shootingwomprats
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 Posted: Sun Aug 10, 2025 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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MINI-ADVENTURE: THE MASK OF NIHILUS
Crash-rumors on Volik point to a wreck bearing Sith relics. A Nihilus-cult cell and a smuggler crew are already stripping the site. The heroes must reach the crater, navigate Volik’s hazards, and keep the mask out of the worst hands—possibly including their own.
THE TRAIL OF THE MASK
Use this to kick off your Volik arc. It gives you patrons, a clue path, concrete rolls, and quick extras—so the party can actually find the Gale beacon on Mount Vorena and trace it to the abandoned base.
Jedi Patron
"Recover and destroy it."
Awards holocron access/formal gratitude.
Crime Lord
"Bring me the mask and your debts vanish."
Adds enforcers as shadows if they dally.
Noble Collector
"I’ll pay in art and favors."
Raises the price on their heads if they double-cross.
Research Phase
Find the Wavelength Gale
Goal: Learn that the Gale once ran Volik, placed a landing beacon on Mount Vorena, and cached loot at an abandoned base reachable by triangulating that beacon.
Track: Progress vs Setbacks: Accumulate 5 Progress before 3 Setbacks. Each successful check = +1 Progress. Each failure with complications = +1 Setback (and still reveal something, but with heat or cost).
Skills:
Planetary Systems (15).
scholar: Outer Rim piracy (15).
Investigation (15): Paper trail, search dock records.
Streetwise (15): Smuggler gossip.
Bargain, Con or Persuasion: Opposed vs opponent.
Communications (15): Old transponder logs.
Computer programming/repair (20): Salvage ledgers, encryption: Gale cypher (20).
1. The Wavelength Gale ran ash convoys during Nihilus’s era and feuded with the Red Fret cartel.
2. A narrowband landing beacon was placed atop Mount Vorena to guide through ash squalls.
3. Beacon uses a rotating phrase-key (“Gale-Kite”)—last seen 20+ years ago.
4. Ledger snippet names the Vorena Spur and “Vault-K” (the abandoned base) reachable by back-bearing the beacon’s lock tone.
5. A fragmentary map: Vorena North Face + coordinates for a rusted relay pylon half-way up.
Setback Examples: A Red Fret spotter clocks the PCs; a forged dock pass costs 500 cr; a librarian flags their queries—add a future tail or raise local Security alert by one step.
Red Fret. A Volik-based smuggler/raider cartel—rivals to the old Wavelength Gale. They’re named for the crimson hash-marks (“frets”) they paint on canyon walls, crates, and ship hulls to mark routes, tribute zones, and claimed salvage. Think ash-waste toll collectors turned pirates: they ambush crippled ships, fence artifacts, and run protection rackets across the Vorena canyons. The Gale and Red Fret feuded for years; any noise at the hidden cove can bring a Red Fret response team looking to seize the prize (or “tax” whoever found it). They fight in squads with carbines and scatterguns, use dyed smoke, and follow “fretcode” beacons keyed to those red trail marks.
Getting to Mount Vorena
Ash Wastes. Each hour in the open requires a Survival (15) to avoid an environmental -1D negative modifier to skill checks from caustic grit and gear fouling.
Ground Approach. Search (15) to find the start of an old Gale goat-trail on the North Face; fail, longer, exposed route (make an environmental check).
Climb the North Face. Climbing/jumping (20), failure, 4D fall (rope reduces to 2D), success by 5+ gives a safe stance for the party.
Razor Hail. Dodge (10) to avoid 3D nicks, shields/cloaks negate on a successful Survival assist.
The Vorena Beacon. Landing Beacon—Wavelength Gale "Kite-Mark" (device)
Sensors (15) if within 3 km line-of-sight; +5 to the difficulty in ash squalls unless communications (10) to tune filters.
Technical (15) to jury-rig stabilizing power.
Encryption (20): Decode phrase-key, +1D if ledger secured.
Back-Bearing to Base. The Wavelength Gale beacon uses a rotating phrase-key. When decoded, it emits a short “lock tone” that also wakes a buried relay on a nearby ridge. That relay replies on a fixed frequency you can bear (get a direction to) with ship/portable sensors.
Decode the Phrase-Key. Encryption (20). On success, the beacon emits a 1–2 second lock tone and pings the ridge relay.
Bearing Reading. Sensors (15) within line-of-sight-ish conditions. The players get a bearing wedge—a cone of possible directions centered on the best reading. (It’s imperfect due to ash, scatter, and old hardware.)
Move to a Second Spot and Repeat. The party repositions at least a few hundred meters (the farther the better—>500 m recommended), triggers another lock tone (no new encryption roll needed this scene), and rolls Sensors Moderate again for a second wedge.
Intersection. Draw both wedges on your map; where they overlap points to the abandoned base canyon. If the overlap is a long “lens,” it indicates a search strip rather than a point—send them to sweep that strip (e.g., search Moderate to find the concealed entrance).
Modifiers & Clarifications
Ash Squall (or no direct line to the ridge): +5 to the Sensors difficulty; extreme squall: +10.
Tighter Wedge: If a Sensors roll beats the difficulty by 5+, shrink that wedge to ±5°. If it barely succeeds (by 0–2), keep it at ±15°.
Only one wedge. Let them follow the centerline and then search Moderate (11–15) along canyon mouths for the concealed door; it takes longer and invites encounters.
No Map. Narrate: "Your first read points WSW; second read from the south trail crosses it just above Vorena Spur—there’s your canyon."
Fail Forward (if players can’t crack the encryption). Don’t stall the adventure on one bad roll. Give them a more dangerous, noisier way to progress.
Brute-Force Option. Have the players try a 3-check sequence with Communications (20), each taking 10 minutes of fiddling, sweeps, and filter tricks. Each success yields one useful outcome: First success: you isolate the right band (you can now try Sensors without the decode), Second success: you catch a partial lock tone → one bearing wedge (±15°), Third success: you refine the filter and get a cleaner wedge (±10°) or a second ping from a new perch for true triangulation. Each failure immediately triggers a complication:
Random scout shows up (smuggler/cult lookouts) or Ash-storm surge (Survival tests, gear fouling, visibility). Pick what fits and keep the process moving—don’t make them redo time already spent.
The Abandoned Gale Base. Hidden blast door under pumice. Search (20) to spot the cut seam; security or demolitions (20) to open without collapsing the lintel (collapse = 5D rubble, blocks route until cleared with lifts/hoists (15)).
Inside. Low power, trip-lines, and a dead drop locker containing an old Gale cipher rod (grants +1D to encryption with Gale systems).
Complication. Another team (cultists or smugglers) shadows the party using the same beacon; add them on a clock (arrive 1D rounds after breach).
Rumors (roll 1D6):
1. "The mask sings like a throat of wind—hear it and you must wear it."
2. "Vorena’s beacon still lives; the Gale left something humming in the ice."
3. "Red Fret burned the Gale out—but never cracked their vault."
4. "White mask, black hunger. It teaches tricks…and takes years."
5. "A noble on Brentaal paid for a sketch—and vanished the week after."
6. "Mask wasn’t theirs. They were couriers for someone worse."
Beacon
Model: Wavelength Gale "Kite-Mark" narrowband landing beacon
Type: Landing/approach guidance node (ancient smuggler tech)
Skill: Sensors (detect/lock), communications (filtering), encryption (phrase-key)
Cost: 8,000–15,000 cr on black market (intact); 2,000–4,000 cr for parts
Availability: 3, R
Range: Line-of-sight; 8–12 km in clear air; 2–3 km in ash squalls without filter
Game Notes: Emits a brief lock tone every 10 minutes when powered. Decode grants bearing wedge (see above). May ping dormant relays keyed to the same phrase-family.
Apex Society on Mount Vorena. Here’s everything you need for the climb, the beacon, and the showdown with Collan Eislo and his Apex Society—cleanly mapped to D6 difficulties, with drop-in hazards and quick stat blocks.
No Landing. High-wind shear makes landing "nearly impossible." Repulsorlift Operation (25), increasing to Heroic (35+) in gusts; failure forces an abort.
Ascent (climbing). Climbing/jumping (20), Failure, arrest fall (rope: 2D; free: 4D) and lose 1 progress segment.
Rockslide (hazard): Trigger on narrow ledges. Search or Survival (15) to spot early; on fail, Dodge (20) or take 5D damage. A successful early spot lets the party brace, reducing damage to 3D.
Razor Gusts: Each segment, one random hero resists Survival (15); fail = windburn and grit fouling (−1D to gear-dependent rolls) until 10 minutes of cleaning.
Finding & Using the Beacon (the “transmitter”)
Locate by Eye. Search (25) among antenna stubs and pumice fins.
Locate by Instruments. Sensors (20) to sweep and isolate the narrowband ping.
Back-Bearing to the Gale Cove. Take two bearings from different perches (each Sensors Moderate (15); add +5 in ash squalls). Two success vectors intersect on the hidden cove’s canyon.
APEX SOCIETY
Players crest the rim right after the beacon comes online (or when the party succeeds at the search)—roll 1D+1 rounds. Their goal is to drop nobles into firing positions, let Eislo close in melee, and peel the Jedi or the hero holding the cove data.
Tactics. Nobles spend actions on command to feed Eislo bonuses (see SA below) and plink with blasters to keep the party moving. Eislo prioritizes any Jedi, or the data-carrier.
Disengage. Eislo withdraws if he suffers Wounded twice (or the fight clearly turns), ordering his people to delay the heroes while he escapes down a fixed line.
Collan Eislo
Type: Apex Society ringleader (would-be Sith)
Age: 30s Height: 1.84 m. Weight: 78 kg.
Appearance: Austere, patrician features and a duelist’s poise; sable duel-cloak over tailored travel leathers, Sith-etched sword at his hip and a calculating gaze that never stops measuring angles.
DEXTERITY 3D+1
Dodge 4D+2, melee combat (Sith sword) 6D, melee parry 5D+1
KNOWLEDGE 3D+2
Intimidation 4D+1, languages 3D+2, scholar (Sith lore) 5D+1, tactics (dueling) 4D+2, value 4D
MECHANICAL 2D+2
PERCEPTION 3D+1
Command 5D, con 4D+2, persuasion 4D+2, search 3D+2, sneak 3D+2
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 3D+2, stamina 4D
TECHNICAL 2D+2
Security 4D+1
Story Factors:
Idle-noble decadence turned obsession with Sith relics.
Views followers as expendable steps on the path to power.
Believes the mask of Nihilus will “awaken” his destiny.
Move: 10
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 3
Character Points: 8
Equipment: Ancient Sith sword (STR+2D+1, finely balanced, −1D to parry vs energy weapons), duel cloak, climbing kit, comlink, signet-seal and credit chits.
Background: Born to privilege, Eislo tired of empty salons and turned his fortune toward forbidden archives and digs, founding the Apex Society of thrill-seeking nobles. He lacks the spark of the Force, but compensates with scholarship, ruthlessness, and a fencer’s precision.
Personality: Cold, theatrical, and convinced the galaxy divides into masters and pawns. Plays to an audience even in a swordfight.
Objectives: Seize the mask of Darth Nihilus, found a Sith-styled order with himself at its apex, and cement infamy with a legend of blood and iron.
A Quote: "Power is not found. It is taken—blade first, then by oath."
Dueling Cloak
A tailored armorweave cape with a weighted hem, used to blindside, tangle blades, and mask footwork during formal duels.
Dueling Cloak
Model: Duelist's Armorweave Cloak (weighted hem)
Type: Defensive dueling garment/off-hand parrying aid
Skill: Melee parry (to exploit cloak), con or tactics (dueling) for feints
Cost: 750 credits
Availability: 2, R
Range: Self
Game Notes: While wielding a one-handed melee weapon and actively using the cloak, gain +1 pip to melee parry vs. melee/thrown weapons. No benefit against energy weapons (cannot parry blasterfire or lightsabers with the cloak). Player may make a con or tactics (dueling) test opposed by the target’s Perception or tactics. On success, gain +1D to your next melee attack against that target this round. This is an action (MAPs apply). After a successfull parry a non-energy melee attack, you may use your next declared action this round to attempt an entangle (opposed melee parry). If you win by 5+, choose one: disarm (attacker resists with Strength; on failure, drops weapon) or impose −1D to the attacker’s next action. Counts as clothing; provides +1 vs. physical (cuts/abrasions) only; does not stack with worn armor. +1D to conceal a one-handed weapon beneath the cloak (opposed by search).
Apex Society Retainer
Type: Bored noble gunhand (low-end veteran)
Age: 20s–30s Height: ~1.8 m Weight: ~75 kg
Appearance: Fashionable travelwear over an armorweave vest; manicure meets muzzle flash.
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (pistol) 4D, dodge 3D+1, melee parry 3D
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Bureaucracy 3D+1, intimidation 3D, languages 3D, value 3D+1
MECHANICAL 2D+1
PERCEPTION 3D
Bargain 3D+1, con 3D+1, persuasion 3D+1, search 3D
STRENGTH 2D+2
Brawling 3D, stamina 3D
TECHNICAL 2D+1
Story Factors:
Social Climber: Seeks status via “forbidden” Apex exploits.
Deferential to Eislo: Will take risks to impress him.
Move: 10
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 1
Character Points: 4
Equipment: Blaster pistol (damage 4D), elegant clothes with armorweave vest (+1 vs physical), comlink, climbing line, cred-chit, monogrammed hip flask.
Background: A bored scion from the Mid/Outer Rim who joined the Apex Society for notoriety and stories to tell in salons; trained just enough to shoot straight and not scuff the boots on a climb.
Personality: Smirking, nervy, more courageous in groups than alone.
Objectives: Earn Eislo’s favor, get a dramatic holosnap of the “white mask,” leave with both reputation and profit intact.
A Quote: "We’re not criminals—we’re collectors. Very determined collectors."
Vorena Cliff-Stalker
A lean, low-slung ambush predator of Volik’s cliff faces, the cliff-stalker blends into basalt with a mottled hide and near-silent pads. Packs shadow travelers along knife-edge ledges, then drop-pounce from above to bowl prey prone before dragging it into narrow fissures. Skittish alone but bold in pairs or trios, they break off if wounded or outnumbered.
Vorena Cliff-Stalker
Type: Mountain predator (ambush carnivore)
DEXTERITY 3D
Brawling parry 3D+1, dodge 3D
PERCEPTION 3D
Search 3D+1, sneak 4D
STRENGTH 3D+1
Brawling 4D, climbing/jumping 4D, stamina 3D+1
Special Abilities:
Claws: Do STR+1D damage.
Pounce: From surprise or higher elevation, if its brawling attack beats the target’s dodge by 10+, the target is knocked prone and suffers −1D to its next action.
Pack Harry: Gains +1 pip to attack per additional cliff-stalker engaging the same target (max +2D).
Camouflage (hide-pattern pelt): +1D to sneak in rocky cliff/canyon terrain; stationary stalkers impose −1 pip to opponents’ search to detect them.
Move: 12; climb 10
Size: 1.4–1.8 meters long (shoulder height ~0.8 m)
SMUGGLERS' HIDEOUT
Use this to run the cave trek, the foot-race (or stalk) with Eislo, and the first look at the Gale’s abandoned base now being torn apart by Sando’s Boys.
Entering the Caverns. Trailhead near Vorena’s base; a concealed crack behind pumice spurs. Search (15) to find quickly; fail adds 30–60 minutes of side-passages.
Light & Sound. Poor light acts as +1D cover to hit difficulty; complete darkness +4D. Loud actions tick the Noise Clock (below).
Cave Trek (3–5 segments). For each segment, every PC attempts the listed primary check. One failure triggers the penalty; two or more failures also add +1 to the Noise Clock.
Knife-Edge Ledge. Climbing/jumping (15), Fail, slip and arrest a 3D fall (rope reduces to 2D), lose 1 round.
Squeeze & Drop. Dexterity (15), Fail, stuck; ally needs lifting (10) to free, or spend 1D rounds wiggling out.
Rubble Slide: Survival (15) to pick safe footing. Fail, 3D rock scrapes; pack fouling (−1D pip to gear-dependent rolls) until 10 minutes of cleaning.
Old Gale Trip-Line: Search (20). If tripped, flash charge, 5D stun damage cone; victims suffer −1D for one round (dazzled).
Noise & Pursuit Clocks
Noise Clock (stealth pressure): □□□ (3). Each loud event (grenade, fall, flash charge, shouting) fills 1 box. On fill, nearby looters become alert: +1D to their search to detect the PCs for the next scene and one Sando’s Boy becomes a sentry inside the cove.
Pursuit Clock (Eislo): □□□□ (4). If Eislo has the bearing, he runs ahead; if not, he tails behind.
When Ahead. Each trek segment, roll his climbing/jumping 4D vs Moderate (11–15). Each success ticks the clock. On fill, he arrives first and sets an ambush position inside the cove.
When Behind. Each segment, opposed PC sneak (Perception) vs Eislo search 3D+1; if Eislo wins, tick the clock. On fill, he appears mid-scene at the cove edge with two retainers.
The Hidden Cove. A basalt bowl with a collapsed gantry, rusted skiff cradle, and Vault-K (a plated blast door in the back wall). Power is intermittent; flickering guide-strips show Gale stencil marks.
Front Door Approach. The PCs emerge onto a catwalk above the basin. Search (15) to spot Sando’s Boys before they notice you; surprise round on success.
Sentries (if Noise Clock filled). One looter on the catwalk and one on the floor roll search 3D opposed by PC sneak.
Vault-K. Security (20) or demolitions (20) (quiet vs loud). Failing security by 5+ trips an old ink-bomb (marks hands; +1D to foes’ search vs the marked PC for 24 hours).
What Sando’s Boys are Doing. They’re ransacking crates, prying wall panels, and wiring a skiff chassis to drag the heavier lockers. Unless alerted, they’re scattered and disorganized (−1D to command until they rally).
Social Inroad. Flash a fake salvage writ or claim Red Fret ties: Con (20); on success, they stall 1D rounds and fetch Sando.
Combat Start. If the PCs attack from surprise, 1–2 Boys go down fast; the rest scramble to cover behind crate stacks (light cover: +1D to be hit) and try to flank.
Loot & Evidence on First Pass
Crates: Common parts worth 1D×250 cr each (roll 1D crates).
Cipher Rod (if found): Stowed under a workbench: grants +1D to encryption on Gale systems.
Clue: A scrawled ledger shard: "Vault-K -> Vorena Spur -> Mask courier” (points deeper into the complex or toward a downstream exit).
SANDO'S BOYS
Sando
Type: Rodian crew boss (fast-talker/salvager)
Age: 30s–40s Height: ~1.7 m Weight: wiry
Appearance: Scar-mapped green hide, glare-goggles perched on brow; hard smile that says “pay up.”
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (carbine) 4D+1, dodge 3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Intimidation 3D+1, streetwise 3D+1, value 3D+1
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Repulsorlift operation 3D
PERCEPTION 3D
Bargain 4D, con 3D+1, search 3D+1
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 3D+1, stamina 3D+1
TECHNICAL 2D+1
Security 3D, first aid 3D
Story Factors:
Practical Pirate: Prefers salvage and clean exits to slugfests.
Map Holder: Keeps the best canyon routes to herself; trades copies only at a premium.
Mask Skeptic: Sees relics as auction fodder, not mystic threats.
Move: 10
Force Points: 1
Dark Side Points: 6
Character Points: 9
Equipment: Blaster carbine (damage 5D), shock baton (STR+1D, stun), splice kit, counterfeit salvage writ, comlink, datapad with route overlays, 3 medpacs.
Background: Runs a lean crew that “helps” crippled ships and keeps the cargo as payment. On Volik, she maps lost coves and strips them fast—reputation built on quick deals and quicker retreats.
Personality: Hard-nosed, transactional, and fearless when she’s got leverage. Treats firefights like loud negotiations.
Objectives: Control the salvage game on Vorena, flip high-value finds for maximum creds, and avoid any fight she can’t win in two rounds.
A Quote: "You want the writ or the wreck? Credits decide."
Sando's Boy (Looter)
Type: Low-end veteran extra (salvage rat)
Age: 20s–30s Height: ~1.78 m Weight: ~78 kg
Appearance: Grease-streaked jacket, chipped visor, nervous trigger finger; prybar looped through a web belt.
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (pistol) 4D, dodge 3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 2D+1
Streetwise 3D
MECHANICAL 2D+2
Space transports 3D
PERCEPTION 2D+2
Con 3D, search 3D
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 3D+1
TECHNICAL 2D+1
Security 2D+2
Special Abilities / Work Edges:
Scrap-Rat (environmental edge): In wrecks or smuggler coves, gain +1D to either a search or security roll (choose per roll). If a search/security roll fails by 1–3, the looter may push on: treat it as a success but it takes 1D minutes and creates noise (tick any local alert/noise clock).
Pry & Pop: When using a prybar, add +1D to lifting or security rolls to force open stuck panels, lids, or crates (GM may call for those skills as needed).
Story Factors:
Pay Comes First; loyalty is negotiable.
Knows Volik Scrap Etiquette (who to bribe, who to avoid).
Move: 10
Character Points: 3
Equipment: Blaster pistol (4D), prybar (STR+1D as improvised club), comlink, ragged tool pouch, cheap visor.
Sando's Heavy
Type: Veteran extra (scattergunner & breacher)
Age: 30s Height: ~1.9 m Build: stocky in a scarred visor
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (scattergun) 5D, dodge 3D+1
KNOWLEDGE 2D+1
Intimidation 3D
MECHANICAL 2D+1
PERCEPTION 2D+2
Search 3D
STRENGTH 3D+1
Brawling 4D
TECHNICAL 2D
Demolitions 3D
Story Factors:
Door First, Questions Later.
Loyal to Sando if paid and pointed.
Move: 10
Character Points: 4
Equipment: Scattergun (damage 5D at short; cone option as above), 3× breaching charges (5D vs doors), visor (eye/face protection), bandolier of shells, utility belt, comlink.
Apex Shadow
Type: Aristocratic scout/bodyguard
Appearance: Fine travelwear over elegant armorweave; quiet steps, colder eyes.
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (pistol) 4D, dodge 3D+1, melee parry 3D
KNOWLEDGE 3D
Intimidation 3D+1, scholar (Sith lore) 3D
MECHANICAL 2D+1
PERCEPTION 3D
Command 3D, con 3D, search 3D+1, sneak 3D+1
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 3D
TECHNICAL 2D+2
Special Abilities:
Aristocratic nerve: When the shadow would suffer a Stun result, they may spend 1 Character Point to ignore that single Stun. (No effect on Wounded or worse.)
Move: 10
Dark Side Points: 1
Character Points: 4
Equipment: Blaster pistol (4D), climbing line, elegant armorweave vest (+1 vs physical), compact comlink, pocket light.
Tactics: Approaches via high ground, opens from half-cover, targets rope-tenders/divers or whoever carries the manifest; withdraws if Wounded and isolated.
Sando's Vorena Canyon Map
Model: "Sando’s Cut" cartographic grid (Volik canyons, current)
Type: Terrain map & routebook (local navigation aid)
Skill: survival (route-finding), search (entrance spotting), communications (beacon filtering)
Cost: 1,500–4,000 cr (black market copies 600–1,200 cr)
Availability: 3, R
Range: Area coverage (Vorena canyons)
Game Notes: While on Volik canyons, holders gain +1D to a single survival (route-finding) or search (finding cave mouths, old vents, hidden paths) roll per scene; reduce environmental navigation difficulties by one step once per day when following a mapped path. On a Wild Die 1 during a map-assisted roll, hit a cave-in or washed-out segment: lose 10–60 minutes unless a second survival roll at Moderate (11–15) is passed.
Cargo Manifest Clue (the captain’s "secret stash"). Amid Gale ledgers, search (Perception) Moderate (11–15) to spot a sealed packet; encryption (20) to decode. The mask was "transferred to captain’s secret stash for safekeeping" with shorthand markers: "Vault-K -> Captain’s Tooth -> blind vent 17-b" and a half-grid coordinate. Cross-index with Sando’s map, Survival (15) to pick the right blind vent; Security (20) to open a captain-grade lock; failure by 5+ sets off a dye/bitterant pack.
How Sando Plays It. Thinks the mask is just hype; motivated by the auction payday.
Tactics. Opens with talk if she has position (bargain/con opposed). If crossed, she pins with heavies while her herd-hands start hauling crates. If outnumbered, she’ll buy time (bribe, fake writ) and slip a tracker on whoever seems to know the vault.
Leverage. If the PCs need a way to drag heavy lockers through bad ground, Sando rents reykos and a sled—1,000 cr per day per team, plus a favor.
SALVAGE OPERATION
Catwalk Rim (dry, high cover): crates and gantry struts (light cover +1D).
Basin Floor (slick): scattered crates, winches, cable reels (Dexterity checks at Easy 10 when sprinting; fail → prone).
Half-Submerged Wreck (Nashuaga): Listing hull, jagged plates (treat as difficult terrain; Search to find safe paths).
Waterline & Dark Pool: 1–3 m depth near shore, 6–8 m at the wreck’s belly.
Loading Ramp: Two speeder trucks with winch rigs; one may have a pintle gun.
Lighting: Flicker-strips, shadowed corners (poor light = +1D to be hit past medium range).
Underwater Play
Swimming vs Moderate 15 in gear; Easy 10 if unarmored and prepared.
Breath-Hold. When submerging, roll Stamina; you can stay under for rounds = (roll ÷ 5). Each failed swimming check or strenuous action uses +1 round. After you exceed your total, each additional round requires stamina Moderate 15 or suffer a Stun (second failure = Unconscious; begin drowning).
Attacks Underwater. Melee: no change with knives/short blades; unwieldy weapons (long blades, staffs): −1D. Blasters: standard blasters are effectively useless beyond 1 meter; at ≤1 m apply −4D and Wild Die mishaps trigger on 1–2. (Use vibroknives, spearguns, or grapple.)
The manifest Crate Inside the Nashuaga. Search (20 )underwater (murk and silt). Using a tethered glowrod or scanner reduces to (15).
Access. Security (20) to pop the captain’s seal quietly, or
Lifting (25+) to pry the latch (loud; fills 1 box on any Noise/Alert clock).
Extract. Lifting (15) or winch it: repulsorlift operation (10) to spool smoothly.
What's Inside: Nashuaga cargo manifest (encrypted) listing an “old white mask” flagged “transferred to captain’s secret stash (see Tooth ledger).”
Nashuaga Cargo Manifest (encrypted)
Model: Nashuaga Bill of Lading Holo-slate
Type: Encrypted cargo manifest & transfer memo
Skill: Encryption (Technical), languages (Knowledge)
Cost: No market; black-market appraisal 500–2,000 cr
Availability: 3, R
Range: Self
Game Notes: encryption Difficult 20 to decode; +1D if using a Gale cipher rod. Reveals item: “Old white mask, cultural curio” → “Transferred: Captain’s secret stash (Tooth file, blind vent 17-b)” with partial grid.
Encounter Start & Flow
Trigger: Sando’s Boys spot the heroes near the rim or when the beacon ping bounces off the wreck. They assume rival claim-jumpers and open fire.
Round 1 (snap reaction): 2–4 looters take cover and shoot; 1 heavy sprints to a truck to man the pintle. If PCs start submerged, first volley targets surface divers and rope-tenders.
Round 2–3 (escalate or talk): Sando commands (buffs allies), tries a quick parley if outgunned: “Buy the writ or bleed.” A truck starts reversing toward the ramp with a full load (see Extraction clock).
Round 4+ (breakpoint): If the Boys drop to half, they fall back to trucks; if the PCs are stalling, Sando orders a scattergun push to break contact.
Objectives (PCs pick 1–3)
1. Secure the manifest crate from the wreck.
2. Stop at least one speeder truck from escaping with salvage.
3. Capture Sando or force terms (map copy, guide, or intel).
Sando's tactics. Uses command to hand out +1D shots to two shooters (see her SA from earlier). Heavy anchors a lane with scattergun; looters flank through crate stacks (light cover). If pressed, Sando throws a flash charge (5D stun cone; −1D to actions for 1 round on hit) and disengages to a truck.
Clocks & Complications
Extraction clock (trucks): □□□ (3). Each full round a truck spends loading/hauling fills 1 box. On fill, that truck exits with high-value salvage (and maybe your crate if unattended). PCs can reduce a box by disabling a winch (Technical Easy 10), spiking repulsors (Mechanical Moderate 15), or blocking the ramp (lifting Moderate 15 with a crate).
Bilge Surge (environment): Any blast that misses by 10+ into the hull triggers a surge; adjacent characters must Dexterity Easy 10 or go prone; submerged characters make swimming Moderate 15 or lose 1 breath round.
Volik Mule-6 Flatbed
Craft: Volik Mule-6 Flatbed
Type: Industrial repulsor cargo truck
Scale: Speeder
Length: 6.2 meters
Skill: Repulsorlift operation
Crew: 1 (driver) + 1 (winch/rigger)
Crew Skill: repulsorlift operation 4D, sensors 3D, vehicle blasters 3D (if armed)
Passengers: 4 (bench + bed rail)
Cargo Capacity: 1.5 tons (bed) or tow 6 tons on sled
Cover: Full (cab), 1/2 (bed)
Altitude Range: Ground hover to 2 m
Maneuverability: 1D
Move: 90; 100 kmh
Body Strength: 3D
Weapons: (optional) Light repeating blaster (pintle mount)
Fire Arc: Turret (front/left/right, −1D to rear)
Skill: vehicle blasters
Fire Control: +1D
Range: 3–50/100/200
Damage: 5D
Game Notes: Motorized cargo winch (STR 5D pull; Technical Easy 10 to rig, Mechanical Easy 10 to spool cleanly). Hard brake checks: any standing character in the bed must Dexterity Easy 10 or fall prone.
Volik Mule-7 Box-Hauler
Craft: Volik Mule-7 Box-Hauler
Type: Enclosed repulsor hauler (tools & parts)
Scale: Speeder
Length: 7.1 meters
Skill: Repulsorlift operation
Crew: 1
Crew Skill: repulsorlift operation 4D
Passengers: 2
Cargo Capacity: 1 ton (compartmented)
Cover: Full
Altitude Range: Ground hover to 2 m
Maneuverability: 1D
Move: 85; 95 kmh
Body Strength: 3D+1
Weapons: None (typically)
Game Notes: Tool bay grants +1 pip to repair/security checks made using the truck’s kit while adjacent to the vehicle.
ENCOUNTER: HIDDEN COVE
The PCs push into the Wavelength Gale’s main cavern: a half-submerged Dynamic-class freighter (the Nashuaga), two speeder trucks, and Sando’s Boys tearing the wreck apart. Sando assumes the PCs are claim-jumpers and orders an immediate attack. If Collan Eislo survived the peak and has bearings, he arrives during the fight to comb crates for the mask, striking anyone in his way.
Sando’s Boy (Blade-Trained Enforcer)
Type: Smuggler crew enforcer (duelist)
DEXTERITY 3D+1
Blaster (pistol) 4D, dodge 4D, melee combat (vibroblade) 5D, melee parry 4D+2
KNOWLEDGE 2D+1
Intimidation 3D
MECHANICAL 2D
PERCEPTION 3D
Con 5D, persuasion 4D+1, search 3D
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling (martial arts) 4D, stamina 3D+1
TECHNICAL 2D
Story Factors:
Crew Loyalty—up to the point the creds run out.
Flashy Duelist; likes to “teach lessons” with the flat of the blade.
Salvage Etiquette savvy (knows who to bribe, who to avoid).
Move: 10
Character Points: 5
Equipment: Vibroblade (damage STR+2D), blaster pistol (4D), armored flight suit (+1D vs physical, +1 vs energy), comlink, gloves, boot knife.
Sando’s Hired Blasters (Fireteam)
Type: Veteran extra (squad of two carbineros)
DEXTERITY 3D
Blaster (carbine) 5D, blaster (pistol) 4D, dodge 4D
KNOWLEDGE 2D
MECHANICAL 2D+1
Repulsorlift operation 3D
PERCEPTION 3D+2
Search 4D+1
STRENGTH 3D
Brawling 3D+1, stamina 3D+1
TECHNICAL 2D
Move: 10
Character Points: 3
Equipment: Blaster carbines (5D), blaster pistols (4D), battle armor (+1D vs energy, +2D vs physical), comlinks, spare mags.
Tactics: Leapfrog in pairs, anchor lanes with overlapping fire, punish bunching via Splash volley. Fall back if separated (lose squad bonus). Targets rope-tenders/drivers first, then anyone with explosives.
Conclusion (what the heroes find & how to get it). Entering the wreck, the cut tunnel (marked B) connects to the ship’s central corridor. Interior decks are mostly intact but slick with mud near the waterline. Finding the crate at “C”:
If the party already knows they’re after the “old white mask”: Search (15) to locate the sealed captain-grade crate in the designated hold.
Blind Sweep. Search (20), or Sensors (15) to ping dense cargo, then Search (15) at that spot.
Opening the Crate. Security (20) to bypass the captain’s seal quietly; failure by 5+ splashes dye/bitterant (obvious marks; −1 pip to social checks for the scene). Brute force: lifting (25+) (loud).
The Mask. Inside is the ghost-white Sith mask. Use the artifact write-up we set earlier (Nihilus Deathmask): wearing it grants power at terrible cost (dark side accrual; ravaging levels), and removing it ends the compulsion after rest.
Features of the Area
Illumination: Sando’s glow lamps provide normal light. If 50%+ are shot out or removed, count as poor light: +1D to be hit at medium range and beyond; low-light vision negates the +1D at short range.
Tunnel “B” (cut access to the ship): A cramped, roughly 2 m × 2 m shaft with jagged braces and knee-high mud. Movement through the tunnel is crawling or stooped: halve Move; no running. Melee only at Very Short (≤3 m); ranged attacks through the tunnel suffer +1D difficulty and Wild Die mishaps on 1–2 due to ricochet. Passing each other requires Dexterity Easy (6–10) and one side yields a round.
Ship Interior:
Mostly intact corridors with intermittent power:
Slick Decks: When sprinting, Running (10) or fall prone.
Water/Mud Pockets: Swimming (10) to wade; submerged sections require swimming (15) and breath-hold (stamina ÷ 5 rounds).
Open turret “A” (elevated position): A dorsal turret well, open to the cavern, about 8 meters above the floor. Climbing/jumping (15) with gear; failure risks a 5D fall (rope reduces to 3D). Power is dead; with Technical jury-rig (25+) and a portable pack, you can bring the mount’s traverse online as cover only (no firing), or at GM option restore an emplaced repeating blaster (speeder-scale 6D, 10 shots, limited arc) for one scene. Salvaging the weapon later takes an hour and Technical (20).
Mask location “C”: A secured locker bay off the main corridor; the captain’s crate is banded and sealed. See “Finding the crate” above.
Salvage & Exits
Crates & Tools: 1D crates of serviceable parts (1D×250 cr each), a portable winch, and a Gale-stenciled battery pack (+1D to a single repair roll made in the cove).
Getting it Out: Drag through B (slow but safe) or rig a sled to the basin ramp (repulsorlift operation Easy (6–10) to manage the pull).
If They Destroy, Keep, or Sell the Mask
Destroy: Physical damage barely scars it; require a Force-led rite (Control/Sense/Alter each Difficult (16–20) in sequence) or specialized containment and demolition (demolitions Very Difficult (25) using rare charges).
Keep: Begin tracking Dark Side Points and Ravaging Levels per use. The mask’s “offer” of +1D to a Force roll can tempt at any pause (taking it adds +1 DSP).
Sell: Fences pay 10,000–50,000 cr; nobles or cult patrons pay far more—but word spreads fast. Use this to seed the next arc (rivals, ambushes, auctions).
The Mask of Darth Nihilus
Type: Force artifact (mask); attunement-on-wear
Skill: Control, Sense, Alter; Willpower (resist compulsion)
Cost: Not available for sale (black-market "price" 2D×100,000 credits if it ever surfaces)
Availability: 4, X
Range: Self
Game Notes: When first donned, the wearer must make a Difficult Willpower roll. Failure indicates the mask’s hunger takes hold: the wearer is compelled (GM: strong suggestion) to keep it on and use its gifts this scene. A new Willpower roll may be attempted once per scene at +5 difficulty if the wearer has gained any Dark Side Points that scene. Grants Force-sensitivity (while worn). If not Force-sensitive, wearer becomes Force Sensitive and gains Control 1D, Sense 1D, Alter 1D (these dice are temporary, do not come from attributes, and vanish when the mask is removed). If already Force-sensitive, immediately add +1D to any two of Control, Sense, or Alter (wearer’s choice) while worn (max 6D base before situational modifiers). While worn, the wearer immediately selects six usable Force powers; at least three must be dark side powers (e.g., injure/kill, inflict pain, aura of uneasiness, fear, life detection, receptive telepathy). The wearer may re-select this list after each full rest or when the mask is donned anew. Every time the wearer activates a Force power or spends a Force Point, they gain 1 Dark Side Point. Each time the wearer activates their 3rd Force power in the same scene (and again at the 6th, 9th, etc.), they suffer one Ravaging Level. Each Ravaging Level imposes a cumulative −1D penalty to all actions (like stacking wounds) and cannot be recovered by normal rest or medpacs while the mask is worn. At −3D, treat as Incapacitated until the end of the scene (or until the mask is removed). As a full-round action, the wearer may make a Very Difficult Control roll to “feed” on ambient life: on success remove 1 Ravaging Level but all living creatures within 5 meters must resist a Moderate Stamina or suffer a Stun result; sentients are also affected with a wave of dread (−1D to all actions for one round). Using Feeding immediately adds +1 Dark Side Point. All temporary Force dice vanish. All Ravaging Levels immediately clear after 8 hours of rest without wearing the mask (or upon a successful Medical roll vs. Difficult to stabilize + one day of rest). The mask’s compulsion ends when removed. Whenever the wearer uses any Force power with the mask, anyone attempting Sense Force, life sense, or similar detection against them gains +1D to the attempt for 24 hours.
Quick extras (plug-and-play)
Gale Scout: All stats 2D except for: Dexterity 3D, blaster 4D, dodge 3D+1, grenade 3D, melee parry 3D, planetary systems 2D+2, survival 3D, value 2D+2, communications 3D, repulsorlift operation 3D+1, Sensors 3D, Perception 3D, bargain 3D, con 3D, search 3D+1, sneak 3D+1, Strength 3D, brawling 3D, climbing/jumping 3D, stamina 3D, security 2D+2. SA: Ridge Runner (+1D climbing/jumping and search). Move: 10. Blaster carbine (5D), grapnel & line, macrobinoculars, filter-mask, short-range comlink.
Gale Slicer: All stats 2D except for: Dexterity 2D+2, Dodge 3D, Knowledge 3D, bureaucracy 3D+1, languages 3D, scholar (pirate codes) 3D+1, communications 3D, con 3D, search 3D, stamina 3D, Technical 3D, computer programming/repair 4D, encryption 4D, security 3D+2. Move: 10. Hold-out blaster (3D), datapad with Gale cyphers, splice kit, short-range comlink.
Volik Broker: All stats 2D except for: Dexterity 2D+2, dodge 3D, Knowledge 3D, bureaucracy 3D+1, cultures 3D, law enforcement 3D, streetwise 4D, Perception 3D+1, bargain 4D, con 4D, persuasion 4D, search 3D+1, Strength 2D+2. Move: 10. Comlink, counterfeit dock seals, cred-chit skimmer.
Source: The Unknown Regions (p.220-223)
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
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