SoT Book 5 Chapter 2 - The Red Planet

Today we'll be doing a few things. First, we'll be slightly revamping how Akiton's weather works (and indeed, severe temperatures in general!) to make it matter more on the scale of hours and days. In the main bulk of the post, however, we'll be fleshing out some aspects of Akiton - writing actual descriptions to help GMs introduce the PCs to different areas, figuring out how difficult finding information on various topics would be, and making the Scenario Structure surrounding Skartitch and Tan-Takneh a little more robust!

I'll be organizing it by section. First, general mechanics surrounding Akiton. Then, the Hall of Reason - better descriptions and doing research. Finally, Seldo and the surrounding conflict. I actually also updated one of my previous posts on Chapter 1 to outline how players can research Akiton and find the spells they need to survive it!

Let's jump in!

Akiton Mechanics

I made a few tweaks to the bit on page 69 (nice) to make it even weirder! Though basically that meant fleshing out / changing how we handled Temperature to make it actually matter, and adding in some weirder shit to make the planet feel more alien. Everything else from page 69 I kept!

Atmosphere

I ran this as written - just including this section to note that my players used planar palace to sleep safely and bottled air (1 per person who wasn't a Master) to get through the day. I let them find the spells/recipes in the Hall of Enlightenment, as described below.

Temperature

I kind of hate the rules for dangerous temperatures because of how trivial healing is in PF2. Minor damage (1d6-2d6) basically doesn't matter unless you're like, level 1.Moderate damage (4d6-6d6) is better, and I think including this damage for Incredible temperatures is fine (esp. every minute), but that's pretty rare! While you could just bump the damage, I prefer the following solution:

Tracking Time: Watches

Both Gathering Information in Seldo and the temperatures rules use 4-hour blocks. In many games, this is called a Watch. Characters can do things for 3 Watches per day without penalty. If they act in a 4th Watch, they must make a DC 30 Fortitude save* or be Fatigued, and they become Fatigued automatically for each Watch they act in beyond that.

*This DC is for Akiton, though the DC varies by region!

Every watch in adverse temperatures, 

• In Mild weather (Cold/Hot), characters must make a Fortitude save every Watch, and are Fatigued on a Failure. This is negated by weather-specific clothing.
• In Severe weather, characters must make a Fortitude save every Watch. On a Failure, they are Fatigued and Clumsy 1, or Clumsy 2 on a Critical Failure. (Clumsy goes away if you later Succeed, though Fatigued does not, it requires rest as normal.)

What about weather-specific clothing? I think it basically reduces the Clumsy or Enfeebled values by 1

Stacking Fatigue

If a character would be Fatigued from multiple sources (e.g. from lack off acclimation to the atmosphere and from the temperature, or one of those and acting for more than 3 watches), keep track of how many (e.g. Fatigued 2). It takes that many good nights sleeps to successfully clear your fatigue.

Making it Weird

Money. You're welcome to just use gold and such, but I think it's fun to make the currency some kind of crystals, and make normal money kinda useless! I called them Kyats, with 1 Kyat = 1 Gold, but there's no one to like, easily exchange them, so PCs are gonna wanna sell items (or gold, as a crafting material) for half price. Maybe Platinum can be sold for full price since it's more useful for crafting?

Time. If you want to put the players off balance, call days on Akiton 20 hours (5 Watches) instead of 24 (6)! Let's just call it 2 watches of darkness, 3 of light in this season. Fatigue still works the same though, so you either sleep for 2 out of 5 Watches or you start pushing your sleep into the daylight hours.

The Hall of Reason

I'm not usually a fan of boxed text, but honestly, there are a few places where some really good boxed text (or the equivalent in well-placed bullet points) could really help the GM convey the feel of the world. As it stands, there's a lot of disparate information to pull together that's spread out throughout the book. Some of these, I already ran and gave worse descriptions than the below haha because I didn't prepare, the others are my prep for the next few sessions.

Description: Beyond the Door

While I understand why boxed text usually doesn't include creatures (to make it useful on repeat visits to the room, or if the creatures leave/die/etc). Not only does this does generally limit the usefulness of boxed text (and is part of why I prefer bullet points), but in this case it makes it basically useless to read aloud. If you're going to use boxed text, in my opinion you ought to use it to convey not just the literal details (bullet points are better for this), but the vibes and the action as well. Boxed text should be for moments, not general descriptions. With that in mind, here's my best effort at revising the boxed text on page 37 for the Chamber of Meditation:

As the magical light fades and the aftershocks of teleporting between worlds begin to recede, you feel untethered, as light as a feather, and you have to focus not to hyperventilate in the thinner air. A large red room comes further into view with each blink of your bleary eyes. You see flashes of color - overstuffed cushions of purple, green, and red; the yellowish-white of open books on dark brown tables; a gentle glowing blue that begins to spike in frequency, appearing all across the room. Your eyes focus around these lights, and with a start you see that the lights pulse within massive, protruding brains attached to atrophied, spiky bodies with both clawed hands and pincers. In a flurry of movement, seven of these creatures scatter, running around the room in a chaotic frenzy before shoving forward the eighth creature and taking cover behind tables and shelves. That last creature looks around at them nervously, and then turns to you defiantly. You all hear a voice in your head say haltingly, "Welcome to the Hall of Reason. If you are friends, then we apologize that we cannot extend proper hospitality at this time. Tell me, who are you, and what are you doing here?"

It's a big longer than the original boxed text, but pulls in a bunch of the info from the rest of the section.

Research in the Hall of Reason

The weather & conditions of Seldo are trivial to uncover details about. Research beyond that is difficult, but you might allow them to conduct research on the same topics as in Seldo but with a +2 or +5 to the DC.

Finding Spells in the Hall of Reason

If the players want to find Uncommon spells to help them in their quest, they can spend 1 day of downtime to make a check with the skill associated with the tradition, with a DC based on the spells rank. Library Lore decreases the DC by 5. Increase the DC by 5 for Arcane, Divine, or Primal spells (since the Contemplatives are Occult casters). Increase the DC by +5 for uncommon spells, or +10 for rare spells.

Description: Leaving the Hall of Reason

With this one, we want to highlight the mechanical differences of Akiton as well as create feelings of wonder and isolation from being on an alien planet.

Red sand kicks up around you as you take your first steps on an alien world. A cutting wind chills your bones as it howls through scattered sand dunes and rocky crags, blowing a bright blue tumbleweed through the desolate landscape. A crumbling red brick road leads onwards to your destination - each step is almost dangerously light, as if you might be blown away at every moment, and each breath is tight and labored as your body desperately grasps for more air than it can find. (go over mechanics of breathing, see page 69)

I'm then going to ask What is going through your minds as you set off in search of the legendary founder of your school and his greatest foe?

Seldo

Description: Reaching Seldo

Like the previous descriptions, with this description I want to pull out the details of the world and highlight how alien it is. Seldo is basically a space-western town, and it should feel like it! My biggest frustration though is that the description is just like "yeah here's all the types of creatures here," but just names them, rather than giving useful descriptions. Meaning that the GM has to flip to that section, find the visual info, and pass it on, rather than being able to run what's in front of them. Here's my best go:

You see on the horizon a squat, boxy looking city full of glittering lights, sprawling out into the wastes and surrounded by a ramshackle wall made of various metal plates welded together. Above that, you see small vehicles flying under neon streetlamps in front of massive signs advertising all manner of goods and services. You see an open gateway with two heavily-armed ratfolk guards, with futuristic looking rifles and armor, and beyond them chaotic, busy streets.

And then once the PCs head through the gates: 

You enter into a sprawling city, with countless figures rushing to and for beneath the neon lights, many pausing to look at you before continuing on - dozens of skittering ratfolk, red-scaled reptilian humanoids with a variety of strange adaptations (some have large tusks, others hardened scales, with some as small as a halfling and others taller than the largest orc), massive ant-like creatures with elongated torsos (almost like a centaur), 4-armed blue humanoids with tusks, mostly wearing futuristic looking armor and several wielding sleek, high-tech firearms, and what appear to be humans but with red skin. Large vehicles haul goods, small ones zoom past with individual riders, and several figures call out, joining the billboards above them in trying to sell all manner of strange items.

Ysoki "Tour Guides" and Pickpockets

It's baffling to me that they included a paragraph on this without any detail? I feel like Paizo adventures are so overwritten, but still miss key things - this is such a great opportunity, fully squandered.

Here's a d6 table you can roll on to see which Ysoki come up to them offering things! (Note: if the PCs clearly refuse all comers, feel free to just describe how several others come up to offer "services" as well!)

1. Mek (she/her). Works for Skartitch. Will act friendly, try to follow them / overhear any convos, and draw them into an ambush if they seek to betray him.
2. Drevar (he/him). Will directly try to steal from the PCs.
3. Nex (she/her). Will try to maneuver PCs into places her friends can steal from them (1 gp/direction anyway).*
4. Poki (they/them). Okay guide, but loves messing with the PCs (1 sp/direction).*
5. Bog (he/him). solid guide, though expensive (1 gp/direction).*
6. Ren (she/her). solid guide, pretty cheap (1 sp/direction).*

*Or you can use Kyat! 1 Kyat ~ 1 GP, and you can say 1 SP ~ 1 Bec, or something

Mechanically, they all have a +20 to acrobatics, deception, stealth, thievery, and reflex saves, and a +15 to athletics, perception, fort saves, and will saves. They also have the pickpocket feat.

Research in Seldo

Timing: Each check to Gather Information takes 1 watch (see above), as does the journey to Seldo. 

In addition to researching the King of Biting Ants, the PCs might try of find information about Skartitch or Tan-Takneh to help them navigate the feud. Instead of listing skills, I've given a Base DC - feel free to adjust up or down based on PC tactics or relevant Lores. To compensate, you may want to reduce the RP thresholds for "Researching the Enemy" to 3/5/7/9/12, and the per-District maximum to 4 RP.

Researching Skartitch: Base DC 33. Critical Failure alerts Skartitch that the PCs were looking into her, and she sends 2 Shobhad Enforcers to bring them in for questioning.

• 0 Research Points As soon as the PCs ask about Skartitch, they are pointed to her Cantina. 
• 2 Research Points Skartitch Chip-Tooth has been the undisputed (though unofficial) leader of Seldo for several years. She takes an active interest in the prosperity and well-being of the city!
• 4 Research Points Skartitch rules not with an iron fist but with a hidden dagger - everyone knows this, though few dare to utter it out loud for fear of drawing her ire. The corpses of her foes and political rivals are never found.
• 6 Research Points Skartitch has grander aims beyond Seldo, and wants to move beyond raiding other settlements or appeasing powerful figures like the King of Biting Ants. She would do anything to increase her power and make Seldo truly independent.

Researching Tan-Takneh: Base DC 35. Special: If the PCs look into Tan-Takneh after accepting Skartitch's offer, 

At 3 Research Points, an agent of Tan-Takneh (see page ##) comes up to them to suggest that Tan-Takneh might have an alternate offer!

• 0 Research Points It's easy to find info on Shobhad generally, and many people know that Tan-Takneh did some mercenary work for Skartitch.
• 2 Research Points Tan-Takneh is a dangerous sniper and a brilliant mechanic. He has a reputation for being hard to take unawares due to his cleverly crafted auto-turrets.
• 4 Research Points Tan-Takneh's family lives in the nearby wastes, which have become increasingly dangerous as several deadly wildlife have increasingly moved into the area.
• 6 Research Points A few people know that he is trying to evacuate them to a safer area, and that the Sand Racers were merely a means to that end. Other methods might also be effective!

Researching the Deal: Base DC 35. (Also works if the PCs look into what Skartitch has been up to recently)

• 0 Research Points Skartitch has put out a hit on Tan-Takneh, claiming he's been harassing her for no reason.
• 2 Research Points They had a falling out after Tan-Takneh helped Skartitch secure several Sand Racers. The official story is that Tan-Takneh is demanding more than his fair share.
• 4 Research Points The dispute was over payment - Tan-Takneh insists he was offered half of Skartitch's sand racers. Skartitch insists the payment was never solidified in advance.
• 6 Research Points A nervous Ysoki will confirm that Skartitch did indeed promise half the racers up front and then dart off into an alleyway before giving their name.

Finding the King of Biting Ants

As written, there's only one way to find the Mandibles of Fate: get Skartitch to give you the information, and use her sand racers to catch up to it! This is a very solid option, and the dilemma between Tan-Takneh and Skartitch is very interesting, but I am very proud to say that I've trained my players to engage with the world more robustly! They have not yet landed on Diplomacy as an option (which is strange for them, but maybe they will next session), as Skartitch has a pretty mean reputation, but they are already thinking about other ways to acquire the sand racers and other ways to locate the airship! So, let's flesh that out a bit!

Acquiring Sand Racers

There are a few options presented in the book that are relatively straightforward:

• Kill Tan-Takneh for Skartitch. She will give them as many Sand Racers as there are PCs.
• Kill Skartitch for Tan-Takneh. They can divide up the Sand Racers between them!
• Negotiate a Truce. I really like that this is included! However, I don't think the book does a good job outlining the consequences of these potential compromises, so I'll add some clarity / revisions below.

What do the Truce Compromises actually mean in play? They should definitely make things harder for the PCs, but not impossible - after all, they did a great thing by making peace!

• Doubling Up on Sand Racers. If the PCs convince Skartitch to return to her original deal, they'll only have half as many! In this case, increase the DCs of all Piloting checks by 2.
• Loaning Tan-Takneh the Racers. As written, they lose 2 days out of 2 total weeks (presumably 14 days). This feels too minor - they would basically have to get the 0-2 result for all 4 obstacles and get pretty unlucky (or on 3 obstacles and get extremely unlucky). I think instead of 2 weeks, the PCs have only 10 days. If they take longer, the Airship has left the location it was last in and they'll have to find it again.
• Why 10? It's nice and round, and means that a result of "less than 0" requires you to do very well to still catch the airship.
•  I am skeptical of the "less than 0 racing points" ever coming up, but if it does, 1. Damn, you really fucked up, and 2. it means that you basically have to be perfect in order to still catch the Airship in time. That feels correct to me!
• It also means that the 0-2 result is bad, but manageable as long as you get a little lucky or it's not the only result you pick.
• All that being said, 2 days is suddenly a pretty big chunk of your original 10! If you'd rather keep it at 2 weeks, I'd have Tan-Takneh's moving take a full week (or 5 days if you wanna be nice), but personally I think it's reasonable that at a certain point the Airship wouldn't be in the same place anymore!
• Any other delays once the PCs talk to Skartitch should also lose them a day of Pursuit, because Skartitch's information isn't live.

In the next post on Chapter 3, I'll talk more about restructuring this race (ever so slightly, I think it's mostly solid), but for now I'll leave it at that!

What other options exist? Most of them will boil down to Stealth or Trickery. I don't think the infiltration subsystem really fits here, but you can use it if you want - instead, I'm going to run things loosey goosey, make the players deal with the obstacles in front of them, and have Failures draw some attention and Critical Failures lead to automatic detection! (The 3rd Failure probably does as well)

• Entrances: As written, the Front Door (C1) might work for a social plan, or the empty lot (C6) for a more sneaky plan.
• I'm also adding ceiling vents in the Garage (C5), since the exhaust from the vehicles wouldn't want to stay trapped indoors. They're open during the day, closed at night, and can be opened with a DC 30 Crafting check (failure alr
• Defenses: There are 2 Shobhad Enforcers in each of the Empty Lot and the Garage next door, so they'd have to either be tricked or distracted/pulled away.
• With Perception +29 (DC 39) and Will +27 (DC 37) that won't be easy, however - PCs will do well to use Invisibility or Disguises, effectively granting +4 to their checks (simulating Greater Cover). Distractions might also lower the DCs by 2, or 4 for a really good distraction.
• Getting Out: To escape with the Sand Racers, they'll have to be driven out! A separate Piloting Check must be made for each one (though if Tan-Takneh is present, he automatically succeeds). Unless the PCs Sabotage all the Sand Racers they aren't using (DC 35 Crafting for each, or some kind of explosive/damage though that is LOUD - there are a number of Sand Racers equal to twice the number of PCs), this likely results in a chase!

What would a Sand Racer Chase look like? Personally, I would alternate between Group Piloting Checks (see below) and asking the PCs what they do to try to shake their pursuers! Base DC 35, adjusted up/down for particularly bad or good tactics, or for relevant Lores (e.g. Driving Lore).

• Each time the PCs succeed, they manage to shake off one of their pursuers! (To start, there are a number equal to the number of PCs, with the rest staying behind to guard the Cantina - unless the PCs sabotaged enough racers to reduce that number!)
• If they fail 3 checks, their pursuers have caught up with them, and it's combat (though if they've already had some successes, not all of them)! Since this will likely be on the backs of Sand Racers, maybe read the Vehicle Rules.
• Group Checks can be run in one of two ways. My preference is to have the PC with the lowest modifier roll (since everyone else ought to do at least as well), and just use their result, but you could also basically use Victory Points, requiring a number equal to more than half the PCs to count as a success.

Experience. Regardless, if the PCs manage to sneak in, get the sand racers, and escape, award the XP as if they defeated all 4 Shobhad enforcers (though don't double up if they had to fight any) as soon as they leave Seldo for good. If they seem like they might be sticking around for a while, 

Locating the Mandibles of Fate

Even if the PCs get the Sand Racers, however, they still need to figure out where the Airship is! If they ally with Skartitch or make a truce, this is easy - Skartitch can just tell them! If they kill her or steal from her, however, things get a bit more complicated:

• Pickpocket Skartitch! I'm going to say that Skartitch keeps a notebook on her person that includes the Airships likely current location, as well as guesses as to where it might be going next. It also provides information that bumps the PCs knowledge of the Mandibles of Fate to the next tier.
• Search the Cantina! In addition to the notebook on her person, Skartitch has a map with the same location information. She usually keeps it locked in Weapon Storage (C4) (nice) when not using it. This map contains enough pattern history that if the PCs fail their first attempt, it will help them try again (see the next post for details).
• Divination Magic! The PCs can Scry on the Mandibles of Fate if they get a good description of it from someone who has seen it. This requires a DC 37 Spellcasting check (since Ships can't make Will saves), or DC 35 if the PCs have a clear drawing or plans of the Airship. Each PC can only attempt this check once per day (and each day lost beyond the first shortens the amount of time they have to chase it down!)
• Research! It is theoretically possible for the PCs to gather enough rumors, trace through records of past activity (such as at the Hall of Reason), or otherwise gather information such that they might be able to piece together a reasonable guess. Each such check takes 1 watch, and the PCs require RP equal to twice their number to find the Airship. (Or if you want to roll less, each check takes a day and they need a number of RP equal to the number of PCs.)
• Remember, each day spent researching is a day less they have to actually chase down the Airship!
• During this time, Skartitch will likely be trying to pay them back - she has several more Shobhad under her sway, as well as eyes and ears throughout the city!

That feels like a pretty reasonable set up! Enough options that the PCs don't have to do anything they aren't comfortable with in resolving the beef, but dealing with that (super interesting!) situation is probably still their best option.

I think that is, finally, all from me folks! That was a long one - I think that APs have a really hard time with exotic new settings, because there's so much that needs to be conveyed and so little page space. ultimately, though, I think this is all just some extra support for an already great chapter!

Next time, we'll talk about the Chase mechanics, and possibly some minor changes to the Mandibles of Fate, TBD. See you then!