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Assuming that the "when" in the description of Swarm Strike means "at the same time as" and not "while", I would re-write the Swarm Strike description as follows, to try to more precisely describe it. This isn't meant as a change, just as a description of the current rule:

At the same time as you form your sheath array, you can use a nanite surge to gain Swarm Strike as a special unarmed melee attack. The attack deals lethal damage, lacks the archaic trait, and has an item level equal to your nanocyte level. You can use your Constitution modifier in place of your Strength modifier for attack and damage rolls for this attack. While the Swarm Strike is active, you threaten squares within your reach. Using a Swarm Strike requires you to have at least one hand free (unless you have the Improved Unarmed Strike feat).

For each attack, you can deal bludgeoning damage, piercing damage, slashing damage, or any two of these damage types. At 3rd level, you gain a unique weapon specialization with your swarm strike, adding 1½ × your nanocyte level to its damage rolls (instead of just adding your character level). At 7th level, this unarmed strike gains the thrown (20 feet) special property, and while you have at least two hands free, your weapon specialization damage bonus with this weapon increases to 2 × your level. At 11th level, while you have at least two hands free, your swarm strike gains the reach special property. At 15th level, the range increment of your thrown swarm strike increases to 40 feet, and it increases to 60 feet at 19th level.

You can use this ability only while your sheath array is active. So long as it remains active you do not need to use an additional nanite surge to make each attack.

Santobon wrote:

Last question, with Swarm Strike:

Ok So I know Swarm Strike:
- Sheath Array Must be formed
- You use a Nanite Surge to gain the special Unarmed strike

My question is, if I spend a Nanite Surge for Swarm Strike, with the Sheath Array Activated:
- Does it last per attack? If I want to do a full Attack with it, would I have to spend a nanite surge for each attack?
- Or do I spend 1 Nanite Surge per round? So, if I wanted to do a full attack with it, I only had to spend 1 nanite surge?
- Or does it last until the Sheath Array goes away?

First, as with your Cloud Array question, the Nanite Surge gets spent when you form your sheath if you want to use this ability. Didn't spend the surge when formed? Better go re-form it.

Second, it lasts as long as you maintain the Sheath Array, as per the rules for the Sheath Array.

I get the impression you did not fully read the rules for these abilities, but rather scanned them quickly. I would recommend going and reading the rules thoroughly before attempting to use them.

When I say to you "When you get to Rome, go to the Colosseum", I don't mean you should go at the moment you get there. I mean you should go while you're in Rome. I think it's perfectly logical to read the rule fully and read it to say that while the Sheath Array is active you can spend a nanocyte surge to activate the swarm strike. You don't have to spend it at exactly the same moment. Once you've spent the Surge, and so long as the same Sheath Array is active, you can continue to form the Swarm Strike without spending extra Nanocyte Surges. So, yes, I think you could make a full attack with the Swarm Strike, taking the penalty.

I think the SF update with PF2e comparability is a fantastic idea. Kudos to everyone at Paizo for the work you've done on this.

Are there plans to issue playtests for the other Starfinder classes over the next year? It would be a shame to leave some of those behind.

We know we're getting a playtest for the mechanic and technomancer, but that won't be until next year, when SF2E officially launches, and will be intended for a tech-focused book in 2026.

That would also be a great opportunity to include the Nanocyte. I hope they're able to add that, too.

Please hear me out. I love the idea of a mechanic. But i think the mechanic should be split up in to different ideas and implemented not as a class.

Almost any hacking, crafting and repairing ability from the mechanic could become a cool skill feat. And it makes sense in a setting like starfinder to allow any class to specialize in tech.

The drone which is arguably the coolest part of the mechanic could become something like an animal companion which could be taken by anyone. If you really need to have players spend class feats for something like this, you could make it a dedication like the beast master. But think it would be better to have a tech item called the rigging kit or drone control unit which takes up one of your hands which allows you to use the command an animal action to grant actions to your minion drones.
Drones could just be sold as tech items. And depending on the devs whishes drones could either share or not share your MAP. But the action economy balances itself.
This would also solve the weird SF1 problem where a spy drone was either a cheap tech item or a custom build class feature from your mechanic. It felt really bad to see that a cheap drone could to the same things your mechanics custom drone could do. And you always had to justify why the mechanics drone wa better. Im not talking about combat here. Im talking about the fact that it was a major choice for the mechanic to install a camera module on his drone while the cheap spy drone came with a fully functional camera.

TLDR: I think making the mechanic is own class misses out on cool skill feats and will result in artifical restrictions on normal tech interactions to make the mechanic feel special.

Part of the fun of RPG games is to have fun with the typical tropes of a given genre. The space mechanic or engineer is such a common archetype of SciFi that the game would feel incomplete without it.

I think the SF update with PF2e comparability is a fantastic idea. Kudos to everyone at Paizo for the work you've done on this.

Are there plans to issue playtests for the other Starfinder classes over the next year? It would be a shame to leave some of those behind.

Nanocytes who choose the obliteration faculty get the following feat at first level: "Weapons you form with your gear array gain the penetrating and boost 1d4 special properties."

The rulebook indicates that the penetrating special property means: "A penetrating weapon ignores an amount of hardness equal to the weapon’s level."

Here's my question: In the case of nanocyte Gear Array created weapons, is the "level" for determining he amount of hardness ignored your Nanocyte level or the level of the weapon as it appears in its stats on the equipment list?