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I think it's less of a balancing act as it is coming to a new understanding of healing in this specific RPG. In my decades-of-D&D mindset, I've been conditioned to view healing as predominately a function of spellcasting, with additional abilities like a Paladin's Lay on Hands, or Medicine skill, or Healing Potions as being supplemental sources that help round out the task of keeping the party alive. With Healing Channel, that dynamic shifts. The bigger heals come from the supplemental sources and are supported rather by spellcasting. This is perfectly okay. Resolve Points take the place of Spell Slots, and spell slots are freed up allow the mystic a more robust expression of the class during gameplay; they don't have to deliberately hold slots to heal but can be more active members of encounters. It also allows for more dynamic healing options ("Can I afford to stand still and heal everyone, or do I need to keep moving and heal only the most injured?"), and I am all about giving players options. All of this is just fine; it just took me a bit longer than I would have liked to recognize and adapt to this concept as it seems so foreign to what I've done before. Had the numbers been reversed (2d8 for Mystic Cure and 1d8 for Healing Channel) I never would have even blinked. Thanks for the conversation, guys.
I dont play Pathfinder, so the only other reference I have is 5th ed. Life domain cleric's ability is very similar, with a few restrictions; choose any within range and divide among. That being said, in this instance the more I look at it the more I think it just is a fountain of HP for everyone. My biggest concern is that, to me, it seems to invalidate the risk vs. reward dynamic; combat seems entirely too survivable now, but it does free the Mystic healer up to do things other than cures with their spells. As I said before, paragigm shift.
"This energy restores 2d8 hit points and increases by 2d8 at 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter". It also doesn't say 2d8 per person in area of effect. The concept of a healing hand grenade is pretty darned cool. The numbers of it, however, feel out of proportion, and make other options insignificant pretty quick. Mystic Cure is only worth 1d8? As a directed healing spell that I have to throw a spell slot away for? I probably wouldn't even blink twice if the numbers were reversed, 2d8 for Mystic Cure and 1d8 for Healing Channel. And, it might very well be that Starfinder requires me to change my gaming paradigm in that Healer Mystics pop life grenades as their main focus and spellcasting is the secondary concept that supports and enhances as opposed to the main show. I can live with that, but it's still a "WTF" moment.
FAQ Question I guess. The Healing Channel wording seems a bit ambiguous to me. I am thinking the correct interpretation of Healing Channel is that it does 2d8 (at first level), and that depending on what type of action you take who the target(s) is/are? So 2d8 to self (move), 2d8 to an ally (standard), or 2d8 shared among those allies in range (full)? Or is it "I get 2d8. You get 2d8. EVERYBODY gets 2d8!!" That seems a bit too good to me, that because it's used it as a Full action you get (for a party of 4) the equivalent of 8d8 in heals!
The point isn't whether or not the argument holds up when armchair-quarterbacked. The point is whether or not it made sense to the characters/players while they were in the moment. My stance isn't 'Is it a good decision?', but rather 'I can see how they came to that conclusion'. From the other players it made perfect sense and I could probably (it's too early and pre-coffee to be making guarantees - lol!) justify it under most of the good and neutral alignment spectrums. Again, repercussions, but I can defend how the players came to the conclusions they came to.
"I found some dead bodies and live goblins and ghosts from other explorers. Fearing that unknown chambers might harbor other life and there was a chance such life wasn't a fully protected citizen of the Pact Worlds who I'd be murdering, I blew up billions of credits of property that wasn't mine because I think third level dudes with a weak salvage ship are the best decision makers and last line of defense when parked next to the best defended and most sophisticated center of government in the entire galaxy. When do we get our heroic parade?" "We found at least two dangerously harmful alien species on a rock that can't be fully scanned and we have no idea if there are more chambers hidden within and more of these abberations; one can phase shift through material and consume life essence, the other reproduces through its bite. If either species were to get on station, the death toll could be immense. The only logical thing to do, no matter the cost to us, is to destroy that rock." A good GM doesn't force their point of view on the players. They act impartially, critically thinking about what the characters want to do, and using the repercussions of that action to influence future games. What the players did in this instance is the core of survivalist science fiction, with people taking a stand for the greater good no matter the personal cost.
I may have to do the "Make your own pawns" route, but to be honest, so far I've just been using the basic box for everything. I did use the Akata out of one of the Pathfinder boxes though. For the maps, I went to Staples and printed them out big. I'm probably not supposed to do that, but I'm not letting anyone use the maps but me in my home game. They look GORGEOUS! The loss of resolution at this level has no impact at all as far as I am concerned, and the players really like them. I wouldn't wander in the photos too much though - just a fat old man posting his crappy Warhammer paintings. EDIT: I would DEFINITELY pay an additional fee for the map art in the format the artist submits. We've had so much fun playing on these maps that it is easily worth it to me.
This isn't just bad decision making on the players part, this is a pretty poor call on the DMs part. However, it's his call and his campaign. I'm going to disagree on this. It's poor decision-making from your point of view. From the other players it made perfect sense and I could probably (it's too early and pre-coffee to be making guarantees - lol!) justify it under most of the good and neutral alignment spectrums.
I am sorry you are not enjoying your game. I am running two games of 5 players each, but my experience running both groups is only anecdotal. Out of 10 players, only 1 "hyper-specialized" his character during my lead-in introduction to the game, and actually toned his ysoki operative down for the actual AP. DC check 20's are regularly attainable. Consider reviewing page 133, specifically Aid Another. Having 8-ish in skill mods (Trained is +1, Class Skill is additional +3, a reasonable 16 in stat for +3 more, +1 for operative's edge or other class bonuses), coupled with +2 aid puts you in the 50-50 range to hit that target number. I don't think that unreasonable at all. Your laser trap is run wrong. It's 3d6 damage, not 6d6, found on a Perception of 21, not 24, and disabled on an Engineering 15 (pg 28 in the AP). Again, somewhere in the 50% chance of finding it from average characters; not that hard. Real bad day if the GM rolls trip-sixes, but average damage barely gets through Stamina. The DC 20 information is reasonably easy to get and rewards the group with the larger XP reward. The DC 30 information is much more difficult, but rewards phenominal success with more "story information" than "necessary information" for player success, and rewards a modest XP gain. Loss of that exceptional but modest XP gain does not inhibit the players being able to make Level 2 and 3 in the areas they should (I did extensive XP mapping due to running 5 instead of 4 in order to make sure the larger parties leveled in the same areas). Combat has run an average of 5 rounds. I keep track of rounds because we have a solarian and I'm tracking his charges. My players are generally hitting EACs fairly easy. KACs are only modestly upgraded (12 instead of 10). PC damage tends to be small until someone gets a crit or a really good damage roll. Enemy do not have Stamina, so pew-pewing through 13 HP at 1d4 at a time isn't really that big of a deal. Standing here and not sitting at your table, I have a hard time seeing exactly where the problem is. My experience has been quite different from yours. Starting character stats put the players as accomplished, and numbers seem fair. When players fail it hasn't been catastrophic, and the AP seems well thought out and reasonably balanced. Again, I am sorry you are not enjoying your game.
That was my thought the ships you have any access to don't really have the power to really blow up the rock and what damage they could do would take a really long time. I doubt they would have been given the time to do any major damage. Except that they did. Whether or not they should have even been able to is now out of the question because the GM already ruled it happened. So there are a lot of things you can do with this, and I don't think at this point the AP is unsalvageable. The first thing I would do is shift every Astral Extractions attitude to hostile for future encounters (pg 140). I would probably set the DC modifier to +20, +15, ... etc. unless the PCs do something specific to get them into the good graces of Astral Extractions. You might also consider shifting everyone else's attitude (whomever may be involved with the situation) one left to represent how the action, no matter how well-meaning, is not received well. I hate to bring politics into it, but consider how polarizing the NFL players kneeling during the anthem has become. Your group is now the players, and they're going to find out they are now infamous. Returning to station can be real uncomfortable, and may come with repercussions, especially from Nox. I have no direct idea, but from what I've gleaned from the boards here, the game is about to take a significant shift. With the drift rock gone, NPCs will want to interrogate the players for any information as opposed to gain access to the rock, so it is entirely feasible that the AP continues on as laid out. GM to GM advice: Sometimes you have to say "No, you can't do that", especially in a published AP that you haven't seen the whole of. Case in point: Duravor Kreel. In order for the story to move forward, his death has to happen. It's easy enough to justify that ships' weapons don't have any apparent affect on the drift rock. It's survived this long without any meteor damage? Something must be up regarding its construction. Each table to its own. My group also has a goblin pit crew; they found their zaniness adorable and kept one of them as crew (the other got killed during the adventure).
I know it's not official Starfinder dice, but Q-Workshop does have an interesting page of Tech Dice that may do in a pinch.
This is perfectly amazing. We RPG nuts tend to take stances on things because they make sense to us and never realize there are others out there that play differently. For me, 4.0 was the easiest edition to plan, stat and run out of every version of D&D from 1979 forward. But that's just for me, and is based upon my tastes and experiences, the way I run games and my players have responded, and how much time and effort I have available/want to put into design. As for me, character doesn't come from the stats. It comes from how I play the npc, and no amount of numbers on a page are going to help me achieve that.
I've been running two groups, and to be honest I've found the AP a bit tame so far. Combat with 4 usually runs around 5 rounds and then it's over, with maybe the 'tank' getting hit hard but most of the party unscathed (our soldier is playing great and is intercepting attacks and taking the brunt of the damage). I've actually beefed up a few of the encounters a little by adding another antagonist in order to actually bring some challenge to the players. Where you're likely going to have problems is Spoiler: at the final encounter. We haven't gotten there yet, but several groups are saying the final big-bad is difficult, and only having 3 players can be a concern. That being said, the AP introduces the opportunity for you to get some assistance to the party in the form of a pair of goblin stow-aways, and Clara-247, an assassin hired to kill the group. Clara-247's motivation to join the group in order to get off the drift rock makes her a perfect option for joining the group for the final big-bad.
I'm more interested in the public opinion on the fact that my players took Clara-247 as prisoner and then, after an argument about what to do to her, one of the players executed her while tied down. That's gonna be an interesting sh*tshow to watch when they get back to the station some day :) Yeah!! She was in the act of giving up and telling the team about her being hired to kill them when one of my players (my son, <facepalm>) shot her in the back. That's making me think pretty hard right now.
Okay!! I *think* I have things set up correctly. On my Google Drive you will find the rough-but-ready adventure preview in Word format, and I have the tickets I printed out on cardstock to give to the players (I like to do little game artifacts like that). If you have any problems accessing it let me know. Enjoy!
I'm specifically referencing computers in this because of my IRL experience, but the concepts remain the same across all types of equipment, regardless. Long story short: I was a frothy computer nerd in the era where home computers just became a thing. The stuff we had access to was sold through Sears and the like (VIC 20s, etc.) Found my first actual computer store. I started looking at the fancy computers. The dealer looked me over a couple times, grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me over to an Apple II playing a crap version of Centipede in a corner by itself. In other words, he didn’t even entertain the notion of selling me a high level machine because I looked like a kid. It’s just an anecdote, but “You’re not old enough to have it” has been an actual thing in our own society. For an in-game reason, sure. You want to spend your cash on a Level 4 machine, I will up-sell your <colorful euphemism> all day long. The fact that you don’t have the relevant experience to work it (be it through professional training, OJT or “I just tinkered until it worked”) means that I won’t let it operate higher than your level +1. Might even force a penalty on you because you don’t know what you’re doing and just deleted the root directory, etc. Just because you bought a router doesn’t mean you earned your Cisco networking certificate and have optimized your home network. In other words, your character level represents you as the whole person, not just you the techno-wizard. So much of that is abstraction and includes your knowledge and skills beyond what’s directly portrayed in the game. Level 1 gets you the right to work on Computer 1 and 2 systems, just enough knowledge to log in and accidentally delete the file structure. It’s not a perfect paradigm, but it’s good enough. If arguments persist then it’s not really about the system and you will have to look more at the motivation behind the argument. After all, we're demanding extreme logic and structure from "Wizards and Warp Drives". I'm not sure that can reasonably be found.
^^ What Ventnor said. Kasatha have the option of having multiple weapons drawn continually, then select which arm(s) to attack with. Game changer? No. Game impact? Yes. So in this case I'd say you could have 4 arms, but I wouldn't allow you to have the 4 Arms racial feat.
I don't have the experience you guys do and I think we might be running a bit fast. We started the 27th of August with an intro event, and I think chances are high we will finish book 1 this weekend. We're playing weekly 4 hour sessions. I think we are starting to slow down a bit. I am embellishing more, and they are investigating more, so I think a lot of speed through the adventure depends on the character of your players.
Hey guys, I just wanted to share with you how I introduced my teams (I'm running two groups) to the Adventure Path! First, I wanted this to act as an introduction. Our group hasn’t collectively played 3.5, and none of us have played Pathfinder, so I thought it a good idea to go through a couple of things. This included tactical combat, skills checks, vehicle chases and starship combat. Also, Starfinder has a lot of depth to it. You can’t just throw characters together without some forethought. I wanted an opportunity for the group to work out roles and the like, not just for ground but also for space. I thought the clever way to handle this was for players to do a “virtual reality interview”. They would create bare-bones characters and take note of skills and such as they went through the fight. What ones did they find REALLY important, etc. Or, did they discover the race/class combo they selected ended up being something they had no real ownership to? They would then have the week until the official game start to create fully fleshed out characters. So Tiger, why the focus on something sexual? Well … this was a complete (and I mean COMPLETE) rip-off of the opening to Raiders of the Lost Ark. The golden idol is of the Incan fertility goddess Pachamama. Starfinder-up Pachamama to Ashrea, add in telepathy and a jungle and we’re looking for the Lashuntan Kama Sutra. The only real write-up I did was for the intro. After that we’re in virtual fast-forward so I ran all that off the cuff, outside of the encounter specifics. If anyone is interested in the full write-up let me know and I will get it to you. INTRODUCTION:
Welcome to the Starfinder Society! We appreciate your interest and look forward to future collaboration.
Your application will be conducted through a virtual reality exercise conducted at a local ABADARCORP facility, where you will be randomly grouped with other aspirants throughout the Pact Worlds. Successful applicants who have demonstrated resourcefulness, ingenuity, and team building under grueling conditions will be invited to the Lorespire Complex on Absalom Station, where you will have the opportunity to be inducted into the Starfinder Society! The Starfinder Society is proud to be associated with ABADARCORP, your partner in financial and data security throughout the Pact Worlds. Today – Tomorrow – Eternity. ABADARCORP. Mission Brief: The Chachapoyan Manuscript, also known as the Lashuntan Golden Rule Manuscript, is an important artifact from Lashuntan history. It has been called the ‘Golden Rule’ manuscript based upon a precept of this telepathic society: Reveal unto others as you would have revealed unto you. This document is a collection of analogies, teachings, precepts and prophesies that are attributed to P’Chamam, a prophet to Arshea, the androgynous god of sexuality and physical pleasure. Its’ importance to a telepathic society cannot be overly stressed. Learning how to handle sexual desire and romantic feelings in yourself is difficult enough; throw that into a society that communicates without barriers and this aspect of life can quickly become overwhelming. Recent archaeological and historical documents raise the possibility that the Chachapoyan Manuscript is located in an ancient complex on the planet of Castrovel. Much of the planet has been given over to nature, so the area is heavily overgrown. Your ship will arrive in the clearing marked on the map. You will then travel by air sled to the temple site, enter the temple, and retrieve the manuscript. Appropriate landing permits have been secured, so you will have no problems from the government. It is important that we have an opportunity to complete an in-depth analysis and scan of the manuscript before turning it over to Lady Morana Kesh and the Threefold House. While they are extremely supportive of the Starfinder Society, modern-day conceptions and controversies surrounding the manuscript could prevent its availability for independant study for over a century. Please insert your individualized Avatar key and personal identa-chip at this time; your simulation will begin shortly. ENCOUNTER ONE: Quill hound/Combat:
Discuss that there is a starship and two crew waiting for you. They’ve also unloaded an Exploration Buggy (modified to fit 4). Fast-forward the scenario as a ride through the jungle to the base of an Inca-like pyramid in a clearing. Lurking there is a Quill Hound. Use stats for the Akata, save convert it to an animal and lose all the aberration stuff. Instead, the Quill Hound has a spiny mane it can shoot, or players might prick themselves on the mane if they make a successful attack.
Melee bite +8 (1d6+2 P)
Special Ability: Neck Quills (Ex) Quill Hounds have a porcupine-like fringe around their head and neck. These quills have a range of 15 feet, and can inflict a deadly neurotoxin. Successful melee attacks must roll save vs. Reflect DC 12 to avoid accidentally hitting the quills themselves. QUILL HOUND NEUROTOXIN
ENCOUNTER TWO: Pit Trap/Skills:
See the Starfinder Rules for the pit trap. Any players that fall into the pit will reappear in ENCOUNTER FOUR. ENCOUNTER THREE: Manuscript/Skills:
Just play this up. I had a manuscript, closed on a podium. Cables enter the spine, so they can do computer and engineering checks. The book, when opened, will stun anyone within 30 feet, Save vs. Reflex DC 14, for 1-4 rounds. When the players disconnect the book, I had it trigger a laser web trap that encouraged them to run out the temple. They will have to leap across the pit trap, and interestingly, I had people from TWO groups to fall into the pit! Both groups thought Athletics was a good skill to invest in. ENCOUNTER FOUR: Enercycle Chase/Vehicle Chase:
The players run out of the temple, where they are greeted by B’qual (Use Clara-247 from the AP), 3x Ysoki (use 3 Gang members from the AP) and 2x Quill Hounds on a leash. Any players that fell are seated (not tied) at B’Qual’s feet. Encourage the players to give up the book! B’Qual will open the book, and >poof< get stunned. Players should be thinking “Grab the book and go!”. Encourage them to do this.
The players jump into the Exploration Buggy, and are chased by 2 of the Ysoki on Enercycles (rules book). Run the chase and have them make it to the starship and take off. ENCOUNTER FIVE: Flee the Planet/Starship Combat:
I ran this similar to the fight between the Hippocampus and the Necroglider in the AP. ENDING
Absolutely fair enough! I don’t swim in RPG waters that frequently, so those of you who do will have a better feel for how the rules flow and RAI. Also, I am a rabid advocate that the players and the GM decide the rules for the game, not for the outsiders. Case in point, in my game, a mechanic can take a run action and split the distance between character and drone. Means they run slower, but I wasn’t happy with a pure ‘only one of you can move’ interpretation. The following is not to be taken as a continued advocation for the point; I have surrendered the position. I just want to share with you how my mind has been programmed by my career, so when you see a comment in the future and may wonder how I came to that conclusion you will know. I hear repeatedly, “Words have meaning.” MUCH more impactful in my line of work than it is in game rules.
I think you are perfectly fine choosing what you are doing. My experience as a GM and dealing with players doesn't mirror yours. I never had a player concerned that the NPC wasn't a "8th Level Fighter". They usually want it dead, looted up, and granting double XP. Pathfinder RPG players will notice differences in rules and terminology used in Starfinder monster stat blocks. Most dramatically, monsters in Starfinder aren’t built using the same rules as player characters. Instead, they’re created using a system of benchmarks similar to those found in Pathfinder RPG Pathfinder Unchained, which allows even relatively new Game Masters to create interesting, balanced monsters to throw against their groups. The choice to stat the NPCs as such was deliberate and the game is balanced around that. I also agree strongly with AnimatedPaper. Out of 4th's problems, the way it handled NPCs was not one of them. However, I totally support your effort. I'll take a look <shhh, I'm at work right now> and will do my best to provide good ideas! My first would be, if you're going this route, why stick to three soldiers? You could add some panic of one of the gang members was an operative, and then one from the other side was a mystic. What happens if you make one of them an envoy? Could be interesting ...
#2 is definitely the option I am going. I think I want to add a bit of wacky fun, but I never want him to outshine the party, and I definitely don't want to "Jar Jar" him. Just, every once in a while ... "Convinced that last attack broke half your ribs, you spit out blood while readying your weapon to strike the <bigbad> again ... Make a perception check. You passed! WTF! Is that Humphrey? What's he doing?" And then add something odd with a random result here.
Well. Wasn't what I expected to happen, but I played the goblins from C7a too well. One got killed by the laser trap, but the second got invited to be part of the crew. Even after rigging the soldier's spear with a stickybomb grenade ... then prematurely pulling the pin and webbing most of the group. Even after he happily dropped a live frag grenade at everyone's feet. Even after he just started firing down the hall ... missing everyone and doing the killing shot of an Akata. So, meet 'Humphrey', Goblin 'Junk-geneer' ... *sigh*
Gnomatsu, thank you for the art link! I am running two groups and had a wild idea. I took the maps to Staples and had them printed out on 24x36 poster. They look GORGEOUS and I can't wait for the players to start creeping down the Acreon's corridors! Yes, it was a little expensive ($32 per map), and I may never run AP 1 again, but I think my players deserve a little love.
I hope you all had a fantastic GenCon! If you did not go, ice cream is on me (I didn't go either!!) I have some items in the Sidecart I would like to get moved out of and shipped. I'm assuming I will need to call and provide shipping fees, so let me know if this is doable and I'll play ringy-dingy with the phone. Thanks!
My experience with sandbox-style games is that they tend to cater to the "lowest common denominator." Legal systems don't protect the population in any sort, but more of a rationale-cap on ass-hatery so that a game doesn't turn into a complete cess-pool of virtual crime. I can point to a bazillion examples of butt-head activity in EVE. I can only think of one example where people did a "WTF" and stood up for someone else. While this isn't a definitive example, and probably shows my lack of in-depth knowledge in the game (I only have five characters and run a corporation of just me because I've been ripped off or ganked, etc. far too often,) it does show that I personally don't have the mindset to excel very well on my own in a game with this format. I have three courses of action ahead of me since I actually spent quite a bit on my Kickstarter account:
I'd like to at least try to enjoy this game before getting angry and stomping off. With that being said, I really need to find a group of people that can put me to use in their organization. I definitely PVP, and I might even occasionally cold-gank someone out of spite. However, I'm not an exploiter or griefer. If you have room for someone of my personal mindset, let me know. I'd like to find some sort of home before the game goes early-live (I should be among the first early adopters being let in based upon Kickstarter purchase and date of enrollment.)
I have to weigh in on the "love it!" side myself. I'd not watched it until a friend recently showed me one of the episodes and I was instantly struck. In this day and age, people are offended by a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich; afraid it no longer registers on my give-a-#### meter.
Thanks for pointing that out. I suppose if I read the comments on the site I would have been able to connect the dots. I am enlightened however, because I never knew we had "kill the aliens" prejudism for "thousands of years." "Sir. Put down the kool-aide, and keep your hands where we can see them!"
Just what the title says, name your top ten comic book super heroes. I have seen several lists and they tend to be all over the place. Superman, Batman, Spawn, and Spider-man all seem to make the list each time. Others seem to vary. Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Captain America, Silver Surfer, and the Punisher tend to be on most lists. Whats your top ten? Captain America and Green Lantern both for me. Boy - sure wish I were without fear. Also liked the "mysticals" - Dr. Fate, Moon Knight, Ghost, Zatanna. And I love strong women, so Wonder Woman, Ms. Marvel, and Jean Grey/Phoenix. While I would be the last person on the planet to state that I don't like Power Girl's enormous "attributes", for me it really is about strong women more than boobs. Don't know why I love them so, but I do. Never been a fan of the mousy girl/damsel in distress.
some bigotry to brainwash the kids with Out of curiosity - what bigotry is that? While I certainly did see people of Asian descent, I also saw caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics ... All my favorite people all in the movie. I love how we feel the necessity to sling more hatred under the assumption that everything (PB&J - white privilege my ass) is racist or bigoted. In fact, I'm more likely to label the mud-slinger as the person who has problems with racism.
...stuff... I think we could fill a room with 100 people, and get 100 definitions on "lawful good" actions. It's why I leave it to the individual player and their DM to work out. This is a game. Not everyone is going to come to the identical concensus on exactly how it is supposed to be played. In fact, most RPGs even state up front that the rules are more like guidelines ... <in my best Pirate jargon> |
