Races

The Starfinder Roleplaying Game is about more than just meeting aliens—it’s also about playing alien characters. In Starfinder, the word “race” usually refers to an intelligent, selfaware species whose members can be considered characters rather than simple monsters. While not all races are appropriate for player characters, many of them are; any creature with a racial traits entry is a member of a potentially playable race, provided that your GM approves it.

Selamid Source Ports of Call pg. 21 Selamids are sentient oozes originating from the gravitationally dynamic planet of Silselrik, where they build cities called megadoplexes on the backs of immense, wandering oozes. Ability Modifiers +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha Hit Points 6 Size and Type Selamids are Medium oozes with the selamid subtype, but they don’t gain the normal ooze immunities. Advanced Ooze Biology Selamids aren’t immune to critical hits, aren’t mindless, and can gain and use skills normally. For effects targeting creatures by type, selamids count as both humanoids and oozes (whichever type allows an ability to affect them for abilities that affect only one type, and whichever is worse for abilities that affect both creature types). Blindsight Selamids have blindsight (vibration) with a range of 60 feet. Gravity Adaptation Selamids can take 10 on Athletics checks in zero gravity. Malleable A selamid can manipulate and wear equipment as a creature with two arms, and equipment and armor of the appropriate size never needs to be adjusted to allow a selamid to use it. They gain a +8 species bonus to Acrobatics checks to escape. Sightless A selamid can’t see and is never subject to any effect that requires them to see a target or effect. About the Selamid Physical Description A selamid’s body consists of flexible protoplasm contained within a semi-rigid membrane, allowing the ooze to take a variety of shapes as needed. These contortions only minimally impact a selamid’s bodily functions, largely thanks to a selamid’s host of redundant organelles distributed throughout their mass, with few beyond the nucleus large enough to see. At the end of their 40-year lifespan, a selamid splits into two selamid descendants known as pairlings. Each retains a unique blend of their parent’s memories and personality, creating an imperfect record of past lives’ experiences. Society and Alignment Most selamids live in smaller communities of roughly a dozen inhabitants. These families teach recently split offspring, who learn to establish their own identity distinct from their forbears. Pairling dynamics are usually emotionally charged, with the two becoming extremely close friends or hated enemies, and the search for an identity often stems as much from sincere curiosity as it does from the desire to be different from one’s sibling. Historically, selamid culture has no concept of gender, though some selamids have begun exploring the idea as they meet travelers from other worlds. Romantic attachments are rare, and when they occur, they’re often long-lasting and commemorated in a life fusion ceremony to celebrate multiple beings symbolically becoming one. While selamids rarely wear clothing, they do don armor as needed, easily molding themselves into armor of sundry shapes. Selamids enjoy accessories like jewelry, which they suspend within their protoplasm in a protective vacuole. Their habit of carrying items in full view of everyone is consistent with the openness and honesty that define selamid culture. Adventurers Cravings for novelty and self-discovery motivate many young selamids, some of whom pursue the adventuring lifestyle for excitement and experience. Mirroring their physiological flexibility, selamids thrive when filling a range of team niches. Even in the face of failure, they literally and emotionally bounce back, providing positive encouragement to their companions. Names Because their spoken language incorporates various scrapes, pops, and sighs as their membrane undulates and rasps against itself, selamid names often include breathy vowels, as well as K and S sounds. A selamid typically creates their own name a few weeks after splitting. Sample names include Cuoptsee, Deksiari, Hekshee, Pehtias, Shuhulunsal, and Umkuolsis.

Selamid

Source Ports of Call pg. 21
Selamids are sentient oozes originating from the gravitationally dynamic planet of Silselrik, where they build cities called megadoplexes on the backs of immense, wandering oozes.

Ability Modifiers +2 Dex, +2 Con, –2 Cha
Hit Points 6

Size and Type

Selamids are Medium oozes with the selamid subtype, but they don’t gain the normal ooze immunities.

Advanced Ooze Biology

Selamids aren’t immune to critical hits, aren’t mindless, and can gain and use skills normally. For effects targeting creatures by type, selamids count as both humanoids and oozes (whichever type allows an ability to affect them for abilities that affect only one type, and whichever is worse for abilities that affect both creature types).

Blindsight

Selamids have blindsight (vibration) with a range of 60 feet.

Gravity Adaptation

Selamids can take 10 on Athletics checks in zero gravity.

Malleable

A selamid can manipulate and wear equipment as a creature with two arms, and equipment and armor of the appropriate size never needs to be adjusted to allow a selamid to use it. They gain a +8 species bonus to Acrobatics checks to escape.

Sightless

A selamid can’t see and is never subject to any effect that requires them to see a target or effect.

About the Selamid

Physical Description

A selamid’s body consists of flexible protoplasm contained within a semi-rigid membrane, allowing the ooze to take a variety of shapes as needed. These contortions only minimally impact a selamid’s bodily functions, largely thanks to a selamid’s host of redundant organelles distributed throughout their mass, with few beyond the nucleus large enough to see. At the end of their 40-year lifespan, a selamid splits into two selamid descendants known as pairlings. Each retains a unique blend of their parent’s memories and personality, creating an imperfect record of past lives’ experiences.

Society and Alignment

Most selamids live in smaller communities of roughly a dozen inhabitants. These families teach recently split offspring, who learn to establish their own identity distinct from their forbears. Pairling dynamics are usually emotionally charged, with the two becoming extremely close friends or hated enemies, and the search for an identity often stems as much from sincere curiosity as it does from the desire to be different from one’s sibling.
Historically, selamid culture has no concept of gender, though some selamids have begun exploring the idea as they meet travelers from other worlds. Romantic attachments are rare, and when they occur, they’re often long-lasting and commemorated in a life fusion ceremony to celebrate multiple beings symbolically becoming one.
While selamids rarely wear clothing, they do don armor as needed, easily molding themselves into armor of sundry shapes. Selamids enjoy accessories like jewelry, which they suspend within their protoplasm in a protective vacuole. Their habit of carrying items in full view of everyone is consistent with the openness and honesty that define selamid culture.

Adventurers

Cravings for novelty and self-discovery motivate many young selamids, some of whom pursue the adventuring lifestyle for excitement and experience. Mirroring their physiological flexibility, selamids thrive when filling a range of team niches. Even in the face of failure, they literally and emotionally bounce back, providing positive encouragement to their companions.

Names

Because their spoken language incorporates various scrapes, pops, and sighs as their membrane undulates and rasps against itself, selamid names often include breathy vowels, as well as K and S sounds. A selamid typically creates their own name a few weeks after splitting. Sample names include Cuoptsee, Deksiari, Hekshee, Pehtias, Shuhulunsal, and Umkuolsis.

Archives of Nethys