Audocyte (Starfinder Archetype)
(art by cozylittleartblog on DeviantArt)
Everyone knows a hot beat can mean the difference between productivity and a frustrated headache, both in work and play. The human brain is, after all, built to latch onto patterns or even the illusion of patterns, which is why we have music in the first place.
When using music while working, our brains latch onto the rhythm and use that to set the pace of our work, allowing us to work faster, more precisely, and more tirelessly ‘til the work is done.
And so I present audocytes, an archetype representing characters that really, really like music, and study, either informally or formally, how to use music to optimize performance in themselves or others and have fun doing it.
They may get noise complaints or annoyed stares from people that dislike someone blasting their music in public, but audocytes work and play to their own literal soundtrack, with little care for what others think.
Starting off, these musical aficionados have a set of music they can play that bolsters their ability to perform one skill, at the cost of hindering their ability to notice the world around them.
They can even play that music for their allies, giving them the same benefits, though of course they need a way for their allies to hear it. Either by playing it aloud or directly into their comm devices.
At this point, the audocyte can choose to either gain normal class features, or new song genres, each of which improves a different skill, while also refining the previous tracks and mixes to give greater benefits.
More skilled audocytes can even weaponize their music against foes, unleashing a deafening blast that can impair hearing, distract, and even overwhelm the senses to the point they can barely act for several seconds.
This is a fun archetype, very reminiscent of the bard from Pathfinder. However, they don’t get combat abilities until later on, instead focusing on skills. Depending on what class and build you’re playing, this archetype can be used to bolster your favorite skills when you need to lock in and ignore outside stimuli and focus on the task. The ability to provide this bonus to allies as well is fun, but probably should mostly be used when the party is all rolling the same sort of non-perception skills, such as athletics and acrobatics during a chase scene. Just remember to keep your allies close so they can warn you if something is about to interrupt your sick jams.
Part of the absolute fun of this archetype is coming up with whatever fantastical future musical genres your audocyte listens to. Researching such things can be a great way to discover music that you yourself have never heard before, especially in this age of the internet. That being said, don’t actually blast your new discoveries at full volume at the game table unless you have express permission from the GM. Remember that no matter how awesome Second-Wave Electro Pixie-Punk is in your head, the GM is still the one trying to set the mood for the scene, which may or may not involve their own music playing in the background. Be mindful and be respectful as always.
Xian Park is part nature preserve, part museum curating a look at the native culture and wildlife of an eastern nation of a world long-since destroyed. Despite it’s artificial nature, however, it has attracted many kami and other spirits associated with that region, in thanks in part to the Park Warden’s love for recreating and remixing the cultural music of that lost land in the park.
Obsessed with the Crystal Resonator, a sort of magical musical instrument similar to a theremin in that notes are played by passing hands through the fields the crystals generate, Pokiso the hanakan keeps many magical recordings on his person. However, like many of his people, Pokiso disdains technology, and considers any accompaniment more advanced than analog instruments to be grating dissonance against the resonator.
Not all music is soothing, and for Temvi, her music fuels her rage. The young ijtikri despises the Veskarium for their mishandling of the occupation of her homeworld and the subsequent accidental total loss of ijtikri culture, and so she plots, ready to unleash terroristic attacks as her way of avenging a culture she can never discover.