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I just completed a SFS playtest session with a melee-spec'd kasathan biohacker. First, my build, then my report.
Male kasatha biohacker 4
LN Medium humanoid (kasatha)
Init +0; Perception +3
DEFENSE HP 28; SP 24; RP 5
EAC 17; KAC 18
Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +4
OFFENSE
Spd 25 ft. (30 ft unarmored)
Melee ghoulish painclaw +8 (1d8+6 S&P)
Ranged yellow jacket wraith-sting rifle +4 (injection only) or
medic injector pistol +4 (1d6+2 P&F, injection DC +2 or knockdown)
Offensive Abilities biohacker theorems (quick load, treat condition 3/day), injection expert +1, injections 7/day (counteragents -2 AC, -5 DR, -5 resist, vulnerability to energy type; restoratives +1 AC, +2 skills, +10 speed, blindsense), spark of ingenuity 1/day (counteragents add dazzled; restoratives remove dazzled, fascinated, shaken)
STATISTICS
Str 18 (+4), Dex 10 (+0), Con 10 (+0), Int 10 (+0), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 11 (+0)
Base Atk +3
Feats Armor Proficiency (heavy), Weapon Proficiency (advanced melee), Weapon Specialization (simple melee, small arms)
Skills Acrobatics -1, Athletics +3, Computers +7, Culture +10, Diplomacy +7, Life Science +10, Medicine +10, Physical Science +10; armor check penalty -3 Racial Modifiers +2 Acrobatics, +2 Athletics, +2 Culture
Languages Akitonian, Brethedan, Castrovelian, Common, Eoxian, Kasatha, Shirren, Triaxian, Vercite, Ysoki
Noncombat Abilities custom scanner, desert stride, primary field of study (genetics), scientific method (instinctive)
Theme Tempered Pilgrim
Gear ghoulish painclaw, basic formian hide, synaptic accelerator I (Strength), yellow jacket wraith-sting rifle, medic injector pistol with 50 explosive darts, serum of healing mk 1 (x8), 435cr
We playtested using SFS adventure Duskmire Accord 9, but I don't expect to have any major spoilers in this report. There were two combats, but due to blowing a Will save (not an indictment of the class' Will save, because I rolled a 3), I only really participated in one of them. During that fight, though, I felt fairly effective - I was able to hit reliably at this level, for palpable (if not amazing) damage, and it was really useful to have rider effects on those attacks. I attempted to use my genetics counteragent, but unfortunately the target was poison immune, so that failed. Afterward I stayed with reducing the target's AC with the basic counteragent. I was successful 3 times over one combat, which felt very satisfying. I only used one restorative, but it was also useful to be able to increase my speed to help offset my armored speed reduction.
Out of combat I was much less impressed with the class, unfortunately. I was far from unable to contribute, at least, but it was frustrating to realize that my 4th level character's Medicine, Physical Science, and Life Science scores were matched by the 3rd level operative sitting next to me, who also had ranks in almost literally every other skill in the game. I was still the party face, essentially because no one else had invested in Diplomacy at all, but I was very aware of how little the class gave me a reason to buy my Charisma.
All in all, considering I was building for a character version that has been roundly criticized as the worst biohacker option (melee bad, instinctive bad, melee instinctive THE WORST), I was pleasantly surprised by how useful I felt at this level.
I just completed a SFS playtest session with a melee-spec'd kasathan biohacker. First, my build, then my report.
** spoiler omitted **
We playtested using SFS adventure Duskmire...
Out of curiosity, given you had a base 16 Wisdom and your counter agents only last 1 turn, do you feel you would have had enough injection uses for 2 or 3 combats in a single day? It looks like you used over half your daily uses of abilities in a single combat (i.e. 4 Injections out of 7).
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Out of curiosity, given you had a base 16 Wisdom and your counter agents only last 1 turn, do you feel you would have had enough injection uses for 2 or 3 combats in a single day? It looks like you used over half your daily uses of abilities in a single combat (i.e. 4 Injections out of 7).I just completed a SFS playtest session with a melee-spec'd kasathan biohacker. First, my build, then my report.
** spoiler omitted **
We playtested using SFS adventure Duskmire...
5, actually, because I wasted one that bounced off the poison immunity.
No, that was the price I was paying for focusing on my combat ability, but at the same time, I don't think I would have rathered one use more of injection vs the extra attack and damage I got from the extra Strength. It was a tricky balance, but my logic was basically that I was better off with a character that would (hopefully!) function even if I ran out of injections than one who got slightly more use from injections but then became a whole lot worse when they ran out. I tend not to build for nova if I can help it.
The other thing to keep in mind is that the fight was CR 6 against the APL 3.5 (we were a 4-PC table, two 4th levels and two 3rd levels), and in general the fight is really set up to be the only fight of the day, so going through almost all my injections in one fight seemed fairly suitable.