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Out of character discussion thread.

As part of a massive effort to explore and develop an uninhabited planet full of valuable resources, the heroes are placed in control of a settlement and must deal with challenges from both within and without. Far from home, can the heroes establish a thriving community and survive the uncharted system’s terrible secrets and mysteries?

Planetfall (Part 1 of 6)
With the discovery of an uncharted, resource-rich, and uninhabited planet in the Vast, several factions begin a joint settlement effort, and the heroes are given the chance to be the scouts and administrators of one such charter. As they explore the surrounding wilderness and grow their new settlement, they must contend with all manner of problems, from wild animal attacks to dissatisfied settlers. And the planet holds mysteries beyond counting!

Horizons of the Vast player's guide

Discussion of OOC stuff related to this scenario.

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Discussion thread for this campaign.

Please make sure you've signed up for this game at the Gameday XIV Event Listing, and then register at RPG Chronicles to be sure I have all the right info to report for the chronicle sheet.

Then also go to the slide deck and enter your character name, an avatar/token for them, and then your general Exploration activity, along with the associated skill & modifier needed for initiative.

I have played many games on PBP over the years, but this is my first time running one in this format. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make the experience more enjoyable.

A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st- through 2nd-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours.

Welcome to Invasion’s Edge, the first season of Starfinder Society for Starfinder Second Edition!

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I have a chronicle that gives access to a firearm that is classified as a martial weapon. Since my Ranger is proficient with martial weapons, I am thinking of having him buying the weapon, but it just occurred to me ... firearm ammunition is actually Uncommon. If I have access to the weapon, do PFS rules also grant me access to the ammunition needed for the weapon? I can't find anything that explicit says so. In other words, is there *any* way to have this weapon be functional without multiclassing into Gunslinger or getting Alchemical Crafting?

From what I can tell in 2E, there aren't any alignment restrictions or implications for a good character summoning evil creatures. Specifically, I am thinking of my NG bard summoning evil creatures with Summon Fey. Am I missing anything in the 2E rules related to this in regard to summoning?

The archaic wayfinder allows a spellcaster to cast a cantrip into it, and it'll hold the cantrip until it has been cast, at which point it becomes empty again. If a non-spellcaster has the archaic wayfinder, is it allowed for one of the spellcaster characters to cast a spell into it? Would it get recorded on the Chronicle sheet, and then remain in the wayfinder until it's cast out of it?

Or, alternately, is there somewhere that there's a cost for spellcasting on cantrips? The spellcasting services chart seems to start a 1st level.

Or is the archaic wayfinder really only useful for non-spontaneous spellcasters who can fill it with one of their own cantrips that they aren't memorizing/preparing that day?

I noticed in the Reporting that the AP books Hellknight Hill & The Show Must Go On both indicate that they're Replayable and give credit each time they are reported. Fall of Plaguestone is also set up with this notice (as is the Beginner Box).

The problem is that I don't see anything in the sanctioning documents that indicate that these adventures are replayable. And then, when I went through and checked a few scenarios that I *know* aren't replayable, they also have this message. So I'm worried that this message in the reporting system isn't credible.

Does anyone know if there's been an announcement that Fall of Plaguestone, Hellknight Hill, and/or The Show Must Go On are intended to be replayable?

I have a couple of questions about the Scrollstaff and the crafting requirements related to it.

A band of pliant wood encircles the head of this slender mahogany staff. The Magaambya created the first scrollstaves millennia ago, and even the few scrollstaves found beyond the organization often incorporate Magaambyan iconography as an homage to their source.

A scrollstaff serves as a weapon just like an ordinary staff and can be improved via runes like any other staff. In addition, if you are capable of creating magical scrolls, you can inscribe a single scroll onto the staff’s head for the same cost as normal for Crafting the scroll. If necessary, you can embed a required material focus into the staff as part of the same Craft activity. As long as you are holding the staff, you can cast the spell from the staff’s head. Casting the written spell works just like casting from a scroll, but you can perform the necessary material component with the staff, even if you don’t have a free hand. Once you cast the inscribed spell, any material focus remains embedded in the staff until removed as an Interact action.

The staff can hold only a single scroll at a time. If you inscribe a new scroll before casting the previous spell, you replace the existing spell and remove any previous material focus as part of the Craft activity to write the new scroll.

First, this item doesn't have the "Staff" tag, so I am assuming that investing it does not count against the "No one can prepare more than one staff per day" in the "Preparing a Staff" section on p. 592 of the Core Rulebook. So I could have the scrollstaff and a separate magical staff, both invested (and the magical staff prepared with charges). Any problem with that interpretation?

Second, when it says "the same cost as normal for Crafting the scroll," does "cost" indicate the cost in both time and money? Can I craft four scrolls per normal ... but one of those scrolls is actually crafted into the scrollstaff, instead of onto a parchment? Or do I have to spend at least 4 crafting days just to craft the one scroll into the staff, as if I were crafting just a single scroll?

I think one of the great innovations in Second Edition Society play was the Bequeathal boon. It meant that even if I got a boon that had no applicability to my character, I could transfer it to a more appropriate character with the Bequeathal boon. With the updates to the system, it looks like Bequeathal is being removed.

Is the intention to be unable to transfer earned boons between characters? Because it seems like the system could allow you to buy boons that you have earned and apply them to an appropriate character, even if that's not the one that earned it, so long as you've played the scenario to unlock the boon. It seems like a natural benefit of buying and assigning boons individually.

I tried a few searches and couldn't find if this has been covered, but I wanted to make sure I was interpreting it correctly. Apologies if this has been asked before.

There is a "Leshy Companion" boon at Tier 2 of the Verdant Wheel faction. It says,

You can select the Leshy Familiar feat as a 2nd level class feat, even if you are not a druid. You can ignore the prerequisite of belonging to the leaf order.

I guess the question is how much emphasis is placed on the "as a 2nd level class feat" wording.

I am interpreting this as the boon gives you access to the Leshy Familiar feat, though you still have to use one of your class feat slots when leveling up in order to take it. However, this is an "ally" boon, which means it has to be slotted ... and I don't know of any other case where a feat purchased on your character requires you to keep a boon slotted to access the feat.

So I could also interpret this as saying that by slotting the boon, you gain the Leshy Familiar feat for that scenario. Then if you ever don't slot the boon, you don't have the Leshy Familiar feat. But at that point, it isn't really a "2nd level class feat," it's just an ally familiar that you get from a boon.

How have people been running this? Has there been any official word on it?

I have a question about one of the boons on the chronicle sheet for Descent into Verdant Shadow ...

The Chirurgeon research field says that you can roll Crafting in place of Medicine for checks. Does this also mean that you can use Crafting to meet Medicine-based feat prerequisites for Skill Feats?

For example, the Bard Versatile Performance feat allows you to use Performance in place of Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Deception in some cases, and also specifically says that you can use Performance in place of those skills to meet these prerequisites. The Chirurgeon ability doesn't have that explicit wording.

Anybody know if this has been covered in a video or FAQ or forum post? Thanks!

If you use your downtime to craft, you use 4 days of Downtime for prep and then spend half the cost. Additional days lower the remaining cost based on your level on the Earned Income table. But these amounts are so small that, unless you need the item immediately, it is worth taking some time to accrue the discount (particularly in comparison to the Earn Income amount at Level-2).

But when I move up to Level 2, does my 2 sp per day discount become 3 sp per day? Or do I continue using the same 2 sp per day discount from when I made the roll?

I was watching episode 5 of Knights of Everflame, and heard Jason Bulmahn mention that good damage and positive damage were two different damage types. I see the reason for a distinction between a Disrupting rune and a Holy rune, for example, that would be supported by this distinction.

The weird consequence of this, though, is that it seems like a cleric or champion channeling divine power to use a heal spell or other positive healing energy to harm an undead would have the positive trait, but not the good trait. This makes sense that it's not automatic, but the complete absence also seems strange. For example, it makes some sense that the heal spell from a cleric of Pharasma wouldn't have the good trait, but the heal spell from Sarenrae would seem like it would have the good trait.

Even if you use the Holy Castigation feat so that your heal spell can damage fiends as if they were undead, the spell is still just a positive spell, not necessarily a good spell. It seems odd that holy water deals good damage, but the direct divine power that gives holy water its power doesn't. (This also raises the tangential question: Can a neutral priest of Pharasma create holy water, if neither they nor their deity are good-aligned?)

Am I reading this right? Or do divine spells cast from a good deity gain the good descriptor as well as the positive descriptor (and maybe I'm missing the reference)?

Is there any restriction on placing weapon accessories on railed weapons that are mounted on power armor?

It seems like by the rules, I could mount a melee weapon as a bayonet on a longarm and then mount the longarm on power armor, effectively always having both a melee and ranged weapon at the ready. Am I missing something about how this would work (or not work)?

Novice Operative with a couple of questions ... Does an operative melee weapon on a bayonet retain the operative property?

Two specific cases that come to mind:

If you have a small arm with a light bayonet, and you put an operative weapon on it, is the melee attack still with an operative weapon, even though this thing is clearly more unwieldy than before?

Similarly, if an operative weapon is on a sniper rifle, is the melee attack still operative?

This seems clearly the RAW, but I am concerned I might be missing something, since whacking someone with a baton on the end of a sniper rifle seems inelegant compared to other operative attacks.

I can't see if this has been asked or answered before, but can you add a weapon fusion to your optical laser? The argument in favor seems obvious. The argument against is that it's a cybernetic type of equipment and not a weapon, even though it "functions" like a weapon.

This system replaces one of your eyes with a compact laser weapon that functions as a small arm with the integrated weapon special property and deals damage based on its model. An optical laser has a 50-foot range increment, and it can’t be disarmed. Once you’ve used the optical laser for a single attack, its tiny battery is depleted; you can’t use it again until you’ve rested for 10 minutes to regain Stamina Points, though you can spend 1 Resolve Point at any point to recharge it immediately.

If you had a small arm with the integrated weapon special property, and you were inserting it into a weaponized prosthesis, I think it's unambiguous that you could put a weapon fusion on it. But this is just different enough that I'm not sure.

I see a similar thread asking this about venom spur. It seems not entirely resolved on that thread, but I feel that the "functions as a small arm" part of the optic laser description might result in a slightly different answer.

The Guide says you can replay adventures with Novas and the Seeker of Knowledge boon. I just want to confirm I am not missing a rule nuance: this applies to modules (AP & Skitter standalones), not just scenarios, right?

Also, can the "replay" include running it a second time to get a second GM sheet?

Curious to know if maybe there's some aspect I've been missing, or if there are scenarios where it comes into play ... but is there any particular reason in SFS play for a character, even a tech-focused character, to upgrade beyond a basic starting computer?

At no point, even when doing hacking rolls or accessing data, have I ever been asked for the Tier of the computer I'm using to perform these tasks. I still have the Tier 1 computer that I started with, and I can't justify the cost it would take to buy a new one. But I assume that computers are being used more creatively and proactively by others, and there might be mechanics and uses that are based on Tier which I just haven't taken advantage of.

Any advice or thoughts would be appreciated.

If you buy an Improved Faction Boon for 4 Fame, can you then sell back the original standard Faction Boon for its cost of 2 Fame using the Sellback Plan? I assumed you could, but it is a prerequisite for the Improved boon, so I want to be sure I can use the Improved Boon if I don't keep the original.

Also, can I sell the boon for it's listed cost even if I received it for free (either as starting Faction Boon or from a Chronicle sheet)?

Sorry if this has already been answered, but I just wanted to clarify that I'm interpreting the awarding of GM chronicles/boons properly.

From what I can tell from the text on p. 17 of the Guild Guide, it seems like the GM takes a Chronicle sheet and can award themselves the Fame/Reputation for the adventure, including any boons they are qualified for.

But I just want to confirm that these awards are independent of the actual outcome of the game. So if the players don't achieve the Secondary Success Condition, or don't get the extra faction award, does the GM still receive those? What if the players didn't successfully complete the task to obtain a boon? Does the GM get the full awards in this case?

Also, if there's a boon that requires an earlier boon to "trigger" the event, does the GM have to possess the earlier boon?

Just finished running The Lost Star, and one of the issues I ran into was in area A9, it was unclear how to treat the 10 feet of swirling sand. The Effect targets "a creature that starts its turn in the area" ... but the person who triggers the trap by walking through it doesn't start their turn there. Nothing in the Effect description indicates that their movement is stopped by the assault, nor exactly how to treat the 10 feet of swirling sands within the corridor.

I handled it this way: The person who triggered the trap had to stop and make the save, taking damage for a fail. Anyone else who entered the area, even if they had the movement to clear it, also had to make the save once while in the sand-filled area. And the area with sand was treated as Difficult Terrain for movement purposes.

So I've been toying around with a concept for an Operative who is also a Hellknight, Order of the Chain. I'm thinking of taking the Star Knight archetype, which at 2nd level grants proficiency with heavy armor.

But the Operative's abilities like Evasion and Quick Movement only apply when wearing Light Armor. I'm looking to see if there is any special material or armor upgrade or feature or feat that I am missing that would allow me to have heavy armor that counts as light armor for the purposes of these feats (similar to Mithral in Pathfinder).

I know there are some Armory upgrades that reduce the heavy armor movement penalty or armor penalty and such, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find anything that actually allows it to be counted as light armor.

I recently acquired a boon that allowed me to create a new character that begins at Level 2, granting some extra starting credits, XP, and 5 Fame/Reputation. I am going to be running a scenario in a few days, and plan to apply the GM credit to the new Level 2 character. But I'm not sure how to record the extra Reputation in the reporting.

Do I report that I get 7 reputation when I report the Scenario, to account for the extra 5 I get from the original boon? Or should the extra 5 just show up on my Chronicle sheets and not ever get reported into the system?

Does the +10 land speed from the soldier's Rapid Response also increase the land speed of the soldier in powered armor, or just the soldier's un-powered land speed?

If I play a Scenario that grants me a new race as a boon, then that Chronicle sheet is applied to the character I used to play the Scenario. The boon granting the new character requires that "A copy of this Chronicle sheet must be the first Chronicle sheet for the given character." Does this mean the Chronicle sheet can be applied to the NEW character instead of the character I played through the Scenario on? Or do I still apply it to the original character, and just make a copy of the character sheet to go with the new character (but the new character doesn't earn XP, gold, fame, etc.)?