[Outpost II] GM Mjolbeard's 1-10 The Half-Alive Streets (Inactive)

Game Master Mjolbeard89

Tolmu enters the room and casts Detect Affliction.

Wisdom Check vs. DC=20: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Life Science vs. DC=20: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

DETECT AFFLICTION: School: divination Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Targets: one creature or object
Duration: instantaneous Saving Throw: none; Spell Resistance: yes (harmless)
You determine whether a creature or object has been poisoned, is diseased, is Cursed, or is suffering a similar affliction. If the target is poisoned or diseased, you automatically detect that fact and can determine the exact type of poison or disease with a successful DC 20 Intelligence or Wisdom check. If you are trained in Life Science or Medicine (depending on the nature of the poison or disease), you can attempt a DC 20 check of that skill if you fail your Wisdom or Intelligence check. If the target is Cursed or suffering from a similar affliction, you must succeed at a DC 20 Intelligence or Wisdom check to determine that fact. You can then determine the exact nature of the Curse with a successful DC 25 Mysticism check.

Chk'tarlsh gingerly nurses his zapped arm. "Thanksh. I'm okay," he reassures his companions.

Slowly working feeling back into his throbbing fingertips, he covers his mouth with a forearm, the stench reaching the doorway from where he watches the others investigating.

Despite the obvious dead body lying in the middle of the room, S9 makes right for the real source of intel--the computer. She gives the keyboard a few test clicks, and the screen wakes up, the cursor blinking in the password field.

Meanwhile, Roddy kneels down to examine what is clearly Shenge's body. With a quick, skillful search, he finds a datajack installed in the halfling's left arm, even though it is very well concealed. Tolmu once again uses his magical insight to see what afflicted Shenge, and though it is a challenge to find it in a subject who is already dead, he does find confirm that the augmentation was the cause of death; it appears that the circuitry connecting the datajack and Shenge’s brain grew out of control, trying to connect to components it couldn’t find.

Just as Tolmu is describing the cause of Shenge's demise by means of the corrupted augmentation, the datajack's circuitry gives off a faint beep and a blink of light. The noise and lights occur again, and again, continuing until the display is recurring in rapid succession. Suddenly, Shenge's body gives a twitch, and its eyes open as it reaches toward Roddy!

INITIATIVE
Shenge's Apartment - Round 1
Bold may post!
Laniakea
S9
Chk'tarlsh
Hank
Shenge
Tolmu
Roddy

"Look out, Roddy!" Laniakea shouts as he draws his perforator pistol and fires at the animated halfling corpse.

perforator pistol: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8 vs. screened target
Sonic: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

"Roddy! Tolmu!" Chk'tarlsh calls out in warning.

Faced with the animated Shenge and the crowded cell, he drops his assault hammer and draws his laser rifle, firing at the corpse.

Azimuth laser rifle: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Fire Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 2

S9 hops back from the computer, startled. "Ack, I went straight for the tech and this is what happens. Should've known something was off about the smelly, casually covered thing on the bed!"

Forced into close combat, S9 winds up a punch and throws it at Zombie Shenge.
Bone cestus: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 121d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

"What the..." Hank exclaims as he hears the commotion inside the cramped building.

Drawing his pistol he releases the safety and moves to get a better shot. Seeing no good shot he elects to hold his fire for now.

Draw Pistol, Delay.

Zombie-Shenge reaches toward Tolmu as various attacks rain down upon and around him. Only the laser from Chk'tarlsh's rifle finds its mark, though it only scores a small burn on the reanimated halfling's shoulder. As it reels slightly from the blow, the zombie raises both its arms and brings them crashing down upon Roddy.

Slam, full attack: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (14) + 8 - 4 = 18 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Slam, full attack: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 8 - 4 = 11 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Only the first fist finds purchase on the soldier, but it bruises Roddy badly.

INITIATIVE
Shenge's Apartment - Round 1
Bold may post!
Shenge (-2)
Tolmu
Roddy (0/9 SP, 11/11 HP)
---------
Shenge's Apartment - Round 2
Laniakea
S9
Chk'tarlsh
Hank

Roddy cracks his knuckles. "My turn," he growls, and throws out a flurry of punches at the zombie's face.

Making two attacks.

Hammer Fist vs Zombie-Shenge KAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (6) + 5 - 4 = 7
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

Hammer Fist vs Zombie-Shenge KAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (12) + 5 - 4 = 13
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Sigh.

Tolmu draws his Membrane Holdout Pistol and fires at the zombie..."Sorry it has come to this, little one."

Membrane Holdout Pistol vs. Zombie EAC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
possible Fire/Holy damage vs. Zombie: 1d6 ⇒ 6

NOTE: I did not adjust for cover. Also, Tolmu has the following 2 Feats that may or may not be applicable: Divine Blessing(Sarenrae): first fire effect each round does 1/2 fire and 1/2 holy. Mystic Strike: Your melee and ranged attacks count as magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction and other situations, such as attacking incorporeal creatures.

Though the cybernetic zombie inexplicably avoids Roddy's flailing fists, Tolmu's divinely empowered blast takes it in the chest.

INITIATIVE
Shenge's Apartment - Round 2
Bold may post!
Laniakea
S9
Chk'tarlsh
Hank
Shenge (-8)
Tolmu
Roddy (0/9 SP, 11/11 HP)

Seeing her bony cestus has limited effectiveness, and being much more skilled with guns, S9 instead draws her arc pistol, twirls it, and fires at Shenge at point-blank range.

Arc pistol vs EAC: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 171d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

"Hold strong, Roddy!" Laniakea inspires the bruiser.

Inspiring Boost: Roddy restores 9 SP.

Hank sees the group having some difficulty and decides to risk a shot here

Auto-Pistol: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
damage, bludgeoning: 1d6 ⇒ 4
Rounds 8/9, he did not take cover into account.

Antennae twitching in irritation as his laser blast has less impact than expected. Standing firm, he fires twice in rapid succession.

Azimuth laser rifle, first: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 6 - 4 = 13
Fire Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8
Azimuth laser rifle, second: 1d20 + 6 - 4 ⇒ (2) + 6 - 4 = 4
Fire Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

As S9 fires her arc pistol, Shenge takes the opportunity to strike her while she is vulnerable.

Slam AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 19 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8

Despite the retaliatory attack, though, S9's shot strikes true, and the zombie seems particularly harmed by the electric current charging through it.

Meanwhile, Laniakea tries to help Roddy stay in the fight. Hank fires off a shot, but hits the wall around Shenge's door instead. Chk'tarlsh fires off a sequence of shots as well, but neither shot strikes successfully.

Finding a new, dangerous target, the cybernetic zombie strikes at S9 again and again.

Slam AoO: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (11) + 8 - 4 = 15 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
Slam AoO: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (15) + 8 - 4 = 19 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

INITIATIVE
Shenge's Apartment - Round 2
Bold may post!
Shenge (-5)
Tolmu
Roddy (9/9 SP, 11/11 HP)
---------
Shenge's Apartment - Round 3
Laniakea
S9 (4/21 SP, 24/24 HP)
Chk'tarlsh
Hank

Membrane Holdout Pistol vs. Zombie EAC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20
possible Fire/Holy damage vs. Zombie: 1d6 ⇒ 5

NOTE: I did not adjust for cover. Also, Tolmu has the following 2 Feats that may or may not be applicable: Divine Blessing(Sarenrae): first fire effect each round does 1/2 fire and 1/2 holy. Mystic Strike: Your melee and ranged attacks count as magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction and other situations, such as attacking incorporeal creatures.

Chittering in frustration, Chk'tarlsh takes care to line up the next shot more carefully.

Azimuth laser rifle: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22
Fire Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8

Laniakea steps onto the makeshift walkway and bolsters S9. "Stay in the fight," he calls. "You have this in hand!"

Inspiring Boost: restore 9 stamina

Scowling, Roddy cracks his knuckles and tries again.

Two attacks again. Come on, Roddy! Jeez!

Hammer Fist vs KAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Hammer Fist vs KAC: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

UGH.

S9 chokes on blood, wearily shifting between her feet. "Ugh, that really hurt!" She toys with her weapon in frustration, but then hears Laniakea shout inspiration, and she presses the toggle to charge the next Azimuth blast. "There's no reason we shouldn't be able to take this animated bozo down!"

She tosses her gun between her hands and watches Zombie Shenge's eyes shift around. When he least expects it, she pulls the trigger.

Trick Attack: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (14) + 14 = 28 vs 20 + CR, Target is FF if successful
Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (16) + 5 = 211d6 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Extra damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4

Hank sights his pistol again and fires...

Auto-Pistol: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
damage, bludgeoning: 1d6 ⇒ 5
Rounds 2/9, he did not take cover into account.

With a stunning barrage of weapon fire, Tolmu, Chk'tarlsh, and S9 all blast Shenge, leaving scorch marks and electric burns across much of the reanimated halfling's body. Once again, S9's attack seems particularly effective, as it fries some of Shenge's circuits.

Roddy and Hank continue to struggle in their attempts to hit Shenge.

Laniakea provides an inspiring word to S9, helping her to stay in the fight.

Shenge does not let these attacks go unnoticed, though. He finds himself thrown too off-balance by S9's tricky maneuver to give her a slam in return for her shot. He doesn't delay to beat up on both targets in front of him, though.

Slam vs S9: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 8 - 4 = 14 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Slam vs Roddy: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (13) + 8 - 4 = 17 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7

Laniakea is able to nimbly dodge out of the way, but Roddy doesn't keep his hands up as he throws more punches at the cybernetic zombie in front of him, and he pays for it with a slam to his jaw.

INITIATIVE
Shenge's Apartment - Round 3
Bold may post!
Shenge (-33, flat-footed)
Tolmu
Roddy (2/9 SP, 11/11 HP)
---------
Shenge's Apartment - Round 4
Laniakea
S9 (13/21 SP, 24/24 HP)
Chk'tarlsh
Hank

Membrane Holdout Pistol vs. Zombie EAC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
possible Fire/Holy damage vs. Zombie: 1d6 ⇒ 1

NOTE: I did not adjust for cover. Also, Tolmu has the following 2 Feats that may or may not be applicable: Divine Blessing(Sarenrae): first fire effect each round does 1/2 fire and 1/2 holy. Mystic Strike: Your melee and ranged attacks count as magic for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction and other situations, such as attacking incorporeal creatures.

Laniakea draws his pulsecaster and fires into the small apartment.

Pulsecaster Pistol: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (7) + 6 = 13 vs. cover
E: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Even though he knows perfectly well what the outcome will be, Roddy keeps trying to pummel the zombie.

Hammer Fist vs KAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (7) + 5 - 4 = 8
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 B

Hammer Fist vs KAC: 1d20 + 5 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 5 - 4 = 11
Damage: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 B

Yep. Poor useless Roddy.

"Ssure can take a hit..." Chk'tarlsh murmurs as Once-Was-Shenge continues to stand before the group's attacks.

Waiting for a relatively clear shot, he once more takes his time, firing a single shot.

Azimuth laser rifle: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Fire Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 1

I feel your pain Roddy.

This zombie refuses to know when it is dead! Just imagine facing an army of these things...

Hank carefully aims and fires again...

Auto-Pistol: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
damage, bludgeoning: 1d6 ⇒ 2
Rounds 3/9, he did not take cover into account.

"He's gotta go down soon. Keep going!" With Zombie Shenge now flat on his feet, S9 is quick to fire another shot from her pistol, aiming for his gut.

Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 171d6 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Thanks to S9's tricky maneuvers, Shenge is caught off-guard by the shots from Laniakea, Chk'tarlsh, and S9 herself. All three attacks make the reanimated halfling stagger and stand limply in the death-suffused apartment.

Silence reigns for a moment as Shenge stands motionless, not yet falling, but also no longer attacking. The quiet is interrupted, though, by a faint beeping emanating from his left arm, where the light on the datajack is blinking wildly. Suddenly, the whole room is filled with brilliant light as arcs of electricity erupt from the dead Shenge, lashing at everyone standing nearby!

All creatures within a 10ft radius of Shenge will need a DC12 reflex save to take half the damage below as Shenge's biotech augmentation self-destructs!
I'll go ahead and roll the saves so I can also move us along after my absence yesterday.

Self-destruct: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

Reflex Roddy: 1d20 ⇒ 3
Reflex Chk'tarlsh: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
Reflex S9: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12

OUT OF COMBAT
End of Combat Summary
Tolmu
Roddy (0/9 SP, 8/11 HP)
Laniakea
S9 (11/21 SP, 24/24 HP)
Chk'tarlsh (14/16 SP, 20/20 HP)
Hank

Having defeated the reanimated body of Maija's friend, Shenge, you now realize, if you weren’t already certain, that the Renew-You augmentations are killing recipients and reanimating them as biotech zombies. The operators of Renew-You, where the augmentations were installed, must have some answers, and Shenge’s computer should lead you right to them, if only you can gain access.

Computers check to hack into the computer. You should also feel free to do Perception checks to search the apartment further (HINT HINT).

"That was an expected result, but I still find it disappointing," Laniakea morosely states. He turns on his environmental protections to save himself from the smell as he enters to investigate the gore-splattered apartment.

He piles the credsticks that he finds tucked behind cushions and under books onto the desk. "Look here," he says and pulls the desk away from the wall. Reaching back with his lanky arm, he fishes out an oculocloak processor and a high-density datajack.

"A shame," he murmurs, looking at the market-level datajack.

Hank shudders briefly as he sees the aftereffects of the augmentation.

These guys play fer keeps!

After making sure no one else has taken any undue interest in the action he moves inside the room and proceeds to look around...

Perception: 1d20 ⇒ 18

He looks over the unmarked credsticks, and also nods on seeing the hidden compartment in the desk. "Looks like our late friend was quite busy!". Finally he reveals the taped note with several access codes to the bottom of a desk drawer.

"Think this will help us hack in there!"

Feel free to look at the spoilers as Hank will reveal all of them.

Tolmu looks around the room...

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

...then he looks at Roddy and says.."If we are going to rest for 10 minuites, I can heal that damage."

If the party does rest, after searching, etc., Tolmu will use his: Healing Touch(SU): Once per day, you can spend 10 minutes to magically heal an ally up to 5 Hit Points per mystic level.

Laying on his back with several black streaks across his face and armor, Roddy stares morosely at the ceiling as Tolmu makes his offer. "That would be swell, thanks."

Since we'll have to rest 10 minutes for Healing Touch, I'll also spend an RP to regain my Stamina.

S9 rubs her sore shoulders, dusting off the sharpnel sprayed from Shenge's auto-destruction. "Yeah, I think I'm going to need a few minutes to recuperate. Then I'll have a look at the computer. These codes will come in handy. Nice find, Hank."

Spend 1 RP

I have +9 Computers, not sure if anyone has higher?

Laniakea provides S9 with a few tips from his basic hacking class during Steward training.

Computers (Aid S9), DC 10: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26

Since we're going to rest and I'll burn a RP, it is a moot point, but for transparency's sake I wanted to point out that Chk'tarlsh had taken an extra 5 SP damage from the security measures when they initially tried to enter the apartment. He would have been 9/16 SP after the encounter.

Caught up in the electrical discharge from the augmentation's self-destruction, Chk'tarlsh readily agrees with taking a few minutes to prepare themselves before continuing the investigation.

Chuckling, he reaches over and claps Roddy heartily on the shoulder before finding a a seat on the floor nearby the man. Gathering up his earlier discarded hammer, he says, "A good showinkh. Ssstandinkh toe to toe the whole way."

Even with the access codes and help from Laniakea, S9 is unable to access Shenge's files.

Your initial computer check didn't quite hit the DC. Go ahead and give it another shot with all the same bonuses (carry over Laniakea's aid as well as the access code bonus).

"Damn it, I can't seem to decipher this algorithm..." S9 bangs her hands on the keyboard, frustrated. "Come on, Laniakea, do you see anything odd with this line of code? Maybe I can trigger a buffer overflow..."

Computers + Laniakea's Aid + Bonus: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 9 + 2 + 4 = 26

S9's determination pays off, and she is able to use the correct access code to login to Shenge's computer. Searching through the computer's files, you find Shenge’s appointment calendar for the past month, including several visits to the Renew-You clinic and a follow-up appointment with Vrisken to discuss “promotional activities” at a residential address farther out in the Ring.

With a little further digging, you also find a firewall blocking access to an additional file labeled "RY Tragic Backstory".

If you'd like, you can attempt another Computers check with the same bonuses again.

Roddy snorts as he wipes some of the black streaks off his armor as best he can. "I'd rather have been able to go fist to fist with him, but that didn't happen. Who knew a zombie could be so spry?"

He shuffles over and watches S9 work at the computer, clearly impressed with her skills.

"I think at this point in time we should contact Venture-Captain Arvin and let them know what we have learned so far. They need to get a team down here to secure the scene as well as someone to secure Maija for proper treatment before she turns as well. Last thing we need is an outbreak."

Roddy shrugs. "Are you sure about that? Shouldn't the cellular replication stop now that the implant is out? I mean, I'm good letting the captain know our progress either way."

I'm guessing we have a comm line for the venture-captain so we can keep him updated?

Computers: 1d20 + 9 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 2 + 4 = 17

Uh oh! Presume there's a penalty for failure. If not, I would have taken 10. GM?

I believe you can always take 10 if you're not in immediate danger. I think you can't take 20 if there are penalties for failure though.

You have one more chance to try to bypass the Firewall. There is a countermeasure in place that trips after three failed checks, and that was your second one.

Take 10 for 25

Beads of sweat form on S9's forehead do Shirren possess sweat glands? Anyway... as she pounds away at the keyboard. "Come on come on come on... Oh! Here we go." The terminal beeps, and the screen fills with data. "Jackpot. Looks like Shenge stored a dossier on his potential business partners, including Renew-You. He documented Renew-You’s roller-coaster business trajectory: the family-run cybernetics clinic was on the verge of losing its operating permit when suddenly one of the owners died. Despite the mysterious death of its physician Kinnakt, the clinic switched to biotech augmentations of markedly improved quality. The clinic’s two remaining owners began turning a profit and were considering expanding their business - hence consulting Shenge. However, Shenge’s dossier notes that the owners abruptly closed shop last week."

"We should let Philt know what we found, also," he says to Chk'tarlsh.

"Agreed." He rubs a hand over his scalp. "So where do we search now? Renew-You was a dead end, and so was Shenge. Literally, in his case. Does the file say where the owners of Renew-You live? That would be a big help."