Combat MAPS. - I will try to keep the current map (if one) always on slide 1.
PREPARATION REWARDS:
Unless otherwise mentioned, using a reward gained from a preparatory task requires no action. If a reward gives a bonus to a check or otherwise affects a check, the PCs must declare the use of that reward before rolling. These rewards apply to the group, and the group must agree to use the bonus before a PC can gain the benefits.
BUFFET CRISIS
Easy Thankful for the help, the head caterer gifts the PCs with a vacuum-sealed, spoilage-resistant takeout container full of scrumptious food. Once during the adventure, a PC can consume this food to gain a +1 bonus to Skill checks and Saves for a number of Minutes equal to their Character Level.
Hard In addition to the reward above, the food also functions as a Mk 3 Serum of Healing that must be used during this adventure.
MEDIA BOOST
Easy The PCs launch a social media tag about the upcoming events that quickly gains momentum throughout the local infosphere.
Average Once during the adventure, each PC gains a +2 bonus to a Charisma-based skill check attempted when interacting with an individual who is not a Starfinder.
Hard When using the reward above, the PCs can roll their check twice and take the better result (in addition to gaining the +2 bonus).
MEDIA CONTROL
Easy The PCs end the peaceful, albeit misguided, protest. They learn from the demonstrators that despite the Society's efforts to counteract Datch's smear campaign, many individuals in the Pact Worlds still distrust their organization.
Average The PCs gain valuable insight into the crowd’s behavior. At any point during the adventure, a PC can attempt a Hard Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check to influence a crowd.
Hard Once during the adventure when the group encounters a team of two or more adversaries, the group can activate this reward to grant each PC a +4 bonus to their initiative checks for that encounter.
SOUND CHECK
Easy While helping Fitch and her brood, the prodigious young ysoki offer a few helpful tips about fixing equipment on the fly.Each time the PCs attempt a skill check to repair or reprogram a technological item during the adventure, one PC can gain a +1 bonus to the check.
Average As above, but instead the PCs gain a +3 bonus.
Hard Once during the adventure, each PC can roll twice (to repair or reprogram a technological item) and take the better result.
VALET PILEUP
Easy Solving the problem gives Tall Sam free reign of the Society's parking garage and starship hangars. With Zigvigix's permission, Tall Sam modifies several of the parked vehicles. Once during the adventure, the party can flip a boost switch to add a +4 to a single Piloting check during starship combat or a vehicle chase.
Average When using the reward above, the starship or vehicle can also move one additional hex or zone.
Hard In place of the reward above, the PCs can force the crew of an enemy ship or vehicle to take a –2 penalty to all Piloting checks made during the round. The use of this ability must be declared at the start of the starship combat or vehicle chase round.
VIP ROUNDUP
Easy After a hectic search of the grounds, the PCs locate each of the missing guests of honor. The three VIPs are grateful for the escort and give each PC a Mk 1 Serum of Healing that must be used during the course of this adventure.
Average The magnanimous Zo! thanks the PCs by gifting them a voucher for a one-time 10% discount on gear or equipment purchased on Absalom Station for the duration of the adventure. This discount does not stack with any other discount, and Table GMs should mark its use on the Chronicle sheet.
Hard The VIPs pool their resources together to offer the group some special swag. Each PC can select a serum or grenade from the Core Rulebook with an item level less than or equal to the group's APL to receive free of charge. This item must be used during the course of this adventure.
Agents' Respite: Once during the adventure, each PC can reroll a failed attack roll, save, or skill check.
Ki K'saret
"Me didn't mean to cook them! Oops!" Ki laments as the scorched Ysoki drops to the ground. Seeing K'saret trying to incapacitate the Ysoki with a Blue sash, the Skittermander focuses on the Assassin with a Red flare and pulls the trigger on their cannon twice.
Blue Initial Will Save:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15 Fail!
Blue Full Action Will Save on their turn:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26 Success
Red is the next to fall under the starfinder's onslaught. Blue momentarily pauses but then seems to fight off the effect. Just then 3 more assassins crash through the ceiling and land at the top of the stairs cutting off the exit.
Init Everyone is up!
----------
Viper
Ki
Lynn
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ASSASSINS
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Azara
Daata
K'saret -4 HP
Yellow and purple look similar to those already killed, but purple is the largest of the bunch, green is a human with a knife, pistol, and rifle.
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo’s voice rings out. ”Our agents have captured a freighter carrying an unauthorized shipment of drone parts under Datch’s orders. We’re now working closely with the Stewards to determine the source and destination of the confiscated shipment.”
Table GMs, covert mission two is now closed and action mission two is now available for selection.
After accomplishing their own missions, a few ambitious Starfinder teams rush to support their allies still on the ground.
Table GMs, the Agents’ Respite condition is now in effect.
Null Android Technomancer 6 | EAC 21 KAC 22 | HP 34/34 SP 35/35 RP 9/9 | F +2 R +4 W +4 (+2 vs. disease, poison, mind-aff., sleep, blind, dazz., rad.) | Resist Fire, Cold 5 | Init +7 | Perc +0 | Spells Avail:: L1(6/6);L2(6/6) | Status: --
Not having expected another trio of attackers, Lynn spends a few moments sizing them up as she continues to perform her music. She spots the rifle in green's hands and decides they need to take a nap first. She traces her hand through the air and with a gesture sends another volley of missiles out. (At green)
With one assailant near them and now free from K'saret's mind control, Ki levels their cannon again and squeezes the trigger twice to try and drop the Blue Assassin.
Korasha Lashunta Solarian 11th | INIT + 3, Senses Perception +13 Darkvision 60' | EAC 26 KAC 28 DR 11/B or S| Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +9 | [THP]5[SP] 110/110 [HP]82/82| Resolve: 9/9 |
Seeing new assailants join the fray, and relatively sure that Ki and the rest of the crew have the blue one in hand, Azara rushes the newcomers.
His legs pump furiously, moving faster than they should be able to and pushing him further with each step as servos and artificial tendons subtly whine and creak while boosting his own muscles and joints.
He gets next to one of the assassins but cannot attack, yet.
First Seeker Luwazi Elsebo once again summons her chosen agents to the Hall of Discovery. Workers bustle about the chamber, oblivious to the urgent meeting taking place. Luwazi addresses the gathered agents.
“Congratulations,” she begins, grinning proudly. “You’ve met the objectives outlined in my first meeting. Thanks to your hard work, the AbadarCorp board refused to pass the vote of no-confidence Datch initiated against Iseki-Okaibo. The executive archdirector’s position is secure, and our new allies proposed a counter-motion to remove Datch from her position, pending investigation.” Luwazi pauses for a moment to savour the first true victory over her adversary.
“Datch isn’t the sort to cooperate with an investigation, unfortunately. As I predicted, Datch already fled to her private hideout, a secure compound orbiting Verces. She’s absconded with an armada of automated battle drones, and I’m sure that’s not her only line of defence. Thanks to the evidence you helped collect, the Stewards have authorized the Society to engage the drones and oversee Datch’s arrest.” Luwazi glances around at her assembled teams, an expression of triumph on her face.
“Starfinders, this is our first opportunity to act against Datch directly. I know many of you want this, so I don’t need to tell you how important this mission is. Using the elevation ceremonies as cover should give us the element of surprise, but let’s not waste any more time. Travel to Verces immediately, and be ready for anything.”
Wrapping up the previous encounter in 'story mode'.
The starfinders take down the the third assassin as K'saret and Azara punch a hole through the center of the new arrivals at the top of the stairs. The others grab Denanne and lead her through the chaos. There is a retreating firefight down the hall towards the elevators only to discover they have been sabotaged to prevent escape. A couple of the starfinders are able to make quick repairs while the rest hold off the assassins and they all escape to Denanne's docked starship. Denanne once again promises that she'll stand against Datch and further that she plans to use her influence to boost the Starfinder Society's reputation among her colleagues and contacts.
After obtaining special permissions from the Stewards to act against Datch, Luwazi sends the PCs to Verces for their final mission. An ominous cloud of countless drones forms a barricade between the Starfinders fleet's positions and the orbital compound.
Starship Combat: As they approach Verces, the Starfinder fleet must defeat waves of Datch's drones to reach her orbital hideout. The drones form a barrier between Datch's compound and the PCs' ship.
Distance:3d6 + 5 ⇒ (5, 6, 5) + 5 = 21
Facing:1d6 ⇒ 3
Scan or Scrying Results
DC 16 Basic Information:
Tiny Fighter, Speed 12 Good Maneuverability, Complement 0
DC 21 Defenses:
AC 21 TL 20 HP 40 Shields 80 (For 20, Port 20, Star 20, Aft 20) PCU 140
Green is your ship. I forgot to ask but this is a strictly combat encounter so unless you have access to another frame or really want the Pegasus for some reason the Drake is recommended.
This is our first ship combat this scenario but I play loose with the phases in PbP. If you act out of order just spoiler your rolls.
Null Android Technomancer 6 | EAC 21 KAC 22 | HP 34/34 SP 35/35 RP 9/9 | F +2 R +4 W +4 (+2 vs. disease, poison, mind-aff., sleep, blind, dazz., rad.) | Resist Fire, Cold 5 | Init +7 | Perc +0 | Spells Avail:: L1(6/6);L2(6/6) | Status: --
Lynn settles in front of a console, crossing her legs underneath her. She blows a pink gum bubble as she eyes the viewscreen. "Wooooow, no surprise that Datch-y spent a bundle on drones. Let's get 'em all!~"
"Ki take the Turret, make Drone go boom!" Ki'ren'nura announces as they bounce at the control desk, desperately plotting the optimum COurse for their missiles.
Null Android Technomancer 6 | EAC 21 KAC 22 | HP 34/34 SP 35/35 RP 9/9 | F +2 R +4 W +4 (+2 vs. disease, poison, mind-aff., sleep, blind, dazz., rad.) | Resist Fire, Cold 5 | Init +7 | Perc +0 | Spells Avail:: L1(6/6);L2(6/6) | Status: --
Ooof Ki :(
Lynn lines up the nearest drone and calls out "I don't think I've ever tried this before, but maybe I'll get lucky?" She giggles "Here goes nothing!" as she fires the port-side coilgun.
Korasha Lashunta Solarian 11th | INIT + 3, Senses Perception +13 Darkvision 60' | EAC 26 KAC 28 DR 11/B or S| Fort +9, Ref +6, Will +9 | [THP]5[SP] 110/110 [HP]82/82| Resolve: 9/9 |
Azara stands toward the back of the bridge, hands clasped behind his back, feet in a wide stance for balance. He watches the screens carefully, assessing the battle as best he can with his admittedly un-inspired skills.
He knows that Ki is manning their heaviest gun, though and that it's most important for them to hit.
"Make the Drone go boom, indeed, Ki. Make the Drone go boom," he says, walking over to the Skittermander's station and resting an encouraging hand on one of their shoulders.
Ki misses with the big boom but the drone with the yellow flashy light zooms directly into the path of Lynn's coilgun. Both drones take pot shots at the starfinder vessel from a distance then break formation and attempt flyby maneuvers from different vectors. Yellow drops a nuke on the starfinder's aft shields as it passes but blue has to take evasive action to avoid yellow and loses the target lock until it banks again. Blue fails the flyby and provokes an AoO from any one direct fire weapon.
Yellow Tactical Nuke 1 of 5:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24 Hit to Aft! damage:5d8 ⇒ (5, 8, 3, 8, 6) = 30 Blue Gunnery:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32 Hit! (Potential Crit!) Quadrant and Damage TBD
Init Round 3:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18
Note for Daata/Engineer(s)
Starfinders are down 8 Shield Points in their Port at the top of Round 2
Starfinders are down to 0 Shield Points on Aft at the top of Round 3, and take 5 Hull Point damage, additional damage as determined by facing at top of round.
Null Android Technomancer 6 | EAC 21 KAC 22 | HP 34/34 SP 35/35 RP 9/9 | F +2 R +4 W +4 (+2 vs. disease, poison, mind-aff., sleep, blind, dazz., rad.) | Resist Fire, Cold 5 | Init +7 | Perc +0 | Spells Avail:: L1(6/6);L2(6/6) | Status: --
Lets boost that token and send it rolling - I'll expend 1 resolve to do so.
Lynn balls her fists in a bit of overacted pique "You tell them Ki! Tell them they're supposed to go boom~" She turns to the local interface for the ship's scanning array and gives it a whirl to see if she can learn anything more than K'saret did.
Scanning:
Scan (Computers):1d20 + 17 ⇒ (14) + 17 = 31
"Oooh, two weapons in the front, not just one. That's mean! At least the second one's just a coilgun."
Viper throws the thrusters into reverse.
Piloting 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (4) + 18 = 22 - Pass
Current stats:
AC 21
TL 20
We're well-positioned. Yellow got a fly-by on us, so that sucks, but Blue can't nuke us as he failed and has to resolve normally with port/turret (small consolation)
***
"Our fore, port, and turret can target the enemy" Gunners, grab a Trinode computer each for +2 to your attacks
Male NG shirren healer mystic 5 | SP 40/40 HP 31/36 | RP 7/7 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +9 | Init: +3 | Perc: +13, SM: +13 | Speed 30ft | blindsense (vibration) 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 2/3 | Active conditions: None.
K'saret continues to search the mystic currents for information about our foes.
Scrying:
Scrying:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (18) + 16 = 34
"They only have a simple gyrolaser at the aft and coilguns to the port and starboard. I do not think I will be able to gleam any further information. Would additional alacrity from piloting station or range on a gun be helpful?I can grant +2 to piloting initiative checks or +5 to range to one weapon from next round. If neither are needed, I'll look to switching station, maybe a spare gun on the off chance I roll well
That's everything listed, I assume there's nothing pertinant in the Load and Other section for scan results?
Ki does indeed make blue go boom. The remaining drone executes a series of tight turns in another flyby attempt but debris from the previous explosion interferes with its attack run.
A burst of light accompanies the destruction of the first drone. The rush of victory is short lived, as two more of the furious machines immediately engage. The First Seeker’s abruptly speaks through the ship’s comm unit, “Don’t lose hope, Starfinders. Your friends have messages for you. I’m patching the first transmission through now.”
The upbeat voice of Zo! blares through the speaker. “Greetings, future mega-celebrities! My studio just released the uncut edition of your episode of Pact World Warriors. I’ve got enough fan mail here for you to create another Liavarian moon.” Zo! clears his throat and begins reading from the fan submissions.
“I heard you saved AbadarCorp execs on Castrovel from dangerous wildlife. Did you prepare a meal afterward just like in the Combat Cooking Extravaganza? You and Zo! should open a restaurant and call it Live Ingestion Extreme!”
“I looooooooved your season, oh em gees! Starfinder merch when? Just take my credits already!”
“It’s me, your biggest fan in the Veskarium. Here’s some pics of my pet squox’s litter. I hope it’s okay that I named them after you.”
“I’m only six, but I want to be a Starfinder when I grow up. How do I join?”
Zo! stops reading and remarks, “They’re all cheering for you. Oh, and if you take footage of your ongoing battle, I’d be happy to use that as promotional material for the release. Call me!”
Male NG shirren healer mystic 5 | SP 40/40 HP 31/36 | RP 7/7 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +3; Ref +4; Will +9 | Init: +3 | Perc: +13, SM: +13 | Speed 30ft | blindsense (vibration) 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/6; 2nd 2/3 | Active conditions: None.
No point switching to gunnery since we only have one target and all three guns that will be able to hit it are shooting. We're at close range so Eldritch Shot is pointless so will Precognition to try to grant [/b]+2 to our initiative roll[/b].
The crackle of static signals another incoming transmission. “Hello! Can you hear me?” asks a timid voice. “I’m Riika. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m one of the kiriintas you helped on Stabrisis-14. You inspired me to visit the Pact Worlds. I love it here. I even got a job as a researcher for an expedition studying the flora of the Liavaran moons. I came to Absalom Station on my vacation to personally thank you for expanding my horizons. I want you to know that even though I heard some nasty rumors about the Starfinder Society, I don’t believe any of them.”
Suddenly, a squad of blue and gold starships emerges from the Drift, clustered like an honour guard around an impressive battleship. The massive ship glides into the fray and immediately disintegrates a group of nearby drones as it fires its powerful laser with surgical precision. “This is Stewards Overwatch battleship Steadfast responding to your call for assistance.”
Table GMs, the Stewards Support condition is now in effect.
“Buddies! It’s me, Hemlock, from the Xenowardens on Aballon,” a synthesized voice drawls. “We Xenowardens are totally grateful for your help with cleaning up the Ice Well. The ecosystem is finally back in its groove after you Starfinders shut down that shadow gate. Things are chill back on Aballon, but I heard you’re having problems with some corporate spin doctor. Don’t let her harsh your mellow, and remember, not all of us believe everything we read on the infosphere.”
The drone performs another flyby maneuver and drops another nuke on the drake's aft before pulling another tight turn and ending behind the Starfinder vessel.
Round 4 Flyby:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26 vs DC 24 Success
Thought I had you with that 19 ;) The drone will attempt another flyby in round 5 and then pull a tight loop end in the same space it started if it survives round 4, but let's give Ki a chance to post his round 4 gunnery checks today before you move your token. I'm hoping he will knock this thing out of the sky.
The confident tones of Firstsight Taksta, the leader of Zeyther-3’s quarantined settlement saved by the Starfinders several months ago, interrupts the radio silence. “I’m eternally thankful for what you and the lovely Dr. Monsylkis did for Glimmershield. Your efforts stopped the spread, and as a result, our gutmelt casualties were few. Even as we mourn our fallen friends, we know how many more of us would have perished without treatment. You risked your own lives to help us when the corporations refused. We might just be a backwater mining outpost, but Zeyther-3 is on your side no matter what.”
A final transmission echoes through the bridge of the battlescarred starship. This time, a low voice punctuated by insectile clicks addresses the Starfinders. “This is emissary Jontane of the formians on Castrovel. Your actions at the Meeting of Queens left a lasting impression on my colony. I rarely leave the collective, but I decided to make the trip to Absalom Station to observe one of your traditions—the elevation of your newest First Seeker. I had hoped to reunite with you there, but I was informed you’re away on an important mission. Please remain efficient and safe until we meet again.”
