The Dire GM's [SFS] Skitter Crash (Inactive)

Game Master CanisDirus

"Ew, it's so disgusting! I look like a tramp, I smell like a tramp, I am so muddy. Why does mud exist anyway? It's ugly, it stinks it's sticky, it's wet, it's yuck! My fur, my gorgeous shiny fur is stained. And my clothes, they are ruined. That's awful. It's a nightmare! Look at my fantastic arm bands? They are covered in horrible mud! Whoever created mud doesn't deserve to live."

Gazigaz whines as he tries to wipe the mud off him. When he hears Quonx talk about a possible community, he starts looking around, mumbling.

"We are probably alone on this outrageous planet. Who wants to live in the stinky mud anyway?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

"We need clean water not this stuff." Nako mentions after being completely and totally thinking everything is fine and dandy. "If we'll be here long we can't easily drink this."

Survival: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

Gazigaz panicks as soon as Nako mentions that the group might be spending some time on the unknown planet.

"Hell no!! I will not be on this stinky planet for long. Let's get out of here. Where are we?"

He gets his starstone compass out of his pockets and starts walking around frenetically.

"Can someone get a signal? Or any sign of civilization?

Dakota looks around. He pulls himself up onto a tree root that arches from the muck. "Can someone get a signal? Or any sign of civilization?

Temporarily dry, he casts a minor spell to clean himself up, at least above the waist. Then he does the same for Gaz, Quonx, and Nako.

Examining the wreckage, you discover an emergency supply kit that holds an industrial backpack containing two space suits (with their environmental
protections still charged), eight R2E pouches (enough for four skittermanders to eat for 2 days), and a dispenser of bonding epoxy. You also determine that nothing else in the wreckage is salvageable, and there is no way to repair the craft or any of its components.

Soundtrack 07: Swamp - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "Boobytrap"

Trying to gauge your surroundings, you're not really sure which way to go, even though Nako and Gazigaz come up with a direction that seems to be drier than all other alternatives. Dakoyo's idea seems sound, though - maybe scanning for for signals with a comm unit (Computers or Engineering) might help? Similarly, reaching out with Mysticism to try and sense for magical energies could also be insightful!

"I will ask Ibra for guidance." Dakoyo finds a higher, relatively dry tift of long grass and sits cross-legged with his uppermost palms pressed together, his middle arms extended to the side palms up, and his lower hands extended before him with thumbs touching the tips of his little fingers.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (11) + 13 = 24

"Ah, thank you Dakoyo! This will be much better if we're dry!"

Quonx pulls out a small datapad from a pocket and blows on it to remove some dirt.

"Let me see if I can get any kind of signal..."

Engineering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (4) + 12 = 16

Nako dances about having dry clean fur and tests out the mini hand drums to make sure they survived the fall and the foam.

"Thanks Dakoyo! Now let's get out of here! Where should we go? What does Ibra says? Please tell me that your Ibra can do something for us!"

Dakota holds his pose while he slowly opens one eye at his fellow skitters. "You're all very welcome. Nothing from Ibra yet. Sometimes you just need to give it time."

The eye slowly shuts and the purple one resumes meditation.

Nako takes stock of her remaining items getting to the brass blaathhorn and after a few takes of blowing foam out of it turns with that I got an idea skitter expression.

She takes a step back from her friends staying on dry land and then takes the biggest breath her body can manage and blows through it as loud as she can.

Soundtrack 07: Swamp - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "Boobytrap"

Quonx detects a bit of strange interference; this is decidedly not a naturally occurring phenomenon and could be from a civilization on this planet or from some other debris that might be able to help the skittermanders. Unfortunately, the scan is imprecise, and in these swampy conditions, it could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to search the area indicated by her sensor sweep.

It would take another hour to try a new scan for better information.

Dakoyo, on the other hand, can sense a disturbance of planar energy less than a mile to the east; this could be related to the storm that pulled them out of the Drift, it might be a magical method of travel set up by the planet’s inhabitants, or it could be something else entirely.

With this information in hand (times 18), will you head east, or hang around longer to scan for more data?

Again, so sorry for the delay

Dakoyo uncurls himself from his allsix lotus position.

"Let's go east. Ibra's like a big gracious magical skittermander who just wants to help. I've got a feeling we'll find something good there if we follow her guidance. When we get there, Quonx can scan again and maybe triangulate on that interference."

"All right, lead the way Dakoyo!"

Quonx looks one last time at the wreckage, stows away the datapad and takes out the targeting system she grabbed while escaping the ship.

"Anybody want this module? We should check out the stuff we salvaged from the ship."

"Lead on!" Nako says cheerfully, before balancing the blaathhorn in one set of hands and the mvindee fingerdrums held and played with another leading to a brass and percussion marching music for the trip.

"I don't want to stay here any longer! Let's go!"

As with the last game we played together, Mondays are still rough for me until midnight or after, but as long as nothing else goes wrong on my side of the screen, we should be back to "normal" now!

Heading out, you march through the marsh for about 20 minutes (and can take any time you'd like to install armor/weapon upgrades/fusions prior to this), trudging through the muck and swampy water, until...

Soundtrack 09: Unknown Anomaly - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "The Robotech Masters"

A few small stands of trees rise above the swamp’s waterline here. An unusual ribbon of reddish light hangs in the air, from which tiny bolts of fiery energy shoot out intermittently.

The swamp here is about 1 foot deep and is treated like a shallow bog (Starfinder Core Rulebook 398), meaning that it counts as difficult terrain, and the DCs of Acrobatics checks attempted in squares here increase by 2.

Just then, two bolts of hellfire shoot out of the rift!

Target 1: 1d12 ⇒ 5
Target (DGNQ) 2: 1d4 ⇒ 3

One fiery bolt sets a nearby tree ablaze, and the other shoots in Nako's direction!

Hellfire Bolt: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28 vs. EAC
Fire Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

ROUND 1
Dakoyo (-6 SP)
Gazigaz (-7 SP)
Nako (-27 SP, -7 HP)
Quonx (-5 SP)
ROUND 2
Fiery Hazard
Tree #5 (On Fire!)

To put out a burning tree, you can make a Reflex save to splash water on it while adjacent to it. Failure by too much means you might get burned! You get a +2 bonus for each round you work on putting out a single fire (representing slowly working it down). The DCs, however, get harder the longer a fire burns - if it gets too high, you may be forced to flee the area!

If you yourselves are on fire, you can take a move action to duck underwater to instantly remove the burning condition.

All Skittermanders are up!
Map is updated!

Mysticism, what is it?: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

"That doesn't look very helpful." Dakoyo looks at the red ribbon rift, trying to figure out what it is.

My first impulse is to just walk away. How do you guys feel?

Nako moves around towards the burning tree attempting to fish out what looks to be a fire extinguisher. Muttering as she moves around about smell of burning fur!

Assuming Nako isn't on fire, just the damage at this point.

Gazigaz steps back and screams, surprised by the hellfire.

"We need to run away from these things before these swamps become a skitter barbecue!! Don't worry Nako, you would look badass with scars" inspiration boost

Unfortunately, none of you have rested since the last fight, so inspiring boost won't work on Nako or Quonx...sorry.

Dakoyo - you are fairly certain that if this rift is not closed, it could spread to the entire swamp...possibly the entire planet! If anything does live here...they need your help!

Damn it!! Can I restart my action?

"The fire-spitter is a bad thing. It could spread and hurt a lot of animals in the swamp. It's kind of like the shadow roon on teh Emerald Empyrean, but I'm not sure how to close it."

Or am I?

Mysticism, how to close fire-spitting planar rifts: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

Or even take 10 for 23? I'll even walk closer if I can get a better feel for the thing.

Gazigaz - sure!

Dakoyo - You are, it's under that first spoiler, which you can share with the others if you'd like!

Sorry, I entirely missed the spoiler on first reading.

Dakoyo peers more closely at the red ribbon. "Yes, it is a real planar rift. Almost exactly like the one on the Emerald Empyrean except this opens to some diabolic plane. If we all hold hands and chant some of Ibra's sacred formulae we might be able to close it."

Dakoyo pulls out his needler, and battle staff. "Have your weapons handy. The rift's denizens may react with hostility if they become aware of us. "

You can all read that spoiler from Tuesday the 4th. The hand holding is just skitter flavor.

When we're all ready, Dakoyo plans to run up to the rift and start his chant. (Ready should probably include a rest for Nako.)

"Bad Fire Rift thing. No burning trees!" Nako puts the tree out with the fire extinguisher

Gazigaz runs towards Dakoyo, shouting to his friends:

"Come on skitters! We need to stop the source of this burning hell before thinking about how to extinguish the remaining fire!"

He then holds Dakoyo's hand real tight and begins his usual nervous rambling:

"Ready when you are! What do you want me to sing? I love karaoke, but I never got to sing an Ibra song... Is it jazzy, rock, groovy? Do they include any special dance moves? I'm pretty good with rap bits, but not with the emotional belting..."

(Botting Quonx)

All four skittermanders have to double-move through the bog to get close to the ribbon, but even if he had been close enough, Dakoyo isn't sure that chant would have been effective. Nako and Quonx try to get closer to the burning tree while Gazigaz and Dakoyo head for the ribbon itself!

Nako - if I missed you being able to get to the tree faster somehow, please poke me and I'll change the above. Using the fire extinguisher would indeed remove the need for a roll to put the more mundane fires out!

Two more bolts of hellfire shoot out of the rift!

Target 1: 1d12 ⇒ 10
Target (DGNQ) 2: 1d4 ⇒ 4

One fiery bolt sets another tree ablaze, while the other shoots in Quonx's direction!

Hellfire Bolt: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15 vs. EAC
Fire Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 6) = 9

...but it misses!

ROUND 2
Dakoyo (-6 SP)
Gazigaz (-7 SP)
Nako (-27 SP, -7 HP)
Quonx (-5 SP)
ROUND 3
Fiery Hazard
Tree #5 (On Fire x2!)
Tree #10 (On Fire x1!)

To put out a burning tree, you can make a Reflex save to splash water on it while adjacent to it. Failure by too much means you might get burned! You get a +2 bonus for each round you work on putting out a single fire (representing slowly working it down). The DCs, however, get harder the longer a fire burns - if it gets too high, you may be forced to flee the area!

If you yourselves are on fire, you can take a move action to duck underwater to instantly remove the burning condition.

Soundtrack 09: Unknown Anomaly - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "The Robotech Masters"
All Skittermanders are up!
Map is updated!

"That was terrible. We've got to chant louder if we're going to save the world and stuff." Dakoyo steps closer to the rift and tries another paean to Ibra.

Anti-rift chant: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30

Dakoyo chants loud and clear, and the rift begins to visibly weaken!

Gazigaz follows Dakoyo in his chants with more and more enthusiasm.

Me thinking there were two rounds. Double move and then use, if not make her action this round attempting to put it out.

Nako uses her fire extinguisher and puts out the blaze on the tree that burst into flames initially!

Gazigaz Untrained Mysticism: 1d20 ⇒ 6

Gazigaz tries to follow Dakoyo's lead, but gets a bit tangled up in the words, gree?

Botting Quonx
Seeing the first fire out, Quonx races through the bog towards the second burning bush!

Two more bolts of hellfire shoot out of the rift!

Target 1: 1d12 ⇒ 4 (5*)
Target (DGNQ) 2: 1d4 ⇒ 4

One fiery bolt sets another tree ablaze, while the other shoots in Quonx's direction!

Hellfire Bolt: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 vs. EAC
Fire Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (3, 4) = 7

...this time hitting the blue-furred mechanic!

ROUND 3
Dakoyo (-6 SP)
Gazigaz (-7 SP)
Nako (-27 SP, -7 HP)
Quonx (-12 SP)
ROUND 4
Fiery Hazard *
Tree #4 (On Fire x1!)
Tree #5 (Out)
Tree #10 (On Fire x2!!)

To put out a burning tree, you can make a Reflex save to splash water on it while adjacent to it. Failure by too much means you might get burned! You get a +2 bonus for each round you work on putting out a single fire (representing slowly working it down). The DCs, however, get harder the longer a fire burns - if it gets too high, you may be forced to flee the area!

If you yourselves are on fire, you can take a move action to duck underwater to instantly remove the burning condition.

Soundtrack 09: Unknown Anomaly - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "The Robotech Masters"
All Skittermanders are up!
Map is updated!

As they finish the first chant and Dakoyo considers what the next one will be, he becomes aware of the number of burning trees around them. "Gaz, I think I've got this. Maybe you should help the others with the fires? "

The purple skittermander then resumes with a chant ofo community unity. "Kum by ya, Ibra. Kum by ya...."

Peace and Love chant: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (6) + 13 = 19

Dakoyo continues to chant, and the rift continues to weaken!

"Yeah, I think that you own these Ibra songs on your own... You're doing great! I don't seem to be in a Kumba yaya kawaw mood anyway...", answers Gazigaz as he let go of Dakoyo's hands and heads towards the nearest burning tree.

Gazigaz looks around, spots a branch, grabs it with two hands, and swings it in a circular motion to project waves of water towards the fire.

Reflex save to splash water: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Gazigaz seems to be expert at putting out actual fires as well as social ones!

Botting Nako and Quonx

Given how close Nako is to the newest fire, she simply turns around and blasts it with her fire extinguisher, putting it out as well!

Quonx, meanwhile, spreads out to get ready in case something else catches!

Two more bolts of hellfire shoot out of the rift, even as it shrinks!

Target 1: 1d12 ⇒ 3 (4, 5, 10*)
Target (DGNQ) 2: 1d4 ⇒ 2

One fiery bolt sets yet another tree ablaze, while the other fires (literally) at Gazigaz!!

Hellfire Bolt: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 vs. EAC
Fire Damage: 2d6 ⇒ (2, 2) = 4

...this time hitting the blue-furred mechanic!

ROUND 4
Dakoyo (-6 SP)
Gazigaz (-11 SP)
Nako (-27 SP, -7 HP)
Quonx (-12 SP)
ROUND 5
Fiery Hazard **
Tree #3 (On fire! x1)
Tree #4 (Out)
Tree #5 (Out)
Tree #10 (Out)

To put out a burning tree, you can make a Reflex save to splash water on it while adjacent to it. Failure by too much means you might get burned! You get a +2 bonus for each round you work on putting out a single fire (representing slowly working it down). The DCs, however, get harder the longer a fire burns - if it gets too high, you may be forced to flee the area!

If you yourselves are on fire, you can take a move action to duck underwater to instantly remove the burning condition.

Soundtrack 09: Unknown Anomaly - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "The Robotech Masters"
All Skittermanders are up!
Map is updated!

Feeling divinely protected because the rift hasn't targeted him yet, Dakoyo sidesteps closer to the rift's center and continues his chant.

"Wha tsof un nya bout peas slove an dun ders tand ing."

philosophy chant: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Nako, moves over to the new tree and splushes it out with the fire extinguisher.

"FIRE! Damn it burns!", screams Gazigaz.

He then runs to the remaining fire and swings the branch once again.

Ref Save: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

I swear, this month may kill me.

With Gazigaz's help, Nako puts out the fire, while Dakoyo expertly chants mystic words and energies, sealing the portal to hell and possibly saving the entire planet!

You are now out of rounds!

Current Status:
Dakoyo (-6 SP)
Gazigaz (-11 SP)
Nako (-27 SP, -7 HP)
Quonx (-12 SP)

Care to take a rest before continuing, Skitter-friends?

Yeah let's rest guys!

Nako looks around, " at least it's dry here. maybe a little crispy." she sits back on the ground using the fire extinguisher as a pillow.

"Nako, you're bleeding. Let me help." Dakoyo draws out his medkit and stethoscope and a wooden tongue depressor. "Maybe my magic healing wand can do the trick. Now hold still and open your mouth...."

Treat Wounds, medkit DC 25: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

The purple skitter frowns. "This could be more serious than I thought. Let's go right to the top, to Ibra."

mystic cure: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Two spells used.

Dakoyo, your GM recommends using your Serums of healing out of combat, saving spells for when you can't get to serums. With the 8 you just rolled, one serum would be enough to cure Nako's HP back to full, f you're okay with that!

After 10 minutes of resting and Dakoyo's care, you are all healthy and hale again. And it's a good thing, too, because a bit off to the east of you, out of sight, you suddenly hear a panicked shout from what is definitely a sentient creature, followed by the throaty roar of a wild animal in the distance! Somebody is in trouble!!

Grabbing your weapons and gear, you race towards the sound!

The ends of a wooden bridge stretch from two raised mounds of dry land here, but they don’t quite meet. The structure was recently broken, as chunks of boards float in the nearby water.

The water is 4 feet deep, making it Deep Bog and requiring Athletics checks if you end up in it!

As you arrive, a lab-coat wearing individual has just been thrown into the water, flailing his arms frantically, while a large, swamp predator roars at its prey...and then at you, as you approach!

Soundtrack 10: Save the Scientist! - DropBox mp3 Link: Robotech "Alien Attack"

ROUND 1
Dakoyo (0 Damage)
Gazigaz (0 Damage)
Unidentified Creature
Alien Scientist (-9 hp)
Quonx (0 Damage)
Nako (0 Damage)
ROUND 2

Dakoyo and Gazigaz are up!
Map is Updated!

Mike, I will definitely take the serum option. Thanks for the suggestion. I missed that D has 5 serums of healing on his character sheet. Had 5; now 4.

'Thrown into the water'? Was someone there to do the throwing? Or is it more a case of bridge broke and that through Dr. Labcoat into the water?

"Oh! Look at the coat. He must be a doctor! Hurry! We must save my colleague!" Dakoyo dashes forward, drawing his pistol.

"Nufriend, can you swim?"

Deciding the swamp thing is just too close to his colleague, Dakoyo raises the pistol with two hands and fires.

Needler pistol v KAC: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21 ... damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

The bite marks suggest that he was bitten by a large predator and then tossed into the water from there :-P

Gazigaz runs next to Dakoyo, looks at the swamp predator, and notices the bad position in which stands the doctor.

"We need to distract the monster to allow our labcoat nufriend to get out of the water! Can you get out of there by yourself nufriend?"

Gazigaz doesn't wait for the doctor's answer before pointing his pistol towards the swamp predator, aware that the quicker he would get its attention, the quicker the doctor would be able to escape. Before shooting, the skittermander shouts:

"Get him skitters! Let's show him what we've got! HEY UGLY FACE!! TAKE THIS!!" (using hyper to get an extra move action and use Get'Em)

Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2