Who Do You Think You Are? Lashunta

  Adapted from Lashunta - Starfinder Wiki, Lashunta- Archives of Nethys, and Elf Ancestry- Archives of Nethys

In August, Paizo released their first play test document for Starfinder 2e. Nestled in with these new rules elements, developers included notes on approaching this rules update.  Not content to simply play a few encounter variants, I can’t wait to play campaigns in a science fantasy setting supported by the game design innovations from PF 2e. I will use the context clues from the Field Test document to convert elements into my derivative setting for a west marches campaign.

The Fundamental Assumption

One major design concept the playtest revealed is, Starfinder 2e elements will operate within a Pathfinder 2e game, and vice versa. This is a huge step towards a Paizo rules engine that can support game settings across the spectrum of genre fiction. Cross compatibility opens up PF 2E’s published material to supplement what hasn’t been made yet for Starfinder 2e.

For this installment, I present what I believe one of Paizo’s design solutions will be.  The Elf Ancestry will represent the Lashunta in the Alcyon Sector. This works even while designers endeavor to ensure Starfinder elements distinguish themselves from Pathfinder elements. Lashunta characters will likely have heritages and Ancestry feats geared towards the space-faring mystics. This makes for a more elegant game design solution; wherever possible, you should try to use an existing rule over designing a new one. Don’t make a new ancestry when you can achieve your desired effect with a heritage or a combination of ancestry feats.

Lashunta (Elf)

Humanoid

Elf

Lashuntas are a race of humanoids native to the planet Asa in the Memory system. They are psychics with a unique self-determination and are a prominent race in the Confederacy government

Appearance

Asa has many predators, and all lashunta evolved to adapt at puberty to help their race survive.

Two subraces of lashuntas: the lithe, clever damaya and gregarious, muscular korasha. Damaya are taller than the stockier korasha. All lashuntas share some common traits, however, including two forehead antennae that serve as telepathic foci, colorful pigmentation patterns and raised facial markings, and nearly perfect physical symmetry.

Between their pleasingly ordered forms and natural pheromones, many other humanoid races find lashunta at least subconsciously attractive.

Abilities

All lashuntas have natural psychic abilities, starting with natural telepathy and mental powers that often resemble magical spells. They are also known to be voracious learners regardless of subrace, whether through academics or trained skills.

Damaya lashuntas have an innate intellectual advantage and calmer demeanor, while korasha lashuntas have stronger and hardier bodies on average at the cost of being more boisterous and less observant.