NPCs and monsters are not built with PC rules. They have higher to hit and lower AC than equivalent level PCs. Gear, especially armor, is there for loot and some thin verisimilitude, not to actually calculate ACs.
They also get level to damage at every level, where a PC has to wait until level 3 for weapon specialization.
Starfinder has separate rules for building NPC's. Almost all of an NPC's stats are determined by its CR with some leeway.
If I remember the aforementioned DC30 skills correctly, those are for knowledges that players will be able to find out on their own after some investigation, the DC30 would just save time; rewarding to such a knowledgeable player if they can make such a roll, but hardly necessary.
NPCs and monsters are not built with PC rules. They have higher to hit and lower AC than equivalent level PCs. Gear, especially armor, is there for loot and some thin verisimilitude, not to actually calculate ACs.
They also get level to damage at every level, where a PC has to wait until level 3 for weapon specialization.
I don't remember reading that in the Core rule book, is that mentioned somewhere else?
Coming from DMing pathfinder, that is going to take some getting used to, and yes i do feel that my players are going to die, long before the Garaggakal...
The rules for building NPC's can be found in Starfinder - Alien Archive, starting on page 126.
From my own time running the first book, most of the fights aren't THAT deadly. That said the biggest, and legitimate, dangers are the Akatas on-board the Acreon, and, as you observed, the Garaggakal; that one's pretty infamous for its difficulty by now. Otherwise a typical party outclasses (gang members) or outnumbers (most of the threats on the Drift Rock) fairly handily. NPC's may hit harder, but PC's are also more durable in Starfinder as a rule
NPCs and monsters are not built with PC rules. They have higher to hit and lower AC than equivalent level PCs. Gear, especially armor, is there for loot and some thin verisimilitude, not to actually calculate ACs.
They also get level to damage at every level, where a PC has to wait until level 3 for weapon specialization.
I don't remember reading that in the Core rule book, is that mentioned somewhere else?
Coming from DMing pathfinder, that is going to take some getting used to, and yes i do feel that my players are going to die, long before the Garaggakal...
The rules for building NPC's can be found in Starfinder - Alien Archive, starting on page 126.
From my own time running the first book, most of the fights aren't THAT deadly. That said the biggest, and legitimate, dangers are the Akatas on-board the Acreon, and, as you observed, the Garaggakal; that one's pretty infamous for its difficulty by now. Otherwise a typical party outclasses (gang members) or outnumbers (most of the threats on the Drift Rock) fairly handily.
Lol Outnumbers LOL
i live in small town, There is Me, GM, 2 players, some times a thirdI haven't really looked through the alien archive that i am borrowing from my player. it is now on my to do list
Ah, well if you're only working with 2 people, sometimes a third, then some adjustments will be required on your part. Starfinder Adventure Paths are playtested for four players after all.
The numbers are a lot tighter in SF than in PF. A +1 or +2 in this game ends up being a pretty big deal for players in the moment.
With a Party of 2-3, you're probably going to have to make some adjustments. The first fight is probably fine, as is, because the gang members should mostly be shooting at each other, not the PC's. The fight in the fusion queen should probably have fewer mooks though and you may need to split up Ferani and Hatchbuster as the two of them together is a challenge for a party of four. You'll definitely want to take a look at the Akatas because they're dangerous even to a party of 6, especially once someone catches space herpes. I'd probably reduce their hitpoints a little and ER to 2, and maybe reduce the DC of the disease by 2 to compensate. Even with a party of 6, I had to pull punches a few times during the fight and fudge some stuff for the party.
Mostly though, you're going to want to let them get away with taking more 10 minute and long rests, and encourage them to be methodical rather than rushed.
The first book in this AP was written before the rules were completely finished, so it's a bit harsher than I think was intended. And it was intended to be harsh. Rob said at Gencon that when he was writing it, he wanted it to be deadly (but he thinks he may have gone farther than intended because of the rules being in flux). It's a harsh universe, and as a long time 3.5 player that's used to every fight being a cakewalk for my super optimized characters, I for one, can't be happier about it.