I have a player that wants their soldier to focus entirely on unarmed combat. Now that characters are starting to get up there in level, they want to add an enchantment to their soldier's unarmed strike.
I haven't found anything very clear or concise on the matter. I know that in Pathfinder, unarmed strikes could not be directly enchanted, but had to access enchantment via the Amulet of Mighty Fists. I have not been able to find a similar item in Starfinder, which doesn't surprise me as none of the classes in Starfinder place an extremely heavy focus on unarmed strike.
An option that has been suggested is to allow armor upgrades/enchantments to be made that would affect the soldier's unarmed strike, but in my mind, this means the soldier is striking with their armor, making the armor a weapon, no longer unarmed strike.
Hopefully I'm not overthinking this. I realize that homebrew is an option, but I would rather find a way to confirm whether or not enchanting unarmed strike is possible in Starfinder with RAW first.
What do you think?
So far not being able to be enchanted (beyond taking a spellcasting feat and mystic strike) is the only thing that keeps unarmed strikes from being the best non reach weapons in the game for 10 levels if not longer. Not needing a weapon means almost half your wealth by level is freed up.
Mystic strike will let you go through DR magic and punch ghosts in the face
Ring of fangs will give your unarmed attack some extra OMF by dealing 2x level instead of 1.5x level like a regular natural weapon (technically you're biting but if you want to reflavor it as punching so hard your fists punch through like a spear that's fine)
Shields from the play test (under vanguard) work like an unarmed strike and are enchantable.
I'm 99% sure that's everything
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RAW, no, there's no option to put fusions on your unarmed strikes (yet).
However, take a look at the SCOM playtest. The Vanguard's unarmed strike is magical and gets some more abilities at later levels.
Also there's the Mystic Striker feat. That at least lets your unarmed strike penetrate DR/magic and lets you hurt incorporeal enemies.
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It would absolutely not work in SFS, since the only path Hammer Fist offers is "make a house rule," which is already available to any non-SFS GM.
Hammer Fist is only "treated" as being made by an equal-or-less level Battleglove while you are wearing heavy or powered armor. It isn't actually a weapon with an item level, but even if it was, your fists would no longer be a valid target for a fusion as soon as you took off your armor to go to bed at night.
Yeah. Unarmed Strikes have no level to apply for fusions.
That said, fusions and magic aren't nearly as potent or mandatory as they were in Pathfinder. He shouldn't worry too much about it. They won't increase damage or anything, and as a soldier there's enough class access to Unarmed Strike boosts that even the critical modifying fusions are kind of redundant.
The soldier will be fine without enchantments.
No - unarmed strikes are not analog weapons:
"As a move action, you can discharge energy stored in your photoenergetic node into an analog melee weapon that you are currently holding in the same hand that has this biotech augmentation installed."
"Unarmed Strike special properties: archaic, nonlethal"
If you want to boost your unarmed strikes, the better option would be a dip in Mystic to get the Wrecking Fists epiphany. We had an interesting discussion about such a build in this thread: https://paizo.com/threads/rzs430yv?Advice-on-a-SoldierMystic-hybrid-charact er
The ring of fangs is really the best way to augment your unarmed strikes
The ring of fangs is really the best way to augment your unarmed strikes
Sadly no longer legal in SFS.
My uplifted bear battleflower operative uses Death Strike to stay competitive in the unarmed damage department, but she still runs into the problem that her unarmed strikes aren't magic for purposes of resistances and incorporeal creatures. I could take a level in Gloom Gunner or Arcane Assailant to get magic attacks, but the rest of the Soldier level is counterproductive to advancing Operative abilities.
Considering getting Technomantic Dabbler and Mystic Strike eventually.
Yeah, if you were playing SFS that would definitely be a problem.
Well, no, as mentioned back in the beginning, shields (which were only in a plates at that time) are another way to make unarmed strikes with fusions, regardless of class.
Solar shield is also a class native approach, so that's all 3 primary combatants. And the 3 casters natively qualify for Mystic Strike (along with one weird subset of envoys).
Well, no, as mentioned back in the beginning, shields (which were only in a plates at that time) are another way to make unarmed strikes with fusions, regardless of class.
That does require some feat investment for an Operative, not that my "Technomantic Dabbler -> Mystic Strike" plan doesn't.
Well, no, as mentioned back in the beginning, shields (which were only in a plates at that time) are another way to make unarmed strikes with fusions, regardless of class.That does require some feat investment for an Operative, not that my "Technomantic Dabbler -> Mystic Strike" plan doesn't.
Two feats vs. a class dip seems pretty reasonable. An operative trick also seems reasonable, but... do they really need it?
Two feats vs. a class dip seems pretty reasonable. An operative trick also seems reasonable, but... do they really need it?Well, no, as mentioned back in the beginning, shields (which were only in a plates at that time) are another way to make unarmed strikes with fusions, regardless of class.That does require some feat investment for an Operative, not that my "Technomantic Dabbler -> Mystic Strike" plan doesn't.
I mean, no. Not really. Operatives are stupid powerful as they are.
I was going to play my Uplifted Bear as a Gloom Gunner Battleflower, but I have plenty of soldiers in SFS as it is, and no full operatives, so I decided to play the dancing bear Marked for Death Battleflower Operative instead.
If I didn't have a Wisdom penalty, I'd consider Mystic for Wrecking Fists (though that doesn't directly solve the magic weapon issue, weirdly).
My main problem with the shield is that it doesn't fit the aesthetic I want for a beartleflower.
EDIT: All that said, what I really want for this character is a cybernetic augmentation called Iron Fist, where you can buy a prosthetic hand with a variable item level that can be modified with fusions or made out of special materials. No innate attack bonus, but lets unarmed characters enchant their punches, or buy an Adamantium Fist and punch through walls.
And then you can have an Eoxian competition called the King of Iron Fist Tourn... er, I digress.
Ring of fangs is a magic item anyone can wear (outside of pfs)
Carnivorous is the give yourself big sharp pointy teeth spell.