[Outpost V] GM Silbeg SFS 3-99 Perils of the Past 3-4 (Inactive)

Game Master Silbeg

"Yes, good job everyone. Those things could have been a serious problem... Everyone OK? Now, as for these machines, let's see if we can figure out what makes them tick..."

If we are in no hurry, the curious Elwin will take a look at them...
engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

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.

Culture check or comprehend language to translate the glyphs

You can tell that this is some sort of combination lock. As such, you will need to perform the following:
- Calculate Cipher Solutions: Computers
- Decipher the Glyphs: Culture
- Disable Mundane Traps: Engineering
- Nullify Magical Defenses: Mysticism

Each round, one person will be able make the check. Others can "aid another" for those making the checks.

All of these need a certain number of successes, and we'll be doing this in rounds.

Will probably be helpful to discuss who is rolling what first. When rolls are being made, I will take the first roll as the roll, unless explicitly stated to be an aid another. Also, you must fill all four roles simultaneously in order to attempt to open the door.

What this means is that all rolls will be failures unless all four roles are fulfilled.

Amariel can, as a racial ability, cast comprehend languages on himself. More than willing to do it now. I can calculate the cipher or disable mundane traps as well.

I think that at +9, Tik has the highest Culture check in the party. If not, treat this as an Aid Another.

The ysoki sets down his back and leans against it, considering the glyphs.

Culture check, not including any penalties or bonuses: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

"I think I've seen something like this before."

And Atu the best Mysticism

Careful, these wards are difficult to stop from activating.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18

Atu, Tik has a set of trapsmith's tools that will give you a +4 on your check.

Assumed Tik's roll was the initial culture check on the glyphs

Round 1:
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers):
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture):
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering):
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism): Atu 18

Elwin will work on the ciphers..
computers: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (20) + 12 = 32

Round 1:
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers): Elwin 32
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture):
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering):
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism): Atu 18

** spoiler omitted **

Assumed Tik's roll was the initial culture check on the glyphs

Correct.

Anyone can take the initial check... does not count for the rest. Tik can share what he's learned. There may be more information coming with a comprehend languages

"I don't know whether those patterns are actual language. They don't match any symbology I'm familiar with."

Who is taking culture and engineering? Must be separate people

I'll try the second Culture check. Amariel should try the Engineering check.

Culture check - Decipher the Glyphs: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

i let my aid rolled to gain time
engineering aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14

Amariel will call upon his elven ancestry and use difficult arcane magicks to figure out the glyphs. using comprehend languages

"Hey, its great, I got a little buddy helpin' me out," Amariel says in his trademark slurred voice.

Engineering: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 11 + 2 = 21

Buddy looks around not knowing what to do finally he goes to Amariel "Let me hold your wrench, I can be your another little Buddy"

Engineering, aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

The team works together to attempt to open the Cypher Door.
They are not completely through it though, and must try again.
All were successes

Round 2
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers) 1:
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture) 1:
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering) 1:
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism) 1:

Can our second attempts be with the same skill we previously used?

Excellent..work Atu says, though their voice is a bit more strained from the stress of holding back the magical wards. As their Allie’s step back for a moment after clearing the first set of locks, the spathinae turn graciously to Tik.

Oh, thank you. While our communion with Hylax has given us knowledge into the spiritual, we hadn’t expected those skills may be come up like this. Still, we can see how these tools could help us focus and disarm some of the defenses.

If this is the type of thing where Tim’s offered and leant Trapsmith’s tools would be relevant - disabling magical defenses - add 4 to the below.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

assuming we can make the same check...
Elwin leans in and tries not to get confident with his work on this project so far.. looking more into the ciphers.
computers: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
Ah. There's the dicebot I know all too well...

Can be same folks, same tasks. I going to bot

Round 2
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers) 1: 14 Fail
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture) 1: Tik Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11 Fail
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering) 1: Buddy Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9
Vutrul Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
Amariel Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism) 1: 21

Round 3
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers) 1: elwin computers: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15 Fail
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture) 1: Tik Culture: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15 Fail
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering) 2: Buddy Aid: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Vutrul Aid: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
Amariel Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (20) + 11 = 31
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism) 2: Atu mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (1) + 13 = 14

At this point, the door explodes with a shower of force bolts, and everyone takes:
force: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 4, 1) = 11

Conditions:
- Amariel SP 13/24 HP 28/28 RP 3/4
- Atu Vaeyo. SP 4/18 HP 21/21 RP 5/5
- Buddy. SP 20/31, HP 30/30 RP 4/5
- Elwin SP 9/20 HP 24/24 RP 6/6
- Tik. SP 7/18 HP 17/20 RP 5/5
- Vutrul SP 7/18 HP 20/20 RP 3/4

You hear some of the successes undo as the locks reset.
Pausing if you want to change what you are rolling
Please roll what you'd like

Round 4
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers) 0:
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture) 0:
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering) 2:
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism) 2:

Is there a save allowed against some or all of the damage?

No save on the damage. It is all force damage like magic missiles

Tik grimaces at the impacts. "We need to keep trying."

Culture check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19

Round 4
Calculate Cipher Solutions(Computers) 0:
Decipher the Glyphs(Culture) 0: Tik 19
Disable Mundane Traps(Engineering) 2:
Nullify Magical Defenses(Mysticism) 2:

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (9) + 13 = 22

With a hum, the glyphs in the door flash blue as they realign, a wave of energy shimmering over them. The door swings open, revealing a massive chamber containing a tall archway made of red stone.

Table GMs, the Unlocked condition is now in effect.

computers: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26

The chamber beyond the Cipher Door is enormous. Its most prominent feature is a round archway of luminous crystal set atop a red stone platform at its center. The arch crackles with veins of light, providing surprisingly bright illumination. Pillars arrayed beside the door lead in and around the arch, and an empty fountain stands to the right of the entrance.

Next to the archway, carving symbols into the crystal, is a summerborn ryphorian woman dressed in a jaunty traveler’s outfit. At the sound of the door opening, she turns around, surprise evident on her face. “Ah, hello,” she mumbles hesitantly. “Can I…help you?” She chuckles nervously, then shakes her head. “Sorry. I haven’t been around people much lately.”

See slide #2 for the woman and the arch.

No time has passed, so no time to heal the damage from the door

Hello???? what are you doing here???

“This is the Eternity Arch. As far as I can tell, it’s a portal to the Dimension of Time, built eons ago, though I have no idea who originally constructed it. Its primary purpose seems to be psychic transference, allowing people to communicate briefly across time, but I’m trying to modify it to physically bring someone through instead."

'Modify' it? Atu says. They are still frayed from the door's blast. That portal seems to be leaking. Leaking dangerously and setting unstable time energy far outside this room. Who are you, and why are you trying to bring more things through?

"Hey, I was doing muggin great back there," Amariel says as he rubs his shoulder where the force hit him.

"Hey, bringing things through the time portal? Seems like a bad idea to me. You want dinosaurs in here? Thats how you get dinosaurs."

To Atu, she replies:

“My name is Felise,” the ryphorian says with a mischievous smile. “Dimensional explorer extraordinaire—or at least, I was.” Her expression dims momentarily. “Lately I’ve been more focused on theoretical research.”

Then...
“Yes, of course. Some of them are due to the Eternity Arch; it’s still somewhat unstable. I admit I might have exacerbated a few of them, though I had no idea they would trouble anyone else!”

To Amariel:
Felise looks wistful for a moment, then sighs. “Who am I trying to bring through? My dragonkin partner, Heraxia. Years ago, we were exploring a temporal passageway when we were attacked by hounds of Tindalos. We escaped but got separated in the process. I was able to get back home, but Heraxia wasn’t so lucky. We’ve been able to stay in touch intermittently with empathic communication through our bond, and from what we can tell, she’s in the distant past—on Lost Golarion, if you can believe that!” She glances to the archway, brow furrowing. “It’s been a long time. I just want to get her back.”

"So, fellow explorers, who might you all be?"

"Who else would be interested in something like this? We're Starfinders, of course. Getting your partner back seems like a worthwhile task, but we should do it in a way that's not going to, you know, turn the planet inside out. I'm kind of partial to Akiton."

Its not a good idea to play with space-time, you cant prevent what can you bring for another time!!! but if you are sure we help you

"Starfinders, you say? Perhaps you could help me, then? I am pretty sure that once I accomplish mt goal and I can deactivate the artifact, the temporal anomalies in this place will probably cease entirely."

The Eternity Arch begins to glow as Felise completes her final attunements, the carvings across its surface shifting and twisting around each other. Turning to the Starfinders, Felise nods in satisfaction. “That should do it,” she says. “Thank you all for your assistance. The ritual is taxing, and we’ve all had a long day, so I suggest we get some rest and make preparations before I fully activate it.”

You are allowed an 8-hour rest.

Morning dawns bright in the Winterlands, and as the Starfinders gather in the inner sanctum, Felise stands in front of the Eternity Arch, excitement and trepidation warring on her face. “This is it,” she says. “Whatever happens, I want to thank you for your help. I can’t tell you how much this means to me. This will probably cause some temporary time rifts, so be ready.” She takes a deep breath to compose herself, then steps up to the ritual circle drawn in front of the arch.

As she begins to chant, the light flickering over the arch shifts from golden to black, and back again, the symbols on the archway writhing about of their own accord. Brief rips appear throughout the chamber, displaying scenes of innumerable time periods for only seconds before vanishing. One rip, however, is growing. An arid wasteland of rolling sand dunes stretches within the rift. Suddenly, a host of many-legged arthropods scuttle through, headed straight for the Arch.

The arrow of time moves forward, and in this ruin, it can travel at unimaginable speeds.

The Arrow of Time condition is in effect.

At the end of assisting Felise (I guess other tables must have flown through this) you find a strange box marked with an archaic glyph on its side.
Culture check to learn what the glyph is

When you open it, you discover:
- A wooden box inside of the supply crate contains six thin bottles filled with blue liquid and stoppered with pieces of porous wood.
Mysticism check to examine

- A second wooden box holds six round-bottomed bottles filled with a red liquid.
Engineering check to examine

- A third wooden box holds three sacks made of a plant-based cloth and secured with a plant-based rope.
Sleight of Hand check to examine, but only the first check matters

- The crate holds a bow, a hatchet, and a longsword that are well-balanced despite their archaic materials of wood, steel, and sinew. These functions as a bow, a tactical handaxe, a standard longsword respectively.

Pausing for these checks, as it will be helpful

Curious Atu says as they look closer at the box’s markings.

Culture: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Mysticism: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (19) + 12 = 31

Culture check to identify glyph: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

Someone else is going to have to take this, unless I get a lot of successful Aid Another rolls.

ETA: And someone else did, just before I posted. Tik will Aid Another on the Engineering check, too. With a +11, he does so automatically.

Atu is able to identify the glyph as the "Glyph of the Open Road", the symbol of the ancient mystical "Pathfinder Society". Unfortunately you don't know much more about them that the idea of the Starfinder Society came from this pre-Gap organization from Lost Golarian.

The vials are some sort of healing serum. (They act as mk 2 serums of healing)

Atu is able to guide one of the sticky bags out without breaking it. They determine that it is filled with sticky tree resin and could be thrown at opponents to entangle them. (Acts as a stickybomb grenade II)

Also, please do take an 8-hour rest. The deleterious time effects on most of the team also pass

Still need the engineering check

Moving on... but the engineering check can still happen.

The crate also did have an iridescent spindle aeon stone

Please do note who has what. Assumption is that the vials, etc., are one per person if you do not state otherwise, and the weapons and Aeon stone are unused.

----
The barrier between past and present temporarily drops, letting in creatures from Akiton’s distant past when the Winterlands were warm! Three creatures that are a sort of arthropod—similar to a cross between a centipede and crab—with a hard exoskeleton, 20 segmented legs, and front-facing pincers. Two are ysoki-sized, but one is human-sized.

Yellow-dot and purple-dash are small. Silver is medium

Bugs are invading!
Vutrul is/are up.
Buffs/Adjustments:
Identify with: Life Science (x2)

Note that Felise is busy with the Eternity Arch

engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Vutrul takes his sword and charges towards the big one

carbon steel blade attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
damage: 1d10 + 10 ⇒ (10) + 10 = 20

Busy day at work..
Elwin takes a look at the wooden box.
engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
sigh...

Neither Vutrul nor Elwin can make head nor tail out of the vials.

Vutrul rushes up and lays a nasty wound onto the larger critter.

It tries to return the favor with a pair of claw attacks, but it misses.
claw vs KAC22: 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 12 - 4 = 16
claw vs KAC22: 1d20 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (3) + 12 - 4 = 11

Amariel is/are up.
Buffs/Adjustments:
Identify with: Life Science (x2)

Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (10) + 11 = 21

"Hey, mug you!" Amariel shouts as he darts away, pulling on his prototype conqueror as he does so.

Vs Purple Dotted line's EAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21
E&F Damage: 1d12 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Amariel blasts away at purple-dot, hitting it with a solid shot! However, it still stands.

1: Vutrul, 2: Buddy: 1d2 ⇒ 1
Yellow-dash skitters up and attacks Vutrul. It almost hits.
pincers vs KAC22: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

Bugs are invading!
Buddy, Elwin, Tik, Atu is/are up.
Buffs/Adjustments:
Identify with: Life Science (x2)

Stranger creatures Atu says as they move around the centi-crabs, drawing out their arc pistol as they move. Perhaps if the larger one falls the others will take that as a sign to flee.

Attack v Silver EAC: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22 for Electric: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3