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Hello all, I've posted most of a conversion of SFS 6-11 Gifts Ungiven over in the Homebrew subforum and would love any advice/critiques before I run it.

Converting-SFS-611-Gifts-Ungiven-to-2E-for-0

Happy Halloween All!

I am looking for advice and feedback on several things. I have been a TTRPG fan for over 40 years, used to play and DM, then got a job that had me on the road traveling for almost 15 years and become a reader instead of a player. I stopped traveling years back, but never developed a good friend group to get back into active gaming, but that has recently changed. I have a friend who is an active D&D 5E GM and loves my descriptions of what I love about Starfinder. Between his encouragement and my own desire I have decided to build a zero-ish level adventure to introduce him and his group to Starfinder 2E mechanics and the setting.

I am converting the SFS 6-11 Gifts Ungiven adventure into a 2E 0-level adventure. The player group has zero experience with any Pathfinder or Starfinder systems. My goal is to showcase/teach the many aspects of 2E mechanics through the various encounters while giving the players a curated selection of options to have to make for characters creation and system play.

Since this is going to be a length set of posts I'm going to break it up in chunks, starting with the 0-level rules.

While I like most of the 0-Level rules in the GM Core, I do want to showcase a little of what makes each class special and have made revisions to the 0-level apprentice rules.

Ancestry, Background, 4 free Attribute points, trained in 2+Int skills, Perception, all Saves, Unarmed attacks, unarmed defense, and starting credits (50) are all per the GM Core.
1) also trained in simple weapons and light armor.
2) in addition to the HP from Ancestry the character gain 4+CON modifier HP

Apprentice Options are completely revised so that it showcases some of what makes each class special.
Envoy - trained in Diplomacy, Deception or Intimidation; gains Get' Em! (1 action version only).
Mystic - choose a connection and become trained in associated skill, spell attack roll, spell DC roll; gain 3 cantrips + connection cantrip; gain Circle of Friends (Mystic Bond and Vitality Network with only 4 HP pool, refresh each round in combat or with 10 minutes of downtime with friends).
Operative - choose specialization and become trained in associated skill and 1 martial gun; Aim.
Solarian - trained in Athletics and 1 martial weapon; choose 1 solar manifestation; manifestation is locked into either Photon or Graviton mode.
Soldier - trained in Intimidation, medium armor and 1 martial weapon; Walking Armory.
Witchwarper - choose paradox and become trained in associated skill, spell attack roll, spell DC roll; gain 3 cantrips + paradox cantrip; Warp Reality.

Finally the 0-level characters will have Hero Points, but they will be called Dumb Luck points and I'll encourage the players to describe how dumb luck hopefully dramatically changes an outcome.

With my goals I am pretty comfortable with these changes, although I do think the apprentice Soldier may be lacking in showcasing what makes the class special, but I am planning on staying away from area effect weapons for story reasons and at a loss to what might be better.

Just thought I'd post a homebrew teacher I've added to the teaching staff...

Octavuh D'kura
N - female - human - metamagician
Branch: Cascade Bearers
Area of Specialty: metamagics, singing, languages
Notable Skills: Arcana, Intimidation, Performance
Hobbies: esoteric spells, musical theatre, sculpture, nature hikes
Most Well Known For: striking students on the shins when with her cane for incorrect pronunciation and intonation of spells
Strangest Quirk: will only hold indoor classes during the worst storms
Common Associates: Isem Mezitani (nature hikes), Nhyira (attending theatre productions), Tahenkot (linguistic exchanges)

Octavuh is a caldaru woman well into her seventh decade of life. Blind since birth Octavuh is an expert in metamagics and languages who has taught at the Magaambya since she graduated over 40 years ago. While her golden lion tamarin familiar Yusta frequently reads aloud anything she needs help reading, Octavuk is well known for having created a tactile language of swirls and geometric figures that she uses to encode each of a her spell onto a separate bracelet she wears. The gentle clacking of the numerous bone, metal, wood and stone bracelets is a constant backdrop to her lectures on how to change spell effects through vocal adjustments.
While respected for her breadth of knowledge, she is known to be exacting teacher who tends to correct student errors with punishing strikes from the darkwood cane she is never without. Students who impress her though may find themselves conscripted into her passion project of building a Magaambya choir. Too often she has had to bemoan the sad fact that too few students have a true appreciation for group vocal performances to her fellow teachers.

I have a player that has been partially inspired by the characters of Ivar on Vikings and Wendal on Fear the Walking Dead to play a disabled halfling cavalier (order of the paw).

I'm looking for advice on two fronts, mechanics & addressing/portraying this topic.

I'm not really aware of anything rules wise on the mechanics that may have been written, but I am leaning towards a -5 AC/TAC and half movement when out of the saddle with a possible bonus feat or bonus feat for the mount to represent the heightened training the character will have put in to have the dog/wolf serve as his legs. I am aware that depending on the type of disability (nerve damage/lack of sensativity) thing like damage could be problamatic in the real world, but I don't think we want to get into that level of detail.

As far as covering the disability at the table, I have a pretty good socially aware group, but I don't personlly have any experience with this specific form of disability and wanted to know if there was any specific advice out there.

Thanks

So I've created a couple of ideas for Starfinder Pop Culture and would love to hear other peoples ideas...

The Nautalist
Originally started as the personal work vlog of Murfnor Nevidmith, an engineer assigned as the Safety & Quality Assurance Officer on Ringworks Industries new prototype Coral-class medium freighter the Nautalist, the reality show of the same name follows the unorthodox exploits of the crew from the point of view of the very by the book engineer. When the original crew was captured by pirates and then rescued by a ragtag collection of freelance trouble shooters, Ringworks Industries gifted the ship to the Murfnor’s rescuers on the condition that he continue on as the company representative in his original capacity and shortly afterwards the company’s marketing department spun Murfnor’s work vlog off as an adventure/comedy show that is much loved in the Pact Worlds. The long suffering Murfnor, who’s often heard line “That is not the intended use for that item,” is marketing on torso covers (t-shirts), comms tones and other merchandise and the exposure has helped make the Coral-class freighter a successful product line for Ringworks Industries.

Elves in Space

A scripted drama following the exploits of xenoarcheologist Nevista Marbletree and her team of researchers as they attempt to uncover elven history during the Gap and who might be the great betrayor of their race. The show ran into serious trouble early on for its use of illusion and transmutative magics to allow elves to portray drow on the show. The Anti-Drow Defamation Defense (ADDD) launched boycotts, and eventually drow began to be cast on the show to portray drow parts and writers began to write supposedly more balanced representations of the dark elves. The largest onset drama is between Benina Yonder (the actress who portrays Nevista Marbletree) and the lead drow actress Melinar Evista, although current rumors speculate that the rivalry is all for show, as the two have been seen in secret encounters that are best described as romantic.

Serverik the Edge

Celebrated vesk Honor Poet, Serverik has survived 23 combat poetry contests with only the loss of his right eye and 5 inches of his tail (both since replaced with cybernetic components). Critics are concerned that after his last bout that damage to his right hand may impair his post combat calligraphies, but originals from his earlier bouts have been known to command 100s of thousands of credits, while pay per view broadcasts of the combat poetry contests themselves bring in millions on each world they are shown on

Thanks,

So just some random thoughts about things that can be played up in Starfinder that would never be possible in Pathfinder.

Research into why humans seem to be able to interbreed with every thing or absorb planar energies to create half human hybrids so easily. Are humans some sort of evolved galactic Ur-species and if so what does this mean for the evolutionary history of other species they can interbreed with.

Tension between those who believe in their racial creations myths and those who support evolutionary theory ("Come on, you mean you really believe your dwarven ancestors were shaped out of stone by Torag, you clearly have DNA markers that indicate your species is in the same evolutionary family as other upright bipeds from Golarion!")

Since humans can interbreed naturally with elves and orcs, controversial research on the genetic links between all three.

Genetic research into long lived species and lionization treatments for shorter lived species to increase their life spans.

Social tensions between those who support interspecies relationships (romantic) and those who oppose them.

Since Starfinder is more accepting of the concept of sentient and sentient rights as a whole, court actions for indiscriminate killing. PCs could easily end up having an adventure dealing with their actions as mass murders and going on the trial of the decade/century (depending on how murdery they got).

Legal actions against PCs should be far higher than in other games.

Employers should be far more likely to have the PCs sign contracts for their contract work when hired for adventures.

Down on their luck (or undercover) PCs needing to work horrible low wage jobs for comedic reasons - due you want fries with that?

Vacationing being a legitimate reason to be in an adventure location.

Comms allowing all the annoying interruptions during an adventure that occurs in real life ("I can't pick up a cartoon of milk for you right now mom, I am in the middle infiltrating an Apsis Corporation facility, get one of my 7 sisters to do it.")

Adventures that turn out to really be elaborate computer simulations that are entirely in the PCs head (no treasure for you).

Being hired for weirdly bizarre tasks by the super rich or someone that has just gotten that way via mega lottery ("You want us to travel to a specific planet in the Vast to collect swamp water to serve you guest at your next party? How much are you offering? Oh wow, we will leave right away!")

Since PCs are far more likely to have a homebase (i.e their ship) all the headaches and joys of having a home and living with people you may not like ("why doesn't the trialaxian <sp?> every clean his fur out of the drain in the shower!")

Finding a cache of Gap data that turns out to be all weird alien porn, but is still valuable because Weird Alien Porn.

I'm sure others can come up with many more...

I had a moment of inspiration and this was created. Not anything world shattering, more a bit of background fluff/crunch to help add life to the setting.

I had no clue on how to price out the Preparation Ritual, so I just winged it based on it power/limitations. Feel free to comment.

Childhood Misdeeds

This spellbook, in each of its three editions, is the creation of the far traveled half-elf Melkar the Listener. Melkar spent his youth on the road with his Varisian father and relatives seeing much of Avistan and Garund, getting to hear many of the tales told to children by many cultures. When his talent for magic awakened his father left the young Melkar in Nantambu to study at the famed Magaambya.

After many years of study, Melkar followed the call of his Varisian roots and spend many years collecting tales on his travels. Eventually, he decided reached an impasse that many of the half-elven experience. What does it mean to be neither man nor elf, but rather both? Since that time he has spent most of his time in Erages, teaching at the Erages Academy and trying to discern what it really means to be half-elf from his fellow citizens.

One thing that Melkar felt certain of was that magic is an integral part of each half-elf’s heritage, and to neglect that facet is a tragedy. Concerned that the many orphanages in Eragas were inadequately prepared to identify, let alone teach magic to all the children abandoned by their parents, he drew upon the universal truths off children’s stories everywhere to create Childhood Misdeeds.

Childhood Misdeeds is both a children’s story and picture-book and an apprentice spellbook. It tells of the misadventures of twin half-elven brother and sister Nok and Nan. In each of the four tales the sibling invariable get into some sort of trouble and a single cantrip is used to help get them out again. Each chapter comes with intricate block cut illustrations that demonstrate the cantrip being cast, allowing astute students to learn them for themselves. Each story ends with the children safely back with their guardians who soothe and heal the hurts of their adventures.

Children who learn all four story cantrips are encouraged to study Childhood Misdeeds on their own, and if they decipher and learn the read magic cantrip written in the books border illustrations, Melkar sponsors them for further magical education.

With its relative success in Erages, Melkar has translated Childhood Misdeeds into two other editions, each in a different language and with the stories changed to cultural equivalents. While he knows the polygot editions is being used in Nantambu and was welcomes by his old friends at the Magaambya, he has yet to learn how his elven edition has fared in Iadara.

CHILDHOOD MISDEEDS (SPELLBOOK, LEVEL 1 UNIVERSAL)

The front cover of this thin tome has a brightly colored illustration of a pair of children hand-in-hand skipping down a forest path. The interior is filled with stories written out in larger blockier letters than is normal for a spellbook. Each story is accompanied with block cut illustrations, 4 in total, along with a finally illustration at the end that shows the final scene of the children’s guardian caring for them and healing their hurts.

Value: 75gp (110 gp with preparation ritual)

Spells
Oth – dancing light, ghost sound, mage hand, prestidigitation, read magic, stabilize

Preparation Ritual
Schoolmarm (Ex/Su): You gain a +2 insight bonus to Profession (Teacher) checks with children until you prepare spells again. You can end this effect to spend the boon to cast stabilize on a child.

Note: As a Magaambyan Arcanist, Melkar was able to include stabilize as a halcyon spell (druidic learned as arcane)

I've been a long time fan of Call of Cthulhu and even though I have slacked off Pathfinder in the last couple of years, hearing about this AP drew me back in.

I have actually only read through the 1st installment so far and looked ahead a little at the spoilers for the amnesiac players and what that is all about.

So, I am thinking about twisting the start even further and think it would give my players a real kick.

I'm thinking of going with 1 of 2 ideas, both predicated on the links the Lovecraftian mythos provide and the known links between Golarion and Earth.

The basic idea is that whatever Lowls did doesn't just erase the pc's memories, it leaves them soulless. A servitor of Desna senses the massive disturbance of the dream realm at the asylum and in searching for a solution realizes there are these soulless hosts that can be occupied and serve to work to right the wrong.

Searching for suitable candidates, it finds souls from Earth on their way to the afterlife and soulnaps them for a second round at life in a new world and in new bodies. Unfortunately the servitor underestimate the influence of the Tatterman and before he can brief the souls they are sucked into the into dream.

After the pc's dream deaths they briefly wake up around a dream campfire where the servitor has moments to have them choose icons of their new lives before they awake. The icons chosen will serve as character creation guides and the players create their body swapped Earthlings pcs. Story wise they gain the abilities of the former Lowls associates and fragmented memories just as written, but get to play the additional drama from having unerase Earth memories/lives.

Here is where I am trying to decide between two courses of actions. Have a prequel game of Call of Cthulhu with the express purpose of killing the PCs (likely in CoC anyways). This options has some great advantages. Easy to line up the canon dates of Earth and Golarion, able to design the CoC adventure to foreshadow Strange Aeons. The thrill of the players when their PCs are suddenly alive again. Con, the PCs will know each other which will dull some of the who are we/you roleplaying.

The second option I was thinking of is simple having everyone sit down at the table, tell me the age they were before they knew everyone at the table and them have them play themselves. First they go through the dream sequence with no explanation, then get to discover their new selves through character creation. By regressing them back before we knew each other they get awake with all the unknowns, but can build on their real world relations in interesting ways. Big con, this method expressly has me "fake" killing all my players on earth.

Either way, I think I'll throw in an extra trait and a couple of skill points to represent their Earth knowledge.

Pros/Cons I'm not seeing, fill free to let me know. Other ways to twist the opening idea, fill free to contribute.

Hello, Hopefully this is the correct location to post this. The majority of my order 2586113 arrived damaged.

• Pathfinder #7 (paizo.com Exclusive)
UNDAMAGED
• Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Campaign (OGL) Hardcover
SEVERELY DAMAGED
• Pathfinder Adventure Path #70: The Frozen Stars
SPINE DAMAGED
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Chronicle of the Righteous (PFRPG)
SPINE DAMAGED
• Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Fey Revisited (PFRPG)
MINOR CRIMPING and A DAMAGED CORNER
• Pathfinder Module: Doom Comes to Dustpawn (PFRPG)
MINOR CRIMPING

I have photos both of the shipping box, showing the damage and the exposed portions of the Ultimate Campaign and side view photos of Ultimate Campaign, Chronicles of the Righteous and Adventure Path #70.
If there is a way to post them, or an email you would like me to send them to, I would be more than happy to do so.

Thanks,

Good morning,

Can you change this shipment to UPS Next Day air. I will only be home from Friday (10/23) through Monday (10/26) and then will be out of town for three weeks. I would like to have a chance to take the physical copies with me to read on my work trip.

Thanks,
Chris Kobbe