[Gameday XII] Zero's SFS Intro 1: The First Test (Inactive)

Game Master Super Zero

Physical Science: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

"See those fissures?" he points at them. "They were likely created by several large seismic events, as the planet’s tectonic plates shifted unexpectedly." he shares what he knows about them.

He then motions the others to lead the way. "On your lead."

Once they get inside the structure, he quickly scans the surrounding area.
Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15

Sijasi also looks around for any information to be found.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

Zaradanth takes point as the team heads into the structure. He's not the most observant member of the team, but he has been trained to act as a living shield for his teammates, when necessary. "If there is trouble, stay near me," the dragonkin rumbles to the others.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (15) + 0 = 15

Zaradanth has the Bodyguard feat to protect an adjacent ally (usually his partner Sijasi, by default, unless someone else is clearly in greater danger).

"This planet is a bit too dry for my tastes." Po'ogaan says, shaking some dust off his armor. When the dragonkin mentions potential trouble, the grippli draws his needler pistol.

He then follows the others, scanning the area.
Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

Kalhoun remains at the back of the line and watches his team, allowing the floating mote of electricity circling him to coalesce into glowing stripes on his armor.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Thistlecore draws his pistol and looks around, taking in the environment.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

If Survival is appropriate here, he’ll do that too. I'm thinking in terms of exploring unknown areas, etc.
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

This first room is mostly natural. It's hard to tell exactly what it was supposed to look like, or whether there was originally a door to the structure, because of the collapsed walls. Bits of stone and twisted metal cover everything, but there doesn't seem to be anything of note here.

Following along the wall, the party peeks in to the next room. The cavern has collapsed partially into this wide room, greatly reducing its size. Rotting furniture strewn about looks like it might have once been comfortable. A slightly glowing technological cylinder stands in the center of the chamber, clearly once the room’s focal point. Doorways lead south and northeast, though the latter is partially blocked by stone.

Sijasi finds something under a... chair? It's a piece of furniture so badly damaged it's difficult to ascertain what it's original shape was supposed to be. But regardless, underneath it is a small plastic cube.

"Oooh, I wonder what this does?" Sijasi picks up the cube, rotating it and pushing the sides to see what might happen.

Nothing bad could come of this. Nope, nope, nope.

The cube unfolds into a flat piece of technology with a flat screen.

DC 14 Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Xeno takes a look and recognizes the item. "It's a variant on a datapad, though not a model any of the Starfinders have seen before. This is evidence that whoever built the complex had Pact Worlds-level technology!." he shares them excitedly. He then pokes around to see if he can make it work. "Looks like the battery is long dead, of course, but it could be charged. Or perhaps connected to our comm units to see if we can identify and extract any intact files." he then volunteers to connect the high-tech datapad to his comm unit.

Computers: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

The datapad is old, corroded, and physically broken, which has damaged its files. Xeno finds one useable file that he can download--a 3D rendered map of the cave system below the waystation with several points of interest marked with flashing symbols. The Starfinders can see an image of the circular waystation they are currently exploring at the top of the map.

DC 15 Culture: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25

"There you go." he says satisfactorily after working on the datapad. He then renders the 3D map he finds.

"See those flashing symbols? Not a sort of warning but something informational. It looks like a kind of map for tourists. Neat!" he shares to them what he knows.

"Then I believe it is time to go on tour." Kalhoun looks at the map for any obvious points of interest.

As Zaradanth listens to the others talk, he moves carefully about the room to check the exits. "That sounds useful," he says in response to Xeno's conclusions, then he emits a low, rumbling chuckle at Kalhoun's comment. "Sounds more fun than a tour of duty," the soldier declares.

Sijasi laughs. "Let's get moving!"

It's a map of a cavern complex underneath the station, the building is just one point of interest on it.

When Zaradanth checks the room to the north, he sees a patch of pale mushrooms grows in the corner of a small alcove.
As he passes by the device in the center of the room, he realizes that it's warm.
Through the door to the south, he sees a massive amount of rubble spilled into this chamber through the northeast wall and ceiling, in the process knocking aside several moldering computer desks and piles of broken electronic equipment. Doorways lead north, west, and southeast.

Thistlecore chuckles at the pile of debris. Looks like the cave didn’t like the computers very much.

In the next room, Thistlecore heads toward the opening in the back of the room, pistol out.

“I’ll check back here and see what I can find.”

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Nothing there but fungus--oh, and a dirty toy figurine made from plastic and cloth stuffed with foamlike material. The toy resembles a four-eyed bat-headed humanoid wearing a rounded helmet with a lamp and a pair of coveralls with alien writing across the front. The figure holds a plastic climbing axe, and it is gripping that tool with long, thin, double-jointed fingers.

There will be an image added shortly.

"Huh. I thought this was an uninhabited planet. It might be now, but there sure was something here once."

Looking at the toy, "Weird looking thing, isn't it. Anyone remember seeing something like this before?"

Xeno tries to recall if he has seen a similar humanoid creature depicted by the toy. Life Science +1 (Reduce the DC to identify a rare creature using Life Science by 5), Culture +5

Thistlecore gently turns the toy over in his hands, showing the group.

“An unusual life form, to be sure. And judging by the lamp on its helmet and the axe it holds, I think it’s supposed to be climbing something. Perhaps it’s an engineer or inspector of some kind? Either way, it’s an odd job to memorialize with a toy.”

The doll might resemble the planet's inhabitants, but it's likely a mascot character so it could just be a cartoon monster that doesn't resemble the people who made it at all. There's really no way to be sure.

It does seem like something sold as a souvenir--perhaps from this very site.

It wasn't "shortly," but I did eventually add the... "image could not be loaded."
Okay, I guess I never added the image. Try now.

"A little warrior or explorer, maybe? And cute, it has little wings-flaps. I like it," Zaradanth comments after briefly glancing at the toy in passing.

"Does anyone know what this does?" he asks, gesturing at the device at the center of the room. During the voyage here, the dragonkin confessed to not being very technically-minded. "It's giving off heat, but I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."

"Did your culture not have toys designed to teach children about common occupations? Perhaps this was meant to encourage young to take up climbing or mining as they matured."

Kalhoun looks at both the toy and the device, unable to learn much about either.

”Did your culture not have toys designed to teach children about common occupations? Perhaps this was meant to encourage young to take up climbing or mining as they matured.”

Thislecore’s facial flora curls into a smile.

“Forgive me, Kalhoun. I often forget how differently time moves between races. Ghorans are never children as you know the word. Our childhood is a refining time, not a developmental one. We all inherit knowledge from our ancestors. How we express that knowledge in our lives is unique to each of us, but it forms a shared foundation.”

His eyes sparkle with an impish glee.

“Our childhood period is also very brief by your standards. For example, I’m only three and a half years old.”

A gift for my fellow Looney Tunes fans… :)

Sijasi takes a closer look at the warm thing that Zaradanth points out.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

Did we look in that back room with the mushrooms yet?

Yup, Thistlecore checked the back room with the mushrooms. That's where the toy came from. We're good there.

Thistlecore joins Sijasi at the warm thing.

GM: Don’t know if you want perception or engineering or something else for that.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9
Engineering: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10

Not that it's going to matter either way with those rolls...

When it rains it pours. I took my laptop to work hoping I'd be able to find a minute to make up for my lack of posting... and left it there. But you're at least two days overdue for a GM post. I'll do it from my phone if I must!

Thistlecore isn't sure what the device did, but Sijasi feels the warmth radiating from the cylindrical device. And she heard the wine and the strain as Thistlecore approaches. Whatever it's trying to do, it's kicking into gear in response to detecting multiple bodies next to it, and the ancient battery which has barely survived a it is is starting to overheat. Sijasi is able to warn him to stay back.

Nobody is quite sure what it's supposed to do, but Sijasi had detected that it is a dangerous hazard that will explode if two or more people are adjacent to it at the same time.
Engineering to figure out what it did or to safely disable it.

Engineering: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

"Let me take a look," Xeno volunteers to tinker with the thing while he motions everyone to step back. "Curiouser and curiouser!"

Thistlecore moves around the device and heads toward the south door to watch for movement while Xeno works.

“Thanks for the warning, Sijasi. That tech isn’t like anything I’ve seen before. I hope Xeno can figure it out.”

Standing near the souther door, pistol out, watching for movement or any activity. He’s not moving through the door yet.

"I don't like healing people *that* much." Sijasi grins at the Ghoran as she slides past her partner to peer into the next area.

Xeno determines that the device venting warm air as it overheats... doesn't have any other function. Which might be what's permitted it to stay operational after being abandoned for so long.

It's a warming station, a space heater. Trying to warm up two people at once was simply too much for it. Or rather, it would have made them very warm, but only very briefly. Because of the fiery explosion.
He's able to disconnect the battery and let it finally power down safely.

Kalhoun watches his team with admiration. "Well done, all. The mission will be a complete success if you keep alert and use your skills like that."

"And she'll lecture me the most if any of us get hurt, because there's more of me to patch up," Zaradanth comments with a toothy smirk at his partner as he joins her and Thistlecore by the south door. He carefully pokes his head through the doorway to take a closer look at the wreckage of smashed electronics beyond.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (13) + 0 = 13

This room looks like it had a row of computer stations lining the walls. The computers, chairs, and tables were thoroughly destroyed by rubble coming down from the broken wall and ceiling. That dust has long been settled.

Not seeing any enemies, Sijasi moves into the room, looking for more things that may have been left behind.

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Xeno follows the vesk and checks to see if he can determine the reason for the collapse.
Perception: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13

Kalhoun helps the search.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Thistlecore carefully pokes through the rubble.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16

There doesn't seem to be anything of interest hidden among the rubble and broken computers.

The collapsed wall to the south leads to an area where the floor has also collapsed, leaving a deep pit. Somewhere in that direction, the Starfinders can hear dripping water.

Zaradanth moves to the opening to the south to keep watch in that direction. "Do we want to go this way, or check out that door first?" he asks, pointing one wingtip at the wall to his right.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (5) + 0 = 5

Sijasi moves past Zaradanth, keeping an eye on the floor in case it decides to collapse as well.

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

Thistlecore moves ahead into the new room, keeping a wary eye on the collapsed area.

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (18) + 7 = 25

This floor of this room has entirely collapsed, leaving only a deep, dark fissure. The crack continues into a larger cavern area to the east. Tiny bits of bone and clumps of fur lie scattered across the ground. A set of natural stairs leads down to the south, where the sounds of dripping water can be heard. The air has a pungent, musty smell.

It's a little hard to tell what this room was supposed to be, since most of its furniture seems to have either fallen into the sinkhole or been crushed by the collapsing wall. Sijasi does find a single black glove made from a leather-like fabric. The fingers of the glove are long and
thin, marking them quite different from human, lashunta, or vesk hands. The stitching is durable and there is a metal ring at the glove’s opening on the wrist side.

As she's finding that, though, something else also quickly becomes obvious: This cavern is the current lair to a mated pair of angry predators. They're tan-colored furry six-legged vaguely feline creature with an elongated torso, nearly 6 feet long. Its triangle-shaped head is smaller than most predators of its size, though its eyes are much larger.
Image added, though these two have six legs and a dorsal ridge along their spine.

Growling menacingly, they spring to attack! But Kalhoun reacts even as they're starting to move.

Kalhoun's turn.

Initiative:
Kalhoun (14/14 SP, 18/18 HP)
Blue Adu
Xeno (10/10 SP, 14/14 HP)
Po'ogaan (6/6 SP, 8/8 HP)
Red Adu
Thistlecore (7/7 SP, 12/12 HP)
Sijasi (5/5 SP, 12/12 HP)
Zaradanth (9/9 SP, 13/13 HP)

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (7) + 10 = 17

When the vesk points out the glove's cushioning, Poo-gaan hops over to have a look.

Life Science: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17

"That feature would be useful for a species whose fingers were able to bend in both directions," he concludes.

Perception: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (12) + 0 = 12

Kalhoun moves to get a better view of them. Electricity begins to arc along his skin as he fires off a shot at the bluish creature.

Static Arc Pistol: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12 vs. EAC
Electricity Damage: 1d6 ⇒ 4

"Two hostiles, due south," he calls out.

Energy attuned 1

The wounded animal writhes angrily, then leaps at Sijasi, snapping its jaws at her. She manages to hold the animal at bay.
Pounch. Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 and Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Xeno and Po'ogaan's turns.

Initiative:
Kalhoun (14/14 SP, 18/18 HP)
Blue Adu (-4)
Xeno (10/10 SP, 14/14 HP)
Po'ogaan (6/6 SP, 8/8 HP)
Red Adu
Thistlecore (7/7 SP, 12/12 HP)
Sijasi (5/5 SP, 12/12 HP)
Zaradanth (9/9 SP, 13/13 HP)

Sijasi ducks as the creatures snap at her face. <Zaradanth! Help!>