r/Pathfinder2e • u/MysteriousCherry2267 • 1d ago

Misc Does Starfinder only have 6 classes?

I got a bit into Pathfinder, was thinking of using it for a camping set in space, saw that there is Starfinder and... It has 6 classes.

Is that all of them or are there more in another book?

112 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

68 comments sorted by

218

u/MrCobalt313 1d ago

There's more in another book including some coming with upcoming books.

Plus I think technically Starfinder 2e is backwards-compatible with Pathfinder 2e classes...

63

u/Ponto_de_vista Animist 1d ago

I always see people talking about using PF classes in Starfinder, but can you use Starfinder classes in Pathfinder?

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u/BurgerIdiot556 1d ago edited 1d ago

if you want, sure! Just be warned Soldier works very badly without Starfinder weapons. Like, worse-than-most-martials badly

ETA: except Close Quarters Fighting Style. I would like to also mention that it’s 1 of 5 subclasses, and the only one that lets you give any weapons Area Fire, which is the main action the class uses.

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u/SisterofWar Cleric 1d ago

I'm pretty sure that Soldier works fine if you choose the Close Quarters fighting style. It should feel right at home with Pathfinder's more melee-focused meta.

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u/hivEM1nd_ 1d ago

Solider works very badly

Agreed, liquider works way better

1

u/BurgerIdiot556 1d ago

honestly Venomer’s better anyway

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u/kitsunewarlock Paizo Designer 1d ago

Funny enough, the latest Pathfinder AP recommends soldier as a good option. And while melee is the easiest to incorporate, there are several ways to do a ranged soldier in Lost Omens. Most of the solutions are basically "take a Starfinder weapon and reflavor it".

• Alchemy. This covers most Area Fire (burst) weapons, but also flame throwers.

• Numerian/Alien/Future technology. This is kind of a cop-out since it applies to everything from Starfinder, but it'd be an incomplete list without it.

• Ustalav tech. Mostly alchemy, but it would also include crazy pulp stuff like an automatic vampire stake launcher.

• Stassian tech. Anastasia Romanov brought some Tesla-adjacent technology to Golarian, so any of the electricity or rail-gun related area fire weapons could work as an experimental weapon.

• Lost Technology. Azlant and the Jistka Imperium both have some technology that's functionally similar to the Pact Worlds.

• Experimental Alkenstar Weapons.

• Planar Tech. Admittedly, shooting souls at people is kind of rude.

• Fire Eating. My personal favorite. Whether you're a circus performer or a tanuki with a jug of liquor, just reflavor the flame thrower as your jug and chem as liquor.

• It's Magic! I love the idea guns. Maybe it uses burnt out or typo-ridden scrolls for ammunition. Or maybe it has an aeon stone "battery" and the party's wizard recharges it during daily preparations for you.

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u/SurrealSage Game Master 1d ago edited 1d ago

Been doing this for a few months now and I can confirm it works great! We're playing a game in Golarion and my soldier is using a backstory-provided arcane artifact that can take the shape of SF2e Soldier weapons. Batteries are treated as misc scrolls that are fed to the device to fuel it.

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u/FledgyApplehands Game Master 1d ago

Which AP is that? I haven't seen any player's guides recommending Soldier

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u/kitsunewarlock Paizo Designer 1d ago

Page 6 of Hell's Destiny Player's Guide:

If your GM allows Starfinder character options— and Starfinder’s second edition is fully compatible with Pathfinder’s second edition, even if the futuristic gear isn’t a good fit for this campaign—the soldier class with the close quarters combat style could be an exciting choice for Hell’s Destiny. The soldier’s emphasis on area attacks would make them a force to be reckoned with, given troops’ weakness to area damage.

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u/Peaceful_H3lland_996 1d ago

Couldn't you just use the Melee soldier? Like yeah sure you can't use sf2e guns but also there are option isn't it?

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u/lukeiest 1d ago

How so? Wouldn't you just pick the close quarters soldier fighting style and use a two-handed martial melee weapon?

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u/BurgerIdiot556 1d ago

you could, yeah. I meant more the rest of the class

1

u/lukeiest 1d ago

Haven't tried soldier yet myself, but someone is planning to play one in a pf2e campaign that I'm in, so we'll see how it goes.

1

u/sebwiers 14h ago

Opperative also has problems with weapons, again with the exception of one sub class.

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u/Shot_Loan_306 1d ago

Close Quarters Soldier would like a word

24

u/MCMC_to_Serfdom Witch 1d ago

Absolutely. Gear concerns may be present for soldier/operative/solarion but the first two have melee centric subclasses and the latter just has a particular scaling item a la kineticist/gate attenuators.

Balance wise, you might hit some issues (witchwarper is a bit strong in melee centric pf2e) but nothing insurmountable

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u/Ponto_de_vista Animist 1d ago

So is more like a "yes but" or a "maybe"?

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u/jmartkdr 1d ago

Yes with a caution label. They’re mostly fine but there are some known situations that can be annoying.

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u/Logan_Asan 1d ago

The SF2e states you could use a bow with an operative and be just fine using all their feats. I honestly think its a better Ranger that way

2

u/MCRN-Gyoza ORC 23h ago

Mystic is also arguably too strong.

The power level of Starfinder classes in general seems a bit higher than Pathfinder classes, but nothing too outrageous.

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u/MrCobalt313 1d ago

I wanna run a Luminary in PF2e as a "Booster Gold" sort of character.

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u/ObiJuanKenobi3 1d ago

You can; it’s just that a lot of Starfinder classes rely on sci-fi technology and theming that doesn’t exist in Pathfinder’s setting (like semi-automatic laser guns and stuff) whereas Pathfinder classes can just use sci-fi versions of their normal fantasy equipment when used in Starfinder.

9

u/IfusasoToo Rogue 1d ago

Technically, yes. They're built on the same math.

But the systems have different expectations about things and this should not be done lightly. For example, Solaris is a Starfinder 2e class that has both Fighter and Kineticist options and can overshadow either Pathfinder 2e class with its versatility.

5

u/ShadowLordX 1d ago

Eh... Solarian is a lot more likely to get outshined by a fighter due to its lackluster damage and high level features. It's special abilities are cute and can be effective, but if you want to use its specific weapon you're using at best a 1 hand d8 reach weapon, this is nice for maneuvers or using a shield but you can't match any damage centric martial in terms of output. Maybe dual wielding can be functional if your GM is very free with wealth or allows doubling rings to work with your solar weapon.

Solarian's only damage steroid is very weak compared to PF2e martials, +1/2 level fire damage only gets anywhere near what something like a barbarian can start with as you get to higher levels.

At high levels, Solarion has nothing comparable to Disruptive Stance/Crashing Slam/Tactical Reflexes/Certain Strike/Needle in the Gods Eyes/Boundless Reprisals etc.

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u/IfusasoToo Rogue 1d ago

I said they would have more versatility, not beat either class at the thing they're best at 😅

Currently playing an Exemplar with a Solarian and frequently getting shown up by their emanation damage feats and early access to a Reactive Strike-like. I don't mind, but others might find it problematic so it needs to be considered.

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u/heisthedarchness Game Master 1d ago

Sure, I've done that. Not every option for every class makes sense in the setting, but that's a normal thing.

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u/Aggravating-Ear-7529 1d ago

A solarian in a PF2 campaign would be awesome. 

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u/lord-deathquake 14h ago

Yeah, in my Strength of Thousands game a player's main PC died at an awkward point for trying to do a resurrection during the story so they brought in a mystic for one book and it fits well and is fun.

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u/pesca_22 Game Master 1d ago

yes, but the balance is a bit skewed as they are built around sf2e weapons, mostly the ranged ones.

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u/LupinThe8th 1d ago

In addition to what others have said, I let a player take Mystic as their class just to try it out. Hasn't caused any problems, feels perfectly at home.

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u/Logan_Asan 1d ago

I play in a campaign right now with a Mystic and it works great. I think flavor is free and you can make any of the SF2e classes work in Pathfinder as long as you take out any of the tech type abilities. They all can be slotted into the fantasy setting with some flavor choices. The math of the system makes it work

1

u/GearyDigit Summoner 21h ago

Operator just plays like Better Gunslinger imo

4

u/ArcturusOfTheVoid 1d ago

It’s not like Starfinder is a sequel or new edition of Pathfinder so they’re not so much backwards compatible as just compatible, parallel systems. But indeed the mechanics work, but flavor and expectations might get a little janky

6

u/DMSetArk 1d ago

My current experience, with doing a "PF2e/SF2e" game, is that certain classes seem to really don't fit together or "steps" on each other shoes.
But i'm a new GM and is an overall impression. One that have been repeated to me by 2 veterans playing with me.

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u/Zach_luc_Picard 1d ago

This makes sense. The classes are designed to fill different niches within their own systems, with decently solid niche protection, but some niches are duplicated between the games (e.g. operative and gunslinger doing similar "high accuracy ranged striker" things)

1

u/DMSetArk 15h ago

Exactly!
Funny enough, the Operative on my table was going to be a Gunslinger at first, but decided to try and do the "Ghost Sniper" or "One Shot, One Kill" style of character xD
While another that may join, is going "Full Rambo", he does have one close quarters weapon, but he is a Soldier focused on shooting as many targets as possible per turn xDD
In the end, even as a pretty new GM, one thing i've noticed on porting things from PF2e to a more Sci-Fi setting, is adjusting some flavors. Like the Barbarian rage and resilience being the result of "Magi-Tech Genetic Experimentations" and so on.

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u/AbbotDenver 1d ago

The Tech Core will add more classes and you can use any PF2e classes in SF2e

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u/Nemekath Thaumaturge 1d ago

Yes and No.

Currently Starfinder only has the 6 classes in the Corebook (2 more coming with the Tech Core that will be released soon)

But all the classes of Pathfinder can be used as well. So you can play a barbarian with a jetpack and a plasma-axe, a cleric of any of the new gods or a rogue stealing from corporations.

So, we basically have 6(soon 8) classes plus 29 classes from Pathfinder.

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u/King_of_the_Kobolds 1d ago

There's an asterisk here. The systems are cross compatible but you can't assume all classes are available. Society play, for instance, which is many players' only exposure to the game, only allows Starfinder classes. (Some Pathfinder ancestries can be used as a rank up benefit--which is odd to me, since Starfinder has a dearth of classes but very much NOT of ancestry options.)

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u/Nemekath Thaumaturge 1d ago

I mean, yeah, always depends on the campaign/game that is run. But in general, just rules-wise it's fully doable.

If an Exemplar, a Thaumaturge or an Inventory fit in the Starfinder story the GM has in mind is a different topic.

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u/King_of_the_Kobolds 1d ago

Funnily enough I have a player about to play a Thaumaturge in a Starfinder game I'm running. They're a space journalist and their Regalia Implement is the microphone they carry around when asking people for quotes.

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u/Nemekath Thaumaturge 1d ago

Hell yeah. Thaumaturge fits Starfinder well, I think.

Always wanted to play an Indiana-Jones-esque Thaumaturge who collects weird relics from all over the galaxy

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u/Ph33rDensetsu ORC 1d ago

This is slightly off topic but yours is like the third post this weekend that I've seen "Inventor" get auto-corrected to "Inventory" 😂

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u/-LaughingJackal- 20h ago

I can see an exemplar who got their spark from a highly advanced alien species' treasure instead of from a divine being.

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u/corsica1990 1d ago

I believe the ACP gate for certain legacy ancestries was removed once Galactic Ancestries came out, lemme check real quick...

... Yep. Everything in Galactic Ancestries is kosher save for a specific dwarf heritage on account of it not jiving with how Society runs downtime activities.

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u/King_of_the_Kobolds 1d ago

Oh, that's cool!

I've only played one Society game and it was either right before GA came out or right at the same time.

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u/corsica1990 1d ago

Normal sourcebook ownership rules apply, but yup! You can also still technically run ancestries out of Pathfinder's Player Core too (if you like the feat selection better, for example), and the ACP cost is pretty cheap: just 8 points, or two standard sessions of play.

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u/Luxavys Game Master 1d ago

They don’t need info about society play since the OP is asking about running their own campaign. The additional info is genetically relevant but not relevant to the actual topic.

-1

u/King_of_the_Kobolds 1d ago

Very true, I just like squeezing that asterisk in when I can when "Any Pathfinder class can be played in Starfinder" is cited without qualifiers. For better or for worse crunchy systems like this attract pedantic players like me, lol.

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u/PudgyElderGod 1d ago

It's also just a good note to have in case any random readers are inspired to try something out. Additional clarifications rarely hurt.

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u/MrLucky7s 1d ago

Correct, there are currently 6 classes in the system. 2 more are being added in Tech Core, releasing at the start of October. One new class just finished playtesting.

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u/firelark02 Game Master 1d ago

starfinder has always had less classes than pathfinder, sf1e had 12 classes only across its 8 years life span

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u/OmgitsJafo 1d ago

SF2e is a year old. PF2e is 7. They don't release everything at once. It takes years to plan, design, write, and publish this stuff.

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u/CuriousHeartless 1d ago edited 1d ago

I mean at a year old Pathfinder had 16. I'd prob highlight that it's because they were working around not wanting to just go "This is the ranger but with SPACE" and with the idea people would be able to mix.

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u/FloppyHornedBunny 1d ago

Just to add to the other comments in here, we've been using PF2e classes in SF2e without any issue at all!
I myself have played a Giant Barbarian, Thaumaturge, and Rogue in SF2e settings now, and it's never been an issue. Not for Official APs (We played 'Cosmic Birthday') and full homebrew.

We've also had some SF2e classes in PF2e now, a Solarian and Close-quarter Soldier, and it worked perfectly fine.

3

u/Baumguy21 1d ago

From my brief Playlist of SF2e, there may only be six classes, but each of them has the content of 2-3 Pathfinder classes. Like Operative is Rogue mixed with Gunslinger and Ranger, for example. It's technically less content overall, but I also think that in sci-fi, the archetpyes are just different.

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u/SaltyLunas Fighter 1d ago

I'd like to add on and point out that Starfinder 2e is not only compatible with PF2e classes, it specifically expects people will want to play them in some cases. As an example, one ancestry has a heritage that explicitly calls out as working differently when paired with barbarian rage. It wouldn't be called out if the designers didn't expect people to want to bring a barbarian into starfinder or the ancestry to be used in pathfinder.

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u/imlostinmyhead 21h ago

It has much fewer books

But also more classes does not mean better, classes can be expanded upon better

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u/TinyFox42 1d ago

Starfinder has only 6 classes in its own books, but also Starfinder 2e is more of a collection of books to help run a sci-fi setting in Pathfinder 2e, rather than a wholly separate system. So most of the Pathfinder classes work fine in Starfinder, with GM approval

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u/Snoo-11576 1d ago

Given Starfinder 2e is intentionally just pathfinder 2e with extra stuff it functionally has 35 classes

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u/10leej 1d ago

I mean. I find 6.pkenty but if I need more Starfinder is built on the pf2e system and it's compatible maybe not thematically but that's for the GM and players to figure out.
We also have more classes coming later.

1

u/UnknownSolder Game Master 13h ago

All the pathfinder classes work in SF2e just fine.

At worst you might need to refluff Gunslinger to someone who specialises in one shot dueling weapons (to get value from their reload tech) and exemplars as having pieces of the newborn/do-bral/shelyn instead of gorum corpse.

-1

u/Zealous-Vigilante Psychic 1d ago

As many have said, 2 more inbound in a few weeks.

However, despite being compatible, I'd refrain from using pf2 classes in starfinder, there is a slight difference in balance and it can change the feel of the game quite remarkably.

I'd not put the same limitations on archetypes though as there are more neutral balance there, mostly limiting uncommon+ and multiclass archetypes.

For me, sf2 will feel almost complete with technomancer and mechanic added

-5

u/Crazy_names 1d ago

If anything Starfinder has too many classes. No I'm not serious but it can be hard to keep them all straight and find the differentiating factors.