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Especially if we are going to get new weapons that have the splash trait, we need an errata to clarify how splash damage works specifically.
This was already a problem with the spell acid splash, but the blunderbuss will confuse people too with the definition of splash calling out thrown weapons and having a system where weapons with the splash trait don't do splash damage on a critical miss, but the blunderbuss appearing to do splash damage to everyone in the cone, no matter what the die roll, and then the acid splash spell only doing any splash damage at all on successful hit, and only to the creature hit.
Basically splash is a weapon trait which is clearly defined, and a damage type which is not clearly defined, and that could really stand to be better explained if we are going to get new weapons that do splash damage but don't have the splash trait.
Eh, it seems like some thrown weapons have splash as a weapon trait and that some things deal splash damage as a damage type. I would agree if the blunderbuss had the splash trait on itself, but instead it has a new weapon trait called scatter.
It all seems relatively clear with that distinction.
So you think that everyone in the cone takes the splash damage regardless of the attack roll of the weapon? Or do you think no one should take damage on a critical miss?
Seems from the wording that everyone would take the damage (number of damage dice) regardless of the attack roll as splash damage.
I think that's a bit odd and definitely could be something that's changed for the official release, but we'll see. The damage given for this ability is really low, and it's supposed to be a shotgun blast at close range so I wouldn't say it needs to be changed.
Would be very good at killing swarms, but I think that fits the theme of a blunderbuss.
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Seems from the wording that everyone would take the damage (number of damage dice) regardless of the attack roll as splash damage.
I think that's a bit odd and definitely could be something that's changed for the official release, but we'll see. The damage given for this ability is really low, and it's supposed to be a shotgun blast at close range so I wouldn't say it needs to be changed.
Would be very good at killing swarms, but I think that fits the theme of a blunderbuss.
And once the gunslinger gets alchemical shot, it can be a pretty effective way to trigger weaknesses without needing to make a die roll. From the wording of scatterblast, that could be automatic damage on a 60ft cone. Hitting with 2 of those in a round could get pretty nasty on the automatic damage.
I don't think that is necessarily over powered, and I do think it is how I read the abilities as written, but GMs already balk at letting acid splash do splash damage to anything other than the target and I think it is important that the discrepancy between the splash trait and splash damage get cleaned up, especially if it is going to keep popping up in future material.
Seems from the wording that everyone would take the damage (number of damage dice) regardless of the attack roll as splash damage.
I think that's a bit odd and definitely could be something that's changed for the official release, but we'll see. The damage given for this ability is really low, and it's supposed to be a shotgun blast at close range so I wouldn't say it needs to be changed.
Would be very good at killing swarms, but I think that fits the theme of a blunderbuss.
I certainly didn't read or play it like that, so clarification would be useful. I can see the logic, and would be fine it that was ultimately the correct ruling, but at the moment I disagree with that interpretation. I read it everyone in the cone takes splash damage, but that splash damage still following its rules on how it is affected by Criticals (not doubled on a C success, no damage on a C Failure), with scatter trait only affecting the delivery method (not a thrown weapon) and shape of the effect.
That would be another benefit of the grazing trait I keep pushing. It would work for the most part like splash, except specifically worded to reflect its typical delivery by a projectile weapon. The scatter trait can build on that instead of the awkwardly fitting splash trait.
But that would only solve the weapon issue. Splash damage having weird rules is a problem, I agree.
And once the gunslinger gets alchemical shot, it can be a pretty effective way to trigger weaknesses without needing to make a die roll. From the wording of scatterblast, that could be automatic damage on a 60ft cone. Hitting with 2 of those in a round could get pretty nasty on the automatic damage.
How are you doing this 2 times in a round? Even with haste, you should be short 1 action. If there was a pistol with the scatter trait, i could see it, but the blunderbuss is 2 handed.
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Seems from the wording that everyone would take the damage (number of damage dice) regardless of the attack roll as splash damage.
I think that's a bit odd and definitely could be something that's changed for the official release, but we'll see. The damage given for this ability is really low, and it's supposed to be a shotgun blast at close range so I wouldn't say it needs to be changed.
Would be very good at killing swarms, but I think that fits the theme of a blunderbuss.
I certainly didn't read or play it like that, so clarification would be useful. I can see the logic, and would be fine it that was ultimately the correct ruling, but at the moment I disagree with that interpretation. I read it everyone in the cone takes splash damage, but that splash damage still following its rules on how it is affected by Criticals (not doubled on a C success, no damage on a C Failure), with scatter trait only affecting the delivery method (not a thrown weapon) and shape of the effect.
That would be another benefit of the grazing trait I keep pushing. It would work for the most part like splash, except specifically worded to reflect its typical delivery by a projectile weapon. The scatter trait can build on that instead of the awkwardly fitting splash trait.
But that would only solve the weapon issue. Splash damage having weird rules is a problem, I agree.
And once the gunslinger gets alchemical shot, it can be a pretty effective way to trigger weaknesses without needing to make a die roll. From the wording of scatterblast, that could be automatic damage on a 60ft cone. Hitting with 2 of those in a round could get pretty nasty on the automatic damage.How are you doing this 2 times in a round? Even with haste, you should be short 1 action. If there was a pistol with the scatter trait, i could see it, but the blunderbuss is 2 handed.
The handedness of the gun wouldn't matter as you can have the bomb worn, but the fact it is a two action activity makes it impossible to do more than once a round.
As far as scatter and splash damage, scatter is pretty explicit in that it is not the splash trait. All it does is add splash damage (which is different from the splash trait) to everything in the cone, regardless of the original attack roll. As a playtest ability, it is entirely possible that the scatter trait is only supposed to trigger on a miss or better, but that is something that needs to be clarified in future book. The splash trait is uniquely and clearly different from splash damage, even though splash damage is usually connected to weapons that have the splash trait (like bombs) it is also tied to the acid splash spell, which does not have the trait either.