Class Preview: The Solarian

Well seeing as how I still intend to play Pathfinder as well I kinda can't :3

I still try to remember as much of their meanings for Pathfinder as I can, but I know that chalkboard is full of smudges from 3.5 and stuff covered in 5 layers of FAQS and erratas.

I just want to keep this new one clean until I get the Rulebook. Hopefully the book will stay cleaner than the mental chalkboard. :)

Have you encountered secrets that man was not meant to know? Remember information that just knowing about it could get you killed? Need a quick memory wipe?

Then look no further than Master Pugwampi's Miracle Memory Mutilator! No longer will you be plagued by some extra-planar miscreant's need to have all those who have discovered her nefarious plots eliminated! Just place this comfortable and stylish electrically supercharged metal and wire headband on, flip the switch, and you will literally feel all those bothersome facts fly right out of your head!*

*Please note that all the other material flying out of your head alongside the aforementioned memories is a perfectly normal part of the procedure. Bring a mop.

But wait! There's more!

Act now and we'll send along the Thought Training Torc absolutely FREE!!! This stunning chromium steel necklace will apply a sharp electrical "reminder" straight into the brain stem each time a pre-programmed "negative" thought is detected!** Fun for the whole family! Order now!

**What constitutes a "negative" thought is entirely up to you. Master Pugwampi and all active members of the Pugwampi Union wash their hands of all consequences of actually using said device. You're on your own, chumps.

{sips jynnan tonyx} Wouldn't you accomplish the same thing with a Trenta®-sized Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster?

Have you encountered secrets that man was not meant to know? Remember information that just knowing about it could get you killed? Need a quick memory wipe?

Then look no further than Master Pugwampi's Miracle Memory Mutilator! No longer will you be plagued by some extra-planar miscreant's need to have all those who have discovered her nefarious plots eliminated! Just place this comfortable and stylish electrically supercharged metal and wire headband on, flip the switch, and you will literally feel all those bothersome facts fly right out of your head!*

*Please note that all the other material flying out of your head alongside the aforementioned memories is a perfectly normal part of the procedure. Bring a mop.

But wait! There's more!

Act now and we'll send along the Thought Training Torc absolutely FREE!!! This stunning chromium steel necklace will apply a sharp electrical "reminder" straight into the brain stem each time a pre-programmed "negative" thought is detected!** Fun for the whole family! Order now!

**What constitutes a "negative" thought is entirely up to you. Master Pugwampi and all active members of the Pugwampi Union wash their hands of all consequences of actually using said device. You're on your own, chumps.

Hmmm. The GAP was everyone losing their memory...

Master Pugwampi wrote:

Have you encountered secrets that man was not meant to know? Remember information that just knowing about it could get you killed? Need a quick memory wipe?

Then look no further than Master Pugwampi's Miracle Memory Mutilator!...

Hmmm. The GAP was everyone losing their memory...

>_>

<_<

When you think of The GAP, remember the pugwampi are the "P".

If weapon damage scales with character level then perhaps bane weapons could treat your level as twice as high (or some other pseudo level modification). That would preserve the damage portion in some form.

It could also treat the eac / kac as x less than what it is. Which would preserve the hit bonus in some form.

"Of all the Starfinder classes, the solarian is the one hardest to explain in 10 words or less."

It's the Starfinder version of Pathfinder's Kineticist.

What do I win :P ?

When you think of The GAP, remember the pugwampi are the "P".

Gap:

"Of all the Starfinder classes, the solarian is the one hardest to explain in 10 words or less."

It's the Starfinder version of Pathfinder's Kineticist.

What do I win :P ?

I feel like, thematically, it's more of a space druid-monk, really.

"Of all the Starfinder classes, the solarian is the one hardest to explain in 10 words or less."

It's the Starfinder version of Pathfinder's Kineticist.

What do I win :P ?

Well, Kineticists, Monks, Soulknives, etc, all with some fluff of their very own.

Ten words or less they say.

What happens when Natalie Portman and Darth Vader have babies.

I'll take my winnings in Paizobucks, thank you.

Cosmic warrior granted powers from understanding balances of the universe. 10. Not too shabby, though could use more elaboration.

"Of all the Starfinder classes, the solarian is the one hardest to explain in 10 words or less."

It's the Starfinder version of Pathfinder's Kineticist.

What do I win :P ?

Except it really isn't.

JiCi wrote:

"Of all the Starfinder classes, the solarian is the one hardest to explain in 10 words or less."

It's the Starfinder version of Pathfinder's Kineticist.

What do I win :P ?

Except it really isn't.

Well, they seem really really similar. It's like a kineticist without burn and with 2 elements. And a focus mechanic that would be right at home in an archetype. In fact, I'll probably backport the Solarian as a Kineticist archetype in my home games.

Their like Ying and yang if it was in space.

That's 10 ^

Hmm... Maybe Solarions are like Newtypes.

Not that anybody, not even those in Gundam know what a Newtype is, and nobody knows what a Solarion really is. But they know their abilities and philosophies.

... And both have some connection to the expanse of space, and often there's a lot of talk in Gundam about how people's souls are pulled by gravity, while others are compelled to live beyond it, and their consciousness expands into the vastness of space.

The abilities are the odd fit, it doesn't work as well.

So yeah... I'm gonna go with "Solarions are Newtypes with Jedi powers".

6 words, close enough.

"Jedi and Soulknife had a baby with aesthetics of Destiny".

There ya go :3

Binary Ms.Marvel,Psylock and a Jedi fused.

Six words.
The only trait that the Solarians are lacking is a good and evil aspect to the two sides of their powers.

They've stated they aren't giving Good/Evil assignments to the Supernova/Black Hole suite of powers I believe, and to most if not all class mechanics.

But watch Owen come in and say something different.

Edited to be a little less caustic.

Okay. Here's my take on the 10 word challenge. I made it a poem.

Space Magical Monk,
Powers: Light and Gravity,
Outlook: The Cycle

The seem more like spell-less oracles than kineticists to me, but they get two mysteries that they can switch between from round to round.

The stars have judged you, and found you wanting.

Never thought I would find use for a WoW boss quote in a sci-fantasy game, but there you go.

Okay. Here's my take on the 10 word challenge. I made it a poem.

Space Magical Monk,
Powers: Light and Gravity,
Outlook: The Cycle

Bike or trike? Or unicycle? Or just straight up hamster wheel?

Anyway, they seem pretty straightforward: Cosmo-knight Jedi.

Okay. Here's my take on the 10 word challenge. I made it a poem.

Space Magical Monk,
Powers: Light and Gravity,
Outlook: The Cycle

I think it is a haiku

First World Bard wrote:

Okay. Here's my take on the 10 word challenge. I made it a poem.

Space Magical Monk,
Powers: Light and Gravity,
Outlook: The Cycle

I think it is a haiku

5 7 5 right?

Yep.

The stars have judged you, and found you wanting.

Never thought I would find use for a WoW boss quote in a sci-fantasy game, but there you go.

Well, now that we're quoting bosses,

"I am the shadow, the keeper of the light. If you want more power, show me that which you already posses."

Creation
Destruction
Pick your poison

Darkness and Light are deep forces
Two unalterable symbols of the Cycle
Permanence at rest
And permanence in motion
Participants in the power of the stars

With all due respect to Stephen R. Donaldson :-)

Creation

Destruction
Pick your poison

But which is which? It seems an awful lot like Light is focused on Destruction, where-as in physics Gravity (The aspect of Darkness) is a major part of Creation. A nice counter to the usual tropes.

The Raven Black wrote:

Creation

Destruction
Pick your poison

But which is which? It seems an awful lot like Light is focused on Destruction, where-as in physics Gravity (The aspect of Darkness) is a major part of Creation. A nice counter to the usual tropes.

Well that's up to you, isn't it?

Apologies for bringing a week old discussion back to the forefront of this thread, but I just realized that the Paizo blog told us exactly what Holy does, and I guess many of us just missed it.

while the holy fusion allows a weapon to bypass DR/good and ignore all energy resistance of evil dragons, evil outsiders, and evil undead.

So there you have it, I guess.

Apologies for bringing a week old discussion back to the forefront of this thread, but I just realized that the Paizo blog told us exactly what Holy does, and I guess many of us just missed it.

Bringing Out the Big Guns in Starfinder wrote:

while the holy fusion allows a weapon to bypass DR/good and ignore all energy resistance of evil dragons, evil outsiders, and evil undead.

So there you have it, I guess.

Hmm, so you are just collecting power coins for your weapons that let you bypass their resistances? i wonder what kind of action it is to attache a fusion. It could end up being a movement action tax to just slot in the fusion for type X and then moving on with it.

Do creatures still have immunity to energy types? It sucks playing a fire kineticist fighting devils for example. The holy fusion on a laser cannon isn't going to help at all when fighting devils if they still have immunity.

Do creatures still have immunity to energy types? It sucks playing a fire kineticist fighting devils for example. The holy fusion on a laser cannon isn't going to help at all when fighting devils if they still have immunity.

They've mentioned that the Holy fusion is nothing like the Pathfinder enchantment, so it's entirely possible that it turns off their immunity and/or DR, this time around.

They've mentioned that the Holy fusion is nothing like the Pathfinder enchantment, so it's entirely possible that it turns off their immunity and/or DR, this time around.

I posted the text of the Holy fusion four posts up (it was in the blog). Imbicatus's point is the text mentions resistances, not immunities. Since this would be a pretty glaring oversight, my guess is that immunities got bundled into resistances, much like tremorsense got bundled as blindsense(vibrations), as described in the First Contact supplement.

Remy P Gilbeau wrote:

They've mentioned that the Holy fusion is nothing like the Pathfinder enchantment, so it's entirely possible that it turns off their immunity and/or DR, this time around.

I posted the text of the Holy fusion four posts up (it was in the blog). Imbicatus's point is the text mentions resistances, not immunities. Since this would be a pretty glaring oversight, my guess is that immunities got bundled into resistances, much like tremorsense got bundled as blindsense(vibrations), as described in the First Contact supplement.

So instead of immunity it might just be Fire Res 20 or 30? Considering the size of single source damage a high level laser should be putting out, even 30 points of resistance might not be enough to ignore a laser.

They might just have increasing levels of resistance, seeing as how high the damage gets with some guns. A Devil might have, say, FR 100.

Show of hands, who wants a laser hot enough to burn Hell?

However, elementals thematically should be immune.

They might just have increasing levels of resistance, seeing as how high the damage gets with some guns. A Devil might have, say, FR 100.

Show of hands, who wants a laser hot enough to burn Hell?

I can remember at least one anime where that happened. The MC cast a fire spell hot enough to burn out an iffrit i think it was. Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

So instead of immunity it might just be Fire Res 20 or 30? Considering the size of single source damage a high level laser should be putting out, even 30 points of resistance might not be enough to ignore a laser.

No, what I mean is: Instead of "Resistances and Immunities", that section of the statblock is probably just called "Resistances". It'll say something like Fire:Immune, but that's a resistance that a Holy plasma cannon can bypass.

Torbyne wrote:

So instead of immunity it might just be Fire Res 20 or 30? Considering the size of single source damage a high level laser should be putting out, even 30 points of resistance might not be enough to ignore a laser.

No, what I mean is: Instead of "Resistances and Immunities", that section of the statblock is probably just called "Resistances". It'll say something like Fire:Immune, but that's a resistance that a Holy plasma cannon can bypass.

I think you're right on the money. The overriding theme of Starfinder's development has been simplify, simplify, simplify. I think this is a great thing.

So far I really like how vision and the various "X"senses have been simplified.

I really wish they'd pointed the saves in the right direction and made them like they were in Star Wars SAGA edition but I can fix that myself.

SM

EDIT: extra word

Rysky wrote:

They might just have increasing levels of resistance, seeing as how high the damage gets with some guns. A Devil might have, say, FR 100.

Show of hands, who wants a laser hot enough to burn Hell?

I can remember at least one anime where that happened. The MC cast a fire spell hot enough to burn out an iffrit i think it was. Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Fire damage also includes having napalm thrown at you or actually being on fire. It's pretty clearly any damage dealt by ignition or extreme heat, and has nothing to do with classical elements. I mean, it's paired up with Cold damage, not Water damage.

If the terminology makes you uneasy, you could think of it as Heat damage. It's the same thing.

Torbyne wrote:

Rysky wrote:

They might just have increasing levels of resistance, seeing as how high the damage gets with some guns. A Devil might have, say, FR 100.

Show of hands, who wants a laser hot enough to burn Hell?

I can remember at least one anime where that happened. The MC cast a fire spell hot enough to burn out an iffrit i think it was. Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Fire damage also includes having napalm thrown at you or actually being on fire. It's pretty clearly any damage dealt by ignition or extreme heat, and has nothing to do with classical elements. I mean, it's paired up with Cold damage, not Water damage.

If the terminology makes you uneasy, you could think of it as Heat damage. It's the same thing.

Its more of just energetic damage though, isnt it? The way a fire burns a thing is different from the way a laser can bore away at something. and Pathfinder at least handles Plasma as a solid, electricity and fire in different combinations depending on its source which again feels like bending what it really is to fit a non scientific categorization.

Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Heck, steam is fire damage in Pathfinder. The 5 energy types are very, very broad categories to keep the game simpler than if strong acids, weak acids, bases, caustic chemicals, and ion stripping dissolution rays were all treated as different kinds of attack.

Torbyne wrote:

Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Heck, steam is fire damage in Pathfinder. The 5 energy types are very, very broad categories to keep the game simpler than if strong acids, weak acids, bases, caustic chemicals, and ion stripping dissolution rays were all treated as different kinds of attack.

All very true, but (as far as the internet knows) i am old and fuddy and draw my lines where i want them and fire lasers irk me. Ion dissolution rays being acid make perfect sense. go figure.

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Torbyne wrote:

Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Heck, steam is fire damage in Pathfinder. The 5 energy types are very, very broad categories to keep the game simpler than if strong acids, weak acids, bases, caustic chemicals, and ion stripping dissolution rays were all treated as different kinds of attack.

All very true, but (as far as the internet knows) i am old and fuddy and draw my lines where i want them and fire lasers irk me. Ion dissolution rays being acid make perfect sense. go figure.

Speaking of, I'm pretty sure basically every line attack breath weapon of dragons also resemble lasers beams. Seems more appropriate then assuming that the black dragon's acid line is somehow just spraying globs of liquid everywhere (which would be more cone like anyways, but that's besides the point).

Actually, taking it further, why would the form these energies take really matter all that much? A cone shaped acid breath could very well still appear in the same form as traditional fire breath, only difference being that it's probably green breath and it corrodes things it touches rather than combusts them.

Well, its certainly one way to make battling a Black dragon or Green dragon look like a fight with Maleficent from sleeping beauty.

What annoyed me about damage in pathfinder was that Plasma dealt half fire/half electricity. How in the nine hells does plasma electrocute you?

What annoyed me about damage in pathfinder was that Plasma dealt half fire/half electricity. How in the nine hells does plasma electrocute you?

Ball lightning maybe?

After all, I think the go to explanation for ball lightning is that its basically when the plasma released by lightning sort of condenses into a larger mass, and retains the lightning's electric charge.

In any case, Plasma in itself is technically electrically charged in a sense; given that its so super heated that it begins to be stripped of its electromagnetic cohesion, and begins to ionize.

I'm not a science major though, so if anyone could correct me, that would be great.

Torbyne wrote:

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Torbyne wrote:

Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Heck, steam is fire damage in Pathfinder. The 5 energy types are very, very broad categories to keep the game simpler than if strong acids, weak acids, bases, caustic chemicals, and ion stripping dissolution rays were all treated as different kinds of attack.

All very true, but (as far as the internet knows) i am old and fuddy and draw my lines where i want them and fire lasers irk me. Ion dissolution rays being acid make perfect sense. go figure.

Speaking of, I'm pretty sure basically every line attack breath weapon of dragons also resemble lasers beams. Seems more appropriate then assuming that the black dragon's acid line is somehow just spraying globs of liquid everywhere (which would be more cone like anyways, but that's besides the point).

Actually, taking it further, why would the form these energies take really matter all that much? A cone shaped acid breath could very well still appear in the same form as traditional fire breath, only difference being that it's probably green breath and it corrodes things it touches rather than combusts them.

Well, its certainly one way to make battling a Black dragon or Green dragon look like a fight with Maleficent from sleeping beauty.

You don't see the acid-line dragons as being like spitting cobras, but with acid instead of venom?

Luna Protege wrote:

Torbyne wrote:

Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Torbyne wrote:

Honestly, i have never felt quite right with lasers being fire damage anyways, i get where it comes from but it just doesn't feel right... sort of fire damage comes from a classical elemental view of the universe where its this special fundamental force called Fire as opposed to just another kind of chemical reaction. Trying to fit these high tech concepts into a classical Greek world view is wonky.

Heck, steam is fire damage in Pathfinder. The 5 energy types are very, very broad categories to keep the game simpler than if strong acids, weak acids, bases, caustic chemicals, and ion stripping dissolution rays were all treated as different kinds of attack.

All very true, but (as far as the internet knows) i am old and fuddy and draw my lines where i want them and fire lasers irk me. Ion dissolution rays being acid make perfect sense. go figure.

Speaking of, I'm pretty sure basically every line attack breath weapon of dragons also resemble lasers beams. Seems more appropriate then assuming that the black dragon's acid line is somehow just spraying globs of liquid everywhere (which would be more cone like anyways, but that's besides the point).

Actually, taking it further, why would the form these energies take really matter all that much? A cone shaped acid breath could very well still appear in the same form as traditional fire breath, only difference being that it's probably green breath and it corrodes things it touches rather than combusts them.

Well, its certainly one way to make battling a Black dragon or Green dragon look like a fight with Maleficent from sleeping beauty.

You don't see the acid-line dragons as being like spitting cobras, but with acid instead of venom?

Spitting cobra stuff seems a bit odd if it came from a dragon. Dragons are supposed to be effectively terrifying engines of destruction, and an awesome sight to behold. If a dragon was in a colosseum battle for people's amusement, and saw it spit, rather than shoot nuclear lasers at people... The Audience's opionion would be more "eww" than "HOLY S***!".

Really, every dragon Breath weapon, regardless of type, should look like its energy rather than matter. Or more visually speaking... Like Shingodzilla's breath.

proper plasma is when the electrons, protons and neutrons have enough energy to overcome the attractions between them, requires very high energy - generally only happens at high temps, but not solely (I think cold plasma is a thing) - makes sense that it'd to elec dmg as elec is charged particles flowing, and fire dmg as all the particles have that much energy that they'd give a lot to anything it touched