A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st- through 4th-level characters.
During the Drift Crisis, the vulnerable, endangered, and afraid turn to Absalom Station for guidance and protection. This unprecedented influx of refugees has left Absalom Station severely overcrowded and the station’s governing body, the Syndicsguild, stymied. With nowhere to go and little choice, a group of refugees enter the mysterious Ghost Levels, determined to form a new district in this dangerous and under-explored region of Absalom Station. Knowing well the danger of exploring the Ghost Levels, the Starfinder Society dispatches a team to aid the burgeoning community. With luck, the Starfinder Society can prove to the Syndicsguild that the upper reaches of the Ghost Levels can be safely settled, so long as they’re explored with care by responsible groups knowledgable in engineering, magic, and archaeology—groups like the Starfinder Society!
Ghost Level Delve is a Starfinder Society scenario for Levels 1-4. It's the first Season Five scenario I've played, and I experienced it through play-by-post at low subtier with my fun journalist character, Vitellius Korpopolis. The scenario is well-written and makes a smart connection to the aftermath of the Drift Crisis event. It provides some intriguing hints to some of the mysteries of Absalom Station for experienced players while being perfectly approachable for new ones. Although the overall tone may be a bit too light for my personal taste, I can respect a quality scenario and Ghost Level Delve is certainly one of them.
SPOILERS!:
The premise to Ghost Level Delve is that, after the Drift Crisis, Absalom Station has been flooded by thousands of refugees that threaten to swamp its capacity to house them. Rather than turn them away, one possibility is to allow them to settle in the so-called "Ghost Levels", an area of the Spike that has always been barred to inhabitation (or even organised exploration) because of the dangerous, bizarre creatures and ecosystems reported to lie within. But with the recent crisis, the Starfinder Society has pushed to be allowed to start clearing the "Ghost Levels", and the PCs (in a briefing held by Zigvigix and Harmony of Many) are assigned to the task. The Starfinders are instructed to aid a new community called Fullbridge which is located right on the edge of a Ghost Level. It's a strong and interesting adventure hook. (because I'm still way behind on storylines, this was my first experience with Harmony of Many and the Advocates and Manifold Host factions; I'd like to learn more)
A taste of action comes immediately, as the PCs encounter a group of lashunta refugees being menaced by the "Bulkhead Bruisers" gang. My skittermander Steward character, Officer Swizzers, has a neat boon for fighting gang members, but alas, she wasn't present. The gang toughs can be dealt with through old-fashioned combat or driven away through intimidation. Fullbridge itself is led by a dragonkin named Lourvictrix, a former Knight of Golarion. There are a variety of skill checks the PCs can make here to help the community with everyday issues that have arisen (moving supplies, getting electrical systems operating, etc.) and some brief but flavourful NPCs to interact with. The GM will just need to supply some of the description of the tasks, as the scenario doesn't go into much detail.
The heart of the scenario starts when the PCs are approached by Lourvictrix with an urgent request: her bonded partner, a fellow former Knight of Golarion named Elymilra, has gone missing in the Ghost Levels. Good thing there are Starfinders around! This is the set-up that could lead to a generic dungeon crawl, but the writer did a nice job changing things up. There are some non-combat encounters (a "hexoglin" that can be persuaded to stop chewing on power cables and a jububnan who needs help with a coming-of-age ritual), some intriguing exploration (especially a telepathic vision that a barren planet may have once occupied the place where Absalom Station does now!), and of course some hazards and foes (strange crab monsters called "vurchyras"). Elymilra is found unconscious near the latter threat, and I like how, if the PCs are forced to retreat from them and leave her behind, she dies! Rarely will scenarios actually impose failure conditions. Assuming all goes well, the PCs can return with Elymilra to Fullbridge and help petition for the refugee community to become fully recognised.
As I said, I enjoyed the premise to Ghost Level Delve and liked the variety of plot elements it featured. I'd be happy to explore the Ghost Levels further, and see what else can be unveiled about the Gap!
Wow, a sewer level! Now we're really playing in a role-playing game.
This one went over very well in my play group. The variety of locales and interesting characters were very fun to depict and interact with, and the environments were mysterious and unsettling in the right ways. This scenario does a great job of reminding players that, despite how familiar they may be with Absalom Station, we don't fully know everything there is to know about it. I really hope that this becomes a recurring location we get to see grow and develop over future seasons.
In terms of gameplay, there's a really great mix of different challenges to overcome that test a variety of skills and toolsets. The final encounter might be a bit challenging, especially for newer players, but the equipment and handouts provided by the scenario should help on that front. I also like how some of the hazards have unforseen consequences down the line, really making them feel more impactful and meaningful than just "oh no you failed a perception check, now take a bucketful of dice as damage." A great scenario all around.
This module has a really good feel of the dystopian nature of the bowels of a space station. Has a feel akin to the sewers in Demolition man or Babylon-5. There are a lot of good mechanics, well designed puzzles, sensible combats, and a well built story for your characters to engage with. I enjoyed it and wish they would expand on concepts like this in the future.
This scenario made me want to come back to this locale again and again. The characters and setting were wonderful and made my group really want to dig into things and play around. I only put this at 4 stars instead of 5 because this game brought me closer to a TPK in SFS than I've ever been before (I was the only one left conscious at the end), although I feel a bit guilty for the deduction as it's very possible that was due mostly to poor party composition, barely making it into high tier, and only having 5 players. So I was guessing we were going to have a hard time at whatever the scenario had in store, before even playing. That said, I'd hate to rate something at 5 stars if it IS prone to near-TPKs (I'm not a huge fan of games getting quite that close to full-wipes). So I'm hedging my bets. Regardless, as far as the interesting details that bring a setting and characters to life, and terrain features that help creative tactics flourish in combats, this scenario was fantastic! I hope we get to return to the Ghost Levels again (many times, perhaps).
(based on 6 ratings)
