STAR WARS: DAWN OF DEFIANCE EPISODE 5 - The First to Strike

The First to Strike is the fourth 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 SW5e experience. This adventure is the midpoint of the overall campaign and represents a shift from investigating to actually taking on Imperial forces—and winning. Though a serious of rough and action-filled encounters, the heroes should advance to 11th level by the conclusion of the adventure. Over the course of this adventure, the heroes will free a planet from Imperial tyranny, become allies with some of that planet’s leaders, and discover that the trail to the Sarlacc Project leads right into the heart of the Empire—to Coruscant itself.

The Lay of the Land

Inside the city, the heroes discover that Imperial oppression is alive and well on Nizon; stormtroopers march down the streets, an AT-ST walks around the wider avenues, and V-wing starfighters scream overhead every now and again. The Nazren themselves, hulking beings comparable in size to Wookiees, lumber through the streets with their shoulders hunched and their eyes downcast, but a smoldering look of hatred boils just below their stoic surfaces. In addition to the Nazren and the Imperials, Trandoshan slavers prod groups of Nazren along or gather at the entrances to buildings, eyeing the Nazren like farmers eyeing cattle. Other species are present in the city, too, allowing the heroes to move through the streets without being accosted at every turn.

The heroes eventually make contact with Sartok, the leader of an underground resistance movement. The Nazren have been planning to overthrow their Imperial masters for a while, but thus far, Sartok has been unable to convince enough of his people that it is possible to defeat the Empire and reclaim their world. After learning of the heroes’ previous successes against the Empire, Sartok pleads with them to help him reclaim the capital city, which should inspire his people to continue their rebellion. If the heroes agree, he fills them in on his plans.

Resistance

When Sartok gives the word, his allies throughout the city begin to riot. The heroes tackle a number of encounters during the riots that aid the Nazren in their struggles to reclaim their capital. They must help capture an Imperial checkpoint, rescue Nazren children trapped in a collapsing building, stop Trandoshan slavers from herding frightened Nazren onto their space ship, and so on. The critical battle of the revolt takes place in Martyr’s Plaza, which contains the entrance to the planetary control center, which runs all global communications as well as the rogue fragment tracking station.

Moreover, the heroes face one other unforeseen challenge: a bounty hunter. Inquisitor Valin Draco posted a bounty on the heroes after their last encounter, and a Zabrak named Vril Vrakth has been on their trail for a few weeks. Having learned about Senator Organa’s request to the University of Aldera, Vrakth has set himself up on Nizon as a scout for the Imperials and the slavers, but the heroes are his true prey. The bounty hunter plans to capture the heroes and kill Sartok, who also has a bounty on his head (though his is “dead or alive”). Vrakth has crab droids from the Clone Wars crawling through the city, reporting anything they find and attacking his prey when possible. If the heroes don’t deal with him prior to their capture of the control center, they must face Vrakth outside the city, at a planetary defense battery being installed by the Empire.

Conclusion

With the capital city securely in the hands of the Nazren rebels, word begins to come in that Nazren in other settlements have begun their own uprising. Meanwhile, the heroes gain access to an Imperial intelligence datachip that was entrusted to Vril Vrakth. From this datachip, they learn that the Nazren slaves were used as a part of the Sarlacc Project, and that every so often, the slaves were executed to keep them from spreading word of the project. Additionally, the datachip indicates that the orders regarding the Sarlacc Project originate from Coruscant, which is also referred to as the home of the project’s designers and architects. Thus, the best source of information on the Sarlacc Project seems to be one of the most heavily guarded planets in the galaxy. With this knowledge in hand, the heroes return to the Resurgence.

Opening Crawl

If you wish to have an opening crawl before the adventure, consider using the boxed text below.

Part 1: Whispers in the Force

Some weeks after their last mission, Denia asks the heroes to come speak to her about things they have encountered before, especially the slave ship from The Queen of Air and Darkness. After seeing to their needs and seating them comfortably, she speaks to the heroes.

After speaking to Denia, the heroes are likely to have numerous questions. Denia admits that she has few hard facts, but her sense through the Force is that the Nazren are suffering in a way that could be stopped, and that the heroes will find something worth their time. Here are some possible answers to questions that the heroes might ask.

• Why don’t you go yourself, or at least come with us? “Though this is one of the strongest visions I have had in my meditations, it is far from the only tremor I have sensed in the Force. I need to remain here for some weeks yet to meditate on these feelings and try to clarify them. Unfortunately, I feel that the threat—and the opportunity—on Nizon cannot wait for me to be ready. That’s why I ask you, my trusted friends.”

• What is Centares or Nizon like? “We don’t have much information about them. Both are apparently very dusty planets, and I can provide breath masks for any of you that don’t already have them. There is a single mining operation on Centares, with no native life, and one major city on Nazren. That’s all we know.”

• What kind of opposition are we likely to face? “The Empire has been removing its forces from Centares for some time; that much is clear through reports filed with the Senate. It has no official presence on Nizon, but I sense that some threat does lurk there. I can’t give you more advice than this: Be cautious, and don’t grow overconfident.”

• What’s in it for us? Hopefully, by now you know your players well enough to know if they need more incentives than an opportunity for adventure and a chance to oppose the Empire. If they do need a financial motive, Denia provides one: “Senator Organa is willing to pay each of you 4,000 credits just for making the trip. If you find the information that I sense waits there, he will reward you for recovering that as well.”

Part 2: Into the Jaws

The first arc of the adventure involves getting past Imperial forces and finding someone to talk to on Nizon. Stealth and speed will serve the heroes well.

Chatter over the transceiver reveals additional ships in the system. At least two other Star Destroyers are in orbit around Nizon, though nowhere near your position. Dozens of starfighters, mostly V-wings and V-19 Torrent models, are also in orbit around the planet. A few other ships, including bulk carriers and personal starships, are flying about in the planet’s atmosphere, below the dust cloud.

At least one ship still orbits Centares, maintaining an Imperial presence there. From the sound of the chatter, it’s another old Star Destroyer design, though perhaps a bigger design. Whatever it is, you don’t want to be sitting in orbit if it decides to investigate.

Nizon Space

"The Arkanian Dragon"
Victory-II class Star Destroyer

Tier 2 huge starship, unaligned, Battleship role

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• Armor Class 13 (reinforced)
• Hit Points 127 (11d12+55)
• Shield Points 127 (directional)
• Shield Regeneration Rate 12
• Speed 150 ft., turning 300 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)	18 (+4)	11 (+0)	14 (+2)

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• Saving Throws Strength +7
• Skills Piloting +8
• Sense Blindsight 1,000 ft

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Armament

Forward-Facing

Heavy Laser Battery (2) Ion Battery (1) Laser Battery (2)

Port-Facing

Heavy Laser Battery (1) Ion Battery (1) Laser Battery (1)

Starboard-Facing

Heavy Laser Battery (1) Ion Battery (1) Laser Battery (1)

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Actions

The ship can take up to four non-attack actions as well as many attack actions as it has weapon hardpoints.

Heavy Ion Cannon. (2/maintenance) The Arkanian Dragon can fire the heavy ion cannon at a target as an action, which has a range of 1,000 feet and a forward firing arc. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a ship is stunned for 1 minute. As an action on each of their turns, a deployed mechanic can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If a ship of gargantuan size is targeted, it has disadvantage on the initial saving throw. If a ship of medium or smaller size is targeted, it instead has advantage.

Heavy Laser Battery. Makes 1 Ranged Ship Attack: DC 11, range 300/600, one target. Failure: 14 (2d6+7) energy damage or half as much on success.

Ion Battery. Makes 1 Ranged Ship Attack: DC 11 Dex save, range 300/600, one target. Failure: 26 (6d6+5) energy damage or half as much on success. If the target ship rolls a 1 on the saving throw to avoid the weapon’s effects; or when the target ship has disadvantage on the saving throw and fails, the Arkanian Dragon can force the target to make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the ship is ionized until the start of the Arkanian Dragon's next turn. If the damaged ship is gargantuan, it has advantage on the saving throw. If the damaged ship is large or smaller, it instead has disadvantage.

Laser Battery. Makes 2 Ranged Ship Attacks: DC 11 Dex save, range 450/900, one target. Failure: 12 (2d6+5) energy damage or half as much on success.

Tractor Beam. (2/maintenance) The Arkanian Dragon can activate a tractor beam as an action, which has a range of 1,000 feet and a forward firing arc. Each ship within the firing arc must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, a ship is tractored for 1 minute and immediately gets pulled 100 feet towards the tractoring ship, without changing the ship’s orientation. At the start of each of a tractored ship’s pilot’s turns, a tractored ship gets pulled 100 feet towards the tractoring ship, without changing the ship’s orientation, and then repeats the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. If a ship of medium or smaller size is tractored, it has disadvantage on the saving throw. If a ship of gargantuan size is tractored, it instead has advantage. If the Blood Brother attempts to tractor a ship larger than it, and the ship succeeds on the saving throw, it can instead use the tractor beam to tractor itself to the ship, gaining the tractored condition. The Arkanian Dragon can end the tractor beam at any time (no action required).

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Reactions

Damage Control. Once per turn, as a reaction to being dealt damage by a ship weapon, the Arkanian Dragon can use its reaction and roll a d6 and subtract it from the damage roll.

V-wing (4)

V-wing Tactics

The V-wings will attempt to push the players towards the Arkanian Dragon and prevent them from entering the dust cloud and escaping. The V-wings are also receiving tracking information from the sueface below meaning that they do not have to make checks to navigate the dust cloud but it is still difficult terrain. If the players manage to escape the Arkanian Dragon the V-wings break off and return to it, unwilling to continue without support or risk the safety of their parent ship on what could possibly be a diversion.

Conclusion

There are three possible outcomes. In the event the players manage to escape the Arkanian Dragon and its escort, they are not chased further and can see there is only one major city anywhere on the surface and plenty of places to hide their ship.

Although unlikely, it’s possible that the heroes—through great skill, great luck, or more firepower than the adventure is designed for—destroy the Arkanian Dragon and enough of its escorts to take control of the star system. If this happens, you as the GM have two basic options. First, you can run the adventure as written, but allow the PCs to use their starship as a weapon during the riots on Nizon. They can’t bypass certain encounters (for example, finding Sartok is possible only on foot, and the Imperial ground troops don’t evaporate just because their support ship is gone), but a functioning starship makes other encounters (such as the Battle for Martyr’s Plaza) much less challenging.

Alternatively, you can have Imperial reinforcements arrive within a few hours of the Dragon’s destruction. The Empire has been regularly moving material between a nearby industrial world and Nizon, and a missed hourly status check from the Arkanian Dragon can bring more Star Destroyers to secure the system. These starships can be as heavy and as numerous as you need to prevent the heroes from feeling confident enough to fly their ship around during the rioting. A Venator class Star Destroyer and its escorts should be more than enough to get the most hardened aces to land and keep their ship under cover until the planet is secured (especially since they are unlikely to have defeated the Arkanian Dragon without suffering serious damage). Once the control center has been captured and the planet is in Nazren hands, any remaining Imperial space forces evacuate to carry word of the defeat back to Coruscant.

The third and final outcome is the Arkanian Dragon defeats the heroes. This adventure changes very little. If the heroes’ ship is destroyed, inform the players that they have been shot down and crash outside a large city, and proceed with the adventure normally. If the heroes are captured, the Dragon’s captain informs them that a bounty hunter is looking for them, and the Empire is inclined to turn them over. The heroes are placed in a detention camp, where Sartok finds and rescues them before asking for their help to free his world.

Encounter Map

Almost any map size is acceptable as long as players have the freedom to move around, get past the Star Destroyer and enter Nizon's atmosphere through the dust cloud.

Landing Site

Once the heroes are within Nizon’s atmosphere, visibility clears up slightly. Any effort to scan the surface visually or listen to incoming communications reveals that there is only one major city on the whole planet. When the heroes begin to examine the city or look for a place to land, read the following text.

Critical Challenge: The heroes must prevent their ship from being spotted by Imperial ground patrols or V-wing flyovers. The high level of dust and poor visibility will help, but additional action is required.

Have the players make a Wisdom (Survival) check to conceal the ship, keep track of this check. Each day, allow local patrols to make a Wisdom (Perception) check with at +5. On any successful check, the starship is found and placed under guard (until the Empire is forced to withdraw from the system). In the first fight to take place on the day their ship is discovered, the heroes face an additional crab droid from Vril Vrakth’s forces. The crab droid carries something that it took from the heroes’ ship, which was used by Vrakth to guess their plans.

Many caves and valleys can be used to conceal their ship, but getting into these locations is tricky at best. If the heroes’ ship has crashed, the caves and valleys aren’t an option. If the heroes land under their own power, they can try these difficult landing spots. A valley landing requires a DC 18 Intelligence (Piloting) check and gives disadvantage on any Wisdom (Perception) checks to find the ship. A DC 22 Intelligence (Piloting) check allows the heroes to land deep in the back of a cave, which ensures that no one will find their starship for at least several days (which should cover the timeframe of the adventure). Characters might wish to rig some kind of tarp or wall to hide their starship, constructed from local material or appropriate camouflage they bring with them. Doing so will also grant advantage to any Wisdom (Survival) checks to hide the ship.

Auxiliary Challenge: Nizon is an inhospitable planet. Visibility on the surface is limited, the native dust makes it difficult to breathe without assistance, and it’s easy to get lost. Since the heroes are unlikely to have landed within sight of the city, they must make their way there from the outer reaches of the badlands without being spotted or getting lost. Doing this successfully requires a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check. If one or more heroes does not have a breath mask of some kind, the DC of the Survival check increases by 5. On a failed check, the heroes either get lost or are forced to take cover from the worst of the dust, losing a day of travel time. This increases the chances that their starship is discovered and that they’ll encounter crab droids deployed by Vrakth. If the heroes take more than two days to reach the city, they run into one crab droid in the badlands each day until they make it to the city.

Auxiliary Challenge: Though inhospitable, Nizon is not lifeless. Tough and dangerous predators prowl the rough badlands and hunt the recessed valleys. The most dangerous of these is the blade scorpion, a massive creature that combines the worst traits of a crab and a spider. The Nazren fear these beasts and never travel alone in regions where they are common. The creatures are one reason that the bounty hunter Vrakth chooses to employ crab droids on the world.

Each day that the heroes are in the badlands (including their first day), make a Wisdom (Perception) check from a Blade Scorpion against the worst Dexterity (Stealth) check of any hero in the group. If the Blade Scorpion's check is higher, it picks up their scent and attacks.

The statblocks for the crab droid and Blade Scorpion are below.

LM-432 "Muckraker" Crab Droid

Large droid, unaligned

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• Armor Class 17 (armorplast shielding)
• Hit Points 77 (9d10+27)
• Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	9 (-1)	17 (+3)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	8 (-1)

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• Saving Throws Str +6, Con +5
• Skills Athletics +6, Survival +4
• Damage Vulnerabilities ion
• Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities poisoned, diseased
• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages Binary, Galactic Basic but can't speak it
• Challenge 3 (700 XP)

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Blindspot. The crab droid's actions and traits are incapable of targeting any creature or space directly above it.

Circuitry. The crab droid has disadvantage on saving throws against effects that would deal ion or lightning damage.

Duranium Stabilizers. The crab droid can dig its claws into difficult surfaces, like sheer bedrock, to climb them without needing to make an ability check. It is also not slowed by muddy or swamplike difficult terrain.

Pin. The crab droid can use a bonus action to attempt to grapple a prone target within 5 feet.

Actions

Multiattack. The crab droid makes three blaster cannon attacks, or uses its muckrake and then its mud spray.

Blaster Cannon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, range 100/400 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d12-1) energy damage.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d10+4) kinetic damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it must make a DC 14 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.

Muckrake. The crab droid targets a square of muddy or swamplike difficult within 5 feet of it and transforms that area into normal terrain, filling its tank with mud.

Mud Spray. The crab droid jet-sprays the contents of its mud tank onto a space within 30 feet, turning that space into difficult terrain, and forcing any creatures standing on it to make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. This attack cannot be used if the crab droid's mud tank is empty.

Blade Scorpion

Huge Beast, unaligned

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• Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 173 (15d12+75)
• Speed 40 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
25 (+7)	10 (+0)	20 (+5)	3 (-4)	11 (+0)	5 (-3)

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• Senses passive Perception 10
• Languages -
• Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

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Trampling Charge. If the blade scorpion moves at least 20 feet straight toward a creature and then hits it with a claw attack on the same turn, that target must succeed on a DC 19 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. If the target is prone, the blade scorpion can make one claw attack against it as a bonus action.

Actions

Multiattack. The blade scorpion can make one claw attack and one blade net attack.

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 34 (5d10+7) kinetic damage.

Blade Net. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 60/240 ft, one target. Hit: The creature is restrained until until it is freed. A net has no effect on formless or Huge or larger creatures. A creature can use its action to make a DC 16 Strength check, freeing itself or another creature within its reach on a success. The net has an AC of 10, 5 hit points, and immunity to all damage not dealt by melee weapons. Destroying the net frees the creature without harming it and immediately ends the net’s effects. While a creature is restrained by a net, the blade scorpion can make no further attacks with it.

The City

The city of the Nazren has no name. None is needed, as it is the only settlement larger than a town on the entire planet. The Nazren refer to it as ahdjok, but this is nothing more than their word for “city,” and the Empire hasn’t bothered to assign it a name. Its position behind Mount Antas protects the city from the worst of the planetary dust, and it has a large, flat area on which to build a spaceport. As a result, the city has been the main point of contact between the Nazren and offworlders. It sits atop an underground river, which provides an endless supply of fresh water. This, combined with offworld trade, allowed the city to grow much larger than local agricultural conditions would otherwise permit. It is a traditional pilgrimage site for Nazren worldwide, making it a convenient location for the Empire to gather slaves.

Critical Challenge: Now that the heroes are in the city, they need to learn what’s going on and what they can do about it.

The easiest option is to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. A result of 10 to 14 reveals that the Empire took control of the city about a year go and has been shipping Nazren off as slaves ever since, mostly with Trandoshan slavers. It also reveals that any Nazren who resists the Empire is placed in a detainment camp in the center of town, and thus, most Nazren leaders are now in that camp.

A check result of 15 to 19 also reveals that many Nazren are prepared to fight back as soon as they receive a signal from Sartok, a Nazren leader recently arrested and thrown into the detainment camp. However, the Empire doesn’t realize that Sartok is anyone special.

A check result of 20 or more also reveals that a bounty hunter named Vril Vrakth has recently arrived on Nizon with a collection of old crab droids. Most people think that Vrakth is hunting Sartok (which is true), but they note that he keeps asking about newcomers, and that he seems to have the aid of Imperial troops. Many believe that Vrakth is chasing an Imperial bounty on a non-Nazren target (which is also true; the Zabrak was hired by Inquisitor Draco to find the heroes).

A hero could also attempt to gain this information from an Imperial administrator or slaver by making a Charisma (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) check. The DC for either is only 12, and reveals the same amount of information as a result of 10 to 14 for the Intelligence (Investigation) check.

With a DC 18 Intelligence (Technology) check, a hero can slice into the local datastreams and pick up broadcasts from Imperials and Nazren insurgents (with the same results as the Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Auxiliary Challenge: The oppression the Nazren suffer is obvious, and patrols of stormtroopers march through the streets. At a dramatically appropriate point, the heroes see six heavy stormtroopers kick down the door of a building and drag a screaming Nazren mother out of the house. If the heroes do nothing, the mother is hauled off, and the cries of a Nazren child can be heard within the structure.

If the heroes fight the stormtroopers, the real challenge is to be fast and quiet. If the heroes defeat the stormtroopers silently or in 1 or 2 rounds, no one reports the fight. If the fight is noisy and lasts for 3 or more rounds, someone calls more stormtroopers. A squad of six more arrives in 2 minutes, a group of 12 arrives in 5 minutes, and an AT-ST arrives in 10 minutes. use the Heavy Trooper statblock from Scum and Villainy for these troopers.

If the heroes manage to keep mother and child together, give them inspiration as a bonus. If the mother is saved, she says that Sartok will wish to talk to the heroes, but she is too fearful to answer questions about the resistance leader, other than to choke out “detainment camp.” She then runs off to go into hiding.

Part 3: Insurrection

Eventually, it should be clear to the heroes that their best chance to help the Nazren and gain information about the Imperial forces is to rescue Sartok from the detention camp. The camp is easy to find because it takes up the center of town, which used to be an open market before the Empire shut it down. The heroes’ attack on the camp is critical to the rest of the adventure. It is a challenge that can likely only be overcome only through battle—an important evolution from the stealth and investigation of the early stages of the Dawn of Defiance campaign to the beginning of open opposition to the Empire, of course if the players have a sufficiently good plan it should be allowed. It is also where the heroes first encounter Sartok, who will guide them in the rest of the adventure.

If the heroes don’t seem inclined to free Sartok from the detention camp, you might need to encourage them.

• If they have befriended any characters in the city, that character can be grabbed and thrown into the camp.

• If they are focused on finding and stealing information from the Empire, let them overhear that a data slicer working for Sartok was thrown in the camp. Once the heroes get inside, they find only Sartok, who promises to share the slicer’s information if the heroes help with the coming riots.

• If they seem worried about particular Imperial forces (such as the AT-STs), let them see those forces head out to patrol several hours away from the city, creating a window of opportunity.

• If they think that the Nazren in the camp are safe, at least temporarily, have stormtroopers start to post execution times for the next day.

If the heroes attack the camp, run “The Breakout” encounter below. If they simply refuse to get involved, Sartok escapes on his own after a few days and seeks the heroes to propose an alliance between them. In that case, skip “The Breakout” encounter and proceed with the adventure without this encounter.

Nek Dog (2)

Tactics

At least half the stormtroopers stay in their towers unless a pressing need (such as the tower being set on fire or targeted by a thermal detonator) drives them out. With heavy weapons, a clear field of fire, and fortified positions, the stormtroopers simply shoot at any characters breaking in or out. Most of the Nazren throw themselves prone when any fighting starts (so as not to get in Sartok’s way) and are ignored by the stormtroopers. This also prevents the tower guards from going after the heroes immediately, as they must continue to watch the prisoners.

The stormtroopers who are free to engage the heroes move onto the stone wall around the yard to get closer to any heroes shooting or escaping.

The Nek battle dogs attack heroes who have melee weapons over those who have ranged weapons. If a character tries to leave the yard, the nearest Nek dog attempts to grapple that character. The creatures fight only until they have lost half of their hit points. After that, they retreat and do not attack unless threatened.

Conclusion

If any prisoners escape from the yard, reinforcements a squad of 8 more guard troopers are dispatched to track and recapture them. It takes the reinforcements 5 minutes to muster and reach the detention camp. If the heroes are willing to be led by Sartok, he guides them through a series of caves (parts of the underground river that ran dry decades ago) to a particular hidden cavern. If they refuse, Sartok follows them and offers his aid once the reinforcements track them down. After that, the heroes can find any place to hole up as long as they stay off the streets. Within hours, their faces are plastered on posters all over the city.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Nuturing a Revolt

If the heroes allow Sartok to lead them to his safe cavern, the resistance leader picks up a few cached belongings and asks his guests to sit comfortably. At this point, Sartok is dressed as humbly as any Nazren, but he carries a satchel over one shoulder, in which he keeps a hidden blaster. The second and fourth fingers are missing from his left hand, and he has numerous scars, including some across his face. He is darker brown than most Nazren, with lighter splotches of skin at his wrinkles and creases. As an older member of his species, he has seen much that he'd rather not have witnessed.

If the heroes have any pressing needs (such as treating serious injuries), Sartok helps see to them before speaking.

Sartok makes a quick sweep of the cavern, checking to ensure that it has not been disturbed. Apparently satisfied, he crouches by the simple fire and motions for you to sit. He takes a few long breaths, then turns and speaks to you.

“My world is enslaved, and we have come to realize that no negotiation or appeal to reason can free us. The only way we shall regain control of Nizon is to take it back by force, which requires us to face the weapons and training of the Empire. That battle must begin here—all other settlements look to us for inspiration and leadership. For the sake of our world, we must take up arms against our oppressors.

“The cost shall be high for my people, but they are eager to pay it. The cost for remaining slaves would be higher, and it would be paid by our children and our children’s children. If you will help us, we are ready to throw off the yoke of tyranny, even if we lose our lives. Liberty is too precious to sell for the chance of quieter, safer lives under the dark shadow of oppression.

“I have allies throughout the city who are ready to raise arms against the Empire at my signal. We are not a warlike people, but the stormtroopers have shown us the basics of violence, and we have learned the lesson well. Against soldiers, I have no doubt that my people would fight bravely with a fair chance at victory. But the Imperial forces have vehicles—large, metal, two-legged machines of war—that we cannot face. My people fear these machines, and though many would still fight bravely, too many would wait to see if we could topple them. Such an attack would be staggered and lose too much of its impact. Only if many of us take up arms at once can we overthrow our oppressors.

“But you are outsiders, and to be standing here, you must have opposed the Empire’s machines successfully. Many of my less confident allies believe that with your aid, even the walking war machines could not stop us. This would give them the confidence to bring enough forces to bear at once. If we can take control of the planetary shields and turbolasers that they have nearly finished building on Mount Antas, we can complete those structures ourselves and use them to defend against further Imperial attack. The first step in such an attack is a citywide riot, which I am prepared to trigger.

“But you are outsiders, and to be standing here, you must have opposed the Empire’s machines successfully. Many of my less confident allies believe that with your aid, even the walking war machines could not stop us. This would give them the confidence to bring enough forces to bear at once. If we can take control of the planetary shields and turbolasers that they have nearly finished building on Mount Antas, we can complete those structures ourselves and use them to defend against further Imperial attack. The first step in such an attack is a citywide riot, which I am prepared to trigger.

Sartok

Medium humanoid, chaotic light

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• Armor Class 16 (fiber armor)
• Hit Points 84 (13d8+26)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	18 (+4)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	16 (+3)	15 (+2)

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• Skills Deception +5, Perception +6, Persuasion +5, Stealth +7
• Senses passive Perception 16
• Languages Galactic Basic, Dosh, Nazren
• Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

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Cunning Action. On each of his turns, Sartok can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Nazren Resilience (1/Long Rest). If Sartok would gain an exhaustion level from an effect, he can choose instead to not gain an exhaustion level instead.

Sneak Attack (1/turn). Sartok deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when he hits a target with a weapon attack and has advantage on the attack roll, or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of Sartok that isn't incapacitated and the Sartok doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Actions

Multiattack. Sartok makes three weapon attacks.

Blaster Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 40/160 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) energy damage.

Techblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+4) kinetic damage.

The Riots

Sartok allows the heroes as much time as they need to prepare before sending the word to begin the uprising. Once he does, however, things start to move very quickly. The riots are a series of several encounters that can occur in any order, with one exception. The “Point Gold” encounter must be the final encounter of the adventure, as it signals the end of the Imperial dominance of Nizon.

Sartok can lead the heroes through the city to these encounters, or they can find their own way. Regardless, you are free to determine which encounters the heroes must deal with and in what order. Additionally, you can design your own noncombat encounters, particularly challenges that require the use of skills. For these challenges, use the following guidelines: easy task: DC 10, moderate task: DC 15, hard task: DC 20, and challenging task: DC 25.

For example, during the riots, an injured Nazren resistance fighter might become trapped on top of a condemned building, with no way to get down. You might determine that getting to the Nazren would be a hard task (allowing Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks to balance on the crumbling stairs or Strength (Athletics) checks to scale the outside of the building) at DC 20. Once the heroes reach the roof, they can provide medical assistance or lower the Nazren safely to the ground.

Below are several skill-based encounters that you can use between combat encounters.

• A Nazren resistance fighter picks up transmissions on an Imperial channel from a guard post that has received word of the riots. The heroes must pose as Imperial officers, making Chasrima (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) checks to convince the guard post not to send reinforcements.

• A stash of weapons in an Imperial garrison could be enough to turn the tide in several sections of the city. The heroes try to use Charisma (Deception) to bluff their way into the garrison or Dexterity (Stealth) to sneak in, obtaining the weapons and funneling them to the resistance.

• A communications array atop a Nazren building needs to be disabled so that the Empire cannot signal the Arkanian Dragon for help. The heroes can make Strength (Athletics) checks to reach the roof and then plant explosives. Alternatively, they might make Intelligence (slicer's kit) checks to seize control of the array and use it to coordinate groups of resistance fighters throughout the city.

• A group of captured resistance fighters was abandoned in a detention facility when the Imperial guards were called away to reinforce another position. The heroes must make Intelligence (slicers kit) or Strength checks to open the cell doors, allowing the prisoners to escape and join the resistance.

• For months, Nazren slaves have been covertly stowing the parts for an anti-aircraft weapon in secret locations, and now the resistance needs to build the weapon to protect against attacks by V-wing fighters stationed on Nizon. The heroes must help carry the heavy equipment up to the roof of a building, where the weapon must be assembled quickly with Intelligence checks.

• The chaos of the riots has left many resistance groups scattered and uncoordinated. One group in particular has obtained access codes to the Imperial garrison, but the group cannot be found. The heroes must make Intelligence (Investigation) checks to locate the missing Nazren or find alternative ways to contact them.

• Once the riots are well underway, Sartok needs the heroes’ assistance in coordinating the rest of the attacks. They can make Intelligence checks to plan the next attack or make Intelligence checks to notice flaws in Sartok’s plans.

Checkpoint Gamma

One of the ways that the Empire has kept the local population under control is with heavily armed checkpoints throughout the city. Movement is limited to those with the proper Imperial forms, making it difficult for the Nazren to gather and plan. Now, reports come to the heroes that a central checkpoint, Gamma, is being held by AT-RT walkers equipped with heavy weapons. Unless it can be opened up, the small units of Nazren trying to start an uprising won’t be able to get together to form more effective squads of rioters.

Conclusion

If the heroes take out Checkpoint Gamma, Vril Vrakth sends two of his crab droids (see the “Point Gold” encounter) into the chaos as the Nazren link up to take control of various parts of the city. If the heroes don’t destroy the checkpoint (either because they don’t try or because the fight goes badly for them), Vrakth gathers information about their activities from Imperial allies and sends two crab droids into the next encounter the heroes have.

If any AT-RTs survive, they show signs of damage. The Nazren offer to haul the walkers to an underground shop to see if they can be repaired. If a hero insists on piloting a walker, he must make a DC 18 Mechanics check between each encounter to keep it running smoothly. Be sure to keep track of its reduced hit points.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Collateral Damage

As the Imperial forces begin to react to the rioting, a set of cannons on Mount Antas starts to bombard residential areas. As the heroes run by a building, it takes a hit and begins to collapse. Fire breaks out in the lower floors, and numerous young Nazren are trapped within the structure.

Stormtrooper Squad

Tactics

The stormtroopers are here to call in targeting instructions to the blaster artillery on Mount Antas. They had the residential building hit to ensure that no provocateurs were inside (none were). They have no interest in the trapped children and don’t target them, but the stormtroopers shoot at any hero or armed Nazren. The stormtroopers try to hold their defensible position on the warehouse roof, but they move if forced to (such as if someone throws a gas grenade onto the roof). Otherwise, they shoot first at any hero who doesn’t have cover, and then at any hero who seems heavily armed. If you need to use a single stormtrooper for any reason rather than the entire squad, use the following statblock.

Conclusion

Nazren civilians come out of basements and bunkers to offer to care for any rescued child. These adult Nazren are grateful to the heroes for their help and offer what minor assistance they can. A single medpac may be available for wounded heroes, or the Nazren can give directions to any other part of the city, including Martyr’s Plaza, the spaceport, or even the artillery if a hero thinks to ask—one of the Nazren here helped dig the moorings for the blaster cannons.

If a stormtrooper is killed or captured, his utility belt beeps, revealing a coded comlink. A DC 15 Intelligence (Technology) check allows a character to activate the commlink and receive communication from the blaster artillery on the lower levels of Mount Antas. The artillery is reporting to all spotters to hold targeting commands until further notice. The old Clone Wars-era artillery has suffered a malfunction and won’t be able to fire for another 15 minutes or so. The commlink is attached to a datapad that shows the artillery’s concealed location. Armed with this information, the heroes may make a strike on the artillery.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Features of the Area

The collapsing building is 40 feet tall, and all Nazren inside it are currently on the top floor. Moving through the building is hard because it’s badly damaged, and the whole building counts as difficult terrain.

The bottom floor is on fire. Each round that the heroes are in it, they must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d10 fire damage on a failed save and catching fire with a success only taking half damage and not being set on fire. Taking reasonable precautions (such as getting wet or covering up with a thick blanket) grants advantage to the saving throw. A character who is on fire can put themselves out as an action.

The entire burning building is also a smoke hazard. Each round that a character is exposed to a smoke hazard, every creature inside needs to hold its breath or begin to suffocate from the smoke inhalation. The smoke hazard is also considered to be heavily obscured.

Though the stairs in the burning building still work, they are in the far corner, reachable only by moving through a lot of smoke and fire. The turbolift shaft, which is closer, no longer has a working turbolift, but it can be climbed with a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. A character can also climb up the outside of the building with a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Climbing up the outside of the building protects a hero from smoke damage but not from the fire. Climbing while carrying another creature imposes disadvantage.

The roof of the burning building is currently free of fire and smoke hazards, but that won’t last long. Every 5 rounds, one randomly selected square of the roof catches fire, and all surrounding squares become smoke hazards. Once there is no longer enough room on the roof for all refugees, they begin to jump. A falling creature must make a DC 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failed save, the character takes 14 (4d6) points of kinetic damage taking half damage if they pass. (The adult Nazren in the area gather around the building, ignoring stormtrooper fire to catch any children who jump so that the kids don’t take falling damage.)

The warehouse is in much better shape. A lip runs around the outer edge, allowing any prone character to gain full cover against attacks made from the ground or the burning building. The outer wall of the warehouse is more difficult to climb than the residential building requiring a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check, but the building has two working lifts inside.

Any time a frag grenade or other explosive is set off inside the burning building, everyone in the building is showered with rubble as the damaged structure shudders. Have every creature inside make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 5 (1d10) kinetic damage on a failed save.

Rest Stop

As the heroes make their way through the city, they find themselves cornered by advancing Imperial artillery. Fortunately, the heroes have earned a reputation in the city by now, and a Nazren woman comes to their aid, leading them to a safehouse to rest. This should give the heroes a chance to recover and heal, though their respite doesn’t last long. Crab droids sent by Vril Vrakth find the safehouse and burrow inside.

Crab Droid (3)

Unless they’ve all been destroyed already (which is unlikely), three of Vril Vrakth’s crab droids crawl in through a tunnel in the back of the shelter and attack the heroes. The crab droids have no interest in Yurka Aggel but are happy to attack Sartok if he’s present.

Tactics

The crab droids aren’t complicated. They march in, start firing, and continue to fire until destroyed.

Conclusion

Yurka Aggel suggests that the crab droids must have been looking for someone, possibly based on spotter’s reports from the V-wings. An inspection of the crab droids shows that they have been heavily damaged, repaired, and modified over the years, but not by the Empire. Each droid bears an owner’s stamp. Anyone who knows Zabrak or who makes a DC 15 Intelligence (Lore) check can identify the stamp as a Zabrak symbol that is best translated as “long hunter.” This might be the heroes’ first clue that a bounty hunter is on their trail.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

The Black Ship

During the rioting, the heroes see a black cargo vessel fly overhead, trailing smoke from badly tuned engines. The ship has the same markings as the slave transport they saw in The Queen of Air and Darkness, as well as the ship that was being escorted off Nizon by the Arkanian Dragon. The black ship shrugs off light weapons fire from the surface and lands a short distance away. If Sartok is still with the heroes, he informs them that the vessel has landed near the slave pens, where there is still one shipload of Nazren scheduled to be flown offworld and sold into slavery.

The black ship is the same type as the one encountered in The Queen of Air and Darkness—a Gallofree Yards Medium Transport. It is staffed by 18 Trandoshan slavers, though only nine of them are free to fight at any given moment. The rest remain inside the ship, struggling to repair the damaged systems so that it can take off again as soon as the latest crop of slaves is aboard.

Read-Aloud Text

When the heroes approach the site of the slaver ship (named The Bloody Credit), read the following.

Slavers (9)

The Trandoshan slavers are experienced mercenaries who fought as Separatist soldiers during the Clone Wars and who have been capturing and moving Wookiees for the Empire. Because they usually want to capture subjects alive and often have to deal with rebellious slaves without damaging them too badly, the slavers have more experience in unarmed combat than with firing blasters.

Nine Trandoshans remain inside the ship, trying to repair its systems so that it can take off again. Meanwhile, nine more slavers are rounding up Nazren outside.

Much of the cargo space in The Bloody Credit has been converted to slave pens. The Trandoshans use all the regular passenger space for themselves, allowing the ship to have a larger-than-normal crew.

Each trandoshan has 1,000 credits on them, for a total of 9,000 credits.

Nashtah (4)

Like the slavers, the nashtah have breath masks strapped on to protect them from the smoke. Choose one of the slavers to be the nashtah handler. If that slaver is taken out, the nashtah flee the scene if they are intimidated, move more than 1 step down the condition track, or suffer any fear effect. Otherwise, the beasts attack the closest hero at the beginning of each round.

Tactics

The Trandoshans want to escape with enough slaves to turn a profit. If that doesn’t seem likely, however, they run for it. If they can get all their forces into the ship, it takes off with whatever slaves are already inside. If the heroes gain control of the ship, the remaining slavers run into the city and try to hide from the Nazren’s wrath.

Conclusion

If The Bloody Credit gets away, the heroes have a few options. If they dare, they can take to their starship and go after it. If they take this approach, run a space battle at the edge of the planet’s ring of dust and debris, using the same rules as in Part 2: Into the Jaws. If the combat lasts more than 10 rounds, three V-wings arrive to aid the slave ship. Three additional V-wings arrive on round 15, and the Arkanian Dragon shows up on round 20. (If the heroes managed to defeat the Dragon earlier in the adventure, use another Victory II Star Destroyer with the same stats instead.) However, if at any time the slaver ship has fewer than half its hit points and no Imperial ship is present to assist it, the Trandoshans surrender and either land or allow the heroes to board their ship.

Any freed slaves immediately grab weapons from the slavers (or use tools or sticks to arm themselves if nothing else is handy) and rush off to join the revolt. (They don’t attack the Trandoshans, leaving that to the heroes, which prevents you from having to run too many GM characters in this conflict.) This escalates the rioting within the city to its peak and draws Imperial forces away from Martyr’s Plaza. If the heroes fail to free any slaves (and thus don’t draw forces away from the plaza), add an AT-RT (from the “Checkpoint Gamma” encounter) to the “Battle for Martyr’s Plaza” encounter.

If there are any crab droids left in Vrakth’s arsenal, they attack the heroes at the landing pad 5 minutes after the slaver encounter ends. They fight until one crab droid is destroyed, at which point the remaining droids flee in different directions to rendezvous with Vrakth.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Martyr's Plaza

As the riots spread through the city, more and more Imperial forces leave their posts to reinforce troops in trouble elsewhere. Eventually, up to half the forces in each security zone have moved off, leaving those locations as vulnerable as they’ll ever be. In particular, the forces in Martyr’s Plaza have sent away one of their two AT-STs and several dozen troopers, leaving it less well guarded than at any time during the Imperial occupation. At the center of the plaza is the access to the underground control center, which directs all communications on Nizon and monitors the asteroid fragments that endanger nearby starships. As long as Imperial forces hold the control center, their vessels can fly freely through space around Nizon and land troops wherever they wish.

When word comes of the reduced security at the entrance to the control center, Sartok tells the heroes (either face to face or via commlink) to move to Martyr’s Plaza and secure the entrance. If the heroes do so, they will allow the Nazren to take control of the center, which will enable them to keep the Empire off their world indefinitely.

Read-Aloud Text

Read the following text as soon as the heroes can see the plaza.

Each turret is located between two of the three statues. As a result, each one has line of sight to only a third of the battlefield, and the turrets cannot target each other. They are currently inactive however and thus will not target the players as they lack gunners.

If you wish to increase the difficulty of the encounter, feel free to place enemies inside the turrets but be careful that you don't push the encounter too hard on the players, Vril Vrakth is still out there.

If the pilot of the AT-ST becomes relevant, use the 'Trooper, Scout' statblock from Scum and Villainy.

Imperial Security Turret

Large construct, unaligned

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• Armor Class 10 (armor plating)
• Hit Points 75 (10d10+20)
• Speed 0 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	2 (-4)	15 (+2)	14 (+2)	11 (+0)	4 (-3)

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• Skills Perception +4
• Damage Vulnerabilities ion
• Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities poison, disease
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
• Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

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Circuitry. The turret has disadvantage on saving throws against effects that would deal ion or lightning damage.

Heavy Armor. The outer layer of the turret is covered in heavy armor, making it difficult for smaller arms to damage it. Unless the damage from a single attack or effect exceeds 15 points, the turret takes no damage from that attack. If the turret takes an amount of damage from a single attack or effect equal to or greater than its damage threshold, it takes damage as normal.

Gunner. The construct requires an active gunner to take any actions, and if the gunner is subjected to any conditions that the construct is not immune to, the gunner is also subjected to those conditions. The gunner may take their own action or one of the actions granted by the construct.

Vulnerable Interior The turret's interior is vulnerable to damage done by grenades, mines and charges, unless it is immune to that damage.

Targeting Systems. The turret uses its Intelligence modifier for attack, damage, and intitiative rolls.

Actions

Multiattack. The turret makes two laser cannon attacks.

Laser Canon. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 300/900 ft., one target that must be at least 60 ft away from the turret. Hit 16 (4d6+2) energy damage. Additionally, hit or miss, the target and each creature within 20 feet must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 15), taking 14 (4d6) energy damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Tactics

The AT-ST is aggressive, hunting down any heroes it spots and attacking with a full weapon load. If a hero has cover, the walker isn’t shy about using its grenade launcher to attack an area or firing all weapons at the cover in attempt to destroy it. The walker tries to ensure that no one swarms over and takes control of a turret as it could be a major threat to it.

If the heroes defeat the AT-ST, they can open the hatch in the stone dome and descend into the underground control center. The six Imperial technicians inside the station surrender. They realize that they have no chance against any force able to defeat a walker. On the other hand, if you want to run another encounter in the control center, have the Imperial technicians resist the intruders, use the 'Stormtrooper' statblock from 'Collateral Damage' for these technicians.

Conclusion

Once the heroes and their Nazren allies take over the control center, they are in charge of all communication on the planet. They can cut off Imperial communications planetwide, and they begin to hear reports of Nazren defeating stormtroopers throughout the city.

In addition, the Nazren now control the rogue tracking station. The Empire will have to deal with rogue fragments if they wish to land on Nizon from space, greatly increasing the difficulty of an Imperial mission to retake the planet.

The control center is also able to track the crab droids that have been harassing the heroes by tracing their signal back to its origin. If a hero thinks to try this, it requires a DC 16 Intelligence (Technology) check.

The heroes also detect a message from an Imperial officer to Vril Vrakth, who is stationed on Mount Antas. It instructs him to wait for any remaining officers within the city, then destroy the Sarlacc Project database and evacuate the planet. Vrakth acknowledges the order but doesn’t promise to obey it. If the heroes contact Vrakth, he offers to leave the database intact but taunts them by suggesting that they come talk to him about it in person. Vrakth isn’t done with his hunt just yet.

If Sartok accompanied the heroes into the control center, he asks to remain there so that he can coordinate revolts planetwide. However, if the heroes want him to keep traveling with them, he agrees to do so, assigning another Nazren to stay and begin the worldwide operations.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Point Gold

Capturing the control center is the endgame of Sartok’s plans to take back the planet, and once that has been accomplished, the Nazren believe that victory and freedom are inevitable. The Empire, however, has no faith in something as simple as asteroid fragments or a tracking station to secure a whole world. They have begun construction of a planetary turbolaser battery on Mount Antas outside the city, along with a shield generator large enough to cover the turbolasers and the city itself. While only one battery is currently operational, it has the firepower to challenge even a Star Destroyer and could be used to clear a section of space of rogue asteroid fragments, allowing troop ships to land. As long as the mountain base is in Imperial hands, more forces could return to retake the planet.

This base, Point Gold, is currently manned mostly by neutral technicians and minor Imperial officers. While Imperial doctrine calls for it to have an AT-AT and a division of troops, they have not arrived yet. All ground forces from the Arkanian Dragon were deployed throughout the city, and if the heroes have taken out the AT-ST already, they’ve dealt with the largest part of the ground forces.

However, Vril Vrakth has been using Point Gold as a base of operations for his attempts to target Sartok and the heroes. His ship is docked on a small landing bay at the edge of a construction platform, guarded by however many crab droids remain. With the whole planet in open revolt, Vrakth has been waiting for an opportunity to capture the heroes, assuming that they are behind the riots. The Zabrak bounty hunter has pulled the datachip for the Sarlacc Project, since he knows that the Imperials want it destroyed, and placed it in the center of the 160 foot-square construction platform, which is 200 feet up in the partially finished shield generator. He wants to be high up so that he can see the heroes coming. Vrakth believes that he can defeat them, turn the tide on the revolt, and collect a huge bounty from the Empire.

Vril Vrakth

Medium humanoid (Zabrak), lawful dark

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• Armor Class 16 (weave armor)
• Hit Points 83 (15d8+15)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	18 (+4)	13 (+1)	19 (+4)	12 (+1)	11 (0)

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• Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +3
• Skills Athletics +5, Intimidation +2, Perception +3, Survival +3, Technology +6
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
• Languages Galactic Basic, Zabrak
• Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

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Tech Casting. Vril Vrakth is a 10th-level techcaster. Its techcasting ability is Intelligence (power save DC 14, +6 to hit with power attacks, 34 tech points).

Vril Vrakth knows the following powers:

At-will: Encrypted Message, Combustive Shot, On/Off
1st-level: Decryption Program, Energy Shield, Flash, Repair Droid
2nd-level: Capacity Boost, Detect Invisibility, Hold Droid, Magnetic Hold, Smuggle
3rd-level: Cyrogenic Suspension, Debilitating Gas, Tech Override
4th-level: Defibrilate, Holding Cell, Salvo

Actions

Heavy Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 40/160 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8+4) energy damage.

Crab Droids (6)

Vrakth has six crab droids that he has modified to obey him and serve as his scouts and hunting drones. Each has an added comlink, which allows him to give them override orders from his cloakshape fighter. The droids have been hunting and harassing the heroes throughout their time on Nizon, and if any remain, they are here. Since Vrakth is not directly controlling the crab droids, they attack the nearest foe who attacks Vrakth. Any hero who does not attack the bounty hunter is ignored by the crab droids.

Conclusion

When the encounter has concluded, the heroes and their Nazren allies control the city, the rogue fragment tracking center, and the construction on Mount Antas. Any remaining Imperial forces evacuate or surrender, and reports begin to come in of Nazren seizing control in smaller outposts and settlements. Between the tracking center and the planetary shields and turbolasers (which they can complete), the Nazren can make retaking their planet too costly for the Empire.

Vrakth remains in contact with his apprentice, a Trandoshan bounty hunter named Koorst, who is flying in a cloakshape fighter with a hyperspace sled outside the range of the planet’s asteroid fragments and dust clouds. Koorst can’t fly safely to the surface now that the tracking station is in Nazren hands, but he receives constant reports from Vrakth during the rioting and even the final battle. If Vrakth is taken down, he drops an open commlink (unblocked by the Nazren in the control center) that shows Koorst yelling for more information. If the heroes pick up the commlink and Koorst sees any of their faces, he swears his eternal hatred of those who felled his mentor, then flies off into hyperspace. He will return in The Gem of Alderaan, later in the Dawn of Defiance campaign.

Encounter Map

[To Be Added]

Concluding the Adventure

Though Vrakth did not destroy the Sarlacc Project datachip, he still damaged it. It takes time and a DC 18 Intelligence (Technology) check to get anything out of the cracked, burned chip. If the heroes can’t manage that task, they have allies who can. Eventually, they discover that the Sarlacc Project is a massive construction effort taking place in the Deep Core, with costs so high that the Empire decided to complete it with slave labor. The information on the datachip does not specify any details about what, exactly, is being built. But all contacts and notes are tied directly to Coruscant, which seems to be the place to go for more information on the project.

The heroes are now honored allies of Nizon, treated with respect by any Nazren they encounter. Sartok begins to work toward a planetary council, though he confesses to the heroes that he hopes he isn’t on it— he’d prefer to leave his leadership role behind. He does, however, ask the heroes to take a message of friendship to Senator Organa, along with an offer that the Nazren will help him against the Empire in the future. This victory is minor in the grand scheme of things, but it’s an important beginning, proving that the Empire can be defeated, at least on small planets outside the Core Worlds.

If any heroes were killed during the adventure, the grateful Nazren erect a statue in their honor in Martyr’s Plaza.

For the Empire’s part, losing the Nazren as a source of slave labor is irritating, but thanks to the tracking station, they have little choice but to stay clear of the planet—at least temporarily. The Empire is too new to spend many resources dealing with the Nazren, and work on the Sarlacc Project can continue with Wookiee and Mon Calamari slaves. Believing that all information on the project has been destroyed, the Imperials abandon the world for the time being.