The galaxy hosts a staggering array of aliens both bloodcurdling and benevolent. The pages of Starfinder Alien Archive 3 are packed with creatures designed for use with the Starfinder Roleplaying Game! From starmetal dragons and the spiral-winged irokirois to living holograms and body-snatching flayer leeches, the creatures in this codex will challenge adventurers no matter what strange worlds they're exploring. What’s more, player rules for a variety of species let players not just fight aliens, but be them! Inside this book, you'll find the following:
Over 100 bizarre life-forms both classic and new, from bioluminescent cephalumes and quantum-entangled oozes to natives of hyperspace and living asteroids.
More than a dozen species with full player rules, letting you play everything from a life-hungry undead creature to a sapient swarm of tiny insects.
New alien technology to help give your character an edge, including armor, weapons, magic items, and more.
New rules for gaining a creature companion that can accompany you as a pet, a mount, or even a fearsome combatant!
ISBN: 978-1-64078-149-8
Other Resources: This product is also available on the following platforms:
So the capstone for monster statblocks has been reached and we finally know what sort of creature players could fight on ground, but would
most likely still wipe them out at level 20 :D(APL +3 is epic level encounter, meaning system wise CR 23 is highest level threat that is still plausible for PCs to defeat. Which means CR 24 is impossibly hard and CR 25 is straight up unfair unless there is something to buff PCs or weaken the enemy)
Not sure what capstones are really left. Dead Sun's part 6 had max Tier 20 starship statblock so both combat system's max strength level is now accounted for. I guess only thing missing is Tier 20 Starship Monster maybe?
Anyhoo, this book has tons of cool stuff :3 Most of the new races are bit wackier than in previous two books, but they are all charming as hell. This book also teaches tidbits like Vesk-2 having population of intelligent squids(one of the playable races), having exploding snails AND large bipedal badger like animals that vesk consider a status symbol to have as a mount or pet. I guess even vesk appreacite the honey badgers :D I also liked some of the mechanical gimmicks, like shakalta being always multiclassed and having to take classes in order.
Hard to pick a favourite from the new races since all of them are great. I guess from more serious ones, Shatori have great tragedy to them as immortal but sterile species who have been vassalized by azlanti star empire(and know they can't risk fighting back). Oh yeah, some of the new races are either conquered by azlanti star empire or vesk :D And two of them are from pact worlds. So it was great for expanding the known parts of setting again.
...Anyway back to topic, from more silly races I think my favourite might actually be telia(I find dromada to be funniest though just because they look bit like jar jar so lots of people cringe at the picture little :D). They aren't actually particularly funny, but they are straight up turtles. Anyway, they have great old people dignitity to them as 1000 year old living races of story tellers :D I love their optimistic philosophy on life
Now onto the non player races: I was positively surprised by this having lots of Drift native monsters :D I also love creatures with abstract shapes like Time Eater and Drift Architect. We don't have too many of those yet, only other one I can think of is the one with geometric shapes from Dawn of Flame part 6(that one was great :D The NG Gargantuan one! I should write their name down!) Spektra are pretty cool too and so were Driftdead (especially the amalgam) creepy.
Philosopher Worm(Lawful Good) is one of my favourite creatures in book because I love the trend of Hylax's servitor creatures looking stereotypically evil or scary bugs to human eyes :D Plus who doesn't like philosophers?
I love that Thorgothrels returned from Iron Gods bestiary :D Those things were pretty memorable encounter back in that AP when I run the optional side dungeon.
If I have to be negative about something, there being seven star metal dragons means we only got brief sentence about their personality so they don't have lots of identity yet. Especially since only one was pictured out of seven.
Its nice that trolls returned, but seems like they haven't started to use technology much :D I guess they got brought out of golarion by unethical companies for sapient creature experimenting with their regeneration so thats why they haven't culturally changed much.
I wonder if Tripods still come from Mars :D And I find it cool that they also work as vehicles. Tripods are in general cool.
On rest of the creatures I consider to be high lights of the book, but have to avoid the word limit, I'll just list there: Diaspora Wyrm, Gwahled, Oracle of Oras, Tzitzimitl, Valkyrie(specifically the vesk valkyrie art, more non human traditional outsiders are cool) and Vorthuul.
(I also found Kami, Wollipeds and Yithians returning cool and Equinoxian, Ferrofluid Ooze, Flayer Leech, Giant Space Tardigrade, Paraforans(<3), Neutronium Golemz, Quantum oozes, Stridermancers, new Swarm and Weaponized toys cool as well :'D But there isn't space to talk about ALL creatures in the review and there literally isn't creature in the book that I didn't like. Its kinda 3 tier system, 1 what I consider high lights of the book out of stuff I loved or found cool 2 is stuff I loved or found cool and 3 is rest of the stuff I liked, but were beaten by other two tiers.)
Okay, let's hope I have space for talking about pets before I run out of word count: EMPATHNIDs AND PROOGs ARE CUTESTS THINGS EVER. I love the friend spiders and pet oozes :D
On topic of "What next?", what I personally would like next is aboleths to make a return along with new creatures created/engineered/uplifted/enslaved/breeded/mutated/altered by them :D I would also like more fiends to come back, I'm still missing my qlippoths, rakshasas, asuras and daemons.
Any hypothetical new creatures I would like to see? Hmm... Well, I guess I'd like to see more new takes on old scifi cliches or weird combinations of creatures. Like, Starfinder has decent amount of alien parasites that take control of your body, so having friendly symbiont creature or even friendly parasite would be cool. Also more silicon or non carbon based lifeforms is always cool :D
...Wait this was only about 923 words? Geez, I could have spent more time on gushing about empathnids...(ALSO HAH, this time I saved the review in advance! So you won't win this time the review disappearing bug because I wrote it for too long time!) Edit: Crap, had to edit 5 stars back in because review disappearing bug meant also rating got reset'd :P
Is it possible to get multiple companion creatures for a single character?
It looks like a Mechanic could conceivably have both a drone and a companion, but that seems to be the only way. It would be very difficult to use two companions at once, since you have to spend actions to command them (similar to how a Mechanic commands their drone).
Are there any Swarm, Elder Mythos, Dominion of the Black creatures, or colossi?
There are 2 new Swarm creatures, and the Hounds of Tindalos and Yithians. The Orb does not recall if there's anything tied to the Dominion, and also is unsure what you mean by colossi. There's the Kaiju-sized robot that was mentioned earlier in the thread, as well as a number of Starship-scale creatures.
I meant Daimalkan colossi; is the kaiju-sized robot one?
Also what are the name, size and CR of these Swarm creatures?
The Kaiju-sized robots are found on Daimalko, though they may have originally come from somewhere else.
The swarm creatures are the Large Dissolver (CR 11) and the Medium Xersk (CR 16).
Since the PDFs have so far eluded me, would anybody who does have access be able to give me some info about the Raxalite, Dromada, or Hanakan? I would also like to know about the Cephalume, are they an aqautic species?
Are there any new members of major outsider races (name, size, CR)?
None that The Orb can see.
Troodos wrote:
Any new wildlife?
Plenty. Among them, the Defrex, source of the eponymous "Defrex Hyde"
Steven "Troll" O'Neal wrote:
Tell me of the Varkulak, please.
Spoiler:
Varculaks are formed from dying creatures with a particularly strong will to continue living, though in rebirth they generally forget most of their previous lives. They're similar to Borais in that, though undead, they still have a constitution score and some living bodily functions.
Mechanically they don't have much to tie them to whatever species they originated from besides their size. Their fluff even specifies Lashunta Varculaks lose their antennae, likewise with Kasatha and their extra arms, or Strix and their wings. They do get some very flavorful undead abilities in exchange though, like draining health on a critical hit.
Since the PDFs have so far eluded me, would anybody who does have access be able to give me some info about the Raxalite, Dromada, or Hanakan? I would also like to know about the Cephalume, are they an aqautic species?
Spoiler:
The Raxilites are tiny plants with artificial tentacle-vines that allow them to handle larger objects. They have two possible states, "Flowering" and "Seedling" which grant them slightly different abilities. They can change between the states by spending a bit of time resting. About the length of a short flight through the Drift to Near Space.
Dromada are basically space camels with eye-stalks. As prey-animals, they recognize that being on top is usually dangerous, so their societies nominate leaders against their will. Those nominated then try to convince the populace that their opponents are better suited to the position. Their art reminds the Orb quite a bit of the Gungans from Star Wars. The Orb is unsure if that's a mark in their favor or not.
Hanakans are small magical dinosaurs. They (along with many species on their homeworld) developed magical abilities very early in their evolution, and their modern society is powered by magic rather than technology. Curiously, they view electricity with the same disdain many technological species view necromancy.
Cephalumes are plantlike creatures native to an ocean of liquid methane. They form symbiotic relationships with strange arthropods that resemble armor, and come in many varieties granting different abilities. They have the "no breath" ability (it appears to have been accidentally left off their Racial Traits bar, though it is on the example Cephalume) so they can presumably do just fine in regular water.
Any info about the companion system, like feats etc. The laser pup?
Spoiler:
Creature companions work a lot like a Mechanic's Drone, in that you must spend your actions to grant them actions. As you get more feats, they can do more on their own without being commanded (again, much like a Drone).
There are 6 feats, 4 of which are part of a chain which gradually improve your Companion's action economy. The other two are mounted combat related feats.
And yes, you can get a Tashtari/Laser Wolf companion. There's also a little shapeshifting ooze which should seem very familiar to fans of a particular sci-fi movie adaptation of a popular Robert Louis Stevenson novel.
So what was the flavor of CR 25 monster and were there some 21-24 monsters sprinkled in too? :D
Spoiler:
After the CR 25 monster, the next highest is "only" CR 19. The CR 25 monster looks like it could be a long lost cousin of The All-Seeing Orb... though it is far larger and far more destructive, it is no less mysterious!
Any info about the companion system, like feats etc. The laser pup?
** spoiler omitted **
Sounds Awesome. Something my Biohacker, Dr. Tentacles M.D. could use. Are there rules for building your own companion? What are the general stats, in comparison to PC? Do they improve, like how the drone companion works?
Since the PDFs have so far eluded me, would anybody who does have access be able to give me some info about the Raxalite, Dromada, or Hanakan? I would also like to know about the Cephalume, are they an aqautic species?
** spoiler omitted **
Yep, as I suspected I am now even more excited for PDF access, thank you oh great and mighty orb!
Hanakans are small magical dinosaurs. They (along with many species on their homeworld) developed magical abilities very early in their evolution, and their modern society is powered by magic rather than technology. Curiously, they view electricity with the same disdain many technological species view necromancy.
Hanakans are small magical dinosaurs. They (along with many species on their homeworld) developed magical abilities very early in their evolution, and their modern society is powered by magic rather than technology. Curiously, they view electricity with the same disdain many technological species view necromancy.
Any info about the companion system, like feats etc. The laser pup?
** spoiler omitted **
Sounds Awesome. Something my Biohacker, Dr. Tentacles M.D. could use. Are there rules for building your own companion? What are the general stats, in comparison to PC? Do they improve, like how the drone companion works?
Spoiler:
There aren't explicit rules for building your own companion, but there are some general guidelines for working with your GM to create a new one. Because companions are just fairly simple templates applied to a base stat-block, it shouldn't be too hard.
Companions have stats a little bit better than a drone, but below a PC in terms of damage and accuracy. Companions can be purchased, their cost depending on their level, but they can also level up with you. When they level up, though, you have to pay the difference in cost between their old level and new level.
Are there any new empires or important factions introduced to the SF setting in the fluff of this book?
There does not appear to be (though The Orb has not perused the fluff of every entry in the Archive). There is, however, a bit of new information on various empires in the entries of creatures who have some connection to them.
What about the true dragons? What's their flavor all about?
The new true dragons are based on starmetals. They're very rare (like the materials they're named for) and have thematic abilities tied to the properties of the metal they're based on.
Broadly speaking, the playable races in this book are a little more goofy than the previous books. A little more '60s or '70s sci-fi on the whole.
The thing I really love is that the Varculak, a second take on not-quite-undead, feel a lot more like it. No need to breathe, no suffering from vacuum exposure! No more need to reflavor an Android if you want your Eoxian to be taking strolls outside with their pals.
All of these could have been given something akin to Humanoid (animalfolk) instead of their own individual subtypes, but that's just me... and that's just from the core books, excluding any race from APs :P
Pathfinder Adventure, Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Troodos wrote:
I've read through the whole thing, but I still dont know what the robot thing on the cover is?
It’s a Jinsul. Also, Hmm? I freaking love your Dirindi writeup. So freaking wonderful. As a fellow aficionado of cleverly-crafted tall tales, I can’t wait to share revelries in a space tavern with overly exaggerated narrations and liberal use of static shocks on unwitting prey. Better than anything I’d hoped for out of this illustrious alien. Here’s hoping we’ll have plenty more to read from your imaginative mind in many books to come!
Does Jinsuls count? I mean technically not new since Starfinder Society but to people outside of it? :p
If you're asking if they are a playable race... Alas, no. But there are 19 other playable races in the book!
Hmm
Hopefully this grave injustice will be corrected in a future book with a playable variant on the jinsuls.
Though finally having playable izalguuns balances it out a bit.
We don't want playable jinsuls while they are still supposed to be a mysterious enemy race, I don't think. Maybe after we defeat them and make friends with the remainder they can feature in a SFS scenario chronicle like the Copaxi or Morlamaw... then show up as playable in an Alien Archive later.
Does Jinsuls count? I mean technically not new since Starfinder Society but to people outside of it? :p
If you're asking if they are a playable race... Alas, no. But there are 19 other playable races in the book!
Hmm
Hopefully this grave injustice will be corrected in a future book with a playable variant on the jinsuls.
Though finally having playable izalguuns balances it out a bit.
We don't want playable jinsuls while they are still supposed to be a mysterious enemy race, I don't think. Maybe after we defeat them and make friends with the remainder they can feature in a SFS scenario chronicle like the Copaxi or Morlamaw... then show up as playable in an Alien Archive later.
You say that while playable greys and reptoids exist.