GM Core
Chapter 4: Subsystems
Cinematic Starship Scenes
Source GM Core pg. 226
Blasting off into space requires a starship, and traveling space can be both dangerous and full of exciting encounters. Cinematic starship scenes thrust the PCs right into the action, setting up chases, bombastic skirmishes, dramatic dogfights, boarding an enemy ship, and more.
Cinematic starship scenes occur in encounter mode and require the PCs to work together onboard a starship by taking on different roles. Starship scenes often involve combat between two or more starships, but they might present a unique challenge like a high-speed chase against enemy starships through an asteroid field, or a scientific mission to scan a planet before a black hole consumes it. Cinematic starship scenes often incorporate magic, such as a friendly race with spectra in the Drift.
Cinematic starship scenes are similar to a complex hazard but are presented as a new type of stat block that also includes details for the PCs' starship, threats (including enemy starships, dangerous creatures, hazardous terrain, gravity wells, and more), and victory conditions for the encounter.
Cinematic starship scenes occur in encounter mode and require the PCs to work together onboard a starship by taking on different roles. Starship scenes often involve combat between two or more starships, but they might present a unique challenge like a high-speed chase against enemy starships through an asteroid field, or a scientific mission to scan a planet before a black hole consumes it. Cinematic starship scenes often incorporate magic, such as a friendly race with spectra in the Drift.
Cinematic starship scenes are similar to a complex hazard but are presented as a new type of stat block that also includes details for the PCs' starship, threats (including enemy starships, dangerous creatures, hazardous terrain, gravity wells, and more), and victory conditions for the encounter.
Running Cinematic Starship Scenes
Source GM Core pg. 226
A cinematic starship scene runs like most encounters, with players rolling initiative for their characters based on how their characters entered the scene and taking individual turns in that order during each round. Prior to the start of a cinematic starship scene, each player selects one of the starship roles their character occupies, which determines the skill they roll for initiative. Someone acting as a pilot is likely to roll Piloting for initiative, while a science officer might roll Computers or Perception. Remember that each PC might receive a bonus to their rolls based on the Starship Bonuses available!
At the beginning of a round, each starship role becomes available, as determined by the scene. At the start of a PC's turn, they select an available role to occupy, maintaining that role until the beginning of the next round. This means a PC who acted as pilot in the previous round could act as captain in the following round, as long as the role is currently available and unoccupied. Some roles can be occupied by multiple PCs, such as a ship that has two gunners or even two science officers. The available roles and the number of characters who can occupy each role are noted in the scene.
Based on the role a PC selects, they have one or more special actions they can use on their turn. This might represent a special piloting maneuver to try to escape the threat, a counterhacking endeavor the science officer might need to commit to, a magical ritual necessary to close a nearby rift into Hell, or even a simple firing of the ship's laser cannon at a foe! As usual, PCs have 3 actions during their turn, which they'll use to perform special actions granted by their role or other actions of their choice. As most starship actions require 2 actions to use, each PC is likely to have a single action to spare on their turn, which might include a PC preparing to Aid an ally, a spellcaster casting guidance to improve their odds of success on a skill check, or a PC taking a shot at an enemy boarder invading the bridge.
Unlike the PCs onboard their starship, who are the stars of the show and guide the story with their choices, the threats in a cinematic starship scene operate using preset routines— though some scenes might provide variations on a routine to keep the PCs on their toes! Enemy starships involved in the scene perform routines and don't perform crew actions.
At the beginning of a round, each starship role becomes available, as determined by the scene. At the start of a PC's turn, they select an available role to occupy, maintaining that role until the beginning of the next round. This means a PC who acted as pilot in the previous round could act as captain in the following round, as long as the role is currently available and unoccupied. Some roles can be occupied by multiple PCs, such as a ship that has two gunners or even two science officers. The available roles and the number of characters who can occupy each role are noted in the scene.
Based on the role a PC selects, they have one or more special actions they can use on their turn. This might represent a special piloting maneuver to try to escape the threat, a counterhacking endeavor the science officer might need to commit to, a magical ritual necessary to close a nearby rift into Hell, or even a simple firing of the ship's laser cannon at a foe! As usual, PCs have 3 actions during their turn, which they'll use to perform special actions granted by their role or other actions of their choice. As most starship actions require 2 actions to use, each PC is likely to have a single action to spare on their turn, which might include a PC preparing to Aid an ally, a spellcaster casting guidance to improve their odds of success on a skill check, or a PC taking a shot at an enemy boarder invading the bridge.
Unlike the PCs onboard their starship, who are the stars of the show and guide the story with their choices, the threats in a cinematic starship scene operate using preset routines— though some scenes might provide variations on a routine to keep the PCs on their toes! Enemy starships involved in the scene perform routines and don't perform crew actions.
Cinematic Starship Scene XP
Source GM Core pg. 227
Characters gain Experience Points (XP) for encountering a cinematic starship scene, whether they succeed or not. The scene's level indicates what level of party the scene is a good challenge for. The XP values for a cinematic starship scene are equal to the XP for a monster or complex hazard of the same level. To best challenge your players, you should aim to design scenes that range in difficulty from the party's level – 1 to the party's level + 1. Scenes of a lower level than the party's level – 4 are beyond trivial and award no XP.
You can also grant the PCs additional XP as a story award for succeeding at a scene's victory conditions, doubling the Victory Points threshold for a victory condition, completing additional objectives, achieving an important story milestone, or even coming up with creative solutions.
You can also grant the PCs additional XP as a story award for succeeding at a scene's victory conditions, doubling the Victory Points threshold for a victory condition, completing additional objectives, achieving an important story milestone, or even coming up with creative solutions.
Cinematic Starship Scene XP
| Level | XP |
| Party level – 4 | 10 XP |
| Party level – 3 | 15 XP |
| Party level – 2 | 20 XP |
| Party level – 1 | 30 XP |
| Party level | 40 XP |
| Party level + 1 | 60 XP |
| Party level + 2 | 80 XP |
| Party level + 3 | 100 XP |
| Party level + 4 | 120 XP |
Additional Considerations
Source GM Core pg. 227
There are a few situations that might occur in cinematic starship scenes that are different from normal encounters.
Balancing for More Crew: Most encounters, including those in printed adventures, assume a baseline number of four PCs acting onboard a starship. Sometimes a scene might include a friendly NPC and their presence is balanced for in the encounter. When accounting for additional PCs beyond four, it's important to look at the number of successes required for any associated Victory Points system at play as well as the potential output of enemy starships. Generally, the number of gunners available on the PCs' starship accounts for damage output, so adding more PCs won't necessarily increase damage output, but instead provide the PCs with more options on how to complete the encounter or better their chances with other checks.
Character Abilities: Some characters might have special abilities, such as feats or spells, they can use during a cinematic starship scene. Core class abilities, like Aim for an operative or Suppressing Fire for a soldier, aren't intended for cinematic starship scenes. Most applications for feats and spells are left up to the GM's discretion for what's appropriate to the specific encounter but generally should veer on the more permissive side when it makes sense. Spells might be usable on a PC's turn, with some single-action enhancement spells like guidance fitting exceptionally well into the action economy a character receives during their turn. Similarly, a GM might provide a bonus or reward for casting particularly powerful spells, like phantasmal fleet, instead of taking a bespoke starship action on their turn. Remember, the goal is for every player to have fun playing the characters they created.
Conditions on Starships: Sometimes, the PCs' starship might gain a condition or similar negative effect that has a timing element. In most cases, these conditions last for a specified duration; however, persistent damage requires a slight adjustment as it shouldn't trigger on each player's turn, as the damage affects the starship and not the PCs. Instead, resolve persistent damage on a starship at the end of each round, having one PC roll the flat check to recover. A PC occupying the engineer role can spend 2 actions on their turn to perform Assisted Recovery on their starship, reducing the flat check's DC to 10. This allows the engineer to attempt an extra flat check to end the persistent damage immediately, but only once per round. This is a replacement for the normal Assisted Recovery rules.
Weapon Ranges: For simplicity of running these encounters, there are no range increments for starship attacks in cinematic starship scenes. This keeps things simple and avoids the need for the encounter to have a tactical map. There might be a special action that allows a pilot to line up a better shot or move the starship further out of range to make hitting it more difficult. When accounting for the effects of character actions, such as spells, the distance between starships is up to the GM's discretion but generally should be assumed to be at least several hundred feet apart unless the pilot takes a special action to safely maneuver close to the other starship.
Balancing for More Crew: Most encounters, including those in printed adventures, assume a baseline number of four PCs acting onboard a starship. Sometimes a scene might include a friendly NPC and their presence is balanced for in the encounter. When accounting for additional PCs beyond four, it's important to look at the number of successes required for any associated Victory Points system at play as well as the potential output of enemy starships. Generally, the number of gunners available on the PCs' starship accounts for damage output, so adding more PCs won't necessarily increase damage output, but instead provide the PCs with more options on how to complete the encounter or better their chances with other checks.
Character Abilities: Some characters might have special abilities, such as feats or spells, they can use during a cinematic starship scene. Core class abilities, like Aim for an operative or Suppressing Fire for a soldier, aren't intended for cinematic starship scenes. Most applications for feats and spells are left up to the GM's discretion for what's appropriate to the specific encounter but generally should veer on the more permissive side when it makes sense. Spells might be usable on a PC's turn, with some single-action enhancement spells like guidance fitting exceptionally well into the action economy a character receives during their turn. Similarly, a GM might provide a bonus or reward for casting particularly powerful spells, like phantasmal fleet, instead of taking a bespoke starship action on their turn. Remember, the goal is for every player to have fun playing the characters they created.
Conditions on Starships: Sometimes, the PCs' starship might gain a condition or similar negative effect that has a timing element. In most cases, these conditions last for a specified duration; however, persistent damage requires a slight adjustment as it shouldn't trigger on each player's turn, as the damage affects the starship and not the PCs. Instead, resolve persistent damage on a starship at the end of each round, having one PC roll the flat check to recover. A PC occupying the engineer role can spend 2 actions on their turn to perform Assisted Recovery on their starship, reducing the flat check's DC to 10. This allows the engineer to attempt an extra flat check to end the persistent damage immediately, but only once per round. This is a replacement for the normal Assisted Recovery rules.
Weapon Ranges: For simplicity of running these encounters, there are no range increments for starship attacks in cinematic starship scenes. This keeps things simple and avoids the need for the encounter to have a tactical map. There might be a special action that allows a pilot to line up a better shot or move the starship further out of range to make hitting it more difficult. When accounting for the effects of character actions, such as spells, the distance between starships is up to the GM's discretion but generally should be assumed to be at least several hundred feet apart unless the pilot takes a special action to safely maneuver close to the other starship.
Scene Format
Source GM Core pg. 228
Rather than individual stat blocks for different elements within a scene, starship scenes are presented as one large stat block for you to reference. These scene stat blocks are broken down into pertinent information, going on to describe information about the encounter and how to win it, the PCs' starship, specific threats found within the encounter, and finally an explanation on how the encounter is assumed to end. These scenes can be exceptionally large stat blocks depending on the overall theme of the encounter and, depending on complexity, can take the same time as running a complex encounter in encounter mode.
Trait
An overall description of the overall encounter.
Victory Conditions Explanation of how the PCs succeed or measure success during the encounter. This might include options like reducing one or more threats to 0 Hit Points, obtaining a certain number of Victory Points, or that the encounter ends after a set number of rounds.
Additional Objectives Explanation of any optional objectives the PCs can attempt to accomplish, including information on how these objectives are accomplished. Most cinematic starship scenes don't include additional objectives, and additional objectives never contribute to a scene's victory conditions or end the encounter.
Starship Description Details about the PCs' starship, including notable components.
Available Roles A list of the roles that PCs can occupy on the starship. A PC determines their role at the start of their turn, but the crew of any given starship can never take more actions with the associated role trait than the number of roles listed here.
Starship Bonuses Core numerical details about the PCs' starship, including any relevant skill bonuses or notable information that could affect PCs or the encounter.
AC the PCs' starship AC; Saving Throws the PCs' starship saves
Shields the PCs' starship shields with a parenthetical on how many it regains at the start of each round; HP the PCs' starship Hit Points. If this is reduced to 0, then the starship is disabled.
Starship Actions Specific actions the PCs can take in their starship during the encounter. Some actions, particularly Strikes, will specify a proficiency necessary.
Threat Name A description of the threat, such as enemy starships or dangerous environmental effects.
Initiative The specific skill the threat uses to roll its initiative along with appropriate bonus.
Skills the threat's skills, if any
AC the threat's AC, if any; Saving Throws the threat's saves, if any
Shields the threat's shields with a parenthetical on how many it regains at the start of each round, if any; HP the threat's Hit Points, if any; Immunities the threat's immunities, if any; Weaknesses the threat's weaknesses, if any; Resistances the threat's resistances, if any
Special Abilities Abilities that occur outside of the threat's regular routine.
Threat Routine (number of actions) This entry describes what the threat does on each of its turns during an encounter; the number in parentheses indicates how many actions the threat can use each turn.
Threat Action Any action the threat can use appears here.
Additional Threats You can include multiple threats in a cinematic starship encounter; each should include the same information as detailed above.
Ending the Encounter Specifics on how the encounter can end. This is separate from victory conditions, as an encounter might end before the PCs achieve a victory condition, or the PCs might only be partway to complete victory when an encounter ends.
Scene Name Scene (Level)
Trait
An overall description of the overall encounter.
Victory Conditions Explanation of how the PCs succeed or measure success during the encounter. This might include options like reducing one or more threats to 0 Hit Points, obtaining a certain number of Victory Points, or that the encounter ends after a set number of rounds.
Additional Objectives Explanation of any optional objectives the PCs can attempt to accomplish, including information on how these objectives are accomplished. Most cinematic starship scenes don't include additional objectives, and additional objectives never contribute to a scene's victory conditions or end the encounter.
Starship Description Details about the PCs' starship, including notable components.
Available Roles A list of the roles that PCs can occupy on the starship. A PC determines their role at the start of their turn, but the crew of any given starship can never take more actions with the associated role trait than the number of roles listed here.
Starship Bonuses Core numerical details about the PCs' starship, including any relevant skill bonuses or notable information that could affect PCs or the encounter.
AC the PCs' starship AC; Saving Throws the PCs' starship saves
Shields the PCs' starship shields with a parenthetical on how many it regains at the start of each round; HP the PCs' starship Hit Points. If this is reduced to 0, then the starship is disabled.
Starship Actions Specific actions the PCs can take in their starship during the encounter. Some actions, particularly Strikes, will specify a proficiency necessary.
Threat Name A description of the threat, such as enemy starships or dangerous environmental effects.
Initiative The specific skill the threat uses to roll its initiative along with appropriate bonus.
Skills the threat's skills, if any
AC the threat's AC, if any; Saving Throws the threat's saves, if any
Shields the threat's shields with a parenthetical on how many it regains at the start of each round, if any; HP the threat's Hit Points, if any; Immunities the threat's immunities, if any; Weaknesses the threat's weaknesses, if any; Resistances the threat's resistances, if any
Special Abilities Abilities that occur outside of the threat's regular routine.
Threat Routine (number of actions) This entry describes what the threat does on each of its turns during an encounter; the number in parentheses indicates how many actions the threat can use each turn.
Threat Action Any action the threat can use appears here.
Additional Threats You can include multiple threats in a cinematic starship encounter; each should include the same information as detailed above.
Ending the Encounter Specifics on how the encounter can end. This is separate from victory conditions, as an encounter might end before the PCs achieve a victory condition, or the PCs might only be partway to complete victory when an encounter ends.
Building Starship Scenes
Source GM Core pg. 228
Every scene starts with a vision: what exactly are the PCs doing inside of a starship? Are they battling an enemy starship in the atmosphere of a planet or attempting to escape the jaws of some predatory interstellar megafauna before becoming trapped inside? Designing these encounters should always begin with a basic concept of what situation the PCs will be part of, how to overcome the scene, and how the scene ultimately concludes.
Victory Conditions
Source GM Core pg. 228
Along with the details on the PCs' starship and the threats relevant to the encounter, there are two notable elements of a cinematic starship scene: the victory conditions and ending the encounter.
Victory conditions represent the ways in which the PCs overcome the encounter and measure their success. This might include something as simple as “destroy the Corpse Fleet starship” with that starship being one of the threats in the encounter. There might also be an objective of “escape the asteroid field by gaining 5 or more Escape Points,” which can be earned by actions the PCs take during the encounter. Some scenes might even provide the PCs with multiple means of achieving victory, such as combining the idea of a Corpse Fleet vessel attacking the PCs inside an asteroid field—the PCs might win the encounter by either of the two options listed above!
Ending a starship scene can be determined by a variety of factors. It might be timed based on a number of rounds that pass, until the PCs or one or more threats are disabled, or when the PCs (or a threat) achieve a certain threshold of successes on relevant checks.
Victory conditions represent the ways in which the PCs overcome the encounter and measure their success. This might include something as simple as “destroy the Corpse Fleet starship” with that starship being one of the threats in the encounter. There might also be an objective of “escape the asteroid field by gaining 5 or more Escape Points,” which can be earned by actions the PCs take during the encounter. Some scenes might even provide the PCs with multiple means of achieving victory, such as combining the idea of a Corpse Fleet vessel attacking the PCs inside an asteroid field—the PCs might win the encounter by either of the two options listed above!
Ending a starship scene can be determined by a variety of factors. It might be timed based on a number of rounds that pass, until the PCs or one or more threats are disabled, or when the PCs (or a threat) achieve a certain threshold of successes on relevant checks.
Additional Objectives
Source GM Core pg. 228
Some scenes include additional, optional objectives the PCs can accomplish during the encounter. This might include performing daring maneuvers during a widely broadcast starship race or obtaining additional (but not integral) information on a stellar anomaly or a new model of enemy warships. Accomplishing these optional objectives doesn't contribute to the scene's victory conditions or end the encounter but is likely to earn the PCs additional story awards, information, or other narrative advantages beyond the scene.
Player Starships
Source GM Core pg. 229
The first element of designing a starship encounter is to determine the appropriate statistics for the PCs' starship.
Available Roles: Each starship the PCs operate has several different starship roles PCs can occupy. This typically includes captain, engineer, gunner, magic officer, pilot, and science officer. Not every starship in a starship scene has every role available; a smaller shuttle might not benefit from a specialized captain, while an organic space whale might not benefit from a mechanical engineer. Generally, there should be at least four roles available (the average assumed party size in Starfinder) with a potential for up to six to eight to allow for allies or other NPCs to contribute. Some starship scenes have entirely unique roles a PC can occupy with niche applications.
Starship Bonuses: Different starships might provide different bonuses to skills that the PCs can utilize during a cinematic starship scene. A high-speed fighter might provide a bonus to Piloting, while a scientific research vessel might provide a bonus to Computers checks. This area compiles the bonuses and details them. They should be treated as item bonuses to the relevant skills, though there might be situations where a different bonus is applied, and that can be indicated in a parenthetical. Skill bonuses provided here should match skills required for the scene, whether as part of starship actions or in response to the actions of threats.
AC: The effective Armor Class of the PCs' starship in the encounter, representing how difficult it is to hit. You can use the AC presented on the Armor Class table in Building Creatures, selecting the extreme, high, moderate, or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter. A lower AC should correspond to the PCs' starship having higher Hit Points and Shields.
Saving Throws: The saving throws associated with a PCs' starship. This will generally only include Fortitude and Reflex saves, though sometimes a Will save might appear if the PCs are piloting a living creature like an oma or a starship with a sentient intelligence that's susceptible to mental effects. You can use the saves presented on the Saving Throw table in Building Creatures, selecting the extreme, high, moderate or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter.
Hit Points & Shields: The Hit Points of a starship represent the physical damage it can take, while Shields are akin to temporary Hit Points that regenerate at the start of every round. You can use the Hit Points presented on the Hit Points table in Building Creatures, selecting the high, moderate or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter. You'll generally want the PCs' starship to have at least moderate Hit Points. For shields, the value should match the maximum value found on the Resistances and Weaknesses table in Building Creatures, such as 5 Shields for a 2nd-level scene starship or 18 Shields for a 15th-level scene starship.
Starship Actions: This lists the actions the crew of a starship (likely the PCs plus any NPCs aboard) can perform as part of the encounter. Actions are usually a 2-action activity so that a PC can perform only one of these actions during their turn. If there's an expectation of combat, such as fighting another ship, the starship should have at least one weapon the PCs can fire. Other actions might include special ship actions or actions related to the scene, like scanning or using a magical aeon stone console.
Available Roles: Each starship the PCs operate has several different starship roles PCs can occupy. This typically includes captain, engineer, gunner, magic officer, pilot, and science officer. Not every starship in a starship scene has every role available; a smaller shuttle might not benefit from a specialized captain, while an organic space whale might not benefit from a mechanical engineer. Generally, there should be at least four roles available (the average assumed party size in Starfinder) with a potential for up to six to eight to allow for allies or other NPCs to contribute. Some starship scenes have entirely unique roles a PC can occupy with niche applications.
Starship Bonuses: Different starships might provide different bonuses to skills that the PCs can utilize during a cinematic starship scene. A high-speed fighter might provide a bonus to Piloting, while a scientific research vessel might provide a bonus to Computers checks. This area compiles the bonuses and details them. They should be treated as item bonuses to the relevant skills, though there might be situations where a different bonus is applied, and that can be indicated in a parenthetical. Skill bonuses provided here should match skills required for the scene, whether as part of starship actions or in response to the actions of threats.
AC: The effective Armor Class of the PCs' starship in the encounter, representing how difficult it is to hit. You can use the AC presented on the Armor Class table in Building Creatures, selecting the extreme, high, moderate, or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter. A lower AC should correspond to the PCs' starship having higher Hit Points and Shields.
Saving Throws: The saving throws associated with a PCs' starship. This will generally only include Fortitude and Reflex saves, though sometimes a Will save might appear if the PCs are piloting a living creature like an oma or a starship with a sentient intelligence that's susceptible to mental effects. You can use the saves presented on the Saving Throw table in Building Creatures, selecting the extreme, high, moderate or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter.
Hit Points & Shields: The Hit Points of a starship represent the physical damage it can take, while Shields are akin to temporary Hit Points that regenerate at the start of every round. You can use the Hit Points presented on the Hit Points table in Building Creatures, selecting the high, moderate or low value depending on the type of starship the PCs use in the encounter. You'll generally want the PCs' starship to have at least moderate Hit Points. For shields, the value should match the maximum value found on the Resistances and Weaknesses table in Building Creatures, such as 5 Shields for a 2nd-level scene starship or 18 Shields for a 15th-level scene starship.
Starship Actions: This lists the actions the crew of a starship (likely the PCs plus any NPCs aboard) can perform as part of the encounter. Actions are usually a 2-action activity so that a PC can perform only one of these actions during their turn. If there's an expectation of combat, such as fighting another ship, the starship should have at least one weapon the PCs can fire. Other actions might include special ship actions or actions related to the scene, like scanning or using a magical aeon stone console.
Designing Player Starships
Source GM Core pg. 229
Player starships must be built to provide the necessary tools to overcome the scene.
Necessary Tools: Make sure the starship can satisfy the victory conditions for the scene. If there's a need for Computers checks to obtain successes to end the encounter, there should be at least one role and associated action that enable the PCs to obtain those successes. To give the PCs more of an edge, you might decide to grant a starship bonus to Computers, which can assist the PCs and compensate for groups that might not have full mastery of one or more necessary skills.
Survivability: A player starship should generally skew to higher Hit Points if its AC is low and slightly lower Hit Points if the AC is higher. You'll want to compare these values to the damage output of the threats in your scene as detailed later in this chapter. A starship should be able to survive for multiple rounds in an encounter, unless the encounter is intended to be short or the PCs critically fail several key checks.
Action Variety: Create starship actions that use different skills and can be spread among different roles. Letting a pilot role focus on checks that involve Piloting is obvious, but you might combine that with an Escape the Area action that allows the science officer to perform the same action but using Computers instead. This lets multiple PCs contribute to the encounter.
Try to make sure that most actions, with the general exception of ranged gunner attacks, have multiple skills that a crew member can employ. Include some basic skills like Crafting and Athletics for some engineering tasks while also keeping Perception in mind as something most classes have training in. More esoteric skills, like Lore skills and skills related to magical traditions (Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion), should generally tie to a magic officer role or bespoke actions like scanning related cosmic events
Necessary Tools: Make sure the starship can satisfy the victory conditions for the scene. If there's a need for Computers checks to obtain successes to end the encounter, there should be at least one role and associated action that enable the PCs to obtain those successes. To give the PCs more of an edge, you might decide to grant a starship bonus to Computers, which can assist the PCs and compensate for groups that might not have full mastery of one or more necessary skills.
Survivability: A player starship should generally skew to higher Hit Points if its AC is low and slightly lower Hit Points if the AC is higher. You'll want to compare these values to the damage output of the threats in your scene as detailed later in this chapter. A starship should be able to survive for multiple rounds in an encounter, unless the encounter is intended to be short or the PCs critically fail several key checks.
Action Variety: Create starship actions that use different skills and can be spread among different roles. Letting a pilot role focus on checks that involve Piloting is obvious, but you might combine that with an Escape the Area action that allows the science officer to perform the same action but using Computers instead. This lets multiple PCs contribute to the encounter.
Try to make sure that most actions, with the general exception of ranged gunner attacks, have multiple skills that a crew member can employ. Include some basic skills like Crafting and Athletics for some engineering tasks while also keeping Perception in mind as something most classes have training in. More esoteric skills, like Lore skills and skills related to magical traditions (Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion), should generally tie to a magic officer role or bespoke actions like scanning related cosmic events
Threats
Source GM Core pg. 230
The next element of a cinematic starship scene is the inclusion of one or more threats that contend with the PCs as they perform their actions. The values for many of a threat's entries, including AC, Hit Points, Initiative, Saving Throws, Shields, and Skills, should correspond to the numbers presented in Building Creatures, with the threat's numbers matching the scene's level.
Threat Name: A name and general description of the threat the PCs face.
Initiative: The statistic and appropriate modifier the threat uses to determine its initiative.
Skills: A list of skills relevant to the threat in an encounter. This should be filled in only if the threat has some means of using the skill or the skill is relevant to an ability the PCs might possess in the encounter.
AC: The Armor Class of the threat, if any. Some threats might be intangible (such as a computer virus affecting the PCs' starship during the scene) or too large in scope to attack (like an asteroid field) and won't require an AC entry.
Saving Throws: The relevant saving throws of the threat. In most cases, this indicates a Fortitude and Reflex save, but sometimes (such as with a living creature) a Will save might be necessary.
Hit Points & Shields: The Hit Points and Shields of the threat when relevant. Generally, a threat should have no higher than moderate Hit Points and only have Shields equal to the minimum resistance of the scene's level, if shields are appropriate on the threat.
Threat Routine: Like a complex hazard, each threat has a routine it performs on its turn in the initiative order. This routine lists the specific actions the threat takes during its initiative as well as relevant rules.
Threat Name: A name and general description of the threat the PCs face.
Initiative: The statistic and appropriate modifier the threat uses to determine its initiative.
Skills: A list of skills relevant to the threat in an encounter. This should be filled in only if the threat has some means of using the skill or the skill is relevant to an ability the PCs might possess in the encounter.
AC: The Armor Class of the threat, if any. Some threats might be intangible (such as a computer virus affecting the PCs' starship during the scene) or too large in scope to attack (like an asteroid field) and won't require an AC entry.
Saving Throws: The relevant saving throws of the threat. In most cases, this indicates a Fortitude and Reflex save, but sometimes (such as with a living creature) a Will save might be necessary.
Hit Points & Shields: The Hit Points and Shields of the threat when relevant. Generally, a threat should have no higher than moderate Hit Points and only have Shields equal to the minimum resistance of the scene's level, if shields are appropriate on the threat.
Threat Routine: Like a complex hazard, each threat has a routine it performs on its turn in the initiative order. This routine lists the specific actions the threat takes during its initiative as well as relevant rules.
Designing Threats
Source GM Core pg. 230
Threats should all be designed and balanced together. The most basic threat is an enemy starship, and a one-on-one combat with a PC starship should be roughly comparable, with the multiple actions of the PCs' starship giving them an edge in the encounter. Designing multiple threats in a scene means you'll want to balance the encounter around exactly how each threat contributes.
Complications: Some threats should exist to complicate the PCs' actions. In a scene where the PCs act to obtain Victory Points, then consider having a complication that exists to stymie their efforts by imposing a skill penalty unless a crew member acts to negate the complicating hazard. In combats, this complication might be a nebula that scatters targeting and imposes a flat check on attacks akin to concealment, unless a crew member acts to overcome the effect. This works best with environmental effects and provides a good way for less direct roles, like magic and science officers, to interact with the encounter.
Indiscriminate Threats: One way to add an additional threat without breaking the overall balance of the encounter is to include a threat that targets everyone in the encounter indiscriminately. An example might be a magical effect that blasts the area with energy and blinds sensors (possibly requiring a crew action to counter) or an environmental effect that damages every side in a conflict. Having a hazard-like threat within the encounter that deals damage with a basic saving throw and affects the PCs and other present threats generally balances a combat-focused encounter but could have more ramifications in a timed event, as extra damage means the PCs can't remain operational for as long.
Multiple Starship Threats: Battling against a squadron of enemy fighters is an iconic scene, but if you include multiple enemy starship threats, the PCs can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. Instead, you might consider looking at the appropriate Hit Points and damage of one threat, then dividing it into groups. An appropriate 4th-level threat in a cinematic starship scene could have a moderate Hit Points of 60 (as per the Hit Points table in Building Creatures), which you could break down into groups of 15, giving you a total of four fighters. The damage of a moderate 4th-level threat is 2d6+5 damage per round, so you might consider having each fighter deal 1d6+3 damage with their attacks, meaning if each enemy fighter hits the PCs, they take more damage than moderate; however, the PCs compensate by being able to remove smaller threats at a faster rate.
Complications: Some threats should exist to complicate the PCs' actions. In a scene where the PCs act to obtain Victory Points, then consider having a complication that exists to stymie their efforts by imposing a skill penalty unless a crew member acts to negate the complicating hazard. In combats, this complication might be a nebula that scatters targeting and imposes a flat check on attacks akin to concealment, unless a crew member acts to overcome the effect. This works best with environmental effects and provides a good way for less direct roles, like magic and science officers, to interact with the encounter.
Indiscriminate Threats: One way to add an additional threat without breaking the overall balance of the encounter is to include a threat that targets everyone in the encounter indiscriminately. An example might be a magical effect that blasts the area with energy and blinds sensors (possibly requiring a crew action to counter) or an environmental effect that damages every side in a conflict. Having a hazard-like threat within the encounter that deals damage with a basic saving throw and affects the PCs and other present threats generally balances a combat-focused encounter but could have more ramifications in a timed event, as extra damage means the PCs can't remain operational for as long.
Multiple Starship Threats: Battling against a squadron of enemy fighters is an iconic scene, but if you include multiple enemy starship threats, the PCs can quickly find themselves overwhelmed. Instead, you might consider looking at the appropriate Hit Points and damage of one threat, then dividing it into groups. An appropriate 4th-level threat in a cinematic starship scene could have a moderate Hit Points of 60 (as per the Hit Points table in Building Creatures), which you could break down into groups of 15, giving you a total of four fighters. The damage of a moderate 4th-level threat is 2d6+5 damage per round, so you might consider having each fighter deal 1d6+3 damage with their attacks, meaning if each enemy fighter hits the PCs, they take more damage than moderate; however, the PCs compensate by being able to remove smaller threats at a faster rate.
Components of Cinematic Starship Scenes
Source GM Core pg. 230
The following are a series of example components that you can use to construct cinematic starship scenes.
Example Victory Conditions
Source GM Core pg. 230
These examples are some different approaches to victory conditions you can add to an encounter. The difficulty of the victory conditions often determines the difficulty (and length) of the scene. You might have more than one set of victory conditions for a specific scene, depending on the overall complexity.
Defeat a Threat: Overcome a specific threat in the scene by reducing its Hit Points to 0 or otherwise overcoming or removing it from the encounter.
Victory Points: Use the Victory Point subsystem to create a system of gradual successes or metrics for the PCs to achieve in an encounter.
Survival: A simple condition that requires the PCs' starship to survive for a set number of rounds or until a specific condition in the encounter is met.
Defeat a Threat: Overcome a specific threat in the scene by reducing its Hit Points to 0 or otherwise overcoming or removing it from the encounter.
Victory Points: Use the Victory Point subsystem to create a system of gradual successes or metrics for the PCs to achieve in an encounter.
Survival: A simple condition that requires the PCs' starship to survive for a set number of rounds or until a specific condition in the encounter is met.
Example Starships
Source GM Core pg. 231
You can create a variety of different starships for the PCs to pilot during their encounter. The following are examples of common starship hull types you can base a scene around. You can also use these general starship types as inspiration for threats.
Fighter: Typically, this example is the smallest starship available and can seat one or two creatures of up to Large size.
Shuttle: A smaller starship that can contain up to six or eight creatures. Shuttles travel between different locations and rarely have amenities to be comfortable for extended missions.
Explorer: A vessel used by adventurers and mercenaries across the galaxy to explore. It can operate with up to 12 crew for prolonged periods of time.
Transport: A larger vessel used primarily to move crew and cargo from one area to another. It has some amenities but isn't intended for long-term missions.
Cruiser: A starship intended for war. Cruisers act as the faster vanguards of most fleets, alongside slightly smaller destroyers. A handful of corporations and mercenary companies have vessels of this size, while many militaries operate these vessels.
Battleship: Enormous vessels that act as the mainstay of most militaries. Some factions might possess only one of these behemoths. They primarily fill the role of projecting power in a region of space, and many act as carriers that can unload swarms of smaller vessels.
Fighter: Typically, this example is the smallest starship available and can seat one or two creatures of up to Large size.
Shuttle: A smaller starship that can contain up to six or eight creatures. Shuttles travel between different locations and rarely have amenities to be comfortable for extended missions.
Explorer: A vessel used by adventurers and mercenaries across the galaxy to explore. It can operate with up to 12 crew for prolonged periods of time.
Transport: A larger vessel used primarily to move crew and cargo from one area to another. It has some amenities but isn't intended for long-term missions.
Cruiser: A starship intended for war. Cruisers act as the faster vanguards of most fleets, alongside slightly smaller destroyers. A handful of corporations and mercenary companies have vessels of this size, while many militaries operate these vessels.
Battleship: Enormous vessels that act as the mainstay of most militaries. Some factions might possess only one of these behemoths. They primarily fill the role of projecting power in a region of space, and many act as carriers that can unload swarms of smaller vessels.
Example Roles & Actions
Source GM Core pg. 231
Most starships have a common array of roles, though depending on the scene, you might create new or niche roles that are appropriate to the narrative. The following are examples of common starship roles the PCs can occupy.
Captain: A leader in a tense situation. The captain's role is to provide instruction and guidance to their crew while also reciting some inspiring speeches or demoralizing quips to enemy starship crews.
Engineer: A technical expert who focuses on keeping the starship running. They divert power to specific starship systems and can complete battlefield repairs.
Gunner: Gunners fire starship weapons. Whether it's unleashing a swarm of missiles or letting loose with a crackling blast of magitech electricity, gunners operate the myriad weapon systems of a starship and target threats in most starship scenes.
Magic Officer: Some starships possess esoteric systems powered by one or more of the magical traditions. Operating a magical scrying sensor or taking part in a ritual within the bowels of the vessel to increase combat capabilities are just some of the many actions this special crew role might take.
Pilot: Pilots move the ship and dictate its course. Most of the time, this movement will be achieved through a Piloting check, which might be attempted to navigate a hazard or to perform a specific maneuver in tense scenes. In longer starship scenes, a pilot might Plot a Course to navigate to a region to trigger an additional phase of a scene.
Science Officer: Employing high-tech sensors or personal knowledge, the science officer manages the tasks of scanning interstellar objects and operating certain technical aspects of the ship. They might use Computers as part of these actions or a specific Lore skill to Recall Knowledge to assist in an encounter.
Niche Roles: A catch-all for different roles onboard a starship that might not be common in most scenes but could be important to a specific scene. You might have a cook role representing the actions of a favored NPC onboard the ship who provides a small bonus or a corporate representative who can use their negotiating skills to assist in an encounter.
Captain: A leader in a tense situation. The captain's role is to provide instruction and guidance to their crew while also reciting some inspiring speeches or demoralizing quips to enemy starship crews.
Engineer: A technical expert who focuses on keeping the starship running. They divert power to specific starship systems and can complete battlefield repairs.
Gunner: Gunners fire starship weapons. Whether it's unleashing a swarm of missiles or letting loose with a crackling blast of magitech electricity, gunners operate the myriad weapon systems of a starship and target threats in most starship scenes.
Magic Officer: Some starships possess esoteric systems powered by one or more of the magical traditions. Operating a magical scrying sensor or taking part in a ritual within the bowels of the vessel to increase combat capabilities are just some of the many actions this special crew role might take.
Pilot: Pilots move the ship and dictate its course. Most of the time, this movement will be achieved through a Piloting check, which might be attempted to navigate a hazard or to perform a specific maneuver in tense scenes. In longer starship scenes, a pilot might Plot a Course to navigate to a region to trigger an additional phase of a scene.
Science Officer: Employing high-tech sensors or personal knowledge, the science officer manages the tasks of scanning interstellar objects and operating certain technical aspects of the ship. They might use Computers as part of these actions or a specific Lore skill to Recall Knowledge to assist in an encounter.
Niche Roles: A catch-all for different roles onboard a starship that might not be common in most scenes but could be important to a specific scene. You might have a cook role representing the actions of a favored NPC onboard the ship who provides a small bonus or a corporate representative who can use their negotiating skills to assist in an encounter.
Example Threats
Source GM Core pg. 231
Threats obstruct the PCs from achieving their victory conditions in a cinematic starship scene. There are many different approaches you can take to adding threats, whether it be direct opposition or less overt complications. The following are types of threats you can include with some specific examples.
Enemy Starship: The most common threat in a cinematic starship scene is another starship. There could be one or more starships that oppose the PCs through combat or compete for similar victory conditions in an encounter. Examples: a Corpse Fleet raider, a hot-shot racer, a rival corporation science vessel, a Swarm battleship.
Environmental Effect: Though space is vast and mostly empty, there are many natural effects that can complicate a cinematic starship scene and provide the PCs with challenges to navigate around or overcome. Examples: asteroid fields, Drift storms, planetary atmosphere, solar flares.
Magical Effect: In a science-fantasy setting, there's always something magical around the next turn. Strange effects related to the different traditions of magic can have an overt impact on starship scenes or even act as time pressure, or have a more mental effect. Examples: a magically animated landscape that reaches up through the atmosphere to strike a starship, a mental compulsion on another threat in the scene, another plane of reality transposed into the scene.
Megafauna: Though similar in almost every respect to enemy starships, some foes are simply so large they can be treated as starships. Examples: dragons, omas, swarms of alien fauna.
Enemy Starship: The most common threat in a cinematic starship scene is another starship. There could be one or more starships that oppose the PCs through combat or compete for similar victory conditions in an encounter. Examples: a Corpse Fleet raider, a hot-shot racer, a rival corporation science vessel, a Swarm battleship.
Environmental Effect: Though space is vast and mostly empty, there are many natural effects that can complicate a cinematic starship scene and provide the PCs with challenges to navigate around or overcome. Examples: asteroid fields, Drift storms, planetary atmosphere, solar flares.
Magical Effect: In a science-fantasy setting, there's always something magical around the next turn. Strange effects related to the different traditions of magic can have an overt impact on starship scenes or even act as time pressure, or have a more mental effect. Examples: a magically animated landscape that reaches up through the atmosphere to strike a starship, a mental compulsion on another threat in the scene, another plane of reality transposed into the scene.
Megafauna: Though similar in almost every respect to enemy starships, some foes are simply so large they can be treated as starships. Examples: dragons, omas, swarms of alien fauna.
Rewards & Consequences
Source GM Core pg. 231
Depending on the circumstances of a cinematic starship scene, there should always be some type of reward the PCs can earn. They might acquire salvage from defeated threats or obtain vital intelligence on their missions. In scenes where success is measured using Victory Points, the number of points the PCs collect might affect the rewards they receive, adding a bit of “risk versus reward” in encounters where the PCs could easily escape after hitting the necessary threshold but could remain longer to get more successes. This works especially well in scenes like intelligence gathering or asteroid mining, where the PCs might feel the need to push themselves to leave with more. Additional objectives also provide a means for PCs to earn additional rewards through their actions.
Failure in a starship scene should rarely end with the party dying. A PC starship brought to 0 Hit Points becomes disabled, meaning it can be boarded or left adrift for the PCs to enact emergency repairs on. Some encounters, such as a sun about to go nova, might necessitate PC death, but you should always ensure that the PCs have ample time to escape. Instead of death, consider consequences such as the losing of vital intelligence, entering the next encounter at a disadvantage, or facing enemy forces that have had more time to prepare.
Failure in a starship scene should rarely end with the party dying. A PC starship brought to 0 Hit Points becomes disabled, meaning it can be boarded or left adrift for the PCs to enact emergency repairs on. Some encounters, such as a sun about to go nova, might necessitate PC death, but you should always ensure that the PCs have ample time to escape. Instead of death, consider consequences such as the losing of vital intelligence, entering the next encounter at a disadvantage, or facing enemy forces that have had more time to prepare.