The transport shuttle Okimoro drifts through space. Through the speakers, you hear the captain announce that the shuttle will arrive at Absalom Station in approximately one hour. Looking about the room you've chosen to spend this portion of your journey in, you notice your traveling companions stand out from the usual businessmen and visitors (or returning residents) that can be found on these types of transports.
The small television in the corner plays a news broadcast, recounting the recent arrival of a mining vessel that returned to Absalom Station 36 hours ago after a venture in the drift. The flag at the bottom pushes statistics and economic information regarding the Collective, and the newscaster finishes the broadcast discussing with several pundits whether or not the recent attack on a trading vessel near the Diaspora was the work of the Free Captains, the Voidwalkers, or if the two groups are collaborating.
To keep things simple, you are all in the same room on the Okimoro. This is your chance to introduce your character and get to know your companions.
“A tyrant can make anything seem to be ‘the will of the people.”
It has been approximately 300 years since the Gap ended and 20 years since the Swarm attacked. The Pact Worlds suffered heavy losses, with many citizens and leaders being devoured by the ravenous Swarm, including the Pact Council. In the years following victory over the Swarm, the lone survivor of the council, Gatriel Nayaeda, rose to power. Promising safety, security and prosperity to all within the system, Nayaeda was quickly voted to lead the Pact Worlds - renamed the Collective - into a new era of peace and stability.
However, all is not as peaceful as those living in the inner worlds would have you believe. Leaders and members of many organizations including the Starfinder Society spoke out against this change, calling for a return to the Absalom Pact. These individuals were decried as rebels and traitors and those who could not flee were soon arrested and imprisoned. Those who fled soon banded together to form a rebel organization known as the Voidwalkers, and are currently being hunted by the forces of the Collective.
During this troublesome time, you have arrived at Absalom Station to meet an old friend, Duravor Keel. While you have yet to be directly involved in the current rebellion, you have suspicions that Duravor may have some connections with the Voidwalkers. It is well known that he was a member of the Starfinder Society, but left during the fallout to become an advocate for miner's rights. He is expecting you and has told you when to arrive and that others will be arriving in Absalom Station at the same time. There was a mention of potential employment, which would be great as credits have been tight the past few months.
***
Welcome to the Dead Suns AP with a twist. I am looking for 4 to 5 adventurers to join me on this galactic story. I wanted to make it a little more Star-Wars/Firefly-ish, and the best way I could think of to do that was to generate a great big evil empire.
For the purposes of this adventure, you will be following the Dead Suns adventure path. The only effect of the setting changes I've made that you should feel is a difference in some dynamics.
Expectations:
1 post a weekday, 1 post a weekend. I'm willing to go a few extra hours because life does happen to all of us, but I would like communication if something is keeping you away.
Also, let's have fun. That's why we're here, right? :)
Character Creation:
-Level 1, point buy method (no stat above 18 after race/theme modifiers applied) or utilize the quick-pick method found here
-1000 credits for starting gear
-No gear with a level higher than level 1
-Core, Legacy, and Pact Worlds races allowed. If you want to play something from either of the alien archives, please run it by me first so I can take a look at it.
-All classes and archetypes allowed (no playtest classes at this time)
-No evil.
Character Concept:
-Write at least five things about your character’s concept and background, five things that you think are the most essential parts of your character.
-List two goals for the character that you, as a player, think would be cool to see accomplished in-game.
-Describe three memories that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
-Describe how you met Duravor Keel. For some context, Duravor is a dwarf whose mining expertise benefited the Starfinder Society for many years. He has travelled to many different locationss in the Collective, and is very sociable and friendly. He also has an eye for talent
-Why are you coming to Absalom Station? Yes, Duravor invited you and said there was opportunities to work, but what is really pushing you to come to the center of the Collective?
-You have a connection to the Voidwalkers and a reason to dislike the Collective, though you have yet to fully commit to outright rebellion. But what is your connection to the Voidwalkers?
For some of this Character Concept stuff, I am fine with one sentence answers. Please ask questions if there is anything that I can clarify.
Again, looking for 4 to 5 players for this adventure. Recruitment will be open for the next 2 weeks, possibly 3 depending on how many apply.
This is a check for a game that would begin on/around May 5th.
I have a couple different ideas floating around in my head that I would enjoy running, but I want to see what types of games everyone else is interested in. Some of these ideas are homebrew and wouldn't take place in the traditional Pact Worlds that Paizo has set up.
Star Wars/Firefly: There's a large oppressive central government that focuses on enriching the core planets. Outer planets are relatively lawless. The PC's were part of the side that lost the last intergalactic civil war and would either start as scavengers or escaping from a prison planet/prison transport.
Prison Planet: Honestly, this could be a whole campaign in and of itself, but it would mean little to no spaceship stuff because you're in prison. This method would probably allow for more evil characters.
Dead Suns: AP's are fun. This one has been fun for my F2F group, and we could start it and see where it goes.
Scavengers/Explorers-R-Us: Either with the Starfinder Society or independently. Maybe you're trying to make a fast buck, maybe you're driven to discover, but one way or another, you will investigate that mysterious planet!
I'm open to any suggestions that anyone else might have as well. If there's enough interest, I can begin preparing over the course of the next month and open up a recruitment thread in a couple of weeks.
My group is about to launch themselves into space with the hope of reaching Absalom Station or a similarly advanced location. Thing is, they're not exactly sure where they are in relation to Absalom Station.
And they're making the drift engine themselves out of a bunch of half-baked components. It'll work, but what I'm trying to figure out is where they might end up with a drift engine that might not be firing on all cylinders.
I have a player that wants their soldier to focus entirely on unarmed combat. Now that characters are starting to get up there in level, they want to add an enchantment to their soldier's unarmed strike.
I haven't found anything very clear or concise on the matter. I know that in Pathfinder, unarmed strikes could not be directly enchanted, but had to access enchantment via the Amulet of Mighty Fists. I have not been able to find a similar item in Starfinder, which doesn't surprise me as none of the classes in Starfinder place an extremely heavy focus on unarmed strike.
An option that has been suggested is to allow armor upgrades/enchantments to be made that would affect the soldier's unarmed strike, but in my mind, this means the soldier is striking with their armor, making the armor a weapon, no longer unarmed strike.
Hopefully I'm not overthinking this. I realize that homebrew is an option, but I would rather find a way to confirm whether or not enchanting unarmed strike is possible in Starfinder with RAW first.
