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Running the Campaign
These notes are a conglomeration of ideas and plot hooks that
are both original and stolen frommany of the different story
tropes. Some of the sections are incredibly detailed, whilst some
only
are a short outline. So you are either required to be creative
in telling the story, filling in the gaps
where missing. Or you can choose to ignore specific details
especially if the players go full
Hendersonor bring an 11 foot pole. So basically, feel free to
use the information in these notes
as much or as little as desired. Other resources youll need are
the Eclipse Phase Core
Rulebook and the Gatecrashing Sourcebook could also be used for
additional setting
information.
AmendmentsI have kept the entire original campaign in this
document, however due to player feedback, thereare a couple of
amendments and they are noted as such. These should improve the
campaign
as a whole and while they are 'tacked on' per say, they should
be used to improve the game.
The SetupTerraGenesis has put the word out for a special mission
of planetary exploration that is paying
10 times the regular amounts in finders fees. The planet in
question is Alpha Centauri B-d, an
Earth sized planet existing in the goldilocks zone of Alpha
Centauri B. Firewall flagged the
unusual activity of this mission through automated sweeps and
secured the mission spots foryour team. Both entities supply you
with few details of the mission. TerraGenesis offers the
directive of standard exploration protocols with full mission
briefing to be given before gate entry.
Firewall suspects X-risks in this mission and advises caution as
well as threat neutralization.
You travel to the Vulcanoid Gate on V-2011/Caldwell.
V-2011/CaldwellThe gate itself and its facilities are located in
the polar region of this asteroid. TerraGenesiss
ownership is questionable but hard to dispute after many years
of operation. They specialize inextrasolar terraforming operations
and geoscience research missions though exploration is still
high on their priority list. A notable chunk of gate time is
leased to TerraGens numerous
partners.
1
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Player Insertion
Roll initiative to determine arrival order (8 hour arrival
time). 1 week to mission start. Playerssurrender all equipment as
part of new security measures, TerraGenesis will provide
suitable
equipment for all mission ops.
Direct players to briefing room.
BriefDark room with archaic projection screen at one end. Once
all players are assembled a,
projected AI walks into the room. Flowing lines of code in the
shape of a humanoid.
AGI Somnal 6 provides the briefing to the players.
Greetings I am Somnal 6, and no I dont need to know your names,
I just need to know that you
can do your Jobs
TerraGenesis has recruited you because you seem to be the best
at the job, now as for the job
in question
A previously dead Library entry has suddenly become an available
active gate. It appears to lead
to our nearby neighbour Alpha Centauri B-d. Probe exploration
has revealed Earth like gravity
and an highly toxic atmosphere of 81% Carbon Dioxide. There is
evidence of local Flora so Im
sure I dont have to tell you that Vac-Suits are Mandatory. There
dont appear to be any valuableresources on the planet but we have
picked up on something that requires further investigation.
There will be three sites which you are required to explore.
Site one shows a high amount of non-local organic matter. Yes,
there has been alien visitors to
the planet. You are to determine further details of the source
and purpose.
The second site of interest appears to be a collection of
artificial buildings. Our probe detected
no movement or energy sources. But we did not have time for a
thorough look. You are to
investigate the area, enter the buildings and determine their
purpose.
The final site is the furthest away from the gate but of most
potential use to us. There is a
massive ship wreck approximately 3.4km long. There are sporadic
energy readings from inside
the ship. You are to explore this ship and determine its state
and condition. Our analysts have
determined that this appears to be a human ship and is likely a
Pre-Fall colonial ship. There is
likely much valuable data and pre-fall relics. Bonus finders
fees will be provided for any
interesting artifacts. This ship is the high priority of this
mission and the majority of your time
should be spent here.
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Due to the large amount of work required, you will be given 48
hours to return to the gate for
Rendezvous connection. Our next timeslot for Alpha Centauri
connection will be next month soyou better be back in time.
As you have already been told, you will be provided with all the
needed equipment, to be returned
at mission close. Here is a complete equipment list for you to
choose from. Highly suggested
articles are standard Vac Suits and grav cycles for travel.
Aside from that, the only limit on what
you can bring is what you can comfortably carry, on person and
storage on your cycle.
The contract terms are simple and verbal confirmation is
required.
The Contract All equipment will be provided for exploration
purposes
Full healthcare and backups will be provided in the event of
injury or morph destruction
You salary will be scaled depending on your mission report and
information gathered.
Bonuses will be provided as per finders fee basis.
Once all players confirm
Very good, Your programmed mission time starts at 0800 hours, 4
days from now, in the
meantime you can prepare. Here is an equipment list of available
resources, make sure you are
ready for any scenario.
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Equipment List
All the equipment available in the ruleset is available from
TerraGenesis. (Players basically clonetheir gear). Here is a list
of suggested additionals, provided the players dont already have
them.
Vacsuit
Go Cycle
Robomule
Crasher Suit
Recently developed by Omnicor, this is a high-end version of a
standard vac suit
customized for a gatecrashers needs. It has all of the features
of a standard
smart fabric vacsuit (p. 333, EP) except that it provides 10/10
armor and is
equipped with wrist-mounted tools (p. 309, EP) and a
Life-Support Pack (p. 159).
The suits gauntlets and boots are all hardened and provide an
extra +1d10 DV onmelee attacks.
Portable Solarchive (provides meshnet information outside of the
mesh)
Defense Beacons
Shelter Dome
Mission Recorder
Healing Pod (Heal at the same rate as a Healing Vat)
Survival Belt
Basic Tool Kit (p. 326, EP)
Breadcrumb Positioning System (p. 332, EP)
Electronic Rope (10 meters) (p. 332, EP)
Emergency Rations (p. 158)
Filter Straws (3) (p. 159)
Flashlight (p. 333, EP)
Flex Cutter (p. 334, EP)
2 Nanobandages (p. 333, EP)
Solar Recharger (p. 155)
Radio Booster (p. 314, EP)
Recon Hopper (p. 161) or Recon Flyer (p. 161)
Repair Spray (p. 333, EP)
Utilitool (p. 326, EP)
Viewers (p. 326, EP)
Spindle + Climber
Patch Kit (Repair Vac Suits)
Plasma Cutter
Scout Missile (Mapping)
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The Gate
The players and their gear assemble in the ready room for the
gate at 0750. Gate operationbegins at 0755.
In the gate room.
Before you is a ramp leading up to a rough sphere of
interlocking angled arms, like a round
patterned cage. The material itself appears alien. As the
mission clock ticks past 0755 the arms
start to move and change shape, reforming. Over the gate room
speakers you hear a
technician.
TechnicianSable wormhole connection established to Alpha
Centauri B-d, standby for full assessment
A black hole suddenly appears in the circle. To all those poets
whining about the deepest black,
they have seen nothing like this. This hole is the definition of
black. It absorbs all frequencies of
the EM spectrum. WIL x 3 or suffer 1D10/2 -1 SV.
Technician
Assessment complete, connection status nominal, Gate passthrough
allowed...see you in 48
hours
As you pass through, there is a slight tug pulling you in. But
the transition itself is seamless,
stepping from a brightly lit room on one side to a alien planet
on the next.
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Alpha Centauri B-d
First look
Alpha Centauri is a binary star system and planet d is currently
in the cycle with both suns being
in the sky. B provides the majority of the light while A is
somewhat like a the same luminosity ofthe Moon. There is enough
light provided from B to read a book with no artificial light. The
planet
itself is tidally locked therefore always remaining day on this
side. Temperature stays at a
constant 282 Kelvin due to a lack of weather and low
atmosphere.
The planet itself is rocky and quite barren though there is some
evidence of flora. There is also
evidence of Terraforming, though there is no visible water in
the area, Humidity is higher than
previous probe readings, also indicating a drop in CO2.
Further (appropriate) investigation will reveal several ice
comets in a slow decaying orbit of the
planet. Slowly introducing water to the planet.
+1 rep for acquiring this information.
Full atmosphere composition can be determined with gear. 81%
Carbon Dioxide, 11% Oxygen,
7% Nitrogen, 1% Argon.
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Flora
On further investigation of the flora, it appears that it is a
mix of both local species and genetically
modified earth strains.
Players can investigate the local area further, start mapping
(with the scout rockets they
hopefully brought), or make their way to the first site.
On cycles, the first site is approximately six hours away. (keep
track of time to see if players will
make the rendezvous in time).
Site 1
Investigation of the area will reveal both alien and human
organic material. scattered all over thearea. Bones mostly. Some
tech is still around but doesnt work. Humans have pre-fall tech
that
may be valuable. Aliens have their own brand of tech that also
might be of interesting. Both are
incomprehensible to the players.
Aliens
Analysis of the bone structure reveals a very small body and
suggest a racoon like appearance.
Their equipment also suggests that they are Exoplanet
explorers.
Humans
Appear to be non-morph humans. Aside from a few implants and
slight genetic modification,
these are non-morphs. Very unusual, and something the PCs have
probably never encountered
before.
Depending on investigation rolls, can reveal that there was a
fight between these two groups and
judging by the amount and pattern of the remains, the Humans
won. No further information can
be acquired.
Half an hour to investigate site 1.
+1 rep for technology recovered, +1 rep for discerning the
nature of the fight.
Amendment
My players seemed to have an unusual obsession with these racoon
creatures so I will build
upon their story after the encounter with the bots during the
rest period.
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Traveling to site 2
The journey itself will take 4 hours through some rough terrain.
Roll some skill checks todetermine if the leading cycle will take
any damage (can add +20 for go-cycles if the PC has only
base skill). It can repaired but will take a task action of one
hour and the appropriate skill. If the
cycle is inoperable, player can double up with someone else.
Reduce carrying capacity by 1.
If the task takes a long time, players can be reminded that the
priority is in the ship exploration,
which is 8 hours away and may be encouraged to skip site 2 if
they dont want to risk things.
However there could be valuable information at site 2. Leave up
to the players to decide.
Site 2Site 2 is made of a single concrete type road with square
buildings on either side. The buildingsthemselves are made out of a
type of metal alloy and appear to be atmospherically sealed.
There is one slightly larger square building at the end of the
road.
The buildings on either side have no power but can be cut into
with plasma cutters or similar..
They are simple residential buildings, Designed for humans.
Simple sleeping quarters with
Hygiene facilities. The local computers have no power and if the
PCs do manage to provide
power, will find the memory corrupted.
The building at the end of the street is more interesting. The
door is bashed open by something
that seems really large. Inside they find one skeleton whose rib
cage has been crushed inward.
The room itself is a meeting hall and there is a large screen at
one end connected to a
computer. This computer is solar powered and some
hacking/interfacing rolls will give access.
Can provide more information about the colony if successful.
Site 2 Colony
Is an advanced outpost sent ahead of the main colonial
transport. The boxes would deploy
from orbit to house Engineers and scientists to prepare a
suitable site of landing and
colonization.
Amendment
Can deduce that there must be another ship in system aside from
the colony ship, it may
still be in orbit or crashed somewhere else on the planet.
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Ark
The ship is named Ark, and is a colonial slow ship that departed
earth 30 years before the
fall. The crew was put in cryogenic sleep with a skeleton crew
available for maintenance.The journey from earth to this planet
would take 40 years and logs seem nominal for the first
30. However during the fall period, the logs fragment. And there
appears to be no record
keeping. You find out that they lost communication with Earth
around this time, but were
forced to continue their mission due to inability to turn
around. Any other log records are too
fragmented to be of any use.
+1 rep for recovering this data
Also in the computer banks is an audio file. The last recorded
message on file.
Theyre everywhere, whatever you do, dont wake up the crew.
Something infected them, got in
their mind, got into my mind. I accept my fate, take me to
oblivion, ahhhhhh.
https://www.mediafire.com/?uq7bk09yy6g75xe
There is nothing else of value at Site 2. PCs should be
encouraged to move onto Site 3 to
investigate despite the disturbing information they may have
gathered. Incentives could be the
fact that they wont get paid if they dont. Firewall mission to
prevent x-threats. Possible loss of
rep and having nothing else to do in whatever time they have
remaining.
Exploration of site 2 takes 1 hour. The travel time from site 2
to site 3 is 8 hours.
Note that if 20 hours have passed, PCs have to rest for at least
4 hours or suffer -10 to all
actions.
Rest periodAt this point the PCs may be itching for some combat
so this is an entirely optional scenario.
Sentry bots could attack the camp near the end of their rest
period. If they have a lookout or
defence beacons they will be prepared for the encounter, if not,
the bots will have surprise
advantage. This should be an easy fight to introduce the danger
of exoplanets and appease the
players combat teeth. I assure you, harder fights will come.
2-4 (scale depending on amount of players) identical sentry
bots
DUR 30, INIT 8, FRAY 60
Laser Pulser x2 (60), 2D10 (can fire both lasers in SA at the
same time)
Speed 1
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Hacking
Being alien bots, anyone attempting to hack them suffers a -60
modifier. The best method fordealing with these machines is to
shoot it until it falls apart.
Investigation of the bots show them to be alien in nature,
likely remnants of the raccoon race that
they encountered earlier. The ease of combat should leave few
injuries and allow the PCs to
continue to the next site.
Amendment
Investigation of the bots also reveal them to be hunter killer
drones that specifically target
humans, (won't attack uplifts and likewise unless provoked).
Appropriate checks can reveal tight
beam signals from a nearby outpost. Up to the players to decide
whether they have time to
investigate.
Bot OutpostA relatively small building, roll
infiltrate/perception checks to see if the automated bots detect
the
PCs. When and if the players make it inside the building they
will find approximately 30 bots
charging with about 10 empty slots. PCs can try to interface at
-60 to gain more information, or
use Cog checks to determine that the bots patrol the area
hunting infected humans (or any
humans), the process is automated and the aliens who designed if
long gone. The PCs may try
to hack a bot (at -60 modifier) to recruit on. If successful,
they can gain control of 1 bot but in the
process triggered a security protocol shutting down the rest of
the bots. The bot the PCs control
has 16 hours of active use before requiring recharging, at which
point it will shut down as the
PCs have no way to power the bot.
+1 rep recovery of bot
Note on the racoon race
Locating alien life is obviously a momentous achievement even if
first contact has not been
made, so dont underplay that event. Having said that, the
raccoon race is of similar technological
achievement as transhumanity and so nothing new can be learned
from the tech recovered. All
that will be gained is the knowledge that there is another alien
race out there with and already
likely negative predisposition towards transhumanity. (GM These
aliens also have not gone
through their singularity event and so have not encountered The
ETI yet, unlike The Factors. The
infected exsurgents may be the only view of transhumanity they
have seen)
1-2 hours to investigate the Bot Outpost
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Site 3
This is the location of the ship named Ark. It is a truly
massive construction over 3 km long.
Despite the fact that the ship has clearly crashed it largely
has remained in one piece. Scanning
the ship would reveal sporadic energy readings and faint bio
signs. A possible explanation being
the cryogenically frozen humans. The players can choose to
approach the ship from the side or
at the front.
The ship itself has its own atmosphere (if slightly stale). All
entrances will require players to go
through an airlock.
Front of the ship
The obvious point of entry here would be the broken glass of
Navigation. Provided they can reach
it, being over 100m above the ground. A spindle and climber, or
smart rope might be able to
snake the way up but may require some lucky rolls (MOX x 10).
Inside Navigation they will find
exits locked to keep the atmosphere of the ship in. A
hack/interfacing success will open the exits
for a short period of time, less than 10 seconds.
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Side of the ship
While traveling up to the side of the ship, the players can see
several access hatches. Asuccessful hack or simply cutting through
the hatch with plasma cutters would find the players
way into the ship. GMs discretion as to where the players will
then end up.
Half an hour to make it into the ship.
Inside the shipThe atmosphere inside the ship is a standard
earth mix and the PCs have the opportunity to
breath it with no detrimental effects. For some reason a lot of
Sci-Fis have the characters breath
alien air as soon as possible. Never understood this but the PCs
may be just as disillusioned as
everyone else.
Here is a list of locations inside the ship and what the players
will encounter. GMs are free to
choose which areas the players encounter and in whatever order
they want. The main story will
be listed after the possible encounter areas. The areas are also
numbered, if you want to roll to
see where the players end up.
20 minutes to explore each area. If just passing through,
negligible.
Amendment
Feedback from players say that the random dice rolling is
arbitrary so in the interest of including
more player decision, I have designed a rudimentary map of the
ship. I highly recommend you
use this. You still use the room descriptions but trigger the
greater story at your discretion or
while the players are making their way to the engine room.
There is obviously a greater amount of complexity in a ship of
this size, but the mapped sections
lead to points of interest in the ship, assume other paths lead
to subsystem or areas of no
interest to explore. The main pathways are illustrated and
provide a fast travel rail system. A
mapping system will show the basic layout of the ship (the
players can see the areas) but they
wont know the purpose of each section until they travel inside
them.
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1. Navigation
Also known as forward bridge, this area also used to feature a
sensing suite at the front of the
ship for advanced navigation and sensing. Most of the systems
have been completely destroyedduring the crash. Though there may be
one working console to give the players some trajectory
logs of the ship and crash statistics. If the players access
navigation from inside the ship, they
will see atmosphere compromised warnings on the entrance.
Navigations exits/entrances can be hacked/interfaced to be open
for short periods of time, >10
Seconds. The relatively similar atmospheric pressures inside and
out will lead to very little
convection.
+1 rep for recovering this data.
2. Cryo Chamber
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The storage room for crew in cryogenic sleep. Along the side of
the walls are a series of upright
pods. But only half of the pods are occupied. The unoccupied
pods are in different states of
disrepair from broken glass to completely smashed.
Investigation of the pods show that they have been hooked up to
a rudimentary network, similar
to a wired mesh network. Whether this is for simul space or just
monitoring health is unknown.
Inside the occupied pods are infected and will attack players if
they attempt to revive the NPC.
The infected are unmutated but have the same stats as basic
infected (see below for stats).
3. Mess Hall
The mess hall is a large room of tables and chairs, obviously
meant to be a dining area for the
skeleton crew that maintains the ship. Unlike other areas there
is little of interest in this room, but
feel free to waste the players time as much as possible.
4. Med Care
Med care is actually a series of rooms that make up a small
hospital. On the beds are long dead
patients, though decomposition is slow due to the sterile
environment. Can show first sign of a
restrained infected here for the players to encounter. The
players will find that they cant
communicate with the infected and if they wait too long, it will
break free of the restraints and
attack the nearest player.
A thorough search of the area will find some medicine supplies
(heals 1D10 of damage, can only
be used once on each player) and a large store of stimulants,
Stim-X. Apparently used by the
crew in dangerous situations to improve reflexes and danger
response time. Treat as same
stats as MRDR (+1 Speed, +10 SOM, +10 DUR), addiction rules
apply to Stim-X.
5. Forward Engineering
This room controls power routing to large sections of the ship.
There is a large console here,
think the size of about 50 computer screens and it is active.
Interfacing/Hack check will reveal
that a large amount of power is being wasted on already damaged
sections. The players can
pass another skill check to reroute this power to life support
and lighting gaining a +10 modifier
on perception/surprise checks. Alternatively, the players can
route more power to the fast rail
system allowing them to travel between areas more quickly (up to
discretion of GM as to howmuch time is saved).
Safety protocols prevent overloading of the power grid.
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6. Crew
Housing for the skeleton crew. A series of rooms with most of
the door being jammed
mechanically shut, but some have open doors. The players can cut
through at the cost of a taskaction (10 minutes). But there wont be
anything in there seen from the other rooms with open
doors.
There is obvious sign of habitation, from clothes on the floor
to one room with an old earth sports
game stuck on loop.
Hearing perception check to see if players notice clanging
sounds from distant areas of the ship.
Nothing of value here aside from the fact that they are almost
certainly not alone.
7. Hanger
Storage and launch bay for the shuttles to the ship, both for
transport and external maintenance.
The hangar doors have been jammed shut and there it not enough
power to open them. Trying to
cut through will reveal that the doors are as thick as the ships
hull and unable to pierce in anyreasonable amount of time.
The two rooms shown on the ship are actually storage (think
aircraft carrier) for the various
shuttles. The second level is where the shuttles actually launch
from above the hangar bays. But
the upper bay doors to them cant be opened either due to damage
or lack of power.
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If the players attempt to activate any of the shuttles, they
will find that their power sources have
long since died and any power sources the players have brought
with them are either
incompatible or insufficient to power any shuttle.
Maintenance
Situated in the hanger is maintenance. Here, there are various
disassembled vehicles and
shuttles. A thorough search of the area will reveal a working
intact pre fall tech repair kit (+20
repair). The players can keep it for themselves, or turn it in
for the finders fee.
+1 rep for acquiring this technology
8. Hydroponics
The greenery in here is rampant. Approaching Hydroponics, the
players will see evidence of
plant growth that seems to grow right into the metal. Aside from
this near impossibility, the plant
life overflows the room. The flickering lights could not
possibly provide the amount of energy
necessary to grow these plants. WILL x 4 or suffer 1 SV.
The plants themselves have been infected with the Exsurgent
virus and their rapid growth is a
symptom of this infection, for what purpose is beyond trans
humanities scope. If the PCs
attempt to take a sample of the plant they will encounter The
Botanist.
The Botanists motivations are simply to protect the plants that
are growing. He has been
infected but in a different way. He is still insane but can be
talked to and still possesses some of
his reasoning skills. He has become so close to them that they
form a symbiotic relationship.
The plants part before him and as he strokes them, they vibrate
in response. If the players try
and harvest the plant without his permission, he will attack
them.
The Botanist stats
DUR 30, INIT 7, FRAY 70, Exotic Ranged Weapon 70
The botanist will hide himself among the plants and use them for
cover.any player attempting to
target him will receive the appropriate penalty. The plants
themselves give him an armor of 9/9
He attacks using the moving vines which have a range of about
10m. 2D10 + 3. He targets
whichever player was trying to take a sample.
If the players do something as silly as manage to start a fire,
then the room becomes filled with
dark smoke and the PCs may be caught in the fire if they dont
get out fast enough. Since The
Botanist is somewhat lucid, he can be reasoned with. The PCs may
be able to convince him
that they are spreading the plant seed or whatever they can
imagine would convince him.
+1 rep if the players retrieve a sample.
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9. Storage
There is not much here aside from a large room full of pre fall
tech. Most of it is far too large andheavy to easily plunder.
Relevant skills checks will reveal that this is colonization tech
including
fabbers, life support, construction, and even terraforming
equipment. Doing a full search (task
action) will find some small devices of unknown purpose but
still pre-fall tech and may be of
value.
+1 rep for recovering this tech.
10. Life Support
The systems appear to be working at minimal capacity, its a
wonder that the ship has
maintained atmospheric integrity. If the players have discovered
the rampant growth of the
Hydroponics farm, this would explain the mystery.Else,
appropriate skill checks will reveal that
there must be a huge source of Oxygen production outside of life
support.
Add half an hour for travel between areas.
The Greater StoryThe players will get time to explore a couple
of these areas and up to the GMs discretion can
trigger the next part of the story. Keep in mind that the
players will still have time to move through
other areas of the ship after the first encounter.
During travel between areas or even inside one of the areas, the
PCs will be attacked by a gang
of Exsurgent infected humans.
Infected Humans
Theses creatures are clearly human but something has changed
them, their skin has become
rough and gained a hint of grey. Weird growths are attached to
various parts of the body that
serve no obvious purpose. Aside from heavy looking growths
growing directly from the infected
hands. Which are clearly used for hitting things. The infected
who dont have these growths use
makeshift clubs out of wrenches or metal piping. WILL x 3 or
suffer 1D10/2 SV
Some infected can be carrying medium pistols depending on GMs
discretion. Melee infected will
charge opponents and proceed to knock the shit out of the
closest PC.
The first encounter with infected should be fairly simple but
somewhat harrowing, PCs should
take at least some damage. Would advise the infected to arrive
in waves to lengthening the
encounter and make it as claustrophobic as possible. Advise
between 6-10 of both types of
infected.
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Infected (basic melee) stats
DUR 30, INIT 7, FRAY 70, Melee Weapons 70, SOM 25They hit with
makeshift clubs or growths that seem to grow from their hands, 1D10
+ 2 + 3
Infected (ranged pistol) stats
DUR 30, SOM 25, INIT 7, FRAY 70, Melee Weapons 50, Ranged
Weapons (70)
Standard Medium Pistol with regular ammunition, 2D10+4, SA BF
FA
After the encounter, roll perception to determine if the players
hear the hordes of Infected
heading towards them. Volume increase and doppler effect
analysis reveals that they are 10
minutes away. Muses or cog checks could reveal the Infected
group numbers in the hundreds.
There are two options here
Players may decide to make a last stand:
Just as the infected horde comes into view and as you start
lining up shots, the doors slam shut
locking the infected on the other side, the players hear a voice
over the speaker
Players decide to try and run, for an exit or more:
Have them perform multiple free running checks and encounter the
lone Infected to quickly barrel
past or deal with as quickly as possible. With the inevitable
failure (or attempted heroism by a
player) the infected horde comes into view behind you and just
as they are about to charge the
players a bulkhead door slams shut between them locking the
infected on the other side, the
players hear a voice over the speaker
Theres no time to explain, if you want to survive follow my
instructions completely. I cant hear
you by the way, but I have somewhere safe for you to be
A side hatch opens in the wall, previously undetectable.
Investigation will reveal it to be
maintenance corridors. There is a light system guiding the
players. If they decide to go a different
way from the lights have the speaker voice slam some bulkheads
down.
I told you, the only way youre getting off this ship is with my
help, now follow the damn lights
The players should probably follow the lights.
30 minutes to make it to the safe room.
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The Safe Room
The players will eventually find their way to a brightly lit
room with only two exits. Its exact
location is somewhere between 4 and 3, if youre using the map.
The one they just came through
and a locked door ahead of them. Above the door is a computer
screen that turns on once all the
players are in the safe room. A flash of images rapidly flicker
on the screen along with a high
pitched whining sound which abruptly cuts off. (GM: This is a
You Gotta Believe Me Hack, which
will come into play during the final fight, can have the players
roll COG + INT + SAV now if you
want them to suspect something now or later on at the final
fight).
When the screen comes on again there is a rough looking human
wearing a dirty tattered lab
coat. Despite these features, he at least looks normal and
human. His hair is cut to military style
and has a clean shaven look. He speaks with confidence and
direction, though with slight insane
ticks that is up to the GM on whether to reveal. He is pacing
around a brightly lit white room with
some consoles visible in the background.
Ah, I see youre all here safely good. I was worried you wouldnt
make it here for a second
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My name? oh, my name. Im afraid I lost the original years ago.
But I gave myself a new one. I
am the father of this ship, its designer and creator but my
children took her from me. I am
named...Chronos.Try and pronounce Chronos arbitrarily almost
like Cronus. If the players know anything about
greek culture, they will suspect the titan as opposed to the God
of time (will become relevant
when he fights the players later).
I need...I need you...to destroy the ship. We have been
infected, Earth failed us. She was meant
to support us, instead she sent this thing here to kill us. Ark
is better lost at sea than given over
to pirates.
I have an override code.hmm interesting network you have
there
Chonos will directly beam the code into the PCs heads (GM: used
PSI feats to transfer the data)
A map also, here, find your way to engineering I will make sure
the way is clear, though I think
there might already be something living down there it enjoys the
warmth... Anyway, input the
code, it will send the engine into meltdown. Should be about 2
hours before the ship goes down.
As I said, youre not getting out without my help, if you do this
for me, Ill tell you where the last
few operable lifeboats are. It is a small task and you are
clearly much better equipped than I am,
should be no problem.
There are some useful supplies in these rooms that are on the
way to the engine room, you
would be good not to miss them
At GMs discretion provide as many rooms as the players missed
available for travel on the way
to the engine room. Add 20 minutes to mission clock for each
room visited.
The players may continue to do his bidding in which case move
onto the engine room (after final
exploration). If the player decides to try to get into the
locked room, trigger the Path 1 ending
scenario. If the players just decides to try to fight their way
out without complying with his
demands trigger the Path 2 ending scenario. Keep in mind that it
is in the players best interest to
destroy the ship given the x-risk it poses. AI can remind
players of this fact.
1 hour for discussion and travel to the engine room.
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The Engine Room
The engine room is a huge space that is also uncomfortably warm.
It is a massive room. A
circular column is in the middle which runs from the bottom to
the top of the ship. Various
walkway lead from the edges of the room to the center column,
the reactor. The engines
themselves automatically run on nuclear fusion that is unlikely
to run out for at least another 10
years. It will take the players (at walking and careful place)
20 minutes to reach the main engine
control to input the program. If the players are being careful,
they may spot the Infected as itheads towards them. If not they
suffer a surprise test.
Infected (Jelly) stats and description
This infected has somehow managed to become the conglomerate of
several humans, whether
due to the unusual heat of the environment or a freak mutation
of the virus. But the humans that
are part of this have become translucent and jelly like, limbs
and bodies dissolving into the mass.
Though stray heads and legs stick out. The Jelly can morph into
different shapes at will but
maintains an amorphous blob at rest. It also has a number of
limbs or tongues with fleshy
spikes that have great gripping ability. It can apply toxin
either through its tongues or with an
AOE (5m diameter) spit attack. The players will either spot the
Jelly climbing above them or they
will be surprised when the Jelly drops into the middle of their
team.
WILL x 3 or suffer 1D10/2 SV
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COG 30, COO 10, INT 30, REF 15, SAV 15, SOM 20, WIL 30, INIT 9,
SPD 2, DUR 70, WT 14,
Movement Rate: 4/16
Skills: Exotic Ranged Attack (Spit) 50, Free Fall 50, Perception
60, Unarmed Combat 60Notes:Armor (12/12), Enhanced Smell, Spit
Attack (area effect), Tongue (DV 1d10 + 3, AP 0),
Toxin (Application: D, O Onset Time: 1 Action Turn, Duration: 5
Action Turns, Effect: 1d10 2
(roundup) DV per Action Turn ). Due to their physical form,
jellies suffer the minimum amount of
damage from standard kinetic weapon and blade attacks. With each
of its speed turns it will
attempt to spit and then attack with a tongue.
Can roll a medicine (or relevant) skill check to remove the
toxin, after combat has ended to avoid
any further effects of poisoning. This toxin will compromise
vac-suits and if it isnt repaired by the
time the players make it back outside, the player will suffer
CO2 poisoning and death within
seconds.
Upon successfully dispatching the infected, the players can
continue onto the engine control
console. Interface/hack will allow insertion of the overload
code and start the two hour timer.
Immediately upon completing this task the players hear a voice
over the speaker
Thank you, fantastic work. I could never have done that without
you guys. Now Im sure youre
thinking where are those lifeboats, right? Well, Im afraid that
secret will be kept by me, the risk of
infection is too high, youre going to have to go down with the
ship. However, It was a pleasure
knowing you, have a nice death.
There are two ending paths the players can choose (I prefer path
1). Cog tests or the common
sense trait will help them come to the decision.
Path 1
They decide to backtrack their way to the safe room and gain
entry to meet with Chronos and
force the lifeboat locations out of him
Path 2
The players try and find their own way out of the ship, making
their way to the hull or something
of their own imagining. They travel through any remaining
unexplored sections and have at least
2 encounters of at least 6-15 infected. Can also introduce the
Tank infected if another mini bossis wanted. Dissuade this path,
cannot cut through the hull too thick, likely hundreds of
infected
between them and any potential lifeboats or hatches, relatively
clear passage back to Chronos.
30 minutes to complete engine room.
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Path 1
The players journey back to the safe room is uneventful and
presumably they wont want toexplore given the limited time frame
they have. In the safe room, they can attempt to hack
through the door or blast it open. During this process, the
screen will turn on to an empty room
with Chronos no where in sight. But the speakers turn on
Infidels, you do not know who you are dealing with, you should
just accept your fate, if you come
in here you will find an end beyond suffering
Chronos is truly insane now.
When the players make their way inside, they will find an empty
room (at least until they give theall clear). Investigation of the
consoles will reveal that all the processing power is going
into
powering something similar to a simul space, and something that
seems like a primitive AGI. It
would entirely be the wrong conclusion of the players to assume
that this was all a simulated
personality and control.
They can upload themselves to the simul space to find themselves
in a replica of the ship. The
simulated ship is in prime condition but has highlighted damaged
sections in red with text
readouts detailing damage. The players can use this to try and
find a way out i.e some working
lifeboats. To travel faster in the simul space, players can hack
the program to gain GOD mode
powers. However just as they find a way out, the simul space
will start collapsing and something
that looks like a computer glitch will try and attack them. WILL
x 3 or suffer 1D10/2 SV.
Alternatively, they can hack the console to find the location of
the lifeboats.
Just as they make their way to the exit, a previously unseen
bulkhead will slam shut and a loud
thumping can be heard through the floor. After a couple of
seconds of player dread, the floor will
burst upward and up will climb a battle suit piloted by none
other than Chronos. Queue boss
battle music.
Chronos stats and description
The battle suit itself is a large metallic creation much like
the suit in alien, but modified for
combat. Chronos sits inside the battle suit and expertly pilots
it. He has a manic grin on his face
and he looks a lot more disheveled that what was on the screen.
His white lab coat is actually
stained a dark brown and his hair has grown into a long
mess.
Chronos himself has been infected with an advanced strain of the
Exsurgent virus that gives him
(slightly OP) PSI traits. Chronos will use PSI tricks, Moxy and
all the skills at his disposal to
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defeat the players. It is entirely possible that he might kill
one or send one insane, but thats just
part of the game. Hes designed to be tanky and hurt, dont be
afraid to go all out on the PCs.
At the beginning of the fight every player rolls COG + INT + SAV
test. If they fail they suffered
from a basilisk hack in the safe room earlier. This is a You
Gotta Believe Me (YGBM) hack
implanting a subliminal command. Every failed PC takes one shot
at their nearest ally before
regaining their senses, this occurs before action turns.
Universal stats
Speed - Average all players speed then add 0.8 and round down to
the nearest whole number
COG 30, COO 25, INT 30, REF 25, SAV 20, SOM 30, WIL 30, INIT 12,
MOX 4
The first stage of battle will simply have Chonos charge the
nearest PC and start pounding
down. He will switch aggro to whoever deals the most damage in
that action turn.
Battle Suit
Armor 18/18, DUR 60, WT 12, Unarmed Combat 90 (4D10 AP-2), Fray
65
The battle suit will eventually be destroyed shutting down
seemingly offering an easy kill shot to
Chronos. The first shot the PCs make at Chronos will blow up the
suit in a cloud of debris and
smoke. SOM X 3 or suffer 2DV.
When the smoke clears Chronos will be floating above the ground
surrounded by a pale green
light. This is the ultimate form of PSI mastery, the ability to
change the very fabric of the universe
itself. The hard part starts. WILL x 3 or suffer 1D10/2 SV
Chronos
Armor , DUR 55 (Ignores wounds), Unarmed Combat 90 (3D10+3), PSI
Assault 90, Fray 80
In addition, Chronos gains a number of PSI traits.
Onslaught
PSI TYPE: Active
ACTION: Complex
RANGE: TouchDURATION: Temp (Action Turns)
STRAIN MOD: Chronos takes no damage
SKILL: Psi Assault
This offensive sleight floods the targets mind with sensory
input and thought processes that
are so alien and disturbing that they inflict 1d10 + (WIL 10,
roundup) mental stress.
Any time Chronos makes a melee attack automatically roll
Onslaught on the target
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Casimir Force Repulsion
This sleight exploits the Casimir effect (an interaction between
the electromagnetic fields of
different objects) on a macro-scale, allowing the exsurgent to
levitate himself or other
objects by creating repulsing fields. This could also allow the
exsurgent to push targets
away, pin them against walls, etc. (GM use limitedly and dont
allow power to be
overpowered)
Diffusion
This sleight diffuses light, laser, and particle beams,
effectively making them useless as
weapons, Halving their DV
Kinetic Friction
The exsurgent uses this sleight to increase the friction applied
to kinetic activities. This has a
negligible effect on most activities, but high-velocity
projectiles like firearms and railguns will
be significantly slowed, decreasing their DV by half.
Can add these taunts when appropriate.
You think that gate opened by accident?
I am a god here, time means nothing to those who are above
it.
Your mind is but a toy for me to play with
You weapons are useless against my power
After a hopefully long, difficult and rewarding fight, Chronos
will be defeated and the players will
be free to escape the ship in what remaining time they have
left. To make the escape more
exciting, Infected could be catching up to them just as the
lifeboats launch. Remind players of
the mission clock and how long they have to make it to the
gate.
1 hour to complete path 1
Path 2
The players try to find their own way off the ship. The areas
they travel through will be theremaining unexplored sections or
just regular hallways if that is all that are left. Along the
way
they will be hounded by a minimum of 2 encounters of 6-15
infected. As many as you think would
wear down the party. During one of these encounters, introduce
the Tank infected.
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Infected (Tank) stats and description
The tank infected used to be really large humans. A mutated
strain infected him and turned himinto a hulking mass of muscle.
His other features are much like other infected, weird growths,
and greyish rough skin.
COG 15, COO 20, INT 15, REF 25, SAV 20, SOM 35, WIL 10, INIT 7,
MOX 1
DUR 80, FRAY 60, Unarmed Combat 90
The tank hits with his bare hands and due to its excessive
strength get bonus damage. 2D10+4.
All successful attacks cause knockback regardless of DV.
The players will eventually find their way to a hatch that can
be cut into or hacked. Or lifeboats,
can have them roll luck check to see if they come across a hatch
or working lifeboats. Treat it as
a cinematic event as opposed to combat, occasional infected to
hound them as they run
between areas. However during this process Chronos will appear
to confront the team. Treat the
fight as the same part as the non battle suit Chronos detailed
in part 1, however he only uses
PSI abilities at half health (Trigger during damage if he would
suffer DV past the threshold). The
hatch will be conveniently located near the cycles for the
journey back to the gate.
You think I would let you leave so easily?
1 hour to complete path 2
Back to the gateThe journey from the crashed ship back to the
gate will take 10 hours. If the players used the
lifeboats, they can use them to make it back to the gate in 5
hours, but abandoning the cycles
and any salvaged tech left on them. If the players dont have the
lifeboats, tough luck on them.
Switch to monologue mode to see if they survived the month. If
they make it back to the gate in
time, have them pass through and switch to epilogue.
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Epilogue
The PCs will be fully successful if they gather all the data and
tech available on the planet, findout what happened to the crew of
Ark, and destroy the ship with time to make it back to the
gate.
Max rewards is +8 C-Rep for finders fees, +4 I-Rep for dealing
with X-Threat. Can exchange for
credits if the players want. Scale as appropriate to the PCs
accomplishments.
The PCs find out that TerraGenesis plans to continue on with
terraforming activities and initial
colonization on planet d given the players sterilization efforts
and already in place infrastructure
for terraforming. Plus there is still likely a large amount of
valuable tech that survived the
meltdown.
However there is still the likely presence of a research/early
arrival ship in system somewhere. Is
this ship also infected, the PCs do not know, but firewall may
send another mission to
investigate. (Plot seed)
The raccoon race that they found is obviously an exciting find,
however due to the nature of the
gates they will probably never encounter them. Plus it is a
worrying idea that the first contact this
alien race had with transhumanity was with infected humans that
killed many of them. Chalk it up
to yet one more existential threat to transhumanity as while the
the PCs have no idea where the
Raccoon race is from, the Racoons undoubtedly know the source of
the colony ship.
The PCs themselves escaped with their lives (maybe) and have
managed to make it through
quarantine on the other side. But in the back of their mind will
be the idea that they might have
been infected by this super virus, that might be changing them
and influencing them at this very
moment. And maybe, if they think hard enough, the speck of an
alien entity passes through their
thoughts. Their imagination? Or a real threat to their very
existence.
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