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 irregularly shaped sentient beings that evolved on the gas giant Haimone. They can rewrite their 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 and the ability to rewrite their own genetic code at will have 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 all components' mental and physical prowess and have unique consciousnesses independent of their zooids. There is no limit to the number of barathus that can join; 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.
Breathe collectives usually disband after the need or threat has passed. Each component keeps its memories during this time, but the individual's mental faculties limit these memories and are often hazy, like a highly compressed video feed. Other components Barathus' memories and knowledge are partially remembered but even less distinct.
Reproduction
Since barathu can rewrite their own genetics, ensuring biological diversity and repairing genetic damage, they do not need sexual reproduction, which is less advantageous than simple budding. With sufficient resources, a barathu inclined to reproduce generates excess 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 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 has overcome its gas giant's lack of mineral resources and become a leader in 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 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 for an overarching structure to prevent other peoples from falling into anarchy led those barathus who felt the call of public service to merge into Confluence. This hyperintelligent collective governs Barathu 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 better appreciate 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 crooning songs and slow, wafting dances through stormy skies. Barathus considers 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.
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 because, from their point of view, secrets are only secrets until the subsequent merger. Secrets are almost impossible to keep 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, adopts 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 pity and condescension.
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.
They also agree that the Dreamers must be left to their own devices; meddling with them is one of the few criminal offenses among barathus. A small but vocal group opposes this view and argues for more unrestrained contact with the Dreamers.
Religion
Many barathu worship Oras, a 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 Haimone's stability. 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 it 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. Their search could lead them to uncharted worlds, encounters with strange creatures, and revelations about the travelers' true purpose.
A mysterious disease affects 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 at a significant 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, 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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