What do cheekpouches actually DO?

[BigNorseWolf]

cheekpouches:

Your cheeks are stretchy, and you can store up to four items of
light Bulk or less in these cheek pouches. None of these items
can have a dimension longer than 1 foot. As long as you have at
least one item in your cheek pouches, your speech is noticeably
difficult to understand. Placing an item in your cheek pouch or
retrieving one is an Interact action. You can empty your mouth
with a single action, causing everything you had stored in your
cheek pouches to fall to the ground in your square.

So that's the text, but what does having a cheekpouch let you do that isn't just having pockets in your armor?

Does it interfere with spellcasting?

[WatersLethe]

It's scraping the bottom of the barrel in feat power, but I believe it's meant to allow you to hide things. If you can avoid speaking, and someone is searching you for weapons or contraband, and doesn't check mouths, you can get away scot free.

Judging by the SECOND LEVEL spell "Empty Pack" someone at Paizo thinks sneaking objects around is a major part of the game.

[moosher12]

From what I'd gather. Use case is niche. Feels like a good way to smuggle negligible bulk items, as well as other creative uses. It's a decent location to store items that a typical NPC is less likely to think to check when examining you for contraband. As another niche case, you can "wear" an item while being completely naked, though admittedly that's a very fringe case for very paranoid (or kinky) NPCs.

To your last question, it would interfere with most spellcastings I think.

Player Core pg. 299 wrote:

Casting a spell requires the caster to make gestures and utter incantations, so being unable to speak prevents spellcasting for most casters.

But I would stress most spellcastings, as their is an exception to the rule that you need to be able to speak.

Player Core pg. 299 wrote:

If your character has a long-term disability that prevents or complicates them from speaking (as described in GM Core), work with the GM to determine an analogous way they cast their spells, such as tapping in code on their staff or whistling.

It's possible to work with a GM to instead use another mode of sound than talking. Though most likely they'd say you would not be allowed to speak in general for spells henceforth in favor of the new mode of use to keep balance. Plus it's still GM opt-in. Least, that's the kind of condition I'd use.

[Driftbourne]

WatersLethe wrote:

It's scraping the bottom of the barrel in feat power, but I believe it's meant to allow you to hide things. If you can avoid speaking, and someone is searching you for weapons or contraband, and doesn't check mouths, you can get away scot free.

Judging by the SECOND LEVEL spell "Empty Pack" someone at Paizo thinks sneaking objects around is a major part of the game.

My wild guess is "Empty Pack" was written by someone who grew up playing DnD during the satanic panic and dreamed that spell up as a way to hide their DnD books in their backpack from their parents.

[Driftbourne]

BigNorseWolf wrote:

** spoiler omitted **

So that's the text, but what does having a cheekpouch let you do that isn't just having pockets in your armor?

Does it interfere with spellcasting?

If cheek pouches are equivalent to pockets in your armor perhaps they can be used as slots for some armor upgrades.

Also, can a small null chamber fit in a cheek pouch?

[moosher12]

Driftbourne wrote:

Also, can a small null chamber fit in a cheek pouch?

Naming my next Ysoki Rico.

[Driftbourne]

How much can cheek pouches hold if you cast enlarge on a ysoki?

[BigNorseWolf]

Driftbourne wrote:

How much can cheek pouches hold if you cast enlarge on a ysoki?

They're already extra dimensional so I can't see that helping.

[Driftbourne]

What about a cross-breed between Yoski and space whales? How many bulk of starships could they hold?

[BigNorseWolf]

42 MegaJapettos.

[QuidEst]

Cheek pouches are almost entirely for the entertainment value of being able to pull grenades, a disassembled sniper rifle (with the upgraded feat), ten feet of cabling, etc. out of your mouth. Mechanically, as mentioned, there's the very niche benefit of being able to sneak things past somebody who... fails their society check to know the very specific thing a very common ancestry is famous for? There might eventually be some value in being able to dump four items onto the ground with one action, but that'd still be a free action for a skittermander.

[Arutema]

QuidEst wrote:

...sneak things past somebody who... fails their society check to know the very specific thing a very common ancestry is famous for? ...

Keep in mind what's common in the Pact Worlds might not be so wherever you're adventuring. It's a big galaxy.

[BigNorseWolf]

Most sneaking happens in the pact worlds. So something that might provide a bonus to sneaking things in when outside of the pact worlds is beyond niche.

It's like a bandolier where it starts with decent mechanics but then we don't want people to x y or Z with it and when they're done there's nothing left.

[Rakshara of the Flame]

I don't see being able to do one of my favorite Ysoki Cheek Pouch tricks from Starfinder 1E - multiple levels of miniaturization on a good computer, then put a data jack in my cheek pouch, and have the computer with some data chips in my mouth permanently accessible.