I've been running Starfinder First Edition games, in one form or another, for years now. One of the most common issues I hear players have is that characters without spells or built-in spell-like or supernatural abilities just don't have enough options. This complaint isn't as loud as it has been in the nearly-2-decades I've been running the precursor fantasy RPG rules, but they are present, consistent, widespread, and backed up with real in-game examples, including over multiple campaigns that lasted years.

It is, in fact, the second most-common issue players in multiple regions, of multiple ages, experience levels, and playstyles have for Starfinder First Edition. It's especially true at low levels and, surprisingly, at high levels. (Mid-level combatant characters seem to be pretty happy with their expansion of options that come from getting new gear, but that satisfaction runs low when you begin to reach upper levels.)

And it's not (entirely) about effectiveness. Several players find they have one optimized go-to option, especially in combat, and find that... boring. And, honestly, as a GM, boring combat is one of my great fears. Now there is a lot a GM can do to make combat more dynamic and interesting: mixed-capacity foes, victory conditions beyond dropping enemies, varied and/or shifting terrain, and so on. But those elements work best of PCs have multiple effective options to pick from when responding to those changing or unusual conditions.

And when I get GammaFinders off the ground, I suspect that issue would be multiplied.

One of the things presented as an optional set of rules in the fantasy precursor to the Starfinder Roleplaying Game rules is Combat Tricks, a set of options that expand the more combat feats a character has. That feels like it might be a solution to this issue, but it would take someone with a LOT of experience with both game systems to graft Combat Tricks onto the science-fantasy ruleset.

Luckily, I am that someone.

Links to all my Starfinder First Edition Combat Feats can be found, along with links to many other Starfinder entries, at the Paying-Patreon Exclusive Starfinder First Edition Index. Paying Patrons can also go here, where all the Starfinder Combat Tricks to-date are compiled into a single article.

Combat Tricks

Combat tricks are special abilities you gain with the Combat Stamina feat that allow you to spend Stamina Points or Vitality Points to modify how a feat works or gain a special benefit.

Gaining Combat Tricks

Access to Combat Tricks is gained through the Combat Stamina feat. Soldiers gain Combat Stamina as a bonus feat at 1st level, but cannot use Stamina Points gained from levels in other classes to fuel their tricks. Their Stamina Point cost remains based on their full character level, which means high-level characters with a single Soldier level might well have tricks they can only activate by spending a Vitality Point. A multiclass Soldier can choose to select the Combat Stamina feat despite already having it as a bonus feat, in which case they can use their full Stamina Point total to fuel Combat Tricks.

Combat Stamina (Combat)You stop at nothing to drive your attack home.Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +1.Benefit: You gain access to the Combat Trick benefits of those combat feats you know that have Combat Tricks associated with them.Combat Trick (Cost--High): After you make an attack roll, but before the attack's results are revealed, you can perform this Combat Trick to reroll your attack roll, using all the same modifiers. You use the better result of your original attack roll or this new attack roll.

Using Combat Tricks

Once you have the Combat Stamina feat, most Combat Feat you have grant you the ability to perform an associated Combat Trick. (Proficiency feats do not have COmbat Tricks.) Unless otherwise specified, you can only perform a Combat Trick when you make an attack that requires an attack roll, but you can perform it along with any such attack. Performing a Combat Trick requires you to fuel the trick with Stamina Points or Vitality Points (see Combat Trick Use Costs, below).

The specific effects of each Combat Trick (and its cost in Stamina Points) are dictated by the related combat feats. Spending Stamina Points or Vitality Points in this way is not an action, but you can't do so if you are unconscious, fatigued, or exhausted. You can use as many Combat Tricks on the same action or attack as you like (as long as you can pay its cost), but you can't use the same Combat Trick twice within its scope. For instance, if you have a Combat Trick that affects a single attack, you can't use that Combat Trick more than once on the same attack.

Combat Trick Use Costs

Using a Combat Trick represents putting significant extra exertion into an attack or other effort in a way you can't maintain forever. As a result, you normally spend Stamina Points to fuel the use of a Combat Trick, and that cost is based on your character level. Combat Tricks list their Stamina Point cost as Low, Moderate, or High. A Combat Trick with a Low cost requires you to spend 1/2 a Stamina Point per character level (minimum 1 SP), a Moderate Cost requires you to spend 1 Stamina Point per level, and a High Cost requires you to spend 2 Stamina Points per level.

Alternatively, you can spend 1 Vitality Point to perform a Combat Trick without spending any Stamina Points to do so, regardless of its listed cost. Doing so must still follow all the normal rules for using combat tricks.

Combat Tricks By Feat

Obviously, in the long run you'd want nearly all combat feats to have associated Combat Tricks, but let's start with the combat feats in the core rulebook. Here are the Combat Tricks for the first 21 non-proficiency combat feats from that book.

Adaptive FightingCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You extend by one minute the duration for which you gain the benefit of a feat you have selected with adaptive fighting.

Amplified GlitchCombat Trick (Cost--High): You can use Amplified Glitch to create new, surprising noises that creatures you have targeted with the Amplified Glitch feat in the past 24 hours are not immune to.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a standard action (rather than as part of an attack), which counts as the standard action required to use Amplified Glitch.

BarricadeCombat Trick (Cost--High): You can use Barricade a second time in an area you have already used Barricade without it having to be particularly crowded.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a move action (rather than as part of an attack), which counts as the move action required to use Barricade.

Blind-FightCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): When you hit the AC of a creature that benefits from concealment, you can perform this Combat Trick to ignore that creature's concealment until the end of your next turn.

BodyguardCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You increase the AC you grant with one use of the Bodyguard feat to +4.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as a reaction (rather than as part of an attack), which counts as the reaction required to use Bodyguard.

CleaveCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You do not take the -2 penalty to your AC for using the Cleave feat.

Combat CastingCombat Trick (Cost--High): When you cast a spell, you may perform this Combat Trick to increase the AC you gain from Combat Casting to +4.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of the action to cast a spell (rather than as part of an attack).

Coordinated ShotCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You can perform this Combat Trick to allow your allies that gain a bonus to attack from your Coordinated Shot to ignore the foe's concealment.

Deadly AimCombat Trick (Cost--Low): Perform this Combat Trick to reduce the penalty you take from Deadly Aim by 1 (minimum penalty -1).

Deflect ProjectileCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): When your attack roll with Deflect Projectile fails to cause the triggering attack to miss you, you can perform this Combat Trick to make a Boosted Reroll of your attack roll, using the better of the two attack roll results.

Dive For CoverCombat Trick (Cost--Low): The movement you take using Dive For Cover does not provoke attacks of opportunity.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of the Reflex save that triggers Dive For Cover (rather than as part of an attack).

Drag DownCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You gain a +4 bonus to the trip attack allowed by Drag Down.

Far ShotCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You only take a -1 penalty per two full range increments between you and your target.

FleetCombat Trick (Cost--Low): All your speeds increase by 10 feet until the beginning of your next turn. This calculation is made after the benefits of the Fleet feat.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of movement (rather than as part of an attack).

FusilladeCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): You need only expend a total of 12 rounds of ammunition when you use Fusillade, divided equally among your weapons.

Great CleaveCombat Trick (Cost--Low): When you miss with an attack using Great Cleave, you can perform this Combat Trick to make an attack against an additional legal target of Great Cleave despite missing an attack. You may use this Combat Trick multiple times during the same use of Great Cleave, but only once against each legal target (and no legal target can ever be attacked twice).

Greater FeintCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You may use Bluff to feint in combat as a swift action, but when you do so, the foe is only Flat-Footed against your next attack made against them before the end of your next turn.Special: You perform this Combat Trick as part of the swift action to use Bluff to feint in combat (rather than as part of an attack).

Improved Combat ManeuverCombat Trick (Cost--Low): You can perform this Combat Trick in place of the Combat Trick for Combat Stamina, allowing you to reroll the attack roll for the related combat maneuver at a Low cost, rather than a High cost.

Improved CriticalCombat Trick (Cost--Moderate): You can perform this Combat Trick to apply the critical effect of a successful attack, even when you do not score a critical hit with the attack. The damage is not increased, only the critical effect itself is applied.

Improved FeintCombat Trick (Cost--High): When you make a Bluff check to feint, after you roll but before your failure or success is revealed, you can perform this Combat Trick to gain a Boosted Reroll* for your Bluff check.

Improved InitiativeCombat Trick (Cost--Low): When you roll for initiative, after you roll but before your place in the initiative order is known, you can perform this Combat Trick to gain a Boosted Reroll* for your initiative check.Special: You perform this Combat Trick when you roll for initiative, rather than as part of an attack.

*On a Boosted Reroll, if your reroll d20 result is 1-10, you gain a +10 bonus (effectively meaning your d20 result is always 11-20 on a Boosted Reroll).

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