[GM Wolffauer] SFS 2-06: The Stumbling Society, Part 1: Sangoro's Lament (Inactive)

Game Master Wolffauer

Lily's eyes grow big at the imposing figure, but she chatters away in her traditionally upbeat tone using a musical language.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 16 - 2 ⇒ (11) + 16 - 2 = 25

EDIT: Totally missed that Arratoi ninja'd me; Auto-Aid his Diplomacy.

Faraeon remains quiet and suspicious, not totally sure this isn't the "subject" that the mission logs mentioned and not wanting to let down his guard in case it is.

Jopsie gasps as she steps forward to look at the magnificent figure.
ally mysticism: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 9 - 2 = 13 Miis by a mile

"Jopsie, we've talked about you putting yourself in danger before.." gently chides Kultanien.

Addressing the figure, Kultanien continues on from what Arratoi said. "Yes, we are explorers. Our people face a hostile invasion and we were sent to see if we could find equipment that might help save us."

diplomacy(aid): 1d20 + 13 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 13 + (5) + 1 = 23

"If you don't mind me asking, I've never met another quite like you, who are you and...what are you?"

sense motive: 1d20 + 6 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 6 + (3) + 1 = 13

Freen stands silently at the ready, rifle pointed down, but hands in the appropriate locations.

No sense in joining the cacophony of voices now.

The creature seems quite disturbed and shouts warnings, threats, and insults as you try to speak with it. Arratoi can tell something has enraged the creature, but it doesn't seem to be related to your arrival. With a little help Arratoi is able to talk them down some, and the threats stop.

As you explain who you are and your mission here, they cry out "You must help then!" They continue in pleading voice, "I've tried so many times to get down there, but it's just too much, too dangerous. You have to help!" Their desperation is almost palpable and you are able to get nothing more from them without addressing it.

Arratoi holsters his weapon with a bewildered look on his face, "Help? You need more help beyond cheese, crackers and whiskey? Well that sounds serious! Lay it on us, brother! Whatcha need?

"Amirite?!?"

Arratoi looks over his shoulder to his teammates, winks, and says, "Don'tcha forget, I'mma novelist. Writing the same tropes repeatedly with a slightly different veneer each time is my specialty! But where do I get my inspirations for each slightly different veneer? Missions such as these of course!"

"I was going to suggest your past relationships," Lily giggles.

She turns to the 'Pixelwing' and asks, "Can you show us the way?"

”Too dangerous for a magical creature, eh? Sounds like a job for mortals, always expendable and happy to help. What’s the problem? No worries, we’ll take it from here.” Sunshine tries to glean what the threat is through the creature’s panic.

Alas, beyond more pleading for your help you are unable to get anything more from them.

You talked them down from their rage, but will now need to address their desperation. Take charge and give me some appropriate skill rolls.

Faraeon shoves down all the uneasiness currently plaguing him as he hears the creature's panicked cries. This person is in distress, he thinks, What he needs right now...is a hero!

"Hoo! Hah! Yah!" Faraeon suddenly leaps up and front flips over the front line of the party, landing in a dramatic action pose straight out of the film adaptations of one of Arratoi's trope-heavy novels. "Don't worry, friend Pixelwing! The Starfinders are here to help. From the far reaches of space in the system known as the Pact Worlds, a group of adventurers gathered from all walks of life to explore the unknown and spread the light of freedom and life to all people! Whatever your fears, my friend, we will take care of it or my name isn't Faraeon Star-Jumper!"

Bluff, uneasy: 1d20 + 13 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 13 - 2 = 28

"Of course we'll help. That is what Starfinders do. We help, and discover. Perhaps you could tell us a bit more about what you need the help with... I'd hate for us to go and accidently make things worse... What are the dangers down there...and how would we get down there?"

sense motive: 1d20 + 6 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 6 + (5) + 1 = 21 To try and get an idea of what is upsetting it. Free chance if it is being controlled by something.

Lily’s token represents what room you are all currently in

Moved us to the only other room with a door; SOP to open it?

"It has to be behind this door..." Lily noticeably hesitates when she goes to open it. "...but there's probably lots of doors left after this one, too." She takes out a tube of glittery lipstick and marks the ground with a pink arrow. "If we get lost in a panic, follow the signs!"

"You obviously don't mean us harm. And you obviously know something about this place. Sure of course we'll help! Doing so would be mutually beneficial! And besides, we'll be going down there anyways.

"And by the way, your Common is quite good. Having never met your species before, I wouldn't have guessed you'd know how to speak Common..."

Will try another Diplomacy to see if this can calm down the rifle-wielding angel's throes of desperation.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 8 + (1) + 1 = 18

As Lily tries to guide the group back out, the angel cries out "No! You can not leave this unchecked!"

Faraeon puts up a good front and is able to convince the angel that you have the skills and strength to help. They noticeably calm down, then suddenly its eyes go wide and it begins to panic. It looks around the room as if seeing horrible creatures in every corner and fires its rifle into the wall. It begins ranting in computer code.

Up until now it had been speaking truespeech, so no matter what language you spoke you could understand it.

Computers: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

"Hmmm, can anyone detect magic at work here? Or search around? Perhaps our potential friend here is suffering a disease?"

Medicine: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Sunshine shields his eyes from the random fire. ”Please! Calm down! We want to help you with these visions you’re having, but we need you to stop shooting at us! Dig deep and remember your purpose, show no fear!” He then tries to scan the area for latent magic and leverage whatever mystical knowledge he possesses to try and quell the creature’s anxiety.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23

Once the group is out of sight of the Pixelwing and about to enter the next door, Lily begins programming data into her holoskin and adjusts her hair scrunchie.

"Alright. I think that was enough time to interact with one of the locals. Let's see how this works..."

As she speaks, her voice begins to take on the digital static of the Pixelwing she just met. Feathery tendrils of electricity sprout from her shoulders, and she lifts into the air! Her form grows taller, her skin pales, and she takes on the same intimidating demeanor.

Master of Disguise 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (14) + 28 = 42
• +2 if changing voice helps disguise (GM’s discretion)
• Can alter major features, race, & creature type w/o increasing DC
• Duration 8 minutes per use; 2 uses per day; Will DC 20 required before attempting Perception to detect disguise

At the weapon fire Freen moves to a corner and ducks down, cowering.

Kultanien approaches the odd angel.

"We are friends, but we need to know more to help you." She 'boldly' stands forward as if presenting herself as a shield between the creature and its unknown adversaries.

"Stand back foul creatures!" she declares boldly.

Then turning, she asks again. "Tell us about how they have come to assail you."

diplomacy: 1d20 + 13 + 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 13 + (1) + 1 = 25

Lily, retreats back to the previous room to create her disguise, while Arratoi and the others try to calm the angel.

Arratoi deduces that something has affect the angel's powers, and is leading to its erratic behaviour. With help from Sunshine, he is able to calm the creature once more. Enough so that they are able to answer some of your questions.

"Forgive me," it begins, "I am Negator-XIII. I think I served as a guard—to protect this place. Or to protect others from it. You must access the Depot. The things it contains might be used for evil. That must not happen. My memories malfunctioned. Scrambled. Broken. I cannot recall. Something attacked. I do not know what. We lost our holy vision. We turned on one another. Many died."

"Go deeper in. Get to the depot. Take the stuff stored there. And keep it safe so it doesn't get used for evil. In other words, you're asking us to do what we were already gonna do. Got it!

"By the way, sounds like you've had a rough time. Still want some whiskey? Heck! Have the whole bottle! I'd say you deserve it. Great for those with brain damage and missing memories too! I swear!"

"The Depot is full of Mystical relics, unknown technology, dangerous creatures. The Exo-Guardians even captured a prexian mutantspawn—a radiation demon—for study. We were negotiating for its destruction. But the facility came under attack. It might still be down there."

"The instability in the environment chamber caused the facility to enter lockdown. There are
explosive spores and gases. The environment generators are malfunctioning, causing chain reactions. My protocols prohibit me from entering—given enough fire, even angels can be killed. It is maddening. You must help."

"Thank you for your offer, but your whiskey has no effect on my kind."

They direct you to the hatch in the floor and explain that it leads to the environmental chambers.

Lily, retreats back to the previous room to create her disguise, while Arratoi and the others try to calm the angel.

Choppy PbP timing. It seemed we were done talking with it since it was irrational, there was only one door left to go through, and our checks weren't doing anything. Lily wouldn't sneak off in the middle of a conversation. She was asking it questions, rolling Sense Motive and Aiding on Diplomacy.

"Are there any other hidden doors down there that we should know about?"

No worries. Your continued interactions with it were progressing it through a series of stages, ending with coherent...(or attacking you)

The angel looks confused for a moment and replies, "There are no hidden doors here, but the environmental chambers will be difficult to navigate."

"Could you program a map into our datapads?"

Definitely activating her Level 8 armor's environmental protections (Lily also wears a Filtered Rebreather) after the conversation is over.

"Ok, so we go through the trap door, fix the environmental generators, which will get rid of the explosive spores and gases on this level.

"Amirite??"

Can we roll to identify creature and learn more about it based on the angel's description?
Mysticism: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 = 20

Arratoi turns to his teammates and points to the radiation buffer installed on his armor as well as the anti-rad clothing he's wearing. He also makes sure his radiation badge is worn properly so that it is visible to all.

Before leaving this room to move on, Arratoi will inject himself with antitoxin mk 1 and say...

"Radiation poisoning and sickness is a b!$+%!"

Double-checking her environmental seals, Kultanien pats the radiation buffer she acquired prior to the expedition. "Looks like this might come in handy."

The angle provides a map of the environmental chambers, explaining that you will need to make your way to the controls to manually reset everything without being burned to death. The map reveals several possible routes through the corridors past the numerous environment chambers.

"As for the prexian mutantspawn, it was being kept in the Depot, so you should not encounter it here."

"My analysis indicates the greatest likelihood of success lies with your capable party proceeding alone. My holy vision is damaged. I cannot tell good from evil, friend from foe. I may turn on you in the heat of battle. You must proceed alone. However, I can provide copies of my equipment."

Negator-XIII provides a barachius helm, holy sintered longsword, and holy corona laser rifle.

When everyone is prepared, Negator-XIII will open the 10' wide hatch. A short ladder leads to a chamber below, with hallways leading in multiple directions. A brown cloud chokes the area, and dozens of fist-sized mold spores drift through the cloud, blocking easy passage. As you watch, an area down one hall erupts into flames. A moment later the flames are gone, but the brown cloud and spores have repopulated the hall.

There is no actual map for this area. Mechanically, you will need to make your way through the corridors via skill checks. Each round, you may make one skill check or aid. You will be looking to navigate the spores (Acrobatics, Athletics, or Stealth), discern a path to the controls (Engineering) or understand spores’ behavior (Life Science or Survival)

Faraeon activates the tier 6 environmental protections on his armor, and a shimmering field briefly illuminates his face as it surrounds his head, before fading into transparency. "Alright. I'm ready to head down whenever you all are."

Level 6 armor environmental protections are active. Won't do quite as much good as Lily's lvl 8 stuff, but wanted to at least note that it's there.

With only a brief moment of hesitation, Faraeon does a gainer into the open hatch and falls through. Half way down the fall, he activates his force soles and softens his landing with a ninja roll.

Acrobatics, uneasy: 1d20 + 18 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 18 - 2 = 18

Sunshine reflexively takes the corona laser rifle from the angel, also reaching for the holy helmet. He looks down at his somewhat outdated d-suit, then sighs, installing the helm into its sole upgrade slot. ”No buffer for me, but at least I can look like an angel before joining them.”

He activated his EP, looks into the blasted fungal hellscape, lets out a low groan, and tries to discern a path to the controls.

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

Arratoi also activates environmental protections and follows the others down into the trapdoor.

Once down there, Arratoi studies the spores in an attempt to understand them better.
Life Science: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Kultanien looks into the room, while Jopsie provides advice on the spores behavior.

Auto aid on life sciences

Now out of sight from the angel, Lily dons her disguise and sneaks around, silently stepping on air.

Stealth: 1d20 + 26 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 26 - 2 = 34

After activating his environmental protections, Freen goes off down a tunnel toward some mechanical terminals.

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (3) + 15 - 2 = 16

The brown fog makes it nearly impossible to see. All sight, including darkvision, is obscured beyond 5' You cautiously make your way down the most likely corridor, but are forced to backtrack some when you discover the hallway near completely blocked by spores.

As you re-figure your route, something triggers the nearby spores and flames fill the room.

Exploding Spores: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 4, 2, 3) = 11 (F & S)

Freen and Kultanien get caught in the blast of fire and thorns from the spores. After DR and resistances, Freen takes 1 pt, and Kultanien 6

Everyone is up for round 2

[u]End of Round 1[/u]

Kultanien -- 6 dmg
Faraeon
Lily
Sunshine
Arratoi
Freen -- 1 dmg

Freen goes off down a tunnel toward some mechanical terminals, his tool bag clinking.

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 15 - 2 = 29

Lily tries to somersault to safety!

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (18) + 23 = 41

Jopsie continues to offer advice on the best way to avoid the spores.
"So interesting... and I wonder if they generate the brown fog..."

The golden android rolls her eyes slightly at her distracted assistant.

aid life sciences,distraction: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 9 - 2 = 14

Arratoi continues to observe and study the spores...

Life Science: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22

Faraeon tries to help his shy, but brainy buddy Freen with managing the terminals.

Aid Engineering, uneasy: 1d20 + 10 - 2 ⇒ (9) + 10 - 2 = 17

Following the explosion, Sunshine tries to interpret the spores and what they are doing.

Life Science: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27

Freen and Faraeon are able to safely lead the group closer to the controls. Sunshine saves them from a serious misstep, while Lily practically dances her way past the spores.

It all comes to a halt when a stray spark ignites causes another explosion.

Exploding Spores: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 2, 2) = 11 (F & S)

Faraeon and Freen are too close to avoid it, as they are engulfed in fire and thorns. After DR and resistances, Freen takes 1 pt. Faraeon takes the full 11 pt.

Everyone is up for round 3

[u]End of Round 2[/u]

Kultanien -- 6 dmg
Faraeon -- 11 dmg
Lily -- 9 dmg (from previous fight)
Sunshine
Arratoi
Freen -- 2 dmg

Arratoi decides to switch tactics and reviews the situation from an engineering standpoint this time around...

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

Halflings were raised with games of toss. What if Lily simply "tossed" some of the smaller spores out of the way?

Athletics: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (4) + 16 = 20

Jopsie continues to study the spores, while Kultanien just does her best to ensure the suit environmental protections are holding tight.

"This was not what I was expecting to find on an abandoned planet." she admits.

life science, aid,distraction: 1d20 + 9 - 2 ⇒ (18) + 9 - 2 = 25

Freen continues toward working mechanical terminals, his tools being moved swiftly and efficiently.

Engineering: 1d20 + 15 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 15 - 2 = 32

Life Science: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33

Sunshine keeps tabs on the spores’ movements.

Freen and Arratoi get ahead of Faraeon, forcing him to do some fancy footwork to catch up. Acrobatics (bot): 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (17) + 18 = 35

Sunshine and Jopsie both call out a moment too late as Lily tries to give a spore a gentle toss.

Exploding Spores: 4d6 ⇒ (2, 3, 5, 3) = 13 (F & S)

The resulting explosion catches Sunshine and Arratoi in the blast.

[u]End of Round 3[/u]

Kultanien -- 6 dmg
Faraeon -- 11 dmg
Lily -- 9 dmg
Sunshine -- 13 dmg
Arratoi -- 13 dmg
Freen -- 2 dmg

The rhyphorian winces against the pain. ”On your left! How much further??”

Life Science: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

Lily tries to sneak away like nothing happened...

Stealth: 1d20 + 26 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 26 - 2 = 44