hound, as he ground his cigarette into the pavement. ISmells familiar... "Horse Manure!" he swore "its Firebug!" Perhaps i'm jumping to conclusions. Hell, perhaps not. Perhaps I'm gonna get burnt alive! He looked up to where Mess was peering through the window, anxious for his partner to help. Looking around he quickly picked up an old beer can off the sidewalk and threw it up to the wall of the building. "Pssst! Get down here! I can smell him!" he hissed at Mess through cupped hands.

1d20+11=31

The detective duo got out of the car, cautiously now - the mobsters were onto them - with Bloody Mess taking the lead. "Fancy taking a look in?" asked the Hound, lighting up a cigarette. He was pleased to note his hands weren't shaking that much. "Ain't that breaking and entering?" replied the Mess, scratching his stubble. "Technically...technically..." said the Hound, examining his shoes and whistling innocently. "Although it's for public service, ya know. For all we know, our Firebug is already in, or has the place wired up. So its, ya know, necessary...and besides which, I was thinking you could do your..trick..." he coughed "...which would mean no breaking..." Just a bit of cleaning... "Hmmm" said the Mess, pondering the matter. I guess Harry has a point. Ain't gonna have some old glasses man burn to death cos' we were to scared of the some crummy old law... "This is gonna be messy..." he started, before doubling over and coughing up a long stream of blood. The effect was, indeed, messy. His body shrivelled, into a dry, dessicated corpse. Meanwhile, the blood he spewed out congealed into a humanoid form, about one and half foot high, and nearly as broad. "That always feels strange..." said the bloody mess, as the dessicated body of the Mess from which it had came lolled to the side and slumped against the caddy. "It always looks strange..." agreed the Hound, who wished he hadn't picked up a hot dog on the way. "Up up and away!" said the Mess, with a little chortle, as the bloody form slithered up the old building towards the third floor, before seeping through the window...

Thats gonna hurt! 1d20+10=21

GM Later, outside Dr Wessex house... It hadn't taken long. A street thug had tried his luck late at night. And his luck had failed when he met Revenant. The walk was short - Wessex was marching at double speed, still high on his cocktail of adrenaline drugs. He paused outside. "Hey...err..thanks...." he muttered, not meeting Revenant's gaze entirely. "You know, I'm not sure if its the drugs your...relative...gave me...or its just the whole evening, but it was super exciting. What a night. Makes me all, you know, excited....and...err...what with you being a beautiful woman and everything....errr....well...errrr...." He paused and scratched the back of the neck, unsure what to say next. "Leave this snivelling meal..." hissed the vampire in Revenants ear. "Let me drain him...oooh....so delicious....his blood...you really don't know what you are missing....why do you fight it so? why not join your father? he loves you...mmmm....taste him....I can smell him...." The vampire, whilst crushed, was ooozing lust and desire for the crack cocaine of blood infront of him. Wessex was all he could think about.

"Ricky, you are a gent!" smiled the Hound, letting his quarry go. "I knew I could count on you!" With a smile, he waved goodbye to his 'friend' and cautiously walked back into the bar... "Right then...who's next?" asked the Mess as he shook his head and heaved his shoulders. He looked from side to side at the last two mobsters. "Just you and you eh? Well say hello to my two best friends!" he said, lifting his huge fits. Bam! "Lefty!" Whack! "and Righty!" The two last goons went flying in opposite directions having eaten a large portion of fist. "Damn that felt good!" said Mess with a smile, cracking his knuckles. He was a bit worse for the wear, having taken a few hard knocks, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He reached behind the bar (the barman had fled) to grab himself a cool beer and started chugging it down, when Harry arrived. "Nice work!" acknowledged the Hound, as he dragged the Mess out of the bar. "But lets not stay. I dislike police inquiries and biker gangs keen for a grudge. Ricky has a name, and more importantly, an address! lets get moving. We have the next target!" And with that, the detective duo leapt into their car, driving off to the 58th..."

Hound: Moving back to the bar. Mess...going for broke! Taking 10 on attack, power attack shifting lefty and righty for an attack roll of 15 and a toughness of 30. That should, with takedown attack, drop em both!

Hounds action will be pressing Ricky for more information as per IC post!

NPC Oh boy this ain't my day... sighed the Mess to himself as the pistol whip caught him right in the square of his neck. His vision greyed and he sank to one knee. Of all the goddamn...still...I've taken worse... he said to himself as he shook his head. Outside "Firebug eh?" repeated the Hound as he let go of Ricky. "That's interesting. A good start. The Oliverti family? a bad business...but seeing as you are being so helpful today, perhaps you could give me some clue as to where this incendiary insect might be hiding out heh?" He didn't want to press Ricky too far, but hey, the man did know stuff...

1d20+8=11 3rd bruise, and dazed!

1d20=2 Aaaargh! Lets keep fingers crossed for that homing beam next round!

NPC The Hound took Ricky by the lapels. Normally he left the 'bad cop' routine to his partner, but Ricky was slimy enough to inspire the street cop in him. "Look here Ricky...I just waltzed out of a bar room brawl to hear you talk. I had a pool cue this close to my face, and my partner got thrown across the room. And from the sounds of it, the party hasn't wrapped yet. And you know what, I don't like staring at a pair of knuckled fists. No sir, I don't. So, if you would be so kind as to oblige me with a goddamn name then both of us can depart this here high class establishment with all our teeth and no black eyes...." He spat to the side in disgust and adrenaline. "Because if you don't feel like talking, I don't feel like being nice. And I'll throw you into the lap of the meanest looking biker in there with a kiss me quick sign stapled to your rear end...."

"Not so clever now are ya, chum?" said the Mess through gritted teeth at the supercharged mobster he held in his massive arms. Truth was, this guy was a lot stronger than he cared to admit. Even pumped up as he was, he had to exert his full strength on the man. "You ain't got what it takes, my friend...not by a long shot. You don't have it...." he said as he strained every muscle in his arms, his neck widening and his teeth jarring from the pressure he was exerting. His mighty limbs began crushing the wind out of his adversary. "And I do!!!!" he said with iron confidence.

Ok Move Action: Intimidate at -5: 1d20+4=20 (to hopefully shake the mobster he is holding) Standard Action: Squeeze! for a DC 25 Toughness save on the mobster he has bound. Ill throw in a grapple roll proactively in case Mobster tries to break out of his grapple! 1d20+24=37