Outpost 2 - Liam - 1-19 To Conquer the Dragon (Inactive)

Game Master Liam

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (18) + 12 = 30

"Woah!! Guys! See those diamon-like items over there? Let's try to avoid them for now. They look kinda dangerous. BUT... Perhaps we can safely scoop some up later. I think I might be able to use that stuff to set up some ka-BOOM! type devices!!"

Replying to Neon Ten, "No problemo! You take care of the hot stuff and I'll manage the lock!!"

Raatchet gets to work on popping the lock open...
Engineering: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (14) + 19 = 33

"Seems like he went out with a bang. Worse ways to go." It would be quicker than bleeding out on a frozen mountain. He watched the others work through the fire and fence while just trying to stay out of the way so he wouldn't step on one of the ysoki working on getting past the fence.

He kept his eyes peeled for anything dangerous, but still almost steps on several of the explosive diamonds until Raatchet spouts off his warning. He freezes in place, looks down, and then carefully steps back a couple paces. "Doesn't mean I want to go that way today. Thanks." He grumbles something inaudible. "If you can't get the fence, let me know and I'll try."

You can't get to the inventory without going through the crystals.

The water elemental cheerfully goes after the clearly adversarial fires, and will probably spend its entire summon time fighting them. There are lots of things burning. This tends to happen when you fly a space ship into a mountain.

Click. Whirr.

BOTTING BROB

Mysticism Aid: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 1 = 14

"Let me aid you in figuring this out, Neon!"

Finding the water elemental is much more effective than a fire extinguisher, Naylor looks at the diamonds and tries to assist Neon in determining what to do about the diamonds.

Mysticism Aid: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

"Look at this..."

"Not my forte... But I'll try to lend a hand..."

Mysticism, assist: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Mysticism, 2 Aid Another’s, Library Chip?: 10 + 12 + 4 + 4 = 30

Neon Ten looks through his Library Chip and finds the relevant entry. “Eoxian Diamonds, rather clever in how they sense the minds of living creatures.” He carefully moves into the area while asking others to start a common focusing chant.

He concentrates a few moments, the tattoo around his left eye glowing slightly. Looking back, he says “There, they should be suppressed now.”

Pacifying the damaged Eoxian Diamonds allows you to search the opened cargo area.

You find an experimental AbadarCorp computer chip worth 1800 credits.

On the dead shirren, he is wearing Vesk Overplate II and has an adamantine microserrated longsword.

Pacifying the damaged Eoxian Diamonds allows you to search the opened cargo area.

You find an experimental AbadarCorp computer chip worth 1800 credits.

On the dead shirren, he is wearing Vesk Overplate II and has an adamantine microserrated longsword.

where to next?

where to next?

"Thanks for suppressing the creepy Eoxian diamonds, Neon! Do you think our draconic host left them behind as a trap, or were they something that affected her and her crew? They weren't packed very safely, and let's face it... She's not the most stable personality I've met! She deliberately crashed her ship!" Charli steps carefully over and around all the gems scattered on the floor. "Let's not leave any unexplored places behind us, and keep our eyes and ears open for more traps. I propose searching first the room to the north of us with lots of doors -- likely a lavoratory. Then the three rooms nearest us. The closed door to the south, then the caged southern storage area, and then then the caged northern storage area."

I've marked each of these with a pink and purple star.

Perception, small room to the north with lots of little doors: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18

Perception, small room to the south: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

Perception, caged storage areas: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31

This is a proposed search path, to be interrupted by any monsters that leap out at us from these rooms.

Looking around, Neon admits “My guess is the dragon left them, but there is a possibility that they were simply scattered when one of the chests burst open.”

Reviewing the information he got from the ship scans, Neon does suggest “Shouldn’t we move towards the bridge? That is most likely where the data is, and it would be easier to retrieve before the bridge plummets off the cliff side.”

Neon Ten looks at the hull structure, trying to determine where it is most likely to break.
Engineering + Chip: 1d20 + 18 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 18 + 4 = 38

As he is looking, he also mentions “I am also concerned that we have only found the one body. That means the other crew either got sensible and left or are planning an ambush.”

“Personally, I’m hoping at least a few have decided to leave.”

"If there's an ambush to be planned, all the more reason not to leave unexplored places behind us." Charli notes. "Let's explore this, but be fast about it."

Valikar will flip a switch on one of his magboots, and his feet find considerably more traction on the ground as he marches into the wreckage with clunking steps. He'll follow Charli's recommendations on where to search with just a pause to check for any surprises before shoving each door open with its own grunt. "The dragon is crazy, she's probably still here somewhere. Doubt she'd fit in any of these rooms. A crew too scared to run from her can."

Perception Small North Room: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15
Perception Small South Room: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Perception Storage Cage: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

Looking around, Neon admits “My guess is the dragon left them, but there is a possibility that they were simply scattered when one of the chests burst open.”

Reviewing the information he got from the ship scans, Neon does suggest “Shouldn’t we move towards the bridge? That is most likely where the data is, and it would be easier to retrieve before the bridge plummets off the cliff side.”

Neon Ten looks at the hull structure, trying to determine where it is most likely to break.
[dice=Engineering + Chip]d20+18+4

As he is looking, he also mentions “I am also concerned that we have only found the one body. That means the other crew either got sensible and left or are planning an ambush.”

“Personally, I’m hoping at least a few have decided to leave.”

From looking at the hull parts you can see, the ship has already fractured as much as it is going to. When the power core detonates, that is likely to cause some more ruptures and send the entire ship, and maybe part of the cliff it is on into the ravine below.

Valikar will flip a switch on one of his magboots, and his feet find considerably more traction on the ground as he marches into the wreckage with clunking steps. He'll follow Charli's recommendations on where to search with just a pause to check for any surprises before shoving each door open with its own grunt. "The dragon is crazy, she's probably still here somewhere. Doubt she'd fit in any of these rooms. A crew too scared to run from her can."

[dice=Perception Small North Room]1d20 + 8
[dice=Perception Small South Room]1d20 + 8
[dice=Perception Storage Cage]1d20 + 8

The small south room (A) appears to be storage for the crew's personal supplies and equipment. Most of the lockers here have been destroyed, or their contents damaged.

The small north room (B) is the lavatory. Six stalls, no waiting. The smashed shower is spraying water out in the cold air and slowly coating everything with a layer of ice.

The small storage cage to the north (D) appears to have once been the ships mess. It's really a mess now.

The small storage area to the south (C) is where you found the Shirren and the Diamonds.

There's either nothing to find in these areas, or it is all cleverly hidden, as you didn't see anything.

You may proceed out to the open area in the middle of the map

I'm dropping my perception rolls for the various rooms also...

Perception, Room A: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13
Perception, Room B: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22
Perception, Room C: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32
Perception, Room D: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
Perception, Room E: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

And I've moved everyone's tokens to catch up with Valikar. Everyone feel free to move your token around if you wish. I presume the next step will be for Valikar to open the door!

"Shall we do this door [E] first, then that one [F]?"

Perception, Room E: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Perception, Room F: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (12) + 11 = 23

"Sounds logical to me!!"

Assuming nothing interrupts us when we open the door to F, here's a perception from Raatchet...

Perception, Room F: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

Neon Ten just follows along quietly, looking around for any sort of computer interface as he goes.

Is it still slippery here?

Nalor moves with the others, checking out each area and making sure everyone checks for traps before proceeding. He also offers, "I have these nifty trapsmith's tools available if we do find some gifts from these renegades. They can be useful when attempting to disarm something."

Perception A: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
Perception B: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27
Perception C: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Perception D: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19
Perception E: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Perception F: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20

Neon Ten just follows along quietly, looking around for any sort of computer interface as he goes.

Is it still slippery here?

Nope, just over by the cages.

Room E appears to be the remains of a briefing room, the back part sheared off during the crash.

Room F

The starship’s power core chamber stretches the height of the vessel, with corrugated walkways connected to rung ladders stretching up and down the core’s housing. Cracks crisscross the reaction chamber and brief flashes of plasma discharge sear the air.

It appears that all crew in this room have perished because the reactor core is venting plasma at random points into the chamber. Filling entire sections of the room with fire every six seconds or so.

Raatchet looks at the core (from a safe distance) to try and determine if there's any chance of averting the explosion or at least making the area temporarily more safe.

Engineering: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (15) + 19 = 34

Do we see a path to the bridge? I don't understand the map with part of it shown in the lower left corner. Is there another path to get there?

Neon Ten is wondering if there might be a safe way to vent the reactor, cut off fuel, drain the energy or otherwise prevent it from exploding, Failing that, is there a way to shape the resulting explosion so that the majority of it goes straight up.

Engineering, Library Chip: 1d20 + 18 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 18 + 4 = 32

Plus any bonus representing our knowledge of this type of vessel.

While Valikar has some level of engineer skill, it's nowhere near the level of Neon or Raatchet. So he stays by the door watching the core and trying to determine if there's any particular pattern to what part of the room will be flooded with Plasma. "Think we can go around this? It doesn't seem safe. And I like not being baked."

“We should be able to just go around it.” Neon says, gesturing towards the north. “I was just trying to come up with some way to reduce the hazard to the area.”

Seeing it, do any of us have a better idea of how long until it goes boom?

"Those poor crew members. They were jerks, but I would not have wished that on them." Charli sighs. "If we can't diffuse it, we should go around and see if there is some other way to the bridge."

Once Neon knows whether the reactor can be defused or not, Charli says, "Let's search for another way to the bridge."

Perception Area G: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

Perception, Broken Ledge: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (15) + 11 = 26

“We should be able to just go around it.” Neon says, gesturing towards the north. “I was just trying to come up with some way to reduce the hazard to the area.”

Seeing it, do any of us have a better idea of how long until it goes boom?

You figure two hours before it completely ruptures.

Once Neon knows whether the reactor can be defused or not, Charli says, "Let's search for another way to the bridge."

[dice=Perception Area G]1d20+11

[dice=Perception, Broken Ledge]1d20+11

You notice that the unopened door to area G is quite warm, hot actually.

Assuming this is the drop by area G

On the broken ledge, you see snow falling, and a good view of the bridge swinging in the wind. It looks like it is still attached to the ship by some odd cables and hull pieces over by the power core.

Those cables and hull pieces are coated with ice.

It looks like the bridge is hanging fore-down, so, what would have been the forward arc is now the downward arc, and with a hole on the "top" where the rest of the ship would have connected.

As is common with Shirren built ships, all the walls, floor and ceiling, are curved.

I always have to re-read this section of the scenario, and the writer's notes

Nalor moves with the others, checking out each area and making sure everyone checks for traps before proceeding. He also offers, "I have these nifty trapsmith's tools available if we do find some gifts from these renegades. They can be useful when attempting to disarm something."

[dice=Perception A]1d20+11
[dice=Perception B]1d20+11
[dice=Perception C]1d20+11
[dice=Perception D]1d20+11
[dice=Perception E]1d20+11
[dice=Perception F]1d20+11

You find lots of junk, but nothing useful.

Neon Ten just follows along quietly, looking around for any sort of computer interface as he goes.

Is it still slippery here?

Nope, I can tell the author meant to put a slide trap in there, and I know some GMs run it that way, but the floor is only slippery where you came in.

Raatchet looks at the core (from a safe distance) to try and determine if there's any chance of averting the explosion or at least making the area temporarily more safe.

[dice=Engineering]1d20+19

Do we see a path to the bridge? I don't understand the map with part of it shown in the lower left corner. Is there another path to get there?

You think you could maybe fix the core, but you'd have to go all the way down to the bottom of the power core, and activate the manual cooling system. All the while having a good chance of wearing hot plasma.

The bridge should be up around the bend from the power core. (area H)

"Now I love exploding, radiation leaking, plasma venting, certain death power cores as much as the next ysoki.... But how about we go around it this time?

"But I promise, the next death trap power core we encounter, we'll dive straight into it! Yeah?"

I'm on a phone at the moment so I can't do it but unless anyone objects, I suggest we move our tokens to room H and determine how we can make our way to the bridge.

You think you could maybe fix the core, but you'd have to go all the way down to the bottom of the power core, and activate the manual cooling system. All the while having a good chance of wearing hot plasma.

Is it a simple button or lever that I could use Psychokinetic Hand to activate?

You point your finger at the target object, gaining the ability to lift it and move it at will from a distance. As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell's range. You can't perform complex operations, such as firing a gun or using a computer, but you can shut a mechanical door or lid and work simple buttons to open or close automated doors or trigger an alarm.

Leaving the power core for the moment, Neon Ten puts away the fire extinguisher and looks down at the bridge swinging from the icy cables.

Is it within 30’ of the ledge?

“There are a few ways I can see handling this...” he says while looking for any signs that the cables are in danger of breaking. “I have a grappling gun and 30’ of adamantine cable. The more athletic among us” looking at Naylor and Valikar “would find that easier than an icy cable, but the bridge would still swing in the breeze.”

“We could attach more cables to both stabilize it and prevent it from falling.”

“A few of us could fly down and inspect the bridge. Either myself or Raatchet should be one of those since we are going to want to find the computer records. We would have to work quickly though, the spell only lasts a few minutes.”

Looking around, he asks “So, what do you want to do?”

Take 10 on Engineering or Physical Science to determine how much strain those cables can take. With Library Chip, that would be a 32 or 30 respectively.

"We still don't see the dragon," Charli notes, pragmatically. "Until we find her body, we all go together. I can fly. How many of the rest of us have jet packs?"

Brob shakes his head. "That's not something I've picked up... But really should."

"Yep, I've got a jet pack. Never leave home without it!"

Looking over at Neon, Raatchet continues, "Thanks for the offer of flight though!"

In area H is an overturned but seemingly undamaged hoverloader. Capacity pilot +5.

Liam wrote:

You think you could maybe fix the core, but you'd have to go all the way down to the bottom of the power core, and activate the manual cooling system. All the while having a good chance of wearing hot plasma.

Is it a simple button or lever that I could use Psychokinetic Hand to activate?

Psychokinetic Hand, pg. 370 wrote:

You point your finger at the target object, gaining the ability to lift it and move it at will from a distance. As a move action, you can propel the object as far as 15 feet in any direction, though the spell ends if the distance between you and the object ever exceeds the spell's range. You can't perform complex operations, such as firing a gun or using a computer, but you can shut a mechanical door or lid and work simple buttons to open or close automated doors or trigger an alarm.

I'm going to say no, things like that aren't really meant to be easily activated.

Looking at the hoverloader, Raatchet says, "Well, that's conveniently placed. It's almost as if some higher power planned all this... Amirite?"

Looking at Naylor, Raatchet asks, "So you think you can pilot this thing down to the bridge without one, ramming into the bridge section, causing it to fall further down the cliff, becoming totally unrecoverable? And two, without losing control, causing all of us to fall to our deaths? With our deaths also being unrecoverable..."

Raatchet winks ironically at Naylor, "No pressure!!"

Is it a straight piloting check to fly the loader to the bridge? Are assists allowed?

Can a hover vehicle even do that? I would expect it to need a surface to hover over like modern hovercraft.

“Wonder what the load limit is. Maybe it would be easier to pull the bridge back up here.”

The hover truck in armory lists a hover speed, not a flight speed. However, I cannot find an entry for a 'hover loader' in Armory or the CRB. It may be a scenario-specific vehicle that by scenario fiat can fly. Liam, can this vehicle fly? Enough of us are pilots and engineers that we should be able to figure that much out.

Ace Pilot - Reduce the DC of Culture checks to recall knowledge about starship and vehicle models and parts... by 5.
Culture: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Naylor considers the hovercraft and checks it out to determine if they would be familiar enough with the controls and layout to make the treacherous journey to the bridge. Naylor also looks at the situation to determine if there is even a way to land once there or will they have to drop their team members from the craft.

While doing so, Naylor muses out loud, "If there are internal cameras on this thing, do you think one of you computer whizzes could make them function? Might be an easier way to take a look at areas and see what's up."

I thought Naylor had jump jets but they are not listed so I guess there was intent to purchase but no action. I will remedy that after this game!

The ways you get down.

It's 50 feet down to the bridge.

DC 30 piloting to go down in the hoverloader - 1 assist allowed

DC 24 Athletics to climb down the hull and cables.

DC 27 Acrobatics to fly down with a jetpack (storm winds)

Fail is DC 18 reflex to catch yourself as you fall before you skip off the bridge and fall into the ravine.

It might be a bit easier if the ship's shields could come online.

The hover truck in armory lists a hover speed, not a flight speed. However, I cannot find an entry for a 'hover loader' in Armory or the CRB. It may be a scenario-specific vehicle that by scenario fiat can fly. Liam, can this vehicle fly? Enough of us are pilots and engineers that we should be able to figure that much out.

yeah, this one can fly. There is a lot of deus ex machina in this scenario. They also don't explain how it got in the hallway to the bridge...it's just there and usable. This is also one of the hardest maps to read, I think it was a "crank out before paizocon" scenario. The bridge map and description don't line up, the space combat map has extra ships on it. But somehow I still like this one.

oh, yeah, dragons :)

“We need to find some way to cut down on the winds.” Shaking his head, he adds “I know that I can’t fly through that.”

Looking towards Raatchet, he asks “Do you think if we brought up the shields, that would cut the wind conditions?”

So where would we go to get the shields working? Is it in the room with the run away reactor?

"Oboy. You're right, them winds are certainly complicating matters. But using the shields is a novel idea!! I never would've thought of that!! How'd you come up with that one? And don't tell me it was as if someone just happened to whisper it into your ear, you rascally rat you!!!"

Raatchet will attempt to flip the switch needed to bring the shields online, assuming it is in someplace that is accessible that won't also kill Raatchet as he tries to reach for said switch...