The Dire GM's [SFS] #1-05: The First Mandate (OutPost I) (Inactive)

Game Master CanisDirus

At Ytchkn's request, Sigma politely excuses himself in hopes that maybe another Starfinder can pickup where he left off. He performs the same introduction procedure as before by asking the waiter what Royo is drinking and bringing a fresh beverage over which he offers as he is introduced.

Sigma attempts to focus on the implications and finer details of the cataclysmic war and it's affects on the environment.
Physical Science 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 8 + 2 = 17 +2 from aid

These guests are here to enjoy a gala, so repeated (a.k.a. "boring") uses of the same skill on the same guest will result in an increased DC.

Viper is going to be boring... because some skills are waaaaay better than others

Acrobatics 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19

Annoyed the knife trick didn't pan out, Viper simply resorts to a series of cartwheels to a nearby waiter - as she reaches the drinks tray she looks back to Zo!,
"what you having?"

Triskid will take a swing at Zo, "the reputation of yourself precedes yourself. Might we awareness you of ourself? And, of our adventures..."

Triskid tries to sell Zo on the idea of a vid series that is roughly biographical, about the adventures of a Shirren Star Shaman...

Mysticism (C)(1): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (17) + 7 = 24

Torqe is able to observe Venture Captain Naiaj for a little bit before approaching her. He confirms that she is most impressed by the more technically challenging skills such as engineering, computers, or piloting. However, because she is also here to teach the young Starfinder Agents (your team) about being adaptable, Diplomacy might also work! Further, because she seems to mention teamwork so much...it's possible that characters working together might get far more benefit out of the "aid another" action than normal!

Unfortunately for Torqe, however, his piloting skills don't seem up to muster under the bleaching gnome's stern gaze.

Ytchkn unfortunately finds that once she begins talking about things other than research, Royo quickly loses interest.
Sorry...I had hoped my earlier reaction to your diplomacy roll might have hinted that it wasn't a good choice with him ^^;

Royo does, however, listen to her just enough when she introduces him to Sigma Mu, who provides insight into the Ghibrani discussion from a more "hard science" point of view that gets Royo back into the deep conversation again!

Viper 6, despite attempting to rely on the same trick twice, does it proficiently enough that Zo! still seems impressed with her agility! "Well, I'm dry...in more ways than one!"

...rimshot...

"...but if you grab the most weird looking thing there and tell me how it tastes...?" Zo! looks at Viper, expectantly?

Zo! is so distracted, it seems, that he doesn't even seem to notice Triskid's approach...which might end up being a good thing, since as Triskid talks, the shirren realizes that pretty much nothing about Zo! seems to have any sort of connection to mysiticism, biography, metaphysics, or anything of that note - despite being from eox!

This one here ^ is your party's one GM freebie! The scenario presumes that attempting to influence a NPC using something other than what they care about is an automatic failure. Get X number of failures on the same NPC before getting Y number of successes, and they leave the gala early and are no longer willing to talk to the Starfinders at all this evening. Zo! is, at this juncture, one of three NPC guests who are one bad roll away from leaving.

SOCIAL ROUND 4:
X5NSA
-----
* An Interrupt Occurs! *

X5NSA - you are the last to act in Social Round 4!

Where do we stand on influencing these guys?

Yeah, my bad. I knew it wasn't good but I didn't realize it would be bad. I was just hoping to give Sigma a boost on his roll.

"Perhaps the engineering that has gone into designing and implementing my combat droid may be of use to your mission at hand. I would be happy to discuss the design decisions about mobility, firepower, sustainment, mechanical reliability, and general purpose utility?"

Engineering (C)(1): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Apologies for not posting before now - surprisingly long day. I'm going to grab a bite and then pick this back up!

Ytchkn - I am an idiot and owe you an apology! My brain was looking for the specific words "aid another" and as such I missed the context of your approach! I had your roleplay alone succeed at giving Sigma the +2 (which is the only reason he passed his check, by the by *grin*) but I also marked it as a primary attempt in and of itself, which I'm going to correct before posting again! Sorry about that, and keep on doing your thing - you're clearly better at it than your GM is! :P

Ah, cool. No worries, I’ll make sure to note “aid another” next time :)

X5NSA brings up some good points to Naiaj, who seems to be on the fence as to whether or not the discussion is a good use of her time. The conversation (i.e. rp) and the presence of other members of your Starfinder team seem to tip the scales in your favor, however, and she does engage you in chatting about drone specifications and their applicability to various logistics challenges.
(As some of you might be able to guess at this point - roleplaying, and what you say during that rp - does affect the DCs of these checks!)

---FLASH---
Comm Traffic
---FLASH---

Your comms flash with the symbol of the Second Seekers for a moment, and when you look up, you see First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo standing near the stage looking right back at you while a waiter hands her a drink and the AV tech is finishing with the wiring near the back wall. Interpreting this to be a sign that she wants to speak with you, you all head over.

She grins, sipping her bubbly drink, when you do.

"Nice party so far, right? I've been keeping an eye on your progress with the guests while getting my speech and big announcement ready, so I figure you all wouldn't mind some friendly advice?"

First, she grins at Ytchkn and Sigma Mu. "Between the two of you, I think you've almost got Royo as buttered up as possible. One more good dissertation-digest in his direction, and he'll be putty in your hands!"

Next, she looks to Viper 6 and Torqe. "Zo! is a weird one for sure...but you need to make sure to keep him entertained, or if any of you are big on the interweb yourselves, maybe talk shop with him? You're clearly making an impression on him, but I think there's also a chance that he might decide to leave early."

Next, to X5NSA. "You picked the tough crowd in the tough crowd, my friend. I can see you're making a good impression on Naiaj...but between you and the others...let's just say I've seen that look on her face before. I'm worried that if any of you slip up even a little going forward, she might decide that you're not worth talking to over her datapad...or worse, she might assign you kitchen duty or something while the rest of us hit the VR clubs for the after party!"

To Triskid, she puts on a warm smile. "I can tell it's not your night out there, but don't give up! I was pretty shocked myself when Iteration-177 said the Aspis were going to lend us a hand financially...maybe he's got an interest in the kinds of missions we do? I don't think he's as much of a flight risk as Naiaj is right now, but definitely keep an eye on his reactions!"

Back to Sigma Mu again. "Ykris and his host are a bit of a mystery to me - that kind of science isn't really my field. They've got some kind of interest in the society though, so maybe see if that gets you guys and gals anywhere with them?"

She waits to see if you have any quick questions for her, before returning to what she was doing and letting you get back to the guests.

This is a "status update" from the First Seeker. The gala has been going on for a good hour or two, so you know that there's still at least another hour or two to go before Luwazi's big speech. You can ask a simple/quick question or two of her if you have any, but then we immediately move into...

SOCIAL ROUND 5:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Triskid
X5NSA
Viper 6
Ytchkn
-----

All of you can act! :)

We'll have multiple more rounds (theoretically, if there are no interruptions), correct? I just want to make sure I'm not "wasting" time aiding Sigma if I should be moving on to another target right away.

Correct. Based on the in-game timing so far, the gala is only one-third finished at this point! :)

Consolidated thread data

Iteration-177: Iteration-177 is a relative newcomer to the Aspis Consortium. In addition to making waves by urging Consortium support of the Starfinders, they have an interest in religious artifacts and connections.

What we know:
Areas of interest -
Starfinder Missions (skill?)

Naiaj: Naiaj is a bleachling gnome with a fierce protectiveness of the Starfinders who encourages — some say demand — competence and teamwork from Society agents. She’s a venture-captain who served long before the Scoured Stars incident.

What we know:
Areas of interest -
Starfinder Society’s members and their safety. Engineering, computers, or piloting. Diplomacy might also work. Extra benefit to "aid another"

Royo: The ysoki Royo has something of a rivalry with Historia-7 and the Dataphiles faction, and he tends to snub individuals who he perceives to rely overmuch on technological “crutches.” He’s also an elected member of the Forum, the Starfinder Society’s governing council.

What we know:
Areas of interest -
Research - hard science
Life Science, Physical Science, Culture, and Mysticism

Ykris: The alien symbiote Ykris represents CeriCore Labs. Business-wise, the corporation has very little to gain from the Starfinder Society’s endeavors, but it nevertheless made a substantial donation; rumors suggest the contribution was someone’s pet project.

What we know:
Areas of interest -
Starfinder society (skill?)

Zo!: Zo! is an undead media mogul well known throughout the Pact Worlds, always looking for an idea for a new show, strategies to improve his ratings, or other lucrative entertainment deals. His organization funded the recent Society expedition to Salvation’s End, and he is keenly interested in further exploration of the false moon.

What we know:
Areas of interest -
Celebrities (Icon)
Acrobatics or Athletics checks, Attack roll against a non-gala-guest-or-staff target

I can attempt to sense motive Ykris and Iteration-177 in the next few rounds. See if we can figure out what they fancy.

"I have a question that has perplexed me that perhaps you may be able to share some of your wisdom with me, Venture Captain Naiaj. My android body that I inhabit has computer, engineering, and pilot skills. All of which are quite useful on a starship doing Society work. But I find myself in a quandary when trying to decide what stations to best man during combat in the drift: Piloting the ship, conducting Engineering repairs, or using the ships Computers to scan / target the enemy ship. Do you have a preference of how to best engage in starship combat?

Of course the other roles of controlling the weapons or captaining the ship, but I find that my skills there are best to leave those things to my team members that are specialized for those roles. My pilot skills are generally my 'preferred' choice if androids can have preferences. I tend to want to control the ship and avoid the enemy's main forward cannons, pull quick maneuvers to orient behind where the armor is weaker, and then take advantage of any obstacles to provide cover for my ship and my crew. What are your thoughts?"

Piloting (C)(1): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

X5NSA returns to Venture Captain Naiaj, and the two quickly enter into a rather lively and pleasant discussion of Zero-G ship combat tactics! Naiaj has very interesting insights concerning the use of directional thruster vectors at oblique angles to increase ship maneuverability - but only when far away from even the slightest gravity well - or else hull stress could exceed the ability of a ship's inertial dampeners to compensate.

X5NSA can tell that Naiaj is quite happy at this conversation.

SOCIAL ROUND 5:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Triskid
Viper 6
Ytchkn
-----
X5NSA

Triskid will back off directly interacting with the guests, as that is clearly not his strong suit. Instead, he will observe Iteration, and see what can be discerned...

Sense Motive (C): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Triskid spends some time as a fly-on-th...er...wallflower, watching the Aspis android. Iteration-177 is seems to be relatively easy-going in general, and approachable by those skilled in Diplomacy or Bluffing their way through conversations. The android is certainly interested in hearing about past Starfinder missions, as well! (Talking about missions negates the penalty for using the same skill multiple times...so long as the missions talked about are different each time!)

SOCIAL ROUND 5:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Viper 6
Ytchkn
-----
Triskid
X5NSA

Triskid passes that information to his associates.

Ytchkn returns to the conversation with Royo and continues to attempt to smooth out the awkward behavior sometimes associated with her fellow Starfinder companion.

Diplomacy to Aid Sigma Mu1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (15) + 11 + (5) = 31

Sigma Mu, with the assistance of Ytchkn, guides the conversation to the topic of Damoritosh and the inherent divisiveness associated with the veneration and practices associated with the worship of war gods. He hypothesizes that this divisiveness survived the cataclysm and continues to influence the Ghibrani culture to this day. He is very clinical, nearly encyclopedic in his delivery, but Ytchkn does a good job of interjecting and curbing Sigma away form unnecessary detail laden tangents.

Mysticism 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 2 = 27

Sigma Mu, with Ytchkn making the conversation lively and engaging, spend some time talking with Royo and the circle of scholars and historians surrounding the forum member. By the end of it, Royo takes you both aside to shake your hands, revealing that he hasn't enjoyed an evening of discussion about so many different topics on such an intelligent level in months!

You can gain no more influence with Royo - he is 100% impressed with your team, and will remain that way for the rest of the evening and beyond!

SOCIAL ROUND 5:
Torqe
Viper 6
-----
Sigma Mu
Triskid
X5NSA
Ytchkn

Viper moves into the conversation with Naiaj and X5 "Couldn't help overhearing that conversation, I'm a fan of flying fast and shooting quicker, but I think the Drake is a better ship overall even though the Pegasus class we can also request for missions is the faster ship. The more considered movement in the Drake class seems to sit well with the passengers too - less jostling as I don't get all excited by wild manoeuvres"

Piloting 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

Viper joins the conversation with Naiaj regarding piloting, and even though that subject has been discussed several times previously, Viper's expertise definitely catches the venture captain's interest as she chats pleasantly with you all about it!

You can gain no more influence with Naiaj - she is 100% impressed with your team, and will remain that way for the rest of the evening and beyond!

Torqe (botted...) attempts to study Iteration-177, the person your First Seeker indicated needed more working on.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

But doesn't learn anything.

SOCIAL ROUND 6:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Triskid
Viper 6
X5NSA
Ytchkn
-----

”Friends, one of you must speak with the android, Iteration. Discuss previous Starfinder missions, either real or fictional.”

Use Diplomacy or Bluff

Triskid will aid whomever goes to speak with Iteration, but not by direct interaction, but rather by suggesting details of the mission telepathically to the Starfinder trying to do the influencing...

Bluff/Diplomacy (C): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (1) - 1 = 0 Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...

Huddles back up with the group as we make social battle plans for the way forward. "I think that we have completed the social engagement with Naiaj. I am looking for information about how to not make things worse before I go off and do just that. Given the intel related by Viper, I have the ability to engage in conversation with the one known as Royo in discussions about species and how they have evolved through the ages (Life science), but Royo may find an android as offensive given his technology and data biases. Thoughts on that?"

X5 begins to observe one of the other 'targets' while he waits his companions thoughts.

Ykris is a fascinating creature or creatures. What makes him / her / it work?

observer Ykris

Sense Motive: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (16) - 2 = 14

Ytchkn notes to X5NSA, I believe Royo is all talked out. Perhaps I can help find some information about one of our other "targets" before you proceed.

Ytchkn also takes the time to observe Ykris to see if she can gain any clues about his interests.

Sense Motive 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 8 + (6) = 18

Also, your roll made me giggle, Triskid :D

Triskid puts thought into helping with the Aspis android, but can't seem to find the right thoughts to aid.

X5NSA and Ytchkn take a few passes walking by Ykris and its host, Jhireu, and are able to note a few things! First, Ykris seems to get offended at those who address or speak to Jhireu and not Ykris directly. Conversationally, Ykris seems to enjoy talking about their work for CeriCore Labs: Medicine and Life Science would be the specific areas that Ykris is an expert with. They also seem keenly interested in learning more about the Culture of the Starfinder Society in general!

SOCIAL ROUND 6:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Viper 6
-----
Triskid
X5NSA
Ytchkn

Torqe (botted - having some RL issues going on right now and authorized me to bot the character for a bit) will try to keep an eye on Iteration a bit more.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 2 = 21

After lots of time studying the android, Torqe finally picks up quite a bit of intel! Iteration-177, beyond simply being personable and approachable as Triskid learned earlier, is very interested in learning about past Starfinder missions! Attempts to use Diplomacy to describe a mission you have gone on or Bluff to make up details about can be done without risk of boring him! No penalty for repeated attempts as long as it's a different mission being talked about each time. In addition, Iteration-177 has a keen interest in religion (Mysticism) and Culture in general.

SOCIAL ROUND 6:
Sigma Mu
Viper 6
-----
Torqe
Triskid
X5NSA
Ytchkn

I share the information we were able to discover about Ykris discreetly with the group.

After dismissing himself from Royo and being keyed into the interests of Ykris, Sigma attempts to salvage his previous conversation with Ykris, this time avoiding bringing the host a drink. He focuses more on Ykris' work and how it benefits the recipients.

Life Science: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Sigma Mu makes a far better impression with Ykris this time around, especially given the focus on the conversation.

SOCIAL ROUND 6:
Viper 6
SOCIAL ROUND 7:
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Triskid
Viper 6
X5NSA
Ytchkn
-----

Viper tries carousing with Ykris.

R6
"Hmm, I am unfamiliar with Cericore, how are they with bio-tech and medicine?" she looks asks...

Medicine 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12

Maybe a bit weakly.

R7

Medicine 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

"Thank you for correcting my misunderstanding. So tell me, what is it you like about Cericore the most? I'm fascinated by how my organic parts work with my mechanical ones to be honest, and understanding the impacts on dosages for common medicines and drugs"

Triskid will again attempt to help behind the scenes. He listens in on Viper and Ykris, tossing in medical tidbits, telepathically.

Medicine (C)(1): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Viper 6 engages Ykris in a medical discussion, only to find that her knowledge is much more practical while Ykris's is more lab-based, making the interaction a bit awkward at first.

As the conversation continues, however, Viper 6 is able to provide good commentary and impress Ykris with her knowledge of the ways theory can turn into field applications!

Triskid attempts to give advice, but luck doesn't seem to be with the shirren this evening...

Torqe (botted) returns to Zo!, remarking, "So, I heard you're looking for fast and strong folks for your upcoming show, huh?" The soldier then proceeds to attempt to deadlift the entire buffet table next to the undead media mogul!

Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Zo! nearly drops his microphone as his rictus grin gets impossibly big! He puts an arm around Torqe's shoulders and starts talking to him about contracts, agents, exclusive rights...

You can gain no more influence with Zo! - he is 100% impressed with your team, and will remain that way for the rest of the evening and beyond!

SOCIAL ROUND 7:
Sigma Mu
X5NSA
Ytchkn
-----
Torqe
Triskid
Viper 6

Ytchkn approaches Iteration-177. Hello, there. My name is Ytchkn, I'm a member of the Starfinder Society. I wanted to thank you for urging the Aspis Consortium to support us. Without support such as yours, we wouldn't be free to continue our missions.

Ytchkn quickly moves on from small talk to describing the adventures from her last mission.

Diplomacy 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 11 + (2) = 15

Overhearing a subject that X5 knows something about, X5 approaches Ykris. "Interesting discussion about the medical knowledge of lifeforms. I have found that the android races actually have learned how to blend biology and technology very well. And I find it fascinating the different sentient life forms that I come across while conducting Starfinder Society missions. It is one of the prime reasons I joined the Society.

Are there any unique medical wound treatment techniques that you can pass along in case there is every a need to tend to your species?"

Medicine (C)(2): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

Sigma Mu follows Ytchkn over to Iteration-177, ineffectually attempting to aid her in her conversation.

Bluff 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Even though Sigma Mu isn't able to assist, Ytchkn makes a good opening impression with Iteration-177 talking about her last mission!

Meanwhile, X5NSA, despite Ykris being somewhat talked-out on the subject of medicine, rather impresses the isopod with a very lively discussion!

You can gain no more influence with Ykris - they are 100% impressed with your team, and will remain that way for the rest of the evening and beyond!

SOCIAL ROUND 8: Your final round - may the dice be with you!
Sigma Mu
Torqe
Triskid
Viper 6
X5NSA
Ytchkn

Torqe will attempt to aid whoever approaches Iteration-177.

Bluff or Diplomacy: 1d20 - 2 ⇒ (1) - 2 = -1

Triskid will also attemp to aidt with Iteration, telepathically again...

Bluff/Diplomacy (C): 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (13) - 1 = 12

I need help summarizing what we have left

You have positively influenced everyone that was assigned to you, except for Iteration-177! Torqe tried and failed to aid, but Triskid succeeded at aiding someone. Your party needs more than 1 but less than 4 successes to get his influece - more than that I can't say.

That's where you stand in this final round of "social combat" - good luck! :)

SOCIAL ROUND 8
Sigma Mu
Viper 6
X5NSA
Ytchkn

(One hanging +2 aid another on a Bluff or Diplomacy check from Triskid is available, and will be applied by the GM to the roll that will benefit from it the most)

With the help of Triskid, Sigma Mu tries to more readily participate in the conversation having been with Ytchkn during the mission. He does some very rough hypothesizing on the nature of drift dead and its creation in order to form a clearer, albeit not completely accurate, picture of the undead foe.

Bluff 1d20 - 1 + 2 ⇒ (15) - 1 + 2 = 16

Sigma Mu is able to hold his own in conversation with Iteration-177 with Triskid's assistance!

SOCIAL ROUND 8
Viper 6
X5NSA
Ytchkn

Your party has attempted Bluff, Diplomacy, Mysticism, and Culture with Iteration-177 thus far.

"So then, just as I pull the flip and burn to rain fore down on these Goblins off the false moon of Salvations End, there is this huge bang - and, would you believe it - someone had left the cargo door loose and half our supplies got catapulted into space... great days.. great days"

Viper tells a tall story about a starfinder mission she was just on, but it has 'some embellishments'
Bluff 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17

And then we discovered that the little rascals has set a booby trap to protect their new friend... Ytchkn recalls the details of another past mission.

Diplomacy 1d20 + 11 + 1d6 ⇒ (1) + 11 + (2) = 14

booo... terrible roll

"Excuse me but perhaps I may be of assistance. Sometimes we androids can be hard to understand. I will attempt to translate what my colleague Ytchkn is trying to convey."

Diplomacy aid: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6

perhaps I should try to use sign language or mime it for a better shot at helping.

Ha! The dice are not on our side. Thanks for trying anyway. :D