The Ghost Ship Message Board: We won't give up.

((OOC: Very well.

"The lightning dissipates before the arrival of the Sharkmen..."

From your very own post. The aeroplanes were not in flight until after reports of sharkmen attacking the ships were sent. If radio-communications were down, then distress flares, followed by morris code beacons would have been used. The mages on board the carrier would have been more than able to protect their own planes from the lightning storm with a very simple use of the Forces sphere at level 2.

Like I said. The defenses and fate of the ships themselves is entirely up to you and Darren. The MA navy is his department as they are his ships, not mine.

Very well, I never asked for things to be easy. I'm sure some Sharkmen will be hit by the aerial raiders though, although I have no problem accepting the tactics doing minimal damage. The purpose of my post was no an infallible attack strategy, but more or less, a portrayel of the fatalism and desperation in the air. They have a damage sausage balloon floating around, bombing random dolphins and whales for god's sake ~l~ Dark comedy, yes..

In other words, they are targetting anything that could be controlled by the Warlock Order. It's more of a paranoia thing, than a great strategy...))

The balloonists, a Hermetic apprintice and the two sailors, ride the stormy night skies about the battle zone, as the young mage absently pulls his thick, fur-enforced, leather coat around his shoulders and shivers at the frigid air. He had not the energy left to create an aura of warmth around the three men with his magickal Art, as it was everything he could do to apply his sorcerous control over the frigid and relentless, storm-wrought winds, to keep his derigible from being lost.

That's when he spots it, explosions and rampant gunfire from afar. Radio communication with "Interceptor," the code name for the sea plane's two-man crew, was lost amidst a harsh blitz of fizzling and crackling static over the primative equipment that one of the sailors listens to, as he trembles from the sheer cold of everything, trying to maintain a semblence of composure by puffing on a cigarette.

"Damn. They just got waxed." Where the fuck did that anti-aircraft shit come from? A U-Boat? Radar on these vessels must be truly knocked the hell out, if it had snuck up on them unhindered and then opened fire on a damn seaplane with such audacity. The sailor grimaced. He was almost glad to be all the way up here. At least, now, he knew he would live for a few more hours. The man continues to remain crouched down, low, within the basket of the observation balloon, quietly shaking in uncontrollable shudders as he inhales and exhales smokey in takes of thin oxygen.

"Relay information back to the 6th sqdrn. There is a hunter-killer out there... somewhere..." The other man says, trembling.

The Hermetic smiles, grimly. This could endanger his life, and the lives of the two sailors with him, up here, thousands of feet above the black, choppy waves so far below them. He continues to peer through the "dark vision" eyescope, analyzing the properties of the U-Boat as it rises from the waves. He recites something in latin. Something that passes in and out of the ears of his freezing companions irrelevantly. A simple equation of semetrics and numbers, followed by an oath to the Angel Gabriel. The incantation is a bloody puzzle unlocked, with a firey blade of God's vengeance affixed through the center of the vile marauder. After honing into the submersible, it did not matter how fast it could dive. The Hermetic's Art was faster than its base, fledgeling technology. The submarine is stricken by a wave of horrifying energies, one reaction causing another one, causing another one, and so on and so forth. It was meant as a knock out blow.

((Here is a series of spells applied by the Hermetic. If you have questions, please do not become irrate or demand that your U-Boat survives. It will only survive if you outplay me IC ~s~ I'm just saying that now, because your last response seemed a bit indignant.))

((Talisman use. Correspondance 2, Entropy 1. This spell derives from the magickal spyglass being used by the Hermetic magus. It will allow him to track the submarine and pintpoint its exact location. As symbolism, he is hold it to his eye through out the entire spell. This spell will also allow him to pinpoint the structural weaknesses [relying on the truism that nothing is perfect, even if perceived as perfect], with will allow him to perform his attack with a more lethal and precise effect. Basicly this is a set up to the attempted knock-out punch. Now the roll, -1 quintessence per roll, one roll per turn, to use the talisman. Arete 2, difficulty 6, +1 point of paradox taken by the talisman per roll. 1 success, 2 successs, 0 successes. 3 successes. This would be under the "difficult" to "impressive" feat section, so he got full to near to full successes needed. His talisman is suffering and will be quite the baneful object for a bit.))

((They spotted the U-Boat when it destroyed the seaplane. Canvas, wood, and metal frame. Exposed fuselage. Big explosion when its shredded by the 10 inch guns ~l~ So the tracking is happening when the submarine is torpedoing the cruiser. Of course, having firmly locked onto his target, the Hemetic's psychic projections will lead his attack there, quite nicely...))

((The Mage's actual spell. Forces 3, Prime 2, Correspondance 2. This spell, as described above, is a manifestation of the the Death-Angel's malevolence upon the U-Boat itself. Or, that's what the spellcaster believes it to be, anyways. In lay-man's terms, its an assault of burning, firey energy that will explode from within the submarine, targetting its weakest structural point, thanks to the talisman use above. Arete 3, difficulty 7, -3 quintessence first roll, -1 for the next two. difficulty reduced to 4.
-1 WP for an automatic success. 4 total successes, difficulty reduced to 6 for two more rolls, 3 successes, 1 success. The Hermetic takes +3 Paradox for his efforts, to his body.))

((8 total successes. Forces use itself adds a +1 success in damage-terms by the charts, then I get another +1 for the honing-targetting spell the Mage did, with his talisman [Entropy 1 part of it], bringing it to 10 successes... X3, 30 levels of aggravated damage in terms of damage versus that particular weakness in structural damage. In lay man's terms. I think the submarine is dead. Hopefully your character can escape though -s- For further clarification, the Correspondance 2 part of the actual attack caused the assault to happen upon the exact, exact locale of the structural fault targetted, and 30 aggravated to that weak point in the design of the U-Boat means... well... no more U-Boat!))

((Note to all: That is why we do not need M:tA archmages running around. A single Disciple with arete 3 accomplished this.))