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I didn't realize that. But I assumed it was most of them. It looks like there's space for some of them in there. Oh well, I will just have to live with it. I still wish it had been included.
We don't have any published imagery for mycelars do we? Or stats? Project Flux is going to be published through Starfinder Infinite in 1e rules, possibly to be updated to 2e later. I just want you to know that your world is at its heart, and to thank you so much for this invaluable feedback.
I'm a little bummed that there's been no clarification on these things by now, but I guess this forum discussion will have to do. I came here hoping to find errata or notes about what was incorrect. I have a few planned workarounds that I can post for consideration. Is there any other notes or updates on this adventure?
As I was thinking more about it, I realized that the last-minute addition of these six deities inheriting some additional forms or origin of power from elsewhere seems like it's out of left field without a little more explanation. I was thinking about The Hunter when I was taking notes, and thinking that it would make a good stand-in for a god of war in an earlier era, when scyphozoans and mycelars were still at war with one another - and which, in my own imagination, seemed like the most reasonable boundary between a new modern world of integrated societies heading toward technological advancement, contrasted to an older era of more superstition, battle between the species, and perhaps other less-prominent aspects of the societies as they head toward settling out of the feuding turmoil. It was just my way of acknowledging that cultural element, and the feeling it gave me of the war era and the post-war era of Primoria. I also felt like it mirrored the mysterious nature of the Pathfinder 1e elemental lords mythos, where four of them are still around and known about, and the other 'lost' four are very difficult to investigate or find - allowing for another plot hook branch. Also somewhat ironically, hunter-gatherer cultures on Earth typically advance into societies which value warriors (which in turn become soldiers), and this change in nature seems to reverse that, where a soldier of war must use their skills to do more primitive and survivalist acts, perhaps as a sign of civility or social/spiritual advancement. I think it's an interesting duality and reversal that could work to make some fun flavor. So that part might seem last-minute... because it was. But if it helps to round out this pantheon and supports the story, I figure it's worth sharing. I am in the beginning stage of putting together the adventure content as a published piece, and I will most likely release it for free on my Patreon while I compose the bits and pieces, releasing them as chunks of material - and then I will try and put together something more polished and publication-worthy, hopefully as a Starfinder Infinite product. That part is still up in the air for me. I'll keep you posted.
I would love to try and make some specific attachments to reproductive strategies of these types to each of the deities. Perhaps the agender deity is known for splitting and regenerating severed halves - to be honest, I am not the most educated on the biology here, so I would much welcome the insights - and I felt like the true hermaphrodite deity would be able to lend their creative force to any other gender/deity, but could not self-procreate, simply to increase the likelihood of interactions and increased diversity. And yeah, I'm sure the deities had names, and it's possible ancient scyphozoans and mycelars used slightly different names when talking about the same deities, matching the sounds of their respective languages. If you have suggestions for how these sounds work, I do love linguistics. I just have no basis for precedent here. And maybe in the planet's distant past, the deities created bio-mechanical behemoths which they used as their avatars / divine heralds... and maybe some of these creations were in fact mechs that they let their champions use whenever a sufficiently big threat emerged. <o.O> It's most likely that the legendary hero's mech (they came from another reality, and their old story ended here on Primoria) is the basis for the blueprints of the avatars, and the protector sentinels of the lesser champions of the ancient past. While the original mech and its pilot were lost to history, the planet itself was still able to produce many more of a much smaller, less powerful variety of creations, and these would be much more accessible for PCs and other player-centric motivators. I'm going to make the rebirth, growth, re-creation of mech, acquisition of proper co-pilot, re-training of mech, and the hero's personal love story the focus of the Project Flux campaign arc across the higher levels (12-20). Much of this will focus on Primoria as a prime, uncorrupted, natural-state home world, with extremely unique properties (possibly even into multiple realities, multiple locations in space-time, etc.) and draw our heroic PCs into a sort of planetary romance epic. I have a few really cinematic scenes in my head of our legendary reborn hero meditating peacefully in serene watery regions, communing with the world and its ancient mysteries, and trying to piece together the new reality in which 'he' finds 'himself.' The reconstruction of the mech (the Sentinel) is a major process, taking at least 1-2 levels of PC advancement, and includes drawing forth the hero's lost unborn lover from unreality into a new body, so that the hero's co-pilot abilities function. A music playlist I have working on Spotify is also helping to guide these story elements. To be honest, it is truly epic, and probably one of my best works. I thanked James L Sutter for it on Twitter, since much of my campaign hinges on setting details covered in his work, First World, Realm of the Fey, and many of the Pathfinder campaign setting elements that found their way into Starfinder mythos. I must similarly thank you for your world's inspiration, as it has been invaluable as an asset and inspiration.
Mikko, I would really like to expand the small pantheon you began here, in order to provide some additional world background and setting flavor. Just running on what details you have working here, and expand outward. Especially given the recent announcements about Starfinder's future, I think this is the best time to attempt these additions - when the campaign setting is on the brink of epic changes, and before anything gets explicitly canonized or dethroned from canon. I noticed that there is only one goddess, and five gods - which seems stereotypically skewed - so I was thinking of changing it up and making the pantheon composed of one of each of the major genders present on the planet. Spoiler:
Active male, passive female (inheriting the feminine creative power of the world-intelligence of Primoria, the Great Mother), agender/androgynous, hermaphrodite, passive masculine, and active feminine --- these are my six divine personalities born from the cosmic world goddess. I definitely think they need names, along with their divine titles... But I don't have any real suggestions on that front.
It also felt like they could each use a little bit of an evolution bringing them up from the ancient past into the modern era, so each of them also has inherited a bit of divine power from another, less influential aspect - maybe even a lost/deceased deity. The Tide-Bringer (CN, male) - inherits the power from shadow and darkness
The world intelligence of Primoria is the origin of these deific children, and even though it has long laid dormant and silent, this divinity can be communed with, and can spiritually reach out to native beings born on its surface. This is the preface of the events which unfold in my campaign, Project Flux. The Speaker of Primoria, a scyphozoan mystic (leveled up from the NPC in Interstellar Species, from CR 8 to CR 10) will reach out to the party members of the adventure because of the strands of destiny converging from multiple parallel realities. The epic mech (as mentioned previously) once journeyed to this current reality from another reality (one which was being subjugated by the Kayalki Empire and the Lords of Darkness), and was destroyed in a climatic battle in the ancient past. And now, the world of Primoria is the only world which has the resources, cycles, and metaphysical processes necessary to recreate the mech - and the soon-to-be-reborn Legendary Hero is currently growing in its egg down at the bottom of the ocean floor. When the story progresses to a certain point, our hero ally regains their piloting potential, and a series of epic challenges stand between them and the rebirth of the great legendary protector. I'm modeling it on frog-like amphibian traits, with some aspects of other invertebrate creatures to help flavor its biomechanical nature. If you have any thoughts or feedback, consider it an open sandbox. And the sand is made from polychromal quasi-crystals fluctuating across the spectrum of possibility.
A scyphozoan prophet (increased from the CR 8 entry in Interstellar Species, up to a CR 10) is about to let my PCs in on a very ancient secret about their home world's ancestral pre-Gap lore, regarding a powerful hero from another reality, and their biotech-mech which they used to defend innocent worlds of the galaxy, far before the advent of modern Drift travel. While the ancient bio-mech is not likely still located on Primoria, clues to its eventual whereabouts are destined to be discovered there.Glad to hear you're getting a kick out of scyphozoans and Primoria! The biotech mech is a great idea. Curious to hear more about it, like what it looks like and what weapons and abilities it has. :) Aside from it being a Tier 20 mech at super-Colossal (kaiju-equivalent) size, with all of its components being organically generated from the planet's resources, I haven't yet really detailed its abilities. But I was thinking of theming it on the [quadrupedal] frog, the [radial] octopus, and a bipedal humanoid - and giving it a frame that could shift between forms to achieve different tactics. It would have the ability to leap incredible distances with powered springing legs, and its frog digits would likely be pads/suction, or something themed off that unique shape. Because it is designed to fight off outsiders from alternate realities (nightmare universes filled with gruesome biomechanical horrors), its weapons and defenses are going to be oriented toward that goal. I figured it would have incredible fast healing/regeneration, and probably a robust defense system against radiation and necromantic energies. I will say that it looks like the shirren innovators in the post-Drift-Crisis setting looking to head off the Swarm have created something similar in the new Ports of Call. The picture of a biotech mech in that book is heading in that direction. I am completely unsure of why the world of Primoria is not included on the galaxy map, and a little disappointed. Let me know when this issue is rectified or explained with some manner of rationality. My explanation is going to be that the planet is able to magically shift its location around in a small area of space in defense of the epic biotech-mech-generation capability there.
I love all of these ideas, although I did have the prophet of Primoria speaking directly from the planet's subtle intelligence - a sort of world-deity that was able to act through the natural world and its wildlife, in a very Avatar/Pandora-like manner. It would act as sort of a mother/creator deity, and might even be the progenitor of the other deities you mention. If the Tide-Bringer really is that dangerous, it sounds like maybe just an aspect of a Great Old One or Outer God in disguise as a native deity. Thanks for giving us so much goodness with which to make new stories!
Also no mention of Nejeor IV or the Gate of Twelve Suns...to me that's like not mentioning Sandpoint in Varisia. Similarly, Scyphozoans are featured in Interstellar Species, found on Primoria, featured in early Dead Suns - but is also not included. I'm more than a little baffled.
Well, this is fantastic. I came to really enjoy Scyphozoans, although I couldn't figure out where they were originally published - I kept thinking, if it wasn't an Alien Archive, then maybe a Starfinder Society adventure....? And now I found the entry in AP#5, and I am less confused/frustrated. Primoria is about to be the next-big-thing world in the Vast for my own homebrew campaign. A scyphozoan prophet (increased from the CR 8 entry in Interstellar Species, up to a CR 10) is about to let my PCs in on a very ancient secret about their home world's ancestral pre-Gap lore, regarding a powerful hero from another reality, and their biotech-mech which they used to defend innocent worlds of the galaxy, far before the advent of modern Drift travel. While the ancient bio-mech is not likely still located on Primoria, clues to its eventual whereabouts are destined to be discovered there. Along with several other really fun factors to the story's plotlines, this campaign will also delve into analyzing and decoding the witchwarper's infinite worlds ability on a technical level, it will deal with at least one known alternate reality, it will feature mechs, planar connections (especially the First World, via an acquired First Drive), and at least a little bit of corporate espionage between some dragon corps of Triaxus. I am running on the working title, Project Flux. I just wanted you to know - because Primoria is a lovely and rich environment for exactly the sort of story I want to tell. One last helpful hint: my ancient mech-fighting hero is somewhat themed on Super Sentai/Power Rangers protector of the galaxy.
Compliment(s) still being valid, this is not quite the helpful insight I was hoping for, which means I will have to do some Mars research, and compare it against what we know, to determine a decent guess. Mars has moons (and if you have seen The Expanse, you know it can even be a point of great storytelling), and Barsoom being analogous, I think we have a baseline to determine it from some precedent. Verces, Eox, and Triaxus are an entirely different variety of monster. For my own needs, the radioactive wind coming off Daza (and which direction/location it would most likely affect) if any (and there should be some) is a factor, as is seasonal effects on glacial polar regions. Of course, storytelling will take precedence in some circumstances, but I'll try to see what our own Mars and our fave fiction can offer up first. I had hoped to not have to conjure retired adventuring veterans, but I am feeling the need to call in Sutter on this one!
You never know you need details like these until - gasp! - you need them. It is surprising to me how things like the number and names of moons of Castrovel aren't really necessary to know, until suddenly it has actual bearing on the story. Because they are illustrated somewhere back in PF. Akiton first, since it's most important for me right now. I know it's a fictional Mars analogue, but I have tried to avoid making assumptions about it just yet.
Moons question repeat for:
This thread is wonderfully helpful. Also, fantastic work from all of you on the Starfinder team - keep it up! Love it!
Some context for the conspicuous alteration. Mindset, purpose/intention, or circumstances before or after the changes. How her parents feel about it now. Something. Also, her prosthetic arm also functions as her custom microlab, so I expected that part to come into it, and it received that deserved treatment. Changing your own appearance so drastically is not a non-event.
Actually since the Shobhads and Kasatha are created from Wytchwyrds, I imagine they have the same mouths.The shobhads were, but based on iron gods backstory I didn't get the impression the kasatha were. This was actually clarified in 'Ecology of the Witchwyrd' in Pathfinder 2e 'Against the Scarlet Triad,' where the witchwyrds are explicitly defined as the ancient root race which became kasathas on a colonized world, along with being the Shobhad/Witchwyrd split. In this sense, we can assume a few things about kasatha and witchwyrd physiology based on what we can see on the others. I'm actually surprised this iconic backstory defined literally none of the most breathtaking features of Dr. B. The skin color/texture, eyes and facial hair, along with the cranium attachment which I assumed was augmentation when I first saw it - literally none of them are even mentioned. That is striking, considering a player is going to have to explain why their kasatha iconic pregen is so non-kasathan in appearance. I was really hoping this would at least mention something so off-precedent. In any case, she is lovely, great backstory, and happy to have so much extra setting content to work with. Next time, no pink elephants in the room, though, okay? ...At least not without some sort of explanation or allusion.
That is exactly what I figured for those art pieces. Thanks for the reply, Rob. But you should know by now that we require these things - those details are what drive the conversation. In this case, it's because I am actually trying to actively add content to the StarfinderWiki page (and clarify what is already there). Sutter, time to get your butt back in here, and keep those discussions moving toward clarity! ;) I'll try to make another post in the SFS threads about the question of Tasch. Your responses are very much appreciated, so thank you. Best wishes this holiday season.
Posted here: Clarifications: Setting and Imagery I sure hope we can get some responses - although I should point out that others were asking questions here, too, which had yet gone unanswered.
I attempted to ask these questions on the product discussion for the most relevant Paizo book, The Pact Worlds - but it didn't get a real response. I am hoping to get the attention of Paizonians who can confirm the details, as opposed to just more speculation (unless you can provide new details to light, fans). I really need to begin with asking questions for clarifications related to images of the setting worlds..... Let's do Akiton first, since it's easy to deduce cities being shown (the list of options is relatively small). We basically have Arl, Daza, and Maro, and a ton of small locales and wasteland. If I had to guess, I would say the splash across 442-443 in the CRB is Maro, a trench city that I could easily visualize in that way. What's interesting is that there is another image of Akiton that was used in an early article (Paizo Blog, Nov-2016, which is now referenced on the Akiton page on StarfinderWiki, which I can't remember seeing in any product following this post. Specifically, {{this image}} is in question, as to its eventual product placement, its 'canon official-ness' in the setting, and where it is supposed to be illustrating. My guess is that it was an early choice for an Akiton splash image, and the final image was chosen over it. If I had to place it, it looks like a down-trodden district in Maro, an abandoned mining town (Utopia of Tivik, anyone? - lights are on, but nobody seems to be home), or any area within Daza. The image splash on pp.48-49 in Pact Worlds is perhaps the least difficult of these last two to place: it looks like either an outlying district of Arl (with plateau in the background, perhaps), or a more populated (perhaps 'safe zone') in Daza. It's definitely not Maro. Last specifics question, less image-oriented as map-oriented - Starfinder Society scenario, Fugitive on the Red Planet, begins in Maro, and then moves to an outlying town of Tasch. Tasch is not located on the Akiton map, but would it be located in any specific direction away from Maro? Also, would it be considered one of the 'Company Towns' given its current status in that scenario? Is it possible that undetailed "Eeha" is actually meant to be a place-market for Tasch? Can we get a Starfinder developer or Thursty to give a clarification on these initial details? Thanks!
Alright, time to ask some hard questions for clarity (related to images of the setting worlds).....: Let's do Akiton first, since it's easy to deduce cities being shown (the list of options is relatively small). We basically have Arl, Daza, and Maro, and a ton of small locales and wasteland. If I had to guess, I would say the splash across 442-443 in the CRB is Maro, a trench city that I could easily visualize in that way. What's interesting is that there is another image of Akiton that was used in an early article (Paizo Blog, Nov-2016, which is now referenced on the Akiton page on StarfinderWiki, which I can't remember seeing in any product following this post. Specifically, this image is in question, as to its eventual product placement, its 'canon official-ness' in the setting, and where it is supposed to be illustrating. My guess is that it was an early choice for an Akiton splash image, and the final image was chosen over it. If I had to place it, it looks like a down-trodden district in Maro, an abandoned mining town (Utopia of Tivik, anyone? - lights are on, but nobody seems to be home), or any area within Daza. The image splash on pp.48-49 in Pact Worlds is perhaps the least difficult of these last two to place: it looks like either an outlying district of Arl (with plateau in the background, perhaps), or a more populated (perhaps 'safe zone') in Daza. It's definitely not Maro. Last specifics question, less image-oriented as map-oriented - Starfinder Society scenario, Fugitive on the Red Planet, begins in Maro, and then moves to an outlying town of Tasch. Tasch is not located on the Akiton map, but would it be located in any specific direction away from Maro? Also, would it be considered one of the 'Company Towns' given its current status in that scenario? Is it possible that undetailed "Eeha" is actually meant to be a place-market for Tasch? I'll take it one step at a time, so as not to completely overwhelm (if there is a better place than this for it, okay) - but consider this my ping/poke/bump for interest in questions relating to the setting and this publication. Thanks!
I'm sorry to hear that - it sounds like your copy was misprinted, but this is not a widespread problem with the book's entire print run. If you bought it from paizo.com, please contact customer service. If you bought it from another retailer, you should contact them and try to exchange it for a new copy. Thanks, Rob. I sent an email to Paizo CS. I noticed the PDF is correct, and the Know Direction crew never mentioned it in their review, so I wondered if it was a unique outcome. It seems it is. At least mine is definitely not right - which means there may be others as well.
Okay. Please tell me I am not going crazy. What happened to pages 90-91, and am I losing my mind, or are pages 82-83 repeated in place of them for everyone else? Because my print copy is definitely funky... Either that, or I encountered the mind of Cthulhu, and it has done irreparable damage. PS: Sure enough, after looking once more, pages 66-67 are also replaced by 74-75. Something went very wrong with this printing.
I was sort of hoping something on the Veskarium would be included, seeing as they are Pact Worlds members..... No?
I just want to make sure I am not using an out-dated format to make maps that could be used on Flip-Mats and related items. If both formats are still being used for the foreseeable future, then I can accommodate that pretty easily in my designs. I do not own any of the bigger/over-sized map products, but own many 24x30 Flip-Mats, quite a few Map Packs by Paizo, as well as several sets of older D&D modular tile sets (two-sided, not very marker friendly, and come in a box with maps on its two main faces, top/bottom). I always wondered if Paizo might eventually employ this sort of multi-function product layout (like Vic mentioned on the other thread.
Thanks, Samy. I was hoping to assume that as well, but was just looking for confirmation. I have been drafting some maps relevant to Starfinder, both for Flip-Mat layout, as well as some accompanying modular tiles in this vein. I would like to make sure they are appropriately formatted for standard use, and had a similar question on a Flip-Mat product thread [here] regarding the standard-sized vs. over-sized Flip-Mat format, and if this was a new standard. PS: Thanks for confirmation, Vic.
This is a great concept, and I hope it works better off in the long run. I like the two-sided tiles I have from similar old 3e/4e D&D products, and that they are marker-safe like the Flip=Mats. Question: Pictured are 21 unique tile images (uncropped, I assume - to account for the edges), and since the set "features 42 full-color 6 x 6-inch map tiles, with dungeon corridors and room pieces on both sides," does this mean there are 21x 2-sided tiles with 42 images, or 42x 2-sided tiles with 84 images? Either way, the assumption is that only a portion of the tile set is currently being displayed, prior to release and distribution. Thanks. Looking forward to it.
Paizo is one of the few elements involved in the making of 2017 with which I have no qualms, and much praise. So many congratulations to you all, and looking forward to 2018's new series of ever-amazings to help keep the world brighter (or darker, in some preferred cases).
He is right. It is still there, even in the current package, and he should not have it at 1st level. Also, I am looking forward to seeing a pregen for Zova the Shifter. I am working on one right now.
Creative ideas: You could choose up to 7 playable races from Alien Archive to pair up with one of the core base classes to build an alien PC. Which races would you choose to build your alien party of adventurers? I think at least a Witchwyrd would be in my party, and I have to admit a Space Goblin would be in the top 10. I have a hard time choosing which race with which class, which is why I want to hear what some others think. The following races include PC racial traits:
Spoiler:
I am super-stoked that this is now available on paizo.com! For those of you who make Pathfinder RPG Compatible or Starfinder Compatible content, or if you ever want to try, this product includes everything you need, including proper licensing notations, to use it in your own projects. Please check it out, and let me know what you think!
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