#thyr

Our dive into the various playable species of Starfinder takes us back to the Port of Call book today, with the second ooze species we’ve ever seen in published materials, and an unusual one at that!

The Thyr are a species of gaseous beings native to the Scoured Stars system, which was once held in the grip of an overbearing and controllingly protective deity. Though they fled that system with the other intelligent natives the moment they could, they still took part in ridding the system of the arachnoid jinsul aggressors (in the Starfinder Society event of the same name).

Despite this victory, only a small percentage of thyr have returned to the system, many more opting to remain on the many new homes they and their stellar neighbors have made for themselves across the cosmos.

Thyr live for centuries, and as such are valued by other peoples of the Scoured Stars for their wisdom, though they can die of old age by breaking down, or by undergoing a form of mitosis into two younglings of their kind.

However, their bodies are notoriously frail, so thyr found outside of their gas giant homeworld typically wear environmental suits and armor at all times in public, not only to protect them from the hustle and bustle that comes with living on terrestrial planets, but also to give their fleshy neighbors a little more to interact with.

Thyr outside of their armor resemble nothing more than a cloud of mist that moves of it’s own volition and can reshape itself into various forms, though lacking in detail. Structurally, their bodies are a combination of complex gases and particle chains which allow them to perform complex biological structures and even neuron-like pathways in order to form a functional sapient mind as well as long and detailed memories, all while outwardly appearing totally gaseous. Indeed, their outer edges are made of up complex chains that form a nearly imperceptible “skin” which allows for movement and shaping of the form.

However, most thyr are seen inside their armor, appearing like an environmental suit filled with no occupant other than a misty interior. The rigidity and internal servos of the armor also gives them strength and stability to better interact with the solid world around them.

The thyr favor intellectualism and learning, and are ever eager to meet new people, learn their languages, and test their minds against logic puzzles and conundrums. Were it not for that fascination with other peoples and the wider universe, they might have been content to eke out their days in passive ascetic intellectualism, but thanks to the wonders of their neighbor’s technology and their endless fascination with new experiences, they are more than happy actively engage with the galaxy, rather than simply passively watch it go by from a single, limited perspective. Naturally, their love of new knowledge means they make fast-friends with others of a similar mind, such as scientists of all species, as well as urog and contemplatives in particular.

Thyr are cunning and wise, but being made of gas means you can’t exert as much force on your surroundings the way some good old fashion muscle fiber could. What’s more, the delicate nature of their bodies means they can’t take as much damage either.

They are, however, entirely lacking in vital organs, meaning that there is no body part that can be struck for critical damage.

They are a bit awkward and sluggish on land, but their buoyant nature means they can float at a decent clip through the air.

Thyr also possess limited telepathy, and can bridge the normal language gap by using some innate psychic magic to understand and even speak any language.

Additionally, thyr have a metabolism mostly based on absorbing ambient heat as an energy source. As such, they are resistant to extreme heat damage and can even actively choose to absorb said heat, giving them a boost of energy and speed for a short while afterwards.

With two ability score bonuses focused on mental stats, the thyr can certainly be very appealing to those wanting to play a hyperintelligent alien doing space nerd things. Either flavor of biohacker, the mechanic, skill-focused operatives and envoys are all good options. And one couldn’t go without mentioning they mystic and technomancer as caster, though precog and witchwarper are good too. Their strength penalty does mean that melee is a hard sell, with most vanguards being out, and classes like evolutionist, solarian, soldier, and nanocyte being relegated to ranged builds, but like anything, this can be overcome.

I will note, however, that the game rules assume that the thyr remain in their armored bodysuits at all times save for the most intimate of downtime roleplay moments, saving room on what could have been a whole page worth of rules for being gaseous organisms in a galaxy of strong winds and climate controlled buildings.

Alright ALRIGHT one more because I love showing him off.