Here’s a look behind the scenes at Paizo’s internal playtests.

Welcome to one of our first blogs following up on the recent announcement of Starfinder Second Edition! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Thurston Hillman, the Managing Creative Director for Starfinder. Basically, that means that I guide the creative vision for the Starfinder brand, while also managing the great folks who work on the Starfinder Roleplaying Game. Today, as we continue our open playtest experience, I wanted to give you a behind-the-scenes look at some of the internal playtesting we’ve been doing here at Paizo!

Up until this point, the team has been doing some immediate stress tests of new classes under the GMing stewardship of our Director of Game Design, Jason Bulmahn. These involved some themed adventures about a starship that went too close to the Horizon of an Event, or a deadly jungle encounter where we learned the creature hunting us could bleed and so we could kill it. The playtests we’re reviewing here take place after those, bypassing some of our rockier initial class design, and instead focused on exploring some other aspects of Starfinder in a new game engine.

Playtest #1: Streetsweep

Map: Starfinder Flip-Mat: Enormous Battlefield
Character Level: 5th

Our initial playtests generally took place in confined environments, or locations that forced some tight-quarters gameplay. This was great, because we all know that there’s going to be a ton of adventures happening in cramped starship corridors or on alien worlds with lots of dense foliage. However, those situations are only a small part of the Starfinder experience. One element that I’ve been passionate about—speaking as the developer who proverbially trademarked “1 square = 30 feet” in an adventure I developed for Organized Play—was that we needed to try out some open-area and long-range combats to make sure all these futuristic guns and grenades we’ve been working on were going to be fun and balanced in play.

Starring in this playtest:

• GM: Thurston Hillman (Managing Creative Director for Starfinder)
• Operative: Jessica Catalan (Starfinder Society Developer)
• Mystic: Dustin Knight (Starfinder Developer)
• Soldier: GM NPC played by Thurston
• Witchwarper: Jenny Jarzabski (Starfinder Senior Developer)

For a quick recap of the classes at play here…

The operative focuses on using guns and taking an aim action to get extra precision damage. Jessica’s operative for this playtest was built to be a sniper (as opposed to our iconic, who is more focused on using pistols at close range).

The mystic class creates a bond with their party members and has a vitality network that allows them to store Hit Points and deliver them to bonded allies with a single action (for those clutch heals). Dustin attempted a test build using the song connection to provide some buffs in addition to healing.

The witchwarper class activates a quantum aura, which creates bizarre effects and manipulates nearby space. Jenny’s witchwarper used the precog anomaly to help control the flow of time in and around them (as well as stacking grenades in their cheek pouches).

Finally, my soldier was built using a bombard-focused style, packing a stellar cannon and a machine gun to take advantage of being a kasatha and having four arms. For more info on the soldier and how it plays, check out Field Test #1.

We got right into the action, with the party confronting a group of Azlanti Star Empire Aeon Guards advancing through the streets of an embattled city. These well-trained troops used an ability called “aeon advance” that allowed them to spend a single action to move and fire their rifles if they ended adjacent to another Azlanti ally. This led to a vicious opening salvo, as the Aeon Guards had some exceptional initiative rolls, and advanced to slam a withering fusillade of fire into the soldier. This also led to the enemies clustering up, which turned out to be pretty useful in testing out how the soldier worked.

Once the PCs got to go, the situation quickly changed. Jessica’s operative took their first shot and opened (naturally) with a critical hit. This single shot dealt a whopping 2d12+2d6+1 damage, then doubled, then another 1d12 for the extra fatal damage dice. This dealt in the 40s for damage and immediately popped one of the Aeon Guards down, as they only had 30 Hit Points.

This set the tone for the combat as the soldier began unleashing hell with their stellar cannon, dealing regular damage to the clustered Aeon Guards. The mystic provided spot healing through their vitality network, while the witchwarper opted to try out grenades. Right now, the Starfinder team is experimenting with grenades as placed area effects with a limited range and no attack roll that use a character’s Class DC to determine targets’ saves. Our tactics were a success, and it didn’t take long for the players to overcome this Moderate threat encounter.

The second encounter of this playtest had the PCs advance further into the city, where they came under fire from additional Aeon Guard ground troops, as well as a pair of Aeon Guard snipers. These snipers held back and used a ported-over version of the “Sentry’s Aim” action found on the Archer Sentry in the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide, which let them sit back and fire with their long-range weapons and ignore cover on targets—a VERY powerful ability. Currently, the operative’s aim action isn’t quite this good, but NPCs get to cheat every once in a while!

What stood out most about this fight was the use of a simple piece of terrain on the map, a downed tree, for cover. Much of the combat saw both sides on opposite ends of a toppled tree stump, each firing at one another and then taking cover for increased AC against return fire. This led to a really fun and cinematic combat, which also forced a “sniper duel” as Jessica’s operative had to battle the two enemy snipers, one of which was almost 200 feet away, so far away they aren’t even visible on the screenshots.

This fight had some other interesting mechanics at play. The soldier fired a warning shot prior to the start of combat to suppress one of the Aeon Guards, applying a combat penalty that actually stopped the guards from hitting in the first round, and slowing their advance into cover thanks to the suppressed condition (see Field Test #1 for detailed info on how all this works). Our witchwarper was able to flush the Aeon Guards out of cover, and then the mortal coil, by zipping forward with the help of magic and tossing grenades into them as they clustered for cover behind the tree stump. Meanwhile, the mystic continued to provide healing to everyone through their vitality network, while also tossing out reliable offensive spells like noise blast to help overcome immediate threats. The combat was over in round 5, thanks in part to the precog’s aura giving a speed boost to allies that let them close the gap with the snipers in short order.

This was the end of the playtest session. In the team’s debrief we discussed how area weapons were overall way more effective on groups of enemies (big surprise, I know). This had been a sticking point in our prior playtesting where enemies were spread out or we battled single foes where the area damage didn’t make much difference. This really made us think that the soldier might need more abilities to focus on single targets, something we’re already started pondering.

It also got us talking about adventure design and including options for encouraging creatures to group up for benefits. The sniper operative was consistent, with strong capabilities of popping lower-level threats through crits and dealing reliable damage with their aimed shots, which made us concerned about the overall damage the class could put out (more on that in our next playtest!). The mystic felt like it was in a good place with how they could provide secondary healing while also actively participating in battle. The witchwarper continues to be one that we fine tune, as its quantum aura ability requires them to stay mobile and play close to enemies to take advantage of some of their unique warp spells and effects.

Stay tuned for more behind-the-scenes looks at our playtests, news about our ongoing releases, and discussions about Starfinder Second Edition!

Thurston Hillman
Managing Creative Director (Starfinder)

Today we’re ecstatic to officially announce that Starfinder Second Edition is happening. Back in 2017 we released Starfinder, a new game system and setting to stand alongside Paizo’s tried and true Pathfinder brand. Today we’re revealing the next evolution in Starfinder as we announce its second edition and lay out our plans for the future.

This new edition of Starfinder is being designed to be fully compatible with the upcoming release of the Pathfinder Remastered rulebooks and all future Pathfinder Second Edition products. This means that all your Pathfinder content going forward will be compatible with the new edition of Starfinder, and that all Starfinder Second Edition content will work in Pathfinder—with your GM’s permission, of course!

We’ll be releasing a full playtest in Summer 2024, but we wanted to announce the new edition early because it’s our intent to make Starfinder’s playtest the most open playtest Paizo has released to date.

That all starts today with the release of our first Starfinder Field Test. These documents are a little different than the playtest files we’ve released in the past. Each Field Test is a snippet of ongoing design work drafted by the Starfinder team and is intended to show what we’re working on and some of the directions we’re exploring. Our first document focuses on the first five levels of one of our new base classes: the soldier. Along with this, we’ve included some rules for futuristic weaponry and a couple of creatures for you to toss into your games.

Unlike other playtests, the Field Test documents will not be accompanied by a feedback survey, as they are intended to be behind-the-scenes looks at what is coming. Look forward to August 2024, when the full playtest launches for your feedback!

Along with the first Field Test, we also wanted to announce the first four classes to be included in the upcoming Starfinder Playtest Rulebook.

The mystic is a spellcasting class that focuses on the divine and primal traditions and has the unique ability to form a bond with their closest allies. Using their bond to impart a variety of bonuses on their allies, the mystic can also heal them through their shared bond. Once represented by Keskodai, our iconic shirren, a new iconic has taken on the role of the mystic. Chk Chk grew up in his father’s larval container, witnessing all manner of traumatizing adventures in his childhood. Now an adult, Chk Chk has become a devout worshipper of the amalgamate deity, Zon-Shelyn, and believes in channeling suffering into artistic expression.

The soldier gets its first preview in today’s Field Test and specializes in taking hits and unloading with area of effect weapons. With different fighting styles at their disposal, soldiers can focus on different areas of importance, like defense, ranged offense, or even a bit of melee effectiveness. The iconic vesk soldier, Obozaya, returns in all her glory. While she hasn’t turned over her doshko blades yet, age and battle scars have forced Obo to turn her attention to heavy weapons and contributing to the fight in a new way—but don’t worry, she still beats things up in melee!

Along with these two classes, we are also announcing the envoy and the solarian. These classes are still undergoing some internal testing, so we’re going to hold off on saying too much about them for now. What we will say is that the iconic envoy, Navasi, is returning with many years of adventuring behind her. Along with Navasi, we also have a new solarian iconic whose art we’re revealing; we’ll be keeping the remaining details under wraps for the time being. Canny viewers should notice that the art for this iconic is an ancestry that wasn’t in the Starfinder Core Rulebook. That’s because the feline pahtra species are now a core ancestry in Starfinder Second Edition!

Concept sketches for the four iconics. Chk Chk, a shirren mystic. Navasi, a human envoy. Obozaya, a vesk soldier. An unnamed pahtra solarian.
Concept Sketches by Kent Hamilton

To complement this announcement, we’ve also put together a Frequently Asked Questions page related to Starfinder Second Edition, where we’ve included a few more details about the project. Check that out and keep an eye on the Starfinder Playtest page for the latest content and news related to the newest evolution of the Starfinder roleplaying game.

We’re so excited to undertake this journey and hope you’ll be at our side as we take a step into a bold new future together!

— The Starfinder Team

-Thurston Hillman, Managing Creative Director (Starfinder)
-Jenny Jarzabski, Senior Developer
-Dustin Knight, Developer
-Jessica Catalan, Starfinder Society Developer

With the close of the Starfinder evolutionist playtest, we want to thank everyone who participated whether by filling out a survey or sharing thoughts on our forum or another venue.

We’re working on processing your input and (as appropriate for a class all about the power of change) making adjustments to help the evolutionist shine. Of note, we’re looking at the class complexity and its effectiveness in and out of combat, as well as some quality-of-life improvements (such as changing the name of its pool of points).

On top of that we’ll be very excited to share with you the product in which this new class will appear, so keep an eye out! For now, enjoy another glance at our iconic, illustrated by Kent Hamilton!

Thanks so much for your valuable feedback during this playtest and good luck on your adventures among the stars.

—The Starfinder Team

There are just a few weeks left in the open playtest period for Starfinder’s upcoming evolutionist class. If you haven't already downloaded the free playtest PDF and tried out the new class, you still have time! The playtest ends September 24th, and we need your feedback to make this class the best it can be.

We’re especially excited to share with you a concept sketch of the evolutionist iconic, by our own Kent Hamilton! Look for more information about this new character in the future.

Illustration by Kent Hamilton

If you haven’t yet, test out an evolutionist build in a home game or in Starfinder Organized Play, then share your thoughts via our survey or playtest forum.

We're already processing the feedback you've sent us so far and are discussing the ways we might improve the evolutionist class. Also, if you missed our update elsewhere, please note that the evolutionist loses all EP at the end of combat!

Thank you so much for your respectful and productive survey responses and forum conversations—these are invaluable sources of feedback, and we've been keeping a close eye on them. We’re especially interested in any thoughts you have about the complexity of the class.

For those who have already participated in the playtest, we thank you, and to those who plan to still send us feedback: we eagerly await your thoughts!

—The Starfinder Team

The evolutionist is a new class for Starfinder that brings to bear the power of transformation over time. As an evolutionist, you’ll become a fantastical extraplanar being, turn from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning capacity for change with the sometimes-dangerous effects of tapping into such potential.

Illustration by Michele Giorgi

This playtest is your chance to get a look at an early version of this new class and have a hand in its development before it hits shelves in an upcoming book!

Playtesting the Evolutionist

The evolutionist playtest launches today, August 2, and runs through September 24. So how can you help playtest this new class? First, you’ll want to download the free PDF of the playtest from starfinderplaytest.com. Then you can create a brand new evolutionist of any level using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using your new character. If possible, make up characters at different levels to get a sense of how they work at different points in their career.

There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, or even in mock combats that you create yourself using the Starfinder Core Rulebook’s encounter-creation rules. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.

Playtesting in the Starfinder Society

Players participating in Starfinder Society Organized Play can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the evolutionist class. From today until the playtest's completion, players can create custom evolutionist characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. For more information, click here.

Survey

Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through a survey that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. A link to the survey is available on the playtest page. Please make sure you've filled out your survey by September 24, 2021.

In addition to responding via the official survey, you can engage with other players and designers on the playtest forum to discuss the evolutionist and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual-play feedback, we're interested in hearing all your ideas about the class.

What are your thoughts about the playtest? Are you excited? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!

—The Starfinder Team

Some say the only constant is change—and Starfinder’s newest playtest is all about it! Indeed, it’s time to shake up the galaxy with a new class that demonstrates the power and possibility of transformation.

From August 2nd to September 24th, we’ll be running a public playtest for the evolutionist, Starfinder’s future addition to the bevvy of available classes! The class will feature in an upcoming (unannounced, impossible-to-discern) Starfinder product.

As an evolutionist, you’ll choose a path of transformation and gain related abilities as you grow in power: become a magnificent extraplanar being, evolve from mere mortal into machine, accept the powers and perils of undeath, or erupt with chimeric potential and vital energy. Whichever path you choose, you’ll have to balance your burgeoning prowess for metamorphosis with the dangerous risks sometimes posed by your talents.

Illustration by Victor Manuel Leza Moreno

Paizo Organized Play Starfinder Evolutionist Playtest rules can be found here. Come back on August 2nd to get everything you need to learn more about—and playtest—Starfinder’s newest class at StarfinderPlaytest.com!

With the close of the Starfinder precog playtest, we want to thank everyone who participated, whether by filling out a survey or sharing thoughts on our forum.

We now have before us the task of processing your valuable feedback and making any needed changes, from major to minor, to help this new class shine. Of course, in the coming months, we will also be excited to talk about how the final version of the time-bending precog will make it into your hands!

Illustration by Setiawan Lee

Thank you again for a successful playtest, and good luck on your adventures among the stars.

The Starfinder Team

There are just a few days left in the open playtest period for Starfinder’s upcoming precog class. If you haven't already downloaded the free playtest PDF and tried out the new class, you still have time! The playtest ends December 25, and we need your feedback to make this class the best it can be.

Illustration by Matias Tapia

If you haven’t yet, test out a precog build in a home game or in Starfinder Organized Play, and then share your thoughts via our survey or playtest forum.

Meanwhile, we're already processing the feedback you've sent us so far and discussing the ways we might improve the precog class. Thank you so much for your respectful and productive survey responses and forum conversations—these are invaluable sources of feedback, and we've been keeping a close eye on them.

While any remaining playtesting should use the class as presented in the playtest document, we wanted to take this opportunity to let you know that the final version of the class will likely move away from using Dexterity as the basis for its spellcasting—though Dexterity remains an important feature of the class identity and will likely remain the precog’s key ability score. Again, your feedback—particularly that based on actual play— has been invaluable in making these decisions, so please continue to share it!

For those who have already participated in the playtest, we thank you, and to those who plan to still send us feedback: we eagerly await your thoughts!

The Starfinder Team

With the release of the Precog Playtest, the Starfinder Society Organized Play Program is also opening its doors to a limited form of playtest, specifically for the Precog class. Since this class won't be for some time, we're looking at allowing players the chance to test out this new during the playtest period.

Playtest Period: The availability for these rules runs from the publishing of this post until the end of the playtest period (December 25, 2020.) Once this period has expired, players can no longer use the Precog Playtest class until its publication in a future Starfinder product.

How It Works: We're opening up Society play for the playtest class via the use of custom created characters that operate much like our pregenerated characters. We believe this should encourage players to test the waters with custom builds, be it with current scenarios or through our growing stable of repeatable options.

Creating a Playtest Character: Prior to playing a scenario in the playtest period, a player can determine if they want to playtest the new class. Depending on the tier of the scenario, the player can then use a 1st-, 4th- or 8th-level character using the Precog class presented in the Playtest and created using the following guidelines:

• Class: The character must have all levels in the Precog class. Although multiclassing ramifications are important for the playtest as a whole, we're keeping to single classes in the organized play portion of the playtest for simplicity.
• 1st Level: The character can be created using the character creation rules presented in the Starfinder Core RulebookM and Guide to Organized Play: Starfinder Society.
• 4th Level: This character follows the same rules as above, except it can select one 4th level armor or weapon and one 3rd level armor or weapon. In addition, the player can spend up to 4,000 credits on other available equipment.
• 8th Level: This character follows the same rules as above, except it can select one 8th level armor or weapon and one 7th level armor or weapon. In addition, the player can spend up to 18,000 credits on other available equipment.

Credit: The credit earned for playing a playtest character follows the same rules and guidelines as presented on page 7 of the Guide to Organized Play: Starfinder Society. This means that you must choose which of your characters will receive the credit at the beginning of the adventure. Credit must be assigned to characters of lower level than the playtest character.

Resolving Conditions: We recognize that players taking the opportunity to playtest these characters are performing a service for the game and campaign. As a result, whenever a player playtests a 4th- or 8th-level version of these characters, the cost to purchase a raise dead is reduced to 6 Fame and subsequent restorations to remove the negative levels are only 1 Fame each. This means that there's still some risk to your established characters, but the penalty for dying as a playtest character is far less onerous than it would be for a normal character or pregenerated character.

Applying Credit: As we want to encourage extra play of the higher-level versions of the Precog, we're also going to open up the rules for applying credit when playing a playtest character. A player using a non-1st-level playtest character may choose to apply the earned Chronicle Sheet to an existing Organized Play character. To do so, simply replace the credits earned on the Chronicle Sheet with credits from the list below that match the level range of the existing player character.

• Levels 1-2: 720 credits (2,160 credits for Adventure Path module)
• Levels 3-4: 1,460 credits (4,380 credits for Adventure Path module)
• Levels 5-6: 4,085 credits (12,255 credits for Adventure Path module)
• Levels 7-8: 5,835 credits (17,505 credits for Adventure Path module)

With all this in mind, we encourage our players to take an active part in the playtest, both by sharing your opinions online in the Playtest forums and by completing the playtest surveys. We hope that by opening up the means in which players can create and customize characters for the playtest, that we can see some unique and fun builds using this new class and that such tests will provide the design team with priceless "field agent" feedback!

I look forward to hearing from each of you about your experiences with the Precog class and am even more excited to see this class join the roster of Starfinder classes sometime in the future!

Thurston Hillman
Starfinder Society Developer

In less than two weeks, we will be launching a playtest for a new Starfinder spellcaster class—the precog!

This playtest is your chance to get a look at an early version of this new class and have a hand in its development before it hits shelves in an upcoming book!

Playtesting the Precog

The precog playtest launches on November 16, 2020, and runs through December 25, 2020. So how can you help playtest this new class? First, you’ll want to download the free PDF of the playtest from starfinderplaytest.com (available starting on November 16th). Then you can create a brand new precog of any level using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using your new character. If possible, make up characters at different levels to get a sense of how they work at different points in their career. There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, or even mock combats that you create yourself using the Starfinder Core Rulebook’s encounter-creation rules. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.

Playtesting in the Starfinder Society

Players participating in Starfinder Society Organized Play can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the precog class. From November 16th until the playtest's completion, players can create custom precog characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. These custom characters use many of the same rules as pregenerated characters, though the Organized Play team has slightly relaxed the rules in order to encourage playtesting these new classes. For more information, check out this afternoon's blog about using the precog in Starfinder Society.

Survey

Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through a survey that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. A link to the survey will be available on the playtest page starting on November 16th. Please make sure you've filled out your survey by December 25,2020.

In addition to responding via the official survey, you can engage with other players and designers on the playtest forum—a link will appear on starfinderplaytest.com—to discuss the precog and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual-play feedback, we're interested in hearing all of your ideas about the class.

What are your thoughts about the playtest? Are you excited? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!

The Starfinder Team

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Now that the dust has settled from our months-long public playtest of Starfinder’s upcoming nanocyte class and mech system, we’d like to leave you with a few final thoughts.

Illustration by Setiawan Lee

First and foremost: THANK YOU! Your thoughtful participation in our surveys, on our forums, and in communities across the internet provided us invaluable feedback for the new class and system. We appreciate it all, from eagle-eyed error-catching to extensive theorycrafting to putting dice to tabletop (virtual or otherwise). It was also great to hear from those of you that are as excited about these new rules options as we are—and we of course look forward to talking more about the book in which they’ll appear in coming days.

Also, we know many of you are looking forward to the final versions of these rules. So are we! We’ve been processing the reams of feedback gathered over the course of the playtest and will be tinkering and rejiggering accordingly as we further refine our vision of what the nanocyte and mech system will look like in their final forms.

For mechs, we’re focusing on streamlining any unwieldy elements and featuring a robust set of options for mech builders. Of course, we’ll also be providing a “character” sheet for you to record your mech’s details. For the nanocyte, look for a shift in the gear array class feature that is simpler to use in play, while still aligning with the spirit of adaptability and flexibility around which the class revolves.

Thank you again for making the Starfinder community an engaging, friendly, and productive place to be!

The Starfinder Team

>

There are just 11 days (including one weekend) left in the open playtest period for Starfinder’s upcoming nanocyte class and mech system. If you haven't already downloaded the free playtest PDF and tried out the nanocyte or mechs—or both!— you still have time! The playtest ends September 18, and we need your feedback to make these best they can be.

Illustration by Mirko Failoni

If you haven’t yet, test out a nanocyte or mech build in a home game (or a nanocyte in Starfinder Organized Play), and then share your thoughts via our surveys or playtest forums. Links to both of those options, plus more information about the Tech Revolution playtest, are available here! Remember that you can always come back and update your survey responses later if you get more information or your feedback changes!

Meanwhile, we're already poring over the feedback you've sent us so far and discussing the ways we might improve both the nanocyte and mechs—thank you! Based on what you've told us, especially via the surveys and playtest forums, there are a few design aspects we already know we'll address (though these are far from the only community-driven changes we're making!).

For the nanocyte, it’s clear that the system of nanite investment for the nanite gear array is in need of revision or reconsideration. For mechs, we have heard the call for a simplification of formulae, as well as for more options when building a mech—both are high on our list of priorities. Of course, these design concerns just scratch the surface of the possibilities for the final versions—and there's still time to make your voice heard.

For those who have already participated in the playtest, we thank you, and to those who plan to still send us feedback: we eagerly await your thoughts!

The Starfinder Team

The Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest begins now!

Art by Sergio Cosmai

This playtest presents two new options: the nanocyte class and the mech combat subsystem. The nanocyte is a cunning combatant who houses a host of nanites in their body. Using their nanite array, they can confound foes, spontaneously create equipment, and reinforce their own bodies, and specialized nanocytes can even stitch wounds, dissolve into nanite swarms, and shred foes with a cloud of microscopic assailants!

If bigger is better in your playtest, then strap into a mech! Mechs are specialized vehicles operated by one or more pilots, each of which contributes to the giant robot’s actions. Much like building a starship, you create your own mech (or mechs), allowing you to customize your frame, limbs, armaments, and more! Mechs operate on the familiar square grid maps, so although they’re bigger and more powerful than PCs usually are, many of the rules for using them are familiar, and many of the same foes are appropriate challenges.

This playtest is your chance to get a look at early versions of these new options and have a hand in their development before they hit shelves next year!

Playtesting the Class and Mechs

The Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest launches today, July 27, 2020, and runs through September 18, 2020. So how can you help playtest this new class and new mechs? First, download the free PDF of the Starfinder Tech Revolution Playtest from starfinderplaytest.com. Then make up some characters or mechs using the new rules. We're most interested in feedback from actual play, so it's best if you can get some friends together and play a few sessions using these new options. If possible, make up characters at different levels and mechs at different tiers to get a sense of how they work at different points in their careers. There's no accompanying playtest adventure—you can use the new class in existing adventures like Starfinder Society scenarios or Starfinder Adventure Paths, and both the new class and mechs are a great fit for adventures or mock combats that you create yourself. It might be helpful to take some notes during play, so you can remember your thoughts on the experience after the game session. To gather the most useful data for this playtest, we ask that you avoid using house rules and play these characters using only published rules from the Starfinder RPG.

Playtesting in the Starfinder Society

Players participating in Starfinder Society Organized Play can also join in the worldwide playtest to test the nanocyte class. From now until the playtest's completion, players can create custom nanocyte characters of levels 1, 4 and 8. These custom characters use many of the same rules as pregenerated characters, though the Organized Play team has slightly relaxed the rules in order to encourage playtesting these new classes. For more information, check out this blog about using the nanocyte in Starfinder Society.

Surveys

Our primary means of collecting feedback for the playtest is through surveys that we would like everyone participating in the playtest to complete. There is one survey for the nanocyte class and a separate survey for mechs, so please fill out the survey for the new option you play. If you get the chance to try out both, that's great! But it's okay if you can only play one or the other—just fill out the relevant survey or surveys. Links to the surveys can be found on the playtest page. Please make sure you've filled out your surveys by September 18, 2020.

In addition to responding via the surveys, you can engage with other players and designers on the Playtest forums, discussing the new classes and possibilities for the future. While we want to focus on actual play feedback, we're interested in hearing all of your ideas about the classes. What are your thoughts about the playtest? Do you have any questions about the playtest process? Let us know in the comments below!

The Starfinder Team