Baknarla explains. She speaks Triaxian and one of the dragonkins translates. "the stars have spoken about the coming of ones from beyond the sky who will give our people, the Vahara Glacier adlets, back our lands." She explains that Yrax has harshly oppressed her people and driven them out of their traditional tribal territory. Baknarla believes that the the Golarian natives, as aliens to Triaxus, are destined to defeat Yrax, allowing the adlets to reclaim their ancestral domain. Unfortunately, most of the other shamans in Baknarla’s tribe do not share her beliefs, and her tribe has
Sarnok was a mighty warrior-shaman who lived long ago and slew more than one dragon with his magic spear. He was also renowned for his wisdom, bringing about peace treaties between the adlet tribes and several Drakelands realms. The old tales say that one day Sarnok set out to explore the depths of the Rimekeening Crevasse and was never seen again, but that he will return some day to guide his people to glory once more. If Baknarla and the group can locate Sarnok’s grave, the adlet hopes to find a holy relic of the hero that she can bring back to her people to restore their hope and her own position in the tribe. At the same time, Baknarla believes they will find Sarnok’s legendary spear, which they can use to slay Yrax. Furthermore, Baknarla believes there is a hidden way from the crevasse into Ivoryglass. Once the group has the spear, it can then approach Ivoryglass through the crevasse, thereby avoiding the soldiers that patrol the glacier surrounding the palace.
The only thing Sparks does before getting to sleep in preparation for the start of the project to explore the Acreon is to purchase a radiation badge. He figures everyone should know if the drift rock was radioactive. He arrives at the dock, anxious to see what awaits.
Much appreciated. I did not start developing 2E characters until recently, so I all my PCs are 1st level. I will put these modifiers where I'll see them on my profile for the duration of the adventure. The numbers in Emil's post header have been modified for the PC Level Bump.
After receiving the messages, Sparks texts his colleagues: <We should meet with both entities and find out what they wish us to know, keeping in mind these things might not be true or the whole truth.>
Sparks uses his time before showing up for the adventure of exploring the derelict starship to get fitted for some better armor. He sells his second skin and picks up a set of freebooter armor (I). He feels a bit more secure with the armor's reinforced layers. He does a little weapon shopping but sticks with his assault hammer and his ember pistol. Although he has darkvision, he picks up some light sources to help in situations where his companions might need extra illumination, considering the spaceship they are visiting might have no power for interior lighting. He also picks up 100 feet of titanium cable.
Although the general's armor and scales are tough to penetrate, the powerful bows of Ingrit and Crasius drive deep into her flesh, and with Crasius' last arrow, she ceases to be a threat to the Dragon Legion. Talsune roars and then praises Crasius for his archery and oracular skills. Rurik attends to the wounded before regrouping for the return to Spurhorn fortress.
Sparks joins the conversation holding the invitation from the Exoian Embassy, his face pensive. Hearing the enthusiasm for Elysium Holdings new resort announcement, he says, "I don't know why but when I read about that, I had a bad feeling. Not sure why. What about this invitation to the Exoian Embassy? Mysterious but that just makes me curious."
Before it's too late, I've made a few changes to my character. She now has the Keep on Keeping On Leadership style, which grants her battle medicine feat and a nice directive that allows her to do some healing during battle and enhance healing received by others. I also had to adjust her gear to give her a medkit and lose the singing coil weapon as too bulky. She now just has a baton and a semi-auto pistol. Her cash is now 8 credits.
"Thank you," Sparks offers on behalf of the group. "I suspect I speak for everyone when I say, 'What's next?'"
Power came on by noon on Monday, so not too bad. I'm more comfortable in hot weather than most. The heat dome did make for good stargazing conditions that allowed me to get some good astrophotos. I also played a PFS game at a local gaming store, first one since before COVID.
Sparks is grateful for a good night's sleep, knowing the fledgling group has worked well together and accomplished something important not only for the group but for the larger actors of the station. At breakfast, he breaks the news that he has been offered and has accepted an opportunity to become a product representative for Solar Dawn Foundries.
Arabella is well familiar with drinks that are stimulants. She agrees to join the group, but does not promise to be the life of the party.
Mostly better. Still some lingering congestion, but otherwise, recovered. Thanks. This last battle, if accepted will end this section. Having fought valiantly, the commander won't insist on his plan to kill the enemy leader and the PCs have done enough to earn the promised gift of the double-headed eagle, if you wish to skip the combat. If any one wishes to bond with a dragonkin, there are some lone members of the fortress who could be persuaded. See this link for details. We should role play the interaction and maybe make a diplomacy roll. This would primarily be only for medium size humanoids, since traditionally, the human partner rides the dragonkin and they fight together. After that, the book has two more sections to work through. I'd be willing to abridge the 3rd section to speed things up and this would get you to 12th level before the final set of challenges to get the other Dancing Hut key. Let me know your thoughts on how much of the 3rd section you want to do.
The last encounter turns out to be hours away, so Rurik will have time to heal the injured. See Ret-con in the gameplay thread.
Since Burgurk's player is moderating a couple of SW games I'm in and just announced the use of newly published 5th printing of SWADE, I have both the 4th and 5th printing. The Protection Power was diminished in 5th edition, removing the modifiers of More Armor and Toughness. This appears to make it so the most armor one can add with a power is 2 points. On a raise this is added to toughness instead of armor. Please let me know if we are going to continue using rules as written in 4th printing of SWADE or if 5th is going to be the official source, as it is obviously going to make a difference. I left Ounce with relatively low toughness on the assumption I could pump it up with the protection power for combat situations. If I can only boost her armor/toughness level by 2, that will leave her somewhat underarmored for combat, given the MEGA damage many will be using.
Sparks wants to force a confrontation, as he believes it will be the only way to get the information they need. His plan is to attend the club again, watch for when the door to the store room opens and determine, if possible whether it is locked. Then have everyone migrate to the door and enter the storeroom. If the door is locked, then wait for someone to enter or leave. If not locked, then just enter and deal with whatever muscle they bring to bear, hoping to win and then intimidate the leader, assuming his or her presence, to give up evidence they committed the attack on Duravor.
Ounce will talk to the DB's as she and Gummitch are explaining the need to get them away from the soon-to-be war zone. She explains what is coming and suggests they use whatever they can either to help in the fight or protect themselves. She does her best to emphasize the urgency of the situation and to encourage them to be brave and fight for their freedom as best they can.
Free Reroll (Charismatic)
Sparks reviews his wallet app and decides he cannot afford anything new. So he leaves his weapons in his room (except his mote, which he extinguishes from view). He picks up some inexpensive sun glasses and a floppy hat, and some casual clothes different from what he was wearing at the dock shootout. Before the group tries to enter the Fusion Queen, he suggests an information gathering trip to bars and restaurants near the club to gather information on the gang.
Then he is ready to try to enter the club. He suggests the team split up but remain close to each other as they approach the club, keeping in sight of each other, but not moving as a group. He'll volunteer to be the first to enter. If he gets any trouble from the bouncer screening those wanting to enter the club (assuming there is one), he'll offer 20 cr tip. Once inside, he'll spend another 20 cr hoping to get some idea if the Downside Kings are present.
Thanks for pointing that out. I hadn't thought to look there. I'd still like some kind of description about what it appears to be from the outside, how we enter and leave, particularly if we don't want bystanders to see us come and go, etc.
The female voice crackles out of the speaker, "They all got shot down by the penguins, without mercy, I might add." Then a click is heard at a door which leads to an apparently deserted and gutted shop. A door opens and a teenager girl peeks around the corner and gestures Sentry to follow her. She leads him through a brief maze of halls, saying, "I'm Fortune Brav0. Nice ta have someone closer to my age in the group." Eventually, they reach an area where several other adults are doing various things. There are two women and two men. "Hey, all!" Fortune calls out. "This is our noob. Name's Sentry." She lets the others introduce themselves. She lays down a plank (i.e. skateboard) and shifts about, staying mostly in the same place but turning this way and that. She appears to be around 14 or 15, with dark hair, a few tats, and grungy clothes. On her belt is a largish leather pouch that appears to hold something the size of an old-fashioned paperback book. Her only other piece of hardware is a small dagger. She has a wiry frame. She is not what most people imagine when they think of a super. Looks can be deceiving, of course.
Arabella smiles at Brook's questions about drinking and his observations about the library. Having experience with both, she offers some advice. "In my humble opinion, the experience of being drunk is waaaay overrated. You cannot walk or talk straight. Falling down is a common experience. And the morning after, you are visited by something called a hangover, which consists of dry-mouth, headaches, and pain from sudden movement and loud noises. If you have any inhibitions, you can be temporarily free of them, which makes shy people sometimes have a bit more courage to make romantic overtures but it can also make some people super obnoxious and prone to getting into fights. But in my experience, most young people have to experience these things for themselves before they believe old-timers like myself. Me I prefer some strong coffee and the company of good friends in the presence of music and food. The universe provides plenty of wonder without the mind-numbing effects of alcohol." As for the books, she says, "Physical books are an acquired taste. Digital text has no smell, no feel, no weight, and no history. When you hold a physical book, you are in touch with both the artist who wrote the words as well as the artisans who designed and made the paper and the bindings. For a real treat, you should find some scrolls. The Taoist temples often have copies of the Tao Te Ching with the Chinese characters drawn by an artist with a paint brush and ink on a long strip of paper rolled into a cylinder shape."
Sparks foregoes the tour option in favor of some personal exploration. He heads for a region of the station called Congregation, near the Eye, location of many religious establishments and temples. There he finds his way to the temple to Sarenrae and spends some time in prayer and medication, asking for guidance and protection. After that, he works his way over to the Cosmonastery of the Empty Orbit, home of a famous solarian training center. If he has time after that, he will travel to a district called the Puddles. There he looks for interesting opportunities to swim in interesting environments and then to find some good fish-based streetfood vendors.
Arabella prepares an edited video that incorporates images from the incident on the star-liner (fight with the reaver that emerged from an Alliance controlled area). She does not reveal her face or name, but mentions that she got hit on the head at the bar (and states the exact time and date).
Paul Simon lyric: And she said, "Honey take me dancing"
On the Table:
Rurik's Spiritual Weapon: vs DLB 2
Miss Rurik: vs DLB 2 crit hit Move action: direct spiritual weapon to attack DLB 2 Wapiti: DC 15
His spiritual weapon misses, but he hits the barbarian near his throat, for a serious wound that puts her near death. Crasius gets closer to the battle, casting a spell to increase his bow's effectiveness. Ingrit puts two arrows in the nearby barbarian, killing him with the second shot after the first arrow pierces his lung. Wapiti finishes off the barbarian next to Rurik, driving an antler into his neck. Then he flies a little south and west and attacks the barbarian surrounded by Spurhorn rangers. He gores him and gives him a stout kick for good measure. Thorizmond is about to charge the barbarian woman fighting Wapiti and Rurik, but the big elk finishes her off before he gets moving. So he attack the barbarian to the south, fighting Pemta. His lance glances off the barbarian's shield, however.
I ruled that the Skyfire Mandate wizards cast a mass fly spell on the group, so Pemta has fly. I don't know if that would apply to the shadow, but if it has flight already, probably not an issue.
Since the campaign is entering a new phase, might this not be a good time for an advance? Our last advancement came in August 2023. We have completed two missions since then: the derelict starliner job and the most recent one involving the local job of finding the flower.
Arabella uses the travel time to do an I Ching reading on what to expect from the new enterprise and allies. Reading details:
6 -x-
7 -- 8 —— 9 —o— Toss 1 -- Toss 2 -- Toss 3 -- Toss 4 -- Toss 5 —o— Toss 6 —— Primary Hexagram: 19 Approach. -- Top Trigram: The Receptive -- -- -- Bottom: The Joyous, Lake —— —— One moving line. Secondary Hexagram: 24 Return -- Top Trigram: The Receptive -- -- -- Bottom: The Arousing, Thunder -- —— The primary meaning is identified as Approach: "Approach has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. When the eigth month comes, there will be misfortune." The message is linked to springtime, when new growth begins to show itself. As such it is a propitious time to start new enterprises, which strikes Arabella as a supremely good omen regarding this new alliance and goal. But the cycles of life and death mean that inevitably the opportunities presented by spring eventually reverse and the season of autumn ushers in decline. So the message is also to be diligent in attending to all signs and portents and to pursue opportunities without delay. The changing line reads, "Joint approach. Good fortune. Everything furthers." This says to Arabella that there is no need for concern about the path being entered into. This is a positive path full of potential. The changing line changes the overall reading to the Return: "Return. Success. Going out and coming in without error. Friends come without blame. To and fro goes the way. On the seventh day comes return. It furthers one to have somewhere to go." This tells Arabella that the new alliance is with good people who can be trusted. The image is related to the winter solstice, a turning point in the cycles of the seasons, a time when maximum darkness turns toward a return of the light. The Alliance would be the darkness, but it may now be time for a turning back of that darkness and the establishment of a new source of light and life. Arabella closes her books and contemplates her personal future. She has been drifting, going with the flow for sure, but also seeming not to be going anywhere in particular, like a bit of flotsam circling an eddy current. It seems a good time to start moving deliberately toward a goal. As the reading said, "It furthers one to have somewhere to go." Indeed.
Now that my work week is over and Thanksgiving activities completed, I promise I'll move this to the next big event. Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving (for those in America) and a good Thursday for the rest.
We might as well decide shifts for the night. I'll roll random if the attack happens at night (as if I don't know).
I was not aiming to start a political discussion, just letting you know what was affecting me and my posting. FRP is a great escape from such troubles, but sometimes its hard to focus on fantasy when reality seems to pose threats. Blessed be. We will carry on.
I had the great good fortune to see Buckaroo Banzai when it opened in L.A. and even got a BB headband like the one he wears in the opening scene. It's one of my prize fandom possessions. So many great lines in that movie. I watch it through fairly frequently, particularly when I want some laughs. Sad they never made sequels. Fandom played a role in that fate, sad to say.
There is the rest of the day of arrival to heal and then an overnight where spells and abilities refresh. Sorry for long intervals between posts. This will likely continue for the next five weeks, as I am teaching a night physics class. After that, I retire (yea!) and will have much more time for posting and will try to keep pace with daily posts.
One does not need any ranks in Piloting to use the skill. It is Dex based so your Dex bonus is your Piloting bonus default. Reminds me a scene in Buckaroo Banzai where Buckaroo tells his alien friend to pilot the small vessel they hijack. He tells him, "It drives like a truck." The alien replies, "Good. What is a truck?"
Sparks thanks Chiskisk for making everyone a member of the Starfinder society. His beaming smile makes it clear he is sincere.
I'm probably not going to be posting today as I have to teach two remote classes and I'll need a lot of rest in between.
Stell looks over the ship's profiles on her computer. "The Pegasus is fastest. Pegasus is the less maneuverable than the others. Azata has the best defenses and strongest shields. It's also the hardest to get a target lock on. Drake is the sturdiest, can take the most damage and it has the best PCU. Drake and Pegasus both are well stocked with weapons. In terms of scanners, Azata has the longest range, but Pegasus makes up in effectiveness what it lacks in range." "The Pegasus may be a good compromise between fighting capabilities and scanning power."
Lousy luck, for sure. Reminds me of a Roger Zelazny line from Nine Princes in Amber series. A demonic looking lizard ran at full speed through the room. Soon it was followed by a red-skinned, barb-tailed, fellow with horns. To which an observer quipped: "That's how it is around here. Just one damned thing after another."
I hope to get a post up this afternoon. It's our anniversary (24) and we are going out for lunch and a art exhibit.
Thanks.
On the Table:
DC 21
FD1: Saves, takes 18 fire + 9 fire (vulnerable to fire) FD3: Fails, takes 36 fire + 18
Pyrrhus' fireball surprises the middle two frost drakes. The one that was already injured by Bescaylie and Efrixis is badly burned as it flies straight into the hottest part of the blast and comes out of the fire falling limply toward the ground far below. The other veers and only gets into the out edge of the blast. Thorzimond (Prayer, 16 lethal)(move, ranged attack, hits, 12 to FD4?)
Round 2
Shasta decides if she is going to do anything useful, she will have to get closer and cast a damaging spell while avoiding any attacks by the elemental. She cautiously moves forward and chooses her moment and concentrates, avoiding the elemental's notice long enough to cast her spell. She calls out, How can we know how to defeat this thing? It's elementary! Then she says, "By popular request, my next solo is 'Sing, Sing, Sing!'" She stomps her feet as the says this and the ground between her and the elemental begins to rumble loudly as it vibrates beneath the monster's feet (or whatever its form has instead).
Usually a rider can let the mount have its movement and the rider can then take a full round action on her turn. That's just normal melee, not a ready action. I'm assuming Pemta would/could delay her initiative until just after Thorizmond's turn, to keep things in synch. That's how Ingrit on Wapiti works, anyway. If you want to retcon your ready action and change it to delay, that's okay.
"I suggested tomorrow at noon, but I also asked them to clarify who was invited. I doubt they singled me out for anything, so they probably want us all. If not, it will still be fun to see the Lorespire Complex and maybe take the tour."
"We can still investigate things if we want. But we need a place stay, so let's enjoy our sponsor's generosity. We can use the resort InfoSphere to learn more about these gangs and see if they had any run-ins with our contact. The Starfinders know where to find us if they want us to help or go to any interviews or tours."
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