Chapter 2: Ancestries & Backgrounds

Each entry includes details about the ancestry and presents the rules elements described below.

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.

Your character's abilities don't spring into existence the moment they take up the adventuring life. Their background—the role they had before they became an adventurer—also provides a number of abilities. Most backgrounds are common and can be selected by any character, but some adventurers come from more distinctive roots and might have uncommon or rare backgrounds. The particular histories behind these rare backgrounds provide specialized benefits.
At 1st level, when you create your character, you gain a background of your choice. This decision is permanent; you can't change it at later levels. Each background listed here grants two boosts, usually a skill feat, and the trained proficiency rank in two skills, one of which is a Lore skill. If you gain the trained proficiency rank in a skill from your background and would then gain the trained proficiency rank in the same skill from your class at 1st level, you instead become trained in another skill of your choice.
Lore skills represent deep knowledge of a specific subject and are described on the Lore Skill page. If a Lore skill involves a choice (for instance, a choice of metaphysical topics), explain your preference to the GM, who has the final say on whether it's acceptable or not. If you'd like some suggestions, the Common Lore Subcategories sidebar on the Lore Skill page lists a number of Lore skills that are suitable for most campaigns. Skill feats expand the functions of your skills and appear in Chapter 5: Feats.

The galaxy is filled with countless species and even more languages, many of which have hundreds of dialects and regional variations. Most characters in Starfinder can get by with Common (also known as Pact Worlds Common). Many species pick up their own languages, as well as planetary regional speak, meaning that most characters are fluent in two or more languages. Languages afford you the chance to contextualize your character in the world and give meaning to your other character choices.
Your ancestry entry states which languages you know at 1st level. Typically, this means you can both speak and read these languages. Having a positive Intelligence modifier grants a number of additional languages equal to your Intelligence modifier. You can choose these languages from the list presented in your character's ancestry entry and from those available from your region (which often includes whole planets). Ask your GM if there's a language you want to select that isn't on these lists, as they could have a major impact on your adventures. If your Intelligence changes later on, you adjust your number of languages accordingly.
The languages presented here are grouped according to their use in the Pact Worlds. Languages that are uncommon are most frequently spoken by their native speakers, but they are also spoken by certain researchers and politicians.
It's possible for your character to learn languages later in their adventuring career. Selecting the Multilingual feat, for example, grants a character two new languages chosen from those listed below. Other abilities and effects might grant access to common or uncommon languages, as detailed in their descriptions. Rare or secret languages can only be discovered through play.