Android Small or 4 arms?

[Mark Carlson 255]

In the book it states that Androids often are created to look like other races.
But can I start with...
1) 4 arms?
2) Size small?

Thanks
MDC

[Ventnor]

No, you cannot.

[Gary Bush]

They are medium sized and humoniod, 2 arms, 2 leg, 1 head.

[Mulgar]

If it's not for PFS, why not?? In a home game you can do anything you can get your gm to agree to.

But in SFS, sorry no.

[Metaphysician]

The main reason "why not" would be "you are getting extra race benefits for free". 'Four arms' is a racial ability for the Kasatha for a reason. I suppose if you wanted to argue "I have four arms, but they have no mechanical relevance whatsoever", but at that point I would get *very* leery. The Shirren have vestigial extra limbs, but why exactly would an android be built with such?

I'd probably disallow it, on the grounds that no, the system doesn't yet have a custom race builder. You have plenty of race choices already supported, choose one of them.

[David knott 242]

You can add up to two extra arms to a member of any PC race (including an android) for a price (that is beyond the ability of a 1st level character to pay).

So far, there is no option for making an android small.

[River of Sticks]

And to be complete, being small in Starfinder has no mechanical benefits.

[Mark Carlson 255]

I agree with all of what you have said,
but I was confused by the statement that basically said something like "not often, but at times androids are built to look like other races"

So I was very curious as to just how the designers really intended the statement to be used when creating a PC.

I agree,
1) 4 arms is an advantage, which is why I asked. And that if I modeled my android on Kasatha race then it should be a valid option based on the description.
1a) I also agree that you can add arms later with equipment, from memory it was over level 10 items.
2) Small, agree again that it has no rules benefit as now but it can have RP benefits such as moving into small spaces, hiding behind smaller rocks, hiding behind larger PC's, etc.

Thanks, your comments were about what I was expecting.

MDC

[River of Sticks]

The way I read the Android descriptions, you could conceivably make them look like any race, with any features you want; but in mechanical game terms, they are a medium sized race with the listed benefits, no more. Describing your android as having wings doesn't give a fly speed. It does however give cool points if you put a Forcepack in as your Android armor upgrade to go with the wings.

[Slyme]

Just play a small or 4 armed race and call yourself an android?

[Mark Carlson 255]

Slyme wrote:

Just play a small or 4 armed race and call yourself an android?

That is also a good rout to take and can make for some interesting RP possibilities.

ie gnome who thinks he/she/it is an android, "What do you mean I need to have a space-suit to go outside the ship, I am Android!"; "You must be an incompetent engineer of course you can install that armor upgrade in my body, I am an Android!"

MDC

[Shaudius]

River of Sticks wrote:

And to be complete, being small in Starfinder has no mechanical benefits.

Depending on how much your gm is a stickler for encumberance it might.

[TigerDave]

Shorten have multiple arms but do not get the multiple use that kasatha do.

I would let you play 4 arms. I just wouldn't let them have any meaningful impact on the game.

[Bloodrealm]

TigerDave wrote:

I would let you play 4 arms. I just wouldn't let them have any meaningful impact on the game.

Kasatha don't meaningfully affect the game from having 4 arms either, for some reason. And Bootleg Ratfolk Ysoki don't get any benefit from being Small.

[Ventnor]

Bloodrealm wrote:

TigerDave wrote:

I would let you play 4 arms. I just wouldn't let them have any meaningful impact on the game.

Kasatha don't meaningfully affect the game from having 4 arms either, for some reason. And Bootleg Ratfolk Ysoki don't get any benefit from being Small.

I dunno about that. Having the ability to hold a heavy weapon, a close-quarters weapon, and leaving a hand free to retrieve potions or grenades sounds like it would be a pretty handy benefit for a Soldier to have.

I've been contemplating such a build myself, actually.

Or maybe a melee-focused build that wields two different two-handed weapons: an unwieldy weapon for those rounds when they make only one attack and for opportunity attacks, and a regular weapon for making full attacks with.

You have to get out of the "each hand has a mind of its own" mindset that Pathfinder uses.

[TigerDave]

^^ What Ventnor said.

Kasatha have the option of having multiple weapons drawn continually, then select which arm(s) to attack with. Game changer? No. Game impact? Yes.

So in this case I'd say you could have 4 arms, but I wouldn't allow you to have the 4 Arms racial feat.

[Mark Carlson 255]

Ventnor,
IIRC you cannot make AoO with unwieldy weapons.
MDC

[Ventnor]

Mark Carlson 255 wrote:

Ventnor,

IIRC you cannot make AoO with unwieldy weapons.
MDC

True enough. I guess you'll just have to use your Flame Doshko for full attacks and attacks of opportunity, and your analog Doshko to hit opponents when you're charging or otherwise moving before your attack.