RevenantBob's page

I don't like how they don't think about VTT for map designs. I get a PDF with the grids already stuck on. Nice if I want to print it myself for a table, but not great for virtual table top. Every map should have an option for No Grid in this day and age.

What is the contract of creation? I see it referenced as something the gods agreed to, but nothing seems to explain what it is!

HP is not meat points.

Last hit is the only one that matters, because that is the descriptive action that actually kills you. All damage before that were abstracted away from taking your life.

That was probably true in Pathfinder, but in Starfinder that's not quite as true. Considering they added stamina to differentiate some abstraction, then the whole Massive Damage rule, and how you can restore HP with medical treatment directly...

It may not be solidified what the value of 1 HP is (Yes that is still Abstract) but it's clear being shot is actually being shot now.

I don't see a problem. It makes logical sense to me.

I think the problem is that you're looking at Unconscious as a mutually exclusive boolean to being dead. HP represents how dead you are.

So it is possible to be unconscious and still full of bullet holes and scorched flesh from beam weapon blasts! What would be unrealistic is a guy is full of bullet holes, and burned flesh and I still have to whittle down some invisible hitpoints to knock him unconscious.

As for the exploit nature of it, if a GM is giving players clarity to know when there is just the right amount of HP to ensure NL attacks knock them unconscious, I feel like something else is wrong with the game. Rules facilitate RP, not replace it. At any point you can ignore what the numbers are telling you and just make a GM call "Hey, this guy is so hurt, giving him an elbow drop is probably going to kill him in this instance". Games pretty much assume GMs are making calls like this because the rules don't cover every possible reality!

Ignore the 18 rule. It was written in line with your Race selection surrounding the +2 race stats, I don't see why a GM should feel that someone can't start with 20 in a stat if they want.

Arguably their matriarchy got WORSE now that the matriarchs are...CORPORATE CEOS!!!

I was thinking more from the point of view of the setting and less "How would Drow be in space?"

Granted, my view is based on the few limited pages of information so maybe something more detailed will be released. But the Pact World agreement turns the idea of "Races" into a more holistic society of peoples. Things from Pathfinder like Alignment and Race as overarching themes seem to take a backseat in Starfinder. They go out of their way to tell you "The average pact world citizen doesn't care about this stuff!"

If it was simply "Let's throw Drow on a spooky scary dark planet and be done with it" then yeah, that would make sense they just kept going as usual with the matriarchy. But this seems like an attempt to shovel them into a role following D&D and less the Pathfinder/Starfinder narrative. In D&D you have a spider god forcing the state. In pathfinder is was an opportunistic situation created by their trek underground. Since the matriarchy evolved from that opportunistic situation, it seems like it would reverse given another opportunity for the males... an opportunity presented very clearly in the Pact!

The Pact World status talks about interplanetary law enforcement, and basic universal rights that are granted to everyone under the pact. I believe I even red Eox people are protected from Pharasma church wiping them all out because of the Pact status.

What this means is all these disgruntled males who don't like the "I'm a woman so I'm better than you" status can do something they couldn't do in Pathfinder setting, which is form alliances with outsiders or just leave. Money is more important in a capitalistic universe, which Pathfinder presents itself as, than all these old traditions. And with people who were never part of Golarion, Drow are nothing more than Elves with dark skin and chips on their shoulders.

So while a male going "I'm gonna make my own corporation" might have their female overlords laughing on Apostae, they can easily get a bunch of themselves together and just deal with anyone but the females, garnering power and support from outside and becoming equal if not greater in power.

When you read the section on Page 430 of the Core Rulebook, it seems clear that being part of the Pact has already influenced Drow. Things like their inability to have "Slaves" (although they have people in statuses close to that) and their trading with all the other worlds (which is even presented in the drow entry for the Alien Archive) means that people are far more open to interacting with Drow in Starfinder than they were in Pathfinder.

To summarize, their isolation is gone, so it's easier for a male to go "I'm oppressed here, let me go move to a different planet" or "Let me go make allies and come back stronger to deal with this matriarchy". Even if the Males look down on their allies, I don't see why it would be beneath them to use these allies to bring their status higher.

Now, I can be utterly wrong in my viewpoint, but the Matriarchy just feels artificial at this point.

Edit:

Then again, maybe their society is still in transition to this lack of Matriarchy. Could make for interesting plots.

I agree with OP, I assumed Drow would have moved past the Matriarchy as well and even had this be the case in the game I'm running. Considering their Golarion backstory it only made sense to me.

Oh well, in my Starfinder universe the matriarchy is finished!