Dead Suns Dead Ahead!

Monday, July 31, 2017

We're fast approaching the release of the Starfinder Core Rulebook and the first Starfinder Adventure Path, Dead Suns! So, what do you have to look forward to? Keep reading, but beware—there might be a few spoilers ahead!

One of our goals with the Starfinder Adventure Path was to feature material that would be useful to both GMs and players. Of course, every volume of the Starfinder Adventure Path includes an exciting adventure for GMs to run for their players, but we've also worked really hard to include new rules and mechanics for players, such as new equipment, new character options, and new feats and spells. We'll also be presenting new alien creatures (both to fight and to play), new starships, and new planets to visit.



Illustrations by Victor Manuel Leza Moreno, Allison Theus, and Mirco Paganessi

For Dead Suns specifically, we wanted to show off the scope of the Starfinder setting. As a result, the Adventure Path starts off on Absalom Station, but the PCs soon leave the station to visit some other locations in the Pact Worlds, including Castrovel, Eox, and the Diaspora. But there's a whole galaxy to explore in Starfinder, so the PCs will also head into the Vast to visit some new, unexplored alien worlds. Before the campaign is finished, the heroes of Dead Suns will have visited space stations, asteroids, jungle planets, dead worlds, gas giants, derelict ships and not-so-derelict ships, and even vast megastructures.

What else can you expect in Dead Suns? The Starfinder Society is a major faction in the Starfinder setting, and it plays a central role in the Adventure Path as the PCs are working for the Society during the campaign. Two groups who make their debut in the Starfinder Core Rulebook—the Corpse Fleet and the Cult of the Devourer—are the main antagonists of Dead Suns, and the Adventure Path will feature expanded descriptions of both factions, as well as new rules elements thematically tied to these groups. In addition, there will be some ancient alien technology to examine, horrors from outer space to contend with, and of course, starship combat against a host of enemy vessels!

The first Dead Suns adventure, Incident at Absalom Station, hits store shelves and paizo.com in August, followed by a new volume every other month, so get ready. Adventure among the stars awaits!

Robert G. McCreary
Senior Developer

More Paizo Blog.
Tags: Allison Theus Dead Suns Mirco Paganessi Starfinder Adventure Path Victor Manuel Leza Moreno
Liberty's Edge

Can't wait to start running it!

Do you have any idea about how much player-friendly material will be in each volume? Is there any plan to section such material off so GMs can hand off the book to players with instructions to "just read pages 67-73" or the like?


I like Simar!

No idea who she is or how she factors into the AP but I like her :3


I've been so impressed by pretty much every piece of art I've seen from Starfinder so far. I'm very excited to dive into this adventure!


Very cool I can't wait to let my player cut their teeth on this AP!


This entry misses the "Starfinder" tag.

Is this intentionally?


1 person marked this as a favorite.

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE GHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOST!


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

What kind of villain can we look forward to? I'm currently running the last book of Reign of Winter and looking back at the campaign I realize that I should have made the key villain more of an actual presence.

Will Dead Suns have a constant antagonist like Barzilai Thrune in Hell's Rebels or a more shadowy menace that wont be as visible to the PCs?


I am so excited for this one! My friend Dianna got to play it at PaizoCon and raved about it!

I realize that this is probably a question for John and Thursty, but I'll ask it anyway. How soon after GenCon do you expect this AP to be sanctioned for SFS play? I would love to run "Incident at Absalom Station" for the second half of Play-by-Post Gameday, but don't know if it's going to be an option then.

It says it's level one. Does that mean that it might even be an evergreen?

Hmm

Scarab Sages Contributor

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GM Hmm wrote:

I am so excited for this one! My friend Dianna got to play it at PaizoCon and raved about it!

I realize that this is probably a question for John and Thursty, but I'll ask it anyway. How soon after GenCon do you expect this AP to be sanctioned for SFS play? I would love to run "Incident at Absalom Station" for the second half of Play-by-Post Gameday, but don't know if it's going to be an option then.

It says it's level one. Does that mean that it might even be an evergreen?

Hmm

Was Diana in the first session of it, on Saturday morning? I was Keskodai - tell her she played Altronus quite well!

I also played it, and I love the setup already - can't wait to run it!

There's one NPC that has a fantastic smile. You'll know them when you see them. I love them already, and I barely met them.

H Y P E

Silver Crusade

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Is there going to be a Player's Guide


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Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Joseph Davis wrote:
Is there going to be a Player's Guide

Not for this first adventure path. The main purpose of a Pathfinder player's guide is to help you narrow down the many initial options available to you as a player to ones that are thematically appropriate to the adventure path. For Dead Suns, the player's guide basically boils down to "Pick whatever you like from the Starfinder Core Rulebook." No player resources beyond the core rulebook and the first volume of the AP itself are available from Paizo as of August 17th anyway.

Acquisitives

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Joseph Davis wrote:
Is there going to be a Player's Guide

pretty sure you just read it.

Liberty's Edge

August is here, so the release must be really close. There isn't still a definitive release date, right? I'm super excited to play this AP.


Ladis wrote:
August is here, so the release must be really close. There isn't still a definitive release date, right? I'm super excited to play this AP.

August 17, same as the core rules.


Can the Starfinder Society angle be dropped or is it an integral part of the AP? One of my least favorite parts of Shattered Star was the PF Society being that important to the plot, I get that the Societies are important for organized play but outside of that the organization never made much sense

Silver Crusade

It looks like volume 2 starts at level 3. Which implies each volume covers 2 levels or so. Does that mean you'll reach level 12 after all 6. I wonder how many hours of play each volume will have, an estimate maybe? Also how many players is it designed for 4, 5, 6? Can anyone answer this?

Liberty's Edge

I wonder if the APs will be build with the assumption of the 4 classic roles in mind, or that isn't a thing anymore.

Dark Archive

bummer I always like giving them to my players.

Liberty's Edge

Chaosorbit wrote:
It looks like volume 2 starts at level 3. Which implies each volume covers 2 levels or so. Does that mean you'll reach level 12 after all 6. I wonder how many hours of play each volume will have, an estimate maybe? Also how many players is it designed for 4, 5, 6? Can anyone answer this?

Wonder if that means that PC are going to have more abilities per level. Or at least more capable at low level. In Pathfinder I can't wait to get to level 4 or so, just to have character options available. Hoping Starfinder did something to change this.


Also a big fan of Simar's design. Is that heavy armor? It has to be one of the most power armorest armors we've seen yet. really like a lot of the details going on. the mark on her leg, is that a symbol of any importance or just an odd scratch mark?


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... so going to frag me some drift ghost...

Remember folks, thou canst not kill that which doth not live. But thou mayest blow it into teeny tiny pieces.

Scarab Sages

Torbyne wrote:
Also a big fan of Simar's design. Is that heavy armor? It has to be one of the most power armorest armors we've seen yet. really like a lot of the details going on. the mark on her leg, is that a symbol of any importance or just an odd scratch mark?

Simar's armor reminds me of Samus' from Metroid.


That undead there reminds me of Bernie Wrightson's work. Also reminds me of this piece https://2warpstoneptune.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/defcon-4-poster-1984.jp g?w=500&h=766 by Rudy Obrero (which is a take on this piece https://2warpstoneptune.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/icarus-mckie-1977.jpg by Angus McKie).


Imbicatus wrote:
Torbyne wrote:
Also a big fan of Simar's design. Is that heavy armor? It has to be one of the most power armorest armors we've seen yet. really like a lot of the details going on. the mark on her leg, is that a symbol of any importance or just an odd scratch mark?
Simar's armor reminds me of Samus' from Metroid.

I definetely see some of Samus in there. Maybe a little Starship troopers too, at least from the CG movie series. I like the backpack power pack and sensor bits, whats up with the book though? Looks like it might be a relic from Golarion-that-was?

Paizo Employee Starfinder Society Developer

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GM Hmm wrote:
I realize that this is probably a question for John and Thursty, but I'll ask it anyway. How soon after GenCon do you expect this AP to be sanctioned for SFS play?

... after Gen Con? Oh no, we're aiming to do better than that.

Silver Crusade

Thurston Hillman wrote:
GM Hmm wrote:
I realize that this is probably a question for John and Thursty, but I'll ask it anyway. How soon after GenCon do you expect this AP to be sanctioned for SFS play?
... after Gen Con? Oh no, we're aiming to do better than that.

Woohoo!


Is that a Nasaghast?


'Sani wrote:
Is that a Nasaghast?

I blame Cosmonauts.


'Sani wrote:
Is that a Nasaghast?

I'd recommend that you start humming the Ghostbusters theme song now.


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Hill Giant wrote:
'Sani wrote:
Is that a Nasaghast?
I blame Cosmonauts.

While we appreciate you for thinking of us, we Cosmonauts are but instruments of His Misfortune. All Blame instead must go to His Most Schadenfreudiferousness, He-Who-Left-Golarion-in-Another-Parking-Garage -With-The-Keys-in-the-Ignition!

Scarab Sages

2 people marked this as a favorite.
'Sani wrote:
Is that a Nasaghast?

Nasa... Nassa.. Nasa-going-to-work-here anymore.


Will there be a Player's Guide for the Dead Suns AP like there is for every regular Pathfinder AP?


Raark Featherwing wrote:
Will there be a Player's Guide for the Dead Suns AP like there is for every regular Pathfinder AP?

Answered several posts above you: No.

Robert G. McCreary wrote:

From the Department of Expectation Management:

Dead Suns will not have campaign traits (as stated, themes are replacing traits in Starfinder), campaign-specific themes, or a player's guide.


Joana wrote:
Raark Featherwing wrote:
Will there be a Player's Guide for the Dead Suns AP like there is for every regular Pathfinder AP?

Answered several posts above you: No.

Robert G. McCreary wrote:

From the Department of Expectation Management:

Dead Suns will not have campaign traits (as stated, themes are replacing traits in Starfinder), campaign-specific themes, or a player's guide.

Oops, just read it. That is a shame though as my players wont have the books, only me. It would have been good to have given them some pre-game reading to give them a feel for what is to come. Oh well.


Raark Featherwing wrote:
Joana wrote:
Raark Featherwing wrote:
Will there be a Player's Guide for the Dead Suns AP like there is for every regular Pathfinder AP?

Answered several posts above you: No.

Robert G. McCreary wrote:

From the Department of Expectation Management:

Dead Suns will not have campaign traits (as stated, themes are replacing traits in Starfinder), campaign-specific themes, or a player's guide.
Oops, just read it. That is a shame though as my players wont have the books, only me. It would have been good to have given them some pre-game reading to give them a feel for what is to come. Oh well.

I expect after the first AP volume is released some enterprising community member will likely create something to share; PF players have already contributed tons to existing APs for enhancement, and given the enthusiasm for this game I don't expect any different.

Grand Lodge

Adventure Path Charter Subscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Chaosorbit wrote:
It looks like volume 2 starts at level 3. Which implies each volume covers 2 levels or so. Does that mean you'll reach level 12 after all 6. I wonder how many hours of play each volume will have, an estimate maybe? Also how many players is it designed for 4, 5, 6? Can anyone answer this?

According the campaign overview in AP1, each Chapter covers 2 levels.

-Skeld

Edit: Yes, four players.

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