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So, while trying to fit out my first SFS character I ran into the equipment chart. I am having a hard time rationalizing the item prices, especially armor and weapons.
Let's look at the first thing you see -- Basic melee weapons.
Club is arguably the best of the level 1 weapons, and it's free. The next basic melee weapon to do as much damage is the level 2 tactical dueling sword, and that would cost nearly half your starting wealth. Beyond that is the level 7 tactical knife. For 5905 more than you spent on a survival knife, you can do 1d4 more damage.
The level 1 advanced melee weapons are no better if you want to get to 1d6 damage or better. How mechanically is the longsword different from the tactical dueling sword? Aside from the extra cash required?
Small arms? Is there really no one in the star system making a laser pistol that would fall between level 1 and 6? I suppose we should be grateful that they charged less than 4000 units to add 1d4 to damage.
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.
Sniper weapons! Oh, sorry your operative can't have one at first level. And why are they all Shirren-eye ? Are the Shirren's the only race to have snipers, or the first to conceive them, or do all the other races use Shirren eyes for target practice?
And what is with the chainsaws? It's like the game designers saw an old Doctor Who where Matt Smith said, "Chainsaws are cool."
Armor presents a bewildering array of inferior concepts at inflated prices. It's like the designers said, "We need to teach players about careful comparison shopping."
Comparing Estex (410) to Second skin (250), we see that it's worth 160 units to lower your EAC and KAC by 1 and increase your bulk for one additional upgrade slot. But ceremonial plate is only 110?! Admittedly the designers needed to throw the melee guys a bone, but they could have done that with extra starting cash and kept prices more rational.
And damage. PCs start with around 15 combined stamina and hit points. Yet most first level weapons do 1d4. Somebody better have high strength mods or low level combat is going to take hours.
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Forgive my saying, but it seems like you've missed some important or clarifying notes from the book.
Club is arguably the best of the level 1 weapons, and it's free. The next basic melee weapon to do as much damage is the level 2 tactical dueling sword, and that would cost nearly half your starting wealth.
In terms of damage die, yes, but the club is an archaic weapon. Losing 5 damage against any enemy with modern armor is a big hit, especially with a base d6 of damage. Even with 16 Strength, that means that you're going to be doing a pitiful amount--at best the same as a 10 Strength character with that puny survival knife.
The level 1 advanced melee weapons are no better if you want to get to 1d6 damage or better. How mechanically is the longsword different from the tactical dueling sword? Aside from the extra cash required?
I'm not sure what you're trying to get at here. The longsword is different mechanically in that it's an advanced weapon rather than basic; it takes more training and knowledge to use one properly, which is the tradeoff for a better damage die at a lower price. Also, there's the assault hammer--it costs the same as the survival knife and deals 1d6 damage instead of 1d4. Less than 10% of your starting wealth for a decent melee weapon isn't a bad trade.
Small arms? Is there really no one in the star system making a laser pistol that would fall between level 1 and 6? I suppose we should be grateful that they charged less than 4000 units to add 1d4 to damage.
Maybe not, or at least not making one that's notably different than the level 1 version. A GM could always homebrew something to go in the middle, possibly with the better range but not the increased damage? That mostly comes down to game balance and expected damage over level increases.
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.
Yeah, adding in subjective comments on what's "cool" or "lame" doesn't really add anything. As a personal note, I think scattergun works a lot better--these are clearly more akin to old-style blunderbusses than modern shotguns.
Sniper weapons! Oh, sorry your operative can't have one at first level. And why are they all Shirren-eye ? Are the Shirren's the only race to have snipers, or the first to conceive them, or do all the other races use Shirren eyes for target practice?
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.
And what is with the chainsaws? It's like the game designers saw an old Doctor Who where Matt Smith said, "Chainsaws are cool."
By chainsaws, do you mean the fangblade? That's a pretty standard sci-fi weapon design and has been for a while, especially in the hands of SPESS MEHREENS.
Armor presents a bewildering array of inferior concepts at inflated prices. It's like the designers said, "We need to teach players about careful comparison shopping."
I'll agree with you to some extent on this one. The tables are a little bewildering, and some armors seem like they should be much more or less expensive compared to others of similar level.
And damage. PCs start with around 15 combined stamina and hit points. Yet most first level weapons do 1d4. Somebody better have high strength mods or low level combat is going to take hours.
Well, by my understanding enemies don't have Stamina, so they'll probably go down a bit quicker, but it's also the general consensus that combat takes a bit longer in Starfinder than it does in Pathfinder, in terms of rounds; individual turns probably go by a bit quicker since it seems like there wouldn't be as much rolling.
All in all, I don't know, man. Maybe you just came here to grouse or I fell for bait? Either way, the goal is to have fun, so if you don't like the game, don't play it.
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As far as the Shirren Eye rifles specifically, it's basically different qualities of a single line, and the description mentions that the term "Shirren Eye" came because the lenses of the scopes are reminiscent of the multifaceted eyes of the Shirren.
As far as weapons of certain types at other levels, all I can say to that is to remind that this is just the CORE Rulebook. Having 20 levels worth of every type of weapon would probably be a book in and of itself... and adding options like that is just the kind of thing I would expect to be a book in the future. Just look at the Adventurer's Armory books in Pathfinder.
Also as far as "Tactical", that is actually a term used in modern weaponry, notably including various kinds of knives, axes, and several models of gun. As such it is actually a perfectly reasonable term to indicate a tier of some weapons.
Also as far as other names being "silly", it's a marketing thing. The Core Rulebook contains a fair bit of setting info as well as the mechanics, so these are products in the world, and the company is using these "silly" names to describe their product (and the general power level of it.) If in your own games you want to rename them to the "Shotgun, Level X" go for it.
Also for the discrepancies in power levels... yeah that's disappointing. Not exactly foreign for Paizo (heck, just look at the Pathfinder armors. Chances are if after a few levels you're not in a Chain Shirt (or Celestial Armor at higher levels), Breastplate, or Plate Mail you're probably doing something wrong. I will say that while the club might look impressive at first, it becomes a lot less so once you look at the Archaic property it has and find that it does 5 less damage against any foe with non-archaic armor.
Some armors being better than others is not a new thing in SF. I don't think I have seen any character wearing leather armor instead of studded leather or chain shirt, for example.
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... old Doctor Who ... Matt Smith ...
Get off my lawn.
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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
*An excellent answer*
Good work.
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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.
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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."
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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.
Actually, this is only partially true. To quote the book:
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. The GM can restrict access to some items (even those of an appropriate level, or make items of a higher level available for purchase (possibly at a greatly increased price or in return for a favor done for the seller).
So it is availability to some degree, just abstracted to make the game go quicker.
EDIT: Wow. Ninja'd by a lot. Guess I shouldn't have quoted so thoroughly...
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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.
The difference in Starfinder does mostly appear to be in the scope. Hunting rifles have a decent scope but nothing spectacular. Sniper Rifles have a high power scope and can thus be used to aim at targets an order of magnitude further away.
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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!"
That story doesn't really gel with:
"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."
Based on that, we can conclude Tier 7 computers aren't in Best Buy - presumably shops available to the public only go as high as tier three in major settlements and tier two in typical settlements (maybe tier four or even five for really good customers).
Higher tier stuff require special access/status/connections of some description (it's not spelled out exactly how, that's left to the DM).
Ultimately, it's an abstraction - if you evaluate it based on how realistic it is it's always going to come up short because it isn't trying to simulate reality (same as the crafting/selling system and the fact that a character's "starship wealth" doesn't intersect in more than a peripheral way with "everything else wealth").
The designers didn't try to simulate real world economics, they went with a quick-and-easy economic system that was easy to tie to the already unrealistic levelling system used elsewhere in the game.
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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!"
Best Buy would have reasonable questions about why you wanted a supercomputer in your basement. A few governments might, too.
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!"
No, it's more like walking into a BestBuy with a grand but the computer you want is six or seven grand.
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I wouldn't steal from BestBuy, they HATE that.
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Or more like wanting to buy a Cray XC50 (a $500,000 system) - a Best Buy won't have that, and it must be specially consigned and crafted, which requires you showing what you wish to use the device for. Similarly, On the off-chance that you might be a Cult of the Devourer member or other terrorist, you need to establish credentials that you have a legal and valid use for a high-level device, instead of just plopping down a huge sum of credits.
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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.
The key phrase in that is "most of the world's history".
We're talking about a science fantasy setting. The sniper rifles in that setting aren't just rifles with a scope stuck on and good ballistics. They're feats of engineering, finely tuned machines with technology included that makes them more deadly and precise as killing tools--and that needs more specialized training than your average longarm, thus Sniper Weapon Proficiency. That also explains why even the most basic sniper is Level 2 and costs as much as it does--these are such advanced precision weapons that the most basic model is still (relatively) expensive and requires a special permit for the average citizen. The sniper rifles in Starfinder aren't like the Remington 700 you can pick up at the local store--that'd be a hunting rifle--they're Barrett M82s, requiring special training and permission to use.
I'll tack on that there's a reason snipers don't just use the same rifles as your average hunter. Even today, their weapons are more precise, more expensive, and require more training to properly use to their full extent.
As far as availability and item level, I think they are fairly similar, and I don't think it's that strange. The argument is the same as magic items in Pathfinder--just because an item exists doesn't mean every shop has one in stock. So no, going to the local armory on whatever backwater world you're exploring this week isn't going to mean just flashing a card so you can buy your fancy molecular rift longsword. The game has abstractions. It basically spells that out for you in the description of what item level means.
Getting schooled as hard as the OP in this thread must be a refreshing experience to have every once in a while. !Salud!
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Thanks, guys. I've just skimmed the rules while putting the PC together and had indeed missed the key flaw in the archaic property. Lots of good points for me to think about.
Special thanks to Loup Blanc for his exhaustive reply.
Quandary, indeed!
I intend to give the game a fair shake, my OP was probably impotent nerd rage at having to sort through the new system.
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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.
The key phrase in that is "most of the world's history".
We're talking about a science fantasy setting. The sniper rifles in that setting aren't just rifles with a scope stuck on and good ballistics. They're feats of engineering, finely tuned machines with technology included that makes them more deadly and precise as killing tools--and that needs more specialized training than your average longarm, thus Sniper Weapon Proficiency. That also explains why even the most basic sniper is Level 2 and costs as much as it does--these are such advanced precision weapons that the most basic model is still (relatively) expensive and requires a special permit for the average citizen. The sniper rifles in Starfinder aren't like the Remington 700 you can pick up at the local store--that'd be a hunting rifle--they're Barrett M82s, requiring special training and permission to use.
I'll tack on that there's a reason snipers don't just use the same rifles as your average hunter. Even today, their weapons are more precise, more expensive, and require more training to properly use to their full extent.
As far as availability and item level, I think they are fairly...
I guess my biggest gripe is that there is no affordable 'sniper' option for a first level operative PC. Hunting rifles are long arms, so the PC isn't proficient. I'd just like an available weapon that fit the theme, even if it only did 1d6 with a 70' range. So you're stuck blowing 3/4 of your cash on the gun and wearing a fig leaf.
Don't get me started on not being able to afford a sniper rifle at first level!
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therealthom, I had a somewhat similar reaction to you with the first two characters I tried making for SF to test the system (prior to my current solarian character); the first I conceptualised as a sniper, but found after buying a sniper rifle I could barely afford hardly-worth-wearing armour. The second character, a soldier, the starting arms and armour I could afford seemed to have very low damage output and AC bonus compared to what I am used to for a starting fighter type character in Pathfinder. I guess they are some of those differences in the system that we will need to get used to.
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At least in Pathfinder, I find the rule of thumb to not spend more that 1/3 of wealth on armor and 1/3 on weapons to be good. Does this still seem to be right in Starfinder? I'm not sure at higher levels there is enough non-weapon or armor stuff to buy to use up that money, since the remaining third usually mostly goes to buy stat boosting items, amulets of natural armor, and rings of protection.
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At least in Pathfinder, I find the rule of thumb to not spend more that 1/3 of wealth on armor and 1/3 on weapons to be good. Does this still seem to be right in Starfinder? I'm not sure at higher levels there is enough non-weapon or armor stuff to buy to use up that money, since the remaining third usually mostly goes to buy stat boosting items, amulets of natural armor, and rings of protection.
Stat-boosting stuff and Rings of Resistance are things you need in Starfinder, too.
Let's examine 15th level, where you have 500k.
84k of that or so goes to stat upgrades to get full benefit, and another 70k can go to a +4 Ring of Resistance to boost your low save. That's almost 1/3 right there, and neglects all the technological and magical gadgetry you can grab.
Personally, I think 1/3 on weapon was a bit high in Pathfinder, though 1/3 on AC (which was more than just armor then) was about right, and the rest in other stuff.
In Starfindrr, I'd argue you should spend at least 1/4 on weapon, 1/4 on armor (which is your only AC upgrade now), 1/4 on stat upgrades and Save booster, and the remaining 1/4 depending on build and preferences (a hacker might need a computer, a switch-hitter another weapon, a spellcaster might easily invest a fair bit in spell gems, etc.)
At least in Pathfinder, I find the rule of thumb to not spend more that 1/3 of wealth on armor and 1/3 on weapons to be good. Does this still seem to be right in Starfinder? I'm not sure at higher levels there is enough non-weapon or armor stuff to buy to use up that money, since the remaining third usually mostly goes to buy stat boosting items, amulets of natural armor, and rings of protection.
It's still true, but it's generally for PCs beyond 1st level.
On p392, it reads, "In addition to providing benchmarks to make sure existing characters remain balanced, it can also be used to budget gear for characters starting above 1st level, such as a new character created to replace a dead one. Characters in this latter case should spend no more than half their total wealth on any single item. For a balanced approach, PCs built after 1st level should spend no more than 25% of their wealth on weapons and 25% on armor and protective devices."
I can't find any such stipulation for first level.
Sorry for poking in for a random question, but I can't find what the starting wealth is. Is it 1k, as it says in the GM section? What people are saying indicates a lot less, though.
It's in the "How to create a character" section. Page 18, Step 8.
Sorry for poking in for a random question, but I can't find what the starting wealth is. Is it 1k, as it says in the GM section? What people are saying indicates a lot less, though.
Yep, you start with 1K credits.
Edit: ninjaed.
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Regarding Estex armor:
At initial creation, the Estex Suit I may not be a great choice over Second Skin. However, being able to add both Infrared Sensors and Jump Jets by level 2 or 3 may be worth the lower EAC/KAC for a high-Dex character (possibly a Solar Armor solarian with Longarm Proficiency?).
The Estex Suit II can have Infrared Sensors, Jump Jets, and a Quick-Release Sheath. The D-Suit I has +1 to AC, but can only have one of these.
The Estex Suit III can have a Backup Generator, Infrared Sensors, Jump Jets, and a Quick-Release Sheath. The D-Suit II costs 1,400 cr more for +1 AC and can only have two upgrades.
There's actually more variation in what constitutes the "best" armor, even at a given level, than in Pathfinder (which was pretty much mithral chain shirt/kikko, mithral breastplate, celestial armor, or mithral full plate/o-yoroi/tatami-do, except for a few outliers).
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Regarding the modest damage increases between level 1-2 versions and level 6-7 versions of weapons:
The way that fusions work in Starfinder means that the base damage is just one aspect of weapons.
For example, that tactical knife may only do +1d4 base damage more than a survival knife, but the tactical knife (level 7 weapon) can now have Bleeding (level 5 fusion), Called (level 1 fusion), and Glamered (level 1 fusion) installed on it.
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Sorry for poking in for a random question, but I can't find what the starting wealth is. Is it 1k, as it says in the GM section? What people are saying indicates a lot less, though.Yep, you start with 1K credits.
Edit: ninjaed.
This is Starfinder. I think you meant operatived.
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Honestly, I'm not terribly fussed about how equipment is being doled out in Starfinder, except for one thing: bonding epoxy.
In a setting where magic and laser guns exist side-by-side, and starships the size of mountains are built, a small bottle of superglue costs 400 credits?! Of all the things in the core rules, this absolutely breaks my suspension of disbelief. I get that it's the equivalent of PF's sovereign glue (and is significantly cheaper), but come on. It's glue.
I'd noticed that epoxy was available, but hadn't focused on the price. Ouch!
And it bonds in 1d4 rounds.
Hey, do they have duct tape? Nope! What are we going to use to patch space suits?
I'm not too upset by the pricing model. The low level weapons are comparable to the stuff we got in pathfinder, sure. But being able to look forward to saving up for a stronger weapon that does different damage types, does more dice worth of damage, has special crit bonuses, that's exciting! Gives us something to look forward to.
It would be nice if there was a cheap but low-range sniper rifle for early use. Maybe with 100 or 150 feet, but a smaller damage die than the tactical shirren-eye?
(They can't be used with trick attacks at level 1 anyway...)
I'd noticed that epoxy was available, but hadn't focused on the price. Ouch!
And it bonds in 1d4 rounds.
Hey, do they have duct tape? Nope! What are we going to use to patch space suits?
Well...
In general, any minor piece of equipment with a real-world equivalent (alarm clock, camera, digital keys for vehicles you own, timer, watch, and so on) can be purchased with GM approval, costs 5 credits and has light bulk.
A roll of Duct Tape costs 5 credits. Regular ol' superglue (the type that bonds over minutes/hours as opposed to 6-24 seconds) costs 5 credits. A shoulder-mounted single-use confetti cannon...costs 5 credits (and is light bulk to boot!). Really, I think that is the best part of the entire equipment chapter there. Until they expand the equipment list in future books most weird gadgets and junk are around, and cheap.