|
Hello again:
Earlier I posted an idea I had for me PA home-brew using the Pathfinder rule system. So far everythng is going well, but I've come across another tricky question:
Are there rules for energy weapons in Pathfinder? I'm specifically talking about lasers, particle beams, ion beams, energy swords, maybe even mono-filament weapons too. I may need to house-rule the items in question, but where's a good place to start? If a regular steel short-sword does D6 on a hit, how much would a energy short-sword or monofilament short-sword do? Do I kick up the hit die by one and make it D8? Also, I wouldn't think that on energy weapons you would get any STR bonus to damage. Perhaps that would balance them out as well?
That's my question so far. Any help that you guys can lend would be appreciated.
DK
I suggest you invest in a d20 sci-fi game such as Traveler or Star Wars as they have rules for all the tech weapons you could want.
Your other option is to basically make energy weapons act exactly like wands.
A "plasma shotgun" could be a wand of burning hands with a decent caster level.
A "lightning gun" (like in UT) could be a wand of lightning bolt.
If not willing to pay $30-$40 for a new book, how about $6?
I believe that Veil of Truth: Space Opera Rules and Setting (PFRPG) PDF from Eridanus Books may have what you are looking for.
I cannot attest that it does have the weapons you are looking for, I don't own the book. But as I was reading the Free RPG day adventure, I got the sense that these items would be appropriate. You could always send a PM to jmberaldo here on the boards to find out.
-Aaron
As Fleshgrinder said - Energy Weapons could be just like wands - require a feat to use them or allow UMD to "figure out" how to use them. Once a PC has learned how it operates no further rolls are required. A mono-filament weapon could simply have an expanded crit-range. Or allow it to bypass DR. Of course, if there are weapons like that there could be armor to prevent the damage. Refractive Armor would essential have SR v. Energy Weapons.
|
Hello again:
Earlier I posted an idea I had for me PA home-brew using the Pathfinder rule system. So far everythng is going well, but I've come across another tricky question:
Are there rules for energy weapons in Pathfinder? I'm specifically talking about lasers, particle beams, ion beams, energy swords, maybe even mono-filament weapons too. I may need to house-rule the items in question, but where's a good place to start? If a regular steel short-sword does D6 on a hit, how much would a energy short-sword or monofilament short-sword do? Do I kick up the hit die by one and make it D8? Also, I wouldn't think that on energy weapons you would get any STR bonus to damage. Perhaps that would balance them out as well?
That's my question so far. Any help that you guys can lend would be appreciated.
DK
Oddly enough you can take spells that best fit the technology and make them techno-magic. Its used to be called
BLACKLORE: Magic of such intricacy and complexity that it is indiscernible from advanced technology.
In the D&D Adventure Temple of the Frog - the PCs get their hands on Heavy Blasters - which are heavy weapons which spit a lightning bolt - and the powerpack has twenty charges. It was nothing more than a Staff of Lightning - but it was Scifi Technology - and the Spell had a Lightning strike range and 5d6 damage.
Make a few magic items up. A mono-filament blade sounds like a sword of slicing.
I was in a group that did this once during the AD&D days. It was a lot of fun. Kudos.
I'd simply play them as touch attack weapons, using fire or electric as their damage type. Maybe use bleeding for mono blades?
As to the monofilament shortsword:
I don't see it actually doing a whole lot more damage than a normal one, I think the bonus of being monofilament would come in other ways.
I'd consider it a keen weapon. That's really about it.
When your sharpen a sword, you're trying to get the blade as close to a single atom as possible. A monofilament is just a filament that is a single atom wide.
So it would act like the sharpest sword possible, which is a keen weapon.
Bam, easy.
As to the monofilament shortsword:
I don't see it actually doing a whole lot more damage than a normal one, I think the bonus of being monofilament would come in other ways.
I'd consider it a keen weapon. That's really about it.
When your sharpen a sword, you're trying to get the blade as close to a single atom as possible. A monofilament is just a filament that is a single atom wide.
So it would act like the sharpest sword possible, which is a keen weapon.
Bam, easy.
Perhaps Vorpal.
Though no longer in print, Dragonstar was a wonderful 3.0 compatible game that was a galactic setting with the assumption that eventually the magic using races would advance technologically enough to get actual space travel, motorized vehicles, computers, etc.
If you can find a copy they had great rules for armor, energy and slug weapons, explosivs etc. as well as technology rules for computerised spellbooks and such.
You should be able to find all your looking for in that.