Jack Simth's page

d20pfsrd.com lists it as available under Create Undead, and Animate Dead clearly has it noted as a possible combination. However, d20pfsrd.com isn't exactly clear on which source added it (likely an adventure path at some point). I'm just trying to figure out the correct CL required.

Suppose I want to turn someone I to an IKEA lich, by combining the Bloody Skeleton and Skeletal Champion templates. What caster level do I need to pull it off for, say, a currently-dead level 10 fighter?

Hmm... what are the essential skills to have in the party?

Piloting, obviously; basic requirement for starship combat.

Computers, Engineering, Mysticism have various basic functions you don't want to miss. Perception to find things. Sense Motive, Bluff, and Diplomacy for the social skills.

Which is.... eight skills? Will you feel the pain if the party is missing Acrobatics, Athletics, Culture, Disguise, Intimidate, Life Science, Medicine, Physical Science, Sleight of Hand, Survival, or Stealth?

Metaphysician wrote:

...Compared against the D&D tradition, there's no need for a "skills" person, because in Starfinder 'skills' are a broader thing. The ones that are actually critical to have fall under 'Tech' and 'Diplomacy', and the rest are more optional.

...

Yes, and no:

One thing to remember about skills is that target DCs typically increase by 3 points every 2 character levels, so staying good with a skill will take more than just putting as many ranks in it as you can: You really need a class with a scaling insight bonus to your skill(s) of choice to not actually fall behind at higher levels.

To be fair, something like a third of the classes get said scaling bonuses to at least two skills (and which two is generally at least somewhat flexible).

I mean, its trading resolve points for spells, but with the same limits on spell power as any you'd otherwise have. Its a powerful ability, sure, but I'm not sure I'd call it 'broken'. Not when you are trading survivability with each usage. Note that it also requires a full action, so its significantly less useful in combat than your average normal spellcasting.

You have sharply limited spells known (e.g., at 7th, a mystic knows just two third level spells): This removes that cap, and lets them come from any list as well. Any situational spell that you wouldn't learn normally? It's available immediately. So, say, Starlit Span is right there if you need it.

If there's a level-appropriate spell that solves the problem, you can solve the problem. And there are a LOT of spells. This is a VERY LARGE flexibility increase. Like... the capstone ability to cast Miracle doesn't mean anything to a Dreamer, because you've been able to do everythingthat gets you since 16th, and more often to boot.

You have limited slots per day. A seventh level Mystic generally has just three third level spell slots (two base, one bonus).. but generally six+ resolve points... and it takes ten minutes to use them for stamina repair. So if you cast one spell of your highest level each fight, and restore Samina after each fight, you go from being able to handle three encounters at 7th to being able to handle four or five... and this gets progressively more true at higher levels, as Resolve goes up basically linearly while your highest level slots per day reset every few levels: A tenth level Mystic gets just three-ish 4th level spell slots... and probably 9+ Resolve Points. A 16th level Mystic gets probably three 6th level spell slots... and probably 14+ resolve points.

No, it's not a power thing, for the most part. It is flexibility and endurance. And it is a LOT of it.

If you're using Starship Operations Manual it's much easier to find useful BP to cram into a small frame. I've made tier 16 fighters (extremely hard to hurt with deflective shields and adamantine hulls, extremely undergunned because only light weapons), and you can do a worthwhile tier 20 medium ships easy. Load up on automatic quality magic missile weapons (they have a different name, they're quantum with long range and broad arc) launchers on the flanks, big linked weapons in the turret and fore/aft (put a mine layer in the aft), and you can lay out huge hurts.

Don't forget your VIs for extra actions in the tiny ships.

And how does it fare, really, against a well built ship of the same tier that has enough officers to directly run all the guns while still having a pilot and an engineer?

Adding the Automated quality increases the cost by 50% (and has a lower attack bonus than a good gunner), the (Heightened) Magic Torpedo Unit does (individually) significantly less damage than the more efficient direct-fire weapons like a coilgun or a persistent particle beam (and have more chances to miss, being tracking weapons, and stop at heavy, not moving on to capital), linking increases costs, a VI fit to replace a 20th level character costs a full 100 BP, and so on.

The question isn't "can you spend enough BP's on a fighter to have it qualify as tier 20" it's "at what point are you basically always better off using a different frame with more officers?" Fighter at Tiny, probably a Light Freighter at Small, an explorer or light transport at Medium, et cetera. At some point, yes, you can certainly spend more BP on the same frame... but a bigger frame supporting more officers is more bang for your build point. When does that hit?

Squadron rules are new to me, and that's cool.

And I'm aware the only hard limit is tier twenty. But you recognize that a soft limit exists. My question isn't about hard limits, it's about sane limits: At what tier does a Tiny fighter become a bad choice because of power limits, weapon size/count limits, crew limits, or similar?
What about the next size up, a small shuttle?
A Medium Explorer?
A Large Destroyer?
Et cetera.

Also... can it adapt to power things that normally don't take batteries (e.g., a Lightwarp Inlay)?

So for the Swarm Battery:

It functions "as a high-capacity battery with 40 charges" but "adapts to power any item" - does this include items with a lower maximum capacity (e.g., a Rocket Hero Suit, that has a max capacity of 20)?

It's a Hybrid item, but it’s not worn. Does it use up one of my magic item slots?

If I attach it to something that uses charges at a rate of 1/hour or less (such as the Rocket Hero suit from earlier), does it continue to recharge itself while working, such that the device it's attached to effectively has unlimited charges?

At what tier does a given ship size stop making sense? Like... a Tiny base frame can only take a Tiny power core, and only has one or two seats, so after a point you start having to pay through the nose for things larger frames get cheaply (e.g., to deal with fewer seats, you have to purchase a high end VI, a consciousness uplink drive, linked weapons, et cetera), and that premium means that a larger ship of the same tier (if well-designed) is a much worse threat... so while you can certainly spend enough BP to make a tier-20 fighter... it's not going to match up well against, say, a tier-20 Destoryer.

At what point does that happen for each ship size?

UPBs themselves need to be manufactured from something, after all.

Sure... but they can mimic anything, including radioactive substances, or biological ones, or whatever. They're programmable matter, specialized tools are largely irrelevant, specific source materials are largely irrelevant... unless the specialized tools and manufacturing plants aren't working with programmable matter: They want a shipment of grain with which to make their breakfast cereal, they don't use UPBs like you might shipside.

Which also helps explain why repairs are easier on something you made yourself (the matter is still slightly programmable), and they are more durable (they're not made of the same stuff as the factory items).

Huh...the crafting rules include:

due to the economies of scale enjoyed by multisystem corporations and shops with dedicated construction machines and drones

Something occurs to me: Maybe the corps are just building out of real materials (which also explains mining and things, which wouldn't be particularly necessary with the generic material that is UPBs).

Jack Simth wrote:

Assuming the armor upgrade in question isn't numeric (I'm not worried about radiation buffer upgrades or the like at the moment), can I have multiples?

E.g., if I have two backup generators, can I charge two batteries at once? Can I install two Lightwarp Inlays to get two minutes of invisibility (there's no ten charge battery...)? Etcetera.

I have read the rules and I'm certain those two examples are valid. Ones that are not stackable would mention you cannot benefit from multiples of that particular upgrade.

Cool; do you have anything reasonably specific ypu can point to and say, "here's why"?

Assuming the armor upgrade in question isn't numeric (I'm not worried about radiation buffer upgrades or the like at the moment), can I have multiples?

E.g., if I have two backup generators, can I charge two batteries at once? Can I install two Lightwarp Inlays to get two minutes of invisibility (there's no ten charge battery...)? Etcetera.

They're explicitly the size of a grain of rice by default, and the gear maintenance kit has a nite about a pen-like dispenser.

John Mangrum wrote:

Point to consider: If VIs take up crew slots, then starships that carry a maximum of 1 crew (interceptors and racers) cannot add VIs without replacing the living crew entirely. (And the drone frame, which is inherently operated by VIs, has a maximum crew of 0.)

Ahhh. That second argument is pretty compelling.

That one is probably the closest to an official stamce on the matter, yes.

Thank you for finding it, John.

My take is that the ship's complement is referring to what it can physically handle. A VI doesn't physically occupy a console, so it can only "use up" a limited role (1 captain, 1 pilot, 1 gunner per weapon).

But there's no specific rule you can point to and say "this is why?"

Jack Simth wrote:

Okay,so... a Virtual Intelligence, if told to do so, can act as a pilot, gunner, or science officer in combat.

Does it use up a ship's officer slot while it does so?

E.g., I have a fighter with a pilot and a gunner. I install a VI. Can the VI use the sensors to scan enemy ships as a science officer while the two actual crew members are flying and shooting, or does the VI turn off a console while working?

The game doesn't get into the nitty-gritty of specific consoles or the like, so your VI Science Officer should be fine: Technically speaking, if you could squeeze a hundred people into your ship's crew, all of them could move to the Science Officer 'position' to make a check in any given round (You are only limited to 1 Pilot per ship, 1 Captain per ship, and 1 Gunner per Ship Weapon).

Each base frame has a specific maximum crew. Adding the Guest Quarters expansion bay or the colony ship framework doesn't change that. Does the VI, when acting as an officer, count as a "Character" for:

Minimum and Maximum Crew: In a base frame stat block, these entries note the minimum and maximum number of characters who can take actions on that vessel during starship combat. Larger starships use teams that report to a higher officer who performs an assigned role in starship combat (see Large and Small Crews on page 316 for more about large crews). A starship without its minimum crew can’t be operated.

(from here

Okay,so... a Virtual Intelligence, if told to do so, can act as a pilot, gunner, or science officer in combat.

Does it use up a ship's officer slot while it does so?

E.g., I have a fighter with a pilot and a gunner. I install a VI. Can the VI use the sensors to scan enemy ships as a science officer while the two actual crew members are flying and shooting, or does the VI turn off a console while working?

The level 18 ability is kind of absurdly OP as a tool of assassination, too. Teleport to target sleeping person, anywhere in the universe, as long as you're reasonably familiar with them. 9 to 10 minutes later, you're gone without a trace. Like, you do have to achieve familiarity, but....

Yes, but that’s at 18th. What percentage of games hit 18th, vs. the percentage that hit 6th?

Hmm... nineteen base Starfinder skills (plus the open-ended Profession skill): Six are Int based, four Wis based, four Charisma based, four Dexterity based, and one Strength-based. If everyone has an Int of at least ten, you could have a specialist in Int, Dex, Wis, and Cha skills quite easily, covering basically everything in a four-person party.

If most folks get an Int of at least 12, everyone could have ranks in Piloting as well, regardless of class choice. And of course, if someone picks a class that gets more than four skill points? Someone has max ranks in YES.

So... Operative (Dex), Technomancer (Int), Mystic(Wis), and Witchwarper (Cha). Everyone picks up a klikharp creature companion and at least Creature Companion Adept for character scale combat.

The operative gets effectively 10+Int skill points each level, the Mystic 6+Int; everyone else, 4+Int. If everyone arranges for at least 12 Int and 16 in their main stat (18 Int for the Technomancer), then everyone can nab max ranks in Survival and Piloting, plus max ranks in all of their specialty skills, the operative or mystic covers the one skill the Witchwarper misses.

It's the most absurd and overpowered ability in the entire game.

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking so. How'd that make it through playtesting?

There's no one way to carry coins in real life: They can be stuffed in a pocket, rolled into paper cylinders, put in a wallet, placed in a bag, kept in a piggy bank, et cetera.

Why would there be one way to store UPB's?

However, their fundamental purpose is for making things, so they're not going to be stored in a way that could damage them or make them inconvenient for that purpose (so no pressing into cubes or coins, they'll stay as loose grains of rice until they're used).

Okay, so the Dreamer Mystic Connection: Sixth level ability:

Dream Manifestation (Su) - 6th Level

You can spend 1 Resolve Point as a full action to pull a concept or image from dreamspace and manifest it in the physical realm. This ability reproduces the effects of a spell of up to the highest level you can cast and can come from any spell list. You control the appearance of the dream manifestation.

Is that as good as it sounds, or am I missing something?

It's Su, so the DC is higher than for spells.
It has it's own activation time, so the casting time of the original spell isn't relevant.
It has it's own cost, so the cost of the base spell isn't relevant.

Is it just me, or is this ridiculously good?

Jack Simth wrote:

Taja the Barbarian wrote:

Yeah, what you are trying to do here is use something purchased with BPs in every encounter, so I would personally say 'no' if I was GM-ing as it is a violation of the 'spirit' of the rules: the BP and Credit economies are kept separate for a reason...

Do you ban the other starship components that do things that don't apply to starship combat, such as the Observation Sensors, the Science Lab, and the Medical Bay?

If you try to actually bring the Science Lab or Medical Bay with you into a building, cave, or other space where your ship won't fit, then yes, I have an issue with it.

The Observation Sensors are probably fine, as long as you are within range of your ship.

Jack Simth wrote:

That aside, I'm not particularly interested in the spirit of the rules in this instance. Ignore the VI if you like; maybe it's a telepresence rig that a player with proper armor proficiency is using to scout without risking anything more than some cash. In terms of the actual rules, do I have my ducks in a row? Are there any necessary components I'm missing?

With the VI, the big issue is your creating a NPC character to fill a party role outside of its official starship combat abilities: For that, the alignment of your ducks is largely irrelevant and the real question is 'what does your GM think of this?'

Actually, for many of the noncombat tasks mentioned, a simple personal com to hear back from the VI and the Remote Monitoring you mention would be fine; 107 credits, and the VI has eyes, ears, and a mouth to relay monster data and/or at least spot traps and/or folks sneaking up.

Likewise, your GM would have to decide if Powered Armor is a valid target for remote operation*: If it is, why wouldn't everyone control them from a distance?

There's a couple of obvious reasons why not:

See, I have no problems thinking up reasons why it's a bad idea / DM counters if it gets out of hand. If I want to bribe to the plotinum shipboard AI we have to get him to ease up a bit and gain a touch of leverage the other direction, I need to have my ducks in a row. If my character would be bothered by routinely talking to empty air and wants to spend some extra cash giving the VI a face, why not?

From a setting perspective, a remote operations unit has a HILARIOUS number of highly practical uses: Telepresence for meetings, lending specialists to remote hospitals quickly, safely working with things that are very much NOT safe to be around, and on and on. Yes, this includes scouting, and even drone fighting work with less prepared opponents... but as noted above, there's really no shortage of reasons why it's a bad idea for tasks where there's a thinking enemy involved.

At the very least, you'd probably need a Remote Monitoring System so the user can actually see what the suit is doing...

Which adds a 100 credit price bumb and eats an upgrade slot. Pretty minor considering the price of power armor in general and that they pretty much all seem to have at least one.

Yeah, what you are trying to do here is use something purchased with BPs in every encounter, so I would personally say 'no' if I was GM-ing as it is a violation of the 'spirit' of the rules: the BP and Credit economies are kept separate for a reason...

Do you ban the other starship components that do things that don't apply to starship combat, such as the Observation Sensors, the Science Lab, and the Medical Bay?

That aside, I'm not particularly interested in the spirit of the rules in this instance. Ignore the VI if you like; maybe it's a telepresence rig that a player with proper armor proficiency is using to scout without risking anything more than some cash. In terms of the actual rules, do I have my ducks in a row? Are there any necessary components I'm missing?

Jack Simth wrote:

Check my RAW, please.

Okay, so: In the computer upgrades, there's an option for remote controlling a device; it costs 10% of the controlled device. It also has Range Upgrades. Powered Armor is equipment.

So for 150 credits, plus 110% of the cost of the selected powered armor (the cheapest of which is the Salvage Chasis at 850 credits, meaning the lowest cost for this is 1085 credits), you get a compter module to plug into the ship’s VI/AI, which they can then control anywhere within one mile of the ship, or anywhere on a world with a good infosphere, for as long as you can keep it charged up.

Thoughts?

Edit: Oh yes, and use an Infiltration Skin to make the VI/AI seem humanoid if you want.

To what end, exactly?

I don't think they would be any good in combat, given the lack of an attack bonus and appropriate proficiency in both weapons and armor (lacking the powered armor proficiency alone makes it off-target, Flat-Footed, moving at half land speed only, and having a -4 penalty to attack rolls).
Outside of combat, a simple drone would probably work better than powered armor (though maybe not quite as cheaply as the really cheap Powered Armor options if you want a decent duration). If you are just looking to make the ship's AI into a non-combatant NPC for every adventure, this is probably the better way to go (remember that the Salvage Chassis may be fairly cheap, but it is still a rather hefty 16 bulk).

Keep in mind that:
The Starship computer rules explicitly state 'Most computers aboard starships have at least a rudimentary artificial personality, and while they can’t fully perform the duties of a crew member, they can assist crew...

Not an Artificial Personality; a VI (which CAN fill an officer slot), or an AI.

For a VI, that eould let it play sentry, advisor, trapsmith, or nearly any other skill based role by way of Skill Expanders (can't do Str/Dex skills, so no Athletics, Slight of Hand, Stealth, et cetrra).

For an AI, it'd be something of a bribe.

If you want the starship's computer to join the party as a PC or GM/PC, "SRO or hologram being remotely operated by the ship's VI" is fine for me. (SRO in this case being how I would suggest a player handle playing a suit of autonomous power armor.) But if it's contributing to adventuring, I think it's best to treat it as a PC for all effective purposes (i.e., take its inclusion into account for APL).

While that would normally be a fine approach, I'm not particularly interested in using handwavium in this particular instance. Do I have my ducks in a row for the rules as written?

Check my RAW, please.

Okay, so: In the computer upgrades, there's an option for remote controlling a device; it costs 10% of the controlled device. It also has Range Upgrades. Powered Armor is equipment.

So for 150 credits, plus 110% of the cost of the selected powered armor (the cheapest of which is the Salvage Chasis at 850 credits, meaning the lowest cost for this is 1085 credits), you get a compter module to plug into the ship’s VI/AI, which they can then control anywhere within one mile of the ship, or anywhere on a world with a good infosphere, for as long as you can keep it charged up.

Thoughts?

Edit: Oh yes, and use an Infiltration Skin to make the VI/AI seem humanoid if you want.