Soulsteel Armor for Starfinder First Edition (Patreon)

Starfinder First Edition specifically assumes that special materials like adamantine are already used in armor construction to the greatest degree possible in each suit, so there's no need for special adamantine rules such as exist in the feudal fantasy version of the game. But some people adore having options, including fantasy terms having game mechanical effects in science-fantasy games. And, I admit, I am one of those people.

So, I'm doing special armor materials for Starfinder First Edition. Links to all my Starfinder special materials for armor articles (which is up to nine, at time of writing) can be found, along with links to many other Starfinder entries, at the Paying-Patreon Exclusive Starfinder First Edition Index.

Special Armor Materials

Armor made of special materials can only be made of ONE special material. You can't have your armor benefit from being made of both adamantine and mithral, though legends claim there was once a special material that acted as both, called dragonsteel...

Special Armor Material: Soulsteel

Soulsteel, also called Spiresteel, Quintessteel, and Warp Iron, is a material found only in placed on the outer planes connected to sorting, judging, and protecting the souls of the departed. It is extremely rare, and it is impossible to manufacture anything made of Soulsteel without having a hunk of raw Soulsteel which can normally only be obtained by dealing with soul-thieves, or grabbing a piece from some planar incursion into hyperspace. However legitimate vendors of Soulsteel do set up shop, most often psychopomps who have given up being guides for dead spirits to become merchants or inevitables tasked with repairing planar barriers that trade Soulsteel for other materials needed for their tasks.

Cost is +65%

Incorporeal creatures' attacks and attacks with the Death descriptor go against the higher value of Soulsteel's EAC or KAC. Additionally soulsteel armor's AC bonus against such attacks increases by +1 for armor with an item level of 5 or more, +2 for item level 10 or more, +3 for item level 15 or more, and +4 for item level 20.

Unarmed attacks made by a character wearing Soulsteel armor always target the lower of an incorporeal target's EAC or KAC, and deal full damage to incorporeal targets.

Because of how it interacts with other planes, Soulsteel armor is never invisible to incorporeal creatures or creatures on the Ethereal plane.

(Only sections or armor made with significant portions of Soulsteel are incapable of being invisible to incorporeal creatures, often giving such armor a skeletal or incomplete appearance to those viewers. Art by DM7.)