Starfinder Society Year 4 Rule Changes

"SQUEALS IN VESK!" Skittermanders and Ijtikri for all? On top of Screepdreeps being available for ACP? My heart is bursting three sizes in excitement and anticipation for next Friday!

These are all good changes.

(Well... I need to see how the whole AcP thing really shakes out before I make a judgement on it.)

*THANK YOU* for the "players do their own downtime". Removing bits of gratuitous administration for GMs at the end of a game (when they might be rushing to get to the next session, or to get out of a closing game store) is nice.

Also thank you for automatic success when you pay for a remove condition or similar.... I wish PFS1 had that.

These are all good changes.

*THANK YOU* for the "players do their own downtime". Removing bits of gratuitous administration for GMs at the end of a game (when they might be rushing to get to the next session, or to get out of a closing game store) is nice.

It also means that GMs (who apply credit as if having played a pregen) now get more clarity on dayjobs / crafting as well.

Awesome news!

Mechanics question - if somebody used the "Existing Skittermander" boon from an earlier chronicle sheet to previously boost an ability score of 14 or less by 2, does the new blog announcement stack with it, or no?

Thanks very much in advance!

Thank you so much for streamlining things! It will make finishing up after GMing a scenario just a little bit easier!

Agree, these all seem like very good changes. I for one appreciate AcP coming to Starfinder as well, as I think it's important that boons not be gated to people who can afford to go to conventions. Also, I absolutely love the idea of the System Traveler boons!

Thank you for fixing this:

Some boons allow players to unlock access to character options over time by checking boxes after meeting the criteria. The following additional rules apply to such boons:

Adventure Specific boons: These are boons which allow you to check off a box after completing a specific adventure. These boxes can always be checked when that adventure is completed, even if using that adventure completion to check off boxes on other boons.

Adventure Completion Boons: These are boons that allow you to check one or more boxes after completing any adventure. After completing a given adventure, you can check off the relevant number of boxes on any *one* of these boons. Note the boon affected on the chronicle for the adventure.

Oooo Nice fix to the boxes.

Also for the Nufriend Skittermander boon would you still have to unlock all the boxes for a +2 or would just getting the sheet be enough? It was a lot of work since they weren't a free race to play so it made sense for it before.

Awesome news!

Mechanics question - if somebody used the "Existing Skittermander" boon from an earlier chronicle sheet to previously boost an ability score of 14 or less by 2, does the new blog announcement stack with it, or no?

Thanks very much in advance!

Let me clarify the blog post slightly that this change works exactly the same as it did in Year 3, which is the same as it did before that. I will include the text here for posterity.

Legacy Race Clarification

There have been some questions about how players who'd previously unlocked legacy races should handle them now that legacy races are always available. The following are official clarifications on how players should handle legacy races previously earned in the campaign.

- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon from RSP or a special convention boon prior to the publishing of this blog can create or continue playing a Legacy Race and increase one ability score that is 14 or lower by 2. These characters retain their Personal boon slot but cannot slot in a Personal boon that would augment an ability score (such as any of the admittance boons.)
- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon via a scenario prior to the publishing of this blog can convert the Personal Boon from the "New Character" option to the "Existing" option and earn the +2 in one ability score that is 14 or lower. This occupies the Personal boon slot.
- Characters who earn a Legacy Race boon following the publishing of this blog can slot the Personal Boon onto their character and select the "Existing" option to earn the additional ability score boost. This occupies the Personal boon slot.
- For Characters who've applied two legacy race boons to a character (one for race access and one for the stat boost) those characters now only gain the benefit of the "Existing" portion of the race boon. The initial "New Character" application of the boon is ignored. In no circumstance, can a PC ever earn more than one +2 increase to an ability score modifier.

Thanks, Alex. It will be nice to have that in the guide, rather than relying on a blog post.

Gun to my head, I still couldn't describe a Skreedeep or Ijtikri from memory but maybe now I will?

With this shift to the wiki, will the ships continue to be maintained a document in the website?

I ask because them being available in pdf form is immensely helpful.

(I also find having a printable guide I can bind and bring for players to flip through helpful for my more Luddite players too but I get that making the wiki printable is a challenge)

With this shift to the wiki, will the ships continue to be maintained a document in the website?

I ask because them being available in pdf form is immensely helpful.

If you poke around the Starships page a little more, you might find an interesting surprise...

So, with fame going away and day jobs rolled by players, I'm guessing chronicles will be undergoing a change similar to that for PF2. If so, can I make a request? Please leave a space for credits gained and a space for day job, not just one big space for credits gained. If there could be space ABOVE and BELOW those, even better. I still like to track starting and ending gold on my chronicles. Makes things easier for me, at least.

The Factions and Reputations section of 4.00 lists every Faction boon with a Fame cost.

Is this whole section legacy (characters who currently have Fame) only? If so, where does it say that?

'Aba welcomes all her skittermander friends! We will have such fun together!"

Does this mean if I have filled in two skitter shot boons I can apply the second on to a new skittermander? with the to copaxi boons i have do both get the +2 bonus?

Does this mean if I have filled in two skitter shot boons I can apply the second on to a new skittermander? with the to copaxi boons i have do both get the +2 bonus?

No. How those work is if it was a convention boon/ its own sheet of paper you can use it but it occupies your personal boon slot. If the boon is from a scenario it works but occupies your personal slot. They'd have to go on seperate characters to have any effect.

Robert Harvey wrote:

Does this mean if I have filled in two skitter shot boons I can apply the second on to a new skittermander? with the to copaxi boons i have do both get the +2 bonus?

No. How those work is if it was a convention boon/ its own sheet of paper you can use it but it occupies your personal boon slot. If the boon is from a scenario it works but occupies your personal slot. They'd have to go on seperate characters to have any effect.

My understanding with the copaxi since it was a scenario not a convention boon I should get the +2 to ability score. If not does not bother me.

So my copaxi character from starfinder society scenario gets +2 on 28th? :O Nice

Also seems to be confirmed that starfinder of note is exclusive with other capstone boons. (on sidenote, since it seems even in case of buying boon with acp you still just send email to paizo, seems like yeah there is no difference between notable starfinders post this change x'D Well besides that mine is forum member now according to boon, wish I could go to edit that short write up XD)

Anyhoo, I do want to know what level range they chose to devastation ark O_o like is it really just "first one is chronicles 13-14 and 15-16" with second one skipping straight up "17-18"? I do wish they at least split first book into two chronicles even if this means we won't be getting cool boons from each book

With this shift to the wiki, will the ships continue to be maintained a document in the website?

In case you might find it useful, I made "ship sheet" versions of the Starfinder starships. (I used my own modified version of the ship sheet, rearranged so that it could include things like the range of weapons.)

You can find it on pfsprep.com here : http://pfsprep.com/e107_plugins/forum/forum_viewtopic.php?3491

I'm guessing all options for ijtikri and skittermanders on Near Space are also available, since the Character Options for SFS page says:

"All options from this book are allowed for play, with the following exceptions and clarifications:
...
Racial Options: With the exception of the altered ability score adjustment, the willower ghoran option conveys the same racial abilities as listed in Alien Archive 2. The following racial options are not permitted: Cave Senses [vesk], Forceful Mind [vesk]"

Or will that material be reviewed again?

Thurston, a long time ago wrote:

Legacy Race Clarification

There have been some questions about how players who'd previously unlocked legacy races should handle them now that legacy races are always available. The following are official clarifications on how players should handle legacy races previously earned in the campaign.

- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon from RSP or a special convention boon prior to the publishing of this blog can create or continue playing a Legacy Race and increase one ability score that is 14 or lower by 2. These characters retain their Personal boon slot but cannot slot in a Personal boon that would augment an ability score (such as any of the admittance boons.)
- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon via a scenario prior to the publishing of this blog can convert the Personal Boon from the "New Character" option to the "Existing" option and earn the +2 in one ability score that is 14 or lower. This occupies the Personal boon slot.
- Characters who earn a Legacy Race boon following the publishing of this blog can slot the Personal Boon onto their character and select the "Existing" option to earn the additional ability score boost. This occupies the Personal boon slot.
- For Characters who've applied two legacy race boons to a character (one for race access and one for the stat boost) those characters now only gain the benefit of the "Existing" portion of the race

...

Just last month, I got a 48th Skitter Shot checkbox and applied it to the same character for the +2. This means half of this effort is just wasted?

Also, that character has what would be a mandatory permanent Personal Boon from a chronicle, but that slot was occupied by being a skittermander. What happens to that slot now?

Kolefo;

Here is how I believe this works (using my own two skittermanders as examples):

Aba Calling is an existing skittermander who only had one set of skittermander boxes filled. She had no racial +2, and her personal boon slot is filled. She gets a +2 and a freed up Personal Boon Slot.

Xeeter the xenodruid is an existing skittermander who through a Nova replay managed to get 2 sets of skittermander boxes filled. He gets no additional +2 (since he got one already) but still frees up his personal boon slot.

These personal boon slots are now empty and can be occupied by something new. I have seen personal boons from chronicles that augment psychic power, and ones that turn you into fun mutants. They're not common, but getting one can really influence a character's direction.

One of my players in Minneapolis earned the nickname 'Monkey Boy' after a certain personal boon gave him a mutant climb speed, and his human operative hoots with a chimpanzee-like excitement as he heads into battle.

Basically, your skittermander has open options for what they do with that personal slot if they hit an adventure that offers a non-race personal boon option. I keep hoping that they will offer something like the PF2 Variant Heritages some day, or maybe some ACP boons that will give us more fun options for those now empty Personal boon slots.

Hmm

Kolefo;

Here is how I believe this works (using my own two skittermanders as examples):

[...
Basically, your skittermander has open options for what they do with that personal slot if they hit an adventure that offers a non-race personal boon option. I keep hoping that they will offer something like the PF2 Variant Heritages some day, or maybe some ACP boons that will give us more fun options for those now empty Personal boon slots.

Hmm

Wait, if that's retroactive then my poor little skittermander who has a personal boon from [REDACTED] now has to apply it? You know the place, you ran it for me.

I know this is going to come across as really nitpicky, but referencing Thurston's Blog doesn't cover Skittermanders earned before this Season 4 Blog (as far as I can tell):

- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon from RSP or a special convention boon prior to the publishing of this blog can create or continue playing a Legacy Race and increase one ability score that is 14 or lower by 2. These characters retain their Personal boon slot but cannot slot in a Personal boon that would augment an ability score (such as any of the admittance boons.)

- Characters who've earned a Legacy Race boon via a scenario prior to the publishing of this blog can convert the Personal Boon from the "New Character" option to the "Existing" option and earn the +2 in one ability score that is 14 or lower. This occupies the Personal boon slot.

Stay with me here. Not trying to be argumentative. But neither of these bolded sections applies to Skittermanders earned through [REDACTED], since it's neither an RSP/Convention Boon, nor a Scenario (it's a FreeRPG Day Module).

I'm assuming Leadership wants us to treat it as a Scenario-granted Boon? Which would take up the Personal Slot? Or no? I can't honestly tell.

I do understand that any Skittermander Boons, of any type, earned after today, would permanently occupy the Personal Slot:

Characters who earn a Legacy Race boon following the publishing of this blog can slot the Personal Boon onto their character and select the "Existing" option to earn the additional ability score boost. This occupies the Personal boon slot.

Gun to my head, I still couldn't describe a Skreedeep or Ijtikri from memory but maybe now I will?

Screedreep look like if you fuse a Chihuahua with a Bush Baby (aka. Galagos). Small size.

Ijtikri are the Medium size squid people you see in a bunch of scenarios. I often call them Squiddly Diddlies.

As an addendum to my previous post, if Leadership does intend for us to treat [REDACTED] as a Scenario, might I propose that players who checked off two sets of 12 boxes be able to upgrade that Boon so that they retain their Personal Slot?

That would still reward players like Kōlēfō, who did spend a lot of time trying to fulfill the original Boon as published.

Wait, if that's retroactive then my poor little skittermander who has a personal boon from [REDACTED] now has to apply it? You know the place, you ran it for me.

I do know the place, and I'm sorry if I did not explain this properly at the time. Your little skittermander had TWO personal boons in that personal boon slot after their visit there. Now... The skittermander boon is no longer in that personal slot, but the other boon is still there.

Hi all,

Sorry for the confusion; I could blame this one on PaizoCon, but really I just wasn't very careful when I wrote this blog post.

I have updated the FAQ to explain what to do with your skittermanders, ijtikris and copaxis. I hope it answers your questions; if there are still questions about what to do with your characters, please let me know! I've also asked tech to update this blog post to say the same.

The Character Options page has also been updated to reflect these new changes; do note that they do not take effect until May 28, so wait until then to play all the new characters you've built in the last 12 hours!

I'm guessing all options for ijtikri and skittermanders on Near Space are also available

This is correct.

(eye twitch)

Okay. Just for absolute clarification. I assume that when the FAQ refers to "Admittance boon", that includes Skittermanders from [REDACTED]? Because that's not actually an Admittance boon. It's titled "Nufriend Skittermander".

Apologies if my OCD is showing...

Also, did you ever decide where Ryphorians fall? They were neither granted by an RSP/Convention Boon, nor an Adventure, but they are an "Admittance" boon.

(see link for previous discussion; but please have some coffee first, because again, the differences are subtle)

All options in the Starfinder Core Rulebook are legal for play.

The following spells found in the Starfinder Core Rulebook are not legal for play and may never be used, found, purchased, or learned in any form by characters of the Starfinder Society: animate dead and reincarnate.

So do 10th Level Xenodruids still not have access to a 4th Level Connection spell?

(link to most recent discussion on alternate options)

I have updated the FAQ to explain what to do with your skittermanders, ijtikris and copaxis.

Thank you so much, Alex!

Kōlēfō, I gave you the wrong information. Here is relevant information from the FAQ.

Characters who've earned an Admittance boon via an adventure prior to the change can convert the Personal Boon from the "New Character" option to the "Existing" option and earn the +2 in one ability score that is 14 or lower. This occupies the Personal boon slot.

So this means that Aba Calling can get a +2, but still has her Personal Boon slot filled, as she gained her race from an adventure. Xeeter gets no additional +2, but has a freed-up Personal Boon slot.

Because you already had the +2, you are also getting a freed-up Personal boon slot for possible future shenanigans.

Hmm

"Yay, I get +2 to a stat because I am an existing Skittermander!"

"Yay, I already have +2, so I get a freed-up Personal Boon Slot!"

Apologies if my OCD is showing...

Also, did you ever decide where Ryphorians fall? They were neither granted by an RSP/Convention Boon, nor an Adventure, but they are an "Admittance" boon.

(see link for previous discussion; but please have some coffee first, because again, the differences are subtle)

As a pre-existing Ryphorian, I would also like the clarification (when you have time.)

I am still confused because I am not from an "Admittance" boon, it's from something else that took 24 checkboxes instead, and I'm pretty sure my [REDACTED] (which says "unless you have another permanently slotted Personal Boon...") is not the same as yours because none of the prior discussion about it makes any sense to me.

Yep. Same confusion here.

Is there a thread for suggested clarifications to Guide 4.00? I'm seeing a lot of things that could be very confusing.

And there's a lot of references to Fame still scattered in the Guide.

The Faction Champion boons that are purchasable on the Paizo site appear to be the (old) Improved Faction Champion boons and require 15 reputation with that faction to purchase. But no ACP.

This is probably correct. You need X Reputation to unlock the Improved Boon, and it doesn't cost any AcP to purchase it.

PFS2 has a lot of those sorts of Boons.

Belafon wrote:

The Faction Champion boons that are purchasable on the Paizo site appear to be the (old) Improved Faction Champion boons and require 15 reputation with that faction to purchase. But no ACP.

This is probably correct. You need X Reputation to unlock the Improved Boon, and it doesn't cost any AcP to purchase it.

PFS2 has a lot of those sorts of Boons.

That paragraph was background information. It’s the second part of my spoiler that concerns the Guide specifically. There’s nothing telling players how to get reputation with a faction. Other than bonus scenario-specific reputation. Needs to be something letting people know they don’t need a Faction Champion boon to get rep with that faction: they just pick one at the start of each scenario. (Assuming I am interpolating the new process correctly.)

Anyway, the question was “is there a thread to discuss Guide 4.00 clarifications?”

Wheee! Not often I need to throw a question into the ring, but... I have a couple that I'm a bit unsure about. Blame me not being particularly bright.

So, our podcast group are covering season one. Does this mean:
- Paper chronicle sheets are 'as good' as online ones? Is the reverse true?
- I've not had to report as a GM for a few months, where do I enter the AcP? Is it simply on the reporting form where fame used to be?
- So I am a little unsure about what happens with paper boons to unlock new races which are NOT listed on the AcP shop. Do we just continue to mark off boxes with those as normal?
- are all of the answers for this really as simple as I think they are?

That's all :D

- Paper chronicle sheets are 'as good' as online ones? Is the reverse true?

Yes. You can print the online boons as well if you want to keep paper records.

- I've not had to report as a GM for a few months, where do I enter the AcP? Is it simply on the reporting form where fame used to be?

AcP are automatically assigned when you submit the report. No need to enter the amount.

- So I am a little unsure about what happens with paper boons to unlock new races which are NOT listed on the AcP shop. Do we just continue to mark off boxes with those as normal?

Paper boons work exactly the same as they always have.

I am still confused because I am not from an "Admittance" boon, it's from something else that took 24 checkboxes instead, and I'm pretty sure my [REDACTED] (which says "unless you have another permanently slotted Personal Boon...") is not the same as yours because none of the prior discussion about it makes any sense to me.

Let's make this easier. The only source for skittermanders that I know of is from an adventure.

You have 48 check boxes. From the FAQ, because you already earned the +2, you get your personal boon slot freed up.

Nefreet wrote:

Belafon wrote:

The Faction Champion boons that are purchasable on the Paizo site appear to be the (old) Improved Faction Champion boons and require 15 reputation with that faction to purchase. But no ACP.

This is probably correct. You need X Reputation to unlock the Improved Boon, and it doesn't cost any AcP to purchase it.

PFS2 has a lot of those sorts of Boons.

That paragraph was background information. It’s the second part of my spoiler that concerns the Guide specifically. There’s nothing telling players how to get reputation with a faction. Other than bonus scenario-specific reputation. Needs to be something letting people know they don’t need a Faction Champion boon to get rep with that faction: they just pick one at the start of each scenario. (Assuming I am interpolating the new process correctly.)

Sorry. Apparently that line got cut accidentally when some things were consolidated. It should be back now:

Before the adventure

Before the game starts, you will need to choose a character to play. This can be one of your existing characters, or a pregenerated character, but it must fall within the allowed levels for the adventure. If you choose a pregenerated character, you must also choose an existing character of a lower level, a first level character, or a brand new character to assign credit to. See Applying Credit for more information. You should also chose a Faction to represent. Any Reputation earned for Primary and Secondary success conditions that adventure is applied to that Faction. The default faction is Wayfinders.

The GM will provide you with a sign-in sheet to record your character’s name, Organized Play ID, Character Number, level and faction, as well as any contact information the GM needs to be able to get chronicles to you. If you are playing a pregenerated character, then the character number is the number of the character who will receive credit for the adventure.

Anyway, the question was “is there a thread to discuss Guide 4.00 clarifications?”

Currently this is the proper thread for asking these questions.

I am kind of amused that no one has commented on one of the more interesting, and most asked for, features of the new guide...

You mean the single page version, Jared? Or something else I'm missing (as usual)?

You mean the single page version, Jared? Or something else I'm missing (as usual)?

That along with the ability to download any page, including the single page version, as a PDF.