Taking a deep breath and stepping back into the center of the clearing, Advere gathers up a considerable amount of Dark Energy in his palms and lets it engulf his entire body in an impenetrable cocoon, so thickly protected that he can't even see out of it. As he's inside the barrier, something odd begins to happen- the slash on his leg stops hurting as it quickly repairs itself. All of the smaller scratches and bruises he's acquired all fade away as though they were never there to begin with, and only when this healing process is over does he realize just how beat up the journey has made him, subtly injuring him over long periods of time. Now rejuvenated, Advere feels ready to take on the rest of the panthers, and brings the shield down in time to witness two panthers stalking towards him from behind. He sends a powerful Shadow Wave at the cats, the ball of energy soaring towards the targets before imploding and sending them slamming into the dense trees nearby. Advere runs towards them and finds them both in a very small clearing, still recovering from the blast, and cleanly cleaves off the head of the nearest one with Lamina Tenebraum. Its companion leaps up a tree, flipping off it and onto another one when Advere chops right through the thick trunk with his sword, and just before it reaches safety, he hurls the blade towards the cat, embedding the point deep into its spine. It falls lifelessly from the treetop and slams into the ground. Advere calmly removes the blade and walks back towards the larger clearing. He mulls over something he noticed- that both of the cats had already been injured, meaning they must be whittling their numbers down pretty badly. But he also gets the feeling that there are a few cats which they haven't even seen at all, and that worries him- it suggests there's a command hierarchy of some kind, that there are smarter, deadlier cats leading the grunts against the group. "Guess we'll deal with them when they show up."
Passive Abilities
CQC (+1 to rolls involving close quarters actions)
Light Step (+1 to rolls involving stealth or sneaking)
Magneto Field (A magnetic field that deflects enemy bullets)
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Death Stare: Paralyze enemies with a terrifying gaze. Cost = 10 Energy
Shadow Hurl: Hurl out tangible shadows against your foes. Cost = 20 Energy
Dark Barrier: A full-body shield of compressed dark energy; heals all bodily injuries. Can only be used on self. Cost = 30 Energy
Shadow Wave: Create an explosive shockwave with a condensed ball of dark energy. Cost = 30 Energy
Annihilation: Unleash Godly fury with this high-energy attack; leaves you unable to fight for 1 turn. Cost = 80 Energy
Weapons
Lamina Tenebraum
M16A4 Rifle (30 rounds/90 spare rounds)
L9A1 High-Power Pistol (13 rounds/39 spare rounds)
Machete
Inventory
3 M67 Grenades
Full canteen of water (3 uses, restores Energy)
Hat and sunglasses
Condition(s)
Energy: 40 / 100

Damien stays on the move, running around a bit to try and catch one of the panthers by surprise, but doesn't have much luck. He turns around when he hears a growl down a side path, and sees Wilson dodging a leaping panther. He pulls out the M107 as Wilson disembowels the beast, thinking he's killed it and relaxing it, but the panther whirls around and leaps again. Damien takes the shot (Roll + Marksman = 5), sending a bullet straight through the cat's head. Wilson shouts his thanks when he realizes who's saved him.
Passive Abilities
Marksman (+1 to rolls involving long-range combat)
First-Aid (+1 to rolls involving healing actions)
Null Field: An energy field that incinerates projectiles.
-Only when blurred
Hyperion Edge: A powerful light sword that spawns automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Dragoon Wings: Strong wings made out of light that spawn automatically with blur formation.
-Only when blurred
Techniques
Blast: Generate a kinetic shockwave. Cost = 20 Energy
Panacea: Heal any and all injuries. Cost = 50 Energy
Sun Tendrils: Streams of tangible light. Cost = 20 Energy
Tsunami: Generates waves of burning light that rapidly expand in all directions. Cost = 50 Energy
Weapons
Barret M107 CQAM Rifle (2 rounds/50 spare rounds)
FA-MAS (20 rounds/60 spare rounds)
Conditions
Deadly Venom (Unpreventable death in 3 turns when activated)
Energy: 30 / 100

Again favoring his compact sidearm over the bulky M240, Fred pulls out the Mini-Uzi and looks around for a target. He sees a dark glow a little ways away (Roll + Life Detection = 3) and runs down the path, preparing to take aim at it, when it suddenly vanishes. "Hmm." It didn't really move anywhere- it simply went *poof* and dissipated. Fred can't see any signs of life in the treetops or the surrounding brush. There was something odd about the shape- it seemed bigger than the rest of the already massive cats, and its life force was denser and more solid, and of a darker color, than the rest of the cats'.
Passive Abilities
Juggernaut (Increased health and endurance, reduces all damage taken)
Commando (+1 to rolls involving killing/shooting at animals/people; less affected by recoil and weight)
Awareness (Increased perception, less likely to be surprised by traps or ambushes)
Life Detection (+1 to rolls searching for people or vital signs)
Strong Arm (+1 to rolls involving throws; doesn't stack with "Knife Throw")
Techniques
Knife Throw (+2 to knife throw rolls)
Burst (+1 to a roll, removes negative modifiers temporarily; -2 to next roll)
Weapons
M240 w/ Foregrip & EOTech Holo-Sight (75 rounds/200 spare rounds)
Upgraded Mini-Uzi (Kinetically Charged Battery: 85%)
Combat Knife
Ban Ali Obsidian Spear
Inventory
First Aid Kit
Binoculars
N.V.G.
Heavy Kevlar Armor (Woodland Camo)
GPS
Atomic Watch
5 C4 Charges w/ detonator
Conditions

David decides that the best way to kill the panthers would be to shoot them, preferably with a gun, though he would likely need to aim first. After reaching this startling conclusion, he sees a dark shape dart out some distance down the path he's standing on, and he takes aim with the Magpul, sending a stream of lead towards the cat. He doesn't hear any yowl of pain, indicating that he's probably missed, and he walks over there, visual inspection confirming it- there are 10 bullet holes in a nearby tree trunk, with no blood near the tree itself. "Sigh." He reloads the Magpul, putting in one of his three remaining spare magazines.
Passive Abilities
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions)
CQC (+1 to close quarters' actions)
Knife Mastery (+1 to knife attacks; stacks with CQC)
Reactive Energy (Automatically attacks incoming threats. Four uses.) [**--]
Techniques
Long Jump (+1 to jumping)
Weapons
Magpul PDR (30 rounds/60 spare rounds)
MGL-140 loaded w/ High Explosive Grenades (6 rounds/16 spare rounds)
-Anti-Tank Grenades (5 rounds/0 discs)
Trench Knife
Inventory
Shoulder Bag:
-Rations
-Comprehensive First-Aid Kit
Conditions
Light Scratch (-1 to movement for three turns) [*--]

Wilson slings back his M4 and instead pulls out his Composite Scimitar- just in time to hear a rustle in the bushes to his right. He sees a panther leap out at him, as if in slow motion, and he intercepts the attack with a deft roll that places him under the panther; he slashes upward with his blade, piercing through the chest (Roll + Blade Mastery = 4 ) and the sword easily slides down the entire length of the cat with it going one direction and him going the opposite. He stands up feeling great, and then catches sight of the panther, his jaw dropping- the beast, disemboweled, is whirling around for another attack. Before he can react, it leaps at him, fearless, with its entrails beginning to slide out of the gaping maw of its open ventral side, but before it reaches him, a gunshot breaks out and the cat is slammed to Wilson's left by the impact of the bullet, its head smashed to bits. He looks right and sees Damien down the path, rifle smoking. "Thanks!"
Passive Abilities
Charismatic (+1 when interacting with people)
Tactical Mind (+1 when carrying out plans)
Blade Mastery (+1 to rolls using heavy blades, like machetes and scimitars)
Techniques
Dark Hands (Makes dark energy envelop hands. Four uses.) [****]
Double Slash (Roll twice for blade attacks, take the larger roll.)
Weapons
M4A1 (25 rounds/132 spare rounds)
-M230 Underslung Grenade Launcher (1 round/6 grenades)
MAC-10 (32 rounds/96 spare rounds)
Composite Scimitar
Inventory
Backpack:
-N.V.G.
-$2.74 in loose change
Conditions

Stumbling back to the clearing next to Die, Blue Demon sits back and waits for her left shoulder to repair itself. She doesn't wait long, though- as soon as Die sees her injury, she reaches out and gently places her hand over the wound, and Blue feels a warming sensation spreading through her left arm. When Die's done, the wound looks several days old, totally patched up and free of blood. There's a jagged scar, roughly three or four inches long, showing where the panther's claws dug in. "I can't fix that, but the scar's not really important anyways. You should be good to go now."
Conditions

Die sits in the clearing to let herself recover a bit, and just as she feels ready to reenter the fight, Blue Demon stumbles in from one of the paths, clutching a heavily bleeding left shoulder in grimacing in pain. She, too, sits down to take a breather, and Die reaches over, placing her hand over the wound and concentrating a healing energy into it. After a few seconds, she removes her hand to see that the wound has healed properly, but there is a jagged scar on Blue's shoulder where the wound had been. "I can't fix that, but the scar's not really important anyways. You should be good to go now."

"Always in trouble, eh Vlad?"
The Panther decides that Andrew is the easier target and attacks, swiping claws like its batting at a fly. Andrew steps back twice to dodge then crouches and throws his foot upward as a kind of uppercut. (4+Berserk+FoF=6): His foot connects with the underside of the cat's jaw and it stumbles backward, leaving Andrew flat on his back. The cat gets ready to pounce on top of him, but Vlad lets out a yell and crash tackles it.
ABILITY USED: Berserk (1 turns remaining)

Appearance:
20, Black hair, brown eyes, 6', well built.
Condition(s)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Abilities
Fists of fury (+1 to actions involving melee)
Forced Break & Entry (+1 to actions involving breaking things)
Hyper Focus (+1 concentration. 2 of 6 uses)
RAGE FACE (+1 to intimidation & pain-ignorance)
Anti-Laser (Immune to attacks using Pure Energy as a Main Source, unless rolling a 1)
Blast-Proof (Immune to explosive forces, unless rolling a 1)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Berserk Mode - Uses all abilities as needed and an additional +1 to all rolls. -1 to the roll in which you exit this mode. Maximum 5 consecutive uses and 2 turn cooldown.
Knuckles Busted (Negates Fists of Fury for 5 turns)
Weapons
M4 'Beowulf' Carbine (0 of 30 rounds)
Beretta 92FS (7 of 10 rounds)
Extendable baton (snapped in half)
Inventory
Top gun sunglasses (Worn)
Blast-Proof Jacket (Pockets: 7 slot used, 3 available)
- Jacket Usage Manual
- 8 Rations (+1 to next action)
- A water bottle (+1 to next action, 1 use)
- Ammo (5 Handgun magazines)
Waist Pockets (18 slots used, 2 available)
- 3 rockets for a SMAW
- Swiss army knife
- Utility Machete
- Ammo (2 Drums, 4 Handgun Magazines)
Botanist's Backpack (19 slots used, 11 available):
- Flare Gun and 3 red flares
- A Folding Shovel
- Some empty vials
- 30ft of rope
- Briefcase (Broken lock but closed)
- 5 Beowulf Magazines
[/url]

"Always in trouble, eh Vlad?"
Vlad doesn't answer - he's too preoccupied with the cat right in from of him. The Panther decides that Andrew is the easier target and attacks, swiping claws like its batting at a fly. Andrew dodges the attacks and then crouches to throw his foot upward as a kind of uppercut. The cat stumbles backward and leaves Andrew flat on his back. It then crouches and growls - about to pounce. Vlad sees this as the only opportunity and lets out a yell before (3+Cyber=5): charging and tackling the cat to the ground. He plunges his knife into its side repeatedly until it kicks him away. He stands up and Andrew is right there next to him. The cat is limping.
Appearance:
27, Russian. 6' 2", shaved blonde hair, green eyes, well built.
Condition(s)
Rested for ∞ turns, ∞ turns before tiredness.
Holey foot (-1 to running every second turn)
Apricot Effect ( Anti-Poison )
Abilities
Cybernetics (+2 to mobile actions, speed is doubled, 4 of 5 uses)
Athletic (+1 to mobile actions, passive ability)
Scar-face (+1 Intimidation, -1 Charisma etc)
Resilience (Gains one extra roll before death)
Pilot Training (Able to fly aircraft, Cannot roll 1s)
Mental Link (Can project thoughts to others and 'see' theirs)
Slow Motion (Uncontrollable)
Instinctual Actions (Vladimir does things without thinking or knowing)
Say what? ( ??? )
Weapons
Saiga-12 Combat Shotgun (6 of 8 shells)
Khazar-replicated knife
Spy's Grappling Cane with hidden blade
Inventory
Containment Unit (37 slots used, 13 available)
- Carved Wooden Statuette of self
- Radio
- Cellphone
- Flare gun
- Ammo (18 Shotgun Shells, 8 handgun magazines)
- 5 days of Rations (15 meals, +1 to next turn)
- TOP-SECRET Information File
- Bubblewrapped Mechanical Cube (Downed Phoenix?)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Kit (1 Use left, nonrefillable)
- Cybernetic Enhancement Upgrade Kit

Asfer cycles the chamber around backwards one slot and is about to load a HE Shell into it when the Panther he saw crashes into him. The 3 shells fall out of the open chamber, along with the one HE shell, and scatter on the smoke-covered ground. He can't see them.
"Crap!"
(SixthSense=4): Instead he switches to the Mk.II Vulcan and sprays at where the Panther was. He doesn't think he hit it.

Appearance:
Pilot: 21y/o. Mobile Armored Frame EXpirimental 103 Cannon Exosuit.
Condition(s)
Loud (-2 to sneaking, stealth etc)
Heavyweight (-1 to any actions involving fast movement)
Limp (Old wound, -1 to running or faster)
Heavy Armour (Asfer's body is mostly safe from harm)
Generator Power 90% (Being ignored for ease of gameplay)
Abilities
Large Muscle Mass (+1 to action requiring strength)
Sixth sense (+1 to detecting enemies, traps etc)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Super Sprint (Diverts all power to the legs of the Exo-Suit to sprint. Max 3 consecutive uses. +2 to sprints, -2 to any other power-using action)
Weapons
Mk.III 40mm Revolver Cannon (0 of 6 rounds, 1 turn to reload) RELOAD!
Mk.II 5.7x28mm Vulcan Gun (35 of 250 rounds, 1 turn to reload) READY
Bladed Shield (Left arm) EXTENDED
Inventory
Mk.III Current Grenade Loadout: 1xHE, 1xFrag, 2xSmoke, 2xStun
MAF-EX103C Exo-suit (1 turn to enter/exit)
Ultra-compact generator (Recharged by light, 5% per turn or 15% if resting)
Sensor node (Left Shoulder, IR, NV, auto-targeting camera)
Underslung Harpoon Gun (Attached to Thermite Revolver, loaded)
- 2 spare Harpoons
Rear cargo container: (14 slots used, 36 slots available)
- 40mm cannon rounds (2xHE, 2xFrag, 4xSmoke, 3xStun, 9 slots total)
- 250 spare Vulcan rounds (3 slots total)
- 4 spare Thermite rounds (2 slots)
- Mk.IV 20mm Thermite Revolver (5 of 5 rounds, minor action to reload) READY

His Night-Vision Goggles don't make it any easier to see anything in the smoke. He fails to find a way out, but instead finds Asfer, who is looking frantically around on the ground for something. Johnny has followed him.

Appearance:
24, blue eyes, 5'6", curly hair, stylish hat.
Condition(s)
Sprained Ankle (Countered by makeshift splint)
Night Vision Goggles (No darkness modifier)
Abilities
Veteran Sniper (+1 to sniping actions)
Sneaky (+1 to stealth actions)
Night Vision Goggles (+1 to seeing in low-light/darkness/etc)
Branch Balancing (+1 to actions involving movement in/on trees)
Weapons
Silenced Dragunov Sniper Rifle (5-15x scope, .44 FMJ, Magazine 6/7, slung)
Silenced MP5 (Magazine 15/30, wielded)
Molotov x5 (Roll a 3 or higher to successfully throw)
Inventory
Wet Wooden Torch used as a Crutch
Night Vision Goggles (Worn, activated)
Backpack (12 slots used, 13 slots available)
- 5-10x Thermal Scope (1 turn to switch to, 1 slot)
- 5 Dragunov Magazines (2 slots)
- 5 MP5 Magazines (2 slots)
- Rations (3 days, 9 uses, +1 to next action, 3 slots) One used as padding on makeshift crutch
- Lighter (1 slot)
- 21pk Cigarettes (1 slot)

Ruben moves slowly through the smoke and it's easy to follow him. They find Asfer, who is looking frantically around on the ground for something.

Appearance:
22, stereotypical Chinese face, average build
Condition(s)
Instant-5 Recuperation ( 1/10 )
Shot (-1 to using non-preferred arm)
Heavily Injured Shoulder (Serious bullet wound, restricted movement but no death)
Abilities
(Johnny's abilities are unknown and will only be revealed when he uses them)
Night/Thermal Vision (No Darkness modifiers)
Motion Tracker (+1 to aiming at moving targets)
Sword Mastery (+2 while fighting with Tang-Jian & Sheath, -1 when using other melee weapons)
Observant (+1 to examining or similar)
Make it happen (instant-5, can only use once per 10 rolls, see condition)
Weapons
(Johnny's weapons are hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses them)
JS 7.62 Sniper Rifle (10 rounds, hidden)
FN P90 Silenced (50 rounds, hidden)
Tang-Jian (Sheathed across back, under coat)
Tribal Belt Knife (1+ to hidden or stealthy attacks, sheathed)
Inventory
(Most of Johnny's inventory is hidden from view and will only be revealed when he uses it)
Bright Green Apricot-like fruit (Unknown effect, 1 slot)
Black Overcoat
Aviator Shades (NV, TV, Motion Tracking)
Bulletproof Vest (100%)
2x Laser InfraRed attachments (used)
Black Backpack (9 slots used, 16 available)
- 3 P90 Mags (2 slots)
- 3 JS 7.62 Mags (2 slots)
- Laptop (Touchscreen, linked to SR Scope) (2 slots)
- 2 Spare Laptop Batteries (Shake-to-charge, 100%-100%, 2 slots)

The signal is faint and slowly dying, so the VN Warrior makes sure it is moving at an optimum speed. It finds a soldier clutching itself in pain near the previous fighting location. The signal comes from him.

Appearance:
10ft tall Spider-mech, Jungle Camo, Y-shaped feet, Serial no. on back, Robotik© logo
Condition(s)
Large Size (+1 to taking specific damage, cannot fit in small spaces)
Core Processing (Exploitable, Fast 'thinking')
Loud (Cannot sneak)
Abilities
Metal Plate Armour (Immune to small arms fire)
Thermal/Night Vision Camera (Automatic, no darkness modifiers)
Enhanced Radio System (External Mic & Speaker)
Wireless (Internal Linksys Wifi Card)
Weapons
Rotary Autocannon (125/125 shells)
Modified M1b Browning Machinegun (290/500 rounds)
Inventory
Mk. IV Robotik© Octo-Core Realtime Processing Unit (A.I. V1.1b)
High Resolution Camera (Thermal/Night Vision)
'Black Box' Situational Events Recording Archive
Backup Processing Core (Storage only: must be manually connected)
3x Extra Firearm Mounting Ports
Storage Container (10 slots used, 2 available)
- 9x Cannon Ammo box (125 shells ea, Minor reload action)
- 1x Browning Ammo box (500 rounds, Major reload action)

Tyler falls over backward in pain and holds his arms around his stomach.
"Arghh... ♥♥♥♥ me. "
The cat snarls at him but then looks over its shoulder and runs off. From the trees comes a hulking, 8-legged robot with a gun attached to its central part. It 'looks' at him with a large camera.
"Oh, this just keeps gettin' better an' better..."

Condition(s)
Slashed Midsection (-1 to all rolls, can bleed out if kept unchecked)
Appearance:
19, 6 foot, shaggy hair, skinny grey jeans, T-shirt, dark zippered-hoodie, skate shoes.
Abilities
Stealth (+1 to stealth actions)
Athletics (+1 to agility-related actions)
Chaotic (Things are more chaotic or gory around you)
Akimbo (Can use two weapons at once, 4 or 5 to use successfully)
Auditory R&R (+1 to any non-combat action while listening to your music)
Weapons
Silenced H&K UMP45 (25 of 25 rounds, stock-less, slung)
Silenced H&K USP .45 (12 of 12 rounds, holstered)
Machete (Sheathed)
Ballistic Knife (Single use unless retrieved, sheathed) Paralysis
Pair of Throwing Knives (1 turn to extract from shoes)
Inventory
Skiing mask
Chocolate snack bar
iPod and Skullcandy headphones
Garrote (5 of 5 uses)
Cellphone
Broken Roomba thing

James rolls over and tries to stand, but a striking pain down his back stops him.
"Grah!"
He must have pulled a muscle or something. He stands up - barely - and manages to get off a shot at the Panther with one pistol before it leaps and slams into him. As he rolls along the ground his left-handed pistol is knocked from his grasp and presumably Maria screams.

Condition(s)
Back Pain (-1 to next roll)
Appearance:
British, tall with an athletic build; blond hair, blue eyes, attractive.
Abilities:
Ambidextrous (+1 to rolls involving the use of both hands)
Sly (+1 to sneaking, deceiving, picking up ladies etc)
Mental Link - Vladimir ('Telepathy' with Vladimir)
Weapons:
Super-Heated-Plasma-Rounds Rifle (92% Energy)
High-Powered Dual Laser Pistols (70% | 68% Energies)
Mono-filament Bladed Bronze Knuckles
Inventory:
Backpack (20 slots used, 5 available)
-Rations (12 meals, +1 to next action, 2 slots)
-Water Bottle (1 use, +1 to next action, 1 slot)
-One hand-lit flare ( slots)
-Box of 6 Cigars (lasts 2 turns, +1 to awesomeness, 1 slot)
-Box of 42 matches (3+ to use, 1 slot)
-1x C-4 Explosive (3+ to use, 2 slots)
-3x Flash bangs (3+ to use, 2 slots)
-Blasting caps (3+ to use, 1 slot)
-Box of 6 Cigar guns (Disposable, single use, 1 slot)
-Fancy Expensive, manly cologne (1 slot)
-Plasma Rifle Ammo (5 mags, 5 slots)
-Utility machete (2 slots)