Tech Crafting is kinda bad

[Stake From Jate Farm]

Far as I can tell, Tech Crafting is the only 'X Crafting' feat in both PF2e and SF2e that doesn't give access to crafting X. Alchemical Crafting gives access to crafting alchemical items, Pharmaceutical Craft gives access to crafting medical items, but you can craft Tech items without Tech Crafting. It kinda makes it bad in comparison, because you only get some formulas with the feat.

However, I don't think this should change to be more in-line with the other 'X Crafting' feats cause that would make medpatches and hypopens require two feats to craft (Pharmaceutical AND Tech Crafting), which is a steep price to pay for what is effectively a space healing potion. I think the feat needs to be reworked entirely in order for it to work and not be bad.

[Xenocrat]

My initial read through is that crafting has an awful lot of skill feat requirements to cover everything you want, at the same time that the creator capsules are making field crafting to flexibly create relatively quick gear to solve or prepare for problems something you want.

Definitely warrants playtesting.

[25speedforseaweedleshy]

Tech Crafting are exactly the same as Magical Crafting

all armor in sf2e have tech trait so it unlock more stuff

[Torradin341]

The problem is that it explicitly calls out that anyone can craft Tech items, and implicitly states that you don't need a feat to do so. The sidebar on pg204 calls out that you would need the Magical Crafting feat to craft magical items and the Programmer feat to craft virtual items. Nowhere does it state that you need Tech Crafting for anything. It's not even a prereq for Machine Magic, which is required to craft hybrid items.

[Driftbourne]

To me Pathfinder style crafting seems strange in a setting that has U-Kiosks (3d printers.) I don't see a need for a feat just to add some UBPs to a machine select a file and hit print.

[Laclale♪]

25speedforseaweedleshy wrote:

Tech Crafting are exactly the same as Magical Crafting

And that's the reason of tech scrounger

[RLhoshi]

Stake From Jate Farm wrote:

I think the feat needs to be reworked entirely in order for it to work and not be bad.

Fully agree! Sadly, the current version feels like a hard slap in the face of the Crafting skill, as Computers with Fabricator can do all the same but better. It is cheaper, it is faster and it costs the same amount of feats for creating tech items. Also with the Maker’s app you can get all formulas for the whole adventuring gear for 10 credits, including the one for the paragon Creator caspule, which reduces the cost for completing technological items to 1/7 - not with Crafting, but Computers!

I guess at that point you could just move Repair to Computers as well and just get rid of Crafting altogether ...

... which I would absolutely hate! I adore crafting. Even in a tech heavy setting, I want master craftspeople to be out there instead of just throwing a formula into a printer to get a shiny paragon armor.

Really hope I just got that totally wrong and there is still a good spot for Crafting?! ^^

[RLhoshi]

Torradin341 wrote:

The problem is that it explicitly calls out that anyone can craft Tech items, and implicitly states that you don't need a feat to do so. The sidebar on pg204 calls out that you would need the Magical Crafting feat to craft magical items and the Programmer feat to craft virtual items. Nowhere does it state that you need Tech Crafting for anything. It's not even a prereq for Machine Magic, which is required to craft hybrid items.

Yeah, you're totally right! And in my opinion, needing a separate feat for crafting tech items in Starfinder would be like needing a separate feat for flying a spaceship.

[Nildayre]

All crafting in *finder is bad. In Pathfinder, crafting is explicitly worse than Earn an Income unless you a) cannot access a community at your level or higher and/or b) take Specialty/Impeccable Crafting.

It is even WORSE in Starfinder because the nature of the setting makes it incredibly unlikely that you’ll be unable to reach a major hub (Starstone is a Drift beacon, you literally can’t miss it).

As per usual, Paizo has radically overcorrected from something people exploited in 1E to the point where it’s just un-fun.

[Xenocrat]

Nah you can totally be exploring a planet or stranded without a ship and need to use a creator capsule to make grenades, ammo, and serums to keep you alive or a special piece of gear you’d never think to pack.