Starfinder Adventure: Skitter Warp

In some ways, Skitter Warp is a sequel to Skitter Crash, as it’s also set on the osharu planet of Varkulon 4 and features a return of the Helix Lyceum and NPCs like Ponatia. At the same time, it’s also a tie-in to the “Drift Crisis” event. In an interesting twist, one of the normal group of Skittermanders--Nako--isn’t a playable PC, and is instead replaced by her namesake Nakonechkin (their vesk boss). As we’ll see, the reason for the swap is a fun one that might be a good surprise to the players.

Part 1 (“Into the Danger Zone”) starts with a little freeform role-playing, as each PC is aboard the Clutch and gets a chance to describe the fun little memento they picked up from Varkulon 4 during their latest salvage job (Nako is still planetside helping to gather the last of it). But then it’s right into the action, as the Drift Crash strikes, hurtling the planet and the orbiting Clutch into a strange miasma. The Drift Crash threatens to become a literal starship crash, and the PCs have to make some skill checks to keep their ship aloft. If they fail too many of the checks, their ship will have reduced shields for another threat posed by the miasma: a type of ghost ship called a derelict shade. It’s a cool foe for a starship combat, but again Paizo doesn’t have the courage of its convictions and even if the good guys lose, all it means is the PCs take some damage to stamina points (which they can promptly regain with a 10-minute rest and the trivial expenditure of a resolve point). Having played Starfinder since its beginning, I really do think one of its weaknesses is a demonstrated reluctance to let genuinely bad things happen to PCs. Anyway, after the battle, the PCs get a transmission from Headmaster Kiodea at the Helix Lyceum request an urgent visit.

Part 2 (“Golden Siege”) has the Clutch descending to the surface of Varkulon 4 and its crew realising that the effect of the strange cosmic storm has been radical! Planar energy has surged randomly throughout, changing the landscape, building, and even inhabitants. The area around the Helix Lyceum was struck by good-aligned planar energy, and its residents have become quasi-angelic beings! However, those in some of the surrounding areas were struck by infernal or umbral energy and altered accordingly. Upon landing, the PCs have to fight off an “infernal nilothera” (a good call back to Skitter Crash where they fought a normal one) before meeting with Headteacher Kiodea. He explains that the city-university has received a threatening transmission, and plays it for the group: on screen is Ponatia, but his head now bears curled ram’s horns and his face is twisted with rage as he vows “vengeance” on the Lyceum. Hundreds of wrath-filled foes soon surround it, and the PCs are tasked with three missions to aid in its defence. They can do the missions in any order, with the one they choose to do last altered to be a little bit harder. One mission involves escorting civilians to safety past some corrupted umbral-infused osharus. I liked how stealth (instead of combat) was a legitimate option for success. Another mission, fortifying the Lyceum’s defenses, is purely skills based. A third mission is a straight-up fight against some undead (bone trooper) osharus. Once the missions are over, Headteacher Kiodea say he may have a true solution to the problem: he’s identified the precise source of the planar contamination, and if the PCs douse it with a mystical cleansing oil, the corruption should abate.

Part 3 (“Spring of Evil”) has the PCs travelling to the source of the contamination (the Acavo River), fighting a warmonger devil and (hopefully) avoiding a sinkhole trap before the big climax. Not only must they face “Evil Ponatia” (a fiendish mystic) their friend Nako is present as well--but she’s full of hate and immediately attacks! I love the artwork they gave for her. Smart PCs will have one of the group who’s trained in Mysticism immediately attempt the ritual to reverse the corruption, because otherwise they’ll have a knock-down fight on their hands. Once the corruption is reversed, Nako and Ponatia return to normal, and the crew of the Clutch can head off to another adventure.

Playing these Free RPG Day adventures on my son’s birthdays over the years has been a happy and memorable experience, and I should thank Paizo and the author (Jason Keeley) for the opportunity. With Second Edition Starfinder in the works, I’m not sure whether or not the crew of the Clutch will return. I think they’ve got a lot of adventuring left in them, so I hope so!