A nascent cosmic entity stirs deep within one of the Pact Worlds planets. To aid the god’s birth, its most devoted followers search the Ghost Levels of Absalom Station for a sufficient power source—a strange pocket dimension existing alongside the hub of the Pact Worlds. As the entity’s emergence sends ripples across space time, a group of heroes becomes trapped in the Ghost Levels! With dangerous creatures and ominous power surges threatening the station, the heroes must team up with the residents of Little Akiton to investigate these horrifying new foes, stop their meddling—and stay alive!
A Cosmic Birthday is a complete Starfinder Second Edition Playtest adventure for 1st-level characters written by Jenny Jarzabski, and features fan-favorite Starfinder creatures updated to Second Edition, all-new cosmic horrors, and a mix of classic dungeon crawling and narrative-rich sandbox adventures. This adventure is designed to introduce the Starfinder Second Edition Playtest rules, giving players like you a chance to shape the new edition through feedback surveys about your playtest experience! It also takes place during a pivotal moment in Starfinder history—even if you miss the playtest window, you won’t want to miss the adventure!
NOTE: This is a review in-progress. While I have read the adventure cover-to-cover, I am only about halfway through it as a player. Thus, it is possible that my opinion may change after I either complete it or run it myself as a GM.
The structure of this adventure is a socially-driven sandbox sandwiched between two bite-sized dungeon crawls, with a very intense final string of encounters at its climax. It runs the tonal gamut from cozy slice-of-life to sweeping cosmic horror with some classic D&D tropes sprinkled in for flavor, all knitted together with Jarzabski's usual compassion, humor, and because-it's-cool-and-I-felt-like-it inclusions. Others have expressed confusion over its organization and hazy timeline, but neither of those were a problem for me.
Unlike my other reviews, where I rate conservatively and recommend GM-side improvements, this one receives a generous rating with a caveat: it's possible to make it suck if you don't know what you're doing. While every single adventure benefits from being read cover-to-cover before launching, this one especially needs to be understood holistically before ever hitting the table. If you want it to shine, you need to give it the prep time it deserves, and you need to be willing to lean into every NPC and strange creature and spontaneous roleplay moment that emerges. This adventure is absolutely not a script, and running it as such will sap the life out of it. This goes for hostile encounters as well: a few enemies fall flat if you run them as simple HP removal devices, and others have nasty little gimmicks attached that can absolutely blindside your party if you aren't careful. This module lives and dies by the love and care you put into it, moreso than any other playtest adventure.
So, while I personally rate it as a four-star adventure with a whole lot of heart, it could easily drop to a three or two if you don't put in your heart in return. It also might bounce off players who don't care for dungeon crawls or human interest stories.
Well, I say "human" interest, but let's be real: it's Starfinder.
So there is a lot to like, but it does feel like "playtest" adventure.
Liminal space take on Ghost Levels is good and fascinating, but it does lead to combat encounters feeling like grab bag of random elements to test out variety of stuff. It does fit liminal space idea, but it definitely feels play test-y
Anyway, my party had mostly absurd amount of luck (lot of 6 hp enemy fights resulted in things like "soldier attacks with area weapon, rolls 8 on damage dice, every enemy fails reflex save) so they managed to avoid lot of hard parts in this adventure (like they critted animated statue on first attack), but there are definitely lot of tough fights mixed in and some encounters could be really grueling with wrong skills in party like one of final hazards in adventure, considering that it has hardness 12 if party wanted to break it without skills.
Biggest problem with adventure is editing really, it was unclear in adventure itself whether Newborn had born yet (Midwives shouldn't exist if it hadn't hatched, but certain characters speak about newborn as if its birth was imminent) and nothing in adventure itself clarified its basically meant to be in the "egg has hatched, but its still stuck in placenta" stage. Chapter 2 was also confusing to read since it was mixing of "roleplay with quest giver, quest they give" moments where it went back and forth rather than either listing all locations and then all quests or location followed by quest given.
Part 2 even with all editing problems IS the most fun part of adventure though, there are lot of memorable moments and npcs are given enough depth that it is easy to run them and thus they are easier to actually be endearing and I appreciate extra information given on them as well which isn't necessary for running adventure, but gives them extra depth.
(also the heist mission was weird to run for party without any of assumed skills and I soon figured out it does miss lot of information that would be helpful for pcs to plan the heist x'D Also I think as written it says "turning off generator gives alarm, also if turn off generator and improperly disable remote ability to turn it on causing it to explode, that pings alarm" is either editing error or redundancy if it really is meant that its impossible to disable generator without alarm ping)
Pathfinder Adventure, LO Special Edition, Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, PF Special Edition Subscriber; Starfinder Superscriber
bigcat42 wrote:
Do we know what level range this adventure will cover?
SF adventures are usually 3 levels, so I would expect finishing the adventure at level 4.
But its also entirely possible this is a bunch of milestone setpiece battles at various levels, but based on the language in the synopsis I'd expect the normal.
Charlie Brooks
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
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"Ripples across space time..."
Could this make for a narrative excuse to rope in a Pathfinder PC to play alongside Starfinders? Asking for a me.
I was thinking of introducing Starfinder to my players with the playtest and this adventure. Is that a bad idea? This seems pretty lore heavy and galaxy shaking.
I was thinking of introducing Starfinder to my players with the playtest and this adventure. Is that a bad idea? This seems pretty lore heavy and galaxy shaking.
Be warned that many people hated the PF2 Playtest adventure because it was more designed to test the limits of the system than to ensure GMs and players of all stripes could have fun.
One chapter was even designed to 100% get a TPK, as the devs were most interested in testing how long it would take for PC groups to go down.
I was thinking of introducing Starfinder to my players with the playtest and this adventure. Is that a bad idea? This seems pretty lore heavy and galaxy shaking.
Be warned that many people hated the PF2 Playtest adventure because it was more designed to test the limits of the system than to ensure GMs and players of all stripes could have fun.
One chapter was even designed to 100% get a TPK, as the devs were most interested in testing how long it would take for PC groups to go down.
It's a Birthday adventure what could go wrong?
Charlie Brooks
RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 4, RPG Superstar 2015 Top 32
The Raven Black wrote:
Whimsy Chris wrote:
I was thinking of introducing Starfinder to my players with the playtest and this adventure. Is that a bad idea? This seems pretty lore heavy and galaxy shaking.
Be warned that many people hated the PF2 Playtest adventure because it was more designed to test the limits of the system than to ensure GMs and players of all stripes could have fun.
One chapter was even designed to 100% get a TPK, as the devs were most interested in testing how long it would take for PC groups to go down.
I would bet on this one being different. The system isn't new anymore, so I doubt there needs to be as much rigorous testing on its breaking points.
Just as a heads up, we'll have something come out Soon-ish to talk more about this.
However, just to stem the comments, this adventure is structured how a normal Paizo adventure is structured and isn't intended as a stress test of the rules system. The core rules of PF2 mean that we know the math holds, and we can instead focus our testing on how the game plays in the means we intend to regularly deliver it. This is also intended as a chance to try out new characters and advance through different types of encounters from 1st-level, so it works well as an adventure for players new to the setting.
Hang on, the Playtest adventure...costs money?!? Like I geddit....development costs time, time equals money blah blah blah. But it seems a little off to make people pay to then playtest. First off, you want as many people to play this as possible. So making it free will ensure the most people possible *can* play it. Second of all, I find the whole "playtest" a weird kind of...value-exchange that is unequal. Sure, thousands of people want to make the game as good as possible. But you aren't paying *any* of them to "have fun" or "provide feedback", neither of which are the same in any way shape or form.
In a sense, it seems to me Paizo are asking for people to pay for the *privilege* of then working for free providing feedback for Paizo. Mon dieu!
Pathfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
They have already said the PDF is free. Just like the PF2E playtest was. The physical printing costs money. Again, just like the PF2E playtest version did.
Hang on, the Playtest adventure...costs money?!? Like I geddit....development costs time, time equals money blah blah blah. But it seems a little off to make people pay to then playtest. First off, you want as many people to play this as possible. So making it free will ensure the most people possible *can* play it. Second of all, I find the whole "playtest" a weird kind of...value-exchange that is unequal. Sure, thousands of people want to make the game as good as possible. But you aren't paying *any* of them to "have fun" or "provide feedback", neither of which are the same in any way shape or form.
In a sense, it seems to me Paizo are asking for people to pay for the *privilege* of then working for free providing feedback for Paizo. Mon dieu!
As people have pointed out (and we'll aim to have a blog to further detail #SOON) the Playtest PDF is going to be free. The modules, however, will have a cost associated with them.
Part of the reason for this, is because these two modules, while branded as part of the playtest, are not "nuts and bolts" style playtests like Doomsday Dawn was. These are full adventures, with the same polish and narrative that you've all come to expect from Paizo over the years. They're major setting events done in the Playtest period, so they have relevance to Starfinder fans old and new alike. These adventures will have all new art and maps and the quality of content that we put into all of our adventures.
There will of course be some free demo content and other content available as we enter the playtest window. So there will be content that is accessible and won't cost a dime to help us playtest.
The cost on these modules is to help offset the production costs that go into making a print product with entirely new swathes of art and writing. It's the team's honest hope that even with the changes we make during the playtest period into the final version of SF2E, that these modules can still work in the final version of the game!
I'm surprised that an adventure involving the emergence of a new deity is for 1st-level adventurers. Will be curious to see how this is written.
From the description, it sounds like the party is running damage control as some cultists from Aucturn are running around Absalom Station looking for babyfood. You aren't stopping the baby from coming, just from wrecking the nursery.
From the description, it sounds like the party is running damage control as some cultists from Aucturn are running around Absalom Station looking for babyfood. You aren't stopping the baby from coming, just from wrecking the nursery.
Over a whoosh of flames while dodging gunfire, a mass of tentacles, and negative dimensional space, the limp form of a cultist goes flying across the room.
"Get the binky! for the love of the gods GET THE BINKY!
It going to be very fun romping around Ab station and its Ghosty levels, and hoping it fleshs out the station a bit more, and perhaps fill in some blank map spots so we can slowly piece together the overall layout and eventually get a full usable map!!
One can dream it at least, can't wait to run this for my groups!!
Since I must ask for all my foundry users on my discord THAT I MUST CONVERT FROM PF2 TO SF2 MUHAHHAHAHA!!! ahem....
A. Will the PDF release on the same day?
B. Will a foundry module be available also on that day?(assuming foundry has a system to download to start play testing)
C. Will there be a plushie of the birthday....creature?
D. How do you take your coffee? :)
Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
As a GM planning to run this module, what are some of the best SF books, adventures, and scenarios to get a feel for Little Akiton and the Ghost Levels before running it? Thanks!
As a GM planning to run this module, what are some of the best SF books, adventures, and scenarios to get a feel for Little Akiton and the Ghost Levels before running it? Thanks!
In a 2022 thread about Absalom Station on the Starfinder boards, I saw that the Ghost Levels were mentioned in the first book of Dead Suns, in Pact Worlds and that the adventure in the beginner's box takes place there. Maybe also something in Drift Crisis the book.
Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
The Raven Black wrote:
Jason Lillis wrote:
As a GM planning to run this module, what are some of the best SF books, adventures, and scenarios to get a feel for Little Akiton and the Ghost Levels before running it? Thanks!
In a 2022 thread about Absalom Station on the Starfinder boards, I saw that the Ghost Levels were mentioned in the first book of Dead Suns, in Pact Worlds and that the adventure in the beginner's box takes place there. Maybe also something in Drift Crisis the book.
The AbStat lore in Pact Worlds and Dead Suns 1: Incident on Absalom Station is identical; you don't need both, so Pact Worlds will give you the majority of what's been said about both AbStat and Aucturn in SF. (Also note that the AbStat article is not included in the Dead Suns hardback.)
Little Aucturn, like most of AbStat, has never been extensively detailed, but SFS scenario #2-21: Illegal Shipment is partially set there and provides a little interesting lore, including details on a noteworthy gang.
As for the Ghost Levels, Drift Crisis is the most extensive source of lore so far.
Pathfinder Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber
John Mangrum wrote:
To add to this:
The AbStat lore in Pact Worlds and Dead Suns 1: Incident on Absalom Station is identical; you don't need both, so Pact Worlds will give you the majority of what's been said about both AbStat and Aucturn in SF. (Also note that the AbStat article is not included in the Dead Suns hardback.)
Little Aucturn, like most of AbStat, has never been extensively detailed, but SFS scenario #2-21: Illegal Shipment is partially set there and provides a little interesting lore, including details on a noteworthy gang.
As for the Ghost Levels, Drift Crisis is the most extensive source of lore so far.
Ooooo, nice! I’ll have to go back into Drift Crisis and check out that scenario, thanks!
Just wanna say, I was rereading the spoilered page of this adventure shown during Paizocon and the multiple bombshells it dropped is absolutely making me hyped for the playtest (and beyond)!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Hmm. I might have to pick this one up. I’ll have some time starting in the middle of August to run my players through something new. And I’d love for them to get a feel for Starfinder 2e