Starfinder Society boons: OP or UP?

[Malimar]

So my group is playing through the Dead Suns adventure path in Starfinder, but the DM decided to take a few sessions away from the main plot to do some Starfinder Society missions, specifically the commencement stuff. To keep us on track for the AP, we didn't get XP for the Starfinder Society stuff, only fame, reputation, and boons.

One player keeps saying the boons are completely overpowered and are going to break the game and snap the adventure path in two. But looking through them, they're basically all* stuff I'd barely even deign to record on my sheet if I got them for free, much less stuff I'd pay actual resources for.

Which of us is right?


*Obviously Sugar Heart Love, the Strawberry Machine Cake baby-metal album, is an exception, being of course the most overpowered item published since the Candle of Invocation.

[Psyren]

Which of us is right?


Both of you. Or less pithily, one of you has very different power expectations than the other, and a judgement as far as who is "right" will require knowing the rough power level of your group as well as the effects of the boons specifically.

[Ssalarn]

I've run Dead Suns twice, once as part of Society play and once as a standalone adventure, and neither experience was significantly impacted one way or another. The Society game went a smidge smoother for the players, but that had more to do with them having a couple scenarios padding their XP and gear than it did boons.

Of course, I'm an organized play developer for Paizo, so take that as you will.

[icefractal]

Can you list what some of these boons are? It's hard to say anything without information.

Based on what I've seen of Starfinder, even most of the feats are very minor in impact, so unless the boons are significantly better than that, I'm leaning toward "not going to break anything".

[Florian]

In a sense, you both are correct.

You player is right in the sense that once you stop leveling up and are at optimum WBL, small fry such as boons will start to sum up at a point and alter the game balance in favor of the player characters.
You are right in the sense that on an individual level and compared to what a full level up would bring, boons are nothing.

[OgresAreCute]

Can you list what some of these boons are? It's hard to say anything without information.

Based on what I've seen of Starfinder, even most of the feats are very minor in impact, so unless the boons are significantly better than that, I'm leaning toward "not going to break anything".

This is my experience with starfinder as well. Nothing really does anything significant compared to the class features and feats I'm used to from 3.5.

[Deadline]

Starfinder suffers from thinking that it's magic items are awesome, when most of them are roughly on par (or worse) than base-level d&d weapon crystals. As others have pointed out, most of the feats aren't even something worth writing home about. There are many "neat" ideas in Starfinder, but most of them are terribly underwhelming in their implementation. Which is unfortunate, because I like the setting.

I'm unfamiliar with any of the Starfinder society boons, but if they are similar to a feat or weak magic item in power, then no they won't unbalance anything.

[Malimar]

I haven't even much looked at what's available to other factions or higher tiers (I'm currently a tier 1 Wayfinder and I had 5 fame to spend or save), but here's what I'm basing my judgement on:


Basic Hireling Access
(Ally Boon)
You can requisition basic assistance from the Starfinder Society.

Prerequisites: All Factions Tier 0
Cost: 1 Fame
Benefit: You bring on a non-combat ally that can assist with a certain set of skill checks. This ally can perform the listed skills with a total bonus equal to your level. You must expend any necessary actions and be in range to perform the action yourself. The ally’s result cannot be modified by class abilities or spells, but can be improved by a successful aid another action. The ally does not participate in combat, cannot be killed outside of combat, and has no effect other than providing the ability to attempt skill checks.

When you select this boon, you must select one of the following sets of skills.

Set 1: Computers, Engineering, Physical Science
Set 2: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate
Set 3: Culture, Medicine, Survival
Set 4: Life Science, Mysticism, Physical Science

Special: You can purchase this boon multiple times. Each time you purchase this boon, you can select a different set of skills from the list above. When slotting this boon, you can only select one of the skill lists you have available from the above list, even if you have purchased multiple lists.

Amateur Hireling Access
(Ally Boon)
You can requisition amateur assistance from the Starfinder Society.

Prerequisites: All Factions Tier 1, Basic
Hireling Access
Cost: 2 Fame
Benefit: This boon acts as Basic Hireling Access, except the total bonus to your ally’s skill check bonus is now equal to 2 + your level.
Special: This boon supersedes the skill bonus used by Basic Hireling Access. When slotting this boon, you select any skill set from Basic Hireling Access that you already purchased but use the improved skill check bonus instead.

Basic Purchasing Plan
(Slotless Boon; Limited-Use)
The following is a list of purchases available to all members of the Starfinder Society.

Prerequisites: All Factions Tier 0
Cost: Varies (see below)
Benefit: Every Starfinder can acquire certain services from the Starfinder Society by spending Fame. All Starfinders have access to the following list of services.

TABLE 2–2 BASIC PURCHASES
Award - Cost*
+4 to any one skill check** - 1 Fame
Dispel magic - 1 Fame
Lesser restoration - 1 Fame
Make whole - 1 Fame
Remove affliction (CL 7th) - 1 Fame
Break enchantment - 2 Fame
Greater dispel magic - 2 Fame
Restoration - 2 Fame
Regenerate - 6 Fame
Have your body recovered by a rescue team - 5 Fame
Raise dead - 14 Fame
Reduce Infamy by 1 - 4 Fame
Mnemonic editor (mk varies) - 4 × mk of the
editor purchased***

* Increase cost by 3 in Near Space and 5 in the Vast
**Does not include Day Job check
***Mk 1 = 4 Fame, mk 2 = 8 Fame, mk 3 = 12 Fame, mk 4 = 16 Fame
Special: This boon can be purchased multiple times, as it strictly allows access to purchase the services listed above.

First Contact Step-In
(Social Boon)
When not engaged in field missions, you pore over Wayfinder briefings about various first contact missions.

Prerequisites: Wayfinders Tier 1
Cost: 1 Fame
Benefit: When an ally fails a skill check during a first contact situation—specifically when encountering a previously undiscovered species—you can spend 1 Resolve Point to immediately attempt the same skill check. If the result of your skill check is greater than your ally’s failed attempt, use your result to determine the outcome. You can use this ability on any skill check so long as it relates to a first contact encounter. A common example would be using skills like Diplomacy or Intimidate on a newly encountered race, but attempting a Computers check to learn from an alien network about a new species would also be appropriate. Exactly when this boon can be used is up to the GM’s discretion.

Improved Drift Engine
(Starship Boon)
Members of the Wayfinders have access to some of the most advanced Drift engines in the Starfinder Society.

Prerequisites: Wayfinders Tier 1
Cost: 1 Fame
Benefit: Increase the Drift engine of your starship to Signal Booster. This may affect certain aspects of a scenario, but only if the scenario specifically calls this out. Otherwise, the increased engine gives you extra time to prepare for any starship combat encounter you take part in. At the start of a starship combat encounter, you can choose your ship facing and move your ship up to 1d6 hexes in any direction.
Special: A starship can only benefit from one copy of this Starship boon at a time.

Mobile Translator
(Slotless Boon)
Your connections with the Wayfinders grant you easier access to a rudimentary translation device useful in first contact situations.

Prerequisites: Wayfinders Tier 1
Cost: 2 Fame
Benefit: You acquire a Tetrad certified translator as if you had purchased it, but you do not need to expend any credits. Normal: You need to spend credits to acquire this item.
TETRAD CERTIFIED TRANSLATOR LEVEL 2
ITEM PRICE BULK

TECHNOLOGICAL 500 L
This elaborate datapad has several additional audio receptors to capture nearby sounds. If you don’t share a language with creatures you encounter, you can activate this device to collect basic linguistic information. The device requires 10 minutes of observed conversation to gain enough information to operate. The device then acts as a rudimentary translator.

It does not allow you to converse with creatures with whom you don’t share a language, but it can relate very basic information. Examples of statements the device could interpret would be: “come with us,” “lower your weapons,” or “leave immediately.” The device cannot parse proper names, including personal designations or the names of items and places. Some extraordinary complex or obscure languages might not translate clearly with this device. A Tetrad certified translator has 10 capacity and 1/hour usage.

Sellback Plan
(Slotless Boon)
As your reputation within the Starfinder Society grows, you can return acquired benefits.

Prerequisites: All Factions Tier 1
Cost: None (see below)
Benefit: You can return previously purchased boons with a Fame cost that is less than or equal to your current Reputation Tier in All Factions as long as the boon is neither a limited-use nor a slotless boon. You immediately gain an amount of Fame equal to the total Fame cost of the boon traded in.
Special: You can utilize this boon multiple times, but you can sell only one boon this way between scenarios and cannot sell boons during the course of play.

Starship Towing
(Slotless Boon; Limited-Use)
The Starfinder Society has connections with multiple organizations that own starships. You can call in those favors when your own starship endeavors have not worked out as well as you’d hoped.

Prerequisites: All Factions Tier 0
Cost: 5 Fame
Benefit: You can purchase this boon when your starship has been reduced to 0 Hull Points during a starship combat encounter. When you do so, a recovery team arrives to recover you and your party members before the enemy can finish you off. It is assumed that you and your group manage to somehow make your way to the next encounter in the scenario if there is one. This boon does not count the starship combat encounter as being completed, so it is still possible to miss out on rewards from the encounter.

Normal: The destruction of a starship can lead to severe repercussions, as detailed in individual scenarios.
Special: Multiple PCs can contribute Fame to purchase this boon. You can purchase this boon multiple times.

Wayfinders Champion
(Faction Boon)
You’ve declared your allegiance to the Wayfinders and dedicate your missions to furthering the goals of that faction.
Prerequisites: Wayfinders Tier 0
Cost: 2 Fame
Benefit: This Faction boon allows the character to gain Reputation with the Wayfinders faction. A character with this boon slotted at the end of a successfully completed scenario gains Reputation as detailed in the primary and secondary success conditions of that scenario.
Normal: A character gains no Reputation unless he has a Faction boon slotted.

Worldwide Explorer
(Slotless Boon)
You earn additional experience by traveling outside your typical comfort zone.

Prerequisites: Wayfinders Tier 1
Cost: 0 Fame (see below)
Benefit: If you complete a scenario in a region with a different Regional Venture-Coordinator than your home region, you earn 1 additional Fame and 1 additional Reputation with the Wayfinders faction. For more information on the regions overseen by Regional Venture-Coordinators, see paizo.com/organizedplay/coordinators.
Special: You can benefit from this boon only a number of times equal to your current Reputation Tier with the Wayfinders faction. Each time you fulfill the requirements of this boon, mark it on your Chronicle sheet along with the associated Reputation Tier. Have the GM sign beside this notation.
Some of those are "fix a screwup" one-time boons that could wind up being useful if we screw up, which is good because the only one I can see buying in the absence of such a screwup is Improved Drift Engine (which I did, in fact, buy).

Additionally, we got for free (in normal Starfinder Society play you would pay credits for these):

SOCIETY SUBDERMAL GRAFT
SYSTEM Hand
MODEL Single
LEVEL 1
PRICE 150
This implant rests underneath the skin of the palm of one
hand, or at the end of a tentacle or similar appendage in
species that lack hands. The augmentation can be activated
or deactivated mentally as a swift action. Activating the
implant causes a rendition of the Starfinder Society’s symbol
to glow underneath the skin. This augmentation acts as a
mark, letting others know you are a member of the Starfinder
Society. It also increases the light level within 5 feet by one
step while active.

Star Sugar Heartlove!!! (Slotless Boon; Limited Use):
During your commencement missions, you had the chance to pick
up your own copy of the latest album from sugar-pop sensation Strawberry Machine Cake. This album is already a Pact
Worlds hit and has quadrupled in price. You can resell the album for 200 credits prior to the start of your next adventure.
If you sell the album, cross this boon off your Chronicle sheet. Alternatively, you can decide to keep the album, which
might somehow prove useful in the future.

[icefractal]

... I have no idea why the player in question thinks any of those could be OP.

About half are "rescue the PCs from being totally screwed" things, where if the boon didn't exist the GM would likely take mercy and provide it anyway at the cost of "owing a favor" which may or may not ever materialize. Not that I consider this a bad use of faction benefits, but it's not a power gain at all.

The assistant ones are only useful if nobody in the party has that skill, and even then it just takes you up to mediocre. The first contact one is kind of cool, but very situational.

The gear ones really don't seem worth it past low levels. Given the exponential cost of gear, a party that's spending Fame rather than 500 credits is in pretty bad shape.

The ship one that you took is really the only one I'd notice, and even then it's a situational benefit that's more cool than powerful.

[Deadline]

Yeah, the only two of those things that look remotely useful are the Improved Drift Engine and the extra 200 credits. The others I wouldn't even bother writing down if they were given out for free, as they are pretty pointless.

[Telok]

One that I can see being useful is the ability to use fame instead of credits for some spellcasting services. Of course when my group played we were all tragically under-funded and under-geared to the point that a couple people ended up using level -5 weapons or armor and never got to buy the +stat items.

Of course we also had a GM who thought that Life Bubble was OP and disallowed buying any spellcasting services because there weren't "stores" for it in th AP.

[Deadline]

Of course we also had a GM who thought that Life Bubble was OP and disallowed buying any spellcasting services because there weren't "stores" for it in th AP.

Wasn't Life Bubble that Mystic spell that let you survive in space for a limited time? Did your GM not read the basics regarding any form of armor in Starfinder? (i.e. they all provide you the ability to survive in space for up to 1 hour per item level).

I mean, aside from edge cases, I can't imagine why you'd even need the Life Bubble spell to begin with.