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 may 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. Several methods of tracking exist, but the most prevalent is the Chronicle, though players can choose alternative tracking methods and keep their Chronicles as a backup. Players using other tracking methods must ensure all the data on each Chronicle is reflected in their records.
Players may choose to keep their records digitally or in paper files. If stored digitally, players must be comfortable with GMs handling their device while reviewing records. If in paper files, all pages must be carried to games.
Ongoing Effects
All spells and effects end at the end of an adventure with the following exceptions:
- Spells and effects with permanent or instantaneous duration that heal damage, repair damage, or remove harmful conditions remain in effect at the end of the adventure.
- Afflictions and harmful conditions obtained during an adventure remain until healed and carry over from adventure to adventure.
Ongoing Afflictions
During an adventure, a character might gain afflictions or harmful conditions such as curses, diseases, poison, or death. Any permanent afflictions 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 by the GM.
Exceptions include permanent negative levels, ability drain that does not reduce an ability score to 0, permanent blindness or deafness, and conditions that impose no mechanical effect. These must be recorded on the character’s chronicle sheet.
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 providing it is possible for it to succeed.
Reduce the credit cost to remove afflictions from a pregenerated character by:
| Level 1 | 100 credits |
| Level 4 | 600 credits |
| Level 8 | 3,300 credits |
Adventure Rewards
Chronicle Boons
Once completed, some adventures may grant access to boons. These chronicle boons will be noted on the chronicle sheet and can be accessed on the Boons tab of the My Organized Play page on paizo.com. (Year 1 and 2 Scenarios included such boons on each chronicle sheet.)
Downtime
Not every Starfinder works for the Society full time. Some are trained artisans, professionals, or performers and earn extra credits between missions. After each adventure that grants XP, except for Bounties, you gain a period of Downtime before your next mission, Characters who are trained in a Profession can use this to earn extra income.
Day Job: During Downtime, you can attempt one trained Profession check to earn extra money; this is called a Day Job check. Permanent bonuses from class, equipment, feats, species, and theme apply to your Day Job check as they would any check for the relevant skill. Temporary bonuses do not apply to Day Job checks, no matter the source. You can take 10 on a Day Job check, but you can’t take 20 or use the “Aid Another” action.
You gain a number of credits equal to twice your Profession skill check result, per the “Earn a Living” entry under the Profession skill (Starfinder Core Rulebook page 146 ). You cannot use other skills to make a Day Job check. Add this amount to the Day Job box on your Chronicle Sheet.
For other ways to spend your downtime, see Alternate Downtime Options.
Experience Points
Each time you play an adventure, your character will receive experience points (XP). Typically, you gain 1 XP for completing a Starfinder Society scenario or 3 XP for completing an Adventure Path volume.
Reputation
Reputation is a measure of how influential your character is in the Starfinder Society. See Factions and Reputation for more about how Reputation works.
Treasure
Unlike a traditional game in which the PCs would divide recovered magic items and other treasure among themselves, Starfinder Society awards each participating PC a share of credits based on their respective levels. Rather than divide up items unequally, PCs have equal access to purchase any special treasure found, represented by the items listed on the Chronicle. See Purchasing Guidelines for complete purchasing rules for these items.
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 may 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:
- Reduce the credits awarded to 720 credits if the adventure grants 1 XP or 2,160 credits if it grants 3 XP.
- Characters do not benefit from any boons on the Chronicle until the character reaches the minimum Chronicle level.
- Characters receiving credit for pregen Chronicles can earn the rewards or benefits associated with any of their current Boons, as long as those Boons could have been slotted during the adventure. This can also apply to “out of table” boons like Digital Presence or Worldwide Explorer.
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.
Applying credit in batches may 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 3 XP they earn. Characters who are eligible to level up must do so immediately.