[SFS] GM Bigrin's Table 2 - It Rests Beneath (Inactive)

Game Master bigrin42

Azara isn't much use on the technical portions of the tower, though he does have plenty of muscle to lend. He has some computer knowledge but certainly not as much as the others so he stays at the bottom of the tower looking up as they do that work.

Until the flying creatures come along. He takes down his stellar mote and it transforms into a glowing ankh that he holds like a katar with the loop as the handle.

Then, he draws his pistol with a sigh. "If the enemy will not come to the Solarian, the Solarian must go to the enemy. I'll have to think about buying a jet pack."

in that case it looks like Raff rolled a 26 total

Sunshine watches OP-1 scale the tower and install the scanners, then turns to face the oncoming birds. "Hopefully they aren't mean skeet." He takes his rifle off his back and makes sure the battery is booted up.

When OP-1 calls out the birds, Hadir pulls out his hunting rifle. Hopefully they are just curious and not predatory he says into the minds of the party.

GM, if they get within a couple hundred feet he will also call his tactical pike as a swift action so he can take aoos if they fly close aggressively.

Thirty minutes later, the tower was fully assembled and OP-1 scrambled up the tower to the platform on top. After securing the sensor package, she called in to Dr. Motressi and let her know that the first scanner was coming online. Mora walked OP-1 through the startup procedures, then the calibration routine. She tells OP-1 that the calibration process will take about 15 minutes, and involves changing some parameters on the scanning system according to certain prompts. "So don't walk away, yeah? Or we'll have to start all over."

Finally, the system was done with its initial configuration, but even as the first set of test scans started, the bird creatures began to act agitated. Suddenly, they swooped in closer, their bodies covered in a gray, chitin-like material similar to the ground below. In agitation they made odd screeching sounds, then one of them dove towards OP-1, who was precariously perched on the pinnacle of the precipitous on top of the tower.

Edit: Birds are approximately 30' up in the air

Just wondering; am I supposed to keep doing computer checks to keep the process running or is it done? And since there was only room for 1 person I'm guessing I can't move around up there? If I can do other stuff then just computer checks I'll attack;

"That's a lot of birds and they appear to be quite aggressive. Please assist in getting them away from the tower and myself."

I'm not sure how high the tower is, but since you mentioned one of them dove for me I'm guessing it's in melee range next to me?

Using some handy cover provided by his body and part of the tower OP-1 pulls out a survival knife and tries to cut the wings of one of the birds before the bird has a chance to notice the sharp blade.

Trick shot using stealth: 1d20 + 17 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 17 + 1 = 34 (dc 20+target's CR)
To hit KAC white(vs flatfooted if trick shot worked): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14
Slashing damage if hit: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Extra trick shot damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8 and if the trick attack hit I'll make it flatfooted until the beginning of my next turn due to Debilitating Trick

1 check for the whole process, but it takes 15 minutes. You are about halfway through. If you leave the sensors, you'll have to start all over again. as mentioned before (it was hidden) the tower is about 30' high, so yes the one near you is in melee range.

Twik, standing at the base of the tower, slowly swivels towards the blue tinged bird before quickly snapping a round off at the pale white bird.

Trick Attack (Bluff) vs 20+CR: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (2) + 17 = 19
If the Trick Attack succeeds, the target is flatfooted until beginning of my next turn and the bonus damage is applied
Trick Attack - Pistol vs KAC: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11
TA Damage (Piercing): 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5
TA Bonus Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 3

OP-1 clung to the tower as two of the birds swooped down on her. Very carefully she slid her survival knife free and slashed at one of the stone-like creatures. The blade caught the bird across the neck, sending it spinning to the ground. Twik tried to shoot the same bird, only to waver as he saw it falling out of the air. his hesitation cost him as he changed aim to the other bird threatening OP-1 and missed. The other birds screeched at the noise and death of one of their own. They dove bombed OP-1 and the rest of you, hard probosces jabbing like needles.

Azara felt the probosci jab her in the neck and inject some sort of corrosive liquid. The pain was intense, and it was all she could do to stay upright. Hadir and Sunshine were also hit, but not nearly as bad.

I'm guessing Hef also gets to act, even if not in bold.

With the bird in his face, Hef stabs at it while hollering up at OP-1, "working on it! Hold fast and we'll clear these out and then pick those off." He stabs his spear at the beast in front of him, carefully steps back to be near more allies and then readies to help the first one of them that is attacked.

Returning Cold Iron Tactical Spear vs. KAC: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15 for Magic/Cold Iron/Piercing + W.S.: 1d6 + 2 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 2 + 3 = 8

Standard to stab at Solid Blue Line, Guarded Step back and then will use his Bodyguard feat (+2 AC as a reaction) to help the first of his allies he is next to (Twik, Sunshine, Hadir) that is attacked next. Once that reaction is completed, Hef's AC drops by 2.

Bah! yes, Hef gets to act. I was rushing to get the post out before a meeting. Act away!

"Though impurities may be added, a star simply burns them away, and burns that which makes it impure." Azara was not fast enough to stop the bird-bug thing from attacking him first but he is fast enough to strike back.

He feels himself filled with the song of the stars as his life is placed in jeopardy once more and he begins to store and focus photonic energy, the light going dim around him even as he starts to glow.

He slashes his energy ankh at the beast that attacked him.

Solar Weapon: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Slashing plus WS plus Insight: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8

Crit?: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (12) + 5 = 17
Crit Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11

Photon Attuned 1

Attack of opportunity time! Wish I had combat reflexes.

Hadir stabs at the one on his right as it swoops in.

tactical Pike: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
piercing, magic: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

I'm guessing solid blue and dashed red are both dead now; Hadir hasn't acted yet. I'll wait a bit to see the GM summary. Otherwise I'll post contingencies later today

Remember that in Starfinder, you don't roll to confirm a critical hit. If the die is a 20, it automatically hits, and if the total is higher than the target AC it automatically crits.

And Hadir, you were flatfooted at the beginning of combat, so no AOO. You can still attack and kill the target on your turn

did Hef kill the solid blue one? This impactsy action

Hadir attacks as many of the creatures as he can.

tactical pike: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 7 - 4 = 20
piercing, magic: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

if there are no targets in melee reach after that, the next attack will be using the hunting rifle against one of the birds up by the top of the tower. Otherwise it will be against any available melee target

tactical pike OR hunting rifle: 1d20 + 7 - 4 ⇒ (9) + 7 - 4 = 12
piercing: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 2 = 20

Sunshine tries to tumble away from the attacking creature, taking his rifle off his back as he rolls. He rights himself in the middle of the group and speaks a word of power, emitting a pulse of superheated air toward the northern attackers.

Move tumble away from attacker to square, standard cast overheat on yellow and black (DC 14 half).

Overheat damage: 2d8 ⇒ (6, 7) = 13

Seeing his blade slice one of the birds out of the sky OP-1 flips the knife in his hand as he uses the shade provided by his own body to block if the knife if going to slice up or down hoping to hide the movement from it's target.

Trick shot using stealth: 1d20 + 17 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 17 + 1 = 25 (dc 20+target's CR)
To hit KAC Yellow?(vs flatfooted if trick shot worked): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9
Slashing damage if hit: 1d4 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Extra trick shot damage: 1d8 ⇒ 8

Twik dances away from the nearest creature before sneaking off a quick shot....

Trick Attack (Bluff) vs 20+CR: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (10) + 17 = 27
If the Trick Attack succeeds, the target is flatfooted until beginning of my next turn and the bonus damage is applied
Trick Attack - Pistol vs KAC: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (16) + 9 = 25
TA Damage (Piercing): 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
TA Bonus Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 7

I apologize for the delay. I have been really busy last night and this mornign prepping for a fund raiser, and assumed that the reason I didn't have any new responses for this thread was because of the holiday weekend, not because the server ate the post I pushed on Friday morning.

Really weak summary post incoming

Four more of the birds died to a combination of magic, melee, and ranged hits. The remaining ones flew away in panic, clearing off the battlefield for the moment.

You may choose to continue at range, chase them down, or celebrate your victory over stone seagulls.

Sunshine watches the remaining creatures fly off into the distance. ”Now some of us are wounded and with nothing to show for it. Just more thankless violence, I suppose.”

Happy to let them fly away.

since they did not take the withdraw action, Hadir will take a single AoO. I imagine it provoked two, but by the second one he figured out they were running away.

tactical pike, AoO: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15
piercing, magic: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (4) + 8 = 12

As the creatures fly away, Hadir keeps his rifle trained on them, but doesn't fire. He will keep his rifle trained on them while they are within a few hundred feet. not like he's doing anything else

did I spend a round from my hunting rifle last round, GM? Firing it was a contingent action

Hef holds his actions as the creatures flee, he watches as they continue their flight away and turns to his allies to check their condition. He waves off Sunshine's summary, "Scrapes and bruises heal and we learned something, possibly much more through this fight. One, something we did likely triggered the attack. Maybe just because we looked like prey, but maybe something the scanner did too so. Two, we now have bodies to study that appear to be native to this area, possibly even discover the cause for this life-less area. Now, I'm not scientist, but I know when a scientist is needed."

He packs up at least two of the bodies securely in the spots where the tower was located.

With time to study the creatures, any possible knowledge checks to be done at this point?

Noticing the bird retreating OP-1 focuses on the task at hand once more and continues to monitor the computer read outs from the calibration while keeping one eye out in case the birds decide to make a return visit.

Hadir - no you used your pike and missed

@Everyone - Life Science to examine the bodies and lerns more about the creatures

As the birds flew away, Hadir managed to hit the already injured one, cauing it to fall in an ungainly crash to the ground a little ways away. A beeping sound drew OP-1's attention to the screen on the sensor pack which had a message on it.

Waiting for user authentication

A progress bar beneath the message seemed to be moving quickly, and on the comms, Dr. Mora Motressi was trying to get OP-1's attention with the proper authentication codes. The android quickly punched them in and the sensor pack continued its calibration routine. Within a few minutes the sensors were up and running, and Mora confirmed that the readouts looked good. The birds were staying well clear of you now, and it was time to move on to the next tower location.

Hadir stows his pike but keeps his hunting rifle out as he climbs onto the buggy.

"Let's go, Raff."

Sunshine stows his rifle and kneels down to examine the strange creature.

Life Science: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

"Unfriendly local fauna. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of them"

Twik jumps back into the vehicle he was driving and waits for the others to finish their inspection before heading on their way to the next stop.

Piloting: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

"Does anyone want me to take over their driving task for the next leg of our journey?" OP-1 inquires as it cleans some bird fluids from the survival knife he used in defense of the tower

If not, I'll just hop in next to Twik no problem

"Does anyone want me to take over their driving task for the next leg of our journey?" OP-1 inquires as it cleans some bird fluids from the survival knife he used in defense of the tower

If not, I'll just hop in next to Twik no problem

”Go for it. Watch out for mosquito death pigeons. And potholes.” Sunshine continues examining the animals’ bodies (Anything from a 25 Life Science check?).

Sorry for the delay. Holiday happenings took more out of me that I expected. Now, on with the show!!!

Sunshine took a few moments to examine the dead bird things and made a few determinations. First, their skin appeared to be a flexible form of the same chitin-like material that made up the ground of the plateau. He gathered that the birds must consume an enormous amount of calcium to produce it. Second, their beaks were more like hollow probosci, that apparently injected some kind of acid. Was it for dissolving their prey? He looked over to Azara, rubber his shoulder where the bird had stabbed him. Checking out the wound, Sunshine could see the tell-tale burns of acid scarring, but the lashunta appeared to have fended off the worst of the damage naturally. Having nothing in his database to compare them to, Sunshine decided they looked a little like a gull made out of stone, so he decided to call them stonegulls.

Once everyone had gathered their equipment and loaded up the vehicles, you headed out to the next station, the one labeled Windy Cliffs.

I need piloting checks from our other 2 drivers, plus a navigation (piloting or survival) check from someone not driving

Piloting + Vehicle Bonus: 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 9 + 2 = 24

Hef fires up the cycle's engine and takes off, scouting ahead as usual. My scientist will love to take this critter apart, very unique!

Survival Aid DC 10: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26

His voice crackles on the comms, "see that spire over there? You keep that at eleven and we'll stay on course."

Hadir plots out the course.

"Roger, Hef."

survival, navigators tools, using aid: 10 + 7 + 2 + 2 = 21

"Just let me know where to go. Controlling this vehicle is more labor intensive then I previously assumed and it's taking most of my processor capabilities to just keep it going"

OP-1 puts down it's foot to the peddle and steers the buggy through the terrain as it get's buffeted left and right trying to keep it on course

Piloting to steer: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (5) + 17 = 22

"Time and tide is determined by the stars yet the behavior of creatures seems unpredictable. What made them attack? What made them stop? Perhaps we shall never know. Perhaps we will have another chance to find out."

He doesn't feel like he's suffering any ill effects from the wound he took, which is somehow both ominous and a relief.

"Creatures made out of the very ground we're walking on? Giant beast is seeming more and more likely all the time," he says as Sunshine reveals his findings.

Again, he is not much use on the driving portion of the trip, though he does regale his fellow passengers with some stanzas from his latest work - Dying Before a Dead Star.

Profession (Poet): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Sunshine hops onto OP-1's buggy and stares out the back. "Always looking behind, I suppose."

It was another couple of hours before you made it to the next site. The terrain here was rockier than what you had been moving on, and the outcrops of chitin blocked more of the view ahead, but Hadir managed to keep you on a relatively straight course using his navigation tools.

As you approach the cliffs from the bottom, you can tell that they are aptly named. The fierce gusts would make it difficult for any flying creature to stay aloft, and even Twik was forced to hang on tight once he exited the buggy, lest he be blown sideways. Around the base of the cliffs were shallow depressions, about 5 feet long and 1 1/2 feet deep. Scattered among those were to occasional mounds, about the same size, only 1/2 foot above ground at the top. The placement is such that no spot at the foot of the cliffs is more than 15 feet from one of the depressions.

Building the tower here will be a challenge, due to the placement of the depressions, and the very strong winds.

Same as before, only you need a DC 15 perception check to find a level place for the tower, and you can use Strength checks to aid the Engineering checks to raise the tower. Strong backs help keep it from blowing over.

perception, aid another: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

are the strength checks necessary? Because in terms of raw numbers, Hadir only has +3 strength but Raff has a +8 to engineering

Hef takes a look around for a solid spot, maybe sheltered a little bit from the wind.

Perception DC 15: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

He then attempts to muscle his part of the tower into place and hold it until the brackets can be bolted together.

Strength Check Aid DC 10: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

But sadly even with four arms, he is unable to get the right leverage.

"You indicate this stretch of ground as being stable enough Hef?"

OP-1 takes out a screwdriver and starts to assemble the tower

Aid on Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

before lifting pieces of it

Aid on strength if needed: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Twik stumbles around the area trying to use his companions as wind breaks lest the wind quite literally pick him up. He helps with the assembly as best he can.

Engineering (A/A): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

@Hadir - yes, I need a main Engineering check from the primary assembler, plus at least 1 strength check to hold the tower in place as you are setting it up or the wind will blow it over.

"Now THIS I can help with," Azara says as it becomes apparent that muscle is going to be needed.

"Is gravity not the most powerful force in the universe? Do we not all fight against and partner with it for the duration of our existence?"

Strength Check (Aid): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Engineering (main): 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Short post today, super busy. Sorry!

The tower went up easily enough, though a couple of stronger wind gusts nearly toppled it at one point. Fortunately, there were self-firing anchors that went through the base to hold it in place. Of course, that was the easy part. Now someone had to climb up there and set up the sensor pack. Everyone looked at OP-1, questioning whether or not she was going to do the deed again.

Climb check to get to the top, followed by an acrobatics check to hang on while performing a Computers check to calibrate the sensors. All 3 by the same person. Strength checks can be made to aid the climb and acrobatics checks, representing trying to stabilize the tower in the wind.

Hef locks himself in place, trying to stabilize the tower.

Strength Check Aid Climb: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Strength Check Aid Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Sorry! :(

Azara takes up a position next to Hef to aid with keeping that tower stable.

"One must never forget that the wind is created by the sun and thus is a fraction, but a large fraction of the most powerful force in the universe," he says.

Strength Aid Climb: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
Strength Aid Acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (12) + 4 = 16