Journey to Near Space, the galactic region that contains the Pact Worlds, the Veskarium, and many of the planets discovered and colonized by explorers from those civilizations. This hardcover rulebook expands the Starfinder campaign setting with details on dozens of worlds and cultures found in Near Space, each perfect as a locale for science–fantasy adventure!
Inside this book, you'll find in–depth gazetteers of the nine worlds of the Veskarium, the interstellar empire founded by the warlike vesk; detailed entries on other planets and civilizations of Near Space; new starships from the Veskarium and beyond; alternate traits for playable Near Space species; and new themes, archetypes, equipment, spells, and more for any character!
ISBN-13: 978-1-64078-228-0
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After Pact Worlds was released, the next logical gazetteer-style hardcover for Starfinder was Near Space. Like the other Starfinder hardcovers, this one is pricey—-a $ 40 cover price for just 158 pages of content. It’s certainly an attractive book, however, with lots of great interior art and maps. And speaking of art, you can’t go wrong with that cover—-Obazaya tearing off a rocket launcher from an armored vehicle is pretty impressive!
The book starts with brief introduction, “Welcome to Near Space”, that provides a useful reminder that saying a planet is in “Near Space” doesn’t mean it’s close in any geographical (astronomical) sense to any other planet, only that there’s a sufficient collection of Drift beacons to make it a relatively brief hyperspace jump away. The rest of the introduction is an overview of the book’s four chapters: “The Veskarium”, “Worlds of Near Space”, “Starships”, and “Player Options”.
Chapter 1, “The Veskarium” (56 pages) is the longest section of the book. Starfinder team, we need to talk about the Veskarium. It is, quite canonically, a ruthless imperialist and expansionist military junta that committed genocide on its homeworld before invading and subjugating the native peoples of every other planet in its solar system. It then tried to do the same to the Pact Worlds. So why have I played multiple Starfinder Society scenarios where the PCs help the Veskarium (including by killing pahtra rebels in one!) and Near Space glosses over any moral or political implications of the Pact Worlds being allied with such an empire? In a sort of “dark and gritty”, morally ambiguous setting, having adventures in the Veskarium could be great storytelling--but to give it the same Disney treatment as the rest of the Starfinder setting just strikes me as a design team that hasn’t thought things through carefully. Anyway, ranting aside, this book devotes four to six pages to each of the eight planets of the Veskarium plus the mobile super battlestation called Conqueror’s Forge. The section provides a real deep dive into Vesk culture, which is really useful even if not necessarily containing a lot of surprises. The history of the Veskarium is interesting, and the section talks about the organisation of its military, economy, and more. I really appreciated how much setting lore was integrated from previous Alien Archives and Adventure Path volumes, and loved the little shout-out to Nakonechkin Salvage from the Free RPG Day adventures. There are a lot of adventure hooks here, and I’ve already seen some of them form the premise for Starfinder Society adventures.
Chapter 2, “Worlds of Near Space” (42 pages) covers twenty different planets, each with a two-page spread. I took notes on every planet, but it’d be a bit crazy for me to go through each one here. I’ll call out some of my favourites, though. Daegox 4 is a prison planet, something really useful if you need to plan a “great escape” or “jail break” adventure. On Daimalko, you could have a whole campaign dealing with the colossal monster apocalypse. Embroi is the homeworld of the embri and is secretly ruled by devils--good thing my embri character, Speaker for the Dead, doesn’t know! The Gideron Authority and the Marixah Republic were introduced in SFS scenarios, and it’s great to see them integrated here. Helfen-Thel has thousands of magical portals going to who-know’s-where, and exploring some of them could be the premise for a nice campaign formed by unrelated adventures. I’ve used the university planet of Pabaq in a campaign before, and had an adventure on Phoskar (home to giants). It’s a really nice selection of planets, with tons of adventure hooks and intriguing bits to unpack, and I’m pretty sure there’s something for pretty much everyone in the collection.
Chapter 3, “Starships” (12 pages) is the shortest section of the book. It includes some new starship options like a cloaking field (for non-combat use only) and a ramming prow (that does disappointingly little damage). The Gideron Authority, Szandite Collective, and Veskarium each receive a couple of pages of new ships. The Veskarium flagship Conqueror of Worlds receives a full stat-block.
The artwork is a bit rough in spots in Chapter 4, “Player Options” (34 pages). The section starts with a single page of options for each of the following races: damais, embri, ghorans, hobgoblins, ijtikris, osharus, pahtras, skittermanders, and vesk. Some of the options, such as the feats, aren’t race-restricted. Everything looks reasonably balanced, though some are just too minor to be even worth taking. Five new character themes are introduced: bureaucrat, giantblood (I like “hurl debris”), prisoner, quartermaster, and stormrunner. Of the five new archetypes (assassin, battle leader, commando, doshko specialist, and mediator), I thought the assassin was interesting but that the save DCs were *really* low, and the battle commander was excellent. Next, there are six pages of new weapons, shields, and armor. Nothing stood out to me, for better or worse. The book ends with a couple of pages of spells—-one of them, defrex harness, seems overpowered.
And that’s Near Space. The production quality is high, the artwork is generally really good, and the writing is strong. Although pricey given its limited page count, it’s a pretty good book overall.
:'D Welp i think original reason why I didn't review this yet was that "so much content to review" and... Yeah no way I'm going through everything in detail this time either.
So this book does several important things: Flesh out Veskarium, set up plot hooks, introduce and expand on several worlds in Near Space, introduce a LOT new species that will eventually get fleshed out in alien archives(hopefully, because wow this book introduces lot of them :'D I hope writers won't forget about some of them)
Veskarium section provides lot of information that really shows how LE Veskarium is. Aka how imperialistic, unfair, and dehumanizing they are despite their claims to egalitarianism and efficiency. They also introduce lot of mystery to Veskarium, there is civilization in their sun as well, they have suspicious projects going on in several planets and on top of that, several planets have mysterious ruins or sign of precursor species. (oh and besides their extinct "jackal faced arthropod" neighbors, I'm amused that judging by one pic, their other neighbors were basically serpentfolk. Hope they are still alive, though I do think its delicious plot hook that gm could decide "nah they are still alive" and "nah they are all dead" or even "nah they are all undead now" ;D ) Basically lot of really delicious plot hooks and good job at making Veskarium even more punchable.
(all of these are making me want more throrough timeline for Silent War events though x'D Like how many emperors Veskarium had in that 200+ war period)
Anyway, because of my sanity I want to avoid going full detail for rest of the book(otherwise I'd probably be going way past word limit... I have basically been reading the book for entire day in preparation for review and now I just want to be done with writing this x'D), I'll just list my top 4 favorite worlds in the book: Daegox 4, Nemenar, Pholskar and Ulthen(last one is super creepy in fascinating way)
Hmm what else... Well now that I know Marixah Rebublic is apparently LG I went back to tread read them and... I guess I can sort of see it? It IS apparently really nice place to live in. They still come across as shady and like they have an ego though when it comes to foreign politics...
Oh and realized that since Embroi is ruled by malebranche, that is our first world in starfinder ruled by quasi/demi god :D
Starship/equipment/alternate starship options/spells do have cool stuff overall as well, though I do hope this book is open to errata. I mean there is that one evocation cold spell that apparently doesn't have spell resistance that confuses me because of that xD Change it to conjuration creation at least!
I love Starfinder. I've been supporting it with subscriptions since the core rulebook came out -- but I have to admit I found Pact Worlds a bit lacking in imagination. Part of this is probably because they were dealing with legacy content (Distant Worlds already basically declared who lived where and what the worlds were like).
But with Near Space the Starfinder writing team has been able to spread their wings and go a bit crazy, and the delivered product is fantastic from end to end.
Art - 5/5, love it, each Veskarium world's description is riven with detail and great art. Seeing how Skittermanders interact with their Vesk overlords will help me to describe them in future encounters. I suspect that instead of viewing Skittermanders as cute, cuddly carebears, my players will now wonder if there are Skittermanders nearby if that means that Vesk are too. I want that art of Conqueror's Forge in a gas cloud as a wallpaper or poster.
Worldbuilding - 5/5, again, the Veskarium is just as interesting of a place as the Pact Worlds, and you could build an entire campaign here and never leave the system. The dynamics of Vesk-6 I found especially interesting, as I think the Pahtra/Vesk conflict has a lot of potential for some great plot hooks. The rest of Near Space has some fascinating locations as well, my favorite being the Dyson Sphere and the Toe Jam & Earl-like planet of Orry.
Most importantly though, I never felt like any of the write-ups of the Veskarium insulted my intelligence. The book doesn't shy away from pointing out that some Pahtras really don't like the situation on Vesk-6, or that hey, Skittermanders are in fact the Grotz/Goblins/Gretchens of the SF universe.
Mechanical Options - 5/5. I'm glad someone on the team clearly thought that not having +STR Pahtra was a missed opportunity. The Vesk, Skittermander, and other Veskarium races all equally got showered with variations as well to bring them out of their shells. Or pouches. Whatever Skitters have.
Gamemastering Mechanical Options - 3/5. This is the only place I felt was lacking a bit. I would have liked some fleshed out Veskarium NPC blocks akin to the ones provided in Pact Worlds Chapter 3 "Supporting Cast". I wouldn't have needed a whole 12 pages like Pact worlds, but I have a good idea in my head of what say, a Pact Worlds mercenary or criminal is armed with, and what an Aeon Guard infantryman is armed with. I have no idea what your average Level 3 Vesk infantry is armed with, though if I had to hazard a guess it would be a Peacekeeper's Aegis, a Doshko, and some sort of Laser weapon and 2-3 pages devoted to the Veskarium's military make-up in that respect would have been nice.
I consider almost every Starfinder splat a must-buy, but to be honest if you had to pick between Pact Worlds and this, I'd pick this. That's how good it is. Probably the best splat I've read in a good long while.
They're in the Vast, so I'm guessing not. There's a fair few articles in the Second Adventure Path (issues 7-9) on the Empire, if you haven't got that one.
I'm guessing there'll be an analog to this book for the more far-flung regions one day (or maybe an "important enemies" book at some point).
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
Any chance we might see poster map folios for this and Pact Worlds at any point in the future (assuming this book will have planetary maps like PW did). Those would be really fun (and extremely useful) to have around while exploring some of the bigger locations in Starfinder.
Now, here's my one concern here: We're getting the Veskarium and then also a selection of Near Space worlds, which could include stuff like Embroi, Orry, Tabrid Minor, Silselrik, Heicoron IV, and Daimalko.
Assuming that they profile even three or four of those planets, plus the Veskarium, and every planet gets two pages of fluff, plus back matter with ships and weapons...will they have enough room? I mean, the Starfinder Hardcovers are pretty small by comparison to Pathfinder.
Now, here's my one concern here: We're getting the Veskarium and then also a selection of Near Space worlds, which could include stuff like Embroi, Orry, Tabrid Minor, Silselrik, Heicoron IV, and Daimalko.
Assuming that they profile even three or four of those planets, plus the Veskarium, and every planet gets two pages of fluff, plus back matter with ships and weapons...will they have enough room? I mean, the Starfinder Hardcovers are pretty small by comparison to Pathfinder.
I think that's Developer talk for "Shut up and buy the book because everything is going to be fine."
There's going to be so much packed into this book! My prediction is that even with all of the new material added, it's still not going to feel like enough. Starfinder has this sort of curse where the more amazing stuff Paizo releases for it, the more we want.
There's going to be so much packed into this book! My prediction is that even with all of the new material added, it's still not going to feel like enough. Starfinder has this sort of curse where the more amazing stuff Paizo releases for it, the more we want.
I concur, actually. I have a strong suspicion of what's going to be in the book (Daimalko is, after all, a shoe in) but it won't be enough. It will never be enough.
Quote:
We hunger... HUNGER!
Yes...the need...it cannot be easily sated. We must feast.
There's going to be so much packed into this book! My prediction is that even with all of the new material added, it's still not going to feel like enough. Starfinder has this sort of curse where the more amazing stuff Paizo releases for it, the more we want.
I attempted to pre ordered this on Amazon UK right after it was announced, this week I received a "This order has been cancelled from the vendor" email - has the date slipped on this? I can no longer find it on Amazon to pre order...
Oh boy, Doom Eternal and THIS in the same month...maybe I'll end up making a Vesk Soldier who has a blood-oath to fight the Abyss and RIPS AND TEARS demons.
I don't even have my Character Operations Manual or the Deck of Many Worlds yet, now I have a new thing to look forward to... Paizo shut up and take my money.
What is the difference between the "in-depth gazeteer" that the planets of the Veskarium will get and the "detailed entries" that other planets will get?
What is the difference between the "in-depth gazeteer" that the planets of the Veskarium will get and the "detailed entries" that other planets will get?
The number of pages dedicated to them, I would guess.
What is the difference between the "in-depth gazeteer" that the planets of the Veskarium will get and the "detailed entries" that other planets will get?
The number of pages dedicated to them, I would guess.
I figured. I’m wondering if they are going to at least two pages for the non-Veskarium Near Space places mentioned in the core. Or maybe they’ll do a bunch of one page or half pages for Near Space planets not mentioned yet.
What is the difference between the "in-depth gazeteer" that the planets of the Veskarium will get and the "detailed entries" that other planets will get?
The number of pages dedicated to them, I would guess.
I figured. I’m wondering if they are going to at least two pages for the non-Veskarium Near Space places mentioned in the core. Or maybe they’ll do a bunch of one page or half pages for Near Space planets not mentioned yet.
In a Know Direction recording of a GenCon panel, Rob and Amanda said that each Near Space planet given a half page in the Core Rulebook would be getting either a 2 or 4 page spread (they couldn't remember at the time). The way they talked about it also implied to me that there were going to be some brand new planets mentioned as well.
In a Know Direction recording of a GenCon panel, Rob and Amanda said that each Near Space planet given a half page in the Core Rulebook would be getting either a 2 or 4 page spread (they couldn't remember at the time). The way they talked about it also implied to me that there were going to be some brand new planets mentioned as well.
That’s really good to know. Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait for this book.
What is the difference between the "in-depth gazeteer" that the planets of the Veskarium will get and the "detailed entries" that other planets will get?
The worlds of the Veskarium each get 6 pages, with treatments similar to the individual Pact Worlds in the Pact Worlds book (full-page map, notable locations, etc.)
The other Near Space planets detailed in the book each get a 2-page spread. Some of these planets are expansions of Near Space worlds we've talked about before, and some are brand new!
So come to think, does this mean we can expect book on The Vast eventually? :D
I wonder what is left after The Vast... Other galaxies/planes? Or just more focus on specific areas of near/vast or solar system... Like maybe one with heavier focus on Azlanti star empire or dark tapestry or whatever?
Well whatever, I do hope we get both Vast and Planar book eventually :D Doesn't even have to focus on traditional planes, we need some scifi dimension travel shenanigans eventually!
The Vast in general -- probably not. That would be all of the galaxy that is not Near Space -- and if we assume that the galaxy containing the Pact Worlds is comparable in size to the Milky Way, that would be huge.
But I could imagine a book on the Azlanti Star Empire at some point, followed by other themed regions of space as desired. However, I don't think we will get anything for other galaxies unless and until they come up with a way to reach them.
Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
David knott 242 wrote:
The Vast in general -- probably not. That would be all of the galaxy that is not Near Space -- and if we assume that the galaxy containing the Pact Worlds is comparable in size to the Milky Way, that would be huge.
But I could imagine a book on the Azlanti Star Empire at some point, followed by other themed regions of space as desired. However, I don't think we will get anything for other galaxies unless and until they come up with a way to reach them.
It’s hard for me to see Paizo not doing something like this. I don’t think any of the setting books were ever meant to be comprehensive. There are pact worlds outside of the Golarion system that weren’t covered in that book, probably Veskarium-occupied territories outside of Vesk-Prime’s solar system that won’t be covered in Near Space, and probably many more Near Space worlds that we’ll have to wait for another AP to see. A Vast book wouldn’t even have to cover a fraction of what’s out there. But it would allow Paizo to expand on a portion of their setting that’s largely unexplored right now - the unexplored! What does the uncharted frontier look like in Starfinder? Where is that mythical planet made entirely out of gold but haunted by an ancient entity that’s whispered about in taverns on Broken Rock, or that secret Dominion of the Black mothership slipping in and out of planes you’ll hear every conspiracy nut talking about? Or that failed faraway colony whose inhabitants have mutated mysteriously into fungal predators, or the cosmic museum-hoard of that reclusive collector dragon who spurns “civilised” society to unlock the secrets of the past beyond the Gap?
Most of the worlds we’ve explored in core settings books are pretty frequented, but there’s literally the rest of the galaxy teeming with secrets and strange worlds to explore, uncharted and only barely speculated about. That’s a final frontier I’d like to see a book about.
The Vast in general -- probably not. That would be all of the galaxy that is not Near Space -- and if we assume that the galaxy containing the Pact Worlds is comparable in size to the Milky Way, that would be huge.
But I could imagine a book on the Azlanti Star Empire at some point, followed by other themed regions of space as desired. However, I don't think we will get anything for other galaxies unless and until they come up with a way to reach them.
Most of the worlds we’ve explored in core settings books are pretty frequented, but there’s literally the rest of the galaxy teeming with secrets and strange worlds to explore, uncharted and only barely speculated about. That’s a final frontier I’d like to see a book about.
For my two cents, I can see it happening a combination of ways:
Maybe they'll release multiple Near Space and Vast books, each covering different areas or major races. The Vast 1 covers The Azlanti Empire and the Shadari Confederacy, Vast 2 covering the worlds ruled by the Dominion and those settled by the Devourer cult.
I could also see a more indepth dive into individual major races. The Azlanti Empire is TEEMING with lifeforms and places to explore. It's big.
Will the alternate racial traits for playable Near Space races include options for Damai PCs? If so, will owning the book grant Society eligibility for playing a Damai? I have a boon to play a Damai, but the chronicle sheet says I need to own Alien Archive 2. I was curious if owning Near Space would meet those eligibility requirements as well. Thanks for your time and insight, folks.
Will the book contain any wholly new races or just alternate racial traits for Veskarium native races that have already been statted up?
There are no new playable races in Near Space, but there are alternate racial traits and new class features thematically tied to race for a variety of races native to Near Space (both in the Veskarium and outside it).
Darimatosh is listed as the “primary” god worshiped in the veskarium. Will we learn more about the gods of Vesk space?
The "core pantheon" of gods presented in the Starfinder Core Rulebook is worshiped as much in the Veskarium as in the Pact Worlds, so there are no new Veskarium-specific gods. There is a brief mention of lesser vesk "demigods" like saints, war heroes, and deified emperors, but they are all very minor and subservient to the Church of Damoritosh, and are not described in greater detail.
Will the alternate racial traits for playable Near Space races include options for Damai PCs? If so, will owning the book grant Society eligibility for playing a Damai? I have a boon to play a Damai, but the chronicle sheet says I need to own Alien Archive 2. I was curious if owning Near Space would meet those eligibility requirements as well. Thanks for your time and insight, folks.
There are alternate racial options for damai in the book, but the full rules for them as a player race are still found in Alien Archive 2.
As for what specifically will be allowed in SFS play, the Organized Play team is working on it and will share details as soon as they have them!
It is kinda lame how much less emphasis Starfinder puts on gods than Pathfinder .-. Like I get the logic, but gods are 100% known to exist so you'd think they would feel less niche in the world outside of Abadarcorp or Sarenites in the sun
It is kinda lame how much less emphasis Starfinder puts on gods than Pathfinder .-. Like I get the logic, but gods are 100% known to exist so you'd think they would feel less niche in the world outside of Abadarcorp or Sarenites in the sun
In Pathfinder divine magic is very important as the only reliable way to heal disease, something that is not a draw in Starfinder.
In Pathfinder it's also easier to fall for religious propaganda driving you to a particular god for salvation. Starfinder, with mass media, can send a camera crew to the Boneyard to interview psychopomps and verify that yes, you can achieve Heaven, Nirvana, or Elysium without actually worshipping a god if you lead a good life. You may want to join a god's "team" for psychological rewards in this life and to slot yourself into a particular role in the next, but you don't have to.
It is kinda lame how much less emphasis Starfinder puts on gods than Pathfinder .-. Like I get the logic, but gods are 100% known to exist so you'd think they would feel less niche in the world outside of Abadarcorp or Sarenites in the sun
Ethics and philosophy change with our understanding of the universe. Their definitive existence in the setting serves to weaken their position, if anything.
Why does raw power entitle them to different treatment than other sentients?
Why should we worship an existent and thus flawed and fallible entity?
Can we trust them and their agents as more dogma begins to rub up against science?