One of the most fun games I've ever played. Runtime 4 and a half hours; it could run shorter if you want to. I did add a lot to make it run longer.
Things I added:
I had the players do some skill checks after they read the invitation to get the guest list. Once they succeeded that I gave out handouts with the names of all the NPCs, with a short description of them. Then I placed NPC pawns next to their starships, which I used X-wing minis for, so the PCs would get used to faces and ships before the final Cinematic Starship Scene (CSS) Also, on the handout included all the starship roles and CSS rules, so everyone was ready well in advance.
Next, I added a map for the system exploration. I had the PCs' ship on the map next to a drift beacon (X-wing sensory buoy token) and placed 3 gas cloud tokens on the map. When the PCs made their skill checks, I replaced the gas clouds with a station token, another drift beacon, and a gravity well token for the forming star.
When the PCs visited Lorio's ship and the DCI station, I used the flip side of the PC's ship map for Olrio's ship and the SF2e space station map for the DCI station. I used the NPC pawns again to let the PCs interact and get to know the NPCs. I made Olrio's personality into a version of Lando Calrissian, and had Olrio like gambling, "the luck of the stars, and the luck of the cards." I did the influence rolls but favored the PCs getting the crit pistol, as having to gamble for it using the Infinity deck, so we played 3 hands of modified blackjack.
Next, the PCs went to the DCI station. The PCs have sworn me to secrecy so they can surprise their next GM. But I will say that somehow the NPC with the sunglasses ended up in a fashion show on the station.
I used the star map again for the final CSS. Each NPC had a ship, and I placed the NPC's character pawns next to their ship to help the PCs know who they were talking to in the battle and rescue. I rolled poorly for the damage from the Shipbreaker, so the PCs didn't have much to repair, which left the gunners with not much to do once the Phosimplex swarm was destroyed, so I responded by having the Phosimplex to give the whole crew things to do. I made heavy use of the INCREASING TENSION text box on page 9. All the interaction with the NPC before this encounter helped a lot. I had the NPC wiht the sunglasses freak out that their ship's alarms were going off, but they couldn't see any warning light; the PCs had to first figure out why they could see the alarms, which was becuse there sun glasses were too dark. Talking to the aggressive dragonkin about ramming the Shipbreaker was fun; I later had them ram the Phosimplex swarm.
I think talking to the NPC is key to making this fun; it's something that any PC could do for their 3rd action; it took the whole party to talk sense into most of the NPCs that caused problems for the rescue. I think this is the best example yet of how to make a fun CSS.
I saw our GM's PDF map of the Absalom Station from the Recent book. He pointed out something that I wasn't expecting: the arms of the station being labeled after the Seven Virtues of rule. So is Absalom Station designed after the Sihedron Rune? Some of the arms of Absalom Station are related to actual districts in Absalom City, but Absalom City has no connection to the Seven Virtues of rule that I know of, but I'm not well versed in Pathfinder lore.
This seems like a huge clue to the Station's origins, but what could it mean? If the current year in PF2e is 4726 AR, and the origin of the Sihedron Rune is 10,000 years old in PF2e.
At minimum, this is some great fuel for in-character conspiracy theories. Out of character, I'm still lost, but I think it leads to something really big... Is it linked to the cover image of the SF2e GM Core?
I print out the scenarios to run in black and white to save money. The colored text for parts to read aloud is always hard to read in black and white. but the room labels (A2. Cantina, etc) in Starfinder scenario 2-02 are nearly invisible when printed in black and white.
Typically, I thought it was 30 days after the event, which was on June 27th this year; it's now 3 days away from 2 months. The hard copy is still unlisted, too. Was this caught up in the Diamond situation?
Also, is there still a free PDF version of The Gap? I'm gusees it's been long enough that Paizo is trying to sell off the last of the hardcover books of The Gap. I'm surprised this hasn't sold out; it's the best April Fools' joke ever for a TTRPG. It's a great book to create a gap between my PF2e and SF2e books, and if nothing else, it's fairly priced as a blank journal. Just courious so I don't keep looking for the PDF when new players ask about the gap.
We're in the boss fight. The 3 minions were all killed by critical hits; the boss is bloodied, and the GM has not had a turn yet. Nearby is a group of NPC goblins just watching the fight (my character is a goblin). My turn comes up, and I said: "I'm just going to go hang out with the other goblins and brag about how good our party is." Everyone is laughing as the GM gives me a hero point for letting him get a turn.
Society rules say a GM can't increase the difficulty of an encounter, but it doesn't stop a PC from doing so... In Starfinder, I suppose I could have done the same by taking a comm unit call in the middle of combat.
I played a character in this scenario, then read it after the game. First, I have a few questions or comments from the player side.
1. Can the PCs use the Aeon Stones?
The Agate Ellipsoid can give the PCs a use of Augury once per day.
The Amplifying Stones' +2 item bonus to Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion checks could help deal with the AEON CONSUMPTION hazard or the THIRSTY VINES.
This came up in the game I played in, but a quick read of the investment rules on AoN, I think, led us to the wrong conclusion of only being able to invest magic items during preparations. (which was fine for our game) but courious if the aeon stones are intended to also be used by the PCs. After reading the scenario, I didn't see anything suggesting the PCs can use them, but also nothing stopping them. Since the functions of the normal aeon stones aren't listed, I can see avoiding this if you're not prepared to look up the normal use of the aeon stones.
2. The L00k on the GM's face when you suggest to the rest of the party.
"What if 4 of us each take one aeon stone and place all 4 at the same time?"
Our GM's surprised look was enough to make us decide this was a bad idea. I'm curious if any party was foolish enough to try that; it wouldn't have been the first time I was in a party that triggered multiple encounters at the same time.
3. Although I'm used to not having provisions in SFS2, I forgot that provisions were removed in PFS2 season 8; since the scenario takes place where it starts, there wasn't time for shopping. I also forgot to ask: is there a healer in the party?
4. Our GM gave us a hand with the Clockwork Compass and the 4 aeon stones on the same page. This led us to be convinced it was a puzzle to be solved, which I think is why we were able to stretch this scenario to 3 hours long. It was one of the most collaborative games I've played in; as the party tried to figure out the puzzle without getting killed, we did survive.
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On the GM side, here are my ideas for making the scenario run longer.
At the start of the scenario.
1. Extended introductions. Give the players the mission handout before introductions. Have the player also tell where they came from or what they were doing in the city before the mission meeting. Also a chance for players to last miniuet shoping.
2. Have the party arrive early to the meeting to find an NPC cleaning up. You can use the NPC to ask the PCs questions to help get them to talk more about their characters. You can ask about past adventures, why they joined the Pathfinder Society, or what they did during their downtime.
At the end of the scenario.
1. If the PCs blow up the lab and survive. Have some skill checks to clean up and rebuild the lab.
2. If the PCs don't blow up the lab and survive. Ella helps the party heal by pointing out some healing potions that were close to being done but just need the final steps.
3. If the party TPKs, Ella tries to help the PCs adjust to their new situation. If the PCs had not found Ella yet, she becomes visible when they die. This doesn't save the PCs or make them into ghosts, but it can be a fun way to make a game last longer than one that ended with an early TPK. I just came up with this idea, so I don't have a lot for it yet, but I think this is going to be my go-to move for TPKs. Courious to see what others think of this idea, and what might make a fun after-death experience.
Extra encounter: Anytime once Ella is found.
Ella is afraid of rats, and there is a ghost rat in the lab. Ella can tell the party how to make a ghost rat cage trap, but the PCs have to do the skill check to build it and then chase the rat into the cage.
Notes on running extra encounters:
Notes on running extra encounters and skill checks in organized play according to the Permitted Table Adjustments.
GMs must not:
Add new encounters or NPCs with mechanical weight or influence.
I interpret not messing with mechanical weight or influence as.
1: Not using players' resources like consumables, spell slots, abilities that require rest to regain, or loss of HP. Consumable use should be replaced by an NPC or found before the next encounter, and the players should be given time to rest to recover abilities and spells if needed. If an encounter is added at the end of the adventure and the PCs have completed all the tasks in the scenario, then a rest might not be needed, but consumables should be replaced.
2: Doesn't influence NPCs or give the PCs information they need to earn in other ways during the scenario that has an impact on the scenario.
3: PCs can't gain lasting conditions that would affect other encounters or checks in the scenario, or last beyond the scenario, and likly should just end after the extra encoutner.
4: Anything I forgot to mention, don't do that either...
Haven't run this yet, so not sure of the run time, but if it runs short, here's the start of my ideas to make it run longer. Some of this could also be used in 2-10 The First Cut while in Drifters End to foreshadow this scenario.
Instead of Arvin answering questions, Arvin has the PCs investigate the neighborhood and talk to other residents to get the same information that Arvin would have provided. Use the map from 2-10 The First Cut used for Drifters End.
Replace the last 2 paragraphs of Arvin's read-aloud text on page 3 with
“Stellar Sweets is a local candy company whose factory is a few blocks from here.” Arvin points to a towering building a few blocks away. Glitter billows from a red and white striped smokestack. "The citizens of Drifters End have had enough. They’re talking about lodging a complaint with the local elected officials and having the factory shut down. Something needs to be done, but that’s not the answer. Find out what’s going on and see if you can do something about it. I don't have time for questions; I've got a meeting to run to, so ask around the neighborhood.”
While inventigating Drifters End the PCs get the following information from NPCs. If you like, some of the NPCs could be from the Drifters End area in 2-10 The First Cut.
1: "It started small by raining sprinkles. Then came the caramel flooding and the gummy worms that were attracted to people’s footsteps."
2: "Are you blind? Just look." Points to webs between the buildings. "Today, it’s a cotton candy hurricane webbing up the neighborhood; never know what to expect around here lately."
3: “The founder, Siwiti, passed away six months ago. Since then, the factory has gradually gone haywire. Stellar Sweets was such a special place. I hope this gets straightened out soon."
If the PCs ask any of the NPCs the question on the top of page 4, the NPC can answer the question. If the PCs don't ask, the last 2 NPCs the PCs talk to give the information freely.
While investigating the neighborhood, the PCs encounter:
The PCs could also encounter these in 2-10 The First Cut while in Drifters End to foreshadow this scenario.
1: Disturbing noises.
2: Irregular lights.
3: Cotton candy explosions.
4: Animated chocolate squoxes.
5: Caramel floods.
6: Clouds of glittery sugar that drift from smokestacks and stick to everything.
Great start to a scenario. PCs show up to what looks like the end of day debreffing, there's some NPCs around, one of whom might ask the PCs about their career as a Starfinder and for any advice. A great way to help with introduction at the start of the game. And then a battle breaks out before you find out anything from Venture Captain Arvin. Fun Start gets right down to business. But that's not why I'm excited about the intro ot this scenario; it's the map.
I love the map! I've been using the meeting hall from Sloughscar Summit as the mission briefing room for season one meta plot scenarios I've run after Sloughscar Summit. Having played in Sloughscar Summit matters for PCs in Take the Bait, so having the map to show the tie-in helps. I like to use mission briefing maps if there are other NPCs being introduced. Sometimes I add my own NPC, typically a janitor who wants to be a starfinder someday, and ask the PCs a lot of questions, as a way to help with introductions.
So the Map in 2-01 The First Cut (Flip-Mat: Spaceport) is perfect for that. It's big enough to have other NPCs around but not in the mission briefing. Often the mission briefing will have some skill checks the PCs can do to learn more on their own after the briefing. That could now could mean talking to some of the NPCs on the map to get info, or it looks like there are computer terminals on the map for gathering info on the infosphere, or ordering supplies online for the mission to be delivered to your ship. Great way to make mission briefing more interesting, help make shorter scenarios a bit longer.
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I've done a quick read of the rest of the scenario, but haven't started prepping it, so I don't have any other comments or questions about the scenario yet.
Almost all the news looks good or great to me, except that PF2e scenarios will include previously published statblocks, but the SF2e scenarios will not.
Odd that it's just Starfinder not getting statblocks back. I might not mind as much if it weren't for the recent announcement about changes to Paizo's deal with AoN. The one thing that made not having statblocks work is the excellent tool AoN made to be able to print the missing stat blocks for a scenario into a single printable file with just a few check boxes. If AoN loses early access, the effect release date for me to run a scenario with missing stat blocks becomes whenever AoN gets around to posting the new scenario.
Here's a link if you haven't seen the stat block tool on AoN
One thing I really like about the AoN tool is that you have more control over the layout since not everyone preps the same. I also like that AoN stat blocks include the Recall Knowledge DC and skill, which is a huge help when the party has an Analyst witchwarper. I think there are some good advantages, not including the stat block, but only because of the AoN tool.
Something else that stood out is that SFS2 still has the 10th-level cap. The blog said a lot of the changes to SFS2 when it launched were to experiment with new ideas, so I'm assuming the 10th level cap is still in place since we have not reached a high enough level to get feedback on that yet. Which makes me wonder if SF2 scenarios not having stat blocks is still in the experimental stage?
With the AoN tool, I'm fine either way, with or without the stat blocks. Maybe this is a way to get more people to try and get used to not having statblocks, but in the end, it would be nice to have the same prep workflow between SF2e and PF2e
I find it fun when science and Starfinder meet up, so though I'd share this. It could add some fun flavor to some characters.
So it turns out all life communicates at a fairly narrow frequency between 0.5 and 4 hertz, the most common being 2Hz. 2Hz is the same tempo as 120BPM, which gives us the scientific term "Taylor Swift Constant." In Starfinder, this would explain why Strawberry Machine Cake songs and Klikharp thrumming are at the same tempo.
I saw the only review currently for this scenario. It gave 2 stars, saying,
Review wrote:
Too long gor a 2 hours scenario Too much fight.
The review looks to have been posted before the release date, so I'm guessing someone got it in advance to run at a convention. The scenario is clearly labeled as running 2 to 3 hours. Are there conventions limiting playtime to exactly 2 hours?
Having a quick glance after reading the review, and downloading the scenario yesterday, I was shocked to see there were 4 combat encounter areas, that indead seems like too much. Reading closer, I found that 2 of the areas (A2. Side Caves) are the same encounter, so now we are down to only 3 encounters, which is still a lot if you are trying to run on the short side. After a full reading, I saw that the last encounter can end after taking any damage. So there's only really 2 fights.
It's important to read the adjustment block for the last fight (A9. Fungal Cavern), even if you don't want to adjust it. The adjustment reads:
"Encounter A10 is intentionally trivial for all group compositions and will end with a single attack. Do not adjust difficulty."
Thematically, if someone gets the spotlight on them, shouldn't they go next? In a play, if you get the spotlight, it's likely to mean it's your turn to say or do something. I find one of the hardest parts of teamwork in the game is having a plan, then it falling apprat becuse the random initiative messes it up. So what if sometimes giving someone the spotlight moves them in the initiative order, so they go next?
I love the Big Game stagecraft spell. It's a great way for a single player to be the whole team. But what happens when it's used by both sides at the same time? What if all 6 PCs and all 6 opponents use it at the same time?
Even if only one player is using Big Game,
if their 2 burst overlap, does that create an area doing double damage? Or do they overlap but not stack?
If 1 PC and 1 opponent both have Big Game, and they overlap.
Are star players immune to both sides' Big Game?
-If they just cancel each other, then it's like there is no game going on.
-If they both do damage, then it doesn't feel like the 2 teams are interacting; they are each just doing their own thing.
-If they overlap and both roll damage, and the lower damage is subtracted from the higher, allowing the remainder to get through, it might work. Although this would get really complicated if there is more than one Big Game going on per side.
If 1 PC and 1 opponent both have Big Game, and they can't overlap.
This could create some interesting blocking situations, trying to create pockets where it's safe to stand, and preventing the other side from placing their burst where they want. This might set up a showdown between star players who are not affected.
If 6 PCs and 6 opponents all have Big Game, and they can't overlap.
That will take a big map.
Likely beyond the scope of the class, but might make an interesting sports game.
Size and shape of the burst. I'm wondering if 2 10x30 or 3 10x20 foot blocks would be better, as it would allow for a lot more sports strategy for how you place them. This would probably matter more if they couldn't overlap. Variations like this could be defined outside the class, where individual sports rules could redefine Big Game's burst area.
Aras talks about area control feature that got cut from the Luminary
around 14 minutes .
Sounds like they were looking at the Liminary being able to set up things like a boxing arena, or likely other performance areas. I really like this idea, if it can't fit in the class, I wonder if it could be tured in to a series of rituals. Setting up a theatrical, music, or sporting event takes lots of time and is a team effort. I think a ritual fits that better than a class feature could.
A simple low-level ritual might just create a simple stage or sports arena. Mid-level adds more features and a high-level top-tier event setup.
Rituals are kind of hard to succeed on, so maybe a failed ritual still creates just the basic stage or playing field. Success adds more features, and critical success, the primary and each secondary gets a hard light prop of their choice. Allow anyone assigned a role during daily preparation to be a secondary. As the saying goes, "the show must go on," so on a critical failure, the ritual still works, but then causes complications during the event.
I had a lot of fun running Scenario #1-10: Rites of Rekindling. It ended with some potentially unfinished business on Lajok and unanswered questions about Sota, seeming like it might get a sequel. Now that we have the description of 2-02: Solar Shake Up, it looks like we are getting another star-related scenario. Perhaps, there's a, something going on with the stars' mini plot. But with no clear connection to Sota and Lajok in the description, I'm wondering if Scenario #1-19 was going to be the sequel to 1-10: Rites of Rekindling?
The Analyst Quantum Field let you:
Quantum Field When you Seek or Recall Knowledge, you can apply the result against two related creatures, hazards, unattended objects, and effects in your quantum field. Whenever you Sustain your quantum field, you can Seek or Recall Knowledge against a target in your quantum field as a free action.
Does allow you to Recall Knowledge on creatures in your Quantum Field, but not in your line of sight?
When it says:
you can apply the result against two related creatures, hazards, or unattended objects. What does "related" mean? For seek, I'm guessing that's just any 2 hidden creatures or things. But for Knowledge dose that mean creatures that would use the same skill check for Knowledge?
Similarly, with Isolated Spell Matrix:
If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that has a range, increase the spell’s range to 100 feet. That spell only affects targets inside your quantum field, and the area of the spell doesn’t extend beyond your quantum field.
I'm guessing you need line of sight to cast the spell, although a creature in your Quantum Field, but not in line of sight, could still be affected by area damage or effect within the Quantum Field?
Next time we get a starfield map, have one side with the river between, and the other side the inside of a drift lane. If maps had 3 sides, one with an asteroid field. If we got a Starfield multi pack, then the 4th side could be a drift lane exit/entrance.
Or replace the asteroid field with an open space map and include a sheet of asteroid tokens.
Getting ready to run this again for a second time on Saturday, so rereading the CSS encounter and notice I missed the first time that the gyrolaser has agile. I hadn't thought about a threat routine getting MAP the first time I ran this, and it's not calculated into the strike bonuses. Considering how delayed this counter is, applying MAP seems reasonable.
First time I ran this, the PC's ship was destroyed would have been destroyed by the first attack, if I had on the fly applied the easer adjustment to avoid a crit hit.
It's still possible to destroy the PC's ship in one round even if you apply the easer adjustment. To do so, you need near maximum damage from the plasma cannon, and then hitting with the gyrolaser at all will finish off the PC's ship.
I like this encounter being so deadly; starship combat in SF1e almost never felt like the party was at risk, because losing meant a TPK or ending the scenario. I love that this scenario accounts for the PC's ship getting destroyed and that it doesn't end the scenario there. With a bit of luck, if the PC wins this battle, it will be well earned; if they lose the ship, then they have a recurring reason to get revenge on the Corpse Fleet. Setting that up the first time we use CSS in organized play seems like a good idea to me. I have an SF1e character that has a boon with 20 or 30 nuclear missiles, which they have been saving and will only use against the Corpse Fleet or the Swarm.
But I do agree that getting destroyed on the first attack is not fun. So, trying to follow the Organized Prime Directive while looking for ways to avoid that.
Lore Spire wrote:
GM Discretion
As a Starfinder Society GM, you have the right and responsibility to make whatever judgments you feel are necessary—within the rules—to ensure everyone has a fair and fun experience at your table.
Here are my ideas on how to deal with not destroying the PC's ship to early.
1: First attack with the plasma cannon have an asteroid gets in the way, saving the PC's ship. Having the plasma destroy an asteroid the size of the PCs' ship is a good way of letting them know how dangerous it is, and reminding them that there are crew actions to avoid that attack. This doesn't increase or decrease the difficulty; the PCs could still get one-shotted later, this just lets the encounter happen at all, which to me falls under "ensure everyone has a fair and fun experience at your table."
2: First round or 2 use the plasma cannon, after the gyrolaser applying -5 MAP to it. Doing this, you need a nat 20 to crit or a 19 if the PC's ship is off guard. If the plasma cannon misses, have it hit an asteroid like above to show how dangerous it is.
3: The risk of oneshot destroying the PC's ship is real, and might justify dropping the fatal d12 altogether, or just for the first round or two. I like having the option of the fatal d12 it keeps the encounter from going on forever. The longest SF1e starship combat I was in lasted over 6 weeks in a play-by-post, so I'm more than willing to blow up the PC's ship to avoid that.
These options kind of give the players a lower-risk practice round to learn their crew roles.
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Other than the issue above, I found this encounter really interesting, the combination of asteroids and attacking ship, and the crew's actions to avoid both of them was interesting. The PC's finaly won the battle in round 5. Next time I run this, I will be spending more time making sure the Players know their roles and why some of them are important. I had to remind the players that swapping crew roles is an option and point out using your 3rd action to aid others. I should have done that earlier.
Not related to the encounter but CSS in general, more 1 action actions would give the players more options. Half my players never used their 3rd action to aid others.
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CSS doesn't use maps, but that's not stopping me from using one. The PC's are in an explorer-class ship, and the Corpse Fleet has a Destroyer, so I'm using a Victory Class Star Destroyer from Armada and using some of the smaller ships in Armada to thet PC's ship and the shipwreck they explore. I'll also be adding astroed tokens and moving them depending on their die rolls to avoid them to give a sense of danger to justify blowing up their ship if it happens.
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Can't comment on the rest of the scenario yet; it's still an ongoing play-by-post game.
I'm running 1-17: Corpse Fleet Conflict for Outpost IX as a play-by-post on the Paizo forums. There are 5 seats open. There are a few other seats open for other games on Discord. Games start March 2nd.
1-17: Corpse Fleet Conflict is a level 3-4 scenario. If you don't have a character that level, you could use a pregen, or SF2e organized play now allows you to make characters starting at 3rd, 5th, or 7th.
I'm posting this here because, if someone in the Starfinder General forum hadn't invited me to a game, I would have never even known what play-by-post is.
The first 3rd to 4th level Scenarios are starting to come out, and I have a few questions.
1. When making a higher-level character, do you record your starting experience points on your first chronicle as the minimum to start at the level? Or do you start with 0 XP and just level every 12 XP? I think if you start at 0 XP, it might answer question 2.
2. Can you do free rebuilds until you reach the next level above where you started, as a 1st-level character can before reaching 2nd level?
3. The starting credits or equipment chart on the Lore Spire covers levels 1, 3, and 5. I thought in SF2e the top level you could start at was 7th? (although there's no need for that in season 1)
4. How does starting a character at a higher level and GM chronicles mix or not? For example, if you have 2 GM chronicals and build a 3rd-level character.
1-13 Foul Humors doesn't say what to do if Tadasi didn't survive in 1-03 Disaster at Dreamlink Labs. So I've been looking at all the potions, since Tadasi was found dead due to the PCs getting to Dreamlink Labs late due to some bad luck with piloting checks, when I ran Disaster at Dreamlink Labs.
1. If the PCs found Tadasi's body but didn't get her name, run 1-13 Foul Humors as if Tadasi had never died.
2. If the PCs remember Tadasi's name, just change Tadasi's name in Foul Humors.
3. Have Arta save Tadasi, but Tadasi is now a Borai. I think this fits the scenario well since the Borai's physical description says "their blood becomes infused with void energy, turning it into a thick, black ichor." Which ties into the description of Tadasi's corpse in Disaster at Dreamlink Labs, "Her body is partially drained of blood, and her fur is matted with an oily black substance." (I'm assuming the black substance is ichor.) This would also make Tadasi a Reborn Newbornite.
I got a few weeks before I run this, so courious what others have done if Tadasi didn't survive in Disaster at Dreamlink Labs.
Starfinder Society Scenario #1-19 has been canceled, according to the recent blog post.
Couldn't resist saying that leaves a Gap between #1-18 and #1-20. The blog post claims it's due to a combination of production factors...
And now for a conspiracy theory...
I think one of the SF2e season one scenarios has 3 clues pointing to an event that happened during the Gap. That scenario ends suggesting there could be a sequel, and now we have a missing scenario and a Gap in the scenario numbering. I think we were getting too close to discovering something in the Gap, and the sequel scenario had to be canceled to hide the truth, or was lost to the Gap.
If you own both the hardcover and the PDF of "The Gap," you may have noticed that the PDF is 30 pages shorter than the hardcover book. Sf2e scenarios are around 15 pages, so I think #1-19 is the first of two scenarios that will go missing. We don't know when the second scenario will go missing, it could even be in season 2 or later, so let's call it #?-?? I can only assume the last 30 pages of the hardcover version of The Gap are the missing scenarios. I'd be happy to GM #1-19 and #?-?? If anyone is interested in playing them, but I'm not sure how ACP for them will work since the chronicle sheets are blank.
Nebulas sound cool, but I voted for Moons because it was easier to imagine what the symbol would look like. I thought starting with a crescent moon and ending with a full moon would be cool.
For the favorite scenario, it was hard to pick a favorite. I'm a sucker for a good first contact scenario; Mystery of the Frozen Moon really delivered on that. Honorable mentions go out to Rites of Rekindling and Magic in the Mist. All 3 of these were fun to run. I've run all 3 twice now. I've only been running the solo scenarios to save the meta plot for other GMs, so I can't comment on them yet. For the solo scenarios, I've had fun running all of them.
I think it would be fun if the Great Abslom Relay became a yearly event, if that doesn't happen officially, it's repeatable...
I had always wanted a Day 0 after the Gap AP, so I was excited to read Era of the Esclipse.
The other big past event that might be worth a novel is the Signal. One of my favorite SF2e season 1 scenarios deals with how a civilization dealt with the signal.
Spoiler:
It didn't go well
Other than the Signal, I think it's more likely that a Starfinder novel would be more about current or new events.
So what do you think the next Starfinder novel should be about?
I'm running this as a Play by Post, just got to the bumper sleds, and have a few questions on how they work.
What happens if someone reaches the end of the map on the track in a bumper cart? We just set up for a practice round, and I told my players that if they whet off the map on the tracks, they could choose to come back on the next track over to either side. If that seems to take too long, I figured I could have Daskar Kopalake have someone fix the track, making it so you bounce back at the edge of the map. Just right now, I realised that maybe pushing someone off the map is how they fall off the track, which is my next question.
How does someone fall off the track? Getting pushed off the map on the track could be one way, or pushing someone at a T intersection seems like the most obvious way.
I have PC playing a Dragon Kin that was joking his cart is practically a truck, and the other players are joking they hope it doesn't hit like a truck. So I made it hit like a truck.
For Large PCs, I increased all the DCs to SLIDE by 2 and had all but a crit fail get moved up one degree of success, with both crit success and crit fail requiring a reflex save to not fall off the track, for both the target and the slider.
Then, for anyone sliding into a large PC I decreased the degree of success by 1 degree wiht a natural crit fail requiring a reflex save to stay on track.
Depending on how that goes, I might just use that for the practice round.
The bumper carts look fun. I'm curious how others are handling them?
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With the SF2e scenarios being 2-3 hours long, I like to find ways to make them run longer if needed. I came across this line in the scenario and decided to expand on it
"He’s (Daskar) a bit of a foodie, enthusiastic about festival foods and the cuisines of the home planets of his guests."
This is what I added.
Forgetting why you are here, Daskar Kopalake picks up a menu and almost gets as excited as a shirren at the choices.
"I'm very fortunate to have a developed palate and nose that can handle almost all the alien foods I've encountered wandering the stars. Tell you what, I'll buy you lunch if you can name a food I haven't tried."
You can ask a question at any time to try to get Daskar Kopalake back to talking about why you are here without a skill or lore check. But doing so with a Diplomacy or Society check can get Daskar to answer the question without getting distracted by talking about food.
You can make up any crazy food that your character has tried. Roll any skill or lore check you can think of related to that food. Examples, it could be military lore for a rare field rations, or Life science for something you grew in a lab and ate.
You can roll a Decption check to make up a food that doesn't exist at all.
3 successes for the party of any type gets Daskar Kopalake's mind off of food."
As the PCs ask a question or succeed at coming up with food, Daskar hasn't tried before. Daskar gives the answers on page 4.
My PCs didn't get to 3 successes before getting all the questions answered. So I had Daskar keep talking about food, which I did by having the PCs do a Will or Fortitude save to not fall asleep. When 2 of the PCS fell asleep, it led to Daskar showing them to their lodging.
Huntrix definitely looks to be using solar-manifested weapons when demon hunting.
Meanwhile, the Saja Boys are using solar flares to throw hearts at fans, solar nimbus to bounce fans off of them, and nimbus (abbs) surge to force an opening in their foe's mental defenses.
I feel that both bands could be solarians; both would need charisma, the Saja boys could lean more into the strength side, especially Abby. They could be a mix of pure solarians, solarians with the envoy archetype, or an envoy with the solarian archetype. Both would need dex for the dance moves as well.
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Checks for updates on upcoming Strawberry Machine Cake tour dates in the Pact Worlds...
On the top of page 8 it says "A PC who succeeds at a DC 14 Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion check confirms this area is not on Golarion or any other known world—"
I was wondering if that should be Castrovel, since that is the planet the PCs are on at the time.
My other thought is that this is a name drop to make the PCs suspect the glitching planet at B:1 is Golarion, although nothing suggests it is. I love the idea of a good conspiracy theory in Starfinder.
I think I might need to go read the end of Era of the Eclipse again, too.
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I'm also courious what other people have done with the passengers on page 4.
It allows you to select the level and Challenge points, then prints all the stat blocks from a Scenario in a printer-friendly format at once. Currently, only PF2e season 7 with SF2e on the way.
I'm having lots of fun with Expanded Summoning - Pathfinder Monster Core. I'm playing a character with an Anichant Aliens-like video show that deals with Anichant Fay, blaming Anichant Fay for everything from The Gap, the Drift Crash, to the disappearance of Golarion, also trying to link the First Ones to the First World. They have no evidence for any of this, of course, other than the fact they can summon anichant fay from the Pathfinder Monster Core.
So, wondering if there will be an Expanded Summoning - Pathfinder Monster Core 2?
Also curious what other people are doing with Expanded Summoning - Pathfinder Monster Core?
If you are looking for some starship action, it's in Guilt of the Grave World. Trying to leave this spoiler-free free I'll just hint at what's in it.
There are more Cinematic Starship Scenes in Guilt of the Greave World than there are examples in the GM Core.
Unique crew actions for NPCs. I think this is huge; it means that who you pick up as NPCs can have different crew actions. This adds a lot of versatility beyond traditional shipbuilding.
There is a crew action for landing. It's not very complex, but compared to SF1e, which had no landing action at all, it's a nice inclusion.
One thing I'm really liking about Cinematic Starship Scenes is that they can be finely tuned to each encounter. The author or the GM can make up wherever they need to fit the encounter.
Discussion for GRIM*! Gaming Network’s SFS2 1-02: Mystery of the Frozen Moon
It will take me a few days to get the game ready, should be able to start no later than Friday, maybe a few days earlier, but I wanted to give you a place to talk about your characters.
There is a mistake in the Scenario that assumes you have access to equipment that is too high-level for you or is not published yet. There are two ways we can deal wiht this. I can just hand-wave that part, or I can turn it into a bit of a survival situation if we have characters with survival skills that would like to use their skill.
For those of you who haven't played SF2e yet, there's no stanima anymore, so if the party doesn't have a Mystic, be sure the party has a plan for healing.
I was checking my email before going to the printer to print out Sloughscar Summit and Magic in the Mist, and saw the notice that Sloughscar Summit was updated yesterday. When I went to download it, I also saw that #1-06: Magic in the Mist was also updated. The notices said Sloughscar Summit updated to fix an error on the Chronicle Sheet. Just courious why #1-06: Magic in the Mist was also updated?
Edited, I found the issue with both Chronicle Sheets. All the check boxes in the adventure summary section were already checked.
I was thinking of putting this in the SF2E 2025 Fall Errata Suggestions thread, but not sure if it's really errata or could be fixed with normal errata. Giving the chapter on Adventures, a full table of contents would make the book so much easier to use, and help people see just how many locations are in the book. An index at the back of the book would have been another option, or in the sidebar index. The first two suggestions need page space that isent here, the side bar index would take a lot of work to update every page of that chapter.
So I have another idea, just put the missing index on a book mark. There could be a free DPF for it. and maybe printing real ones could be an option too.
4 days ago I was playing ball with my 81-year-old mother 3 times a day. Then she had a series of multiple strokes. I had to go home from the hospital last night to let Hospice in to set up a bed for her. This morning I went in to see her before they moved her home. As I get 20 feet from the hospital door, the doctor calls and says she doesn't have long. I make it to the room just in time, and everyone leaves me alone with her. I tell her shes been a good mom, and they tell her to just let go. She immediately exhales one last time, the end... It was peaceful.
So why am I writing this here? On the way home, I passed the game store where I play Starfinder Society. I have the Player Core PDF, but the idea popped into my head if I buy the hardcopy of the SF2e Player Core now, every time I play the game, I will remember my mother.
So why Eox? You should have seen the look on the nurse's face after my mother died and I asked. "So how long will this condition last?"
Michaelyn Thompson 2-23-1944 / 8-27-2025 rest in peace.
The Akitonian Ysoki haratige lets you use Crafting instead of Thievery to Disable a Device. Would disabling a Device with Crafting require having an Infiltrator's Toolkit, or would a Repair Toolkit work?
My character also has Tinkering Fingers, which allows me to use crafting to do repairs without a Repair Toolkit. I'm assuming this wouldn't apply to using crafting to Disable a Device?
A goblin wearing burned, torn, bloody, and mud-covered, formally fancy merchant clothing enters the room, limping, with a little help from several other Pathfinders.
" As a goblin merchant working for the Pathfinder Society, I'd like to thank whoever came up with the retail incentive program. It's great to see other merchants helping each other out in times of need. Today, I was killed not once but twice, and although my party was able to save me the first time. Apparently, casting Draw Ire, and then setting a huge walking tree spirit thing on fire makes them really mad. It hit me so hard the second time, I was dead before I was even smashed into the ground. But then something ironic happened, I a merchant, was saved by the retail incentive program. Me My family the Morerats, would like to thank you for creating the retail incentive program. Any chance of us hard-working merchants being recognized as a class?
Up until Free RPG Day this year, I've only been able to find SFS games by playing Play-by-Post. I really enjoyed the PbP games, and now that a new PFS group started earlier this year and most of the players are also interested in SFS, I now have the problem of how to deal with playing both ways at the same time.
Luckily, it sounds like SF2e will have replays on all scenarios, so that helps, but with the live group being able to play scenarios almost as fast as they come out, that doesn't leave much or any room for playing PbP unspoiled. So I was wondering if anyone else who's been in this situation has any suggestions on how to balance playing both life and PbP? Here are a few questions and thoughts running around my head on the subject.
1. Do you find it more fun as a player to replay in a PbP or live a game?
2. Does it help to make separate characters for each type of game?
3. Play characters live, and GM PbP?
4. Play SF2e live and keep playing SF1e PbP?
5. Whatever you do, don't...
6. Don't forget to...
Normally, I play Starfinder 1e Play-by-Post, I'm GMing my first live SF2e game in September, and the SF2e GM screen doesn't come out until November. I haven't played much PF2e since before the remaster books came out, and I have never GMed PF2e. I have the original PF2e GM screen. I was wondering if everything on the PF2e GM screen is still correct with the remastered rules? Also, are all the original PF2e condition cards still up to date with the remaster rules?
It was a fun adventure! but that's not what I want to talk about.
First off, the ship is BIG!, and by big, I mean each map for the 2 levels of the ship was around the size of the enormous battlefield flip mat. Large species will enjoy having 10 to 15-foot wide passage way. The cargo bays have enough room to hold mechs and or vehicles, or both if they are not too big. It's more of a base ship, the a hero ship; it can enable a lot more different types of adventures than the ships we had in SF1e. It's big enough to have an entire game session within the ship, which opens up a lot of possibilities. Any way just wanted to say I think it's a great ship design.
The adventure also seemed to be a preview of Cinematic Starship Encounters. I think the adventure did a good job of feeling like you are on a ship in the middle of a battle, without using tactical starship combat rules. Here begins the spoilers.
spoilers:
There are 4 different ways the adventurer simulates being on a ship in combat.
1: You have to repair 2 damaged ship systems, doing so affects the chase at the end.
2: The ship takes a direct hit to the hull next to where the PCs are, creating a hazard for them to deal with.
3: During the battle to take control of the bridge, each round of combat, a random area of the bridge takes damage from the starship battle, causing damage to anyone near it. This very much felt like being the bridge during a Star Trek episode with a space battle.
4: There is a simple chase at the end to get away.
As much as I am looking forward to the full starship combat rules, I think this adventure did a great job without using the full rules. For many situations, I think this could be a better option than tactical ship combat, or maybe even mixed with it.
The Battle for Nova Rush is also a great starter adventure that I could see being reflavored, reused over and over. It's an adventure that can explain how the PCs got their first ship, and when the adventure is over, the PCs have a ship to get to wherever the next adventure starts. Simple but effective.
Discussion thread for 1-36 Enter the Ashen Asteroid
Go ahead and dot into Gameplay, and talk about out-of-character stuff here, or RP introductions in the game thread.
Qstor, Aphelion Leto, and EbonFist have seats but need to confirm they are still interested. The rest of the seating will be first-come, first-served. The earliest start date would be Monday, May 19th, but it will depend on recruiting.
Recently hired by the Ulrikka Clanholdings, a major dwarven mining consortium. You find yourself aboard the Sledgehammer, an Ulrikka Clanholdings, a titanic mining facility, a floating factory, and exploration vessel. You have been on board the Sledgehammer for several days, navigating the Diaspora with conventional thrust engines that rumble like a magnificent thunderstorm.
Feel free to do introductions and role play as you travel to the mission's starting destination, and wait for the mission briefing.
