The Forever Reliquary (4 of 6) GMs Reference

Thus is a place for questions and discussion of book 4,The Forever Reliquary.

This is a spoiler-filled resource thread for GMs running the Attack of the Swarm Adventure Path, specifically for the fourth adventure, "The Forever Reliquary."

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All GM Threads in this series:

1 - Fate of the Fifth
2 - Last Refuge
3 - Huskworld
4 - Forever Reliquary
5 - Hive of Minds
6 - God-Host Ascends

Does any have a correct key for the SDF Rampart, which is on the inside back cover? The printed map key doesn’t match the printed map.
Th!
Tom

Does any have a correct key for the SDF Rampart, which is on the inside back cover? The printed map key doesn’t match the printed map.

Th!
Tom

Do you have a printed copy or just the PDF? My printed copy's map key looks fine (and it does look like the PDF is erroneous).

Nevertheless, here's the correct map key (which should be fixed for the PDF soon).

1. Launch tube
2. Armory
3. Crew airlock
4. Hover lift
5. Gunner's staton
6. Brig
7. Cargo hold
8. Cargo airlock
9. Engineering
10. Power core
11. Washroom
12. Crew quarters
13. Galley
14. Captain's quarters
15. Bridge
a. Captain's chair
b. Pilot's station
c. Head gunner's station
d. Science officer's station
e. Engineer's station
16. War room

I have the PDF. Thanks for the corrected list!

Jason Tondro and Jason Keeley will be discussing the Forever Reliquary on Twitch Starfinder Wednesday today at 4pm PST! If you have questions, it would be a great time to watch!

Hmm

Or you can post your questions here:

Twitch Starfinder Wednesdays Fan Club!

I am a little confused on the public knowledge of the Forever Reliquary. In the last 2 books, Xelanon believed that it was a metaphor until getting the info from the cave and Galchak was scouring records for the coordinates of the comet trying to get funding to support a research expedition. But in this book there is talk of semi-regular pilgrimages to the comet, so it couldn't be that much of a secret. Any thoughts on how to align this info into something that makes sense?

I am a little confused on the public knowledge of the Forever Reliquary. In the last 2 books, Xelanon believed that it was a metaphor until getting the info from the cave and Galchak was scouring records for the coordinates of the comet trying to get funding to support a research expedition. But in this book there is talk of semi-regular pilgrimages to the comet, so it couldn't be that much of a secret. Any thoughts on how to align this info into something that makes sense?

I had the same thought! This really had me twisted. I was just glad I wasn't running it live so I didn't have to suddenly retcon. "Uh, wait, so this professor, who has specifically devoted a significant portion of his intellect and time to researching the Forever Reliquary, didn't know that pilgrims routinely visit the place?"

Well it is teleporting comet in big wide galaxy. I kinda figured out pilgrims were like individual people getting visions from Hylax or something instead of being part of wider church of Hylax in pact worlds.

That said it is probably just continuity error result of all six books being written separately

"Big galaxy" was pretty much my thought process there! It was hard for the professor to find real information about it, but elsewhere, people may have done a better job of passing down stories about the Forever Reliquary from generation to generation. I don't think it's super widespread information anywhere, but enough that a few brave and devout souls attempt the pilgrimage.

Maybe I overead something, but I couldn't find any indication how long the non-drift travel to the "The prodigal stone" should last.

In Part 1 it just said, that the players will loose one day for each failed check, but nothing about how long it would take.
Additional it says that the player get a +4 bonus once they have the navigation data from the shirren ship, but again nothing about how long it would take from there.

Did I miss something?

Maybe I overead something, but I couldn't find any indication how long the non-drift travel to the "The prodigal stone" should last.

In Part 1 it just said, that the players will loose one day for each failed check, but nothing about how long it would take.
Additional it says that the player get a +4 bonus once they have the navigation data from the shirren ship, but again nothing about how long it would take from there.

Did I miss something?

I assume typical non-drift travel time, iirc 1d6+2

This would be difficult, since even 1 happens after 2 days and event 2 after 4 additional days.

Found it. In the last sentence of the Stelar Protoza Development-Section it stated that it will take two additional days.

Does anyone completed the second trial with his group and could share some insight/experience?

My group will approach the second and third trial tomorrow and I'm not sure how to handle it (I don't want to make it a "solved by rolls" encounter but the book has little specific information about the factions goals, morals etc.

Christian Laird 830 wrote:

I am a little confused on the public knowledge of the Forever Reliquary. In the last 2 books, Xelanon believed that it was a metaphor until getting the info from the cave and Galchak was scouring records for the coordinates of the comet trying to get funding to support a research expedition. But in this book there is talk of semi-regular pilgrimages to the comet, so it couldn't be that much of a secret. Any thoughts on how to align this info into something that makes sense?

I had the same thought! This really had me twisted. I was just glad I wasn't running it live so I didn't have to suddenly retcon. "Uh, wait, so this professor, who has specifically devoted a significant portion of his intellect and time to researching the Forever Reliquary, didn't know that pilgrims routinely visit the place?"

"Um, nope, big galaxy, let's move on"

Having just cracked the book, I came across it on a similar end answer, but a different starting point. It's quite clear that Hylax doesn't have any bones about sending visions to people about the comet and I felt that some of early descriptions imply or state that some of the residents arrived over time. I would guess that someone gets a dream and goes off to find it. Some of them might start a 'church' or something and head off into the unknown with a bunch of followers. Like you said, it's a big galaxy. Easy to get lost.

So, the Nihilis on the Eternal Melody. They have this ability:

A living creature that can see and breathe that begins its turn within 15 feet of a nihili must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 1d4+3 bludgeoning damage.

It seemed unclear from the wording, to me, but do the characters have to roll for each Nihili they're in range of, or just once?

Similarly they also have this ability:

Any creature entering this aura from an area of zero-g must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex saving throw or be knocked prone.

Once, or for each one? (There are three of them.)

Once for each.

Just ran this again for the... third? time.

The starship combat here as designed - especially after the starship errata - is bound to go on and on and on with little hope of the protozoa ever landing its big weapon.

Note to self to rewrite it if I ever run it again.

Continuing on...

I dropped the nuar/ghoran negotiations since the PCs were already effectively in the middle of a diplomacy/skill challenge and I didn't see a point in piggybacking another.

Instead, I had the 3rd challenge be "justice or mercy." The PCs are taken through the portal into a prison/dungeon with one inhabitant. Turns out it's their old pal Zantos Loachwurt.

Backstory: Loachwurt had become an advisor to President Daglaan and was responsible for the PCs being sent on a low-odds suicide mission behind enemy lines to the Vast (book 3). No, Huskworld's plot of sending the most capable defenders off on a wild goose chase to the Vast when the SDF was thinking invasion was eminent didn't make sense to me.

In the meantime, though, Daglaan has been having dreams as the God-Host is exerting psychic influence on him. These dreams lead him to a seer: Sister Spark. Daglaan went more and more insane and paranoid under her influence. Loachwurt being Loachwurt and disliking someone else usurping his rightful place as the provider of all answers, he took it on himself to have an outburst about her "superstitious nonsense" that landed him in the special prison after a few beatings from the guards.

And coincidentally at the complete mercy of the party.

Oh, and the dinosaur push is boring as well. Need some way to make it more interesting.

Just ran this again for the... third? time.

The starship combat here as designed - especially after the starship errata - is bound to go on and on and on with little hope of the protozoa ever landing its big weapon.

Note to self to rewrite it if I ever run it again.

i'm about to start up book 4 next session. did you have any suggestions for this?

MurderHobo#6226 wrote:

Just ran this again for the... third? time.

The starship combat here as designed - especially after the starship errata - is bound to go on and on and on with little hope of the protozoa ever landing its big weapon.

Note to self to rewrite it if I ever run it again.

i'm about to start up book 4 next session. did you have any suggestions for this?

Just saw this. I did rework it a bit with some Hephaistos magic to make the main weapon stronger and its defenses weaker. Sort of a glass cannon: enough to scare, but not enough to really harm.

Yakman wrote:

MurderHobo#6226 wrote:

Just ran this again for the... third? time.

The starship combat here as designed - especially after the starship errata - is bound to go on and on and on with little hope of the protozoa ever landing its big weapon.

Note to self to rewrite it if I ever run it again.

i'm about to start up book 4 next session. did you have any suggestions for this?

Just saw this. I did rework it a bit with some Hephaistos magic to make the main weapon stronger and its defenses weaker. Sort of a glass cannon: enough to scare, but not enough to really harm.

ran the combat last night...

AGAIN, the Tier is too HIGH! It should really be a Tier 6, not a tier 7. After it looked like it would tear through my PCs ship like toilet paper, they managed to turn it around, but we spent like an hour and a half slamming away at each other. Eventually, session was about over and I said it just gave up, although the PCs had finally gotten the advantage on it.

Should have done what you did and rejiggered the thing to weaken it.

MIDNIGHT SQUAD reached the Prodigal Stone last night. Some notes:

1 - didn't know how to play the comanide, so I went with: he's looking for donations. Had a fun little RP with the guys, until our PRIEST OF HYLAX SHIRREN PRECOG (like, the perfect PC for the game) busted out some mad Hylaxianisms on him. Fun combat. Broke the statue of Hylax, and even got the bestow curse off on said Priest before dying. Love that comet ability.

2 - the snowpack hazard was a lot of fun. even though our halfling child star just happened to have the exact right gear to survive the conditions he found himself in. had it been any other PC, well...

3 - the ice elemental fight is pretty plain jane as written. i was even considering skipping it, but went with it anyway (we were at 4 PCs, and one of them was CURSED!), and while describing it, one of the players said that their PC was going to hustle through the crevasse. I made him roll an acrobatics, and he failed... and said that a crack in the ice he'd made led to the emergence of the elementals.

i had intended that this be a "flavor crack" but the guys thought that the ice was about to break, so I mentally put in a five round timer, and started calling for acrobatics checks if they tried to move more than half their speed. made for a pretty tight little combat.

Knew I was going to like this book, and aside from the Tier problem w/ the protozoa, it's turning out really well.

The guys had a lot of fun with the Forever Reliquary, its NPCs, and the first Trial of Hylax. It's such a marvelous change of pace for the AP.