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GM > Starship > Starship-Scale Creature List > Photonic Anomaly
Starfinder Adventure Path #15: Sun Divers (Dawn of Flame 3 of 6) p.57
CN Huge starship ooze (fire)
Speed 0; Maneuverability see quantum movement
AC 17; TL 17
HP 205; DT 5; CT 41
Shields light 60 (forward 15, port 15, starboard 15, aft 15)
Attack (Turret) persistent particle beam (10d6)
Power Core photonic core (150 PCU); Drift Engine none; Systems mk 4 armor, mk 4 defenses; Expansion Bays none
Other Abilities living starship, lockdown, solar adaptation, solar defenses
Engineer (1 action) Engineering +11 (5 ranks)
Gunner (1 action) gunnery +10
Pilot (1 action) Piloting +11 (5 ranks)
Environment any solar
Organization solitary
Living Starship (Ex) A photonic anomaly is a living creature
so immense that it functions as a starship (and thus
engages only in starship combat). It has no crew, but it
can still take engineer, gunner, and pilot actions using the
skill bonuses, ranks, and level listed above. Modifiers for
its size, speed, and maneuverability have already been
factored into its statistics. Critical damage is rolled so that
results are applied as follows (with normal effects per the
table on page 321 of the Core Rulebook): 1–33, weapons
array; 34–66, engines; 67–100, power core.
Lockdown (Ex) If a science officer successfully uses the
lock on crew action against a photonic anomaly before it
moves, the creature’s quantum movement is temporarily
disabled, and it can’t move during that round.
Quantum Movement (Ex) During the helm phase of starship
combat, a photonic anomaly cannot use pilot actions to
move and instead moves randomly. Choose one side of
its hex and roll 1d6 to determine the direction it moves
(1 is toward the chosen side, 2 is the next side going
clockwise, and so on). Then roll 1d8 to determine the
distance the anomaly moves. If the anomaly would end
its movement in the same hex as another starship, it
instead moves back 1 hex to an empty hex closer to its
starting point. When the anomaly chooses to break off
combat, it can move in a straight line away from
its foes at a speed of 8 hexes per
round. However, if it wants to
change direction, it must
move randomly for 1 round
before starting to move
in a straight line again
the next round.
Solar Defenses (Ex)
A photonic anomaly
takes half damage
from starship
laser weapons.
In addition, the
anomaly’s erratic
movement makes it
difficult to scan. The
DCs of target system
and lock on science officer
actions increase by 5 when
used against a photonic anomaly.
Few ever encounter the exceedingly rare
star-born entities known as photonic anomalies, as
few creatures in the galaxy are able to survive within the
stars where such creatures are normally found. A photonic
anomaly is “born†when two or more infinitesimal gamma
rays, each traveling a few millimeters in a random direction,
happen to match trajectories perfectly. The cluster continues
to dart randomly around the interior of the star until another
nearby protophoton or gamma ray cluster again travels
in the same direction, after which the two combine. Over
millions and millions of years, these clusters can grow into a
starship-sized entity that roams its home star. It continues to
move chaotically, rarely interacting with any other creature.
However, anomalies have been documented materializing
near unusual energy phenomena inside stars.
Most other knowledge of photonic anomalies comes from
their deaths, a dazzling event known as breaching. When a
photonic anomaly moves out of the atmosphere of its star,
the entity loses cohesion and erupts into a high-energy
burst of radiation that travels in all directions at the speed
of light. Sapient residents of the star’s system often mistake
this breaching for a supernova, sparking panic. However,
advanced societies with the tools to analyze the occurrence
can quickly deduce the true cause of such an event.
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