Thanks for playing everyone! Your characters were all a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed getting to run this in PbP with you all! Your chronicles can be found HERE. Let me know if you run into any issues accessing them, or if you find any mistakes. Also, while players are allowed to do downtime on their own these days, I'm happy to add any downtime results to the PDF if you'd like if that's easier for you; just let me know. The game has been reported, and we can all hope it was not eaten by the site :P
Conrad is really humming along now, playing the crowd like a fiddle and keeping the voting boost firmly behind you. Dov keeps your racer at peak performance, while Kastien and Walter do the same for your pilot. Taken together, it all adds up to victory as Zark calmly pilots your racer as it hurtles across the finish line, several car lengths ahead of your nearest competitors!
Holographic confetti rains down around you as Zark coasts to a stop and runs down to meet the rest of you! After allowing you a few minutes to celebrate, Ratrod, who finished in 2nd place, walks over to graciously congratulate you on your victory. He seems truly at peace, despite his loss, and excuses himself to go and speak with Laboni, who finished right behind him in a close 3rd.
After her conversation with Ratrod, Laboni makes her own way over to congratulate you. She thanks you for putting a stop to Glimma's scheme; it seems word has spread. She tells you how proud she is to have raced alongside you, and invites you back to race again any time you'd like.
Meanwhile, Kyvex, who seems particularly shaken when they learn of Glimma's plot, sits down for a bombshell post-race interview with "Awesome" Ace Avarin in which they admit for the first time their own culpability in the accidental death of the best friend Orsis three years ago, admitting that it was their own shoddy installation of the debilitating weapons on their racer that day that lead to his death. At the conclusion of the interview, they announce an indefinite hiatus to their racing career.
Finally, As a way to honor you for saving the day and thank all of his competitors for helping him achieve closure, Ratrod hosts all of the teams for dinner at the hippest restaurant in the Spike, one of the trendiest in all of Absalom Station at the moment. Whatever lingering resentment he might have had against Laboni and the Starfinder Society in general seems to be gone, as he flawlessly plays the part of gracious host. At the end of the meal, just before you depart, he asks you to give his regards to Radaszam.
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Upon returning to the Lorespire Complex, Radaszam calls you in for a report. He congratulates you on a job well done. He is intrigued by Ratrod's message, musing that he could be a valuable source of information about goings-on in the Spike, and pledges to consider how best to build a working relationship.
That's the end!Thank for playing everyone!
Your primary objective was to defeat Glimma and prevent her attack, which you did. Your secondary objective was to do three of the following, all of which you did: gain entry to the race by presenting your access token or successfully talking your way in (otherwise you would have had to call Radaszam for help); prevent injury to Lemgem in event 1 (faulty lift sabatoge); prevent the explosion in event 2; win the build competition; win the race. In addition, you thoroughly impressed Radaszam, which earns you 1 additional reputation with the Acquisitives faction.
Conrad effortlessly holds the crowd's attention. Kastien and Lapodie are both fooled by your opponents, but Walter isn't fooled. Dov, meanwhile, doesn't pay them any attention as he calculates an efficient line, and Zark executes the plan to perfection, accelerating hard out of the turn! Stage 7 success.
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Stage 8-The Home Stretch (last stage!)
Finally, you lead the pack as you come thundering down the final straightaway toward the finish line.
Primary Check: The pilot can get the most of your racer with a Piloting check.
Secondary Check: Other PCs can assist with a Computers or Engineering check to coax as much power as possible from the engine, or a Diplomacy or Intimidate check to encourage Zark to give it his all. Alternative, one of you could use the grappler to prevent a rival from pulling ahead with a ranged attack.
Lapodie isn't able to get anymore juice out of the racer, but that's only because Dov got to it first. Similarly, your competitors, cowed by Walter, move back just as Kastien fires, his shot going wide. Boosted by Conrad's attention-grabbing, Zark zooms ahead! The crowd roars as you approach the final turn!
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Stage 7-The Final Turn
You're ahead, but your nearest competitors--Ratrod and Laboni--are still in striking distance as you enter the final turn.
Primary Check: The pilot can take a fast line through the corner with a Piloting check.
Secondary Check: Everyone else can help with a Computers or Physical Science check to calculate the fastest line, or a Perception or Sense Motive check to predict your opponents' moves.
Walter keeps the crowd's attention, while Zark expertly pilots expertly into the pit. Kastien leads the pit crew, with everyone else performing their roles efficiently to get Zark out of the pit and back on the track as soon as possible. That looks like a success from everyone! Stage 5 success.
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Stage 6-Trading Paint
The racers once again jockey for position coming out of pit row, bumping and jostling each other as they try to get ahead of their rivals.
Primary Check: The pilot can muscle into a strong position for the final lap with a Piloting check.
Secondary Check: Everyone else can assist with an Intimidate check to make opposing racers hesitate, an Engineering or Computers check to temporarily boost your junkracer's performance, or a ranged attack to distract other racers with onboard weapons.
With all the excitement, unfortunately, Kastien never did get a chance to practice with the grappler gun. This becomes painfully obvious as his first shot sails wide, but thankfully the quick-retract mechanism works fine to pull the line back in. Perhaps there will be another opportunity later...
Meanwhile, Walter keeps a firm grip on the audience's attention, keeping the bonus booster fully charged. With Conrad's encouragement and timely advice from Lapodie and Dov, Zark is easily able to navigate the twisting canyon and emerge at the far end still in the lead! Stage 4 success!
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Stage 5-Pit Stop
The first few laps around the course proceed from there, with Zark able to maintain your lead but not able to pull away from the competition. The racers all put in for a pit stop priorto the fourth lap, so pit crews can refill drained fuel cells and hastily make any necessary repairs. You can swap pilots at this point if you'd like, but you do not have to.
Primary Check: One member of the pit crew can lead the pit stop with an Athletics check.
Secondary Check: Other PCs can assist with an Acrobatics check to smoothly maneuver supplies into position, an Engineering check to assess the condition of the racer and make repairs, or a Piloting check (pilot only) to enter and exit the pit as quickly as possible.
Zark keeps the racer steady while Lapodie works to prevent further collapse, supporting Conrad as he keeps a wary eye on the competition. Dov and Walter, meanwhile, keep the crowd's attention firmly on your team. Stage 3 success!
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Stage 4-Through the Narrows
As the commotion in the pit dies down, attention returns to the race track, where Zark is approaching a series of twisting turns through a narrow canyon of junk, barely wide enough for two racers across.
Primary Check: The pilot must safely and quickly maneuver through the narrows with a Piloting check.
Secondary Check: The pit crew can assist with a Perception or Piloting check o plot an efficient course, a ranged attack roll to remotely use the racer's weapons to create a distraction for other racers, or an easier ranged attack roll to deploy the grappler you installed to clamp on and tether your way to tighter turns (one person only).
Conrad keeps the team's name at the tip of the crowd's tongue. Meanwhile, Kastien and Lapodie scramble nimbly to good vantage points, relaying information to Zark, while Walter tries, mostly unsuccessfully, to put the fear into the competition and Dov cheers the team on. Zark puts the relayed info to good use, anticipating opponents' moves to maintain position. Phase 2 success!
Stage 3--Oops!
A member of another racer’s pit crew bumps into a nearby pile of junk as they pass through your area area, creating a huge racket. Was it intentional? A mistake? Who knows! Perhaps completely by coincidence, their team's racer makes a move on the track at the same time. Weird!
Primary Check: One member of the pit crew can make a Perception or Sense Motive check to notice the 'accident' in time.
Secondary Check: Other PCs can assist by succeeding at an Athletics or Acrobatics check to shore up the pile or an Intimidate check to scar off the would-be saboteur, and the pilot can make a Piloting check to maintain position while the crew deals with the distraction.
Lapodie has a difficult time tracking specific opponents during the crush of racers, but everyone plays their part perfectly, helping Zark to zoom out to the front of the pack and winning the favor of the crowd in the process! Stage 1 success! The other teams aren't giving up yet, though, and they hit the accelerator to stay hot on your heels!
Stage 2--Coming Around the First Bend
Still tightly grouped, the racers enter the first banked turn, bumping and jostling as they all vie for an advantageous position.
Primary Check: Piloting check by the pilot to maintain your position near the inside of the curve.
Secondary Check: Others can assist with an Intimidate check to make other teams back off or an Athletics or Acrobatics check to climb a nearby pile of junk to act as a spotter.
The green lights flash as the race begins! Racers jockey for position heading toward the first turn.
Primary Check: Piloting by the pilot. Because you won the build competition, you get a running start to begin the race, represented by the pilot rolling twice on this check and taking the better result.
Secondary Checks: You can assist by succeeding at a Computers check to remotely time the initial acceleration for the precise moment, or a Perception or Sense Motive check to anticipate opponents' maneuvers.
Remember that you can also curry crowd favor with a DC 20 Bluff, Diplomacy, Performance, or appropriate Profession check (no benefit to multiple successes).
Once you've had a chance to rest, heal, and collect yourselves, it's time to race! The murmur of the crowd grows into an anticipatory roar as the racers maneuver their vehicles to the starting line. Engines rev and lights flash as drivers and pit crews perform their final checks.
The crowd cheers as the face of Ratrod, framed by his racing helmet, appears on a large video board above the starting line. “This race is years in the making! Today is the day we settle old scores and prove once and for all who’s at the top of this scrap heap. Are you ready for a showdown?” he calls, to a renewed roar from the crowd. “I said, ARE YOU READY FOR A SHOWDOWN?” The crowd goes wild, and with a smirk, Ratrod flips down his visor and revs his engine, an image of the starting lights replacing his face on the video board. A countdown appears beside it, flashing “3...2…1…Go!” Like a shot, the racers are off!
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The race will operate as a series of challenges. In each stage, one PC will make a lead check (usually, but not always, the pilot). Everyone else will have options to assist, with each successful assist adding a cumulative +2 to the lead check.
In addition to the above, Ratrod has debuted a new mechanic for this race: crowd voting! Each vehicle has a device installed that will provide a small speed boost to whichever vehicle is currently leading the fan voting. In order to curry fan favor, any PC other than the pilot can attempt to play to the crowd in lieu of making a check to assist the pilot that round. Succeeding on a DC 20 Bluff, Diplomacy, Performance, or appropriate Profession check gains the crowd's favor that round, adding a +1 morale bonus to all PCs checks to pilot or assist that round. The crowd's favor resets at the end of the round. Ideally we would do crowd checks before other checks, but I think that will be a pain for PbP, so everyone can act at once and I'll fit all the pieces together.
Station security agents arrive a few minutes after Walter's contacts, with Ratrod right on their heels. While one agent takes your statements, the rest fan out to secure the scene. There is a moment of alarm as they discover all of the explosives that Glimma and Sisro had been unloading, but after some examination the agents find that the two had not yet primed any of the bombs to explode, likely due to your interruption. Ratrod seems visibly shaken by the discovery, wondering aloud how one of his competitors could attack their fellow racers. He expresses his deep gratitude for your intervention, though, and radios for one of his employees to bring over a crate of medical supplies. Ratrod will supply enough serums of healing to restore all of you to full health.
Once the security agents secure the scene and determine there is no threat to the race, they clear it to proceed. Ratrod delays the start by 30 minutes to give you time to recover and clear your minds before the flag drops.
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Before we can begin the race, I need to know who is going to be your pilot! Everyone else will act as pit crew, and everyone will have an opportunity to contribute to your team's success. As you might expect, it would be best to have someone with a strong Piloting skill in the driver's seat.
Glimma ducks out of the way of Kastien's reactive strike, but is completely unprepared for the suddenness of his followup. Her head snaps back as his blow connects, and she falls unmoving to the ground.
Dov heals some of Zark's wounds as the whole party pursues Glimma. Seeing Zark so close, Glimma screams in rage and lunges at the ysoki! Provokes from Kastien and Walter.
Not sure if it matters, but she needs to make a Fort save against Dov's inhibitor (assuming Dov hit her with his shot in the first place) which might make her Fatigued against the Supernova in turn, depending on what order everything resolves in.
Thanks. She took full damage from you and is fatigued, but that was not enough to make her fail Reflex vs. Supernova.
Glimma just manages to avoid the swipe from Dov's massive paw, but she's battered by a jab from Kastien and shots from all directions. Still, she just manages to anticipate Kastien's blast, leaping over it in a surprisingly graceful backflip. She lands, panting and swaying, a grim look in her eye.
Kastien moves to cut off Glimma's escape, while Conrad takes a shot. Unfortunately, in being careful not to hit Dov, his shot goes just wide (miss due to cover).
Glimma, realizing the bad situation she finds herself in, tries to slip past Kastien!
Acrobatics to move through Kastien's space, threatened by Dov (DC 29+2=31):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (12) + 15 = 27
Though she moves surprisingly spryly, Dov's looming presence limits her options and she's unable to get by! Provokes from Dov and Kastien.
Feeling desperate, she tries again!
Acrobatics to move through Kastien's space, threatened by Dov (DC 29+2=31):1d20 + 15 ⇒ (13) + 15 = 28
Again, though, she's stymied!
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Initiative!
Conrad38/63 SP
ZarkFlat-footed, 24/56 SP, 12/38 HP, flat-footed until Glimma’s turn
Walter3/42 SP
Glimma -35HP
Dov40/42 SP, AoO vs. Glimma
Lapodie
Kastien, AoO vs. Glimma
Whole party may act. Dov and Kastien can make attacks of opportunity before their turn.
Glimma's retort is cut short when Dov just manages to catch her with a swiping paw as she darts away. He and Walter then combine to fully jam the signal controlling the drones, causing them to fall clattering to the ground. Walter, you're adjacent to the hazard area; given that the Computers usage is to jam the signal from the control unit, I think that's close enough.
Meanwhile, Lapodie and Zark take their own shots at Glimma. The woman is unprepared for Lapodie's shot, but the ijtikri's aim is a little off and the blast of plasma goes wide. Zark, however, perhaps the restoring words of Walter and Conrad still ringing in his ears, manages to thread a shot of his own through heavy cover and beneath Dov's right arm, impacting Glimma's side. She grunts in pain, nearly losing her grip on her weapon even as her armor absorbs some of the laser's power.
Kastien and Conrad may act. I know Kastien is away at a con, so I'll bot him if he hasn't posted by the time Conrad does.
Zark's wounds distract him enough that he telegraphs his sly moves and Glimma is not fooled. His aim, however, buoyed by encouragement from Conrad and Walter, is good enough that he still manages to land a shot. Her armor absorbs most of the damage, but what gets through draws a grunt of pain and frustration. She appears to resist more than half of that 8 fire damage.
Glimma, her eyes still full of rage, darts out from between Dov and Kastien, dashing to a more sheltered vantage point before once again firing at Zark. Provokes from Dov and Kastien (if he has a melee attack available).
Note, Dov currently has 40 SP after the Inspiring Boost.
Thanks. I noted that, but neglected to update my init block.
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Lapodie places a well-aimed shot that strikes Sisro right in the joint between two armor plates, ricocheting inside their casing. As the shower of ensuing sparks fades, the light is gone from Sisro's eyes, as they sag, motionless, on their treads. Glimma lets out a wail of anguish before glaring at the ijtikri with fresh hatred.
Sisro is down after Lapodie's turn; Kastien, you can re-do yours, since your target is gone.
FYI - I will be headed to DragonCon on Wednesday and will not likely be able to post again until Tuesday, September 2
No worries. We'll try to get another round in before then, and then can either bot you or go on pause again if other people are going to be out for Labor Day cons or other plans.
Walter restores some of Dov's vigor, then encourages their allies to greater prowess. Zark and Conrad immediately press the advantage, battering the hulking SRO with a pair of shots that leave it sparking and on the verge of falling apart! 18 is just barely a hit on Sisro.
Glimma, meanwhile, slips by the Sisro and into more open space (provokes from Dov, if you have a melee weapon/unarmed attack ready), "You'll pay for that, you rats!"
Before the sound of her shot has even faded, she's tapping more commands into her datapad, causing the armada of remaining camera drones to once again erupt in a barrage of laser fire!
Drone lasers vs Zark flat-footed EAC:1d20 + 13 ⇒ (5) + 13 = 18Looks like that hits, only because of her debilitating trick. Fire:6d6 ⇒ (4, 1, 3, 3, 6, 5) = 22
Kastien moves into position as Dov manages to jam the signal controlling some of Glimma's drones. As the machines collide and fall the to the ground, Glimma quickly regains control, keeping about two thirds of them flying. One success; you might surmise you need two more to disable the drones.
Lapodie, meanwhile, joins her allies in focusing fire on Sisro. She manages to conceal her movements juuuuust enough to throw the machine off balance, landing a shot and doing further damage. Would not have hit if it was not flat-footed.
Sisro ignores the damage done to it, spinning around on its treads and charging at Dr. Dov as it bellows "GET AWAY FROM MOTHER!"
Encouraged by Walter, Conrad and Zark combine to land a trio of shots on the hulking Sisro! Glimma howls in anger as sparks fly from the SRO's damaged components. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Perhaps driven to bolder action by her rage, she dashes forward, gun blazing at Walter, the one directing shots at Sisro!
The drones are a hazard, which you can attempt to disable with Computers or Acrobatics (multiple successes needed), or you can attack them directly (they have AC, hp, etc).
The nimble ysoki is able to just duck beneath it, however, and the swing goes wide. BTW, Zark, the AC in your tagline does not match what's in your profile. I'm assuming here that the profile is correct.
Glimma taps something into her wrist terminal. Suddenly, the lights around Zark begin to flicker and flash in a distracting pattern! As Zark's attention is pulled slightly, she takes aim and fires!
Walter, seeing Conrad walk right through a wall is enough to clue you in to what everyone else spotted. I'll mark the secret passage on the map. Conrad, you see a similar passage ahead of you as well.
Glimma sobs a little, then shakes her head angrily. "No! The time for that has long past! All that's left now is revenge."You don't get the impression that she is open to your overtures.
After everyone has caught their breath, the sound of the explosion still ringing in your ears, you proceed down the hatch. The short passageway at the base of the ladder opens into a warren of branching corridors and small chambers, carved from the compacted and sealed junk that makes up the walls. Rusted iron plates cover fissures in the floor, where junk has previously collapsed in on itself, and several crates stand open in the area, their interiors filled with padding and small gray packages.
“You just had to get involved, didn’t you!” a woman’s voice rings out across the cavern, echoing through the passageways. “Do you realize what you’re interfering with? Kyvex took everything from me when they killed my sweet Orsis," she shouts, nearly screaming, "and now they’ve got to die!” Her voice cracks in a choked sob. “They deserve what’s coming to them, and I’ll make sure that horrid Ratrod takes the blame; if it wasn’t for his races, my son would still be alive." After a deep breath, she seems to get control of herself. "I didn’t want to have to kill you, but you leave me no choice. Sisro, get them!”
A robotic voice answers with an obedient, “Yes, mother.”
You see, ready for you in positions of cover, Glimma and Sisro, weapons drawn! It's up to you whether you had your own weapons drawn here. Swirling around Glimma is a small armada of camera drones, seemingly recording your every move.
Conrad, Dov, Kastien, Lapodie, Zark:
You notice a section of rock wall off to the right (marked with a little blue dot) waver, and realize that it’s actually a holoprojection covering a short tunnel. You can pass straight through the rock there at full speed.
Dov:
You notice that the lenses of Glimma’s camera drones look an awful lot like the barrel of laser guns...
This is a hazard; you can disable her drones with an Engineering check to disable the drones, a Computers check to jam the signal from her control module, or an Acrobatics check to maneuver the drones into colliding (must be adjacent for Engineering or Acrobatics).
Left the weekend to see if anyone else wanted to chimed in. I'll take Kastien's suggestion as your next step.
Conrad turns on his flashlight and waits for Kastien to open the hatch. Unfortunately, none of you spat the small cable connected to the panel, and the moment Kastien pulls it open, the area erupts in a ball of explosive fire! I rolled perception checks against this earlier, and I'm afraid no one spotted it.
Fire damage to everyone:4d10 + 2 ⇒ (3, 7, 7, 6) + 2 = 25 DC 16 Reflex avoids
One the ringing cacophony of the explosion subsides, you see that the open hatch has exposed a ladder heading downward into what looks like a maintenance corridor below.
Conrad and Zark look over the hidden latch carefully, not finding any traps attached. Carefully flipping the lever, a panel on the side of the workbench pops open to reveal a hidden cabinet. Inside, you find the following:
A black business card, blank but for the image of a lidless eye and a handwritten contact number; it's very similar to the one you found on the mercenaries that ambushed you on the way to the track.
A datapad containing schematics for the hoverlift model used in the racing pits, as well as the model of camera drone favored by Ratrod.
A half-full box of organic meal-replacement drinks.
DC 20 Culture:
This brand of meal-replacement drinks are popular on Castrovel, but rarely seen elsewhere in the Pact Worlds.
Zark has no trouble carefully disarming the wire and unlocking the shed door, which Kastien then pushes open with his leg. Inside, racks of dusty, seldom-used tools, partially used buckets of paint, and other miscellaneous maintenance equipment line the walls. A small lamp on an articulated arm shines above a workbench tucked into the back corner of the room, mostly obscured by crates and a rack of broken equipment. The shed appears to be unoccupied.
As you move cautiously into the shed, you get a better view of the workbench. Resting atop, you see a partially disassembled camera drone, its case removed (you think with an engineering check to reassemble followed by a computers check to restore its programming, you could return this camera drone to functionality to record your investigation).
Pinned to a bulletin board above the workbench are an array of photographs, one for each of the pilots scheduled to compete in the race. The pictures are in an analogous arrangement to the array of build competition work pits.
You all notice that the arrangement is the same as racers were arrayed in the pits, except that Kyvex and Lemgem are switched. Most dramatically, a small dagger is embedded through the picture of Kyvex, penetrating through the board and into the wall, as if thrown at the picture with great force.
Conrad:
You notice a small latch on the back of the workbench.
Finally, you see a small, closed hatch in the floor near the workbench. The lack of dust on it compared to the surrounding area indicates it has been opened recently.
Arriving at the shed, you find a structure made of rusting corrugated metal, white paint flaked patchy. The hasp of the door is locked with a simple mechanical padlock. Before you decide how to approach the lock, Zark and Dov both clock a small wire attached to the door, just visible in the small gap between the door and the jamb. Closer examination reveals a simple, homemade alarm attached to the inside the door.
You can tell that, if not disarmed, the alarm would trigger on opening the door, rather than on touching the lock. The alarm can be disabled with an Engineering check, and the lock can be opened with an Engineering check to open it, or an Athletics check to break it.
Zark finally gains access to the root code controlling the drone. He finds that whoever altered the code is very proficient, their code elegant and efficient while structured not to stand out from the remaining manufacturing code. The only unusual or distinguishing details that Zark finds are several mentions of the name Orsis in variable names and inline comments.
You've found all the things! I'll assume you're going to the shed from here (another post incoming).
Hope everyone who took part had a safe and enjoyable GenCon! I'm ready to start up again whenever you are, and when you decide what you want to do next.
Conrad, Dov, and Zark spend some time examining the footage Conrad sweet-talked from Avarin and their team, looking for anything suspicious leading up to the attempted attack.
The footage reveals... wrote:
The trio find footage of an interview shot with the work area as backdrop. While the meat of the interview is not relevant to the investigation, they do spot a figure in the background (medium humanoid, ancestry and gender impossible to identify from the blurry background footage) doing something to the acetylene tanks. In another clip, they spot the drone in question, floating shakily toward the build pits from the south, near a rusty maintenance shed.
Lapodie and Walter, meanwhile, stick with the drone itself, trying to tease out anything useful from its programming. Unfortunately, whoever changed its code knew what they were doing and didn't leave any obvious clues.
While the rest of the team examine the evidence on hand, Kastien continues talking to other witnesses.
Interview findings wrote:
A track maintenance worker noticed a camera drone floating idly near one of the maintenance sheds near the southern end of the track earlier. She thought it was strange, as there was nothing to film that far from the action, but didn't have time to follow up before the attack.
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You have time for another round of checks if you'd like. The only info you haven't gathered yet is whatever is to be gleaned from the code. Alternatively, you could forgo further investigation in order to act on the information you've already found. Let me know what you'd like to do next (whatever it is, we'll do it after GenCon, since at least one person is already away from their computer).
Zark and Lopodie quickly dig into the captured camera drone, looking for clues in its construction.
Drone findings wrote:
The extra battery attached to the camera drone was rigged to discharge all at once, likely intending to ignite one of the acetylene tanks. Additionally, you can tell that the welds mounting the battery unit to the drone are extremely recent, likely done today.
Dov spends some time investigating the scene of the near-accidents, looking for anything out of place.
Findings at the scene wrote:
A specialized wrench made for installing and removing the safety caps from gas tanks lies discarded in a pile of junk at the southern end of the track, near a rusty metal maintenance shed.
Walter and Kastien, meanwhile, chat with other people that were present during the near-catastrophes, hoping to find details the party might have missed.
Interview findings wrote:
Walter talks to a member of Ratrod's pit crew, who noticed several of the acetylene tank caps mi9ssing and reported their concern to Ratrod. They were instructed to send an immediate message to the track safety officer and then get back to work. They don't know what steps were taken from there.
Kastien, meanwhile, manages to get a few words in with Kyvex. They are adamant that the caps were in place at the beginning of the competition. As they complain into one of the livestreaming camera drones hovering around them, they had to waste several minutes tracking down a wrench to remove the cap off the extra tank they pulled off the stack, because the one that was supposed to be stored nearby was missing. They're sure that this was the work of one of their competitors, trying to hold them back from a certain victory.
While all this was going on, Conrad spends his time chatting with "Awesome" Ace Avarin. He leverages his own status, practiced confidence, and gift for gab to convince the reporter to share their footage! This unlocks the Analyze Footage option below!.
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You have time for another round of checks if you want to look for more. I'll repeat your options below, and cross out ones where you have already learned all there is to learn. You have enough time for up to two more rounds of checks, but can at any point decide that you have enough information to pursue another avenue.
ROUND 2:
Investigate Drone (Engineering or Computers)
Interview Witnesses (Diplomacy)
Acquire Media Footage (Profession [video personality or similar], Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate)
Investigate the Scene (Profession [detective or similar], Perception, or Survival)
Analyze Footage (relevant Profession, Computers, or Perception)
Walter consults with the team but believes the various events are worth investigating. They know their strengths though, so would like to interview witnesses and in particular find any who have video of the events or the time leading up to the events when preparation/sabotage is likely. They will leave the technical analysis to others unless someone wants assistance.
Walter, please either make me a Diplomacy check to interview witnesses, or a Diplomacy, Bluff, Intimidate, or Profession (video personality or similar) check to talk the media present into turning over their footage, depending on which approach you want to take.
For everyone else, you can take turns guarding the racer enough that you each can make some sort of check if you wish. Some suggested options for investigating:
Investigate Drone (Engineering or Computers)
Interview Witnesses (Diplomacy)
Acquire Media Footage (Profession [video personality or similar], Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate)
Investigate the Scene (Profession [detective or similar], Perception, or Survival)
"Hmm. Something I didn't look into too much while we were putting on extra engines and weapons...how many seats do these things have? I'm not a very good pilot, but I could give a good pilot regular injections to make them a better one!"
This is a good question. Each racer has one seat. We'll get to the full race mechanics later, but essentially one person will act as pilot while the rest act as pit crew.
Lapodie has better luck finding parts than Walter, finding an old metal advertisement that's perfect for Conrad's aesthetic improvements! The +4 from Lapodie is enough to make that a success.
Dr. Dov and Kastien, meanwhile, finish improving the weapon systems, while Zark puts the finishing touches on the propulsion. Successes for all three. You've maxed out your bonuses, and installed the grappler.
A race official comes by with a datapad turning it to show you. "Congratulations! You've won over the fans, and they have chosen you as the winners of the build competition! As a reward, you will be given a small advantage to begin the race."Your advantage is that you get to start a little ways back from the starting line, and can begin accelerating before the light turns green, so that when it does, you have a running start. Mechanically, this is represented by your pilot getting to roll twice and take the better result on the first Piloting check during the race.
With the build competition completed, you have 30 minutes in the green room to relax and prepare before the race begins. You can use this time however you'd like, including investigating the strange goings-on if you choose. Let me know what you'd like to do, in broad terms.
