SW DD 03 Queen of Air and Darkness.pdf
(
7975 KB
)
Pobierz
Microsoft Word - final QAD in template.doc
The Queen of Air and Darkness
Episode III of Star Wars: Dawn of Defiance
RODNEY THOMPSON
Design
Rodney Thompson
Editing
Ray Vallese
The Queen of Air and Darkness is the third adventure in the Dawn of
Defiance campaign, which will take heroes from 1st level all the way
through 20th level in a continuous storyline designed to give both
players and Gamemasters a complete Star Wars Roleplaying Game Saga
Edition experience. This adventure lets the players take part in the
famous Cloud City Sabacc Tournament (the same tournament in which,
years later, Han Solo will win the Millennium Falcon from Lando
Calrissian) and the heroes should advance to 7th level by the end of the
adventure. Over the course of this adventure, the heroes will discover
that there is more to this tournament than is apparent on the surface,
and that it is being used to cover a transaction between Darga the Hutt
and the evil Galactic Empire. This adventure is the final part of the story
arc that makes up the first chapter in the Dawn of Defiance campaign.
After the adventure, the heroes should have some much-needed
downtime.
Typesetting
Ray Vallese, Gary M. Sarli
Production
Chad Laske, Matt Burke
Maps
Corey Macourek, Rodney Thompson
Art on p. 19
Elizabeth McLaren
Lucas Licensing Editors
Leland Chee, Frank Parisi
Design Manager
Christopher Perkins
Director of RPG R&D
Bill Slavicsek
2
Some rules mechanics are based on the
Star Wars Roleplaying Game
Saga Edition
by Christopher
Perkins, Owen K.C. Stephens, and Rodney Thompson; the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®
rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson; and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game
designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.
What is Dawn of
Defiance?
Dawn of Defiance is the name given to a series of 10 linked adventures
that Gamemasters can use to create an entire campaign for their players.
Set in the months after the events of Revenge of the Sith, the
adventures in the Dawn of Defiance campaign are designed to provide
players and GMs with the iconic Star Wars Roleplaying Game experience,
set against the backdrop of the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. The
Dawn of Defiance campaign takes the heroes all the way from 1st level
up to 20th level, and features an ongoing storyline that progresses over
the course of the campaign. Each adventure can also be played
individually, and should provide the heroes with ample challenges to
gain two levels per adventure. Gamemasters should feel free to use the
Dawn of Defiance adventures either as an entire campaign or as fillers
for their own home campaigns.
If you are a Gamemaster wishing to run the campaign, read the
GM’s Primer, which summarizes the overall plot of the campaign and the
events of each adventure. The GM’s Primer is available at the Star Wars
Roleplaying Game Web site (
www.wizards.com/starwars
). The site also
features other articles related to the Dawn of Defiance campaign,
including the official campaign standards and an FAQ.
This Wizards of the Coast game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work
may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming
License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.
U.S., CANADA, ASIA,
PACIFIC, & LATIN AMERICA
WIZARDS OF THE COAST, INC.
P.O. BOX 707
RENTON, WA 98057-0707
QUESTIONS? 1-800-324-6496
GREAT BRITAIN
HASBRO UK LTD
CASWELL WAY
NEWPORT, GWENT NP9 0YH
GREAT BRITAIN
PLEASE KEEP THIS ADDRESS
FOR YOUR RECORDS
EUROPE
WIZARDS OF THE COAST, BELGIUM
’T HOFVELD 6D
1702 GROOT-BIJGAARDEN
BELGIUM
+32 2 467 3360
©2008 LUCASFILM LTD. & ® OR ™ WHERE INDICATED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
USED UNDER AUTHORIZATION.
Warning! If you will be playing in a Dawn of
Defiance campaign or in a campaign utilizing its
adventures, read no further.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D20 SYSTEM, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are
trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the U.S.A. and other countries. This material is protected
under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized
use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission
of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people,
organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the U.S.A.
Adventure
Background
This adventure is designed assuming that you have run your heroes
through the first two Dawn of Defiance adventures, The Traitor’s Gambit
and A Wretched Hive. The heroes should be familiar with Darga the Hutt
and know that he is involved with the Empire. The heroes should know
he has been trading resources used for a clandestine Imperial operation
known as the Sarlacc Project. The heroes also know that Darga has fled
to the planet Bespin, and that finding him is the key to discovering more
about the Sarlacc Project.
If you aren’t running Dawn of Defiance but would like to use this
adventure in your home campaign, the adventure can be adapted to get
the heroes involved in other ways. The heroes might be hired by another
crime lord to seek out Darga and figure out what he’s been doing with
the Empire, or the heroes could be working for a law enforcement
agency that believes that Darga is engaging in illegal activities with the
Empire’s approval.
Adventure
Summary
By the time the heroes arrive on Bespin, Darga is firmly secluded on
Cloud City, and his luxury yacht is hidden. When the heroes begin their
search for him, most of the usual avenues turn up nothing—the Hutt has
paid his associates handsomely to keep him hidden, and none would
jeopardize their health and wealth to reveal his location to anyone.
The heroes’ only lead comes when they learn that Cloud City will be
holding a major sabacc tournament in a matter of days, and that it is
rumored that an Imperial officer will be arriving to participate. Rumor
has it that this officer is in the pocket of Darga the Hutt, and that his
participation in the tournament is merely a cover-up for a clandestine
meeting between them. If the heroes can infiltrate the card game, they
might have a chance to question the Imperial officer or Darga’s agent
about the Hutt’s whereabouts—but first they must get into the game,
which is by invitation only. The tournament takes place and, if the
heroes do well, they find themselves face-to-face with Darga’s agent.
The heroes also discover that the reason for the officer’s visit was
not only to play in the tournament but also to deliver payment for the
biggest shipment of Tibanna gas yet. In addition, the payment for the
gas is unusual as well: the officer brought an entire transport ship full of
slaves to trade to the Hutt. The vessel with the Tibanna gas was
launched before the tournament started, and the slave ship remains in
orbit, having been brought to the system earlier.
The heroes discover that Darga has been hiding in a hangar in the
underside of Cloud City. When the heroes arrive, they face a combined
force of Darga’s minions and a small detachment of Imperial
stormtroopers. Darga makes a stand and engages the heroes in combat
(or at least, his minions do, while the Hutt prods them from the back of
the chamber). After Darga is defeated, the heroes learn that the Empire
has set the cruiser carrying Tibanna gas on a collision course with the
slave ship, eliminating the two biggest pieces of evidence of their deal,
which has now gone sour thanks to the heroes’ intervention.
Fortunately, the heroes still have a chance to stop the collision.
Inside the hangar are a number of brand-new Z-95 Headhunter
starfighters, and Captain Okeefe arrives within moments to pick up any
heroes who do not wish to fly their own starfighters. As they reach low
orbit, the heroes can see the Tibanna gas carrier blazing toward the slave
ship. Unfortunately, the dagger-shaped form of a Star Destroyer appears
out of hyperspace bearing down on the heroes. The heroes must race to
destroy the ship carrying the Tibanna gas before it can crash into the
slave ship, fending off TIE fighters at the same time.
Opening Crawl
For Gamemasters who wish to have an opening crawl before the
adventure, consider using the boxed text below.
3
STAR WARS: DAWN OF DEFIANCE
Episode III
THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS
The search for the truth continues. Darga the Hutt, fleeing his palace on
Cato Neimoidia, has traveled to the planet Bespin to seek refuge.
Bespin, home to the famous resort and mining outpost known as Cloud City,
remains free of Imperial rule for the time being, and the city teems
with criminals and gamblers.
Meanwhile, intrepid heroes working with the Alderaanian Resistance travel to Bespin
to find the Hutt and learn more about his dealings with the Galactic Empire . . .
Part 1: Pursuing the Hutt
4
In The Queen of Air and Darkness, the heroes pursue the notorious
gangster Darga the Hutt to Bespin, having followed him from his palace
on Cato Neimoidia. Darga fled to Cloud City in his luxury yacht, then
(with a hefty amount of bribery to city officials) went deep into hiding.
So deep into hiding, in fact, that no amount of information gathering,
intimidation, or bribery will get the heroes anywhere close to him.
However, all is not lost; the heroes have a chance to discover a place
where they might be able to find more clues leading to the Hutt’s
whereabouts: the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament.
Arrival on Bespin
In A Wretched Hive, the heroes left Cato Neimoidia and headed to
Bespin in pursuit of the Hutt crime lord. However, your heroes may not
have come directly to Bespin, and in fact it’s very likely they didn’t. If
your heroes decide to stop at the rendezvous point to touch base with
the Resurgence, pick up supplies, and drop off Master Denia so that she
can receive proper medical attention, allow them to do so. Though a
sense of urgency should hasten their steps, there is no reason for them
not to come to Bespin fully rested, supplied, and ready to tackle
whatever challenges Darga throws at them. However, neither Captain
Verana nor any of the other members of the Alderaanian resistance have
any more information or credits for the heroes. They are welcome to rest
and recuperate aboard the Resurgence, but their mission is not yet
finished.
When the heroes eventually make it to Bespin, they find it a far
more hospitable environment than either Felucia or Cato Neimoidia.
Though Cloud City has not yet reached the prominence it will enjoy
under Lando Calrissian years later, it is still a wealthy settlement where
entrepreneurs have made small fortunes for themselves. When the
heroes drop out of hyperspace, Cloud City’s Message to Spacers instructs
them to contact spaceport control to request permission to land.
Additionally, the message advertises the upcoming Cloud City Sabacc
Tournament—the heroes’ first hint that there is a big event coming up.
Like the rest of the people on Cloud City, the spaceport controllers
are looking to make a few extra credits here and there. When the heroes
(or Captain Okeefe, if she is still ferrying the heroes around) contact the
spaceport, they are told that “as a result of heavy tourist traffic from the
sabacc tournament, each ship will be assigned a landing priority.” The
spaceport authorities assign the heroes a landing priority that would
make them wait close to 12 hours to land. Fortunately, a little diplomacy
and a few credits can easily grease the wheels of bureaucracy and get
them a higher priority. Offering a bribe of at least 300 credits is enough
to let the heroes land within the hour, and the controllers are able to
electronically transfer the funds directly from the heroes’ accounts if
they so desire.
Arrival on Cloud City is unlike arrival on most other worlds. The
approach path given by the spaceport controllers takes the heroes on a
beautiful tour of the city, obviously meant to show off the planet’s
wealth, and finally brings the heroes in to land at one of the many
civilian docking bays glimpsed on their approach. When the heroes
disembark, they find several Cloud City customs officials waiting on
them. Though they bear no Imperial insignia, they seem to hold
themselves with the same self-assured arrogance that agents of the
Empire always display.
The customs officials demand the right to thoroughly search the
ship for contraband, a statement that sends Captain Okeefe into a
sputtering fury. She argues vehemently with one of the customs agents,
while two others watch placidly. If the heroes intervene, the situation
can be defused calmly in a number of ways.
•
Credits seem to be the grease in the wheels of Cloud City’s
bureaucracy, and offering a bribe of 500 credits for each of
the three customs agents (1,500 credits in total) causes them
to “waive the needless inspection” for the Banshee.
•
Attempting to smooth talk or intimidate the agents is also
possible, as each customs agent (nonheroic 1, Will Defense
12, Perception +7, Persuasion +6) is little more than a low-
level bureaucrat with little real authority.
Regardless of the resolution to the customs shakedown, the heroes
should come away with two important pieces of information that can
help them in this adventure: credits can accomplish almost anything on
Cloud City, and security has been tightened up as a result of the
upcoming sabacc tournament. In fact, security is so tight that the
customs officials have one more duty before departing, a duty that no
amount of bribery of diplomacy can overcome. No lethal weapons are
allowed in the main areas of Cloud City, and the heroes must agree to
leave any weapons other than small knives or stun batons on the
Banshee. Of course, heroes can always attempt to hide their weapons
from the customs officials using the normal rules, but the penalty for
discovery with a weapon is to have the weapon confiscated and the
perpetrator forcibly removed from Cloud City. Later, the heroes will have
a chance to gain some exemption from these restrictions, but for the
first part of the adventure, they must either hide their weapons or leave
them on the Banshee.
Cloud City
Cloud City is a beautiful tourist city that also serves as a major mining
outpost for the collection and spin-sealing of Tibanna gas, which is used
in blaster weapons. When walking through the corridors of the city, the
heroes are treated to beautiful vistas of the gas giant Bespin, and
architecture designed to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. Most of
the residents of Cloud City are Humans, though occasionally the heroes
will see a handful of Ugnaughts walking close to one another in tight
packs. The Ugnaughts seem to keep to themselves and are mostly
ignored by the Humans.
Cloud City Wing Guards (the security forces of Cloud City) stand
watch over most of the major thoroughfares in the city, and rarely is one
very far from the heroes. Many of the businessmen and nobles walking
through the corridors of the city have their own security escort, but they
seem to pay no attention to the heroes, regardless of their appearances
or species. Most residents on Cloud City are too concerned about their
own wealth or recreation to spend much time worrying about galactic
politics, and there is no visible Imperial presence in the city.
The Cloud City Wing Guard keeps a close eye on anyone acting
suspicious, especially this close to the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament.
They are always on the lookout for someone possessing weapons, but in
order to maintain a pleasant atmosphere for the tourist trade, they
rarely shake down visitors unless there is a clear reason to do so. The
atmosphere in the city is one of buzzing anticipation, as the tournament
has drawn visitors from all corners of the galaxy, as it does every year.
The heroes are likely to learn that the tournament is just days away, and
that hundreds of players have already arrived to buy into the event.
A Few Wrong
Questions
Once the heroes have made their way through customs, their most likely
course of action is to seek out Darga the Hutt. Knowing that he was
headed to Bespin in his personal luxury yacht, the heroes will want to
know whether he is here, and if so, where the slimy Hutt is hiding. The
most straightforward method is to make Gather Information checks, but
regardless of the check results, the information provided is always the
same: no one has seen or heard from Darga the Hutt. Most citizens don’t
know the first thing about the crime lord, and they seem affronted that
the heroes would suspect them of associating with criminal types.
Digging deeper turns up few leads. Computer-savvy heroes might try
to break into the Cloud City computer system to see if any record of
Darga’s arrival is in the spaceport logs. The city’s central computer
system has an Intelligence of 26 (Will Defense 23) and is one of the
most sophisticated central computers in existence. The computer is
unfriendly to anyone who accesses it from a location other than a
designated high-security area, but if the heroes manage to sneak into or
break into a Wing Guard security post, they can access the central
computer with a friendly attitude. However, even this much effort proves
mostly fruitless. The heroes discover a spaceport log entry for the arrival
of a luxury yacht called the Glorious Chariot, whose port of origin is
registered as Cato Neimoidia, but the docking information seems to have
been erased, with no ability to retrieve it. Though the heroes will
probably suspect that Darga is on Cloud City (no departure information
was given for the Glorious Chariot), they have no idea where the ship is.
With all of the luxury vessels arriving at Cloud City for the tournament,
finding a specific yacht is going to prove nearly impossible, and the
heroes should realize that doing so could take weeks even under the best
of conditions.
If the heroes become discouraged at their difficulties (as they likely
will), an event unfolds that should give them hope. When they make
contact with Captain Okeefe, she tells them that a message was
delivered electronically to the Banshee, addressed to them. The message
simply states, “If you are wise, you will stop asking so many questions. It
is a long drop through the clouds, and enemies of the Hutt have a bad
habit of vanishing.” Captain Okeefe tells the heroes that her droid
copilot, Crash, has managed to trace the message back to a computer
terminal in one of the more industrial areas of Cloud City, and can give
them directions using the city’s map if they want to find the person who
sent the message.
The Parliament of
Guilds
Following the directions they received from Captain Okeefe, the heroes
leave the tourist areas of Cloud City and begin descending into the
industrial sector. Humans become less and less common, and Ugnaughts
outnumber other species almost two to one in these areas. The
directions lead the heroes to an office marked “Parliament of Guilds—
Sector U357,” which appears to be little more than a bureaucratic office.
Inside, the heroes find nearly a dozen Ugnaughts working behind desks
and at computer terminals. When the heroes enter the Parliament office,
read the following text aloud:
5
As the door to the office slides open, over a dozen Ugnaughts look
up from computer terminals or end conversations with one another
abruptly. There is a long moment of silence as the Ugnaught workers
all turn their eyes toward you. Breaking the silence, one of the
Ugnaughts squeals and grabs another by the coat, shaking his
comrade roughly.
“I told you they would find us!” the Ugnaught shouts. “You’ve
brought them down on us, all because of your meddling! They will
kill us for sure!”
The second Ugnaught, fighting desperately to break free of his
companion’s grasp, cries out pleadingly. “We don’t know that they
work for the Hutt! Maybe they could help us.”
After struggling with each other for a few more moments (or less, if
the heroes intervene), the two Ugnaughts separate, and the first turns to
the heroes, begging for his life. He introduces himself as Krygg and
explains that they meant no harm with the message. His shaken
companion, who identifies himself as Fyren, tells the heroes (in a much
less fearful tone) that they noticed the heroes snooping around after
Plik z chomika:
sororita
Inne pliki z tego folderu:
SW DD 01-Traitor's Gambit.pdf
(9354 KB)
SW DD 02 - A Wretched Hive.pdf
(9762 KB)
SW DD 03 Queen of Air and Darkness.pdf
(7975 KB)
SW DD 04 Echoes of the Jedi.pdf
(6891 KB)
SW DD 05 - The First to Strike.pdf
(8251 KB)
Inne foldery tego chomika:
The Betrayal of Darth Revan
Zgłoś jeśli
naruszono regulamin