Sathar Cave System

I believe this is the last major piece of the of the Death at Rosegard adventure that I haven’t yet published so let’s get to it.

An old, abandoned mine

Located some 30-40 km northeast of Rosegard is an abandoned Streele Mining corporation mine. It has been abandoned since before the Great Sathar War. Sometime after the war, an enclave of sathar survivors found the mine and have set up shop. They mainly are lying very low but send out scouts into the surrounding area and are the ones that were controlling the operative at the Streel mine near Rosegard. In addition, they were in contact with Trey Mulden to do the cybernuk breeding.

Let’s start with a map

This map was drawn by hand on my old Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 tablet. I added the shading and the letters (but not the numbers) in Gimp for this post.

In addition to the labeled locations which are described below, there is a mostly destroyed and overgrown mining complex just outside the entrance. Bits and pieces of walls and foundations still exist but there really isn’t much there.

Area Descriptions

Aircar landing pad – while mainly filled with debris and rusted out vehicles from over 50 years ago when this mine was shut down, there is space for an aircar to land. The sathar have an old model aircar that may or may not currently be at the base. It was used by the sathar that was contacting the agent at Rosegard. If the PC’s captured or defeated that sathar, the aircar is not present.
Pool – This is a clear water pool that the sathar sometimes use for swimming but is primarily a source of drinking water.
Work area
1. Food Production (a) – This building contains a series of terrarium-like containers that have a variety of small bugs and other creatures growing in them. Additionally there are some hydroponic vats growing plants. None of these seem to be native to Pale. There is a single sathar working here. The sathar does not have a weapon but does have a communicator.
2. Tech lab (b) – This building contains what appears to be a technician or robotics lab although alien in nature. What appears to be a half assembled robot sits on one worktable and other tables contain various gadgets in various states of construction. One of the items looks like a nearly complete Cybernuk headset. There are 3 sathar technicians here. Two of them are armed (laser pistol with 2 power clips) while the other has a communicator.
3. Food Storage (c) – This is a climate controlled building with a freezer section. It contains a large numbers the creatures and plants from the food production building but preserved for storage. There is several months’ worth of food here.
4. Supply storage (d)- This area contains a wide variety of physical and technical materials ranging from various electronic parts to tubing, to wires, to chemicals. Most of the materials look to be frontier in origin but some are definitely alien in appearance.
5. Nuk pen (e)- This pen contains three cybernuks with no cybernetic attachments. It is locked with a level 1 lock simply to keep the nuks inside. When opened, the nuks will charge out an attack the PCs. An INT check will alert the PCs that something alive is inside. Wall and door have 100 structure points.
6. Nuk Pen (f) – This pen contains a single nuk with the cyber attachment. It is locked with a level 1 lock to keep the nuk inside. When opened, the nuk will charge out and attack the PCs. An INT check will alert the PCs that something alive is inside. If this cybernuk is released first, the other three will start bashing against the wall and door trying to get out to come to its aid (controlled by cyber implant).
Power plant and water processing – This is a geothermal power generator (type II). Cabling runs from here back to area 3 that has been partially hidden by debris and rubble on the floor. Additionally there is a large water processing facility here with fillers and processing system. Pipes run from here to areas 5, 6, 7, & 9 from here along the ceiling. There are two Sathar technician here. One of the sathar is armed (laser pistol with 2 power clips) while the other has a communicator.
Small Slime Pool – This pool houses four sathar. There are small bins by the pool that hold the personal effects of the sathar that call this pool home. Each has a backpack with a food jar, a small communicator, and two of them have laser pistols with two power packs each. There are currently two sathar in the pool.
1. backpack, communicator, food jar
2. empty
3. empty
4. backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
Large Slime Pool – Similar to area five, this larger pool houses eight sathar. There are currently four in the pool. The contents of the bins are:
1. Empty
2. Backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
3. Empty
4. Empty
5. Backpack, food jar, communicator
6. Backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
7. Empty
8. Backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
Large Slime Pool – Similar to area five, this larger pool houses eight sathar. There are currently four in the pool. The contents of the bins are:
1. Empty
2. Empty
3. Backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
4. Empty
5. Backpack, food jar, communicator
6. Empty
7. Backpack, food jar, communicator
8. Backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips
Robot storage – This storage area holds a dozen completed combat robots. While the parts are Frontier sourced, the design is definitely alien. Characters have a –10% modifier to attempt any skills on these robots
Leader Slime Pool – This is the personal slime pool of the compound’s leader. This is a middle caste sathar. There is a bin here with the leader’s personal belongings which contains a backpack, a laser pistol with 4 power clips, an inertia screen with a power beltpack, two food jars, a communicator, and a small computer.

Initial status of the mine

The mine is not on alert for intrusion. It was fairly recently set up and does not have a lot of security features installed yet as the sathar began immediate production of the combat robots and food.

One of the residents is the controller for the agent at Rosegard and possibly was captured or killed by the PC’s. If it wasn’t, add in another sathar to area 5 (small slime pool). Another is out returning from the Trey Mulden’s compound. The second sathar will arrive back 5d10x10 minutes after the PCs enter the compound.

When the PCs first arrive, there are two sathar returning to area 7 from area 3 after being on duty that the PC will encounter in the passageway between those two areas when they first enter it. The next duty rotation is not scheduled to occur for another 1d5 hours at which point two of the sathar in area 6 will be headed to area 4.

None of the doors, except to the nuk pens, are locked.

Sathar Reaction to PCs Arrival

Before the sathar are alerted

When the PCs enter one of the buildings with sathar in it, immediately start combat. Those sathar that are armed will draw their weapon the first round but cannot fire until the second round. They will begin to attack the PCs as soon as they are able. Sathar with communicators will attempt to alert the rest of the compound. It takes them one turn to open their backpack, one turn to grab the communicator, and the third turn to send the message. The alert message will go out on the sathar’s action during the third turn. If the PCs eliminate that sathar before then, no alert goes out. Otherwise, consider the compound to be alerted going forward.

When the PCs enter one of the pool areas containing the lower caste sathar, there is only a 5% chance that one of the sathar is not in the water. Regardless, the sathar will notice the PCs immediately and react. The will start exiting the pool at the rate of 1d2 sathar per round (to represent different distances from the edge of the water) starting on round 2. Once they have left the pool, it will take them one round to reach the bins and grab their backpacks unless the PCs block their way. On the round after reaching the bins, those sathar that are armed may begin firing; those with communicators will simply grab their communication device and begin to activate it. They can send an alert out as their action on their next turn (3^rd after exiting the water).

Sathar with communicators will engage in melee combat (two attacks per round) with their bare tentacles once the alert has been sent or immediately if the alert has already gone out.

After the sathar are alerted

Once the alert has gone out, any sathar encountered will be ready and attack immediately upon seeing the PCs.

Any sathar in the slime pools will immediate move toward area 8 where they will begin activating the combat robots at the rate of one every other turn. They will remain there until all the robots are activated. At that point they will proceed up through the cavern complex looking for the invaders. The leader will hang back sending the robots and other sathar to engage the PCs. If the PCs arrive at area 8 before all the robots are activated, the robots that are active and those sathar that are armed will engage them while the others continue to activate the remaining robots. As the robots are activated, they will be sent to engage immediately.

The sathar in area 4 will take cover and immediately attack the PCs if they enter the generator and processing facility. They will get one free round of attacks on the PCs before the PCs can react.

The sathar in the food processing facility will head across the cavern to the tech lab when the alert is sounded (if they are not the one sounding the alarm) and will either engage the PCs from behind if they are in the tech lab or wait with the sathar in the tech lab until the PCs or the main body of sathar arrives.

The sathar in the tech lab will be waiting for the PCs if they arrive before the main body of sathar and robots. There is a 10% chance that they will have been able to reassemble the laser pistol being modified on the workbench. The sathar using it will have a 10% penalty to hit as is hasn’t been fully converted. If the PCs take a long time to get to the tech lab after the alert is sounded, raise the probability to 20%.

Sathar tactics

As the sathar are under-armed, they will try to attack from cover or ambush if at all possible. If they have robots with them, they will send the robots in the fore to take damage from the PCs’ weapons. If a sathar is in danger of being captured or thinks they will die, they will attempt to close with one or more of the PCs and trigger the self-destruct in their laser pistol (if they have one). When the self-destruct goes off, treat it as a fragmentation grenade doing a number of d10 worth of damage equal to the SEU remaining in the clip. If the clip is empty it will still do 1d10 points of damage. PCs get a RS check to take half damage and intertia screens and skiensuits halve the damage as well.

Stats

Sathar Leader

STR/STA: 50/50
DEX/RS: 60/50
INT/LOG: 55/55
PER/LDR: 55/70
PS: 3
IM: 5
RW: 30
MW: 30

Skills: Beam 4, Tech 3, Enviro 2, Unarmed 3, Robotics 2, Melee 1

Equipment: backpack, a laser pistol with 4 power clips, an inertia screen with a power beltpack, two food jars, a communicator, and a small computer

Regular Sathar

STR/STA: 40/40
DEX/RS: 45/45
INT/LOG: 45/45
PER/LDR: 45/55
PS: 2
IM: 5
RW: 23
MW: 23

Skills: Beam 2, Robotics or Technician or Environmental 2, Melee 1, Unarmed 1

Equipment: backpack, food jar, laser pistol with 2 power clips or communicator

Combat Robots

Type: Combat
Level: 2
STA: 100
Move: 120 m/turn
Attack: 50
Damage: 2d10 hands or 5d10 laser
Programs: Attack/Defense, Security Lock
Equipment: Laser pistol, power beltpack

Alyssa Tinett

I had intended for Alyssa to play a larger role in the Death at Rosegard adventure when I ran it for my group. But, like many of the things GMs put into their adventures, the party didn’t really take an interest in her. I used her for the first role she was supposed to play and then I forgot about using her later on. So it is at least partially on me.

Alyssa is the daughter of Larroy & Camryn Tinett, the village’s vet and computer specialist respectively. Her maternal grandparents also live in the village, Steven & Janie Hite. She is very intelligent, inquisitive, and adventurous. She is also an only child.

Alyssa Tinett

Picture of Alyssa in shorts, shirt, and shoes. Her hair is in a ponytail and she has a sword at her side. — Sketch by Danae Stephens

Physically, Alyssa is about 137 cm (4’6″) tall and weighs about 32 kg (70 lbs). She has long brown hair that reaches her mid-back which she typically wears in a pony tail. She has green eyes, and a light tan complexion.

She has her mother’s interest in computers and has picked up quite a bit of experience helping around her mom’s shop.

Alyssa is curious and friendly and a xenophile, very interested in the non-human races of the Frontier. As such, she likes to visit the Streel mine compound and talk to the staff there. She has befriended the resident geologist, a yazirian named Talnor Malon, who has been teaching her how to sword fight, probably against her parents wishes.

Note: If any of my players are reading this, they may notice that I describe Talnor here as a geologist. In the game when I ran it I made him the roboticist but that was a mistake I made when introducing him and just went with it (as it really doesn’t affect the game much at all). He was supposed to be the geologist and I just read my notes wrong.

Stats

STR/STA: 25/25
DEX/RS: 45/45
INT/LOG: 60/65
PER/LDR: 60/60
Skills: Computer – 1, Melee (sword only) – 1

In The Adventure

Introduction

When the PCs arrive in town, there will be a party going on at the city center and the PCs will be flagged down by one of the mine staff and escorted inside to join the celebrations.

The event is a birthday party for Alyssa who is turning 12. When the PCs enter, she will be seen across the hall in a pale blue summer dress. Despite her feminine attire she will be engaged in a mock sword fight with a boy that looks to be a year or two older and a few inches taller than her. She is also winning. Any yazirian PC will notice that she is wielding her sword as a yazirian would wield a kha’dan (yazirian honor blade).

When Alyssa notices the PCs, she will let out a loud squeal of excitement, abandon the sword fight, and race over to talk with the PCs, especially the non-human ones. She will be full of questions and youthful curiosity but her questions will be very intelligent.

Regular interactions

As the PCs investigate and interact with the town, Alyssa will tail around with them if they let her. She will mostly stay out of the way but will try to strike up conversations when they are not busy and will provide information if asked. She received a short sword from Talnor as a birthday present and will be conspicuously wearing it whenever she is out and about.

Up until now she has typically gone by the nickname “Ali” and most of the townspeople will call or refer to her by that name. However, now that she’s 12, she wants to go by her full name and will always introduce herself as Alyssa and correct anyone that calls her Ali. The exception to that are her grandparents, they still get to call her Ali.

Leaving Town

When the PCs leave the village, she will attempt to hide in the back of their explorer. Unless the characters are explicitly looking or being careful to prevent it, she will not be discovered until they are many hours away from town. For each hour of travel, there is a 5% cumulative chance that she will be discovered (i.e. 5% after one hour, 10% after 2 hours, and so on).

Because she ranges round the town and mine so much, she won’t be missed until near the end of the day that the PCs leave. At which point, if they haven’t discovered her and let the village know that she is with them, they will get a call on their radiophone asking if they have seen her. At which point she will accidentally give herself away in the back of the vehicle.

Alyssa has dressed and packed for an adventure. She is wearing jeans, shirt and boot, and has a backpack containing a jacket, 2 liters of water, 4 days of travel rations, an all-weather blanket, a compass, a pocket tool, and a change of clothes. She also has a chronocom and the short sword she received from Talnor on her birthday.

She wants to have an adventure and will do anything she can to convince the PCs to let her stay with them. The referee should play up her excitement, desire to explore and learn, and willingness to help the PCs anyway she can to try to convince them to keep her with them as long as possible.

Further Interactions

What the PCs do with her is up to them. Depending on when they discover her and where they are at, they can return to the village delaying what they were working on or can decide to keep her with them.

Returning her home will result in a severe scolding for her from her parents and profuse thanks to the PCs for keeping her safe. The longer they keep her with them, the less profuse the thanks will be, however, as her family will be worried about her.

On the other hand, if the PCs keep Allysa with them, she will be obedient and helpful, although very curious and inquisitive about what they are doing. She realizes she is there only at their whim and wants to stay on the PCs’ good side. It’s up to the referee to decide on the final responses and repercussions from the village and Streel for whatever course the PCs choose.

The Village of Rosegard

Originally, I had planned to have one more Mapping Rosegard video here that covered adding in the labels for the roads and making the black and white version of the map you’ll see below but for some reason, the audio didn’t record, only the video. Since I didn’t want (or really have the time) to do a voice over, and it’s not that important of a topic, I decided just to drop it. Also, it is something I can easily cover in a future series.

So instead, you’re getting the post that I had originally planned for the beginning of next week, the final maps along with the write-up on the town proper.

Rosegard

History

Rosegard is located about 400 km northwest of Point True. It was founded shortly after the Great Sathar War as part of the resettlement effort initiated by the Pale government. It originally consisted of six human families that set up homesteads in the valley using the agriculture subsidies the government provided to encourage development of farming to supply food for the population. Over time, the small village has grown to include 13 families, many of the additional families are children of the original settlers that went away to school and then returned.

While there is no shortage of technology in the village, it is still primarily an agricultural center. Most of the actual agriculture work is done by robots but supervised by the towns inhabitants. The technological specialists in town keep the robots, vehicles, and computer systems running to manage the farm production. Every week, trucks arrive to pick up crops to take into the larger population centers to sell.

About 18 years ago, one of the villagers was up exploring in the mountains and discovered a vein of gold that had been revealed by some recent erosion. Lacking the infrastructure to properly mine the valuable resource themselves, the village brokered a deal with Streel (formerly known as Streele Mining before the war) to lease the company the rights to the mine. The mine proved to be more lucrative than either party imagined and is still active to this day.

The village’s income from the mine amounts to several million credits every year. That money is held in trust and used to maintain the village infrastructure, pay for primary and secondary education for all of the village youth, and other expenses as needed.

There is a very good relationship between the workers at the mine and the city. In addition to providing additional revenue to the village, the mine employs the village’s technical workers (the technician, roboticist, and computer specialist) to help assist with work at the mine in addition to their own staff. The mine staff also takes advantage of the medical facilities provided in the village. Reciprocally, the village invites the mine staff down for any town activities and has integrated them as part of the community. The youth often go up to the mine to see operations there and the mine staff often come down to teach mini-lectures in the village school.

Inhabitants

Original Homesteading Families

These are the senior members of the community who originally founded it. Their houses are located around the circular loop at the north end of town. These families primarily work the agriculture portion of the village’s activities.

Genio & Kathy Washy – Genio is the town mayor. They have two older children living at home. They live in the home on the same plot as the General Store. Kathy is a horticulturist and is responsible for tending the rose hedges in the central part around the gazebo. It is these rose gardens that gave the village its name.
Martin & Jenne Lexand – They have two children living at home. They live in the home on the same plot as the Technician shop/Garage.
Steven & Janie Hite – They have three kids living at home.
Matthua & Julie Colly – They have three kids living at home.
Jon & Jessa Smeson – They have a single child living at home
Reme & Kayelyn Marte – The youngest of the original settlers, they still have four children living at home

Newer Families

These families are younger, many of them being the older kids of the earlier settlers. Their houses are built around the block on the west side of town.

Rickern & Mikaela Bennez – Mikaela is the second child of Jon & Jessa Smeson and the town’s roboticist having studied at Pale University. Rickern helps manage the Smeson farm. They have three children.
Mese & Braealyn Washy – Mese is the oldest child of Genio & Kathy Washy. They run the town’s General Store and have three kids, ages 17, 14, & 12 who also help out at the store when not in school.
Larroy & Camryn Tinnett – Camryn is the daughter of Steven & Janie Hite and is the town’s computer specialist having studied at the Triad Institute of Technology. Larroy is a veterinarian and works with the village doctor. They have a single daughter, Allyssa, age 12.
Rickey & Ilana Cooker – Rickey and Ilana met Camryn at school and she convinced them to move to Pale when she returned home. Ilana is the town doctor and also has some veterinarian skills. Rickey helps work the Hite farm with his in-laws. They have four kids.
Benjoe & Abbil Leray – Benjoe is a childhood friend of Rickern Bennez and became enamored of the quite life in Rosegard when visiting one year. Both he and Abbil are teachers and work at the village’s school. They have five children
Joshua & Miya Welley – Josh and Miya are the newest members of the village and the only ones that didn’t have an immediate connection when then arrived. As the village grew, the need for a city clerk arose and Miya was hired to handle the administrative affairs of the growing village. She works in the City Center handling a wide variety of tasks for the town. Joshua is a teacher and works with the Leray’s in the town’s school.
Mikkel & Danielle Lexand – Mikkel is the son of Martin and Jenne Lexand and is the town’s technician running the garage/tech shop in town. Danielle helps out on the Lexand farm. They have one child.

City Buildings

General Store

This building contains a wide variety of goods that are used regularly by the small village. While a lot of the supplies are foodstuffs and farming supplies, there are a number of small high tech wares as well. Larger items, such as robots, most weapons, and vehicles, have to be special ordered in from Point True but the store has access to the full Streel and PGC catalog and anything ordered will arrive in 2-4 days.

Technician/Garage

This is where Mikkel keeps all the village’s vehicles and equipment running. It has room inside to work on three vehicles at any one time. It is a fully equipped and modern repair shop and any Technician skill checks performed using this area gain a +10% bonus.

City Community Center

This large building consists of two stories, unlike all the other buildings in town. The lower level is a large gathering hall used for town activities and celebrations. The upper level contains the city offices where Miya works as well as the village’s central computer system. There are also half a dozen guest rooms that function as the village’s inn when they have overnight visitors. While most of the rooms can be used by any race, one of them is specifically appointed with furniture designed for the Vrusk anatomy. Across the street to the north, and directly east of the building are large grass fields used for outdoor activities as well.

School

The village’s school is where the younger kids spend their day getting their primary education. It is divided into several small classrooms where specialized classes can be presented dependent on age and ability level. Because of the small number of children in the village, there are not really “traditional” classes and each child has a workstation where they receive individual and tailored instruction based on their needs and interests. The school is very high tech and state-of-the-art. A lot of the village’s mine revenue has gone into its education facilities. As such the children in the village are often smarter and sharper than would be expected for their age.

Computer/Robotics Shop

Mikaela and Camryn share this building to work on the villages computers and robots. While the building is mostly given over to tech space to work on the various agriculture robots used by the village, there is also some space given over to computer repair as well. This building also houses a backup computer system for the village. If PC’s are looking for computer or robotic parts, they are more likely to find them here than at the General Store. The facilities here are top notch and any computer or robotics repair or upgrade attempts receive a +10% skill bonus.

Doctor’s Office

This small office has a small operating room, and three patient rooms in addition to the foyer and waiting area. Dr. Cooker has a small office here as well. The building is designed for patients of the core four races and while they do handle veterinary duties, those occur on location outside the office. Like the other areas in the town, the facilities here are of an higher than average grade and all medical checks made in the facility gain a +10% skill bonus.

Alternate maps

In addition to the main map above, I created one with no labels and another one in black and white. These two maps are presented below.

No Labels

Final full color map with labels removed — Final map with the labels removed. Click for full sized image (~6MB)

Black & White

Black and white version of full map with labels — Final Rosegard map in black and white (with labels) – Click for full sized image (~2MB)

And that’s it for Rosegard for now. Next up I’ll be shifting gears back to the Ghost Ship Osiris module and you’ll be getting some information on the star system the adventure takes place in.

Mapping Rosegard – Part 4

In this segment we finish up the map by adding in some small details such as driveways, a fence around the school yard, a scale, and then add in the labels on the public buildings. The earlier videos can be found here: part 1, part 2, part 3.

With the map finished we export the final finished version.

I will be doing one more video related to this map and then will post the final map for everyone to use if they wish.

Mapping Rosegard – Part 3

In this segment, I show how I add in the textures for the lawns, asphalt for the road, farm fields and some gravel paths and borders around the grass to keep the lawns and the farm fields separate. I also add in a couple trees (more will get added later.

You can check out part 1 and part 2 if you haven’t watched them yet.

I’ll finish up the landscaping before recording part 4 where I’ll add in the labels and any finishing touches to the map.

Mapping Rosegard – Part 2

This is part 2 of the video series outlining the creation of the final Rosegard map. If you haven’t watched it yet, here is part 1.

In this segment, I create a custom pattern to use for the roof tiles of the buildings and then create a few of the buildings in the town to show how it will be done, including one of the buildings around the loop at the top of the map that is not aligned NS-EW like the others.

Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions below.

Mapping Rosegard – Part 1

This is going to be a multipart video series showing how I use Inkscape to turn my hand-drawn sketch of the Rosegard village map (the map shown in the Outline of the Death at Rosegard Adventure Project) into a final polished map.

It will probably be full of fumblings, mistakes, and other ramblings as I get back up to speed with using Inkscape as well as get used to narrating out loud what I’m doing, as I’m doing it. This is my first foray into this type of presentation so be patient.

In any case, here’s the first video:

I’ve created an Expanding Frontier playlist as part of my YouTube channel. Feel free to bookmark it or just watch for new posts as I make them here.

Please let me know what comments or suggestions you have in the comment section below.

Trey Mulden, Bounty Hunter and Breeder

This article was supposed to come out last week but work intervened and I was severely lacking in free time to get it finished and published. Sorry about the delay.

Trey was born on Lossend in the Timeon system. He came to Pale as part of the liberation force in the Great Sathar War. He participated in a few skirmishes with remnants of the sathar force on the planet but primarily was involved in efforts to eradicate the sathar bio-monsters. Like all members of the liberating forces, he was offered full citizenship if he stayed after the war. Trey decided to accept the offer and remained on Pale.

In the post-war years, he worked a variety of jobs to assist in rebuilding Point True but quickly became disenchanted with the work in the city. Deciding to put his wartime training to use, he joined a bounty hunting group that continued to search out and eradicate the sathar bio-monsters. While most of those he started with either gave up the hunt or became prey to the very creatures they were hunting, Trey excelled at the work and enjoyed it.

Trey has been hunting the sathar monsters for decades now and has been quite successful making a comfortable living from the bounties collected. However, in the last ten to fifteen years, the number of monsters has begun to dwindle, either because of successful hunting or some other process. Either way, Trey was beginning to seen his income drop to levels that he felt was unacceptable.

Rather than embark on a new line of work, he decided on another path. He had often joked with his companions that it would be easier to catch a few breeding pairs and raise their kids for the bounties instead of trying to hunt them in the wild. As his income began to drop, he decided to try just that.

Setting up a remote outpost in the mountains NW of Point True, Trey captured a number of the sathar creatures and instead of killing them for the bounty, began breeding them and raising them. Thus he could kill one of the captive creatures and collect the bounty whenever he needed additional income. He also began offering a live capture service to those who wanted live specimens to study. Since owning and breeding the sathar creatures was illegal, he has kept his operation in the shadows.

For decades he had been in contempt of the creatures as aberrations and was more than happy to hunt and kill them. That attitude persisted for the first few years of his captive breeding program. It was just a source of income. He even continued to hunt wild creatures in addition to collecting the bounties on his bred creatures. However, about six to seven years ago, his attitude toward the creatures changed. He no longer saw them as aberrations or with contempt but rather as amazing creatures with positive qualities. While he still bred the creatures and killed some for their bounties, he no longer hunted wild creatures and began to increase the number he raised, releasing those he didn’t kill for bounties into the wild.

Always fairly reclusive, he has become even more so since he started his breeding program and especially so since he started releasing the sathar creatures into the wild. He has had little direct, personal contact with anyone in several years beyond delivering proof when needed of his kills to collect the bounty income that supports him.

Trey Munden

Human, male, age 63

STR/STA: 55/45
DEX/RS: 55/55
INT/LOG: 45/50
PER/LDR: 30/30
PS: +3, IM: +6, Ranged: Beam 70%, Projectile 50%, Melee: 53%

PSA: Military
Skills: Projectile weapons 5, Melee weapons 2, Beam weapons 2, Technician 2, Environmental 3, Medic 2

Equipment: Military Skeinsuit, Auto pistol w/ 4 clips, autorifle w/ 4 clips, sonic sword w/ 2 clips, chronocom, toxy-rad guage, sungoggles.

GM Notes

Trey Munden’s change of attitude toward the sathar creatures is not an artifact of his close association with them through his breeding program. Rather it is due to an encounter he had with an actual sathar during one of his hunting expeditions. The sathar caught him unaware and successfully hypnotized him. Upon learning of his already existent breeding program, the sathar shifted his mindset about the creatures and set him on a path of breeding more and releasing them into the wild. Trey has no recollection of this encounter and firmly believes that the ideas and actions he has taken over the past few years are completely his own.

He is directly responsible for the creation of the lesser quickdeath. It was partially intentional, and partially a side effect of the selection of quickdeath to kill and turn in for bounties. Each year he would select the largest of the quickdeaths to kill as the size of the quickdeaths for which he collected the bounties figured somewhat into his reputation. Because of this, he was often breeding smaller and smaller specimens. After his encounter with the sathar, this became even more deliberate and focused. The larger pack behavior of the lesser quickdeath is due to the fact that they were raised together and naturally formed those bonds.

Encountering Munden

As part of the Death at Rosegard adventure, the PCs will not directly encounter Trey. However, they will have an opportunity to search his breeding compound, recently deserted, and learn about his activities. If the Referee wants to add additional encounters or the PCs want to chase him down, he provides an additional side adventure that they can engage in.

The Lesser Quickdeath

Here’s another critter that the PCs are going to have a run-in with while investigating at Rosegard. It’s a variation on a Star Frontiers classic.

Image showing head, neck, and tentacles of the quickdeath — Quickdeath by Don Freeman

Lesser Quickdeath
Type:	Medium Carnivore
Number:	2-4
Move:	Very Fast (120 m/turn)
IM/RS:	8/75
STA:	100
Attack:	60
Damage:	4d10 bite, claws
Special Attack:	Poison dart S10/T3, (RW 60, 10/20/30/40/50), attacks extra creature with maw (10 points damage)
Special Defense:	Immune to needler weapons; ½ damage from laser or projectile weapons, 70% chance will remain unseen until within 100m
Native World:	Sathar attack monster bred on Pale – all terrains

Description

The lesser quickdeath is a smaller version of the full-size quickdeaths which were originally released on Pale during the Sathar War and encountered on Volturnus. Where the full-sized quickdeath is about 5m long, the lesser quickdeaths are only about 3m in length. While individually smaller and less powerful, the lesser quickdeaths hunt in packs of 3-4 creatures instead of the solitary or breeding pair nature of the full-sized creatures.

While not as fast as the full-sized version (max speed is only 72 kph instead of 100 kph) they otherwise resemble their larger ancestors. Its great legs resemble those of a jaguar. They maintain the claws on their legs, keeping them razor sharp. These claws are used to attack prey and for climbing. Three sets of smaller, tentacle-like limbs which end in suction cups grow from the quickdeath’s sides. These limbs are used to catch unwary prey and stuff the victims into the quickdeath’s digestive maw. Any creature in the maw takes 10 points of damage until it frees itself (as if breaking free from a hold).

The quickdeath has a long, flexible neck that ends in a snout and large mouth. It has four eyes which are mounted on retractable stalks near the top of its head. The creature’s brain is located at the base of its neck. When the quickdeath strikes, it retracts its eye stalks making it nearly blind. With a successful attack, there is a 50% chance it will actually strike something other than its intended target if that object is roughly the same size as the target and within 2 meters of the target’s position.

The quickdeath also has a long, whip-like tail that can fling a poisonous dart once every four hours. It typically uses this dart as it first engages in melee to strike a secondary, more distant target if one exists.

The quickdeath’s hide is covered by a moist, reflective armor provides excellent camouflage making it nearly invisible until it approaches within 100 meters. Ouickdeaths are constantly on the move, seeking to appease their hearty appetites.

The female can lay hundreds of eggs each year, typically burying them deep in the sand or soil. Egg caches can contain up to 50 eggs (4d10 + 11). The first young hatchling eats the remaining eggs as its first meal, and then sets out to begin its lifelong search for more food.

Ouickdeaths are not native to Pale. The Sathar used advanced genetic manipulation to create them from a common type of cat found throughout the universe. During the invasion of Pale, they released hundreds of these in the area around Point True to terrorize any survivors outside the city. These lesser quickdeaths have only recently been sighted in the areas north and west of Point True in the last couple of years. Originally thought to be adolescents, examination of recently killed specimens show them to be a fully grown subspecies.

GM Notes

There are still many full-sized quickdeaths on Pale. You can use the normal stats for those from page 19 of SF0: Crash on Volturnus for other encounters on the planet. However, the full-sized versions do not figure into this adventure.

The lesser quickdeaths are a newly bred version of the larger creature. They have been bred by a former bounty hunter and recently released into the wild. He originally was simply breeding quickdeaths as a “safer” way to collect the bounties on the creatures. However, about 10 years ago, he had an encounter with some sathar on Pale and was converted to their cause. He has been working on this new version of the creature since then and has been releasing them into the wild for only a couple of years. The lesser quickdeaths are currently only found in the areas around his breeding facility.

Currently there are only about 50 lesser quickdeaths on the planet but their numbers are slowly growing and their range on the planet is increasing.

Carlos Kildare (Quickdeath Bounty Hunter)

Life has been a bit crazy recently and I haven’t posted anything for a couple of weeks but progress is being made. I should be getting several post up over the next couple of weeks. We start this month off with an NPC that you might encounter while traveling in the outback on Pale, Carlos Kildare. The Death at Rosegard adventure features an opportunity for the PC’s to meet and possibly work with Carlos. That interaction will be detailed in a different post but for now, here is his description and stats.

Carlos Kildare

Quickdeath hunter

Carlos was born on Minotaur but emigrated to Pale when the planet was first colonized. He is a first-wave colonist but has become a bit of curmudgeon as he has aged. Carlos is the classic “been there, done that and got the scars to prove it” sort of character that you might meet around the Frontier.

He grew up in Point True and was present when the sathar landed at the outset of the First Sathar War. He joined the Aletheia Resistance Band and fought the alien invaders for the duration of the war. With the defeat of the sathar fleets in space and material support from the Pan Galactic Corporation, the government of Pale inducted all the resistance fighters into ad hoc army formations. Carlos attained the rank of sergeant in one of these rag tag militia formations but left the military after the sathar infantry were wiped out on Pale.

Since that time he’s done well collecting bounties on sathar attack monsters that were let loose during the war. He uses a modified Snow Panther track vehicle (stats below) to get around. For a time right after the war, there was a glut of bounty hunters seeking quick cash but the pickings have become slim and only a few hardcore hunters remain in the business. Carlos had his crew quit after a recent run of bad luck and is seeking extra hands for his team.

He has also recently been diagnosed with a nearly inoperable cancer. He could allow the doctors to attempt to treat it but the “cure” will leave him weak and change little or nothing. He would rather spend his time going after bounties and may have a bit of a death wish.

Stats

Human, Male

Age: 140
STR/STA: 45/55
DEX/RS: 60/60
INT/LOG: 35/40
PER/LDR: 35/50
PS: +3, IM: +6, Ranged: Beam 70%, Projectile 50%, Melee: 53%
PSA: Military
Skills: Beam weapons 4, Melee weapons 3, Projectile weapons 2, Technician 2
Equipment: Military Skeinsuit, Sonic Disruptor & power belt, Machete, chronocom, ID, sun goggles, and military issue parka and snow pants.
Equipment stowed in the Snow Panther: 2 holo projectors and a type 3 parabattery, a kerosene powered type 1 generator, five 5 gallon jerry cans (for kerosene), 3 electro stunners, two pikes (pole arms), 4 solvaway, 5 tangler grenades, 5 frag grenades, 1 auto rifle, a dozen 20 SEU clips and 6 auto rifle clips, survival food & water, a single wire electric fence (100 m long with 20 SEU clip- acts as a stun stick if anything touches the wire), a depleted med kit (enough Biocort and supplies to perform first aid twice as well as 4 doses of anti-tox), and a half depleted tech kit (50% chance the kit is missing the part you need for the current skill check).

The Snow Panther

Vehicle:               Snow Panther
Cost (Cr):             17,500
Top Speed:         75 kph (125m/turn)
Cruise Speed:    60 kph (100m/turn)
Acceleration:     40m/turn
Deceleration:    30m/turn
Turn speed:       70 m/turn
Passengers:        6
Cargo Limits:      3000 kg, 8 cubic meters

The Snow Panther is a tracked working vehicle designed for the bitter cold of the planet Pale’s environment. Most that are used in the outback are optimized to be lived in with fold down cots, a small camp stove and a space heater. With a full complement of passengers, it can be a bit crowded but is still workable.

Kildare’s Snow Panther has been modified with a roof hatch and the roof has a low railing running around the roof. There is also a winch and swing arm for lifting heavy objects to the roof as well as a power port that connects to the parabattery. On the sides and back of the vehicle is a folding catwalk with railing that is just wide enough for one person to walk on. While the cat walk is deployed it is possible to walk on it entirely around the vehicle (but off the ground) except in front.

Note: The generator will operate for four hours on five gallons of fuel. It has a full tank and the jerry cans are full so the generator can be run for a total of 24 hours producing 500 SEU/hour. The snow panther uses 1 SEU/kilometer to travel. The life support systems and cook stove use 2 SEU/day.