With the game's release fast approaching, Starfinder previews are streaming by at a rapid rate. Below is a list of the most recent ones, including archetypes, the gods of secrets, first contact, and evolution, nine character themes, information about compatibility between Starfinder and Pathfinder, a lot at a few major changes between the two rulesets, some details about how guns work, and the full video of the Starfinder premiere game event a few days ago, where you can watch a live game being played.
[video=youtube;4RmFDrV8k7w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmFDrV8k7w[/video]
All that not enough for you? Check out my previous coverage of the game:
- Free RPG Day this last weekend featured a Starfinder mini-bestiary called First Contact. You may have had chance to see it if you swung by your FLGS over the weekend, but we'll talk a little more about it in an article coming very soon. "The Starfinder Roleplaying Game arrives in August 2017, but the first aliens are landing right now! Within this top-secret dossier, you'll find a dozen otherworldly foes both bizarre and familiar, from the asteroid-dwelling sarcesians who ride solar winds on wings of light to technomagical undead horrors capable of ruling forever as the sinister Bone Sages of Eox. While all the creatures in this book are designed for use with Starfinder, all can be easily converted for use with Pathfinder, so there's no need to wait until August to start battling invaders from space!" Contains about a dozen monsters and races.
- Archetypes (which are kind of sub-classes) are discussed in this preview. Pathfinder has archetypes, of course, but they weren't introduced until later; in Starfinder, they're there from launch. The article also previews Phrenic Defense, an ability of the Phrenic Adept archetype.
- The website Beasts of War takes a look at the gods of Starfinder. Three gods - Eloritu, god of history, magic, and secrets; Hylax, goddess of diplomacy and first contact; and Oras, god of evolution - are covered.
- Characters in Starfinder have a character theme, selected from Ace Pilot, Bounty Hunter, Icon, Mercenary, Outlaw, Priest, Scholar, Spacefarer, Xenoseeker, and Themeless. Each gives you benefits at various levels. You can see two theme abilities, the Themeless' General Knowledge, and the Xenoseeker's Quick Pidgin, at the link.
- Want to know more about compatibility between Pathfinder and Starfinder? Owen Stephens talks about that here. When I was at UK Games Expo I asked one of the demo team about this, and found out that conversion from Pathfinder to Starfinder is roughly akin to going from D&D 3E to D&D 3.5. Owen mentions a few of the changes at the link:
- Core rulebook contains a conversion chapter
- Iterative attacks replaced by universal full attacks at -4
- Hit points divided into hit points and stamina points
- AC divided into Energy AC and Kinetic AC
- Magic items, spells, feats a little more difficult to convert due to basic gameplay assumptions
- No +1 (etc.) weapons as the underlying maths is a bit different; magic items get new abilities instead
- Pathfinder races exist, but are less common
- You can use all of Pathfinder like "Starfinder Unchained" with a little work
- Some of the above is covered in more detail here. Five major changes include Hit Points/Stamina Points/Resolve Points, Energy AC/Kinetic AC (no flat-footed or touch AC), no iterative attacks, fewer attacks of opportunity, no distinction between types of magic (arcane, divine, psychic, etc.)
- What's up with guns? Owen Stephens talks about that here. They don't automatically do more damage than being stabbed with a shortsword, equipment has an "item level" which tells you how powerful it is, and gear can have "magic fusions".
[video=youtube;4RmFDrV8k7w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RmFDrV8k7w[/video]
All that not enough for you? Check out my previous coverage of the game:
- Full Power to the Plasma Cannons: Demoing Starfinder Combat at UK Games Expo (by Winghorn)
- Starfinder GM Screen art
- News from PaizoCon - Core Rulebook, Races, Guns, Alien Archive
- The Drift, Undead Planets, and 3 New Iconics
- Operatives, Envoys, and Navasi
- A Look at the Planet Castrovel
- Cover of Incident at Absalom Station, first in the Dead Suns adventure path
- Official Starfinder miniatures
- Behold the Starfinder Core Rulebook Cover
- Starfinder Spaceships Are Pretty!
- Here's A Peek at Starfinder's Iconics
- Starfinder Miniature Starships Peek
- Check Out These Starfinder Standees from GAMA
- Starfinder Minis & Starship Combat Demo
- Starfinder: Here's What We Know (in Oct 2016)
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