This adventure is for Starfinder available from the fine people over at Paizo. It was originally written for the playtest of the classes in the Character Operations Manual. My playtest group wanted to try some of the high level stuff, so this adventure was written with 15th level PCs in mind. Since it is a playtest the encounters get progressively harder, with the first one designed to be trivial for 15th level PCs and getting harder from there. I ran this as a straight combat encounter, but there is no reason this cannot be a social encounter, or even an ongoing campaign stop.

On to the adventure:

Hook:
The PCs friend Hands-Duo has been captured by Buba McFett and taken back to Jibbo Da’ House’s palace. The PCs job is to spring him.

You just got a note from your “friend” Landed Calsen, that your other “friend” Hands Duo has been captured and taken to Jibbo Da’ House’s palace. The note states that Hands is the only one who knows where the stash is from their latest job, and would be more probably feel obliged to share it with any would be rescuers.

Map:

Here I used a combination of tiles from Jabba’s Realm expansion for Imperial Assault from Fantasy Flight Games and the Arena Map from Paizo. Since Jabba’s Realm is currently out of stock what you really need is a sufficiently large entryway, that should be unimpeded for the initial encounter with the orcs. The second room should be a throne room with a trap in the middle that opens to the arena floor 40′ down. The final encounter is on the arena floor, the cell block that Hands is being held in is off the arena floor, so the only way to get to it is via the arena.

Encounter Prelude:

You have arrived at Jibbo Da’ House’s palace, with a terrible sense of de ja vu. It is almost as you have seen this place before but cannot place where. A large solid looking door stands in front of you.

Feel free to have your characters argue with a grumpy AI at the entrance to Jibbo’s palace. A simple Diplomacy or Bluff DC20 check should get the AI to open the door. Otherwise a equally grumpy PC could break the AI’s eyestalk (hardness 5, hp 10), which causes an an even more grumpy tech to open the main door to fix it. The tech does not care if the PCs enter the palace, he has to fix this thing like three times a week and is very sick of it.

Encounter 1 Entry Way (EL 14):

As stated in the map section this should be a long open entryway. 100′ x 20′ is a good minimum size. This encounter should take place out in the relative open.

The large door slides shut behind you as your eyes adjust to the light of this long dim entryway. This room is large enough to move vehicles through, and you can see some speeder bikes parked on the side of the room. The floor angles downward to the underground sections of the palace, and is covered in the sandy grit that get in everything here. You can hear the sound of a band playing coming from further in the palace.

About 20′ into the entryway the PCs will be intercepted by 2 of the orc guards , while the other 4 guard the entryway. Jibbo is aware the PCs are Hands’ friends and has instructed the guards to not let them in. Jibbo does not actually expect the guards to be successful in stopping the PCs, but it gives him time to prepare. No one from the throne room will join the guards, but if the PCs manage to bypass the guards without somehow disabling them, they will join any altercation in the throne room.

Orc Palace Guards (6) CR10
XP 9,600
HP 165 (found here)

Encounter 2 Throne Room (EL 17+):

This is a large room with a fall away floor in the middle of the room. The fall away floor can be of any size, but PCs who fall through it fall 40′ down to the arena floor below. For all public appearances Jibbo da House is assumed to be the leader of the gang. There is also a number of hangers on in the room, add non-combatants appropriate to the size of the room. There is a cantina band whom will continue to play through any combat.

Upon entering the throne room of Jibbo Da’ House, the conversations die down as the newcomers are evaluated by the the population of the room. They look you as a school of piranhas would look at a particular choice of new meat which has entered their tank. A band plays a typical cantina jig oblivious to the goings on in the room. The room itself is covered with tapestries and trophies that Jibbo has collected over the years. At the far end of the room lies a dais with a throne upon it. On the throne sits Jibbo flanked by the famous bounty hunter Bubba McFett on the left and a chained up slave boy on his right.

Jibbo from atop his throne says, “Welcome my friends how can I be of service to such fine upstanding types whom grace my throne room?”

Development: Jibbo is more than willing to negotiate with the PCs. He will under no circumstances give up Hands Duo willingly. He will play a game of cat and mouse with the PCs until they attack or enough of them are on the drop away floor he can drop them to the arena below. Anyone who has True Seeing or something equivalent will recognize the slave boy as a blue dragon, otherwise since the form is shape shift and the human form of the dragon it will not be easy for the PCs to recognize. The trigger for the false floor is on Jibbo’s throne. Jibbo, Bubba, and the “slave boy” know where it is, and can set it off with a move action. The “slave boy” will only set it off if he thinks he can get away with it.

When combat breaks out in this room Jibbo, Bubba, and the 6 guards will always participate. All of the other bystanders will do their best to retreat out of the throne room as quickly as possible. The band plays on, because this is just a Thursday for them. The dragon will not participate, unless it is somehow identified. If any of the PCs are dropped into the arena below, also release the Ranker into the arena. The Ranker cannot get up to the throne room, so if the PCs leave the arena the Ranker will sit under the hole to the throne room and wait for other things to drop down it.

Jibbo Da’ House CR14
XP 38,400
HP 235 (found here)

Buba McFett CR14
XP 38,400
HP 235 (found here)

Orc Palace Guards (6) CR10
XP 9,600
HP 165 (found here)

Stats for the dragon and the Ranker.

After combat completes, the band will roll up their song and then start packing up. If the PCs want to free the “slave boy,” it is a simple enough electronics check, or they can find the code key on Jibbo if they search for it. If questioned, he will tell them that his name is Malcom and give them a sob story about being captured by raiders and sold to Jibbo recently. The only part of the story is that the dragon was “sold” to Jibbo recently, he has decided to keep a closer eye on the operation. He will claim he can show them where the prisoners are held, which is also true.

Encounter 3 Arena (EL 18-):

Hands Duo’s cell is on the other side of the arena, the PCs must cross the arena to get to hands cell.

This is an underground battle arena which can be easily seen from the throne room above. There is a single gated entrance on each side approximately 90 degrees around the arena.

Development: If the PCs take the stairs down from the throne room they will appear at the entrance at the northern side of the arena. The cells where Hands is being kept is out the southern side of the arena. The gated entrances on the north and south side have a medium size door in the middle of them for easier entrance for smaller creatures. They are not currently locked. The eastern and western gates need to be opened by the mechanical controls.

If the Ranker has not been released it will not be released simply by the PCs presence. The Jibbo and the “slave boy” can release it. If neither are still alive, the only way the Ranker will get free is by the PCs opening the eastern gate.

If the PCs have accepted the “slave boy’s” offer he will accompany them down to the arena and help them spring Hands. He will release the Ranker on their way out and revert to dragon form to attack with the Ranker.

Old Blue Dragon (AKA Slave Boy) CR 17
XP 102,400
HP 348 (found here)

Ranker CR 14
XP 38,400
HP 250 (found here)

Once the Ranker and Dragon are defeated there are no impediment to the PCs leaving the palace.

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