Saar's page

Looks good. Thanks for running, DM Kludde!!

[ooc]Wow... well, we were right feeling that something was off, but I didn’t expect EVERYTHING to be off!! What a crazy ride. Thanks for running the game, DM K. This was fascinating. And kudos to the rest of the team on a fun adventure. We did pretty well together — apart from the Sense Motive rolls. :) [/ooc

Saar lifts a cookie and a glass to the team as they return home. “Glad we didn’t know about these cookies on the planet. I might not have left.”

He chuckles but the laugh dies out. “Can’t help thinking about those people, stuck there. Just awful.” He shivers involuntarily, almost spilling his drink.

Maybe we can do something about it. Think I’ll petition Ehu to take it on when we get home.

Day job — antiquities expert: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24

192 credits for day job ... (24 [roll] * 2) * 4 [Known Quality, tier 4] =

I'm right there with you, Nimh. That's exactly where Saar was going. Maybe if we irk someone enough, we'll get a break.

Saar listens to the Sheriff. I have a bad feeling about this. It just gets worse and worse.

He points to the bear parts Rani has. “We got these off one of the bears, and found the remote control as well. The other bear… I think my shot hit the power supply. It blew up. And Zatteh confessed to what she did.”

Saar pauses a moment and his eyes rest on the sheriff’s wounds. He cocks his head and leans in. [b]“Say, those looked a lot worse at the party, Sheriff. You seem to have healed pretty quickly. Mind if I have a look at them?”

GM - If he’ll let me, I’ll do a check to compare what I saw earlier with how they look now. Would that be Medicine or Perception?

— Before getting to the Sheriff’s office… —

”There is something else going on here, but I can't figure it out. I am concerned the Sherriff though. This might have been a power struggle amongst the baddies. I don't trust anyone here.”

“I feel the same, Nimh. We have one break — Zatteh. Even if we walked into a power struggle, Zatteh wanted to take out the Sheriff. That makes the Sheriff our ally. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ Maybe we can leverage that.”

— At the Sheriff’s office… —-
“Speaking of the robot bears, Zatteh told us that you were his target, not us. We just stumbled into the setup. And she said she wants to ‘run the town’ instead of Mayor Aliorno. What’s going on? What do you know about a group called the Mongers?”

We all have those games...

We're at 21 with Nimh and a support from Rani. Go, Data, go!!

Interesting... I never noticed that before. Guess I'll go for the Diplomat one. At least they could intimidate for me. Or blow some credits on the level 5 Pheromap (https://www.aonsrd.com/Cybernetics.aspx?ItemName=Advanced&Family=Phero map)... or just take Skill Synergy and make Sense Motive a class skill.

Ah yes, our old nemesis Sense Motive… I expected your call.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 Untrained, just leaning on Wisdom and positive thoughts… which apparently weren’t positive enough. :( Good luck, Rani and Data! Maybe you can support Nimh and we can get our first Sense Motive success!!

Obviously, Saar needs to get a henchman for such things. I’ll do that right after the adventure is over…

OMG, it’s a four-armed version of Mrs. Jenkins… right down to the killer robot!! https://scoobydoo.fandom.com/wiki/Sarah_Jenkins

Saar bares his teeth in a very unsettling smile.

“Hands up, Zatteh. Appropriate that my drow keepers called me degahr'hi dalhar because I made such trouble as a child. Guess I never lost the knack. Why do you want to run the town? And you still haven’t explained who the Mongers are. Speak.”

He pauses to let the confession run out, then raises his gun in a cover position.

“Let’s tie her up and take her back to the Sheriff. Sounds like he’s someone we can trust in the middle of all this. We'd better grab that controller, too.”

“Zatteh, what are your people hiding? What’s really going on here? Too many things don’t fit. You. Redozoko. Robotic ‘bears’ attacking at just the right time to bring us out here. Even the Hospital records. What’s happening here? Why is everyone lying to us? And who are the Mongers?? We can help if you're in trouble, but we need the truth. NOW.”

Saar seriously considers firing a couple of rounds into the ground at the kasathan’s feet to encourage cooperation like the drow did when Saar was little, but he tries to stay calm.

“Zatteh… what are you doing out here? Why would you think that the fake rock bears would attack you?”

He reloads his gun as he talks and keeps a wary eye out for another attack during the conversation.

“All I said was… ”

Then he bursts into laughter and holds up his hands.

“Truth, truth… I started it. I really needed that laugh. Thanks.”

Methinks we're all getting a little slap happy. :)

Saar joins Rani and the rest of the team in examining the bear’s necessities.

Engineering: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37
Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (5) + 18 = 23

“Data, do you need to sit a bit? That first bear got you a good one. Anyone else get swatted?”

Thanks, GM!

Move action: Calibrate my gun on blue.
Standard action: Fire on blue.

Saar adjusts his weapon and allows himself a smile. “I like how these explode. Awesome.”.

He squeezes the trigger.

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17 vs EAC
T-shirt re-roll attack; +3 Novas: 1d20 + 13 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 13 + 3 = 23 vs EAC -- thank goodness for Novas!

Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 + 2d6 ⇒ (8, 11, 7) + 10 + 10 + (2, 1) = 49 Using Improved Overcharge for an extra 2d6 damage. Corrosive fusion replaces fire with acid, so damage is half electricity, half acid.

GM - Does Saar have line of sight on the blue bear from where he’s standing?

Engineering: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (4) + 22 = 26 To see if there's any extra info I can glean about these robot bears.

Standard action: Fire on red
Move action: Take a new position in the rocks thanks to Nimble Moves.

Saar draws a steady line on red and calmly squeezes the trigger.

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (20) + 13 = 33 vs EAC — CRITICAL HIT!!
Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 + 2d6 ⇒ (6, 6, 12) + 10 + 10 + (6, 4) = 54 Using Improved Overcharge for an extra 2d6 damage. Corrosive fusion replaces fire with acid, so damage is half electricity, half acid.
Critical Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 + 2d6 ⇒ (7, 12, 1) + 10 + 10 + (2, 6) = 48 Same damage types.

If I did my math right with the 5 acid resistance and the weakness to electricity, that's 122 points of damage (51-5 acid; 51+24 electricity)

Wound roll: 1d20 ⇒ 1 That’s a “general” wound. It would gain Bleed, but it’s immune. Dammit.

“And that’s what you get for messing with our team. You okay, Data?”

He turns his attention back to the blue bear and growls back at it. “C’mon big blue… come and get me… Rani, you ready for a shot at this one?”

Saar nimbly shifts to a new position, trying to draw the bear into a better angle for Rani’s trick shot.

“So that’s how you want to play…”

Move action: Take a new position in the rocks
Standard action: Fire on red (still calibrated)

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23 vs EAC
Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 + 2d6 ⇒ (5, 8, 9) + 10 + 10 + (4, 4) = 50 Using Corrosive fusion so damage is half electricity, half acid. Also using Improved Overcharge for an extra 2d6 damage

GM - If 23 vs EAC is a miss, I'll take my shirt re-roll with 3 Novas

GM — I changed Saar’s starting position and then moved him a bit more. He has the Nimble Moves feat, so the first 20’ of difficult terrain each round is treated like normal terrain.

“You’re on it Nimh. Something’s not right with those bears…”

If Nimh wants to lead the Engineering roll, Saar auto-supports.

@GM - Done! Sorry about that. Thought I did it before.

GM — Are the rocks to the east of our “start” area difficult terrain?

“Huh… there’re real. Time to cook some bear.”

Move action: Calibrate on red
Standard action: FIRE!!

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (4) + 13 = 17 vs EAC -- Oh, poopberries.
Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 ⇒ (11, 4, 5) + 10 + 10 = 40

Saar kneels for a closer look at the decaying root structure and trees. “I can work with this.”

Engineering: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (1) + 22 = 23 Or maybe not.

He frowns. “This... these... trees... gah, I don't know. I’m used to cities and ruins, not stupid trees. Nimh?”

“They say bears, we get birds. This just gets weirder.”

Perception: 1d20 + 18 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 18 + 4 = 31 Includes +4 for scanner if that applies
Life Science: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18
Survival: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

Saar keeps his weapon out and senses up as the team continues through the woods, the portable scanner in his other hand.

He stops suddenly. “Wait… something changed.”

He swings his gun back into its carrier and runs the scanner with both hands. He moves it side to side, then aims farther down and touches a few buttons. The device responds with a irregular beeping pattern and outlines several things in read on its screen.

“Look at this. Bear tracks were regular, now the’re uneven. Like whoever — whatever — made them only stepped on certain spots.”

His faces squinches as he catches an odor on the wind. “And there’s rotting plants. But why plants if we're getting close to a carnivore's lair?”

Saar continues trying to crispy-fry the birds.

GM — Saar will target whichever bird has taken more damage or whichever one is still an available target on his turn.

Move action: Calibrate on the target
Standard action: FIRE!!

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (12) + 13 = 25 vs EAC
Damage: 3d12 + 10 + 10 ⇒ (4, 5, 10) + 10 + 10 = 39

“‘Bear’ must mean something different here. Maybe ‘trap to kill you with.’”

He moves down the path behind Rani and aims at the left bird.

White Star Conqueror: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26 vs EAC

Damage: 3d12 + 10 ⇒ (7, 8, 6) + 10 = 31 Aurora + Electric and Fire. if Nimh’s Life Science check reveals that they’re immune to one of those or vulnerable to acid, I’ll switch one energy type to acid with the fusion.

“Should’ve checked the forest earlier… when we had light.”

Saar moves his gun into its ready position and inspects the area

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (2) + 14 = 16 He's obviously more comfortable in constructed environments...

GM — If it matters, Saar has Trap Spotter 10’ from his Xenoarchaeologist theme.

“Something's very wrong with the whole settlement. Think this ‘attack’ is staged?”

Mongers… Mongers… hmm…

Saar rolls the term around in his mind to see if it rings a bell anywhere.

Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (6) + 15 = 21

Saar auto-supports Rani for 17 total.

Perception: 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (14) + 18 = 32

Saar tries to smile as his eyes constant scan the crowd. Don’t like this… people everywhere…

Finding the warning note under his plate strangely helps his smile. ”The Mongers are always watching.” Maybe now we’ll find out what’s going on.

As the festivities begin, he passes word of the note to the team. After two plates of food and another couple of desserts, he leans back in the chair with a contented sigh.

Of course, that’s when the screaming starts. And I was just starting to wonder…

At the edge of the town, he eyes the wounded sheriff and listens to the story. “Rock bears, eh? We can help with that.” And maybe find out what’s really happening here… assuming that’s really a rock bear wound.

Saar can auto-aid anyone who’s good at Medicine or try the roll himself at +11.

Saar looks at the team. “Maybe it’s me. Don’t deal with people well sometimes. Stuff just doesn’t fit about this place. Can’t figure it out.”

He looks at his comm unit’s display. “Feel like the mine might tell us something, but felt that way about construction and we learned nothing.” Except for the construction woman’s words… still don’t sit right with me but, well…

If there’s time and the team is interested, the mine seems like an obvious choice. But we’re also getting close to the end of time on the scenario, so if we need to move ahead, we move ahead.

@GM - When we heard about it, the party was happening in two hours. Since then, we visited two sites. How are we doing on time? At the very least, we want to be on time for the ‘party’ they’re throwing, even though the idea fills me with a desire to check my ammo supply...

Rani - Could you use a t-shirt re-roll on that? Heck, I'll give you MY re-roll with +3 Novas. You're literally our only hope of getting the truth out of her. Nobody else can hit the DC even with a nat 20.

Nimh - You're SO right!! Awesome at tech, but don't ask us to talk to anyone.

Saar hears the overseer’s objection and tries to listen to her real meaning.

Crit fishing… but no crit. :( Here’s hoping someone else can cover this one!

He believes the woman’s explanation, and looks around the site.

Engineering: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (15) + 22 = 37

”You have to tell me, where are you from? Have you travelled to many places? You have to tell me all about the planets you've visited,” she says eagerly, and adds *sigh* I'll never be able to leave this planet….

Hoping to make a good impression, Saar starts to share some of his travels when the lashunta woman's last comment twists his guts. No… not here too...

He cautiously leans closer to her and lowers his voice a bit. “How did you come here? Why can’t you leave the planet? Do you have family here or is it something else?”

Despite his efforts, his voice catches at the end of his question. “I grew up in slavery on Apostae. I know about not being able to leave... ”

Saar’s stomach rumbles, but he nods to the team.

“Construction site is it. Let’s go.”

”OK .... Still not sure what's really going on. What do we know so far?”

Saar puffs his cheeks and blows a sigh. “Don’t *know* much, just have lots of things that don’t fit. Doctor said they mostly deal with little things, but I got into their records. Lots of accidents get treated — stuff that looks like injuries from mine work. A vesk and kasathan whose timelines don’t match the reality we know. The over-powered space defense system. Now a ‘party’ in our honor? I just don’t know what’s going on. It makes no sense.”

Heading to the northern side of town, Saar hopes to feel more grounded in the world of machines and industry. He looks around for clues.

Engineering: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (3) + 22 = 25

Distracted by the mysteries -- and feeling pretty hungry as well -- he comes away with an increased sense that something's wrong, but he figure out what...

Saar gratefully accepts the samples from the doctor. “Love home-brewed serums. Had them all the time back home.” Because on Apostae we couldn’t afford to buy them… but that was a whole lifetime ago.

As the party invitation arrives, Saar nods and smiles. “Kind of you. Thanks. We’ll be there.”

When Zatteh leaves, he turns back to the group. “Wanna look at the north industrial area partying? Too many things seem too big for this settlement. Maybe we find out why up there.”

“What about animals or injuries from the mine? We keep hearing that the woods are dangerous but only saw a big herbivore so far. Might step on your foot or chew your coat a bit…”

Saar follows up once that one dies down. “When did you come here, doctor? Was there another doctor before you?”

@GM - Once we wrap this conversation and leave the doctor, can Saar attempt to remote hack her computer (or another nearby computer)? He has 40’ range on his remote hack skill. I want to search the hospital records for injuries like wild animals or working in the mine... and to see if there's anything hidden in there that she's not sharing.

Computers: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (17) + 21 = 38

@GM: How do Paoro’s dates and the dates on the statue line up with present time? What is the current AG date? (If it matters within the scope of this mission...)

“Thanks for seeing us. Very busy today? Waiting room looked pretty empty.”

He gets on with directly answering her question about supplies. “Yes, doctor, we do. General load, I’m afraid. Hope they can meet your needs. What d’ya mostly treat here? We can bring a better load next time.”

Wonder why this has to be quick?

Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (7) + 14 = 21 Sadly, no medicine skill here

Apologies, Nimh — we posted at almost the same time and I missed yours.

”I think we should see what the records say about Paoro, the priest who preceded Nikeela Phuvo.”

Saar nods. “Good idea. Didn’t think about him.”

Culture: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 15 + 2 = 21 Including a +2 aid from Nimh.

Saar reports his findings about the mysterious mine to the group.

“Can’t trust anything here. S’all hiding something.”

He stops to think for a moment, then nods to himself.

“How about going to the hospital? We got medicine on board… good cover for the seeing what hurts people here. Learn a lot from injuries and sickness.”

Saar hits his comms.

“Found the death certificate for Berrla, the statue lady. The death date matches the original date Rani saw on the statue, the hidden date. And a rock bear didn’t kill her, unless it figured out how to shoot a gun. She died from a gunshot to the chest. More deceptions.”

He thinks for a moment, then dives back into the archives. Let’s see what you can tell me about that mine…

Culture: 1d20 + 15 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 15 + 2 = 36 +2 aid from Nimh. Moral support aid from Data. :)

GM - In case it will matter, Saar has Trap Spotter from his Xenoarchaeologist theme: “You often encounter ancient, exotic traps and security devices, varying from mechanical defenses to magical wards. You have honed your senses to pick out warning signs of traps of any kind. When you come within 10 feet of a trap, you can immediately attempt a Perception check to notice the trap, which should be rolled in secret by the GM.”

———

”Rock bears, well, I guess nobody likes good music anymore.”

Saar gives Data a mock grimace. “Awful and wonderful. Good joke. You’re quick.”

”I’m sensing a coverup.”

Saar gives the barest of nods in agreement. “A lot of this feels wrong. Details don’t fit.”

”I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“You aren’t alone, Nimh.”

Saar subconsciously reaches back to the plasma array in its custom mount, feeling the twin power cells in place and checking the latch that swings the gun into firing position.

He gently exhales, but his eyes keep moving, just like he learned in the tunnel expeditions. Conflicting emotions push the words into his mind from early memories. ”Always be looking… ABL. You’re ABL, aren’t ya boy?” Yup, dad. And I’ll never stop.[/I]

----

In the archives, Saar looks for settlement records relating to Mayor Aliorno, Zatteh, Redozoko, and Berrla Tonhue.

He stands in front of the “files” and cracks his knuckles. “Time to dig.”

Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31 Do population records on different people count as separate topics?

“Do animals bother the farm or the mine workers?”

Sonic dampener noted. Saar will add that to his armor when he has a chance. He’ll move his custom rig back to its original arm-mounted position to open up a slot.

Saar couldn’t get near that Sense Motive check even with a nat 20, so he’ll focus on Culture.

Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (20) + 15 = 35 Speaking of nat 20's...

Saar returns the greeting in vesk and, as is becoming a habit, tries to not look surprised. A vesk in a Pact Worlds settlement that was founded when we were at war with the Veskarium!? What is going on here?? Maybe we’ll find a unicorn, too…

“Well met, Redozoko. I’m Saar. Your hunting prowess shows.” He gestures to indicate the beast. “What is this? And this is one of the ‘less dangerous’ ones out there… what else is there?”

What kind of wounds does the beast show? Can I tell how he killed it?

”The holy symbol of Talavet? That one was here before I started my mission here. I never get any followers of Talavet here who want services, so I’m spending more on storage and upkeep than I can recover in fees. I'd let you have it for 5 credits, you’d be taking a liability off my hands.”

Saar blinks and tries to hide his confusion.

This just keeps getting weirder. A kasatha who arrived at the settlement before the kasatha ship reached the Pact Worlds… a changed death date on the founder's statue… and then the kasatha — whose entire culture focuses around stories — doesn’t worship their normal deity in the local temple? What the hell??

“Nikeela, when did you start your mission here?”

If the Talavet symbol isn’t too large or heavy, Saar will ask Nikeela if they’re serious about selling it and will gladly purchase it for five credits.

Saar admires the statue. “It’s a beautiful piece.. quite the honor for your founder.”

Perception: 1d20 + 18 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 18 + 4 = 23 Using the scanner as well, but nothing heals a nat 1. :(

Noting nothing strange about the statue, he follows the group to the temple to the temple and looks around there, nodding and introducing himself to the priest in his turn.

Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (14) + 15 = 29

”Sorry .... I think we broke it”

Memories of molten slag and uncontrolled drones play through Saar’s mind. He looks pained.

“Now that we know you’re here, the Starfinders can help protect the colony… and probably rebuild the drone system.”

Switching to more comfortable topics, Saar points to the statue of the woman.

“Who is this?”

After finding out more about the statue, he turns to Zatteh.

“When did you arrive here, Zatteh? You part of the first settlers? The ones from the Pact Worlds?”

Saar tries to mask his growing discomfort at this scene. It all seems so… normal… but an automated defense platform like that for a little place like this?

Culture: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (4) + 15 = 19 The dice gods take their revenge for shooting down the drone platform...

“Mayor, why have a defense system like that? Seems like overkill. Did your colony build it?”