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Infinite Worlds / Desert

Desert Rules And Reference

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 61
The desert terrain section on page 397 of the Starfinder Core Rulebook is a good starting point for the dangers adventurers might face in these challenging environments, including navigating and enduring desert conditions. Further, the rules for heat dangers on page 402–403 and storms on page 398–399 are relevant to all travel within this biome during any season. Explorers navigating a desert may choose to don patchwork dust manta hide armor (Alien Archive 2 47), providing them additional concealment and protection. Kasathas originally hail from Kasath, a desert world, and most retain their ability to move through difficult terrain in deserts with ease. In the Pact Worlds, Akiton (Pact Worlds 48) is a hugely varied desert planet, while Fullbright, an entire hemisphere of the tidally locked Verces (Pact Worlds 58), is constantly sun-scorched.
Vehicles, frequently modified beyond recognition of their original models, are the primary method of transport among the swaths of arid nothingness, creating the opportunity for chase encounters, races, and obstacles that are an everyday reality of desert life. Rules for vehicle chases are found on pages 282–287 of the Core Rulebook, and the Desert Environment subsection on page 286 provides more detailed tips for running a desert chase.