SFS #1-04 Table 2 (Level 2's) (Inactive)

Game Master James Martin

(Creating the thread!)

"REPORTING FOR DUTY. DESIGNATION: BUFF-BOT 9000. QUERY: COMPATRIOTS, LOCATION OF?"

The summons beeps on your comm-pads: You are to meet Zigvigix at the Exo-Gaurdian's new warehouse headquarters, which may look very familiar to some of you...

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. One of them makes a retching sound, that he covers with a cough as the shirren looks at him quizzically.

“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?”

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!”

If you have not, please click on the map link and fill in your Perception and Initiative scores!

Her new teammates feel Delea's gentle touch on their minds. They can tell she is asking permission to speak to them this way. Hello, I am Delea. Weydan has sent me to heal those who are hurt. It is much easier for me to speak to your minds in this way than with my mouth, if you don't mind. Now that I have spoken to you, you can also respond to me in the same way. I have no questions, and am ready whenever you are.

"UNDERSTOOD. MISSION PARAMETERS APPEAR SIMPLE. EXPLORE SHIP DESIGNATED STRUGGLE'S SCHOLAR, RETRIEVE INFORMATION REGARDING FATE OF VEHICLE, CREW, AND ORIGIN. PLAY MUSIC AT HIGHER THAN NOMINALLY ACCEPTABLE VOLUMES WITHIN STRUGGLE'S SCHOLAR."

Buff-Bot looks back over at his compatriots. "I AM A BUFF-BOT SERIES ANDROID, 9000 SERIES. DESCRIPTIVE DESIGNATION OF M DOT A CROSS { } GIVEN. COMPATRIOTS COMMONLY SEEK SUCCINCT DESIGNATION, AND SIMPLIFY PRIOR DESIGNATION AS MAX."

He looks back at Delea. ACKNOWLEDGED, METHOD OF COMMUNICATION ACCEPTABLE.

An enthusiastic little Ysoki greets everyone, "Pleased to meet you all! By day, my name is Raatchet, TPS report specialist. And by night, my name is Raatchet (it's the same), tinkerer extraordinaire! I'll be running tech support on this amazing opportunity to approach a dead ship that is sure to be full of dangers that killed its an entire crew and will probably pose great bodily harm on us as well the moment we approach it. Exciting!!"

Raatchet turns to Zigvigix asking, "Ziggy, any idea if the ship has automated defenses or booby traps should we be incorrectly identified as hostile boarders?"

Delea also teaches all of her new companions a hand sign, which they can use to ask her to initiate telepathic contact but is not obvious to anyone else around.

The operative nods understanding to Delea, not terribly keen on the idea of telepathic communication, though the human knows the advantages offered - especially when stealth is need.

The dark-haired man speaks to the others after Raatchet. "I am Stiehle Darkwing, starship pilot and pretty good at getting around unseen when necessary." Two pistols are holstered at each hip, one a tactical kinetic weapon and the other an energy laser weapon and a sniper rifle is slung across his back.

He listens with interest to Ziggy's answer to the Ysoki, trying to tune out the sugar pop music that assaults his ears relentlessly. After the shirren answers, Stiehle asks a question of his own. "Deck plans for the Scholar might be good to have as well. Is it an exploratory ship?"

Before you crawls an enormous spidery creature covered in an irridishell that has massive looking power gloves at the end of each foot and wicked pike across its back and perhaps most curiously, giant starbursts with swords in them across his thorax and abdomen.

The mood of an alien spider creature is probably normally hard to read but his frustrations with Ziggy are almost instantly boiling over when he walks aboard this ship.

He-who-grinds-blade-to-dust seems thoroughly unimpressed with his faction head as once again he is both airheadedly sending his people into danger when he would rather be listening to the insufferable music and to boot is trying to end around some pretty strict instructions.

He had joined up for the promise of victory against terrorizing creatures of deep space! Just like the Knight of Golarion.

I can't believe I took a ssssabbatical from the Knightsss for thisss. He will mutter lowly klaking his long vicious mandibles.

I just joined the Ssssociety, are sure we should be moving forward against the first seekers wishes? And turn that CD off. I would never have brought it to you if I had known you were going to be so irresponsible to your loyal crew! Theressss other music!

Rubbing his hands together at the thought of exploring a drifting ghost ship, Raatchet says,

Technically, the first seeker said no investigating Sangoro's Bulwark. But nothing was forbidden about investigating a ship that has broken off the Bulwark and is now drifting around in...well...the Drift. Amirite??

Raatchet makes a mental note for the upcoming voyage to see if he can find a way to hardwire a repeating playback loop of Star Sugar Heartlove via our ship's intercom/speakers...but only into whichever room He-who-grinds-blades-to-dust is currently in, especially his personal quarters...

And just for RP kicks, here's an engineering and computers roll to attempt this practical joke later when we're on board.

Engineering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25
Computers: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Delea sighs inwardly as she feels the tension between He-who-grinds-blades-to-dust and Raatchet.

Ziggy waits until the introductions and back patting have ended before his mental cheerful voice pops in your heads. "It’s 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. Crew of maybe 6-8?"

He chitters a bit into his comm for a moment and nods back to you. "I have arranged for a Drake or Pegasus class ship to be readied for you. It's up to you which one you choose!"

The stats are on the map link for your choice!

Ziggy looks confusedly at Grinds. "But this is GOOD music! And it makes my mandibles quiver with happiness! Is that not a good thing, too?"

"Don't worry Ziggy. Anything that can make anyone quiver with happiness is all right in my book! Like this one time, I found this screwdriver in an old odd 'n ends shop, but get this...it turned screws with SOUND WAVES. It was so awesome my entire body quivered in happiness!"

Raatchet turns to his teammates and says, "But anyways, do we have a ship preference? I'm fine either way really."

I don't think we mentioned this anywhere else but for organization purposes, I believe this is how our starship roles will form up?
Pilot: Stiehle
Gunner: Grinds
Science:Buff-Bot
Captain or Secondary Gunner: Delea
Engineer: Raatchet

Starship roles look about right to me. If we are able to apply the captain's help bonuses to the piloting roll to determine who moves first, Delea should probably be captain.

Grinds oddly enough doesnt have teeth grind but he makes a loud clicking sound anyway.

Exo-Guardians arent supposed to be so weird... he mutters.

The Pegasus sounds good to me -
Maneuverability has been more important than raw firepower in the ones i have done so far

Stiehle grins, the annoying music already forgotten. "I like the Pegasus. More nimble and fun to fly. Especially if we run into any trouble. However unlikely that might be."

Agreed on the Pegasus, any other opinions to pick the Drake instead?

Full disclosure, I've only ever GM'd Starship combat, never actually taken part as a player. Buff-Bot is set up to be able to take many posts on a ship, so put him wherever needed.

"APPEAL OF MUSICAL GROUP DESIGNATED STRAWBERRY MACHINE CAKE UNEXPLAINED. RHYTHMS FOR REMAINDER OF PERFORMANCE ACCURATELY PREDICTED WITHIN 3.2 SECONDS OF INTRODUCTION FOR MOST SONGS."

Buff-Bot (or Max if you prefer) looks over the presented options of spacecraft. "FOR INVESTIGATIVE MISSION, PEGASUS APPEARS PREFERABLE. HIGH MANEUVERABILITY AND SUPERIOR SENSORS SHOULD FACILITATE SPECIFIED MISSION PARAMETERS. DEFENSES APPEAR ADEQUATE, ALTHOUGH IF A LARGE FORCE IS EXPECTED, ARMOR AND ARMAMENTS OF DRAKE APPEAR SUPERIOR. GIVEN KNOWN MISSION PARAMETERS, MY ASSESSMENT WOULD BE THAT THE PEGASUS WOULD BEST SUIT OUR NEEDS."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The Pegasus ships are lovely. I would be happy for us to travel in one of those.

Pegasus it is! Do you want to christen the ship any particular name?

Culture checks, please, to know more about the Exo-Guardians and the Bulwark!

Also, we're entering deep American Thanksgiving territory and there be dire turkeys ahead. I will probably do some banter and such between now and next week, but we'll step back into higher gear come Monday. I know people travel and have family events this time of year!

Or have to spend hours in the kitchen...

Beware the dire turkey, oh Delea! The wattle that flops, the giblets that ooze!

And the cranberries that spit acid (a.k.a. hot sugar syrup) as they explode...

Raatchet is not trained in Culture.

Raatchet holds up his hands in a 'stop, don't move' pose and closes his eyes tightly showing intense mental concentration and says, "Wait...wait...I'm getting a feeling. I'm getting a bit of inspiration..."

After a few seconds, he puts his hands down, opens his eyes, resumes a relaxed pose and says, "Well guys, I have NO idea why, but a thought came to me that we should christen our Pegasus-class ship the 'Gobble Gobble'. Anyone have any clue as to what that could possibly mean? Kinda strange...eh?"

Incidentally, I was trying to think of 3 letters to add in front of the ship name, kinda like how the USA has USS in front of ship names and the UK has HMS in front of their ship names. First thing that came to mind, and please forgive me, but the first thing that came to mind was Absalom Station Starship, which turned out to be ASS...as in the ASS Gobble Gobble. Ummmm...yah, I apologize for my lousy sense of humor, although in my defense, I wasn't TRYING to come up with an ASS acronym...

I'll never look at the ship the same way...

Stiehle glances askance at Raatchet. "Well, it's... interesting. But since we're looking at strange names, how about... Butterball?" The pilot grins at the Ysoki.

Culture Check DRR: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 [reduce DC of Culture checks by 5 to recall knowledge of starships]

Raatchet points finger guns at Stiehle, clicks his tongue a couple times and with a wink, he says, "I like it!

Stiehle recalls some information!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Armed with Stiehle's knowledge, you board the Butterball and head off into the Drift! Travel time: 5d6 ⇒ (4, 2, 4, 2, 3) = 15 days. For the first 2 days you are accompanied by a freighter called The Promise of the Future. The ship maintains radio contact throughout the two days and the most interesting thing about this chatter is that you're talking to a fellow band of Starfinders who call themselves the Manta Corps. They hail from a Brethedan moon called Kalo-Mahoi, and are native Kalo. The first Kalo you speak to introduces as Deepspeaker Alloguoth.

You've heard of this group - rumor has it that they operate almost exclusively in underwater missions.

Stiehle knows that time relative to distance in the Drift can vary widely, and so keeps up a friendly dialogue with the Manta Corps so long as they remain within hailing distance. The pilot is intrigued by the idea of underwater missions, asking Deepspeaker Alloguoth about the sort of vehicles they utilize for such excursions, what kind of hazards are encountered, and the like.

Once they reach their destination, Stiehle activates his commlink and advises Max to keep a sharp eye out on the scanners. If there are any nearby stellar hazards or some sort of planar 'bleeding', the sooner they know about it, the better. No novice to computers himself, the pilot flips through several screens, trying to identify any anomalies that might be lurking out there.

Computers Check DRR: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Not sure if a Computers check is warranted, but will go ahead and give it a shot [Edit: Though apparently he is WAY too busy piloting the ship to do anything useful there...] Also, I'd like to slot the following boons, and advise of the two slotless boons I currently possess.

Slotless: Tattoo of the Starfinder
Slotless: True Savior of the Tasch
Social: Faction's Friend
Starship: Hero of the Stars

Raatchet will also join in on the banter, interested in hearing about their underwater vehicles but also interested in talking about what other specialized underwater equipment, gear, and weaponry they use. If it's some kind of gizmo or machine, Raatchet will want to hear and talk all about it.

And once at the destination, while crew members are scanning the area, Raatchet will hum Star Sugar Heartlove on comms to everyone on board while also diverting auxiliary power to Science in order to boost their scans (or do whatever else may be allowed by Engineering to assist with the Science scans).

I would like to slot my T Shirt as a promotional boon - I have it written on my profile but I feel its worth declaring here too

The interaction with the Manta Corps causes the giant Haan to do something akin to sulk. They get to go on a mission to an underwater locale, doing something fun and amazing and we....are basically just going to look at an old fort... at least Ziggy didn't come with us The Spider skitters around, his body sticking out of the gunners chamber trying to relax.

In particular, the Archnoknight seems really on edge regarding Raatchet. Stiehle and the others think its probably a day or so before there is some sort of serious outburst from the normally taciturn warrior.

Culture: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Boons
Slotless: Elixir of Renewal, Starfinder Insignia, Marked Field Agent, True Savior of Tasch
Starship: Hero of the Stars
Social: Faction's Friend
Promotional: T-Shirt Reroll

Max shrugs. "OLD FORT APPEARS TO BE AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF THE FACTS. GIVEN THE SO CALLED PLANAR BLEEDING EFFECT REFERENCED BY STIEHLE, MY BASE ASSUMPTION IS TO CURTAIL ANY EXPECTATIONS OF A SIMPLE ASSIGNMENT."

He goes over the scanner results, looking for any sensor aberrations in the vicinity of their destination.
Computers: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

"I MUST ADMIT THAT WHILE I FIND ZIGVIGIX'S AFFINITY TOWARDS SUCH MUSIC STRANGE, I ADMIRE HIS ENTHUSIASM AND ABILITY TO MAINTAIN A POSITIVE OUTWARD APPEARANCE IN THE FACE OF SUCH HARDSHIPS AS HIS PHYSICAL DAMAGE AND THE TRIALS THAT THE SOCIETY HAS FACED FOLLOWING THIS SCOURED STARS INCIDENT."

He is an immature grub and I live in shame that he leads the faction that most closely aligns with my goals. He is proof that this Society is doomed. The irritated haan comments.

He needs to shed the childish notions if he wants anyone to take us serious after the society made such a blunder. His only notable accomplishment was not going on an important mission. Hardly inspires confidence.

"PERHAPS WE SHARE DIFFERING VIEWS OF LEADERSHIP NEEDS. IT WOULD APPEAR TO BE A MISUSE OF GOOD TALENT TO PLACE AN EXEMPLARY FIELD AGENT BEHIND A DESK AT EXO-GUARDIAN'S HEADQUARTERS. ZIGVIGIX'S QUALITIES I BELIEVE ARE BEST PLACED WHERE THEY ARE."

Sensing tension in the air, Raatchet decides to relieve it by spontaneously jumping into the conversation with a (admittedly off-key) rendition of Star Sugar Heartlove!

Stiehle glances at Raatchet, an amused grin on his face, but he shuts off his comm as he whispers. "Easy there, I think that giant spider is going to explode if he hears that tune one more time. And remember, he's manning the big gun on this thing!" Still, the pilot chuckles to himself as he flips his comm back on and tries to make sense of what Max brought up on the screens.

Just noticed Buff-Bot is slotting Hero of the Stars, which Stiehle had already slotted. That being the case, Stiehle will instead slot
Starship: Automated Defenses
Since we can't have two of the same boons slotted. I don't mind keeping Hero to use another time and Defenses might come in handy, you never know!

Oh, and another slotless boon... Digital Presence! I'm in tier now!

"EXPLODE, USING THE FIGURATIVE SENSE INDICATING AN OUTBURST OF TEMPER? QUICKNESS TO ACTION APPEARS TO BE A POSITIVE TRAIT FOR WARRIORS.

Delea mostly keeps to herself during the journey, but whenever it looks like her teammates are feeling some friction, she gently whispers into their minds to try to bring peace.

Time passes on the ship, while you try and fail to drive the Haan crazy with STARSUGARHEARTLOVE! 15 days in, the proximity sensors start to beep wildly - the ship's scanners have picked up an asteroid field surrounding the beacon you're following. You drop out of the drift on the edge of the field!

As you're scanning, your comm chirps. "Unidentified ship, this is the Veskarium vessel the Honorbound. Identify yourself."

I assume Max's previous computers sensor roll meets the computers DC?

physical sciences: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Raatchet shares his physical science observation with the group.

Raatchet then looks to Max, saying, "We've got nothing to hide right? However, I bet you they're also investigating the ship we're after and will try to run us off. I'm a ysoki AND a corporate bureaucrat by trade. People are ALWAYS trying to get rid of me. Trust me, I have a sixth sense for when people want to be rid of me!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Raatchet peers momentarily at Grinds before turning his full attention back to Max.

Yes, Max can certainly use that roll!

Combining Raatchet's knowledge with Max's sensor sweep, you realize that the asteroids might be a tactical hazard/opportunity.

Spaces with an asteroid are impassible and block a starship’s direct-fire weapons—tracking weapons move to avoid striking these asteroids. Any starship can shoot at an asteroid (considered to have AC 5 and TL 5); a hit by any weapon that deals at least 1 Hull Point of damage punctures the obsidian shell and imparts the shot’s momentum to the asteroid, causing it to violently hurl magma into nearby space. A damaged asteroid deals 4d8 damage to starships in adjacent hexes. The struck asteroid is then removed from the map and poses no further obstacle or threat.

"INTERESTING. THESE ASTEROIDS APPEAR TO HAVE MOLTEN STONE CORES. THE EXTERIOR BEING THE OBSIDIAN SHELL THAT RAATCHET INDICATED. QUERY RE: HAILING VESSEL. DEFAULT VERBAL INTERFACE FREQUENTLY DEEMED 'UNNERVING' OR 'AWKWARD.' ALTERNATE INTERFACE SUGGESTED?"

Max toggles a few switches on his computer panel and switches the on-screen display back from sensors to comms. He looks over at Delea and poises his finger over a switch. "HAILING FREQUENCY ESTABLISHED, CAPTAIN. COMMS ON SCREEN IN 3... 2... 1..."

He throws the switch, putting the image of the Honorbound on the forward display, along with any video image being transmitted (if any).

He-who-grinds presses the button to open their hail.

He is no talker but he makes sure to be front and center. Haan are undeniably scarier Vesk. This is a simple fact of biology. Some of my kind even eat the Vesk. he says offhandedly before realizing the screen was on.

Oh yesss, this is Starfinder Vessssel, the Butterball and I am Gunnery Off issh er, He-who-grinds-blades-to-dust. Our captain, Delea will speak with you now.

He then moves out of the shot.

Delea smiles gently at the camera. "Hi, I'm Delea. My team and I are Pathfinders, here on a mission of exploration and investigation. I am pleased that we are able to deal with such a reasonable people as the great Veskarium. May I please know who I am talking to?"

diplomacy: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

ptttthhht... what a waste of a carefully crafted speech...

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 3 + (4) = 13

Max cringes a bit as He-who-drives-diplomatic-envoys-to-tears begins to speak, and quickly adjusts the volume of the mic in an attempt to cut off the impending statement regarding consumption of their kind... although likely, not quickly enough. As soon as the Haan gets back to the business of name and rank he flips it back on.

He smiles as Delea begins her greeting, then starts to droop. He attempts to speak with Delea telepathically. Vesk appreciate honor and strength. Try to be a bit more to the point.

"BUFF-BOT 9000, DESIGNATION F DOT M A CROSS. COMMUNICATION OFFICER AND TACTICAL ADVISER ABOARD THE STARFINDER VESSEL BUTTERBALL. PERSONAL SOBRIQUET 'MAX' ACCEPTABLE."

Diplomacy (Probably Aid?): 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (9) + 8 + (2) = 19

The viewscreen shows a large Vesk male, smiling with uncharacteristic Vesk joviality. The Honorbound is a normal Vesk transport, although ablaze on either side with three bright-red thrusters, which are reminiscent of the energy blades of a plasma doshko.

"I am Captain Yuluzak, Butterball Starfinders. I will not mince words. I believe you are here investigating this signal as well? I am a Veskarium salvage vessel, tasked with investigating technology and materials vital to the Veskarium war against the Swarm. Not the most glorious assignment, but when one is at war, one follows orders. Please, tell me of your assignment."

Haha! Naming our ship Butterball was genius!

Raatchet turns to Delea and Max saying in a soft voice, "Hmmm...maybe a chance for a joint operation?"

If you are one of the lucky recruits, check in here and fill in the following:

FORUM HANDLE:
Character Name:
SFS #:
Faction slotted:
Day Job (if applicable):
Boons Slotted:

FORUM HANDLE: Redelia
Character Name: Delea
SFS #: 184425-702
Faction slotted: Second Seekers
Day Job (if applicable): forgoing for true savior of Tasch check mark
(this check mark is supposed to be noted on this chronicle)

Boons Slotted: Hero of the Stars (starship), Starfinder Insignias (slotless), True Savior of Tasch (slotless)
I need to hear the briefing to determine whether to slot AbadarCorp respect or Faction's Friend as my social boon.

By the way, Max/Buffbot, Delea has in a sense played with you before. She has the GM credit for your run through Fugitive on the Red Planet.

Checking in, and looking forward to the game. Thank you for running two tables so we can all join in! Here is my info:

FORUM HANDLE: Stiehle
Character Name: Stiehle Darkwing (yeah, I know, but there's kind of a history for me with that name...)
SFS #: 260381-701
Faction slotted: Acquisitives
Day Job (if applicable): Vidgamer
Boons To Slot: Do we slot these after the adventure starts, once we figure out more or less what the scenario is about? Here are my choices, anyway. Probably good to coordinate with the other players so there's no overlap as well.
Slotless: Tattoo of the Starfinder
Slotless: True Savior of the Tasch
Social: AbadarCorp Acquaintance
Social: Faction's Friend
Social: Friend of Ghibrani
Starship: Hero of the Stars
Starship: Automated Defenses

You can slot them after the adventure starts. The tags on this one are STARSHIP and FACTION and unofficially STRAWBERRY MACHINE CAKE.

Delea does have the slotless Star Sugar Heart Love boon, which it sounds like I might want here.

FORUM HANDLE: bigboom
Character Name: Raatchet
SFS #: 194657-701
Faction slotted: Dataphiles
Day Job (if applicable): Forgo for True Savior of Tasch
Boons Slotted:
Tattoo of the Starfinder (slotless),
Star Sugar Heartlove (slotless),
True Savior of Tasch (slotless),
Digital Presence (slotless),
Automated Defenses (starship),
Faction's Friend, Friend of Ghibrani, or AbdarCorp Acquaintance (social)

FORUM HANDLE: DebugAMP
Character Name: Buff-Bot 9000
SFS #: 4249-701
Faction slotted: Dataphiles
Day Job (if applicable): True Savior of Tasch
Boons Slotted: TBD

Hello again Redelia and James Martin! Hows Hiram doing?

Hiram is in that great waiting room for player characters without games. I'm sure he'll ride again someday soon!

I'm going to put up the opening post and aim to get this rolling over the weekend, so be sure to check back on Monday ready to game!

FORUM HANDLE: Eddv
Character Name: He-who-grinds-blades-to-dust or Grinder as his last party took to calling him.
SFS #: 133118-702
Faction slotted: Exo-Guardians
Day Job (if applicable): none
Boons Slotted:

Marked Field Agent (slotless)

Star Sugar HeartLove!!! (slotless)

Claimant to Salvation (slotless)- only relevant if were going to Salvation

Starfinder insignia (slotless)

Hero of the Stars (starship) -

Knight of Golarion (social) - +2 insight bonus on all skill checks made to influence members of the Knights of Golarion; +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made against evil dragons and evil outsiders.

Collector and Examiner (Ally) - no benefit yet

Where did you get a Haan boon? That name is awesome... has a bit of a Lovecraftian vibe to it.

It was the Starfinder Gen-Con Boon this year. You choose from Haan or Sarceesians.

Awesome! I'm hoping to get my 6 games down on my Alien Archive boon... I wanna make a Wrikwreechee (sp?). So far I've only got 2, but hey, that's 1/3 of the way.

Thanks for the compliments.

If I am being honest Starfinder has really not lived up to my hopes for what it could be, but getting to roleplay as a giant spider has gotten me to be a little less sour about it and enjoy myself.

Faction's Friend, Friend of Ghibrani, or AbdarCorp Acquaintance (social)

I forgot to mention. After hearing the mission's opening intro, I've decided to slot "Faction's Friend" for Raatchet's social boon.

I've got a mechanics question. Is Delea's mental telepathy two-way? Another GM was telling me that telepathy is one-way only. According to that GM, Delea would be able to broadcast her words to me telepathically, but I cannot respond telepathically (unless I picked up a telepathic ability as well).

I will post more later. When I looked into wording, you can respond, Delea must initiate contact. That's why she taught a sign to request telepathic content.

Here's the wording from the CRB:
Lashuntas can mentally communicate with any
creatures within 30 feet with whom they share a
language. Conversing telepathically with multiple
creatures simultaneously is just as difficult as
listening to multiple people speaking.

To me, words like 'communicate' and 'conversing' imply two way speech. It appears that this may be something that requires a FAQ, because googling turns up a lot of opinions either way on this. Evidently it's a question also in Pathfinder, but it's more obscure there.

That last bit of your quote seems to indicate the conversation is two-way:

"Conversing telepathically with multiple creatures simultaneously is just as difficult as listening to multiple people speaking."

If you're listening, then you're hearing what they are telepathically saying, I should think.

Yeah, it's not crystal clear, but this is my best interpretation of what is meant.

Sounds good to me. I'll just assume that every GM may interpret this differently. Thanks!

Busy at work, when I'm at a pc I'll post a long diatribe with a fumbled Diplo check.

I would take the Lashunta as two-way communication.

I think the limited telepathy as two-way ends up very balanced, because of the requirement that every conversation be started by the one with telepathy. Also, in my mind, Delea can't read thoughts right afterwards, it's more of she can read whatever you intend to be your response. It's good to know that some GMs disagree, though, so I can check beforehand.

OK, I had to go back a bit to figure out damage taken by our ship.

I'm showing in Round 1 we took 11 damage (10 to shield, 1 to hull) on the forward arc.

In Round 2 we took 10 damage (10 to shield) on the starboard arc. We actually probably should have diverted to shields at that point, since our forward arc was at 0, but it worked out OK. At this point, we have no shields on our forward arc and starboard arc, and we have a total of 20/40 shield points - with 10 on port and 10 on aft.

In Round 3 during the Engineering phase we got 7 shield points thanks to Raatcher's action 'Divert to Shields', putting us at 27/40 shield points. We didn't specify where those points went, but figure we put the 7 points into the forward arc (4) and starboard arc (3), since those sides of the ship were totally unprotected (as pointed out earlier, despite the wording in the core rulebook, the FAQ shows that we can put those points anywhere in our four quadrants) and we hadn't yet rolled initiative in the Helm phase, which means that the vesk could have won and targeted one of our unshielded arcs.

However, we won initiative and though Max tried to balanced the shields with his Computers check, I believe that result of '17' is a bit shy of the DC 19 (15 + 2x ship tier, which is 2 so 15 +4 = 19) required to do so. Based on that our shield configuration during the Gunnery phase of Round 3 was Forward=4, Starboard=3, Aft=10, Port=10. This actually worked out quite nicely for us, because we took 10 damage to our port side, all of which was absorbed by the shields. Our current stats are as follows:

Forward Shield: 4
Starboard Shield: 3
Aft Shield: 10
Port Shield: 0

Total Shield Points = 17/40

Total Hull Points = 54/55

Does this look right to everyone?

I'd suggest that in Round 4 Engineering phase we divert to shields again to get 7 points back and put 5 to port and 2 to starboard, as those are the side we are trying to expose to the enemy.

In Helm phase, I think we should try and re-balance the shields to show the 'heavy' side to whatever arc we face toward the bad guys - whether we lose or win the initiative.

Max's attempt to balance the shields actually succeeded. Per the FAQ, the DC is 10 + 1.5 times ship tier, which is DC 13. Max rolled a 17 and succeeded at setting shields to F=9, S/P/A=6.

The 10 damage on port knocked the shields to zero and we subsequently took 4 points of hull damage.

Therefore, current stats are:

Forward Shield: 9
Starboard Shield: 6
Aft Shield: 6
Port Shield: 0

Total Shield Points = 21/40

Total Hull Points = 50/55

I didn't modify the values on the slide in case someone spots something I've written incorrectly.

I'll probably have Raatchet work on getting 7 shields back up onto port next round.

Arg! I forgot the new DCs! Thanks Raatchet.

As a general discussion for everyone, presuming that Raatchet gets us our 7 shield points back (bringing us to 28/40), can't we balance the shields in the Helm phase to boost the shield on whatever arc is facing our enemy after I move (whether before or after the enemy?)

For instance, let's say that Raatchet gets us those 7 points back to the port shield. We will then start Helm phase with:

Forward Shield: 9
Starboard Shield: 6
Aft Shield: 6
Port Shield: 7

Let's say I then win initiative and can maneuver our ship so that our port arc is facing them. Shouldn't we then pull shield power from the forward arc (which would be in no danger) and put as much as possible to the port arc for the following configuration?

Forward Shield: [9-6]=3
Starboard Shield: 6
Aft Shield: 6
Port Shield: [7+6]=13

Or let's say we lose initiative and the bad guy manages to maneuver so he is directly ahead of us (as he seems to like) in our forward arc. Couldn't we then balance the shields by drawing power from the port shield (which is at no risk) to ramp up our forward shield as follows?

Forward Shield: [9+4]=13
Starboard Shield: 6
Aft Shield: 6
Port Shield: [7-4]=3

Or am I overlooking some sort of tactical detail? Starfinder is still pretty new to me, but it seems that if we can communicate freely during the Helm phase where movement and balancing both take place, we can balance our shields to give us maximum protection on the arc where we know incoming fire will be taken and leave another arc exposed.

I'm also assuming that the rules still state that we can ONLY draw shield power from ONE arc to bolster another single arc (or balance shields across all quadrants), is that still correct?

According to my understanding of the rules, what you're stating looks 100% correct to me, Stiehle

Grinds sniffs the air, but it feels and senses still. He does catch an odd scent he's never smelled before, like a mix of acid and chitin.

I'm calling it! It's either Aliens or Tyranids!! Time to start panicking!!

If the former, this is the point where Stiehle peers around a corner, and there's that bullet-headed freak grinning at me as it's fist-like mouth drips acid mucus for a long, drawn-out moment as I stand in shocked horror before it suddenly lashes out, and Stiehle's scream echoes along the blood-stained corridor...

The merging of ages... Skaven vs Tyranids.

Hey GM, I just wanted to make sure you got my private message (unrelated to this game).

I'm going to have to start keeping track of Max's alternate personalities... I think I make up a new one for every adventure.

So long as you keep up the Vogon poetry, I approve!!

I'm trying to decide if I want to keep that up or if I want to reserve that for a new character. If only dirge bard was a thing in Starfinder...

Hey guys, my posting may be spotty for the next week or so. Please bot me as needed.

Raatchet, your posts crack me up! GM, I moved my icon on the map to the intended square I'm headed toward - feel free to move me back if I can't reach it for whatever reason.

Haha! Thanks! I hope people are generally more amused by Raatchet than annoyed. It seems he's kind of turning out to be two parts Rocket Raccoon (from the movies...I never read the comic books) and one part Scooby Doo.

Re-copied here for easy reference:

IDARAN FORCE TRAINING BATON
An Idaran force training baton is a 2nd-level uncategorized basic melee weapon that deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage. The damage from this weapon counts as a force effect when wielded by a character with at least 12 Strength. Note, this does not mean the weapon deals force damage, only that it counts as a force effect for overcoming certain defenses such as incorporeal. It has the operative and powered (capacity 20, usage 1) special properties, it is light bulk, and it costs 400 credits.

FALL BACK TO THE BUTTERBALL

This phrase right here made me laugh!

It made me laugh as I wrote it too.

Playing a shy character well is hard! I don't want to just sit back and make everyone else do all the work, but speaking a lot just isn't in character. I think if I do it right, the telepathy may help with this, though.

Loved this adventure and the entire group of role-players (as well as our outstanding GM!) If you are all continuing onto another Starfinder game, count me in!

This group is so much fun, I would love it if we can continue into another adventure!

(makes puppy dog eyes at the GM)

I've gotta cut down on my game count for a bit, but I'll be back for more soon enough. Great party, great GM, great scenario!

I'd be up for another scenario if we think we can wrap it up before Outpost 2018 starts as I've got Raatchet signed up for a game then. If not, I'll see Stiehle there...my ysoki Envoy is signed up to the same game as you.

Shameless plug: If anyone has not yet played Fugitive on the Red Planet, I'll be GMing that one (as GM bigboom) during Outpost 2018. Still many slots open for that one!

FORUM HANDLE: bigboom

Character Name: Raatchet
SFS #: 194657-701
Faction slotted: Dataphiles
Day Job (if applicable): Forgo for True Savior of Tasch
Boons Slotted:
Tattoo of the Starfinder (slotless),
Star Sugar Heartlove (slotless),
True Savior of Tasch (slotless),
Digital Presence (slotless),
Automated Defenses (starship),
Faction's Friend, Friend of Ghibrani, or AbdarCorp Acquaintance (social)

GM, just one thing to note. Because Raatchet is using the Digital Presence boon and he currently has reputation tier 1, can you add the 1 extra Dataphiles fame & reputation to this chronicle sheet? I have not yet used this boon at this reputation tier level. Thanks!!

Buff-Bot also has the Digital Presence boon slotted so he'll get 1 additional Dataphiles rep as well.

I'm probably going to avoid signing up for any outpost games until it gets closer to starting but hopefully I'll get around to running something then. Just not sure if it will be starfinder or pathfinder. Probably pathfinder since I'll be missing the support cutoff and already have a few humble bundles worth of scenarios.

If we go at a reasonable pace, there should be time for another scenario before outpost.

The Chronicles are ALIVE!
Buff-Bot!
Delea!
Stiehle!
Raatchet!
Grinder!

If something needs modified, let me know!

Chronicle and reporting look correct. Thanks!

(continues to make puppy dog eyes at GM for another scenario)

Perhaps we should talk about what we can play, and if OMB isn't able to GM, we can try to find someone in Castamir.

I can _not_ play with Delea:
1-1(Commencement)
1-2(Fugitive on the Red Planet)
1-4(this game)

I would prefer not to play 1-5(The First Mandate) because I'm signed up to play it for OutPost. I could change this if needed, though, to keep most of this group together.

Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass. My first kid is due in a month and I'd like to see my game count go down before then, not up.