Contributor. RPG Superstar 6 Season Dedicated Voter, 7 Season Marathon Voter, 8 Season Dedicated Voter, 9 Season Star Voter. Pathfinder Society GM. 1,609 posts (1,702 including aliases). 1 review. No lists. No wishlists. 17 Organized Play characters. 6 aliases.
We don't have any published imagery for mycelars do we? Or stats?
Would it be a safe choice for a player who wants to be a Mycelar to use the stats given for Khizars from Pact Worlds?
I think khizar would be a very good choice. The most notable difference is that a mycelar doesn't have a "lantern" inside its head, but for the most part, their stats are close enough to use as a substitute.
Are we going to see anything fun with Scyphozoans and/or Primordia in 2e?
I'm currently going back to my notes for Project Flux and considering finalizing it in 1e and trying to convert to 2e.
Remains to be seen I guess. Personally, I haven't been doing a whole lot Starfinder work recently (though I did write some stuff for Alien Core), so I wouldn't know if they're planning to re-introduce them in 2e. If I get to write some more stuff for lore books in the future, I'll see what I can do.
The encounter doesn't say what happens to Aurinkar after 5 rounds if the PCs don't disable or destroy him by then. I think it makes sense that after 5 rounds the sphere turns back to Aurinkar and starts dying just like he does when destroyed or disabled. If there are only 4 PCs, Aurinkar doesn't transform, so I think it makes sense that he starts dying immediately.
There's no duration given for the shaken effect; it should end as soon Aurinkar is destroyed or disabled, or after 5 rounds when the transformation ends, whichever comes first.
I also noticed in my previous post I was talking about a Religion check; that should be a Mysticism check, of course. It's sometimes confusing when you write for both games. Ah well, I suppose it'll get easier with Starfinder 2e. :-)
The last question on page 10 reads: "Any PC who realized Lulora is a ghost may attempt a Sense Motive check. If successful, the PC realizes Lulora doesn’t seem to know she’s dead, and she may find it harder to accept the truth than a lie."
It's likely many groups have already found Lulora's body by the time they reach the bridge, so they already know she's dead. Any PCs who have seen the body should be able to attempt the Sense Motive check even if they don't succeed at the Religion check.
Having said that, knowing that Lulora is dead doesn't allow them to automatically identify her apparition as a ghost. I mean, she could be any type of incorporeal undead or even an AI-controlled deep fake holograph... who knows. So, the Religion check is still useful.
Regarding Bastiar's planets, the description of the system "Bastiar is a yellow dwarf star with eight planets—five terrestrial planets, a gas giant with more than three dozen moons, and two ice giants" is from the first scenario set in the Scoured Stars system (#1-99).
The same scenario mentions on pages 18 and 28 that Bastiar-7 and Bastiar-8 are ice giants. The map on p. 9 shows 5 small inner planets and 3 larger outer planets. If we consider only what can be inferred from #1-99, it's likely the gas giant was Bastiar-6, given that gas and ice giants are typically outer planets and much larger than terrestrial planets. This would also match the order in which the planet types are listed on p. 11.
Later scenarios seem to indicate the gas giant with dozens of moons and the ice giant with icy rings have been merged as the Thyr homeworld, which is now Bastiar-7. I don't know whether another giant exists somewhere in the system, but that's probably something we'll find out once the Scoured Stars hardback is released. :-)
What's this year's best Halloween adventure? It's Lost Revelry, of course!
So that GMs can run it smoothly, I'll try to answer any questions related to the adventure that you post in this thread.
Below are also a few notes of my own. Probably goes without saying, but here be spoilers.
Lots of Logs:
In the first part of the adventure, there are many log entries and events that are dated X days before Lulora's last transmission, i.e. the one the PCs saw in the briefing. If the players wish to piece together what happened, advise them to take notes of the events and dates.
Here's a complete, ordered list of events that are mentioned in the adventure. L-x (e.g. L-4) indicates how many days before Lulora's last message the event happened.
L-4: Lulora and her crew arrive. She is eager to uncover the Revelry's secrets.
L-3: Lulora is growing obsessed to figure out why they can't approach the ship.
L-3: As a test, Aurinkar fires the Vigilance's plasma cannon at the Revelry.
L-2: Aurinkar describes their strange visions to Lulora in a secret message.
L-2: Lulora starts designing her ritual. She mentions her crew is having strange dreams.
L-1: The ritual fails, but Lulora comes up with an improved ritual.
L-1: The adapted ritual works. Lulora's crew is preparing to enter the ship.
L-1: Rosm and Kelm want to replace the ship's capacitor array, but never complete the task.
L-1: Before Lulora's crew enters the ship, Lulora replies to Aurinkar's secret message, wishing them luck and warning them about the ship.
L-0: The crew returns from the Revelry. Pinjatar is severely injured.
L-0: The medical robot performs an emergency surgery on Pinjatar. Meanwhile, another crewmate washes her bloodied clothes in the washroom.
L-0: Lulora sends her last message to Ixthia. She has blood from Pinjatar's wounds on her face.
L-0: Lulora and her crew gather in the mess hall one last time.
L-0: Aurinkar leads their crewmates to the lower decks of the Revelry, where they make their last stand. Aurinkar makes it to the engine room, only to be captured and tortured.
L+1: Lulora's crew hasn't returned and she suspects they're dead. Realizing her failure, she attempts to launch an escape pod and dies a few hours later.
A3. Interlink Corridor:
The first door listed should read "the laboratory (A2)". It is not possible to access area A1 from the corridor.
A10. Escape Pods:
The pods are labeled as A, B, C, D, E, and F. On the map, pod F is the one at the bottom.
The Revelry's Decks:
The adventure mentions a number of decks and other areas on the ship. The order of the decks (from top to bottom) is the following: upper deck > middle deck > passenger deck > engineering deck.
The upper deck contains not only the welcome area but also some administrative spaces, the ship's bridge, and some of the higher-end accommodations.
The middle deck has the majority of the ship's entertainment venues and also many hotels and stores. The upper deck doesn't cover the middle deck entirely, instead forming a ring along the edges of the area, which gives the middle deck a spacious feel, like being in a city.
On the passenger deck, the corridors are narrower and the ceiling is lower. It's where the economy-class accommodations and many less glamorous stores and venues are located. There are also parking spaces for vehicles and hangars for smaller vessels.
Finally, there's the engineering deck, which is off-limits for passengers. Besides machinery and other technical spaces, there are also cabins and social spaces for people working on that level.
On page 12, the part that says "Out on the passenger deck, the situation is even worse" is not wrong as such, but at that point, the PCs are going to the middle deck, which of course is similarly overrun by the undead.
Mikko, I would really like to expand the small pantheon you began here, in order to provide some additional world background and setting flavor. Just running on what details you have working here, and expand outward. Especially given the recent announcements about Starfinder's future, I think this is the best time to attempt these additions - when the campaign setting is on the brink of epic changes, and before anything gets explicitly canonized or dethroned from canon.
I noticed that there is only one goddess, and five gods - which seems stereotypically skewed - so I was thinking of changing it up and making the pantheon composed of one of each of the major genders present on the planet.
** spoiler omitted **...
Variety is good, and I like the idea that many of the deities have non-binary genders. Also, because invertebrates, plants, and fungi have a much wider range of reproductive strategies than vertebrates do, it makes sense that the deities mirror that aspect of their worshipers. :-)
To be fair, in the original write-ups, all six deities (including the fungal queen) were referred to as "gods" and "it" rather than as gods/goddesses & he/she. I think in my mind there would have been a 50/50 split between male and female deities, but I like your suggested genders a lot more.
And yeah, I'm sure the deities had names, and it's possible ancient scyphozoans and mycelars used slightly different names when talking about the same deities, matching the sounds of their respective languages.
And maybe in the planet's distant past, the deities created bio-mechanical behemoths which they used as their avatars / divine heralds... and maybe some of these creations were in fact mechs that they let their champions use whenever a sufficiently big threat emerged. <o.O>
If AI could create a starting point, without using other works as its own starting point, I'd have no problem with people using it to assist in their process. Or even using it to create a finished work. But since it has to be trained on existing work, I can't condone it for commercial use, just private.
Using copyrighted works to train models is problematic and I think the owners' consent should be a requirement in any commercial context, and the owners should receive compensation for this usage as well.
But when talking about any training data that's in the public domain or otherwise legal to use for training a particular model, I see no problem using AI as a tool, or a sparring partner. It's not like our human minds are creating only purely original content. Our minds are also trained with thousands of pages of books and thousands of hours of movies. When I create an NPC for Pathfinder, my starting point is what I know about the game and its campaign setting and rules, and also what I know about other fantasy works -- or the real world. It's quite impossible to start from a completely blank slate.
I say this as a writer: Everything humans create is more or less derivative. For the most part, what we call creativity is just combining and mutating existing ideas in ways that makes them appear new and original. Not saying that generative models work exactly the same as human minds, but just saying they're not quite so different as people may think.
As an author who's been writing for Paizo products for the past 8 years, I don't feel threatened by generative AI / large language models making me irrelevant. Quite the opposite, when used responsibly as a tool, it can be a huge productivity boost and increase the quality of writing.
I don't mean it would be a good idea to generate adventure plots or entire paragraphs of text and use it as if I'd written it, but rather, to use it e.g. to revise something I've personally written. Especially toward the end of a writing project, a lot of time goes into editing and cutting chunks of text to make everything fit. There's also a lot of boilerplate text and standard phrases used in rules text, and having the ability to get those automatically completed/corrected according to Paizo's writing guidelines would be amazing. I.e. reduce the tedious parts of the work so I can focus on the creative part.
Things like auto-completion, predictive text, and such are already pretty standard features in many writing tools. Those too are AI-based, so when adding new language to contracts, please define carefully what uses of AI are and aren't allowed.
I totally agree it's unethical and very probably will be illegal too to use copyrighted art to train an image model and generate images and use them as if that were your original art. But would it be ok if an artist used their own art to train/fine-tune a model and then use the output to speed up their own creative process?
All that said, I think there are valid reasons for taking this stance especially because "the ethical and legal circumstances surrounding these programs remains murky and undefined" as mentioned in the blog. But I want to point out that AI is not a monolith -- it takes many forms and has many use cases, and it really really depends on what you do with it whether it's ethical or not. It also doesn't have to be a scary thing (assuming laws prevent unethical uses). In the field of software engineering there's already a saying "Traditional developers won't be replaced by AI, but they will be replaced by developers who can use AI." I think that's how it will be for creatives as well.
How many times did you watch Galaxy Quest while making the astrazoan?
I can't be the only one that thinks of Galaxy Quest when I see the race, right?
For clothing theres reconfigurable clothing, no reason there couldn't be an armor upgrade that reconfigures the armor to mimic different designs.
For clothing I'd either remove the 5 sets of clothing limit or the astrazoan can just have one of them be tear-away clothes? Then you have a second set of reconfigurable clothes underneath.
If an astrazoan compresses himself can he pilot an infiltration suit designed to look like a astrazoan and then use disguises and the mask making item to make him look human? We got some scooby do hijinx potential.
I haven't seen the film, but I read a synopsis of it and it sounded interesting. I couldn't foresee the comedy potential of the astrazoan when I was designing it; the main intent was rather to make it seem very weird and alien.
Thinking about potential comedic uses for astrazoans, it just occurred to me that an astrazoan NPC with e.g. reconfigurable clothing might be able to be able to fool a group of PCs into thinking that an empty house or even a village is inhabited. Whenever the PCs go to a different room in the house or building in the village, the astrazoan changes shape and quickly sneaks into that location, pretending to be a salesperson, bartender, mayor, or whoever the PCs need to talk to during their stay.
I just happen to need info on Abysshead, My character is currently backstage at the Ruby Theater. Not far from where Lynthia is Judging a battle of the bands contest. What public information would be available on the infosphere I could find on my com unit about Lynthia poisoning a former lover, or Abysshead trying to summon a demon live on stage?
We're currently playing through SFS 5-08: Tarnished Legacy Star Sugar Superstar. The whole band doesn't appear in the adventure, just Lynthia. What books or adventures have you written about Abysshead appear in?
As far as I know, no band members have appeared in person in any other scenarios than #5-08 (but I haven't read all SFS scenarios out there, so I may be wrong). In any case, I came up with the idea of an Apostae-based "drow metal" band called Abysshead for my first SFS scenario #1-06. Since then, I've dropped bits of information in several of my SFS scenarios, and I think there are mentions of the band in other authors' scenarios, too. Minor spoilers:
Spoiler:
In #1-06, an NPC is a fan of the band, and the PCs can find a spider plush toy that allows the PCs to download songs. In a later scenario, the PCs overhear a conversation between SFS leaders, who are arguing about whether Abysshead's Drix did a duet with a member of SMC. To my knowledge, Drix is the only named member of the band besides Lynthia, but again, I may be wrong. My idea was that he's the lead vocalist, or more likely, one of two lead vocalists -- the other would be a drow woman. Also not mentioned in the scenario, but Drix in my head-canon is just the last syllable of his much longer first name.
So, Lynthia (and the rumors about poisoning a lover and summoning demons on stage) were introduced in #5-08, so I have no deeper insight into that. My guess would be that on the infosphere, you'd just get a lot more rumors about the band and these incidents that (allegedly ;-) ) happened, some of which are true and a lot of things that are partially or totally false. The members, for the most part, don't really mind the rumors (true or not) since more often than not, they only make the band more popular.
I kind of have AI generation allergy nowadays :'D (though I also think AI tends to generate stuff that is weirdly generic in hard to place way)
I think main problem with it is that I don't think I could use it because I wouldn't be able to feel confident about whether its "my writing".
I think the feeling of a "generic" quality to the output of an AI system comes from the fact that machine learning (the techniques behind most AI nowadays) relies heavily on probability and statistics. The AI model tries to predict what is the most likely option and is less likely to produce outliers even though they may sometimes be more interesting.
And yeah, whether it's ethical to use the output as-is really depends on what you're using it for and what data the AI model was trained with. Some RPG publishers, for example, have decided they don't want AI-generated art in their products because there are potential ethical and legal problems with that.
Love the astrazoan. Played one who was a hard-boiled detective (borrowing heavily from the Martian Manhunter / John Jones) in Threefold Conspiracy.
Sounds like a fun concept for a Starfinder character. Did you use a spellcasting class or equipment to also get invisibility, flight, super-speed, etc.?
Driftbourne wrote:
Mikko Kallio wrote:
Recently, I've been exploring the possibilities of using ChatGPT to assist in RPG design, and as a test, I fed all information about scyphozoans and Primoria to the AI, and then asked it to create various types of new content for Primoria. Here are a few things it created / co-authored with me:
My computer died a few weeks back and I haven't been able to afford a new one yet. So not having access to my normal digital tools for making art on my cheap Chromebook I played around with AI art for a while. I found it VERY hard if not impossible to get an image remotely close to what I was looking for, but found it very useful for brainstorming. Thanks for sharing your ChatGPT experiment's very interesting results.
I'm glad you found it interesting. I've tried Dall-e for image generation, and was only able to get rather weird-looking results. :-D But I guess it takes some trial and error, and takes some practice to learn to write the prompts in the right way. With ChatGPT, it was a bit easier, but the results seen above also required multiple tries and basically just discarding all "meh" results and focusing on the good stuff. Still, it's an amazing productivity and creativity boost for RPG designers and other creatives.
---
Oh by the way, I think it makes sense to expand the scope of this thread beyond just astrazoans and scyphozoans. I've written a bunch of other stuff too, so feel free to ask about e.g. Scoured Stars, wataroons, or Abysshead.
Would shapeshifing for an astrazoan include basic clothing as well?
So the Gold Standard for gear for shapeshifters, whether they be astrozoans, or those who play with polymorph extensively, is the Light Experimental Neural Interface Suit from The Penumbra Protocol (Signal of Screams part 2). You won't find it in the AoN because the AP version of the suits comes with some upgrades already installed that are tailored for the needs of the plot. However, it is well worth wearing even after you've reached higher tiers due to the fact that it will match whatever form you find yourself in.
Easier access, and available from a much lower level, is the Operative's Armor Optimizer exploit, which can be grabbed with a two level dip, which is low enough to be manageable, if still painful if your build goes a different direction. Unfortunately, the rules don't say how long it takes to adjust your armor. Our table adjudication was that the character has built in a number of discreet fasteners and adjusting straps into ous armor (+200C in cost), allowing the exploit to be used in a minute to prep for shifting to another form.
Yeah I think you (and John Mangrum) are right. In hindsight, a piece (or set) of equipment to deal with this problem would have been a great addition to IS. In any case, I agree with John that for sufficiently similar forms, the GM should allow changing forms without adjustments. The adjusting straps you mentioned sounds like a good house rule to make quick adjustments between less similar forms possible.
Well, this is fantastic. I came to really enjoy Scyphozoans, although I couldn't figure out where they were originally published - I kept thinking, if it wasn't an Alien Archive, then maybe a Starfinder Society adventure....? And now I found the entry in AP#5, and I am less confused/frustrated.
Primoria is about to be the next-big-thing world in the Vast for my own homebrew campaign.
A scyphozoan prophet (increased from the CR 8 entry in Interstellar Species, up to a CR 10) is about to let my PCs in on a very ancient secret about their home world's ancestral pre-Gap lore, regarding a powerful hero from another reality, and their biotech-mech which they used to defend innocent worlds of the galaxy, far before the advent of modern Drift travel. While the ancient bio-mech is not likely still located on Primoria, clues to its eventual whereabouts are destined to be discovered there.
Along with several other really fun factors to the story's plotlines, this campaign will also delve into analyzing and decoding the witchwarper's infinite worlds ability on a technical level, it will deal with at least one known alternate reality, it will feature mechs, planar connections (especially the First World, via an acquired First Drive), and at least a little bit of corporate espionage between some dragon corps of Triaxus. I am running on the working title, Project Flux.
I just wanted you to know - because Primoria is a lovely and rich environment for exactly the sort of story I want to tell. One last helpful hint: my ancient mech-fighting hero is somewhat themed on Super Sentai/Power Rangers protector of the galaxy.
Sorry it took me a while to respond! One way to find where a Starfinder creature was first published might be to search for the species' entry in the Starfinder Wiki and see what references are listed. AP #5 details some locations on Primoria that weren't mentioned in IS, so it may be useful for designing adventures that take place on the planet.
Glad to hear you're getting a kick out of scyphozoans and Primoria! The biotech mech is a great idea. Curious to hear more about it, like what it looks like and what weapons and abilities it has. :)
Recently, I've been exploring the possibilities of using ChatGPT to assist in RPG design, and as a test, I fed all information about scyphozoans and Primoria to the AI, and then asked it to create various types of new content for Primoria. Here are a few things it created / co-authored with me:
Weird scyphozoan weapons:
Spoiler:
Bioluminescent Net: This weapon is grown from a modified species of plankton that creates a bright, bioluminescent light. When thrown, the net spreads out and ensnares the target, while also blinding them with the intense light.
Stinging Cell Whip: This weapon is made from the stinging cells of scyphozoan tentacles, which are woven together to create a whip-like weapon that can be used to strike and sting the target.
Jellyfish Shield: This weapon is grown from a modified species of jellyfish, which can be used to create a barrier of stinging cells around the user, protecting them from attacks.
New creature:
Spoiler:
Deep in the heart of the Arbaath forest, lies a terror unlike any other. It was born in a laboratory, a weapon created by a group of mycelars to defend against the scyphozoan invasion. But it escaped, and now it roams the forest, hunting for its prey. The Fungal Synapse, as it is called, has the ability to produce massive mushrooms, which at first glance, appear to be living creatures. They mimic the forms of scyphozoans and even humans, luring them closer with their deception. But these mushrooms are not what they seem. They are the spawn of the Fungal Synapse, and they are deadly.
The Fungal Synapse has psionic abilities, it can control the minds of those it lures in. It can make them see things that aren't there, hear whispers in the darkness, and feel a sense of impending doom. It feeds on their fear and their life force, growing stronger with every victim it claims.
There are rumors of sections of the forest that are haunted. People who dare to venture too deep, never return. The screams of the victims echo through the trees, but no one knows where they come from. The Fungal Synapse is a creature of nightmare, a horror beyond imagination.
New faction:
Spoiler:
The Myco-Symbiotes are a dangerous and controversial faction of scyphozoans who have pushed the boundaries of genetic modification to new heights. They believe that the key to Primoria's future lies in merging their biology with that of the mycelars, creating powerful hybrid beings. This process involves splicing together the DNA of both species to create individuals with heightened senses, greater strength, and other abilities. While it's normal for Primorians to combine technology from both races, the creation of symbionts and hybrids has never been attempted before.
Primorian artists:
Spoiler:
The Chromatophore Canvas - a group of scyphozoan artists who use their ability to change skin color to create stunning and dynamic works of art. They are known for creating large-scale murals that shift and change as the viewer moves around them.
The Mycelar Maestros - a group of mycelar artists who specialize in creating and performing music using a wide range of instruments grown from various types of fungi. They are known for their use of large, trumpet-like instruments used to create a powerful and majestic sound. They also use drum-like instruments grown from the caps of mushrooms often used to create a steady, driving beat in their music. Additionally, the Mycelar Maestros also use stringed instruments grown from the mycelium of certain species of fungi. These instruments produce a haunting and ethereal sound. Their performances are often accompanied by mesmerizing visual displays of bioluminescent light and other natural phenomena.
The Invertebrate Architects - a group of scyphozoan artists who specialize in designing and growing buildings into desired forms. They are particularly skilled in creating buildings that are able to move and change shape, such as a house that can open and close like a clam or a building that can change color like a mimic octopus. In addition to buildings, the Invertebrate Architects also create sculptures that are both beautiful and functional, such as a giant sea anemone that acts as a water filtration system or a sculpture of a squid that doubles as a lighting fixture. They believe that their work not only pushes the boundaries of art and architecture, but also serves a greater purpose by highlighting the importance of utilizing natural resources in a sustainable way.
Bioluminescent Theater - a form of live performance where actors use their natural bioluminescent abilities to create an immersive light show. The audience can watch the performance from the water or from a floating platform above.
Plankton Ballet - a form of dance performance where scyphozoan dancers herd and manipulate swarms of plankton to create mesmerizing light shows.
Ancient Primorian deities:
Spoiler:
The Tide-Bringer: Known as the god of the oceans, this ancient god is said to control the tides and sea level of Primoria. Many coastal scyphozoan communities would offer sacrifices to The Tide-Bringer in hopes of bountiful harvest and calm seas. Some depictions of The Tide-Bringer show it as a massive, tentacled creature, while others show it as a powerful wave.
The Fungal Queen: This ancient god is said to have created the mycelars and to rule over the vast fungal forests of Primoria. Many mycelar communities would offer sacrifices of rare and valuable mushrooms to The Fungal Queen in hopes of a bountiful harvest. Some depictions of The Fungal Queen show it as a massive, mushroom-like creature, while others show it as a humanoid figure made of fungus.
The Hunter: This ancient god is said to have created the giant invertebrates that roam the landmasses of Primoria and to rule over the hunt. Many scyphozoan communities would offer sacrifices of prey animals to The Hunter in hopes of successful hunts. Some depictions of The Hunter show it as a massive, invertebrate creature, while others show it as a humanoid figure holding a spear.
The Drifter: Known as the god of the sky, this ancient god is said to control the winds and the weather. Many scyphozoan communities would offer sacrifices to The Drifter in hopes of good weather for travel and migration. Some depictions of The Drifter show it as a massive, winged creature, while others show it as a humanoid figure holding a staff or a bow.
The Shaper: This ancient god is said to have created the intricate and unique patterns on scyphozoan bodies and to rule over their reproduction. Many scyphozoan communities would offer sacrifices of their own eggs to The Shaper in hopes of healthy offspring with impressive patterns. Some depictions of The Shaper show it as a massive, tentacled creature, while others show it as a humanoid figure holding a paintbrush.
The Weaver: This ancient god is said to have created the intricate and symbiotic relationships between the various organisms on Primoria and to rule over the balance of the ecosystem. Many scyphozoan and mycelar communities would offer sacrifices of rare or endangered organisms to The Weaver in hopes of maintaining the delicate balance of the ecosystem. Some depictions of The Weaver show it as a massive, spider-like creature, while others show it as a humanoid figure holding a loom.
Dangerous cult:
Spoiler:
The Tide-Bringer Cult: This secretive scyphozoan religious sect worships an ancient god known as The Tide-Bringer, who they believe controls the tides and sea level of Primoria. They believe that the red moon Acryllae is a manifestation of their god and have been planning a pilgrimage to its surface for years. However, their true goal is to take over a scientific station on the moon and use its advanced technology to upset the tidal system of Primoria, causing massive floods and natural disasters. They believe that this cataclysm will bring about the return of The Tide-Bringer in its true form, and they will be rewarded for their devotion. Many fear the cult's true intentions, and their plans must be stopped before it's too late.
I came up with some guidelines for astrazoan shapechanging for my own campaign a few years back and was extraordinarily pleased/relieved that they stayed compatible with the Interstellar Species revisit. (In a later conversation these were sort of dubbed "sanity guidelines.")
Looks like my astrazoan PC's player doesn't have any questions, so I'll just note (hopefully for your entertainment) that we got some interesting emergent roleplaying out of her character concept. She's an astrazoan raised by an astrazoan couple who chose to commit themselves to lashunta personas ("selves" to switch to the IS term) for professional reasons. (They're diplomats who assisted in ending the Lashunta-Formian wars.) They raised their child in Qabarat as a female lashunta to the extent that she now "identifies" as a lashunta woman (who as it happens can shapeshift), but at their core they still see themselves as astrazoans who've simply committed to long-term "selves."
Before becoming an adventurer, the PC followed her parents' career as a diplomat, but eventually, after moving offworld, she discovered a love of (and talent for) singing and created a new "self" to become a sugar-pop musician.
The PC hid this self from her parents for years, thinking they wouldn't approve of her wasting time on such a frivolous career but then, during actual play, she eventually got to go home and reveal the truth. Turns out her parents were delighted to learn she'd created a second self; they were worried that their "daughter" was too tied to a single persona, and strongly encouraged her to embrace the creation of new selves.
She also learned that since she'd moved out, her parents had switched selves: "Mom" was now "Dad" and vice versa. Their explanation was that they wanted to keep their shapeshifting skills sharp (and be ready in case one of them needed to cover for the other for whatever reason), but really it was more of an empty...
John, thanks for sharing this story! I loved reading it, and it sounds like you and your player really get astrazoans. Besides being fun and weird creatures to play, I also intended them to be an allegory of the human existence and all the complexity and challenges related to identity that come with it. In a way, we're all seven-limbed starfish wearing human guises as we go about our daily lives.
Your list of astrazoan rulings is also very accurate, I'd say at least 95% of it matches what I had in mind or what was printed in IS. As mentioned earlier in this thread, I don't think they can create fake clothes, and I also don't think cutting their hair would hurt them. It's not mentioned in the text, but I'd say they can grow hair and other types of filaments that aren't made of the same "fleshy" stuff as the rest of their bodies. If I remember correctly, the new art in IS even shows them as having some hair in their true form. But yeah, for the most part your list is still very accurate.
Could an astrazoan shapeshift out of a baneful or regular polymorph?
This is in the basic polymorph rules. Any subsequent polymorph/change shape effect, including one you activate yourself, ends a current polymorph effect.
Yeah, I also think they should be able to change back if targeted by a polymorph effect. While the astrazoan's change form ability doesn't have the polymorph descriptor, they have the shapechanger subtype, and the rules state that shapechangers can end a polymorph effect by using change shape. Now... there is a possible "but" there; the astrazoan's change form is not the same thing as the change shape universal monster rule (notice the difference in ability names), so some might argue that it doesn't work. The same applies to endiffians, they have the shapechanger subtype but the ability is called simulacrum, not change shape.
An astrazoans internal organs don't change when shapeshifting. What happens to their internal organs when an astrazoans shapeshifts into a translucent scyphozoan?
Could an astrazoan shapeshift out of a baneful or regular polymorph?
They can change their pigmentation etc. to become translucent, and also to create other visual effects necessary for looking like a scyphozoan, such as hiding the fact their internal organs look different.
I realize there are many creatures in Starfinder that would be pretty darn difficult to mimic in real life, and I'm sure even within the Starfinder universe people have conversations about it. "How do they do that? No-one knows!" ;-)
So if an Astrazoan saw a creature, it would be able to reproduce the look of the creature. Now does the prior statement change if said creature they saw, was not a real creature, but a creature produced by illusion magic?
I'm inclined to say no because an illusion is not a creature, but then that'd weirdly enough make it possible to use shapeshifting as an illusion detector. So I guess it depends. As a GM I'd probably rule that if the illusion gives sufficiently accurate information about the creature's appearance, etc. then it'd be possible. If the illusion gives limited information (compare with the creature swimming in a lake mentioned above), then there's a severe penalty to the skill check or the transformation just fails.
There's a lot of gray area that rules don't (and quite frankly can't or shouldn't) cover, so that's where GM fiat comes in.
I do appreciate the answers though I'd be lying if I said I didn't find the last one somewhat disappointing.
I don't think it's necessarily something they wouldn't be able to do, physiologically speaking, but rather, something they'd find extremely exhausting, stressful, and difficult to do. Much like a human juggling multiple objects of very different shapes and weights.
I originally named the species scyphozoid so it would sound a bit different from the real-world class of species, but in development it was changed to scyphozoan. {. . .}
Did this. Although if I was a jellyfish, I probably wouldn't want to be holding a rifle, unless I was sure it was reactionless . . . .
While they're evolved from simple Primorian jellyfish, they're actually beefier than the average human. Although a scyphozoan doesn't have a skeletal structure, they have muscle and other tissue that make up for it.
On that note, if an astrazoan has only ever seen a species clothed, are they going to just be doing guess work as to what's underneath? Obviously with the existance of the infosphere that information can be easy to find if they don't mind having a suspect search history but for an on the fly situation is it just an educated guess as to whether or not a species has nipples or a bellybutton?
I think an astrazoan can intuitively extrapolate from what information they have, and as they become more and more familiar with a species, they can add new details on the fly. But sometimes when working with partial information, they get the details wrong. The rules don't cover all the corner cases, so in practice, the GM and player should agree on whether they want to roleplay the process of studying a new species, or not.
FormerFiend wrote:
Also I feel that there's an apparent contradiction in Interstellar Species when the section on their physical description specifies that their shapeshifting doesn't change their internal organs, but only a paragraph later in the life cycle section it mentions that a pregnant astrazoan's body "reflexively" changes to allow for either laying an egg or carrying a live embryo to conform to their assumed form's reproductive biology.
The paragraph was changed slightly in development, but way I thought it would work is that they produce an egg regardless of the species they're imitating, and they're so adaptive that they can choose to be oviparous (lay an egg) or ovoviviparous (the egg develops internally). The main difference is that if the egg develops externally, the child also reflexively develops a tougher shell for the egg, and slows down or accelerates their metabolism to develop slower/faster. So nothing else changes, really. The same body parts do the work, just in a slightly different way.
FormerFiend wrote:
While we're on the topic; can astrazoans only reproduce amongst themselves or could they impregnate or be impregnated by members of the species they're shapeshifted into & if so what would that mean for the offspring? It also mentions that they can choose to grow male or female reproductive organs; could an individual astrazoan do both simultaneously & impregnate itself, effectively cloning itself?
They can't hybridize or self-fertilize, so they have to find another astrazoan. Otherwise they'd likely be far more populous.
FormerFiend wrote:
Okay, moving away from the sex related questions for now which I've hopefully worded in such a way that won't get this post deleted or this thread closed, I do have some other questions that kind of boil down to the core question of, how much can an astrazoan 'play' with their shapeshifting? Like, while assuming the form of a human, could an astrazoan have one of it's native form's knee-eyes just open up on a random part of their body that corresponds to where they rearranged themselves to?
Can they mix and match traits from different species at the same time? Obviously to no mechanical benefit, but could one just be walking around with the horns of a nuar, the head of a shirren, the torso of a vesk, the arms of a kalo, and the orb of a bantrid, just to mess with people or as an experiment in self identity or a fashion statement?
They have to choose forms that are similar to creatures they've seen before, so the things mentioned above wouldn't work. The transformation is instinctive for the most part, so when an astrazoan changes shape, the mental process is more like "I want to look like an elf/that elf" than "I am going to make my limbs longer and my ears pointy". They can mimic both specific creatures and general ones, so they've got a bit of range there, but can't go beyond the usual range of options for a species.
Oh, here's one: When does "astrozoan" become the new "solarion" or "rouge"?
(I was writing up a bio for an astrazoan character when I realized I had misspelled the name several times!)
Or the new "thiefling"? :-D Speaking of which, I really appreciate the humor the folks at Owlcat have injected into the Wrath of the Righteous CRPG. In that game, there's a group of tiefling thieves called... well you guessed it.
I've also heard that "astrazoan" mutated into "Astro Owen" in Paizo's Star Chamber. (The TTRPG gaming guru Owen KC Stephens was working on Starfinder at the time.)
Do astrazoans have any kind of extra bonus to identifying each other while disguised? I'd assume the answer is no, which would be one of the reasons why astrazoans have a hard time forming their own communities.
A definitely serious question from a post I made elsewhere on this forum: When does someone in the Starfinder universe develop a vidgame about an Astrozoan getting married and raising a family, all while disguised as a human? Maybe have an antagonist who is some kind of chef, hunting the Astrozoan. Just an idea. (Apologies to Young Horses.)
As Radam mentioned, there's a feat for that in the same book. Shapeshifters have a lot of experience in trying to spot mistakes in their own disguises, so it makes sense they could also learn to notice similar mistakes in others.
I'm sure Pact Worlds soap operas and other shows occasionally feature astrazoan characters (who may or may not be played by astrazoan actors), sometimes just for laughs and sometimes in more serious roles. It should be noted that astrazoans can't produce hybrid offspring, so the rest of the family would be astrazoans, too. Of course, screenwriters, showrunners, etc. may not be aware of that fact.
I'm rather fascinated by the concept of scyphozoan biopoetry. You could grow a book on the subject...
Large fungi can grow in 3 to 4 days, which might make for an interesting downtime activity. Shot from biowriting could all so be useful for making spell scrolls or used for divination and fortune telling.
Is there anything you can tell us about the inspiration behind the idea of biopoetry?
That's actually one of the cool ideas that Paizo's developer added. I had established the idea that they use genetically engineered organisms to grow things that most other species build, but all of my examples were rather ... pragmatic: vehicles, lighting, computers, etc. So, kudos to the developer for adding a recreational use for biotech!
I love the idea of using bio-writing for divination!
I originally named the species scyphozoid so it would sound a bit different from the real-world class of species, but in development it was changed to scyphozoan. In fact, if you google scyphozoid, you'll probably see some search results about the DeviantArt account of the artist who created the art for the species entry in AP #5. As far as I know, art orders usually go out quite early on in the process, so when the artist got the art notes, it was still named scyphozoid.
before. They can attempt to either mimic a specific
creature or look like a general creature of the chosen
type."
What if the chosen creature happens to be a 3d cartoon you have interacted with in a video game could an astrazoan shapeshift into something like that?
Would shapeshifing for an astrazoan include basic clothing as well?
Great questions! I'd say playing a video game wouldn't count as having seen a creature. Or at the very least, it would carry a heavy penalty to the Disguise check.
The astrazoan's change form doesn't add or change their clothes, so transforming between two very different forms can be tricky unless wearing very flexible or loose-fitting clothes. Armor can also be a bit problematic: "Armor comes in different sizes for different creatures, and you might have to adjust a suit of armor to fit you if it wasn’t made for your race. A ysoki can’t effectively wear armor made for a human, and a kasatha needs to adjust armor that was made for a two-armed creature. If it’s in doubt whether a creature can fit the suit, the GM decides whether the armor needs to be adjusted. When you buy armor new, the purchase price includes any adjustments."
As a GM, I'd probably rule that changing between e.g. human, android, and lashunta forms wouldn't require any adjustments, but changing from human to kasatha while wearing armor would fail. Some equipment, spells, etc. may help a bit, such as this: shiftskin
To count as have seen, how long would you have to observe a creature?
Well, the rules don't say that you have to observe the creature for any given amount of time, so I guess you can change immediately upon encountering a new species. Again, at the GM's discretion, it may not be possible to imitate a creature (or there may be a penalty to the Disguise check) if there's something that prevents you from properly observing the creature. For example, if a creature is swimming in a lake so you can only see its head.
How much did you have to leave 'on the cutting room floor' in your write-up of the astrazoans?
When you visualize the species, are there any classes you'd view them as 'unsuited' for?
Do astrazoans get extra unwanted attention from the Dominion of the Black and other nasty factions because of their amorphous starfish nature if they are 'outed'?
I wrote probably 10-20% more material than I was able to include in my turnovers for the entries in Pact Worlds and Interstellar Species. During development Paizo cut and/or replaced maybe another 10-20%, e.g. to make space for art but also to add some cool stuff.
So, it's not all that much. My process of writing is usually 1. make a list of ideas you want to write about, 2. put them in a logical order to form a skeleton for the text, 3. write a bunch of paragraphs, starting with the most obvious parts (what you need to include, or what you feel most inspired about), 4. check how close you are to target word count. If you still need more content, go back to step 1 and considering what you've written so far, add more ideas (and drop ideas that no longer fit). So, most of the pruning happens at the ideation stage rather than cutting huge chunks of fully developed text.
As for unsuited classes, I guess the way Starfinder's ability score point-buy works, it's possible to get suitable stats for just about any class, but given their +2 Dex, +2 Cha, -2 Con they're slightly more inclined toward "face" and "trickery" type of classes and slightly less likely to be front-line fighters.
From a flavor perspective, any class that helps them fit in (or for some astrazoans, to fool people) is attractive to them, so e.g. envoys and operatives, or spellcasters should work well. Conversely, any class that doesn't give them so many skills (or spells, or other abilities that make them more versatile) to play with means they can't impersonate quite so many different types of people. So, for that reason, too, they're less likely to become e.g. soldiers or solarians, though of course, the right combination of background, archetype, and gear can help a lot.
The strange DNA of astrazoans may indeed be of interest to the Dominion of the Black and some other shady factions. And that's the kind of stuff astrazoans have nightmares about--getting abducted by cultists and whatnot. The Dominion of the Black is very Lovecraft-flavored, and I actually also used some of Lovecraft's creatures/writings as inspiration for astrazoans, so there's an interesting connection there.
before. They can attempt to either mimic a specific
creature or look like a general creature of the chosen
type."
What if the chosen creature happens to be a 3d cartoon you have interacted with in a video game could an astrazoan shapeshift into something like that?
Would shapeshifing for an astrazoan include basic clothing as well?
Great questions! I'd say playing a video game wouldn't count as having seen a creature. Or at the very least, it would carry a heavy penalty to the Disguise check.
The astrazoan's change form doesn't add or change their clothes, so transforming between two very different forms can be tricky unless wearing very flexible or loose-fitting clothes. Armor can also be a bit problematic: "Armor comes in different sizes for different creatures, and you might have to adjust a suit of armor to fit you if it wasn’t made for your race. A ysoki can’t effectively wear armor made for a human, and a kasatha needs to adjust armor that was made for a two-armed creature. If it’s in doubt whether a creature can fit the suit, the GM decides whether the armor needs to be adjusted. When you buy armor new, the purchase price includes any adjustments."
As a GM, I'd probably rule that changing between e.g. human, android, and lashunta forms wouldn't require any adjustments, but changing from human to kasatha while wearing armor would fail. Some equipment, spells, etc. may help a bit, such as this: shiftskin
I'm looking at playing an astrazoan. I realize shapeshifting wouldn't give you the ability to understand different languages you don't already know. But if you already know the language of a species you shapeshift into how well would an astrazoan be at sounding like a native speaker?
The scyphozoans looks really cool too, just reading up on them now.
Just read how scyphozoans communicate, so a better question might be if a astrazoan shapeshifts to look like a scyphozoan while speaking common out of the water, would they sound like an astrazoan or popping carbonated bubbles?
I'd definitely allow them to sound like scyphozoans (or whatever species they're imitating) regardless of whether they're speaking Common or another language they've learned to speak. They're very good at imitating humanoids and aberrations, so I'd say an astrazoan can re-shape their voice box upon transformation. Also, most astrazoans live among other species (and their neighbors don't necessarily know about their true identities), so from a lore perspective, it makes sense that an astrazoan can alter their voice to match their appearance.
Rules-wise, it's a bit of a gray area, but I'd argue that altering one's voice is part of the Disguise check to create a disguise (which is essentially what an astrazoan also does when they transform). The Disguise skill entry in the CRB only mentions changing one's appearance, but for example, the voice modulator's (CRB p. 209) rules text strongly suggests that imitating accents and alien languages does in fact fall under the Disguise skill. As normally, piercing a disguise requires a move action and a successful Perception check, so most of the time, an astrazoan doesn't have to be afraid to open their mouth.
Interstellar Species was released this month, and with it, many playable Starfinder species got new art, lore, and rules. Of those species, astrazoans and scyphozoans are very special to me--I designed them forPact Worlds and AP #5, respectively, and I also wrote the new entries for them in Interstellar Species.
If you have any questions about the strange shapeshifting starfish or the noxious, nidifugous cnidarians, let me know and I'll try to answer your questions here! Feel free to also comment on what you like / don't like about them. Or share stories about astrazoan / scyphozoan PCs.
(also yeah herexen are pretty obviously renamed huecuva, they are reaaaaally similar)
The herexen is indeed designed around the same theme as the huecuva, and intentionally so. But mechanically speaking, the new creature really is re-designed from the ground up rather than just being renamed. All its abilities are new, and some of the abilities vary depending on which deity they served in life.
Interesting! I'm very excited about this, having written two adventures (and as such, a ton of lore) for the Scoured Stars storyline, and designed the trinary system map which appears on the logo. ^_^
Will they be playing actual SFS scenarios, or rather a story inspired by first season scenarios?
The quality that a previous poster described as "Are we the baddies?" really bugged both of us. Just at the moment, we are not up for "These folks are irredeemable, never mind what horrors our kind have committed, you shouldn't feel the least bit bad about wiping them out." It left a bad taste in my mouth. This was made worse, I think, by the very strong Aztec flavor of the pyramid in #5. If you want to be saying "These people are much more vile than humans" you probably should not model so closely on real-life humans.
For me, personally (I wrote book #5), the step-pyramid in the Cradle of Worms is a metaphor of ancient xulgath society. At the top there are the witch-priests. Although small in number, they held pretty much all the power in the xulgath empire. Yes, they (and their elite enforcers) were unequivocally evil; not because they were xulgaths but because their deity would not have allowed a non-evil xulgath to join his clergy. Even so, the text on page 31 suggests that the witch-priests performed sacrifices largely because they feared the world would end if they didn't. If the heroes succeed at the Religion check, they'll also learn the the sacrifices weren't made just "for the evulz".
The servants and other people who were depicted on the walls of the lower levels, though? Or the majority of xulgaths who never even got to see the pyramid from the inside? I refuse to believe they were all evil, or even that most of them were evil. I tried to describe them as an enlightened people, who -- despite the evil ways of their leadership -- just wanted to live and learn more about their new home in Vask, exploring the alluring jungle, taming dinosaurs, growing crops, making wine, trading, and building great monuments.
I see where you're coming from, though. I'm bummed I didn't do a better job at describing them as complex creatures rather than just evil.
Overall, I saw book #5 as an amazing opportunity to explore not one or two but three cultures that are evil (or at least seen as such by most): urdefhans, ancient xulgaths, and the drow of Shraen. I wanted to show not only that each of the three peoples had different reasons for doing evil, but also that they also had likable qualities and something to sympathize with rather than being just purest evil.
With urdefhans it was their curiosity and respect toward outsiders who show courage, and their leader's desire to rise above endless warfare. With xulgaths it was their ambition to become more than just a cave lizard people, and their valor and tenacity during the siege at the outpost. With Shraens it was their desire to live.. eh, exist in peace, and some of the more affable individuals who become curious or even supportive of the heroes (even if for selfish reasons). And then there's Qormintur, one of my favorite NPCs I've created for Pathfinder. I just hope some groups will spare her life and convince her to be a better person. I think she has it in her.
Jon Yamato 705 wrote:
On the positive side, I really liked the first part of #5, before the pyramid, for its vivid visuals and weird situations. I liked the fact that the xulgath army in #4 had stuff going on inside it, factions and plots,...
Unfortunately, some info I wanted to include in the map is missing, and the labels may have some incorrect information —sorry about that! Thanks for helping out, Hmm and BigNorseWolf! :)
While it's not circus music, I recommend Cities in Dust by Siouxsie and the Banshees (or the cover by the Everlove) for Book 5, Chapter 3: City in Dust, in which the heroes explore Shraen.
Page 12: That should be 1d6 x APL. For example, if APL is 8, that's 8d6 damage.
Page 18: The information about reach was omitted by mistake: should be 10 feet. As far as I remember, that was my intent, and the developer actually changed "nearby" to "adjacent or close", so it seems they also thought the reach should be more than 5 feet.
Page 20: That's right, Kraaton is the primary target, defeating Dhurus is just one of the secondary goals.
1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
It's a non-magical ability that allows them to change their appearance, like a mimic octopus, only they're a lot better at it. Whether true seeing should reveal their starfish-like form is a good question; I don't know. Would it reveal a chameleon's true color?
To answer Hannoverfiste's questions, their ability to change appearance doesn't give the astrazoan *any* racial abilities. Movement speeds, water breathing, the kasatha's four-armed ability, etc. are all racial abilities so you don't get them. The ability really is just an extension of the Disguise skill.
Naal, the text about heavy lasers is a holdover from an earlier draft. I think removing the coilgun from the forward arc is enough to make it more balanced for a party of 4. Btw, thanks for joining the game in Helsinki the other week!
Kingbrendarr, looks like the height of the ceiling isn't mentioned in the adventure, so let's use 60 feet. Thanks for the feedback!
Alexander, while gunnery checks don't normally count as skill checks, here the intent is that the same DCs also apply to gunnery checks (and any other checks that use the Easy, Average, and Hard keywords).
Gary, the platform is 15 feet higher than the PC's starting area. I'm aware this means the PCs are unlikely to see much of the hierarch unless we assume the jinsul and PCs are both very tall. However, I don't think that should get in the way of things.. if you think it's too much to ignore, move the hierarch closer to the PCs before it start talking if that makes more sense to you.
p. 4: "Scaling Authority Tower Meeting" should read "Skill Check DCs". The sidebar layout was probably copy-pasted from an earlier scenario. The skill check DCs apply to ALL encounters in the scenario.
p. 8-10: Three of the representatives have "Persuasion Skills", while Speaks Forgotten Words has "Persuasion Check", and Xirillis has "Persuade". All of these should read "Persuasion Skills" as each of the negotiations follows the same rules. Mea culpa!
p. 13: The map indicates the jinsuls' starting area. However, if the PCs got 6 or fewer successes in the previous encounter (see the Development section on page 12), you may (and indeed, should) place the jinsuls in tactically advantageous positions behind cover and outside the box.
p. 14: "Navigating the corridors" may be tough to figure out so I'll give a few examples.
A team of five Obozayas enters the ship and easily defeats the defenders. None of the Obos has Computers, so they can't find the ship's map. (+10 minutes) They boldly approach the command chamber through the main deck. One Obo is chosen to lead the group; she attempts a Hard Stealth check and fails, so other Obos don't even need to roll. They have no choice but to backtrack (+10 minutes) and choose another route. They choose the safe route (+15 minutes). They attempt three Hard Perception checks; the first two times, each Obo rolls individually, but none succeeds (2x +5 minutes). On their third attempt, one of the Obos rolls a nat 20, and the other four Obos each use aid another to help her. Somehow, miraculously, the Obos succeed. They finally reach the command chamber. They spent a total of 45 minutes, so no rest for the Obos, and Luwazi won't be happy either...
A second team (Iseph, Navasi, Guig, Raia) defeats the jinsuls with some difficulty. Each PC attempts the Computers check; several beat the Easy or Average DC and Raia beats the Hard DC (+2 minutes). They choose the crawl spaces route. The PCs attempt the Average Engineering check and easily succeed on their first try (+2 minutes). Then each PC attempts an Easy Acrobatics or Athletics check; two of them succeed and two fail (+10 minutes, 2x +2 minutes). They reach the command chamber in a total of 18 minutes, meaning they can and should take a 10-minute rest before facing the herald.
Greetings, GMs! I just received my copy of #1-39, and if you have any questions about the scenario, please ask them here and I'll try to answer them as quickly as I can.
I hope you have fun running the scenario!
A humble request: if you run a scenario (this one or any other) please also consider reviewing it here at paizo.com. Receiving honest & constructive feedback is important not only for us authors but also for Thurston and everyone else developing the scenarios. Thanks!
While that makes it easy for us to chose any miniature we feel is appropriate, it gives little to no insight into the intention of the author. I think we can all admit that "group of thorny plants" is pretty vague and relatively unhelpful to answer the player question, "what do we see, what are they?"
Firstly, everyone, sorry about my lack of participation in this discussion!
Bob, to answer your questions about the descriptions, I'll try to describe some of the difficulties of writing an interactive special that contributed to the vagueness of the monster descriptions.
A "normal" PFS or SFS scenario is 10k or 12k words, while the two interactive specials I've written were each 20k words. It sounds like it's a plenty, but since there are only 4-5 encounters in a typical scenario and around 20 in a special, each encounter on average gets 50% or less space. There are also a lot more GM instructions both for Table GMs and the House GM, which means even less space for each individual encounter. Here it's important to note that stat blocks in specials do *not* count against the 20k limit because they go into the back matter, while in normal scenarios they *do* count against the word limit.
One of the difficulties of writing specials is their sheer size -- keeping track of everything and fighting fatigue while trying to come up with 20ish encounters that should all feel fun and exciting. However, personally, even more difficult (+frustrating, tiring) is finding dozens of suitable stat blocks for the 20 or so encounters. Most specials have 5 subtiers; #1-99 has (thankfully) only 4 subtiers, but it's still a lot of stat blocks even though I intentionally try to introduce overlap between subtiers and encounters.
In #9-00 Assault on Absalom, finding suitable stat blocks was difficult and time-consuming and involved some hair-pulling and sacrifices to dark gods, but I think I managed to strike a good balance between ease of use, variety, and having stat blocks that made sense, story-wise. In #1-99, quite frankly, that would have been impossible because the game was still new; I basically had only AA1 and Pact Worlds NPC stat blocks to work with, and it's not much. It was a lot of extra work to create (I think) around two dozen new stat blocks, but that really was the only way to get monsters that felt unique enough to this unexplored region of space, had a reasonable amount of variety, and last but not least, had suitable CRs for the encounters.
An additional layer of difficulty comes from the amount of editing a special requires after you've finished writing. I'm usually several thousand words over the limit at that stage, and the only ways to fix that are simplifying mechanics (very useful but also *very* difficult and time-consuming) and cutting descriptions (relatively fast and easy). You can probably guess which type of text is more likely to get cut. During development, Thursty also has to remove some text to make other things fit, so descriptions are likely to get hit again.
In summary, interactive specials are really tough m*****f****** to write. They involve a lot of trade-offs and some weird shenanigans to make them work. In #1-99, custom stats were necessary, and creature descriptions were competing for space with tons of other types of information, and as a result, the descriptions are vague. But on the plus side, that leaves more room for creativity on your end, so I hope you can enjoy the freedom of describing the creatures as you see fit. Extrapolating from stat blocks might also help you describe the creatures--e.g. does it attack with tentacles, is it strong or nimble or fast, and so forth.
Pathfinder Society GM. 1,609 posts (1,702 including aliases). 1 review. No lists. No wishlists. 17 Organized Play characters. 6 aliases. 
Contributor
