Prisoners of Aphex.pdf

Prisoners of Aphex

Prisoners of Aphex is a Dragonstar adventure for four

characters of first level. The party should have at least

one character with Open Locks, one with Heal, and one

with the Repair skill will be useful. This adventure

should bring the characters close to 2nd level and help

them establish contacts that will benefit them in the

future.

Unfortunately for the doctor, one of his experiments

went terribly wrong, causing the symbiote on which he

was operating to grow to an unearthly size, trapping he

and a few patients in the medical wing of the prison.

When several of the guards went up to investigate, the

prisoners saw their chance to escape the prison and

began rioting. The battle that followed lasted several

hours. Many of the prisoners simply fled the scene, but

more stayed behind to take over the prison. They used

the prisoner transport elevator to attack the first floor of

the prison, forcing the guards to take positions in the

prison’s core. The communications officer at the prison

sent a short message, but this message was warped as

the prisoners cut power to the building. The party is

being sent to take a dangerous prisoner to the prison,

and investigate any problems that they find.

Unbeknownst to the characters, their prisoner is actual-

ly an agent of the Drak Syllan, sent to check up on the

doctor’s progress. He has no knowledge of the riots or

the mishap in the medical wing.

Adventure Background

It is no secret that many drow despise the Empire and

the subservience that many show toward it. A large

group of these drow have established a base in the out-

lands, where they plot to destroy the credibility of the

ISPD in an attempt to wean their people off their depen-

dence on the Empire. This consortium is known as the

Drak Syllan. They are building huge living spider ships

called araknos to help them police their areas. In reality,

this group is nothing but an organized crime unit utiliz-

ing their contacts, knowledge, and a ream of stolen

equipment to cause trouble in the region. If they manage

to breed the araknos, that may change.

Adventure Synopsis

The characters arrive on Aphex with no clue about the

riots except that there is no comm response from the

prison, and the hangar bay doors do not open to accept

the landing vehicle. After seeing the prisoner transfer

elevator broken halfway up the rails, the characters enter

the building and search through the carnage and wreck-

age of the first floor. They can either convince the holed

up guards to let them in or find the keycard from the

dead comm officer in order to gain admittance to the

upper level of the prison. From there they must subdue

several prisoners and find a way to gain access to the

One of their plots involved a medical doctor who

worked in an outworld prison colony called Aphex. The

doctor had become addicted to a drug that only the Drak

Syllan can supply, and thus was coerced into aiding

them using his knowledge and the unique opportunities

that the backwater prison afforded him. They had him

using prisoners for experiments of all kinds, the most

important being the development of a trauma symbiote

that could be implanted in the araknos, making them

incredibly powerful and resilient.

medical wing, located high in a tower above the central

building.

campaign, and the clans’ network of informants and

suppliers are an easy way to keep the players going in

the right direction. The characters need not even know

of the clans’ more illicit business dealings, thinking they

are simply in the employ of the largest independent mer-

cenary guild in the Empire.

After they find a way up, they must confront the doctor

and his creation. They find the monster far too powerful

and must search for a way to destroy it. Finally, they

determine that the creature cannot stand extremes of

heat, so by turning off the prison’s climate controls they

destroy it and perhaps save the doctor. Meanwhile, their

prisoner has escaped and stolen the doctor’s plans, using

a computer in the control tower across the tarmac. The

characters can chase him to the hangar area, where he

powers up a space freighter and makes his escape.

Getting Started

The characters could be a drifter clan merc unit, hired by

the Empire to take Dy’ssyth to Aphex.

The characters could be hitching a ride to another world,

with only a quick stop off at Aphex to “unload some

cargo.”

The characters could be prisoners themselves. If this is

the case, have the inmates shoot the pilot of their ship

before the landing. When they awaken, only they are

alive and they have no clue what is going on. Figuring

to prove their innocence or win a reprieve, they take up

arms against the other inmates and help the guards take

back the prison.

The Drifter Clans

The drifter clans were originally comprised of several

hundred people whose world had been destroyed by an

Imperial excavation. These few had escaped in a stolen

imperial troop transport and wandered the system aim-

lessly for years. As time went by these refugees started

to scatter to planets around the galaxy, keeping in con-

tact via regular communication to the mother ship. The

descendants of these first refugees, led by an incredibly

long-lived elven patriarch, decided to leverage their net-

work by providing mercenary services to the Empire.

Although the Empire usually gave them the worst jobs,

transporting prisoners to outworld prisons or guarding

self-important half dragon bureaucrats, the drifter clans

slowly built up a galactic network of informants, allies,

and suppliers. The fact that most of their missions were

of little importance helps them by ensuring their activi-

ties go unnoticed by their imperial employers.

Introduction

“…transmissions….communications….down….*scree

ch*….broken…patches…recover soon…*screech*”

That is the last communication from the prison on

Aphex, received just over 20 hours ago by most of the

starships in the sector. The operator’s voice did not

sound strained or frightened, so most have dismissed it

as a commlink malfunction that will soon be fixed. In

reality rioting prisoners have shut down the prison, and

the medical wing is under attack by some unknown

organism. The players should not be told this immedi-

ately, only after they find the prison unresponsive

should this be shared. As far as they know they are on a

routine mission to take a prisoner, the dark elf Dy’ssyth,

to the prison. After that they will return to their home

planet to await the next mission from their sifter.

In the present day, the drifter clans provide thousands of

mercenaries to the Empire all over the galaxy. They uti-

lize imperial ships to smuggle goods from planet to

planet, and act as information carriers and brokers to

any that will pay them. Despite this, they are not an evil

organization, only one that cares not for political

intrigue or righteous causes. Their only concern is mak-

ing a living, and if they can do so at the expense of the

Empire that destroyed their planet, so much the better.

The chiefs run the loosely organized operation with

amazing efficiency, mostly due to the loyalty of the

members. This loyalty is especially important to the

sifters, shady middlemen that arrange missions for the

mercs under the clans’ employ.

At their landing, one of the pilots will come back and

tell the party that the prison is not responding, so they

are landing on the helipad next to the guards’ entrance.

When further communication fails, the pilots insist that

the party go in and find out what is wrong, leaving

Dy’ssyth under their watchful eye. At this point the pilot

will hand the PCs the final Aphex transmission.

The drifter clans are an excellent way to introduce your

party to the Dragonstar universe. Their wide variety of

jobs and destinations makes it easy to integrate into your

dial with the players but it is obvious they don’t care to

talk much on the mission. They will not say anything

about Dy’ssyth except that he is an Imperial prisoner.

They do not know anything about his crime. Salazar

offers a warning that Dy’ssyth has contacts in the ISPD,

and despite his current status, is a very dangerous fel-

low. He advises the party to merely stay away from him

until they reach Aphex. Makillian is also the one that

changes the party’s orders once they arrive on Aphex.

General Prison Features

The prison is shaped like a ziggurat, slightly sloped with

a smaller block placed upon the large ground-level

structure. Barbed wire covers the outside walls making

them impassable except for the external lift, which is

currently stuck about 10 ft. from the top of platform.

The prison’s primary power source and communications

have been cut. The backup system has come online,

meaning that the red emergency lights that run along the

walls at ceiling level provide the only illumination. The

environmental controls have been stabilized, except

where noted, and the video cameras are all still working

where they are intact.

Dy’ssyth on the other hand talks to any character that

approaches him, but his manner is very terse and almost

mocking. A Sense Motive check (DC 15) reveals that

the dark elf seems to know something the characters do

not. No amount of compulsion will cause the dark elf to

reveal anything else. The dark elf appears to be in phe-

nomenal shape, with a slightly larger frame than most

drow. His eyes are bone white with no visible pupils,

and his white hair is shaved close to his head. He is

restrained by sophisticated electronic handcuffs that

restrict the ability to escape as well as cast spells with

somatic components. The party should feel completely

safe that he will not escape.

None of the prison’s internal communicators are online,

though a Repair check (DC 25) could get them working

again. The only problem is that each terminal would

have to be repaired separately, of which there are nearly

100 in the complex. A similar check could be made to

get any broken system (such as the external elevator to

the cellblock level) working, but only a mechanist may

attempt this without the proper equipment (which can be

found in areas 15-17).

Once the Wingman starcasts into the system, it takes

about 5 hours to reach Aphex. Two hours into the trip

the pilots receive a strange transmission from the plan-

et, but they don’t alert the players at this time. Only after

they get to the planet and find the prison unresponsive

do they give the players the transmission log. It is a two-

day trip to the nearest space station, so the pilots are

loathe to turn around before depositing their cargo. If

need be, they threaten to leave the PCs in this system if

they don’t at least go in to the prison to find out what is

happening. If the DM is using the Drifter Clans hook, he

can point to the clause in the charter that bids their mer-

cenaries gather information when they cannot fulfill

their missions.

The thick outer walls prevent personal communicators

from functioning, as do the thick metal plates in the ceil-

ings and floors of the prison. This means that personal

communication only works between two people on the

same prison level.

Doors all have standard keycard locks, requiring an

Open Locks (DC 30) check to bypass without security

clearance. They are made of steel and have a Hardness

of 25 and 60 hit points. During a power outage, most

doors in the complex may only be opened from the

inside, so the players may have to bypass these locks to

get into places they wish to go.

Outside the Prison

Two prisoners that have yet to escape are fighting on the

platform outside the 2nd level of the prison. When the

PCs arrive they hide until the PCs leave their vehicle, at

which point they start taking potshots at them with the

autopistols they took from a pair of overpowered

guards. At that range the prisoners are unlikely to hit

anything, but it is just the welcome the PCs need to get

them in the mood. Use the average prisoner stats found

at the end of the module for both of these prisoners.

They retreat back into the building if fired upon or

chased.

Hacking into the prison’s central computer is very diffi-

cult, requiring a series of three Use Device checks (DC

30) to access the network. A final check at DC 40 is

required to grant the user admin-level access.

On the Transport Ship

The ship that transports the characters and their prison-

er to Aphex is an Imperial class corvette, the Wingman,

piloted by Captain Jervus Makillian. The co-pilot is a

half-elven recruit named Salazar Blocht. They are cor-

The prison’s walls are barbed in places, extremely

smooth in others. This makes them nearly impossible to

climb either up or down (Climb DC 35) without suffer-

ing wounds. Any character failing his Climb check suf-

fers 1d8 points of damage and falls to the ground below.

Climbing up where the turbolift negotiates the building

is equally difficult.

The emergency lights have kicked in and give then

entire place an eerie glow. The burnt furniture and over-

turned sculpture complete the effect. Several grenades

set off by rioting prisoners melted the door to the right,

and the door to the left is sealed. It will take an Open

Locks check (DC 30) or the code found in the warden’s

datapad to open.

Treasure: The holographic sculpture can be taken, and

would fetch 350 cr in the right market.

Prison Administration Complex

(Areas 1-13)

This portion of the prison was partially destroyed by the

rioting prisoners. Some of the more technically profi-

cient prisoners forced access to the communications and

security control room, locking access to the system and

destroying much of the system’s capabilities. Until then

the prison guards had the upper hand in controlling the

riot, but many of them were trapped in rooms 9-13 by

the power outage and the prisoners were able to over-

take those trapped on the outside. The warden was killed

trying to get to the Comm Center, sending out one last

message before slipping into unconsciousness. Those

who received the message mistook his voice, weakened

by the wounds inflicted on him by the rioting inmates,

for calm.

2. WARDEN’S WAITING ROOM

This room has a desk opposite two plush

chairs, a small table covered by a few very

outdated smartpaper ‘zines in between. On

the desk is a computer whose monitor has

been smashed. Another door lies partially

open, blocked by the motionless body of a

human male.

As the warden tried to exit his office two prisoners

accosted him. He shot this one, and chased the other out-

side, where he was killed. The computer in this room

has been smashed beyond repair.

Treasure: A pack of three ration bars sits uneaten in one

of the desk drawers.

The remaining guards have holed themselves up in areas

9-13, and will not open the doors for any reason. One of

them has been trying to restore power and communica-

tions to the prison from within, but so far has been

unsuccessful. Hours of being locked inside their own

prison have frayed the nerves of some of the guards,

leaving them skittish and terrified. That they have seen

the effects of whatever now lives within the medical

wing has not aided in their recovery.

3. WARDEN’S OFFICE

This office is completely blown apart;

scorch marks and blast holes are every-

where. The remains of a desk and computer

system lay smashed on the floor, and sever-

al paintings hang broken on the wall. A

closed door leads out of the room to your

right.

1. ENTRY HALL

This angular room was obviously once a

receiving room, but all the furniture has

either been overturned or incinerated. One

sturdy table remains standing just opposite

the entry doors. A holographic sculpture on

the table has been knocked on its side. Two

doors stand on opposite walls, to the left

and right of you when you enter. The door

to your right is crushed and melted, hanging

open revealing a dark room beyond.

This is the warden’s office, where he was working when

the riot occurred. A half-finished report is still active on

his datapad, which can be found among the rubble

(Search DC 15). Stuck in the datapad is a damaged key-

card, requiring a Repair check (DC 15) to get working.

This is the confiscated keycard from a drunk guard, not

the warden’s personal key. It has enough clearance to

open every door on this level except the door leading to

areas 9-13.

The entire place is lit only by red lights

that run along the walls at ceiling level.

4. WARDEN’S CLOSET (EL 1/2)

into the communicator or attempt to bypass the secu-

rity door a voice will ring into the comm.

This closet holds a guard’s uniform, a

pack of gum, several smartpaper maga-

zines, and a cleaning kit for guns. A gun-

rack on the back wall of the closet is empty.

“Ted, is that you?”

This is Arnie, the guard posted to the door at the

moment. He’s not the brightest guard in the building,

and he has been instructed to open the door for no

one. Despite this if one of the characters pretends to

be Ted or can convince him that Ted is hurt, he will

open the door for them. Roll a Bluff check against

Arnie’s Sense Motive (he has +1 to that skill) to

determine success. He will not be very happy at their

deception, but won’t cause them any trouble since

they are not prisoners.

This innocuous-seeming closet actually holds a great

danger for any character doing a thorough search. Any

character spending more than a round in the closet is

subject to attack by a native vermin called a snat. The

snat drops onto the character and uses its chameleon

ability to blend in with the character’s clothing or armor.

If the character has exposed skin, the snat anesthetizes

and begins draining blood from the character. Should it

drop onto a fully armored character, it will ride along

and look for the opportunity to attach to another target.

6. SECRET LOCKER

This area holds an emergency flare gun, two gasmasks,

2 sleep gas grenades, 2 holdout blasters, and a medkit.

5. OFFICES

These offices are all trashed, broken computers and per-

sonal effects scattered everywhere amidst blaster marks

on the walls and floor. Exceptions are noted below.

The guards forgot this emergency locker during the riot,

and the inmates never found it. It requires a Search

check (DC 20) to spot the panel and an Open Lock

check (DC 35) to break through. The medkit is master-

work and contains two dermpatches of cure light

wounds in addition to its normal items.

A: This is the deputy warden’s office. It has been loot-

ed, but a nameplate with his name and title can be

found among the debris.

B: This is the prison records room. This room is mostly

intact, though it contains only cabinet after cabinet

of files. The computer here is working, but it is not

connected to the network. A Research check (DC

20) can turn up any mundane piece of information

about the prison, such as duty rosters, prisoner lists,

supply invoices, etc.

C: Trashed office.

D: Trashed office.

E: A prison guard named Ted left the main control

room (area 10) to help bring the sensors and com-

munication systems back online. Unfortunately he

failed, and on his way back an escaping prisoner

bludgeoned him to death. Now his body lies in the

corner of this trashed office, his head crushed by

some blunt object. Ted had a keycard with clearance

for the door in 5f, but he dropped it in the security

control room (area 7) before retreating here.

F: This is the first intact room the characters have

encountered in the prison. A clean desk covered with

office supplies and a 2-way communicator on the

desk. A very sophisticated security door is on the

opposite wall. The confiscated security pass from the

warden’s office will not open this door, but Ted’s

pass will work if the characters have found it. It

requires an Open Locks check (DC 40) to bypass

without the proper codekey. If the characters speak

7. SECURITY CONTROL ROOM

This room looks like it was locked down

and appears to have escaped the violence

evident in many of the other rooms. A com-

puter flashes a bright red ribbon with the

words “Network lockdown enacted.”

Dozens of security screens here show noth-

ing but static.

This room is intact, having been locked at the first sign

of the riot. The characters cannot bypass the computer

security here, and the cameras are all down until main

power is restored. A Spot check (DC 15) shows some-

thing moving in the medical ward on one screen.

Another screen shows a faint impression of a destroyed

mess hall. If the characters watch for several minutes

they may see a figure flash by momentarily. The moni-

tors are functioning fine, it is the cameras that lack

power. Therefore the characters are not able to get them

working any more than they are.

Treasure: Ted’s security pass may be found here under-

neath a chair (Search DC 10). It gives the PCs access to

any door in the prison, including the secret locker (area

6) assuming they found it.

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