GM Debug's Siege of Enlightenment (Inactive)

Game Master DebugAMP

With tensions rising between two Near Space civilizations, the a host of historical sites are at risk of being caught in the ensuing conflict's crossfire. The Starfinder Society's been called in to catalogue one such site, believed to be the ruins of a now-defunct hobgoblin empire that may have ended during the Gap. Speeding into the distant star system, the PCs must navigate the politics of the escalating conflict and reach their target.

"Politics... I hate politics."

"Could be fun..."

"..We do not compute..politics.."

Venture-Captain Arvin stands up from behind his desk. “Welcome Starfinders. As time is of the essence, I felt the interruption in your routine was warranted. Please take a seat.” Venture-Captain Arvin gestures to the chairs in his office. He folds his hands behind his back before continuing.

“This morning I received an official contract from the Marixah Republic. The republic is a small starfaring nation located in Near Space. They have been involved in an ongoing conflict with another nation in Near Space, the Gideron Authority, but the conflict between the two powers has recently escalated. A few days ago, Gideron sent a scouting flotilla into the Acalata system, where the republic has several mining colonies. The Marixah settlements detected the incursion, and they fear this event might be the precursor to a contained invasion of Acalata, so they’ve begun evacuating their settlements and operations within the Acalata system. During the evacuation, the republic identified several sites of archaeological interest. The contract we have with the republic is that we are free to explore the ruins on the planet Sansorgis. In return, we provide aid in the ongoing evacuation.”

Arvin sits down at his desk and pulls out a small stack of datapads. “I have secured diplomatic documentation for all of you, establishing you as investigators from a neutral party. There are two sets of documents.” Arvin carefully hands out the small datapads and then holds up a second, larger datapad bearing the Pact Worlds emblem.

“Keep those datapads with you at all times, as they could save your life if this conflict escalates. Your individual documentation on the smaller datapads should suffice, but if not, this larger pad contains several documents granting you a measure of diplomatic immunity by the authority of the Pact Worlds. It’s something the Society rarely invokes, and you should only use it if the situation is dire—by which I mean your starship is about to explode or you’re being boarded. That level of dire. Its use could potentially draw the Pact Worlds into this conflict, something we would rather avoid. I know this is a lot of information to take in, but I don’t want to send you to a potential warzone unprepared. I have also sent a small info package regarding the situation to your comm units. Your preferred starship will be transferred immediately to the docks. Unless there are any questions, please pack as quickly as you can. The window of opportunity on this mission is short.”

Might Conrad know something about either the Republic or the Authority? Culture?

"Sounds like we might need the Drake."

"Really? I much prefer the Pegaus." admits Gunnz.

"Better acceleration, a turning circle that doesn't resemble the orbit of a planet. Sensors that will detect something more that the presence of a supernova. We are diplomats, hopefully there won't be any battle."

Hahahhahahahaha of course there is a battle. Seriously if others want the Drake, okay with that, but Gunnz is Pegasus all the way.

Istorvir, an elf bedecked in all of the trappings of a college professor, holds his datapad and reads the sent information.

"Go into an active warzone, try to explore the ruins on the planet Sansorgis while helping out with the evacuation while on limited time."

The Android known as OP-1 summarizes

"This sounds...conflicting, but we'll try our best"

"We used to prefer the Pegasus for all the reasons Gunnz mentions, but we like the Drake after they made a few upgrades to it last time."

I preferred the Pegasus at tier 1-2 a lot over the Drake before the update because the Drake's turret ran out of ammo after 5 shots and it was faster/more maneuverable. But at tier 3-4 I prefer the Drake's superior fire power for combat..and since we are going into a warzone I vote Drake

As is usual for elves he appears young, his hair is slicked back and his posture is near perfection. In one hand he reads his datapad and in the other he is absently shifting a multicolored cube (spell gem). He seems oblivious to the current conversation.

Pegasus works for me!

Gunnz rolls her eyes "It'll be like flying an asteroid. And the computer... Don't get met started. Oh well. Don't blame me if we can't get out of trouble in a hurry."

Teka, an older ysoki with plenty of gray hairs across head wearing a clean and undecorated set of armor listens carefully to the briefing and she happily nods to acknowledge her follow party. "I have grown to appreciate both the ships. I do believe if we are worried about a fight, the Drake is more suited to keep us all snug and safe. If we need the scanners or speed I would offer the Pegasus given her lovely computer systems are just the best."

After a bit more dithering she finally decides to support the current consensus. "I'm more than fine with taking a station at the Pegasus."

She looks to Arvin as she asks a few questions, nodding slowly and attentively as he answers. "Venture-Captain, is there anything you can tell us about these civiliations. Do the Gideron Authority normally provoke fights like this? Does the Republic provide any information on the ruins and who built them?"

Might Conrad know something about either the Republic or the Authority? Culture?

"Sounds like we might need the Drake."

“You’ll likely want to take a Drake or the Pegasus hull, but the ultimate choice is up to you. Both ships have their own strengths and weaknesses, though the Drake’s increased armaments might help deter any issues if the Gideron Authority shows up. Whichever ship you choose will be ready for you in Docking Bay 27 when you are ready to leave.”

I vote pegasus just to annoy my friend who hates the pegasus.

"Better acceleration, a turning circle that doesn't resemble the orbit of a planet. Sensors that will detect something more that the presence of a supernova. We are diplomats, hopefully there won't be any battle."

She looks to Arvin as she asks a few questions, nodding slowly and attentively as he answers. "Venture-Captain, is there anything you can tell us about these civiliations. Do the Gideron Authority normally provoke fights like this? Does the Republic provide any information on the ruins and who built them?"

Arven addresses both Teka and Gunnz

"With luck the diplomacy has been taken care of. The documents I provided you with establish us as a neutral party in this conflict. While we are there to provide aid, it is simply a business transaction. Our form of payment, the chance to explore those ruins, is just a bit more unorthodox than usual. If things truly escalate, you can use the second datapad I provided you with to invoke diplomatic immunity. But only use that as a last resort. If you can dissuade any Gideron aggression with a bloodless starship fight, that’d far better than using these documents. I care greatly about your safety, but getting the Pact Worlds potentially involved in a war is a situation best avoided if possible.”

You can all make 2 seperate Culture (Recall Knowledge) or Diplomacy (Gather Information) checks. The first to know about the Gideron Authority, and the second about the Marixah Republic.

First check:

Second check:

Culture: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28
Culture: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (15) + 12 = 27

Istorvir clears his throat and stands. He gently places a finger on his datapad, that is laying on the table and a little hologram turns on. The hologram depicts an unfamiliar symbol. "Greetings all. I am Professor Cormrael, of the University of Qabarat and the Arcanamarium. Now," he starts as he begins pacing, "Not a whole lot is known about the Gideron Authority. This is due to the fact that they used to have an elected council as a ruling body. But, a recent coup by the military, has changed command of the government. As such, very little information has left the Gideron home system or its colonies since the coup, making it quite difficult for any of our diplomatic parties to properly assess the situation. All of the information that does emerge appears to be mostly propaganda. We do know that their starship captains are reputably bloodthirsty and often shoot first and ask questions later when entering a conflict zone. Most Gideron ships are known to employ powerful ramming prows that make them deadly when engaged at close range."

"The Pact Worlds has no formal ties with the Gideron Authority." Istorvir pauses as his face sours, "The only solid link between the two nations are covert arms deals provided by the drow household, Zeizerer." The hologram shifts momentarily to the symbol of house Zeizerer and then shifts to another unfamiliar symbol.

He perks up after that last bit and a breath, "Seemingly in direct contrast is the Marixah Republic. The species that form the citizenry of the Marixah Republic came together during the Gap. The republic wasn’t formally established, however, until the aftermath of the Gap, when the constituent planets realized how far they were from other systems. They formed a democratic government to better represent the different needs and wishes of its diverse population. Very interesting history, really."

"Now, while the conflict between the Gideron Authority and the Marixah Republic has so far been restricted to space battles, there are fears of ground invasions or incursions that escalate with each passing month. Since the Marixah Republic has vehemently maintained its status a sovereign territory, the Pact Council has remained split on whether to provide aid, despite the brisk trade that our two systems enjoy with one another."

The hologram shifts to show a hobgoblin. "There are many of us scholars that surmise that the Marixah Republic contains a relatively high number of hobgoblins because hobgoblins maintained an empire of their own in the same section of space prior to the republic’s formation. Also, as is important of note to the Starfinders, many Marixah outposts are located near ancient hobgoblin military installations, and the Acalata system is believed to contain at least one such complex." Istorvir looks genuinely happy as he concludes. The hologram finishes on a moving diagram of a solar system, presumably Acalata.

"Right, so if we run into the Gideron's and they don't want to talk, we want to keep our distance from their ships. The Pegasus sounds better and better."

She sighs. "Look, I like the big guns as much as the next person. And if I weren't in the drivers seat, I'd probably want the Drake too. But I am in the drivers seat!"

Culture 1: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Culture 2: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

"That's more than I've picked up in my bar, but it computes. Now, the only thing left before I'm ready, we should have some translation ability; spell gems, a tetrad, anything."

Once taken care of, I'm ready. Conrad has a Tetrad Certified Translator.

"Valid point. Driver does have a more invested outcome in the choice of vehicle""

Pegasus is fine,since I think 3? people voted for it. Let's just hope the opponent doesn't have a whole lot of shields we'll need to punch through to get to the crunch inside ;) - or doesn't have a capable engineer who keeps restoring said shields

Culture 1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Culture 2: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

"Oh that was a wonderful presentation Professor," Teka gives an appreciative clap after hearing Istorvir out. "It confirms what I have heard here and there about the Republic. I know nearly nothing on the Gideron Authority though. I was hopeful we could talk things out more, but if they are all as aggressive as that I can hardly imagine us getting out of there without some unfortunate fighting."

"I have no spell gems myself, but your suggestions Conrad are more than prudent, I'll pick up what I'm able before we head off."

Was hoping for a post from Sedoriku before moving forward, but last one aboard gets the last open seat I guess.

Drift Travel: 5d6 ⇒ (2, 2, 4, 4, 5) = 17

Travel to Sansorgis takes 17 days through the Drift, and the journey is mostly uneventful. Upon exiting the Drift near your destination, the ship computer gives off a warning: a solar particle event known as a proton storm is occurring in the system.

Science officer Teka can attempt to scan this anomaly for more information.

"See... this is why the Pegasus is such an excellent ship. I bet the Drake's sensors wouldn't have even noticed the proton storm until it swept over us." chimes in Gunnz.

As soon as they are into the drift she changes into her Star Sugar Heartlove fan-shirt. And then spends much of the time in the Drift playing racing car games and clocking up massive amounts of time on combat flight simulators.

Anyone brave enough to venture into her cubical will note a Star Sugar Heartlove poster hung up on the wall, and a signed photo of her and the group. In the photo she is dressed up as one of their back-up dance crew and can be seen revving up the crowd.

When the solar disturbance becomes obvious though she is all professional. Well, mostly professional. "Guess it is time to change into something less comfortable." she mutters, extracting herself from her sim and putting on a suit of armor.

Computers: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 7 + (3) + 4 = 17 Includes +4 from Pegasus

"Oh that is certainly a sight. I'm bringing up scanners now, oh, how does this interface work?" She prods at the computer slowly as she pauses every once in a while to try to navigate to find various controls within the system.

The proton storm is resulting in pockets of high-intensity protons sent out by the system's sun. You can fly through the beams as they dont block line of sight, however the high energy will eat away at your hull, bypassing your shields altogether. Tracking weapons passing through the beams will be destroyed immediately.

Moments after Teka transfers her scan results to the on-screen displays of the Pegasus, another alert goes off as a Gideron Authority starship slides out from near one of the high intensity pockets and hails your ship.

"You want to show them our diplomatic credentials captain?" asks Gunnz, as she quietly warms up the Pegasus's tactical engines.

"Y'all might want to strap in now, just in case things don't go too smoothly."

"Oh my, well this is much more sudden than I had expected. I had expected we would at least have a moment to look around before we were staring down a starship." She taps away at the screen as she prepares to open a channel.

"Do you want me to respond to the hail Captain Kerbouchard?"

"Engine room ready! You know, I haven't been in one of these during a starship fight in-" Istorvir's voice gets cut off on the comms, presumably because he accidentally turned them off during his new monologue.

"Indeed."

Conrad straightens his collar, fixes his posture, and nods to open a signal. "Greetings. I am Captain Conrad Castamir Kerbouchard of the Pact World Ship Pegasus. We are not here with ill intent. We are here on an archaeological expedition. We welcome a scan of our ship to confirm our load out. Again, we are here on a peaceful science-based mission." Diplomacy: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (19) + 11 = 30

"...let's see where this is going before I try to get a target lock.."

OP-1 thinks to itself as he follows the conversation over the comms

A muscular female hobgoblin in a stylized milatary uniform (added to slides) appears on the screen. "I am Captain Odrakor of the Gideron Authority starship Susumu's Sword! Your Marxiah-"

She sneers as she says the name of the republic.

"-documentation is of no merit! Depart the system or I shall seize your starship in the name of the Gideron Authority!"

Your ships are on the map, and the white lines indicate the proton storm. If you have any parting insults, feel free to post them. Once I actually have the ship stats on hand, I'll get this party started! Generally speaking, I like to allow all PCs, regardless of role, to post their actions. I then go ahead and resolve them in the appropriate phase order. If your action depends on the actions taken in a prior phase, you can either post some if/else instructions for me, or just wait. If you are posting an action early (ie a Gunnery action before I've resolved the prior phases) please put it in a spoiler block.

"Well I appreciate your drive deary, our ship is not yours to take. You already have one of your own. You need to learn to share."

Teka begins drives power to the scanners as she directs them to the Susumu's Sword in order to run a sensor scan once the ship comes within range.

Divert (weapons) DC 16: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24 Crit on nat 19 or 10, for damage all 1's are 2's
Nodes placed on Piloting and Gunnery. In summary,
Piloting +3
Science +4
Gunnery +2

"Full power to weapons," Istorvir says over the ships comms.

"..it seems Diplomacy didn't work out, but it's so hard to tell with these carbon based life forms sometimes..."

"We must assume this will turn violent. We will line up a shot and hit the fire buttons once we get the target in our sights" OP-1 replies over the comms system
"With all power at our disposal"

Gunnz smiles. "I just knew this was going to go south. And look, with these storms, the extra manoeuvrability of the Pegasus is going to be really helpful."

I'll roll initiative now, but hold off moving the ship until we know if we won or not. As that makes quite a difference.

init, pegasus, personal node: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 15 + 1 + 2 = 23

"Strap yourselves in boys, you're in for a some Rock and Roll!"

For some strange reason the sweet sounds of Star Sugar Heartlove start echoing over the ships coms units and Gunnz puts on her "concentration" music.

Engineering Phase
Engineering (Divert): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11 Fail
Party: Divert to Weapons (Success)

Helm Phase
Piloting (Initiative): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Piloting (Evade): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27 Success

The Susumu's sword lurches forward, making a bee-line towards your ship. They juke side to side, rather unpredictably, but maintain great forward velocity.

Computers (Scan): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (7) + 8 = 15 Fail

Teka scans the ship as they approach. She notes a ping from their sensors, but quickly re-modulates the shields to slow them down as she reads her own report.

Medium Explorer class ship
Speed 8; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 18; TL 15
HP 65; Shields light 80 (forward 20, port 20, starboard 20, aft 20)
Power Core 150 PCU
The ship has a pair of linked coilguns mounted to as a turret (8d4 damage) along with a light particle beam (3d6 damage) on it's port arc.

Round 1 - Helm:
Baddies (Moved, evaded)
Gunnz - ?
Teka - Scan
Istorvir - Divert
Op - Fire (Pending)
Conrad - ?

I'm onot 100% sure of the facing of the Pegasus to start with, or the other ship. I've added some arrows to the map to show where I believe current facings are.

Engines whine and that cupboard that nobody ever closes in the galley.... well all its contents are over the floor now, as Gunnz sends the Pegasus into a tight circle, trying to keep distance from the other ship, avoid the particle beams, and still give some weapons a good chance to fire.

evade DC 16: 1d20 + 15 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 15 + 1 + 2 = 36

At the last moment she sends the ship cork-screwing, trying to throw off the enemy gunners aim.

Remember, that in addition, Gunnz ranks in piloting add +4 to our AC and TL. The evade maneouvre adds another +2. We have the turret and port guns which are able to open fire if we have gunners for them.

"Wheeeee"

"Listen up. Gunning for a fight for no good reason is a damned poor choice. But the rule is, if you ask for a bloody nose, we have to give it to you!" Conrad then starts a steady stream of swearing before cutting off communication.

"OP-1, come on now, let's give'em that bloody nose!" Demand: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26 +4 to OP-1 on attack.

Everyone: I've spoilered the enemy helm phase so people changing seats, and people acting during the engineering phase can make their decisions without being influenced by their movement.
Gunnz: The node applies to 1 check, and the initiative and evade checks are separate. Each one will require a separate node use.

Linked Coilguns: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 10 + 1 = 12 Miss

With Conrad's 'encouragement' OP-1's barrage batters the front of the enemy ship, severely depleting its shields.

Their return barrage is rather ineffective.

Engineering:
Engineering (Divert): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

The Susumu's Sword's shields slowly begin to recharge, and Teka's display updates with the resulting change in energy levels.
HP 65; Shields light 80 (forward 12, port 20, starboard 20, aft 20)

Players can act!

Divert (weapons) DC 16: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28 | for damage all 1's are 2's
Node placement suggestions: on Piloting and Gunnery. In summary,
Piloting +3 (initiative)
Science +4
Gunnery 1 +2
Gunnery 2 +2

"Full power to weapons," Istorvir says over the ships comms.

"Oh those are some nasty weapons. I remember the days of when ships were content with a single coilgun on their forward arc. I'll see if they have any more surprises for us."

"That's it. Come on now. Let's go! "

Gunnz swears a very unlady like oath under her breath.
"At least we are faster than them."

Sparks fly across her console as the Pegasus lurches under the twin assault of ram and then proton beams.

She pours on some speed to get distance from the nasty little ship, continuing her evasive techniques.

evade DC16: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (15) + 14 + 1 = 30 I'll keep using the node for initiative not evade.

"Get me an opening and I will try to make it better"
OP-1 comments while aligning the turret weapons once more at the enemy vessel

Teka pulls up a few more tidbits about the Susumu's Sword arnaments. The Starbord weapon is a light particle beam identical to that on the port, and mounted to the front of the ship... is a ramming prow? (3d4, ignores shields, May ram any time they end movement with their forward arc adjacent to you, or any time you pass through their forward arc).

Susumu's Sword Initiative: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

Gunnz Initiative: 1d20 + 15 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 15 + 1 = 28

The Susumu's Sword continues it's high forward velocity and plows straight into your ship!

Ramming Prow Attack: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 10 + 1 = 24
Damage: 3d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 4) = 10

The prow of the ship bashes hard against your shields, causing immense force that crushes your ships hull regardless of their presence! Your ship slides slowly away from the ship from the force of the strike. No damage to shields, all damage straight to hull.

As your ship lists backwards, it comes in contact with high energy particles which continue to rip at the hull.

Damage (Bypasses shields): 2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4
Crit threshold: 1d100 ⇒ 88 Power Core, Penalties to Engineer actions

With a lurch, Teka finds out firsthand exactly how it works. It seems however that following the use of the ramming prow, the ship's tracking systems have some re-calibration to do and the turrets spin back and forth a few times without firing any shots. OP-1 fires off a shot but has a harder time getting a line on the Susumu's sword with the photon storm's interference.

Assume that the edges of the map wrap around to the other sides. Space is big. And so is the photon storm.

~Round 3~
Engineering Phase:
Engineering (Divert): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

The Sword's engines fire bright as it prepares to barrel towards you once again.

Round 3: Everyone can act
Status:
Pegasus: 14 Hull Damage, no shield damage, Glitching PCU
Susumu's Sword: 3 damage to front shield

Gunnz guns the engines. The whole ship shakes as they red-line. "Okay, we have a little space on them now, lets try to keep that. I think I can see a course through this storm."

That of course doesn't stop her doing a couple of little flips, Just checking your harsesses are still solid.."
evade DC 16: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 14 + 1 = 22 Can't fail at the moment

"Think you can get our powercore sorted out? I'd like to be able to get a little more speed if they get close again."

Moved on map

Teka moves herself over to the Engineering console as she does her best to patch the power core to no success.

"Dear, I know you admired the abilities of the Pegasus, but you need to keep your distance. A fast ship like ours should not be out raced by theirs."

Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (3) + 9 = 12

I was hoping to repair the power core so Istorvir could focus on the engines so we could make more distance. I do think we can't let them get into ramming range of us. With five players we also might need a second gunner, which I'll be switching to probably next round.

Map has been extended and Gunnz' movement... hopefully implemented correctly.

Round 3 (Seat assignments subject to change):
Baddies (Divert to Engines, Ram attempt - Fail)
Conrad
Teka (Moved to Engineering, Patch PCU - Fail)
Istorvir
Gunnz (Evade, Pending)
OP

Conrad will continue to bolster OP-1 on guns

though by all means, make a request if you want the bonus! I'm happy to switch to helping out in Engineering.

Encourage: 1d20 + 12 + 1d6 ⇒ (4) + 12 + (2) = 18

patch DC 16: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31
Piloting +3 (initiative)
Science +4
Gunnery 1 +2
Gunnery 2 +2

"Damages fixed for now. Please avoid such occasions," Istorvir says over the ships comms.

OP-1 lines up another shot before hitting the fire controls on the turret

To hit: 1d20 + 7 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 2 = 20
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 5) = 11
Reroll 1's: 1d6 ⇒ 1

Op unloads another blast into the front arc of the sword, nearly depleting their shields altogether. While they are rather charge happy here, they aren't suicidal and the engineer tries to boost their shields again.

Demand: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
Engineering (Divert to Shields): 1d20 + 8 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 8 + 4 = 32

Baddies Init: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 8 + 1 = 19
Gunnz Init: 1d20 + 14 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 14 + 3 = 22

Pilot (Evade): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18 Pass

Baddies have moved, everyone can act!
Status: 7 damage to front shield on Susumu's Sword