Questions regarding Corpsefolk PCs

[Megge]

Hello all,

I've just started my first Starfinder 2e campaign (never played Starfinder before, Pathfinder so far). One of my players decided to play a corpsefolk character, and I don't want to stop her.

But I've some open questions regarding the rules for corpsefolk PCs:

1. Do they need to eat, drink or breath?
Corpsefolk are alive due to strong necromantic magic, in contrast to Androids for example. I believe that I once read that undead have no need to eat, drink or breath anymore.

2. Can Corpsefolk be stablized by First Aid?
The explanation of Void Survival says "(...) many methods of bringing someone back from the dying condition, such as 'Stabilize' [the spell], don't benefit you."
Does this include "stabilize" by the Administer First Aid action of the medicine skill?

3. Do Corpsefolk bleed/are affected by persistent bleed damage?
By rule, they are only immune to death effects. But as undead they are rotting, might have exposed bones and open necrotic wounds (at least from the descriptions). That implies for me that, they don't bleed anymore. I also read online that persistent bleed damage does not affect non-living creatures.

I hope you can help me do find some answers to these questions.

Thank you

Megge

[Oni Shogun]

You need the stich flesh feat to use medicine on a corpse folk as far as treat wounds. Not sure about stablize.

The rules for PC corpsefolk are different than for NPC/Monster Undead.

[Finoan]

I'm kinda disappointed how many problems there are with the Undead PC rules.

Just reading the rules with no regard to playability and enjoyment. The PC has the Undead trait which says that the character is destroyed at 0 HP. So Stabilizing rules are irrelevant. It doesn't specify if Corpsefolk or any other undead need to eat, breathe, or sleep. Nor does it specify if they are affected by Bleed - though since none of the undead creatures that I am finding are listing immunity to bleed, I would think that they all are affected by it (In Pathfinder2e most undead creatures, such as the Revenant, list out immunity to bleed). However, Bleed Damage itself says that it does not affect nonliving creatures. So...?

Oni Shogun wrote:

The rules for PC corpsefolk are different than for NPC/Monster Undead.

I would hope so. But I am not finding where it actually say so in Starfinder2e. I very well may just be missing it. Or maybe it hasn't been uploaded to AoN yet. The Pathfinder2e Undead Archetype rules have overrides for the undead PCs. As does the one undead Ancestry (Skeleton).

But as far as I can find, Starfinder2e doesn't have their Undead PCs having rule overrides for the rules in the Undead trait.

-----

So what I would recommend is to borrow the Basic Undead Benefits from Pathfinder2e Book of the Dead.

That removes that pesky 'destroyed at 0 HP' problem so that you have the standard death and dying rules. As well as giving some of the normal undead resistances and immunities that are thematic.

The Stabilize cantrip would not work because it has both the Vitality and Healing traits. But the Stabilize option of the First Aid action should work. Needing to eat, drink, or breathe is pretty low-impact mechanics ruling, so just make a decision for your table that everyone can be happy with. And the Undead PCs should bleed - to the same extent as any other undead creatures do or don't.

[Justnobodyfqwl]

Finoan wrote:

I'm kinda disappointed how many problems there are with the Undead PC rules.

Most of this info is in the Guilt Of The Graveworld Player's Guide, page 16.

I imagine that isn't on AON because GotGW originally didn't HAVE a player's guide, so they probably worked off a version from the book that didn't include the sidebar right front and center.

To answer OP:

Guilt Of The Grave World Player Guide, Page 16 wrote:

Immunity to Death Effects: You are immune to death effects, such as being automatically killed or

having your dying value increase, but not other parts
of the spell or effect (such as damage or becoming
frightened from vision of death).

Void Healing: You are damaged by vitality damage
and aren’t healed by vitality healing effects. You
don’t take void damage and are healed by void
effects that heal undead.

Void Survival: Unlike normal undead, you aren’t
destroyed when reduced to 0 Hit Points. Instead,
powerful energies attempt to keep you from being
destroyed. You are knocked out and begin dying
when reduced to 0 Hit Points. Because you’re
undead, many methods of bringing someone back
from the dying condition, such as stabilize, don’t
benefit you. When you would die, you’re destroyed
rather than just dead, just like other undead.
Special: At the GM’s discretion, you can select the
corpsefolk versatile heritage after 1st level if your
character dies and has an opportunity to be raised as
an undead. This replaces your heritage, effectively
retaining it and any other feats dependent on it.

[Megge]

Thank's for the vivid discussion!

We play on Foundry VTT with Pathfinder 2e as the game system using the Starfinder Anachronism Module. This is quite good, as it includes a lot of information including from Guilt of the graveworlds (still thx to Finoan for the link to the player guide!).

"Void Surival" is mentioned there, therefore I was aware that my undead player will not be destroyed instantly when downed. But for me the sentence about "stablizing" leaves room for interpretation.

Oni Shogun reminded me of the important fact, that she can only be healed by someone with the "stitch flesh" feat. That implies that without that feat you won't be able to Administer First Aid also. Although the feat doesn't mention "Administer First aid", it makes sense for me that someone who can treat wounds of undead people also knows how to stabilize them. This still significantly limits the chances of being stabilized by someone else, which is propably the idea of that limitation of void survival. The most common solution will still be to use a MedPatch to save them from dying.

[kaid]

Not having access to stabilize is a challenge but there are options for magical healing like soothe and other powers that can heal undead as long as they are not vitality based and it also works with the vitality network mystic power. Given mystics are likely going to be the main healer most people are going to come across that actually makes undead characters a bit easier to work with in starfinder than pathfinder.

[Megge]

Thanks to Finoan's link the GOGW player guide, which includes the description for corpsefolk, I've the confirmation that they don't need to drink, eat or breath. It's specifically mentioned there in a box.

@Kaid: our corpsefolk player is also our mystic healer. Although true, that the vitality network would work to stablize her, she can't use it on herself, especially not if downed ;) So my other players will still need to rely on medpatches, if they want to save her.

[kaid]

For that yeah you basically need the others to have enough consumables to get her on her bony feet so that she can heal herself up.