SWD20 - Adv (lvl 06) - Positive ID.pdf - SWD20 - Dihercen

Positive ID

A Free Star Wars

Mini-Adventure For Any Era

By JD Wiker

DESIGN

JD WIKER

“Positive ID” is a Star Wars Roleplaying Game mini-adven-

ture for four player characters of 6th level, though it can be

adjusted for heroes of any level. It is designed for use in the

Rebellion Era, but it can easily be adapted to the Rise of the

Empire period or The New Jedi Order Era. “Positive ID” puts

the heroes in the middle of a Nar Shaddaa nightclub stuffed

full of all manner of aliens from the Ultimate Alien

Anthology . When something goes wrong, the heroes will

need their combat prowess to get clear, but a good Spot

check and Knowledge (alien species) is vital, as well.

If you plan to play a character in this adventure, don’t

read any further. The information below is meant for the

Gamemaster’s eyes only.

To play this adventure, you need a copy of the Star Wars

Roleplaying Game revised core rulebook and the Ultimate

Alien Anthology sourcebook.

EDITING

RAY AND VALERIE VALLESE

CARTOGRAPHY

ROB LAZZARETTI

TYPESETTING

NANCY WALKER

WEB PRODUCTION

JULIA MARTIN

WEB DEVELOPMENT

THOM BECKMAN

ART DIRECTION

ROB RAPER

Background

LUCAS LICENSING EDITOR

MICHELLE VUCKOVICH

This section contains a synopsis of the adventure, informa-

tion on adjusting “Positive ID” for different eras of play, tips

about aliens, details about the Corusca Gem Casino, and

ways to get the heroes involved.

STAR WARS RPG DESIGN MANAGER

CHRIS PERKINS

VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D

BILL SLAVICSEK

Adventure Synopsis

The heroes need to purchase something a little . . . under

the table. The Hutt to see on Nar Shaddaa is Torga, but

Torga is fairly paranoid after a recent death threat. Torga

arranges for the heroes to talk to his lieutenant, a Zabrak

named Nak Simm. Nak is a good judge of character; if he

decides he can trust the heroes, he has permission to bring

them to Torga’s estate: an extravagant penthouse apart-

ment in a well-to-do neighborhood of Nar Shaddaa. Torga

explains this to the heroes via comlink, and then tells them

not to bother him until they’ve been cleared by Nak.

But en route to the meeting, Nak is murdered by a

Clawdite assassin working for Moska, another Hutt who

wants to take over Torga’s spice-smuggling operations.

Moska can pull it off if Torga doesn’t meet with Jolla,

another Hutt seeking an alliance with Torga. Moska’s goal

is to foil that alliance without actually eliminating Torga,

since Hutts disapprove of assassinations (of other Hutts,

anyway). However, if Moska can make Torga look incom-

petent in front of Jolla, or if he can convince Jolla that

the assassination attempts against Torga make him too

big a risk to Jolla’s own safety, then Torga loses, and

Moska wins.

The Clawdite assassin, Nomo Sliken, murders Nak and

assumes a Zabrak form (though not speciﬁcally Nak’s), and

then shows up at the meeting with the heroes. He tries to

give the heroes such a hard time that they can’t help but

refuse, thus ruining the deal and making Torga look incom-

petent. But before the meeting is concluded, Nak’s body is

found, Torga is notiﬁed, the heroes are presumed to be

responsible, and a party of his thugs burst in, looking to

drag them off to face Torga’s justice.

In the confusion, Nomo rushes into the crowd and tries

to slip away, assuming a number of disguises in an attempt

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002

This d20 System™ game utilizes mechanics developed for

the new D UNGEONS & D RAGONS ® game by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook,

Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.

This Wizards of the Coast™ game product contains no Open Game Content.

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are registered trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

The d20 System logo and d20 are trademarks

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of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork

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003

to lose himself. To prove their innocence, the heroes have to

catch Nomo before he gets outside.

You can use the following descriptions to give the players

a clearer picture of what the Corusca Gem Casino looks like.

Read these aloud as the heroes explore each area of the

casino. If you wish, you can hand the players a photocopy

of the map once they’ve explored the casino in full.

Adjusting for Era

With a little tweaking, “Positive ID” will work in any Star

Wars era. The most difﬁcult would be The New Jedi Order

era, since the Yuuzhan Vong terraform Nar Shaddaa within

the ﬁrst year of the invasion. Otherwise, the GM shouldn’t

have to make any signiﬁcant changes.

Main Entry (outside): The noise and industrial stink of

mid-level Nar Shaddaa mingles with the shouting of the

barkers and the down-and-out reek of desperate gamblers

at the glaringly lit entrance to the Corusca Gem Casino.

Burly bouncers—hissing Barabels, grunting Gamorreans, and

one massive Herglic—glare at everyone, coming or going, as

though just looking for an excuse.

Know Your Aliens

“Positive ID” is sprinkled with tidbits about alien species,

some of which are important to the action. Throughout the

adventure, the text offers opportunities for the heroes to

attempt Knowledge (alien species) checks to pick up on

interesting or intriguing facts. As the GM, you should never

offer that a check is possible, and if the players ask to make

one, you should roll the check secretly, so the players can’t

see the result. Much of the information they can learn in

this fashion appears in the Ultimate Alien Anthology .

Knowledge (alien species): DC 10—Herglics have a

weakness for gambling. That might explain why this

bouncer is stationed outside, away from the action.

Main Entry (inside): Just inside the doors of the Corusca

Gem Casino, the noise hits like a concussion grenade. As far

as the eye can see, gamblers of myriad species mill around

hundreds of gaming machines and tables, throwing away

their credits. Dozens of waitresses circulate through the

crowd, carrying trays of drinks and snacks. The whole place

is dimly illuminated, with little pools of light here and there.

But the noise is nearly deafening: gaming machines ringing,

About the Corusca GemCasino

The Corusca Gem Casino lies in a rough neighborhood but

tries desperately to attract the high rollers. The outside of

the casino is brightly lit and accessible, while the inside is a

bit dimmer, with some positively dark corners here and there.

beeping, and clattering; gamblers howling, hooting, and

shouting; and almost hidden underneath it all, clashing,

raucous music that some species probably ﬁnds soothing.

together delicate dishes; Gossam busboys washing dishes.

The place is ﬁlthy with grime and garbage, but everyone’s

too busy to care.

Front Bar: Half a dozen bartenders move back and forth

between a bank of drink synthesizers, mixing cocktails for

the forty or so different aliens gathered at the bar, and a

never-ending stream of waitresses coming and going.

Guard Station: Gruff security guards—Advozses, Iktotchi,

and muscle-bound Grans—stand grimacing at various doors

and strategic points throughout the casino.

Lounge: Behind the front bar, a small lounge caters to the

more privileged customers, safely cut off from the noise and

the chaos of the less fortunate gamblers—and protected by

a vicious-looking Human bouncer. The little lounge is

packed with Toydarians—a private party, or maybe just a

tour group. A pair of Rybet waitresses stand by, looking

alternately irritated and confused.

Getting the Characters Involved

The heroes need to be on Nar Shaddaa for this adventure to

work as written, but you can set it on any reasonably

lawless world in the galaxy—preferably one with a signiﬁ-

cant Hutt presence.

Why do the heroes need to deal with a Hutt? That’s up to

you and the speciﬁcs of your campaign. The characters

could be looking to buy Imperial-issue military weapons for

the Rebel Alliance, or maybe hoping to trade information

with Torga about the Separatists. Maybe they just need to

get off Nar Shaddaa—quietly—but they don’t have their own

ship. Their reason for going to Torga the Hutt should be

speciﬁc enough that no one else can help them, and

desperate enough that they can’t afford to wait around

until Torga is feeling less paranoid.

Knowledge (alien species): DC 18—Rybets evolved

from batrachians. A room full of small, ﬂuttering crea-

tures is probably making them feel slightly hungry—not

that they’d actually eat the Toydarians; they’d prefer

insects. If they look irritated, it’s most likely because

Toydarians are notoriously bad tippers, but nonetheless

extremely demanding.

Cashier: The cashier’s cage is a heavily barred affair, with a

thick wall of transparisteel between the cashier inside and the

line of slobs outside. An armed guard watches the line warily,

tapping a stun baton on the side of the cage restlessly.

Scene 1: Waiting

for Nak Simm

Back Bar: The bar at the back of the casino is a cozier

affair: three bartenders, half a dozen waitresses, and a few

isolated, intimate tables. The people back here don’t want to

be seen; they’re here to do business. There’s not a bouncer in

sight, but the bartenders look more than capable of handling

any minor disturbances. For that matter, so do the waitresses.

The heroes arrive at the Corusca Gem Casino and get the

lay of the land while waiting for Nak Simm to arrive. Read

the following aloud:

The casino is packed. The ﬂoor is crammed with

gaming machines surrounding a central pit ﬁlled with

gaming tables. To your right, you see a bar and an

enclosed lounge, and you recall that Torga the Hutt

told you that his agent, Nak Simm, would meet you in

the bar. But no one approaches you. Perhaps this Nak

Simm is waiting further back in the casino somewhere.

004

Refreshers: Several different doors mark which species can

be served in which stalls. The refreshers might be cleaned

several times a day, but with the constant stream of

customers coming and going, the place is a mess. A spot of

blood on the ﬂoor indicates that the bouncers use this place

as an ofﬁce to explain economics to overextended gamblers.

Let the heroes wander around the Corusca Gem for a little

while, if they so desire. Read the description of each area,

and allow the heroes to explore and interact. Most of the

people they meet are, at best, only interested in gambling

with the heroes or ﬁnding a way to take advantage of them.

Feel free to run with any scenario that springs to mind;

casinos are often full of bizarre characters with equally

bizarre motives.

Eventually, one of the heroes is bound to discover the

back bar, which is where they’re actually supposed to meet

Nak Simm. But he hasn’t arrived (even though by now he

might be considered late for the meeting). The heroes can

look around, but the patrons back here are not very open to

being scrutinized by strangers. Any hero who makes a Spot

check to try to ﬁnd Nak Simm should also make a

Diplomacy check (DC 15) as well. (You can modify the DC

based on the thoroughness of the hero’s attempt.) If the

Diplomacy check fails, a pair of thugs approach and try to

chase the hero away. (See Supporting Cast, below.)

Gaming Machines: Hundreds of beings of all species sit at

row upon row of beeping, chirping, ﬂashing game-comps,

hoping to hit that one random combination that sets them

up forever in a life of luxury.

Gaming Tables: The center of the Corusca Gem is the

game pit. Dozens of tables, lined with gamblers of three

times as many species, buzz constantly with the rhythm

of the Hutt stock exchange. The dealers, dressed in exotic

uniforms, hustle games of sabacc, three-handed princess,

rebo, and a host of other games, while the pit bosses—

Devaronians, Togorians, Shistavanen, a Besalisk, and even

a Wookiee—keep a watchful eye on the commerce.

Kitchen: The kitchen bustles with activity: Ortolan chefs

working at make tables; Togruta pastry chefs putting

005

Checking Up on Nak Simm

If the heroes attempt to contact Torga to ﬁnd out where

Nak Simm is, Torga doesn’t answer. He’s in a meeting

with Jolla the Hutt, and he doesn’t want to show disre-

spect to his potential business partner by taking a call in

the middle of the meeting. Torga ignores the ﬁrst and

second attempts to contact him, then hurls his comlink

to the far corner of the chamber and orders another of

his lieutenants, an Arkanian named Thraka Duroth, to

ﬁnd out who is bothering him and make sure that

person suffers.

Thraka Duroth is a bit more understanding than Torga,

but he does tell the heroes not to call again. If the heroes

ask him about Nak Simm, though, Thraka tells them that

Nak contacted him a short while ago to say that he had

been delayed—but Thraka adds that Nak should have arrived

by this time. He says he’ll look into it and cancels the

connection.

His suspicions aroused now, Thraka gathers several of his

henchmen and departs Torga’s estate in search of Nak

Simm. He eventually arrives at the Corusca Gem Casino; see

Scene 3, below.

tries other tactics, such as: asking the heroes why they don’t

simply try someone else; asking if the heroes have ever done

business with other Hutts (and the names of those Hutts);

repeating questions that have already been answered earlier

in the conversation; asking them for something to write on;

and so forth.

Finally, when it appears the heroes are good and frus-

trated, “Nak” says, “Well, I believe that you and Torga

can do business.” Then he quotes a ﬁgure that’s easily 20

times what the merchandise (or information, or service) is

worth—and far more than the heroes are likely to have.

“That’s Torga’s price,” he tells the heroes. “Take it or

leave it.”

Scene 3:

Mistaken Identity

While the heroes are still digesting what “Nak” has told

them, Thraka Duroth enters, in a high fury. He tells the

heroes that he found Nak Simm’s body, and that the Zabrak

they’re speaking to isn’t the real Nak. Then things get crazy.

Read the following text aloud:

Scene 2:

Nak Simm Arrives

There’s a clattering crash as an angry-looking, white-

eyed humanoid pushes past a waitress, causing her to

spill a tray of drinks. The humanoid, accompanied by

eight or ten thugs, strides right up to where you’re

seated, slams his ﬁst down on the table, and says,

“Well, you got your wish. You’ll get to see Torga, all

right. But you’re going to wish you hadn’t. Get up.

We’re leaving.”

Just as the heroes are thinking of giving up waiting for

their contact to show, Nak Simm arrives and begins the

bargaining session. Read the following text aloud:

Abruptly, a dark-skinned Zabrak wearing a loose-ﬁtting

robe hurries toward you, with a small number of body-

guards in tow. “My apologies for keeping you waiting,”

he tells you. “I was unavoidably delayed. I am Torga’s

representative, Nak Simm. Shall we be seated?”

Thraka has just come from the alleyway where Nomo Sliken

dumped Nak Simm’s corpse. Assuming that the heroes

murdered Nak, he’s come to drag them off to face Torga’s

wrath, completely unaware that the real murderer is sitting

right at the table. (Remember, Nomo assumed the form of a

Zabrak, but not the speciﬁc form of Nak Simm, so Thraka

doesn’t recognize him.)

The heroes, no doubt, want to know who this

Arkanian is and what they’ve done to earn his anger.

Thraka doesn’t take kindly to the characters playing

dumb, telling them, “You can’t hide your tracks from a

tracker. I just found Nak’s body where you dumped it in

that alley.”

While this exchange is going on, Nomo is carefully

putting his hands on the edge of the table. If the heroes

look at him for clariﬁcation, he just shrugs as though he’s

terribly confused by the whole exchange.

On the other hand, if at any point the heroes regard him

with suspicion—but don’t immediately start shooting—Nomo

simply throws the table at them (in the surprise round). Then,

during the ﬁrst regular round, he bolts for the nearest dark

alcove (using his Heroic Surge feat to get there and still act).

In the process, he uses his changeling abilities to alter his

form to that of a Neimoidian, dumping his robe in the shad-

ows (since a Neimoidian wearing the same robes would be a

dead giveaway). When he reaches the alcove, read the follow-

ing text aloud:

This is Nomo Sliken, the Clawdite, posing as Nak Simm.

Assuming that the heroes are still interested in doing busi-

ness with Torga, “Nak” waves his bodyguards off in the

direction of the gaming machines and settles down to talk

with the heroes. By way of apologizing again, he orders

them all drinks, as well as one for himself.

Knowledge (alien species): DC 20—Zabraks have

exceptional constitutions, and the drink “Nak” has

ordered for himself would probably act like water on

his system. If the heroes comment on this, he tells

them that consuming harder drinks is the reason he

was delayed.

“Nak” begins by asking the heroes why they want to see

Torga the Hutt (even if they’ve already explained this to

Torga himself). He listens seemingly attentively for a few

moments, but then his focus begins to wander around the

room. When the heroes stop speaking to him, he looks back,

as though he’s just noticed them, and tells them that he

was distracted—and asks them to explain again.

This is part of Nomo Sliken’s strategy to annoy the heroes

and ruin their chances of making a deal with Torga. He also

SWD20 - Adv (lvl 06) - Positive ID.pdf

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