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All right, let's go ahead and jump into this! My initial pass through the Starfinder playtest is going to be building my SF1 characters in SF2.
FIRST UP! Mr. Sir. (Well, okay. I made my friend an Envoy too.)
"Ladies, gentlemen, and conscientious objectors! It's time once again for the game of lasers, phasers, masers, and tazers, You Bet Your Life!"
Character
Mr. Sir is one of the Halls of the Living's show hosts. He runs a deadly game show called You Bet Your Life, where he pretends to be an overworked middle manager in an abusive company. He blows off steam by "kidnapping" people that remind him of various made-up coworkers, and locks them in his absurdly spacious basement, full of quiz show death traps and obstacle courses.
He enjoys his work- he's a pretty messed up dude. But, he also thinks it's societally beneficial. He views the corporate culture as exploitative and soul-crushing, and views altruistic programs to help people out as insufficient. His show is an opportunity for just about anyone clever to get themselves fame and fortune. Even losing isn't necessarily a setback- if somebody is popular enough with the audience, they can get a crowd-funded resurrection.
He wears a recognizable outfit, a faded gray business suit with a faded orange sackcloth bag over his head with two eye-holes cut into it. Because of the nature of his work, he remains anonymous, staying in the outfit and going by "Mr. Sir" even off work. Despite this, he never acts in-character outside the show, even jokingly. Eox has enough of a bad reputation that it's important to make it clear that the character portrayed in the game show is just for entertainment.
For high level versions of this character, he was one of the defenders of Absalom Station who was killed fighting against Eox's assault shortly after the Gap. He returned to life as a Vaculak, continuing the fight. Despite this, it was hard to find acceptance among the living, and he joined the Eoxian military after they joined the Pact Worlds, and carried on fighting against the Veskarium. When the Swarm invaded, cold war espionage tactics were no longer very useful, and he took a well-earned "retirement" running You Bet Your Life.
Because true undead was not playable, Varculak was used, and he wore a medical bracelet warning Eoxian medical staff to use positive energy rather than negative. He worked hard to conceal this aspect otherwise.
SF1 Build
In SF1, Mr. Sir was a Varculak (in order to get actual immunities to help live on Eox) Operative (since it did a better job than Envoy) Icon. Necrografts helped make him more undead. Operative made wielding a knife an actual threat, useful for his image, and supported using more theatrical one-handed weapons (naturally aiming to complete the full set of lasers, phasers, masers, and tazers). Weapons could be behind the curve thanks to Trick Attack damage. As an added bonus, he could pull out a sniper rifle as ratings stunt. Specialization was Spy (to use charisma), Ghost (for high level), or Gadgeteer (to represent trapsmithing as best as possible). The most important exploit was always Trap Spotter, to reflect running a deathtrap-oriented gameshow. Innoculation helped improve undead-ness, and Utility Belt was the best reflection of having all manner of traps on hand. Voice Amplifier let him be that much more theatrical.
SF2 Build Goals
- "Undead". Borai is the first not-really-undead ancestry, and the less-undead of the two. Expectations on seeming undead will be kept to a minimum for the playtest, and treated as bonus points. Ideally, exposure to vacuum should casually not be a problem. If radiation immunity, not needing to eat or drink, or any other immunities are available, those are secondary priorities in descending order.
- "Game Show Host". Mr. Sir should use charisma, and have abilities that are suited to a celebrity actor who runs a trivia game show. In SF1, this had to mostly be carried by the Icon background.
- "Deadly". Mr. Sir may play a serial killer, but he should also be dangerous enough to hold his own and also make season finale appearances on more than just the monitor.
- "Traps". Mr. Sir runs a game show featuring deadly traps. He should be able to handle all kinds of traps, and ideally prepare them as well.
Let's get started!
1st:
Human Borai Icon Envoy (In the Spotlight)
Stats: Cha primary, Dex secondary, Int and... Con tertiary? Missing out on strength tertiary hurts, but I can't dump Int on the character concept. We'll eat a penalty to something for the first four levels until Dex can go up again.
Ancestry feat: On the human side: Augmented seems nice, especially when we get Necrografts. Natural Ambition is the best feat, as usual. For Borai: Necrotized and Etheric Lineages are not bad. Etheric unfortunately doesn't work while unconscious. Sadly, no feat to bump Low-Light to Darkvision, but we'll have to see about gear for that. Natural Ambition wins, unsurprisingly.
Class: In the Spotlight gives us Impressive Performance and Performance training. Icon gives us Sparkling Performance, so no skill feat overlap. I'm assuming there's text somewhere to let me replace the trained skill overlap. OF NOTE: Sparkling Performance doesn't work with In the Spotlight's sixth level ability.
We get Get 'Em!. The debuff to enemy AC fits Mr. Sir's style better than SF1's attack bonus, and the greater personal damage helps make it worthwhile even for personal use. Size Up feels good for Mr. Sir researching show contestants, and picking promising ones to focus on. We're also unlikely to fit Wis boosts in, so this helps make up for it.
Feats: Quip, definitely! I wish the range were a little better for this, but it fits the character well. (I'll ask the GM to let it work through the show's TV monitors, if that comes up.) Hmmm... I thought Get In There! was first level- without it, I'll need to go revisit whether I want another first-level feat, or just a flavorful lineage feat. If I got another first-level Envoy feat, it'd be getting double charisma assets.
Skills: Intimidation for the "social trio" option, Performance from two sources, and 6 + 1 (Int) + 1 (Background overlap). Deception, Computers, Thievery, Crafting (the three trap skills), Society, Stealth, Piloting, Acrobatics. Hmmm... lack of medical knowledge. Maybe drop Piloting? Oh, and we can't fit in Diplomacy, so we're all in on making everything a performance.
REQUEST: Woof, three skills for interacting with "security" is a lot. :/ The Ysoki feat to disable traps with crafting feels like it just needs to be more generally available somehow.
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2nd:
Class: Suppressing Insults. If we're trading barbs, adding an extra debuff on top is perfect.
Skill Increase: Let's get all these out of the way through level 7, in order: Performance, Intimidation, Thievery, Computers, Crafting, and then a master increase to Performance. (Level 7 ability to have master proficiency for one roll is a godsend!) Man, I really want to fit in Society so that those assets are good for something... Let's go ahead and drop Crafting advancement, I guess, and have that be something that the work crew generally does. If we're using an archetype for it, that'll probably use class DC and won't require crafting checks.
Skill Feat: Method Actor, maybe? This one is really good, but Mr. Sir only has two personas, who share a name, and the crit fail stop seems like a very effective balance to things. He can't shut down the show for a day just because of a bad line. I'm glad this is there, but that'll be for another character, I think- or a flex pick. Inappropriate Joke is good, but the theme... hmmm. Interrupting a caster in the middle of trying to "cheat" in the game is pretty fitting. The alternative is Virtuosic Performer. Oh, right. We also have the feat tax of Intimidating Glare to not be constantly checking languages for my Intimidation build. We'll go with Inappropriate Joke right now, so that we have a nice charisma 30ft reaction build.
NOTE: Realistically, this skill feat is actually going into Snare Crafting or the equivalent.
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3rd:
Class: Adaptive Talent, my beloved! This is how we make the "trivia" part of the game show actually work, by getting Additional Lore flexibly swapped out daily. That does mean it's usually spoken for, so no using it to patch up how many permanent skill feats I want. Wise to the Game is nice for shoring up that low Wis in social situations.
General Feat: Untrained Improvisation or Toughness. If we end up needing our skill feat for archetype reasons, then this will go into a skill feat instead.
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4th:
Class Feat: We still need something for traps, and Search High and Low! is perfect- probably? The bonus is to Seek, so while you could Repeat an Action to give the bonus in exploration, that's Searching, not Seeking. So, you kind of have to repeatedly drop into Encounter Mode to check each room and hall with the bonuses, but they're big ones, and they're handed out to the entire group- a group who probably didn't dump Wis as much! (... It would be nice to get some text allowing the option to use this as an exploration activity to give a bonus to Searching.)
What 4th Level Options are we Passing Up by Taking a 2nd Level Class Feat?: Broadened Assessment does nothing for the character, since it's physical skills. Danger Sense is initiative, not for traps, etc. Head in the Game is allied condition removal, not really fitting the character, and fatigued is really rare. Not In the Face is too sniveling. So, nothing that fits anyway.
Skill Feat: ... Oh, right. If I'm not actually advancing Acrobatics, it's not really doing anything for me. Cat Fall is a lot less good when you can have flight items. I could probably drop that for another trained skill. Maneuver In Flight never sees any use. Anyway! Let's get ourselves that Intimidating Glare we needed.
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5th:
Class: Perception boost. Huh, I expected starting at Expert. Practiced Influencer is a 1/day roll twice and take the better- mainly for Intimidation on this character. And, Weapon Expertise. I enjoy the Crit Spec.
Ancestry Feat: Clever Improviser is really tempting, because it allows doing ANY profession. Confident Actualization is a roll twice that works on Performance, which is nice. For Borai, Deathly Constitution is just... too small of a bonus. OH! Soul Sustenance, that's on our undead features list, instant take.
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6th:
Class/Class Feat: So, we get our alternate leadership now. We only have two directives, and Search High and Low is very situational. So, we need another. Get In There! is perfect, directing stage-hands and the like on set.
No, Seriously, This is the Third 2nd Level Class Feat, Are We Missing Something Good?: Confounding Disquisition is two actions to... mainly inflict Stupefied. I've got that as a reaction on a skill I'm actually good with. Dirty Retort is so-so. Distant Feint is Deception, which we haven't been pursuing, and it's really not "distant". Fifteen feet, in Starfinder? Hang In There is Diplomacy, which we aren't even trained in, probably, and it's way too uplifting for this guy. Hurry! is... mostly a worse Get In There!? Well, maybe I guess- it is only much worse for In the Spotlight specifically, because that wants a second directive. There's a reason I'm waiting until 6th to take it. But I feel like the ten minute limit could be removed, because trading action-for-action is pretty fair, and it doesn't stack with Haste.
Skill Feat: Digital Ambassador or Virtuosic Performer, depending on where things have landed in the campaign.
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7th:
Class: Improvised Mastery! Ahhh, what a sweet relief. All of the worrying about skill advancement, gone. No longer do I need to invest in a skill just because I might need it. Once per day, bam. Got it. Love this. I haven't looked through, but I want a feat to use these once per day things a second time. Leader's Confidence seems like mainly a pre-combat buff, because one action from everyone (and two from yourself) is a lot. But a minute is enough for a pre-combat routine. And Weapon Specialization.
General Feat: Dazzling Performance should really work with In the Spotlight. Anyway, since I can get that at 8th, probably Toughness if I didn't take it. We've eased up on skill feats we really want.
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7th is good enough for a full build. Let's just take a look ahead to make sure the class feats fit better. If we don't have anything at 8th, it might be time to look at Operative again because the character might just not fit all that well.
8th: Master Plan, love it. Perfect, it's directing the others around, and loads up those reaction slots after everything is immune to intimidation. Sidestep would also be something I'd be okay taking, but it's more melee.
10th: Cut 'Em Deep- speak of the devil! This is enough to go ALLLL the way back to first level to spend the human feat on getting Acquire Asset, just so that he can reliably use Quip on enemies. Got 'Em! is amazing too, and good enough that I'm fine if 12th doesn't have anything. I wish Smooth Diversions worked with Sparkling Performance, but that's solidly in the ream of "ask the GM nicely". Tag Team isn't bad.
12th: Okay, yeah, the stuff I wanted was last level. Got 'Em is it.
14th: Do It Now! is excellent. An action to make somebody shoot a target? That fits. Ready to Roll would be okay.
16th: Extend Directive is great for In the Spotlight, after quite a few things didn't fit it. Great option, would definitely take it. (Suggestion: Both Know Your Target and Detect Thoughts, a level 16 feat and cantrip respectively, refer to surface-level thoughts. Detect Thoughts needs to be clearer that you can't read thoughts, or Know Your Target needs to be clearer about what "vague surface thoughts" are.)
18th: ... Get Them! is really late for what it does, especially since there's a way lower level reaction to switch on death. Follow the Leader removes the main subclass feature, which is... hmmm. It doesn't feel great, even if it's good. But, since I don't have that reaction, Get Them! it is.
20th: Endlessly Adaptive! Yes, that's what I'm talking about! True Leader, also great! Actually, Extend Directive and True Leader means give free action to everyone a speed boost, free action to Get 'Em!, everyone can move as a reaction from In the Spotlight, and then you're free to shoot three times. I really like that. Tough choice between them, which is good for a capstone.
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... Let's go check those major features, too.
9th is a second flex skill feat, which will feel amazing. Hidden Agenda is... honestly not something I would almost ever have had trigger? You roll Deception against their DC, they don't roll Sense Motive against you. And I've never once had an enemy roll a knowledge check or gather information check against my character, even in an intrigue game. Does Pathfinder still have spells that reveal information about someone at anything below Uncommon? I don't need anything good at this level with the extra flex skill feat, so maybe this is intentionally not very relevant.
11th: Savvy Influencer: Hey, there's the second usage I was hoping for! Wish I could extend this to Performance. The "nat 1 doesn't auto-crit-fail" is fine.
13th: Effortless Influencer's status bonus doesn't do much for Mr. Sir unless the group is specced for Intimidation, 'cuz I'm still substituting out on Diplomacy. Although, at this level, we've needed to increase a sixth skill to master, so that can be Deception! Nice. The real prize is three uses per day, which is great. And, we also get a two-action directive, which gives different benefits to each party member? Oooh... Envoy can't really benefit much from anything but Defender unless it's extended to "end of your next turn", but the party benefits are excellent. Ah- and it looks like the Lead By Example is the incentive to fit your benefit into that third action, and Defender is the hardest to guarantee. Fair, fair.
15th: Extra flex skill feat! Nice to have that come online with Legendary proficiency. And Legendary Improvisation! I can see why this hasn't gotten more uses per day.
17th: Indescernible Agenda has the same issue... But I guess at this point, bumping crit or success down to failure, that's enough that you can probably force it to matter.
19th: Silver Tongue. Heh... I already have a bunch of roll twice uses, so I think we just take Diplomacy from Untrained all the way to Legendary.
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Impressions:
I'm really happy with the class. I'm coming in with a self-centered showman, and the class supports that. It does so in a way that SF1 Envoy never could, even after the rework. There are plenty of options to make enemies have a bad time and support allies in ways that don't feel like a pep talk or being a sunny disposition cheerleader.
4th and 6th level feats were a rough patch for this build, but one that was perfectly covered by the excellent second level options.
Directives... I had enough for the character. It feels like an important thing to expand on for the class in the future, though, because as it stands, I'm only ever going to play Envoy... twice? Twice sounds about right. Two different In the Spotlight concepts come to mind, and then I'll be good. I'll have a blast, and I don't even normally play support characters.
I'll look at weapons and augments for the build next!
Armor: Second Skin or Carbon Skin, as a way to wear a business suit and still get environmental protection. Will come back after seeing the upgrades.
Weapon: Our routine is eventually Get Out There! and Get 'Em! followed by taking a shot, using reactions to debuff anybody who gets close. We want to avoid reloads, and we want unwieldy if possible. Definitely not area. That sounds like a Plasma Caster, since advanced weapons don't count. Not... thrilled with the selection here. As far as a knife goes, I guess he'll have one for show, or ask to reflavor the rapier stats.
Armor Upgrades: Filtered Rebreather seems like it should provide air for longer than the default environmental protection length? Anyway, we'll probably upgrade the environmental protections a bit more aggressively, especially radiation. Heeey, Darkvision! (Man the Borai heritage benefit does not feel great.) Love Glamer Projector. Later slots will be for mobility.
Weapon Upgrades: Dang. :/ I'm sad to see damage upgrades here. I was really hoping that the damage increases could be baked in, and upgrades be free for more interesting stuff. Well, same as Pathfinder, just grab the damage boosts when they are available. There's no "damage for unwieldy" tradeoff upgrade, but considering I was viewing that as a freebie, it'd probably be too good.
Augmentations: Briefly confused by Shielding Skin, but I guess it's a way to get the item bonus without using armor? Taking up an augmentation slot is pricey. Heeey, Autorecognition Lens is fun. Love it not counting against the limit; definitely makes this feel like the future. (I'm bad with character names...) DERMAL PLATING! Let's go! Ah, there's the Voice Amplifier. I feel like for taking up an augmentation slot, I shouldn't need to spend an action to turn it on and off? Anyway, Dermal Plating and Voice Amplifier, probably.
Magic Items: Diva's Microphone, probably. That does probably replace Voice Amplifier.
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(EDITED this conclusion section because I got too engrossed in reading and skipped dinner and was very hangry by the end. Whoops!)
It would have been nice to see damage property runes no longer showing up. Maybe some kind of limit or something? The math is probably too baked in now.
The melee weapons just feel like Pathfinder. Maybe it's because it's a Dex-based character, but there was nothing different, other than "knife, but cold".
Ranged was also pretty limited- there was only one thing in the ballpark of what I was going for.
I feel like Advanced Weapons could just be... dropped. Balanced a little to fit into martial, or just showing up post-core. The "jump through ancestry hoops" game is really tiring, and if you're not doing that, advanced weapons are just an Operative 19th level feature. It's cool stuff you can't touch.
Augmentations are cool, armor feels more interesting than PF2 with the extra variable of "starting armor slot or no?"
It... wasn't a very exciting step to go through, because it didn't feel very different from PF2. Things are still expensive increases of +1 to a skill, often a narrow implementation of the skill. That's baked into the system. Some new things were nice, like Dermal Plating- something that you really can't get in PF2.
But, that's okay. This is more exciting than PF2 item shopping, and I still have fun in PF2 overall.
I just want to say, I love this thread and I loved reading about Mr Sir! You really captured what's great about the Envoy's design- it's probably the most generally applicable class in the game to just about any concept that relies on some combination of wits, charm, and a lucky shot.
I hope he gets to see the Wheel Of Monsters adventure coming out soon!
Thank you; I appreciate it! I'm planning on running Wheel of Monsters with him as the host, since that's a nice opportunity to use him in his natural environment of hosting a deadly game show.