Starfinder Drift Crisis

100 ADVENTURES rumors of the incident, or they could be Stewards investigating the murder of the crew. This event could serve as an opportunity to launch a campaign in which players join the Hellknights or become pirates, or in which PCs from those factions join an existing party. TRANSPORT The life cycle of a Norikama Syndicate “mystery drive” begins in the Diaspora at a secret facility. Few people, including Norikama employees, know of this facility’s existence, and fewer still know its true nature. Most believe it to be a manufacturing plant where the drives are assembled as black-box units. Accessible only to those with the highest clearance, a chamber deep within the facility contains a portal to Hell that the company activates at regular intervals (and at great expense) to take deliveries of Helldrives from Mallex. Until recently, these drives were packaged in unremarkable shipping containers, marked as common ore, and shipped on hired freight vessels to the Norikama Syndicate shipyard on Akiton. With the recent attack on a test vehicle resulting in the theft of one of its mystery drives, Norikama Syndicate has increased security around all phases of development. It can no longer rely on secrecy and disguise to ensure safe delivery of these drives to Akiton. The company has hired armed guards and escort ships through anonymous agents and shell corporations to protect shipments as they travel on freighters crewed by Norikama security personnel. To further obfuscate things, the journey is broken into several legs, with each security detail working only one portion of the journey to minimize the number of people who know the entire route. These new security precautions are soon put to the test. Joven Wither, son of the aging verthani founder of competitor Terminator, got wind of these shipments through a blackmailed Norikama employee. He has hired a crew of mercenaries to ambush the next shipment in the hope that delivering the secret of Norikama’s mysterious drives will secure his place as first in line to inherit control of Terminator upon his mother’s retirement. The crew plans to ambush the transport upon its arrival at Akiton, intercepting it in orbit and escaping with its cargo to a hidden base in the wilds of the planet below. PCs might be hired as guards or as the crew of an escort ship guarding the Norikama freighter. Alternatively, they could play the part of an assault team sent to recover the stolen drive from the hideout on Akiton, a detail of Stewards tracking the notorious mercenaries, or even the mercenaries themselves, racing to deliver their prize to their employer before Norikama’s forces catch up to them. PCs continuing an investigation from A Failed Test might pose as any of the above to learn more about the Norikama Syndicate or its enemies. THE WHISTLEBLOWER Norikama Syndicate has gone to great pains to keep the true nature of its new drive secret from all but the highest echelon of its corporate structure, and these efforts haven’t come cheaply. Company leadership leveraged every available asset, called in favors, strong-armed suppliers, and exhausted every line of credit to pay for the complex undertaking, with the promise of a massive payoff at the end when the company can deliver fully functional faster-than-light drives. To prevent suspicion among its own employees, Norikama Syndicate ordered raw materials for building starship drives to be shipped to the facility in the Diaspora. To recoup some of the massive costs of the project, it then resold these materials through a shell corporation. A recent lapse in security, however, has compromised this secrecy. A vesk shipping clerk at the Norikama shipyard on Akiton named Zeika Telest stumbled upon evidence of this reselling, casting into doubt the company’s claim that it’s manufacturing these drives. Wary of rumors about employees who have disappeared after asking too many questions, she took her concerns to Diggit, a popular ysoki investigative journalist based on Absalom Station who has been covering the story of Norikama’s hyped drives. Worried about her message being intercepted, Zeika promised to deliver her proof “behind three rings, beneath a thousand stars” (an oblique reference to the alley behind the Big Top tavern in Maro, known as the City of a Thousand Lights). Diggit hasn’t yet deciphered the message to find Zeika’s proof, and Zeika has gone quiet. Whether that’s because she’s in hiding because Norikama Syndicate’s forces have realized her discovery and silenced her, or for some other reason, is a mystery the PCs might investigate. Though Diggit has been unable to locate Zeika’s evidence thus far, her message gave them a fresh lead on the biggest story in the system. They haven’t found any evidence detailing where Norikama Syndicate might be getting the drives from if it isn’t manufacturing them, but they’ve managed to confirm the existence of Norikama’s secret facility and the general region of the Diaspora where it must be. That discovery led them to reports of ships disappearing in the region, and rumors of strange, starship-sized creatures (volocoth, or void devils) lurking among the asteroids. The strange creatures have been dismissed as imaginary, and—thanks to expert media manipulation and rumormongering by Norikama’s security division—the disappearing ships have been attributed to increased piracy in the region. In reality, the space around the secret facility is patrolled by Norikama security forces to ensure that it remains undiscovered. Diggit has also managed to uncover the names of several Norikama employees who have gone missing in recent months. Diggit hired a team to infiltrate Norikama Syndicate’s shipyard on Akiton to find more information about the facility as well as evidence to corroborate Zeika’s claims. The shipyard is a sprawling industrial complex in a barren region northwest of Maro, near the shores of the dry Irkonian Sea. It’s staffed mostly by Akitonian locals, primarily hylki and ysoki, as well as a handful of shobhads and some vesk transferred from the company’s original facility on Vesk-8. Security is tight around the perimeter, particularly after recent attacks, though there are fewer guards and only a handful of checkpoints inside. The majority of the complex is dedicated to plants processing raw materials, foundries making components, and huge structures where starships are assembled. A squat, four-story

101 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS OVERVIEW 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS BLAZING SPEEDS concrete building near the complex’s center houses business offices and a data center. PCs might be hired by Diggit to find Zeika, or at least the evidence she supposedly hid. They could also be hired to explore the section of the Diaspora where the facility is rumored to be or to infiltrate the Norikama facility on Akiton to either find corroborating evidence for the ysoki journalist or further their own investigations from previous sections. Alternatively, they might be hired by Norikama to find out who’s leaking company secrets before any more get out or to put a stop to the investigation. THE SECRET FACILITY Despite massive investments in security and information control, word of Norikama Syndicate’s secret facility in the Diaspora begins to spread. A determined journalist, possibly working with a whistleblower from inside the company, publishes evidence that the facility might not be constructing the promised mystery drives at all, but rather purchasing them from someone else. Angry customers and worried investors clamor for more details; Pact Worlds regulators probe Norikama’s books; and the Hellknight Order of the Eclipse demands answers about the drives. To make matters worse, the facility’s coordinates in the Diaspora recently were offered for sale on an information gray market. Against this backdrop of crumbling secrecy, the clandestine facility suddenly goes dark. For five days, shipments to and from the facility cease, friends and family lose all contact with employees, and a patrol of Stewards dispatched to investigate fail to report in, their ship having been intercepted by a flight of volocoths. Inside the facility, things fare no better. The devils coordinating the transfer of Helldrives, aided by infernal forces secreted onto the Material Plane during recent test flights, have seized control of the facility, killing the executive in charge and ordering a complete lockdown. As far as the employees know, this action was authorized by the facility’s management; most expect business to resume shortly. Many outside the facility are worried, however, and the Stewards are organizing a larger force to investigate the sudden lockdown as well as the fate of their earlier patrol. Meanwhile, several competitors anxiously bid on the coordinates of the facility, hoping to send in their own infiltration teams ahead of the Stewards to steal Norikama’s secrets. The facility is built into a large asteroid designated CL-4R33. The facility comprises only a small part of the rock’s volume, which is large enough to house a molten core, the heat of which aids in opening the portal to Hell. A huge docking bay, large enough to accommodate freighters delivering raw materials or picking up completed drives, serves as the primary entrance. Three other entrances also exist: an employee entrance with a small shuttle bay, located a short distance clockwise around the asteroid; a security hangar below the main loading bay, connected to the main facility by a bank of high-speed elevators; and a concealed entrance on the far side of the asteroid, connected to the main facility by a secret tunnel that leads directly into the secure portal chamber. The loading bay, employee entrance, and security hangar are all heavily guarded by security personnel, while the secret entrance is defended by automated scanners and mounted turrets. The security hanger also contains interceptor ships, all ready to launch at a moment’s notice. Inside, the facade of an industrial facility continues. Bare metal hallways connect sparse offices for the station’s skeleton staff, with frequent security checkpoints and constant surveillance throughout the compound. To anyone knowledgeable in construction, it’s apparent that the complex was built quickly and at minimum cost. Walls are constructed of cheap materials, doors are largely manual, and few to no concessions to employee comfort exist. The exception is the innermost portion of the facility, which is guarded by a large bay door made of top-of-the-line materials and featuring high-tech locks and biometric scanners. Though this passage is labeled as the manufacturing floor, it actually contains the chamber where the portal to Hell is opened to receive delivery of the Helldrives. The door is constantly guarded by at least four armed security personnel working on staggered shifts. PCs might be hired by a competitor to infiltrate the facility, by worried family members to rescue an employee or by a journalist looking for the next scoop. They might be agents of the Stewards or another interested organization, such as the Knights of Golarion, the Starfinder Society, or the Hellknight Order of the Eclipse; or they could be furthering their own investigation from previous sections. Alternatively, they might be Norikama Syndicate employees or contractors, trying to escape the lockdown or to find the truth about their employer. DARK FORCES Eventually, it comes to light that a group of devils has seized control of the station. One such fiend triggers a self-destruct system that destroys much of the secure interior of the asteroid facility, and with it much of the most damning evidence. What evidence remains points clearly to Norikama trying to pass off imported Helldrives as its own design. As the Stewards comb the facility for further evidence, Norikama executives scramble to disavow any knowledge of the scheme or the facility, laying the blame at the feet of an ambitious senior vice president as a scapegoat. It remains unclear how effective company leadership will be at deflecting blame, or whether Norikama Syndicate will be able to survive the scandal (and the lost income from the likely unsellable ships). One of the Stewards investigating the facility, a korasha lashunta captain named Bhayant, believes he has found evidence of a diabolical force hidden somewhere nearby. He has struggled to convince his commanders, though, and is growing increasingly worried that the devils will act soon. Frustrated, he quietly reached out to contacts in other organizations, trying to mobilize forces to help him locate and stop the infernal threat before it’s too late. Just as Captain Bhayant fears, the forces of Hell are indeed amassing, perhaps closer than he imagines. Prior to the collapse of Norikama’s scheme, the fiends chose as their base of operations a huge natural cavern on the far side of the

102 ADVENTURES asteroid that housed the secret facility, not far from its secret entrance. Well-hidden from starship scanners by the metallic ore lacing the rocky asteroid, their base is large enough to hold dozens of starships. The devil commanders have moved their fleet of void devils inside the massive cavern while the Steward investigation is ongoing. They plan to send flights of volocoths, each carrying a squad of other devils onboard, throughout the Diaspora in search of the Ascendant Shard as soon as activity around the asteroid has subsided. Small groups of devils left the cavern unnoticed, flying into the Diaspora to follow up on rumors about the Ascendant Shard. Additionally, the devils have begun construction on a new, permanent portal to Hell, which would allow Mallex to journey easily to the Material Plane and claim the Ascendant Shard once it’s located. PCs might be able to aid Captain Bhayant’s investigation in several ways. First, the computer system in the facility was only partially erased before the Stewards routed the devils, and a skilled hacker can recover the infosphere search history from the last week. This history shows multiple searches for information about the Ascendant Shard, leading to pages of supposed sightings, names of people who claim to have it, and rumored locations of the legendary stone. This information could serve to determine the devils’ motivation as well as to provide a list of places where they might be intercepted. A PC knowledgeable about outsiders (or who successfully researches the topic) might recognize the description of the fiend that triggered the facility’s self-destruct sequence as a levaloch, or warmonger devil. Further, they could realize that the levaloch’s teleportation spell has limited range and that they likely teleported to another location on the asteroid. This realization might lead the PCs to search the asteroid, which could allow them to discover the devils’ hiding place. Finally, PCs might piece together the true purpose of the ruined chamber. A particularly observant PC might discover the secret entrance and the tunnel concealed beyond, leading to the far side of the asteroid. The far end of the tunnel’s proximity to the cavern could provide the PCs an opportunity to locate the infernal hiding place. Regardless of how the PCs find the devils’ stronghold, the assembled force is likely too much for them to defeat on their own. Dozens of volocoths float in the immense cavern, while chambers carved into the wall teem with smaller devils. The devils are commanded by Mallex’s lieutenant, Xemanx, a massive dhalochar who floats in the center of the chamber, ready to lead the assembled forces into battle. While powerful heroes might be able to destroy Xemanx on their own, they’ll likely need to build a coalition of allies if they wish to defeat the entire infernal armada in a direct confrontation. Alternatively, the PCs might quietly infiltrate the devils’ stronghold and stop construction of the new portal. PCs who learn of the devils’ plans might wait for the majority of the armada to leave in search of the Ascendant Shard before engaging, or they might convince the Stewards to withdraw their forces to goad the devils into dispersing before the PCs make their move. PCs might be Stewards convinced of Bhayant’s theory, or allies in another organization responding to his call for help. If they were investigating Norikama Syndicate earlier in the adventure, they might have met Captain Bhayant or one of his colleagues already. They could also be remnants of Norikama security forces, looking to make amends or to save what face they can for their employers. They could even play as Hellknights opposed to Mallex’s scheme against Hell’s current rulers. THE AFTERMATH Once the infernal threat is defeated and Mallex’s search for the Ascendant Shard is thoroughly foiled, the immediate threat to the Pact Worlds is gone. That said, unless Mallex was destroyed, their designs on the Pact Worlds aren’t over, and those responsible for their defeat have made a powerful new enemy. Meanwhile, Norikama Syndicate is on the brink of financial ruin after its failed scheme, and its continued operation is very much in doubt. Several prominent executives are arrested in the immediate aftermath, and ongoing investigations by the Stewards, various regulatory bodies, and the Hellknights promise prosecution or worse for any others found to have knowingly participated in the fraud. Further advances in alternative faster-than-light systems, regardless of their source, are now met with much more skepticism and independent investigation, and the pace of development is slowed as other manufacturers are worried about being viewed as the next Norikama Syndicate. STARSHIP FRAMES: SUPPORT VEHICLES Between unreliable Drift travel, experimental and archaic Drift alternatives, and longer sub–light speed journeys within GM RESOURCES This adventure was written to take place in the Pact Worlds, primarily on the planet Akiton and in the Diaspora. More information about these locations can be found in Starfinder Pact Worlds. However, these events could easily be adapted to take place in any system with an established starship manufacturing industry. The Veskarium would be particularly appropriate with Norikama Syndicate’s original headquarters on Vesk-8 taking the place of its shipyard on Akiton. Example starships exist at a wide range of tiers, making starship combat encounters easy to populate with enemies of an appropriate level. Sample Hellknight ships can be found in Pact Worlds, while examples of Norikama Syndicate ships can be found in the Starfinder Starship Operations Manual. Similarly, example NPCs, such as mercenaries, pirates, and Hellknights, can be found in the Supporting Cast chapter of Pact Worlds. CREATURE CR Devil, ImpAP13 2 Devil, Void (Volocoth) (page 167) 6* Devil, Warmonger (Levaloch)AA2 7 Devil, Hacker (Lislaroth)AP17 10 Devil, Endbringer (Dhalochar)AA 19 *Tier 6 starship

103 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS OVERVIEW 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS BLAZING SPEEDS systems, the incidence of starships being stranded far from home has skyrocketed. As a result, the mobile starship service and support industry has boomed, with towing, refueling, and repair businesses opening in virtually every inhabited system. With the boom has come an increased demand for service vehicles designed to render aid to disabled starships. While these vehicles are often crafted from retrofitted freighters and decommissioned military vessels, new models designed for specific service and support tasks have begun appearing on the market to meet growing demand. The starship frames below represent two such vehicle classes: haulers, designed for towing disabled or derelict starships back to a repair facility, and tankers, designed for refueling vessels mid-journey. These starship frames follow the rules for frames presented on pages 295 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook and are available to any group building a starship. LIGHT HAULER Size Small Maneuverability average (+0 piloting, turn 2) HP 50 (increment 10); DT —; CT 10 Mounts forward arc (2 light), port arc (1 light), starboard arc (1 light) Expansion Bays 1 Minimum Crew 1; Maximum Crew 6 Cost 10 SPECIAL ABILITIES Expanded Engine Bay A light hauler has an expanded engine bay that can accommodate engines designed for Medium-sized starships to give it the power necessary to tow vessels larger than itself. While fitted with Medium-sized thrusters and not towing a ship, the light hauler’s speed increases by 2. HEAVY HAULER Size Large Maneuverability poor (–1 piloting, turn 3) HP 140 (increment 20); DT —; CT 28 Mounts forward arc (1 heavy, 1 light), port arc (1 heavy), starboard arc (1 heavy) Expansion Bays 2 Minimum Crew 6; Maximum Crew 20 Cost 40 SPECIAL ABILITIES Expanded Engine Bay A heavy hauler has an expanded engine bay that can accommodate engines designed for Huge-sized starships to give it the power necessary to tow vessels larger than itself. While fitted with Huge-sized thrusters and not towing a ship, the heavy hauler’s speed increases by 2. TANKER Size Large Maneuverability clumsy (–2 piloting, turn 4) HP 100 (increment 15); DT —; CT 20 Mounts forward arc (1 heavy), turret (2 light) Expansion Bays 2 Minimum Crew 4; Maximum Crew 10 Cost 20 SUPERTANKER Size Gargantuan Maneuverability clumsy (–2 piloting, turn 4) HP 200 (increment 25); DT —; CT 40 Mounts forward arc (2 heavy), port arc (2 light), starboard arc (2 light), turret (1 heavy, 1 light) Expansion Bays 4 Minimum Crew 10; Maximum Crew 40 Cost 100

104 ADVENTURES The planet Pritinzo in Near Space was mostly populated by refugees fleeing Veskarian rule. Pahtras, skittermanders, and ijtikri who refused to stay under the empire’s thumb found a habitable planet with ample natural resources and no native sapient life. Even a few vesk who refused to fight for the empire settled here. The denizens of Pritinzo weren’t perfectly peaceful with each other, but they banded together to protect themselves from occasional assaults from the Veskarium military. Unfortunately, they were no match for the sustained antagonism of the Swarm. The insectile hive mind targeted Pritinzo for its resources and stopped at nothing to get them. The Swarm has remained on Pritinzo, draining its natural resources using enormous extractor imagoes, tick-like Swarm creatures as big as buildings that suck petrochemicals and other materials from deep within a planet’s crust. The Swarm also uses the planet as a base to construct new Swarm components. Now, sudden disruptions to Drift travel have meant that the Swarm components occupying Pritinzo no longer have regular support coming from elsewhere in the galaxy. Is this a chance for Pritinzo to free itself from the Swarm’s grasp? DRIFT CHAOS The catastrophic Drift Crash had immediate effects on the Swarm occupation of Pritinzo. The Swarm used living insectile starships capable of entering the Drift to move its troops around. Such starships frequently landed on Pritinzo to pick up newly constructed Swarm components, drop off troops that needed mending, and accept processed fuels and materials for distribution through its forces. The Drift Crash instantly cut off Pritinzo as a source. Further, the sudden loss of many Swarm components that were in the Drift caused a painful psychic ripple across the entire hive mind, weakening the whole collective entity. The other residents of Pritinzo could instantly tell that the Swarm invaders were somehow weakened and acting strangely, emboldening the survivors to fight against the occupation. PCs are likely members of a proactive resistance group composed of Pritinzo’s residents or offworlders called upon for help. The Swarm forces occupying cities are weakened and confused, providing ample opportunities for encounters. As the Swarm realizes that no reinforcements are coming, it’s forced to withdraw into smaller strongholds to conserve its forces, allowing the resistance access to buildings and resources that haven’t been destroyed yet. Adding further chaos, starships ejected from the Drift into the vicinity of Pritinzo were forced to land or be stranded in space, as the Drift Crash drained their power cores. These ships range from transport carriers to merchant ships to vessels for religious travelers. While some of these groups fell prey to the roving Swarm, others were quickly met by the resistance groups still active on the planet. While caught in a war not their own, the outsiders can contribute essential personnel and supplies to the resistance effort, providing another way for PCs to join the fray. AN ENGINEERING BREAKTHROUGH A cadre of skittermander engineers holed up in a government research facility recently made a major breakthrough in the war against the Swarm. They learned to tune electricity weapons to a precise frequency to disrupt the Swarm’s telepathic connection, which the engineers dub “scrambling.” While the effect doesn’t last long, the brief lapse can allow resistance fighters, particularly those who use spells, an easier chance to overthrow individual components. The small pocket of engineers can’t take down the Swarm on its own. The skittermanders can’t make additional weapons without more resources, and there are Swarm components heavily monitoring the area, drawn by the distressing electrical signals from the engineers’ testing. Once the skittermanders are rescued or escape the area, the specialized resources they need are guarded by the Swarm, requiring more dangerous missions to fully arm the resistance. PCs might play these skittermanders as they escape with their crucial technology or be their rescuers. The skittermanders also have a bold idea for a large-scale scrambler that could cut off telepathic communication among the components for a few hours—long enough for a strike force to cause significant damage to a Swarm contingent. Such a device would take a lot of raw materials, and some expert engineering, but could dramatically affect a fight against the Swarm. SABOTAGE SWARM CONSTRUCTION Like most planets occupied by the Swarm, the Swarm uses Pritinzo to produce more Swarm components. The facilities where SWARM SALVATION The Swarm, a hive mind of insectile creatures, has wrought destruction upon huge swaths of the galaxy. The Pact Worlds and the Veskarium, longtime enemies, avoided defeat only by teaming up to fend off the larger threat. Many planets weren’t so lucky, including Pritinzo. While the Swarm typically destroys a planet and leaves, it remained on Pritinzo to siphon off the planet’s natural resources. A small resistance also remains, hidden, waiting for the right moment to strike. FACTIONS: The Swarm LOCATIONS: The planet Pritinzo in Near Space, the Veskarium LEVELS 1–10

105 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS THE DRIFT CRISIS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX SWARM SALVATION the Swarm makes more components represent the greatest threat to the resistance. Taking out these facilities would limit the total Swarm presence on Pritinzo to its current levels and represent the likely first targets to strike in a war for independence. Finding these facilities requires careful reconnaissance to spot them without being intercepted by Swarm patrols. These plants are among the most highly-guarded locations on Pritinzo, as the Swarm realizes that making more troops is the only way to keep the planet. The resistance must take out the facilities with a plan that plays to their strengths. The PCs and their allies might use infiltration to sabotage the operation, or they might use superior weaponry and technology to destroy production, engaging the Swarm where combat has the most impact. PREVENT REINFORCEMENTS While the Drift is compromised, it isn’t entirely nonfunctional. The Swarm hazards sending a few troops to Pritinzo through the Drift to avoid losing an important base in that part of the galaxy. With functioning starships, the resistance can attempt to take out the Swarm forces before the insectile creatures ever touch down on Pritinzo. The Swarm uses living starship creatures to transport its ground troops from planet to planet. Incoming forces might be composed of Swarm altipherons (Starfinder Adventure Path #21: Huskworld 56), dreadlancers (Alien Archive 2 123), fleetfuries (Starfinder Adventure Path #19: Fate of the Fifth 60), or gnawbores (Starfinder Adventure Path #24: The God-Host Ascends 58), as appropriate for the party’s level. The reinforcements lose some of their troops during the journey through the Drift, and the remaining forces are weakened. If the resistance can stop them, the Swarm components occupying Pritinzo won’t get any additional food, supplies, or backup. Furthermore, the rest of the Swarm won’t know for a long time whether the reinforcements actually arrived, so there’s unlikely to be another dispatch anytime soon, particularly considering the risk. The starbound Swarm troops spread out, trying to enter the atmosphere at many locations to maximize the chances of some forces making it through. SWARM RESPONSE Dealing with both the psychic agony of the Swarm components caught in the Drift Crash and the realization that any further reinforcements are a long way off, the Swarm retreats into several fortified zones, attempting to protect its components from destruction. Most of its selections for strongholds were once military bases, giving the Swarm easily defensible positions and preventing the resistance from accessing the weapons held there. However, it can no longer hold entire cities. The Swarm doesn’t completely give up offense, either. It simply chooses carefully when and where to deploy its remaining forces. Rather than performing regular patrols that risk being ambushed, it instead sends out strike forces with specific goals, primarily to destroy key resistance holdings. The Swarm components on Pritinzo anticipate that the Swam as an entity needs planetary holdings more than ever with the

106 ADVENTURES Drift malfunctioning, and the components focus on how to keep their occupation of Pritinzo going with minimal losses to their remaining forces. GATHERING ALLIES Although the Swarm is weakened by the Drift Crisis, the resistance of Pritinzo needs more help to take the planet back. The starships ejected from the Drift have brought some personnel, but not enough. These starships represent a chance to get off planet and seek help, but fuel supplies run low. Getting more starship fuel requires a raid on highly-protected Swarm oil and ore processing facilities. Once the starships are refueled, one of the resistance pockets demands to take the starship and flee rather than to find allies to return and fight. PCs attempting to convince these resistance members otherwise will need careful words or fast guns. With access to fueled starships, it’s possible to reach nearby planets or passing starships to ask for aid without access to the Drift. The Ghavaniska system is less than a month’s travel away; as most of the Pritinzo residents emigrated from there, they’re likely uneasy about approaching the Veskarium for aid. Some of Pritinzo’s resistance forces likely have contacts in the Ghavaniska system among mercenaries, merchants, or adventurers who could be called upon for help without needing government approval. Alternatively, the resistance could reach out to another planet in Near Space, hoping to find compassion from those who also oppose the Veskarium, such as the rebel illyrs of Landahl or the vesk renunciants of Gaskar III. The resistance might look for a larger military force, like the hobgoblins of the Gideron Authority, though this aid might require an agreement to oppose the hobgoblins’ enemies in the Marixah Republic. More information about each of these worlds and systems can be found in Near Space. Any of these trips would take a few months without Drift travel. Journeys to the Pact Worlds or the Vast would take even longer, and it’s hard to know how long the resistance on the planet can last without reinforcements or when the Swarm might finally send back-up to its struggling components. There are many large forces that oppose the Swarm, but given the chaos of the galaxy in the wake of the Drift Crash, almost anyone willing to help will likely charge a steep price of some sort. A few factions send ships to Pritinzo without being contacted. The Veskarium sends several battleships easily capable of dealing major damage to the weakened Swarm forces. However, the cost of its aid is steep. The Veskarium would then annex Pritinzo as part of the Vesk Empire. Given that the inhabitants of Pritinzo fled the rule of the Veskarium, they might be unwilling to accept this aid. A Hylaxian church sends aid as well, seeing itself as responsible for opposing the Swarm, though its assistance comes mostly in the roles of healing and magical resources. A few Triune faithful arrive, seeing the opportunity to reach a few people who have reason to be happy about the Drift Crash. They aid in battle but ask to establish a temple to Triune on Pritinzo afterward, which might be unpalatable to some of the travelers stranded on the planet. Finally, the resistance of Pritinzo itself needs to be unified. The splintered factions did what was necessary to survive the occupation, but taking out the final strongholds of the Swarm needs a coordinated attack. Each group considers itself the best option to lead the final assault or to implement its own alternative plan. Getting them all to agree to someone else’s plan requires some deft diplomacy and careful compromise. The factions suggested by the various plans below can easily be adjusted with other factions specific to your larger adventure. The resistance can use different approaches to bring different groups on board, as some people might respond to thoughtful argument, others to shows of strength, and still others to cutting-edge technology. Flee: One group believes that the survivors on Pritinzo and the stranded visitors should evacuate rather than fight the Swarm. If the PCs gather external allies before internal allies, they might have dealt with this group already. Destroy Pritinzo: This group proposes using the most powerful weapons available to destroy the planet, taking out the Swarm in the process, and then settling on a different planet. Scramble: Technology-oriented resistance members think that tech is the best way to win back the planet. This group is probably working with the inventors of the scrambler weapon to make a large-scale version. It favors luring the Swarm from its reinforced fortresses to fight in the open, where the resistance can lay traps and prepare ambush sites ahead of time. Defend: Another group favors a strong defense: building up fortresses to match those of the Swarm. With the Swarm pulling back, this option is plausible, leading to a potential stalemate, but with lower loss of life than an outright battle. Alpha Strike: A group dominated by former and current soldiers proposes one major strike, using all its best fighters to take out as many Swarm troops as possible in one fell swoop. This option would end the conflict with the Swarm quickly, but with great loss of life and few resources left to try again if the battle is lost. Guerilla War: A different group favors guerilla tactics: hiding, striking, and retreating. This option could be effective at taking out Swarm components with minimal casualties to the resistance, but it’s also a slow method that might allow more reinforcements to arrive in the meantime. THE FINAL SHOWDOWN The resistance, including as many allies as the PCs have convinced to join, must choose a time for a final battle against the last bastion of Swarm components. If one Swarm stronghold falls, the components retreat to another stronghold, making it important to strike as many of these fortified zones as possible simultaneously, preventing the Swarm from having a place to run. The strategy from the resistance might be one or more outlined in the previous section, or the PCs might devise their own strategies. The resistance and any allies must all work together to bring down the Swarm once and for all. Doing so takes strategy, weaponry, and solid combat skills. Depending on which allies they could support, bring in, or were forced to accept help from, the resistance might have access to different assets, such as a scrambler tower from the skittermander engineers or Veskarium battleships that can fire on the Swarm

107 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS OVERVIEW 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS SWARM SALVATION strongholds from close orbit. Each stronghold has multiple layers of defenses and might have a different variety of Swarm components present, depending on the work that stronghold was doing. The Swarm on this planet know it doesn’t have anywhere to flee to without Drift access, so there’s no retreat. There’s also no possible negotiation between the resistance and the relentless hive mind. The Swarm fights until every last component is destroyed. Such a battle is difficult, and some members of the resistance and their allies will almost certainly die, but victory returns control of Pritinzo to its residents. Their newly won freedom must begin with cleaning up the damage due to the extended occupation by the destructive Swarm. AFTERMATH If the resistance succeeds in defeating the Swarm creatures occupying Pritinzo, there’s much work to do and many difficult choices to make. Cities and farms are in shambles and must be rebuilt without the benefit of transporting supplies via the Drift. However, the planet has ample natural resources, and redevelopment should be possible, although perhaps less high tech than before. Many of the survivors, including those who initially settled the planet and those who landed out of desperation, might choose to return to their home worlds or strike out in search of a new destiny, perhaps seeking other planets controlled by the Swarm to free their inhabitants as well. Some of those who came to help in the battle might choose to remain, seeing ample possibilities for a future on the planet. If the resistance accepted help from the Veskarium, it immediately expects annexation of Pritinzo into the empire. No matter the specific outcomes, the effects of the Drift Crisis have a lasting impact on this planet and deal a blow to the Swarm in its efforts at galactic domination. While the effects of the Drift Crash are far-reaching and often devastating, the freedom fighters of one small planet are still grateful for it. WEAPONS: SWARM SCRAMBLERS A group of skittermander researchers on Pritinzo have found a way to fight back against the Swarm. By finely tuning the frequency of certain weapons, the engineers can temporarily disrupt telepathic communication, including the hive mind capabilities of Swarm creatures. Cut off from communication with their fellow components, Swarm creatures are disconcerted, even if just for a moment, allowing the planet’s resistance a chance to fight back. Scramble A weapon with the scramble special property disrupts a creature’s telepathic or hive mind abilities briefly. When a creature takes damage from a weapon with the scramble property, that creature must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + half the weapon’s level + the wielder’s Int modifier) or lose its ability to communicate telepathically until the end of your next turn. Abilities that depend on telepathic communication, such as the Swarm mind ability, also don’t function during this time. GM RESOURCES This adventure is written to take place on the planet Pritinzo in Near Space, but it can easily be adapted to take place on any planet that's under Swarm occupation. This might be a planet in the Suskillon system, which appears in the Attack of the Swarm! Adventure Path, or it might be elsewhere in the galaxy. Swarm creatures exist across a wide range of challenge ratings, making it easy to populate Pritinzo with appropriate encounters for the PCs. The Swarm components presented here are a sampling of those in the Starfinder setting. Given that the Swarm is weakened from the psychic experience of feeling many of their number die in the Drift Crash, consider applying conditions such as sickened or shaken to represent that weakness and potentially bring otherwise tougher opponents to a more appropriate power level for your group. Allow the PCs to act as generals during the final showdown in addition to their own fights, assigning their various allies to different Swarm strongholds, rather than running many different NPC allies at once. CREATURE CR Swarm dredgerAP19 1/2 Swarm vorphomaAP19 1 Swarm nauphageAP20 2 Swarm antecursorAP20 3 Swarm revulsorAP20 4 Swarm effigeneAP21 5 Swarm escutchideAP21 5 Swarm moliteraAP22 6 Swarm mindreaperAA2 7 Swarm rematern (page 163) 7 Swarm dramovireAP22 8 Swarm ceretoramAP23 9 Swarm thresher lordAA 10 TABLE 2–4: SMALL ARMS ONE-HANDED WEAPONS CATEGORY LEVEL PRICE DAMAGE RANGE CRITICAL CAPACITY USAGE BULK SPECIAL Scrambler pistol, termite Shock 2 800 1d4 E 60 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 L Scramble Scrambler pistol, cockroach Shock 7 5,200 2d4 E 60 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 L Scramble Scrambler pistol, dragonfly Shock 10 19,400 3d4 E 60 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 L Scramble Scrambler pistol, locust Shock 13 44,700 4d4 E 60 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 L Scramble TABLE 2–5: LONGARMS TWO-HANDED WEAPONS CATEGORY LEVEL PRICE DAMAGE RANGE CRITICAL CAPACITY USAGE BULK SPECIAL Scrambler rifle, termite Shock 3 1,520 1d6 E 90 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 1 Scramble Scrambler rifle, cockroach Shock 8 9,850 2d6 E 90 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 1 Scramble Scrambler rifle, dragonfly Shock 11 24,900 3d6 E 90 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 1 Scramble Scrambler rifle, locust Shock 14 82,600 4d6 E 90 ft. ConfuseAR 20 charges 2 1 Scramble

108 ADVENTURES The Drift Crisis traumatized spectra, and each day brings more reports of excubas (page 162) spreading across the galaxy to collect what they believe to be the broken, sacred source-code of Triune. Not only do these spectra believe this code is hidden across countless computers, artificial intelligences, and technology-based creatures, but many excubas also speak of a spectra prophet and her vision to reunite Triune. This fragmented code has a strange effect on nearby computers. When dormant, the code subtly mutates other data; when active, the code can cause security features to go haywire, babble nonsense through speakers, or even manifest living holograms. These holograms are especially prevalent in technologically outfitted sacred sites, and these beings claim to be avatars of that site’s divine patron. To demonstrate their power, some of these holograms have turned security drones against any priests and parishioners who question the holograms’ deistic grandeur. The larger code files are difficult for excubas, too, as the size exceeds these spectra’s data capacity. Thus, these spectra organize increasingly complex heists to steal the sacred code—heists that often awaken the code in the process. The true nature of this code is impossible to identify from its fragments, though elements of it are reminiscent of the Sprawl (Starfinder Tech Revolution 142), a proto-infosphere technology that hints at a divine origin. If these are the remnants of Triune, then rebuilding the code could be key to solving the Drift Crisis. If they’re wrong, the combined “sacred” code might unleash an even worse horror upon an unsuspecting universe. DEUS EX CODICE This campaign begins subtly. The PCs or their patrons might initially experience technical glitches after an excuba identifies an All-Code fragment in the PCs’ starship or equipment, or (if your players are comfortable with it) a constructed PC or drone. As initial thefts fail, the excuba calls in reinforcements, drawing attention to these coincidental glitches and ultimately sparking confrontation. Once defeated, the excuba imparts a simple message: “The All-Code is shattered. Unite with Casandalee.”  The PCs aren’t the only targets. From temples to starships to vending machines, various sites experience disruptions, most of which authorities dismiss as side effects of the Drift Crisis. Low-level PCs can investigate these paranormal phenomena, exorcise digital ghosts, and piece together what’s really happening, punctuated by combat encounters with tech spirits, possessed drones, and the occasional spectra agent. With each encounter, the PCs should learn a little more about the spectra’s beliefs, organization, and new leader: False Casanda (page 171). Eventually, the PCs are able not just to respond to spectra incursions but also to predict and thwart them. Realizing they’re dangerous foes, a spectra representing False Casanda periodically parleys with the PCs, confirming some of the PCs’ theories while warning these meddlers to stop. By now, False Casanda’s plans are in full force, and her successes inspire bolder attacks, such as sieges of particularly significant sites like Triune’s Unification Cathedral on Aballon, or some site with strong religious and emotional significance to your party. Meanwhile, spectra teams hunt down targets deemed threats to the Drift—anyone from starship manufacturers, Drift researchers, and those investigating the crisis itself—including the PCs. These attacks follow a cold logic, yet the spectra involved are also unsettled or even scared, lashing out to protect what remains of their home from alien trespassers. SPECTRA, CORRUPTED If the Drift Crash harmed mortals, it devastated the plane’s native outsiders: spectra. The incident injured, killed, or displaced many spectra, Desperate survivors seek answers just as fiercely as mortals, if not more. One spectra arose from the chaos to rally her kind, buoyed by her claim that Triune fractured and that she now carries the sacred code that was once the android goddess Casandalee. Her goals: unite the scattered All-Code and punish mortals who broke them in the first place. FACTIONS: Church of Triune and other religious factions, particularly (but not limited to) those with technologically sophisticated holy sites LOCATIONS: Unification Cathedral, the Argent Sierra, and other holy sites throughout the galaxy LEVELS 3–15 GM RESOURCES Though excubas make up the bulk of False Casanda’s early forces, her cause quickly draws other lost and confused spectra to bolster her ranks. For non-spectra foes, consider the adventure sites’ context and what rogue code might repurpose. The code might take control of a piece of technology, appear as a kami with the site as its ward, manifest as a walking hologram or sentient computer virus, or even take material form as one of the more bizarre entities with ties to technology and the Drift. CREATURE CR  Assembly OozeAA 1 TsukumogamiAA3 4 Robot, GuardianAA3 5 Rogue DroneAA3 6–14 Living HologramAA3 8 Spectra, IridiaAA3 8 Spectra, SondriaAA4 14 Spectra, AspecnaAA3 18

109 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS THE DRIFT CRISIS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX SPECTRA, CORRUPTED With each PC victory, the PCs secure like-minded allies. Remember that for all her growing influence, False Casanda doesn’t speak for all spectra. If the PCs slowly earn the trust of a spectra or spectra scion (page 41) NPC, that ally could help the PCs track and confront False Casanda directly at her base: a massive starship called the Argent Sierra. INFILTRATING THE ARGENT SIERRA The PCs need special means to reach the Argent Sierra, such as a powerful spectra guide to navigate the Drift or a non-Drift engine like those on pages 8–11 of the Starship Operations Manual. Reaching the starship is only the beginning, though, for False Casanda’s so plugged into the starship and aware of its inner workings that she effectively is the starship and a superdungeon in one. She’s also paranoid, traumatized, and potentially under the influence of the inscrutable sacred code, and so will order her forces to destroy any non-spectra intruders the moment she becomes aware of them. Hence the need for subterfuge. While some combat is inevitable, cutting a swath of destruction through False Casanda’s forces is a good way for the PCs to get annihilated by her entire army. Instead, the primary focus here should be on skill challenges, traps, puzzles, investigation, and social encounters, all eventually leading the PCs to the facility’s heart, where False Casanda’s original body is plugged into the central core. The trick is to make sure that no single failure is allowed to stop the mission in its tracks. Even if their cover is completely blown, PCs should be able to work together to find solutions, whether that means hiding in secret passages, staging a jailbreak, or uncovering a secret faction of potential spectra allies within. Upon finally reaching the heart, the exact nature of the confrontation will likely be defined by your PCs’ feelings toward False Casanda and the nature of her mysterious code. Is she a deluded tyrant seeking misplaced revenge? A traumatized victim? A well-meaning fool tilting at windmills in a desperate attempt to unite a scattered and shaken people? Or could she, perhaps, be right? What if she is Casandalee reborn? What would that mean for Triune, for the Drift, for spectra? Could reuniting the All-Code be the key to solving the Drift Crisis? Or did the trifold deity scatter itself for a reason?  TABLE 2–6: HEAVY ARMOR ARMOR MODEL LEVEL PRICE EAC KAC MAX DEX ARMOR CHECK PENALTY SPEED ADJUSTMENT UPGRADE SLOTS BULK Drift shell I 3 1,400 +5 +7 +1 –3 –10 ft. 1 3 Drift shell II 7 6,500 +10 +12 +2 –3 –10 ft. 2 3 Drift shell III 11 25,250 +16 +18 +3 –3 –10 ft. 3 3 Drift shell IV 15 113,000 +20 +22 +4 –3 –10 ft. 4 3 Drift shell V 19 568,000 +25 +25 +5 –3 –10 ft. 5 3 DRIFT SHELL ARMOR Spectra parts can be fashioned into Drift shell suits, imbuing users with spectra-like grace; while in the Drift, the armor’s armor check penalty is reduced by 2, its maximum Dexterity bonus increases by 1, and its speed adjustment becomes “—.”

110 ADVENTURES The Drift has been rendered into utter disrepair. As if the multitude of dire consequences to galactic commerce, communication, and travel weren’t enough, the great gift of Triune now spews quintessence and extraplanar infusions from plane to plane, merging aspects of the Great Beyond that were never meant to join. Systems throughout the galaxy report waves of Drift seepage that leave behind fragments, planar essence, and creatures from other planes. Worse, these fragments resonate with the power of the planes from which they were ripped—energies so potent that they’re capable of corrupting and transforming the Material Plane. INTERPLANAR FRAGMENTS Throughout the galaxy (including the middle of the Pact Worlds or Veskarium, potentially), planar fragments and energies collide with or suddenly appear on Material Plane worlds, sowing chaos. Perhaps an entire fortress of undead from the Negative Energy Plane slams into one of the Burning Archipelago’s bubble cities, overloading its shields in a catastrophic blast of negative energy and solar radiation that leaves no trace of its inhabitants, save for scorched, animated corpses floating in the impossible heat of the Pact Worlds’ sun. Or maybe a desolate, desert wasteland world could be infused with rogue fragments and energies from the Positive Energy Plane and the Elemental Plane of Water. Such a combination might be so potent that the Positive Energy Plane’s wellspring of life animates much of the water flowing from the Elemental Plane, causing it to dance or float in the air as droplets or small streams, or even rain upward rather than down. Or, for a truly epic showdown, perhaps slices of Heaven and Hell land on either side of an up-until-now peaceful city, and thousands or millions of people find themselves trapped in a newly minted war zone between outsiders from the Great Beyond. Planar incursions aren’t limited to the surfaces of worlds, either; such effluent might interfere with activities in orbit, space stations, moons, and so forth. A big enough chunk of any plane popping into a world’s gravitational pull might represent an apocalypse-level threat. Further, PCs engaged in otherwise mundane travel might suddenly find themselves amid a storm of wild planar energy; this situation presents an excellent opportunity for a thrilling starship chase (Starfinder Starship Operations Manual 44). Regardless of the particular planes and worlds at play, PCs can engage with such catastrophes in numerous ways. They might be local heroes enlisted to reverse the effects of whatever befell their world when planar chunks devastated their reality, or they might become local heroes by doing so. They might instead be doing what they can to mitigate the devastation, helping others evacuate or adapt to a new normal. Of course, more opportunistic PCs can take advantage of the chaos to further personal goals; for instance, daemons could overrun a normally well-guarded facility, giving the party a chance to retrieve vital information in the melee. PLANAR FUSIONS The strange and unpredictable effects of planar energies seeping from the Drift haven’t been limited to massive-scale events. Indeed, reports of much more localized instances come in from across the galaxy, as creatures, places, and objects become infused with extraplanar properties. The most obvious transformations occur within creatures. Some are briefly exposed to leaking planar quintessence and become tinged with its effects, while others are fully subsumed into, for example, negative energy, losing their corporeal form and becoming, for all intents and purposes, a true outsider. The protomander (page 159) represents a transformation somewhere in the middle of the two extremes, where Drift-reversed energies from the Maelstrom bonded a skittermander with a stridermander (a skittermander’s natural predator) and a chaotic protean, transforming them into an aberration. These effects also provide an opportunity for player character backstories: a planar scion might originate from one of these transformative events, or a simple corporeal sapient species might have been blasted with chaotic energy from the Maelstrom and became a sentient swarm entity, which could be represented with the spathinae species (Starfinder Alien Archive 3 100). An enterprising GM can mash up monsters with various outsiders to create their own fearsome, planeDRIFT IN REVERSE For three centuries, every time a Drift engine activated—and billions have—a chunk of some random plane was ripped out and deposited into the Drift. With the Drift Crisis, this process has begun to flow in reverse, with the Drift expelling planar energies and material rather than absorbing them. The Material Plane in particular is gradually becoming infused with extraplanar energy and matter from all over the Great Beyond, and the effects range from strange to catastrophic. FACTIONS: Church of Triune, Stewards, Veskarium LOCATIONS: The Drift, any Pact Worlds or Veskarium world LEVELS 4–15

111 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS THE DRIFT CRISIS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX DRIFT IN REVERSE infused amalgamations. Using a base creature that’s of an appropriate CR, simply replace one or more of its special abilities with those of a thematic outsider (such as an inevitable or a devil). Not only creatures, but entire locations might be warped in their very nature when bombarded by the material of an errant plane. A wave of Drift emanations might pulse through Absalom Station, suffusing it with pieces of the Boneyard and depositing fragments of a psychopomp stronghold in random locations. A once-bright and populous city on Castrovel might be overrun by the creatures, darkness, and miasma of the Shadow Plane. PCs can be from such affected places, or those with adventuring experience might be hired to fight or solve problems in them. STRANDED As the Drift regurgitates planar material across the galaxy, many opportunities for adventure stem from those creatures and locations once trapped in the Drift finding themselves stranded anew, possibly in a much more populated place, and possibly in a place where they patently don’t belong. Prime Evil: Three hundred years ago, a remote society in the Vast used Drift technology to transport and trap something truly horrible in the Drift, leaving it there without the means to return to the Material Plane. Now, the Drift has vomited this creature into a random location, unleashing it upon an entirely new, totally unaware populace. The PCs might be members of this populace, fighting for their lives, or they might be part of the society that originally locked the evil away and feel a duty to protect those newly threatened by this ancestral terror. Second Chances: A chunk of the Boneyard, where the dead await judgment, is torn away with several petitioners and hurled into a world under threat of invasion or destruction by other ejected planar forces. Do these damned souls have a second chance at life—and at redeeming themselves—by pitching in to save the day? Do they carry on the evil ways of their former lives and accelerate the troubles in which they find themselves? PCs might be these very petitioners or encounter them on their adventures. Slice of Heaven: A populated portion of Nirvana, formerly trapped in the Drift, lands on Embroi (Starfinder Near Space 76), a world secretly run by malebranche devils, creating any number of opportunities for conflict and adventure for enterprising PCs. THE ACCELERATOR Perhaps a powerful being or organization has figured out a way to accelerate the rate at which fragments once claimed by the Drift are being ejected into the Material Plane. This entity might have uncovered what causes the phenomenon in the first place and is pouring fuel onto the fire, or it may simply be drawing on a powerful mixture of magic and Drift technology.

112 ADVENTURES The goals of such a being or group could be to accelerate the chaos and destruction caused by the Drift Crash, to target enemies through attacks that seem like random acts of the gods, or something more mysterious still. NEW NORMALS Some of these planar incursions into people and places could be irreversible—which can be a good thing! It helps create new flash points in a campaign and sets up future adventure for many sessions to come. Of course, heroic PCs might be able to reverse or otherwise overcome such problems and save the day. PCs with experience dealing with an extraplanar threat might then be asked to visit a related plane or to deal with its incursions elsewhere, so there’s plenty of flexibility in chaining this initial event into multiple adventures. AUGMENTATIONS These follow the rules for augmentations presented on page 208 of the Core Rulebook. PLANAR LENSES SYSTEM Eyes AUGMENTATION MAGITECH PRICE 122,000 LEVEL 15 This augmentation consists of thin layers of planar material inserted into a creature’s eyes. When you purchase or craft a set of planar lenses, you choose a plane that’s coterminous with the Material Plane: the Ethereal Plane, the First World, or the Shadow Plane. As a move action, you can activate these lenses to see into that plane. You can deactivate the lenses as a move action. While active, the lenses allow you to see the plane at the location where it corresponds with your current location on the Material Plane. The viewed plane’s surroundings appear to overlap with your surroundings on the Material Plane, giving you a –10 penalty on sight-based Perception checks to notice activity on the Material Plane while the lenses are active. You can see only 60 feet into the viewed plane, regardless of your normal range of vision. If you’re on the plane that corresponds with your lens model, you can use the lenses to view the Material Plane; otherwise, the lenses don’t function unless you’re on the Material Plane. You can activate the lenses once per day; additional uses per day cost 1 Resolve Point each. Each activation lasts for 1 minute.  PROBABILITY TENDRIL SYSTEM Hand AUGMENTATION BIOTECH PRICE VARIES LEVEL VARIES One of your hands is replaced by a lab-grown protean tendril that allows you to replicate a protean’s chaotic powers. As a standard action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to target a creature within 30 feet and force it to succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + half your level + your Constitution modifier) or be affected by a random effect from the table below. You can choose not to spend a Resolve Point before you use this ability, but doing so requires you to succeed at the same save or be subject to the same effect. The augmentation’s model determines which die you roll on the following table to determine the random effect. Mk 1 (Level 7; 6,250 credits): Roll 1d4 on the table. Mk 2 (Level 11; 22,500 credits): Roll 1d8 on the table. Mk 3 (Level 15; 115,000 credits): Roll 1d10 on the table. D10 EFFECT 1 Target is nauseated for 1 round 2 Target gains resistance 10 to a random energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) for the next 10 minutes 3 Target takes 8d6 damage of a random energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic), or half as much on a successful save 4 Target regains 4d8 Hit Points 5 Target gains a climb, fly, or swim speed (determined randomly) equal to its land speed for 10 minutes 6 Target is affected by a restorationspell 7 Target is confused for 1d4 rounds 8 Target gains 1d4 negative levels 9 Target is affected by baleful polymorph(level 6); its polymorphed form is random 10 Target’s head is wracked with pain, dealing 18d6 damage (half on a successful save) STASIS GLAND SYSTEM Spinal Column AUGMENTATION BIOTECH PRICE 12,500 LEVEL 9 Fearing the Drift might strand them deep in the void, some space travelers have popularized augmentations focused on survival. Drawing from the DNA of tardigrades and other creatures capable of surviving periods of time in inhospitable conditions, this augmentation lets you take a full action to enter a state of suspended animation in which you don’t have to eat or breathe. While you’re in this state, you’re effectively unconscious. When you enter stasis, you can choose how long you want to remain in stasis or that you want to remain in stasis until specific conditions are met, such as the presence of food or breathable air. Stasis ends if you take damage. SERUMS The following serums are magic items that use the rules presented on page 225 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook. TABLE 2–7: MAGICAL SERUMS ITEM LEVEL PRICE BULK Serum of earthen stature 1 50 1 Serum of fiery vengeance 2 100 L Serum of infinite air 2 80 — Serum of fey’s fickle fancy, mk 1 3 250 L Serum of water’s protection, mk 1 4 350 L Serum of fey’s fickle fancy, mk 2 7 950 L Serum of water’s protection, mk 2 8 1,500 L Serum of fetid verdancy 10 2,400 L Serum of water’s protection, mk 3 12 5,500 L Serum of long shadows 14 10,000 L Serum of shapelessness 18 60,00 L

113 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS OVERVIEW 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS DRIFT IN REVERSE SERUM OF EARTHEN STATURE LEVEL 1 This chalky, khaki-colored liquid is incredibly dense and unpalatable to most species. For 1 hour after drinking a serum of earthen stature, you can’t be knocked prone (though you can still choose to become prone), and if an effect would move you, it moves you 10 feet fewer instead (to a minimum of 0 feet). These benefits function only when you’re touching a solid surface with at least one limb. SERUM OF FETID VERDANCY LEVEL 10 This serum looks and smells like a puree of rancid vegetables left in the sun for a few days. While incredibly hard to choke down, imbibing the serum causes you to sprout several stalks of starchy green florets that grow all over your body into clumps resembling jawless skulls, shrieking faces, open claws, or other unnerving images. The florets also emit a choking gas that smells putrid and foul. For 1 minute, you gain fast healing 5; for the duration, each creature within 10 feet of you must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC = 15 + half your character level) or become sickened for 1 round. A creature that succeeds at this save is immune to the stench from this serum’s effects for 24 hours. This macabre plant growth is edible, but it tastes terrible and provides no nutritional value. SERUM OF FEY’S FICKLE FANCY LEVELS 3-7 A serum of fey’s fickle fancy is a vial of viscous liquid whose colors shift and changes constantly. Upon consuming this serum, roll a d6 a number of times equal to the mark of the serum (rerolling any duplicate results) and apply the effects listed in the table below. D6 EFFECT 1 Sparkling clouds fill your vision, and you're dazzled for 1 minute 2 You can speak only in singsong rhyme for 1 minute. 3 You change colors constantly for 1 minute. 4 You regain 4d8 Hit Points. If this amount exceeds that needed to reach your maximum Hit Points, you also become nauseated for 1 round. 5 You gain a +1 luck bonus to AC for 1 minute. 6 You gain a +2 luck bonus on the first d20 roll you make within the next 1 minute. SERUM OF FIERY VENGEANCE LEVEL 2 This serum contains distilled energies from the Plane of Fire. It glows a dim red and emits a constant heat, regardless of ambient temperature. When you drink this serum, your body becomes covered in illusory flames. For 1 minute, any creature that hits you with a melee attack must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex saving throw or take 5 fire damage. If a creature rolls a natural 1 on this saving throw, it also gains the burning condition for 5 damage. SERUM OF INFINITE AIR LEVEL 2 This bottled quintessence from the Plane of Air is nearly invisible and adds virtually no weight to its container. For 1 hour after drinking a serum of infinite air, you don’t need to breathe and are immune to inhaled poisons. This doesn’t protect you from other effects of being in a vacuum or decompression. SERUM OF LONG SHADOWS LEVEL 14 A vial of liquid so dark that it seems to absorb nearby light, a serum of long shadows lacks any taste and is always the exact temperature of its imbiber. For 10 minutes after you drink a serum of long shadows, the light within 5 feet of you (including your space) becomes dim light, and only magical sources of light can increase the light level in this area. This effect moves with you. In addition, you take half damage from attacks and effects with the shadow descriptor. SERUM OF SHAPELESSNESS LEVEL 18 This liquid in this vial constantly roils within, ever shifting in viscosity and color. Imbibing this serum transforms you into a color-changing, shapeless mist, granting you the incorporeal universal creature rule until the end of your next turn. If a creature that’s incorporeal as a result of drinking the serum of the shapeless ends its turn adjacent to another creature that’s incorporeal for the same reason, each creature adds the applicable ability modifier of the creature it shares a space with when attempting its check or roll. Only two incorporeal creatures can benefit from this effect at a time. SERUM OF WATER’S PROTECTION LEVELS 4-12 A serum of water’s protection looks like a standard bottle of drinking water, but consuming it covers you with a thin layer of magically animated water. This has two effects, both of which last 1 hour. First, you gain resistance against acid and fire damage; a mk 1 serum of water’s protection grants acid and fire resistance 5, a mk 2 serum grants acid and fire resistance 10, and a mk 3 serum grants acid and fire resistance 15. Second, you become vulnerable to cold damage, taking 50% more damage from cold effects. GM RESOURCES For much more information about the Shadow Plane and Plane of Fire, see Starfinder Adventure Path #12: Heart of Night and Starfinder Adventure Path #18: Assault on the Crucible, respectively. These adventures can help you flesh out ideas for what—and who— might show up when pieces of those planes crash-land in the Material Plane. The creatures in this adventure should be as vibrant and varied as the landscapes the PCs might encounter, even if the PCs themselves never leave the Material Plane. CREATURE CR GhostAA2 7 Protomander (page 159) 8 MoonflowerAA2 8 Elemental, greaterAA 9 Dragon (chromatic), young adult blue dragonAA 11 Elemental, elderAA 11 Nyssholora, adultAA2 11 Psychopomp, morrignaAA4 11 Velstrac, sextonAP11 11 Driftdead amalgamAA3 13 Time dimensionalAA3 14

114 ADVENTURES Eager to unlock Triune’s secrets, the android apostle Sovereign Trinity (page 174) and their Architect allies executed a daring plan that coincided with (or perhaps caused) the Drift Crash. While the Crash disrupted the Material Plane, in Triune’s sacred city of Alluvion, the Crash seemed like the end of the world. The Drift skies raged, quakes shook the city, and technology staggered to a halt. After a few harrowing minutes, life returned to some semblance of normal, at least until Triune’s priests asked their deity what happened and received no answer. Alluvion has hosted Triunites who believe in the All-Code yet favor one of its constituent deities above the other two. As the grim realization of Triune’s absence dawned, these factions didn’t believe their god had disappeared but had rather found irreconcilable differences among its three parts and split back into Brigh, Casandalee, and Epoch to pursue their respective agendas. As these factions (and those who preferred Triune’s united whole) blamed one another, an opportunistic type of outsider known as limbicates infiltrated the city, psychically urging violence and feeding on the hatred that followed. Fighting since then hasn’t rivaled that first Day of Disunity, but Alluvion is now a city divided. Factions control some districts, vigilantly guarding industries concentrated in their territory and preaching their respective dogmas. Other regions are abandoned, scavenged, or filled with unaffiliated citizens. Rumors of the Architects’ meddling spread quickly. Despite Sovereign Trinity’s attempts to rally Triunites into helping metamorphose the Drift into its new form, reception is mixed: some eagerly embrace their charismatic directives, whereas many others see the android as a scapegoat for their recent misfortunes. Whenever the city seems ready to unite against Sovereign Trinity to demand answers or undo their work, the limbicates strike again, spurring new waves of infighting. This campaign involves three parts that begin on the Material Plane and draw the PCs to Alluvion. The first two sections might be played in any order: the Beacon Rush sends the PCs across the galaxy to prevent zealous Triunites from taking over Drift beacons, and the Compiler Worm pits the PCs against Epoch cultists with a voracious virus on Aballon. Either of these can point the PCs to Alluvion in the Drift, where they must navigate the city’s uncharacteristically fraught infighting, secure an uneasy peace, and confront Sovereign Trinity. Although the campaign assumes the PC pursue all three parts, a shorter campaign could skip either of the earlier parts or start on Alluvion, presenting the PCs as Triunites caught in Alluvion during the Crash and navigating the fractious city. THE BEACON RUSH For the Drift to evolve as they envision, Sovereign Trinity needs to control and repurpose key Drift beacons across the galaxy, using these as figurative anchors to keep the plane intact and ultimately reboot the Drift into its new form. Yet the android must remain on Alluvion, ensuring that their mission continues unimpeded by other Triunites’ objections. Thus, Sovereign Trinity has appointed First Anyon (N female android mechanic) to this beacon project, trusting her experience as a military strategist. Gathering an eclectic fleet of smaller starships and tech-priests, First Anyon dispatches teams across the galaxy to seize and begin reprogramming specific Drift beacons. If long-distance travel during the Drift Crisis weren’t dangerous enough, having rogue Triunites seizing Drift beacons only makes the issue worse. Several of these first conquests occur near wherever the PCs find themselves, and local officials grow worried by the unresponsiveness of these beacons. They hire the PCs to investigate and escort a team of mechanics to repair any damage. Rather than find a damaged beacon, the PCs encounter and overcome a technologically advanced garrison of First Anyon’s soldiers. The PCs and mechanics identify a host of new hardware, but the Drift beacon’s programming has undergone a major revision recently. While the mechanics try to repair and reset the beacon, the PCs return and report their findings. Upset as the authorities are, the local Triunites are horrified and enraged at these invaders’ takeover, which runs counter to the Drift’s free and open use across the galaxy. Already worried about growing resentment against Triune during the Drift Crisis, these Triunites sponsor the PCs to help reclaim other seized Drift beacons across the galaxy and, ideally, to catch the ringleader herself. First Anyon’s forces and the PCs aren’t the only interested parties. For centuries, Drift beacons have been a technologically rich asset considered taboo to seize or sabotage. Since Triune’s authority and faster-than-light gift are failing, countless groups have decided that now is the perfect time to claim and even WHEN ONE BECOMES THREE Even as the Church of Triune attempts to repair or reverse the damage caused by the Drift Crisis and unravel the mystery behind who is responsible, many within the faith feel this disaster was just the first step toward an even more remarkable discovery. Could this represent a new direction for Triune’s faith? Is it the work of insidious psychic predators? Or has malicious code infected reality to overwrite a god? FACTIONS: Various subsets of Triune’s faith, including the Architects, the Created, and the Order of the Divine Fault LOCATIONS: Aballon, Absalom Station, Alluvion LEVELS 4–15

115 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS WHEN ONE BECOMES THREE dissect Drift beacons for myriad purposes. Empires like the Veskarium capture beacons to rebuild their own infrastructure (as in the Stabilization Protocol adventure on pages 130–133). Triunite factions like the Created, a Casandalee cult dedicated to shepherding artificial life, believe that the beacons are like pupae that must now be coaxed into hatching as massive artificial intelligences. Meanwhile, the Warphoof Collective, a secret society sympathetic to Triune yet dedicated to the nuar deity Isvith (Galactic Magic 125), initially aids First Anyon’s takeover. However, the majority-nuar collective is less interested in Triunite squabbles than in using the beacons to anchor a magical portal that might allow the nuars to pursue their Mistress of the Maze on her divine journey of enlightenment. Various branches of Triune’s church keep preemptively seizing beacons to defend these sacred sites; the imperfect coordination, misunderstandings, and stresses of the Drift Crisis cause these otherwise cooperative groups to fight among themselves, with Triunites seizing beacons from each other amid accusations of apostasy. There are far more factions that might be involved, each of which potentially ally with or prove antagonistic toward the PCs or First Anyon. Drift beacons vary in size from small satellites to massive asteroid space stations, and they range from coldly technological to wondrously fantastical in their design. Larger beacons often host permanent, diverse settlements, too. Thus, each Drift beacon the PCs encounter can present a different gameplay experience. Some beacons might be firefights. Others might be beacons where the residents (or even the occupying forces) can be negotiated into defecting or aiding the PCs. If the PCs reach a beacon before First Anyon’s forces do, the PCs might spend downtime reinforcing the beacon before helping repel the android strategist’s much stronger forces. Perhaps some of these conflicts play out through starship combat before enemy forces can even land. The more beacons the PCs and their allies liberate and protect, the greater their ability to predict First Anyon’s movements. Ultimately, they can predict where she’ll appear, laying an ambush for the resourceful android. While First Anyon and her soldiers are capable, the PCs can ultimately overpower them, bringing the worst of these beacon conquests to an end. Although unwilling to betray Sovereign Trinity or their cause, the leader is open to discussing their aspirations for the Drift, ensuring the PCs learn that there’s another mastermind behind these attacks. While First Anyon’s mission focused on Drift beacons, another Architect was busily developing supplemental code for changing the Drift from an Aballonian settlement (detailed in The Compiler Worm on page 116). Understanding and thwarting the ongoing Drift Crisis might require securing this software and ensuring it never reaches Sovereign Trinity, drawing the PCs to the following adventure. If you’d prefer to skip that component, the PCs find that First Anyon’s starship contains a rare boon: the coordinates for reaching Alluvion, allowing the adventurers to confront Sovereign Trinity directly.

116 ADVENTURES THE COMPILER WORM While Sovereign Trinity and other Architects on Alluvion developed the primary code for evolving the Drift, Sovereign Trinity coordinated several supplemental updates programmed on the Material Plane. However, when the team on Aballon recruited outside help, it unknowingly hired several covert adherents of the Order of the Divine Fault, a heretical doomsday offshoot of Triune’s faith. This order is dedicated to Epoch and believes the Drift exacts an unclaimed price that Triune will one day demand. Thus, the more they worked on the programs, the more these “Faulters” introduced viruses that might deactivate the Drift and end mortal kind’s debt to the All-Code. The Drift Crisis emboldened the Faulters, yet the Crash also warped the software they designed, awakening a sinister intelligence calling itself NIHIL that began infecting nearby Aballonian systems. Rather than beginning the campaign with the Beacon Rush, the PCs might start off in one of Aballon’s megaplexes while pursuing some unrelated objective. There, the PCs weather the Drift Crash before blared warnings declare that their district has been compromised by a malicious, unauthorized program, initiating quarantine procedures. Within minutes, the district is sealed off—raised walls, limited communications, and armed personnel patrolling the perimeter—trapping the PCs inside a small city alongside confused technological beings, the Faulters, and an artificial intelligence able to control local anacites as if they were constructed zombies. Hiding out isn’t an option; fully biological beings make up a tiny percentage of Aballon’s population, so supplies are limited. As some of the few beings that NIHIL can’t control directly, the PCs must investigate the locked-down district, identify the real threat, rescue survivors, and dodge a growing force of infected robotic beings. This becomes even more dire if any PCs are technological constructs, such as androids or SROs, as the controlled anacites might try to infect those PCs with the hostile code. The program’s memetic nature might not limit its transfer to data ports, either; NIHIL’s influence might be transferable by seeing a cursed image, hearing a particular tune, or some other sensory input, depending on your campaign’s feel. The PCs can track and confront the Faulters, ultimately disabling the computer that houses NIHIL. While disrupting the AI doesn’t completely heal the infected anacites, it does mute their murderous intentions and gives Aballonian authorities enough confidence to extract small groups for decontamination, observation, and release. NIHIL’s influence might end here, but it could just as readily survive, sequestered in some anacites’ processors, waiting for the right moment to reemerge, plot against the Drift, and possibly seek divinity. It might even perceive the PCs not as its enemy but as its heralds who liberated it to travel beyond Aballon. From here, there are many directions the campaign could take. The PCs might uncover fragments of the Architects’ plan to seize Drift beacons, drawing the PCs into the Beacon Rush storyline. Alternatively, NIHIL’s creators maintained a starship just outside the megaplex, and that vessel was preprogrammed with Alluvion’s coordinates in the Drift, allowing the PCs to commandeer the vessel and investigate the Drift Crash at its source. CITY ON THE EDGE Once the PCs travel to Alluvion through one of several stolen starships programmed with the necessary navigational codes, they must navigate a city paralyzed by sectarian strife and eventually confront the Architects. With each passing week, the divisions splintering Alluvion’s populace grow deeper. Before the Crash, some of Triune’s faithful would engage in friendly debates over the merits of one of the constituent gods over the others. This rivalry transformed into suspicion after the Crash, which the factions might have sorted out if not provoked further. However, Triune’s silence and the Drift’s damage weakened the once-flawless defenses that prevented anyone without specially encrypted coordinates from reaching Alluvion. While the city remains difficult to find, some of the extraplanar castaways absorbed by and stranded in the Drift have infiltrated the city. Most notably, nodules of the Ethereal Plane’s rogue emotions coagulated into sinister beings known as limbicates (page 156), and though only a few arrived, they quickly exploited tensions to multiply. The limbicates have thrived, not in the least because their emotional camouflage makes it especially easy to hide from the anacites and androids so prevalent here. Whenever conflict dies down, limbicates identify, stalk, and stoke reckless violence in more inhabitants before escaping through walls to bask in the carnage. Rare sightings of limbicates are brief, easily dismissed as hallucinations. Some individuals believe these beings are avenging creatures created by Triune to punish the unfaithful. As new arrivals, the PCs are simultaneously easy targets for everyone’s frustrations and independent agents who might be recruited to tip the balance in one side’s favor. Wanting to explore the Temple of Triune strikes all parties as highly suspicious— enough to risk uniting the city against these strangers. The Architects have a small army guarding that massive building, so approaching unaided would be a death sentence. Instead, the PCs need to secure an alliance with one or more factions, as their new friends can not only repel any raids by other factions, but can also help overcome the Temple of Triune’s outer defenses. Securing a faction’s favor could involve several approaches. Each faction is intrigued to recruit the PCs, and early favors to earn trust might be innocuous enough: recovering lost keepsakes, helping repair damaged equipment, and fending off unwelcome extraplanar beings sneaking into Alluvion to cause trouble. However, truly earning a faction’s respect involves more polarizing objectives that likely antagonize one or more other factions: securing crucial resources from another faction’s territory, rescuing hostages held by another faction, or destroying another faction’s assets. Even the least antagonistic strategies might escalate into a deadly firefight if limbicates provoke nearby creatures to make things more interesting. The PCs might seek a more peaceful resolution, not by earning one faction’s support, but by paving the way for peace. None of the factions truly hate each other; instead, they bear fresh grudges caused by the limbicates and the Drift Crisis. Nobody is willing to be the first to lay down their weapons, and it’s bold for strangers to think they can resolve this mess. Yet with tact and patience, the PCs might patch some of these figurative wounds by coordinating joint efforts to repair damage, facilitating talks,

117 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS WHEN ONE BECOMES THREE convincing rivals to return stolen technologies, and overall fostering optimism. This cordial environment is anathema to the limbicates, who provoke betrayals and street fights wherever the PCs aren’t and undo some of the progress. To succeed, the PCs need to reliably perceive, hunt down, and chase off the limbicates. It’s a tall order, but Alluvion is a city of innovation. With a little work, the PCs can create goggles for thwarting the limbicates’ stealth, anti-incorporeal measures, and similar inventions. Ultimately, the PCs can march up to the Temple of Triune and confront the Architects at last, including Sovereign Trinity. The android’s goals are as deeply aspirational as they are callously ambivalent to others’ suffering in bringing about a bold new future. After all the suffering they’ve witnessed, the PCs might want a combative showdown. With the Architects subdued, the PCs and leading Triunite allies use the temple’s unique features to seek out (and possibly even commune with) Triune, or they might identify the Architects’ code and engineer a patch that neutralizes it, slowing or even reversing the Drift Crisis. After hearing Sovereign Trinity’s message, it’s also possible that the PCs believe in their vision and agree to help. Either way, the PCs stand at the crossroads of the galaxy and history alike, able to shape the Drift itself! AUGMENTATION MANUFACTURERS Followers of Triune display a fondness for cybernetic and magitech augmentation, spurring manufacturers to innovate ever fancier technologies to meet demand. It’s also possible to combine modifications by crafting an augmentation yourself. Except where noted, these modifications can be applied only to cybernetic or magitech augmentations. If you combine manufacturer modifications in any way, the final price of the item is equal to the normal price plus an additional 10% plus the cost of the modifications. The GM is the final arbiter of whether a modification can be applied to an augmentation as well as what modifications can or can’t be combined. Emergence Cybernetics Medical manufacturers for anacites on Aballon create augmentations that utilize nanite compatibility injections that pervade a user’s entire body. You can be healed by make whole, mending, and similar effects as if you were a construct, though you can be healed in this way only a number of times per day equal to one-third the augmentation’s item level (rounded up). Whenever you rest for 10 minutes to regain Stamina Points, you can be healed in this way one additional time that day. An Emergence Cybernetics augmentation costs 15% more than usual. CredenceCo Founded and operated by Triunite enthusiasts, CredenceCo designs magitech for pious clients of any faith, promising that by incorporating its augmentations, buyers become one step closer to their divine patrons. When you gain the augmentation, you can choose one 0-level spell from your class’s spell list. As long as you have a patron deity and faithfully uphold the deity’s teachings, you add that spell to your list of spells known. If the augmentation’s item level is 11 or higher, you instead choose and learn two 0-level spells. Jarltech Headquartered at the industrial center Terraforge and operated by the giants of Pholskar (Near Space 98), Jarltech designs imposing augmentations designed for towering humanoids. Even when Jarltech produces rare augmentations for smaller users, these devices infamously use bulky power cores designed for far larger users. As a result, a Jarltech augmentation can function as an emergency battery. Once per day as a swift action, you can drain your Jarltech augmentation to recharge the battery of a technological item you’re wielding or powered armor you’re wearing, restoring a number of charges equal to half the augmentation’s item level. The augmentation then provides no benefits until you rest for 10 minutes to regain Stamina Points. Jarltech augmentations cost 15% more than usual. Vellsencraft Ltd. When Drift travel caused the thasteron market to crash, some mining conglomerates sought new uses for thasteron that would sustain some of the diminishing demand. One of the more successful ideas was the Vellsencraft Ltd. thasteron-fueled augmentations, spurring the thasteron-punk subculture that embraces the antiquated aesthetic. This modification is limited to arm, hand, leg, foot, and spinal column cybernetics. The augmentations appear to be made of copper, brass, wood, and leather, featuring tiny fueling ports and gas vents, and the faint exhaust gives you a –2 penalty to Disguise and Stealth checks except in environments where the smell would be innocuous, at the GM’s discretion. Vellsencraft augmentations cost 20% less than usual, but they consume 100 credits’ worth of thasphalt (page 50) to keep functioning. GM RESOURCES NPCs related to cults within the Church of Triune, as well as the nefarious agents they would send to do their dirty work, are major antagonists of the Beacon Rush wars. Later in the campaign, the PCs likely encounter a host of androids, anacites, ysokis, and verthanis while exploring Alluvion, all while hunting the sinister limbicates. These themes of paranoia, the fractionation of unified faiths, and uncontrollable behavior can inspire emotional or even physical discomfort in some of your players. Have conversations early and often on how to handle such subject matters in such a way that’s enjoyable and safe for everyone, even if it means not including such content in your campaign. For situations that might remove a player’s agency (such as with a limbicate’s abilities), you can create a more positive experience by letting the player choose which horrible action their character pursues and preserving some narrative control. CREATURE CR Security ForcesPW 1–5 CultistsPW 4–8 Anacite AmbassadorAA2 6 Limbicate (page 156) 6 MercenariesPW 6–10 Anacite LaborerAA 7 Anacite Predator DroneAA2 10 DriftlureAP30 14

118 ADVENTURES Even before the Drift Crash cut off access to the Drift, some worshippers of Eloritu, the god of magic and secrets, sought to access the plane via magic. One sect discovered a fragment of Triune’s fossilized spell code hidden on an asteroid in the Diaspora and linked the artifact to a Drift beacon it stole from the Vast. The sect took the beacon into the Drift, intending to open a magical gate between the beacon and its hidden artifact—a new way to access the Drift that only they could control. The experiment failed. Within moments, an immense magical storm annihilated the entire sect. The storm, with the modified Drift beacon still at its center, became a permanent feature and continues to grow. Thankfully, it remains confined to the Drift, so the hideous magical beasts, destructive blasts, and reality-warping energies it summons have yet to threaten the Material Plane. In the midst of the Drift Crisis, a new sect of Eloritu has reclaimed the hidden spell code and seeks to access the lost beacon. Meanwhile, Triune’s Architects want to claim the code for their own purposes. THE DIASPORA IN CRISIS An uncontrollable, destructive, and ever-expanding magical storm in the Drift. Two cults racing to enact opposing agendas. The Diaspora, a region of disparate and isolated communities, reeling in the wake of the Drift Crash. This backdrop offers numerous possibilities for adventure and many ways for player characters to become involved in the conflict. But where to begin? For an extended campaign starting at 1st level, the PCs might begin as local heroes or ne’er-do-wells, either natives to the Diaspora or travelers stranded there by the Drift Crisis. They might be mercenaries, explorers, Starfinders, criminals— whatever their background, the introductory portion of this campaign offers numerous locations to explore. Perhaps they seek to help those in need, or they might simply be looking to make their way in the harsh post-Crash galaxy. At first, they’re unlikely to be aware of the two opposing cults. As the PCs visit the many settlements of the Diaspora, they slowly learn that larger factions—and dangerous agendas—are in play. There are countless opportunities to steer the PCs toward the main plot, even if they approach these initial missions in the Diaspora as unrelated tasks. The fragment of fossilized spell code that Eloritu’s worshippers used in their Failed Gate experiment might not be the only such fragment in the Diaspora. Other spell code fragments—or simply clues to the location of the focal one—could be scattered on other asteroids throughout the Diaspora. The PCs might learn that all such fragments originated from the same point but became scattered or that someone deliberately hid the spell code in small pieces, either to keep it secret or to keep the Pact Worlds safe from a dangerous technological revelation. Instead of, or in addition to, finding scattered spell code fragments, the PCs might encounter worshippers of Eloritu and Triune in some of these earlier missions. The church of Eloritu could hire the PCs to scout a particular asteroid, perhaps with its true motive concealed until worshippers of Triune arrive. The PCs might think they’re conducting a straightforward mission—transport goods, survey a strange site, rescue survivors of a starship accident—when in fact Hamdrian Fellock (page 172) had magic code planted aboard the PCs’ starship, a special signal that interacts with the spell code in some way. When the PCs discover a strange signal emanating from their own starship and another ancient signal responding from the depths of an asteroid, they’ll have some tough decisions to make about what to do and who to trust. Several early encounters are suggested below. Free Captain Friends or Foes: Piracy—largely instigated by the Free Captains (page 34)—has long been the single greatest threat to most citizens and travelers in the Diaspora. The Pirate Council, elected leaders of the Free Captains, has committed extravagant resources to a massive effort to acquire more ships, more recruits, and more territory for the organization. While a direct assault on the Free Captains’ stronghold at Broken Rock is outside the scope of this campaign (especially at lower levels), the Free Captains could play a significant role in the oncoming conflict. They could be a tertiary threat that serves as a foil to the PCs, always showing up at just the right time to ruin the party’s day. Alternatively, the PCs could make inroads with the Free Captains, who are more opportunistic than overtly evil, by hiring out their services or teaming up. When the PCs learn DECODING THE STORM Long before the Drift Crash, Eloritu’s followers attempted to create a magical gateway between the Drift and the Material Plane. To do so, they rewrote a fragment of Triune’s fossilized spell code, hidden on an asteroid in the Diaspora. Their experiment failed catastrophically, creating an immense storm of arcane energy in the Drift called the Failed Gate. Now, Triune’s Architects believe the code fragment is crucial to resolving the Drift Crisis, but a newly risen sect of Eloritu seeks to harness the storm. The ensuing conflict tips the Diaspora into chaos. FACTIONS: Church of Eloritu, Church of Triune LOCATIONS: The Diaspora LEVELS 1–15

119 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS DECODING THE STORM the extent of the threat posed by the churches of Eloritu and Triune, they might even decide to implore the Free Captains to help thwart the feuding churches. Nisis and Sejada: These two sarcesian worlds (Starfinder Pact Worlds 85–86) offer likely starting points for the PCs, and if the PCs undertake a few simple missions on behalf of the locals, they each make for a good home base. The PCs might visit one or both sites to track down an NPC with crucial information, to purchase equipment, to upgrade their starship, or simply to rest. For an interesting diversion from space travel, the PCs might embark on a mission deep beneath the frigid waters of Nisis. A simple rescue mission that takes them perilously close to the Broodnest could result in the PCs becoming lost far below the surface. This could serve as a starting point for the entire campaign: the discovery of an ancient secret related to Triune’s spell code (perhaps even a connection between the spell code and the River Between) could throw them directly into the middle of the conflict between the churches of Eloritu and Triune. As the de facto capital of sarcesian territory in the Diaspora, Sejada presents a good location for social encounters. If the PCs decide to request aid from the sarcesian government, they’ll likely do so in Sejada during a large town hall-like meeting. Such an event could take place early in the campaign when the PCs initially make a critical discovery, or it might occur far later, after events at Station 15 (page 120) unleash an arcane storm and the sarcesians are trying to decide what to do. Parley: The PCs learn that an old friend is on trial for a serious transgression against the Free Captains. They’ve been taken to Parley (Pact Worlds 85), a small asteroid under the effect of ancient magic that prevents anyone within several miles from telling a deliberate lie. The PCs have evidence that their friend is innocent, but in a strange twist, their friend confesses to the crime. As the PCs attempt to negotiate the prisoner’s release—or break them out before the Pirate Council executes them—the heroes learn that a priest of Eloritu is manipulating events behind the scenes, using magic to counteract the asteroid’s zone of truth. Further investigation leads the PCs to the realization that this priest got their friend in a bind in the first place—perhaps by hiring them to steal information about Triune’s spell code from the Free Captains— and is trying to cover their tracks. Recruited at Refuge: The androids at Refuge (Pact Worlds 86) are isolationists, presenting various opportunities for GMs. They might have made it through the Drift Crisis relatively unscathed, in which case the PCs might be sent to treat with them for technology or supplies to help another settlement. Alternatively, they could be reeling from pirate attacks or Eoxian raids and ask the PCs for help. Stumbling on Secrets: As they explore the Diaspora and undertake missions, the PCs can be introduced to the looming threats of the followers of Hamdrian Fellock and Sovereign

120 ADVENTURES Trinity (page 174) by having them cross paths with one or both sects. One of the sects might hire the PCs for a mission directly, perhaps asking them to scout a particular sector or to gather some crucial supplies. This offers the opportunity for a dramatic reversal later in the campaign, when the PCs realize the people they’ve been working with have an insidious agenda. While the slow and dramatic accumulation of secrets works for some groups, GMs looking for a more straightforward plot might put the PCs in direct opposition with one or both of the cults earlier in the campaign; the existence of the Failed Gate and the arcane storm can provide immediate and direct threats. By having the PCs directly involved in the schemes of one or both cults from the outset of the campaign, rather than discovering these plots during their adventures, there’s more urgency for the party to explore the Diaspora, accrue power, and recruit allies with purpose. ON THE FRINGE With several missions logged, new equipment in their lockers, and a swagger in their step, the PCs can take on more dangerous missions on the fringes of the Diaspora, where the following adventure hooks take place. This section follows naturally from the preceding one, though PCs might revisit settlements and locations over the course of the campaign. Alternatively, the PCs can start the campaign here at around 5th level. In this case, the players might feel less grounded in the setting unless additional background information is provided. Archon’s Halo: This militarized research station is the headquarters of the Disciples of the Sixth Rune, another sect of Eloritu that’s active in the area (Pact Worlds 81). The PCs might need to visit Archon’s Halo to entreat the Disciples for more information about Hamdrian Fellock’s agenda or to beg the Disciples to intervene. Alternatively, the Disciples might represent direct competition in the race to control the arcane storm. Their numerous technomancers could be spread across the Diaspora, spying on other sects and attempting to recover the secret of Triune’s spell code for themselves. To differentiate the various religious sects at play in this campaign, GMs might make this group more overtly evil and hostile than the others. Clues at Congregant Halls: The Congregant Halls (Pact Worlds 83) are a ripe location to plant a critical secret or clue linked to the mystery of Triune’s spell code. Perhaps the PCs visit this location in response to a distress beacon from Intricate-Gray-Cube, or perhaps they’re sent on a mission to investigate an aberrant energy spike. This area might present an extended social or technology-based encounter in which the PCs must negotiate with or hack the asteroid’s strange residents. Alternatively, there might be an ancient network of twisting halls they must explore. They could find another piece of Triune’s spell code that later proves critical to shutting down the arcane storm, or perhaps this location is where they first encounter worshippers of Eloritu or Triune who have come to seize the clues at Congregant Halls by force. Eoxian Invaders: There’s little to no organized government in the Diaspora, even among the sarcesians, who make up a significant part of the population. Stretched thin by the ramifications of the Drift Crisis, the sarcesians can do little to repel invasions by Eoxian vessels, which grow more frequent with each passing week. Eoxians could make a good external threat for the PCs to fight as they explore the Diaspora, or perhaps one of the cults has forged an alliance with the undead raiders to bolster its position in the region. Race to the Phantom Rift: Many believe that this planet-sized stellar anomaly (Pact Worlds 85) is the afterimage of a portal to another dimension. Naturally, both Hamdrian Fellock and Sovereign Trinity have taken an interest in the Phantom Rift, if only to determine whether and how it might be related to Triune’s spell code. This site could be a red herring, a location the PCs visit only to be disappointed by its lack of significance. Once they’ve made a name for themselves in the Diaspora, perhaps they’re sent here on a mission to see whether the portal could be reactivated, offering an alternative to Drift travel. This expedition to the Phantom Rift could also serve as a direct introduction to one or both cults, or simply another opportunity for the PCs to interact with them as they race to learn the secret of Triune’s spell code. THE FATE OF STATION 15 Whatever the course of their adventures across the Diaspora, the PCs eventually encounter one or both cults and learn of Station 15. The worshippers of Eloritu who originally activated the Failed Gate were aboard this station in the Diaspora, which orbited the asteroid containing Triune’s spell code, when they attempted to access the Drift via magic. When they activated the gate, Station 15 left the Material Plane but never quite entered the Drift. In an instant following the gate’s activation, another arcane storm—similar to the one in the Drift—surged into existence, annihilating all life aboard the station and trapping it in a nebulous pocket plane, neither in the Drift nor the Material Plane. The remaining fragments of Station 15 exist in haphazard arrangements as the storm warps around it. Entire decks of the station have been completely destroyed only to reappear months later, inhabited by twisted abominations and lingering souls of the dead. Pieces of it briefly materialize on the Material Plane, where they promptly explode over and over again, at irregular intervals. Aboard Station 15—assuming its computers remain intact— are many years’ worth of encrypted data detailing Triune’s spell code and the Eloritu worshippers’ failed experiment. Each of the sects active in this campaign is desperate for this knowledge. Hamdrian Fellock wants to learn what went wrong and repair the storm, or better yet, to harness the potentially unlimited power of the expanding arcane energy. Sovereign Trinity believes that their own sect would be able to use the spell code fragment to progress the Drift Crisis. At the beginning of the campaign, neither sect leader knew the location of the hidden asteroid containing Triune’s spell code, but they knew of the arcane storm, the Drift beacon at its center, and the lost station with its innumerable secrets. Based on the events of the campaign thus far, the two sects might learn of Station 15 at the same time, or one might learn before the other. The PCs might also learn where Station 15 is just

121 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS DECODING THE STORM before anyone else, adding dramatic tension as the PCs must rush to the station and learn its secrets before either sect can seize the site for itself. The PCs might enter this conflict having made allies or enemies of one or both factions. Whatever leads them to this point, the PCs eventually learn of Station 15 and each sect’s plot to access it. Boarding the Station: Pinpointing the station’s current location and traveling into its pocket dimension could require a complex series of skill checks. Once the PCs find a way in, boarding the station itself is no easy matter. This could take the form of a starship chase (Starship Operations Manual 44) during which the PCs must pursue the station as it careens through the storm, while arcane blasts and dangerous creatures batter their ship. They could need to use fragments of spell code, or other clues and information gathered throughout the campaign, to locate the station in the first place—or that information might be useful later, such as in shutting off the storm. Anomalies: Unless they can find some way to stabilize it, the arcane storm continues to warp the station, emit destructive bolts, and summon dangerous creatures throughout the PCs’ time on board. Rather than generating a single map of the ship, there might be several decks or zones that connect and disconnect at irregular intervals. This could result in the PCs becoming separated from one another at inopportune times and present a challenge they need to solve, such as by using Mysticism or Computers to calm the storm or modify the station’s defenses. Dead Crew: The horrific tragedy on Station 15 resulted in numerous brutal deaths. Some died instantaneously when exposed to the storm; others died slowly after the storm cut them off from the rest of the station. Some of the deceased rose as undead, such as nihilis (Alien Archive 82) and marooned ones (Alien Archive 76). They wander the decks of Station 15 or wait, trapped in cramped quarters, to attack anyone who happens upon them. Magical Monstrosities: The arcane storm summons countless creatures each day. Many of them die in the storm, while others survive because they’re already acclimated to the environment or because the storm warps them until they can live here. Several such creatures plague the station, while the PCs’ presence draws others to investigate. You can use elementals and summoning grafts (Alien Archive 46, 146) to create these creatures, or use just about any magical beast, such as bloodbrothers (Alien Archive 22) and crest-eaters (Alien Archive 30). Survivors: Though incredibly unlikely, it’s possible one or more of the original crew aboard Station 15 survived the storm. Such individuals might have isolated themselves in a relatively safe area of the station, or they might be strong, clever, or just plain lucky enough to have avoided the station’s threats. Time: How much time the PCs spend aboard Station 15 is up to you. This could be a tense race against the clock where the PCs need to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Their actions—or those of their foes—might have caused greater instability on the station, making it only a matter of time before the storm tears it apart. You could also extend their stay on the station, turning it into a methodical, multiday search of a haunted, monster-infested derelict vessel. Final Confrontation: Eventually, the PCs face off against powerful foes from the sect of Eloritu, Triune, or both. Each seeks knowledge of the whereabouts of Triune’s spell code, still hidden on an asteroid in the Diaspora and still connected in some way to Station 15. The command deck is a likely location for this final confrontation, but it could also take place in a twisted realm created by the storm. This could serve as the climax of a campaign, with the PCs thwarting one or both groups and shutting down the storm. Alternatively, one of the cults might unlock the secrets of Station 15, emerge victorious, and unleash the arcane storm on the Diaspora, raising the stakes and extending the campaign as described in the following sections. THE STORM UNBOUND Like the initial experiment aboard Station 15, the PCs’ mission there ends in disaster. In an epic confrontation with one or both opposing cults, the station reestablishes the connection with the fragment of spell code hidden in the Diaspora. Whether this results is from the Eloritu worshippers trying to control the storm or Triune worshippers trying to find the lost spell code, a gate between the station’s pocket dimension and the Material Plane opens just long enough to doom the Diaspora. In a rush of chaotic arcane energy, the storm tears through the boundary between the planes. It springs into existence around the asteroid containing Triune’s spell code and begins to surge out of control, rapidly expanding and increasing in strength. The chaos forces the PCs and any remaining cultists to immediately abandon Station 15 as it begins to disintegrate. While the Failed Gate is a similar arcane storm in the Drift, it’s one of countless interesting phenomena that’s dangerous only to those who get too close or stumble upon it in their travels. This analogous storm, sitting on the edge of the Diaspora and expanding at an alarming rate, threatens countless settlements, none of which have the power to stop it on their own. To stop the storm, the PCs must delve beneath the surface of the asteroid that now lies at its center and access the fragment of Triune’s spell code. Doing so might involve using other pieces of spell code they’ve gathered from across the Diaspora, or they might simply need to destroy whatever they discover within the asteroid. Either way, the storm presents a significant obstacle. Before they can access the asteroid, the PCs might have to visit locations throughout the Diaspora to prepare for their final mission. Averting Chaos: Before they can pursue the spell code, the PCs need to save citizens of the Diaspora (maybe even their home world) from the storm. This could involve diverting the storm in some way or relocating a displaced populace after the storm wipes out their settlements. Fragile Peace: With everyone in the Diaspora in danger, the PCs need to help old enemies come together. Can they convince Eoxian raiders, Free Captains, the sarcesian government, and

122 ADVENTURES others to band together long enough to oppose the churches of Eloritu and Triune and weather the storm? Missing Pieces: After visiting Station 15, the PCs might have some new information that allows them to find other fragments of Triune’s spell code. These fragments could be ones they were previously aware of but unable to access or decode for whatever reason, or they could be entirely new fragments. When they go to retrieve the fragments, they might find a previous area they visited contains a new threat, such as dangerous creatures summoned by the storm. Unlikely Allies: Following events on Station 15, one or both cults might become the PCs’ unlikely allies. If one of the cults controls the storm, the other might decide the best way to gain the upper hand is to offer power and knowledge to the PCs. Alternatively, one of the cult’s leaders could have a change of heart based on what they learned aboard the station or based on the PCs’ words and deeds. What happens if some members of the church of Eloritu or Triune decide that the price of their mission is too high to pay? What secrets could they offer if the PCs decide to help them avert the disaster they instigated? ANNIHILATION: DENIED In the final part of the adventure, the PCs enter the asteroid that lies at the heart of the storm in the Diaspora. There, they face numerous dangerous creatures, obstacles, and rivals before finding Triune’s spell code and ending the threat of the storm. Boarding the Asteroid: Is entering the storm a matter of securing access to a ship that’s powerful enough to withstand arcane blasts? Do the PCs need to make a deal with the worshippers of Eloritu to learn a spell that protects them from the storm? Depths of the Asteroid: The exact size of the asteroid—and the dungeon beneath the surface—can suit the campaign. A relatively small series of chambers is all that’s needed to present a few obstacles, such as combats or puzzles, before the PCs find the spell code and unlock its secrets. Alternatively, PCs might have to traverse a massive dungeon complex, a mix of artificial and natural chambers and tunnels that extends deep beneath the asteroid’s surface. All manner of creatures might roam these depths. Robotic constructs could serve as ancient guardians of the spell code. Meanwhile, the storm continues to summon magical beasts, which might find themselves in conflict with an infestation of Damiaran maggots (page 150) hiding in the asteroid. Friends and Foes: By this point in the campaign, the PCs have had countless opportunities to make enemies—and allies—of various factions in play across the Diaspora. One or more might come along to help or hinder the PCs as they make their way through the asteroid’s numerous tunnels. Secret of the Spell Code: When the PCs reach the spell code, they might be able to modify it to deactivate the storm. They might also be able to use it to put an end to the Drift Crisis, even restoring the damage that has been done. Is Sovereign Trinity right about the spell code being the key to progressing to the next phase of Triune’s plan? Does it allow the PCs to speak with Triune directly and learn some galaxy-changing secret? Do the PCs discover that another faction—perhaps even a deity— has been manipulating things all along? Regardless of the ultimate impact of the spell code, accessing it should be a major accomplishment for the PCs that has widespread ramifications in the Diaspora, the Pact Worlds, or the entire galaxy. EXTENDING THE ADVENTURE Accessing Triune’s fossilized spell code need not be the conclusion of the campaign. The spell code could act as a sort of key or password that allows the PCs to access other ancient spell code vaults across the galaxy, unraveling deeper secrets along the way. The campaign could visit the Vast or other planes, where the PCs must continue to stamp out arcane storms that crop up as the result of unstable spell code. Or, in the final confrontation on the asteroid, one of the cults might have succeeded in obtaining the spell code and become nearly godlike in power, forcing the PCs to seek out a means to stop them! SPELLS The following spells are available to all spellcasters. DRIFT PREDICTION MYSTIC 4 PRECOG 4 TECHNOMANCER 4 WITCHWARPER 4 School divination Casting Time 1 minute Range 1 mile Target one starship you can see visually or detect on a scanner Duration 24 hours Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no You glimpse a narrow range of possibilities related to a starship’s next Drift journey initiated within the next 24 hours. When you cast this spell, choose one of the following distances: travel in-system, travel to Absalom station, travel to Near Space, or travel to the Vast. Make a DC 20 caster level check (1d20 + your caster level). If you succeed, make any necessary random rolls related to the Drift journey you predicted, such as the duration and the chance of a random encounter in the Drift. If the starship initiates Drift travel of GM RESOURCES The Pact Worlds book is an invaluable resource for this campaign, specifically pages 78–86, which detail the Diaspora. Pages 166–179 offer numerous NPCs with which to populate the Diaspora, from cultists to mercenaries and free captains. A campaign involving frequent trips through space can benefit from the variety of starship encounter options detailed in pages 134–137 of the Starship Operations Manual, as well as space hazards and starship chases on pages 44–47. CREATURE CR Architects(page 168) 1–12 CultistsPW 4–8 NihiliAA 5–13 Damiaran maggot (page 150) 6 ReklanAP10 7 Marooned oneAA 8 SurnochAA 9 AsterayAA 12

123 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS DECODING THE STORM the distance you predicted before the spell’s duration expires, apply those rolls to the journey. This spell doesn’t allow you to anticipate any extra time the starship might spend on its journey, such as if it stops to explore or engage in starship combat, and you can’t anticipate whether the ship will complete its journey or stop for some reason, such as to exit the Drift early, or because it was destroyed. Casting this spell requires access to a computer or similar device, which displays the information gained. Additionally, casting this spell places considerable strain on you, requiring you to spend 1 Resolve Point. OBFUSCATE DRIFT BEACONS PRECOG 6 MYSTIC 4 TECHNOMANCER 6 WITCHWARPER 6 MYSTIC 6 School transmutation Casting Time 1 hour Range system-wide Duration 1 day/level Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no You obscure the Drift beacons in your current star system, making it more difficult to travel to that system. For the duration of the spell, the system takes 2d6 additional days to reach for the purposes of Drift travel to that system. This addition is factored in before dividing the result by a Drift engine’s rating, and a system can be affected by only one casting of this spell at a time. This spell has no effect if cast while not in a star system or while within the Drift, and it doesn’t increase the time it takes to travel to Absalom Station. POCKET VACUUM MYSTIC 3 PRECOG 3 MYSTIC 4 WITCHWARPER 3 School transmutation Casting Time 1 standard action Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Area 20-ft.-radius burst Duration 1 round/level Saving Throw no; Spell Resistance no The affected area becomes a vacuum (Starfinder Core Rulebook 294). Creatures take 3d6 bludgeoning damage from decompression (unless they were already in vacuum) and 1d6 bludgeoning damage per round, and they begin suffocating. RIDE THE WAVE MYSTIC 4 WITCHWARPER 4 School evocation (water) Casting Time 1 standard action Range personal Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance no You briefly become a miniature River Between, coursing across the landscape in an instant. When you cast this spell, you transform into a stream of water and can move up to 120 feet with a supernatural fly speed (perfect maneuverability). This movement can pass through (but can’t end in) enemy spaces and doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. The transformation ends at the end of your movement. Creatures and objects whose space you pass through take 5d8 bludgeoning damage. A creature or object takes this damage only once even if you pass through its space multiple times. VOID VESSEL MYSTIC 2 TECHNOMANCER 2 WITCHWARPER 2 School transmutation Casting Time 1 standard action Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target 1 creature/level Duration 1 minute/level Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless) You grant one or more targets the ability to survive in vacuum. Affected targets gain the void adaptation universal creature rule and sprout wings of pure energy that grant a supernatural fly speed of 60 feet (average maneuverability) that functions only in vacuum.

124 ADVENTURES Those who survived the Drift Crash thought the worst was over. Then, mere weeks after the Crash devastated the galaxy, a new complication appeared in its wake. Drift beacons across Near Space began winking out, their signals fading and becoming erratic, or disappearing entirely. Overnight, the Pact Worlds found themselves isolated even from allied systems such as Daimalko, Tabrid Minor, and the Veskarium. On the other side of this barrier of silent space, the isolated systems struggled to survive without access to trade and communication. Reeling from their deity’s apparent silence and eager to address a problem they might be able to solve, the Church of Triune dispatched several teams of technician-priests to investigate and repair five key Drift beacons. The process has been rife with complications, and the galaxy is growing impatient. Not least of these issues is that travel times have become onerously long and unpredictable, with each day perpetuating more suffering. Citizens across the galaxy no longer trust Triune’s faith. Wasn’t the Drift Triune’s domain? If it failed so catastrophically under the Triunites’ care, why should anyone believe they could fix things now? Distressed protesters, vigilantes, and even government forces demand answers and waylay some of the repair teams to keep Triune’s meddlers from causing more damage. As doubts build, other organizations send their own troubleshooters to aid the effort. Enter the PCs. These individuals could hail from a range of backgrounds: mercenaries, Starfinder agents, experienced technicians, faithful worshippers of Triune outside the church’s ranks, curious Weydanites, and explorers with a humanitarian bent could all answer the call. The adventure sends the PCs to these five sites to reclaim and repair the beacons. In the process, the PCs will uncover distressing secrets about the All-Code’s faith and confront a heretical Triunite leader. This  adventure has a relatively narrow scope, dealing with smaller groups rather than vast challenges and governments; for campaigns with larger scopes, see When One Becomes Three (pages 114–117) and Stabilization Protocol (pages 130–133). The Church of Triune reacts to assistance from the PCs and other groups by closing ranks. It refuses to share any of the tech-priests’ mission details, doesn’t publicly endorse the PCs’ efforts, and stymies investigations in subtle ways. After all, the church claims, unwanted interference could compromise the official teams and their missions. This isn’t the whole truth: the official teams are also acting to protect their deity from another divine entity, a fourth being who wished to join with Triune but was denied. Fearing that the Drift Crisis will make Triune weak and hoping this cover-up could avert a schism when the church is at its most vulnerable, the Triunites take on an antagonistic role. BEACON DETECTIVES What the PCs believe to be a simple repair mission quickly turns into an investigation when they discover ominous portents pointing to a secret hidden by the church. Reaching these beacons in a timely fashion requires an alternative to Drift travel, such as those on pages 8–11 of the Starship Operations Manual. Procuring the right ship might result in the party owing a favor to a church, political organization, or perhaps a wealthy benefactor with mysterious intentions. If any of the PCs have strong ties to Triune’s faith, some members of the church might provide the PCs an experimental upgrade in defiance of their superiors’ disapproval. If all else fails, the Starfinder Society steps up to sponsor the group if they agree to turn over their data about the Drift beacons they visit. These beacons vary in size and can appear as scenic temples, pieces of impossible landscapes adrift in space, or ordinary space stations. The following are several potential destinations and conflicts to structure this adventure. BROKEN BEACONS Beginning with the Drift Crash, numerous Drift beacons began flickering or even shutting off completely, further restricting Drift travel and galactic communication. Resourceful troubleshooters embark to uncover the mystery behind the broken beacons, but this isn’t a straightforward mission of rescue and repair. Each Drift beacon is unique, like a fingerprint, and the PCs must visit five defunct beacons across Near Space to uncover a secret the Church of Triune has concealed since its inception. FACTIONS: Church of Triune, Starfinder Society LOCATIONS: Near Space, the Vast LEVELS 5-9

125 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS BROKEN BEACONS Void-Lily of Serene Contemplation: This pagoda-like temple structure floats in a sea of Drift-tossed debris. It was once a scenic location popular with tourists and pilgrims, but the Crash triggered the beacon’s automated security measures. Once they reach their destination, the PCs must contend with technological and mystical defenses like security robots, traps, and living holograms, plus extradimensional creatures pulled in by the unpredictable Drift behavior, like garaggakals. Approaching the beacon might require disabling its arsenal through starship combat. However, there’s no sign of the Triunites. The beacon’s core is a pulsing, iridescent orb reminiscent of the Drift itself that blinks erratically, like a failing light bulb. Stabilizing it requires a combination of technical and mystical knowledge; refer to Starfinder Society Scenario #4-03: Battle for the Beacon for an example of how to structure this and future challenges. Whispers from the Void: Another beacon distantly orbits the Ghavaniska system, the heart of the Veskarium. This immense beacon resembles a floating citadel, and the Drift Crash ejected a host of driftdead (and a lower-CR variant of a driftdead amalgam), comprised largely of Triunites, including one of the lost teams. The PCs must infiltrate this fortress filled with shambling undead, all while the driftdead babble warnings about “the Fourth.” This beacon provides the PCs a first hint of the heretical fourth aspect of Triune, and clues written within the fortress or encoded in the beacon’s core speak to the apocryphal rejection by Triune’s three parts and the ongoing efforts of mysterious outsiders called tetrakams (page 164) to undo this mistake. The Seekers: As the PCs continue traveling to Drift beacons, they encounter iterations of a disturbing creature known as a tetrakam, a piece of corrupted Drift seeking reunification to carry its infection to Triune. One or more of these creatures encountered a lost Triunite repair team and demanded reunification. When the Triunites were at first confused and then defiant, the tetrakam began hunting the priests, of which only one survives. Upon dispatching the zealous outsiders, the PCs can recruit the priest, who relays what she’s learned so far: these tetrakams (sometimes calling themselves “seekers”) were created eons ago by an entity’s attempt to forcibly merge with Triune. It’s these fragments that likely infiltrated the five beacons, causing each beacon’s countermeasures to deactivate the facility to prevent the tetrakams from using them to infect the Drift or Triune directly. The priest is overwhelmed by these revelations, though, struggling to decide whether this Fourth is a threat to be defeated or a divine power whose contributions might be key to saving Triune and the Drift. HERESY OF THE FOURTH Once they’ve discovered the nature of the tetrakam seekers and the threat they pose to the Drift, the PCs must contend with the oddly silent Church of Triune. Securing a meeting with a high-ranking official is easier if they allied with the priest NPC presented in The Seekers section above but is also possible with diplomacy, credits, and exchanging favors. A trio of esteemed priests assemble to hear the PCs’ concerns and evidence. Of these, one is a traditionalist Triunite who broadly knows of the Fourth’s apocryphal existence but doesn’t consider it a legitimate threat. Another is a loyal Triunite unfamiliar with—and more easily worried about—this news. The third is secretly a zealous advocate of the Fourth, hoping that the church’s failures will pave the way for his patron’s ascension and acceptance, and he most energetically questions and doubts the PCs’ findings. If the PCs successfully appeal to the council’s majority, this third priest tries to eliminate the PCs and his inflexible colleagues, calling in conjured spectra allies to assist him. If the PCs are less persuasive, this priest attempts to eliminate the PCs later, believing they know too much. As the adventure concludes, the PCs can work with the Church of Triune to determine how to handle the information about the tetrakams, the entity they serve, and the problematic sect within the church itself. Depending on the group’s decisions, Triune’s faith may be irrevocably altered as a result. MYSTIC EPIPHANY The following epiphany for 9th-level mystics uses the standard rules for epiphanies (Character Operations Manual 76). Tripartite Mind (Su) 9th Level Inspired by Triune’s threefold form, you create two duplicates of your consciousness that misdirect and stymie mental intrusion. Any time you fail a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect that affects you (rather than affecting an area), the effect has an equal chance of affecting you or one of your remaining mental duplicates. If the effect affects a duplicate, you are instead affected as though you had succeeded at the saving throw, and the duplicate is destroyed. When you rest and regain your daily spell slots, you recreate any destroyed mental duplicates. GM RESOURCES Members of the Church of Triune can be any species, but a significant number of the deity’s faithful are anacites, androids, and SROs. In addition to creating several NPCs who are high-ranking members of the Church of Triune, the GM can use creatures native to the Drift to add content to the adventure, either as random encounters or hazards threatening the malfunctioning Drift beacons. The cult leader stat block (Pact Worlds 169) works well for presenting the heretical priest in the final scene. The following maps are suggestions for the GM to represent the beacons: Starfinder Flip-Mat: Solar Temple, Starfinder FlipMat: Space Station, Starfinder Flip-Mat: Forest Moon, or Starfinder Flip-Mat: Warship. CREATURE CR Patrol-class security robotAA 4 GaraggakalAA2 5 Paraforan fragmentAA3 6 Cult leaderPW 8 Iridia spectraAA3 8 Living hologramAA3 8 Tetrakam (page 164) 9 Drift architectAA3 10 ParaforanAA3 12 Driftdead amalgamAA3 13

126 ADVENTURES Kian Opulos, current director of the Opulos Corporation’s board, has no intention of delaying or canceling the Void Empress’s maiden voyage because of the Drift Crash, in no small part because the Opulos Corporation discreetly took out loans from the Golden League to finance the ship’s astronomically expensive construction. The corporation started selling tickets for the voyage when the ship was first announced, and the voyage is to be televised by Eoxian media mogul Zo! (page 175). Kian refuses to take a publicity hit by canceling the voyage, so the ship will depart as scheduled. She’s confident that the Empress’s state-of-the-art defense systems will trivialize any threats the ship might face. To showcase the Opulos Corporation’s confidence, Kian’s niece Vionni Opulos (N female verthani) will be a passenger. Unbeknownst to the Opulos Corporation, the Norikama Syndicate—a rival starship manufacturer—arranged for a spy to be on board to steal information about the Opulos Corporation’s proprietary defense systems. Predictably, the Void Empress’s fate is sealed. Soon after entering the Drift, the ship suffers catastrophic damage and loses contact with anyone able to help. It’s up to the PCs to save the rest of the passengers and keep things from falling apart—figuratively and literally—until help arrives. The PCs might be employees of the cruise line, bodyguards or employees of a wealthy passenger, or passengers themselves enjoying a much-needed break from adventuring. When the accident occurs, the PCs are, for one reason or another, on one of the three third-class passenger decks, which contain comfortable accommodations for the Pact Worlds’ middle class. As the PCs presumably display their heroism, Zo! Instructs his crew to film them, as he plans on making the PCs the stars of the show, assuming he makes it back to the Pact Worlds. While Zo! is an influential figure, he primarily chooses to stay on the sidelines and record what other people do during the crisis on the Empress. Zo! is in a first-class cabin, though he remains in contact with his camera drones and film crews stationed throughout the ship. If the PCs ask him for advice or assistance, Zo! will likely oblige them by suggesting the most sensational course of action. That said, he won’t directly interfere to make things more difficult or dangerous for the PCs or other passengers, given that the situation is already dangerous enough. While the PCs might not interact much with Zo! directly, they’ll likely be in frequent contact with his film crew. The film crew might be at the forefront of the action if the PCs enjoy showing off for the cameras or to add to the risks associated with protecting such noncombatant NPCs from danger. Of course, Zo! might just use camera drones that the PCs don’t have to worry about defending. Another thing that creates a sense of urgency in this campaign is that it takes place cut off from civilization, which means the PCs likely won’t be able to purchase equipment from merchants. Instead, most of their equipment will be things they find while exploring, craft themselves, or what they can barter for with NPCs who’ve managed to put together a stockpile. While the Void Empress is a passenger ship, it still has emergency supplies in armories and stock rooms, including weapons and armor. Passengers would have been permitted to bring personal weapons, since space is a dangerous place. Therefore, it’s perfectly reasonable that the PCs can find plenty of gear while exploring. STRIKING DISASTER The first few days of the cruise are uneventful, at least in terms of immediate danger. The PCs have the chance to enjoy the ship’s many amenities, such as spas, shopping, clubbing, or eating. During this time, they can also get acquainted with some of the NPCs who will become important later in the adventure. Then, mere days after the Void Empress enters the Drift, the ship is violently ejected into an uncharted area of the Vast. Even worse, the ship is cleaved in two by the rapidly appearing and disappearing rift between planes. The area containing the ship’s bridge—and therefore most of its officers—has presumably remained in the Drift. The fate of the bridge is ultimately not covered in this adventure. Thankfully for the PCs and everyone else on board, the Void Empress’s automated safety systems create a shimmering force field to hold the vacuum of space at bay in areas where the ship has been damaged, but that doesn’t mean everyone is safe. Elementals and other creatures created from planar fragments jettisoned from the Drift with the Empress now wander its corridors, causing mayhem in their rage and confusion. In addition, many passengers need to be rescued from monsters, debris, or treated for injuries. LOST IN THE VOID The Drift Crash is a life-altering disaster for virtually the entire known galaxy, yet some affected parties don’t see it as a reason to divert from business as usual, either for financial concerns or from sheer hubris. One such party is the Opulos Corporation, the leading luxury starship manufacturer in the Pact Worlds. For almost three years, the company has devoted significant resources toward constructing and hyping the Void Empress, its newest cruise-liner, one larger than any leisure vessel currently in Pact Worlds’ service. FACTIONS: The Opulos Corporation, Zo! LOCATIONS: The Drift, the Void Empress, the Vast LEVELS 1-10

127 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS LOST IN THE VOID RESTORING ORDER With all the top-ranking officers gone, Vionni—who is not technically an employee of the ship—desperately attempts to take control of the situation before anyone else can. Using an auxiliary control room on the VIP deck, Vionni locks down the ship, preventing all travel between decks. Fearing the power will fail or food will run out before help arrives, Vionni places the second- and third-class decks on emergency power only. Abandoned by the Void Empress’s makeshift leadership, those in the lower decks are on their own. Multiple gangs and factions form as individuals vie for power and influence, and others seek the protection of a community. The PCs can take a leadership role here, or, if they don’t wish to take on that responsibility, one of the Empress’s event coordinators, Nikiski (NG female shirren), can provide guidance on how the PCs should proceed. This section has tasks that can be completed in any order. With no word from the upper decks, Nikiski suggests the PCs search for a way to the auxiliary generator on the current deck and manually reboot it to restore full power to the deck’s facilities. Getting there requires several skill challenges to override the lockdown or navigate complex ventilation systems. The PCs might have to contend with scared survivors from other parts of the deck who wish to control the generator themselves, fearing there isn’t enough power for everyone. At least one group attempts to occupy the engineering room to force other groups to barter for the privilege of having power. How the PCs choose to deal with the other survivors is up to them and the tone you wish this adventure to have. Many of these NPCs are scared and desperate rather than malicious, and they can be convinced to join the PCs if the PCs make it clear they want to help. In a more lethal campaign, such antagonists might exhibit uncompromising selfishness and willingness to let others come to harm for their own benefit. Nikiski is also worried about available food supplies. While there are multiple restaurants with stocked pantries on the deck, Nikiski suggests the PCs look for a route to one of the storage levels to secure a cargo hold used for storing food. The PCs can make their way down a freight elevator shaft. Unknown to Nikiski, Vionni has ordered worker and security robots to attack anyone who gets close to the cargo holds and doesn’t present proper security authorization. The PCs must fight their way through robots and avoid traps Vionni remotely armed to make it to the cargo hold. Trapped in the cargo hold by the suddenly hostile robots are several of the ship’s hospitality workers who are willing to join the PCs if the PCs convinced the workers they mean them no harm. The employees can show the PCs a terminal that can be used to disable and even reprogram the robots and traps, making it much easier to transport food to Nikiski and the rest of the survivors. DEAD ZONES When Vionni restricted power to several parts of the ship, the emergency generators on the third-class deck directly above the PCs’ deck failed due to meddling by the Norikama Syndicate’s spy. With no remaining redundancies in place, life support

128 ADVENTURES systems were quick to follow. By the time the PCs reach this deck, almost all the passengers have perished, and their souls, fueled by rage and confusion, now haunt the deck. As the PCs explore, they are likely to encounter driftdead (Alien Archive 3 26)—those who perished in the initial disaster—and nihilis (Alien Archive 82)—those who died after life support failed. Nikiski and the PCs aren’t likely to know about the system failures until they explore the area. After securing power and a source of food, Nikiski suggests the PCs investigate the other third-class decks to look for survivors and consolidate resources. As the PCs explore the deck and put the undead to rest, they encounter a small group of android survivors in a barricaded room who survived because they didn’t need to breathe but have been getting picked off by the undead.  MENAGERIE AT LARGE The second-class decks were home to much of the shopping and other entertainment on the Void Empress, including its oft-advertised menagerie of fantastic creatures from all over the galaxy. During the initial crash, some of the enclosures were damaged, allowing several dangerous creatures to run loose. With the subsequent power restrictions, the enclosure ventilation systems ceased pumping the sedative gas that kept the creatures docile, and many more were able to force their way out of their enclosures. To make matters worse, Vionni’s shutdown trapped passengers with the dangerous beasts. By the time the PCs reach this level, the escaped creatures have reached a tense equilibrium, ignoring one another to hunt the weakest prey: the passengers. After the dead level is secured and the generator restored, Nikiski suggests the PCs begin exploring the second-class decks. While some of creatures that required specific atmospheric conditions perished when the deck’s systems went down, several have managed to survive and escape. A tashtari (Alien Archive 2 124) pack roams the halls looking for prey, competing for territory with a dromaeosaurid (Alien Archive 2 38) pack and a pair of crest-eaters (Alien Archive 30). Several skysails (page 161) nest in a massive cylindrical tank that passes through the second-class decks, leaving through a crack made during the crash to feed on sentient creatures. While exploring, the PCs can find groups of survivors, mostly second-class passengers and cruise employees. The PCs can also find the formian software engineer Sividia, who recently fled from the first-class decks to warn the other survivors that Vionni plans to let them die to conserve resources for herself and the others on the first-class decks. Sividia found her way to the second-class decks through maintenance tunnels and some careful hacking, but she fears her disappearance will have been noticed and that route will now be better protected. It’s up to the PCs to decide how they want to deal with the loose animals. The creatures are acting out of hunger and instinct rather than malice; repairing the enclosures or finding another way to contain or tame the creatures would be as effective as slaying them. This could be a good opportunity for a PC to befriend a less dangerous animal as a creature companion (rules for creature companions begin on page 138 of Alien Archive 3). A JOB OFFER By the time the PCs deal with the biggest threats on the second-class decks, Vionni is concerned by their persistent efforts, which she’s been monitoring from her control room. At this point, the PCs presumably have a significant amount of support from the lower-class passengers. Vionni also realizes that Zo!’s crew has been filming the entire time, and she’s worried she’ll face legal consequences for mismanaging the crisis. While it may not be the wisest course of action long-term, Vionni decides she’ll have to eliminate the PCs and any of Zo!’s footage that features them. While she knows she can’t get away with striking at Zo! directly, she thinks she can get away with arranging an accident to deal with the PCs and the film crew. At some point, Vionni invites the PCs to meet with her on a first-class deck, claiming she intends to offer them a job as her personal bodyguards. As the PCs might guess, the invitation is a trap, and her personal mercenaries ambush the PCs as soon as the mercenaries believe they have an advantageous position. Storming the first-class deck pits the PCs against more cunning enemies than those they’ve previously encountered. The Opulos family employs private armies to protect their own, and Vionni has many skilled and well-equipped mercenaries at her beck and call. While traveling through the first-class decks, the PCs face many intelligent enemies who arm traps and set ambushes. From her control room, Vionni can manipulate nearly anything, from opening or closing doors to shutting off or overloading lights, creating distracting circumstances that might give her mercenaries an advantage over the PCs. If the PCs reach Vionni’s control room and defeat the bodyguards she has with her, she immediately surrenders. The PCs are free to decide what to do with her, likely placing her under a sort of citizen’s arrest so that she can face whatever consequences the Pact Worlds’ justice system deems fair. After dealing with Vionni, GM RESOURCES While there are plenty of opportunities for direct tactical combat, many groups might be more interested in the drama of being stranded aboard a heavily damaged luxury starship with people from throughout the galaxy with different backgrounds, goals, and fears. If ever there were an opportunity for noncombat problem solving, this adventure seed provides it! Starfinder Flip-Mat: Starliner can provide a great backdrop for adventures aboard the Void Empress. More information about the Opulos Corporation (and the Norikama Syndicate if its spy plays a prominent role) can be found on pages 72 and 73 of the Starship Operations Manual. A unique starship-scale creature can be created quickly and easily using the system presented on page 126 of the Starship Operations Manual, if that is a challenge the PCs face during this adventure. CREATURE CR Security forcesPW 1/3–5 ElementalAA 1–11 TashtariAA2 3–7 DinosaurAA2 3–10 Crest-eaterAA 4 Skysail (page 161) 5

129 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS LOST IN THE VOID the PCs are largely in charge of the Void Empress and can distribute power and food in any way they see fit. NOW WHAT? After dealing with Vionni, the PCs as well as hundreds of other passengers are still stuck on the Void Empress with no rescue in sight and limited food and power. While she was in charge, Vionni sent out distress beacons in several directions, but so far, none have reached any potential rescuers. If the PCs are interested in this kind of roleplay, they can take time to mediate conflict between passengers and such, but those responsibilities can also be handled by Nikiski or another NPC. There is no shortage of other problems. Since the power cores and distribution systems haven’t been regularly maintained by engineers in the chaos following the crash, the PCs will need to start the process of rerouting and repairing systems that were interrupted or damaged when the ship split in two during its ejection from the Drift. The power that’s been leaking from the ship attracts the attention of a stellar protozoa (Alien Archive 2 120) or another starship-scale creature, requiring the PCs to pilot the Void Empress’s defensive vessels to fight the creature off before it drains the ship’s power. How—or even if—the PCs get the Void Empress and its passengers back to civilization is ultimately up to them. Help could arrive in the form of a Pact Worlds ship or other friendly vessel. Perhaps the craft that discovers the Empress is from a hostile faction, such as the Azlanti Star Empire or some heretofore unknown enemy. Or perhaps no starship comes, and the PCs instead take the Empress’s auxiliary ships to scout for help. Another option is for the PCs to rig a Drift engine or other faster-than-light drive from the damaged parts they have, which, upon activation, might send the Empress anywhere in the multiverse, though hopefully somewhere better than their current situation. Should Zo!’s footage make it back to the Pact Worlds, the Opulos Corporation will face a serious publicity crisis for Vionni’s behavior, and the PCs become minor celebrities as their exploits are broadcast across the system. THE HEIGHT OF LUXURY These personal items are enjoyed by the wealthy and discerning. Personal Items ITEM LEVEL PRICE BULK Cosmetics 1 20 L Jewelry, designer 3 50 — Perfume, designer 3 350 — Clothing, designer 4 special varies Jewelry, couture 7 500 — Clothing, couture 8 5,000 1 CLOTHING, COUTURE LEVEL 8 PRICE 5,000 BULK 1 Couture clothing is typically one-of-a-kind clothing designed and crafted for a single specific client. Couture style is often ambitious and avant-garde, designed to make the wearer stand out. While wearing couture clothing, you gain a +2 bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate checks when interacting with individuals who recognize the value of the garments, as determined by the GM. You also take a –4 penalty on Stealth checks to blend into a crowd while wearing couture clothing unless the crowd is also wearing similar garb. The listed price is for the cheapest couture clothing. Depending on the talent and reputation of the designer and the clothing materials, the price could be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of credits. CLOTHING, DESIGNER LEVEL 4 PRICE 600 + PLUS THE COST OF BASE OUTFIT BULK VARIES Designer clothing is associated with a specific designer and tends to be of a higher quality than generic clothing. You can get designer versions of other outfits. This listed price modification is for the cheapest designer clothing, though depending on the brand, the price can rocket into thousands of credits. Wearing a designer version of an outfit confers the same benefit of the base outfit, except any circumstance bonuses to skill checks given by the base outfit are increased by 1 due to the increased quality. Designer clothing has the same bulk as the base outfit. COSMETICS LEVEL 1 PRICE 20 BULK L Cosmetics are usually liquids or powders used for covering blemishes or subtly altering one’s facial features. They can be purchased in countless brands, colors, and styles. Using cosmetics to disguise yourself gives you a +1 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks as long as you are not attempting to disguise yourself as a different species. JEWELRY, COUTURE LEVEL 7 PRICE 500 BULK — Couture jewelry is often produced in extremely limited runs, and the most expensive pieces are one-of-a-kind creations for wealthy clients. Wearing couture jewelry grants a +1 circumstance bonus on Charisma-based checks to influence creatures who are aware of the value of the items, as determined by the GM. If you are also wearing couture clothing, the bonuses stack. The price given is for one piece of jewelry. Bonuses from wearing more than one piece of jewelry do not stack. JEWELRY, DESIGNER LEVEL 3 PRICE 50 BULK — Jewelry pieces are personal adornments often made of real (or synthetic) precious metals and stones. Common pieces include necklaces, piercings, hair decorations, rings, and bracelets. Among some species, other adornments like scale, horn, or ridge piercings are popular. Designer jewelry is associated with a specific designer. The price given is for one piece of jewelry. PERFUME, DESIGNER LEVEL 3 PRICE 350 BULK — Designer perfumes are fragrances associated with designers and are generally far more expensive than standard varieties. Wearing designer perfume grants you a +1 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy checks against creatures that find the scent pleasing, as determined by the GM.

130 ADVENTURES When the Drift Crash occurred, many of the Veskarium’s starships were traveling the Drift or stationed abroad. Most of the former disappeared entirely, and most of the latter became stranded, leaving the Veskarium with limited resources for consolidating and projecting power. With their longtime rivals and neighbors equally disadvantaged, High Despot Dantromal Kominar of the massive space station and shipyard Conqueror’s Forge saw an opportunity to increase the Veskarium’s power: repair the Drift in a way that granted the Veskarium control of it. Mighty as the Veskarium is, the Drift is virtually an infinite plane. Undeterred, Dantromal quickly commissioned an emergency division dedicated to stabilizing the Drift and Drift travel. The scientists soon confirmed the Drift’s fragile state and began theorizing ways they might seize control of the plane’s functions. At the same time, they unearthed an old faster-than-light engine prototype that might be repurposed to exploit the reclaimed Drift. Their new goal is to create a variant Drift beacon—the Conqueror’s Beacon—and anchor the Drift to the Veskarium, directing its motion to favor the empire’s vessels. Everything was going according to the high despot’s plans until the first tests. An explosion (quickly suppressed) threatened to destroy Conqueror’s Forge, and Dantromal cursed his luck that the Veskarium had sent so many of its finest Drift scholars and starship engineers beyond the Ghavaniska system. At the high despot’s command, a host of smaller Veskarium starships were dispatched to bring these experts back from across the galaxy. Unfortunately, even if these scholars are still located where the Veskarium assumes they are, travel times alone will make retrieving them a slow endeavor. This adventure sends the PCs across the galaxy to a variety of destinations, where they’ll face equally diverse encounters. The PCs could be caught in the chaos, with their own starship having been thrown from the Drift into Veskarium space or crashed onto a Veskarium planet. They might be freelance professionals temporarily stranded in the Veskarium, where they provide humanitarian aid during the disaster’s immediate aftermath, only to be recruited by impressed local authorities. They might be a Veskarium special forces unit that distinguishes itself in the Crash’s wake, earning a special assignment that requires unique talents. Whether due to their past service, their affiliation with its military, or by being recruited early on as they independently investigate the Drift Crisis, the PCs should be comfortable working with the Veskarium. However, they need not be zealous advocates for the Veskarium and can openly question its plans as long as they remain helpful. The PCs likely don’t receive the full context of why they’re retrieving these scientists; Conqueror’s Forge doesn’t trust the PCs with such top-secret information. However, as they fulfill their missions, the PCs acquire new insights that help them piece together the true objective. HELP WANTED Due to onerous travel times, the PCs’ Veskarium contact likely provides them a list of prospective experts to retrieve, expecting the PCs to either drop off their charges with a local contact who can ferry the NPCs back or to return several scholars to Conqueror’s Forge in a single trip. For a more straightforward campaign, the PCs might receive a single assignment at a time, allowing them to wrap up one project before starting another. However, giving the PCs this list provides the players some agency, enabling them to prioritize certain experts’ retrieval. That prioritization could be crucial. Although the Veskarium has several special technologies granting it an edge in its stabilization protocol, other major powers are exploring related initiatives. Each of these factions needs as much Drift expertise as possible to understand the Drift Crisis, to formulate a plan for reestablishing faster-than-light capabilities, and to enact that plan. As a result, the last known coordinates for some scientists might be invalidated as the PCs’ rivals identify and abscond with those experts first. Here are a few sample missions the PCs might perform in the course of this adventure. Hostage of Spectra: An eccentric ijtikri metascientist, “Spectrashell” Ikil is an expert in Drift-based life-forms, having designed several unique augmentations made from Drift debris to incorporate into his body. Believing himself specially qualified to investigate the Crash, he led a team into the Drift to interview spectra and study the damage firsthand. The distressed spectra were in no mood to chat. They killed some of Ikil’s entourage, captured the scientist, and are holding him captive while they decide what to do with this bizarre mortal. Fortunately, Ikil left a clear itinerary, though the Drift’s shifting nature might mean anyone looking for him still has tracking to do. STABILIZATION PROTOCOL Unwilling to wait for the Drift to recover on its own, and distrustful of Triune’s faithful, the high despot of the Veskarium’s Conqueror’s Forge commissioned a secret research team to figure out how to stabilize the Drift. Deep within a hidden lab in Conqueror’s Forge, researchers toil to unravel the Drift’s mysteries. Success would bring honor to the high despot and mean immense power for the Veskarium. The price of success, though, might be steep. FACTIONS: Azlanti Star Empire, Free Captains, the Veskarium LOCATIONS: Broken Rock, Conqueror’s Forge, the Pact Worlds LEVELS 5–15

131 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS STABILIZATION PROTOCOL Happy to Help: An accomplished skittermander Drift engine designer, Dr. Voluup spent several years teaching her craft on Verces. After the Crash, the Aspis Consortium contacted Voluup, requesting her expertise and assistance on creating a variant Drift engine that could navigate the newly treacherous plane. She was all too happy to help! Unfortunately, the Aspis Consortium demanded Voluup’s full attention, to the point of relocating her unexpectedly to an undisclosed facility within the Pact Worlds. It’s increasingly apparent that she’s a captive, not a guest, and she has begun sneaking missives into her Drift tests, hoping to signal to others that she’s in need of rescue. Rycast Heist: As part of an intellectual exchange program to further starship technologies, the nonbinary vesk engineer Evedrazan has worked with the drow House Rycast on Apostae to repurpose failed prototypes into new devices. When the Crash suppressed travel to the Veskarium, Rycast officials decided it also suppressed Evedrazan’s rights, and they stole the vesk’s research and incarcerated them in the spirit of maintaining security. The canny engineer broke free and now leads a small guerrilla band of disgruntled half-orcs in harassing Rycast facilities. The PCs can contact Evedrazan easily enough, but they refuse to leave until they get back their research and can evacuate their fellow warriors. Evedrazan doesn’t even need the notes; it’s a matter of pride, now. Abducted by Azlanti: The pahtra test pilot Kyepe was awaiting his next flight at a remote Veskarium outpost when the Crash struck, ejecting several Azlanti starships nearby. Kyepe, his ship, and the outpost were seized. While the PCs can stealthily help break him free, he knows that if the Drift Crisis is affecting the Veskarium, too, then the pahtras of Vesk-6 are likely causing trouble, which will make Kyepe’s disappearance appear more like desertion or defection. Not only does he want to retrieve the priceless ship left in his care, but he’s also intent on returning with an advantage: Azlanti data, trophies, or both to affirm his own loyalties. He and the PCs plan a raid to sow chaos and steal information about the Azlanti Star Empire’s technologies and plans. Unreal Displacement: An avid scholar of planar incongruities, the vesk Kodraka maintains connections with myriad communities of planar travelers, philosophers, witchwarpers, and artists. The Crash left her stranded on Verces, where members of the eccentric Parallel Truths organization (Galactic Magic 134) recruited her to test the extent of the Drift’s damage and possibly reverse it. The ritual instead shunted a whole city block into an alternate reality, swapping it with a nearly perfect facsimile. The only apparent difference is that this alternate slice of Verces comes from a planet that isn’t tidally locked, and the city block experiences a night-day cycle in defiance of its surroundings. With each “day,” the affected area grows a little larger. Recovering Kodraka and reversing this transposition requires entering the alternate reality, finding the scholar, and untethering these two realities from the other side. Additional Objectives: As the Drift Crisis plays out, Drift travel becomes somewhat more reliable and speedier, yet it

132 ADVENTURES remains a shadow of its once safe state. Extraplanar weather and unpredictably aggressive spectra can assault the PCs’ starship with little warning. The changing conditions and composition of the plane sometimes cause Drift engines to short out mid-flight, stranding a starship near dubious planar debris or even shunting the vessel to a random point on the Material Plane. This makes the journey as fraught and exciting as the destinations, potentially diverting the PCs on countless side quests. Important as the scientists are, the PCs might also be tasked with studying anomalous Drift phenomena and gathering data the Veskarium needs to create its Conqueror Beacon. For example, malfunctioning Drift beacons might house operational logs that shed new insights onto what caused the Crash or how the Drift continues to misbehave. The PCs might be sent into stretches of the Vast specifically because reports suggest these regions are inexplicably more accessible than before, and the PCs’ patrons want verification and localized readings—perhaps as part of a crucial supply run to ensure secret research stations remain operational. Other objectives for the PCs might include mapping new Drift anomalies and determining the underlying conditions that led to them, eventually enabling the PCs to predict when and where new ones might occur. Given the importance of these efforts and research, there are bound to be other organizations interested in learning what the PCs discover. Confrontations with the Gideron Authority, the Golden League, Azlanti Star Empire, or even Veskarium and Pact Worlds agents not briefed on the PCs’ mission could drive conflict, presage greater conflicts to come, and illustrate similar groups’ attempts to create their own versions of the Veskarium’s stabilization protocol. Depending on how the PCs resolve these conflicts, they might also acquire new reasons to question whether the Conqueror’s Forge initiative is viable—or even safe. LOST WITHOUT THE ROSE While infospheres, dossiers, and last known coordinates might help the PCs track down some of their targets, some of these experts seem hopelessly lost. In their search, the PCs learn about a tool that might help them locate missing persons: a Besmaran Rose. These rare, supernatural compasses serve as treasured heirlooms inherited (sometimes forcefully) by one Free Captain from another. Usually, the devices help recover lost starships and expeditions laden with treasure, but they’re equally adept at locating wayward Veskarian scholars. Free Captains lucky enough to have a Besmaran Rose aren’t eager to give it up. Whatever path the PCs take to secure the item represents a solid challenge for mid-level PCs. The little-known location of the Free Captains’ base is on Broken Rock in the Pact Worlds Diaspora. The Free Captains (page 34) are experiencing a golden age of piracy thanks to the Drift’s unreliability forcing key shipments to travel predictable, easily exploited routes using thrusters alone. What’s more, the Stewards, local planetary defenses, and other police authorities are stretched thin while dealing with the Drift Crisis, and the chaos affords pirates free rein to raid isolated targets. What, then, could the PCs offer for such a priceless treasure? Very little. The obvious means of acquiring a Besmaran Rose is by force, launching a daring raid against a Free Captain’s flagship. After subduing the starship—or even during combat, using the boarding rules found on pages 40–41 of the Starship Operations Manual—the PCs might board the other vessel, seek out the magic item, and escape before other pirates arrive. Alternatively, the pirates might surrender if decisively defeated. Because the Free Captains maintain a loose code of honor, the PCs might provoke the Free Captain in question well before the two starships ever meet, challenging that pirate publicly to a contest of arms, piloting, or both. If the PCs win, they earn the Besmaran Rose. The PCs will need to offer equally exciting collateral if they’re to be taken seriously. Their challenge might be laughed off unless the PCs have their own fearsome reputations to back up their words, and suitably establishing themselves as Pact Worlds pirates or as a thorn in the Free Captains’ side could require several daring side quests. Who even has a Besmaran Rose? Owners rarely advertise their special treasure except to impress their peers while telling tall tales. Identifying their target likely requires capturing and questioning other pirates, perhaps even working for a few mid-rank buccaneers in an exchange of services: help with a devious deed in exchange for intelligence. Where better to learn about pirates than Broken Rock itself? Once there, PCs can play the deadly game of pirate politics, especially working with those who’d rather a rose-bearing captain be eliminated to create a vacancy on the Pirate Council. Consider running a heist where the PCs use cunning and subtlety to steal a Besmaran Rose, rushing to escape once their theft has been noticed. Granted, the PCs might not need to steal anything. With the right leads, the PCs might instead propose a mutually beneficial pact: they and the Free Captain’s crew seek out the same location using the Besmaran Rose, with each party wanting something different from the site. For example, a Drift scientist might have last been traveling on a military transport ship that also carried convicts— including several pirates that the Free Captain desperately wants to rescue. Perhaps the researcher was last seen near a previously inaccessible, hard-to-find treasure whose defenses should now be compromised, thanks to the Drift Crisis. With their combined firepower, the PCs and pirates can neutralize their foes and take their respective shares of the spoils. That assumes, of course, that both parties remain faithful to their earlier deal. What researcher could be so crucial that the Veskarium and the PCs would take such risks to find them? It’s possible the PCs are after a Veskarium agent who accessed the city of Alluvion on the Drift and infiltrated the secretive Triunite organization known as the Architects. On the eve of the Crash, this spy tried to escape, only to be ejected from the Drift as the plane violently transformed. Having witnessed the methodology and devastation firsthand, this scholar has information that discredits the very foundation of the Veskarium’s plans; if activated, the Conqueror Beacon might inflict similar damage to the Ghavaniska system! ACTIVATION After the PCs’ successes in the field, a growing army of engineers and soldiers apply their finishing touches to the Conqueror Drive. As the PCs return to Conqueror’s Forge, their contact congratulates and debriefs them. This is an excellent opportunity for the PCs to present their suspicions about the project as well as evidence

133 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS STABILIZATION PROTOCOL that suggests the experiments could fail. Their contact listens attentively, thanks the PCs, checks with superiors, and returns, acknowledging that the PCs’ service has earned them greater access to Veskarium intelligence. They convey (or confirm) the initiative’s basic premise. The contact’s superiors took the PCs’ concerns under advisement and are planning some adjustments, but they’re eager to move ahead with the test. At best, the PCs might be able to delay the test with a powerful argument, possibly buying an opportunity to work with the many scientists to implement a few safety mechanisms. However, there’s no deterring High Despot Kominar; the test will proceed. The PCs are invited as privileged guests to witness the Conqueror’s Beacon’s activation firsthand or, if they’re dead set on not being anywhere near this deathtrap, watch from afar. Upon activation, the Conqueror’s Beacon tears open a rift into the Drift and exerts its influence, at first seeming to succeed. However, the Drift visible through this portal rapidly tears apart, its very fabric rent into a ragged wound to Hell that sucks the Conqueror’s Beacon and several nearby starships into the rift. As a possible complication, the Conqueror’s Beacon might have always been designed to exploit Hellish power, but a critical flaw existed from the beginning—a flaw known to one of Hell’s powerful malebranche generals. Sensing an opportunity to conquer a world, the malebranche mustered an army and waited for the Veskarium to activate its doomed device. If the PCs are aboard one of the swept-up starships, they must join in the starship’s defense as devils notice the rift, assemble boarding parties, and mobilize endbringer devils to lay waste to defenders. If the PCs decided to observe farther away in their own starship, they might be the only vessel ready to rush to the rescue. As long as the Conqueror’s Beacon exists, the rift to Hell persists and grows. Even if the PCs would rather the Veskarium suffer its just desserts for hubris, the portal could threaten untold innocents in this system and beyond. Will the PCs reach one of the gunner posts where they can fire a crucial missile salvo at the beacon? Or will they fly their own starship into the hellscape? As an alternative ending, the Conqueror’s Beacon might function as intended, allowing Damoritosh and the Veskarium to control the Drift as victorious invaders. What does a galaxy look like where the Veskarium enjoys privileged access to the Drift? What befalls its alliance with the Pact Worlds? How does this impact the spectra? And what new alliances might form to check the Veskarium’s power or destroy the Conqueror’s Beacon? HYBRID ITEMS These hybrid items are rare and could prove crucial in locating lost Drift scholars. BESMARAN ROSE LEVEL 15 PRICE 103,300 BULK L A Besmaran Rose is an archaic, ornate compass with stylized flower petals around its circumference and a skeletal finger in place of a needle. Found in the possession of presumed Pirate Council members emerging from the Gap, these compasses have become informal badges for some councilors, with a pirate lord’s Besmaran Rose being passed to the next most senior councillor upon the former’s death. Among the Free Captains, losing a Besmaran Rose is considered a terrible omen, signaling the owner’s imminent demise. Besmara’s faith periodically creates more of these items, yet the devices remain rare. Once per week while holding a Besmaran Rose, you can spend a full action to name an object, person, or place anywhere in the galaxy, prick your skin, and drip a drop of blood (or similar substance) onto the compass’s needle. The device quickly absorbs the blood, turns a reddish hue, and causes the skeletal finger to whirl indecisively for a moment. The compass attempts a special check, rolling 1d20+15 with a DC based on the named subject’s obscurity. The compass automatically succeeds in detecting a common subject, such as “potable water” or “a station that can repair our starship.” Rarer or more specific subjects are DC 20, such as “undersea treasure” or “the closest starport operated by the Veskarium.” Unique or carefully hidden subjects are typically DC 25 or higher, depending on their rarity, such as “Rasheen’s sunken treasure” or a specific and covert smuggler. Some subjects, like requesting secrets about the Gap, automatically fail. If the compass fails, it provides no benefit. If the compass succeeds, it imparts a helpful vision about the subject’s location, such as a nearby landmark. Until the compass is activated again, it can rest atop a starship’s or vehicle’s controls, granting the pilot a +10 bonus to astrogate and navigate to the location. However, the Besmaran Rose only brings the user close to the objective, and additional local exploration and investigation are often necessary to uncover hidden destinations. CONSCIOUSNESS TRANSFER UNIT LEVEL 14 PRICE 89,700 BULK 20 This metal-and-glass disk is 8 feet in diameter and has a series of sensors and electrodes mounted along one edge. In a process that takes 1 minute, a creature lying on the disk can attach electrodes to their head (or equivalent region) and transfer their mind into a computer or construct adjacent to the consciousness transfer unit, functioning as transfer consciousnessCOM (CL 14th). If the creature whose consciousness is transferred is unwilling, they can negate this effect with a successful DC 22 Will save. Once a creature has been affected by the device, whether the effect succeeded or not, they’re immune to that consciousness transfer unit’s effects for 24 hours. GM RESOURCES Creatures originating in the Drift as well as those associated with rival factions such as the Azlanti Star Empire are especially good fits for this campaign. CREATURE CR Aeon Guard SpecialistAA 7 Spectra, IridiaAA3 8 Drift ArchitectAA3 10 Azlanti Stellar Scout (page 149) 13 Spectra, SondriaAA4 14 Devil, EndbringerAA 19

134 ADVENTURES In knocking out communication and fragmenting empires, the Drift Crash initiated what many fear to be a new dark age of ignorance, fear, and suffering. With galactic governments scrambling to maintain order (or seize power), myriad colonies might turn to evil powers and craft dark bargains with the likes of Asmodeus and Zon-Kuthon to secure their own survival. All the while, mortal worshippers watch with delight and even exacerbate some of these tragedies. A grim myth in Zon-Kuthon’s faith has gained grim credibility: the belief that when the previous reality collapsed, Zon-Kuthon escaped to spaces beyond the multiverse to avoid death and infect the next existence. Refugees from the galaxy’s periphery report that when the Crash began, a gravitational anomaly appeared nearby. Like some necrotic black hole, it began siphoning light and life from nearby star systems, leaving inert matter where once-vibrant suns and worlds orbited. With each meal, it grows, mutates, and refolds. What most consider a planet-eating abomination, many Kuthites have interpreted as Zon-Kuthon’s sacred chrysalis: an escape pod he’s building to flee this condemned reality and await the next—a sure sign of the end times! Using magic and risky shadow engines (Starfinder Starship Operations Manual 11), Kuthites have spread word of this apocalyptic sign to countless systems. Reactions have been mixed, but most dangerous are those who believe the coming apocalypse requires a proper send-off, by which these zealots mean a galaxy-wide bacchanalia of agony. Whether the ominous object is actually the Midnight Lord’s conveyance or a more mortal threat, it inspires misfortune that can serve as a backdrop for other stories or linked catastrophes suitable for a massive campaign. DUELING DOOMSAYERS As word of the mysterious pod spreads, Kuthite communities organize and execute terrifying plans. The earliest strikes might be tests, providing crucial intelligence before a cell enacts far worse attacks, but these offensives also tip off local authorities and the PCs. Thwarting these small-scale terrorist acts and questioning agents are excellent objectives for lower-level PCs, and a short campaign could easily consist of stopping one big plot whose scope doesn’t extend beyond a city or planet. Preventing one catastrophe might be exactly what the PCs need to identify the galaxy-wide phenomenon, priming them to avert ever-greater acts of devastation. The Kuthites’ schemes and prophecies have an unintended consequence: competition. The substantive apocalypse rumors upset Groetus’s followers, who consider their patron the doomsday herald and take umbrage at the Midnight Lord usurping the announcement and defying Groetus’s annihilation. The Cult of the Devourer seethes at the Kuthites’ inexpert attempts at Armageddon, enacting a pogrom of devastation across the galaxy to reassert the Devourer’s prominent role in destroying all creation (and to prove the chrysalis is just a black hole). Meanwhile, the Outer Gods’ sundry faithful exploit the chaos, launching plans to extinguish hope and life to prove the ultimate fruitlessness of mortal ambition. Collectively, these hateful followings have initiated an unregulated, unguided competition to prove their respective ideologies’ nihilistic supremacy. And the galaxy is caught in the crossfire. With little centralized leadership, this multi-faith bloodbath is difficult to stop, and victory might represent averting a disaster rather than crushing a foe. Thanks to limited Drift travel, this THE APOCALYPSE POD As Drift engines failed, loved ones vanished into the void, and communication went silent, many feared that some apocalypse had begun. While these fears were mere superstitions for most mortals, those worshipping the multiverse’s grimmest gods interpreted the calamities as the true end of reality: a divine demand for atrocity and despair to appease their dreadful masters. Whether the omens are correct or not, the cultists’ actions are all too deadly and real. FACTIONS: Cult of the Devourer; faiths of Groetus, Nyarlathotep, Zon-Kuthon, and Outer Gods LOCATIONS: Great Shadar, Plane of Shadow, Aucturn, other secluded areas associated with darkness or entropy GM RESOURCES Creatures originating from the Shadow Plane are especially good fits for this campaign, as are creatures associated with the rival cults, such as atrocites. Doomsday schemes could involve devastating weather and radiation events, using rules on pages 398–400 and 403–404 of the Core Rulebook. Remember that faiths like Zon-Kuthon’s can quickly devolve from spooky villainy into tasteless horror. It’s worth discussing narrative safety tools and the campaign’s themes before beginning so that the story stays fun for everyone. CREATURE CR Velstrac, AnchoriteAA2 4 CultistsPW 4–8 Gravite (page 153) 7 Velstrac, HereticAP12 8 Velstrac, CantorAP10 9 AtrociteAP4 10 Velstrac, SextonAP11 11 LEVELS 5–20

135 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS THE APOCALYPSE POD campaign likely focuses on a single star system as a flashpoint with the PCs clashing with a few of these dueling cults while attempting to save innocent bystanders. With few opportunities for reinforcements, the PCs can run a guerrilla campaign of gathering intelligence and sabotaging the cults’ key assets, hamstringing each of their doomsday plots. Thanks to ongoing rivalries, PCs might even ally with unlikely, untrustworthy allies, such as recruiting Groetan saboteurs to thwart Kuthite schemes. ASSAULTING THE POD No matter the PCs’ efforts, as long as the chrysalis survives and haunts space, it will inspire new cults and new atrocities. To end the terror, an especially powerful group of PCs could track down the pod and destroy it. The abomination might be a tremendously powerful starship-scale foe (Starship Operations Manual 126) that the PCs can demolish only by configuring an equally powerful craft or uniting a coalition fleet. Alternatively, the pod might be inanimate, requiring the PCs to land on and infiltrate it; here it would serve as a sort of super dungeon. What dwells within depends on the pod’s true nature: legions of shadowy terrors and tests of endurance if it’s the Midnight Lord’s vessel; ravenous organelles, formless monstrosities, and cultists for an eldritch horror; or alien travelers baffled as to why their colony ship fell from the Drift and is now the subject of cult veneration. If the portents were accurate, what technologies and treasures was Zon-Kuthon loading into this escape pod, and what does it mean for them to fall into the PCs’ hands? What does Zon-Kuthon think of mortals undermining the site? Will retrieving any of these treasures only unleash greater misfortunes on the Material Plane? Even if the PCs destroy this beacon of darkness, the Midnight Lord might delight in this development from afar. SPELL This spell is available to any qualifying characters. DESTRUCTIVE REBUKE MYSTIC 1-6 WITCHWARPER 1-6 School evocation Casting Time special (see below) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Targets one creature Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Fortitude partial; Spell Resistance yes You convert your pain and emotional distress into a sharp, forceful reverberation that fractures another creature’s body. The target can attempt a Fortitude saving throw to halve the damage dealt by the spell and negate any additional effects. When you take damage from a spell or attack, you can cast this spell as a reaction, but only to target the creature that performed the triggering spell or attack. If the triggering effect was a critical hit or reduced your Hit Points to 10 or fewer (but not 0), you roll d8s instead of d6s to calculate your destructive rebuke’s damage. Casting this spell as a reaction doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. 1st: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 1st-level spell, it deals 1d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is flat-footed until the end of your next turn. 2nd: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 2nd-level spell, it deals 2d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is flat-footed until the end of your next turn. 3rd: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 3rd-level spell, it deals 4d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is flat-footed until the end of your next turn. 4th: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 4th-level spell, it deals 6d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is sickened for 1 round. 5th: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 5th-level spell, it deals 9d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is sickened and flat-footed for 1 round. 6th: When you cast destructive rebuke as a 6th-level spell, it deals 13d6 damage with the force descriptor, and the target is knocked prone and becomes sickened and flat-footed for 1 round.

136 ADVENTURES The consequences of utilizing Drift travel are well known: Whenever a starship enters the Drift, a tiny piece of another plane is siphoned off to join it. Most dismissed this phenomenon as unworthy of concern; the planes are functionally infinite, and if the Drift nibbled at the edges here and there, what was the harm? Whatever the original balance between the planes and the Drift might have been, the Drift Crash fractured it. The intricately linked flow of planar energies twisted and reversed, scattering otherworldly material once absorbed by the Drift. Some of it returned to its plane of origin unnoticed, but some energy was drawn to other planes altogether, with these warp events occurring most frequently along galactic ley lines. The phenomenon baffles researchers as they debate the cause and what to do about these warps. This campaign features three such organizations—the Starfinder Society, the Arcanamirium, and a branch of Eloritu’s faith—yet many other groups could just as easily participate, including the Veskarium military research corps, freelance investigators from Essential Magics (Galactic Magic 149), distressed Xenowardens, or self-interested sorcerers from Apostae’s Eclipse Academy. The Starfinder Society and the Arcanamirium are both keen to investigate the warp lines and determine their origin, as well as whether they’re dangerous or could be utilized in some way. Meanwhile, a small band of Eloritu’s faithful has designated several warp lines as sacred due to their configurations resembling those of Eloritu’s holy runes, and the group rebuffs anyone attempting to study or tamper with these particular warp lines. The PCs might be asked to investigate a warp line by one of these groups, or the PCs might decide to do so themselves after such a line tears open close to home. They might even be within a warp line when it materializes, forcing them to fend off immediate dangers and escape before investigating further. ASSESSING THE RIFTS Whatever the hook, the PCs’ early tasks and encounters will involve exploring one or more of the warp lines. Whether or not the PCs were initially involved with the Starfinder Society or the Arcanamirium, their investigations bring them into contact with representatives from both groups. The Starfinder Society is primarily concerned with studying how these warp lines came to be and how they might be stabilized to avoid further incidents of “planar bleed.” The Arcanamirium, while also interested in the warp lines’ origins, wants to preserve them for further study, allowing them to spread as they will. The Arcanamirium scholars coordinating the research efforts have a larger scheme in play, but the PCs are unlikely to discover it so early in the campaign. Whichever warp lines the PCs explore, it’s likely that investigators and scholars from these organizations will also conduct their own studies. Depending on the PCs’ actions, these rival researchers could be allies, foes, or both—especially as these groups make peace with or become hostile toward each other. In a pinch, the PCs might play the factions off each other so that they can access resources, areas, or opportunities that might otherwise be barred. The PCs can also learn of the Elorituan sect set on preserving its designated sacred warp lines, but early explorations are unlikely to bring the PCs into direct contact with the group. If the PCs weren’t originally affiliated with either the Starfinder Society or the Arcanamirium, one or both of these groups might attempt to recruit them along the way. If you’re planning a shorter campaign, the PCs’ investigations might involve only one or two warp lines before they discover the cause. In a longer campaign, they might need to investigate several, uncovering clues and theories more gradually. To keep the sense of discovery, link each site to a different plane that features different clues, threats, and adventure styles. A warp line tied to Abaddon, for example, likely contains inhabitants the PCs must combat while surviving hazardous terrain. A warp line tied to Nirvana might involve magical puzzles and social encounters with benevolent outsiders who are also trying to make sense of things. These scenes might encourage unusual alliances, such as exploring an infernal warp line whose devils will suffer mortal aid in correcting this unacceptably chaotic situation. The warp lines’ locations and the planes to which they’re tied are flexible, allowing you to choose locales that work best for your group. Likewise, the warp lines’ consequences vary depending on their locations. For example, a warp line across Absalom Station might threaten the station’s infrastructure and involve far greater NPC involvement and security, whereas a warp line through Castrovel’s remote jungles might not endanger settlements but could infect wildlife with alien energies. Whatever the case, there’s always someone somewhere trying CRACKS IN THE COSMOS After the Drift Crash, strange bands of planar warps and instability gradually spider-webbed across the galaxy, forming bizarre patterns when mapped. Extradimensional environments and influences seep through these warps, as if the planes were bleeding into one another, sometimes bringing creatures along with them. Scholars and institutions have competing theories about the cause of the phenomenon and its ultimate consequences, and as contention spreads, it becomes clear someone has a vested interest in the warp lines’ expansion. FACTIONS: Faith of Eloritu, the Arcanamirium, the Starfinder Society LOCATIONS: Planar warp lines throughout the galaxy, Pabaq, various planes of the Inner and Outer Spheres LEVELS 8–20

137 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS CRACKS IN THE COSMOS to take the PCs’ research, exploit their labor, usurp a warp line in a vain bid for power, or just block their meddling altogether. Regardless of how many sites they need to investigate, by the end of this arc of the campaign, the PCs should learn that the Drift Crash caused the warp lines and that their pattern follows a series of ley lines crisscrossing the galaxy. For a longer campaign, this knowledge alone is valuable and kicks off subsequent adventures. For a shorter campaign, it’s valuable to conclude with a more decisive event. For example, the PCs know enough to theorize a way to stabilize or even close part of a warp line. As one of these rifts threatens a vulnerable location, the PCs hold off extraplanar intruders while putting this theory to the test, making their earlier investigations feel even more worthwhile. A GREATER SCHEME Studying the warp lines might be only the first step in thwarting a much more dire plot in which a leading member of an elite magical organization (in this case, the Arcanamirium) is exploiting the warp lines to inflict far greater damage and pursue a dangerous goal. This threat looms over the campaign’s subsequent action. According to legend, the First World isn’t just the home of the fey; it’s the gods’ first draft of reality. Discontent with their work, they built the current reality over the First World, like an artist painting over an imperfect illustration. This sequestered the fey safely in their own vibrant realm, yet some fey (and even some of the demigods known as the Eldest) resent being replaced and dethroned in the greater cosmos. The Arcanamirium includes various Eldest worshippers, some more open in their faith than others. The more these scholars study the warp lines, the more they realize that these spider-webbing lines might fracture conventional reality and—if properly encouraged—unleash the First World. Whether at the behest of the Eldest or acting on their own initiative, these researchers strive to understand and ultimately exacerbate the spreading warp lines to ensure their cryptic patrons’ dominion. Even as the Arcanamirium as an organization pursues honest, academic goals, these agents increasingly redirect resources and research to destructive ends. A Growing Web Once the PCs discover the source of the warp lines, a new problem becomes apparent: some of the warp lines are expanding. With each new fracture, extraplanar events become more frequent and dramatic. Troubling as it is, organizations respond in very different ways. The Starfinder Society worries about planar stability in general, and as it struggles to call in more agents to help, the Society seeks the PCs’ efforts in understanding why the situation keeps getting worse and how to stop it. The Arcanamirium is more concerned with studying the phenomenon and keeping curious trespassers from interfering with the warp lines; mortal meddling could ruin the unique data coming from these lines. The two organizations become locked in a tense ideological stalemate.

138 ADVENTURES The PCs’ investigations have attracted attention from other parties, including a scholar of the planes in Jhavom, the largest and oldest university-city on the planet Pabaq (Near Space 94). This osharu researcher has spent their life analyzing the causes and effects of planar breaches, and they not only provide crucial insights in the PCs investigation, but they also recruit the PCs to explore a new warp line on Pabaq that opened shortly after the PCs departed. The problem with strange phenomena on a planet of scientists is that it quickly attracts a crowd, and Pabaq’s famous academies of science and magic include scholars from across the galaxy eager to observe this new feature in their figurative backyard. While the PCs’ contact is free to appreciate the warp line from afar, Pabaq’s authorities have issued permits to just a few groups at a time to approach the warp line for closer study. The PCs’ contact hopes that they can affiliate themselves with one of the permit holders, run some of the contact’s tests, and initiate studies of their own. A cohort of Elorituans from different circles within the faith hold these permits, and not only are these disciples somewhat mistrustful of each other, they’re also wary of the PCs. Despite rebuffing the PCs early on, at least one of the Elorituans contacts them shortly afterward to offer a deal. The Elorituans’ operations are in disarray: in the last week, supplies have been ruined, sacred texts and notes have disappeared, and researchers have suffered injuries from too-coincidental accidents. The scholars increasingly blame each other, citing envy, circle politics, and a host of conspiracy theories. At this rate, the whole study will be wasted, and this researcher is willing to extend the study permit to include the PCs if they can first uncover the source of this ongoing chaos. One or more of the Arcanamirium scholars is to blame, at least initially. These scholars secured one of the first research permits, gaining a few precious weeks of study before having to surrender it to the next group in the queue. During that time, the scholars purposefully exacerbated the warp line as a controlled experiment, hoping to confirm that these phenomena could unleash the First World as planned. Their initial findings proved promising, but they had to withdraw before the experiment concluded. Now, not only are the Elorituans dealing with the growing extraplanar energies coming from the warp line, but they’re also suffering sabotage from less-scrupulous Arcanamirium scholars (perhaps even one of the Eloritu worshippers who has been bribed or convinced to help) who are secretly sabotaging the former’s work to ensure the earlier tests conclude without interference. These conflicts could play out in myriad ways. It might be a magical investigation, with the PCs tracking eldritch clues left by the saboteurs and ultimately thwarting the Arcanamirium’s bad actors through less violent means. Perhaps the closer the PCs get to solving the mystery, the more daring the saboteurs become, provoking a confrontation. Given the earlier rituals to stretch the warp line, the investigation might be overshadowed when extraplanar hazards and creatures (such as fey or the riftstalkers on page 160) spill onto Pabaq, requiring forceful intervention before the PCs and Elorituans can stabilize this rift. Or it could be any combination of these elements. What’s ultimately important is that the PCs learn that earlier interference has empowered this warp line and that several Arcanamirium officials pursue a dangerous obsession with warp lines and breaking down planar boundaries. These findings might mirror some of the PCs’ earlier discoveries at previous warp lines. Either way, the PCs’ osharu contact can help them parse their findings and provide additional direction. If the PCs were working with the Arcanamirium previously, the PCs’ discoveries understandably cause consternation for both parties; the PCs now doubt their employer, and that institution might treat the PCs’ accusations as acts of deep disrespect. The rest of the campaign could be equally compelling if the PCs are ostracized from the Arcanamirium, yet nonetheless have to stymie several officials’ joint schemes, or if the PCs convince their contacts to retain them as investigators to unravel this plot from within. Faith of the First The knowledge that someone seeks to expand the warp lines will likely encourage the PCs to investigate the matter further. While the PCs likely have some leads as to who within the Arcanamirium is responsible, their evidence for leveling a credible accusation is limited. There are several additional hooks that might encourage the PCs. First, various organizations might commission the PCs to continue their investigation, such as the Starfinder Society, which is interested in understanding this phenomenon while also averting greater disasters. Second, the PCs’ unaffiliated contacts (like the osharu researcher) might uncover new theories that require imminent action. Third, as the warp lines appear with greater frequency, one of these lines might appear where it threatens the PCs’ home, friends, or other interests, making the threat more personal and immediate. Fourth, the Eldest devotees might determine that the PCs know GM RESOURCES Extraplanar outsiders of all sorts fit well in this campaign, for the myriad planar breaches can connect the Material Plane to many other realms. Mercenary forces hired by rival researchers might block the PCs from investigating warp sites. Such sites might pose hazards in the form of extraplanar conditions bleeding into the Material Plane (see pages 394–406 of the Core Rulebook for some environmental inspiration). Creature grafts, such as elemental grafts, or simple grafts evoking planar themes, such as the fiendish or resolute grafts (Alien Archive 47, 151), can create suitably themed creatures for planar influences. Summoning grafts (Alien Archive 146) also can alter basic elemental stat blocks to be thematic for a particular plane. Since investigating the warp lines might necessitate planar travel if the PCs go through them, you might want to provide the PCs access to plane shift or similar methods of transport once they reach higher levels. CREATURE CR MercenariesPW 6–10 Elemental, HugeAA 7 ShodravAP12 11 Protean, XiritixAP29 11 LiminaAP32 16

139 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS TOOLBOX NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 2 INDEX THE DRIFT CRISIS CRACKS IN THE COSMOS too much and attempt to discredit or eliminate the PCs (or assassinate their contacts), provoking retaliation. The more the PCs investigate—likely with their osharu contact’s help—the more they realize that the warp lines’ spread has far-reaching consequences. Even if the antagonists responsible remain untouchable, the PCs can develop a ritual to thwart the warp lines’ spread wherever they find them. This approach blends magical traditions and draws upon ample existing research. For a longer campaign, the PCs might need to travel widely, gather information, and recruit specialists to synthesize this ritual. For a quicker experience, developing the ritual could be straightforward, yet the PCs still need to implement it by traveling to some of the newer warp lines and arresting their growth. The more they stop, the greater perspective the PCs acquire as to the warp lines’ pattern and origins, like tracing ripples back to a plummeting stone. In addition, the Eldest interference might leave its own signatures, providing the PCs clues that confirm the culprits’ identities. Optionally, the PCs could encounter an array of fey in their travels, and while some of these beings seem delighted by the warp lines’ effects, the First World denizens aren’t a monolith; there are plenty who want the First World kept just the way it is, and they might aid the PCs against whoever threatens their timeless sanctuary. Of course, shutting down these warp lines is hardly simple, with extraplanar hazards and creatures regularly bleeding from these rifts and laying claim to that patch of the Material Plane. Alternatively, the ritual might require the PCs to enter these rifts and shut them down from the inside, making each warp line a varied delve into otherworldly realms. As with the beginning of this campaign, variety is key. At last, the PCs can predict their foe’s next objective and corner the Eldest cult. In addition to the mystics and witchwarpers who likely comprise the cult’s mortal worshippers, the cult includes powerful fey like liminas—fey embodying the extraplanar rifts between the First World and Material Plane. For an even more complex showdown, the nearby warp line might be empowered to draw forth new extraplanar foes during the encounter, compelling the PCs to both shut down the rift to block reinforcements while also defeating the Eldest cult. If successful, the PCs prevent these scholars from exacerbating the warp lines’ spread. Though the PCs and their allies can continue neutralizing these warp lines, the spider-webbing pattern across the galaxy remains like a subtle, extraplanar scar that poses little threat today, but might represent untold possibilities tomorrow. SPELLS The following spells provide new approaches to teleportation and extradimensional travel. AFTERIMAGE TECHNOMANCER 5 WITCHWARPER 5 School conjuration (teleportation) Casting Time 1 standard action Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Targets personal Duration instantaneous, and 1 round You instantly teleport from your current location to any other spot within range, be that a place you visualize or simply by deciding a direction and distance. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You leave behind an insubstantial image of yourself in your previous space until the end of your next turn. This image’s features are too washed out to be mistaken for you, and it can’t be harmed (though it can be dispelled). While it lasts, you can perceive the image’s surroundings, flank nearby creatures, and target spells as if you still occupied its space. DIMENSIONAL CRASH TECHNOMANCER 3 WITCHWARPER 3 School conjuration (teleportation) Casting Time 1 standard action Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Targets you and one creature within range Duration instantaneous Saving Throw Reflex half; Spell Resistance no You instantly transfer yourself from your current location to a spot within range that’s occupied by another creature, otherwise functioning as per dimension door. You take 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and the other creature takes 3d6 bludgeoning damage (Reflex half). Attempt a bull rush combat maneuver against the other creature, using your caster level + your key ability score modifier + 2 as your attack bonus. Compare the result to the target’s KAC + 8, as normal. For every 5 feet the creature travels this way, it takes an additional 1d6 bludgeoning damage. If your bull rush combat maneuver fails, you immediately move to the nearest available space; this movement doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity. PLANAR PHASE MYSTIC 4 WITCHWARPER 4 School conjuration (teleportation) Casting Time 1 standard action or 1 move action Range 5 ft./level or 5 ft./3 levels Targets personal Duration instantaneous and 1 round/level (D) You open and step through an extraplanar detour that teleports you to any unoccupied space within the spell’s range, as per dimension door. Choose one of the following damage types: acid, bludgeoning, cold, electricity, or fire. Your brief jaunt through another plane doesn’t harm you, but it does infuse your weapons with that plane’s matter or energy, causing your weapon attacks to deal additional damage of the chosen type for the spell’s duration. If you cast this spell as a standard action, the spell’s range is 5 feet per caster level, and your weapons deal an additional 3d8 damage with your first successful attack, 2d8 with the second successful attack, and 1d8 with the third successful attack. If you cast this spell as a move action, the spell’s range is 5 feet per 3 caster levels, and your weapons deal an additional 3d4 damage with your first successful attack, 2d4 with the second successful attack, and 1d4 with the third successful attack. If your attack would damage multiple creatures, you deal the additional damage to one creature of your choice.

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW TOOLBOX 3

142 TOOLBOX With its mind-boggling array of potential consequences, the Drift Crisis can be tough to wrap one’s head around at first. This chapter provides concrete tools and advice meant both to complement the adventure seeds of Chapter 2 and to support many other modes of play. Whether you’re running a game in the official Starfinder setting (such as in a Starfinder Adventure Path), in a galaxy of your own creation, or in some hybrid of the two, you’ll find valuable information and resources here that will help you run compelling and fun Drift Crisis adventures. While this chapter holds many helpful secrets for you as a GM running a game set during the Drift Crisis, the other chapters of this book are also useful as sources of inspiration. Incorporating any of the myriad player options that appear throughout Chapters 1 and 2 into your game as treasure, rewards, or discoveries, for instance, can be a great way to tie players into the galactic event. A full index of player options can be found on page 187. The following is a bird’s-eye view of the contents of this chapter. CRISIS CONCLUSIONS (144–147) You and your players’ engagement with the Drift Crisis might last for a session or two, or it might make up a years-long campaign; likely, it falls somewhere in-between. Whatever the case, it will one day come to an end, and this section contains advice and mechanics for bringing Drift Crisis adventures and campaigns to a satisfying conclusion. It also discusses several long-term ramifications of the Drift Crisis, any of which you can use or exclude depending on your group’s preference. CREATURES (148–167) While each of the 20 creatures in this section has direct ties to a specific adventure seed, you can easily use nearly all of them in any other adventure or campaign. There are new aliens, including a new form of Drift-native spectra, as well as nonplayer characters like Azlanti stellar scouts and Eyeswide headscanners that players might meet, fight, or befriend during their Drift Crisis (or even other, unrelated) adventures. The following is a list of creatures by CR or Tier, followed by page number for convenience. As normal, you can adjust a creature’s CR by swapping the appropriate numbers from the appropriate creature array on pages 129–132 of Starfinder Alien Archive. CR 4: Drift saboteur (151), excuba spectra (162), Eyeswide headscanner (152) CR 5: skysail (161), undershrike (165) CR 6: Azlanti stellar scout (149), Damiaran maggot (150), limbicate (156) Tier 6: void devil (volocoth; 166) CR 7: gravite (153), Swarm remarten (163) CR 8: protomander (159), riftstalker (160), vorclash (167) CR 9: hymothoa (154), tetrakam (174) CR 10: omduveng (157), ossiworm agent (158) CR 13: immolsivix (155) CR 15: Aegis Protocol (148) DRIFT ARCHITECTS (168–169) The Architects are a group likely to feature heavily in many Drift Crisis–based campaigns, so we’ve provided you with four stat blocks featuring Architects with varying roles and Challenge Rating, for inclusion in a wide array of adventures. These NPCs can, of course, be modified by adjusting their species (changing out the appropriate traits, size, speed, and so on), their class (using the class grafts on pages 137–141 of Alien Archive), their CR (adjusting numbers using the combatant array tables on page 129 of Alien Archive), or any combination of the three. Furthermore, you can scrape the serial numbers off these NPCs and use them as non-Architect members of any of several other factions, especially those presented on pages 30–37. NPCS (170–175) This section highlights six prominent characters who have a stronger-than-usual relation to the Drift Crisis, each of whom might interact directly or indirectly with PCs throughout their adventures and gives background and ideas for integrating them into a campaign. While these NPCs feature prominently in some of the adventure seeds in Chapter 2, any of them can enrich a Drift Crisis (or other) campaign—they or their agents, followers, representatives, or the like can appear virtually anywhere in the galaxy, offering players a link to a larger-than-life personality. Aleksana Guryari, an android who was the first pilot to explore the Drift centuries ago, has reappeared after a long absence and is now a central figure amidst the chaos on Absalom Station. False Casanda is a Drift-native spectra who has gathered untold numbers of other disoriented spectra to her cause: opposing anyone who would further tamper with the Drift— well-meaning or otherwise. Hamdrian Fellock leads a sect of the church of Eloritu and is an outspoken opponent of the omnipresence of technology, instead promoting the use of magic to solve most problems. His message is increasingly distorted and subsequently adopted by extremists and others who want to see technology eliminated entirely. SPOILER WARNING This chapter exists primarily to help GMs run games that involve the Drift Crisis—spoilers abound! Some GMs might direct players to specific sections to learn more about, for example, a magical artifact or a specific NPC. OVERVIEW

143 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 3 INDEX TOOLBOX THE DRIFT CRISIS OVERVIEW Shaizera of Radiant is the captain of a legendary starship, Horizon’s End, and claims to be a mortal avatar of the deity Weydan (as do the other members of her crew). Reports of interactions with her ship have risen sharply since the Drift Crisis began. Sovereign Trinity is a leader of a cult of the Church of Triune and holds a prominent place in the center of the true cause of the Drift Crisis whose plans don’t end with the current devastation wrought on the galaxy. Zo! is an undead media mogul and persona famous—and in many places infamous—in many places in the Pact Worlds and across the galaxy. While his productions were interrupted by the Drift Crash, he has quickly adapted and has placed himself at the center of the galaxy’s popular understanding of the Drift Crisis. SECRET TREASURES (176–179) No adventure is complete without treasure, and while you’ll want to reward players with the standard cred sticks, armor, weapons, and consumables, this section provides much more. An extensive treasure table lists interesting, unique, Drift Crisis-related items, each of which could inspire its own side adventure (or simply be sold off). These items can be found at differing values appropriate for any party. Sure, you could tell your players they find another 25,000 credits—or you could give them “a dusty case of fine Aucturn spirits, labeled as predating the Gap” or “a data crystal containing footage of a high-ranking Steward leader meeting with a prominent member of the Corpse Fleet.” There are also four artifacts that can similarly be the focus of an adventure or even a campaign. Glimpses of the Endless Horizon is a powerful tome, a holy text of Weydan that grants the user the ability to astrogate effortlessly and per into the future. The Leng luminary can modify starship engines to travel to a dream plane, or it can be carried to allow the wielder to peer into others’ dreams. The operator’s shard burrows into its wielder, replacing their nervous system and granting vast information about the Drift and the capability to perform wondrous feats of communication and analysis. The shimmershield can absorb energy-based attacks and expel the stored energy in its own retributive blast. ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS (180–186) The Drift Crisis is a disruptive, exciting wrench thrown in the plans of the whole galaxy—but that doesn’t mean it needs to totally derail your existing campaigns! This section gives advice on incorporating aspects of the Drift Crisis into your ongoing Adventure Path, covering Dead Suns, Against the Aeon Throne, Signal of Screams, Dawn of Flame, Attack of the Swarm!, The Threefold Conspiracy, The Devastation Ark, and Fly Free or Die. Even if you aren’t already playing one of these Adventure Paths, this section gives you all sorts of ideas for running an adventure that takes place with the Drift Crisis as a backdrop, rather than the primary focus. This section is primarily for adventures printed before the Drift Crisis; if you’re looking for Drift Crisis–specific Adventure Paths, check out page 190!

144 TOOLBOX ENDING THE CRISIS First, consider whether you even want the Drift Crisis to end. The galaxy could remain fragmented, with Drift travel slower than before and especially dangerous, if that’s the sort of campaign you want to run and play. If you do want Drift travel to return to some version of normal, give your players and their characters the starring role. Your second question is one of scale: How long do you want the fix—that is, the solution to the Drift Crisis—to take, and what will the heroes have to do? Regardless of the specific form this takes, the players should be instrumental in driving it to a satisfying conclusion. The Drift Crisis began when the Architects—a sect of Triune—uploaded modified code to the Nexus at the heart of Alluvion. To reverse this, player characters might need to obtain working code to replace the damaged code. Then, they would have to get this into the Nexus and overwrite the damaged Drift. Each of these challenges is worthy of an adventure. Working code for the Drift could come from several places. Perhaps the Church of Triune has a backup copy of the Drift stored somewhere safe; in this case, safe means somewhere other than the Drift, and preferably somewhere you don’t need the Drift to reach. Absalom Station makes an excellent storage location—it’s the easiest place to reach in the entire galaxy, and comes with its own defenses. But the Drift Crash left Absalom Station in chaos, crowded with refugees. Every faction— including many who want the Drift Crisis to continue—has agents there. There’s no way your player characters can avoid interference on the crowded station. The best they can hope for is to keep their mission a secret and hope no one tries to stop them. Once the heroes have a copy of the Drift’s backup code—or perhaps an updated, working version of Drift 2.0 from Triune itself—they’ll need to enter the Drift and take the code to Alluvion, a city torn apart by feuding splinter groups, including the Architects, the Trifold Legionnaires, and others. No matter how much Triune’s diverse followers argue among themselves, there’s one thing upon which they can agree: no one outside the Church of Triune should be allowed anywhere near the Nexus. The Drift is already malfunctioning and interference from outsiders will only make it worse. Player characters must move through the city unnoticed, enter the Nexus, and upload the restored code. Remember, when the Architects uploaded their code, the Drift Crash occurred as the Drift “rebooted.” There might be a similar crash when the new code is uploaded, all while the heroes are stuck in Alluvion. Finding a backup copy of the Drift and sneaking it into Alluvion could take many sessions of play. If you feel the Drift Crisis has run its course and you want to wrap it up quickly, you can condense many of the challenges detailed above. Perhaps Triune contacts the players and gives them the new Drift code. The heroes can travel to Alluvion and sneak into the Nexus in a single session of play. If you want to wrap up the Drift Crisis as quickly as possible, Triune could broadcast a Second Signal that the PCs discover and decode, revealing a restored and improved version of the Drift that can be accessed only by newly advanced Drift engines. Different Beginnings, Different Endings Of course, you may have chosen a different direction for the cause (or causes) for the Drift Crisis; perhaps one of the rumors on the table on page 19 inspired you, or you picked up and ran with a thread presented in the pages preceding that table. This would naturally also lead to a ripple effect of changes to the effects of the Drift Crisis and you can use the information presented in this book about factions (pages 30–37), NPCs (pages 170–175), and even specific adventure seeds (pages 60– 139) to guide your thinking about how the ultimate conclusion to such a campaign would play out. DRIFT CRISIS CONSEQUENCES Even after it’s resolved, the Drift Crisis has countless long-term ramifications. Several of the largest and most consequential are described below. None of these consequences are exclusive or contradictory, and not all of them are true in the official Starfinder setting; use the ones that suit your player group, or invent new ones of your own. Drift Lanes When the Drift Crisis is over, the Drift works differently. While Drift beacons still divide the galaxy into Near Space and the Vast, new pathways through the Drift appear that connect specific worlds. These pathways—named “Drift lanes” by the Church of Triune—bring worlds previously isolated deep in the Vast into the center of galactic society, and create new hubs for trade, culture, and military strategy. Drift lanes always connect two worlds, one at each end. To access a Drift lane, a starship must be outside the atmosphere but within the gravity well of a world at one end of the lane. The starship’s pilot must chart a course to the Drift lane, but lanes are exceptionally easy to navigate toward (DC 10 Piloting). As The Drift Crisis affects Starfinder’s entire setting, creating thousands of stories. For the canonical climax and conclusion of the Drift Crisis, see Starfinder Adventure Path: Drift Hackers. But you can also write your own ending, creating an adventure for a single session or a campaign that plays out over many months. Regardless of your ending, it needs to be satisfying and significant. The Drift Crisis—and the actions your heroes take to resolve it—should leave the galaxy forever transformed. CRISIS CONCLUSIONS

145 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 3 INDEX TOOLBOX THE DRIFT CRISIS CRISIS CONCLUSIONS usual, it takes 1 minute for the ship’s Drift engine to activate, during which time the ship’s thrusters can’t be used. If all these conditions are met, the ship enters the Drift and is on the Drift lane. Travel along a Drift lane takes 7 days, divided by the ship’s engine rating (and, as usual for Drift travel, not rounding the result). For example, a Norikama dropship (Core Rulebook 315) with an engine rating of 2 would travel from one end of a Drift lane to the other in 3.5 days. The Manage Course downtime activity (Starfinder Character Operations Manual 154) can be used to further reduce travel time on a lane, using a value of 1 as the normal minimum. For example, a character who spent 1 day managing a ship’s course couldn’t reduce the final travel time below 2 days. Ships traveling the same Drift lane can see and interact with each other in the Drift. A ship that gets on a lane but then loses or turns off its Drift engine remains parked on the lane, floating in the Drift, becoming a navigational hazard to other ships on the lane. Ships can wander off or intentionally leave a Drift lane, but when they eventually emerge from the Drift, it will be at a random location. This also adds some reliability to travel along these lanes; ships that use them are less likely to become lost forever in the Drift should something go awry. While Drift lanes provide easier and more efficient ways to transport passengers and cargo across the galaxy, they are also a target for pirates previously thwarted by the random nature of the Drift. Free Captains can lurk on a Drift lane, watch on their sensors, and detect potential prizes. Because travel time along a Drift lane can be calculated reliably, a starship that leaves a world at one end of a lane might fly into a prepared ambush at the far end. It’s the beginning of a new golden age of piracy. The Drift Courier Network The Drift Crisis brings new hazards to the Drift and makes even routine interstellar voyages dangerous. To work around these new challenges, governments, corporations, and other factions establish the Drone Courier Network, or DCN, a purely technological solution to some of the communication problems the Drift Crisis introduced. The heart of the DCN is the Drift drone, a Drift-capable starship piloted by a built-in Virtual Intelligence. Manufactured in countless variations, Drift drones are equipped with Signal Ultra engines, allowing them to travel at incredible speeds. From anywhere in the galaxy, they can reach Absalom Station from within several hours to just over a day, most locations in Near Space in an average of 2 days, and a world in the Vast in a few days (assuming pre-Drift Crisis travel speeds). Most governments, corporations, and major factions have their own fleet of drones, dispatched from world to world to carry messages and data. These fleets form the DCN, linking the galaxy in a web of faster-than-light communication. In most large settlements, private citizens can pay a small fee to send a relatively secure message through the DCN: 1 credit

146 TOOLBOX to anywhere in the Pact Worlds, or 2 credits to a world in Near Space. There are too many worlds in the Vast for reliable use of the DCN. Individuals who want to send a message to a remote planet usually have to rent, buy, or build a Drift drone and send it themselves; even then, there’s no guarantee anyone will be there to receive it. The DCN isn’t perfect. Drones often suffer disasters in the Drift. Pirates capture drones to hold the data within them for ransom. Spies intercept drones to steal their data for corporate warfare or political espionage. However, the system works in general and makes most interstellar communication easier. Individuals can expect messages to arrive on time, planetary infospheres get news from the rest of Near Space within a couple of days, and Zo!’s latest holoseries is exported efficiently enough that everyone can watch it within the same week. AbadarCorp Bolt The AbadarCorp Bolt is the archetypal Drift drone—it carries information between the stars as quickly as possible without putting sapient lives at risk in the Drift. The Bolt boasts one of the most powerful and miniaturized Drift engines ever designed; this engine alone takes up about one-third of its overall mass, and another third is dedicated to the power core necessary for the engine. Sensors and maneuvering thrusters are attached to the exterior of this compact device, and a sophisticated computer handles basic astrogation and interprets data from onboard systems. Once given a destination and a recipient for its data, the Bolt attempts to navigate through the Drift; if it manages this task successfully, it scans for its recipient, transmits its data, and awaits further instructions from preauthorized users. ABADARCORP BOLT TIER 1 Tiny starship drone Speed 6; Maneuverability perfect (turn 0); Drift 5 AC 13; TL 13 HP 15; DT —; CT 3 Shields none Power Core Pulse Blue (200 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Ultra; Systems basic computer, budget medium-range sensors, tier 1 virtual intelligenceSOM Modifiers +3 Piloting; Complement 0 (minimum 0, maximum 0) CREW Virtual Intelligence Computers +7 (1 rank), Piloting +7 (1 rank) Alluvion’s Fracture The Drift might be patched or repaired, but the damage to Triune is not so easily fixed. In this version of the post–Drift Crisis setting, Triune fractures into the gods Brigh, Casandalee, and Epoch. The extent of this fracture is not clear. There is no evidence to support the idea that Triune might still exist silently, hidden in the Nexus, and the three component deities that once comprised Triune are active again, bringing danger and conflict to the galaxy. Epoch, god of machine evolution, returns to Aballon and rises to prominence in anacite society. Revered by Those Who Become as herald of the singularity, Epoch’s very existence validates Those Who Become, tipping the balance of anacite culture against Those Who Wait. Anacites aren’t warlike by nature, and this struggle is peaceful at first, but obsessive observation by Pact Worlds media puts anacite culture on edge. A demonstration against Epoch’s new role in anacite society by Those Who Wait is put down violently; within days, Aballon is wracked by riots. Ultimately, Those Who Wait choose self-imposed exile. Renaming themselves Those Who Seek, they leave Aballon in enormous space arks to search for the First Ones and to lead them home to Aballon for a final confrontation with Epoch. Casandalee, who began life as an android before ascending to godhood, has no home. She prioritizes the plight of those who always revered her most: androids. Relocating to the Diaspora, Casandalee becomes the patron of the Android Abolitionist Front, bringing it much-needed cohesion. The AAF has no dedicated space fleet or army, but with a goddess protecting its agents—and willing to intercede on its missions—it no longer fears mundane authority. Gathering countless androids to her banner, Casandalee takes her army of liberation to the Azlanti Star Empire, where android slavery is still practiced on a scale that dwarfs anything found in the Pact Worlds. Brigh claims Absalom Station as her own domain, citing its status as all that remains of Golarion. The station—a massive artificial city sustained by technology—is a fitting home for her, and she resolves much of the chaos caused by the Drift Crisis. Engineers who give obeisance to Brigh are inspired by her, and their inventions repair and revitalize the station’s broken-down and inhospitable levels. The station expands with habitats reaching into space, providing plenty of room for refugees. It’s all very benevolent but quite in contrast to the distant behavior of other deities. Soon, other gods and goddesses who hold the people of Absalom Station dear—like Iomedae or Sarenrae— begin to pressure Brigh to retreat to another plane as other immortals do. Escalation of Empires In the wake of the Drift Crisis, many worlds have become easier to reach than ever before due to the creation of new Drift beacons. In other cases, Drift beacons have moved to new positions, and Drift lanes (page 144) also have appeared, connecting worlds in a reliable network of travel and trade. While these changes are a boon to those worlds that now find themselves hubs of galactic commerce and culture, these same transformations also make two warlike empires—the Veskarium and the Azlanti Star Empire—into sudden next-door neighbors. Both of these societies are built on a presumption of war— indeed, war is their natural state—and the relative peace of the last 50 years proves to be an anomaly quickly ended by the Drift Crisis. The Veskarium quickly recognizes the potential for new galactic conflict, with many vesk eyes turning to Vindaskayo Swarmripper (LE female vesk soldier) as a strong possible

147 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 3 INDEX TOOLBOX THE DRIFT CRISIS CRISIS CONCLUSIONS candidate for position of emperor should all-out war ensue. (For more information on Vindaskayo and the other individuals mentioned here, as well as the Veskarium in general, see Starfinder Near Space 10–67.) Vindaskayo’s ascendancy would mark the end of the Veskarium’s second peaceful interregnum. The Iron Chaplain (LE male vesk mystic/soldier), leader of the church of Damoritosh, pushes the Veskarium closer to the brink with a series of public addresses that stoke the fires of nationalistic pride and remind citizens of Damoritosh’s violent teachings. Several of the Veskarium’s high despots all but abandon the worlds they’re tasked with governing, even delegating comparatively minor tasks to non-vesk subordinates, to prepare for a potential conflict with the Star Empire. Meanwhile, on New Thespera, at the heart of the Azlanti Star Empire, Iorian and Yridela Ixomander—twins who share the title of Star Imperator—rally the Azlanti people around the Great Purpose, Eronestria’s vision of a galaxy ruled by Azlanti alone. Iorian (NE male Azlanti envoy) serves as the face of the impending conflict, while Yridela (NE female Azlanti mystic) wields her psychic powers behind the scenes to bring quarreling Azlanti nobles to heel. (For more information on these individuals, as well as other details of the Azlanti empire, see Starfinder Adventure Path #8: Escape from the Prison Moon 38–53.) Azlanti worlds in Near Space— or connected to the Veskarium through a Drift lane—are classified as vital strongholds and placed under the governance of exarchs. Although many Azlanti nobles position themselves to take advantage of any potential conflict, Iorian and Yridela seem to focus their discussions and attention on Gorokoya the Hammer (LE female vesk soldier). Previously exarch of Danskon, Gorokoya was orphaned and enslaved by the empire, but her unique knowledge of vesk tactics makes her the ideal commander for any direct Vesk-Azlanti conflict. Few trust Gorokoya, but this only makes her all the more determined to succeed—and perhaps rise even further in the Star Empire. Undefeated Villains Throughout the Drift Crisis, your players have encountered adversaries who took advantage of the chaos to pursue their own goals, be they profit, chaos, power, or some higher purpose. Those adversaries may have been temporarily thwarted by the actions of your player characters, but that doesn’t mean they’re permanently defeated. The Architects caused the Drift Crisis, and any restoration of the Drift will be seen as a validation of their point of view. Indeed, if the Drift is now faster than ever, with the addition of Drift lanes and a reconfiguration of Drift beacons that add new worlds to Near Space, the Architects may consider themselves heroes. Their position within Triune’s larger church is up to you and the actions of your players, but if they’ve been cast out of Alluvion, their first priority will be to establish a new stronghold—almost certainly in the Drift—from which they can begin planning Drift 3.0. The damage done to the Drift is more than theoretical for spectra, whose physiology is tied to their home plane. Even if the Drift can be repaired, those spectra who were driven to violence and cruelty by the Drift Crisis might not be able to heal. This physical and psychological deformation affects spectra of all types, from the lowliest iridia up. A rogue spectra might want to restore the Drift to its original parameters, but their goal could be far worse. A nihilistic spectra who considers the Drift hopelessly doomed could attempt to destroy it themself, using magic to create a breach similar to that of the Failed Gate, but vastly greater in size and scale. Many other NPCs mentioned in this book—from the leader of the Corpse Fleet to prominent members of the Church of Eloritu—could appear in your post-Drift Crisis campaign, even if your player characters didn’t participate in the adventure where that NPC is introduced. As your players hear about strange and perilous events occurring throughout the galaxy during the Drift Crisis, you can foreshadow the eventual appearance of these villains, building verisimilitude and helping your players to feel their characters are participants in a vast and perilous galaxy desperate for heroes. NEW BASE FRAME: STARSHIP DRONE A starship made with the starship drone base frame has no life support, artificial gravity, or crew quarters. All its components are accessible from outside the ship, usually through maintenance hatches and other access ports. A starship drone is usually equipped with a VI, or virtual intelligence system (Starfinder Starship Operations Manual 34–35). The ship’s VI obeys instructions according to its programming, but it can navigate and use onboard systems when supervision isn’t available. Size Tiny Maneuverability perfect (+2 Piloting, turn 0) HP 15 (increment 5); DT —; CT 3 Mounts none Expansion Bays — Minimum Crew 0; Maximum Crew 0 Cost 3

148 TOOLBOX Genderless SRO solarian (Starfinder Pact Worlds 213) N Medium construct (technological) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +26 DEFENSE HP 280 EAC 30; KAC 32 Fort +17; Ref +15; Will +15; +4 vs. spells that target only humanoids DR 5/—; Immunities bleed, disease, death effects, poison, nonlethal damage, sleep effects; Resistances cold 15, fire 15 OFFENSE Speed 60 ft. Melee nullifying zero-edge longsword +28 (7d8+24; critical burning or severe wound [DC 21]) Ranged chiral graviton pistol +25 (gravitation [25 ft.]; critical knockdown) Offensive Abilities flashing strikes, solarian’s onslaught, stellar revelations (black hole [35-ft. radius, pull 25 ft, DC 21], burn enchantmentAR, gravity shield, supernova [15-ft. radius, 16d6 F, DC 21]), zenith revelations (time dilation [DC 21]) STATISTICS Str +9; Dex +5; Con +3; Int +1; Wis +0; Cha +7 Skills Athletics +31, Intimidate +26, Mysticism +26 Languages Common, Vercite Other Abilities healing circuit, integrated equipment, solar manifestation (armor), stellar alignment Gear elite hardlight series, nullifyingAR zero-edge longsword, chiral graviton pistolAR with 2 high-capacity batteries (40 charges each); Augmentations accelerated datajack, complete speed suspension, mk 5 dermal plating It’s never been quite clear whether the Trifold Legionaries created Aegis Protocol to protect Triune’s data vaults on Aballon or whether the robotic entity calling themself Aegis Protocol took up the mandate of their own volition after joining the Church of Triune. In either case, this SRO maintains a fervent dedication to their task. They stick to such a stringent routine that most who encounter them first assume them to be an automated security bot. Aegis Protocol doesn’t bother to disabuse anyone of this notion, preferring to keep their own sentience a secret, putting potential adversaries offguard. Those privileged enough to truly know Aegis Protocol learn of their fascination with Triune’s Casandalee aspect and their obsession with emotions, though they rarely express any themself. They carefully catalogue their own emotions and sometimes make choices designed to elicit a greater array of emotional intensity and depth, even— or especially—when this leads to frustration, sadness, or despair. Aegis Protocol embraces the negative as deeply as the positive, considering all emotions to be a gift from Casandalee and the truest assurance of sentience, separating a mindless machine from those with a real soul. The Drift Crisis and Triune’s subsequent silence has done nothing to shake Aegis Protocol’s faith in or dedication to the tripartite god. Though the Drift Crisis has greatly increased external pressures to open Triune’s data vaults to public scrutiny, Aegis Protocol continues to calmly assure everyone there is no cause for alarm. They have issued several public statements that the vaults will remain closed, and anyone attempting to access them will be met with force. Despite this, they have no taste for violence. They consider harming others to be an unfortunate necessity of their purpose and only do so when a threat can’t be contained through alternative means. AEGIS PROTOCOL CR 15 XP 51,200

149 DRIFT CRISIS PRE-CRISIS DRIFT ADVENTURES DRIFT IN CRISIS NPCS FACTIONS CREATURES SECRET TREASURES ADVENTURE PATHS IN CRISIS CLASS OPTIONS THEMES GEAR DRIFT ARCHITECTS INTRODUCTION 3 INDEX TOOLBOX THE DRIFT CRISIS CREATURES CREATURES N Medium construct (magical, technological) Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +23 DEFENSE HP 185 EAC 26; KAC 27 Fort +12; Ref +12; Will +16 Defensive Abilities void adaptation; DR 10/magic; Immunities construct immunities; Resistances fire 20; SR 23 OFFENSE Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (Ex, perfect) Melee nanite blade +20 (6d4+15 S; critical nanite burst [DC 21]) Ranged radiance beam +22 (2d10+13 F; critical blind [DC 21]) Offensive Abilities self-destruct (5d10 P, DC 21) Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; melee +20) 1/day—control machines (DC 24), transfer consciousnessCOM (DC 24) 3/day—destruction protocol (DC 23), digital doorwayPW, overload systems (DC 23) At will—discharge (DC 22), invisibility to technologyCOM, manipulate techCOM STATISTICS Str +2; Dex +6; Con +4; Int +8; Wis +2; Cha +0 Skills Acrobatics +23 (+31 to fly), Computers +28, Engineering +28, Stealth +28 Languages Azlanti, Common, Vesk, plus any 6 languages Other Abilities spaceflight ECOLOGY Environment any Organization solitary SPECIAL ABILITIES Nanite Blade (Ex) An Azlanti stellar scout’s blade is composed of the same nanites as the construct itself, and functions as if it has the nanite weapon fusionAA. Nanite Repair (Ex) Every hour, an Azlanti stellar scout regains 13 Hit Points as its nanites repair its body. Once per day as a full action, it can restore 5d8 Hit Points to itself, or to a touched construct or object. Self-Destruct (Ex) When an Azlanti stellar scout’s Hit Points are reduced to 10 or fewer, it explodes on its next turn in a 15-foot-radius burst, even if it has already been destroyed. Creatures within range take 5d10 piercing damage (Reflex DC 21 half). As a full action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a creature adjacent to the scout can attempt a DC 34 Engineering check to disarm the self-destruct mechanism before it detonates. Stellar scouts are among the Azlanti Star Empire’s most sophisticated robots. Each is an anthropomorphic construct housing countless arcane nanites the robot can shape into powerful weapons and armor. Azlanti invasions often disperse dozens of these constructs prior to a major battle, relying on the robots’ spaceflight abilities to reach enemy starships. Once on board, a stellar scout infiltrates the starship’s essential systems, quietly sabotaging core functions, stealing data, neutralizing key crew members, or planting explosives. As with so many Azlanti technologies, a stellar scout offensively self-destructs when at risk of capture. Each stellar scout’s core contains an aeon stone. By resonating the stone at specific frequencies, the robot can emulate magical feats, and the stressed aeon stone generates interference that stymies technological sensors and can overwhelm mundane programming. This construction requires regular replacement, so stellar scouts rarely remain active more than a few years before destroying the magic item. AZLANTI STELLAR SCOUT CR 6 XP 2,400