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Co-written with Skrat.

Genre: Sci-Fi
Primary Focus: Combat
Secondary Focus: Investigation
Time: 1-2 hours
Complexity: 1

The Alien Dig Site is a quick one shot designed for Level 1 Player Characters. It is an easy-to-run session, making it good for both new players and new GMs alike, while still giving players choices to make for different outcomes!

The players will most likely play as mercenaries or bounty hunters, though if they wish to be something else, that is certainly viable, so long as it makes sense to the narrative.

The party, whoever they decide to be, are individuals hired by Armagon Megacorporation, the largest weapon manufacturer in all the known galaxy. Their job is to investigate an archeological dig site on an alien planet, as all contact has been lost with the original dig team.

Players will need to learn what happened to the original team and secure the site, reporting any and all findings back to Armagon Megacorporation. That is, if they choose not to keep any of the said findings for themselves . . .

Character Suggestions

Ishanekon: World Shapers is all about character customization, but it is also understandable that so much customization can seem daunting at first. Fear not! Below you will find several premade characters to choose from if you’d rather keep things simple for now. But remember, the Discord is only a click away if you’re stuck and would like help with making your own character!

You can download these characters and then import them directly into your Online Character Sheet or simply use a PDF printout. Also, feel free to change any of the small details to fit your needs, such as name, gender, personality, or things like that.

== Characters go here ==

The Mission

This adventure takes place in the Observed Sci-Fi setting found within Ishanekon: World Shapers. However, as with many things in the wonderful world of TTRPGs, nobody is forcing you to use this setting. Feel free to use your own homemade Sci-Fi setting or use an already existing one (we won’t tell anybody, don’t worry).

Once you’ve decided on a preferred setting, there are some things that GM needs to know before running the adventure. If you are the GM, please continue reading. If you’re one of the players, what are you doing? Get out of here before it’s too late! Else you’ll become the forever GM!

Background Information for the GM

The planet the players are being sent to is called Iona. While the atmosphere there is breathable, the planet itself is not very exciting and is mostly a sand-filled desert with a basic ecosystem. Underneath all that sand, however, are alien ruins that Armagon Megacorporation discovered.

The company immediately deployed its archeology team led by Sahra Hamstrung to begin excavation. While digging deeper into the ruins, the crew began to hear voices. A device within the ruins was still functioning and slowly rewriting the DNA of the crew.

They began to develop psionic powers but also lost themselves in the process, becoming an alien hybrid with the sole purpose of protecting the device that changed them, no matter the cost.

This device was originally left behind by The Observers. They were the first intelligent race in the galaxy, and for a long period, the only intelligent race. Loneliness and incredible scientific minds quickly led them to boredom and persuaded them to create all known sentient life in the galaxy.

Perhaps as a science project or merely for their own entertainment, they then returned to a pocket dimension within the center of the galaxy to sit back and observe what they had created with minimal interference. Naturally, Armagon Megacorporation wants anything this mysterious race may have left behind.

Cast of Characters

Name	Description
Unit STC-012	A handy companion, but sometimes a bit on the sassy side. He takes very good care of his ship and is an excellent pilot. STC was originally built by the robot manufacturing company BotCo, but his attitude is a clear sign that he is no longer running on factory defaults. Who modified him remains a mystery, and the dents and dings on his body suggest that he’s been on adventures he wasn’t designed for.
Mrs. Albane Garnier	Corporate executive businesswoman with a scowl that could kill lesser men. She’s been in the game so long that she’s completely forgot what it means to be human. It’s business first, and business later for her.
Sahra Hamstrung’s	She is an archeologist first, and a corporate drone second . . . or fifth. Maybe sixth. Actually, she hates working for such a large corporation, but they fund her digs and put food on her table, so she’s willing to take the good with the bad. She’s extremely close to her team and has been working with them for years and would gladly stick her neck out for them.
Jonathan Saavedra	Ex-military. Did two tours back in the tundra of Storza in the battle of Usod. Afterwards, he decided he wanted something a little more relaxed. Sahra liked the idea of having a former soldier on the team and gladly brought him on as an apprentice. Years later, he found himself working side by side with her on a partner level.

The Adventure

The adventure starts with all players aboard their ship flying towards Iona. If any of the players have a Vehicle Handling of at least 1, ask who would like to fly the ship. If none of the players meet the requirements, then Unit STC-012 will fly the ship for them.

During their trip they will be receiving a brief from Mrs. Albane Garnier, a ruthless executive of Armagon Megacorporation. She is a tall and broad-shouldered woman with blond hair pulled behind her head tight enough to stretch her skin back. Her smile is consistent and fake, and her obliviousness to sarcasm and humor shows that she has completely lost touch with anything that might have still been human about her.

She will inform the players that Armagon Megacorporation had an archaeological team on the planet researching alien ruins before contact was lost a week ago. Her orders are simple and listed in order of importance: secure the site, figure out what happened, and save any members of the original team. 1,000 credits for each player when the mission is done, and up to 1,000 more depending on player performance.

Players will be given the exact coordinates to the dig site so they will know exactly where to land. If they choose to land farther away for safety reasons, use the walk time from the ship to the dig site (or wherever they choose to go) as an opportunity for roleplay.

If the players want to scan the planet, they can do so by rolling Natural Sciences, Engineering, or Vehicle Handling. Use the table below to determine what is learned. The players will learn everything up to the score they rolled.

5+	The atmosphere is breathable, and the planet is safe to walk on with a basic ecosystem. Most of the planet’s life is but a few scarce plants scattered about the desert, though there is likely to be small, harmless creatures as well.
7+	Scans reveal the location of the archeology team’s ship, confirming the coordinates you were given, as well as confirmation of a structure beneath the ground close to where the archeology team landed.
12+	There is gamma radiation centered around the dig site.
15+	The gamma radiation is pulsing from the dig site in a consistent pattern.

Once the players land, they will have two locations to explore. The Ship, and The Dig Site.

The Ship

Upon approaching the ship, the players will find that it is closed and that there are no visible signs of damage. A Computer check of 7+ or a Raw Force check of 8+ can open the door to the ship. If the players explore The Dig Site first and find a team member’s ID Card, then they can open the door without a check.

1 – Cockpit

If the players have Captain Sahra Hamstrung’s ID Card, they can unlock the captain’s logs. If not, they can attempt to unlock them with a Computer check of 5+.

Log 132-158

Alien ruins? Please. Those execs couldn’t tell the difference between an alien ruin and a toilet. They’re convinced, though, and I’ll admit, I saw the scans myself. Whether or not it’s “alien ruins”, there’s certainly something underneath all this sand, and that’s a win for me. Unfortunately, I doubt the bigwigs will share my enthusiasm for discovery unless it’s profitable.

Log 132-161

Color me surprised. Maybe those execs know what they’re doing after all. It took a few days of shoveling sand, but we found something. We actually found something!

Log 132-163

I still can’t believe it. Alien ruins. ACTUAL alien ruins! It’s the real deal! We’ve been digging around the clock. The discovery has gotten the entire team working like madmen. We have to remind ourselves to stop and take breaks so we don’t pass out from exhaustion.

Log 132-164

The ruins are bigger than we thought. It seems they go on quite a way. But there’s something more concerning. My crew. Some of them claim to hear voices. It was just a couple of them at first, and we thought there might be something alive down here, but they said it was “in their head.” When I suggested they might have worked too hard, they snapped at me. Violently. I’ve known these men for years. I’ve never seen them behave in such a way.

Log 132-165

Nearly the entire team claims to hear the voices. Nobody seems to be able to understand what the voices are saying. Bunch of useless drones! You want to complain about voices, but you can’t tell me what they’re saying? What good are you?

Log 132-166

I hear the voices now. It’s . . . calming. But only when I’m in the ruins. When I come to the ship, I feel angry. So much rage. I should go back to the ruins so I can serve. Serve? I mean, think clearly. Obviously, I need it.

2 – Storage Room

Jonathan Saavedra has locked himself inside the storage room. He is the only remaining crew member who hasn’t mutated due to his resilience and quick thinking. Once he heard the voices and saw what was becoming of his teammates, he immediately fled to the ship and locked himself inside for his own protection.

He is noticeably malnourished and scared out of his mind. His words, while repetitive, are few and broken due to his shaken condition.

A Computer check of 5+ or any team member ID Card will open the Storage Room door. Jonathan Saavedra will be terrified of the players and scream at them, begging to be left alone. A Psychology check of 6+ or a Presence check of 8+ will convince the man you’re not a threat.

Talking with him will still be a struggle, as he is still scared out of his mind and will mostly repeat phrases such as “voices, so many voices. Took the team. Lost the team. They never came back.” Jonathan Saavedra will refuse any and all suggestions of him going back down to the ruins.

Other Rooms

The other rooms may be explored freely, but they contain nothing of narrative importance. If the players say they want to search the rooms for anything useful, feel free to give them some items such as . . .

Blaze to add items here

The Dig Site

Upon approaching the dig site, players will find a large, gaping hole in the ground, complete with an elevator that takes them all the way down to the bottom. Convenient!

1 – Entry

At the bottom are several types of digging tools and equipment, along with a corridor in pristine condition. The architecture is completely alien, its material appearing to be stone but feeling as smooth as metal and as if it hasn’t aged a single day. A History check of 12+ tells a player that this same style of ruins, while extremely rare, has been found on other planets.

At the end of the corridor is a large solid door with seemingly no devices or electronics connected to it. A player needs only to place their hand upon the door to make it open on its own and reveal a circular room.

2 – Sahra Encounter

Standing in the room is a mutated Sahra Hamstrung. Her appearance is no longer human, as her skin has turned pinkish grey and completely shed any and all hair. Still in her uniform, she stares at the wall with her solid black eyes.

If the players are careful, they can sneak up to her or past her. If only one player is attempting to be stealthy, then they will need to roll their Stealth against Sahra Hamstrung’s Perception (perception rating here in brackets). If the entire party is attempting to sneak up or past her, then the party will need to perform a Group Skill Check (link this to the rule page).

If Sahra Hamstrung notices the players, she will use her newly developed psionic powers against the players without hesitation. Her jaw will stretch well beyond its normal limits and fill the room with an inhuman scream that sounds like multiple overlapping voices.

Note:

This should be an easy fight as it is only a single enemy. Also, if the players defeat her, they will find her ID Card, which can be used to open any door on The Ship.

If the players desire, they can investigate the body with a Medicine or Natural Science check.

7+	Confirms that this was Sahra Hamstrung, and that her once human body has been heavily mutated by unknown means and is most likely not reversible.
12+	Confirms the previous, along with the fact that mutations were due to Gamma radiation emitting from the next room rewriting her DNA. It was a slow process, meaning the players will be safe as long as they don’t linger for more than a day.

Note:

If Sahra Hamstrung was caught alive, these checks become 5+ and 10+.

3 – Device Room

Opening the next door reveals a much larger and perfectly circular room that is filled with the rest of the missing crew. The crew has the exact same mutations as Sahra Hamstrung and will attack on sight.

In the center of the room is a large device pulsing with a blue light. If players passed the previous check to learn about the Gamma radiation, they will instantly know this device is the source of it.

In front of the device is a large ball of biomass made of limbs from previous explorers who had discovered the ruins from years past. It will also attack on sight and protect the device at all costs by using telekinetic abilities, as well as its many limbs to swipe, punch, claw, and slam players into the ground.

Damaging the device will cause it to leak excessive amounts of radiation, dropping the once 24-hour safe window to 1 hour. If it is damaged a second time, that hour is reduced to 10 minutes before mutations start to develop. Should it be damaged a third time, the device will explode and blast everyone in this room and the adjacent room for 5d10 Heat Damage. If they are behind cover, then they will be hit for 2d10 Heat Damage instead.

If the players stay in the radiation beyond their safe window, they will have to roll a Perseverance check of 7. If they fail, they will be unwilling to leave the Dig Site on their own, but will not start to mutate yet. Other players may forcibly drag or carry them away.

If the players stay longer than twice their window of safety, whether or not they passed the previous check, they will begin to lose their minds and mutate, forever changing their bodies as there is no way to return them to normal.

Can the players disable the device?

Finish the Mission

The ending to this story is determined by the choices the players make. While some endings are listed below, players tend to be crafty and throw the GM for a loop, such as going completely rogue and taking the device for themselves or even deciding that being a mutant sounds cool and willingly staying behind.

Should they decide to do the mission they were set out to do and report back to Mrs. Albane Garnier, they will be rewarded once Armagon Megacorporation investigates the site as follows:

• If the device is secured and undamaged, players will be rewarded the full 1,000 Credits bonus with many thanks. Later, they will begin to hear rumors of Armagon Megacorporation developing unstable psionic super soldiers. If the players delivered a live mutant to Armagon Megacorporation, then the super soldiers will be stable.
• If the device is damaged but not destroyed, players will receive a 500 Credit bonus and a slight scolding from Mrs. Albane Garnier. If players admit they were the ones who damaged the device, no bonus will be given. Later, the players will hear rumors that Armagon Megacorporation had to nuke an entire testing lab. While you can’t know for sure, it’s probably safe to assume that it was due to the entire science team mutating.
• If the device is destroyed and they report it to Mrs. Albane Garnier, they will not be paid in any capacity and receive a rather harsh lecture on their incompetence. If they don’t tell her of the device at all or tell her that it was broken on arrival, she will (unhappily) pay the originally promised 1,000 credits.

As mentioned above, players can always come up with their own ending to the story. That’s the beauty and freedom of TTRPGs! If your players decide to take a completely different path, feel free to give them one final challenge to determine how their story ends. A check between 8 and 12 is a good rang,e depending on what they’re trying to do. Some examples are listed below:

• The players decided the device was too dangerous to hand over to Armagon Megacorporation! Now they have to go into hiding. A Street Smarts or Stealth check of 8 allows them to avoid Armagon Megacorporation and disappear.
• The players took the device for themselves to help the world instead of a megacorp! On a Natural Science check of 12+, they manage to do their own research and develop gene manipulation technology to give other people psionic abilities. However, if they fail the check, they mutate themselves!
• The players decide the device is worth more than what Armagon Megacorporation is paying, so they take it to the black market! A Persuasion or Street Smarts check of 10 will allow them to sell the device for 100,000 Credits. 

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== From here forward are your original notes ==

The Ship

The Digsite

Third room

• The room has similar lights to the one before. A big device is in the middle that is pulsing in with blue light. This is emitting the radiation that causes the mutation.
• Ancient biomass that looks like a ball of undefinable limbs guards the device. It will attack on sight and attack by using telekinetic abilities and slamming enemies with its limbs.
• Damaging the device reduces the safe time to 1 hour as it starts to leak more strongly. The second time, the time is reduced to 10 minutes. The third time it explodes, blasting everyone in the room and everything outside of it without cover with 5d10 Heat damage. Anything within cover, but still underground, gets 2d10 Heat damage. If they stay longer than the safe time, they will have to roll a Perseverance check. On a 6 or lower, they will be unwilling to leave, no matter what. If they stay twice as long, it is too late, and the players will stay there forever mutating until the next strike force comes and kills them all.

Finishing the Mission

What happens next depends on how they finished the mission. Unless they go rogue, they will report back to Mrs. Albane Garnier via video com. They will get the reward after Armagon checked out the site. They are asked to deliver any rescued survivors (mutated or not)

• If the site is secured and the alien deviced undamage, they will get the full 1000 bonus and be congratulated. They will hear rumors afterwards that Armagon started developing unstable psionic super soldiers. The soldiers will be stable if they captured and delivered a live mutant.
• If the device is damaged (on purpose or not), the bonus will be 500 credits. If they report that they damaged the device, they will not get any bonus. They will hear rumors that Armagon had to nuke a testing site later (deviced mutated everyone in the lab)
• If they destroyed the device, and they tell Mrs. Albane Garnier, she will be highly disappointed, and they will not get paid. If they keep quiet or convince her that it was already broken, she will still pay the basic 1000 credits without a bonus.

The players can also go rogue, be it that they think that this is to danourage to get into the hands of the megacorp, or maybe even trying to sell or study the device themselves. This will lead to them having to go into hiding. A Street Smarts or Stealth check against 8 allows them to evade the megacoorp and not get captured. If they study it themselves, they have to roll a Natural Science check. On an 11 or lower, they get mutated. On a 12 or higher, they manage to develop powerful gene manipulation technology that can be used to cause people to develop psionic abilities.