GM Valen's SFS Quests - Into the Unknown (PbP) (Table 2) (Inactive)

Game Master Lysle

Round Five Begins!

Viewing the impact of the torpedo against the shields of their prey, Captain Blight encourages his crew to press the attack directing his crew to divert power to the engines.

PCs win Initiative! Pirates go first

The Lawblight sets its sights on the Starfinders' vessel. The pirate crew attempts to rebalance the shields while the helmsman readies for a fly-by attack!

However, whether the result of nerves or too much rum, the helmsman fails to pull off the maneuver.

PCs get a "free attack" at point blank range per CRB pg. 319.

Movement updated on Map. PCs turn!

Reminding you as requested (Lawblight Barrage Clue): The first torpedo hit is a miss. I might have missed an earlier torpedo shot that hit and then missed, but I think this is the first.

"Gamuzali, keep your eye on target," Laniakea calls over to the vesk. "Take the extra seconds to make sure you have them between your sights before pulling the trigger."

Reminding you as requested (Lawblight Barrage Clue): The first torpedo hit is a miss. I might have missed an earlier torpedo shot that hit and then missed, but I think this is the first.

@ Laniakea - Thank you. Now you know why I made such a request!

* CORRECTION * CORRECTION * CORRECTION * CORRECTION *

CORRECTED Round Four Summary (Gunnery Phase)

Gamuzali swings the turret back into the forward arc and unleashes a full assault on the Lawblight, but the evasive flying pirate ship avoids any hits!

Now, in position, the pirate crew prepares to return fire!

The coilgun shells miss their mark, but the pirate's torpedo appears to strike true as it explodes!

But as the debris from the explosion clears, the Odyssey can be clearly seen through the dust that remains. It is unscathed; its crew having recalled the damage to the Endless Threnody weeks before had prepared defensive measures against just such a barrage.

The forward shields of the Odyssey hold and the vessel glides smoothly through space, the energy from the exploding torpedo never impacting against the hull.
Lawblight Barrage clue: the first time one of the Lawblight’s heavy torpedoes would hit the Odyssey, it misses instead.

CORRECTED Starship Status After Round Four
Odyssey -0 HP Shields light 61; forward 16, port 15, starboard 15, aft 15

Round Five Continues

Remaining PCs are up

"Eww. That was a bit too close. Let's not let that happen again." Levylissa goes back to her station and uses the Odyssey's sensors to try to target those weapons.

After a brief vision of exploding torpedos and blown-out shields, Rogers shakes his head and instead moves to divert power to the Odyssey's engines.

Depending on the Lawblight's final facing, I want to back up just enough hexes so that we can fire both weapons at their Port side.

"This reminds me of the time I... Err... Nevermind."

Piloting to BACK OFF: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Initiative next round: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (8) + 10 = 18

"Free attack"

As the pirate vessel closes in, Gamuzali sees an opening and takes the opportunity to fire the heavy laser cannons at the Lawblight.

HLC, Computer: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 3 + 1 = 14 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (8, 2, 7, 7) = 24

Gunnery Phase

Once Iseph has lined up the ship to give him his shot, Gamuzali opens fire on the pirates once again.

HLC, Computer, Encouragement, FaW: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 7 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (8, 5, 6, 4) = 23
Missile, Compute, Encouragement, FaWr: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 16 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (8, 1, 8, 3) = 20

Round Five Summary

Engineering Phase
Aboard the Odyssey, Rogers pours more power into the ship’s engines.

The crew of the Lawblight do the same at the encouragement of Captain Blight.

Helm Phase
The pirates aboard the Lawblight balance their shields and then set a course heading directly at the Starfinder vessel, hoping to get up close to make a decisive kill. Instead, they make a mistake and are left vulnerable to attack!

Seizing upon the opportunity, Levylissa targets the weapon systems aboard the pirate ship as Iseph moves the Odyssey alongside for a broadside attack. Map updated with movement

Helm Phase
The attacks come. First, Gamuzali brings the heavy laser canon to bear against the aft section of the Lawblight with devastating effect. The aft shields of the pirate vessel collapse under the energy stream and portions of the hull melt, fusing power conduits vital to a critical system of the ship.

The crew of the Lawblight responds. The ship’s turret turns toward the Starfinders, unleashing a volley of projectiles. They fail to find their mark.

Likewise, the gyrolaser on the pirate vessel extends a beam outward, like a tendril of energy; it lashes at the Odyssey drawing off a portion of the vessel's port shields.

But, the Starfinders are not finished with their attack as the turret of the Odyssey swivels to intercept the Lawblight’s new position. Gamuzali’s firing of the coilgun sends a projectile into a nearby asteroid, but the firing of the high explosive missile at close range results in an explosion that shakes the hull of the Starfinder vessel and one that obliterates the remainder of the Lawblight’s port shields and sends shrapnel to punch deep holes in the pirate ship’s hull and one of its critical systems.

Starship Status After Round Five

Odyssey -0 HP Shields light 59; forward 16, port 13, starboard 15, aft 15

Round Six Begins!

Pirates win Initiative! PCs move ship first

"Yahoo! Nice shootin', Gamuzali! Let's finish them off!" Rogers quickly taps out a sequence of buttons, attempting to divert power to Gamuzali's weapons.

Gamuzali gives a gleeful hiss as system after system aboard the Lawblight begin to lose functionality. "Yes, the relentless pull of gravity is bound to pull these unstable brigands apart, and the fires of the stars will consume what is left, so that their unrighteousness will be cleansed form the university forever!"

Was Levylissa's targeting of the weapon systems successful?

Was Levylissa's targeting of the weapon systems successful?

Yes, quite. (It seems that I should forego my late night posts for more sleep). The first Crit was to weapons, not sensors.Forward 1, aft 2: 1d2 ⇒ 1

"Looks like we've started to take control of this fight. Let's shut them down!" Levylissa returns to her controls and attempts to target the core of the damaged vessel. With all the damage, the Odyssey's sensors easily are able to lock on to the glitching core.

"Wouldn't want to risk losing our advantage."

Piloting to EVADE: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

Initiative for next round: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

"Excellent work, Gamuzali!" the woioko cheers on their gunner. "Continue to keep your hands steady and breathe regularly. You have this under control."

From where Gamuzali is sitting, it appears that the Lawblight has the superior maneuverability for the moment, and so he restrains himself to firing with the turret's weapons, following the flight of the pirate vessel as it moves toward and around the Odyssey.

Coilgun, Computer, Encourage, FaW: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 19 Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 4, 3, 3) = 13
Missile, Computer, Encourage, FaW: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 9 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (6, 2, 7, 5) = 20

I have one more missile I can fire after this one.

Round Six Summary

Engineering Phase
Deep within the bow of the Lawblight, the pirate crew completes repairs to the glitching power core.

Meanwhile, Rogers’ bulky fingers accidentally taps the wrong button, this engineering station not designed for his large, bullish hands. Perhaps, the Starfinders should allow their agents to customize particular ships, rather than loaning them out to different groups of agents for different missions.

Helms Phase
Seeing the pirate vessel getting the jump on them, Iseph brings the Odyssey around in an evasive turn.

The helmsman aboard the Lawblight attempts his own evasive counter; he succeeds only at bringing the two ships face to face.

Unaware of the repairs performed aboard the enemy vessel, Levylissa targets the power core of the Lawblight. Without the Starfinders’ knowledge, the pirate crew also attempts to balance the shields, moving their energy to the forward shield array.

Gunnery Phase
Captain Blight leaves his chair to fire the forward coilgun, giving the order to “shoot at will” from the firing console. A volley of coilgun shells and a torpedo ensues.

Due to the clues of the pirates' attack patterns discovered earlier by the Starfinder crew, they are able to avoid the coilgun shots, but not the torpedo. It slams into the Odyssey's forward shields; though they drop instantly, they have done their job. The hull of the Odyssey remains unscathed.

At the encouragement of acting captain Laniakea, Gamuzali returns fire from both the coilgun and the missile launcher. Only the coilgun finds its mark, but the damage is sufficient to bring down the forward shields of the Lawblight and damage another vital system aboard the ship.

Starship Status After Round Six
Odyssey -0 HP Shields light 43; forward 0, port 13, starboard 15, aft 15

Round Seven Begins!

Though the pirates are quick, the android Iseph is quicker.

PCs win Initiative!

Captain Blight seeks a quick end to this fight and screams at the helmsman of the Lawblight to execute a daring fly-by attack.

To the Captain's horror, the helmsman is unsuccessful.

PCs get "free attack" for failed fly-by. PCs may go!

Wasn't Levylissa's targeting of the core successful?

Wasn't Levylissa's targeting of the core successful?

Yes, quite. (It seems that I should ALSO forego my daytime posts for more sleep). The Crit was to power core, not life-support. (Thanks for catching this as well as my priors!)

Fortunately, applying the CORRECTION to the appropriate modifiers does not alter the outcome of any of the posted rolls/actions, so no need to edit prior posts.

"These cretins just will not quit. Let's see to those shields." Levylissa moves from the targeting computer to the shields and tries to bolster the forward shields.

"Another good shot," Laniakea calls down to the gunnery station. "We have them scurrying, keep on the pressure!"

Iseph remains focused at the helm.

"We'll get that shark to go belly up. I have confidence in you all."

Piloting to EVADE: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16

Initiative next round: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22

"Let's finish this!" Rogers tries to add some extra punch to the Odyssey's guns.

"TIME TO FINISH THIS!" shouts Gamuzali as he unleashes the most powerful weaponry aboard the Odyssey on the pirates.

Missile, computer, encourage, FaW: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 4 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (3, 1, 3, 8) = 15
Heavy Laser Cannon, computer, encourage, FaW: 1d20 + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + 1 + 2 - 4 = 6 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (5, 8, 3, 4) = 20

Well that's a shame...

Well that's a shame...

Indeed, but Gamuzali can still take the "free attack" due to the failed fly-by attempt with any one direct-fire weapon (CRB pg. 319)!

Oh! Forgot about that one! Here goes nothing!
I believe this would fall before the encouragement and not as part of the fire at will action, so I won't count those modifiers, but please take them into account if you decide they should be there, GM.

HLC free attack, computer: 1d20 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 3 + 1 = 22 Damage: 4d8 ⇒ (7, 5, 1, 1) = 14

There we go!

Oh! Forgot about that one! Here goes nothing!

I believe this would fall before the encouragement and not as part of the fire at will action, so I won't count those modifiers, but please take them into account if you decide they should be there, GM.

Page 319 of the CRB states that the "free attack" does "not benefit from any bonuses or additional abilities from other actions". Thus, I don't think any of the modifiers you mentioned would apply.

Round Seven Summary

Engineering Phase
Out of desperation, the crew of the Lawblight manages to draw more power to their shields.

Aboard the Odyssey, Rogers attempts to divert power, but inadvertently sends energy to both the weapons and the shield arrays.

Helm Phase
Captain Blight’s berates the helmsman of the Lawblight to execute a daring fly-by attack. The attempt was made all the more difficult by Iseph’s skillful flying.

Blight’s eyes widen in horror as he realizes that the helmsman’s failed efforts have exposed them to attack. In response, the pirate crew tries hastily to balance the scant shield energy that remains, but to no avail.

As the Odyssey evades, Levylissa balances the ship’s shields—bracing for the impending pirate attack.

Gunnery Phase
As the Lawblight comes around, acting Captain Laniakea encourages Gamuzali to let lose the ship’s firepower on the approaching ship. However, the vesk, pushing to unleash as much fire-power as possible sacrifices accuracy and his shots fail to connect.

The pirates respond with all that their ship can muster as well, coilgun shells and a torpedo spray forth from the Lawblight. A single shell strikes the forward shields of the Odyssey. The blow is enough to bring down the shields of the ship’s forward array, but insufficient to penetrate any further.

Then, as the Lawblight flies past the Starfinder vessel, Gamuzali seizes the opportunity and aims the heavy laser cannon at the aft section of the pirate vessel slicing through its few remaining shields and slicing deep into the hull of the pirate ship.

Starship Status After Round Seven
Odyssey -0 HP Shields light 30; forward 0, port 10, starboard 10, aft 10

Lawblight -69 HP Shields basic 10 (forward 8, port 0, starboard 2, aft 0); malfunctioning forward weapons array, glitching power core

So, the Lawblight began with 70 HP; it has 1 HP remaining.

Unless someone objects, I am going to declare:

COMBAT OVER

The ringing cry of a victorious vesk echoes throughout the ship as Gamuzali's final shot punches through the ship's hull and cripples the Lawblight.

A moment later, Gamuzali makes his rounds around the ship, clapping his fellow Starfinders on the back and congratulating them on a victory well-earned. He gives an especially hearty handshake to Laniakea, whose encouragement urged him on to do his part of win this fight. "Anytime you stand as captain, I will proudly serve on your guns. Just give me a call!"

"Good work!" Laniakea cheers the others as the pirate ship loses power. He shakes his noseless head and flushes a pattern of blue and green at the vesk's encouragement. "No, no. It was all of you--working together. I am just glad that I had the opportunity to experience it."

With the Lawblight defeated, you are able to safely return Absalom Station with the information retrieved from the wreckage of the Unbounded Wayfarer.

As the Odyssey docks at the Arms section of the station, Venture-Captain Arvin is there waiting. He greets the you with a warm smile as you disembark. “I received the reports you transmitted earlier. A job well done, Starfinders."

"You can undergo the tedium of a complete debrief later." Arvin notes. "First, I’ve arranged for you all to enjoy a few days’ downtime in Kemanis, at the high-end clubs, theaters, and VR parlors. You’ve earned it."

"But,” he warns, with a sly twinkle in his eye, “after that, it’ll be time to put you back to work.”

End of Quest the Final

"Oh! Do the theaters have the reclining seats?!"

*Everyone laughs, then hops into the air. Freeze frame!*