This is a great theme for players who want to play a soldier. Of course it can be used with any of the classes, but this is the one I'd be most likely to use when generating a soldier!

As with all themes, it adds its own unique bonuses, which reflect the harsh and often brutal life the character was subjected to growing up. I particularly like the ability to gain additional temporary hit points, which could turn the tide of battle.

It also includes three alternate class features (2nd, 6th and 9th). Again its got a lot to do with additional temporary hit poins, but the bonus damage inflicted with the 6th level feature is a fine addition.

More excellent options for your Starfinder game!

An Endzeitgeist.com review of the revised edition

This installment of the Star Log.EM-series clocks in at 7 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 3 pages of content, so let’s take a look!

We begin this pdf, as always, with a brief, flavorful recap, as these logs are presented as queries to a database; this time around, the tie-in to the shared Xa-Osoro system that is assumed to be the backdrop for Rogue Genius Games and Everyman Gaming’s Starfinder-supplements, is particularly profound: One of the system’s binary stars has imploded in a black hole in a catastrophe known as Regicide, which destroyed the Radiant Imperium’s central seat of government in Azan, creating the region now known as Blood Space. As a consequence of this collapse, piracy has run rampant, including a practice of slaying all adults, taking kids as de facto slaves – collateral for the damages incurred by boarding and vanquishing their caretakers. Thus, this pdf deals with such former slaves…which btw. are considered to be property even by the Imperium’s laws. Ouch.

A character with this background can be represented by one new theme and one archetype, the first of which would be Collateral; +1 Con. The theme nets, at 1st level, the option to choose a Profession skill. Recall knowledge DC is reduced by 5 to recall hierarchies, practices, personal and illicit dealings regarding the profession chosen. Additionally, you gain Athletics or Piloting as a class skill or +1 to the chosen skill if you already have it as a class skill. 6th level yields +1 morale bonus to Piloting and damage rolls when at 0 stamina or when a vessel you’re piloting has less than half total hull points left. 12th level yields +1 hit point and Stamina Point per level. I assume this also applying to new levels gained, as per Starfinder’s Toughness feat, though unlike the feat, it does not have the “whenever you gain a new level”-sequence, which means that it may be read as a one-time boost. Clarification would be nice here. The 18th level ability nets you a pool of Collateral Resolve Points equal to Constitution bonus, minimum 1. These may not be used in any other way than to stabilize and if you have no regular Resolve left, you lose one Collateral Resolve Point per round instead. You don’t die as long as you have either Resolve or Collateral Resolve Points left. Basically, this makes you tougher to kill. Nice.

The archetype presented herein would be the diehard collateral, whose replacement abilities come at 2nd, 6th and 9th level – this one represents characters taken as collaterals while kids or in their adolescence. The 2nd level ability lets you spend Resolve to stay in the fight after stabilizing, also healing 1d8 + Constitution modifier HP as a reaction. The amount of hit points improves to 3d8 at 4th level, 5d8 at 7th, 12d8 at 10th, 16d8 at 14th and 20d8 at 17th level…The ability has been revised and improved, now granting temporary hit points instead of full healing, contextualizing it properly with e.g. Solarian abilities.

Bloodied Frenzy at 6th level nets +2 untyped bonus versus fear effects. Whenever you have 0 Stamina, you gain ¼ level as a morale bonus to weapon damage rolls. If you also have less than half of your maximum hit points, you increase that to ½ your level. I am not a big fan of such thresholds à la 4th ed’s bloodied condition. If you have the collateral theme as well, the bonuses stack.

The pdf also provides some really cool, flavorful write-ups of worlds and factions in the Xa-Osoro system, allowing you to contextualize which faction/corporation or world has taken your character as collateral. Really flavorful section!

Conclusion:

Editing and formatting are very good on a formal level. On a rules-language level, it is also tight and improved. Layout adheres to Everyman Gaming’s two-column full-color standard for the series. The artwork featured is nice. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.

Alexander Augunas’ collateral characters are a neat idea, executed in a solid manner. The theme featured makes sense to me and the archetype will find its friends. However, there are a few minor aspects that could be construed as problematic. The collateral archetype lets you build a fearsome, fearsome tank, and the revisions made render the options strong, yes, but eliminate the potential for abuse and contextualize them better in SFRPG. My final verdict will hence be upgraded to the 5 stars the revision deserves.

Endzeitgeist out.

Orignally reviewed over on the OpenGamingNetwork.

The following review is an OPINION piece and only reflects the opinion and tastes (because ultimately, all reviews will be based on personal taste) of the reviewer.

That disclaimer out of the way, let’s get on with the show!

This week we give you Star Log.EM-003: Collateral Characters!

Publisher: Rogue Genius Games Author: Alexander Augunas (AKA Alex Augunas) Cover Artist: Jacob E. Blackmon System: Starfinder Page count: 7 ( 1 page cover, 1 page credits, 3 pages content, 1 page OGL)

So, to start off with, we have a cover that shows us someone polishing an armor that uncannily reminds me of a Samurai version of Optimus Prime. When I originally saw it, I certainly didn’t think of a slave worker, more of a maintenance type character, but the image itself is evocative enough and is reused inside once more. I’m not sure how I feel about the pattern used as a background though, but it seems to vary according to each release.

(Disclaimer: Reading the sidebar on page 3, I can see that this has particular repercussions for anyone using Blood Space and Moon Dust and the Starfarer’s Companion, neither of which I had access to at the time of the review, so this review will stand on its own).

The introduction is an introduction to the Star Logs.Em releases and the sidebar does a good job of giving a feel for an Ex-Slave in the above-mentioned campaigns, though the grammar in it feels a little disjointed. A direct quote here is “Although three centuries have passed since, the Xa-Osoro System underwent a system-changing catastrophe called the Regicide when one of its binary stars, Osoro, suddenly imploded into a miniature black hole.” – It feels like that sentence should have been continued.

Next up we have a theme, that of the Collateral itself:

The Theme Knowledge ability of this Theme is nice, but it seems like it’s missing something. Other Theme Knowledge abilities mention 1 or 2 specific skills that it reduces the DC for in specific circumstances, and this does not. Instead, though, it gives you the choice of either Athletics or Piloting as a class skill, again where other comparable abilities only give you 1. It seems like a slightly more powerful version of the ability for it.

The level 6 ability Back to the Wall, feels good, and characterful, giving you a bonus when you or your starship is 0 Stamina Points or Hull Points. I do question however, HOW a ship is supposed to use this ability when it’s a 0 Hull Points, since the Core Book states that “A starship with 0 Hull Points isn’t destroyed, though many of its systems are no longer functioning and it is no longer a threat to its enemies” – So the + to damage is not very useful in that situation, though it might well be to the skill check.

Next, at level 12, we have Hardy, which gives an always useful little boost.

Finally, there is Flower that Never Wilts. Now, this ability is really nice, making you hard to kill, though I am curious as to where the name came from, but that is a sidenote, and just my inner nerd being curious.

Next, we have the Collateral Diehard an archetype for former child-slaves. Considering the topic, I would have expected this to be very, very grim, and when I read the fluff and the abilities, I cannot help but think of child soldiers, which is probably the intent here.

At level 2, we see the ability Iron Flower, which gives you a nice self-heal, which is always handy, and at level 6, we see Bloodied Frenzy, which provides a bonus against fear effects, and a damage increase when you’re at 0 Stamina Point, both of which are nice, and fit the description of the archetype quite well. Finally, at 9th level there’s Firm against the Tide, which again gives you a bonus when you’re at 0 stamina point, this time giving you temporary hit points.

Lastly there’s a section on how to include this in the Blood Space and Moon Dust setting, which gives a nice little look into the setting, but is probably not of great use to anyone outside the setting, as these cannot really be imported into your own campaign, as the information is a bit short, though they can most certainly be mined for ideas.

And so we come to the conclusion:

This is a decent (3-star), but combined with the Blood Space and Moon Dust setting, I feel like this could well be a 4, as you’d be able to, presumably, expand on the information in both setting and this book, by using the other.

In the end, I’m giving this a 4-star rating.

Well done everyone involved, this was a good read, but next time, give me a bit more to work with on its own.