[Outpost VIII] #3-17 Clone Batch Catastrophe (Inactive)

Game Master Mustaparta

"Tuek, made a pun? I didn't note-ice." Kadef tries again.

Rechoired was inspired.

Ah ... that's better. You're getting sharp at this.

The small performing arts studio is richly decorated with inspirational music posters, five-line whiteboards, and tiered choir risers encircling an analog upright piano. A handful of community singers gather here for rehearsals, avidly practicing choreography and harmonized parts in a cappella covers of the Joros’ favorite tunes. The ensembles that rehearse here are longtime rivals of the ensembles who rehearse at a nearby studio, the Hi Note.
The current ensemble, Joros Choros, intently focuses on their rehearsal and pay the PCs little notice.

A PC who succeeds at a DC 15 Profession check involving any music- or dance-related performing art can quickly earn the musicians’

No profession skills here.

Tuek tries to fake it until he makes it.
Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

Twilight just stands and watches. This is more Octavia's thing ... or Vinyl Scratch's. Or maybe Pinkie Pie.

"Does anyone know the Lay of the First Storyteller?" Kadef's only musical interest is classical kasathan forms that were developed aboard Idari during their long interstellar voyage.

"You all sound pretty good, but I think I can improve your sound system set-up a bit. Yeah, you want to customize these settings here... and one of your speakers was disconnected, lemme fix that for you."

If I can convince you that IT is "related" then add +6 to this otherwise untrained check: Profession: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

"Thanks Kaleb! Its much better now. Rat-person is pretty good improviser, sounds kinda original and funny. You really should consider forming your own ensemble with other non-Joros! Check out BoThumbs Up sports bar, non-Joros’ favorite watering hole, it has a performance stage that hasn’t seen use in months."

Non Joros? You mean there are others that don't look like Joros?

Kadef looks around at Twilight and the Joro. Non-Joro clones here? That explains why we were welcomed so easily despite our differences. But maybe the non-Joros are a result of the vault code corruption.

Kadef makes a note to discuss this with the team when they are alone.

Tuek surreptitiously slips a microphone into a pocket, before taking a bow after his performance. "We are indeed, an 'ensemble', I suppose."

When a visitation to a watering hole is suggested, the ysoki nods. "Providing some lubrication for my spent vocal chords is not such a bad idea." He concedes.

Once clear of the Joros, Kadef asks the others what they think of his idea that the non-Joros are related to the vault's corrupt code.

Faria agrees to go to the bar.

Twilight ponders Kadef's question as they trot to the bar.

I'm not sure. It could be deliberate. Maybe to see how Joros react to non-Joros and vice versa. Really need more data.

"Yes there are few, who don't look like others. Look around and you will find."

The bar is closed now, but will open in a few hours. After you have visited the other locations, hospital is exception, enough time has passed for bar to open. Nearby is the largest facility in the vault, a giant athletic stadium that has courts and fields for all manner of sports, but the architecture centers around the main playing field for the Joros’ most popular sport: whizdisk. Today is an off-day for games and one of the main teams —the Thumbs-Up— are training a with backup player. They ignore newcomers, but you can impress them with DC 20 Athletics check.

"Pft. I can build a robot that can do that!"

Does it count if a drone does it? Checker Athletics: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

"Perhaps I could do that. Would someone please watch these?"

Kadef lays down his staff, then swirls off his robe, folds it and lays it on a nearby bleacher. He unbuckles his gunbelt with its various bits of gear, and lays that on the robe.

After a brief warmup and some stretches, he begins running up and down the sidelines, shadowing the direction and pace of play.

Athletics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

It looks nothing like buckball. I think I'll sit this one out too

Still Twilight is calculating the physics involved in Whizdisk to understand it better.

athletics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23

Faria sees what she can do.

Tuek looks over at the hologram, then also takes a seat.
-1 Str, untrained

Displays of athletic prowess earns admiration from joros. "You would make a good addition to our team, though doing so would likely violate whizdisk league regulations."

A ryphorian picture on slide 2 ziplines along the camera cables over the whizdisk field, slides down bleacher railings using stray rebar as a mobile platform, and parkours across gym equipment while the Joros athletes use it.

PCs can grab the rhyphorian’s attention with a successful DC 17 Acrobatics check to keep pace with them followed by a DC 17 Bluff or Diplomacy check to boost their ego. Alternatively, a PC can substitute the Acrobatics check with a Sleight of Hand check to surreptitiously trip Finbar as they fly by and then knock the headstrong rhyphorian down a peg with the subsequent Bluff check.

"Why would that violate regulations? Surely the game is available to all inhabitants of the vault."

acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Faria can't keep up, probably failing in an amusing way.

"They probably meant me. Checker is more equipment then inhabitant, though I also didn't build it specifically for that task so it's not especially specialized."

Chip tries to keep up.
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
...but then what?
"Uh. Hi there!"
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7

Tuek trips Finbar as they flyby.
Sleight of Hand: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (14) + 10 = 24

"Oops, my mistake" he squeaks.
Bluff: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

Actually it may be because different species can do different things and a non-Joro may have an ability that could give them a severe advantage against pure Joros.

"Point taken. Is it possible the vault -- " Kadef stops abruptly. It would be impolite to discuss this in front of the Joros.

Tuek trips Finbar as they flyby.

[dice=Sleight of Hand]1d20+10

"Oops, my mistake" he squeaks.
[dice=Bluff]1d20+7

"No worries, you seem like interesting people to meet. Please join me and my buddies over at BoThumbs Up once everyone gets off work."

Sorry this got delayed a bit too long. Destinations currently open are metalworks, art gallery and smoothie bar

metalworks, please.

Twilight has no preferences

Metalworks - why not

"We shall be there without fail."

Ole' John Henry was a steel-driving man ...

Ready to test our metal (or theirs)

Located at the southern edge of the vault’s perimeter, the metalworks is a complex set of spigots and apertures jutting from a wall produces fonts of molten metal that several Metalworker Joros use to forge their various supplies.
Metalworker Joros are just as chatty and quirky as the other Joros. On the metalworks’ scrapyard you find Relton, a female shobhad, who has taken to crafting small dioramas of the vault out of scrap metal in between outings with other non-Joros. She nods briefly to you and continues her work. PCs can open her up to conversation with a successful DC 14 Engineering check to craft an interesting metal sculpture of their own or a DC 14 Athletics check to help organize some of the scattered scrap. A PC who then succeeds at a DC 15 Diplomacy check convinces the soft-spoken shobhad of their kindness

"That is some fine crafting," Tuek says to Relton, as he quietly slips a small piece of scrap into his belt.
Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

"Ooh, free molten metal!"
Engineering: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (16) + 14 = 30
"So versatile, maybe I should re-forge Checker's armor."

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11
"Oh, hello. You're the first person we've seen here who wasn't Joro. You're very... tall."

Twilight attempts to build a model alicorn.

engineering: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (8) + 11 = 19

It's supposed to be Princess Twilight ... or Princess Luna ... maybe Princess Celestia?

She does try to invoke the Magic of Friendship
diplomacy: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
... and fails miserably. Maybe she needs reprogramming.

athletics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

Faria ends up dropping the scrap noisily rather than providing any help.

If Faria can do the diplomacy check after her companions make one of the other checks,

diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (15) + 9 = 24

Faria remarks on her amazement at the detail in the dioramas.

Kadef is touched to find a four-armed denizen in the vault. There are indications of ancient kinship between shobhad and kasatha. He takes off his robe and lays his staff aside so that he can help. "Please allow me."

Athletics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

While working he introduces himself and his companions.

And tries his own Diplomacy, because it's what he does. Call it an aid to Faria's roll: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (5) + 10 + (3) = 18

"Yeah, being taller than Joros is actually a hindrance as it was the reason they don't invite me anymore to their whizdisk games. But seem very nice people. Would you like to join my friends at BoThumbs Up after working hours? Take these gloves, they don't fit my hands." she hands you pair of heavy gloves.

We have 2 more places to visit before BoThumbs

"Shall we away to the art gallery?" Tuek suggests, knowing that such usually contains more valuables than a smoothie bar.

Sure

This glass-walled building is a community art studio, where Artist Joro leads classes in various media. Caricatures and cartoon animal drawings fill most of the wall space, each one labeled with pun titles.
A remote corner of the studio serves as the workspace of Annalise, a petite nuar who wears a floppy hat between her horns and surrounds herself with a mishmash of works-in-progress. She currently focuses on her artwork, a portfolio of abstract paintings and absurdist sketches that are daring and provocative when compared to the tacky, commercialistic Joro art.
DC 17 Profession (artist) to display artistic skill or Diplomacy check to engage about her art.

Twilight admires the art but refrains from commenting, not wanting to make another diplomatic faux-pas.

Untrained Profession (Artist): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

Chip's understanding of art is mostly limited to technical skill, but he recognizes that such skill is still important in abstract art and compliments Annalise's.

"You seem to have some interesting subjects here, too."

diplomacy: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23

Faria points towards one of the paintings.

"I've never seen any thing quite like this one. Can you tell me about it?"

"Quite original." Kadef comments quietly.

Aid, diplomacy: 1d20 + 10 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 10 + (5) = 21

She is sincerely delighted by your comments. "If you have met other non-joros in our community, they might have invited you to BoThumbs bar. Shall we see there?"

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

"A suitable work," chimes Tuek.

At the suggestion to head to the bar, Tuek pockets an unattended paint brush, then adjusts his coat, and prepares to head out.

Twilight commits the more humorous pun filled paintings to memory before trotting out.

"They did," Chip answers, "and I think you will. Thank you for letting us see your work!"