Game Master S's 03-11: Into the Veskarium [Tier 3-6] (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

Ok, lets add the extra like this (and my last added to 48) 52= 22/10/10/10)

Initiative Piloting with +1 from the ship: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 14 + 1 = 29

Disparage my piloting? I don't think so.

HELM PHASE:
Captain (Name): Available
Chief Mate (Name): Hard Turn, Manual Realignment
Pilot (RodKin): Audacious Gambit, Full Power, Fly, Maneuver, Stunt
Science Officer (Lexicor): Balance, Scan, Target System

GUNNERY PHASE:
►Captain (Name): Available
Gunner 1 (Amariel): Fire At Will, Shoot, Broadside

********************************************
PEGASUS STATUS:
SHIP:
Hull Points: 60/65
Systems Status: Normal
SHIELDS:
Forward: 8
Port: 13
Starboard: 13
Aft: 10

STARSHIP COMBAT GM TRACKER
Tier 4 Pegasus
Tactical Map
Bonus Resolve: 0
Critical Damage Table
Options Adjusted for level: Yes

Just trying to keep us hitting the same arc on their ship and the incoming fire in the Port arc where the Laser Net is located.

Piloting check to evade, with the ship bonus to piloting, DC 16: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 14 + 1 = 17

Not my cleanest maneuver to evade their fire, but hopefully it will get the job done. Gunner, have at them.

The ships whiz by each other as the enemy hurls yet another tactical nuclear missile! Lexicor moves the shields just in case the net misses!
Enemy Gunnery: 1d20 + 9 + 3 ⇒ (8) + 9 + 3 = 20 for DMG to Port Arc: 5d8 ⇒ (7, 4, 3, 3, 5) = 22

GUNNERY PHASE:
►Captain (Name): Available
Gunner 1 (Amariel): Fire At Will, Shoot, Broadside

"i really don't like having nukes shot at me."

Laser Web, Computers DC 20: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 2 = 28

"Stop shooting nuculear(sic) bombs at us!" He slurs.

Main Turret, Fire At Will, Computers: 1d20 + 8 - 4 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 8 - 4 + 2 = 22
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 5) = 15
Forward Light Particle Beam, Fire At Will: 1d20 + 8 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 8 - 4 = 12
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 4) = 11

Amariel stops the nuke, and strikes with the turret! Smoke is now pouring out of the enemy hull. Another pass an exchange like that make leave them dead in the water!

ENGINEERING PHASE:
►Open Crew Actions: Erratic Maneuvering, Feign Disaster, Prioritize Calculation, Range Finding, Ready Weapons System
Captain (Name): Demand, Encourage, Taunt
Chief Mate (Name): Maintenance Panel Access
►Engineer (Mich): Divert, Hold It Together, Patch
Magic Officer (Name): Eldritch Shot, Scrying

Seeing that the shields are ok, Mitch changes position, taking the Captain's seat!

Mich jumps jobs as the Starfinders begin to smell victory!

HELM PHASE (Initiative):

Magic Officer (Name): Precognition
Enemy Initiative: Piloting: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (16) + 12 = 28
►Pilot (RodKin): Initiative If you lose this roll, immediately move to the HELM PHASE

********************************************
PEGASUS STATUS:
SHIP:
Hull Points: 60/65
Systems Status: Normal
SHIELDS:
Forward: 8
Port: 13
Starboard: 13
Aft: 10

STARSHIP COMBAT GM TRACKER
Tier 4 Pegasus
Tactical Map
Bonus Resolve: 0
Critical Damage Table
Options Adjusted for level: Yes

I hope they run out of Nukes soon!

As I recall, there should only be five missiles available

Initiative Piloting with +1 from the ship: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 14 + 1 = 16

I should have known it wouldn't last. I'll try to make it as tough as I can for them.

Piloting check to evade, with the ship bonus to piloting, DC 16: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 14 + 1 = 17

Another barely successful Evade check.

Rodkin banks on their limited ammo. The enemy finally gets the upper hand.

The fugitives fly all fancy and make a go at the Pegasus
Gunnery: 1d20 + 9 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 9 + 3 = 14 MISS!

GUNNERY PHASE:
►Captain (Mich): Available
►Gunner 1 (Amariel): Fire At Will, Shoot, Broadside

********************************************
PEGASUS STATUS:
SHIP:
Hull Points: 60/65
Systems Status: Normal
SHIELDS:
Forward: 8
Port: 13
Starboard: 13
Aft: 10

STARSHIP COMBAT GM TRACKER
Tier 4 Pegasus
Tactical Map
Bonus Resolve: 0
Critical Damage Table
Options Adjusted for level: Yes

Lexicor continues to balance the shields to the arc facing the enemy craft

”I estimate a 47% chance the hull integrity will be breached after 1-2 more hits like that last one.“

computers : 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30

balance existing shields to 20/20/20/40% with largest to foe arc

"Alright you sunsovab~!$~, time for me to get nast-ay." Amariel grumbles and rumbles as he tries to line up his shot!

Forward Arc, Computers bonus: 1d20 + 8 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 8 + 2 = 19
Dmg: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 3, 6) = 13

Mich encourages their comrades to shoot at the enemy ship.

Aim the eyes, aim for the eyes!

Diplomacy (Encourage) DC15: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (16) + 9 + (2) = 27 +2 bonus during the gunnery phase

Shields rotated, Mich gives the encouragement to end this. Amariel scores a solid hit on the forward arc!

Flames are spurting from all parts of the hull. It looks like the ship may be close to incapacitation.

ENGINEERING PHASE:
►Open Crew Actions: Erratic Maneuvering, Feign Disaster, Prioritize Calculation, Range Finding, Ready Weapons System
►Captain (Mich): Demand, Encourage, Taunt
Chief Mate (Name): Maintenance Panel Access
Engineer (Name): Divert, Hold It Together, Patch
Magic Officer (Name): Eldritch Shot, Scrying

HELM PHASE (Initiative):

Magic Officer (Name): Precognition
Enemy Initiative: Piloting: 1d20 + 12 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 12 + 3 = 30
►Pilot (RodKin): Initiative If you lose this roll, immediately move to the HELM PHASE

********************************************
PEGASUS STATUS:
SHIP:
Hull Points: 60/65
Systems Status: Normal
SHIELDS:
Forward: 8
Port: 13
Starboard: 13
Aft: 10

STARSHIP COMBAT GM TRACKER
Tier 4 Pegasus
Tactical Map
Bonus Resolve: 0
Critical Damage Table
Options Adjusted for level: Yes

Initiative Piloting with +1 from the ship: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 14 + 1 = 22

I guess I would rather have had that roll for your initiative rather than one of your attacks.

Still trying to make it touch on them.

Piloting check to evade, with the ship bonus to piloting, DC 16: 1d20 + 14 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 14 + 1 = 31

That would have won initiative, but such is life. At least we maintain +2 AC/TL from the evade.

Still trying to make it hard for them. Taking them out would be great.

Both ships start flying with chaotic movements, making it harder for the other to connect.

Enemy Gunnery: 1d20 + 9 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 9 + 3 = 27 Unfortunately, the other arc has a nuclear missile launcher too.... DMG pending: 5d8 ⇒ (2, 8, 3, 3, 8) = 24

HELM PHASE:
Captain (Mich): Available
Chief Mate (Name): Hard Turn, Manual Realignment
Pilot (RodKin): Audacious Gambit, Full Power, Fly, Maneuver, Stunt
►Science Officer (Lexicor): Balance, Scan, Target System

GUNNERY PHASE:
►Captain (Mich): Available
►Gunner 1 (Amariel): Fire At Will, Shoot, Broadside

********************************************
PEGASUS STATUS:
SHIP:
Hull Points: 60/65
Systems Status: Normal
SHIELDS:
Forward: 8
Port: 13
Starboard: 13
Aft: 10

STARSHIP COMBAT GM TRACKER
Tier 4 Pegasus
Tactical Map
Bonus Resolve: 0
Critical Damage Table
Options Adjusted for level: Yes

Another Nuke? Great. I hope the Laser Net works again.

Mich continues to encourage the gunner to stop the missile and shoots down the enemy ship.

Go for the eyes!

Diplomacy (encourage) DC15: 1d20 + 9 + 1d6 ⇒ (13) + 9 + (1) = 23

"Alright, enemy spaceship, you don't like me, I forget why I don't like you, but time to end this."

Laser Web: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (8) + 8 = 16

Then he sets his eyes on the prize.

Main Turret, encourage, computer: 1d20 + 8 + 2 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 8 + 2 + 2 = 20
Damage: 3d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 2) = 10

After Amerial's exultant cheer, the comms light up, "We surrender! We surrender!"

Brigadier Tassada Kor is overjoyed at the news of the smugglers’ defeat. “Good work!” she applauds you. “We shall crush the insurrectionists beneath our durasteel boots yet. You’ve done the Veskarium proud!”

Later that day, you vessel receives its clearance papers. In addition, Tassada includes tickets to see SkitScratch Dreams, a skittermander jazz band, at a local cantina. The music is, sadly, awful; after the concert, Tassada remarks, “You know, Starfinders, those little creatures have six hands each—you would think that they could find the right notes sometimes.”

Well done! We've got one more stop to go. I'm away for the next day and a half, but will post when able. Rest up!

”Excellent. Success was never in doubt. Fortunately it was our success and not theirs.“

"Yeaah, you know, you gotta pay attention to the notes they don't play, yeah, great." Amariel slurs and stumbles.

Mich stays silent when Tassada criticized the band. The music was wonderful in their hears.

The band was great in my opinion. says Mich grumpily.

Music appreciation is highly subjective. What sounds beautiful to some can sound off to others. Rodkin contributes.

It's not long before you get your next set of orders

It's not long before you're in the Cultural Alliance’s archaeology storage warehouse....

In a room crammed with towering shelves full of artifacts, a pahtra hunches over a workbench dusting fragments of pottery. She straightens and brushes away the fine layer of dust that accumulated on her black fur. “Welcome to Voyedris,” she says. “Frankly, I wasn’t expecting such a promising-looking bunch. Starfinders, are you? I am Reha Nacar, an advisor with the Voyedris Cultural Alliance. Looking at you now, I predict that you might just get out of the valley alive.” Her tone is reserved, and she chooses her words carefully.

“My job here is simple. I repair, catalog, and store cultural artifacts. It’s the retrieving part I don’t handle. Usually, the military assists us with patrols to aid in retrieval and keeping off-world looters at bay. But a patrol sent to recover the latest batch of artifacts went missing recently, and a replacement won’t arrive any time soon. That’s where you come in.”

“I need you to retrieve two artifacts from a ruin once called the Azure Sanctuary. One is a blue gemstone beetle that rests above the entranceway to the ruins. The other is a polished stone pipe that rests atop an altar honoring a lizard spirit that once protected the Sanctuary."

“Please keep your eyes open for our patrol while searching. You should have already received coordinates to their last known location from Naiaj. Feel free to ask your questions now—communications aren’t reliable in the valley.” Reha crosses her arms and stands waiting.

Lexicor listens to the briefing, pauses for a few calculations then responds:

”The obtaining of these items must involve some calculated risks or we would not be involved. Parameters needed include any final communications from the patrol. Any other third parties interested in these items. And potential hostile forces or environmental conditions which could lower chance of success. Can you provide any of these details?“

Mich listen to Lexicor and agrees with him.

Yes, what can you say about all that?

"We don't expect any 3rd parties, but that doesn't mean it'll be easy. Our ancestors who created the sanctuary deeply respected individuality, just as much as modern pahtra do. As such, the ruin features a puzzle which you can solve in different ways. Trust your own instincts, but think before you act.”

“Many terrors could kill you on Pulonis, but this particular ruin is just north of one of the most dangerous. We call it the Shriek, and you must avoid it at all costs. My worry is that the soldiers may have walked straight into it.”

How can we tell where the ruin we are supposed to investigate ends and "The Shriek" begins? We don't want to walk into it as well.

"It's pretty obvious. When magnetic storms rage on Pulonis, they fling razor-sharp metal, glass, bone, and unexploded munitions from a lost vesk destroyer across the planet’s surface. Two to three times a day now, the Shriek rains death over the valley. Just don't go THERE. Your coordinates are clear. You've got a three hour ride, and then you'll be right there, precise to the meter."

Promising looking? Is she coming on to me? Amariel thinks to himself.

"Hey, if this all works out, you want catch a drink later?"

"Also, like how are we getting out to their coordinates? Hover bike? Tank?"

The pahtra winks, but leaves the ambiguity in place before moving to answer the question about the mission. She walks you over to a 6-wheeled transport. "Let's go. Time is wasting!"

The journey itself isn't very exciting, though the views are incredible. On the outskirts of the jungle stands a stone entranceway overgrown with moss. Stone-carved lizards encircle an empty socket in the gray stone. A constant low rumble emits from within, as slowly swinging pillars move over a floor inlaid with sapphire beetles. A pair of muddy boot prints leads into the ruins’ entrance and down the corridor.

There's a lot to take in. Perception and Engineering checks can give more insight...

Lexicor observes the scene along the route.

perception : 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

”Definitely in need of maintenance. None of this would meet safety codes.“

He recalls what he knows of the ruined structure

engineer : 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13

Obviously he is distracted by dripping water on his computer screen.

”It would be much more effective if this was in a lab environment.“

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (7) + 11 = 18
Engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (4) + 11 = 15

Mich looks with awe at the place. So beautiful and interesting!

He'll slip his comm number to the pahtra.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24
Engineering: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23

The Starfinders stay sharp-eyed and put their heads together. The boot prints lead to a pillar that's been detached and is now resting up against a wall. The pillars swing in a predictable but tricky pattern, you could try to dodge them. There's also the plan of pushing them up against the wall when they swing that way and unhooking them.... but Amariel notices that there's enough clearance to crawl under them.

"Hey, you, uh skittermander and ysoki, you can probably just crawl beneath them."

He wants to make sure there's enough clearance before he gets on his belly.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Engineering: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Rodkin would like to specifically look for traps on the pillars, or a way to disarm what is going on.

RodKin confirms all the conclusions above, they can be "disarmed" by means of the party working together to take them off their swings (Engineering), but anyone medium or smaller CAN crawl safely.

Mich activates their amor environmental protections and starts crawling.

"Uuuuh, Lexicor, I think you can fit under there as well,"

Amariel will reluctantly get on his belly and crawl beneath the pillars.

Eventually the party just clenches their jaws and shimmies to the other side. Once through the tunnel leads to a strange place indeed.

This once-pristine valley bears dreadful scars of its turbulent past. Trenches in the soil expose layers of bedrock, revealing preserved bones of giant fauna. Radioactive fluids collect in pools and emit toxic gas that clings to structures like mist. Only the rubble littering the ground hints at the ruins that once stood here. Parked between the massive rib bones of an ancient megalith is an abandoned military vehicle.

There look to be two areas of interest, the vehicles, and the rubbles that show signs of dead vesk in them.

Lexicor crawls with much distaste and complaining.

”We need not repeat that experience again any time soon. “

He checks the vehicle closest

engineer : 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Unfortunately, I suspect we will have to repeat the experience to leave. Ratrod comments as he moves to make sure the dead Vesk is really dead.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Mich follows Rodkin.

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Whatever happened here, it was awful. The vehicle was clearly designed for combat, but it's been destroyed like a roughly-handled child's toy. There are quite a few vesk bodies, but only two intact enough to bury. One of them, although crushed, has a hard case. It could be what you're here for.

Getting the body (and the case) free is another Engineering check, or an athletics check.

Engineering (+4 with tools): 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28

Mich gets the body free, having a thought about the dead vesk soldier. What happened here?