LotFP solo hex & dungeon crawl : Part III

12 March, A.D. 1601

Beate and Lalie need to spend the day recuperating. To pass the time, Artuš and Horst try their hand at bow hunting. They come back in the evening with a brace of pheasants each, a most welcome respite from trail rations and hardtack. A fine feast is had by all, but alas! their jealous mule, seeking richer fare of his own, ingests a poisonous root, and is found dead the next morning.

[bushcraft roll=2, success; 1d6=5 rations worth of food.

Event: Mount / pack beast eats toxic root, dies

I also rolled twice for random encounters since the party was split, with an encounter occurring at the camp: 1d6=2 bandits. The Scarlet Heroes encounter tables told me the bandits were "Trying to avoid a hunting local authority", "Disinclined to fight unless that seems necessary", and "At least one of them has half again normal hit dice" (so Ftr-0 and Ftr-1). They surprised the PCs, so I asked the Oracle:

Q: Same group of bandits? Likely (3+): O2 C5 - No.
Q: Authorities close? 50/50 (4+): O2 C6 - No.
Q: Ask for help? unknown 1d6=6 doubtful: O1 C5 - No.

Well, then... that was a lot of dice rolling to get to No Encounter. I kept this all in my notes, though, as there was a chance that it might make sense when interpreted in light of further encounters, and/or provide background for the region. It didn't, sadly, but that's just the vagaries of aleatory adventuring.]

13 March

Beate and Lalie still need rest. Artuš and Horst try hunting again, but retreat back to camp after barely half an hour as the skies open up and pelt the forest with rain [event: blinding rain]. The rest of the day is spent trying to avoid the water dripping into their tents.

14 March

Supplies are dwindling, so they decide to head back to Drudenwiese to re-supply. At one point a black bear stumbles across their path, but the beast is terribly injured and easily scared off with a pistol shot.

[travel back to 03.04
encounter: Bear, Black: gravely wounded, Morale lowered by 3 (to 4)]

15-16 March

They slog for two more days through the forest. Intermittent rain showers keep the mud puddles formed by the storm two days ago from ever drying up. Near dusk on the second day they come across a hunters' camp half-mired in the muck. One of the three tents is intact, a second has collapsed under a fallen branch, a third has been uprooted and lies several yards from the rest. An old-fashioned broadsword is thrust into the ground by the remains of a firepit, with a hunting horn dangling on a cord looped round its hilt. Three bodies -- two men and a woman -- lie face down in the ground, caked with mud.

Artuš makes to cross himself, but his eye catches a faint glimmer on the woman's neck; he can just make out the clunky golden necklace she wears. "She'll not be needing such vanities where she's going," he says, pointing, and the others nod in agreement. "Best see if there's any more to be had."

But as they approach, the three corpses rise shakily to their feet, and lurch forward to attack. Their eyes stare fixedly, and their mouths hang slackly open. None make a sound, not even when run through with sharp steel. Waldemar drops one with his poleaxe, but then freezes in place, unsure of what he is witnessing. Horst runs to hide behind a tree as the others begin hacking the strange, silent foes to pieces. A fourth plods up behind Beate and grabs at her, dislocating her shoulder. She turns about to face it, and it smashes her in the face. She falls into the muck, unmoving. Artuš steps over her and removes the thing's head with a single sword stroke.

With all their foes vanquished, Éliane rushes to Beate's aid, pulling her face from the mud so she can breathe. "Don't touch her!" shouts Artuš.

"Merde alors !" replies Éliane. "She's alive! Help me get her somewhere dry, you fool."

"I must make sure our foes will not rise again," says Artuš flatly, and sets about the gory business of decapitating the other three.

Waldemar still stands clutching the haft of his weapon tightly, mouth agape, staring at the carnage before him. Horst dares not look out from behind his tree. Lalie helps Éliane move Beate to a patch of solid ground, and does her best to wipe the mud from the unconscious woman's face.

Artuš finishes his grim endeavour, and comes back to see Beate. "Well?" he asks, sword still in hand.

"I think she'll live," says Éliane, "no thanks to you."

"We must watch her carefully," says Artuš, "and if she starts to look... unnatural in any way, we must destroy her at once. Before she wounds any one of us... and causes us to turn also."

He shudders at the recollection. Neither Lalie nor Éliane of know what change the mercenary speaks, but something in his voice convinces them to heed his warning, and not press for more information than is given.

The two women wait with Beate for over an hour as Artuš and Horst set up camp about half a mile away. Beate wakes with a concussion and can barely move her left arm, but it seems like there will be no permanent damage. Horst comes to fetch them, and the three take turns helping their barely conscious friend get to camp. Artuš insists she be given her own tent, and that the watches be positioned to see that she doesn't emerge in some awful state during the night.

Despite Artuš' wild words, Horst and Waldemar have already persuaded themselves that it had all just been a normal bandit ambush, and that the others put too much stock in fairy stories.

There is a momentary distraction from the paranoia when Artuš displays the glittering treasures he found in the mud: a heavy necklace of gilt copper beads [30sp], a plain gold fibula [70sp], a silver brooch set with lapis lazuli [80sp], and a very old (possibly Roman) silver belt buckle [80sp].

[Travel to 04.06, then 04.08
event: Meet an Encounter stranded in the mud
feature: hunting camp in 04.08
contents: Trove type C1
encounter = 1d6 hungry ghosts; I just used zombie stats since I've had them memorised since about 1982 or so.

The fight took but three rounds, and only Beate took damage, though it put her at -1hp. These zombies won't cause her to change like the ones in the Tutorial book solo adventure, but Artuš doesn't know that.]

17-20 March

In the morning Lalie checks on Beate. She can barely move, but her colour is coming back. They build a litter for her and set off as soon as possible, arriving back in Drudenwiese a day and a half later. Beate gets bed rest at the inn, whilst the rest busy themselves with resupplying. Éliane makes discreet enquiries at the church, thinking that a priest might not be a bad idea to have along, but is informed that unless she wishes to renounce her Papist ways then she had ought not to set foot in the village church again.

[I followed the d30 Sandbox Companion for the attempt to recruit a cleric: -7 modifier meant none were even available.

Q: Any trouble at the inn? 50/50 (4+): O1 C3 - No, but... they soon wear out their welcome.

Since they made it back to civilisation with treasure, I calculated XP -- not that I thought anyone would level up, but I am trying to get over my bad habit of letting bookkeeping slide for too long. As a hireling, Horst gets a 1/10th share of XP and as a henchman Waldemar gets 1/2.

I'll spare you the maths. Each PC earns 210xp and ~147sp. Horst is owed 14sp and Waldemar 75sp, but Horst gets 10sp cash plus the 30sp necklace, and Waldemar gets the brooch (80sp). Their room & board are also paid for (3sp/day x6 people x3days = 54sp for the whole party).]

21 March

Their new mule laden with provisions, they once again set out into the forest. Horst leads them along a slightly different route -- consciously or otherwise -- in order to avoid the scene of the horror in the mud [though still via hex 04.08].

That day they come across a group of rough-looking individuals, escorting a bruised and bloodied but otherwise indistinguishable man with his hands tied behind his back. Their voices had been heard from some way off, but their evident shock at seeing travellers in the forest causes them to stop short when the party come into view.

[encounter: 1d6=5 bandits
Purpose: escort an exile to the edge of their lands
Attitude: The usual, but they might parlay if that seems plausible
Condition: One of them is too badly injured to fight (the exile)
The bandits were surprised.]

Éliane calls out a greeting [reaction=8+1]. The leader returns the greeting, but makes no further overtures. Both groups continue on their own paths.

[Q: Do they surreptitiously follow party? Likely (3+): O5 C1 - Yes, and... with 1d6=3 fellows.]

The bandits quickly finish their internal affair, and collect three more compatriots, intent on overtaking and ambushing the travellers.

[Stealth roll fails, no surprise, encounter distance 100'. Each is a 0-level fighter, and rolled a d10 to determine what missile weapon they carry: 1 shortbow, 2 longbow, 3-4 light crossbow, 5-7 heavy crossbow, 8-9 pistol, 10 arquebus]

The bandits squabble too much to mount an effective surprise attack, and the travellers turn to see them approaching from a distance. Artuš and Waldemar each ready a bow, Éliane draws her pistols, Lalie merely stands defiant with arms crossed.

"Come no closer!" shouts Éliane. "We do not take prisoners."

[Round 1]
The bandits do not respond, and instead [d6: 1-3 advance, 4-6 attack] advance slowly [move 30'] and begin to spread out. The party [who won initiative but waited to see what the bandits would do] take cover behind a fallen tree trunk, but keep an eye on the advancing foe [partial cover, +4AC]. Horst beats a hasty retreat with the mule.

[Round 2]
The bandits [attack 1-4 or advance 5-6] continue their advance, spreading further out in an attempt to flank the travellers.

[Round 3]
Éliane's pistol goes off with a loud report, but the ball does not meet its target [-4 range penalty]. Artuš and Waldemar each loose an arrow; two bandits fall bleeding into the dirt. Lalie screeches a hideous word in an unknown tongue. There is a bright ripple in the air from her outstretched fingers [Magic Missile], and the bandit arquebusier cries out sharply, his face burnt and shredded by an unseen force. The four remaining bandits flee in terror [2d6=10, failed Morale].

The fallen bandits have nothing of value save their weapons. A short and longbow are added to the mule's pack with some extra arrows. Artuš claims the matchlock arquebus for himself.

[Q: Will the bandits try again? Doubtful (6): O1 C8 - No.]

They make no fire that night, and double the watch, but all is quiet.

22-24 March

The next three days' travel is largely uneventful; some vermin get into the rations [event, -1day food] and they find a dark cave[hex 05.03] which they daren't approach, but those are the worst of the obstacles. When the ruins are at last sighted, they double back to make camp about a mile away. Again they double the guard and make no fire, lest they attract the bandits they've seen near the spring or risk drawing the attention of whoever -- or whatever -- may be lurking in the ruins.

LotFP solo hex & dungeon crawl : Part II

4 March, A.D. 1601

The next day sees them arrive safely at the village of Drudenwiese. It is a smallish settlement in a large meadow [Wiese], surrounded by deep forest that could very well be the haunt of elves [Druden] and sprites, but for all that the village turns out to be unremarkable. The inn is sufficient, if not truly comfortable, and the peasants are more than happy to sell provisions and other sundries to the strangers in their midst.

[Lalie has spent 3sp(lodging) and 3cp(food) x6PCs x4days = ~80sp (rounding up for convenience & extra wine) on the trip. She and Éliane shell out a further 160sp for supplies; they buy a mule (25sp), saddlebags (1sp), 2 weeks' iron rations for 6 people (84sp), and 2 tents (50sp).

Here begins the exploration portion of the adventure. I generated a quick 10x10 map (with custom settings) in Hexographer and put Drudenwiese in the middle of the bottom row. The treasure map indicates the treasure is to be found somewhere between the mountain range and the small peak at 01.00.

I used the Scarlet Heroes wilderness tables for the hexcrawling. The party's movement rate is 18 miles per day, halved for forest & hills. For simplicity's sake, I made the hexes 4.5 miles across (rather than SH's recommended 6 miles), so they can travel 2 hexes/day, or explore 1/day; the forest is pretty thick so it seems a realistic reduction. There's only a 1-in-6 chance of noticing a feature if the party is travelling, but I roll a lot of 1's. There is also a 1-in-6 chance of getting lost each day; Horst has a bushcraft skill of 3 to mitigate this.

I guessed (correctly) that the Scarlet Heroes tables would put ruins somewhere in right area of the hexmap. Had there not been any, I would have improvised some other woodland horror from which to make an adventure.

Fresh water and fodder for the mule is easy to find and not tracked. The party's supplies were tracked on scratch paper as I always lose track of things like this if I just type it into my notes.]

5-7 March

The party set out from the quiet little village and head north into the forest. Progress is very slow once they get more than a mile from the settlement. The occasion hunter's track is found, but even these are choked with undergrowth.

The first two days pass wholly without incident. On the third they pass the remains of a hunting camp where a fire had gotten out of control. Some bushes are scorched and burnt, and a tent has been reduced to cinders, but fortunately the spring rains kept the blaze from spreading. The camp seems to have been in recent use -- a pack is discovered containing a loaf of bread that has just gone stale -- but whether the fire was deliberate or accidental is impossible to determine. Horst tries to make sense of some footprints in the soil, but none lead out of the camp in any certain direction.

[Hexcrawls are fun to play, but there are a lot of dice rolls that produce nothing worth reporting. For example:

5 March

d6= not lost
hexes 03.08-04.08
d6= no encounter
d8= no event
d8= no feature

6 March

d6=1, maybe lost
bushcraft roll d6=2, not lost
hexes 04.07-03.06
d6= no encounter
d8= no event
d8= no feature

7 March

d6= not lost
hexes 03.05-03.04
d6= no encounter
d8= no event
d8= feature
d6=1, notice feature when travelling

1d2= feature in hex 03.04
feature=Settlement, Hunting camp
current state=Scorched by fire
contents=Signs of recent use

Can Horst make any sense of tracks? Bushcraft 3: d6=4, no.
extra encounter roll for recently used camp: d6=no encounter

So from here on in, I'll only be narrating the important parts.]

8 March

Horst announces they've reached the area roughly indicated on the treasure map, so they'd best slow down, or they're liable to walk right by the ruins. They readily take his advice; that's what they're paying him for, after all. [search hex 03.03]

9 March

As [1d6=] Waldemar is answering nature's call, he stumbles (literally) across a sleeping adder. The serpent, incensed by its interrupted beauty sleep, expresses its displeasure by biting him (nowhere embarrassing, fortunately) before slithering away from the clumsy primate. The venom leaves him weak and feverish, but does not spell his doom.

[The party search hex 04.03.
event=Poisonous vermin bite; Td4 damage. I let T=1 as they're just in a normal forest, and I'm not using the Scarlet Heroes reduced damage rules. I even gave Waldemar a saving throw vs. poison for half damage, but he failed: 3 damage left him with 1hp.]

As dusk approaches, they come upon a bubbling spring [d8=feature] of cool, fresh water, and decide to make their camp thereby. Poor Waldemar looks as if he's about to drop, and if the natural source has any healing powers, he could certainly use them!

[Q: Any special effects? Unlikely (5+): O2 C4 - No, but... double chance of encounters in this hex.]

10 March

Waldemar looks scarcely better the next morning. Beate offers to stay in the camp today and look after him whilst the others continue their exploration.

[Exploring hex 05.02:
feature: ruin, Isolated monastery. That was rather sudden, so I decided to check the oracle--
Q: Is this their goal? 50/50 (4+): O5 C6 - Yes.]

They return before Beate has even thought of making a fire to cook some broth for the patient's lunch. "What's wrong?" she asks.

"Wrong?" says Lalie. "Ma chère demoiselle, we've found the ruins!"

"And...? Didn't you explore them, even just a little?"

"No. We should all go. In full strength."

Beate doesn't understand their reticence, but holds her tongue [this is her first adventure, so she yet lives in blissful ignorance of the horrors the others have seen].

11 March

There is some quiet discussion concerning what to do about Waldemar (some of it quite privately, out of earshot of the rest, and in French). But he seems to be on the mend, and everyone agrees they may need his spear should the ruins prove to be inhabited by bandits (or worse), so they plan to stay by the spring for another day and attempt the ruins on the morrow, in full strength.

[He will heal back to full hit points on this day if he isn't killed first by the
Encounter=Human, Bandit x1d6

I used the SH encounter tables to flesh it out--
Their Current Purpose, Given Their Location, Is To....Check a trapline they have in the area
Attitude=Looking for an excuse to prey on the hero
Size/Condition=Maximum normal encounter numbers or size

I used the bandit stats in the SH as a starting point. The leader (f) is a 1d4=first level fighter, the rest are 0-level.

  sx CH CN DX IN ST WI HP AC
a  f  9 11 16  7  6 11  2 17 shortsword
b  f  6 16  7 12 15 11  3 14 shortsword
c  f 10  9 12 10  7 11  4 15 shortsword
d  m  6 14 11 13  9 12  3 14 long bow
e  m 12 11  9 11 13  4  6 14 short bow
f  m 14 16  9  7 16  8  9 16 halberd

Q: Day encounter? Likely (3+): O5 C8 - Yes.
surprise dice=3,1 bandits surprised

As usual, this was played out in strict initiative order, but will be narrated in a more sensible fashion.]

The day is mostly peaceful, even a little boring, but as it wears on footsteps are heard walking through the underbrush. A group of six raggedy persons is heading towards the spring, seemingly oblivious to the presence of the party. They are clad in dirty rags and armour cobbled together from various cast-off pieces, though one -- the leader, most probably -- wears a full set of pikeman's armour and has a halberd resting on his shoulder. Behind him walk three women carrying shields and short swords, and a pair of mismatched bowman.

Artuš calls out a friendly soldier's greeting. The newcomers start at the sound, then turn to see its source, and raise their weapons in anything but a friendly reply.

[Round 1 - PCs lose initiative]
The bowman nock and loose arrows before their targets have had a chance to even stand up [targets were decided on 1d6: 1-2 A, 3 B, 4 L, 5 E, 6 H (Waldemar is asleep in a tent)]. One arrow sails past Artuš' head and sticks in a tree. The other sails past his head on the other side, and sticks in Beate's chest [4 damage leaves her with 1hp]. She screams and scrambles for cover behind a thick stump, and Horst follows close behind.

Lalie and Éliane draw their pistols as they rise. Artuš draws his sword, rising and trotting towards the enemy.

[Round 2]
The bowmen change targets [d8: 1-3 L, 4-6 E, 7-8 A], surmising the pistolières a bigger threat than even the soldier rushing at them. Their arrows fail to hit their mark, however.

The halberdier and one of the swordswomen move up to meet Artuš, who bats their arms aside easily [they roll abysmally]. Artuš delivers a punishing blow with his sword, smashing the man's ill cared-for gorget in two, and leaving a bloody wound [8 damage drops f to 1hp].

The other two swordswomen move up and around, trying to manoeuvre behind Lalie and Éliane. Two shots ring out [random targets (d6): 1-3 longbow, 4-6 shortbow]. Both women assumed their companion would instinctively target the longbowman, so take aim at the other. One ball catches him in the abdomen, and blood sprays out his back as it continues through unimpeded. The second hits him between the eyes a moment later. He falls to the forest floor, and his soul continues falling ever downward, for he did not die in a state of grace [5+8 damage put him at -7hp].

[Round 3]
[The bandits have a 7 Morale, so must check it when guns are first used against them; 2d6=6, they will stand.]

The longbowman nocks another arrow, and tries to avenge his comrade in arms. Lalie shortly has an arrow protruding from her right shoulder. She cries out something one would not expect from a woman of her noble breeding, but does not falter despite the pain [3 damage leave her with 3hp].

[Swordswoman tactics (d6): 1-2 both rush in at L&E, 3-4 both hesitate for 1 round, 5-6 on rushes and one waits.]

One of the swordswomen (c) rushes at Éliane, but is tripped up by dirty cook pots and nearly falls [rolled a 3]. Éliane turns at the sound, and discharges her second pistol right into the woman's stomach. She falls, helpless with agony [4 damage drops her to exactly 0hp]. Lalie takes careful aim at the longbowman, who drops bleeding beside his companion [5 damage to -2hp].

Artuš presses his advantage. The swordswoman fights hesitantly, which saves her life, for the halberdier makes a bold assault, and finds his doom on the point of the mercenary's sword [6 damage drops him to -5hp].

[Round 4]
The two remaining swordswomen turn and flee in opposite directions into the forest. Lalie lets her pistols fall to the ground [Checked morale again due to losses: 2d6=10].

[Round 5]
Lalie speaks some strange syllables in the barbarous Chaldean tongue, and makes a pagan gesture in the air before her. Two streaks of shining yet colourless light whizz from her fingertips to burn the fleeing women, though neither is so hurt as to halt her flight. [Lalie cast magic missile; 1d4 damage each, save for half.]

Waldemar sleepily emerges from his tent, looking flushed with health. "What happened?" he asks. Éliane fusses over her poor dear Lalie's wound whilst Horst tries to tend to a very irritable Beate, who soon sends him away. Artuš takes Horst and Waldemar to help him search the fallen bandits. They find a total of 15 silver coins, and a thin golden bracelet set round with tourmalines [1x costly jewellery, 400sp]. The bracelet will be stowed in the (currently empty) treasure pack, but the coins are given over to Horst. Waldemar helps himself to the longbow, and the halberdier's breastplate and tassets [+2AC].

When they come back to the camp, they find Lalie wiping blood off the blade of her rapier and talking to Éliane. "...mais, ma chère mignonne," she is saying, "elle a faillit de te blesser ! Ah ! but I see our friends have returned. Before she died, this brigand confessed that there are ten total in her band, and they have made camp not far from here. Perhaps we had ought not to remain by the spring this night."

[Interrogating the injured swordswoman: reaction roll=7, neutral, so she only gave them the barest information about numbers. Bandit lair=2d6

Q: Any useful rumour? Doubtful (6): O5 C5 - No. +Event (see below)
Q: Will the bandits track them down that night? Unlikely (5+): O3 C6 - No

This was a good time to check Horst's Loyalty. 3d6+3=16, giving him Loyalty/Morale 10. 2d6=5, he survived the encounter and isn't sorry to see the bandits dead, so he isn't thinking of running.]

They move their camp in a clearing about half a mile from the spring, and make only a small fire to cook some broth, and they make sure it is put out before dusk. The injured are spared from taking a turn keeping watch. The half moon is visible through the forest canopy, and whilst it does little to illumine the scene, at least it provides a record of the passing time for the watchers.

As Éliane sits on an overturned log, listening to the sounds of the nocturnal forest, she has aught else to do but gaze up at the heavens. But the fatigue of exploration and excitement must be beginning to overcome her, for the longer she stares upward, the more her tired eyes see movement where there is none. She rubs her eyes, and tries to focus again. And then she realises that it be no illusion nor trick of a tired mind -- the fixed stars are in motion, subtly changing their positions in the firmament. [the Event from above: Ambiguous event - fix / heaven]

She drops her pistols in amazement, clambers back into her tent, and begins shaking her friend awake. "Lalie! Lalie, my sweet, wake up!" she whispers. "You've got to come see this!"

Lalie follows her groggily outside, and follows Éliane's finger pointing straight up into the sky.

"You see it too? Then I'm not mad. Tell me, what can it mean?"

Lalie stares for some time as the constellations stretch and contort almost imperceptibly.

[Q: Meaning? tell / melancholy]

Lalie takes Éliane's hands before she has the courage to speak. "There is great sadness ahead for us all."

"Even us?" asks Éliane.

"Even us."

"We'd better not tell the others."

"No. Of course not."

LotFP solo hex & dungeon crawl : Part I

I've been working on my historical LotFP adventure again of late, but I still have nothing in any shape to post. The setting information is taking rather too long to put in a fit state for sharing, and my house rules for magic (second revision) are similarly proving hard to finish. And I haven't even started making my game notes into anything readable. So, in the interim, I thought I'd try another short and simple adventure chronicling the further exploits of my auxiliary PCs for the main campaign (their first adventure can be found here).

Here are their stats again for reference, in the format I'm using for the main campaign:

Lalie Roquentin (« Laelia »)
Magic-user, Level 2, female
Cha 10 Con 6 Dex 9 Int 17 Str 12 Wis 14
HP 6, AC 14 (leather armour), AL: C
Origin: French minor nobility
Languages: French, Latin, German, English, Greek
Religion: Catholic
Weapons: rapier, brace of wheel lock pistols
Equipment: spellbook, shovel, crowbar, backpack, torch, 2 empty vials, silver mirror, chalk, ink, steel holy symbol, talismans (hold portal, message, identifyx2)
Spellbook: Unseen servant, Magic Missile, Mending, Floating Disk

Éliane Meursault
Specialist, Level 3, female
Cha 15 Con 13 Dex 18 Int 15 Str 13 Wis 7
HP 13, AC 15, AL: N
Origin: Parisian urban poor
Languages: French, English, German
Religion: Catholic
Weapons: dagger, brace of wheel lock pistols
Equipment: specialists' tools, strength potion, shot bag, powder horn, torch, backpack, sack
Skills: Stealth-4, Search-4, Sleight of hand-2, Sneak attack x2


After some high living in Amiens (-750sp each), things turned sour, and our heroines decided to travel to Germany. In a coaching inn south of Nürnberg, they made the acquaintance of a mis-matched pair of wanderers (2 more PCs), who had come into the possession of an old treasure map.

Artuš Mlynář was a stout, young mercenary from Bohemia. After fighting for the Spanish in the failed siege of Nieuwpoort, he decided to abandon military life and seek his fortune elsewhere. Strange encounters with the living dead and vile witchery ensued, but at least he's his own master now. (Fun fact #1: Artuš is actually my (surviving) character from the solo adventure in the Grindhouse Edition LotFP tutorial book. After that he had a city adventure using Scarlet Heroes urban adventure tables (no fray dice or lowered damage). Fun fact #2: I named him without thinking too hard about it; when typing out his stats I realised his name translates to 'Arthur Miller'.)

Artuš Mlynář
Fighter, Level 1, male
Cha 12 Con 17 Dex 12  Int 9 Str 13 Wis 10
HP 10, AC 16 chain, AL: N
Origin: Bohemian peasantry
Languages: Czech, German
Religion: Catholic
Weapons: sword, dagger
Equipment: map in leather scroll case, rope, tinderbox, torch, backpack, 144sp


His companion is a quiet spinster. Beate Schleiermacher is tall, rigid, and underweight, and her thinning grey hair and pinched face makes her look much older than her 39 years. She was the middle daughter of a prosperous merchant in Augsburg, and spent her days in happy seclusion in her father's private library, or studying history, philosophy, and mathematics with private tutors. Her father has recently died, and instead of a legacy left behind only debts. She fled the city in disgrace, taking with her what little she could carry (starting money 3d6x10=50sp), intending to throw herself on the mercy of a distant cousin in Nürnberg.

Beate Schleiermacher
Specialist, Level 1, female
Cha 5 Con 12 Dex 15 Int 13 Str 11 Wis 14
HP 5, AC 13 (no armour), AL: N
Origin: German mercantile class
Languages: German, French, Latin
Religion: Lutheran
Weapons: rapier
Equipment: 2 torches, blank book, ink & stylus, steel mirror, backpack, wooden holy symbol, 18sp, 1cp
Skills: Architecture 3, Languages 3


Artuš had just met Beate in the coaching inn the day before, as he recognised her as a woman of learning and he needed help deciphering the old map he'd acquired. The pair recognised Lalie and Éliane as being similarly-minded individuals the moment they walked in the door. The four have decided to become equal partners in the treasure-finding expedition. They almost even trust one another.

The morning after their meeting, they take a coach to Nürnberg where, after a first refusal, they manage to engage the services of a guide to help them navigate the wilderness.

I used the Hiring Retainers rules in the LotFP Rules & Magic book. The first guide refused to work with them (3d6+1 for Éliane's charisma=8, refuse offer), so they tried again, this time offering double normal wages (for a +2 bonus). Horst is an skilled hunter and tracker, and an affable enough sort, though rather unexceptional.

Horst
Level 0, male
Cha 10 Con 9 Dex 7 Int 11 Str 11 Wis 13
HP 3, AC 11, AL: N
Origin: German peasant
Languages: German
Religion: Zwinglian
Equipment: dagger
Loyalty: *

*His Loyalty will not be determined until necessary: 3d6+3 total bonus on the Loyalty/Morale chart.


Toolbox for the adventure

• Lamentations of the Flame Princess
• Mythic GME for the oracle & scene structure, modified by my own MCSV, with the Horror theme from Mythic Variations and the Event Meaning charts replaced with my version taken from the word frequency in Matthew Lewis' The Monk.
• d30 Sandbox Companion, UNE, etc.
• Scarlet Heroes

I don't even remember where Artuš got the map, but it was written on his character sheet. Whatever the case, it made a good adventure hook for a completely random adventure, rolled up with the d30 Sandbox Companion's adventure generator tables. In actual fact, the first set of results sparked an idea for the main campaign, which followed on from some vague notions I had hoped to explore, so I put it aside for later and rolled up a new one:

d30 adventure
Goal: investigate location
Obstacle: awaken sleeping NPC
Location: ruins
Location feature: chapel
Phenomena: transformation
Villain goal: domination/control
Artefact: cup
Theme: terror
Key NPC: pilgrim (as 1st-level cleric)


This is a simple exploration & location-based adventure, so I have dispensed with Scenes. I haven't had to consult the Oracle very often, but I've been using d10 and occasionally d8 as the Chaos Die. To start, I decided they would need to first travel 1d4=4 days to reach a small village on the edge of the forest they must explore. Each day needed a roll on the d30 Sandbox Companion's road encounter table (scattered density) and there was a 1-in-6 chance of nighttime encounters.

NB: Unless otherwise indicated, assume everyone is speaking in German. Lalie and Éliane speak their mother tongue in private, but find it rude to converse in front of their allies who may not understand it.

Enough with the preliminaries -- adventure awaits!


--- --- ---


1 March, A.D. 1601

It's a brisk day as the band set out from Nürnberg. Lalie and Éliane have stowed their finery in their small travelling trunks to avoid notice, and wear the simple, rugged travelling clothes they've been in since their flight from France. Aside from Artuš and his obvious military bearing, they could pass for any common group of travellers.

The first day of travel is largely uneventful, but as evening approaches...

[d30 road encounter = hostile
react d30=23, attack/pursue, ML 11, 6 assailants, same level as party

Q: Bandits? 50/50 (4+): O2 C7 - No.
Q: What are they after, then? Bring / Strength

UNE--
NPC Relationship: distrustful
Conversation Mood: cautious
scheming - intent - friends]

...a group of wretched-looking spearmen block their path on the road.

"You there!" calls out the captain. "Come with us. We need more soldiers for the [d30=11, count/earl] Graf's army!"

Éliane spurs her horse closer to the man, who must take a step back to keep his feet  from being stamped by its hooves. Her hands rest near her pistols, but she does not draw. She gazes down at him sternly for a few more moments before she speaks. "I think not. My Lady has urgent business in Jena."

"I doubt that very much," replies the captain a he recovers a bit of courage. "We don't wish to fight with you, we just want you to hear our proposition. The Graf is very generous toward his friends."

"I'm sure. But I would hazard to guess that he does not look kindly on his servants' trespasses, and would treat very unkindly indeed with the ones who would hinder My Lady, Madame Roquentin."

[I forgot to ask an important question at the start of the encounter. The answer is written into the narrative above, but the Event follows.
Q: Are the soldiers on horses? Likely (3+): O1 C1 - No, and... not well equipped
+Event:  New NPC - close / terror]

The captain hesitates, unsure of how to react to this new information. A second soldier steps up and asks, "Does your Lady's business take you further still than Jena?"

"Not that it's any of your business," says Éliane, "but it does, in fact, continue on from there."

"Allow me to accompany you then."

"What? says the captain in disbelief.

"I'd rather leave with them than go back... there."

[Q: How do the other soldiers react? doubt / world]

"You're a fool to run off with these... foreigners."

"I'm more afraid of what might happens if I stay. Aren't you?"

"Better the devil we know..."

"You'll let me leave?"

"Have we any choice?"

"Then I throw myself on this good lady's mercy. What say you?"

"We can use another guard," says Éliane.

[What level fighter is the new NPC? 1d6: 1-3 zero, 4-5 first, 6 second; d6=2.
He'll count as a Henchman, thus receiving a half-share of loot and XP. When it comes time to roll for his Loyalty/Morale score, he'll roll 3d6+1 on the table for being "recruited" by Éliane (CHA 15).]

Waldemar
Level 0, male
Cha 11 Con 10 Dex 10 Int 9 Str 15 Wis 5
HP 4, AC 14 buff coat & helmet, AL: N
Origin: German peasant
Languages: German
Religion: Lutheran
Weapons: spear
Loyalty: ?

As they continue down the road, the soldier, Waldemar by name, walks beside Éliane's horse. "So," she asks him, "why did you decide to throw in your lot with us?"

"The Graf is quite mad. I fear he is pressing people into his army for some unwholesome purpose."

"Well, we're glad of your company. But I fear I must confess: we're not exactly going directly to Jena. Or mayhap at all."

"You're not...?"

"It was just the first town up the road that came to mind."

"Oh..."

"And where we are going, well, I just really couldn't say."

"Where...?"

"Mon chère Waldemar, how do you feel about hunting for treasure?"


2 March

The next day they run across a troupe of players. The troupe is in high spirits, having just made more money than expected when passing through a small hamlet, and invite the party to share their midday repast. Some of the children had just been picking berries off the side of the road, and are anxious to share them with their new guests.

The party spend a welcome hour in the company of performers, and are treated to a free meal and a free show. One of the jugglers likes to tell tales, and relates the legend of a terrible witch or fairy-woman who lives in the woods outside of the aptly-named Drudenwiese, and is responsible for annual disappearances in the region. He cautions the party to not wend their way towards the accursed village. The other players laugh at him and tell him not to tell such preposterous stories, but he seems a little shaken in the telling of it, and insists it's true.

[road encounter d30=11, Travelling NPC; d30=6, caravan, troupe of performers (jugglers/acrobats)
reaction: 2d6=12 (natural)! - free show

With such a good reaction, the party can pick up a rumour: Fact about Magic, 1d6=major, 2d6=ruin (-4)

The first truth die 1d6=4 (final will add +1 for reaction 10+) -- they do credit it; strange things have been seen near there]


3 March

On the following day, settlements are few and far between. They meet not a living soul on the road, which is properly only a dirt trail. They do see a body lying beside it at one point [d30 road encounter], bloated past the point of recognition, its split skin oozing and undulating with the actions of maggots. They pass it quickly lest the noisome exhalations bear a pestilence with them, but sparing nary a thought for the poor soul called to his final reward. It's just the sort of unpleasant sight one expects on the roads now-a-days.

Liber sine titulo / Invocatio Pallidae Mortis : a treasure for LotFP

I had a strange nightmare last night. As the fear began to ebb from my sleep-addled brain, I realised that the book at the core of it presented an excellent idea for a Lamentations of the Flame Princess treasure & spell. If you don't mine your nightmares for weird fantasy inspiration, what good are they?

The following assumes the standard LotFP setting of 17th century Europe.

Liber sine titulo

This slender and unassuming codex is bound in simple, dark brown leather. The pages inside are of worm-eaten vellum, which bear water damage along the bottom edges, and obviously antedate the binding by at least 100 years. It bears no title within nor without.

Inside the book is a curious text written in Latin in an Italian notorial cursive. The text starts on the first page with no title nor any words of introduction, and seemingly in the midst of sentence. It begins with the unknown author either fleeing or being driven out of the city of his birth, and setting out upon the road alone. He wanders through northern Italy as a vagabond, consumed by thoughts of revenge, until at last he calls upon the devil at a twilit crossroads, entreating him for the power to exact his retribution. The devil says that he will teach him an incantation to summon Pale Death herself to drag his enemies to hell, body and soul.

Here there is an abrupt shift in the text. The next dozen or so pages detail a ritual by which the devil may be summoned, and the steps required to bargain with him without immediately signing over one's immortal soul. Thereafter is appended a short incantation for summoning Pale Death, though it stresses that the incantation alone will not work without knowledge of some several secret signs, which only the Devil himself may impart.

The narrative then resumes for a handful of pages, telling how the narrator journeyed back to his native city, and delighted to watch the first of his enemies snatched away by the apparition of Death, who moved as though a great and terrible marionette manipulated by that master puppeteer, Satan. The narrative cuts off abruptly at the very bottom of the last page. The first and last quires of the book were evidently lost or discarded when the book was rebound.


Invocatio Pallidae Mortis (Summoning Pale Death)
Magic-User & Cleric Level 1
Duration: 6 rounds
Range: 30’

Intoning the voces magicae and making the prescribed gestures of power summons Death to drag a single specified foe down to Hell. Death appears as a 7' tall bleached white skeleton. Onlookers may see translucent, silvery filaments holding the skeleton up like some sort of giant marionette, and if they follow these upwards the suggestion of a reddish, clawed hand -- the Devil's own -- will be seen manipulating it like a puppet. The hand and filaments are entirely insubstantial, and do not hamper the skeleton's movement in any way.

When the spell is cast (which takes a full round), Pale Death will immediately rush towards the designated victim and attempt to grapple them. Should it hold the victim in its clutches for 3 successive rounds, it disappears, taking the victim away to never be seen again. The skeleton can only remain material for 6 rounds. Should it fail to catch its victim in 3 rounds, or should the victim escape its grasp on round 4 or later, it will disappear immediately. It also disappears if somehow destroyed.

Pallida Mors (AC: 18, HD 10, Move: 150', 1 attack, Dmg: grapple, ML: 12, Special: Immune to cold, paralysis, turning, and mind-effecting spells)

Refer to the Pursuit rules on pp 61-2 and the Wrestling rules on pp 62-3 of the LotFP Rules & Magic book.

Only humans may be declared as victims. A victim taken away by Death is forever dead and cannot be brought back by any means.

--- --- --- players stop reading here --- --- ---

Referee Notes

The Book

The narrative contained in this accursed volume is essentially true, with but two exceptions. The narrator did not meet the devil at the crossroads, but rather a malevolent extra-dimensional entity from the Outer Darkness, one whose name could not be pronounced by the vocal apparatus of any creature which ever has or which ever shall walk the Earth. Similarly, the incantation does not summon Death, but rather a manifestation of the entity's power in Earth's local 11-dimension spacetime. These are, however, essentially minor points.

The book is not magical, though it may be possible to detect an aura of Evil, depending on your interpretation of the spell; it is no more -- and no less -- evil than any other treatise of black magic.

The codex has no intrinsic worth, but for the knowledge it contains it could fetch 1000sp from the right sort of person.

The Ritual

The ritual must be performed at evening twilight at a crossroads. It takes half an hour to perform, and uses up 750sp worth of supplies. The "Devil" will appear to the onlookers in whatever form they expect him to take. He will treat with them as they might expect, for the Entity has a reasonable knowledge of human history and belief -- certainly enough to pull off this deception. A cleric might be able to catch him out by revealing his ignorance of the minutia of Christian doctrine, but demanding proofs from him are far more likely to arouse the Entity's wrath before the con can be revealed. The Entity will offer to teach the secret gestures that accompany the incantation of summoning death, in exchange for the spellcaster's immortal soul. The caster is advised to adhere to the following dialogue:

Magus: But by bringing Doom upon my enemies, I send their Souls to thy Kingdom in mine's stead.

Diabolus: Yet thy enemies are wicked, and bound for my Kingdom by their own Will.

Magus: Verily, but may they not someday repent? I shall send them to thy House unshriven, that they cannot escape Damnation.

Diabolus: But may'st thou not also seek Absolution in the Church?

Magus: By this very Bargain do I turn my face ever from Salvation.

The Entity will of course relent, as it has no interest in Earthly religion. Any suitably religious person will know that salvation is always an option for those who earnestly repent, and even the worldly will know of a handful of tales whereby a clever person outsmarts the Devil thus. Once the Entity teaches the secret gestures to accompany the incantation, it will depart.

Should the PC(s) attempt to trick the Entity, they will most likely end up dead. Harassing it with questions or subjecting it to cross-examination is likely to arouse its ire, as are any spells being used against it. Most magic will simply not effect it, though spells such as ESP or Detect Evil will cause the caster's brain to explode from the overwhelming feedback (no save); anyone within 5' will suffer 1d3 damage from skull fragments (save vs. Breath Weapon negates). Anyone else offending the Entity will suffer an instant, messy demise; allow a Death save, with success indicating their remains are at least able to be identified.

The spell

The above spell description can be passed to the player(s) once this spell is learnt. It does function exactly as written, save that the whole appearance of the hand and skeleton is illusory. Its true appearance, should it actually be seen (Detect Illusion works), is a roiling black mass of energy, spinning at hundreds of rotations per second.

On the face of it, this seems very powerful for a first level spell. And it is, but there's a catch. The more it's used, the more likely it is that the Entity will have collected enough bodies/souls for its strange purpose. For each casting after the first, roll 1d6. If the roll is less than the total number of castings (including the current one), the skeleton will attack the caster instead of the designated victim. Should the caster escape, there will be no further repercussions, but if the spell is cast again, the skeleton will continue to go after the caster. Should the caster escape a second time and try the spell yet again, it will still try to attack the caster, and you should strongly consider running a game for smarter players.

The ultimate fate of those spirited away by this spell is left to the referee; they could simply be devoured body and soul by the strange Entity, used as slaves, made to fight for its amusement, or simply deposited in a different place and time (to reappear as N/PCs in a different campaign world) for inscrutable purposes.

Star Wars RPG solo - Part 10 : Interlude on Koora

The dizzying blue-white tunnel of hyperspace illuminates the inside of the turret. Zil breathes a sigh of relief and climbs down into the main cabin, where Oosuu is sitting uncomfortably in an acceleration couch, across from the unconscious forms of Jather and the mercenary Lieutenant.

"You look terrible," says Zil. "Let me see if I can find the first aid supplies in this crate before you join the lot of them."

Oosuu merely gives Zil a weak, teary smile.


Scene 26

Chaos: Abject Chaos (d5)

Setup: d5=3, Interrupt (was: deal with Lieutenant)
Interrupt: PC negative - Expose / Danger

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the human speeder racer, Wex Enstipo the human gunrunner, Oosuu the Twi'lek waitress, Xzag-Xzan the crime boss (Jather's sometime patron), Chruighok the rival crime boss, Major Riilina Cazerdy the human mercenary (Wex's ex-flame), Mr. Kuththuk the genteel Trandoshan (Morga the Hutt's lieutenant), Lt. Glorrisk the Duros mercenary

Threads: escape, datapad

[The Interrupt will occur 1d6-1=0 hours into hyperspace, so first...

Q: Are there medpacs aboard? Likely (3+): O6 C2 - Yes, and... Biotech FastFlesh medpacs (Cracken's Rebel Field Guide); 1d6=4

Difficulty to heal a Wounded character is a mere 5; Zil rolls 2D+1=10.]

Zil feels their luck may be improving when she opens the first aid locker to find four Biotech FastFlesh medpacs inside. She gingerly helps Oosuu remove her coat to get at the wound, and shudders a bit to see the blackened, charred gouge in the soft blue of the Twi'lek's flesh.

Meanwhile in the cockpit, a significantly less tender scene is unfolding.

"So Lina," says Wex, "what're we to do with this associate of yours?"

"Gee, Wex, I dunno. Why did you say to bring him in the first place?"

"I thought we might need a hostage."

"Why?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Great, just beautiful. Just-- what's that smell?"

They rush out into the main cabin to see Oosuu and Zil pulling up the floor grating, from beneath which a noxious plume of yellow smoke is rising.

Lina panics and starts barking orders. "We've got to fix this before it poisons the air! Zil, the hydrospanners are under the bulkhead in the rear bay! Wex, get the diagnostic computer. No, the other one! And find the breathers! Oosuu, the red conduits are holding, fix the green one first..."

[A Difficult (20) Space Transport Repair roll is needed. Lina is trying to use her Command skill (Easy, diff. 5) to coordinate: 4D+1=18: success grants a +1D bonus, but the average skill level is only 3D, so it ends up the same as if Oosuu had worked alone. 4D=17, Oosuu spends a character point for (1d6=) +5, success.]

After a few minutes of frenzied activity, the damage has been patched, and the fuel system is no longer venting toxic gas into the life support recyclers. Wex, Lina, and Zil are cheering with relief as Oosuu climbs out from under the decking, but the Twi'lek does not share their exuberance.

"What's wrong?" asks Lina, as Oosuu stomps up before her.

"Next time let Oosuu do self. Opinions not help."


Scene 27

Chaos: Abject Chaos (d5)

Setup: deal with Lieutenant

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the human speeder racer, Wex Enstipo the human gunrunner, Oosuu the Twi'lek waitress, Xzag-Xzan the crime boss (Jather's sometime patron), Chruighok the rival crime boss, Major Riilina Cazerdy the human mercenary (Wex's ex-flame), Mr. Kuththuk the genteel Trandoshan (Morga the Hutt's lieutenant), Lt. Glorrisk the Duros mercenary

Threads: escape, datapad

"So, Wex," says Lina, "can I talk to you in the cockpit for a mo? Privately?"

"Yeah, sure. What's, uh... what's up?"

[They'll get 2d6=7 bits of dialogue before being interrupted]
"What's up? Really? I dunno: kidnapping, theft of a starship, a shootout with stormtroopers, a dogfight with Imperial fighters..."

"So it's not the day I had planned."

"You're going to be the end of me, you know that? Even if I stay out of prison, my career's done for."

"I didn't mean for--"

"Of course you didn't! You never do! But this is a massive screw up even by your standards, which is saying a lot. You think the Lieutenant is going to just forget all of this? What are you going to do about him, huh? Tell me, what's your great plan?"

"I'm not in charge here. I don't make the plan myself."

"Way to avoid responsibility. You didn't mean this to happen. You're not in charge of this farce. It's never your fault."

Just then Zil appears in the doorway. "Heya," she says. "What's with the big secret meeting? You're making me paranoid."

"It's not a secret meeting," replies Wex. "Lina's just venting."

"...," fumes Lina.

"Can it wait? We've got some serious discussions that need to be had before we get to our destination. Including, 'Just where is our destination?', though that might not be the most immediately pressing. I left Oosuu watching your merc buddy with my blaster."

"You're afraid she'll shoot him?"

"I'm more afraid she won't..."

"What are we going to do with him?" asks Lina.

"I know my vote," says Zil. "But I bet you all try to talk me out of it." She turns and walks back out of the cockpit.

"Why are you even friends with her?" asks Lina.

In the main cabin, Lt. Glorrisk is sitting quietly, still buckled in to the acceleration couch but not otherwise restrained. He is conscious, but still groggy from the effects of the stun blast. Oosuu is once again sitting opposite him, holding a blaster in two hands.

"You can give me that back now," says Zil. "I think it's safe to assume our guest won't try anything against the four of us. But just in case I'm setting it back to stun, so there's no possibility for friendly fire."

"Blaster not stun?!" asks Oosuu, offended.

"I was sort of hoping for an easy out. But since we didn't get one, we need to discuss what to do about the good Lieutenant, here."

"Shouldn't we wake up Jather? asks Wex."

"He'll vote with me, I'm sure."

"All the same," says Lina, "I think we should probably give him a say. I'll see what there is in the way of medical equipment."

"Zil find medpacs already," says Oosuu. "Only three left."

[FastFlesh medpac; Difficulty 10 to treat Incapacitated; 3D=10 heals to Wounded]

Lina applies the medpac to Jather, and within a minute the colour has returned to his face and he's sitting up unaided, blinking, and looking around in bewilderment.

"Bleurrrrg," says Jather. "Where are we? What'd I miss?"

"We're in a stolen mercenary shuttle somewhere in hyperspace. Heading towards... Lina?"

"Dantooine," says Lina.

"Dantooine. And Wex had us bring a mercenary along as a hostage."

"Oh. Great."

"So, Mr. mercenary," says Zil, turning to the captive Duros, "what are we to do with you?"

"Major! This is sheer insanity," shouts Lt. Glorrisk. "How could you ever have fallen in with this lot?" [UNE: insane - madness - last scene]

"Fallen in?" begins Lina, "I was just doing a favour! I haven't--"

"Like it or not," says Zil, "you're one of us now. That is, unless we convince your friend to drop us off and the two of you go back to Ord Mantell and make up some story to get the Empire off your backs. And ours."

"I, uh, I mean, that the Lieutenant and I, um, it would be kinda--"

"Out of the question!" says the Lieutenant. "I see no reason you should all get away with this -- with these -- crimes!"

"See?" says Zil. "You're one of us."

"Congratulations," says Jather. "So, who are you anyway?"

"I'm a mercenary," says Lina. "Was. And I, um, I used to know Wex. Slightly. Can't we just let Lt. Glorrisk off somewhere? Or leave him with the shuttle, even?"

"Lieutenant," asks Zil, "are you even going to pretend for a moment you wouldn't alert the Empire?"

"If it's the only way I can avoid murder at your hands, I suppose I must."

"Duros lie bad," says Oosuu.

"Yeah, it wasn't a real question."

"What if we dropped him off somewhere really far out of the way?" offers Lina. "Give him time to sit and wait for a ship to come round, so we'll be long gone--"

"How far are you thinking of running?" asks Jather.

"We could make it look like he was one of us," says Wex.

"Masterminding a plot to steal a ship?" asks Zil.

"Aiding and abetting at any rate."

"Sell ship, put money Duros account. Oosuu like; is less mean."

"Please, just let me go," pleads Lt. Glorrisk. "I can't take any more of this. A battlefield is one thing. This pit of ravening nexu is quite another." [insane - fear - last scene]

"How 'bout we put this to a vote?" says Zil. "I say it's too risky to leave witnesses behind."

"You can't really mean that!" says Lina. "What's wrong with you? Please, let's just let him go."

"We have a vote for abandonment then. Wex?"

"Make it look like he helped steal the ship and cut him loose. Can't blab without implicating himself that way."

"Oosuu agree Wex."

"Fine. Jather?"

[Jather's vote was the only one I wasn't 100% sure of as a player, so (1d6): 1-3 kill, 4-5 set up, 6 abandon: 1]

"I'm with you, Zil."

"Well, we're tied 2:2," says Zil. "I guess that means if Lina changes her vote, we go with Wex and Oosuu's plan."

"She could see reason," says Jather.

"She's too soft. We all agreed then? Since no one's speaking up, I guess we are. Welcome to your new life of crime, Lieutenant."


Scene 28

Chaos: Abject Chaos (d5)

Setup: drop out of hyperspace (astrogation mishap from scene 24)

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the human speeder racer, Wex Enstipo the human gunrunner, Oosuu the Twi'lek waitress, Xzag-Xzan the crime boss (Jather's sometime patron), Chruighok the rival crime boss, Major Riilina Cazerdy the human mercenary (Wex's ex-flame), Mr. Kuththuk the genteel Trandoshan (Morga the Hutt's lieutenant), Lt. Glorrisk the Duros mercenary

Threads: escape, datapad

After the vote, an uneasy silence settles over the ship. Lina tries a few times to engage Wex in conversation, but he rebuffs her in favour of monitoring their course from the bridge and running systems diagnostics. The Lieutenant is too frightened to speak, and Oosuu can't stop looking at Zil like she's some kind of monster. Zil wishes she could talk to Jather privately; she's not sure if he backed her because he knew she was bluffing or if deep down he's really as vicious as she pretends to be. Or might he just feel some sort of loyalty towards her...? For his part, Jather has stretched out on one of the acceleration couches and is having a nap.

Oosuu suddenly stiffens, and cocks her head to one side. "Zil, listen. What that noise...?"

"I don't hear anything."

"Zil, listen hard."

"I'm telling you, I don't--"

»ZOOP ZOOP ZOop zoop whine... sputter«

Wex's voice comes over the intercom: "Everyone to the bridge!"

Oosuu was already heading that way, and Lina is right behind her. Zil shakes Jather awake, and drags him along. Even Lt. Glorrisk goes in, last, to see what the matter is.

"What happened?" asks Zil.

"Hyper drive's cut out," says Wex. "Can't say I'm shocked. It's a wonder the ship made it this far."

"Where even are we?"

"Good question..."

Wex's voice trails off as he starts a sensor scan and runs some analysis programmes from the astrogation console.

[They have come out of hyperspace in a random, out-of-the-way system I generated via http://donjon.bin.sh/scifi/swsg/
The only thing it doesn't tell me is whether the population is (1d6): 1-2 human, 3-4 alien, 5 mixed (few), 6 mixed (many): 6
Wex needs a Difficult (18) Planetary Systems roll: 4D=20, success.]

Wex looks up from the screens. "Looks like we're at Koora."

"Never heard of it," says Zil.

"Former mining colony. Once the mines played out the corporations went away, and now..."

"Now?"

"I'd say this is how most people visit -- by accident."

"We need food," says Lina.

"And repairs," adds Oosuu.

"Let's set down near a settlement and see what we can do about those things."

"You find us a place to land," says Zil. "The rest of us should go through the cargo compartments and see what we have of value in this crate."

[Q: Any weapons aboard? 50/50 (4+): O2 C4 - No, but... some armour]

Lt. Glorrisk protests that there should be nothing in the shuttle, as they were on Ord Mantell not just for training recruits but for a complete re-supply. And his prophetic words come true: there is almost nothing of value left in the shuttle. Lina finds a meagre cache of [1d6=] four blast vests and helmets, stowed carelessly in the aft section.

Wex lands the shuttle on a flat, rocky desert plain, about a kilometre from a large settlement. Zil throws the bag full of armour over her shoulder and walks down the ramp onto the arid plain. The giant orange sun is directly overhead; it's going to be a hot, dusty walk.

Wex offers to go with Zil, whilst Oosuu and Lina stay behind to repair the ship. Jather stays to guard the Lieutenant.

"Check in every hour," says Lina as Wex is walking down the ramp, "or we'll know there's a problem."

"And?"

"We'll fly the ship into town to rescue you!"


--- --- ---


It takes Zil and Wex an hour to reach the settlement, which is primarily composed of decaying temporary structures left behind when the corporations pulled out, reinforced with local wood and stone.

[Q: Market open? Likely (3+): O2 C3 - No, but...
Diff (17) Streetwise to find someone willing to trade: 5D=18
Mod (12) Bargain to get enough food/water: 4D=13 ok

Q: Anything happen in town? Likely (3+): O4 C2 - Yes, and...
Q: What? PC negative - Violate / Tension
(1d6) 1-2 Wex, 3-4 Zil, 5-6 both: 6, outsiders unwelcome here
Opponents? (1d6) 1-2 d6, 3-4 2d6, 5-6 angry mob: 1; d6=5 toughs
Q: Any have blasters? Unlikely (5+): O4 C1 - No, and... clubs at best]

The market square is empty, and most of the shops seem to be closed for some holiday or other, but Wex finds a merchant willing to barter. Zil calls back to the ship with the good news. But as she and Wex are about to drag their makeshift cart full of produce, grain, and clay water jugs back through the desert, a group of five scraggly youths surround them, each holding an angry-looking farm tool with evident menace.

Zil puts her hands on her hips and stares at them for a moment. "Are you for real?" she says. "Go back home to your parents before I send you there in tears."  [Intimidate 4D+2=14 vs. Willpower 2D=7]

"Really, offworlder?" says the leader, a muscle-bound Togruta. "There's a lot more of us than you." [adds +10 to their roll for outnumbering the party]

Zil and Wex draw their blasters. "There won't be for very long," sneers Zil. [+5 for superior weaponry; totals are thus 19 vs. 17]

The thugs scatter in all directions. Zil and Wex resume their trek out of the settlement, but a few scant minutes later they find themselves surrounded by nine constables armed with slugthrowers and swords.

"You'd better put your hands up and come with us, offworlders."

[Zil's Wild die on the Intimidation roll came up a 1, for a complication.]


--- --- ---


Meanwhile, back at the ship...

Oosuu climbs up on top of the ship to repair the turret, whilst Lina gets at the damaged power lines leading to the front-mounted cannons from a hatch underneath the main console in the bridge. She soon has it reconnected, and moves onto the hyperdrive, which proves as stubborn to bring back online as does the scarred and blasted turret.

Oosuu finishes up, then climbs back through the roof hatch and into the ship. She goes straight into the turret and fires it up, and is please to see that she can instantly swivel it round in all directions, and even get a target lock on a distant outcropping of rock. She goes back into the aft section of the ship to see how Lina is getting on with the hyperdrive.

"Lina doing good work. Oosuu think not need help. Oosuu sorry about before, when yell after repairs. Fumes just go to Oosuu head."

Lina smiles and mumbles something; she's still not sure about any of this. She is glad of the praise, but hopes that Oosuu doesn't ask about the repairs too closely -- she made a lot of lucky guesses about reconnecting the secondary ignition baffles.

She lets Oosuu help her put away all the tools, and then they both go back into the main compartment...

[The first go at the turret took 15 minutes and needed a Moderate (15) Starship Weapon Repair roll; Oosuu rolled 4D=6. A second attempt takes 1 hour: 4D=16, fixed.

The front blasters only took Light damage (diff. 10); Lina rolled 3D=12, fixing them in 15 minutes. The Hyperdrive cut out after the ship was Heavily damaged, so the difficulty was 15.
3D=8 fail (15 minutes); second attempt (1 hour) 3D=18 (Wild die 6+4), fixed.

Q: Does anything else happen back at ship? 50/50 (4+): O6 C1 - Yes, and...
Q: What? NPC positive - Bestow / Liberty]

...where they find Jather asleep in one of the acceleration couches, and Lt. Glorrisk is nowhere to be seen. Lina prods the Devaronian roughly, and he awakes with a start.

"Ow! I'm still injured you know."

"Jather, where Duros?" asks Oosuu.

"He's... uh, he's just right... oh, hell."

The three scramble down the ramp and scan the horizon in every direction.

"Great. I don't see him," says Jather.

"Now what?" asks Lina.

"We'd better start looking for him," says Jather.

"Can't we just let him go?"

"Lina want explain Zil?" asks Oosuu.

"Uh, no. Not really," replies Lina. "But how do we catch him? He's had survival training, same as all of us in the Unit, and he'll be covering his tracks."

"Not doing good job," says Oosuu, pointing at the ground.

[Oosuu rolls Search in order to track: 4D+2=17. Covering ones tracks uses Sneak, and the terrain is worth a +5 to Lt. Glorrisk's roll. But 3D+2=5 (1,1,1; nasty Complication)
Q: Does the party arrive in time? 50/50 (4+): O2 C2 - No, and...
+Event (see below)]

About 800 metres from the ship, Oosuu suddenly points at the ground in alarm.

"Look! Blood on dirt!"

"Oh, no...." moans Lina.

"Quick! Keep follow trail!"

The trail turns into a wide, twisting path dragged through over the rocky soil, and turns sharply down into a shallow gully. At the bottom, a brownish-red, eight-legged, twin-tailed lizard creature is about to disappear into its cave with the bloodied and torn Duros. Its auditory membranes vibrate visibly as it detects more prey behind it, and it turns to face them. It readies for a pounce as Lina brings her rifle up to her shoulder, and blasts its head apart.

[Q: G still alive? 50/50 (4+): O1 C1 - No, and... can't be revived]

She runs up to the body of her former comrade, but stops short several metres away.

"No hope?" asks Jather.

"None at all."


--- --- ---


[Event(from above): PC positive (Zil) - Haggle / Status quo
Q: What do they want? Control / Leadership]

Zil and Wex come back to the ship empty-handed, but the others hardly notice. Jather owns up to what happened, and says it was all his fault.

"Jather," says Zil, "I'm not sure whether to be mad at you or proud to have you on our team. But that's not important right now. Thing is, we ran into a bit of trouble too. Long story short: we lost the armour and all the supplies we traded it for. We ended up in the nick, and the village headwoman wanted to do a deal to let us go free, plus recoup our losses on top of that. She was going to keep Wex as assurance, but I talked her out of it." [Persuasion 4D=27! (wild 6+6+2)]

"What does she want?" asks Jather.

"She wants us to knock off her political rival in the next settlement."

"Great!" cries Lina. "Just brilliant! So we're assassins too?"

"Oosuu not like destabilise planet."

"Hold on just a second!" says Zil. "That's just what I agreed to get us out of the cell. I don't care one way or t'other about this planet or getting my hands dirty. But I know a bad deal when I smell one. Way I see it, we have two sensible options. One is go somewhere we can buy food with credits. Two is fly to the next settlement and trade medpacs for food."

"We could tell the target about this Director's offer," says Jather. "Trade food for information -- and non-interference."

 "Medpacs safer," says Oosuu, "and Oosuu hungry."

"How far is the next system?" asks Lina.

"At least 15 hours," says Wex. "And that's if we leave now."

"Medpacs?" asks Zil.

"Motion carried," says Wex.


Scene 29

Chaos: Abject Chaos (d5)

Setup: sell Medpacs
Chaos die = 1, Altered (harder than expected)

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the human speeder racer, Wex Enstipo the human gunrunner, Oosuu the Twi'lek waitress, Xzag-Xzan the crime boss (Jather's sometime patron), Chruighok the rival crime boss, Major Riilina Cazerdy the human mercenary (Wex's ex-flame), Mr. Kuththuk the genteel Trandoshan (Morga the Hutt's lieutenant)

Threads: escape, datapad

Wex flies the shuttle for about an hour until he spots a reasonably large settlement that is well removed from the first one they visited. He and Zil go into town with the medpacs to trade, whilst Lina, Oosuu, and Jather stay behind to guard the ship.

[Difficult (20) Streetwise to find buyer: Wex 5D=20, ok
Wex's Bargain 4D vs. merchant's 6D: 13 vs. 23]

Wex and Zil are soon back from their excursion, with a plastic sack full of food and an old Republic military jerrycan full of water. "We got a bad deal," says Wex,  "but decided to just take it and leave this crappy planet."

"Oooh, let's see," says Jather, poking his head in the bag, "is this fruit or veg? Doesn't matter, I think I can work it!"

Zil catches sight of a strange assembly made of a bit of interior hull plating atop a tripod with a blaster suspended underneath. "What is that for?" she asks.

"Oosuu made us a camp stove," says Lina. "Isn't it great? She tweaked the blaster powerpack to release a minimum of power and adjusted the timing gauge so it emits a continuous--"

"I know how it works," says Zil.

"Oh. Sorry, Zil, I didn't realise you were so outdoorsy."

"I'm not. She's got rigged to do something called 'The Burning'. Oosuu, where'd you learn--?"

"Oosuu not want discuss past. Just made camp stove, Zil." So saying, she walks straight out of the shuttle to sit outside on the bottom of the ramp. Zil makes to go after her, but Wex stops her short.

"I wouldn't," says Wex. "You'll only make it worse. Just let her brood it out and she'll be fine."

Zil relents at once; she hadn't been sure what she was even going to say to her. Lina, watching the whole exchange, feels a pang of jealousy and hurt. Wex has never interceded for her like that with anyone. Even if, as she now is mostly sure, there wasn't ever anything going on between Wex and the Twi'lek, it still pains her to see.

Jather is once again either oblivious to the emotional state of everyone around him, or else is very clever at turning it round. "I could use some help here," he says, as he begins placing the green, oblong vegetables on the sizzling stovetop. "Zil, peel the blue things. Lina see about mashing up the red ones a bit. Wex, figure out what we can use for plates."

Soon, the smell of frying whatevers tempts Oosuu back inside, and they all sit down to a sumptuous repast. No one wants to spoil it with talk of their immediate situation, but as the last of the mystery feast has disappeared, Jather unaccountably brings all of their thoughts right back to the present. "If we're ever back this way," he says, "I need to find out what those blue things are called."

"Speaking of coming back here," says Zil, "just where are we headed?"

They repair to the cockpit, and Wex calls up their location on the navi-computer, studying the nearby systems and hoping for a flash of inspiration.

[He needs a Moderate (14) Planetary Systems roll to think of a safe haven: 4D=16, success.
And a Moderate (12) Astrogation roll to plot the course: 4D=17, success.]

"Phaeda," says Wex definitively.

"Is that a good idea?" asks Zil.

"It's under Imperial control, but the local garrison is full of criminals. I'm counting on their general incompetence to give us long enough to get rid of this ship before anyone there adds the transponder code to the watch list. And their greed to let us bribe our way past if it already has been."

"Ok, so we ditch the ship. Then what?"

"Why's everybody looking at me?"

"You seemed to have an idea," says Lina.

"Well, we still have the datapad," offers Jather. "Might be worth using it to get Morga the Hutt's people off our backs. Shouldn't be hard to contact the underworld there."

"Any dissenters?" asks Zil. "No? Phaeda it is then."


---------------------------------


And with that, the first adventure came to a close. The next will pick up with the characters on Phaeda. But for now, it's time for XP -- er, Character Points.

The great advantage to OSR games for the soloist is that XP are earned in discrete units for combat and/or treasure. D6 Star Wars suggests awards based on adventure length, goals completed, and special awards for bravery, good role-playing, etc, soooooo......

I feel like Zil deserves about 12xp for the adventure, and it would be simplest to give the rest of the party XP pro rata, based on how many scenes each took part in. Scenes 8, 17, and 25 were interrupts that did not involve PCs, so the adventure had 26 effective scenes. Of those, Zil sat out scenes 14-16, making 12xp for 23 scenes, or a simple 1/2, rounding up. For the rest:

Jather, like Zil, was there from scene 1, and sat out 14-16. He was also Incapacitated from  19-26: 16 scenes = 8xp
Wex was there from scene 9 onwards: 19/2=10xp
Oosuu was there from scene 11 onwards: 17/2=9xp
Lina was there from scene (realistically): 7/2=4xp

Everyone started with 5 character points, and all but Lina spent a few to improve their rolls during the adventure.

Skills may be increased by 1 pip between adventures, which costs a number of character points equal to the number before the current die code. No training time is required if the skill was used in the last adventure. The next adventure begins ~36 hours later, so there isn't any downtime for training available.

Zil now has 16 character points. She improves Intimidate from 4D+2 to 5D (4pts), Persuasion to 4D+1 (4 points), and Starship gunnery to 3D+1 (3 pts); 16-11=4 remaining.

Jather has 12. He increases Con to 6D (5pts), and Dodge to 4D+1 (4pts); 12-9=3 remaining.

Wex also has 12. He improves Dodge to 4D (3pts), and Bargain to 4D+1 (4pts); 12-7=5 left.

Oosuu has 13. She improves Blaster to 3D+1 (3pts), First aid to 3D+1 (3pts), and Dodge to 4D+1 (4pts); 13-10=3 left.

Lina has 9. She increases Space Transport Repair to 3D+1 (3pts). 9-3=6 remaining.

Star Wars RPG solo - Part 9 : Escape from Ord Mantell

Wex and Lina drag the unconscious quartermaster up the ramp into the shuttle. Lina straps him into an acceleration couch as Wex goes into the cockpit, powers up the engines and hurriedly begins the pre-flight checks. Meanwhile Zil and Oosuu have helped Jather out of the repulsortruck. They each throw one of his arms round their shoulders to help him stumble over to the launch pad.

But the moment they reach it...


Scene 24

Chaos: increased to Abject Chaos (d5)

N.B. This Chaos Level is listed as optional in my MCSV, since the excessive number of And.../But... Oracle results and Altered/Interrupt scenes seems a trifle unmanageable (though the odds of a random Event remain 1 in 6). I've never actually tried it before... nor had such an overwhelming reason to do.

Setup: fly away
chaos die =1, Altered

NPC list: Porubek the Kitonak crimelord (Zil's boss), Jather Plazeed the Devaronian grifter, Bootleg Bardin the human speeder racer, Wex Enstipo the human gunrunner, Oosuu the Twi'lek waitress, Xzag-Xzan the crime boss (Jather's sometime patron), Chruighok the rival crime boss, Major Riilina Cazerdy the human mercenary (Wex's ex-flame), Mr. Kuththuk the genteel Trandoshan (Morga the Hutt's lieutenant), Lt. Glorrisk the Duros mercenary

Threads: escape system alive

[This scene required some set-up:

Alteration (1d6)
1. can't start ship
2. low fuel
3. mercs try to stop ship
4. stormtroopers try to stop ship
5. someone's still aboard
6. roll 1d5 twice (re-roll duplicates)

d6=4, Unit of two officers & 6 stormtroopers arrive in an RTT, aka Imperial Troop Transport(er); Party has a Kappa-class Troop Shuttle (Rules of Engagement pp.46-7)

#obstacles on landing pad 1d6+2=5

Wex needs 1d6=5 rounds to get the ship flying]


...the whine of an approaching repulsorlift vehicle is heard, an Imperial Troop Transport. It pulls up near the launch pad, and a commanding voice comes over the loudspeaker: "You there! Halt in the name of the Empire!"

[Round 1]
Oosuu and Zil quicken their pace, rushing up to the shuttle's boarding ramp. Jather cannot move at such a pace, and his feet scrape limply along the tarmac as the two women just carry him. [They need an Easy (10) Strength roll: 2D+2 +1D for combining their action =12, success]

The six travelling racks on the sides of the transport spring open, deploying six stormtroopers, who scramble into attack position.

[Round 2]
Three of the stormtroopers must move round the front of the transport to have line-of-sight, but the other three have a clear shot between stacks of crates.

Oosuu and Zil have just reached the shuttle and are scrambling to get Jather inside as laser bolts begin flashing around them. They are halfway up the ramp when one of the blasts hits Oosuu squarely in the shoulder. She buckles at the knees and pitches forward, losing her grip on Jather and just barely arresting her own fall.

Zil summons up a tremendous surge of strength and carries Jather the rest of the way into the ship by herself, leaving the cursing Oosuu behind.

[Z&O needed another Easy (10) STR roll 2D+2 +1D=11, success.

Three stormtroopers attacked (3D blaster skill), range is 50m (Medium), difficulty 13 since no one was dodging. Only one rolled a hit, on (1-3 O, 4-6 Z) Oosuu.

She rolled Strength 2D+2=10, and spent a character point for (1d6)+2 = 12. Damage for an E-11 blaster rifle is 5D=17; Oosuu is Wounded.

Zil needed to make an emergency Easy (10) Strength check not to drop Jather: 2D+2=11]

[Round 3]
The other three stormtroopers are in position, and all six concentrate their fire on the wounded Twi'lek as she scrambles on all fours up rest of ramp. She's up in a flash of blue, as the red flashes from the stormtroopers' rifles leave what seem like burnt footprints in the ramp behind her.

[Oosuu made a full Dodge to get up the ramp. Since she could easily cover the distance in less than a round, I treated being mostly inside the shuttle this round as 50% cover.
4D(dodge) -1D(wound) +2D(cover) +13(range) =21, a bad roll...

The stormtroopers Combined fire on her, gaining +3D for there being 6 of them.
3D (skill) +3D (combining bonus)=12, also a bad roll; they miss]

[Round 4]
Zil had already hit the button to raise the ramp the moment she saw Oosuu's head come up past the bulkhead. The stormtroopers continue firing on the ship, but their blasts bounce harmlessly of its armoured hull.

The commander of the Troop Transport takes command of its dual blaster turret, bringing it to bear on the ship. The first shots go wild and streak past the shuttle into the air as the turret hasn't quite spun all the way round. The other blasts rake over the shuttle's hull, but the damage is largely cosmetic.

[The shuttle is just inside Short range and isn't moving, so attack difficulty is simply 10. The commander has 4D skill and gets +2D for the turret's Fire Control, but takes a -3D penalty for taking 4 shots, so gets to roll (4D+2D-3D=) 3D for each attack; 2 hit, 2 missed.

The weapon does 5D damage at Speeder scale, so against a Starship-sized target the damage dice are capped at 3 (i.e. any die rolling 4-6 only counts as a 3). So a rather impressive-looking damage roll of {6,6,5,3,2} 28 becomes a mere {3,3,3,3,2} 14. The shuttle rolls its Hull code, 4D=16, and sustains no damage. The second hit (11 vs. 16) similarly does no damage.]

[Round 5]
Laser blasts continue to play over the surface of the shuttle as the gunner moves the turret about, seeking to hit a vulnerable system. A lucky shot rips through the plating bolted over an old battle scar, and shorts out the power couplings beneath, disabling the forward blasters just as the shuttle's engines are powering on.

[3 hits from turret this round. Two did nothing, but one scored a Light Damage result: 1 weapon emplacement disabled due to power failure.]

[Round 6]
Wex at the controls, the shuttle lifts off from the platform. It hovers about 20m in the air, then tilts forward to train its turret on the Troop Transport. Wex  fires...

[Base difficulty is 10; Wex has 4D Starship Gunnery skill, -1D for the manoeuvre (i.e. 2 actions), +2D fire control; there's a die cap of 4 for a starship attacking a speeder-scale target, but 5D=17, a hit.

The turret does 4D damage vs. the Transporter's 3D body roll, which has a die cap of 3): 4D=24(wild die 6+5) vs. 3D=9, Severe damage, which gives a result of (1d6=) destroyed]

...and the twin blast rips through the Transport, shattering its reactor which erupts in a tremendous explosion. The stormtroopers before it are flattened by the blast, some being thrown a dozen metres forward by its force. [11D damage to the occupants, applying even half damage to the stormtroopers will kill or incapacitate most of them.]

Wex pivots the shuttle toward the sky and blasts off at full acceleration. "We're not out of this yet," he says. "Lina, this is your people's ship. I need you to get up here and make the calculation for the jump to light speed. And someone else needs to take over the guns!"

"I'll take 'em," says Zil. She pauses to help Oosuu finish strapping Jather into an acceleration couch. "Here," she says to the Twi'lek, "take my blaster. If the Lieutenant comes round and gives you any grief, just stun him again." Oosuu nods, then straps herself into the couch opposite the lieutenant, wincing as she leans back too far and presses her wounded shoulder into the seat.

Zil climbs up into the turret, takes over manual control and begins a sensor sweep of the skies. She gets her headset on, and scowls at the conversation she can hear in the cockpit.

"...just staring at the navi-computer," says Wex

"What course should I set?" asks Lina.

"I don't think that matters at this point," says Wex. "Just pick one."

"There's a few preset--"

"It really isn't important now."

"Where were you going to get that E-WEB? If we go there, maybe we can placate Lt. G--"

"I made that up. Just pick something before our company arrives"

"TIE fighters on the scopes," interjects Zil over the commo, "closing from extreme range."

"How many?" asks Wex.

"Only three."

"There's no way we can out run them," says Wex.

"We don't have to. I'll hold them off until we can make the jump to light speed. Just try to keep us from getting hit. Lina, just pick the first damn preset and lock it in!"

[It takes 1 minute to calculate a jump with a pre-loaded route, and about 5 minutes to fly out of a planet's gravity well.

Zil used the ship's sensors to search each of the 4 fire arcs in turn; Search range is 80, +2D bonus from the sensors; 3D+2D=16, success. The (1d6=) 3 TIE fighters are coming from (1d4=) the rear arc. Their lasers have a maximum range of 25 (abstract space units). This being Star Wars, I opted for an exciting escape scene rather than doing tons of maths. Thus, the TIEs come into firing range 2d6=7 rounds before jump.]

"Look!" exclaims Lina, pointing to the flashing commo light. "They're hailing us!"

"Probably to tell us to turn back," replies Wex.

"Almost in range..." says Zil.

"Here we go!"

[Round 1]
Wex banks the shuttle hard to starboard, but the more manoeuvrable TIEs follow with ease, and begin to close the gap. Bolts of green flash out from their cannons, streaking through the blackness around the shuttle and off into the distance. Zil turns the turret round and lets off shot to gauge the range, and more by chance than skill the beam sears into the front of one of the fighters, whose guns abruptly stop.

[The Party won initiative.

Zil made a single attack the three TIEs did likewise. The one she attacked made a combat dodge as a reaction. The base attack difficulty was 20, but the TIE rolled starship dodge of 25 (5D skill +2D manoeuvrability -1D for two actions). Zil's attack was 29 (3D skill +2D fire control, and an over-active Wild die). Damage 4D=17 vs. Hull 2D=11; light damage: weapon destroyed.

Wex rolled a full starship dodge 4D=14, +20 for range; neither TIE rolled a 34 on their attack.]

[Rounds 2-4]
The TIEs continue to close on the shuttle, firing all the while. Zil returns fire, but luck is against them all.

Zil shouts for Wex to angle the deflector shields towards the rear as a shot nearly grazes their ship.

The TIEs close to optimum firing range. Wex keeps flying erratically to stay out of their sights. They try again and again to catch him in a crossfire [+1D for combined action], but he evades their lasers. The skilful Imperial pilots present Zil with no clear targets, even at this range.

[Round 5]
One of the TIEs moves in, screaming past on a strafing run. Too late, Wex realises that the attack was a feint designed to draw him through the other's field of fire. Flaming green bolts rip into the shuttle's hull. Zil swears over the com as the turret suddenly seizes up in mid-turn, and her fire control console goes dark. "Turret's blown," says Zil. "If you were planning on taking us into hyperspace, now would be a good time."

[The combined fire hit. Damage is 5D=26 vs. Hull 4D=17, Heavy damage: turret destroyed. For being in the turret, Zil takes 3D damage but STR 2D+2=6 vs. 3D=5 leaves her unharmed.]

[Round 6]
Now that he's caught in their trap, Wex can't seem to extricate the shuttle from the criss-crossing streams of laser fire. This time, fortunately they only clip the wing, and the damage is mostly cosmetic. [Hull 4D=23 vs. damage 5D=22, no effect.]

[Round 7]
At last the navi-computer emits a cheerful little chime, and Wex pulls back on the throttle. The stars before them lengthen and shine with an impossible brilliance, then the ship slips away into hyperspace.

[Lina would need to make an Easy (10) Astrogation roll, but the Heavy damage to the ship increases the difficulty by +10. She rolls 2D+2=12. Failing by less than 10 means the ship jumps, but brings a required roll on the mishap table: 2d6=2, Hyperdrive cut-out & damaged.

Q: Do they make it out of the system? 50/50 (4+): O5 C2 - Yes, and... the cut-out happens after 2d6=7 hours.]


Scene 25

Chaos: Abject Chaos (d5)

Setup: d5=4, Interrupt (was: deal with Lieutenant)
Interrupt: NPC action - Mr. Kuththuk - Recruit / Bureaucracy

Meanwhile, back on Ord Mantell...

Mr. Kuththuk is in his hotel room, standing idly by the wardrobe as his butler droid searches for a cravat that matches his favourite evening jacket, the one he had made for his last trip to Rodia. The crystal atop his ebony cane begins flashing insistently, and he raps the butt soundly against the floor, activating the holographic communicator. The crystal emits a bluish light which coalesces into the flickering image of a Verpine.

"Ah, Ms. Stictoz't," says the Trandoshan, "I take it from the dejected cast to your antennae that you haven't good news for me."

"Sorry, boss, we--"

"Ms. Stictoz't, I think you should find it easier for me to forgive your failures if you would desist from speaking like a gangster in a children's holo-vid."

"Sorry, Mr. Kuththuk. We were waiting across the street from Ms. Lhahon's hotel when they came out this morning and jumped into a military speedertruck. We were just going to follow them, but a couple of Porubek's agents started shooting up the street. So we followed at a distance, but they disabled the homing beacon. We traced the speeder to a mercenary base outside of town, but the Imperials got there ahead of us."

"And now they have Ms. Lhahon in custody?"

"No, b-- Mr. Kuththuk. They took a shuttle and blasted their way out."

"So, the inimitable Ms. Lhahon escapes!" says the Trandoshan. "Excellent. Ms. Stictoz't, I want you to call that journalist friend of yours. Give him the 'scoop' in exchange for information -- and have him leave names out of it when it goes to press; we don't want Ms. Lhahon going into hiding."

"Yes, Mr. Kuththuk. You can count on me, Mr. Kuththuk."

"Yes, Ms. Stictoz't, I am sure that this is only a temporary setback. Good afternoon." Mr. Kuththuk raps his cane once again against the floor, and the hologram winks out. "Well, Q-9-h, it looks like brunch at the Hortological Society will have to be postponed. I believe you'd better find me a darker jacket and perhaps just a plain tie, as I shall be sending a number of formal communiqués over the galactic holonet this afternoon. And get me the number of that Gand Findsman, Hulsgech. One way or another, I'm going to track down that Zil Lhahon."