When a brutal gang war breaks out on a docking bay in Absalom Station, the player characters are recruited by the Starfinder Society to investigate the unexpected bloodshed. Delving into the station’s seedy Spike neighborhoods, the heroes confront the gangs and discover that both were paid to start the riot and that the true conflict is between two rival mining companies battling over a new arrival in orbit around the station: a mysteriously deserted ship and the strange asteroid it recovered from the Drift. To head off further violence, the heroes are asked to investigate the ship and discover what happened to its crew, as well as the nature of the asteroid it tows. But what the players find there will set in motion events that could threaten the entirety of the Pact Worlds and change the face of the galaxy forever...
This volume of Starfinder Adventure Path launches the Dead Suns Adventure Path and includes:
"Incident at Absalom Station," a Starfinder adventure for 1st-level characters, by Robert G. McCreary.
A gazetteer of Absalom Station, by James L. Sutter.
Magical relics inspired by the lost planet Golarion, by Owen K.C. Stephens.
An archive of new alien creatures, by Jason Keeley and Robert G. McCreary.
Statistics and deck plans for a new starship designed just for the player characters, plus details on a new planet in the Codex of Worlds, by Robert G. McCreary.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60125-961-5
The Dead Suns Adventure Path is sanctioned for use in Starfinder Society Organized Play. The rules for running this Adventure Path and Chronicle sheet are available as a free download (1.7 MB PDF).
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
There's been a lot of words written about the Dead Suns AP as a whole. I don't want to rehash what other people have written, but here are my thoughts:
1. Requires buy-in from the players, no players guide - As it starts out almost as abruptly as Abomination Vaults for PF2. You're here to meet a dwarf about joining the SF Society, he gets murked, you get drawn into a conspiracy. If the players are disinterested, then no amount of begging by the Shirren SF Society contact is going to make them care.
2. Red Herrings - There's several red herrings floating around involving corporate bureaucratic infighting between a mining guild and a corporation over who gets to claim the Drift Rock that's never really elaborated upon and is honestly just a time-waster as there's no payoff for the group at all. I think it's better to excise this part entirely.
3. Another Red Herring - There's a character that you meet who basically disappears and is never mentioned again, except that your choice to complete the job or not complete the job may affect whether you get somebody's away message in the third AP. Was kind of disappointed.
4. The Ship Is A Deathtrap - Part 2 takes place on a derelict. Really cool, really spooky, except the players are marooned on this ship with no choice but to go forward. Good to chase the players up a tree, bad in that they probably were not prepared for this. My suggestion? Have an unethical space goblin/Wytchwyrd merchant dock with the derelict and offer medical services or consumables to the group. They will need them, if most peoples accounts of playing this AP are to be believed.
Ok, here we go! The first adventure path for Starfinder, Dead Suns. I got to play it in a campaign that took a couple of years of biweekly sessions. My starting PC was a hyper-caffienated energy drink loving barathu envoy, B'rll'blub. He was great fun to play, but proved startlingly ineffective in combat and died later in the campaign--but it was through his eyes I first experienced what I'm reviewing today, Chapter 1: Incident at Absalom Station. In the flagged section below, I discuss the adventure in detail. My general thoughts might be summed up as: it's okay, but nothing spectacular, and with some encounters that aren't really fair to the PCs. Here in the "No Spoilers" section, however, I'm going to discuss everything in volume one that's not part of the adventure--the front and back matter.
[Cut for space: my hatred of the cover, and my description of the inside front and back covers and the author's foreword.]
The first piece of proper back matter is a twelve-page gazetteer of Absalom Station, the center for humanity in the Pact Worlds solar system (the main campaign setting for Starfinder). An interesting history is provided for the station, and I like how it cleverly integrates some concepts from Pathfinder (like the Starstone, some neighborhood names) while making it its own thing. Absalom Station is perhaps the most important location in the setting, as it holds the headquarters for the Pact Worlds government, the Starfinder Society, the Stalwarts (intergalactic peacekeepers), and more. It also serves as a natural starting location for adventures, and a probable home for PCs since it's a pretty multicultural place--a bit like Babylon 5. Although much of this information is probably replicated in the Pact Worlds hardcover, the gazetteer does a good job describing the different areas of the station and leaves a lot of room for GMs to customise as necessary for the adventure they want to tell. There are some "feel and flavour" elements that I think are missing--how do people get around (elevators? trams? vehicles?); what's it like for newcomers when they arrive (visas? security inspections? customs taxes?); and what laws are in place regarding weapons (frowned upon? side-arms only? everyone's got a rocket launcher?). This last issue in particular has proven problematic for a lot of gamers as it goes to varying real-world conceptions of what's normal for urban communities. As a complete aside, I can't help but note that the artwork of the dude on page 43 is *clearly* an intentional likeness of Jon Bernthal from Netflix's The Punisher!
Next up is "Relics of Golarion", a four-page-long collection of new magical items that have historical links to the now-missing planet. The writer clearly knew their Pathfinder lore, as there's a rich evocation of setting elements in the backstory to each item. In terms of actual usefulness, many of the items are too expensive or too high-level to be useful for most PCs, but I liked the falcon boots (allowing a PC to make a sort of personal gravity field so they can walk on walls or ceilings, even in Zero-G) and the (perhaps overpowered) chained weapon fusion which gives any melee weapon the reach property! I liked the section, though as a timing matter I think it was probably too soon and the space should have been devoted to making Starfinder more its own thing instead of tying it so closely to Pathfinder. New readers can be turned off if they feel they can't get the full story without playing an entirely different game.
A bestiary-style "Alien Archives" introduces 7 new creatures, with each receiving a page. The line-up is: akatas, bone troopers, driftdead, garaggakal, rauzhant, vracinea, and void zombies. The artwork is really strong here, though I don't see much in the way of creative ideas here (and a couple of just updates of Pathfinder monsters). Five of the seven appear in the adventure proper, which is a nice way to save word count there.
Finally, there's the "Codex of Worlds", a one-page description of a planet ripe for adventure that's located somewhere outside of the Pact Worlds system. This issue's entry is "Heicoron IV", an ocean planet with rival civilizations. Although they share a common ancestry, one has adopted to living on floating cities while the other has made the depths their home. There's a "first/early contact" situation for explorers. A classic SF concept that could have appeared (budget-willing) on Star Trek. It's not easy to design a world in one-page, but I liked what I saw with Heicoron IV.
The pattern established in this first issue of the AP persists in subsequent issues, with each including a setting element, a bestiary section, some player-facing character options, and a one-page new world. It's worth noting these volumes are also much shorter (just 64 pages each) compared to first edition Pathfinder APs, making them less of a value for the budget-conscious.
SPOILERS! (for the whole AP):
On to the adventure! This starts with a two-page campaign outline that offers the GM a rough idea of what's in store for the entire AP. In short, Dead Suns is going to be a planet-hopping adventure. The PCs start on Absalom Station in Chapter 1, head to Castrovel in Chapter 2, on to the Diaspora in Chapter 3, a gas giant in the Vast in Chapter 4, an artificial moon in Chapter 5, and then a massive Corpse Fleet flagship in Chapter 6. This is an AP meant to show off themes of space travel and exploration, not one about laying down roots or deep involvement with NPCs and communities. The plot itself concerns the lurking danger of an epic superweapon called the Death St--I mean, the Stellar Degenerator--capable of destroying entire worlds. I'll get more into that in reviews of later chapters.
Part 1 of Incident at Absalom Station is "Absalom Gang War." All of the PCs are meant to be new (or returning) visitors to Absalom Station interested in joining the Starfinder Society (an organisation devoted to exploration, scholarship, and first contact). That's a reasonable premise, but I *really* wish Starfinder did AP Player's Guides like Pathfinder does--they make great advertising tools and help players better immerse themselves in a campaign's premise.
Anyway, I think starting a campaign off with some drama and action is a wise choice, and that's what we get here, because the moment the PCs step off their shuttle and into the docking bay, they're caught in a firefight between two rival gangs! The Starfinder agent meant to show the group around (a dwarf named Duravor Kreel) is killed in the crossfire. I joked with my GM for months after because this is done in a heavy-handed way. Instead of Kreel being killed in the opening descriptive text (before the PCs can do anything), he's required to be killed in the first round of Initiative (no matter what the PCs do, and with no attack or damage roll required). But my PC had a rescue plan! Oh well . . .
With Kreel dead and the gang members dispatched (or fled), the PCs will eventually come into contact with the shirren Chiskisk, a higher-ranking member of the Starfinder Society. Chiskisk is concerned that perhaps Kreel's death wasn't simply a "wrong place at the wrong time" situation, and asks the group to investigate his death as a sort of audition to become members of the group. The investigation aspect is handled pretty well, I think, with five different columns for Gather Information results on different topics and lots of room for creative GMs to flavour how (or from whom) the PCs are getting the info. The PCs will quickly understand that the two gangs fighting in the docking bay (the "Downside Kings" and the "Level 21 Crew") were essentially proxies hired by two rival mining companies (the "Hardscrabble Collective" and "Astral Extractions"). The mining companies are enmeshed in a legal dispute over who gets to claim ownership of an asteroid-sized chunk of rock found in the Drift that had been towed back to Absalom Station by a mining survey ship named the Acreon. As all of the crew of the ship were dead on arrival, Absalom Station's authorities have placed the ship and the Drift rock into quarantine some distance from the station.
That info reveals what the gangs (and their mining company employers) were fighting over, but it doesn't yet explain the nature of Duravor Kreel's death. To get more answers, the PCs need to visit each gang's headquarters and see their leader. The adventure handles this part well, with diplomatic and violent approaches accounted for, and some good characterisation of the NPCs. Busting up gang members isn't exactly intergalactic SF action, but every Starfinder has to start somewhere! Assuming their investigation goes well, the PCs should learn that, in fact, Kreel was an intended victim by one of the gangs--he was a board member of the Hardscrabble Collective and so a hit was put out on him by Astral Extractions out of fear he would also get the Starfinder Society involved in the legal dispute. It's a mystery that has a satisfying conclusion, and gives the PCs an early sense of accomplishment.
Part 2 is "Ghost Ship." The PCs have a few days of downtime to explore and establish themselves on Absalom Station--something that's good for role-playing, even if the GM knows they won't be staying there long. They're then invited to a meeting with Ambassador Gevalarsk Nor, the necrovite (a type of undead) ambassador from Eox! Friendly chatting with evil undead is something some players will have difficulty swallowing, but the premise of Starfinder is that Eox is a full member of the Pact Worlds and that although some people find them distasteful or suspicious, they're generally treated decently. It definitely makes for an interesting meeting, as the PCs learn that the ambassador has an offer for them: he wants them to investigate the Acreon and the Drift rock, and report what they find. It turns out that Ambassador Nor is the mediator between the ongoing dispute over who should get to claim the rock. He's willing to pay well, and he offers additional payment if the PCs bring back to him personally a particular container in the ship's hold--though he won't reveal what's in it! I can't argue with a "What's in the box? Don't open the box!" mystery.
Assuming the PCs agree, they'll get their first taste of the game's starship combat rules. The shuttle they've been loaned is attacked by a single-seat interceptor piloted by an android assassin (hired by whichever mining company the PCs seemed most adverse to). I'm on the record as loathing starship combat in Starfinder, but at least this one is quick and easy, and serves as a straightforward introduction of the rules to players new to the game. As is often the case, I am annoyed that whether the PCs win or lose this starship combat, there are no real consequences, as the adventure assumes that the PCs take lifeboats to get on to the Drift rock (I have no idea why this "professional assassin" wouldn't just shoot down their lifeboats, and the adventure provides no explanation either).
Exploring the Acreon plays up to the classic science fiction "ghost ship" trope. The crew are either dead or vanished, and the PCs need to figure out what happened to them. Their investigation is hampered by the fact that some space goblins from Absalom Station broke into the quarantined ship earlier; I like how they can be simple foes to neutralize or made short-term hirelings (my group chose the latter option, because we needed all the help we could get!). The answer to what befell the ship's crew comes pretty quickly: the movie Alien. Here, they're "akatas", but they look and act very similar to Ripley's foes, complete with the egg-laying-in-human-host bit. Frankly, I wouldn't have minded an answer that was more creative and original. On the other hand, the "what's in the box?!" mystery has a great reveal. When I played, our group didn't open it because the Ambassador said not to and we wanted to get paid. But if a group does, they see there's a dead body inside--and the body opens its eyes and speaks! In short, the container contains an undead "bone trooper" who was being smuggled into Absalom Station by Ambassador Nor. This can turn into a combat or a role-playing encounter, but either way I think it's a creepy-fun answer.
Part 3 is "Phantoms of the Drift" and sees the PCs exploring the Drift rock itself. A well-concealed cave leads to a hidden complex of chambers with technology far in advance of what the Pact Worlds has. The PCs won't know this now (and even as a player, I never realised it until preparing this review), but the Drift rock is actually a small sheared-off portion of the Stellar Degenerator itself! While exploring, the PCs have to survive the android assassin who comes after them in person, some zombies (crew members from the Acreon infected by the akatas), a security robot, and more. They'll also be attacked by a driftdead (a new creature from the back matter's bestiary) that was once a space explorer named Moriko Nash--who died 75 years ago! It turns out Nash was the captain of a starship called the Sunrise Maiden that encountered the Drift rock decades before the Acreon. In a touching bit, the PCs find Nash's last recording that details her fate and gives an ominous warning that something is hunting her.
The PCs probably won't have realised it, but once they landed on the Drift rock and started exploring, their shuttle is remotely activated and flies back to Absalom Station, leading them stranded. This is a contrived (and to my mind execrable) excuse to force the PCs to find another way home. Of course, they'll find the Sunrise Maiden in a hangar bay, the ship intended to be their real home for the rest of the campaign (and the subject of the inside front and back cover). But first, they have to deal with what killed the ship's former captain.
The big boss of Incident at Absalom Station is a new monster called a garaggakal. It's a CR5 monster with a bite attack that does 2d6+9 damage, a special "Leech Life" attack that it can use (a limited number of times per day) to instantly do 5d6 damage that it then gains as temporary hit points, and an EAC/KAC high enough that PCs will probably hit it only 25% of the time. Oh, and if PCs barricade themselves in a room somewhere to rest and heal, it can pass through walls to get them! In short, it's a TPK waiting to happen, as evidenced by several posts in the forum. My experience as a player was exactly the same, although the GM took pity on us and had it act in ways that allowed us to eventually beat it. Frankly, I'd rather suffer a TPK than get a pity win. But in any event, placing the garaggakal there was a terrible decision idea by the adventure writer. I guess I can chalk it up to the difficulties with appropriately scaling difficulty in a brand new game, but I feel like just eyeballing what it can do versus what four average Level 2 PCs can do shows it's likely to be a big problem that leaves a sour taste in the mouth moving forward. And that's where the adventure concludes--there's not an epilogue, because the action starts up immediately in the next volume of the AP, right when the PCs leave the Drift rock.
Overall, both as a player and a reader, I felt some disappointment with Incident at Absalom Station. There were some bits I really enjoyed (the investigation and dealing with the ambassador, for example), but the plot afterwards was pretty basic: a ghost ship followed by a space-dungeon crawl that I've seen a million times, in Starfinder Society scenarios and elsewhere. I was hoping that the first AP for the game would really hit things out of the park (like Rise of the Runelords) did for Pathfinder, but that just isn't the case. And the big boss encounter made it clear that the writers' expectations of what an average group can do is not realistic.
So I'm having bit of problem with these reviews because I'm doing them while running the final book, so by now players' reactions and such isn't super fresh in my mind :p But at least my impressions have had time to age.
The adventures premise of "your contact got killed that ropes you into plot between two factions competing for same thing" and gags involved in it IS interesting.... But have no relevance to rest of the plot at all, so it all feels kind of... Irrelevant?
If Dead Suns is structured like a scifi action adventure movie, this book is essentially pre credit roll intro thing. Like Indiana Jones stea- err finding that golden idol and having it stolen by his evil counterpart. Except instead of lasting 5-10 minutes, it lasts for one sixth of the story.
(that said, actual adventure is fun, I like use of akata and stuff in the drift rock in itself, but its weak overall plotwise when you look at the ap as whole. It does have interesting stuff like potential enemy you can turn to friend and I do like idea of drift rock's discovery setting you up on grand journey. Though this book has several moments of straight up railroading that feels unnecessary or like if it could have been written around differently)
P.S. Gevalarsk Nor is the best npc of this ap. I do find it bit of mixed bag in how its kept secret for gm what his subplot is actually about, but I do like it you can reasonable figure it out by paying close attention through entire ap.
While I generally do not play published adventures, Incident at Absalom Station is exactly WHY I don't play published adventures.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, IaAS is a railroady, contrived adventure that tries to be a murder-mystery but was written by someone who clearly had no idea how to write a murder-mystery.
The book kicks off with the players being newly recruited Starfinder Society members that arrive only to see their Society contact get gunned down in front of them. What follows is a paint-by-numbers story of corporate intrigue that drags on for much longer then it needs to be. Five minutes of dice rolling and roleplaying, and most intelligent players will have found both the main suspect and the motive. But because the writing is contrived, the party still has to trudge through largely pointless filler and no, you cannot call on the Starfinder Society to help speed things up (remind me why we joined these guys again?)
After the initial mystery resolves itself with an unsatisfying bit of Deus Ex Machina, we get to the second half of the adventure, a fairly standard dungeon crawl. Other then the fact that the encounters as written are not balanced for a standard party of four level two adventurers, this actually isn't all that bad. And yes, there is errata available that makes the dungeon encounters more manageable. That one was on us.
I will not elaborate on the ending other then it is fittingly unsatisfying for an adventure that had little player agency and was horribly contrived almost from the get-go. For a company that had been writing adventures for 14 years before Dead Suns dropped, Paizo's first outing into the Pact Worlds should have been better then this.
Since I am going all out and getting all subscriptions, how do they know to add the Starfinder Society subscription for free??
It's likely that the system is set up to automatically add the Starfinder Society subscription if certain conditions are met, such as subscriptions for all other Starfinder product lines.
Obviously, some people are going to be getting their pdfs before the street date of August 17th, so I just wanted to pop and and discuss rules clarifications, and pasting text from the books into this thread.
The Starfinder Team won't be addressing rules clarifications until after Gen Con at the earliest. The reason for this is twofold. First, we don't want to begin to focus on details before most people have the book (we still have previews planned, even). Second, we just don't have time. Combining the release and preview info with our regular workload and con prep means we just can't realistically get to it.
Most likely, it's best to hold onto questions until a week or so after release.
Second, I'd like to remind folks that it is not okay to to copy large portions of text from the book. Doing so may result in the suspension or removal of posting privileges.
We want everyone to be excited and be involved, but we don't want to tease folks who can't get the book yet, or spoil any of their experience of cracking open a new RPG for the first time.
FWIW, I enjoy the art direction and border/layout motif in Dead Suns. I think it is well done and visually appealing. Sort of a deck-plating, rusted military/industrial feel. Channeling Battletech a bit. Very apropos.
Especially contrasted to the Ruins of Azlant AP, which is easily my least favorite AP design/layout motif of all time. Which is a busy-as-busy-can-get Polynesian waterfall motif with Aztec shout-outs. You can see for yourself in the Player's Guide. Not a fan.
Cartography is done by Damien Mammoliti. I think he did an excellent job. The maps feature more machinery and "functional dressing" than is typical in most Paizo maps. That is a function of the setting. It's channeling SciFi, not a minimalesque dungeon.
I was pleased with the visual appearance of the maps and I expect you will be as well. Thumbs up.
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
I like the adventure. But what I really, really, really dislike is the abbreviated statblocks. They don't state which class level an NPC has, or a creature's hit dice. And I find it annoying not to be able to know what feats or other abilities a character has. Deconstructing a character for various reasons, such as tinkering with the stats or wanting to enter it into some character building software gets really difficult like this. I know what they are trying to accomplish with these statblock but I think it is a failure. Personally, I can see no improvement whatsoever in using these abbreviated statblocks.
For an example, check this character:
Spoiler:
Clara-247, android operative of unspecified level. She is CR 2, so, going by established patterns, she's most likely level 3. This is also supported by the fact that her Offensive Abilities line lists trick attack +1d8 and the fact that she does not have a second opeerative exploit she'd gain at level 4. However, at level 3 she should have operative's edge +2, but that isn't listed in her statblock, because it's passive. But if she had +2, shouldn't she have Init +6? Her hit points also do not line up with being a level 3 android operative with a +0 Con bonus (should be 22), and shouldn't she also have 18 stamina points? So, are these possibly mistakes, or are there some hidden abilities that affect these stats that aren't listed? The statblock really confuses or obfuscates these things.
I like the adventure. But what I really, really, really dislike is the abbreviated statblocks. They don't state which class level an NPC has, or a creature's hit dice. And I find it annoying not to be able to know what feats or other abilities a character has. Deconstructing a character for various reasons, such as tinkering with the stats or wanting to enter it into some character building software gets really difficult like this. I know what they are trying to accomplish with these statblock but I think it is a failure. Personally, I can see no improvement whatsoever in using these abbreviated statblocks.
For an example, check this character:
** spoiler omitted **
NPCs/monsters use a different method of creation than PCs.
yeah not a fan of oversimplification and doubly annoying if you have to reverse engineer everything. I will run it as it and see how it goes but im with you in liking to know why something has the stats it does and what gives what bonuses. I much prefer as much detail and info as i can get.
yeah not a fan of oversimplification and doubly annoying if you have to reverse engineer everything. I will run it as it and see how it goes but im with you in liking to know why something has the stats it does and what gives what bonuses. I much prefer as much detail and info as i can get.
I don't think it's an oversimplification to use a different rule set to design monsters.
I like the adventure. But what I really, really, really dislike is the abbreviated statblocks. They don't state which class level an NPC has, or a creature's hit dice. And I find it annoying not to be able to know what feats or other abilities a character has. Deconstructing a character for various reasons, such as tinkering with the stats or wanting to enter it into some character building software gets really difficult like this. I know what they are trying to accomplish with these statblock but I think it is a failure. Personally, I can see no improvement whatsoever in using these abbreviated statblocks.
For an example, check this character:
** spoiler omitted **
NPCs/monsters use a different method of creation than PCs.
Ah, Starfinder gets away from "NPCs have to follow PC rules" thing?
Thats actually pretty good thing I wasn't expecting them to do in d20 system .-. I mean, it is pain to dissemble npc statblocks, so if they their own rules, that is bit simpler yeah.
I don't think it's an oversimplification to use a different rule set to design monsters.
I believe abilities are based off of CR now.
Indeed it doesn't have to be. I just like to have all the info. I will reserve ultimate judgement until I can see it all for myself. its a new system and ultimately a new way to build NPC's so until we all get familiar with it the stat blocks, i hope, will seem more confusing to us now but make more sense over time once we get used to how things are built.
My hope is that once I have a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanics of how NPCs are built it will be easier to see why the stat blocks say what they say and why the NPC has what it has is all.
I like the adventure. But what I really, really, really dislike is the abbreviated statblocks. They don't state which class level an NPC has, or a creature's hit dice. And I find it annoying not to be able to know what feats or other abilities a character has. Deconstructing a character for various reasons, such as tinkering with the stats or wanting to enter it into some character building software gets really difficult like this. I know what they are trying to accomplish with these statblock but I think it is a failure. Personally, I can see no improvement whatsoever in using these abbreviated statblocks.
For an example, check this character:
** spoiler omitted **
You might want to look over the Pathfinder Unchained monster creation system. It might look more familiar.
I don't think it's an oversimplification to use a different rule set to design monsters.
I believe abilities are based off of CR now.
Indeed it doesn't have to be. I just like to have all the info. I will reserve ultimate judgement until I can see it all for myself. its a new system and ultimately a new way to build NPC's so until we all get familiar with it the stat blocks, i hope, will seem more confusing to us now but make more sense over time once we get used to how things are built.
My hope is that once I have a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanics of how NPCs are built it will be easier to see why the stat blocks say what they say and why the NPC has what it has is all.
Haven't seen the new system, so no clue how it works, but with luck maybe its closer to making CR science than art. I mean, classwise, CR was always bit weird since like high level rogue isn't as threatening as high level fighter when solo, so their cr isn't indicative of their actual abilities <_<
Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber; Starfinder Charter Superscriber
CorvusMask wrote:
Ah, Starfinder gets away from "NPCs have to follow PC rules" thing?
Thats actually pretty good thing I wasn't expecting them to do in d20 system .-. I mean, it is pain to dissemble npc statblocks, so if they their own rules, that is bit simpler yeah.
YMMV. I consider this to be exactly the opposite of a "pretty good thing". Especially when we don't even have the rules that NPCs are supposed to follow. The rule book actually says "NPCs don't have levels", but I can't really see how that makes any sense at all. Do you just arbitrarily assign class abilities?
And I'm not sure how it makes any sense that PCs seem to have roughly twice as many hit/stamina points as NPCs of comparable power.
YMMV. I consider this to be exactly the opposite of a "pretty good thing". Especially when we don't even have the rules that NPCs are supposed to follow. The rule book actually says "NPCs don't have levels", but I can't really see how that makes any sense at all. Do you just arbitrarily assign class abilities?
And I'm not sure how it makes any sense that PCs seem to have roughly twice as many hit/stamina points as NPCs of comparable power.
well the Hit pint issue is actually by design. The underlying math sets up a situation where the PC's have a harder time hitting but more hit points. NPC's are the inverse with high accuracy but less HP's if I remember it correctly from the Math driven rules thread. That said I am a bit concerned if it isn't apparent how we are supposed to build NPC's like the operative you mentioned in the NPC building rules of the core book. Im going to assume that is not the case because if we just randomly pick stuff.. are there not rules but more like guidelines? I am hoping this isnt the case. In any case very eager to get my PDF and read for myself.
The rule book actually says "NPCs don't have levels", but I can't really see how that makes any sense at all. Do you just arbitrarily assign class abilities?
They may not have levels, but they do have a CR. Enemy abilities are based on CR, so scary monsters that also have class abilities can have access to higher level class abilities.
I wonder if there's going to be a player guide like there normally is for the APs in Pathfinder.
That said, given its starting in some fairly core places, the Player Guide is probably short enough to fit in the first few pages of the first book.
A couple of pages back they said probably not...and since they do not have one out yet I am assuming they are not going with one.
Which I find annoying as the Player Guides helped players avoid what to me at least one of the most frustrating thing to happen to a playing regardless of the system...which is create a character that actually fits into the campaign.
So does it seem to be doable to run a 6 person party or to hard to tell right now?
Then the party can be any class or might run into problems, as the mechanic and soldier seem to be everyones top class pic ....(Yikes)
Oh I think it appears entirely doable on the surface, but really, these things can only be field tested during an actual campaign with your actual players.
At this point, I'd assume yes but stay on your guard as play develops. I know I will be.
Yep, in PF it is so easy to mod things out in AP's for 6 players even on the fly I am so used to it, but the new system and AP, not so much. And a bit Nervous as well honestly.
I have 5 players all set once everyone gets their book or PDF, a 6th in the wings and once I get the mod and dig into it to see how the combat is set up I can go from there.
Curious to see if this will be as epic as RotRL when it launched, We all have very high hopes!!
Obviously a shorter AP as they stated but with getting familiar with and running/playing SF hoping I can add my own spin as I do in most PF AP's to get it a bit longer and a higher level, say 16 or so compared to the 12-13 I heard it will be officially by the end of Dead Suns
The same tricks you use to mod PF for six players should work for Starfinder. Encounters are still built on xp totals. So multiplying an encounter's xp total by 1.5, and adding minions or advanced templates should still do roughly the same work.
Considering that at moment, only subscribers have pdf and not even all of them have it, I doubt many of them have started running the ap since not enough many days to study the rules and teach them to players. Unless you just play with pathfinder rules I guess?
Anyhoo, I know I'm not starting until 17 since I didn't subscribe to core starfinder line :'D
I was able to download it on Friday and looked through it during the weekend.
The artwork is very good and I like the page layout.
The adventure, however is too short for my liking. Feel more like a module then the start of an adventure path. Looking at the book again, the adventure starts on page 7 and finish on page 37.
After that, there is a 10 page article on Absalom station. I won't go into detail, but it as a population of slightly over 2mil.
It is followed by a 4 page article about relics from Golarion. Magical items from before the gap some updated to Starfinder.
Next is the Alien archives with 8 pages.
Lastly, there is a 1 page of the Codex of worlds.
The maps are half page art. They look good. Though I find that one of them could have use a more 3d feel to it.
Overall, while I understand that they needed to give lots of info to help run the game, I hope that the next part of the path will be longer.
Developer, Starfinder Team
