Hello and welcome to the game!
I'll put the gameplay thread up in a bit so you can dot and add this to your campaigns tab.
The story so far is that your group has been contracted by AbadarCorp to deliver a shipment supplies to the colony world of Nakondis in the Vast, where your friend Cedona lives. You are to be paid 4000 credits by the colony's leader, Madelon Kesi. If you'd like to work out connections between your characters, feel free to do so, as the adventure doesn't really come with any existing ties between the party.
Your group also begins with a ship, so get crew roles figured out, and you may build the ship yourself. (Tier 1, so 55 Build points). If people would prefer to start the AP quicker, however, we can use a Kevolari Venture or other Tier 1 sample starship.
Thanks for applying and I look forward to playing! :)
Thanks for the selection, Captain! I am looking forward to a fun game. I will fill in the alias details to tomorrow.
I confess I have little interest in the starship design meta game. I am fine with using a sample ship, but I will defer to the others.
Good evening! I'll get onto making a proper profile ASAP and, of course, thank you for having me. This should be a blast. Will be diving into the subtleties and nuances of the rules the coming week as well :)
Hello, and thank you for the selection! I will work on filling out my tagline. Is there any particular format that you request for that, or are you leaving that entirely up to us?
For the character connections, I could see Ainsemseo potentially knowing Alorea. This is mostly due to Ainsemseo having spent ~6 months living on Verces as the neighbor of Cedona. At some point, our characters could have met. What do you think?
Addressing the starship, I would be fine with either building our own shop or using a sample ship. However, if we did go with either the Kevolari Venture or the Starhive Drone mk 3 (the two sample tier 1 starships), would you (Captain) be willing to allow us to alter them slightly?
That sounds good to me, Ainsemseo. Alorea would have liked playing with Cubbers!
If you could put AC, hp, saves, init, and perception somewhere in the race, class, and gender parts of the profile, that would be great. I don't particularly care about the exact format.
And yeah, you could definitely take an existing starship and alter it.
Hi all. Looking forward to it. I will have my proper alias/stat block up soon.
Looking at starship roles, here are everybody's relevant skill modifiers:
Ainsemsio: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +10+1d6, Engineering +7, Gunnery +3
Alorea: Computers +9, Engineering +9, Piloting +8, Gunnery +5
Greist: Diplomacy +9, Gunnery +3
Gyn: Engineering +9, Piloting +9, Gunnery +5
Yamah: Computers +12, Engineering +8, Gunnery +2
Based on these, it looks like Ainsemsio makes the best captain. Alorea can serve as engineer. Greist is best suited to be a gunner. Gyn makes the best pilot. Yamah makes the best science officer.
Of course, most of our numbers are within one or two of each other, so we can switch things around if we want. :)
Wohoo! Looking forward to playing with all of you. I'm currently heading back home after a short road trip, so I'll get my stat line up and join the conversation tonight!
So, eh, they still haven't added any Starfinder avatars to the forum?! *glares*
Yup, people have only been asking for over a year now. :(
Being a gunner suits me fine, unless someone else wants to do it.
So, does anyone in the group wish to design a starship from scratch, or would you guys prefer to simply go with a (potentially mofified) Kevolari Venture or Starhive Drone mk 3?
I would be ok with working up a ship it the party wishes for a unique one, and if so would try to incorporate what everyone wanted. As for the two sample ships, the Kevolari Venture is a bit tankier on shields, but runs out of heavy firepower after it shoots its last missile. The Starhive Drone,on the other hand, has more offensive armanents, is faster, and has a slightly higher TL, at the expense of its shields and hull points.
In my experience, it's better to have a lot of offensive options rather than stock up on defense. Otherwise, starship combats tend to drag. If we pick a stock ship, my vote would be for the Starhive Drone.
I agree. My vote is for the Drone, if we go stock. I am not as well-versed on ship design, so I'll defer to the group there.
I simply know too little to pass judgment on whether or not to go for a stock option or a customized one. I'll simply vote for whatever is most popular *grins*
Been reading up on combat today and it seems that, outside of covering fire and hail of fire (?), it isn't all that different from Pathfinder. I'll try to make a start on the specifics of space combat later tonight. I browsed through the basics, but it seems to have a completely different flow than regular combat :)
The stock options are built from the same system as player designed ship, so they should be roughly comparable to any player-built ship. However, they sometimes have peculiarities that may not suit a particular party, which was why I asked Captain if we could alter a pre-designed if we wanted to.
I agree that it is better to focus on offensiveness, and would cast my vote in to go with the Drone if we are going to go that way. Depending on my schedule, I will try to come up with a couple of alternate versions of it to present to the rest of you.
As a note to the GM, I have made a few additional purchases. They are mostly small items, but they are just to round out the character. Ainsemseo got a Datapad with some upgrades, an Engineering Toolkit, a flashlight, and a Zipstick.
Covering fire and harrying fire (I think that's what you mean by hail of fire) are basically aid another used to increase AC or attack rolls, but against AC 15 rather than 10.
I've dabbled with starship combat a view times on both sides of the screen, and I would prefer if we put together something tailored to our skills (reposting this handy list for convenience):
Looking at starship roles, here are everybody's relevant skill modifiers:
Ainsemsio: Bluff +8, Diplomacy +10+1d6, Engineering +7, Gunnery +3
Alorea: Computers +9, Engineering +9, Piloting +8, Gunnery +5
Greist: Diplomacy +9, Gunnery +3
Gyn: Engineering +9, Piloting +9, Gunnery +5
Yamah: Computers +12, Engineering +8, Gunnery +2Based on these, it looks like Ainsemsio makes the best captain. Alorea can serve as engineer. Greist is best suited to be a gunner. Gyn makes the best pilot. Yamah makes the best science officer.
Our weakest point, I think, is having just one gunner with only a +3. At low tiers, many of the enemy ships are nimble ships with low HP but very high AC, making the gunnery check the hardest check of the round (and the gunner almost always has the lowest modifier). We can address this by swapping roles around to put Alorea and/or Gyn in the gunner's chair, investing in a mk 2 (or even 3) mononode computer, and/or sticking to long-range weapons like the coilgun or the light torpedo launcher (aka, the torpedo launcher with infinite torpedoes).
Couple that with a decently nimble frame (either the light freighter or the explorer, I think?) and one of our good pilots and we should be able to not die.
Ainsemseo, if you've got time, I would love to see what you come up with. If not, I can throw something together tomorrow afternoon.
Sounds good, Gyn. Alorea would be happy to fire the lasers! Ainsemseo could switch between engineer and captain each round, and Yamah could switch between engineer and science officer, depending on where their skills would be of most benefit.
Alright, a couple ships for y'all. First up, the Kevolari Venture:
Medium explorer
Speed 6; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 14; TL 12
HP 55; DT —; CT 11
Shields basic 20 (forward 5, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5)
Attack (Forward) light laser cannon (2d4; range 5)
Attack (Turret) high explosive missile launcher (4d8; range 20, speed 12, limited fire 5)
Power Core Pulse Gray (100 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems basic computer, budget mid-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 3 armor, mk 1 defenses; Expansion Bays cargo holds (3), physical science lab
Modifiers +2 Piloting
Next up, the Starhive Drone Mk III:
Small light freighter
Speed 8; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 14; TL 13
HP 40; DT —; CT 8
Shields basic 10 (forward 3, port 2, starboard 2, aft 3)
Attack (Forward) linked gyrolasers (2d8; range 5, broad arc)
Attack (Port) light torpedo launcher (2d8; range 20, speed 16)
Attack (Starboard) light torpedo launcher (2d8; range 20, speed 16)
Power Core Pulse Brown (90 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems budget mid-range sensors, crew quarters (basic), mk 2 armor, mk 1 defenses, mk 1 mononode computer; Expansion Bays cargo holds (2), escape pods
Modifiers +1 any one check per round, +1 Piloting
Here's a compromise ship. I took the Starhive Drone, traded some speed and armor for additional shields, improved the computer, and swapped the port/starboard torpedoes for a single one on a turret mount (note that this launcher builds torpedoes as fast as it fires them). It doesn't have as many HP as an Explorer frame vessel (like the Venture), but the double forward weapon mounts allow for more firepower to be brought against a single target in the forward, port, or starboard arcs.
Small light freighter
Speed 6; Maneuverability good (turn 1); Drift 1
AC 13; TL 13
HP 40; DT n/a; CT 8
Shields Basic 20 (forward 5, port 5, starboard 5, aft 5)
Attack (Forward) linked gyrolasers (2d8; range 5, broad arc)
Attack (Turret) light torpedo launcher (2d8; range 20, speed 16)
Power Core Pulse Brown (90 PCU); Drift Engine Signal Basic; Systems budget short-range sensors, crew quarters (common), mk 1 armor, mk 1 defences, mk 2 mononode computer; Expansion Bays cargo hold (3)
Modifiers +2 any one check per round, +2 Piloting
If you wanna muck about with this design, you can go to this online ship builder and copy/paste the following JSON code into the box.
I like the proposed ship, Gyn. We can put that +2 on any check each round to good use with the gunnery checks to increase our chances of hitting each round.
So, this is my second SF game, and the last one mostly stayed planetside. That said, if there are any changes I can make to help out more on the ship side, I am open to suggestions.
I also approve of this proposed ship. The main difference between this and one of the ship that I worked up (working off a modified Drone, like you) was that it lacked the linked gyrolasers on the front, instead having higher armor (mk 2), a much higher speed (10), and longer range sensors. However, thinking about it, I do like the idea of having a second weapon over those other benefits.
As for ship roles, Ainsemseo would be happy to take the Engineers position if Alorea is needing to shoot some weapons. Griest has a very good diplomacy bonus as well, so should make a good Captain.
Sorry, Ainsemseo! Didn't mean to undercut ya like that. Speed, armor, and improved sensors are definitely things we'll want to add as we gain more build points, but the linked gyrolasers seemed just too useful to give up.
A question for everybody - what do we name this ship? And what does our "light freighter" look like?
Wow, Gyn, thanks for putting in all that effort. I'm currently browsing through the spaceship section and going by what little I understand of it, I dig the modified ship you posted. The combination of improved shields and a floating +2 bonus to any one check is pretty neat. That, and it just has something extra to fly something that is 'ours' :)
For the name of the ship, here are some suggestions:
1) Scimitar/Kukri
2) Iridescent Thorn
3) Hornet/Wasp
4) Distant Horizons
5) Starwing
6) Cubber's Personal Ship
As for what it looks like, since it is mostly based around the Starhive Drone, we could have it look (somewhat) like that ship. Personally, I really like the look of that ship, with it's distinct forward and rear sections, as well as the two wings to each side. Since (from this picture) it appears to me as if the upper section is where the engines and cargo holds would be, we could have that section be replaced with a different section, with fewer intakes on the outside.
The Iridescent Thorn sounds cool. :)
I like Iridescent Thorn and Distant Horizons, but if there's room on the list I'd like to add Pantala, which is a genus of dragonfly that holds the record for longest seasonal migration of an insect. Kinda appropriate for a light freighter heading to the Vast, I think.
GM - does the adventure specify how we've obtained this ship, or is that bit of story up to us?
I dig the name 'Pantala'. I also like The Iridescent Thorn, but Pantala has that 'single word' advantage ;)
Pantala is cool.
Yes, I really like Pantala.
I agree that Pantala is a good name. It seems that we all agree about the name! Now, what about the description?
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I like Ainsemseo's idea to style our ship like a Starhive Drone, with its bug-like appearance. The Pantala could even be a Starhive Drone that was originally purchased as part of a shirren or formian defense force before going to military surplus, bouncing around a few owners, collecting a few modifications, and finally landing in our laps like a well-worn but still-running insectile Humvee.
Gyn- There's no adventure specifications or requirements for how you got the ship, the above background definitely works.
It looks like most of the stuff for the ship has been figured out, I'll get an introductory gameplay post up, and put the Pantala's stats in the campaign info.
Gunners, don't forget that the Pantala has a mk 2 mononode computer, giving any one check in a round a +2 bonus. We bought that shiny computer just for you!
GM, could we gt some sort of marker to delineate the two enemy ships? Since the gunners are trying to concentrate fire on one of the ships, I would like to focus my maneuvers on that target whenever possible.
Ack, thanks for the reminder! GM, please add +2 to my roll--not that I think it will make much difference this round. Maybe with a boost of inspiration from our captain? :)
Since it's my first time playing SF, feel free to poke me and point me in the right direction if I'm doing anything wrong =P
Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Gyn. I'll keep that in mind going forward.
Greist, I'm not sure if the gyrolasers can hit any targets this round. It looks like the enemies are both in our rear arc.
Ah, sorry... when I saw your post mentioning that you turned a turret, I just assumed I could do the same. Apologies! Ignore than roll! :D
Since we won the piloting initiative, we should be able to bring both guns to bear on the enemies this round, depending on where Gyn places us.
...just like that! Fire away!
For future reference, the missile launcher is mounted on a turret, so it can fire into any arc. The linked gyrolasers are mounted in the forward arc, so they can nominally fire only at targets in front of the Pantalla; however, gyrolasers have the 'broad arc' special property, which allows them to fire into an adjacent arc instead (in this case, port or starboard) by taking a -2 penalty to the attack.
Yamah, here is a link to what the new DCs happen to be.
That link doesn't seem to be working, at least for me.
No. Use the following DC calculations instead of the calculations presented in the Starfinder Core Rulebook. If an action isn't listed, the stated DC remains the same.
Stunts
For the back off stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the barrel roll stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the evade stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the flip and burn stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the flyby stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the slide stunt, the DC of the Piloting check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
Restoring Shields and Repairing Damage
The DC of the Engineering check to double the recharge rate for your shields equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
The DC of the Engineering check to halve the cost or time for repairing damage your starship's hill equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
Crew Actions
If an action isn't listed, the stated DC remains the same.
Captain Actions
For the demand action, the DC of the Intimidate check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the encourage action, the DC of the Diplomacy check is 15; the DC for checks using other skills remains 10.
For the taunt action, the DC of the Bluff or Intimidate check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times the enemy starship's tier.
For the orders action, the DC of the check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the moving speech action, the DC of the Diplomacy check equals 20 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
Engineer Actions
For the divert action, the DC of the Engineering check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the hold it together action, the DC of the Engineering check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the patch action, the DCs of the Engineering check equal 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier to patch the glitching critical damage condition, 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier to patch the malfunctioning critical damage condition, and 20 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier to patch the wrecked critical damage condition.
For the overpower action, the DC of the Engineering check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the quick fix action, the DC of the Engineering check equals 20 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
Pilot Actions
For the maneuver action, the DC of the Piloting check equals 15 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the audacious gambit action, the DC of the Piloting check equals 20 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
Science Officer Actions
For the balance action, the DC of the Computers check equals 10 + 1-1/2 times your starship's tier.
For the scan action, the DC of the Computers check equals 5 + 1-1/2 times the tier of the starship being scanned + its bonus from defensive countermeasures.
For the target system action, the DC of the Computers check equals 5 + 1-1/2 times the tier of the enemy starship + its bonus from defensive countermeasures.
For the lock on action, the DC of the Computers check equals 5 + 1-1/2 times the tier of the target starship + its bonus from defensive countermeasures.
For the improve countermeasures action, the DC of the Computers check equals 5 + 1-1/2 times the tier of the target starship + its bonus from defensive countermeasures.
Wow, that was a fast starship combat. I feel like it wasn't supposed to be very difficult, but still - nice job blowing stuff up, gunners.
Just FYI, I will be out of pocket for just over 24 hours, at a Cub Scout campout. Feel free to use me for whatever nefarious purposes come to mind. I'll be back to posting tomorrow.
Alorea would like one of the hunting rifles if nobody minds.
Go for it. Yamah can only use pistols (I read somewhere that *everyone* should take rifle proficiency, but what do I know?) so he has no use for them :)
I take it the armor isn't useful for us light-armor wearers?