If I understood correctly the part at the end of the adventure (exploring the Rock) is happening in vacuum. Which means that most of the damage done to PC should be deadly (like one hole in your spacesuit is enough to kill you). I’ve got some diehard sci-fi guys in my party who are going to ask me questions. Do you guys got any answers?
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I don't know the lore but it all looks soft sci-fi. Call armour automatically self-sealing using reservoirs of solidifying paste.
I just realised energy weapons should cauterise a hole, blocking a paste from filling it. Starfinder is still soft sci-fi so sod logic. This sealing paste dissolves burnt armour to reach the hole, even with magic suppressed. PCs taking actions to deal with armour punctures would ruin gameplay, so bugger science.
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Lots of the armor use micro force-fields for at least a part of the environmental protection. The armor is essentially techno-magical in some ways. It could also have the equivalent of a permanent mending effect enchanted in it. Even purely technological, though, the society in question has access to advanced nano-tech. There's no reason it couldn't be as good at self sealing as any living organism with that (better, in fact).
Unless you've got a black heart necrograft. Those things are amazing.
Given the tech level available, I assume that even the basic armor has self-sealing and compartmentalization. Given how different races might interact differently with the vacuum, the armor and space suit tech has to be robust.
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As long as everybody has tech armor the vacuum sections are not that much bigger risk than normal. The suits are all rated for days of EVA in a vacuum and the descriptions of modern armor talks about the usage of micro forcefields and nano tech to repair/plug battle damage. Hell we are working on that with modern tech for self sealing capability so in high future tech stuff unless you sunder their armor somehow and break it battle damage is not going to in itself cause environmental control failure.
I was panicking over this myself before I realized that that's only the space suits that do that. All armor works as a spacesuit, but isn't as fragile as it.
"Most suits of armor consist of a helmet, gloves, boots, and a bodysuit that offers head-to-toe protection. Unless otherwise specified, the boots include a functionality that can anchor your feet to a solid surface in a zero-gravity environment, allowing you to orient yourself or return to normal footing when needed."
"All armor can facilitate self-contained breathing, protecting you against vacuums, smoke, and thick, thin, and toxic atmospheres (including any airborne poison or disease). Self-contained breathing functions underwater and in similar liquid environments. This protection allows you to breathe in a corrosive atmosphere to prevent suffocation, but it isn’t strong enough to prevent a corrosive atmosphere from dealing acid damage to both you and your armor. A suit of armor with an upgrade that grants acid resistance reduces any acid damage taken from a corrosive atmosphere normally. Any"
Just a quick overview of a problem we discuss to add more context: https://www.cnet.com/news/what-happens-to-the-unprotected-human-body-in-spa ce/
I am also wondering how the armor / vacuum of space should impact natural attacks? If you are a Vesk, you can't really bite or attack with claws if wearing a space suit / helmet. A Nuar couldn't really use horns / hooves? Should natural attacks not be available if in space? I'm not sure the core rulebook really answers this question, but it would seem to limit natural attacks. I'm not sure they would make sense in the vacuum of space.
Also, if you're a dragonkin/haan/etc. Breath weapons. Do you retract your helmet and just deal with limited vaccum exposure? Do they not work?
I would think no.
One-side permeable force field.
yeah this is a bit overthinking things. The game does a lot of hand waving to make gear accessible and usable my everything. Unless it specifically says it doesn't work its assumed it does for the most part.
Starfinder is not a science fiction game it is Science fantasy or Space Opera. I like Hard Sci-Fi and in a Hard SCI-Fi game combat in vaccuum is really dangerous , also one hit from most weapons is potentially fatal. I also like Science fantasy games for these I turn off my reality expectations in the same way I do for Star Wars or High fantasy games. Worrying about armour in Vaccuum is in the same catagory as worrying about that fact that putting a gun to your head an pulling the trigger is none lethal , it is a necessary convention of the setting.If you want realism go for a Game like Traveller a fun but different experience trying to force realism into Starfinder will just make your head hurt and hurt your fun.