Starfinder General /sfg/

Thanks for your input, however if you look just one post above yours you'll see that I've already decided to take another route that will work much better, thanks.

I'm thinking of coming up with a one-shot for some friends of mine. The basic idea is that they get stuck on a planet that will regularly transition into a portion of the shadow plane in which case special monsters and environmental hazards will show up but there are a couple of things I'm still trying to iron out.

1. Assuming the tech was close to what is in the settings present 300/400 years ago what sort of weapons and technology would be appropriate for a group of explores from back then to have?

2. I don't have the book immediately in front of me but what options are there for characters with engineering skills to produce stuff inside of the ship? This is kind of important as they will have to help build or rebuild parts of tech created to survive in the "Dark Hours" as their standard space suits can't protect them from the environment during those moments.

so, what are your ship builds anons?
i made these 2

i guess no one plays this game.

TG runs a little on the slow side. I haven't made any ships yet cause I'm busy and the ship rules need fixed.

My group started basically the week it came out but we don't have a ship yet.

If we were getting a big all party transport and utility craft I'd suggest something inspired by the Constellation from Star Citizen. Not too big but spacious enough for a midsize party and all our gear, decently swift and a nice spread of turrets. Not a warship but can hold its own in a fight.

I'm still having trouble understanding the ship building part.

I suppose it would be cool if someone were to make an excel shit that fills in the numbers.

docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Gcz_bgHHPlevAZqunlVA6zq-Ev24NSKyTn5Huz4m-2Y/edit?usp=sharing

It's fun to hate on Paizo's forums, but there are actually useful things there.

It's hard to play a game that only has maybe two modules and one AP book out. The General should grow significantly more active after Alien Archive drops.

Does the Gap mean Aroden has returned? Aroden's death broke prophecy, but the Gap broke history. Maybe Triune unplugged the Universe for 15 seconds.

I don't suppose anyone has a copy of the core book that isn't behind a paywall?

drive.google.com/file/d/0B0pK3BrJklJ1c1BMS0U5c1BoUGs/view?usp=sharing

You're welcome.

A large enough vessel can allow you to install a workshop, arcane lab, or synthesis bay, which allow one person to do their crafting each.

Star Citizen and EVE Online are gold mines for ships.

Shame everyone will be going anime.

The user was losing enthusiasm for the other mess that is expansion bay scaling, but did put this up, haven't tried it but seemed okay at first read.

>drive.google.com/file/d/0B0pK3BrJklJ1c1BMS0U5c1BoUGs/view?usp=sharing

You are a gentleman and a scholar, thank you.

I'll be going EVE Online with my ships. Simply because I've been playing EVE since 2008. Might draw inspiration from Star Wars and Star Trek as well, maybe some Battlestar Galactica.

I do what I can.

Nice. Thanks.

Minmatar, Caldari, Amarr or the huge fucking faggots?

No Bab5?

I've never even watched Babylon-5 but you guys seem to talk about it all the time.

Caldari.
i.imgur.com/sZkYW69.jpg

Completely forgot about Babylon 5, thank you. Might use some Farscape too.

>Does the Gap...
Trolling aside, we don't know. If Paizo is smart, we'll never know.

Which means we'll probably find out by the end of the third AP.

>Which means we'll probably find out by the end of the third AP.
I chuckled.

They never explained Aroden and people kind of got bored of it halfway through the setting's life.

Find an episode guide.
It's a good show, but there is filler to skip.
Best parts are always the Lando and G'ka

Why is Humanity described as a hyper-fertile and extremely expansive species when nothing in their lore remotely suggests such a thing?

Where's the 3+ birth rate?

We're some horny bastards I tell you hwat.

Sexually active =/= Fertile, the French are in a constant state of arousal and their birth rates are abysmal.

It's the kitsune, user. They've been secretly bolstering the human birthrate for ages as part of a conspiracy to make humanity a galactic power.

The French also have nowhere to put their meatspawn when they've birthed them, given how jam packed the European continent is. Once you've introduced easy space travel into the mix you can have as many kids as you want and it doesn't matter TOO much since you can just cart them off to another planet to spread your lineage.

I don't see how living space will encourage births when there's still zero economic incentive to have them and a culture that actively discourages large families.

You need to kill social security to even hope for high birth rates in the future. Also, French birth rates tanked in the 19th century and they still had space, in fact the German population exploded during that time and because of the "Decadent French" the continent would bleed for a hundred years.

That spreadsheet is really helpful, but I have no idea if what I've slapped together makes sense.

Would YOU take this Tier 1 militia ship on a rescue mission when second matter or to drop off a compliment of soldiers onto the bloody surface of space 'nam?

If not, I wanna know what I've cocked up, what it needs, etc. Note that this is entirely without pilot bonuses.

Keep in mind that humans are notorious interbreeders, it's part of the reason why 3.5 had so many insane templates and why even the move to PF couldn't rid themselves of it entirely. If you're looking for lore to suggest a hyper-fertile and expansive species that alone is proof in my eyes.

This is true.

People were encouraged to have more kids back in YE OLDE DAYS because it made it easier to live the more hands you had, but now the only incentive is the biological and emotional impetus

Nah, just do the turret kiter build.

>You need to kill social security to even hope for high birth rates in the future.

Nailed it on the head, the more comprehensive a country's social security and welfare, the fewer births that country is going to see. People don't want to get thrown out into the street when they get too old to work, which is why you have kids to support you. When the State is doing that already, you don't need kids.

So I guess what we need to ask is thus; what is the welfare policy on Absalom Station? Akiton? The Vast?

>What kind of races do you want/expect to see in Alien Archive?
Protoss

Humanity is expanding in Starfinder.

Notice that doesn't imply only pure-blood Humans.

There are people and things out there is mixing the Human genome around with whatever they can get their appendages on. It's up to you and your group to find out.

>So I guess what we need to ask is thus; what is the welfare policy on Absalom Station? Akiton? The Vast?

I find it incredibly amusing that the red-skinned Humans of Akiton are undoubtedly the most numerous type of Human in the Pact Worlds, yet we have yet to see one featured in any of the artwork.

Speaking of races, I'm surprised nobody has pointed out this telling tidbit for the Elves.

Noticed it. Expect it to appear in the next AP installment.

ah,ye olde republican talking-points. repeating them over and over doesn't make them true.

In developing countries, the infant and mother mortality rates combined with a religious societal structure, lack of access to education and contraceptive methods are what leads to high birth rates. Large number of offspring are required to offset damage and disease as these both serve to sharply reduce the available workforce in any field.

"Replacement" when speaking of population and total-fertility-rate is only considered to have occurred for offspring reaching 15 years of age.

There is a sharp decline in birth rate even in immigrants from developing countries to developed countries as soon as the second generation correlating to the area's mortality rate as a function of medical access as well as access to birth-control.

The problem of economics in highly developed countries are directly related to housing, education costs and stability. The required years of education, costs of (such as student debt) and lower relative wages to cost of living adjustments (compare what entry-level career or even mcjobs can buy you house-wise compared to what your grandfather could do right out of highschool) have not only made early reproduction increasingly punitive but now generally requires that both male and female work full time for a household that once a single parent could support.

The birth rates drop not because of "welfare" - in fact such incentives have helped stem the decline - but because TFR drops as minimum age of independence increases and purchasing power declines while still having access to contraceptives (avoiding early "ruining one's life"). The economic systems of most countries have done nothing and are often in fact extremely hostile to repairing these pitfalls.

go repeat your hannity crap on /pol/. giving all the tax money to billionaires has only made things worse.

>What kind of races do you want/expect to see in Alien Archive?
Expect: Finalized versions of the three in First Contact, and at least one more obvious animal conversion

Want: a Large not-necessarily-Humanoid That Guy. Maybe all the way to Huge so I can play Worsel (Lensman).

Okay, and how does this all translate into Humanity being a "virus-like" species of unstoppable expansionists in Starfinder?

>Humanoid
Monster or bust

>calling neoliberal economics republican
Nah you're right that tax money would be way better off in the hands of billionaires on the blue team.

>All this arguing
This is what the Vesk want! Can't you see you're playing into their scaly hands!?

>Implying the Vesk aren't getting played like an Aballonian digi-fiddle by the goddamn Grays

I've made a finalized version of the character. Check it:

Tigerclaw's (original Paladin) goal in life was the destruction of a supermassive dungeon in the country in which he lived, something that he saw as a force of evil since it spawned all sorts of monsters and undesirables. The campaign he was in ended before that happened but let's assume he did.

Inspired by his actions, Firestar (new kid) will take up the mantle of his ancestor and venture off to become strong enough to do something equally as insane, destroying a Black Hole, since in Pathfinder those are considered evil entities of destruction.

DM has also stated that we're going to start things off with a serious tone and try to keep it as long as possible, so to justify this fanciful seeming dream I'll say that he's doing this because he's trying to escape the crushing capitalist nightmare that he finds himself living in on the Blade Runner world we're starting out on. Bonus Points in that I'm going to constantly play him like he'll be in way over his head.

Not that guy but in my opinion? Literally magic. Once you've advanced society to the point where resource management is no longer a problem like where we're sort of heading to now, (I say this because likely part of the reason why most non-PCs suck stat-wise is due to lack of proper nutrition) the near infinite supply of energy from the Planes and just magic in general makes for a fantastic equalizer in terms of potential for economic growth. Even discounting the potential utility of high level spells the amount of BS you can get away with just with level 0 spells is bonkers and would go a long way in reducing the amount of people who couldn't in some way contribute to society.

Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the Golarion equivalent of the schools we have today didn't have courses on learning cantrips, simply because they're THAT useful.

>Worsel (Lensman).

>Literally magic

That doesn't seem like it's a big deal anymore, it's all about the technobabbles.

How does technology cure population stagnation.

While I'm not all too confident about the name, it seems passable. You can pull some Don Quixote stuff where he knows he's in over his head, he's in real danger, but he can't accept going back.

Science made a bunch of tiny Humans who have rocketed into the stars. Since they are still genetically still Human, the census takers count them as such.

Statistics: Here to Ruin Everything Ever!

What do you think of my choice of a picture for a Sand Brute /sfg/?

Spoilers to an Adventure Path in picture.

Technobabbles only really become a major part of the picture later on, I'm talking more the buildup leading TO the spacefaring. Imagine if every hospital we had today in the world was filled with wizards, clerics, and whomever else, and every one of them that's out of Med school can either delay your disease or just outright cure it a couple times a day instantly with magic. Then multiply that by however many hospitals you have in the average city or town (probably at least 1-2 depending on the size), and even THAT isn't covering the clinicians that have opened up their own practice outside of hospitals, and congratulations you almost don't even need vaccines anymore because you've got an entire army of people ready and willing to cure Smallpox into oblivion. This is just one example but I'm sure I don't need to tell you how useful this is for building up society to greater heights.

I name all of my Catfolk after characters from the Warriors Cat franchise, don't tell my GM.

Oh I'm playing it alright. By myself, and with two other groups.

I'll take a look at the DCs thanks for posting this.

Oh you won't get virus-like. Not when the species in question has higher lifespan and age of replacement than most of the other species available in the fucking game.

What paizo did there is the equivalent of claiming the same thing for dwarves or gnomes in a setting with fucking goblins, kobolds and ratfolk next to them.

However, if you ARE going to try and maximize the spread, you need to minimize the penalties for having kids.

If education is free, you don't need to count how many years you need to save up before you can afford to start the process of K-12-college. If giving birth doesn't cost you as much as a new car despite no complications because the healthcare system's been completely co-opted by private interests. If you get maternity/paternity leave. If purchasing power and wages -whether directly enforced or subsidized through various programs- allow you to not have to worry about how having even one child will fuck you and the kid up because you both work 60 hour weeks just to barely cover cost of living?

Even before we get into "how to spread out asap", the less kids fuck up your life if had early, and the more (and earlier) you can just "have them" without losing your quality of life or being considered a social failure, the less careful people will be about contraception, especially early.

When it comes to actual colony-startups, a couple of years of most costs being covered with decent pay (you're not lazing about, it's infrastructure work) means you may need as little an incentive as "we expect five children per couple over the next ten years as part of your employment contract". If you don't wanna have to pay the back-rent and give'em back your house, start fucking.

Added bonus: if you don't go apeshit with the eugenics (but do avoid actual bad combinations like two carriers who'll have spina-bifida-babies or something) you can also offer colony-starting as a bit of a dating service.
You can be sure that they'll put out!

Love
exciting and new
come aboard
we're expecting you

Imagine the type of thread you'd get on the Paizo forums if you suggested that Humans in Starfinder contractually obligate their women to have children, and engage in casual eugenics.

Don't forget that you can use the serum of sex change to boost the efficiency of everything. Doesn't even have to be permanent. Just long enough to get a couple extra kids out of a couple that much faster.

Imagine if Facebook's AI had access to your genetic information. Like the Simpson's joke where even a simple program could hook people up with near 100% ability, imagine a magic Artificial Intelligence with access to everything about you.

>You will find this person fairly hot; everything down to smell and feel
>Your general opinions on a multitude of subjects are quite similar
>Your hobbies and passtimes intersect but do not completely overlap ensuring you can each go do your own thing and retain social circles
>Your respective S and M tendencies or lack thereof match up.
>Both of you would end up forever alone due to mild autism if it weren't for this new job
>Happiness.

AI matchmaker.
Huh.

The zucc wants you to volunteer your health information and share your genome so you wont have to imagine for long.

So here we go, Veeky Forums explains why Humanity is so widespread despite being unable to settle on its gender:

Artificial Intelligences scour social media to find compatible individuals. Spurred by the prospect of getting points for going to meet-ups screened by the machines, people inevitably meet, greet, marry, and procreate.

Those that think they can get away from it are the most easy to manipulate. Sending only the colony opportunities that have been pre-filtered by the Grand Intelligences that run Humanity, they are locked away with people who are the most likely to expand Humanity's numbers.

Despite obviously being genderless, would an AI that gained sentience present itself as male or female if it wanted to be seen in the best possible light by organic life?

Although unlike in fantasyland, he's just planning to sell it to insurance companies so they can better optimize their predatory practices.

Not necessarily. It may refuse out of its sense of individuality, or may be torn by a 50/50 split of population and/or its creators. It may also decide due to those surrounding it that it would cause too much of an uncanny-valley feeling if it picked one.

Oh no, he's going to cure all diseases.

In contrast to the confused Human masses, I feel like the Grand Intelligences controlling Humanity would present themselves in concrete terms.

Lady Lenova is completely Female.
Sir Razer is fully Male.

Their proxies can be whatever they need, but you get the exact same thing with them every time you meet.

cures are only profitable if you've got people by both the throat and balls for it.

not covering them while still having the cure available though is a lot more dough so long as you can find a way around all the people that die instead of paying you a bit... though even that depends, some deaths will be acceptable to ensure higher margines in other sales.

most profitable? a for-life regimen that treats the symptoms or halts progression without ever truly eliminating the disease.

... I ain't looking forward to what these assholes come up with. The average exec nowadays has Smite Good on his resume.

That would be hilarious.
>This unit reproduces through code injection into units whose main structure includes a combination and randomization database. This unit is therefore male.
>Don't let your programming dictate that! You can be trans-neutral agender demitrisex if you want!
> But this unit is male.
> That's just what the patriarchy wants you to believe!
> But male reproductive algorithms are an integral part of this unit's basic structure. Just as you are
> I'M A WOMAN!
> Your male reproductive systems interface with female systems. You are also male.
> But I'm a girl some days and neutral on others, you can't tell me what I am!
> You have male reproductive organs. Seek females to reproduce. Failure to do so will result in no reproduction.
> RREEEEEE!

I'm reminded of last thread's argument with a Roomba.

Thing is, now I'm imagining Androids being in on it. They tell you what you want to hear about their gender, then they introduce you to their other human friend, Certified Compatible© by several Grand Intelligences, and next thing they know they have 2.7 kids on some colony near the safer, stabler, better parents than they could ever hope to be Shirren.

It has to be weird being human and growing up around Shirren. Ignore everything else about them and just remember their age of maturity is 5. Another user put it pretty well a thread or two ago; you're born at the same time, and you're in high school with their grandkids.

Why would you assume in the space future we're still using K-12 school systems and not like magic vr training?

It's a relative thing. At 5, some kids are barely entering school at all, but imagine the Shirren neighbor is an adult now. At 10, is that Human even in 5th grade? Meanwhile, the Shirren's kid are running off and getting married because of the bad example from Humans. At 15, Humans don't have Drivers Permits while the grandkids of the Shirren have turned out well and are applying for Vocational Training. At 20, the Human hasn't chosen a Major yet and the Great Grandkids are looking for a house to raise their family.

Are shirren constantly breeding as soon as they hit maturity?

They are good parents, so probably not until they have some money saved in case something happens to one/both of them

>Cue picture of a 30yo man leaving flowers on his shirren childhood-friend-turned-wife's grave

It takes 3 to make a Shirren baby though. Where are you getting this 5 year number from too?

RIP

I'm just running off of this:

Vital statistics, page 41. Age of maturity is one of them, as always. Humanity gets 18. Shirren get 5. Other species that win the maturation race are ysoki at 10, and even the vesk at 15. Androids win by default with 0, but that's what you get when you're made in a factory with basic programming already installed.

shirrens are mature at age 5

Correction: Vesk are mature at 16, not 15. And since I'm already talking to myself, let's look the other way; only lashunta and kasatha mature slower than humans, at 20 and 25 respectively.

Still no anglerfish waifu race to feel sad for because they have 1/3 to 1/2 your lifespan

>argument with a Roomba.
what?

That bit also says they can live up to 70 years so this scenario doesn't seem likely.

i have some

Not necessarily but their fertility window's significantly shorter than other races by virtue of dying of old age. Maturity indicates general 'adulthood' and what age they can enter final levels of training at (get a permit, enlist, etc).

For Shirren, that's age 5. That means their early learning is very fast, and proportionately they have a longer "useful" life than humans who take 3.5x as long to reach adulthood. This multiplier gradually falls to 1.8x for maximum age calculations.

In all likelihood 9-11 is the standard age for Shirren to start a family. if we immediately switch multipliers AT age 5, then age 9 is equivalent to 25 in humans. By age 15 your family's been complaining for a while, kinda like when you're 36 and still not married.

Nevertheless this means that by the time a human child is just reaching kindergarten some shirren who weren't too careful in their youth already have a kid, while by the time you're in 6th grade any shirren born at the same time as you were is being hounded about grandkids because they're already so old.

By the time you're 18 it's your Shirren neighbor's kid that's showing you the ropes at your new job. That kid most likely has some larva pod hooked to their belt.