Ariane "Det" McKinnon

[M3mentoMori]

Ariane

Name: Ariane "Det"Det" stands for "Detonator"" McKinnon

Sheet: Link

Primary Role: Debuffer, Damage, Crowd Control

Secondary Role: Utility, Buffing, Overwatch

Crew Position: Engineer, Gunner

 

Personality: Energetic. Loves interesting things, and talking about them. Finds the various peoples the Crew helps out interesting, and enjoys learning more about them. Finds tech interesting, always tinkering with either an invention of her own creation, the Tank, or some bit of oldtech she's found. Loves sharing the interesting things she's found. More than a little odd, unhinged, even, in her love of Boom and custom mechanical devices. Ariane considers the crew as her second family, and the Tank as her home. She trusts in them implicitly, never wavering in her belief that - whatever obstacle may lie in their path - they will overcome it through trust, skill, camaraderie, and good ol' violence.

 

Description: An engineer through and through, Ariane is almost always bearing oil stains, smears of grease, and a scent of burnt gunpowder and chemicals. Years of explosive mishaps and minor accidents have made their mark on her, covering every inch of exposed skin with scars; shrapnel pockmarks, shiny burns, cuts long and short. Both of her arms, up to the shoulder, have been replaced with mechanical prosthetics in a passable facsimile of her original limbs, with wicked burns peeking out where metal meets flesh. 

 

Background: Born nearly thirty years ago in Slag ValleySituated near the ruins of a pre-Collision industrial center, Slag Valley's area was hit especially hard by the disasters of the Collision, ruining anything man-made for dozens of miles and rendering the area barren for years. The foundation of Slag Valley comes from both the wrecked machines left from before the apocalypse, as well as an exceptionally rich mineral vein that the Collision churned up from the deep crust to the surface. Using pieced-together oldtech smelting equipment and easy access to a variety of valuable minerals and metals, Slag Valley began making a name for itself as a premiere supplier of metal, ammunition, and explosives, as well as a budding center for technological development thanks to the abundance of resources and scraps of pre-Collision tech to attempt to reverse-engineer., the sixth child of ten born to a miner and a forge-mechanic, Ariane grew up quickly. Despite the Valley's relative peace, there was always work that needed to be done, and by the time she was seven, she was working in the mines, helping break up and haul whatever pieces of ore the miners had gathered for the day and getting to know her fellow laborers. It's in the mines that she caught her first glimpse of the rest of her life; the blasting of a new shaft, as the previous iron vein had run turned in a bad direction and they needed a better tunnel to get to the bulk of the ore. It was love at first sight; unassuming blocks of metal and chemicals creating - with what seemed like magic to ten-year-old Ariane - wonderful earth-shaking booms and clearing out tons of rock and ore in moments. It spoke to her, in the way only flashy, dangerous things can speak to impressionable young minds, and cemented her life's goal on the spot. It would be another three years of begging, puppy-dog eyes, and pointed comments before she was even allowed to hold a broken detonator, and another two before anyone would agree to teach her how to actually use them to blow stuff up.

 

Life after that was a blast; Ariane's wildest dreams about finally blowing stuff up was nothing compared to the thrill of actually doing it, and it took years more before she eventually got bored of the routine of it all. There was only so often she could go down and do the weekly blasting before it become routine, and even laying out landmines for the Oilwolves raidsA common component of Slag Valley's defenses are explosives and shrapnel; the blast-miners pull double-duty as bombmakers, maintaining and installing a respectable minefield outside the walls.

The Oilwolves are a smaller, local warband, identifiable by their signature - and eponymous - motorcycles, each with a wolf motif. Each Oilwolf is at least a competent mechanic, as becoming a full member of the warband requires building your own bike from scratch, then proving yourself by running down dangerous prey, like a guarded caravan, a particularly nasty beast, or a predatory dinosaur. Their leader, Fenris, is rumored to have driven off a smaller Kaiju for his initiation, though most consider his claim to be baseless bragging. had started to lose its luster, as much as it thrilled her to defend her home. She wanted more, and there was only one way she was going to get it; experimentation. Bigger bombs, alternate explosive mixtures, dead men's switches, timers... Every moment Ariane had to spare was spent outside the Valley's walls, setting off explosives and testing traps, all of her own making. Her parents - and the city's doctor, who she got to know very well, very quickly - vocally disapproved of her passion, but neither that nor numerous shrapnel wounds could dissuade her. Even misjudging the yield of an experimental mixture and shredding both of her arms and most of her torso didn't keep her away from the craft; instead, she had them replaced with metal prosthetics, added 'tinkering with her arms' to her list of questionable life decisions, and devised better safety measures so she'd stop destroying them every other week.

 

Her idyllic life of experimentation could not go on forever, however; not long after Ariane turned twenty, news came to Slag Valley; the DisciplesA terrifying combination of cult and warband, the Disciples follow a confusing and often-contradictory religion, making sense only to themselves and sometimes not even that. Most years, they tend to keep to themselves, caught up in sectarian conflict over interpretations and beliefs, mixed in with a rare raid for supplies and converts. Every once in a while, however, a sect wins a decisive victory and assumes a more active role in the territory, harassing and raiding settlements until differences of belief rear their head and they fall back into civil war. had a new leader, and one of his opening moves had been to crush the Oilwolves, slaughtering them to the last man, and rumor had it he was turning his sights on the Valley to claim their resources and cement his rule. This worried the Valley greatly; some of the workers were old enough to remember the last raid from the Disciples, and how they barely survived as an entity thanks to an opportunistic backstab in the middle of the assault sending the warband back to infighting. They couldn't rely on another stroke of luck to survive, and even with the recent growth of Slag Valley, they couldn't hold off such a large warband on their own. They needed help, and soon, and so sent out runners to nearby settlements with instructions to offer any reputable mercenary group a wealth of raw and processed materials if they'd assist in defending. Half a dozen mercenary groups answered the call, among them - to the town's delight - The Tank.

 

Unfortunately, even such a gathered force wasn't enough to stem the tide of the Disciples, and slowly the defenses were overrun. Slag Valley died that day, as did every mercenary who answered the call, leaving the Disciples with undisputed control over the mines and production of the Valley. Or what was left of it, at least; once the battle was lost, the survivors of the Valley collapsed the mines and destroyed the equipment, intent denying their enemy what they came for. Of those who lived in Slag Valley and who answered the call, only The Tank - their tank badly damaged and running on fumes - and a mere dozen residents survived, Ariane among them. The Crew, in face of the lost battle, offered to take the survivors to a nearby settlement, an offer the survivors accepted. Ariane, however, did not, instead demanding that The Crew took her on as an apprentice, to better prevent such a tragedy from happening again. It took her pleading and begging for the entire week-long trip to safety, but by the time they made port, Ariane was the newest apprentice on The Tank, and - not long after - the latest shareholder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by M3mentoMori (see edit history)

[Paxon]

You're good. As long as it was in before I checked in this morning (for me) I'm okay with the entry. Go ahead and keep developing.

[M3mentoMori]

 Ariane - "Det" McKinnon - Blacksmith (Techsmith) 6/Technician (Rigger) 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Show Mechanics OOC commentary ___________________________________________________ Main Hand: Empty Off Hand: Empty ___________________________________________________ Free: Your free actions go here. Swift: Your swift action goes here. Move: Your movement goes here. Standard: Your standard action goes here.

Show Mini Character Sheet Ariane - Blacksmith (Techsmith) 6/Technician (Rigger) 6 ___________________________________________________ STATS Str 17 (+3) Dex 20 (+5) Con 20 (+5) Int 16 (+3) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 7 (-2) HP 90/90 HD d10+5 Speed 30 ft.    Initiative +13 Languages Language 1, Language 2, Language 3, Language 4, Language 5, Language 6 ___________________________________________________ OFFENSE Grenade Launcher (range 70ft) +12 attack, varies on ammo Heavy Sniper Rifle (range 180/1,800, touch to 900) +14 attack, 3d6+5 B&P damage Seeker Missile Cannon (range long (400 + 40ft/level) N/A attack, 1d4x6 bludg/fire damage in 5ft radius ___________________________________________________ DEFENSE AC 22 [Touch 17, FF 17] CMD 26 [FF 21] Saving Throws Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +7 DR N/A Special N/A ___________________________________________________ SKILLS Craft [Mechanical] +24, Disable Device +26, Drive +14, Perception +9, Stealth +14 ___________________________________________________ Whatever Else Weapon-Propelled Grenades  Smoke, Flashbang, Frag

Show Equipment     Hidden Storage (10lbs current, 10lbs/1cbft max) ___________________________________________________   Trap Bag (10lbs) ___________________________________________________ General Inventory (42 lbs.) Exquisite +3 Sturdy Backpack (4lbs): +2 to Strength for carry weight 50 rounds of Heavy Ammo (5.5lbs) Gunsmith's Kit (2lbs) Masterwork Binoculars (2lbs) 2 Smoke Weapon-Propelled Grenades [WPGs] (2lbs) 2 Flashbang WPGs (2lbs) 3 Frag WPGs (3lbs) Exceptional +3 Thieves' Tools (2lbs) Flashlight (1lb) Gasmask (2lbs) 2 Gasmask Filters Compass (.5lbs) Walkie-Talkies [1 pair] (1lb) Det's Lucky Toolbox [Exceptional +3 Profitable Craft [Mechanical] Tool] (5lbs) Engineering Kit (10lbs)   Equipped Gear (33 lbs) ___________________________________________________ Heavy Sniper Rifle (15lbs) Grenade Launcher (6lbs) Seeker Missile Cannon Darkleaf Cloth Leather Lamellar (12.5lbs) Coin Purse Platinum: 0 Gold: 100 Electrum: 0 Silver: 0 Copper: 0   Encumbrance Max Load: 100 (light)/200 (medium)/300 (heavy) Current Weight: 85lbs

Show Abilities    Passive Effects ___________________________________________________   Breaking Blast: Det's ranged attacks deal full damage to objects, instead of half.   Expert Reloading: Ariane reduces the time needed to reload ranged weapons she is proficient in by one step: full-round > standard > move > free   Mechanical Savant: When Ariane makes a successful ranged attack with an attack action, AoO, or additional attacks granted by class features or talents, while wielding a crossbow or firearm, she deals extra damage equal to 1/2 her BAB (minimum 1).   Huntsman Training: Det only suffers a -1 penalty per range increment when using a ranged weapon.   Deathless: As long as Ariane has Martial Focus, the number of hitpoints she can be reduced to below 0 without dying is doubled (2x Con score [40]).   Greater Sunder: Det gains a +1 competence bonus to sunder combat maneuver checks, as well as to her CMB vs sunders. For ever 4 BAB she has, this bonus increases by 1 [+2]. Does not stack with Powerful Maneuvers or Greater Sunder feat.   Opportunist: Creatures struck by Det's dart traps or who fail a save against her snare traps provoke an AoO from her. She may make this AoO with a ranged weapon, so long as it is within her first range increment.   Warning: Allies who can see and hear Det never trigger her traps unless they choose to.   Combat Reflexes: Ariane gains additional attacks of opportunity each round equal to her Dexterity modifier (+5).   Active Effects ___________________________________________________   Vital Strike: When Det uses the attack action, she may make a single attack at her highest BAB with double the base weapon damage dice (not multiplied on a critical hit)   Deadly Shot (Sniper Sphere): As a special attack action, Det may make an attack with a ranged weapon, and may add one (snipe) talent she knows to the attack. She may expend martial focus to have the attack deal an extra 1d10 damage, plus 1d10 per 4 BAB. This damage is reduced to d6 if the attack targets Touch AC.   Hindering Projectiles (snipe): Ariane's successful deadly shot lodges inside the target, inflicting a -2 penalty to attack rolls, AC, and CMD. This ability stacks, increasing the penalty by 2 per application. The target may remove a single stack by spending a move action, or multiple as a full-round action.   Place Snare or Dart Trap: As a full-round action (standard, if she has Martial Focus), Ariane can make a DC 5 Craft [Mechanical] check to place a snare trap or dart trap in a square within her reach. [This will be in OOC tags: The trap persists for 1 round per point she beats the DC by, and occupies one five-foot square, plus one more five-foot square per five ranks in Craft [Mechanical]. All squares must be contiguous, and you cannot place two traps in the same square. Entering a square triggers the trap. The DC to resist her traps is 10 + 1/2 Craft [Mechanical] Ranks + her constitution modifier. The DC to detect or disable her traps is 10 + Craft [Mechanical] Bonus. If Det warns someone, or they see her place the trap, they get a +5 circumstance bonus to Reflex saves, AC, and Perception checks against that trap. A Trap has Hardness equal to Craft [Mechanical] ranks, AC equal to 10 + Craft [Mechanical] ranks, and 5 + (5 per 2 Craft [Mechanical] ranks); Hardness 6, AC 16, 20 HP.   Snare Trap: A snare trap targets the first creature to enter one of the squares it occupies. A creature may avoid the snare with a successful Reflex save. Doing so leaves the trap untriggered and makes the creature both aware of the trap and able to pass through its space freely without further risk of triggering it. A snare may benefit from one (snare) talent.   Dart Trap: A dart trap targets a line originating from one corner of the squares it occupies, out to Close Range (25ft + 5ft per two ranks of Craft [Mechanical], 40ft), and stops after one creature is hit. When triggered, make a ranged attack roll against each creature in line until one is hit. You may substitute Craft [Mechanical] + Int mod + BAB for Dex+BAB on this roll. The dart deals 1d6 damage, plus 1d6 for every two ranks above 1 (2d6 at 3, 3d6 at 5, and so on), with Crit 20/x3. A dart trap may benefit from a single (dart) talent.    Trap Talents: Tripwire (failure knocks the target prone, loses 5rds of duration upon triggering), Razor Wire (as Tripwire, but also deals slashing damage equal to a Dart trap's to the triggering creature),  Gadgets and Inventions ___________________________________________________

Edited June 24, 2022 by M3mentoMori (see edit history)

[Paxon]

16 hours ago, M3mentoMori said:

Character sheet is mostly finished; still tweaking things and picking a last few bits. Choosing gear is gonna be a pain lol. Are you doing pre-game crafting, or should I buy stuff at base cost?

Will take a look later and let you know if I have any feedback/suggestions, I know some bits are placeholder. Though usually the best route is to build/create the character you want to play.

 

As far as pre-game crafting, no. Buy at base cost.

[M3mentoMori]

Good to know, thanks.

 

I am building the character I want to play. Feedback forces me to consider the character from angles I don't normally think of. I have the answers, but not the questions, if that makes sense.

[Paxon]

Feedback: Overall, the makings of an interesting character (and I fully realize most people really need characterization to develop during play) and one that would work well with a group. Here are some questions that came up for me reading what you have of the bio and backstory.

What is it that compels her to keep messing around with explosives despite losing limbs and being horribly scarred by them? Obsessive interest? Irrepressible will and resilience to keep going? A little bit crazy? Maybe a combination of those, or something else entirely. 

It seems like she would probably have been highly valued member of her previous community, and she has/had deep family connections there. So what is it that motivated her to join the crew of the tank? I can see you're still thinking out this part of the background, so this is just more to riff off of. Two more obvious choices are that 1) her community was destroyed by the big warband and she latched onto the crew at some point later, or 2) the tank helped in some way against the warband, and she was enraptured by that possible life instead. I mean hey, lots of other possibilities of blowing things up. 

A little bit related to the above would be that the life of a tanker is full of danger and combat. How does Det approach that aspect of the work? She was a miner, was she also part of the community defenses? Or did the desire to fight come about from whatever the instigating event ends up being? 

I'm not really going to comment on mechanics at this point, but hopefully that gives you something more to go on as far as the background.

[M3mentoMori]

Early-on, it was a mix of youthful arrogance, will, and a love for what she did, a dash of crazy, and experience; a lot of her major injuries came after she had mastered the basics and started doing her own experiments.

 

Nowadays, it's still much of the same, except youthful arrogance has been replaced with confidence in skill; Det doesn't make the same mistakes twice, and each scar of hers birthed a safety precaution that has saved her from gaining more.

 

Det was rather valuable for the community; her custom explosives and knack for traps gave them an edge on defending against moderate numbers.

 

I'm leaning toward a mix of both options; her community hired the Crew, but they failed to drive off the warband. A lot of the community was lost, but the survivors - which did not include Det's family - managed to escape on the Tank. They were all brought to another community and settled there, but Det begged to be apprenticed,for several reasons. She had nowhere else to go, the Tank helped defend them despite being outnumbered. The Tank itself didn't hurt, either.

 

Ariane was a part of the defenses, yes. She was relatively familiar with combat, between traps, grenades, and potshots with a rifle. Losing her home and family drives her to ensure it doesn't happen to others. She doesn't love fighting - as the constant conflict of the Wastes is what took her home from her - but if the choice is let someone else suffer or fight, she'll choose the latter every time.

 

Thanks for the questions; I think that'll get me through the rest of the backstory. I'll start work on it once I'm off of work; hopefully I can finish before the deadline.

[M3mentoMori]

@Paxon Managed to finish the backstory, so I humbly submit Ariane "Det" McKinnion, PhD in Boom-o-mancy.

 

E: Though I have a mechanical question. Can I make Masterwork Mechanical Ranged Weaponry with the Tech Sphere at all? Like by spending the gold and time to craft the masterwork component?

Edited June 14, 2022 by M3mentoMori (see edit history)

[Paxon]

8 hours ago, M3mentoMori said:

@Paxon Managed to finish the backstory, so I humbly submit Ariane "Det" McKinnion, PhD in Boom-o-mancy.

 

E: Though I have a mechanical question. Can I make Masterwork Mechanical Ranged Weaponry with the Tech Sphere at all? Like by spending the gold and time to craft the masterwork component?

Fantastic, marked submitted

 

Answer: Yes, but you'll need the Craft Permanent Gadget feat, and make it into a permanent gadget. A bit expensive of course, but potentially cool. A permanent gadget is considered Masterwork by default, so there you go. If you want to increase its masterwork level, I'm allowing the 1st level of masterwork to be deducted from the cost (that is: a Grand Master weapon costs 1200gp - 300gp = 900gp in addition to the weapon creation cost). I also allowed in the Q&A thread another player (and thus anyone) when using this feat to basically pay full price (double the crafting cost) to begin the game with the item. I think a number of players will end up with the tech sphere, so once we begin I may consider using the expanded crafting rules listed near the bottom of the tech sphere page (and allow players to retrain feats accordingly) but for now just go with the Craft Permanent Gadget feat if you want masterwork tech sphere items.

[M3mentoMori]

Wonderful, thanks.

[M3mentoMori]

formatting playground post, don't mind me.

Edited June 27, 2022 by M3mentoMori (see edit history)