GM Jhaeman's SFS # 2-09: "Bluerise Breakout" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Your comm beeps with an incoming message from Venture-Captain Arvin: "Come to the hallway outside Briefing Room # 17A--I have an urgent errand for you to run."

A mustache'd brakim leans against the wall looking mostly asleep. A battered drone in stand-by mode has a yellowing magazine resting on it.

Upon receiving the message. An android powers up from it's place of rest and starts to make it's way to the hallway outside Briefing Room # 17A.

Once it has arrived, It looks at each person and says "You are not Venture-Captain Arvin. This unit will stand by until the Venture-Captain Arvin unit arrives." And the android places it's back to the wall and waits.

A young looking man in spiffy looking graphite armor arrives in the corridor. He shakes his head in mock disbelief.

"They could have at least let us sit in a room until the meeting begins."

Detaching herself from the paltry shadow of the nearest corner, a heavily tattooed female approaches the group. At first glance, she might look human, but upon closer inspection one discovers that small glints of an android's glowing circuitry peek out of strategic gaps in the black tattoos depicting a riot of bones, decay, rust, and ruin that cover nearly all of what little epidermal layer isn't covered by her completely black clothing and short, spiky black hair. Even her eyes have black contacts in them, though they allow the slightest ring of pale blue to glow past the edges of the outer rim.

With an expression of the deepest boredom, she greets the group gathered in the hallway. "This all of us? <sigh> I'm Twila-4. Hey, Scruffy. Where're your dancing duds?" Perfectly deadpan, she slouches against the wall beside the brakim and gives a nod at the drone. "Hey Robert-0."

The tall lanky Kasatha enters the room and bows to those assembled.

Greetings, I am Kaath. I am but a fellow traveler in the cosmos. May our mission be fruitful.

The corridor outside Venture-Captain Arvin’s office seems busy today, crowded with your fellow Starfinder agents and visitors to the halls of the Lorespire Complex. A few minutes after the designated meeting time, you see Arvin (a male lashunta) arrive accompanied by another team of agents--one older, more experienced, and battle-scarred. “Go on in,” he says to them. “I’ll be right there.”

But then he turns toward you and the other Starfinders waiting outside, steps a bit closer, and lowers his voice.

“Thanks for coming. I have a quick task for you, and from the outside, it doesn’t look like much. You just need to go to Bluerise Tower, where AbadarCorp’s financial review department is located, and speak with the director there, a man named Ebaki. He’s going to give you a datastick. Bring it back here. That’s it. That’s the mission. Looks like you get off easy today. I admit that I don’t know what’s on that datastick. It’s important, but I don’t know why. This assignment came from a higher-up in the Society who wants to remain anonymous. And that’s why I asked for a team of skilled agents to handle what's supposed to be a simple pick-up and delivery job.”

Her hooded-eyed expression unchanging, Twila-4's eyes momentarily unfocus as she considers this mission briefing. Sounds too easy. <sigh> There's probably a catch. (How will this go sideways?) She blinks, switching to another line of thought that seems less likely to spiral into wild theories or offhand dismissals. He seems to know little, but likely more than he's said. Which queries will yield more information?

Culture: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
What does Twila-4 know about the Society's hierarchy, Bluerise Tower, AbadarCorp's financial review department, and/or Ebaki?

As she considers what she knows so she can formulate better questions, she drones: "<sigh> Won't sending a group like this attract attention? If secrecy's the goal, why not send one agent?"

Kaath is not as in tune with technology as others may be.

”Truly the cosmos would not have called us together if the mission unfolds as simply as described. “

Sense motive : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

George shrugs. Not knowing exactly what is going on is simply par for the course around here.

"What time is Ebaki expecting us?"

Arvin looks around to make sure no one is listening in before replying to Twila-4 "You might be right. Bluerise Tower is one of the most secure facilities on Absalom Station. I would like to say no one is stupid enough to cause any trouble in there, but then again, some people are pretty stupid. A solo agent might not be noticed, but also wouldn't have anyone to watch their back if trouble started. I'm going with safety over stealth." Arvin then looks over at George 09-23. "Soon. Assuming everything goes well, take the rest of the day off from any other Society activities you were scheduled for.”

Folks can now slot their boons in the Discussion thread. There are no recommended boons, and there is no need to slot a Starship boon.

scruffy grunt's at Twila-4, "Still at the cleaners after last time. S'ohkay, Scruffy's still gotta dance in his heart." Robert-0s hydraulics squeak as Scruffy and the drone moves into the briefing room with the rest of the table."Coffee and cake run. Sounds like a nice change of pace. We got a prior connection to this Ebaki fella?"

Nodding once to acknowledge the response to her query, Twila-4 feels her hopes build slightly. Danger means death. Maybe I'll get to appreciate it this time! Straightening up from her customary "I'm-too-cool-to-not-be-bored-by-this" slouch, she replies: "I'll watch our backs in there. <sigh> So when we arrive, do we just say we're from the Starfinder Society and Ebaki is expecting us? Is there a different name we should use to identify ourselves? Is there a specific time for an appointment?" Which other questions would an administrative assistant ask if they're being difficult? <sigh> Office social posturing. ("I have power over you, and there's nothing you can do about it!") Ugh.

Arvin stands in front of Scruffy, barring the door to the briefing room. "I've got another briefing. You know what to do. Just tell reception the courier from the SFS has arrived, pick up the datastick from Ebaki, and bring it back. Any problems, you can comm me." The Venture-Captain nods at you all and enters the briefing room, shutting the door behind him.

Just as the Venture-Captain leaves TK423 says "This mission has no logic to it. This unit concurs with the Twila-4 unit. This mission is beneath Starfinder agents and a local messenger service should have been sufficient.
But orders are orders and this unit will comply."

TK423 goes over to a data screen to find the fastest way to AbadarCorp. And then he starts searching what type of data sticks AbadarCorp uses and where he might be able to get a copy of one.

Computers: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (8) + 6 = 14

Kaath nods and bows as the Venture-Captain departs.

After a moment, Kaath confers with his allies.

The cosmos is full of many unknown mysteries. This one appears to be intentionally constructed. But we will see it unravel before us. Shall we depart?

The walk to Bluerise Tower doesn't take long, and the directory in the lobby indicates which floor the AbadarCorp Financial Review Department is located on. When the elevator opens, it's clear you've been expected. A brenneri in a loose, brightly-colored short-sleeve shirt and shorts says “Greetings! You must be Arvin’s people from the Society. I’m Bordle. I work here, and the director asked me to meet you and walk you to his office. We have a lot security, but just stick with me, and we’ll have you in and out in no time.”

"Once TK423 gets the directions I wanna stop by supply, then I'll be ready."

Twila-4 follows along behind the group, watching their six and flanks while trying to avoid looking like she watching. She wants there to be a catch to this so badly, and the tension has her on high alert.

“First, you’ll have to leave your weapons with security before you can enter the main floor. So follow me. It’s just down this hall. Oh, hey! I can show you the Smoker while we’re here.” As she speaks, Bordle presses her hand to a biometric scanner adjacent to the door on the southeast wall. Instantly, it opens. Beyond is an octagonal chamber 30 feet across with a second door at the far end.

“That’s the Smoker. As far as security systems go, it’s pretty fancy. There are vents in the floor that fill the whole thing with poison gas! Or, at least, that’s what I’ve been told. Never seen it in action, of course. No one would dare to break into this place!”

@Scruffy: It looks like we cross-posted--if you want to make any purchases, you can.

Continuing the tour, Bordle presses her hand to a biometric scanner next to the eastern door, which opens for her. “The doors are all keyed to employees,” she says. “And of course some areas require special clearance. But I can get us to security.” She leads you down a hallway through an area filled with cubicles. Inside most of them, a single individual is working, their screens filled with spreadsheets and analytical tools. The carpet is a geometric pattern incorporating the key symbol of Abadar, and a suit of golden armor on a display stand bears Abadar’s symbol prominently on its chest.

As she walks, Bordle gestures to the ceiling, where small hemispherical devices can occasionally be seen. “Motion sensors,” she says. “All tied into Argent, our security AI. Hey Argent!” Bordle waves to the nearest motion sensor. There is no response, but Bordle doesn’t seem to have expected one, and she weaves around the cubicles until she reaches a door at the far end of the hall.

I'm doing the tour in chunks to make it more manageable, but let me know if you want me to speed it up (or slow it down).

George eyes the motion sensor suite with some interest. He whistles with appreciation.

Engineering: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

"That is some nice tech you have. The B-125 model with all the refinements tied into your central security AI I see."

Scruffy easily makes the check even on a 1
Scruffy just looks at the motion sensors and makes a small grunt before moving on with the rest of the tour.

My last post was eaten, so if you don't mind GM I will start before we get to AbadarCorp.

During the walk to AbadarCorp. TK423 stop at a shop for a data chip that is a match for ones that are used by AbadarCorp. He then down loads re-runs of "Live Exploration Extreme!" and some tunes from the band "Abysshead".

At AbadarCorp
TK423 hands over his weapons but tucks the data chip in his internal quick-release sheath.

"Is this a sensitive area to have such security? Or does AbadarCorp have security breaches often? Just trying to understand why the amount of security. And has anyone breached the security before?
During an emergency how would one get past the "smoker" It would be bad if it started to poison gas their own people who are just trying to get out of the building."

"First, you’ll have to leave your weapons with security before you can enter the main floor."

Unease spikes within Twila-4. It's been so long since she's had to go weaponless. She begins mentally assessing her odds of hiding a weapon on her body. She's good...but is she good enough to fool Abadar Corp? <sigh> Probably not. (Yet, anyway.)

DC 12 Engineering: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Why show us their security features? What *isn't* she showing us? <sigh> *That* stuff is probably worse. Twila-4 isn't quite familiar with the motion sensor system, but nods appreciatively as George identifies it. He seems to know his stuff.

One thing nags at her: If they were expected, surely Ebaki could've come to meet them. Why drag them through all this security? <sigh> Must be too high up the ladder for something that practical. Ugh.

Well, if we get gassed, having an android-heavy party will be an advantage, I guess. There'll be enough of us who don't have to breathe to help the others.

Kaath hands over his weapons at the checkpoint.

Security is certainly taking no chances.

Bordle waves off the various attempts to check your weapons with her. "Don't give them to me, sillies! We'll be at Sassanda in a moment." She listens to TK423's questions and replies. "Security breaches? Never! But if you have great security, you don't need it. Am I right? And don't worry about The Smoker. Argent would only activate it if there were intruders, not if an evacuation were called for."

Bordle leads you to a heavy security door. She presses a button by the biometric lock panel and, a moment later, the door unlocks and she ushers you inside. Beyond the door is a simple square room twenty feet on each side. A door leads out to the south, and a large metal locker fills the northeast corner of the room.

A kasatha in a black suit sits at a desk, but rises as everyone enters. “Hello,” they say, their voice muffled by their traditional mask. “You can place all your weapons in this locker. They will be safe here for the duration of your visit.” The kasatha presses one of their hands to a biometric lock on the locker, which opens. After waiting for everyone to place weapons in the locker, the kasatha then picks up a wand-shaped device from the desk and prepares to run it over each of you.

If anyone doesn't want to turn over their weaponry, I'd need a Sleight of Hand check.

George crosses his arms waiting for the others to deposit their arsenals in their appointed lockers. He is more than willing to allow the security people to scan him as he is carrying no weapons at all.

@GM Jhaeman - Just a note that the life support unit in George's Graphite Carbon Skin armor has been running since the party entered the building. He has a three day supply before recharging and he paid full price for the armor so he might as well use it. Android or not. :)

Scruffy places his two grenades and his cauto-ject pistol in the bin, then detaches the spark runner knife from Robert-0 and places it in the locker.

Now that it comes right down to it, Twila-4's paranoia overrides her earlier caution. She just plain doesn't want to go in without her weapons. When it's her turn, she places her tactical baton, survival knife, and her brand new static arc pistol into the vault. Her old azimuth laser pistol was already packed away in a difficult to reach spot, kept as a backup but not intended to be used. She could easily claim she had forgotten about it. When it's her turn to be scanned, she tries to inconspicuously angle her body slightly so the scanner misses that little spot on her person.

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

As she does so, she rehearses in her head what she'll say if she gets caught. "What? What's in there? Oh! Sorry, I thought I'd taken that out yesterday. I didn't realize it was still in here." And then I'll put it in the vault or surrender it without hassle. They may not like it, but I'll end up complying if they catch me. What can they do? Besides treat me as a threat and undermine this whole mission. What'll they do to the others if they suspect me? Unease takes hold, a feeling of vertigo in the pit of her torso. She already regrets her decision, though she maintains an emotional facade of boredom.

After weapons are placed in the locker, the kasatha waves the wand over everyone. It beeps and flashes when they wave it over Twila-4. "You need to surrender your weaponry," the kasatha says. "Or you will not be permitted entry and will be escorted back to the elevator."

*Close* but you didn't quite make the DC.

George stifles a snort as he notices what Twila-4 was trying to sneak in. With a bit of effort he regains a more professional demeanour.

"Would you please listen to them so we can get on with this assignment?"

It was a gutsy move but you failed the check. Lady luck was not on your side. :)

"You need to surrender your weaponry," the kasatha says. "Or you will not be permitted entry and will be escorted back to the elevator."

Crap. <sigh> "What? What's in there?" Twila-4 begins speaking her rehearsed lines as she shrugs off her backpack and digs down to the bottom, revealing her old pistol. "Oh! Sorry, I thought I'd taken that out yesterday. I didn't realize it was still in here." She places it in the vault and submits her pack for a second check.

Kaath watches the exchange to see why such security measures are being followed.

Sense motive : 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20

The kasatha places the pistol in the locker, waves the wand, and nods.
"You may proceed, they say.

Bordle moves to the southern door and waits for the kasatha to open the door by pressing a button on the desk computer. Once the door swings open, she leads the way through the door, into a very large workspace filled with cubicles. The ceiling is 12 feet high, and the floor is covered in the same Abadar-themed carpeting as before. Dozens of cubicles fill the space, with AbadarCorp employees working at most of them, crouched over computer terminals.

“This way,” she says, waving a hand as she begins to walk south, between two rows of cubicles.

As soon as they're out of the security room, Twila-4 mentally sighs with both annoyance and relief. True, she had to give up all her weapons, but they didn't think to make her give up her crowbar. It's not the best weapon, but it'll do in a pinch.

Bordle leads the way south, passing another suit of golden armor resting on an ornate stand. “Hey Becky,” she says, waving to the armor as if it were alive. “I named all the Abadarmors.” As Bordle speaks, she gestures to each wall of the work area, where more suits of armor are on display. Each one is decorated with Abadar stylings, including a golden crossbolter weapon attached to the arm. “This one’s Becky,” she says, “and the others, they’re Almond, Carnation, and Denty.” Bordle leans in confidentially, her voice lowering to a mutter. “I named him that because he has a dent in his head. He’s a little sensitive, so try not to stare. But I tell him it doesn’t matter.”

“But let’s go. The director is probably wondering if you all died in the Smoker or something.” About fifty feet to the southwest is a door, and Bordle approaches it before pushing a button on the biometric lock.

A voice comes from the lock. “Yes?”

“It’s Bordle, mister director, sir. I have our guests from the Starfinder Society.”

The door unlocks and opens, and a voice from inside the room says, “Please come in.”

“Take care!” Bordle says, waving as she wanders west. “I’m gonna check in on the secret lab.” As she says the words 'secret lab', she draws quotation marks in the air. “Those people could probably use a break.”

George finds Bordie's personification of the suits of armor amusing. Clearly the security must be pretty tight in here if there is time for such silliness among the guards. He proceeds with the rest of the party into the room with the director.

Bordle leads the way south, passing another suit of golden armor resting on an ornate stand. “Hey Becky,” she says, waving to the armor as if it were alive. “I named all the Abadarmors.” As Bordle speaks, she gestures to each wall of the work area, where more suits of armor are on display. Each one is decorated with Abadar stylings, including a golden crossbolter weapon attached to the arm. “This one’s Becky,” she says, “and the others, they’re Almond, Carnation, and Denty.” Bordle leans in confidentially, her voice lowering to a mutter. “I named him that because he has a dent in his head. He’s a little sensitive, so try not to stare. But I tell him it doesn’t matter.”

Nonplussed, Twila-4 inquires: "So...are they just for decoration? Or are they security measures, too."

“Please come in.”

With a shrug, she gestures to the others to go first.

Bordle responds to Twila's question about the armors before she departs. Oh, that's a good question! To be honest, I'm not really sure. I've never seen them move, but I guess you never know . . ."

Director Ebaki’s office is spacious and well-furnished, including a broad and handsome wooden desk and comfortable chair, a table in one corner surrounded by a few chairs for more casual conversation, and even a fully-stocked bar along the northern wall. A side door also leads north and a large handwoven carpet in bold geometric pattern fills the center of the room. A transparent aluminium bulkhead gives an impressive view of the Armada outside Absalom Station and the countless stars beyond.

The man seated behind the desk looks up and says, “You must be the people Arvin sent. I’m the person who sent for you. Before we proceed, I'll need you to confirm your identity as authorised representatives of the Starfinder Society.”

A picture of Director Ebaki will be up on the slides.

Kaath nods and bows to Director Ebaki.

If you are the person who sent for us then I would have assumed you already knew who we were before we arrived. What form of identity confirmation will you accept.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20 as to the man speaking to them.

George nods.

"Not every Starfinder member has the opportunity to go through the formal induction process but I have. Behold my mark of loyalty."

George presents a palm and it begins to glow displaying the society's symbol for all to see.

Marked Field Agent- Slotless Boon

Seeing George's glowing symbol of the Starfinder Society, Director Ebaki withdraws a small datastick out of his desk drawer and hands it to him. “This needs to go to the Lorespire Complex. Arvin will know what to do with it.” His gaze then returns to the computer screen and he begins to type, resuming his work.

But suddenly, without warning, the lights in the office go out and Ebaki’s computer dies, filling the room in complete darkness save for starlight beyond the external window. The sound of several small explosions can be heard from the main work area, through the sealed door. Screams of pain and terror follow, only to be cut short.

The distant noise of something large and heavy grinding to a halt, like a closing blast door, resounds from beyond the office. Ebaki panics behind his desk: “What was that? What’s happening? Oh no . . . it’s the information on that datastick! They’ve come for it! They’re going to kill us all!”

<sigh> That figures. "Calm down. Panic weakens your defenses. Is there any other exit from this room?" Digging into her backpack, Twila-4 pulls out her crowbar, staring at it briefly with utter disappointment. <sigh> I miss my blasters. "George, hide that datastick."

Protect it at all costs. We will stop anyone from entering.

Kaath activates his personal com light and looks around the room for anything resembling a weapon or anyone trying to enter, as he moves to the door.

perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24

"Should'a known better. This place got any defenses your tour guide didn't tell us about?"
Scruffy begins to access his custom rig and inspects the room in general first
perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

George secures the data stick. His eyes automatically adjust to the darkness.

"Keep calm everyone. There is a fully stocked bar remember? There will be bottles there you can use as weapons and more than likely a knife or two to cut up fruit that are used in mixed drinks."

"We need to get out of this room as soon as we can. They will leave the director alone once they realise that we have what they are looking for."

I am assuming that bars in the future are not that different than bars are today. :)

Director Ebaki frantically crawls under his desk and cradles his head in his arms--in this state, he's not going to be of much use!

A search of the room turns up little of interest. There's a small alcove containing a private bathroom. The bar is stocked with a wide assortment of alcoholic beverages, ice, and glasses. Ebaki's computer looks fairly basic.

You are able to leave through the door you came out of if desired. In (my) morning, I'll put a map in the slides that depict what you remember of the layout of the floor from the tour you were given.

The computer on the desk is Tier 1.

It'll take a Bluff, Diplomacy or Intimidate check to get Ebaki to calm down enough to answer any questions.

"<sigh>" Marching over to Ebaki, Twila-4 crouches to speak to him. "Ebaki. We're trained professionals, and we were expecting an attack like this. We are fully capable of keeping you safe." She knows that's an exaggeration of the truth, but if he feels safe or brave enough to help them it might end up being true enough.

Bluff: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

General Notes:

I try to post every day to keep things moving, and if you can keep a similar pace, that would be great. We all have real life interruptions of course, so if you can't post and we're in the middle of something like a combat, please give me bot instructions or I'll assume your PC does Total Defense.

Please place a good array of information in your character header. Knowing your PC's EAC/KAC, Perception mod, Initiative mod, etc., saves me a lot of time when doing posts. If you need help figuring out how to format that, we can help you.

If you want to earn extra GM love, posting a full character sheet in your profile is great. That way I can look stuff up and answer my own "how did they do that?" questions. Related, if you have some crazy weird or complicated build and want to explain anything, here's a good place.

If you've made any purchases between the end of your last Chronicle and the start of this scenario, please post them here so I can reflect them on your new Chronicle.

You'll need a picture of your character for the grid scenes.

Finally, role-playing is good! Please give your PC some personality and engage with the other PCs and NPCs. I'll gently move us along if we're dwelling too much in one part of the scenario.

Any questions, ask away!

P.S. I'm going to be away for a week early in June, but otherwise we should have a consistent run.

Twila-4 purchased a Static Arc Pistol (750 credits), a Hacking kit (20), and Navigator's tools (20) after her last Chronicle.

Got it, thanks.

Just sent a PM to our other two PCs, and we'll get the briefing going on Sunday.

Does anyone know if there are any plans on bringing full casters into the game? I suspect the answer is no but it never hurts to ask. The Technomancer has cool flavor but plays more like a new-age Bard than a Sorcerer.

I think we're the only ones who expressed interest. Incidentally, it looks like Kaath is the most charismatic member of our team, with an impressive Charisma score of 10. So that'll be interesting, in a (potentially) hilariously dysfunctional way.

Boons
Personal: Brakim Admittance
Faction: SS Ehu Hadif champion
Social:Factions Friend
Ally: Dream Whispers
Promotional: t-shirt

Slotless. Marked Field Agent, Starfinder Insignia, Private Vault, Star Sugar heart Love

Well some (my self included) could spend some fame on a Diplomat amateur hireling if the party is interested. They would just take up an ally boon slot.

Boons:
Ally: Dream Whispers
Faction: Dataphiles champion
Personal: n/a
Promotional: t-shirt
Social: n/a
Starship: n/a
Slotless: Private Vault

@Scruffy: That sounds interesting. I didn't know about that option.

Boons:

Faction: Dataphiles Champion
Social: Faction's Friend
Slotless: Marked Field Agent

What a bunch of androids! :)

Not sure he has any applicable boons besides his faction slot boon.

Boons:

Ally: Dream Whispers
Faction: Dataphiles champion
Personal: n/a
Promotional: t-shirt
Social: n/a
Starship: n/a
Slotless: Private Vault

@Scruffy: That sounds interesting. I didn't know about that option.

Yeah there are 4 hirelings with preset skills you can acquire with fame. You can spend more fame as your reputation level increases to increase their skills. They are getting converted to boons you can buy with achievement points when starfinder switched over to that system, but if you have fame you can get them for as long as fame purchases continue to be a thing.

Now I really do not regret not buying a weapon. My casters like to cast spells anyways not fire some silly ray gun. :)

Sorry if I'm slow to post for the rest of this week. There's a lot of good RL stuff going on through Saturday, and it'll keep me pretty busy. Feel free to bot Twila-4 as necessary

Have never used or seen supernova utilized in combat so hopefully doing it right. Not seeing a DC for the reflex in my notes.

Something has come up, so it’ll be about 24 hours before my next post.

I imagine the Starfinders are thinking "whatever's on this stupid data stick better be worth it!" But seriously, you guys are making good progress in the scenario even though some of these foes can be pesky to wear down with small arms at this level.

^ I am thinking that casters do not get enough spells at level 1. :)

Indeed. Too both of you.

Crap, that was a critical hit and did 18 points of damage. Given her current hit points, under the "Massive Damage" rule that's enough to kill Twila-4. I'm really sorry!

To verify: Is this "you'll never play this character again" kill, or "you can be raised at the end of the scenario" kill?

The Starfinder Society guide goes through what it takes to have a character raised from the dead: a certain # of Prestige Points, credits, or a combination. They can use credits from the incoming Chronicle and sell gear (though for just 10%) to help out. Still, it's usually out of reach for low-level characters.

The guide is here. Once we get to the end of the scenario, we can talk over options in more detail.

@GM Jhaeman - Is paying for a Raise Dead spell 9,000 credits or 14,000 credits due to the cost of the spell component involved? I am just learning the game myself and I am trying to get a handle on all the rules and not confuse them with 1st edition pfs which I know so well.

It's a bit confusing!

The first way is to spend Fame. For some reason, they hide what you can spend Fame on in the "Basic Purchases Boon". Raise dead takes 14 Fame.

The second way is to spend credits for spellcasting services. Yes, it'd take 14,000 credits for raise dead.

I swear there used to be a way to spend some Fame and some credits, but that might have been in a previous version of the Guide or maybe I was thinking of PFS.

I should also add that with the beginning of Season Four, there's a whole new way things are being handled--Fame is gone, I think, and boons are purchased online with "Achievement Points" or something. This is the first scenario I've handled since the change, so I'm not 100% sure how it all works--there are some threads in the forums about it.

If you look at the boon tab under My Organized Play in your Account you will notice all the boons you can purchase for a character with these Achievement points. A raise dead spell is 28 points. This is well out of the reach of a low level character.

I think it would be difficult to raise a character before 4th level at the very earliest considering the very steep costs. In first edition pfs you could probably raise a character with a combination of prestige and gold at 3rd level or possibly 2nd level if you had some help or played up a bit and saved some gold.

Well, I could always use the same (or similar) stats and start her over as Twila-5. Tweak her personality a bit, etc. Losing a level 1 character doesn't feel like I've lost a huge investment.

The next iteration won't sigh so much. That's annoying to type. ;)

With an Android character Twila-5 makes perfect sense. She does not have to be wildly optimistic but tweaking her personality a little bit I think would make her more fun to play. You can essentially copy and paste her stats over in no time at all.

Driving cross country today. If Kaath comes up - attack with solar weapon on vesk again.

Hmm I was hoping to drop her oh well. If someone can attack then move in front of the door to the smoker to keep the vesk out for a bit that would be good.

I'm not sure if she can guarded step and draw a weapon as part of it. I'll go with whatever your call is but I think you can only combine drawing a weapon with charging or moving your full speed.

On review, I think you're right--let's assume she hasn't drawn the knife yet.

The doubling of hit points from level 1 to level 2 is a real problem for level design in both Pathfinder and Starfinder. Its ugly head is popping up again in this combat.

Watch out people. The GM's dice are smoking hot with yet another crit! :)

I'm finding that level 1 in Starfinder is way deadlier than level 1 in Pathfinder (1 & 2). I don't have much experience with Starfinder, as Twila-4 was my first character, but she'd been KO'd so often even before this scenario. I'm wondering if my build was flawed, but it seems mostly basic. It's hard to keep her back out of trouble because tight quarters and cover have been pretty common. Being a ranged fighter doesn't seem very viable so far. Ironic, with all the guns and all.

Yeah PF1 doesn't use massive damage which is part of it, but there are plently of PF1 scenarios where an ill times hit from a raging barbarian will totally flatten a 1st level character.

Low level particularly level 1 is just very swingy. A friend of mind described every first level adventure like this,
"I swing i miss. You swing you miss. Best game EVER!"

The dice gods definitely haven't been kind this round. For those of you who have some good boons or shirt rerolls, think about using them. I don't think it'll spoil anything to say this is the last encounter, so give it all you got!

This is going to be a close one. You guys are *really* close to taking out two different foes, but those vesk pack a punch!

It is a good thing that we have some level 2 party members or this adventure would have been a TPK for sure. It still might be. :)

@GM Jhaeman - I think that the Cleave action that the Vesks have been using is not legal with Doshko as it is a unwieldy weapon and you are not allowed to use such weapons to make multiple attack rolls (like with a Cleave) or opportunity attacks. I am very new to SF so I could be mistaken but if I am correct this can have a very material impact on our current combat.

Unwieldy weapons can't make full attacks, but Cleave is a special standard action when you have the right feat. It's also written into their tactics that they do it. I think sometimes scenario writers don't realise just how much damage output melee weapons in the hands of high-strength opponents can pump out at low levels. While a lot of PCs will be relying on 1d4 or 1d6 small arms, these 1d12+Str doshkos are pretty unfair.

Have a closer look at the text for unwieldy weapons. It does not allow for more than one attack per round under any circumstances. So you cannot take opportunity attacks or use a standard action to make multiple attacks rolls as with Cleave. Clearly the game designers were well aware of the danger of combining these high damage and low level weapons with feats such as Cleave or allowing people to attack multiple times a round with them. In fact a quick search of the Starfinder threads has led me to the discovery that the lead designer for Starfinder has confirmed that you cannot combine Unwieldy weapon trait and the Cleave feat.

However as the GM if you wish to go with the printed tactics in the scenario then I will support your right to do so. :)

On review, I think you're right! I'll go back through the Gameplay thread tonight and calculate who took how much damage from a second attack via Cleave and restore it.

Have a closer look at the text for unwieldy weapons. It does not allow for more than one attack per round under any circumstances. So you cannot take opportunity attacks or use a standard action to make multiple attacks rolls as with Cleave. Clearly the game designers were well aware of the danger of combining these high damage and low level weapons with feats such as Cleave or allowing people to attack multiple times a round with them. In fact a quick search of the Starfinder threads has led me to the discovery that the lead designer for Starfinder has confirmed that you cannot combine Unwieldy weapon trait and the Cleave feat.

However as the GM if you wish to go with the printed tactics in the scenario then I will support your right to do so. :)

Yeah Sounds like something that wasn't caught in development. There are plenty of early PF1 scenarios that have tactics combining spring attack with vital strike (which you can not do) and other stuff like that.

True. I guess the difference between PF and SF is that in Pathfinder you can really overbuild your character to compensate for the bumps in the roads you might encounter from poor scenario design.

Thanks for sticking with me guys--I know this has been a long encounter (and a long scenario!).

We are into the epilogue!

I'll start on Chronicles. For those of you with Day Job checks (or other things I should list), please roll in this thread.

prof(lab tech): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Thanks again for being the GM. George 09-23 has a lot of skills but not one of them can be used for a day job. :)

Twila-4's ghost was really worried about George 09-23 joining her. So glad you didn't!

^Thanks. Much appreciated! 2nd level will be so much better in Starfinder. :)

And that's a wrap! Thanks everyone for playing. I'll get these Chronicles out over the weekend.

Thanks GM Jhaeman. It was a tough one but fun. :)