I'm prepping a home campaign that will include an astrazoan PC, so I'm pondering a few things about this species.
Namely, since the astrazoan's change shape ability is extraordinary (and thus non-supernatural), I've ruled that unlike Pathfinder's druids, werebeasts, or the like, worn and carried gear doesn't change with them (nor is it absorbed, as with wild shape). I'm pretty satisfied with this ruling, and as it happens the player is looking to create alter egos with a deep clothes closet anyway, so all's well there.
But now I've gotten to pondering augmentations. It seems to me that if an astrazoan can't affect gear, it probably can't alter cybernetics as well. An astrazoan with a prosthetic limb is always going to have that limb sticking off of it somewhere! While I can see my way clear to hand-waving most biotech and magitech, I think I need to judge cyberware on a case-by-case basis.
Anyone else have any thoughts about this?
I agree wuth the fact that cyber tech should not work, but necrographs and biotech both should. For a race with so much potential that is a minuscule set back.
You might consider trading the ability to use implantable tech based cybernetics that for a small pool of "bio cred" that can be used to temporarily purchase plausible bioware.
For example shape changing to have chameleon suckers then change to have wings then change to have gills.
Anyone who wants to play an astrazoan would probably find this to be way more flavorful and fun.
The bioware abilities the Astrazoan could get would need to be limited by modification level and cost, and may even come off a set list. Perhaps be limited in the total number you could have at one time, and by body modification slots.
I would also imaging that they could buy more bio-cred and a rate of maybe 3 Credits to 1 Bio-cred.
Anyone who wants to play a non human shape changer would probably gladly make that trade. It seems flavorful.
(full disclosure - I would love to play a character like this)
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The recently released Starfinder Armory makes it abundantly clear that ALL gear can be used by ANY playable race. Since that book includes numeroud augmentations (including all new ones), then it stands to reason that astrazoans, like any other race, can make use of such technology.
Here's the relevant excerpt:
If a creature can't use a given kind of equipment as a racial feature or drawback, then that is spelled out in their race entry. If that's not the case, then the default assumption is that any playable race can use any published gear.
If you want to house rule it otherwise, that's fine, but as a house rule, it is something that you should inform the players about prior to play.
They can just hide their implant amidst their amorphous flesh, if it would give them away.
Or cover it with a layer of skin and some extra meat.
But why it would ever attach a cybernetic limb instead of a vat grown one, is beyond me - is the GM artificially making the poor astrazoan life more difficult? Or the player wants to save 10%?
The astrazoan iconic on PW seems to be packing some kind of cybernetic augment on his back though... if it remains visible on all his disguised forms, it's kinda dumb.
There's nothing to suggest that the gear changes with the Astrozoan, no, nor that it's absorbed when they shift. Considering that you can buy shiftskin that has multiple 'shapes' stored specifically to benefit shapechangers, I think that's the correct reading of the rules there. That said, there's nothing stopping an astrozoan from making the engineering check to adjust their existing armor to a new form, and personally, I wouldn't require an adjustment so long as they were staying within the same basic size/shape -- shifting from human to elf? You're just wearing the same stuff, no adjustment needed. Going from natural shape to human? Better either spend time to adjust your armor or have gear that has shapeshifting properties of some sort.
For cybernetics, it would depend for me, but I'd lean toward what would be fun for the player. I'd rule that you always get the benefit of having any cybernetic -- so whether you look like a human or a kasatha or your natural form, you've got your darkvision capacitors, but I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that you always look like a creature with cyber-eyes if you go with a non-biological implant. Something like a full cyber-limb? That I'd have to talk to my player on -- we might work out something like a cyber-limb that's actually a swarm of nanobots so that they're capable of easily shapeshifting along with the character, but again, while remaining obviously cybernetic.
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If you are going to house rule things that way, give the player a 10% non-stacking discount on biological augments. IE, they cannot take a theme or something else and stack discounts, but you are talking about a fluff restriction with mechanical consequences... Adaptive bio chains remove the restriction, at a cost. Remove the cost (the astrozoans ability to change shape makes it uniquely able to assimilate adaptive bio chains, lowering their cost by 10%, etc...) and you have your fluff without mechanical impact.
If you want mechanical impact, I'd have to agree that I don't see the reason for it... but your table is obviously not mine. YMMV..
I'm prepping a home campaign that will include an astrazoan PC, so I'm pondering a few things about this species.
Namely, since the astrazoan's change shape ability is extraordinary (and thus non-supernatural), I've ruled that unlike Pathfinder's druids, werebeasts, or the like, worn and carried gear doesn't change with them (nor is it absorbed, as with wild shape). I'm pretty satisfied with this ruling, and as it happens the player is looking to create alter egos with a deep clothes closet anyway, so all's well there.
But now I've gotten to pondering augmentations. It seems to me that if an astrazoan can't affect gear, it probably can't alter cybernetics as well. An astrazoan with a prosthetic limb is always going to have that limb sticking off of it somewhere! While I can see my way clear to hand-waving most biotech and magitech, I think I need to judge cyberware on a case-by-case basis.
Anyone else have any thoughts about this?
Well given the nano tech and bio tech and magictech or hell necrotech stuff and given the class does not specifically rule those items out as limiting their shape change I think the assumption is super tech workarounds handwavium. Cyberware may not be some solid metal thing but may be a nanite construction that can adjust its form accordingly. Astrazoans are a known thing in the pact worlds so there likely is well known work arounds for their unique abilities/biology.
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Hell, the Australian pictures in the Pact Worlds has subverted and there's no mention of it interfering with their natural abilities in any way.
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Hell, the Australian pictures in the Pact Worlds has subverted and there's no mention of it interfering with their natural abilities in any way.
Crikey!
Hell, the Australian pictures in the Pact Worlds has subverted and there's no mention of it interfering with their natural abilities in any way.Crikey!
Stupid Android autocorrect. What good is the feature if it causes more mistakes than I would have had without it?
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Well, to be fair, Flat Affect does mean your Android is at a -2 penalty on its Sense Motive checks to interpret the meaning of your typing. That's bound to lead to a few errors.
According to the book they have seven limbs.. does that mean they can wield seven hands worth of weapon in base form?
According to the book they have seven limbs.. does that mean they can wield seven hands worth of weapon in base form?
No, because they don't have one of the multi-armed racial traits the other playable races that can hold more than 2 weapons have. Also, some of those limbs are used as legs.