Paizo News Roundup For July

Hey y’all, it’s time for another edition of the PAIZO NEWS ROUNDUP! As before, my name is Ben, and I’m going to use this space to fill you in on some of the ins and outs what’s happening in the Paizo world. The good folks at Paizo have been releasing updates for their upcoming Starfinder product launch left, right, and center. Let’s get started!

Let’s take it from the top, all the way up in the heavens: a two-part breakdown of the gods of Starfinder, both new and old. Reliable favorites like Iomedae, Pharasma, and Sarenrae are still going strong, with their believers adapting their faiths to a more spacefaring lifestyle. Other returning gods include Lao Shu Po, Zon-Kuthon, Abadar, Besmara, Desna, Urgathoa, and Nyarlathotep. New deities include THE DEVOURER, the Star-Eater (CE god of black holes, destruction, and supernovas); TRIUNE, the All-Code (N god of artificial intelligence, computers, and the Drift); DAMARITOSH, the Conqueror (LE god of conquest, duty, and war); and IBRA, the Inscrutable (N god of celestial bodies, the cosmos, and mysteries of the universe).

Next up is an overview of one of the new Starfinder classes: the Mechanic. Using the assistance of a unique artificial intelligence, the Mechanic allows players to specialize in building, modifying, and using technology without the use of magic. Mechanics choose to use either an external drone or an implanted processor to house this artificial intelligence, allowing them to remotely handle physical tasks or augment their abilities and cybernetics. Mechanics also gain technology-based tricks that let them bypass, modify, or overload any piece of technology they find.

Speaking of cybernetics and technology, Starfinder has them in spades! Cybernetics (and other, squishier, augmentations) are purchasable gear that you can use to personalize your character, but they are not required for any given character. Starfinder also introduces a system of upgrades, which you can flavor to fit your character, that gives increasing bonuses ability scores. Starfinder’s approach to hacking tries to keep things interesting (sorry, IT security purists!), but aspiring h4xx0rz will still need to balance their skill level in Computers against the countermeasures and tier of their target.

Starfinder isn’t finished with its cool new toys and rules, however, because there’s still the most important part of any self-respecting sci-fi game: GUNS! Guns (and equipment in general) will now have an item level, which gives a good gauge for its power and cost. This keeps the combat math fast and simple, and the systems for buying and modifying equipment are tied to this single mechanic. Modular magic enhancements and a focus on weapon categories allow even non-magical characters make lines or cones of damage, or try their hand at elemental damage.

Whew! And to think there’s so much more to come! I can’t wait, folks, my ticket for the hype train is punched. Well, until next time, that’s it for the PAIZO NEWS ROUNDUP! See you next time!

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[Lord Mhoram]

That would be a risky move, since it's their livelihood. Paizo is a smart, nimble company, and have proven in the past they are quick to make necessary changes. They are streamlining the rule set, which is a good idea, but abandoning it? That would be financial suicide. Parthfinder fans are still going strong, and are a rather fanatically loyal bunch.

They are also taking some interesting steps away as well. As they don't have to be "Backwards compatible" with PF or 3.5, the engine, while very familiar, has some changes. Stat increases are at level 5, 10, 15, 20 and give multiple stats an increase. no 9th level casters in core book. No iterative attacks. Changes is math balance between PCs and monsters. Weapons increase in damage -a "20th level weapon" could do 12d10 damage raw - as there is no reliance on iterative attacks, and bonuses look to be smaller. It will really interesting to see how it all works together when the game comes out.

 

[Arilyn]

They are also taking some interesting steps away as well. As they don't have to be "Backwards compatible" with PF or 3.5, the engine, while very familiar, has some changes. Stat increases are at level 5, 10, 15, 20 and give multiple stats an increase. no 9th level casters in core book. No iterative attacks. Changes is math balance between PCs and monsters. Weapons increase in damage -a "20th level weapon" could do 12d10 damage raw - as there is no reliance on iterative attacks, and bonuses look to be smaller. It will really interesting to see how it all works together when the game comes out.

Yes, I'm very curious as well. Not my favourite genre, but I will definitely pick up a copy, as it sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun to play.

 

[JonM]

Well it's keeping me from ever spending money on it so not exactly the best move.

Oh, dear... Well, I guess they had better completely overhaul their plans and disappoint their thousands of loyal fans, to make sure that they don't lose you!

 

[Doctor Futurity]

They are also taking some interesting steps away as well. As they don't have to be "Backwards compatible" with PF or 3.5, the engine, while very familiar, has some changes. Stat increases are at level 5, 10, 15, 20 and give multiple stats an increase. no 9th level casters in core book. No iterative attacks. Changes is math balance between PCs and monsters. Weapons increase in damage -a "20th level weapon" could do 12d10 damage raw - as there is no reliance on iterative attacks, and bonuses look to be smaller. It will really interesting to see how it all works together when the game comes out.

Really....? Interesting, now color me intrigued. Maybe I'll pick this up after all.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Really....? Interesting, now color me intrigued. Maybe I'll pick this up after all.

My job here is done then.



It intrigues me, they aren't just throwing a veneer of Science Fantasy onto the system - the are rebuilding from ground up a new, but similar system. Rethinking things down to basic math. The only thing they want as compatible is the ability to take a monster from a bestiary and be able to run it in Starfinder- with almost no work. How it's built isn't important on the monster, just the end result - that way you can use all the monster books out for PF for Starfinder.

Another couple of interesting changes: Vitality/Wounds type system, resolve points (everyone has them, they are currency for some class abilities, the ability to do a quick after fight healing and such and other things), and no more CMD and CMB. It's just to hit, and AC.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

My job here is done then.



It intrigues me, they aren't just throwing a veneer of Science Fantasy onto the system - the are rebuilding from ground up a new, but similar system. Rethinking things down to basic math. The only thing they want as compatible is the ability to take a monster from a bestiary and be able to run it in Starfinder- with almost no work. How it's built isn't important on the monster, just the end result - that way you can use all the monster books out for Starfinder.

Another couple of interesting changes: Vitality/Wounds type system, resolve points (everyone has them, they are currency for some class abilities, the ability to do a quick after fight healing and such and other things), and no more CMD and CMB. It's just to hit, and AC.

Well you had me at "they don't have to be "Backwards compatible"" in the last post but keep talking, I'm liking what I hear....actually I am shocked at the changes you're mentioning, this sounds like all the little stuff from PF that I wanted tweaked is actually happening, and I had no clue it was until this moment.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Well you had me at "they don't have to be "Backwards compatible"" in the last post but keep talking, I'm liking what I hear....actually I am shocked at the changes you're mentioning, this sounds like all the little stuff from PF that I wanted tweaked is actually happening, and I had no clue it was until this moment.

I've got through most of what I have gleaned from previous, board discussions and the free "First Contact" PDF but this one is interesting just about what kind of changes they are looking at -this is Mark Seifter (linky to thread)

There's enough components of combat math that it's hard to pull one out, but I'll give an interesting anecdote: When it comes to NPC/monster and PC d20 bonus numbers, there's a few ways you can do things that will balance a PC versus enemy encounter, assuming you want there to be a PC advantage (I'll use attack bonus and AC as an example). One thing you can do is try to have the numbers be almost the same but the PCs have a bit higher. Pathfinder does it another way: The PCs generally have way higher accuracy than the monsters do, as compared to AC (Pathfinder is very swingy so it isn't always true, but generally). Starfinder went with a third option: Monsters tend to have higher accuracy than the PCs and lower AC. Now all three of these, probabilistically and statistically, can come out with the same numbers. By which I mean, If the PC has +10 to hit and 20 AC and the monster has +9 to hit and 19 AC, the actual chance of hitting each other is the same as if the PC has +15 to hit and 15 AC and the monster has +4 to hit and 24 AC, or vice versa (both cases the PC hits on a 9 and the monster hits on an 11).

So why is this really useful? And how does it help gameplay compared to the way it worked in Pathfinder? Two big reasons: First and more importantly is mind-controlled PCs. If a PC DPR character gets mind-controlled in Pathfinder, unless someone can remove it, chances are another PC is annihilated that same round. In Starfinder, if you get mind-controlled, your accuracy against your buddies is going to be worse than it was against the monsters, so your buddies are much safer (this is also why people who tried to math out Obo's chance to hit herself ran into problems compared to when they mathed out Obo vs a troll). The other is PC minions: In Pathfinder summoning, for instance, summoning was generally extraordinarily powerful for weird utility summons or if you had a ton of ways to buff the creature, but otherwise you eventually started to reach the point at higher level where your summon (if not used for utility or spells) just couldn't hit and was mostly a meat distraction, taking up a lot of space but the monsters wouldn't even bother with them. But if your minions have higher accuracy and lower defense than a PC of their level, that makes them much more interesting: They can actually hit and damage their up-leveled foes (who also have lower AC) but are easy to take out and thus a foe might consider taking them out (which also serves the minion controller's ends nicely by diverting threat from the PCs to the minions). Note that this is more about expendable minions than about a major companion like the drone that has numbers more in the shape of a PC's.

And while the PC races in the Core rulebook are humanoid, in the First Contact (and in the Alien Archive) there are new ones - what amounts to floating brain, a large insect that flies by making web balloons and inflating them, Space Goblins!, and a race that can survive in vacuum with no equipment (for a while anyway - measured in hours) - those are all possible PC races.

 

[Emirikol_Prime]

Oh, dear... Well, I guess they had better completely overhaul their plans and disappoint their thousands of loyal fans, to make sure that they don't lose you!

Oh dear it's not just me, sarcastic ass.


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[JonM]

Oh dear it's not just me, sarcastic ass.

I can only reply to what you post, not what you meant to post. And what you posted - the way you posted it... well, I may occasionally be an ass, but at least I meant to be.

 

[Emirikol_Prime]

I can only reply to what you post, not what you meant to post. And what you posted - the way you posted it... well, I may occasionally be an ass, but at least I meant to be.

And you choose the way you write. Blocked.


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