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The new mythic content from the Revenge of the Runelords adventure path - Player's Guide and Lord of the Trinity Star - can be found on Demiplane:

Mythic Callings

• Doomsayer's Calling
  
• Dreamer's Calling
  
• Runelord's Calling
  
• Saga's Calling
  

Mythic Destinies

• Avenging Runelord
  
• Heroic Scion
  
• Timewracked
  
• Warshard Warrior
  

First thoughts:

Both the new callings & destinies are cool & thematic to that adventure path.

The mythic callings suffer a bit from many mythic feats not being updated to work with them, i.e. many mythic feats still have the old callings as prerequisite, thus cannot be taken with the new callings.

The mythic destinies are more powerful/useful than the old mythic destinies and more broadly applicable than just to few classes. I bet a lot of people will like them and want to play with those more "mythic-feely" destinies.

Though I hope there's a bit of an errata coming along to fix the issue with the calling prerequisites as well as an errata to the Avenging Runelord mythic destiny:

When taking the Avenging Runelord dedication feat, a character should be allowed to choose which ability score to use for the spells gained from this destiny. Currently these spells are all innate spells, which means they're all exclusively based on Charisma. This makes this destiny a bad choice for Runelord Wizards (!!!) or any other non-CHA based character. Sorcerers, Oracles, Bards, and Thaumaturges can make much better use of this destiny than INT- or WIS-classes, like Runelord Wizards or Clerics of Lissala, which feels wrong.

Morphic Strike

You can lash out with a portion of your previous self. You gain a melee unarmed Strike depending on your heritage, described below. You can use this unarmed Strike in either your humanoid form or your yaoguai form. These Strikes are in the brawling group. Like other unarmed attacks, you can improve this attack with handwraps of mighty blows.

• Animal [one-action] claw (agile, finesse), Damage 1d6 slashing
  
• Celestial [one-action] spirit touch (magical, sanctified, spirit), Damage 1d4 spirit
  
• Elements [one-action] elemental current (magical), Damage 1d4; this ability deals the same damage type and gains the same elemental traits of the cantrip you gained from your heritage
  
• Object [one-action] striking surface (sweep), Damage 1d8 bludgeoning or slashing (chosen when you gain this feat)
  
• Vegetation [one-action] root (reach), Damage 1d6 bludgeoning

This is a 1st-level ancestry feat and amazing for Monks (and others)!

The Vegetation option gives you a reach unarmed strike, so no more monastic weaponry needed for reach monks!

And the Celestial option is a bit low on the damage side, but borderline overpowered in campaigns where spirit damage evades all the issues with enemy resistances, like in Abomination Vaults. Meanwhile the sanctification means you can just nab a cheap Faith Tattoo and have all your strikes be (un)holy; and since monks get free cold iron on their unarmed attacks too, this triggers two weaknesses on all demons – perfect for campaigns like Spore Wars!

Introducing…

✨ Starfinder: Afterlight ✨

Steam page – Kickstarter page

Launch into a new adventure in the Pact Worlds with the first-ever Starfinder CRPG from our partners at EpicTellers Entertainment! Starfinder Afterlight is coming soon to Kickstarter!

About the game

Gather your crew and venture into the Pact Worlds in a tale of unlikely heroes, cosmic wonders, and the bonds that define us.

The galaxy faces annihilation, your captain has vanished, and doomsday looms. Assemble a crew of misfits from across the stars and become the legends in this single player party-based RPG.

Build Your Legendary Crew

Find 6 unique companions scattered across the stars—from android assassins to mystic prophets. Each brings personal stories and moral dilemmas. The bonds you forge through triumph and loss will determine their destinies—and whether the galaxy survives.

Starfinder 2e Tactical Combat

Experience turn-based tactical combat with Starfinder's classes—soldier, envoy, operative, mystic, solarian and witchwarper. Three actions per turn fuel endless strategies. Level up and collect alien gear while battling everything from Hellknights to holographic viruses.

No Wrong Answers

Experience a story-driven narrative where choices matter. Nothing is forbidden—everything has consequences. Choose salvation or profit, mercy or vengeance. Factions remember your deeds, companions judge your heart, and branching storylines ensure no two adventures are alike.

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From neon stations to undead worlds, from digital gods to cosmic dragons. Explore the Pact Worlds across 40-60 hours of adventure where magic and technology unite. In this universe, anything is possible—and probably trying to kill you.

Featuring

Stellar voice cast directed by Neil Newbon [voice of Astarion in BG3]

Multiple difficulty settings from story-focused to tactical nightmare

Original soundtrack by Eduardo de la Iglesia

Mod support and community tools (PC)

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Rank 2 — Divine, Occult

2 Actions — RARE, Concentrate, Holy, Manipulate

Area 30-foot emanation

Duration sustained for up to 1 minute

You perform a dance that seeks to pass on the knowledge and wisdom of a naga. Your allies in the area are filled with sacred energy, making their spells and attacks holy. Creatures or effects that would be unholy don't gain this benefit.

When you cast or Sustain this spell, you can choose an ally in the area that's Grabbed, Immobilized, or Restrained. They can immediately use a reaction to Escape; they can use your Occultism or Religion modifier for the check instead of their unarmed attack, Acrobatics, or Athletics modifier if that would be better.

Is it intentional that this spell doesn't make your own spells & attacks holy, since you don't count as your own ally?

At first this looked like a way to finally get some (at least temporary) holy/sanctification going on non-Cleric divine casters, but no... .

It seems weird to me that you can cast this holy spell to infuse everyone, except yourself. Maybe rephrase it to "Creatures of your choice in the area..." for the first part and leave only the second part of the spell for allies?

How exactly does the Lore Oracle's revelation spell Brain Drain work at the table (or VTT)?

After the enemy failed their Will save and you get your chance to RK:

You probe the target's mind to glean knowledge. This deals 1d8 mental damage with a basic Will save. If the target fails the save, you sort through the stolen memories to attempt a single check to Recall Knowledge. Choose a skill that has the Recall Knowledge action, and use the target's skill modifier for the check.

The first major issue is: You don't even know which skills the target is untrained/trained/exp/mas/leg in, or is the GM supposed to tell the player that? Because not knowing the modifier you roll with, in fact not even knowing the Lore skill options the target has, really makes this borderline unusable.

Example: You successfully brain-drain a car expert [Legendary in these Lores: "Sports Cars", "Race Cars", "Luxury Cars", "Historic Cars", "Modern Cars"] and you ask the GM to roll RK with "Lore: Cars" because you expect him to have that, and the GM then rolls with a +0 modifier [because untrained in "Lore: Cars"]... seems RAW how it should be done but also too bad to be true.

The second major issue is: Which skills do you roll if you want to access a target's very individual knowledge: Where are the traps in your headquarters? What's the secret passphrase to enter the crypt? What are the plans of your BBEG boss?

The victim most likely knows the answers to these questions (maybe partially, GM decision), but which skill can be used to access this information? Especially considering that the target might not be trained in a single RK skill.

Or, even more trivial things: What's your name? Where do you live? Who are your friends? What's your favorite food? The target definitely knows these things, but they might not be trained in Society at all [assuming they're a Humanoid]. So as per RAW it would basically be impossible for a target to even access that information.

Example: Would a Baomal be able to know that it can swim or breathe underwater? It's a level 20 aberration, not trained in Occultism nor any applicable Lore, and has an INT modifier of -3. It would fail a RK check on that question 15% of the time, even if the GM were to set a DC of 1.

tl;dr

How should this spell be interpreted and how would it be used at the table, step-by-step?

For RAI purposes, if it's applicable even, here's the Pf1e Lore Oracle's Brain Drain revelation:

Brain Drain (Su): You can take a standard action to violently probe the mind of a single intelligent enemy within 100 feet. The target receives a Will save to negate the effect and immediately knows the source of this harmful mental prying. Those who fail this save are wracked with pain, taking 1d4 points of damage per oracle level. After successfully attacking with this ability, you may use a fullround action to sort through the jumble of stolen thoughts and memories to make a single Knowledge check using the victim’s skill bonus. The randomly stolen thoughts remain in your mind for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier. Treat the knowledge gained as if you used detect thoughts. This is a mind-affecting effect. You can use this ability once per day at 1st level, plus one additional time per day at 5th level and for every 5 levels beyond 5th.

If a Ghost uses transformations, like Morphs, Polymorphs, or an ancestry-given Change Shape, what happens? Does it remain ghostly/incorporeal?

The polymorph rules say that "the special statistics can be adjusted only by circumstance bonuses, status bonuses, and penalties", however the Ghost's Float ability would change any Land Speed to a Fly Speed without being such a bonus. Can a polymorphed Ghost-Deer fly really fast?

Is the Ghost recognizable as a ghost/incorporeal? What if it merged/turned into a plant or stone?

The Oracle's Time mystery had the 3rd-rank spell Time Pocket replaced, which I understand. But why was the Hypercognition spell chosen as a replacement instead of the far more thematic Time Jump spell???

So, how does the Elf ancestry feat Magic Rider

Your people used powerful magic to travel between distant worlds in the distant past, and the remnants of that magic make such transportation easier for you. When you are the target of a teleportation spell that transports more than one person, it can affect an additional person beyond the normal limit, chosen by the caster. Additionally, when you're the target of a teleport spell, you and the other targets arrive no farther than 1 mile off target, regardless of distance traveled.

work with the spell Unexpected Transposition

Cast [reaction] verbal; Trigger You are targeted with an enemy's Strike.

When attacked, you attempt to quickly swap your own position with that of another creature. A creature that is unwilling to swap places with you must attempt a Will save. Willing creatures automatically fail. If you successfully switch places with the target, the triggering attack is resolved against that creature as if it had been the original target of the attack. After the swap, you and the target are both temporarily immune to unexpected transposition spells for 1 minute. You automatically switch places if the target is willing. If it's unwilling, it can attempt a Will save. Neither of you teleports if the target succeeds at its save.

since the spell does indeed teleport more than one person?

Just a little tip I haven't seen mentioned anywhere.

Here are the rules on spells that last until your daily preparations:

If a spell’s duration says it lasts until your next daily preparations, on the next day you can refrain from preparing a new spell in that spell’s slot. (If you are a spontaneous caster, you can instead expend a spell slot during your preparations.) Doing so extends the spell’s duration until your next daily preparations. This effectively Sustains the spell over a long period of time. If you prepare a new spell in the slot (or don’t expend a spell slot), the spell ends. You can’t do this if the spell didn’t come from one of your spell slots. If you are dead or otherwise incapacitated at the 24-hour mark after the time you Cast the Spell or the last time you extended its duration, the spell ends. Spells with an unlimited duration last until counteracted or Dismissed. You don’t need to keep a spell slot open for these spells.

A lot of spontaneous casters, especially Sorcerers & Psychics, but also Oracles & Bards can benefit from this rule for spells they want to keep up indefinitely, like Mystic Armor. You only need to expend a spell-slot during daily preparations to keep the spell up, there's no need to have the spell still in your repertoire!

For example, you can cast Mystic Armor at the beginning of your adventuring career at humble level 1, then replace the spell with something else at level 2 (or during retraining), but you can still keep Mystic Armor up and running as long as you diligently expend the spell-slot every day during daily preparations.

Considering how few spells spontaneous casters have in their repertoire, especially at early levels, this can allow you to take that one extra spell you wanted to know besides Mystic Armor (or other daily buff spell of your choice).

Have fun!

What are your thoughts on the remastered/new Oracle mysteries?

For information:

ASH is basically the same as before in terms of flavor and focus spells.

The domains are: Destruction, Dust, Fire, Nothingness (remastered Void)
Free feat: Whispers of Weakness
Granted spells: Ignition (0), Breathe Fire (1), Mist (2; takes the form of ash), Disintegrate (6)
Curse of Creeping Ashes:
Cursebound 1 You gain weakness 2 to fire damage. Any immunity or resistance you have to fire is suppressed.
Cursebound 2 Swirling ash imposes a -2 circumstance penalty to ranged attack rolls you make.
Cursebound 3 Your weakness to fire damage is equal to 5 + your level.
Cursebound 4 You take a –10-foot status penalty to all your Speeds as your limbs begin to crumble like ash.

TIME is basically the same as before in terms of flavor and focus spells.

The domains are: Change, Fate, Nothingness (remastered Void), Time
Free feat: Oracular Warning
Granted spells: Time Sense (0), Déjà Vu (1), Time Pocket (3), Time Beacon (7)
Curse of Turbulent Moments:
You take a status penalty to your AC against attacks made against you from reactions or free actions and a status penalty to saving throws against effects that would make you fatigued or slowed equal to your cursebound value.

BLIGHT

The domains are: Death, Decay, Disorientation, Plague
Free feat: Whispers of Weakness
Granted spells: Caustic Blast (0), Noxious Vapors (1), Fungal Infestation (2), Toxic Cloud (5)
Curse of Inevitable Rot:
Cursebound 1 You gain weakness 2 to acid and poison damage.
Cursebound 2 You take a –1 status penalty to saving throws against diseases and poisons. In addition, anyone attempting to Treat your Disease, Poison, or Wounds takes a –1 status penalty to the associated skill check.
Cursebound 3 Your weakness to acid and poison damage increases to twice your level.
Cursebound 4 Your status penalty to saving throws against diseases and poisons and the status penalty for anyone attempting to Treat your Disease, Poison, or Wounds increases to –2.

The Blight revelation spells are all 2-action cast, 30 ft range spells:

ULCEROUS CANKER

UNCOMMON CONCENTRATE MANIPULATE ORACLE POISON VOID
Targets 1 living creature
Defense Fortitude
Weeping sores open on the target as you expose it to decay, dealing 1d4 void damage and 1d4 poison damage plus 1 persistent bleed damage. The target must attempt a Fortitude save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half the initial damage and no persistent bleed damage.
Failure The target takes full damage.
Critical Failure The creature takes double initial damage and double persistent bleed damage.
Heightened (+2) The void damage and poison damage each increase by 1d4, and the persistent bleed damage increases by 2.

PURGING TOXINS

UNCOMMON CONCENTRATE MANIPULATE ORACLE POISON
Targets 1 willing creature
In the right dose, a scourge can become a cure. Deal poison damage equal to the spell’s level to the target, then attempt a counteract check against one disease or poison afflicting the target. The target is then temporarily immune for 24 hours. If the target is immune to poison, this spell has no effect.
Heightened (5th) You can attempt counteract checks against
any number of poisons or diseases afflicting the target.

ACCELERATED DECOMPOSITION

UNCOMMON CONCENTRATE MANIPULATE ORACLE VOID
Targets 1 creature
Defense Fortitude
You speed the natural process of a creature’s decline and debilitation. As its body withers, the target takes 9d6 void damage and must attempt a Fortitude save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half damage and is your choice of clumsy 1, drained 1, or enfeebled 1 for 1 round.
Failure The target takes full damage and is clumsy 1, drained 1, and enfeebled 1 for 1 round.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and is clumsy 1, drained 1, and enfeebled 1 for 1 minute.
Heightened (+1) The void damage increases by 1d6.

I'd like to know what the community thinks about three issues I have with the Dancing Shield spell:

#1: It seems to me that this spell can be used on a Fortress Shield to increase an ally's AC by +3, right?

#2: It also seems that this spell can be used on any (touched) shield, regardless if it is worn, held, or in possession of an unwilling creature even. As such it is an "automatic disarm" on a shield. Probably not RAI, but RAW, right?

#3: Where it gets wonky is when this spell is used with the Reach Spell spellshape. The rules on touch spells aren't quite clear if the spell requires a touch but has a non-touch range. The last sentence can be interpreted as "touch" basically meaning "0 ft range". As such, could Reach Spell + Dancing Shield be used to target shields 30 ft away instead of just those in touch range?

While all elves are immune to the paralyzing touch of ghouls, you can shake off flesh-numbing magic of all kinds. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to saves against effects that would impose the immobilized, paralyzed, or slowed conditions. When you would be immobilized, paralyzed, or slowed for at least 2 rounds, reduce that duration by 1 round.

Grapple imposes the Grabbed condition or the Restrained condition, both of which incorporate the Immobilized condition, upon a (crit) failed save. Wouldn't then technically Grapple & similar abilities be subject to this effect as well? Thus the DC to grapple an Elf with Elven Verve should be +1 higher than usual, right?

I've checked whether a bonus to a save only applies to you rolling the save, but according to the rules the save DC does include all modifiers from the save.

Am I mistaken or does Elven Verve really work against every effect that imposes the Immobilized condition, even if that condition is just part of another condition? Or would it only work on things like Entangling Flora which directly impose that condition?

Just throwing this out there, as I haven't seen anyone else recommend it yet. The new Energy Fusion spellshape for Sorcerers is really great! The old Energy Fusion metamagic only worked with "acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage", but the remastered version works with ALL energy damage types, which includes force, void, and vitality!

ENERGY FUSION FEAT 10

CONCENTRATE SORCERER SPELLSHAPE

You fuse two spells together, combining their energy types. If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that deals energy damage, select a non-cantrip spell in your spell repertoire that deals a different type of energy damage, and expend an additional spell slot of the same rank as this secondary spell. The spell you cast deals additional damage equal to the rank of the secondary spell slot expended. The spell’s total damage is divided evenly between the energy type of the spell you cast and the energy type of the secondary spell.

For example, I used a 5th-rank Force Barrage spell (2-Action cast, 1 action spellshape) with it to turn half the damage of each "magic missile" into sonic damage in a fight against a golem with a sonic weakness (Crystal Sentinel), as I had no other good spells available. Made 36d10 [=6x6d10] damage!

Some low-rank spells are really good for that conversion:
- Thunderstrike gives the option to deal either lightning or sonic damage
- Force Barrage for never-resisted force damage
- Grim Tendrils which gives arcane Sorcerers easy access for void damage
- Heal for primal Sorcerers to easily access vitality damage on every spell, and you're likely to have it as a signature spell anyway.

I usually took Overwhelming Energy at level 10 on a blaster Sorcerer, but Energy Fusion seems better, as you can easily trigger any known weakness. Feel free to have your Fireballs deal half lightning, thunder, force, void, vitality, ... damage. And at level 10 you usually have low-rank spell-slots to spare (especially with a Ring of Wizardry).

Elemental bloodline and Draconic bloodline Sorcerers with an energy breath weapon will especially love this spellshape, making your focus spells always useful options.

The following part might be ruled differently by your GM, but the way this spellshape is written seems to allow using it with sorcerer spell-slots + non-sorcerer spells from other repertoires (i.e. archetypes), as the feat only requires you to sacrifice a spell-slot of equal rank to the selected spell. Notably it does not require that you're able to cast the selected spell from the expended spell-slot. For example, an arcane Sorcerer with a 1st-rank Heal from the Oracle basic spellcasting archetype feat could sacrifice one of his 1st-rank Sorcerer spell-slots to fuse vitality energy into his Chain Lightning. YMMV but I'm confident in it being allowed RAW.

Have fun with fusion!

Just saw this over on Reddit; Guns & Gears is going to get Remastered.

Maybe Dark Archive, and other books (Secrets of Magic, Book of the Dead, Treasure Vault, Rage of Elements), will get a Remaster as well?

What are you looking for in the Remaster version?

Can you retrain an alternate racial trait to get the standard racial trait back?

If your campaign uses alternate racial traits, you can retrain a racial trait. This takes 20 nonconsecutive days and requires a trainer with the racial trait you want. The replacement trait must be an appropriate one from your racial list. The old and new racial traits must replace the same standard racial trait. For example, the magic resistant and stubborn alternate dwarven traits replace the hardy standard trait, so you can retrain one of those for the other.

Can the dwarf from that example just get the Hardy standard trait back instead?

I have two questions about the Eldritch Heritage feat.

1) Humans (& Half-Elves & Half-Orcs) can get the Draconic Heritage alternate racial trait in exchange for the Skilled racial trait:

Draconic Heritage

At times, a human’s family history can have a dragon’s power bound to the bloodline. Humans with this trait gain darkvision with a range of 10 feet and low-light vision. They can also ignore the Charisma prerequisite for Eldritch Heritage and any feat that has Eldritch Heritage as a prerequisite, but can select only the draconic bloodline with these feats. This replaces the bonus skill rank humans receive at each level.

And there is the wondrous item Ampoule of False Blood:

Ampoule of False Blood

If a sorcerer (or other creature with sorcerer bloodline powers, such as from the Eldritch Heritage feat in Ultimate Magic)...

If the drinker is a sorcerer, her bloodline permanently changes to match that of the ampoule. In this case, the sorcerer’s bonus spells, bloodline arcana, and bloodline powers all permanently change to match those of the ampoule’s bloodline.

So a (demi-)human can take the Draconic Heritage trait & the Skill Focus: Perception, then get the Eldritch Heritage (Draconic Bloodline) feat, and finally end up with any bloodline (minus the gold for the ampoule)? And you could ignore the Charisma prerequisites of the Eldritch Heritage feats at the same time, right?

----

2) When you take the Eldritch Heritage feat at 3rd level, does that allow you to get a Bloodline Familiar as well (as long as you have one of the listed bloodlines)?

Bloodline Familiars

Those with an inherent connection to magic often attract creatures who feel a similar instinctive pull toward magical forces. At 1st level, a sorcerer, bloodrager, or any other character with one of the following bloodlines can choose to gain a bloodline familiar. The character gains a familiar (as a wizard’s familiar), treating her class level as her wizard level for the purposes of this ability. This familiar has an additional ability listed below based on the master’s bloodline.

This replaces the 1st-level bloodline power granted by the character’s bloodline

That would make the feat much better, since you wouldn't be required to take the Arcane bloodline, e.g. Abyssal for those who want a familiar and the inherent Strength bonus later.

And, finally the 2-1/2 question:

Why would anyone with the Arcane bloodline take a normal familiar instead of the enhanced Arcane bloodline familiar? Is there any downside to taking the bloodline familiar? I don't see it.

Arcane—Spell Catalyst (Su): Spells you cast that target your familiar are treated as having a caster level 2 levels higher than your actual caster level.

I am a little confused about the Deny Succor hex, available from the shaman's Life spirit:

Deny Succor (Su): The shaman can place this hex on a single creature within 30 feet. The target does not heal damage from cure spells and does not benefit from any spells or effects that remove conditions. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 the shaman’s level. A successful Will saving throw negates this effect. Whether or not the saving throw is successful, the creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 24 hours.

The shaman and oracle guides always rate it as red (i.e. very bad) and I couldn't find any discussion about it here. Maybe I misunderstood it, which is why I am asking here now, my focus being this part of the hex:

The target ... does not benefit from any spells or effects that remove conditions.

If I understand this correctly, then this hex negates every spell, potion, ability, ... that removes any condition, right? So no Heal or Restoration spells?

And the way it is written means that the entire effect of such a spell/effect is negated for the target, not just the condition removal part of the spell, so Heal would not restore any hit points either, right?

This means no Lay on Hands from paladins? No Focusing Attack for rogues? Does it prevent Dispel Magic from removing Incorporeal Chains (Grappled condition) on the target? No re-roll abilities or second chance effects to remove conditions? Does it suppress the effects of a paladin's Aura of Courage on the target (as it would remove the Fear condition)? Would it prevent a Wish from resurrecting the target (as it removes the Dead condition)?

True, it lasts only for 1/2 the shaman's level in rounds, but during that time it basically prevents any condition being removed from the target by any means (unless the condition's duration expires), right?

The sorcerer's Harrow bloodline adds the "Greater Harrowing" bonus spell at level 15, i.e. as a 7th-level spell; but "Greater Harrowing" is a 6th-level spell for sorcerers. Is this a mistake or what does it mean?