Various rules inquiries

[Colette Brunel]

1. Are the operative's Skill Focus feats from specialization supposed to stack with the Operative's Edge insight bonus?

2. Are the Daredevil and the Thief supposed to have the +4 bonus to trick attacks?

3. Can someone have Weapon Specialization in grenade launchers?

4. Is the solar weapon solarian supposed to have dead levels?

5. Page 430 stipulates that all armor of 1st level or higher comes with personal comm units; is such a thing stipulated in the armor section or the technological equipment section?

6. For that matter, is there any rule concerning free batteries with purchased equipment aside from weapons? Having to spend 60 credits for each battery-powered non-weapon can be deceptively costly with 1st-level wealth being 1,000 credits.

7. Page 168 stipulates that weapons with standard ammunition come preloaded. But what do they come preloaded with? A pulsecaster rifle costs 100 credits and has a capacity of 40; does that mean it comes with a 330-credit, 40-charge, high-capacity battery?

8. Should the Icon theme decrease DCs for relevant checks, rather than increasing them?

9. What is the duration of the flat-footed condition from the operative's trick attack?

10. I cannot help but notice that even with Quick Draw or ysoki cheek pouches, a character cannot draw their weapon and full attack (or trick attack), because full actions consume even a swift action. Is there really much point to the ysoki cheek pouches and Quick Draw, then?

11. Can a character haul around an L-bulk, miniaturized computer with an artificial personality and then have that computer make social skill checks on the character's behalf?

[Drali]

6. "Items with a specified usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased." Pg 218, paragraph 2.

10. Of course. Action economy is king, and every action you can take is important. The ability to draw a weapon, move, and attack, could mean the difference of getting to cover/not attacking. Even if it's not as good as pathfinder, doesn't mean it isn't incredibly useful.

[TheGoofyGE3K]

Ah but you can draw while moving anyway.

[Oykiv]

Regarding to Question 1, it has been talked about.Theydo not stack as they're the same bonus. By the time the Operative's Edge bonus equals the Skill focus bonus this feat gives another benefit to the operative (taking 10 when you usually can't if I remember right).

Regarding to 11 I think it's up to the GM and the situation. Sometimes the people who you're talking about doesn't mind talk to another one, sometimes that person can be cunning enough to prefer to talk with whoever he thinks is the worst doing the talking (to avoid being bluffed, get a better deal, etc.)

[Colette Brunel]

Drali wrote:

6. "Items with a specified usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased." Pg 218, paragraph 2.

Starfinder core rulebook, page 168:

"Weapons that use standard ammunition (arrows, charges, darts, mini-rockets, petrol, rounds, scattergun shells, etc.) are sold preloaded"

Would this not mean that a character could purchase a 100-credit scattergun to gain a 330-credit high-capacity battery?

Starfinder core rulebook, page 218:
"Items specified with a usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased. Such batteries can be recharged as normal using generators or recharging stations (see Professional Services on page 234), or they can be replaced (see Table 7-9: Ammunition for battery prices)."

Is the battery a maximum capacity possible for the item, or a regular battery?

If the former is the case, then would that not mean that a character could purchase a 7-credit personal comm unit, which comes with a 390-credit super-capacity battery that can be sold for 39 credits? Is this not an infinite loop?

If the latter is the case, then you could purchase 1-credit flashlights/lanterns that come with 60-credit batteries, and then sell off the batteries for 6 credits each. This is an uncontestable, infinite loop.

There is now a method of gaining unlimited credits right from character creation.

Now, there is one thing I see stopping this infinite loop: flashlights/lanterns have a capacity of 10.

Does that mean that they come with a regular, 20-charge battery with some sort of "only 10 charges can be stored in this while in the flashlight/lantern" limitation?

Does that mean they come with a "special edition" 10-charge battery that cannot be sold due to no price being listed for them? If so, then does that mean that the other technological items come with batteries of the maximum capacity, such as a 390-credit, 80-charge battery for a 7-credit personal comm unit? Or, to put it in another way, if a 10-capacity flashlight comes with a 10-charge battery, does an 80-capacity personal comm unit come with an 80-charge battery?

[IonutRO]

Colette Brunel wrote:

Drali wrote:

6. "Items with a specified usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased." Pg 218, paragraph 2.

Starfinder core rulebook, page 168:

"Weapons that use standard ammunition (arrows, charges, darts, mini-rockets, petrol, rounds, scattergun shells, etc.) are sold preloaded"

Would this not mean that a character could purchase a 100-credit scattergun to gain a 330-credit high-capacity battery?

Starfinder core rulebook, page 218:
"Items specified with a usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased. Such batteries can be recharged as normal using generators or recharging stations (see Professional Services on page 234), or they can be replaced (see Table 7-9: Ammunition for battery prices)."

Is the battery a maximum capacity possible for the item, or a regular battery?

If the former is the case, then would that not mean that a character could purchase a 7-credit personal comm unit, which comes with a 390-credit super-capacity battery that can be sold for 39 credits? Is this not an infinite loop?

If the latter is the case, then you could purchase 1-credit flashlights/lanterns that come with 60-credit batteries, and then sell off the batteries for 6 credits each. This is an uncontestable, infinite loop.

There is now a method of gaining unlimited credits right from character creation.

Now, there is one thing I see stopping this infinite loop: flashlights/lanterns have a capacity of 10.

Does that mean that they come with a regular, 20-charge battery with some sort of "only 10 charges can be stored in this while in the flashlight/lantern" limitation?

Does that mean they come with a "special edition" 10-charge battery that cannot be sold due to no price being listed for them? If so, then does that mean that the other technological items come with batteries of the maximum capacity, such as a 390-credit, 80-charge battery for a 7-credit personal comm unit? Or, to put it in another way, if a 10-capacity flashlight comes with a 10-charge...

A 330-credit high-capacity battery only sells back for 33 credits. Also, no scattergn uses batteries and no scattergun costs 100 credits. Unless such weapon was added in Incident at Absalom Station, which I don't have access to as our group didn't buy it.

[Colette Brunel]

Why purchase a high-capacity battery for 330 credits when you can purchase a pulsecaster rifle for 100 credits and nab the high-capacity battery from it?

Never mind the potential infinite loop possible with non-weapon technological equipment's free batteries.

[Ithnaar]

Colette Brunel wrote:

Why purchase a high-capacity battery for 330 credits when you can purchase a pulsecaster rifle for 100 credits and nab the high-capacity battery from it?

Never mind the potential infinite loop possible with non-weapon technological equipment's free batteries.

For every other longarm on the chart with a small arms equivalent, the rifle is more expensive than the pistol, usually by about 20%

I suspect the 100cr cost for the pulsecaster rifle is an error seeing as the pistol costs 250cr. The correct cost is probably about 300cr.

Still a 30cr discount on that battery though :-p

[Pax Rafkin]

Colette Brunel wrote:

Starfinder core rulebook, page 218:
"Items specified with a usage use a battery that comes fully charged

Now, there is one thing I see stopping this infinite loop: flashlights/lanterns have a capacity of 10.

Its probably like an iPhone. Battery is internal and can't be replaced, only charged.

[IonutRO]

Pax Rafkin wrote:

Colette Brunel wrote:

Starfinder core rulebook, page 218:
"Items specified with a usage use a battery that comes fully charged

Now, there is one thing I see stopping this infinite loop: flashlights/lanterns have a capacity of 10.

Its probably like an iPhone. Battery is internal and can't be replaced, only charged.

Nope, it explicitly says they are normal batteries.