[Science Fiction] The Misadventures of Claye Douglas

[ForgottenGlory]

Hello! This is my first serious foray into the world of SoloRPG, and I'm having a blast so far. Thank you for the amazing website and the platform to share our stories.

I'm using Starfinder as a backbone for a story focused on Claye Douglas, a mercenary for hire who picks up odd jobs and floats between places among The Pact Worlds. 

Here's his character sheet, if anyone is curious: https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1985346

In addition to the tools on this site, I'm also using Convo, a conversation generator, several of the Starfinder generator tools available on SFRPGTools.com, and occasionally if needed the NPC Creator and Emulator by Eric Bright.

Enjoy!

---

Chapter 1: A Dragonkin, A Guard, and A Mercenary Walk into a Prison Cell

If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is the start of a great buddy-cop comedy vid. The mercenary, a bit past his prime and over it stuck in a shipboard prison cell with an old dragonkin who - of course - doesn't speak a lick of Common. Sure talks a lot for someone who doesn't understand me, though. Anyway, yeah, I'm in a prison cell. No weapon, no armor, just a jumpsuit that's half a size too small and a useless hunk of meat and scales.

But it's not all bad. The ship I'm on - the Idaran Infinity, yeah I don't know either - has seen better days. I heard a guard talking the other day saying how they were still shopping around for shields for the ship. What kind of self-respecting pirate carrier doesn't have shields?

The rifle that guard carries looked like it works though, so I guess I probably shouldn't mess with that. At least, not until I find my pistol. For now, I need to find a way out of my cell. I don't think the dragonkin will be of any use, but he watches me as I look around the room.

[Engineering]

23 = 19_[d20]+4

There's a damaged section of the wall that looks like I can pry a panel loose. Assuming I had something to pry it loose with. If I could get to the wiring in the wall, I might be able to short-circuit the door system and get it open. But alas. I look to the dragonkin. Is he paying attention?

(50/50 | 10_[d10]) Yes, and...

Why's he walking over here? I don't question it and shift to let him get a look. He looks over my shoulder - damn he's big - and inspects the panel I'm looking at. He looks at me and starts blabbering in whatever language it is he speaks. I just listen until he looks at me expectantly. He finally heaves a sigh and points to himself, then his upper arm, then the panel. I step aside and gesture towards it, hoping the "Go right ahead." comes across.

Is he able to pry back the panel?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

I'll be damned, the hunk of meat and scales is good for something. Guess he's stronger than I gave him credit for. I lean forward and begin inspecting what's behind the panel. Is there anything useful?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Alright, what do we have here?

Force field generator

...What? Hang on. If that wire goes where I think it does...

The dragonkin starts chattering excitedly, pointing to some of the wires and then to the force field keeping us in the cell. Wait, does he actually know what that is too?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

I mean, he's pointing at all the right things if my limited engineering knowledge is telling me right. I wonder if I should take a crack at it before he does. I hold up a hand to stop him and point to my chest and then the wiring. I don't think I've ever seen a dragonkin frown, but here we are. He crosses his arms and takes a step back. Alright, time to blow the dust off the old wiring instructions I got during that one stint on an escort job.

[Engineering]

21 = 17_[d20]+4

If I pull this wire here and cross these ones... Do I get the force field down?

(50/50 | 3_[d10]) No

Damnit. Okay, well, I look at the dragonkin, shrug, and step back, gesturing towards it. Is he able to get the force field down?

(50/50 | 5_[d10]) No, but...

Proceedings / Success

The door hisses open. That's close enough for me. I won't question the shoddy job these pirates have done keeping the ship running. I peek out into the hallway, are there any guards nearby?

(50/50 | 6_[d10]) Yes, but...

Move / Adversities

Shit, he's coming this way. We're only going to have a few seconds to incapacitate him before he comes in to find out what we've done. Does the dragonkin see him?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Okay, good, so he must know we're in trouble. The force field keeping us in is semi-transparent, so there's not really a wall to hide behind. Time to improvise. I grab the dragonkin and drag him away from the door. The guard needs to think it was a system fault for this to work.

The guard comes into the room. What's he like?

Boastful female colonel

She. Excuse me.

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to explain yourself
Tactic: They will do this by stating how it is

"Look, I know this door didn't open by itself. What the hell did you two do?" She says.

The dragonkin immediately starts talking, and she just stares at him. She ignores him and looks at me. "Does he speak Common?"

"No," I say. "Look, all I know is that panel over there started sparking and then the door opened."

[Bluff]

12 = 10_[d20]+2

Does she buy it?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

"Stay put," she says, then goes over to inspect the panel. I look at the dragonkin, he's stronger than I am. Would probably have an easier time dealing with her. I gesture towards her then draw a line across my throat with a thumb. Does he get it?

(50/50 | 1_[d10]) No, and...

Shit, she only looked for a second. We didn't have enough time for me to explain further. Panic begins to creep in.

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to talk about a recent event
Tactic: They will do this by arguing

"I don't believe for a second that this just happened. There are claw marks on the panel, and your friend here seems to have a perfectly good set of claws. What's keeping me from just shooting both of you and calling it a day?"

She's armed, we're not. We might be able to get to her before she gets a few shots off with that rifle, but... I doubt both of us would survive that encounter. The dragonkin starts talking, gesturing wildly, and begins pacing around the room. She trains her rifle on him. Okay, he helped me out, it's my turn to help him out.

"He says... He says that there was a creature. It came out of the panel, clawed it up and pried it loose. Must've messed with the wiring while it was in there." The dragonkin looks at me, then back to the guard, then nods.

Please let this work.

[Bluff]

22 = 20_[d20]+2

Does it work?

(50/50 | 1_[d10]) No, and... +Event: Activity / Information

She raises a hand to her ear. "Got a couple prisoners trying to break out, they messed with some wiring behind a panel. What do you want me to do with them?"

A long pause, then, "Got it."

She raises her rifle, "Sorry boys." Does the dragonkin do anything?

(50/50 | 2_[d10]) No

Up to me, then. If I get to her fast enough, I might be able to disarm her.

[Initiative]

19 = 12_[d20]+7

[Guard Initiative]

11 = 7_[d20]+4

I move up to her as fast as I can and try to disarm her.

[Melee Attack: Disarm vs KAC 13]

19 = 18_[d20]+1

Yes, yes, yes! She wasn't expecting that. I grab the rifle out of the air as it falls and train it on her. How does she react?

Delay / Possessions

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to make a judgment
Tactic: They will do this by stating how it is

She steps back, raising her hands. "Whoa, whoa, alright. Hang on now. Look, it's nothing personal. You want to kill me? Fine, they will anyway. Might as well get it over with. I was just doing my job."

Nothing personal, huh. Yeah, I've heard that one before. Rifle still trained on her, I mull over the options. Is the dragonkin still standing there doing nothing?

(50/50 | 5_[d10]) No, but...

He's come over to stand next to me, eyes flicking between the rifle, me, and the guard. How's he taking the situation?

Malice / Dispute

He shakes his head, reaching a hand out to lower the tip of the rifle. I let him. She didn't hurt us, and this whole situation is messed up. "Look. We're all here for our own reasons, but I need your help if we're going to get out of here. You help us, you can come with us. Get out of this shithole. What do you say?"

[Diplomacy]

20 = 18_[d20]+2

What does she say?

(50/50 | 9_[d10]) Yes

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to guess about the future
Tactic: They will do this by arguing

"You really expect that me, and two prisoners, are going to be able to get out of here unnoticed? We can't just waltz up and take a ship. They'd shoot us out of the sky before we got a kilometer out."

I look at the dragonkin. She's got a point. The dragonkin is watching but uncharacteristically quiet. "Well. I hadn't quite gotten that far in the plan yet," I admit. I sigh, thinking it over. "What's your name?" I finally ask her.

"Alaina," she says.

"Alright, Alaina. We need to get on a ship. A small, fast one. What do we need to do for that to happen?"

Activity / Opulance

"The captain would need to approve it. I'm just a guard, not a pilot. He wouldn't grant me access."

"So do you have a pilot buddy? Call in a favor?"

(50/50 | 6_[d10]) Yes, but...

"Yeah, I know a guy. But the pilots are a tight-knit group. Word gets out that he's helping me out, it'll spread like wildfire," she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay, so we keep it on the down-lo. Only on a need to know basis," I say. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, but it's turning from hard to impossible. I mull it over a bit more, and the dragonkin looks at me expectantly. "I'm working on it," I say to him.

"No such thing, there's less than a hundred people on the ship. Someone will find out," Alaina says.

"What about a supply stop? When does this ship make port?" I ask.

Fight / Illness

"Only when absolutely necessary. After a battle, or if there's something the ship needs that it doesn't have. A specific medicine or something like that..." she trails off, frowning.

"What?" I ask. "If this is going to work, I need to know what you know."

[Diplomacy]

8 = 6_[d20]+2

(50/50 | 8_[d10]) Yes

She looks at the rifle in my arms, then sighs. "We could put in a requisition for a resupply. Some obscure medicine. The ship will park itself a few hours from a space station and send a resupply team on a cargo transport. It's common for prisoners to go along to do the heavy lifting."

"That would at least get us off the ship, it's a start," I say. My original glorious plan of breaking into a hangar and commandeering a fighter of some kind is falling apart, but this is just as good. My only goal was to get on the ship and find out what I could, then get out and report back. Baby steps.

"It will take some time, and we'll need to act like everything is normal until then. Maybe a few hours at most, depending on what other requisitions there are right now," Alaina says.

I look down at the rifle in my arms, "I'll have to give this back, won't I?"

"Yeah. Look, I'm only here because I don't have a choice. If there's another option, I'm going to take it. I want out as much as you do."

Even after all of this, I'm not sure if I should trust her.

[Sense Motive]

8 = 8_[d20]

Am I able to tell if she's trustworthy?

(50/50 | 8_[d10]) Yes

Alright, and is she trustworthy?

(50/50 | 10_[d10]) Yes, and...

There's a look to her. Some sort of fire in her eyes... Desperation, maybe? I nod finally and make to hand the rifle back to her. How does the dragonkin take it?

Dispute / Emotions

The dragonkin grabs me, that weird frown on his face again. I try to nod as reassuringly as possible. Make it seem like I know what I'm doing. How's he take it?

Struggle / The mundane

He takes the rifle from me, gestures to the guard, then back to me. Slow realization begins to dawn in my mind. "Ah, hell," I say.

"Wait, what?" Alaina says, stepping forward.

The dragonkin raises the rifle and clubs me over the head with the stock. Good thing we have a few hours to kill, being unconscious is a good way to do it.

[Teviko604]

This is a fun story. I'm not familiar with the Starfinder mechanics and I have a question about skill checks. How do checks for Engineering, Bluff, Sense Motive, etc., work? Is there a target number you are trying to exceed? If so, what does that mean? I ask because each check was followed with an Oracle question that appeared redundant.

Where do you find "Convo?" Looks like a tool I would want to add to my solo arsenal.

Finally, I trust we will learn how Claye came to be a prisoner aboard a pirate vessel. (hint, hint)

[ForgottenGlory]

There is a target number that needs to be beaten in most cases, similar to how the [Melee Attack: Disarm vs KAC 13] part works. In something like this:

[Bluff]

12 = 10[d20]+2

Does she buy it?

(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes

There's an opposed roll where the "defender" of the bluff check makes a Sense Motive roll. The SFRPGTools Monster Builder didn't give me the bonus for Alaina's Sense Motive, so I didn't know what bonus to add to any roll I could have made for her, so again, just let the oracle decide. I should likely adjust the odds of things (use Slightly Likely, Very Likely, etc.) when the roll is high and the more negative odds when the roll is low in this situation, I just hadn't thought it through that much. 12 is approximately average, so 50/50 works in this particular example.

I'm still struggling to figure out exactly how to come up with the number that needs to be beaten, Starfinder doesn't exactly have a chart that plots out all the difficulties for everything (a lot of it is supposed to be determined by the GM on the fly), so I've been letting the oracle decide whether the roll is good enough or not. It has that for some things, such as the Engineering roll where above 20 lets you determine structural weaknesses in a complex construction (a ship wall), but unfortunately not everything.

Convo is what finally made me decide to jump into SoloRPG'ing full force, it's awesome. It's here: https://jtt48.github.io/Convo/

I do plan to explain how Claye came to be a prisoner on the ship, though I suspect there will be a few complex questions asked of the Oracle to get there. Depending on how that goes, it will likely be the foundation for the overarching plot. 

I'm glad you're enjoying the story and thanks for the questions! I plan to do a bit more sometime soon.

[ForgottenGlory]

I've started a Google document to help me keep track of stat blocks, NPCs, places, ships, and future plot threads that I need to address. It's here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MbkT...sp=sharing You can use the Outline in Google Docs to jump between sections if you want.

Chapter 2: Escaping On An Empty Engine

For the record, getting knocked out sucks. Just wanted to make sure we got that out of the way. I don't actually remember the first few seconds right before the dragonkin hit me, but based on how the conversation was going, I'm pretty sure that's what he did. There's no real way for me to know how long I was out for, but it felt like an eternity. When I come to, the dragonkin is hovering close, keeping an eye on me. As I stir, he comes over and starts blathering.

I don't understand a word he's saying, doubly so as I come to. It takes me a few minutes to regain myself - name's Claye Douglas, I'm on the Idaran Infinity, it's... A day. Not sure of the date. I'm here to... do what, again?

Infiltrate the stronghold.

Right, infiltrate this ship. Did that. Trying to get out now. Working with... Alaina. Right. The guard woman with the big laser rifle. Why did I need to get into this ship?

Expose / Enemies

Find a weakness in the ship. That's right. I was hired to get into the ship, find out what I could, and then report back. Who hired me?

Rude Halfling government official

Ah, yeah, that little... bugger, shall we say. Something about the pirates interfering with government operations and the ship being too large for them to dedicate the number of ships it would take to bring it down. He didn't hire me to take down the ship, though, just get information and get back. Bringing back a guardswoman who worked on the ship would likely be a huge success if she's willing to talk to the halfling.

I'll have to talk to her about that when I get a chance.

[Future Plot Added: Talk to Alaina about speaking with the Rude Halfling government official]

For now, though, we're waiting for Alaina to get us onto a shuttle out of here. If we can get to a space station or planet, we have a good chance of being able to get away from the pirates. Hopefully that requisition order she put in doesn't seem too suspicious. May just be my paranoia getting to me though, requisitions for medication shouldn't be too out of the ordinary.

Speaking of Alaina, she should be coming back any second now, right?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Good, I was hoping we wouldn't have to wait long. I suppose we could have always overloaded the door again to go look for her, but since she's here, might as well go along with whatever plan she has.

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to talk about your past
Tactic: They will do this by playing to your beliefs

"Before we do this, I need to know what you're thinking. You're resourceful, but what's your angle?" She says.

"I need to get off this ship. I have someone waiting on me," I say. Give her a bit of truth, maybe she'll let the vagueness slide. How's she respond?

Benefits

She quirks an eyebrow. "Got a lady friend, huh? Well, whatever. I won't judge. You were able to get the door open easy enough, I guess if you can do that you might just be able to get us out of here."

The dragonkin says something, but I ignore him and press forward. "Were you able to get us lined up for the supply shuttle?"

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

"Yeah, easy enough. Prisoners that volunteer for hauling duty are preferred. C'mon, let's go." She turns and leads us out into the hallway, where another guard is waiting. Alaina nudges me with the stock of her rifle, "C'mon, scum. Those boxes aren't going to haul themselves. Move your ass." She winks at me when the other guard has turned to lead us down the hallway. Playing the part, good. She might just be able to pull this off too.

We arrive at one of the hangars in short order, and I keep an eye on the activity. People are bustling around, going about whatever duties are needed. Alaina pushes us into a line with the rest of the prisoners, who are being patted down to make sure they aren't carrying anything. Thankfully, I don't have any of my stuff--

I don't have any of my equipment. Shit. Problem. I look to Alaina, is she paying attention?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

When I get closer to her, shuffling forward in line like a good prisoner, I whisper, "I don't have any of my equipment your people took from me." How's she respond?

Bestow

"It's on the shuttle. Leftover equipment that has value is taken to be sold. We can get it, just be patient," she says.

Phew. Lucky break there, if I had to leave my equipment on the ship I would truly be up a creek without a paddle. I let the guardsman pat me down, and he waves me onto the shuttle. What kind of ship do we have here?

[SFRPGTools Starship Generator: Silent Jupiter Delivery Ship]

On the side, there are words painted, "Silent Jupiter". Looks like a fairly standard three-man delivery ship. A pair of cargo containers locked to the underside with some passenger seating. I don't know who or what Jupiter is, but alright. Maybe it was someplace on ancient Golarion. Anyway, the shuttle doesn't look armed, which is unfortunate. Would've made a good escape ship if that were the case, assuming we could have commandeered it.

Either way, the prisoners and guards are loaded onto the ship and it takes off without incident. We have a decently long journey ahead of us, but I don't mind the wait. Gives me time to come up with a plan once we arrive.

[Travel Point-to-Point on/around a Planet, 1d4 hours]

1 = 1_[d4]

Well, at least they didn't park the carrier too far away from where we're going. Speaking of, where *are* we going?

[SFRPGTools Star System Generator: Red Giant system, 2 orbiting bodies]

A small space station of some kind in a lonely system of just two noteworthy objects, according to the sensor readout I can see from where I'm sitting. An asteroid belt and the planet we're orbiting leave a bit to be desired, but I suppose with how big the galaxy is, there are only so many systems that can have a dozen planets. There's bound to be some on the opposite end of the spectrum. That also would explain the pirate presence here, if it's a boring, out of the way system then there's less chance they'll be caught here.

The dragonkin has been uncharacteristically quiet, I watch him for a bit. What's he up to?

Inspect

Emotions

Nothing, really. He appears to be scrutinizing the people around us, trying to gauge... something. Maybe he's just trying to get a feel for the mood of the ship. It's a bit dour, with a bunch of prisoners being watched over by guards on their way to do manual labor. When he looks at me though, there's a fire in his eyes. He's looking forward to arriving. Maybe, through some miracle, he understands that we're going to be escaping when we arrive. Does anything interesting happen on the way to the space station?

(50/50 | 5_[d10]) No, but... +Event: Propose / A burden

Well, that might be considered interesting. Where does this proposal come from?

[SFRPGTools Character Concept Generator: Dwarf Soldier]

Surprisingly, it's a dwarf. What's he want?

Escape from the instillation.

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to make a judgment
Tactic: They will do this by playing to your nature

He whispers to me from his seat next to mine, "Listen, lad. I have an idea. You want to escape, yeah?"

I stare dumbfounded at him. "Escape?" I'll admit I'm completely surprised that another person is planning an escape. I mean, I shouldn't be surprised, but here we are.

"Aye lad. I have a plan to do it, too."

Carelessness / Friendship

"The guards are friends here. They joke and cut up, don't know if you've seen, but when they get into it, they get sloppy. Ignore the prisoners. That's our chance. Wait for them to go at it, and then we slip into the Vast."

This knowledge would have been great to know, Alaina. I wonder why she didn't say anything about it. I guess she doesn't completely trust me, yet. Makes sense, though. If we can get them distracted, the dwarf is absolutely right, that's our chance. "I know I'm right. We'll have a chance," the dwarf says.

I think about it for a minute. Do I loop him in on our plan? Three of us getting away might be possible, but add too many players to the game and things can get... complicated. Finally, I nod to him, and he beams. "There's a catch," I say, and his smile drops. I nod to the dragonkin, then back to the dwarf. How does the dragonkin respond?

Befriend

The dragonkin looks at the dwarf, then back to me, nodding in return. The dwarf's response is...

Celebrate

He looks at me, surprised but clearly pleased. "I knew I wasn't the only one. Perfect. Who else?" My eyes go to Alaina, does she notice?

(50/50 | 10_[d10]) Yes, and...

She's been watching the dwarf and I whisper. She looks at the dwarf, back to me, and...

Inquire

Raises a questioning eyebrow. I nod, then gesture subtly with an elbow at the dwarf. She...

Proceedings

Shrugs, nods. Excellent. That makes four of us. The rest of the ride goes in silence, with all of us occasionally making eye contact with one another until the shuttle lands on a docking pad of the space station.

As we file out of the delivery ship, what's around?

[SFRPGTools Settelement Generator: Research Station]

Mostly small folk are wandering around, with the occasional vesk or human mixed in. Well, that will make it hard to blend in. But it looks like there are some people bringing supplies to the dock to be loaded into the cargo bays of the Silent Jupiter.

The guards quickly set us to work, carrying crates, operating forklifts, strapping down cargo, and so on. I keep my eyes peeled for an opportunity. Do we get one?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Perfect, the guards almost immediately start talking amongst themselves. Alaina stays out of it, pretending to keep an eye on us. The dwarf grabs my elbow, nods towards the guards. "Now or never, lad. Get your crew." I look to Alaina, who follows my gaze to the rest of the guards. She nods. The dragonkin... Where's the dragonkin?

Adversity

Struggling to lift a crate with the help of a particularly scrawny human. Shit. I walk over, grabbing the side of the crate with the scrawny human. Between the three of us, we move the crate to where it needs to be. As the dragonkin begins to walk towards the next crate, I fall into step beside him, nudging him with an elbow. The dragonkin looks at me, then back to the guards and Alaina. The dragonkin nods, that fire in his eyes again. Time to go. Alaina comes over, followed by the dwarf. All four of us are now walking in step, Alaina following behind the three of us.

Do the rest of the guards notice?

(50/50 | 1_[d10]) No, and...

Not only do they not see us, but it seems like their joking has gotten out of hand. One guard pushes another, who pushes back, and before we know it there's a brawl forming right in the middle of the docking area. This couldn't be more perfect. The prisoners and guards are gathering around to watch the brawl, none of them see us walk away and into the hallways of the space station.

And just like that, we're out. We're stuck on a space station, but we're out. Alaina passes me a duffle bag, which I unzip the top of and peek inside. My equipment and the equipment of the other two are inside. When the hell did she get this? Now's not the time to stop and ask though. We keep walking as if we have a purpose, Alaina walking behind us and gesturing when she wants us to turn down a hallway.

Finally, we stop in a relatively empty section of hallway and Alaina looks the three of us over.

[Convo]
Intent: They want to get you to do something important for them
Tactic: They will do this by playing to your beliefs

"We're not done yet. We still have to get off this station, and we're going to need a ship to do it. The three of you need to get out of your jumpsuits, you'll be recognized otherwise. I got you your equipment. You want to really escape? Get us a ship," she says.

A ship. Easier said than done, but she presses a button and a door opens into a maintenance hallway. She gestures inside, "Get dressed, we'll figure that out next."

No time to argue or for shame, the three of us step inside and I open the duffle bag, passing around the gear. When we're all ready, we step back out into the hallway and Alaina gives us a once-over. "That'll do, I guess. Now we look like a ragtag crew of a ship. Mechanic," she gestures to the dragonkin, "Muscle," she gestures to the dwarf, "Captain," she gestures to me, "And brains," she gestures to herself.

"I came up with the plan, I'll remind you," I say.

"Whatever. Ship, please," she says.

Right, ship. We'll get there. I look to the dwarf, "What's your name?"

"Hadruck Silverbrand, at your service, lad. Told ya we'd get a chance to get out." I nod in reply, then look to the dragonkin. I really don't know what to do about the hulking mass of scales, he still doesn't speak Common. The expectant look on his face says a lot, though. I could enlist the help of one of those Tetrad translators, but I'm a bit light on credits at the moment. Maybe once I get paid by the halfling I can pick one up. Until then... We'll make do. We have so far.

Maybe I can at least get a name from him. I point to myself, "Claye." The open my hand towards the dragonkin, inviting him to say his name. Does he get it?

(50/50 | 9_[d10]) Yes

"Gyndraror." Or at least, I think that's what he said. I say it back, pointing to him. The dragonkin nods, points to himself, "Gyn. Gyndraror." Good, he has a nickname. Gyn is much easier to say.

Now, on to the task of finding a ship. I look around, feeling much more confident now that my pistol is strapped to my thigh. What's around?

Production plant

Looks like we're near the manufacturing center of the station. Large-scale 3D printers working on various tasks inside controlled labs, making replacement parts and goods from raw materials. Nothing immediately comes to mind as helpful - unless we can convince someone to print us a ship. That seems unlikely though. I could send a message using the Drift beacon on the space station to my patron, but I don't really want to wait... well, however long it takes, to get a reply.

If we could just pay for passage back to Absalom station, that might work. Does anyone in the crew know where we are?

(50/50 | 6_[d10]) Yes, but... +Event: Praise / Fears

Alaina says, "If you're thinking about buying our way out of here, it's not going to happen. Might have worked if we had more credits on us, but we're almost a month out from Absalom Station. We have to have our own ship, or convince someone to take us on for free."

Free isn't going to happen, especially with a dragonkin on board. And even if we could pay, they'd probably want double for him. I don't like it, but it looks like we'll have to steal a ship to get out of here. And we need to do it fast, no doubt the pirates will come looking for us eventually. I boot up my personal comm unit and check for any messages. Are there any?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Alright, what about?

Remote event

And from who?

Whiny female leader

Ah, of course, the halfling. Why am I not surprised? Apparently, the pirate ship has eluded them for now, so all haste is needed for me to get information back to her, and things are starting to look bad for her. The urgency in her message is palpable. I don't suppose she's doing anything to help me out here?

(Unlikely | 5_[d10]) No

Yeah, didn't think so.

"We need to find out what ships are on the station to find a possible target. Split up, we'll be less likely to be noticed that way." Then, realizing the dragonkin doesn't understand, I sigh. I point to him, then to myself. Hopefully, that message comes across as Alaina and Hadruck walk away in different directions. The dragonkin nods and waits. First things first, there has to be a registry of some kind for the ships on the station. Where would that be?

Government building

The import/export office seems like as good a place as any to start.

Does anything happen on our way there?

(50/50 | 5_[d10]) No, but...

We narrowly avoid running into some of the guards from the delivery ship, shit that was close. The fact that they're already out looking for us is problematic, but we slip into the office without incident. Who greets us?

[SFRPGTools Character Concept: Dwarf Mechanic]

A dwarf behind a desk types away on a console at a desk. He looks up as we enter. "Import or export?" My, isn't he just a gem.

I glance at the dragonkin, "Neither. We need a registry of the ships docked at the station." How does he respond?

Combatively / Remarkable

"Nope," the dwarf says.

"Look, we're trying to find passage off of the station. We just need to know what ship would be able to get us out of here."

[Diplomacy vs. DC 17, change attitude]

21 = 19_[d20]+2

The dwarf sighs, shifting in his seat. "Can't give you a registry, but there are a couple that might help you out. Heavenly Elite is in docking bay B3, and  Night Doshko is in B1. Ask for Cyris for the Heavenly Elite, Iveanne for the Night Doshko."

Perfect, exactly what we needed. A couple of ships that can handle some passengers and get us out of here. As we leave, I check my comm unit for any messages.

(50/50 | 10_[d10]) Yes, and... +Event: Transform / Food

Alaina and Hadruck have both messaged me, saying they're getting food and have gotten some information. Alaina attached a location. I motion for the dragonkin to follow me and we head for them. Any incidents on the way?

(50/50 | 2_[d10]) No

Excellent. It's a decently big station, so it doesn't surprise me that a handful of pirates aren't able to be everywhere all at once. When we get to the restaurant, I sit down and immediately ask what Alaina and Hadruck found.

Proceedings / Peace

Turns out they had as easy a time as us getting around the station and managed to find out about the same ships we did. Hadruck does add that there's another ship we could consider that isn't a transport, called the Empty Engine. It's unarmed but looks like a converted heavy fighter to shuttlecraft. Of note, Hadruck says it has a Drift engine, which we'd need to get back to Absalom station. We have no information about the other two at the moment, so that sounds like our best bet right now. We eat and head to the docking bay, looking for the Empty Engine.

When we arrive at the docking port, is anyone around?

(50/50 | 7_[d10]) Yes

Alright, who is it?

Confident female engineer

A woman is working on the ship, fiddling with something inside the outer hull. Is there anyone else around?

(50/50 | 9_[d10]) Yes

Clever pilot

There's another person sitting nearby on a small cargo crate, who watches us approach. Anyone else?

(50/50 | 4_[d10]) No

Just two, then. Interesting. I wonder where the rest of the crew is. As we approach, what does the pilot say?

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to explain yourself
Tactic: They will do this by stating how it is

"A dragonkin, two humans, and a dwarf walk into a docking bay. Sounds like the start of a bad joke. What do you want?"

"We need passage back to Absalom Station," I say, glancing at the others in my group.

He looks us over, "Not happening. She only fits four. Try one of the transports, I think there's one in the bay next door."

I sigh. This was never going to be easy. "They turned us away, because of him." I gesture towards the dragonkin. The dragonkin starts talking, going on a tirade that no one can understand. When he finishes, I look back to the pilot and shrug.

"Yeah, well, keep looking. We don't do passengers. Cargo only," the pilot says.

I take a deep breath. I really wasn't hoping to have to do this, but... I pull my pistol from my holster, and the rest of my group draws their own weapons. "I wasn't really asking," I say.

[Intimidate vs. DC 17, Bully]

19 = 13_[d20]+6

[Duration, 1d6 x 10 minutes]

4 = 4_[d6]

"Shit," the pilot says. "Look, alright. Fine. I won't get in your way. Not worth my skin, they just hired me to fly the damn thing," he says. How does the engineer respond?

Business

She's not happy, but goes along with the pilot, affecting a businesslike attitude. She stands aside as we climb onto the ship, weapons still drawn. As the hatch begins to close, the pilot pulls out a comm unit. Well, that's not good, but a problem for future Claye.

[Future Plot Added: Stolen ship, Empty Engine]

As Hadruck settled into the pilot's seat, he looked up at me.

[Convo]
Intent: They want you to guess about the future
Tactic: They will do this by joking

"Guess they didn't need the ship that badly, huh?" Hadruck says.

I frown. "They did give it up easily... I don't know, I guess they have insurance or something. Or maybe it's a company ship and not their problem."

"For all our sakes, let's hope it's not. I don't know about you, but I'm not going back into a cell," he says. Gyn chimes in, saying something. Between Alaina, myself, and Hadruck, we all just share a look and shrug.

"Get us out of here, Hadruck," I say. He grins and begins powering up the ship, sending over the exit codes saved on the ship and getting an automated all clear back from the space station.

Hadruck takes us out, and within minutes we're a safe distance from the station. Does anything happen while we wait for the Drift engine to spin up?

(50/50 | 5_[d10]) No, but...

Nothing, thank whatever gods are listening. Hadruck does say something in what I assume is his native tongue, though, and he says, "This isn't going to be a clean getaway. The station just put out a red alert."

Shit. Well, at least they're not sending anything after us. Unarmed or not, boarding a starship is a rough affair. I doubt they would want to risk men on that. At least we're finally free of the pirates. The wait for the Drift engine to finally be ready stretches for an eternity until finally, the ship lets out low rumble and enters the space between spaces.

I collapse into a chair on the bridge, letting out a breath while Alaina grins widely and Gyn nods approvingly. Freedom at last.

[Teviko604]

There is a target number that needs to be beaten in most cases...

I see. You are using the skill check to determine if the character even has a chance to succeed, prompting the oracle question for a final determination of success. If they fail the skill check, there will be no oracle question. I see how that would work.  I think your other suggestion, letting the skill roll adjust the odds of the oracle question, would also make for some interesting results. The greater the skill roll, the better the odds. If you fail the skill roll by a little, the odds could be adjusted to "slightly unlikely". If your skill roll is really high, it could be "very likely". And so forth.

I can sympathize with your struggle over coming up with reasonable "numbers to beat". I am getting ready to run a Tunnels & Trolls campaign and that system uses different levels of saving rolls. The higher the level, the harder to beat. In a multiplayer game, this is something the GM sets. In solo, I have to figure it out myself. Do I analyze the situation and just try to come up with a reasonable level while attempting to stay unbiased? Do I use a random difficulty generator? In the end, I expect it will be some combination of the two.

I haven't read your second chapter yet, but I'm sure I'll get to it soon.