The Cerberus Echo - A Hostile Rpg Campaign using The Cyclops World Book And For Your Old School 2d6 or Cepheus Engine rpg Campaigns - Further Procedures

Here's the second part of our The Cerberus Echo from November 26th here on the blog. The EVA and docking procedure is the crucial final barrier before the crew enters the haunted depths of Cerberus Station, adding intense personal peril and reinforcing the isolation of the setting.

Here is the breakdown of the EVA and Docking Hazards for the derelict Cerberus Station.

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 EVA & Docking Procedures: The Derelict Station

The Cerberus Station's automated docking arm is inert and severely damaged. The crew must manually guide their vessel or use EVA suits and maneuvering thrusters to secure docking clamps to the nearest stable airlock—one that is rated for high-stress depressurization.

1. The Cracked Airlock Integrity

The designated airlock (Airlock Gamma-7) is structurally compromised from the initial disaster. It is the only guaranteed entry point, but it's not safe.

• Hazard: Before opening the outer hatch, a crew member must perform an EVA inspection and manual override. Requires a TECH (Welding/Sealing) Check (DV 14).

  • Success: The hatch seals correctly and cycles safely.

  • Failure: The hatch attempts to cycle but fails to achieve a complete seal. The crew member performing the check must take $1\text{D}6$ damage from immediate, localized flash-freezing/depressurization before the hatch slams shut. They must then attempt the check again.

  • Critical Failure (Roll of 1): The attempted cycle causes the airlock to catastrophically decompress and seal. The airlock is now permanently Locked and Damaged, forcing the crew to find a different, more dangerous entry point (e.g., cutting through the hull with the Plasma Cutter).

2. Zero-G Maneuvering in the Debris Field

The area immediately surrounding Cerberus is dense with slow-moving metallic wreckage and chunks of the crystalline fungal network, making EVA travel hazardous.

• Hazard: The EVA crew member(s) must make a DEXTERITY (EVA/Tethering) Check (DV 13) to navigate the debris field and securely attach the docking clamps/tethers.

  • Success: They secure the tether/clamps without issue.

  • Failure: They are knocked off course and spin out toward the wreckage. They must immediately make a second, difficult DEXTERITY (15+) Check or collide with a large piece of debris, sustaining $1\text{D}6$ damage to their $\text{ARMOR}$ (potentially breaching the suit).

3. The Radiation Scorch

The atmosphere near the breached reactor core—close to Airlock Gamma-7—has a higher ambient radiation level than the rest of the Kharon Zone.

• Hazard: Any crew member remaining outside the shielded ship/station for more than 3 consecutive rounds during the docking procedure must make an immediate ENDURANCE (12+) Check due to the localized radiation spike.

  • Failure: They receive 1 stack of Radiation Exposure (as per the Kharon Zone rules: $-1$ penalty to $\text{ENDURANCE}$ until treated).

4. Securing the Berth

Once the airlock is secured, the final challenge is safely attaching the ship to the station's heavy moorings using the ship's external controls.

• Hazard: The Pilot must make a final, delicate Pilot (Docking) Check (DV 15), using only external visual data and the ship's maneuvering thrusters to avoid damaging the derelict station further.

  • Success: The ship is securely berthed, and the crew can safely enter.

  • Failure: The ship makes a hard impact. The ship suffers 1d6 Hull Damage (reducing max Hull points), and the impact triggers a Random Encounter roll on the Cerberus Station table (Roll D6).

Cerberus Station: Habitation Deck Layout

The Hab Deck is the lifeblood of the station—or what was left of it. It's built around a central spine, containing all crew quarters, common areas, and direct access to the command and maintenance sections. It is dark, cold, and eerily quiet, save for the persistent, distorted loop of the "Echo" transmission.

1. Airlock Gamma-7 Vestibule (Entry Point)

• Description: The entry point. The airlock cycle is slow and hissing. The vestibule walls are stained with a strange, dark, crusty residue, not blood, but something metallic and organic.

• Key Feature: Directly opposite the entry hatch is a digital sign displaying the last log: "Containment Failure: Atmospheric Toxicity Exceeding 400%"—a lie to cover the biological threat.

• Hazard: The residue here requires a successful Perception (10+) Check to notice that it is emitting a faint, low-level heat. This is the initial sign of the RMH's past activity.

2. Central Mess Hall & Galley (The Scene of the Disaster)

• Description: A large common area lit only by failing emergency strips. Chairs are overturned; plates and nutrient packets are scattered. This area is heavily contaminated with the hardened, crystalline fungal filaments of the RMH.

• Key Discovery: The crew finds several vacuum-sealed emergency kits, all ripped open, but the contents untouched—indicating the crew died before they could react to the emergency.

• Clue: On one wall, someone (likely Patch, the synth) scrawled a warning in bioluminescent synth-blood: "NOT GAS. VIRUS. BELOW."

3. Crew Quarters (The Search)

• Description: A long corridor lined with small, identical bunks and personal lockers. Most lockers were forced open and looted by the RMH, looking for something organic or synthetic to consume.

• Salvage: A successful Perception (13+) Check in the Officer's Quarters (one of the few still locked) allows the crew to find the Nano-Repair Patch Kit (Corp-Grade) (Salvage Item #4).

• Encounter Trigger: This is a high-traffic area, making it an ideal location to roll on the Random Encounter Table (D6).

4. Life Support & Power Distribution Junction

• Description: A tight, cramped service area crisscrossed with sparking wires and leaking cooling fluids. The air is slightly warmer here due to the heat generated by the damaged systems.

• Key Feature: The power routing panel is blinking erratic warnings. A character with a high $\text{TECH}$ skill can manually boost the power to the Comm Array (TECH (12+) Check).

• Connection: This room contains the junction that leads directly DOWN to the Lower Mines (Act II). A massive, sealed hatch here is marked: "Restricted Access: Seismic Drilling Area."

5. Comms/Bridge Access (The Echo Source)

• Description: A shattered main console, monitors cracked, and wiring exposed. The corrupted, looping signal (the "Echo") is loudest here.

• The Key NPC: The synth Patch is found here. He is physically fused to the comms console, frantically trying to splice wires to restore the main computer. He is suffering from critical system damage and will be initially highly defensive and paranoid.

• Mission Goal: The crew must interact with Patch (Empathy (10+) Check or combat) to determine that the Ares Drill Controller Data-Pad is not here, but was used as bait and is now located deeper in the Lower Mines (Act II).