Class Preview: The Mechanic

By the way, the Starfinder Core Rulebook Pawn Collection tells us, that both "Drone, Hover" and
"Drone, Stealth" are small (or tiny in case of the hover drone, as written above) and the "Drone, Combat" is medium, which all makes sense.

I wonder if there is an option to make a large Combat Drone at a higher level?
It has been repeatedly said that larger weapons don´t make more damage, but there may be more room for weapons in addition to a large drone being able to shield more PCs and it could double as a vehicle...

I wonder if shoulder/back mounted guns/cannons (ala War Machine or Predator) will be an option and, if so, how they work?

...but there may be more room for weapons in addition to a large drone being able to shield more PCs and it could double as a vehicle...

Speaking of vehicles, has anyone heard whether or not there will be options for personal vehicles? Motor/hoverbikes, ground cars, personal tanks, etc? As class features or purchasable equipment?

In a heavily customized setting I got to play a dieselpunk cavalier with an incredibly badass motorcycle as a mount and despite only getting to play in two sessions, it was incredibly satisfying. I would love to reproduce that character with the mechanic or another class.

Marco Massoudi wrote:

...but there may be more room for weapons in addition to a large drone being able to shield more PCs and it could double as a vehicle...

Speaking of vehicles, has anyone heard whether or not there will be options for personal vehicles? Motor/hoverbikes, ground cars, personal tanks, etc? As class features or purchasable equipment?

In a heavily customized setting I got to play a dieselpunk cavalier with an incredibly badass motorcycle as a mount and despite only getting to play in two sessions, it was incredibly satisfying. I would love to reproduce that character with the mechanic or another class.

On the last drift podcast, they mentioned there being personal vehicles. At level one you have 1000 credits and there is something called a goblin junk cycle you can buy for 450 credits so you can start the game with one(at the cost of some other stuff you might want, but ehh).

They talk about it around the 30 minute mark.

Steven "Troll" O'Neal wrote:

I prefer the fire and forget type of summoning. You summon, then the critter does its thing as adjudicated by the GM.

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Back to Mechanic... I suddenly find myself wondering if it might eventually get a "Titan Mauler" equivalent. Like, a drone that when being worn, you are a size or two larger... Something like that. I don't know... I occasionally imagine Gundam.

... No, I don't have a better way of phrasing that. Just... Imagine Gundam.

I would like a FF style one admitidly. the "summons is a meat shield for oen round while it does some effect (meat shield as in. i stand behind it) then disappears"

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Ooh! like that dreamcast game.Evolution worlds. Or that other one that came later.

Yeah. I'd love if you could solidly turn your mecha into your weapon.

Okay of all vehicles there are availible...I don't know If I would buy one with 'goblin' in its name

The problem with just spamming loads of summons is that the game is built around a certain action economy and giving yourself a load of controllable monsters that act on their own turns is gonna really screw with the balance. A tabletop RPG could be designed in a way where the action economy is less important so extra allies isn't broken (though I can't imagine what that game would look like) but that deviates too much from the style of game the Paizo guys are trying to create so I don't think you'll be seeing multiple summons here, if there are any summon spells in the CRB at all.

There are a lot of games that include summoning. Most of them deviate so significantly in other ways from the PF standard that their solutions are hardly usable. In many cases, by not having an action economy at all.

Yeah that's the sort of point I was trying to make, I can't see any way of making it not a more powerful option in terms of action economy without breaking the standard model, and they said they wanted to make it so that Pathfinder or D&D players could pick it up and not have to completely re-learn the rules.

4e has summoning limited in a fairly simple and elegant way.
If you have a summon, you need to spend your own actions to make the summon act. Most of the time, it's something like "standard action to make the summon attack, move or minor action to make the summon move". Rare exceptions allow other variations on actions, such as "minor action (equivalent of PF swift) to make the summon attack".
Furthermore, summoning is roughly (with some exceptions) divided into two groups of powers:
1. Takes a minor action to summon, so that you can immediately use the standard to attack with the summon on your turn.
2. Takes a standard action to summon, but, as compensation, the summon has what's known as "instinctive actions". That is, the summon entry says what exactly the monster does if you don't issue any orders to it on your turn (the instinctive action doesn't happen if you issue the monster any order whatsoever). For example, it can be something like "charge the closest enemy". This limits your control over the monster if you don't want to lose your actions (as charging the closest enemy can be a bad idea, for an example), but it lets you get extra attacks over the normal action economy.

Master Han Del of the Web wrote:

Marco Massoudi wrote:

...but there may be more room for weapons in addition to a large drone being able to shield more PCs and it could double as a vehicle...

Speaking of vehicles, has anyone heard whether or not there will be options for personal vehicles? Motor/hoverbikes, ground cars, personal tanks, etc? As class features or purchasable equipment?

In a heavily customized setting I got to play a dieselpunk cavalier with an incredibly badass motorcycle as a mount and despite only getting to play in two sessions, it was incredibly satisfying. I would love to reproduce that character with the mechanic or another class.

On the last drift podcast, they mentioned there being personal vehicles. At level one you have 1000 credits and there is something called a goblin junk cycle you can buy for 450 credits so you can start the game with one(at the cost of some other stuff you might want, but ehh).

They talk about it around the 30 minute mark.

Flippin' sweet, they also confirm mechs a breath later! That is exactly what I want to hear! Now to pester all the threads for further details!

A) In a setting with this level of technology it seems that any character could purchase the type of drone that a mechanic gets.

B) A mechanic with an implanted AI would be able to easily build a drone and have both.

Anyone can buy "a" drone.

A mechanics drone is a specific genius-level unique construct that isn't available on the commercial market.

Just as everyone can get headwater, but an exocortex is a specific application of tech that you can't buy off the shelves, and that most people could not maintain.

Specifically, both represent a specific application of the "artificial intelligence" mechanic power. Each mechanic has designed and maintains a unique, specific AI that can only handle one of two possible applications at a time (until much higher level, anyway).

You can have an exocortex and buy the same drone everyone else can.

But a mechanics AI drone is something special.

Oh the joyous sounds i made on reading this!

As happy and excited (Hacited, exappy?)as i am for the class i cant help but think of all the horrible ways an AI can go wrong. And what percentage do you think will be named Siri/Cortana/Jarvis?

PC to BBEG: I will send you straight back to the nine hells!

Siri: Finding quickest route to "Ninth Hell"

PC: What? NO! I didnt say that g%~ d!+..

Siri: Calling Contacts: Dinsatha the damned.

PC: I swear to all the gods i am going to violently disable all of your functions Siri!

Siri: Emailing Church of Triune RE: Threats of violence and abuse towards an AI.

Hello everyone! So I'm super new to the website (I just made my account yesterday) and to Paizo products, as I've only been playing Pathfinder for about a month, but I'm super excited for Starfinder, as I love space opera and Sci-fi adventures. As soon as I read the basic overview of Starfinder and First contact, I knew what I wanted to make...a Goblin Mechanic. Only problem is that I'm not sure about the racial rules listed in First contact, mainly if you can play as a Goblin. I'm thinking of ordering a custom miniature for this character, and I'd like to know if I can play as a Goblin before I order it.
Thank you for your consideration!

Yes, stats for goblins were given in First Contact, which is a free document released for Free RPG Day.

And even if they were not, you could've easily converted Goblins over from Pathfinder.

Yes, stats for goblins were given in First Contact, which is a free document released for Free RPG Day.

And even if they were not, you could've easily converted Goblins over from Pathfinder.

Thank you very much! As I said, I'm very new, and just wanted to make sure.

You can download First Contact for free from the Paizo store if you want to check them out. Though their stats might be slightly different in the final version, as First Contact was written before the rules were finalized.

Do we know exactly how non-core Pathfinder races transfer? Like is it the exact same or is there some math changes? I really want to play a Tiefling Envoy.

Races are not exactly the same. We give you some guidance on that, but can't cover every race.
We do give full translations of dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings. (And, of course, humans), along with some setting info on them.

IonutRO wrote:

Yes, stats for goblins were given in First Contact, which is a free document released for Free RPG Day.

And even if they were not, you could've easily converted Goblins over from Pathfinder.

Thank you very much! As I said, I'm very new, and just wanted to make sure.

Paizo is trying very hard to make as many races as possible be character options so yes Goblin is definitely ok to play.

That was one of the things they stated they wanted to make sure they did in Starfinder is make as many of the creatures as possible be playable as characters.

half-rocs

So is this a human with giant wings, or a Roc with a humanoid face, hands and feet?

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

half-rocs

So is this a human with giant wings, or a Roc with a humanoid face, hands and feet?

Well, as it happens:

It's a size large green winged orc. With cybernetic plasma cannons mounted on the wing joints

Partizanski wrote:

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

half-rocs

So is this a human with giant wings, or a Roc with a humanoid face, hands and feet?

Well, as it happens:

notcanon wrote:

It's a size large green winged orc. With cybernetic plasma cannons mounted on the wing joints

You realize that you have to make them canon now, right? A space pirate crew made of those guys sounds scary.

Races are not exactly the same. We give you some guidance on that, but can't cover every race.

We do give full translations of dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, and half-orcs. (And, of course, humans), along with some setting info on them.

Nothing for halflings??

There was an image of a halfling female in one of the blog posts, so I assume Owen just forgot about them.

I am, in fact, guilty of just not listing them. They get the same full page as all the rest of the legacy races.

Thought of another great riff you can do now, Android mechanic named Barry with an exocortex named Other Barry. Totally not crazy and totally not just talking to himself.

Well, as it happens:

notcanon wrote:

It's a size large green winged orc. With cybernetic plasma cannons mounted on the wing joints

How is this not cannon, exactly?

;)

(Also, can we make this happen?)

Thought of another great riff you can do now, Android mechanic named Barry with an exocortex named Other Barry. Totally not crazy and totally not just talking to himself.

Borrowing this.

I am, in fact, guilty of just not listing them. They get the same full page as all the rest of the legacy races.

Slipped by you, eh?

Partizanski wrote:

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

half-rocs

So is this a human with giant wings, or a Roc with a humanoid face, hands and feet?

Well, as it happens:

notcanon wrote:

It's a size large green winged orc. With cybernetic plasma cannons mounted on the wing joints

Well, say hello to my little friends!

Anyone can buy "a" drone.

A mechanics drone is a specific genius-level unique construct that isn't available on the commercial market.

Good to know!

Sounds like regular Pathfinder, in that anybody can buy a warhorse, or a 'riding' dog, but those critters will never be as buff as a paladin or cavalier's class feature mount, or a 'dog' companion taken by a druid or hunter.

Races are not exactly the same. We give you some guidance on that, but can't cover every race.

We do give full translations of dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings. (And, of course, humans), along with some setting info on them.

Any chance for full blooded orcs to make an appearance in the core rulebook?

I had not been keeping up with the Starfinder info. I am going to my first Gencon this year and will be playing some Starfinder there so figured I could start looking now. I loved Alchemist in Pathfinder and thinking Mechanic will be my choice for Starfinder to start with at the very least. This class seems to be my most thought about type of character for science fiction.

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Races are not exactly the same. We give you some guidance on that, but can't cover every race.

We do give full translations of dwarves, elves, gnomes, half-elves, half-orcs, and halflings. (And, of course, humans), along with some setting info on them.

Any chance for full blooded orcs to make an appearance in the core rulebook?

They make more sense (at least in my mind) than half-orcs

I think they've already confirmed that the races in the Core Rulebook are going to be human, android, lashunta, ysoki, kasatha, shirren, vesk, and the aforementioned Pathfinder core race translations.

So, no, there is no chance that full-blooded orcs will appear in the Core Rulebook, I'm afraid.

It shouldn't be too difficult to houserule though.

And if the Alien Archive includes space orcs it will cover PCs of that race.

It shouldn't be too difficult to houserule though.

And if the Alien Archive includes space orcs it will cover PCs of that race.

I think you mean Scro.

If the setting has scro, then the CRB must feature scro-lfah.

Orcs were present in the premiere so I imagine they will be in the Alien Archive.

scho? lfah? CRB? wut?

scho? lfah? CRB? wut?

CRB I think is core rule book

I have no clue on the others.

Scro=Orcs backwards. Lfah=Half backwards.

Scro=Orcs backwards. Lfah=Half backwards.

Lfah is actually Hafl backwards. :P

Lanitril wrote:

Scro=Orcs backwards. Lfah=Half backwards.

Lfah is actually Hafl backwards. :P

Well, that's because it's only half backwards.

Gasp! You're right. Thank you Mashallah. I didn't even look at what I was typing. Just what they previously typed.

Yup! Found my class! Exocortex all the way! I'm really excited about the rig ability's potential.

Same here, but then again we know a LOT more about it so it sounds cooler.

Debating between this class and the Solarian. I'll probably wait until the core book to make a decision, but I like the way both classes seem to be set up.

So question, Lets say I spend 9 levels on my drone. Two mods for heavy weapons, two for the weapon mounts, and one for a saddle 'because honestly if you're going to have a robot with a laser gatling gun on its head why whouldn't you want to ride it into battle?

Now 8th level I pick up drone meld, does that allow me access to the weapons mounted on the drone while melded? There is no specificity here for this, is it up to the DM?

The ability does specify that you'd get the invisibility mod from the stealth drone. Logic wise I'm not seeing the reason you wouldn't have access to weapons mounted on your drone while in melded form ala ironman. But I'd like an official answer.

If you'd like an official answer you'd be better off posting in the Rules Forum. Not saying it will get a designer to step in and answer but you'd have better luck.

Edit: actually looking over it is pretty explicit about what abilities you can use from your drone, and the mounted weapons are not one of them.