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The group has opted to play out this AP (or most of it) instead of delving into Ruins of Azlant.
The characters
Blackhand
Blackhand Spacefarer Soldier 1/Solarian 2 N Vesk Vesk Prime
STR 16 (+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 13 (+1) INT 10 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)
EAC 16 KAC 18 CMD 26 Fort/Ref/Will +6/+2/+5
Speed 35’ BAB +3 HP 27 SP 24 RP 4 Init +6
Tactical Pike +7 (1d8+3 P/–, reach) Solar Weapon +7 (1d6+3 P/–) Azimuth Laser Pistol +5 (1d4 F/burn 1d4, 80’)
Skills: Acrobatics +6, Athletics +6, Bluff +0, Diplomacy +0, Disguise +0, Intimidate +0, Perception +6, Piloting +2, Sense Motive +0, Stealth +7, Survival +0, Engineering +5, Mysticism +4
Feats: Weapon Focus (advanced melee weapons), Deadly Aim
Special: Languages (common, vesk), Low-Light Vision, Armor Savant (+1 AC, +1 armor check penalty with heavy armor), Fearless (+2 vs fear), Theme Knowledge (+1 physical science, -5DC of physical science checks to recall knowledge about strange new worlds or features of space), Primary Fighting Style (blitz), Primary Style Technique (rapid response), Skill Adept (computers, culture), Solar Manifestation (weapon 1d6, black), Stellar Mode (+1 Ref in Graviton, +1 dmg in Photon), Stellar Revelations (black hole, super nova, plasma sheath)
Equipment: Hidden Soldier Armor with Brown Force Field (20), Tactical Pike with Disruptive Fusion Seal, Azimuth Laser Pistol (17), 2 Battery (20, 8), Consumer Backpack, Frag Grenade I, 3 Shock Grenade I, 3 Incendiary Grenade I, Stickybomb Grenade I, 2 Detonator, 2 mk I serum of healing, Fire Extinguisher, Personal Comm Unit, Engineering Kit, Travel Clothing, Hygiene Kit, 842c
Revara
Revara Themeless Operative 3 N Human Absalom Station
STR 10 (+0) DEX 17 (+3) CON 12 (+1) INT 10 (+0) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 12 (+1)
EAC 14 KAC 15 CMD 23 Fort/Ref/Will +4/+6/+4
Speed 50’ BAB +2 HP 22 SP 21 RP 4 Init +10
Tactical Baton +5 (1d4+1 B/–) Azimuth Laser Pistol +6 (1d4+1 F/burn 1d4, 80’) Static Arc Pistol +6 (1d6+1 E/arc 2, 50’)
Skills: Acrobatics +14G, Athletics +2, Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Disguise +2, Intimidate +9, Perception +9, Piloting +5, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +14G, Survival +8, Computers +8, Culture +8, Engineering +8
Feats: Skill Focus (acrobatics, stealth), Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (small arms), Fleet, Weapon Specialization (basic melee, small arms, sniper), Great Fortitude
Special: Languages (common, vesk, ysoki, shirren), Bonus Feat (weapon focus [small arms]), Skilled (+1 skill point per level), General Knowledge (diplomacy class skill), Operative’s Edge (+2 insight bonus on init and skill checks), Specialization (ghost [acrobatics, stealth]), Trick Attack (+1d8), Evasion, Operative Exploits (combat trick [fleet]), Quick Movement (10’), Weapon Specialization (basic melee, small arms, sniper)
Equipment: Second Skin with Quick Release Sheath, Tactical Baton, Survival Knife, Azimuth Laser Pistol (22), Tactical Semi-Auto Pistol (18), Static Arc Pistol (12), Battery, Consumer Backpack, Hardened Tier I Computer, Personal Comm Unit, Flashlight, Engineering Kit, Hacking Kit, Trapsmith’s Tools, Travel Radiation Clothing, Holoskin, Hygiene Kit, 886c
Indigo Jack
Indigo Jack Themeless Mechanic 3 N Android Absalom Station
STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 12 (+1) INT 16 (+3) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 9 (-1)
EAC 14 KAC 15 CMD 22 Fort/Ref/Will +4/+5/+2
Speed 30’ BAB +2 HP 22 SP 21 RP 4 Init +2
Azimuth Laser Rifle +4 (1d8+3 F/burn 1d6, 120’) Tactical Baton +4 (1d4+1 B/-)
Skills: Acrobatics +2, Athletics +6, Bluff -1, Diplomacy -1, Disguise -1, Intimidate -1, Perception +7, Piloting +8, Sense Motive -1, Stealth +8, Survival +1, Computers +10, Engineering +10, Physical Science +9
Feats: Weapon Proficiency (longarm), Weapon Specialization (basic melee, small arms, longarms)
Special: Languages (common, common sign, akitonian, castrovelian), Low-Light Vision, Darkvision 60’, +2 DC of sense motive checks against, +2 saves vs disease, mind-affecting, poison, and sleep, 1 Armor Upgrade Slot, General Knowledge (stealth), Artificial Intelligence (drone), Bypass (+1 computers, engineering), Custom Rig (), Mechanic Tricks (repair drone), Overload, Weapon Specialization (basic melee, small arms)
Equipment: Freebooter Armor I, Azimuth Laser Rifle (4), Autotarget Rifle (42), Tactical Baton, Battery, Consumer Backpack, Tier I Computer (hardened, security I), 2 Batteries, Radiation Clothing, 414c
Drone: STR 14 (+2) DEX 12 (+1) CON – INT 6 (-2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)
Chassis: Combat Drone EAC 11 KAC 16 Fort/Ref/Will +3/+2/+1
Size M Speed 30' BAB +3 HP 30
Azimuth Artillery Laser +5 (1d10+3 F/burn 1d6, 120’, penetrating, 56)
Special: Limited AI (can take a move or standard action), Master Control (can spend a move action to take both a move and standard action with the drone), Skill Unit (stealth +5)
Mods: Reductive Plating (DR 1/–), 2 Weapon Mounts, Weapon Proficiency (longarms), Weapon Proficiency (heavy weapon), Enhanced Senses
Feats: Weapon Focus (heavy weapon), Weapon Specialization (heavy weapon)
Keskkin
Keskkin Ace Pilot Mystic 3 N Shirren Verces
STR 10 (+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON 12 (+1) INT 10 (+0) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 9 (-1)
EAC 14 KAC 15 CMD 23 Fort/Ref/Will +2/+4/+6
Speed 30’ BAB +2 HP 24 SP 21 RP 4 Init +3
Tactical Baton +5 (1d4+1 B/knockdown) Telekinetic Projectile +5 (1d6 B/–, 25’) Azimuth Laser Rifle +5 (1d8 F/burn 1d6, 120’)
Skills: Acrobatics +3, Athletics +0, Bluff -1, Diplomacy +1, Disguise -1, Intimidate -1, Perception +10, Piloting +11, Sense Motive +3, Stealth +6, Survival +9, Life Science +6, Mysticism +9
Feats: Weapon Proficiency (longarms), Weapon Specialization (basic melee, small arms), Spell Focus
Special: Languages (common, shirren, vercite), Blindsense 30’, Communalism (roll attack or skill check twice and take highest result if ally within 10’, 1/day), Cultural Fascination (+2 culture, diplomacy), Limited Telepathy 30’ (must share a language), Theme Knowledge (+1 piloting), Connection (star shaman), Connection Powers (walk the void, starlight form), Connection Spells (shooting stars), Healing Touch (1/day, 15hp), Channel Skill (+1 perception, piloting), Mindlink (at-will, 1/day per target), Spells Known (0th – 6, 1st – 4), Spells Per Day (0th – DC 14, 1st – DC 15 4)
Equipment: Second Skin, Tactical Baton, Azimuth Laser Rifle (20), Battery, Consumer Backpack, Personal Comm Unit, Basic Medkit, 3 Medpatches, 2 mk I serum of healing, 2 spell amp of lesser restoration, Medicinal (antitoxin), Flashlight, Trapsmith’s Tools, starstone compass, Travel Radiation Clothing, Hygiene Kit, clear spindle aeon stone, 1,158c
Spells:
0th: Detect Magic, Ghost Sound, Psychokinetic Hand, Telekinetic Projectile, Token Spell, Stabilize
1st: Shooting Stars, Mystic Cure, Mind Thrust, Lesser Remove Condition, Wisp Ally
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Session One
PART 1: QUESTIONS IN QABARAT
Hostile Witnesses
Sunrise Maiden is 18 hexes away from Iron Rictus in a straight line with both ships facing each other dead on
ROLES: Rev – Captain, Keskkin – Pilot, Indigo – Science, Blackhand – Gunner
ROUND 1
Engineering
No actions for either ship
Helm
GM NOTE: The module mentions adjusting the ships AC and TL based on Piloting skill and several minutes are spent verifying this in the
Core Rulebook (No, no one has refreshed their reading of the rules before this, including me ☹)
Rev attempts Culture check and rolls 8 + 8 = 16 and determines the Corpse Fleet ship affiliation
GM NOTE: Any possibility of any sympathy for the Undead members of the pact dies with this realization. The party knows this is not a
coincidence and they feel completely justified now in not trusting Ambassador Nor. Without knowing the full plot twists and turns of the AP yet, I feel this is a lost opportunity for Paizo. Using the undead as an adversary, even a partial one, plays to the prejudices any Pathfinder player brings to this game. A DM with more time may be able to portray Nor better, but the first module does little in this vein. My group will probably never willingly work with undead now, except under extreme duress.
Indigo attempts Engineering check and rolls 16 + 10 = 26 and determines the make and model of the ship
Indigo takes the Scan action and rolls 17 + 10 = 27 against DC 14 learning Basic Information, Defenses, and Weapons
IR Science Officer takes the Scan action and rolls 7 + 6 = 13 against DC 16, no information gained
GM NOTE: Hmm, is the Piloting bonus for the ship applied to the initial check to see who goes first or only on actual Piloting actions? We
decide to treat it as Initiative, using the roll and Piloting skill only with no bonuses or penalties.
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 15 + 11 = 26
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 6 + 6 = 12
IR Pilot takes the Fly action and the ship moves 6 spaces (trying to hopefully keep the Sunrise Maiden in the forward arc)
Indigo realizes that even at max speed they cannot get out of the front arc of the IR this turn
Keskkin acknowledges Indigos information and takes the Evade Stunt action and rolls 10 + 11 + 1 = 22 against DC 16 and succeeds,
gaining a +2 AC and TL for the round. The Sunrise Maiden moves 1, turns 1 facing to the right and moves 9, leaving the ships 11
hexes apart
Gunnery
IR Captain takes the Encourage action for the Gunner manning the plasma torpedo and rolls 14 + 7 = 21 against DC 10 granting a +2
Rev takes the Taunt action and rolls 14 + 9 = 23 against DC 19 and succeeds, imposing a -2 penalty on all actions for (rolls 1d4) 3 rounds
IR Gunner takes the Shoot action on the particle beam and rolls 5 + 12 -2 - 2 = 13, missing the current Sunrise Maiden AC of 18
IR Gunner takes the Shoot action on the plasma torpedo which has a speed of 14 and hits on the round it is fired and rolls 8 + 12 - 2 = 18,
hitting for 14 damage on the port shield of the Sunrise Maiden (“ouch!”, says Indigo)
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 15 + 3 + 3 + 1 - 2 = 20, hitting for 15 damage, dropping the
forward shield and dealing 5 hull damage
ROUND 2
Indigo switches to the Engineer role
Engineering
IR Engineer takes the Divert action and rolls 13 + 7 - 2 = 18 against DC 14 adding 6 points to the damage shield
Indigo takes the Divert action and rolls 7 + 10 + 1 = 18 against DC 16 adding 7 points to the damaged shield
IR Captain takes the Taunt action and rolls 7 + 7 – 2 = 12 against DC 21 and the party laughs at him over the comm channel
GM NOTE: He who Taunts first wins!
Helm
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 15 + 6 = 21
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 14 + 11 = 25
GM NOTE: I am left with no good options here. If I move too few spaces, the party will be able to tightly turn around and possibly fire on
the forward shield again. If I move too far, they will circle behind where the IR has no weapon. ☹ I opt for aggression and do
neither, turning toward them to see if they will opt for the down shield or no return fire
IR Science Officer takes the Balance action and rolls 19 + 6 - 2 = 23 against DC 19 redistributing the shields so that each has 9 points
IR Pilot takes the Evade Stunt action and rolls 19 + 8 + 1 - 2 = 26 against DC 14 gaining +2 AC and TL for the round. The IR moves 2, turns
1 facing to the left, and then moves 4
Keskkin takes the Evade Stunt action and rolls 17 + 11 + 1 = 29 against DC 16 and succeeds, gaining a +2 AC and TL for the round.
GM NOTE: No idea why he did this, but I think he forgot the IR had no rear weapons
Keskkin moves the Sunrise Maiden 1, turns to the left 1, moves 1, turns to the left again, then moves 8 going by the IR on its left side and
ending up 4 hexes away in the IRs rear arc facing away from it
Gunnery
Rev takes the Encourage action and rolls 18 + 2 + 1 = 21 against DC 10 and gives Blackhand a +2 on his next gunnery check
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 18 + 3 + 3 +1 - 2 + 2 = 25, hitting for 14 damage, dropping the rear
shield and dealing 5 more hull damage. Hull damage of 10 now exceeds the IR’s CT of 8 and Blackhand rolls a 94 on the table
indicating the IR Power Core is now Glitching
ROUND 3
Indigo switches to Science Officer
Engineering
IR Engineer takes the Patch action and rolls 3 + 7 - 2 = 8 against DC 14, failing to fix the Glitching PCU
Helm
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 9 + 6 = 15
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 10 + 11 = 21
IR Science Officer takes the Balance action and rolls 2 + 6 -2 = 6 against DC 19 and fails
GM NOTE: great, two terrible key rolls in a row for me!
Indigo takes the Target System action and rolls 16 + 10 + 2 = 28 against DC 19 succeeding and choosing the PCU obviously
IR Pilot takes the Flip and Burn Stunt action and rolls 10 + 8 - 2 = 16 against DC 19 and fails (GM NOTE: *sigh*) moving ship forward 6
Spaces
Keskkin takes the Fly action and moves 1, turns left 1, moves 1, turns left 1, moves 1, turns left 1, and moves 7 leaving the Sunrise
Maiden 4 hexes away from the IR on the hex row to the right of the IR
Gunnery
Rev takes the Demand action and rolls 11 + 9 + 1 = 21 against DC 21 just barely succeeding, granting Blackhand a +4 bonus on his attack
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 20! + 3 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 29, a crit for 13 damage through the already
downed rear shield. Total IR hull damage now at 23 and there will be two critical damage effects, one for the 20 and one for
passing 16 hull damage. First crit goes to the PCU, taking it from Glitching to Malfunctioning which will give a -2 to all
subsequent actions. Blackhand rolls a (GM NOTE: OMG) 97 hitting the PCU again, taking it to Wrecked, so a -4 to all actions.
GM NOTE: The party cheers uproariously at this turn of events and Indigo mutters a “take that you filthy undead schemers”.
ROUND 4
Taunt effect on IR expires
Engineering
IR Engineer takes the Hold It Together action and rolls 14 + 7 = 21 against DC 19, so PCU will only be treated as Glitching
GM NOTE: Party scowls at me
Helm
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 7 + 6 = 13
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 11 + 11 = 22
IR Science Officer takes the Balance action and rolls 18 + 6 = 24 against DC 19 dividing the 27 shield points and putting all shields at 6 and
the front shield at 9
GM NOTE: This seems wrong, but the Core Rulebook states “putting any excess SP in the forward quadrant”. I plan to argue for
modifying this rule later, probably to apply left over points starting at the front and moving right or left around the ship at the
Science Officers discretion.
Indigo takes the Target System action and rolls 19 + 10 + 2 = 31 against DC 19 succeeding and choosing the PCU obviously
GM NOTE: Yes, he realizes this is, in effect, choosing to kill a crew member since the PCU is already wrecked. The rules are unclear if an
unrolled critical damage rolls over to crew this way, but that’s how we will play it if it happens
IR Pilot tries the Flip and Burn Stunt again and rolls 17 + 8 = 25 against DC 19 moving the ship 6 spaces and turn it 180 to face the Sunrise
Maiden
GM NOTE: Indigo realizes what I have done and asks about which shield is hit on the shield boundary lines so we go look that up. Here
we find that this case is only specifically mentioned for which weapons can fire, not which shields are hit. We reason that the weapon arc chosen should indicate the shield struck. This feels weird given our SFB experience, but it seems to be the most likely RAI. Not that it will matter… I know that the next hull point of damage on the IR is another critical ☹
Keskkin takes the Evade Stunt action and rolls 5 + 11 + 1 = 17 against DC 16 and succeeds, gaining a +2 AC and TL for the round.
Keskkin moves the Sunrise Maiden in a straight line 10 hexes, ending up beside the IR on its rear/left facing which is in the arc boundary
for both ships
Gunnery
Rev takes the Encourage action and rolls 15 + 2 + 1 = 18 against DC 10 and gives Blackhand a +2 on his next gunnery check
IR Gunner takes the Shoot action on the port coilgun and rolls 1! + 12 = 13, which is a miss
GM NOTE: I groan, the party cheers
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 14 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 23, hitting for 13 damage, and he chooses the
port shield, which goes down and applies 7 hull damage (total now 30) and another crit. Blackhand rolls a 64, so the IR Engines
are now Glitching.
ROUND 5
Engineering
IR Engineer takes the Hold It Together action and rolls 20 + 7 = 27 against DC 19, so PCU will only be treated as Glitching
Helm
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 18 + 6 = 24
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 17 + 11 = 28
IF Science Officer takes the Balance action and rolls 1! + 6 = 7 against DC 19 failing
Indigo takes the Target System action and rolls 9 + 10 + 2 = 21 against DC 19 succeeding and choosing the PCU again
IR Pilot takes the Fly action and moves the IR 6, turns right 1, moves 5, turns right 1, and moves 1
GM NOTE: Indigo advises Keskkin on movement here. Not sure if this should be allowed, but for now I guess its fine
Keskkin takes the Fly action and moves the Sunrise Main 1, turns right 1, moves 1, turns right 1, moves 1, turns right 1, and moves 7. This
leaves the ships 9 hexes apart with the Sunrise Maiden just inside the IRs rear arc.
GM NOTE: While Indigo and I are enjoying the SFB-like nature of all of this, I’m not sure Keskkin and Rev are as interested.
Gunnery
Rev takes the Encourage action and rolls 20 + 2 + 1 = 23 against DC 10 and gives Blackhand a +2 on his next gunnery check
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 6 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 15, barely hitting for 11 damage, which brings
down the rear shield and applies 5 hull damage (now 35) and another critical damage roll for 32 for weapons and then rolls a 2
on a 1d3 which applies Glitching to the Forward weapons
IR Captain begins the process of wiping the ships system logs and setting up self destruct
ROUND 6
Engineering
IR Engineer takes the Hold It Together action and rolls 18 + 7 = 25 against DC 19, so PCU will only be treated as Glitching
Helm
IR Pilot makes initial Piloting check and rolls 5 + 6 = 11
Keskkin makes initial Piloting check and rolls 8 + 11 = 19
IR Science Officer takes the Balance action and rolls 14 + 6 = 20 against DC 19 putting 4 points in each shield and 7 in the front
Indigo takes the Target System action and rolls 7 + 10 + 2 = 19 against DC 19 succeeding and choosing the PCU yet again
IR Pilot takes the Fly action and moves the IR 1, turns right 1, moves 1, turns right 1, moves 1, turns right 1, and moves 1
Keskkin takes the Fly action and moves the Sunrise Main 1, turns right 1, moves 3, turns right 1, moves 6 along the port side of the IR
ending up 2 hexes away in the IRs rear arc
Gunnery
Rev takes the Encourage action and rolls 13 + 2 + 1 = 15 against DC 10 and gives Blackhand a +2 on his next gunnery check
Blackhand takes the Shoot action on the particle beam turret and rolls 19! + 3 + 3 + 1 + 2 = 28, criting for 12 damage, which brings
down the rear shield again and applies 8 hull damage (now 43). The first critical from the roll is applied to PCU which moves to Crew and with 6 IR crew members I roll a d6 and get a 3, indicating the first Gunner takes 8 damage. (GM NOTE: What the heck is this guys Reflex save? I use Blackhands) Gunner rolls a 14 + 2 failing the Reflex save. (GM NOTE: And what is his HP total?). The second critical is rolled by Blackhand for a 4 which means the Life Support is now Glitching
The IR explodes and Indigo passes an improvised DC 20 Mechanics check to realize the auto-destruct was used
Return To Absalom Station
The party sticks with “no comment” when the press shows up as they leave the ship. They also give a more detailed statement to the station security officers that show up after that. Station security also commends them on not publicizing their as-yet unrevealed findings and encourage them to continue that stance. Their meeting with Ambassador Nor is short and with veiled hostility on both sides. I am unsure how to handle the party’s extreme measures at avoiding information from getting out later. Since Nor refuses to help with deciphering anyhow, I decide to just leave it as “unknown” to anyone, but this would seem to be counter to the assumptions in this module’s opening background information. So, I mentally make note that, even now, someone is exploring what remains of the drift rock, as enough information did get out to pique curiosity.
The meeting with Chiskisk is longer and friendlier, with the party disclosing everything they found in both the ship and the drift rock. I portray Chiskisk as puzzled and excited by the information provided. It takes several minutes, but the party manages to ask every question covered in the Chiskisk follow up information. Everyone seems to be enthusiastically taking up the fledgling role of Starfinder.
The party then goes shopping! At this point, as they usually do, the party pools all of their money and puts it in the care of Rev, who is an accountant in another universe. The group then gathers around my tablet to go over the list in the Core Rulebook.
Everyone gets an Mk I Personal Upgrade… Strength for Blackhand, Dexterity for Rev, and Wisdom for Keskkin. Indigo agonizes over his choice. He worries that Resolve Points are going to be more important when he starts having to repair his drone. But Dexterity will make a bigger difference in combat, and in the end he opts for that, deciding he can always switch later if he decides he needs it. They start looking for armor for Blackhand, but he overrules them. “Protect the healer first, and he’ll protect me”. This spawns an argument, but only Keskkin is disagreeing, so they buy a suit of Basic Lasunta Tempweave. They follow that up with a suit of Officer Ceremonial Plate for Blackhand. They buy a Hybridized Fusion and an Industrial Backpack for each of themselves. They buy 2 Infrared Sensor armor mods for Blackhand and Keskkin. Lastly they pick up a Grappler and 100’ of Titanium Cable leaving them with 800c.
And here we find what may be the most amusing gap in the game. Indigo and Blackhand both ask about buying binoculars, which are nowhere to be found.
In Search of Lost Records
University Investigations
When the party arrives at the reception area and sees the press, they assume that they are there about the Drift Rock. When Ikimsi informs them it is due to something else and that they can’t be admitted until the press is dealt with, Rev springs into action. “Ok, ok,” she shouts, “I’m sure you’re all impatient to interview the famous Drift Rock Explorers, so now is your chance. Let’s give the poor receptionist back his desk and move over here,” she says gesturing to the far side of the room. I tell her to roll Bluff and Diplomacy as the two checks involved, and she comes up with a 13 + 9 and a 16 + 9 which I feel is good enough to get the press out of the way after the interview. They then secure an appointment with Professor Muhali.
Professor Muhali’s Office
The party quickly covers all of the questions and Rev makes both the Sense Motive check (15 + 9) and the Diplomacy check (20 + 9 + 2).
Ailabiens 21:2’s Office
Rev makes the Cutlture check (14 + 8 + 2) to decipher the name with the +2 bonus coming from the fact that she asked “what’s with that name, is that normal for contemplatives” before asking if she could research it before they went to the office. After a brief bit of research, they meet the man and quickly go through their questions and also quickly develop a dislike for him. When they learn what it will take to get his cooperation, Rev convinces Professor Muhali (11 + 9 + 2) to agree to all three conditions earning the party both rewards when Ailabiens 21:2 renders his apology to the public. They return to Professor Muhali after the apology and soon learn of the concern over Dr. Solstarni and obtain a key to her office.
I should note that the party is immediately suspicious here. They realize they are modestly well known for the time being, but wonder how anyone could have gotten the necessary information to lead them here after all of their precautions on the Drift Rock. I point out that the Drift Rock was unattended for several days since they left and ownership of it is still in dispute. I also play my trump card I’ve been holding since they finished the first module. They never attempted to destroy the systems in the Drift Rock, nor did they try to delete the information within them, so yes, the information “got out”.
Dr. Solstarni’s Office
Before heading to Dr. Solstarni’s Office, Indigo wonders aloud if there are security cameras around. I point out the obvious ones in the hallways, but note they have no seen any in the offices. Indigo then suggests asking the receptionist about accessing the cameras outside Dr. Solstarni’s office before they check the office itself, which the party readily agrees with and they head there first. Rev easily makes the resulting Culture check (18 + 9) and Indigo makes the Computers check (20 + 10) to discover the tampering. The party then heads to Dr. Solstarni’s Office where Indigo goes to work on the computer while Rev and Keskkin search the room. Keskkin makes the Perception check (15 + 10) regarding the armor, and when he draws Rev’s attention to it, they both find the invitation behind the cabinet (5 + 11 and 16 + 9). Keskkin also finds the Zan notes (9 + 11). The party becomes excited when Professor Muhali offers to let them keep the tempweave armor, but then I remind them it will need to be altered to fit Rev or Indigo. Indigo is quite happy when he learns he can do this himself, and they decide to size it for Rev and he makes the check later (11 + 10) against DC 18.
Indigo makes the initial check to access the computer (18 + 10) and makes the second check (16 + 10) to detect the forgery. Rev assists when Paqual comes up in the notes due to finding the invitation. She makes the Sense Motive check (9 + 9) and also makes the Culture check (17 + 8) when following up on the man himself in the infosphere. While they are both going over this information, Indigo asks if he notices anything odd about the records and just barely makes the Computers check (11 + 10) regarding the man potentially being fictitious.
The party quickly agrees to help the detective when he arrives on the scene, not out of any love of law enforcement, but as a means to better understand what is going on.
Five Arches
Rev makes the Bluff check (17 + 9) to appear as clients when approached by Twonas En. Rev specifically states she is looking the man over for any signs of electronics that might be… questionable. I allow her a Perception check against DC 23 to spot the panic button before Twonas attempts to use it, which she makes (16 + 9). None of the other party members are aware of the device and the check was done privately. Rev suggests they go meet his associates and talk further, which Twonas agrees to, but then Blackhand surprises everyone. He steps up and follows Twonas closely out the door and as soon as they are outside, he attacks Twonas from behind, so I grant him, and only him, a surprise round. Rev immediately lets everyone know the man has a panic button on his belt.
Qabarat Smugglers
PC Init : Rev 30, Indigo 20, Blackhand 15, Keskkin 4
NPC Init 10
Surprise Round
Blackhand enters Photon mode, attacks Twonas and (18 + 7) hits for 13 (max damage!)
Round 1
Rev wants to tie up his hands to prevent him from using the panic button… time to learn how Starfinder grappling works…
I quickly determine that the target of KAC + 13 (26) is unreachable by Rev and inform her of this. To which Keskkin says “figures, grappling is just
as pointless here.” The only upside seems to be that the system is far simpler than Pathfinder. Rev asks what condition Twonas looks to
be in, and say “pretty bad”, so she draws her pistol and steps back away from him, but does not attack.
Indigo asks if he can Overload the panic button, so more brief Rulebook diving. Twonas rolls (6 + 4) on the Reflex save vs DC 14, so the panic
button is disabled for one round.
Blackhand snarls “surrender” at Twonas and rolls (19 + 0) on the Intimidate check against DC 16
Twonas surrenders
The party asks Blackhand what the heck he was doing, and he shrugs and says he was bored with all the detective-ing. The party strips Twonas of his gear and then inform the police via the bugs that they are going to use the panic button to call Twonas’ cronies and let the police come in behind them. I ask the group if they want to fight out the conflict and they say not unless they have to. We agree that 1 round occurs and apply 1d4 damage to each character before the police arrive.
The questioning of Twonas is brief and menacing as it is conducted with Blackhand looming over him. They get the information and immediately set off toward the Port Authority with an officer in tow. There they learn the information from the Gate Controller. Of course, their officer tagalong quickly points out that this is now out of his jurisdiction. He indicates they can provide travel visas if the university does not in order to follow up on the information thoroughly. The party contacts Professor Muhali who is even more troubled by the new information. She quickly offers the stipend and visa to follow up, the party opts for the university visas, hoping they will be less likely to draw attention of anyone monitoring incoming traffic at their destination.
PART 2: THE UKULAM EXPEDITION
Turhalu Point
The party meets with Dr. Khair al-Nuaf and discuss the previous group and begin planning their own trip. I modify the gifted equipment slightly swapping the Carbon Steel Curve Blade for another suit of Basic Lashunta Tempweave. The party spends the rest of the arrival day buying supplies and planning their trip. DM NOTE: There is no mention in the adventure how long the first 10 miles by security vehicle take, or even what type of vehicle is used, so I improvise using the All-Terrain Transport from the rulebook, which has a speed of 50mph. That means a brief 15 to 20 minute drive (longer if you prefer to treat the terrain as rougher and not allowing top speed, but I see no need for that) still leaving time for a full 12 mile foot travel day. By taking 10, Keskkin will pass every Survival Orienteering check (10 + 9), so I tell the party that only an extreme circumstance will result in the party getting lost. Day 1 and 2 pass without incident with a travel distance of 34 miles. They travel 12 miles on day 3 (46 total) and their armor environmental protection stands at Blackhand (84h), Rev (60h), Indigo (60h), Keskkin (60h) before the following events happen…
DM NOTE: I have no idea what the module means by “used sparingly”. <shrug>
Event 1: Trampling Titans
Keskkin makes the DC 22 Survival check (17 + 6) to identify the Yaruks. The party, as I expected, chooses to maneuver through the herd. Everyone rolls their Perception checks when the sniper shot is taken… Blackhand (19 + 6), Rev (17 + 9), Keskkin (8 + 10), and Indigo (11 + 7)… meaning everyone hears it and both Blackhand and Rev spot the sniper. The “chase” begins…
Phase 1 (0 Successes)
Yaruks roll 6, veering away from the source of the gunshot. No previous actions, so no -4 penalty though
Keskkin tries the Navigate action (DC 17) and rolls (16 + 9) earning 1 success for the party
Indigo attempts to Scramble (DC 18) and rolls (13 + 6) earning 1 success for the party
Rev tries to Squeeze (DC 19) and rolls (14 + 14) earning 1 success for the party
Blackhand opts to try and Spook the animals, rolling (19 + 5) hitting one and gaining a +2 bonus on the Intimidate check rolling (18 + 2 lucky
duck!) earning another success
Phase 2 (4 Successes)
Yaruks roll 4, creating (3 + 3) damage. Keskkin fails the save with (6 + 4), Indigo (19 + 5), Rev (11 + 6), and Blackhand (17 + 2) all save with Indigo
taking no damage due to Evasion
Keskkin tries the Navigate action (DC 17) and rolls (15 + 9) earning 1 success
Indigo Scrambles again (DC 18) and rolls (6 + 6) failing
Rev tries to Spook the animals and uses Trick Attack to do so (18 + 6) hits for (5 + 6) damage earning a +4 bonus on the Intimidate check (16 + 9 +
2) earning 1 success
Rev also tries to Squeeze (DC 19) and rolls (20 + 14 - 3) picking up another success
Blackhand Scrambles (DC 18) and rolls (15 + 6) getting a success
Phase 3 (8 Successes)
Yaruks roll 3 and topple a tree toward Rev for (2 + 4 + 6) damage and Rev rolls a (10 + 6) to save and take no damage thanks to Evasion again
Keskkin Navigates (DC 17) again rolling (10 + 9 - 2) barely succeeding
Indigo Scrambles (DC 18) and rolls (17 + 6 - 2) succeeding
Rev tries to Squeeze again (DC 19) rolling (16 + 14 - 2) also succeeding
Blackhand attempts to Scramble (DC 18) and rolls (20 + 6 - 2) earning the final success
A. Rune Obelisk
A1. The Approach
Everyone makes the initial Perception check and Keskkin makes the Life Science check (8 + 6) to identify the figs.
PC Init : Keskkin 17, Blackhand 16, Rev 11, Indigo 4
NPC Init : 10, 8, 4, 15
Round 1
Keskkin uses Mind Thrust on K1 for (10 + 8) and it fails the save (8 + 1)
Blackhand enters Photon mode, moves toward K2 and attacks (13 + 7) doing 8 damage
K4 moves up to Blackhand…
Blackhands makes Attack of Opportunity (16 + 7) hitting for 7 damage
…and attacks (16 + 9) hitting for 6 and Blackhands makes the save against the venom (14 + 6)
Rev makes a Trick attack against K2 using Stealth (7 + 14) and rolling (18 + 6) for the attack, hitting for (3 + 1 + 7)
K3 move up to Blackhand and attacks (9 + 9) which misses
Indigo fires at K4 (16 + 4) hitting for (6 + 3)
Drone fires at K3 (14 + 5) hitting for (9 + 3)
Round 2
Keskkin fires at K3 (15 + 5) and hits for 8 damage
Blackhand attacks K4 (12 + 7) and hits for (6 + 4) damage
Rev makes the Perception check to notice the serums (12 + 9) and Blackhand climbs (15 + 6) up to retrieve them.
A2. The Obelisk
DM NOTE: So, another question arises. Are Perception checks modified for distance in Starfinder? How far away can the Vracinea be detected? The party all glance at the obelisk at the end of the fight, so does the Lure take effect before the Perception check? Technically the Lure should have already taken effect during the fight, but I didn’t read far enough ahead. ☹ I keep the same PC initiatives and pick up the second fight immediately and allow the Perception and Lure saves simultaneously. Perception: Rev (4 + 9), Blackhand (15 + 6), Indigo (9 + 7), Keskkin (19 + 10). Saves: Rev (16 + 4), Blackhand (11 + 5), Indigo (19 + 2), Keskkin (15 + 6). Keskkin spots the creature, everyone saves, and they all get cautious. Keskkin identifies the creature (18 + 6). The group begins firing ranged attacks shortly after from about 50’, and I take note of the damage and have the creature flee after the second round as indicated in the text before it is killed as it cannot reach the group by then.
The party has enough XP to level at this point and they decide to finish up the session by doing that. Rev picks up elven during levelling and they investigate the pillar as well. They try to investigate the sniper but find nothing and are now highly suspicious and on guard. To be continued…
Comments welcome of course, especially if see something we're doing horribly wrong. This AP is being run on very little prep work thanks to my crazy work schedule lately, so mistakes will probably be made.
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The party continues to play this AP at a breakneck pace (for us)...
Event 2: Dangerous Flora
As the party breaks camp at the start of day 4, I roll Perception checks for all of them; Blackhand (15 + 7), Rev (2 + 10), Indigo (10 + 8), Keskkin (13 + 12). Everyone but Rev spots the ksarik and all three take pot shots at the creature before it runs off. For the three attacks the ksarik makes during the day, I roll Perception, Initiative, then the attack just to establish who is flat-footed when the attack is made. The group receives a +2, +4, +6, and +8 on each Perception check to reflect the creatures increasing aggressiveness and anyone failing the Perception check is automatically flat-footed. I make the final attack at the mid point of day 5 and the confrontation at the end of day 5. With another 12 miles on Day 4 and Day 5 (total now 70, over halfway). Their environmental protection stands at Blackhand (60h), Rev (36h), Indigo (36h), Keskkin (36h) and they realize they probably won’t have enough for the entire journey and begin discussing alternatives.
Attack 1
[
Perception: Blackhand (17 + 7 + 2), Rev (9 + 10 + 2), Indigo (18 + 8 + 2), Keskkin (20 + 12 + 2)
Initiative: Ksarik (10 + 1), Blackhand (13 + 6), Rev (19 + 10), Indigo (4 + 3), Keskkin (1 + 3)
Random Target (1d4): 1 = Blackhand (not flat-footed)
Attack: (2 + 9) misses
]
Attack 2
[
Perception: Blackhand (1 + 7 + 4), Rev (2 + 10 + 4), Indigo (4 + 8 + 4), Keskkin (2 + 12 + 4)
Initiative: Ksarik (9 + 1), Blackhand (6 + 6), Rev (13 + 10), Indigo (1 + 3), Keskkin (7 + 3)
Random Target (1d4): 4 = Keskkin (not flat-footed)
Attack: (8 + 9) misses
]
Attack 3
[
Perception: Blackhand (3 + 7 + 6), Rev (17 + 10 + 6), Indigo (20 + 8 + 6), Keskkin (2 + 12 + 6)
Initiative: Ksarik (2 + 1), Blackhand (1 + 6), Rev (19 + 10), Indigo (6 + 3), Keskkin (16 + 3)
Random Target (1d4): 4 = Keskkin (not flat-footed)
Attack: (4 + 9) misses
]
Attack 4
[
Perception: Blackhand (10 + 7 + 8), Rev (12 + 10 + 8), Indigo (6 + 8 + 8), Keskkin (12 + 12 + 8)
Initiative: Ksarik (10 + 1), Blackhand ( 12 + 6), Rev (15 + 10), Indigo (18 + 3), Keskkin ( 14 + 3)
Random Target (1d4): 3 = Indigo (not flat-footed)
Attack: (6 + 9) misses (yep, some great DM rolling during this sequence of attacks)
]
The party finds Ralkawi and she manages only to curse at them as they look her over and the Ksarik attacks immediately. Wanting to prolong the mystery of who is behind the abduction, I intend to have Ralkawi die just as the combat ends. The combat starts with the Ksarik and the party about 100’ apart using the map, with the Ksarik in the upper left area and the party in the lower right facing each other across the open area between the trees. I chose this setup simply to see if I could draw the fight out a little. After reading over the Ksarik entry, I realize that there are no abilities the creature can steal from a party member that will help it. I suppose it might be possible to steal the walk the void ability from Keskkin, but it shouldn’t be usable on the planet. He could also switch to fire damage by attacking the Solarian, but again, that’s not any difference in advantage over acid.
[
PC Init : Blackhand 20, Keskkin 19, Rev 15, Indigo 10
NPC Init : 8
Round 1
Blackhand enters Photon mode, spends his standard action to activate Plasma Sheath, and moves 35’ toward the creature while staying close to
the trees on the left side (west) of the map to try and leave clear firing angles for the rest of the party and intentionally *not* behind any
tree so as to encourage the creature to attack him.
Keskkin casts Shooting Stars (magic missile) as a Full action dealing (4 + 1 + 4 + 3) damage (no cover)
Rev takes cover behind a tree on the right waiting for the creature to come closer (full cover)
Indigo moves toward the fallen tree/limb pictured on the map and crouches behind it at the southern end (partial cover) and takes a shot at the
Ksarik (15 + 6) hitting for (2 + 4) damage
Indigo moves the drone to the space between the tree Rev is behind and the fungus looking orange plant south of his position (partial cover
depending on angle)
Ksarik fires a thorn dart at Blackhand (4 + 9) and misses, moves 40’ toward him, then regains 2 HP (they are now 20’ apart)
Round 2
Blackhand moves 35’ maneuvering such that he is 1 space away and slightly left and behind the Ksarik. He attacks (19 + 8) and hits for (3 + 8 + 1)
Keskkin shoots (6 + 6) and misses
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves out from behind the tree and heads straight north, makes the stealth check (15 + 16), and attacks (9 + 8)
dealing (3 + 2 + 4) damage
Indigo fires at the Ksarik (4 + 6) and misses
Drone fires at the Ksarik (7 + 5) and misses
Ksarik attacks Blackhand with a tentacle (14 + 12) and hits for (4 + 9) damage I spend 1 RP to allow 2 adaptations as it absorbs the fire damage
type. It then heals 2 HP
Round 3
Blackhand attacks again (19 + 8) hitting for (8 + 8 + 1) max damage. I point out the creature is unconscious but seems to still be healing.
Keskkin shoots (8 + 6) and misses
Rev attempts Trick Attack, does not move, makes the stealth check (10 + 16), attacks (20 + 8) and crits! dealing (2 + 2 + 2 + 1) and setting it on
fire pretty much guaranteeing the creatures death
]
Event 3: Moldstorm
Day six passes without incident and they travel 12 miles (82 total) and their environmental protection drops to Blackhand (48h), Rev (24h), Indigo (24h), Keskkin (24h). Perception checks: Blackhand (13 + 7), Rev (8 + 10), Indigo (16 + 8), Keskkin (7 + 12) so everyone spots the fluffy pink clouds. Keskkin just makes the Life Science check (11 + 7) to identify the threat. They opt to try and build a shelter and Keskkin makes a pretty great roll (18 + 11) which is enough to cover the whole party and avoid the effects altogether. They travel 6 miles after the storm (total now 88) and environment protections are Blackhand (42h), Rev (18h), Indigo (18h), Keskkin (18h).
Event 4: The Mold-Maddened Beast
[
The party hears the creature and takes 2 rounds to quickly setup an ambush. Blackhand moves 40’ ahead of the party and the rest of the party takes
partial cover behind a variety of objects, with Rev being 10’ behind Blackhand. Everyone has darkvision, negating the dim light considerations of
the encounter. However, since the module states 90’ as the limit of observation, and most darkvision stops at 60’, I decide that combat starts
with the creature 40’ away from Blackhand (90’ - 50' of movement). This of course immediately negates any possibility of a charge from the
Renkroda on Blackhand, as you will see…
PC Init : Blackhand 23, Rev 15, Indigo 11, Keskkin 7
NPC Init : 3
Round 1
Blackhand enters Photon mode, moves 35’ toward the creature and attacks (11 + 8) and hits for (5 + 8 + 1) damage
Rev attempts trick attack, rolls Stealth (19 + 16), attacks (16 + 8) hitting for (3 + 2 + 6) damage
Indigo fires (9 + 6) and misses
Drone fires (9 + 5) and misses
Keskkin moves twice covering 60’, staying behind cover and closing to within 30’ of the Renkroda and 10’ of Rev
GM NOTE: I decide not to play nice
Renkroda charges Rev…
Blackhand takes Attack of Opportunity (15 + 8) and hits for (8 + 8 + 1) max damage! GM NOTE: Figures *eyeroll*
…attacks (18 + 14) hitting for (4 + 10) and makes a Trip attack (12 + 14) barely succeeding and Rev goes prone who glares at me
Round 2
Blackhand moves toward the creature and attacks (16 + 8) hitting for (2 + 8 + 1)
Rev stands and attempts an Acrobatics check to move away from the creature (4 + 16), succeeding and moving 25’ away
Indigo fires (1 + 6) and misses
Drone fires (15 + 5) and hits for (1 + 3) damage
Keskkin moves out from behind cover and next to Rev and casts Mind Thrust (2nd level) at the Renkroda for (6 + 5 + 4 + 10) and the creature (5 +
4) fails the save and crumples in a heap
]
DM NOTE: Why did I charge instead of Tail attack + Roar? The DC on the save is pretty low and I figured it would not hit much of the party. I still scared the crap out of Rev, and either way, the combat probably would have still ended in two rounds. So about how Starfinder battles are supposed to last longer…
On day 8, the party opts to not use their armor environmental protection for the full day. They choose to skip 1 hour in the morning and two hours at night. All saves are made during the morning hour and they use 5 hours of protection and travel 6 (94 total) miles before finding the Stargazer. Protections: Blackhand (37h), Rev (13h), Indigo (13h), Keskkin (13h)
B. The Stargazer
Like so many times before, my party gets clever here. They decide to circle the entire complex from the cover of the surrounding jungle. Indigo and Blackhand both make of point of saying “gee, binoculars sure would be handy here”. The distances don’t appear to be too great, so I allow them to spot the entrance to the statue from the northeast. They even express the desire to climb trees and observe the statue for other openings and entrances. In the end, they decide to wait until dark and make a dash for the entrance hoping that their darkvision will be an advantage. This negates the advantage of pretty much every encounter in the area. I have no idea (yet) what an extra six hours will mean for the later portion of the adventure. The party has been very cautious and detailed in their approach so I see no need to sabotage this plan. Indigo deactivates the drone, camouflages it with foliage, and leaves it behind. As a result of this, the encounters here are not in the expected order.
B3. Cleansing Pool
Keskkin attempts the Mysticism check (16 + 11) and determines the purpose of the room. Indigo attempts the Physical Science check (13 + 10) and identifies the oddity of the constellations on the ceiling. Keskkin performs the cleansing ritual and the rest of the party does so after being a bit spooked by Keskkin’s lengthy description of how important cleansing rituals are to many ancient cultures. DM NOTE: Seriously, he went on a long improvised ramble about totally made up things that got creepier and creepier until the party said, “enough, we’ll do it too.” The cultist in B4 that is awake (I ruled one sleeps and one stays awake) fails his Perception check to hear any of this as the party speaks in hushed tones and endeavors to be quiet.
B4. Hall of Inscription
The awake guard stands at the middle of the room (leaning against one of the protruding walls 30’ from the north side of the room) while the sleeping one is near the stairs to B5. Rev attempts to stealth to the top of the stairs and peek in the room (16 + 16) and the guard rolls miserably (6 + 5). Rev returns to the party informing them of the position of the guard. They elect to allow Blackhand to move up the stairs and toss a grenade hopefully in surprise and then have the rest of the group rush into the room. Blackhand rolls (19 + 8) on his Stealth check and the guard against fails with (7 + 5).
[
PC Init : Blackhand 20, Rev 18, Keskkin 16, Indigo 6
NPC Init : 10, 15
Surprise Round
Blackhand throws Stickybomb Grenade I… DM NOTE: This is an auto-hit, right? +4 Str bonus and +4 BAB alone are enough to hit AC 5…
entangling the awake guard for (1 + 4) rounds
Round 1
Blackhand enters Photon mode, moves to the left/front side of the stuck guard (adjacent), and attacks (6 + 8) and hits for (2 + 8 + 1)
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves up the stairs and into the room on the left side, rolls (15 + 16) stealth, attacks (11 + 8) hitting for (1 + 2 + 6)
She calls out “first target down, one waking up at the end of the room” to those left in B3
Keskkin moves up the stairs, moves again, ending up 10’ past Blackhand
Cultist2 wakes up, stands, and draws his sword
Indigo moves into the room and stays near the stairs to B3
DM NOTE: I note that Salask now awakens in B5, grabs her rifle, and stands up
Round 2
Blackhand is able to just reach the awakening Cultist and attack (10 + 8) which lands for (8 + 8 + 1) max damage
Rev attempts Trick Attack moving to the bend in the room, rolls (3 + 16) Stealth, attacks (7 + 8), and hits for (2 + 2 + 2)
Keskkin and Indigo take up positions behind Rev
DM NOTE: Unsure what to do with Salask yet, I have her don her armor and other equipment
Round 3
The party repositions and hides…
Blackhand just south of the last protruding wall on the east side of the room
Rev hides opposite Blackhand
Keskkin is on the other side of the wall from Blackhand
Indigo is opposite Keskkin
Two more rounds pass with no movement as I decide Salask will stay put and make the party come to her. I stop tracking rounds, but keep the party’s
initiative scores. The party finally regroups at the base of the stairs and decides that Blackhand will move up the stairs until he finds a branch or room.
]
B5. Reflection Room
[
PC Init : Blackhand 20, Rev 18, Keskkin 16, Indigo 6
NPC Init : 18
Surprise Round
Salask rolls Stealth (19 + 13) and Blackhand rolls (3 + 8) on Perception, so I give Salask a surprise round to get an opening shot
Salask attacks (9 + 11) and just barely hits thanks to Blackhand being flat-footed, dealing (8 + 3), but giving away her position at the intersection
Round 1
Blackhand enters Photon mode, moves adjacent to Salask, and attacks (17 + 8) and hits for (6 + 8 + 1). He calls out “sniper rifle” to the party.
Rev talks to Keskkin briefly and then passes her turn
DM NOTE: And here we discover the joy of reach weapons. If Salask withdraws, she will draw an attack of opportunity from the second space
Blackhand threatens. If she takes a guarded step up the stairs, Blackhand can follow and open up a space for someone else to attack. If
she stays in melee, she only has to deal with Blackhand, but will most certainly die, just slower. No good options.
Salask drops the rifle, draws her sword, attacks (16 + 8) hitting for (5 + 4)
DM NOTE: Blackhand voices his annoyance that this wasn’t one long running combat so he could use a Revelation… something I didn’t think
about
Keskkin moves up the stairs to behind Blackhand
Indigo stays put
Round 2
Blackhand uses Plasma Sheath and…
He curses to himself as he re-reads the ability just now realizing that he gets bonus damage while attuned, not just *fully* attuned.
… attacks (14 + 8) and hits for (6 + 8 + 1 + 1) and tells Keskkin to move back
Rev passes
Salask attacks (13 + 8) and misses
Keskkin moves back down the stairs and Indigo passes
Round 3
Blackhand uses Supernova for (4 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 1) but Salask makes the Reflex save easily (19 + 5) to only take 9 damage.
DM NOTE: Blackhand notes ruefully that a higher Cha would not have mattered and that this damage is lower than the min he could get with a
weapon attack and that a full level 4 Solarian would have dealt 11 or so, but he still hopes to get the opportunity to use this against a
group
Rev passes
Salask attacks (3 + 8) and misses
Keskkin and Indigo pass
Round 4
Blackhand enters Photon mode, attacks (10 + 8), and hits for (5 + 8 + 1)
]
Indigo attempts the Computers check against Salask’s comm unit (13 + 11) and succeeds. They review the reports and decide to try some deception. Rev wants to try and pose as Salask and report in that the party is dead and she is badly wounded to help cover any variation in her voice (which I give her a +1 for). She realizes it will be Bluff vs Sense Motive with no idea who is on the other end of the line. She rolls (18 + 10 + 1) on the Bluff check and Tahomen rolls (9 + 11) on the Sense Motive check, so he believes her, but I have no idea until I read ahead what that will amount to.
B6. Observation Deck
The group briefly checks this room before returning to B3 to spend the night, as they are unsure whether the cleansing ritual did anything, and if it did, will it wear off in the middle of the night. They bring the Drone in to keep watch (I assume this is possible)
Event 5: Ksarik Raid
This happens just after the party breaks camp the next morning. The Drone spots the lead Ksarik before they enter the room.
[
PC Init : Rev 27, Blackhand 18, Indigo 16, Keskkin 15
NPC Init : 12, 4
Round 1
Rev takes a position to the right of the basin
Blackhand enters Photon Mode, activates Plasma Sheath, and takes a position to the left of the doorway
Indigo crouches behind the right side of the basin and move the drone to the back, left corner of the room
Keskkin crouches behind the left side of the basin
K1 enters the room and stops just inside and attacks Blackhand (5 + 12) and misses
K2 enters the room, moves through K1s space to the right of the door…
Blackhand makes an attack of opportunity (19 + 8) hitting for (4 + 8 + 1 + 1)
… and fires a Thorn Dart at Rev (1 + 9) but misses DM NOTE: Party all gasp out variations of “crap, there’s two of them!”
Round 2
Rev attempts Trick Attack against K2, does not move, rolls (16 + 16) Stealth, attacks (14 + 8), and hits for (6 + 2 + 7)
Blackhand takes advantage of my positioning gaff and attacks K2 (damn reach!) (20 + 8) and freaking crits for (2 + 6 + 8 + 1 + 1) and the party
cheers while I grumble. I should have just meleed Rev, but the tactics say they try ranged first.
Indigo shoots at K2 (12 + 6) hitting for (3 + 4) and the party cheers again
Drone shoots at K1 (17 + 5) and hits for (3 + 3)
Keskkin casts Shooting Stars at K1 as a full round action dealing (3 + 1 + 4 + 3)
K1 attacks Blackhand (10 + 12), just barely hitting for (1 + 9) and then heals 2 points
Round 3
Rev attempts Trick Attack against K1, does not move, rolls (3 + 16) Stealth which fails, attacks (13 + 8), and hits for (2 + 2)
Blackhand attacks K1 (12 + 8) hitting for (6 + 8 + 1 + 1)
Indigo shoots at K1 (9 + 6) which misses
Keskkin casts Shooting Stars at K1 as a full round action dealing (1 + 4 + 2 + 3)
K1 attacks Blackhand (16 + 12) and hits again for (4 + 9) and then heals 2 points
Round 4
Rev attempts Trick Attack against K1, does not move, rolls (16 + 16) Stealth, attacks (18 + 8), and hits for (3 + 2 + 7)
]
Everyone congratulates Blackhand on a fight saving critical and he spends a Resolve Point to regain Stamina (the first time anyone has had to).
B2/B1. Shattered Outbuildings/Scholar’s Plaza
As the party emerges from the statue, I have the Sky Fisher begin it’s attack immediately, not bothering with flight or stealth, but I give it a surprise round due to the party’s somewhat relaxed nature as they leave.
[
PC Init : Rev 20, Keskkin 15, Blackhand 14, Indigo 11
NPC Init : 14
Surprise Round
Fisher lands 40’ away from the party and tries to lasso (random 1d4 roll of 3) Indigo (5 + 14) and hits for (4 + 7) nonlethal and entangled
Round 1
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves to the right, rolls (9 + 16) Stealth, attacks (18 + 8), hitting for (6 + 2 + 8), she finally remembers her new ability
and notes the creature is flat-footed for the turn.
Keskkin casts a 2nd level Mind Thrust for (8 + 10 + 5 + 3) and the Fisher rolls (8 + 6) failing the Will save
Blackhand enters Photon mode, moves adjacent to the left side of the Fisher…
The Fisher makes an attack of opportunity (1 + 11), but misses badly
…attacks (20 + 8) DM NOTE: *bleep* *bleepity* *bleep* and crits for (2 + 7 + 8 + 1)
DM NOTE: It’s supposed to try more lassoing, but that will create an AoO for Blackhand…
Fisher tries to Bite Blackhand (11 + 14) and hits for (6 + 7) damage and poison, which Blackhand (14 + 6) saves against
Indigo attempts the Acrobatics check (4 + 1) and fails miserably
Drone attacks (13 + 5) and hits for (3 + 3)
Fisher telepathically pleas to flee
Round 2
Rev isn’t trusting and tries Trick Attack again, Stealth (20 + 16), attack (19 + 8), damage (5 + 2 + 2) which kills it
]
The party opts to use only 6 hours of environmental protection on day 9 except for Blackhand. All rolls are made on during the 3 morning hours. At the end of the day, both Keskkin and Rev fail their final save, but as it cools off at night they recover fairly quickly. They cover 12 miles for a total of 106 and their protections end up at Blackhand (25h), Rev (7h), Indigo (7h), Keskkin (7h). Day 10 passes the exact same way resulting in 118 miles covered total and protections at Blackhand (13h), Rev (1h), Indigo (1h), Keskkin (1h). On day 11, the keep their final hour of protection for when they arrive on site and all saves are made.
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The holiday delayed the final addition to this, but here it is finally....
PART 3: THE LOST TEMPLE
The party arrives at the beginning of day 11 garnering the largest xp award, and despite hoping they would level again before this, the group chooses to stop here for the day.
C. Temple of the Twelve
C1. Path of Enlightenment
[
PC Init : Rev 27, Blackhand 24, Indigo 18, Keskkin 14
NPC Init : 8
Round 1
Rev makes (14 + 4) the gaze save, attempts Trick Attack, moves up next to the bushes along the wall, makes the Stealth check (17 + 16), attacks (13 + 8), hitting for (3 + 2 + 8) damage
Blackhand makes the gaze save (12 + 6), enters Photon mode, moves to the right of the creature at reach and attacks (4 + 8) but misses
Indigo makes the gaze save (15 + 5), moves up to the space beside Rev and fires (19 + 6), hitting for (8 + 4)
Drone moves up behind Indigo
Keskkin makes the gaze save (16 + 2), moves up in front of the bush Rev is beside and shoots (7 + 6) but misses
Eel takes a guarded step toward Blackhand and bites him (9 + 14) just hitting for (2 + 9)
Round 2
Rev attempts Trick Attack, does not move, makes the Stealth check (15 + 16), attacks (17 + 8) hitting for (5 + 2 + 3)
Blackhand activates Plasma Sheath, attacks (2 + 8) but misses again
Indigo shoots (8 + 6) and misses
Drone shoots (4 + 5) and misses
Keskkin shoots (16 + 6) and hits for (3)
Eel attacks Blackhand again (4 + 14) but misses
Round 3
Rev repeats, Stealth (20 + 16), attack (19 + 8), damage (2 + 2 + 7)
Blackhand ponders… after missing twice he decides to use Supernova (6 + 4 + 6 + 5 + 1) but the Eel saves (18 + 9) and takes 11 damage
Indigo fires (20 + 6) and crits for (7 + 5 + 4) which is just enough to finish the thing
]
C2. The Veil
The party halts when they spot Panellar and Rev quickly converses with him covering all the topics available and asking about a few others. Both Blackhand and Keskkin are saddened by the fact that there is no peaceful way past this, with one being a Solarian and the other a Desna worshipper, neither wants to kill the creature. The module seems to indicate removing the Command Undead aspect is possible, but Dispel Magic would require a Level 7 character which is way beyond the range of this module. A spell amp of dispel magic would be a level 9 item costing 3,000c. Maybe we missed an item somewhere? If not, there’s no possible way for a party to dispel this effect at the time they have this encounter unless the DM has utilized a bunch of random encounters and there isn’t even a chart for that in the module.
[
Panelliar is in the small circular area between two of the pillars in the square above “C2”. Indigo and the Drone move east from there to the wall. Rev is 2
squares east and 3 north from Panelliar and Keskkin is diagonally SE of her between her and Indigo. Blackhand is 2 squares north of Panelliar.
PC Init : Rev 20, Indigo 19, Keskkin 18, Blackhand 16
NPC Init : 16 and 3 for Stellar Alignment
Round 1
Rev attempts Trick Attack, does not move, rolls (11 + 16) Stealth, attacks (20 + 8) and crits for (4 + 1 + 2 + 6) damage and Burning (1d4)
Indigo fires (19 + 6) and hits for (4 + 4 + 4)
Drone fires (2 + 5) and misses
Keskkin casts Magic Missile as a full round action for (3 + 4 + 4 + 3)
Blackhand enters Photon mode, activates Plasma Sheath, attacks (20 + 6) critting for (6 + 6 + 8 + 1 + 1) damage
DM NOTE: For those not keeping track at home, that’s two crits and 61 points of damage in a single round! This group has a knack for rising to the occasion.
DM NOTE: Can anyone explain the wacky and nonsensical tactics block for this enemy? Corona only affects characters that attack you with melee or natural weapons, but this guy prefers to walk up to ranged characters? Sure, you may force an AoO, but Corona will not do anything to them. To follow those tactics here means I have to eat an AoO myself (curses reach weapons again).
Panelliar take (4) burn damage, enters Photon mode, activates Corona, moves…
Blackhand makes AoO (20 + 8) and freaking crits again for (5 + 4 + 8 + 1 + 1)
… to the space between Keskkin and Rev, and rolls (10 + 6) on his Reflex save to remove the burning condition
DM NOTE: On the plus side, in this position neither Rev nor Keskkin can use guarded step to get away
Round 2
Rev looks at the map, curses, ponders… takes a Guarded Step west and does nothing
Indigo fires (20 + 6) (DM NOTE: You’ve got to be kidding me!) and crits for (1 + 3 + 4) damage
]
DM NOTE: Yes, I’m sure 4 crits in a fight would make for a short fight anywhere, but man was this underwhelming. Panelliar didn’t even get to attack. Either way, if Panelliar is facing a reach weapon, I recommend you close with that combatant so that Corona will actually do something. But since Blackhand is also a Solarian, he recognized Corona and would have just Guarded Stepped away and attacked again keeping Panelliar away from the rest of the group in the process if he followed him. It’s a good thing Solarian weapons can’t manifest with the reach property I guess. Also, any group with enough ranged combatants will know to scatter a bit, and just one of them apparently is enough to keep Panelliar tied up so the rest of the group can murder him. Rev sees my frustration and says “sorry we kinda uber ruined your fun there” and Indigo smirks and says “sorry, not sorry”.
When I inform the group they have enough XP to level, they immediately opt to retreat to the cover of the jungle and do that before entering the structure. They work in shifts so one character can keep an eye on the ramp in case anyone tries to leave. DM NOTE: As a group, we generally don’t get too picky about being in a city or having access to materials for levelling. I know others may have different routines, such as only levelling at the end of a session or when “trainers” are available. We do this for the sake of convenience and brevity in the game and I allow 15 minutes of game time to pass per character… an hour to level the whole group. They all make their saves for the heat during this time as well. They also wonder how they are going to get back with depleted suits, but don’t dwell on it. Blackhand also uses an RP to regain Stamina here as well.
C3. Entry Hall
Everyone fails their Perception check to hear the Cultists in C5 taking cover. The leader crouches behind the altar while the other two use the doors/doorways W and SW of the altar. They expect the party to approach from C3. The module seems to imply the same character that knows elven has to make the Physical Science check, but I allow Rev and Indigo to team up for it and he rolls (17 + 10). Keskkin makes (1 + 11) the Mysticism check and Indigo passes (20 + 10) the second Physical Science check. They head to C4, see the patterns, return here to confirm the pattern, then go back to C4.
C4. Sovyrian Gallery
The group slowly moves through the trap. They stay close enough to the wall of C8 that the Cultists in C5 cannot adjust quickly enough to fire on them, despite hearing them. I roll another set of Perception checks for them which again all fail, and they decide to enter C8 first anyway, even after spotting the doctor and motioning her to keep quiet. The leader in C5 decides to see if the Lore Guardians can deal with them and orders her crew to stay put.
C8. Inner Sanctum
There are no elves in the group, but Rev does think to try speaking to the guardians first. They attack anyway.
[
The module does not specify where the guardians start, so I place them flanking the spiral stairway up and 1 square south. I also let them stay motionless until someone enters the room, which the entire party does in one turn, lined up along the south wall. Damages below are before DR
PC Init : Blackhand 26, Rev 16, Keskkin 16, Indigo 9
NPC Init : 21, 8
Round 1
Blackhand enters Photon mode, activates Plasma Sheath, and uses Stellar Rush to move 2 squares directly north and attack LG1 from reach, rolls
(20 + 11) (DM NOTE: I swear, I’m going to confiscate his dice!) critting for (5 + 7 + 10 + 1 + 2) (DM NOTE: He at least has the decency to look concerned when I mention that it doesn’t seem like all that damage went through)
LG1 takes a guarded step towards Blackhand and attacks (17 + 10) and hits for (5 + 6) damage
Rev attempts Trick Attack against LG1, moves 3 spaces east through Indigo and the Drone ending up beside the Drone, rolls Stealth (12 + 18), attacks (5 + 9) barely hitting for (1 + 2 + 1 + 5 + 7)
Keskkin knows these are constructs and decides not to cast, wanting to save spells for the final battle, so moves straight west to the square next to the book on the floor and shoots (12 + 8) and hits for (4)
Indigo stays put and fires (8 + 8) hitting for (4 + 5)
Drone shoots (3 + 5)
LG2 throws his spear at Indigo (18 + 8) and hits for (1 + 6) and then uses Transposing Strike to teleport to the square in front of Indigo (and also adjacent to the Drone) GM NOTE: “Well that’s a neat trick,” says Indigo, “someone please kill this thing quick”
Round 2
Blackhand is too close to charge, so he takes 1 step to the east and attacks from reach (2 + 11) and misses
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves 2 spaces north, rolls Stealth (3 + 18) failing by 1, attacks (9 + 9), hitting for (2 + 2)
Keskkin fires (5 + 8), barely hitting for (7)
Indigo uses his turn to control the Drone
Drone takes a guarded step 1 square to the east and out of LG2s reach and shoots (3 + 6), but misses DM NOTE: “Oh crap,” says Indigo, which I don’t understand, it’s not going to hurt *that* much.
LG2 attacks Indigo (20 + 10) (DM NOTE: Or maybe it will after all) for (2 + 2 +6) damage
Round 3
Blackhand attacks (19 + 11) and hits for (1 + 10 + 1 + 2)
]
Indigo spends an RP while Blackhand watches the door and the others search the room. I replace the spell gem of flight with one of lesser restoration. A discussion evolves about whether to head up the stairs or clear the rest of the lower level, which they assume has at least a few more occupants. They also assume that the big finale is upstairs and a few think tackling that first would be smarter. Blackhand has bad memories about leaving enemies behind him though, and he gradually convinces the others to make sure the current level is clear first. With that settled, they begin discussing how they want to approach the western area. This is the plan they come up with…
C5. Ukulam Gallery
The party lays out a plan... Rev and Blackhand will circle back around to the upper left corner of the interior building (the nw “wing”). Rev will use Cloaking Field to try and get to the door they saw from C3 and enter that room to try and circle around whoever is in the area, or flee if the room is occupied. If the room is empty, Rev will use her comm unit to tell Blackhand what area C5 looks like. Blackhand will then begin chucking grenades toward the center of area C5 (which they don’t know the details of yet). Indigo, the Drone, and Keskkin will stay in C7 by the door to C8 and move stealthily toward C5 when they hear return fire from that area or once two rounds pass, hoping to surprise and/or flank the enemy. Yes, we all know there is no mid-combat surprise rules, but I figure if it works for them, I’ll make the Cultists flat-footed to their attacks if their Perception checks fail. Good plan I suppose, let’s see how it works.
Rev activates Cloaking field and makes a stealth roll (16 + 18) and the three Cultists roll Perception (11 + 8), (7 + 5), and (9 + 5). Rev observes C5 for 1 round, making a Perception check (12 + 12) against the three Cultists stealth scores (2 + 2), (3 + 2), (10 + 2) spotting all of them. Avissa is still crouched behind the altar in the square west of it, and the other two are in the other two doorways. Rev opens the door and steps through, which I decide means Avissa gets another shot at detecting her, but only her as no one really has line of sight to the door she is using and the other two are partway inside their rooms deadening any sound further. Avissa rolls (2 + 8), so they are completely oblivious to what just happened. Rev relays information to Blackhand, including that there is something (she didn’t look long enough) on the altar Avissa is crouching behind. I tell Blackhand that his first grenade will, in effect, be a surprise round, but after that they will know where he is. He says that is fine, as he would prefer if they came looking for him.
[
Blackhand does not ask about the item on the altar and I ask him which grenade he is going to throw. Shock is his answer… /facepalm.
PC Init : Rev 28, Blackhand 22, Keskkin 8, Indigo 5
NPC Init : Avissa 14, 11, 16
Surprise Round
Blackhand throws the grenade at the NW intersection of the square Avissa is crouching in. Again, this appears to be an auto-hit, but he rolls (2 + 8) against AC 5 and deals (6) damage. Avissa (5 + 3) fails and C1 (20 + 1) succeeds, then the explosives on the altar go off for (4 + 6) and burn against Avissa who (10 + 2) again fails. DM NOTE: And here is where the players get annoyed with the system. The rules do not actually allow for stepping out, tossing a grenade/shooting/looking, and stepping back behind cover. This sort of thing should be standard fare in a shooter sort of game, but that’s not really what Starfinder is… it’s a Pathfinder sort of game. Technically, I point out, Blackhand shouldn’t be able to step out and toss a grenade on the surprise round because he only has a standard action, but I’m
allowing it because of all the pre-planning and effort to set it up. This does little to appease anyone, especially Blackhand.
Round 1
Rev deactivates the Cloaking Field and readies her weapon.
Blackhand ponders and then throws caution to the wind. He enters Photon mode, activates Plasma Sheath and uses Stellar Rush to move to a position 2 squares north of Avissa and attack (19 + 11) hitting for (7 + 10 + 1 + 2)
C2 moves out of his room, through Avissa’s square…
Blackhand takes an AoO (10 + 11) and hits for (2 + 10 + 1 + 2)
…and adjacent to Blackhand, attacks (11 + 7) but misses
Avissa activates her detonator and the explosion deals (10) damage which she (9 + 3) fails to save against, C2 (12 + 1) fails against, and Blackhand (10 + 3) also fails. Both Avissa and C2 go down. Dust cloud will persist for 2 rounds, and since the doors are open I allow the affect to extend 10’ into the two rooms
C1 chucks a Shock Grenade at the NW corner of the altar (2 + 5) for (5) which Blackhand (9 + 3) barely saves against
Having heard return fire, Keskkin and Indigo decide to act…
Keskkin moves to the edge of the debris field and stops when he sees no visible target
Indigo and the Drone do the same
Round 2
Rev moves out of her room and to the edge of the debris field, but stops
Blackhand moves to the door and adjacent to C1 and attacks (12 + 11), concealment (68) does not help C1 and he takes (6 + 10 + 1 + 2)
]
DM NOTE: Yep, with the help of a dead man device, Blackhand just solo’d the encounter.
C7. The Vantage
C9. Observatory Tower
The party takes a rest and finally frees Dr. Olmehya. After a lengthy discussion and involved research in the Inner Sanctum, they determine what the Cultists are up to and why the abducted the doctor. Blackhand immediately begins to plan when the doctor mentions that Tahomen plans to return and destroy the temple with her inside it. In short, he wants to set an ambush at the front door. I’d rather the encounter occur outside, but there isn’t anything in the module that dictates where the encounter is supposed to happen, and I am used to this sort of thing from my group. I’ll let them ambush one of the lackeys.
Event 6: The Devourer Descends
[
Tahomen notices the absence of Panelliar and tries the Detonator, which does nothing.
Blackhand is positioned left of the doors with Keskkin behind him
Rev is to the right of the right hand door with Indigo behind her
The Drone is setup south of the left hand door against the wall of C8
Tahoma is 20’ behind his lackeys
Tahomen orders his lackeys to open the doors (inward) without entering and all they see is the Drone, which gets a surprise round
PC Init : Rev 31, Blackhand 26, Keskkin 15, Indigo 13
NPC Init : 16, 19, Tahomen 9
Surprise Round
Drone fires at C1 (14 + 6) hitting for (5 + 5) damage
Round 1
Rev chucks an incendiary grenade around her door (13 + 4 - 4) for (1) and burn and the save DC is 11 (10 + 5 - 4)
C1 saves (15 + 1) and C2 (4 + 1) fails DM NOTE: Is there no burn effect on a successful save? I go with avoiding it for now
Blackhand enters Photon mode, chucks an incendiary grenade around his door (13 + 10) hitting for (6) and burn and the save DC is 13 (10 + 3)
C1 fails (8 + 1) and C2 fails (9 + 1)
DM NOTE: And here I rather embarrassingly realize what Indigo has done. He paid attention to the weapons the Cultists were armed with and put the Drone out in the open because he knew it was out of range from it. So either I charge in or try the grenades, which I go for the grenades
C2 takes (2 + 4) Burn damage and tosses a shock grenade (7 + 5) to just past the right hand door for (3)
Rev (19 + 9) and Indigo (10 + 8) both succeed
C2 rolls (18 + 1) against DC 16 to remove the Burn condition
C1 takes (1) Burn damage and tosses a shock grenade (11 + 5) to just past the left hand door for (2)
Blackhand (16 + 3) and Keskkin (19 + 5) both succeed
C1 rolls (9 + 1) against DC 11 to remove Burn condition
Keskkin passes
Indigo uses his turn to control the Drone
Drone fires at C2 (19 + 6) hitting for (2 + 5) and then moves 30 feet to the west
Tahomen casts Carnivorous on himself
Round 2
Rev chucks a frag grenade around her door (17 + 4 - 4) for (2) and C2 (10 + 1) saves while C1 (3 + 1) fails against DC 11
Blackhand chucks an incendiary grenade around his door (15 + 10) hitting for (6) and burn, which C2 (18 + 1) saves but C1 (8 + 1) fails against
C2 tosses a shock grenade (12 + 5) to just past the left hand door for (4) which both Blackhand (8 + 3) and Keskkin (5 + 5) fail against
Keskkin passes
Indigo passes
Drone passes
Tahomen moves up to the wall next to the left hand door DM NOTE: Everyone later tells me this was mistake and that I should have moved him further away in order to have a chance at casting an offensive spell. After playing with the map for several minutes we all realize that Blackhand would be able to pursue Tahomen almost anywhere in the exterior section.
Round 3
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves out from behind door and 2 spaces south, rolls Stealth (14 + 18), attacks C2 (20 + 9) critting for (6 + 3 + 2 + 8 + 4 + 2)
DM NOTE: As crit crazy as the party has been, I have to admit it’s pretty darned funny to have a crit effect jump to Tahomen from his last dying lackey as he tries to hide… we all chuckle
Blackhand moves around his door and outside to adjacent to Tahomen and uses Supernova (DM NOTE: Whoops, I totally forgot about this) for (6 + 3 + 5 + 1 + 5 + 1) which Tahomen (8 + 1) fails to save against
Keskkin moves outside and 1 east of the doors along the wall, casts 2nd level Mind Thrust for (6 + 6 + 9 + 4) which Tahomen (20 + 8) saves against
Indigo takes two move actions to move outside and north east from the doorway to just east of the “C2” marker and leaves the Drone where it is
Tahomen tries to cast a Hurl Forcedisk…
Blackhand makes Attack of Opportunity (13 + 11) and hits for (5 + 10)
…but fails and takes a Guarded Step back (DM NOTE: which will be pointless)
Round 4
Rev attempts Trick Attack, moves 40 feet straight north, rolls Stealth (15 + 18), attacks (9 + 9), and hits for (4 + 2 + 6 + 1 + 1) and Rev rolls (6 + 9) failing the Reflex save for Reflecting Armor, which shocks the whole party
Blackhand enters Photon mode, activates Plasma Sheath, attacks (9 + 11) which hits for (6 + 10) damage
]
Indigo makes the Computers check (8 + 14) to access the comm log and also the second check (9 + 14) to hack the computer and lastly the check (16 + 14) to steal Tahomen’s funds. Of course, then the party asks “how do we get back?” With no environmental protection left, they all know they will fail checks against the heat eventually. Keskkin finally makes a suggestion, hoping that he can build a shelter during the day and they can travel at night. That seems as good a solution as any, so that is the method we use. Everyone opts for the “research grant” when they get back and they go shopping, which I won’t detail here.
After Thoughts
I ask what did everyone think of the adventure. Blackhand replies “underwhelming” and Indigo adds “very”, so I ask him to expand. “There’s nothing wrong with it as adventures go, but it’s not at all… Starfinder. It has all the same feel and hallmarks of a traditional Pathfinder adventure… trek across wilderness to 1 or 2 complex sites, explore sites, find information or item, fight big battle, done. And other than the opening ship battle, not one part of it felt at all sci fi.” I go over each part with them…
Both Indigo and I continue to enjoy the starship combat. But we both also realize that for anyone that’s not into heavy map-based tactical stuff, it’s going to be a big turn off. It makes both of us want to break out SFB or Federation Commander again, but both of those are more complex and detailed games… especially the original SFB. Keskkin got much more enjoyment out of being able to be the Pilot and he is interested in taking notes from Indigo on strategy. Rev was worried about becoming a secondary role, but she doesn’t mind playing the part of Captain, especially since she can easily pop into any of the other roles, if needed.
Only Blackhand got bored with the investigation part, and mostly because he didn’t have a good way to take part. The one-sided nature of his character is becoming very obvious. He says he doesn’t mind given how dominant he is combat though. And everyone nods in agreement here. Critical Hit madness aside, they all seem pretty convinced that without a melee character the encounters would be longer and more dangerous. And now, Blackhand says, I am the literal incarnation of Rocket Tag… zipping where I want and wrecking faces. He says he has seen little in the encounters to convince him he should be taking other powers or another approach to a Solarian. In fact, he wonders if the group as a whole is over-optimized. I ask him to explain…
My damage output seems really high compared to everyone else. Indigo and his Drone can keep up if they both hit in the same round and I suppose Rev may get closer as her Trick Attack damage goes up, but her weapon damage is pretty low so far. On top of that, Rev’s skills are beyond good… they seem too good. She failed what… 1 or 2 Stealth checks the entire time? Rev points out she would only fail on a 6 or less against an even level (CR 5) enemy (she’s referring to Trick Attack here). Blackhand continues, I know Indigo worries that the Drone will start taking punishment and require excessive healing, but so far it’s pretty obvious it’s pretty far down the threat list, which I as the DM agree with. Unless Indigo burns a bunch of wealth putting something really nasty in it, no enemy is going to view it as an immediate threat unless it just happens to be in the way. It’s essentially free damage, as long as it keeps a low profile. I know I steamrolled that undead encounter, but I’m seriously questioning any notion that fights are supposed to be longer in this system. And for a game that claims to have a heavy lean toward shooting, there is a woeful absence of cover on the interior maps, and very little room to move around, which you worried about from the beginning. Tabletop FPS, this is not, and it does very little to separate itself into a different game from Pathfinder. Keskkin has even better damage output since switching to a Dexterity focused ranged character, but his damage spells have made more of an impact either way. The range of character power between bad and optimized in Pathfinder is miles wider than it is in Starfinder. I think you’d have to really try to make a bad character in Starfinder. The default for people with half a brain will net you a character on the north side of good without much effort. We try to avoid optimizing too much in Pathfinder so you can run things as published, but in Starfinder our default level seems to be too good. Either that or we’re doing something wrong or just getting really, really lucky.
Well, you guys did tend to roll pretty well during this whole thing, and I seemed to suffer from the opposite. I can go back to hidden rolls and 'fudging for flair' if you prefer?
Nope, says Blackhand, I want to see how the game plays out on its own merits, random and otherwise, and everyone agrees with that. As it stands now, Blackhand continues, I’ll be ready to switch back to Pathfinder when War for the Crown is ready, assuming we’re still together as a group by then. I point out that Dead Suns won’t wrap up until next summer and most of WftC will be out by then. They debate stopping after 4 parts of Dead Suns for a bit, but of course that relies on me being ready to start something else… moving on…
Binoculars? Seriously? Blackhand says. We all laugh again. I point out that there doesn’t seem to be any modifiers to Perception based on distance, so maybe that is why.
I ask about the trek across the jungle and get a chorus of “boring”. They point out there were only a few encounters on any given day and they never felt like they had to hold back resources, not that anything pushed them. They ask me if there were random encounters and I say no, and in fact there isn’t even a table for that, which is weird for a module featuring a lengthy bit of travelling. They feel the chase should have been in the middle to break up the combat stuff, but was fine otherwise. I mention the flub up of the Lure ability of the Vracinea, but they ask what the DC was. This starts a discussion about the apparent low DCs of everything they encountered. They briefly touch on how everyone prioritizes the save Stats during their stat gains where they were able to, and wonder if the game is making the same assumption.
I point out they also short circuited the cool use of a sniper rifle at the Stargazer. Blackhand shakes his head in disgust… you should have shot at us in the jungle anyway. What’s the point of that weapon in this game? Also, that scenario is not all that sci-fi since the ranges weren’t that big and you could just as easily reproduce that in Pathfinder with a castle wall and a longbow, or better yet, a giant chucking boulders.
They move on to the crit-fest Panelliar fight and Blackhand asks how many HP would the thing still have if the crits were removed. I quickly tally up the answer, 12 points, which seems to surprise everyone with how small it is. But with the Drone, Keskkin, and you still to go on that second round, it’s doubtful it would have gone three rounds or even that he would have gotten another attack. The AoO was the biggest setback and I describe his tactics block which confuses the group as it did me. The game needs fights in larger areas with more combatants, Blackhand says. The only time that was even a possibility was the very first encounter of the first module. This game is failing to give any incentive to AoE effects, grenades, or even cover. You didn’t do a single point of HP damage to us the entire time. Not. A. Single. Point. And every time you tried to, the environment or my reach weapon put a hefty damper on it. I’d also point out, none of us are using Full Attacks yet either. It seems like it’s only going to get worse. Now that I am Rocket Man (everyone groans at him), you won’t even be able to safely divert to Indigo or Keskkin for more than 1 round. What about me, asks Rev. You can take of yourself, Blackhand says. Your god level Acrobatics will make sure you can tumble away when you need to. Rev asks if she can Tumble during a Trick Attack and I look, but find nothing specific, so maybe? Regardless, Blackhand continues, you need a combat with more than 1 melee combatant to threaten the rest of the group, and at the same time, they need to last longer than 1 round of concentrated fire to be considered a threat.
Ah, I say, concentrated fire is another point. As a group, you guys are trained to eliminate targets quickly. If I can get a fight going on two fronts and force you to divide that damage output up, things might get interesting. Possibly, Blackhand says, but I can tell you, right now, I have no fear of eating an AoO to charge across a battle to assist on a second front. There’s worse things than taking damage to charge *toward* the party healer. Keskkin agrees, but points out he hasn’t had to use a Cure spell during this adventure. In fact, he’s felt more like a Blaster than a Healer. With so many of the typical Control spells gone from the game (neither of us has looked at the Technomancer in detail yet, so this may be a half-truth), eliminating targets is the best path toward safety now. Exactly, says Blackhand, which is why I don’t see value in the Control side of the Solarian. Maybe the game will change in later levels and make me re-evaluate that approach, but I doubt it. Even debuffing isn’t usually enough to divert from reducing target numbers. Debuffing as a side effect, like Revs new thing, is just so much better though. I’m really glad you overrode us on the fifth character… if we’d added an Envoy, the game would lack any challenge whatsoever unless you started tweaking the encounters upward.
So you think it’s a bad game overall, I ask Blackhand.
Rev interrupts him and says no, it’s a beer and pretzels game. It’s simpler, the difficulty (for us at least) seems lower, and it’s like… friendlier. Exactly, Indigo says, it’s like the video games that back off their hardcore roots to try to appeal to a wider audience. Blackhand nods, that’s the best summary I can think of. I’m not sure if that was Paizo’s intent, but we’re jaded, long time gamers. (I’m not jaded, says Rev) I don’t think it’s any big deal if we’re breaking the game or finding it a bit boring if it is appealing to other people. Rev sighs and says, I’m really gonna miss my Operative when we go back to Pathfinder though.
Anything else you like that you think should be in Pathfinder or, dare we mention, Pathfinder 2?
Keskkin mentions the variable level spells, and he feels things like Remove Condition and Restoration should be the same way. I point out that the mechanic favors spontaneous casters, but he waves that away. If you’re going to debate its addition on the grounds that it would weaken the Wizard, the absolute strongest character in the game, you’ve already lost the argument. I don’t care about the character power effects… it’s the bookkeeping effects I like. The spell list in the rule book is cleaner, my spell list is cleaner, and sure in the long run the things I have available to cast is more diverse. If that means the Wizard goes bye-bye in PF2 and everyone becomes spontaneous, so be it. (This is from the Wizard player mind you) The PF spell system has evolved to the point of madness, he finishes. Blackhand picks up there and says the Stat increase system should be ported. The Christmas tree is a thing and it’s damned annoying. Really like the Starfinder stat setup, even if it means dealing with that odd point thing from Themes. I’m not sure it’s balanced in the grand scheme of things, but I prefer it.
While I think we all hate the item level system (everyone nods), I think the separation of item and enchantment is a good thing. It would be nice to see a system in Pathfinder that allowed you to easily transfer enchantments from 1 item to another. I know 4e had something like that, and it would need to be done in a way that didn’t make it feel wonky, but it makes you feel less tied to found loot. I also wouldn’t mind the curtailed list of magic items that all this would create… no more cloaks of resistance, belts of whatever, headbands of whatever, and maybe even weapons of +1, +2, +5… just items with useful effects. Simplified combat maneuvers, adds Indigo, but it would be nice if they felt a little more possible.
And definitely more skill points all around. I also like that classes in Starfinder use the skills as a feature of the class, at least for the Mechanic and Operative. Themes do the same. Class features that make you good at 1 or 2 skills are nice, having class features that make use of those skills even better, and being able to customize which 1 or 2 skills those are is awesome. Rev nods at this enthusiastically. Makes classes harder to design though, says Indigo. We already see how good Ghost is compared to the other options. It would be nice to see a starker divide within the Mechanic between Computers/Cortex and Engineering/Drone. And while Connections serve that purpose for the Mystic, I agree with Keskkin that a melee option should have existed somewhere… something that grants heavy armor and/or advanced melee weapons and incentivizes Strength along with Wisdom.
What about Edge of the Empire… you guys want to start that shift into Age of Rebellion anytime soon?
Not me, says Indigo. I swear, Disney is hellbent on making me hate my childhood. They’ve already Marvel-ed me to death to where I’m starting to loath seeing another super hero movie announced. I’m guessing after a few more years of annual Star Wars madness, I’m going to start hating that as well… god help us all if they decide to move toward 2 movies a year. The conversation devolves after that statement…