Punch ’Em All (Severe 7)

Designed by Jenny Jarzabski

This encounter takes place on a planet deep in the Vast that’s currently occupied by Azlanti Star Empire forces. Talk to your players about why their characters are there. They might be rebel forces infiltrating or attacking an imperial base, prisoners of war escaping a holding facility, spies sabotaging an imperial operation, or deserters who have decided to strike back against their former empire. Playing these roles isn’t required, but might inspire some fun table banter.

The forces occupying this world are Sihedron guards: faceless troopers encased in sleek purple armor who serve their fascist empire without question, cruelly subjugating the peoples of the star systems they conquer. They can’t be negotiated with, and they always shoot first. The Sihedron guards fight to the death to defend their twisted ideology and maintain what they incorrectly believe is their natural superiority.

This encounter occurs after a lull in the battle. The PCs know that a Sihedron squad is converging on their position. Prompt the PCs to get into position and set up for battle, then have everyone roll initiative, choosing skills based on how their characters approach preparing for combat. 

Map: Use the urban side of Starfinder Flip-Mat: Enormous Battlefield for this encounter.

Creatures: An elite Sihedron commander leads a squad of 8 Sihedron guards into the fray. Starting positions for this battle can be anywhere, but enemies should begin the encounter at least 100 feet away from the PCs. When combat begins, the commander Leads the Charge, ordering a group of Sihedron guards (one per player at your table) to advance. The other Sihedron guards hang back and attack from a distance, repositioning after the frontliners fall with the help of their commander’s Rally the Troops ability.

Adjustments: If you have six or more players at your table, you’ll likely want to add at least two more Sihedron guards to this encounter. These reinforcements begin by hanging back and sniping from a distance. If the party takes out the other targets too quickly, the backup snipers advance into range of the PCs’ abilities. Another squad of Sihedron guards (using the same statistics) patrol the base. If all the players are having fun and want to keep playing, they can ambush the patrol by succeeding at Stealth checks against the squad leader’s Perception modifier (+16), or alternatively, the patrol ambushes the PCs as they’re trying to carry out their mission!

Design Notes: This encounter is intended to test out the tech playtest classes while providing an open map where ranged attacks, distant spells, turrets, and mines can shine. The encounter provides plentiful enemies to give characters a chance to try out using area attacks and spells against a group. Please let us know in the comments or forums how this encounter played out for your group!