[SFS] GM Peet's 1-01 The Commencement Table 1 (Inactive)

Game Master Peet

"Either way, I think we have made a reasonable deal..." Altronus starts to walk back out toward the starfinder garage, stops and turns back to Lemgem. "Oh, and make sure you don't use any energy weapons on Ratrod- they only make his racer go faster"

Lemgem nods as Altronus prepares to leave. "Yeah, I heard something about that. Thanks for letting me know. Good luck, I guess."

Hey you're awesome [dice=diplomacy to socialize]1d20

Orsis looks Huckle Jim up and down. "Thanks," he says, before turning back to his work.

Iseph is in a dialogue with Senko "Really, you want me to steer? Ok, then speed would be great! Let us hope that I steer well."

Senko upgrades the racer's engine.

@GM: I am not going to be able to post that regularly as I am on business trip. As the pilot just rolls piloting I wanted to ask if it would be ok to roll the ten rounds already where only the penalties would need to be deducted?

Iseph: no problem. Just please put the rolls in a spoiler for me.

Round 4:
* Altronus added a weapon and is socializing with Lemgem (non-aggression pact agreed on).
* Huckle Jim fails to make an upgrade or socialize.
* Iseph upgraded armor and intimidated Ratrod.
* Khorvax is out.
* Navasi improves EAC and fails to socialize.
* Senko upgrades the engine and socializes with Nyizin.

Tasks completed:
LEMGEM: Sized up skill: YES. Appraised vehicle: NO Socialized: YES
NYIZIN Sized up skill: YES Appraised vehicle: YES Socialized: YES
ORSIS Sized up skill: YES Appraised vehicle: NO Socialized: NO
RATROD Sized up skill: YES. Appraised vehicle: YES Socialized: NO (requires Intimidate)
VELOCITY Sized up skill: YES. Appraised vehicle: NO Socialized: YES

FINAL: LABONI'S RACER
Speed 60 ft., full 600 ft. (improved four times)
EAC 12 (improved once)
KAC 14 (improved once)
Attacks:
* energy weapon (a hit gives target –4 to Piloting)
* kinetic weapon (a hit gives target –4 to Piloting) (added)
* kinetic weapon (a hit gives target –4 to Piloting) (added)
* kinetic weapon (a hit gives target –4 to Piloting) (added)
Steering: +2 Piloting
Targeting: –1 attack (improved twice)

HOW THE RACE WORKS:

The track is 3000 feet long. Whichever racer crosses the finish line first wins. If multiple racers cross the finish line in the same phase, whichever racer covered the greatest total distance is the winner.

The race is run in rounds, and each round has 2 phases:

PHASE 1: All vehicles may fire each weapon they have once. All other vehicles are always considered to be in range. The roll is the same as an attack with a ranged weapon you are proficient with (i.e. DEX + BAB). Full attacks are not allowed. Any hits cause the vehicle to have a penalty to its piloting roll in phase 2.

NOTE: In Phase 1, you have the option to use the "Boost" that Nyizin showed you how to do. This doubles your speed for the round, but there is a 50% chance that this will burn out the engine, permanently cutting speed in half after that round. The decision has to be made before the pilot's roll is adjudicated.

PHASE 2: The pilot of each vehicle makes a DC 16 piloting roll, modified by the vehicle's steering and the cumulative penalty for each hit.

* A success means the vehicle travels full speed (in your case, 600 feet).
* A failure means the vehicle moves at half speed (300 feet for you).
* Failing by more than 10 points causes your vehicle to get stuck and not move at all for that round.

Rinse, repeat, until someone crosses the finish line.

It's worth noting that since you are using a remote computer setup, you can switch jobs between rounds if you want.

Any questions before we get started?

Iseph notices that things begin to pick up at the track. Crowds start filing in to the stands, and the camera drones begin buzzing around shooting video. Many of the drones look like they have been assembled from scrap parts.

One of the drones whizzes over to Laboni's pit.

**bzzzt***! "Five minutes to Air Time, folks," it says, before speeding off.

Laboni turns to the crew.

"This is it," says Laboni. " You guys better head to the maintenance shed and get the remote rig going. I'll need one of you to stay here to help me roll the junkracer to the starting grid when they call. You can't start your engine until they say so. But after that whoever it is should head to the shed too. Don't let anyone see the remote rig."

She stops for a moment, and lowers her head bashfully.

"And look... ah... whatever happens, I really appreciate your help. Really. With everything."

She shakes her head.

"Now go on," she says, looking away. "We need to be ready!"

"Hang on tight, kid." Navasi replies.

Senko takes his seat at the control rig, ready to shoot one of the racer's kinetic weapons. "I assume we should not use that 'boost' we learned about until we are nearing the end? Burning out the engines seems bad."

No questions from me. Ready.

As the group heads back to the shed, they can see that a silent countdown has begun appearing on the vidscreens in the stands.

10...9...8...7...6...

The audience hushes with expectation.

5...4...3...2...1...

There is a moment of silence, and then the loudpspeakers begin blasting!

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome... to This Week's Edition of... ... RATROD'S SCRAP BATTLE!!!!!"

The audience goes wild with cheering and applause, and you think they probably would do so even if the vidscreens did not show the word "APPLAUSE" in flashing letters. The crowd is very excited.

"We have a very special race for you today! The championship title is on the line once again! Today's contestants are..."

"Lemgem, that wily gnome with all the tricks is back! Will her clever design win her the championship?"

"Nyizin, our favourite Ryphorian, is back from injury and ready to risk it all on the race!

"Orsis is looking good today, but can he back it up? This Lashunta is more than just good looks and this might be the one for him!"

"Velocity returns to the track again with a new design. She can sure drive, but is her new racer up to scratch?"

"And today's challenger, her first time on the junkrace circuit, Laboni!! This young Starfinder has thrown down the gauntlet and given our champion a challenge! Can she back it up? Or is this the overconfidence of youth?"

"And finally, our reigning champion, and host of this show, you all know and love... RATROD!!!"

There is generous cheering for all the racers (even Laboni gets a few), but the crowd goes mad when Ratrod's name is called out. It takes a while for them to settle down.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the racers are on the starting grid now. Are we ready to race? Are we ready for... RATROD's SCRAP BATTLE???!!!"

The crowd continues to cheer as officials get in position and signals are thrown indicating that the drivers should get ready. The announcer calls out again:

"Drivers... Start Your Engines! On Your Mark! Get Set! GO!!!!"

The engines roar and the junkracers leap forward onto the track. The race has begun!

Junkrace Round 1

Okay, time for some rolls!

Your bonus to hit is DEX + BAB, just like a ranged attack, but with a -1 due to the racer's targeting.

* Iseph has already rolled Piloting.
* Huckle Jim: Kinetic Weapon (total bonus +4-1 = +3)
* Khorvax: Kinetic Weapon (total bonus +3-1 = +2)
* Navasi: Energy Weapon (total bonus +2-1 = +1)
* Senko: Kinetic Weapon (total bonus +3-1 = +2)

* Gunners please declare who you are shooting at when you make your rolls. You know not to fire the energy weapon at Ratrod.

Senko frowns at hearing the announcer misgender Velocity, but now is not the time to dwell on such things. We have a race to win!

Round 1: Kinetic attack on Ratrod: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

* Huckle Jim: Kinetic Weapon (total bonus +4-1 = +3)

Huckle Jim's ranged attack bonus is +5, not +4, so his junkracer gunnery check should be a +4.

As the racers go, Navasi targets the lashunta with the energy weapon.

weapon vs Orsis EAC: 1d20 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (1) + 2 - 1 = 2

Too early for a reroll?

I would never complain about using a reroll on a natural 1. That said, it may come in handy in the later rounds to ensure a hit if we need a hit...

From the stands, Altronus cheers on his starfinders- also keeping an eye out for any issues that might arise from the remote racer control.

Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

”Here we go Laboni, Here we go!”

kinetic weapon: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (17) = 20 on Ratrod

Khorvaxbot fires his kinetic weapon at Ratrod.

Khorvax Kinetic Weapon: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12

Guys: Just realized that a post of mine seemed to have gotten eaten.

Iseph had appraised Nyizin's racer and I don't see the results for that. Nyizin's racer was bulky with extra armor (KAC) and was reasonably fast (not as fast as yours now is though).

1d3 ⇒ 21d2 ⇒ 1

Huckle Jim's ranged attack bonus is +5, not +4, so his junkracer gunnery check should be a +4.

My bad, you are correct! Forgot he was level 2.

The junkracers surge forward amidst a flurry of blaster fire as the various racers shoot at one another!

Laboni, Lemgem, and Nyizin all fire at Ratrod and their attacks hit! Velocity fires three times and hits Ratrod twice, and Orsis once! Ratrod's racer wobbles out of control and crashes into the sidelines!

"Ladies and Gentlemen, looks like the other racers are ganging up on Ratrod! That was a blistering barrage and Ratrod loses control! Look at Laboni! her racer is flying and takes the lead! ... Now Nyizin and Orsis are creeping up, and are both close behind, followed by Velocity. Lemgem gets a slow start but is off and trying to catch up! Even she has passed Ratrod!"

The group can hear a stream of curses coming from Ratrod as he rights his racer.

PROGRESS ROUND 1
LABONI - 600 feet
LEMGEM - 250 feet
NYIZIN - 500 feet
ORSIS - 550 feet
RATROD - 0 feet
VELOCITY - 450 feet

Okay. time for round 2! Gimme some rolls!

"With Ratrod's engine stalling completely, perhaps we can spread out our attacks more. Just remember not to shoot at Velocity or Lemgem."

Round 2: Kinetic attack on Orsis: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Sigh. Maybe I'll actually hit something before the end of the adventure. Maybe.

One more bookkeeping question:

Round 4:

* Iseph upgraded armor and intimidated Ratrod.

Tasks completed:
RATROD Sized up skill: YES. Appraised vehicle: YES Socialized: NO (requires Intimidate)

Should that be "Socialized: YES"?

Watch it, friend.

Kinetic attack on Orsis - 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Should that be "Socialized: YES"?

You're right! Copy & Paste error.

Waiting for Huckle Jim and Navasi.

kinetic weapon: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (8) = 11 on whatever junkracer is in last, Ratrod, looks like cause why not, lets dust them even futher. We winning.

Navasibot fires her energy weapon at Orsis, but the shot goes wide.

Navasibot: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

The flurry of fire continues, and a bolt of elecricity flies past your racer, fired by Ratrod. Only two shot seem to hit though, both on Orsis, one from you and one from Velocity.

"Laboni is pressing her lead, moving flat out! She burning up the track! Nyizin and Orsis are following close behind, but the lead is widening... Oh No! Orsis has hit an obstacle and crashed into the sidelines! Looks like he is all right but Lemgem has hit high gear and flies past him! She's gaining on Velocity who is now in third! Ratrod has gotten his racer moving again and is eating up the track, trying to make up for lost time!"

PROGRESS ROUND 2
LABONI - 600 + 600 = 1200 feet
LEMGEM - 250 + 600 = 850 feet
NYIZIN - 500 + 500 = 1000 feet
ORSIS - 550 + 0 = 550 feet
RATROD - 0 + 550 = 550 feet
VELOCITY - 450 + 450 = 900 feet

Okay. time for round 3! Gimme some more rolls!

Knowing what it is like to lose a partner, Navasi is reluctant to target Nyizin's racer, but she does so with the energy weapon.
Energy weapon vs. Nyizin's EAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

- One more time, baby, one more time.

NYIZIN, Kinetic: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Kinetic attack on Nyizin: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Huckle Jimbot fires his Kinetic weapon at Nyizin, and hits!

Huckle Jimbot: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

This time Ratrod is able to land a hit against Laboni as an electric bolt causes overloads in the junkracer's systems, but Iseph is able to keep the racer under control.

"Nyizin is struggling to keep up with Laboni as she goes flat out! Laboni is firing on Nyizin... so is Velocity! What a brutal barrage! Nyizin swerves to avoid the blasts from the two racers and strieks some debris! Look at Laboni! Her lead just gets wider and wider! It would take a miracle to catch up with her and the other racers are all fighting over second place!"

PROGRESS ROUND 2
LABONI - 1200 + 600 = 1800 feet
LEMGEM - 850 + 300 = 1150 feet
NYIZIN - 1000 + 0 = 1000 feet
ORSIS - 550 + 550 = 1100 feet
RATROD - 550 + 275 = 825 feet
VELOCITY - 900 + 450 = 1350 feet

Okay. time for round 3! Keep those rolls comin'!

Navasi targets Orsis' racer with the energy weapon.
Energy weapon vs. Orsis EAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 1 = 16

kinetic weapon at velocity: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (1) = 4

Altronus voice crackles over the radio. "Don't shoot at velocity! Or Lemgem! I repeat don't shoot at..." as the radio cuts out.

"I hate these things", tossing his radio back down on the ground in front of his seat.

Senko looks across the remote control terminals at Huckle Jim, dumbfounded. "What... what are you doing? I just said, like, ten seconds ago to NOT shoot at Velocity or Lemgem. We made a deal with them!"

Kinetic attack on Orsis: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Khorvaxbot fires his kinetic weapon at Orsis, but misses.

Khorvax Kinetic Weapon: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

”Guys, stop hitting our allies!! We are in the lead but they will secure our lead if something goes wrong!“

Sorry guys, last summary should have said "Round 3" not "Round 2."

All of your shots miss except for Navasi, who barely manages to tag Orsis with an energy weapon. Orsis is also hit by Nyizin, but smoothly manages to retain control of his racer. Huckle Jim's shot against Velocity is so wide that you hope for a moment that they don't realize that you shot at them. But the shouting coming from Velocity's racer makes you think that they are no longer your ally.

"Laboni's lead just keeps getting bigger as she guns that engine! Look at her go! Velocity and Lemgem are exchanging shots... Lemgem is struggling! She loses way against Velocity and Orsis flies past her! Nyizin is catching up to Lemgem, but here comes Ratrod! He leaves Nyizin in last and is coming up on Lemgem! Our favourite Ysoki is not out of the race yet and is trying to push through the pack!"

PROGRESS ROUND 4
LABONI - 1800 + 600 = 2400 feet
LEMGEM - 1150 + 250 = 1400 feet
NYIZIN - 1000 + 350 = 1350 feet
ORSIS - 1100 + 550 = 1650 feet
RATROD - 825 + 550 = 1375 feet
VELOCITY - 1350 + 450 = 1800 feet

Okay. time for round 5! Let's have some rolls!

Guys: Nyizin showed you how to boost your speed by +50%. The downside is that there is a 50% chance that it will reduce your speed by half (from 600 to 300) for the rest of the race. This could be the last round, so... do you want to try it? Also FYI Velocity clearly has multiple weapons and is now gunning for you.

"Gun it! Gun it! We are almost there! No one else has a chance!"

I could make an argument either way. If we get our full speed this round, we are the only team that can cross the line. If we don't get our full speed then it will be a much closer race. GM: what happens if we use the speed boost and "fail" the piloting check? Would we still get the 600 (300 x2) or does it cancel out? What if we stall out entirely? Thanks!

I think we should wait to use the boost because:

• No other racer is far enough to cross the finish line this round OR next round.
  
• If Iseph makes their Piloting check this round, we win anyway, even without the boost.
  
• If Iseph fails by less than 10 (as in, gets a 7 or higher), we just need one more round of getting that 7 or higher to win, without using the boost.
  
• We do win this round with a 7 or higher by using the boost though.
  
• However, if we boost and Iseph doesn't roll high enough to move (which is definitely a risk now that the most heavily-armed racer is targeting us), then we get no benefit and risk halving our speed. If that worst-case-scenario happens, Iseph would need successful (DC 16) rolls both rounds 6 and 7 for us just to have a chance of winning.

So basically, if Velocity wasn't aiming at us, we could probably use the boost safely. But now they are. They literally have half the guns in, this race that aren't ours, including the only large gun. We should only use the boost if we're in danger of losing without using it. There is no danger of that this round.

"I think we should wait on the boost for a bit longer. I'm worried about Velocity's weapons now."

Kinetic attack on Orsis: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3

It would seem that Laboni is not the only recent Starfinder recruit that knows how to get us into trouble. Navasi sighs to herself. Well, we are here cleaning up after one mistake, why not make it two.

Navasi turns the energy weapon on the racer towards Velocity. [ib]"Not how I would have wanted things to go, but then, I've found things in life rarely go as we had hoped."[/b] Navasi pauses for a moment as her mind recalls a painful memory--one of a woman and loss.

Regaining her composure, Navasi adds, "So, let's see how well your name holds up when someone is shooting at you."

Attack on Velocity EAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

GM: what happens if we use the speed boost and "fail" the piloting check? Would we still get the 600 (300 x2) or does it cancel out? What if we stall out entirely? Thanks!

If you fail the piloting check you move at half speed, which would be 450 if you use the boost, or 300 if not. If you fail the piloting check by 10 or more then you crash and don't move at all, no matter what your speed is.

Wait, the boost is x1.5, not x2? Then we absolutely should not use it. We gain no benefit, because the distance of the race is evenly divisible by our max speed.

Wait, the boost is x1.5, not x2? Then we absolutely should not use it. We gain no benefit, because the distance of the race is evenly divisible by our max speed.

Double Checking... Okay My Bad. It is double speed for 1 round, so failing a piloting check by less than 10 would result in a speed of 600, which would put you just over the finish line. Succeeding on the check would give you a speed of 1200, which might be overkill, though if you cross the finish line in the same round as someone else then the most total distance wins.

I would vote take this turn without it, and if we don't win for whatever reason, we use it next turn.

Okay, if it's x2, then there is the possibility of the boost being beneficial.

But I agree with Altronus. We're currently only 600 ft. away from the finish line, and none of the other racers are close enough to win this round or next round. The chance that boosting this round goes well is way smaller than the chance that boosting this round goes disastrously wrong.

Okay, just waiting for Huckle Jim and Khorvax to fire weapons. I'll give them a bit longer.

Attack on Velocity КАС: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Huckle Jimbot fires his weapon again.

kinetic weapon at velocity: 4 + 1d20 ⇒ 4 + (4) = 8

You and Velocity exchange fire, but under the barrage of Velocity's guns everyone loses sight of her for a moment, and none of you shots find their mark. But Laboni's racer is hit twice by Velocity, and once more by Ratrod, who is still cursing and swearing at the back of the field. But the three hits are enough to disrupt the steering of Laboni's racer, and she crashes and stops dead!

"Wow! There goes Velocity... she's clearly sick of eating Labonis' dust and she lets her have it! Laboni shoots back but she's off here game and Oh No! Laboni hit some wreckage and her racer is down! She's trying to right it now... but here comes the rest of the pack! Now that they're not getting gunned down they're all coming on strong... Look at Nyizin! that Ryphorian is pouring on speed and passes Lemgem! Orsis is holding steady in third and is coming up behind Velocity but Nyizin could be catching up! Folks, this still could be anyone's race!"

PROGRESS ROUND 5
LABONI - 2400 + 0 = 2400 feet
LEMGEM - 1400 + 600 = 2000 feet
NYIZIN - 1350 + 700 = 2050 feet
ORSIS - 1650 + 550 = 2200 feet
RATROD - 1375 + 550 = 1925 feet
VELOCITY - 1800 + 450 = 2250 feet

Okay. time for round 6! Let's have some rolls!

Navasi sighs and shakes her head. Then, she shrugs and directs the energy weapon at Velocity's racer.

Attack on Velocity EAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

"Use the boost! Use the Boost!" squawks over the radio.

"We can still end this. Come on Iseph!"

- Hope it will be last one shoot for today...

Attack on Velocity КАС: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3