[SFS_Aerondor] 04-10 The Way In (Outpost V) (tier 7-8) (Inactive)

Game Master Aerondor

Working closely with the Exo-Guardians, a team of Starfinders tracks down, scouts, and battles a fleet of enemy ships implicated in the Data Scourge attacks. Will this maneuver be the turning point in the conflict, or will the Starfinders' bold actions inflict dire consequences on the Society?

Dotting in.

“Welcome Starfinders,[b]” Ixthia says, looking up from one of several display screens in front of them. “[b]Please, take a seat. We’re only a few days from our destination, and there’s still quite a bit to do."

“Recently, a team of Starfinders obtained data that gave us some insight into our robotic foes. Using that intel, we’ve been able to locate a large number of their ships here.” With a tap on the data pad in front of them, a holographic projection of a star system, dominated by a large, ringed gas giant, springs up from the center of the table.

“This is the Cantlah system. Not much of interest, really; no inhabitants, no signs of anything unusual. For reasons unknown to us, however, our enemy has decided to use this system as a staging ground for their fleet. We don’t know exactly what we’ll find when we arrive, but our hope is to sneak into the system undetected and do a bit of reconnaissance before launching a surprise attack. For now, get some rest. As some of the most experienced agents on this expedition, you’ll have a big part to play in whatever comes next.”

Question time!

"When you say a large number of enemy ships what number of ships are you talking about?"

Umbro-187, is a dark skinned android wearing a well weathered travel suit jacket.

“Our information indicates the enemy is amassing a fleet in the Cantlah system, and our scouts have confirmed the presence of ships in the system. We won’t know precisely what we’re up against until we perform more thorough reconnaissance. But a Big number.”

A woman in tight black armor with decorative elements made of latex and leather lights a cigarette. Her pointed ears show that she is a half-elf, and the blue-purple skin color and white hair clarify: half-drow. Releasing a ring of smoke up, she makes music (crazy roaring black metal) quieter in the earphone in her left ear and looks at her comrades.

Hello. My name is Yarome. I'll be your best shot on the ship. And the only one who will turn on normal music, I think.

Then

A vaguely humanoid creature with a plantlike body and four long vines in place of arms enters the room. Its head is a mottled orange color and has no obvious features, so you have no idea if it may be looking at you at any given time. It walks slowly around the table, one arm grazing the back of each chair until it finds an unoccupied one and has a seat.

You hear a voice in your heads. <Greetings. I am Kosigan. I believe I have been selected for my adaptable nature. I also am a skilled pilot, though I am also comfortable as an engineer. It will please me to work with you all.>

Now

Kosigan feeds the information into its custom datapad and feels the shape of the system. <Perhaps they have chosen this location solely because it would be of little interest to biological life. Are there any known resources to be found there?>

Two notes about Kosigan. Khizar are naturally blind other than being able to determine the local light level, and cannot (at least RAI) gain sight. Kosigan has blindsense (vibration) and blindsight (life) and can gain blindsense (electricity) from its gear array.

Second, Kosigan's pronoun is it.

"If that's so I assume we'll be assigned one of our top of the line starships to conduct this mission than."

Feel free to make diplomacy(GI) or engineering (RK) checks for extra information

Ixthia nods to Umbro-187 "You certainly may, we have our full range available to you, Azarta, Drake and Pegasus." Or if you have another frame available... that too.

Engineering Aid Another: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

"The Drake's a reliable and well armed ship that has never let me down."

The heavily armoured shirren takes a seat as directed, dropping a large and heavy kit bag by his seat.

He watches the briefing intently, nodding at Umbro-187's question. The lack of concrete intel didn't surprise him - it was still early days for this mission.

"Maybe the abssencce of anythinhk of interessst ish the very reasson for choosinhk thish ssysstem," he speculates aloud, mandibles clacking.

He nods as his words echo Kosigan's. "We will find out more ssoon enough."

"Yesh, I've also found the Drahke very reliable."

After the briefing, he introduces himself to the rest of the team. "I'm Chk'tarlsh," he says audibly, mandibles clacking. Although many prefer to call me Charles, he sends telepathically, with a hint of amusement.

Data will research the info or see what he knows. engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (1) + 14 = 15

Y data Y is aware that the robot attackers have been encountered in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small, multilegged machines the size of dogs to huge constructs the size of cars.

Umbro-187's contacts also let on that Many of the machines have featured newer, upgraded components attached to older industrial frames. Also he has heard that strange runes cover the frames of many of these robotic assailants. The robots can activate these runes to gain magical abilities beyond their typical capabilities.

"We are going to need some heavy firepower to deal with these bots."

Let's get that ship where there are more guns and all kinds of hell. Drake, I think?

<The Drake is likely to be the most useful ship for such an endeavor.>

Heavy firepower, I don't sweat it. These robots I mean, we probably do have the firepower we need.

A female dwarf wanders in and sits down. She is wearing heavy armor and has various melee weapons stowed about her person. What'd I miss? sorry - I can never figure out how to get the alarm to wake me up when it's supposed to, what with all this newfangled technology. Give me a good old fashioned rooster any day.

a careful look over her weaponry will note that everything except the armor itself and a basic comm unit is analog.

The starfinder fleet emerges from the drift and slips into the upper atmosphere of Cantlah-4, concealing itself from the roboto fleet.

“Thank you for joining me,[b]” Ixthia says, looking up from a display terminal. “[b]We’ve reached our destination, and so far our presence seems to have gone undetected. However, our scans indicate that the enemy fleet routinely sends out patrols throughout the system, and one is due to pass near our current location in about two hours. I’d like you to select a ship, which our mechanics will outfit with a special transponder. Your job is to intercept the patrol while it’s cut off from the fleet on this side of the planet and take their place. The transponder is programmed to mimic the patrol ship’s signal, which should allow you to complete its patrol route undetected. As you near the rest of the enemy forces, you will have a limited window in which to scan them, hopefully gaining us invaluable intel about the composition and capabilities of their fleet. I can’t stress enough how important your assignment is to the success of our mission, and I’m confident that you have the skills necessary to accomplish the task before you. Good luck, Starfinders.”

He pauses before adding. "Stay away from the planets ring, or you may become detectable by the robot fleet."

--
New map is up, feel free to make any prep you want and select rolls. Pilot will need to roll init. Please let me know if you want me to do that for you. Also you will possibly want to work out who is using what nodes on the computer.

start distance: 3d6 + 5 ⇒ (1, 4, 3) + 5 = 13

The edge of the ring is marked with a dotted line near the base of the map.

You can roll initiative going forward for Umbro-187 if this is starship combat.

Piloting Initiative: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

Mysticism for Precognition, adding +2 to Piloting on a DC22: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27

Steer a bit to port, there's a pocket of energy coming up that will slow us down otherwise.

With the bonus, Umbro-187's initiative roll is 34.

Without much chief mating to do, Kosigan will scan the enemy ship.

Computers: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (11) + 4 = 15

Max of tier 6, which may not be enough.

First round, divert power to increase speed by 2 engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

robot init: 1d20 ⇒ 16

Umbro shows his stuff, getting the drop on the robot ship who just manages to turn around to face you.

Kosigan scans the enemy, but without any success.

Pilot up, and after you have moved, everyone else can do their actions.

Status: round one. Bold to post
Umbro (pilot) - to move
Yarameh (tbd)
Charles (tbd)
-acted-
Kosigan (science)
Nomoline (mystic)
Y Data Y (engineering)

When you move, can you leave a dotted green line behind so I can see where you are moving through plesae?

Umbro-187, accelerates the Drake to attack speed and makes an aggressive vertical maneuver straight at the bot's ship.

Evade: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (17) + 18 = 35

Umbro's boon brings the Drake's speed up to 10 since it upgrades the ship's thrusters by one level and with Y Data Y's action its speed is 12 this round. We can target their aft quadrant will all our turret weapons. The gunner's can take all the ship's bonuses.

Sorry, I didn't know how to insert a dotted line, so I inserted a straight one.

Made the line dotted for you. :)

Chk'tralsh settles into the gunner's station, running a hand over the familiar instrumentation. His multifaceted eyes track their quarry on the display as he waits patiently for the vessel to come into range.

"Nice flyinhk!" the shirren exclaims. "Brought ush right into line. I have a target."

He discharges the turret's secondary weapon at the enemy.

Gunnery w/computer: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
Damage
Light Particle Cannon: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 1, 6) = 8 OR Aeon Caster Launcher: 3d4 ⇒ (2, 1, 1) = 4

Ooooh. That's a lot of 1s...

Umbro speeds past the robot ship, leaving it open for your ship to fire. Charles is a little too keen however and forgets to take off the safety.

Can someone can pick a role for Yarameh and roll for them please?

The robot ship does their own evasive spins
evade: 1d20 ⇒ 10
And shoots at the Drake
gunnery vs AC 24: 1d20 ⇒ 15
damage: 4d8 ⇒ (3, 3, 2, 8) = 16

The drakes Starboard shields flicker as they absorb a heavy laser strike.

Status: round one. Bold to post
Yarameh (tbd)
-acted-
Kosigan (science)
Nomoline (mystic)
Y Data Y (engineering)
Umbro (pilot) - to move
Charles (gunner)
--end round 1--

Drake F/P/S/A/HP 40/40/24/40/100

@GM Aerondor, our AC was 26 this round since we evaded. I don't know if that affects the robot ship's shot.

@Chk'tarlsh, thanks for the help with the dotted line!

Yarameh, unleashes an antimatter missile on the exposed aft of the bot's ship.

Antimatter Missile + Computer Bonus vs. Bot Ship TL: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 12 + 2 = 23
Damage: 10d10 ⇒ (4, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 8, 6, 6, 9) = 52

Good point, and one of the reasons I put the target in the lines. But no, still hits sorry.

A missile is fired at the drone, which misses by only the narrowest of margines. Due to evade. Target AC is 22 unless they evade successfully.

A chunk of matter from the ring breaks off and heads toward...
1 is robot: 1d2 ⇒ 1
The robot ship...
attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26
Slamming into it with great force.
damage: 5d6 ⇒ (2, 5, 4, 5, 6) = 22

robot init: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (9) + 18 = 27
sf init: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (19) + 18 = 37

It twists away, trying to get behind the drake.

Status: round one. Bold to post
Yarameh (gunnery)
Kosigan (science)
Nomoline (mystic)
Y Data Y (engineering)
Umbro (pilot) -
Charles (gunner)
Robot ship has moved and done engineering, not fired yet.
--end round 2--

Drake F/P/S/A/HP 40/40/24/40/100

Umbro-187, anticipates the bot's next move and this time aligns all the Drake's big guns onto to their aft quadrant.

"We're right on their six. Weapons free, take the shot," he says unemotionally.

Piloting (Evade): 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (8) + 18 = 26

We can broadside this round with all our forward arc and turret weapons. I suggest our science officer does a lock on action to negate the -2 penalty to the broadside action. Everyone who isn't a gunner should try to boost their chances to hit. One of our gunners can broadside with all our weapons except for our antimatter missile launcher and apply one of the ship's bonuses to the persistent particle beam. The other gunner can fire the antimatter missile and add the other ship's bonus plus a potential lock on bonus to that attack.

Yarome turns on heavy music that roars all over the deck.

Missile Launcher: 1d20 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 12 + 2 = 1610d10 ⇒ (6, 7, 10, 3, 1, 4, 10, 4, 10, 9) = 64

Athletics DC 27, Targeting Aid: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31

Kosigan scrambles from console to console, aligning targeting sensors for the many weapons it hopes are about to strike the enemy.

One gunner can then take the fire at will or broadside action without the associated penalty to gunnery checks.

I didn't realize we had three +2 bonuses. Consequently, Chk'tarlsh can apply them to two of his attacks that are a part of his broadside action this round.

No -2 penalty to the broadside also because of Kosigan's action.
Nice action by the way, I didn't know about that one.

If we can get a successful lock on action from our science officer that will give us another +2 bonus to all our attacks.

Chk'tarlsh gnashes his mandibles in consternation at having left the safety engaged. [I[Rookie mistake![/i] he reprimands himself. Focus. He shuts his eyes and slows his breathing. He feels much calmer upon opening his eyes.

"I see it," he replies to Umbro-187. "Goinhk to light them up."

The shirren engages the targeting systems for the forward and turret weapons.

Spending 1 RP to broadside 7/8 remaining, penalty negated by Kosigan.

Persistent particle beam w/computer: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 11 + 2 = 31
Damage: 10d6 ⇒ (6, 1, 2, 3, 6, 6, 3, 1, 5, 3) = 36

Coilgun: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
Damage: 4d4 ⇒ (1, 2, 4, 3) = 10

Light particle cannon w/computer: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 2 = 18
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 2) = 7

@GM Aerondor, just want to make sure, but you said their AC was 22, 24 with the evade bonus. Missiles target their TL though. Is their TL also 22?

You get a bonus/free RP each scenario just for starship combat, so Charles is still on full RP

Umbro sends the Drake into a set of spins that throws off(hopefully) the enemy, but unfortunately also throws around the crew. In spite of that Charles manages to get a sold hit with the particle beam.

The robot ship returns fire with its turret bounded heavy laser
attack vs drake AC 24+@=26: 1d20 ⇒ 17
damage: 4d8 ⇒ (8, 3, 2, 1) = 14
Your front shields flare as they absorb the shot.

Status: round two. Bold to post
Nomoline (mystic)
Y Data Y (engineering)
Robot ship has moved and done engineering, not fired yet.
Charles (gunner) - shot
Umbro (pilot) - evaded
Kosigan (science) - targetted
Yarameh (gunnery) - fired
--end round 2--

Drake F/P/S/A/HP 26/40/24/40/100 (ac 24)

Reposting this since my original might have been ninja'd.

@GM Aerondor, just want to make sure, but you said their AC was 22, 24 with the evade bonus. Missiles target their TL though. Is their TL also 22?

Also the free resolve point that you get for starship combat doesn't get awarded until you are 8th level.

Their TL is the same as their AC and evade adds to both. But with a 16, Yarome wasn't likely to hit much. Same for the first round. Thus a miss by one. Normally I don't reveal AC/TL but given it was such a narrow miss, I figured you'd learn something from it.

That's fine, we aren't supposed to know any of that info anyway unless we do a scan. I hate it when GM's give the players all the info they are supposed to be using scans to know in starship combat. Examples would be shield distribution and the rolls for all their crew actions.

Data will try to restore 5% of the shield engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (8) + 14 = 22

Data, just, manages to restore some of your shields.

Someone want to pick and roll an action for Nomoline?

Status: round two. Bold to post
Nomoline (mystic)
Robot ship has moved and done engineering, not fired yet.
Charles (gunner) - shot
Umbro (pilot) - evaded
Kosigan (science) - targetted
Yarameh (gunnery) - fired
Y Data Y (engineering)
--end round 2--

Drake F/P/S/A/HP 36/40/24/40/100 (ac 24) (presumably to the front?)

Nomoline, attempts to summon a mystic haze.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (16) + 19 = 35

Mystic Haze (Engineering Phase, Push)
If you have at least 6 ranks in Mysticism, you can spend 1 Resolve Point and attempt a Mysticism check (DC = 15 + 1-1/2 × your starship’s tier); if you succeed, you call forth a magical burst of static to block your enemy’s view. This obscuring field garbles your opponent’s sensors and hinders their ability to gain information about your ship’s defenses and positioning, providing your starship a +1 enhancement bonus to AC until the end of the next round. In addition, the increased interference means all science officers on the opposing starship taking the scan or lock on actions before the end of the next round must roll twice for their checks and use the worse result.

The enemy ship opens fire again - its turret showing how handy it is in a stern chase. However the evasive maneuvers seem to have upset its own targeting routines and it goes well wide of the mark.

gunnery vs AC 24+2+1: 1d20 ⇒ 1

Another rock breaks free from the ring, hurtling through the battlefield.
who, 1=SF: 1d2 ⇒ 2
bang: 1d20 ⇒ 10
ouch: 5d6 ⇒ (5, 6, 5, 2, 5) = 23
It slams into the robot ship's forward shields

Then the pilots lock horns again.
robot init: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (7) + 18 = 25
SF init,: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24

SF to move first this time. Hurrah for the bad guys

Status: round three, engineering and helm phases. bold to act
Nomoline (mystic) (if they use haze, that is engineering phase)
Umbro (pilot) - to move.
Kosigan (science) -
Y Data Y (engineering)
Charles (gunner) -
Yarameh (gunnery) -
Robot ship has done engineering - not anything else
--end round 3--

Drake F/P/S/A/HP 36/40/24/40/100 (ac 24) (presumably to the front?)

I thought mystic haze was Nomoline's 2ne round action? If she does precognition in the 3rd round we would win initiative.

Yeah, data restores shields to the front first, then works on other sections, whichever is weakes.
engieering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (9) + 14 = 23 restore shields.

@Umbro.Ahh, good point. As a tactical note, winning init in space combat is so important, when playing I always assign a computer node to help the pilot with initiative.

What's your ruling for the 3rd round then? Can we assign a computer node to the initiative roll or let Nomoline roll a precognition action? In the future I'll make sure I say ahead of time if I want to use a node for initiative. I wasn't planning on using it in the 3rd round since I wanted to save it just in case I wanted to go for a flyby and since Nomoline can do precognition.

Nomoline, does a precognition action.

Mysticism (Precognition): 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (15) + 19 = 34

We will also have a +1 to AC this round because she did a mystic haze action last round.

Kosigan opens up a panel and starts rewiring things.

Athletics DC 22: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

[ooc]Y Data Y can divert to a second system (relevant options are +2 speed or all 1s on damage are 2s).