What do you think?
Rate this book
Starfinder Core
Starfinder: Pact Worlds
The Pact Worlds are the beating heart of the Starfinder campaign setting, a solar system full of citizens both familiar and bizarre. From the cosmopolitan corridors of Absalom Station to the carnivorous jungles of Castrovel or the floating cloud-cities of the gas giant Bretheda, this hardcover rulebook is your guide to Starfinder's core worlds and civilizations, and the perfect place to launch any adventure.
Inside, you'll find:
- In-depth gazetteers of the system's 14 major worlds, from high-tech Verces and the draconic empires of Triaxus to the necromantic wastleands of Eox or magical bubble cities floating on the surface of the sun. Each gazetteer features a detailed world map, residents and cultures, settlements and adventure locations, a unique theme to customize characters from that world, and more.
- New playable alien races, from undead Eoxians to Castrovellian plant-people.
- New starships, from the living vessels of the Xenowardens to sinister Hellknight dreadnoughts.
- A codex of themed NPC stat blocks to help Game Masters create vivid encounters.
- New archetypes for every class, including the Star Knight, Skyfire Centurion, and Divine Champion.
- Tons of new weapons, armors, spells, feats, magic items, technological gadgets, and more to help outfit your adventurers.
Cover art by Remko Troost
Inside, you'll find:
- In-depth gazetteers of the system's 14 major worlds, from high-tech Verces and the draconic empires of Triaxus to the necromantic wastleands of Eox or magical bubble cities floating on the surface of the sun. Each gazetteer features a detailed world map, residents and cultures, settlements and adventure locations, a unique theme to customize characters from that world, and more.
- New playable alien races, from undead Eoxians to Castrovellian plant-people.
- New starships, from the living vessels of the Xenowardens to sinister Hellknight dreadnoughts.
- A codex of themed NPC stat blocks to help Game Masters create vivid encounters.
- New archetypes for every class, including the Star Knight, Skyfire Centurion, and Divine Champion.
- Tons of new weapons, armors, spells, feats, magic items, technological gadgets, and more to help outfit your adventurers.
Cover art by Remko Troost
216 pages, Hardcover
First published March 28, 2018
10 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 4, 2019
One thing that is important when one is looking at a game is to gain a sense of place about the world that one is supposed to be playing in. At times, as is the case here, one finds that a place that might appear to be alien but which appears far more familiar when you think about it. And while it might not be a perfect picture of our solar system, this book does offer a very similar sort of picture to our own solar system only with a lot more aliens. Indeed, this particular game takes place in a very narrow range when one considers the galaxy as a whole, focusing on an area that is just the size of a solar system, facing the possibility of warfare across a whole galaxy. I’m a bit puzzled as to why this world is designed so small, especially given the high speed travel that exists, and whether there are a lot more worlds in neighboring systems that will be discovered or that will play a rule in the game once one moves ahead several levels. The constricted nature of this particular game makes it about the same as most regular role playing games are that occur on single planets.
This particular book is a bit more than 200 pages and is divided into four chapters. After a short introduction to the so-called pact worlds in which the Starfinder game appears to take place, the authors begin by discussing the various “worlds,” one of them a spaceship and one a station and one the sun, in which the game takes place. Most of the names appear to refer to the solar system by other names, so we have the sun, Aballon as Mercury, Castrovel as Venus, probably, Absalom Station as the remnant of earth, Akiton as Mars, and so on. Not all of the planets are present but enough are to make the similarities plain. After that the author talks about starships owned by various factions that one can use. This leads to a discussion of the supporting cast of characters that someone could encounter, like cultists, free captains (pirate), hellknights, mercenaries, security forces, and street gangs. Finally, the book ends with discussions about player options that include various feats, weapons and fusions, armor and armor upgrades, as well as magic and hybrid items and playable races. The book then ends as one would expect with an index that helps the reader find the info they are looking for.
Is this a solar system that I would want to live in? There are some areas that make this solar system in this game more appealing than our own, such as the way that it is possible to live on the sun and also help settle the asteroid belt and enjoy living with sentient machines on Mercury (or its equivalent, I should say). This world, though, is definitely terrifying in other respects, whether one looks at the absence of earth and its replacement with a small space station, or the weird ideas the authors have about deities and undeath and the ubiquity of pirates and rebels or conflict between people and dragons. This solar system is certainly a dangerous one, and that is true whether or not we are the only sentient beings that we are in contact with. And although I have to say that the imagination of the person or people who made up this game is pretty demented, it is at least the sort of demented that I can understand and which I could imagine myself playing if the time and company was right, so there’s that.
This particular book is a bit more than 200 pages and is divided into four chapters. After a short introduction to the so-called pact worlds in which the Starfinder game appears to take place, the authors begin by discussing the various “worlds,” one of them a spaceship and one a station and one the sun, in which the game takes place. Most of the names appear to refer to the solar system by other names, so we have the sun, Aballon as Mercury, Castrovel as Venus, probably, Absalom Station as the remnant of earth, Akiton as Mars, and so on. Not all of the planets are present but enough are to make the similarities plain. After that the author talks about starships owned by various factions that one can use. This leads to a discussion of the supporting cast of characters that someone could encounter, like cultists, free captains (pirate), hellknights, mercenaries, security forces, and street gangs. Finally, the book ends with discussions about player options that include various feats, weapons and fusions, armor and armor upgrades, as well as magic and hybrid items and playable races. The book then ends as one would expect with an index that helps the reader find the info they are looking for.
Is this a solar system that I would want to live in? There are some areas that make this solar system in this game more appealing than our own, such as the way that it is possible to live on the sun and also help settle the asteroid belt and enjoy living with sentient machines on Mercury (or its equivalent, I should say). This world, though, is definitely terrifying in other respects, whether one looks at the absence of earth and its replacement with a small space station, or the weird ideas the authors have about deities and undeath and the ubiquity of pirates and rebels or conflict between people and dragons. This solar system is certainly a dangerous one, and that is true whether or not we are the only sentient beings that we are in contact with. And although I have to say that the imagination of the person or people who made up this game is pretty demented, it is at least the sort of demented that I can understand and which I could imagine myself playing if the time and company was right, so there’s that.
May 26, 2018
This Starfinder book is primarily a lore book, with a vast majority of it's pages extensively detailing the various planets and locations within them of the Pact Worlds. In addition it has a several new character races to play, and some interesting character options (spells, equipment, NPCs, ect.).
I really enjoyed this book, as each and every entry immediately sets the mind wandering and imagining ways to utilize the plot hooks in your own games. Almost every entry is unique and while some can feel a bit derivative, most of them handle this in a unique way. I will definitely be using this book extensively as I develop a Starfinder campaign, and I would be hard pressed to imagine someone doing so without this book.
I really enjoyed this book, as each and every entry immediately sets the mind wandering and imagining ways to utilize the plot hooks in your own games. Almost every entry is unique and while some can feel a bit derivative, most of them handle this in a unique way. I will definitely be using this book extensively as I develop a Starfinder campaign, and I would be hard pressed to imagine someone doing so without this book.
December 12, 2018
This is a setting book for the Starfinder Roleplaying Game.
I really enjoyed this book. At times I would have to cross reference with the Alien Archive about what different aliens were inhabiting the world it would have been good if they put page number or note where alien information could be found.
This is predominatly a GM book. It is very well done.
I really enjoyed this book. At times I would have to cross reference with the Alien Archive about what different aliens were inhabiting the world it would have been good if they put page number or note where alien information could be found.
This is predominatly a GM book. It is very well done.
February 22, 2019
Not super heavy on statistics, but some great fluff that gives you a well rounded description on the Pact Worlds, plenty of which are interesting to visit or set up shop in for a campaign. You do also get a few character options, races, etc which is useful.
October 5, 2019
Couldn't stop reading every five minutes to just indulge in all the great ideas this book kept giving me for characters, story concepts, etc. Starfinder is such a beautifully expansive setting, I love it.
June 9, 2023
Great starfinder rpg book about the pact worlds!
May 21, 2018
I had said I was not going to read any RPG books until I had fulfilled this year’s challenge. Because RPG books are not “real books”: they have pictures, tables you are not going to read, and…Let’s say that my goal was to read at least 25 “normal books” first. But Pact Worlds came out, and since I am currently running a Starfinder campaign I just could not leave the book aside for a few months. Not with my players asking “Can I read it?”, “How can I make my character even more munchkin with it?” and similar questions.
One of the things that impressed me the most of the Starfinder Core Rulebook was the setting. Maybe because my expectations where low: “It is D&D in space, what else do you need to know?” Instead, I found a very well sketched galaxy, which a ton of references to pop culture suggesting there was room for pretty much any kind of science fantasy/science fiction I could want. This book confirms this idea, expanding the background of all the planets of the Golarion system, more spaceships (yey!), and some interesting options for PCs. Oh, and some GM minions including the creepy Hellknights!
Some of the information from the Dead Sun’s Adventure Path is repeated here: the entries of Castrovel, Absalon Station and Eox, plus two pages on the Void. I do not think it is too much, and it is handy to have it all in one place (plus, the Eox map on the Adventure path is cooler). All planets get the same space, which is fair but strange considering the differences in size and population. Nevertheless, I think there is sufficient information to give enough background to any PC, and plenty of ideas for the GM in the form of “Here there is a dungeon”. There is one sad exception: nothing really new regarding Triaxus’ battleflowers.
Space combat is one of my favorite aspects of this game, so I am very pleased with the new additions. I loved the Cathedralships, I would very much like to get one as a miniature. I did not particularly like the aesthetics of the Xeonowarden’s flying pineapples, although the concept is rather cool.
The additional options for the PC are good, and what is even better, not particularly munchkin. Now it is clear to me archetypes are more about the flavor they give to the PC, rather than a more skill-oriented prestige class. They might not be for everybody, and that is a good thing.
The same can be said about spells and equipment. They are cool, but at first glimpse, I do not find them particularly unbalanced. They let you do more or less the same as before, but with a different flavor. Here the exception is positive: motospheres! Yes, now you can have a motorcycle in your pocket and follow a kid on a yellow cloud! Well, maybe not the latter, but it made my day.
In short, if you are GMing Starfinder or are minimally interested in its background, this is a great book to have.
One of the things that impressed me the most of the Starfinder Core Rulebook was the setting. Maybe because my expectations where low: “It is D&D in space, what else do you need to know?” Instead, I found a very well sketched galaxy, which a ton of references to pop culture suggesting there was room for pretty much any kind of science fantasy/science fiction I could want. This book confirms this idea, expanding the background of all the planets of the Golarion system, more spaceships (yey!), and some interesting options for PCs. Oh, and some GM minions including the creepy Hellknights!
Some of the information from the Dead Sun’s Adventure Path is repeated here: the entries of Castrovel, Absalon Station and Eox, plus two pages on the Void. I do not think it is too much, and it is handy to have it all in one place (plus, the Eox map on the Adventure path is cooler). All planets get the same space, which is fair but strange considering the differences in size and population. Nevertheless, I think there is sufficient information to give enough background to any PC, and plenty of ideas for the GM in the form of “Here there is a dungeon”. There is one sad exception: nothing really new regarding Triaxus’ battleflowers.
Space combat is one of my favorite aspects of this game, so I am very pleased with the new additions. I loved the Cathedralships, I would very much like to get one as a miniature. I did not particularly like the aesthetics of the Xeonowarden’s flying pineapples, although the concept is rather cool.
The additional options for the PC are good, and what is even better, not particularly munchkin. Now it is clear to me archetypes are more about the flavor they give to the PC, rather than a more skill-oriented prestige class. They might not be for everybody, and that is a good thing.
The same can be said about spells and equipment. They are cool, but at first glimpse, I do not find them particularly unbalanced. They let you do more or less the same as before, but with a different flavor. Here the exception is positive: motospheres! Yes, now you can have a motorcycle in your pocket and follow a kid on a yellow cloud! Well, maybe not the latter, but it made my day.
In short, if you are GMing Starfinder or are minimally interested in its background, this is a great book to have.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews