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Didn't see a thread for this one yet, just had a question about one section (its possible I'll have more but I wanted to throw this one out there.) On page 12, one of the ways to resolve the conflict with Razor is a "Battle of Wits"
The "Battle of Wits" says "Attacking the opponent’s ships
involves an opposed Intelligence, Piloting, Profession (vidgamer),
or gunnery check."
There's just one, potential, problem. Razor doesn't have a skill modifier for Piloting or Profession (vidgamer), I'm really struggling to figure out how a well prepared PC doesn't just automatically win this trough opposed Piloting checks that Razor can't possibly match, especially at higher tier.
Starfinder Society Developer
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Hmmmmm, looks like a bit of a concern that happened when I added in the Vidgamer/Piloting options to this (since they made sense.) That being said, the PCs don't necessarily get all the "mechanical rules" when they're stepping into these roles. Similarly, Razor does the games of wit for fun. If the PCs end up putting their Pilot to play the game, then they luck out. If they end up putting their Vidgamer... well... I'm actually really OK with that.
Let it stand!
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I ran this last Friday, players chose "wits". I was also surprised to see her lack of piloting and/or vidgamer skills.
It was a great scene regardless, one thing I'd change though; I think it'd be a lot more engaging if done on the space combat map using highly simplified starship combat rules. It could still just be one person playing the game, but everyone at the table could discuss strategy/etc.
Venture-Agent, Minnesota—Minneapolis
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For those who have suspicious PCs with the AbadarCorp Annoyance boon:
I had the hackivists provide data such as school records and memberships that helped with the forgery of the ID. Accepting their help then became using some information without the PCs having to just trust them in everything.
I also had the contact make the connection through multiple relays.
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 8
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Rather than attempting a skill check, a PC can get another PC to perform the check for them. A PC attempting a check for another PC in this manner can use either skill, but he takes a cumulative –2 penalty to the check for each additional PC he attempts the skill check for.
I'm not sure why this penalty is being applied, other than the metagame notion that the PCs shouldn't be leaning on only one character to do all the checks.
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I just absolutely hate the you have to announce you're looking for traps mechanics in a system where getting around that is an 8th level ability. It means that in order to use your characters abilities the player needs to constantly spam the DM what they're looking at, which is annoying from both sides of the table.
Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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I just absolutely hate the you have to announce you're looking for traps mechanics in a system where getting around that is an 8th level ability. It means that in order to use your characters abilities the player needs to constantly spam the DM what they're looking at, which is annoying from both sides of the table.
I feel your pain. Starfinder trap DCs are high enough that most people won't find them on a Take 10; you basically have to Take 20 or have multiple people rolling.
Everyone rolling for every square is teeeeedious.
The solution I'm trying to get local GMs to experiment with giving the GM the PCs' Perception (traps) scores, so that he can roll behind the screen whenever the PCs do get to a trapped area. If they're on "active search mode" that triggers rolls from everyone. If there isn't actually anything to be found then the GM can skip the rolls.
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Finally got to play this yesterday and started prepping it today to run later this month. I have a couple of questions regarding the solar elementals, specifically their radiation effects.
1) If a player is within the aura of both the solar elementals, does she have to save twice per round or just once? (The CRB refers to being "within an area of radiation," it looks like it's not "per source.")
2) The solar elementals have a medium-level radiation effect to 10 feet. That means there should be a low-level radiation effect between 10 and 20 feet. What should the DC for the low-level effect be? The medium-level DC is lower than the standard given in the book.
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I did some more research. Apparently all armor makes you immune to low levels of radiation. (And armor of Item Level 7 and above makes you immune to low and medium levels of radiation.). So unless the PCs remove their armor for some reason they won’t need to make saves against the low levels. Would still be nice to have the DCs but probably isn’t necessary.
Question 1 still stands, though.
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A suit of armor’s environmental protections last for a number of days equal to its item level. Activating or deactivating these environmental protections takes a standard action if you are wearing the suit (assuming the armor was properly donned). If you have access to a suit that is unattended or worn by a helpless creature, you can turn on its environmental protection as a full action, but turning it off requires a Computers check to hack the system, treating the suit as a computer with a tier equal to half the suit’s item level (the base DC to hack a computer is equal to 13 + 4 per tier)
i THINK that means that the suits environmental seals need to be up to protect you from the radiation. SO unless one of your characters is doing the bobba fett thing as their gladiator persona (which, in retrospect, would have been a good idea) they won't have them up until they spend a standard action.
Also, the elementals aren't using a radiation level (low medium, high, original recipe, extra crispy), so it should just provide a bonus to the save.
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i THINK that means that the suits environmental seals need to be up to protect you from the radiation. SO unless one of your characters is doing the bobba fett thing as their gladiator persona (which, in retrospect, would have been a good idea) they won't have them up until they spend a standard action.
Hmmm. I think you're right. Reinstate question 2!
Also, the elementals aren't using a radiation level (low medium, high, original recipe, extra crispy), so it should just provide a bonus to the save.
They are using a radiation level
A solar elemental emits an aura of medium-level radiation out to 10 feet.
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You know, I think the whole "is your armor sealed or unsealed?" thing is going to get pretty unwieldy for GMs. I have a hard enough time in PFS convincing players "No, you wouldn't have your shield on. You were walking through the middle of Absalom on your way to a meeting."
character rattles off the 14 times they have previously been mugged on the streets of absolom....
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The way I read the solar elementals is that it's a special radiation effect for the purposes of the encounter: it simply does 2 points of damage per failed save as opposed to using the Poison track like other forms of radiation, and I don't think there is a corresponding low-radiation area (though one could logically extrapolate that it does 1 point of damage per turn).
I plan to assume the PCs don't have their enviro-seals up and thus won't get the +4 to the save unless they spend a standard action to raise them.
The question about whether they have to save twice if within range of two auras is a good one. I can see plausible answers either way, so I'm going to give the PCs the benefit of the doubt and say no unless we have clarification before I run the session on Saturday.
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When the PCs gain access to Illia's office, does it strike anyone as weird that Envar is willing to actively help them hack into her private system? A tour is one thing, but I'm guessing my players will either try to distract or (gently) subdue Envar and thus miss out on the (quite large) bonuses he could provide to the hacking check.
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The way I read the solar elementals is that it's a special radiation effect for the purposes of the encounter: it simply does 2 points of damage per failed save as opposed to using the Poison track like other forms of radiation, and I don't think there is a corresponding low-radiation area (though one could logically extrapolate that it does 1 point of damage per turn).
I don’t see anything about this being a “special” radiation effect. I read it as acting like any other radiation effect (poison track, possibility of disease, etc.)
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Just a quick piece of feedback on a minor point that's too trivial to include in the review I'll post next week: for concealing their identities, it would have been better to let the check be Disguise only instead of also allowing Computers. (or, make the Computers-only try much more problematic) Computers is probably the most important skill in Starfinder and is used throughout several scenarios, whereas Disguise is very rarely (at least explicitly) called for. It's good to let characters who specialize in the more rarely-used skills get a chance to shine once in a while.
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The way I read the solar elementals is that it's a special radiation effect for the purposes of the encounter: it simply does 2 points of damage per failed save as opposed to using the Poison track like other forms of radiation, and I don't think there is a corresponding low-radiation area (though one could logically extrapolate that it does 1 point of damage per turn).I don’t see anything about this being a “special” radiation effect. I read it as acting like any other radiation effect (poison track, possibility of disease, etc.)
so why does it do damage?
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so why does it do damage?The way I read the solar elementals is that it's a special radiation effect for the purposes of the encounter: it simply does 2 points of damage per failed save as opposed to using the Poison track like other forms of radiation, and I don't think there is a corresponding low-radiation area (though one could logically extrapolate that it does 1 point of damage per turn).I don’t see anything about this being a “special” radiation effect. I read it as acting like any other radiation effect (poison track, possibility of disease, etc.)
All poisons do damage. Core Rulebook page 415:
A character who is poisoned attempts a saving throw after the listed onset and at the listed frequency thereafter. Upon initial exposure, regardless of whether she succeeds at her saving throw, the victim loses a number of Hit Points equal to the poison’s DC – 10.
Mind you, the damage amounts listed in the stat blocks aren't correct given the DCs listed in the stat blocks. And the DCs don't match the standard radiation DCs.
It would be nice to get some developer guidance on this.
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I had a situation when I ran this tonight that I'm not sure if I handled correctly. During the final battle against the Brilliance starships, at one point the PCs just decided to make a run for it since their ship was faster than the enemy ships and range increment penalties would it make it incredibly unlikely they'd get hit. I told the PCs they if they wanted to, they could escape the encounter that way but they wouldn't get the credits for "defeating" the ships, and they chose that option.
Did I make the right call there? Allowing them to flee without consequences would seem to trivialize the encounter just because they had the faster ship and better pilot, but on the other hand, there really wasn't any point in destroying the enemy starships since the entire purpose of the mission was simply to escape with the info.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Since the players' only real objective in the scene is to make it out, they "defeat" the interceptors by flying away. Because normally it's fair to say you win an encounter if you get what you want and the enemy doesn't get what they want.
I'd say the players deserve credit for being clear-minded enough to realize they could outrun the enemy. That outrunning satisfies the PCs' strategy and is possible in a straightward way, is not their fault but the writer's.
Giving them less rewards for not engaging in an unneeded fight seems like a bad lesson to me.
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Eh, I don't think running away falls quite under 'creative solutions'. The encounter was written into the scenario. I don't think it is fair to skip it just because you don't understand why it is necessary.
I think it is, in this case.
What does the party gain when they blow up the ships? The ability to escape
What does the party gain when they run away? Escape.
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I can kind of see defeating the ships as a way of covering your tracks, I mean if the characters just run away, they can be tracked, and it's easier to figure out where they ran away to. Maybe, I dunno how tracking really works in this system. My players just went and fought the ships, so I didn't have to figure this out during my run.
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Venture-Lieutenant, Netherlands—Leiden
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Eh, I don't think running away falls quite under 'creative solutions'. The encounter was written into the scenario. I don't think it is fair to skip it just because you don't understand why it is necessary.
It doesn't have to be creative. If you achieve your objectives and enemies fail to stop you, you've won the encounter.
It's not the players' fault that this easy solution is in the encounter, it's the writer's goof for using too-slow interceptor ships that can't do the job.
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By the way, if anyone is looking for music to play along with this scenario, I heartily recommend the Tron: Legacy soundtrack.
- "Arena" — as the PCs enter the Arena and get a chance to pump up the crowd
- "Fall" — as the arena fight begins
- "Castor" — end of fight and Envar's intro.
- "End of Line — intro to the club
- "Derezzed — fight in club (also works if they challenge Razor to a vidgame!)
- "The Game Has Changed" — elemental fight
- "Solar Sailer" — as they depart the station
Contributor
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Giving Kevin 100% full credit for the Tron: Legacy idea, but I made a few tweaks for how I'm going to be running it this weekend:
- "End Titles" - Pre-game (R)
- "Armory" - Briefing / character introductions (R)
- "Outlands" - Travel to the station / crafting IDs (R)
- "Arena" - PCs entering arena / pumping up crowd (R)
- "Fall" - Start of arena fight
- "Disc Wars" - Arena fight (R)
- "Castor" - End of fight / Envar's intro (R)
- "End of Line" - Club music / peaceful interaction with Razor (R)
- "Derezzed" - Fighting / challenge vs Razor (R)
- "Sunrise Prelude" - First part of observatory
- "The Game has Changed" - Elemental fight (R)
- "Encom Part I" - Sneaking into mom's office (R)
- "Recognizer" - Leaving the station but gearing up for combat!
- "CLU" - Starship combat (R)
- "Solar Sailer" - Leaving the station undetected and/or after combat
- "Overture" - Conclusion
- "End Titles" - Post-game / chronicles (R)
Venture-Lieutenant, Spain—Mirande de Ebro
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Hi, i have a question.
I translate this scenario for play for my Players, I'm enjoying with the story. umm, i forget, the question.
the text read:
"Razor explains that Envar’s current debt is in excess of 10,000 credits, but she’ll accept a down payment of 1,000 credits; the PCs must pay this to avoid a fight. The PCs might attempt a Bluff check to convince Razor that the payment is on the way."
what is the DC for Bluff check?
Thanks people.
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"Razor explains that Envar’s current debt is in excess of 10,000 credits, but she’ll accept a down payment of 1,000 credits; the PCs must pay this to avoid a fight. The PCs might attempt a Bluff check to convince Razor that the payment is on the way."
what is the DC for Bluff check?
A Bluff check to lie is opposed by the target's Sense Motive check. Razor's Sense Motive modifier is +10 in Tier 1-2 and +13 in Tier 3-4.
If you want to make it a straight DC, you can just make it a DC of 10 + target's total modifier for Sense Motive + Attitude Modifer (Razor starts as indifferent, so +0). That would make it DC 20 in low tier and DC 23 in 3-4.
See Page 137 (Bluff) in the Core Rulebook.
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So I finally ran this last week. Barring clarification, I assume the solar elementals' aura of medium-level radiation is just like any other aura of medium-level radiation.
Radiation effects are horrible for Tier 1-2 characters. Failing just once puts you on a terrible downward spiral. You are taking damage every round after that, and have a -2 on your save. Heaven help you if you fall unconscious inside a radiation aura after being poisoned. You're taking damage every round no matter whether or not you save so you have no choice but to spend a Resolve Point each round just to stay stable.
Fail twice and it's close to guaranteed that you'll get radiation disease. (DC 18, with a -4 penalty for being two steps along a con poison track.) After the escape you are making DC 11 fortitude saves (with penalties since the poison won't have been cleared in one day), needing three in a row to avoid progressing further (which also imposes penalties on the save).
At my 4-player table, 3 of the PCs got diseased. One managed to clear the disease with three good rolls (with some help from a medicine check, and also had the highest fort save to start). The other two were bedridden by the time they got back to Absalom station. Essentially leaving remove radiation as the only option. Which cost 3000 credits. Each. For Tier 1-2 characters. So nobody has any money left at this point.
It's been noted in the Guide revisions thread that remove radiation needs to be added to the basic purchasing plan. Beyond that, though, radiation is just deadly to low-level characters. The best of the level one pregens have only a 65% chance to make that first DC 11 saving throw. The worst (Navasi and Raia) are 50-50. And that spiral is vicious after the first fail.
Even though I generally like to keep my cards close to the vest to avoid players using metagame knowledge (even unintentionally), I'm going to fully explain that aura no matter what next time I run this.
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Out of curiosity, did the PCs get the +4 bonus to their save for wearing armor?that only applies when the environmental seals are up, which is a good possibility after the first round, but not likely when you're taking the tour with envar UNLESS you're doing the bobba fett thing.
My plan was to give them an in-depth tutorial on radiation after the first set of effects hit. Including the benefits of sealing armor. But they all flubbed the mysticism checks and had no way of identifying that they were being radiated....
Next time I’ll tell them no matter what.
I haven’t done the exact math yet, but the odds are actually very bad for the PCs even with sealed armor. In a three-round fight with six players I’d expect to see at least one PC get diseased. I suspect very few GMs are applying the radiation rules. Otherwise we’d see a lot of people complaining about their level 1 characters dying because they can’t afford remove radiation.
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Starfinder made poison and disease and especially radiation convoluted as hell.
Radiation is really nasty but
Curing Radiation Effects
A creature that leaves an area suffused with radiation is essentially cured of the poison effect. Ending the source of radiation or successfully casting remove radioactivity has the same effect. As usual for poison effects, an affected creature requires rest to recover from radiation poisoning. Remove affliction doesn’t cure a creature of the effects of radiation poisoning, but remove radioactivity does.
Resting
fulfilling the cure condition (or reaching the end of a poison’s duration) removes a poison from the victim’s system, but she remains at the same step on the track and recovers gradually. For every day of bed rest (or two nights of normal rest), a victim moves one step toward healthy. This rate of recovery is doubled by successful Medicine checks (see Long-Term Care), though tenacious poisons might require a longer recovery period.
So if you have radiation poisoning you can chicken soup your way back to being better, there's no fortitude save so the penalty doesn't matter. You only need help if you got radiation sickness, which requires 3 failed saves (healthy to sickened, sickened to impaired, diseased at impaired). After that the disease runs on a per day basis, requiring a boatload of missed saves before you hit the need to break open the piggy bank.
For the disease A medic should be able to take 10 to help treat you (+3 stat +3 trained 1 rank) for a +4
Healthy
Failed save day 1 , radiation poisoning get better to -2 , character has a net +2 on save
Latent The victim has contracted a disease. She suffers no ill effects yet, but if the disease is contagious, she can pass it on.
Failed saved day 2 , radiation poisoning is gone, character has a net +4 on save
Weakened The victim is sickened and fatigued.
Character down to a net +2
Impaired The victim is exhausted. Whenever she takes a standard or full action, she must succeed at a Fortitude save at the disease’s DC or lose the action and become nauseated for 1 minute.
miss another save at a net +2
Debilitated Strenuous actions cause the victim pain. If she takes a standard action, she immediately loses 1 Hit Point.
miss another save at a net +2
Bedridden The victim is awake and can converse, but she can’t stand on her own or take any other actions or reactions.
miss another save at a net +2
Comatose The victim is unconscious and feverish, and can’t be woken.
okay, NOW we call the medical professional.
Dead The victim is dead, and her corpse may still be contagious.