Biohacker and Consumables.


Biohacker


2 people marked this as a favorite.

One thing I feel is lacking in the Biohacker is the ability to make quick and cheap versions of the items they'll be frequently using in their injection weapons. I mocked up a couple of quick theorums of what such an ability might look like.

2nd level Theorum

Synthesis: Once per day you're able to synthesize a medicinal or serum of your level or lower with ten minutes of work for no cost. This medicinal is unstable and has a limited shelf life. Only you are able administer this item, and it breaks down into useless organic chemicals when you next regain use of this ability. If you also posess the stable injection theorum, it also applies to synthesized items allowing others to administer your synthesized items.

8th level Theorum

Expanded Synthesis: You gain one extra use of your synthesis ability. In addition, you're able to create drugs and poisons of your biohacker level or lower with this ability.

This is just an idea, and I'd love to see who else is interested in something like this, or has other ideas of how this could be implemented in the full version of the class.


The injections class feature is their ability to make quick and cheap version of the items (injections) that they'll be frequently using in their injection weapons.


Xenocrat wrote:
The injections class feature is their ability to make quick and cheap version of the items (injections) that they'll be frequently using in their injection weapons.

I understand that. The problem is the other consumable items that they're likely to use regularly are the same cost as they are for everyone else.

What I'm proposing is a method to have a maste-crafter option for biohackers who are regularly using stuff outside their core injections:

Serums, medicinals, drugs and poisons.


Why are they likely to use them? They're too expensive for what they do, so they won't be used. Having a special ability to shoot people at range without doing damage as a delivery system doesn't change that.

What you're saying is you think they should be able to use such options for free. I don't think the game designers agree, they deliberately made these sorts of consumables (and offensive ones like grenades) very expensive. At best you'll see something like the bombard soldier's free grenade ability, an infrequent single use.


Xenocrat wrote:

Why are they likely to use them? They're too expensive for what they do, so they won't be used. Having a special ability to shoot people at range without doing damage as a delivery system doesn't change that.

What you're saying is you think they should be able to use such options for free. I don't think the game designers agree, they deliberately made these sorts of consumables (and offensive ones like grenades) very expensive. At best you'll see something like the bombard soldier's free grenade ability, an infrequent single use.

I'm not saying they should be free, but cheaper. Or if you read above, a solution like the bombard soldier where they can create very limited numbers of them from scratch.


2 people marked this as a favorite.

I can get behind this idea. I mean if they are specialists in injectables and chemistry / medicinals some way to create these with a mechanic tie in to the character seems completely appropriate. Given that a lot of people seem to think that medicinals in general are over priced and unlikely to use them then this simply reinforces the need / opportunity to gives these consumables more chance to see play and what better or more thematic class to make use of them?


Sedatives as counteragents and antitoxins and restoratives.

It's a little like being an operative.


If the Biohacker does get a few free consumables each day, poisons would be nice too. The DCs are too low to actually buy them but if they were free they be a nice boost in those rare cases where they actually work.


Likewise getting some tools to make poisons more effective, like raising the DC on them.


Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I had suggested a similar theorem that instead allowed you to infuse an existing medicinal with one of your injections (taking a use of your daily injections) to allow the medicinal to be treated as medicinal of the same kind (anaglesiac -> anaglesiac, etc) up to an item level of your biohacker level.

I think that poisons are too powerful to get a similar treatment, but a similar ability that modified a poison (such as changing the base save DC to be your class save DC, if higher) once per short rest wouldn't be a bad idea. At the very least, the ability to change an inhalation/ingestion poison into an injury poison by combining it with an Injection.


I played a 4th level biohacker in SFS last night and found myself with some extra cash after buying all my stuff, so I loaded my Merciful Nightarch Needler with alternating Analgesics and Sedatives. After the boss was hit by my Spark of Inspiration -2 AC and Confusion with my needle rifle, I switched to firing the pistol to make the enemy flat-footed or do +1d4 nonlethal damage, respectively.

It actually felt pretty good in practice, but at 150 credits a pop, I'd be highly annoyed if I were playing my regular SFS character because I'm basically shooting entire credsticks at the foe.


In the Starfinder Wed Q&A, it sounds like they intentionally didn't playtest any cost-reduction features because they didn't want to delve into how that might affect the game economy as awhile.

I for one, am excited to see how this class evolves in the future.


2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Sparrowhawk_92 wrote:

In the Starfinder Wed Q&A, it sounds like they intentionally didn't playtest any cost-reduction features because they didn't want to delve into how that might affect the game economy as awhile.

I for one, am excited to see how this class evolves in the future.

I can understand the sentiment of not wanting to derail the playtest of a fairly unique class concept by including some potentially economy-breaking features ("OMG, biohacker totally breaks the economy" would suck the air right out of a bunch of other interesting conversations we're having right now).

Looks like this idea is shelved (but not forgotten) for the moment.

Community / Forums / Archive / Starfinder / Character Operations Manual Playtest / Biohacker / Biohacker and Consumables. All Messageboards