Solo All-Out Apocalypse Session 3

27 Feb, 2025

Last time: Three androids were waking up. Fly was set up to start shooting as soon as the androids caused trouble. Altivo was trying to steal shotguns. Baby was trying to sabotage the solar panels. Baby and Altivo both failed their sneak rolls so now it's time for combat.

WARNING: This post is pretty much entirely combat. I'm going to misuse the footnotes to give TL;DRs for each round, so if you don't want to read the whole thing you can just read those.

Round ¹

The PCs must roll initiative to see who must declare their actions first. I'm going to say that Fly automatically succeeds because he was on overwatch.

Altivo: [0 successes]
Baby (who gets a bonus die on initiative due to the Intuit skill: [0 successes]

Eesh. Well Altivo and Baby need to declare first. This situation is going to get bad quickly, but they do still have the drop on the androids. Let's roll to see if they decide to stay and fight (odd), or if they run for it (even).

[3: Fight!] Oh hell yeah, it's combat time. Baby is going to try to deactivate one of the solar panels. Altivo is going to try to snatch up the shotgun from the nearest android before it fully wakes up.

The android nearest to Altivo is going to try to beat him to the shotgun. The two waking near Baby are going to get up off the ground and collect their shotguns. The other three are still asleep and won't act this round.

Fly is going to count on Altivo succeeding and will try to take out one of the androids nearest to Baby using his pistol.

Time to roll!

Fly (3hp + Guns skill + Pistol = 5 dice) [3 successes]
Altivo (3hp + Sprinter skill = 4 dice) [2 successes]
Baby (3hp = 3 dice) [2 successes]

Android A (3hp = 3 dice) [1 success]
Android D & E are just getting up and collecting their weapons so they don't need to roll anything.

Altivo dives for the shotgun and snatches it out from under the android's hand! It locks its gaze upon him, somehow exuding hatred through its expressionless fiberglass mask.

With their sneakered foot planted against the side of the solar panel, Baby hauls mightily on the power cable and it becomes dislodged with a shower of sparks!

Androids D and E pivot smoothly to their feet, snatching up their shotguns. A shot echoes loudly in the enclosed space, but it's not a shotgun blast; Fly's pistol punches a smoking hole into Android D. It staggers, but does not fall - its Husk absorbs enough of the damage to avoid death (do androids die?), but only just!

Finally, we check the Tension Pool to see if the noise draws the attention of the bloodbirds. [6] It does not, and that die goes into the Tension Pool.

Round ²

Initiative! Fly: [1 success]. Altivo: [0 successes]. Baby: [2 successes].

Altivo must declare first. He has the shotgun now, but he's not going to use it. He draws his shiv and prepares to lunge at Android A.

Android A decides to defend against Altivo's attack, and so will gain a bonus die. Androids D and E are both going to return fire against Fly. The remaining androids are woken by gunfire and will rise. However, because they did not finish charging correctly, I will knock 1hp from all of them!

Fly is going to dodge missiles, gaining a bonus die against incoming missile fire.

Baby is going to try to kick over Android D (who Fly shot last time).

Fly (3hp + Dodge Missiles = 4 dice) [2 successes]
Altivo (3hp + Shiv = 4 dice) [1 success]
Baby (3hp = 3 dice) [1 success]

Android A (3hp = 3 dice) [1 success]
Android D (1hp + Shotgun = 2 dice) [1 success]
Android E (3hp + Shotgun = 4 dice) [2 successes]

Fly dives sideways, avoiding most of the shotgun pellets, but a few put dents in Fly's trashcan armour, taking off a usage point.

Baby leaps forward, slamming Android D to the ground, where it lays still, sparking and smoking!

Altivo faces off against Android A. The robot brings up its arms, prepared to deflect Altivo's incoming Shiv, but Altivo decides to tap into his reserve Brawn, throwing his full weight behind the attack. In doing so he peels off Android A's protective chestplate, revealing the whirring machinery beneath!

Androids B, C, and F rise to their feet, gathering their weapons!

Lastly, I will roll to see if this round's gunfire draws the bloodbirds' attention: [1] It does!! I will roll the 2 dice in the suspicion pool to see how many show up. [10 bloodbirds!]

... Ten! Dear lord. Our heroes are in trouble now.

Round ³

Initiative: Baby and Altivo succeed, but Fly fails amidst the sudden screech and flutter of bloodbirds!

Fly knows that Altivo is immune to the bloodbirds since they are radioactive, but there are now five androids awake and operational: a tough challenge on their own. Combined, this is surely a deadly situation, especially for Baby and himself. He is going to shout "RUN" and take a potshot at Android A's exposed chest.

Android A is going to dodge the incoming attack. Androids B and C will both attack Altivo, while E and F will attack Baby (shotgun attacks for all of them).

I will roll 1d10 to see how many of the bloodbirds attack the party, and the remaining ones will attack the Androids. [8] Oy vey! Two will attack the Androids, and the rest will split their focus between the four party members: Fly, Baby, Altivo... and Clarabell!

Baby is going to fully high-tail it: they aren't built for this kind of madness.

Altivo cares about Clarabell and will attempt to shepherd her to safety. Using the Help action he is going to run over and lend his dice to her (using his shoes and using his Sprinter skill).

Let's roll.

Fly: (3hp + Gun + Gun skill = 5 dice) [1 success]
Baby: (3hp + bonus (Dodging) = 4 dice) [1 success]
Clarabell: (3 hp + Altivo's 3 hp + Shoes + Sprinter skill = 8 dice) [2 successes]

Android A: (3hp + bonus (Dodging) = 4 dice) [1 success]
Android B: (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [1 success]
Android C: (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [2 successes]
Android E: (3hp + shotgun = 4 dice) [1 success]
Android F: (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [1 success]

Bloodbirds A+B: (2hp + 2xFly = 4 dice) [0 successes]
Bloodbirds C+D: (2hp + 2xFly = 4 dice) [1 success]
Bloodbirds E+F: (2hp + 2xFly = 4 dice) [3 successes]
Bloodbirds G+H: (2hp + 2xFly = 4 dice) [0 successes]
Bloodbirds I+J attack the androids but they are immune to radiation damage.

Fly aims his pistol at the sparking Android A and pulls the trigger, but it sidesteps with unnatural swiftness and his bullet causes a storefront window to shatter in the darkness! Two bloodbirds swirl around his head but they can't seem to get close.

Baby zig-zags back and forth sprinting away from the chaos. Bloodbirds C & D dive at Baby and they dodge them, but Androids E and F both fire their shotguns! Both of them aim well, and while Baby's shield absorbs some of the damage, it is made of thin steel and some pellets break through. The shield is destroyed and Baby is left with a bleeding wound on their ribs!

Altivo grabs Clarabell by the reins and begins running, desperately trying to lead her out of danger. The bloodbirds swarm around her but with Altivo's guidance, only one connects, dealing a point of radiation damage. Altivo, focused on Clarabell, is unable to defend himself when two shotgun blasts clip him! He gasps and stumbles from the impact. Looking down at his clothes: blood!

Round ⁴

Wow, the group is in a bad way now. Altivo, Baby, and Clarabell are making good their escape, but have all taken some damage in the process. Fly is still healthy, but he hasn't begun his flight yet, and now he's the nearest target to four shotgun-toting Androids!

Initiative: Fly: [1 success], Altivo: [0 successes], Baby: [0 successes].

Baby is going to try to locate a suitable storefront for the group to barricade themselves into. They are going to use their Maps item to help (I'm not sure this was my intended usage when I gave them this item, but I think it works). I'm going to call this a Defense roll since they are trying to quickly get into a fortified area.

Clarabell is going to Defend herself, following after Baby.

Altivo realizes that he actually WANTS to get attacked by the bloodbirds - they do radiation damage which will heal him instead of harm him! So he's going to dodge missiles (from shotgun blasts) knowing that he's opening himself up to bird attacks (should they be classified as missiles here? Eh, it's fine).

Again, I'll roll 1d10 to see what proportion of the birds attack the party, and then spread them evenly. [3] One bird attacks each of the party members (Fly, Baby, Altivo) then, leaving Clarabell alone. Much reduced from last time! It makes some sense, too, since the bulk of the irritating noise last round came from the Androids.

There are four gun-totin' Androids left, but each shotgun has one use left. Fly is the obvious target, but I'm not sure how many of them would spend their last shot on him. I'll roll a d4 to see how many shoot at him. [4] EESH. Sorry Fly. It's been a slice.

Android A (with its broken chestplate) is going to pick up the shotgun dropped by its fallen ally (Android D) and attempt to exact its revenge upon Altivo.

Fly is going to run. There's no hope standing against this onslaught. Dodge missiles and haul ass.

Baby: (2hp + Maps + bonus (Defense) = 3 dice) [3 successes]
Clarabell: (2hp + bonus (Defense) = 3 dice) [1 success]
Altivo: (1hp + Shoes + bonus (Dodge missiles) = 3 dice) [1 success]
Fly: (3hp + bonus (Dodge missiles) = 4 dice) [3 success]

Bloodbird A (1hp + Fly skill = 2 dice) [0]
Bloodbird B (1hp + Fly skill = 2 dice) [1]
Bloodbird C (1hp + Fly skill = 2 dice) [1]

Android A (3hp + shotgun = 4 dice) [1 success]
Android B (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [1 success]
Android C (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [1 success]
Android E (3hp + shotgun = 4 dice) [1 success]
Android F (2hp + shotgun = 3 dice) [3 successes]

Baby's eyes dart between the dark mall and the faded map. "This way, hurry!" they yell, dragging Clarabell around the corner towards an exit to the south. A lone bloodbird makes an attempt to dive bomb them, but Baby ducks under it.

Altivo watches Android A swing the shotgun around and dives behind an old trash can which absorbs the damage. A bloodbird swoops down and Baby leaps up to meet it. The burst of radiation soaks into him and he feels his shotgun wounds stop bleeding as badly.

Fly dodges left, then right. He dives for cover behind a pillar, slipping on a pool of slime before recovering his footing. A storm of shotgun blasts impact all around him, sending chunks of concrete and shards of glass everywhere. His three successes vs six from the Androids leaves three points of incoming damage to deal with. His trash can armour takes one hit, destroying it (it has split down one side and hangs awkwardly off his shoulder). He would take two points of HP damage, but he will use his point of Agility to turn that fourth die from his pool into a success. One shotgun blast connects, and he too feels the hot burn of buckshot pierce his flesh.

Round 5

At this point only Android A has any ammunition left: a single shot. Fly and Altivo are going to run full-tilt for the exit Baby found, and the Android will want to make that last shot count. I think it'll allow them to run for now, biding its time and defending the solar panel array with the other Androids. I don't think we've seen the last of it though.

End of combat

The party bursts through the doors marked Entrance 44, and into the blinding sunlight. They are in an open courtyard type area, with yet another gloomy two-level car park beyond. Once everyone is through, the party slams shut the door and turns a hard right. They hide behind an overturned truck. Altivo passes Baby the stolen shotgun and prepares his shiv. Fly and Baby aim their weapons at the door and count slowly to sixty.

Nothing happens. Nobody comes through the door. The Androids have given up their pursuit and the birds either can't or won't come outside. By the skin of their teeth, the group has survived.

Random encounter roll: [4: no encounter]

The party peel off their broken equipment: Shoes, armour, and shield. That's six pieces of scrap in total. Nobody here is great at repairing stuff, but they spend a few minutes wrapping old shoelaces and strips of metal around their weapons, restoring a two usage points to Fly's pistol and one to Altivo's shiv. That'll keep them from breaking for a while longer.

With that done, the group decides to continue their search for the water park. They'll continue West, cutting through the car park and looking for another entrance that circumvents the Androids.

The car park is large, so between the time spent to perform the repairs and another bit of travel, we'll need to make another random encounter roll: [2: nothing]. It doesn't take long for the group to pick their way through the maze of dead cars and out into the sunlight again.

Fly spots it first. Large blue words emblazoned on the exterior wall of a mall structure not 100 meters ahead: Water Park.

They found it!