GM Jhaeman's Starfinder Bounty # 5: "Echoes of Woe" (Inactive)

Game Master Jhaeman

Saja flushes the toilet. Not that that would help with a ventilation vent, but Saja is also no engineer. Maybe we can lure it out. Did anyone see what it was?

Is it clear where the vent leads to?

Oshari tries to get a good look at the creature, but only manages to get a blur as it goes up the vent.

Life Science to identify: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

Some of the Starfinders squeeze into the restroom to try to figure out what just happened.

@Saja: It looks like a ceiling air vent.

"Oh, it was just a squox. Should be harmless enough; it's probably in more danger than it poses, what with all the leftover medical supplies, although it did seem to be a little bit feral."

"...and what was up with its shadow?"

At the mention of the squox, Ariadne's eyes light up, and the nanobot swarm frantically starts to look around for the creature. Upon not finding anything, however, she slumps a bit, making very large sad puppy eyes in disappointment.

"Maybe the squox just got lost." Felix comments. "Let's go and the find the keycard. Maybe if we look around the other areas, we can find it along the way." they suggest.

We are to remove any animal infestation. We might be able to find a broomstick in the janitor's closet. Saja says, his mind also considering the possibility that this hospital may still have some sedatives in stock that could make dealing with a squox easier.

Let's take that next door on the northeast side

Objective tracker:
□ Remove any animals and/or people from site
□ Retrieve objects of value
□ Stop any dangerous and/or unexplained occurrences

Indeed, let's look around the room further. Drow heads for the next door.

Usual Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Antethriss opens the door to a conservatory. Here, ominous, sickly plants grow in the soil.

Well, these don't look too healthy, I suppose someone forgot to take care of them

Would it be medicine to check on them?

@Saja: You can make a Perception check to potentially learn something about the plants.

Oshari looks around, concerned. "A bit of a sorry sight, to be sure. I'd imagine this whole room would need to be sterilized to avoid contamination if this is going to be a laboratory."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15

Felix looks at the sickly plants. "Squox, then sickly plants." they take mental note of what they have found so far.
Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25

Saja has a closer look at the sickly plants What do squox eat anyway?

Oshari, Felicis, and Saja enter the room and carefully examine the plants.

Stay back, these are dangerous Saja warns.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

As Saja warns about the plants, he tries to sever whatever magic is infusing them. But the connection is too strong! Suddenly, the sickly looking plants become fully animated, their sharp and serrated edges lashing through the air at him! The tendrils wrap around the human and start to squeeze tightly!

Saja, the disable attempt fails. You get hit and take 3 S. In addition, you have the entangled condition and will take constriction damage at the end of every round you remain entangled.

Everyone, we'll now move to Initiative.

Initiative (Round 1)

Felicis
Antethriss
Oshari
Altoid Ant
Saja (entangled*)
Constrict!

Bold should go!

@Everyone: We'll say the circular planter in the center of the room is where the tendril is emanating from that has entangled Saja. Attacking the vines won't have any effect, but an Engineering or a Mysticism check (each taking a full action) while adjacent to it could free him.

"Oh no." Felix quickly helps Saja and acts against the tendrils that are now trying to ensnare them.
Engineering: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
Paradox! Engineering: 14 + 4 = 18

Paradox left: 8, 14, 15

Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

Unhand me, plants, don't you know who you're dealing with? Saja says, looking unamused.

SP 3/6

I'm an athlete, not a trap specialist. Figure it out for yourself... Drow nervously twists the knives in his hands. Alas, he doesn't have the right skills.

Felicis works quickly and realises the plants are infused with strange extraplanar energy and nanites! Fortunately, a short-range dampening field deactivates the nanites, and the plant tendrils that threatened to squeeze Saja to death suddenly go limp!

We can go off Initiative (good use of your Paradox, Felicis)

Moves towards the center of the plants.

"Such a strange plant." Felix comments after they get Saja free from the plant's grasp. "That should keep the nanites in that plant deactivated, lest it strangles anyone to death by surprise again."

The nerve Saja complains about the plants as he straightens out his clothing, this could have been most dangerous.

Is this sufficient to 'stop' the dangerous occurence of the plants?

Saja searches the room for anything that may indicate the plant's behaviour. If there is nothing left to see, he suggests moving to the next room (to the south)

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27

"Well, I guess not all nanites are polite." Oshari says, as he sees Saja's minor wounds.

Ariadne beams.

"I'm assuming you're not too badly injured, but let me know, Ariadne'll be able to patch you up."

He then turns his attention to the rest of the room.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

A thorough search of the garden turns up nothing more of value, but there's no further sign of danger from the plants.

Saja opens a nearby door to reveal a long hallway. On either side are long-abandoned patient rooms.

For everyone, please don't forget to update your tagline to reflect if you've taken damage, used a limited resource like RP or per day class abilities, etc. Thanks!

I doubt we'll find that keycard in any patient rooms, but we should still check for hazards. If there is any office around here, perhaps we should look there first?

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24 I'll just be here spamming perception, thank you very much

Saja makes a quick sweep of the patient rooms.

Saja moves around the rooms collecting the medical equipment Basic healing supplies. No sedatives, I'm afraid, and no sign of access cards.

When the shifting shadows make their appearance, he doesn't seem intimidated. In fact, he seems rather annoyed, and starts chastising any perceived shadow as if he's having a go at a coworker Look, if you're going to go around like this, I should warn you who you are dealing with. The Office doesn't have a lot of tolerance for this behaviour, so you can cease now, or we can do this the hard way. The hard way involves a lot of paperwork, and paperwork makes me cranky. And you don't want me cranky, got it?

Mysticism to determine what is going on: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18

"Well, I like paperwork..."

Ariadne raises an eyebrow.

"What? I like going through the mazes of regulations."

Ariadne mock-sighs, and jerks a head towards Saja.

"Hm? Oh, right. Um... who, exactly, are you talking to?"

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (13) + 6 = 19

As Saja reports what he's found and Oshari queries why the man seems to be talking to shadows, Altoid Ant's comlink suddenly switches onto loudspeaker mode! Harsh static fills the air at a deafening volume, but a faint undercurrent of voices can be heard within the white noise! The bizarre incident stops almost as soon as it started.

"That... could just be a glitch. Maybe it picked up other transmissions." he says, obviously trying to rationalize the event to himself.

"What? I like going through the mazes of regulations."

To each his own Saja responds, with that mindset you'd get along well with the Lady on the Top Floor He mentions the woman with a certain disaffection.

"Hm? Oh, right. Um... who, exactly, are you talking to?"

The undeparted Saja says, I've visited hospitals enough to know that not every patients is willing their fate. It is a harsh thing to realize it is time to pass on to the Other World. Saja says grimly, Living souls have a tendency to plead for their life for as long they can. Sometimes a bit too long.

Could be another squox, though.

Looks like two more areas on this side. Shall we try the south one first?

You want me to lead the way? I can yes south one first.

I've seen this on Apostae. Places where small demons are messing up, for which an inattentive mystic did not notice and they broke free... I think there's something similar here. Drow turns the knives thoughtfully in his hands. Yes, Ant, lead on.

Altoid Ant opens the door to what looks like a research lab. The abnormally-cold room has messy counters holding scattered research equipment, a vat of a strange, shifting black substance, and a computer.

You want me to lead the way? I can yes south one first.

Much appreciated Saja responds to Altoid, there is more going on than meets the eye, so we have to play to our strengths here.

I've seen this on Apostae. Places where small demons are messing up, for which an inattentive mystic did not notice and they broke free... I think there's something similar here. Drow turns the knives thoughtfully in his hands. Yes, Ant, lead on.

Outsiders can cause a lot of trouble if not contained in time Saja says, thinking back to the first worlders that caused trouble in his last mission, I might have heard rumors about that Apostae incident, I believe we sent a team there to do the cleanup. The houses are very loyal customers.

Saja has no skills with anything electronic, and instead focus on the vat, Clumps animating plants, shadow in the corridor, and now this dark substance. Was someone playing arcane experiments here?

He checks if there are any research notes, and otherwise inspects the vat.

Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

As Saja moves to inspect the vat, the undulating black substance inside suddenly breaks free and launches towards him!

We'll now move to Initiative. The black substance is the swirl just to the left of Saja's token.

@Saja: There aren't any hardcopy research notes in the lab.

Initiative (Round 1)

Felicis
Antethris
Saja
Oshari
Substance
Altoid Ant

Bold should go!

"When was the last time you get injured..." Felix manifests injury if their target's past Injury Echo (DC 13 Will save or take 1d6 ⇒ 2 bludgeoning damage). "Not sure if that would work." as they draw their azimuth laser pistol. "Is this what you saw?"

A tiny bit of the shadow-stuff dissolves into smoke!

The substance failed the Will save vs Felix's attack. (Felix, I really enjoy your character's dialogue--really fun for a precog!

Antethriss, Saja, and Oshari are up.

I hope it's not a shadow demon, Antethriss says softly and rushes into battle. Stabbing and kicking! But is it possible to cut or trip such... substance?

Stunt and Strike (Athletics): 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15 - vs DC 20 + target’s CR
Survival Knife: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 131d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 - Piercing vs KAC; target could be FF (see check above)
If Stunt and Strike and attack roll both succeed, target should roll a DC 13 Reflex check or be knocked prone

Saja carefully steps back to create some distance between himself and whatever that black thing is.

What would I need to identify? I've already rolled mysticism above

Most upleasant he remarks, and decides it should not be.

Oshari, having been slightly distracted looking around the previous room for more mundane safety hazards, jolts upright upon hearing the commotion in the next room and runs in. Barely processing what the thing was, he swings Ariadne at it.

"...what the hell is this thing?!?"

Flare ax, red star, EAC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18, F&E: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Ariadne puts on a very determined face as Oshari runs and attacks the shadow monster. As he finishes the swing and brings the axe around to a ready position, she sticks her tongue out at the entity.

Antethriss rushes into the room, but the shifting substance avoids his blade! As Saja retreats, Oshari darts in and lands a glancing blow with his flare axe!

Antethriss' attack missed.

Oshari's attack hit for full damage.

@Saja: It would be Mysticism to identify them (DC 15+1.5xCR), but your roll wasn't high enough. It'll be up to you to decide whether you think the creature has a mind or not, so I'll wait for confirmation on your action and resolve it, and then take the creature's turn.

Saja doesn't know, so he chooses no mind

Saja decides to pelt the creature with cosmic energy, appearing in the form of a few bright miniature stars shooting from his hands.

The black substance roils as its struck by Saja's miniature shooting stars, but then it launches itself at Oshari! Fortunately, the nuar is able to easily slap it away!

The attack against Oshari misses with a nat 1.

Initiative (Round 1)

Felicis
Antethris
Saja
Oshari
Substance
Altoid Ant

Bold should go!