GM Fireclaw's SFS PBP 1-27 King Xeros of Star Azlant (Inactive)

Game Master FireclawDrake

Piloting: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (1) + 21 = 22.

Buzz easily outclasses the other pilot.

The King Xeros has an ungainly appearance, with the Azlanti technology slapped on top of the underlying ship which is obviously quite different. The failing efforts of the ship's pilot make them look even more like a strange creature floundering around in an unfamiliar environment. However, it does seem to shimmer slightly as the quantum defender is activated.

The King Xeros doesn't move this round. You can move your own ship as you please. I will make the adjustments if you end up being outside the range increments for weapons and sensors.

Round 1
Gear
Buzz - move and take piloting action
Mordack - take science action
Goose
Pangea

Edit to answer Pangea's question: the biotech weapon ability to spend an RP to ignore the quantum defender only affects your character's gunnery checks for the round.

Buzz moves the ponderous Drake closer to the Xeros.

Goose may want to spend an RP as well, then...

Piloting(Evade): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (5) + 21 = 26.

I will also use a Resolve Point to ensure a hit.

Also, Mordack literally can't fail the Computers check to lower the shields; can we take it as a given that he does so? :-)

computers: 21 + 1d20 ⇒ 21 + (3) = 24 I'll do what I was told to do, I copied and pasted the post. Oh, wait, 20 is made

Recommendation for science officer: Use the code for the leader Aldroxis's handmade biotech shield system, allowing science officer PCs to attempt a DC 20 Computers check as a helm phase action. By succeeding at that check, a science officer can immediately reduce the King Xeros's Shield Points in a single arc by 48 for 1 round.

Might be a good idea to drop the shield on the Xeros as we fire on it.

Pangea and Goose pour intense effort into focusing on the exact location of the King Xeros, to overcome the unsettling mirror-like effect of the quantum defense unit. The two long-range weapons on the Drake are both able to lock on, though the missile needs to course-correct partway there. The ship is outside the speed of the missile so you'll need to roll next round as well to see if it maintains the lock.

Goose's particle beam scores a powerful hit. It knocks out some remaining shields, but thanks to Mordack's calculations it mostly goes straight through to the ship's hull. You spot some sparks begin to fly from the engines. Bizarrely, some wisps of ethereal essence also seem to be escaping the ship - this is not something you've seen before in ship-to-ship combat.

The King Xeros launches return fire with its aeon caster, which flies off harmlessly into open space, and its fire projectors, which manage to accurately target the ship, dealing 36 damage to the forward shields.

Drake: forward shields down 36

Round 2
King Xeros: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34
Drake: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (2) + 21 = 23

Buzz needs to move the Drake first this time.

Mordack: If you're going to use the shield-reducing trick, you need to specify which arc you're targeting. I assumed port this time since it's the arc facing you. In this round you would have to act before the King Xeros moves so you won't necessarily know that.

Buzz: Could you update the ACs for the Drake in the slide so it's easier to reference? You need to add your piloting ranks.

Gunners: After seeing how this round went, it might be simpler if you wait until after both ships have moved to see if the quantum defender is active and what range/arc the two ships are in.

Buzz keeps hustling forward, trying to evade, as he does so.

Piloting (Evade): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38.

Mordack will target the enemy's rear side and drain his shields. I will continue to hold off his rear, so get behind him if you can. computers: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38

The King Xeros loops around so that its aft is facing the Drake, and begins performing evasive maneuvers. The ship gets the telltale shimmery look and you know that it has activated the quantum defender again.

Round 2
Gear - Engineering action
Pangea - roll to target lock last round's missile, and this round's Gunnery action
Goose - Gunnery action

Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

Gear shouts into the coms.

Rerouting power to the shields, pumping those things back up, try not to get us struck if the same arc if you can help it while i repair!

Just checking, but... it looks like the forward section of King Xeros is facing towards us on the map, not the aft?

Whoops, you're totally right. My brain flipped the image. It was supposed to be the aft facing you so I'll redo the movement. Thanks for catching that.

I just thought I should check... since Gear lowered their aft shields ;-)

Pangea checks the course of the first missile... and punches in the firing codes for a second one.
Question: does spending the RP to counter the quantum defender work for only one's own attacks, or for everyone's attacks of the round?
Pangea will use this (again) this round.
(that means 2nd RP spent, unless I did not need to spend last round?)

Spending the RP only helps your own attacks. The quantum defense effect isn't arc-specific though - it's either off or it's on - so you don't need to worry about which arc you're targeting.

Goose continues to monitor trajectories and vectors, honing in on the right spot and moment to fire.

"Let's end this quick team!" shouts the diminutive ysoki as he pours on the firepower where he sees Pangea's missiles direction to the aft arc.

Gear works quickly to bring some of the forward shields back up (12 restored to the forward arc) and Mordack finds another glitch and disrupts the other ship's aft shields. Buzz easily steers the ship in evasive maneuvers as the King Xeros moves off just slightly to the side with its rear facing the Drake.

The King Xeros launches a missile and fires its fire projectors again, but they both careen harmlessly past the Drake, even at short range.

The missile that Pangea fired earlier, without aid from the ship's targeting computer, goes off target and explodes nearby in empty space. His next missile starts heading toward the King Xeros but is thrown off by the pilot's adept evasive maneuvers and misses at the last moment.

However, the evasion can't help them avoid Goose's particle beam. It lands directly in the rear arc with the disrupted shields, and some of the damage goes directly to the hull once more. More sparks go flying, and one side engine of the ship appears to flicker out of existence and then immediately return.

Drake: Forward shields down 24

Round 3
King Xeros: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (2) + 15 = 17
Drake: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38

Buzz pilots like a rock star and so I'll be moving the King Xeros first. (Edit: Done)

Mordack continues to drain the enemies rear shields computers: 21 + 1d20 ⇒ 21 + (15) = 36

Gear keeps working on keeping those shields up!

Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (20) + 14 = 34

Buzz attempts to maneuver quickly...

Piloting(Maneuver): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (1) + 21 = 22 Vs. DC 27.

...but it doesn't work out.

Shrugging, he simply moves the ship.

@Mordack: You can choose to act before or after me... I would assume you do so after me, so you can pick the 'right' arc to target?

Goose continues to monitor trajectories and vectors, honing in on the right spot and moment to fire.

Hoping to pound more fire into their rear arc, Goose settles for the arc that Mordack drops.

I'll let Mordack target the starboard arc that your guns can reach, since if we were playing at the table that's probably how it would have happened.

Also, I did mean to say in my last post that the quantum defender is active again this round. It is, so the RP cost is necessary to avoid it.

Gear successfully brings back some shields (12 more to forward) as the two ships dance around each other in space and Mordack temporarily lowers the shields facing the Drake. The King Xeros appears to be trying to duck and weave to evade shots, but it looks again more like it is floundering in space. One starts to wonder about the quality of the pilot chosen for the mission.

Pangea and Goose both focus on ignoring the bizarre quantum defender effect, though Pangea's missile once more goes wide of the ship. Goose's shot lands, but the 11 damage is entirely absorbed by the starboard shields, even after Mordack's assistance.

For its part, the King Xeros fires once with its starboard aeon caster, which misses badly, and then once with the turret-mounted fire projectors, which hit, dealing 22 damage to the Drake's starboard arc.

Drake: Forward shields down 12, starboard shields down 22
If you restore shields again, please specify where you're distributing them.

Round 4
King Xeros: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
Drake: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (14) + 21 = 35

Buzz again displays far superior piloting abilities.

I will move first. The quantum defender is again active this turn.

Buzz tries to coax more manoeuvrability out of the Drake...

Piloting(Manoeuvre): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (19) + 21 = 40 Vs DC 27.

...and this time, easily succeeds, allowing him to flip the ship around, tight against the King Xeros' rear arc.

When a engineer restores shields, it goes to all 4 evenly, with "Excess" from any one side being dumped to forward first, then to other sides. Ya need a science officer to shift that power to any specific quadrant.

Gear once again throws her weight behind her wrench to coax more power out of the core and into the shields.

Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Goose let's out a delighted yell as the ship deftly aligns behind the enemy ship.

"Let's give 'em all we've got!" Goose yells as he punches the large main laser.

@Gear: That was changed in an FAQ. Engineers can now restore shields to any arc.

Nifty! The Starboard arc since that's hurting the most.

Gear diverts energy from the core to bring up starboard shields, and Buzz agilely steers the ship around to be right on the tail of the King Xeros.

Botting Mordack to disrupt shields in the aft arc of the King Xeros

Pangea fires another missile but once again it flies off into space. Goose gets a little too excited at their excellent positioning and can't quite hit the other ship either.

On the other hand, the gunners on the King Xeros finally seem to have synced up with their targeting controls. The turret-mounted fire projectors manage a solid hit on the Drake that completely takes out the forward shields and scrapes against the hull. That shot is followed closely by a torpedo that plows right into the Drake.

Fire projectors do 33 damage, taking out the 28 remaining forward shields and doing 5 HP damage. The torpedo does 22 HP damage. That's more than 20 damage so you passed a crit threshold.

System affected: 1d100 ⇒ 37
Weapons array. To determine which arc is affected, I'll roll d4, with 1 starting in the forward arc and going around clockwise.
Which arc?: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Aft weapons are glitching.

Drake status: 73/100 HP, forward shields down 40, starboard shields down 10, aft weapons glitching

Round 5
King Xeros: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16
Drake: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (3) + 21 = 24

We both rolled terribly but I'll move first. The quantum defense is again active this round.

I think the real problem is, we are consistently needing to hit AC 30 in order to hit the other ship, which is slowing things down, since our gunners, even with the computer, need 15's or 16's to hit... with the weapons glitching, that takes it to 17's or 18's to hit.

Buzz, growing increasingly frustrated, tries to stay on the other ship's tail.

Piloting(Manoeuvre): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (8) + 21 = 29 Vs DC 27.

Gear yelps as sparks fly and she pulls as many levers as she can.

CAN WE NOT DO THAT? PRETTY PLEASE?! She shouts into the coms.

Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21 Recovering our forward shields.

Did you say the ship was hard to hit, I will lock on instead.
computers: 21 + 1d20 ⇒ 21 + (16) = 37 To lock on to make it easier to hit enemy ship I wasn't aware that we had to hit AC 30, so I'm better off locking on.

Goose starts to get an uneasy feeling as the momentum has shifted to that of the enemy.

"Come on baby, hold together" he speaks as he gently pats the bulkhead for luck.

Mordack, you do need to spend 1 RP to lock on, so make sure to note that. To peel back the curtain a little, both of your attacks this round would have missed by 2, so it was good timing to lock on!

King Xeros crit system: 1d100 ⇒ 38
Arc: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Port and turret weapons

Gear scrambles to restore their forward shields but in the chaos of alarms going off she misses one important step. DC is 22. While Buzz nudges up right behind the King Xeros, Mordack focuses on giving their weapons a firm lock on the other ship.

With that targeting assistance, Pangea's final missile at last reaches its target, though this time it meets the full force of the King Xeros's aft shields and all it can do is bring the shield down. Goose follows up with another shot from the forward laser, which goes right through the shields and damages the ship's hull. The weapons on the port side of the ship have been visibly damaged by the blast.

Unfortunately, the King Xeros opens up with a barrage of its own, and the turret and aft missile both hit on the Drake's unprotected forward arc. The turret does 35 damage, and the missile does 33. That brings it to a total of 95 damage and three more crit thresholds passed.

I believe the combat can be called at this point in favor of the King Xeros. I will post another update later today to describe what happens next.

Bizarrely, I am actually keen to push on - I agree, we are going down next round, but, by my math, King Xeros is *also* heavily damaged, so we might be able to take it down, at the same time that it takes us down... which won't, technically, count as a 'loss' ;-)

EDIT: Especially since we have at least one 'Hero of the Stars' slotted, to prevent us actually falling to 0 hp!

Obviously, now would be a fantastic time to use re-rolls ;-)

Going for broke, Buzz makes a last-ditch attempt to help take down King Xeros.

Piloting(Flyby): 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (13) + 21 = 34 Vs DC 27.

Obviously, I am going to choose to allow us to target the Aft arc, with the Forward guns ;-) Goose, it is all down to you!

Ok, in that case I need to check on the crit effects from last round.

Crit 1: 1d100 ⇒ 42 Weapons again
Arc: 1d4 ⇒ 4 Port and turret weapons
Crit 2: 1d100 ⇒ 23 Sensors
Crit 3: 1d100 ⇒ 36 Weapons again, good grief
Arc: 1d4 ⇒ 1 Forward and turret weapons

Drake status: 5/100 HP, forward shields down 40, starboard shields down 10, aft weapons glitching, port weapons glitching, forward weapons glitching, turret weapons wrecked

Round 6
King Xeros: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33
Drake: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38

The King Xeros moves to turn its aft side away. You would know all that information before taking your pilot action - does it change anything?

Nope - because this way, they at least have to get through a new set of shielding, before they can obliterate us ;-)

computers: 21 + 1d20 ⇒ 21 + (20) = 41 He does the action the captain of the ship tells him to do. Captain, suggestions? I can do it.

At this point in time, anything that helps the main gunner is probably what we should aim for; it is kind of a 'hail mary' moment, here ;-)

Pangea fires away.

Goose will try one last ditch attempt to overcome the Xeros' defenses.

Harrying fire sounds like a good idea to me :-)

Some told me to lock on, got it, subtracting another RP. I'm going to save at least 3 RP if it comes down to it.

Gear does her best to patch up the systems to help the aiming crew Patching the weapons so they can take the shot.

Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (12) + 14 = 26

Harrying fire is not an action in starship combat. There are other things you could do - fire at will, broadside, or switch to captain to encourage someone, for example. But since these virtual dice were rolled I'm going with the two shots.

Gear knuckles down and quickly restructures the ship's controls so the forward weapons can be fired without difficulty. It will need further repair later, but for now this is the crew's moment of glory!

Mordack once again boosts their targeting system, and Buzz begins a daring maneuver to fly right up against the King Xeros's aft so their weapons can fire at point blank range. The King Xeros activates its quantum defense and tries to evade the incoming vessel, but it can't get away in time. The Drake's nose almost brushes against the other ship's shielding, but he manages to pull off the maneuver.

Pangea fires the front coilgun but the shot misses wildly. Goose's particle beam, with Mordack's targeting assistance and Gear's quick patch, manages to hit the nearly-unprotected aft quadrant of the King Xeros! It takes down the hastily-restored shields and shoots right through to the ship's hull.

Meanwhile the King Xeros attempts to return fire. Its damaged turret weapon can't lock on, but the starboard aeon caster fires off a shot as the Drake pulls away. The Starfinder ship's port shields are fully active, and are able to completely absorb the blast.

At that moment, the damage from Goose's shot propagates throughout the vessel. Thanks to the research found earlier, Goose knew where to hit to disable the ship without doing serious damage to it, but it seems to be quite clearly dead in space, and is now releasing vapor-like wisps of ethereal essence at a steady pace. Its escape has been halted!

You win! That was a truly epic last round, well done!

***

After a few moments pass, several of the Azlanti modifications detach from the ship and drift away, and there are beams of light shooting out from the Drift engine while the whole ship shakes violently. Two escape pods launch from the ship's flanks.

You hear Naiaj's voice crackle over the comms once more. "You have all done well. We are not quite finished fighting the vanguard over here, but I'm worried about the King Xeros. Something looks very wrong over there. You need to get over there and stop whatever is causing that erratic behavior. The rest of us will join you as support as soon as we get a chance. Naiaj out."

You can dock with one of the empty pod bays, now that the escape pods have been jettisoned.