Starfinder Universe possibilities


General Discussion


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Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber

So just some random thoughts about things that can be played up in Starfinder that would never be possible in Pathfinder.

Research into why humans seem to be able to interbreed with every thing or absorb planar energies to create half human hybrids so easily. Are humans some sort of evolved galactic Ur-species and if so what does this mean for the evolutionary history of other species they can interbreed with.

Tension between those who believe in their racial creations myths and those who support evolutionary theory ("Come on, you mean you really believe your dwarven ancestors were shaped out of stone by Torag, you clearly have DNA markers that indicate your species is in the same evolutionary family as other upright bipeds from Golarion!")

Since humans can interbreed naturally with elves and orcs, controversial research on the genetic links between all three.

Genetic research into long lived species and lionization treatments for shorter lived species to increase their life spans.

Social tensions between those who support interspecies relationships (romantic) and those who oppose them.

Since Starfinder is more accepting of the concept of sentient and sentient rights as a whole, court actions for indiscriminate killing. PCs could easily end up having an adventure dealing with their actions as mass murders and going on the trial of the decade/century (depending on how murdery they got).

Legal actions against PCs should be far higher than in other games.

Employers should be far more likely to have the PCs sign contracts for their contract work when hired for adventures.

Down on their luck (or undercover) PCs needing to work horrible low wage jobs for comedic reasons - due you want fries with that?

Vacationing being a legitimate reason to be in an adventure location.

Comms allowing all the annoying interruptions during an adventure that occurs in real life ("I can't pick up a cartoon of milk for you right now mom, I am in the middle infiltrating an Apsis Corporation facility, get one of my 7 sisters to do it.")

Adventures that turn out to really be elaborate computer simulations that are entirely in the PCs head (no treasure for you).

Being hired for weirdly bizarre tasks by the super rich or someone that has just gotten that way via mega lottery ("You want us to travel to a specific planet in the Vast to collect swamp water to serve you guest at your next party? How much are you offering? Oh wow, we will leave right away!")

Since PCs are far more likely to have a homebase (i.e their ship) all the headaches and joys of having a home and living with people you may not like ("why doesn't the trialaxian <sp?> every clean his fur out of the drain in the shower!")

Finding a cache of Gap data that turns out to be all weird alien porn, but is still valuable because Weird Alien Porn.

I'm sure others can come up with many more...


ckobbe wrote:
Genetic research into long lived species and lionization treatments for shorter lived species to increase their life spans.

Today's scientist are already deep in reverse engineering the DNA of species that are naturally able to litterally rejuvenate at will. I feel that a sci-fi world like Starfinder should have readily available (at least to an adventurer's budget scale) medical treatments (probably daily pills for a set number of weeks) to get back into a younger shape.

ckobbe wrote:
Social tensions between those who support interspecies relationships (romantic) and those who oppose them.

I never felt that was relevant even all the way back to Pathfinder. With reincarnate being the cheapest way to get back to life and a bunch of cursed artifacts trapping the dungeons, interspecies relationships were never uncommon for adventurers. And now that we're in a modern society with all the improvements it brings along, those couples should be common sight.


In the intro to the chapter on Races (sorry I don't have my starfinder book with me) it states that all races, with the proper medical treatments, can live indefinitely. I assume that the necessary treatments must be expensive since later in the same chapter they state that people are envious of Androids natural immortality.


Dot.


I'd like to imagine that Golgarion probably had a period of globalization and the "humans" in Starfinder are less human and more of an inheritor of traits of the more common Golgarion races... since they obviously can breed with one another.

Wouldn't a better term for humans be a "Golgarian"?


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No 'g' in the middle.

"Golarion" not "Golgarion"

:)

Grand Lodge

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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
mwjen wrote:
In the intro to the chapter on Races (sorry I don't have my starfinder book with me) it states that all races, with the proper medical treatments, can live indefinitely. I assume that the necessary treatments must be expensive since later in the same chapter they state that people are envious of Androids natural immortality.

I mean, I'm jealous of people who get free coffee even though it's five bucks. Androids just are immortal by default. Getting longevity treatments and gene therapies is like...a really big inconvenience. You have to like, walk to the store...ugh.

I like the concept of theology, especially since in some cases, gods literally did pluck a race from the ether...but they still have genetic codes because they need to be able to adapt. I'd love a story of an evolutionary biologist who manages to trace a species back to its divine creation, and then have to begrudingly consult with a theologian so they could compare numbers.

Also, religion and mysticism functioning like a science is funny to me. Imagine having to adjust mathematical models based on divine intervention?


I actually kinda like this idea of exploring humans' apparent cross-species fecundity. I imagine the lashunta, in particular, would be fascinated by it. There's not a lot of scientific basis for it if we reference real-world humans. We share something like 98% of common genetic information with bonobo chimpanzees, but we can't interbreed with them. I have a hard time imagining the science of interbreeding between humans & a millenia-living race like elves or an obviously humanoid but not human race like orcs, and don't get me started on dealing with the races in Starfinder. You'd need gene therapy for EVERYTHING to make a kid like that viable.

Then again, those kinds of gene treatments seem fairly common in Starfinder, so it might not be an issue.

Of course, Starfinder exists in that junction between pseudo-science and outright fantasy (magic), so who's to say what universal fundamentals should be taken for granted in that universe?


The Drunken Dragon wrote:
Also, religion and mysticism functioning like a science is funny to me. Imagine having to adjust mathematical models based on divine intervention?

Well, even if you don't count the ability score/class levels -> divine spellcasting thing, that still exists in-game (albeit in an unusual method): the Faction rules indicate using TPA and CPA for mimicking divine intervention.

So mathematical models are likely.

XD

Liberty's Edge

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ckobbe wrote:
Research into why humans seem to be able to interbreed with every thing or absorb planar energies to create half human hybrids so easily. Are humans some sort of evolved galactic Ur-species and if so what does this mean for the evolutionary history of other species they can interbreed with.

The 'absorb planar energies' thing is in no way unique to humans. Various Pathfinder texts have stated that you can have Aasimar, Tieflings, and other hybrids with pretty much any humanoid race... their stats just don't generally differ from those of human hybrids with the same powers, except for possibly being Small creatures if the non-planar parent was.

That leaves a few mixed-breeds like half-elves and half-orcs as the only thing really unusual about human speciation. The logical scientific explanation might be common ancestry, but Starfinder is science-fantasy... making religious and/or magical explanations from the Pathfinder days still equally valid.


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Tacticslion wrote:

No 'g' in the middle.

"Golarion" not "Golgarion"

:)

Thanks, my 'Finder-fu needs refinement.


No problem. I've made more spelling blunders than I care to admit... >.>


I mean, I know the difference between them and even have a good mental picture and gist of the stats, but don't ask me how to spell vrikolakus or or vilcjekhashshddiejdbdhhddbdueujsjsjsjthbbbbb~ thibgies. You know - the animal vampire and the evil werewolf-like spirit. XD

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