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What are everyone's favorite character options in Pact Worlds? I see a lot to like, and quite a few to build neat synergies.
1. The Dream Prophet theme gives you Augury (stack with the Psychic feat chain or the Divine Champion (Akashic Connection) archetype for more uses), and two daily rerolls of skills/feats/attacks (although you have to pick one category per day). Stack the rerolls with the Mystic Star Shaman connection, the Divine Blessing (Desna, skill only), and the Prescient Lenses (Mk II or III) hybrid magic item. Grab them all and you can get six rerolls per day at level 12 with Mk II lenses.
2. Divine Blessing feat, at least for some deities. Abadar, Pharasma, and Iomedae have crazy strong combat abilities. Ignore immunities on your appropriate target? Saranrae's ability is similar but weaker but also more widely applicable.
Desna (reroll a skill check), Damoritosh (add critical effect to your doshko), Triune (hack by touch and limited telepathy with robots), and Weydan (have a completely different appearance on every planet) are useful or at least cool.
LOL at the Devourer (last blow after you're killed) and Lao Shu Po (1d6 bonus damage against flat-footed targets but only in a surprise round), those are terrible.
3. All the archtypes. They can't fix the fundamental design errors in the core book that make most classes give up too much, but they at least give decent abilities by 6th level or so.
Arcanium Sage lets you buy bonus spells known through spell gems. Very nice. The late game extra magic items is good depending on WBL and growth in the inventory of useful items.
Divine Champion gives you a free resistance ring at 2nd level, so equivalent to but better than the 9th level free magic item slot from Arcanium Sage, the Divine Judgment can be excellent for good aligned deities/characters, and the divine power abilities can be very nice indeed depending on your connection. Remember if you're playing late game that SLAs don't use resonance, spam that Akashic connection for Augury, Divination, and Vision.
Skyfire Centurion is solid as cooperative combat booster on a Soldier (let your Mystic who often provides harrying fire help you out even more) and becomes amazing at 9th level for ship combat.
Star Knight is alright, I guess, but not my style flavor wise. The heavy armor is bleh, the challenge is ok (if you wouldn't rather make a full attack), and some of the 6th level abilities (Pike, Summon, Darkness) are very nice indeed.
Starfinder Data Jockey is SWEET if you're a hacker. The 2nd and 18th level abilities are nice skill boosters in areas you don't want to excel in, but that 6th level reroll on all (tier appropriate) hacking checks is why you're here. Having to hack tougher computers above your tier? See #1 above. The 9th level combat booster is actually kind of bad (poor action economy for a minor to hit boost and DR reduction), but I'll forgive it.
Steward Officer is fine, especially if you're playing a class without Culture/Diplomacy as skills.
4. Close Combat feat. Mandatory for all melee builds to protect against focus fire.
5. Focused Spellcaster feat. You don't have to take it, but it gives some more value to the otherwise lackluster Combat Casting, and it works really well with a certain playstyle that wants to invest in not losing those make or break spells.
6. The Xenolash. My favorite whip, step aside Mono.
7. Tattoo weapon fusion, for when you have a lot of money but no magic item slotsfor Gloves of Storing.
8. Motospheres! "We need a getaway vehicle!" [Throws down cue balls.]
9. Digital Doorway spell. Technomancers need more cool tech infiltration spells.
10. The entire ship section. I especially like the biomechanical ship rules and equipment options.
Junk Sword is a better spell than I thought at first. The 1.5 weapon specialization makes the unpowered versions more competitive (and at some levels superior) on damage with similar level basic melee weapons than you'd think, and some of the options are pretty nice and better than you can get on a bought weapon.
Stunned (staring at spell level 4)is a great critical effect given that it doesn't allow a save (unlike the much inferior Staggered), and the 6th level fusions (swappable between fights!) are fantastic flexibility. Entangled gives you a (one time) guaranteed debuff against a tough target, Spellthrower lets you use any Mystic spellgems you're carrying around for emergencies (I assume item level = CL for setting the level of gem you can use).
Ask your GM if an energy sword with the trip/disarm qualities can target EAC for those combat maneuvers instead of KAC. That's probably the intent, and gives this yet another nice niche for technomancers.
I know that they aren't that strictly useful, but I love the Stage Magic feats. Partly because I love the idea that magic has become so ubiquitous and tutorable that any random class can pick up a few spells pretty easily. And given how there are a lot fewer expansive feat trees, a lot of players *will*.
Technomantic Dabbler and Connection Inkling make it really hard to justify investing in the so much lamer single spell feat chains.
I know that they aren't that strictly useful, but I love the Stage Magic feats. Partly because I love the idea that magic has become so ubiquitous and tutorable that any random class can pick up a few spells pretty easily. And given how there are a lot fewer expansive feat trees, a lot of players *will*.Technomantic Dabbler and Connection Inkling make it really hard to justify investing in the so much lamer single spell feat chains.
Unless you're already a caster. Maximum casting!
Junk Armor is quite good for technomancers that aren't able to (or inclined to) max dex at the same time as int. By accepting the fact that you'll be behind on AC by 1-3 at all levels, you can spend literally no credits on armor after 1st level (particularly relevant in SFS, since there's no chance of picking up outdated armor from enemies you defeat: you have to buy all armor directly). Considering that some technomancer builds can also skip out on buying weapons, you can funnel every last credit into spell gems, stat boosters, and utility items.
Junk Armor is quite good for technomancers that aren't able to (or inclined to) max dex at the same time as int. By accepting the fact that you'll be behind on AC by 1-3 at all levels, you can spend literally no credits on armor after 1st level (particularly relevant in SFS, since there's no chance of picking up outdated armor from enemies you defeat: you have to buy all armor directly). Considering that some technomancer builds can also skip out on buying weapons, you can funnel every last credit into spell gems, stat boosters, and utility items.
No upgrade slots, though.