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Had a fun Wednesday Starfinder session as usual, but the story for this one was too good to pass up. Spoiler warning for book 3, of the AP, so if you've not played these encounters, your fair warning has been given.
So we hit the point of book 3 where our team was hunting down Xerantha Mortant. Thus far, our team of 5 including a Hacker/Sniper Operative/Starfinder Data Jockey, Drone Mechanic, Hammer Fist Soldier, Healing Mystic, and Intimidating Envoy/Skyfire Centurion were working about as effectively as that team can on Eox. The Envoy (me) can't do much with Dispiriting Taunt, the Mystic can't Mind Thrust anything, and the Vesk Soldier is our go to combatant (For Skyfire, the Envoy and Mystic are combat bonded so they can Harrying/Covering each other for +4). We're also only level 5 just due to the larger experience split, not that it means a tonne, just some checks are harder than others.
We get to the hut, looking down the path and of course seeing the gargantuan Ellicoth we get combat ready, failing our checks to learn anything about it. So it's big and scary, and our Vesk and Sniper do what they normally do. As the Envoy, I'd invested in a Radiation Badge, so we were able to find out the creature had that radiation aura at least. Our Vesk was the only one with level 7 armor to ignore the radiation, so the normal Envoy + Soldier melee plan is out the window (+1 Fort save means as usual the Envoy would be totalled by the saves). So with a call, we shift strategy to fan out, so that it can't get more than one of us in the aura. The Sniper was already fallen back, the Mechanic goes wide, the Mystic stays just close enough to the Soldier to still heal, and I as the Envoy Jump Jet (+Sky Jockey Feat so extra fly speed) onto the roof of the hut.
The hut is made of skin, so my being on it isn't exactly subtle. As the Ellicoth is moving in to keep us in aura, and I'm prepping a Mk 3 frag, a shot comes up through the floor. The GM has decided me being on the hut triggers Xerantha's ambush. So now we're a team of 5 level 5s, fighting an Ellicoth, and a Marrowblight, equivalent CR 10. Both these creatures basically can't miss us with attacks due to our armor, so it's a slug fest war of attrition to figure out which one we can drop first, or else die.
I frag the Ellicoth and back up to stay out of range of the radiation. We're now spread enough the Ellicoth needs to focus the Soldier, but the Marrowblight is a secondary CR 7 problem to deal with. The following round, Xerantha busts up through the floor with Pounce and is on top of my 19 AC no Fort arse. The only one close enough to even help me is the Mechanic.
I drew my Noqual Dueling Sword which has been my go to since undead are immune to my Improved Unarmed Strike as a human. And this is where luck shone brightly on my Envoy. I didn't roll less than a 17 the rest of the fight (except the first Fort save vs. Red Ache of course... But at this point it's almost expected my Envoy attracts diseases). The Mechanic shot once, and saw I had things more or less handled between insane rolls staying mobile enough to avoid the full attack, and punishing attacks with my Electrostatic Field Mk 1 (if my AC is too low to avoid most hits anyway, may as well benefit from it right?). So the Envoy is fighting Xerantha on the hut roof, while the rest of the party are all trying to focus down the Ellicoth which has started to really hurt our Soldier just from repeated blows. I have never felt more like we were in a Star Trek/Wars moment than this combat.
It was beautiful, my Envoy getting repeated strikes in and then taking blows back from the spurs. It was almost a rinse repeat of hit, back off, get approached, get spurred, until I was down to just 5 HP. At which point there was a choice. Either repeat again, and know the next blow would have me burning 2 Resolve to stay at 1 HP, or use my actions to draw a Healing Serum and heal myself, at the cost that I wouldn't have the distance between us and would be full attacked. The Soldier had been dealing with similar against the Ellicoth, with the Mystic doing everything possible to keep him alive (ironically giving the Ellicoth more healing from beating on our Soldier's HP, something we were unaware of due to our failed knowledge checks), but with the Mystic too far away I didn't have that backup.
I had been rolling hot all fight, even had a crit, (and with only a +5 to hit and a KAC targetting weapon, I needed it, min roll 16 to hit) but I knew pushing my luck would likely get me killed, because if I didn't heal the full attack would do me in through all my resolve. I also knew she wasn't doing so hot from repeated max to near max rolls (11-13 damage a hit from the sword, plus 3-6 from the Electrostatic field, and 24 from the Frag Grenade she was in the initial radius for since the GM ruled skin walls thin enough for her to shoot me through meant she got hit with the grenade when it tore through the wall). I took my gamble with the attack, knowing I probably stood a better chance at delaying her even if I missed since I could still move away and prevent her full attack.
I scored a second crit. Dealing near max (24 out of 26 potential). It wasn't enough to take her down, but my brash captain nature paid off. I was Kirk in that brief moment, where no matter what stupid decision I made, I would win. So instead of moving, knowing my remaining resolve would let me live 2 attacks from the full and proc the Electrostatic Field twice, I drew the Healing Serum. Xerantha died after hitting me one last time, forcing 2 resolve for me to stay in the fight, but dealing the last of her HP, destroying her.
The socially built Envoy, defeated a CR 7 boss solo, before the rest of the group had finished with the Ellicoth. So I was able to Jet Dash back next round close enough to get into gun range and help out on the last round.
It was one of those moments that'll be shared around the table as one of the best moments of the campaign, because we had no right winning, but the stars aligned and let everything work out. And how often does a 15 Str Envoy get to out-damage a maxed out Vesk Soldier? But yeah, really fun time and wanted to share, even though I don't frequent the AP threads for spoiler reasons.