Let Sleeping Lugubraa Lie
Background
Some twenty years ago, the crew of the Miser's Purse ran a smuggling operation under the guise of an asteroid mining business. They frequently traveled across the galaxy hauling contraband buried beneath cargo holds full of ore. Their final run would see them transporting live cargo from the Unknown Regions: three shipping containers full of lugubraa.
Towards the end of their journey, the captain had stopped off at a mostly uninhabited star system to collect ore when a freak navigation error resulted in the ship being rent in half from a violent collision with an asteroid. Crewmen in the cargo holds and crew quarters were vented into space in seconds, and the shipping containers full of lugubraa were thrown open. A few of the faster specimens held fast to the hull. Their ravenous hunger from the long journey drove them to attack the remaining unsuspecting crew when they attempted recovery operations.
With only two men left, the captain decided to sacrifice himself and save the others. Having nothing but a blaster pistol and vibrosword to defend himself with, he corralled the monsters into the equipment room using himself as bait while the final two fled in an escape pod, never to return.
Though the ship has been exposed to the cold vacuum of space for nearly two decades, there are still treasures and dangers for intrepid explorers to discover within its walls.
Overview
The party finds themselves violently and unexpectedly ripped from hyperspace. The navcomputer screeches that the fuel line has ruptured, venting the rest of the ship's fuel into the void. The ship now drifts in real space at the edge of an asteroid field.
Though they are stranded without fuel and with limited supplies, a cursory scan of the area reveals a mining ship nearby. At first glance, it’s very obvious from the fact that it is in two distinct pieces that the ship has been floating in the black for months if not years. Further scanning reveals that the wreck is unpowered and that there are no life signs on board.
This could be the opportunity that the player characters need to find repair materials and maybe, with a bit of luck, some fuel.
The Wreck
The sensor anomaly that cropped up a few hours ago finally comes into view; a hulking mass of twisted metal, shattered bulkheads and floating debris fill the view-screens. Whatever happened here, it looks like it happened a long time ago. The hull of this old mining barge has been left fragmented and the bow has been torn from the ship entirely, almost certainly killing the crew. The aft of the vessel looks almost intact, perhaps some sections survived.
1. Main Cargo Hold
Characters without darkvision or blindsight will need a light source to see the areas in the ship not exposed to the starlight outside. The door to the secondary cargo hold, which is mostly caved in, can be removed with relatively little effort.
The ruptured hull and twisted superstructure have caused significant damage here, but most of the machinery in this darkened space looks undamaged. A large drone maintenance dock fills one corner and a now redundant cargo door lies closed in the center of the room. A huge hole in the port bulkhead is only partly obstructed by floating debris. The door to the bridge and central control room is buckled. Peering through the cracks in the wall, nothing but the faint glow of distant stars lie beyond.
Mynock Roost. A swarm of mynocks has taken up residence in the dark, quiet recesses of the cargo hold. Player characters who disturb the roost are likely to anger the sleeping beasts. Spotting the beasts requires that players have a passive Perception of 8 or greater. Players can make a DC 9 Dexterity (Stealth) check to attempt to sneak past the sleeping swarm. Monster information for a mynock swarm can be found on pg. 109 of Scum and Villainy.
The single intact XK-V8 sits dark with its legs folded up beneath it in what looks to be its recharging station on the dock. The droid resembles an arachnid with three-pronged claws at the end of each appendage and its underbelly bristles with tools, such as a circular saw and arc welders. Atop the droid sits several large, forward facing sensors.
Maintenance Dock. The docking area contains three class V XK-V8 excavation droids, one of which is intact. Players can make a DC 12 Intelligence (Technology) check to try and attach a power source to the droid or the dock in an attempt to power the droid back up. All of the droids can be salvaged for parts. If the mynock swarm is still sleeping nearby, the players will need to continue making DC 9 Dexterity (Stealth) checks any time they take an action. Failing this check will wake the swarm.
2. Secondary Cargo Hold
Player characters should take care to use mag-boots or other equipment to stay within the ship. The hold contains a fuel
canister filled to only 2% capacity. This could come in handy if players forgot to bring a canister with them from their ship. The area also contains clues for the players to find in regards to the lugabraa that were once stored in the containers. The durasteel door to both the crew quarters and equipment room are unpowered and firmly in place though players can attempt to remove or move it, it will be a challenge to do so.
Little remains of this section of the derelict vessel. Its contents float aimlessly in the void. Two massive shipping containers and a fuel canister stand out amongst the debris. The console adjacent to the forward bulkhead is shattered, any answers it might have held long gone.
If players take the time to inspect the opened doors of the large, empty shipping containers, they will find thousands of fine lines are etched deeply into the inside of the durasteel, cross-hatched in no discernible pattern.
3. Crew Quarters
Much like the Secondary Cargo Hold, player characters must take care to secure themselves in this area or risk floating out into space.
Most of this section has been exposed to the vacuum for decades, slowly decaying in the background radiation that engulfs it. A terminal sits tucked away in the corner with a small safe underneath it while two bunk beds dominate the rest of what little room is left in the crew quarters. Floating just above the beds is a small storage container.
Work Station. The terminal beside the beds can be accessed if a player successfully passes a DC 8 Intelligence (Technology) check, though a success of 15 or higher will give the player access to more detailed information. The first success grants access to a bill of lading detailing the generic cargo of the Miser's Purse: 115 tons of carvanium ore to be delivered to the Corporate Sector. The higher success reveals a second bill of lading for the contraband that includes three shipments of Leech Legions. The bill doesn't go into incredible detail and players will likely have to pass a difficult Lore ability check to recognize them for what they are, lugubraa.
Storage Container. The contents of the container include 50 credits in a faux leather wallet, half eaten expired rations, a dirty pair of miner's coveralls, and a beat up demolitions kit.
Smuggler's Safe. To break into the safe, the player must pass a DC 14 Dexterity (Slight of Hand) check. Repeated failures result in a mechanic lockout measure being deployed and player characters will have to find another way to break in. At first glance, it should appear to the player character that the safe has been raided but after rifling through it, they will easily find 1/4 pound of illicit spice worth roughly 2,500 credits on the black market. The real challenge will be finding a buyer who won't take a considerable cut.
4. Mining Control Station
This section will be plunged into darkness if the player characters do not have a source of light or close the door behind themselves.
From this room, it looks like the crew managed a small fleet of automated mining droids that specialized in cutting at asteroids in tandem and safely maneuvering ore into the ship's holds. There don't appear to be any drones here currently, but the outboard ore hold appears to contain 1 ton of carvanium.
With the exception of the ore, this section seems relatively empty though the players can attempt to salvage parts from the inboard maintenance terminal. Players who search behind the ore hold will find enough sealed mining explosives to serve as a Breaching Charge (Average).
The door leading to the central hallway is partially opened. Forcing it completely open would take relatively little effort.
5. Hallway
This small, dark hallway has labels above all of the doors indicating where they lead. The door leading to the engineering & reactor control room is open while the door leading to the equipment storage & cargo hold access is very obviously lined with explosives.
On their way out, the two surviving crewmen made sure that the lugubraa could not pursue them by leaving some of their explosives for drilling and blasting behind. It was a rush job, so it should be apparent to characters who have darkvision or a light source that the door is rigged to explode whether it opens via manual or electronic means. To open the door without triggering the explosion, a player will have to roll a DC 13 Dexterity (Slight of Hand) check to disable the explosives without setting them off.
A failure will result in any creature within 20 feet of the charge having to make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 1d6 fire damage and 1d6 kinetic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. The lugubraa in the equipment storage & cargo hold access will immediately be alerted to the presence of life on the ship.
A success results in the player quietly removing the detonator from the crumbling explosives. Unfortunately, do to their age, they are not stable enough to recover and use again.
5. Engineering & Reactor Control
In this area, the characters will be able to find the fuel that they need to continue with their journey. An enterprising salvaging team might see opportunity in one of the access
points containing an auxiliary power relay. Jurry-rigging some sort of power cell here might grant limited control of other basic systems, perhaps provide access to other areas.
The room is dark as systems lie dormant, but once lit it’s pretty clear that the ship's reactor remains intact, as there is little to no wreckage if it has been damaged. One of the open access points contains an auxiliary power relay.
A player can either spend 10 minutes or make a DC 10 Intelligence (Techonology) check to reroute power to the auxiliary systems. The systems immediately whir to life and the control panel glows with dim blue lights. Once the system boots, it immediately displays that the one and only life pod for this vessel was launched and that there are 160 hours of fuel remaining that can be siphoned into a fuel canister.
6. Equipment Storage & Cargo Hold Access
This final section of the ship can be bypassed completely if players think that the risk of disabling the explosives is too much. Otherwise, they will find a challenging fight against the four lugubraa within. If players didn't set off the explosive charge or make a lot of noise coming in, they have the opportunity to strike against the groggy, hibernating beasts before they're ready.
Upon opening the doors, you are greeted by the sight of four ravenous creatures who have been in hibernation since their last grizzly meal. Dried copper colored liquid is smeared around the center of the room, but what really draws the eye is the that lies in a dried pool of copper colored liquid at the center of the room. These maggot-white bipedal leech monsters turn towards you, preparing to strike.
On the next page, you'll find the template for the four lugubraa that your players will be facing off against. Lugubraa aren't terribly intelligent but they are tenacious and will use numbers to their advantage.
If characters try to escape, the lugubraa will give chase. If characters disengage their mag-boots or try to use the zero gravity environment to create space to mitigate the lugubraas' melee capabilities, the creatures will scale the walls and ceiling to try and find a place where they can strike out and grapple the characters.
Try and make it abundantly clear to your players that the lugubraa do not have eyes so that they have the opportunity to deploy abilities or weapons that cause deafness.
LEECH LEGIONNAIRE If you want a more challenging final encounter for your players, transform one of the lugubraa into an intelligent lorgrombo wearing the armor and weapon of the long dead ship captain. To do this quickly, take the lugubraa template on the next page and increase its AC by 3 to 14, its Intelligence to 17, and the barbed tentacles attack to dealing 8 (2d6+1) kinetic damage.
«Explume is lost to the Lugubraa, six hexes be upon them. Cloak and evacuate the nestlings while I—awwwwkk!» ―Shell Conjurer Firtha of the Unknown Regions
Lugubraa
Lugubraa possess twisted, maggot-white bipedal bodies of a leeches. The main feature of a Lugubraa's face was its large gaping maw, ringed with pink flesh and filled with razor sharp teeth in a circular pattern. The numerous teeth overlapped, and chewed in a gearlike pattern. Once something (or someone) entered their maw, it was nearly impossible to escape. They could digest both organic and inorganic matter, able to drain rocks of their minerals. The average Lugubraa was obsessed with fresh meat, however, finding it delicious beyond compare.
Though a Lugubraa possessed four arms, the lower two were little more than saggy, useless stubs. Their upper arms were very long, with five long fingers that were tipped with large suction cups. Each suction cup was filled with needlelike barbs. These dangerous digits gave a Lugubraa extra purchase when climbing or holding down their prey.
Eater of Worlds. The Gree Enclave considered the Lugubraa to be one of two curses unleashed by the Rakata during their war with the Celestials. The Gree named the Lugubraa "the Faceless Mouths", and further referred to them as "the Eaters of Worlds."
While engaging in a vicious civil war among their own kind, the Croke introduced the Lugubraa to their homeworlds in the Croke Reach. The Lugubraa proved so tenacious and deadly that for over 300 years, they spread, destroying Croke settlements across the region, no longer under the control of their original employers. One of the settlements they destroyed was Explume Minor. The Croke sought the help of the cloners of Kamino, believing that they needed to fight the Lugubraa with members of their own kind. The Kaminoans created a genetic variant that became known as the Leech Legion, but these clones proved to be just as deadly to the Croke as their predecessors.
Lugubraa
Medium humanoid, Unaligned
- Armor Class 11
- Hit Points 75 (10d8+30)
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 4 (-3) 12 (+1) 4 (-3)
- Senses passive Perception 10, Blindsight 60ft.
- Languages Lugubraal
- Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Echolocation. The lugubraa can't use its blindsight while deafened.
Pack Tactics. The lugubraa has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of the lugubraa's allies is within 5ft. of the creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
Space-borne. The exogorth can survive in the vacuum of space.
Spider Climb. The lugubraa can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Actions
Barbed Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 15ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+1) kinetic damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 12). Until this grapple ends, the creature is grappled, and the lugubraa can't constrict another target.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+2) kinetic damage.
Horde for Hire. Lugubraa, whether alone or in a horde of hundreds, were driven by little more than mindless hunger. As such, Lugubraa of all ages, from a week old to hundreds of years, were seen as a cheap and readily available labor. Those who survived to approximately 50 years old gained sapience and would deal in credits, selling or renting their horde to others. They would then spend this money not only on themselves, seeking to satiate their never-ending hunger, but also on the well-being of their horde. The elders would buy high-energy food to stave off the prospect of famine amongst their younger brethren, a common problem among overpopulated Lugubraa hordes.
Many governments and organizations across the Unknown Regions used Lugubraa mercenaries, and they were well known for their loyalty, tenacity, and deadliness. A Lugubraa would often find themselves used in one of several ways. The most obvious use was as soldiers—indeed, their overwhelming numbers and voracity led many generals to use them idly, throwing them into battle in suicide waves. Lugubraa were so common in the Unknown Regions that they could be found at almost any stellar-class starport.
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Credits
- Artwork of the Fenrir from The Art of Rubicon.
- Battlemap of the Derelict Ship by Alexei Wyatt. Patreon | Instagram
- Artwork of the Mynocks from Wookieepedia.
- Lugubraa information from Wookiepeedia.