[SFS 1-01] GM Cellion's The Commencement (Inactive)

Game Master Cellion

"Oh, whoops. Sorry about that Compucast. I'll do better next time-- I figure my odds at doing better around 19/20. Just had to shake the rust off. "

Storyn slews the weapon towards Ratrod and squeezes off a shot...

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 - 2 = 3

Woot!

Ooof! Rolls are not going in your favor :<

The racers burn rubber as they start to accelerate, but they barely get more than 50ft from the starting line before weapons begin to fire every which way! Lemgem fires a lightning gun at Orsis, missing him. She follows up with a cannon that fires frag grenades at Velocity, nailing the android's racer in an explosion! Nyizin focuses a chaingun on Velocity as well, peppering the racer with bullets. Orsis' sphere opens an aperture that fires lance-like rods at Ratrod, all of which the ysoki skillfully avoids. Ratrod turns his artillery laser on its swivel and fires right at Laboni, striking her novice's racer before Mustachio is able to swerve out of the way. Velocity, not to be left out, fires his own railgun at Ratrod, but the ysoki continues to successfully evade. And finally Laboni's laser gun glances harmlessly off the ysoki's armor plating.

Within moments the starting line is a haze of dust, dirt, junk and debris. Laboni's Folly, spurred by Mustachio's enthusiasm, slams into a pile of loose junk and is slowed down dramatically! But many of the other racers fare little better as junk spreads across the track. As the smoke of the first exchange begins to clear, only Ratrod has managed to keep his racer driving straight at maximum speed!

||||Round 1||||
Lemgem 250/3000 ft
Nyizin 250/3000 ft
Orsis 250/3000 ft
Velocity 250/3000 ft
Laboni 325/3000 ft
Ratrod 550/3000 ft

Go go Round 2 rolls

Hesperrio claps a hand on Marino's shoulder. "Don't get nervous. You can still catch up!"

Breq looks over Marino's shoulder. "Perhaps if you accelerated. That seems to do the trick. "

Mustachio is encouraged by his friends belief in him (or at least what he interprets to be belief).

"Be the leading man, be the leading man, be the leading man..." chants Mustachio as he remembers to hit the accelerator this time.

Piloting Laboni's Folly: 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 5 = 30

Whoosh!!!

Storyn continues to fire at Ratrod...

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 4 - 2 = 13

What was our penalty for getting shot by Ratrod? By the way, I though taunting him would actually help per the Gather Information checks we did wayyyy back, not draw his continual hatred!

Hey that's much better!
@Mustachio: Penalty for getting shot by Ratrod's energy weapon is -4, but the penalties only last during the round they happen, so I've been adding them in for each racer. You don't need to worry about adding it to your roll. As for the taunting... well, it both helps and hurts! You've been unlucky enough to see only the hurts part so far.

With Ratrod the clear leader out of the initial skirmish, Lemgem, Orsis, Velocity and "Laboni" all fire upon the ysoki's vehicle in an attempt to slow him down. Blasts and metal javelins rain down all around him, forcing him to swerve and dodge! In the midst of this, the laser from Laboni's Folly slams in between two of his racer's armor plates. But rather than send him spinning out, the energy seems to be absorbed by his vehicle, propelling him faster and steadier onward! Ratrod and Lemgem fire at Laboni, but despite Ratrod's good aim, Mustachio manages to keep the racer steady and accelerating!

As the racers loop around a massive mountain of discarded tires, Lemgem, Laboni and Velocity are the only ones keeping fast and tight going into the turn. Interestingly, Nyizin's racer seems to be flaring with some kind of arcane energy, propelling her onwards faster despite her poor control of the vehicle.

Laboni pulls into the lead with Ratrod close behind her!

||||Round 2||||
Lemgem 750/3000 ft
Nyizin 600/3000 ft
Orsis 500/3000 ft
Velocity 750/3000 ft
Laboni 975/3000 ft
Ratrod 825/3000 ft

Go Go Round 3 rolls!

Compucast checks his wrist computer.

I knew I saw this somewhere

"Mustachio, you have made a career of being a supporting actor. But remember in 'Drifters Heaven' when you played the 'Badly Burned Mentor'! According to this entry you were nominated for Best Supporting Actor. Think about the wisdom you imparted, you must have learned something."

Of course, the footnote says something about 'nominated but for the first time in 17 years no votes were received... hmm '

Mustachio hears Compucast's words in all the excitement, and his mind flies back to that film years prior, where during a short flashback scene as the Badly Burned Mentor he coaches his pupil on focusing his energy into a singular target.

Mustachio's eyes tighten. His hands grip the controls as he blocks out everyone and everything around him. He is one with the racer. The racer is him. And he is it.

Piloting Laboni's Folly: 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 5 = 16

The stress causes Mustachio's hands to slip. He snaps out of the trance.

"Gah! Curse you, Compucast! I sucked at that role! A nomination without any votes! It was humiliating!"

Mustachio falls back away from the controls, his confidence gone. He quickly motions to Hesperrio to take charge.

”Arghh! I shot him, and he sped up? Any of you geeks know what’s up?”

Storyn turns her fire on Lemgem while she awaits that answer...

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 4 - 2 = 5

Huzzah!

"No, but don't shoot him again," Hesperrio suggests.

Zipping through these rounds!

Laboni and Ratrod suffer a wave of attacks as their competitors focus almost exclusively on the two in the lead. A lightning bolt from Lemgem arcs close to Laboni's Folly, but Mustachio evades it. Her frag grenade cannon on the other hand scores a direct hit on Ratrod's racer, sending him into a spin! Nyizin's chaingun keeps Velocity covered in lead, but seemingly to little effect as the android powers through the hail of bullets. Orsis' sphere fires at Laboni; two metal rods denting the side of the racer and sending the vehicle reeling. Just in time for Ratrod's artillery laser to score another hit as well!

With both Laboni and Ratrod's racers under heavy attack, they lose a bit of their lead on the other racers. As they flag, Lemgem unleashes a massive spring from underneath her racer to launch herself forwards! Unfortunately obstacles keep her from gaining as much distance as she would have liked. Nyizin continues to flag, but the glowing runes on her racer begin to flicker more fiercely, signaling another speed boost may be imminent!

Laboni's lead has narrowed, with Velocity right behind her and Ratrod joining the pack struggling to catch up. Ever since Laboni's Folly passed him, the ysoki's driving seems to have become more erratic and his aim less accurate...

||||Round 3||||
Lemgem 1050/3000 ft
Nyizin 850/3000 ft
Orsis 1000/3000 ft
Velocity 1250/3000 ft
Laboni 1300/3000 ft
Ratrod 1100/3000 ft

Go Go Round 4 rolls!

Storyn continues firing at Lemgem!

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 - 2 = 9

Breq cheers her favorite supporting actor on. "Go Mustachio! I mean... Laboni!"

His nerve shot by Compucast's remarks and his inability to focus, Mustachio again asks Herperrio to take over. "I...I can't, please, you take the controls!"

"Wha--?! You can't just hand over the controls like that in the middle of a race!" Hesperrio blurts telepathically as he takes over the abandoned sticks and tries to get the racer back on course.

Oh sh--piloting: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"Good job, Hesperrio, good job. I just... the pressure. I couldn't do it. I'm no leading man. I'm forever cursed to play supporting actor roles, getting one-shot in the head, blown up after saying 'Nothing bad will happen, it's perfectly safe', and playing dead bodies."

Mustachio walks away from the group to join Rynner, who has been exceedingly quiet to the point of being comatose.

@Hesperrio, don't forget the racer's piloting modifier of +5, bringing your roll to a total of 21 before adding in penalties for being hit!

Laboni's Folly fires its laser gun and narrowly misses Lemgem, who in turn fires her weapons at Velocity and Ratrod. A lightning blast scorches the side of Velocity's racer but Velocity is undeterred. The frag grenade bounces over Ratrod's racer and detonates harmlessly in a pile of junk. Nyizin delivers a hail of bullets towards Laboni's Folly, forcing a surprised Hesperrio to take defensive action. The metal lances from Orsis' sphere strike Lemgem's racer, but the gnome keeps her heading. Ratrod continues to fire wildly (and desperately) at Laboni in from of him, once again scoring a hit with his artillery laser. And Velocity keeps up the unrelenting fire on Ratrod, forcing the ysoki further back in the pack.

Lemgem tries her spring maneuver again, and this time the arc of her jump is clear of debris, leaving her unconvential racer just barely ahead of Laboni's Folly. Nyizin capitalizes on the lack of attention and kicks her arcane boosters into action, surging into the middle of the pack! Velocity slips into the lead with their impressive piloting skills, enduring punishment without slowing even slightly.

As the racers cross the halfway point, Velocity is in the lead, followed by Lemgem and Laboni. Nyizin is close on their heels and Ratrod and Orsis are picking up the rear.

||||Round 4||||
Lemgem 1650/3000 ft
Nyizin 1550/3000 ft
Orsis 1250/3000 ft
Velocity 1750/3000 ft
Laboni 1625/3000 ft
Ratrod 1375/3000 ft

Go Go Round 5 rolls!

"As we get to the half-way point, we have Velocity in the lead! Their skills behind the wheel are as amazing as ever, but it looks like they had a breakthrough on their engine too! That racer of theirs is zooming!" Lynn's voice echoes out through the arena's massive speakers.

"Laboni and Lemgem are on their tail though! Lemgem giving us a great show with all that bouncing and flipping out there. That racer better have some padding inside, or we're going to have a super nauseous gnome after this race is done! Laboni surprised EVERYONE earlier with how she shot ahead with her speedy racer, but that just put a big target on her back. Guys, stop ganging up on the newbie! Jeez!" Her voice is infused with petulant anger at Laboni's mistreatment, before a lighthearted giggle slips through.

"But the biggest surprise is Ratrod! He's driving like a total novice out there. What happened, big cheese? Scared of Laboni beating you?" She follows the tease up with "Keep that furry noggin in the game! You can do it! Your fans are with you!"

"Nyizin's showing us her magic with that boost! I'll never get tired of seeing her zoom with all those sparks spraying everywhere behind her. She sure knows how to put on a show!"

"And sorry Orsis fans! Looks like your favorite lashunta is WAAY in the back." She squeaks as the part of the stands that had been chanting 'Or-sis, Or-sis' suddenly erupt into angry heckling "He still has a chance, but he's going to need to get that ball rolling right from now on!"

I can’t get the forum to accept my post with dice in it! It will preview but not post.

Anyways, it’s 2+4-2=4, so a miss at Lemgem

Hesperrio sets the controls on a stable surface and tries to focus on Laboni's Folly.

"Whenever you want to take back control..."

Piloting: 1d20 + 5 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 + 5 = 21

Mustachio telepathically responds to Hesperrio, "You are doing great, keep going. Everyone can see that you are the true leading man. Though, I have to admit, it strikes me as wrong that someone who likes to defile corpses should be considered the leading man, but that is the world we live in."

Hesperrio's antennae slowly bend and turn towards Marino. His gaze, however, stays on the race.

The weapons fire continues to fill the air, but the twisting of the track throws off the aim of most of the racers. Nyizin's chaingun grazes Velocity to little effect, and Orsis' rod-launcher strikes Lemgem's racer while she's executing a shortcut.

Lemgem flags while under fire, and Nyizin seems to be having trouble recovering after her last boost. The rest of the racers take advantage of the retrieve in punishment to kick into high gear. Laboni's Folly's high maximum speed proves critical as the racer barely pushes ahead of Velocity's bulky machine. Those two racers are a little ahead of all the rest, but its still anyone's race!

||||Round 5||||
Lemgem 1950/3000 ft
Nyizin 1800/3000 ft
Orsis 1750/3000 ft
Velocity 2250/3000 ft
Laboni 2275/3000 ft
Ratrod 1925/3000 ft

Go Go Round 6 rolls!

Storyn laughs, but keeps at Lemgem!

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 - 2 = 7

Storyn, your rolls...It is very interesting, have you ever rolled above a 10 this whole game? I'm wondering what your roll distribution looks like.

I am one with the balance...

Hesperrio concentrates on the racer and ries to avoid the junk and incoming fire.

Piloting: 1d20 + 5 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 + 5 = 28

"Hesperrio, your medichlorian counts must be off the chart to drive like that! " Breq pats her friend on the shoulder in support.

I love solarians.

I’m pacing myself!

Gosh Storyn, I'm sorry. Terribly bad beats :<

Another wave of pain is exchanged between the racers. Laboni keeps up her streak of missing Lemgem, but in turn is missed by both Nyizin and Ratrod. Lemgem's lightning gun scorches Velocity's racer, but Velocity continues undeterred, showing off their skill behind the wheel. Orsis' rod launcher puts a dent in Nyizin's racer, sending the ryphorian into a pile of junk they only barely emerge from. And like clockwork, Velocity keeps up their assault on Ratrod, driving the ysoki further and further behind.

With Laboni's Folly in the lead, its looking like the only one who stands a chance of stealing 1st from her is Velocity!

||||Round 6||||
Lemgem 2450/3000 ft
Nyizin 2150/3000 ft
Orsis 2250/3000 ft
Velocity 2750/3000 ft
Laboni 2925/3000 ft
Ratrod 2200/3000 ft

Go Go Final Round rolls!

"Storyn, we fulfilled our alliance! Now fire on Velocity! Make it count!"

Mustachio forgets that he is moping in order to yell out unsolicited advice.

”If you think it will help...”

Storyn adjusts fire and looses a round at Velocity...

Gunnery: 1d20 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 4 - 2 = 20

Hesperrio looks over at Marino, distracted by his instruction to Storyn. "What? Why?"

Piloting: 1d20 + 5 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 + 5 = 17

Mustachio sends out a telepathic message. "Our agreement was to work together until we both were the clear favorites, and then it was every man for himself. No worries, I would expect the same from her."

After ignoring them for the entire race, Laboni turns her raygun to fire at Velocity, scoring a direct hit! A shot from Lemgem's lightning gun also strikes the android's racer, but miraculously the android is able to maintain control! Laboni on the other hand evades a frag grenade from Lemgem but is struck by a laser from Ratrod way in the back, who has been gunning for her with a vengeance all race. Velocity's railgun strikes Ratrod once more, sending the ysoki briefly off the track before he can recover.

With Laboni's Folly shaking after the artillery laser fire, Hesperrio doesn't manage to squeeze out its max speed. Velocity pulls up right next to it... and the two cross the finish line at the same time! Or did they? The announcer examines the instant replay... See below.

||||Round 7||||
Lemgem 2750/3000 ft
Nyizin 2650/3000 ft
Orsis 2750/3000 ft
Velocity 3250/3000 ft
Laboni 3250/3000 ft
Ratrod 2750/3000 ft

And that's a wrap! Here's a round just for fun with the remaining racers to find out the standings...

||||Round 8||||
Lemgem 3050/3000 ft
Nyizin 3000/3000 ft
Orsis 3250/3000 ft
Ratrod 3025/3000 ft

With Laboni already the victor, Ratrod seems to totally lose it, though the momentum of his vehicle still takes him over the finish line. He comes in second to last, with Orsis taking 3rd, Lemgem 4th and Nyizin bringing up the rear. All the remaining racers come in such a tight pack that it takes a while before the crowd realizes how low Ratrod's standing is!

"Velocity and Laboni, coming in to the last straightaway, neck and neck! The Iron Pilot and the incredible rookie! Only ONE CAN TAKE FIRST!!!" Lynn's voice booms through the speakers

Lynn gasps "Laboni's Folly, a point blank shot against Velocity!? And Lemgem too!" Lynn throws her hands up as lasers and electricity shake Velocity's racer. "BUT, VELOCITY HAS IT! HOW ARE THEY DOING THIS!? AND LABONI'S... REELING FROM THAT NASTY RATROD BLAST!" Lynn practically falls out from the announcers booth in her excitement "AND THEY'RE BOTH ACROSS THE FINISH LINE! The instant replay..." She gasps "BY A PICOSEC, LABONI TAKES FIRST! THE GENIUS ROOKIE TAKES THE RACE!" The racers zip across the finish line one after another as Lynn announces the final standings breathlessly.

"Phew, what a race everyone! A big cheer for all the racers!"

A few minutes later the battered racers and their pilots and getting hosed down and tended to. Laboni runs on over to you guys and jumps in excitement. "OH MY GOSH GUYS! You did it! I- I- Thank you so much!" Before you can exchange much in the way of words she's pulled away for a post race interview.

-----

"-...this is so amazing! I have so many people I'd like to thank! My family and friends that believed in me. My awesome pit crew. My mentor Radaszam. Um. I'd also like to thank Ratrod. Without him the Scrap Battle would be a shadow of what it is today, and all us junkracers owe him for that, and for allowing young punks to shoot their mouth off and still have their day on the track." An actually apologetic looking Laboni bows to Ratrod and then extends a conciliatory handshake.

Ratrod doesn't really look entirely mollified by this part of the speech, but takes the handshake anyway. He twitches his nose at the young mechanic and says something that doesn't quite get picked up by the microphones but gets Laboni to grin. As they a deescalate their relationship a lot of the other Salvage Union members relax. Respect is still being paid.

No doubt it's partially gentle pressure from the rest of the Union, and partly giving her enough rope to hang herself that motivates Ratrod to invite Laboni back as a Scrap Battle Regular.

If she was near tears during her victory speech, the invitation pushes her over the edge and she gives the wiry ysoki a big bear hug that he manages to grimace through.

Before you all depart, she insists on passing along the bulk of the prize money to you as well as a 'new' suit of graphite carbon skin armor. "I think you all could use this more than me. Think of it as a bit of extra thanks. Come visit my races in the future, OK?"

Last task done! I'll post the wrap up when I have time on Sunday.

”The sights on that gun are entirely shanked!”

"Hoorah! I didn't think we would get it done, with all the utter failing going on left and right. And center. "

With the excitement of the race wearing off, Mustachio remembers he is supposed to be angry with himself over his failure.

"When it is something like this--where life is not on the line--it is the effort and attitude that matter most. There was no failure," Hesperrio says to Marino, patting him on the shoulder.

"Well done, team! The VC will be so proud! " Breq joins the team in celebrating. After a few minutes, she pulls Laboni aside. "You know, next time you do something this stupid, the society won't be around to help you. Be careful. "

As the team heads back to finish their Commencement, Mustachio takes a moment to reflect on their day.

"Friend Hesperrio, I truly appreciate your positive attitude throughout our entire adventure. You would be a great credit to our entire race, if not for the... well, you know. What you like to do in your free time."

"Compucast... well, good luck anyway. I hope you don't die anytime soon."

When you return and report to Radaszam the vesk gives a deep throated laugh. "So the runt somehow managed to win? Amazing. I take it that it was mostly your hard work that got her there? In any case this is really quite good news. The Salvage Union that provides the backing for those races is likely to be more amenable to business partnerships in the future... though that will likely last until Laboni next messes something up." He lets loose with another laugh.

"Good job you lot. You have my approval."

-----------

The return visit to the Lorespire Complex comes late at night. This time when you enter the lobby of the main building, Guidance is already present in holographic form, this time taking the appearance of a wizened male korasha lashunta. "Recruits. You have proven yourselves to be admirable field agents, dealing with a broad range of tasks with speed and diligence. From the inconsequential to the critical, you have done all that was asked of you. We are pleased to commence you as full Starfinder Field Agents from this moment onwards! Please continue to make our organization proud!"

And that's our conclusion. I'll have chronicles up and get things reported later today. I AM missing a day job roll from Mustachio, but I think everyone else either gave me one or had an N/A.

Compucast offers a short bow to Mustachio. "I too hope not to die soon. Your wishes are appreciated" he replies in such a dead tone is almost appears as if he completely missed the actors point.

Realising he was being a tad ungracious he adds "May your fate be better than that of the Green Sniper."

Cellion, you did a great job at GM'ing. I really enjoyed this whole adventure a whole bunch and look forward to more with this character.

question: Can I get paid for my day job even though I wasn't working it? Is that just a profession check?

Yes, every session you do you get to make a day job check representing your attempt to earn money during the 'downtime' between missions. There are a few other things you can use your downtime for... there are some details in the Starfinder Roleplaying Guild Guide. Go ahead and drop me that profession roll into discussion.

profession actor: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"Yes, yes, I'm so famous I don't actually need to work to make money."