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There only being a few weapons of any particular level is a side effect of there being so many levels of weapons. It's inevitable given that premise combined with space limitations in books.
As for there being so many different weapons rather than a weapon leveling system, the things that go into making a weapon of any specific level are clearly fairly complex, and they've stated that such a system would thus be pretty easily abused to make weapons that were unbalancing.
I think that's probably correct and approve of their choice to go this route.
I'm also kind of curious why weapons have set levels instead of there being a baseline for each weapon with rules to level as you go. Seems to me it would be easy enough to set up a relatively simple system outlining how certain weapons level up as they are "upgraded". I guess I envision a system where if my character buys a basic laser pistol at lvl 1, at each level, or every few levels I could pay to have it upgraded so that it becomes more level appropriate. This would bypass a sort of arbitrary need to swap weapons every few levels in my opinion.
Am I missing something?
What you are missing is that the rules for weapons are nothing more than an elaborate system-level marketing scheme.
Paizo didn't go for a system like you describe not because it couldn't/wouldn't be balanced, they have (or should have) more than enough math nerds on staff to balance those equations... It was simply greed. The Starfinder ruleset was designed to sell Starfinder supplements and keep Paizo in the Black. Having a functional, quality ruleset was obviously a secondary concern.
You can only sell rules for generating weapons in a game-system once (and usually only to GMs and Amateur Game Designers), just ask Hero Games. Once you've sold the core system, one or two ambitious amateur designers can put out enough free weapons that nobody else ever has to buy the rules again, they can just go look up weapons others have written. Since they are designed using a cohesive system, there would be some guarantee of relative balance. Making for a quickly stagnating market (albeit one that has a much better game to play).
Conversely Paizo can easily sell a 30-page supplement with half-a-dozen new weapons (five of which will suck balls) every month from now until the end of the Starfinder Society and players and GMs alike will buy them up for the one good option presented because they can't use it in SFS otherwise.
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Are you trying to tell me that they can't put every subsystem ever in their core book? Everyone knows those things have an infinite number of pages!
I'll admit, I'd have preferred something like Star Wars Saga where they scaled weapon with character.
I would have liked to see a weapon upgrade system instead of "Laser Rifle MKI, Turbo Laser Rifle, Mega Turbo Rifle...".
More like Youbuy a basic weapon and can upgrade it, so it become a Tier 2, 3, 4.. weapon. Maybe something like the fusion mods.
This would have allowed for a bunch level 1 weapons which are really different and also allows the player to get a "signature weapon".
I would have liked to see a weapon upgrade system instead of "Laser Rifle MKI, Turbo Laser Rifle, Mega Turbo Rifle...".
More like Youbuy a basic weapon and can upgrade it, so it become a Tier 2, 3, 4.. weapon. Maybe something like the fusion mods.
This would have allowed for a bunch level 1 weapons which are really different and also allows the player to get a "signature weapon".
The first weapons in each category are fairly distinct. Sometimes it's only a different damage type (which isn't meaningless), but often it's attributes like AoE, overload, autofire, unwieldy, etc. Now, the first weapon in each category isn't necessarily available at level 1, because effects like AoE are hard to balance at that level, but I do feel they're really different.
As for signature weapons? Craft your new weapon out of the pieces of your old weapon. This doesn't save you any credits compared to selling the old one and buying a new one (you can fluff it as swapping out the barrel for a new, outrageously expensive, incredibly effective barrel or whatnot), but it's going to be, for all in-game intents and purposes, the same weapon with better performance.
I imagine they will release an upgrade system or something along those lines that will allow you to stick with your family heirloom, while also keeping it up to par with other level appropriate weapons.
It would be easy for them to make something akin to the solarion crystal mechanic, but then say something like "the sum of the levels of the upgrade and the level of the base weapon can't exceed your character level + 2."
After that, they would just need to balance the numbers for the appropriate levels.
It would even be balanced against existing systems, such as infusions, as your weapon level would remain low, limiting the kinds of infusions you could stack alongside upgrades (unless the new upgrade mechanic also raises your weapon's base level).
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I imagine they will release an upgrade system or something along those lines that will allow you to stick with your family heirloom, while also keeping it up to par with other level appropriate weapons.
It would be easy for them to make something akin to the solarion crystal mechanic, but then say something like "the sum of the levels of the upgrade and the level of the base weapon can't exceed your character level + 2."
After that, they would just need to balance the numbers for the appropriate levels.
It would even be balanced against existing systems, such as infusions, as your weapon level would remain low, limiting the kinds of infusions you could stack alongside upgrades (unless the new upgrade mechanic also raises your weapon's base level).
While the part of me that likes personalizing and fiddling with little bits would like this, I doubt we'll see something along these lines. At least not for a long while. Compex systems like these are incredibly hard to achieve any sort of balance with. They probably do have something like this, or loose guidelines that they use inhouse but there's a distinct difference between what a developer might put together and judge as balanced and what a player will gladly build for their own use. Players(myself included) are frequently terrible at self limiting.
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As to the original post, there are actually a fair number of choices at early levels, it's just that there are only a few that will fit particular needs.
Levels 1-2(thus available at character gen)
Flare gun: less a weapon and more a way to fire light for adventuring in the dark. Great for a go get em envoy who's party is adventuring in unlit halls or caves.
Flame gun: a 20' line weapon every turn, at level 1, nice.
Laser pistol: damage, and targeting EAC for the many without a BAB or high dex
Semi auto: damage, pure and simple, targets KAC but does pack a bit more punch.
Pulsecaster: for all your non-lethal needs. Drop someone without having to explain the holes to the town gaurd.
Arc pistol: an upgraded pulsecaster basically. More damage and the option for lethal.
Needle gun: a cheap option that you can add drugs or poison to at your leasure.
That's 7 options, maybe there's not a ton of variation, but that's not bad for starting out. I expect that we'll see a lot more options for weapons open up as time goes by, and while I might have hoped for more weapons and gear in general, it's not a bad start either.
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While the part of me that likes personalizing and fiddling with little bits would like this, I doubt we'll see something along these lines. At least not for a long while. Compex systems like these are incredibly hard to achieve any sort of balance with. They probably do have something like this, or loose guidelines that they use inhouse but there's a distinct difference between what a developer might put together and judge as balanced and what a player will gladly build for their own use. Players(myself included) are frequently terrible at self limiting.
They've actually explicitly noted this as the reason they did a bunch of individual weapons in the corebook rather than publishing a weapon design system.
I'm fairly inclined to agree with them on this one.
@ Darkling
I love the arc pistol, so the point of buying that over armor for my level 1 operative, but it is rather cost prohibitive for most level 1 characters. Buying it requires 3/4 of your starting credits making it one of if not the most expensive "starting" weapons...
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@Deadmanwalking
It's something I completely agree with. I want them to seriously beef up the equipment section in general including the weapons, a science fiction time game relies heavily on gear. But a build your own system at this point would just be asking to be broken.
@ Darkling
I love the arc pistol, so the point of buying that over armor for my level 1 operative, but it is rather cost prohibitive for most level 1 characters. Buying it requires 3/4 of your starting credits making it one of if not the most expensive "starting" weapons...
Maybe, but if you can get by on a flare gun or other cheap option for just a bit it seems totally worth it. It also looks to me like a good backup weapon for a soldier or such, everyone needs a stun option. Particularly with the way non lethal works now.
Argeed, though I'd say the needler pistol is the better cheapskate gun.
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Argeed, though I'd say the needler pistol is the better cheapskate gun.
Probably yeah. Plus you can hold onto it and dose people later on if you stumble upon some poison down the road. I do think that a flare gun is a decent item to pick up down the road. Light you can launch and who's ammo works like a torch at need will eventually come in handy. It's not like it's heavy.
He, uh...rolls in the open, right?
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It has them, just no one will sell them to you, you don't have the credit (street cred or the money)
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@MDC
I completely understand. The joke is that my dice hate living things. As a player I typically roll fairly poorly. As a GM they relish the chance to kill others and it shows. I often need to roll with some deniability as a GM.
@simplygnome
If the game didn't offer an in game reason for the mechanic I might feel differently. But the reasoning they offer is fairly sound. And offers an excuse for why they can wonder around with a plasma cannon on their shoulder without getting arrested, since they been default have the needed permits. If it really bothers you you can always remove the limit in your own game, but as a player who's party has actively destroyed a city's economy to be able to afford better gear I will say that if you put the temptation before them players will twist and stretch to grab it. And you may not like the results of trying to plan fights that won't kill them, yet don't immediately die to a high level weapon, nor what they did to your world to get it.
That and you have those odd weapons that simply stop existing past certain levels. You like flame pistols or rifles? Go jump in a lake, they don't exist past level 2!
That and you have those odd weapons that simply stop existing past certain levels. You like flame pistols or rifles? Go jump in a lake, they don't exist past level 2!
They do, they're just called 'plasma pistols' past level 2
Plasma isn't flame, that's an entirely different weapon category/does lightning damage.
As an aside: Fire + Electricity is a pretty terrible elemental combination. As it means that it's twice as vulnerable to being reduced by Energy Resistance.
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Plasma isn't flame, that's an entirely different weapon category/does lightning damage.
As an aside: Fire + Electricity is a pretty terrible elemental combination. As it means that it's twice as vulnerable to being reduced by Energy Resistance.
Only if they have both. Thus far precisely two published creatures have any resistance to two different energy types. And in both cases one of them is Cold (which is looking to be the most common immunity in this game, mostly due to anything space-borne and many undead having it).
So this is not a problem yet, and may not be ever. We'll need to wait and see.
Plasma isn't flame, that's an entirely different weapon category/does lightning damage.
As an aside: Fire + Electricity is a pretty terrible elemental combination. As it means that it's twice as vulnerable to being reduced by Energy Resistance.
they're unwieldy and do damage in a line. Close enough for me to consider them the logical follow-up.
And I'd like to point out that two damage types also makes you half as affected by damage immunities.
It also let's you determine a target's resistances and immunities more quickly.
Its awesome in certain situations, and useless in others, so awareness is key.
I recommend a non-plasma backup weapon (or make the plasma weapon your backup) in any event.
Split damage weapons are especially nice if you add a damage changing fusion as you can any two of the 3 damage types active. So you really have a lot of ways to try to get around energy resistance besides brute Force.