Sidequest — The Dry Engine
Sidequest — The Dry Engine
Locations: Scrap Mechanic, Power Room, Water Recycler, Old Pump Tunnels Primary Focus: Crafting, Computers, Athletics Recommended Level: 1–2 Expected Length: 45–60 minutes
The Problem
Point Lotious depends on an aging geothermal generator that powers both the water recycler and the ventilation system.
The generator has begun shutting down without warning. Each failure stops the water pumps, dims the safehouse lights, and forces residents to ration clean air until power returns.
The safehouse mechanic, Orrin Pike, has kept the system running with improvised repairs, but the problem is getting worse.
Initial inspection reveals three connected faults:
- Mineral deposits are obstructing the geothermal intake.
- The main circulation pump has a cracked impeller.
- The generator control system is compensating with unsafe power surges.
The party must repair all three systems before the generator suffers permanent damage.
Phase 1 — Diagnose the Failures
The party must earn 4 Diagnostic Points.
| Approach | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Inspect the generator housing | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Diagnostic Point |
| Review the shutdown records | DC 15 Computers check | Gain 1 Diagnostic Point |
| Test water pressure across the recycler | DC 15 Crafting or Survival check | Gain 1 Diagnostic Point |
| Examine the cracked pump | DC 15 Perception check | Gain 1 Diagnostic Point |
| Trace vibration through the floor and pipes | DC 15 Crafting or Athletics check | Gain 1 Diagnostic Point |
| Compare old mining schematics | DC 15 Computers check | Gain 1 point and reveal the geothermal intake tunnel |
A critical success provides 2 Diagnostic Points.
At 4 points, the party understands that replacing only the pump will not solve the problem. The mineral blockage must also be cleared, or the new part will fail within days.
Phase 2 — Fabricate the Pump Impeller
No intact replacement exists in the safehouse.
Orrin has several possible sources of material:
- An old ore-lift brake rotor
- A damaged ventilation turbine
- Several smaller pieces of industrial scrap
- A working component from a nonessential machine
The party must earn 3 Fabrication Points.
| Approach | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Shape a replacement from scrap | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Fabrication Point |
| Recover the ore-lift rotor | DC 15 Athletics check | Gain 1 Fabrication Point |
| Identify a compatible alloy | DC 15 Crafting or Computers check | Gain 1 Fabrication Point |
| Balance the finished impeller | DC 17 Crafting check | Gain 2 points |
| Salvage a working part from another machine | No check | Gain 2 points, but that machine becomes unusable |
A critical failure damages one set of materials. The party must either find another source or sacrifice a working component.
Phase 3 — Clear the Geothermal Intake
The blocked intake lies beyond the power room in a narrow maintenance tunnel filled with heat, condensation, and mineral deposits.
Environmental Conditions
The tunnel is hot and poorly ventilated.
After each major task, exposed characters attempt a DC 15 Fortitude save.
- Critical Success: Unaffected.
- Success: Unaffected.
- Failure: Fatigued until the characters leave the tunnel and rest for 10 minutes.
- Critical Failure: Fatigued and take 1d6 fire damage from heat exposure.
Clearing the Intake
The obstruction is a thick deposit of mineral scale surrounding a partially collapsed valve.
| Approach | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Break apart the deposits | DC 16 Athletics check | |
| Cut away the damaged valve | DC 15 Crafting check | |
| Reverse the intake pressure | DC 17 Computers check | |
| Find a narrower bypass channel | DC 15 Survival or Perception check | |
| Construct a temporary pressure charge | DC 17 Crafting check |
The party needs 3 Clearing Points. A critical success earns 2 points.
A critical failure releases a burst of hot water and steam. Creatures in the tunnel attempt a DC 17 basic Reflex save against 2d6 fire damage.
Phase 4 — Restart the System
The final restart requires three tasks to be completed at nearly the same time:
| Task | Check |
|---|---|
| Hold the pump coupling in alignment | DC 15 Athletics check |
| Control the power surge | DC 15 Computers check |
| Install and seal the impeller | DC 15 Crafting check |
If at least two checks succeed, the system starts normally.
If only one succeeds, the system starts but one safehouse service remains unreliable.
If all three fail, the generator shuts down and must be restarted after additional repairs.
Optional Complication — The Buried Maintenance Drone
Clearing the geothermal intake exposes an old mining maintenance drone trapped behind the mineral deposits.
Its identification system is damaged, and it treats anyone entering the tunnel as an obstruction.
The party can:
- Disable it with Computers.
- Repair its identification scanner with Crafting.
- Restrain it with Athletics.
- Destroy it.
- Lure it toward the blocked intake and let it assist with excavation.
If repaired, the drone becomes a useful safehouse worker.
Results
Complete Success
The generator, water recycler, and ventilation system operate normally.
Point Lotious can support more residents without immediate rationing.
Partial Success
The generator functions, but the party must choose one continuing problem:
- Water remains rationed.
- Ventilation periodically fails.
- The machine shop has limited power.
- The generator requires daily maintenance.
Failure
The safehouse retains emergency power, but water and ventilation must be strictly rationed until more replacement parts can be found.
Rewards
| Accomplishment | Reward |
|---|---|
| Diagnose all three connected failures | 20 XP |
| Fabricate a reliable replacement impeller | 20 XP |
| Clear the geothermal intake | 30 XP |
| Restore every safehouse system | 30 XP |
| Repair the maintenance drone | 20 XP |
| Complete repairs without sacrificing working equipment | 10 XP |
Safehouse Services Unlocked
After successful completion:
- Free battery charging while at Point Lotious
- Basic equipment and weapon repairs
- Clean water and environmental-suit refills
- Access to Orrin Pike’s scrap inventory
- A +1 circumstance bonus to one future repair involving mining or industrial equipment
Sidequest — Echoes on Relay Nine
Locations: Comms Room, Ashstorm Ridge, Abandoned Relay Station Primary Focus: Computers, Crafting, Survival Recommended Level: 1–2 Expected Length: 45–60 minutes
The Problem
Point Lotious has lost contact with its outer weather and navigation relay.
Relay Nine normally tracks ashstorm movement, identifies safe travel windows, and guides travelers through the surrounding ridges. Without it, anyone leaving the safehouse must travel almost blind.
The comms operator, Nia Sol, can still detect the relay’s automated carrier signal, but its data stream is corrupted.
Every few minutes, the comms room receives fragments of old weather reports, mining advertisements, emergency alerts, and private messages recorded decades earlier.
The relay is still powered, but something has damaged its transmitter and scrambled its memory archive.
Phase 1 — Interpret the Corrupted Signal
The party must earn 4 Signal Points.
| Approach | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Separate current data from archived recordings | DC 15 Computers check | Gain 1 Signal Point |
| Identify repeating signal patterns | DC 15 Perception check | Gain 1 Signal Point |
| Repair the comms-room receiver | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Signal Point |
| Compare the signal with old relay maps | DC 15 Society or Survival check | Gain 1 Signal Point |
| Calculate the relay’s approximate location | DC 15 Computers or Survival check | Gain 1 Signal Point |
| Identify the source of the interference | DC 17 Computers check | Gain 2 Signal Points |
At 4 points, the party determines that Relay Nine is operating from an old tower beyond Ashstorm Ridge.
Its transmitter is damaged, but its weather sensors remain active.
Phase 2 — Reach Relay Nine
The route crosses exposed ash fields and a narrow ridge.
The party must earn 5 Travel Points before accumulating 3 Exposure.
| Approach | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Follow buried maintenance markers | DC 15 Survival check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
| Read the wind and ash movement | DC 15 Survival or Nature check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
| Locate shelter between storm gusts | DC 15 Perception check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
| Repair an old guide beacon | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
| Navigate using relay signal strength | DC 15 Computers check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
| Cross a collapsed service bridge | DC 15 Athletics or Acrobatics check | Gain 1 Travel Point |
A critical success gains 2 Travel Points.
A failure may add 1 Exposure when it leaves the party in open terrain.
At 3 Exposure, the party is caught in a heavy ash gust. Each character attempts a DC 15 Fortitude save or becomes fatigued until they rest in shelter.
Phase 3 — Explore the Relay Station
Relay Nine consists of:
- A partially buried control shelter
- A leaning transmitter mast
- A weather sensor platform
- A backup battery chamber
- A small maintenance office
The station has been abandoned for many years.
Relay Hazards
| Hazard | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Unstable transmitter mast | DC 15 Athletics or Crafting check |
| Exposed electrical panel | DC 15 Thievery or Crafting check |
| Ash-choked shelter door | DC 15 Athletics check |
| Collapsing roof section | DC 15 Perception check to notice |
| Damaged backup batteries | DC 15 Crafting check to stabilize |
Phase 4 — Repair Relay Nine
The party must earn 6 Repair Points.
| Repair Task | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Replace the transmitter coupling | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Rebuild the signal amplifier | DC 15 Crafting or Computers check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Realign the antenna | DC 16 Athletics check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Purge corrupted memory sectors | DC 15 Computers check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Restore the weather sensors | DC 15 Crafting check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Stabilize the backup power supply | DC 15 Crafting or Computers check | Gain 1 Repair Point |
| Recover usable archived maps | DC 17 Computers check | Gain 1 point and additional navigation data |
A critical success earns 2 Repair Points.
A critical failure causes a power surge. The acting character takes 1d6 electricity damage, and one completed Repair Point is lost unless another character succeeds at a DC 15 Crafting check.
Optional Discovery — The Relay Archive
The relay’s memory contains decades of ordinary local records.
Possible discoveries include:
- Maps of abandoned mining roads
- Records of seasonal ashstorm patterns
- Locations of emergency shelters
- Survey notes describing unexplored caverns
- Personal messages from former miners
- Coordinates for equipment caches
- Evidence that one supposedly exhausted mine still contains valuable deposits
These records do not need to connect to the main campaign. They can provide locations for future exploration or small local adventures.
Optional Complication — Territorial Scavengers
A group of ash-dwelling creatures has nested inside the relay’s battery chamber.
The party can:
- Drive them away.
- Distract them with food.
- Seal them in another chamber.
- Wait for them to leave.
- Fight them in a Low-threat encounter.
Repairing the relay without harming the creatures may earn a small additional story award.
Results
Complete Success
Relay Nine resumes transmitting weather, navigation, and storm-warning data to Point Lotious.
Partial Success
The relay provides basic navigation data but one function remains offline:
- Weather forecasting
- Long-range communications
- Navigation guidance
- Emergency beacon coverage
Failure
The party recovers some stored data, but the relay remains unusable.
Point Lotious must continue relying on scouts and visual observations.
Rewards
| Accomplishment | Reward |
|---|---|
| Locate Relay Nine | 20 XP |
| Reach the relay safely | 20 XP |
| Restore the transmitter | 30 XP |
| Restore every relay function | 30 XP |
| Recover useful maps or shelter locations | 20 XP |
| Resolve the scavenger problem without combat | 10 XP |
Safehouse Services Unlocked
After Relay Nine is restored:
- Accurate local ashstorm forecasts
- Safer overland navigation
- Long-range emergency beacon access
- Updated regional maps
- A +1 circumstance bonus to one navigation or weather-related check during nearby travel