Adapted from Barathu - Starfinder Wiki
Last month Paizo released their first play test document for Starfinder 2e. The first taste of what is to come from this exciting game setting is the first few levels of the Soldier class, supported by a few pieces of setting-appropriate equipment and a few monsters at the end to allow playtesters to run encounters against. 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.
Barathu
Barathu are a irregularly shaped sentient beings that evolved on the gas giant Haimone. They are capable of rewriting their own DNA, making them extremely flexible and adaptable.Barathus are soaring, translucent, blimp-like creatures that bear a vague resemblance to jellyfish. Their trilling communication gives them the appearance of odd birds or dolphins.
Biology
Millions of years ago, single-celled organisms floating in the skies of Haimone joined together into a new, larger, more adaptable, and more capable being. Unlike what happened on other planets, the Haimoni cells kept their autonomy and function and retained the ability to join together or detach as they see fit. This adaptation, alongside the ability to rewrite their own genetic code at will, has long been a cornerstone of Barathu society.
Joining consciousness
Barathu can join consciousnesses, which they use to form super-intelligent collective entities when they encounter problems that an individual barathu cannot solve. These colonies combine the mental and physical prowess of all components, and have unique consciousnesses independent of their zooids. There is no limit to the number of barathus that can join together; numerous Haimoni entities consist of hundreds or more merged barathus. Such entities usually exert significant political or economic influence, and their stable consciousnesses remain intact even if individuals join or leave.
After the need or threat has passed, barathu collectives usually disband. Each individual component keeps its memories during this time, but these memories are limited by the individual's mental faculties and often hazy, like a highly compressed video feed. Other component barathus' memories and knowledge are partially remembered but even less distinct.
Reproduction
Since barathus can rewrite their own genetics, ensuring biological diversity and repairing genetic damage, they have no need of sexual reproduction, which is less advantageous than simple budding. With sufficient resources, a barathu inclined to reproduce generates an excess of tissue and genetic material, which eventually splits off.
Biological technology
Their ability to reconfigure their fundamental biological structures allows barathu to produce custom materials from their own bodies. Such creations can range from simple tools to complex viral and chemical creations.
This ability is restricted only by the barathu's knowledge and the availability of resources, so combined barathus can often produce larger, more complex objects.
In this way, barathus have been able to successfully overcome their gas giant's lack of mineral resources and have become leaders in the field of biotechnology
Aging
Barathus do not biologically age since they can simply repair their own genetic code; instead, an individual's psyche slowly falters as it accumulates more and more memories and repeatedly merges and disbands. In the process, the barathu loses the ability to maintain its genetic code. By this time, most barathus choose to contribute their bodies and lifetime of experiences to a permanently combined entity, except a few who choose to remain apart and die alone.
Culture
For most of their history, barathus have had little need for formal government due to their peaceful nature and ability to merge in order to solve problems. Left to their devices, barathus are usually content to sing and dance in the skies of Haimone. When there is a conflict, they merge and address it as a collective. At some point in the past, however, the need of an overarching structure to prevent other peoples from falling into anarchy lead those barathus who felt the call of public service to merge into Confluence, a hyperintelligent collective that governs Haimone as a whole. Confluence's policies are usually liberal, providing social protections and wide personal freedoms while harshly punishing violent crime.
Other species usually have difficulty understanding barathus, as the concept of 'self' is somewhat nebulous due to their frequent mergers. Barathus, who grows up among humanoids, tends to appreciate better the mindsets of creatures with static, solitary configurations.
They still mourn deaths like other species do; while an old barathu can permanently merge with a greater collective, any merged identities they contributed to is also forever gone. Funeral traditions involve rooning songs and slow, wafting dances through stormy skies. Barathys consider the afterlife irrelevant since petitioners forget their mortal lives, usually cannot communicate, and rarely impact the living. Some view it as the ultimate merging, with the soul becoming part of the Great Beyond itself, while others view it as the ultimate disbanding, after which mergers are forever impossible. Barathu ghosts are usually laid to rest when another accepts the ghost's memories. These 'ghost merges', though rare, are featured in ghost stories as a way to pass on unfinished business. Great storms like the Eyes of the Ancients are said to hold ghosts that could not pass on memories due to the Gap.
Barathus values knowledge, education, and experience and encourages youths to study the field they most enjoy and collect new experiences. As barathys interact with other species, some early-stage barathus have become more adventurous and individualistic than older ones but have difficulty merging with others due to their adaptation to humanoid mindsets. Most early-stage barathus eventually grow out of this phase. Still, an increasing number of those who do not have created a significant cultural divide between 'travelers' and 'residents.
Outsiders tend to find barathus frank since from their point of view, secrets are only secret until the next merger. Secrets are almost impossible unless one refuses to merge, attracting attention and concern.
Naming
Barathus do not use names among themselves since they need no such designations with their powerful telepathy, and naming all of their unique personalities could be more efficient. When interacting with other species, barathus adopt names that resemble titles, describing the barathus's role and relationship to larger collectives. Barathus living entirely among others, adopt personal names, with no consistent conventions. Barathus find their unique nature ordinary and rarely talk about it; in contrast, they struggle to understand the isolation of non-telepathic species and view them with both pity and condescension.
Impact of the Gap
Barathus were comparatively undisturbed by the Gap due to their adaptability and connectivity. While they recognise its significance, there were few societal disruptions, since they are used to memory lapses. Many liken the Gap to disbanding from a large, long-lasting merge.
Influence in the Confederacy
Barathus are much more influential in the Confederacy than their population would indicate since the Confluence governs both Haimone and Hrefna and their moons, whose residents do not always appreciate barathu leadership. The Confederate Council is a controversial subject: the Barathus see no problem with a collective of hundreds of individuals occupying a single seat, but many others consider this power abuse. Even the number of allocated seats is controversial since Bretheda's population constantly changes with every merger.
Barathu councilors avoid other councilors' alliances and are willing to work with everyone else, engendering skepticism and honesty among more principled politicians. Nevertheless, the Pact Worlds recognize the value of barathus' collective intellect and economic and technological advancements: their weapons defended the Foundry Confederation from the Protectorate and the Swarm, and their biotech is state of the art.
Due to their unique traits of biological synthesis, barathus are quite successful in the Confederacy economy, and this ability largely influences their understanding of wealth and trade. Some barathus collectives operate corporations (such as Black Star) that facilitate interplanetary trade in biotechnology, a field dominated by them. The oldest barathus often permanently merge with massive conglomerates that serve as corporations, governments or cultural repositories.
Dreamers
The Dreamers of Hrefna are descendants of Barathu colonists who lost their intelligence and ability to merge while their psychic powers improved. Barathus regard their cousins with reverence and protectiveness, leading to their insistence on administering Hrefna as a protectorate in the Confederacy.
They also agree that the Dreamers must be left to their own devices; meddling with the Dreamers is one of the few criminal offences among barathus. A small but vocal group opposes this view and argues for freer contact with the Dreamers.
Religion
Many barathu worship Oras, deity of evolution, as an extension of their traditional conscious control over their physical forms.
Yaraesa appeals to their appreciation of education and knowledge, and Talavet to their shared knowledge, though barathus' faith is less worshipped and more views the deity as a revered teacher.
Barathu Adventure Hooks
A powerful Barathu collective has gone rogue, threatening the stability of Haimone. The PCs, either as agents of Confluence or independent actors, must investigate the collective's motives and find a way to neutralize the threat, possibly by merging with the collective or persuading its members to disband.
A research team exploring the depths of Haimone's atmosphere has discovered an ancient artifact of unknown origin. The PCs are tasked with retrieving the artifact and studying its properties, which could lead to new discoveries about the history of the Barathu or the universe itself.
A group of Barathu travelers has gone missing in the Vast, and the PCs are hired to find them. The search could lead the PCs to uncharted worlds, encounters with strange creatures, and revelations about the travelers' true purpose.
A mysterious disease is affecting the Barathu, causing them to lose their ability to merge and threatening their society's foundation. The PCs must race against time to find a cure, which could involve delving into ancient Barathu lore, experimenting with biotechnology, or confronting a powerful entity responsible for the disease.
Secrets of the Barathu
Some Barathu collectives maintain hidden agendas or ulterior motives, potentially seeking power or influence beyond their stated goals.
There might be a secret, ancient Barathu ritual or tradition that grants extraordinary abilities or knowledge, but at a great cost.
A hidden group of Barathu could be experimenting with forbidden biotechnological advancements, potentially creating dangerous or unethical creations.
The Barathu's connection to the Dreamers of Hrefna might run deeper than they publicly acknowledge, possibly involving shared psychic abilities or a hidden history.
A powerful Barathu entity or collective could be manipulating events from the shadows, influencing the Confluence or other factions for its own purposes.
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