Starter Adventure!
Buckle up, this is a long one.
BULLSEYE!
This is a starting adventure for cramOS TTRPG. Players will engage with different Droids in a settlement, explore Crimson Rock in a short Pointcrawl Map, and dwelve into dangerous Burrows (I want to run this adventure in a day, although I think it will be more).
(A) A transition from rocky to dunes. A harsh path, but visible way down to the far burrow. 2 Scrap Cost.
(B) Fine rocks, pleasant nothing. Beaten path. 1 Scrap Cost.
[C] Unusual Path. Cables run to the other unknown location. 1 Scrap Cost. (Let players figure out they connect #1 and #2!)
(D) and (E) Harsh dune and desert paths, but unmistakeable forward. 2 Scrap Cost.
When both CUBES are in place, Burrow #3 activates, causing a great tremor.
The path on the surface to it now has floating stones and pools of sand floating in a straight road like appearance.
(Digression: This is how you can think for burrows.)
Use a cross section view.
Start with the terrain. In this case, its a flat one, no interesting dynamics. But it could be a big ridge, or a inclined mountain side.
Do a triangle, then extend a second triangle or third and forth triangle from one of the sides. Do weird shapes, and move down.
Each corner is a room, each line can be a pathway.
From the form above, think on how these paths become a real place. The full ideas of these burrows came from the drawings and little else.
Here, two corners close together (2 and 4) became a room into the other, united by a window.
I forgot to draw the line between 2 and 3, but it does exist.
Remember, relentless danger.
(/digression, back to the adventure.)
BURROW #1
1: Entrance. A short, inert brutalist building. Opened to the environment and dominated by sand.
Two pneumatic sliding doors on each side of the room covered almost to the top by dunes. One of them half open in an unnatural position on the frame, too small for a regular Droid to pass. A droid arm hangs through the gap, its body not moving on the other side. (Loot just out of reach: long electric wire in a coil and two Scrap. Can be phaged for two extra Scrap.)
Half open door to 2.
Closed door to 3. A nail bomb (d8, blast) lies in front, half buried in sand but visible. Explodes if nodged.
2: Operations Room. Buttons and levers on a table. A high up view all the way down into 4. Becomes online with the reconnected cable on 2. Controls the CUBE into its function.
Staircase down to 3. Spilled grease (D6 phy damage on fall down) and electrified rails (D6 mind damage). Demoralizing if you take both (D6 spark damage).
3: Maintenance shaft. 2 walls of inert lights and screens, separated by a full wall of were to be high voltage cables that hum ominously with intensity, now gone (The dead droid's botch job won't allow all cables to be repaired). A piece of metal nearing the wall will cause electricity to jump and arc (d10 mind damage), revealing the two correct wires that connect the circuit. Once connected, the burrow lits up alive.
Open hatch with a broken lock down into a tight passage shaft to 4. Glitching noises from below.
Loud noises attract a dimmed Droid to 3 or to 4. (HP5 B5 M5 S5, kinetic arm, d10 Body0 with a d10 club)
4: CUBE ROOM. Crude dark rock walls, excavated grounds poorly packed down into a dusty groundfloor. Big spotlights with no apparent cables illuminate the CUBE, textured like a fingerprint and twice the size of droids. A intense hum resonates on all droids that get near.
Approaching the CUBE causes intense thoughts of selfawareness and selfrealization. Touching the CUBE causes all spark to heal back to full.
If turned online in 3, the CUBE floats a feet off the ground and turns to face Burrow #3
(Again, see how the weird shapes came to be, and how that inspired the whole dynamic!)
BURROW #2
1: Antechamber. Closed and purposefully jammed front entrance. A simple antechamber, anything originally inside looted long before. A satchel (two phaged scraps) hanging on a live wire in the corner, electrifying the satchel (d6 mental damage).
To either side, sets of scaffolding stairs going down. Below the stairs, a deepless dark hole with two 15cm wide cables dropping down to the darkness coming from 2 and 3, and a faint franctic noise.
The stair on the left goes down into 2.
The stairs on the right complain on the first step. Careless movement will cause it to break into a long fall to the roof of 3. (D10 phy damage)
2: Windlass #1. A room with three walls, its gap facing the deep hole. A massive windlass sits dead center. A tensed cable sticks out of the room, into the darkness below. Mangled in between the windlass and the chain, a dead Droid (Random Body Part, one scrap). It screams insanities if touched, (pass a spark save or take D6 spark damage. If any Droid puts them down, D6 spark damage.).
Trying to activate the windlass and its mechanism without first fixing the other cable will cause a horrible sound of metal being forced into impossible positions and pull the windlass by its nails slightly off the metal floor. A third time will be the last.
If activated while fixed, both windlasses activate together and retrieve the CUBE.
The cable down leads to 4.
3: Windlass #2. Mirrored room from 2. The cable sits taught and limp on the floor, spilling out into the darkness, with minimal movements on the cable further down.
Activating the mechanism without fixing the cable retrieves it completely, pulling up a dimmed Droid (HP5 B5 M5 S5, 360 rotational joint legs, d12 Armor1) stuck to a magnetic clip in the end of the cable. If fixed, it will retrieve the CUBE with windlass #1.
The cable down leads to 4.
4: The hanging CUBE. The CUBE is hanging from one cable diagonally, plugged by a big magnetic clip. The other cable limps 5 meters away, with the dimmed droid stuck. Seeing the droids will cause the dimmed to get agitated, pendulating the cable erratically. Below, no end to the hole can be seen.
Touching the CUBE causes intense thoughts of birds and freedom, even if a droid won't know what they are.
Approaching the magnetic clip onto the cube or another droid is enough for a jerking click into position.
Unsecured droids on the CUBE when it clips save body or lose balance.
Any Droid caught between the magnet and the CUBE save body, or D8 phy dmage.
Pulling the CUBE up causes it to light up. Once it reaches a certain height (the same as the other CUBE), it tenses the cables, stops in mid way, and turns to face burrow 3.
When both Cubes are in place, Burrow #3 activates, causing a great tremor. The path on the surface to it now has floating stones and pools of sand drifting in a straight road like appearance.
BURROW #3
1: Great Entrance. No doors. Big arcs reveal a hall of reflective metal, the sand from inside now floating like beautiful stardust. Dead center, a spiral staircase straight down.
2: The outpost. Many spotlights thrown against a single file entrance on the rock face. A dead droid lays in the room, full of holes. (One scrap, two extra if phaged).
An abyssal Dimmed lurks and will ambush those entering.
ARACHNI UNIT MODEL HP12 B8 M4 SØ A1 Walks on 8 sharp legs, sticks to walls, exposed belly (4D4 phy damage, distributes the die equally between all nearby) (If only one target is available, it also must pass a body save or be pinned down) (If pinned, 2D4 phy damage and 4D4 spark damage)
The long corridor cut in stone and earth leads to a single brown door of a unknown material.
- The house. A True Mystery lays inside.
###BACK TO BULLSEYE
Any phaged scrap not consumed is confiscated (if UM3305 replaces Boberson, get it back).
Boberson will believe you wholeheartedly if you arrive banged up, but won't believe lies if you are not hurt. They will always say this confirms the rumors and it's all a test.
UM3305 will not believe any lies, unless well told. They will say this is exactly the truths they needed. Will act if you pledge support.
If Readie went with you and died, Boberson will kick you out, unless your information is prophetic.
If UM3305 makes a move, it's a peaceful endeavor. Phaging restrictions are lifted and Boberson leaves with some followers to #3.