What weapons would be appropriate for a powered armor?


Advice


Ok, you might be saying that "any [ranged] weapon you wish" can be installed on a powered armor. Here's the thing: your character might be using a regular uninstalled weapon, leaving any weapon in the armor's slots for something else.

I'm looking for that "something else". Are powered armor users looking for heavier weapons to carry? Different ammo types for versatility?

You are still limited to the number of attacks, regardless of how many weapons you can wield. For instance, a warmaster's hardness might have 5 weapon slots, but you still can make 2, 3 or 4 attacks, not one attack per weapon installed.

So yeah, generally speaking, what's the general consensus for powered armor weaponry? Let's say you want a battle hardness with 1 weapon slot, what would be the most common weapon installed on it?


I'd use a mix of weapon types and tactical options. One blast weapon, one automatic weapon, one explode weapon, and try to have different ballistic/energy types for dealing with resistances.


I'd like an explode weapon at the least.


I want an M61 Vulcan-cannon. Unfortunately putting aircraft weapons on player characters is a no no. Think or having a Coilgun in there!


I really enjoy having a cluster grenade launcher loaded with utility grenades mounted on a battle harness. Being able to quickly deploy Smoke, Holo, Riot or Stickybomb grenades can really change up the battlefield and the weapon mount lets me do it without putting away my plasma cannon. I love the cluster trait since it lets me use grenades frequently without completely breaking the bank on consumables. :)


Isaac Zephyr wrote:
I want an M61 Vulcan-cannon. Unfortunately putting aircraft weapons on player characters is a no no. Think or having a Coilgun in there!

Vehicles use the same weapons as PCs do, and the level 6 light machine gun's art shows it as a 6 barreled gatlin gun.


Friendly reminder that having more guns than hands does not preclude you from firing all of said guns! With a simple addition of the computer upgrade for the suit of power armor you can have your robuddy firing the spare gun for you!


Hazrond wrote:
Friendly reminder that having more guns than hands does not preclude you from firing all of said guns! With a simple addition of the computer upgrade for the suit of power armor you can have your robuddy firing the spare gun for you!

Really inaccurately, though. I suppose a grenade launcher with smoke or the mire quality wouldn't care about the terrible attack bonus/DC.

The Exchange

Its nice for always having a gun ready. I would put my primary ranged weapon there.


Xenocrat wrote:
Hazrond wrote:
Friendly reminder that having more guns than hands does not preclude you from firing all of said guns! With a simple addition of the computer upgrade for the suit of power armor you can have your robuddy firing the spare gun for you!
Really inaccurately, though. I suppose a grenade launcher with smoke or the mire quality wouldn't care about the terrible attack bonus/DC.

Yeah, that's what I meant: if you're a soldier with 3 attacks in a full-round action, you have to select a combination of shots if you have 6 weapons to use.

Dataphiles

I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.

Biggest downside is the Plasma Rifle is Unwieldy but hey it was a dropped weapon anyways, I didn't pay for it.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.

You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.


Ravingdork wrote:
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.
You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.

You mean to tell me that you can essentially DOUBLE the number of weapons with the Grenadier Bracket O_O ?

Ok fine, maybe having extra grenade or missile launchers might be repetitive, but having different ammo might save your hide more than you expect :P


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
JiCi wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.
You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.

You mean to tell me that you can essentially DOUBLE the number of weapons with the Grenadier Bracket O_O ?

Ok fine, maybe having extra grenade or missile launchers might be repetitive, but having different ammo might save your hide more than you expect :P

Now that we have an official Starfinder PRD, I can link you directly to the grenade bracket rules. :D

So you pay for the grenade launcher and the bracket and the grenades. That's it.


JiCi wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.
You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.

You mean to tell me that you can essentially DOUBLE the number of weapons with the Grenadier Bracket O_O ?

Ok fine, maybe having extra grenade or missile launchers might be repetitive, but having different ammo might save your hide more than you expect :P

You're all thinking too small. Maze Core your integrated weapons. The Line weapon not useful? Swift action it's now the grenade launcher in the same slot.

And since you don't lose your swift action on a full attack, you can do the swap just prior for the weapon you need of your now double-weapons.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

You do lose your swift action to full attack in Starfinder. EDIT: I see now that I may have misunderstood your meaning.

Whether or not you are using two maze-cored weapons, or a weapon with an underslung grenade launcher, it still takes a swift action to alternate between the two weapons.


My bad, you are correct. I likely tripped on that because I am currently in 4 games. gMing both PF2 and 5e, while playing in Starfinder and Pathfinder. It's a lot of rules to keep sorted.

The upside of the maze-core though is firstly more diverse weapons than simply the underslung noob tube, and the ammo capacity isn't halved (thoygh if they both use batteries they both drain the larger of the two rather than separate batteries). Plus the coolness of having transformer weapons. Makes me think of the siege tanks from Starcraft. Like the weapon anchors on your shoulder, the barrel extends and widens just before BOOM!


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

That...is a pretty cool image.


Ravingdork wrote:
JiCi wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.
You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.

You mean to tell me that you can essentially DOUBLE the number of weapons with the Grenadier Bracket O_O ?

Ok fine, maybe having extra grenade or missile launchers might be repetitive, but having different ammo might save your hide more than you expect :P

Now that we have an official Starfinder PRD, I can link you directly to the grenade bracket rules. :D

So you pay for the grenade launcher and the bracket and the grenades. That's it.

I was aware of the rules. It just hit me that you CAN modify powered armor weapons exactly LIKE regular weapons XD


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
JiCi wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
JiCi wrote:
Ravingdork wrote:
Siph0n wrote:
I use a Plasma Rifle for mine. It doesn't come up every game, but when it does it is nice to have a line weapon ready to go. I'm really tempted to mount a Grenade Launcher onto the Plasma Rifle but I have yet to sit down and read Armory to see if I can actually do that.
You can, it just costs a little extra money and reduces the grenade launcher's capacity by half.

You mean to tell me that you can essentially DOUBLE the number of weapons with the Grenadier Bracket O_O ?

Ok fine, maybe having extra grenade or missile launchers might be repetitive, but having different ammo might save your hide more than you expect :P

Now that we have an official Starfinder PRD, I can link you directly to the grenade bracket rules. :D

So you pay for the grenade launcher and the bracket and the grenades. That's it.

I was aware of the rules. It just hit me that you CAN modify powered armor weapons exactly LIKE regular weapons XD

Sure you can, but if you can't reach up and reload your attached weaponry without mechanical assistance, what makes you think you'll be able to switch between the primary weapon and a grenade launcher or maze-cored item?


Ravingdork wrote:
Sure you can, but if you can't reach up and reload your attached weaponry without mechanical assistance, what makes you think you'll be able to switch between the primary weapon and a grenade launcher or maze-cored item?

Huh... I don't understand your statement... I'm reading the bracket's description, and nothing is said about taking an action to switch between your railed weapons and your launcher. Don't you essentially have 2 "firing modes" with a bracket attached? Yes, it takes a full-round action to attach it, but nothing is written about switching from the railed weapon to the launcher.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I could have sworn it was a swift action to switch between the base weapon and the attached grenade launcher.


Ravingdork wrote:
I could have sworn it was a swift action to switch between the base weapon and the attached grenade launcher.

I haven't seen anything...

I will say that you will have trouble to reload the launcher. For instance, as far as I can search, available missile launchers that can be attached can only have 1 missile, as others are too "bulky" to convert. Still... I cannot see what could possibly prevent a Paizo writer to come up with a fusion that gives you extra ammo space using an extradimensional pocket, similar to a mix between a cartridge and a portable hole :P

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