Introduction
So, this is the end of the Quest line that I promised myself I would finish. It took more work than I expected, but I think it has all come together to tell a story. It might not be the story I set out to tell on April 27th, 2020 when I showcased my overview outline, but it is a story that I hope to look back on with some pride.
I’ve learned a lot in the 7 months since starting. The first is that 2500 words is all at once a lot of and a small amount of words. For some of my quests, 2500 words or even over 2000 words was a struggle. For others, staying under 2500 was hard because I wanted to include so much. I almost think doing 5 separate quests that could be self-contained but still tell a larger story was harder to do than if I were to write it out as one full scenario. If I had the chance to write the entire story as one continuous arc, I’d like to think I would’ve hit different story beats and done it a little differently. I can’t promise I’ll ever write a full scenario length piece for this blog, but if I ever write something of that length, I plan on writing down my experience and sharing it as best I can in some form or another.
Without further ado, I give you the finale of this quest series!
Cat’s Out of the Bag – Quest #5 Title
A few months back Hiran, an envoy from RakTech Industries visited the Sanguine Raiders to entreat with them and make an alliance to overthrow the Colony Council of Thurinag. As talks between Hiran & the leader, Iovita began to fall through, Hiran took it upon themselves to do away with the Raider leader. Being a dandasuka rakshasa, Hiran took the place of Iovita and began maneuvering the Sanguine Raiders towards RakTech’s goals, nothing less than to fully exploit Thurinag’s natural resources; including deep deposits of star metals such as horacalcum and djezet.
The Sanguine Raiders became increasingly more aggressive and violent not only towards the Colony Council of Thurinag, but the colonists working the mines and refineries. This unwittingly cut many of the Raiders off from their own support systems as each attack only increased the rest of the colony’s antipathy towards the Raiders cause.
Summary
The players begin aboard a hijacked Sanguine Missile Boat after they (or their allies) have disabled The Sanguine Raider. Cosmic Captain Farasa reaches out to the party to inform them that scans from the planet indicate that the enemy ship will not be leaving anytime soon, and that the colony’s meage defensive forces will help secure the perimeter around the ship. For Salvage Rights, the Colony Council has asked that the Cosmic Combine board the Raider and arrest those aboard. Due to the Spore Storm, it is ill-advised to just jump to the other ship. After resting, the player character’s will need to “jump” from their ship to the Raider, since the docking clamps of the Raider are too damaged to connect to their ship. Once opening the outer door, the player’s will be able to enter the airlock. Once through the airlock though, Hiran is waiting to confront the players.
[[SIDBAR: Jumping In
If this is the first adventure in the quest series your party is playing, have Captain Farasa mention the fact that the Colony Defenders were able to disable the ship, but now need the Combiners to board the ship as they cannot muster a proper boarding team due to injuries.]]
Getting Started
Read or paraphrase the following to get the adventure underway
____________________________________________________________________________
With a flicker, your comms channel opens up and you see the lizardfolk face of Captain Farasa. “We’ve been given a wonderful opportunity Combiners! After that Spore Storm, the Colony Defenders do not have the muscle to risk a boarding action on the Sanguine Raider to arrest Iovita and her crew. The Council has asked you all to do so in the stead. There are still some micro-spores out there, so we suggest you wait eight or so hours to give them a chance to clear up. ”. He looks away for a second nodding towards somebody off-screen. “It looks like we’ll be getting the salvage rights to that ship once you’ve handled any resistance on-board and WOW! Based on preliminary scans, that ship has at least two different star-metals used in its construction! Do you have any questions?
____________________________________________________________________________
Why don’t we just blow up the ship? “Because they are hoping to rehabilitate as many of the Sanguine Raiders as they can. These are their people after all. It is also a great chance for us to study some of the techno-hemotheurgy that they use!”
What sort of resistance are we expecting? “Well, Iovita was thought to be the most skilled of the Raiders, so she might have some blood magic up her sleeve, along with any of her gang members that survived the space battle.”
Space Walk
After a quick scan it is easy for the Player Characters to determine that their ship will be unable to dock with The Sanguine Raider to make boarding easier. This is due to the fact that the normal airlocks all seem to be damaged. The only airlock that has any power at all is the cargo bay airlock that is too large for any of the airlocks on the PC’s ship.
The players must cross some distance between their ship and the Raider. Thankfully for them, they will not need to worry about any spore eating through their environmental protections! Have each of the PCs perform one of the following tasks to prepare for the jump to the Raider. Keep count of the total number of successes.
Getting Close: It’s important to get as close as safely possible to the Raider. Perform a Computers and Piloting check. Both chcks are DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21).
Secure a Tether: Once positioned, you shoot a rope to the other ship to tether yourselves to. Make a ranged attack roll vs. AC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21).
Rig a Bio-Electronic Pick: While waiting for the spores to clear, you rigged a pick to quickly unlock the airlock, using some of the bio-material found aboard the ship. Make an engineering or Medicine check DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21).
If a Player can make a convincing argument for any other skill to be used, set it at DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21).
Read or Paraphrase the following
____________________________________________________________________________
As preparations to board the Sanguine Raider finishes up, a last minute scan does show that while the spores have mostly deteriorated, there are still some mingling in the space around.
___________________________________________________________________________
For each successful check, reduce the DC of the following checks by 1 (reduce the DC by 2 in a party of 4). Have each PC make the following checks, but allow for creative thinking is use of equipment and abilities to count either as success or provide a +2 bonus.
Jumping Across: You leap out of your ship DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21) Athletics check.
Catching the Other Side: The Sanguine Raider is coming at you. You’ll need to catch yourself. DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21) Acrobatics check.
Opening the Door: It’s going to take a team effort to quickly get this airlock open. Make a Computers, Engineering, or Athletics check DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21) to open the door.
For each failed check a single person makes, that person will take 1d6 acid damage (Tier 3-4, 1d8).
Rakshasa in the House
[[NOTE: For a map, please select your favorite starship map and have this encounter happen in the largest room that is close to an airlock]]
Once the party has entered the airlock, read of paraphrase the following
____________________________________________________________________________
As the door hisses open, you are greeted by a beautiful human bedecked in jewels and her crew with guns pointed at you. She promptly begins speaking “Ah, the Cosmic Combiners are here to bring the ‘justice’ of the Colony Council to the Sanguine Raiders.” She scoffs and her crew chuckles “Those pathetic fools wouldn’t know a good deal when it hit them though, and they’ll get to pay for it for years to come. Although not nearly as foolish as Iovita was!”
____________________________________________________________________________
As Iovita/Hiren is monologuing they are also changing appearance. From a tall, lean human woman, into a small gnome-sized creature with a face mostly mouth full of fangs. At the end of the transformation they continue
____________________________________________________________________________
They look at the crew members next to them “ Don’t worry though, my employer pays much better than Iovita ever could. If you help me past these Combiners and take their ship you’ll be rich beyond measure”.
____________________________________________________________________________
At this point, the few Sanguine Raiders remaining are hesitant as to what to do. This leaves an opening for the PCs to sway the tide of battle from the very beginning. Allow the PCs as a party, to make 1 Diplomacy/Bluff/Intimidate check DC 18 (Tier 3-4, 21). Others may assist. In a group of 4 players, reduce the DCs by 2.
If the party beats the DC by 10 or more, the Sanguine Raiders turn their guns on Hiren and help the PCs.
If the party simply beats the DC, the Sanguine Raiders lay down their arms and leave the battle space
If the party does not attempt the check, the Sanguine Raiders will assist Hiren as well.
Development: After the fight, the PCs can check Hiren and discover a datapad. When they check the datapad, they quickly discover that Hiran was employed by a company that had nothing to do with mining or manufacturing.
Subtier 1-2
Sanguine Miner (3) CR 1
Appendix 1, Encounter E
Hiren, Young Dandasuka Rakshasa CR 3
Appendix 1, Encounter E
Subtier 3-4
Hemotheurge Lieutenant (3) CR 3
Appendix 2, Encounter E
Hiren, Dandasuka Rakshasa CR 5
Appendix 2, Encounter E
Quest Conclusion
After defeating Hiren, the party can contact the nearby Defenders to arrest the surviving Sanguine Raiders. When the PCs tell Cosmic-Captain Farasa that Hiren was sent here to instigate and enrage the Sanguine Raiders. Farasa tells the PCS that he and the Council will begin digging into the reasons for why this particular company might have sent an instigator like Hiren.
Appendix 1: Subtier 1-2 Encounter E
[[Four Player Adjustment: One of the conduits has been leaking, and all of the enemy combatants are sickened]]
Sanguine Miner(x3)
CR 1
XP 400
Human soldier
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Perception +5
DEFENSE
HP 24 RP 3
EAC 11; KAC 13
Fort +3; Ref +1; Will +3
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee thunderstrike pulse gauntlet +5 (1d6+7 B & So; critical knockdown)
Ranged hunting rifle +5 (1d8+1 P)
Offensive abilities fighting styles (arcane assailant), rune of the eldritch knight
STATISTICS
Str +4; Dex +2; Con +1; Int +0; Wis +0; Cha +0
Skills Athletics +10, Physical Science +5, Survival +5
Gear lashunta ringwear I, thunderstrike pulse gauntlet, hunting rifle, smoke grenade, stickybomb grenade I
Hiren, Young Dandasuka Rakshasa
CR 3
XP 800
LE Small Outsider (native, Rakshasa, shapechanger)
Init +2 Sense darkvision (60ft.); Perception +8
DEFENSE HP 32
EAC 13; KAC 14
Fort +2 Ref +4; Will +6
Defensive Abilities DR 5/good or piercing; SR 18
OFFENSE
Speed 30ft., climb 20ft
Ranged Azimuth Laser Pistol +9 (1d4+3)
Melee Bite +8 (1d4+4 plus bleed), Claw +8(1d4+4)
Multiattack Bite +5 (1d4+6 plus bleed), 2 Claws +5 (1d4+6)
Offensive Abilities Trick Attack (+1d4; Bluff), Bleed (1d4)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 5th) DC 14
1/day – clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts (DC 14)
3/day – charm person (DC 15), confusion, lesser (DC 15), fear (DC 15)
At Will – daze(DC 14), ghost sound
STATISTICS
Str: +1 Dex: +2 Con: +1 Int: +1 Wis: +1 Cha: +4
Skills Bluff + 13, Disguise + 13, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +8
Languages: Aklo, Common, Infernal
Other Abilities: change shape (any Medium or Small humanoid),
Gear: Azimuth Laser Pistol, Stationwear
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Change Shape (Su): As a standard action, a Dandasuka can assume the shape of any Medium or Small humanoid, including specific individuals.
Trick Attack(Ex): The Dandasuka has a trick attack that deals +1d4 damage on a successful Bluff check vs. DC 20+PC’s Level.
Bleed(Ex): On a successful bite attack, the PC begins begins to bleed for 1d4 each round, until healed.
Appendix 2: Subtier 3-4 Encounter E
[[Four Player Adjustment: One of the conduits has been leaking, and all of the enemy combatants are sickened]]
Hemotheurge Lieutenant (x3)
CR 3
XP 800
Human hemotheurge
NE Medium humanoid (human)
Init +2; Perception +8
DEFENSE
HP 32 RP 4
EAC 13; KAC 14
Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +6
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee tactical dueling sword +5 (1d6+3 S)
Ranged murmur sonic suppressor +7 (1d4+3 So; critical stifle)
Offensive abilities spell cache
Defensive abilities blood hacks (Flow of Concentration),
Technomancer Spells Known (CL 3rd; ranged +7)
1st (3/day) – overheat (DC 16), supercharge weapon
0 (at will) – detect magic, mending (DC 15)
STATISTICS
Str +0; Dex +2; Con +0; Int +4; Wis +1; Cha +0
Skills Computers +13, Engineering +8, Mysticism +13, Physical Science +13, Survival +8
Gear regimental dress I, tactical dueling sword, murmur sonic suppressor, blood crystal
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Flow of Concentration(Su): Your blood cells contain your will to stay focused. When are you casting a spell and you take damage or are subjected to an effect that could break your concentration and cause the spellcasting to fail, you can expend 1 Resolve Point to concentrate through the distraction. If you do so, your spell does not fail unless the damage or effect kills you instantly
Hiren Rakshasa, Dandasuka
CR 5
XP 1600
LE Small Outsider (native, Rakshasa, shapechanger)
Init +3 Sense darkvision (60ft.); Perception +11
DEFENSE HP 60
EAC 16; KAC 17
Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +8
Defensive Abilities DR 5/good or piercing; SR 20
OFFENSE
Speed 30ft., climb 20ft
Ranged Azimuth Laser Pistol +9 (1d4+5)
Melee Bite +11 (1d4+6 plus bleed), Claw +11(1d4+6)
Multiattack Bite +5 (1d4+6 plus bleed), 2 Claws +5 (1d4+6)
Offensive Abilities Trick Attack (+1d8; Bluff), Bleed (1d4)
Spell-like Abilities (CL 5th) DC 15
1/day – clairaudience/clairvoyance, detect thoughts (DC 15)
3/day – charm person (DC 16), confusion, lesser (DC 16), fear (DC 16)
At Will – daze(DC 15), ghost sound
STATISTICS
Str: +1 Dex: +3 Con: +2 Int: +1 Wis: +1 Cha: +5
Skills Bluff + 16, Disguise + 16, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +11
Languages: Aklo, Common, Infernal
Other Abilities: change shape (any Medium or Small humanoid),
Gear: Azimuth Laser Pistol, Stationwear
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Change Shape (Su): As a standard action, a Dandasuka can assume the shape of any Medium or Small humanoid, including specific individuals.
Trick Attack(Ex): The Dandasuka has a trick attack that deals +1d8 damage on a successful Bluff check vs. DC 20+PC’s Level.
Bleed(Ex): On a successful bite attack, the PC begins begins to bleed for 1d4 each round, until healed.
Blog Conclusion
I cannot say this enough, nothing eats into words count like stablocks. I don’t know if statblocks are counted in the Appendix system that Paizo is now using in both Starfinder Society and Pathfinder Society (2e), but I’m basing a lot of my word count off of Starfinder Society Scenario #2-03: The Withering World. Based on my best count, it looks like they were counted as of Year 2 of Starfinder Society, so that is what I’m using. I bring this up because as I was finishing up the “Space Walk” section I did a word count check and I was at barely over 1000 words, with only one more section left to work out essentially. I was a little worried I would not hit my word count goal of 2500. To double check though, I put in the 4 statblocks I knew I would need for this adventure so that I could account for those ‘words’ sooner rather than later and then need to make cuts in case I went over.
One thing that I notice as I finished up this series is that hititng my word count was a lot hard in Quest #4 & #5. For Quest #4 I attributed it to the fact that it was starship combat, and not much setup was needed. For this Quest though, I think it was because so much of my story building happened in Quests 1-3 that I wanted to just hit the high note of Hiren’s transformation and encounter.
While this is the last entry of the quests, this is not the last we’ll see of these! Sometime in the future, I plan on doing a “development” and “editing” pass now that all five of them are written. I’m hoping to tighten up the story in places and possibly expand where I can to flesh out Thurinag and the struggling Council.
In two weeks though, come join me as I create some planets!
