Category Archives: Starfinder Development
ShadowFinder Magic Item Sketches
Yep, I’m still working on ShadowFinder. Here are some ides I’m working on for magic items in that modern play mode for Starfinder. I haven’t worried about things like bulk, cost, or item level yet. I want to get the cool ideas nailed down a bit, then I’ll fill in game stats as appropriate for what the items do.
Floating Flashlight
A floating flashlight acts as a normal flashlight, but floats at your command. It can even draw itself and put itself away, which takes normal time but does not require you to have a hand free. It can float along with you, moving as you do and facing wherever you look, or as a move action you can direct it to go up to 60 feet from you. When moving with you, attacks against it are sunder combat maneuvers based on your KAC, as if you held it. When moving independently of you, it has an EAC and KAC of 12.
Temporary Hand Tattoos
Temporary hand tattoos look like small, innocuous items of 0 bulk you can hold in one hand. When picked up, they become tiny tattoos in the palm of your hand. You can have only one temporary tattoo in the palm of each hand, though artificial limbs and limbs you can use to carry more equipment (such as prehensile tails) also count for this purpose. You can activate a temporary tattoo as a standard action, which creates a magic effect. The tattoo is then discharged and no longer exists. You can “put down” a temporary tattoo, causing it to remove itself and go back to looking like a 0 bulk item.
Unless stated otherwise, activating a temporary tattoo is a standard action, which also triggers whatever ability it grants For example, if a temporary tattoo allows you to make an attack, the attack is part of the action to activate the tattoo.
(List to follow)
Door, Slammable
A slammable door appears to be just a doorknob until picked up. You can make a single melee attack as part of activating the tattoo, causing a full-sized door to briefly appear, which you slam on a foe as if they were standing in a doorway. If it hits, the unarmed attack does 1d10 more damage than normal, and it does not count as nonlethal or archaic. The item is then expended.
This same magic item sometimes takes other forms, such as a giant wooden mallet that appears just in time for you to hit a foe and then fades away, an anvil that drops on the target, or a gun that, when fired, has an enormous boxing glove extend out of it to punch your target.
Gun Slide, Instant
Also known as a “ka-chunk-chunk,” an instant gun slide looks like the slide of a typcial pistol (such as a 1911a Colt .45) until picked up. Triggering an instant gun slide is a move action, which allows you to boost a ranged weapon (as the boost special weapon quality) for an additional 1d10 damage. This looks like you are working the slide of an automatic weapon, racking a pump-action shotgun, cocking the hammer of a firearm, or otherwise getting ready to fire. This is a magical action–it doesn’t matter if your weapon is already fully ready to fire (it still looks and sounds as if you racked it again), and this does not expend or eject extra ammunition.
Vest, Surprise Concealed
This item looks like an extremely thin, barely noticeable armored vest that can easily be worn under even the flimsiest of shirts. Normally it cannot be detected when worn, unless you choose to show it to someone. However, if you are attacked while at 0 HP by an attack that would require you to spend Resolve Points to not die, the surprise concealed vest automatically negates that one attack, revealing itself in the process as if you had always worn it. It is then expended and useless.
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Shakk (Species for Starfinder)
The shakk are an amphibious species who evolved as aquatic solo alpha predators on their home world. Their own legends claimed they choose to evolve the ability to move on land, however awkwardly, to ensure there was no part of their planet they could not dominate. However, shakk evolved into sentience and sapience hundreds of thousands of years ago, and their planet was ravaged by numerous world wars fought with terrible weapons of mass destruction. Their entire pre-technological history is long lost, with counterfeits and propaganda from 103 known previous worldwide cultures further cluttering what is known about previous ages.
Shakk claim to now be in their “104th Society,” and it is this culture which became starfarers thousands of years ago. Thier current parent culture never moved past a form of technological feudalism that closely resembles the structure of organized crime in other societies, and many shakk are socialized to see might-makes-right mobster and corporate organizations as the “true” and “most real” types of government. A classically-educated shakk learns about negotiation, game-theory, and leverage as children, the lessons being thought much more important than “good behavior,” “making friends.” or “sharing.”
The 104th Shak Society sees the need to have a firm hierarchy the only way to prevent more destructive wars that could finally wipe them out as a species. As a result, shakk are often accused of being a species of mobsters, though of course they are no more genetically attuned to being mobsters than dwarves are crafters or humans are renegades. But the fact many shakk have managed to be extremely successful as overbosses of illegal and semi-legal operations keeps the stereotype alive.
There is some anthropological and genetic evidence to suggest shakk are distantly related to (or were perhaps engineered by) the alghollthus. Shakk themselves tend to see this claim as weak-at-best, and even if there is some relationship, fine it more likely that alghollthus are a genetically-engineered offshoot of shakk, perhaps a lost colony of a previous society that used genetic engineering to alter themselves to survive harsh environments.
Shakk
+2 Con, +2 Int, -2 Dex
Hit Points: 2
Large aberration
Swim speed: 40 feet
Slow but Steady: Shakk have a land speed of 20 feet, which is never modified when they are encumbered or wearing heavy armor. They also gain a +2 racial bonus to saving throws against poisons, spells, and spell-like abilities, and when standing on the ground they gain a +4 racial bonus to their KAC against bull rush and trip combat maneuvers.
Hefty: Shakk are treated as huge creatures when determining if they can be affected by maneuvers and special abilities. They can use weapons designed for Medium, Large, or Huge creatures without penalty.
Lungful: A shakk can hold its breath for a number of hours equal to it Con score.
Darkvision: Shakk can see up to 60 feet in the dark.
Sly: Shakk gain a +2 species bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks. (This represents a classic shakk education. Shakk raised in different environments can learn different lessons, and a GM may grant them a +2 species bonus on four different related skills.)
Strong Mind: Shakk gain a +4 racial bonus to Will saves vs compulsion effects, and the DC to Intimidate them is 4 higher than normal. If a shakk succeeds at its save against a compulsion effect, it has no effect on the shakk (even if there is normally a partial effect on a successful save).
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ShadowFinder Bestiary Teaser: Soul Lamprey
As work on ShadowFinder continues, I will occasionally preview things that will be in its Bestiary section. Many of these will be creatures from the ShadowBlast, but others will fill in the “normal” niches a typical modern adventure/scifi/fantasy/surreal/horror game might need.
For each of these, I plan to show some art, talk a bit about why I’m putting it in the ShadowFinder Core Book, and enough info a GM could create a version of the monster at any CR, using the standard Starfinder creature creation rules. In the final entries for these in the Core Book there will be at least one full stat block, but I do also want to give enough info on special abilities and role in an adventure that a GM can reliably make versions at different CRs as they need them.
So, let’s start with the soul lamprey.
Soul lampreys are creatures apparently native to the Shadowblast (though like anything in the Shadowblast, they might originally be from somewhere else and just trapped in that dim demiplane). They are driven by an insatiable hunger to consume the determination and drive of sapient beings, as well as the flesh of any sentient creature they can eat while it still lives.
The idea behind the soul lamprey is to get some of the player-dread that creatures that inflicted level drains and negative levels did in older ttRPGs… without the bookkeeping, refiguring, and literal inability to keep playing the character usefully in the same adventure that those rules often inflicted on players. Instead, soul lampreys eat Resolve Points.
To build a soul lamprey, you use a combatant stat array, a single bite melee attack that deals piercing damage, and give it these special abilities and adjustments:
Slow But Tough: A soul lamprey has EAC and KAC 2 lower than normal for the combatant array at its level, but also has 25% more Hit Points.
Devour Determination (Su): When a soul lamprey damages a target with tis bite, the target must make both a Fortitude and Will save. If it makes both saves, there is no additional affect. If the target fails 1 save, it loses 1 Resolve Point. If it fails both saves, is drained of 1d4 Resolve Points (+1d4 for every 4 full levels of the lamprey’s CR). Drained RP do not recover normally. Instead, each time the character regains their daily abilities, they reroll the Fort and Will saves, regaining 1 RP for each save they succeed at each day. If they make both saves, they regain an addition 1d4 RP (+1d4 for ever 4 character levels they have).
The soul lampry gains these Resolve Points, and can use them normally and to fuel its special abilities. While a soul lamprey has RP, any creature missing RP from a soul lamprey drain is flat-footed and off-target to the soul lamprey.
Digest Determination (Su): When a wounded soul lamprey devours determination, it can choose to expend any number of the RP it absorbs to heal itself as part of the attack. For each RP expended, it regains 1d8 HP + 1/2 its CR. It may only do this when it absorbs new RP.
Target Sense (Su): As part of any action it takes, a soul lamprey can expend 1 RP to gain blindsight (telepathy) with a range of 5 feet per CR of the lamprey. This only detects creatures missing RP drained by a soul lamprey. The ability lasts for 10 minutes per CR of the soul lamprey.
Trap Blind (Ex): A soul lamprey is vulnerable to attacks from things that lack their own determination. This includes traps, mindless creatures, and mechanic’s drones. Such attacks gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls and save DCs, and deal double damage, against soul lampreys.
Shudder Step (Su): When a creature damages a soul lamprey with a ranged attack, the soul lamprey can follow the trace of psychic energy carried by the decision to attack it back to its point of origin, teleporting to be adjacent to the attacker (or as close as possible if there is no safe space adjacent to the attacker). This does not take an action, but does expend 1 Resolve Point.
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ShadowFinder Gazetteer: Elseward
ShadowFinder continues to work towards release. Some of the material I am drawing on for parts of the worldbuilding in this play mode are heavily inspired by things that helped me through some dark times in my life. Elseward is one of those.
Elseward
Some of the areas in the demiplane known as the Shadowblast that are very close to the Material Plane. These regions, called Shallows, appear to be tightly bound to some mortal concepts or emotions and follow special rules compared to the rest of the Shadowblast. There exist natives of the Material Plane who are survivors of severe trauma and depression that can access a Shallows section of the Shadowblast known as Elseward – a violent, vicious realm that mixes dense noir city and surreal untamed jungle with no apparent rhyme or reason – usually without even knowing it. Projecting themselves partially into the Shallows, these Elsewarders exist in both their native Material Planes and the Elseward Shallow. They see and experience things other folk around them in the Material world do not, often mistaking Elseward events for daydreams. Some Elsewarders even develop special powers with the Shallows, creating a ethereal ShadowSelf that exists within Elseward even when the Elsewarders are not connected to it. Elsewarders then experience their ShadowSelf lives through dreams and reveries.
In a few cases, Elsewarders manage to heal and slowly disconnect from the Shallow, perhaps leaving their ShadowSelf behind, perhaps integrating it into themselves and departing from Elseward entirely. But more often, they eventually begin to draw bits of that Shallow region out into the Material Plane, beginning with minor Shadowblastoi creatures crossing over and growing in number, complexity, and power as time goes on. Such a traveller from Elseward into the Material Plane is known as a Drawesle, and its behavior is often dictated by the fears and nightmares of the Elsewarder that drew it through the Shallow.
It’s common for Drawesles to destroy their related Elsewarder, ending their link to the Material world and sending them back to the Shadowblast. Elsewarders with extreme will or some eldritch power source sometimes instead begin to spread their vision of the Elseward into their own world, and in rare cases even forge links between the Elseward and Material world denizens to whom they have strong (not necessarily positive) emotional connections. These advanced situations can result in small groups or even tightly-linked communities existing in both their own realities and the Elseward at once, appearing to experience ongoing shared dreams and hallucinations.
Some Elsewarders continue to hop back-and-forth for decades, with more and more links to the Shadowblast connecting to them as time passes. When the Elsewarder is secure, supported, and dealing with their trauma well, incidents are mostly just deep dreams and odd noises in dark corners, and easily dismissed by them and others as a wandering mind’s intrusive thoughts. When exposed to new trauma or under high stress, these well-worn links can actually anchor parts of Elseward to the Material world, generally in abandoned, remote, or chaotic, badly monitored locations. This leads to Drawesles building a Material Plane power base, seeking to torment the Elsewarder and those close to them to further strengthen the link.
In these cases, outside intervention is often needed to save the Elsewarder and those near them from their literal personal demons. This may be done by seeking out and ending the Drawesles’ base of operations on the Material world, or it may require a trip into Elseward to cut off the intrusion from the source. Of course, destroying a trauma-induced monstrosity preying on an Elsewarder doesn’t end the Elsewarder’s underlying issues. But it can help give them space to do the work needed to heal themselves, and give reassurance that their trials are very, very real.
DEEP ELSEWARDER [QUIRKY]
At one time, you were tightly linked to the Elseward, or some other section of the Shallows in the Shadowblast, and you have developed special powers that only function there.
Benefit: For each character level, you can select one tier of enigma power, one bonus feat for which you meet the prerequisites, or one level of spellcasting from a specific spellcaster class list (gaining spells known, spells per day, and a caster level equal to your levels of spellcasting selected with this feat). These are separate from your normal feats and (if you have them) enigma powers and spells. Abilities gained through this feat only function in Beachheads and Shallows of the Shadowblast.
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Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Laugh Out Loud Emoji and ROFL
Today we continue to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here. We’re working out way through all of PF1’s symbol spells and have reached symbol of laughter. In PF1 this symbol works off hideous laughter, a spell that doesn’t exist in Starfinder. So, just for consistency, it makes sense to create both spells at the same time for our project. While we are at it, we might as well create some more separation between our laughter spell and hold person, which are remarkably similar in the PF1 versions. IF we can, it’s also worth trying to make sure the spell isn’t overpowering, but still has some utility even against creatures that succeed at their save against it.
Laugh Out Loud Emoji
Class technomancer 3
School enchantment [compulsion, mind-affecting]
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that is commonly associated with humor or laughing. When triggered, affected creatures are overcome with laughter. The effect lasts as long as they remain within the area, and for 1d4 rounds after they leave. If a creature succeeds at their initial save against this effect and leave the area, they are not affected again if they re-enter the area. Creatures that fail their save are affected each time they enter the area.
Creatures who succeed at a saving throw and have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining laugh loudly, making Stealth checks against auditory senses impossible and the base DC of a Perception check to hear them is 0. They can expend 1 Resolve Point to ignore these conditions for 1d4 rounds.
Both creatures that succeed at a saving throw but do not still have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining, and creatures that fail at a saving throw and do have both SP and HP remaining, are affected as above and additionally are unable to communicate normally (though they can try to work information into their laughter as a move action, which acts as a Bluff check to pass secret messages) or use language-dependent and sense-dependent abilities. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore all these restrictions (except for the inability to use Stealth) for 1d4 rounds.
Creatures that fail a saving throw and do not have both SP and HP left are affected as above, and staggered. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore the staggered condition from this spell for 1 round.
Detect magic allows you to identify a laugh out loud emoji with a DC 17 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as laugh out loud emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a laugh out loud emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 23.
ROFL – Roll On Floor Laughing
Class technomancer 1
School enchantment [compulsion, mind-affecting]
Casting Time 1 standard action
Range medium (100 feet +10 feet/level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This spell causes the target to burst into uncontrollable gales of laughter. When initially affected the target falls prone (though it can stand normally afterwards), and for the duration of the spell it is staggered and laughing so loudly that making Stealth checks against auditory senses impossible and the base DC of a Perception check to hear them is 0. At the end of each turn the target can make a new Will save (at the same DC) to end the staggered effect.
Creatures that succeed at their initial save against this spell snort and chuckle involuntarily, but without the extreme effects described above. They are off-target, and take a -5 penalty to all Stealth checks against auditory senses. At the end of each turn the target can make a new Will save (at the same DC) to negate the spell entirely.
Because humor can be difficult to translate easily, even with magic, if a target could not be targeted by a language-dependent effect from you, has an Int bonus of -3 or less, or is of a different creature type, it gains a +4 bonus to saving throws to end or reduce this spell’s ongoing effects (but not its initial saving throw).
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Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Repair Emoji
Continuing this week’s theme, here are more glyphs, runes, and symbols for the project to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here. We’ve made it to symbol of healing… and I don’t like it.
For symbol of healing, what I don’t like is that the healing concept doesn’t work well with how I am positioning emoji spells to be aimed solely as technomancer options. Now there’s no hand-and-fast rule that technomancers can’t heal, but it does radically depart from the core concept of the class. I could just change my vision of how emoji spells work, giving this one (and maybe a few others) to mystics (who have more healing options in their spell lists). But instead, I’m going to revise the concept of “healing” into “repair,” to give technomancers options to restore HP to devices beyond mending and make whole.
Repair Emoji
Class technomancer 3
School necromancy
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless); Spell Resistance no
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that indicates an item commonly associated with repair, construction, or engineering. When triggered, affected objects and constructs in the area have HP restored to them. A creature or object can only gain HP from the same repair emoji once per day, and it affects each construct in the area when it is triggered, or when the object or construct first enters the area of the spell’s active rune.
Affected constructs and objects are affected as by the make whole spell. If the target is a construct with Resolve Points that is also missing Stamina Points, it can expend 1 Resolve Point to regain missing SP equal to the HP healed by the make whole effect.
Detect magic allows you to identify a repair emoji with a DC 17 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as repair emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a repair emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 23.
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Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Exsanguination Emoji and Fear Emoji
Yep, more glyphs, runes, and symbols for the project to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here.
Since I have a baseline on how emoji-sells-adapted-from-symbol-spells-that-don’t-work-off-HP work in mirror emoji, I can now go back and adapt the rest of the spells of that line. Which brings us emoji adaptations of symbol of exsanguination, and then symbol of fear.
With the option in Starfinder for a broader range of damage in bleed effects, I decided to go ahead and male a 3rd level version of exsanguination emoji, rather than 2nd level.
Exsanguination Emoji
Class technomancer 3
School necromancy
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Fortitude partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that indicates an item commonly associated with stabbing, bleeding, or bloodletting. When triggered, affected creatures in the area gain the bleeding condition. They continue to bleed for as long as they remain within the area, and if the bleeding is stopped it begins again if they end a turn within the rune’s area. Once outside the area the bleed condition can be stopped with a successful DC 15 Medicine check as a standard action, or through the application of any ability that restores Hit Points., and the creature can make a new Fortitude save to end the bleed at the beginning of each turn. Even if a creature’s bleed effect ended while they are outside the rune’s area, returning to the area causes them to bleed again.
Creatures who succeed at a saving throw and have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining bleed for 1d6/round. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore this condition for 1d4 rounds while within the rune’s area, or permanently if they leave the area during this time.
Both creatures that succeed at a saving throw but do not still have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining, and creatures that fail at a saving throw and do have both SP and HP remaining, bleed for 2d6/round. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore this condition for 1 round while within the rune’s area, or permanently if they leave the area during this time.
Creatures that fail a saving throw and do not have both SP and HP left bleed for 3d6/round. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they only bleed 1d6/round for 1d4 rounds.
Detect magic allows you to identify an exsanguination emoji with a DC 17 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as exsanguination emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find an exsanguination emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 23.
Fear Emoji
Class technomancer 4
School enchantment [emotion, fear, mind-affecting]
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Fortitude partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that is commonly associated with fear, shock, or panic. When triggered, affected creatures in the area gain a fear effect. The fear effect lasts as long as they remain within the area, and for 1d4 rounds after they leave. If a creature succeeds at their initial save against this effect and leave the area, they are not affected again if they re-enter the area. Creatures that fail their save are affected each time they enter the area.
Creatures who succeed at a saving throw and have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining are shaken. They can expend 1 Resolve Point to ignore this condition for 1d4 rounds.
Both creatures that succeed at a saving throw but do not still have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining, and creatures that fail at a saving throw and do have both SP and HP remaining, are frightened. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore this condition for 1d4 rounds during which time they are merely shaken.
Creatures that fail a saving throw and do not have both SP and HP left are panicked. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore the panic for 1 round and merely be shaken.
Detect magic allows you to identify afear emoji with a DC 18 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as fear emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a fear emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 25.
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Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Dispelling Emoji and Distracting Emoji
Yep, more glyphs, runes, and symbols for the project to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here.
Since I have a baseline on how emoji-sells-adapted-from-symbol-spells-that-don’t-work-off-HP work in mirror emoji, I can now go back and adapt the rest of the spells of that line. Which brings us to symbol of dispelling, which is a fairly straightforward adaptation, though I do want to make this 6th-level spell something worth casting and keep the thematic link between emoji spells and RP/SP/HP. And since that should be pretty easy, we can also tackle a conversion of symbol of distraction.
Dispelling Emoji
Class technomancer 6
School abjuration
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw None; Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that indicates an item commonly associated with disapproval, denial, refusal, or forbidding. When triggered, affected creatures are targeted by the area dispel option of the dispel magic spell. Each creature targeted must expend 1 Resolve Point, or the dispel check gains a +4 bonus against them. If a creature has no Stamina Points remaining, the dispel check also gains a +4 bonus.
Detect magic allows you to identify a dispel emoji with a DC 21 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as dispel emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a dispel emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 34.
The one thing to consider in turning symbol of distraction into a Starfinder spell is what level to make it. Mostly, if a symbol spell is available to a PF1 spontaneous spellcasting class that has access to 0-6th level spells (such as bard), I keep the emoji version at the same level for Starfinder. However, in the case of distracting emoji I dislike the idea of it being a 6th level spell, on par with the death and debauchery emoji spells. So, I saw that wizards got symbol of distraction as 11th level characters in PF1, and technomancers gain access to 4th level spells at 11th level in Starfinder, and this feels on-par with other 4th level Starfinder spells, and opted to go at that level for distracting emoji (and kept that in mind when deciding on its effects).
Distracting Emoji
Class technomancer 4
School enchantment (compulsion, mind-affecting)
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that is commonly associated with surprise, shock, suddenness, or interest. When triggered, affected creatures are magically compelled to move toward the symbol for as long as they are within the rune’s area, and 1d4 rounds after leaving it (which they may find difficult).
Creatures who succeed at a saving throw and have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining are staggered. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore this condition for 1d4 rounds.
Both creatures that succeed at a saving throw but do not still have both Stamina Points and Hit Points remaining, and creatures that fail at a saving throw and do have both SP and HP remaining, must take a move action to move toward the rune each round, and cannot move away from it except by using a guarded step. If they expend a Resolve Point at the beginning of their turn, they can ignore this compulsion for 1d4 rounds.
Creatures that fail a saving throw and do not have both SP and HP left are staggered and must move toward the symbol if they are not adjacent to it (moving at least 20 feet each round if they have a mode of momvement that fast, or as fast as they can if they don’t). Each round such creatures may expend a Resolve Point to merely be staggered and not able to move away from the symbol for 1 round.
Detect magic allows you to identify a distracting emoji with a DC 19 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as distracting emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a distracting emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 29.
PATREON!
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Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Debauchery Emoji
Yep, more glyphs, runes, and symbols for the project to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here.
Since I have a baseline on how emoji-sells-adapted-from-symbol-spells-that-don’t-work-off-HP work in mirror emoji, I can now go back and adapt the rest of the spells of that line. Which brings us to symbol of debauchery… which is gross. If I had a character fail a single save and then spend time trying to “rush to the nearest creature in order to caress and kiss it,” and that cause the character to be making unwelcome inappropriate advances, I would be unhappy.
So, let’s do a ground-up revision.
Debauchery Emoji
Class technomancer 6
School enchantment [compulsions, emption, mind-affecting]
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw Will partial (see text); Spell Resistance yes
This functions as mirror emoji, except as noted above and as follows. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that indicates a item commonly associated with hedonism and overindulgence, such as wine, food, or the holy symbol of a god of debauchery. When triggered, affected creatures are overcome by waves of debauched impulses, which take time and effort to resist.
Affected creatures are stunned for 1 round/level, and each round, they may expend 1 Resolve Point to instead be dazed and able to take a single move or swift action for that round. If a creature affected makes a Will save or has Stamina points remaining, it is dazed (but able to take a single move or swift action each round), and each round may expend 1 Resolve Point to be staggered for the round. If the creature makes a Will save and has Stamina Points remaining, it is staggered for 1 round per level, and each round may expend 1 Resolve Point to be able to act normally for that round.
Detect magic allows you to identify a debauchery emoji with a DC 21 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
Magic traps such as debauchery emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a debauchery emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 34.
PATREON!
If you enjoy any of my various thoughts, ideas, and posts, please consider adding a drop of support through my Patreon campaign!, or dropping a cup of coffee worth of support at my Ko-Fi (which is also filled with pics of my roommate’s cat).
Converting PF1 spells to Starfinder: Mirror Emoji
Okay, we’re still doing glyphs, runes, and symbols for the project to convert to Starfinder all the Pathfinder 1st edition spells that don’t already exist (or have a clear replacement) in that game. You can find an index of the spells that have been converted to-date here.
I noticed that while several symbol spells are cued off HP in PF1, such as symbol of death, others aren’t linked to HP but still otherwise follow all the “symbol” spell rules. Obviously, I’ll want to be able to refer to previous spells, i.e. “this spell acts as death emoji, except…” but it makes sense to have one set of rules for those that work on SP/HP/RP, and a different set for those that just affect every creature in the area when triggered. So, I found the lowest-level “symbol” spell in PF1 and have made a Starfinder emoji spell version, so that all higher-level spells using these rules can refer to this one.
Mirror Emoji
Class technomancer 2
School illusion [figment]
Casting Time 10 minutes
Range 0 ft.; see text
Effect one rune
Duration see text
Saving Throw None (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
This spell allows you to scribe a potent rune of power upon a surface or encode it within a computer program. Each viewer of the rune perceives it slightly differently, with the rune taking the visible form of a simple symbol that indicates a mirror or reflection to the viewer. When triggered, a mirror emoji grants a single image (as mirror image) to each creature within 60 feet of the rune (treat as a burst). The mirror image lasts as long as the creature is within the rune’s area (a new image appearing at the end of the creature’s turn if the previous one is destroyed), and for one minute or until it is struck once the creature leaves the area. Each time you cast a mirror emoji, you must expend one Resolve Point. You cannot regain that RP until the mirror emoji is discharged, dismissed, or dispelled.
Once triggered, the mirror emoji‘s rune becomes active and glows, lasting for 10 minutes per caster level. A creature that enters the area while the mirror emoji‘s rune is active is subject to its effect, whether or not that creature was in the area when it was triggered. Until it is triggered, the mirror emoji is inactive (though visible and legible at a distance of 60 feet). To be effective, a mirror emoji must always be placed in plain sight and in a prominent location, or tied to a computer or computer program so it becomes visible when they are activated. Covering or hiding the rune renders the mirror emoji ineffective, unless a creature removes the covering, in which case the mirror emoji works normally. Similarly if attached to a program in a computer, it has no affect until and unless that program is activated or hacked, in which case the mirror emoji‘s rune appears on the computer’s control screen and becomes active.
As a default, a mirror emoji is triggered whenever a creature does one or more of the following, as you select: looks at the rune; reads the rune; touches the rune; passes over the rune; activates a computer or a computer program into which the rune is embedded, or passes through a portal bearing the rune. Regardless of the trigger method or methods chosen, a creature more than 60 feet from a mirror emoji can’t trigger it (even if it meets one or more of the triggering conditions, such as reading the rune). If a mirror emoji is tied to a computer or computer program, it can appear at any interface (including a hacking effort), but once it does so that is the only interface the spell’s rune appears at. Once the spell is cast, a mirror emoji‘s triggering conditions cannot be changed.
In this case, “reading” the rune means any attempt to study it, identify it, or fathom its meaning. Throwing a cover over a mirror emoji to render it inoperative triggers it if the spell is set to reacts to touch. You can’t use a mirror emoji offensively; for instance, a touch-triggered mirror emoji remains untriggered if an item bearing the spell’s rune is used to touch a creature. Likewise, a mirror emoji cannot be placed on a weapon and set to activate when the weapon strikes a foe.
You can also set special triggering limitations of your own. These can be as simple or elaborate as you desire. Special conditions for triggering a mirror emoji can be based on a creature’s name, identity, or official group affiliation, but otherwise must be based on observable actions or qualities. Intangibles such as level, class, HD, alignment, Resolve Points, Stamina Points, or Hit Points don’t qualify.
When encoding a mirror emoji, you can specify a password or phrase that prevents a creature using it from triggering the spell’s effect. Anyone using the password remains immune to that particular mirror emoji‘s effects so long as the creature remains within 60 feet of the spell’s rune. If the creature leaves the radius and returns later, it must use the password again.
You also can attune any number of creatures to a mirror emoji, but doing this can extend the casting time. Attuning one or two creatures takes negligible time, and attuning a small group (as many as 10 creatures) extends the casting time to 1 hour. Attuning a large group (as many as 25 creatures) takes 24 hours. Attuning larger groups takes an additional 24 hours per 25 creatures. Any creature attuned to a mirror emoji cannot trigger it and is immune to its effects, even if within its radius when it is triggered. You are automatically considered attuned to your own mirror emojis, and thus always ignore the effects and cannot inadvertently trigger them (though you may consciously choose to trigger it).
Detect magic allows you to identify a mirror emoji with a DC 16 Mysticism check. Of course, if the symbol is set to be triggered by reading it, this will trigger the symbol.
A mirror emoji can be removed by a successful dispel magic targeted solely on the rune. Other spells that affect text or computer programs do not affect a death emoji unless they specify they function against magic glyphs, runes, and symbols. Destruction of the surface where a mirror emoji is inscribed or a computer it is imbedded in destroys the symbol but also triggers it.
Magic traps such as mirror emoji are hard to detect and disable. While any character can use Perception to find a death emoji (which may trigger it), a character must use the lowest of their Engineering or Mysticism skill (based on the skill’s total bonus) to disarm it. The DC in each case is 21.
PATREON!
If you enjoy any of my various thoughts, ideas, and posts, please consider adding a drop of support through my Patreon campaign!, or dropping a cup of coffee worth of support at my Ko-Fi (which is also filled with pics of my roommate’s cat).
Owen K.C. Stephens 