Will there be animal / alien companions?


General Discussion


The mechanic gets a robot buddy and the technomage can summon a swarm of nanobots. But so far I haven't heard anything about a class feature where you have an organic buddy fight alongside you.

Can a dev confirm or deny that that will be coming soon or that it was removed entirely due to the rules nightmare that is companions in Pathfinder?


Check the mechanic preview and the iconic mechanic, there is info about drone pets.

Mechanic preview
Quig, the iconic mechanic

Sovereign Court Senior Developer, Starfinder Team

4 people marked this as a favorite.

The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.


Bigguyinblack wrote:

The mechanic gets a robot buddy and the technomage can summon a swarm of nanobots. But so far I haven't heard anything about a class feature where you have an organic buddy fight alongside you.

Can a dev confirm or deny that that will be coming soon or that it was removed entirely due to the rules nightmare that is companions in Pathfinder?

Oh, I'll bet they can. Whether or not they will, on the other hand...


Ouachitonian wrote:
Bigguyinblack wrote:

The mechanic gets a robot buddy and the technomage can summon a swarm of nanobots. But so far I haven't heard anything about a class feature where you have an organic buddy fight alongside you.

Can a dev confirm or deny that that will be coming soon or that it was removed entirely due to the rules nightmare that is companions in Pathfinder?

Oh, I'll bet they can. Whether or not they will, on the other hand...

I think you been ninja'd ;D


Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

If there are new classes (or class features) in the future that grant a companion, they will almost surely use the Mechanic/drone action economy, where they share initiative and one takes a full round action and the other a standard action (player's choice). That would reduce the rules complexity a bit.


Robert G. McCreary wrote:
The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.

I see. What about summoning? I'm mostly wondering how useful the Alien Archive would be to a player.


Alien Archive will contain new playable races too, so even without summoning it will be useful.


5 people marked this as a favorite.

Animal Alien Companion is a very insensitive way of referring to the Vesk member of the party. Even if he is eating his molted skin right now and has a habit of scent marking his cabin.


IonutRO wrote:
Alien Archive will contain new playable races too, so even without summoning it will be useful.

And equipment.


It is hard to play your captain K'rrrk if one cannot have some alien companions. Although I think the opening post is refering to another sort of alien companion.

Scarab Sages Developer, Starfinder Team

2 people marked this as a favorite.

We'll likely talk about why players want to buy Alien Archive (and, folks? Players will want to buy Alien Archive) after we get the core rulebook in people's hands.
Some of it might not even make sense right now.


Bigguyinblack wrote:
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.
I see. What about summoning? I'm mostly wondering how useful the Alien Archive would be to a player.

That works out fine for me you could ride around on some kind of alien rhino/millipede/fish and be a lancer of some kind it would still be fun


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

We'll likely talk about why players want to buy Alien Archive (and, folks? Players will want to buy Alien Archive) after we get the core rulebook in people's hands.

Some of it might not even make sense right now.

Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?


Even if it doesn't make sense it will get us excited!


Torbyne wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

We'll likely talk about why players want to buy Alien Archive (and, folks? Players will want to buy Alien Archive) after we get the core rulebook in people's hands.

Some of it might not even make sense right now.
Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?

Crows "Space Bat" loves this idea.

Evolve reference.

Scarab Sages Developer, Starfinder Team

Torbyne wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

We'll likely talk about why players want to buy Alien Archive (and, folks? Players will want to buy Alien Archive) after we get the core rulebook in people's hands.

Some of it might not even make sense right now.
Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?

Sure. At least some of it may play with things in the core rulebook that we haven't gone over in any detail, and we don't want to try to explain those things well enough that our expansions of them in another book may make sense, when everyone likely to care about Alien Archive will be able to buy the core rulebook well before it comes out.


minidragons!


Torbyne wrote:
Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?

And they are totally never answering about her either as they have stated that her story in Destiny is 'done' and has been 'finished adequately'. They are even eliminating references to 'The Darkness' from 2 since they never decided what it even was.

I wish I was making this up.


And I wish I knew what you were talking about.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
IonutRO wrote:
And I wish I knew what you were talking about.

It's some kind electronic entertainment that the hip teens be down with.


Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:
Torbyne wrote:
Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

We'll likely talk about why players want to buy Alien Archive (and, folks? Players will want to buy Alien Archive) after we get the core rulebook in people's hands.

Some of it might not even make sense right now.
Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?
Sure. At least some of it may play with things in the core rulebook that we haven't gone over in any detail, and we don't want to try to explain those things well enough that our expansions of them in another book may make sense, when everyone likely to care about Alien Archive will be able to buy the core rulebook well before it comes out.

.

I wasnt actually expecting a serious response to that... Cool, thanks :) So you are saying there are core mechanics that havent even been hinted at yet..?


1 person marked this as a favorite.
Gilfalas wrote:
Torbyne wrote:
Do you not even have time to explain why you dont have time to explain right now as well?

And they are totally never answering about her either as they have stated that her story in Destiny is 'done' and has been 'finished adequately'. They are even eliminating references to 'The Darkness' from 2 since they never decided what it even was.

I wish I was making this up.

... Dont. Dont get me started. You might not know this about me but i enjoy narrative, developed settings, these kinds of things. i bought into Destiny because of the grand scale, the promise of an amazing story that would unfold over a decade with continuous support. Even if it failed its hype, which seemed guaranteed considering its incredible scale, it should have achieved so much trying to get there. then i load it up to find this mass of hot garbage wasting space on my hard drive... :(

I did enjoy all of the articles trying to put together the story behind the game that makes for a great conspiracy read, the whole notion that the players were unknowingly conquered by the Traveler in the past and everyone just believed it to be their savior now, that they were being used as its pawns to protect itself against the remnants of all the other species it had made war upon. It could have been so epic... but then they decided they didnt even have time to explain why they didnt have time to write a narrative for their game.


IonutRO wrote:
And I wish I knew what you were talking about.

I originally quoted a line from the first person Sci-Fantasy game Destiny which basically sums up the entire story of the game. After running around and doing all of the quests with these random elements seemingly building up to a big pay off, the mysterious stranger who has possibly been guiding you for the whole game pops up, stats that line and points you at the end boss before teleporting away.

Grand Lodge

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.

I hope you introduce an option like this in the future. As fun as robots are, they are not very cuddly. Animal bonds have long been part of sci-fi. Minidragons, space cats, mini-aliens.... For now, if I want a friend that is not a robot, I have to be a shirren parent. I think that sf-nal familiars would be a great addition for future books.

You'd have a guaranteed sale from this gamer, certainly.

Hmm

Scarab Sages

1 person marked this as a favorite.

Don't forget Jabba and his Kokowian Monkey-Lizard familiar.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32

2 people marked this as a favorite.

I can tell you that there WILL be robotic companions available to every player through Fat Goblin Games!


2 people marked this as a favorite.
theheadkase wrote:

I can tell you that there WILL be robotic companions available to every player through Fat Goblin Games!

Sweet cover on Pirate of the Starstream.

RPG Superstar Season 9 Top 32

@Lemartes Rick Hershey is amazing at all the arting he does and leads.

*EDIT* Just want to make it clear that Rick did not draw that cover but functioned as an Art Lead and found an appropriate image to buy for use.


Hmm wrote:
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.
I hope you introduce an option like this in the future. As fun as robots are, they are not very cuddly...

*cough*Baymax*Couch*


Could an Archetype be used to add an animal companion option usable with any class? That would be nice to have.


1 person marked this as a favorite.
LizD wrote:
Could an Archetype be used to add an animal companion option usable with any class? That would be nice to have.

Xenotamer sounds like it could be a good archetype idea.


Seems plausible, though it would probably have to chop a lot from the base classes to keep it balanced. Might just be easier to create either a mechanic subclass or a new class similar to mechanic but based more around biology and organic life.

The Exchange

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Hmm wrote:
Robert G. McCreary wrote:
The mechanic and its drone replace the animal companion classes (druid, ranger, and to a lesser extent, paladin) from Pathfinder. As such there is no class with an organic companion in core Starfinder. That does not mean that there won't ever be an animal companion class in Starfinder, but we don't have plans to introduce one at this point.

I hope you introduce an option like this in the future. As fun as robots are, they are not very cuddly. Animal bonds have long been part of sci-fi. Minidragons, space cats, mini-aliens.... For now, if I want a friend that is not a robot, I have to be a shirren parent. I think that sf-nal familiars would be a great addition for future books.

You'd have a guaranteed sale from this gamer, certainly.

Hmm

While you wait for more options, i would make a cuddly robot. No reason it has to be a tin can.


GeneticDrift wrote:


While you wait for more options, i would make a cuddly robot. No reason it has to be a tin can.

The only thing I can imagine is a ro-bear berbil from Thundercats. Possibly Teddy Ruxpin, Rambo-style.

Scarab Sages

Wikrin wrote:
GeneticDrift wrote:


While you wait for more options, i would make a cuddly robot. No reason it has to be a tin can.
The only thing I can imagine is a ro-bear berbil from Thundercats. Possibly Teddy Ruxpin, Rambo-style.

Daggits, from the original Battlestar Galactica.


Neither Daggits nor Ro-Bear Berbils are going to give me the same warm fuzzy feelings I got whenever I snuggled with my Panther Cleo... Just because they're warm(?) and fuzzy, doesn't mean that they know what its like to love me back. They might be able to approximate it, Maybe, but the Drones are just Robots with programmed intelligence (there's a reason its called AI).... *sulks*

(Yes I know how silly I sound >.> Cleo was based off my RL cat who snuggles with me all the time <.<)

Community / Forums / Starfinder / Starfinder General Discussion / Will there be animal / alien companions? All Messageboards

Want to post a reply? Sign in.
Recent threads in Starfinder General Discussion
Basic Party