Versatile Heritages (Rules)

The peoples of the Pact Worlds (and other worlds in the galaxy) are many, and they have a long history of intermingling or dabbling with forces capable of altering the very fabric of a mortal body or soul. The children born to such parents might have traits from each of their parents or physiological manifestations of the forces their ancestors were influenced by, manifesting as a specific heritage. Two notable heritages in the Starfinder setting are prismeni, born from the subtle influences of the hyperspace dimension of the Drift or otherwise influenced by it, and borai, individuals who survive a botched resurrection, grisly experimentation, or an extraordinary near-death experience. Other individuals might be born under far stranger circumstances, such as from a parent who was affected by monstrous, undead, or extraplanar energies. As these circumstances aren't unique to a single ancestry, these heritages—called versatile heritages— are likewise shared by many ancestries. The Pact Worlds is home to a variety of versatile heritages. Some are born to unusual creatures or arise through specific mundane or supernatural circumstances. Because the circumstances that give rise to versatile heritages aren't limited to a single ancestry, a versatile heritage can be chosen by a character of nearly any ancestry. Some versatile heritages are more common among some ancestries than others, and some might list additional restrictions specific to that heritage. Your GM might place other restrictions on which ancestries can use a given versatile heritage based on the story and setting. Heriage Physiology By default, a versatile heritage completely replaces the physiology of your original heritage. This usually isn't a concern when your heritage's benefits can be realized through other means, such as becoming trained in a skill and selecting a skill feat with your background or class. But some heritages confer physiological changes with mechanical baggage that can't be easily rectified using these solutions. Some heritages present a 5th-level feat that allows you to gain the benefits of your ancestry's original heritage, sometimes those options are necessary for a character before 5th level. This is especially true when the heritage affects your size, as, for example, it might not make sense that your pahtra suddenly becomes Large. Your GM might allow you to delay getting your 1st- level ancestry feat until 5th-level and adjust your size (or other physiological feature) until you qualify for the 5th-level feat. You might also want to pocket the character concept and keep it ready for when you have an opportunity to play an adventure that requires a 5th-level or higher PC.