Exactly what skill is needed to do this? Is it an Engineering or Computers roll?
Engineering
Divert:
Divert (Engineering Phase) You can divert auxiliary power into one of your starship’s systems, giving it a boost. This requires a successful Engineering check (DC = 10 + 1.5 × your starship’s tier), and the results depend on where you decide to send this extra power.
If you send it to the engines, your starship’s speed increases by 2 this round.
If you send it to the science equipment, all science officers receive a +2 bonus to their crew actions this round.
If you send it to the starship’s weapons, treat each damage die that rolls a 1 this round as having rolled a 2 instead.
If you send it to the shields, restore an amount of Shield Points equal to 5% of the PCU rating of the starship’s power core (see your starship’s ship sheet and page 296 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook), up to the shields’ maximum value. You can distribute the restored Shield Points across the shield's four quadrants as you see fit
---(Round 2)---
Engineering
Helm
Gunnery
---
George
Trober (Pilot)
Xagyg (27 for 32 at closest)
Dr A (12 for 10 at Dyad)
SEC (28 for 39)
Antethriss
---
Defrex - Blue (DESTROYED)
Defrex
Dyad - (FS 10; HP 11; F2G)
---
---(Round 2)---
Init: Beat 23 or move first
---
Male LN Dromada Bureaucrat Precog 5 (PC sheet) | SP 35/35 HP 32/32 | RP 5/7 | EAC 20; KAC 22 |Fort +2; Ref +9; Will +3 | Init: +5 | Perc: +10, SM: +10 | Speed 40 ft. (Land) | Active Conditions: None.
Trober flails wildly at the controls of the Drake, but somehow he maneuvers the starship onto the tail of the Defrex for just a moment long enough to line up all its weapons on it as the small fighter shoots past them at high speed.
"I didn't take the course on air combat in flight school! I took the one on how to fly safely while navigating legal space lanes!!!"
Trober cautiously stunts past the Defrex, and Antethriss gives some encouragement to the professor, but even with it the spathinae swarm remains off-target.
Xagyg blasts the defrex upon flyby, and the single shot is enough to overload the power core, blasting the enemy to bits. With another gun trained on target, Seldszar collapses the aft shield of the Dyad, and sets fire to the engines. Moments later, this ship also blows, and the threat is gone.
With the pirates detroyed, the way to asteroid Y-47 is free. Once the Thunderbolt arrives in its vicinity, a sudden hail explains exactly how welcome the starfinders are:
“Unknown starship, leave if you know what’s good for you. You’re encroaching on Riveter territory. We will shoot you down. I repeat, turn your ship around and get out of here, or we will deploy our full defenses against you
In this part, I need a series of skill checks. For the first check:
- At least one PC must attempt a Bluff check to trick the pirates, or a Diplomacy check to persuade the pirates they’re here to help, or an Intimidation check to frighten the pirates.
- The other PCs must attempt a skill check to aid in this deception, chosen from among the following: Computers to jam the Riveters’ scanners, Engineering to mimic a malfunction, Mysticism to create an illusion to fool the pirates, Physical Science to take advantage of nearby asteroid trajectories, or Piloting to fake a retreat.
agender Spanthinae (Tiny mantis swarm) N Evolutionist 5 | SP35/35 HP 33/33 | RP 7/7 | EAC 20; KAC 20 | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +2 | Init: +5 | Speed 30ft, Fly 20ft | Perception +5 (Darkvision/Vibration Sense 30ft), SM +1
"We have come to help with the River zituazion, but if departure iz what you demand, depart we muzt."
It seems like the Collective had planned to play on the shared problem that had befallen the River of Stars, but opts to play into Trober's deft maneuvering for another possible solution.
Alright, you were leaving. Great, off you go Xagyg creates an illusion while Dr A-Prof stalls for time. Trober starts turning, which helps convince the pirates the group is actually leaving.
If you are actually leaving, that works for me, but it would make for a very short adventure. If not, the following happens:
The quick thinking of the starfinder group allows them to move in the ship before the laser batteries are online. That means a safe experience, or at least until large hatches on the exterior of the asteroid open. Dozens
of mines and chunks of twisted metal are released into the path of the Thunderbolt...
More checks are need:
- At least one PC must attempt a Piloting check to maneuver around the incoming debris and mines.
- The other PCs must attempt either a gunnery check to blast the debris apart and detonate the mines before the ship makes impact with them, a Computers check to scan the minefield and calculate a safer flight path through the area, a Engineering check to divert power to the forward shields to absorb impacts, a Mysticism check to foresee an incoming impact and avoid it, or a Perception check to notice incoming debris that’s slipped past the other PCs.
Xagyg maneuvers around the debris while Trober cries murder and spots every chunk of danger out there. George finds a safe trajectory, and when there is a particularly dangerous mine in view, the professor blasts it with gusto.
The Thunderbolt closes in on the landing bay, and in a last ditch effort to shut out the Starfinder, the bay door begin to close. This is going to be tight!
Checks:
- At least one PC must attempt either a Computers check to remotely hack the hangar doors, or a Mysticism check to telekinetically hold them open.
- The other PCs must attempt a skill check to aid in the final race to the doors, chosen from among the following: Acrobatics or Athletics to manually optimize the engines, Engineering to divert power to the ship’s thrusters, Piloting to fly as efficiently as possible, or the previously noted Computers or Mysticism check
Xagyg uses magical forces to keep the bay open temporarily. George computes a safe flight path in, while the Professor tries to boost the engines with Seldszar - only a little bit of extra speed sputters out, but it is enough. Trober makes sure to evade the bay doors, and slams the brakes - hard - when the opposite wall of the hangar is too close for comfort.
Smoke and a smell of burnt coating rise from the hangar platform, but the landing stuck without any other damage.
Trober cross-checks the doors, and finally allows the group to disembark, and no sooner do the starfinder set foot on the hangar deck as a welcoming party appears, armed with longsword, pistol and grenades.
Please put your token in the dashed box with the Drake in it.
Having six limbs is an advantage: you can just pretend you're firing with the top pair, and when the pirate flinches, shoot him in the gut with the gun that you were holding in the second pair - exactly how Xagyg douses the pirate in radiation, while George moves invisibly.
One of the pirates tosses a grenade, while two more try to suppress the advance of Xagyg as the last one moves up.
Frag grenade:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 10 = 211d6 ⇒ 6Vs Trober, Ante, Prof, DC 11 for half
m N drow Operative 4 [Athlete] | sp 34/34 | hp 34/34 | rp 6/6 | EAC 19 KAC 19 | F+1 R+8 W+4 [+2 vs enchantment] | Evasion | Perc +11 | DV60' |
Ref:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28evasion
The athletic drow easily and gracefully jumps away from the grenade explosion, completely avoiding damage. Newbies. He grunts and rushes in melee battle.
Stunt and Strike (Athletics):1d20 + 12 ⇒ (7) + 12 = 19- vs DC 20 + target’s CR Mae Geri:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (11) + 8 = 191d4 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 = 10- Bludgeoning vs KAC; target could be FF (see check above)
Antethriss kicks the blue pirate painfully in the knee.
Xagyg's radioactive shot strips the skin off the pirate, who collapses into a heap of goo. Trober enshroud himself in reflective armor, while the drow brothers go on the offensive.
I suppose Ante can reach red, so retargeting there
Antethriss display a well-balanced kick move, backed by a spray of fireworks from Seldszar that light up the hangar, and a well-aimed shot from Arachne that burns the pirate's shoulder.
George remains invisible while the shadows of creatures summoned foretell their arrival.
The doctor shock the bruised and burnt pirate, who collapses and starts convulsing on the floor.
From their positions further afield, the remaining two pirates open fire on Antethriss
Seldszar turn another pirate into a burnt pile, when another pirate, a woman clearly commanding respect, arrives on the scene and bellows
“Enough! I don’t know what you think you’re doing here, but we have enough trouble on our plates right now without Starfinders meddling in our affairs. Surely there are other targets more deserving of your attention than a group of pirates keeping to themselves. We have important matters to attend to, so I’d appreciate your expedient departure from my hangar bay.”
Male Ghibrani Operative (Disciple) 6 | 48/48 SP |40/40 HP | 9/9 RP | Init +12 | Perc +17 | SM +16 | EAC 16 | KAC 17 | CMD 25 | Move: 50 ft; Fly 30' (Av) | F +4 | R +11 | W +10 |
Xagyg holds his fire, but keeps his pistol drawn, noting mildly:
"The reason why we are here is precisely because you haven't been keeping to yourselves - you've been kidnapping scientists, and the source of the recent degradation in the River Between has been traced back to your base. We are here to rescue the scientists, and put an end to whatever scheme you are cooking up!"
“Scheme? We’re trying to save the River! We may be pirates, but this is still our home. We’d be making fools of ourselves if we were out to destroy our primary source of water.”
“The containment field is failing. Water is spilling out. You might have seen it happening on your way here—any water that escapes the containment field in the vacuum of space is lost. While it might not be concerning if it was an isolated incident, it’s happening all along the river and causing a decrease in pressure and flow. And it’s not just one-way—where water trickles out, debris is falling in. The water is accumulating one speck of dust at a time across thousands, maybe tens of thousands, of points of failure, and this is soiling the entire supply. If we don’t do something, there’ll be nothing left.
To the professor, she says: “yes, you're right. We needed experts. The scientists didn’t want to come willingly, so the solution was simple. We’re pirates, after all. We may have been a bit rough when we forced their attendance, but we were careful not to hurt anyone. We needed them willing to help. They weren’t happy at first, and some of them put up quite the fight for civilians, but I assure you they’re here now of their own accord. You don’t have to be a genius to know all our homes are at risk if the River Between dries up.”
She then adds, clearly irritated by her lack of progress: “We’ve been trying to fix the arcane engine, but our guests haven’t been able to come up with any solutions.
- Drone| hp 50| EAC 17 KAC 18| fort +1/ref +6/ +1 will| Perc 0
Drow Tech/Sol - sp 32| hp 36| rp 9| EAC 22KAC 24| fort +3/ref +6/ Will+7|init +8| Perc 10 (DV)
Seldszar looks at the pirate with controlled menace
"Look at me, I'm the Captain now"
"We have our weapons, you will not have yours until we leave - we will see the scientists and understand if what you say is true. If it is true then we will bring our skills to bear and work with the scientists on a solution"
m N drow Operative 4 [Athlete] | sp 34/34 | hp 34/34 | rp 6/6 | EAC 19 KAC 19 | F+1 R+8 W+4 [+2 vs enchantment] | Evasion | Perc +11 | DV60' |
He's the captain. And you are obeying now! A rather similar, but more muscular drow nods in the direction of a drow with a mechanical spider. It's unpleasant to let another drow pass in front of you, but the rise of one drow is always the rise of all the drow around in the end. So...
You want to meet the scientists... good. The captain says, dropping her sidearm on the floor, I have no choice but to accept.
The living pirates, who also drops his arms, whispers are they brothers?
Captain Okwana leads the group deep into the asteroid to a weathered series of ritual chambers packed with magical devices, hybrid machinery, and panes of colorful energy that serve as control consoles.
These are the exterior chambers of the arcane engine that connects to the River Between. the captain explains. There are safety barriers and energy shielding to separate the exterior of the arcane engine from its interior.
A glance through a force panel into the interior chambers reveals a vortex of clashing magic, solar energy, and radiation that makes it clear that the safety barriers are the only thing keeping the asteroid and all the people in it alive.
Near this force panel are six civilians engaged in a heated discussion. They wear a mixture of day-to-day clothing and Riveter regalia.
Captain Okwana interrupts Hear hear everybody. points to the group ans says These are Starfinders, some new arrivals to help you. She then points to a rather exhausted looking Sarcesian with a nametag that reads 'Dr. Mirai Vox' You, bring them up to speed on what is going on here
She settles into a nearby chair, kicks her feet up onto a console, and watches the ensuing interactions.
Dr. Mirai meekly greets the group with a bow Greetings, Vox dess... uh... I am Vox
As you see, this asteroid hosts an Arcane engine. It was built by my people in the distant past. This engine powers the cylindrical containment field that allows the River Between to carry water from Nisis across the Diaspora and to flow continuously without losing water to space or risking contamination.
The arcane engine is breaking down, worn out by the test of time. In fact, it is a testament to the powerful magic that powers it that it is still functioning. We have been working round-the-clock observing and studying this engine, but we can only come to one conclusion: the arcane engine is beyond repair and headed towards catastrophic failure. It will explode very soon. Needles to say, if that happens, it will likely destroy the River Between completely.
That leave us with a single option: shutting the arcane engine down before it explodes.
Now, the engine itself has three main components. The exterior chambers, the interior chambers, and the core.
We're currently standing in the exterior, and you can think of this area as the control room for the arcane engine. Beyond these safety barriers and energy shielding is the interior, where deeper maintenance and repairs can be conducted.
It would not be advisable to enter the interior currently. Solar energy and radiation are mixing with arcane energy from the damaged engine, which causes a deadly energy to pulse around the energy. This energy pulses out around the engine and grows worse by the hour.
Finally, there is the core: the arcane engine’s beating heart, where it can be turned off. Here, the overflowing energy is at its strongest.
agender Spanthinae (Tiny mantis swarm) N Evolutionist 5 | SP35/35 HP 33/33 | RP 7/7 | EAC 20; KAC 20 | Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +2 | Init: +5 | Speed 30ft, Fly 20ft | Perception +5 (Darkvision/Vibration Sense 30ft), SM +1
"Zo..." says the Collective.
"Do you believe that turning off the engine will allow it to be repaired & then zafely reztarted? And won't that be difficult with the mazter controlz found inzide the engine'z heart?"
You can roll Computers or Engineering for that questions. Alternatively, you can try Mysticism or Physical Science for the river, or Engineering or Mysticism for further insights on what will happen to the engine
