GM Jhaeman's Starfinder Bounty # 5: "Echoes of Woe"

[Altoid Ant]

Moves in and attacks with tactical pike hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 vs kac dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (6) + 3 = 9 piercing.

[Saja Joseung]

Saja gets the heavy piece of wooden weaponry slung across his back, levels it at the black good, and fires a bolt.

Tactical Crossbolter: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 141d10 ⇒ 9

[Oshari Soteria, Health & Safety]

Oshari sidesteps the entity's attack before taking another swing. "...yknow, I might be getting the hang of this!" He grins.

Flare axe, red star: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18, 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

[GM Jhaeman]

With two allies in front of them, neither Altoid Ant nor Saja can find the right angle for their attacks. But Oshari's flare axe lands again!

Altoid Ant and Saja missed.

Oshari hit.

@Saja and Oshari: Please wait until the Initiative tracker asks you to go before your posting your action--it's essential for preserving my sanity across multiple play-by-post games :)

[GM Jhaeman]

Initiative (Round 2)

Felicis
Antethris
Saja
Oshari
Substance
Altoid Ant

Bold should go!

[Iron-59 Felicis]

GM Jhaeman wrote:

(Felix, I really enjoy your character's dialogue--really fun for a precog!)

GM, I try to make Felix able to do something of the past or future as precog.

"It works, I think." Felix muses while they enter (Move action), if android can do that. "What about I bring your pain from the future." they exclaim while manifesting another injury, this time from the future. "At least you are experiencing it now." DC 13 Will save or enemy takes 1d6 ⇒ 2 slashing damage.

I have Spell Penetration feat, what are these caster level checks? Like Spell attacks?

[GM Jhaeman]

More of the black sludge goes up in smoke!

The substance failed the save vs Felix's spell.

@Felix: Spell penetration only matters if you have to make caster level checks to overcome spell resistance. This stuff doesn't have spell resistance.

Antethris is up.

GM Dice:

will save: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7

[Antethriss]

Drow quickly and beautifully cuts down a strange opponent with his landing knives...

Survival Knife (Multi-Weapon Fighting): 1d20 + 3 - 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 - 3 = 71d4 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4
Survival Knife (Multi-Weapon Fighting): 1d20 + 3 - 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 - 3 = 181d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

The first blow misses, but it seems that there was only a deceptive feint for the second more accurate and certainly fatal for a humanoid person, because it would land exactly where the heart is.

[GM Jhaeman]

Antethris' blade splatters gooey black substance all over the lab wall, leaving what's left on the table looking much diminished! Tiny little maws appear and try to bite the drow's arm off, but he yanks it back just in time!

Antethriss' attack hit. This thing is *almost* destroyed.

The substance attacks Antethriss but misses.

GM Dice:

Attack vs Antethriss KAC: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (2) + 12 = 14
damage: 2d6 ⇒ (5, 3) = 8

[GM Jhaeman]

Initiative (Round 2)

Felicis
Antethris
Saja
Oshari
Substance
Altoid Ant

Bold should go!

Back in a few days!

[Altoid Ant]

Hit with tactical pike hit: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6 vs kac dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

[GM Jhaeman]

Altoid Ant can't quite connect with his pike!

Attack misses.

[GM Jhaeman]

Initiative (Round 3)

Felicis
Antethris
Saja
Oshari
Substance
Altoid Ant
[Special]

Bold should go!

[Saja Joseung]

Saja Joseung wrote:

Saja gets the heavy piece of wooden weaponry slung across his back, levels it at the black good, and fires a bolt.

Tactical Crossbolter: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14; 1d10 ⇒ 9

Can I re-use this, since I posted it ahead of time?

[GM Jhaeman]

I resolved that as your round # 2 action; we're not in round # 3, so you can reroll.

[Saja Joseung]

Saja calmly reloads and pelts the creature with another bolt

Crossbolter: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 171d10 ⇒ 9

[Oshari Soteria, Health & Safety]

Oshari takes another swing.

Flare axe, red star: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9, 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

[Iron-59 Felicis]

Felix keeps sending the Substance pain from its past and future, alternating them as they please. DC 13 Will save vs Injury Echo or enemy takes 1d6 ⇒ 5 slashing damage.

[GM Jhaeman]

This time, Saja's aim is true and the projectile from his crossbolter strikes the shadowy substance in the center of its mass! It dissipates completely.

We are off Initiative. Since it's been a while in real-time, here's the room description again: "This abnormally cold room has messy laboratory counters holding scattered research equipment, a vat of a strange, shifting black substance, and a computer."

[Saja Joseung]

Very unfortunate Saja remarks as he straightens his clothing you'd wish they knew better than to challenge us.

Saja, not well-versed with computers, decides to inspect the laboratory counters instead for a clue of what has been going on here.

[Antethriss]

A strange creature. Drow busily wipes the knives. Someone check the computers.

[Iron-59 Felicis]

Computers: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

"Allow me," Felix volunteers with the computer to find something useful, or to at least adjust the temperature of the room, if he can do that from the computer.

[GM Jhaeman]

As Saja examines the counters, Felix tries to access the computer.

Saja:

You notice a syringe inscribed with strange symbols. When you touch it, you see a sudden vision of a female doctor filling the syringe with a swirling black substance! A Mysticism check may tell you something about the strange symbols.

Felix:

The computer has no security, and you're able to quickly skim the files on it. You find evidence that the clinic's head, Dr Sikooli, and her research assistant, Ajanu, were attempting to fuse nanites with energy from the Shadow Plane! Although there’s no indication of their intended purpose; there’s also a single distorted video recording of Dr Sikooli saying: “No more. . . mistakes. . . It was . . . supposed to end like this . . .”A picture of her Dr Sikooli is on the cover of the bounty on Slide # 1.

[Iron-59 Felicis]

"Looks easy, no security to deal with," Felix tells the others while working on the computer. "Looking at the files, it looks like a certain Dr Sikooli, a clinic head, and a research assistant Ajanu, were attempting to fuse nanites with energy from the Shadow Plane." they summarize their finding. "It is not reported what is their purpose for that, but looking at this video," they tinker a bit and play a single distorted video with Dr. Sikooli saying:

“No more. . . mistakes. . . It was . . . supposed to end like this . . .”

See cover of the bounty, that's the one in the distorted video.

"So what now?" they ask the others.

[Saja Joseung]

Mysticism: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20

Strange energies abound here. This is no ordinary syringe..

[GM Jhaeman]

Saja:

The symbols on the syringe are magic runes related to wards and containment.

[Saja Joseung]

...but one that is meant to contain something. I felt an echo of the strange, a vision of a black liquid swirling. I suppose the containment did not hold.

Shadow plane nanites? Saja says, looking at the black puddle on the floor I suppose their typical color isn't pink?

[Oshari Soteria, Health & Safety]

While he does his best to hide it, Oshari clearly seems shaken. He stares at the video screen for a long time, occasionally glancing at the syringe and the puddle on the floor, before clearing his throat and pulling out his pad.

"Well, it's, um, not surprising it ended the way it did. Hold on a second..." He taps through his pad before finding the page he wants. "Here we go. Pact Worlds Operational Safety Manual, Section 3, Subsection 12, Paragraph 9: Extraplanar Agents. 'Outside of standard planar travel, any attempts to bring energies or material from a category 4 or higher plane must be first performed in a sterilized room with proper protections in the event of a class 4 explosion (see section 2 subsection 8 paragraph 3), and approved as nonvolatile by a safety inspector before being handled by any biological or sapient technological entity.' Evidently they didn't follow any of this. They didn't seem to be even wearing any PPE."

[Antethriss]

I don't understand this planar s**t. But for me the shadow plane is strongly associated with cold, chains, suffering and other things, as in the movie "Kutonraiser".

[Oshari Soteria, Health & Safety]

Antethriss wrote:

I don't understand this planar s**t.".

Immediately, Oshari cups his hands around where Ariadne's ears would be. "...language."

[Saja Joseung]

Antethriss wrote:

I don't understand this planar s**t. But for me the shadow plane is strongly associated with cold, chains, suffering and other things, as in the movie "Kutonraiser".

Yes, Kuton has a PR problem Saja remarks, the chains are a very tacky gimmick.

[GM Jhaeman]

For a split-second, the sound of weeping can be heard coming from somewhere in the hospital. Unless it's just the wind . . .

Okay folks, what would you like to do next?

[Saja Joseung]

we got this far, but no keycards found. Let's try that one room we've passed before we start smashing windows from the outside. Saja says.

When the weeping sound rolls in, he reacts I don't think we're alone here. Or would you reckon it is one of the animals we saw before?

[Antethriss]

It's just that this place is obsessed. So, it seems we had another door in the north? Drow is heading there.

[GM Jhaeman]

Antethriss opens the door to what turns out to be a large office. Its exterior windows are boarded up. The desk holds a framed photo of a smiling young boy holding a squox in his arms.

[Saja Joseung]

Possessed, inhabited, infested Saja ponders the possibilities we've been tasked with emptying the building, physical or spiritual, so it sounds like we have a job to do. Let's just hope the paperwork remains at a minimum

---

Found you Saja dryly states, leaving it ambiguous whether he means the boy or the squox. He checks the photograph for age, and for any name of either the boy or the squox.

Any signs of how old this photograph might be?

He then checks the desk for anything else of interest: paperwork, notes, key cards?

[Antethriss]

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22

[GM Jhaeman]

Saja and Antethriss look around the room.

Saja:

You don't see anything written on the photograph; the boy looks to be in his teens in the image, and it definitely looks to have been taken many years ago. There's nothing else of interest in or on the desk.

Antethriss:

The boards are a false window covering and swing open easily! Footprints on the windowsill indicate this window entrance is regularly used by a humanoid.

[Antethriss]

Hey! Look. The boards are a false window covering and swing open easily. See? Footprints on the windowsill indicate this window entrance is regularly used by a humanoid ... Heh, we are not alone here.

[Iron-59 Felicis]

"Maybe we can follow the footprints." Felix advises the obvious. They also have their weapon ready just in case they are attacked. "I hope you don't mind taking the lead." they tell the drow.

[Antethriss]

Antethriss opens a secret passage...

[GM Jhaeman]

Antethriss pulls back the boards to reveal a window looking out over the grounds. Judging by the humanoid footprints on the sill, it's clear this place may not be quite as abandoned as everyone in Ysanto thought! Unfortunately, the ground outside is so firm that tracing where the footprints come from is impossible.

[Saja Joseung]

Undeparted, indeed. Maybe just a squatter setting up some spooky tricks, no? I wouldn't put it past a disgruntled hospital researcher to set up shop here and break safety protocols.

I think we've exhausted the rooms that we can access? Maybe we can find a window to climb into?

[GM Jhaeman]

Looking it over, I realise the map is a bit weird. There's a room to the bottom-right of the map (at the end of the corridor) that technically you haven't explored, and that I therefore should not have uncovered. The only issue is I don't actually see a door into the room, but I think that's just a mistake on the map, and I'm going to rule that you can access it if you choose. I've placed a yellow X on the room to indicate the one I'm talking about. Sorry for any confusion!

[Iron-59 Felicis]

"Let's check out that room over there." Felix points out the room at the end of the corridor, leading them this time.

[GM Jhaeman]

Felix leads the way back down the hallway, remembering there was one room that was overlooked--probably because the door blends in with the wall.

This bedroom contains a desk, a bed, and some dusty personal effects.

[Iron-59 Felicis]

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Felix gets inside the room and begins looking for something in the room that might help them with the mission, searching what is on the desk, checking under the bed, and inspecting the personal effects.

[Saja Joseung]

This rooms stands out from the other, maybe there is something interesting here Saja says as he helps out I-59 in their search.

[Oshari Soteria, Health & Safety]

Sorry about my absence, I was starting a new job this week and got a bit overwhelmed.

Oshari follows into the room at the end of the corridor, looking around. "Must be where our mysterious visitor is staying--or was staying, considering the dust."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (3) + 6 = 9

[GM Jhaeman]

Underneath the bed is a dusty keycard!