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Fromper, I believe there will be more robust rules for playing "monsters" as player characters. The core races are probably there to be a base line. I, for one, desperately want to play a Contemplative of Ashok.
Fromper, I believe there will be more robust rules for playing "monsters" as player characters. The core races are probably there to be a base line. I, for one, desperately want to play a Contemplative of Ashok.
Same! I want their lore to be expanded too. What does a floating brain eat? HOW does it eat?
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With the core races, I think a part of the intent was to fill all the primary niches that a player would want to play. The heavy strength type was missing a race, and I think that often times, people like to play what they can see themselves being. So mostly humanoid races are easy to start out, with more complex races coming later on. They don't necessarily have to be humans in a different color, but it helps for the first few races to be relatable, for new players. More experienced roleplayers will find races that fit them later on, but a new player may have a hard time putting themselves into the mindset of a sentient cloud or an organism made out of several tiny organisms.Couldn't have said better. This dragon fan here is waiting for the rules to play as a dragonkin that are included in the Alien Archive.
I never dreamed about seeing something completely non humanoid as a core race - mainly because of the reason you just pointed - but I know there will be many options to play as dozens of creatures.
People are too focused on the cosmetic aspects and are forgetting the mechanical aspect of a role playing game. They have to go easy on beginners, specially non rpg players.
Precisely, as much fun as playing a crystalline slug is likely to be, you gotta take into account how that's going to interact with classes and gear.
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Fromper, I believe there will be more robust rules for playing "monsters" as player characters. The core races are probably there to be a base line. I, for one, desperately want to play a Contemplative of Ashok.Same! I want their lore to be expanded too. What does a floating brain eat? HOW does it eat?
It eats?
Probably doesn't like watching Zombie movies
Well, Kasatha probably deserve a question mark. They might be from Kasath (if it's actually nearby and not in Androffa's galaxy), but they might be from the bunch stranded in Numeria, and they had some sort of population boom in the intervening years and spread from Golarion into the local system. So they could be natives at this point.
There have also been hints that they might be from Akiton -- note their resemblance to miniature Shobhad.
Also, there is a good chance that most Starfinder humans are of Akitonian rather than Golarion ancestry.
Well, Kasatha probably deserve a question mark. They might be from Kasath (if it's actually nearby and not in Androffa's galaxy), but they might be from the bunch stranded in Numeria, and they had some sort of population boom in the intervening years and spread from Golarion into the local system. So they could be natives at this point.There have also been hints that they might be from Akiton -- note their resemblance to miniature Shobhad.
Also, there is a good chance that most Starfinder humans are of Akitonian rather than Golarion ancestry.
There's almost no way that they're specifically from akiton, but they could viably have a distant ancestor. There are a lot of six limbed creatures in the golarion system however. Even contemplatives appear to have six limbs. It's not an uncommon trait.
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Fromper, I believe there will be more robust rules for playing "monsters" as player characters. The core races are probably there to be a base line. I, for one, desperately want to play a Contemplative of Ashok.
Unfortunately, the one opportunity I know I'll have to play is through Starfinder Society, and I'd bet money that you're only allowed to play Core races there, at least at first. I'll have to wait and see if the game catches on enough that I can get into a real campaign outside of SFS.
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.. why do they suffer damage vs improvised firearms...
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Which is why it's a trope that I would have hoped they'd avoid, now that it's become such a cliche. I was hoping for something more original.
Except basically the entire mission statement Golarion was based on was taking well-known tropes and making them original. Golarion is a bunch of tropes mashed together, but each with something original and exciting and very well integrated with each other to make the old tropes interesting again. And after all, one of the original recurring book series for the line was the "monsters revisited" series. Plus the majority of adventure paths are based on classic roleplaying tropes. If you weren't interested in seeing tropes reimagined, it's hard to see why you are buying from Paizo in the first place.
This is what Paizo does. From a certain perspective mechanically as well as in the fluff - after all, what is Pathfinder but a reinvigorated and reimagined rules system that is made to feel new again with creative twists? And Paizo have managed to do that repeatedly for a decade. That's why they keep getting my money, and that's why I'm always willing to give them a chance to impress me - because they usually do.
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Which is why it's a trope that I would have hoped they'd avoid, now that it's become such a cliche. I was hoping for something more original.Except basically the entire mission statement Golarion was based on was taking well-known tropes and making them original. Golarion is a bunch of tropes mashed together, but each with something original and exciting and very well integrated with each other to make the old tropes interesting again. And after all, one of the original recurring book series for the line was the "monsters revisited" series. Plus the majority of adventure paths are based on classic roleplaying tropes. If you weren't interested in seeing tropes reimagined, it's hard to see why you are buying from Paizo in the first place.
This is what Paizo does. From a certain perspective mechanically as well as in the fluff - after all, what is Pathfinder but a reinvigorated and reimagined rules system that is made to feel new again with creative twists? And Paizo have managed to do that repeatedly for a decade. That's why they keep getting my money, and that's why I'm always willing to give them a chance to impress me - because they usually do.
Exactly! I think Paizo would catch a lot more flack if they don't cater to filling out the tropes of the sci fi genre first. After all, tropes are what is expected for a given genre. I for one like the Vesk and can't wait to put them in a room with nagaji, vishkanya, kobolds, and other assorted, scaled races and watch their various, big personalities clash.
Do 'assorted scaled races' have personalities at all? Sure kobolds do sometimes, but they're properly a furred race anyway.
Also I'm hoping for space zombies. Gotta have playable space zombies.
Also I'm hoping for space zombies. Gotta have playable space zombies.
I'd love to see the bone sages become playable.
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Except basically the entire mission statement Golarion was based on was taking well-known tropes and making them original.
Except they were saying the two new races would be something different and new. So it's disappointing that the first one revealed is a Lizardfolk with less swimming prowess.
The other race does seem to fit the "something different and new" description though.
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There's almost no way that they're specifically from akiton, but they could viably have a distant ancestor. There are a lot of six limbed creatures in the golarion system however. Even contemplatives appear to have six limbs. It's not an uncommon trait.Well, Kasatha probably deserve a question mark. They might be from Kasath (if it's actually nearby and not in Androffa's galaxy), but they might be from the bunch stranded in Numeria, and they had some sort of population boom in the intervening years and spread from Golarion into the local system. So they could be natives at this point.There have also been hints that they might be from Akiton -- note their resemblance to miniature Shobhad.
Also, there is a good chance that most Starfinder humans are of Akitonian rather than Golarion ancestry.
Here is the major hint, on page 19 of Distant Worlds in the entry for the Winterlands of Akiton:
"Scattered carvings indicate that the residents were tall, four-armed humanoids, giving rise to the notion that these might have been the ancestors of the Shobhads, yet the strange and stylized masks worn in all the drawings keep scholars from being sure, as does the tendency for even well-equipped adventuring parties to disappear in the mountains."
The masks could be kasatha face coverings, but whether kasatha can be considered "tall" depends on what race they are being compared to -- they definitely are not tall compared to Shobhads. Maybe the race in the carvings was a common ancestor to both races?
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Lukewarm on this race. Seems too much like the Jem'Hadar.
The art is good, especially the skirt. Not too crazy about the mid-riff armour as that makes little sense to me. Otherwise well done.
Is there much difference between males and females? I'm going to assume we are looking at two males?
TerminalArtiste mentioned variants...I think that might make me more interested.
Awaiting the final race. :)
Midriff armor is how you know that it's female.
I like them. I see that a number here do not, but I like them. One reason being, that I already have minis for them. They are even already painted.
My wife was disappointed that they're tall though, she has a short lizard alien mini with a big gun that want's to play at some point.
Is it female? Not sure if you're joking about the midriff. I like females with armour that makes sense.
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There's almost no way that they're specifically from akiton, but they could viably have a distant ancestor. There are a lot of six limbed creatures in the golarion system however. Even contemplatives appear to have six limbs. It's not an uncommon trait.Well, Kasatha probably deserve a question mark. They might be from Kasath (if it's actually nearby and not in Androffa's galaxy), but they might be from the bunch stranded in Numeria, and they had some sort of population boom in the intervening years and spread from Golarion into the local system. So they could be natives at this point.There have also been hints that they might be from Akiton -- note their resemblance to miniature Shobhad.
Also, there is a good chance that most Starfinder humans are of Akitonian rather than Golarion ancestry.
Here is the major hint, on page 19 of Distant Worlds in the entry for the Winterlands of Akiton:
"Scattered carvings indicate that the residents were tall, four-armed humanoids, giving rise to the notion that these might have been the ancestors of the Shobhads, yet the strange and stylized masks worn in all the drawings keep scholars from being sure, as does the tendency for even well-equipped adventuring parties to disappear in the mountains."
The masks could be kasatha face coverings, but whether kasatha can be considered "tall" depends on what race they are being compared to -- they definitely are not tall compared to Shobhads. Maybe the race in the carvings was a common ancestor to both races?
You may wish to look into the creatures known as witchwyrds, as well as the Pactmasters of Katapesh. ^_^
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Do 'assorted scaled races' have personalities at all? Sure kobolds do sometimes, but they're properly a furred race anyway.
Of course they do! A member of any race can have a big personality; it is not dependent on what their race is at all. Personality always boils down to how they are played by the GM or the players, no matter the race. I just happen to want to get a scaled party campaign together and have fun.
As far as kobolds go, this is Pathfinder and Starfinder source material being referenced and they are reptilian with scales in the Pathfinder Bestiary and we know nothing thus far of Starfinder kobolds beyond that at this time. So, kobolds being a furred race holds no water here with Paizo's kobolds. I do get your reference from old D&D, but this discussion is about Paizo's products, not TSR's.
I hope the Vesk reproduce through cloning :-)
That's not a bad idea. There is a lizard that does essentially do that. I can't remember the name but they are all basically female and birth what are effectively clones. Kind of an evolutionary dead-end though.
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Is there much difference between males and females? I'm going to assume we are looking at two males?
Seeing as how the Vesk are lizards, differences in gender may be far more subtle, if they are to be compared with earthly lizards.
They are not mammals after all and would lack mammal specific glands and features on their females. Heck even the males may be radically different.
As for unarmored midriffs how much you want to bet the Vesk have a Natural Armor bonus or have a cultural bias about 'being less armored means your more dangerous' for certain professions?
I'm aware of the vagaries of reptile gender. I had pet lizards and I have no idea what their genders were.
I bet they do have natural armour. I still dislike the midriff armour.
Hm, and here I was expecting a 2nd Small race... (last race looks like Medium insect). Meh.
As to how Vesk would get along with Hobgoblins... I assume look down on them.
Because they play same game, but Hobgoblins failed to conquer their original planet, much less system, like the Vesk.
I do like idea of Akitoni Humans being major part of Human culture as David Knott brought up.
Although I assume Absalom Station originating from Golarion would be mostly Golarion-centric... Even if Golarion Humans developed space travel earlier than Akiton, the number of Humans on other worlds would probably not outnumber the entire Human population of Akiton.
It does sound like the Kasatha have interesting history with Golarion's system and Akiton, could very well be they originated from Akiton but moved to other system(s) before some returning.
Maybe Vesks are true hermaphrodites?
Do 'assorted scaled races' have personalities at all? Sure kobolds do sometimes, but they're properly a furred race anyway.
Sure they do! Lizardfolk are proud isolationists who are generally pragmatic and secretive. Serpentfolk are cunning and manipulative, and envy the current rule of humans. Troglodytes are basically reptilian Gollum. Nagaji are honorable and courageous, but subservient. Vishkanya are seductive, secretive, and subtle.
On another note, I like that these guys actually seem to have a unified look. In the past we've started out with these great designs for lizardfolk and troglodytes, but then every other illustration of them ignores that design and just bases them off of random lizards. These guys look like a cross between agamas, iguanas, and dimetrodon, and it works really well.
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On another note, I like that these guys actually seem to have a unified look. In the past we've started out with these great designs for lizardfolk and troglodytes, but then every other illustration of them ignores that design and just bases them off of random lizards. These guys look like a cross between agamas, iguanas, and dimetrodon, and it works really well.
That's one of the major things that left me worried about the vesk, Troodos.
I really liked the design of the reptilian Vesk race - specially their heads and bulk - but just as the lizardfolk or serpentfolk, I'm afraid that they will lose this originality and become a bunch of random bipedal lizards (like frilled-lizard vesk or chameleon vesk). That would indeed support the assumption that they are merely the "space lizardfolk".
I hope there are no such variations. They are aliens after all, and as such, they shouldn't be based on Golarion and Earth's fauna.
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I like them...the design is so far more appealing to me than the standard lizardfolk design.
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I personally would prefer a society where (much like hobgoblins) 'showing off too much' is actually frowned upon, and fancy/pretty is only good in certain niche situations (say, perhaps, mating season?).
ie, 'One's actions speak louder than any amount of frippery or utterances they make, make them count.'
Also, we haven't seen much in the way of 'space elves', so perhaps they are longer-lived(under 'non-lethal life conditions'), taking more to what draconic lifespans are like?
It could dramatically explain WHY they have such a violent past if population pressure forced them to fight one another at first.
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Not mentioned that I've seen so far, but perhaps they can have something like 'At Character Creation' character Feats? (in general, not just the Vesk)
Heavy-Worlder: +2 STR/-2 DEX, living in a higher gravity environment has made one stronger, but not as agile?
Light-Worlder/Orbital: +2 DEX/-2 STR, living in a less than standard gravity has made one more agile, but at the cost of muscle strength?
Heavy Radiation Environment: +2 CON/-2 INT, living in a place with hard radiation and surviving has done wonders for one's durability, but at a cost of mental bandwidth?
Highly Technical Environment: +2 INT/-2 CON, living in a world with computational devices and not needing to do much in the way of physical labor has dramatically impaired one's health with the benefit of an increase to one's mental capabilities?
Not mentioned that I've seen so far, but perhaps they can have something like 'At Character Creation' character Feats? (in general, not just the Vesk)Heavy-Worlder: +2 STR/-2 DEX, living in a higher gravity environment has made one stronger, but not as agile?
Light-Worlder/Orbital: +2 DEX/-2 STR, living in a less than standard gravity has made one more agile, but at the cost of muscle strength?
Heavy Radiation Environment: +2 CON/-2 INT, living in a place with hard radiation and surviving has done wonders for one's durability, but at a cost of mental bandwidth?
Highly Technical Environment: +2 INT/-2 CON, living in a world with computational devices and not needing to do much in the way of physical labor has dramatically impaired one's health with the benefit of an increase to one's mental capabilities?
That seems to fit more into the purview of traits or whatever they're the theme analog.
I really want to play that character with that laserblade. He looks awesome.
*sigh* I had assumed it was an obvious joke. That's what I get for assuming. Probably should have put a ":p" after it. Yes, armor should make sense. Fantasy female armor often doesn't, hence the joke.Is it female? Not sure if you're joking about the midriff. I like females with armour that makes sense.Lukewarm on this race. Seems too much like the Jem'Hadar.
The art is good, especially the skirt. Not too crazy about the mid-riff armour as that makes little sense to me. Otherwise well done.
Is there much difference between males and females? I'm going to assume we are looking at two males?
TerminalArtiste mentioned variants...I think that might make me more interested.
Awaiting the final race. :)
Midriff armor is how you know that it's female.
I like them. I see that a number here do not, but I like them. One reason being, that I already have minis for them. They are even already painted.
My wife was disappointed that they're tall though, she has a short lizard alien mini with a big gun that want's to play at some point.
You never know. I was sorta giving you the benefit of the doubt. :)
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Where is my race of squid aliens? Amorphous blob aliens? Walking tripod aliens with 11 arms and 300 eyes? (OK maybe that last one is way too far)
Alien Archive. :)
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What are we calling the lightsabers, I wonder?
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Given that the armor could be an energy shield projector no bigger than a belt buckle, I don't think it should matter how much skin is covered. We're not talking medieval fantasy bikini mail here.
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Well, Kasatha probably deserve a question mark. They might be from Kasath (if it's actually nearby and not in Androffa's galaxy), but they might be from the bunch stranded in Numeria, and they had some sort of population boom in the intervening years and spread from Golarion into the local system. So they could be natives at this point.
Minor point, as I've been rereading Iron Gods.
The Kasatha were picked up before Divinity encountered the Dominion of the Black, so Kasath would have to be in a different galaxy than Golarion.
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A couple of quick notes:
*Yes, there will be a bunch of really out-there races for Starfinder, just not as the core races. In a new game like this, where we need to appeal to a really wide audience, we didn't feel like we could count on enough folks wanting to play a 10-legged crab or a giant floating brain to safely make them core. (It's the same reason why all of Pathfinder's core races are fairly standard humanoid fantasy tropes, rather than proteans and grodairs.) That said, *I'm* the sort of person who always wants to play the weird race, so you can rest assured that you'll get a bunch of those soon!
*In the vesk art, the mechanic is female and the soldier is male. Vesk females have bright colors, while the males are more drab (hence his need to show off those abs, presumably). They have similar body shapes because that's true of a lot of reptiles, and because we all swore a blood oath at the beginning of this game that there would be no lizard-breasts in Starfinder.
(To paraphrase the Trix commercials: Silly artists, mammary glands are for *mammals*!)
A couple of quick notes:
*Yes, there will be a bunch of really out-there races for Starfinder, just not as the core races. In a new game like this, where we need to appeal to a really wide audience, we didn't feel like we could count on enough folks wanting to play a 10-legged crab or a giant floating brain to safely make them core. (It's the same reason why all of Pathfinder's core races are fairly standard humanoid fantasy tropes, rather than proteans and grodairs.) That said, *I'm* the sort of person who always wants to play the weird race, so you can rest assured that you'll get a bunch of those soon!
*In the vesk art, the mechanic is female and the soldier is male. Vesk females have bright colors, while the males are more drab (hence his need to show off those abs, presumably). They have similar body shapes because that's true of a lot of reptiles, and because we all swore a blood oath at the beginning of this game that there would be no lizard-breasts in Starfinder.
(To paraphrase the Trix commercials: Silly artists, mammary glands are for *mammals*!)
I appreciate the passion for the weird races. :)
Alien Archive. :)
Where is my race of squid aliens? Amorphous blob aliens? Walking tripod aliens with 11 arms and 300 eyes? (OK maybe that last one is way too far)
Really glad we don't have to wait too long on that one. Thanks for making it a priority!
I still kinda wish there were one or two totally out there races in Core just to give that weird alien feel. As it is now, I can totally see GMs saying "no Alien Archive PCs in my games", and my dreams of Flumph-like adventurers will be dashed. :<