Welcome to Scratching the Surface, the first adventure in the Junkers universe - an original,

deep space, future fantasy setting. The Junkers series has been written for the fantastic
Shadowdark RPG system, making use of much of the existing content (with a reskin where
appropriate) and creating some original creatures, equipment and weapons. Shadowdark is
an incredibly versatile, rules-light system that allows for fantastic games, and as you play
through Scratching the Surface, we encourage you to embrace the rules-light nature of the
system and have fun.

This adventure has been written to be fully compatible with the Shadowdark Quickstart
Rules, which you can download for free from the Arcane Library's website. We wanted this
first Junkers story to be as accessible as possible, but Scratching the Surface is a prologue for
a much bigger story and series of adventures following the discovery of the Husk ArkHive.
There is already much more to the setting and universe than you'll find in this adventure, so if
you like what you find here, please let us know. We hope that this will be the first of many
Junkers tales.
Scratching the Surface is an adventure
written for the Shadowdark RPG system.
All you will need to play are the Quickstart
Rules for Players and GMs. Some elements
□ r Terra and the Stars Beyond
within the Quickstart Rules have been
The player's home world, Terra, is a fantasy
reskinned to better suit the gritty, deep
reflection of our own world, one populated
space setting, but in most cases this is only
by humans and dwarves, elves and goblins
an aesthetic change-we haven't tried to
and other ancestries. Terra has now
re-invent the wheel. Full details of
advanced into the latter half of its third
reskinned items and any new items is
millennium, and magic and technology
provided in the appendices.
have flourished. Whilst not lost entirely,
the forests and wildernesses of old have
Whilst this adventure has been written 'for'
largely been overtaken by ever-growing
Shadowdark, it can alternatively be easily
cityscapes of stone and plastek. The largest
adapted to work with your preferred game
and most prominent of these urban
system and to suit your table.
sprawls is The Smoke', a continent-sized
city ruled over by the greedy Corporations
Using this !:locument
and home to more than a third of the
world's population.
Text formatted like this is intended to be
read aloud, or used as inspiration for your
The advent of space travel some three
own narration for your players.
hundred years ago created a new 'gold
rush' for resources across known space.
For us, one of the appeals of Shadowdark
Whilst many individuals set their sights on
is the important role that narrative and
the stars, travel beyond Terra takes
description plays - the GM describes a
resources denied to most. Therefore it was
location or scenario, and the players are
that the Corporations, already powerful
able to respond directly to that description
and wealthy, who each sought to be first to
without having to rely on predetermined
find fortune among the stars. So began a
abilities or skill checks. We've therefore
great conflict now known only as 'The
aimed to provide multiple pre-written
Collapse' - a corporate war on a scale not
narrative pieces which you can make use
seen since the Great Banana Bread War of
of, either by reading verbatim or using as
'53. Corporate piracy gave rise to literal
inspiration for your own words.
piracy, and in the aftermath of The
Collapse the dark skies beyond Terra were
Text formatted like this is additional
littered with the wrecks of hundreds of
information, advice or suggestions to help
crippled or broken ships.
you in running the adventure.
The years that followed gave rise to the
Junkers- crews of hardy souls who braved

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0 Q -
the dangers of space, seeking to make a
living salvaging corporate derelicts and
selling their findings for profit. Towards
the middle of the third millennium,
however, the first non-Terran vessel was
encountered. Though the 'Husk', as it
came to be known, was a broken derelict
containing no signs of life, it offered
technology and resources the likes of
which had never been seen before. Soon
after the first, more Husks were discovered
drifting among the stars, sending the
Corporations and even the Guilds of Terra
into a frenzy, each offering vast amounts of
Creds for any artifacts of 'XenoTech' that
could be recovered.
As one, the Junker crews that once fought
over the Corporation derelicts now set their
sights on the strange alien ships that
drifted among more distant stars, each
seeking to be the first to find the XenoTech
haul that would set them up for life. The
majority of Junker crews are independent,
labelling themselves 'Indies', but in recent
years some have banded together into
fleets known as Gangs. But both Indies
and Gangs will often affiliate themselves
with a Guild or Corporation back on Terra,
in a relationship that is often tense but can
be extremely profitable for both sides.
In Scratching the Surface, the players will
become the motley crew of an lndie Junker
ship.
resulted in the loss of many a brave or
foolish Junker crew.
Whilst their ships have been drifting
through the stars beyond Terra for a few
centuries, no creatures of the Husk race
have been encountered... Until now. Your
unfortunate players will have the dubious
honour of being the first Terrans to
encounter these strange creatures, known
as Xenos, but only time will tell if they will
survive.
The party will only encounter two types of
Xenos in Scratching the Surface, the
Harvester and the Swarm, but there are
many different types waiting to be
discovered deeper within the vessel that
will come to be known as the ArkHive.
These will be revealed and detailed in
future Junkers adventures.
Build your Ship
The first thing your players must do is
create and name their ship. A Junker
crew's ship is many things - a base of
operations, a means of travel to reach new
Husks and wrecks, a means of transporting
XenoTech and other loot back to Terra, but
more than this it is their home out here in
the vast night of space.

The Husk Ships and Their Builders...

In the Junkers universe, ships are
The huge ship that the crew will
effectively an additional character, with a
investigate in Scratching the Surface is
class, set of stats and abilities that define
nothing like any of the previous Husks
what type of ship it is. Ship creation is very
encountered, though it does appear to be
similar to normal character creation, and
from the same builders. The ships and the
there are guidelines in Appendix C.
race which built them are entirely alien to
the inhabitants of Terra, their biology and
Once the crew has a ship, you're ready to
technology all but incomprehensible.
set the scene with some background to
the adventure.
Husk vessels appear to be partially organic
in design, as much built as grown, with a
Adventure BacKgr□und
structure and layout that follows alien
Scratching the Surface begins as the party
logic. Delving into a Husk vessel without
arrives at the site of their next delve into a
getting hopelessly lost is therefore a
Husk vessel, in hopes of finding a valuable
challenge in itself, and one that has
haul of XenoTech to sell to the greedy

-3- © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

00 £....0000
 Corporations back on Terra. You can use
the text below to set the context for the
adventure, or use it as a starting point for
your own.
The last few months have been hard - your
Creds are running low and your ship is in
desperate need of an overhaul. However,
just as things are growing truly desperate,
you catch wind of an alien signal coming
from out in deep space. It's similar to the
signal from other Husk vessels, yet there is
something unique about it. Knowing that
while you won't be the only ship to pick up
the signal, if you act fast you could be the
first to reach the source, you plot your
course, prep the Sloth Chambers, and set
out in search of valuable XenoTech. ..
With the scene now set, you are ready to
begin Scratching the Surface!
The adventure begins as the party's ship
has arrived at its destination and has
started the process of reviving the crew.
You can use the narration text below to
open your player's story and then invite
them to introduce and describe their
characters to each other.
Far beyond the skies of Terra, on the outer
rim of known space, a small ship comes to
stillness at the end of a long journey.
Within this weathered looking vessel,
things begin to whir and hum as dormant
systems come back to life. In a room in the
heart of the ship a light flares, illuminating
five cylinders formed of metal and glass -
Sloth Chambers. Each one is big enough
for a fully grown humanoid to lie in, and
adorning each cylinder is a glowing crystal
which begins to shift colour, most
changing from a deep sapphire to
emerald.
Within your Sloth Chambers your sleep
has been dark, dreamless and long, but at
·-·
last comes the slow ascent of waking.
Drifting up out of the induced torpor that
cradled you as your ship flew far, far into
the dark, you feel light beyond your eyelids
and hear the hiss and whir as the chamber
opens. Slowly you sit up, giving your mind
time to catch up with your body, and you
look around at your crewmates. The fog of
long sleep is still on you, and it almost
seems like you are seeing each of them for
the first time...
You can now invite each of your players to
briefly introduce their character, describing
their general appearance and any key
things the rest of the party would know
about them.
Once each crewmember has introduced
themselves, you can draw their attention
to the fifth and final Sloth Chamber, which
has remained closed ...
As you shake off the final dregs of the
Stupor, you become aware that your
number is too few. Dave Bishop, cheerful
ships technician and your final
crewmember, is not among you. You turn
to the fifth Sloth Chamber in the room,
which has remained closed and upon
which the adorning crystal glows a deep
red...
When the chamber is opened, the crew is
met with a grisly sight.
The air that hisses from the Sloth Chamber
is thick with the smell of charred flesh and
old death. The body ofyour former
crewmate lies still, but the skin is
blackened in places, the sleepsuit burned
away. These chambers are usually
reliable, but travel beyond the stars is a
dangerous business, and sometimes
things go wrong...
Any investigation by the players will reveal
the following information:
• A corroded circuit caused a malfunction,
electrifying the interior and killing its
occupant instantly. Going by the state
of decay, it must have happened early
on in your journey.
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
• The circuit is easy enough to replace and
should have been spotted in the pre-
sleep checks which were, somewhat
ironically, Dave's responsibility.
• There's no evidence of foul play-
equipment malfunction is an accepted
risk of space travel, and though perhaps
it seems mercenary, Dave has ultimately
paid the price for his own mistake.
If nothing else, splitting profit four ways is
easier than five, at least, and only needing
four chambers on the ride home will save a
bit of fuel as well...
As you're acknowledging that, even if all
goes well with this job, you'll be flying
home with a spare bed, a familiar chime
echoes through the ship - a proximity
alarm. You head to the bridge and take
stock ofyour surroundings. .
As the crew arrive on the bridge, the target
of their next delve is impossible to miss.
The Husk ship is far larger than any
previously encountered, resembling a
moon or small planet rather than a vessel.
The ship you have come to explore almost
fills your view. It is vast, at least a hundred
times larger than any Husk vessel you've
previously encountered and dwarfing your
small Junker craft entirely. Similar to other
Husk ships, the hull is the grisly colour of
bleached bone and covered in strange
markings and protrusions which could as
easily be functional as ornamental. A
short distance away you can make out a
dark hexagonal shape - some kind of
tunnel, perhaps...
As soon as the player's ship arrived here it
began scanning the Husk vessel and will
provide the crew with the entryway it has
discovered - not far from the ship's current
position a large hexagonal sinkhole can be
seen. It descends down into the enormous
ship, and scans also suggest that lower
elements of the shaft contain not only
breathable atmosphere, but gravity as well.
As the crew is digesting all of this
information, however, a second proximity
0 Q -
alert will sound as the ship notifies them
that there is another Terran vessel nearby...
Investigating the proximity alert reveals
that there is another Junker ship in the
vicinity, hanging in the dark only half a
kilometre away.
Guided by the ships sensors you turn your
vessel so that the pale Husk ship no longer
fills your view. Soon enough you spot it -
another Junker drifts alongside the bone-
coloured ship, though this one is not like
j your own vessel. It's half again as big with
patches of scarlet paint adorning the hull.
In shape it is reminiscent of the head of a
crocodile, with a jagged scarlet fin like a
metal mohawk running down its back,
and on either side of the nose two large,
vicious looking plasma cannons sit.
The ship's paint scheme is known to the
whole crew, and this ship itself may even
be familiar to some. This is The
Slaughterhouse - a known and often
feared Junker ship whose crew is affiliated
to the Butcher's Guild. It seems that your
player's are not the first to arrive at this
strange new Husk ship. However, The
Slaughterhouse hangs in the darkness, not
a single light shining and no signs of life
aboard. A scan will reveal that the ship is
indeed 'Cold' -though there is still
atmosphere the vessel is completely
,I powered down, including life support, and
appears to have been so for at least a week.
This is odd; even if the entire crew had
descended into the Husk ship, they
wouldn't power down The Slaughterhouse
entirely...
Now the players are faced with a choice.
The entry into the vast alien vessel is clear
and open, but the cold Junker ship is an
oddity and might warrant investigation.
-5-
 If they choose to investigate The
Slaughterhouse, details of what they find
are below. If they choose to ignore the ship
for now, preferring to enter the vast Husk
vessel that brought them here, you can
move on to Pa rt 3.
encounter /: Slaughterhouse b!::J Name...
It's easy enough for the party to bring their
ship alongside The Slaughterhouse and
dock with the larger Terran vessel. Once
inside The Slaughterhouse, the crew will
find most of the ship is burned out and the
crew are dead or missing. You can use the
narrative text below to describe what they
find.
As the airlock hisses open your nostrils are
assaulted with the acrid stench of burned
fabric and flesh. The interior of The
Slaughterhouse has been gutted by fire,
and metal panels on walls, floor and
ceiling are charred and even melted in
places. More unnerving than the smell,
though, is the silence. Even a stationery
ship is usually noisy, with the faint
vibration of the engines and the hum of air
circulation, the faint whir of computers
and the movements of crew. But not so
aboard The Slaughterhouse. Here, dead
silence reigns ...
Whatever happened to ship and crew, it
seems clear no one is left alive to tell the
tale...
The ship is truly dead, but if your players
choose to investigate they may be able to
glean the following:
• The fire appears to have been started by
someone on board, and spread in a
pattern that can only have been guided
by intent.
• Many of the ships control systems are
damaged beyond repair, seemingly
because of the fires. The comms relay,
however, appears to have been
deliberately destroyed beforehand.
• It does appear that a signal was sent out
before the fire, and though the content
is lost the recipient node relay seems to
be a Corporation node, rather than one
for the Butcher's Guild ...
·-· ••• • . • •••••••••• ~ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• i
• There are some corpses aboard, charred,
burned and in the case of one
unfortunate goblin, decapitated, but
recovering the crew roster reveals that
three crewmembers are not aboard -
they must be on the Hive.
• Crew Roster:
o King Carson (M)
o Zophar Obrian (M)
o Absalom Lawson (M)
o Elder Simpson (M)
o Roman McGhee (M)
o Pleasant Langhorne (M)
o Lucie Weddall (F)
o Henrietta Cheyne (F)
Having learned all they can aboard the
aptly named Slaughterhouse, the crew
return to their own ship.
What Really Happened
The events on board The Slaughterhouse
and the unknown fate of the remaining
crew offers plenty of opportunities to drive
up the tension, as well as put possible time
pressure on your players. In the following
paragraphs you'll find an explanation of
what actually took place on board The
Slaughterhouse and the fate of her crew,
but we leave it to you as the GM to
ultimately choose how much information
your players are able to discover.
Mutin for Profit...
The Slaughterhouse is affiliated to the
Butcher's Guild back on Terra - the ship is
essentially sponsored by the Guild, who
provide useful leads to jobs and in return
have first claim on any XenoTech or other
loot the crew find. Whilst the majority of
the crew are typical spacers, the de facto
captain, King Carson, is actually an official
representative of the Guild. His presence
on board helps keep the crew in line and
working to the Butcher's interests.
Following the arrival at the ArkHive,
however, scans revealed that alongside
potential XenoTech to be found within, the
very hull of the ship is made of an
unknown and likely extremely valuable
alloy. Seeing the potential for an even
bigger payout, a couple of crewmembers
@ Matt
© • Beames
: .•• &:. Andy
• , Leach 2023
•-·
convinced the rest to go against the
Butcher's Guild and sell any loot to the
Corporations back on Terra. The rest of the
crew agreed, and Carson tried to bring
them back in line. When words failed he
resorted to force, and in the ensuing battle
most were killed by Carson and the ship
was all but destroyed by fire.
In the chaos the ringleaders managed to
send a message to their Corporation
contact and fled down to the Husk vessel,
gambling on being able to find some
salvage whilst they wait for a Corp ship to
pick them up. King Carson survived the
chaos and followed them down,
abandoning The Slaughterhouse to drift in
the darkness.
The Fate of the Survivors...
Once inside the huge alien ship, King
Carson managed to pick up the trail of the
last of the mutineers. Tracking them
through the alien ship he finally
confronted and killed them. With The
Slaughterhouse going cold, however, he is
now trapped on the alien vessel, relying on
his wits and skill to survive until some
method of escape presents itself. ..
If the players are taking a long time to
decide what to do, their vessel may be
noticed by a passing flock of Hull
Munchers, which will then attack.
As you're debating your next course of
action, an alarm sounds. Ships sensors
reveal a flock of Hull Munchers have
spotted your vessel and are closing on it.
You'll have to do something quick, or these
metal hungry monsters will eat through
the hull!
Battle Tactics
You can find the stats for the Hull Muncher
in Appendix D. These creatures are not
very intelligent, guided by their stomachs
-7-
in most situations. If the crew wish to
engage them they can either attempt to
fight with the ship {Ship Weapon stats can
be found in Appendix C), or spacewalk and
face the creatures in combat on the hull. If
they act fast, they may even be able to
move the ship to evade the flock, and avoid
combat entirely.
Other Random Encounters
As is to be expected, space travel and
delving into the derelict craft of an
unknown alien species is inherently risky.
As you play through this adventure, you
should make use of random encounters in
accordance with the Quickstart Rules (See
Game Master's Quickstart Rules Pg. 74),
but the threats encountered will partially
depend on whether the players are on
board a ship or in space, etc. In Appendix
E of this document you'll find a selection of
Random Encounter Tables which cater for
different locations/scenarios.
With the dead Butcher's Guild ship ignored
or investigated, the players can turn their
attention to the strange Husk vessel which
looms large like a moon formed of pale
bone. The crew make themselves ready to
head down into the huge alien ship, in
search of precious XenoTech.
At this point you can give your players a
moment or two to establish what
equipment they are taking with them.
Your player's ship is their home and base,
and has its own storage capacity. Feel free
to allow your players to have some
additional spare gear on board, or to adjust
their gear slots to leave some things
behind. The aim isn't to let them cheat the
gear slot rule, but to offer a little more
flexibility in their equipment planning.
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
00 £....0000
 Give a Little Luck to Your Players
There are some excellent additional or
optional rules for Shadowdark, and one of
our favourites are the 'Pulp' optional rules
surrounding Luck. If you choose to use this
optional rule, now is the time to have your
players roll a d4 and see how much luck
they can carry down into the darkness...
Once your players have established their
load out, they can leave their trusty ship
and delve into the darkness of the vast
alien vessel ...
This part details the main series of
encounters in Scratching the Surface, as
your players make their way down into the
initial depths of the huge alien ship. If you
wish, you can use the following narrative to
set the mood for this next stage of the
adventure...
Surveying the vast Husk vessel, it's easy
enough to find a clear patch of hull to set
down on, and within minutes you feel the
faint reverberation as your ship's landing
claws touch and magnetically clamp on.
With your E-Vacc suits on, gear packed
and safety checks finished, your motley
crew stands in the airlock as the door
panels hiss open. The pale, alien hull
stretches out like a barren landscape, and
the strange sinkhole-like entrance lies
some thirty feet ahead.
You step out, mag-boots clamping to the
hull beneath you, and move to the edge of
the sinkhole. The black pit is
approximately 25ft across, and as you
attach your grapple lines to the side and
lower yourselves down, you feel like the
sinkhole is a gaping maw opening wide to
swallow you...
encounter e, !Jescent into !JarKness
Your players are a motley crew of
experienced Junkers, so the rappelling
·-·
descent into the belly of the ship is not
challenging, but should be unnerving. A
short way into the sinkhole they encounter
a layer of light or possibly luminescent
vapour, the threshold of the ArkHive's
atmosphere and gravity. You can use the
narrative text below to describe the
descent and encounter with the barrier.
As you pass the threshold, the only sounds
are the hiss ofyour suit's air pump and the
pounding of your heart. There is always a
rush of fear and adrenaline when entering
a Husk ship, being enfolded entirely by the
bone-coloured walls, but this entrance is
the strangest you have yet encountered.
About 50ft below you there is a pale blue
glow; a translucent wall stretching across
the space. Even as you draw close it is
difficult to say if this is a layer of light or
some luminescent vapour, but it gives no
resistance as you pass through it. You feel
a lurching sense of vertigo as 'up' and
'down' assert themselves more strongly.
You quickly deduce that you have now
passed into the gravity and atmospheric
field that your scans picked up earlier.
After another 30ft the sinkhole's walls
vanish as you emerge into what must be a
larger chamber, and moments later your
feet touch solid ground. You have reached
the bottom of the shaft, but in the pitch
blackyou have no idea where you might
be, or where you can go from here...
Now would be the time for your player's to
roll initiative to establish their turn order, if
they have not already done so. As they are
now standing in pitch dark, it would also
be advisable for them to light a flare baton,
again if they haven't already done so, and
look about them ...
Your flare blazes painfully bright for a
moment, and then settles into a steady
7
glow. You are standing in a broad
chamber which appears to be a nexus of
sorts, with six passageways leading away
either on a level or twisting up or
downward, but each filled with thick
darkness. The faded bone colour of the
walls continues here, and the light cast by
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
your flare batons seems to be absorbed
rather than reflected, turning white walls
into a sickly, washed-out parody of the
flame's colour.
There is no sense of recognisable
technology here, no cables or conduits - in
similar fashion to other Husk ships, there is
something unnervingly organic about this
structure. At seemingly random intervals
along the walls there are strange
protrusions and ridges, as well as more
regularly spaced shadowed recesses, each
just about large enough to crawl through.
Now the crew must decide which passage
they wish to try. They can explore the
chamber they are in as thoroughly as they
wish to help choose a path.
After an exploration of the chamber the
crew may discover some or all of the
following:
• Whilst they cannot see very far into the
passages that lead out of this chamber,
of the six only two appear to descend
deeper into the interior. Of these, one
terminates in an apparently solid wall
some fifty feet in, with no sign of door or
mechanism. The second passage runs
downward and twists away out of sight.
• At various places on the wall there are
sequences of embossed symbols, all
vaguely hexagonal in shape. If any of
your crew has any lore or history of Husk
ships, they may know that these
symbols are believed to be the language
of whoever built these ships. However,
despite centuries of attempts, no
successful translation has been made.
• All Husk ships are warren-like, but the
sheer size of this one suggests that
getting irrevocably lost is a very real risk.
There are no clear markings or features
on the walls, so finding their way back to
this place could be a challenge if they do
not take care.
Now that your crew has chosen a direction
they can make their way deeper into the
ArkHive, to see what dangers and treasures
await them.
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0 Q -
Reassured by both the presence of your
crewmates and the spluttering light of
your flare baton, you cautiously make your
way forward, delving deeper into the
mysterious alien ship...
encounter 3, Signs ar Life
As the crew advances, they see something
in the passageway ahead. It is a flare
baton, similar to their own, and a dark
patch on the floor. These are traces of the
missing crewmembers of The
Slaughterhouse, and may shed further
light on their fate. You can use the
following to describe what they discover.
The dancing light ofyour flare baton
illuminates the strange passage as you
l
move cautiously forward, various elements
of the alien architecture casting jagged
shadows that ripple in the light. Ahead
something catches your eye; a dark patch
on the floor and something small lying
near to it... As you draw close you see that
the object is alien to its surroundings but
familiar to you. It is a flare baton, almost
the twin ofyour own, but this one gives off
no light.
Examining the flare baton and the floor
nearby will reveal some or all of the
following:
• The flare baton's charge has been used
and is now burnt out- it cannot be used
again by the crew.
• The end of the baton is bloodied; it may
have been used as a weapon.
• The dark patch on the ground is a
relatively large patch of blood.
• The blood on both baton and the floor is
dry, suggesting it is at least a few days
old.
• Some spatters of blood lead towards one
of the oval recesses in the walls, and
what appears to be a glove is just visible
inside...
If the crew decide to investigate the recess
further, they will make a grisly discovery- a
humanoid body has been forced into the
recess, perhaps to keep it out of sight.
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
 You move closer, and in the shadows
beyond the gloved hand you see an arm
encased by the sturdy materials of a
scarlet and grey E-Vacc suit. .. The arm
belongs to a body, but it has been forced
into this too-small space with such ferocity
that it is difficult to tell much about it
without pulling it free ...
J out more features of this space. Each light
The body can be extricated from the recess
and examined, revealing some or all of the
following:
• A metals plate on the breast of the
suits reveals the wearer's first name -
Zophar.
• If the players visited The
Slaughterhouse they will be able to
work out that this is one of the
ringleaders of the mutiny.
• The body shows burns and obvious
head trauma, but there are also vicious
wounds from what appears to have
been a bladed weapon.
• If you wish, you can roll on the Random
Loot table in Appendix E to see what
gear or loot the players may find on the
corpse.
With no more to be learned from the body,
and no other side passages for the
moment, the party can continue delving
deeper into the ship.
Having gleaned all you can from the grisly
corpse, you return your focus to the
passage which continues to twist and turn,
carrying you ever deeper into the Husk
vessel... ---~-- --~-~---)
encounter L/, The Monolith Chamber
Shortly after the crew leaves the dead
Junker behind, they will reach a much
larger chamber containing strange alien
technology. A trio of monoliths stand on a
platform in the centre of a confusing maze
of walkways.
After a twisting and winding descent, the
only light coming from your rapidly
burning flare, at last you spy a faint
glimmer ahead. Three points of light hang
in the darkness, and then without warning
the walls and ceiling about you curve
____J
·-·
outward, beyond the reach ofyour light.
You stand in a large chamber, floorless but
for a 75 foot wide area around its edge. At
the centre of this space the lights float,
now much larger than only moments
before.
The lights intensify and you begin to make
sits atop a tall monolith, the trio arranged
equidistantly about a circular platform.
This platform floats within a complex,
spherical network of struts and walkways
which connect the platform to the edges
of the chamber. One such walkway lies
before you, but though you try and follow
it with your eyes, seeking a path to the
centre, you cannot get beyond a few
metres before the Escher-like twists and
turns overwhelm you.
Your gaze is ever drawn back to the
monoliths, however. Tall and three-sided,
they are covered in faintly glowing lines
and markings. If anything on your delve so
far has seemed like valuableXenoTech, it
is these curious monoliths. You feel sure
they warrant a closer look, if only you can
navigate the baffling fractal spiderweb of
walkways to reach them ...
You can choose to allow the crew to make
their way through the twisting maze of
paths without injury or have them make a
check, but either way it will cost them time
to navigate their way to the central
monolith platform.
In a continuation of the baffling
perspectives of this chamber, now that
they have arrived at the centre the
monoliths are nowhere near as large as
they seemed previously. They actually
stand at roughly two and a half feet tall
and will be easy enough to transport,
assuming they can be removed.
~
After a tortuous, mind-boggling few
minutes you are able to navigate your way
to the centre of the fractal orb, stepping
with relief onto the central platform. You
note with surprise that the monoliths are
now much smaller than they appeared to
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
 be at a distance, standing under three feet
high. But whether it was a trick of
perspective or some Husk technology at
work matters not - the important thing is
that, assuming you can remove them from
the floor, these strange items are just the
right size to carry...
encounter 5: R Bug Problem...
As soon as the crew moves towards the
monoliths they will activate, and an alien, a
Xeno Harvester, will be transported to the
centre of the platform to investigate and
deal with the intruders.
As you take a step forward, without
warning the air about you pulses, growing
momentarily thicker, more viscous...
Before you can wonder at it the lights atop
the monoliths flash and in the centre of
the platform a shape forms, drawn first
with light and then becoming horrifically
real.
You gaze in horror at the tall, segmented
body, like a stack of three tri-sided
pyramids. At the base six multi-jointed
legs support the insectoid form, while from
the centre of each side of the central
'torso' a Jong arm extends, ending in a
jagged, curved claw. Each face of the top
segment, which you assume must be the
head, hosts a trio of eyes that glisten wetly.
It is unlike any creature you have ever
seen, but any wonder is banished as the
creature emits a rattling screech and
lunges at you...
Combat is the only option here-the
baffling walkways off the platform make
flight impossible.
Battle Tactics
You can find the stats for the Xeno
Harvester in Appendix D. The Harvester is
intent on pacifying the intruders, but
rather than killing them outright it will
seek to sting them, and once paralysed will
transport them deeper into the vessel. The
Xeno's language and sense of logic is
entirely alien to the players, and any
attempts to communicate will fail.
·-·
With the creature defeated, the players can
attempt to salvage one or more of the
monoliths. To remove each monolith will
require a group effort. Ask your players
what skills they will use to do so, and have
them make an appropriate check. They
might try using brute Strength to pull the
monolith free, use tools and Dexterity to
find some leverage, or focus on Intelligence
or Wisdom to find a weak point. If at least
50% of the checks succeed, the crew frees
a monolith. Each monolith will take up 2
gear slots, and cannot be carried between
two people.
As soon as one monolith is removed, a faint
tremor begins, felt through the floor and
air. It does not carry an immediate sense of
danger, but it is very noticeable. As time
passes, and with each monolith that is
removed, the tremor increases. Once the
players have salvaged as many monoliths
as they wish, the tremors grow even
stronger and retreat should seem like the
wisest option.
On the far side of the chamber from where
you came in, you hear a crack as one
section of walkway snaps and falls silently
into the darkness below. While you don't
think this huge vessel is going to come
apart before your eyes, you have a definite
sense of having outstayed your welcome
for now... _ _ _J
encounter 5 Pindin9 the Wa!::J BacK
Now with valuable XenoTech in their
hands, the crew can attempt to find their
way back to their ship.
If they proceed carefully, they will be able
to negotiate their way back across the
web-like walkway without any additional
checks, but it will take time. If they wish to
rush, the continual tremor that is shaking
the walkways will make it risky. You may
wish to have your players propose a check
to see if they can make it without incident.
With your precious XenoTech safely
stowed, you make your way back through
the fractal web maze to the edge of the
chamber. The tremor has set the
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
 walkways shaking and though you find
your way, you are forced to proceed at a
snail's pace. Finally back at the edge of
the chamber, now all that is left is to find
your way back to the sinkhole and your
waiting ship, hopefully without attracting
any further attention ...
.I
The players must now attempt to navigate
their way back through the twisting
tunnels and passages of the ArkHive. The
tremor continues to increase slowly,
constant and ominous but not dangerous...
yet. The players must decide whether they
will make the journey with speed or
stealth.
The crew can make their way back upward
through the passages, but things have
woken in the depths of this huge ship and
other Xenos have been dispatched to seek
them. How far they are able to travel
before the next encounter occurs will
depend on whether they chose to move
with speed or stealth:
• If they are moving speedily-The crew
will only get a few hundred feet from the
monolith chamber before the next
encounter is triggered.
• If they are moving stealthily- Moving
cautiously will allow them to reach the
part of the passage where they found
the dead Junker before the next
encounter is triggered.
As the crew moves through the bone-
coloured hallways, they pass a little too
close to one of the oval recesses that dot
the walls.
You move through the Husk ship,
conscious that time is ticking and you
need to reach the safety of your ship and
secure your haul. As you move away from
the monolith chamber you catch faint
scuffling and scrabbling from within the
walls... You glimpse movement around
you, but each time you look there is only
shadow. Then as one of your number
strays close to one of the shadowed ova/
recesses, a jagged, insectoid and all too
familiar limb stabs outwards...
·-·
Mysterious Monoliths & Troublesome
Tremors - Additional Context for CMs
The following information does not need to
be shared with your players, but is
included to give you, the GM, more context
about this vast ship.
The ArkHive - This vessel is the ArkHive - a
colony ship of sorts, carrying the majority
population of the Xeno race in suspended
animation deep within the vessel. As the
players and the other Junker crew enter
the ship a few of these Xenos are woken.
As well as it's Xeno passengers, the
ArkHive also carries specimens of other
creatures from across the universe, some
of which are now the last of their kind. The
area your players are exploring is only the
surface layer of the ship - now that the
ArkHive has been discovered, more
Junkers may return to delve deeper in the
future.
The Monoliths - The monolith platform the
players discovered is actually a teleporter
which provides access to other parts of the
vast ship. The player's approach triggers
an alarm, and a Harvester is sent from
deep within the ship to investigate.
Salvaging the monoliths will destroy this
transporter, but because the Husk
language and technology is
incomprehensible, the players would not
have been able to use it. The monoliths
are valuable XenoTech, however, and after
study may allow future expeditions to
make use of similar teleporters.
The Tremors - The ArkHive is actually a
partly organic vessel, and has a symbiotic
relationship with the matriarch of the
Xeno race, a creature akin to a queen in
an insect hive (though the similarity is only
surface level). The matriarch is voluntarily
linked with the ship and serves as its brain,
able to control the various systems and
even feel damage to the ship. The tremors
that begin as the players remove the
monoliths are the ship/matriarch's
reaction, and may only be a precursor of
more serious things to come as more of
the ArkHive begins to wake ...
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
 Encounter '7, Chased b!:J the Swarm
The attacking creatures are similar to the
Harvester previously encountered, with the
same long hooked arms, but smaller. What
they lack in size, however, they make up for
in sheer numbers.
The jagged arm retracts as an insectoid
begins to emerge from the darkness with
a rattling hiss. It is similar to but smaller
than the thing you fought on the monolith
platform. More rattling hisses emanate
from the other recesses along the wall,
and you quickly gather that this one is not
alone...
Battle Tactics
You can find the stats for the Xeno Swarm
in Appendix D. If the Xeno Swarm creature
managed to go unnoticed before it made
its attack, it will get a surprise round in the
following combat (Refer to Player
Quickstart Rules Pg. 49 - Surprise). Similar
to the Harvester, the Swarm creatures aim
to paralyse their targets and drag them
into the recesses, which actually lead to a
network of tunnels within the walls. Once
again, communication with these aliens is
impossible. Even if the player's manage to
defeat or drive back the initial attack, it
should be clear that the odds are
overwhelming. Their best option is to flee,
delaying the Xeno Swarm if they can.
These aliens are sensitive to light, and will
retreat from the player's flare batons.
Once the first Xeno Swarm creature is
defeated the others will hesitate to attack,
but it should be clear that the Xeno Swarm
will keep coming, and flight is the best
option. The players can try to delay the
Swarm with Gear or clever tactics, making
any appropriate rolls to do so.
This section is intended to be tense but
entertaining, so trust your GM's instinct
and encourage your players to be creative.
Some things your players might try are:
• Tossing Shrapnel Sharps into the
recesses will slow the Xenos as they try
to emerge.
• Using light, either by practical or arcane
means, can slow the Xeno Swarm down.
·-·
• Fire may also be a useful deterrent, but if
the walls or floor are set ablaze the
tremor will increase in reaction.
After a tense chase the party emerges into
the nexus chamber into which they had
first descended, finding to their surprise
that someone is waiting for them ...
The skittering of the Xeno Swarm still
follows you, but as one the creatures
retreat into the walls, perhaps the better
to overtake you. Suddenly you burst into
the familiar chamber which stands at the
base of the sinkhole, and stop short.
Before you is the blazing orange light of a
flare baton, held aloft by a powerfully built
ore wearing a scarlet and grey E-Vacc
suit.... j
Encounter B, Rn Unexpected Survivor
The figure is King Carson, the Butcher's
Guild rep and final surviving member The
Slaughterhouse's crew. He has been
waiting for the party to return, and his
ultimate goal is to secure a way onto their
ship.
Conscious of the faint tremor, still
noticeable even this far from the monolith
chamber, and the slowly building rattle of
the Swarm creatures in the walls, you
warily approach the flare-wielding figure,
who turns to you.
"So that be your ship up there then? Looks
like you're as keen to get off this foul wreck
as I am... "
You can use the King Carson attitude table
to randomise the ore's opening position,
and let the players define what happens
through their actions or roleplay- be
prepared for anything from bargaining or
intimidation, to shooting first and asking
questions later...
If they wish to bargain, they do have a
spare Sloth Chamber aboard their ship. In
conversation King can share more of what
happened on board The Slaughterhouse,
as well as the fact that even the materials
of the hull of this strange ship are valuable.
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
•-·
If things should come to blows, full stats for
King Carson can be found in Appendix D,
along with details of any equipment he
may offer or the party can loot. There
should be some urgency to this encounter
as the Swarm is noticeably gathering for
another attack.
King Carson's Reaction to the
Characters.
Carson is a survivor; he has faced mutiny
from the other crew of The
Slaughterhouse, has endured the ArkHive
alone for a week and now is keen to
escape. His tale will be told in a
Shadowdark solo adventure. But for now,
he just wants to get off this ship.
Use the reaction check table below to see
how he initially acts towards the
characters:
2d6+CHAmod Attitude
0-6 Aggressive
7-8 Mistrustful
9 Impartial
70-77 Inquisitive
72+ Pleasant
7 dan 't Knaw about !:JDU/ but / 've had
mare than enough af this weird alien
deathtrap " - King C:arsan
Once Carson is befriended or defeated, the
players can ascend their ropes to their ship.
If the encounter takes too long the Swarm
may attack again, and it may be a
desperate and cinematic flight upward.
The crew finally escapes the darkness of
the Husk vessel and reaches safety.
You set the grapple lines to maximum
speed, gliding upward out of the darkness
of the alien ship. The layer of blue light
washes over you again and weightlessness
returns, and minutes later you are within
the comforting familiarity of your own
ship. As the airlock closes and fills with
breathable atmosphere, you each breathe
a sigh of relief. Safe.
-14-
0 Q
With your player's safe aboard their ship,
this adventure is finished. You can use the
following text to help close the adventure,
or as a starting point for your own words.
Once you stow your precious cargo, your
small crew gathers on the bridge to take a
last look at the enormous vessel. While
you were delving your ship was making
more detailed scans, and it appears that
the region you were exploring is part of an
outer layer. The vessel has a secondary
hull through which your sensors cannot
penetrate, and more than this, the hull
itself is made of a strange new alloy which
is likely valuable in itself. You notice at
least three other sinkholes on the outer
hull, and as you pass aft you see a huge
tear in the skin of the ship. With the alien
design it is unclear whether this jagged
rent is intentional or the result of
catastrophe, but you catch glimpses of
strange technology deep within. It is clear
that your delve, as dangerous as it was,
has barely scratched the surface - this ship
has many more secrets to offer those
brave enough to venture within ...
As you plot your route home, you send a
message to your contacts on Terra, letting
them know you have something very
interesting to sell. You know that other
Junker crews are inbound, but while you
won't be the only crew to profit, you will be
the first. With the promise of more and
rarer XenoTech deep within and the
strange materials that might be harvested
from the very hull, you feel sure that many
Terrans will be drawn here in the future.
Who knows, if the price is right, maybe
you'll come back out here yourselves.
You conduct your pre-flight and pre-sleep
checks, and as your small ship leaves the
vast Husk vessel far behind, you drift down
into the Stupor to sleep your way home... I
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
With your player's return to Terra, news of
the vast alien ship spreads fast. They gain
payment for the salvaged XenoTech and
significant recognition for being the first to
find and survive the strange new ship.
A Note on Levelling Up
Scratching the Surface has been designed
to give you and your players a taster of the
Junkers universe. Whilst your players
haven't strictly gained enough loot or
experience to advance a level, we leave it
to you as the GM to decide whether to
reward your players with a level up.
In response to reports of its size and the
party's encounters with the strange alien
inhabitants, the huge vessel gains the label
'The ArkHive'. Soon every Corporation and
Guild is sending any Junkers on their
payroll to it, with orders to delve deeper
and find more answers and, more
importantly, more XenoTech. Rest assured,
there is plenty more to find.
But r□r n□w,
this adventure is d□ne!
This Appendix is intended as a helpful, one-page 'cheat sheet' listing the adventure story
beats.

• Part 0: Before you begin

o Build Player Ship and give background -A strange new Husk signal has been
discovered, and your players are heading to the source to investigate.
• Part 1: Arrival and Introductions
o Ship arrives and wakes up the crew- Players introduce their characters.
o Lost in Transit -Technician Dave Bishop has died of sloth chamber malfunction en
route, leaving a space bed on the trip home.
o They have arrived at a huge Husk ship, larger than anything seen before, but an alert
warns them they aren't alone...
• Part 2: You are not Alone
o Another Junker ship drifts in space nearby- The Slaughterhouse, linked to the
Butchers Guild, is dead in space, cold. Players can investigate or avoid (skip to Part 3).
o Encounter 7: Slaughterhouse by Name ... - The Slaughterhouse is cold, mostly burned
out and useless. Three crew are dead on board and other three missing, presumably
on the Husk ship.
• Optional Encounter: Hungry Hull Munchers
o If crew taking too long, a flock of Hull Munchers will attack the ship. Can be fought
via ship or EVA, or potentially avoided entirely.
• Part 3: Suit Up
o Players prepare to enter the huge Husk vessel, preparing their gear.
• Part 4: Delving into the Husk
o Encounter 2: Descent into Darkness - Party enter via the sinkhole, and begin to
investigate the huge ship.
o Encounter 3: Signs of Life - Crew discovers traces of the remaining crew of The
Slaughterhouse - a bloodied flare and a dead body.
o Encounter 4: The Monolith Chamber - A spherical maze of walkways surrounding a
trio of XenoTech monoliths.
o Encounter 5: A Bug Problem ... -A Xeno Harvester appears in their midst and attacks.
Once the Harvester is defeated, the crew can attempt to salvage the monoliths.
o Encounter 6: Finding the Way Back- With XenoTech acquired, the crew must find
their way back off the platform to head back to their ship.
o Encounter 7: Chased by the Swarm - The ArkHive is beginning to wake, and the Xeno
Swarm attacks and then chases the players through the ship.
o Encounter 8: An Unexpected Survivor - Arriving back at their entry chamber, the crew
finds King Carson, last survivor of The Slaughterhouse, waiting for them.
• Part S: Conclusion
o The crew reaches the safety of their ship, stows their loot and prepares for the return
to Terra.

.. _ _ .. -16-

.. _ .. © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

Loot, Gear and Weapon ResKins
As Scratching the Surface and other
Junkers adventures take place in a more
futuristic fantasy setting than the core
rules, some of the more typical gear and
weaponry may need to be reskinned to
better fit the setting. You are welcome to
do this yourself to whatever extent you
wish, but we have also included here a list
of weapons and gear that you and your
players can use. You will recognise many
of them as equivalents to those in the
Quickstart Rules, and you can refer to the
official document for the stats.
Also as a result of the futuristic, deep space
setting, we have created some additional
unique weapons and items of gear for this
adventure. Details of these new items can
be found at the end of this Appendix.
Creds - Universal Currency
Following the flourishing of the
Corporations the noble coin was replaced
by the digital Credit, but during the
Collapse, all digital currency was lost. For
convenience, and to avoid the potential
risk of another such loss of profits, the
Corporations instigated the Cred - a
-17-
physical token made of PlasTek and split
into denominations similar to the old metal
coins.
Use the table below to easily draw
equivalents between the old system and
the new.
Quickstart Rules Junkers
l cp l Cred
l sp 10 Creds
lgp 100 Creds
XenoTech - The most valuable
resource in the universe ...
The main type of loot Junkers search for on
each delve into a derelict ship is Xenotech,
which takes the place of Gems in the
Quickstart Rules.
The strange alien technology found in the
derelict Husk vessels is useless in its raw
form, but is incredibly valuable - both the
Guilds and the Corporations will pay highly
for anything a crew might find. Once
analysed by arcanists and scientists back
on Terra, however, many items can be
reverse-engineered to create new tools,
weapons and equipment which may
become available to your players in the
future.
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
ll\leap□ns
Weapon Details
Pistol Standard issue plasma pistol, uses Slugs as ammunition. Can be wielded in
one hand {lH), but all other stats and cost are equivalent to a Shortbow.
Rifle Standard issue plasma rifle, uses Slugs as ammunition. Two-handed use
only. Stats and cost equivalent to a Longbow.
Shotgun Standard shotgun, uses Buckshot ammunition. Two-handed use only.
Stats and cost equivalent to a Crossbow.

All of the weapons listed in the Quickstart Rules can also be used with their existing stats, but
you and your players should feel free to give them a sci-fi aesthetic twist to suit both
character and setting. A mace can easily become a heavy wrench, a shield be constructed of
PlasTek or from the chitinous shell of an alien - have fun with it!

Gear
Cear Details
Slugs Ammunition for the pistol and rifle. Stats and cost equivalent to Arrows.
Scavpack Holds all your gear. Don't lose it. Stats and cost equivalent to Backpack.
Shrapnel Small,jagged fragments of shrapnel designed to slow enemies down.
Sharps Stats and cost equivalent to Caltrops.
Buckshot Ammunition for Shotguns. Stats and cost equivalent to Crossbow Bolts.
ammo
Door Jack Useful for opening stuck objects like crates or doors. Stats and cost
equivalent to Crowbar.
Jerrycan or Metal containers that hold one draught of liquid. Stats and cost equivalent
canister to Flask or Bottle.
Firestarter A lighter which makes all attempt to start a fire successful. Stats and cost
equivalent to Flint and Steel.
Xenotech Alien salvage comes in numerous varieties and is very valuable. Equivalent
to Gems in the Quickstart Rules.
Grapnel A metal anchor with three, curved tines, most often attached to strong
cable and a launching gun. Stats and cost equivalent to Grappling Hook.
Magnetic Each has a hole for threading rope. Automatically attach to metal surfaces.
Clamp Jagged edges allow them to be hammered in with weapons to other
surfaces. Stats and cost equivalent to Iron Spikes.
Flash light Casts light up to a double near distance (see Guickstart Rules - Light, pg.
46). Requires batteries to run. Has a lens cap to hide the light. Stats and
cost equivalent to a Lantern.
Mirror A highly polished mirror, useful for reflecting light or peeking round
corners.
Synth-Diesel Can be used to power diesel tech. Can also be thrown over an area and
ignited. Stats and cost equivalent to an Oil Flask.
Boarding Rod PlasTek 10' long rod. Stats and cost equivalent to Pole.
Mush One day's supply of food and water for one person. Stats and cost
equivalent to Rations.
Rope Formed from woven strands of PlasTek, 60' long. Stats and cost equivalent
to Rope.
Flare baton Sheds light to a near distance (see Guickstart Rules - Light Sources, pg. 46).
Burns for one hour of real time. Stats and cost equivalent to a Torch.

-18- © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

New Gear
Gear Details Cost No. per
Gear Slot
Batteries (to Powers a flashlight for one hour of real time. Stats SO Creds l
power and cost equivalent to an Oil Flask.
flash lights)
E-Vacc suits Standard Junker kit, essential wear for delving into N/A Free to
a Terran wreck or Husk ship. Each player has one carry
as standard, so no cost or gear requirements for
these, but the life support functions require oxygen
cylinders which you will need to purchase.
Oxygen Life support for one hour of real time in hazardous SO Creds First free,
Cylinder enviros. SO Creds (Ssp). First cylinder no gear then l per
requirement (attaches to E-Vacc Suit) additional slot
cylinder takes l gear slot.
E-Vacc Suit Your E-Vacc suits can be armoured using various Refer to Refer to
Armor plates or layers of PlasTek. Use the same cost and Quickstart Quickstart
Plating resulting stats as armour in the Quickstart Rules. Rules Rules

New Weap□n
Weapon Cost Type Range Damage Gear Slots Properties
Chainsword 1200 Creds Melee Close ldl2 2 2 Handed

Can be empowered in melee - Use one Jerrycan of Synth-Diesel to empower it for 3 rounds.
At the start of your turn, roll a d6 to empower the chainsword -1 is a fail, 2-6 is a success.
When empowered it can be wielded one handed and does ld4 extra damage. It takes an
action to refill it with Synth-Diesel.

-19- © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

 Appendix C: Ship Creati□ n and JunKer Ship Class
- ii91;:t:r:.,::.;.:f.;•, ~ ~.,. ;?·••- ~ · -7.l~L, ·
~ ~-J>f: ." · -:-}~l, · ., -~••r.;-.-. ~ ' ,r:- .....,...._._,
I • • v'•' fl, / e' • • e • • e e e • • • • e • e • • • e e e • • e ~ • .,. , 9 "•' • • e • e • e e • • e • • !

Ships
In the Junkers series of adventures, the party's ship is effectively an additional character, with
a class, set of stats and abilities that define what type of ship it is. In Scratching the Surface
you will only have access to the Junker Class vessel, but future Junkers content will feature
an expanded set of rules for ship creation, as well as multiple ship classes and abilities.

Ship creation is very similar to normal character creation, with ships having a class, unique
talents and abilities, and levelling up as the players do. To create a ship, roll for your ship's six
base stats, and then roll for your ship's talent and make any adjustments as needed.

JunKer Class
Small to medium-sized vessel, typically used by Junkers or spacers with similar needs.
Though it is equipped with some weaponry, the Junker's main purpose is transport of crew
and cargo across long distances.

Hit Points: ld4 per level Class/Ship Abilities

Weapons: Drill, Proximity Mines Hauler. Add your Constitution modifier, if
Armor: Counter Measures positive, to your gear slots.
Crew Capacity: 5 Sloth Cubes Small Fry. 3/day, you can make a DC 9 CHA
Cargo hold: 10 gear slots-Can be used to check to be ignored by sentient space
hold additional ship/crew equipment or fairing threats.
salvaged XenoTech Calibrated For Junk. Whenever you make a
scanning roll to find a derelict ship you do
so with advantage.

JunKer Class Ship Talents

2d6 Effect
2 Gain an additional gear slot
3-6 You gain +l to melee weapon damage
7-9 +2 to WIS or CHA stat
10-11 Gain an additional use of your Small Fry talent each day
12 Choose one option or +2 points to distribute to stats

Weapon Cost Type Range Damage Properties

Drill 5 Creds M C ld4 -
Proximity Mines 50 Creds R N ld6 Th

Rrm□ur
Item Cost Cear Slots AC Properties
Counter Measures 1000 Creds l 11 + DEX mod

-20- © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

The Xen□s
The huge Husk vessel the players will
explore in Scratching the Surface is home
to a previously unknown alien race, the
Xenos.
While wholly alien, Xenos are vaguely
insectoid in design, with most aspects of
their anatomy occurring in threes. Their
chitinous bodies have three sections, with
multiple legs, three jagged arms boasting
poisonous wrist spurs and a trio of
compound eyes on each side of their
pyramidal head giving them 360° vision.
The party will only encounter two types of
Xeno in this adventure, but there are many
other types waiting to be discovered in
future Junkers adventures.
Xeno Harvester
A tall insect-like, multi-legged creature
with a body of three tetrahedronal
segments. Three long stabbing arms
deliver a paralyzing toxin and eyes on all
three sides of its head give it 360° vision.
AC 12, HP 18, ATK l wrist spur +3 {ld4 +
toxin), MV near, S +2, D +2, C +0, 1-3, W +l,
Ch -3, AL N, LV2
Toxin. DC 12 CON or paralyzed ld4 rounds.
Xeno Swarm
A smaller insect-like, multi-legged creature
with a body of three tetrahedronal
segments. Three long stabbing arms
deliver a paralyzing toxin and eyes on all
three sides of its head give it 360° vision.
AC 12, HP 4, ATK l wrist spur +3 {l + toxin),
MV near, S +2, D +2, C +0, 1-3, W +l, Ch -3,
AL N, LVl
Toxin. DC 12 CON or paralyzed ld4 rounds.
-21-
□ ther Rlien Creatures
The stars and the night between are home
to a plethora of strange and deadly
creatures, some of which are similar to
those found on Terra and some of which
are vastly different.
Hull Munchers
Terran scientists have speculated that
these creatures may be loosely related to
the Rust Monsters found on Terra, though
adapted to the vacuum usually found on
asteroids. Consuming metal, they pose a
clear and present threat to spaceships.
AC 13, HP 19, ATK 2 claw +3 {ld6), MV near
(climb), S +2, D +3, C +1, I -3, W +1, Ch -3, AL
N,LV4
Corrosive. Metal that touches the hull
muncher is destroyed on a d6 roll of 1-3
JunKers
It's not uncommon to meet other spacers
out amongst the stars, whether they are
fellow Junkers, Corporation reps,
merchants or even settlers.
King Carson
A strong-willed and experience Junker,
ready to do whatever is necessary to
survive. Gruff and matter of fact, imposing
figure who won't back down in a fight.
AC 15 (Reinforced E-Vacc Suit with
PlasTeck plates), HP 12, ATK l Chainsword
+3 {ldl2), MV near, S +2, D +0, C +0, I -1, W
+0, Ch -1, AL C, LV 2
Rage. 1/day, immune to morale checks,
+ld4 damage (3 rounds).
© Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023
Here you will find random tables you can use whilst running this adventure, collated to fit
well with the plotted events and encounters in Scratching the Surface. Future Junkers
adventures will include additional and expanded random tables.

JunKer Gear and L □□t

Equipment and loot that the crew may find on the remains of any other Terrans they may
encounter.
d12 Cear/Loot
l Pouch containing 10 Creds
2 l canister of Synth-Diesel
3 l Flare Baton
4 l bag of Shrapnel Sharps
5 5 PlasTek crossbow bolts
6 Pouch containing 100 Creds
7 2 portions of Mush
8 3 Slugs for a pistol or rifle
9 l Torch (with one full battery)
10 A dagger
11 2 flare batons
12 A fragment of unique hull material from the ArkHive (counts as l piece of Xenotech)

Terran Ship Enc□unters

Events that may occur whilst the crew is aboard their own or another Terran vessel.
d12 Event Type Event Description
l Engineering Lights Out-A malfunction in the lights plunges you into darkness
until fixed
2 Creature Crawling Vermin -You discover an infestation of Terran vermin
Feature aboard which you must deal with - Giant Rats (use Quickstart Rules
stats)
3 Sensors Drifting Wreckage- Fragments and flotsam drift nearby, the
remnants of a destroyed vessel
4 Navigation Gas Cloud -A drifting, nebulous cloud of unknown matter is moving
towards your vessel
5 Creature Hungry for Metal-A flock of Hull Munchers see your ship as a
Feature tempting feast (refer to Appendix D for stats)
6 Engineering Hull Damage-A minor explosion on the outer hull reverberates
through the ship
7 Navigation Gravity We/I-Alarms blare as your ship is dragged towards a fixed
point in space
8 Engineering Fire Hazard-A minor explosion in a system conduit ignites a
potentially disastrous fire
9 Creature Spacebound Monster-A Star Aboleth takes exception to your ship's
Feature presence in it's territory (use Quickstart Rules Aboleth stats)
10 Engineering Gravity Issues-The artificial gravity system malfunctions, sending
crew and equipment floating weightlessly until fixed
11 Sensors Impending Impact-An asteroid half the size of your ship is on a
direct collision course
12 Creature Flying Vermin - You discover an infestation of Terran vermin aboard
Feature which you must deal with -Stingbat (use Quickstart Rules stats)

.. _ _ .. -22-

.. _ .. © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023

Space-ll\lalK Encounters
Events that may occur whilst the crew is space-walking or on the hull of a Terran or alien
vessel.
d12 Event Description
l Ball Lightning -A drifting orb of electricity is drawn toward you, causing ld4 damage
if not avoided
2 Short of Breath -A malfunction in your E-Vacc suit cuts off your airflow
3 Drifting Wreckage- You spy some flotsam from another vessel drifting nearby
4 Gas Cloud-A strange cloud of vapour envelops you for a moment
5 Hull Munchers -A pair of the metal devouring creatures glide out of the darkness
{refer to Appendix D for stats)
6 Minor Explosion -A nearby hull panel bursts outwards, sending fragments of debris
flying
7 Collision Course -A small asteroid is on a direct course for you, and will cause serious
damage if not avoided
8 Star Aboleth-This strange spacefaring beast spots you from afar and glides towards
you {use Quickstart Rules Aboleth stats)
9 Magnet Malfunction - The magnetic boots of your E-Vacc suit malfunction, unable to
lock you to a ship's hull
10 Gravity Well-A sudden swirling in the fabric of space draws you towards it
11 Meteoroid Mishap -A cluster of tiny meteoroids is coursing through the area, a
potential risk to suit or even ship
12 Star Flare-A distant star flares brightly, blinding all who see it for ld4 crawling
rounds

HusK Vessel Encounters

Events that may occur as the crew is delving into the innards of the Husk vessel.
d12 Event Description
l Gas Venting -Toxic gas fills the immediate area, causing ld4 damage if inhaled
2 Unhelpful Hand-You find the grey and scarlet glove of an E-Vacc suit, but no signs of
the former wearer
3 Gravity Shift-Artificial gravity suddenly reverses, and the floor becomes the ceiling
for ld4 crawling rounds
4 Strange Scents- Suddenly the sharp smell of ozone fills the corridor
5 Electrified Floor-The patch of floor directly ahead is electrified, causing ld4 damage
if not avoided
6 Smokescreen -A constant flow of glowing vapour falls in a broad sheet ahead -you
will have to pass through to progress
7 Worry in the Walls - There is a sudden cacophony of skittering movement in the walls
to either side of you, which rushes away ahead of you
8 Dead and Dried-You come across the desiccated corpse of a Hull Muncher, long
dead
9 Liquid Floors-The floor in this area is like quicksand, impeding movement and
dragging a still body downward
10 Bridge over Blackness -A deep, seemingly bottomless pit fills most of the floor ahead,
bridged by a foot-wide span of strange metal
11 Sharp Incline - The corridor dips down suddenly, and you must be careful not to lose
your footing
12 Unavoidable Dread-You are suddenly overwhelmed with fear at the totally alien
nature of your surroundings

.. _ _ .. -23-

.. _ .. © Matt Beames & Andy Leach 2023