Adventure Summary:Trapped in the suffocating, flame-charred tunnels beneath the Spelljammer Academy, the party finds themselves on the verge of collapse after defeating the Choldrith. But death is not their destiny—yet. A mysterious voice calls to them through the smoke and pain. Steve the Great, eldritch patron of Buff and unseen manipulator of cosmic threads, intervenes. He offers not salvation, but a new battlefield.

The players are pulled through a portal of impossible geometry and dropped onto the deck of a small Spelljammer skiff floating in the wildspace wastes. Before they can catch their breath, another skiff approaches. Steve has more plans. And more enemies.

This mini-adventure connects the players to their larger goal: uncovering the secrets of the long-lost Spelljammer, The Punchline.

Part I: Smoke and Webs

As the players struggle in the smoke-filled lair of the Choldrith, read or paraphrase:

The webs hiss and blacken, smoke rolling like thick velvet through the tunnels. Your lungs burn. Shapes blur. Then a voice cuts through it all, deep and oily in your mind: "You think you’re lost. But you’re exactly where I need you."

Buff feels the mark on his arm burn. The darkness folds in on itself, and you fall.

The floor seems to drop away. A rift of lightless stars yawns open. They are pulled through the void.

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Part II: Wildspace Skirmish

The players land aboard a Spelljammer skiff. The skiff is damaged but functional, designed for a crew of 4–6. Let them orient themselves before another skiff is spotted racing toward them.

A second skiff, its hull blackened and adorned with sharp bone-like protrusions, is speeding your way. No flags. No markings. Weapons manned.

Enemy Crew (CR ~3 encounter for 4 Level 2 PCs):

• 1 Aberrant Corsair (Captain):
  • HP: 45, AC 15
  • Attacks: Eldritch Glaive (+4 to hit, 1d8+2 + 1d6 psychic)
  • Bonus Action: Teleport 30 ft. once per turn (Recharge 5-6)
  • Special: Can speak into PCs’ minds with short phrases
• 2 Voidbound Thugs
  • HP: 18 each, AC 13
  • Attacks: Cutlass (+4 to hit, 1d6+2), or Pistol (+3 to hit, 1d8)
• 1 Laughing Husk (Steve-corrupted crewman)
  • HP: 20, AC 12
  • Attack: Unarmed strike (+3 to hit, 1d6 psychic)
  • Special: Laughs constantly; nearby PCs must make DC 11 WIS saves or have disadvantage on attacks against him for 1 round

Part III: The Punchline's Beacon

Upon victory or escape, the players find in the hold:

• A strange crystal orb embedded with symbols matching the skull map
• A pulse that syncs with Buff’s mark
• A new point charted in wildspace — labeled only in Old Gith: The Punchline

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Read aloud:

You feel it now. Not relief. Not closure. But gravity. Fate, maybe. You are being drawn toward something much, much bigger.

And somewhere, Steve is smiling.

This moment solidifies the crew’s new goal: find and uncover the mystery of The Punchline—a ship long lost, its legend buried in the folds of wildspace. The clues all align, and now they carry the first real lead.

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Part IV: Return to the Academy

The portal rips open again. Smoke spills into a clean hallway. The skiff lurches through, crash-landing into a sealed hangar within the Academy. Alarms sound. Officers rush in.

“Where did you get this?!” a senior officer demands, pointing at the skiff.

“Where have you been?!” another cries.

But one professor, quiet and knowing, stares at Buff’s mark.

“So. He found you.”

They’re given clean quarters and told not to speak of what happened. But the order is laced with fear—not anger. The players now know something the Academy fears.

In secret, the same professor leaves a slip of paper under their door:

“We need to find The Punchline before they do. Meet me when you’re ready.”

Rewards:

Each PC gains:

• 300 XP
• Roll once on Magic Item Table A (DMG p. 144) or choose 1 thematically appropriate uncommon item
• 75 gold pieces each
• A personal message from Steve tailored to their fears or ambitions

Examples:

• Glorp receives a dagger of whispering secrets
• Hal is gifted a tiny orb that glows when danger is near
• Captain finds a lucky coin engraved with runes that shimmer when flipped
• Buff receives a pocket compass that never points north—only to "The Punchline"

Optional: Skiff Mechanics

• Ballista (1d10 damage, reload 1 round)
• Max crew: 6
• Speed: 40 ft. fly
• AC: 13
• HP: 50

Next Hook: The Hunt Begins

Now branded by fate, and touched by the hand of Steve, the crew is no longer merely students. They are pawns—perhaps even champions—in a greater cosmic game.

The clues point forward.The Academy is rattled.The Punchline awaits.

“The punchline, dear boy, is always after the setup.”

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