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Guns & Gears added firearms, vehicles, the inventor and so much technological stuff, and it's getting remastered.
Mechs were in Starfinder, and they may return in the 2e edition as well.
Starfinder 2e edition is composed to be compatible with Pathfinder.
Can we get steampunk-esque mechs in Pathfinder now?
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Why not? We've already got aliens and robots from space, Pokémon, and sailor scouts/magical girls. lol.
Between the inventor's armor and companion class options and the summoner's Meld with (construct) Eidolon, I have had no issues portraying mechs in Pathfinder so far myself.
I've not invested much time into Starfinder mechs yet. Were the rules particularly robust and fun, or something?
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I think it's definitely that we could have in Pathfinder.
I don't think it'll be in remastered Guns & Gears because I don't think they're going to change the book that drastically. They'll probably just rename a few abilities and remove some references to alignment.
But especially if we already have SF2 mech rules (probably not in the first book..) it would be easy to reskin that to PF2 steampunk.
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1) How much of Starfinder2e is allowed to be used in a Pathfinder2e game is up to the GM. Compatibility of the mechanics of the game elements is only part of it.
2) Steampunk is more of a flavor and description thing than game mechanics and numbers. So as Ravingdork mentions, between Vehicles, Inventor, and Construct Eidolon, there is already quite a bit to play with that could be themed as steampunk.
3) My understanding of the timeline of components scheduled for release in Starfinder2e, starship combat and mechs will not be available in the initial release books. Those are coming in the first set of expansion books.
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I think inventors an already pretty much do this with their riding option although it would look a bit more like rumble from league of legends than a traditional power armor.
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Can we get steampunk-esque mechs in Pathfinder now?
I'd far prefer Paizo to use their time on something else.
1) How much of Starfinder2e is allowed to be used in a Pathfinder2e game is up to the GM. Compatibility of the mechanics of the game elements is only part of it.
2) Steampunk is more of a flavor and description thing than game mechanics and numbers. So as Ravingdork mentions, between Vehicles, Inventor, and Construct Eidolon, there is already quite a bit to play with that could be themed as steampunk.
3) My understanding of the timeline of components scheduled for release in Starfinder2e, starship combat and mechs will not be available in the initial release books. Those are coming in the first set of expansion books.
1) Mechs were also "up to the GM" in Starfinder 1st edition, but my point is that if mech rules are compatible with Pathfinder, this would be possible. Beside, there was a planet in Starfinder with clockwork weapons, gadgets and monsters, so facing a steampunk-like mech in Starfinder would be plausible.
2) "Industrial", if you prefer :p / "FF6-esque", if you will ;)
3) Oh, I don't expect mechs to be in the first print. Even THAT took a few years to get those in the 1st edition.
BTW, we did get ship combat rules in the first core rulebook, no? If you're gonna have spaceships, you might as well offer the basics ^^;
One of the reasons I look forward to Pathfinder Third Edition is that I hope the technology and magic levels of Golarion increase enough to introduce more steampunk elements, like steam tanks, ironclad warships, or dwarven helicopters. In Second Edition, the setting has become more gunpowder-friendly, so I imagine Third Edition will include even more steampunk elements. The various arts in Agents of Edgewatch suggest that the cultural level of Absalom is similar to Victorian-era England, as many characters are depicted wearing Victorian-style outfits rather than typical medieval fantasy attire. Not sure when Third Edition will come out though.
BTW, we did get ship combat rules in the first core rulebook, no? If you're gonna have spaceships, you might as well offer the basics ^^;
I'm just repeating what has been announced.
One of the reasons I look forward to Pathfinder Third Edition is that I hope the technology and magic levels of Golarion increase enough to introduce more steampunk elements, like steam tanks, ironclad warships, or dwarven helicopters.I'd be surprised if they did that. Shifting the genre of the core game from classic sword & sorcery to steampunk like that would be a major change. It is also very much not the direction PF2E developers are taking the game over the next year or two (I'm thinking Tian Xia and Godsrain), so we have zero indication (AFAIK) that the folks developing the line are leaning in tha direction.
So, I'd expect mechs and the like to remain in splatbooks and supplements. But I'd upvote for production of one of those with expanded steampunk, in the future.
While I agree with this with alkenstar getting more attention + arcadia having the whole mad max type area and numeria I could see them having some more steam punk areas of the world if not a full setting change. So if you are interested in that sort of thing or in that area you could hav it but keep it uncommon/rare so for GM's that don't want to deal with it they have a good lever to ignore it.
BTW, we did get ship combat rules in the first core rulebook, no? If you're gonna have spaceships, you might as well offer the basics ^^;I'm just repeating what has been announced.
Will there be starship combat?
Our focus right now is on the core gameplay experience: player characters exploring alien worlds and overcoming science-fantasy threats. We know that starship combat (as well as mechs and vehicles) are integral to the Starfinder experience, and we want to make sure we get these rules right. We’ll announce more about our plans for these rules in future updates.
Huh... interesting...
Then again, it's not a bad idea to refine ground combat first :)They do kinda confirm mechs too XD
While I agree with this with alkenstar getting more attention + arcadia having the whole mad max type area and numeria I could see them having some more steam punk areas of the world if not a full setting change. So if you are interested in that sort of thing or in that area you could hav it but keep it uncommon/rare so for GM's that don't want to deal with it they have a good lever to ignore it.
I could see Golarion going on the same route as JRPGs and "having a technologically-advanced people being discovered" :p
Even then, we have Automatons... They can get bigger XD
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I'd be surprised if they did that. Shifting the genre of the core game from classic sword & sorcery to steampunk like that would be a major change. It is also very much not the direction PF2E developers are taking the game over the next year or two (I'm thinking Tian Xia and Godsrain), so we have zero indication (AFAIK) that the folks developing the line are leaning in tha direction.
So, I'd expect mechs and the like to remain in splatbooks and supplements. But I'd upvote for production of one of those with expanded steampunk, in the future.
Paizo generally uses the kitchen sink approach for Pathfinder and Starfinder as well, there is no reason whatsoever that it couldn't be made, shoot by canon it exists alongside early 1900's EARTH in cosmology and there is even an official AP that visits Russia as part of the story.
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It would be cool, though I don't know where Paizo would be able to slip the rules in. G&G isn't a true remaster, it's just some light touch ups so I wouldn't expect a new subsystem. I obviously don't know what's happening past Battlecry! but I'm not sure we'd see another technology sourcebook. I feel like we'd get another magic focused book first, especially with SoM needing a reprint/remaster pretty badly.
Either way, we'll get them in starfinder eventually no doubt, so transfering them should tide us over.
With what is confirmed about the Guns and Gears remaster, there is likely not going to be any mechs in guns and gears.
I figure this much :P
As mentioned, a player can already create a mech-themed PC who interacts at the PC level of power. For something beyond that, such a system would be ridiculously complex, at least if able to create and design mechs. It'd be a mini-RPG within the main one AND have to balance with the whole. That's beyond making a new class, more like classes, all with specific types of gear and then the need for examples at all levels...all again which need to balance.
One might be better off taking a mech/steampunk RPG and adapting it. I agree with SuperBidi that Paizo's time would better be spent elsewhere. I doubt there's much of a niche for Golarion mech high fantasy.
Another alternative would be to use monsters as mechs. One's monster form (via transformation, possession, invention, or however) then could be used using those stats (perhaps with additional abilities that represent the PC's skills/etc.) And then have normal PC stats outside the monster. This gives you an enormous set of pre-made (albeit mostly mushy) mechs.
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The easiest way to so it is to take the Poppet ancestry and the inventor class. Take the armor innovation and refluff it as the poppet driving the suit of armor.
Yeah, I think the game pretty much already allows for this as the armor innovation of the Inventor, as long as you're less mech and more power armor.
Straight up 20+ ft tall mechs are kind of out of the question for players to regularly have access to, IMO, but power armor or Iron Man style suits are on the table.
Yeah, I think the game pretty much already allows for this as the armor innovation of the Inventor, as long as you're less mech and more power armor.
Straight up 20+ ft tall mechs are kind of out of the question for players to regularly have access to, IMO, but power armor or Iron Man style suits are on the table.
Even then, in Starfinder, mechs were reserved for a separate kind of encounter. You could get a Huge mech at level 1, but... it wasn't usable all the time until you fight another mech or a bigger creature. That's without factoring the number of required pilots. Spaceships even use that system for different combats.
If they apply that same idea on the 2nd edition, I could the same in Pathfinder.
BTW, the Inventor's armor innovation... cannot be enlarged. I do hope this becomes a selectable modification, especially now that Large PCs are a thing.
Yeah, I think the game pretty much already allows for this as the armor innovation of the Inventor, as long as you're less mech and more power armor.
Straight up 20+ ft tall mechs are kind of out of the question for players to regularly have access to, IMO, but power armor or Iron Man style suits are on the table.
Even then, in Starfinder, mechs were reserved for a separate kind of encounter. You could get a Huge mech at level 1, but... it wasn't usable all the time until you fight another mech or a bigger creature. That's without factoring the number of required pilots. Spaceships even use that system for different combats.
If they apply that same idea on the 2nd edition, I could the same in Pathfinder.
BTW, the Inventor's armor innovation... cannot be enlarged. I do hope this becomes a selectable modification, especially now that Large PCs are a thing.
One Starfinder conceit is that spaceships cost too much for PCs and PCs can't sell their spaceships. It's a distinct sub-game, which yeah, the mech system mirrors so that low-level PCs may participate. Can't see how Golarion could pull off that conceit without breaking verisimilitude. Heck, my group(s) had qualms with it in SF, except it was easier to absorb (and explain/justify to others) because it was so at launch.
And who wouldn't want to take their mech for a spin into various trouble spots? Everyone would! There will have to be interactions between low-level PCs in mech suits vs. higher level monsters. Unlike SF, mechs will be rare, and even a campaign in a mech-friendly country will strain credulity to feature consistent mech enemies.Wouldn't want a world-event that altered this.
Note I would totally accept these as general rules, especially if SF staff did most of the labor and PF GMs simply lifted it, because I see homebrew potential. It's Numeria/Alkenstar having some sort of mech revolution (and likely invasion) that's wonky.
Edit: blockquote
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Yeah, I think the game pretty much already allows for this as the armor innovation of the Inventor, as long as you're less mech and more power armor.
Straight up 20+ ft tall mechs are kind of out of the question for players to regularly have access to, IMO, but power armor or Iron Man style suits are on the table.
Even then, in Starfinder, mechs were reserved for a separate kind of encounter. You could get a Huge mech at level 1, but... it wasn't usable all the time until you fight another mech or a bigger creature. That's without factoring the number of required pilots. Spaceships even use that system for different combats.
If they apply that same idea on the 2nd edition, I could the same in Pathfinder.
BTW, the Inventor's armor innovation... cannot be enlarged. I do hope this becomes a selectable modification, especially now that Large PCs are a thing.
Yeah, but at that point (having a separate system like Starfinder does) I would personally say like yeah...it's not worth including as part of the base Pathfinder system. Like there are constructs that could sort of qualify as mechs, but you're going to be inventing new rules and new kinds of enemies for those rules to interact with, just like Starfinder.
An Inventor's Construct Companion can be size large starting at level 4. And the Inventor can ride it as long as it is at least one size larger than the Inventor.
So a level 4 Inventor can be rolling into battle on their animatronic 10-foot diameter gazebo.
An Inventor's Construct Companion can be size large starting at level 4. And the Inventor can ride it as long as it is at least one size larger than the Inventor.
So a level 4 Inventor can be rolling into battle on their animatronic 10-foot diameter gazebo.
This is a good point, actually, it could be really neat if the Inventor had feats that let you do certain actions only while you're riding your construct companion. That way, you could get even more of a feel of piloting a mech, and it'd take less design work than developing a whole new subsystem.
That,s why I hope to see a "Large modification" for the Armor ;)
Director of Rules & Lore
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With what is confirmed about the Guns and Gears remaster, there is likely not going to be any mechs in guns and gears.
Guns and Gears has to keep current "pageification" [...]
The word is "pagination".
BTW, we did get ship combat rules in the first core rulebook, no? If you're gonna have spaceships, you might as well offer the basics ^^;I'm just repeating what has been announced.Will there be starship combat?
Our focus right now is on the core gameplay experience: player characters exploring alien worlds and overcoming science-fantasy threats. We know that starship combat (as well as mechs and vehicles) are integral to the Starfinder experience, and we want to make sure we get these rules right. We’ll announce more about our plans for these rules in future updates.
Huh... interesting...
Then again, it's not a bad idea to refine ground combat first :)They do kinda confirm mechs too XD
While I agree with this with alkenstar getting more attention + arcadia having the whole mad max type area and numeria I could see them having some more steam punk areas of the world if not a full setting change. So if you are interested in that sort of thing or in that area you could hav it but keep it uncommon/rare so for GM's that don't want to deal with it they have a good lever to ignore it.I could see Golarion going on the same route as JRPGs and "having a technologically-advanced people being discovered" :p
Even then, we have Automatons... They can get bigger XD
Keep in mind that this is from the PLAYTEST FAQ, so starship combat may not be in the playtest, but hopefully it is integral enough to make it in the core rulebook.
Keep in mind that this is from the PLAYTEST FAQ, so starship combat may not be in the playtest, but hopefully it is integral enough to make it in the core rulebook.BTW, we did get ship combat rules in the first core rulebook, no? If you're gonna have spaceships, you might as well offer the basics ^^;I'm just repeating what has been announced.Will there be starship combat?
Our focus right now is on the core gameplay experience: player characters exploring alien worlds and overcoming science-fantasy threats. We know that starship combat (as well as mechs and vehicles) are integral to the Starfinder experience, and we want to make sure we get these rules right. We’ll announce more about our plans for these rules in future updates.
Huh... interesting...
Then again, it's not a bad idea to refine ground combat first :)They do kinda confirm mechs too XD
I believe a second Starfinder 2E playtest is planned for 2025. Hopefully, that second playtest will cover piloting (starships, mechs, and other vehicles) and maybe (speculating) even a subset of classes/class options (for biohacker, mechanic, and technomancer concepts) that were in SF1 but not covered in the Playtest book.