Re-entering Starfinder

[HannibalV74]

Hi folks,

I generally play RPGs with my kids (wonderful family time where everyone is engaged) and was interested in looking at Starfinder again with 2E coming out. We did a little Starfinder 1E, but it generally bogged down due to complexity.

A quick question for you all - we tend to use DND Beyond for 5E stuff - is there a similar recommended platform for Starfinder 2E? I find that it made it a lot easier to run campaigns and I typically don't have too much time to prep.

Thanks!

[Tim Emrick]

I've used Roll20 for playing and running PF 1E and SF 1E games, and playing PF 2E. (I also know people who swear by Foundry, but I've never used it.)

I don't know yet what kind of support Roll20 has (or will have) for SF 2E, but I will be looking into that very soon now, because I'm scheduled to run my first 2E game online next month. In the couple of SF 2E playtest scenarios that I played on Roll20 this past year, the GM just used the PF 2E character sheet, because the mechanics are fully compatible. (IIRC, adding new skills under Lores was the main tweak needed.)

[Perpdepog]

The closest I know to something like D&D Beyond, and I honestly don't know much of the functionality of D&D Beyond, is probably Demiplane's Pathfinder Nexus. I don't know if there is a Starfinder 2E Nexus in the works, though I wouldn't be surprised if it came along soonish.

I'd also recommend checking out Pathbuilder, a third party tool for building characters. It's another service that I'd be highly surprised to find didn't plan on getting into the SF2E space.

Hope those help!

[sanwah68]

Demiplane is probably the closest to Beyond, but if you are looking at a free Character Builder Hephaistos is going to support SF2 (https://hephaistos.azurewebsites.net/)

They were probably the best supported character generator for SF1.

[WatersLethe]

Demiplane's Starfinder 2e Nexus is going to be the most similar to the D&D Beyond experience from what I've been told. Unfortunately it's expensive. You'll be paying a LOT to get access to everything other characters will give you for free.

Hephaistos is a really slick free option, and it's been kept up to date throughout the playtest and is a delight to use. Unfortunately compatibility with PF2 content is not a priority.

The creator of Pathbuilder 2e said that Starbuilder is 100% on his roadmap, and we can expect some web application progress toward that around October, with more complete app support in December. He's got a wrist injury if I recall correctly, so things could vary. For all the features of Starbuilder it'll likely cost you a one time fee of $5. This is going to be my preferred option.

I used a fan created playtest JSON for Pathbuilder and I can definitely see the fully supported Starbuilder being the best option for many.

[HannibalV74]

Thanks a ton everyone! Appreciate the guidance - will check out Demiplane and Hephaistos!