Alledisil's Starfinder Quest - Into the Unknown

Game Master Alledisil

Sefel strolls through the ship and takes it in on the way to the consoles at his science officer station.

Computers: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14 ouch

sorry for the short post, on the run right now and wanted to unblock progress with the check.

Your ship actually gives you a +2 to Computers checks. So you got a 16.

The Eoxian freighter is a massive vessel made of bone and steel. The front of the ship is a single enormous red lens, appearing as a sullen, bloody eye. The ship bristles with bone protrusions, as though it were some horned, skeletal beast. Some of the bones are charred and broken, indicating past battle damage. Laser cannons protrude from the front and sides of the freighter; but its rear weapon mounts are a twisted wreck. Gaps between the bones show the ship's interior, but this is not from battle damage - this ship was never intended to accommodate living creatures. There are also the tell-tale signs of torpedo damage near the aft, likely the source of their problems with the Drift core.

Starship Combat... begin!

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Round 1
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Sefel, since your scan was actually better than theirs (they managed to roll an impressive 11 to detect you) you can choose the initial facing of both ships. Make sure they're each facing an edge of their current hex.

Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 1 = 21
Loreseeker Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 6 + 1 = 15

Laeshin, you are up to move first, once Sefel sets facing.
Everyone else can take their actions at any time. (Hokhuckx, I'm assuming you'll be on the turret, so fire at will and we'll figure out where you hit them afterwards.) I posted all the actions for each station just a few posts ago, and they're also on the campaign tab for easy reference.

"Hey, nice chair," says Aazanar, getting comfortable. Then he sees the enemy vessel up ahead.

"There she is! Hokhuckx! Bring that turret to bear and let 'em gave it!"

Intimidate (Demand, DC 18): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Hokhuckx: You get a +4 to your first gunnery roll.

Set the facing

Sorry gang - been battling the flu, and in my cold-addled mind's eye had posted already

Boarding the Loreseeker

Kultha taps the bulwark of the ship and she steps onboard the vessel. The vesk makes her way to Engine room, making sure her ship's comms and her own are fuctioning;

"Everything looks good here friends. Systems all green-line and we good to go."

Space...

As the group identify the Eoxian ship, Kultha ready, monitoring on the Loreskeer's system diagnostics as they enter combat...

"Engineering here. Any orders Kaptain?"

Hokhuckx, not quite used to Aazanar shouting orders so quickly, gives off a shot more on reflex.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (2, 4, 2, 1) = 9

As he realizes he had fired, he relays back to Aazanar. "Fired, sir."

Boarding the Loreseeker
Upon boarding the Loreseeker, Laeshin's first priorities are to find himself quarters, stash his belongings, set his captured laser pistol's battery to charge, and then to familiarize himself with the Loreseeker's helm. Once all of that is completed, he sets their course and then reports all of the relevant details to Aazanar.

While they are enroute, he will make a point of offering once again to treat any injuries members of the group have sustained.
Although with 8 days of travel time to heal, I don't see much point in actually making the checks. We should all be fully healed by now either way right?

Round 1 - Pilot Action
"Captain, shall I maneuver us so as to broadside the enemy vessel with our port-side cannon?" Laeshin asks after Sefel has confirmed the location of the Endless Threnody.
Assuming Aazanar supports this suggestion; Laeshin will perform the Fly Helm Action: Moving the Loreseeker 3 Forward, Turn R, 2 Forward, Turn L, 5 Forward. This should put the Endless Threnody in the Port Arc, 2 Hexes from the Loreseeker.
If Aazanar has orders contrary to the action described above, Laeshin will follow them instead. Feel free to bot said action if need be to move the Round along.

Yes, everyone is fully healed.

Endless Threnody:
Divert Power to Engines: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25 Movement +2.
Pilot flies Forward 2, Turn L, Forward 3, Turn L, Forward 2, Turn L.
Gunner fires!
Port Weapon: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10 and misses.

The Corpse Fleet ship can move surprisingly fast, and manages to position itself along the Loreseeker's starboard. They fire at the Loreseeker, but their shot is errant.

Meanwhile, Hokhuckx's shot also flies harmlessly into the void. Aazanar's demands didn't help Hokhuckx's aim.

Sefel and Kultha you still have an action to take.
Sefel - I'd suggest scanning the enemy ship to see what its stats are.
Kultha - Not too much for you to do in round 1. You can go ahead and roll for next round action (I suggest divert to engines or weapons).
If you don't object I'll take those actions for you later tonight to keep things moving.

Don't forget the Loreseeker has a mk1 duonode computer. You can use it to add +1 to any two different checks during each combat round. It wouldn't have changed the results of anything thus far.

Round 2

As the Eoxian ship shows a burst of speed, Kultha attempts to mirror the enhancement with the Loreseeker's engines;

Divert Power to Engines (DC13): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

"Boosting our speed! Have at them!"

I'll go ahead and take Sefel's Scan action at the end of round 1.

Scan: 1d20 + 11 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 11 + 2 + 1 = 26

@Sefel I PM'd you the results of the scan.

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Round 2
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Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 1 = 17
Loreseeker Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 6 + 1 = 9

@Laeshin, you are up first to move again.

The Captain of the Threnody hails you.

"So good of you to deliver the skulls we need for our repairs."

Taunt/Intimidate: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 ... He is not particularly terrifying.

The taunt has no effect and he cannot taunt again.

Thank you for the botting. Had a busy day with little breathing room.

After completing a scan at his console Sefel interjects to dump a lot of details on his team.

"Folks, I've got a scan on the Threnody. It's a heavy class freighter, somewhat slower than us, and less maneuverable. It should be easier to hit than us, but it can take almost twice as much fire. It's got a heavy laser canon on the bow, a light laser canon on the starboard side, and a third weapon that I didn't get in the scan. So, we probably want to avoid the bow."

The Corpse Fleet ship can move surprisingly fast, and manages to position itself along the Loreseeker's starboard.

Surprising for it's size? Otherwise that wouldn't seem to jive with the scan data.

Sefel thinks about what might be needed next, but decides to just ask and see.

"What next captain? I could target one of their onboard systems, perhaps a weapon. I could divert shield power to one side of our ship."

"Engineering here. Any orders Kaptain?"

Aazanar quickly leafs through his copy of the Starfinder Captain's Manual. "Ah... once we start taking hits, try to keep the shields at full power!"

Engineering: Divert to shields is arguably the most effective engineering action, unless we have no damage. In which case power to guns is probably the second best.

"Captain, shall I maneuver us so as to broadside the enemy vessel with our port-side cannon?"

"Folks, I've got a scan on the Threnody. It's a heavy class freighter, somewhat slower than us, and less maneuverable. It should be easier to hit than us, but it can take almost twice as much fire. It's got a heavy laser canon on the bow, a light laser canon on the starboard side, and a third weapon that I didn't get in the scan. So, we probably want to avoid the bow."

"Sensors! Keep scanning! We need to know where that other gun is!"

Science Officer: Might as well get a complete scan. After that, you could lock on to disable their engines or weapons. Take your pick.

"If they have a gun to port, the mystery gun is probably to starboard. Helm! Try to get behind them. If we're lucky they won't be able to return fire!"

Pilot: Whenever you can maneuver to be in their blind spot that is a big bonus for us. But definitely try to make it hard for them to bring their forward gun to bear.

Aazanar looks at Sefel.

"Give me a channel to the enemy ship!" Aazanar says.

Once the connection is established, Aazanar addresses the enemy vessel.

"Attention, Eoxian ship. This is the Starfinder vessel, formerly known as the Loreseeker but recently re-christened the SKULLCRUSHER. Not only will there be no skulls for you to harvest, we will also make sure none of yours will be intact. Power down all systems now and surrender or we will destroy you."

Intimidate (Taunt Action, DC=15 + 1.5x Enemy Starship Tier): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Taunt Duration: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Computers Bonus:

We get to add a +1 to two different checks every turn. Here are my thoughts:
* One should always go to the pilot's initiative roll. Winning that is a big deal and a ship that wins all the time can dominate a battle.
* The second one I think should go to the gunner. If we can't hit the enemy nothing else matters in the long run.

"Sensors! Keep scanning! We need to know where that other gun is!"

"You got it captain! Initiating further scans of the Threnody."

Computers, scan: 1d20 + 11 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 2 + 1 = 19

Kultha acknowledges her standing orders regards boosting the ship's shields and weapons systems;

"Aye-aye Kaptain. Vill reroute power to veapons or shields as required."

Edit: Have no idea why I am typing her like Chekov from ST... Kinda fits for a Vesk lol

@Kultha Yesterday was Anton Yelchin's birthday, so let's just say you're paying homage. :)

You're pretty intimidating person, Aazanar. Even the undead can be unsettled by your words. The ET takes a -2 to all actions for the next 4(!) rounds, -4 if they try to push.

ET Engineer will attempt to divert power to engines again.
Eng. Divert to Engines: 1d20 + 11 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 11 - 4 = 24 and succeed! Movement +2 this round.

ET Pilot will attempt to maneuver, trying to get their big gun on you.
Piloting Maneuver: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 8 + 1 - 4 = 16 It's not quite good enough (damn taunt, get your head in the game, Pilot!). Still get to move normally, though.

"Maneuvering the Loreseeker-I mean the Skullcrusher towards their Aft, what remains of their engines will be within point-blank range of our starboard cannons momentarily!" Laeshin reports from the Helm.

Round 2 - Helm Action
Fly (No Check): Forward 1, Turn R, Forward 1, Turn R, Forward 1, Turn R, Forward 3, Turn L, Forward 1, Turn L. This places our vessel immediately adjacent to the enemy vessel; with us located in their Aft Firing Arc, and them located in our Starboard Firing Arc.

The Endless Threnody tries to maneuver away from the Skullcrusher to keep some distance between you. They don't like you being up their aft.

Forward 4, Turn R, Forward 2, Turn R, Forward 2, Turn R

They fire their starboard weapon, because they still couldn't get you in their forward arc.

Starboard Weapon: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 - 2 = 20 hits for
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 1) = 2 damage to your port shields.

Round 3

As her comms spark to life with Laeshin's helm actions, Kultha nods to herself and shifts a power coupling, rerouting energy to the weapons channel;

Divert Power to Weapons (DC13): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14 (any damage rolled as 1s treated as 2s for one round)

The vesk flashes another toothy grin, as she broadcasts her success;

"Veapons zystems operating on optimum Kaptain! Fire at vill!"

We still need Hokhuckx to fire the turret for round 2 I think.

Aye. Wasn't able to post this morning, and things started flying while I was gone. Need to write some bot instructions...

For Round 2:

Hokhuckx tries to fire the weapon in a manner befitting the vessel's new name, keeping his eye on the enemy ship.

Gunnery: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 2 + 1 = 15
Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (2, 2, 3, 1) = 8

Round 3

Thank you, Kultha. Continuing to fire!

Gunnery: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 2 + 1 = 10
Damage, 1s are 2s: 4d4 ⇒ (1, 2, 3, 1) = 7, so 9

Round 3

"Hokhuckx, dammit! Keep at it! She's all yours!"

Intimidate (Demand, DC 18): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Hokhuckx: Another +4 to your gunnery roll for round 3. So that 10 will end up being a 14. We'll see if that's a hit.

I think the Demand action to improve gunnery will be my go-to action unless specified otherwise.

Round 2 Results
Hokhuckx's shot hits the broadside of the Threnody!

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Round 3
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Endless Threnody will be demoralized for 3 more rounds.
Loreseeker Skullcrusher Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 14
Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 8

The Threnody's pilot is distracted by the impact of the Skullcrusher's shot!
ET moves Forward 2, Turn R, Forward 2

Laeshin, Sefel, you're up! Once you guys are done I'll resolve the (potential) hit and have the ET try to fire wherever you end up.

Sefel calls out to Aazanar with additional information from the latest scan.

"Okay! I've got the rest of it. Of their eight expansion bays, two are allocated to passengers and six as cargo holds. They're outfitted for a haul. That third weapon is a light laser canon."

round 3 action on the way

Doh, can't lock on. Requires 6 ranks. However, we can target specific systems so they're effected on a critical hit.

round 3

"Targeting their weapon systems captain!"

Computers, target threnody weapon system: 1d20 + 11 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 2 + 1 = 25

GM what was the extra +1 for, again? I picked it up from your original botting.

Doh, can't lock on. Requires 6 ranks. However, we can target specific systems so they're effected on a critical hit.

Right, I get those two confused.

In future rounds you could just man an extra gun if you'd prefer.

Sefel Lamunesh wrote:

Doh, can't lock on. Requires 6 ranks. However, we can target specific systems so they're effected on a critical hit.

Right, I get those two confused.

In future rounds you could just man an extra gun if you'd prefer.

Not at all. I'm learning the role and trying different abilities.

@Sefel The mk1 duonode computer your ship has gives your team +1 to any two checks. No one had used it in the first round so I gave it to you. You don't have one left in round three though, so you only got a 24, which is still good enough to target weapons.

I'll bot your guys movement when I get to my desk this morning.

The Skullcrusher moves Forward 1, Turn L, Forward 2, Turn R, Forward 3, Turn R, Forward 1, Turn R, Forward 1, Turn R. Puts you right on their tail.

Laeshin maneuvers deftly around the Threnody, ending up squarely in their aft arc, safe from return fire. Hokhuckx lets loose another shot, dealing another solid blow to the Corpse Fleet ship!

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Round 4
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Endless Threnody will be demoralized for 2 more rounds.
Loreseeker Skullcrusher Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 27
Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 14

The Threnody's Captain demands that the pilot attempt a flip and burn to try and get you in their forward arc so they can use their heavy cannon.
Demand: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 7 - 2 = 10 and he is not very convincing. But the pilot tries it anyway!
Flip-and-Burn,Piloting DC 18: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 8 + 1 - 4 = 18 and barely succeeds! ET moves forward 3 and rotates 180deg to face the Skullcrusher.

Drat! Keep out of the way of the heavy laser!

Gunnery: 1d20 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 1 = 6
Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (1, 2, 1, 4) = 8

Oh, and I've been using the +1 from the diode computer since round 2. Unsure if people knew that, since I never directly mentioned it.

Round 4

Encouraged by her shipmates, Kultha keeps at it - tightening the coupling continuing to re-route power to the vessel's weapons:

Divert Power to Weapons (DC13): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16 (any damage rolled as 1s treated as 2s for one round)

Satisfied her tweaks continue to augment the Skullcrusher's armaments, the Vesk broadcasts her success;

"Veapons still boosted! Take zhem down!"

Round 4

"Hokhuckx, she's over there! What the hell are you shooting at?"

Intimidate (Demand, DC 18): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

Hokhuckx: Once again another +4 to your gunnery roll for round 4. Probably still not a hit though.

Laeshin plays chicken with the Threnody, swerving in behind them at the last moment.
Round 4 Action
Fly: Forward 5, Turn R, Forward 1, Turn L, Forward 1, Turn L, Forward 1, Turn L. Puts us in their Aft Arc again.

What's the state of our shields? Perhaps I could balance them this round.

Forward 10
Port 10
Starboard 8
Aft 10

No hull damage.

I suggest jumping over to gunner to try bringing it down quicker.

I'll just have you shoot the Port laser cannon this round. You can move back to SO next round if you wish.

Light Laser Cannon: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 1 + 2 = 14 hits for
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 3) = 7 damage!

Hokhuckx's shot looks on target, but somehow passes through gaps in the Threnody's spiky hull! Sefel jumps over to the gunner's seat and fires from point blank, scoring a solid blast! Blue flames erupt from the impact site; it's obvious that you've done some serious damage!

Critical: 1d100 ⇒ 59 Weapon
Arc: 1d3 ⇒ 3 in their starboard arc is glitching. (-2 to all checks with that weapon)

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Round 5
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ET is demoralized for 1 more round.
Loreseeker Skullcrusher Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 26
Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 8 + 1 - 2 = 11

ET will move Forward 2, Turn L, Forward 2, Turn L, Forward 2, Turn L.

Round 5 - Helm
Fly: Forward 1, Turn L, Forward 1, Turn L, Forward 5, Turn L.

Thanks for the botting last round.

"You know, I have to admit, taking a turn at the guns is kind of fun..."

It's easy to say when your crew is already doing well. In any case he decides to try it a bit longer.

Light Laser Cannon: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 1 + 2 = 18 hits for
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5 damage!

Round 5 - Engineering

Buoyed further by the damage her augmented weapons systems are inflicting, Kultha continues to tinker - fine tuning the coupling surge between the Skullcrusher's weapon capacitors;

Divert Power to Weapons (DC13): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20 (any damage rolled as 1s treated as 2s for one round)

"Engineering happy to report veapons continue to be optimised."

@Sefel: Your attack (if successful) would do 6 damage now :)

Nice shooting, Sefel! Now let's bring this thing down.

Gunnery: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (1, 3, 2, 3) = 9

Round 5

"Better, Hokhuckx. Watch your recharge rate."

Intimidate (Demand, DC 18): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

Can't get 'em all.

Two laser blasts strike the Threnody's aft, causing a surge of negative energy to ripple across the hull.

Critical: 1d100 ⇒ 6
Life Unlife Support is glitching. -2 to all captain actions.

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Round 6
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The ET is no longer demoralized.
Loreseeker Skullcrusher Piloting: 1d20 + 6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 1 + 1 = 13
Endless Threnody Piloting: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 1 = 18

Laeshin, you move first this round.

The Engineer of the Threnody tries to patch their life support system,
Patch, DC 13: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12 but instead just turns on some lights on the exterior of the vessel.

Round 6 - Helm
Turn In Place: Turn L
"I'm bringing our forward cannons to bear; Light up their engines at your pleasure." Leashin says as he easily pivots the Skullcrusher to face the 'Threnody's aft.

The Threnody's Pilot sees his chance and seizes it.

Flip and Burn,DC18: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 8 + 1 = 21

Forward 3, rotate 180deg. Now you're in their sights!

The captain slams his hands down on the console as he screams at the gunner to fire.

Demand,DC18: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 7 - 2 = 15 No effect.
Heavy Laser Cannon: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18 hits for
Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (7, 4, 1, 7) = 19 damage!

The Skullcrusher's forward shields are totally depleted, and you've taken 9 points of hull damage!

@Kultha You can't recharge shields this round, as the Gunnery phase takes place after the Engineering phase.

Skullcrusher Current State
AC 12
Forward: 0
Port/Starboard: 8 / 10
Aft: 10
HP: 46, 2 more will score a critical hit

Sefel winces as the skullcrusher shakes during that last hit. He waits for it to subside before taking aim again.

Light Laser Cannon: 1d20 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 2 = 11 hits??
Damage: 2d4 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6