E1 — The Last Kilometer
TrapAshstorm Challenge
The Last Kilometer
Gain 6 Progress before 3 Failures. The standard DC is 15. A skill can contribute repeatedly, but no character can use the same approach twice in a row.
| Skill | Use |
|---|---|
| Survival | Hold the bearing when the beacon disappears. |
| Perception | Spot a sinkhole, searchlight, or missing survivor. |
| Athletics | Carry someone, brace a guide line, or cross broken terrain. |
| Crafting | Seal damaged armor and protect the beacon. |
| Computers | Filter interference or spoof a search drone. |
| Medicine | Keep an injured survivor moving. |
| Stealth | Use the storm to pass beneath a searchlight. |
Route modifiers: The Exhaust Gate route begins with 1 automatic Failure unless the tracking packet was destroyed. The Coolant Spine begins with 1 Progress if sealed behind the party. The Ore Transit route begins with 1 Progress if the beacon is mounted on the intact tram power cell.
Failure: The party reaches the safehouse, but loses one supply cache, gains +1 Network Heat, and one non-specialist FF is separated until early Act 2. This cannot remove the last surviving FF or either twin.
Minor Side Objective — The Lost Beacon
After the first Failure, the backup beacon tears loose and disappears into the ash. A character can recover it with a successful DC 17 Perception or Survival check; attempting this uses the next challenge attempt. Recovery awards 10 XP and prevents the safehouse from losing long-range communications.