So I'm finally getting around to learning Starfinder. After I ran through the Core I bought the Dead Suns modules and by the end I'm starting to see a lot of guys with Init +9, or +12 or what have you.
What have I missed? Why are they so quick with initiative? Am I just reading something wrong?
First off, NPCs follow a different set of rules, they're not PCs. That's a big thing to keep in mind.
Still, on the PC side : some classes, archetypes and even races have bonuses in their kit (possibly scaling ones), there's a few init-boosting feats (Improved Initiative being the big obvious one), some gear adds on top of that... so with a high Dex it's quite doable.
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Yeah, the biggest thing you're probably missing is that NPC creation guidelines are very different from PC creation rules. In particular, their ability scores can get WAY higher than PC scores. NPCs only use the ability score bonuses, not the raw scores. For a CR10 combatant, you get a +8, +5 and +3. Put them wherever you want when creating the NPC. So a CR 10 ranged combatant will almost certainly have a +8 dex.
Operative class graft gives a bonus of CR/4 to initiative. Almost any creature can have improved initiative.
And of course the section on NPC creation has (in big, bold letters) EVERYTHING IS OPTIONAL meaning that the details in that section are guidelines to check that you are in the right range, not absolute rules.
One thing that is missing - although it's not something you are missing - is that Paizo-published stat blocks (especially in the earlier Starfinder books) don't always include everything you need to reverse engineer the creature. They just give you what you need to run the encounter. Looking at the Dead Suns books I see a lot of high-initiative creatures that don't have as many abilities listed as the guidelines suggest. They probably have Improved Initiative; it just wasn't written explicitly into the stat block.
So a lot of these guys(a stumbling dwarf in power armor with an init of +9) have bonus rules they never listed in the stat block? While I find that annoying I'm also a little relieved that it wasn't me that was missing something.
I didn't overlook anything, they never put the info into the stat block. Thanks for clarifying for me. Was gonn go buy the Alien Archive book anyway, that should give me the rest of the puzzle.
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A dwarf in power armor is probably a blitz soldier, making them a little speedier to the fight than you'd expect. Much to the regret of many kneecaps.
A dwarf in power armor is probably a blitz soldier, making them a little speedier to the fight than you'd expect. Much to the regret of many kneecaps.
Yeah, if someone made a power armored dwarf they probably were dex based then got strength from the power armor plus possibly being a blitz soldier for more init.
As in, yes there are things you miss, but that's because the writers don't always call out class abilities, feats, random special abilities they used when creating an NPC.