GM Tyranius (Starfinder) Yesteryear's Truth Subtier 1-2 (Inactive)

Game Master Tyranius

Dot in here.

Conrad pours himself a Almas; 2 parts rye whiskey, 1 part vermouth, a dash of bitters, and a cherry.

It had cost him a pretty penny, but as Da'at made his way to the rendezvous point there was something akin to pride welling up within him as he kept patting the handle of his ornate Idaran force baton, an object completely at odds with the rest of his clothing and gear.

Purchasing an Idaran Force Baton from my prior chronicle sheet

You are summoned to the LoreSpire Complex to meet with Venture-Captain Arvin for your briefing.

Venture-Captain Arvin stands before a hologram of a planet that appears to have been ravaged by some disaster; there is very little water and no obvious greenery. “Greetings, Starfinders,” he says, without turning. “You are looking at Elytrio, a newly charted planet in the Vast. While you might dismiss it as a lifeless rock at first glance, it still has mysteries to plumb. The starship that discovered it was attacked by some kind of orbital defense system when it got too close; the vessel didn’t have the firepower to respond, so the crew made a prudent retreat. But we Starfinders don’t let these sorts of things go.” He pauses before continuing. “I’d like you to take a starship, travel to Elytrio, and discover all you can about it. If you find any inhabitants on the planet, do everything in your power to make peaceful contact with them. If the place is deserted, try to locate information about who might have built those defenses. Once you’ve got something interesting, report back to me here at the Lorespire Complex. Any questions?”

"First contact? I've been waiting for one of these." Conrad straightens up a bit. "Can you tell us what kind of fire power it met with?"

Ah this is so exciting A Lashunta dressed professionally wand with the air of an academic says. What did the previous Starfinders find out about Elytrio before they were forced to retreat?

"Can you tell us what kind of fire power it met with?"

"They said the Orbital Defense System fired back with light laser cannons."

What did the previous Starfinders find out about Elytrio before they were forced to retreat?

“Not much, I’m afraid. Initial scans were too brief to get too many details. The other Starfinders did report trace amounts of radiation in the atmosphere, so there is a distinct possibility the planet’s current appearance is not entirely natural.”

"This would be a good time to choose you vessel as well. You have the choice between the The Pegasus or the Drake. Also your roles within the Starship.

Da'at swipes his screen back and forth between the two ships, before finally tapping on the Drake's schematics. "As someone who doesn't know much about aliens in general but a lot about orbital laser platforms and similar shenanigans, I'm going to recommend the Drake. Those Hi-Ex missiles are great at resolving technical issues. Sometimes they can even be used as a diplomatic tool with your local Veskarium rep."

He leans back into his padded chair and continues: "Also, who discovered this planet? What do we know about them? I'm no paranoid Dataphile, but ..."

Perhaps the Drake would be better armed in space, but the lack of a science lab or a tech workshop is troubling Domaya disagrees with the Kasathan The Pegasus would better serve the purpose of a forward base for exploring Elytrio and would be more maneuverable in a fight in any case!

OOC fine with either choice.

"Science! Pah! Who needs... Oh. Right. Exploratory mission. That was dumb of me."

I have run this, so I defer.

Ahh. who's our fourth?

It is Kai.

So far we are looking at Pegasus class. Assuming you are sticking with starship roles signed on sign up sheet.[/ooc]

A small robotic drone intercepts the PCs as they depart from their briefing. The floating drone projects a holoscreen in front of it. The drone projects a holoscreen with the image of a confused looking ysoki child, whose head is quickly pushed out of the screen by an older ysoki woman. “Fitch from the Wayfinders here. Sorry about Kirkath popping on the screen; kids always like the holoprojectors. Anyways, long and short, I hear you’ve been assigned to explore Elytrio. First contact is important. Need to make a good impression. Wayfinders specialize in this sort of thing, so I wanted to offer some help! The drone has a translation module strapped on its back. It’s not as reliable as some magical solutions you might have, but if you’re in a pinch for communicating, it might help!”

As promised, the back of the drone has a Tetrad certified translator

"Sweet! This ought to be a blast."

Ready.

"Handy. Thanks Fitch, you the ma... Yoski. Give me a mental high-five" quips Da'at. As they approach the ship, the kasatha casually asks: "So, is it going to be just the three of us? You'd think they would send more than just that."

Will wait for Kai to post. There are 4 of you.

A young blonde, almost a kid, runs up to the group as they approach the ship. "Sorry I'm late, I got some bad directions. I got the rundown on my way over. I can't wait to start! This is why I joined the Starfinders! A newly charted planet, floating in the drift! This will be my first time ever away from the Core Worlds, and only my second time to be planetside anywhere!" The kid's bright eyes show a certain naivete as he expresses his excitement.

Kai is a pretty good pilot (+11) but he can also do engineering (+11) and computers (+7) or even captain or gun in a pinch.

Hello. Dotting in. Will make a more thorough post tonight.

Will kick into high gear this evening. Have 1 more straggler coming to round out a full table. Sorry for the delay. You are in a good position to post Starship Boons as well.

Conrad (Captain)
Da'at (Gunner)
Kai Starchaser (Pilot)
Domaya (Science)
Lucky Sevens (Engineering)
Argon-42 (Science)

Days travel: 5d6 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 4, 6) = 18

It takes 18 days to make the journey through the Drift to Elytrio. The trip is mostly uneventful, though you pass a ysoki salvage barge named Clutter Collector. The ship’s captain, a ysoki named Winks opens a communication link to talk to the Society starship, more out of boredom than anything else. She thanks you for any conversation you engage in before having to end the link an hour later as her ship moves out of range. After re-entering normal space, your vessel is less than a few hours’ travel from your destination.

Earlier

A drably dressed android with fire engine red hair is already elbows deep in the guts of the ship as you walk up. It's natural however for your eyes to be more drawn to her drone, basically an artillery emplacement with legs, that stands guard while she's busy. It spits out a series of clicks and whirs to alert her to your approach.

Yeah yeah, I know, Sparky. I'm not deaf, just busy. Hi there, I'm Lucky. Ship's about done, I miss anything interesting at the briefing?

"Nah" replies the kasathan. "New uncharted planet discovered, protected by a defensive grid, some sort of laser cannon, Appearance of the planet could be masked by the grid or something else. Also Fitch asks us not to be jackalopes to the natives. So Sparky, when you see them, fire some fireworks or something. Make it festive. Like I'm the
millionth customer someplace or something."

Hmmmmm? A smile quirks across her lips, That grid does sound interesting. Lets be sure to get a nice tour of that!

Kai guns the engines in excitement. "Alright! Let's get there!"

As you approach Elytrio, your comms suddenly squawk to life, filled with a crackling robotic voice in an alien language. The tone of the message is strident.

"⎍⋏☍⋏⍜⍙⋏ ⎐⟒⌇⌇⟒⌰: ⏁⎍⍀⋏ ⏚⏃☊☍ ⍜⍀ ⏚⟒ ⎅⟒⌇⏁⍀⍜⊬⟒⎅"

Subsequent recurrences of the message stutter and distort like a corrupted audio file, eventually cutting off with a loud burst of static. Simultaneously, a hemispheric vessel—an orbital drone platform—comes into view from behind one of the planet’s moons. It approaches your starship, and while it has no visible weapons, it does emit a ring of red light from the edges of its flat bottom hull.

Culture: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

They don't seem to be happy we're here. Anyone speak that? 'Cause I'm getting the feeling we're about to hear from them in a more universal language.

Earlier...

An android with a crest of purple hair up the centerline of her skull meets you at the ship.

"Hello. I am Argon-42. Our superiors seemed to feel that you might need a computer expert on this trip. I recently completed another assignment as science officer on a Starfinder ship. I only just docked but Venture-Captain Arvin has sent me the dossier for this mission."

"I look forward to the expedition."

---------
Now...

"I am unfamiliar with this language. But do we not have a translator device?"

I have no idea how it works though.

"Do you think this is the object that damaged the other ship? Activating passive sensors... scanning now."

Argon begins scanning the orbital platform to try and determine how dangerous it is.

Computers +2 ship sensor bonus Take 10: 10 + 11 + 2 = 23

The drone that has a Tetrad certified translator gives you access to the Share Language spell.

Doing a complete scan Argon-42 realizes that the platform is part of an automated system and is completely unoccupied.

Conrad also has a translator.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 5 + 1d6 ⇒ (12) + 5 + (5) = 22

"It's a warning. Give me a moment to let the translator do its work." Conrad calmly lets the machine work. "Ah, yeah... it's saying 'Unknown vessel: turn back or be destroyed.' This lines up with the intel. It could be time to get to stations."

We were expecting this. I will carry out a scan to see if I can figure out what we are dealing with.

Computers Check: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Kai tightens his grip on the controls. "I'm preparing for evasive action!"

After a pause, he adds, "Can anyone think of a way to defuse this situation?"

Domaya has a very had time finding the power button on this newer model as apertures open on the platform’s bottom hull as the vessel enters a combat posture.

Orbital Platform Piloting check for Helm phase: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

@Kai- At the end of each of your turns roll your next rounds Piloting init check as it helps speed up the rounds.

You guys are the green outlines ship.

Round 1
Captain (Conrad)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Lucky Sevens)
Helm Phase (Kai- pilot)- If you get under a 26 then go ahead with your action.
Helm Phase (Domaya / Argon-42- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Da'at)

Starship Combat Cheatsheet and Tactical Map are all at top of the page.

piloting: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 11 + 1 = 23

Kai jukes to Port and zooms off that way before turning and spinning to face the drone's forward path.

EVADE stunt, DC13: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 11 + 1 = 14

"Can you get me a reading on it's weapons so I know where I *don't* wanna' be?"

"Could we pretend we're tourists that don't speak the language? "Sorry, we're actually looking for directions to Vesk-5, we've heard it's nice this time of year?""

Domaya will woman a gunnery station now since Argon is far better at Science! :)

Alright everyone! We've got this. Quick and decisive!" Encourage gunners DC 15: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23 +2 to whichever gunner opts for the big gun.

Diverting power to the main guns!
Engineering: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Conrad encourages the gunners with a few decisive words as they engage the orbital platform. Lucky Sevens divers all power into the main guns.

Kai flips the ship around performing some evasive maneuvers as the Orbital Platforms thrusters slowly move it about, sliding to the side.

Slide DC 11: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Both ships have moved. Kai- could you give me Round 2's Piloting check.

Pegasus- +2 to Gunnery hit; Damage 1=2; +2 AC

Round 1
Captain (Conrad)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Lucky Sevens)
Helm Phase (Kai- pilot)- If you get under a 26 then go ahead with your action.
Helm Phase (Argon-42- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Da'at / Domaya)

"Hang on, try this: "We come in peace, here have some samples of our finest metals! Here's some light for you to inspect them by!""

Coilgun vs Probe: 1d20 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 3 + 2 = 8

"No, tell them we're blind pilgrims and we're terrified of loud noises, so they shouldn't shoot back at us."

I think the Captain buffs apply to all gunners? Also assuming taking one of the computer buffs Please adjust if not true.

Domaya switches up to control the light laser cannon on the port suddenly wishing they'd oped for the more combat capable ship rather than this one.

Light laser cannon vs probe: 1d20 + 0 + 1 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 0 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 6

whoops, I forgot to do that part. Sorry GM.

piloting, Pegasus: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 11 + 1 = 15

Argon-42 is up.

"Initiating active scan. Tactical data coming up now..." Argon-42 says as she homes in on the enemy ship's subspace signature.

Scan (computers) +2 ship bonus: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 11 + 2 = 19

Argon scans the Orbital Platform. Argon's scan comes back as a Medium starship drone platform. Average speed (6) with an average turning radius (2). Average AC (12) and TL (13); Its Hull is far superior for its time (HP 70). Basic shields are full in all quadrants (40; 10 in each quadrant). The power unit looks to be of the Pulse Gray class. (PCU 100). The Platform contains no weapons but is able to launch drones.

Domaya and Da'at's shots fire wide as they get the feel for the weapons systems. The Orbital Platform releases a tiny drone from it's hatch.

Round 2

Orbital Platform Round 2 Piloting Check: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23
Orbital Drone Piloting Check: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

The orbital Platform diverts power to it's main thrusters as it scans your ship for signs of weakness.

Orbital Platform Engineering Divert (Engines) DC 11: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Orbital Platform Science Officer Scan DC 13: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Orbital Platform- Speed +2

Round 2
Captain (Conrad)-May act on any Phase
Engineering Phase (Lucky Sevens)
Helm Phase (Kai- pilot)
Helm Phase (Argon-42- Science Officer)
Gunnery Phase (Da'at / Domaya)

"The enemy has launched a drone," Argon-42 observes. "The mother ship is not armed, but it likely has more drones on board. Scanning the drone now. I'm patching tactical data to your consoles..." Argon-42 says as she homes in on the enemy ship's subspace signature.

Scanning the drone (computers) +2 ship bonus: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 11 + 2 = 25

Argon's scan comes back as a Tiny starship drone. Fast speed (10) with a perfect turning radius (0). Better than average AC (16) and TL (15); Its Hull is lightweight (HP 20) with no shields to protect it. The power unit looks to be of the Micron Light class. (PCU 50). The Drone looks to have a light laser cannon turret attached to it's bottom side (2d4). An orbital drone is linked wirelessly to the platform that deployed it. An orbital drone can benefit from information gained and bonuses granted by science officer actions performed by that orbital platform.

"Who knows how many drones that thing can spit. Domaya let's see what you can really do with that thing. Blast the hive, we'll get the worker bees next!" Encourage: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16 Success. +2 on gunnery checks this round.

Encouragement is all well and good, but lets see if we can dial up something useful...

All Power to the Guns!: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16