(Read the previous chapter here.)
(The above contains affiliate links.)
Setup:
A large portion of this post occurs within a warehouse. To simulate the search of the warehouse I will be using a homebrew tool based on Goblins Henchman’s Hex Flower Concept that I have entitled the Abandoned Warehouse Hex Flower. The tool uses a hexagonal grid. Each hex indicates what is discovered as you move from one area of the warehouse to the next and movement is determined by rolling against a 2d6 key. Some of the things the character will encounter are security cameras and robots, shelves with products, halls, and offices. I will explain more details about the tool throughout the narrative, but you can download the full tool and instructions using the link above.
Scene 1 [Tension Lvl:2]
Sebastian drove the Omega-Dillo and Charlotte sat in the passenger seat as we headed toward the WAmazon Distribution Warehouse. Nate and I sat behind them. We had one stop to make at a gas station he wanted to check out for fuel, but in the meantime, I pressed our new long-eared friends for information about themselves.
“So, are you married? Dating?”
“Hell, no!” Charlotte scoffed. “Before all this, we didn’t even talk. I’m nearly thirty years older than him and worked in road construction. Sebastian was a clerk at a hardware store.”
“Department manager at the Tool Depot in Dansville,” Sebastian clarified.
“Whatever. The only thing we had in common was the Suds & Such. My coworkers and I would go there after a shift to drink some beers and shoot some darts. Seb would sit in a corner with the college crowd, get drunk, and hit on Cindy, the Sud’s cute serving girl.”
Sebastian sighed. “We did more than that.”
“Sure you did, Hon. Sure you did,” assented, though not very convincingly. “Then the bombs were dropped and lines were blurred. It was a matter of survival. Everyone worked together for the good of the town. At least at first. It didn’t take long for Sebastian and me to learn we both had a heart for scavaging. So we teamed up, acquired this fine vehicle here, and started our own Search and Salvage operation.
“So to answer your question, Alyssa. No, we weren’t a ‘thing’. Still, once you’re all covered in fur, who the flip cares? Just about anything goes. Doesn’t it, Seb?”
Charlotte punctuated her remark with a gentle punch to Sebastian’s shoulder, the black-furred hoop just shook his head in embarrassment.
“Oh thank goodness! We’re here!” Sebastian cried out when he spotted the abandoned gas station, relieved to be ending the current conversation.
The place appeared to be locally owned and not associated with any of the big chains. It had four pumps and a small store. Charlotte and Sebastian completely ignored the store. They claimed it was because we were heading for a super warehouse, but I suspect the broken-down door indicating the place has already been ransacked played a big part in that decision.
Their main purpose was to check the underground tanks for any remaining fuel. However, Sebastian’s hopes were dashed when he saw the locks on the lids were broke open. A quick check confirmed they had been drained dry. [Are the tanks locked down? (even) No Is there still fuel in the tanks? (Even) No]
Scene 2 [Tension Lvl:3]
Ten minutes later we were pulling up to the WAmazon warehouse. Instead of parking near the front door, Sebastian drove around the building until he spotted a particular side door. “This is the entrance we used last time we were here,” he explained. “I suspect there is a lot of security at the main entrance, so it’s best to avoid it.”
Turning around in her seat, Charlotte gave a brief explanation of what to expect.
“All the power is still running inside. At least it was the first time we were here. I’m sure it’s hooked up so a solar generator. Makes sense as they would want power to operate and run security systems under any circumstances. What that means is it is a fully operational warehouse, including the security cameras and robots. You get caught on camera, a robot comes after you. It’s that simple. The few we saw were equipped with a claw for close-up combat and a laser for longer ranges. So we get in, do our shopping, and get out. We take out cameras as we see ‘em and possibly a robot or two. Got it?”
We indicated we did and exited the van. Sebastian and Charlotte were each armed with a long lead pipe and a rifle. In addition, Charlotte carried a laser pistol sidearm. All of us carried empty sacks and backpacks which wouldn’t hold much and I wondered how many trips we would have to make in and out to get everything we needed.
Charlotte:
HP:19 AC:13 Init: +1
ATK: (Pipe [+3 to hit, 1d8+1 dmg]; Rifle [+3 to hit, 1d8 dmg]; Laser Pistol [+3 to hit,
3d6 dmg]
Skills: +3 (+6 Communication) Gear: healing kit, 1 extra power cell
Sebastian:
HP:20 AC:13 Init: +1
ATK: (Pipe [+3 to hit, 1d8+1 dmg]; Rifle [+3 to hit, 1d8 dmg]
Skills: +3 (+6 Physical) Gear: healing kit
As expected, the door was open and we slipped inside. I’ll admit, I was curious as to what we might find. My biggest concern was the security robots. What did they look like? Were they boxy or sleek, speedy or lumbering, fast or slow? Turns out I didn’t have to wait long to find out. We took a step around the corner of a row of tall shelves and in the aisle between it and the next row stood a security robot.
The robot had a humanoid form, with a torso, head, two arms, and legs. While its chest, back, arms and legs were covered by white protective plating, the android’s wiring, gears, and joints could be seen through gaps between the plates. Its head was a mass of tubes and sensors dominated by a chrome cylinder that contained a single camera lens that rotated from side to side. As Charlotte explained in the van, one arm ended in a multi-pronged claw and the other in what certainly appeared to be the business end of a laser. The thing glided across the floor as though the bottom of its feet were fitted with wheels.
The Robot Had A Humanoid Form
Move 1 - Direction 5 - Security Robot, 50% chance of useful product
[Before the group can search for loot, they must deal with the security robot. At the start of exploration, there is a 100% chance that a robot will be encountered when you enter a robot hex. That chance decreases as robots are destroyed. PC’s can choose to attack or try to sneak by (DC15 Subterfuge check). I’m just going to handle being seen and sneaking by with a single roll checked against the PC with the worst sneak stats (Nathan, in this case). Failure means the robot engages in combat.]
The security bot spotted us immediately -- not a surprise as we made no attempt at caution -- and, before we could even pull out our weapons, had closed within melee distance. [Sneak: 8+2 subterfuge = 10 fail. Is the robot within melee distance? (even) Yes.]
Security Robot General Stats:
AC: 15 HP: 3d8+15 (will roll for each encounter) Init: +1 Weapon: Claw +6 (DMG: d6+4), Laser +3 (3d6)
This Robot: 28 HP
Initiative: Sebastian (19); Alyssa (15); Robot (9); Charlotte (6); Nathan (5)]
RD 1:
While we were fumbling with our weapons, the bot reached out with its claw and grabbed Sebastian’s arm, giving it a wicked twist before he could slip free. Nate was the only one in our group to get in a shot. Making sure the muzzle of his sonic rifle was in front of us, he let off a shot as soon as Sebastian was clear. The blast caught the mechanical monster in the side and spun him half was around. [S, A, and C missed. Robot targeted and hit S: 18+6=24 for 9 damage. N automatically hits with his sonic rifle (except on a roll of 1). Robot takes 7 dmg.]
RD 2:
Sebastian and Charlotte swung at the bot with their pipes, but the thing was fast and avoided their blows. I tried to reach into its wires with my crossbar, but all I found was armor plating. Unfortunately, in the frenzy, Charlotte took a strike in her side from the claw and stumbled back. [Rob: 8+6=14 hit for 6 damage] Nate remained close to the group to keep the spread of his sonic blast tight and waited for a shot that would only hit the robot and not us. He found that moment right after Charlotte fell back and the robot took a shot square in the chest. [Automatic hit for 11 damage]
RD 3:
“To heck with this!” Sebastian exclaimed as tossed his pipe aside and swung his rifle around. “Alyssa, move!” I didn’t question him but backed off immediately giving him a clear shot. It appeared the shot hit but went through the exposed area of the neck, but I couldn’t be sure. [S hit for 1 damage]
Nate took the “clear-shot” opportunity as well and gave the robot another sonic blast. [8 damage. Robot at 2 hp.] While that staggered him, it didn’t keep his claw from connecting again with Charlotte. [9 damage. Charlotte is at 4hp]
RD 4:
By now the security robot was severely damaged and I was ready to end this. Gripping the straight-end of my crowbar like a baseball bat, I swung and aimed for the head. The assembly spun half-way around, severing several of the wires and tubes. Sparks flew out as the machine gave one final “whir” and slumped to the floor. [3 damage]
“Geez, Alyssa. I nearly shot you.” Sebastion had taken and second shot as I was moving in to strike. [miss]
I never heard, felt, or saw the shot. “I guess it’s a good thing you missed.”
“I hate to be the one to say it,” Charlotte said as we patched up our wounds with the B.A. heal in our kits, “but if all the security robots are as tough as that one, this might be harder than we thought.”
“Now we know what to expect,” Nate offered. “Maybe we can be better prepared.”
“We can start by being more observant when going around corners,” I offered.
[Healing Kits allow each character to bind 1d6 hps. Charlotte regains 1hp and Sebastian regains 4]
A quick search through the odds and ends that were still on the shelves revealed nothing useful. [Product Check: 73 (target 50 or less)]
“I guess that was to be expected,” Charlotte said disappointed. “Being so close to the door.”
“Hopefully we’ll find better stuff further in,” Sebastian said.
While the others searched I took a moment to view my surroundings. Like most warehouses, the WAmazon distribution center appeared to be one big open room, at least where the product was stored. The ceiling was about 50’ high with long LED lights providing illumination (another sign the building was hooked up to solar generators). I couldn’t see far due to the high product shelves. Each rack had four to five levels, depending on the spacing between each shelf, and the aisles between the towering racks were 15’ wide. While the floors were surprisingly clean, I did spot some evidence of previous battles on the vertical shelving support beams in the form of some caked blood and bits of what I assumed were flesh. My guess was that the facility had housekeeping units that kept the place tidy and picked up any trash on the floor, including bodies and blood spills. Perhaps they weren’t programmed for walls and shelves.
“Ready to move on, Alyssa?” Nate’s voice snapped me back to our current mission.
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
Move 2 - Direction 5 - Security Camera
Instead of heading toward the center of the warehouse, we backtracked to the wall end of the aisle to travel between the outer wall and the racks. Sebastian led the party and when we got to the end of the shelves he put up a hand, signaling us to wait. He poked his head around the corner and scanned up and down for more robots. While he didn’t see any of those, he did notice a security camera mounted on the wall, rotating back and forth.
[When you enter a hex with a security camera, you have a 100% of encountering a camera at the start of the game. As cameras are destroyed, that percentage drops. You have a couple of options with cameras. You can do nothing, be seen by them, and alert security robots. You can try to sneak past. Or you can try to disable the camera.
In this instance, Sebastian will attempt to shoot the camera with his rifle. First, he must make a successful sneak roll to avoid being seen. Regardless of the outcome, he then needs to make a successful range attack against A.C. 12. A hit disables the camera. If he is seen while shooting, a check needs to be made to determine how many security robots arrive before the party can leave the area.]
The black hoop tried to stay out of view until the camera’s lens panned away. When it did, he stepped into the clear, aimed, and fired. The satisfied grin on his face told us he got it. [DC15 Sneak roll: 19+3=22 ATK: 9+3=12]
Move 3 - Direction 7 - 70% Product chance
Product check: 67 Success.
[Per the Hex Flower mechanics, if there is a specific item a group is searching for (in this case the repair parts for Sean’s tractor), there is a 5% chance that the found product is the found items. Each time product is found, that chance increases by 5% until the specific item is found.
If the found item is not the specific item, I will roll on a table to determine who might have an interest in the item (i.e. Hotel, Restaurant, Service station, PC’s, random item, etc.). If I roll “random item” on the previous table, I will be using randomicle.com to pick a random item from Amazon as inspiration.
Target product check: 36 - fail Item roll: Random Randomicle Pick: Sneakers]
We carefully rounded the corner, weapons drawn and ready for another security robot. Thankfully, the aisle was empty. Also thankfully, there were several boxes on the shelves. Each was a little over a foot long and half as wide. Sebastian pulled one off the shelf and peeked inside.
“Cool! We hit the jackpot!”
“What is it?” I asked eagerly. “Med-Packs? Power cells? Twinkies?”
He pulled out a grey sneaker with white highlights and a familiar swoosh down the side. “Nike Traction Pros!”
“Shoes? They won’t even fit on your feet.”
“Not just shoes,” he corrected. “Traction Pros. These were the hottest item before the war. Cost nearly $300 a pair. And no, you’re right, hoops can’t wear ‘em. But the humans do. And footwear is in high demand.”
“There’s a bunch here,” Charlotte noticed. “We should take as many as we can make space for, but that’s going to be a lot of trips back to the van.”
“What about that?” Nate asked, pointing at a contraption several feet down the aisle.
Basically, it looked like a big tub on wheels. It was about 5’ long, 3’ high, and 3’ plus high. On one end was a control box that housed its computer brain. Next to it was a retractable arm. Based on what I’d read, these bins are controlled from a master control center. They are told what to retrieve and then they traverse the warehouse and use its arm to grab items from the shelves.
“That’s perfect,” Sebastian said and walked over to retrieve it. He couldn’t get it to move, but that didn’t phase him. He just bent over, made some adjustments to release the wheels from the motorized controls, and then tried again. This time it rolled easily. We all helped tossing in boxes until it was nearly half full.
[Is there a bin in the vicinity? (Bad, they should be in charging storage) Yes]
“If we can find the control center, maybe I can hack the system,” Nate suggested. “Then we can just use the bins to collect the items we need.”
“Good idea,” Charlotte agreed. “Assuming the place isn’t guarded by an army of robots.”
Move 4 - Direction 7 - Security Robot (Still 100% chance of encounter)
As we worked we made our way down the aisle. When we reached the end I volunteered to scout ahead. [Alyssa has the best subterfuge stats (+5 total), so it makes sense that she will scout ahead] Glancing around the corner I spotted a single security robot [30hp] heading our way. Luckily, it didn’t see me and that gave me an idea. I quickly told the others and suggested that Nate take the first shot before the rest of us jumped in to attack.
[Since Alyssa passed the sneak check, I gave the group surprise and the opportunity to make one attack unopposed.]
As soon as the robot came into view, Nate fired and caught the robot square in the cone of his blast. [11 DMG] The thing stopped and spun toward us. Immediately, the two hoops and I jumped in, pipes and crowbar swinging. Sebastian and I were first, inadvertently blocking Charlotte’s way. However, we both landed solid blows on the robot. One extra strike on its head with my crowbar and the battle was over. [After the surprise round, the robot only had 8hp. One additional hit by Alyssa for 11hp ended the battle before the robot could even attack.]
Move 5 - Direction 9 - Camera, 50% product chance
We hurriedly rolled the cart to the next aisle over, fully aware that we were exposed to several other aisles. We turned the corner to get out of sight but failed to see the security camera hanging from the ceiling. Once we did, Sebastian fired a poorly aimed shot, hoping to take it out before it could alert any robots but missed. [failed sneak and ATK]
“We’ve got company,” Nate called back to us. [100% chance of alerting 1-2 robots]
Two security robots glided toward us from two different directions. We retreated down the aisle to give us some protection on our sides before turning to face the approaching robots. [Robot A: 29hp Robot B: 29hp] We peppered them with sonic, rifle, and handgun fire, but they kept approaching, firing back with their lasers. Damn thing caught me in leg while another shot barely missed Charlotte. [Each robot took some damage. A was hit for 14 damage. I asked the oracle if each robot moved into melee range.]
The bot that targeted me stopped short, which really raised my ire. I really wanted to bash in its processors with my crowbar. Instead, I got to watch with satisfaction as Nate blasted it back with his sonic rifle. [13hp damage] Sensing the greater threat, the machine switched its aim to Nate and returned the fire. [hits Nate for 11hp]
Meanwhile, the other robot continued to roll toward the party. Sparks flew from some of its wiring as Charlotte shot at it with her rifle. [5hp damage] as I readied my crowbar. It might not be the robot who shot me, but that didn’t matter. As long as I could take my anger out on someone . . . or something. I swung. It countered with its claw. The blow knocked me aside, but not before I was able to put a big dent in its chest. [Robot took 3hp damage; A took 6 damage]
While Charlotte and I wrestled with the bot in our midst, Sebastian fired several rifle shots at the other enemy, missing each time. Finally, he gave up and pulled out his pipe to help us. This was fine, as Nate was handling that robot with ease. It appeared to be having trouble with its laser [Nat 1, Crit fail], leaving itself as an open target for Nate’s wide sonic cone. He hit with two blasts, the second sending the robot flying backward and separating its legs and arms from its torso. [Nate rolled a Nat 20 on his power cell check, so I counted it as a critical hit.]
Charlotte pulled out her own pipe and joined Sebastian and me bashing the last robot to bits. Despite their joining the battle, the bot continued to focus its attacks on me. First, it grabbed my arm after I hit it in the leg. Sebastian struck its arm, giving me a chance to get free. However, as I prepared to charge back in, the robot had the nerve to make a sneak attack with its laser arm, striking me in my right temple.
Everything went dark.
[End of Chapter]
[Note: One of the oracle checks I made to determine if the robots moved into melee range resulted in a special event.
Norse Symbol: Isaz 
Description: Ice/Frustration: Mental blocks; confusion needing to be unraveled; cannot progress until more knowledge is gained.
In-Game: A puzzle, riddle, or confusing situation casts doubt on what the next
step must be. A question must be answered, a guide must be found, or something similar.
I have some ideas of how to apply this later in the warehouse exploration. Tension reset to 1 for the remainder of this scene.]
===============
Hosea 13:15b
(Read the next chapter here.)
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