GD VII: Redelia's Scoured Stars Invasion (SFS, tier 5-6) (Inactive)

Game Master Redelia

I don’t think I’m on the hangout. Where is it located?

That's weird... I added you, and you show up to me... And I know you've been on Hangouts recently, since you've posted to the FF ACG hangout.

Historia-7 gives you instructions on your next mission. "Greetings, Starfinders. Our initial recon teams found dozens of our colleagues held in stasis on Agillae-5. Forcibly removing their bodies from the stasis pods would leave their minds are trapped in a virtual world, which means we’re sending you in to release them. Our specialists have put together a digital tether that allows you to enter the virtual world without getting trapped like your colleagues did. Still, you must careful. Even though nothing that happens in there is real, dying in the simulation might kill you."

You go to the computer facility which she points you to. The technicians there explain that you will bring a mental copy of all your gear with you. Items, spells, and abilities used in virtual reality will not change reality, but injuries and your strength of character (i.e. HP, SP, and RP) will.

Any questions for the technicians before you plug in?

"You don't need to shave my head do you? "

Justin plunges into VR "And mom said all that time online would never amount to anything... "

"Why not just give us the best gear possible if it is all digital?"

Tolar is weary about going to some dreamworld. Last time he helped a dreamer he turned into a monkey.

"Because you know you don't have one. In these sorts of things your mind makes it real, and you'd know it was fake. "

Persona mind palaces are leaking here... xD

"Not a question per se, but I'd like you to take care of Chk Chk while we traverse this digital archive." Good memories in the archive though, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can always read between the lines.

"Didn't Radaszam offer some weapons? Should we take his word for it now? Perhaps the consumables?"

A shirren among the technicians smiles and takes Chk Chk's sphere at Keskodai's request.

Tolar will requisition a Longsword, Sintered to make it really easy to mentally visualize owning one.

Reynold's face sours as the prospect of diving into a digital reality. "Well, if that's where our people are, I guess that's where we go. Let's do this."

"oh hell no!"

The technicians, I'm guessing 4 or 5, try to pin Grav down as his physical body is having a hard time keeping up with his mental understanding of what needs to be done here

"These things are the devil! I had this friend, guy had a pretty boring life, and he went to this VR place so they could plug him up with wires and give him a fake "vacation" throwing virtual memories at him and stuff, dude thought he was some kind of spy double agent or some nonsense, ended up travelling to Akiton or something and helping a whole bunch of radiation poisoned mutants. Long story short, his head got all scrambled and he ended up in a coma for two years, TWO YEARS. He woke up finally all batty going on and on about Abadar Corp stealing the atmosphere and then jumped out the window. I mean, he was only on the second story of the med center, so he only broke his legs, but the point is THESE THINGS ARE THE DEVIL!"

After a tranquilizer you suspect could be used to take down a squad of humans, Grav falls into a VR slumber, mumbling about space spiders in his earballs.

"Drink your milk Grav... "

You find yourselves in a cantina, where a bartender named Jodain tells you to relax, have a drink or eat something and not worry about anything.

"Drink your Milk Gra... " Justin appears in front of a bottle of milk. He looks for the most Ysoki friendly bar stool and clambers up it "Thanks Jodain. We're looking for some friends of ours . Motly bunch, may have had this symbol on them " He'll show the bartender the starfinder tattoo. And start to fidget with his wings and fur, checking out how real the virtual feels unable to resist the cliche of pinching himself.

Tolar looks around nervously.

"Nothing good happens in places like this. Where are the other Starfinders?"

Do you mean virtual places or bars?

"Both?"

muttering under his breath

"nope, no way, nope. not drinking that milk here, that's how they get you... can you guys please just hurry up and figure out what happened to the Starfinders, I'm not feeling so great... Is anybody else hot? I'm hot. Are you hot?"

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Reynold looks around. "What is this place? Where are the Starfinders?"

"Its like you guys have never been a virtual reality before. Relax. This is the starting bar. I'm sure there's a whole city out there filled with car chases or espionage or industrial era crime shootouts or whatever the theme to this place is. " he gives the bar, some drinks, and himself a sniff testing the olfactory immersion "Assuming this thing doesn't melt your brain we're going to be able to sell it for a fortune back on Absolom "

"Why don’t you go and meet all the friendly folks who live here. But remember, we’re all happy here, so don’t say or do anything that might upset them."

You see three groups of people you could interact with.

Bikers: Five Starfinders—a human, two lashuntas, an ysoki,
and a vesk—wear leather jackets and protective clothing. They
tune-up expensive-looking enercycles.

Library: Five scholarly Starfinders—an android, a damaya lashunta, a kasatha, and two shirrens—engage in a heated debate about Golarion. According to these Starfinders, Golarion never disappeared!

Picnic: Six Starfinders—a dwarf, two kasathas, two humans, and a shirren—enjoy a picnic in the park. They wear fashionable clothes. The group marvels at the beauty of the natural world, saying things like "Ain’t it great to be outdoors, smell the flowers, feel the wind and sun on your face?"

"Blech, its a slice of life simulator. Oh well..."

Justin will head over to the Bikers

"Wow guys, sweet rides. Is that the 4816 Battleflower? I'd heard they were going with a plasma induction coil but didn't think they'd be able to bring the price down far enough for the civilian market...or did you add that? " he'll scurry under the engine for a look. "As much as I like shopping right out of the catalog what I really like is finding some old junker, maybe something no ones ever seen working before. I mean, anyone can get this thing purring like a kitten, but to take something that hasn't worked in a hundred or even a thousand years and get it running? THATs talent.. "

Reynold cracks his knuckles, and systematically approaches each group of Starfinders.

To the bikers: "These rides are pretty sweet, but you know what would be even sweeter? A Starfinder starship! They're bigger, faster, and best of all, they're real! Come back to the fold, folks, come back to reality!"
Bluff: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20
Bluff reroll (convincing liar): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (15) + 16 = 31
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

To the debaters: "The fact that we're talking about Golarion like it's still around should be all we need to recognize that this is not reality! You're all clearly smart people! See this for what this is: a lie. Come back to the Starfinders, put your talents to good, real use."
Culture (expertise): 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 10 + (4) + 1 = 19
Bluff: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (1) + 16 = 17
Bluff reroll (convincing liar): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

To the picnickers: "The beauty of the natural world truly is amazing. Too bad this ain't it. You're breathing code, my friends, as part of this matrix designed to keep you caged. Come back to the sun, friends! We need you!"
Bluff: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (8) + 16 = 24
Bluff reroll (convincing liar): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (11) + 16 = 27
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Grav will walk over to the bikers

"Say, those are some pretty sweet looking rides you got there. You been riding here long?"

Tolar will just walk over to the bikers. He has an idea and has a whispered conversation asking Mr. Peabody if it looks like the bikes can be improved.

engineering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (8) + 12 = 20

Tolar carefully examines the bikes, and notices problems with them that would keep them from ever functioning in the real world. As soon as he points this out, the bikers seem to realize that where they are now is not reality.

The gang’s vesk leader remembers he is Silask, a famous explorer and warrior. He shares a secret technique that allows you to change what type of damage your weapons deal as though you have a corrosive, flaming, frost, or shock weapon fusion (each of you can choose one of the listed fusions).

Reynard starts to challenge the scholars' conceptions of reality. They look at him, fascinated. Due to the free flowing nature of this, I will let all of you try to aid his culture check. We'll move on to the picnic after that.

Justin will aid the culture check if he has to or geek out on his own if he can

culture check: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (2) + 17 = 19

Amazed by Reynold's silver tongue he starts following along, even if he thinks that the bikers are adrenaline junkies, and those enjoying a warm while they are but 1's and 0's have lost more than than a screw, they are still Starfinders and his mission is to bring them back.

Culture Aid: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (5) + 16 = 21 Chk Chk can't tap the dice this time. =P

The real crazy ones? That's the scholars saying that Golarion never disappeared.

"So, if Golarion didn't disappear... Was it shrunk as fuel for Absalom Station? That's crazier than a winter rhyphorian bathing in sunlight IN AKITON with no armor saying he's cold! For Pharasma's sake..."

You can see the realization that they are in a virtual reality hit the scholars. The android leader of the group remembers he is Historia-6, previous leader of the Dataphiles.

"Hurry up and get us out of here!." He reveals a secret technique that allows you to see your enemies’ DR, resistances, and current HP as a free action.

These techniques are only valid in this virtual world.

You move on to the group having a picnic.
You may use Life Science, Perception, or Survival to point out how their sensations do not match reality. This check may only be attempted once, but others may aid.

survival: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Tolar wanders the immediate area then comes back.

"Feel the breeze. Blowing from that direction despite the fact that the trees should be blocking it. Notice the smells of flowers some of which are not here. See the confusion of the insects as they are in a place different then they are adapted to. This place is a decent though not perfect copy of reality."

The picnicers look at Tolar, and you can see the realization of where they are hit them. The dwarf remembers he is Barakul, leader of an elite group of explorers, rangers, and survivalists. He provides you with a secret technique that allows you to grow wings, gaining a fly speed of 30 feet.

As your lessons end, Jodain steps out from the bar and glares at you. "You’re only here to cause trouble! I can’t have that!" Before your eyes he transforms into a robot!

Before I set up a map and roll initiative, I need to know what you do with the lessons you have learned. Do you grow wings? Which weapon fusion do you choose? You are also able as a free action to find out about an enemy.

Assuming these bonuses are just in this realm Tolar will first figures out information about the robot then picks an element it is weak to. And no wings yet.

Do you grow wings? : Already came pre installed

Which weapon fusion do you choose?: Whatever the robot is weak to on his electricity blaster, or acid if nothing pops up.

You are also able as a free action to find out about an enemy. **scanning**

"I am really regretting breaking the first rule of virtual reality right now... "

Well, since Grav isn't using an energy weapon I don't think that energy ability will help me at all (if there's some nuance of this being VR and it does work, he'll pick any energy type the robot is actually vulnerable to if any, and after that any energy type it isn't resistant to, as for wings... sure why now. I'll grow wings.

EDIT: I just looked it up, it looks like the fusions can work with Kinetic and analog weapons, they just change half the damage to the new type, but they don't change the targetted defense from KAC to EAC

you can put something like shock on any weapon, even a regular sword. It doesn't have to do energy damage

Reynold will learn about DR, choose to grow wings, and will apply an energy fusion that will allow him to bypass any DR/capitalize on any weaknesses.

You notice that the robot has construct immunities and is vulnerable to electricity.

Justin will fuze his regular revolver with the electricity and ready the electic gun he picked up off of the previous starfinder.

"Alright lets do this, and then settle that bar bet with Tolar... "

A loud shriek of audio feedback erupts from all communication devices across the Starfinder Society fleet and deployed teams. The feedback precedes an alert of a new threat: dozens of unknown starships are entering the Scoured Stars through the Drift!

Data screens across the fleet begin displaying a live feed of a chitinous, six-legged creature with a large mouth full of sharp teeth. Rings of glowing, unblinking eyes cover the upper and lower sides of the creature’s body, looking in every direction at once. The creature’s three-clawed forelimbs hold what looks like an alien plasma cannon, while its second set of limbs terminate in cybernetic augmentations resembling long sabers.

When the creature starts speaking, its words sound like a chaotic jumble of consonants, but soon the syllables turn into a sinister-sounding, digitalized voice speaking in the Common tongue: “We are jinsuls, and you are not welcome in our space. This is our ancestral home. You do not belong here. You will be removed.”

As soon as the ominous message ends, First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo speaks to the Society through the comm system: “According to our sensors, these creatures—jinsuls—are entering the Scoured Stars through a location near Bastiar-7. I need a group of volunteers, our best starship crews, to scout the area and keep these aggressors occupied. Meanwhile, I want everyone else to continue evacuating the survivors. Time is a luxury we don’t have, so make haste and be ready to be extracted at a moment’s notice!”

Table GM’s- You are now set to start Part 3, but remember Part 2 Evacuation Missions that are still open can still be accomplished. All Part 1 Recon Missions are now closed.

map is set up. Rather than roll initiative for you, I'll let you all roll your own initiative while you decide about the weapon fusion.

"Well that's fantastic news... let's hurry up and smash this dream-bot so we can go take care of those ships

Grav will also attune his doshko with that shock fusion ability

initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Tolar powers his new sword with electricity.

Lets rumble

init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

"Hold for a haste spell guys... "

Reynold electrically charges his bone cestus in one hand, while charging up his static arc pistol in the other. "Haste makes waste, Justin. You haste us, we'll waste him!"

Reynold init: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17
Keskodai init: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
enemy init: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

bold may post:
Reynold
Tolar
Grav
Keskodai
enemy
Justin

"Kesk give em the haste its not real remember? I'll catch up to you all in a second... "

Justin is delayed stuffing his cheek pouches with strawberry ice cream. There's no tummy ache from virtual reality right?

Is the robot the big yellow huge sized pac-man looking icon?

yep, that's the bad guy.