Starfinder! (Pathfinder, IN SPACE!)

Just announced at Paizocon!

Releasing Gencon 2017: Pathfinder, in SPACE!

It will be backward-compatible and OGL.

It will be set in the far future of Golarion's solar system, with Golarion itself missing.

Ratfolk and Androids likely to join the current core races.

An ascended AI deity has granted access to hyperspace and FTL travel. I'll hazard a guess this deity is Casandalee from the Iron Gods AP.

It will launch alongside a Starfinder adventure path.

edited 29th May '16 2:41:00 AM by Arutema

If they have space Kobolds I'm in.

....Want. So. Much.

They've been hinting at this for a while. I've yet to read over too much beyond the fact that wizards and elves aren't going to be in the base book, but conversion tips for bringing them (and other Golarion mainstays) will be included. I'm tentatively intrigued - science fiction in tabletop games has never really caught on to the same degree, I've always felt (maybe because D&D was always the 800-pound gorilla in the genre). I'm looking forward to seeing what can be done here. Also, maybe I just want to revive the concept of the Machine of Lum the Mad, or have another Expedition to the Barrier Peaks.

16 page rules and races preview to launch on Free RPG Day.

Based on various Paizo previews, started work on a works page for it in the sandbox: Starfinder

Class prewiev. And a bump for this thread as the release nears.

Kind of confused how people here apparently read tumblr for class previews? .-. I mean, there are more indepth ones

My DM just got his handbook in the mail today. Our group is excited to dive into it all together and hash out our characters. We still have a D&D campaign to finish but a lighthearted pulpy Starfinder adventure is next for us. I have a rather vanilla human Space Privateer Loveable Rogue type character in mind, but I may look into one of the more exotic races and draft up something new. The Shirren bug race have me interested for some reason, maybe just as a weird roleplay challenge.

I'm probably going to be running a game of Starfinder once one of my current campaigns draws to a close. It's gonna start off on a Convoy-style planet that's inspired by Mad Max, and after a few levels the players will escape.

I'm liking the idea of Android Mechanic and/or Operative that specializes in hacking.

I'm planning to run Dead Suns AP rather soon when I have gathered party for it on Roll 20. Currently waiting to confirm whether one of my regular players is able to make it due to studies starting before I again try recruiting fourth player, seems like nobody I've asked knows if they have time due to studies starting around this time.

I'm still going through the Core Rules (bought it last night), but I'm liking what I have read so far. In particular, I like that there are both roles and classes, and it's neat to think of ways they can mix-and-match. I'm thinking my first character will be a ysoki xenoseeker envoy - that looks like tons of fun in pretty much every regard. That said, making an android outlaw mechanic might give me that Shadowrun fix I've been having for a while.

Also, note, for those who hadn't seen elsewhere - there's a typo in the description of the icon benefits. Word of God is that being an Icon is supposed to decrease the DC of finding out about other icons by 5, not increase it - which is good, because who would want to take a role that gives you decreases?

After a cursory reading, it seems like free actions are effectively gone. No more taking a five foot step outside of a move action.

That does seem to be the case, yes. I'm fairly certain that was an intentional design choice, as monkeying with action economy has always been one of the most powerful things you can do in the d20 system.

I think this is also in part to emphasize just how awesome envoys can be, given that several of their abilities are explicitly "give other people extra actions."

Is it just me, or are technomancers potentially overpowered?

In particular, the Spell Hack 'Energize Spell',^{page reference} Page 121 where you take batteries and then take something like Heat Leach ^{page reference} Page 339 which can deal 13d8 damage, and you could pretty much solo anything you so desired.

I realise I may be overthinking it and being a munchkin, but it seems like if you can one battery big enough, you don't need anything else at all.

I haven't done a deep dive into spells feats, and equipment yet, so I can't say for sure how overpowered that might be. But we are talking about something that's built upon a system that deliberately baked in Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards. The idea that the magic-using classes are still a cut above the others wouldn't surprise me.

Well, from my playthroughs they are, but there ARE a number of counters to certain spells.

I've also found that while you can basically overload a foe with a barrage of damage from certain spells, it seems more done to the idea that they should simply be used 'when you really need it', which works quite well for an emergency 'Oh damn we're about to die' button.

I've done a bit of a dive into equipment and feats, and my quick view of that would be that a properly scaled party is going to be much more balanced towards non-casters than before. When the weapons section regularly ramps up damage numbers such that a high-level character should be slinging 10+ damage dice on a single successful hit, regardless of weapon preference, I'm thinking that magic won't quite be the "I win" button it was before.

Of course, part of that is dependent on the GM properly opening up avenues to upgrade equipment as per the book, and in my experience, a GM is much more likely to throttle what's available in the shop versus what the caster can add to their spell list.

So alien archive has been released, plenty of bizarre races in it .-.

I've started playing this with some friends. It's the first time I've ever played a tabletop game, so I'm still getting used to it, especially thinking on the spot. But it's fun. It seems fairly easy to understand, actually. Is this game better than others as a first time game?

As a game for an RPG neophyte? Hm... admittedly, I can think of worse ideas. It helps that they've simplified some of the character creation/development compared to Pathfinder, and the way gameplay is laid out is a more varied experience for the first-timer. I guess it would depend on just how used the new player is to some of the things you need to know (I'm currently teaching my kid about tabletop games, and she's not ready for this, as she needs something much less math-heavy... to be fair, she's four years old). But in terms of your first tabletop RPG, it's a solid choice.

Also, welcome to the genre. Hope you enjoy it.

Thanks. I'm the only one in the group who hasn't done this before, so everyone has been very patient with me. Reminding me which dice to roll or what numbers to add or whatever. So far it's been pretty fun.

Playing Mystic, wanna Magus.

Trying to come up with a custom feat building off Mystic Strike to help me me magic melee at a later level.

Huh, this thread doesn't get used much, I guess.

Anyway, I'm just dropping in now to comment that it just clicked for me. Ysoki evolved, or at least one part of them did, on Akiton, which is of course based on Barsoom. They're also frequently depicted as gang members, riding enercycles.

They are, in fact, Biker Mice from Mars.