GameDay XII: DM S's "Battle for the Bulwark" [5-6] (Inactive)

Game Master Chris Marsh

Charva keeps the Mystical device out and starts to check for Extraplanar Disruption

Mysticism: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

Mysticism: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

Eselar prayed to Iomedae to strengthen the apparatus.

Survival 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29

Beady goes low tech and starts piling up rocks around the bottom to enclose it

"It's counter intuitive to a lot of people but you have to put the big rocks on top, not on the bottom. A piled rock structure falls down from the top. The rocks on top only have their own gravity to hold them in place, everything underneath it has the whole wall in place. The little rocks aren't going to break are you? No you're not..."

The idea of a temporary shelter to the dragon is apparently a lair that will be around for a hundred years or so...

Finishing in the nick of time, the party gets everything ready for the impending storm. Now it's just a matter of getting back to the ship!

It should be relatively easy to pilot the off-road vehicle back to the shuttle. (only one PC can attempt this check each round). You can aid with Computers, Perception, or a Survival check to help the driver plot a safe course to the landing site.

Beady flips open an old wayfinder. The needle spins around and around, then he moves it away from his stomach.

survival assist: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

The dragon munches on a few spare bolts from the erector set and wheees at the bounces. Since he's going to have to close the window for the storm, he instead curls up as much as he can in the trunk and sticks his head up to the back seat. "hey what did they preload into the Stereo? "

"This is just like off-roading on Pulonis! Should be easy enough to recognize the landmarks we saw on the way in, right?"

Perception: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (19) + 15 = 34

Buckle up kids keep all arms andegs inside Ms Bumpy and leTS Haul tushy Peet shouts as he prepares to floor it

Perception (aid): 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (10) + 14 = 24

On your Left!

Perception Assist: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26

"I've got my eye out for angry beasts, floor it!"

The party gives the pilot all they can! But I can't resolve until someone makes a Piloting check.

Pete's our pilot i think he forgot to roll. Or was waiting for assists. he has a +16 if you want me to bot?

Since he posted, I don't mind a bot for the dice.

Was just waiting for all the aids to roll

Piloting: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (3) + 16 = 19

"bUuuUmppYY. Play aA BEat aND TimE IIT to The BOUnces. AnD reCORD for LAter. This FeEELs LIke DROw MEtal..." his horns hit the ceiling and the car is dangerously close to getting a second sun roof.

Without a sweat, Peet and the team get back, the mission a resounding success!

...But you're not out of trouble yet. The dust storm soon engulfs the shuttle. To pilot the shuttle back to the fleet, you must fly through the turbulent atmosphere without crashing...

At least one PC must succeed at an Piloting check to fly the shuttle through the dust storm. Others can aid with Acrobatics, Athletics, Engineering, or a Perception check to brace the shuttle and its contents, or Computers, Mysticism, Physical Science, or Piloting check to assist in plotting a course out of the storm.

Well since multiple of us can try piloting this time I'll also give it a shot.

Urtica climbs into the shotgun seat of the buggy and tries to manually plug in the route into the navigation system.

Piloting: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (6) + 12 = 18

Beady helps by being a large papeweight keeping the car from rising up

athletics: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

He chews on an 7 frame piece to make himself a little heavier.

Time to brace the Shuttle and it's Contents!

Perception: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26

"BRACE, BRACE, BRACE"

House GM post

"Starfinders," lxthia announces. "We've located the source of the shroud of darkness. Gather what additional information you can and return to the fleet."

Table GMs, Event 1 is now available.

It wasn't too bad with some good teamwork.

Upon returning to the fleet, Ixthia reports that preliminary data suggests the source of the darkness shroud lies underground. Ixthia further reports that they’ve picked up a garbled distress call on a Starfinder frequency coming from inside Sangoro’s Bulwark, suggesting that some Starfinders survived the initial invasion and perhaps the intervening years!

Ixthia pops on to your personal comms, "Great work! Hey look around.
On the shuttle should be some things to help. Take them. You may need them." The shuttle is equipped with some helpful items, including jump jets, a brown force field, and a mk 2 ring of resistance.

Will start Event 1 later this morning.

You get a free 10 minute rest if needed.

You receive orders to meet with the ship’s demolitionist Betsy Blast within the conference room of one of the Starfinder vessels.

“So, you’ve been assigned to the detonation teams?” asks Betsy as she fiddles with one of the colorful patches on her vest. “You look capable. Excellent! I can keep this quick."

“We’ve determined that the shroud protecting Sangoro’s Bulwark is being produced by a series of hybrid generators. The invaders placed the generators in caverns, deep underground, in a perimeter around the Bulwark. The network contains built-in redundancies. If we hope to bring down that shroud, we’ve got to take down multiple generators in close succession."

"Starfinder teams are being deployed to tunnels around the crater in advance of a coordinated assault. Each team is being issued explosives and the coordinates to a generator."

“Four charges are needed to bring down a generator and all four charges must be detonated simultaneously. The combined shockwave is needed to overcome the generator’s defensive shielding.”

Betsy picks up a device off the table and adds it to a satchel containing three others. She then hands over the satchel along with a datapad. “Here’s a set of four charges. If you’ve had some demolitions training, the process should be relatively quick."

“If not, it may take more time to set a charge, but I’ve modified the charges so that even a squox could set one. Just set the charge, initiate the detonator, get clear, sit back, and enjoy the fireworks like a fire beetle celebrating New Spark!”

“The invaders behind the shroud likely know we’re coming, so expect resistance of some kind. Be careful.”

She gives you the satchel of explosive charges. The datapad contains coordinates and a map showing the chamber containing the hybrid generator and the nearby usable tunnels. It also contains a schematic of the generator and instructions on how and where to set the explosives. "Now, synchronize your comms for the coordinated attack. A shuttle will deliver you to the surface where you can safely enter the cave system."

You have 10 minutes to prepare before the coordinated assault begins. Make to make any desired preparations with this timeline in mind. Additionally, you should decide who carries each of the four charges and the one remote detonator. When you are ready, place your pog in the red rectangle.

Peet can go ahead and carry two of the charges and still be able to fight.

Peets mouth may be covered but his eyes are like a kid on christmas. He grabs a pair of the charges and and wraps a black headwrap around his dome Oh HELL YEAH! We got this stuff. This is why you get into this business. Were gonna turn that generator into a crater!

"Give me two. I don't HAVE to walk on all fours its just nicer. Also I've used these before to keep my lair safe. Who wants to make it go BOOM? You probably don't want me but dialing the detonator. Those buttons are TINY "

Beady will cast extra sense on himself and gain Blindsense (sound) for 5 hours. His earsails get a little bigger and start flitting around more actively.

Ilove the stickers on Betty's armor. Happy cheery DEATH AND DESTRUCTION

"I can make whoever has the charges faster, briefly. So perhaps I'm better off doing that for whoever else wants to rush it."

My boosters last 5 rounds and can add a +10 enhancement bonus to speed so that might be more helpful, honestly.

"I can make whoever has the charges faster, briefly. So perhaps I'm better off doing that for whoever else wants to rush it."

My boosters last 5 rounds and can add a +10 enhancement bonus to speed so that might be more helpful, honestly.

"I usually run up and something starts chewing on me, then I bite it back. So speed hel...wait. Where does that needle go?"

"In my experience anyone who asks that question doesn't really want to know the answer. I assure you, it's completely painless, that's all you need to know."

Eselar prays to Iomedae and says. You can give me the detonator or some of the charge. I'm rather quick even if heavy armor. But I'm not good at engineering so...

"In my experience anyone who asks that question doesn't really want to know the answer. I assure you, it's completely painless, that's all you need to know."

"Three hundredish years and any doctors that say that are lying..." the dragon gulps and puts his wings over his face and shuts his eyes and holds onto his tail tightly "Make it quick..."

"The Biohacker's class skills are Bluff (Cha)", besides "it won't hurt a bit" is there ANY explanation for that being a class skill?!?!?

Hopes of an easy victory melt away. A sinister, heart-pounding vibration fills the air as a shadowy beam passes through the stone ceiling and settles on the rocky cave floor. Additionally a lean, stooped bat-like humanoid with four narrow eyes steps out. It's armed with some kind of ranged instrument, but it's hard to make out at this distance.

Round 1:
Beady (SP 61/61): Go
Eselar (SP 39/39): Go
Urtica (SP 40/40): Go
Charva (SP 42/42): Go
Hostiles (Life Science to ID): TBD
Peet (SP 50/50): TBD

TACTICAL MAP
Location: Caverns outside of the Bulwark
GM’s Tracker
Party Conditions: Inspiring Boost: -
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Normal
Lighting: Dim
Battlefield terrain: Normal

Life science 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29

Unless that tells me something like these guys are always evil space drow (sorry charva!) Beady's going to RUN right towards...next to this guy.

"We should probably ask him what's going on. He might be some kind of literal vampire bat and the darkness is going to open his family up to the sun or something. Or I wouldn't have put it past Sangoro to try buying this place with some beads.

Not entirely used to being on two legs, beady slams on the breaks digging his claws into the rock and skidding to a stop and cranes his neck to look over the new guy

Hey you.. speak human? RARRRR dragon? Grumrbrlgravle terran? Uhm. Squeeker squeek squeek ysoki? " he is a bat after all...

"If he shoots me once Don't mind, Lots of people have that reaction!" beady is always cranky when heavily armed intruders come rushing into HIS lair

Eselar moves a quickly as he could to catch up with Beady

Double move

Urtica looks over at Peet and casually stabs him with a needle from the syringe stick strapped onto the end of his gun.

"Good luck with those charges!"

I use one biohack to grant Peet a +10 enhancement bonus to his speed for 6 rounds.

Then he rushes down towards the scene, himself.

And since I am too far away to use my custom microlab I will try to make a regular Life Science roll to identify the bat creature

Life Science: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (11) + 15 = 26

Charva has no clue what this is, where she comes from everything is just some type of Panda, so this is definitely a Panda with Wings -stares at Beady-

Charva moves 30ft, and then will cast Hold Person.

DC19 Will Save if you are a Humanoid Creature
Spell is: Enchantment (compulsion, mind-affecting) and lasts 6 rounds

Youch, watch it with those jabs Peet complains

Beady immediately recognizes a grioth when he sees one. These unfathomably cruel creatures take delight in inflicting pain and sowing terror. Ask me any 3 questions. He then takes off, quickly closing all the distance to the generator.

Elesar isn't far behind, though not quit as fast.

Urtica also moves quickly, knowing a fair bit about grioths as well. Also 3 questions, which is weird. But meh, it's pedantic to make you list your questions before the other posts... The biohacker jabs Peet with a little something.

Charva moves in, but tries to stop the grioth in its tracks: Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (20) + 10 = 30, but fails to get a hold of the enemy.

Wioth the Starfinders closing quickly, the guard stands its ground and sink its teeth into Beady

Bite: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23 for DMG: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3 and injecting venom into Beady's veins! FORT

Round 1:
Beady (SP 58/61): Move [b]FORT
Eselar (SP 39/39): Move
Urtica (SP 40/40): Boost
Charva (SP 42/42): Spell
Grioth: ATK
Peet (SP 50/50): Go

TACTICAL MAP
Location: Caverns outside of the Bulwark
GM’s Tracker
Party Conditions: Inspiring Boost: -
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Normal
Lighting: Dim
Battlefield terrain: Normal

fort save: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Beady is lightly armored and about as hard to hit as the broad side of a barn, but it is adamantine broad side of a barn...(The armor grants DR2) So he takes 1 point of damage. He's also sporting an electrostatic field so...

"Ow.. hey stop that. Thats gonna hurt you more than it hurts me...." electrostatic bzzzt: 1d6 ⇒ 6 points of damage.

If we're doing the three questions thing

Resistances
Senses
Hey whats this venom do?

Having been biten, Beady decides to bite back

Beady CHOMPS twice
Bite 1 hits KAC 1d20 + 11 - 4 ⇒ (8) + 11 - 4 = 15
Damage 1d6 + 15 ⇒ (3) + 15 = 18 Piercing

Bite 2 hits KAC 1d20 + 11 - 4 ⇒ (17) + 11 - 4 = 24
Damage 1d6 + 15 ⇒ (1) + 15 = 16 Piercing

"I don't wana be speciest but these guys are usually NOT nice. They're like how the drow show up in old golarion holovids. I'm gonna " CHOMP. CHOMP He tries to talk with a mouth full of bat "trwo two knowk hiwm ouwt bwt I'm not losing any sleep if I don't."

Beady gives more than he gets. Unfortunately, he gets some...

You know that cold is useless and these things come with extremely keen blindsight. The venom... Grioth saliva is laced with psychotropic toxins that overload a victim’s neurological pathways, causing intense, rapid‑fire hallucinations, confusion, and violent seizures.

I'll hold Beady's results until after Peet goes.

Round 1:
Beady (SP 59/61): Move [b]FORT
Eselar (SP 39/39): Move
Urtica (SP 40/40): Boost
Charva (SP 42/42): Spell
Grioth: ATK
Peet (SP 50/50): Go

TACTICAL MAP
Location: Caverns outside of the Bulwark
GM’s Tracker
Party Conditions: Inspiring Boost: -
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Normal
Lighting: Dim
Battlefield terrain: Normal

Due to Backlash, the Grioth takes 6 Non-Lethal Damage (if not already taken)

Also, not to be that guy, but does Beady take HP damage due to Poison?

You're not That Guy. It's appreciated. But the poison doesn't seem to come with damage.

Peet runs full speed.

Peet dashes forward as quickly as possible. The grioth, reeling also from the mystical backlash of Charva's failed spell isn't ready for Beady's assault. It manages to avoid the first, hit, but the second lands and clearly wounds the creature. I mistyped the damage it caused. It's d4+10, not 2. I've corrected, just be aware!

Sadly, things get worse. The strange beams cuts a swath across the field of battle, and when it stops a new creature emerges. It's some kind of... psychic projection? Hard to tell. Mysticism to ID. Either way it looks like an armed grioth. It wastes no time, closing with Charva and attacking with a tactical meteor glaive:

ATK: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (13) + 14 = 27 for DMG: 1d12 + 12 ⇒ (9) + 12 = 21

Round 2:
Projection: Hit
Beady (SP 0/61): Hit
Eselar (SP 39/39): Go
Urtica (SP 40/40): Go
Charva (SP 21/42): Go
Grioth: TBD
Peet (SP 50/50): TBD

TACTICAL MAP
Location: Caverns outside of the Bulwark
GM’s Tracker
Party Conditions: Inspiring Boost: -
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Normal
Lighting: Dim
Battlefield terrain: Normal

"Does everyone see that? These are not the happy fun mushrooms!.. They don't mind cold. See if they hate fire? Oh wait I'm a dragon I should really check that...casters don't get bit! Wow that venom is making that one look WEIRD...but only that one. Why aren't YOU all cool and glowy?"

Good luck figuring out how much of that is the venom and how much is just... Beady.

Pharasma's throne! What is that thing?!"

Urtica pulls up his scanners on his visor display to learn the strange psychic creature's secret.

Move action to take 20 on an ID on the psychic projection . If it is a living creature I'm using Life Science if nonliving, Physical Science. Both are at total of 35

He then just fires a needle directly at it, to test the waters further.
Advanced Needler Rifle vs projection's KAC: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21
Piercing, Magical: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7

Also questions about the grioth:
Does it have any weaknesses?
What kinds of special abilities does it have?
What's their worst save?

Eselar moves back and strikes the new creature.

May Iomedae judge your soul!

Sintered Longsword (Divine Blessing): 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
Damages, S: 2d8 + 15 ⇒ (3, 6) + 15 = 24

"Ahhhh, what on earth!" Charva shouts, as she gets clubbed by this...thing...

As a Reaction, spend 1RP to Backlash
Make a Will Save DC19 or take 6 damage (and I reduce 6) "Mind-Affecting Pain Effect"

Mysticism to Identify
Mysticism: 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (14) + 16 = 30

Projection Questions:
Elemental Resistances?
DR?
Does it have a special "thing" it does?

Meanwhile, Charva will take a guarded step back, and cast Mind Thrust II on it.

Mind Thrust II Damage: 4d10 ⇒ (8, 6, 3, 9) = 26
DC19 for Half. "Divination (Mind-Affecting)"

House GM post

"The darkness is lifting!" lxthia exclaims. "The generators are nearly destroyed!"

Table GMs, this is your 1 day (5-minute) warning.

Pre posting my bot to speed things - Peets just moving and planting a charge

Leaving for work now. I started to get the post ready, will have to finish at work in a bit.

Urtica knows what's what on this battlefield:

Grioths are weak against light and sonic energy. They can also Daze opponents at wil and have some limited ability to slightly confuse them too, though only 1/day. They also have an ability where that release a large nova of damaging psychic energy. He also knows that the psychic projections have all the same traits, they're just technically constructed instead of living. Urtica then discovers that the needler works just fine.

Eselar's blade misses by a hand.

Meanwhile Charva's magic Will: 1d20 ⇒ 3continues to pay off, protecting her from the enemy Charva confirms the answers above. Will 2: 1d20 ⇒ 20 Unfortunately her follow up spell doesn't work overly well.

The grioth proper works to take Beady out:
Glaive: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (19) + 14 = 33 for DMG: 1d12 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15

Peet moves in to plant the north charge!

The projection stays focused on Charva:
Glaive: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (17) + 14 = 31 for DMG: 1d12 + 12 ⇒ (12) + 12 = 24

The beam moves, but thankfully that's all it does.

Round 3:
Projection: Hit
Beady (SP 0/61): Go + FORT
Eselar (SP 39/39): Go
Urtica (SP 40/40): Go
Charva (SP 3/42): Go
Grioth: TBD
Peet (SP 50/50): TBD From Round 2: plant charge faster with check

TACTICAL MAP
Location: Caverns outside of the Bulwark
GM’s Tracker
Party Conditions: Inspiring Boost: -
Gravity:Normal
Atmosphere: Normal
Lighting: Dim
Battlefield terrain: Normal