Here are this week’s research system rolls.

Balance of Power modifiers:

• Piltover: +1
• Bandle City: -1
• Zaun: +4
• Demacia: +3

Other modifiers:

• Zaun gains a +1 global bonus from Merricurry, and has a 25% chance of a “wildcard” breakthrough.
• Bandle City and Piltover will each give the other one bonus roll. This week, Bandle City will help Piltover with the Velocitronic Rail project (they need a way to transport those poros) and Piltover will help Bandle City with Lunar Base.

Other events:

• Sabotage! Zaun captured a yordle spy sneaking around their main research complex. They hauled him off to an interrogation chamber, but had only begun questioning him about the files he’d stolen when the (Piltovian) hexplosives went off back at the complex. Though considerably more precise and less fatal than the horrific explosions Zaun triggered in Piltover when the dispute began, the teensy little bombs disabled and destroyed a lot of important equipment. Zaun loses all research this week. However, they have a captive yordle spy now. Their interrogations have tipped them off to the impending Demacian attack. (More on that later. In short, Zaun is going to be better prepared for the fight.) Also CupcakeTrap will write better lore for this spy episode later when he’s not as tired.
• Zaun’s best lawyers are working on the petition for sanctions in the wake of this direct and violent breach of the earlier treaty. I’m not going to get into that right now, though, because there are about to be much stronger grounds for sanctions.
• The sabotage has delayed the launch of Zaun’s new Noxian Decontamination and Zeppelin Skyfleet projects. So Bandle City just delayed efforts to save sick Noxians from Void monsters. Nice job breaking it, heroes.
• More sabotage! While the Bandle City saboteur snuck into the research complex, a Piltovian agent in Shurima discovered the location of the Zaunite warpgate and rigged it with pyrikhos charges. When Zaun attempts to activate it before the battle, the charges will blow, overloading the warp matrix and temporarily disabling it. This will delay the deployment of reinforcements to Shurima. More information is available in Update 8: Shield of Light.

Piltover

The Velocitronic Rail (Gamma Phase) — High-speed hextech levitating train system
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +1
Roll: 3
Total: 4

Bandle City bonus roll: 9
Bandle City modifier: -1
Total: 8
Breakthrough! Project complete! Piltover’s scientists were stumped, but some clever yordles pointed out that the trick was not summoning a demon train. With that straightened out, it was no time at all before the train was plowing along the tracks.

Impact: There is now a high-speed levitating train running between Piltover and Demacia. This massively increases trade potential, and allows for swift deployment of troops in case of an attack.

Airship Armada (Gamma Phase) — Build a fleet of hextech airships
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +1
Roll: 8
Total: 9
Breakthrough! Project complete!

Impact: Piltover now has an awesome steampunk skyfleet for exploration, trade, travel, and combat air support.

The Lost Legion (Beta Phase) — Cure and re-equip Void-sickened Noxian refugees led by Riven
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +1
Roll: 3
Total: 4

Ionia’s Favor (Beta Phase) — Improve relations with Ionia
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +1
Roll: 4
Total: 5

Ultraceramic Armor (Alpha Phase) — Create pyrikhosian ceramic armor plating
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +1
Roll: 7
Total: 8
Breakthrough! Project advances to Beta Phase!

Danger Level: 2
Roll: 19 (success)

Bandle City

It is the declared intent of the Mothership Elders to, before this dispute is over, land a yordle on the moon and return them safely to Bandle City!

Yordle Submarines (Gamma Phase) — Explore the sea searching for Fizz’s lost civilization
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: -1
Roll: 4
Total: 3

Strategic Hexplosives (Gamma Phase) — Use pyrikhos to mass-produce high-yield explosives
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: -1
Roll: 4
Total: 3

Lunar Base (Beta Phase) — Build a research base and shipyard on the moon
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: -1
Roll: 8
Total: 7 :(

Piltover’s roll: 6 (+1) = 7 :(

Poro Farms (Beta Phase) — Design pyrikhos-powered refrigeration units to keep poros cool
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: -1
Roll: 1
Total: 0 (they tried to research the poros, but they were so cute that they ended up just snuggling and getting absolutely no research done)

Danger Level: 3
Roll: 2 (FAILURE)

Cosmic Balance bonus: re-roll failed Danger Level checks.

New roll: 16 (success)

Good job, Kennen.

Zaun

Psi-Korps (Beta Phase) — Psionic intelligence operatives
Target: 7 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +4
Merricurry bonus: +1
Roll:
Total:  

Solar Codex (Beta Phase) — Research into Shuriman magic
Target: 7 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +4
Merricurry bonus: +1
Roll:
Total:

Infinity Engine (Beta Phase) — Use Void Energy to create an engine capable of spaceflight
Target: 7 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +4
Merricurry bonus: +1
Roll:
Total:

Danger Level:  4
Roll: 10 (success)

Demacia

The Dawnbringers (Alpha Phase) — An army of paladins
Target: 8 or higher
Balance of Power Modifier: +3
Nefara bonus: +2 (I forgot to include this before, from Montesque’s plot)
Roll: 7
Total: 12
Breakthrough! Project advances to Beta Phase.

Danger Level: 1
Roll: 6 (success)

Stay tuned for more!

—CupcakeTrap