Don’t Trust Your Senses

Inside volume one of Starfinder’s The Threefold Conspiracy Adventure Path, The Chimera Mystery, by Jason Keeley

When the security officer of the starship Chimera goes missing, the heroes are asked to investigate. Murder, misdirection, and misapprehension abound. But is this whole whodunit only part of a much larger conspiracy?

It is time to pull back the curtain, just a bit, on The Threefold Conspiracy. The plot will remain a mystery, but the back matter is full of advice, lore, and game material we can’t wait to show off. So, this blog may have light spoilers, be warned.

Don’t want to chance it? Go back and read the flash web fiction The Threefold Conspiracy: Gray Matter to set the mood.

As previously revealed, inside you will find advice for running and playing in adventures focused around secrecy and mystery, by Jason Keeley. Read an excerpt in Motive, Means, and Opportunity.

New from Jason Keeley, the Sanjaval Palanquin is a long-haul passenger transport freighter. It could be the setting of many adventures for Pact Worlders and Starfinder homebrewers of all stripes.

“Sanjaval Spaceflight Systems produces the Palanquin model of heavy freighter for a variety of transport applications, but it’s often converted into a long-distance high-quality passenger conveyance for regularly traveled space lanes. The Palanquin’s several decks provide enough room for spacious guest accommodations, which are far enough away from crew quarters that the two groups don’t need to mingle in the corridors. With two cargo holds standard, the Palanquin serves as a capable freighter for those passengers who are transporting valuable goods to far-off reaches.”

The full article includes more details, statistics, and deck plans!

Discover In from the Cold, a collection of new class options for espionage-themed characters, by Crystal Frasier.

“You want to know why you’re here? Imagine you’re a brain, yeah? But no eyes, no ears, just sittin’ warm and cozy in your skull with nothin’ but imagination and pixie sparkles to keep your attention. You’d never need to see how mean the real world is. How it can chew you up and spit you out. That’s great for some. But me? If something is about to go pear-shaped, I want to know. I like to see the bullet coming. And that’s what we do, kid. We’re not soldiers. We’re not heroes. We watch and we listen, and when we see the bullet coming, we tell the brain when to get out of the damn way.”
—Donlaia Sekk on Training Day 001

Subterfuge is the exacting scalpel to warfare’s indiscriminate shrapnel. And in a galaxy where superweapons can wipe out entire planets, a careful hand is infinitely more useful for achieving practical goals. Even the most noteworthy interstellar conflict in recent memory— the war between the Veskarium and the Pact Worlds—lasted only 5 years before both sides shuddered at the mounting cost and devastation of open conflict. But the so-called Silent War— focused mainly on smaller skirmishes and espionage—lasted ten generations, as dedicated spies and agents on both sides faced off to uncover the other power’s secrets, sabotage their efforts, and sway the direction of their politics.

Espionage encompasses a number of tactics. A nation conquered by placing loyal entities on its throne without a drop of spilled blood can immediately turn its engines of commerce to fill your pockets. Quietly bribed researchers can grant you access to scientific knowledge. Magical scrying sensors can overhear state secrets. Deep cover agents can live among the enemy populace for years and find work within government and security organizations. The ultimate goal of espionage is to take what your foe can’t afford to lose— knowledge, resources, loyalty from their populace, or the lives of key figures—while knowing exactly how they will respond.

The article includes envoy, mechanic, soldier, and technomancer options, as well as three new spells, and is available in both print or PDF.

Catch a glimpse of Gadravel, a planet of war-torn ruins and ghosts, by Erik Mona.

“By the time explorers affiliated with the Pact Worlds first came across the lonely, haunted planet of Gadravel on the frontier of Near Space, it was already an ancient graveyard. The trench-like scars across Gadravel, visible from space, hint at an ancient destruction wreaked by some unknown force or super weapon that also wiped out every living thing on the planet. In the decades since its rediscovery, the unquiet spirits of Gadravel’s slaughtered populace have swallowed a dozen scientific research expeditions and countless opportunists and explorers. Scavengers come in search of forgotten technology or unclaimed plunder, while pirates seek refuge among the silent streets of abandoned cities, hoping to shake off pursuit by bounty hunters. Those who alight on the planet’s surface and leave within an hour or two often escape with fantastic riches and intriguing components of baffling alien technology. Those who linger too long are devoured by the ghosts and remain on the planet for a torturous eternity.”

In Alien Archives you will encounter seven full-page creatures entries with art, including an adorable shapechanging ooze and a predatory bird able to eat bullets, by Stephen Glicker, Jason Keeley, Luis Loza, Isabelle Thorne, and Gabriel Waluconis.

“Marrax and I noticed the smears of blood on the floor right away. They seemed to form some kind of pattern or maybe words in a language I never seen before. Someone stepped forth from the shadows. It looked like Professor Ko, but her clothes were tattered and there was some kind of symbol carved into her chest. She shuffled forward and grabbed Marrax and slashed at his shirt with long nails. I panicked and ran out of there. But Marrax’s wounds began to shift and glow, and it was like he was moving through tar... I’m sorry, I left him screaming in the dark.”
—Report from Lonthis Vens, janitor at Qabarat University of Xenoarcheology and Xenoanthropology”

Paizo releases Starfinder Adventure Paths monthly in three- or six-volume arcs. You can acquire them at your favorite local gaming store. With your ongoing Starfinder Adventure Path subscription, we'll send each new volume to your door and charge your payment method automatically as we ship each product. You only need to sign up once, and never need to worry about renewal notices or missed products.

Next, we will unveil volume two, Flight of the Sleepers, with an article describing the enigmatic grays, a survey of fringe science, and a selection of new and strange monsters!

Adventures Ahead!

Aaron Shanks,
Marketing and Media Manager