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I originally posted this on a different board but realized that it really had little to do with what was on it so am going to try to move it.
My Impressions and Experiences:
Right now one of my players is on Summer vaycay (he is a teacher), the other is a college student (also on Summer vaycay), the other is on sick leave (for another few weeks) and the last is disabled and not working (we're a strange but lovable mix we are).
All of that to say. We got the book mid-week last week. We have played several sessions with it (about 24 hours worth of gaming so far (liberally interrupted by rules searches : )) ... probably will play another 30 or so hours this week.... although my roof just started leaking and that will probably cut down on the fun time : (
Characters are being run through Emerald Spire, since I read a Dev post that talked about the ease with which he used it in his game.
Basically, an advanced spacestation half in the Drift, half out has been popping up in various places around Pact worlds and people keep trying to see what they can get from it, they get trapped there or like what they find and BAM not so nice populace trying to take control of an advanced weapons platform : )The Starfinders hired the group to "scout" the first few levels of the dungeon and bring back some info, so they could send the big guns in later.
Players have advanced from 1st to 3rd level.
There is a Shirren Mystic (Space Shaman)
a Human Tehcnomancer
an Android Mechanic (Exocortex)
and finally a Human Solarion (Weaponized Mote)
Everyone proved to be fairly equally wiffy at the first few levels. Generally damage was consistent and the casters bemoaned their small small small number of spells per day.
By second level in the dungeon... having taken all of the crappy batteries off the space goblins they've run across (only hold 10 charges [cause they are broken] if you roll a one on an attack the charge depletes automatically and entirely). Imagine batteries with duct tape wrapped copiously around the casing and the occasional smell of leaking acids. The entire party is now screaming that they don't see why in an advanced society they can't just hook their batteries up to their Drift engine and get a charge : ) They have been relying on the Technomancer to shunt charge from damaged batteries to the whole-and-working batteries they came in with (a task he manages with a VERY useful 0 level spell).
Around 2nd the classes really start to take on their own real feels and looks. By third level the Shaman has kitted itself with a Long Arm and taken feats that grant proficiency so it can reliably put out 1d8 +3 damage. The Mechanic is similarly equipped and through Class ability puts out the same damage.
The Mystic tends to hold his spells for burst damage and last second healing when something begins tearing into Hit points. He and the Technomage share duties as the detectors of magic, though at this level that means little more than a low level fusion and a few spell gems and chips.
The Mechanic made herself useful by stripping some components off of other parties abandoned ships still docked with the station. I provided a gun or two to fill emplacements that they didn't have enough Build points to fill when they fleshed out the Wasp (their Ship). I also allowed that more was acquired that would explain their ship's jump from Tier One to whatever the APL was when they next docked at Absalom and had time to upgrade the ship. The Mechanic has proved to be a valuable combatant and an excellent way to get through doors and around trapped areas (though it is the Shirren and the Technomage who tend to spot the actual traps : )
The Technomage isn't really shining right now. His big damaging spell is Magic Missile, which the Shaman also has. The auto-hit is as always nice. He just got the Hack that lets him add half his level to damage and is happy with that, though he is a bit upset at the non scaling damage levels of his spells. Originally the Solarion used a Laser pistol that did a whopping 1d4 and the Shaman would use TK projectile for 1d6. The Technomancers 1d3 0th level spell was OK next to that... Now though, the Shaman has his long arm and the ability to add his Character Level to damage. The Solarion up in combat is attacking twice and starting to hit And doing 1d6 plus his character level. The 'Mancer is still relying on his 4/day 2-3 d4 +2-3... He hurts :( He laments. He refuses to consider taking feats that let him use better weapons or armor wanting to focus on things like spell penetration (which is his usualy M.O. in PF.
With little by way of what he feels to be attractive damaging spells available to him at 2nd level he is really feeling the pinch of still relying on MM and MM not getting any better.
The Solarion doesn't really shine in the area of damage but he is no slacker. However he is pretty happy that he didn't have to buy a weapon and will only have to work on getting a crystal later. Most of his stats went into Str and Cha (for damage and save DC considerations). That means he has a fairly blahh AC and his HP are higher than his Stamina points right now, but as we reach 5th and 10th that will shift... and I know he is really looking forward to that. His damage has picked up along with most of the rest of the parties. Though he still doesn't have a crystal he is adding full character level. His real moment to shine was when a Bugbear attack did massive damage to the mechanic and he, using his gravity hold forced the enemy away and immobilized him while the party fired on him and killed him.
Observations:
Feat choice is really important in this game, things really swing based on choices. Small bonuses and penalties make a substantial difference. My Technomancer is in wow of Enhanced Resistance (BaB based DR or ER... it is REALLY nice) there are gem feats like that throughout the selection list. What you see less of in the feat selection is class based feats. My 'Mancer would KILL for the ability to take a few extra hacks. There are over (IIRC) twenty Hacks and he likes something about more than half of them... but will only be able to take 7 at most by 20th. We would all love it if the Shaman could use her healing touch more than once per day...
If my Technomancer would consider taking feats that opened up his weapon prof to one of the more damaging weapons and applying a hack like Empowered Weapon I think his damage woes would be over... which brings me to my next point...
A MYSTIC is not a CLERIC...
A TECHNOMANCER is not a WIZARD...
My players attempts to shoehorn their characters into these old roles, which is possible, is whats causing some of the most angst (especially with the technomancer who really loves his blaster sorcerers).
I can not stress how nice weapon specialization is proving to be. In a PF game I would rarely consider taking a feat based around a weapon or armor as a Bard, Caster, or really as anything other than a Fighter. In this game I am encouraging my character to consider taking the ability to use heavier armors and weapons where prof applies full levels if damage is a concern to them.
On the topic of applying Fusions to a Weapon Mote (there is a question about applying them to a weapon mote on another board)... I'm not entirely sure that is possible. A fusions price is in part dependent up on the level of the weapon it is being placed upon... As far as I remember the Mote has no level... though I could be wrong.
Finally, on the topic of the Envoy (whose effectiveness is being discussed on another thread)... though I have no one playing one I have introduced a high level one in the game. She was part of a group the Starfinders sent before the current group. Their group was captured and they found her being tortured by the BBEG of the level, a Bugbear. She has nothing by way of gear and is following the group around. Her name is Majestra and she is, according to her subscription holos, the luckiest Halfing in the system! The only things that have survived this Icons capture are hover camera drones (the bugbear co-opted them and was recording her torture). She is a 6th level Envoy with Clever feint, Get 'em, Inspiring Boost, and Draw Fire. With nothing but the tattered clothes on her back and an azimuth laser pistol she is trying to find her companion and help the group that saved her life.
The players were skeptical and wanted to leave her behind... she insisted that they needed her help and that the system needed to see what was happening here. She conducted quiet interviews with them as they rested and recuperated (the remote recorders flying around, catching their best side as they told their stories). They were happy to find out that they had a +2 Perception after and a +2 Initiative : )
When they ended up in combat where they were being overwhelmed by two powerful Haan. Her exhortations that they were up to the challenge, her personal touch encouragements restored depleted SP to the two main damage dealers.
When they finally reached the BBEG Bone priest with his army of laser wielding undead. She hid in the hall and sent her drones in to record while they fought and the players laughed as Drone B flew up into the BBEG face and distractedly flew around requesting his release to use his image in her holos while the other requested backstory from the second string enemies. All of this to say they wanted to kill her so much they took a -4 penalty to hit at range and I think that helped immensely. BTW my players discovered the suck of being hit by a Hurled Forcedisk spell (too fun I wish my players used it) which is why they loved the -4 to hit...
The Envoy, in the limited experience of playing an NPC of higher than APL, with no gear, is pretty cool so far. My players dismissed the idea of playing one right away when they first made characters but they came away from that last night saying she was way more helpful than thought she would be.
I join the others who wish their Improvs went above 8th level, I'm not certain what the thinking was there... but the selection is fairly large and if I were actually playing this character there are still a number of things I would want.
Note:
The Drones Majestra is using are loosely based on the Spy Drone and mostly just visual aesthetic for her Powers.
TL;DR: My group is really enjoying the game. My Technomancer is having some issues but he can see real power in the future that he likes so he is slogging through. Everyone is really encouraged by most of the changes and happy to try the new stuff.
Yeah, this is the good stuff. Thanks for the extensive write-up!
On hearing I wrote this my 'Mancer player asked me to post this. He is wondering why Life Bubble is on the Capacitor list as a potential 24 hour spell. The spell itself naturally provides that AND more for duration. Although you do have the added ability of putting the spell back up if it gets dropped... well it feels like there must have been a better choice to put on the list.
Thank you very much for this post this is very valuable.
There is supposed to be a small section of the book that covers all the differences for those familiar with pathfinder so it should not be that bad at all I would expect.
How steep or shallow is the learning curve, assuming one has experience with 3.5/PF/other d20? I plan on picking up my books at GenCon and some hours later camping in Open Gaming to run some Starfinder. I don't expect to be wanting for players considering how quickly the official events sold out, but I hope to be able to grasp at least the basics relatively easily.
Imbicatus is right. Most of the minor stumbles revolve around accidentally reverting to a PF rule. Time and patience will rub that away though. If they do have the (I think they called it "One Sheet") ready any time soon it should help greatly.
It is quite easy to pick it up and, after a quick read, run it reliably... you may have to reference the book a few times but most things are similar enough.
I have a few notes I jotted down as I read. Stuff on changes/additions... charging, off-target, covering fire. My own personal One Sheet : )
There is supposed to be a small section of the book that covers all the differences for those familiar with pathfinder so it should not be that bad at all I would expect.
I could not find such a section in the book -- I think it is supposed to be in a future blog. The "Pathfinder Legacy" chapter talks about converting monsters and characters but does not otherwise highlight Pathfinder vs. Starfinder differences (so the only indication of the change in the charge rules, for example, is the different rule given in the Tactical Rules chapter).