After the players started getting closer to finishing Eye of the Needle, I realized this adventure could use some boosting.

As the exaggerated person I am, that begun with a massive battle over Quppa-Psi-12 as Bastille allied himself with Djanko and wanted to block everyone else from continuing.

This made the players ally themselves with Abel, Sun Lee, Charlabelle and "Fel & Blitz" - the later quitting the battle as soon as they took any damage, leaving Bastille on the upper hand.

After this, back on the planet they found the temple taken by Krawkin, who they manage to fight off and with Charlabelle's help - capture and ransom back to his dinasty.

****, I had written like 20k caracters adventure here and just lost it all to a page reload. I give up for today.

I will leave you with the ship chassis for the first part of the actually "Boosted" adventure:

The Light of Terra

In this adventure, the Light of Terra was "one" of the Flagships of the Angevin Crusade. A terribly badass "Invasion" ship which was more than able to hold its own also against any voidship shorter than another GC or BC.

This adventure terribly risks the current player's ship and forces them into the decision of saving it or the Terra. The Terra is tremendously OP but should drain the Dinasty's resources dry in its repair and get them into a LOT of discussions with the IN and AdMech (see Titan component and Cogitator) in order for them to get a Writ of Claim (yet due to the state in which it was found -and specially if the original Dinasty ship was lost in the course of the adventure- the IN and AdMech cant do much but delay the Dinasty in getting it for itself).

Stoic, Temperamental Warp Engine, Veteran of the Angevin Crusade, Haunted

Hull: Repulsive

Name Status
Good* Modified Saturine-Pattern Class 5 Drive Minimal power output, only feeding Life Support at the time. If minimal repairs are done, it becomes "Damaged, Speed at 3. Power output at 40."
Good* Miloslav H-616.b Warp Engine Operational. Heresy accounts for -5 at warp encounters.
Belecane-Pattern 90.r Gellar Field Unpowered
Good* Triple Void Shield Array Unpowered, Damaged (operating as 1).
Good* Invasion Bridge Unpowered, Damaged.
Good* Vitae Pattern Life Sustainer Damaged
Good* Cold Quarters Damaged, yet powered.
Good* BG-15 Assault Scanners Operational.

Name Status
Good* Barracks Unpowered
Good* Barracks Damaged
Good* Barracks Operational.
Good* Cargo Hold and Lighter Bay 150 Valkyries (30 Talon, 20 Vendetta, 100 Transport), 50 Vultures, 20 Halo Barges. 50 Chimeras, 50 Sentinels, 50 Tauros, 5 Basilisks.
Good* Warlord Titan Hold and Lighter Bay Unpowered
Good* "Storm" Drop Pod Launch Bays Empty
Pilot's Chamber* Unpowered
Good* Small Craft Repair Dock* Unpowered
Good* Auto Fortress-Temple* Unpowered
Good* Munitorium* Destroyed
Medicae Deck Damaged
Brig Damaged

Best* Turbo Stygies-Pattern Bombardment Cannons Damaged
Best* Fortis-Pattern Torpedo Tubes Damaged
Good* Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay Damaged No craft intact
Good* Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay Damaged No craft intact
Good* Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay Operational. 3 Torp Bombers (1 Squad), 20 Starhawks (2 squads), 60 Fury Interceptors (3 Squads)
Good* Jovian-Pattern Landing Bay Operational. 16 Shark Boats, 40 Marauders, 80 Thunderbolts

****, I had written like 20k caracters adventure here and just lost it all to a page reload. I give up for today.

I will leave you with the ship chassis for the first part of the actually "Boosted" adventure:

(...)

Stoic, Temperamental Warp Engine, Veteran of the Angevin Crusade, Haunted

Hull: Repulsive

Name Status

(...)

Good* Warlord Titan Hold and Lighter Bay Unpowered

Yeah, post fast or not post at all;) I pity your adventure as you usualy come with cool stuff.

To the point. Does this Titan hold come with titan included? Don't get me wrong, as I like going irreasonably big too, but maybe there's too many eggs in this basket? I suggest squad of Knights instead. Every party member can get his own small god of war (well, demigod) without much clashing with AdMech.

****, I had written like 20k caracters adventure here and just lost it all to a page reload. I give up for today.

I will leave you with the ship chassis for the first part of the actually "Boosted" adventure:

(...)

Stoic, Temperamental Warp Engine, Veteran of the Angevin Crusade, Haunted

Hull: Repulsive

Name Status

(...)

Good* Warlord Titan Hold and Lighter Bay Unpowered

Yeah, post fast or not post at all;) I pity your adventure as you usualy come with cool stuff.

To the point. Does this Titan hold come with titan included? Don't get me wrong, as I like going irreasonably big too, but maybe there's too many eggs in this basket? I suggest squad of Knights instead. Every party member can get his own small god of war (well, demigod) without much clashing with AdMech.

I admit I am still divided about this, but considering I almost got the party multiple times into a total pt kill until now just in this adventure, and 1 or 2 are still certain to die before I end it - I believe it's worth it. Specially since it looks much more powerful/useful than it actually is in RT terms.

Also, there is a reason I did not give them Knights or Warhounds: the Warlord is way more difficult to use, they'd need a day to get it functional (IF the component was fine and all personal needed was there) and one more day to deploy it from orbit. And maybe a week to get it back into orbit once its used.

Also, to get the crew's admech to be its princeps would be an adventure in itself. If the pcs would even be able to get a princeps at all!

Part I - Roth & Terra

It's likely that the players don't get a direct access into the Terra so fast, and spend some time looking for a hole which will lead them to multiple components they might want to repair even before getting to Roth. This could even be encouraged depending if you want the PCs to meet Terra before Roth.

Getting into the Terra:

-20 Detection test: find breaches in Dorsal Batteries, Bridge airlock still secure, Jovian Hangar bays.

-10 Detection test: find breach in an unpressurized destroyed munitorium where multiple torpedos exploded, this place of the ship is in its Center and is currently a large cavernous area of mangled metal.

0 Detection test: Cargo Hold is open and unpressurized.

Roth is just like the book, except that he will make clear his intent: he wants his ship back into working condition and under his control and for that he will open special cargo holds for the players (and area of the cargo holds separate from the rest of the equipment listed above), where the loot actually listed in the book is. That area is together with the Titan hold, and if you draw a map at some point for the players, this should be listed just as "2d Cargo Hold (locked)" or "Extended Supply Vault". Away from any fighting that should go on later.

Also, he has 50 elite Charon Pattern Combat servitors that he will utilize to ensure his survival. He is the one and only entity that can control these. The controls are hard-wired into his brain and no amount of hacking by Terra or the player's Explorator will help this.

He will, however, make it clear that while activating the Cogitator the players should first get in touch with him first, for he will need to pass them special instructions on that.

Also, Gellar Field and Warp Drive restoration should come as last, since the Prow of the ship (where these components are) is locked away due to a recent Chaos incursion. Roth doesn't expect much trouble there, but he may make mention to hereteks and power fluctuations taking place before he and the cogitator ("The last time I had that THING online.") managed to cut power-lines and lock away all blast doors over there.

The first thing however, is the Plasma Drive. It should be generating power at least at half capacity, but something happened during a Chaos incursion that happened not more than 1 year ago. The power reserves are being hardly enough to keep the Life Support working, and are dwindling fast.

Repairing the power drive, is just by the book, except that there is also a "nurgle relic" at its core, its a black putrid pulsating heart, that thing is sucking the Power Drive energy while making it "sick". If the explorers bring it outside, anyone in its presence (including the Iron Kin there) not wearing a voidsuit will have to pass a -10 Toughness test or contract Nurgle's rot.

As power is brought back online, the ship trembles and multiple small circuitry go haywire from being oxidated or for not receiving power in a long time, Roth will make contact and explain that something is amiss at the Warp Drive at this time, it's sucking energy from way too many conduits as if it was attempting to make a tiny translation into the warp. He is not able to cut its power on his own and need to players to re-activated that "****, heretic cogitator" to do that.

If or When the PCs finally get to the main cogitator, they will find out that contact with Roth has been lost (against his expectations, that part of the ship is suffering interference on the comm signals).

Day 1 starts as the Power Drive is fixed.

Opening the huge blast door that isolates the Main Cogitator itself, will get the players there to find a tremendously ancient and advanced cogitator. A -40 Forbidden Lore: AdMech or a -20 Archeotech one will reveal this type of cogitator is now considered cursed, there were 4 of these ever found and used on Voidships, and only 2 were in control of the Imperium until M39, when the Light of Terra went missing and the other (also in a Repusilve Class "cursed" Grand Cruiser) turned semi-sentient and deserted to Chaos.

Activating it, will reveal "Terra".

"Terra" is now fully conscious and although he doesn't realize it, he is an utter heretical piece of technology now. He will however, as soon as he is brought back online, shut down the power to the Warp Drive and start speaking with anyone in the Main Cogitator room through vox casters and in a mix of high/low gothic . It speaks like an IG Commander and WORSHIPS the God Emperor (no, not the Omnissiah) while still understanding its a Ship's cogitator - yet, he did not realize he is now fully-sentient as he is as brilliant as an Int 30 human although he is awesome at controlling the ship's internal systems.

Any AdMech present may roll a Logic+30 test to realize and be SCARED LIKE HELL that the cogitator is fully sentient now.

Terra will explain to the players that those **** HERETICS in the Prow have managed to rig the Warp Drive into opening a small portal to a Chaos ship hanging in the Warp nearby. That "senile old crone of a captain" shut down Terra before he could finish venting these heretics into space an year back - and now all he can do is shut the power and close some extra blast doors.

The more they speak to Terra, they will understand that the cogitator doesn't want to believe "he" is a heretic himself. He in fact is a loyal servant of the Imperium and should get the players very divided regarding what to do with it. He says he would like to relieve Roth from duty as "he is clearly senile" and would even "take into consideration" even a Rogue Trader as a new Lord Captain - although he would prefer an IN Admiral. His only condition in providing full support for the Explorers replacing Roth is that the Terra's awesome power is never used against God-Emperor-fearing human populations and fight the enemies of Mankind (Xenos and Chaos alike) whenever they are encountered - and assisting him against whatever Chaos just set loose into his holds would be a grand proof of such.

If at any point the PCs explain to Terra he has become Sentient (after a hard Logic debate with him), he will become depressed and won't know what to do with himself - he is truly loyal to he Imperium and hates of Xenos and Chaos. In fact, it's a "sub-conscious" defense for him not to worship the Omnissiah, as deep down he knows he is an anathema to the AdMech teachings and current Doctrines.

If he wasn't accompanied by a multitude of AdMechs at this point, the Explorator will realize that if he really wants, he can conceal all tracks that Terra is sentient from his fellow crew members. Simply by declaring himself the only one apt to enter the Main Cogitator chambers in the future and also by explaining to Terra that he should never "give his opinions on pressing matters" to anyone but the ones the Explorator judge appropriate.

Terra will ask for the PCs to fix the ship's auger arrays next, he says he can "turn the scan inwards" to better understand what is happening in the prow and pass more information to the PCs.

Once they are out of the main cogitator, Roth will contact the PCs and a long discussion will take place. Roth is angry and wants the place to hard-reset Terra and erase his memories for the chance he will turn back into a normal cogitator. Any admech will know this isn't a guarantee for anything, and probably will just mean they will lose an ally - and Roth lose an enemy.

They must then decide who to help.

The heretic cogitator who is a fierce servant of the Emperor and will accept a new Cpt?

The living legend Lord Captain Draken Roth, who wants his ship back into his hands?

Regarding movement across the Light of Terra

You should divide the ship in a grid of ~5x4, moving from each unit in the ship takes 1 day if on foot and 1.5 day by Chimera (in which case you can only move through the core of the ship, where there is a large Tramway passage). You can take 0.5 day by foot and 0.75 by Chimera after Terra (the cogitator) is active (after power is also restored). If the players are loosing badly, give them a couple of assault bikes, so they can move through the tramway in a matter of just a few hours.

It's important that you divide the components in that grid and note the Damaged or Destroyed ones as these should influence on troop movement later on. (differently from the Explorators and Void Walkers, others dont have access to Voidsuits)

Set the a Grand Cruiser image as background in that grid (whos using roll20?) and put the character & tribe tokens on it.

The cogitator for instance is really important here, so remember to set it as one of the components close to the bridge.

Not saying bad in any way, but it's so weird to read about the LoT in such a different configuration. Chaos, a more sneaky, servitor-controlling Roth, a Titan onboard. Possibly nifty; a nice alternate set-up to the five-mile jog through mutants.

As a dumb aside, how bad would it really be for a crew to harvest the Battleship version? I know that battleships are beasts, in their own right, but are they really THAT bad? Like so many big things, part of the threat is that they are accompanied by numerous, smaller things. Without an escort fleet, it's a slow, ponderous behemoth, with lots of upkeep. How much worse/broken is it really, when RICH RTs can now get Grand Cruisers? The Light is often seemingly described as an Emperor-class Carrier, anyway, so some of it's weapon slots have docks, and it is often described as the underpowered member of the battleship family.

I really do like the idea that, someway, Roth is a Colchite Servo-Master, and armed with 4 dozen+ servitors. That might be my favorite little spin on this.

1st Day (continuation)

Once the discussion with Roth-Terra has ended - although if Roth is left alive and Terra is online, eventually Roth's servitors will come down to the main cogitator and shut it down (gently) when the players are not there.

Any of the 2 will ask you then for the Auger arrays to be fixed (like in an extended repairs action, but must be done from outside). With this, Terra or Roth can scan the prow of the ship and more precisely assess what's happening (and also find out what conduits in specific are being drained upon by the Warp Drive Anomaly).

Once this is done, it should be "11:59pm" of the 1st Day.

Day 2

After the explorers have camped and rested (and restored the Auger Arrays), they will then be contacted by Roth/Terra by the nearest Vox Caster (Terra) or by a Combat Servitor (Roth).

The Warp Drive Anomaly has finally been disrupted, and it actually was a portal/warp gate into another ship. A large number of entities (counting in the thousands easily) have crossed in the hours the Gate was open, and are more inexorably towards the Life Support Systems-Cogitators-Bridge area as they speak.
If you got Terra on your side and he is online at this time, it will be able to close the Blast Doors in the main tramway that runs through the spine of the ship, getting you until the end of the 2d Day before the Chaos force is able to break into the next component.

If it's Roth helping the explorer, he will move all his combat servitors to the components closer to the Prow.

Roth/Terra can give the players numbers, but these should vary on the number of troops the players actually have. There should be numbers that will make clear to the players they will need the tribes' help to fight against (even if they have only primitive weapons and don't number in the tens of thousands, they are very valuable as guides for example).

Example: if the players have 20k Guardsmen in their Cruiser (without barracks) & can rally 6k Tribesmen, you should get 1 Great Unclean One, 6k Renegades, 100 Death Guard, 5k Plaguebearers (which increase in numbers with each unit killed) + multitude of nurglings.

This day should be spent on preparing and getting the tribes support.

Iron Kin

About 500 in total, the smaller of the tribes. They are fake Mechanicus with pinkish robes (from old age) and bionic implants (non-functional) strapped to their limbs and bodies. Getting their support should be easy if the players can get Terra to order them through the Vox Casters ( "Oh the World is speaking its wills!" ), Roth orders them ( "The oracle has never failed us" ) or the AdMech who fixed the Warp Drive is able to charm them using Tech-Use alternatively at -10 to impress them ( "Oh the messiah commands us to protect the Blazing God." ).

Pale Sons

Getting to the pale sons leadership should be troublesome, using them should be even more difficult.

Living close to the Void Shields and Life Support, in an area surrounded by flooded places due to the LS's broken aqueducts, it should get the explorers +0.5 day to navigate around and is full of Feral Mutants (the non feral ones will run back to the Pale Mother), in addition to that you should watch out for Fear checks and distribute Insanity accordingly. The Pale Mother is a huge mutant psyker thing (see broodmother from Dragon Age) that won't attack the explorers unless the explorers attack the sentient mutants before.

Getting her support is a matter of charm and of showing that the Chaos horde is actually pretty deadly for her kin.

After she is convinced of such, you need to ensure her forces do not meet neither other Tribes nor your Guardsmen, as her mutants look like those from "Pandorem".

Void Walkers

Living in the Dorsal Macro-batteries, the closest to the prow of the ship and just "north" of the Main Tramway, these are the most civilized and which will get into the fight the easiest. They are specially usefull as almost all of them have Voidsuits (which can limitedly protect against nurgle's illnesses). They will not however, mix with Wargars.

They keep the air vents shut in the dorsal batteries holds and only the actual gargantuan turrets have breathable air (serving each as a "hab block"). They do this as a defense against the Wargars which outnumber them but don't possess voidsuits.

Wargars

Living in the only Barrack component that is currently undamaged. The Wargars are divided into 3 tribes that must each be submitted by force to the players. This is the point when the Arch Militant will in most cases use a power armor and break the Chieftains in 2 in order to get the actual Tribes support.

"Terra, do you realize you are a heretic yourself for being sentient?"

"Terra, do you realize you are a heretic yourself for being sentient?"

Hypothesis: Light Of Terra Has Become Heretical

Counterpoint: Light Of Terra Is Loyal To Imperium Of Mankin

Evidence: Light Of Terra Cannot Commit Heresy. Light Of Terra Is A Servant Of The Imperial Navy.

Conclusion: Heresy Committed By Light Of Terra Reflects On Command Staff Of Light Of Terra.

Response: Heretics Detected Aboard Light Of Terra. Beginning Purge.