Starfinder Second Edition Playtest Review

The Paizo team sent me a copy of the Starfinder Second Edition Playtest book so I could give my honest review of it.

This is not a standalone book. In order to playtest this edition, you will need a copy of the Pathfinder Player Core and GM Core. This makes Starfinder and Pathfinder completely compatible, so if you want Gunslingers in space or Envoys on Golorian, you can have them.

I’m always blown away by Paizo’s books. Even though this is just a playtest, you can tell that the team put a lot of thought and hard work into the production of this book. Artwork and layout are always gorgeous. Upon opening the book, you are greeted by Captain Concierge who will show up throughout the book as your guide.

And show up he does. Captain Concierge pops up to talk about some of the changes the team has made, what they were trying to do with them, and what they are needing feedback on. This makes navigating the changes easier and keeps feedback in the forefront of your brain.

Ancestries and Backgrounds

There are 10 ancestries in this book with 2 new core species and 2 new versatile heritages. The new species are the Barathu (a jellyfish-like species who float around vast gas giants) and the Pahtras (a feline-themed species who’ve recently liberated their homeworld from the Veskarium empire). Borai, corpses reanimated by its own soul, and Prismeni, beings suffused with the energy of the drift, are the new versatile heritages. Each of the ancestries has been expanded to include heritages and ancestry feats unique to each species.

Characters don’t just spring to life the second they decide to start adventuring. Jobs and lives outside of combat lend characters depth and distinct skills. In addition to the use of Pathfinder backgrounds, there are a ton of unique Starfinder ones to choose from, like Dream Prophet, Space Pirate, and Icon.

Classes

There are 6 classes in this book: Envoy, Mystic, Operative, Solarian, Soldier, and Witchwarper. If you’re missing the Mechanic or Technomancer, don’t worry, they will be coming in later books. Each class feels like they got a breath of fresh air breathed into them with feats and styles. I won’t go over all of the changes, but I want to give some examples.

The Envoy gets to pick a leadership style, how they want their character to lead the party. This allows two different players to have to completely different Envoys, one leading from the shadows and another who goes in guns blazing.
The Mystic’s Vitality Network is vital in keeping their allies safe in battle. They can take a Transfer Vitality action to heal themselves and their allies, allowing them to save their spells for other uses.
The Operative’s Mobile Reload means that they don’t have to slow down to reload the weapon they are using. Whenever they Interact to reload a ranged weapon, they can also Step or Stride.
Solarian gains Solar Flare as one of their Solar Manifestations. This is a short ranged flare that does either bludgeoning or fire damage, depending on their attunement.
Walking Armory keeps the Soldier from becoming overburdened by their armor. If they meet the Strength requirement for their armor, they can reduce its bulk by one (to a minimum of one).
The Witchwarper’s Anchor keeps them anchored to reality. This can be memories or a tangible object.

Feats

Most of the feats listed in the book can be found in the Pathfinder Player Core during the playtest period, but will be printed in the Starfinder Player Core when it comes out. But of course, there are plenty of options to play with that are Starfinder specific.

It wouldn’t be a science fiction game without the ability to augment your body. Augmentation Specialists can install or remove augmentations, earning them additional income.

Power Slide is just one of the Piloting feats that allows you to do a controlled skid to evade pursuit.

Equipment and Spells

There is a wide array of new weapons, armor, augmentations, and upgrades to play with. This includes Magitech augmentations, a combination of cybernetic and magical components.

Spells are divided out into more types: Arcane, Divine, Occult, and Primal. Once it is released, Starfinder Player Core will likely have some revamped versions of existing spells to work better in the system, but that is all based on the feedback they receive. I do like the idea of being able to adjust the gravity around me.

Final Thoughts

I feel like this book was well thought out and organized. Captain Concierge was a cute addition to give insight into what the team was trying to do and what kind of feedback they are looking for. Giving me new Deities and spells to play with always tickles my fancy. Do I wish that all of the rules were printed in the book so I didn’t need to reach for other ones in my collection to cross reference things? Yes, but I completely understand that they did it to focus on what needs to be tested.