[SFS/Shifty] #3-02 The Subterranean Safari (C) (Inactive)

Game Master Nik B.

Croaker smiles to Sprout

"I am glad that we were able to help, in some way. I would take those mushrooms and try to grow them in Absalom Station."

As he leaves the room

"I need to rest a bit but then we can go to that double doors. "

The ghost attack scratched my SP so I will take 10 min break.

Bar nods at Croaker. "I probably could use one also. I think a few of my armor plates and straps need readjusting."

It looks like I didn't use one earlier after the medium stridermancer fight....so will use 1 RP to get back the 10 Stamina

You crack the final doors!

A filthy mound of debris, fabric, and broken furniture dominates the center of this vast chamber, reaching halfway to the thirty foot- high ceiling. The floor is littered with bones, refuse, and half-eaten corpses.

The east wall is decorated with framed photographs, mostly shattered, while the west is plastered with paper rotten by time and filth. The south wall bears a mural, its paint faded and crumbling.

A number of Stridermanders turn to stare. One sits atop the mound - the Alpha!

The piles of bones and debris are a foot high and count as difficult terrain. The central mound is 15 feet high and counts as difficult terrain.

R1
Croaker
Drift
Ceo
Rattus
Bar
ENEMY

Croaker looks at the alpha stridermander and reaches out for magic surrounding him. He feels death and fear of every wictim that stridermanders have hunted. He feels feer of skittermanders raided by Vesks. He takes this fear and horror and sends it to the alpha beast standing on top of the heap.

Mind thrust@red, DC14 for halve: 2d10 ⇒ (6, 10) = 16

"Feel some of the terror!"

Will 1d20 ⇒ 13
It seems to hurt it, but the mind is slippery!

R1
Croaker
Drift
Ceo - acted
Rattus
Bar
ENEMY

R 8
O
Y

Move Action: Combat Tracking Red.

"Tracking the alpha. Careful to not get surrounded in there." he warns as he attempts to fire past the brigadier and into the room.

Plasma Fork, 12-Notch: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 Yay, soft cover.
Damage (E&F): 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Drift manages to tag the enemy creature!

R1
Croaker - acted
Drift - acted
Ceo
Rattus
Bar
ENEMY

R 14
O
Y

Seeing that there are the obvious enemies in the...lair?...Bar things quickly. Since one of Bar's hands holds his perforator pistol, he uses his other to put down Adrovor carefully, and moves forward, pulling out his survival knife with his off hand.

I can't see Dropping Adrovor as a free action, so move action to put the 'pack' that I am carrying him in down, and move action to move forward (since Bar is the most front line person in this group) to protect the others. Also pulling out survival knife as part of the move action.

Still jittery from the scare with the skittermander spirits, Ceolor, peeks into the room and starts to glow a faint red. He pulls out his longarm shaped weapon of a mote and takes aim on the red stridermander, marking it for a moment. "Fire in the hole! These things aren't getting into my head again!"

Free to drop into Stellar alignment photon, Swift to use his called weapon, move to activate Blade in the Night (1 round) and then standard to attack.

Solar Flare, Heat drain: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Blade in the Night, Photon Aligned, d4+7 Cold, d2 Electric damage: 1d4 + 7 + 1d2 ⇒ (4) + 7 + (2) = 13

Baur lowers Ardovor, the undead vesk eyes burn with fury at the Stridermanders!

Ceo unleashes some well placed fiery death!

R1
Croaker - acted
Drift - acted
Ceo - acted
Rattus
Bar - acted
ENEMY

R 27
O
Y

Rattus up!

Rattus moves near bar and fires. red

attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

crit: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Rattus tags the alpha!
***

The Alpha moves to engage.

The other two rush in!

Yellow attacks Rattus
Attack 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

Orange attacks Baur
Attack 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 12 + 2 = 27 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

A creature drops from the ceiling, previously well camouflaged!

It attacks Baur with a doshko!
Attack 1d20 + 13 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 13 + 2 = 33 vs KAC
Damage 1d12 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

***
Several bones in the room begin glowing in numerous colours - pink, green, blue, red, yellow, purple.

Adrovor drags himself into a position where he can see.

The Brigadier takes a shot at the Alpha!
Attack 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (13) + 11 = 24
Damage 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Massive ouch for Baur!

R2
Croaker
Drift
Ceo
Rattus
Bar
ENEMY

R 34
O
Y
B 6

"What in the vast! It that one big enough Bridadier?" Drift exclaims seeing the new creature drop down from the other side of the doorway.

With his tracked target around the corner, he changes his aim to the new creature. With a few adjustments, the rail of his plasma fork glows red hot and begins to whistle. The heated charge bursts out with a mighty kick.

Move: Boost 1d4. Standard: Overcharge
9/20 Charges Remaining.

Plasma Fork, 12-Notch: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27
Damage (E&F): 1d8 + 3 + 1d6 + 1d4 ⇒ (8) + 3 + (1) + (4) = 16
Critical Damage (E&F): 1d8 + 3 + 1d6 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 3 + (5) + (3) = 15
Critical Effect: Knockdown.

Ceolor takes a step backwards surprised at the giant stridermander right in front of him and takes aim with his 'rifle' again. "Good grief that is a biggun! Hope he goes down readily though!"

Ceolor then fires a shot at the big alpha hoping to get it dead.

Solar Flare, Heat drain: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Photon Aligned, d4+5 Cold, d2 Electric damage: 1d4 + 5 + 1d2 ⇒ (2) + 5 + (1) = 8

"She's superb!" the Brigadier looks thrilled.

Ceolor misses the shot, but Drift puts the big beast on its backside!

Massive ouch for Baur!

R2
Croaker
Drift - acted
Ceo - acted
Rattus
Bar
ENEMY

R 34
O
Y
B 37 + Prone.

Full SP, full HP....2 hits, 0 SP, Full HP...ouchy!

Baur sees what is probably the true alpha drop on his head right as another of the lesser stridermancers attacks him. Trying to dodge the stidermanders vicious slash with its claw, he almost leans into the whistling doshko. Feeling that his armor is now very compromised, decides to tumble through the stridermanders arms to get out of this killbox.

Acrobatics to get the heck out of all the threatened spots: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18
Oooff....shirt reroll time, NOT going to stand here and get quad flanked.....3 nova GM
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 13 + 3 = 34
Much better

Acrobatics to tumble, half speed, DC 15+1.5X highest CR +2 per other stridermancer

Feeling the sweat on his brow, he gets some space between him and the others, and shoots his gun at the one stridermancer hurt most.

Defractoin Pistol on red (EAC): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (11) + 7 = 18
Damage (Sonic): 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

I would have love to do a trick attack...but it is a full attack....acrobatics to tumble is a specific move action....sigh. I need a few more operative tricks and a feat or two to do that....

The Cat is clearly kissed by the gods as some amazing tumbling and shooting takes place. The Stridermander is tagged onthe way out, but is still barely standing!

R2
Croaker
Drift - acted
Ceo - acted
Rattus
Bar - acted
ENEMY

R 38
O
Y
B 37 + Prone.

Croaker moves to the side of his teammate, he hates to be so cramped with others.

He raises his hand and again pulls on the energy, and suddenly from the pile of bones a swarm of rats appear and rushes towards the big enemy laying on the floor.

Casting wisp ally on huge enemy, making it harrying fire. The next attack gets +2 circumstances bonus to hit. Lasts 3 rounds

Croaker gets a pile of rats swarming into combat!

Rattus up!

Rattus backs out!
***

Red attacks Baur
Attack 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

Yellow attacks Ceolor
Attack 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Orange attacks Baur
Attack 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 2 = 29 vs KAC
Damage 1d6 + 7 ⇒ (3) + 7 = 10

The Alpha stands up and brushes itself off.

***
The glowing bones rise into the air and hurl themselves at the stridermanders, comically bonking them on the head, nudging their elbows, or poking them in the ears, eyes, or nose.

The Brigadier takes a shot at the Alpha!
Attack 1d20 + 11 - 4 ⇒ (4) + 11 - 4 = 11
Damage 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9

Adrovor channels the undead energy fuelled by the anger and hatred of being stuck alone in a lightless room for centuries at the Stridermaner
Damage 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (3, 3, 4) + 3 = 13

The Alpha is slain!

It falls with a keening wail and the stridermanders that have survived begin to flee. You can hear more escaping the complex through aircon ducts and behind walls

/End combat

"What a beauty, you can help me drag it home!"

Rattus sheaths his pistol and looks at the dead beast.

"Sure thing! I'll help drag it!"

Bar nods wearily at the general. "Sure...after I take 10....I was not meant to be the punching dummy....."

End of fight....Bar had 0 SP, and 18/28 HP.......operatives should not be front line unless built that way.... :-)

After taking a break then picking clean the lair of any items of interest from the prey these creatures have amassed over time you begin to drag the corpse back to town.

Once outside the tunnels, Brigadier Teshgari asides to you all, "We now know about the secrets buried in Gadraveech, and buried is where it belongs. Clearly the murders were scrubbed from the archives for a reason, Starfinders revealing damaging information that could tarnish the Veskarium’s reputation on Vesk-3, and would wound the relationship that the Veskarium have recently begun to cultivate with the Starfinder Society. If you are ever directly questioned, what you found was the site of a terrible accident, someone must have tripped and fallen with some explosives with tragic consequences. Thoughts and prayers"

"We all on the same page here?"

"I understand the present and future is more important than the past. Yet, you must take this information as an important figure in the Veskarium and make sure it never happens again. Another incident would be even worse for relations and I believe you owe it to the Skittermanders. Right, Jomp and Mimzy? Accident or not, do something to remember Allsix." Drift asks as he works through the problem.

"If that sounds amicable I think we are on the same page, Brigadier."

"Brigadier, errors of the past may never be buried. You can gain way more by uncovering it, and admitting that the leaders of the past made a mistake. The whole Vesk-3 will keep you in high regard as an honorable warrior and just leader. Your authority will only grow if you go public with that information. On top of that, you will not leave a secret hidden for someone to discover and try to blackmail you. I ask you to admit that the leaders of the past did wrong due to a lack of information."

Says Croaker

1 more vote to go public.

Ceolor pauses as the group starts to leave the building. "I can see why the Veskarium thought they were a threat, but yes this is a sad piece of vesk-skittermander history here. Personally, this is something that might get dug up by someone else, but if you want this to stay buried than I'm okay with keeping it that way. Drift does have a point though, in that the Allsix should be remembered in some way. Maybe you could publish some of the art and music we found down here? Hooking Compy up to the planetary infosphere? Something to show that these people mattered, especially as they probably saved our asses from a world of hurt there at the end."

He gives a small sigh, before brightening into a smile, "But no worries about me publishing anything about this. I'm a fiction writer first and I don't do historical exposes. They bore me to death to write, research and even read."

"Hmmm, a third path. One that shows the old prejudices lead to old problems, but perhaps some mileage to be made by contrasting it to our benevolent rule now"

"At least you starfinders tend to be consistent"

***

You return to the Brass Clutch and Radaszam - "A job well-done, I compliment your efforts. You achieved the task set of you and have built relations with the Veskarium. Tragic tale about the Allsixers though, but we 'report' even when it is not something we like and it sounds like you navigated that potential political disaster. I don't know what the impact will be when the story comes out, but if we're to be taken seriously we need to remain consistent. I see we have a new Starfinder too, Adrovor. A fair bit to be done there, but we have good resources"

/end!