Expedition to the Doomed Peaks--Level Four-Part 2

Fantasy Core RPG
© Jerry Harris 2013
Published here as Open Game Content.
(This link will take you to the Fantasy Core Index.)

Adventure Index

LEVEL 4: COMMAND DECK
Part Two


8-Briefing Room 1-Dangers of Halon Meeting (1 XP if the characters convince the Android to willingly join them): An Android inside is giving a Halon X safety lecture to a room full of desiccated corpses. Ted2 will be pleased to see that the characters (presumably wearing Envirosuits) have suitably taken precautions against the gas and ask if they have any questions (in the Alien Language). The Android is susceptible to a Control Wand, but would also be willing to join the party if properly motivated (namely he’s into ship safety, DC 12 Charm or some other influencing attempt). If convinced, Ted2 could be used as a replacement character. Currently, he is unarmed.


9-Briefing Room 2-Death to All Organics Meeting (1 XP): Here the Spider Bot clan is plotting their eventual takeover the ship. The lecturer is describing (in chattering machine talk) the weak points for various creatures on board using a slide show projector. There are 7 Spider Bots in the room and their attention is completely on the screen. The characters will either have the drop on them, or (more intelligently) leave them alone. (On any return trip to the ship, the characters will have to deal with more of these creatures.)


10-Briefing Room 3 (0 XP): This room is empty or make up your own encounter.


11-Briefing Room 4-One of Each Meeting (1 XP): Inside we find a Slammer Zombie giving a lecture to a bunch of other monsters. He is using a pointer at a video screen showing footage of the characters gunning down and killing a bunch of monsters. “This is what I’m talking about people, a lack of teamwork. We have got to do better!” he sees the characters come in, “Oh crap.” The obligatory fight begins, the lecturer exhorts the group to remember what he told them about working as a group. (They don’t of course. Hopefully the players take out their pent up aggression from this level and the last out on them.) Inside the room is a Slammer Zombie, a Gunner Zombie, a Shotgunner Zombie, a Chaingunner Zombie, a Chainsaw Zombie, a Plasma Gunner Zombie, a Hisser, an Overbiter, a Stalker, and a Ghost Biter. [This is my favorite encounter, by the way.]


12-Bathrooms (0 XP): A Slammer Zombie has been stuffed, head first into the toilet. He’s struggling to get out.


13-Flight Control-The Fish Tank Room (0 XP): This room apparently filled with water, though it has a strange reddish hue. There are bodies floating in it, along with other debris, such as 6 glowing Plasma Cells and 1,000 GP in diamonds scattered on the floor. The door is, of course, stuck. It can be forced with a Knock spell, or a DC 18 Str check (up to 3 people with +1 Str bonuses may try it together), or some player-inspired plan. On any successful attempt, the entire transparent wall will start to give, but the door won’t open. If another attempt is made (whether successful or not), the entire wall comes down.

3d10 Damage if standing next to wall. Even if you’re standing well away from it, you’re going to take collateral damage, 1d10. No save. The next rd, you discover that it wasn’t filled with water, it was a weak acid. Again, those next to the wall get it worse, 2d8 damage, whatever non-magical armor you’re wearing is reduced by 1 (including Android AC), any non-magical organic items are now ruined. To those further away, 1d8 damage. And the next rd, the Security Bot arrives.


14-Command Bridge (3 XP): This area is under security lockdown. Clear, impenetrable walls have sealed the bridge from the rest of the deck. They cannot be opened from the outside. The bridge is clear of gas and the inside can be seen clearly. The Frogdemoth squats over captain’s chair, seemingly oblivious. The other stations can be seen, along with the Command Elevator (make sure to mention that elevator).

Daylight is visible (or perhaps nighttime darkness) in this chamber. There is a large clear bubble 15’ overhead that has been shattered that is letting in natural light and air. It’s not a very big object, so it hasn’t been seen by anyone viewing the mountain or hasn’t been found by anyone climbing it. There is a brackish mess of shallow water on the bridge that is stagnant rainwater that has fallen in.

Whenever the party finally gets inside, the Frogdemoth swivels around to face them, and he laughs. The characters will get in the first shot. Then, he fires a Tongue Shot at someone (like the Brain Lasher if he’s there). If it hits, the victim has 1 chance to either break free (DC 18) by Str or the Escape Artist skill. Until it’s the Frog’s turn again, the tongue may be attacked and if depleted, the character is freed (the tongue regenerates immediately for the next attack). But when it’s the Frog’s turn, the victim is dragged into his maw, and is dead, goodbye.

For subsequent rds, the Frogdemoth makes two attacks per rd, either an Acid Spit and a Bite, or an Acid Spit and a Tongue Shot. (I’d recommend rolling 1d4 and using the Tongue on every 1.) Remember that the Acid dissolves non-magical armor in layers, in addition to hp damage. For example, first shot ruins the Kevlar shield, the next, ruins the Ceramic armor, the next ruins the Envirosuit.

Androids can be commanded or if being played as a character to act as a suicide bomber. The Android must grapple the Frog (Melee attack plus a DC 12 Str feat @ +9). It then must hold on for 1 rd (DC 18 Str feat) as the Frog attempts to shake him off. (Other suicidal characters may pitch in to try and stop it from shaking the Android off.) The Android explodes the next rd.

If the Frogdemoth is killed, he may attempt a death speech, where he will begin reciting details about the survivors’ mother’s anatomies and sexual habits. The characters should know what do to get him to shut up, permanently.


Afterward and Escape

If the players come up with any way of escaping through the broken bubble over the bridge, let them go. They’ll be able to work their way back down the mountain fairly easily, and they’ll know where to go to get in from the top for a return trip. Alternately, they could go back down through the ship and escape back through the bottom, which is now open. However, they’ll have to fight their way through, but at least everything killed at this point, stays dead. You’ll want to come up with some hard numbers for the monsters for any return trip. Of course, there’ll probably meet some more adventurers (or even humanoids, like Orcs) on the way through the ship on any return, and surely some of them will have figured out how the guns work.