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  15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
  Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  Compatibility with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game requires the Starfinder Roleplaying Game from Paizo Inc. 
  See http://paizo.com/starfinder for more information on the Starfinder Roleplaying Game. Paizo Inc. does not guarantee compatibility, and does not endorse 
  this product.
  Starfinder is a registered trademark of Paizo Inc., and the Starfinder Roleplaying Game and the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility Logo are trademarks 
  of Paizo Inc., and are used under the Starfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License.
   
  See http://paizo.com/starfinder/compatibility for more information on the compatibility license.
  Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary 
  Gygax and Dave Arneson.
  Starfinder Core Rulebook. © 2017, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Jason Keeley, Robert G. McCreary, Stephen 
  Radney-MacFarland, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, and James L. Sutter, with Alexander Augunas, Judy Bauer, John Compton, Adam Daigle, Crystal 
  Frasier, Lissa Guillet, Thurston Hillman, Erik Mona, Mark Moreland, Jessica Price, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, and Josh Vogt.
  Starfinder and associated marks and logos are trademarks of Paizo Inc., and are used under license. 
  See paizo.com/starfinder for more information on the Starfinder Roleplaying Game.
  battleship long range scanners.
  Now the Cerberus has two serious problems to 
  face. The first is repairing and restoring the power 
  core and the second is to avoid detection from the 
  Hobgoblin battleship.
  Repairing the power core is something the crew 
  and engineers can accomplish, but the restoration 
  is not possible without a radioactive source which 
  can work as the initial spark to reactivate the core.
  The task of the PCs is to reach the fourth planet 
  of the star system and recover enough radioactive 
  material which will allow the power core 
  reactivation.
  All this must be accomplished in no more than ten 
  days, that is before the batteries run out of energy 
  leaving the whole outpost without vital support.
  About the Subroutine
  The Captain explains that when they detected 
  the Farseer shuttle approaching, he had no idea  
  what was about to happen.  He just thought the 
  PCs were coming back and that the mission failed, 
  so he immediately hailed at the shuttle but no 
  one responded. However, the Cerberus’ main ICS 
  (Integrated Computer System) detected a very 
  low incoming frequency transmission from the 
  Farseer. At that point, everything happened very 
  fast. The Captain explains that something took 
  control of the sub-space communication system 
  and managed to send a transmission into outer 
  space to an unknown location. All of this lasted 
  just a few seconds, and in some way the Cerberus 
  ADVENTURE BACKGROUND
  A
  D V
  E
  N
  T
  U
  R
  E 
  B A C K G R O U N D
  In episode 1 “Distress Call” the PCs managed to 
  retake control of the Sawshark and the Subroutine 
  escaped by installing itself on the rescue shuttle, 
  the Farseer, leaving the players to their own fate.
  The Subroutine eventually took with it some 
  mining drones, the Kalimar, which are now hidden 
  in the asteroid belts.  Their position is unknown.
  However, the Farseer had a completely different 
  fate. It headed straight toward the Cerberus outpost 
  to crash and self-destroy against the outpost hull 
  close to the main power core, leaving the Cerberus 
  with hardly any energy. Before crashing against its 
  target the Subroutine sent a signal directed to the 
  Cerberus, this was a virus which took control of the 
  communication system and sent a transmission 
  into outer space to an unknown position.
  A Hobgoblin battleship was crossing the space at 
  warp speed when they received the transmission. 
  The Hobgoblin are always on the hunt.  Thinking 
  this was their lucky day they didn’t waste a single 
  minute to change their course and head to the 
  source of the transmission.
  When the Hobgoblin battleship arrived close to 
  the asteroid belt, the Cerberus was relying on its 
  emergency batteries. Captain Tibb, commander 
  of the Cerberus, detected the battleship warp 
  signature and ordered the shutdown of the main 
  systems, thus leaving only the vital support active 
  in order to avoid detection from the Hobgoblin´s 
  
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  About the Hobgoblin Battleship
  The problems are not over. Less than one hour 
  after the transmission was sent into outer space, a 
  vessel emerged from warp. Scanning immediately 
  identified the ship as a fully armed Hobgoblin 
  battleship. The captain was left with little or no 
  choice but to shut down any active system in order 
  to avoid detection.  This would leave only the life 
  support active so that any active scanning coming 
  from the battleship could not be distinguished 
  by the Cerberus amongst the thousand asteroids 
  orbiting in the belt. Without energy and so heavily 
  damaged, the outpost can’t engage a battle against 
  the well-armed Hobgoblin battleship, so the 
  enemy vessel must be avoided if the crew and the 
  PCs want to survive.
  THE MISSION
  The PCs will have to recover radioactive minerals 
  from DLB01.04 DELTA, the fourth planet of the 
  star system. A radioactive mineral deposit was 
  detected during a scientific survey conducted by the 
  now destroyed Farseer shuttle. The shuttle sensors 
  detected a high concentration of these minerals 
  in a specific location on the planet´s northern 
  hemisphere, but the thick atmosphere and the 
  electromagnetic activity prevented the sensors 
  from identifying the exact source composition and 
  the surface topography.
  The whole mission is made of 5 chapters, see below 
  in the description what each chapter contains.
  THE ISSION
  ICS managed to isolate and block whatever took 
  control of the communication system.  However, 
  the transmission had already been sent at that 
  point.
  For 
  the 
  Gamemaster: 
  the 
  incoming 
  transmission was the Subroutine which was not 
  developed enough in order to infect and take 
  control of the Cerberus ICS. Indeed the ICS anti-
  virus and firewall resolved the threat quickly, but 
  not fast enough to stop the transmission. The 
  players should tell Captain Tibb what they know 
  and what they have discovered on the Sawshark.
  About the Power Core
  The Captain explains that when the transmission 
  was sent into outer space, the shuttle accelerated 
  at maximum speed heading straight to the deck 
  where the main power core was located. The crash 
  completely destroyed the deck and compromised 
  the power core containment chamber. The 
  outpost didn’t explode thanks to the safety 
  countermeasures which turned the reactor off 
  and invaded the chamber with refrigerating foam. 
  However, this was an extreme countermeasure. 
  Now the reactor is not working and in order to turn 
  it on again, a considerable amount of radioactive 
  material is required. The stock present on board is 
  enough only for routine maintenance and not for 
  an extreme situation like this. At the moment the 
  Cerberus is operational thanks to the emergency 
  batteries.
  the scanners will reveal an artificial underground 
  building from where the radioactive signature 
  emanates.
  CHAPTER 4 – UNDERGROUND
  The PCs will discover an entrance to the mountain 
  which was supposed to be the radioactive deposit. 
  The radioactive emissions are strong and scanning 
  reveals an artificial structure which runs 150 feet 
  below the surface. Down there they discover the 
  radioactive source and the presence of weird 
  creatures, as well as a magical-technological device 
  called the Nuclear Transmutator (see Appendix: 
  Nuclear Transmutator).
  CHAPTER 5 – BACK
  Once the PCs have explored the underground 
  complex they can return to the Cerberus. At this 
  point they will have recovered much more than an 
  ordinary radioactive mineral.  They will take with 
  them the magical-technological device which will 
  reactivate the power core.
  FOR THE GAME MASTER
  IN THIS EPISODE
  In this five chapter episode, the PCs help the 
  Cerberus crew to restore the power core, explore 
  the underground complex, retrieve the Nuclear 
  Transmutator and have their ship, the Sawshark, 
  upgraded.
  THE ISSION
  CHAPTER 1 – FITTING THE SHIP
  The PCs have to refit the Sawshark in order to land 
  safely and extract the minerals from the planet´s 
  surface. The Sawshark is not made to fly through 
  dense atmosphere and to land on high gravity 
  planets. It was projected to operate in space 
  where gravity is low and its structure, being too 
  fragile, needs to be reinforced in order to resist 
  the structural stress caused by entering a planet´s 
  gravitational field.
  CHAPTER 2 – THE JOURNEY
  As we said, the Hobgoblin battleship is nearby. 
  If the PCs want to make it then they have to go 
  undetected and this means traveling to the planet 
  by unconventional means; in other words, moving 
  the ship by using the combustion engines alone. 
  The push will last around one minute and then 
  the engines will be shut down. At this point the 
  Sawshark will travel by inertia into the planet´s 
  atmosphere and land. As you can guess this way of 
  traveling implies making exact route calculations.
  CHAPTER 3 – THE LANDING
  If the PCs and the engineers on the station have 
  accomplished their job, the Sawshark should be all 
  in one piece and, at this point, ready to land. The 
  PCs will have to choose between three possible 
  landing sites, each with its own pros and cons. 
  Again, while scanning the landing sites close to the 
  radioactive deposit the PCs will discover that they 
  are not in front of a natural formation because 
  
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  like structure but far more resistant. Crystal trees 
  usually grow in small clusters of a few dozen. They 
  are composed by silicates and rare earths, turning 
  them into precious resources for those who need 
  these expensive metals.
  Methane Clouds
  Even if most of the planet atmosphere is composed 
  by ammonia, a raw 10% is composed by gaseous 
  methane. This gas forms cluster which looks like 
  clouds but due to its weight they generally exist at 
  lower altitudes. When temperatures rise, due to 
  natural day-night or seasonal cycles, they become 
  extremely volatile. Methane clouds pose a threat 
  to ships flying at low altitudes because they are 
  highly inflammable.
  Mud pools
  This environment is quite common on the planet, 
  especially close to its equator, they usually 
  form when liquid ammonia reach a high salt 
  concentration and mix with silicate dust. Mud 
  pools vary in size and depth depending on the 
  terrain topography and usually form within 
  mountain valleys or depressed plains. These 
  mud pools host life forms, from bacteria to more 
  complex creatures, some of them dangerous.
  The first issue with mud pools is movement, and if 
  the PCs choose the Landing Site Beta (see Chapter 
  3: Landing Site Beta for more details) they will 
  have to overcome this.
  Consider the Mud Pools as if it were a Bogs 
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  Before leaving the planet they handle with the 
  Hobgoblin battleship thanks to a Coil Cannon 
  they find in the underground complex, leaving the 
  wrecked battleship to its own fate. The Subroutine 
  will take advantage of this situation to improve 
  itself and prepare for the next move (see Ending)
  PLANET DLB DELTA
  Diameter x1
  Mass x1
  Gravity x1
  Atmosphere see below
  Day 7 days; Year 28 days
  VISION AND LIGHT
  Vision capability, due to the planet´s thick 
  atmosphere and the brown star that the planet 
  orbits around, is always considered as Dim Light 
  (see Chapter 8: Tactical Rules, Senses section).
  PLANET ATMOSPHERE
  It has an average surface temperature of -50° 
  and its thick atmosphere is mainly composed by 
  ammonia 70%, carbon dioxide 10%, methane 10%, 
  and oxygen 5%.
  PLANET ENVIRONMENTS
  Crystal Trees
  The planet hosts a sort of vegetable life form which 
  developed and adapted to the cold and harsh 
  planet environment. Their composition has crystal 
  was built by the Duergars two centuries ago. A 
  second mission was sent to investigate and replace 
  the previous one. The survivors encountered by 
  the PCs belong to this second mission.
  The Duergars home planet follows a wide and 
  inclined orbit around the star and its orbital period 
  is 190 standard years, but it gets close enough to 
  the fourth planet (the planet where the PCs will 
  actually land on) only for a short period of time 
  for the Duergars to make a mission affordable, 
  considering their actual level of technology. 
  Duergars had never established a first contact 
  with and extraterrestrial intelligent specie. At the 
  moment five survivors inhabit the subterranean 
  complex and it’s impossible for them to both 
  repair the nuclear reactor and dispose of enough 
  energy to send a signal to their home planet asking 
  for aid. When the PCs establish a first contact with 
  the Duergars it will be up to them how to manage 
  the encounter and, being technologically more 
  advanced, they will have the option to help the 
  Duergars or get rid of them. If the PCs decide to 
  help the Duergars, then they eventually join to 
  become part of the crew (see Appendix: NPC).
  Duergars goal: Duergars may have a different 
  reason to join the PCs crew. For the purpose of 
  this adventure path they are obviously interested 
  in establishing a first contact with an intelligent 
  alien species and eventually come back to their 
  home planet to tell the story, provided someone 
  there believes them of course. However as a GM 
  you may have other goals in mind especially if you 
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  environment as described in the Starfinder Core 
  Rulebook Chapter 11: Environments under the 
  Biomes section. However the mud pools on the 
  planet have one more feature, they may contain 
  traces of trapped methane, so whenever the mud 
  is subject to a high temperature effect like fire, 
  laser or explosions or anything that deal F type 
  damage there is a 10% chance that the methane 
  emanating from the surface catches fire, causing 
  an explosion within a 10-feet radius and dealing 
  2d6+F damage.
  Magic and Radiations
  The radiation leak coming from the subterranean 
  nuclear reactor has affected both the Nuclear 
  Transmutator, the planet´s environment, and 
  the alien biology on the planet. Most of the native 
  creatures on the planet, especially those thriving 
  in the reactor surroundings, have evolved outside 
  the ordinary bonds of natural evolution and have 
  developed innate magic abilities which conform 
  to their role in the planet ecology. All the new 
  creatures detailed in this adventure possess a spell-
  like ability which make them more dangerous than 
  usual.
  DUERGARS
  In this episode the Duergar race is presented. 
  Duergars are a race akin to dwarves in many 
  aspects. For the purpose of this adventure the PCs 
  have the chance to meet a handful of survivors 
  inside the subterranean complex. The complex 
  
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  landed again on the planet. What they found 
  was a completely different landscape. The planet 
  atmosphere changed radically as well as the 
  whole biosphere. Their ship, totally unequipped 
  to face such a harsh and unexpected environment 
  crashed on the surface miles away from the 
  complex, and the few survivors headed toward 
  the subterranean complex hoping to find a place 
  where their lives would be saved. They eventually 
  reached the subterranean complex where they 
  remained trapped.  Left to their own fate, they 
  waited for their planet to get close enough in order 
  to re-establish communications with their people, 
  an event that would have required decades. At the 
  moment the nuclear reactor is damaged and the 
  Duergars can’t fix it, not the same can be said for 
  the PCs, who know how to easily deal with that 
  kind of technology.
  DOORS
  Inside the subterranean complex the PCs find 
  automated doors. Once the PCs repair the control 
  room (see Chapter 4: Control Room) they are able 
  to remotely control the doors system. As a general 
  rule, a door, due to the old age of the complex, may 
  or may not be working. Any automated door has 
  50% of being operational unless stated otherwise. 
  A door can be repaired by an engineering check 
  DC 10 or it can be forced with a strength check DC 
  15.
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  want to employ this adventure as a tile for your 
  personal campaign or setting.
  SUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX
  The subterranean complex hosts a fission nuclear 
  reactor which was built two centuries ago during 
  the Duergars first mission (see above Duergars 
  for more details). The complex had the purpose to 
  conduct secret experiments on nuclear energy and 
  arcane magic, thus the technology appears ancient 
  and obsolete in the eyes of the PCs. At that time the 
  Duergar race was just exploring this new source 
  of energy and was experimenting space travel 
  with no significant success. However, in order 
  to fill the technological gap, the Duergars built a 
  magical artifact called the Nuclear Transmutator 
  (see 
  minor 
  artifact 
  Nuclear 
  Transmutator) 
  which, by employing a tremendous amount of 
  power produced by nuclear fission, could help to 
  manipulate space-time and finally open the doors 
  toward space exploration. At least this was their 
  hope. The experiment with nuclear fission and 
  arcane magic eventually went wrong because they 
  could not fully master the raw energy produced. 
  All the occupants inside the nuclear plant were 
  wiped out. For 187 years the planet, the nuclear 
  reactor, and the Nuclear Transmutator were 
  forgotten, until 13 years ago, when the Duergars 
  decided to prepare a second mission to retake 
  control of the subterranean complex. The journey 
  lasted 3 years from their home-planet due to 
  their technological limitations, but finally they 
  of this detail. After 10 days the vital support on the 
  Cerberus stops working, so this is the time limit to 
  accomplish the mission.
  FUEL UNITS
  The Sawshark is projected to rely on the combustion 
  engines for a limited amount of time and in 
  situations where swift maneuvers across asteroids 
  are essential. Its fuel tanks capacity however are 
  too small to land on a planet and take off.
  In this adventure we will refer to what we call fuel 
  units as a custom made rule which measures how 
  much fuel is left in order to accomplish the mission; 
  go, land and back. The Sawshark fuel tanks have a 
  capacity of 60 fuel units but these will be extended 
  to 80 thanks to a technical improvement (see 
  Chapter 1: modifying the refining machinery for 
  more details). During the landing (see Chapter 
  2 – the landing protocol) there is a chance that 
  the Sawshark consumes more fuel than expected 
  and this will depend on the piloting skill check 
  and the descent piloting modifier (see Chapter 
  1 – modifying the combustion engines). In other 
  words, just take notes of the fuel units and decrease 
  the amount as stated in the adventure.
  NPC CREW
  In this module four NPC engineers aid the PCS in 
  many tasks.  Even if the Starfinder Core Rulebook 
  states that NPCs and monsters should not show 
  stats, skills and feat as a PC does, we go against this 
  rule just for those NPCs who are considered crew 
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  ATMOSPHERE INSIDE 
  THE SUBTERRANEAN COMPLEX
  The sensors detect a higher than average presence 
  of carbon dioxide (see Deep Scanning Map), so 
  the air is breathable but it affects in some way 
  the metabolism of those who breath conventional 
  atmosphere. Duergars, for the purpose of this 
  adventure as well for the future campaign setting, 
  can tolerate higher concentration of carbon 
  dioxide, other races do not. After one hour of 
  breathing the air inside the subterranean complex 
  each PC suffer the dazzled condition.
  NUCLEAR TRANSMUTATOR
  The Nuclear Transmutator is a minor artifact 
  made by the Duergars. The artifact is capable of 
  converting matters and reassemble it at an atomic 
  level. However, it requires a tremendous amount 
  of power in order to work properly. For the purpose 
  of this mission the artifact can easily substitute 
  any radioactive material and it can be employed 
  to restart the Cerberus power core. The PCs, once 
  the mission is over, can dispose of the Nuclear 
  Transmutator and analyze it (see Appendix: The 
  Nuclear Transmutator).
  KEEP TRACK OF TIME
  Many paragraphs indicate how much time is 
  required to accomplish a specific task. Remember 
  the Cerberus station is short of energy and its vital 
  support is slowly failing. As a GM you should keep 
  track of time or ask one of the players to take care 
  
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  situations if the PCs can’t figure out what is going 
  on.
  HOBGOBLIN ASSAULT SQUADS
  Once the Hobgoblin battleship reaches the planet 
  orbit (see Control Room for more details) they 
  send an assault squad to occupy the subterranean 
  complex, probably destroying the main gate and 
  looking for whoever is inside the complex with the 
  only purpose to capture them. We assume the PC, 
  who know the terrain better, get rid of the assault 
  squad and organize a counter attack directed at the 
  battleship by firing the coil cannon straight at the 
  battleship´s hull (see Coil Cannon and Hobgoblin 
  battleship in orbit! for more details).
  Hobgoblin assault squad: 20 marauders (see 
  Appendix: New Creatures - Hobgoblin).
  Increase the number of marauders composing 
  an assault squad or send more than one assault 
  squad if you are confident it can be an interesting 
  challenge for the PCs, especially if they decide to 
  cooperate with the Duergars.
  XP AWARDS
  In this adventure the PCs receive XP both as a 
  team and as individual, both from encounters or 
  dangerous situations.
  Occasionally a NPC may express his opinion in 
  order to solve some complicated situations, but 
  this will not happen before the PCs had the chance 
  to make an attempt on their own. If the PCs figure 
  out what to do then award them the stated amount 
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  members of the PCs. Some NPCs are temporary, 
  other are more important and sometime team-up 
  with the PCs in a long term perspective. It means 
  they will earn XP thus improving their skills, if 
  the players are willing to keep them at their side. 
  The NPCs gain experience as stated under the 
  Leadership Feat described in the Pathfinder Core 
  Rulebook. It means that when experience points 
  are awarded, the experience is split among the PCs 
  normally, then every NPCs receive an amount of 
  experience equal to (NPCs level) / (PCs average 
  level) multiplied for the experience awarded 
  to each PC. For example, a party of four level 3 
  characters receive 3.000 XP, thus each character 
  receives 750 XP. The average party level is 3. Two 
  level 2 NPCs are following the party. Every NPC 
  receives 2/3*750=500xp.
  If you played the previous episode, Distress Call, 
  and the medical officer corporal Wassily survived, 
  he should still be with the party and thus following 
  the PCs in this adventure.
  In this adventure the four NPC engineers are 
  detailed: Tzaru the Contemplative, Karsk the 
  Dwarf, Sah’Ah Mal the Winterborn Ryphorian and 
  Numa the Verthani. They are the four engineers 
  assigned by Captain Tibb in order to help the party 
  to refit and improve the Sawshark and to follow 
  them on the planet to accomplish the mission. 
  In the Appendix under the NPC section you can 
  find their data sheet and background. During the 
  adventure the NPC occasionally offers help by 
  expressing suggestions and opinions about critical 
  the target – in this case just increase the distance 
  of the landing sites – thus facing their enemies 
  both on the surface and underground.
  Last defense: the PCs are holding the position 
  inside the subterranean complex while a heavily 
  enemy space ship is approaching the planet to 
  destroy them and their allies. The enemies, after 
  sending squads to infiltrate the complex eventually 
  decide to wipe the site out by bombing the complex 
  with weapons of mass destruction. At that point, 
  the PCs fetch their experimental coil cannon and 
  save the day by tearing apart the enemy ship (or 
  ships).
  Far away from home: the PCs have to set forth on 
  a journey on the other side of the galaxy and they 
  discover the location of the Nuclear Transmutator, 
  the only artifact that, if properly activated, can 
  send them to far distances in a blink of an eye.
  CHAPTER 1 – FITTING THE 
  SHIP
  In this chapter the PCs, aided by Tzary, Karsk, 
  Sah’Ha Mal and Numa, the four engineers from 
  the Cerberus, work to refit the Sawshark and 
  prepare the ship for landing on the planet surface. 
  Everybody has to work exposed to vacuum effects. 
  Captain Tibb provides the PCs a Carbon Suite, 
  Graphite suit to each PCs.
  The following operations have to be accomplished 
  in order to refit the Sawshark:
  FOR THE GAE ASTER
  of XP. If, as a GM, you think a NPC intervention is 
  necessary it would be better not to award the PCs 
  any experience points.
  EQUIPMENT
  Accessing equipment could represent an issue. 
  However, considering the situation you can tell 
  the players that they have free access to almost any 
  level 4 equipment, such as weapons, ammunition, 
  armors 
  and 
  technological 
  equipment. 
  The 
  Cerberus outpost is large enough to store a 
  considerable amount of armory. Consider that the 
  PCs are awarded an amount of 15,000 credits that 
  they can spend freely.
  ADVENTURE HOOKS
  Even if you did not play Distress Call, the previous 
  episode of this adventure path, you can easily fit 
  this module into your campaign or eventually use 
  it to enrich your home brew campaign setting.
  Below we propose some adventure hooks.
  The PCs are about to explore a new planet: you 
  can use some part of this module to introduce your 
  players to a new unexplored planet, especially if 
  you want them to visit a hostile environment. You 
  can easily fill the subterranean complex with other 
  creatures or eventually turn it into an isolated 
  fortress held by the bad guys.
  Blow it up: the PCs are asked to infiltrate and 
  destroy a dangerous facility. This means you can 
  turn the subterranean complex into a hi-tech 
  enemy facility. The PCs eventually land far from 
  
  16
  17
  which will protect them from the ooze´s cold 
  touch. The oozes rather attempt to infiltrate and 
  hide inside the ship, attracted by the power core 
  radiations and lurk there waiting for a better 
  moment. The blue ooze feed upon carbon-based 
  compounds (and living beings have plenty) 
  and need radiations to activate their biological 
  functions. So the PCs will have to hunt them 
  down and prevent them from infiltrating inside 
  the Sawshark. If any of these creatures infiltrate 
  the hull they could turn into a problem during the 
  journey (see Chapter 2)
  Blue ooze, mutated: since the arrival of 
  the Cerberus, the blue ooze came in contact 
  with something totally unknown. This kind of 
  creature, accustomed to a harsh and radioactive 
  environment with scarce source of food, reacted 
  quickly to shield electromagnetic fields, power 
  core radiations, chemical wastes and exotic energy 
  sources. The mutated ooze is more aggressive and 
  reactive, so it attacks any humanoid being who 
  CHAPTER 1-FITTING THE SHIP
  MOVING THE MINING MACHINERY 
  (required time 12h +1d4h)
  The equipment to extract minerals is stored inside 
  the Cerberus so the fitting team has to move it into 
  the Sawshark’s cargo holds. Lack of gravity helps, 
  but it takes time to move all the components, so 
  the engineers manually open the Sawshark prow 
  in order to let the bigger parts enter the cargo 
  holds. The PCs and the NPCs have to perform 
  all these maneuvers in vacuum and without any 
  shield protecting either them or the Cerberus. One 
  of the known dangers lurking out there is the blue 
  ooze (see previous episode: Distress Call) amongst 
  other creatures.
  Roll a random encounter every hour (or set an 
  encounter every four hours) on Table 1.1: Random 
  Encounters around the station.
  Blue ooze: these tiny creatures are not so 
  dangerous if the crew are wearing the space suits 
  TABLE 1.1: RANDOM ENCOUNTERS AROUND THE CERBERUS
  Roll D20 Encounter
  Source
  1-16
  None
  -
  17
  Blue ooze (3-30)
  See Appendix: Blue Ooze & Distress Call episode
  18
  Blue ooze, mutated (1-4)
  See Appendix: Blue ooze, mutated
  19
  Electrovore (1-6)
  Starfinder Alien Archive
  20
  Medium elemental, earth 
  (1)
  Starfinder Alien Archive
  with a special alloy so that they can resist the 
  high temperatures caused by the friction with the 
  thick atmosphere. Second, the on-board computer 
  needs to be improved with four dedicated consoles 
  (one for each combustion engine) that will make 
  the calculations to balance the power of each 
  combustion engine, so that the ship does not 
  become unbalanced during the descent.
  The Game Master should ask who among the 
  PCs wants to install the dedicated consoles, and 
  each character should roll a separate engineering 
  check; if not one of the PCs wants to accomplish 
  this task then the NPC engineers (see Appendix:  
  NPC) will. Keep in mind that the NPC engineers 
  have their own engineering skill modifier.
  For each of the engineering skill check, consult 
  Table 1.2: Descent modifier.
  Keep note of the four circumstance bonus/penalty, 
  because it will be applied in Chapter 2 during the 
  landing. This engineering check represents how 
  well each engineer has installed and tuned the 
  consoles to its respective combustion engine.
  Story Award: 400 XP
  Example: you roll 4 engineering checks that, 
  including the engineering skill modifier, result in 
  12, 15, 8, 17. Your cumulative circumstance bonus 
  is -1+0+1+1=+1; keep note of this number for a 
  later use in chapter 3 during the landing.
  CHAPTER 1-FITTING THE SHIP
  is floating in space, attempting to consume their 
  space suit and eventually what is inside it.
  Electrovore: this creature needs to feed upon 
  electricity or electrostatic currents that form 
  between small celestial bodies orbiting close 
  enough so that their magnetic fields interact. The 
  presence of technological artifacts like outposts and 
  ships is even better. If you roll such an encounter 
  you should have the electrovores attack those PC 
  or NPC who are close to the electric cables or are 
  employing electrical tools. (see Alien Archive).
  Medium 
  Elemental, 
  earth: 
  geomagnetic 
  activity sometimes opens gates into the elemental 
  planes, giving access to the prime material world. 
  In this star system the nature of radioactivity 
  increases the probability for these gates to open 
  and last more than usual. One of these gates 
  are inside the asteroid belt, it is quite stable and 
  leads to the earth´s elemental plane. Occasionally 
  extra-planar creatures cross the boundaries and 
  explore the outer space getting close enough to the 
  outpost. It’s up to you as a GM, to manage such an 
  encounter. As a rule an earth elemental is not be 
  automatically hostile unless threatened.
  MODIFYING 
  THE 
  COMBUSTION 
  ENGINES (required time 8h+1d4h)
  As we said the Sawshark is not made to land on 
  planets with high gravity, so an improvement is 
  mandatory, both on the engines structure as on 
  the electronic controls.
  First, the combustion engines need to be coated 
  
  18
  19
  event that may easily occur if the PCs rely only on 
  the actual fuel tanks capacity. This improvement 
  increases the fuel capacity by 20, raising it to 
  80. It means the engineers work on the refining 
  machinery in cargo hold C so that it can transfer 
  the hydrogen directly to the combustion engines. 
  This reserve however, needs to be activated in case 
  of emergency and only when the fuel tanks are 
  empty, not before!
  This improvement requires an engineering skill 
  check DC 15 rolled secretly by the Game Master. 
  If the skill check is successful the enhancement on 
  the fuel supply works normally when activated.
  If the skill check is unsuccessful the adaptation 
  is normally installed. However, when activated 
  it starts a fire in cargo hold C. The fire does not 
  immediately jeopardize the fuel reserve injection 
  itself, but it slowly damages the hull from the 
  inside. Every round the fire is left uncontrolled it 
  causes 1hp damage to the hull and covers a surface 
  of 5 square feet, then for each round there is a 50% 
  probability the fire extends to another randomly 
  CHAPTER 1-FITTING THE SHIP
  REIFORCING THE HULL (required 
  time 12h+1d4h)
  In order for the Sawshark hull to resist the 
  mechanical stress caused by the descent, it has to 
  be properly reinforced. This means making the 
  hull thicker and stronger by adding plates and 
  bars to specific critical points. Calculations must 
  be exact and every add-on perfectly crafted. Once 
  again the engineers, PCs or NPCs, will play a vital 
  role in this task. Advise the players that the best 
  engineer among them is in charge when the work 
  starts, because the result will depend on his/her 
  skill check.
  The higher the engineering check result, the better 
  the improvement will be. See Table 1.3.
  Story Award: 400 XP
  MODIFYING THE REFINING 
  MACHINERY
   (required time 8h+1d4h)
  If something goes wrong during the journey to the 
  planet, you really don’t want to run out of fuel. An 
  TABLE 1.2: DESCENT MODIFIER
  Engineering check
  Descent piloting 
  check modifier
  <10
  -2
  11-13
  -1
  14-16
  0
  17-18
  +1
  19+
  +2
  TABLE 1.3: HULL REINFORCEMENT
  Engineering 
  check
  AC bonus
  HP bonus
  <15
  0
  0
  16-19
  +1
  +5
  20-21
  +2
  +10
  22
  +3
  +15
  23+
  +4
  +20
  landing protocol in this chapter.
  Story Award: 400 XP to the PC who set the 
  course.
  THE JOURNEY (required time 72h, 
  300 XP, Fuel Units -10)
  The Sawshark is released from the Cerberus 
  mooring and slowly moves in space. The ICS 
  has already uploaded and running the program 
  which will calibrate the combustion engines 
  thrust.
  While you are positioning the ship on the 
  proper route, the countdown has already beg
  un...10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1...ZERO! 
  The 
  four engines turn on simultaneously pushing the 
  ship into the void. Red-yellow flames burst out 
  of the engines, getting larger and brighter every 
  second while the increasing G-Force squeezes 
  your chest and leaves you breathless.
  So the journey has begun. The pilot turns on the 
  combustion engine and for 1 minute (10 rounds) 
  determined adjacent square foot thus causing 1 
  more hp damage to the hull, and so on until the 
  fire is extinguished. The fire can be extinguished 
  with an ordinary fire extinguisher one square foot 
  at a time and it takes 1 complete round action.
  Story Award: 400 XP
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  The journey from the Cerberus to the planet takes 
  72 hours. The Sawshark will turn the combustion 
  engines on at maximum strength for 1 minute to 
  generate the initial thrust, then inertia will do the 
  rest.
  The crew won’t have the chance to use pulse 
  engines because they have to avoid detection 
  from the Hobgoblin battleship which is actively 
  scanning the space around it. They won’t be able to 
  adjust the course, so calculating the route without 
  errors is vital.
  SETTING COURSE (required time 
  1d4h)
  Calculations take time and require precision. If 
  the entry angle is too wide or too narrow it will 
  be more difficult to reach the surface unarmed 
  and of course it will consume more fuel. One PC 
  rolls a piloting skill check and takes note of the 
  consequent descent piloting check modifier. This 
  modifier adds to the previous modifier as stated 
  in Chapter 1: modifying the combustion engines 
  table 1.2. This bonus will be added during The 
  TABLE 1.4: DESCENT MODIFIER
  Piloting check to 
  set the course
  Descent piloting 
  check modifier
  <7
  -2
  8-12
  -1
  13-14
  0
  15-19
  +1
  20+
  +2
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  20
  21
  of the crew members. Consider these 72 hours as 
  downtime. Maybe the PCs need to craft equipment 
  or make plans, encourage them to do so if required.
  DOWNTIME ACTIVITIES
  During the journey the PCs have free time to carry 
  on various activities. Below we present some 
  of these activities and some of them are home 
  brew rules created for this adventure. A good 
  and well trained crew usually do not waste time, 
  especially when put into an extreme situation like 
  the one presented in this module. The engineers 
  always try to improve the ship to the best of their 
  possibilities, discovering new ways to fix issues, 
  enhance systems or improve the technological 
  equipment.
  Some activities won’t take too much time, others 
  require full time occupation and dedication. The 
  length of time for each downtime activity presented 
  here is specified.
  Some tasks require the craft item rules (see 
  Starfinder Core Rulebook – Chapter 7: Equipment, 
  Crafting equipment and magic items).
  Craft item – Electrovore gloves
  If by chance the PCs encountered some electrovores 
  during the ship fitting (see Chapter 1 – moving 
  the mining machinery), they can employ what is 
  left of the creature to craft what is known as static 
  electrovore gloves, level 2 (see Alien Archive: 
  Electrovore),
  Story Award: award the PC/NPC 200 XP for 
  the Sawshark receives the thrust which will launch 
  the crew through space up to their destination. 
  For the following 10 consecutive rounds the pilot 
  rolls a piloting check DC 15, if successful the 
  engines consume 1 fuel unit, if not 2 fuel units 
  are consumed. During the following 72 hours 
  nothing should occur, unless some blue ooze or 
  other creatures as described on table 1.1: Random 
  Encounters around the station manage to infiltrate 
  the ship to cause trouble or to surprise attack some 
  If the PC/NPC assigned interrupts the task and 
  decides to switch to other tasks the circumstance 
  bonus is lost.
  Story Award: award the PC/NPC 100 XP
  Align the weapons!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to align the aiming 
  systems and the weapons efficiency (does not 
  apply to turrets). This task requires 8 hours of 
  work every day. Roll a computer check every day 
  (max three days), then calculate the average result 
  rounding down and consult the table below to 
  see the effect. If the PC/NPC assigned interrupts 
  the task and decide to switch to other tasks no 
  improvement is achieved. See Table 1.5.
  Optimize the shields!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to optimize the energy 
  systems efficiency which regulate the shields. This 
  task requires 8 hours of work every day. Roll an 
  engineering check every day (max three days), 
  then calculate the average result rounding down 
  and consult the table below to see the effect. If the 
  PC/NPC assigned interrupts the task and decide 
  to accomplish other tasks no improvement is 
  achieved. See Table 1.6.
  Revise the power core!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to revise the power core 
  energy flux which feeds the ship´s systems. This 
  task requires 8 hours of work every day. Roll an 
  each successful crafted item
  Craft item – Incendiary grenade
  If by chance the PCs encountered some blue ooze 
  during the work at the Cerberus or if they encounter 
  some blue ooze on board then it is possible to 
  employ the methane compounds that the ooze is 
  composed of to craft some incendiary grenades 
  I (see Starfinder Core Rulebook – Chapter 7: 
  Equipment). Each blue ooze yield one grenade.
  Story Award: award the PC/NPC 100 XP for 
  each successful crafted item
  Check and recheck!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to revise the entire 
  ship´s systems in order to make it more efficient 
  and balanced. This task requires 8 hours of 
  work every day (max three days) and result in 
  a +2 circumstance bonus on the piloting check 
  during the landing phase. If the PC/NPC assigned 
  interrupts the task and decides to switch to other 
  tasks the circumstance bonus is lost.
  Story Award: award the PC/NPC 100 XP
  Reprogram the drones!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to reprogram the on-
  board repair drones (see Appendix: Repair drones) 
  in order to make them capable of extinguishing 
  fires as a fire extinguisher does. In this way every 
  repair drone can extinguish fire for a whole round 
  before the charge is depleted. This task requires 
  8 hours of work for each drone (max three days). 
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  22
  23
  See Table 1.8.
  HAZARDS
  During the journey some natural events may occur, 
  putting both the ship and the crew in danger. Here 
  is a list of possible natural hazards. As GM you 
  should pick only one to occur and place it at any 
  moment during the journey.
  Solar flare
  This natural cosmic event obviously occurs close 
  to stars, which is the case here. The solar flare does 
  not damage the hull but jeopardizes the shields´ 
  magnetic fields. The shields receive 1d6 damage.  
  However, this damage can be restored once the 
  Sawshark lands on the planet and the engineers 
  fix the problem. Repairing the shields requires 8 
  engineering check every day (max three days), 
  then calculate the average result rounding down 
  and consult the table below to see the effect. If the 
  PC/NPC assigned interrupts the task and decides 
  to switch to other tasks no improvement will be 
  achieved. See Table 1.7.
  Enhance the countermeasures!
  One PC/NPC is assigned to enhance the electronic 
  countermeasures which prevent the ship from 
  being targeted by guidance weapons. This task 
  requires 8 hours of work every day. Roll a computer 
  check every day (max three days), then calculate 
  the average result rounding down and consult 
  the table below to see the effect. If the PC/NPC 
  assigned interrupts the task and decides to switch 
  to other tasks no improvement will be achieved. 
  TABLE 1.5: ALIGN THE WEAPONS!
  Average 
  computer 
  check
  Effect
  XP award 
  to PC/
  NPC
  14 or less
  -
  0
  15
  The weapons get a permanent +1 enhancement bonus on gunnery 
  check
  100
  16
  The weapons get a permanent +1 enhancement bonus on damage
  150
  17
  The weapons get a permanent +1 enhancement bonus on gunnery 
  check and a permanent +1 enhancement bonus on damage
  200
  18
  The weapons get a permanent +2 enhancement bonus on gunnery 
  check
  250
  19
  The weapons get a permanent +2 enhancement bonus on damage
  300
  20
  The weapons get a permanent +2 enhancement bonus on gunnery 
  check and a permanent +2 enhancement bonus on damage
  500
  1) Each crew member has a 10% chance to receive 
  2d4 damage.
  2) One randomly selected ship system receives the 
  wrecked condition. The damage can be repaired 
  once the ship lands on the planet and requires 8 
  hours of work by at least one engineer. See Table 
  1.9
  Story Award: 500 XP
  Graviton Flare
  This natural phenomena is a sudden burst of 
  graviton waves coming from unstable and massive 
  celestial bodies which increase the gravitational 
  forces and the curve of space-time. It is said that 
  wormholes are the consequence of such waves if 
  strong enough. The consequences for a ship are a 
  sudden stress on its hull structure. The graviton 
  hours of work made by at least one engineer. So 
  consider this shield damage as a permanent loss 
  until fixed.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  Micro-meteor swarm
  An occasional swarm of micro-meteors hits the 
  Sawshark. Micro-meteors fly at high speed and 
  are usually caused by two colliding asteroids. The 
  swarm´s speed and minuscule size are mostly 
  blocked by the shields, however some of them 
  manage to bypass the shields´ magnetic fields to 
  strike and pierce the hull. The impact deals no 
  significant damage to the hull but can damage 
  some internal ship systems or injure some crew 
  members.
  Choose one of the events below:
  TABLE 1.6: OPTIMIZE THE SHIELDS!
  Average 
  engineering 
  check
  Effect
  XP award 
  to PC/
  NPC
  14 or less
  -
  0
  15
  Shield points increases permanently by +1
  50
  16
  Shield points increases permanently by +2
  100
  17
  Shield points increases permanently by +3
  150
  18
  Shield points increases permanently by +4
  200
  19
  Shield points increases permanently by +5
  300
  20
  Shield points increases permanently by +6
  400
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  24
  25
  DESCEND
  After three days the Sawshark reaches the planet 
  and is dragged into the orbit´s gravity. The 
  atmosphere is so thick that it’s impossible to spot 
  any portion of the surface. Brownish dense clouds 
  envelop the planet. However, sometimes a burst 
  of light suddenly paints the sky with a yellow-
  orange mix of colors. The wind on the planet is 
  calm so the clouds covering the surface look more 
  like a quiet brownish colored sea. The thermal 
  sensors confirm a very low temperature but 
  equally distributed all around the atmosphere, a 
  clue that marks a good temperature distribution 
  thanks to the atmosphere.
  The Sawshark is now getting closer to the 
  mesosphere, gas friction against the shields 
  flare causes 1d4 damage to the hull. The damage 
  can be repaired by the engineers using the 
  advanced engineering tool kit.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  X-Ray burst
  This kind of emission is common in outer space 
  and is usually stopped by the shields, sometimes 
  a ship´s sensors get slightly damaged by the 
  intensity of this natural event. In this case the 
  Sawshark sensor receives the malfunctioning 
  condition and all scanning attempst involving the 
  sensors receive a -2 penalty. This damage can be 
  easily repaired but the engineer has to work on the 
  damage from outside the ship.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  TABLE 1.7: REVISE THE POWER CORE!
  Average 
  engineering 
  check
  Effect
  XP award 
  to PC/
  NPC
  14 or less
  -
  0
  15
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +1
  50
  16
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +2
  100
  17
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +3
  150
  18
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +4
  200
  19
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +5
  300
  20
  Power core unit (PCU) increases permanently by +6
  400
  Engineering skill check DC 15 (ICS tetranode 
  bonus can be applied, see Appendix: Sawshark)
  During the ship´s remodeling 4 dedicated consoles 
  were installed close to each combustion engine.  
  Each console requires an operator in order to 
  function properly. So, roll an engineering check 
  every round for every combustion engine and 
  apply the descent piloting modifier circumstance 
  bonus that you calculated from table 1.2 and table 
  1.4. These circumstance bonuses reflect how well 
  the consoles have been installed and tuned to the 
  combustion engines and how accurate the course 
  has been calculated.
  Remember that every combustion engine is 
  handled by a specific operator, may it be a PC or 
  a NPC, so consider the specific engineering bonus 
  for each specific combustion engine console.
  start to slightly increase the outer temperature, 
  generating a stray of hot gas which envelops the 
  ship.
  It’s now time to discover if the combustion engines 
  are capable to withstand the landing and if your 
  calculations were correct.
  THE LANDING PROTOCOL (FUEL UNITS 
  -10 or more)
  The landing takes 1 minute (10 rounds) 1 fuel 
  unit is consumed every round unless an out of the 
  ordinary condition occurs. Landing the Sawshark 
  is not an easy task and requires the coordination 
  of the crew members, both PC and NPC.
  Every round, for all the consecutive rounds required 
  for the descent, you have to roll the following 
  checks, more details are in the descriptions below.
  TABLE 1.8: ENHANCE THE 
  COUNTERMEASURES!
  Average 
  Computer 
  check
  Effect
  XP 
  award 
  to PC/
  NPC
  15 or less
  -
  0
  16 to 17
  Target Lock (TL) 
  increases permanently 
  by +1
  100
  18 to 19
  Target Lock (TL) 
  increases permanently 
  by +2
  200
  20+
  Target Lock (TL) 
  increases permanently 
  by +3
  400
  TABLE 1.9: MICRO METEOR SWARM
  D%
  System
  Effect
  1-10
  Life 
  support
  Oxygen recycling does not work 
  properly thus saturating the air with 
  carbon dioxide. All crew members 
  suffer the fatigued condition.
  11-
  30
  Sensors
  All scanning attempts suffer 
  a -4 penalty.
  31-
  60
  Weapons 
  array
  All gunnery checks suffer a -4 
  penalty.
  61-
  80
  Engines
  All piloting checks suffer a -4 
  penalty.
  81-
  100
  Power 
  core
  All engineering checks suffer 
  a -4 penalty.
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  26
  27
  bonus can be applied see Appendix: Sawshark)
  Every round, for the consecutive 10 rounds 
  required to land safely, the pilot has the task to 
  maintain the ship in balance, fighting against 
  gravity and the atmosphere friction.  Once the 
  surface is near he has to slow the ship down in 
  order to avoid crashing and certain death. As you 
  can guess, this is not an easy task. When rolling the 
  piloting check, apply the descent piloting modifier 
  circumstance bonus that you calculated from table 
  1.2 and table 1.4.
  If the check is successful it means that everything 
  is fine in this round.
  If the piloting check fails!
  Every time the pilot fails a check (remember you 
  roll a check every round) two events occur:
  1) The ship loses balance due to a bad maneuver 
  and lack of reflexes. The hull receives 1 damage 
  and the shields 1d4 damage.
  2) Every crew member has to roll a fortitude saving 
  throw DC 12 or suffer the nauseated condition for 
  1d4 round.
  If you roll 1!
  If you roll a fumble, or a natural 1 on the twenty 
  sided dice, either on the piloting or engineering 
  check, the situation gets even worse. You have to 
  double the damage inflicted to the hull (2 damages) 
  and to the shields (2d4 damages).
  Exhausting the shields!
  If the ship exhausts the shields then the damage 
  caused by the friction with the atmosphere directly 
  affects the hull. Convert the 1d4 damages that 
  Now, if all the checks are successful and nothing 
  bad happens, it means the ship´s engines are all 
  working in synchronicity, thus the ship structure 
  suffers no stress or damage.
  If the engineering check fails!
  Every time an engineer fails a check (remember 
  you roll four checks every round) three events 
  occur:
  1) The ship receives 1 damage to the hull and 
  1d4 damages to the shields. This reflects a bad 
  coordination between the four combustion engines, 
  meaning the ICS and the console operators have 
  not properly balanced the thrust causing the ship 
  to lose the descending angle and consequently 
  increasing structural stress and temperature due 
  to friction with the atmosphere.
  2) The ship engines generate an engine backfire 
  thus consuming 1 additional fuel unit instead of 
  one.
  Beside the higher fuel consumption, another 
  problem arises. Inflammable gas leaks out of the 
  engine containment valves and ignites a fire. The 
  fire causes 1d6+F damages within a 10 feet radius. 
  The fire lasts 1d4 rounds making the console not 
  usable until the fire is extinguished with a fire 
  extinguisher. Extinguishing the fire requires one 
  full round action.
  Keep in mind that while the console is not usable 
  the associated combustion engine is almost out 
  of control, so the ship receives automatically 1 
  damage to the hull and 1d4 damages to the shield.
  Piloting skill check (DC 20) (ICS tetranode 
  the Sawshark to land safely without jeopardizing 
  the hull.
  The ICS marks the three landing sites as Alpha, 
  Beta and Gamma, so the pilot has to choose which 
  landing site he wants to land on.
  Scanning the landing sites (ICS tetranode 
  bonus can be applied)
  Numa: Captain, I suggest to scan the landing sites 
  to get more information about the environment.
  Numa suggests to conduct a deeper scanning 
  in order to collect more data and discover more 
  details about each landing site.
  Roll a computer check DC 15 for each landing 
  site, the higher the result the more information 
  the scanning reveals. Scanning the landing sites 
  all at once require one round and the ICS bonus 
  would normally affect the shields into 1 damage to 
  the hull.
  Story Award: award 1,000 XP
  SCANNING THE SURFACE (from round 1 
  to 7)
  Starting from the seventh round the ship´s 
  scanners are able to scan the surface in order to 
  find a proper landing site. Consider that no one 
  has surveyed the surface yet, indeed the PCs are 
  the first members of federation to put their feet on 
  this planet.
  The first data the scanner transmits is the surface 
  topographic lectures, which identify three optimal 
  landing sites close enough to the radioactive 
  source. These landing sites are plain enough for 
  SCANNING THE SURFACE
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  28
  29
  density than the average density detected on 
  the planet. This could indicate the surface is not 
  completely solid or as hard as ordinary silicate 
  formations.
  21 to 25: the scanner reveals a surface density of 
  6.52 extending up to 5 feet in depth, lower than 
  9.58 which is the average density detected on the 
  planet surface.
  If the skill succeeds by 16 or more read the 
  following NPC tip to the PCs.
  Numa: Captain, the lower surface density makes 
  me believe we will land on a terrain that may 
  resemble mud or quicksand. The good news is 
  that it’s not deeper than 5 feet, so we should be 
  able to cross it. Hope Karsk won’t mind!
  Karsk: Screw you Numa!
  Landing site GAMMA
  14 or less: the scanning does not reveal any detail.
  15: the scanner reveals the landing site is 1,970 
  feet far from the radioactive source and covers a 
  surface of 3,873,000 square feet.
  16 to 20: the scanner reveals a temperature 
  higher than the average temperature detected on 
  the planet.
  21 to 25: the scanner reveals a temperature of -12° 
  which is higher than the average temperature of 
  -50° detected on the planet´s surface. The presence 
  of an acid chemical compound is detected on the 
  surface of the landing site and density drops to 
  nearly zero 100 feet below the surface.
  If the skill succeeds by 16 or more read the 
  can be applied to each of the scanning check 
  simultaneously.
  Of course if the computer check fails then the PC 
  does not discover more details than those provided 
  by the topographic scan.
  Story Award: 300 XP
  Landing site ALPHA
  14 or less: the scanning does not reveal any detail.
  15: the scanner reveals the landing site is 1,650 
  feet far from the radioactive source and covers a 
  surface of around 107,000 square meters.
  16 to 20: the scanner reveals presence of methane 
  with a concentration level higher than the average 
  detected in the planet´s atmosphere.
  21 to 25: the scanner reveals presence of methane 
  with a concentration of 30%, it means 3 times 
  more than the average detected in the planet´s 
  atmosphere.
  If the skill succeeds by 16 or more read the 
  following NPC tip to the PCs.
  Numa: Captain, if we land on this site I’m pretty 
  sure the engine will set the methane on fire. I can’t 
  say nothing about the consequences but for sure 
  the blast will be strong.
  Landing site BETA
  14 or less: the scanning does not reveal any detail.
  15: the scanner reveals the landing site is 2,300 
  feet far from the radioactive source and covers a 
  surface of around 968,000 square meters.
  16 to 20: the scanner reveals a lower surface 
  METHANE GAS EXPLOSION (round 8 to 
  10)
  The atmosphere is composed by a 10% of methane 
  which form clouds at a low altitude. In the last 
  three rounds of the descent, the engines ignite 
  these gas clouds causing explosions and strong 
  airflows. The gas density increases as the Sawshark 
  gets closer to the surface, so the damage received 
  varies depending on the altitude. As we said, the 
  descent lasts 10 rounds, so during the last three 
  rounds apply damage as stated below:
  Round 8: the gas explosion causes 1 damage to 
  the hull and 1d3 damage to the shields.
  Round 9: the gas explosion causes 1 damage to 
  the hull and 1d4 damage to the shields.
  Round 10: the gas explosion causes 1 damage to 
  the hull and 1d6 damage to the shields.
  Story Award: 300 XP
  CHAPTER 3-LANDING
  At last the PCs discover that the deposit is not 
  natural but an artificial underground complex 
  and the scanner reveals the presence of nuclear 
  fission technology. This discovery has important 
  implications, the drilling machinery is not essential 
  to recover radioactive metals, however, the team 
  has to find an entrance to the underground 
  complex and reach the radioactive source.
  Now it’s time to land and it’s up to the PCs to 
  decide which landing site is the most appropriate.
  Tzaru: Captain, I have improved the ICS 
  CHAPTER 3-THE LANDING
  following NPC tip to the PCs.
  Numa: Captain, I suppose the higher temperature 
  marks the presence of a geothermal activity of 
  some sort. I presume we’ll find acidic geysers.
  Scanning the radioactive source
  The radioactive source lays under a mountain, in 
  the middle of the three possible landing sites.
  Numa: Captain, I have just scanned the radioactive 
  deposit and I found something anomalous. 
  It’s not a natural formation at all. The sensors 
  detect an artificial subterranean structure. The 
  high radiation level doesn’t come from a natural 
  formation but most likely from a fission reaction. 
  The lectures mark a radioactive source composed 
  by 95% uranium and 5% unknown origin!
  While the initial survey conducted by the Cerberus 
  indicated something like a natural highly 
  radioactive deposit, the close scanning from the 
  Sawshark shows a radically different outcome. 
  First it is not a natural deposit, it is instead an 
  artificial structure. The scanner clearly reveals the 
  presence of metal structures under the mountain.  
  The heterogeneous underground density means 
  chambers of various sizes are also present. The ICS 
  then classifies by default the radioactive source as 
  a fission nuclear reactor due to both high uranium 
  concentration and radioactivity leaks located 
  right around the source. However, the uranium 
  radiations emanating from the reactor represent 
  95% of the radioactive source, indeed the ICS 
  indicates a 5% of unknown energy source.
  CHAPTER 2-THE JOURNEY
  
  30
  31
  for the consequences, the higher the roll, the 
  better.
  25 or more: the ship lands safely without any 
  consequence.
  20 to 24: the ship becomes slightly unbalanced 
  by the explosion, suffering 1 damage to the hull 
  and 1d4 damage to the shields.
  18 to 19: the ship becomes unbalanced by the 
  explosion, suffering 1 damage to the hull and 1d4 
  damage to the shields, engine backfire occurs also 
  (see above engine backfire).
  15 to 17: the ship becomes seriously unbalanced 
  by the explosion suffering 1 damage to the 
  hull and 1d4 damage to the shields, an engine 
  backfire occurs also (see above engine backfire), 
  one randomly chosen ship system receives the 
  wrecked condition (see Starfinder Core Rulebook, 
  Chapter 9: Starship Combat, damage paragraph 
  to determine which system is affected).
  14 or less: the ship completely loses balance 
  suffering 1d4 damage to the hull and 1d4 damage 
  to the shields, an engine backfire occurs also (see 
  above engine backfire), one randomly chosen 
  ship system receives the wrecked condition (see 
  Starfinder Core Rulebook, Chapter 9: Starship 
  Combat, damage paragraph to determine which 
  system is affected), then the combustion engines 
  shut down completely leaving the ship in free fall, 
  crashing on the ground and thus suffering 2d4 
  damage to the hull and 2d4 damage to the shields.
  Story Award: 400xp
  algorithm that regulates the combustion engines. 
  I think it is now more efficient.
  Improved 
  Combustion 
  Engines: 
  After 
  the landing you can consider the Sawshark 
  combustion engines improved (see Appendix: 
  The Sawshark). This reflects the fact that the ICS 
  has stabilized the algorithm which balances and 
  regulates the engine thrust. This improvement 
  increases the extra thrust given by the engines and 
  optimizes the fuel consumption.
  LANDING SITE ALPHA
  This landing site has a flat surface, good for 
  landing a ship like the Sawshark. Its surface 
  measures approximately 968,000 square feet and 
  it’s around 1,650 feet far from the mountain which 
  hides the subterranean nuclear plant.
  Once the ship gets close to the landing site the 
  methane reacts immediately with the heat of the 
  combustion engine and explodes. The explosion 
  is devastating, amplified by the thick atmosphere 
  which causes a violent airflow. This causes 1 
  damage to the hull and 1d8 damage to the shields. 
  The hull literally quakes imposing the wrecked 
  condition to one randomly chosen ship system (see 
  Starfinder Core Rulebook, Chapter 9: Starship 
  Combat; Damage paragraph to determine which 
  system is affected). The airflow is violent enough 
  to move the ship´s axis requiring the pilot to take 
  control of the situation and react with lighting fast 
  reflexes.
  Roll a piloting check and consult the result below 
  because the acid jets could damage the protective 
  suits. In order to leave the geyser field the PCs 
  have to cross around 1,000 feet. Every round, the 
  risk that an acid jet randomly strikes one of them 
  is 10%. If a character passes close to a geyser jet 
  she has to roll a DC 15 reflex saving throw or her 
  space suit will get the damaged condition. If the 
  damages space suit is hit again by an acid jet and 
  the character fails the saving throw then the space 
  suit receives the broken condition.
  A damaged space suit halves the environmental 
  protection duration (see Starfinder Core Rulebook 
  - Chapter 7 Equipment: Armor – environmental 
  protection).
  A broken space suit loses the environmental 
  protection in 1d6 hours. If a player is wearing a 
  combat armor then the armor suffers 2d6 damage 
  from the acid jet. Keep in mind that, as a general 
  rule, an armor has 5+2*item level hardness and 
  15+3*item level hit points.
  Story Award: 300xp
  TO THE MOUNTAIN (required time 
  2h)
  The PCs leave behind the landing site and reach 
  the mountain which hosts the artificial radioactive 
  source. The terrain is rocky and in many points 
  covered by liquid ammonia and methane, making 
  the trek quite uncomfortable. If the Sawshark had 
  landed on a surface like this the damage would 
  have been serious. It takes 2 hours to spot the gate 
  placed on the north-east side of the mountain, 
  LANDING SITE BETA
  This landing site has a flat surface, good for landing 
  a ship like the Sawshark. Its surface measures 
  approximately 990,000 square feet and it’s around 
  2,300 feet far from the mountain which hides the 
  underground nuclear plant.
  The ground surface is composed of a mud pool no 
  more than 5 feet deep, the PCs can move in it but 
  not easily (see mud pools)
  In order to leave the mud pool the PCs have to cover 
  around 500 feet before reaching a rocky surface, 
  this task is not easy for two reasons.  First, the mud 
  constitutes an obstacle to movement and second, 
  the pool is actually inhabited by an indigenous 
  life form, the Mud Stalker. This solitary predator 
  waits for its preys floating a few centimeters under 
  the mud and senses their presence thanks to its 
  blindsense. When a life form gets close enough 
  it spontaneously activates the spell-like ability 
  transmute rock to mud to trap the prey. The PCs 
  meet this alien at any point while crossing the mud 
  pool to reach the shore.
  Creature: Mud Stalker
  LANDING SITE GAMMA
  This landing site is a geological active area formed 
  by geyser fed by underground acid gases. The 
  radiation leaks coming from the nuclear reactor 
  are agitating the chemical compounds. The area 
  measures approximately 3,500,000 square feet 
  and it’s around 2,000 feet far from the radioactive 
  source. Crossing the geyser field can be risky, 
  CHAPTER 3-THE LANDING
  CHAPTER 3-THE LANDING
  
  32
  33
  Gate) and at first glance it is impossible to discern 
  a path. After 94 seconds however, the frequencies 
  repeat, beginning a new cycle, so determining a 
  recurring pattern.
  What the PCs don’t know yet is that each radio 
  frequency emission represents one of the basic 
  elements on the periodic table of elements.   Each 
  radio frequency is specific to a basic element, with 
  the first signal representing hydrogen, the second 
  helium, the third lithium and so on.
  The PC can discover this clue if they try to compare 
  at least one signal with their radio frequency 
  and to reach it they have to climb the 1,000 feet 
  mountain side. Roll a climb check DC 14 every 250 
  feet, if the check fails the PC slip back 250 feet.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  CHAPTER 4
  UNDERGROUND
  (See above DEEP SCANNING MAP)
  Once the PCs get 500 feet close to the gate 
  their radios start to receive signals at multiple 
  frequencies. Every second a different frequency 
  is broadcast from the runic gate (see below The 
  DEEP SCANNING MAP - top-bottom view
  present in my database and I found out something 
  really interesting. I can state with a high degree 
  of certainty that these are the specific footprints 
  of the periodic table of elements!
  At this point the PCs proceed until they reach the 
  gate which leads inside the mountain and into the 
  subterranean complex.
  Story Award: award 100 XP
  THE GATE
  The gate is a 10 foot diameter door, made of solid 
  stone, with eight green runes carved around the 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  database (provided they are carrying a portable 
  computer with them) which in a matter of a few 
  minutes matches the radio frequency properly. 
  Award 100xp to the PC who makes this claim.
  If the PCs get stuck, have one of the NPCs intervene 
  (provided at least one of them has joined in the 
  exploration in the subterranean complex).
  Karsk: I think I’ve found a sort of recurring 
  pattern while listening to these frequencies. Every 
  94 seconds they repeat and considering that each 
  one of the 94 frequencies is different I was able to 
  match each one of them to the frequencies I have 
  THE GATE
  CHAPTER 3-THE LANDING
  
  34
  35
  species who adopt this numeral system, like the 
  Draelik and the Haan.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  If a PC figures out that the runes placed at the 
  center of the gate represent the octal number “134” 
  award 200xp, otherwise one of the NPC intervenes 
  to help the PCs.
  Karsk: It’s quite obvious. The number written 
  at the center of the gate is 134, if we consider an 
  octal numeral system of course.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  If a PC figures out that the octal number 134 can 
  be translated into the decimal number 92 award 
  400xp, otherwise one of the NPC intervenes to 
  help the PCs.
  Tzaru: I’ve converted the octal number into 
  a decimal number and the result is 92. I’m still 
  wondering what this could mean however.
  Story Award: 400 XP
  If a PC figures out that the number 92 can be 
  the atomic number for Uranium, thus making 
  the connection with the radio frequency, award 
  600xp, otherwise one of the NPC intervenes to 
  help the PCs.
  Tzaru: I’m pretty sure I have figured out the 
  riddle. If this gate emits signals in different 
  frequencies, each one representing one element 
  on the periodic table, it can eventually receive 
  signals too. The number 92 represents the 
  border and three runes at its center. The eight 
  different runes represent the numbers from zero 
  to seven, in other words an octal numeral system. 
  This represents the numeric base employed by the 
  Duergars for their mathematics and calculations.
  Here the PCs have to solve a difficult riddle, 
  because first they have to figure out that the runes 
  represent numbers, then come to the conclusion 
  that these numbers are the Duergars numeric 
  base.
  The three runes placed at the center represent 
  the number 134 and if you translate the number 
  134 into the decimal numeral system you get 92, 
  which is the atomic number for Uranium. This 
  means the stone gate will open only if a radio 
  signal replicating the uranium frequency is sent 
  toward the gate. If a PC figures out that the runes 
  represents the numbers from zero to seven award 
  100xp, otherwise one of the NPC intervenes to 
  help the PCs.
  Karsk: Looking at  the runes, it seems logic to 
  me that they represent the numbers from zero to 
  seven.
  Story Award: 100 XP
  If a PC figures out that the eight runes represent 
  an octal numeral system award 200xp, otherwise 
  one of the NPC intervenes to help the PCs.
  Karsk: I presume those numbers are not just 
  random. They go from zero to seven, just as our 
  decimal numeral system goes from zero to nine. 
  This is an octal numeral system! I’ve heard of 
  perception check DC 20, if successful the PC spots 
  hairs laying on the floor. The hairs can be analyzed 
  to obtain some trace of DNA by means of an 
  advanced medical kit and a successful life science 
  check DC 10. The analysis reveals that the DNA is 
  highly compatible with the dwarf specie. Of course 
  the DNA belongs to one or more Duergars who are 
  dwelling in the lower levels of the complex.
  Story Award: award 200 XP, only if the PCs 
  actively decide to analyze the DNA.
  2. ENERGY BARRIER
  A red energy barrier stand along the path and it 
  seems to block the passage. It does not irradiate 
  heat but it emits a constant buzz. Through it you 
  can see the rest of the room. At the bottom you 
  spot what looks like a chamber and an electric 
  engine to which it is connected.
  The barrier actually separate the outer from the 
  inner atmosphere, but it is harmless to living 
  creatures. If the PCs try to analyze the barrier 
  composition roll a physical science check DC 15, 
  if successful they discover the source of energy 
  is similar to the force fields employed on space 
  ships. If detect magic is cast then the spell reveals 
  a moderate source of transmutation magic. 
  The scanner confirms the lectures of the deep 
  scanning, in other words the air beyond the barrier 
  is breathable.
  Story Award: award 200 XP only if the PCs 
  successfully analyze the energy barrier.
  Uranium atomic number on the periodic table 
  of elements, so what could happen if we send a 
  signal representing that frequency?
  Story Award: 600 XP
  Once the PCs send the correct radio frequency, the 
  gate opens letting them in.
  Note for the GM: the players may eventually 
  decide to open the gate by other means other than 
  solving the riddle. As a GM you should expect such 
  an unpredictable situation and manage it properly. 
  If the players decide to blow up the gate for 
  example, then the elevator and the energy barrier 
  placed beyond the gate will probably be destroyed. 
  Of course the PCs would easily gain access to the 
  subterranean complex, but will have to figure out 
  how to descend in it.
  A.ENTRANCE
   1. ABANDONED STATIONS
  The two rooms are covered by dust and dirt, it is 
  evident that no one has been here for years and 
  there is no trace of anything useful. Each room 
  contains a mechanical lever.
  The stations once hosted the guards who 
  controlled the main gate, now they are abandoned 
  since the incident happened decades ago. The 
  two levers open or close the gate from the inside. 
  There were metal furniture but the Duergar, who 
  are now occupying the complex have looted them. 
  However, if a PC decides to search for more clues 
  there is a chance he may find something. Roll a 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  36
  37
  the energy barrier collapses (see below for the 
  consequences). If two PC attempt to recharge their 
  weapons at the same time the probability rises to 
  50%.
  If the energy barrier collapses and the PCs close 
  the gate nothing happens. If the gate is still open 
  then the inside atmosphere and pressure, being 
  higher than the outside, suddenly and violently 
  sucks the PCs outside. The force of the pull ejects 
  each PC 2d6x10 feet beyond the gate and for each 
  10 feet they suffer 1d6 of falling damage, half of 
  3. GENERATORS
  Two metal columns stand one in front of the other 
  and on their capital a red light is pulsating at a 
  constant pace.
  These ancient generators supply energy to 
  the energy barrier and both can be employed 
  to recharge weapons or other technological 
  equipment.  However, this action leeches the 
  energy required to feed the energy barrier. It 
  takes 10 minutes for each charge (remember to 
  keep track of time) but there is 10% chance that 
  A.ENTRANCE
  discover that the engine can’t move more than 
  4 people at a time and excessive weight simply 
  blocks the mechanism by activating the safety 
  countermeasures. So, if the PCs decide to enter 
  and use the elevator without checking the engine 
  status, they have a 20% chance each round of 
  getting stuck inside the elevator tube 1 (see below 
  Elevator tube 1). Keep in mind that the elevator, 
  due to its old age, moves at a speed of 5 feet per 
  round.  
  Story Award: award 100 XP only if the PCs 
  successfully check the engine status.
  ELEVATOR TUBE 1
  The elevator tube is 125 feet (25 squares) deep 
  and leads to the quarter’s section. Keep in mind 
  that due to the electric engine condition which 
  moves the elevator, it takes 25 rounds to reach the 
  quarter’s section. It is possible that the PCs took 
  with them one or more NPCs, this implies that 
  more than one travel is required to move the entire 
  party if the PCs are aware of the engine condition. 
  Once the PCs start the descent read the following 
  paragraph.
  The elevator starts moving. Cracking and buzzing 
  noises of the metallic mechanism fill the air and 
  the echo resonates through the old elevator tube 
  like an old bronze bell. The descent is slow and 
  you know it will take a while before reaching the 
  next underground level. The light bulbs above you, 
  which emit a dim light due to the old age, turn on 
  and off at every tremor until one them explode.
  this damage is applied to the space suit and half to 
  the character. (see Chapter 11: Game Mastering, 
  the section Breaking Objects for more details 
  about hit points and hardness of equipment).
  4. ELEVATOR 
  The elevator suffers the signs of time but the 
  structure looks like it´s intact. The two sliding 
  doors are closed.  
  This elevator leads to the lower levels of the 
  subterranean complex. It works because the 
  Duergars are carrying out maintenance. However, 
  the electric engine (see below Electric engine) 
  must be turned on for the elevator to work. No 
  more than nine people can use the elevator at once 
  and its load capacity is enough to lift no more than 
  3 tons of weight.
  5. ELECTRIC ENGINE
  The electric engine looks old and stressed and has 
  been repaired several times. The technology and 
  the design is minimal but it has enough power to 
  do its job. A column shaped generator, resembling 
  those close to the energy barrier, supplies the 
  necessary power for the engine to work but the red 
  bulb at the top of it seems to be turned off.
  The engine looks fine at a first glance but it has 
  been operational for too many years and has not 
  received enough maintenance. While the elevator 
  can hold up to 3 tons the engine can’t tolerate 
  such exertion. If the PCs revise the engine, roll an 
  engineering check DC 10, and if successful they 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  38
  39
  A shadowy shape, vaguely humanoid, is standing 
  there, a few inches from you. You just have the 
  time to hold your breath and call the attention 
  of your comrades when the shadow stares at you 
  with its black and empty eyes.
  Creature: 
  a 
  Shadowsoul 
  (see 
  Appendix:  
  Shadowsoul) is lurking in the elevator tube 
  waiting for the newcomers. The undead chooses 
  one the PCs (or NPCs at GM discretion) in order to 
  establish a soul link with the victim. Once the link is 
  established the Shadowsoul disappears from sight. 
  At some point during the descent something 
  happens. As a GM it’s up to you to decide when 
  this event occurs. Choose one of the PCs at random 
  and read him the following paragraph.
  You are waiting for the elevator to reach the 
  bottom. The incessant buzzing noise bothers your 
  ears as well as the malfunctioning lights which 
  keep turning off and on, forcing you to protect your 
  eyes. You suddenly spot someone at your side, but 
  whoever or whatever it is, disappears in a blink of 
  an eye. It’s a moment, an instant and then again. 
  B.QUARTERS
  wires.
  The Duergars´ survivors looted the rooms years 
  ago in order to recover any possible material and 
  components useful to them. So the PCs won’t 
  find anything interesting here, unless they want 
  to make this section of the dormitory their base 
  of operation. Keep in mind that the Shadowsoul 
  could assault them, especially while sleeping.
  2. ROOMS
  Something resembling sealed metallic crates are 
  lying stockpiled inside these rooms. There are eight 
  of these objects and each bears carved inscriptions 
  that resemble a runic alphabet.
  The metal crates are actually coffins where the 
  bodies of the first Duergars expedition lie. The 
  second expedition found their bodies left rotting 
  after decades and put what was left of them inside 
  these crates, adapted as coffin.
  If the PCs open the coffin they find the Duergars´ 
  personal effects, mostly jewels and other mundane 
  items.
  Gear: silver rings (4) 1,000 credits each, steel 
  pendants (3) 200 credits each, mithral bracelet (1) 
  2,500 credits.
  3. ROOMS
  A body lies on the ground. It is smaller in size than 
  an ordinary human and was no more than 5 feet 
  tall. He died years ago and now bones are that is 
  left. In his left hand he’s holding what looks to be 
  a pistol.
  Remember that being incorporeal allows him to 
  leave the elevator without hindrances. Keep note 
  of the soul link and use the Shadowsoul´s ability 
  with the purpose of putting his victim in serious 
  trouble. There can be moments and situations 
  dangerous enough where an attack of panic can be 
  deadly. It’s up to you, as GM, to decide if the other 
  PCs spot the shadow soul or not, just keep in mind 
  that it takes seconds for the Shadowsoul to use its 
  abilities.
  B. QUARTERS
  On this level the PCs find the quarters once 
  inhabited by the Duergars. There are ten rooms 
  where the personnel slept, two storage rooms where 
  supplies were stocked, an armory where weapons 
  and bullets were assembled, a control room where 
  the engineers controlled the nuclear reactor, the 
  once operational satellites, the research lab for 
  experimental technologies, and the factory where 
  components were produced.
  1. ROOMS
  The first four rooms all look the same and contain 
  almost the same items.
  This section of the dormitory appears abandoned 
  and no one has slept here for years. Beds and 
  furniture were removed however, and there 
  is nothing but the empty metal walls. Even 
  the electronic devices that once controlled the 
  automated doors had been removed long before, 
  leaving nothing but empty socks and some cut 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  40
  41
  of a fifth unknown planet which is actually the 
  Duergar home planet.
  If a PC (or a NPC) wants to know more about 
  this fifth planet by studying the calculations they 
  must succeed a DC 20 physical science check. 
  If successful they discover that the fifth planet 
  requires 190 conventional years to complete a 
  cycle around its star. Other details are impossible 
  to discover without a proper study of both the 
  mathematical system and the alien alphabet.
  Story Award: award 200 XP only if the PCs 
  discover the existence of the fifth planet.
  5. STORAGE ROOM
  The room contains a chest and some rusty iron 
  closets. All the furniture drawers were opened and 
  looted years ago. Only a dozen of old space suits 
  remain. The suits are completely different from 
  yours, both in size and technology, resembling 
  those employed centuries ago.
  The storage room seems to be empty but it is 
  not. A close inspection, perception check DC 15, 
  reveals a hidden hole under a movable tile on the 
  floor. Inside the hidden hole, wrapped in a dirty 
  rag, the PCs find some ingots, made of precious 
  metals. Some Duergars of the second expedition 
  took advantage of the smelter in the armory to 
  smelt valuable ores and get some gold and mithril.
  Gear: gold ingots (2) 1,500 credits each, mithral 
  ingot (1) 4,000 credit.
  6. ARMORY
  The body lying on the floor belongs to a Duergar 
  from the second expedition. He went insane after 
  years of waiting for someone to rescue him and his 
  comrades. He came here to end his life by putting 
  a bullet in his head. A closer inspection reveals 
  the hole on the left side of the skull. The Duergar 
  do not bury those who commit suicide so, his 
  surviving mates, left him there.
  4. ROOMS (required time 1 hour)
  These rooms are empty except for one weird detail. 
  The metal walls are covered with inscriptions, 
  diagrams, and geometrical figures. You clearly 
  recognize the runic symbols representing the 
  octal numeral system together with other symbols 
  not yet known to you. Another clear drawing, 
  representing the star system, is placed on one of 
  the walls and it shows the brown dwarf star, the 
  orbit of the four planets you already know plus 
  a fifth unknown planet which has a completely 
  different and more elongated orbit.
  Duergars spent much energy in an attempt to 
  survive and trying to leave the planet. At some 
  point they faced an energy blackout that forced 
  them to extreme conditions. Eventually they 
  restored the energy output but some engineers, 
  driven more by desperation than rationality, kept 
  on making calculations employing anything they 
  could. One of them came here and started to make 
  the calculations, writing on the walls. He was the 
  same Duergar the PCs founnd dead inside room 3.
  Here the PCs discover for the first time the existence 
  Karsk: The engineering behind these warheads 
  are pretty fascinating, considering that whoever 
  built this complex was not as technologically 
  advanced as we are. They lack any chemical 
  explosive so I can’t yet figure out their purpose, 
  but I’m sure that the external tungsten covering 
  has been placed to resist extremely high 
  temperatures, the lead protects any loader from 
  the harmful radiation coming from the depleted 
  uranium core. I must say that this kind of 
  warhead, if properly accelerated, would have a 
  devastating effect on whatever it hits.
  7. CONTROL ROOM
  A giant screen covers the south wall in front of six 
  control panels. Cables and wires are scattered on 
  the floor, some of them were cut and others are 
  not connected. On the eastern wall a big computer 
  stands silent. None of the electronic devices seem 
  to be turned on or be working in any way.
  The giant screen on the wall monitored the 
  atmosphere and the closer outer space thanks to 
  a couple of satellites orbiting around the planet. 
  While the satellites are potentially operational they 
  are not sending any data from the surface because 
  the whole control room is shut down. The control 
  room can be easily repaired and reactivated by 
  the PCs. The Duergars could not fix the damages 
  provoked by the first radioactive incident, so they 
  left the control room abandoned.
  Have the PCs, or the NPCs, roll the following skill 
  checks if they want to repair and put online the 
  Inside the room you see a big machine and you 
  clearly recognize one of its components as an ore 
  smelter. One meter long cannon warheads are 
  lying on a shelf. On the other side of the room you 
  spot a big computer, like those you have seen only 
  in history books of antiquities. That relic must be 
  the control panel which activates and programs 
  the whole machine.
  The machinery on the north side of the room is 
  composed by three modular components, smelter, 
  crucible and assembler. The ore smelter obtains 
  metals from ores, the electric crucible melts the 
  refined metals, and the assembler automatically 
  shapes metals into warheads or other components.
  The warheads placed on the shelf serves the Coil 
  Cannon in area D. If the PCs analyze the warheads 
  have them roll an engineering check DC 15, if 
  successful they discover that the warheads are 
  made completely of metals and they lack any 
  chemical explosive. A deeper analysis with the 
  scanner, physical science check DC 15, reveals 
  the warhead composition; each warhead has a 
  core of depleted uranium covered by a layer of 
  lead, while the external cover is made of tempered 
  tungsten. The Duergars used to fire the warheads 
  to potentially dangerous meteorites that were 
  about to hit the planet´s surface.
  If Karsk joined the group read to the PCs his 
  opinion about the warhead composition.
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  Let the PCs repeat the check if the first fails, 
  however they have to spend the required time 
  before realizing that something went wrong, only 
  then they can repeat the task. Once they succeed all 
  the required skill checks, the control room is once 
  again operational, it only requires enough energy 
  to work and have the operating system reloaded.
  control room.
  Repair the main computer (computer DC 
  18, required time 2 hours)
  This action completely restores the functionality 
  of the main computer.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  Restore the control panels (engineering DC 
  15, required time 1 hour)
  By restoring and fixing some cables the PCs restore 
  the electrical connection of the control room.
  Story Award: 100 XP
  Repair the screen (engineering DC 13, 
  required time 1 hour)
  Most of the screen was damaged by an electrical 
  AIN COPUTER
  overload generated by the radioactive burst caused 
  by the reactor. By repairing the damages the PCs 
  partially restore the screen even if the quality is 
  not the same as it was originally.
  Story Award: 100 XP
  CONTROL PANEL
  GIANT SCREEN
  Once the control room becomes operational
  The control room is the hearth of the subterranean 
  complex and from this place almost everything 
  can be remotely controlled. Each of the six control 
  panels at the center of the room grant access to 
  a different system inside the complex. Have the 
  players decide which system each panel controls.
  Here comes a list of the systems that can be 
  remotely controlled:
  a) Doors & elevators: you can open or close any 
  door provided it is operational (see For the Game 
  Master: Doors), you can move the elevator and 
  close their sliding doors.
  b) Gate & energy barrier: you can open or close the 
  gate and activate or deactivate the energy barrier.
  c) Shuttle bay: you can open or close the sliding 
  door on the ceiling (the shuttle bay ceiling works 
  like the rocket launch pod) of the shuttle bay and 
  elevate the launch platform to the surface thus 
  allowing the shuttle to take off.
  d) Coil cannon: you can open or close the sliding 
  but it is possible they suspect the Hobgoblin had 
  received it. They will not detect the presence of the 
  Hobgoblin battleship until it reaches the planetary 
  orbit, at that point the satellites spot the battleship 
  and if a PC or a NPC is inside the control room or 
  has remote access to the control room data then 
  he is warned of the Hobgoblin´s presence. How 
  long it takes the battleship to reach the planetary 
  orbit is up to the GM, however 12/24 hours could 
  be appropriate. This event should occur before the 
  PCs have the chance to leave the planet. For more 
  details see Hobgoblin assault squad, Coil Cannon 
  and Hobgoblin battleship in orbit! 
  8. RESEARCH LAB
  A large circular machine is in this room, many 
  cables of different sizes and diameter are connected 
  to a main computer. It closely resembles a particle 
  accelerator at its experimental phase. On the other 
  side you spot another component which at first 
  glance looks like a pulse engine prototype.
  The stuff inside this lab represent the Duergars 
  technological peak, however, to the PCs this 
  technology has already been discovered centuries 
  ago. The lab itself does not have too much to offer 
  unless the PCs or the NPCs want to improve the 
  technological devices they find inside.
  Improve the pulse engine (engineering 
  check DC 15, required time 4 hours)
  This device is not fully operational yet and requires 
  many adjustments in order to function properly. 
  Any PC or NPC can fix and improve the engine to 
  door on the ceiling of the coil cannon battle-station 
  (the coil cannon ceiling works like the rocket 
  launch pod) and elevate the platform to the surface 
  thus allowing the coil cannon to aim and shoot.
  e) Rocket launch pod: you can open or close the 
  sliding door on the ceiling of the rocket launch pod 
  and activate the rocket launch procedure.
  f) Nuclear reactor: you can control the nuclear 
  reactor by shutting down the radioactive core. 
  However this action is now no longer possible due 
  to high radiation interfering with the electrical 
  plant and a heavy damage to the containment 
  chamber. Inform the PCs that the shutdown 
  procedure is blocked by the computer due to this 
  structural damage.
  The main computer
  While the six control panels control the systems, 
  the main computer on the eastern wall controls 
  the satellites and the communication system. 
  Once the control room is activated, the main 
  computer automatically reinitializes and sends 
  a radio signal to establish a connection with the 
  two satellites orbiting the planet which in return, 
  begin to transmit data. The radio signal attracts 
  the attention of the Hobgoblin battleship which is 
  listening for any frequency coming from any point 
  in the system. Once the Hobgoblins receive the radio 
  signal they’ll set a course to the planet, sure to have 
  finally identified and located the transmission sent 
  instead by the Cerberus outpost. The PCs become 
  aware of the signal reaching outer space too late, 
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  45
  Consider this relic as a support to any engineering 
  check, granting a +2 circumstance bonus for any 
  task that requires to work on mechanical parts.
  CORRIDOR A
  The corridor is wide, dark and silent.  Even the 
  slightest noise is amplified by the echo. According 
  to a deep scanning, the corridor is 250 feet long. 
  After a few steps inside, your radiation detector 
  starts buzzing and detects a raise in the radiation 
  level. The deep scanning revealed two potential 
  elevators leading to two respective chambers.
  The corridor is dark and without any source 
  of light, contaminated by radiation (medium 
  radiation level) caused by the nuclear reactor 
  leak. If the PCs are not wearing a suite they suffer 
  the effects of radiation unless they succeed at a 
  make it work as a nearly modern pulse engine. If 
  the PCs eventually decide to improve the shuttle 
  (see Shuttle Bay) propulsion system they could 
  decide to mount the improved pulse engine on the 
  vessel. The improvement turns the pulse engine 
  into a T6 thruster.
  Story Award: 200 XP
  Improve 
  the 
  particle 
  accelerator 
  (engineering check DC 20, required time 6 
  hours)
  Improving the particle accelerator is possible 
  but tricky and requires time. If the skill check 
  is successful the PCs get a rudimentary, but 
  operational power core. The improvement turns 
  the particle accelerator into a micron light power 
  PULSE ENGINE
  core.
  Story Award: 400 XP
  9. FACTORY
  You see a huge assembly plant composed by a rail 
  and eight mechanical arms. The plant looks like it 
  is in good condition. Like the other technological 
  devices you have seen so far, it looks like more of a 
  piece from a museum than something useful.
  The assembly plant works normally if powered. 
  It is capable of assembling, cutting and soldering 
  almost anything but it has to be programmed. 
  PARTICLE ACCELERATOR
  area, so if the PCs plan is to retreat, consider them 
  safe once they reach the quarters. Don’t forget that 
  if one of the PCs are affected by the Soulshadow 
  soul link ability, this could be the proper moment 
  to employ it.
  Creature: Xenoworm
  C. SHUTTLE BAY
  An old fashion shuttle is stationed at the center of 
  a platform. On the left you spot a control panel and 
  a big metal tank, probably containing propellant, 
  and a mechanical arm attached to refuel the 
  shuttle. The bay is nearly 60 feet high and opens 
  on the mountain flank. The ceiling opens by means 
  of a sliding floor.
  The Duergar shuttle is fueled by liquid propellant 
  and does not rely on any kind of pulse engine. 
  It can host one pilot and was used mainly for 
  reconnaissance missions on the planet´s surface. 
  The engine status is not good due to oxidation, 
  so any attempt to repair them will fail. However, 
  the PCs can easily employ the experimental pulse 
  engine they found in the research lab to replace the 
  combustion engine and the particle accelerator to 
  mount as a power core.
  If the PCs don’t figure out that they can improve 
  the shuttle, have one of the NPC propose the idea.
  Karks: I think I can fix this piece of scrap and 
  turn it into a flying machine. Maybe we have a 
  chance to fly it in outer space.
  One or more engineer, PC or NPC, can work on 
  the fitting. If the check succeeds, the new systems 
  DC 18 fortitude saving throw, a PC wearing an 
  armor receives a +4 circumstance bonus on the 
  saving throw. See Chapter 11: Game Mastering, 
  paragraph radiation, section affliction for more 
  details.
  Two separate elevators are placed at 100 feet and 
  200 feet respectively, leading to the shuttle bay and 
  to the coil cannon platform (see Deep Scanning 
  Map, area C and D). The end of the corridor 
  leads directly to Storage Area 1.  The entrance to 
  elevator 1 is placed at the end of the corridor, on 
  the left wall. If the PCs reactivated the control 
  room they already know about the shuttle bay and 
  the coil cannon. If the group decides to explore the 
  corridor read to them the following paragraph.
  You are walking through the corridor when you 
  clearly feel the floor tremble. At first it is a light 
  vibration tingling your feet, few seconds later the 
  tremor becomes stronger. A few meters in front 
  of you the floor is torn into pieces and your sight 
  is blocked for a moment by the concrete dust. 
  Whatever is coming out of that hole is alive and 
  you soon realize it is getting closer.
  The PCs have just encountered a Xenoworm. As 
  GM you decide where and when the Xenoworm (see 
  Appendix: Xenoworm) appears exactly, it should 
  appear before reaching the elevator leading to the 
  shuttle bay. The more distant the PCs are from 
  the door leading back to the quarters, the more 
  dangerous this encounter is. Place the Xenoworm 
  2d4x10 feet distant in front of the group. The 
  Xenoworm doesn’t leave the low level radiation 
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  47
  Fitting 
  the 
  micron 
  light 
  power 
  core 
  (engineering check DC 18, required time 3 
  hours)
  Story Award: 400 XP
  Improving 
  the 
  on-board 
  computer 
  (computer/engineering 
  check 
  DC 
  12, 
  required time 2 hours) 
  Due to lack of proper technological components it 
  is not possible to assemble an ICS better than a 
  basic computer. Once the fitting is complete treat 
  the shuttle as a Racer frame (see Starfinder Core 
  fit perfectly on the shuttle.  If the check fails, the 
  engineers realize that something went wrong only 
  after the required time passes. They can however, 
  try again until successful. After mounting both the 
  engine and the power core they have to update the 
  on-board computer so that it can operate with the 
  new components.
  Fitting the T6 thruster (engineering check 
  DC 15, required time 2 hours)
  Story Award: award 200 XP
  C.SHUTTLE BAY
  and is capable of shooting a warhead at tremendous 
  speed. The coil cannon needs no repairing except 
  some lubrication to the inner mechanism, besides 
  that, it is fully operational. The control panel 
  allows an operator to control the cannon.
  The coil cannon will prove to be useful once the 
  Hobgoblin assault squad lands on the planet 
  (see Hobgoblin assault squad) and invades 
  the subterranean complex. In that moment 
  the Hobgoblin battleship will be orbiting the 
  planet (see Hobgoblin battleship in orbit! for 
  more details) remaining straightly aligned to the 
  Rulebook – Chapter 9: Starships, Base Frame 
  section) fitted with a basic computer, T6 thruster 
  and Micron Light power core.
  Story Award: award 300 XP
  D. COIL CANNON
  A huge coil cannon stands before you, the gun 
  barrel measuring nearly eighty feet. Coil cannons 
  are not unknown to modern warfare but became 
  obsolete when energy beam weapons were adopted 
  for large scale warfare.
  This massive weapon works with electromagnetism 
  D.COIL CANNON
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  Damaging the Hobgoblin battleship: the 
  Hobgoblin battleship has its own armor class, hull 
  points and shield points. For more details about 
  these values see Hobgoblin battleship in orbit! 
  ELEVATOR TUBE 2
  This elevator is exactly the same as elevator 1, so 
  it can hold up to 9 passengers and moves up to 3 
  tons of weight. The engine is perfectly operational 
  because the Duergars are constantly maintaining 
  it in efficiency. This elevator is required to access 
  the three storage areas located on the lower levels, 
  respectively Storage Area 2, Storage Area 3 
  and Storage Area 4. Keep in mind that close to 
  Storage Area 4 the radiation level rises to high. 
  The elevator requires one round to travel from one 
  level to another.
   
  E1.STORAGE AREA 1
  A huge 20 feet wide metal door stands before you. 
  The control panel that manually opens the door is 
  opened and has gone through maintenance many 
  times.
  The 20 feet wide automatic door is now closed but 
  can be remotely opened from the control room. If 
  subterranean complex coordinates, thus allowing 
  the coil cannon to aim and shoot with considerable 
  precision.
  Once the Hobgoblin battleship reaches the 
  planetary orbit.
  The coil cannon (see Table 1.10: Coil Cannon 
  Stats) is the only weapon the PCs can use against 
  the Hobgoblin battleship in order to bring it down 
  and subsequently leave the planet in safety. The 
  weapon is able to aim and shoot once per round 
  thanks to the satellites triangulation and computer 
  calculations.
  Special properties: the coil cannon gets a +10 
  gunnery check to hit the target due to triangulation 
  with satellites and thanks to computer calculations.
  Firing the coil cannon: firing with the coil 
  cannon is like firing with a weapon mounted on 
  a spaceship. It takes 3 rounds for the warhead too 
  cover the distance between the surface and the 
  target. This means that the PCs have the chance 
  to fire three times before the Hobgoblin battleship 
  even realizes someone is shooting at them.  But, 
  at the same time it is highly probable that the 
  battleship will have fired 3 times before the PCs 
  can counterattack.
  Planetary 
  weapon
  Range
  Speed
  Damage
  PCU
  Cost (in 
  BP)
  Special 
  Properties
  Coil Cannon
  Special
  -
  4d6x10
  1,000
  2,500
  See above
  TABLE 1.10: COIL CANNON STATS
  apparently they have spotted you too. One of them 
  attempts to stand up but he seems to suddenly 
  freeze as the doors open completely, leaving a clear 
  line of sight between you and them. The humanoid 
  screams in terror when he sees you, trying to 
  sneak away but is too panicked to coordinate his 
  movements properly.  The light is too dim so you 
  can’t classify what kind of being you are looking at, 
  for sure they are shorter than you and appear to be 
  wearing an armor and a helm.
  The Duergars were resting a while in what they now 
  consider their home. When the doors open they 
  no one is in the control room then the PCs have 
  to digit the code in order to open the doors or 
  attempt to hack the control panel, computer check 
  DC 12. Beyond the door there are the five Duergar 
  survivors and when the PCs arrive they are resting, 
  so it is possible they caught them by surprise if the 
  PCs do not make noise.
  Once the doors are opened and the party enters 
  inside the storage area, read to them the following.
  The huge metal doors crack and slowly open. 
  Through the breach you immediately spot two 
  humanoid figures lying on the ground, and 
  E1.STORAGE AREA 1
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  50
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  Sawshark. Make use of diplomacy skill if you think 
  it is appropriate for this encounter and for your 
  game-mastering style.
  The first obstacle to overcome for the two groups 
  is communicating.
  If Tzaru is present he attempts to establish 
  a telepathic link with Thurmwall, which he 
  recognizes as the leader of the group.
  Tzaru: Captain, I can easily communicate with 
  these humanoids and I can state with a certain 
  degree of certainty that we are witnessing a sort 
  of parallel evolution. They resemble in many 
  ways, our Karsk!
  If Tzaru is not present, advise the PCs they should 
  request his presence as an interpreter (keep in 
  mind that the contemplative race can communicate 
  by means of telepathy), otherwise both the groups 
  have to communicate by gestures, expressions, 
  drawings or whatever is necessary to understand 
  each other.
  Each sentence or concept, no more than a dozen 
  words, requires a culture check DC 16 in order to 
  be properly translated or understood and takes 
  10 minutes (don’t forget to keep track of time). 
  Another interesting role-playing solution is having 
  both you and the PCs effectively “talk” by means of 
  gestures and drawings. The 0 level spell telepathic 
  message of course resolves the language issue.
  Once the PCs establish peaceful communication 
  with the Duergars, they can obtain interesting 
  information about the subterranean complex, its 
  purpose, the incident, and so on. In any case the 
  wake up wondering what is going on considering 
  that no one else should be down there with them. 
  The Duergars have never met any intelligent alien 
  life form so, besides being scared and astonished, 
  they are reluctant to start any kind of hostility. 
  However, if the PCs become hostile and open fire 
  the Duergars fight to the best of their capabilities.
  If the PCs do not become hostile, then all the 
  Duergars inside the storage area slowly show 
  themselves.
  D1, D2: the two Duergars (soldier) at the center 
  of the storage area were supposed to mount guard.
  D3, D4: the two Duergars (soldier) rapidly 
  changed their position when the doors opened 
  and hid behind the crates to ambush anyone or 
  anything that was about to enter. When they 
  understand they are facing a humanoid life form 
  they quickly realize they have just made first 
  contact with another intelligent life form.
  S: this is the Duergar scientist and he immediately 
  finds a position out of the line of fire. His name 
  is Thurmvall and he is the Duergar that will show 
  interest in peaceful communication with the PCs 
  (see Appendix: Duergar survivors for more details 
  about this encounter).
  The PCs, by observing the Duergar’s physiology, 
  immediately figure out a close resemblance to the 
  dwarf race.
  As a GM you now have to manage this encounter 
  properly, avoiding, if possible, any attempt to start 
  a fight. The Duergars trapped here can be useful 
  to the PCs and may eventually join them on the 
  Heavy duty robot: two manual robots are 
  stationed inside the storage area. They are not 
  equipped with any AI, so they need a driver in 
  order to function. If the PCs want, they can mount 
  weapons on each robot, maybe weapons they 
  craft by employing the materials found inside the 
  storage area.
  E2.STORAGE AREA 2
  Storage area 2 contains other crates and more 
  materials the PCs can employ to produce more 
  items, together with a couple more heavy duty 
  Duergars are reluctant to provide information 
  about their home-planet and will not reveal 
  intelligence that could endanger their species.
  Story award: 2,000 XP (only if the PCs manage 
  to befriend the Duergars).
  Gear: 64 crates containing 10,000 credits of 
  materials and components useful to craft weapons 
  (level 4 or lower), armors (level 4 or lower), 
  augmentations (level 4 or lower), computers (level 
  3 or lower), technological items (level 2 or lower), 
  magic items (level 3 or lower) and hybrid items 
  (level 3 or lower).
  E2.STORAGE AREA 2
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  52
  53
  a higher than average CR.
  Creature: Xenoworm(2) hidden beyond the 
  concrete walls.
  Gear: 24 crates containing 7,500 credits of 
  material and components useful to craft weapons 
  (level 5 or lower), armors (level 5 or lower), 
  augmentations (level 4 or lower), computers (level 
  3 or lower), technological items (level 2 or lower), 
  magic items (level 3 or lower) and hybrid items 
  (level 3 or lower).  
  robots. However, the area is not safe because 
  two xenoworms (see XW1 and XW2) are lurking 
  beyond the walls. If the PCs enter the storage area 
  then the xenoworms appear and attack shortly 
  after by opening a breach into the concrete walls. 
  Being attacked in this area is more dangerous 
  than being attacked in corridor A. Here radiation 
  is stronger (medium level radiation), thus the 
  xenoworms pursue the PCs to the elevator doors 
  if necessary. For this encounter, the PCs probably 
  require to employ the modified robots because 
  facing two xenoworms at the same time represent 
  E3.STORAGE AREA 3
  already met the Duergars then they are probably 
  informed about the xenoworms presence. If they 
  lacked diplomacy, too bad for them.
  In this encounter the PCs have the chance to take 
  the xenoworms, which are asleep, by surprise 
  due to the xenoworms suffering from the asleep 
  condition.
  If the PCs defeat the xenoworms have them roll 
  a perception check DC 18 to spot signs of burns 
  on their skin. Further analysis, medicine check DC 
  15, reveal severe wounds caused by a bludgeoning 
  blow. What the PCs don’t know is that these 
  E3.STORAGE AREA 3
  When the elevator doors open you see in front 
  of you an improvised barricade made of creates 
  which block the way to the storage area. The door 
  leading inside is closed except for a small 3 foot 
  wide opening.
  Storage area 3 has already been invaded by 
  xenoworms that use this place as nest. The Duergars 
  tried to retake control of this area but they are 
  too few to defeat the worms alone. When the PCs 
  arrive the xenoworms are sleeping inside holes 
  dug through the concrete walls. If the PCs have 
  E4.STORAGE AREA 4
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  54
  55
  to any stealth check the PCs may roll
  Creature: Xenoworm(2)
  Gear: 13 crates containing 4,000 credits of 
  materials and components useful to craft 
  augmentations (level 5 or lower), technological 
  items (level 4 or lower)
  F. ROCKET LAUNCH POD
  The launch pod looks immense and when you take 
  a look inside you feel dizzy. A 120 foot long rocket 
  dominate the sight and four retractable walkways 
  grant access from every storage area.
  The rocket had the purpose to launch crew, 
  equipment, gears and satellites into orbit. It is 
  reusable so it is projected to land back on the 
  surface. The rocket requires a lot of hydrogen/
  oxygen fuel and the compounds produced by the 
  Sawshark are easily compatible with the rocket 
  requirements. Keep in mind that the Sawshark 
  possesses the technology to split water into 
  hydrogen and oxygen, the machinery that does so 
  are on the third deck.
  The rocket can have many uses, read what follows:
  1) If the PCs lost their ship, this rocket could be an 
  obsolete but worthy alternative to leave the planet 
  and get back to the Cerberus outpost. Apply the 
  Setting course procedure as explained in Chapter 
  2 or just consider that the rocket relies only on 
  combustion engines and that it can travel only by 
  inertia once it leaves the planet´s orbit.
  2) If the PCs want to send a big load of crates, of 
  which the Sawshark has no room, into outer space, 
  wounds have been caused by the Earth Elemental 
  that is occupying the nuclear reactor.
  Creature: Xenoworm (2)
  Gear: 17 crates containing 3,500 credits of 
  materials and components useful to craft 
  augmentations (level 5 or lower), technological 
  items (level 3 or lower).
  E4.STORAGE AREA 4
  Many crates are scattered and block the way 
  inside the last storage area. It seems they were 
  placed here in a hurry. The corridor walls bear 
  marks of gunfire, you clearly spot bullet holes on 
  the surface. Apparently the Duergars undertook 
  a harsh fight to defend their last perimeter. The 
  radiation indicator rises to severe.
  The three brown spots are barrows of soil, where 
  the xenoworms emerged from. Each barrow hosts 
  a xenoworm and a tunnel that leads directly to the 
  nuclear reactor below.
  Each tunnel emerges to the reactor ceiling and is 
  40 feet long, not in a straight line. If the PCs plan 
  to reach the reactor by other means the tunnels 
  are a valid option.
  Note for the GM: the tunnels that connect area 
  E4 to area G (the ceiling of the nuclear reactor) are 
  not marked on the map. Feel free to place these 
  tunnels where it is the most convenient.
  Only two tunnels are occupied by xenoworms, the 
  third one hosts just the corpse of the creature.
  Once the PCs reach the door, have the xenoworm 
  roll a perception check DC 20, or set a DC according 
  CORRIDOR B
  The corridor leading to the nuclear reactor looks 
  creepy and abandoned, you can feel that the 
  radiation has wiped out any living matter. It is 
  nearly 100 feet long and at the end you spot a dim 
  luminescence, at the same time your radiation 
  scanner is going crazy due to  radioactivity rising 
  every step you get closer.
  The corridor is completely abandoned and there 
  are no signs of xenoworm passages.
  the rocket has enough capacity to carry all of the 
  crates found inside the storage areas together with 
  the modified robots. Keep in mind that the rocket 
  requires at least one pilot.
  ELEVATOR TUBE 3
  This elevator descends to the lower level of the 
  subterranean complex and opens into corridor B, 
  once the PCs reach the bottom the radiation level 
  rises to medium. It is as long as elevator 1, in that 
  it is 125 feet deep, and can move 5 feet per round.
  F.ROCKET LAUNCH POD
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  56
  57
  chamber. What is certain is that the 5% of the 
  unknown detected energy source is coming from 
  that strange machinery.
  Read the Nuclear Transmutator description for 
  more details.
  The nuclear reactor provides electricity to the 
  whole subterranean complex. However, the 
  containment chamber is suffering a serious 
  structural flaw causing a dangerous radiation leak. 
  The PCs immediately detect something wrong is 
  occurring inside the nuclear reactor. The lectures 
  clearly mark that the reactor has already gone out 
  G.NUCLEAR REACTOR
  The reactor lies 60 feet below you and the stairs 
  leading down are wrecked or oxidized. It is 
  immense compared to the other places you have 
  explored inside the complex. You distinguish 
  five different modules that compose the reactor. 
  In the center there is the containment chamber 
  which contains the fissile material, on the right 
  you spot what should be the generator, on the left 
  there is the condenser, and at the bottom is the 
  turbine. What you don’t recognize is another odd 
  component connected directly to the containment 
  G.NUCLEAR REACTOR
  happened and if the PCs return for the second time 
  the Earth Elemental eventually goes after them. 
  Just consider that its size is obviously an obstacle.
  Creature: Radioactive Earth Elemental (1) (see 
  Radioactive Earth Elemental for more details).
  UPGRADING THE NUCLEAR REACTOR
  Before the PCs can safely extract the Nuclear 
  Transmutator, they have to update the technology 
  of all the reactor´s modules and, once the reactor 
  is updated, the artifact can be extracted without 
  causing a chain reaction. Only one person can 
  oversee a single component of the nuclear reactor 
  at a time.
  Upgrading the condenser (required time 2 
  hours)
  This 30 foot high giant tank receives steam from 
  a 135 foot long pipe and turns it into liquid so 
  that it can be reused by the containment chamber 
  which, thanks to the nuclear reactions, turns again 
  the liquid into steam. Upgrading the condenser 
  requires a successful engineering check DC 15.
  Story award: 100 XP
  Repairing 
  the 
  containment 
  chamber 
  (required time 8 hours)
  This is the core of the nuclear reactor and from 
  here the steam is directed into the turbine. Green 
  cables connect to the octagonal platform that host 
  the Nuclear Transmutator (see Appendix: Nuclear 
  Transmutator for more details) and pass through 
  of control and in some inexplicable way the core 
  is under a constant suspended nuclear meltdown. 
  However, this energy is being absorbed and 
  redirected elsewhere, even if they can’t yet figure 
  out what is preventing the core from exploding 
  and where all that energy is flowing. In order to 
  discover what is happening they have to climb 
  down and analyze each component.
  The whole nuclear plant is actually an open portal 
  to the elemental plane of earth, and the Earth 
  Elemental that came in long time ago is still around. 
  To safely access the nuclear reactor the PCs must 
  defeat an Earth Elemental first, who is protecting 
  the extra-dimensional opening, preventing anyone 
  from reaching his native plane. The stairs leading 
  down to the reactor are damaged so it is necessary 
  to climb down by other means.
  RADIOACTIVE EARTH ELEMENTAL
  The Earth Elemental appears once the PCs try 
  to climb down into the nuclear reactor. The gate 
  leading to its home plane is constantly open and 
  the Elemental is lurking close to it. If the PCs want 
  to analyze and fix the nuclear reactor they first 
  have to defeat or neutralize the Earth Elemental. 
  Once the creature is defeated the PCs have free 
  access to area G.
  Tactics: the Earth Elemental´s only concern is 
  to guard the portal and will fight until the PCs 
  flee or are dead. If, after the first assault, the PCs 
  withdraw, then the Earth Elemental won’t chase 
  them. However, the creature remembers what 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  58
  59
  moves the powerful turbine and produces raw 
  electricity. 
  Upgrading the turbine requires engineering skill 
  check DC 17.
  Story award: 200 XP
  Once all the upgrading and repairing are 
  accomplished, the level of radiation returns to 
  normal. Reduce the radiation level of one factor 
  after one hour.
  UNKNOWN 
  COMPONENT 
  AND 
  THE 
  NUCLEAR TRANSMUTATOR
  The device apparently receives raw nuclear energy 
  from the containment chamber, the energy is 
  carried by glowing green pipes and passes through 
  two technological interfaces before reaching 
  the Nuclear Transmutator. A local computer 
  is monitoring the whole device. The artifact is 
  absorbing the uncontrolled energy produced by 
  the fissile reactions and is redirecting the flow into 
  the elemental plane of earth. The PCs easily figure 
  out what is occurring because lectures on the 
  computer and analysis of the electric connection 
  are easy to understand.  However, they don’t have 
  a clue of how the artifact is exactly doing this.
  If detect magic is cast on the Nuclear Transmutator 
  then the spell reveals a strong presence of arcane 
  magic emanating from the artifact.
  The Nuclear Transmutator is placed on an 
  octagonal pedestal, if the PCs have undergone 
  the upgrading process they can safely remove the 
  artifact from the platform.
  a couple of electronic interfaces, it seems that 
  raw nuclear energy is flowing through the green 
  cables. At the moment the containment chamber is 
  suffering a flaw that occurred decades ago and was 
  responsible for the death of the first exploratory 
  mission. The rift present on the metallic structure 
  of the containment chamber must be repaired in 
  order to control the nuclear meltdown. Repairing 
  the containment chamber is the hardest task and 
  requires a successful engineering check DC 20.
  Story award: 300 XP
  Upgrading the coolants flow (required time 
  2 hours)
  These pipes regulate the coolants flow output and 
  input, draining cold liquids from subterranean 
  sources. Upgrading the coolant flows requires a 
  successful engineering skill check DC 14.
  Story award: 100 XP
  Upgrading the generator (required time 3 
  hours)
  The generator transforms the raw energy that 
  is produced but the turbine into usable electric 
  energy to feed all the subterranean complex and 
  even more. Upgrading the generator requires an 
  engineering skill check DC 16.
  Story award: 200 XP
  Upgrading the turbine (required time 3 
  hours)
  Steam coming from the containment chamber 
  The bombardment hits the mountains but can 
  hardly penetrate the rocky surface. It lacks of 
  precision due to the thick atmosphere and the 
  magnetic field interfering with the battleship 
  sensors. However, the warhead explosions make 
  the earth tremble thus affecting the subterranean 
  structure.
  Every round the battleship fires its batteries, 
  three warheads hit the mountain. Choose 
  randomly from the table below which part of the 
  subterranean complex is affected and what effects 
  the hit produces due to underground earthquakes. 
  If a hit affects an area more than once, both in the 
  same round or in subsequent rounds, table 
  1.11: Bombardment effects states the effect by a 
  sequential number, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. As a GM feel free 
  to create different effects as appropriate. Keep in 
  mind that consecutive hits on the same area can 
  lead to permanent structural damages.
  Example: during the first round you roll 2 so the 
  entrance receives one hit from the battleship and 
  the occupants suffer 1d6 P damage. The second 
  round you roll a 1 and the occupants suffer again 
  1d6 P damage, but this time the electric engine 
  explodes and elevator 1 stops working.
  HOBGOBLIN BATTLESHIP IN ORBIT!
  This event occurs once the control room has been 
  activated and at least 12/24 hours have elapsed.
  Once the Hobgoblin battleship reaches the 
  planetary orbit (see Control Room for more details) 
  it starts a bombardment at the subterranean 
  complex coordinates. Probably at this point the 
  Hobgoblin assault squad has already landed and 
  invaded the complex (see Hobgoblin assault squad 
  for more details). The Hobgoblin commander 
  could decide to open fire, even if his assault squad 
  is still inside, taking advantage ofthe confusion 
  generated by the skirmish. The only means the 
  PCs have to avoid being buried under the rocks is 
  firing back with the coil cannon (see Coil Cannon 
  for more details).  
  Keep in mind that a shot from the coil cannon 
  requires three rounds to reach the target, this is 
  because the coil cannon´s warheads are fast but 
  not as fast as the more modern energy weapons; 
  this means that, before being hit, the Hobgoblin 
  battleship will probably fire for three rounds.
  Details about the Hobgoblin battleship are stated 
  in the table below, like shields points, hull points 
  and armor class. Remember the PCs are not 
  supposed to directly engage the battleship which, 
  for the sake of this episode plays more the role of a 
  background actor.
  These statistics are what the GM needs to know in 
  order to manage the long range skirmish between 
  the Hobgoblin battleship and the coil cannon.
  The bombardment starts!
  HP (hull 
  points)
  SP (shield 
  points)
  AC (armor 
  class)
  500
  180
  22
  HOBGOBLIN BATTLESHIP
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  
  60
  61
  TABLE 1.11: BOMBARDMENT EFFECTS
  D20 
  roll
  AREA
  Effects
  1-2
  ENTRANCE
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: the electric engine explode, elevator 1 stop working
  3rd hit: energy barrier collapse; see generators for more details
  3
  ELEVATOR TUBE 1
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: elevator 1 is stucked inside the tube
  3rd hit: elevator 1 falls to the ground, all occupants suffer 10d6 B damage
  4
  QUARTERS
  1st hit: any occupant 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 F damage
  5
  CORRIDOR A
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage; one xenoworm appears
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage; the corridor is blocked by debris
  6-7
  SHUTTLE BAY
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: the sliding ceiling collapse; any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage
  3rd hit: the shuttle explode; any occupant suffers 5d6 F damage
  8
  COIL CANNON
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage; coil cannon receive -1 penalty on gunnery 
  check
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage; coil cannon receive -2 penalty on 
  gunnery check
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage; coil cannon receive -4 penalty on 
  gunnery check
  9
  ELEVATOR TUBE 2
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: elevator 2 is stucked inside the tube
  3rd hit: elevator 2 falls to the ground, all occupants suffer 4d6 B damage
  10
  STORAGE AREA 1
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage  
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage
  11
  STORAGE AREA 2
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage
  12
  STORAGE AREA 3
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage
  13
  STORAGE AREA 4
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage; one xenoworm appears
  14-16
  ROCKET LAUNCH POD
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: the sliding ceiling collapse; any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage
  3rd hit: the rocket explode; any occupant suffers 10d6 damage; the explosion extends 
  to all storage areas causing 5d6 damages to any occupant.
  17-18
  ELEVATOR TUBE 3
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: elevator 3 is stuck inside the tube
  3rd hit: elevator 3 falls to the ground, all occupants suffer 10d6 B damages
  19
  CORRIDOR B
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage; one xenoworm appears
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage; the corridor is blocked by debris
  20
  NUCLEAR REACTOR
  1st hit: any occupant suffers 1d6 P damage
  2nd hit: any occupant suffers 2d6 P damage; the condenser sprouts high temperature 
  steam causing 2d6 damage to any occupant
  3rd hit: any occupant suffers 3d6 P damage; the coolants flows become breached and 
  liquids invade the nuclear reactor submerging the entire area in one hour
  Sawshark. After the Hobgoblin battleship shot its 
  last bullet the PCs spot an explosion sprouting from 
  the enemy hull and then the wrecked battleship 
  ceases to work. If the PCs have lost the Sawshark 
  during the landing then the Hobgoblin won’t open 
  fire.
  WAY BACK HOME (required time 24 
  hours)
  It’s over. The PCs can start the journey and go back 
  to the Cerberus station. Exhausted, wounded, 
  burned and with some broken bones but at least 
  alive to see another day. Communications with 
  the Cerberus are now safe and there is no point in 
  relying only on the combustion engine. The pilot 
  can now employ the pulse engine at full power and 
  bring everybody at home. Maybe the PCs decided 
  to take the Duergars with them, who in return join 
  the crew and will help the PCs in their next steps. 
  Maybe some of the NPC died, so they’ll have time 
  to celebrate funerals in the most appropriate way. 
  What matters most now, is that the road to home 
  is clear.
  ENDING
  The adventure ends with the PCs and their allies 
  docking at the Cerberus outpost and delivering 
  the Nuclear Transmutator. The outpost will be 
  operational in a few days, seven days before 
  the arrival of the freighter with fresh supplies, 
  personnel, provisions and spare parts.
  CHAPTER 5 – COMING 
  BACK
  If the PCs survive the bombardment it means 
  that the Hobgoblin battleship has been defeated 
  and the Hobgoblin assault squad wiped out. The 
  road is clear and now they can come back to the 
  Cerberus outpost and save the day. The only issue 
  the PCs could face is the lack of fuel to take off and 
  leave the orbit.
  TAKING OFF (fuel units -30)
  The take-off of the Sawshark is now safer but 
  consumes much more fuel. As we said the ICS has 
  already assembled an algorithm that optimizes 
  the combustion engine so that no engineers are 
  required to stabilize the ship. So, if everything 
  went fine during the setting course and landing 
  protocol sections the ship should have consumed 
  20 fuel units, more if one or more piloting check 
  went wrong.
  TARGET LOCKED!
  Sometimes a wounded lion is more dangerous than 
  ever. Once the Sawshark reaches the planetary 
  orbit and before the crew can set the course back to 
  the Cerberus outpost, some Hobgoblin survivors 
  on board the battleship make a last attempt to take 
  revenge on those who destroyed their home. Two 
  waves of micro-missiles are fired by the battleship 
  at the Sawshark. Consider the micro-missiles 
  have a flat +6 attack value when you roll to hit the 
  CHAPTER 4-UNDEGROUND
  CHAPTER 5-COING BACK!
  
  62
  63
  and it’s now a pile of molten metals. They have to 
  rely on their knowledge to survive enough time to 
  assemble a new ship from scratch...or eventually 
  dig underground and make new discoveries.
  ADVENTURE AWARD
  Once the adventure is over, it’s time to award 
  something to the player. As a GM feel free to award 
  them XP or anything else you find appropriate for 
  your campaign goal. As an adventure award we 
  propose a bonus feat for all PCs and NPCs as well 
  (except the Duergars if they joined).
  TEAMWORK (BONUS FEAT)
  PCs and NPCs crew have learned to coordinate 
  their actions and improve their efficiency.
  Prerequisites: being a crew member of the 
  Sawshark and having survived the underground 
  complex during the adventure From Beyond: 
  Descent – episode 2.
  Benefits: when characters are using a skill and are 
  on the same space ship they get a +1 circumstance 
  bonus on all their skill checks.
  THE NEXT EPISODE
  One week later the Cerberus outpost is repaired, 
  the freighter finally arrives, carrying fresh 
  provisions, equipment, and some new personnel. 
  The PCs and their allies will have to defend their 
  position and their lives against a massive assault 
  from the Subroutine which, by that time, has 
  THE SUBROUTINE
  While the Cerberus crew is mounting and adapting 
  the artifact to the power core, other events are 
  occurring inside the Hobgoblin battleship. The 
  drones that escaped from the Sawshark during 
  the first episode, Distress Call, finally emerge. The 
  Subroutine has now evolved and has learned. It is 
  employing the battleship materials and assembling 
  new drones, reprogramming them for fighting. 
  Inside the battleship there is a star-fighter also, 
  which the Subroutine is reprogramming to be 
  auto-piloted. The wreck of the battleship is not 
  totally useless, its cannons and engines can be 
  repaired and the Subroutine is preparing the dead 
  ship to move again into battle.
  POSSIBLE ENDINGS
  If you are running your own campaign or you just 
  prefer a different ending that fits with your goals, 
  we propose some options:
  Explore the wreck
  If your players don’t care about saving the Cerberus, 
  or you have prepared another base of operations 
  for your campaign, then you may want the PCs to 
  explore the battleship wreck. They surely make 
  their way inside the ship, but they will have to fight 
  some of the Hobgoblin still alive inside, and later 
  fight against some drones or whatever you wish to 
  place inside the ship.
  Stuck underground
  The PCs and their allies won’t go anywhere. Their 
  ship was accidentally hit by the bombardment 
  STATISTICS
  Str 8; Dex 12; Con 13; Int 15; Wis 8; Cha 9
  Feats skill synergy(engineering/medicine); 
  Skills computers +4, culture +4, engineering +9, 
  life science +4, medicine +7, sleight of hand +3,  
  Languages vercite, triaxian, dwarvish
  Gear advanced enginering tool kit, engineer tool 
  kit (craft item specialty), azimuth laser pistol (20 
  charges), cestus battle-glove, second skin armor, 
  prosthetic left arm (+1 circumstance bonus on 
  engineering check)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Skin mimic (Ex) see Alien Archive: Verthani
  Ship Repairing (Ex) An engineer working with 
  an advanced engineering toll kit can repair hull 
  damage to the ship from scraps, fix breaches, etc. 
  For every eight hours of uninterrupted work roll 
  and engineering skill check and divide the result 
  by ten (rounding down), this is the amount of hull 
  points restored.
  BACKGROUND
  Numa is an engineer specialized in designing and 
  crafting technological items. Her field of study 
  is biotechnological engineering which requires 
  knowledge in both anatomy and mechanical 
  devices. She voluntarily implanted her prosthetic 
  left arm to improve her skills. She has an open 
  aptitude toward almost any issues and her critics 
  tend to be as much as constructive as possible. 
  Renowned in Basirius Corporation for her loyalty 
  she always puts mission goals above anything else.
  KARSK  
   
  CR 2  
   
  XP 600
  assembled numerous self-replicating drones that 
  will try to infiltrate both the Cerberus outpost and 
  the freighter. Its purpose is to reach the federation 
  borders and spread its viral code to every federation 
  controlled star system. The Subroutine´s long 
  term plans become more evident at this point and 
  apparently lurking the Hobgoblin battleship into 
  the star system was not a coincidence.
  APPENDIX
  NPC
  The NPCs described here do not contain any 
  reference about their home planets. Details are 
  left to you as a GM and creator of you own setting. 
  More details will come when the specific setting of 
  this adventure path will be published.  Feel free to 
  use any content inside this module to enrich and 
  expand your own setting.
  NUMA  
   
   
  CR 2  
  XP 600
  Verthani engineer lvl 2 (1,300xp)
  LN M humanoid (verthani)
  Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception -1
  DEFENSE  
   
  HP 12  
  SP 4 
  EAC 12 ; KAC 13
  Fort +1; Ref +1; Vol +2
  OFFENSE
  Speed  30 ft 
  Melee weapon +0 cestus battle-glove (1d4-1 B)
  Ranged weapon +2 azimuth laser pistol (1d4+2; 
  burn 1d4)
  ENDING
  APPENDIX
  
  64
  65
  few weeks before the Sawshark departed for the 
  DLB01 star system. Karsk left his community 
  and specialized in xeno-technology, mostly due 
  to boredom by the lack of innovation among 
  his people. He is sophisticated when it comes to 
  talking about technical specifications, but once 
  completing his duties he likes to relax and spend 
  his free time in good company.
  SAH’AH MAL  
   
  CR 2  
  XP 600
  Winterborn Ryphorian engineer lvl 2 (1,300xp)
  CG M humanoid (ryphorian)
  Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +4
  DEFENSE  
   
  HP 12  
  SP 4 
  EAC 12; KAC 13
  Fort +1; Ref +1; Vol +3
  Resistances cold 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed  30 ft 
  Melee weapon +0 cestus battle-glove (1d4-1 B)
  Ranged weapon +2 azimuth laser pistol (1d4 F; 
  burn 1d4)
  STATISTICS
  Str 8; Dex 12; Con 13; Int 13; Wis 10; Cha 9
  Feats skill focus (engineering)
  Skills computers +3, engineering +13, medicine 
  +3, perception +2, sense motive +3
  Languages Triaxian, Dwarvish
  Gear advanced enginering tool kit, engineer tool 
  kit (disable device specialty), azimuth laser pistol 
  (20 charges), cestus battle-glove, second skin 
  armor 
  Dwarf engineer lvl 2 (1,300xp)
  NG M humanoid (dwarf) see Starfinder Core Rulebook: 
  Chapter 13 Pathfinder Legacy - Dwarves
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +2
  DEFENSE  
  HP 14 
   
  SP 4 
  EAC 12; KAC 13
  Fort +1; Ref +1; Vol +3
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20 ft 
  Melee weapon +1 cestus battle-glove (1d4 B)
  Ranged weapon +2 azimuth laser pistol (1d4 F; 
  burn 1d4)
  STATISTICS
  Str 10; Dex 12; Con 13; Int 13; Wis 10; Cha 7
  Feats skill synergy (engineering/culture)
  Skills computers +3, culture +6, engineering +8, 
  medicine +3, perception +2
  Languages Dwarvish, Triaxian
  Gear advanced engineering tool kit, engineering 
  tool kit (identify technology specialty), second 
  skin armor, azimuth laser pistol (20 charges), 
  cestus battle-glove
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Ship Repairing (Ex) An engineer working with 
  an advanced engineering toll kit can repair hull 
  damage to the ship from scraps, fix breaches, etc. 
  For every eight hours of uninterrupted work roll 
  and engineering skill check and divide the result 
  by ten (rounding down), this is the amount of hull 
  points restored.
  BACKGROUND
  Karsk had been hired by Basirius Corporation a 
  burn 1d4 )
  Offensive abilities applied knowledge
  STATISTICS
  Str 8; Dex 12; Con 11; Int 17; Wis 8; Cha 11
  Feats skill synergy (engineering/computers) 
  Skills acrobatics +3, computers +11, diplomacy 
  +2, culture +5, engineering +11, mysticism +1, 
  physical science +5
  Languages 
  Akitonian, 
  Dwarvish, 
  Triaxian, 
  Vercite, telepathy 100 feet.
  Gear advanced enginering tool kit, engineering 
  tool kit (repair item specialty), second skin armor, 
  azimuth laser pistol (20 charges) 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Applied Knowledge (Ex) see Starfinder Alien 
  Archive: Contemplative
  Atrophied (Ex) see Starfinder Alien Archive: 
  Contemplative
  Ship Repairing (Ex) An engineer working with 
  an advanced engineering toll kit can repair hull 
  damage to the ship from scraps, fix breaches, etc. 
  For every eight hours of uninterrupted work roll 
  and engineering skill check and divide the result 
  by ten (rounding down), this is the amount of hull 
  points restored.
  BACKGROUND
  Tzaru is specialized in repairs and maintenance 
  and he is considered the team leader among all 
  the other engineers on board. Patient, kind, and 
  brilliant he is the one who makes the whole machine 
  working. Besides being a good engineer and 
  computer expert, he always and openly recognizes 
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Ship Repairing (Ex) An engineer working with 
  an advanced engineering toll kit can repair hull 
  damage to the ship from scraps, fix breaches, etc. 
  For every eight hours of uninterrupted work roll 
  and engineering skill check and divide the result 
  by ten (rounding down), this is the amount of hull 
  points restored.
  BACKGROUND
  Sah’ah Mal is specialized in reverse-engineering. 
  However, she has never finished her career of 
  studies. Basirius Corporation hired her due to 
  her merits in analyzing and replicating hi-tech 
  discoveries produced by market competitors. She 
  is supposed to work in team with Karsk, but the 
  Ryphorian is too taciturn and introverted to be 
  a dwarf. She spends most of her time at the lab, 
  studying devices and executing security protocols.
  TZARU  
   
   
  CR 2  
  XP 600
  Contemplative engineer lvl 2 (1,300xp)
  LG M monstrous humanoid
  Init +1; Senses blindsense (thought) 30 ft; 
  darkvision 60 ft; ; Perception -1
  DEFENSE   
   
  HP 10 
  SP 2 
  EAC 12; KAC 13
  Fort +0; Ref +0; Vol +3
  Weakness atrophied
  OFFENSE
  Speed 5 ft; fly 30 ft (average)
  Melee weapon claw +0 (1d4 S)
  Ranged weapon +2 azimuth laser pistol (1d4 F; 
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  66
  67
  specialization in emergency surgery. Captain Tibb 
  wanted him aboard when he received the contract 
  proposal from Basirius Corporation. He has no 
  family left behind and has worked as a generic 
  doctor in some secondary outposts since being 
  dismissed from the army. He is committed to his 
  job and is a tenacious man. He will prove to be a 
  valuable companion to the PCs if they give him the 
  opportunity.
  DUERGAR SURVIVORS
  THURMVALL  
   
  CR 2  
  XP 600
  Life scientist level 2 (1,300xp)
  LN Medium humanoid (duergar)
  Init +1; Senses thermal vision 120 feet, darkvision 
  120 feet; Perception +0
  DEFENSE  
   
  HP 14  
  SP 6
  EAC 11; KAC 11
  Fort +2; Ref +1; Vol +3
  Immunities duergar immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee weapon +1 (unarmed)
  Ranged weapon +2 (unarmed)
  STATISTICS
  Str 10; Dex 12; Con 15; Int 13; Wis 10; Cha 5
  Feats skill focus(life science)
  Skills life science +9, medicine +3, perception +2, 
  piloting +3, stealth +3
  Traits duergar traits
  Languages duergar
  that Sah’Ah Mal is the best engineer on his team. 
  He tends to be very talkative when relaxed and 
  spends his free time with the Ryphorian, trying to 
  compensate her introverted personality. He loves 
  to tell stories and anecdotes.
  CORPORAL WASSILY    CR 2  
  XP 600
  War Medic lvl 2 (1,300xp)
  LN M Humanoid (human)
  Init +1; Senses human senses; Perception +4
  DEFENSE  
   
  HP 12  
   SP 4
  EAC 12; KAC 13
  Fort +0; Ref +4; Vol +2
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee weapon +1 tactical dueling sword (1d6 S)
  Ranged weapon +2 azimuth laser pistol (1d4 F; 
  burn 1d4)
  STATISTICS
  Str 10; Dex 12; Con 11; Int 13; Wis 14; Cha 12
  Feats basic melee weapons; light armor; small 
  arms; Skill Focus (medicine)
  Skills diplomacy +3; medicine +6; perception +4; 
  survival +7
  Languages (human +1 of players choice)
  Gear tactical dueling sword, azimuth laser pistol 
  (20 charges), second-skin armor, advanced med-
  kit, spray-flesh (3).
  BACKGROUND
  Wassily is a 30-year-old man and a close 
  friend of Captain Tibb. He served in the army 
  of his homeland planet as a war medic with a 
  Skills acrobatics +6(+5 armored), athletics +7(+6 
  armored)
  Traits duergar traits
  Languages duergar
  Gear autotarget rifle(20 rounds), survival knife, 
  golemforged plating III 
  NPC CLASSES
  The two new classes presented here are 
  appropriated for NPC. When piloting small space 
  ships you don’t need a crew to aid your players.  
  However, when they have to deal with larger and 
  more complex ships, personnel become essential 
  to control all systems and intervene when the PCs 
  are not on board.
  EXPERTS (see table 1.12)
  (Computer/Engineer/Life Scientist/Medic/
  Physical Scientist)
  An expert is specialized in a field of study associated 
  to a skill. Computers, Engineering, Life Science, 
  Medicine and Physical Science. An expert is not 
  trained to fight but excel in their specific field and 
  many times can substitute a PC on a specific task 
  and could even do better.
  STAMINA POINTS: 1 + CON MOD. HP 4
  CLASS SKILLS: Computer (Int), Engineering 
  (Int), Life Science(Int), Medicine(Int), Physical 
  Science(Int).
  Expert NPC class choose only one class skill 
  according to her expertise field.
  Skill ranks per level: 4 + intelligence modifier.
  Gear none
  BACKGROUND
  Thurmvall is the only high ranking officer still alive 
  inside the underground complex. Specialized in 
  life science he represents the one who has always 
  believed in the existence of other intelligent species 
  besides his own. When first contact with the PCs 
  occurs he is probably the one to take the first step in 
  an attempt to establish peaceful communication. 
  Tzaru, the contemplative, becomes probably the 
  best counterpart but his attention is mainly for 
  Karsk, who represents an important opportunity 
  for his studies in xeno-biology.
  DUERGAR SOLDIERS CR 2  
  XP 600
  Soldier level 2 (1,300xp)
  LN Medium humanoid (duergar)
  Init +0; Senses thermal vision 120 feet, 
  darkvision 120 feet; Perception -1
  DEFENSE  
   
  HP 20 
   SP 20
  EAC 20; KAC 22
  Fort +6; Ref +0; Vol +4
  Immunities duergar immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft.
  Melee weapon +3 (1d4+1 S)
  Ranged weapon +2 (1d6 P)
  STATISTICS
  Str 13; Dex 11; Con 16; Int 9; Wis 12; Cha 4
  Feats kip up
  Primary fighting style guard
  Primary style technique armor training(Ex)
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  68
  69
  A war medic can treat deadly wounds every 12 
  hours instead of 24 hours even without a medical 
  lab.  
  NUCLEAR TRANSMUTATOR
  When the Duergars built the nuclear reactor inside 
  the subterranean complex they were planning a 
  second experiment. Mixing the force of nuclear 
  power and that of arcane magic. Their civilization 
  was intensively researching energy sources to 
  master faster than light travel and start their own 
  conquest of space. Theoretically they knew it was 
  possible to achieve such goal, but practically they 
  were aware of the tremendous amount of energy 
  required to accomplish such travels. Nuclear 
  energy was not enough. So, in their attempt to 
  speed up their advancement they decided to 
  rely on the power of arcane magic. The Duergar 
  civilization has always been capable of mastering 
  the mysteries of the Arcane, but never decided, 
  until that moment, to mix the two disciplines. They 
  thought that in this way they could achieve their 
  goal and so they took the big step. They decided 
  to set up their first experiment on the fourth 
  planet of their solar system, the closest to their 
  home-planet. Engineers and scientists projected 
  and built the underground complex which would 
  have hosted a nuclear reactor, while wizards and 
  magicians were crafting the artifact. Both the 
  nuclear reactor and the artifact were supposed 
  to work together. The Nuclear Transmutator was 
  finally born. A team of fifty Duergars composed 
  EXPERTISE FIELD
  The expert extends their knowledge and add a 
  new skill as a class skill. They can choose among 
  the following skills: computer, engineering, life 
  science, medicine, physical science. 
  WAR MEDIC (see table 1.13)
  A war medic is someone trained to provide medical 
  care in the middle of a battle. They have a basic 
  knowledge of how to use arms and weapons. While 
  not a soldier they are the one who will probably 
  save your life when no one else can.
  STAMINA POINTS: 2 + CON MOD. HP 4
  CLASS SKILLS: Medicine (Int), Survival (Wis).
  Skill ranks per level: 4 + intelligence modifier.
  PROFICIENCES
  Armor proficiency basic meele weapons, small 
  arms
  Weapon proficiency light armor
  First Aid
  A warmedic who rolls a successful medicine 
  skill check to provide first aid heals 1 hit point in 
  addition to normal effects of the skill.
  Long-term care
  A warmedic can provide long term care if equipped 
  at least with an advanced medical kit and gain a +4 
  circumstance bonus.
  Long-term stability
  A warmedic who rolls a successful medicine skill 
  check to provide long-term stability heals 1 hit 
  point in addition to normal effects of the skill.
  Treat deadly wounds
  TABLE 1.12: EXPERT NPC
  CLASS LEVEL
  BAB
  FORT 
  REF 
  WILL 
  CLASS 
  FEATURES
  1st
  +0
  +0
  +0
  +2
  expertise field
  2nd
  +1
  +0
  +0
  +3
  3rd
  +2
  +1
  +1
  +3
  4th
  +3
  +1
  +1
  +4
  5th
  +3
  +1
  +1
  +4
  expertise field
  6th
  +4
  +2
  +2
  +5
  7th
  +5
  +2
  +2
  +5
  8th
  +6
  +2
  +2
  +6
  9th
  +6
  +3
  +3
  +6
  expertise field
  10th
  +7
  +3
  +3
  +7
  11th
  +8
  +3
  +3
  +7
  12th
  +9
  +4
  +4
  +8
  13th
  +9
  +4
  +4
  +8
  expertise field
  14th
  +10
  +4
  +4
  +9
  15th
  +11
  +5
  +5
  +9
  16th
  +12
  +5
  +5
  +10
  17th
  +12
  +5
  +5
  +10
  expertise field
  18th
  +13
  +6
  +6
  +11
  19th
  +14
  +6
  +6
  +11
  20th
  +15
  +6
  +6
  +12
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  70
  71
  TABLE 1.13: WARMEDIC NPC
  CLASS LEVEL
  BAB
  FORT 
  REF 
  WILL 
  CLASS 
  FEATURES
  1st
  +0
  +0
  +2
  +0
  First aid
  2nd
  +1
  +0
  +3
  +0
  3rd
  +2
  +1
  +3
  +1
  4th
  +3
  +1
  +4
  +1
  5th
  +3
  +1
  +4
  +1
  6th
  +4
  +2
  +5
  +2
  7th
  +5
  +2
  +5
  +2
  Long-term 
  care
  8th
  +6
  +2
  +6
  +2
  9th
  +6
  +3
  +6
  +3
  10th
  +7
  +3
  +7
  +3
  11th
  +8
  +3
  +7
  +3
  12th
  +9
  +4
  +8
  +4
  13th
  +9
  +4
  +8
  +4
  Long-term 
  stability
  14th
  +10
  +4
  +9
  +4
  15th
  +11
  +5
  +9
  +5
  16th
  +12
  +5
  +10
  +5
  17th
  +12
  +5
  +10
  +5
  18th
  +13
  +6
  +11
  +6
  19th
  +14
  +6
  +11
  +6
  Treat deadly 
  wounds
  20th
  +15
  +6
  +12
  +6
  nuclear reaction was imminent. In a last desperate 
  effort the wizards made achievements, where the 
  scientists didn’t.
  If it was not possible to stop the artifact then 
  they had to create a vent to somewhere else. 
  They opened an inter-dimensional gate into the 
  elemental plane of Earth and redirected all of the 
  energy produced by the transmutator inside the 
  plane. Since that day the Nuclear Transmutator 
  has never stopped functioning and the breach is 
  still open.
  When the PCs discover the Nuclear Transmutator: 
  the artifact at the moment can’t be disconnected 
  from the nuclear reactor, the backfire will generate 
  an explosion strong enough to incinerate the whole 
  subterranean complex and possibly jeopardize the 
  planet´s geological stability. First the PCs have to 
  fix the breach in the containment chamber and 
  only then they will be able to handle the energy 
  flowing from the reactor to the artifact. While 
  this task was out of reach for the Duergars, it is 
  possible for the PCs thanks to their more advanced 
  technology and knowledge.
  The Nuclear Transmutator in this adventure: the 
  Nuclear Transmutator is capable of generating 
  enough energy to restore the Cerberus outpost 
  systems and can help the PCs to reactivate the 
  power core. During this adventure the powers 
  of the artifact won’t be explained because more 
  details will be described in the following episodes. 
  The PCs will slowly uncover the potential of the 
  artifact by means of research and experimentation.
  of the best scientists, engineers and wizards made 
  this project possible and in few years of hard work 
  the project was finally over. Then came the Day. 
  The nuclear reactor was online and the artifact 
  was only waiting to be connected to the nuclear 
  energy source. Their plan was to feed the Nuclear 
  Transmutator with nuclear energy, then the artifact 
  would have converted and amplified this massive 
  amount of energy into exotic energy, much more 
  powerful and capable of energizing any kind of 
  engine, capable of warping the fabric of space-time 
  thus opening the doors to space travel. Even if the 
  theory behind the project could have worked, their 
  technological advances in other fields, essential to 
  control the exotic reactions, were not yet complete. 
  Once the reactor started to energize the Nuclear 
  Transmutator they lost control. The artifact was 
  absorbing more energy than expected and was 
  generating an exponential energy output beyond 
  the safety countermeasures. The artifact, instead 
  of converting nuclear energy into exotic energy, 
  started to transmutate matter at atomic level. The 
  atmosphere was broken apart and reassembled 
  while exotic radiation polluted every corner of the 
  planet. This first event killed most of the Duergars 
  inside the complex, those who survived knew that 
  if they didn’t stop or contain the energy produced 
  by the transmutator the consequences would 
  have been catastrophic. Things got worse when 
  the excessive energy backfired and crippled the 
  integrity of the containment chamber.  At that 
  point they became aware that an uncontrolled 
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  72
  73
  (good); Warp 1
  AC 14; TL 14
  HP 65; DT -; CT 13
  Shields medium 90 (forward 23, port 22, 
  starboard 22, and aft 23)
  Attack (forward) -
  Attack (port) -
  Attack (starboard) light particle beam (3d6)
  Attack (aft) light particle beam (3d6)
  Attack (turret 1) light torpedo launcher (2d8)
  Attack (turret 2) light torpedo launcher (2d8)
  Power Core Arcus Heavy (130 PCU), Micron 
  Ultra (80 PCU)
  Warp Engine Signal Basic
  Systems crew quarters x6 (good), MK2 Armor 
  (+2AC), MK1 Tetra node computer (tier 4), MK2 
  Defense (+2TL), budget medium-range sensors
  Expansion bays drone bays (16), tech workshop 
  (2), science lab, medical bay
  Modifiers +1 to any four checks per round, +2 
  piloting
  Complement 3-6
  Description the Sawshark ship is a high-tech 
  mining ship with the only purpose being to 
  harvest ice. The refinery machines located on 
  deck 3 are capable of splitting aqueous liquids 
  into hydrogen and oxygen and both elements 
  can be stored inside special pressurized tanks. 
  Usually the hydrogen is then compressed by high 
  pressure and extremely low temperatures in order 
  to be turned into deuterium or metallic hydrogen. 
  The oxygen is sometimes stored to fuel the four 
  The Nuclear Transmutator in your adventure or 
  campaign: if you wish to play just this adventure 
  and want your players to find an ancient relic 
  capable of mixing the power of technology with 
  the power of Arcane magic, this could be an 
  interesting option.
  NEW EQUIPMENT
  Engineering tool kit, advanced
  If a crew is short of UPB (universal polymer base), 
  nanite dough or the repair drone is not enough, 
  a skilled engineer can’t simply stand and watch 
  what is going on. Basirius Corporation designed 
  these advanced tools so that maintenance and 
  repairs, both ordinary and extraordinary, can 
  be accomplished without necessarily wasting 
  precious resources especially when your supplies 
  are running out. The Advanced engineering tool 
  kit allows an engineer to fix damages to the ship´s 
  hull without employing any of the above mentioned 
  resources. Roll an engineering skill check and 
  divide the result by ten, this is the amount of Hull 
  Points restored during 8 hour of work.
  Level 3; Price 5,000 credits; Bulk 10
  THE SAWSHARK
  SAWSHARK 
   
   
   
  TIER 5
  Federation ice-miner
  Medium Explorer
  Speed 4 (M4 thruster); Maneuverability 
  Special abilities athletics racial bonus +8
  Description A blue ooze is a primitive life form 
  which exists in the outer belt of the DLB4.01 star 
  system. It’s a methane based organism which 
  feeds on carbon compounds and uses low levels 
  of radiation to activate its bio-chemical processes. 
  It is encountered lurking within asteroids facing 
  toward the brown dwarf star where it recharges 
  by absorbing radiation. However, it is attracted by 
  the radiation emitted by a ship’s defensive shields. 
  When one comes within reach of these creatures 
  they swarm toward the radiation source. Of course, 
  this action can kill them, but it can happen that the 
  shields are down and some of these pests manage 
  to slip inside the ship. Carbon-based life forms 
  represent an unprecedented food source, for these 
  alien oozes which usually feed on extremely low 
  quantities of carbon compounds. Even if they need 
  low heat emitted by radiation they can’t tolerate 
  extreme heat like fire which ignites them instantly 
  if oxygen is present in the environment.
  BLUE OOZE, MUTATED CR 1  
  XP 400
  N M Ooze
  Init +1; 
  Senses blind sight (life) 60 ft; Perception -5
  DEFENSE  
   
   
   
  HP 20
  EAC 12; KAC 14 (+1 dex)
  Fort +7; Ref +1; Vol -6
  Defensive abilities amorphous,
  Immunities cold, ooze immunities
  Weaknesses vulnerable to fire
  powerful combustion engines. Even if the vessel 
  comes with armaments, they are employed mainly 
  to break huge asteroids into smaller parts.
  Improved Combustion engines: Maneuvering 
  inside asteroid fields and debris is dangerous and 
  requires fast movement. When the combustion 
  engines are activated the Sawshark receives a 
  +3-speed bonus and its maneuverability turns to 
  perfect. The engines can work in this way for 15 
  minutes in 1-minute increments.
  NEW CREATURES
  BLUE OOZE 
  CR 1/6 
   
  XP 65
  N T Ooze
  Init +; Senses blind sight 60 ft; Perception -5
  DEFENSE  
   
   
   
  HP 5
  EAC 7; KAC 7 (-5 dex +2 size)
  Fort +1; Ref -5; Vol -5
  Defensive abilities ooze traits Immunity cold
  Weaknesses vulnerability to fire
  OFFENSE
  Speed fly 50 feet; climb 30 feet
  Melee -3 slam (1d4-5 plus cold 1d3)
  STATISTICS
  Str -5; Dex -5; Con +1; Int -5; Wis -5; Cha -5
  Skills athletics +11
  Gear none
  ECOLOGY
  Environment solar system DLB4.01, outer asteroid 
  belt
  Organization colony (6-60)
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  74
  75
  STATISTICS
  Str +6; Dex +0; Con -; Int -; Wis -; Cha -
  Skills none
  Languages none
  Gear none
  Other abilities mindless, modified
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any
  Organization none
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Mindless (Ex) A modified robot has no mind 
  or computer and is controlled by a driver. It can’t 
  accomplish any task unless commanded to do so 
  and does not possess any ICS or AI.
  Modified (Ex) A modified robot is usually an 
  industrial robot modified to accomplish military 
  tasks. Ranged weapons can be mounted on it and 
  the driver attack bonus for any ranged attack is 
  applied. Ranged attack damage depends on the 
  weapons mounted. Weapons can be mounted with 
  a successful DC 10 engineering check.
  MUD STALKER  
  CR 3  
  XP 800
  N M Animal (aquatic)
  Init -2; Senses blindsense (vibration) 60 ft; 
  Perception +2
  DEFENSE  
   
   
   
  HP 30
  EAC 13; KAC 15
  Fort +6; Ref +0; Vol +2
  Resistance cold 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 10 ft, swim 20 ft
  OFFENSE
  Speed  fly 30 feet; climb 30 feet
  Melee attach +6 (1d6+2 pls cold 1d4)
  STATISTICS
  Str +1; Dex +1; Con +2; Int -; Wis -5; Cha -5
  Skills acrobatics +5, athletics +3
  Other abilities compression
  Gear none
  ECOLOGY
  Environment solar system DLB4.01, outer asteroid 
  belt
  Organization pack (1-4)
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Amorphous (Ex); Attach (Ex); 
  Compression (Ex)
  Description Mutated ooze are a direct mutation of 
  a blue ooze, usually this mutation occurs when the 
  creature comes in contact with artificial radiation, 
  by assimilation of alien organic compound or 
  living being.
  MODIFIED ROBOT 
  CR 4       XP 1,200
  N Large construct (technological)
  Init +0; Senses none; Perception -
  DEFENSE  
   
   
   
  HP 70
  EAC  20; KAC 22
  Fort +6; Ref +0; Vol +0
  Defensive abilities integrated weapons
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20 feet
  Melee slam +12 (2d6+6 B)
  Ranged +x (see below modified)
  mouth is made of four bony and sharp mandibles.
  HOBGOBLIN, MARAUDER  
   
  CR 2  
   
   
   
  XP 600
  LE Medium Humanoid (hobgoblin)
  Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +4
  DEFENSE  
   
   
  HP 25
  EAC 17; KAC 17  
  Fort +6; Ref +2; Vol +1
  Resistance cold 5
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft
  Melee +4 long sword (1d8+2 S)
  Ranged  +4 auto-target rifle (1d6+2) +4 flame 
  pistol (1d4+2 F Burn)
  STATISTICS
  Str +2; Dex +2; Con +3; Int +0; Wis +1; Cha -1
  Skills athletics +4, perception +4, stealth +7, 
  Languages hobgoblin
  Gear auto-target rifle (30 rounds), flame pistol 
  (20 petrol), long-sword, defrex hide, frag grenade 
  I (1), shock grenade I (1)
  Assault squad gear squad NIL grenade launcher 
  (1 per assault squad).
  Other abilities hobgoblin traits
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any space ship.
  Organization assault squad (2-20), platoon (6-
  36), company (10-100)
  HUGE EARTH ELEMENTAL, RADIOACTIVE
  CR 7  
   
   
   
  XP 3,200
  Melee bite +8 (1d6+3 P)
  Space 10 ft; Reach 10 ft
  Spell-like abilities (CL 2) 1/day – Transmute 
  mud to rock
  Offensive abilities electric field
  STATISTICS
  Str +1; Dex -2; Con +4; Int -5; Wis +2; Cha +0
  Skills athletics +10
  Languages none
  Other abilities amphibious
  Gear none
  ECOLOGY
  Environment cold mud pools
  Organization solitary
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Electric field (Ex) Once per round the mud 
  stalker releases an electric shockwave in a 10 
  foot-radius as a full action, dealing 1d4 electricity 
  damage.
  Transmute mud to rock (Su) This spell 
  permanently transforms normal mud or quicksand 
  into soft stone (sandstone or a similar mineral). 
  The depth of the rock created cannot exceed 5 feet. 
  Any creature in the mud is allowed a Reflex save 
  DC 14 to escape before the area is turned to stone. 
  A creature trapped inside the stone receives the 
  prone condition.
  Description Mud stalkers are passive predators 
  with behavior resembling those of crocodiles. 
  It has a flat limbless body capable of floating on 
  mud and liquids. Its large tentacles are employed 
  to detect prey by feeling their electric field. Their 
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  76
  77
  exactly like an ordinary Earth Elemental but 
  its mineral composition is highly enriched of 
  radioactive materials or isotopes.
  REPAIR DRONE CR 1/3 
   
  XP 135
  N Small construct (technological)
  Init +4; Senses infrared vision 60 feet; Perception 
  +0
  DEFENSE  
   
   
   
  HP 4
  EAC 15; KAC 15 
  Fort +0; Ref +6; Vol +0
  Immunities construct
  Weaknesses vulnerable to critical hit
  OFFENSE
  Speed fly 60 feet
  Melee weapon -1 (1d4-3 P drill)
  Ranged weapon +6 (1d2 F welder max 20 feet)
  STATISTICS
  Str -3; Dex +4; Con -; Int +1; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills engineering +7
  Gear titanium drill, laser welder
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any
  Organization team (3-6)
  Special abilities skill focus (engineering)
  Repair drones are an essential add-on to any ship. 
  They can perform most of the essential activities 
  a ship requires in order to work properly and 
  efficiently. The drones are sold in teams and are 
  produced by many small corporations, when 
  bought they only need to be tuned to the ship they 
  will serve and the job is done.
  N Huge outsider (earth, elemental, extraplanar)
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft, blindsense 
  (vibration) 60 ft; Perception +14
  Aura radiation 20 ft
  DEFENSE  
   
   
  HP 105
  EAC  19; KAC 21  
  Fort +11; Ref +9; Vol +6
  DR 5/-; Immunities elemental immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 20 ft
  Melee slam +18 (2d6+12 B)
  Space 15 ft; Reach 15 ft
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +4; Con +2; Int -3; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills Acrobatics +14; Athletics +14
  Languages terran
  Gear none
  ECOLOGY
  Environment 
  The 
  Nuclear 
  Trasnmutator 
  Reactor
  Organization solitary
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Earth mastery (Ex) see Alien Archive - Elemental 
  Grafts 
  Radiation (Su) Radioactive earth elemental are 
  overloaded by radiations. The radiation intensity 
  depends on the elemental size.
  small: low level radiation, DC 13
  medium: medium level radiation, DC 17
  large: high level radiation, DC 22
  huge: severe level radiation, DC 30
  Description Radioactive Earth Elemental is 
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any
  Organization solitary
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  Fear Gaze (Su) when the shadowsoul manifests 
  to a victim it does so by staring at him directly 
  in the eyes in order to instill fear and panic. The 
  target must succeed a DC 18 will saving throw or 
  be panicked for 1d4 rounds. Once the subject is 
  panicked and shaking with fear the shadowsoul 
  attempts to establish a soul link.
  Soul Link (Su) panicked creatures are weaker, 
  so it’s easier for the shadowsoul to establish a 
  permament link. The target must succeed a DC 
  15 will saving throw to resist the soul link. If the 
  shadowsoul establish a  soul link he will be able 
  to persecute the victim until a successful remove 
  affliction (caster level check DC 19) spell is cast 
  on the subject. Once per day the shadowsoul can 
  manifest to the victim and instill fear by using 
  the fear gaze. Obviously the shadowsoul employs 
  this ability when the victim is in a dangerous 
  situation. Once the victim is dead the shadowsoul 
  goes for another victim. The soul link allows 
  the shadowsoul to move across space without 
  limitations, wherever the victim goes, the creature 
  can manifest its presence.
  Description Shadowsoul forms when a the soul of 
  a recently dead sentient creature enters into contact 
  with the negative energy plane before having the 
  chance to reach his assigned place in the after-
  world. The soul is destroyed and what remains is 
  Hull Repairing
  Repair drones can repair hull breaches by 
  employing nanite dough on the breaches and 
  holes, always when the nanite dough is provided. 
  Every 100 units of nanite dough allows to repair 1 
  hull point in one hour provided the repair drone 
  succeeds an engineering check DC 15. If it fails 
  it means that it spent one hour but that was not 
  enough to repair 1 hull point. The next hour the 
  drone can roll another engineering check with a 
  +2 circumstance bonus, and so on if it fails again. 
  No nanite dough is wasted unless the drone rolls 
  a natural 1.
  SHADOWSOUL CR 4  
  XP 1,200
  NE Medium undead
  Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +10
  DEFENSE  
   
   
  HP 45
  EAC 20 ; KAC 21
  Fort +3; Ref +3; Vol + 9
  Defensive abilities incorporeal
  Immunities cold, undead immunities
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 ft, fly 10 feet
  Melee +10 (1d4+4 C)
  Offensive abilities fear gaze
  STATISTICS
  Str -; Dex +4; Con -; Int +2; Wis +2; Cha +3
  Skills stealth +15, intimidate +10
  Languages one language known in life
  Other abilities soul link
  Gear none
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  78
  79
  Radiation dependency (Ex) A xenoworm 
  needs radiation in order to maintain its biological 
  functions. Radiation from underground planetary 
  environments are sufficient to keep the creature 
  alive. The xenoworm can sense radiation sources 
  and establish its hunting grounds close to these 
  sources, so radioactive ores and deposits are 
  usually inhabitated by these solitary predators. 
  Occasionally the creature leaves such areas for 
  short periods of time, especially when food becomes 
  scarce.  However, this weakens the xenoworm as it 
  looses strength and deteriorates its metabolism. 
  Every hour spent outside a radioactive área, 
  inflicts a xenoworm 1d10 damage and prevents the 
  creature from using the irradiate spell-like ability.
  For the purpose of this adventure
  Xenoworms are inhabiting the area around the 
  nuclear reactor taking advantage of the higher 
  than average level of radiation. Under normal 
  circumstances they require low radiation or lower 
  (as described in the Starfinder Core Rulebook 
  – Chapter 11: Game Mastering). However, 
  the artificial source of radiation caused by the 
  reactor leak has enhanced the xenoworm´s 
  metabolism beyond the normal limits. According 
  to the radiation level, the xenoworm receives the 
  following cumulative bonuses:
  Medium: +10 hit points, +10 feet to speed, CR +1
  High: +10 hit points, +2 damage, CR +1
  Severe: +10 hit points, fast healing 5, CR +1
  Description Xenoworms are in most cases the 
  natural evolution of a more elementary biological 
  corrupted, making the process irreversible even 
  with a resurrection spell. Shadowsouls exist both 
  in the negative and prime material plane, making 
  them incorporeal and thus capable of crossing 
  solid matter. This horrific undead stalks a victim by 
  using fear and by creating a link which allows the 
  undead to reach the mind of the victim wherever 
  he is.
  XENOWORM 
  CR 6  
  XP 2,400
  N Large vermin
  Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft, blindsight 
  (vibration); Perception +13
  DEFENSE  
   
   
  HP 105
  EAC  18; KAC  20
  Fort +10; Ref +4; Vol +5
  Defensive abilities ferocity
  Weaknesses radiation dependency
  OFFENSE
  Speed 30 feet, burrow 40 feet
  Melee bite +16 (1d10+11)
  Space 10 ft; Reach 10 ft
  Spell-like abilities (CL 6th)
   
  1/day – irradiate (DC 17)
  STATISTICS
  Str +5; Dex +1; Con +5; Int -; Wis +0; Cha +0
  Skills survival +13, perception +13, stealth +13
  Gear none
  ECOLOGY
  Environment any underground
  Organization solitary
  SPECIAL ABILITIES
  THERMALVISION
  Duergars can see thermal signature up to 120 feet 
  in the dark and skip to darkvision thanks to eye 
  membranes.
  DARKVISION
  Duergars can see up to 120 feet in the dark and 
  skip to thermalvision thanks to eye membranes.
  PHYSICAL DESCRITION
  Duergar are closely related to dwarves and share 
  the same creation myth. They are sturdy and tough 
  with broad frames. Their eyes are completely black 
  and covered by a membrane that grants them 
  thermal vision. They possess thick hair and beards 
  that grow down to the neck and the shoulders.  
  Their hands have eight fingers and an opposable 
  thumb. Their skin color varies from dark brown 
  to gray and usually change rapidly accordingly to 
  exposure to radiation. They stand from 5 up to 5.5 
  feet and weigh an average of 180 lbs. They reach 
  maturity at 40 years with a maximum lifespan of 
  500 years.
  HOME WORLD
  Duergars originated on what they call Temak, 
  which is the fiftth planet of its star system. The 
  planet is completely frozen on the surface and 
  does not harbor complex life forms. However, its 
  nucleus is geologicaly active thanks to the three 
  moons that spin its axis, generating a powerful 
  magnetic field and keeping hot the molten metallic 
  core. This peculiar geological activity keeps the 
  inner environment warm, allowing subterranean 
  life forms to thrive.
  species. They are creatures that are extremely 
  versatile and capable of adapting their biology 
  to any environment that allows the presence of 
  organic compound. Xenoworms exist in many 
  sizes and this mostly depends on how much they 
  can feed on the planet they inhabit.
  PATHFINDER LEGACY RACES
  DUERGARS
  MODIFIERS +4 Con, +2 wis, -4 Cha  
  HP 6
  SIZE AND TYPE
  Duergar are Medium humanoids with the Duergar 
  subtype.
  IMMUNITY
  Duergar are extremely resistant to radiation thus 
  ignoring low and medium radiation harmful effects 
  and consider high and severe as low and medium 
  respectively. They also gain a +4 racial bonus to 
  saving throw against radiation poisoning.
  TECHNOLOGY LIMITATION
  Duergar 
  are 
  penalized 
  when 
  employing 
  technologies from more advanced races, not 
  because of lack of intelligence but due to lack of 
  knowledge. When rolling computer, engineering, 
  life science, medicine and physical science 
  checks involving such technology they suffer a -8 
  circumstance penalty. This limitation is removed 
  only if a Duergar studies alien technologies from 
  the beginning of his career or if he remains in 
  contact with an alien environment until he gains 
  at least 10 ranks in a specific skill.
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
  80
  81
  adventurers.  Space exploration has become the 
  last frontier for those Duergars brave enough to 
  face the vastness of the cosmos.
  HOBGOBLIN
  MODIFIERS +2 Dex, +2 Con 
  HP 5
  SIZE AND TYPE
  Hobgoblins are Medium humanoids with the 
  Hobgoblin subtype.
  DARKVISION
  Hobgoblins can see up to 60 feet in the dark.
  SNEAKY
  Hobgoblins receive a +4 racial bonus on stealth 
  checks.
  SPACE FARING RACE
  Hobgoblins have cold resistance 5. Having spent 
  generations in space they got used to endure lower 
  temperatures.
  Hobgoblins suffer 1 nonlethal damage every 15 
  minutes instead of 1d6 for slow suffocation effects.
  PHYSICAL DESCRITION
  Burly and muscled, long arms and thick torsos, 
  Hobgoblins stand a few inches shorter than the 
  average human. Hobgoblins’ skin is gray-green. 
  Their eyes burn fiery orange or red, and their broad 
  faces and sharply pointed ears give their features a 
  somewhat feline cast. Hobgoblins lack facial hair, 
  even Hobgoblin females are bald. Their biology 
  has adapted to the harsh space environment, 
  making them more resistant to low temperatures 
  and lack of air.
  HOME WORLD
  SOCIETY AND ALIGNMENT
  Duergar society is on the edge of a technological 
  boom, having in the last century accomplished 
  incredible technological leaps in electronics, 
  advanced engineering and energy research. Due 
  to their natural resistance to radioactive elements 
  and the abundance of these minerals inside their 
  planet, they specialized in nuclear energy. They 
  have recently discovered nuclear fission and they 
  are close to nuclear fusion. Compared to other 
  alien races they are not advanced and they have 
  never had a first contact with an alien species. 
  Their social structure is composed of four main 
  factions, each one mastering and improving a 
  specific aspect of science and technology.
  Power and influence is acquired by means of 
  prestige and reputation which usually originates 
  from technological and scientific advancements.
  Alignment: any lawful
  Government: technocracy
  RELATIONS
  Duergars consider themselves the only intelligent 
  beings and this is because they had not yet found 
  significant proof of other intelligent life forms or 
  maybe other intelligent life forms do not suspect 
  that an apparently hostile planet like Temak can 
  harbor life at all. Sages and philosophers speculate 
  about this hypothesis and the general feeling is that 
  if they come into a first contact, being cautious and 
  ready to defend will be the priority.
  ADVENTURERS
  Duergars, due to their nature, are excellent 
  RELATIONS
  Hobgoblins tend to deal and trade with almost 
  anyone, they also prey on almost anyone as well. 
  No one is an enemy if he is stronger, no one is an 
  ally if he is weaker.
  ADVENTURERS
  Hobgoblin´s adventurers are marauders or space 
  pirates who leave their clan to earn fame and 
  strength, planning to form their own marauding 
  fleet. The more bounties they have placed on their 
  head, the more prestige they earn among their kin.
  ----------------------------------------------------------
  CREDITS
  Written by Davide Tramma
  Graphics by Davide Tramma
  Presented to you by ANGRY GOLEM GAMES
  The location of the the Hobgoblin´s home-planet 
  seems to be unknown to them. For centuries, if not 
  thousands of years, Hobgoblins have wondered 
  the galaxy spending their lives on their lair ships. 
  They are nomads in every aspect of their life. Their 
  home is their ship, which they construct, improve 
  and enlarge every time the crew grows and the 
  loot is rich enough. The size of their ships depends 
  on the size of their population. They move from 
  system to system, marauding the unprotected 
  borders of civilization.
  SOCIETY AND ALIGNMENT
  Hobgoblins are organized into tribes made of clans 
  and led by a supreme commander. They have a 
  strict hierarchy and militaristic conduct code. The 
  strongest clan among the tribe owns the spaceship 
  while other minor clans take care of a specific ship 
  system. So you can have a clan dedicated to the shield 
  system, the engine room or the weapon battery, 
  and so on. They tend to be good engineers because 
  being able to repair a ship in dire circumstances 
  is the rule in space. Many tribes include a council 
  of “sages”, they are elder Hobgoblins who act as 
  counselors and play the role of “boatswain” that in 
  particular circumstances can block a direct order 
  of the supreme commander. It’s quite common 
  that a particular strong tribe subjugate other 
  minor tribes thus forming a war-fleet led by a self-
  proclaimed supreme admiral. Such fleets, when 
  they form, become a true nightmare in those areas 
  of space where an organized army is absent.
  APPENDIX
  APPENDIX
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Starfinder [multi]/3rd Party/Angry Golem - From Beyond AP 2 - Descent.pdf