[PbP Gameday VII] TABLE 2 GM Mjolbeard's 1-12 Ashes of Discovery (Inactive)

Game Master Mjolbeard89

You find yourselves on Absalom Station in the Lorespire Complex, where you are to receive your mission from Guidance

A cluster of sleek black computers rests against the far wall of the meeting room. The Starfinder Society emblem at the center of the server cluster shines and begins projecting a stream of holographic light. The light takes the form of a humanoid figure bereft of any definition, standing at the end of the meeting table closest to the servers.

“Greetings, I am Guidance. I have a new assignment for you. Please observe.”[b] The projection gestures a flicking hand to its side, and a stream of data detailing an outpost made of interconnected circular chambers scrolls beside it. [b]“One of the Pact Worlds’ most prestigious organizations recently discovered a dataset detailing the location of an outpost abandoned over two hundred years ago. The organization has requested that the Starfinder Society dispatch a team of agents to secure the site, along with any remaining equipment or data. Your team will travel to this outpost and retrieve as much information about it as possible. You should also salvage any relevant equipment, which the Society will take as part of its payment. If you have questions, now is the time to present them.”

Frinke after walking into a very similar place, walks this time into the right place with the Starfinders he should be meeting up with. Right table, considering the game said it started October 1st, I thought I had missed the post stating what table I was at, but you just now posted this 2nd table about 2 hours agoAh, the right place. Yes, I have a question, if the outpost was abandoned 200 years ago, what important things do you expect to find? I mean bandits, grave robers and the like probably are got to it.

A meek looking kasatha with a gun as large as she is strapped to her lithe body enters after the meeting has already started.
I apologize for my tardiness.
The kasatha has her gaze cast down, clearly trained to receive stern punishment for such behavior.

Another Ryphorian asks a question;

"What do we know about the planet the outpost is on? Anything dangerous we should be aware of? Local wildlife? Active vulcano's? ..or maybe those bandits and grave robbers Frinke just mentioned, those sound dangerous"

Caverina waits patiently

Ah, the right place. Yes, I have a question, if the outpost was abandoned 200 years ago, what important things do you expect to find? I mean bandits, grave robers and the like probably are got to it.

Guidance turns to Frinke and seems to replay part of its initial text as clarification of the point he is asking about, "Your team will travel to this outpost and retrieve as much information about it as possible. You should also salvage any relevant equipment, which the Society will take as part of its payment. It is unknown whether relevant equipment will still be on site, but it is possible that the site has remained relatively unknown if it has not been discovered by looters.”

"What do we know about the planet the outpost is on? Anything dangerous we should be aware of? Local wildlife? Active vulcano's? ..or maybe those bandits and grave robbers Frinke just mentioned, those sound dangerous"

"The planet, designation Colony-753, is a Class M planet with low Pact Standard gravity. Records from the hiring organization indicate that the planet's atmosphere was disruptive to technology, causing technological equipment to function irregularly. Furthermore, records indicate that the planet is subject to erratic meteor storms which may prove hazardous to those on the planet's surface. There are no records detailing the local flora or fauna."

When Caverina enters and begs forgiveness for her tardiness, Guidance seems to look around the room, and notes, "You are excused. You are not the only one to arrive late, it would seem. I will attempt to contact the rest of your team."

From the corner, where a unobtrusive plant seemed to be located, unfolds a Khizar. It remains rooted in the planter but broadcasts telepathically to all those in the room, "I understand now why I was chosen. Flora and fauna are a speciality. Would one of you ask Guidance how long the travel time to the planet will be?" The 'voice' is soft, matter-of-fact, and lacks any change in intonation. The yellow bulb, that seems to be the head, lights up with bioluminescence while talking.

Guidance, which appears to have some sort of telepathic receivers built in to be able to communicate with creatures lacking auditory methods of communication, responds that the travel will take a few days of drift travel. "“For this assignment, you have been authorized use of a Drake or a Pegasus starship," they explain. "Both starship frames are equipped with drift-capable engines and can complete this assignment. As a team, you may select which frame you prefer to use. Please consider the following advantages when making your decision: Drake frames have greater firepower, whereas Pegasus starships are equipped with advanced science labs and sensors. As always, to optimize the chances of completing the assignment, it is recommended that each Starfinder team choose a ship that covers any area of weakness. However, the final decision is based on your personal preference.”

Still waiting to hear from Emissary-to-Him, who appears to have their Private Messages disabled. I'll try a must call in Flaxseed to try to get them onboard.
Shaudius has checked in on discussion and is just finalizing their character.

"I would prefer Pegasus. I will also be contributing a weapon of my people's design."

I have a boon to replace one of our guns with a

Oh, I don't like the sound of a weapon with a "Spore" special ability! No thank you! Haha!

Tee Hee

Welp! That's about as terrifying and awful as I was imagining.

Yeah, that is my contribution to starship combat as I can't really meaningfully contribute in any other way.

dibs on shooting it
”the means of transportation makes little difference to me”

The formian designated as 10331123 steps into the room.

"Guidiance, Second Seeker Jadnura sends his regards. Apologizes for being late.

Taking out a datapad and going over the specifications of the both the Pegasus and the Drake Elric muses them over

"I like the overall usefulness of the Pegasus over the more direct although limited firepower of the Drake"

I prefer the Pegasus if we are playing at Tier 1-2 (and the Drake at tier 3-4) We can exchange the forward guns for the spore weapon as I prefer to have the turret gun to not run out of ammo - like the Drake will at tier 1-2.

Alright, flying horse, I mean Pegasus it is.

Caverina boards the Pegasus and sits in the gunner seat

”So how do you use this spore gun?”

Ua shambles to the gunner seat with Caverina. "Sadly, the design still requires standard mechanical devices to fire the spore. It fires the same as other guns. The strategic benefit of the spore is that it has an enhanced growth that starts causing damage independently of the initial contact with the hull. Therefore a gunner should aim at different systems per hit.", again the telepathic voice lacks inflection, while the bulb lights up with every word.

Do we have anyone who can actually fly this thing?

I can shoot a gun a bit (+4)..but that's it for my contribution to spaceship combat

I can't gunnery +3, so I can be the backup gunner, but I don't have computers, engineering or any of the other skills

edit: 10331123 is the only one with spaceship skills, Pilot +8. So we have no engineer or science officer. Only a Pilot and gunners, lots of gunners, lets do this.

Right-o! Emissary seems to be MIA at the moment, so I'm going to move us along as is. If they pop up later, we'll see if we're not too far along for them to join.

After about a week and a half of drift travel, you finally emerge into the Vast at the coordinates provided to you for Colony-753. As the destination planet appears on the starship’s main viewscreen, alarms suddenly blare. A slender form emerges from the distant void, slithering from out of the planet’s shadow. It moves directly toward the starship, as if drawn to it.

Begin Starship Combat!

Yellow initiative: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (6) + 10 = 16
Starfinder (green) initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Enemy moves first!

The creature moves silently toward you, freely floating forward like a great aquatic predator swimming towards its next meal. The beast is easily the size of your ship, and even from this distance, you can see its rows of sharp teeth and the crackling energy that seems to pulsate around its open jaws.

Players Turn
Engineer (if any)
Pilot movement and maneuvers
Science Officer (if any)
Gunners
Captain (if any)

Remember that you can only fire a given weapon once per round, so if you have more than two gunners and the enemy is only in one arc, one of you may not be able to fire. Someone may want to consider being Captain, as you can aid, even if you aren't trained in social skills.

Ua stands in the engineering room looking as confused as a plant can look.

Also Ua cast life bubble on you all last 'night'.

life science: 5 + 1d20 ⇒ 5 + (9) = 14 reduce dc by 5 if it is zoology based.
as the backup gunner, I should take the weaker weapon, so our real gunner can have the coilgun. The ship gives +1 to any two checks per round, the gunners should obviously use them.
Frinke will fire the light laser cannon at the enemy hit: 3 + 1d20 + 1 ⇒ 3 + (16) + 1 = 20 dmg: 2d4 ⇒ (2, 1) = 3

@Frinke: The Life Science check is related to identifying the animal, so your check will pass the DC. Feel free to check out the spoiler and share whatever knowledge you'd like.

Taking a seat in the turret Elric sets his targets on the enemy and fires

'It looks aggressive and we should take it down right?"

To hit: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 4 + 1 = 20
Damage if hit: 4d4 ⇒ (4, 4, 1, 4) = 13

Just wondering..what gun did we change for the spore gun? I vote for our forward gun..but I'm not sure what gun Frinke just fired..or we can take like the port gun and just maneuver so we can fire that gun at the enemy at some point

Seeing it in our front arc 10331123 holds the ship steady where it and takes evasive maneuvers. Evade: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 but fails to do so.

i assume there’s no weapons I can shoot also where is the spore gun pointed? I vote for the forward as well if it’s what fringe fired that does only 2d4
Caverina waits by her console for something to shoot

The light spore torpedoes are in the forward arc, which is currently pointed at your enemy. Caverina, go ahead and give me an attack roll with the spore torpedo.
For this round, Frinke's shot will not go off since he's firing one of the light laser cannons on the port or starboard.

Without any apparent means to attack from this distance the creature, which Frinke identifies as a Besmaran Whelp, waits for its prey to get closer. While it waits, however, it is met with resistance, and Elric lays down a heavy shot with the coilgun.

The whelp has no shielding, and your shot with the coilgun crosses a critical threshold!

Crit effect: 1d100 ⇒ 87 Power Core glitching

Battle Stats
Starfinders: 0 damage, shields at full
Caverina fire spore weapon
Besmaran Whelp: 13 damage, power core glitching

Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 1 = 143d4 ⇒ (3, 4, 1) = 8
crit location: 1d100 ⇒ 70
i think that’s how to write this

Caverina fires off the first of the spore torpedoes Uafluozhaheed provided, and the strange, pod-like missile slams into the creature. Spores spread into the whelp's body, and it seems to stagger and thrash in alarm.

That hit the whelp's heart (power core) again, so that system is now malfunctioning!

Battle Stats
Starfinders: 0 damage, shields at full
Besmaran Whelp: 21 damage, heart (power core) malfunctioning (spore damage)

Besmaran Whelp (yellow) initiative: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
Starfinder (green) initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11
Enemy wins initiative. Starfinders move first!

Players' Turn
Captain (if any)
Engineer (if any)
Pilot movement and maneuvers
Science Officer (if any)

with a malfunctioning power core shouldn’t all engineering checks be at a -4 and all non engineering checks including the piloting check and the initiative piloting check in the last post be at a -2? Not that it affects the outcome on any of those rolls but for future rolls

Also, we could just kite this creature

That's a good point, Caverina. Thanks for the reminder!

10331123 performs a backoff maneuver. Piloting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 Cursed dice

On updates of the battle, Ua broadcasts telepathically, "It is saddening that this creature could not be turned away."

Caverina fires the spore launcher again

attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 5 + 1 = 213d6 ⇒ (3, 6, 6) = 15

based on previous attacks this will cross at least 1 critical threshold probably 2 so I’ll roll 1 and the gm can roll the second if we get another

critical threshold: 1d100 ⇒ 80

If I get a chance to fire rear or side guns hit: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (17) = 20
dmg: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 3) = 4 otherwise the other fires our turret.

As 10331123 tries to back away from the whelp, he finds the Pegasus's controls unresponsive to the command. Perhaps he is more used to spacecraft designed for his insectile race rather than the humanoid controls of this model.

Despite your ship's immobility, the whelp still finds you out of its reach, so instead it attempts to move around your flank, not realizing that you have even more armaments available there.

Moves around to your port arc, so Frinke, your shot will go off.
Question of torpedoes, though: with tracking weapons like that, can you fire those at an enemy not in the same arc as the tracking weapon and allow the actual tracking to guide the missile to its target in whatever arc the enemy is in? That's always been a little unclear to me.

Elric, you still have a shot you can take with the turret.

"Good tactic.If the enemy can't shoot at us...if we can shoot it and move away from it..and it can't catch up with us we might survive this'

Elric aims the turret guns once more and pulls the trigger
To hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15
Coilgun damage if hit: 4d4 ⇒ (3, 4, 4, 2) = 13

From my understanding; It initially has to be in your arc pointing towards your target ..after you've fired them and in case they haven't reached their target yet and you need to keep a target lock (e.a. hit them again next round) then the arc doesn't matter anymore.
It seems you can only fire a weapon when you have the target in your arc, but once it's fired you still need a gunnery check to hit but it's not called firing your weapon anymore

alright so start of this round the power core is wrecked so they don’t get to try to stop the spores anymore and it spreads to another system, and they’re at a -4 for everything

Frinke and Elric both fire at the whelp as it moves up alongside the Starfinder vessel, badly wounding the creature!

A total of another 17 damage! That'll cross two critical thresholds!

Crit effect: 1d100 ⇒ 8 Weapons array
Crit effect: 1d100 ⇒ 9 Weapons array
Affected weapon (1=Bite, 2=Starboard claw, 3=Tail, 4=Port Claw: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Affected weapon (1=Bite, 2=Starboard claw, 3=Tail, 4=Port Claw: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Starboard and Port claws are both glitching!

Battle Stats
Starfinders: 0 damage, shields at full
Besmaran Whelp: 38 damage, heart (power core) malfunctioning (spore damage), port claw glitching, starboard claw glitching

Starfinder (green) initiative: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 8 + 1 = 15
Whelp (yellow) initiative, wrecked power core: 1d20 + 10 - 4 ⇒ (1) + 10 - 4 = 7
Starfinders win initiative! Enemy moves first.

With severe wounds covering its body and the spores quickly spreading from its heart to the rest of its internal systems, the Besmaran whelp does its best to escape the dangerous starship it once thought of as its prey!

The whelp is in full retreat! Will you pursue it further?

Players' Turn
Captain (if any)
Engineer (if any)
Pilot movement and maneuvers
Science Officer (if any)
Gunners

Pursue it, don't let the hostile escape
plasma cannon: 3 + 1d20 ⇒ 3 + (3) = 6 if he can fire rear or side guns.
dmg: 2d4 ⇒ (1, 4) = 5

"Do not pursue," broadcast lacking intonation but with obvious intent. "It is no threat anymore."

Come about and pursue it!

If the ship comes about and he can fire the spore gun:

attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 5 + 1 = 7
damage: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 2, 3) = 11

10331123 turns around and turns the front end of the ship to face the whelp but lets others decide whether or not to fire.

Listening to the voice of his captain Elric doesn't fire on the retreating creature but doesn't power down his weapons quite yet..just in case it makes a reappearance.

Frinke and Caverina both have a battle-lust that drives them to continue to fire of the whelp, even as it appears to retreat, but both of their attacks miss their target.

The pilot of the ship decides to hold back for now and let the last of the attacks do the work of scaring off or destroying the beast. For now, as the whelp continues to move away as quickly as it can, things have fallen quiet once again.

COMBAT OVER!

With the immediate threat now gone, you return your attention to your mission, and 1033 directs the ship toward the planet's surface. As you approach the planet in you starship, you notice a dangerous storm that interferes with your ship’s sensors. The storm’s erratic movements and intensity make it too dangerous to land inside.

Instead, you land your ship in an area not affected by the storm, but still relatively near the coordinates of the compound you were directed to investigate. After landing, you begin making your way to the abandoned outpost. As you travel toward the outpost, you come across a small village of the planet’s inhabitants.

How would you like to proceed? Do you want to move toward the village? Avoid it entirely? Open fire on the locals?
The choice is yours!

Frinke sneaks in closer to get a better view of the village and locals. stealth: 2 + 1d20 ⇒ 2 + (4) = 6