Starfinder Encounter: Escaping Gravity

Starfinder Flip-Tiles are a new addition to the Starfinder brand, and we wanted to show you some of the many cool things you can do with them. This encounter by Starfinder developer Jason Tondro uses tiles from Starfinder Flip-Tiles: Space Station Starter Set and Starfinder Flip-Tiles: Space Station Emergency Expansion products and follows the starship encounter, “A Singular Notion,” that appeared on the Paizo blog on July 24, though they can also be run independently of one another.

ESCAPING GRAVITY — CR 7

Singulos is a kasathan solarian dedicated to the negative aspects of the Cycle; convinced that black holes and singularities will inevitably triumph over the birth of new stars, he has forsaken many solarian beliefs and trained a generation of followers. Traditional solarians—covertly backed by the Idari—have sought Singulos for years, but it was the Stewards who finally caught him hiding on a remote planet in the Vast. Now he’s aboard a Steward prison ship called the Harrowstone.

But Singulos has many followers, and they’re determined to break him free. They’ve attacked the Harrowstone and killed most of the crew; the remainder, led by Third Officer Daneel Ris (LG female human), are holed up in the passenger section of the ship.

A Singular Notion: If you have played through A Singular Notion, “Escaping Gravity” follows when solarians from the Aphelion board the Harrowstone’s passenger section. If you have not used that encounter, the player characters are the nearest ship when the Harrowstone is attacked. Officer Ris begs them for assistance. “We have a very important prisoner on board here, and I think these creeps are trying to break him out. There’s only a few of us left... please help us!”

The player characters arrive through an airlock (area A). Singulos is kept prisoner in a large room on the middle of the western edge (area B), and his followers arrived through the hole in the ship in the southeast and have spread to the southwest. Officer Ris and the remaining Stewards are trapped behind a large door (area C), safe but unable to assist the PCs. Other rooms in the emergency section—lit by red lights—contain prisoners. They are unarmed and not a threat, and largely unfriendly to anyone they meet, but one room with 8 prisoners is on fire (area D); see Hazard, below.

Hazard: Fires have broken out throughout this section of the ship. Characters entering a square that is on fire take 4d6 fire damage (DC 17 half) and are at risk of catching fire (Core Rulebook 403). One of the rooms containing prisoners is on fire (area D); their pleas for help can be heard by anyone in the red-lit areas of the map. There are 8 prisoners in this room; if not rescued, 2 of them fall unconscious from smoke and flame every turn. Once all of them have gone unconscious in this way, the cries for help cease. If they remain trapped within the burning room, two of these prisoners die every round.

Creatures: Four solarians have reached the critical section of the Harrowstone. Unlike other solarians, they have forsaken photon revelations and cannot supernova. The stat block provided below is for human solarians; for enemies of other species, replace their Stealth skill and Close Combat feat with new racial abilities.

Art by Firat Solhan

FOLLOWER OF SINGULOS (4) — CR 3 EACH

XP 800
Male and female solarians
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +1; Perception +8

DEFENSE HP 40
Immunities fire
EAC 14; KAC 16; close combat
Fort +5; Ref +4; Will +4

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee solar spear (soulfire least t-quark crystal) +11 (1d6+9 P)
Ranged snub breaching gun +7 (2d10+3 P; knockdown; penetrating, analog, breach)
Offensive Abilities stellar revelations (black hole [20-ft. radius, pull 10 ft., DC 14], gravity hold (DC 14)

TACTICS
During Combat Singulos’s followers take move actions to use Improved Demoralize before attacking with their solar spears; their t-quark crystals give them a bonus +1d3 damage twice per day, which they use as quickly as possible. They attempt to use black hole and gravity hold to drag enemies into fire, which they are immune to. The solarians carry breaching guns to break down doors; they are not proficient with these weapons and use them against PCs only as a last resort.
Morale Isolated from their starship and with no path of retreat, Singulos’s followers fight to the death.

STATISTICS
Str +2; Dex +1; Con +1; Int +0; Wis +0; Cha +4
Skills Acrobatics +8, Athletics +8, Intimidate +13, Mysticism +8, Stealth +8
Feats Close CombatPW, Improved Demoralize
Other Abilities solar manifestation (solar weapon), stellar alignment (graviton)
Gear graphite carbon skin, snub breaching gun with 8 scattergun shellsAR, least t-quark weapon crystal (soulfire fusion)

Development: Singulos’s followers can sense his presence; they move to the door of his cell and try to use their breaching guns to liberate him; a follower of Singulos can take a full action to try to break down the door, and has a 50% chance of success on each attempt. Only one person can try to break down the door each turn.

If Singulos’s followers succeed in breaking down his door, he emerges, a kasatha dressed in dark blue, purple, and black and surrounded by an aura of crackling power. He praises his followers, saying, “Well done, my faithful servants,” before abandoning them and flying out the hole in the southeast corner of the map, escaping custody.

XP: If the PCs prevent Singulos’s escape, award them 1,600 XP. In addition, for each of the 8 prisoners trapped in the burning room the PCs rescue, award them 200 XP.

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