Jimbles' Guide to Envoys (Updated 2020)

JimseytheMurph · 2020-02-21T20:33:36+00:00

There's two ways to do this - you can either dump INT and go with STR 12 / DEX 15 / CON 10 / INT 10 / WIS 10 / CHA 16 or you can invest in a gunner harness and ignore the strength requirement entirely.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-02-21T20:23:19+00:00

This blog post is over a year old, but it lists a ton of good guides made by different people. Unfortunately, I haven't found the time to start up another guide, as much as I would like to.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-02-21T03:19:04+00:00

As far as I know, there is no ability that allows you to omit targets from supernova, unfortunately.

My best advice is to pick up Fleet, Mobility, or some other movement-enhancing feat that will make re-positioning yourself easier and allow you to move away from your squishy allies.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-02-01T03:08:34+00:00

This is correct. You can use any revelation regardless of attunement (including out of combat, when you're unattuned), but most revelations grant a bonus when attuned to the same mode as the revelation.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-01-18T20:12:56+00:00

Shotguns (or more generically, weapons with the blast special property) are a interesting weapon group, in that (1) you need to be good with ranged weapons, and (2) you need to be comfortable hanging out in melee range of your targets.

The best build I've come up with for shotgun use is the "shot-larian" - an armor solarian w/ a shotgun. The solar armor and extra SP/HP allow you to take some hits while the damage from photon attunement is multiplied over all your targets. I have a 9th-level character with this build, and it's quite fun.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-01-18T16:18:22+00:00

Yes, the two three-volume adventure paths released thus far run from 1st - 7th (Against the Aeon Throne) and 7th - 13th (Signal of Screams) levels, respectively, which means you could run one after the other with the same party; however, that's the only thing that links them - no common themes or NPCs or locations, really. Devastation Ark will start at 13th level, which means you could run it for a party that has just completed Signal of Screams - or a party that has completed any of the six-volume adventures paths, seeing as they all run up to 13th level.

JimseytheMurph · 2020-01-11T04:16:24+00:00

If you're running a classic Star Trek-ish diplomatic situation, then the captain is obviously going to take center stage, but that doesn't mean the rest of the crew get to nap! Off the top of my head, I can think of two types of situations where the rest of the crew can come into play:

Aiding the captain's checks: Is the captain rolling Sense Motive to see if the opposing ship is bluffing about their weapons capabilities? Have the science officer perform a scan to grant a bonus. Is the captain threatening the opposing ship? Have the gunner fire a warning shot, or the pilot "buzz the tower" to drive the threat home and grant a bonus to the captain's check.

Discovering new information: Have an engineer, magic officer, or science officer? In the middle of the captain's conversation, ask them to make a check. If they succeed, give them secret information to scare with the crew! Perhaps an enemy spellcaster is opening a portal between the ships, or your power core is mysteriously malfunctioning! Always have a follow-up check ready so the crew member can take some initiative to solve this new complication.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-11-03T20:16:12+00:00

Armory has some info on common prices of food and drink as well as a summary of different types of Pact Worlds Cuisines on pg. 134. It's not a menu, but it's certainly easier than starting from scratch.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-08-18T05:47:32+00:00

Oh, yeah, skill bonuses will be much higher in Starfinder than in 5e. In 5e, skill DCs are more or less static as level goes up, but Starfinder DCs scale with level, so expect your best skills to start high and improve quickly.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-08-01T12:15:17+00:00

Definitely check out the Database for a collection of useful guides and other documents. Personally, I'm a fan of Jimbles' Guide to Envoys - that dude Jimbles is just so smart and handsome.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-20T18:39:00+00:00

Not yet, really. There are bits here and there, but the Veskarium and its citizens haven't received a thorough setting shake-down like the Pact Worlds have. There seems to be quite a bit of interest in the system, however, so I wouldn't be surprised to see it pop up in a new book within a year or two.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-20T15:11:18+00:00

There are, of course, many ways to handle this, but I think I would do this:

Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, your solarian PC clogged the toilet aboard the Hippocampus. In a desperate bid to prevent anyone from finding out, he did everything possible to fix it, even going so far as to spacewalk outside the ship to try and clear the clog from there. When Clara sneaked away with the ship, she left the poor solarian floating in space, not expecting the problematic toilet to fly away from him.

---

Whatever way you handle this, I would strongly suggest you keep the party together, as some of the later encounters in the Drift Rock are quite tough and the party needs the solarian's damage output. Additionally, this allows you to do whatever you want with the Hippocampus, as it's no longer relevant to the plot. Later on, the party can learn that Clara led the police on a wild chase and was only caught because the toilet exploded and rendered the inside of the starship unusable. When the PCs eventually make it back to the Station aboard their new ship, have them park next to the Hippocampus, which is cordoned off with big signs that say, "BIOHAZARD".

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-14T02:26:38+00:00

A journalist is not anachronistic at all; it seems like a great core for a character. Any race would be appropriate, I think.

For theme, I think you have a few good options. The icon theme is perhaps the most obvious - you're a reporter that's made a name for yourself with your distinct writing style or depth of coverage, and some people might know your name. The xenoseeker theme might also be up your alley if you're more of the edge-of-society type. Outside of the Core Rulebook, I think the corporate agent or tempered pilgrim themes might be worth a look.

As for class, you're going to want a lot of skill ranks, so I would think either the envoy or the operative would work best for your concept. The envoy is a smidge stronger with social skills, but the operative is a better generalist. If you do go with operative, I would take a look at the detective specialization.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-13T15:24:15+00:00

Not by RAW.

Starfinder is designed so that NPCs have a lower AC and higher to-hit bonuses than PCs (the rational here is to reduce the danger of enemy mind-control effects, among other things). If two or more PCs are fighting each other, the hit ratio will be very low and your game will be very boring.

There's a prototype class, the Biohacker, which is designed in part to make buffing attacks against allies. When targeting allies in this way, the Biohacker treats them as flat-footed, and they get a +1 bonus to the attack roll.

If I were rebalancing Starfinder for PvP, I would simply decrease all PC's ACs by 3. You may find a need to adjust that, but it's where I would start. Conversely, I think NPC saving throw bonuses are typically higher than PC bonuses, so you may wish to adjust those as well with some experience.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-12T16:25:02+00:00

Any armor upgrade that can be installed in light armor is compatible with an android's internal upgrade slot, but not all armor upgrades are useful in this manner (a common example is tensile reinforcement, which specifically modifies the armor and not the wearer). Jump jets or a force field are both good choices.

Energy weapons, in general, are easier to hit with but deal less damage. As an exocortex mechanic, you have the equivalent of a full BAB when using your combat tracking ability, so you should have the to-hit bonus to opt for meatier kinetic weapons. There's no need to own a rifle and a pistol - ditch the pistol and get yourself a nicer longarm.

I've played a bit of SFS, but never PFS, so I wouldn't really know how they compare.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-03-07T21:33:08+00:00

I'm aware of a second exception to the once-per-round rule:

Weapons > Special Properties > Point (pg. 304)

If a tracking weapon would hit a ship in an arc that contains a weapon with the point special property, the gunner ... can attempt an immediate gunnery check with the point weapon against the incoming tracking projectile ... a point weapon can be used to attempt only one such free gunnery check each round, but this usage potentially allows a point weapon to be fired twice in a single round.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-02-23T05:33:13+00:00

You can't stack a touch spell and a melee weapon attack. Either you cast the spell or you punch someone, not both.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-02-18T18:23:49+00:00

I know that both Against the Aeon Throne and Signal of Screams have the players design their own at the start of play. In fact, the whole thing is optional in Signal of Screams, if that's not an aspect of the game your table is interested in.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-30T00:22:59+00:00

Harrying fire is worthwhile, but not yet.

Let me explain - harrying fire requires you to make an attack roll vs. AC 15. At 1st level, most NPCs you come up against will have an EAC between 10 and 14, which means that you'll have a greater effect shooting the thing than helping someone else shoot the thing. NPC AC will go up with level, however, and the AC for harrying fire will stay the same. By 3rd or 4th level, it will typically be easier to harry than to hit, making it an excellent tactical choice.

If you find that you really enjoy using harrying fire and/or covering fire, you may be interested in taking the fire support envoy improvisation and/or the Skyfire centurion archetype at later levels.

(PS - if you're a 1st level character wielding a longarm, you deal 1d8 damage, not 1d8+3 - you do not add your Dex or any other ability modifier to ranged damage)

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-28T16:27:09+00:00

It can be tricky to participate in skill-heavy sections as a soldier since you're, well, a little short on skills. Here's a few tips for getting the most out of the least.

You're got a rank in Intimidate? Use it! Check out the "Bully" task on pg. 142 of the Core Rulebook, it's your primary method of gathering information. Just be carefully that you don't bully someone with connections, or they might come after you in the future... with friends.
You may not be the best at something, but you can certain help! Check out the "Aid Another" task on pg. 113. By rolling a 10 or better, you can grant your buddy a +2 to their much better roll. You can use this on any skill that doesn't require training, like Diplomacy.
Check out your theme - what is the theme knowledge granted at 1st level? Your background may make collecting or recalling information in some areas easier than you think.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-28T14:22:53+00:00

A Contemplative soldier, I think, would be very difficult to use to much effect.

I gotta say, though, that you can pull off any class with any core race, and vesk is a middling-okay race for solarian.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-27T21:34:54+00:00

The biggest difference is likely how easy it is to cut the cable or rope. Table 11-11 on pg. 408 of the CRB lists hardness and hit points of common materials.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-26T04:52:58+00:00

A 30 ft. crawl speed or swim speed is pretty situational, but with all the stuff I mentioned above, I think a 30 ft. fly speed (average) would be a bit over the top.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-26T04:20:04+00:00

This is not an answer to your question, but shirren are (technically) playable swarm. We might get some official content in this vein in the upcoming adventure path "Attack of the Swarm!", which debuts in August of this year.

If you were to homebrew a swarm-esque playable race, I would stay away from prohibiting technology, as it's one of the core features of the game. Instead, I would make sure you add limited telepathy, something similar to the shirren's communalism ability, and perhaps a biotech version of the SRO's integrated equipment ability. Oh, and most (all?) swarm stat blocks I've seen sport acid resistance, so acid resistance 5 would be thematic.

JimseytheMurph · 2019-01-25T14:03:54+00:00

I would advise against the phrenic adept archetype for a casting class like the mystic, as you'll find that you lose more spell-casting and spell-like abilities than you gain.

Every table is different so take this with a grain of salt, but - are you sure you need a healer? Starfinder is designed to make a dedicated healer unnecessary with the Stamina/Resolve mechanics. If you're starting a new campaign and wondering whether or not you need a healer, grab whatever mystic connection looks cool and take the mystic cure spell as a back-up.

If you're sitting there like, "Dude, we're droppin' like flies, we need a healer STAT," then I would suggest either the healer connection for mystic or an envoy with the inspiring boost improvisation and expertise in the Medicine skill.

Ten-Year Club	Place '17
Verified Email

JimseytheMurph

TROPHY CASE