You end up having a journey in the back of an all-terrain-transport. You are also given the following:
Camily provides you with several digital 3D models of similar ruins from the ancient hobgoblin empire, so that you have a better idea of what to
expect below ground—and a better chance of noticing any changes Rasheen might have made. ((The PCs gain a +2 bonus to Perception checks throughout the complex)). Camily also provides you with a set of estex suit III armor for the journey.
Tioran sends you declassified records of pre-Gap hobgoblin technology and robotics. ((This will provide a bonus in a later encounter)) Tioran also provides you with the materials to fabricate a mk 2 dermal plating augmentation.
Vekkhad also provides you with a mk 1 null-space chamber.
After only an hour of driving, your transportation reaches the ruins.
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
Culture:1d20 + 3 ⇒ (13) + 3 = 16 (-5 to DC to recall information about entertainment combat, fighting styles, and gladiatorial traditions, though I doubt any of that will help here.)
This raises the possibility that the ruins below may be either a tomb or the site of some important battle whose history was lost to the Gap, since it does not appear in any known records (including local infosphere data).
The surface site of these ruins consist of the crumbled remains of two sets of concentric walls built with dark basalt. Embedded in the ground between these walls sit tablet-sized stones with barely visible inscriptions. At the center stands what was once a meeting hall or assembly building. Its ceiling has long since caved in; all that remains are the weathered stubs of walls. The floor shows traces of ceramic tile that may once have formed a mosaic.
1. Supercharge a good shooting ally's weapon. 2. Shoot pistols. 3. Appropriate grenade. 4. Melee with survival knife.
// Init +7 Percept +0 SenseMotive +0 dark vision 60' // SP 32/48 HP 32/32 RP 7/7 EAC 22 KAC 23 // F +5 R +5 W +5 // Move 30 BAB 3 Spells: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
Go for that suit, Borq! Do we have stuff we want to stuff into the null space chamber? Is anyone riding the edge on encumbrance?
Lost Ear's last post. He didn't roll well on culture anyway.
Before setting out for the hobgoblin ruins, he takes time to carefully put away his scholar's togs and suits up in just his armor with a cloak draped over it. He checks the rest of his gear.
"Where there's Memorials -- hospitals and cemeteries follow. And more memorials. Maybe a small park, or a park bench. Big question is what's it a memorial to?"
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
I forgot the +2 bonus to Perception we get in the complex thanks to Camily. So Qimok gets a 28!
Even if we have to adjust the armor for Borq, that's only a DC 24 engineering check for level 7 armor. Ears can easily take 10 to do that. Armor also becomes more effective against radiation at 7th level, in case that become relevant.
Qimok is pushing up against his encumbered limit, but a null-space chamber won't help him much, as it's mostly from his arsenal of weapons.
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
Qimok proves to be more alert to danger than to the subtleties of archaeology, and warns his companions of a section of floor that's primed to collapse. "Good thing I found this with my eyes and not my feet, or we might've had to spend the next hour trying to pull this bulky rig out of a hole," he says, slapping the chestplate of his powered armor.
M skittermander sensate operative 7 | SP 24/63 HP 44/44 | RP 9/9 | EAC 26; KAC 26 | Fort +4, Ref +11, Will +9; evasion | Init: +13 | Perc: +20, SM: +19; darkvision (60 ft.), low-light vision | Speed 40 ft | Active conditions: None.
Borq grins at his fellow skittermander. "I'm not sure an hour would do it. Ears, can you take a look at the floor? I'm happy to help, but it's not my strong suit."
Borq auto-aid on Engineering, +2 to Ears. Thank you for the help with the armor!
Once the trap is pointed out to him, Ears gets to work disabling it. Despite concetrating on that job, he maintains a reasonable degree of awareness.
ANyone else taking a stab at the second perception check?
Female Human Dance Machine 5 | SP 22/40 HP 39/39 | RP 5/5 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +5; Ref +4; Will +5 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +5 | Speed 30ft | Active conditions: None. | Starship combat | ♫
Momo best contribution to engineering was catching a stage prop before it could shatter on the ground. She therefore watches if she can help, but tries not to worsen the situation.
Host NG Shirren Healer Mystic 6 EAC 20, KAC 21|SP 34/42 ♥️ 42/42|RP 7/7|Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +9|Init: +2 | Perc: +13| Speed 30 ft |Spells: 1st 4/5, 2nd 4/4| Active conditions: None.
"I studied life sciences to help save lives, using that to help disarm traps was not an option I had thought of in school, but you know what they say another day another option!"
Life Science aid Ears:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
I'm wondering if the null-space chamber is to help us carry the treasure out? If no one wanted it Jek will carry it just to have it as an option for the team.
And whatever was done, that appears to have done the trick.
Now that it's safe, you can descend down the trapdoor.
All surfaces of the underground hall were once paved with ceramic tiles, which in some areas has collapsed, revealing hard-packed dirt. Rubble blocks one end of the hall, and rocky debris covers the floor of the other. This debris thins out further from the collapsed ceiling. Dark red emergency lighting marks a turn at the end of the hall. It's all dim lighting down here.
engineering 25+:
This looks like to be some sort of a defensive outpost
Moving on, you find the remains of an armoury.
Empty weapons racks stand on either side of the heavy blast doors. Opposite the doors appears to have been a test range, with heavy shatterproof transparent material separating it from the rest of the room. No debris or stray items mar the bare floor, and the surface of the shelves and worktables hold nothing but dust. Several of the emergency lights have failed, leaving parts of the armory in near-total darkness, especially in the eastern area.
The lights that are on shed light in a 20-foot radius around them.
Thrym-Who-Speaks-With-Spirits glances around the rooms curiously, looking for traces - spiritual or otherwise - of the facility's previous occupants, barely noticing the darkness.
1. Supercharge a good shooting ally's weapon. 2. Shoot pistols. 3. Appropriate grenade. 4. Melee with survival knife.
// Init +7 Percept +0 SenseMotive +0 dark vision 60' // SP 32/48 HP 32/32 RP 7/7 EAC 22 KAC 23 // F +5 R +5 W +5 // Move 30 BAB 3 Spells: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
Take 10 on the engineering spoiler.
"Nice little bunker they got here. Look at those walls. I bet they could take a 20 kay-ton blast in their day."
From the text I'm having trouble establishing where we and the humanoid figure are. It looks like there's a wall between the long corridor along the south and the main room with the table. Ears has darkvision.
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
Qimok has infrared sensors, giving him 60 ft darkvision (and it's listed in his stat line header here).
I'm finding the map scale a bit hard to work out, because every other line is darker. Does that mean the darker lines are 5 ft apart, or 10 ft apart? I'm guessing 10 ft, based on the size of your 20 ft. radius light circles. But that means that the figure down the hall is Gargantuan (20'x20')? (If you could add some sort of scale on the map, like a box with a caption saying how long each side is, that would be wonderful.)
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
Qimok steps closer to the transparent barrier between his team and the southern passage, and fires his mounted laser cannon through it at the approaching construct.
Laser Weapons:
Laser weapons emit highly focused beams of light that deal fire damage. These beams can pass through glass and other transparent physical barriers, dealing damage to such barriers as they pass through. Barriers of energy or magical force block lasers. Invisible creatures don’t take damage from lasers, as the beams pass through them harmlessly. Fog, smoke, and other clouds provide both cover and concealment from laser attacks. Lasers can penetrate darkness, but they don’t provide any illumination.
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
Oh, and I might as well roll to see just how little Qimok knows about this thing: 1d20 ⇒ 11; add +5 if Engineering, or +1 if Mysticism (+2 if an outsider).
Host NG Shirren Healer Mystic 6 EAC 20, KAC 21|SP 34/42 ♥️ 42/42|RP 7/7|Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +9|Init: +2 | Perc: +13| Speed 30 ft |Spells: 1st 4/5, 2nd 4/4| Active conditions: None.
round 1
Jek cast Acidic Mist at the edge of the party in the direction the golem was coming from trying to protect the party, then moves to try to block it from leaving the mist.
Jek tells the team telepathically "Watch out for the Acidic Mist"
Acidic Mist damage:2d6 ⇒ (6, 4) = 10 Acidic Mist round 1 of 6 DC 14 Fortitude save for 1/2 damage
Female Human Dance Machine 5 | SP 22/40 HP 39/39 | RP 5/5 | EAC 18; KAC 18 | Fort +5; Ref +4; Will +5 | Init: +3 | Perc: +5, SM: +5 | Speed 30ft | Active conditions: None. | Starship combat | ♫
As unfortunate as it is, Momo lights up with a yellowish glow, but her moods sinks to a dark depressing stance that sucks in all matter around it.
Attuning to gravity mode, as light doesn't seem to be very beneficial.
Stand behind me! she shouts, though she has no idea where her opponent is, so which side 'behind' is. She draws her sword, hoping to intercept any incoming blows.
Using Eclipse Defense
Eclipse Defense:
You can cause your melee weapon to exert a gravitational pull, drawing strikes to meet it. If a creature hits you or a creature adjacent to you with a melee attack and you're wielding a melee weapon, you can make a melee attack roll against the attacking creature as a reaction. If your attack exceeds the attacking creature's KAC + 8, you don't deal damage; instead, the target's attack deals only half damage.
When you are attuned or fully attuned, you gain a +4 bonus to your attack roll to use this revelation.
Probably not a bad idea to hit the lights, even though Momo can't see a thing in the dark
1. Supercharge a good shooting ally's weapon. 2. Shoot pistols. 3. Appropriate grenade. 4. Melee with survival knife.
// Init +7 Percept +0 SenseMotive +0 dark vision 60' // SP 32/48 HP 32/32 RP 7/7 EAC 22 KAC 23 // F +5 R +5 W +5 // Move 30 BAB 3 Spells: 1st 5/5 2nd 3/3
Laser, transparent barrier, golem that turns invisible in light. Ears starts considering tactical possiblities. It's not surprising the laser didn't work, but still disappointing.
"Everyone back from the glass wall!"
Ears casts holographic image of a ceramic tiled wall coincident with the far side of the transparent barrier. He's hoping the barrier provides physical verisimilitude for the illusion. The illusion is 10' tall. If the golem is taller than that Ears will raise the illusion to block its vision.
Ears gets 10 squares of hologram. "Hopefully tha buys us some time. "
Holographic Image:
Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 360
Classes Technomancer 1-6
School illusion
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range see text
Area see text
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will disbelief; Spell Resistance no
Description
You weave nearby photons into illusory holograms that can take almost any form you can imagine. These holograms are usually effective against cameras, robots, and living creatures.
1st: When you cast holographic image as a 1st-level spell, it produces a purely visual hologram at long range (400 feet + 40 feet/level). The image has no sound, smell, texture, or temperature. The image can’t extend beyond four 10-foot cubes plus one 10-foot cube per caster level. The image lasts for as long as you concentrate. You can move the image within the limits of the size of the effect.
2nd: When you cast holographic image as a 2nd-level spell, it produces a hologram as per the 1st-level version of the spell, except the hologram can include minor sounds, but not understandable speech. The image lasts for as long as you concentrate plus 2 additional rounds.
Oh. It's an overhead beam with lights mounted on it. As for the barrier below it, it doesn't really say. I assume the golem is strong enough to go straight through it.
LG male skittermander gladiator soldier 7 (armored storm, powered armor jockey) | SP 70/70, HP 65/65, RP 4/8 | Speed 30 ft. | EAC 22, KAC 25 | Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +5 | Init +7; clearsight goggles, darkvision 60 ft, low-light vision; Perception +7 | Active conditions: entangled [hyper used]
When Qimok sees the construct vanish in the light, he decides it's better to have one or two members of his team unable to see the thing than all of them, and rapidly shoots out the light closest to the monster (marked "X" on map).
Meanwhile, he doesn't expect something this size to need to move adjacent to anyone to attack, so he has his tactical pike in hand to give himself reach, too.
It's a really rare construct called a Neutronium Golem. This hints that the drow of Apostae may have deeper links with hobgoblin colonies than is generally known. The drow claim to have invented neutronium golems within the past few years, but the presence of this golem suggests that they drew on much older technology. Neutronium golems are uncommon in the Pact Worlds.
Large construct (magical, technological). Immunities: construct immunities, electricity, light, magic. DR 5/-
You can shoot through the barrier but, as has already been demonstrated, lasers don't affect it.
Shooting the light out is easy, and once it's gone, darkvision is able to see it again.
