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Libri wipes the remnant glitter from her longsword as the party continues on. She walks near one of the glowing patches and picks at an area with the edge of her longsword, being careful not to actually touch the substance with her skin. "Hmm. An interesting substance. It doesn't appear to be corrosive; it hasn't caused any erosion of the metal it is touching." Libri continues to look around the room.
"Jorac, can you make anything of the metal parts in this area? Is there anything of importance?"
"Any ideas what tis'?" Mef asks.
Taran eyes the glowing substance suspiciously. "Careful about touching that stuff, lass."
The goop is not radioactive and has no effect on Libri's sword when she dabs at it. It is likely to be some fluid left over from the engine explosion and while it would perhaps be dangerous to consume or to contact for a long time, it doesn't appear to have any harmful effect immediately.
Well, lets move on eh. Green goo won't help us save Torch."
The air in the next compartment is choking and stale. The dust here is inches thick-nothing hsa disturbed this area in years. To the west, the wall is partially crushed and melted, leaving a five-foot-wide, two-foot-tall gap that opens into another chamber beyond. Four large coffin-shaped objects made of glass and metal sit against the walls-one to the north and three to the south. The northern pod and the central southern pod are partially broken. Each contains a skeleton clad in fragments of strange, bulky armor. The other two southern pods appear to be only slightly damaged. The air is thick with rancid scent, like old meat gone bad.
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Jorac examines the goo, then collects a sample of the green fluid for later study, pouring a small amount in an empty vial.
Upon examining the next room, Jorac urges his companions to be cautious. "Those pods could still contain something we don't want to disturb. Shall we move past them in a most descreet way?"
"Eh, hold on a sec. This is curious. Some sort of technologic healing device?" Taran ambles over to one of the pods and peers in.
Taran is not sure of the exact purpose of the pods but it does seem to contain many medical sensors and monitors, although some of the systems have long since broken down.
Taran laughs. "I'm not afraid of a few bones, and I'm curious. I say we open one of these pods." He gives a big grin full of crooked, thick teeth. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Taran's curiosity gets the better of him and he grips the side of one of the pods and yanks it open, to a puff of stale air. There is a moment of tense silence as you stare in the face of a skeleton in the ravaged remains in a metallic spacesuit. And as you look upon this dreadful sight, the head begins to move and the arms begin to reach out....
Jorac's blast burns away much of the skeletons but they still step forth from their chambers and claw at Taran for disturbing them!
red: 17 dmg
blue: 17 dmg
Mef moves to the southeast and fires a shot at a skeleton.
Taran channels the fires of the forge into his hammer.
"Um, sorry I guess. I mean, we all saw it coming, but still..."
He takes a swing at the same skeleton Libri attacks, positioning himself for a flank.
plus plus
Libri's sword is not fully effective but weakens the undead enough for Taran to finish it off. Meanwhile Mefindio and Jorac put the second one to rest.
Each skeleton wore a ruined space suit. Among the remains you also find four gray access cards.
Moving along to the bridge, you find a massive black window spiderwebbed with hundreds of cracks gracing the western wall of the chamber, half-buried under rubble and twisted metal. Curved consoles of strange controls line the walls, with three chairs made of an unidentifiable off-white material facing them. A figure dressed in red fabric of an unusually fine weave sits slumped over the console in the westernmost chair.
As the fresh air fills the bridge, the mummified remains slump and slowly crumble away. As this happens, you are overwhelmed with a series of powerful visions-flashes of emotion mixed with the sound of screaming and explosions, sudden feelings of vertigo, and the conviction that gravity has gone mad.
As the body crumbles away, so too does a spirit rise up from the remains in a seeting vortex of shadows and crimson dust, coalescing into a vaguely humanoid shape with long, thin fingers that wisp away into smoke. The spirit cries out in despair and pain as he drifts forward....
The undead captain rushes forward and reaches a wispy long-fingered hand out to Taran!
The flesh withers and fades where the spirit touches Taran. He pales for a moment.
"That just ain't right. Spirit, I'm sorry what happened to you but you're not going to take it out on me.'
Taran calls down the sacred blessings to Torag and fortifies his weapon against spirits.
Taran's blade cuts through the undead captain!
"It's a wraith kid - don't let it touch ya too many times."
Jorac speeds everyone up, which proves fortunate as Libri leaps into action and scores two hits against the wraith!
Mef moves up and fires two shots at the wraith with his inferno pistol.
Mefindio's pistol is able to wound the wraith, which turns to Libri as the major threat and tries to drain her power:
Libri swings and misses!
Mef fires two more shots at the wraith.
Taran slips into the flank and moves to strike.
"Back to the grave with you! Don't ya know yer dead? Start acting like it! Stay strong Libri!"
The combined attacks from the rest of the party send the wraith howling back into the crumbled remains of his body!
The body of the captain holds a sidearm: a timeworn mind burner with 9 charges remaining. There is also a red scatterlight suit, an envoy's mouthpiece, and a well-preserved and fully function piece of cybertch called a skillslot. As you examine the mouthpiece, it suddenly starts repeating a message.
Indeed, in the pockets of the scatterlight suit you can find the inhibitor facet.
PRICE
8,000 GP
TYPE one-handed ranged PROFICIENCY exotic (firearms)
DMG (M) special DMG (S) special CRITICAL ×2
RANGE 20 ft. CAPACITY 10 USAGE 1 charge
SPECIAL touch WEIGHT 2 lbs.
A mind burner is a pistol with
a dishlike adornment at the tip
of its barrel. When this weapon
is fired, a pulse of white smoke
pools in the dish an instant
before a thin beam of white
light lances out to strike its target. A mind burner is silent
when fired, but stray particles from the mind-altering beam can cause those nearby to catch unexpected scents associated
with powerful memories—the odor of a bouquet of flowers
given to one’s first lover, the scent of a parent’s perfume or
sweat, or maybe even the odor of a favorite food that hasn’t
been eaten in years. These fragmentary memories generally
have no additional effect on those who experience them, but
at the GM’s discretion, they could cause the resurfacing of
repressed memories or forgotten fears.
On a successful hit, a mind burner causes intense headaches
that dull the senses and weaken willpower. Each hit deals 1d4
points of nonlethal damage, but also imposes a –2 penalty on
Perception checks and a –1 penalty on saving throws against
mind-affecting effects. These penalties stack with themselves,
up to a maximum penalty of –10 on Perception checks and
–5 on mind-affecting saving throws. A creature can resist the
penalties caused by a shot from a mind burner with a successful
DC 14 Will save; otherwise, the penalties persist for 1 hour after
the previous successful shot. On a critical hit, a mind burner’s
penalties are doubled along with its nonlethal damage.
[spoiler=envoy's mouthpiece]
PRICE
2,000 GP
SLOT headband WEIGHT 1 lb.
CAPACITY 10 USAGE 1/hour
Originally worn by translators,
messengers, and diplomats,
these objects were always
constructed to appear
elegant and beautiful. An
envoy’s mouthpiece is a circlet worn across the mouth,
with slender arms that reach along the jaw to wrap around
the wearer’s skull and hold the device in place. Two thin
earpieces extend up from the band to slip unobtrusively into
the user’s ears once a mouthpiece is donned. When created,
an envoy’s mouthpiece is encoded with a specific single
language. Whenever the language is spoken within 30 feet
of the wearer, the mouthpiece translates that language into
Androffan. In addition, any words spoken in Androffan by the
wearer are transformed by the mouthpiece into the encoded
language, allowing conversation to take place between the
wearer and speakers of the encoded language. An envoy’s
mouthpiece cannot be used to translate languages other than
the one it has been programmed to translate, but a newly
created mouthpiece could, in theory, translate languages into
something other than Androffan.
An envoy’s mouthpiece automatically records any words
spoken through it, allowing anything said through the device
to be replayed through its earpiece at the touch of a button
on the lower right side. Up to 30 continuous hours can be
recorded in this manner. Holding the button down for a full
round erases any currently stored conversations.
[spoiler=inhibitor facet]TECHNOLOGICAL
ARTIFACT
SLOT none WEIGHT —
CAPACITY — USAGE —
A memory facet is a length of
crystal about the size of a human
thumb that’s adorned at one
end by a metal cap fitted with
prongs and plugs. The crystal’s
interior contains sparkling veins
of glittering light. A memory
facet is a high-capacity storage
device capable of containing a staggering amount of
programming—these devices were rare and difficult to
craft, and at the time Divinity began its mission, they were
primarily used for one purpose: storing and transporting the
staggeringly complex code required to program and enhance
artificial intelligences. To use a memory facet, one needs
simply to insert the crystal’s connectors into an appropriate
slot in an AI’s core processor or a robot under the AI’s control.
A core processor or robot can hold as many memory facets as
it has available slots, but at any one time, an AI can benefit
from a maximum number of memory facets equal to its CR
divided by 4 (minimum 1). The AI can gain the benefits of
memory facets installed in any of the robots and processors
it controls—where a memory facet is installed makes little
difference, but most AIs prefer to keep their memory facets
installed in their most secure locations.
Each memory facet contains a unique combination of
emotions, knowledge, traits, and personality quirks designed
to enhance and bolster an artificial intelligence’s capabilities.
In rare cases, destructive memory facets were created—items
intended to disable or damage an artificial intelligence in case
of emergencies. An AI immediately gains all of the advantages
(and any disadvantages) associated with a particular memory
facet as soon as it is installed (this is a full-round action). Memory
facets can change an AI’s personality or even its alignment. An
AI can try to resist having a memory facet added to its code by
attempting a DC 20 Will save. If the AI is successful, the memory
facet ceases functioning for 1d4 rounds, and must be extracted
and reinstalled to make a second attempt to changing the AI’s
code. Once installed, a memory facet is difficult to remove;
removing one requires either a successful DC 25 Strength check
to wrench free or a successful DC 30 Disable Device check. Both
attempts are full-round actions.
Listed below are rules for the memory facets in this
adventure—future adventures will contain rules for other types
of memory facets, and in the final adventure, the PCs can use
their collected facets not only to fight against Unity, but also to
augment and enhance their own AI ally, the oracle Casandalee.
Aggression Facet: This memory facet enhances an AI’s
offensive protocols, imparting a +2 bonus on all attack rolls
and weapon damage rolls, and granting Deadly Aim and
Power Attack as bonus feats when the AI is controlling a robot.
Ego Facet: An ego facet bolsters an AI’s sense of selfesteem
and sense of worth, imparting a +2 bonus on all
Fortitude saving throws and a +4 bonus on Intimidate checks,
as well as granting Toughness as a bonus feat when the AI is
controlling a robot.
Inhibitor Facet: An inhibitor facet is unusual among
memory facets in that it isn’t intended to augment an AI at
all, but rather to hinder and impair its functionality. When
installed, an inhibitor facet reduces an AI’s Charisma by 4
and imposes a –4 penalty on all skill checks, saving throws,
initiative checks, and attack rolls. The effects of multiple
inhibitor facets do not stack.
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As the magic fades from her longsword, Libri sheaths her trusty weapon. "Taran, would you happen to have a bit of light healing to offer? I would not mind if we do not see wraiths again for some time," she says, wiping her brow. "Terrifying, life-sucking creatures."
As the mouthpiece begins to relay its message, Libri looks to the others. "Do any of you understand these words?"
"I caught that something is lost, but I can not make out anything else."
Price 2,000 gp
Slot brain; Weight 1 lb.
Install DC 30; Implantation 1
Description
A skillslot is implanted into the target’s brain, leaving a small port at the base of the skull. This port is covered with a flap of skin when not in use. Once installed, a skillslot has no effect until a skillchip is inserted into the port (see page 52 for information on the various forms of available skillchips.) An inserted skillchip enhances the user’s ability in the skill encoded on the chip; the magnitude to which the skill is enhanced depends on the power of the skillchip. This does not grant ranks in the associated skill. It takes 10 minutes for a skillchip to adjust itself to a new skillslot; during this time, the user takes a –2 penalty on all skill checks as distracting sensations flood his mind. When a skillchip is removed, its benefits end immediately, but the wearer suffers no ill effects.
The immense battlefield known as the Scrapmaster's Arena seems now your most pertinent goal, for beyond it is the territory of the Lords of Rust and their god Hellion who have so disrupted the region.
"Aye, healing we can do - still a little of the divine inhabiting this wand, might as well use that first."
You approach the domain of the Lords of Rust. An enormous battlefield sprawls here-a fighting arena that measures several hundred feet in diameter, ringed by mounds of junk and refuse stacked in tiers for seating. The ring has an arched opening in its westernmost end to allow access to the arena, while against the eastern side, a large metallic strcuture akin to a squat tower protrudes from the hard-packed earth. A wooden stairway wraps around the tower's sides, and a twenty-foot-tall stage protrudes from its western facade, overlooking the arena below.
As you were warned, the champion troll fighter Helskarg is guarding the entrance to the Lords' of Rust lair. Two orcs accompany him.
Libri's arrow flies past the ogre!
Mef guides Trigger closer to the fight, then fires at the nearest orc ogre!
Mef's bullet bites into the ogre! The ogres move in to swing at Libri and Mef!
Helskarg moves out and fires his rifle at Taran. With a muffled band an adamantine spike shoots out towards the dwarf!
Unfortunately for the troll the spike misses its target and skitters along the ground, pulling a strong metal cable behind it.
red: 6 dmg
Libri's blade cuts into the ogre!
red: 13 dmg