ADVENTUR E PATH

FATE OF
T HE F IF T H

BY PATRICK BRENNAN
 

TERMINUS WILD TIER 3

Flux Industries Observation Ketch

Medium transport
Speed 6; Maneuverability average (turn 2)
AC 13; TL 13
HP 70; DT —; CT 14
Shields  basic 40 (orward 10, port 10, starboard 10, at 10)
Attack (Forward) gyrolaser (1d8; 5 hexes), twin laser (5d8; 20 hexes)
Attack (At) light plasma torpedo launcher (3d8; 20 hexes)
Attack (Turret) laser net (2d6; 5 hexes)
Power Core Arcus Heavy (130 PCU); Drit Engine none; Systems  basic mid-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 2 duonode
computer, mk 3 armor, mk 3 deenses; Expansion Bays cargo hold, escape pods, guest quarters (2, luxurious), recreation suite (HAC)
Modifers  +2 to any 2 checks per round, +2 Computers (sensors only), +1 Piloting; Complement 1–6

Built high above Suskillon at the high-tech Flux Industries Spaceyards, the Observation Ketch is the ideal conveyance or intrasystem travel.
Designed with comort, luxury, and security in mind, the Observation Ketch comes with two dozen transparent aluminum scenic view ports
perect or observing the stars and other astronomical phenomena, as well as—when the ship descends into a planet’s atmosphere—terrestrial
sights such as distant packs o wildlie and towering geographical eatures. During long travel times, guests can relax in their luxurious
quarters or make use o the ship’s HAC. A single cargo hold provides adequate room or passengers’ luggage and a small amount o goods an
enterprising crew might wish to transport.
Though the Observation Ketch is not a particularly large vessel, its many chambers are split between two decks—one dedicated to
passenger comort and one meant or the crew. A lit provides transportation between the decks, and a set o stairs connects the engineering
section and the cargo hold. However, don’t think that the Ketch’s lower deck is devoid o amenities. The captain receives their own quarters,
while the rest o the crew share a spacious barracks. They are all served by shared lavatory acilities and can relax in the ully stocked galley
in between shits.
An Observation Ketch also boasts enough weaponry to protect itsel rom hostile entities while in dangerous territory. The vessel is armed
with state-o-the-art twin lasers, a deadly light plasma torpedo launcher, a versatile gyrolaser, and a laser net capable o stopping most
targeted missiles in their tracks. Should these deenses (and the vessel’s basic shields) prove inadequate, the Observation Ketch is equipped
with several emergency escape pods.
This luxurious starship can be crewed by one to six people (though the standard crew size is our), and any size o crew is aided by the
vessel’s on-board computer and mid-range sensors. Some owners outft their Observation Ketches with Drit engines ater a ew years o
operation as they grow bored with the experiences their home system has to oer and wish to travel to other systems and see new things,
but Ketches generally come o the production line without such capability, relying solely on their conventional thrusters.
 

AUTHOR
Ptrick Brennn

ADDITIONAL WRITING
 Jmes Cse, Adrin N, nd Lcy Pellzr
Pellzr

DEVELOPERS
 Json Keeley
Keeley nd Chris S. Sims

EDITORS
Amirli Attr Olyee, Judy Buer, Jmes Cse, Leo Glss,
Lyz Liddell, Adrin N, Lcy Pellzr, nd Json Tondro
Tondro

COVER ARTIST
Setiwn Fjrek
ADVENTURE PATH
INTERIOR ARTISTS
Michele Giori, Nthnel Jmes, Alyss McCrthy
McCrthy,,
Pixoloid Studios, nd Tom Ventre

PAGE BORDER DESIGN PART 1 OF 6

Grey Erb

CARTOGRAPHER
FATE OF THE FIFTH
Dmien Mmmoliti

ART DIRECTION AND GRAPHIC DESIGN

Adm Vick
Campaign
Campaign Outline 2

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Fate of the Fifth 4

Robert G. McCrery by Patrick Brennan
MANAGING DEVELOPER
Amnd Hmon Battling the Swarm 38
by Patrick Brennan
STARFINDER DESIGN LEAD
Owen K.C. Stephens
A Plague of Locust
Locusts
s 46
PROJECT MANAGER by Lacy Pellazar 
Gbriel Wluconis

PUBLISHER Alien Archives 54

Erik Mon by Patrick Brennan, James Case, and Adrian Ng 

Codex of Worlds: suskillon 62

by Patrick Brennan

Starship:
Starship: Terminus
Te rminus Wild Inside
by Patrick Brennan
  Covers

This book reers to two other Strnder products usin the ollowin bbreviti
bbrevitions,
ons, yet these dditionl supplements re not required to mke
use o this book. Reders interested in reerences to Strnder hrdcovers cn nd the complete rules o these books vilble online or ree
t sfrd.info.

 Armory AR  Pact Worlds PW

On the Cver

Artist Setiwn Fjrek portrys n onsluht o

ADVENTURE PATH
terriyin Swrm dreders, s well s Xelnon, the
Pizo Inc. FA T E OF shirren priest o Hylx who needs to be rescued rom
T HE FI FT H

7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120 BY PATRICK BRENNAN  doomed plnet.
Redmond, WA 98052-0577
 paizo.com
WAR NEVER CHANGES
CAMPAIGN OUTLINE
Spoiler Alert!
he exct oriins On this pe you’ll nd the bckround nd outline or the Attck o
the Swrm! Adventure Pth. I you intend to ply in this cmpin,
T
o the Swrm be wrned! This pe spoils the plot or the upcomin dventures s
re unknown
thorouhly s possible.
to most. Beore it becme
 monolithic hive-mind bent
on consumin everythin
in its wy, members o the Swrm were oriinlly clled
kuchrns, n insectile species tht worshipped Hylx. A ew
shirren reliious scholrs hve posited tht the Forever Queen
ws oriinlly  kuchrn who scended to odhood, but there
is little proo o this theory. As the centuries pssed, kuchrns
evolved to orm  series o hives, ech with its own collective
consciousness. The kuchrn popultion ben to explode s the
hives competed or their plnet’s resources.
These clshes eventully turned into ull wrs with bttles on
lnd, in the ses, nd in the sky, until one hive developed the
bility to subsume the intellience o those hives it deeted.
Soon, this hive overwhelmed ll others, nd in its unendin
huner stripped its home plnet o ll resources. With this
evolution, Hylx turned wy rom the species, dislikin the pth
o its development while reminin unwillin to interere with it.
This miht hve been the end or the Swrm, i  combintion o
evolutionry trits bsorbed rom severl dierent hives hdn’t
led the species to develop  orm o spceiht. By cretin livin
strships, the Swrm ws ble to tke to the strs nd devour
world ter world, levin devsttion in its wke.
The Swrm’s constnt modictions led to n unusul
muttion durin the Gp:  subcolony o the Swrm broke
wy rom the hive mind nd reined its individulity. This
becme the pece-lovin species now known s shirrens. As
both species “woke” rom the Gp, the shirrens ed rom the
conused Swrm. Momentrily stoppin t  comet to ther
resources or uel, the shirrens were reeted by n ime
o Hylx, who welcomed the lost members o her ock nd
helped strenthen their minds inst the constnt psychic
pull o the Swrm. Severl shirrens styed behind on the
comet, erectin  scred site clled the Forever Reliqury
nd urdin it or enertions to come. Continuin on their
exodus, shirrens pssed throuh the Suskillon system (where
they minled with the locl populce) nd wht they nmed
the Chuuv system (estblishin  colony there). Other
shirrens continued on, eventully rechin the Pct Worlds in
83 ag, brinin the ith o Hylx with them nd spredin its
messe o pece throuh the system. But the shirrens lso
brouht wrnins o the Swrm.
In the centuries tht ollowed, the Swrm hs been
spotted in vrious res o the lxy, most notbly in 291
ag, when it ttcked the Pct Worlds nd the Veskrium.
2
Thouh tht ttckin
subcolony ws deeted,
the Swrm continued to
rve other systems.
In 318 ag, the Swrm
discovered nd destroyed 
thrivin shirren world in the Vst. In doin so, the Swrm
lerned  little bout wht cused the shirren to deect
in the rst plce. The Swrm hive mind then ormed 
semiutonomous subcolony to retrce the pth o the
shirren exodus, theorizin tht i it could bsorb more o this
inormtion, it could in even reter power—perhps even
 orm o odhood. It hs creted  unique Swrm entity
clled the God-Host to be the vessel or this omnipotence
until such time s it could return to the hive mind nd
disseminte tht power throuhout the entire Swrm.
Erlier this yer, the Swrm ben its ssult on the
Suskillon system, the next step in the shirren exodus. The
plnet Suskillon, the min inhbited world o the system, is
bout to ll.
FTE OF THE FIFTH
By Patrick Brennan
Starfnder Adventure Path #19, Levels 1–2
The rmed orces o the Suskillon system in the Vst hve
been htin bck inst  Swrm invsion or severl
months. The PCs join the Suskillon Deense Force nd re
ssined to the 5th Bttlion,  unit tht ws devstted
when the Swrm touched down on the plnet. Durin n
overniht ptrol o n re round the city o Brinno, the
plnet’s cpitl, the Swrm strikes in in orce, throwin
the plnet into chos. When their commndin ofcer is
killed in the ttck, the PCs must bein  dy-lon trek on
oot to the nerest SDF cmp, their route crossin  bride
slted or demolitio
demolition!
n!
Once t the cmp, the PCs meet the re’s only survivin
ofcer, Commnder Hdiy Njiri, who is tsked with brinin
the soldiers nd rescued civilins to n evcution point in
Reos City. Ater restin up nd delin with some unruly
civilins, the PCs trvel with the convoy nd re eventully
iven one nl mission to retrieve Xelonn,  shirren priest
o Hylx who miht hve inormtion bout the Swrm.
They trvel north to the mountins, help  ew desperte
individuls lon the wy, nd eventully rech  temple o
Hylx under siee by the Swrm. Returnin with the priest to
Reos City, the PCs nd they (nd  hndul
hn dul o other evcuees)
hve been let behind, nd they must nd n unused strship
to ee the plnet beore the Swrm completely overwhelm it.

THE LAST REFUGE
By Mara Lynn Butler
Starfnder Adventure Path #20, Levels 3–4
With  hndul o reuees nd  commndeered strship,
the PCs trvel to the nerby colony world o Utrneus,
where the system’s inhbitnts hve retreted in the ce
o the Swrm invsion. Ater thwrtin  smll mutiny on
bord nd delin with problems let behind by the strship’s
previous owner, the PCs lnd t the metropolis o New
Grkk, where tensions re hih. Members o  movement
who believe the Swrm presence is  punishment or the
system’s sins re disruptin the militry’s eorts to tke in
reuees. Commnder Njiri sends the PCs out to peceully
quell unrest within the city, which leds the PCs to seek
out the ntics’ leder, n ndroid con rtist turned lse
prophet, Sister Sprk, nd put n end to her mchintions.
From inormtion thered by Sister Sprk nd her
dissidents, the PCs lern o  series o cves under New
Grkk tht contin old sins o use. Xelonn conrms tht
centuries o, shirrens pssed throuh this re durin their
iht rom the Swrm, nd while some settled on Suskillon, 
smll sect o monks miht hve built  shrine in these tunnels.
The PCs re sked to explore the re to see i they miht
provide shelter in cse the Swrm ttcks Utrneus, s well
s to discover their sinicnce to shirren history.
HUSKWORLD
By Lyz Liddell
Starfnder Adventure Path #21, Levels 5–6
Clues within the tunnels under New Grkk reerence
somethin clled “The Forever Reliqury.” Xelonn hs herd
the phrse rom other Hylx-wo
Hylx-worshippin
rshippin shirrens in the pst,
but believed it described  stte o bein rther thn  physicl
plce. Unortuntely, the Swrm hs recently ttcked the
system where the ledin resercher into the shirren exodus
nd Hylx mytholoy lived. The SDF sends the PCs to the
plnet
ArrivinIlemchuuv in tht
in orbit, they ndsystem to discover
tht the Swrm re wht
stillthey cn.
present
there in orce, drinin the plnet o every lst resource.
However,, the PCs nd the Swrm ren’t the only ones on the
However
plnet. A roup o ormer residents clled the Clde Compny
resist the Swrm occuption nd cn id the PCs, so lon s
the PCs help them in return. To slow down the depletion o the
world’s resources, the PCs re sked to strike inst  titnic
extrctor drone… rom the inside! Once they hve succeeded,
the PCs nd the Clde Compny cn inltrte the remins o 
university to nd the nswers
ns wers they re lookin or.
THE FOREVER
RLIQUARY
By Kate Baker
Starfnder Adventure Path #22, Levels 7–8
With  now-decesed proessor’s reserch into the Forever
Reliqury in hnd, the PCs trvel to the indicted coordintes
ADVENTURE PATH
nd nd only n re o empty spce. Investition discovers
 wrecked strship serchin or the sme ol nd  strne
enery sinture to ollow. Ater htin their wy pst
deep-spce dners, the PCs rech n icy comet hurtlin
throuh the Vst tht must be their destintion.
Hidden under the comet’s surce is  monstery
dedicted to Hylx, protected by  sect o peceul monks
led by  trox nmed Tuvh. To in the monks’ id, the
PCs must undero  series o trils ocusin on diplomcy,
FTE OF
rst contct, nd protectin the innocent. Once they re
THE
successul, Tuvh wrds the PCs with the Crown of Hylax, FIFTH
n rtict tht will sever the Swrm subcolony ttckin
Suskillon rom the Swrm hive mind. The only ctch is tht
CAMPAIGN  
the rtict cn be used only in the psychic lndscpe tht
OUTLINE
represents the reter Swrm hive mind. While the monks
enct  ritul to send the PCs to this mindscpe, the comet
is ttcked by wves o Swrm cretures, nd the PCs must PART 1:
collpse the tunnels ledin to the monstery to protect the THE
monks lon enouh to nish. BATTLE
OF BRINNOA
HIVE OF MINDS
By Thurston Hillman PART 2:
Starfnder Adventure Path #23, Levels 9–10 THE
The PCs journey into the psychic projection o the Swrm’s SCOURING
OF SAHTOR
hive mind,  weird nd hostile lndscpe. As they lern
the new powers they cn wield here, they mke contct
with n echo o the event tht cused the shirrens to in PART 3:
independence nd the reections o mous shirrens who re THE
hunkered down in  besieed stronhold. From there, the PCs FALL OF
SUSKILLON
cn strike out into the mindscpe, serchin or  wy to use
the Crown of Hylax nd discover the nture
n ture o the God-Host’s
plns to in omnipotence or the Swrm. Eventully, they BATTLING
conront  mniesttion o the subcolony’s connection to THE SWARM
the hive mind nd use the rtict to destroy it, sendin
themselves bck to the Forever Reliqury
Reliqury..
A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
THE GOD-HOST
ASCENDS
By Ron Lundeen ALIEN
ARCHIVES
Starfnder Adventure Path #24, Levels 11–12
Returnin to the Suskillon system nd Commnder Njiri, the
PCs discover the Swrm subcolony is in disrry. However, CODEX OF
the God-Host is still on the vere o completin its plns, so WORLDS
the heroes must return to Suskillon—but now they hve the
miht o n entire militry behind them! The commnder
llows the PCs to id in certin strteic decisions s the SDF
ttempts to retke their ormer home. The PCs must del with
 counterinvsion nd the thret o corporte intererence
beore returnin to Xelonn’s temple o Hylx, where the
God-Host hs tken up residence. The temple is  twisted
mockery o its ormer lory nd overrun with the Swrm.
Only by nlly deetin the mssive God-Host cn the PCs
brek the will o the Swrm subcolony nd brin pece bck
to Suskillon!
3
 

ADVENTURE PATH

FATE OF THE FIFTH

PART 1: THE BTTLE OF BRINNOA 5  AVANCEMENT 

As members o the Suskillon Deense Force’s Fith Bttlion, the heroes ce o TRACK

inst  ull Swrm invsion nd must retret cross dnerous terrin crwlin
with enemies. “Fte o the Fith” is
desined or our chrcters.

1
The PCs bein this
PART 2: THE SCOURING OF SAHTOR 20   dventure t 1st level.
Ater escpin rom the Swrm cross  mjor river, the heroes receive orders to
evcute the plnet, but irst they must sve ny civilins they cn ind, includin  2
shirren priest who miht hve inormtion bout the Swrm ttck. The PCs should rech
2nd level on their journey
to the temple o Hylx.

3
PART 3: THE FALL OF SUSKILLON  30  The PCs should be
Hvin missed the lst vessel o Suskillon, the heroes—lonside  ew reuees— 3rd level by the end
must bttle their wy pst the encrochin Swrm rmy to ind  strship nd escpe o the dventure.
to sety.

4

ADVENTURE
BACKGROUND
Beore
Swrm, becomin
n insectilethe
rceinterstellr mence
clled kuchrns known
existed s s the
series
o hives, ech with its own collective consciousness. While
the colonies competed with one nother or resources on
their home world, mny peceully worshipped Hylx.
Some believe tht deity ws once  kuchrn who scended
to odhood, thouh no rel evidence o this theory hs
been discovered.
The Swrm ws eectively born when  kuchrn colony
developed the bility to consume the intellience nd enetic
mteril o others, cretin cretures tht were more thn the
sum o their prts. In  mtter o yers, this new collective
becme the plnet’s dominnt species, eventully developin
the powers o spceiht nd levin its world to nd others
to destroy nd devour. Sddened by this development, Hylx
bndoned her ormer children nd turned her ttention to
other sentient species in the lxy.
As the Swrm spred cross the cosmos, it conquered
countless other species nd let only ded worlds in its wke.
It seemed nothin could stop it, s the hive twisted nd
mutted its own enetic mteril, dptin to ny chllene
set beore it. Ech o these chnes creted powerul
specilized wepons o wr, which the Swrm used to
continue its cmpin o devsttion. Driven by its instible
huner nd instinct to expnd, the Swrm hs no desire to
neotite terms o peceul surrender with those it overruns.
Durin the Gp,  seeminly rndom muttion with the
kuchrn enome creted n independent subcolony species
whose components could think or themselves: the rst
shirrens. Thnks to the conusion sowed when tht period o
orotten history ended, the shirrens were ble to ee rom
the Swrm cross the strs. As they did so, shirrens cme
to terms with their existence nd their love o ree will nd
choice. They were lso discovered by Hylx, who welcomed
them into her divine embrce nd ve them the spiritul
tools to survive their exodus.
As the shirren mirted, they minled with other spient
species, settled worlds o their own, nd built monuments to
the Forever Queen, includin  monstery on n icy comet
nd  temple built upon  site tht resonted with psychic
enery. The shirrens eventully reched the Pct Worlds in
83 ag, entretin the system or se hrbor nd wrnin o
the dners o the Swrm. These words o cution would not
be relized until lmost 2 centuries lter, when the Swrm
rrived in  bloody ttck on both the Pct Worlds nd the
Veskrium tht ws stopped only once the two joined orces
in 291 ag.
ADVENTURE PATH
While the deth toll in the wr inst the Swrm let
n indelible mrk on the Veskrium nd the Pct Worlds,
the Swrm ws lso ected by its only deet in recorded
history. The hive mind lerned o the shirrens’ presence within
the Pct Worlds, nd thouh until this point the Swrm held
no more rerd or its missin “children” thn  humn would
miss  sinle skin cell, the hive mind ben to remember the
kuchrns’
towrd theconnection to Hylx.
Forever Queen A tiny
or her mote o resentment
bndonment ben to
ester, nd in 318 ag, the Swrm ttcked the Chuuv system, FTE OF
where the shirrens hd built  colony durin their exodus. THE
FIFTH
Bein  peceul plnet, Ilemchuuv ws conquered quickly,
nd with the deths o thousnds o shirrens, the Swrm hive
mind cuht  limpse o the shirrens’ trvels immeditely CAMPAGIN  
ter the Gp. The Swrm then ormed  subcolony to trce OUTLINIE
this exodus in the hopes o discoverin importnt sites holy
to Hylx nd climin some o her divine power or its own.
PART 1:
The “leder” o this subcolony is known s the God-Host— THE
towerin creture bred to led the Swrm in the next phse o BATTLE
its evolution into divinity. The God-Host recently brouht the OF BRINNOA
Swrm to the Suskillon system, invdin its most inhbited
plnet, where the shirrens cominled with the humn ntives
PART 2:
centuries o. For severl months, the Suskillon militry hs THE
bttled inst the Swrm, ttemptin to keep it t by, but SCOURING
when  Swrm scoutin prty discovered the psychic power OF SAHTOR
o the temple o Hylx in the Jurdos Mountins, the God-Host
initited  nl push. The people o the plnet Suskillon hve
PART 3:
no ide tht  world-shkin monster is bout to led n THE
ttck tht will overwhelm their plnet—perhps or ood. FALL OF
SUSKILLON
PART 1: BATTLING
THE BATTLE O F THE SWARM
BRINNOA
A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
It hs been 6 months since the Swrm rst touched down
on Suskillon in  bloody conict nmed the Bttle t Stone ALIEN
Se. Ater the Swrm punched throuh the plnet’s eril nd ARCHIVES
orbitl deenses, its components lnded ner the Stone Se, 
lre reshwter lke surroundin  dormnt volcno. The Fith
CODEX OF
Bttlion o the Suskillon Deense Force (SDF) ws closest to the WORLDS
site o contct nd held the Swrm bck lon enouh or the SDF
to mobilize other bttlions to the re. Stories o the bttle hve
lredy reched ner-mythicl heihts, s most members o the
Fith Bttlion were killed in lorious, terrible combt.
Since then, the SDF hs ouht  losin bttle inst
the Swrm. Thouh Suskillon is  riendly trdin prtner
with the Pct Worlds, the plnet’s overnment hs yet to
oicilly request id, with mny rid tht the Pct Worlds
will clim their plnet s  protectorte in “pyment” or
such help. However, tht hsn’t stopped volunteers nd
mercenries rom other systems (inclu din the Pct Worlds
5

EQUIPPING THE FIFTH
BTTALION
Durin “Fte o the Fith,” there will be ew periods
o rest or the PCs, s their duntless enemy btters
them rom every nle nd the rves o wr mke
once-se plces dnerous. You should inorm your
plyers when they crete their chrcters tht there
will be stretches o time durin which they miht not
hve ccess to vendors to buy equipment or the time
to crt items.
More inormtion bout cretin chrcters nd
purchsin strtin equipment cn be ound in “Bttlin
the Swrm” on pes 38–45 o this book. You should
eel ree to shre those pes with your plyers, s
they contin no spoilers or the Attck o the Swrm!
Adventure Pth.
nd the Veskrium) rom journeyin to Suskillon to join in
the iht inst the invsion. The Swrm is relentless,
thouh, nd it hs lredy overrn nd tken nerly hl
o the plnet.
The dventure beins in the middle o one o the plnet’s
Ded Winters,  time o extended extreme cold wether in
the plnet’s southern hemisphere. Over the pst ew weeks,
Suskillon hs enjoyed somethin o  respite, s the Swrm
ppers to hve cesed its ner-dily ttcks. Some believe
the Swrm’s numbers re dwindlin, nd tht the tide o the
wr will soon turn. In relity, the Swrm is reroupin (nd
witin or dditionl Swrm components to rrive rom r)
or  mjor push to overtke the plnet’s most populted
continent, includin the cpitl city o Brinno nd the
mountin-bound temple o Hylx tht is so importnt to its
plns to chieve divinity.
In n eort to replenish the rnks o the Fith Bttlion,
the SDF hs recruited mercenries nd oworlders, mde
dels with prisoners nd pirtes, nd ccepted nerly every
volunteer who cn hold  un. These new soldiers—which
include the PCs—re bein trined nd outtted t Cmp
Cvlier,  smll encmpment just outside o Brinno.
SLDIER SCUTTLEBUTT
With n inux o new recruits to the Fith Bttlion,
misinormtion nd ossip is bound to snke throuh the
rnks. Even bttle-hrdened creer soldiers ren’t bove
spredin rumors when they hve nothin else to do. With
 successul DC 15 Diplomcy check to ther inormtion or
 successul DC 12 Proession (soldier) check,  PC cn lern
one o the rumors rom the Rumors bout the Swrm Invsion
tble below. At your discretion, PCs my simply overher ny
o these rumors s they wlk throuh Cmp Cvlier beore
the cmpin beins, in order to set the ste o the relities
6
o wr. Some o these rumors re true, while others re simply
secondhnd ccounts o thins tht didn’t hppen.
RUMORS ABOUT THE SWARM INVASION
D8 Rumor
1 The SDF hs tcticlly withdrwn its orces in 90%
o the bttles it hs conducted with the Swrm,
with most bttles resultin in SDF ttrition rtes
o t lest 10% . (True, thouh most o the SDF top
brss would be reluctnt to  dmit it.)
2 Hnduls o soldiers hve been tken live by
Swrm cretures, nd it is sid tht the Swrm
hs  wy to suck the brins out o  soldier
nd ind out the SDF’s tctics nd troop sizes.
(Prtilly true; Swrm mindrepers [ Starinder
Starinder
Archi ve 2  122] hve the bility to extrct
 Alie n Archive
nd nlyze brin mtter, but they don’t need
the victims to be live.)
3 The Swrm re ttckin Suskillon becuse o 
rre minerl in the soil tht they need to survive.
(Flse; the Swrm cn extrct nourishment rom
nerly ny mteril.)
4 Some Swrm components hve been ctin
strnely, nd some soldiers think it is becuse o
some kind o psychic enery on Suskillon tht is
throwin o their hive-mind commnd structure.
(Prtilly true; this psychic enery exists, but
it isn’t intererin with the hive mind, nd the
Swrm re ctively seekin it out.)
5 The mjority o the Suskillon overnment nd
SDF commnd hve lredy moved opertions
o-plnet becuse they estimte tht the plnet
will ll under complete Swrm control in 3
months. (Prtilly true, thouh the projected
timeline is incorrect.)
6 The Swrm is controlled by n extrplnr
colition o demons who wnt to destroy s much
o the lxy  s possible. (Flse.)
7 I Brinno lls, SDF commnd hs plns to shower
the continent with nucler bombs, even i civilins
nd soldiers re cuht in the blsts. (Flse.)
8 Some hve seen  mssive, multiheded creture
they sy controls the Swrm invsion orce. It is
the size o  skyscrper nd cn kill nythin within
 mile o it usin only its mind. (Prtilly true; the
God-Host is intic, but its psychic powers,
thouh extensive, hve been exerted.)
WLCOME TO MIDNIGHT
SQUAD
Beore the dventure beins, ech plyer chrcter should
come up with their own reson or joinin up with the SDF
to ht the Swrm on Suskillon. Some suestions or
motivtions bsed on theme cn be ound in the “Bttlin the
 

ADVENTURE PATH

Swrm” rticle strtin on pe 38, but  plyer cn invent  20+ When Mjor Jldmrrk joined the SDF t the
dierent motive i they wish. The PCs don’t necessrily need beinnin o the Swrm invsion, he insisted on
to know one nother, s they will soon bond over their shred bein iven the rnk o privte nd hs worked
experiences, but it is possible tht some o them re lredy his wy up to his current position in  short period
cquinted rom previous skirmishes or encounters. o time. He hs been herd to sy tht ihtin
The “Bttlin the Swrm” rticle lso explins the current inst the Swrm is his true purpose in lie.
stte o the wr, but you should reiterte the terrible price
the SDF nd other Suskillon citizens hve pid over The PCs meet Mjor Jldmrrk in his redy room.
the pst 6 months. Every credit expended, ech  Jldmrrk
 Jldmr rk is  vesk vetern o severl bttles
drop o swet, nd ll the bloodshed hs been with the Swrm in both the Veskrium nd the FTE OF
prt o the worldwide ttempt to repel the lien Pct Worlds. The vesk’s scles re drk reen, nd THE
invders. The mood cross the plnet is rim, the spikes on his jw point orwrd to orm  sort FIFTH
thouh limmers o hope hve beun to shine o berd. He sports  lre cybernetic eye. As
throuh t the news o the Swrm’s the PCs le into the chmber, he inspects
CAMPAIGN  
seemin slowdown. them nd their kit or  moment nd OUTLINE
The PCs hve been ssined then beins to lecture them.
to the Fith Bttlion nd sent
to Cmp Cvlier, where they “I m your new commndin PART 1:
THE
will er up nd meet the oicer, Jldmrrk, nd
BATTLE
commndin ocer who I ws killin Swrm OF BRINNOA
will ive them their duty beore you were
rosters. I you re plyin clutchin your mother’s
with new plyers, you tils. I know more bout PART 2:
THE
miht wnt to explin the JALDAMARRAK this enemy thn every
SCOURING
bsic mechnics o the sot-skin enerl in this OF SAHTOR
Strnder Roleplyin Gme system, nd I know or 
(ttck rolls, skill checks, svin ct we re losin this wr.
throws, Hit Points, Stmin Points, nd so on) in  boot cmp You’ve probbly herd tht over the lst seven dys, the PART 3:
THE
settin, where their chrcters et  tste o the riors o Swrm hs retreted  rom three smller cities to the est
FALL OF
militry lie. A stern but crin drill instructor cn tech them o Brinno, nd the medi nd the SDF like re cllin SUSKILLON
bout wepon opertion nd the proper cre nd use o their this  turnin point or the wr, but I know better. Those
rmor in  wy tht doesn’t physiclly hurt them but ives vexers re up to somethin, nd I’m not lettin the Fith
them  strenuous workout. Bttlion et cuht with their spcesuits round their BATTLING
THE SWARM
When the plyers re redy to bein, they re summoned nkles. You’re now prt o wht I’m cllin the Midniht
s  roup to spek with their commndin ocer. A PC Squd. For your irst ssinment, you’ll ptrol the Delt
cn ttempt  Culture or Proession (soldier) check to recll Escrpment  ew miles west o Cmp Cvlier rom A PLAGUE

knowlede bout this individul, Mjor Jldmrrk. They sundown to sun-up nd report bck with ny unusul OF LOCUSTS

lern ll the inormtion with  DC equl to or less thn the
result o their check.
Result Inormation
10+ The vesk oicer is one o the most stlwr t
nd ered commnders in the SDF. He is over
60 yers old nd hs hd  storied creer. He
hs worked or the Veskrium militry, the
Stewrds, nd s  privte militry consultnt in
the Pct Worlds.
15+ Jldmrrk ws one o  ew vesk iven the
Strstone Medl—one o the Pc t Worlds’ hihest
militry decortions—or ihtin the Swrm
durin its ttck on the Pct Worlds nd the
Veskrium. Credible rumors sy tht he turned
down n oer to join the Knihts o Golrion ter
the hostilities ended.
ctivity. Any questions?”
ALIEN
Some potentil questions the PCs miht sk Jldmrrk ARCHIVES
nd his responses re below.
What do you expect we will nd out there?   “Hopeully,
nothin. But i you spot ny evidence o cretures not ntive CODEX OF
WORLDS
to Suskillon, report bck immeditely
immeditely.”
.”
Can you tell us a little bit about the Swarm, sir?   “I’ve
ouht the Swrm on  hndul o ronts, nd every time,
they were dierent. But even here on Suskillon, there’s
somethin... more cunnin bout these critters. Like they’ve
ot  purpose other thn just killin everythin in their
eld o view. We’re seein  number o new vritions
in their rnks, includin the expendble scouts we’re
cllin ‘dreders.’ ”
What exactly are Swarm dredgers?  “Nsty little critters,
bout the size o  khek, but they burrow riht under you.

7

A. FIRST WAVE
C. STALKED IN THE HILLS
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
They’ve ot brbed jws tht ltch onto you nd tke you down
in  mtter o moments. But just like ny Swrm component,
they die i you put enouh rounds into them. My kill count is 112
since joinin the wr, but there re lwys seem to be two more
redy to tke  ded one’s plce.”
Is Suskillon really going to lose this war?  Jldmrrk
sucks some ir throuh his teeth. “The sins ren’t ood.
But tht doesn’t men we’re nished. I you complete your
ptrols nd report ny nd ll pertinent intellience bck to
me, I will mke sure hih commnd knows wht us troopers
re cin here on the round.” A PC who succeeds t  DC 12
Sense Motive check cn tell tht Jldmrrk is holdin
somethin bck. I  PC succeeds t  DC 15 Diplomcy
check to sk him wht he relly thinks bout Suskillon’s
chnces, the vesk shkes his hed nd sys, “I’ve been in 
lot o bttles in my time, nd I’ve seen wht the Swrm cn
do. It’s not  mtter o i this plnet is oin to ll, but how
mny Swrm we cn kill beore they et us live. Do you
understnd me, soldier?”
When the PCs hve sked their questions, Jldmrrk
dismisses them to et some rest beore their evenin ptrol.
He lso suests they visit the cmp’s qurtermster to
mke sure they hve everythin they need or 13 hours
o ptrol duty:  liht source i they need one, clothin
to withstnd the cold wether (thouh he points out the
8
B. HIGHWAY 12
D. KEROZAN BRIDGE
environmentl protections o their rmor should lst the
niht), nd perhps somethin to help keep them wke (see
Wke-Up Ptch on pe 45 or n exmple). Unortuntely,
due to the strined resources o the SDF durin the wr, the
PCs will need to py or ny o these items.
NIGHT PTRL
The PCs should muster up beore the sun sets. At lest one
PC must succeed t  DC 10 Survivl check to ollow the ly
o the lnd nd, within bout 2 hours, rech the re tht
 Jldmrrk requested they ptrol. Filin the Survivl check
dds n hour to this time s the PCs end up mrchin in 
circle beore ndin the Delt Escrpment. The sun hs ully
set when the PCs rech the escrpment, but the strs bove
provide dim liht or the reminder o the niht.
Once the PCs bein their niht wtch in the hilly reion
surroundin the metropolis o Brinno, they hve mple time
to tlk to one nother. They cn relte their bckstories, shre
rumors they hve herd rom the Rumors bout the Swrm
Invsion tble on pe 6, or speculte bout the uture o the
wr. The rst ew hours pss quietly with little to no ction. A
PC who succeeds t  DC 14 Survivl
Su rvivl check nds the trcks o
 Suskillon brush stlker,  lre endnered predtor ntive
to this reion. The trcks re  ew hours old; the best is
lon one.

Severl hours lter, s the end o their shit ners nd 
int trce o the risin sun’s liht cn be seen on the horizon,
red or prphrse the ollowin.
A loud tonl lrm is ollowed with n ll-points
emerency brodcst over your comm units. A hurried
emle voice sys, “Attention ll Suskillon round orces,
this is Spcedock Prime-1. We re under hevy ttck! A
Swrm rmd hs entered in low orbit nd hs beun
to—” the trnsmission ends s bruptly s it ben in 
burst o er-splittin sttic. Up in the sky hih bove
Brinno, hundreds o smll lihts lsh—the telltle sin
o strship combt.
Ask the plyers wht they would like to do t this point.
They miht wnt to move towrd the bttle or retret bck
to Cmp Cvlier. They cn’t yet rech SDF centrl commnd
(or nyone else) on their comm units, s intererence rom
the nerby overhed bttle is disruptin the sinl. No
mtter wht direction the plyers decide to move, or even
i they mintin their position, they re soon discovered by
 Swrm ptrol.
A. FIRST WAVE (CR 1)
At this point, the sun hs still not yet risen, nd the int
low on the horizon is occsionlly wshed out by the liht
o explosions rom Brinno. This encounter tkes plce ner
some snow-covered hill bnks. The reminder o the terrin is
the milir red-tined dirt o the reion. Use the mp on pe
8 or this encounter.
Creatures: As the PCs re movin or pusin to weih their
options,  smll scoutin prty consistin o  pir o Swrm
dreders hs noted their position nd closes in on them. Ech
PC who succeeds t  DC 14 Perception check senses the
cretures pprochin cross the nerby hills nd cn ct in
the surprise round.
SWARM DREDGERS (2) CR 1/2
XP 200 each
HP 13 ech (see pe 59)
TACTICS
During Combat Ech dreder ttempts to t tch itsel to 
dierent rndom PC nd then ocus its clw ttcks on
tht PC.
Morale The dreders ht to the deth.
Development: Ater the PCs del with the Swrm scouts,
their comm units suddenly crckle to lie nd they her
 Jldmrrk’s voice syin, “—I repet, ll squdrons orm up
on Inter-Reion Hihwy 12. Brinno is bein ully evcuted,
nd we hve to deend the civilins while—,” beore the
trnsmission cuts out. The sme intererence rom erlier
prevents the PCs rom conrmin these orders or otherwise
spekin to SDF centrl commnd.
ADVENTURE PATH
B. HIGHWAY 12 (CR 3)
It tkes n hour or the PCs to rech Inter-Reion Hihwy 12
nd nd the re where the SDF troops re therin. The sun
su n
hs ully risen, nd hundreds o eril nd round vehicles
re eein Brinno both on nd bove the rod in the erly
mornin liht. The sounds o wepons re cn be herd in the
distnce, drowned out only by the screechin o the rmjet
enines o SDF hter plnes pssin overhed to join the
bttle bove the city. Even rom this distnce, Brinno looks
like  disturbed hornet’s nest, with Swrm vessels enin FTE OF
with the ircrt o the First Bttlion. THE
Severl SDF soldiers stnd by the rod, wvin vehicles FIFTH
orwrd in  slow procession, curtly nswerin questions
rom evcutin citizens nd repetin tht civilins should
CAMPAIGN  
proceed to Reos City, severl dozen miles to the south. OUTLINE
Moments ter the PCs rrive, they re spotted by Mjor
 Jldmrrk, who reets them rufy.
PART 1:
THE
“Gld you could join us, Midniht Squd! No time or rest, et
BATTLE
your rers in er nd double-time it to the ront! The Swrm OF BRINNOA
is bout to tke Brinno, nd we’re ivin these evcuees s
much time s we cn beore the critters come oodin out
PART 2:
o the city.”
THE
SCOURING
I ny o the PCs re reluctnt to hed into bttle, OF SAHTOR
 Jldmrrk pulls out his tcticl doshko nd thretens them
with bodily hrm, syin, “Nobody under my commnd is
turnin til! Move out, or you’ll meet your te  lot sooner PART 3:
THE
thn you think!”
FALL OF
 Jldmrr
 Jld mrrkk direc
directs
ts the PCs to hed north nd tke up SUSKILLON
 deensive position r enouh wy rom the hihwy
tht stry unire won’t endner civilins. It tkes bout
30 minutes to rech n pproprite re (see the mp on BATTLING
THE SWARM
pe 8), where lre crters nd hstily du trenches mr
the lndscpe. The sounds o bttle re much louder here,
closer to the city, nd the PCs cn see severl lre Swrm A PLAGUE
vessels enter the irspce round the city nd bein to OF LOCUSTS
lnd on the outskirts.
Moments lter, s the PCs mke deensive preprtions (or
ALIEN
simply hunker down in  crter), they her nd see explosions ARCHIVES
to the north, s  lre Brinnon skyscrper is enuled in
mes nd beins to topple over. Shortly terwrd,  shdow
moves cross the lndscpe s  mssive structure streks CODEX OF
WORLDS
cross the sky bove, billowin  tril o smoke. A PC who
succeeds t  DC 12 Culture check or  DC 15 Enineerin
check cn tell tht this is one o Suskillon’s spcedocks,
crshin down rom orbit.
The hue sttion strikes the hills to the north o Brinno.
There is  mssive sh o white liht ollowed  ew seconds
lter by n er-splittin explosion. A cloud o dust envelops
the reion or miles in  mtter o minutes. Ech PC must
succeed t  DC 12 Will sve or in the shken condition or
the next 1d4 hours s they cope with the mss devsttion
nd loss o lie. This is  mind-ectin er eect.
9

The dust lso obscures vision. A creture more thn 5 eet
wy but less thn 50 eet rom its ttcker hs concelment.
A creture 50 eet or more rom its ttcker hs totl
concelment. Use the mp on pe 8 or this encounter.
Creatures: Minutes ter the spcedock’s crsh,  qurtet
o Swrm dreders tunnels under the PCs’ position. They
hve been sent to disrupt the SDF’s deensive lines beore
the lrer Swrm ssult orce dvnces rom Brinno. A
PC who succeeds t  DC 25 Perception check cn eel the
cretures burrowin beneth their eet nd cn ct in the
surprise round s the dreders burst orth both in ront o
nd behind them.
SWARM DREDGERS (4) CR 1/2
XP 200 each
HP 13 ech (see pe 59)
TACTICS
During Combat The dreders try to surround the PCs in 
pincer mneuver, mkin escpe dicult.
Morale The dreders ht to the deth.
Development:  Ater the ht, the PCs’ comm units crckle
to lie with reports o thousnds o Swrm cretures exitin
exitin
the city in ll directions. Jldmrrk’s voice cuts in: “All SDF
orces, this is  ull retret. Fll bck beyond the Dethomr
River nd reroup t Fort Gllnt.” His orders re ollowed
by the sound o close-rne re rom  semi-uto pistol
beore the sinl cuts out. Thouh communicti
communictions
ons seem to
be bck to norml, the PCs cn’t rise Jldmrrk in. A
PC who reches out to SDF centrl commnd cn conrm
the vesk’s orders.
FULL RETRET
A PC who succeeds t  DC 12 Culture check or checks
in with SDF centrl commnd knows tht Fort Gllnt is
pproximtely 24 miles to the west o their current loction.
The roup is probbly not eer to remin where they re,
but to emphsize the utility o styin nd htin, you
could hve the cloud o dust prt momentrily to revel
 column o crwlin nd yin Swrm cretures in the
distnce but closin in on the PCs’ loction. I this doesn’t
spur them on,  Swrm vorphom’s brb cn come yin
out o the dust rom bove; mke  rned ttck inst
 rndom PC (be sure to tke into ccount the concelment
rom the dust cloud). The wepon dels 1d6+1 piercin
dme on  hit.
Ater n hour o pickin their wy throuh the dust, the
PCs stumble cross  eld o dozens o Swrm corpses. Ner
the center stnds Mjor Jldmrrk, pullin his doshko
rom the wrilin crpce o  recently killed dreder.
When he turns to reet the PCs, they cn see tht his rmor
hs been slshed open t his torso nd he hs tken wht
ppers to be  mortl wound;  strnd o his innrds hns
limply over his belt.
10
With  rimce, Jldmrrk strps the doshko to his bck
nd sys, “You ll ll bck. I’ll provide coverin re.” He
drws his pistol nd checks the clip. “I im to brek two
hundred conrmed kills beore I die!” His eyes become
steely. “Tht’s n order, soldiers! Cross the river beore they
drop the brides, nd I’ll see you on the other side!”
I the PCs oer to hel Jldmrrk or try to ive him their
mmunition or uns, he rufy sys their id isn’t necessry.
He then chuckles to himsel beore syin, “You’re well-
trined, soldier. You’ll mke the SDF proud.” With tht he
tkes  medllion o his rmor nd pins it to  PC’s rmor
beore pushin them wy violently. He steps wy into the
dust cloud, brekin into  Veskrium bttle son t ull
volume, drwin the chitterin ttention o the Swrm. The
lst the PCs her o Jldmrrk is severl un shots nd the
crunchin sound o Swrm chitin.
Treasure: The medllion tht Jldmrrk ives the PCs is 
glory medallion (see pe 45).
THE LONG SLOG
The distnce rom the PCs’ deensive site ner the hihwy
to Fort Gllnt is 24 miles. The PCs will hve to trvel to
Fort Gllnt on oot; the nerby hihwy is too choked with
wrecked or bndoned vehicles to mke ood proress in
 vehicle, nd the PCs don’t hve time to repir (or even
brek into) one o these vehicles nd keep hed o the
Swrm. The Swrm will overtke them i they dwdle too
lon, but i they keep movin t  stedy pce, they stnd 
chnce o styin hed o the Swrm’s relentless dvnce.
Consult the overlnd movement rules on pe 258 o the
Starfnder Core Rulebook to determine how lon it will tke
the PCs to trverse tht distnce, bsed on the slowest PC’s
speed. The PCs’ comm units crckle to lie with  recorded
messe every ew hours.
An unidentied emle voice sys, “This is n emerency
trnsmission. A ull evcution is in eect or the Brinno
reion. Civilins est o the Dethomr River must immedit
immeditely
ely
relocte west o the river, s the brides crossin the river
will shortly be demolished to hlt the Swrm dvnc e. SDF
orces nd civilins re to report to Fort Gllnt or urther
orders. This is n emerency trnsmission...” The messe
then repets.
An hour ter they leve Jldmrrk, the PCs escpe the
dust cloud coverin the Brinno reion. They cn see empty,
dry brushlnds with smll plteus nd hillocks stretchin
round them in ll directions. The temperture remins just
below reezin, thouh the sky is cloudless nd the briht
sun bets down. By this time, iven the overniht ptrol nd
the ceseless ctivity since dwn, the PCs hve lredy been
wlkin or 8 hours. As they certinly hve severl hours’ o
wlkin hed o them, constitutin  orced mrch, the PCs
 

ADVENTURE PATH

will need to strt ttemptin Constitution checks ech hour more inormtion bout Suskillon’s orbit. While the PCs
to void tiue. will hve to del with below-reezin tempertures, the
In ddition, i the mrch to Fort Gllnt tkes the PCs 10 ollowin eects cn crop up t your discretion to provide
hours or loner, they run the risk o bein ected by sleep extr diculty to encounters nd explortion throuhout
deprivtion ( Core
Core Rulebook 404) nd hvin the environmentl the reminder o this dventure.
protections o their rmor run out, exposin them to the cold Biting Wind: Powerul winds tht cn sometimes knock 
wether ( Core
Core Rulebook 400);  dy on Suskillon is 26 hours person down blow cross the Suskillon’s plins in the winter.
lon (see pe 62). Use the rules or stron winds ( Core
Core Rulebook 400).
Durin this mrch, i the prty ttempts to rest or Paralyzing Cold: The outside temperture durin “Fte o
loner thn 10 minutes,  lre roup o Swrm cretures the Fith” hovers round 25° F, but it cn dip to below 0° F or FTE OF
closes in on their position. A low ror ccompnied by int brie periods (no more thn 1 hour t  time). Use the rules or THE
tremors turns into the ccophonous sound o thousnds cold dners ( Core
Core Rulebook 400). Thouh the environmentl FIFTH
o cltterin insect les s the Swrm pproches. A protections o rmor cn help PCs inore these dners, they
quick lnce to the est revels  column o hundreds o could prove extremely dnerous i their rmors’ protections
CAMPAIGN  
Swrm dreders stmpedin cross the hinterlnds. This re depleted. OUTLINE
is clerly too mny enemies to iht t once, nd i the Snowstorms: Gret storms Suskillon residents cll “white
PCs sty where they re, they will likely be torn to pieces. hwks” cn drop hevy snowll on  reion in  short mount
A PC who succeeds t  DC 12 Perception check relizes o time. Use the rules or hevy snow nd snowstorms ( CoreCore PART 1:
THE
tht the Swrm is blnketin the countryside; ttemptin Rulebook pes 398–399).
BATTLE
to hide would be impossible. The PCs cn hustle or n OF BRINNOA
hour to et r enouh hed o the Swrm to return to C. STALKED IN THE HILLS (CR 2)
 norml wlkin pce. Remember tht i the PCs hustle This encounter should occur t some point durin the PCs’
PART 2:
or dditionl hours in between sleep cycles, they tke lon mrch towrd the Dethomr River s the PCs move THE
nonlethl dme nd become tiued. throuh n re o low hills. Use the mp on pe 8 or
SCOURING
Alterntively, you cn use Stlked in the Hills (re C ) ii this encounter. OF SAHTOR
the PCs ttempt to rest or loner thn 10 minutes; other As the PCs mke their wy down  hill, they esily spot
ttempts to tke lon rests should be discoured with the corpse o  humn mn on the round out in the open.
ppernces o the Swrm s noted bove. A PC who succeeds t  DC 12 Medicine check or DC 15 PART 3:
THE
The PCs will eventully et Survivl check cn determine tht this mn ws recently
FALL OF
to rest when they rech the SUSKILLON
sety o the Kerozn Bride
(re D ), but until then it
should be pprent tht they BATTLING
THE SWARM
could be devoured by the Swrm
t ny moment. This intentionl
hrshness is ment to reect A PLAGUE

the rimness o survivin durin OF LOCUSTS

n unwinnble wr.
Since they were mon the lst
ALIEN
to leve the outskirts o Brinno, the ARCHIVES
PCs don’t spot ny other survivors
(militry or civilin) eein the
Swrm, thouh they miht spot the CODEX OF
WORLDS
occsionl body or two (such s in Stlked in the Hills below).
The isoltion nd the cold, unorivin lndscpe miht lso
be used to heihten the eelin o utility or the chrcters.

THE DEAD WINTER

Durin “Fte o the Fith,” the PCs ce nerly insu
insurmountbl
rmountblee
odds inst the Swrm invsion, but Suskillon’s dnerous
wether cn provide dditionl chllenes to the PCs s

they mke their wy cross the lndscpe. Suskillon is in

the rip o one o its “Ded Winters,”—n extended cold BRUSH STALKER
seson tht occurs once every ew yers; see pe 62 or

11
 

killed by  wild niml;  PC who succeeds t the check by
5 or more notes the telltle clw mrks o  brush stlker,
 predtor ntive to this reion.
Creature:  The PCs hve stumbled on the site o  brush
stlker’s recent kill. The best hs one weeks without 
ull mel, s the Swrm invsion drove o its nturl prey,
nd in its nerly strved stte, it ttcked nd killed  lone
evcuee. The best is still nerby nd is protective o its mel.
It wtches rom behind  snow bnk nd cn be spotted with
 successul Perception check opposed by its Stelth check.
I the PCs investite the body, the brush stlker leps out
nd ttcks, but i they leve the re, the best ollows the
prty nd ttcks the PC t the rer o the roup, lookin or
nother est.
The brush stlker is  our-leed creture with lre
pdded eet nd plumes o ethers round its hed, lon its
til, nd down its ront les. It hs  bt-like ce nd
n d ers, nd
its body is covered in drk, reenish-brown scles mottled
with white to ord it some cmoue in the snow. This
prticulr brush stlker is unt rom huner, its ribs visible
under its skin.
Below, the Dethomr River runs rom north to south,
thousnds o eet cross t its widest point. It is spnned
by  hue suspension bride,  et o enineerin known s
the Kerozn Bride. Dozens o b ndoned vehicles clo the
hihwy crossin the bride, nd the only sound tht cn be
herd is the ice crckin nd brekin in the slow-movin
river below.
The Kerozn Bride is the only mens o crossin the
Dethomr River or over 40 miles in either direction. At its
center, it is 100 eet bove the prtilly rozen river below.
To slow the dvnce o Swrm round units, the SDF hs
decided to soon demolish the bride. You cn reinorce
the urency or the PCs to cross the bride sooner rther
thn lter by sendin out nother one-wy emerency
nnouncement over their comm units just s the SDF
nishes plntin the necessry explosives, this time rom
 demolitions tem positioned somewhere on the western
bnk o the river.
Crossin the rst hl o the bride is irly
strihtorwrd, but the PCs will need to nvite  mze
o bndoned crs tht clo the our lnes o the hihwy.

BRUSH
XP 600 STALKER CR 2 These vehicles provide cover or ny creture tht hunkers
down behind one, but  PC cn scrmble onto the roo o 
Plins Medium predtor ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 2 140, 102) cr or truck by usin n extr 5 eet o movement to enter
N Medium niml tht squre. Use the mp on pe 8 or this encounter
encounter..
Init +4; Senses low-liht vision; Perception +7 Creatures: Hours erlier,  pck o lyin Swrm
DEFENSE HP 25 cretures ws relesed in the skies bove the river by
EAC  13; KAC  15 ornic Swrm trnsports to terrorize the populce. They
Fort +6; Re +6; Will +1 descended onto the bride nd cused  dnerous pile-
OFFENSE up, nd the pnicked psseners led their vehicles on
Speed 50 t. oot. Mny civilins were killed in the ry, nd the Swrm
Melee clw +10 (1d6+4 S) cretures lun the bodies o the side o the bride nd
TACTICS deprted. However, two Swrm vorphoms remin behind
During Combat The brush stlker ttcks the nerest PC to lie in wit or more victims.
with  vicious erocity born rom huner. As the PCs pproch the site o this Swrm mbush
Morale Strvin, the bes t hts until it is killed. pproximtely hlwy cross the bride, they cn ttempt
STATISTICS  DC 18 Perception check to notice smll pools o con eled
Str +2; Dex +4; Con  +1; Int –4; Wis +0; Cha –2 blood beneth some o the vehicles. A PC who succeeds t
Skills Acrobtics +7, Athletics +7, Stelth +12 (+16 in plins)  DC 20 Survivl check spots deep oues in the sphlt
Other Abilities trckin (scent) nd in some o the nerby vehicles. I no PC succeeds t
either o these checks, the vorphoms sprin rom their
Treasure:   When the evcuee died, he ell on his trvel hidin plces behind the crs nd ttck durin  surprise
b. With  successul DC 12 Perception check or by closely round when the PCs pproch within 30 eet.
exminin the body, the PCs nd this continer. Inside is 
tcticl semi-uto pistol nd 9 smll rm rounds in the clip, SWARM VORPHOMA
VORPHOMASS (2) CR 1
 bsic medkit, two doses o tier 1 stimulnts ( Starfnder
Starfnder XP 400 each
 Armory 133), our wke-up ptches (see pe 45), three R2Es, HP 16 ech (see pe 61)
nd two mk 1 serums o healing. TACTICS
During Combat One vorphom res its rm brbs t
D. KEROZAN BRIDGE (CR 3) the wekest-lookin PC, while the other ttempts to

At the endwter.
o rushin o the As
lon hike,
they thePCs
crest  nlbein
nl to her
hill, red the sound
or prphrse debilitte
debilitt
like e the stronest-lookin PCs with its spell-
bilities.
the ollowin. Morale The vorphoms ht to the deth.

12
 

ADVENTURE PATH

Treasure:  A PC who succeeds t  DC 12 Perception
check notices  illed Starinder backpack  (  Armory   vessels hs wekened the bride
116) hnin out rom  hl-opened rer door o one
o the nerby vehicles. Inside the bckpck is  set o
environmentl clothin (cold climtes),  er clmp, 
holoshroud (  Armory  104), nd two tubes o wrmin blm
(see pe 45). Two mss-produced tents re strpped to
the top o the bckpck.
Development: Ater the bttle, the PCs cn tke  10-minute
rest. As soon s they decide to continue cross the bride,
 klxon lrm in the distnce beins to blre. Their comm
units sprk up in with  member o the SDF demolitions
tem syin, “Swrm rmy pprochin. Proceedin with
destruction o the Kerozn Bride. All civilins cler the re!”
I the PCs contct SDF centrl commnd to sk them or time
to et o the bride, they re told, “We’ll ive you s lon s
we cn, but i we don’t blow this bride soon, none o us re
oin to survive!”
EVENT 1: BRIDGE ESCAPE! (CR 1)
The PCs hve only  ew moments beore explosives plnted
on the bride’s support columns re detonted, sendin the
Second Obstacle:  Bombrdment rom irborne Swrm
br ide in spots. To nd  se route
throuh, ech PC cn ttempt  DC 20 Enineerin check to
ssess the stbility o the rod or  DC 20 Survivl check to
nd the trcks o other evcuees. I t lest one PC succeeds
t this check, the PCs ern  number o Escpe Points equl
to the number o PCs.
Third Obstacle:  A lre trnsport vehicle, jckknied nd
overturned, lies cross both lnes o the hihwy. Ech PC
cn ttempt  DC 15 Athletics check to scrmble over the FTE OF
wrecke or  DC 15 Acrobtics check to squeeze between THE
the trnsport’s cb nd triler. A PC who succeeds t either FIFTH
check by 5 or more cn rnt  +2 circumstnce bonus to
n lly’s check usin the sme skill. Ech success erns one
CAMPAIGN  
Escpe Point. OUTLINE
On the other side o the overturned truck, the ede o
the bride is visible, nd the PCs cn sprint towrd sety.
As they do, they cn her  nl countdown blstin rom PART 1:
THE
loudspekers in the distnce, which is nerly drowned
BATTLE
out by the screech o hundreds o Swrm cretures s OF BRINNOA
they bein to cross the bride. The countdown ends nd 
mssive explosion rips throuh the bride’s superstructure,
PART 2:

structure into deth

point mens the reezin
t the river below. o
mndibles Turnin bck trmy
the Swrm this enuln the Swrm
the intensity horde.
o which A shock wve
is determined by rolls over the
the totl PCs,
number
THE
SCOURING
pprochin cross the hills to the est. A PC who could o Escpe Points they chieved; see the tble below. Ech OF SAHTOR
survive the lep o the bride nd the 100-oot ll into the PC cn ttempt  Reex svin throw to tke hl the
ice-choked river would likely be crushed by the debris rom listed dme.
the bride’s demolition. The sest option or the PCs is to PART 3:
THE
mke their wy to the western side o the bride beore the Total Escape Points Damage Reex Save
FALL OF
explosion occurs. Escpin the bride’s destruction will tke 4 or ewer 3d6 B DC 16 SUSKILLON
speed, strenth, nd temwork. 5–9 2d6 B DC 14
Durin the escpe, the PCs ce  series o obstcles, 10 or more 1d6 B DC 12
ech o which requires ech PC to ttempt  skill check s BATTLING
THE SWARM
 stndrd ction. PCs who succeed t the required checks Development:  Ater the explosion, the PCs cn mke their
ern  number o Escpe Points, s detiled in ech obstcle. wy throuh the resultin debris to rech the bulwrks
A PC cn decide to tke  dierent stndrd ction when behind which the Third Bttlion demolitions squd A PLAGUE

ced with n obstcle (such s cstin  spell) but doin so monitored the opertion. A squd o SDF soldiers reets OF LOCUSTS

erns no Escpe Points unless, t your discretion, the PC’s
clever use o spells or other bilities bypsses the need or
certin skill checks; count such ctions s hvin succeeded
t the requisite skill checks or the purpose o ernin
Escpe Points.
At the end o this scene, the demolitions explode nd
the PCs will need to ttempt Reex sves inst the blst.
The number o Escpe Points they ern durin the escpe
determines the intensity o the blst wve tht hits them nd
the DC o the Reex sve (see the tble below).
First Obstacle: A pile-up o lnd vehicles presents  mze
o twisted metl. Ech PC should ttempt  DC 15 Perception
check to nvite this tnle. I t lest hl o the prty
(rounded down) succeeds t this check, the PCs ern  number
o Escpe Points equl to the number o PCs. Otherwise, the
PCs ern only 1 Escpe Point or ech PC who succeeded t
the Perception check.
them nd oers to ive the PCs  ride bck to Fort Gllnt in
their nerby vehicles.
ALIEN
Treasure:   Shortly ter the PCs rrive t Fort Gllnt ARCHIVES
(possibly beore they visit the qurtermster),  member
o the Third Bttlion demolitions squd nds the PCs to
compliment them on their escpe rom the Swrm nd the CODEX OF
WORLDS
explosion. She notes tht her squd hs some letover
supplies nd hnds the prty  smll ootlocker continin
 detontor,  motion trier (see pe 45), three mk 1 r
rendes, nd one mk 1 incendiry rende. With  wink she
sys, “Blst some vexers or me.”
Story Award: For rechin the western end o the bride,
wrd the PCs 400 XP.
FORT GALLANT
Severl miles to the west o the Dethomr River nd the Kerozn
Bride is  smll SDF trinin cility clled Fort Gllnt.

13

 
 Some concrete brriers, chin-link ences, nd  ew concrete
emplcements continin hevy wepon turrets re the only
ortictions this encmpment hs to oer.
As they enter the re, the PCs wlk by bout  hundred
civilins nd  r smller number o wery-lookin
soldiers millin round some hstily erected tents. A
humn soldier pproches the PCs nd introduces
himsel s Lieutennt Gorhm. He dispenses with
the ormlities o n enlisted soldier nd sys,
“You ll mde it out o Brinno live? Not
mny members o the Fith Bttlion were
s lucky s you. Commnder Njiri hs sked
to receive sitution reports directly rom ll
new rrivls immeditely. Let me tke you to
her now.”
Lieutennt Gorhm leds the PCs to
one o the ew two-story structures in
the cmp nd ushers them up  smll
externl metl stircse. The door t the
top hs  plcrd outside tht reds,
“Commnder-Generl Drquin.” As the
PCs step inside, they re hit with the
unmistkble smells o ntiseptic
nd blood. The oce inside is 
HADIYA NAJIRI
mess, with  lre wooden desk
in the center nd piles o dtpds
nd electronic mps pushed o
onto the oor. A humn womn in  lon militry cot lies
on the tble, bein tended to by  pir o SDF medics. A
nmet on her shoulder reds “H. Njiri.” Her let le is
bdly hurt: most o the muscle nd esh hs been ripped to
shreds nd the underlyin bone is visible. The wound looks
irly recent, but the sins o inection re lredy pprent. our roo.”
She bites down on the lether hndle o  survivl knie s
one o the medics nishes cuttin throuh her emur with
 lser sclpel. The destroyed le lls to the round with 
sickenin thud nd the womn sties  screm s she jbs
hersel with  serum o healing.
When she notices the PCs, she ocuses her ttention
on them s the medics continue to ttend to her. Red or
prphrse the ollowin.
“You ll just cross the Dethomr? Welcome to Fort
Gllnt. The Commnder-Generl is ded, his second died
o his wounds  ew hours o, nd I’m wht’s let o the
commnd structure here. The nme’s Commnder Hdiy
Njiri. I poloize or the blood. Just ot bck  ew hours
o rom htin o the Swrm to the south—one o the
little buers snuck up on me while I ws pullin the pin
rom  rende nd nerly took my le o. Our eld medic
didn’t survive the mbush nd the trek here didn’t do the
wound ny vors. Insted o hobblin round or the rest
o the wr, I opted or  cybernetic replcement. I you
don’t mind bein debrieed while the ood doctors here do
14
their work, I’d like to her bout how you mde it out o
Brinno live.”
Commnder Hdiy Njiri sks bout the PCs’ previous
commndin ocer, their encounters with the Swrm, nd
nythin else they’ve encountered since they let Cmp
Cvlier.. While they tlk, the medics t her with
Cvlier
 militry-rde prosthetic le, nd ny PC
cn oer to help i they re trined in
Medicine. Ater the PCs ive their report,
she llows them to sk ny questions
they my hve or her. Commnder
Njiri is brutlly honest nd doesn’t
surcot nythin or those under her
commnd. Below re some possible questions
tht the PCs miht pose, nd her responses.
What’s going on with the war?  
“Communictions re spotty. Intel suests
the Swrm knocked out our stellites beore
touchin down in three min lndin sites,
to the north in Nli Sn, to the south
in Clso Ortho, nd, o course, in Brinno.
We’re still witin on csulty reports to
clculte how bd the dme is, but
it’s lookin like  nihtmre scenrio
riht now...  ull Swrm ir nd round
invsion orce, millions stron.”
What is our next move? Where do we go rom here?  
“Now tht we’ve tken down ll the brides cross the
Dethomr River, we should hve some time to reroup nd
rest, mybe even  dy or two. For now, we sit tiht until
we et dditionl orders nd protect those civilins under
roo.”
What is the Swarm going to do next?  “From ll reports, this
seems like  new invsion orce. Given the tctics the Swrm
hs used in the pst on other plnets, this seems to be n
oensive strtey where it moves s quickly s possible rom
loction to loction in order to overrun deensive orces beore
nyone cn muster  counterttck vi orbitl bombrdment.
But who knows how much o Spce Corps commnd is even
still intct... so ir support miht never come.”
While the PCs nish skin questions, the medics complete
the instlltion o the commnder’s prosthetic. She nods in
pprovl s she tests the umenttion, exin her new le t
the knee. She dismisses the PCs with  commendtion. “Well
ouht, soldiers. Now et some shut-eye. You’ve erned it. Oh,
but wit.” She clls Lieutennt Gorhm bck into the room.
“Yo
“Youu miht wnt to tlk with Qurtermster Jnxer rst i you
need new equipment, so she cn hve  ew hours to bricte
 bricte
er we don’t hve on hnd. The lieutennt will set you up
with n llownce o UPBs. Mke them count. I don’t know
when we cn ord to requisition more.”
Treasure:  Lieutennt Gorhm hnds ech o the PCs 
metllic order orm enrved with n llownce o 1,000 UPBs.
 ADVENTURE PATH

The PCs cn spend these to cquire new equipment (see Fort cn hve this credstick nd whtever it hs on it.” Thouh she
Qurtermster on pe 16) s thouh they were credits. doesn’t tell the PCs, Anci stole the credstick rom nother
evcuee erlier nd doesn’t know how mny credits re on it.
EVENT 2: THIEF IN THE NIGHT (CR 1) I sked, she sys its “enouh.”
As they leve the commnder’s oce, Lieutennt Gorhm I they ttck her, she ttempts to lee s soon s she
points the PCs towrd the qurtermster’s sttion nd cn, levin the ort ltoether. Ater 2 rounds, the ort’s
 brrcks where they cn et some rest. In the ort’s security oicers rrive to brek up the iht. Commnder
courtyrd, however,  youn civilin womn with sticky Njiri isn’t plesed to see her soldiers ttckin  civilin
ners trets the PCs s possible mrks nd moves to but issues only  stron reprimnd ter he rin the detils
intercept them. o the sitution. FTE OF
Creature: Anci Render is the scion o the Brinno-bsed THE
Render crime mily, rised by her now-decesed ther to be ANACIA RENDER CR 1 FIFTH
n dept con rtist, pickpocket, nd secrcker. Ater losin XP 400
her mily nd her crew in the ttcks on Brinno, she hs Femle humn opertive
CAMPAIGN  
been preyin upon the distrcted nd tired evcuees nd CN Medium humnoid (humn) OUTLINE
soldiers, pilerin wht she cn. Anci is  short, slender Init +5; Perception +8
humn womn with blue-blck hir nd  eined look
o innocence under her thick eyebrows. She wers once- PART 1:
THE
shionble clothes tht hve seen better dys, concelin 
BATTLE
skin-tiht suit o rmor. OF BRINNOA
Anci sizes up the roup rom cross the courtyrd nd
chooses to piler n item o 1 bulk or less rom  rndom PC,
ocusin on  pistol, serum o healing, or other esily ccessible PART 2:
THE
vluble. She wlks up to her chosen mrk, pperin rom
SCOURING
 nerby cluster o civilins nd sys, “Thnk you or your OF SAHTOR
service to Suskillon. I just wnt to let you know I will keep
you in my pryers to Iomede ech niht.” A suspicious PC
cn ttempt  Sense Motive check inst Anci’s Blu PART 3:
THE
check to sense tht she isn’t truly sincere. A PC who succeeds
FALL OF
t this check receives  +2 circumstnce bonus to spot her SUSKILLON
pickpocket ttempt.
Anci then moves to pt tht PC on the bck while
slippin her hnd down towrd the PC’s belt or b. She BATTLING
THE SWARM
ttempts  DC 20 Sleiht o Hnd check to pickpocket her
chosen item. Whether she succeeds or ils, ech PC cn
ttempt  Perception check opposed by the result o her A PLAGUE

Sleiht o Hnd check. I no one notices Anci’s thet t the OF LOCUSTS

moment, the treted PC will probbly notice the missin

item s they check throuh their er t the qurtermster
ALIEN
or s they et redy to rest. I they connect the thet to ARCHIVES
Anci, they cn nd her mon the civilin tents with 
successul DC 16 Diplomcy check to ther inormtion or
 successul DC 20 Perception check. CODEX OF
WORLDS
I the PCs conront Anci (either when she ttempts
the thet or lter), she shrus with  smirk nd sys, “It’s
hrd times out there, soldier, nd somethin like this will
be worth triple in  ew dys. Or whtever price I decide to
set. Look, you cn’t blme n spirin businesswomn like
me or tryin, cn you?” She then ives the stolen item bck
to the PCs.
I the PCs threten Anci with physicl violence or the
ANACIA RENDER
involvement o the ort’s security, she tries to bribe them. She
sys, “Listen, I’m strpped or UPBs t the moment, but I hve
credits tht spend just s well oworld. I you let me o, you

15

 
 DEFENSE HP 17
EAC  11; KAC  12
Fort +1; Re +6; Will +4
OFFENSE
Speed 30 t.
Melee tcticl switchblde +6 (1d4+1 S)
bilities trick ttck 1d4
Ofensive A bilities
TACTICS
During Combat Anci tries to ee t the rst
sin o combt, but i cornered she ocuses
her trick ttcks on  sinle opponent.
Morale I brouht below hl her Hit Points,
Anci surrenders, throwin down her
blde nd puttin her hnds in the ir.
STATISTICS
Str +0; Dex +4; Con  +0; Int +2; Wis +1; Cha +1
Skills Acrobtics +11, Blu +11, Enineerin
+8, Sense Motive +8, Sleiht o Hnd +11,
Stelth +11
Feats Mobility
Languages Common,
Shirren, Vesk
Other Abilities  unwnted items to 10% o
opertive
speciliztion
specilizti on (thie)
Gear second LOACHWURT
skin, tcticl
switchblde , AR
consumer bckpck, environmentl clothin (cold
climtes), shliht
Treasure:  I the PCs ccept Anci’s bribe, they nd tht the medicl supplies. A medic will ptch up ny wounds they
credstick she hnds them holds 500 credits. I ort security
tkes Anci into custody, she drops the credstick s she is
bein tken wy. The PCs cn do with it s they wish.
Development: I the PCs turn over Anci to Fort Gllnt
security, she stres coldly t the prty s the uthorities
rrive to collect her. The wy in which the PCs del with
Anci determines her ttitude towrd the PCs in Prt 3.
Story Award:  I the PCs conront Anci nd void
ihtin with her, wrd them XP s i they hd deeted
her in combt, rerdless o whether or not they turn her
over to security or ccept her bribe.
FORT QUARTERMASTER
Fort Gllnt’s qurtermster is  spry ysoki enineer nmed
 Jnxer. She opertes out o  mobile tech sttion in the bck
o  hl-trck SDF vehicle. When the PCs pproch, they
her the sounds o  mtter printer hummin wy s Jnxer
smooths down  piece o metl with  belt snder. She looks
up to reet the PCs with  toothy rin.
“You must be the roup tht just mde it cr oss the bride!
Greetins! Hopeully, the commnder set you up with 
16
UPB llownce by now.” Jnxer estures t  ew plstic
continers in the vehicle behind her. “I’ve ot most o the
stndrd-issue equipment, but i you wnt somethin
specilly mde, it’ll tke me  couple o hours to print it up. I
cn probbly do bout two custom items or you. Also, I cn
sl nythin you don’t wnt!”
The UPB llownce iven to ech PC by
Lieutennt Gorhm should llow them to
replenish their mmunition nd perhps
purchse  new wepon or suit o rmor.
 Jnxer’s exct inventory is up to you, but
ssume she hs ll 1st- nd 2nd-level bsic
melee wepons, smll rms, lonrms,
nd suits o rmor on hnd, nd she cn
crt most technoloicl items, wepons,
nd rmor up to 3rd level. However, the
ort’s mtter printer cn’t produce micl
or hybrid items. The PCs cn chre ll their
btteries nd environmentl protections
or ree s they rest,
nd Jnxer cn recycle
their vlue in UPBs, which
ZANTOS the PCs cn use to trde
with Jnxer or to crt their
own items i they wish. The
PCs don’t hve to spend ll
their UPBs t this moment nd will be ble to return here
ter they receive their new orders.
 Jnxer lso explins tht the PCs shouldn’t worry bout
currently hve nd rnt them supplies should they be sent
out in.
A NIGHT’S REST
The brrcks is  lre, open buildin lled with bunk beds.
The PCs cn rest here or the next 8 to 9 hours, removin
ny exhusted or tiued condition they miht hve. The
beds ren’t comortble, bein stndrd militry issue, but
t this point, it most likely doesn’t mtter. SDF medics lso
tret ny wounds the PCs miht hve, usin both stndrd
medicine nd serums o healing  to et the PCs bck to
ull helth.
The next mornin when the PCs wke, they re reeted by
Lieutennt Gorhm, who sys, “Commnder Njiri would like
to spek to you in.” He leds them bck to her oce, but
lon the wy, the PCs miht et involved with n lterction
in the courtyrd.
CROWD CONTRL
Outside the brrcks,  crowd is thered round  centrl
ure stndin on  wooden crte tht elevtes him  ew
eet bove everyone else— humn mn with thinnin hir
 ADVENTURE PATH

FTE OF
THE
FIFTH

CAMPAIGN  

OUTLINE

PART 1:
THE
BATTLE
OF BRINNOA

PART 2:

THE
SCOURING
OF SAHTOR

werin  dirty lb cot. Attched to one o the cot’s ront
pockets is  security ID rom his plce o employment, Bronze
Bem Reserch Consortium, with his picture nd nme printed
underneth: “Lochwurt, Z.”
He ppers to be in the middle o  speech when the PCs
pss by.
“The SDF orces here hve no ide wht is ctully
hppenin! I worked with militry intellience in Brinno
Quellin the unrest in the cmp is not n esy tsk , but it PART 3:
THE
cn be mned in  couple o wys. A PC cn step up nd
FALL OF
ive  clmin speech with  successul DC 18 Diplomcy SUSKILLON
check. Alterntively,  PC cn shout or the crowd to
disperse with  successul DC 18 Intimidte check. At
your discretion, other skills cn be pplied to this tsk— BATTLING
THE SWARM
such s Blu to pss the civilins some lse inormtion
or Proession (soldier) to conuse the civilins with
bureucrtic double-tlk—usin the sme DC. Ater one A PLAGUE

or the lst six months nd the mount they discovered iled ttempt, the PCs cn try  dierent tctic, thouh OF LOCUSTS

bout the Swrm in tht time couldn’t ill  child’s dtpd.
The psychic connection we observed in Swrm subjects
is stroner here on Suskillon thn nywhere else in the
Vst. The Swrm hs ortiied its components’ minds,
bolstered its numbers, nd tken the cpitl nd probbly
two-thirds o the entire plnet. We re outunned here,
nd the only option we hve is to run or die. I you think
the hundred or so soldiers here will protect you, you
re sorely mistken. I they wnted, the Swrm could
storm these ortiictions nd dr every one o us out
in our sleep!”
The crowd erupts in cries o er nd ner. Some o them
bein to push one nother, nd  ew nerby soldiers rip
their ries tihtly in nticiption o  riot. A smll hndul
o civilins brek o rom the roup nd block the PCs’ wy,
demndin inormtion or ction.
the DC increses by 2.
Another wy to brek up the crowd is to humilite the
ALIEN
scientist who riled them up in the rst plce. I the PCs sk ARCHIVES
who he is, he sys, “My nme is Zntos Lochwurt, membe
memberr
o Bronze Bem Reserch Consortium, nd perhps the
oremost expert on the Swrm this plnet hs let to oer.” CODEX OF
WORLDS
I the PCs question his credentils, he snis, “Do you relly
think tht you cn mtch me in knowlede bout the enemy,
soldier?” A PC who succeeds t  DC 20 Lie Science check
cn recll n obscure ct bout the Swrm tht they either
lerned by studyin the liens or rom hvin direct contct
with them. Lochwurt looks  bit ustered when presented
with such knowlede, mumblin, “Yes, o course. I suppose—
perhps—you hve ‘some ’ ide o wht you’re tlkin bout.”
With tht, he steps o his crte nd scuttles wy. This
detes the crowd’s ittion, nd the civilins slowly o
bck to their tents.

17

 
 Development:  I the PCs ren’t successul t ny o the
bove skill checks,  brie ht breks out between  soldier
nd  civilin. Lieutennt Gorhm then res his rie in the
ir nd clls or  lockdown o civilin ctivity, sendin
everyone rumblin bck to their tents.
However, i the PCs help disperse the crowd without
cusin  scule, the mood is less crimonious. A youn
emle humn—one o the medics who helped ttch
Commnder Njiri’s prosthetic le the previous dy—
pproches the PCs, thnkin them or clmin the
citizens. “Dr. Lochwurt hs been stirrin up trouble since
he ot here. Lst time,  hndul o people ended up with
blck eyes nd broken noses. Since we won’t need them
this time, why don’t you tke these serums o helin?”
She hnds the prty  smll stchel.
Treasure:  The stchel contins three mk 1 serums
o healing.
NEW ORDERS
Returnin to Commnder Njiri’s new oce, the PCs nd her
prcticin  ew o-blnce side kicks, while stndin on
her prosthetic le. The chmber hs been tidied  bit, nd 
holorphic mp o the surroundin reion is projected onto
one wll. A PC who succeeds t  DC 18 Perception check
or  DC 15 Proession (soldier) check cn see tht the mp
shows tht the Swrm is winnin this wr.
Commnder Njiri oers the prty smll tin cups lled
with hot coee nd speks.
“Erlier this mornin, I received  cll rom President
Dln. Suskillon is lost.” She estures t the mp. “In 
ew dys, this is ll oin to be Swrm country. But we
still hve  lot o work to do beore we let them hve it.
Get suited up, becuse we’re scuttlin the ort in n hour
to mke our wy west vi convoy into the Shtor Reion
to ssist with the plnetry evcution. It’s the end o the
world, soldiers.”
Commnder Njiri dismisses the PCs without ivin them
time or urther questions, explinin tht she hs to ive
orders to the rest o the cmp nd notiy the civilins. The
PCs cn then return to Qurtermster Jnxer to receive ny
new equipment they ordered nd, i they wish, volunteer
to help the civilins pck up into lre, rmored personnel
crriers. The mood is rim.
When the convoy is redy to leve Fort Gllnt,
Lieutennt Gorhm ssins the PCs to be prt o the
rer urd, nd tsks them with opertin the mounted
wepons on n SDF Mobile Striker, one o the hevily
rmored ssult vehicles tht hve seen much use durin
the wr. The Striker lredy hs  driver— tired-lookin
humn soldier—nd hs  pir o mchine uns nd  pir o
lk cnnons mounted on it. The PCs cn choose whichever
wepons they wish.
18
Shortly ter the PCs tke their positions, the convoy
beins the journey west on rods nd hihwys tht hve
been clered o vehicles. The border o the Shtor Reion
is 2 hours rom Fort Gllnt. As the encmpment lls into
the distnce, the PCs see  controlled explosion enuln
the ort— stndrd procedure to keep the structures out o
enemy hnds. Unortuntely, the explosion nd the tril o
smoke tht cn be seen or mny miles ets the ttention o
 pssin Swrm eetury (see pe 60),  livin strship.
EVENT 3: GUNSHIP SHOWDOWN (CR 2)
An hour ter the convoy ets u nderwy
nderwy,, red or prphrse
the ollowin.
A distnt buzzin sound rows louder nd louder, s
 smll Swrm strship crests  rozen hillside nd
pproches the convoy. As it ets closer, the vessel
lunches  pulsin reen torpedo. The wepon explodes
only  ew dozen eet wy, enulin the cbin o the
rer Mobile Striker in  out o cid. The driver screms
in pin nd slumps inst the steerin yoke, cusin the
vehicle to list to one side.
The PCs hve only moments or one o them to jump into
the vehicle’s cbin nd rein control o the vehicle. The
driver is unconscious but still livin, thouh the let side
o his ce is covered in cid burns tht will need medicl
ttention very soon.
Vehicle Chase:   This encounter uses a modified version
of the vehicle chase rules starting on page 282 of the
Core Rulebook. As the PCs are traveling across a fairly flat
expanse of terrain and the Swarm fleetfury moves much
faster than the Mobile Striker, the PCs can’t escape the
starship. Fortunately for the PCs, the vessel can fire only
four more torpedoes before it runs out of ammunition.
Ech round o the vehicle chse, durin the pilot ctions
phse, the PC in the cbin should roll  Pilotin check s
 move ction. The size nd weiht o the Mobile Striker
imprts  –2 penlty to this Pilotin check. One other
PC cn ttempt  Pilotin check s  move ction to id
nother beore the driver rolls their check; doin so mens
the idin PC tkes  –1 penlty on ny ttck rolls they
mke durin the combt phse. The result o the driver’s
Pilotin check is the DC or the Swrm leetury’s unnery
check durin the combt phse (see below). I the driver
chooses not to spend the move ction to ttempt  Pilotin
check, this unnery check DC is only 5.
Ech PC hs  ull round’s worth o ctions (minus ny
ctions tken durin the pilot ctions phse) durin the
combt phse to perorm ny o the ollowin ctivities. In
ddition,  PC cn cst  spell or use  clss eture i they
hve enouh ctions vilble. Since the Swrm leetury
cts t the end o the round, the PCs cn determine mon
themselves the exct order they ct in ech round.
 ADVENTURE PATH

SAHTOR REGION 2CM = 60 MILES E. UNCHAINED GANG

JURDOS
MOUNTAINS

I
H
ESKUE
  D  E   
T   
H   
G O   
M   
CORRECTIONAL A    
• F R     
 R    
PENITENTIARY I    
V    
E    
R    

• E
ESKUE FTE OF
TO FORT
OCEAN THE
GALLANT
REOS CITY
FIFTH

F. FUELING STATION G. GREATER SAHTOR WATERWORKS

CAMPAIGN  

OUTLINE

PART 1:
THE
BATTLE
OF BRINNOA

PART 2:

THE
SCOURING
OF SAHTOR
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET

Change Position: As  move ction,  PC cn move rom
opertin  mounted un to tkin control o the vehicle or
vice vers. Alterntively,  PC cn move between opertin 
 lk cnnon nd  mchine un (i one is vilble).
Evade: As  move ction,  PC in control o the vehicle cn
ttempt  DC 20 Pilotin check to steer cler o the brunt o
the eetury’s torpedo strikes. I successul, ech PC ins 
+1 circumstnce bonus to the Reex svin throw to void
PART 3:
THE
Supercharge Engines:  As  stndrd ction,  PC cn
FALL OF
ttempt  DC 18 Enineerin check to tinker with the Mobile SUSKILLON
Striker’s uel lines, intke mniolds, or other enine prts. I
successul, the driver ins  +2 circumstnce bonus to their
Pilotin check durin the next pilot ctions phse. The driver BATTLING
THE SWARM
cn in this bonus only once per round.
Take Cover: As  ull ction,  PC cn hunker down in the
vehicle, inin  +4 circumstnce bonus to the Reex svin A PLAGUE

tkin dme rom the eetury’s torpedo blsts. throw to void tkin dme rom the eetury’s cidic OF LOCUSTS

Fire Flak Cannon: As  stndrd ction,  PC opertin  torpedo blsts.

k cnnon cn re t the eetury, mkin  rned ttck
inst n AC o 15. The movement o the Mobile Striker
imprts  –1 penlty to this ttck. A hit obscures one o the
Swrm vessel’s sensors with smoke, imprtin  –2 penlty to
the eetury’s unnery check until the beinnin o the next
round. Ech o the Mobile Striker’s two k cnnons cn be
red only once per round.
Fire Machine Gun: As  stndrd ction,  PC opertin
 mchine un cn ire  hil o bullets t the leetury,
mkin  rned ttck inst n AC o 15. The movement
o the Mobile Striker imprts  –2 penlty to this ttck.
A hit dmes the leetury’s torpedo luncher, reducin
the dme delt by n ttck rom the leetury by 2
(minimum 0) until the beinnin o the next round. Ech
o the Mobile Striker’s two mchine uns cn be ired only
once per round.
At the end o the combt phse ech round, the Swrm
ALIEN
eetury ttempts  unnery check (with  totl +5 modier) ARCHIVES
opposed by the result o the driver’s Pilotin check. On  success,
n cid torpedo strikes the round very close to the PCs’ vehicle,
nd the resultin explosion dels 2d8 cid dme to ech PC CODEX OF
WORLDS
(Reex DC 13 hl). On  miss, the explosion is urther wy but
still dnerous. Ech PC tkes only 1d4 cid dme nd cn
nete the dme entirely with  successul DC 13 1 3 Reex sve.
At the beinnin o the third round o the chse (beore
ny o the phses), the PCs spy the burned-out husk o 
lre, overturned vehicle in the middle o the hihwy. The
driver must ttempt  DC 16 Pilotin check to void the
derelict vehicle. Filure mens tht the Mobile Striker is nerly
overturned s it scrpes by the wrecke, nd ech PC must
succeed t  DC 13 Will sve or be shken or 1 round; this is 
mind-ectin er eect.

19

 
 Ater rin its nl torpedo t the end o the ourth round,
the Swrm eetury breks o rom its ttck run. A pir o
SDF hter jets pper rom the west to pursue the livin
strship, eventully shootin it down somewhere ner the
Dethomr River. A ccophony o cheers cn be herd comin
rom mny o the soldiers in the convoy s the scttered
remnnts o the eetury ll towrd the surce.
Development:  The reminder o the journey to the
Shtor Reion border is uneventul, ivin the PCs the
opportunity to rest or 10 minutes to rein Stmin Points
i they wish. An SDF medic ttends to the wounded driver,
nd  replcement driver is secured i necessry.
Story Award: For endurin the eril bombrdment, wrd
the PCs 600 XP.
XP.
PART 2:
THE SCOURING 
OF SAHTOR
The Shtor Reion consists primrily o mssive riculturl
processin centers mid miles o utomted rmlnds.
It is bounded by the Jurdos Mountins to the north, the
Dethomr River to the northest, nd the Eskue Ocen to
the west nd southwest. The cpitl o the Shtor Reion is
Reos City, locted on the western cost.
The distnce between Fort Gllnt nd Reos City is
pproximtely 400 miles lon severl hihwys, nd the
convoy will not rech the metropolis until 8 hours ter the
eetury’s ttck. Alon the wy, the convoy psses throuh
 ew smll towns with lre, neon-yellow
n eon-yellow evcution notices
plstered on every door nd window. All o these res re
completely bndoned. The convoy mkes brie stops or
bioloicl needs, but no one is llowed to leve siht o the
convoy unccompnied.
Shortly beore nihtll, the convoy rolls over  hill nd
into the outskirts o  city overowin with evcuees.
Dozens o strships cn be seen lndin nd tkin o rom
 spceport to the north o the city. The convoy stops  mile
rom the city limits, where the rod is blocked by  tnle
o bndoned crs. Commnder Njiri ives the order to
bndon the vehicles nd wlk. As the civilins move hed,
Njiri meets with ech squd to hnd out urther orders,
ccompnied by Qurtermster Jnxer, who hnds out R2Es
or the niht’s dinner.
RESCUE MISSION
When Commnder Njiri, still slihtly unstble on her new
rtiicil le, mkes her wy to the PCs, she ives them
their next orders. Dependin on the prty’s perormnce
inst the Swrm leetury erlier, she commends the PCs
or their heroics irst.
20
“Midniht Squd, muster up. I’ve been in touch with SDF
commnd here in Reos City. Evcution is underwy, but
there’s still  lot o work to be done. They recently sent 
squd up to  temple o Hylx north o the city but hven’t
herd bck rom them yet. I wnt you to mke your wy
up there vi the min hihwy. A shirren priest nmed
Xelonn runs the temple. See i he hs ny inormtion
bout the lost squd nd brin him bck here to sety.
I you see ny civilins lon the wy, mke sure they’re
movin to the evcution zone here. Any questions beore
you move out, soldiers?”
The PCs should be encoured to sk questions bout
their new mission. Some likely questions nd Njiri’s
responses ollow.
How ar away is the temple? “It’s bout 180 miles to the
city o Lynmri in the oothills o the Jurdos Mountins.
From there, the temple is nother dozen miles up some
mountinous rods. You’ll be issued  stndrd troop
trnsport in cse you need to pick up ny civilins.
civilins.””
How much time do we have to get there and back?   “It
seems like hvin to cross the Dethomr River miht slow the
Swrm dvnce  bit, but not orever. Mechnized divisions
re oin to hold them o s lon s possible, but I still think
we hve only two or mybe three dys beore they in 
oothold in the Shtor Reion nd come west to nish the job.
Brrin ny mjor complictions, thouh, tht should still ive
you plenty o time.”
What can you tell us about the lost squad?   “They’re
 our-soldier unit out o the Second Bttlion, under
Commnder Quvenzh. He reportedly lost communictions
with them yesterdy when they reched Lynmri. Quvenzh
tells me they’re ood soldiers, so somethin must hve one
terribly wron.”
What’s so special about this priest o Hylax? “Seems
like he ot in touch with SDF commnd climin to hve
‘vitl intellience’ bout the Swrm, so they mrked him or
priority extrction.
extrction. So, nd him nd et him bck here to the
evc site s soon s you cn, ot it?”
What kind o Swarm presence can we expect in the
Sahtor Region? “It’s mostly cler rmlnds between here
nd the mountins, nd thouh the Swrm hs tken out
 bunch o our stellites, we still hve  ew eyes in the
sky. However, those dreders re hrd to trck when they
burrow underround, so don’t let your urd down. I you
come cross Swrm components nd cn’t ht them, it’s
better to evde or sty hidden. Remember, your priority now
is protectin civilins nd helpin them evcute.”
Wrppin up the mission brien, Commnder Njiri clps
 ew o the PCs on their shoulders beore syin, “Keep your
comms open, nd let us know wht you nd up there. Good
luck, Midniht Squd.” Qurtermster Jnxer then leds the
PCs to some tents where they cn et  niht’s rest beore
embrkin once in.
 ADVENTURE PATH

JOURNEY TO THE
JURDOS MOUNTAINS
At dwn the next dy, Lieutennt Gorhm wkes the PCs
nd tkes them throuh the outskirts o Reos City in  smll
hovercr to n SDF checkpoint on the hihwy ledin north
out o the city. He pulls up lonside  bttered SDF Troop
Hrdtop nd tells them, “It’s ll ueled up nd redy to o.
Try not to let it et destroyed...” He urrows his brow or 
to deth, you ott help him!” He repets his ples in response
to ny questions.
These two escped inmtes were members o  prison
n nd were deemed unt to serve in the SDF s they
were mon the prisoners who incited the Eskue Correctionl
Penitentiry riot. They lredy secured rmor nd wepons
durin the prison brek, nd lst niht, they broke into 
nerby rmhouse, killed the inhbitnts, nd stole some o

moment nd then smirks. “Thouh chnces re we won’t be the mily’s clothes. Two more escped prisoners lie in wit
tkin it with us o the plnet.” The lieutennt trnsmits  behind n overturned vehicle on the other side o the rod. FTE OF
mp o the Shtor Reion (see pe 19) to the PCs’ comm units The inmtes hope they cn cquire some militry credentils THE
nd wishes them luck on their mission. by mbushin the PCs, which they hope to use to enter Reos FIFTH
An SDF Troop Hrdtop is  lre multi-wheeled vehicle City nd ee Suskillon.
with  boxy cbin nd  t bed covered with  hrd, plstic
CAMPAIGN  
cover. Four Medium cretures cn t in the truck’s cbin OUTLINE
(with one chrcter drivin), nd up to 10 Medium cretures
cn sit on the two wooden benches in the bed. The Troop
Hrdtop hs  top speed o 50 mph, but the occsionl PART 1:
THE
bndoned vehicle or other hzrd on the hihwy mens
BATTLE
the PCs won’t be ble to constntly mintin tht speed. The OF BRINNOA
distnce rom Reos City to Lynmri is 180 miles, which will
tke  minimum o 3-1/2 hours, but the PCs will likely run into
trouble lon the wy
wy.. PART 2:

The PCs cn tke their time on this journey, thouh i THE
SCOURING
they tke more thn 3 dys to trvel to the temple o Hylx OF SAHTOR
nd bck, the Swrm hs  very ood chnce o overtkin
them completely. No mtter how lon the PCs tke, they
re destined to miss the lst ocil trnsport o the plnet PART 3:
THE
nd will need to secure their own strship (see Prt 3). The
FALL OF
covered bed o the truck is lre enouh to serve s  tent i SUSKILLON
the PCs decide to rest or 8 hours lon the hihwy.

E. UNCHAINED GANG (CR 3) BATTLING

THE SWARM
The Eskue Correctionl
Correction l Penitentiry, known s “the Scorpion”
to mny sentenced there, is  smll, medium-security prison
lon the cost, northwest o Reos City. At the outset o A PLAGUE

the wr, it ws nerly emptied s prisoners were llowed OF LOCUSTS

to volunteer
Bttlion. orurds
The the SDF to ll
were the recently
reduced decimted
to  skeleton Fith
crew s
ALIEN
people quit or lso joined the militry. Fewer thn  hundred ARCHIVES
prisoners nd only ve urds remined behind. The prison
ws ble to operte while the reionl overnment worked
on the stn decit, but when the cility received word CODEX OF
WORLDS
o Brinno’s ll, there ws  riot. The urds were ble to
ee to sety, but the prisoners escped durin the chos.
Now, mny o them re tryin to nd  wy o the plnet
without bein rrested in. Use the mp on pe 19 or
this encounter.
Creatures:  Approximtely 60 miles north o Reos City,
the PCs re ed down by one o these escped prisoners
in disuise. He ppers desperte, wvin nd pointin to
nother prisoner lyin by the side o the rod in bloody SCORPION INMTE
clothes. I the PCs stop, he beins shoutin, “My riend ot
ttcked by one o those dmned bu thins! He’s bleedin

21

 
 The escped prisoners wit until ll o the PCs leve the
truck nd move close to the inmte einin injury beore
sprinin their mbush. However, the PCs miht be ble
to spot the hidin inmtes with  successul Perception
check opposed by their Stelth checks. In ddition,  PC
miht sense the prisoner’s ill intent by succeedin t 
Sense Motive check opposed by the spekin inmte’s Blu
check. Finlly,  PC who ets close enouh nd succeeds t
500 credits secured in  hidden pocket. The prisoners ound
this credstick in the rmhouse they rnscked erlier nd
plnned on usin the credits to bribe their wy o the plnet.
F. FUELING STATION (CR 2)
Most but not ll o the people o the Shtor Reion hve
lredy evcuted to Reos City. The PCs will meet  lre
roup o these holdouts in Lynmri (see re H ), but beore

pokin
DC 20out
Culture
rom check
one ocn
the identiy  crude
shirtsscorpion tttoo they rech mily,
tht town,
prisoner’s nd knows the the Newles whothey
rewhve the opportunity
rustrted to rescue
with the sitution in
desin mrks them s someone who hs been repetedly Lynmri nd let erlier this mornin.
incrcerted in Eskue Correction
Correctionl.l. I conronted, the inmte Approximtely 140 miles north o Reos City, the PCs turn
stmmers out n unconvincin explntion beore the  bend in the hihwy nd see  uelin sttion nd shoppin
others lep out to ttck. plz o to the north (see the mp on pe 19). A sinle lnd
vehicle is prked ner the pumps, its tires slshed nd its
SCORPION INMATES (4) CR 1/2 chssis covered in oues. Three humns— mrried couple
XP 200 each nd their child—re trpped inside. When the driver sees the
CE Medium humnoid (humn) PCs’ vehicle, she ctivtes the vehicle’s externl uditory
Init +1; Perception +5 lrms. Use the mp on pe 19 or this encounter.
DEFENSE HP 13 EACH Creatures: A scoutin prty o three Swrm dreders hs
EAC  10; KAC  12 ventured this r into the Shtor Reion. When the Newles
Fort +4; Re +2; Will +0 mily hppened to spot one o the cretures s they ueled
OFFENSE their vehicle t this rest stop, the dreders ttempted to
Speed 30 t. eliminte the witnesses. Thouh the humns were ble to lock
Melee tcticl bton +6 (1d4+3 B) themselves in their vehicle, the dreders destroyed the tires
TACTICS nd hve spent the lst hour tryin to ter open the doors.
During Combat The inmtes drw tcticl btons brnded One dreder is close to crckin the windshield when the PCs
with the Eskue Correctionl Penitentiry loo nd try to rrive. The dreders don’t py ttention to the PCs until one
nk the PCs. o the PCs ets within 30 eet o the vehicle or the dreders
Morale I two o the inmtes hve been reduced to 0 Hit themselves re ttcked.
Points or ll o them hve been reduced to 3 Hit Points or
ewer, the inmtes try to ee. SWARM DREDGERS (3) CR 1/2
STATISTICS XP 200 each
Str +3; Dex +1; Con +2; Int +0; Wis +0; Cha +0 HP 13 ech (see pe 59)
Skills Athletics +10, Blu +5, Stelth +10 TACTICS
Feats Step Up During Combat Ech dreder chooses  dierent PC t
Languages Common rndom to ttck.

Gear iht suit sttionwer, tcticl bton, environmentl
clothin (cold climtes)
Development:  I the PCs tke ny o the ormer inmtes
prisoner,  PC who succeeds t  DC 15 Intimidte check cn
prisoner,
elicit  promise tht they won’t do ny more hrm s lon s
the PCs ree to tke them to Reos City nd et them o the
plnet. I the PCs brin the inmtes with them to Lynmri,
the ormer prisoners don’t prticipte in ny encounters
the PCs hve lon the wy nd cn be sent lon with the
Lynmrins ter the PCs del with the town’s troubles (see
re H ). Alterntively,
Alt erntively, i the
t he PCs don’t wn
wntt to hve to del
with ny survivin inmtes, they cn be sent wy on oot,
tellin them tht i they hurry south, they still miht be ble
to mke the evcution.
Treasure: A PC who serches the inmtes nd succeeds
t  DC 20 Perception check nds  credstick continin
Morale The dreders ht to the deth.
Treasure: The PCs cn uncover our hih-cpcity btteries,
 zipstick (  Armory 109), nd  roll o ion tpe (  Armory
 Armory 105)
let behind t the uelin sttion.
Development:  When the PCs disptch the dreders, the
cornered mily—Cottr,
mily—Cottr, Myrriol, nd their duhter Zebek—
exits the vehicle nd thnks the PCs or svin their lives.
I sked why they hven’t evcuted yet, they explin tht
they re rom Lynmri nd tht the mner o their ood
processin plnt hs orbidden the citizens rom levin,
consctin ll their vehicles’ uel. The Newleses ound just
enouh uel to et to this wy sttion nd ed in secret.
With n hour’s worth o work,  PC trined in Enineerin
cn replce the tires on their vehicle; i none o the PCs re
trined,  member o the Newles mily is ble to do so. I the
PCs re escortin the escped inmtes (see re E ) nd wnt

22

 
 ADVENTURE PATH

to send them lon with the Newleses,  PC must succeed
t  DC 18 Diplomcy check to convince the members o
the mily to llow the inmtes to ccompny them. The
Newleses cn t up to two prisoners in their vehicle.
G. GREATER SAHTOR WATERWORKS (CR 1)
The hihwy here runs lonside  rozen river. A lre
ot closer to the mountins. Susreth hd lwys been more
empthic thn most other lshunts, nd s Xelonn ben to
mpliy the psychic emntions within the temple o Hylx to
protect himsel (see re I ),
 ), they ben to ect Susreth, eeven
ven
t this distnce. The recruit strted
str ted seein psychic projections
o Swrm enemies ll round him nd ed. The others wrote
him o s  deserter nd continued on to Lynmri.
It is plin to see tht Susreth is in distress, thouh it

industril site,
sky, is built onits
themetllic
r bnksmokestcks stretchin
behind  stretch into the
o chin-link miht
hs thenotconused
be obvious wht is wron
condition with him.
nd ttcks the He
PCscurrently
i they FTE OF
ence. Sins on the ence mrk this s the Greter Shtor ttck him. Otherwise, roll rndomly or his ctions ech THE
Wterworks. Up hed,  smll bride brnches rom the round s usul or the condition. I the result is either FIFTH
hihwy nd crosses the river t  te in the ence. A smll “ct normlly” or “ttck nerest creture,” he ires his
urd buildin stnds in r ont o the te. The lser pistol t unseen oes, with  50% chnce to
CAMPAIGN  
ice nd snow ly hevy on the round next ccidentlly tret  PC. OUTLINE
to the rod. The PCs cn clm Susreth with two successul DC
15 Diplomcy checks or et him to stnd down with
The wterworks is pproximtely 10 miles south two successul DC 15 Intimidte checks; ttemptin PART 1:
THE
o Lynmri. This prticulr wterwy is known s both Diplomcy nd Intimidte checks in the
BATTLE
the Trne River, one o the mny tributries runnin sme round only conuses the lshunt urther, OF BRINNOA
down rom the Jurdos Mountins into the mihty nd ny successes cncel ech other out.
Dethomr River to the est. Use the mp on pe 19 Alterntively, the PCs cn try to subdue
or this encounter. Susreth with nonlethl dme. PART 2:

Creature:   As the PCs pproch the turno,  THE

SCOURING
lser blst suddenly hits their vehicle. It isn’t SUSRETH SUSARO CR 1 OF SAHTOR
powerul enouh to penetrte the Troop XP 400
Hrdtop’s hrdness, but the driver must Mle dmy lshunt soldier
succeed t  DC 16 Pilotin check or drive the NG Medium humnoid PART 3:
THE
truck into  nerby snowbnk in surprise. (lshunt)
FALL OF
Over the next ew seconds, severl more Init +2; Perception +5 SUSKILLON
lser blsts re red hrmlessly t DEFENSE HP 18
the PCs’ vehicle. A PC who succeeds EAC  11; KAC  13
t  DC 12 Perception check cn Fort +3; Re +5; Will +1 BATTLING
THE SWARM
see tht they re comin rom the OFFENSE
urd buildin on the other side Speed 30 t.
o the river. Melee survivl knie +5 (1d4 S) A PLAGUE

I the PCs stop lon enouh to Ranged zimuth lser pistol +8 OF LOCUSTS

investite (or to di their vehicle (1d4 F; criticl burn 1d4)

out o the snowbnk), red or Lashunta Spell-Like Abilities (CL 1st)
ALIEN
prphrse the ollowin. 1/dy—detect thoughts (DC 10) ARCHIVES
At will— daze (DC 9),  psychokinetic hand
h and
A mle lshunt werin n SDF uniorm TACTICS
emeres rom the urd buildin. His eyes re During Combat Susreth cts s described. CODEX OF
WORLDS
wild, his hir is disheveled, nd he is wvin Morale Susreth hts until he is k nocked
his lser pistol over his hed. “You there, wht out or clmed down.
re you stndin round or? Help me kill them! STATISTICS
They’re everywhere! We’re bein overrun here, Str +0; Dex +2; Con  +1; Int +4; Wis +0;
we ott push them bck!” He then beins to re Cha +1
his pistol errticlly. Skills Medicine +10, Proession (soldier) +5,
Sense Motive +5
The lshunt is Susreth Susro, Languages Common, S hirren; limited
SUSRETH SUSARO
 youn SDF recruit nd medic. He telepthy
ws prt o the now-missin Second Gear estex suit I,  zimuth lser pistol
Bttlion squd but deected s they with 1 bttery (20 chres), tcticl

23

 
 knie, bsic medkit, derml stplerAR , medptches (2), mk
1 serum o healing, recovery aegisAR
Development:  I still conscious, Susreth identies himsel
nd nmes his squd; otherwise, the PCs cn lern this
inormtion by scnnin his IDENT (see pe 44). When
he is clm or returns to consciousness, he poloizes or his
ctions, explinin tht he hs beun seein Swrm cretures
everywhere. He believes tht the Swrm is usin some kind o
psychic wrre nd wrns the PCs to protect their minds. He
shkes his hed s i tryin to cler his ers nd notes tht he
cn still her the Swrm whisperin to him. He sys they re
repetin three words—”Hylx will know”—over nd over in.
While Susreth doesn’t know wht hppened to the rest o
his squd, he rees to ccompny the PCs to Lynmri. He
cn continue on with the roup t your discretion, but ter
his ordel he seems primrily interested in ettin o the
plnet. He is too distrcted to help the PCs investite
the strneness t Lynmri, but he is hppy to o with
the townsolk on their journey to Reos City to evcute,
should the PCs solve the town’s problems.
Treasure:  Susro oers the PCs
his helin supplies:  derml stpler
(  Armory   100),  medkit, two medptches,
nd  serum o healing, s well s his
recovery aegis (  Armory  115). This pendnt
is shped like the holy symbol o Srenre
with  red jewel t its center.
Story Award:  I the PCs clm Susreth
nd help him et control o his mind,
wrd them XP s i they hd deeted
him in combt.
H. LYNMARI (CR 3)
Nestled in the oothills o the Jurdos
Mountins, the smll town o
Lynmri consists o  ew dozen
buildins constructed djcent to
the hedqurters o the Lonship
Ariculturl Allince,  compny tht owns
the surroundin rmlnd. The mjority o the
citizens work or Lonship, while the rest re in
the service industry, employed by the hndul
o shops nd resturnts in town.
When the PCs pproch the outskirts o the
town, they her  sinle lser blst. As they
move towrd the sound o the disturbnce,
red or prphrse the ollowin.
A hndul o townsolk re thered in
ront o  boxy buildin tht looks
like  modest ood processin
plnt. A sin bove  pir o REDA COOPER
metl doors reds, “Lonship
24
Ariculturl Allince.” The crowd seems upset, their
ner nd conusion directed towrd  humn womn in 
business suit stndin in ront o the doors, nked by two
security ocers wieldin lser ries. She rises her hnds
in n ttempt to quiet the townsolk. “Friends, plese. I her
nd understnd your concerns, nd so does Lonship. Rest
ssured, we re here to help. Corporte hs uthorized 
privte evcution or the citizens o Lynmri. The ships will
be rrivin shortly. Plese, return to your homes.”
A mn steps orwrd rom the crowd, “Privte evcution?
The reionl overnor hs told everyone to et to Reos City!
Why won’t you let us leve?”
The womn smiles thinly. “Mr. Gorse, the rods
between here nd Reos re very dnerous. Lonship
is merely lookin out or your sety. Now, plese
disperse. I won’t sk you  second time.”
A PC who wnts to investite cn pproch the
scene. No one seems either relieved or surprised to
see n SDF squd (s one just pssed throuh the
town  short time o), but i the PCs sk, one o
the townsolk explins tht the womn—Red
Cooper, the mner o the cility here—hs
conscted ll o the town’s uel, mkin it
next to impossible or them to trvel to Reos
City or the evcution. Everyone is on ede,
nd it seems like  simple sprk could inite
this tinderbox.
A PC cn clm the crowd with  ew
comortin words by succeedin t  DC 15
Diplomcy check, or they cn demnd the
thron disperse with  successul DC 17
Intimidte check. Alterntively, the PCs cn
try to convince Red Cooper to hnd over the
town’s uel, bu
butt she sttes simply, “Lonship
Ariculturl Allince is workin in close
conjunction with the SDF to et these people
to sety, soldiers. I would pprecite it i
you rerined rom intererin.” A PC who
succeeds t  DC 20 Sense Motive check cn
tell tht she is hidin somethin, but i pressed
she dismisses their sttements nd questions;
she then retrets into the buildin.
The two security urds remin outside to
mke sure the townsolk don’t try to brek in.
They re tiht-lipped unless  PC succeeds t
 DC 18 Diplomcy check to et them tlkin.
The urds coness tht they ren’t hppy with
their orders but re dmnt tht Lonship will
rescue them. One o the urds dmits tht Red
hs been ctin strnely since she received
word o the privte evcution. The urds
cn’t be persuded to llow the PCs to enter
the cility.
 ADVENTURE PATH

FTE OF
THE
FIFTH

CAMPAIGN  

OUTLINE

PART 1:
THE
BATTLE
OF BRINNOA

PART 2:
THE
SCOURING
OF SAHTOR

The PCs cn lso sk round bout the missin squd rom undelivered produce. She is bent over nd violently spewin PART 3:
THE
the Second Bttlion. One citizen notes, “Three SDF soldiers  mss o reen oo rom every orice in her hed. She lls
FALL OF
pssed throuh here just  couple o dys o. They went up unconscious terwrd, nd the bodysntcher slime ttcks SUSKILLON
to the temple in the mountins, but I hven’t seen ’em since.” the PCs, lookin or  new host.
Creature:  A ew dys o, Red Cooper ws inested
by  bodysntcher slime,  smll ooze tht crwls inside BODYSNATCHER
BODYSNATCH ER SLIME CR 3 BATTLING
THE SWARM
 victim nd controls their ctions. This slime rrived on XP 800
Suskillon durin the inux o recruits rom other systems t HP 33 ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 2 18)
the beinnin o the Swrm invsion nd hs hopped rom TACTICS A PLAGUE
body to body cusin hvoc tht most hve ttributed to the During Combat The bodysntcher slime rbs onto the OF LOCUSTS

tiue nd conusion o wr. Hvin experienced thouhts
nd er bout the Swrm throuh its hosts, it is eer to try
to inest  Swrm creture but hsn’t been ble to et close
enouh to the ront lines s soldiers tend to die too quickly.
The slime hs htched  pln to scrice the town o Lynmri
to the Swrm, keepin the citizens round in cse its current
host rejects it.
The PCs cn snek into the processin plnt i ech o them
succeeds t  DC 18 Stelth check; brekin in t niht rnts
 +2 circumstnce bonus to this check. I even one o them
ils, Red hers them comin nd hides somewhere within
the cility, where the bodysntcher slime vctes her body
so it cn creep up on  PC nd inest them. A PC who succeeds
t  Perception check opposed by the slime’s Stelth check
spots the creture comin.
I they successully snek into the cility, the PCs spot
Red in the middle o  wrehouse pcked with crtes o
rst PC it cn nd tries to inest them. I succ essul,
it uses tht PC’s wepons nd bilities inst their
ALIEN
ormer llies. ARCHIVES
Morale  The bodysntcher slime hts to the deth.
Treasure: I relieved o the bodysntcher slime, Red Cooper CODEX OF
WORLDS
ives the PCs two brown nnite hypopens (  Armory  106) to
show pprecition or their eorts.
Development:  The PCs miht decide to void ny conict
in Lynmri nd move on; they cn continue on  mountin
rod up into the Jurdos Mountins towrd the temple o
Hylx by ollowin posted sins. More likely, thouh, they
will et to the bottom o Red Cooper’s odd behvior nd
n d sly
the bodysntcher slime. Red is rteul to be reed rom its
inuence nd oers  hertelt poloy to the townsolk or
lyin to them. She then releses the stored uel nd, lon
with the rest o the town, mkes quick preprtions to

25

 
 I. TEMPLE OF HYLAX
I1
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET
immeditely leve or Reos City. There re plenty o vehicles
to trnsport the entire citizenry south. The PCs cn send
ny o the NPCs they hve cptured or rescued with the
Lynmrins i they wish.
I the PCs helped the town, one o the citizens is willin to
trde with them. The merchnt sells technoloicl items up
to 3rd level, s well s btteries nd other mmunition. The
merchnt ccepts credits or UPBs. The PCs cn lso rechre
ny btteries they hve or ree, s well s the environmentl
protections o their rmor, i they wish.
THE JURDOS MOUNTAINS
A windin mountin rod leds rom Lynmri into the Jurdos
Mountins lon n re known s Clutchstone Ride. This
rod twists nd turns s it ins ltitude, nd is coted in
plces with ice nd snow,
sn ow, orcin the PCs to drive their vehicle
t less thn ull speed. Levin Lynmri, it tkes n hour o
drivin to rech the hihest point o Clutchstone Ride, where
the temple o Hylx stnds.
At this ltitude, the environment hs the sme eects s
 thin tmosphere nd the temperture plunes to severe
cold. Gusts o stron wind kick up smll whorls o snow
rom the round, briey obscurin vision. You cn use ny
o the environmentl eects mentioned in The Ded Winter
(see pe 11) t your discretion. Bein inside the SDF Troop
26
I3
I2
Hrdtop or ctivtin the environmentl protections o rmor
seurds the PCs inst most o these eects.
I. TEMPLE OF HYLAX
This temple o Hylx is one o mny cross Suskillon tht
dtes bck to the shirrens’ rrivl in the system. It is severl
centuries old but hs been well mintined over the yers
despite the hrsh wether tht oten visits the ride. Shirren
monks were drwn to Clutchstone Ride nd were rnted
visions by the Forever Queen tht led to the cretion o
the Crown o Hylax,  powerul rtict tht the PCs will
lern bout in Starfnder Adventure Path #22: The Forever
Reliquary. This event let  permnent psychic impression
on the stone, which the monks used to build the temple. The
God-Host hs been seekin enery like this s prt o its pln
or Swrm omnipotence, nd its scouts hve only recently
discovered it.
Any chrcter with telepthy or limited telepthy who
pproches within 50 eet o the temple eels  sense o
pece, nd i they concentrte or  moment, they cn her
whispers o  entle, eminine voice t the ede o their
perception. The exct words re impossible to mke out, but
listenin to them puts  person’s mind t ese.
The interior o the temple is protected rom outside
environmentl conditions (except the hih-ltitude

dners) nd is illuminted by norml liht. The ceilin
rises to  heiht o 30 eet in the min chmber but only
10 eet in the inner snctum. The mp on pe 26 depicts
the temple’s lyout.
I1. Temple CourTyard (Cr 3)
At the top o the ride, smll ptches o white, brren
trees surround crumblin stone pillrs nd prtilly
intct wlls outside o  lre structure. The buildin
is constructed o unusul blck stone tht ives n
oplescent sheen s liht rercts o its surce. The
exterior resembles  lre insect’s hed, with ront doors
urded by stone mndibles nd circulr windows or
eyes. An ovoid, eodesic, crystlline rock bout ten eet
wide stnds t the top o the temple’s centrl spire. The
corpses o severl Swrm cretures re scttered cross
the courtyrd.
Another SDF Troop Hrdtop, this one lihtly dusted with
snow, is prked t the end o the rod. It ws used by the
missin Second Bttlion squd to rech the temple but hs
st bndoned since the soldiers were killed htin the
Swrm here. Two humn bodies lie in the rer o the truck,
while  third is sprwled ner the cbin; ech is werin
the insini o the Second Bttlion. A PC who succeeds t
 DC 15 Medicine check cn see tht their tl wounds re
consistent with those inicted by Swrm nturl wepons.
It ppers s thouh they crwled bck to the vehicle ter
sustinin mortl wounds. Their IDENTs (see pe 44)
identiy the two soldiers in the bed o the truck s recruits
Ell Rodmetch nd Keitlnd Pinney. The womn ded on the
round is Serent Tni Cebrce.
The entrnce to the temple is  pir o convex metllic
doors beneth the int mndibles. The stone wll round
the door is crved in severl plces with the Shirren words
or “diplomcy,” “riendship,” “pece,” nd similr words; 
PC who cn red Shirren nd succeeds t  DC 12 Culture
or Mysticism check reconizes those words s Hylx’s
mny res o concern. The doors re shut, nd  system o
weihts nd pulleys within the buildin ensures they remin
so inst the windy wether. A PC who succeeds t  DC 15
Strenth check cn pry the doors open lon enouh or the
prty to squeeze inside. Alterntively,  PC who exmines
the doors nd succeeds t  DC 18 Enineerin check
discovers tht the mechnism cn be controlled by pressin
the word or “riendship,” which cuses the doors to swin
open utomticlly.
Creatures:   A pir o Swrm vorphoms stnd in the
courtyrd, strin rptly t the int insectile ce o the
temple cde. They re chitterin intly, which cn be
herd when the winds briey die down s the PCs pproch.
The vorphoms don’t seem to notice the prty, nd  PC
who succeeds t  DC 15 Mysticism check cn tell tht they
ADVENTURE PATH
seem to be in  trnce o some sort. This sort o behvior hs
never beore been observed in Swrm components.
The vorphoms hve the scinted condition due to the
psychic emntions rom the temple interior (see re I3 ).
This scintion is broken i ny o the PCs mke ny obvious
threts to the Swrm cretures (such s imin wepons
t them) or i ny o the PCs pproch the temple’s doors.
When the vorphoms return to wreness, they ttck.
SWARM VORPHOMA
VORPHOMASS (2) CR 1 FTE OF
XP 400 each THE
HP 16 ech (see pe 61) FIFTH
TACTICS
During Combat One vorphom uses its spell-like bilities to
CAMPAIGN  
tret the PC who ppers to hve the lest willpower, OUTLINE
while the other res its rm brbs t  ny obvious
rned ttcker.
Morale  The vorphoms ht to the deth. PART 1:
THE
BATTLE
Treasure:  I the PCs tke the time to investite the OF BRINNOA
corpses o the llen SDF troopers, they ind n zimuth
rtillery lser with two ully chred btteries,  bombrd
shellun (  Armory   14) with 10 shells,  dimnetic storm PART 2:
THE
hmmer (  Armory   12) with one ully chred bttery,  SCOURING
series-21 plsm uide sniper rile (  Armory   24) with  OF SAHTOR
sinle bttery with 10 chres let, two sets o reebooter
rmor I, nd  suit o thinplte with inrred sensors
instlled. An industril bckpck in the cbin contins two PART 3:
THE
mk 1 r rendes. Finlly, Serent Cebrce wers  holy
FALL OF
symbol o Iomede on  chin round her neck, clutchin SUSKILLON
it in one hnd.
I2. Temple InTerIor (Cr 3) BATTLING
THE SWARM
Wooden rters mde o locl white timbers line the blck
stone wlls nd ceilin o this temple, producin the illusion A PLAGUE
o stndin within the skeleton o  int best . The ceilin OF LOCUSTS
rises to  centrl pinncle set with n ovl crys tlline dome,
throuh which rys o reen nd purple liht lter to bthe
ALIEN
the chmber’s stone pedestls nd benches. A hevy, ARCHIVES
wooden double door leds deeper into the temple to the
northest, nd  metl double door exits southwest.
CODEX OF
WORLDS
Locted hih on  remote, snowy ride, this prticulr
temple o Hylx didn’t hve  reulr conretion, thouh
it received the occsionl pilrim. Xelonn, the temple’s
only priest nd cretker, inrequently held services here,
but most o his dys were spent in medittion. The stone
pedestls eture imery o Hylx uidin shirrens throuh
trils nd tribultions.
Traps:  When Xelonn herd bout the ll o Brinno, he
estblished  deensive perimeter in the temple’s interior to
end o the Swrm s he communed with Hylx. Usin scrps
o metl rom round the temple, the shirren mystic hstily
27
 constructed  pir o trps, desined to look like oor
decortions. When  creture steps into one o the squres
mrked on the mp, spiked metllic brs close onto tht
creture’s le. Any creture dmed by the spikes ins
the entnled condition until it tkes  stndrd ction to
extricte itsel.
SPIKED BAR TRAPS (2) CR 1
XP 400 each
Type nlo; Perception DC 21; Disable  Enineerin DC 16
(remove sprins)
Trigger loction; Reset mnul
Efect metl spikes (3d6 P plus entnled); Reex DC 12 voids
Treasure:  A PC who succeeds t  DC 18 Perception check
nds  set o mk 1 planar runeplates  (  Armory 115) dedicted to
Hylx behind one o the pedestls;  PC who worships Hylx
(or  PC with  lwul ood linment) is drwn towrd the
runepltes, rntin  +4 circumstnce bonus to the check
to nd them.
I3. Inner SanCTum
Steppin throuh the wooden doors ledin to the inner
snctum, the PCs her  low chntin nd see dozens o
hostly Swrm cretures whirlin throuhout the chmber
chmber..
This phenomenon is centered on n older mle shirren,
who ots  oot bove the oor, his eyes emntin wispy
reen smoke. This is the priest Xelonn, nd he is repetedly
murmurin  phrse in Shirren: “The Connection undone
by holy liht.” A PC who succeeds t  DC 15 Mysticism
check cn tell tht Xelonn’s chntin is the cuse o the
scintion eect they witnessed in the courtyrd.
This recessed stone chmber is sprsely decorted, thouh
 cot olded up inst the wll nd  desk with  computer
terminl revel tht it hs been recently inhbited. Wooden
doors exit to the southwest.
Creature:  As the PCs enter, the swirlin Swrm spirits
bein to de nd Xelonn’s eyes return to norml s he
ots ently to the round. The priest sters  bit s
he reins his composure nd sys, “So the SDF ot my
messes, then? You’ve come to protect the temple inst
the Swrm?”
Since the ll o Brinno, Xelonn hs been communin
with Hylx in the hopes o lernin some wy to stop the
Swrm rom enuln the entire plnet. The oddess
hsn’t been orthcomin with nswers but hs wrned the
priest tht the Swrm is serchin or somethin nd tht
the plnet will ll. Unortuntely, these visions hve lso
lerted the Swrm, ironiclly ledin it to the very thin it is
seekin. When the Swrm strted to pproch the temple,
Hylx rnted Xelonn the power to temporrily keep it
t by.
28
Beore the PCs cn nswer his questions, Xelonn
poloizes or his rudeness nd introduces himsel.
“My nme is Xelonn, priest o the Forever Queen nd this
temple. Thnk you or comin here nd helpin me. I hve
been hvin odd visions o lte. I hve seen the Swrm
cmpin cross the surce o Suskillon, nd s it mrches
orwrd, I hve seen the lndscpe trnsormed. I believe
tht Hylx is wrnin me o wht is to come, sdly. I hve
sked or uidnce on how to stop this in nd  in, but
to no vil. With your rrivl here, my oddess is tellin me
somethin, but wht?”
The PCs cn tlk with Xelonn nd sk ny questions tht
they miht hve bout him nd his temple.
Who is Hylax? “Hylx is the Forever Queen, the oddess
o riendship nd pece. Some sy she ws once the mortl
queen o those tht cme beore the Swrm, nd she scended
to odhood to protect her proeny or ll eternity. But when
her kind turned wy rom individulity nd hrmony to
become the Swrm, she insted turned her eyes to other
sentient insectile species.”
s pecies.”
What is this place?   “This temple hs stood here since
the time o the shirrens’ rrivl on Suskillon. It ws crved
rom the rock o Clutchstone Ride by  roup o monks
ter Hylx ppered to direct them in the cretion o 
holy rtict. The nme nd loction o tht item hs been
lost, but i you hve the it o telepthy, you cn still her
the echoes o tht dy. I hve been the cretker here or
mny yers, but it ws only in the pst ew dys tht I hve
received visions directly rom the oddess.”
Do you know what is happening with the Swarm here?  
“Hylx hs been tryin to wrn me tht the Swrm is
comin to tke this temple, nd thouh she hs not sid
why, I believe it is ble to sense the divine impression within
the stone rom when the scred rtict ws crted. Mny
scholrs believe the Swrm worshipped Hylx beore it
becme the evil orce it is now, nd perhps tht dormnt
connection clls it here. I told SDF commnd bout this
dner dys o, hopin they miht be ble to ure out
why. Thnks to the blessin o the Forever Queen, I hve
been ble to mpliy her psychic emntions to mke ny
pprochin Swrm components docile, but I er I cnnot
keep it up orever.”
What were you saying beore?  “I I sid somethin erlier,
I don’t recll. I sw mny thins while in the trnce I entered
to protect the temple—thins tht hve lredy hppened
nd others tht I believe hve yet to come to pss. I hd
hoped tht I miht be ble to discuss these visions with 
knowledeble expert t  librry or university, but tht
seems out o the question now.”
Xelonn hs his own questions nd sks the PCs bout the
stte o the wr nd wht exctly is hppenin in the plins
below. I the PCs tell him they re here to brin him to Reos
ADVENTURE PATH
 City nd help him et o the plnet, Xelonn sys, “We cnnot temple interior s  Swrm creture squeezes throuh the
leve the temple! I er tht i the Swrm ront door. I the PCs convinced Xelonn
is ble to tke this site, then ll will be to leve the temple, he ssists them
lost! Hylx hs shown me tht this in the ollowin encounter by cstin
plce is o ret importnce.” helin spells s needed.
A PC cn ttempt  DC 15
Diplomcy check or  DC 17 EVENT 4: BATTLE WITHIN
Intimidte check to convince THE TEMPLE (CR 4)
Xelonn tht the plnet is lost nd This encounter tkes plce in the interior o
tht styin behind is tntmount the min temple (re I2 ). I the PCs didn’t FTE OF
to suicide. I successul, the shirren disble the two trps in this re, they THE
sihs nd sys, “I we must. Perhps miht be ble to use the spiked brs to FIFTH
it is Hylx’s will.” Otherwise, he their dvnte (or they miht et cuht
stubbornly plnts himsel on his cot in the trps i they ren’t creul).
CAMPAIGN  
nd sys, “I it is ll the sme to you, Creatures:  Without Xelonn OUTLINE
my duty to my ith is more importnt mpliyin the temple’s psychic
thn my lie. I thnk you or comin, power to scinte nerby
but I must insist tht you leve Swrm cretures,  ew re PART 1:
THE
me here to my medittions. I will ble to brech the entrnce. A
BATTLE
serch or more inormtion bout Swrm convecyte is  lre OF BRINNOA
the Swrm to help the wr eort, trnsport creture tht
even rom behind enemy lines.” oten crries smller Swrm
However, the shirren chnes his components into bttle PART 2:
THE

mind ter the ttck o Event 4. XLONAN under its crpce. One SCOURING
o these mssive bests— OF SAHTOR
XELONAN CR 3 currently crryin three
XP 800 dreders—pushes its wy throuh the
Mle shirren mystic metl doors beore combt beins. The bulky creture moves PART 3:
THE
NG Medium humnoid (shirren) into ttck s soon s it spots the PCs.
FALL OF
Init +0; Senses blindsense (vibrtion) 30 t.; Perception +13 SUSKILLON

DEFENSE HP 32 SWARM DREDGERS (3) CR 1/2

EAC  13; KAC  14 XP 200 each
Fort +2; Re +2; Will +6 HP 13 ech (see p e 59) BATTLING
THE SWARM
OFFENSE TACTICS
Speed 30 t. During Combat The dreders dely until the convecyte
Mystic Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd) expels them into the room. Ech dreder thn chooses  A PLAGUE

At will— mindlink rndom PC to ttck mon those tht re closest. OF LOCUSTS

Mystic Spells Known (CL 3rd; rned +7) Morale  The dreders ht until they re des troyed.
1st (3/dy)— detect thoughts (DC 16), mystic cure
ALIEN
0 (t will)— grave words, stabilize SWARM CONVECYTE CR 2 ARCHIVES
Connection empth XP 600
STATISTICS HP 30 (see pe 58)
Str +0; Dex +0; Con +2; Int +0; Wis +4; Cha +1 CODEX OF
TACTICS
WORLDS
Skills Culture +8, Diplomcy +8, Medicine +13, Mysticism +13, During Combat The convecyte lumbers up to the nerest
Sense Motive +8 enemy nd dischres its psseners. It then slms
Languages Common, Shirren; limited telepthy 30 t. inst tht oe, tryin to t ke them down.
Other Abilities communlism, empthy, reter mindlink Morale  When it is reduced to 5 Hit Points or ewer, the
Gear second skin,  psychic booster convecyte moves close to the PCs to ctch s mny o
them in its cid burst deth throes s possible.
Treasure: I Xelonn notices tht  PC who intercts with
him hs telepthy, he oers them the use o his  psychic Development:  Ater the iht, i Xelonn ws not yet
booster or comin ll this wy
wy.. convinced to leve the temple, he reconsiders his position

Development:  No mtter how their converstion with on styin nd sys, “They will just keep comin until
Xelonn proceeds, the PCs her  loud metllic bn rom the they et wht they re serchin or, won’t they? I should

29

 
 J. PRIVATE HANGAR 7

J1 J2

J1 1

J3
J5

J2

J4 J9 J10

J2

J4 J2

J6

J4 J7 J8

hve known better thn to hve you ll risk your lives to try
nd sve me. I will honor the pin nd suerin tht you ll
hve endured to et here, s well s the scrices o the other
SDF soldiers, nd I will return with you to the evcution zone.
Thouh the Swrm will tke this temple, perhps—by the rce
o Hylx—its ultimte ol cn still somehow be thwrted.”
The PCs cn tke  ull niht’s rest in the temple i they
wish, but they miht wnt to trvel bck to Reos City s st
s possible insted. I they ttempt to contct Commnder
Njiri ter securin Xelonn, they receive only  rbled
messe in return: “Finl evcution trnsports re nerly t
cpcity. I you hve not reched the evcution zone by...”
The udio cuts out bruptly, nd the PCs cn’t rise SDF
centrl commnd in until they et closer to Reos City.
PART 3:
THE FALL OF
SUSKILLON
It tkes n hour or the PCs to drive bck down the
PCs tke the hihwy south out o Lynmri, beinnin the
180-mile return trip to Reos City. Even t top speed, this
 journey tkes the PCs lmost 4 hour
hourss to complete. This tr
trip
ip
should be uneventul, but i you wnt to slow the PCs down
 bit or i they re llin behind nd you wnt rnt them
some extr XP, you cn hve them encounter rntic wildlie
or smll ptrols o Swrm scouts tht unction similrly to
previous encounters. Alterntively, i you skipped ny o
the encounters in Prt 2 ledin up to Lynmri, you cn use
those encounters on the wy bck; this miht men the PCs
pick up  ew extr evcuees. I so, remember to reduce the
number o strnded evcuees the PCs encounter when they
rech Reos City.
When the PCs rech the northern outskirts o Reos City,
the snow is llin hrd. The city is eerily quiet, with no
sins o ships yin bove. However,  ew res re burnin
on the metropolis’s western side, their smoke brely visible
throuh the snowll. Due to the conestion, the PCs hve
to bndon their vehicle nd mke their wy throuh the
city on oot. When they ully enter the city, their comm
units crckle to lie. Commnder Njiri contcts them with 
one-wy trnsmission.

mountin rod evcuted

hs been ully rom the temple
by now.oSnow
Hylxbeins
to Lynmri, which
to ll s the “Midniht
niht whenSqud, do you
commnd red
hd to me? Evcution
cll bck ir support lst
endedrom

30

ADVENTURE PATH
 over Reos. Are you just ettin to the evcution zone?
Your sinl is very wek, but i you’re herin this, et
to the spceport nd ind some wy o Suskillon. There
is  mssive Swrm rmy to the south tht is mkin
its wy towrd you, nd the only wy you’ll
be ble to outrun it is in  strship. Sve
whoever you cn nd et out o there
now! Rendezvous on Utrneus.”
The PCs hve only  ew more
hours let beore the Shtor Reion—
the only se re reminin on the
plnet Suskillon—is completely overrun
with thousnds upon thousnds o
Swrm cretures!
SAHTOR
REGIONAL
SPACEPORT
As the PCs trude throuh the
bndoned, snow-covered city,
they cn see tht the smoke
billowin to the west is wtin
s the escped Scorpion inmtes, members o the Newles
mily, or other Lynmri residents. Rerdless o the roup’s
composition, their morle is very low, nd they look to the PCs
to rescue them rom certin deth.
Beore they cn bein serchin the spceport
or trnsporttion o the plnet, the PCs’ comm
units chirp with n incomin trnsmission s 
tiny spcecrt ies overhed. Answerin the
cll, the PCs see the ce o Anci Render—
the thie rom Fort Gllnt (see Event 2 on FTE OF
pe 15)—illuminted by the displys in the THE
cockpit o  vessel she “commndeered.” FIFTH
Anci smirks. “I sw you ll were in 
CAMPAIGN  
bit o trouble down there. Unortuntely, OUTLINE
this ship hs room or only three
people: me, mysel, nd I. But I do
hve  led on nother vessel PART 1:
THE
tht never mde it out
BATTLE
o its hnr here t OF BRINNOA
the spceport...”
I the PCs t ook Anci’s PART 2:

KILORA GISHI THE

rom the itspceport. When SCOURING

ibribe
theydurin
Event 2 , or
they mke to the spceport’s looked the other OF SAHTOR
perimeter, red or prphrse wy when they cuht
the ollowin. her stelin (or i they never noticed her sticky iners),
then she reely oers up the loction o Privte Hnr 7 PART 3:
THE
Hue columns o blck smoke rise into the sky, nd the smell (see re  J ),
 ), notin
notin the re’s tiht secu
security.
rity. I they were
FALL OF
o burnin thsteron-bsed uel hns in the ir. Dozens o ntonistic towrd Anci or i they turned her over to SUSKILLON
destroyed ships lie scttered cross the spceport’s vrious the ort’s security, then she is  bit curt with them, s
lndin pds, their rmes broken nd melted. Some o the ollows.
control towers nd privte hnrs s till stnd, thouh most BATTLING
THE SWARM
hve succumbed to the mes. “Since you put the pinch on me bck in Fort Gllnt, I hd
 bit o  rouh time mkin my wy to Reos City. But now
The PCs lso spot  smll roup o evcuees, bttered tht I hve my own trnsport, I’m in  more orivin mood. A PLAGUE

nd bruised, shufin lon the periphery o the spceport. Trnser 500 credits to me, nd I’ll tell you where you cn OF LOCUSTS

Ledin them is n older humn womn, who reets the PCs
in  wery nd rihtened tone.
“My nme is Kilor Gishi. I’m on the city council here in
Reos. These others nd I were heded or the lst trnsport
o the plnet when  win o Swrm strships descended
on the spceport nd destroyed every vessel in siht. We
were blown bck by the explosions, nd when we cme to,
the SDF hd lredy let nd we couldn’t contct them to
let them know we survived. We’ve been serchin or n
undmed strship since then, but we hven’t been ble to
nd nythin.”
The roup o evcuees is smll—no more thn eiht people.
The PCs nd some milir ces mon them, includin
the scientist Zntos Lochwurt rom bck t Fort Gllnt. I
you like, you cn lso include other NPCs rom Prt 2, such
nd tht ship. Or I uess you could tke your chnces with
the vexers...” ALIEN
ARCHIVES
The PCs cn rue with Anci, bertin her by
ttemptin  DC 19 Intimidte check, or they cn pled with
her nd ttempt  DC 17 Diplomcy check. While the creer CODEX OF
WORLDS
criminl is normlly unmoved by emotionl displys, PCs
who mention they hve multiple other evcuees with them
in  +4 circumstnce bonus to this check. I they succeed
t either o these checks or ive her the credits she requests,
Anci trnsmits the coordintes to  privte underround
bunker, mentionin tht the utomted security there miht
be tiht.
I the PCs re unble to swy Anci nd reuse to py
her, she ives them  very brusque rewell nd wishes
them ood luck with the Swrm. However, the PCs re not
completely out o luck, s they cn mke  hurried serch

31

 
 o the spceport rounds. A PC who succeeds t  DC 20
Perception check spots the smll, mostly undmed buildin
tht serves s the privte hnr’s entrnce. I they il this
check, they cn try in with  cumultive +2 bonus ech
time they serch. Ech PC who ils this check must ttempt 
DC 12 Fortitude svin throw to void become tiued when
they nlly nd the entrnce, s the hurried pce o combin
throuh the snow bnks tkes its toll.
J. PRIVATE HANGAR 7
Shtor Reionl Spceport oers privte, underround
hnrs or welthy compnies nd individuls. Ech
hnr is  secure spce where  strship owner cn keep,
repir, nd reuel their vessel, nd includes cro store
cilities (or secluded meetin rooms, should the owner wish
to use them in tht shion). Privte Hnr 7 ws owned by
Gr Mlero,  criminl lly o Anci Render’s ther. Gr
used the hnr to smule illel oods into the city nd
pid hety bribes to the spceport ocils to keep his illicit
ctivities quiet nd unnoticed by reionl lw enorcement.
Unortuntely, Gr ws killed by  rivl shortly beore the
ll o Brinno, nd the strship he let here or emerency
escpes hs st unnoticed.
OBSERVER-LASS
SECURITY ROBT
32
This strship,  Flux Industries Observtion Ketch, is
nmed Terminus Wild, ter n spect o one o Gr’s vorite
mblin mes. In order to et the vessel redy or iht, the
PCs will need to reboot the hnr’s power core, et the uel
pump runnin, nd conduct the uelin process.
The underround hnr is unlit until the power core in
re  J6 is rebooted, t which time the re is lit with norml
liht. In ddition, the hetin system is dependent upon the
power core, nd the temperture in the hnr is cold. Except
where noted, the ceilins here re 12 eet hih. A mp o this
re ppers on pe 30.
Smll, nondescript cement buildins mrk the entrnces
to ech underround hnr. Normlly locked, the door
to Privte Hnr 7 hs been blown o its hines by the
ttck on the spceport, but the interior— set o metl
stirs ledin down into the erth—seems unscthed. Beore
the PCs hed down, Xelonn steps orwrd rom the roup
o evcuees nd sys, “You should hed on without us or
now; who knows wht dners miht lurk down there? The
survivors nd I will hide here t the top o the stirs. I you
nd  vessel nd re redy or us to leve, contct me nd
we will mke our wy to you. My the Forever Queen wtch
over you.”
J1. STaIrwell BoTTom (Cr 1)
A set o metl stirs leds down 100 eet to  simple steel
door. An obvious security cmer looks down towrd the
door, thouh since the hnr currently hs no power, it
isn’t opertionl.
The door hs  simple numeric keypd on the wll next to
it controllin the lock, but without power, the door cn’t be
unlocked even by enterin the correct code. A PC cn disble
the lock with  successul DC 17 Enineerin
check. Alterntively,  PC cn hook up
 bttery to the keypd nd hck
the electronic lock with  successul
DC 17 Computers check; ech o these
ttempts consumes 1 chre rom the
bttery. A PC cn lso bsh down the door with  successul
DC 20 Strenth check.
Trap:  Thouh the door hs only  rudimentry lock, the
hnr’s owner instlled his own security in the orm o 
dicult-to-detect lrm system with  sel-contined power
source. I the PCs open the door beore disblin this system,
 150-decibel pulse oods the stirwell, possibly rupturin
erdrums nd lertin ny security within the hnr.
EAR-PIERCING ALARM
EAR-PIERCING CR 1
XP 400
Type technoloicl; Perception DC 21;
Disable Enineerin DC 16 (cut udio
cbles)
Trigger touch; Reset 1 minute
Efect blst o sound (2d6 So
ADVENTURE PATH
 plus deened or 1d4 hours); Fortitude DC 12 hl n d
netes the deened condition; multip
multiple
le trets (ll
trets in re  J1 )
J2. Bunker HallwayS (Cr 3)
The bre hllwys o the underround bunker re unpinted
cement with power conduits nd hetin pipes runnin
lon the ceilin. The cement oor is scued in plces.
Creatures:  A pir o observer-clss security robots, prt
o Gr’s own security, ptrols the hllwys. They hve 
smll dtbse o uthorized employees, nd the PCs ren’t
on tht list. The robots hve seprte ptrol routes, but i
the PCs triered the lrm in re  J1, the two robots hed
directly to the stirwell door. Otherwise, i the PCs enter
combt with  robot, the second robot joins the ht 1d3
rounds lter.
OBSERVER-CLASS SECURITY ROBOTS (2) CR 1
XP 400 each
HP 17 ech ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 94)
TACTICS
During Combat The robots bein combt by lunchin their
stickybomb rendes nd then rin their pulsecster
pistols t  sinle tret t  time until tht tret
is neutrlized.
Morale Due to their prormmin, the security robots ht
until they re destroyed.
J3. SeCurITy STaTIon
This smll room seems to be  security sttion or the hnr.
A couple o metl chirs sit beore  computer terminl nd
severl monitors hn bove it on the wll. A door exits to
the est.
Beore the evcution,  pir o Gr’s lckeys used the
terminl to monitor the eeds o the hnr’s mny security
cmers nd could ctivte nd dectivte the security robots
usin the console when necessry. Until the power core in
re  J6 is rebooted, however, these monitors remin o nd
the computer doesn’t turn on.
I the PCs return to this room ter they restore power to
the hnr, they cn scroll throuh the mny cmer eeds.
There re cmers t the bottom o the stirwell in re
 J1, nled t the reiht elevtor in re  J5, pointed t the
power core in re  J6, in  secluded corner o uel control in
re J7, bove the lockers in re  J8, bove the computers in
re  J9, nd bove the hnr entrnce in  J10 (showin the
security robot there). Two more cmers provide covere
or the entire hnr (re  J11 ) nd nother two re in
the hllwys, one pointin north rom the southernmost
point o the western corridor nd one pointin south rom
the northernmost point o the estern corridor. I the PCs
hve yet to encounter the security robots in the hllwys,
they cn use these eeds to snek pst them, rntin 
+4 circumstnce bonus to their Stelth checks. A PC who
succeeds t  DC 20 Perception check while lookin t the
eeds cn spot somethin movin mon the crtes within
the hnr. Notiyin the others bout this rnts ech PC 
+2 circumstnce bonus to their inititive check i they ht
the cerebric unus in re  J11.
The computer here controls the hnr’s robotic security.
The system is  tier 3 computer, requirin  successul DC 25
Computers check to hck. The security keycrd ound in re FTE OF
 J8 rnts  +4 circumstnce bonus to this check. With ccess THE
to this computer, the PCs cn lern the specs o the security FIFTH
robots in res  J2  nd  J10  (s i the PCs hd successully
identied the cretures with n Enineerin skill check). The
CAMPAIGN  
PCs cn lso shut down the security robots by ccessin the OUTLINE
robot’s commnd subroutines, which re behind  rewll
tht requires  successul DC 27 Computers check to brek
throuh;  lockout countermesure reezes the system or 1 PART 1:
THE
hour ter two iled ttempts to hck throuh the rewll.
BATTLE
With ccess to the commnd subroutines, the PCs cn OF BRINNOA
power down the robots to prevent them rom ttckin the
intrudin PCs.
Story Award: I the PCs power down the security robots PART 2:
THE
beore htin them, wrd them XP s i they hd deeted
SCOURING
the security robots in combt. OF SAHTOR
J4. STorage
The three rooms mrked  J4  re identicl store res, PART 3:
pcked with mostly empty crtes nd cbinets. Gr moved
THE
FALL OF
most o his illicit oods oworld durin the erly dys o the SUSKILLON
Swrm invsion, nd nythin let ws tken by his security
tem durin the evcution. Only useless pckin mteril
nd other rbe remins. BATTLING
THE SWARM
However,  PC who succeeds t  DC 15 Perception check
while exminin the southernmost room nds  physicl mnul
mnu l
titled Starship Maintenance and Launch Procedures tucked A PLAGUE
wy in  cbinet. Amon other technicl detils, the uide OF LOCUSTS
points out (in Common) techniques or reuelin  strship’s
conventionl thrusters, which rnts  +2 circumstnce bonus ALIEN
to the Enineerin checks ttempted in both res J7 nd J11 to ARCHIVES
et the Terminus Wild ueled nd opertionl.
Treasure:   A PC who succeeds t  DC 17 Perception
check while serchin the middle store room discovers  CODEX OF
WORLDS
cmoue membrne (see pe 45) nd  pir o btteries
under n overturned crdbord box.
J5. FreIgHT elevaTor
The min eture o this room is  lre elevtor pltorm
set into  mssive metl htch in the oor. Above, two
metllic doors cover  drk sht tht exits the chmber t 
orty-ve-deree nle. A security cmer is pointed t the
pltorm. Empty crtes nd pckin mteril line the wlls.
The room stinks intly o xle rese.
33
 The reiht elevtor is unpowered until the power
core in re  J6   is rebooted. Even then, the doors t the
top o the sht re covered with rubble nd debris rom
the ttck on the spceport, nd so the elevtor’s sety
mesures don’t llow the elevtor to be operted. One o
the lrer crtes is lbeled “Return to Sender”; inside is
 Drit enine, obviously in  stte o disrepir. It would
tke t lest  week (nd  ully stocked tech workshop)
to repir this Drit enine, but i the PCs wnt to tke it
with them, they cn dr it to the Terminus Wild i t lest
three people, ech with  Strenth score o 16 or hiher,
work toether.
Treasure:  A ully chred cro
c ro liter suit o powered rmor
hns on the southern wll. While this isn’t sucient to move
the Drit enine on its own, it does count s two people i used
to move the crte.
J6. power managemenT
The center o this room is occupied by  power core tht
stretches rom oor to ceilin. Cbles ttched to the core
stretch in ll directions overhed. A security cmer is
pointed t the power core, nd  computer terminl djcent
to the core emits dim liht.
The power core here hs been knocked ofine by the
ttck on the surce. The computer terminl is unctionin
on emerency bckup power nd cn be used to reboot
the core. This requires  successul DC 15 Computers or
Enineerin check, nd it tkes  ull 10 minutes or the
power core to return to ull unctionlity ter  successul
check. When the power core completes its reboot cycle,
lihts turn on throuhout the cility
cility,, bthin the rooms nd
hllwys in norml liht. In ddition, the computers in the
other rooms switch on.
Treasure:  A smll cbinet nerly ush with the wll is
tucked into the northest corner o the room. Inside is n
enineerin toolkit,  ully chred becon portble liht,
nd  spre bttery.
J7. Fuel ConTrol
The smell o combustible uel hns in the ir. Severl
pipes run cross the ceilin nd down the southern wll, ll
connected to complex uel-mixin devices nd monitorin
computers. The oor, ceilin, nd wlls re bre cement, nd
 door exits to the north.
The equipment here is used to mix the chemicls
held in lre underround tnks round the spceport
to crete conventionl strship uel. A security cmer
hs been mounted in  secluded corner o the room. The
monitorin computers re powered down until the hn r’s
power core is rebooted. Once power hs been restored,
34
the uel-injection system must be reset to the proper
prmeters to reuel the Terminus Wild  in re  J11 ; this
requires  successul DC 16 Enineerin check, nd thouh
ech ttempt tkes 5 minutes, the PCs cn retry the check
s oten s they like.
J8. STaFF area
This smll brek re hs  reriertor unit,  bevere
dispenser, comortble setin, nd  round tble. A row
o lockers is set into the estern wll, beneth  security
cmer nd  holorphic counter mrked “Dys Since 
Workplce Sety Incident.”
Like the lihts, the holorphic counter is nonunctionl
until power is restored to the hnr. When it is, the coun ter
lshes the number 0 bove the text until someone resets
it by pressin  smll button on the side; unortun tely, the
counter is just out o rech or  Medium creture.
One o Gr’s security st let  keycrd on the tble tht
rnts  +4 circumstnce bonus to ttempts to hck the
security computers in re  J3.
Treasure: I the PCs tke  minute to serch the lockers,
they nd  sttic rc pistol with  ully chred bttery let
behind in the rush to evcute the plnet.
J9. FlIgHT ConTrol
A row o computer consoles is set into the northern wll
beneth  security cmer nd  trnsprent luminum
window throuh which the hnr cn be seen. Exits led
to the south nd est.
This room is where the hnr’s systems, includin
inormtion bout the strship within, re controlled. Until
the cility’s power hs been restored, the computers re
drk. The Terminus Wild cn be seen throuh the window
(unless the hnr is still drk nd the PCs don’t hve 
liht source or drkvision). The 1-inch thick window hs 
hrdness o 10 nd 15 Hit Points.
Once the power core hs been rebooted, the computers
bein displyin inormtion bout the Terminus Wild.
A PC who succeeds t  DC 12 Enineerin check while
exminin the redouts cn see tht the ship is clerly
in workin order, but its conventionl thrusters need
reuelin. A successul DC 15 Computers check is required
to ctivte the reuelin process, but the PCs need to do
two thins irst: repir the uel hose clmp in the hnr
(or hold the hose in plce themselves) nd reset the
uel-injection system prmeters in re  J7. The computer
lerts them to these issues i they try to initite the
reuelin process.
Development:  When the PCs strt the reuelin process,
Event 5 beins.
ADVENTURE PATH
 J10. Hangar enTranCe (Cr 1)
This room seprtes iht control rom the hnr by. A
couple o smll chirs sit in one corner ner  row o hooks
rom which some mechnics’ coverlls hn. There is 
sturdy door just below  metl rte in the northern wll.
This door is locked but cn be opened with  successul
DC 20 Enineerin check. Alterntively, the rte cn be
removed with  successul DC 16 Strenth check, llowin
 Smll or Medium creture to squeeze into the hnr.
A security cmer is mounted just bove the entrnce to
the hnr.
Creature: A third observer-clss security robot urds the
hnr entrnce nd, i power hs been restored, is directly in
view o the mounted security cmer. It doesn’t reconize the
PCs s uthorized employees nd ttcks.
OBSERVER-CLASS SECURITY ROBOT CR 1
XP 400
HP 17 ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 94)
TACTICS
During Combat The security robot res its pulsecster pistol
t the closest PC, tryin
tr yin to stun them into unconsciousness.
Morale The security robot hts until it is destroyed.
J11. Hangar (Cr 3)
A set o mssive jet-blst deectors occupy the mjority
o the oor underneth the strship tht lls this hnr
by. The room mesures over two hundred eet lon, nd
bout hl tht distnce wide nd tll. The re round
the vessel is crowded with hevy-duty equipment nd 
ew wheeled tool cbinets. A pile o pllets nd crtes is
stcked in the southest corner. A service door exits to the
south,  ew eet rom  lre luminum-steel window tht
looks into the iht control room. A pir o ceilin-mounted
security cmers hve been mounted t opposite ends o
the hnr.
The strship here hs the nme Terminus Wild  pinted
cross it in bi, rish letters. It is  Medium trnsport
rme with  sleek proile, built by the Suskillon-bsed
Flux Industries. Severl sttely observtion windows run
lon its usele, s well s lon the t nd orwrd
lower decks. Gr Mlero, the ship’s criminl owner, hs
iven it his own personl touch, pintin it  blckish-blue
with orne nd yellow hihlihts, s n ostenttious show
o welth. The PCs cn bord the ship nd look throuh
its luxurious decor (see the mp on the inside bck cover),
but it must be reueled beore they cn use it to leve the
plnet. More detils bout the vessel pper on the inside
ront cover.
Normlly, reuelin  strship is n utomted process,
with  robotic rm ttchin  uel hose to the vessel’s
enines, but here the clmp tht holds the hose in plce
hs broken. A PC cn notice this dme with  successul
DC 14 Enineerin check or DC 18 Percepti
Perception
on check (i they
hven’t lredy lerned o the issue rom the computer in
re  J9 ). The clmp cn be repired with  success
successul
ul DC
20 Enineerin check; ech ttempt tkes 10 minutes.
Alterntively,  PC cn move the uel hose into plce nd
hold it durin the reuelin process (see Event 5 ). Doin
D oin so
requires the use o two hnds, nd tht PC cnnot move
until the reuelin is complete; i they do, the process stops
nd must be reinitited rom re  J9. A PC who holds the FTE OF
uel hose in plce by hnd must succeed t  DC 15 Fortitude THE
sve when the process is over or become tiued rom the FIFTH
eort involved.
Creature: Months o, prior to the invsion, Gr lnded
CAMPAIGN  
the Terminus Wild or the lst time, brinin in  hndul o OUTLINE
crtes o illel oods rom outside the Suskillon system—s
well s  stowwy. An immture, less intellient species
o cerebric unus— crnivorous plnt creture—ttched PART 1:
THE
itsel to one o the crtes beore the Terminus Wild let or
BATTLE
Suskillon nd hs remined hidden in the hnr by since OF BRINNOA
then, eedin o vermin. The cerebric unus chieved the
ullness o its powers only  ew dys beore the evcution
order ws iven, but it is now trpped within the cility. PART 2:
THE
Anry nd eer to prove its superiority to other cretures,
SCOURING
the cerebric unus crwls onto  crte nd ttcks the PCs OF SAHTOR
when they enter.
CEREBRIC FUNGUS CR 3 PART 3:
THE
XP 800
FALL OF
HP 26 ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 2  26) SUSKILLON
TACTICS
During Combat The cerebric unus trets rndom PCs
with daze, ear, nd lesser conusion until the PCs et too BATTLING
THE SWARM
close, ter which it beins lshin out with its tentcles.
Morale  With nowhere else to o nd s ensin the upcomin
erdiction o the plnet, the cerebric unus hts to A PLAGUE
the deth. OF LOCUSTS
Treasure:   Most o the crtes here contin mteril nd ALIEN
equipment or repirin strships. I they tke  ew minutes, ARCHIVES
the PCs cn slve 6,000 UPBs rom the hnr by.
EVENT 5: FINAL ASSAULT (CR 5) CODEX OF
WORLDS
As the PCs bein the reuelin process, the underround
pumps kick in, producin  loud mechnicl thrum tht
echoes throuhout the hnr nd beyond.
I the PCs hve yet to brin Xelonn nd the rest o the
evcuees into the hnr, the shirren priest contcts the PCs
vi their comm units nd sys, “We re mkin our wy down
to you now. There re hundreds o Swrm cretures combin
the spceport, nd I think they miht be comin our wy!” I
need be, Zntos Lochwurt cn bypss the lrm t the bottom
o the steps to in entry to the cility. As the evcuees hurry
throuh the compound nd into the hnr nd the ship, wht
35
 is let o the spceport’s utomted security systems detects
the Swrm bove nd sends n lert to the hnr.
Alrms bein blrin throuhout the hnr. Nerby
computer terminls show imes o hundreds o Swrm
components converin onto the spceport bove. A hue
shdow lls cross the eld s some pssin unseen
rntun creture blocks the sun. The sounds o hundreds
o clwed les on the hnr’s lunch doors echo throuhout
the cility.
Creatures: Hundreds o Swrm cretures pour cross the
spceport, serchin or livin thins to erdicte. Severl
enter Hnr 7 nd mke their wy towrd the strship.
Shortly ter the lst evcuee bords the Terminus Wild, two
Swrm dreders,  Swrm vorphom, nd  Swrm corrovox
enter re  J9  nd spot the PCs throuh the window. They
rush into the hnr by, throuh the door i the PCs let it
jr. Otherwise, the dreders crwl throuh the metl rte
in re  J10, while the corrovox lunches blsts o cid t
the window. The powerul Swrm cid inores the window’s
hrdness. The PCs need to hold o these Swrm components
or 5 rounds until the reuelin process is complete.
SWARM DREDGERS (2) CR 1/2
XP 200 each
HP 13 ech (see pe 59)
TACTICS
During Combat The dreders throw themselves t the
nerest PCs.
Morale The dreders ht to the deth.
SWARM VORPHOMA CR 1
XP 400
HP 16 (see pe 61)
TACTICS
During Combat As soon s it cn, the vorphom uses
its spell-like bilities
bilities inst the PCs to oment  er
nd conusion.
Morale The vorphom hts to the deth.
SWARM CORROVOX CR 3
XP 800
HP 40 ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 110)
TACTICS
During Combat The corrovox tkes cover (either in re
 J9 ter it melts throuh the window or behind one o
the crtes in re  J11 ) nd res
re s its cid c nnon t tthe
he
stronest-lookin PC.
Morale The corrovox hts to the deth.
Development:  At the end o the th round, the uel hose
detches itsel rom the ship (or the PC holdin it sees tht
the process is complete), nd the PCs re ree to retret up
36
the rmp to the Terminus Wild’s irlock. When the PCs close
the outer irlock door, the combt is eectively over, thouh
the PCs cn see throuh the strship’s observtion ports nd
sensors s dozens more Swrm components spill into the
hnr by. Fortuntely, these components don’t hve the
cpbility to hrm the vessel s the Terminus Wild’s thrusters
strt up ( process tht tkes  hrrowin 3 minutes).
The PCs cn remotely open the hnr doors, cusin
dozens more Swrm cretures nd pounds o ccumulted
snow to tumble down on top o the ship. As the Terminus
Wild blsts o into the tmosphere, the PCs should choose
their roles bord the strship, s it is clerly oin to tke
 ht to ully escpe rom the Swrm. At your discretion,
Zntos Lochwurt cn step in to id the PCs, s his totl
+9 modier to Computers checks qulies him s  cpble
science ocer. However, llowin Zntos to do so miht mke
him ll the more insuerble in the next dventure, “The Lst
Reue”; the scientist’s ull stts pper in tht dventure.
EVENT 6: ESCAPE THE PLANET (CR 2)
As the Terminus Wild tkes o, PCs cn et  ood view o the
spceport. Thousnds o Swrm cretures o  mnitude tht
the PCs hve not seen since Brinno, cover nerly every inch
o the surce. There is  hue creture t the center o this
horde, one tht none o the PCs hve seen beore:  hydr-like
best with multiple heds tht towers bove the other Swrm
components. It bellows resoundinly towrd the Terminus Wild 
nd  psychic shock o enery rocks the vessel, cusin ll
bord to eel unesy or  brie moment. The Terminus Wild 
enters orbit bout n hour lter with no urther intererence.
Brekin ree o Suskillon’s rvity well provides  sense
o relie. The evcuees bord let out cheers o joy mixed
with stressul sobs s the Terminus Wild ’s rticil rvity
kicks in nd the unltered liht o the sun lls the vessel’s
observtion windows. The ship psses throuh  debris eld
in low orbit, hundreds o smll impcts bouncin o the
shields. The mood bord the ship turns dour
dour,, s it becomes
pprent tht the Terminus Wild  is pssin throuh the
remins o hundreds o other ships tht were destroyed in
the bttles tht red bove the plnet.
Starship Combat:  The PCs’ respite rom htin is short
lived. The chrcter in the science ocer role (or ny PC, i
tht role isn’t lled) should ttempt  DC 15 Computers check
to detect two enemy strships in hot pursuit on the ship’s
sensors. On  successul check, the strship combt beins
with the opposin orces 14 hexes prt. Filin this check
mens the strship combt beins with the hostile strships
only 8 hexes wy rom the PCs’ vessel (when the Terminus
Wild’s sensors wrn the PCs utomticlly).
Two Swrm eeturies hve chsed the Terminus Wild into
orbit. The eeturies bein only  ew hexes rom one nother,
but they quickly split prt to nk the PCs’ ship until the PCs
ADVENTURE PATH
 FTE OF
THE
FIFTH

CAMPAIGN  

OUTLINE

PART 1:
THE
BATTLE
OF BRINNOA

PART 2:
THE

SCOURING
OF SAHTOR

lose shields in one rc; they then try to ocus their re on tht   PART 3:
THE
rc o the ship to disble the Terminus Wild. A eetury hts
FALL OF
until it is destroyed or until it runs out o its mmunition, t CONCLUDING THE SUSKILLON
which point it breks o rom the combt nd returns to one ADVENTURE
o the crrier ships on the surce o Suskillon.
BATTLING

SWARM FLEETF
FLEETFURIES
URIES (2) TIER 1/3 THE SWARM

HP 35 ech (see pe 60) The PCs hve mned to survive wht ew others hve—
n ll-out Swrm invsion orce. Hvin ced o inst A PLAGUE

Development: I the Terminus Wild is reduced to 0 or ewer Swrm components tht hve rrely been seen outside o OF LOCUSTS

Hull Points in the bttle, the eeturies re ny reminin the Suskillon system, the PCs cn nlly tke  brie rest.

torpedoes they hve, possibly cusin severl o the PCs’
ship’s systems to in the mlunctionin ccondition
ondition or worse.
The Swrm eeturies then retret bck to the plnet, while
sendin psychic messes to the rest o the Swrm eet to
come nd nish o the PCs. The PCs hve just enouh time
to repir the worst o the dme nd ee the scene. A PC
who succeeds t  DC 20 Enineerin check cn et the
Terminus Wild in sucient workin order to bein the trip to
Utrneus (see below). However, i they il, the journey tkes
n dditionl 2 dys.
I the PCs re s uccessul in the strship combt, they cn
quickly ee Suskillon’s orbit nd hed to the colony world
o Utrneus.
Story Award: I the PCs deet the eeturies or persist
until the eeturies run out o mmunition, wrd them
600 XP.
The SDF nd the rest o Suskillon’s survivin popultion ALIEN
hve retreted to the colony world o Utrneus, nd ARCHIVES
without  Drit-cpble strship, this should lso be the PCs’
next destintion.
It will tke 1d6+2 dys or the PCs to rech Utrneus usin CODEX OF
WORLDS
conventionl thrusters. The PCs cn tke the rst couple o
hours explorin the Terminus Wild, perhps enjoyin some
o the menities the plesure crt hs to oer nd even
ettin  ull niht’s rest.
However, the PCs shouldn’t completely let down their
urd. The journey to Utrneus is ruht with its own
diculties (includin dnerous unmrked cro nd the
scientist Zntos Lochwurt’s ttempt to incite  mutiny),
ll o which re detiled in the next dventure, “The Lst
Reue.” How quickly you move into those events is up
to you!

37

 
 BATTLING
THE SWARM
“We’re cut o from central command, and reinforcements
aren’t coming, so the 5th Battalion is on its own now. I’m
not one for speeches, but it’s time that we check weapons
w eapons
and pray to whatever gods still hold us in
i n their good graces,

because this right here—this is the end of the world. The

only way that we see another day is if we square up,
shoulder to shoulder,
shoulder, and we look the Swarm out there in
its bug eyes and in one voice shout, ‘This is not the day
that we die!’ Anyone who stands with
wit h me on the front line
and stares death in the face, I promise you, the rest of
your life will be bathed in the glory the likes of which this
world has never seen before. So, who’s with me?”

—Captain Hiriko Ji, speaking to the 5th Battalion at the

Battle at Stone Sea

38

ADVENTURE PATH
 W elcome, soldiers, to the 5th Battalion o
the Suskillon Deense Force! The SDF is
a unied military or the entire Suskillon
system, whose mission is the deense o our home world o
Suskillon and any outlying regions, by means o deterrence
and direct conict when necessary. You have chosen an
exciting and dangerous time to join the SDF, as Suskillon
needs every capable hand to drive back the ravening hunger
o the Swarm.
THE SUSKILLON
SYSTEM
The Suskillon system is an independent six-planet system in
the Vast that has riendly commercial ties to the Pact Worlds
but has its own government and military orces. The system
is named ater its main inhabited world, Suskillon, the th
planet rom a bright, yellow sun. The scientists o Suskillon
have developed spaceight and established a colony on
Utraneus—the system’s third world—and research acilities on
the various moons o other planets, as well as pair o space
docks in orbit around Suskillon.
Suskillon eatures a diverse range o biomes and
plentiul resources on its two major continents in opposing
hemispheres—Alappu Major and Alappu Minor. Thousands o
mostly uninhabited rocky archipelagos with volcanic origins
dot the oceans. Due to its unusual orbit, Suskillon experiences
a ew months o extreme temperatures each year, known as
“Dry Summers” and “Dead Winters.” When the Attack o the
Swarm! Adventure Path begins, the planet is in the icy grip o
a Dead Winter.
Humans make up the largest percentage o Suskillon’s
population, with shirrens being the next largest. The insectile
shirrens arrived on the planet centuries ago during their ight
rom the Swarm. Thanks to Drit travel and riendly relations
with the Pact Worlds and the Veskarium, some citizens have
migrated into the system, increasing Suskillon’
Sus killon’s diversity over
the past ew decades.
All Suskilloners are citizens o a worldwide democracy that
was
bodyormed at some
consisting o a point during
president, the Gap,
a orum o with a governing
magistrates who
interpret major legal decisions, and regional governors
who meet on a yearly basis to discuss policy. The seat o
this government is in the capital city o Brinnoa on Alappu
Major. The remainder o Suskillon is divided into a ew large
megaplex cities, agrarian arming regions, mining acilities,
and the occasional spaceport. The Suskillon Deense Force,
or SDF, is a single military orce with air, land, sea, and
space divisions.
Each o the other planets in the Suskillon system (which
include, rom closest to the sun to arthest, the stony Echidea,
the magic-drenched Chonax, the gas giant Vharrine, and the
rozen Ashypso) will each be detailed in the Codex o Worlds
section o a dierent volume o the Attack o the Swarm!
Adventure Path.
THE SWARM
INVASION
Six months prior to the start o the rst
arrived in the Suskillon system,
rs t adventure, the Swarm
sys tem, smashed through the planet’s
orbital deenses, and landed in Alappu Minor at a massive
reshwater lake known as the Stone Sea, which surrounds
a dormant volcano. The lake, which gets its name rom the
billions o pieces o pumice stone that oat on its surace,
became the sight o a terrible, bloody battle. The closest SDF
FTE OF
division at the time, the 5th Battalion, ought back against the
Swarm as best it could. The conict, which has become known THE
as the Battle at Stone Sea, raged or days, giving the rest o
FIFTH
the SDF time to mobilize or a deense o the entire planet.
Many o the 5th Battalion lost their lives on that day, and CAMPAIGN  
though some reer to the division as “the Foolhardy Fith” or OUTLINE
its reckless stand against all odds, the majority o Suskilloners
understand and appreciate the sacrice that was made.
PART 1:
Since the Battle at Stone Sea, the Swarm has made slow THE
advances across Suskillon. The SDF has ought valiantly, but BATTLE
like on so many worlds beore, the Swarm’s relentless nature OF BRINNOA
eventually breaks even the strongest o ront lines. The
Swarm has taken just about all o Alappu Minor, and reports
PART 2:
and rumors say that they are getting ready to strike
s trike at Alappu THE
Major. Many Suskilloners have been evacuated o world or to SCOURING
undamaged cities, straining resources and the ability or the OF SAHTOR
SDF to both handle reugees and ght the war.
As the Attack o the Swarm! Adventure Path begins, the
PART 3:
PCs have joined the SDF to aid in the deense o Suskillon. THE
They have been assigned to the 5th Battalion to ll its ranks. FALL OF
SUSKILLON
ASSEMBLING THE
BTTALION BATTLING
A player character has a wide variety o possible reasons THE SWARM
or being on Suskillon and joining the SDF. The 5th Battalion
consists primarily o noncareer soldiers, as over the course
A PLAGUE
o the invasion, the group has suered over 60 percent
OF LOCUSTS
casualties, with most occurring in the Battle at Stone Sea.
Over the last ew months, the 5th Battalion has been
ALIEN
pulled romrecruits
train new the ront lines in battle-weary
alongside order to replenish its ranks
veterans. and
At Camp ARCHIVES
Cavalier, the 5th began to take in troop transers, dratees,
prisoner conscripts, and volunteers rom all over Suskillon
CODEX OF
and beyond. It was here that the battalion became a melting WORLDS
pot o soldiers rom every corner o the galaxy.
The ollowing are possible reasons or a character to join
up with the 5th Battalion based on their chosen theme. These
can be used as written or as inspiration to help acclimate you
to the storyline that sees your character ghting or the ate
o Suskillon. Most o these themes are rom the Starfnder
Core Rulebook, but a ew are rom Starfnder Pact Worlds (as
noted with an appropriate superscript) or pages 42–43 o this
book (as noted with an asterisk [*]).
Ace Pilot: You
Pilot: You may have learned to y in the skies above
Suskillon or worked in one o the mining operations in the
39

SDF JARGON
The ollowing are some examples o slang and terms  
that members o the SDF have coined during the war
with the Swarm.
BBBS or Triple-B S: An
S: An abbreviation used on military
maps to denote where the SDF has tactically retreated;
it stands or “Beaten Back by Swarm.”
Burner: Short
Burner:  Short or aterburner, this is a common name
or an SDF pilot.
Duster: A
Duster:  A duster is a soldier who ghts with the SDF
ground orces.
Eat Acid: To
Acid: To die at the hands o a Swarm enemy.
Exterm: A
Exterm:  A verb used to denote the killing o a Swarm
creature (e.g., “I extermed it with a pistol round”).
Tip-Top: The
Tip-Top:  The lower ranks o the SDF sometimes use
this term to reer to those in charge o the war to deride
their stature and distance rom the battle in the orbital
stations above the planet.
Vexer: Another
Vexer:  Another name or some o the smaller Swarm
creatures that have taken over much o Suskillon.
Sus killon.
White Hawk: 
Hawk:  Name or the sudden and dangerous
winter storms on Suskillon caused by polar ice vortices.
system, but either way you believe yoursel to be one o the
best pilots or several light years in any direction. You joined
the 5th Battalion’s ground orces until you could be assigned
a ship to pilot yoursel.
Battle Medic*: 
Medic*:  You have trained your entire career in
high-stress environments to heal those in need. Whether
as a military doctor or a civilian medical technician, you are
practiced at providing care on the battleeld while ghting
the Swarm. You joined the 5th Battalion because it was
severely lacking in trained medical sta ater the deeat at
the Battle at Stone Sea.
Bounty Hunter: A
Hunter: A skilled survivalist and investigator, you
have
systembeen operating
or years. onthe
Since Suskillon and out,
war broke in the
yousurrounding
have been
working to reunite separated amily members displaced by
the enemy, as well as track down soldiers who have deserted
in the ace o the Swarm. You were hired to the 5th Battalion
to track the enemy’s movements.
Career Trooper*: 
Trooper*:  Having trained as a soldier or years, you
thought that you were ready or anything… and then the Swarm
invaded. As a member o the SDF’s elite orces, you have ought
or the entire campaign and barely survived; the last battle saw
your previous company o soldiers decimated. The remaining
squads have been absorbed into other battalions, including the
5th. You are ready to impart your experience and know-how to
your new ellow squad mates.
Dream Prophet PW: As part o a waking dream transmitted
to you by an entity on Liavara, you were told to make or the
40
Wild WardenPW: You had recently let the cities o Suskillon exact gear you need as you level up, so consider taking ranks
Suskillon system a year beore the invasion began and await
a great cataclysm. This psychic vision has now spurred you to
join the 5th Battalion and get close to the Swarm.
Icon:   Whether seeking to accurately document the
Icon:
invasion as a journalist or sensationalize the tragedy or your
inosphere audience, you are becoming amous on Suskillon
or your coverage o the hostilities. As part o your rise to
ame or in order to get the best access to ootage on the
ront lines, you joined the SDF and were assigned to the 5th
Battalion to boost
Mercenary: 
Mercenary: the decimated
  Hired unit’s morale.
through private military orces, you
entered the ray on Suskillon guarding corporate interests or
the wealthy socialites o Brinnoa’s upper echelons. As a soldier
o ortune, you have participated in only brie engagements
with the Swarm since the invasion. As your contracts began
to dry up, though, you took one o the ew remaining meal
tickets on the planet and joined the 5th Battalion reservists.
Outlaw:   While working or one o the organized crime
Outlaw:
amilies in Brinnoa, a deal went bad and you were picked up
by the city’s police orces just beore the Swarm invasion. You
were then approached by an SDF commander who gave you
the option to rot in your cell or to enlist in the 5th Battalion.
You and many o your ellow prisoners opted to ght or
Suskillon, not only to help protect the planet, but to earn a
ull pardon or your various crimes ater the war ends.
Priest: As
Priest: As a member o a local church on Suskillon, you elt
the call to administer to the spiritual needs o the soldiers that
took up arms against the Swarm. Since the 5th Battalion’s
sacrices at the Battle at Stone Sea, the battered outt has had
several soldiers suer rom battle atigue and crises o aith as
the Swarm enemy continues its campaign. You stepped into a
chaplain role in the battalion to protect not only the bodies o
your ellow comrades, but their mortal souls.
Scholar:   Educated in one o the universities o Brinnoa or
Scholar:
the corporate research academies in the outlying regions, you
have dedicated the last 6 months to discovering a weakness
in the Swarm’s deenses. As a student o either the arcane
or traditional sciences, you joined the 5th Battalion as an
academic attaché,
Space Pirate PWadding your intellect to the squad o soldiers.
: Without ofcial access to Pact Worlds or
Veskarium support, Suskillon has opened its nancial reserves
and paid pirates, raiders, and corsairs to join the ght against
the Swarm. Either you were dropped o by your crewmates
(who wanted no part in the seemingly hopeless endeavor) or
your ship was damaged in a battle with Swarm vessels above
the planet, and you have decided to join the ground orces o
the 5th Battalion until a better opportunity comes along.
Spacefarer:   Many individuals such as yoursel answered
Spacefarer:
the pleas o Suskilloners ater the Swarm invaded. You could
be a trader, a privateer, or a lone wanderer who was drawn to
the conict and volunteered to ght on behal o the planet.
Alternatively you are a traveler originally rom Suskillon who
returned to your home once the invasion began, ready to pick
up arms and deend your home planet.
ADVENTURE PATH
 behind or a multiple-year journey through the planet’s wilder
lands when you spotted the Swarm invasion crat landing
to the north. You spent some time trying to avoid the war,
but the Swarm scouts that roamed your woodlands made
that impossible. When you joined the SDF, the military
immediately made use o your knowledge o the area and
had you reconnoitering or entire companies. Your latest
assignment is with the 5th Battalion.
PW
in Engineering or Mysticism to be able to crat the items you
want, and remember to take advantage o any lull in the
ghting to work on these projects.
Combat is, o course, a large part o this Adventure Path.
See SDF Gear on pages 44–45 or suggestions on how to
outt your character, as well as a handul o new tools and
items that will aid you in your campaign against the Swarm.

Xenoarchaeologist :  You have studied FTE OF

remains o the planets and civilizations that thereports o let
Swarm has the THE
behind in its wake. You eel that learning about those planets’ FIFTH

peoples, species, and ecosystems will help you in understand

the Swarm’s victories there. When the invasion o your home CAMPAIGN  
planet o Suskillon began, you joined a cadre o scientists OUTLINE

attempting to leverage the collected knowledge o the Swarm

to develop an edge in the war. You see joining the 5th Battalion
PART 1:
as an opportunity to examine your theories in the eld.
THE
Xenoseeker: While many don’t care to learn about the BATTLE
enemy, some like yoursel nd the collective killing machine OF BRINNOA

that is the Swarm ascinating. You joined the SDF in order to

get a rsthand look at the adversary that nearly brought the
PART 2:
Pact Worlds and the Veskarium to ruin a ew decades ago.
THE
You hope to eventually learn enough about the enemy during SCOURING

your time in the 5th Battalion to end conicts like this with OF SAHTOR

less bloodshed and collateral damage.

Themeless (or Other Theme): Beore
Theme):  Beore the Swarm invasion
PART 3:
o Suskillon, you led a airly unadventurous lie. When
THE
your home planet was threatened, however, you realized it FALL OF
would take the commitment o every person on the planet SUSKILLON

to withstand the enemy hordes. You quit your job, said

your goodbyes, and showed up at a recruitment camp the
BATTLING
next day ready to become a member o the ghting elite
THE SWARM
that would orm the thin line between your home world’s
survival and its all.
A PLAGUE

STARSHIP RLE OF LOCUSTS

As the 5th Battalion consists mainly o ground orces, your

group doesn’t start this Adventure Path with a starship.
ALIEN
However, starship combat will play an important role in these ARCHIVES

adventures, so consider what starship role you might want to

ll. Discuss your skill choices with your ellow players to ensure
CODEX OF
that most o the starship roles can be covered by someone,
WORLDS
especially the crucial roles o engineer, gunner, and pilot. This is
especially true i you are playing a class that doesn’t naturally
excel at starship combat skills—or instance, i you are playing a
mystic or solarian, you might want to check with your group to
see i there are any gaps in starship roles you could ll and take
at least a ew ranks in the appropriate skills.

EQUIPMENT
As much as possible, you should equip your character or war.
Be prepared or extended periods outdoors and the occasional
long march. You will have ew opportunities to purchase the

41

 
 BATTLE MEDIC 
MEDIC   +1 IN
INT
T
You have been trained to treat combat wounds on and o the battleeld.
Having operated in high-intensity situations in remote rural locales, on
city streets, and amid the din o combat, you have honed your ability
to remain calm and collected under duress and heal those around you.
Your peers see you as an incredibly valuable member o the team, and
because o this, they deend you with their lives.

THEME KNOWLEDGE (1ST) research on unusual—even mystical—aspects o biology and

Having studied and even occasionally treated inrmities and
illnesses across the galaxy, you can detect and diagnose a
wide array o maladies in both your own species as well as
in beings rom all walks o lie. You have also done extensive
chemistry,, and now almost nothing in those elds surprises
chemistry
you. Reduce the DC o any Lie Science or Mysticism check
to recall knowledge about a disease or poison by 5. Medicine
is a class skill or you, though i it is a class skill rom the
class you take at 1st level, you instead gain a +1 bonus to
Medicine checks. In addition, you gain an ability adjustment
o +1 to Intelligence at character creation.

EXPOSURE IMMUNITY (6TH)

Because o your time spent administering long-term care to

inrm and quarantined patients, your immune system has
been greatly boosted. While these repeated exposures have
raised concerns about your health in the past, you have
rebounded rom them stronger and healthier than ever. You
gain a +1 bonus to Fortitude saving throws against poisons
and diseases.

BEDSIDE MANNER (12TH)

You are known or the quality o healing that

tha t you can provide
to a patient even under imperect circumstance
circumstances. s. When you
successully ensure a creature’s long-term stability with
the Medicine skill, you grant the unconscious creature
a +4 bonus to their Constitution check (instead o +2). In
addition, when you successully provide long-term care with
the Medicine skill, you need to exceed the DC by only 5 to
have the patient recover Hit Points and ability score damage
(as well as recovering rom poison states) at three times the
normal rate.

PREEMINENT PHYSICIAN (18TH)

Your reputation as a battle medic hinges on your ability

to keep your patients alive even in the most dire o
circumstances, so when the chips are down, you rise to the
challenge. Up to twice per day
day,, when you s uccessully treat
deadly wounds with the Medicine skill, you regain 1 Resolve
Point. I the patient had 1 Hit Point or ewer remaining, you
instead regain 2 Resolve Points, but can’t regain Resolve
Points with this ability again until you have rested or
8 hours.

42

ADVENTURE PATH

CAREER TROOPER  +1  C

 CON
ON
 You are a career member o a military and have been embroiled in conficts
and military bureaucracy or many years. During your enlisted time, you
have trained with top ground troops, participated in war games that
have turned deadly, and been privy to military intelligence given only to
commanders. You are prepared or almost anything on the battleeld
that your own commanders or your enemies able to throw at you.

FTE OF
THE
THEME KNOWLEDGE (1ST) at maximum capacity. Up to twice per day, you can spend FIFTH

10 minutes examining and maintaining your equipment to

You are adept at telling act rom ction when it comes to regain 1 Resolve Point; this doesn’t count as resting to regain CAMPAIGN  
determining enemy movements and assessing rumors. Reduce Stamina Points. OUTLINE

the DC o any Culture or Diplomacy check to gather or recall

inormation about enemy troop sizes and tactics by 5. Piloting
PART 1:
is a class skill or you, though i it is a class skill rom the class
THE
you take at 1st level, you instead gain a +1 bonus to Piloting BATTLE
checks. In addition, you gain an ability adjustment o +1 to OF BRINNOA

Constitution at character creation.

PART 2:
ADAPTIVE KIT (6TH) THE
SCOURING

You know the importance o being prepared or various OF SAHTOR

environmental conditions. I you study reports and
inormation about an area or at least 10 minutes (or i you
PART 3:
spend at least 1 hour in that area learning the lay o the land),
THE
you can adapt your equipment. In a process that takes an FALL OF
additional 10 minutes, you can modiy your armor to gain SUSKILLON

the benets o one set o environmental clothing that is

appropriate to the area’s climate. In addition, any suit o armor
BATTLING
you adapt reduces its armor check penalty by 1 or 24 hours.
THE SWARM
Only you can wear this adapted armor, and you can adapt
your armor only once per week.
A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
INDEFTIGABLE
(12TH)
ALIEN
You are trained to push yoursel to your ARCHIVES

limits and are extremely hard to put down. Once

per day as a move action, you can regain a
CODEX OF
number o Stamina Points equal to your level
WORLDS
plus your Constitution modier.

DETERMINED UPKEEP
(18TH)

Due to your many brushes with death,

you know that your success in battle is
directly related to the quality o your
equipment. You always strive to keep
your weapons cleaned, your armor
polished, and your other gear unctioning

43

SDF GEAR
LEVEL 1
 The Suskillon Deense Force has contracted dozens o
dierent corporations and think tanks to develop new
weapons o war to give deenders a ghting chance against
the Swarm. Some o this equipment has been tested against
living Swarm creatures in laboratory settings while other
types were invented in the heat o battle.
Due to the chaos o the war, the SDF no longer has a single
standard military outt and kit. Armor varies wildly rom
unit to unit, and soldiers are encouraged to wear whatever
gives them the most mobility and reedom o movement. The
majority o SDF ground orces are equipped with an azimuth
laser weapon or even a simpler analog gun. Most weapons that
deal acid damage have been broken down or parts, since they
rarely work on Swarm enemies.
Regardless o their specic equipment, soldiers are
encouraged to adorn their armor with a disruptive pattern
o red and green woodland colorization in the summer and
white and red in the winter. The vast majority o soil on
Suskillon is a deep crimson, so those patterns help to conceal
movement rom the Swarm enemy rom both aar and above.
In addition, every member o the 5th Battalion is given an
IDENT insignia to place on their shoulder to mark them as
part o the SDF; this emblem also acts as a tier 1 computer
with two miniaturization upgrades (so it has negligible bulk)
that holds the soldier’s vital records, health inormation, and
rank. A soldier’s IDENT cannot be sold.
TECHNLOGICAL ITEMS
As an industrial planet, Suskillon
Su skillon relies heavily on technology,
and its military benets rom technological developments.
LEVEL 10
BUG SNARE
TECHNOLOGICAL ITEM PRICE  740  BULK 2
A reusable battleeld trap that SDF soldiers deploy to secure
locations and encampments against wild animals and smaller
Swarm oes, a bug snare is our large metallic claws that extend
outward rom a central point and snap shut when disturbed.
As a ull action, you can set a bug snare at an intersection to
cover a 5-oot radius. The next creature that steps into that
radius sets o the trap and must succeed at a DC 13 Reex save
or take 1d4 piercing damage and gain the entangled condition
until it (or an adjacent ally) can extricate itsel with a successul
DC 14 Strength check as a standard action. An included
wireless remote control can be used to disarm the trap rom
15 eet away as a move action. You can attempt to hide a bug
snare rom view with a Stealth check (this check is opposed by
the Perception check o a potential target). You can attach a
bug snare to a xed object (such as a nearby tree) with a length
o cable line, rendering a trapped creature immobile, but this
grants any creature attempting to spot a hidden bug snare a +2
circumstance bonus to its Perception check.
A bug snare requires two hands to hold and set. It uses a
battery and consumes 1 charge each time it is set.
44
to study them. Aiming and activating this handheld unit is a This medallion is awarded to soldiers who have been severely
standard action, and you can target a single creature within wounded in battle and recover to ght again. Once per day as
CAMOUFLAGE MEMBRANE
TECHNOLOGICAL ITEM PRICE 100  BULK L
This ne webbing is coated with reactive dyes that can be
altered through minor electrical charges. It can be slipped
over clothing or armor and adjusted to reect the patterns o
the local terrain to provide some camouage, in a process that
takes 10 minutes. When you wear a camouage membrane,
you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks while
in the particular biome to which the membrane has been
adjusted. You can take another 10 minutes to change the
biome or which the item provides its bonus.
A camouage membrane uses a battery and consumes 1
charge per day o use (or raction thereo).
FORMATION
FORMATION BOOTS LEVEL 1
TECHNOLOGICAL ITEM PRICE 100  BULK L
Fairly standard issue to the Suskillon Deense Forces and sold
to military organizations in other systems, these pressure-
sensitive gel boots t beneath normal armor and can also be
worn separately. It takes 2 hours o walking in them beore the
wearer gains their benet, but ater that time, they conorm to
the wearer’s eet and provide a +2 bonus to Constitution saves
to avoid taking damage rom a orced march.
LEVEL 3
GUN EMPLACEMENT
TECHNOLOGICAL ITEM PRICE 1,350  BULK 3
This sturdy, metallic tripod can turn almost any gun into a
semi-mobile turret, allowing soldiers to guard areas without
putting themselves in harm’s way. It takes 10 minutes to
attach or detach a non-analog longarm or heavy weapon
to the emplacement; when attached to an emplacement,
the gun can’t be wielded normally and can be red only
using the included wireless remote control that unctions
as a tier 1 computer with a control module ( Starfnder
Starfnder Core
Rulebook  215). As long as the remote control is within 100
eet o the gun emplacement, you can use it to see through
the emplacement’s camera (which has darkvision with a
range o 30 eet) and operate the attached gun, either using
your own ranged attack bonus with the attached weapon or
allowing the computer to make the attack roll; the computer
has a ranged attack bonus o +1 and prociency with the
attached weapon. Any weapon special properties and critical
hit eects apply. When a gun emplacement gains the broken
condition, you can no longer re the attached gun.
A gun emplacement uses a battery and consumes 1 charge
per hour o use (or raction thereo).
LEVEL 2
PULSE RAY
TECHNOLOGICAL ITEM PRICE 600  BULK L
This small electronic device emits a high-requency tone that
can temporarily shock the nervous system o a creature that
has telepathy or limited telepathy. Suskillon scientists use
these devices to aid in capturing Swarm enemies alive in order
ADVENTURE PATH
 30 eet o you. The target must succeed at a DC 14 Will saving a standard action, you can activate a valor medallion to regain
throw or be staggered or 1 round; a creature with limited 2d8 Hit Points.
telepathy gains a +1 circumstance bonus to this save.
A pulse ray requires only one hand to operate; it uses a PERSONAL ITEMS
battery, and each use consumes 2 charges. Many SDF soldiers stock up on these consumable items to aid
them in the war, both deensively
d eensively and oensively.
MAGIC ITEMS
LEVEL 1
Suskillon Deense Force medals are service awards given to MOTION TRIGGER FTE OF
pilots, soldiers, and commanders who go above and beyond PERSONAL ITEM PRICE  80  BULK L THE
the normal call o duty. These medallions are oten worn as This single-use device resembles a small cone and is attached FIFTH

badges, rmly afxed to the outside o a suit o armor upon to a specic package o explosives (explosives have the same
the chest or shoulders, though some preer to keep them on price, eect, and weight as grenades). When the motion CAMPAIGN  
ribbons worn around the neck. These medals are magical trigger is set (a process that takes 1 minute) and the OUTLINE

in nature, and when they are created are imbued package o explosives is placed in a 5-oot
with the spirit o courage that was exemplied square, the motion trigger sets o
PART 1:
by the recipient in the eld. Occasionally, the explosives the next time
THE
unscrupulous black marketeers will sell a creature enters that 5-oot BATTLE
ill-gotten medallions, though most square. A motion trigger can be OF BRINNOA

members o the SDF looks down on any disabled as a standard action by

civilian who deigns to wear one o these someone in an adjacent square
PART 2:
medallions without earning it. with a successul Engineering
THE
check (the DC o this check is SCOURING
LEVEL 1
AUTHORITY
MEDALLION   equal to 10 + 1-1/2 × the item level
o the attached explosives); ailure by
OF SAHTOR

MAGIC ITEM (WORN) PRICE 225 5 or more sets o the explosives.

PART 3:
  BULK L
THE
LEVEL 2
Awarded to squadron leaders, captains,  WAKE-UP PATCH FALL OF
and those who excel at commanding PERSONAL ITEM PRICE 100  BULK L SUSKILLON

others, this brass medallion allows you
to increase the bonus provided by a
successul aid another action to +4
once per day; this takes no additional
action.
This patch delivers a cocktail o stimulants
COURAGE when applied to an appendage or torso
MEDALLION as a standard action. Ater 1 minute, the
BATTLING
THE SWARM
person who received the patch gains a +2
circumstance bonus to saving throws against
eects that cause the asleep condition and to Fortitude saves A PLAGUE

COURAGE MEDALLION LEVEL 1 rom sleep deprivation or 24 hours. I you use three wake- OF LOCUSTS

MAGIC ITEM (WORN) PRICE 100  BULK L up patches in a week, you immediately gain the exhausted
Enchanted to pulse with a bluish glow, a courage medallion  condition when the eects o the third patch wear o. ALIEN
is awarded to those who risked their own lives to protect ARCHIVES
LEVEL 2
the innocent and their ellow companions. Once per day as a WARMING BALM
standard action, you can activate the item to summon a ery PERSONAL ITEM PRICE 150  BULK L
CODEX OF
orb, granting you the benets o wisp ally  until the end o It takes approximately 10 minutes to apply a tube o this
WORLDS
your next turn. clear gel to the inside o a suit o armor. For the next 8
hours, the balm’s chemical reactions warm the skin o the
LEVEL 1
GLORY MEDALLION armor’s wearer. During that time, the wearer gains a +2
MAGIC ITEM (WORN) PRICE 400  BULK L circumstance bonus to Fortitude saving throws to avoid
Awarded to only the most skilled combatants, a glory medallion  taking damage rom cold environments; this bonus stacks
allows you to capitalize on the hectic nature o battle. Once per with that provided by cold weather environmental clothing.
day, as a reaction ater you reduce an enemy to 0 Hit Points, A tube o warming gel can also be applied directly to your
you can immediately take an additional move action. exposed skin (or the epidermis o an adjacent creature) to
stave o the negative eects o rostbite and hypothermia.
LEVEL 2
VALOR MEDALLION This takes 10 minutes and heals 2d8 nonlethal cold damage

MAGIC ITEM (WORN) PRICE 1,000  BULK L dealt by a cold environment.

45

 
 A PL AGUE
OF LOCUSTS

“You might feel invincible after trainin’

t rainin’,, but this is real
r eal life
now, and
and it ain’t nothin’ like your precious little
l ittle simulations.
Ain’t no test scores here, and ain’t no do-overs. If those
monsters bring you down, chances are you won’t be gettin’
back up. They might look like nothing more than
t han big bugs—
Hells, they might even act like it—but they’re not. No way.
way.
No more’n I am. They might not be smarter than you, or
faster than you, or even stronger than you, but by Hylax,
they are meaner than you! Don’t think twice about killin’
’em. You can bet your nethers they’re not thinkin’ twice
about killin’ you.”

—Zinka Tan, SDF drill instructor

46

ADVENTURE PATH

hreat o a Swarm invasion is a distant but always biotechnology. As they outgrew their planet, kucharns took to
biotechnology.
looming worry on the minds o most sapient spaceight and began dismantling other worlds in their native
 T species throughout the galaxy. It has been only
a little more than 2 decades since a Swarm invasion orced
the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds into an alliance. Two
major powers made peace in an ongoing war to push back the
onslaught, proving the Swarm is not to be taken lightly. It is
an insatiable, evergrowing orce that can evolve and adapt
to nearly every situation. Cynics believe deeating the Swarm
once and or all is impossible, and that other species must be
content with holding the Swarm back or as long as possible.
To such atalists, the consumption and assimilation o the
entire galaxy is merely a matter o time or the unstoppable
scourge that is the Swarm.
ORIGIN
The ravenous, locustlike Swarm began in the distant past as
a species known as kucharns—a simple, lowtech society o
intelligent insectile creatures who occupied a small planetoid
in the Vast. This kucharn home world was the ourth planet
rom its star and the only one harboring lie in the system.
On this world were a number o distinct hive societies, each
with a distinct unied consciousness, culture, and societal
hierarchy.. The hives skirmished with one another over limited
hierarchy
territory and waning resources on their tiny planet, but no
one hive ever overtook and exterminated another.
Despite millennia o war culling their numbers, the kucharn
population continued to grow, and their home world neared
the limit o its ability to sustain them. Then, everything
changed: one hive developed the ability to assimilate the
knowledge and DNA o those it consumed. It’s still unknown
to anyone, perhaps even to the Swarm, rom where this
capability sprang. Some scholars theorize kucharns have
always undergone rapid evolution in competition with one
another, and that this new adaptation was a new phase o
the species’ biological arms race. Many scientists believe one
hive made a leap in systematic genetic manipulation. Fringe
intellectuals and pessimistic mystics suspect intererence
rom a powerul (and likely evil) extraplanar being, such as
a demon lord.
Whatever the cause o the alteration, this newound
aptitude gave the augmented hive the power to overwhelm
the others. It destroyed and consumed its enemies, optimizing
its individual members as they inherited new, enhanced
capabilities rom the DNA o their prey. This hive eventually
tipped the power structure in its own avor, wresting
control o the entire planet. In short order, it had completely
eradicated rival hives.
The new kucharn had an insatiable appetite or prey and
resources. Despite their newly enorced unity, they quickly
consumed their home world’s resources. With the knowledge
k nowledge
and experiences o millions o individuals now working in
tandem in a single hive mind, the species evolved rapidly.
Unied ocus allowed kucharns to master a unique version o
terriying ability to isolate the DNA o anything it consumes
and integrate various aspects into the Swarm genome. This
system. Those resources dwindled as well, but the voracious
kucharn set their sights on the stars and the countless lush
worlds among them.
Limited speeds in astrogation isolated kucharns in their
corner o the galaxy. Although living kucharn starships
could hibernate over centuries, carrying other kucharn in
suspended animation to nearby systems, the larger galaxy
was out o reach. Then came the Signal. A generation o FTE OF
kucharn was born to the dream o the Drit. Among these, THE
FIFTH
some were engineered as symbiotic Drit engines that could
incorporate themselves into existing kucharn starships.
In such living carriers, kucharns leaped across the void CAMPAIGN  
to consume and assimilate. With Drit beacons appearing OUTLINE
and being constructed all over, the galaxy became more and
more open to kucharn dominance. Species that ran aoul o
PART 1:
kucharns dubbed them “the Swarm” or both their insectile THE
appearance and their overwhelming onslaughts. BATTLE
Liecontaining planets, which the Swarm calls “eeder OF BRINNOA
worlds,” are primary targets as the Swarm moves rom
system to system. When the Swarm arrives, it attacks any
PART 2:
sites o potential resistance rst. Then, conquest assured, THE
the Swarm consumes everything it can use, wasting nothing SCOURING
and storing what isn’t immediately needed. When the Swarm OF SAHTOR
leaves a system, only husks resembling planets are let. The
devastation is oten complete, leaving nothing useul or
PART 3:
animate behind. THE
The Swarm and its hive mind continue to evolve. Its ability FALL OF
to incorporate new DNA as it consumes various ora and SUSKILLON
auna allows the Swarm to continually optimize. It develops
new individuals—components, as they are named among the
BATTLING
Swarm—or specialized roles. As it erases more and more lie THE SWARM
rom existence, the Swarm continually grows in size, diversity,
and power.
A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
ECLOGY
Similar in physiology to insects and other arthropods, Swarm
components have chitinous exoskeletons and segmented ALIEN
bodies. Most have multijointed digitigrade limbs, although ARCHIVES
some components have adapted these body parts into
specialized orms. Beyond these undamentals, the Swarm
CODEX OF
species is only vaguely homogeneous. Within the species WORLDS
are thousands o evolutionary branches, most engineered to
serve specic purposes. Forms vary widely depending on a
component’s role in the hive. The most numerous components
are humanoid in shape, with multiple limbs used as arms or
legs, or both. These insectile aliens come in orms as varied
as the squat, beetlelike generator drone to the erocious,
winged thresher lord ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive  110), up to
starshipsized components.
Few species in the galaxy can hold a candle to the Swarm’s
uncanny ability to adapt. The Swarm does more than
acclimate or modiy or success—it has the ascinating and
47
convey messages that are more complex, such as directions to
a location. Multiaceted communication requires more eort
 talent is similar to that o Castrovel s ksarik (  Alien
 Alien Archive  and most oten relies on telepathic contact. It is through the
70), but the Swarm’s assimilation is more complete and longer
lasting. The Swarm also nds applications or harvested
genes, in combination with preexisting arrangements, that
lead to entirely new components.
This assimilative genetic ability isn’t limited to only
intelligent or complex prey. The Swarm can just as easily
incorporate a plant’s ability to photosynthesize ood and a
sh’s ability to breathe underwater. When a Swarm component
subsumes any prey’s DNA, the genome is taken back to the
hive to be analyzed. Components known as programmers
access and isolate various aspects o the DNA, learning to
activate or deactivate sections as desired. Programmed
Swarm larvae then mature into orms that employ a mix o
traits the Swarm nds useul. It’s this ability that led to the
multiarious varieties o Swarm components and their living
biotech. Using this biotechnology, the Swarm has genetically
modied its components to provide any and all o the hive’s
needs. Further, the Swarm maintains genetic records to allow
recombination into new orms as its needs
n eeds evolve.
Even though the Swarm has a spoken language, which
shirrens also speak, components rarely speak aloud. Among
one another, components communicate via a mix o body
language, pheromones, and telepathy. Some components
use pheromones to communicate simple concepts, the most
common being a warning o danger, while others can use
pheromones against other species, deploying chemicals to
instill alse emotions, such as terror. Body language is used to
PROGRAMMER
48
components exhibit no distinct sex or gender, externally
or internally.
Swarm programmers are vital to the reproduction and
combination o these orms o communication that a hive
mind is ormed. This communal mind can allow thousands
o components to operate in a synchronous, wavelike
manner as they each respond to the same stimuli in a chain
o communication.
The Swarm doesn’t experience emotions in the same
manner that most other species do. One component has no
afnity or another—each is merely an appendage o a greater
whole. Swarm warriors eel no hatred or anger toward their
oes, only earsome determination. Components ear neither
pain nor death. Each component knows and seeks to ulll its
purpose, with each component working toward the Swarm’s
overarching goal to consume and assimilate. Although many
components are sapient and capable o communication with
other species, the Swarm views other beings only in terms o
its goals. It’s rare or any objective to require cooperation rom
nonSwarm species. Most components can’t be bargained
with, and an alliance can be ormed only when the Swarm’s
aims align well with a given proposal. However, anyone who
allies with the Swarm can be certain they’ll be betrayed as
soon as the Swarm’s needs or goals change. The Swarm seems
as unconcerned with its reputation as it is with losing millions
o individuals to a conict. Ultimately, the Swarm always does
what’s best or the Swarm, including consuming its own dead.
Some think this callousness makes Swarm components
little better than mindless monsters. However, these
creatures orm a complex commune concerned with only its
own survival and ascension,
and as such they act neither
cruelly nor needlessly. (Those
who have survived a Swarm
attack might disagree with both
claims.) The Swarm simply operates
without morality or concern or anyone
or anything outside its hierarchy and
resource needs.
The Swarm also exists, seemingly, to grow. Scientists
say the Swarm expands its number in a variety o ways.
Certainly, evidenced by programmer components and
vast instances o chromosomal manipulation,
the Swarm uses genetic engineering.
Some components reproduce through
cloning, while others are known, through
vivisection and postmortem dissection, to
have the ability to reproduce sexually
or asexually. Some can change sex to
ertilize their own eggs. Popular among
nonacademics is the possibility o the Swarm
having “queen” components that exist to lay
eggs and expand the species, but no rsthand accounts
exist o these theoretical queens. In any case, most Swarm
ADVENTURE PATH
SWARM NAMES

development o other Swarm components. Whenever nests
o Swarm eggs and larvae have been discovered,
disc overed, programmer
components have been present. Programmers not only care
or and protect the growing larvae, but they also edit their
genomes, each using its syringelike proboscis to activate
and deactivate genes, ensuring larvae develop into a desired
component. Components that act as genetic repositories
work in partnership with programmers, essentially
serving as curated banks o DNA rom subjects the Swarm
has consumed.
Swarm larvae develop substantially aster than the
young o most other species, reaching ull maturity within
as little as 60 hours. Once its genome is edited, the larva
rapidly transitions into a brie pupal stage. During this time,
the larva’s body completely liquees within its cocoon,
reorganizing into a ully matured component. When larger
conglomerations o components are needed, such as to orm
a living starship, entire groups o larvae are programmed
together, each maturing or the role it needs to take. In some
cases, the transormation causes the larva to lose anything
resembling individuality and mobility, becoming more like a
part
Pact o a living
Worlds labsmachine or device
have ound than anallowed
that larvae individual being.
to mature
without genetic editing eventually become programmers.
Exactly how the Swarm decides to program larvae is
also unknown. However, the hive mind allows a given arm
o the Swarm to understand its needs with great speed and
efciency. In times o war, which means almost always,
scouts—especially mindreapers ( Starfnder
Starfnder Alien Archive 2
122) and similar components—return with genetic material
and inormation directly rom the minds o potential oes. The
Swarm uses this collected intelligence to inorm its needs in
the upcoming conict.
SOCIETY
The Swarm is o one mind and one purpose, and its society’s
hierarchy is based on purpose and efciency rather than
politics or status. Every component is optimized or its role and
duty in the Swarm’s primary drive to conquer and consume.
The Swarm views every other species—plant, animal, monster,
or person—as a target or consumption. Its society centers on
the principle o deeating resistance, devouring resources,
and harvesting DNA. This stored genetic
gen etic material is, in a way
way,,
the only record the Swarm keeps o its conquests.
Only advanced civilizations have a chance against the
Swarm’s biotech and adaptive abilities. Few living beings can
eectively resist the species, much less pose a substantial
threat to it. Despite this, the Swarm is ruthless in its
application o overwhelming orce. The Swarm hits hard and
ast, and then acts to accomplish its shortterm goals with
brutal efciency.
The Swarm has no need or manuactured weapons, as
Swarm programmers simply create weaponized components.
Either a component intended or war is born with martial
Swarm components have
have no need to reer to each other
by specic names, and they don’t care what specic
components are called. Swarm creatures might be
named by those who rst encounter them, resulting
in monikers that describe what those components do,
sometimes in orid terms, such as mindreaper and
thresher lord.
FTE OF
THE
FIFTH
Species that ght back against the Swarm rarely
succeed. No one believes success, such as the Pact Worlds CAMPAIGN  
and Veskarium recently enjoyed, indicates the Swarm is OUTLINE
truly deeated. The Swarm’s numbers are always growing,
and the creatures’ ability to quickly adapt to any situation
PART 1:
means the Swarm inevitably evolves in ways that allow it to
THE
outmaneuver oes. Military leaders in the Pact Worlds and the BATTLE
Veskarium trust the Swarm is only regrouping, evaluating its OF BRINNOA
deeat at the alliance’s hands and rebuilding or another, more
overwhelming oensive.
PART 2:
Although a unied species, the entire Swarm doesn’t
THE
remain together in one region o space. Instead, units o SCOURING
OF SAHTOR
the Swarm,
targets. called
In the subcolonies,
Pact Worlds andseparate to travelwar
Veskarium’s to various
against
the Swarm, the initial battles occurred in both nations at
PART 3:
nearly the same time as separate subcolonies attacked each
THE
region. Authorities have assumed that the loss o too many FALL OF
individuals rom each o these subcolonies is what caused the SUSKILLON
Swarm to retreat. However, even the most optimistic military
leaders do not doubt the Swarm has replenished its losses
BATTLING
rom the war and is now biding its time, waiting or the next
THE SWARM
opportunity to attack.
One reason or the Swarm’s rapaciousness is its unbridled
growth. It uses all its resources to expand both the quantity A PLAGUE
and diversity o its components. All Swarm machines are a re such OF LOCUSTS
components as well—the Swarm travels in living starships and
invades eeder worlds in such vessels or rom larger crat ALIEN
via living dropships. Specialized components serve other ARCHIVES
roles in invasions. One example o a utility component is the
mining unit known as an extraction drone. An enormous, tick
CODEX OF
like creature, the drone latches onto a planet and removes
WORLDS
its mineral resources, storing material within its body or
later use. Another example is the smaller generator drone.
This round, beetlelike component uses insulated glands
throughout its innards to absorb environmental energy rom
a multitude o sources: light, heat, electricity, and so on. That
energy is then converted into emanations that other Swarm
components can use or nourishment instead o consuming
biological material. Generator drones are used mainly to eed
Swarm components during extended periods o space travel
or to power larger Swarm machines that couldn’t otherwise
receive enough nutrients through normal eeding.
49
only because it has yet to accomplish its intent in an area—
something remains that the Swarm wants. Once the Swarm
has gathered all the resources in a star system, including the
 capabilities, or symbiotic components join together to orm
a ghting unit that acts as one body and mind. In some
cases, specialized components act as doctors, surgeons,
or engineers. These specialists acilitate the symbiosis that
allows the Swarm to create conglomerate components, rom
assault vehicles to starships.
Weapons can range as much in size and variety as do the
various subspecies o the Swarm. A corrovox’s (  Alien Archive  as new starships. The species preers cold, rocky planets or
110) acidspewing arm cannon is a separate Swarm component
grated onto the corrovox. Conversely, a mindreaper’s arm
spike is an inborn weapon. Some components can be modied
to unction as equipment or other species. Craty and brave
(or oolhardy) salvagers sometimes ollow the Swarm to
harvest organic weapons rom active conict zones beore
the Swarm can consume its dead. An extensive gray market
exists or Swarm biotech, although this tech is illegal (and
thus blackmarket material) in some places.
LAIRS
The Swarm is nomadic, each subcolony concerning itsel only
with its own targets, moving rom world to world and system
to system. I the Swarm seems to be holding territory, that’s
GENERTOR  task and exists or a specic purpose in the Swarm’s
DRONE
50
Scouting orces consist o quick, stealthy, and tactically scrappy, daring scavengers and the ingenuity o the tinkerers
minded components. These orces travel the galaxy in search they sell parts to, the eld o repurposed Swarm biotech
o eeder worlds, bringing back gathered intelligence to the continues to expand. This gear is rare and sometimes
genetic material there, it leaves, and little o value remains.
Soon ater, the Swarm attacks another target.
Its nomadic nature, coupled with its high adaptability,
means the Swarm can be ound virtually anywhere in
the galaxy. Though it rarely settles as a whole, the Swarm
has been known to use stripped eeder worlds or nesting,
especially or extensive componentbuilding projects, such
this purpose, and it usually nests underground or in deep
craters, canyons, or sinkholes. Those components required to
program and care or the eggs and larvae remain. Ater the
larvae transorm into desired components, the whole group
leaves to rejoin the hive.
Since no arm o the Swarm holds any permanent domain,
it’s hard to tell how ar the species has spread. Given its
coldblooded efciency, the Swarm might have established
ootholds across the entire galaxy, but no denitive data exist
to make a determination on this speculation. Any civilization
sophisticated enough to have a means o tracking the Swarm
rarely survives contact with the creatures long enough to
disseminate any meaningul inormation to others.
However, it is a wellknown act that the Swarm avoids
a specic star system in the Vast that has also proven
dangerous to other visitors. Named
Yebeon, this system consists
o seven planets, our o which
harbor simple lie. The resourcerich
system is a perect target or the Swarm,
and several subcolonies have targeted
nearby systems in the same star cluster.
More than a ew explorers have traveled
to Yebeon to learn why the Swarm
has circumvented it, most hoping to
discover something there that can
be used to deter Swarm attacks, i not
deeat it entirely. None have returned. Garbled
comm signals rom Yebeon are the only evidence
that anyone has ever reached the system or the
planets there.
FACTIONS
The Swarm exhibits no obvious actions or
castes. Each component serves as a cog
in the central machine—and a welloiled
machine it is. For all its violence, the
Swarm suers no internal bickering or
strie. Each component is optimized or its
seemingly simple scheme. The species is, however, split
into distinct branches o components grouped together to
ulll a unied purpose.
ADVENTURE PATH
 main subcolony. Oten encountered in groups without other
military components, Swarm scouts serve as a dire omen.
People who nd such orerunners on a planet do well to
ensure the creatures ail to return home, but even then, it
might be too late—the ate o the world is likely to be already
decided. When inhabitants o a world nd only evidence o
Swarm components that have already let the planet, a larger
Swarm invasion is inevitable.
The Swarm’s military components serve as invasion troops.
Heavily armed and armored orces take major targets and
overwhelm local deenses, while weaker components work
in numbers to paciy soter targets and mop up ater major
assaults. Engineer components solidiy supply lines and
establish bases, working with the military units to cordon o
areas or resource harvesting. Major military components are
oten large and rightening. Thresher lords are, or example,
shock troops meant not only to ay oes but also to demoralize
them. Tanklike dissolvers spray ery acid, inicting horriying
burns. Corrovoxes and similar Swarm components make up
the rankandle units o the invasion legions.
The Swarm also has a branch o utility components. Living
starships that serve the Swarm all into this category, as
do its nesting components, including programmers, which
control population. These components orm a “working class”
that consists o those meant to provide services or their kin.
Such components can be like automatons or machines. Those
components in this class that can’t ght back against attackers
also don’t attempt to ee rom danger, and biologists debate
whether these components are even sentient.
As the Swarm continues to ravage the galaxy and integrate
aspects o its victims, there’s no telling where its constant
evolution might take the species next. However, it seems
that the Swarm’s harvesting o genetic material or orced
evolution isn’t always benecial to its purpose. It’s possible
that such aberrant assimilation led to the shirrens’ split rom
the Swarm. Notorious deectors rom the hive, these Swarm
variants mysteriously gained their own sense o individualism
and, upon realizing the horror o their species’ voracity, ed
to cultivate harmony with other species. Some malunction in
the Swarm’s next alteration might spawn another distinctive
branch that wishes to deect, or worse, decides to break the
hive mind or even destroy the Swarm. I any creatures might
be able to hold their own against the Swarm, it’s those rom
within the hive itsel. Some o the Swarm’s oes hope or such
a new aberration, as it might be the only hope o an ultimate
end to the Swarm’s threat.
SWARM GEAR
Most Swarm equipment that’s available or purchase is
bioengineered rom material salvaged directly rom sites
where battles against the Swarm took place. Thanks to
modied to be a standalone pistolsized rearm. The weapon
uses small amounts o power to produce caustic uid. The
trigger administers a jolt o electricity to the device, causing a
illegal, but it s available to those who dare to traverse the
underground market to seek it. It is sometimes more readily
available in societies connected to the Swarm, such as those
actively at war with the insectile devourers or the extremely
rare ew who have survived the Swarm.
WEAPONS FTE OF
Weapons based on Swarm anatomy are vicious, built or THE
efcient killing. The chitinblade ( Starfnder
Starfnder Armory  9) and FIFTH
similar melee weapons are an unliving likeness o Swarm limb
blades, but many replicas o Swarm technology are indeed CAMPAIGN  
alive, having the living special property (  Armory 29). OUTLINE
These weapons exist in varieties related to the
polymorphism o related Swarm components. All are insectile
PART 1:
in appearance, with limblike extensions, eyelike parts, and
THE
elements like stingers and mandibles. For rearms, the mouth BATTLE
and throat oten orm the barrel o the weapon. Micrergate OF BRINNOA
model weapons are simplest in orm, with insectlike aspects
becoming more pronounced and even exaggerated as the
PART 2:
model ascends rom micrergate to macrergate and dinergate.
THE
The most extravagant eatures appear on ergatoid models, SCOURING
which might have bright colors and seemingly decorative OF SAHTOR
growths, such as vestigial gossamer wings. In addition,
rarer models have biotech augmentations that replicate the
PART 3:
damagedealing capacity and resilience o modern composites.
THE
FALL OF
WEAPON SPECIAL SUSKILLON
PROPERTY
Some weapons in this section use the ollowing weapon
BATTLING
special property.
THE SWARM
Swarm:  A weapon with this special property is virtually
indistinguishable rom Swarm technology and requires a
special Swarm battery to use efciently. The weapon can use A PLAGUE
other batteries, but usage doubles when doing so. OF LOCUSTS
In addition to the energy drawback, a Swarm weapon
attracts the attention o nearby Swarm creatures. They can ALIEN
sense such a weapon as i using blindsense with a range o ARCHIVES
30 eet. Swarm components have been observed xating on
wielders o this technology during battle, with little else to
CODEX OF
explain such a violent ocus. I the Swarm wins the conict,
WORLDS
the surviving components destroy these weapons.
DISINTEGRTOR
WEAPONS
Firearms based on Swarm biology are oten designed to deal
maximum damage to biological targets.
ACID CANNON
Despite its name, derived rom Swarm conventions and
suggesting a heavier armament, the lightweight acid cannon
is a derivation o the Swarm corrovox’s armmounted weapon
51
5+ Hits:  The weapon gains an enhancement bonus to
damage equal to hal the item level.
7+ Hits: The target is atooted against attacks made with
 reexive constriction that orces blobs o this acid out o the
weapon’s throatlike barrel.
DISSOLVER
Inspired by the horric spewing capability o its namesake
Swarm component, and much like the acid cannon, the
dissolver has two biological glands that use power to
produce a couple o highly reactive chemicals. These two
chemicals are stable when separate. However, as with the
corrovox’s weapon, when an electric jolt causes the dissolver
to constrict and release these chemicals, they converge just
outside the weapon’s maw, creating an acidic ash re in a
this weapon.
HYBRID ITEMS
Magic use in the Swarm is most oten accomplished on an
instinctual or reexive level, the product o evolution and
adaptation rather than a practice learned and then perected
with study. Still, other species can and do reverse-engineer
the Swarm’s bizarre magical capabilities and organic
creations. The ollowing hybrid items were manuactured due
to such derivations.
ADAPTIVE SWARM MASK LEVEL 11

broad arc. HYBRID ITEM (WORN) PRICE  24,500  BULK L

UNCTEGORIZED   rom the head o a Swarm component. The mask counts as
MLEE WEAPONS
Like the chitinblade, melee weapons based on Swarm
anatomy are rare.
MINDSPIKE
The impact o this insectilelooking spike can cause pain or
otherwise addle the target’s nervous system.
THRESHERBLADE
Modeled on the arm blades o the brutal
thresher lord, the thresherblade has an
organic basket hilt that can be closed around MINDSPIKE
a orelimb or extra support, making it easier
or a trained user to hold and wield the weapon
in one hand despite the blade’s size.
An adaptive Swarm mask is made rom the exoskeleton plates
a worn magic item unless you install it in armor, taking up
one upgrade slot. When you take damage o
any type while wearing the mask, it reduces
the damage by 5. It then ceases to provide
that benet, instead providing damage
reduction or energy resistance 5 against the
same damage type or 1 minute. The mask remains
adapted to the same damage type even i you take a
dierent type o damage. Ater the duration elapses, the
mask becomes unadapted and can adjust
to a new damage type. This mask attracts
the attention o Swarm components in
the same way weapons with the Swarm
weapon special property do.
SWARM BATTERY LEVEL 5

WEAPON FUSION HYBRID ITEM PRICE  550  BULK L

The ollowing weapon usion is biotech that, like
many Swarmcreated items, combines magic and
technology, so it is a hybrid item. Weapon usion
prices are based on weapons’ item levels. See Table
7–13 on page 192 o the Starfnder Core Rulebook  battery consists o stillliving tissue that reexively adapts to
or more inormation.
ADAPTIVE LEVEL 6
An weapon tted with an adaptive usion adjusts to any target
it hits repeatedly. The usion’s benets can be granted against
only one target at a time. Once the weapon hits a new target,
it resets and starts building up momentum against that target,
losing the benets it might have had or any previous target.
An adaptive weapon gains the ollowing benets depending
on how many hits it has scored against a given target. The
When weapon designers couldn’t achieve an acceptable
power output with their Swarmbased armaments, they
created the Swarm battery, a new type o living power cell.
Similar to the insulated gland o a generator drone, a Swarm
power any item, including nonSwarm varieties, unctioning
as a highcapacity battery with 40 charges. A Swarm battery 
can adapt to be recharged at any charging station. It also
recharges on its own at the rate o 1 charge per hour, provided
it remains within 60 eet o ambient nearby electricity, such
as power conduits in a city, a starship’s power core, consistent
static electricity, or even the small amount o electricity
running through a living body.
SWARM PROGRAMMER PILL LEVEL 10

eects are cumulative. HYBRID ITEM PRICE 2,800  BULK —

3+ Hits:  The weapon ignores an amount o the target’s A Swarm programmer pill is a compact lozenge that contains
energy resistance or damage resistance equal to hal the a paperthin sliver o a Swarm programmer’s brain. As a ull
weapon’s item level. action, you swallow the tablet and it alters your biology,

52

ADVENTURE PATH

allowing you to choose one o the ollowing eects. I you use your armor, unctioning as with the wings o alate orm. I
another Swarm programmer pill within 24 hours, you become you’re climbing when the eect ends, you can still attempt to
atigued. Attempting to use a Swarm programmer pill while you climb by other means.
are exhausted does little other than consume the pill. While Bravery:  You become inured to ear. For 24 hours, whenever
 under the pill’s eects, you attract the attention o Swarm
components in the same way weapons that have the Swarm
weapon special property do.
Acidic Ejection: You gain acid resistance 5 and can launch
acid as i part o your body (oten the mouth) were a macrergate
macrerg ate
acid cannon, with which you are considered
cons idered to be procient. You
you attempt a saving throw against a ear eect, treat any
number you roll on the d20 lower than 8 as 8. In addition, i
you ail a saving throw against a ear eect, you can reroll that
saving throw once. I you still ail the saving throw, you suer
the ear eect or only hal its duration, rounded down to a
minimum o 0 rounds. FTE OF

are immune to your own acid. These adaptations last 4 hours. Swiftness: For 12 hours, you gain a 20oot enhancement THE
Alate Form:  You grow a set o diaphanous insectile wings bonus to speed in all movement types you have. FIFTH

that allow you to y at a speed 10 eet slower than your land Telepathy: You gain limited telepathy with a range o 30
speed. Your ight is an extraordinary ability with average eet, like that o a lashunta or shirren. I you already have CAMPAIGN  
maneuverability. The adaptation also grants you a +5 bonus to limited telepathy, the adaptation grants you true telepathy. OUTLINE

Acrobatics checks to y. The wings unction or 2 hours. I you Either adaptation lasts 12 hours. During this time, you can also
are alot when the eect ends, you oat downward 60 eet per cast the 1stlevel version o mind thrust as a spelllike ability up
PART 1:
round or 3 rounds. I you ail to land or attain another means to three times.
THE
to y by then, you all as the wings detach. This detachment is Weaponized Arm: One o your hands grows a macrergate BATTLE
uncomortable but deals you no damage. mindspike or macrergate thresherblade, with which you are OF BRINNOA

I necessary, the wings can integrate with your armor. Once
they have, removing your armor ends the eect by causing the
wings to detach as above.
Arolia:  You grow special limb pads that grant you a climb
speed 10 eet slower than your land speed. You retain this
speed or 12 hours. I necessary, the pads can integrate with
considered to be procient. I necessary, the weapon integrates
with your armor, unctioning as with the wings o alate orm.
PART 2:
You can’t use the aected hand or other purposes, but neither
THE
can you be disarmed o the weapon. This adaptation lasts 4 SCOURING
hours, or until you detach the weapon as a standard action, OF SAHTOR
then the weapon disintegrates.

PART 3:
TABLE 1: ADVANCED MELEE WEAPONS
THE
ONE-HANDED WEAPONS LE V E L P RI C E DAMAGE CR ITICAL BULK SPECIAL FALL OF
UNCATEGORIZED SUSKILLON

Thresherblade, tactical 5 3,200 1d10 S Bleed 1d6 1 Analog

Mindspike, tactical 6 4,400 1d8 P Staggered L Analog
BATTLING
Thresherblade, microserrated 9 13,800 2d10 S Bleed 1d8 1 Analog
THE SWARM
Mindspike, microserrated 10 18,450 3d8 P Staggered L Analog
Thresherblade, nanoserrated 13 50,300 4d10 S Bleed 2d8 1 Analog
A PLAGUE
Mindspike, nanoserrated 14 77,800 7d8 P Staggered L Analog
OF LOCUSTS
Thresherblade, ultraserrated 17 268,650 8d10 S Bleed 4d8 1 Analog
Mindspike, ultraserrated 18 392,100 11d8 P Staggered L Analog
ALIEN

ARCHIVES
TABLE 2: SMALL ARMS
ONE-HANDED WEAPONS LE V E L P RI C E DAMAGE RANGE CR ITICAL CAPACITY USAGE BULK SPECIAL
CODEX OF
DISINTEGRATOR
WORLDS
Acid cannon, micrergate 3 1,500 1d4 A 40 t. Corrode 1d4 40 charges 2 L Living, Swarm
Acid cannon, macrergate 7 7,000 2d6 A 40 t. Corrode 2d4 40 charges 4 L Living, Swarm
Acid cannon, dinergate 12 36,000 3d8 A 40 t. Corrode 3d4 40 charges 4 L Living, Swarm
Acid cannon, ergatoid 17 256,000 4d10 A 40 t. Corrode 4d4 40 charges 5 L Living, Swarm

TABLE 3: HEAVY WEAPONS

TW0-HANDED WEAPONS LEVEL PRICE DAMAGE RANGE CRITICAL CAPACITY USAGE BULK SPECIAL
DISINTEGRATOR
Dissolver, macrergate 8 10,000 2d8 A & F 40 t. Corrode 2d4 40 charges 4 L Blast, living, Swarm, unwieldy
Dissolver, dinergate 13 50,000 4d8 A & F 40 t. Corrode 4d4 40 charges 5 L Blast, living, Swarm, unwieldy
Dissolver, ergatoid 18 380,000 9d8 A & F 40 t. Corrode 9d4 40 charges 5 L Blast, living, Swarm, unwieldy

53

 
 ALIEN ARCHIVES

”Fascinating creatures, kaions. The rst time I saw one,

we were searching a debris zone near the River Between
for a lost shuttle. Navasi suspected pirates, and I hoped for
grays, but no other reports in the region conrmed such
contact. When we scanned the area, sensor data showed
wreckage near a large, iron-rich asteroid, so we parked
the Sunrise Maiden on the sunward side and made for an
impact crater that looked promising. A kaion pod, made up
of several young specimens, came over the crater edge at
high speed. It was no use running—they could outy
out y us on
that metallic rock—so we had to stand
st and and defend ourselves.
Anyway
Any way,, their remains made good study samples.”

—Altronus, kasatha scholar and solarian

54

ADVENTURE PATH

KAION
  CR   XP
2  600
 N Small animal Sclerite (Ex) A
(Ex) A kaion can re a sclerite with a range
Init
Init +4;
 +4; Senses
Senses blindsense
 blindsense (electromagnetism) 60 t., low- increment o 60 eet. The sclerite lodges in or sticks to the
light vision; Perception
Perception +7
 +7 target on a hit, causing the target to become entangled as
DEFENSE HP 25
HP 25 long as the sclerite remains. An entangled creature can
EAC 12; KAC
EAC 12; KAC 16
 16 remove a sclerite as a move action by succeeding at a DC
Fort +5;
Fort  +5; Re +7;
Re +7; Will
Will +1
 +1 13 Athletics or Acrobatics check. FTE OF
THE
Deensive Abilities void
Abilities void adaptation FIFTH
OFFENSE Well-known pests o the seas o Nisis, the River Between,
Speed 10 t., y 60 t. (Ex, perect)
Speed 10 and the Diaspora, kaions oat in space and water in search
Melee radula
Melee radula +7 (1d6+3 S) or o minerals and esh. These creatures house chemosynthetic CAMPAIGN  

slam +7 (1d4+3 B plus grab)

gra b) bacteria within their chambered shells, which produce energy OUTLINE

Ranged sclerite
Ranged  sclerite +10 (1d6+2 P plus entangled) rom various inorganic minerals the kaion scrapes up with
Space 5
Space 5 t.; Reach
Reach 5
 5 t. (10 t. with slam) its radula and then excrete metallic impurities as a metabolic
PART 1:
Oensive Abilities polarity pulse byproduct. The alloys accumulate in the kaion’s shell as well THE

STATISTICS as in the numerous metallic sclerites that cover the kaion’s BATTLE

Str
Str +1;
 +1; Dex
Dex +4;
 +4; Con
Con +2;
 +2; Int
Int –4;
 –4; Wis
Wis +0;
 +0; Cha
Cha –2
 –2 many tentacles and two long arms. Not only do these deposits OF BRINNOA

Skills Athletics
Skills Athletics +7, Acrobatics +7 (+15 to y) protect the kaion’s sot tissues, but they also produce powerul
Other Abilities magnetic
Abilities magnetic levitation magnetic elds that respond to the kaion’s bioelectric impulses,
PART 2:
ECOLOGY oten visible in the expanding and contracting eld lines o THE
Environment mountains, urban, or vacuum (Diaspora)
Environment mountains, metallic dust adhering to the creature’s shell. SCOURING

Organization solitary,
Organization  solitary, pair, or pod (3–6) Though their symbiotes provide much o a kaion’s energy OF SAHTOR

SPECIAL ABILITIES needs, kaions require organic proteins in order to mature and to
Magnetic Levitation (Ex) A
(Ex) A kaion can y in a vacuum. produce gametes. They obtain this resource rom live prey using
PART 3:
However, this ight is limited
limited to within 60 eet o a planet a characteristic hunting technique. By creating a magnetic THE
or asteroid’s surace or a nearby metallic structure, such gradient down its arms, a kaion can detach and accelerate FALL OF

as a steel railing or a starship’s hull. one o its sclerites to railgun speeds. These projectiles lodge SUSKILLON

Polarity Pulse (Ex) As

(Ex) As a standard action, a kaion can release
a magnetic pulse in a 60-oot-radius spread. Each creature
in that area wielding metallic weapons, wearing metallic
armor, or entangled by a kaion’s sclerites must succeed
at a DC 13 Reex save or be pulled up to 30 eet toward
the kaion, or double that on a ailure by 5 or more. I a
creature is aected only because o an object it holds, it
can drop the object as a ree action to cease being pulled.
Unsecured metallic objects in the area are automatically
in targets, where they can subsequently be reeled back via
magnetic attraction, bringing prey with them. Pods o kaions
BATTLING
cooperate to bring down larger prey, with younger kaions ring THE SWARM
sclerites and older, higher-status individuals reeling the prey
in to eed on.
A PLAGUE
Though kaions are native to the Diaspora, they have since
OF LOCUSTS
spread to other worlds as stowaways on ice haulers and other
starships. They can now be ound grinding away on mines and
construction sites rom Akiton to Triaxus. ALIEN

pulled 60 eet toward the kaion. Being pulled toward a ARCHIVES

kaion doesn’t provoke attacks o opportunity.

CODEX OF
WORLDS

55

  CR   XP
NANOBOT MIMIC   3  800
 N Fine construct (swarm, technological) A given registered object can weigh no more than 2 bulk.
Init +4;
Init +4; Senses
Senses darkvision
 darkvision 60 t., low-light vision; As a ull action, the mimic can arrange itsel into one item
Perception +5
Perception  +5 it has registered, taking on the appearance o that item
DEFENSE HP 40
HP 40 but not its unction. While in this orm, the nanobot mimic
EAC 15; KAC
EAC 15; KAC 15
 15 loses its swarm deenses and swarm immunities, has EAC
Fort +3;
Fort +3; Re +3;
Re +3; Will
Will +0
 +0 and KAC 10, gains a +10 bonus to Disguise checks, and has

Deensive Abilities swarm
Abilities swarm deenses hardness equal to 5 + its CR. A mimic in object orm can
Immunities construct
Immunities construct immunities, swarm immunities assume its swarm orm as a move action or a reaction to
OFFENSE taking damage.
Speed 30 t., y 30 t. (Ex, perect)
Speed 30
Melee swarm
Melee swarm attack (1d4+5 P) Rumored to be the invention o a malicious roboticist, nanobot
Space 10
Space 10 t.; Reach 0 t. mimics take the appearance o technological objects, using the
Oensive Abilities distraction
Abilities distraction (DC 12), metal morass deception to launch surprise attacks. Each mimic is a swarm o
STATISTICS nanobots that interlock to imitate an item. When a would-be
Str +2;
Str +2; Dex
Dex +4;
 +4; Con —;
Con —; Int
Int +0;
 +0; Wis
Wis +1;
 +1; Cha
Cha –1
 –1 looter picks up the nanobot mimic, the construct dissolves into
Skills Acrobatics
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+
(+18
18 to y), Disg
Disguise
uise +5 (+15 to mimic an a dark and silvery cloud o its component nanobots. These then
object), Stealth +5 swarm the victim, hindering and attempting to disassemble it.
Other Abilities mimic
Abilities mimic object Nanobot mimics are oten quasi-legal. They see some licensed
ECOLOGY use as security. However, criminals use these constructs ar
Environment any
Environment any more oten, since they serve as ne traps or investigators.
Organization solitary,
Organization  solitary, pair, or team (3–9) Clever scoaws make mimics look like illegal objects to draw
SPECIAL ABILITIES attention. When a detective noses into an area and nds the
Metal Morass (Ex) A
(Ex) A nanobot mimic surrounds oes it mimic, the creature not only attacks and makes the target more
shares a space with, making it hard or them to escape. vulnerable to other attacks, but can also dispose o the body.
A creature that starts its turn in the same space as a The constructs have a penchant or escaping connement,
nanobot mimic must succeed at a DC 12 Reex save or though, especially ater they take signicant damage, causing
become entangled or 1 round. their programming to become aulty. When ree o the control o
Mimic Object (Ex) A
(Ex) A nanobot mimic can observe and another being, such mimics still ollow their (possibly impaired)
register into internal memory a directives. Intermittently, the mimic takes the shape o various
number o technological objects it sees other creatures using. It then, without real
items equal to its CR. intent, attacks anyone who picks up the alse object. A number
o bizarre “murders” on Absalom Station turned out to
be the doings o an escaped nanobot mimic.

56

ADVENTURE PATH

  CR   XP
STATIKETE  15 51,200

N Gargantuan magical beast They can attach to passing starships, and they pose a grave
 Init
Init +9;
 +9; Senses
Senses blindsense
 blindsense (electromagnetism) 60 t., danger to crews.
darkvision 60 t., low-light vision; Perception
Perception +26
 +26 A typical statikete is about 20 eet long. Its body, which
DEFENSE HP 275 RP 6
HP 275 RP 6 has heavy crystalline and metallic elements, weighs about
EAC  29; KAC
EAC 29; KAC 31
 31 15 tons.
Fort +17;
Fort +17; Re +19;
Re +19; Will
Will +15
 +15 Although a statikete doesn’t unction as a starship, its FTE OF
THE
Deensive Abilities electricity
Abilities electricity absorption, void adaptation; body and skeleton can be tted to ser ve as a s tarship rame. FIFTH
Immunities electricity
Immunities  electricity
Weaknesses electrical eeder STATIKETE FRAME
OFFENSE Size Tiny CAMPAIGN  

Speed 40 t., y 120 t. (Su, perect)

Speed 40 Maneuverability perect
Maneuverability  perect (+2 Piloting, turn 0) OUTLINE

Melee bite
Melee  bite +26 (8d6+20 E & P; critical energy discharge) HP 25
HP 25 (increment 5); DT
DT —;
 —; CT 5
CT 5
Ranged shock blast +29 (5d8+15 E; critical stunned) Mounts orward
Mounts  orward arc (1 light)
PART 1:
Space 20
Space 20 t.; Reach
Reach 15
 15 t. Expansion  Bays
Expansion Bays —
 — THE

STATISTICS Minimum  Crew
Minimum Crew 1;
 1; Maximum
Maximum  Crew
Crew 1
 1 BATTLE

Str +5;
Str +5; Dex
Dex +9;
 +9; Con
Con +7;
 +7; Int –3;
Int –3; Wis
Wis +0;
 +0; Cha
Cha –2
 –2 Cost 5
Cost  5 OF BRINNOA

Skills Acrobatics
Skills Acrobatics +31 (+39 to y), Athletics +26 SPECIAL ABILITIES
ECOLOGY EMP Dispersal (Ex) When
(Ex) When a starship built with a statikete
PART 2:
Environment any
Environment any rame is hit with an EMP weapon, it reduces the duration THE
Organization solitary
Organization  solitary or pair o that weapon’s eect by hal, rounded down to a SCOURING

Other Abilities spaceight
Abilities spaceight minimum o 0 rounds. OF SAHTOR

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Electricity Absorption (Ex) Whenever a statikete's
PART 3:
electricity immunity prevents it rom taking damage, it THE
regains 1 Resolve Point. FALL OF
Electrical Feeder (Ex) A statikete SUSKILLON

reduced to 0 Resolve Points loses

access to its shock blast attack, and its
BATTLING
bite attack deals hal damage and THE SWARM
deals only piercing damage.
Energy Discharge (Ex) When a
statikete scores a critical hit with A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
its bite attack, the target and all
technological objects the target
holds or carries are aected as i ALIEN
ARCHIVES
as by the discharge
target is aected by spell. I any
this eect,
the statikete regains 1 Resolve
CODEX OF
Point. WORLDS
Shock Blast (Ex) A
(Ex) A statikete can
spend 1 Resolve Point to re its
shock blast as an at tack with a range
increment o 120 eet.

Lurking in the shadows o

space, especially among
debris such as the asteroids o the
Diaspora, statiketes are lamprey-
like creatures that drain electricity
and use it to re powerul shock blasts at oes.

57

  CR   XP
SWARM CONVECYTE   2   600

CE Large monstrous humanoid SPECIAL ABILITIES

 Init +1;
Init +1; Senses
Senses blindsense
 blindsense (vibration) 30 t., darkvision Acid Burst (Ex) When a convecyte dies, its protective
60 t.; Perception
Perception +7
 +7 plates crack and explode, showering an area with their
DEFENSE HP 30 acidic contents. Every creature within a 20-oot burst
EAC  13; KAC
EAC 13; KAC 15 15 (including
(including those within the convecy te) takes 2d4+4 acid
Fort +6;
Fort  +6; Re +4;
Re  +4; Will
Will +3
 +3 damage (Reex DC 11 hal).

Deensive Abilities Swarm mind; Immunities acid,

ear eects Swarm Carrier
creatures (Ex)its
(Ex) A
under  A chitinous
convecytelayers,
can carry a number
giving o
each creature
OFFENSE DR 10/— and ull cover rom attacks while they rest
Speed 30 t.
Speed 30 inside, though such creatures can’t act while insi
inside
de a
Melee slam
Melee  slam +11 (1d6+4 B) convecyte. A convecyte can carry our Small or two
Space 10
Space  10 t.; Reach
Reach 5
 5 t. Medium creatures this way and can deposit them in
Oensive Abilities acid burst (2d4+4 A, DC 11) adjacent squares as a swit ac tion.
STATISTICS Swarm Mind (Ex) Members
(Ex) Members o the Swarm are bound
Str +2;
Str  +2; Dex
Dex +1;
 +1; Con
Con +4;
 +4; Int
Int +0;
 +0; Wis
Wis +0;
 +0; Cha
Cha +0
 +0 together into a singular hive mind by a blend o
Skills Acrobatics
Skills  Acrobatics +7, Athletics +12, Survival +7 exuded pheromones, imperceptible movements o
Languages Shirren;
Languages  Shirren; telepathy 100 t. antennae and limbs, electrostatic elds, and telepathic
Other Abilities Swarm
Abilities Swarm carrier communication. All Swarm creatures with 30 eet o
ECOLOGY each other are in constant communication; i one is
Environment any
Environment any aware o a threat, all are. (Such awareness can spread
Organization solitary
Organization solitary or troop (2–5 plus 2 Medium-sized along a “chain” o Swarm creatures under appropriate
Swarm creatures or each convecyte) circumstances, potentially alerting distant Swarm
creatures). In addition, once per round when within 30
eet o another Swarm creature, a Swarm creature can
roll twice and take the better result on a saving throw
against a mind-aecting eect.

A swarm convecyte has several interlocking plates

o rigid chitin that run along its back and sides.
Underneath these plates are hollow cavities that a
convecyte can use to hide and transport smaller
creatures. An acidic uid runs through its plates,
providing a last-minute bit o deense in the
event that the convecyte is killed in battle,
though it could be considered a liability
i the creatures it is protecting aren’t also
immune to acid.
The remainder o a convecyte’s body is
dedicated to generating enough energy or the
creature to be able to het these plates around
and carry passengers. As such, a convecyte
needs to consume twice as many calories per
day as another creature o its size, making
its body warm to the touch and elevating the
temperature within its body cavities to nearly
90° F. The Swarm use convecytes to transport
other Swarm creatures into battle, but only on
planets where the terrain isn’t too difcult.
A Swarm convecyte is about 12 eet long and
stands about 8 eet at its shoulder.

58

ADVENTURE PATH

CR XP
SWARM DREDGER   1/2  200
 200

CE Small monstrous humanoid visual organs at the base o its “neck” protected by ridges
 Init
Init +2;
 +2; Senses
Senses blindsense
 blindsense (vibration) 60 t., darkvision in its carapace. It can see in the dark with these eyes and
60 t.; Perception
Perception +4
 +4 it bristles with hundreds o tiny, nearly invisible setae that
DEFENSE HP 13 sense vibrations in the nearby air.
EAC  10; KAC
EAC 10; KAC 12
 12 The Swarm uses dredgers like mobile tools, digging
Fort +2;
Fort  +2; Re +4;
Re  +4; Will
Will +2
 +2 trenches to divert rivers and streams, creating shats FTE OF
THE
Deensive Abilities Swarm mind; Immunities
Abilities Swarm Immunities acid,
 acid, to important resources FIFTH
ear eects burrowing behind enemycollected
lines to by other
cause Swarm,
chaos and
or larger
OFFENSE Swarm components to take advantage o. Swarm dredgers
Speed 30 t., burrow 20 t.
Speed 30 never act alone, and a large enough pack o them can CAMPAIGN  

Melee attach
Melee attach +7 or quickly alter the terrain o a battleeld, orming urrows OUTLINE

claw +7 (1d6+3) and dugouts to hinder anyone attempting to use land-based

STATISTICS vehicles against the Swarm.
PART 1:
Str
Str +3;
 +3; Dex
Dex +2;
 +2; Con
Con +1;
 +1; Int
Int +1;
 +1; Wis
Wis +0;
 +0; Cha
Cha +0
 +0 A typical Swarm dredger is approximately 3 eet long and THE
Skills Acrobatics
Skills  Acrobatics +9, Athletics +4, Stealth +4 has a black, red, and orange carapace. BATTLE

Languages Shirren
Languages  Shirren (can’t speak); telepathy 100 t. OF BRINNOA

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Environment any
PART 2:
Organization pair or pack (3–12) THE

SPECIAL ABILITIES SCOURING

Swarm Mind (Ex) Members

(Ex) Members o the Swarm are bound OF SAHTOR

together into a singular hive mind by a blend o

exuded pheromones, imperceptible movements o
PART 3:
antennae and limbs, electrostatic elds, and telepathic THE
communication. All Swarm creatures with 30 eet o FALL OF
each other are in constant communication; i one is SUSKILLON

aware o a threat, all are. (Such awareness can spread

along a “chain” o Swarm creatures under
BATTLING
appropriate circumstances, potentially THE SWARM
alerting distant Swarm
creatures). In addition,
once per round when within A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
30 eet o another Swarm
creature, a Swarm creature can
roll twice and take the better ALIEN
result on a saving throw against a ARCHIVES

mind-aecting
mind-aecti ng eect.

CODEX OF
Among the more insectile Swarm WORLDS
components, these creatures each
have a swept-back, segmented
carapace and a set o
three mandibles covered
in hooked barbs. A Swarm
dredger uses these barbs to
rmly attach itsel to its oe and
then cuts into the prey’s esh with one o its
claws. It can also use these claws to burrow through
clay, dirt, or mud. Though a Swarm dredger’s head is
dierent rom its Swarm brethren, it does have segmented

59

  TIER XP
SWARM FLEETFURY   1/3 VARIES

CE Tiny starship monstrous humanoid (and thus engages in only starship combat). A network
 Speed 12; Maneuverability
Speed 12; Maneuverability good
 good (turn 1) o connected brains commands these bioengineered
AC
AC 15;
 15; TL
TL 15
 15 Swarm components that act as a unied organism. This
HP 35;
HP 35; DT —;
DT —; CT 7
CT 7 network allows the eetury to take crew actions using
Shields none
Shields  none the skill bonuses, ranks, and level listed in Crew Actions
Attack (Forward) light
(Forward) light torpedo launcher (2d8) above. Modiers or the eetury’s size, speed, and
Power Core Micron
Core Micron Light (50 PCU); Drit Engine none;
Engine none; maneuverability are already actored into its statistics.
Systems basic
Systems  basic short-range sensors, basic computer, mk 2 Critical damage to lie support instead damages this
armor, mk 2 deenses; Expansion Bays none
Bays none network o brains, with the critical e ect applying
Modifers +2
Modifers  +2 Computers (sensors only) to gunnery checks, in addition to any penalties rom
Other Abilities eet
Abilities eet mind, living sta rship, void adaptation weapons array critical damage. Cr itical damage to crew
CREW ACTIONS has no eect on a eetury, due to the adaptability o its
Pilot Computers +7 (1 rank), Piloting +8 (1 rank)
Pilot Computers components.
Gunner gunnery +5 (1st level)
ECOLOGY Swarm eeturies are composed o several living
Environment any vacuum bioengineered components
components crated into the shape o a small,
Organization pair or wing (3–6) maneuverable starship. Like the members o the Swarm,
SPECIAL ABILITIES eeturies have the ability to telepathically communicate
Fleet Mind (Ex) Like
(Ex) Like the individual Swarm c omponents, with all other Swarm starships, acting with a single purpose
Swarm starships are bound together into a singular without the need or a central command ship. Fleeturies
hive mind through a blend o r adio, quantum, and are oten used as weapons o terror, deployed in massive
telepathic communication. All Swarm star ships within
telepathic numbers separated into individual wings to overwhelm and
10 hexes o each other are in consta nt communication; demoralize enemies.
i one is aware o a threat, all are. (Such awareness An individual eetury isn’t particularly well equipped or
can spread along a “chain” o Swarm starships under well armored or an extended battle. Its only weapon is an
appropriate circumstances, potentially alerting distant organic torpedo launcher, which a eetury can re only ve
Swarm vessels.) Swarm vessels ca n also communicate times beore it loses its oensive capabilities. At that point,
telepathically
telepathi cally with all Swarm c reatures within 10 hexes. a eetury usually abandons combat, as another group o
Living Starship (Ex) A
(Ex) A eetury is a vessels closes in. A Swarm armada usually launches wave
collection o symbiotic creatures so ater wave o eeturies at the start o massive space battles,
large that it unctions as a starship knowing that most o them will be destroyed in the racas,
though at great cost to their oes.

60

ADVENTURE PATH

CR  XP
SWARM VORPHOMA 1 400

CE Medium monstrous humanoid multi-segmented bodies o dark mottled chitin, vorphomas

Init
Init +4;
 +4; Senses
Senses darkvision
 darkvision 60 t.; Perception
Perception +5
 +5 are innately stealthy.
 DEFENSE HP 16
HP 16 A vorphoma oten operates alone, in pairs, or in small
EAC  10; KAC
EAC 10; KAC 11
 11 packs o ve or ewer. They are usually sent behind enemy
Fort +3;
Fort  +3; Re +3;
Re  +3; Will
Will +4
 +4 lines to terrorize and soten up the Swarm’s oes beore
Deensive Abilities Swarm
Abilities Swarm mind; Immunities
Immunities acid,
 acid, larger units begin their assault. A vorphoma instinctively FTE OF
ear eects targets the weakest-looking enemies with its spell-like THE

abilities rom the shadows or rom heights that are difcult FIFTH
OFFENSE
Speed 30 t., y 30 t. (Ex, average)
Speed 30 to reach. I it is spotted, it then begins inging its arm
Melee bite
Melee  bite +3 (1d4+2 P) or barbs at its prey. It resorts to melee combat only when it CAMPAIGN  

claw +3 (1d6+2 S) runs out o ammunition, descending rom the skies to bite OUTLINE

Ranged arm
Ranged  arm barb +5 (1d4+1 P plus venom) ravenously or claw at its chosen enemies.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL
Abilities (CL 1st) A typical Swarm vorphoma is approximately 5-1/2 eet
PART 1:
1/day—fear (1st level, DC 14), lesser confusion  tall, though its lanky orm and its wings oten make it THE
(DC 14) seem taller. BATTLE

0 (at will)— daze (DC 13), ghost sound (DC 13) OF BRINNOA

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Environment any
PART 2:
Organization solitary,
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–5) THE

SPECIAL ABILITIES SCOURING

Arm Barb (Ex) As a ranged attack, a vorphoma can OF SAHTOR

shoot a nger-sized barb rom one o its arms with

a range increment o 60 eet. A vorphoma can shoot
PART 3:
a total o 8 barbs beore it must take 10 minutes to THE
regrow them. FALL OF
Swarm Mind (Ex) Members
(Ex) Members o the Swarm are bound SUSKILLON

together into a singular hive mind by a blend o exuded

pheromones, imperceptible movements o antennae
BATTLING
and limbs, electrostatic elds, and telepathic THE SWARM
communication. All Swarm creatures with 30 eet
o each other are in constant communication; i
one is aware o a threat, all are. (Such awareness A PLAGUE
OF LOCUSTS
can spread along a “chain” o Swarm creatures
under appropriate circumstances, potentially
alerting distant Swarm creatures). In addition, ALIEN
once per round when within 30 eet o another ARCHIVES

Swarm creature, a Swarm creature can roll twice

and take the better result on a saving throw
CODEX OF
against a mind-aecting eect. WORLDS
Venom (Ex) A living creature that takes damage
rom an arm barb must succ eed at a DC 12
Fortitude save or be sickened or 1d3 rounds.

Swarm vorphomas resemble humanoid stick insects with

piercing mandibles. They can eject the spines growing
rom their arms as dangerous ranged projectiles. These
barbs are coated with a numbing enzyme that slows
a living creature’s reactions. Vorphomas also have
the ability to y and can mentally sow ear and
conusion in the minds o their enemies. With

61

CODEX OF WORLDS
SUSKILLON Mjor re  lre semirid desert, while the rest o the mssive
Remote World o Industry and Farmland continent etures plins, rollin hills, nd mountin rnes.
Dtr: ×1; M: ×1-1/4 The most notble eorphicl eture o Alppu Minor is
 Grvty:  ×1
Loto: The Vst
Atohr: Norml
Dy: 26 hours; Yr: 298 Dys
 
The th plnet rom its system’s sun, Suskillon etures 
diverse rne o biomes nd plentiul resources. Two mjor
continents in opposin hemispheres, known s Alppu Mjor
nd Alppu Minor, mke up the mjority o the plnet’s
lnd. Ocens ccount or the rest o the plnet’s surce,
with thousnds o bslt rocky islnd rchipelos speckled
between the minlnds. The northern reches o Alppu
62
NEXT MONTH
THE LAST REFUGE BIOMECHANICAL STAR
By Mara Lynn Butler By Tracy Barnett
With  hndul o survivors rom Suskillon, the heroes trvel The Swrm isn’t the only roup with biomechnicl or prtilly
to to Utrneus,  nerby colony world, nd its cpitl o New livin strships. Discover how others, includin plnt species
 mssive reshwter lke known s the Stone Se, which
surrounds  dormnt volcno. The lke ets its nme rom
the billions o pieces o pumice stone tht ot on its surce.
Due to the tilt on Suskillon’s xis nd the ecliptic orbit it
ollows round its sun, every ew yers the plnet experiences
rdicl wether ptterns. Known loclly s “Dry Summers”
nd “Ded Winters,” these two sesons lst  couple o extr
months nd present more extreme tempertures. The plnet
is home to  diverse ecosystem, rom the scvenin Aluppn
drt wesel to the dedly brush stlker. Much like rsses on
other worlds, Suskillon trees hve thick trunk-like stlks nd
inner cvities tht collect rin wter.
Spient lie evolved on Suskillon millenni o nd hs
lon since dpted to the plnet’s unusul wether ptterns.
Humns mke up the vst percente o the popultion nd
hve spred cross the entirety o the plnet. All re citizens
o  worldwide democrcy tht ws ormed t some point
durin the Gp, with  overnin body consistin o 
president,  orum o mistrtes tht interpret mjor lel
decisions, nd reionl overnors who meet on  yerly bsis
to discuss policy. The set o this overnment is in the cpitl
city o Brinno on Alppu Mjor. The reminder o Suskillon
is divided into  ew lre meplex cities, rrin rmin
reions, minin cilities, nd the occsionl spceport.
Shortly ter the Gp, severl thousnd members o the
shirren rce were welcomed on Suskillon durin their iht
rom the Swrm, brinin the worship o Hylx with them to
the reion. While the rest o the shirren
s hirren continued with their
exodus, the immirnts who settled on Suskillon quickly
interted into the plnet’s society nd hve rown to
mke up bout 18 percent o the current populce. In 87 ag,
explorers rom the Pct Worlds, directed by descendnts
o the shirrens who pssed throuh tht system, mde
peceul contct with Suskillon. To this dy they remin
trdin prtners with stron diplomtic ties, nd some
citizens o the Pct Worlds nd the Veskrium hve since
mirted to Suskillon (nd vice vers). However, they hve
yet to enter  orml llince.
Over the pst 2 centuries, Suskillon’s civiliztion hs
beun to expnd urther into the system, colonizin the
system’s third plnet Utrneus nd settin up scientic
reserch cilities on vrious moons. To combt the
threts o pirtes nd other interstellr dners, the
once-terrestril Suskillon Deense Force, or SDF, hs
since brnched out into spce. The SDF’s Spce Corps
hs been tsked with the responsibility o deendin
the plnet nd its outlyin interests nd is the most
prestiious postin o Suskillon’s militry
militry..
ADVENTURE PATH
STARSHIPS
SHIPS
Grkk,  lre metropolis strinin to tke in thousnds o nd the Xenowrdens, use their specilized vessels to explore
reuees. The PCs must del with  doomsdy cult nd cler the vst reches o spce.
out  series o cverns beneth the city tht could provide
shelter nd protection i the Swrm ttck this plnet. SUBSCRIBE TO STARFINDER FTE OF
ADVENTURE
ADVENTURE PTH THE
THE SHIRREN EXODUS The Attck o the Swrm! Adventure Pth continues! FIFTH
By Lacy Pellazar Don’t miss out on  sinle excitin volume—hed over to
Once  prt o the monolithic Swrm, the shirren species ined zo.o/trdr nd subscribe tody to hve Strnder CAMPAIGN  
its reedom in the dys ter the Gp. Lern how the shirrens Roleplyin Gme, Strnder Adventure Pth, nd Strnder OUTLINE

escped nd eventully mde it to the Pct Worlds. Accessories products delivered to your door!

Open Game License Vro 1.0 PAIZO INC. PART 1:

Crtv Drtor • Jmes Jcobs, Robert G. McCrery, nd Srh E. Robinson
Copyriht 2000 Wizrds o the Cost, Inc. (“Wizrds”). All Rihts Reserved. THE
1. Denitions: () “Contributors” mens the copyriht nd/or trdemrk owners who hve Drtor o G Dg  • Json Bulmhn
contributed Open Gme Content; (b) “Derivtive Mteril” mens copyrihted mteril Mgg Dvlor • Adm Dile nd Amnd Hmon BATTLE
includin derivtive works nd trnsltions (includin into other computer lnues), Orgzd Ply Ld Dvlor • John Compton
pottion, modiction, correction, ddition, extension, uprde, improvement, compiltion, OF BRINNOA
bridment or other orm in which n existin work my be recst, trnsormed or dpted; Dvlor • Elenor Ferron, Json Keeley, Luis Loz, Ron Lundeen, Joe Psini,
(c) “Distribute” mens to reproduce, license, rent, lese, sell, brodcst, publicly disply, Ptrick Renie, Michel Syre, Chris S. Sims, nd Lind Zys-Plmer
trnsmit or otherwise distribute; (d) “Open Gme Content” mens the me mechnic nd Strdr Dg Ld • Owen K.C. Stephens
includes the methods, procedures, processes nd routines to the extent such content does Strdr Soty Dvlor • Thurston Hillmn
not embody the Product Identity nd is n enhncement over the prior rt nd ny dditionl
content clerly identied s Open Gme Content by the Contributor, nd mens ny work Sor Dgr • Stephen Rdney-McFrlnd
Rdney-McFrlnd PART 2:
covered by this License, includin trnsltions nd derivtive works under copyriht lw, but Dgr • Lon Bonner nd Mrk Seiter
speciclly excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity” mens product nd product line THE
Mgg Edtor • Judy Buer
nmes, loos nd identiyin mrks includin trde dress; rticts, cretures, chrcters, Sor Edtor • Lyz Liddell SCOURING
stories, storylines, plots, themtic elements, diloue, incidents, lnue, rtwork, symbols,
desins, depictions, likenesses, ormts, poses, concepts, themes nd rphic, photorphic Edtor • Jmes Cse, Leo Glss, Adrin N, Lcy Pellzr, nd Json Tondro
OF SAHTOR
nd other visul or udio representtions; nmes nd descriptions o chrcters, spells, Art Drtor • Sonj Morris
enchntments, personlities, tems, persons, likenesses nd specil bilities; plces,
loctions, environments, cretures, equipment, micl or supernturl bilities or eects, Sor Grh
Produto Dgr
Artt  • Emily Crowell nd Adm Vick
• Tony Brnett
loos, symbols, or rphic desins; nd ny other trdemrk or reistered trdemrk clerly
identied s Product identity by the owner o the Product Identity, nd which speciclly Frh Mgr • Mrk Morelnd
excludes the Open Gme Content; () “Trdemrk” mens the loos, nmes, mrk, sin, motto, Projt Mgr • Gbriel Wluconis PART 3:
desins tht re used by  Contributor to identiy itsel or its products or the ssocited
products contributed to the Open Gme License by the Contributor () “Use”, “Used” or THE
“Usin” mens to use, Distribute, copy, edit, ormt, modiy, trnslte nd otherwise crete Pzo CEO • Lis Stevens
Derivtive Mteril o Open Gme Content. (h) “You” or “Your” mens the licensee in terms Ch Crtv Ofr • Erik Mon FALL OF
o this reement. Ch Fl Ofr • John Prrish
2. The License: This License pplies to ny Open Gme Content tht contins  notice SUSKILLON
Ch Orto Ofr • Jerey Alvrez
indictin tht the Open Gme Content my only be Used under nd in terms o this License.
You must fx such  notice to ny Open Gme Content tht you Use. No terms my be dded Ch Thl Ofr • Vic Wertz
to or subtrcted rom this License except s described by the License itsel. No other terms or
conditions my be pplied to ny Open Gme Content distributed usin this License. Drtor o Sl • Pierce Wtters
3. Oer nd Acceptnce: By Usin the Open Gme Content You indicte Your cceptnce o Sl Aot • Cosmo Eisele BATTLING
the terms o this License.
4. Grnt nd Considertion: In considertion or reein to use this License, the Contributors V Prdt o Mrktg & Lg • Jim Butler
Lg Mgr • Glenn Elliott THE SWARM
rnt You  perpetul, worldwide, roylty-ree, non-exclusive license with the exct terms o
this License to Use, the Open Gme Content. Publ Rlto Mgr • Aron Shnks
5. Representtion o Authority to Contribute: I You re contributin oriinl mteril s Open Cutor Srv & Couty Mgr • Sr Mrie
Gme Content, You represent tht Your Contributions re Your oriinl cretion nd/or You hve
sufcient rihts to rnt the rihts conveyed by this License. Orto Mgr • Will Chse
6. Notice o License Copyriht: You must updte the COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion o this Orgzd Ply Mgr • Tony Woldride A PLAGUE
License to include the exct text o the COPYRIGHT NOTICE o ny Open Gme Content You Hu Rour Grlt • Ani Hodson
re copyin, modiyin or distributin,
distributin, nd You must dd the title, the copyriht dte, nd the Dt Etry Clrk • B. Scott Keim OF LOCUSTS
copyriht holder’s nme to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE o ny oriinl Open Gme Content you
Distribute.
7. Use o Product Identity: You ree not to Use ny Product Identity, includin s n Drtor o Thology • Rimi Kon
indiction s to comptibility, except s expressly licensed in nother, independent Wb Produto Mgr • Chris Lmbertz
Areement with the owner o ech element o tht Product Identity. You ree not to indicte Sor Sotwr Dvlor • Gry Teter
comptibility or co-dptbility with ny Trdemrk or Reistered Trdemrk in conjunction ALIEN
with  work continin Open Gme Content except s expressly licensed in nother,
independent Areement with the owner o such Trdemrk or Reistered Trdemrk. The Cutor Srv T • Ktin Dvis, Virini Jordn, Smnth Pheln, nd ARCHIVES
use o ny Product Identity in Open Gme Content does not constitute  chllene to the
ownership o tht Product Identity. The owner o ny Product Identity used in Open Gme Dieo Vldez
Content shll retin ll rihts, title nd interest in nd to tht Product Identity. Wrhou T • Lur Wilkes Crey, Mik Hwkins, Hether Pyne, Je Strnd,
8. Identiction: I you distribute Open Gme Content You must clerly indicte which nd Kevin Underwood
portions o the work tht you re distributin re Open Gme Content. Wbt T • Brin Bumn, Robert Brndenbur, Whitney Chtterjee, CODEX OF
9. Updtin the License: Wizrds or its desinted Aents my publish updted versions o Erik Keith, Josh Thornton, nd Andrew White
this License. You my use ny uthorized version o this License to copy, modiy nd distribute WORLDS
ny Open Gme Content oriinlly distributed under ny version o this License. This product is complint with the Open Gme License (OGL) nd is suitble or use with Strnder.
10. Copy o this License: You MUST include  copy o this License with every copy o the Open
Gme Content You distribute. Produt Idtty: The ollowin items re hereby identied s Product Identity, s dened in the Open
11. Use o Contributor Credits: You my not mrket or dvertise the Open Gme Content usin Gme License version 1.0, Section 1(e), nd re not Open Gme Content: All trdemrks, reistered
the nme o ny Contributor unless You hve written permission rom the Contributor to do so. trdemrks, proper nouns (chrcters, deities, loctions, etc., s well s ll djectives, nmes, titles, nd
12. Inbility to Comply: I it is impossible or You to comply with ny o the terms o this descriptive terms derived rom proper nouns), rtworks, chrcters, diloue, loctions, plots, storylines,
License with respect to some or ll o the Open Gme Content due to sttute, judicil order, or trde dress, the historicl period clled the Gp, the terms kishlee, sivv, skyre, Dremer (the ofcil
overnmentl reultion
reultion then You my not Use ny Open Gme Mteril so ected. Open Gme Content term or which is “dremin brthu”), nd the Drit (the ofcil Open Gme Content
term or which is “hyperspce”). (Elements t ht hve previously been desinted s Open Gme Content,
13. Termintion: This License will terminte utomticlly i You il to comply with ll or re exclusively derived rom previous Open Gme Content, or tht re in the public domin re not
terms herein nd il to cure such brech within 30 dys o becomin wre o the brech. All included in this declrtion.)
sublicenses shll survive the termintion o this License.
14. Reormtion: I ny provision o this License is held to be unenorceble, such provision O G Cott: Except or mteril desinted s Product Identity (see bove), the me mechnics
shll be reormed only to the extent necessry to mke it enorceble. o this Pizo me product re Open Gme Content, s dened in the Open Gme License version 1.0,
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE Section 1(d). No portion o this work other thn the mteril desinted s Open Gme Content my be
reproduced in ny orm without written permission.
O G L v 1.0 © 2000, Wizrds o the Cost, Inc.
Syt Rr Dout © 2000, Wizrds o the Cost, Inc.; Authors: Jonthn Tweet, Starfnder Adventure Path #19: Fate o the Fith © 2019, Pizo Inc. All Rihts Reserved. Pizo, the Pizo
Monte Cook, Skip Willims, bsed on mteril by E. Gry Gyx nd Dve Arneson. olem loo, Pthnder, the Pthnder loo, Pthnder Society, Strnder, nd the Strnder loo re
Starfnder Core Rulebook  ©  © 2017, Pizo Inc.; Authors: Lon Bonner, Json Bulmhn, Amnd reistered trdemrks o Pizo Inc.; Attck o the Swrm!, Pthnder Accessories, Pthnder Adventure
Hmon Kunz, Json Keeley, Robert G. McCrery, Stephen Rdney-McFrlnd, Mrk Seiter, Crd Gme, Adventure Crd Society, Pthnder Adventure Pth, Pthnder Adventures, Pthnder
Owen K.C. Stephens, nd Jmes L. Sutter, with Alexnder Auuns, Judy Buer, John Compton, Bttles, Pthnder Cmpin Settin, Pthnder Crds, Pthnder Combt Pd, Pthnder Flip-Mt,
Pthnder Flip-Tiles, Pthnder Leends, Pthnder Mp Pck, Pthnder Module, Pthnder Pwns,
Adm Dile, Crystl Frsier, Liss Guillet, Thurston Hillmn, Erik Mon, Mrk Morelnd, Jessic Pthnder Plyer Compnion, Pthnder Roleplyin Gme, Pthnder Tles, Strnder Adventure
Price, F. Wesley Schneider, Amber E. Scott, nd Josh Vot. Pth, Strnder Combt Pd, Strnder Flip-Mt, Strnder Pwns, Strnder Roleplyin Gme, nd
Adventure Path #19: Fate o the Fith  © 2019, Pizo Inc.; Authors: Ptrick Brennn,
Starfnder Adventure Strnder Society re trdemrks o Pizo Inc.
with Jmes Cse, Adrin N, nd Lcy Pellzr.
Printed in Chin.

63
 

TERMINUS WILD
1 SQUARE = 5 FEET

FORWARD
a b
9
c
d d
1
 2 2
10

3 4

11 11

5 6

12

TO 13 TO 7

13
LOWER DECK 

MAP KEY
1. Bridge 6. Captain’s quarters
  a. Pilot’s station 7. Engineering
  b. Science ofcer’
ofcer’ss 8. Power core
station 9. Observation deck
14 15 14
  c. Captain’s chair 10. Airlock
  d. Gunnery stations 11. Guest quarters
2. Lit 12. HAC
3. Galley 13. Cargo bay
4. Crew quarters 14. Escape pods
5. Crew lavato
lavatory
ry 15. Cargo airlock

UPPER DECK 

 
SUSKILLON NEEDS YOU!
As the ever-ravenous threat o the insectile Swarm surges across another system in the Vast, the
heroes are part o the deense eort. They must fght back against waves o oes and rescue
civilians, including a shirren priest o Hylax whose temple seems to be o particular interest
to the invaders. By relying on their wits—and each other—the heroes just might survive the
Swarm onslaught.
This volume o Starfnder Adventure Path begins the Attack o the Swarm! Adventure Path
and includes:

• “Fate o the Fith,” a Starfnder adv

adventure
enture or 1st-level characters, by
Patrick Brennan.

• A guide or play

players
ers o this Adventur
Adventuree Path, including two military themes and a
selection o helpul gear, by Patrick Brennan.

• An examination o the nig

nigh-unstoppable
h-unstoppable orce kno
known
wn as the Swarm, by Lacy
Lacy Pellazar.
Pellazar.

• An archive o aalien
lien creatures, includ
including
ing a shapechang
shapechanging
ing swarm o nano
nanobots
bots and sev
several
eral
Swarm creatures, by Patrick Brennan, James Case, and Adrian Ng.

• Statistics and d
deck
eck plans or a luxury obs
observation
ervation vehic
vehicle,
le, plus a glimpse at
the bucolic world o Suskillon beore it is invaded, by Patrick Brennan.

paizo.com/starfnder
Printed in China. PZO7219