Rypken's page

Actually, you can. A character can buy gear up to one level beyond their own. If you're referring to price, that's appropriate as well--in the right hands a sniper rifle is way more powerful than a hunting rifle. As for the name, that's explained right in the weapon description--it refers to the compound sights, and in fact the rifles are "rarely" manufactured by shirrens.

Huh. In the right hands, a hunting rifle IS a sniper rifle.

At least for most of the world's history.

Seriously...do you need a more powerful weapon to kill a large 500 kg animal in one shot, or your typical 70 kg humanoid?

Both need to be very accurate/precise, and preferably maintain little variation in point-of-impact over long distances, but the hunting rifle usually has to be much more powerful to ensure a kill.

CrusaderWolf wrote:

Gear level =/= availability, price does. Seriously y'all, you don't have to be Level 5 to wield Level 5 weapons. Item levels are just a rough indicator of how effective/powerful that weapon and its special rules are (e.g. Penetrating weapons ignoring their level of hardness). Which I think is a perfectly acceptable abstraction in the same way hitpoints are, realism can jump in a lake.

Might want to check out the section on item levels on p167.

"An object’s item level represents the scarcity and value of the technology and/or magic employed in its construction—higher level items generally incorporate more advanced technology or mystical forces.

"Item level also helps convey the fact that buying equipment is more involved than just placing an order. Even finding the items you desire isn’t always easy, and those who have access to things such as powerful weapons and armor tend to deal only with people they trust. Legitimate vendors don’t want to get reputations for selling hardware to pirates or criminals, and even criminal networks must be careful with whom they do business.

"Rather than meticulously track every arms dealer, contact, guild, and license a character has access to, the game assumes that in typical settlements you can find and purchase anything with an item level no greater than your character level + 1, and at major settlements items up to your character level + 2."

I saw that. I dunno. To me it just seems...crude.

"Hey everyone! I walked into a Best Buy today to buy a Computer, but the one I wanted was like a Level Seven Computer! I figured I'd just go home and level up a bit until I could come back and buy it. Or I'd just steal it when no one was looking...since I can use any item regardless of level!"

Rather than add about 60 pages of fluff to the Core Rulebook, Item Level is used and the GM is free to embellish on what that means in their campaign. :P

One man's fluff is another man's depth and texture, I guess.

I mean...the equipment section is really important to an RPG. Whole combat strategies, and even character concepts are built around equipment and specifically weapons.

And there are just so many guns that are basically identical except for different stats. (Laser pistols, I'm looking at you).

They should have made each weapon with something that sets it apart. This gun does less damage, but it is cheaper and more easily found. Easily produced.

This gun does more damage, but is expensive and fires an expensive round.

This gun is moderately priced, but fires a more powerful round, but only has about 6 rounds before you have to reload.

Et cetera.

And if you wanted to control player access, you could have an availability score...and for Starfinder Society, tie availability to player level...or tier within a faction. Then you could still have the "game balance" you want without this ham-handed "level" system, which is poorly correlated to real-life ability to obtain items.

Many of the weapon names are just lame. Really they would have been better off with shotgun, level X in most cases. And tactical, yeah, that will make it all sound cool.

Uh...cuz it's tactiCOOL, don'tcha know? =)

Re: Club -- it is an Archaic weapon, so it does -5 damage against anyone wearing modern armor.

I do agree with you...I am having some trouble getting past the issues with equipment. Couldn't they have used "availability" like in Shadowrun as opposed to "Level"?

And especially when they have basically the same gun 5 times "TactiCOOL auto pistol. Super TactiCOOL auto Pistol. Elite Super TactiCOOL auto pistol. Paragon Elite Super TactiCOOL auto pistol". Seriously...give the guns different properties.

Maybe the base "tactical auto pistol" could be described as more of a common design, cheaply/economically made, often in very simple machine shops or even a garage. As a result, uses one of the most common cartidges in the Pact Worlds, though one of the most common cartridges, it is felt to be somewhat older and underpowered. This is why it is only 1d6. Still, it is by far the most common sidearm in the Pact Worlds."

And the Paragon Auto Pistol they could describe as "A pistol that just began production in small numbers from the small Les Bauer Custom Shop on Absalom Station. This technological wonder somehow is able to chamber the most powerful autopistol cartridge ever developed into the oversized but very controllable Les Bauer autopistol. Only a very few are produced every year, and only for the very wealthy who are affluent and well-connected enough to purchase this masterpiece of the gunsmith's art."

As opposed to "Paragon Auto Pistol, level 12...you can't have it...licensing...blah blah blah...does a whole stinkin' lot more damage than your popgun, just CAUSE it's higher level, y'see. Game balance, y'all."

That being said, I am very much enjoying Starfinder so far...very fun. I just am a nit-picker, I guess.