Paizo Announces Starfinder 2nd Edition

As part of the keynote presentation for Gen Con 2023, Paizo announced Starfinder 2nd Edition.

A new edition is coming for Starfinder, making it fully compatible with Pathfinder 2nd Edition and the Remaster Project. The new edition will be published under the ORC License and implements the three-action economy.

“With the finalization of the ORC License, and considering that Starfinder 1st Edition has been evolving since its release in 2017, we felt now was a perfect time to bring the system into the future,” says Starfinder’s Managing Creative Director, Thurston Hillman.

Taking the lessons of Pathfinder’s latest edition and everything they have learned since Starfinder began, Paizo is looking forward to making the next version of Starfinder better. This will be the most open playtest Paizo has ever launched, with deeper looks into the development process.

The roundtable discussion with the Starfinder team highlighted some key elements of the upcoming playtest and new edition:

• Pathfinder 2nd Edition and Starfinder 2nd Edition rulesets will be completely cross-compatible provided your GM allows it. That includes classes, creatures, and more.
• The first four classes announced for the playtest are:
• Mystic, represented by the iconic shirren mystic Chk Chk
• Soldier, represented by the returning iconic vesk soldier Obozaya.
• Envoy, represented by the returning iconic human envoy Navasi
• Solarion, represented by a new iconic pahtra solarian, openining up the feline pahtra as a core ancestry.
• As part of the ‘open playtest’ model, the Starfinder team will be keeping players updated and involved with “Field Tests”- the first of which release today alongside the announcement at stafinderplaytest.com. The first Field Test includes the Soldier Class from levels 1 to 5, new equipment, and new creatures like the Computer Glitch Gremlin and Laser Wolf.

The Starfinder Playtest Rulebook will be available in summer 2024 as a softcover rulebook. Base system rules will not be a part of the playtest as Starfinder 2nd Edition will be using the Pathfinder 2nd Edition ruleset. The playtest will focus on the core elements of gameplay, including new classes, a scaling equipment system, new skills, and more.

 

[Starfox]

If Starfinder 2 has any similarity to Pathfinder 2, its a no-go for me. And at this point I don't have enough confidence in Paizo to actually check up this is true. I might read some reviews.

 

[Reynard]

If Starfinder 2 has any similarity to Pathfinder 2, its a no-go for me. And at this point I don't have enough confidence in Paizo to actually check up this is true. I might read some reviews.

The post you are replying to says quite plainly that SF2 is going to be 100% compatible with PF2.

 

[Thomas Shey]

If Starfinder 2 has any similarity to Pathfinder 2, its a no-go for me. And at this point I don't have enough confidence in Paizo to actually check up this is true. I might read some reviews.

Of course its going to have similarity. That's part of the whole point. If that's going to be a dealbreaker for you, just take it as being one right now.

 

[Starfox]

Of course its going to have similarity. That's part of the whole point. If that's going to be a dealbreaker for you, just take it as being one right now.

Yeah, knowing what its going to be makes it easier to ignore. And it also tells me PF2 is not a disaster for Paizo - if it was they wouldn't bet further on it. Which I quite like - Paizo is a nice publisher even if they turned away from my interests. Good luck to them.

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I am looking forward to the change. I haven't really got into PF2E - I haven't found a lot of time to game overall, much less a new system. I always loved the idea of Startfinder but some of the details just didn't gel for me. This allows me to do both at once so to speak.
Then I was watching my wife play Final Fantasy XIV over my shoulder just a few minutes ago, and her character is driving a mech through a particular quest, and I realized that the combo of Path/Star Finder could do that kind of game really well; and that is a kind of setting I always liked.
So I am going to get getting the PF Evolved books, and such, and will get SF2E.

 

[Staffan]

Yeah, knowing what its going to be makes it easier to ignore. And it also tells me PF2 is not a disaster for Paizo - if it was they wouldn't bet further on it. Which I quite like - Paizo is a nice publisher even if they turned away from my interests. Good luck to them.

I'm pretty sure I saw Erik Mona (or maybe some other Paizo person) mention a year or two ago that PF2 was selling much better than PF1 ever was. Its market share is almost certainly smaller, but that's because D&D has grown from the hobby's 800-lb gorilla into its 6-ton elephant.

 

[Doctor Futurity]

I desperately want them to announce a "Starfinder powered by Savage Worlds!" Paizo and Pinnacle please make this a reality!!! Your Savage Worlds-powered Pathfinder was amazing, and the Starfinder universe is a much better fit for Savage Worlds than D20. (YMMV, IMO, ETC)

 

[danir]

I desperately want them to announce a "Starfinder powered by Savage Worlds!" Paizo and Pinnacle please make this a reality!!! Your Savage Worlds-powered Pathfinder was amazing, and the Starfinder universe is a much better fit for Savage Worlds than D20. (YMMV, IMO, ETC)

This is my dream as well!

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

This is my dream as well!

Yes, I would love it too!

 

[ProfessorDetective]

I desperately want them to announce a "Starfinder powered by Savage Worlds!" Paizo and Pinnacle please make this a reality!!! Your Savage Worlds-powered Pathfinder was amazing, and the Starfinder universe is a much better fit for Savage Worlds than D20. (YMMV, IMO, ETC)

Savage Starfinder would also be cool. How well HAS Savage Pathfinder done? Haven't been keeping close tabs on it.