Playing an Adventure

Once you have created a character or selected a pregen, it's time for the main event: playing an adventure!

About Adventures

The adventures written for the Starfinder Society campaign are Starfinder Society Scenarios: 2-3 hour adventures, each a single episode in a continuing story.

Rules for additional types of adventures can be found in GM Options: Additional Adventures.

Level Ranges

In a typical home game, the PCs are all the same level and face challenges tailored to their level. In Organized Play, more flexibility is necessary so characters of different levels can participate smoothly in the same adventure. Each adventure lists the character levels that are eligible to play it, as well one or more level ranges within the adventure.

Legal Table Size

Starfinder Society adventures are written for four to six PCs.

Maximum Table: Tables cannot have seven or more players.

Minimum Table: A GM can run a table with two or three players in some situations. See Table Size Scaling for details.

Before the Adventure

Before the game starts, choose a character to play. This can be one of your existing characters or a pregenerated character (pregen), but it must fall within the allowed levels for the adventure. If you choose a pregen, you must also choose an existing character of lower level, a first level character, or a brand new character to assign credit to.

Assigning Credit

The GM will provide a sign-in sheet to record your character’s name, Organized Play ID, Character Number, and level as well as any contact information the GM needs to send your Chronicle to you.

If you are playing a pregen, use the character number of the character who will receive credit for the adventure. At this point, the Chronicle for the adventure is assigned to that character.

One Character per Adventure

You can have as many active characters as you want in Organized Play. However, you can play only one of your characters during a specific adventure.

One Adventure per Character

A character can only take part in one adventure at a time. From the time the character begins an adventure to the time Chronicles are issued, that character cannot be involved in any other adventure. Characters engaged in play-by-post are considered busy and cannot be used in another game while the play-by-post is running.

Rules for Replaying

One Chronicle per Character: Each character can only earn one copy of a Chronicle for any single adventure. You cannot replay an adventure for credit with a character that has already received credit for that adventure.

Notify the GM: Inform the GM that you have already played the adventure or run it as a GM. Although GMs are asked to be flexible, the GM maintains the right to deny running the adventure for you if they feel uncomfortable running the event for players who have foreknowledge of the story.

No Spoilers: When you are replaying an adventure, avoid spoiling the adventure’s plot or using insider information to affect gameplay. Doing so can be grounds for the GM to remove you from the table. In general, be mindful in separating player knowledge from character knowledge, and if you are uncertain how to proceed, speak privately with the GM to determine the best course of action.

Reporting and Rewards for Replaying

Replays of adventures earn rewards for the playthrough normally; that is, they earn a Chronicle and the same rewards a first-time player would earn. They get access to any Boons and items on the Chronicle as well as credits and XP, all subject to the outcome of the adventure.

GMs do not record or report Organized Play numbers of players replaying for no credit.

During the Adventure

Mission Briefing

Each adventure typically begins with a briefing, either in the form of a message, a meeting with a Venture-Captain, or a job offer from an outside employer.

Hero Points: Immediately after the mission briefing, the GM will distribute initial Hero Points. ^{PC pg. 405}Player Core page 405
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Daily Preparations: In most cases, PCs can perform their daily preparations (changing prepared spells, preparing staves, etc.) after the mission briefing and questions. In exceptional circumstances, such as if the briefing is interrupted, a GM might determine there is not time for such adjustments before the mission.

Purchasing Equipment: This will also often be the last opportunity your character has to purchase any needed equipment during the adventure.

Treasure

You will typically find items during play. These items are available for use during the adventure.

Once Per Adventure Options

Character Options that can be used less often than once per day can be used once per adventure in Starfinder Society play.

Crafting

Characters are not able to craft items during an adventure. The only permitted crafting happens during Downtime (see Downtime Crafting).

Run Prudently

The Paizo Organized Play program strives to provide a fun, engaging, consistent experience at all tables. GMs are required to run Paizo Organized Play adventures as written, but are empowered to make adjustments to suit the table, fix obvious errors or typos, use alternate maps, and ensure all players have the best possible experience.

GMs must allow you to use legal character options and cannot change the mechanics of those options. GMs can change the presentation of adventure elements (reskin) to avoid phobias or otherwise ensure a positive experience for all players, but cannot change the mechanics of those elements.

For additional details, see Permitted Table Adjustments. For legal character options, see the Character Options page .

After the Adventure

After the game, you and your GM will complete some brief housekeeping steps.

Issuing Official Chronicles

After every adventure, the GM issues each player a Chronicle to document the rewards earned by a PC during a particular adventure.

Each Chronicle includes a summary of the adventure; indications of any choices made along the way which could impact the future of the campaign; and a log of rewards earned while exploring. It also provides areas for notes, purchases, and the acquisition/removal of conditions.

GMs must use the Chronicles included in the adventure or the adventure's sanctioning documents. GMs cannot create their own custom chronicles. Changes made to increase accessibility for the GM or players, such as enlarging the text to improve readability, are permitted and encouraged and do not invalidate Chronicles.

Record-Keeping

Organized Play characters rely on good record-keeping to ensure accurate information while playing. Most commonly, players track purchases, Downtime, and other notes on their Chronicle Sheets. However, you can use other tracking methods such as spreadsheets, text documents, or tracking software. If you use another tracking method, you must ensure all the data on each Chronicle is reflected in your records.

Regardless of your tracking method, you must keep copies of all Chronicle Sheets. Your Chronicle Sheets for a particular character must be available for review at all games that character plays in.

You can choose to keep their records digitally or in paper files. If stored digitally, you must be comfortable with GMs handling your device while reviewing records. If in paper files, all pages must be carried to games.

Ongoing Effects

The Starfinder Society takes care of its members by removing most ongoing non-permanent negative conditions and repairing agents’ damaged (but not destroyed) gear to the condition it was in at the start of the adventure. These services are free and automatic.

Some effects are not removed for free and require special attention. They are detailed below.

Ongoing Afflictions

During an adventure, a character might gain afflictions or harmful conditions such as curses, diseases, poison, or death.

All permanent afflictions must be cleared from the character before the end of the adventure. The following conditions are not automatically removed and must be cleared from the character before the end of the adventure or the character ceases to be available for Organized Play and must be marked dead on the Chronicle and when reporting the game:

• Death
• Permanent negative effects, including polymorph or petrification
• Permanent curses

Affliction removal applies to pregenerated characters. Any unresolved afflictions on a pregen carry over to the Starfinder Society character receiving credit for the adventure. If that means the character would be marked dead, they are marked dead immediately.

Removing Afflictions

Other PCs can use their spells, feats or class abilities to assist characters in recovering from negative effects. They can also contribute consumables or credits, but are not required to. Characters can always use credits earned during the adventure to clear conditions. Condition removal purchased using AcP or credits automatically succeeds as long as success is possible.

Costs for removing conditions and the discount for removing conditions from pregens are found under Spellcasting Service Costs.

Players can also use the Second Chance AcP Boon (to clear death) or the Starfinder Condition Removal AcP Boon (to clear all other conditions.) When it is not feasible to purchase these Boons immediately after the game, GMs are encouraged to work with players to ensure that the Boon is purchased in as timely a fashion as possible, and not immediately mark the character “dead” as above.

Ongoing Spell Effects

All permanent or ongoing spell effects end at the end of the adventure, just after resolving negative conditions.

Adventure Rewards

Your character earns a variety of rewards for completing the adventure.

Chronicle Boons

Once completed, some adventures grant access to Boons. These Chronicle Boons will be noted on the Chronicle.

Credits

At the end of an adventure, the GM awards the PCs credits. These credits are a fixed amount for each character level. A character always earns these credits for completing the adventure. See GM Basics for a complete list.

Experience Points

Each time you play an adventure, your character receives experience points (XP). Typically, you gain 4 XP for completing a Starfinder Society Scenario.

Downtime

Not every Starfinder works for the Society full time. Some are trained artisans, professionals, or performers and earn extra income between missions. Scenarios grant two days of Downtime per XP earned.

Downtime is spent after every chronicle. If a Chronicle is assigned but not immediately applied (see Applying Credit), then wait to calculate downtime until the Chronicle is applied.

Multiple activities can occur in a single Downtime, but you can only ever roll once for any particular activity in any given Downtime. Complete any other Downtime activities (crafting, retraining, etc.) before beginning Earn Income checks. Checks to Earn Income do not carry beyond the Downtime in which the check was made.

For most PCs, Downtime will be spent Earning Income by rolling a Crafting, Performance, or Lore check and consulting the table below. This table is a modified version of the Earn Income table from the Player Core ^{PC pg. 186}Player Core page 186
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On a critical success, treat your PC level as 1 higher to determine results, to a minimum level of 3. On a critical failure, you gain nothing from Earn Income during that Downtime.

Players are responsible for rolling and recording their own Downtime activities and results and can choose not to do so if they prefer to simplify play. Alternately, for players seeking more in-depth Downtime, the Player Options and Tools section includes rules for additional Downtime activities.

Table: Earn Income Pre-calculated

EARN INCOME (FOR 8 DAYS)

* On a critical success increase your PC level by 1 to determine results, to a minimum level of 3.

Applying Credit

Normally, Chronicles are applied as soon as they are issued. Apply all Chronicle rewards, Downtime, and ongoing effects and conditions to the character. This must be done before the character’s next game.

When a Chronicle is applied, the following things happen in order: earn adventure credits, complete Downtime, then earn XP. Downtime occurs before leveling up, which affects alternate Downtime options including crafting. Items can be purchased at any time when not playing an adventure, so characters can level up before making purchases, which affects what items are available.

Chronicles earned by playing a pregenerated character have a few additional rules:

• Pregen Chronicles assigned to a brand new or 1st-level character can be applied immediately to the character at 1st level or held until the character reaches the pregen's level. Chronicles assigned to a character above level 1 must be held until the character reaches the pregen's level.
• Pregen Chronicles applied to 1st-level characters gain the following limitations:
  • Award credits as if the earning character was 1st level.
  • Characters do not benefit from any Boons or item unlocks on the Chronicle until they reach the lowest level allowed to play the adventure.

Once a PC reaches the level of one or more of their held Chronicles, those held Chronicles are applied immediately in the order in which they were played. Complete Downtime and earn all rewards on one Chronicle (following the order above) before applying the next Chronicle. Downtime checks use the skills of the character who is receiving credit for the adventure at the time the Chronicle is applied.

All credit and rewards from a single Chronicle must be applied before applying another Chronicle. Applying credit in batches can advance a character multiple levels. The character’s level cannot exceed the level of any Chronicle applied to them, so any out-of-level Chronicles applied are lost.

Leveling Up

Characters advance 1 level for every 12 XP they earn. Characters who are eligible to level up must do so immediately. Starfinder Society XP is a running total and is not reset when you level up.