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But as energy weapons, they also hit more often, and can lead to more PC deaths from sustained damage. You said so yourself they're your go to.
The numbers aren't even the point I was trying to make though, it's more a matter of world building. Plasma weapons are strong because they target EAC and can sever limbs. They're cool because they're freaking lightsabers. Strong and cool weapons aren't generally used by your average mook. In fact, your average trash mob is generally using low end equipment compared to the PCs. All of the early, unnamed NPCs in Dead Suns are using Laser Pistols and Clubs, not Laser Rifles and Long Swords. Foot soldiers carrying Plasma Swords isn't something that I would expect to be common until very late in a campaign.
Furthermore, losing a limb is a narratively significant event. All wounding weapons are flashy, narratively exciting weapons. If every encounter carried that risk because every trash pack in your campaign contains wounding weapons, that event and those weapons lose a lot of impact. Ignoring the numbers all together, it just seems like an odd choice in terms of world building to make wounding weapons as common as you're suggesting.
You can't use the intro levels of an intro module to justify these things.
You're talking about level 1-3. That really isn't a good level to make judgement calls. If, and I say if, I find down the road that the devs took a different direction than seems likely based on all of my past experience with Paizo products then I'll amend the guide.
If that isn't acceptable to you, I don't know what else to tell you. If you think you can do a better job than I have done, then please, by all means, write your own guide. I am sure the community could stand to have multiple views.
I'm not using the intro levels of an intro module to justify these things. If I'd never even seen Dead Suns, I'd say the same thing due to past experiences in other RPGs. Common mooks just don't use special weapons, they don't even commonly carry +1 weapons until well into the mid game of a campaign in Pathfinder. Those flashy, effective weapons with on hit effects are generally reserved for named NPCs and not mooks. That's not a Dead Suns specific thing, that's just normal campaign building.
We seem to disagree on just how to categorize Plasma Weapons and the like. I think they're a special kind of equipment and will be treated as such, you think they're just a common item that any old NPC will use. That's fine, no harm no foul.
I apologize if I came across as hostile, that certainly wasn't my intent. I think the content of your guide is excellent, I simply disagree with the assertions you've made about wounding weapons in this thread. I don't expect this conversation would have any impact at all on your guide, since I don't expect a Solar Weapon Solarian to be using a 2-handed Advanced Weapon any time soon =p