Every spell that lets you change form has been removed. Was this simply because these spells changed ability scores or was it for some other reason? And will we see these spells return in the future? I really like alter self, beast shape, and form of the dragon, especially for RP.
Obviously I'm as clueless as anyone but the devs here, but I'd imagine they either didn't consider it a high priority or wanted to release those kinds of rules after Alien Archive launches so we have stat blocks for whatever we can transform into.
Obviously I'm as clueless as anyone but the devs here, but I'd imagine they either didn't consider it a high priority or wanted to release those kinds of rules after Alien Archive launches so we have stat blocks for whatever we can transform into.
Not having alien archives hasn't stopped them yet. Without it we are still lacking any real guidelines for balancing converted PF creatures. :V
True but I assume that whatever wild shape type spells might exist probably won't use creatures that are in print. I also don't think we're gonna get more info on converting PF monsters in Alien Archive that we already have so they're about as balanced as they're gonna be.
True but I assume that whatever wild shape type spells might exist probably won't use creatures that are in print. I also don't think we're gonna get more info on converting PF monsters in Alien Archive that we already have so they're about as balanced as they're gonna be.
They did say they completely rebalanced to-hit and AC for creatures compared to PF, though.
I mean it's all speculation really, but the way they phrase the monster conversion rules in the CRB makes me think we might not get more conversion info and will just have to build PF creatures from scratch using the monster creation rules when Alien Archive hits. I don't particularly mind either way since I'm not starting my SF game (which will be the AP anyway) until late September at the earliest, but I can see how it might be a pain for GMs that wanna homebrew. If that's the case then you've kinda just gotta make the best of the situation until October.
I suspect we will not get the same sort of transformation spells. They have gone to some length to avoid anything that makes you recalculate attributes during play. I suspect this is both to make it simpler and faster during play.
That said, I expect there will be a future release that will greatly expand on the spell casting in Starfinder. They most likely had to spend a fair amount of time just deciding which spells would go in the core rule book.
I mean it's all speculation really, but the way they phrase the monster conversion rules in the CRB makes me think we might not get more conversion info and will just have to build PF creatures from scratch using the monster creation rules when Alien Archive hits. I don't particularly mind either way since I'm not starting my SF game (which will be the AP anyway) until late September at the earliest, but I can see how it might be a pain for GMs that wanna homebrew. If that's the case then you've kinda just gotta make the best of the situation until October.
It's less about about complete conversion rules and more about the CR tables ala unchained, to make sure the monsters don't deviate too far from the assumed, balanced values.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
My guess would be that such spells are complicated (and made more so by the different monster design philosophy), and also aren't really very prevalent in the genre.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Summoning spells have also been removed, and spellcasting still scales to roughly the same level of power (you still receive spells like Disintegrate at 6th level, for instance).
My theory is that these sorts of all-powerful or fully arcane types of magic are simply not available to the classes at hand, since they don't work well the the themes of the classes (Mystic is presented as more psychic based, while Technomancer is a hybridization of magic and technology as well as a mix of arcane and psychic power). Very few spells like transformation, summon monster, and Gate made it through, and the few that did I'm actually surprised by (Animate Dead and Planar Binding spring to mind).
When classes arrive that make sense to transform, I imagine we'll see those spells again in those books (or the spells will otherwise come out later), and I imagine they'll even be available to the current spellcasters. In the meantime, if you really want to play a shapeshifter, you could always port a Pathfinder class over.
Well, there's no summon magic yet. I imagine we'll see some kind of monster based magic in Alien Archive, though whether that will be summoning, shapeshifting, or something else I don't know
As a GM I'm very, very, very, very glad there is no summoning or transformative spells (yet), a big hassle is all they were.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Actually, I think I might call myself a Star Master.
I think that's pretentious enough for me. :-)
If they say "Star Master" in a reverent tone, they get an automatic +2 on their next roll (and yes, it will be stackable).
Alien Archive mentioned summoning spells in its description. Neither Mystic nor Technomancer seem to have much reason to get spells to transform, though. I'm guessing we'll see polymorphs when there's a bestiary to reference and a class that's a closer thematic fit. That said, it's a balancing headache, since gear is so important in Starfinder, and because ability scores are harder to mess with. I wouldn't be surprised if polymorphs were more restricted than Pathfinder.
That said, it's a balancing headache, since gear is so important in Starfinder, and because ability scores are harder to mess with. I wouldn't be surprised if polymorphs were more restricted than Pathfinder.
Which is why I suspect they will be done differently than in Pathfinder.
They may just give an EAC/KAC bonus and an attack as the beast with specific damage value or something like that. They know that they have to avoid the Godzilla effect that happened in 3.0, but they also want it simpler to use at the table than the current Polymorphism effects are in Pathfinder.
I am still trying to grok the rules for Starfinder, so I don't currently have a good idea what might be appropriate here. I just expect it to be different and easier to utilize at a table.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Probably not part of the scifi feel they wanted?
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
There is room for shapeshifting characters in Sci-Fi. Odo in DS9. Arnold in Total Recall. The Mangalores in The Fifth Element. The T-1000 in Terminator 2. The Thing in The Thing.
However, with the rebalancing that has gone into starfinder, polymorph effects need to be seriously curtailed from pathfinder rules, especially any stat adjustments or multiple natural attacks.