Playtest (A5E) Voidrunner’s Codex Playtest: Scientist

Welcome to the 2nd public playtest document for the Voidrunner’s Codex, Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition’s upcoming science fiction rulebook. This document includes a playtest candidate for our scientist class, one of several new classes in the book. Once you've checked out the class, please be sure to take the playtest survey.

The Voidrunner’s Codex is pure sci-fi—it contains no magic. However, this is fully A5E—it is 100% compatible with the material in the Adventurer’s Guide, so you can put your wizard on a starship if you wish, or mix and match for a universe of cosmic magic. However, the Codex itself is focused on the sci-fi.

If you remember the public playtests we held last year in the run-up to the Level Up Kickstarter, we’re following the same model this year—playtest documents, followed by surveys. There will be a Kickstarter later this year, so keep an eye out for that (and for the Dungeon Delver’s Guide and the To Save a Kingdom adventure path)!

Voidrunner’s Codex Playtest: Scientist — Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition (A5E)

Welcome to the 2nd public playtest document for the Voidrunner’s Codex, Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition’s upcoming science fiction rulebook.

www.levelup5e.com

 

[tetrasodium]

I noticed that the main engine innovator has a level requirement of 139. What should it be? Reading through this gives me a much better feel for gameplay & grabs me more than the psion where I had trouble grasping what adventuring & campaign arcs might look like based only on the psion.

 

[VenerableBede]

For me, I like any content that I read and immediately begin thinking of characters (and other creative ideas). The Scientist gave me a bunch of ideas, so I predict I’d be interested in playing a few.

 

[VenerableBede]

It does have the usual issue that I have with most technology-focused classes and races, specifically being that their gear just falls apart not long after they hand it off - for game balance I get this necessity, but I’ve yet to read an explanation that really satisfies me.

 

[Micah Sweet]

It does have the usual issue that I have with most technology-focused classes and races, specifically being that their gear just falls apart not long after they hand it off - for game balance I get this necessity, but I’ve yet to read an explanation that really satisfies me.

It is definitely a place where disbelief has to be suspended, but I don't see a way around it.

From what I've read so far, this new book is right up my alley. I can't wait!

 

[VenerableBede]

It is definitely a place where disbelief has to be suspended, but I don't see a way around it.

From what I've read so far, this new book is right up my alley. I can't wait!

I like to think it’s possible, but it requires (at least in flavor) creating further limitations that don’t necessarily work for something as general as just a scientist. For example, imagine if this class represented a specific order or discipline of scientist that universally has a heart implant that provides a constant supply of power that, by its nature, can’t be stored and needs to be regularly used - kind of like Iron Man’s heart thing. If all of the devices that you made were powered by this thing, it would be completely reasonable that they would stop working shortly after you handed them off. Add flavor that this source of energy, while powerful and theoretically limitless, is also quite caustic to the materials it powers, and you also have an in-universe explanation beyond “because game balance” for why the scientist needs to constantly tinker with and repair his creations as well.

The A5e team are really good at what they do and clearly intentionally want this class to very generically represent sci-fi scientists, so I hope this doesn’t come across as criticism. I’m pretty excited for Voidrunner’s Codex and I really like what I’ve read of the playtest material so far, including the Psionic, and I like that a lot of fun mechanics are being used that we haven’t seen in our medieval fantasy games before. (I don’t know how unique some of these ideas are compared to other sci-fi TTRPGs, as I have little experience with those.) I will say I think it would have been cool if each archetype included its own sensible in-universe explanation for the limits of this class’s “science,” but it’s ultimately not necessary.

 

[W'rkncacnter]

financial exploit isn't called tax evasion

BOO
also,

I noticed that the main engine innovator has a level requirement of 139. What should it be? Reading through this gives me a much better feel for gameplay & grabs me more than the psion where I had trouble grasping what adventuring & campaign arcs might look like based only on the psion.

given that the description gives you a second benefit at level 13, i'm guessing the requirement is level 9. definitely a formatting error tho lol

 

[Morrus]

Don’t forget to take the survey folks!

 

[noodohs]

The handy drone feature says to "see table" for stats, but I'm not finding any such table anywhere in the document. Also, and maybe this is me nitpicking, but some of the features I can't really evaluate because they refer to Voidrunner-specific things that haven't, AFAIK, been released. Armor/weapon mods and space combat, for example.

 

[Rogerd1]

This looks amazing and cannot wait for the actual book itself. Art looks great too.