Starfinder 2e Playtest Operative REVEALED!

#paizo #pathfinderrpg #pathfinder2e #starfinder #Starfinder2e
At PaizoCon 2024, they released a single image teasing the new Operative. Let's spend almost 15 minutes talking about it!
Since writing this, I think all of the PaizoCon 2024 panels have been uploaded to KZbin, check out the Starfinder 2e Playtest panel here: (it's where I got the image for the operative).
• PaizoCon 2024: Starfin...

[@philippedaigneault366]

Classes have to be different enough so that you would want to play Pathfinder classes, so having the Operative just different enough from a Rogue as to not step on each others toes too much sounds like a very fair guess! As you explained it I can see the Operative being right at home in PF2e with a hand crossbow or a gun dealing their aim bonus damage while critting more often.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

And like I said, the panel suggested there were melee builds as well.

[@jmericso]

Operative's Edge shares its name with a 1e Operative ability that gave a scaling Insight bonus to all skill checks and initiative, so I'd expect something aligned with that.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Maybe, but the envoy playtest has already said that the operative is not going to be the master of all skills anymore.

[@ajarmstrong4204]

I agree with your assessment of aim. It's a nice way of not needing to constantly seek off-guard via hiding and still add extra damage to ranged strikes

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I'm liking the look of it!

[@Dudeman715]

This class looks like alot of fun. I'm looking forward to the final product. Question! Did you see any pannels regarding new ancestries?

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

The Keynote address talked about the new ancestries coming out in Tien Xia character guide. I think Paizo has a stream about them. Let me find it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGmaioaPpbCVZtk Stream talks about the Tien Xia character guide, including some new upcoming ancestries. Also the Keynote talked about some of the ancestries coming out for Starfinder, like the Skittermander.

[@theonceandfuturething3999]

Educated guesses, with the emphasis on educated.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Thank you! Very Kind of you to say.

[@duncbot9000]

Great job mining this for information!

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Thanks!

[@JacobJepson]

I totally agree with assessment of the Operative and from the panels I watched it did sound to me that the operative was going to be different than the Starfinder 1e operative. Mixing of gunslinger and a precision damage option does to me sound like a direct attempt to fix "melee is king" mindset from PF2e. Extra accuracy with slightly less precision damage could be an interesting take for the operative. I would hope AIM works like hunted prey, otherwise an action per turn could take away from the class and make it mechanically boring. This obviously replaces the "trick" damage the operative used to have and so long as they don't need to make a check this likely makes them just flat out better than before. I do wonder how often AIM will apply, if it's for every attack they can definitely challenge melee builds, and reverse throw an operative into Pathfinder 2e with fatal conditions and you got yourself a really scary ranged build.

[@GrimmDichotomy]

Might be a stretch here, but I think Masterful Advance might actually be where Perception goes to Master, and have some kind of initiative bonus. The reason I think this is three-fold: 1) A lot of passive boosts at Master or Legendary as of the Remaster have bespoke names, rather than sticking to the trend for Expertise. 2) It makes very little sense to wait so long to boost Perception to Master, if it happens at all it tends to be much earlier in other classes. And 3) The Gunslinger gains Legendary Perception at level 19 with an identically named feature, "Incredible Senses", so I think we can fairly safely assume that it'll be the same for the Operative =]

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Good point! I haven’t played a gunslinger to 19 so I didn’t see that.

[@alaster555]

Its interesting that they are commited to make things distinct from the pathfinder classes. This indirectly tells us a bit about some of the other starfinder classes by telling us they have to be distinct. As an example, the construct inventor and the drone mechanic should be distinctly different. Looking at how the inventor seams more combat focused, the mechanic drone might be more utility and/or debuffer.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

We’ll have to see, mechanic and technomancer are not in the core book. Apparently they are too ‘item’ focused. They don’t have enough fun tech toys to play around with in the core book (kinda like how alchemists didn’t have enough alchemical items upon initial release). But in a conversation with Dustin Knight (one of the Starfinder developers), he said you could make a ‘decent’ technomancer stand-in with a simple wizard and choose technology spells.

[@amelialonelyfart8848]

IMO the biggest flaw of ranged characters isn't their lack of damage (though that IS a big problem) but that they're just sort of boring a lot of the time. There's a lot less to ranged combat than there is to melee combat. Since SF2 is very ranged focus, I really hope that's something they fix!

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

There is already a new condition called 'supressed' which reduces to-hit and speed that seems to be mostly applied through ranged attacks.

[@vamphunterx]

Exactly

[@riverray4136]

I believe during the panels the devs said that what 'guns' are in the context of the operative is explained within the class itself (it'll probably mostly be firearms but might include some oddball things besides that).

[@harjutapa]

3:00 your text says 4+ Int mod skills, but the text on the screen cap says 3+

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

A shoot. I knew I made a mistake somewhere. Cross referencing everything back and forth to see what other classes got what when to get a clue as to what the operative might get got me all confused.

[@chiragasnani3437]

Huh, turning Operatives from 'general do anything rogue-esc' of SF1e to 'the perfect sniper' is not a direction I thought they would go but it is interesting if that's the case. I'm curious how the subclasses will change this.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

I suspect at least one makes them into a melee build.

[@tinear4]

i am seriously impressed by the level of analysis you provided here. Everything you say makes sense in context, but i wouldn’t have seen the context if you hadn’t pointed it out.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Thanks!

[@ThoriarHoaglz]

If ny memory is to be trusted, I believe uour assessment aligns with previous developer statements. I'd already shifted the example for an Operative in my mind to John Wick / Liam Neeson from Taken, with the Envoy aliding in the the generalized skill monkey role.

[@HeroG9000]

Could aim be plus to hit or would that be broke with the crit system?

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Probably broken. +4d4 to hit with legendary proficiency would be dumb broken.

[@vamphunterx]

Wow, so they'll start off being easier to being Demoralized & Grappled. Hyper focus on guns/firearms is stupid. I wanna use knives. What about futuristic rapiers? Having to take a feat to be good in melee aint it.

[@PsiPrimeProductions1]

Easier. . . Than what? What are you comparing them against? Also, we don’t know what we don’t know, maybe an operative specialization and not a feat makes them good at melee. Also also, remember, this is a playtest. If you find it doesn’t work out, let Paizo know. Seems like you are jumping the gun a bit. Let’s not get angry at a playtest that we haven’t seen everything for.