A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for levels 1-4.
A missing Starfinder ship's distress signal would have gone unnoticed were it not for a passerby detecting it and selling the information to the Society. The PCs are to travel to the crippled starship, and once aboard, reach the bridge in order to piece together the tragic story of the vessel's lost crew. Only by unraveling the mysteries of the drifting starship can the PCs hope to uncover information critical to the Exo-Guardians future operations.
Content in Cries From the Drift also contributes to the ongoing goals of the Exo-Guardians faction.
An augmented host shirren watches a bustling crew move office equipment from several large pallets into a large warehouse, while other workers weld scrap metal to gaps in the warehouse’s walls. The shirren occasionally directs a crew member and makes a note on a datapad. The shirren, Zigvigix, notices their new guests and turns to telepathically project a greeting.
Zigvigix wears a set of shoulder speakers that blast out sugarpop music from the band Strawberry Machine Cake. They bounce in place along to the music. “Welcome back! Isn’t this song the best? I’ve been playing it on loop for hours!” Behind the excited shirren, several grizzled-looking station workers, each carrying a side of a heavy-looking holotable, roll their eyes.
“Thanks for coming—I hope you’ll understand if I keep this brief; we’ve got a lot of work to do to get our new headquarters up and running, and you are on a short timetable. A ysoki salvage barge named the Clutter Collector, captained by a ysoki named Winks, picked up a distress-beacon transmission in the Drift. Winks didn’t have time to check it out, but she sold the data to the Society when she reached Absalom Station. How nice of her!
“Well, it turns out that this beacon came from the Struggle’s Scholar, a kasathan ship that…” Zigvigix pauses for effect as their antennae wiggle excitedly. “…escaped from Sangoro’s Bulwark! If you don’t know, the Bulwark was the old base of operations for the Exo-Guardians. Now, First Seeker Luwazi wisely grounded us from investigating the Bulwark after all contact was lost with it shortly after the Scoured Stars incident, but we can’t pass up this opportunity to learn what
happened there."
"We might even be able to find the coordinates to our missing headquarters. Wouldn’t it be joyous to have a large fortress to play loud music in?” The workers behind Zigvigix roll their eyes.
Zigvigix hands over a datapad. “Here are the coordinates of the distress signal. It is unlikely any of the crew survived, or they’d be here by now. So be on the lookout for bodies. Since the crew is mostly kasathas, it would mean a lot to their extended families if you could bring back their remains or keepsakes to the Idari! Otherwise, salvage any data you can—especially the ship’s log—as it could tell us what happened to Sangoro’s Bulwark. This datapad also holds a one-time-use decrypter
that will let you decode the Exo-Guardians ciphers used on the distress signal. Good luck!”
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
"This seems pretty exciting. So you're saying we get to go into the Drift and board a derelict ship to see what we can find out? Did the distress beacon have any message? Do we know why the ship is now derelict?"
A robed, silent Ysoki, perhaps standing a little too close to Kai, signs hands out twice, then the hair standing up on his arms.
signed common:
great, big spooky
”Ahem, uh sorry,” he steps out of Kai’s personal space, bobbing a bit to the Shirren’s music, ”derelicts aren’t exactly known for safety. Are we to destroy the ship once we get the information?”
A shirrin clacks her mandibles in excitement. "A mission? Exciting! But the crew might be dead? Sad!" As her antennae twitch she looks very happy. "If any survive, I could make new friends! Exciting! Where is the ship now? Curious!"
"Hmmm... Sangoro's Bulwark was important, yes? Desired! What do we know about what happened to it? What was it used for? Curious!"
After a moment she exclaims, "I cannot wait to choose our ship! Pegasus? Drake? Choices!" She looks very excited.
Culture to know about Kasatha death traditions (she doesn't want to offend their corpses if she finds any):1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 Culture to know about Sangoro's Bulwark:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
A tall person clad in heavy armor stands among the group of Starfinders. The full helmet hides all but the eyes of his face, but the four arms easily mark him as a kasatha.
"Brethren long lost in drift,
souls trapped in dark between the stars.
We will find the signal,
and bring back what we can."
While not a devout follower of any musical trends in the known system, Qaru happens to recognize the music that is playing. It was he who fought through the crowds to buy the album for Zigvigix. And thus we wonders if he is the one to blame for the suffering of the workers, and makes a mental note if something can be done about Bulwarks' audio systems.
Spunky points to himself, makes two wringing fists, points at Donavaan, then points at his own eyes.
signed common:
I made you look
”I haven’t been a Starfinder long, but I would imagine it’s typical pay, plus we get to be the ones that famously bring back critical information about the Bulwark.”
A shirrin clacks her mandibles in excitement. "A mission? Exciting! But the crew might be dead? Sad!" As her antennae twitch she looks very happy. "If any survive, I could make new friends! Exciting! Where is the ship now? Curious!"
"Hmmm... Sangoro's Bulwark was important, yes? Desired! What do we know about what happened to it? What was it used for? Curious!"
After a moment she exclaims, "I cannot wait to choose our ship! Pegasus? Drake? Choices!" She looks very excited.
[dice=Culture to know about Kasatha death traditions (she doesn't want to offend their corpses if she finds any)]1d20+7
[dice=Culture to know about Sangoro's Bulwark]1d20+7
"Very important...and exciting!"
“The vesk explorer Sangoro found the uninhabited fortress on a world in the Vast. It was an immense edifice of metal and stone, forged by some forgotten species—how nice of them! This discovery happened during a time when the Pact Worlds and Veskarium were in open conflict, which I hear was quite a sad time. Sangoro surprised everyone by offering the site to the Starfinder Society in exchange for membership, and with the stipulation that the fortress could not be used as part of the conflict between the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium. The Society accepted, and Sangoro went on to found the Exo-Guardians, how nice of him!”
“We don’t know what happened to the Bulwark, sad. One day, signals stopped coming in. The exact coordinates for the star system containing Sangoro’s Bulwark are kept hidden, and only Guidance, the First Seeker, and the most senior members of the Forum know its exact whereabouts. After the Scoured Stars incident, this information was lost to all but Guidance. Now, Guidance refuses to provide the coordinates, though I’m sure it has its reasons. Anyway, there’s not much information on what happened to the Bulwark, so hopefully the Struggle’s Scholar has some information in its data logs. Exciting prospect, isn’t it?”
“The Struggle's Scholar is a kasathan starship that was undertaking a short mission to Sangoro’s Bulwark around the same time the signals stopped coming in. We assumed the ship was lost along with the Bulwark, but this signal proves otherwise—thrilling! I do not think any of the crew could have survived this long, though—sad! Still, the ship is compact, with only ten or so internal compartments, so once you find it, it shouldn’t take long to search.”
Culture Check on Sangoro's Bulwark - can use infosphere rules
5+:
A vesk named Sangoro founded the Exo-Guardians, which is an especially unusual fact, given the long hostilities between the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds. Many Starfinders initially did not trust him, even after he provided the Society with a huge fortress on a remote planet to operate out of. Sangoro later dedicated himself and his followers to protecting the Society from external threats, forming the Exo-Guardians faction within the Starfinder Society.
10+:
The fortress Sangoro bequeathed to the Starfinder Society was the only structure on the planet. It was a massive edifice left by some forgotten race, with extensive underground tunnels and storage vaults. The Exo-Guardians kept a large stockpile of equipment within the Bulwark, letting field agents on missions in the Vast access necessary items without traveling back to Absalom Station. Because of the importance of these resources, the exact coordinates of Sangoro’s Bulwark were kept from most Starfinders, and ships traveled to the location only by using
encrypted flight plans.
15+:
Shortly after the Scoured Stars incident led to the disappearance of most Starfinder Society field agents and leadership, an unknown force overwhelmed Sangoro’s Bulwark, and—until now—there have been no survivors or distress calls. With this attack, the Society’s data archives lost all information on the exact location of Sangoro’s Bulwark, with even nominated First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo bereft of such knowledge. Only the Society’s amalgam digital consciousness, Guidance, might know the location, but it has ignored all requests to provide the data.
20+:
Some rumors from the few Starfinders who visited the Bulwark before the fall report that the Drift and Material Plane space surrounding the area was prone to strange events. Exactly how these dangers manifest varies by each rumor, but it appears the space surrounding the Bulwark’s home system is prone to odd interplanar abnormalities. Starships are advised to carry powerful scanners to identify potential stellar hazards and bleeding between the planes.
Drift travel time, how nice!:5d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 1, 3, 6) = 19 days
You depart alongside another Starfinder Society starship, a bulk freighter called the Promise of the Future. The freighter keeps ommunications open with your ship as you travel.
While the captain and crew of the Promise are too busy to converse, passengers, who are fellow Starfinders, are eager to converse. They are a four member squad of Kalo, who call themselves the Manta Corps. They are headed out a classified mission that they can't discuss, but will banter readily otherwise.
Zez'ka's antennae wiggle excitedly. "Lessons!" She exclaims happily, as Zigvigix and Qaru provide her a wealth of new information to process. "Intrigued! Many new concepts to ponder. Exciting! What to think on first? Choices! Happy day!"
Zez'ka listens to the others debate the ship choices. "Choices! Exciting!" After a solid minute of loudly debating the pros and cons of each choice, she exclaims, "Pegasus! Yes!"
As the others debate names, Zez'ka contemplates the offered options. "Naming is difficult! Limitless options! Exciting!" She looks thrilled to be contemplating such a decision, and eventually exclaims. "Limitless! Good name?"
Upon boarding, Zez'ka takes up the role of a gunner.
---
Speaking with the Promise of Future:
"Oh! Visitors in space! Hello, Promise of the Future! Thank you for speaking with us! What to say, what to say! Such an important decision! EXCITING! I am Zez'ka! Shirrin, of course!"
"A kalo? Fascinating! Never have I spoken with one of your kind before, and now I make speak with four! Wondrous!"
Life Sciences:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19
"How is life upon Kalo-Mahoi? May I visit you, in the future?"
"Your voice does not sound very deep, Allugoth. Is there a problem with my receivers? Or does Deepspeaker have less obvious meaning?'"
"Mantarider? How fascinating! Do you each have one of your own? Or is this a honourific?"
"Wavetreader Vhoosh? What a delightful name! Does it signify anything?"
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
culture, using infosphere:20 + 11 = 31
Kai does some quick research on the infosphere. Combining it with what he knows already, he has some more info to share. He corroborates what Qaru said and then add some detail of his own.
check out all the spoilers, y'all.
Kai agrees to fly the Pegasus. "It's a beautiful ship and it handles like a dream." For names, he likes several of the proposals, including limitless and Qaru's first suggestion.
life sciences:10 + 8 = 18
"Whoa! I've never been underwater before! Not really. I would love to visit your home planet sometime."
Spunky happily talks with the Kalo, especially once others reveal their background. "There must be some special magic used in an underwater world. Ooh, and sign languages, since voices don't normally work, right? Can you teach me some? I'll teach you what I know."
Spunky doesn't sleep well, he usually doesn't; but being friendly with others tends to keep the nightmares at bay. Stories of Sangoro's Bulwark didn't particularly help, but Spunky was happy to hear them anyways, as he had no idea what had happened.
Zez'ka's antennae wiggle excitedly. "Lessons!" She exclaims happily, as Zigvigix and Qaru provide her a wealth of new information to process. "Intrigued! Many new concepts to ponder. Exciting! What to think on first? Choices! Happy day!"
Zez'ka listens to the others debate the ship choices. "Choices! Exciting!" After a solid minute of loudly debating the pros and cons of each choice, she exclaims, "Pegasus! Yes!"
As the others debate names, Zez'ka contemplates the offered options. "Naming is difficult! Limitless options! Exciting!" She looks thrilled to be contemplating such a decision, and eventually exclaims. "Limitless! Good name?"
Upon boarding, Zez'ka takes up the role of a gunner.
---
Speaking with the Promise of Future:
"Oh! Visitors in space! Hello, Promise of the Future! Thank you for speaking with us! What to say, what to say! Such an important decision! EXCITING! I am Zez'ka! Shirrin, of course!"
"A kalo? Fascinating! Never have I spoken with one of your kind before, and now I make speak with four! Wondrous!"
[dice=Life Sciences]1d20+3
"How is life upon Kalo-Mahoi? May I visit you, in the future?"
"Your voice does not sound very deep, Allugoth. Is there a problem with my receivers? Or does Deepspeaker have less obvious meaning?'"
"Mantarider? How fascinating! Do you each have one of your own? Or is this a honourific?"
"Wavetreader Vhoosh? What a delightful name! Does it signify anything?"
Deepspeaker Alluguoth wrote:
Ah, Zez'ka, you misunderstand. I have a mystic connection with the creatures of many worlds. I speak for the deep places of my world. Only by listening to the least creatures can you understand the largest things. You are free to visit it as you can any other Pact World. If we are on station, I'll show you around.
Mantarider Suulhu-Huur wrote:
We are the warriors of our world, in the old days we rode great beasts, and now, we are passengers in the belly of the great machine-whales that span the drift
Mantarider Ushuul wrote:
The Society calls us in because we are uniquely able to handle aquatic missions because we understand how things work under water *pats his gun that he seems to keep with him labeled something in Kalo* This is Muncher, she's adapted to just about any environment.
Wavetreader Vhoosh wrote:
If you tread the tops of the waves, where the enemy expects not to find you, you can do the most damage. So, what missions have you been on? Any kills?
Spunky happily talks with the Kalo, especially once others reveal their background. "There must be some special magic used in an underwater world. Ooh, and sign languages, since voices don't normally work, right? Can you teach me some? I'll teach you what I know."
Spunky doesn't sleep well, he usually doesn't; but being friendly with others tends to keep the nightmares at bay. Stories of Sangoro's Bulwark didn't particularly help, but Spunky was happy to hear them anyways, as he had no idea what had happened.
Deepspeaker Alluguoth wrote:
As you would expect, spells relying on fire and electricity can have problems under water. Air breathers can have problems if they don't have the right gear to function. Thankfully, most visitors mind their shortcomings and don't forget their gear. There are legends of deep places that connect to other watery planes as well...
Wavetreader Vhoosh wrote:
Actually, our voices travel more easily underwater than in air. And we hear more too. We can tell where creatures are moving by the vibrations they give off. *reaches back and smacks Ushuul when he makes rude gestures behind her back* Like that.
Ah, Zez'ka, you misunderstand. I have a mystic connection with the creatures of many worlds. I speak for the deep places of my world. Only by listening to the least creatures can you understand the largest things. You are free to visit it as you can any other Pact World. If we are on station, I'll show you around.
Zez'ka waggles her antennae happily. "Fascinating! This mystic connection is much more exciting than a deep baritone! Thank you for sharing your philosophies with me. Interested! I will need to give this much thought! Important!"
Manta-Rider Suulhu Huur wrote:
We are the warriors of our world, in the old days we rode great beasts, and now, we are passengers in the belly of the great machine-whales that span the drift
Zez'ka seems to think on this, then clicks her mandibles in excitement. "Thrilling! Poetic! Wondrous!" With a clap of her hands, Zez'ka adds, "You are very well-spoken, Manta-Rider Suulhu Huur. I have much enjoyed conversing with you!"
Manta-rider Ushuul wrote:
The Society calls us in because we are uniquely able to handle aquatic missions because we understand how things work under water *pats his gun that he seems to keep with him labeled something in Kalo* This is Muncher, she's adapted to just about any environment.
Zez'ka cocks her head. "Hello, Muncher! Pleasure!" She nods in greeting. "You named your weapon? Curious! Is it intelligent? Is It magical? Is it favourite?" After a moment of thought, she remarks, "Adaptable? Useful! Special! Muncher is a good gun! Jealous!" Zez'ka claps her hands. "You have given me much jealousy. Inspired! I desire to name my weapons as well! When next we meet I will introduce you. Excited!"
Wavetreader Vhoosh wrote:
If you tread the tops of the waves, where the enemy expects not to find you, you can do the most damage. So, what missions have you been on? Any kills?
Zez'ka shakes her head. "Apologies! I am a new agent. No kills to speak to you of. Sad! Have you many to tell me about? Curious!" After a moment she exclaims, "I am on my first mission! Excitement! Pride!"
CN Male Lashunta | Envoy 4 | SP 28/28 | HP 28/28 | RP 5/6 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +2; Ref +7; Will +4 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +4+d6 | Speed 30ft | Darkvision | Active conditions: None.
A door opens and a Lashunta walks into the room wearing armor and a longsword. He looks slightly timid and looks at you with guilt in his eyes.
He approaches slowly and says with a silent voice "He ... Hello ... I ... I am really sorry that I overslept.
His eyes go down to his shoes and he continues "I ... I did not want to be late for my ... you know ... my first mission. And I swear to you it was not my fault! I wanted to be on time for Zigvigix's briefing!"
He then steps back and sighs "Oh no ... I did it again. So ... Sorry. They just sent me to this ship with the briefing and said to meet you when you arrive but ... you know ... I overslept."
His eyes suddenly look at you with a sad impression and then determination and he shouts: "Donovan Borde, reporting to duty fellow Pathfinders!"
”Don’t sweat it, I wish I could sleep so well. Welcome Donovan, I’m sure we were expecting you; personally, I had some strange dreams of an amorphous creature that resembles you. Surely a good sign compared to my usual.” the Ysoki reaches to pat the Lashunta on his shoulder like an old friend, but can’t reach at all. And it’s Starfinders, though with all the talk of deep magic, maybe you dreamt something from the past about the Pathfinder Society.”
CN Male Lashunta | Envoy 4 | SP 28/28 | HP 28/28 | RP 5/6 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +2; Ref +7; Will +4 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +4+d6 | Speed 30ft | Darkvision | Active conditions: None.
Ha ha ... I still have the Pathfinders in mind! Gotta get used to the SFS! ;-)
Donovan is a little ashamed:
"Oh Mr. Ysoki, these things always happen to me ... I am late, I sleep too long ... I say Pathfinder instead of Starfinder!!! I do not know if I am worthy to be in your team. I ... I am honest ... I barely made the exams. They ... they said I would never have made it if the first seeker would still be here." and he looks away and then starts to move away from you.
Ha ha ... I still have the Pathfinders in mind! Gotta get used to the SFS! ;-)
Donovan is a little ashamed:
"Oh Mr. Ysoki, these things always happen to me ... I am late, I sleep too long ... I say Pathfinder instead of Starfinder!!! I do not know if I am worthy to be in your team. I ... I am honest ... I barely made the exams. They ... they said I would never have made it if the first seeker would still be here." and he looks away and then starts to move away from you.
Mantarider Ushuul wrote:
*from over the open comm line* "Don't be too hard on yourself kid, at least you're on the right boat and with your team. There's only two things you can count on in this job. Your team and" *pats gun labeled Muncher that he seems very attached to* "and your equipment. We get new First Seekers all the time, but your rep, honor, and fame are what you live by. Keep your nose clean and remember "front to enemy." "
You're onboard a Pegasus starship. You're in the ship's common crew area with other members of the Starfinder society who seem to be interacting with members of another group of Starfinders over an open comm. Exits are aft and fore.
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
Liam wrote:
Kai Starchaser wrote:
"Whoa! I've never been underwater before! Not really. I would love to visit your home planet sometime."
Deepspeaker Alluguoth wrote:
You should visit the base there sometime.
"There's a base there?! I've got to check that out! Thanks for letting me know about it."
CN Male Lashunta | Envoy 4 | SP 28/28 | HP 28/28 | RP 5/6 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +2; Ref +7; Will +4 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +4+d6 | Speed 30ft | Darkvision | Active conditions: None.
Mantarider Ushuul wrote:
*from over the open comm line* "Don't be too hard on yourself kid, at least you're on the right boat and with your team. There's only two things you can count on in this job. Your team and" *pats gun labeled Muncher that he seems very attached to* "and your equipment. We get new First Seekers all the time, but your rep, honor, and fame are what you live by. Keep your nose clean and remember "front to enemy." "
Donovan turns around to the Kalo and sighs "Oh I really hope you are right Sir, I really hope so ..."
He eyes the Soldier and continues "Be assured that I will contemplate on your martial wisdom in the coming days ... especially the part about "front to enemy." and finally a small smile appears on his face.
Donavaan T'aar wrote:
He continues to look around.
Then he turns to Donavaan and the rest of his Starfinder team and says: "It is an honor to serve with you! I have only left Castrovel for the Starfinder training so excuse my lack of knowledge sometimes."
He pauses and looks into your eyes individually. Then he asks: "May I ask who you are and what drives you in life?
"Donovan Borde, the sleeper.
Or a dreamer?
Most welcome you are,
In Starfinders, and our team."
Qaru's armored form bows graciously, his upper hands bound in traditional greeting.
"I am Qaru
- a watcher of stars
I serve the celestial bodies
and I serve the dark between the stars."
His introduction is aimed as much to Donovan, as it is towards Promise of Future. So he speaks in loud and clear voice, with comm channels open. The kasatha places himself next to the captain's seat, and waits if the democratic Starfinder team will want to replace him from that position.
Zez'ka chitters excitedly. "New friend! Wondrous!" She approaches Donovan and looks him up and down. "I am known as Zez'ka! Pleased! I love to meet new friends and see new sights! Live new ways of life! Enriching! This is why I am a Starfinder! But sometimes violence and danger can destroy life. Sad! And so the Exo-Guardians became my new family! Proud!"
Calling you by your surnames, T’aar and Borde, for now to avoid personal confusion.
Spunky frequently sits in the (clearly oversized for an Ysoki) Captain’s chair, cracking sophmoric jokes about autocracy versus democracy, how he’s starting to sound like a real older brother, despite being the youngest of his family, and learning as many rude underwater gestures as he can from Ushuul in person and over video.
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
"Nice to meet you, Donovan! I spent my whole life on Absalom Station up until I joined the society. Now I've been out and about a little more working for the society. It's pretty exciting!"
As you close in on the drift coordinates a proximity alarm sounds. There is a debris field ahead. The coordinates lie within.
DC 15 Mysticism or Physical Science:
The debris is planar in nature, likely ripped from elemental planes into the drift by the use of drift engines to cross planes.
DC 15 Computers (sensors):
The debris is planar all right. Earth on the outside and full of ooey-gooey unstable magma in the middle. Weapon shots hitting the debris will cause them to explode.
Possibly damaging nearby ships.
As if the multiverse couldn't complicate this matter more. Sensors also pick up a ship moving to the same coordinates.
A Vesk ship, IDing itself as The Honorbound is also closing in on the disabled starship. The Honorbound is ablaze on either side with three bright-red thrusters, which are reminiscent of the energy blades of a plasma doshko.
DC 15 Engineering:
The thruster emissions are for decoration and are non-functional.
DC DC 10 Mysticism - 5 if Priest:
You recognize these features as a representation of the symbol of Damoritosh, the Vesk god of conquest, duty, and war. The primary deity of the Veskarium.
The ship comm crackles to life as The Honorbound hails.
In Vesk:
"This is Captain Yulazak of The Honorbound, hailing the Star Finder Pegasus class vessel we have on sensors. Please respond, you are encroaching on our salvage claim. I repeat, this is our claim."
Captain Yulazak continues in common. "Ah, you probably don't speak Vesk, do you?" Yulazak chuckles to himself over the com. "This is Captain Yulazak of The Honorbound, hailing the Star Finder Pegasus class vessel we have on sensors. Please respond, you are encroaching on our salvage claim. I repeat, this is our claim."
"If you are here for that derelict Kasathan ship, you'll have to duel us for it, as is customary in these disputes." Yulazak adds, "It's just business, nothing personal. You're probably all nice people, or something."
Culture DC 10:
The rules for Vesk honorable ship dueling:
• The combatants will not intentionally target the life support
systems of their enemy.
• The combatants will abstain from targeting the rear arc—
warriors should face the enemy head on.
• Combat is over once an enemy starship is crippled.
• Each captain can surrender at any point during the duel.
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
Kai makes some observations, keeping all of them on the ship's internal comm system
physical science:10 + 8 = 18 "Material from the elemental plane! Wow."
I'll leave the sensors check for the science officer
Engineering:10 + 8 = 18 "Nevermind those blade things; they're just for show."
culture:1 + 11 = 12 "Captain, he's not making it up. The Vesk really do have this tradition. Can you maybe try to talk him out if it? If we agree to the duel then we can't target their life supprt--not that we would--and we can't target their rear arc, that part really sucks. It's not a fight to the death; it stops when a ship is crippled. Either of us can surrender at any time. Surely they would respect our claim..."
"Confirmed! The debris is extraplanar! Earth on the outside and unstable magma at its core. Weapon shots hitting the debris will cause them to explode. Interesting! Dangerous!"
"I'm detecting a second ship approaching! The Honourbound. Requesting communications! Patching you through, Captain!"
Zez'ka's antennae twitch with anticipation. "Exciting!"
Culture:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24
"It should be noted, Captain, that there are no rules about blowing up earth and magma debris torn from elemental planes at one another!"
mysticism:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10 Auto on the priest thing
The Ysoki takes up residency in a nest of wiring. His engineering kit is sitting in the space, ready to boost and repair systems. ”They’re clearly followers of Damaritosh, the good old-fashioned Vesk conqueror god, even those showy thrusters give the symbolism away.”
Engineering Phase ”Our ship can automatically boost some systems, I’m sending that boost to the piloting station to maneuver through those rocks, and to our turret for the first salvo. Attempting to boost our scanners to get a better look at their ship.”
Qaru nods to Zez'ka, telling her to patch him through. The v-display lights up in the front of the bridge, showing the image of the Vesk captain. The Kasatha raises his upper arms in greeting and addresses the Vesk.
"Captain Yulazak
of Honorbound and Damoritosh.
Humbly greets you,
the crew of Democratic Indecisiveness.*"Sorry, Sorry... Replace when then name is actually chosen
Qaru listens to Kai's analysis of the Vesk's intention, and it seems their course is clear. He turns to face the rest of the team, looking each one in the eye. They all seem eager, none looks afraid. And if Kai is right, death is unnecessary in this fight. He turns back towards the image of Yulazak.
"The ship of brethren,
we have come for.
If no words will sway your claim,
a duel shall you have."
Male NG human spacefarer operative 5 | SP 40 HP 35 | RP 6 | EAC 21; KAC 23; +4 vs AoO from movement | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +5; +2 vs. spells and spell-like abilities | Init: +7 | Ever VigilantDarkvision, Perc: +11, SM: +5 | Speed 40ft | Trick Attack, Survival (1d20+16), 1d8
So Kai has a total of +14 to piloting checks for the duration of the fight, and a +1 to his first piloting check after initiative. GM, don't forget to add Kai's (2) piloting ranks to the ship's AC
So Kai has a total of +14 to piloting checks for the duration of the fight, and a +1 to his first piloting check after initiative. GM, don't forget to add Kai's (2) piloting ranks to the ship's AC
got it! The hardest part is when the captain wants to assist.
Engineering Phase
power to weapons:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
Engineering sir! Power diverted to weapons, ready for combat!
when we do gunnery when 1's are 2's - just post the modified roll next to the dice roll if you hit.
