Starfinder Galactic Magic

Don't get me wrong, I do love the book, but I did have bit hard time deciding on how to rate it down or up since its not just magic book, its essentially also the religion book. Like overall it has more lore pages than tech revolution did, but it has less lore pages on magic in galaxy than tech in galaxy on tech revelation due to religion info taking huge part of the lore stuff and of course lore stuff isn't as complete as if book was entirely about religion. Still though book still accomplishes both goals: explaining how magic is perceived and how it affects society and world and how different caster types are seeing in the society AND making core 20 gods more interesting both lore and mechanics wise and introducing other old and new interesting gods.

So while I think there is still marketplace open for religion focused book that could perhaps introduce gods' heralds and mechanics for summoning them, admittedly as starfinder doesn't have deity focused classes its not as necessary as in pathfinder so I do think this book scratches the "core 20 are now interesting enough" itch(introducing edicts/anathema, favored weapons, alternate themes and such was good and minor way of introducing mechanically interesting choices to worshipping a god AND roleplaying guidelines) while still leaving open for further development in starfinder ap articles and such.

So yeah, I think now only books that starfinder really misses AND needs are Plane focused book and Vast focused book. After those books I'd think setting feels complete as all major areas of it are touched upon and further books can focus on fleshing out things further.

So, full disclosure: I have a huge bias towards the -fantasy part of science-fantasy: fighting demons in space is significantly more appealing to me than with an alien species, and I'm still dying for a deep dive on the planar cosmology in Starfinder, though mixing all that with high tech is great, and part of the charm to begin with! Tech Revolution was fun and all, especially in the worldbuilding department, but I've been absolutely PUMPED for this book since the moment it was announced; now that it's actually here, how does it hold up to those expectations?

On the whole, pretty great! There’s a few rougher points and blemishes to be sure, but taken as a whole it’s a huge net positive for the game, especially if you, like me, felt that the game has been tech-dominant for the most part (a fact that’s diegetically addressed in the book itself to an extent; Pact Worlds do have a soft tech bias).

So here’s a breakdown of what’s in store:

- The new precog class, and new options for all other classes.. There’s some slightly questionable design decisions to this one when it comes to its power level relative to other spellcasters (start with proficiency in advanced melee/longarm/sniper weapons, and eventually being able to get full base attack bonus scaling is…a little much, Paizo), but conceptually it’s a fun class that delivers the chronomancy fantasy without being really hard to adjudicate, and something of a counterpart to the witchwarper in my opinion. Might warrant some errata or houserules, though.
As far as other classes go, there’s some real gems here, from biohackers who hack ley lines and create spell ampoules to psychic envoys who can speak to magic to technomantic nanocytes to pseudo-spellcaster solarians to technomancers with extraplanar tutors (making them akin to Pathfinder witches) and archer soldiers (complete with new bows); the list just goes on, and really expands on the classes in fun new ways. A controversial standout is the Broken Cycle alternate feature for solarians, which can let them completely ignore photons or gravitons and fully commit to the other, which might make certain photon builds that much more powerful, so allow that one with some caution, I suppose.
Lastly, there’s the new magic school specialist archetype for casters, which grants different benefits for each of the eight magic schools - though if you were expecting the necromancy specialist to turn you into a bonafide necromancer with a personal army of undead, you might be somewhat disappointed by its benefits.

- New items, whether strictly magical or hybrid. A particular standout here not mentioned in other reviews so far are gimmicks, which let spellcasters customize their spellcasting, both aesthetically and mechanically, akin to spellcasting foci (or metamagic rods, specifically) of old; They come in a variety of options, and some can make all those lower-level spells whose DCs just become laughable actually stay relevant throughout the game - and that’s on top of the flavor of having a cool sci-fi magic wand or what have you. A real gamechanger. Also included are some new serums, weapon fusions and armor upgrades, and three new artifacts. Overall, lots of great options, whether you’re a player looking to fine-tune your spellcaster’s build, or are a GM looking for fun and quirky new rewards to give out (the trench coat of utility is fun!).

- 100+ new spells, ritual rules, and spellcasting variant rules. The de facto main course of the book, there’s roughly 20 pages of new spells for all classes, including those for the new precog class. Many of those spells fill previously under-represented niches, like variable-level spells, offensive touch spells, barrier spells, and so on. I do wish the witchwarper received some unique spells (unlike the other classes, which all receive at least a handful of spells exclusive to their spell list), but that’s a somewhat abstract concern.
Then, there’s two new variant rules - one for allowing the classes’ damaging 0-level spells (aka cantrips) like energy ray to scale as you gain levels, and one for turning your spontaneous spellcaster into a prepared one, like a classic spellbook-toting wizard. The former still does leave the cantrips slightly below par compared to small arms (though certain builds might still take advantage of them, and they are basically free and infinite, which an ammo-using gun is not), and doesn’t have an option for the saving throw-ones to scale the DCs of those saves, which is unfortunate. The latter sounds great, if you don’t mind or even enjoy the way that classic Vancian wizards work, but might leave you a bit cold if you’re more used to the PF1 arcanist, or DnD 5e-style spell preparation. Either way, it’s very nice to have, and I for one can’t wait to have a technomancer with a spell-datapad. I also wish there was some option for druid/cleric-style preparation, but that has its own host of problems.
Lastly, there are rituals, long-form ways to channel magic (without needing to be a spellcaster yourself, even), which open up a whole host of new story opportunities (FTL communication, anyone?), and many harken back to classic Pathfinder rituals or high-level spells (such as commune or gate). Great design space for future books to expand upon, as well. Solid additions here overall.

- Information on religion, gods and philosophies in the Starfinder setting. Moving onto the more narrative-oriented section of the book, though there are still some rules bits here - notably, a way to swap out your character theme’s default theme knowledge with that corresponding to your deity, as well as a feat for gaining proficiency and some other minor benefits with your deity’s favored weapon.
If you felt like Starfinder deities were lacking in information, this should help a lot - each of the core 20 gets a full-page writeup, complete with aforementioned alternate theme knowledge, favored weapon, broad edicts and anathema, and possible blessings and curses, all things that might sound familiar to those who read Pathfinder 2e Lost Omens: Gods & Magic. Each of the core deities also receives a piece of art depicting what they actually look like - opinions are divided on some of the gods’ looks, but I myself really enjoy them, and understand the reasoning for why they look the way they do.
There’s also half-page writeups on some new and returning deities, such as Cayden Cailean (who probably has my single favorite new story, and I loved that guy even in Pathfinder), Asmodeus (now we know why he’s no longer in the core twenty), and some newcomers, like the god of food, hospitality and spycraft Cavrabon (if you enjoy House Ghallanda in the DnD setting Eberron, you will like ‘em!) and Kadrical (a name that might ring a bell if you’re invested in the Starfinder Society metaplot regarding the Scoured Stars system; I’m not, but I bet many people will be). There’s also information on other deities, including ancestral deities (dwarven Angradd, elven Calistria, pahtra Meyel, dragonkin-ryphorian Dagosarn, vesk saints, and so on), Elder Mythos (Cthulhu, Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, and friends), the fey Eldest, outsider deities (like the empyreal lord Arshea, demon lord Pazuzu, elemental lord Ranginori, arc spectra Facilian, and so on), and various nondeific philosophies - The Cycle, the Green Faith, the new Gap Recollective and Parallel Truths, Prophecies of Kallistrade, Sangpotshi, and so on.
There are a few omissions I find slightly to moderately glaring - Shelyn is only given passing mentions, and we still do not know who the Starfinder four horsemen of the apocalypse are. A mild disappointment, but oh well, what is there is pretty damn solid.

- Finally, a chapter on magic in the galaxy. To some, this will be just a lore-dumpy snoozefest, but to me, this is my favorite section of the book. First, we get a look at what stages of development magic generally goes through in the galaxy, how it functions, what its general limits are, what kind of career a magic user might undergo, and how they’re perceived in society. It’s a bit on the abstract side perhaps, but at the same time, really helps clarify magic’s role in the setting, providing some solid guidance on how the four different spellcasting classes are perceived and how they function, which is hardly useless. The following two sections are much more concrete however, discussing various magic institutions and magical factions in the Starfinder setting, from the familiar ones like the Arcanamirium, the Hellknight Order of the Gate and the Xenowardens; to brand-new ones such as the nefarious mind magic-oriented Palace Obscura academy and the Eldritch Games League. The last section of the book is titled Magical Phenomena, and it describes a number of large-scale ways in which magic manifests, parallel to how real-world physics result in black holes or nebulae. And here, there’s some truly fantastical things, from alignment singularities to Drift thinning (with an ominous potential teaser towards the upcoming Drift Crisis? Who knows), to metastars that radiate magic (including a nod to the Starfinder adventure Liberation of Locus-1, which is a nice touch) and wormgates that, like wormholes, link different planes. Overall, this chapter is full of absolutely great and creative stuff that alone can spawn dozens of quintessential science-fantasy adventure ideas, be they serious or silly or anything in-between.

With Galactic Magic, I finally feel as though Starfinder’s fantasy side will be able to flourish like never before. Stuff like this is - the unabashed embracing of the blend of speculative fiction tropes and ideas - what makes it distinct from other sci-fi properties like Traveller or Star Trek or Star Wars or The Expanse, so if that kind of thing appeals to you, it’s a very valuable grab.

Some extra things that didn’t fit into other sections:
- I appreciate the diversity of species portrayed in the art in this book, particularly in the classes section, really showing that you can play and portray all manner of people and aliens in this game.
- I do wish there was more direct information on other planes of existence (it’s mostly incidental when talking about things like the outsider deities, or the bits about Astral/Ethereal/Shadow Space), but that might warrant a book all its own honestly.
- I wish there was more lore tied to vanguards, a class I still notoriously don't understand how to meaningfully weave in on a narrative level, but I suppose Paizo doesn't consider them to be a spellcaster (which mechanically they literally are not, I suppose); yet, there are factions tied to solarians, so what gives?
- There’s art of a kobold (pg 141), the first for an actual Starfinder book, I believe (our only other one is in the Alien Character Deck, where kobolds first debuted). That’s all.
- I just have to point this out because it bothers me; The chapter opener for the Magical Galaxy section shows the iconic vanguard without his lashunta antennae, which makes him look more like a dwarf. Also, the drow in the background look …really strange there. While I disagree with most criticisms about the quality of art in this book, that one really does stick out to me in a bad way (even if it’s art that most people will briefly look at once on their first readthrough, if that), and I hope that at least the Velloro antennae situation can be fixed in a future printing (Paizo did do that for when there was an unmasked kasatha in another book after all!).

The Good:

This book has all of the setting details to really turn the Starfinder Setting (Pact Worlds and Beyond!) into a truly Science Fantasy setting.

While there have been bits here and there about how magic is utilized in the setting, particularly in APs, most of the setting before felt highly technological compared to magical. This is even addressed some in the book itself, stating that the Pact Worlds right now do in fact have a bias towards the technological even though so much of their technology is intertwined with magic. All of the core 20 Starfinder deities get larger write-ups that are helpful for both players and GMs. Some of the Core 20 from Pathfinder also get a column each of space explaining what they've been up to, including a great reason why Asmodeus is no longer a top-tier deity!

We get 100+ new spells, some are old throwbacks from Pathfinder but others are brand new and are potentially game-changing when it comes to spellcaster builds.

The variant 0-level spells scaling is much needed! Now your spellcaster never needs to reach for a gun again if they don't want to!

The prepared caster variant is something that I hope SFS allows players to utilize. I've always been a fan of prepared casting and am happy to see it has made its way into publication here!