Community & Social Media Specialist
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With the new class coming to Starfinder Second Edition, YOU wield the spotlight! Shine applause and glory on your allies or shroud your enemies in awkward silence and crickets with the Luminary Class—Playtesting starts NOW!
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My immediate reaction upon reading the blog post was "how is this not just a bard?". It didn't take too long of reading the pdf to answer that question. Cool concept, need to keep reading to see how it functions.
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It's odd to me that this is just 1 class in the playtest. A surprise, but a welcome one.
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The flavor and characterization are great. My initial reaction is "are the roles too much work for less impact than a bard's songs"? But compared to the witch, I think I can see where the mechanical tuning is coming from.
I have a feeling this one is going to be a slam dunk. Name? Fantastic. Gameplay? Sounds solid so far. Flavor? Hells yeah!
Now to give it a read
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My initial impression is that the class has a solid and fun chassis, but the basic role abilities feel really underwhelming.
Also, there's no mention of what the HP and Hardness of Hardlight Props are. Does it use the same Hardness and HP as the object it's mimicking?
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My initial impression is that the class has a solid and fun chassis, but the basic role abilities feel really underwhelming.
Also, there's no mention of what the HP and Hardness of Hardlight Props are. Does it use the same Hardness and HP as the object it's mimicking?
I don't think they use HP or hardness; the description says:
Yeah, it seems very much like the Figment cantrip, with a similar "this looks fake" range.
My initial impression is that the class has a solid and fun chassis, but the basic role abilities feel really underwhelming.
Also, there's no mention of what the HP and Hardness of Hardlight Props are. Does it use the same Hardness and HP as the object it's mimicking?
I don't think they use HP or hardness; the description says:
No, it says "The prop lasts for 1 minute or until any creature other than you
attempts to hold or Interact with it, whichever happens first." Emphasis mine.It says "Interact." Striking the prop is NOT an Interact action.
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First impression is solid. Very glad this isn't just a space bard but I'm also enjoying that it has that aspect of it. That's a very fine needle to thread.
I also think 1 class at a time is a good call. Hopefully that means books can have a bunch of extra goodies :)
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The support angle of the class seems to have a lot of focus but basically no juice. The low level feats and focus spells seem to want you to also just mainly ignore the spotlight mechanic and have you leave it on yourself forever which feels odd?
Being able to do no savedebuffs that last a turn is useful but I don't see much to attract people to the class outside of the wacky fantasy (which doesn't work for me personally since it's a very niche pitch and this is a game with 6 second combat turns
I really like the class, but I'm a bit nervous about using the minibots. As far as I can tell, they're outright destroyed at 0 HP, with no way to repair/revive them :(
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I really like the concept of the luminary, but I feel the class is a bit too weak. Especially for Starfinder 2e, which seems to have an slightly higher ceiling of power than Pathfinder 2e. I also think a few things could be simplified (Set a Spotlight), and others improved upon (Hardlight Prop).
But again, the concept is really solid! It clearly takes from other classes like bard and mesmerist but it has a really unique spin that makes it original.
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I think several people in this thread are perhaps not accounting for the fact that the spotlight is incredibly easy to shuffle around - it's a free action whenever the creature currently in the spotlight targets or is targeted by another creature (again, not a hostile action, literally anything that spends at least one action counts). Notable things that let you shift the spotlight include: attack rolls, athletics maneuvres, a Mystic's Transfer Vitality, an Envoy's Directives, and any single-target spell (sadly can't use it with Primary Target, but that would be a bit too good). If it's target: one creature and costs at least one action, that's a spotlight shift opportunity. Give your Solarian a bonus to their speed so they can get to melee easier, and swap the spotlight over to their target to penalise their saves and lock them down with Athletics. Shift the spotlight off your target as you're attempting a Tumble Through so you can roll Performance with Comedy instead
Honestly, considering the wording (trigger is specifically when targeted), the romance role might actually be too good as is? Free action to impose a malus to both hit and damage when your buddy gets attacked, no save.
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The support angle of the class seems to have a lot of focus but basically no juice. The low level feats and focus spells seem to want you to also just mainly ignore the spotlight mechanic and have you leave it on yourself forever which feels odd?
Being able to do no savedebuffs that last a turn is useful but I don't see much to attract people to the class outside of the wacky fantasy (which doesn't work for me personally since it's a very niche pitch and this is a game with 6 second combat turns
I would have to see it in play but I suspect the spotlight should be moving around a lot turning on the roles of those it is currently on. The minus save ones I think should be pretty strong if you have people in the party capable of using it.
I think this is one of those classes though where people are going to need to play it a bit to get a better feel of how its combats flow.
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Community & Social Media Specialist
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My immediate reaction upon reading the blog post was "how is this not just a bard?". It didn't take too long of reading the pdf to answer that question. Cool concept, need to keep reading to see how it functions.
Thank you so much for continuing to read and actually see those nuances!! This was something the team was hoping would become clear as you really look at the essence of the class!
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Community & Social Media Specialist
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The flavor and concept of this class is brilliant, but I fear it is going to suffer from action economy issues and lack of any primary stat attack options at all. A caster with only focus spells is an interesting tack, and I kinda like it, but there's no real room to build variation when CHA is primary and DEX is a hard must to be able to attack or defend at all. Unless I guess you go with mediocre AC with medium armor and only area attacks since martial weapons are on board?
Definitely give it a play and make sure to put your feedback in the survey once you do so the devs can see it!!
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Community & Social Media Specialist
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I really like the concept of the luminary, but I feel the class is a bit too weak. Especially for Starfinder 2e, which seems to have an slightly higher ceiling of power than Pathfinder 2e. I also think a few things could be simplified (Set a Spotlight), and others improved upon (Hardlight Prop).
But again, the concept is really solid! It clearly takes from other classes like bard and mesmerist but it has a really unique spin that makes it original.
This is really good feedback for the survey! Make sure to put it there!
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Community & Social Media Specialist
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I do want to make a separate comment to emphasize this point. This is a great place to discuss positives or negatives you find about the class with the community, but the way to get this feedback to the team is to input it into the survey! Please remember to do that so they can see your praises and your criticism and review them properly!
I would have to see it in play but I suspect the spotlight should be moving around a lot turning on the roles of those it is currently on.
Unless you use the classes low level feats or focus spells, in which case it stays on one person for most of the fight.
The minus save ones I think should be pretty strong if you have people in the party capable of using it.
I definitely think they're going to be useful, even if it will still take an action to put the role on the enemies.
I think this is one of those classes though where people are going to need to play it a bit to get a better feel of how its combats flow.
I do hope I'll have a chance to do some playtesting.
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I would have to see it in play but I suspect the spotlight should be moving around a lot turning on the roles of those it is currently on.Unless you use the classes low level feats or focus spells, in which case it stays on one person for most of the fight.
Well, you get an extra spotlight from the focus spells, so you still have one that bounces around.
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Would it be possible to put the Luminary class section of the playtest forum at the top of the playtest section? Or have the old class playtest stuff archived like normal for Pathfinder playtests. Having to scroll past threads that have been irrelevant for a year to find this section seems odd.
Cameo Appearance seems to give five actions worth of benefit (a 3a spell, Cast Role, Set Spotlight) for one action that gives the effect of a solid to good slotted spell as a focus spell.
Probably needs to be 3a.
Cameo Appearance seems to give five actions worth of benefit (a 3a spell, Cast Role, Set Spotlight) for one action that gives the effect of a solid to good slotted spell as a focus spell.
Probably needs to be 3a.
Illusory Creature is a two-action spell, not a three-action spell, Set Spotlight is usually a free action or reaction, and other allies have Cast Role done before the fight. I could see moving to two actions, but three is overkill.
Cameo Appearance seems to give five actions worth of benefit (a 3a spell, Cast Role, Set Spotlight) for one action that gives the effect of a solid to good slotted spell as a focus spell.
Probably needs to be 3a.
Illusory Creature is 2 actions, actually, and being able to set role on a summon for free is probably necessary (we're already seeing concern about how many actions the Luminary will need to spend to cast their enemies in roles). Set Spotlight is more of an emergency action since it should be moving on its own quite naturally. So two actions for a two-action spell and some adaptions to make that spell work with your schtick is pretty reasonable. One action is a bit crazy, though.
I would have to see it in play but I suspect the spotlight should be moving around a lot turning on the roles of those it is currently on.Unless you use the classes low level feats or focus spells, in which case it stays on one person for most of the fight.
No, because spotlights go out if they're on the same person for too long (which is a problem for the focus spells, actually)
No, because spotlights go out if they're on the same person for too long (which is a problem for the focus spells, actually)
I think all the level 1 focus spells "stick" the extra spotlight and accompanying special Role to one target for the full 1 minute duration. It doesn't hop around like the base spotlight or expire every round if it doesn't move.
For example Star Contestant:
"You Set a Spotlight on the target that doesn’t move from that target."
No, because spotlights go out if they're on the same person for too long (which is a problem for the focus spells, actually)I would have to see it in play but I suspect the spotlight should be moving around a lot turning on the roles of those it is currently on.Unless you use the classes low level feats or focus spells, in which case it stays on one person for most of the fight.
Hmmm this may need some clarification from Paizo. A lot of the focus spells last one minute, and explicitly state "You Set a Spotlight on the target that doesn’t move from that target". But the Set a Spotlight action explicitly states "The spotlight ends if the spotlight stays on the same creature from the start of its turn until the end of its next turn", and right now I'm not seeing anything that says the spotlight can stay on longer due to the focus spell.
As I'm reading the RAW, that spotlight would indeed have to go out after two turns, while the rest of the focus spell's effects (like gaining an additional role) would linger for a minute.
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This is "specific overrides general."
Oh, to be clear, I agree that focus spell spotlights aren't supposed to go out if they stay on the same target to long. I'm just saying they forgot to actually say that clearly.
What are some basic turn combos people have found? At 1st level you can have three roles to choose for yourself when you start combat - the one you assigned at daily prep, and the two that come as a free action from your two feats.
Example with Menacing Presence and Dark Sarcasm: Set Horror as your free action role on yourself, Demoralize with Peformance 1a [free action swap spotlight, apply irony to enemy], Recall Knowledge 1a on enemy [free action swap spotlight back to you [apply your choice of Epic/Horror for offence or Romance for defense as the Role you assigned at daily prep], Strike 1a [if you chose an offensive role apply it back to the enemy after the strike and reapply a debuff, keep Romance].
Here you can use Performance in round 1 to (1) roll initiative, (2) demoralize, and (3) recall knowledge. Get that skill feat that gives circumstance bonus to a specific performance type of your choice!
Oh, you're right. That's the one action cost you can't avoid, applying (non ally preset) Roles to enemies. So your actual routing is a choice of strike or demoralize, assign Irony Role, and then Recall Knowledge.
Ironically(!) after the RK is complete and depending on your answers you can decide whether it's in your best interests or not to yank the spotlight back or leave the adjustment to their saves.
Oh, you're right. That's the one action cost you can't avoid, applying (non ally preset) Roles to enemies. So your actual routing is a choice of strike or demoralize, assign Irony Role, and then Recall Knowledge.
Ironically(!) after the RK is complete and depending on your answers you can decide whether it's in your best interests or not to yank the spotlight back or leave the adjustment to their saves.
"As long as you’re in a spotlight with the irony role,
you can use Performance to Recall Knowledge on any creaturewhom you’ve already assigned the irony role (even if they
aren’t currently in the spotlight)."
You're the one with modified saves- you need a spotlit Irony role, and you roll about anyone with the irony role regardless of their spotlight status.
I think several people in this thread are perhaps not accounting for the fact that the spotlight is incredibly easy to shuffle around
This isn't lost to me. The envoy is also a martial support that can grant debuffs and party-wide buffs as well.
And they also can add their Charisma to damage.
And they also much more interesting ability benefits than giving a -1 to a saving throw or attack roll.
Role effects are not weak. Just really boring for the amount of overhead required for managing the spotlight and roles. And the class doesn't have much outside of that other than Hardlight Prop and focus spells, which have their own issues.
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At first glance, I like this class, even if I have no idea how this fits into an adventuring party. The class as presented fits a concept I am currently playing as an Envoy, so I am excited to give this a try instead.
I did notice something about the 10th level feat Costume Wardrobe. Reading the text, it says "This increases to 4 + your charisma modifier if you're expert in Performance"... which a Luminary automatically becomes at 7th level. Outside of potential "future-proofing" a possible Luminary class dedication, why bother having the lower version where your bonus is calculated as 2 + your charisma modifier if your proficiency is merely Trained?
To me, it seems like this feat would see more benefit as a Level 4 or Level 6 class feat. As written, the Luminary doesn't gain feats that grant an additional Role until 6th level, which seems kind of late in the game, IMO. Contrasting Chiaroscuro is the first one we get access to (at 6th level), but then don't see any more until 10th level, where we get three of them (Chroma Key Stagehand, Costume Wardrobe, Quiet on the Set, and Stage Fright).
Unfortunately, 10th level is also where we get access to Two-Point Lighting, meaning a choice has to be made... and Two-Point Lighting seems like a "must have" for the class.
Beyond 10th level, we only get one more feat that expands the Role aspect: Break a Leg at 16th level.
Overall, I think the class could benefit from spreading some of those feats that grant additional Roles to other levels. In the very least, they should follow some discernible pattern (every 2-4 levels), and there should be multiple options to choose from at those levels.
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"future-proofing" a possible Luminary class dedication
Yep, that's why.
I'm hoping these spotlights fill the void of the 1E Witch's hexes which haven't been adequately replicated in the 2E system. I love reusable, targetable buffs and debuffs that you can acquire a bunch of for various situations.
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Community & Social Media Specialist
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Would it be possible to put the Luminary class section of the playtest forum at the top of the playtest section? Or have the old class playtest stuff archived like normal for Pathfinder playtests. Having to scroll past threads that have been irrelevant for a year to find this section seems odd.
Hey Perses13! I can ask about this!
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Ancestry synergies with Luminary.
1. Uh oh:
Shine [one-action] (primal) You make your fur sparkle and shimmer like a brightly colored gem for 1 hour. When shining, you gain a +2 status bonus to Make an Impression and Performance
checks for creatures who can see you, but you take a –1 status penalty to Demoralize, Hide, and Sneak. Once per day, you can use a single Interact action to shake free some excess glitter and give all adjacent creatures the effects of Shine for 10 minutes. Any creature can Dismiss these effects by brushing the glitter off them as an action, which has the manipulate trait.
Add to a hardlight familiar with accompanyist and this is +3-4 to your Performance checks substituting for other things.
2. Get rid of the familiar/Virtuosic Performer issues for a perma bonus to Performance:
GLOW PAINTER FEAT 1
LIGHT TALPHI
Nearly all talphis decorate themselves with swirling, glowing patterns to identify themselves in the dark, and because it looks nice, but you take it to another level by truly immersing yourself in the luminescent art form. You cover yourself and your armor with enough glowing patterns to emit dim light within 15 feet of you. While you emit light, you also gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Performance checks to Perform.
3. Same, but bigger bonus less often:
SHOW-OFF FEAT 1
WORLANISI
Showing off isn’t just something you do, it’s part of who you
are. You can use Performance to Demoralize, Lie, or Make an Impression. If you’ve just done something impressive—such as rolling a critical success on an attack, save, or check—you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Performance checks for 1 minute, as the memory of your impressive feat hangs in the air. The GM has final say on if an action was impressive
enough to merit this bonus.
4. Ok, Skittermander Shiny isn't unprecedented, this was in Player Core. You can retrain out of some Luminary feats once this comes online.
MEYEL’S MELODY
PAHTRA
FEAT 9
Prerequisites Meyel’s chosen pahtra heritage Divine rhythm pulses through your blood, and your life is the music. You gain a +2 status bonus to Performance checks. In addition, you can use Performance to Create a Diversion, Demoralize, or Make an Impression. If you listen to music while resting, you regain a number of additional Hit Points equal to your level.
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Just curious is Prisma the iconic? If not hope iconic be a drag queen you don't see flamboyant over the top guys any flamboyant classes tend to have girls as art