The Festival of the Comet

This post presents a celebration that occurs annually in the Crossroads asteroid colony. It provides some fun non-combat challenges for the PCs, along with a good means for introducing them to new NPCs and potential plot hooks.

-Nate

The Festival of the Comet

Every year a particular comet returns to the area, even passing through the asteroid belt. Using that as an excuse for festivities, the locals stage various competitions, festivities and other entertainments.

The Competitions

Refer to the chart below for some idea of what takes place and who is involved during the first day's events. Assuming that certain PCs will only participate in one or two competitions, the GM may want to have players control some of the competitors in order to keep them involved in the activities. Note also the magical enhancement is not allowed.

Event	Competitors	Mechanics
Ranged Combat	Dockworker Tengu sailor Captain Corwyn	Five attack rolls against AC 15, with one point for hitting the target and an extra point for every five by which the attack roll exceeds that AC.
Armed Combat	Dockworker Captain Cyrus Lieutenant Vanderwald	Standard combat against each other, but only doing non-lethal damage.
Unarmed Combat	Dockworker Orc first mate Mako	Standard combat against each other, but only doing non-lethal damage or using combat maneuvers.
Footrace	Dockworker Orc crewman Tengu crewman Mako	A series of checks: Initiative; Dexterity, Constitution, Strength; Dexterity, Constitution, Strength (to simulate circling the asteroid and ascending its tiers) all at DC 10, with -2 penalty for speed 20 and +2 bonus for speed 40. One point for each success, +1 for every five in excess.
Artistic Performance	Dockworker (!) Cargo inspector Ella Song	Two Perform checks, with a score equal to their combined totals. (The GM can apply circumstance bonuses or penalties based on good or bad roleplaying.)

There could be other events, of course, especially if one of the PCs has an unusual talent that could be showcased via a competition. 

After each of the competitions there is an elaborate awards ceremony in which Luciano Reda presents each winner with a cash prize of 100 gp and a crown of olive leaves; for the duration of the festival, anyone wearing such a crown receives a +2 equipment bonus to Charisma checks and checks for Charisma-based skills.

The Asteroid Belt Race

The next day, the most highly anticipated event takes place—a race in aetherships through the asteroid belt. This time the competitors are as follow.

• Captain Corwyn and her crew aboard her galleon, the Sylvana.
• The tengu crew in their bark, the Skylark.
• Captain Cyrus and his orcs aboard their modified merchantman, the Abattoir.
• Lieutenant Vanderwald aboard an R.I.C. merchantman, the Opportunity.
• The PCs in their own ship, assuming that they are interested.

Here again, the GM might want to have other players (whoever isn't controlling the captain of the PCs' ship) make rolls for the competitors.

Refer to the GameMastery Guide for more detailed rules regarding chases; this one uses the following obstacles. All of the ships start with their sails furled, but with crews in position for action. The winners are the first captain and crew that can fly across to the asteroid belt, through the tumbling rocks to the comet, recover a piece of comet ice, and then return to the Crossroads docks. In game terms, this requires passing all of the obstacles, with the points system used as a tiebreaker.

At the Ready: Initiative rolls for all the captains involved, with one point awarded for every full five in the result.	→	Setting Sail: DC 5 Profession (sailor) checks to set the ships' sails, with one point for success and one for every five beyond that.	→	Open Space: Spellcraft or Use Magic Device checks to push forward through an open stretch.
				↓
Claiming the Prize: DC 10 Spellcraft or U.M.D. checks to pull alongside the comet;* DC 15 Strength check to load aboard a piece of comet ice.	←	Into the Thick of Things: DC 15 Spellcraft or U.M.D. checks* to weave through the first small asteroids, assisted by the crew's DC 15 Profession (sailor) check.	←	On the Edge: DC 10 Spellcraft or U.M.D. checks* to weave through the first small asteroids, assisted by the crew's DC 10 Profession (sailor) check.
↓
Out of the Thick of Things: DC 15 Spellcraft or U.M.D. checks* to weave through the first small asteroids, assisted by the crew's DC 15 Profession (sailor) check.	→	Past the Edge: DC 10 Spellcraft or U.M.D. checks* to weave through the first small asteroids, assisted by the crew's DC 10 Profession (sailor) check.	→	Open Space, Again: Spellcraft or Use Magic Device checks to push forward through an open stretch.

Note that, for all of the checks marked with an asterisk (*), failure to meet the required DC means that the ship suffers a collision. This causes the vessel to suffer its base ramming damage—that is, 7d8 for a dhow, 8d8 for a bark, 9d8 for a junk and 10d8 for a merchantman or a galleon. Note that, since the competitors need to pass one obstacle before advancing to the next, the damage can accumulate quickly. This race is not, after all, for the faint-hearted. 

As always, the GM can assign bonuses or penalties to these checks based on clever ideas that the PCs have. 

The winner(s) of this race split a purse of 1000 gp, and are also presented with olive-leaf crowns as noted above.