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Kind of like this:
Undetectable Firearms ActWon't stop anyone having a plastic gun, but it adds to your sentence if you're found with one. Which means you're going to really hesitate to use it in most cases.
Wouldn't be in effect in all places, but I can certainly see some places having a similar law regarding glamered.
Yeah. Almost exactly what I'm thinking.
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Yeah. Almost exactly what I'm thinking.Kind of like this:
Undetectable Firearms ActWon't stop anyone having a plastic gun, but it adds to your sentence if you're found with one. Which means you're going to really hesitate to use it in most cases.
Wouldn't be in effect in all places, but I can certainly see some places having a similar law regarding glamered.
Anyone can detect an 'undetectable gun' in real life. Only 16th level spellcasters (and a few Operatives) can detect such things, and only a few times a day.
They are not equivalent situations.
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Here is what I recommend to the GM: Keep notes on any public firefights the players get involved, especially if there were any cameras or (surviving) bystanders (if there weren't surviving bystanders and it's the PCs' fault, it was a massacre and someone will probably cast Speak With Dead in order to find the culprits...).
If they acted fairly responsibly and took care to minimize collateral damage, then all is well - they likely have a good reputation and people will trust them with even military-grade weapons. On the other hand, if they always caused lots of explosions then the customs or security officers should ask them lots of pointed questions about past incidents, how they justified the seemingly rather excessive use of force during these incidents, and if they plan on perpetrating similar amounts of mayhem in whatever place they want to enter.
Make them squirm as they relive past embarrassing incidents! After all, the GM is a player too and ought to have some fun as well from time to time. :D
After a bit of that, the official should frown at them and say something like:
"Okay, I am willing to allow you to carry your weapons beyond this point. However, considering your track record I must ask you to place a deposit of 5,000 credits [1] with us as an insurance against future property damage. If you leave again without causing any incidents, you will get your money back."
This way the PCs won't be deprived of their toys, but they will be encouraged to be on good behavior - and if the situation goes downhill they need to weigh the loss of their deposit against the danger they face (they might be able to fast-talk the officials into returning the full amount if they can make a convincing case that the fight was not their fault, but make them sweat for it).
[1] Scale this with the characters' level and/or notoriety.
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Detect them in the field? Sure. That's hard.
Detect them on the confiscated weapons after the punks with their Glamered Guns shoot up the bar, so that you slap the extra decade onto their sentence? Not so hard.
I remain skeptical of the practicality of such a law.
And even if I didn't, the setting pretty clearly has no such laws, or there'd either be a mention or Glamered would be higher level infusion (remember, higher level weapons require more permits and the like).
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I remain skeptical of the practicality of such a law.
I think we are getting dangerously close to actual gun control debates here.
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If players are caught shooting people on a security camera, or have eye witnesses, calls to the police, etc then True seeing isn't needed.
In any case just because something is illegal, does not mean players will obey the law. It however might lead them to, potentially, use some smarts or judgement when how to go about it. As well as add potential situations for which they will need to strategies or accommodate.
Even with loose weapon laws, it might be of some concern to the local authority if groups of people are coming into their space station or planet carrying heavy combat armor, rifle, automatic grenade launchers and anti-vehicle rockets.
Detect them in the field? Sure. That's hard.
Detect them on the confiscated weapons after the punks with their Glamered Guns shoot up the bar, so that you slap the extra decade onto their sentence? Not so hard.I remain skeptical of the practicality of such a law.
And even if I didn't, the setting pretty clearly has no such laws, or there'd either be a mention or Glamered would be higher level infusion (remember, higher level weapons require more permits and the like).
The setting has whatever laws the GM puts into effect. Now does the default setting assume such a law? Of course not. That doesn't mean that GMs can't put them in if it facilitates the story.
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The setting has whatever laws the GM puts into effect. Now does the default setting assume such a law? Of course not. That doesn't mean that GMs can't put them in if it facilitates the story.
The GM is always free to change whatever they like, but the core setting does include some built-in assumptions, and access to gear of your level and lower, for the listed price, is one of them...meaning basically anyone can get their weapon Glamered easily and cheaply.
It being highly illegal sorta makes that not make sense.
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Toxins also have item levels and I don't think most of those are legal unless people are allowed to just walk about the street happily with Insanity Mist (A very low item level one)
Detect them in the field? Sure. That's hard.
Detect them on the confiscated weapons after the punks with their Glamered Guns shoot up the bar, so that you slap the extra decade onto their sentence? Not so hard.
Still really hard unless you arrest them within 1 minute of the last shot. And get some sort of evidence within that 1 minute window.
After that, you've got to get someone who can and will cast true seeing, which they can charge 30,000 a pop for.
Doing that for every meathead with a light reaction cannon who shoots up a bar isn't worthwhile (the gun, the glamour and extra ammo coming to less than 500)
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Toxins also have item levels and I don't think most of those are legal unless people are allowed to just walk about the street happily with Insanity Mist (A very low item level one)
Actually, Insanity Mist is level 4. There are no level 1 poisons listed. Re-check the table, I suspect you were looking at the 'Dose' line.
No, I meant one as it 'One example of a toxin', not 'It is item level one'; So 'A very low item level toxin'.
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I really just don't see the Pact Worlds having strict gun control considering how easy it is to hide guns in their world and the fact that you can literally make a new gun in 4 hours.
When they're that easily circumvented it'd be rather silly to try to enforce them. Now for very high security areas, I'm sure they have some sort of true seeing effect set up to identify them, but it makes no sense for public areas in general.
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Or, as someone said above, you've got it on video or witness testimony - "He pulled out a communicator, it turned into a gun and he shot at the bartender. Then Johnny tackled him and we saw the gun go flying into the corner where that communicator is."
Beyond that - It's completely unbreakable without True Seeing? All my bad guys are going to be carrying glamered weapons. One minute after the start of the fight, all your captured loot reverts to innocuous junk and you can't ever turn it back. :)
I'm pretty sure once you know what it really is you can deactivate the glamer. Of course, you'd need something like the video to justify taking people's communicators and trying to mess with them. Unless you live in a draconian police state, anyway, which most of the Pact Worlds are not.
No, I meant one as it 'One example of a toxin', not 'It is item level one'; So 'A very low item level toxin'.
Items above level two can be illegal as all get-out, with the level requirement representing a connection needed to acquire it illegally. But levels 1 and 2 items? Especially level 1? Any guy on the street can get those casually...making having them be illegal pretty dubious.
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But levels 1 and 2 items? Especially level 1? Any guy on the street can get those casually...making having them be illegal pretty dubious.
Marijuana is still illegal in most states for recreational consumption, but I think most people 30 and under know how to get some relatively easily.
Just because it's easy to get doesn't mean it isn't illegal.
It just means the law is not very enforceable, like the laws regarding marijuana.
Or, as someone said above, you've got it on video or witness testimony - "He pulled out a communicator, it turned into a gun and he shot at the bartender. Then Johnny tackled him and we saw the gun go flying into the corner where that communicator is."
Video evidence when people can hack anything just by standing nearby? Or toss an illusion? Good luck selling that to a court.
Beyond that - It's completely unbreakable without True Seeing? All my bad guys are going to be carrying glamered weapons. One minute after the start of the fight, all your captured loot reverts to innocuous junk and you can't ever turn it back. :)
Unsurprisingly the paragraph description doesn't address it. It's a standard action to activate, but is suppressed when making an attack and for 1 minute afterwards. It doesn't even radiate magic, and true seeing (or similar magic) is the only thing that 'reveals the true nature of a glamered weapon'
It isn't even clear if it's an illusion or a physical shift. The name suggests illusion, been only in real-world terminology, not a game term or in-universe terminology.
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Marijuana is still illegal in most states for recreational consumption, but I think most people 30 and under know how to get some relatively easily.
Just because it's easy to get doesn't mean it isn't illegal.
It just means the law is not very enforceable, like the laws regarding marijuana.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't walk into a small town I'd never been before and casually buy marijuana. You can do exactly that with level one or two items. This is more like level 3, where you either need to know someone or be in a larger city.
Video evidence when people can hack anything just by standing nearby? Or toss an illusion? Good luck selling that to a court.
It's probably enough for a warrant to check your gear.
Unsurprisingly the paragraph description doesn't address it. It's a standard action to activate, but is suppressed when making an attack and for 1 minute afterwards. It doesn't even radiate magic, and true seeing (or similar magic) is the only thing that 'reveals the true nature of a glamered weapon'
It isn't even clear if it's an illusion or a physical shift. The name suggests illusion, been only in real-world terminology, not a game term or in-universe terminology.
The simple check, then, is to attempt use the communicator to attack something. :)
How does that even work?
Like I said, it doesn't address it. A standard action makes it look like not-a-gun (of the same bulk). The end. True seeing or nothing. The end.
Everything else is undefined, beyond the 1 minute window after attacking with it.
Pretty much anyone you've arrested for some normal reason, you've got to assume you can take and examine their stuff.Like the guy who allegedly shot up the bar and was captured right outside with no obvious weapons and none found on the scene - even if there was no video or testimony about the weapon itself changing.
Woops. Solarion or has a called weapon instead. Stuffed it somewhere (or tossed it out a window), will wander back and teleport it after the crowd has wandered off. Or get in a taxi, teleport it right off the cops and drive off.
There is just way too much in the game at level 1 and by default that just says 'Nope' to any measure of security.
Does the Glamered Fusion actually change the physical shape of the item, or just the appearance?
If it's just the appearance, then physically touching it should reveal what it is.
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Just to address the point on page 1 regarding personal ordinance and risk of explosive decompression, there is a sidebar that describes the damage of ship weapons on PCs as being whatever is rolled x 10, pretty sure you need to be doing damage on that scale to really worry about blowing a hole in a ship or station.
Does the Glamered Fusion actually change the physical shape of the item, or just the appearance?
If it's just the appearance, then physically touching it should reveal what it is.
Ok, it says:
-change its appearance to assume the form of another object of similar size.
-retains its properties, but does not radiate magic [no idea if this just means the game terms, like 'penetrating' or is more general]
-*ONLY* True seeing or similar magic reveals the true nature of the weapon while in disguise.
So...it may just be appearance, but it may be literally assuming the form, but it doesn't matter because touching it doesn't reveal anything, as touching is not true seeing.
As written you need a 16th level mystic or technomancer to tell if a glamered weapon is anything but what it looks like, unless it was fired [actually, used to make an attack, which means you can use gunfire to punctuate raucous cheering without changing its appearance] within the last minute.
It seems absurd, but that is the info presented for a level 1 infusion. Called is less absolute, with a 100' range, but you can teleport it out of other people's hands, and they're both level 1 infusions - 120 credits, available to absolutely everyone.
True seeing and dimensional barriers to prevent teleportation (if they exist, haven't checked), not so much.
Any party worried about weapons can be a musical band consisting of multiple Antonio Banderii, roving the towns and settlements with six-string six-guns on their backs.
Or just leave their kit in the skimmer, and teleport it in once they're past the security checkpoint.
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As written you need a 16th level mystic or technomancer to tell if a glamered weapon is anything but what it looks like, unless it was fired [actually, used to make an attack, which means you can use gunfire to punctuate raucous cheering without changing its appearance] within the last minute.
Actually, a 5th level Detective Operative can manage True Seeing for one round several times a day by spending Resolve. So...that's a thing.
Still not common enough to be a regular thing, but not quite as rare as you're implying.
Or I haven't picked up on the entire range of class abilities yet.
I assume on Absalom (SP?) station, there is strict gun control because of the risk of breaching a bulk head, let alone fire within a pressurized atmosphere where resources would have to be handled carefully. For example, since it is a space station with an artificial atmosphere, they probably would not want anyone smoking due to the stress it could cause on the filtering systems. So a flamethrower would be a massively dangerous object on board.
Unless the fire-suppression systems are top-notch. And one would really, really hope they are, as this world-station is the last big worldlet for humans.
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As has already been said, if Absalom Station is built like Starships (which is a fair assumption) then personal weapons are not an issue for breaching hull integrity.
I have a hard time believing its so shoddily built that typical infantry weapons are going to be able to significantly damage it.
Yeah. Given that starships are on a completely different damage scale, you aren't going to blow out the hull.
@Wei ji- not really. The human write-up makes it clear humans are everywhere. Viruslike, even. (And still regarded as the 'youngest' race, millennia later, despite Shirren and Androids. Sigh).
And then it descends into incoherence. It describes Absalom as a cultural center for humanity, but also the Gap ate pretty much everything (in the write up humans are described as 'hardest hit by the Gap,' though doesn't explain why or how that can be possible), yet caring about the Gap and the past is seen as backwards by the majority, so... yeah, it can't actually be much of a cultural center.
And one of the call outs for other races is that they probably regard humans as having little culture of their own. >.>
Think of it this way: was anyone in ANH or RotJ ever worried about blowing a hole in the Death Star with a blaster rifle? Nope. Well, Absalom Station is that big. Maybe bigger.
Think of it this way: was anyone in ANH or RotJ ever worried about blowing a hole in the Death Star with a blaster rifle? Nope. Well, Absalom Station is that big. Maybe bigger.
The stormtroopers clearly didn't like it when Han started shooting up control consoles.
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Not necessarily, since the outer walls of the station are pretty much unbreachable by small arms. It's a level 20 construct, at least, requiring a minimum of 45(+1) points of damage just to scratch it. This is assuming that there isn't a shift in effect from Hit Points to Hull Points.
Plus a space station that size should be seriously compartmentalized - even if you get a localized hull breach through some suitably heroic effort, the main effect will be that the bulkheads will close and the rest of the station will be unaffected. Sucks to be those close to the breach, but the rest is safe.
That being said, two things will be very strongly frowned upon on a space station:
- Plasma weapons and anything that can start start large fires in a hurry. Fires are bad enough in an urban environment, but you really don't want them in enclosed habitats like space stations. (For a fun comparison, read up on outbreaks of fire on submarines - these are among a submariner's worst nightmares.)
- Chemical or biological volatiles released into the space station's atmosphere. Nerve gases, airborne disease and the like can spread really fast, really quickly in such an enclosed environment - even if the life support systems can detect and clean them, there will still be a lot of spillover from opened doors.
Anyone playing around with these should have the local authorities coming down on them quickly.
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The Hardness of a steel wall in this game is 30. Skimming through the weapons tables the first weapon that can overcome the hardness with its maximum damage is the advanced swoop hammer when wielded by someone with any strength bonus(3d10 + Str). It is a level 9 item. Most other weapons that can overcome hardness 30 with their maximum damage are around level 13 items.
So if Absalom Station made its bulkheads out of the weakest space worthy materials(not stone, wood, ceramic, etc.) it would take a fairly advanced and well connected terrorist to even begin threatening the station.
While they are not explicitly listed, I think the existence of "shaped charge"-type explosives in the setting would make a lot of sense.
Mechanically, I'd give them about the same level and base damage as a frag grenade, but also add the "Penetration" tag and make the damage directed against the object the charge is fixed to. Thus, a level 10 shape charge with 6d6 base damage and Penetration would make 1 point of damage on an average roll. A level 14 shaped charge would make 19 damage against the bulkhead. This is not exactly cheap, but doable for well-connected groups.
Note that this is far from insufficient to "threaten the station" considering its size - for that, you need nukes or the equivalent. But localized attacks are another matter.
Think of it this way: was anyone in ANH or RotJ ever worried about blowing a hole in the Death Star with a blaster rifle? Nope. Well, Absalom Station is that big. Maybe bigger.
No it is not. The death star gets compared to moons. To pick a random moon (ok, ours), the diameter is 2,159 miles.
The diameter of Absalom is... 5 miles (though obviously from the picture this isn't uniform).
Manhattan is 2.3 x 13.4 miles. or 22.7 square miles.
[Or possibly 1.21 giga-O'briens]
Think of Absalom station as 5 or 6 Manhattans stacked on top of each other.
But you still aren't blowing out walls in Absalom with hand weapons. Not even vesk-portable heavy weapons.
My bad, I thought I had seen references to Absalom Station being moon-sized. The Death Stars are pretty small for moons*, so I was thinking it might well be larger.
*diameter of 160 km and 200 km according to Wookiepedia, which jives with what I remember from the EU. Still orders of magnitude more voluminous than Absalom Station, though.