To ensure the characters are always prepared for their next heist, make sure their level matches the heist's level, as shown in the Heist Adventures table. For example, the characters should be 2nd level before undertaking "The Shadow World Gambit."

Working in the Shadows

Secrecy is paramount for any intelligence organization. To protect the organization, the characters' handler never provides more information than is absolutely necessary. Similarly, operatives are aware of only a handful of their fellow members. This compartmentalization ensures no one individual knows enough to jeopardize the organization at large.

Should operatives be caught breaking the law while serving the patron organization, the organization does its best to protect them. It may pull strings to ensure members aren't incarcerated—or worse—depending on the organization's resources in the area.

Meera Raheer

Meera Raheer (lawful light, Human commoner**) is a handler you can assign to oversee your players' heist crew.

When Meera was young, her kindhearted and upstanding mothers served as city clerks. But when they began investigating financial irregularities, the unscrupulous mayor framed them for embezzlement to cover his own corruption. The only evidence of the Raheers' innocence was a set of holographic communications between the mayor and his conspirators. The recordings were locked in the mayor's office.

Luckily for the Raheers, a crew of operatives of the patron organization infiltrated city hall, retrieved the recordings, and revealed the mayor's crimes. The Raheers kept fighting against government corruption, and Meera has followed in her parents' footsteps, continuing their anti-corruption work by becoming a city's clerk and a member of the patron organization.

Meera lives and breathes city protocols, procedures, and statutes. She also understands that sometimes doing the right thing means operating outside the law.

Heist Complications

Unforeseen complications are an iconic aspect of heist narratives. Whether they take the form of a rival crew appearing out of nowhere or a treasure that turns out to be fake, complications ratchet up the tension and require the characters to think on their feet.

If you want to challenge your players, consider adding one of the complications below to any of this book's adventures.

Rival Crew Statistics

Rival Crew in Play

Decide whether the rival crew is ahead of or behind the characters in pursuit of the objective. If either would make sense for your game, roll a d20. On an even result, the rivals are closer to achieving the objective than the characters. On an odd result, the rivals are nipping at the characters' heels.

Pay attention to how the characters respond to their rivals' presence. If the characters take pains to thwart trailing rivals or catch leading rivals, the characters should achieve their objective without further complication. If the characters ignore the rival crew, the rivals should achieve the objective first. Then it's up to the characters to chase their rivals and try to salvage the mission.

Always give the characters the opportunity to confront rivals who have achieved the objective first. This might lead to a negotiation scene or a fight.

Rival Crew Motivations

A rival crew might pursue the characters' objective for a variety of reasons. Greed might motivate rivals to steal a valuable objective, or they might have deep emotional involvement in the story.

A rival crew might be working at the behest of a patron. Perhaps an evil guild leader has hired the rivals to steal the MacGuffin. If the characters aren't working for a patron organization, perhaps the rivals are—and they might try to recruit the characters to their cause.

The Rival Crew Motivations table provides hooks for how a rival crew might become involved in each of this book's adventures.

The Tilnes Terror

An Adventure for 1st-Level Characters

Unbeknownst to anyone but a disgraced academic, the Reidi Artom Museum in the city of Gadrin on the planet Cularin is in grave danger. Archaeologists at a dig site on one of the planet's moons recently unearthed a curiosity: the Tilnes Stone. This object is actually a dark creature's egg, and it's about to hatch. The characters must infiltrate the museum, steal the egg, and return it to Dr. Cassee Dannell to be neutralized before it releases a Shrii-Ka-Rai--an Eater of the Force.

Once the characters have determined their connection to Dr. Dannell, read the following out loud to get this adventure started:

Map 1.1: Players' Map

The Opening Gala

The private gala celebrating the opening of the Tilnes Stone exhibition begins at 6 p.m., and the museum closes at 8 p.m. There's enough time for characters to prepare before attending, including retrieving or procuring formal attire if they don't wish to wear the clothes Dr. Dannell provided. Weapons and visible armor are not permitted inside the museum and must be smuggled in using hidden pockets or stashed elsewhere.

Once the characters are ready to enter the museum, keep track of which character is wearing the clothes, clandestine (fine), if the characters are making use of the hidden pockets. Then read the following aloud:

The museum is open to the public today; only the Gemstone Wing on the second floor is closed for the ticketed gala. The Tilnes Stone is ensconced in the Gemstone Wing.

Guard Locations After Hours

Circumventing Security

Characters who discover the museum's security measures can find ways to circumvent them. A few suggestions are provided below:

• Avoiding Statues. Characters can keep the statues from activating by staying more than 5 feet away from them.
• Bypassing Alarms. The curator and guards each carry a palm-sized pass card embossed with the museum's logo. A detect enhancement tech power reveals an aura around each pass card, which allows the bearer to bypass any of the museum's alarms. The characters can find a stash of extra pass cards in area V7. A character who is hidden and within reach of a guard can try to steal that guard's pass card without the guard's knowledge, doing so with a successful DC 14 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
• Sneaking Past Guards. The characters can find a document in the curator's office (area V5) that outlines the guards' stations after hours. During the gala, the curator keeps this document on her person (see the "Curator Alda Arkin" section). Characters who spend at least 1 minute studying the document have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to sneak past guards after hours.
• Stealing Code Cylinders. The curator carries a master code cylinder, while each guard carries a code cylinder that unlocks all doors to the area in which the guard is stationed. Guards in area V1 also have a code cylinder to the break room (area V7). A character can steal a guard's code cylinder in the same way as they can steal a pass card, described in "Bypassing Alarms" above.

Hiding in the Museum

The characters can hide in numerous locations while the museum closes. Below are good options, which are detailed in the "Museum Locations" section:

• Cleaning Supply Storage. Short hallways that hold cleaning supplies are concealed behind secret doors in areas V3, V4, V8, V9, V12, and V13.
• Privies. The guards nominally check area V15 before closing, but anyone who hides here avoids detection.
• Attic or Basement. The guards don't enter areas V16 or V17 before the museum closes.

Reentering the Museum

The characters might decide to leave the museum when it closes and sneak back inside after hours. Below are some strategies they might use:

• Front Doors. The characters could pick the lock on the front doors to area V1, use pass cards to bypass the alarm (see "Bypassing Alarms"), and contend with the falling net trap just inside the doors while remaining a safe distance from the droid statues.
• Attic Skylight. The characters could pick the lock on the skylight to enter the building. Grappling hooks and fibercord cable are required to scale the building. By the end of the gala, it is dark enough to allow characters to enter through the attic skylight without being seen.
• Basement Doors. The characters could pry open the loading dock doors or prop open the secret door if they find it.

Attending the Gala

If the characters approach the private gala in the Gemstone Wing (area V13), they encounter Maryam Bikram (lawful neutral, Human guard**). The captain of the museum's security force, Maryam is a serious woman and a veteran of the city's watch. She admits any character who is dressed for the occasion and has a ticket. Others are turned away.

When the characters enter the gala, read the following aloud:

Twenty other gala attendees (unarmed and unarmored nobles**) mill around the event. All are dressed in elaborate finery, and most are long-time donors to the museum.

When a character interacts with an attendee, roll on the Gala Attendees table to determine whom they meet. The attendees know nothing about the Tilnes Stone beyond basic details about its discovery. However, if the characters fish for information about the stone or the museum and succeed on a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check, an attendee reveals one random piece of information from the Museum Gossip table.

Reidi Artom Museum

Once the Tilnes Stone exhibition gala ends, the museum closes. Its staff members activate the protections listed in the "Investigating Security Measures" section.

Map 1.2: DM's Map

Player Version

Museum Locations

The following locations are keyed to map 1.2. The descriptions assume the characters are exploring the museum after it's closed to the public.

Deadly Droid. After hours, the curator enables her office's defense mechanism: a 000 series protocol droid. When a creature other than Alda enters the room, the droid activates and attacks, fighting until destroyed.

At your discretion, a noisy fight might attract the attention of the guards patrolling area V1.

Guards' Patrol Routes. If the characters didn't snatch Alda's clutch during the gala, they can find a copy of the guards' after-hours patrol routes on the desk under some other loose paperwork (see the "Curator Alda Arkin" section).

V12: Prehistoric Predators Exhibit

Two guards** patrol this area.

The statue west of the stairs depicts a Tarasin. If a character comes within 5 feet of the statue, it activates. The statue uses the B2 series, B2-A stat block and fights until destroyed.

Alarms. An alarm tech power has been cast in the hallway leading to the Unearthed Café (area V11). Another alarm power has been cast on the door in the middle of the east wall (which leads to area V13).

Kilassin. The Kilassin ancestor looks like a preserved specimen, but the museum hired astrotechs to transform it into a harmless animatronic display. A character who examines the display's base notices a small hatch covering a panel of buttons. A character can use these controls to turn on the animatronic display, which alerts not only the guards in this area but also the guards in areas V11 and V13.

As an action, a character can use astrotech's implements or a slicer's kit to try to overload the controls, doing so with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Technology) check. This causes the animatronic Kilassin (see its stat block at the end of the adventure) to break free from its display base and rampage for 10 minutes before becoming inert again. The creature stomps through the area, then heads down the grand staircase, causing mayhem in area V1.

Vent. The east wall has a 3-foot-high, 3-foot-wide, 5-foot-deep air vent leading to area V13. The vent is 10 feet above the floor. Reaching it requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Safely returning to the floor doesn't require an ability check.

V13: Gemstone Wing

Two guards** patrol this area.

Staff members plan to remove the tables and restore the normal gemstone exhibits in the morning before the museum opens. For now, the contents of those exhibits are in the basement (area V16).

Purple Stone. The purple stone on the pedestal is the Tilnes Stone, which is described at the end of this adventure. As Dr. Dannell fears, the stone is indeed a dark creature's egg. At 10:30 p.m., the effects described in "The Tilnes Stone" begin, and at midnight, the egg hatches. See "Museum Feeding Frenzy" to learn what happens when the egg hatches.

Rigged Pedestal. A detect enhancement tech power reveals an aura around the pedestal, which is attached to the floor and can't be moved. A character who examines the pedestal notices tiny sensors around the stone and can make a DC 12 Intelligence (Technology) check. On a success, the character realizes that all doors leading to the room will lock if the stone is removed from the pedestal.

If the Tilnes Stone is removed from the pedestal, lock tech powers activate on all doors leading to the room (including secret doors), causing them to close and lock. As an action, a character can try to open a locked door using a security kit, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check, or force open a locked door by succeeding on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. The lock powers don't prevent the curator or the museum guards from opening the doors.

Replacing the Tilnes Stone with a fake can prevent the trap from triggering. A suitable fake can be found in area V9. Swapping it for the real Tilnes Stone without activating the lock powers requires a successful DC 10 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.

Vent. The west wall has a 3-foot-high, 3-foot-wide, 5-foot-deep air vent leading to area V12. The vent is 10 feet above the floor. Reaching it requires a successful DC 10 Strength (Athletics) check. Safely returning to the floor doesn't require an ability check.

Secret Door. The south wall contains a secret door that opens into a short hallway containing cleaning supplies. At the far end of the hallway is another secret door that doesn't require an ability check to spot from inside the hall. This secret door pulls open to reveal the hallway between areas V9 and V10.

V14: Access Hallway

This hallway connects the Unearthed Café (area V11) to the Prehistoric Predators exhibit (area V12) and the privies (area V15).

V15: Privies

This area holds five stalls. A simple latch allows the door of each privy to be locked from the inside. East of the privies is a staircase to the attic (area V17).

V16: Basement

Objects formerly on display or not yet prepped for display are stored here. The area is infrequently visited, and a dua-wurm, adolescent (see its stat block at the end of the adventure) recently took up residence in the centermost pile of boxes. The dua-wurm is a two-headed purple worm, 2 meters in length, which dwells underground on Cularin. Noticing it before it attacks requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The dua-wurm waits to attack until a character moves within 5 feet; it then fights until destroyed.

Loading Docks. The warehouse doors open onto an underground ramp that leads to street level. A character who has observed the whole building from the outside can easily find where the ramp exits at ground level. The doors are locked, and their hinges are stiff. Unlocking them requires a successful DC 14 Dexterity check with a security kit; after that, shoving the doors open requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. This is noisy and attracts the attention of one guard patrolling the grand entrance above (area V1).

Secret Door. In the basement's northwest corner, a secret door opens into a 50-foot-long tunnel that emerges in a copse of trees near the museum.

Loot. Most of the items in the boxes would be nearly impossible to sell, as they would quickly be identified as stolen museum property. However, the boxes in the southeastern corner contain the items from the Gemstone Wing that were stored to make room for the Tilnes Stone gala: gemstones and chunks of raw silver ore, all found locally. The 20 pounds of gems and ore are worth 1500 cr total.

Mission is Unsuccessful

If the characters don't retrieve the Tilnes Stone in time, use the following adventure hooks to continue their story.

A Stolen Stone. Shortly after the characters' unsuccessful heist, Alda Arkin steals the stone herself. The secret leader of an illegal syndicate that fences stolen historical objects, the curator believes she can get a high price for this strange piece. Using a Nameless control rod, the curator renders the egg unable to hatch, but its dire effects persist. When the egg's dark energy transforms the curator into an aberration, she holes up in her manor with the egg, unable to think straight. The characters must confront the warped creatures within Alda's manor—including the curator—before the stone can cause more mayhem.

Museum Feeding Frenzy. The Tilnes Stone hatches into an eight-foot-long, nascent Eater of the Force, and the stone's effects cease. At first, the museum's staff assumes someone stole the stone and closes the building. But the hatchling terrorizes and eats the guards one by one. Curator Alda Arkin admits Dr. Dannell's theory might be correct and hires the characters to stop the dark creature. The wily monster is now the size of a pony and uses the maalraas, adolescent stat block, except it is an aberration. It has set traps using the slime it secretes while metabolizing its food, and the entire museum is its nightmarish habitat. The characters must stop this creature before it outgrows the museum.

If the Shrii-Ka-Rai isn't defeated within a few days, it rampages through the museum's front doors, bolting toward Gadrin University. Now grown to enormous proportions, the juvenile Eater of the Force uses the Hssiss stat block but understands no languages and has a Charisma score of 18. It also has the following additional action option:

The city needs heroes to track down the horror and incapacitate it before it causes even more carnage.

The Tilnes Stone

Recently unearthed on Cularin's moon Tilnes, the unenhanced object called the Tilnes Stone is the egg of a dark creature. The opaque, purple stone weighs 10 pounds and has abstract patterns on its surface.

The egg's removal from Tilnes rapidly accelerated the development of the creature inside it. Starting at 10:30 p.m., the egg's stony shell becomes translucent, revealing the horror inside, and it begins to emit a pulse of dark energy every 10 minutes. Whenever a pulse occurs, each creature within 20 feet of the egg must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw, and a forcecaster or a creature holding the egg has disadvantage on the roll. Any creature that fails the saving throw is subjected to an effect determined by rolling on the Tilnes Stone Effects table. When a creature rolls for a new effect, the previous one ends. The effects end when the egg hatches or when the egg is encased in the crystal box Dr. Dannell provides.

Stat Blocks

The Shadow World Gambit

An Adventure for 2nd-Level Characters

At the Shadow World Casino, a Pazaak tournament called the Grand Vixian Invitational awards one winner with a sizable purse and a golden Vixian Mauler statuette. A former gambler with a score to settle hires the characters to steal the statuette as well as credits from the casino's vault before the tournament ends and the winner is declared. The characters must case the casino, steal what they came for, and escape.

This adventure can take place on any planet of your choice.

Map 2.1: Players' Map

The characters have just over 48 hours to steal the Vixian Mauler statuette, as the tournament ends two nights from now and the statuette will depart with the winner. While the characters could try to take the statuette from the winner on their way out, Veti wants to limit the heist's impact to Quentin as much as possible to shame him publicly.

Arriving at the Casino

The characters can take the landspeeder offered to them by Veti or find their own way to the casino. At a branch in the road, they see an illuminated sign declaring, "This way to the Shadow World!" in eerie blue lettering, with an arrow pointing down the narrower branch. Characters who follow this route for a short distance come to a cobbled turnaround and lot where chauffeurs can wait while their patrons gamble.

As the characters step from the speeder, they are greeted by a white-robed Umabaran commoner** who welcomes them to the Shadow World Casino. This Umbaran directs them down a brightly lit row of docks, where boats wait to take the characters downriver. The casino's entrance is visible a short distance away, where the river enters a wide-mouthed cave.

Casino Features

The Shadow World Casino is built within a natural cavern. Its common features are described in the following sections.

Security Mirrors

Throughout the casino are security mirrors, each one anchored to a wall at a downward angle twelve feet off the floor. Each mirror is a Large object with AC 13, 5 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. In addition to functioning as a normal mirror, each security mirror is double-sided and has a secuirty camera behind it, allowing guards in the security office (area A16) to see a live feed.

Breaking or tampering with a mirror leads two guards from area A16 to investigate and report what they learn to Quentin.

Walls and Floors

The casino's perimeter walls are made of rough, naturally carved stone. Interior walls are made of 2-foot-thick stone; these walls look natural but were sculpted using laser drills. The floors are made of smooth worked stone.

Quentin never forgave Veti for what he felt was a stunning humiliation and vowed to take his revenge. He spent the next several years building up a false friendship with her, traveling the gambling circuit with her and cultivating a mutual dream: owning and operating their own casino. Then, three years ago, he saw his opportunity, stole all the money they had pooled together, and vanished from Veti's life. Opening the Shadow World Casino was the final coup de grace in Quentin's vengeance against Veti, and he is riding high on the grand-opening weekend. He secretly hopes Veti arrives to confront him herself so he can laugh in her face.

Map 2.2: DM's Map

Player Version

A6: Spa and Baths

The Umbaran attendant (commoner**) is happy to schedule massages or time in the sauna or baths. Patrons are allowed to explore the areas beyond the curtain:

• Spa. The northernmost chamber is where patrons receive therapeutic massages (100 cr for an hour) or relax in the wood-sided sauna for free. A locked double door in the east wall leads to the laundry (area A7).
• Baths. The southernmost room contains four steaming pools of water. Patrons can pay 20 cr for two hours in the pools or 50 cr for an all-day pass.

A7: Laundry

Employee-Only Area

This area holds two large washtubs, as well as a clothesline hung with towels and employee uniforms. Characters who want to disguise themselves as employees can find plenty of uniforms here.

A8: Circus Rootai

The Circus Rootai performs here for the enjoyment of all. Hour-long performances occur here once every four hours. Each show presents a mix of Umbaran acrobats and trained animals, all performing to the music of a Umbaran synthtone player. The star of the show is a trained gladiopod named Emrys, which leaps through flaming hoops on command. See area A12 for more information about these creatures.

Casino patrons come and go through two sets of double doors in the east wall. Descending rings of seats encircle a 35-foot-wide, 10-foot-deep depression in the floor. When the circus is in full swing, performers and trained animals enter and leave through an open tunnel in the west wall of the depression. This tunnel leads to a staging area (area A12) behind a locked double door.

Security Mirror. A security mirror hangs in the northwest corner, overlooking the seating area.

A9: Tournament Floor

The five tables closest to the entrance are high-stakes tables (500 cr buy-in) open to anyone, while the easternmost two tables are reserved for the final rounds of the Grand Vixian Invitational tournament.

Grand Vixian Invitational. When the characters first arrive here, the tournament is in full swing. Its eight remaining participants (see the "Tournament Participants" sidebar) are arranged as shown in the Tournament Seating table. Between rounds of the tournament, characters are free to mingle and chat with the tournament participants.

The display case is 2 feet wide, 2 feet deep, and 3 feet tall, and it weighs 25 pounds. It is a Small object that has AC 13, 3 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The Vixian Mauler statuette is a Tiny object that weighs 6 pounds.

A character who examines the display case and succeeds on a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check spots a line of barely visible sensors around its base. A detect enhancement tech power reveals an aura emanating from the case. Damaging the case triggers an Umbaran stun grenade that forces each creature in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on the case to succeed on a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute.

The front of the display case is a hinged door with a locked latch. The door can be unlocked and opened using the keycard found in Quentin's office (area A14). As an action, a character using a security kit can try to pick the lock, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

Security Mirror. A security mirror hangs on a pillar in the southwest corner, overlooking the room.

A smartly dressed Balosar with a devilish countenance sits behind the desk, stroking his pointy beard. When he notices you, he curls his lips in a lopsided smile. "Well, now," he says. "What can I do for you?"

It is such a disappointment when one attempts to conceal their lack of skill by sending others to do their dirty work. Nevertheless, after all this time, it appears I am, in fact, better than you.—Q.

A15: Clerk's Office

Employee-Only Area

The computer in the desk tracks all money moving in and out of the casino. Any character who accesses the computer by making a successful DC 15 Intelligence check with a slicer's kit can verify that the casino's digital account contains roughly 50,000 cr.

A16: Security Office

Employee-Only Area

Five desks face the west wall, which is covered with screens. Each screen on the wall corresponds to a security mirror elsewhere in the casino, and whatever is happening within line of sight of the mirrors is displayed here. Three Umbaran security guards (use the trooper, sapper* stat block) monitor the screens.

Keycard. A keycard sits on the desk next to the south door. It can be used to unlock the cells and chests in area A17.

A17: Holding Cells

Employee-Only Area

This area holds six jail cells and two metal chests (see "Metal Chests" below). The keycard in the security office (area A16) unlocks the cells and the chests. As an action, a character using a security kit can try to pick a lock, doing so with a successful DC 17 Dexterity check. If the character tries to pick the lock of a cell door from inside the cell, the check is made with disadvantage.

Metal Chests. Both chests are unlocked and empty. If one or more characters are detained here, their weapons are locked in the chests for safekeeping.

A18: Back Hallways

Employee-Only Area

These three hallways are used frequently by casino employees. At your discretion, characters who linger here might encounter one or more of these employees heading to or from the casino floor.

Security Mirrors. Each hallway has a security mirror on its west wall that faces a single or double door to the east.

A19: Vault

Employee-Only Area

The double door leading to the vault has Umbaran lightning cannons mounted on its south side. If a creature without an employee pass card comes within 10 feet of the double door, the cannons fire a 10-foot-wide, 30-foot-long line of electricity down the hallway. Each creature in the line must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This trap resets at the next dawn.

When the characters peer into the vault for the first time, read the following:

The vault is forty feet deep and almost twice as wide. A security mirror stares back at you from the far wall. Seven computer terminals stand against the north and east walls, and two tall wardrobes stand against the south wall.

Standing in the middle of the room is a tall black droid with glowing red eyes.

Conclusion

The adventure ends when the characters return to Veti Kye with the fruits of their heist, Quentin's message, or nothing:

• Returning with the Loot. If the characters obtained the statuette and the money and return both to Veti Kye, she is pleased. She pays the characters and thanks them for their service.
• Returning Empty-Handed. If the characters return empty-handed, Veti is disappointed but open to the possibility of giving them more opportunities to prove themselves, if they're game for it.
• Returning with Quentin's Message. If the characters return without the loot but give Quentin's message to Veti, she reads it in furious silence. She then tells the characters to leave and offers them no recompense.

The Onderon Incursion

An Adventure for 3rd-Level Characters

Markos Delphi's curiosity has taken a tragic turn. The spirit of King Ommin has taken control of Markos, compelling him to commit evil acts. At Ommin's command, Markos is using a Sith spellbook to bring Ommin back into the physical world. The book's previous owner hired adventurers to retrieve the spellbook and prevent Markos from using it, but these adventurers fell prey to the horrors of Delphi Mansion. A new group of adventurers—the player characters—must now complete the task. Meanwhile, Markos is close to accomplishing Ommin's goal.

Acquiring the Sith spellbook is the primary goal of this adventure, but the characters also have a chance to free Markos from the dark spirit's control. Body horror is a recurring theme in this adventure; before running it, discuss with your players their level of comfort with these elements.

Hired by Markos's Family

Shortly after Markos stole the Sith spellbook from the library of Vasil Talistrome, the incident was reported to Markos's wealthy family. Several family members are concerned about Markos and fear his recent studies have led him down a troubled path. One of Markos's family members hires the characters to travel to Delphi Mansion and stop Markos from doing anything that might hurt himself or others. The family member asks the characters to return the Sith spellbook to its rightful owner, preferably without harming Markos.

Meeting Elra

The journey to the Delphi Mansion on Onderon can be as eventful as you wish. When the characters get within 1 mile of the mansion, they encounter a manifestation of the late Elra Lionheart.

Elra's spirit manifests as a Force ghost. In this form, Elra reaches out to the characters and provides some helpful information:

The characters have a choice: go to Elra's camp or to the mansion.

At your discretion, Elra's ghost can float alongside the characters as they explore Delphi Mansion. In this form, Elra can't be harmed, nor can she physically interact with her surroundings in any way. Moreover, Elra can't stray more than a few feet from the characters. But she can provide helpful advice if the characters get stuck and don't know what to do.

If you choose not to have Elra accompany the characters, her spirit fades away.

Elra's Camp

Elra and her companions camped on a bluff that has an unobstructed view of the south wall of Delphi Mansion. The characters can locate the camp without difficulty.

A quick search of the camp yields a backpack containing a rolled-up map of Delphi Mansion sketched on flimsiplast. Give your players a copy of map 3.1 at this time.

Accompanying the map are some scraps of flimsiplast with notes written on them in Galactic Basic. Elra and her companions obtained the map and notes from one of Markos's cultists, whom they caught leaving the mansion. The notes are as follows:

• "Markos has a room on the third floor where he performs rituals."
• "The basement contains a secret door--only those closest to Markos know its location and password."
• "Mansion windows can be unlocked using the password 'Ommin.'"

Delphi Mansion

Members of the Delphi family are nobles known for their academic studies. Markos's ancestors built Delphi Mansion in a forest away from civilization so they could study in peace.

Map 3.1: Players' Map

Map 3.2: DM's Map

Player Version

Dark Surges

Since the day Markos contacted Ommin, his presence has slowly warped Delphi Mansion and its residents. Ommin's influence is strongest in certain rooms. When a room's description calls for it, or whenever a creature casts a force power in Delphi Mansion, roll on the Dark Surges table to see how Ommin's influence manifests in that location. The surge lasts for 1 hour. Rolling on the Dark Surges table while a surge is already in effect causes the current surge to end.

Delphi Mansion Locations

Locations in Delphi Mansion are keyed to map 3.2.

D7a: Empty Sitting Room

All furnishings and decorations have been removed from this room, leaving nothing but dust and cobwebs.

D7b: Room with a Secret

The plants in this room have been twisted by Sith alchemy. The plant on the floor is a saava, and the plant on the table is a dart flower (see its stat block at the end of the adventure). They both attack if a character comes within 5 feet of either.

Hidden Room. A secret door in the north wall (behind the dart flower) leads to a hidden room. A character who examines the north wall and succeeds on a DC 10 Intelligence (Investigation) check finds the secret door, which pushes inward easily enough.

The hidden room has a pair of cobwebbed chairs at one end and a dusty table at the opposite end. Tucked under the table is a small metal chest with handles.

Loot. The metal chest is unlocked and holds three spell scrolls (see the Dungeon Master's Guide): curse, dark side tendrils, and improved phasewalk. It also holds a bag containing six pieces of jewelry worth 1,000 cr each.

D8a: Tower Ground Floor

The stairs here climb 20 feet to area D8b.

D8b: Tower Stairs

The stairs here descend 20 feet to area D8a and climb 20 feet to area D8c.

D8c: Stargazer's Roost

The cloaked figure is Zala Morphus (lawful dark, Human dark novice*). Zala helped Markos contact Ommin. She regrets her actions, overwhelmed by the magnitude of Ommin's evil, and has become irrationally obsessed with astrology, believing that the stars will contain some sign about how Ommin can be defeated. Zala has no interest in Markos's current activities and little knowledge about them.

If the characters attack Zala, she responds in kind. If they claim to be looking for the Sith spellbook, Zala advises them to search Markos's office (area D11b) or his bedroom (area D15).

Zala wants a holobook on astronomy called The Celestial Codex from the library (area D21). If the characters retrieve the book for her, Zala tells characters about the locked secret door in the wine cellar (area D23) along with the password ("nwûl tash").

Loot. Zala carries two spell scrolls (see the Dungeon Master's Guide): cloud mind and force confusion. She also carries a holocron, adept that contains the following force powers: coerce mind, hallucination, and project.

D9: Guest Bedrooms

These two adjacent rooms are furnished identically:

The first character to enter the westernmost bedroom triggers a roll on the Dark Surges table.

The easternmost bedroom contains a vornskr that has been mutated by Sith alchemy into a Chrysalide beast (making it an aberration). It attacks any character who opens the door and fights to the death.

D10: Balcony

This balcony overlooks the foyer (area D1), the floor of which is 20 feet below.

D11a: Empty Office

All furnishings have been removed from this room, leaving nothing but dust and cobwebs.

D11b: Markos's Office

The first character to enter the office triggers a roll on the Dark Surges table.

Correspondence. The computer in the northeast niche is unlocked and contains correspondence between Markos and other nobles. You can decide if these messages are addressed to or written by anyone of significance to the characters.

Desk. The desk contains a complete set of writer's implements (see Wretched Hives).

D12: Gallery

D13: Alchemy Lab

One of the cloaked figures is Markos's head researcher, Xander (lawful dark, Human Revanite, believer). The other figure is an apprentice named Kura (lawful dark, Human Revanite, follower). Both have embraced Ommin and the power he offers. Xander and Kura are indifferent toward intruders and don't attack unless the intruders aim to harm them or hinder their research.

Xander and Kura don't keep track of Markos's movements, but they know he has been spending a lot of time in the caves below the basement (area D27). They assume the Sith spellbook is with Markos or in his bedroom (area D15).

Loot. Characters can assemble a biochemist's kit and a poisoner's kit from the contents of this lab. Among the various concoctions found throughout the room are four medpacs, a sorcerer's adrenal (improved), a vial containing oil of slipperiness (see the Dungeon Master's Guide), and a vial with one dose of assassin's blood poison (see the Dungeon Master's Guide).

D14: Meditation Room

There's no obvious source for the horrible smell that lingers here. The first character who enters the room triggers a roll on the Dark Surges table.

Markos used to sit on the rug and meditate while pondering the secrets of the Force, but he hasn't used this room in a while.

Trapdoor. The trapdoor in the ceiling leads to the master bath (area D17). An unfolding wooden ladder allows easy access.

D15: Markos's Bedroom

Behind the headboard of the bed is a secret door to a hidden walk-in closet. A character who examines the wall and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers not only the secret door but also a secret button on the headboard. Pushing the button causes the bed to slide eastward, allowing easy access to the hidden closet.

Hidden Closet. This closet contains clothing on hooks and shelves, plus an assortment of footwear. On a small table against the east wall sits a durasteel lockbox. A character using a security kit can try to pick the lock, which requires 1 minute and a successful DC 14 Dexterity check.

Loot. The lockbox contains an amethyst cloak pin shaped like an eye (1,250 cr) and a Sith acolyte's robe.

D16: Student Quarters

These rooms were set aside for Markos's pupils, who shared his drive for knowledge but didn't share in their master's reward for contacting Ommin. The pupils tried to flee the mansion after Markos made his pact--Ommin didn't approve. Each room now contains two Nightsister zombies* that mill about. They attack intruders on sight.

Loot. Characters who search the northernmost room find three holocrons (journeyman): one containing comprehend speech, sense force, and telemetry, one containing battle precognition and phasewalk, and one containing malacia and probe mind.

D17: Bathroom

Loot. Four bottles of perfumes and scented oils (250 cr each) sit on the small table.

D18: Third-Floor Hall

This hallway has become a lair for baby rupings (use the bogwing, lesser stat block)—two per character. The rupings entered the mansion through the hole in the roof above area D8c. They attack anyone who tries to cross the hall.

D19: Genetic Engineering Room

The first character who enters the room triggers a roll on the Dark Surges table.

Circle of Symbols. A sense force force power reveals an aura around the circle on the floor. A creature standing fully inside the circle feels the unsettling presence of a dark spirit and can choose to receive an omen from that spirit, as if the creature had cast a danger sense force power. After receiving such an omen, the creature can't receive another one for 24 hours but still feels the dark presence while inside the circle.

Esquire. The hook-handed figure is Markos's former butler, Esquire (see his stat block at the end of the adventure), who has been turned into a sithspawn. Esquire isn't bound inside the circle and attacks intruders on sight. He doesn't know the cause of his mutation. If the characters explain that an evil entity is responsible for Esquire's mutation or that Markos might be in danger from this entity, Esquire lets them live if they vow to save Markos.

Esquire's tattered butler uniform has a pocket containing a datapad and a piece of flimsiplast. The datapad contains a single audio file of a voice saying the password to the temple, "nwûl tash," which is Sith for "peace is a lie", the first line of the Sith Code. The flimsiplast contains a sketch of a wine bottle and a row of four circles. The second circle from the left is crossed out. (The circles represent the casks in area D23, the crossed-out one representing the cask blocking a secret door.)

Loot. Characters can assemble a set of geneticist's implements from the contents of the room.

The Ommin harness amplifies the dark surges, which a character can ascertain by examining the armature and then succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence (Lore) check. If the armature is destroyed, the dark surges stop occurring throughout the mansion. The Ommin harness is a Medium object with AC 17, 36 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

Loot. The book resting on the crate is the Sith spellbook. A force push/pull force power can easily move the book. An invisible character can sneak across the room and try to steal the book without Markos noticing, doing so with a successful DC 14 Dexterity (Stealth) check. On a failed check, Markos detects the theft. Although he no longer needs the book to complete the ritual, Markos won't give it up without a fight while he's under Ommin's influence. Once free of that influence, Markos is horrified by his actions and gladly gives up the book (see "Markos Lives").

The Sith spellbook is filled with dark incantations in the Sith language, and tucked between the book's pages are two spell scrolls (see the Dungeon Master's Guide): armor of Aboleth and dark side tendrils.

Larval Sithspawn

Tiny aberration (sithspawn), chaotic dark

---

• Armor Class 12
• Hit Points 10 (4d4)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
7 (-2)	15 (+2)	10 (+0)	3 (-4)	5 (-3)	3 (-4)

---

• Skills Stealth +4
• Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, sonic
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 7
• Languages understands Sith but can't speak
• Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Force Resistance. The sithspawn has advantage on saving throws against force powers and other force effects.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft.,, one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) kinetic damage.

Sith Mask

Tiny construct, lawful dark

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• Armor Class 13
• Hit Points 10 (3d4 + 3)
• Speed 0 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
4 (-3)	16 (+3)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)

---

• Skills Lore +7, Persuasion +7
• Damage Immunities poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities blinded, diseased, exhaustion, poisoned
• Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 13
• Languages Galactic Basic, Onderonian, Sith, telepathy 60 ft.
• Challenge 0 (10 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Actions

Dark Revitalization. The mask touches one creature that has 0 hit points in the mask's space. The target regains 10 hit points, and each creature within 10 feet of the healed creature takes 3 (1d6) psychic damage.

Force-Empowered Dodge. Until the start of the mask's next turn, any attack roll made against the mask has disadvantage, and the mask makes saving throws with advantage.

Prisoner 13

An Adventure for 4th-Level Characters

On a remote asteroid lies an impenetrable fortress built to house the Outer Rim's most dangerous criminals. One of this prison's earliest inmates, a Bothan known as Prisoner 13, spends her days in seeming quiet and solitude while secretly pulling the strings of a spy network that spans much of the galaxy. She holds the key to a treasure she stole from a Bothan clan. In this heist, the characters must infiltrate the prison, retrieve the key from Prisoner 13 (her cybernetic hand), and return the key to Varrin Brek'skar, the Bothan who hired them.

"Thank you for hearing me out. My name is Varrin Brek'skar, and I have a proposition for you. My clan has located wealth stolen from us many years ago, but it's sealed in a vault that will self-destruct if we try to break it open. If you can recover the key—whatever it is—you'll gain the undying gratitude of Clan Askar. And I'll cut you in for a percentage of the recovered treasure, of course.

"The catch here is the person who knows how to open the vault is rotting away in the prison of Devil's Asteroid. She's proved uncooperative with my people in the past, but I recently discovered the vault where she hid what she stole from us. I need you to question her and learn how to open the vault. How you do that is up to you; if you need to spring her from the prison in exchange for this information, please do so. I can provide you with a way in, as well as the layout of Devil's Asteroid and a few useful tricks."

Varrin retrieves a stack of datapads and hands one to each player. "These each contain a holographic map of Devil's Asteroid," he explains. "While the map is displayed, you can tap any door or hatch and temporarily unlock it. This function will be usable until the next time the prison changes their security encryption--five days from now."

The Breaker's Map

While wearing a datapad given to them by Varrin, each character can cause a holographic image of map 4.1 to appear in the air before them while they aren't incapacitated (no action required). Varrin explains each of the features the characters can see on their maps:

• Cells. The cells, highlighted in red, are blanketed in permanent scrambling fields. Prisoner 13's cell is clearly marked.
• Doors and Hatches. The doors and hatches are sealed with lock tech powers that only prison staff can bypass. However, while the characters are within 100 feet of Devil's Asteroid, the map allows them to use an action to touch the image of a door or hatch and suppress the lock on that portal. While a lock is suppressed, its image turns green. The lock remains suppressed for 1 minute or until another lock is suppressed.
• Patrol Route. The yellow path marked on the map is the regular patrol route guards take. The usual patrol rotation is once every 20 minutes, but if the guards are suspicious, patrols will likely become more frequent.

The Devil in the Details

In the likely event that the characters want more information, Varrin answers their questions succinctly and honestly. He has spent the last of his personal fortune gathering information on the prison and making the arrangements for a team to confront Korda. These are the details he can provide:

• Entering the Prison. The prison staff rotate out periodically. Varrin knows the schedule of the next rotation, and his agents are standing by to capture a number of guards and cooks so the characters can take their place (see "Approaching the Prison").
• Prisoner 13. Prisoner 13 was a trusted agent of Clan Askar until she betrayed the clan and stole its fortune. If pressed, Varrin reluctantly tells the characters her name (Korda Glins'tone), but he stresses that they shouldn't reveal they know it. No one in the prison except perhaps the warden knows Prisoner 13 by her real name, so using it would only raise suspicion. Her cell is marked on the map.
• Key. Prisoner 13 must have the vault key or know where it is, but every method Clan Askar has tried to locate the key has failed. Varrin presumes Prisoner 13 would give up the key only in exchange for freedom, but if the characters can find the key or convince her to give it up any other way, he'll be just as pleased. Clan Askar tried to arrange her release, but the Prison Council at Devil's Asteroid denied the request.
• Meeting Prisoner 13. Visitors can request meetings with prisoners, but those meetings are always supervised by the warden (to learn about the warden, see "R21: Warden's Quarters"). If the characters want to talk to Prisoner 13, their best bet is to try when she's not in her cell, hopefully out of sight of the guards. Prisoners do chores such as scrubbing refreshers and cleaning up after meals, and they exercise in the courtyard daily. When prisoners are injured or fall ill, they are taken to the prison medbay.
• Devil's Asteroid Details. Varrin can give a general overview of Devil's Asteroid, the security features on doors and hatches, and the prison's high-alert procedure (see below). Varrin also knows the armory has a dangerous guardian, but he doesn't know the details.
• Loot. The treasure is locked in a vault buried beneath the surface of Thalassia. Varrin promises the characters 2 percent of whatever wealth they recover if they make it possible for him to open the vault. If the characters press for more, Varrin is irritated, but he agrees to 3 percent if the characters succeed on a DC 20 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Varrin notes that the warden likely has some funds hidden in her office or quarters, if the characters are inclined to seek these out.
• Escape Route. Varrin will have a small ship within sight of the prison but at a safe distance. When the characters are ready to leave the prison with their target, they can call Varrin's commlink, and the ship will pick them up.

When the characters are ready to depart from their meeting with Varrin, he provides them each with the choice to pose as a guard or a cook. Guards must wear assault armor, and kitchen staff must wear simple uniforms. Cooks can hide light armor under their uniforms. Small or Tiny characters also have the option to stow away inside a crate of supplies.

Map 4.1: Players' Map

Journey to the Prison

Varrin has sent word to his agents, and Bethra (chaotic light, Bothan spy*) meets the characters when they arrive on Gorsh, the nearest inhabited planet to Devil's Asteroid. She provides the uniforms for their chosen cover and directs them to report to a ship called the Jolly Pelican the following dawn. The ship regularly delivers a fresh rotation of prison staff to Devil's Asteroid and returns the relieved shift to Gorsh. The journey to Devil's Asteroid by hyperspace takes a ship with a class 1 hyperdrive fifteen hours under normal conditions.

Twenty-five guards and six cooks are bound for the prison, including any characters taking their places. If the characters express concern over the fate of staff they're replacing, Bethra assures them that none of the people were killed, and they'll be released safely when the job is over.

The players can make up whatever names they like for their cover. Those are the names of the guards or cooks they've replaced.

Devil's Asteroid

Devil's Asteroid is a panopticon, a prison configured in such a way that the activities of the prisoners can be closely monitored from a central location. Situated on a remote asteroid, the prison is a single-story structure topped with battlements. Rising from the core of the panopticon is a tower that holds the prison's administrative offices and guard barracks.

Devil's Asteroid can be approached from two directions--the typical entrance is the docking port on the north side. However, there is also an airlock at the south end of the prison, accessible from the surface of the asteroid. The asteroid is small enough that it's not possible for a ship to approach drop characters off on the surface without being seen from the prison.

Devil's Asteroid is authorized by the current galactic government (Old Republic, Galactic Empire, or New Republic), but is run by an alliance of the ten nearest inhabited sectors. To be imprisoned on Devil's Asteroid, one must have committed a serious crime against one or more of the member sectors and been sentenced to a lengthy period of incarceration (typically a standard year or more).

Each member sector assigns one representative to Devil's Asteroid, and together the representatives form a parole committee called the Prison Council. Rarely are all ten council members present, since Devil's Asteroid offers little in the way of comfort and amenities. If the council needs a tiebreaking vote to determine whether to commute a prisoner's sentence, the prison warden—a neutral arbiter with no ties to any member sector—casts the deciding vote.

Guards on Watch

The prison has four guard towers (see area R9), and three guards wearing space suits and gravity generators (see Expanded Content) are stationed atop each one. If you need to make Wisdom (Perception) checks for the guards to determine if they notice something, make only one roll with advantage.

If the guards on a tower see or hear something out of the ordinary—such as an approaching ship, a group of visitors, or a space-borne monster—one guard descends into the tower to alert the rest of the prison while the others stay at their posts.

Getting Inside

If the characters use the cover Varrin provided, their ship docks at Devil's Asteroid fifteen hours after leaving Gorsh. The characters are directed off the ship and enter through the north airlock. The ship disengages and flies away as soon as the passengers have disembark. Characters posing as guards are taken to the barracks (area R19), where they meet with head guard Yula Dargeria, a no-nonsense stickler for the prison's rules. Characters posing as cooks are delivered to the kitchen (area R8), where they report to Chef Tiny Toulaine, a hulking, jovial man who carries an enormous saucepan. Small or Tiny characters who stowed away in supply crates are taken to either the storeroom (area R13), the kitchen's cold storage room (the middle room off area R8), or the pantry (the northernmost room off area R8). If more than one Small or Tiny character stows away, pick one location where they're all delivered.

Characters who approach the prison's south airlock in space suits, or who claim to be having ship trouble and request to dock their own starship at the docking port, are admitted into a 30-foot-long corridor, where they are greeted by the three guards from a nearby guard room (area R3). These guards insist on confiscating the characters' weapons and wristpads and storing them in a nearby lockbox. In addition, one guard searches each character for concealed weapons. A character can conceal a vibrodagger or similarly sized weapon from a guard's notice with a successful DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.

After relinquishing their weapons, the characters are escorted by one of the guards to the meeting room (area R12), where they must wait one hour for the warden to greet them. During this time, the characters are unattended and can attempt to sneak into the prison at large. Doing so without alerting the guards requires a successful DC 13 Dexterity (Stealth) check. Recovering the characters' weapons from the lockbox requires a successful DC 16 Dexterity check with a security kit. If the characters are caught attempting either of these tasks, the guards return them to the meeting room and wait with them for the warden, who throws them out unless they provide a satisfactory reason for their visit and subterfuge.

The warden only accepts the characters' presence if they are seeking shelter--for instance, if they claim to be having a hyperdrive malfunction, fake crashing their ship into the asteroid, or approach in an escape pod. In that case, she grants them temporary accommodations (in area R7) for up to two days and two nights, and the characters receive three meals a day during their stay. If the characters fail to provide a satisfactory reason for their visit, the warden has their weapons returned to them and throws them out.

Suspicion

Activities outside the daily routine of the prison draw attention from the guards and what few other staff members there are. Suspicion is measured in levels from 1 to 6. When the characters arrive at the prison, the suspicion level is 1.

Suspicion can increase when prison staff members witness or find evidence of behavior outside the norm. Circumstances that increase the suspicion level include the following:

• Using a prisoner's real name while in the guise of prison staff
• Getting caught by a patrol (see Patrol Routes)
• Casting a power that has perceptible effects in sight of a guard
• Conversing with a prisoner about anything other than prison business (such as giving them instructions for tasks)

For suspicion to increase, prison staff members must witness the characters performing unusual activity, and any witnesses must report their observations. If the characters can convince the witness what they saw was justified, the suspicion level doesn't increase.

High Alert

When a matter of concern is brought to her attention, the warden (see area R21) decides whether to place the prison on high alert. Circumstances that warrant taking such action include a prisoner revolt, an escape, the approach of an unfamiliar ship, a purrgil sighting, an attack, discovering a dead body, or suspicious activity (see "Suspicion" above).

By speaking the password, "maristo," into her commlink, the warden—and only the warden—can place the prison on high alert (or speak it again to end the high alert), with the following effects:

• Detect Invisibility. The warden and all prison guards gain the benefit of a detect invisibility tech power.
• High-Alert Signals. For 1 minute, a warning horn blares throughout the prison, and all light in the prison takes on a reddish hue.
• Prison Deployment. The guards in area R19 don their armor, arm themselves, and move to area R18. The warden does the same and commands the garrison from there. Members of the Prison Council retreat to area R20.

Patrol Routes

Guards regularly patrol in pairs from the guard rooms (area R3, alternating which room for each patrol) around the hexagon (area R15), with short checks into the courtyard (area R11) and the armory (area R10). The route is marked in yellow on the players' map of Devil's Asteroid. It normally takes 4 minutes for a patrol to make its round and return to its post.

When one or more characters enter an area marked on the patrol route, roll a die. The size of the die rolled is determined by the current suspicion level of the prison, as indicated on the Suspicion table. On a 1, the characters encounter a patrol. Ask the players how their characters react, and give them 1 round of actions. The characters can try to slip away if there is a nearby exit or corner to duck around by making a group Dexterity (Stealth) check or try to blend in by making a group Charisma (Deception) check. Each check is made against a DC set by the current suspicion level. On a failure, the patrol notices the characters, who must account for their presence.

If the characters try to talk their way past a patrol, have one of the characters make a Charisma check using Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion, depending on their story, against a DC set by the suspicion level. If other characters support the story, the check is made with advantage. On a success, the patrol lets them go. On a failure, the patrol escorts the characters to a guard room (area R3), where the guard interrogates the characters about the characters' presence in a prohibited area. If the characters have a cover story for being in the prison, the guards escort them to where they should be: the kitchen staff's quarters (the largest side room off area R8) or the barracks (area R19) in the case of off-duty guards. The suspicion level then increases by 1.

Once the characters encounter a patrol, don't check for another patrol when the characters enter the route until 20 minutes have passed.

Devil's Asteroid Locations

The following locations are keyed to Devil's Asteroid, as shown on map 4.2.

Map 4.2: DM's Map

Player Version

Some of these substances are poisonous if ingested in the wrong proportion. A character proficient with a bioanalysis kit, a biochemist's kit, a poisoner's kit, or the Medicine skill can identify the tinctures and combine them into an ingested poison. A creature that ingests the poison must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed saving throw, it takes 10 (3d6) poison damage and becomes poisoned for 1 hour. On a successful saving throw, it takes half as much damage and isn't poisoned. In either case, the creature has painful stomach cramps until it finishes a short rest, receives an injection from an antitoxkit, or is targeted by an effect that ends the poisoned condition. If a prisoner suffers these cramps, the guards bring the prisoner to the hospital to be examined and treated. Characters disguised as guards can volunteer for or be assigned that duty.

R13: Storeroom

Supplies are stored here in crates and other containers. At present, the prison has stockpiled enough necessities to continue operations for six months.

R14: Refresher

This room contains a dozen vacc tubes. Once per day, usually in the morning, manacled prisoners clean the refresher while watched by guards.

R15: Hexagon

This corridor allows guards and visitors to access the outermost rooms of the prison while avoiding the panopticon (area R16) and its prison cells (area R17). The guards refer to this corridor as "the hexagon" because of its shape.

R16: Panopticon

The lights in this area can be dimmed from the surveillance hub (area R18). The hall is dimly lit at night.

R17: Cells

The prisoners are kept in these unlit cells (effectively illuminated by the lights in R16) behind ray shields that can be opened only from area R18. The shields are too secure to be forced open using brute strength or weapons, and enhanced attempts to open or bypass them are thwarted by permanent scrambling fields. Each field encompasses one cell and its shield. Powers and other enhanced effects are suppressed in a scrambling field and can't protrude into it. While an effect is suppressed, it doesn't function, but the time it spends suppressed counts against its duration.

Bolted to the back wall of each cell is an iron bunk bed with thin mattresses and a vacc tube nearby. Prisoners take their meals in their cells.

Prisoners. Each of the twenty-four cells can hold one or two prisoners. Roll 4d10 to determine the number of prisoners currently incarcerated at Devil's Asteroid, give each one an identification number, and distribute them in the cells as you see fit. Numbers are assigned in the order in which the prisoners arrive and are never reused. The longest-serving prisoner currently incarcerated at Devil's Asteroid is Prisoner 6, and the newest one is Prisoner 299. Prisoner 13 (see the "Roleplaying Prisoner 13" section later in this adventure for more details) has no cellmate. Her cell is marked on map 4.1.

To add detail to other inmates, roll on the Prisoners table or choose entries you like. If a prisoner's game statistics become necessary, choose an appropriate stat block and remove armor, weapons, and other gear.

R18: Surveillance Hub

The stairs lead to areas R19 through R23. Seven guards (veterans**) are stationed in this surveillance hub. One sits at a console south of the staircase. The other guards watch the prisoners through 4-foot-tall, 1-foot-wide gun ports in the walls. Hanging on the walls between the gun ports are fifty sets of binders guards use to bind prisoners' wrists and ankles.

Console. The console is a device that resembles a desk with a slanted top and is bolted to the floor. It is a Large object with AC 15, 18 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. The console has the following properties, which are disabled if it is reduced to 0 hit points:

• Light Control. A brass dial on the console controls the light level in area R16. Turning the dial requires an action or a bonus action.
• Loudspeaker. As an action, a creature can use this device to broadcast its voice throughout the prison.
• Shield Control. Twenty-four switches on the console open and close the ray shields to the prison cells. A master switch opens or closes all the shields at once. Flipping one or more switches on the console requires an action.

R19: Barracks

R20: Trial Hall

The floor of this room is 120 feet above the prison roof. A spiral staircase connects the room to the other levels of the tower (area R18 is 140 feet down, area R19 is 20 feet down, and area R23 is 20 feet up). Narrow windows line the outer walls.

A long, slightly curved table with eleven chairs takes up much of the room. The middle chair has no special adornments, while the others have banners hanging over their high backs, each one emblazoned with the crest of a member sector. Banners hanging on the walls display the governing authority's logo (Old Republic, Galactic Empire, or New Rebpulic).

Prison Council Meetings. Members of the Prison Council gather here to weigh the merits of releasing prisoners whom one or more council members have recommended for parole. No prisoner can receive such consideration more than once a year. Prisoners up for parole are brought to this room in binders and given a chance to sway the council members before votes are cast. The warden (see area R21), who always attends such meetings, sits in the middle chair and casts the tiebreaking vote, if necessary.

R21: Warden's Quarters

The lock on this door can be opened only by the warden. Beyond the door is a comfortable bedchamber whose lights can be dimmed or brightened.

Prison Warden. The calm and unflappable warden of Devil's Asteroid is Marta Marthannis, a lawful light, Thakwaash Jedi knight sage* who speaks Galactic Basic, Huttese, and Thakwaese. She stands about 3 meters tall, average for her species. She wears a red uniform and keeps a keycard and a code cylinder in one pocket. The keycard unlocks the warden's chest (see "Loot" below); the code cylinder unlocks the computer in the warden's office (area R22).

So far, the warden has managed to conceal her Force sensitivity from everyone else in the prison. However, she will cast Force powers if she can do so without being seen, or if doing so is necessary to defend herself or the prison.

Marthannis's Alter. Unlike her Force sensitivity, Marthannis hasn't concealed the fact that, like all Thakwaash, she has multiple personalities. While many Thakwaash have dozens of alters, Marthannis has only a single prominent one. Her alter takes control of Warden Marthannis once or twice a day, each time for an hour or two—though never while she's performing important duties, such as supervising prisoner meetings with visitors.

While under the alter's control, the warden can't cast her force powers or use the password for high alert (see the "High Alert" section), speaks only Huttese, and occasionally indulges the alter's vice for ale and spirits.

The warden has made her state known to the prison guards and Prison Council members, and they have grown accustomed to her personality changes and bouts of revelry. The alter hasn't affected the warden's ability to carry out her duties, and so far, no one has questioned her fitness for her job.

Loot. Among the chamber's furnishings is a locked chest, for which the warden carries the only keycard. A character using a security kit can use an action to try to pick the lock, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check.

The chest holds a set of writer's implements (see Wretched Hives), a sack containing 7,500 cr (money that's used mainly to pay ship captains who drop off prisoners and cargo), and a silver cloak pin (250 cr) bearing the symbol of the Jedi Order.

Any character who searches the chest for secret compartments finds one in the lid. It holds an enhanced focus generator with the absorbing 6 property that the warden keeps for emergencies.

R22: Office

Prison records are stored here in the computer. The computer also contains ship cargo manifests and records of past deliveries, as well as prisoner transfer orders and a file documenting the names, crimes, sentences, and commutations of every prisoner who has been incarcerated on Devil's Asteroid. The records include death certificates for prisoners who died while incarcerated. The cause of death is always given as "natural," "accidental," or "unnatural," with no details.

The code cylinder to access the computer is in the warden's possession. A character with a slicer's kit can use an action to try to access the computer, doing so with a successful DC 12 Intelligence check.

R23: Tower Roof

This flat rooftop is 140 feet above the prison roof. Three 6-foot-high walls to the north, southwest, and southeast provide limited cover, but much of the rooftop is exposed to the elements. Access to the roof requires passing through an airlock which is under the effect of a lock tech power.

No guards are stationed here. If the guards in the prison watchtowers (area R9) see an unauthorized starship or a space-borne threat approaching Devil's Asteroid, they alert the rest of the prison. If necessary, guards and the warden don space suits and gravity generators and exit the prison to deal with the threat.

Finding the Key. When Prisoner 13 talks about the key, each character present can make a DC 19 Wisdom (Insight) check. If the check is successful, the character notices Prisoner 13 flexing her right hand and tracing a fingertip across the wrist joint when she mentions the key. The character deduces that the hand is the key.

Forcible Jailbreak. Taking Prisoner 13 alive and delivering her to Varrin is difficult but possible. She won't go willingly and fights back if the characters try to force her. In that case, they'll be hard-pressed to knock her unconscious and make their escape without alarming the guards and placing the prison on high alert. If a fight breaks out with closed doors between the battle and the nearest guards, on initiative count 0, make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check for the guards to see if they notice the commotion. If they succeed, roll initiative for the guards. They investigate on the following round.

Trade for the Key. If the characters acquire the prisoner files from the warden's office (area R22), Prisoner 13 demands to read them somewhere outside her cell. She takes 20 minutes to read through the documents and relay the information to her agents for later use. Following that, she reveals that her right hand is the key to the vault. She allows the characters to study it so they can replicate it, which could be done in one of the following ways:

• A character proficient in biotech's implements could craft a hand prosthesis (see Wretched Hives) that would function as a key to the vault.
• A droid techcaster could use the alter self tech power to give itself a hand that would function as a key to the vault.
• A techcaster could use the construct droid tech power (see Expanded Content) to construct a droid with a hand that would function as a key to the vault.

In any case, a character must succeed on a DC 15 Intelligence (Technology) check to commit the hand's design to memory, which requires 10 minutes of study. The characters can retry if they fail, at the cost of more time and more risk of discovery.

If the characters don't have a way to replicate the hand, they will need to take the original. Prisoner 13 accepts this, but demands that they provide her a replacement, both for her convenience and to avoid arousing suspicion from the guards. The characters can steal a hand prosthesis (see Wretched Hives) from the medbay, which can easily plug in to Prisoner 13's wrist socket.

Last Resort. A gruesome but effective option is killing Prisoner 13 and taking her body back, or just her right hand. If the characters are working for a patron organization, they know the organization would not approve of this method. The characters receive no reward from the organization if they kill or mutilate Prisoner 13.

Stat Blocks

Oyyd's Droids

An Adventure for 5th-Level Characters

The droids that guard the Mustafarian town of Lok'for have attacked the very residents they were meant to keep safe, forcing a town-wide evacuation. At the heart of the matter is Security Overseer Oyyd, a droidsmith who has turned malicious.

In this adventure, the characters must enter Lok'for, recover a code cylinder, and use it to activate a fail-safe device that shuts off the droids.

"I can't tell you how pleased we are that you're here to help us! We've sealed the gates of Lok'for to contain the threat that has claimed so many innocent lives.

"Some weeks ago, Oyyd, our security overseer, ordered her droids to attack her fellow citizens. Not knowing what else to do, I ordered an evacuation. But Lok'for is our home, and I am determined to reclaim it.

"Oyyd built a fail-safe device to shut down the droids in the event of malfunction. The device is in her workshop, protected by an electromesh trap. To activate the fail-safe, you need a code cylinder that Oyyd keeps in a safe in her workshop. We need you to retrieve the code cylinder and use it to shut down the droids. How you deal with Oyyd is up to you."

Planning the Heist

Armed with Mayor Brrt's map, the characters can begin planning their heist. If they do so in the company of Mayor Brrt and her advisers, these Mustafarians share the following useful information:

• Features. The Mustafarians can share the information in the "General Features" section. The "Bridges" and "Slagline" sections are especially important when it comes to planning the heist.
• Oyyd's Droids. If the characters request more information about Oyyd's droids, use the information in the "Security Forces" section to describe them.
• Oyyd. The trouble began when Oyyd began performing procedures on herself, replacing parts of her body with cybernetics. Her fellow droidsmiths urged her to stop these procedures, but she refused. The mayor ordered the militia to shut down Oyyd's workshop, but the militia was unable to get past the guard droid stationed outside the workshop. After the militia was rebuffed, Oyyd instructed her droids to attack everyone else in Lok'for.
• Warehouse Contraption. Warehouse 6, in the Cavemouth district, contains a drilling machine big enough to hold two characters (see area L11 for details). The Mustafarians have no clue what the characters might use it for, but it could come in handy.

Lok'for Overview

Due to its strategic location and proximity to valuable resources, Lok'for has been a consistent target of attack. As a result, the Mustafarians have fortified the town, which is described in greater detail below.

Map 5.1: Players' Map

Map 5.2: DM's Map

Player Version

Bridges

Bridges made of metal span the magma lake at various points, connecting the town's various districts to one another. Consoles in the power station (area L6) and the security center (area L12) enable these bridges to be raised or lowered, much like a modern-day drawbridge that spans a waterway.

To control the flow of traffic through town, Oyyd has raised the following bridges: the Old Lok'for–Cavemouth bridge, the Cavemouth–Smoldertown bridge, one of the two Smoldertown–Turbine Heights bridges, and the two bridges leading to the Overlook from Old Lok'for and Turbine Heights.

Buildings

Most of Lok'for's buildings are single-story stone structures (about 12 feet high) with stone doors that are 7 feet high and 3 feet wide. Building interiors tend to be unlit (which is of little concern to Mustafarians, who have darkvision).

Lok'for contains many buildings not described in the adventure. If the characters investigate one of these buildings, roll on the Buildings of Lok'for table to determine what kind of building it is. Each building's occupants took everything of value before fleeing Lok'for, leaving nothing of value for characters to find.

District Elevations

While most districts sit 150 feet above the magma lake, two do not. The Overlook, built into a rock formation at the center of the cavern, sits 170 feet above the magma. Cavemouth is 120 feet above the magma.

Exterior Lighting

The roof and walls of Lok'for are bathed in a fiery hue, thanks to the magma that fills the lake and heats the town. The town's power station (area L6) generates electricity that powers streetlamps in every district, although the streetlamps have gone out in Cavemouth. These lights can be switched on or off from control consoles in the power station and the security center (area L12).

Magma

Any creature that falls into Lok'for's magma lake is likely to be killed instantly unless that creature is immune to fire damage. Any creature that enters the magma for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there takes 55 (10d10) fire damage.

Slagline

Suspended above the magma lake is a carousel-like chain of dangling steel buckets called the Slagline. The buckets are spaced 15 feet apart. Roughly half of them contain ore and uncut gems from the mines; the rest are empty and big enough to carry five Small creatures or two Medium creatures each.

The Slagline is automated so that the buckets move counterclockwise around the town. (Normally, ore and gems from the Cavemouth district are received at the foundry in the Smoldertown district for smelting and refining. The processed materials are then transported past Turbine Heights to Old Lok'for, where they are sold by merchants and guild artisans.) The Slagline alternates between running for 1 minute and then pausing for 1 minute to allow time to load and unload its buckets. Whenever the Slagline stops, the buckets suspended above the magma bob and sway slightly—not so much that they spill their contents, however.

Creatures can safely climb into buckets at one of four loading stations (two in Cavemouth, one in Smoldertown, and one in Old Lok'for) and ride the Slagline from one district to another.

Security Forces

Oyyd created two primary types of droids to protect Lok'for:

• Battle Droids. Lok'for has twenty B2 series, B2-A battle droids, not including ones that were destroyed during the town's evacuation or the damaged one in area L6.
• Probe Droids. Lok'for has eight DRK-1 tracker droids. The probes are tasked with monitoring the streets to ensure nothing has penetrated the city's defenses. If a probe detects intruders, it contacts Oyyd, letting her know where the intruders are. Oyyd then orders the probe to use its next action to emit a piercing shriek, which is loud enough to summon 1d4 B2 series, B2-A droids. These reinforcements arrive 2 rounds later. If the number of battle droids summoned is greater than the number left in Lok'for, adjust the number of reinforcements accordingly.

Other droids under Oyyd's control include two C1 series astromech droids (see area L9a) and a Large guard droid. The guard droid stands guard outside Oyyd's workshop (area L9).

Wandering Monsters

Each time one or more visible characters exit a building or enter a new district, roll a d6. On a roll of 1 or 2 (or just 1 if the characters are trying to be stealthy), they attract the attention of one or more wandering monsters determined by rolling another d6 and consulting the Wandering Monsters table. See "Security Forces" above for more information about how many battle droids and probe droids are present in Lok'for.

In the Cavemouth district, the monsters encountered have all crawled from the mines. The characters encounter Oyyd's droids elsewhere.

Lok'for Locations

The following locations are marked on map 5.2.

The largest room in the abbey, directly across from the entrance, serves as a place of worship. Low benches face the middle of the domed chamber, where every word spoken—even a whisper—can be heard throughout the space. Skulking in the dark corners of this room are two prisoners who escaped the custody of their guards as they were being led from the jail (area L5) during the evacuation of Lok'for. The two prisoners—a Falleen crime boss named Slonk (use the ISB officer stat block) and a Gamorrean warrior* named Yuzzik—have binders on their wrists and carry no weapons. Slonk was the leader of a gang of brigands that preyed on travelers in the tunnels near Lok'for. Yuzzik is Slonk's sole surviving bodyguard. Both are unscrupulous and will do almost anything to survive, short of betraying each other.

Other rooms in the abbey include sleeping quarters for Mustafarian monks, a private chamber for the priest, and a privy. A search of these areas yields nothing of value.

Father K'voda. The priest K'voda tried to flee Lok'for with his fellow monks, but he didn't get far before one of Oyyd's droids chased him back to the temple. Minutes after K'voda returned to the abbey, Slonk and Yuzzik showed up. K'voda avoided them by casting force camouflage. He has been using force camouflage powers to hide ever since. As the characters explore the abbey, K'voda hears one of them and becomes visible when he thinks it's safe to do so.

Father K'voda's stat block is found at the end of the adventure. He wears a gray robe and carries an oscillation callibrator (average) and a strength stim (fine).

K'voda doesn't want to stay in Lok'for any longer. Desperate and hungry, he begs the characters to escort him safely to Lok'for's outer gates (area L1), offering his enhanced items if they accept the quest. He insists they deliver him to the gates by the most direct route without delay, and he protests loudly if they dawdle or deviate from this course of action. If he is separated from the characters or wounded, K'voda runs back to the temple, crying "Bright Star, protect me!" all the way.

Damaged Turbine. A power station worker was cornered by a battle droid at the north end of the balcony and shoved the droid off the balcony into the northwest turbine. The droid's blaster arm became stuck in the turbine, causing the turbine to malfunction. Characters within 10 feet of the northwest turbine can see the damaged B2 series, B2-A droid, which has 24 hit points remaining. This droid is restrained and unable to free itself or use its wrist blaster, but it can attack creatures that come within reach of it.

Once the battle droid is defeated, a character can use an action to try to dislodge it from the turbine, doing so with a successful DC 17 Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. Removing the battle droid's mangled arm from the turbine's machinery causes the power station to stop spewing steam, with the steam throughout Turbine Heights dissipating 1d10 minutes later.

Control Console. The metal console overlooking the turbines features a holographic map of the town. Next to this map are several switches: one for every bridge and district, one for the Slagline (see "General Features"), and one for the power station. All are described below:

• Bridge Switches. There's one switch for each of Lok'for's nine bridges. A bridge can be raised by turning its switch to the left or lowered by turning its switch to the right.
• District Switches. There's one switch for each of Lok'for's six districts (Cavemouth, Halfway Isle, Old Lok'for, the Overlook, Smoldertown, and Turbine Heights). The streetlamps in a district can be shut off by turning that district's switch to the left or switched on by turning its switch to the right.
• Slagline Switch. There's one switch for the Slagline. Turning it to the left shuts off the bucket chain. Turning it to the right switches the bucket chain on.
• Station Shutdown Switch. Turning this switch to the left shuts down the turbines in the power station, causing the streetlamps to turn off throughout town, shutting down the Slagline, and preventing the town's bridges from being raised or lowered. Turning it to the right switches the power back on.

L9a: Workshop, Lower Floor

This workshop is where Oyyd creates her security droids. Two C1 series astromech droids nicknamed Rack and Pinion serve as her assistants and perform most of the hands-on work. These droids attack intruders on sight.

The workshop contains a smelter used to fabricate parts and tools. There are enough tools here to assemble one set of astrotech's tools and one set of tinker's tools.

The trapdoor in the ceiling opens into area L9b.

Geometric Design. A detect enhancement tech power reveals an aura around the complex geometric symbol inscribed on the floor. When a creature other than Oyyd enters the space above the symbol for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, the area between the geometric symbol and the ceiling is filled with an electromesh tech power (save DC 15) that has a duration of 1 minute.

Fail-Safe Device. If Oyyd's code cylinder is inserted into the metal box embedded in the floor and turned counterclockwise, Lok'for's battle droids and probe droids are rendered unconscious indefinitely. Turning the code cylinder clockwise deactivates the power of the geometric design on the floor and ends any ongoing effects of it. The code cylinder is kept in Oyyd's safe (in area L9b).

L9b: Workshop, Upper Floor

Safe. The safe can't be moved, and a detect enhancement tech power reveals an aura around it.

A character equipped with a security kit can spend 1 minute trying to crack open the safe door, doing so with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. Alternatively, a character can spend 1 minute pressing their ear to the safe's door while trying to delicately pick its combination lock, opening the door with a successful DC 16 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) or Wisdom (Perception) check. The safe door also opens when the proper combination ("Ptts") is entered into the lock. A release tech power or similar effect also opens the safe.

Oyyd. If the safe door is opened by any means other than entering the code, a mental alarm tech power alerts Oyyd (see her description and stat block at the end of the adventure). Unless she was defeated in area L8, Oyyd uses her Translocation Implant to appear in the middle of the room and attacks any burglars she sees.

If Oyyd is reduced to 40 hit points or fewer, she uses her next action to use her Translocation Implant again, shimmering in a holographic configuration before disappearing into area L12.

Loot. The safe contains an onyx-studded jewelry box worth 2,500 cr. The box is unlocked and holds the following items:

• Dolovite ring (600 cr)
• Three lava crystals (1,000 cr each)
• The code cylinder to the fail-safe device in area L9a

Cavemouth (Areas L9-L10)

When the characters first enter Cavemouth, read the following text:

The Cavemouth district is where most of Lok'for's miners live and work. Two roads lead to the mines, which are not shown on map 5.2.

The bridges to Cavemouth have been raised, and the streetlamps throughout the district have been shut off. The characters can lower the bridges and turn on the streetlamps using a control console in area L6 or area L12.

Mines. The mine entrances, once protected by Oyyd's droids, are now unguarded. The mines are beyond the scope of the adventure. If the characters insist on exploring them, they eventually attract the attention of a wandering darkghast (rancor, adolescent) that tries to frighten them away with haunting roars.

L11: Warehouse 6

If the characters slide open the doors, read:

The thing attached to the outside of the crate is a mynock. The crate isn't sealed, and if the characters touch or otherwise disturb the crate or the creature attached to it, the crate bursts open to release two mynock swarms that attack anyone nearby.

Contraption. The vehicle in the warehouse is a drilling machine used by the miners of Lok'for to burrow new tunnels (see its stat block at the end of the adventure).

Ignus. An inventor named Ignus (lawful balanced, Mustafarian software developer* who speaks Galactic Basic, Binary, and Mustafarian) built the contraption and recently locked himself inside it with enough food and water to keep himself alive for 1 week. A metal hatch at the back of the vehicle is the only entrance, and Ignus used a spell scroll of lock (see the Dungeon Master's Guide) to seal it. A character can use an action to try to pull open the sealed hatch, doing so with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. If the characters knock on the contraption, they hear Ignus's muffled voice shout, "Go away!" in Mustafarian. Ignus attacks anyone who breaks into his contraption but surrenders if reduced to 10 hit points or fewer.

Ignus and Oyyd are rivals, and Ignus long suspected Oyyd's experiments would prove troublesome for Lok'for. His public warnings about Oyyd went ignored, however. A character can use an action to try to convince Ignus to help them, first by impressing on him the importance of freeing Lok'for from Oyyd's control and then by succeeding on a DC 14 Charisma (Persuasion) check. Once coaxed into helping the characters, Ignus pilots his contraption anywhere they need him to go. The vehicle has enough space inside for Ignus plus one other passenger. If a character asks Ignus to allow the party to drive the contraption, he adamantly refuses to part with his prized invention.

Questioning Ignus. Ignus knows the following useful information about Oyyd and her workshop, which he shares with characters who befriend him:

• Astromech Droids. Two C1 series astromech droids help Oyyd assemble her other contraptions.
• Safe. Oyyd has an iron safe on the upper floor of her workshop.
• Guard Droid. Oyyd uses a Large droid to guard the front door to her workshop. The droid is too big to fit through the door.
• Who Is Ptts? When Oyyd is upset, she speaks to an imaginary friend named Ptts—as if Ptts were standing right next to her. (Ignus doesn't know that "Ptts" is also the code to bypass the alarm tech power on Oyyd's safe.)

The Overlook (Area L12)

When the characters are close enough to see the Overlook, describe it as follows:

The Overlook's clocks are mechanical wonders. They keep perfect time.

A hollowed-out central chamber in the Overlook contains Lok'for's security center (area L12). This facility is surrounded by rough-hewn chambers containing magnificent fungi gardens and open windows overlooking the town. Residents of Lok'for used to come here to wander the gardens, pick mushrooms, and enjoy the views.

Characters can use the control consoles in areas L6 and L12 to raise and lower the bridges that connect the Overlook to the districts of Old Lok'for, Smoldertown, and Turbine Heights.

Hologram. The hologram of Lok'for is a harmless illusion that changes to match the current state of things in town; for example, if a bridge is lowered in Lok'for, the hologram's version of the bridge lowers as well. The hologram has no substance, allowing creatures to pass right through it.

Oyyd. If she fled to this chamber using her Translocation Implant, Oyyd (see her description and stat block at the end of the adventure) is next to the console. She has attached an experimental steam-powered jet pack to her body, giving her a flying speed of 30 feet and the ability to hover. She accuses the characters of being pawns and mocks their heroics. She occasionally speaks to an imaginary friend named Ptts, saying things like, "We'll show them, Ptts!" and "No one can stop us!"

If Oyyd is reduced to 0 hit points, her jet pack explodes in a 20-foot-radius sphere, blowing Oyyd to smithereens. Every other creature within that sphere must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 16 (3d10) kinetic damage from flying shrapnel. If the explosion occurs under the crystal dome, the dome shatters, showering creatures in the room with harmless, confetti-sized quartz particles.

Father K'voda

Medium humanoid (Mustafarian), chaotic light

---

• Armor Class 12 (hide)
• Hit Points 16 (3d6 + 6)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)	9 (-1)

---

• Skills Investigation +3, Perception +4, Stealth +2
• Damage Resistances fire
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
• Languages Galactic Basic, Falleen, Mustafarian
• Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Innate Forcecasting. K'voda's innate forcecasting ability is Wisdom (force save DC 12). He can innately cast the following force powers:

At-will: force camouflage
1/day each: force blind/deafen, force blur, force mask

Serene Mind. K'voda has advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws against force powers.

Actions

Vibrostaff. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) kinetic damage, or 7 (2d4 + 2) kinetic damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Poisoned Vibrodart. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) kinetic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Lava Flea

Large beast, unaligned

---

• Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 19 (3d10 + 3)
• Speed 30 ft., burrow 5 ft., climb 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	12 (+1)	13 (+1)	2 (-4)	10 (+0)	5 (-3)

---

• Damage Resistances fire
• Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages --
• Challenge 1/4 (50 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Standing Leap. The flea's long jump is up to 30 feet and its high jump is up to 15 feet, with or without a running start.

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) kinetic damage.

Lava Nymph

Tiny beast, unaligned

---

• Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 73 (21d4 + 21)
• Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover)

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
9 (-1)	15 (+2)	13 (+1)	9 (-1)	11 (+0)	9 (-1)

---

• Skills Perception +4
• Damage Immunities fire
• Condition Immunities prone
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
• Languages --
• Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Death Burst. When the lava nymph dies, it explodes in a burst of fire and magma. Each creature within 10 feet of it must make a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Flammable objects that aren't being worn or carried in that area are ignited.

Luminous. The lava nymph sheds bright light in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.

Actions

Multiattack. The lava nymph makes two lava spit attacks.

Lava Spit. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) fire damage.

Oyyd

Medium humanoid (Mustafarian), chaotic dark

---

• Armor Class 17 (natural armor, medium physical shield)
• Hit Points 75 (10d6 + 40)
• Speed 30 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	13 (+1)	18 (+4)	17 (+3)	9 (-1)	10 (+0)

---

• Saving Throws Int +6, Wis +2
• Skills Perception +2, Technology +9
• Damage Vulnerabilities ion
• Damage Resistances fire
• Senses truesight 60 ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages Galactic Basic, Binary, Mustafarian
• Challenge 7 (2,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

---

Force Field. Oyyd generates a force field around herself. This force field has 15 hit points and regains all its hit points at the start of each of Oyyd's turns, but it ceases to function if Oyyd drops to 0 hit points. Any damage Oyyd takes is subtracted from the force field's hit points first. Each time the force field regains hit points, the following conditions end on Oyyd: grappled, restrained, and stunned.

Innate Techcasting. Oyyd’s techcasting ability is Intelligence (tech save DC 14). She can innately cast the following tech powers:

1/day each: mirror image, paralyze humanoid

Modded. Oyyd has disadvantage on saving throws against effects that deal ion damage.

Actions

Multiattack. Oyyd makes three Techblade or Lightning Discharge attacks.

Techblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) kinetic damage plus 10 (3d6) sonic damage.

Lightning Discharge. Ranged Tech Attack: +6 to hit, range 60 ft., one creature. Hit: 16 (3d10) lightning damage.

Translocation Implant (2/day). Oyyd teleports herself from her current location to any other spot within 500 feet. She arrives at exactly the spot desired. It can be a place she can see, one she can visualize, or one she can describe by stating distance and direction, such as "200 feet straight downward" or "upward to the northwest at a 45-degree angle, 300 feet."

Bonus Actions

Scalding Steam (Recharge 5–6). Oyyd emits a jet of piping-hot steam in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that cone must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Spark-Roach

Tiny beast, unaligned

---

• Armor Class 10
• Hit Points 2 (1d4)
• Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

---

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
2 (-4)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)	1 (-5)	8 (-1)	3 (-4)

---

• Damage Resistances fire
• Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10
• Languages --
• Challenge 0 (0 or 10 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Actions

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 kinetic damage.

Ahead of the Game

An Adventure for 6th-Level Characters

A group of scholars and sages known as the Order of Dwartii recently purchased a droid head known as TC-01, said to be the most aesthetically pleasing droid ever created. Before the sages could study it, the head was stolen by the Son-tuul Pride, a crime syndicate. In this adventure, the characters must retrieve TC-01 from the Son-tuul Pride's guildhouse and return it to Adrisa Carimorte, a member of the Order of Dwartii.

This adventure can take place on any Outer Rim planet.

In the middle of the loft, tied to a chair, is a scrawny Human man with patchy facial hair. He is sweating profusely and chewing nervously on a cloth gag.

Grinky's Deal

Grinky has been associated with the Son-tuul Pride for years. During the theft of TC-01, Grinky's job was to watch for guards. He was caught and given to Adrisa for questioning. Adrisa has offered to release Grinky in exchange for his help.

What Grinky Knows

Adrisa gives the characters a chance to question Grinky. During this conversation, Grinky shares the following true information:

• Guildmaster Dusk. "Guildmaster Dusk leads this planet's branch of the Son-tuul Pride. She's a trained assassin with powerful political connections."
• Getting Inside. "The windows of the guildhouse are boarded up, and its doors are usually locked. At least three guild members have master keycards to the doors: Guildmaster Dusk; Elikss the Saint, one of Dusk's lieutenants; and Jamon the Sinner, the guild's resident spy. The astrotech, Gwish, might have a keycard as well. If you want to get your hands on a master keycard, your best bet is to snatch it from Elikss the Saint, who frequents a seedy cantina called the Tipsy Tankard."
• Guildhouse Guards. "By late evening, most guild members have gone to sleep. Senior guild members bully lower-ranking guild members into taking the late-night shifts."
• Guild Membership. "Dusk isn't accepting new guild members right now. I've been working for the guild since I was a kid, and I'm still not a ranking member."
• Head's Location. "I don't know where the head is, but I'm guessing it's either in Guildmaster Dusk's quarters, which are on the second floor of the guildhouse's tower, or hidden in the basement, where new guild members are trained."
• Supply Deliveries. "Supplies are sometimes delivered to the guildhouse by speeder. All supplies are received and inspected by Laris Drot, the head mechanic, at the garage."

What Adrisa Knows

After the characters question Grinky, they can ask Adrisa questions about the Son-tuul Pride or TC-01. She knows the following:

• Guildmaster Dusk. "Everyone seems to ignore the activities of Dusk and her guild. Larceny is the Son-tuul Pride's specialty, but Dusk uses blackmail, extortion, threats of violence, and whatever else it takes to keep her enemies at bay."
• Droid Lore. "The droid head is the work of famed artist Dkesii Kwan and was commissioned by the late Daiyani Grysthorn, a grand dame in the criminal underworld. The head is sentient and was made to eavesdrop on conversations and pass along secrets to its owner. The head is notoriously vain."
• Sense of Urgency. "It's likely that the Son-tuul Pride has a buyer for the droid head. Therefore, it's vital you recover it as quickly as possible before it ends up in an even more secure location."

Planning the Heist

The characters' goals are simple: locate the head and return it safely to the Order of Dwartii.

Map 6.1: Players' Map

If Elikss the Saint doesn't return to the guildhouse by midnight, the lookouts on watch assume he had too much to drink and either passed out in a field or got thrown in jail for brawling. His failure to return won't cause alarm.

Map 6.2: DM's Map

Player Version

G1: Front Porch

Any character who approaches the porch in plain view is spotted by the thug* on the south balcony (area G22), who calls out, "Hey, you, get lost! Can't you read the signs?" If this warning is ignored, the lookout shouts the same thing again, putting the guildhouse on high alert, then shoots a slug into the ground near the character's feet as a final warning.

Drop Box. The staircase in front of the double door to area G10 has a loose plank near the top. This plank conceals a drop box where visitors stash black-market goods, fenced items, and guild tributes. Any character who lifts the plank sees a dusty satchel in the drop box. The satchel contains 25 cr and a datacard that transfers ownership of two swoop bikes to Guildmaster Dusk.

G2a: Speeder Storage

The berths contain ten swoops*.

Fuel Canister. The leaky canister is a fire hazard. If the canister is pushed against a wall and set ablaze, the fire quickly spreads. After 1 minute, the smoke puts the guildhouse on high alert.

Fire. The Son-tuul Pride isn't equipped to stop a fire that starts in the garage. Such a fire takes 1 minute to spread throughout the structure. After that, the fire moves 5 feet westward each minute until the whole east building is engulfed. After 5 minutes, the building collapses, and the stairs to the basement are buried in flaming debris. The west building is spared.

Ladders. A wooden ladder in each corner berth ascends to a trapdoor that leads to the catwalk (area G2b). The trapdoors are unlocked.

G2b: Catwalk

The hayloft is 10 feet above the swoop berths and consists of a 5-foot-wide wooden walkway that runs the perimeter of the building. Broad, square loading doors open in the north and south walls, each fitted with block-and-tackle rigs for hoisting supplies up to the catwalk. Crates of speeder parts take up most of the space. A few loose tools lie scattered about the crates.

Mechanic's Assistant. A young mechanic named Needly Pitts (neutral balanced, Human commoner**) lazes on the catwalk, supposedly guarding against speeder thieves. He has nodded off but wakes if characters disturb the swoops, make too much noise in the garage, or start a fire. In the event of trouble, Needly calls the head mechanic (see area G16), who takes 1 minute to arrive.

G3: Staircase

The door at the top of the stairs is unlocked and opens into area G14.

Jamon the Sinner. The figure on the steps is Jamon the Sinner, a neutral balanced Clawdite assassin* disguised as a drunken guest. Only Guildmaster Dusk knows that Jamon is a shapechanger. The Clawdite pretends to be asleep, but a character can discern that he's awake with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check. Jamon doesn't start fights he knows he can't win and allows intruders to pass by. When the intruders are gone, Jamon taps three times on the staircase wall to alert Gwish in area G21, then slinks away to alert Guildmaster Dusk in area G26.

Master Keycard. Jamon carries a master keycard that unlocks all doors in the guildhouse complex.

G4: Mechanic's Workshop

The shop has two access points: the garage to the east and a door to the west that leads to area G7.

Loot. Characters can assemble one mechanic's kit from the tools stored here.

G5: Office

When the office is staffed, a visitor can secure an upstairs bed for 1 cr per night (5 cr for a private room). Accommodations can also be made in the garage for a traveler's speeder at a cost of 1 cr per night.

Coin Box. Tucked behind the counter is a coin box with a copper clasp. A character who inspects the coin box before opening it notices a row of tiny pinholes in the lid. The coin box contains 13 cr, as well as a young gizka.

Keycards. The two keycards in the compartments unlock the doors to areas G17 and G18, respectively.

Secret Door. A secret door in the office's back wall leads to area G6.

G6: Basement Staircase

The stairs descend 15 feet to area G28.

G7: Service Entrance

Guild members store their gear here. A search of the room yields nothing of great value.

G8: Courtyard

The well is 30 feet deep and has fresh water filling its bottom 5 feet. The well's winch and rope are sturdy enough to bear 250 pounds of weight.

G9: Conference Room

Guildmaster Dusk holds meetings here.

G10: Main Hall

Visitors who try to enter this hall through the north door must contend with a trap.

Back-Door Trap. The northernmost door has a "No Trespassers!" sign hanging on the outside of it and is sealed from the inside (a fact not discernible from the outside). As an action, a character can try to force open the door using brute strength, doing so with a successful DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check. Breaking down the door puts the guildhouse on high alert unless a smuggle tech power or similar effect is used to muffle the noise.

A character who searches the door for traps can make a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. If the check is successful, the character notices a vial of poison gas hidden in the door itself. As an action, a character can try to disable the trap using a security kit, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check.

Unless the trap is disabled, tugging or jostling the door causes the vial in the door to break, releasing a cloud of poisonous gas that fills a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the door. The trap also triggers if the door is forced open. Each creature in the trap's area must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 16 (3d10) poison damage and is poisoned for 1 minute; on a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn't poisoned. The trap can be triggered only once.

Entering the Hall. Use the following boxed text to describe the hallway:

The stairs climb 15 feet to area G23.

G11: Kitchen

The kitchen contains nothing of great value.

G12: Parlor

The four guild members have been drinking and playing sabacc. The motley crew consists of three goons** and one Gamorrean enforcer. The goons are poisoned and unconscious, while the enforcer is merely poisoned and spoiling for a fight. The unconscious condition ends on a goon who is wounded, knocked out of their chair, or splashed with a pint or more of liquid.

Blue Chair. The blue chair in the south corner covers a secret trapdoor in the stone floor. A character who examines the floor near the chair can make a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check, finding the trapdoor on a success. Pulling open the trapdoor reveals a wooden ladder that descends 15 feet to area G37.

Loot. The credit chips on the table amount to 152 cr.

G13: Tower Rotunda

A goon** sits near the bottom of the stairs, engrossed in a saucy holobook. If this guard detects intruders, he tries to run up the stairs to wake Guildmaster Dusk in area G26.

G14: Upstairs Foyer

The north door leading to area G19 is locked; the other doors are unlocked.

G15: L-Shaped Hall

Closets. The two small rooms to the north are closets behind unlocked doors. One stores a mop and broom and a few buckets. The other has shelves holding linens, blankets, soap, and candles.

G16: Head Mechanic's Quarters

This room belongs to the head mechanic, Laris Drot (neutral balanced, Human commoner**), who is a stout woman in her fifties. Laris carries two keycards on her person: one unlocks the door to this room, and the other unlocks the doors to area G7.

A wooden trunk at the foot of Laris's bed contains folded clothing and personal effects.

Loot. On a nightstand, next to a keycard to the garage, is a coin pouch containing 66 cr.

Development. If Laris is here when the stable hand in area G2b calls her, Laris heads to the stables to find out what's going on. It takes her 1 minute to get there.

G17: Small Common Room

This room stinks of speeder fuel due to its proximity to the garage. It contains two neatly made beds, two empty footlockers, and a nightstand with a light hanging above it.

G18: Large Commmon Room

This room stinks of speeder fuel due to its proximity to the garage. It contains four neatly made beds, each with its own nightstand and empty footlocker. A lamp rests atop each nightstand.

Loot. Hidden inside one of the lamps is a ring of apprentice force storing, left by a past guest. No one in the guild is aware that the ring is there.

G19: North Balcony

A thug* stationed atop this balcony watches for trouble coming from the north and west. If she sees anything suspicious or threatening, she shouts loud enough to put the rest of the guildhouse on high alert. This thug carries a keycard that unlocks the door to area G14.

Macrobinoculars. The macrobinoculars attached to the balcony are missing one of their lenses and are nonfunctional.

G20: Private Room

A traveling merchant named Thyval Horne (neutral balanced, Human commoner**) rents this room. On the nightstand rests a keycard that unlocks the door to this room.

Roleplaying Thyval. The merchant hasn't had a good night's sleep in days and quickly angers if disturbed. Characters who threaten Thyval or use powers to coerce him can pry the following information out of him:

• Guildmaster Dusk is hosting an unscrupulous, well-connected noble named Dartinal Livereth. (Thyval suspects the two are lovers.)
• Jamon the Sinner, the guild's resident spy, is a master of disguise.
• Thyval can't sleep because of the beeping droids in the room next door (area G21).

G21: Gwish's Room

The man is a Human Sith sorcerer* named Gwish. Guildmaster Dusk is the only other guild member who knows Gwish's true nature. Gwish is wearing a Sith warrior's robe.

Gwish is reclusive and rarely interacts with the other guild members. The sorcerer has three Sith probe droids that act as messengers. These droids deliver secret messages to the guildmaster's spies abroad and receive similar messages from those spies. (Dusk is paranoid about short-range communications being intercepted.)

If one or more characters interrupt the sorcerer, he politely asks them to leave. If they refuse, he shoos away the droids and attacks the characters. The sorcerer's lightsaber is in a hidden wall compartment in the northeast corner behind the door.

Droid's Message. Gwish has received a message from one of Guildmaster Dusk's spies. The note is written in code on a datacard, and only Guildmaster Dusk is authorized to read it. Gwish plans to deliver the message to Dusk once her guest leaves (see area G26).

A character can decipher the message in 1 minute by succeeding on a DC 20 Intelligence check using a slicer's kit. A decryption program tech power grants advantage on this check. The message reads, "TC-01 in danger. Dwartii retaliation imminent. Be on high alert."

Gwish's Trunk. The trunk at the foot of Gwish's bed contains a spare unenhanced red crystal and a collection of Sith writings.

Master Keycard. One of the deep pockets on Gwish's robe contains a master keycard that unlocks all doors in the guildhouse.

G22: South Balcony

A thug* stationed atop this balcony watches for trouble coming from the south and east. If she sees anything suspicious or threatening, she shouts loud enough to put the rest of the guildhouse on high alert. This thug carries keycards that unlock the doors to areas G23, G24, and G25.

Macrobinoculars. The macrobinoculars are damaged, but functional.

G23: Stolen Goods

Elikss the Saint (lawful dark, Trandoshan warrior; see the "Elikss the Saint" section earlier in the adventure) works here during the day. Armed with a crowbar, he examines containers stolen by the Son-tuul Pride. He then records their contents (and the estimated value of those contents) on a datapad.

Master Keycard. Elikss carries a master keycard that unlocks all doors in the guildhouse complex.

Loot. The following stolen goods are stored here:

• Six casks of exquisite Corellian wine (2,500 cr each)
• Chest containing six poisoner's kits
• Crate containing eight security kits
• Crate containing two rocketpacks (see Wretched Hives)
• Coffin containing the moldy corpse of a Human Jensaarai wearing a copper necklace shaped like the Jensaarai emblem (250 cr), an ornate animalistic mask (2,500 cr), and Jensaarai armor

G24: Elikss's Office

A thug* stands guard outside the door to Guildmaster Dusk's quarters (area G26). The thug's job is to shout at the first sign of trouble, thus alerting the guildmaster.

Desk. If the characters search the desk at night, they find a datapad in an unlocked drawer, along with a stylus pen. The datapad provides an account of stolen goods acquired by the Son-tuul Pride, but TC-01 is not among the items listed.

G25: Shared Bedroom

Guild members take turns resting here. The room contains two beds, two nightstands, and two trunks (each one packed with linens). A hearth in the south corner keeps the room warm.

Sleeping Guards. Two goons** sleep in the beds. They wake if disturbed and spend their first action scrambling for their weapons.

G26: Dusk's Quarters

Unless she has been lured elsewhere, Guildmaster Dusk (lawful dark, Rodian lethal operative**) is asleep in bed with her lover, a politically influential noble

named Dartinal Livereth (lawful dark, Human noble**). Neither is wearing armor, but they keep their weapons within reach.

If the guildhouse is on high alert, Dusk leaves the room to find out what's happening. Meanwhile, Dartinal smokes a death stick in bed and waits for Dusk to return.

Fireplace. Resting on the fireplace mantel are a wedge of soap, a brush, a clay pipe, and an ivory spice jar carved in the shape of a skull. Buried in the ashes of the hearth is a spare techblade covered with soot.

Leather Trunk. This trunk holds a spare, loaded slugthrower under some linens, bedding, and neatly folded outfits.

Master Keycard. Guildmaster Dusk keeps a master keycard on a nightstand next to her bed, and she takes it with her when she leaves the room. The keycard unlocks all doors in the guildhouse complex.

G27: Tower Peak

This room is situated at the top of the tower and is off limits to everyone except Guildmaster Dusk, who comes here to reflect, doodle in her diary, and gaze upon her latest acquisition: TC-01.

Characters who search the guildmaster's cluttered desk find sketches and descriptions of deadly mechanical traps, including a rough sketch of the trap in this room (see "Trap" below).

TC-01. The droid head that sits in the alcove is TC-01 (see its description and stat block at the end of the adventure). Guildmaster Dusk is interfaced with the head and has commanded it to defend itself against all creatures except her. As an action, a character can throw a sheet over the head, making it unable to cast tech powers.

The Order of Dwartii was wrong about one thing: Guildmaster Dusk has no intention of selling the head. By learning its secrets, she hopes to become as notorious and wealthy as the late Daiyani Grysthorn, the crime lord who commissioned the painting in the first place.

Trap. Canisters of poisonous gas are hidden in the wall behind the droid head. Removing the head from its pedestal without first disabling the trap causes the gas to spew from tiny holes previously concealed by the head. Each creature in the room when the gas is released must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 36 (8d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

A character who searches the alcove for traps spots the holes behind the head with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. This check is made with advantage if the character saw the trap's sketch in Dusk's diary. Once the trap is detected, a character can spend 1 minute trying to disable it, either by plugging the holes or by placing a counterweights on the pedestal as someone else carefully lifts the head. The character trying to disable the trap must make a DC 15 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, disabling the trap on a success and triggering the trap on a failure.

G33: Western Maze

This maze is like the one in area G32, right down to the heavy breathing. The square marked T on map 6.2 contains a hidden pressure plate on the floor identical to the ones in area G32.

Secret Doors. This maze contains two secret doors, one to the north and the other to the west:

• North Secret Door. This secret door has three separate locks built into it. If all three pressure plates in the maze (the one in this area and the two in area G32) are in their sunken positions, the door unlocks and swings open on its own, revealing area G28 beyond. Otherwise, each of the door's three locks requires a separate release tech power or similar effect to bypass. The locks are hidden and can't be picked.
• West Secret Door. This secret door is unlocked and pushes open to reveal area G34 beyond.

G34: Cell Block

Characters who have darkvision or a light source can see the following:

All the cell doors are locked, and a secret door connects the cell block to area G33.

G34a: Smugglers' Barrels. This cell contains four wooden barrels that have padded interiors and air tubes for breathing. The thieves use these barrels for smuggling people.

G34b: Smugglers' Trunks. Three iron-bound trunks rest against the back wall of this cell. The chests have padded interiors and air tubes for breathing. Like the barrels in the adjoining cell, these trunks are used for smuggling people.

G34c: Prison Cells. Each of these cells contains a wooden bench and a small drain hole in the floor.

Imprisoned in the northernmost cell is a thief named Dury Sneeth (neutral dark, Human spy*), who was caught taking a bribe from a member of Black Sun, a rival crime syndicate. After he was rightly accused of spying for Black Sun, Dury was locked up and interrogated. He found a vibrodagger hidden behind one of the bricks in the wall of his cell, and he keeps it hidden on his person. He has no other weapons.

Guildmaster Dusk is satisfied that Dury is guilty of betraying the Son-tuul Pride, but she hasn't gotten around to punishing him yet and has, in fact, told Dury that she's willing to give him a second chance if he behaves himself from now on. Dury is not convinced Dusk has his best interests at heart and pleads for release.

G35: Storage Room

The crates contain stolen weapons and ammunition: ten techblades, twelve slugthrowers, five shotguns, and hundreds of slug cartridges. The chests are filled with ordinary cutlery, candlesticks, plates, pitchers, and mugs.

Loot. One of the chests has a secret compartment, which a character searching the chest can find with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. The secret compartment contains six pieces of costume jewelry (50 cr each), a gold necklace with a black pearl pendant (7,500 cr), and a grenade, fragmentation (major).

G36: Storage Room

The plant is a saava. To keep the carnivorous plant satiated, Guildmaster Dusk brings it a fresh slab of meat every few days. The saava attacks any character who tries to steal the meat but otherwise prefers to be left alone.

Secret Door. Hidden in the room's south corner is a secret door that swings open into area G37.

G37: Secret Tunnel

This tunnel has a secret door at one end and a 15-foot-tall ladder at the opposite end. The ladder climbs to a stone trapdoor in the ceiling that leads to area G12. A character at the top of the ladder can try to push open the trapdoor, doing so with a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check; the check is made with disadvantage if the blue chair in area G12 is weighing down the trapdoor.

Conclusion

If the characters return TC-01 to Adrisa Carimorte, she gives them their promised reward. If they also present Elikss the Saint's datapad (see areas G23 and G24), Adrisa offers to buy it for 5,000 cr.

If the characters deciphered the coded message delivered by Gwish's droid (see area G21) and share the message with Adrisa, she suspects one of Guildmaster Dusk's spies has infiltrated the Order of Dwartii. She thanks the characters for the information and gives them a smugglepack (fine) as an added reward. Identifying the spy is beyond the scope of this adventure but a good hook for a future one.

TC-01

Tiny droid (tracker), lawful dark

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• Armor Class 12 (armor plating)
• Hit Points 20 (8d4)
• Speed 0 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
1 (-5)	1 (-5)	10 (+0)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)	8 (-1)

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• Skills Lore +6, Perception +3
• Damage Vulnerabilities ion
• Damage Resistances necrotic, poison, psychic
• Condition Immunities diseased, poisoned, prone
• Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
• Languages Galactic Basic, Binary, Huttese
• Challenge 1/2 (100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

---

Advanced Interface. Maintaining an interface with TC-01 requires more investment than a typical tracker droid. Casting the tracker droid interface tech power on TC-01 costs two attunement slots, which can't be used until the power ends (the caster can willingly end the power over the course of a short rest).

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

Innate Techcasting. The droid's techcasting ability is Intelligence (tech save DC 12, +4 to hit with tech attacks). It can innately cast the following tech powers:

3/day: homing rockets

Interfaced Communications Protocol. While a creature is interfaced with this droid via the tracker droid interface tech power, the creature can communicate with the droid via its tech focus over any distance, provided the two are on the same planet. However, contacting the droid from more than 100 feet away requires the creature's concentration (as if concentrating on a power).

Vidorant's Vault

An Adventure for 7th-Level Characters

Over the years, the notorious Twi'lek thief Nixylanna Vidorant has stolen many famed prizes and stored them in her vault. Her former partner believes one of these trophies—a ruby diadem—rightly belongs to him. He hires the characters to infiltrate Vidorant's vault, bypass its security features, and steal the diadem. In a twist, the characters come face-to-face with Vidorant, and she offers them a deal that's hard to refuse.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm sure you've heard of my organization, the Blue Ghosts. Only the most elite thieves in the world qualify for membership.

"You may have heard that Nixylanna Vidorant, my former partner, is no longer with the Blue Ghosts. We've withdrawn all protection from her and her property, and we now have room in the society for new members.

"As such, I present to you a challenge. Whoever brings me the Ruby Diadem of Erlynn Blessore from Nixylanna's personal vault will become a member of the society. As my family is descended from Queen Erlynn, we've wanted the diadem returned to us for years.

"You can keep a few things for yourself from her collection, but I'd advise against too much distraction. Nixylanna has been a problem for me for a long time because she is very good at what she does. And remember: you cannot trust her."

Preparation

The party's preparation for the heist might include seeking information from Vidorant's former guards, surveilling Vidorant at her mansion, or staking out her vault. Though each approach can yield useful information, the characters shouldn't delay too much; other Blue Ghosts may also be preparing to steal the diadem (at your discretion).

Map 7.1: Player's Map

While no one in the Blue Ghosts would dare help Vidorant right now, she still has a few informants and cronies from outside the organization. If the characters watch her long enough, they see meetings with four people: a muscular Aqualish woman in a fine suit and hat, a sneering Human man carrying a large leather case, an unkempt Mirialan man with patched clothing, and a smiling Twi'lek woman who bears a striking resemblance to Vidorant but is noticeably younger. Learning the identities of these associates would take additional sleuthing.

Exterior Security

Characters who learned the guard rotation in the "Preparation" section know two guards are posted on the balcony and one guard patrols around the outside of the building at ground level.

A character can avoid the notice of the exterior guards with a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Stealth) check. An effective distraction might lower the DC or even bypass this check entirely. At night, the DC of this check decreases to 9.

Interior Security

Characters who learned the guard rotation in the "Preparation" section know two guards are posted in the lobby, seven guards patrol the first floor of the vault, and no guards patrol upstairs.

Rather than requiring you to track each patrolling guard's location, this adventure represents the guards moving about the vault by having you roll to determine whether a guard is present in any given room. In areas specified as part of the guard rotation, roll a d4 to determine if a guard is present when the characters approach that room. On a 1, a guard is present in that room. If the characters learned the guard rotation in the "Preparation" section, roll a d6 instead of a d4, reflecting their increased ability to avoid the guards.

If the characters spend more than 10 minutes in any room that's part of the guard rotation, a guard interrupts them. Any character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher hears the guard coming 2 rounds before the guard enters the room.

Evading Guards

When guards are present in an area, characters can resolve encounters without resorting to combat. Some examples are listed below, though the characters may come up with creative alternatives:

• Bluffing. A character can lie their way past a guard with a successful DC 16 Charisma (Deception) check. If the party's preparations convincingly support their story—such as wearing guard uniforms while claiming they're new guards—the DC decreases to 12.
• Bribing. A character can convince a guard to look the other way with a 500 cr bribe and a successful DC 10 Charisma (Persuasion) check.
• Hiding. Before entering a room, a character can tell if a guard is present by listening at the door and succeeding on a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. The party can make a DC 14 group Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide in their current room until the guards leave. On a successful check, the guard leaves without noticing the characters, allowing the party to enter the next room undetected. On a failed check, the guard discovers the characters, likely by entering the room the characters are in and spotting them.
• Intimidation. A character can frighten a guard into letting them pass with a successful DC 17 Charisma (Intimidation) check.

If you wish, a character who succeeds on one of the above checks by 5 or more might also learn one piece of information from the "Gathering Intelligence" section, perhaps by overhearing a conversation or persuading a guard to share it.

Caught in the Act

If the characters are spotted by a guard and don't talk their way out of it, the guard calls for backup and attempts to run away, taking the Dash action. The guard returns 3 rounds later with an additional 1d4 + 1 guards (unless there aren't that many guards left). The guards (use the veteran** stat block) fight until reduced to 10 hit points, then flee.

If the characters set off any audible alarms in the building, a guard immediately investigates, arriving 3 rounds after the alarm sounds. The alarm also puts the guards on high alert throughout the vault. For 1 hour after an alarm sounds, when rolling to determine if a guard is present in a room, roll two dice instead of one; if either result is a 1, a guard is present. Additionally, the DC on checks made to nonviolently deal with guards increases by 2 (see "Evading Guards"), and the price to bribe a guard increases to 1,000 cr.

Changing of the Guard

If the characters neutralize all nine interior guards, the party has the run of the building until the next shift's guards show up. However, the three guards outside the building remain alert to loud noises inside the vault and enter the building to investigate suspicious sounds. A new shift starts every four hours, and six guards show up at each shift change.

Vault Locations

The following locations are keyed to map 7.2.

Map 7.2: DM's Map

Player Version

Guards. Two off-duty guards are playing cards at the table. They aren't expecting to be interrupted, and each has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 7. If the characters try a nonviolent approach (as detailed in the "Evading Guards" section), the DC of those checks decreases by 2 against the off-duty guards.

Locked Door. The door to area T3 is locked. Each guard in the vault has a keycard that unlocks this door.

T6: Gallery

Flamethrowing Statues. When a creature steps on a square marked T on map 7.2, the statue closest to that square triggers a hidden flamethrower, which fills the two squares between the statue and the door nearest to it. Any creature in that area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

As an action, a character can search a trapped area and make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. If this check succeeds, the character finds a tiny switch on the wall next to the nearest door. Flipping the switch temporarily disables whichever statue shoots fire toward that door. The trap reactivates 1 minute later.

Guards. This room is part of the guard rotation. Roll to determine if a guard is present (as described in "Interior Security"). Guards enter the room only via its secret passage, and they leave through either of the main doors after flipping the switch to temporarily disable the traps.

Secret Door. A character who inspects the paintings and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers a large painting on the east wall pivots—along with the bookshelf on the other side of the wall—revealing a secret way to area T9.

Loot. Four 12-foot-wide paintings (4,000 cr each) and a smaller 2-foot-wide painting (10,000 cr) are on display. A character who examines them and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Lore) check recognizes the small painting is by a famous artist and is significantly more valuable than the others.

T7: Armory

The two easternmost suits of armor are B2 series, B2-HA droids in disguise. They attack creatures (other than Vidorant) that aren't wearing guard uniforms. They obey Vidorant's spoken commands. If she's not present, they obey anyone wearing a guard uniform, even if commanded to attack another guard. They don't leave this room, and they ignore orders that would cause them to do so.

Guards. This room is part of the guard rotation. Roll to determine if a guard is present (as described in "Interior Security").

Loot. The chests hold more weapons. Most of the equipment in this room is unenhanced, but a character who is proficient with armormech's implements or armstech's implements or who succeeds on a DC 17 Intelligence (Lore) check immediately spots the most finely crafted items: a +1 techblade, a +1 vibroblade, and a suit of +1 weave armor.

T8: Zoo

Cages. Each cage has a door held shut by a rudimentary latch. One contains exotic birds. Another holds two aryx and six bogwings, lesser. A third contains harmless mammals. The last two cages each hold one narglatch. The aryx, bogwings, and narglatches are aggressive but accustomed to being placated with food by Vidorant and the guards.

Guards. This room is part of the guard rotation. Roll to determine if a guard is present (as described in "Interior Security"). Any guard in this room carries food for the animals.

T9: Library

A character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 18 or higher notices a pressure plate peeking from under the rug. After discovering it, a character can use an action to try to disable the pressure plate, doing so with a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Technology) check using a slicer's kit or a diminish tech tech power.

If a creature steps on the rug without saying the password, "quixotic," the pressure plate activates a camouflaged spelunker probe droid (see its stat block at the end of the adventure). The droid doesn't reveal its presence or attack immediately, waiting to do so until the characters either remove a holobook from the room or try to cross the spiked pit in area T10.

Guards. This room is part of the guard rotation. Roll to determine if a guard is present (as described in "Interior Security"). The guard uses the password if forced to step onto the rug.

Secret Door. A character who inspects the bookshelves and succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check discovers the bookshelf to the west pivots—along with the painting on the other side—revealing a secret way to the gallery (area T6).

Loot. Most books in this room have no monetary value, but three of the oldest books are worth 5,000 cr each. A character can identify these valuable books if they spend 5 minutes examining them and succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (Lore) check: Adventures of the Mystique (first edition, mint condition) is a transcription of a first mate's logbook, which recounts several harrowing adventures aboard a cruiser called the Mystique.

The Dark Side Codex, written by a Sith pureblood named Nadir, provides tips and tricks for surviving encounters with Sith.

Eight for Dinner (first edition, signed by the author) is a murder mystery in which an inquisitive gray Jedi detective solves a murder aboard a repulsor locomotive called the Concordant Express.

Secret Passage. Any character who has a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 18 or higher notices that the hallway between areas T14 and T15 doesn't extend as far north as this room does. A character who searches the northeast corner of the room can make a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, finding a secret door on a success. Beyond it is a passage ending at another secret door. No ability check is required to spot the door from inside the passage. Characters can use this route to enter area T15 and avoid the trap there.

Trapped Cabinets. All four cabinets in this room are locked and trapped. A character who examines the cabinets for 1 minute can make a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check, finding all four traps on a success. Inside each cabinet is a delicate glass vial containing poison gas. The vial breaks if the cabinet is opened by any means other than using the proper keycard (which is in Vidorant's possession). A character can use a security kit to try to disarm one of these traps, doing so with a successful DC 18 Dexterity check. Failing the check by 5 or more triggers the trap.

A character can use a security kit to try to unlock a cabinet, doing so with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. However, if the trap hasn't been disarmed, the cabinet releases its poison gas. The gas from one vial is enough to fill the room but dissipates quickly. Each creature in the room when the gas is released must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 11 (2d10) poison damage.

Loot. Each cabinet holds 10,000 cr.

Vidorant Arrives

Once the characters obtain the diadem, they must escape the vault to complete the heist.

If Vidorant (chaotic balanced, Twi'lek lethal operative**) is alerted to the theft by an alarm in her inner vault (area T15), she uses a custom-made ring that functions as a helm of teleportation (to which only she can attune; see the Dungeon Master's Guide) to teleport to the balcony 5 rounds after the alarm is triggered. She heads toward the characters while calling loudly for the guards. The balcony guards follow her, and all other guards in the vault go on high alert (see "Caught in the Act").

Conclusion

If the characters return the diadem to Goldan, he offers them lifetime membership in the Blue Ghosts. He also promises them a personal favor they can redeem next time they need help with a situation. If the party prefers a cash reward instead, he happily obliges and still promises a favor.

If the characters took Vidorant's deal or decided to keep the diadem for themselves, they must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma (Deception) check to convince Goldan they were unable to retrieve the diadem. If Goldan realizes they're lying to him, he grows very serious. He doesn't attack the party himself; instead, he uses the Blue Ghosts to steal back the diadem or otherwise make the characters' lives difficult.

If the characters fool him or were simply unable to recover the diadem, Goldan is disappointed, but he reassures the characters there will be other opportunities to work together in the future.

Stat Blocks

Appendix: NPC Stat Blocks

Lethal Operative

Medium humanoid (any species), any non-light alignment

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• Armor Class 15 (fiber armor)
• Hit Points 78 (12d8 + 24)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)

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• Saving Throws Dex +6, Int +4
• Skills Acrobatics +6, Deception +3, Perception +3, Stealth +9
• Damage Resistances poison
• Senses passive Perception 13
• Languages Any two languages
• Challenge 8 (3,900 XP) Proficiency Bonus +3

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Assassinate. During its first turn, the operative has advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn. Any hit the operative scores against a surprised creature is a critical hit.

Evasion. If the operative is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, the operative instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage if it fails.

Sneak Attack (1/Turn). The operative deals an extra 14 (4d6) damage when it 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 the operative that isn't incapacitated and the operative doesn't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

Actions

Multiattack. The operative makes two techblade attacks.

Techblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) kinetic damage, and the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Slugthrower. Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, range 105/420 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) kinetic damage, and the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Noble

Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment

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• Armor Class 15 (weave armor)
• Hit Points 9 (2d8)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	12 (+1)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

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• Skills Deception +5, Insight +4, Persuasion +5
• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages any two languages
• Challenge 1/8 (25 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

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Actions

Vibrorapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) kinetic damage.

Reactions

Parry. The noble adds 2 to its AC against one melee attack that would hit it. To do so, the noble must see the attacker and be wielding a melee weapon.

Veteran

Medium humanoid (any species), any alignment

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• Armor Class 17 (assault armor)
• Hit Points 58 (9d8 + 18)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)	11 (+0)	10 (+0)

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• Skills Athletics +5, Perception +2
• Senses passive Perception 12
• Languages any one language (usually Galactic Basic)
• Challenge 3 (700 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2

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Actions

Multiattack. The veteran makes two vibroblade attacks. If it has a techblade drawn, it can also make a techblade attack.

Techblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) kinetic damage.

Vibroblade. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) kinetic damage, or 8 (1d10 + 3) kinetic damage if used with two hands.

Marksman Blaster. Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, range 125/500 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d10 + 1) energy damage.