Now that we've all digested the COM, what other classes would we like to see?


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Scarab Sages

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So we've all sat down, looked at the COM, and had time to peruse it, so let's think about some things. Where do we go from here? What other types of classes would we like to see?

First of all, one of the things that I really like from Starfinder is that they consolidated the classes. Instead of having a separate class for 'guy who gets powers from a god' and 'guy who gets powers from a god but is all nature-ey about it,' we just have one class for that (mystic.) Instead of having Fighter/Barbarian/Monk/Ranger, we just have one class (soldier) that has fighting styles that sub in for barbarian/monk/ranger builds. So with that into account, what new classes or class options (if any) do you think would be welcome in Starfinder? What archetypes would we like to have but can't build yet?

Until recently, I felt we were missing out on a (for lack of a better term) tropes. There were a few character concepts that just weren't there, like a tech-based healer, and a lightly armored evasion-tank. But with the Biohacker and the Vanguard now (Vanguards can be built as lightly armored high-dex, high-con tanks), I think we have the tools to build most of the kind of builds I'd like to see. There are a few that come to mind that we still haven't gotten yet.

1) Gish. I know that any caster CAN also be built to fight fairly decently, but those are builds that can fight AND can cast spells. I want to see a spellcaster class that can turn spells into battlefield weaponry. Kind of like the Witchwarper's Infinate worlds class feature, but instead of control it is buffs or debuffs. I guess I'm saying I want to see a magus-like design, incorporating magic into a fighting style. I'm not saying a magus exactly, I'm saying magus-ish in feel. And no, I'm not saying it has to be overpowered, just that it's a class we don't have right now.

2)Duelist. I tried building one of these out the other day and it just doesn't work super well. Even a soldier with the Finesse Striker just doesn't hold up great. Plus the lack of melee operative weapons that aren't just 'a knife' is annoying (can we get a space rapier please? So we don't have to keep going back to the Cane Sword?). And while you can get that feel from the operative, they are usually being a spy or a detective or something else. I just want a soldier fighting style with the flair of the Swashbuckler (again, doesn't need to be that powerful, just want that feel).

3) Let's make use of the Specialty weapons. C'mon, they were put out there for a reason, but there is almost never any reason to use them. Let's get some bow-and-arrow builds, or Shuriken builds (more than JUST the carbon edge shuriken.) I could see it as a soldier fighting style, or as a new class centered around being a survivalist and forging your own weapons.

I dunno, those are just my thoughts late at night while I'm tired. Any of you have thoughts?


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One thing I've been big on pushing is an update to the kineticist class as a ranged alternative to the solarian. You might need to drop the classical element approach but telekinesis & energy manipulation are sci-fi staples.

I'd also like to see a summoner/spiritualist type class as a magical alternative to the mechanic as far as pet classes go. I've always been a fan of that fantasy archetype and you could do some cool sci-fi stuff with it in terms of the creature you summon/channel.

I'd also like to see something like the shifter, based around genesplicing and mutation, have some weird alien transformation type stuff going on.

Those would be my three top picks for new classes.


I'm going to suggest perhaps a vehicle related subclass that has a focus on mobility and reach melee fighting similar to jousting on walkers.


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Magic classes that don't use spell slots.


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The biological version of the mechanic, constructing pet chimeras.

Scarab Sages

FormerFiend wrote:
One thing I've been big on pushing is an update to the kineticist class as a ranged alternative to the solarian. You might need to drop the classical element approach but telekinesis & energy manipulation are sci-fi staples.

I mean, there’s the new pew pew shooty solarian so, wish granted?

Quote:

I'd also like to see a summoner/spiritualist type class as a magical alternative to the mechanic as far as pet classes go. I've always been a fan of that fantasy archetype and you could do some cool sci-fi stuff with it in terms of the creature you summon/channel.

I'd also like to see something like the shifter, based around genesplicing and mutation, have some weird alien transformation type stuff going on.

Those would be my three top picks for new classes.

Those are some fun ideas. I like the idea of a biohacker that mutates themself into a monster, instead of messing with others. Kind of like an alchemist but just with the mutagen.


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I feel like shifter is kind of covered by the polymorphing envoy, and I hope for a future Biohacker theorem that works with the new polymorph serums to make it a cheap and repeatable option.

RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32

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It took a while to digest the COM. The cover was a little chewy and gave me indigestion.

Second Seekers (Jadnura)

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Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber
VampByDay wrote:
1) Gish

I second this. A half-caster, half-combatant, is possible, but nothing is quite there yet. You can sorta-kinda fake it with multiclassing, taking the Glimmer/Dabbler/Inkling feats, or archetypes to get a smattering of spellcasting, but nothing quite scratches the itch yet. It's hard to come up with an ersatz paladin, magus, warpriest, and so forth, with the existing options. (And, echoing VampByDay, not that we need to have a direct 1-to-1 paladin or magus analogue or whatever, just...something with that feel that performs well.) That said, though, I do like the new warmonger and crusader Mystic connections from COM - steps in the right direction! Actually, come to think of it, Iomedae is a supportive deity for both...maybe there's a way to make that paladin flavour work using the new Secondary Connection epiphany to mash those two together...

I also continue to advocate for a spellcaster option focused on the void, like the ol' 3.5 entropomancer; but that seems increasingly unlikely, though, between Solarians and now Vanguards having that whole gravity / entropy flavour association. Look, I'm a simple sentient - I just want to be a casty-caster that has a pet black hole, okay? :D

Starfinder Developer

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Kishmo wrote:
Look, I'm a simple sentient - I just want to be a casty-caster that has a pet black hole, okay? :D

What I heard is: we need to use the creature companion rules in AA3 to make a pet black hole!

Dark Archive

Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I just want my water physic witchwarper spell. But I guess alternate class features that work in aquatic environment would be cool too!


In general some more bread-and-butter offensive spells and/or a specialized spellcaster class would be nice.

Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Cone of Cold, etc may have been 'boring', but they sure felt nice to use as a caster in Pathfinder.

Starfinder has limited options for direct damage spells, I feel. Especially lower level play.

This got addressed some in COM, but still feel it could be better. So many of the spells are a ranged attack roll vs EAC using your DEX and BAB, so it really just feels like you're just using a really odd blaster weapon that you have extremely limited ammo on.

I want my opponents to save for half, not me needing to always hit their EAC for anything cool.


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Lethallin wrote:

In general some more bread-and-butter offensive spells and/or a specialized spellcaster class would be nice.

Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Cone of Cold, etc may have been 'boring', but they sure felt nice to use as a caster in Pathfinder.

Starfinder has limited options for direct damage spells, I feel. Especially lower level play.

This got addressed some in COM, but still feel it could be better. So many of the spells are a ranged attack roll vs EAC using your DEX and BAB, so it really just feels like you're just using a really odd blaster weapon that you have extremely limited ammo on.

I want my opponents to save for half, not me needing to always hit their EAC for anything cool.

Fireball, Lightning Bolt, and Cone of Cold? Are you referring to the Technomancer spells Explosive Blast, Arcing Surge, and Heat Leech?

Wayfinders

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A spellslinger! (Wildstar-style)
Combining small arms with some offensive spell action.

I know you can probably cobble something together between Technomancer and Soldier and some other miscellanous options, but a straight-up "here's a caster who can do magic through a gun" would be a perfect way to get another flavorful caster in (or maybe not even a caster at all!).

Also, it would be a much more idiomatic way to do a "gish" than, say, the Arcane Assailant soldier, given Starfinder's more modern/sci-fi shtick in which a "space magus" with a sword would be a little wonky.


VampByDay wrote:


I mean, there’s the new pew pew shooty solarian so, wish granted?

Well, yes in the sense of it being strictly an alternative to the solarion. Still think there's room for a keneticist adaptation as a distinct fantasy.


I'd like to see some kind of tech-focused Elementalist. I'd expect some kind of interaction with damage types on weapons, maybe some planar affinity stuff.

Maybe even some short or long term elemental creation, in the manner of 'This pile of trash is temporarily animated by the power of acid!'


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With COM's addition of alternate class features, it's difficult to think of character types that couldn't be tooled as an alternate class feature, archetype, or other additional build option.

I'm most excited about the possibility for alternate/additional features for biohacker, though I'm not sure what you could replace. If you replace biohacks, most other class features don't work. Still, a biohacker equivalent to the exocortex and drone mechanic options could be really cool flavor-wise if nothing else, focusing on personal biotech type augments or a custom chimera creature companion. I suppose there's room to support this somewhat through theorem choices. For example, a theorem that lets you DNA splice a creature companion to give it the abilities of a different creature companion. As it is, I feel like biohacker could be so much more than "guy who shoots people with needles"

Not sure what you would replace them with, but alternate features for vanguard and witchwarper would be easier to do. Replacing entropic strike and infinite worlds with some other mechanic still fitting the flavor of the class would be a big enough difference while still letting the character fundamentally feel like the base class.

Second Seekers (Jadnura)

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Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber
Jason Tondro wrote:
What I heard is: we need to use the creature companion rules in AA3 to make a pet black hole!

ShutUpAndTakeMyMoney.jpeg

Off the top of my head, I'm not sure the pet rules accurately describe a miniature sphere of annihilation, per se. It's less a combatant (with its own saves, HP, etc) and more, well, a mobile chaotic hazard, at least nominally under someone's errant control. That said, though, I would be delighted to see what you come up with!


The Ragi wrote:
The biological version of the mechanic, constructing pet chimeras.

Honestly I almost expected to see this as some alternate class option for mechanic. Given there are some big bio tech manufacturers and there are bio ships having some kind of biomechanic that basically is mechanic but with organic drone chassis seems kinda a no brainer.


kaid wrote:
The Ragi wrote:
The biological version of the mechanic, constructing pet chimeras.
Honestly I almost expected to see this as some alternate class option for mechanic. Given there are some big bio tech manufacturers and there are bio ships having some kind of biomechanic that basically is mechanic but with organic drone chassis seems kinda a no brainer.

Cyborg drones would be a very acceptable compromise.

Wayfinders

Divination/portents Mystic Connection for some spooky Harrow goodness.


The TM Gun Hacks can be used (especially but not necessarily when paired with a 1 or 3 level soldier dip) to build a solidly effective ranged gish. You can do something similar with Mystic (now with solarian sword) to build a pretty effective melee gish if you want. I mean, you have to *try* to make it work, but it can be done and done quite well already.

The only thing I personally think is still missing, and I don't expect it to happen because I'm in a very very small minority here, is 'full' spellcasting. I really want a 9th level casting class, because that's what I really want to play. I don't think that's ever going to happen, and it would cause a pretty large upheaval of game balance affecting multiple systems if it did, but I personally really want more fantasy in my science fantasy.


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I'd like to second a spell-casting dedicated class. As is, the spellcasters are in this awkward spot where it feels like you're most of the way through your career before you're getting to really do a LOT of magic. You instead end up mixing up magic and shooting, or you burn spell gems to make up the gap.

I'd kind of like a spellcaster with bad BAB progression, but with some kind of accelerated spell level progression and more spells per level. Doesn't necessarily have to be a 9 level caster.
--

Also would love to have a pure evoker/elementalist with at-will blasts along the line of the kineticist in PF1E. Considering that explode weapons users are already kinda at-will blasters, I think this would be a very safe addition to the system.


Well, yeah, to be clear, it's rare for me to play a game at a level where I can cast 7-9th level spells, and I'm not necessarily looking for significantly more powerful magic. I'm mostly just looking for *more* magic. Something like Sorcerer's spell progression, where I can be reasonably assured of having enough juice to primarily cast rather than shoot in most combats.

Wayfinders

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While we're suggesting biotech mechanics, why not magitech ones too? It would be really fun to get a hybrid drone, or the ability to make temporary magic/hybrid items, 3.5 artificer-style.

(This is however a good illustration of an earlier point that Starfinder really isn't hurting for too many wholecloth new classes with how the existing ones are set up, which IMHO is pretty good design.)


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RiverMesa wrote:
(This is however a good illustration of an earlier point that Starfinder really isn't hurting for too many wholecloth new classes with how the existing ones are set up, which IMHO is pretty good design.)

I definitely agree. I really like the pick-and-mix alternate class features from the COM. Having a bunch of unifying character class concepts and swapping out features as needed is definitely the way to go.

Wayfinders

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RiverMesa wrote:

While we're suggesting biotech mechanics, why not magitech ones too? It would be really fun to get a hybrid drone, or the ability to make temporary magic/hybrid items, 3.5 artificer-style.

(This is however a good illustration of an earlier point that Starfinder really isn't hurting for too many wholecloth new classes with how the existing ones are set up, which IMHO is pretty good design.)

Actually wait - spellcaster drone chassis (using the technomancer spell list).

I don't know if it'd be balanced to just naively give it straightforward 6th-level casting, but damnit, the idea sounds fun.


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How about the actual PF classes converted for SF?


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JiCi wrote:
How about the actual PF classes converted for SF?

Why? All the roles and niches covered by PF classes have already been covered by existing SF classes.

( Note: "Spellcaster than can break the game" is not a niche, it is a bug that has been fixed. *cough* )


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Metaphysician wrote:
JiCi wrote:
How about the actual PF classes converted for SF?

Why? All the roles and niches covered by PF classes have already been covered by existing SF classes.

( Note: "Spellcaster than can break the game" is not a niche, it is a bug that has been fixed. *cough* )

Then in this case, why not have actual class archetypes that use PF class features?

- Alchemist: Biohacker
- Barbarian: Vanguard
- Bard: Envoy
- Cleric: Mystic
- Druid: Mystic (already with the Xenodruid connection)
- Fighter: Soldier... not necessary since it's the same class.
- Monk: Soldier (already with the Qi Adept fighting style)
- Paladin: Solarian... unless you count the Divine Champion archetype
- Ranger: Operative
- Rogue: Operative... not necessary since it's the same class.
- Sorcerer: Witchwarper
- Wizard: Technomancer

Where are the Bombs, Rage powers, Bardic Performances, Channel Energy, Wild Shape, Smite, Favored Enemies/Terrains, Bloodlines and School powers?

That's basically what I'd like to see. I get that the 10 classes can fill any role, but we are still missing key class features.


All of that is in the game.

Dataphiles

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While I appreciate the desires to play Pathfinder (in all of its crunchy glory) in space. Starfinder is different and I like it that way. There are no 9th level casters in Starfinder and I hope there never will be. I hope that Dex to damage never happens in Starfinder.

Though the balance is wobbly and imperfect, there aren't many vast discrepancies in power level between characters like in Pathfinder.

JiCi wrote:
Where are the Bombs, Rage powers, Bardic Performances, Channel Energy, Wild Shape, Smite, Favored Enemies/Terrains, Bloodlines and School powers?

They are in Pathfinder. Though bombs (grenades), bardic performance, channeling, wild shape (polymorph), and smite are in Starfinder.

I am not intending malice, I am just concerned that some of the proposed additions will either break the balance mechanically, or break the balance between magic and technology wherein we get to a point of "why have that tech when magic can do it better?". Magic ruled the game of Pathfinder. I enjoy that not being the case for Starfinder. It is a science fantasy. I'd prefer it not become a fantasy (w/ some scifi).


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On the subject of caster's that don't use spell slots, I've always looked for ways to build a solarian more focused on revelations than tanking/melee damage, and they tend to look weaker. A counterpart class to the solarian that loses solarians high BAB for stronger revelation like abilities would be neat.

If anyone else played star wars knights of the old republic, I'm talking about a "Jedi Consular"(focus on training force powers) to the solarian's "Jedi Guardian"(focus on lightsaber mastery).


JiCi wrote:
Metaphysician wrote:
JiCi wrote:
How about the actual PF classes converted for SF?

Why? All the roles and niches covered by PF classes have already been covered by existing SF classes.

( Note: "Spellcaster than can break the game" is not a niche, it is a bug that has been fixed. *cough* )

Where are the Bombs, Rage powers, Bardic Performances, Channel Energy, Wild Shape, Smite, Favored Enemies/Terrains, Bloodlines and School powers?

That's basically what I'd like to see. I get that the 10 classes can fill any role, but we are still missing key class features.

Lifting those class features wholesale and porting them into Starfinder would inherently break the game. The math, mechanics, and core assumptions are very different in Starfinder. While there are superficial similarities to Pathfinder, Starfinder's mechanics are much tighter and cut down heavily on numbers bloat.

Barbarian Rage, for instance, is ridiculously OP for a first level class feature in Starfinder. The bonuses to attack and damage far outstrip anything you might have in any of the existing classes.

However, the Wrathful Warrior Soldier has a very similar set of abilities balanced for Starfinder and exists in an existing framework.


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Wrathful Warrior isn’t that well balanced, hence the SFS ban.


Xenocrat wrote:
Wrathful Warrior isn’t that well balanced, hence the SFS ban.

Fair, but my point is that it fits Starfinder better than Barbarian Rage would.

Scarab Sages

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Honestly the only classes I can see getting a Starfinder adaptation that doesn't already have one are the Occultist, Medium and shifter. We don't really have a self-changing dude yet (well, kinda-sorta with the biohacker, but they don't change shape.) We also don't have a person who deals exclusively with magic and the dead, or the metaphysical links between items and power.

Actually, I think that'd be a fun class to see. Some sort of medium/occultist type class. A class that is able to see the inherent spiritual potential in things and make use of them. One track could be for working with objects and baubles (occultist side) and one could be working with the spirits of locations (Medium side).

As for every other class, here's my breakdown for the best of my reckoning

Alchemist -Mostly Biohacker, or Bombard Soldier for bomb focus
Antipaladin-Evil Crusader/Warlord Mystic/Evil Solarian
Arcanist- Technomancer/Witchwarper
Barbarian - Vangaurd or Wrathful Warrior Soldier
Bard- Envoy or Melophile mystic. Shirren get their profession skill-> skill ability
Bloodrager->Not ideal, but you can make a junksword Technomancer which does a lot of the same thing.
Brawler-Vanguard
Cavalier -Not a great equivalent, but either soldier, or Mechanic that rides their drone.
Cleric -Mystic
Druid -Xenodruid Mystic
Fighter -Soldier
Gunslinger -Soldier (Bombard Style or Shot on the Run)
Hunter -I guess Xenodruid Mystic? Eh? That class was broken anyway.
Inquisitor -Crusader Mystic
Investigator -Split between the Envoy (dice to skill check) and Operative (skills EVERYWHERE!)
Kineticist -Solar Flare Solarian
Magus -Like Bloodrager, Junsword Technomacer kinda fills this Niche
Medium -I mean, Kinda-sorta mystic, but see above
Mesmerist -Mindbreaker and Overlord Mystics
Monk -Qi Adept Soldier OR Vanguard OR Death Touch Operative
Ninja -Death Touch OR Shuriken Assassin Operative
Occultist -Another class we don't have a great metaphor for. I mean, Mechanics can KIND OF pull extra powers out of technological items, but see above.
Oracle -Mystic/Witchwarper
Paladin -Crusader Mystic/Solarian/Arcane Assailant Soldier
Psychic -Witchwarper/Mindbreaker/Overlord/Empath/Hive Mind Mystic
Ranger -Hunter Soldier
Rogue -Operative
Samurai -Soldier
Shaman -Mystic
Shifter -No good analogy
Skald -Like, Multiclass envoy/Soldier? Maybe Warlord Mystic?
Slayer -Hunter Soldier
Sorcerer -Technomancer/Witchwarper
Spiritualist -Kinda-Sorta the drone Mechanic
Summoner -Drone mechanic
Swashbuckler -Soldier with Finesse Striker/Operative
Vigilante -I mean, Operative and Envoy. I guess Vigilante doesn't have a good one either.
Warpriest -Crusader/Warlord Mystic
Witch & Wizard -Any of the casting classes, Akashic Mystic?


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Actually, there is the Polymorphic Disguise alternate class feature for the Envoy that fills the self-changing dude niche.

Wayfinders

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Also, this feels like a similar discussion to what often goes in when people request stuff for Pathfinder 2e (which is to say, various PF1 things not yet available in PF2).

And to an extent I get that there are some iconic things that people want to see in a new iteration - many of which were either baked in, or arrived with things like COM and Alien Archives - whether that's a pure fantasy one (PF2) or a science-fantasy one (Starfinder).

However, I think it's ultimately better in the long run to focus on brand-new additions rather than constantly porting old stuff over (I mean really, you can kinda do that yourself for most things if you really need it), and allow Starfinder to really stand on its own instead of simply being "the Pathfinder in space".


One thing about using a solar flare solarion as a keneticist stand in, or using the solarion as a stand in for anything, really, is that the solarion is built around this photon/graviton flavor power divide which you can't entirely ignore because of the super nova/black hole powers being hardwired into the class. Like, Extra Manifestation makes it easier to forego zenith revelations & therefore go unbalanced with your revelation choices, but that fluff is still built into the class in some fundamental ways.

I understand that a direct, one to one translation of some pathfinder mechanics as they exist in pathfinder 1e into starfinder wouldn't work, but some of the alternatives can come off feeling a bit shallow. Surely there's a happy medium there.

I'm also not going to buy this, "well the drone mechanic exists so we never need/can't have another pet-class ever because that niche is filled". I don't think that you need separate classes for a summoner/spiritualist update but I do feel the idea of a magic based summoner/channeler class is a different fantasy to what the drone mechanic fantasy is.

I also wouldn't necessarily want to see fully faithful adaptations of some PF classes. Medium, Shifter, and Keneticist are classes that I feel never really worked properly. I'd like to see new, updated classes focused on what those classes should have been, balanced for Starfinder.

Dataphiles

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RiverMesa wrote:
However, I think it's ultimately better in the long run to focus on brand-new additions rather than constantly porting old stuff over (I mean really, you can kinda do that yourself for most things if you really need it), and allow Starfinder to really stand on its own instead of simply being "the Pathfinder in space".

This

I play Starfinder mainly because it isn't Pathfinder. While I appreciate that other people have different flavors of fun, I would also prefer for Starfinder to stand on its own.

That is not to say that some concepts from Pathfinder are not welcome, but as I said earlier, I'd prefer it stay a science fantasy instead of changing into a fantasy with science in space.


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"Dr." Cupi wrote:
RiverMesa wrote:
However, I think it's ultimately better in the long run to focus on brand-new additions rather than constantly porting old stuff over (I mean really, you can kinda do that yourself for most things if you really need it), and allow Starfinder to really stand on its own instead of simply being "the Pathfinder in space".

This

I play Starfinder mainly because it isn't Pathfinder. While I appreciate that other people have different flavors of fun, I would also prefer for Starfinder to stand on its own.

That is not to say that some concepts from Pathfinder are not welcome, but as I said earlier, I'd prefer it stay a science fantasy instead of changing into a fantasy with science in space.

I'm asking for this because the legacy chapter briefly explains how to convert the PF classes... without explaining how to convert the PF classes. For instance, they said that any companion should be replaced by the mechanic's drone... and then we got companions in AA3.

Those legacy convertions... need to be updated somehow.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber
JiCi wrote:
"Dr." Cupi wrote:
RiverMesa wrote:
However, I think it's ultimately better in the long run to focus on brand-new additions rather than constantly porting old stuff over (I mean really, you can kinda do that yourself for most things if you really need it), and allow Starfinder to really stand on its own instead of simply being "the Pathfinder in space".

This

I play Starfinder mainly because it isn't Pathfinder. While I appreciate that other people have different flavors of fun, I would also prefer for Starfinder to stand on its own.

That is not to say that some concepts from Pathfinder are not welcome, but as I said earlier, I'd prefer it stay a science fantasy instead of changing into a fantasy with science in space.

I'm asking for this because the legacy chapter briefly explains how to convert the PF classes... without explaining how to convert the PF classes. For instance, they said that any companion should be replaced by the mechanic's drone... and then we got companions in AA3.

Those legacy convertions... need to be updated somehow.

You just got that information above and I'm sure more people will chime in.

Scarab Sages

"Dr." Cupi wrote:
RiverMesa wrote:
However, I think it's ultimately better in the long run to focus on brand-new additions rather than constantly porting old stuff over (I mean really, you can kinda do that yourself for most things if you really need it), and allow Starfinder to really stand on its own instead of simply being "the Pathfinder in space".

This

I play Starfinder mainly because it isn't Pathfinder. While I appreciate that other people have different flavors of fun, I would also prefer for Starfinder to stand on its own.

That is not to say that some concepts from Pathfinder are not welcome, but as I said earlier, I'd prefer it stay a science fantasy instead of changing into a fantasy with science in space.

I totally get that and I’m behind it, 100%. My previous post was because a couple people had asked what pathfinder classes weren’t covered yet, and so I made that post.

I would counter though that in all of fiction, there are only so many hero. . . (I wanna say archetypes but that’s already game term) there are only so many ‘styles’ of heroes. And a lot of those styles are genre-independent. And so I was just trying to think of types of characters that Starfinder doesn’t offer options for yet. And Pathfinder has more options, so it’s a good, easy place to look to for inspiration.

I was not looking for a copy-paste of pathfinder classes. I was looking to them for styles of hero that we don’t have yet. I like the idea of a class that looks to items or places to find potential that others can’t see (my idea for a medium/occultist) because it is a style of hero that exists (think Mort from Dresden Files, less examples of object-reading but they do exist). Of course I do think there should be a sci-fi ‘twist’ to the class, I was just brainstorming ‘where do we go from the COM.’


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Quote:
Kineticist -Solar Flare Solarian

The idea that a solarian with solar flare is equivalent to a kineticist in concept is laughable. There is more to the kineticist then the idea of just a class-tied ranged attack.

Scarab Sages

Milo v3 wrote:
Quote:
Kineticist -Solar Flare Solarian
The idea that a solarian with solar flare is equivalent to a kineticist in concept is laughable. There is more to the kineticist then the idea of just a class-tied ranged attack.

I recommend taking a closer look at the Solarian Stellar Revalations. They can do things like defy gravity (like wings of air), bog down movement (entangling infusion) and a host of other abilities that Kineticists can also grab. Is it a direct 1 to 1 comparison? Of course not. But, if I can borrow from what you said: There's more to a solar flare solarion than a class-tied ranged attack.


Milo v3 wrote:
Quote:
Kineticist -Solar Flare Solarian
The idea that a solarian with solar flare is equivalent to a kineticist in concept is laughable. There is more to the kineticist then the idea of just a class-tied ranged attack.

Mechanically there is overlap. Both classes fill an interesting niche of having a set of supernatural abilities not tied to spell slots. Both classes do not really have a focus on expending a resource (sure Burn was a thing, but it always seemed to me that you wanted a certain level of Burn to maximize a few abilities and it's actual use was closer to Resolve). Both classes had powers that grew the longer encounters lasted.

Thematically there is also overlap. Both classes focused on manipulating the fundamental forces of the universe. Kineticists reflected the more classical approach to the elements (fire, water, earth, wind) with some borrowed from other schools of thought and a few DnD staples (wood, aether, positive/negative energy). Solarians looked at all that and said "Naw man, physics drive the universe" and moved to the more modern concepts of radiation and gravity.

They're also both beautiful messes with a lot of moving parts relative to the classes around them, though Solarian now has some company in to form of Vanguard.

Wayfinders

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Have to do a little more thinking about the mechanics but some kind of a Drift Mage class could be interesting. Kind of like the Witchwarper, they'd have a bunch of crowd-control powers but instead of tapping into alternate realities to change the battlefield, they tap into the Drift for different effects based around teleportation and a kind of "wild magic" by pulling random stuff from different planes out of the Drift.

Scarab Sages

Captain Beyond wrote:
Have to do a little more thinking about the mechanics but some kind of a Drift Mage class could be interesting. Kind of like the Witchwarper, they'd have a bunch of crowd-control powers but instead of tapping into alternate realities to change the battlefield, they tap into the Drift for different effects based around teleportation and a kind of "wild magic" by pulling random stuff from different planes out of the Drift.

I love the idea, it that may be a hard sell. From a PaizoCon panel I went to a couple years ago, it sounds like they want the drift to be technology exclusive. Specifically they do not want ‘drift magic,’ such as Vikings in longboats with drift drives. I dunno though, they might have changed their minds since.


VampByDay wrote:
Captain Beyond wrote:
Have to do a little more thinking about the mechanics but some kind of a Drift Mage class could be interesting. Kind of like the Witchwarper, they'd have a bunch of crowd-control powers but instead of tapping into alternate realities to change the battlefield, they tap into the Drift for different effects based around teleportation and a kind of "wild magic" by pulling random stuff from different planes out of the Drift.
I love the idea, it that may be a hard sell. From a PaizoCon panel I went to a couple years ago, it sounds like they want the drift to be technology exclusive. Specifically they do not want ‘drift magic,’ such as Vikings in longboats with drift drives. I dunno though, they might have changed their minds since.

I know I'd prefer tech only. That said, a drift summoner who summons planar critters with a 'malfunctioning' drift engine could be fun.

Maybe a little too weird for a base class though.

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