Starfinder Ports of Call is our upcoming 194-page hardcover book release for the Starfinder RPG that brings new locales and rules to your games. This jam-packed book provides an overview of the state of the Starfinder galaxy in the aftermath of the Drift Crisis event, as well as detailing 10 major ports that can host a variety of adventures or just act as a nice resting spot for your characters. Along with all this, there’s rules for cargo running, unique contacts to meet, interesting side jobs to take part in, new species to play as, extra rules for expanded downtime, and new starship options.
One of the most exciting elements of this book is the detail it provides on the galaxy (known as Desna’s Path), along with all manner of unique interstellar phenomena. Learn about the massive black hole at the galaxy’s heart known as Old Rovagug or scratch the surface of the magical event dubbed Pharasma’s Coil. With the Drift Crisis settling down, there’s also the new Drift lanes now crisscrossing different regions of space, connecting worlds previously separated by weeks-long Drift voyages with direct trips cut down to a single week. These lanes provide all manner of new adventuring opportunities, but also have some drastic changes to our setting—what could possibly go wrong with the warlike Veskarium having four Drift lanes crossing through their system? Nothing. Nothing could go wrong.*
Diving into the actual ports portion of the book, we’ve talked about the planetary theme park of Golarion World in past announcements and so we’ll leave that for folks to discover once the book is released. Today, let’s take a peek at two of the other ports you’ll get to explore in this book.
Though the Scoured Stars Adventure Path has had its release date pushed back a bit**, fear not! Ports of Call provides some fun tie-ins for those who’ve followed the Starfinder Society Organized Play Campaign, with some amazing follow-up in the form of the Izadamar port. Izadamar is a settlement within the Scoured Stars that began the process of repopulating and rebuilding following the events of that story. If you’ve already experienced the Scoured Stars, this is an excellent opportunity to see what’s happened since the Starfinder Society triumphed, and what new threats have emerged. Along with all this content, the book also presents playable species rules for the gaseous thyrs of the Kreiholm Freehold, who appeared in the Scoured Stars storyline and have a strong presence in Izadamar.
Going from the far reaches of the Vast back to something closer to “home” (or at least what we consider our setting’s home), the port of Drifter’s End is something people may have heard of before. Not quite a settlement of its own, Drifter’s End is actually one of the many neighborhoods on the immense Absalom Station that acts as the heart of the Starfinder setting—praise to the Starstone and its guaranteed 1d6 days in the Drift to get travel to it!
Drifter’s End is a melting pot of different alien ambassadors and visitors to the immense station. It’s a doorway where many visitors get their first taste of the diversity of the Pact Worlds by traveling through food stalls or carousing to gather information. Experienced Starfinders know that Drifter’s End is home to the campus of the Lorespire Complex that acts as the Starfinder Society’s headquarters in the cosmos. For non-Starfinders, the Society can still help you out by offering reasonably priced lodgings to counteract the constantly booked hotels within the wider neighborhood. These “Starfinder Stay” BNB-like accommodations are the homes of Starfinders who find themselves adventuring more than they stay on the station. Who wouldn’t want to sleep in a home filled with mysterious Starfinder-obtained relics. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing!*
That’s a wrap on today’s preview! Look forward to all this content and a whole lot more as we get closer to the release of Starfinder Ports of Call.
Before I go, I’d like to take a moment to thank the incredibly talented group of writers who worked on this book, including: Kate Baker, Brian Bauman, Jessica Catalan, John Compton, John Curtin, John Feil, Sen H.H.S., Joan Hong, Jenny Jarzabski, Jason Keeley, Dennis Muldoon, Hilary Moon Murphy, Chesley Oxendine, Emily Parks, Joe Pasini, Jessica Redekop, Paul Scofield, Shay Snow, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Alex Speidel, Jason Tondro, Andrew White, Shan Wolf, and Isis Wozniakowska.
On the Paizo-side, this book wouldn’t be possible without the hard development work of lead developer John Compton and supporting development by Joe Pasini. Finally, a big shout out to our editors and editing lead, Ianara Natividad.
We hope you find a whole new galaxy of adventures in this book and can’t wait to hear all the tales you tell at these ports!
Thurston Hillman
Managing Creative Director (Starfinder)*It’s quite possible something COULD go wrong, but we’ll be the first to tell you.
**We’ve hired new professional glitch gremlin exterminators to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Our old ones just weren’t prepared for the damage on jolting surge.
Travel the Galaxy with Ports of Call!
Friday, May 5, 2023
