E1 — Hijack the Ore Tram
CombatSocialPuzzlePhase 1 — Get It Moving
Phase 1 — Get the Tram Moving
The mag-tram has power but three safeties remain locked. Gain 5 Repair Progress before 3 Failures. Each attempt takes 2 actions during exploration or a full round if initiative has begun.
| Approach | Check | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Rebuild a mag-clamp | DC 15 Crafting | 1 Progress; 2 on a critical success. |
| Reauthorize the transit controller | DC 15 Computers | 1 Progress; a critical success also delays the drone wave by 1 round. |
| Bypass the deadman's lock | DC 15 Thievery | 1 Progress; a critical failure deals 1d6 electricity damage. |
| Manually release a brake | DC 17 Athletics | 1 Progress and the next Crafting check gains +1 circumstance. |
| Coordinate frightened workers | DC 15 Diplomacy or Intimidation | 1 Progress, but each skill can contribute only once. |
At 3 Failures, the tram still moves, but one car must be abandoned. The party loses the salvage cache and begins the drone attack without cover from that car.
Phase 2 — Security Boarding
Phase 2 — Security Boarding
Once the tram moves, four Rail Security Drones descend from ceiling cradles. For each character beyond four, add one drone. The tram reaches the outer mine after 4 rounds; the party can destroy the drones or simply keep every survivor aboard until then.
The tram's ore bins provide standard cover. A character adjacent to a bin can spend 1 action and succeed at a DC 15 Athletics check to tip it, creating a 10-foot line of difficult terrain and forcing one adjacent drone to attempt a DC 16 Reflex save or fall prone.
Optional Objective — Freight Manifest
A character at the lead console can spend 2 actions and attempt a DC 15 Computers check. Success downloads a freight manifest naming an unregistered Helix Meridian landing pad. This awards 30 XP and creates an alternate objective in Act 2.
Rail Security Drone Creature –1
SMALL CONSTRUCT TECH
Perception +5; darkvision
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +5
AC 15; Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
HP 10; Immunities standard construct immunities
Speed 20 feet, fly 25 feet
Melee [one-action] clamp +7 (agile), Damage 1d4+1 bludgeoning
Ranged [one-action] restraint pulse +6 (range increment 30 feet, tech), Damage 1d4 electricity
Magnetic Anchor [one-action] The drone anchors to the tram until its next turn. It gains a +1 circumstance bonus to AC and cannot be forcibly moved.
Ore Tram Salvage
If the group completes Phase 1 with fewer than 3 Failures, the intact cargo car contains 100 credits of industrial components, four commercial batteries, a coil of reinforced cable, and parts that grant a +1 circumstance bonus to one vehicle or shelter repair check in Act 2.