Wild Nanocytes Never Die

[Cellion]

While reading the Nanocyte, I was struck by some similarities to the Vanguard and I started paying attention to the various means the class has to avoid or mitigate damage. What I found was that it had a lot, and the methods available were intentionally or unintentionally designed to "stack", leading to a Nanocyte that would be exceptionally difficult to kill. Here are the four parts to this super survivability toolkit:

Like all full BAB classes, the Nanocyte has the best access to the Enhanced Resistance feat. Typeless DR equal to the character's level is very strong mitigation, as most people who've played martial characters in Starfinder can likely agree on.

The Nanocyte has Defensive Disperal from 2nd level. For the low cost of one nanite surge and a reaction, the damage of an incoming attack is reduced by level + CON mod. This is stronger than the Vanguard's mitigate ability in sheer reduction, and it can be used more "on demand" than the Vanguard, who relies on an ebb and flow of entropy points.

The Nanocyte can spend a nanite surge on the Sheath Form to grant themselves temp HP equal to their level that lasts until spent or the form is lost.

The Nanocyte with the Regeneration faculty has Reactive Repair, a 1st level ability that allows them to spend a surge and a swift action to gain fast healing 1 for one minute. Interestingly, this fast healing applies to Stamina rather than HP, making it far more immediately useful. The amount of fast healing rises to a max of 5 at 17th level. Additionally, every time the fast healing successfully restores SP, the Nanocyte gains a small amount of temp HP.

These abilities all work to complement one another. At higher levels where nanite surges are plentiful and can be regained or added to via RP, the Nanocyte can completely absorb/reduce incoming damage for many rounds.

Survivability Example:

A 10th level Nanocyte focusing on Swarm Strike (a build that has CON as its main stat) is fighting a CR13 Driftdead Amalgam. The 10th level Nanocyte has DR10/- and 10 temp HP from Sheath.

The Amalgam moves in and attacks, dealing an average of 38 damage if it's attack lands. The DR brings that to 28, they spend a reaction to dispersal and reduce it to 12 (reduction of 10 + 6 from CON), and the temp HP absorbs all but 2 points of damage. On their turn they reactive repair and heal 3 SP and gain 5 temp HP. They attack and guarded step back to keep the foe from making more than one attack.

Next turn they do the same. Total damage reduction ends up being 26 between DR and dispersal, then 8 more between fast healing and bonus temp HP. The amalgam can barely scratch them while they have nanite surges available (And at this level they have 10+ and can spend resolve points for more)

This is boss-level enemy of APL+3 fighting an otherwise naked Nanocyte, and they can't do much more than scratch them, for possibly up to 10 rounds.

This is not to say that the Nanocyte is impossible to kill. Will saves are going to be an Achilles heel that can shut a Nanocyte down entirely. But the overlapping reductions, buffers and regeneration are beyond what most classes are bringing to the table.

I'm looking forward to giving this build a try in a game and seeing whether or not it really is as immortal as it appears to be on paper.

[Dracomicron]

I did notice that Defensive Dispersal completely punked the vanguard's Mitigate; it's the same level power, too.

If I get a chance to play one, my plan was already to run a Regeneration faculty nanocyte at level 8 in Society play; I guess I'll try the uber tank mode just to see what happens.