Star Log.EM: Time Traveler’s Hot Tub (SFRPG)
Star Log.EM: Time Traveler’s Hot Tub (SFRPG)
This April’s Fool installment of the Star Log.EM-series clocks in at 9 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 2 pages of SRD, leaving us with 5 pages of content, so let’s take a look!
This review was moved up in my reviewing queue as a prioritized review at the request of my patreons. I also got this prior to public release, in case you were wondering.
So, this time around, we begin with some pieces of salient advice for handling time travel. To do note that in advance: personally, I prefer time travel to be handled in the vein of e.g. Primer. That being said, Starfinder is obviously a bit more happy-go-lucky, and as such, it’s very much important to note that this supplement doesn’t restrict you to a particular set of time travel rules.
The eponymous Time Traveller’s Hot Tub is an artifact, a cylindrical tub with a retro-design, and it is y hybrid item that includes, among others, elemental gates to heat water, diviners to collect data on the occupants and surrounding areas, etc. When within 10 ft. of the tub, it automatically swaps your attire and equipment for appropriate swimwear, and you are redressed if you move out of the area. Augmentations and items required for your well-being are not swapped out. Sizes of Large or greater are accommodated, as the tub warps space time to make you Medium while in the tub. The artifact uses a holographic interface that you can use as a full action, displaying biometrics, time and date…and a ton of options to make the tub itself more comfortable for you, like shell shapes, jet locations, etc. Any recreational items such as food, drugs or hot tub accessories may be requested, provided their item level is below 15. These items vanish if removed farther than 10 feet away from the tub, and the tub may only create a maximum of 25.000 credits worth of items per day – still, should seriously suffice to get some decadent relaxation out of it!
3/day, the tub can be commanded to translocate all inside to another place and time on the Material Plane, a process that requires those inside to spend ¼ the Resolve maximum (minimum 1 ) to travel through time. Setting a course is a full action, and the input coordinates must approximate the physical location of a planet or planetoid, and the time and date may not be sooner than before anyone currently in the tub was born or became sapient. A sample Dc for travel to less well-known places is provided. Upon activation, a frothing display of water and Technicolor, you travel to the respective time and are knocked unconscious for 1d20 hours, during which time your body ages to fit the age you had then, emerging at the age they had. (See Star Log.Deluxe: Aging Rules.)
Mind and memory are unaffected by the travelling experience. The tub can’t travel to a place that’s toxic to its occupants, and has a paradox resolution software, though that may be damaged. Indeed, the tub has hardness and Hit Points noted. The process of deactivating the safety limiters is concisely explained with damage, hacking (provided you can concentrate on it – the tub tells you to relax; minor complaint: There’s a reference to suggestion not italicized here), etc. The tub has an integrated mk IV null space chambers module, a body adjustment module, a temporal limitation module and a paradox correction module – all of which come with their own hacked/malfunction entries. But what happens if it’s destroyed? How can mortals fix it? Well, that’s what the Repairman’s here for. The powerful CR 25 inevitable (stats check out, fyi) is an oddity in its role, for sure. It’s also insanely powerful and has a whole array of cool abilities, including mystic spellcasting (as per the new connection.)
Wait, what? Yep, this does have a new mystic connection, Temporal. This one has Culture and Perception as associated skills, and it gets baleful alter age (See Star Log.EM: Temporal Thing). At 1st level, we have the ability to, whenever you roll a d20 and fail, to spend 1 Resolve as a reaction to reroll the d20. Starting at 3rd level, this may also be used to affect allies you’re aware of within 100 ft. At 6th level, you may use the ability as a swift action before rolling, or use it as a reaction before an ally rolls the check – when doing so, the d20 is rolled twice and the better result is taken, as opposed to the second being the one that counts.
3rd level lets you recall knowledge untrained and add channel skill bonus to all skill checks to attempt to recall knowledge. You also may use your Wisdom modifier when doing so, provided it’s higher than the skill’s associated ability score modifier. At 6th level, we have erase from time, which lets you, as a standard action, remove a creature on a failed Fort-save from time for a minute, with subsequent Will-saves allowing for quicker ends to this effect. The ability may be used after a 10-minute rest, and target a creature only once per 24 hours, keeping its power in check. 9th level allows you, as a move action to teleport to any space you can see within 30 ft. sans provoking AoOs. You can only teleport to solid ground, and hazardous terrain interaction is covered.
12th level nets you the ability to spend 1 Resolve Point as a standard action to make a melee touch attack vs. EAC to put the target into a temporal stasis on a failed save, with 16th level allowing for more Resolve expenditure to make that permanent. This, obviously, has a ton of utility for e.g. folks stranded in space, etc., and a helpful hex caveat prevents spamming it against bosses. Kudos! At 15th level, you can designate an ally within 100 ft., and note Stamina, Hit Points, daily uses of abilities remaining and active effects and durations. You can only designate one ally at a given time and need a 10-minute rest to regain Stamina Points to do so again. As a reaction, you can spend ¼ your total Resolve Point maximum, minimum 2 Resolve, to rewind time for that ally to the point you noted, restoring that moment in time. The ability can’t be cheesed due to the fact that Resolve is very deliberately NOT noted and restored, but the ability can very well return the target to life! Super cool! 18th level has, obviously, the big one – Time Stop. For 1 Resolve as a full action, you get 1d4+1 additional turns, and the rules for attacking targets etc., ongoing effects and the like are concisely codified.
Conclusion:
Editing and formatting are very good on a formal and rules-language level. Layout adheres to the series’ nice two-column full-color standard, and I enjoy the pink touch and the water-effect used to modify the look of the file. The pdf has no bookmarks, but needs none at this length.
Alexander Augunas delivers with panache aplomb here: The hot tub is amazing and if you’re a fan of Doctor Who (and who isn’t?…sorry, will have beaten myself for that pun sometime), then this is pretty much a must-own. We not only get a thoroughly amazing item that can govern whole campaigns, we also get a kickass high-level NPC/monster and a potent, well-crafted connection. What more could you ask for? This is an amazing Star Log, and well worth a final verdict of 5 stars + seal of approval.
You can get this inspired, cool little supplement here on OBS!
Missed the excellent aging rules? You can get them here on OBS!
Endzeitgeist out.
