Starfinder Galaxy Guide

Announced for May! Product images and descriptions are not final and are subject to change. :)

So excited for all of this!

April 2025, so before the Core Book... can we technically say these are the first Starfinder 2e ancestries?

Astrozoans AND Vlaka? I get to bring back the hugfish and the goddess boys to my players!

Also I really hope there has been some developments on the fate of the Vlakas' home planet. I remember it was in fairly dire straits in 1e.

April 2025, so before the Core Book... can we technically say these are the first Starfinder 2e ancestries?

That is my question.

Interesting that the Vlaka are the only non Pacts Worlds ancestry in here, Unless something changed for them

The-Magic-Sword wrote:

April 2025, so before the Core Book... can we technically say these are the first Starfinder 2e ancestries?

That is my question.

Yeah, they mentioned when this book was announced that Galaxy Guide will come out before the Core book releases for SF2E (Player Core, GM Core, and Alien Core), and this book will technically have the ancestries/archetypes/etc. come out before the full final game is out. But given all of SF2E is 100% compatible with PF2E, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

That's an interesting choice... I'm definitely not complaining, especially since it is technically something that can be used with PF2e.

Also... just realized I got hit with the autocorrect hammer in my previous post. The Vlaka are the 'goodest boys' not the 'goddess boys' in my estimation.

That's an interesting choice... I'm definitely not complaining, especially since it is technically something that can be used with PF2e.

Also... just realized I got hit with the autocorrect hammer in my previous post. The Vlaka are the 'goodest boys' not the 'goddess boys' in my estimation.

Oh yeah, totally my reaction to this announcement was to up a Starfinder Subscription starting with this, I am much excite, just meme-ing.

Vlaka is an interesting choice, since that species is one of the posterchildren posterdoggos for perceiving your environment, with congenital blindness or deafness being out-of-the-gate options for 1e vlakas. As someone who's written a lot about how wonderful the cantina of 1e species variety is, but also how either a blanket FAQ entry or some baseline augmentation options could forestall a lot of questions and confusion, I'm very curious to see how this is handled in 2e.

If nothing else, I really, really, hope that the Starfriends make it super clear with vlaka verbiage on if you can gain a sense. Even with just the stuff in Playtest core, there's tons of stuff that I know is going to be asked about: "Can my blind vlaka see if they take the Predator's Eye lvl 7 Nature feat (p. 155) / the Spiritual Eye lvl 15 religion feat (p. 156) / an autorecognition lens or darkvision capacitor augments (both p. 198) / nano-optics node (p. 199) / retinal reflectors (p. 200) or crystal lens (p. 200) / psychoactive eyes (p. 201)?"

(And, to be really clear, I don't care if the answer to that question is yes or no. I just want the answer to be clearly and plainly stated. Because, if it's not and if 1e is any indication, we're going to get a billion forum threads asking about it.)

The time to set clear precedent is now - I hope we get many of the other zany Cantina species with funky senses (bantrids, khizar, stellifera, and so on) in the future, so the time to address all of this stuff is now. Ideally, in a way that doesn't just address sight & hearing with vlaka, but any sense, in future species.

Great cover!! Who is the artist? Looking forward to this book and the others involved with Starfinder Second Edition.

Also I really hope there has been some developments on the fate of the Vlakas' home planet. I remember it was in fairly dire straits in 1e.

If I recall correctly, their home star was dying, but the process of a star dying can take... *quick net search* thousands if not millions of years. Given, the effects on the planet may make it too inhospitable to live on long before that, as estimates say the Vlaka might be able to survive a few more centuries on the planet if they needed to. And this is not counting any magical shenanigans, like the birth of a new deity.

My guess is that maybe the Vlaka have managed to fully migrate from Lajok, but may occasionally visit it as a cultural touchstone for their people, like going to a gravesite, so they don't forget their history. They might also be looking to take another planet as their adopted home. The half icy Triaxus could be a contender for that.

April 2025, so before the Core Book... can we technically say these are the first Starfinder 2e ancestries?

I think the first Starfinder 2e ancestries came out in The Gap last April. I can't find anything in The Gap that would prove that wrong.

Interesting that the Vlaka are the only non Pacts Worlds ancestry in here, Unless something changed for them

There are Astrazoans living in the Pact Worlds, but No one really knows where Astrazoans came from and they don't have a home world.

Dang, really coming out the gate swinging with those ancestries, huh? Two of my faves, and before the core book will even be out!

VerBeeker wrote:

Interesting that the Vlaka are the only non Pacts Worlds ancestry in here, Unless something changed for them

There are Astrazoans living in the Pact Worlds, but No one really knows where Astrazoans came from and they don't have a home world.

Pretty sure they’re from Apostae, being the descendants of their original inhabitants the Ilee

Though Scoured Stars AP version adds possibility of them being connected to shapeshifter civilization from scoured stars

Though Scoured Stars AP version adds possibility of them being connected to shapeshifter civilization from scoured stars

Given that the Ilee were immigrants to the Golarion System via Apostae, those two explanations aren't entirely mutually exclusive- They might be the Ilee's cousins, sharing common ancestors. Perhaps, before the gap, they came looking for their long lost couains.

Dang, really coming out the gate swinging with those ancestries, huh? Two of my faves, and before the core book will even be out!

Actually, it's three; really love the vlaka, too. It's always nice to see positive spins on differing expressions of ability.

I'm also very much looking forward to the upcoming archetypes. Really hoping Hellknight is easier for people to get into than the PF2E version is; makes it pretty difficult to play a signifer in any reasonable amount of time currently. Xenowardens also sound like they'll be very cool to play!

Wooot! I am so excited for this!

Great cover!! Who is the artist? Looking forward to this book and the others involved with Starfinder Second Edition.

The artist is Mirco Paganessi! Glad you like it!

Personally, I found this decision strange, releasing it before the core book... I really didn't like it.Well, that already discourages me a little, I confess, I'm always negative when something doesn't seem pleasant to me, but anyway, I'll keep an eye out and wait for other releases, if nothing takes my priority until then...

Personally, I found this decision strange, releasing it before the core book... I really didn't like it.Well, that already discourages me a little, I confess, I'm always negative when something doesn't seem pleasant to me, but anyway, I'll keep an eye out and wait for other releases, if nothing takes my priority until then...

I'm sure this was easier/faster to write (didn't need much in the way of playtest finalization), and they must be desperate to book some Starfinder revenue after all this time with SF1 an abandoned lame duck. Waiting to release this book alongside the Core Rulebook at GenCon probably also seemed like a sizeable cannibalization/delayed sales risk, given that Battlecry!! is going to drop at the same time.

I'm just excited to see what the setting is like now, and also see if there is any info why some of the S1 gods are gone.

Does the pre-order include the PDF?
This is the only thing keeping me from biting the bullet right now.

Does the pre-order include the PDF?

This is the only thing keeping me from biting the bullet right now.

Pre-orders do not include a PDF. However, being a subscriber does come with one. More details HERE.

Pretty sure they’re from Apostae, being the descendants of their original inhabitants the Ilee

Honestly I hope there's some way the Ilee proper can make a comeback, now that the ancestry system is modular enough that it'd actually work to support them, similar to the Awakened Animal ancestry.

The preview in Paizo Live was great! Thanks for sharing all the fun stuff.

Does this book include the materials from Pact Worlds, Near Space, the Galaxy Exploration Manual, and Ports of Call?

Probably not as those were all Starfinder 1e books and this is for Starfinder 2e. It will probably repeat a few things but it is likely largely meant to establish the setting with an eye to any parts of the game's metaplot that have changed due to advancing stories or... other influences (yes I'm still giving WotC the stink-eye over the OGL debacle).

Think of it as a primer for major factions and current events in the setting.

Not sure I want to buy a setting book in May for a ruleset coming out in August.

If you want to get technical about it, the Galaxy Guide is fully compatible with Pathfinder 2e so the ruleset has been out for a while already.

That's fair. The book will still be there when the Player Core releases . I personally am looking forward to getting to look at the lore right away.

Does this book include the materials from Pact Worlds, Near Space, the Galaxy Exploration Manual, and Ports of Call?

If I had to guess, it will likely have an overview of all these, those not sure it will be able to fit and expand on all the material within four books. From the wording, it seems like it will be a primer to the galaxy in general, with a focus on the Pact Worlds.