One of our teams made contact with creatures guarding a library and investigated the remains of its materials. They’ve found rituals and research materials related to temporal manipulation, suggesting this site was once used for such experiments.
Table GMs, Delve Mission 3 is complete, and the Preternatural Insight condition is now in effect.
Preternatural Insight: When the House GM announces the Preternatural Insight condition, the barriers between past and present weaken momentarily, giving hints to the future. Once before the end of this adventure, as part of a 10-minute or longer rest, each PC can cast augury as a spell-like ability without spending Resolve Points.
Fitch gathers a group of Starfinders after the teams return to the surface with their findings. “Well!” she exclaims. “Now that the pillars have been properly arranged, they've opened an entrance to the ruins below.” Her whiskers twitch in excitement. “Your task is to explore this passage and see where it leads. Our intelligence indicates there are some strange readings coming from the central area of the lower ruins, so we're hoping to find another way there.”
At the base of the steps, three sets of corridors branch off into the distance, stretching on seemingly endlessly. The right corridor is in good repair, with indistinct figures flickering into view just at the corners of vision, while the painted walls of the center hall are worn and faded, and the walls of the left passage appear to be barely standing and woven through with plants.
You start exploring down one of the corridors and find more branching corridors like the first.
Mysticism DC 28:
You’ve wandered into a temporal anomaly. You are going to have to navigate your way out through the temporal ripples.
Navigation is via Computers, Mysticism or Survival checks. You need multiple successes.
At the end of each round we need a Will save.
If everyone can give me two rounds of checks, with luck that will be enough.
Additional detail for those who want it on the checks, feel free to read them all.
Computers detail:
Computers checks to calculate routes while adjusting for the temporal anomalies.
Mysticism detail:
Mysticism checks to sense the rifts in the flow of time.
Survival detail:
Survival checks to locate the passages most similar to your current time.
Everyone, please pick one skill to roll against each round. You don’t get to do all three skills at once. :)
@Patrick, since your skill modifier is higher for Computers, I will use your computers rolls. In this particular instance it fortunately doesn’t matter since both were successful.
Back in the library…
Patrick was unable to decipher the text.
Round 1
Patrick has no problems going through the various permutations and calculating the probable outcomes.
He also successfully fights off the physical effects of traversing the halls.
Yes, it is a Will save to fight off what are described as physical effects.
One success
I will give an update for Round two all at once if it is needed.
Teddington finally comes out of the stupor he had during the last mission as all the technical talk fried his brain, he now realises he's useful again and proceeds to sniff some Survival into existence.
Dr. Dov manages to decipher the notes and determines that the writings are a philosophical meditation on the ways different societies view time. Though the notes say little about the writer's own society, they offer some insights into ancient Akitonian cultures, of which the writer refers to themself as an “observer.”
In the Halls of Eternity
Teddington has a few moments of disorientation, but then finds something he can bite into and follows it.
He is just bearly able to avoid the aging effects of the area.
Dr. Dov is also having trouble dealing with the fractal halls.
He does start to feel the effects of accelerated aging.
–1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
An exploration team encountered ghosts in the lower levels—but not just any ghosts. Judging by their ancient equipment these entities were once Pathfinders! Perhaps by finishing what they started in investigating this site, we can lay their spirits to rest permanently.
Table GMs, Delve Mission 4 is complete, and the Unfinished Business condition is now in effect.
Unfinished Business: When the House GM announces the Unfinished Business condition, the PCs feel a surge of resolve to finish what their long-ago counterparts began. Each PC immediately regains 1 Resolve Point and gains a +1 bonus to Will saves until the end of their current mission.
Beyond the door is a blasted wasteland with deep furrows carved into the dusty earth. A mournful wind rustles over the landscape, and the twisted remains of immense metal towers stand in the distance, stretching up to the night sky.
DC 23 Physical Science or Survival:
You deduce based on the position of the stars that you are still in the Winterlands of Akiton, despite the differences in climate.
DC 23 Mysticism:
This area is affected by an ongoing temporal warp, which should dissolve in a few minutes.
Before you can explore too much, you notice some robots that look like they want to claw your eyes and augmentations out.
"Careful! There is an ongoing temporal warp in the area." Alistair calls as he slips into graviton attunement.
With a thought, he enhances the glowing armor plates around him with the strange mass of darm matter, then quickly draws his pistol and fires at the green robot.
tactical thunderstrike sonic pistol vs green EAC:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25 Sonic:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Yellow moves near the tree stretched over the chasm and then fires at Alistair. It misses by a wide margin.
voltaic anchor pistol:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21 critical bind
Non-Lethal Electric damage:1d6 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8
Red comes sprinting forward and throws a grenade! It hits Persephone, Alistair and Teddington.
flash grenade I:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25 (explode [5 ft., blinded 1d4 rounds, DC 15])
Blinded duration:1d4 ⇒ 3
Round 1:
Bolded may act
Engineering to identify exactly what these robots are.
Dr. Dov and Mel have –1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
Alistair DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 5
Yellow Robot
Red Robot
Persephone DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4
Dr. Dov
Blue Robot
Patrick
Teddington DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4
Mel
Green Robot 9 damage
| SP 25/42 | HP 48/48 | RP 9/9 | EAC 22 KAC 23 CMD 31 | Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +4; +1 vs poison/disease +1 vs Radiation +2 vs mind-affecting | Init +5 | Perception +16 (60': Darkvision, Blindsense: Thought, 30': Blindsight: Life) | Active Effects: Limited Telepathy 60', Radiation Badge | Armor Environmental Seals: Active (7 days) | Biohacks 6/7 used, Field Dressing 0/6 used, Treat Condition 0/6 used | CG Male Uplifted Bear (Battle Medic) Biohacker 7
Dov will look at the closest robot and consult his custom microlab to try and ID their properties...
Biohacker Physical Science ID:19 + 20 = 39
He'll share anything he learns with the rest of the team telepathically.
Next he'll reach out over Patrick's head to hit Teddington with an Anesthesiology Booster biohack.
+2 Enhancement Bonus to Saves vs pain and DR 2/— (stacks with one other source of DR, to a maximum of DR 7/—)
These robots appear to be quite different in construction, built of unfamiliar metal and powered by large glowing veins of energy running through them. The veins of energy match the glimpses of circuitry beneath the plant life in the warped corridors of the ruin.
Dr. Dov realizes that although they look quite different, they operate like normal guardian class robots. Their weapons are integrated into the construction, they have the normal immunities you would expect of a robot, are vulnerable to electrical attacks and have weak points that if hit can cause significant damage, and have a repair system based on nanites. Their defensive protocols are weak against mental effects, but being robots many of the normal mental effects don’t work.
Weaponry visible includes nyfiber net, sentry shield projector AR with 1 high-capacity battery (40 charges), voltaic anchor pistol AR with 1 high-capacity battery (40 charges), flash grenades I (2), smoke grenades (2).
Game Mechanics:
GUARDIAN ROBOTS
N Medium construct (technological)
Defensive Abilities integrated weapons; Immunities construct immunities
Weaknesses vulnerable to critical hits, vulnerable to electricity
Other Abilities nanite repair, unliving
Nanite Repair (Ex) A guardian robot's nanites heal it, restoring a number of Hit Points per hour equal to its CR. Once per day as a full action, the robot can restore 3d8 Hit Points to itself or any construct it touches that has the technological subtype.
Will is lowest save.
Then Dr. Dov gives Teddington a little boost!
Alistair is able to shade his eyes from the flash grenade.
Round 1:
Bolded may act
Engineering to identify exactly what these robots are.
Dr. Dov and Mel have –1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
Alistair
Yellow Robot
Red Robot
Persephone DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4
Dr. Dov
Blue Robot
Patrick
Teddington DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4, +2 Enhancement Bonus to Saves vs pain and DR 2/— (stacks with one other source of DR, to a maximum of DR 7/—)
Mel
Green Robot 9 damage
As she shields her eyes from the flash grenade, Persephone ducks and dodges then shoots the robot with her sonic pistol.
Blue moves up and tosses a flash grenade between Mel, Patrick and Dr. Dov. Sort of a dud grenade, you’ve probably seen more flash from a comm unit.
flash grenade I:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26 (explode [5 ft., blinded 1d4 rounds, DC 15])
Blinded duration:1d4 ⇒ 1
Round 1:
Bolded may act
Engineering to identify exactly what these robots are.
Dr. Dov and Mel have –1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
Alistair Red FF
Yellow Robot
Red Robot 25 damage
Persephone
Dr. Dov Red FF DC 15 Reflex or blinded one round
Blue Robot
Patrick Red FF DC 15 Reflex or blinded this round
Teddington Red FF, DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4, +2 Enhancement Bonus to Saves vs pain and DR 2/— (stacks with one other source of DR, to a maximum of DR 7/—)
Mel Red FF DC 15 Reflex or blinded this round
Green Robot 9 damage
The only reaction to the grenade is Dr. Doc’s fur-tive glance away. No one is bothered by the flash.
Mel fires her laser twice, bearly missing with the two shots.
Round 1:
Bolded may act
Engineering to identify exactly what these robots are.
Dr. Dov and Mel have –1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
Alistair Red FF
Yellow Robot
Red Robot 25 damage
Persephone
Dr. Dov Red FF
Blue Robot
Patrick Red FF
Teddington Red FF, DC 15 Reflex or blinded until round 4, +2 Enhancement Bonus to Saves vs pain and DR 2/— (stacks with one other source of DR, to a maximum of DR 7/—)
Mel
Green Robot 9 damage
Blue reflex:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14 Green reflex:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
Blue gets hit directly by Patrick’s bolt of electricity. Green manages to evade some of it.
Teddington avoids the flash grenade Red threw him. He then gets his plasma doshko out and swings it, just bearly catching the robot with his swing.
Teddington recalls that the sensor suite on these robots is extensive. They have darkvision, low light, and a field that allows them to sense though items.
Game mechanics:
Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, sense through (vision) 60 ft.;
Green moves to the edge of the chasm and fires at blue.
sentry shield projector:1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34 shield :1d4 ⇒ 4
Round 2:
Bolded may act
Engineering to identify exactly what these robots are.
Dr. Dov and Mel have –1 penalty to attack rolls, weapon damage, and Fortitude and Reflex saves
Alistair Red FF
Yellow Robot
Red Robot 45 damage
Persephone
Dr. Dov Red FF
Blue Robot 21 damage 4 shield
Patrick
Teddington +2 Enhancement Bonus to Saves vs pain and DR 2/— (stacks with one other source of DR, to a maximum of DR 7/—)[/b]
Mel
Green Robot 52 damage
The comm units of the Starfinders present chime in unison, and a hologram of Ehu appears as his message plays. “Good work, Starfinders! Reports indicate you’ve almost reached the site’s inner sanctum. All strange temporal fluctuations we’ve recorded center around this point. All teams, please rendezvous at these coordinates so we can try to find a way in.”
An unusual crate of equipment has appeared in the Sanctum.
The temporal warp passes. The robots you were fighting fall to pieces and the weather returns to what you would expect on Akiton.
You make your way back to the ovoid chamber where you notice a strange crate of equipment. The outside of it is marked with an archaic glyph.
DC 20 Culture:
It is The Mark of the Open Road, a symbol associated with the ancient group called the Pathfinder Society of ancient Golarian. It was tales of this group that inspired the formation of the Starfinder Society.
It contains the following:
A wooden box inside of the supply crate contains six thin bottles filled with blue liquid and stoppered with pieces of porous wood.
A third wooden box holds three sacks made of a plant‑based cloth and secured with a plant-based rope.
Examine the contents of one of the bags:
Examining the contents of a sack determines that it is filled with sticky tree resin and could be thrown at opponents to entangle them. This examination damages the mechanism for the sack to properly unfold upon impact, destroying one of the sacks unless you succeed at a DC 18 Sleight of Hand check.
The crate also holds a bow, a hatchet, and a longsword that are well-balanced despite their archaic materials of wood, steel, and sinew. They have archaic magical runes on them. They act as an Advanced Battlebow, sintered handaxe, and a sintered longsword respectively.
Numerous entrances converge on this semi-circular hall, which curves around another chamber within, surrounding it on three sides. The only entrance to the inner room is an immense door built of pitch-black stone. Scrawled on this door's sliding panels are six glowing glyphs, their light pulsing in a steady pattern.
DC 23 Culture:
The glyphs on the door don't match any known language.
To open the door, your group needs to arrange the the glyphs into a specific pattern. The door is trapped with several other defenses that the you need to bypass to safely open it.
There are four roles that must be filled in order to make progress. Someone must take each of the roles. The other two of you may assist via Aid Another one of the roles.
Calculate Cipher Solution with a DC 23 Computers check.
Decipher the Glyphs with a DC 23 Culture check.
Disable Mundane Traps with a DC 23 Engineering check.
Disable Magical Defenses with a DC 23 Mysticism check.
Failure to fill all four roles prevents progress. It does not prevent the defenses on the doors from exploding in your faces.
Figure it out within your group who takes which roles and give me two rounds of checks.
culture:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27 to identify glyph
mysticism:1d20 + 16 ⇒ (17) + 16 = 33 on the bottle.
Mark 3 Serums of Healing or the equivalent of same
culture:1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24
Patrick will take the computing role
computers:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (9) + 19 = 28 computers:1d20 + 19 ⇒ (20) + 19 = 39 (second round)
Round 1:
Neither Persephone nor Mel are able to Aid mysticism. Mel Aid Engineering:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (10) + 12 = 22 Persephone Aid Culture:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Teddington digs his claws into the mechanical security measures while Dr. Dov digs into the glyphs and Patrick does some computations.
Mel helps Teddington while Persephone helps Dr. Dov.
Alistair can’t quite attune himself to the mystic defenses.
Successes: 1 Engineering, 1 Culture, 1 Computers.
Need round 2 checks for Engineering and Culture. Alistair and Patrick have already taken their turns. Everyone can also give me Round 3 checks.
