#tech revolution

(art by Dekus on DeviantArt)

Earlier this week, we talked about the first of two big “build your own really cool vehicle” in Starfinder 1st Edition, and now we’re talking about the other! (Yes I know custom vehicles are also a thing, but I wouldn’t call that subsystem “big”).

With Starfinder covering pretty much all the grab-bag of different subgenres of sci-fi, we expect to see starships in most of them. Mechs, however, being giant robotic vehicles, are not as common, and mostly show up stories that revolve around them specifically. War stories, Monster-of-the-Week plots around defending a world or galaxy from great evil, political thrillers where warfare in giant robots is only part of it… you get the idea.

Prior to Tech Revolution, Starfinder toyed with the idea of mechs before, in the form of some of their early power armors being much, much larger than the user. But while those were a form of armor and had the whole “servos responding to the movement of the wearer”, true mechs instead are piloted similar to vehicles (at least, flavor-wise, the vehicular combat rules are pretty different).

Today I’ll be focusing on how the system for making your own mechs works. (I’ll save Starship Combat and Mech Combat for future entries)

So let’s have a look!

Much like the starship building rules, characters are not meant to pay for their desired mech in credits or UPBs. Rather, they are assigned to them by the GM’s narrative, so the players instead have the currency of build points to work with to customize them as they see fit. However! Mech build points are not a flat number derived from average party level, but rather, those build points are instead divided between each member of the party.

This is because unlike the starship rules where it is assumed that the party has one ship to share between them unless stated otherwise, the party can either pool their points into one big mech they all pilot together, or into individual smaller mechs, or anything in between! However, while having four or more mechs at level one is a neat idea, you probably will be doubling up for the first few levels so that the party can actually have a mech tier.

As a side note, there are also guidelines for playing transforming or combining mecha as well, the former basically letting you purchase a vehicle credits and through build points make it a mecha as well, shifting between forms as needed. Meanwhile, combiner mechs are essentially a whole other stat block that the party only can use when they combine their mechs together. Both systems have the baseline assumption that the players should transform or combine out of combat, at most just before initiative begins, so as to not hassle the GM with that.

In any case, let’s get down to actually building the mechs! Firstly, you have to pick a frame and power core. Frames determine the basics of the mech like base hp, the number of weapon mounts, built-in movement speeds, and any special abilities that the mech might have. Meanwhile, the power core determines how much energy it can store and generate to fuel some of the more impressive feats it can perform with certain other limbs, weapons, and the like. Some power cores even have interesting quirks of their own.

Then we have limbs, which come in all sorts of configurations, like being quadrupedal or having a massive hover engine underneath, while upper limbs are divided by what they’re specialized in, such as armor or being especially dexterous. Interestingly, the limbs can be played fast and loose with, so a quadrupedal mech might be able to stand on it’s hind legs, with the forelimbs effectively counting for the two arms as well.

Next is weapons, which include some new designs but are mostly supersized versions of existing weapons. Such weapons sometimes have a special attacks fueled by the power core’s reserves.

Then we have auxiliary systems, things like a cargo bay, deployable vehicle, cloaking tech, energy transfer systems that boost damage in response to losing shields, and so on.

Finally, leftover mech points can be spent to bolster the base stats with upgrades, making the machine tougher or faster.

And that’s more or less it. Mechs have plenty of special rules for their operation, but the build rules are robust enough to warrant an entry like this on their own, methinks.

(art by Aberiu on DeviantArt)

(As an aside before we start, it is so hard to find good art of characters with symbiotic nanites that aren’t just super soldiers or wearing shapeshifting armor. So we’re stuck with art of a lightning gun because it’s tangentially related.)

Nanites and nanotechnology in general is, by all accounts, very, very small. It’s literally in the name.

And while collectively nanites can do many wondrous things, the fact that they’re so small means that applying mass times acceleration, or force… is not usually one of their strong suits.

But much like how ants overcome obstacles by working together, nanites can overcome this hurdle, and not just express great force, but manipulate it.

Today’s subject revolves around nanites that are specialized in doing just that. Whether they’re equipped with microthrusters, able to project magnetic fields that allow them to move and act more strongly as a collective unit, or some more esoteric process, nanites with the redirection faculty are good at two things, expressing surprising force on their surroundings, and redirecting other forces through them. The collective AI intelligence of these machines naturally is very good at on the fly calculations to do so.

As we’ll soon see, the result has shocking control over their opponents and of firing lines, so let’s take a look at how they achieve that!

At the start, these nanocytes can direct their nanite cloud to target a foe within or adjacent to it, causing their attacks to be subtlely guided towards that target, stabilizing the path of bullets, weapons, and energy blasts. This could be creating a mirrored tunnel for a laser weapon, gently pushing bullets and melee weapons back on course, or any number of a myriad of ways.

The cloud can instead be directed to exert surprising force on a foe within, pushing them around or tripping them.

As they master redirecting their attacks, even cover is reduced, and with a surge they can even bend the path of a ranged attack or line around cover or to catch different foes using the cloud alongside one of their nanite-created weapons.

On a more defensive note, their nanites can punish attackers by redirecting some of the force of a successful attack against them into projecting spikes or projectiles of nanomaterials back out at the perpetrator.

Finally, true masters are able to push multiple foes at once, though it is tricky to do so unless they spend a surge.

What we end up with is a nanocyte that blends ranged combat maneuvers with the ability to be especially accurate against foes stuck in their nanite cloud by ignoring concealment, reducing cover, and whatnot. Naturally, you should build for ranged combat and combat maneuvers as a result. As a fun aside, being able to spend a surge to bend their shots can make line weapons especially effective for them. Definitely worth considering, but otherwise your strategy here is to set up your cloud and a gear array weapon and keep foes trapped in the cloud to set up a kill box where you can hammer them with attacks and manipulate them with maneuvers.

With the complex math required to push foes and redirect weapons with trillions of tiny nanites, there is definitely a heavily analytical side to this option, though how much of that is the character and how much they rely on the nanites for such things can vary a lot by the character.

Reluctantly accepting the nickname “Dr. Haze”, Doctor Iklu Whiteblossom is one of the foremost experts on nanomachine-assisted ecological repair, and the tiny raxilite is no slouch when space pirates or rival corporations come calling looking for a quick buck off his research, as he is a crack shot with his plasma pistol, made more so by nanite assistance.

Cruel and exploitative, Captain Rekksha has taken to using a powerful dawn beetle core-diver as the primary muscle of her pirate crew, letting it rip into enemy vessels before her crew move in to mop up. If the beast ever needs prodding in the right direction, she uses her nanites to carefully redirect her stun gun to send painful shots in the proper motivating direction.

(art by BobKehl on DeviantArt)

Perhaps no combat specialization is more well known for lethal precision than sniping. Using extreme range and hidden positions to stay out of a fight and pick off your foes with impressive marksmanship, there is a certain beauty to it, though most soldiers consider it the most cowardly combat art, avoiding most enemy fire while picking off targets that can barely fight back. A sniper on your side is a boon, an enemy sniper is a nightmare, and a sniper that loses the advantage of stealth is usually dead meat.

Regardless how you feel about the profession, it only makes sense that such precision weaponry would be among the proficiencies of the operative class in Starfinder, letting them unleash their deadly trick attacks at extreme long range like the deadly assassins they are.

…Hold on, I’m being handed a note…

Wait, you’re telling me that operatives can’t add trick attack damage to sniper weapons by default, and have to take a whole exploit just to use the debilitating tricks with them?

Ok, I get that as a balance thing, vanilla operatives are expected to only get trick attack damage with weapons at close range, be they pistols or agile melee weapons. This keeps them from doing too much damage with their weaponry that they might be able to do if they could use trick attack with, say, a heavy laser or something.

But it is kinda weird that they can’t with sniper weapons, right?

In any case, today’s subject seeks to correct that by giving characters a way to trick attack with their sniper weapons, albeit with a few drawbacks to balance it out. So if you want to play a deadly sniper that can actually end foes from extreme distance, this might be what you’re looking for.

These snipers get their own version of trick attack, which they can make with operative melee weapons, small arms, and yes, sniper weapons. However, there are two caveats. First, the distance they move as part of the action is much shorter (or not at all if it’s an unwieldy sniping weapon), though they do get the benefits of aiming, and secondly, the damage dice are overall smaller, somewhat limiting the max damage of the trick attack. However, they can use stealth, perception, as well as any specialization-granted skills for the trick attack itself, and it does function with any and all trick attack exploits.

While this alt option is simple enough, it’s a major boon to any operative character that actually wants to use sniper weapons for anything other than long-range debuffs. The only trick being that given the way most Starfinder encounters are designed, it can be hard to make use of all that range. Even still, they can be quite deadly as both back-line damage dealers and support, or extreme range damage if the party has time to set up an ambush.

Whether they’re cold and calculating, or jovial types, all of these operatives get quiet and sublimely focused when it comes to actually doing their job, the disconnect between the two being no doubt unnerving to others that are not familiar with them.

Travelling to a primitive world, the party has to balance the protocol of non-interference with the need to help to defeat a terrible evil that has arisen there. However, they are not alone. An assassin, also an offworlder, stalks them with a truly deadly sniper rifle, eager to end their lives and their quest.

While investigating an assassination attempt, the party discovers that the poison dart used was the signature toxin of the astriapi hitman Kuvikka. However, they normally prefer to deliver the venom up close. A sniper rifle isn’t their style. Did something force them to use such a weapon, or are we dealing with a copycat throwing suspicion off themselves?

(art by ianllanas on DeviantArt)

A fascinating thing about cyberpunk and near-future scifi in general is how they speculate on what threads technology will go down in the near future.

For example, a lot of cyberpunk fiction speculated that hacking in the future would involve avatars facing off against elaborate 3D representations of security systems and the avatars of counterhackers in what amount to cyber-wizard battles, with things like DDOS attacks, viruses, and the like being visualized in this 3D hacking space as “spells” or special attacks.

You see this sort of thing in anything from Johnny Mnemonic to The Matrix, though in the latter case, the visualization was more the heroes setting up links so that the folks back in the ship could do the real hacking.

Of course, hacking in the real world has never been so fancy-looking or glamorous, and most programming is dedicated to making hacking programs and viruses able to interact with and overwhelm a system rather than making them show a neat picture to represent them doing so. (Not to say they don’t sometimes do that).

But we’re not interested in the real world right now. In the world of Starfinder, which draws inspiration from all over sci-fi, you can absolutely see characters having their own badass avatars and performing elaborate acts of hacking, which is where today’s subject comes in!

To be up front, this subsystem is meant to be used sparingly, as players are not likely to enjoy being bogged down with an elaborate computerized battle every single time they remove a virus or hack a door lock. Indeed, this system is meant to be used more for major hacking jobs. Things like elaborate defenses for campaign-important databases, battles against malevolent AI on their home turf, and so on.

In any case, the dynamic hacking system functionally turns hacking into a form of combat, with rounds and turns and everything.

First, every hacker has a Deceive, Hacking, and Process bonus, which covers the user’s ability to hide their persona from countermeasures, overcome those countermeasures, and perform various other effects separately such as scanning, repairing the persona, and so on.

Each of these three stats use your computer skill by default, but you can set up each with bonuses or penalties before and during a hack to specialize in infiltration, offense, and support, as long as you don’t go over a certain total bonus based on your computer skill.

From there you have the lead hacker, whose persona avatar is on the line, while other support hackers aid them in various ways.

While the support hackers can only perform minor actions, the lead hacker can perform a minor and major action per turn, plus extra if they’re willing to take penalties.

Each dynamic hacking encounter has countermeasures that seek to protect the system, nodes which provide paths to various files and programs, and modules, which represent protected files or programs which the hackers desire access to in order to access their data or function. Each one has their own abilities as well as the DCs to overcome them, the countdowns for any reprisals they offer, and so on.

In order to overcome these obstacles, the hacking team has several actions they can perform, ranging from minor (aiding and assessing) to major (blending in, creating decoys, modifying programs, recalibrating, repairing the persona, and of course, resolving the current obstacle.

Finally, it is also worth noting that this subsystem has rules for incorporating already existing class abilities and other special abilities tied to hacking, allowing them to apply in appropriate ways, such as faster hacking instead reducing the penalty of multiple actions, or countermeasure negation instead giving a massive bonus to resolving them.

As we can see, this style of hacking is not useful for casual hacking actions in normal play, but it can be a fun way to make for a fun and climactic encounter, or even add another layer to a combat encounter, where the party hacker has to crack the code while their allies keep security robots and the like off of them.

Either way, it's also a good reason to come up with your character's persona avatar appearance and other quirks of their hacking style.

(art by Jazz-Rhythm on DeviantArt)

When I say the word “technopath”, you probably think of someone with vaguely defined empathy for machines. They might be able to control them mentally, diagnose their purpose and any malfunctions at a glance, or even communicate with them on some primal level the way a more traditional mage might speak to the spirit of a castle wall.

Now, whether or not they possess some special empathy with machines, have a knack for contacting the spirits of mechanical devices, or just understand machines better than people, today’s subject: the tech whisperer, is the very definition of a low-power technopath.

I say low-power because more crazy abilities associated with technopaths, such as making wires move like snakes or remote-controlling or glitching nearby devices with one’s mind falls fairly under the purview of magic and the technomancer class. Don’t underestimate them just because they don’t have any magic on their own. Anyone that can open a high-grade security lock by befriending the lock itself and asking nicely is not to be taken lightly.

While they may not be able to reconfigure machines into strange arcane forms on the fly without multiclassing, these envoys have a few tricks of their own, so let’s see what they look like!

These envoys gain the same sort of expertise die as their standard counterparts, but they get to choose between social and technological skills as their first skill they can use the die with. Furthermore, they can use mental talents on normally mindless or unliving foes like robots, albeit with a slightly higher DC.

However, where things get interesting is that they can communicate with powered machines on a basic level to understand simple concepts about what the machines are trying to convey or basic operating prompts, allowing them to use social skills to learn things about machines.

Later on, they can even use those social skills to influence and operate them, befriending a machine to make it more willing to work with you.

Of course, if the machine has no sensors that can detect you, this ability requires physical contact to work.

Want to play an envoy that acts as the party techie, but also have an excuse to use social skills as well as part of a unique form of interaction? This option might appeal to you. You’re more or less limited to computer, engineering, or various social skills when it comes to expertise talents, but you were probably going to build with that focus anyway. Consider feats and talents that also give you a leg up in dealing with machines, as well as diversifying.

It's left intentionally vague exactly what these heroes are talking to. Is it a form of shamanism and they are speaking to the spirit of the machine? Are they communicating with the machine itself akin to speak with plants or animals? Answering that question can inform a lot about how the GM might roleplay these conversations.

Also consider how the traits of the machine might influence their personality. Is a brand new device plucky and eager to prove themselves, or haughty because they’re top of the line? Is an older, outdated machine tired but honest and proud of how they served their function?

More content in solitude surrounded by her machines, Deminaiva delights in tinkering and making small functional drones. However, the elf’s skill in machine empathy make her a high-demand troubleshooter for all manner of jobs both above and below the board.

After the attack from the acid and sound-armed ohsirokiroi that lashed out at the station, it seems that everyone has gotten off scott free. That is until one of the children on board the gas giant station come to the foreman insisting that the lower stabilizer is “crying”.

(art by TheGentlemanCupcake on DeviantArt)

The magical crafter, be it a brewer of potions, a blacksmith that forges magical weapons and armor, or the intricate crafters of complex wonder, has long been a staple of fantasy, but while there are plenty of examples in classical fantasy, one usually doesn’t think of them in a far-future science fantasy setting. After all, most magitech is either assumed to have been made in some far-off factory or is a relic of a bygone age, with only a rare few creating custom works with the help of material printers and detailed instructions.

But does that mean they don’t have a place? Certainly when it comes to magical or hybrid tech items in Starfinder, one might naturally think of the technomancer given their focus on blending science and magic, but I feel there’s plenty of opportunity for other casters to get in on the action, and it’s clear that may agree with the mystic smith!

Whether you consider them a natural evolution of the magical craftspersons of old or simply mystics blending a bit of technomancy into their arsenal to keep themselves and their allies outfitted, these mystics forgo some of their healing and telepathic power in favor of mastering the art of binding magic to material.

Due to their specialization, these smiths are able to access and craft items of greater potency than others, and of course their mastery at such skills grows faster than others.

Additionally, they can apply fusion seals to weapons much faster and get them working similarly quickly.

Naturally, they also add repair magic to their arsenal, and gain a special reserve of energy to perform especially drastic repairs.

With a surge of power, they can flood their technomagical weapons (be they inherently hybrid tech or have fusions) with energy that helps guide their strikes and pierce defenses.

Conversely, they can also disperse the energy of a nearby foe’s weapon seals, rendering them temporarily inoperable.

While the crafting side of this option’s abilities isn’t exactly flashy, it is functional, and their combat ability to buff their own attacks with their creations and disrupt any weapon fusions the foe has, making for some good options for a more combat-focused mystic that you’re probably used to seeing. It also can inspire characters to actually create and utilize weapon fusions more often, so there is that as well, tailoring theirs and allied weaponry to the situation on the relative fly.

The workshop of a technomantic crafter in the far future no doubt looks very different than the traditional fantasy workshop, and an option like this is the perfect excuse to explore that. Consider a dwarven mystic that is content to let the machines create the alloys, but would rather personally shape the metal themselves with a hammer and anvil, or a shimreen crystal-crafter that literally cuts stones by ear, feeling the subtle changes in resonance to know when they’re just right.

Normally mustyotal agathions prefer to steal and redirect the weapons of oppressors against them, but when there seems no recourse for change that a war against oppressive upper classes, they sometimes seek out those that can provide. Such is the case with Lost Purse, who successfully managed to rescue a famed craftsman’s daughter and get her offworld where the corporation couldn’t reach her, and in return, said craftsman is churning out powerful magitech weapons in preparation for revolution. Lost Purse only hopes it can be a bloodless one.

The Golden Coins seem impossible to track down, the criminal organization covering their trail with bribes, filing off serial numbers on all their equipment, using potent amnesiac toxins and suicide pills, and the works, but the party catches a break when they find a powerful magitech plasma pistol with a distinctive maker’s mark, dropped by one of the group’s lesser lieutenants.

(art by Carlo-Arellano on DeviantArt)

Last time we did a soldier fighting style, we focused on grenades and big guns that explode, but today, we’re looking at a master of big guns in general, specifically those that target an area, such as the cones of blast or automatic weapons, or the torrential lines, or even technically those exploding weapons as well.

Whether it is the roar of automatic bullets, the crackling discharge of a lightning gun, or the hissing belch of a flamethrower, there is no denying the satisfying power of holding down a trigger and watching your weapon destroy everything in its path.

These so-called “bullet rain” specialists may or may not use projectile weapons, bur they all prove quite effective at their job, which for most heavy weapon specialists is to provide devastating firepower that mows down large groups and sends the rest scurrying for cover, and therefore unable to engage the gunner or the rest of their squad. Others might instead focus on delivering that devastating firepower to take out armored targets, but the result is the same, a heavily armored and armed figure unleashing devastation.

So let’s take a look, shall we?

Saturation of energy or projectiles is the name of the game with these gunners, and they know how to spread the devastation to render all but the most thorough cover and concealment moot.

Of course, such a deluge of firepower can also be quite devastating against a solo target, and indeed, such targets are often blown over or especially devastated by such focused destruction.

One of the biggest weaknesses of such heavy weapons is running out of ammo, so with an expenditure of resolve these soldiers learn to reload as quickly as possible, readying their weapon once again, as well as giving them a spike of adrenaline when doing so.

The strongest among them can hold a heavy weapon steady enough to either wield it in one hand, or to concentrate fire on foes so that they also provide covering fire to their allies even as they riddle them with holes.

Against such overwhelming destructive power, it simply isn’t possible to miss, and even those that avoid the main brunt of their firepower still take a few glancing blows.

If you plan on focusing heavy weapons as a soldier, the bullet storm is definitely a good choice if you want a whole lot of area effect devastation. Definitely work to improve your reload speed so you’re not blowing through resolve just to do so quickly, and consider pairing it up with bombard for even more big gun control, armor storm if you want powered armor to match your guns, and so on.

Much like the bombards, I imagine that most bullet rain specialists really like their jobs, reveling in how holes open up in everything in their line of fire and the spray of destruction their wield at their fingertips. Of course, there’s plenty of room for them to have more complexity as well, if you’re interested.

Known mostly for her work as the heavy weapons specialist of her mercenary company, Yashana is more than just a master hailcannon operator. Indeed, the undine has many hopes and dreams, as well as a painful history. When she fails to report in for a new assignment, her squad leader asks for help checking in on her, where her past has begun to catch up to her.

The Heavy Ordinance and Gunnery Convention, or HOGCon, is a place for heavy weapons specialists, enthusiasts, and of course manufacturers to come together to show off everything from the latest models to all sorts of modifications. (all officially within the bounds of legality). However, it is exactly the sort of place that some would seek to rob in hopes of securing a small arsenal, such as the case of Taivo, a prismeni would-be warlord who seeks to carve out a kingdom in the Drift, demanding tithes from all whose drift travel bring them close to their fortress.

(Render of the Service Weapon as it appears in its Grip form in the game Control by Remedy Studios)

There’s a lot of fun things about the nanocyte class, and there are just so many fun ways to use nanites in and out of combat.

Perhaps one of their most offensive abilities is the ability to create weapons from their symbiotic nanites, giving them powerful tools of destruction they can never truly be disarmed of.

For today’s entry, however, we’ll be looking at a variant of the nanocyte that specializes in destruction using such created weapons. They might provide advanced targeting to pinpoint the most lethal areas of a target’s body, or they might reshape the weapon on the micro-scale to be even more lethal , or even sacrifice droves of their components to enhance the damage in other ways.

No matter the exact method, not only do these nanocytes become especially lethal against their targets, but they can use their methodology to spread the harm to other targets as well, becoming nanomachine-enhanced engines of destruction.

The weapons these warriors create are built to let nothing stop them, penetrating hard materials and even altering to accept a little extra charge (or nanite surge) to become more damaging, the latter by imbuing nanites into the projectiles or striking area for extra damage.

The nanites can even sacrifice themselves to imbue the weapon with other types of damage, superheating themselves or chilling for fire or cold, or overloading for electricity.

Whether they are left behind by a melee weapon or are carried to the target at range, these nanocytes can discharge such nanites that they spray out from the wound, carrying the form of damage to a nearby target to spread destruction, though it is naturally lighter than the initial impact.

Additionally, the guidance of their nanites makes them more accurate when attacking repeatedly.

Later on, their sprays of nanites can spread further and with an expenditure of nanites can be used repeatedly in the same onslaught of attacks.

Naturally, a nanocyte with this faculty is going to primarily be using their gear array to create weapons, as all of their faculty abilities center around such weapons. They typically only would use their sheath array when out of combat for the protective benefits and the cloud when avoidance is more important than fighting. As such, their knacks are going to be mostly made up of those that enhance their weapons or otherwise make them more effective combatants, such as heavy armor edge, material alterations, split manifestation, eldritch upgrade, heavy weapon edge, and so on. In either case, you can build them as either melee or ranged attackers with ease, or perhaps split your focus.

With their destructive abilities, the nanites bonded to these nanocytes almost certainly had an origin in combat, meant to enhance the performance of both the host and their equipment. Of course, even if that is true, the character might not have been the intended recipient. In such a case, the nanites might simply be continuing their function, or they might have adapted such combat potential as a solution for keeping their host alive and safe in a hostile environment.

Seeking information about a former client, the party singles out a xulgath member of a mercenary company who is known for being a drunken partyer. Getting him to talk should be easy, but if he discovers the ruse he’ll prove to be a dangerous combatant, his intoxication doing nothing to hamper the nanites in his body.

Rumor has it that a magitech-focused corporation is developing a method of creating hybrid magitech nanites able to enhance the host with magically-empowered attacks. In order to do so, they’ve been studying stolen aeon stone network constructs to see how each component coordinates with the others. However, they don’t realize the risk when one collection gets free and attempts to merge with the others to create a powerful distress signal relay.