Player Core
Chapter 2: Ancestries & Backgrounds
Versatile Heritages
Source Player Core pg. 82
The peoples of the Pact Worlds (and other worlds in the galaxy) are many, and they have a long history of intermingling or dabbling with forces capable of altering the very fabric of a mortal body or soul. The children born to such parents might have traits from each of their parents or physiological manifestations of the forces their ancestors were influenced by, manifesting as a specific heritage.
Two notable heritages in the Starfinder setting are prismeni, born from the subtle influences of the hyperspace dimension of the Drift or otherwise influenced by it, and borai, individuals who survive a botched resurrection, grisly experimentation, or an extraordinary near-death experience. Other individuals might be born under far stranger circumstances, such as from a parent who was affected by monstrous, undead, or extraplanar energies. As these circumstances aren't unique to a single ancestry, these heritages—called versatile heritages— are likewise shared by many ancestries.
The Pact Worlds is home to a variety of versatile heritages. Some are born to unusual creatures or arise through specific mundane or supernatural circumstances. Because the circumstances that give rise to versatile heritages aren't limited to a single ancestry, a versatile heritage can be chosen by a character of nearly any ancestry. Some versatile heritages are more common among some ancestries than others, and some might list additional restrictions specific to that heritage. Your GM might place other restrictions on which ancestries can use a given versatile heritage based on the story and setting.
Two notable heritages in the Starfinder setting are prismeni, born from the subtle influences of the hyperspace dimension of the Drift or otherwise influenced by it, and borai, individuals who survive a botched resurrection, grisly experimentation, or an extraordinary near-death experience. Other individuals might be born under far stranger circumstances, such as from a parent who was affected by monstrous, undead, or extraplanar energies. As these circumstances aren't unique to a single ancestry, these heritages—called versatile heritages— are likewise shared by many ancestries.
The Pact Worlds is home to a variety of versatile heritages. Some are born to unusual creatures or arise through specific mundane or supernatural circumstances. Because the circumstances that give rise to versatile heritages aren't limited to a single ancestry, a versatile heritage can be chosen by a character of nearly any ancestry. Some versatile heritages are more common among some ancestries than others, and some might list additional restrictions specific to that heritage. Your GM might place other restrictions on which ancestries can use a given versatile heritage based on the story and setting.
Unlimited Possibilities!
Source Player Core pg. 82
Though a character can have only one heritage and one lineage feat, the possible permutations of a character's background and family tree are virtually unlimited. A borai character might still have a prismeni parent whose nature is visible in the coloration of their hair even if they don't have access to prismeni ancestry feats.
Playing a Versatile Heritage
Source Player Core pg. 82
To play a character with a versatile heritage, first select your ancestry, just like you would for any character. You gain Hit Points, size, Speed, attribute boosts and attribute flaws, languages, traits, and other abilities from that ancestry. Then, instead of choosing a heritage from those normally available to that ancestry, apply your chosen versatile heritage. You gain all the features from your versatile heritage, some of which might modify or replace statistics, abilities, or traits from your ancestry.
Since a versatile heritage is a heritage, you can have only one, and you can't have any other heritage in addition to your versatile heritage.
Sometimes a versatile heritage might give you an ability that conflicts with an ability from your ancestry. In these cases, you choose which of the conflicting abilities your character has. When selecting ancestry feats, you can choose from those available to your ancestry as well as those specific to your versatile heritage.
Since a versatile heritage is a heritage, you can have only one, and you can't have any other heritage in addition to your versatile heritage.
Sometimes a versatile heritage might give you an ability that conflicts with an ability from your ancestry. In these cases, you choose which of the conflicting abilities your character has. When selecting ancestry feats, you can choose from those available to your ancestry as well as those specific to your versatile heritage.
Lineage Feats
Source Player Core pg. 83
Some ancestry feats within a versatile heritage have the lineage trait. These feats specify a physiological lineage your character has—such as if a prismeni was born in the Drift or chosen by Triune. You can have only one lineage feat; you can select such a feat only at 1st level, and you can't retrain into or out of this feat.
In This Book
Source Player Core pg. 83
This book includes the rules for two kinds of versatile heritages and rules for other mixed ancestral heritages.
Borai
Source Player Core pg. 83
Borais are a strange mix of living and undead, often born out of a tragic death or botched resurrection attempt. The etheric, headstrong, and necrotized lineages each represent different ways you could become a borai, either due to a failed attempt at coming back to life, your own unwillingness to die, or necromantic experimentation.
Prismeni
Source Player Core pg. 83
Prismenis are mortals whose bodies or spirits have been influenced by the energies of the Drift. As beings attuned to the Drift, they feel a supernatural urge to travel and experience new things, experiment, and push their limits toward creative pursuits beyond the norm. The prismeni lineages each represent how they attuned to the Drift: Drift-touched were born in the Drift, spectrasoul have a connection to the enigmatic Drift-dwelling beings called spectra, and Triune's chosen were the result of divine intervention.
Mixed Ancestry Heritages
Source Player Core pg. 83
The galaxy has numerous metropolises where people from a wide variety of ancestries and cultures intermingle. Moreover, adventurers of all backgrounds and ancestries often find themselves thrust together and discover that from adversity can come common ground, and even love. As a result, the galaxy is full of people whose bloodline can be traced to at least two different ancestries.
This section also describes how to create a custom mixed ancestry heritage when creating your own world.
This section also describes how to create a custom mixed ancestry heritage when creating your own world.
Mixed Ancestries
Source Player Core pg. 83
You can choose a mixed ancestry to represent having two ancestral lines for your character. This doesn't preclude having more than two ancestries in your genealogy, but you'll need to work with your GM if you want to have more than two reflected in the rules. The possible combinations of ancestries are immeasurable.
Custom Mixed Heritage: You can work with your GM to create a mixed heritage for any ancestry. A custom mixedancestry heritage is an uncommon heritage. Choose an ancestry to tie to the heritage. You gain any traits of that ancestry and a new trait for your combined ancestry, similar to how the borai heritage grants the “borai” and “undead” traits. You also gain low-light vision if the ancestry tied to the heritage has low-light vision or darkvision. The heritage lets you select ancestry feats for the chosen ancestry in addition to those from your base ancestry. Future products will provide examples of different mixed ancestry heritages.
Custom Mixed Heritage: You can work with your GM to create a mixed heritage for any ancestry. A custom mixedancestry heritage is an uncommon heritage. Choose an ancestry to tie to the heritage. You gain any traits of that ancestry and a new trait for your combined ancestry, similar to how the borai heritage grants the “borai” and “undead” traits. You also gain low-light vision if the ancestry tied to the heritage has low-light vision or darkvision. The heritage lets you select ancestry feats for the chosen ancestry in addition to those from your base ancestry. Future products will provide examples of different mixed ancestry heritages.