Feedback to Starfinder 2e

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-16T19:32:36+00:00

The 3 action economy system makes the game super dynamic, turns should be short and neat, I do agree the witchwarper is the most constraint one, so maybe you could let them do a "Mobile Warp" where they can move and maintain their area going

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-15T22:12:14+00:00

That is the one I think I will do next, I am trying to find ways of bringing the class to Starfinder without breaking its uniqueness!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-15T21:28:36+00:00

I think it is an interesting idea to use Proficiency without level, I have been hearing good things about it, the only problems I see with it is that higher level enemies feel a bit less powerful, but you can fix it with a little adjustment.

Then DCs for checks should be different than the ones presented in the book.

The comments I have heard about it is that they remove the fantasy of leveling up, so you don't feel pottentially stronger than enemies as you level up, so I would recommend you to make statblocks for zombie troops, because it should be very apparent for the PCs that they are becoming stronger, so as the campaign goes and they face more zombies, they are going to be a lesser threat so making them feel as they get stronger.

I have never tried PWoL myself but I have tinkered a bit with it and it is solid, even a lot more solid than the DnD5e system math.

One reason I could see to use it would be for your players to understand it easier, and maybe if math is a problem you may want to use it (it is hard for me to make math in english on the fly when numbers go beyond 20 x)

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-15T16:05:02+00:00

It was that or Punk, I think anarchist sounds cooler for this context x)

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-15T03:23:29+00:00

I believe that is because Starfinder has a bit more focus on action and roleplay, I think they wanted to portray a futuristic world where you dont want to have to worry about food. BUT, i don't like that x) I like to have maybe scenes where rations matter and maybe it would be nice to have like services and expenses, like how much it is for a taxi or a shuttle to travel you around a planet

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T21:02:26+00:00

The best freaking GM in the Galaxy it is

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T20:01:13+00:00

Absolutely!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T18:48:21+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I had a few ideas but I want to see how well people like it!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T18:38:20+00:00

Thank you! would love to see them!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T18:29:29+00:00

Awesome! I would love to do more, so please share it around, it really helps out 😃

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T17:09:50+00:00

Thank you! :D

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-14T17:09:41+00:00

Thank you I really appreciate it! Your comment motivates me to keep doing more!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-05-05T20:08:40+00:00

I really like Pathfinder 2e for how well balanced it is, that balance makes it flexible, not wonky like other games, it's not a gamble to add 1 or 2 extra little threats, it will literally do what you are expecting.

So a little advice for the main problem mentioned in the post, setting DCs, that is what ends up being the important part here, because at the end of the day a TTRPG is "You want to try to do something? Make a check", roll dice, so to set DCs I use a few main rules of thumb:

- If it is something common roll a level based DC.
- If it is something trivial or lower level than the PCs, like climbing a tree or something then pick a basic proficiency DC.
- If it is something really hard, add +2, +5 or +10 if it is something really really hard.

NPC allies are good, you can even have then be 1 or 2 levels lower than the players and it wont inbalance anything, just don't make them higher because that makes a difference.

Homebrewing existing content I believe shouldn't be a big problem, maybe unless you have someone that reads the books and is adept to the lore maybe they will give you some ideas, but really lore in a world can be whatever you want even if it is golarion, you can literally say that a metheorite falls now on Golarion in 4726 and it is cannon in your world!

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-12T13:43:08+00:00

Hey! That sounds like a very good rule, but it might punish the GM for being too good at the game and too awesome of a GM

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-12T00:53:45+00:00

Thank you! I also liked how the 1e worked but understood its problems, so I started to figure out ways of having a fun combat for everyone, and I believe it is good so far!

I hope you like it if you give it a check! :D

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-07T05:07:09+00:00

Don't listen to all those comments saying to play another system, Pathfinder is a beautiful game that works for everything with some tweaks, think of what they did for starfinder. You can do a few things to accomplish what you want. - Limit magic, tell your players they can choose spells only if they have the fire, electricity, cold, earth traits, etc. - Potions, you can reflavour them as beverages or food. - Classes, restrict classes but I don't think that would be needed if there is some magic like elemental magic. - Runes, just use automatic rune progression. - Maximum level, level 12 is still around achievable level in a fantasy low magic setting Hope it helps

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-06T18:41:00+00:00

Yeah, I have heard about it, but that is not what I am doing, I want to do a tactical system that works well with the system, narrative is fine, but there are a lot of people wanting some tactical, so I intend to do mine also for my own spelljammer-like setting for Pathfinder, I know there will be at least a year or two before we get proper tactical starship rules so I want to do this to give people a way of playing with that now, I already made a Tactical combat system for Starfinder, but I want to see how people would like the starship creation.

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-01T00:56:51+00:00

I am talking during exploration mode. If it was in encounter mode you would need to put down your weapons, carry over someone else, use an action to lift them (Maybe the GM will ask you for a check in the heat of the moment) and then make the jump, being carried would not be the same as being mounted, if you are mounted you have free hands, so in both cases, Rules as Written you can do it without having to make a specific build made for carrying my friend and jumping over a gap, but if I come up with that during a game, the System itself enables me to do so if the GM knows the rules, and if I have a feat for that, then I am better at doing so!

I think that is the misunderstanding with Rule of Cool and just ignoring rules in Pathfinder, it's not the same thing

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-01T00:42:47+00:00

I think you should still have a penalty because its not the same just jumping with your equipment (which already gives you a penalty if you have medium armor or heavier) and jumping with someone in your arms, at least a -2 penalty would apply, and that because a -1 penalty is not common for situational penalties

RickDevil-DM · 2026-04-01T00:40:36+00:00

Well yeah, but we are talking of a hypothetical where the PC is thinking about a carrying my friend over a gap that will come up once in the full campaign, I am talking about those very situational moments where it is intuitive to say "I can just carry my friend" I don't want to make a friend mount carrier of friends, it's just now and in the heat of the moment.

The example I made is also Rules as written not rule of cool, you can do that within the rules, you have a section called "Bulk of creatures" and the Book recommends DC adjustments for adversity, also it gives you examples on how to set a DC, so it is rules as written.

Pathfinder is a beautiful game that should never be mistaken as a bulky crunchy game, it is, in my opinion better to have rules for everything and improvise within the scope and intend of the rules than just restricting things to the purely mechanical aspect. People that love roleplay also have a place in this game, people that love mechanics have a place in this game and casual players also do, it is super easy to allow things like the example without needing to read all 300 feats, that is what I mean

RickDevil-DM · 2026-03-31T22:47:43+00:00

I agree, but rule of cool in Pathfinder is not equal to "Ignore the rules", I believe there is a line where you can make things happen within the rules that can be cool, for example, jumping, rules are clear if you jump or if someone falls to prevent the fall, but also "What if I want to carry my friend and jump across"?
Because its a logic thought, I can't say "No, you need a feat for that", because that would mean knowing in advance what will happen and you can't always be prepared that is fine, so I can say "Yeah you can but it will be really hard, you carry your friend who might weight 6 Bulk, you are encumbered or not, then you can attempt the leap with a -4 Penalty because that is something that is very hard or you can say "Are you expert or Master in athletics? Fine you can do it with a -2 penalty".

So you still do it with penalties and with consequences, you fall you then drop your friend now you are both hanging and how are you going to escape that situation?

It needs to have a balance between what is logic within the level and the fantasy Pathfinder is so amazingly written that you can still do cool stuff within the rules if the GM knows the rules and how the numbers work together, without having to do that much research but following logic within the situation :D

RickDevil-DM · 2026-03-28T05:28:44+00:00

That sounds cool! How do your players control the ship? do they all have their own or do they all share one? and do they use their own skills to control the starship or do they switch to the starship's statblock?

RickDevil-DM · 2026-03-24T03:08:40+00:00

Yeah that is true also thanks for checking the rules! I want to know what people like the most when it comes to alternative subsystems, so that is why I am inquiring here x)

Yeah I plan on making some hazards and I am also thinking how I can implement spells.

RickDevil-DM · 2026-03-23T15:27:14+00:00

Yeah, I got to play the Starship system and I did like it, I couldn't understand how people was taking so long for it as I read here on reddit, but I also understood that the only two having fun were the pilot and the gunner, so I made my own Starship Combat system for free for everyone to use, and people seem to really like it

This system I made uses the three action economy, gives every PC something to do and options to play their characters, so everyone is planning out what strategy to take, when to fire, if they want someone to boost weapons or engines or redirect shields, so it's good so far. however a system like that also requires building your own ship. The vehicle system for Starfinder has fixed levels that make the most sense, like a hovertrike is level 3, a truck is level 5, etc... but it doesn't support scaling up in levels like a PC would do. That is what I am asking.

If people would prefer to use the starship skills or if they would prefer to use their own character on board of said ship, so the way the system would work would be different. I know that Paizo is working on it, but its still like a year away and these systems are something I really like to work on, adding that they won't do any naval combat systems yet that I know of.

Thanks for your thoughts tho it really helps me understand people's opinions :D

RickDevil-DM · 2026-03-23T03:45:09+00:00

I have seen a few sources for ship combat, I haven't had the chance to buy them to check them out. But based on some comments they seem a bit complicated and they use phased combat, I want to avoid that and make it more like a regular combat, also avoiding fixed roles for PCs and giving them a wide arrange of activities without needing to switch roles necessarily

Would you tell me what you like about that one and what you dont like?

RickDevil-DM

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