So energy weapons attack EAC which I have seen to always be lower then KAC.
Energy weapons can be rechared for free with a starship, who doesn't have a STARSHIP.
What advantage do kinetic weapons have?
I personally think any 3/4 BAB class should stick with EAC weapons... I've seen our (admittedly, not optimized) party Operative miss way too often with a KAC pistol, even on his trick attacks.
Seems its another way for full BAB classes to potentially eek out another few damage points. Especially in melee, when you are already playing a "high risk, high rewards" game concerning damage.
This is especially nice for an Overcharge based Exocortex mechanic that is focused on melee, a la the build I posted earlier today. If you are making a standard attack with Overcharge, a powered KAC melee weapon is possibly going to grant you the most damage potential.
I'm sure they will implement some technology damper at some point
Yeah, i'm pretty sure someone will introduce an EMP pulse effect at some point, and there's nothing like a good old "analog" Seeker Rifle so you can just grin and keep firing. :)
Do kinetic weapons work in space/vacuum?
If there's no oxygen, the gunpowder won't combust, meaning there's no propulsion for the bullet.
It would also seem like a balance point:
Energy weapons can be used in space, but generally are lower damage and even have trouble shooting through fog. Kinetic weapons have no such fog issues and have higher damage, but can't be fired when there's no atmosphere.
Of course, if the book flat out states otherwise, ignore the above.
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The oxidiser is included in the round. I'm not positive about black powder guns, but anything since should be fine in vacuum.
The oxidiser is included in the round. I'm not positive about black powder guns, but anything since should be fine in vacuum.
Nifty!
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.
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Its a very limited sample set, but so far in the SFS stuff released and the Adventure Path there are already encounters where energy weapons have significant issues and vice versa (being deliberately very vague to avoid spoilers).
I suspect that, once one can afford it, carrying a backup weapon will become VERY popular. Options are going to be important.
not in SFS
Do kinetic weapons work in space/vacuum?
If there's no oxygen, the gunpowder won't combust, meaning there's no propulsion for the bullet.
It would also seem like a balance point:
Energy weapons can be used in space, but generally are lower damage and even have trouble shooting through fog. Kinetic weapons have no such fog issues and have higher damage, but can't be fired when there's no atmosphere.
Of course, if the book flat out states otherwise, ignore the above.
This has been discussed on this very forum before in wherein i learned more about the construction of modern firearm rounds than I had known despite enjoying recreational target shooting.
The primer of modern rounds contains a propellant which already includes an oxidizer. Further, the round has an airtight seal with open space around the powder charge inside. So a round contains all the air it needs to be fired and work properly.
This is why you can fire guns underwater as well.
It's questionable if current firearm manufacturing creates a strong enough seal to resist the effects of a hard vacuum (like space) but we're also talking about a setting where we have much more fantastic technology. If space travel were more common I imagine the manufacturing tolerances for firearm ammunition would improve significantly for use in space so that there wasn't any issue.
Don't forget Energy Resistances and Immunities. While creatures might have DR there really isn't a Damage Immunity.
Right now we have a very limited list of NPCs and creatures that have been properly statted up. I'm sure that there are going to be creatures in the Alien Archive that have a higher EAC than KAC.
Going by the monster creation rules, that should not be the case very often. KAC is going to be equal, or 1 or 2 points higher than EAC.
The oxidiser is included in the round. I'm not positive about black powder guns, but anything since should be fine in vacuum.Nifty!
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.
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Thanks everyone for the help and insight! As to the point about vacuum welding, or cold welding is not that big of an issue. The effect only happens with metals, and the metals must be extremely clean. Things that are unlikely with a gun. In fact, there have been very few instances of cold welding. The one most people point to, it had something to do with deploying of an antenna most likely did not happen do to cold welding. Over all its just something that must be taken into account when designing a spacecraft, but it is not as big a deal as the popular mindset would have you believe.
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There is also the issue of availability and versatility. My arcane assailant soldier rocks a called starknife so he can have a ranged and melee option that both benefit from his Eldridge rune. There are no low-level energy thrown weapons.
And, it might just be what you find. If your level 3 soldier finds a curved blade, is he gonna thrower away just because it targets Kac?
What advantage do kinetic weapons have?
More damage and physical DR can't be handed out like candy.
The bigger problem is a couple kinetic weapons have bizarrely short range- to the point that someone you're shooting at can walk up and punch you.
Put a cheap weapon fusion in your weapon (called works great) and you do half damage, just like energy weapons, because it counts as magic.IncorporealDon't forget Energy Resistances and Immunities. While creatures might have DR there really isn't a Damage Immunity.
There's no such thing as a "cheap" fusion, they all cost the same for a given weapon. Some just take up les space and allow for stacking more fusions.
Advantages of Projectile weapons?
1. Silver Ammo
2. Adamantine Ammo
3. Cold Iron AmmoYou can't make a cold iron or silver laser beam.
Unless a creature has regeneration suppressed by one of those substances or really comprehensive energy resistances it's hard to see why that matters much.
Well adminantite ignores 30 hardened so for shooting things (not creatures) there's that...
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There's no such thing as a "cheap" fusion, they all cost the same for a given weapon. Some just take up les space and allow for stacking more fusions.
Eh. As long as you keep a few low level weapons, you can get Fusions for 1/2 price plus the lowest level it can be placed on, so there is effectively a bit of a cost break for low level ones.
Kinetic weapons do more damage.
At low levels, kinetic weapons are also cheaper. At high levels, enemies with immunities to energy damage become more common while kinetic weapons have many more options for dealing with damage reduction.
Ammunition isn't prohibitively expensive. In fact, a weapon using ammo is a boon because it's much cheaper to carry extra magazines than it is to carry extra batteries.
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Two (made-up) words: Haruun Kal
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Haruun_Kal/Legends
Starfinder just needs an equivalent planet where electronics are a liability.
There's no such thing as a "cheap" fusion, they all cost the same for a given weapon. Some just take up les space and allow for stacking more fusions.Eh. As long as you keep a few low level weapons, you can get Fusions for 1/2 price plus the lowest level it can be placed on, so there is effectively a bit of a cost break for low level ones.
Ow. Yes that works, but the standard price is a substantial trap for the unwary isn't it?
Advantages of Projectile weapons?
1. Silver Ammo
2. Adamantine Ammo
3. Cold Iron AmmoYou can't make a cold iron or silver laser beam.
I think more of things like this are going to be added. In the AP you can find some materials that can be used to enhance weapons/projectiles as well.
I suspect a lot of fusions for energy and kinetic weaponry will be to mitigate certain damage reductions for whatever you are using. Like lasers are common and cheap but in general fire resist at least in pathfinder was also one of the more common resistance types. Most people eventually are going to want something that gives them a second damage type for working around this.
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Use a kinetic weapon because a talking Hamster with a belt fed weapon is hilarious. Ratbo!!!
Haha nice!
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.
Wait, what? Some idiot tried firing a gun while inside an oxygen rich suit? How did he not burn to death?
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.Wait, what? Some idiot tried firing a gun while inside an oxygen rich suit? How did he not burn to death?
I did not know that space suits were 100% oxygen. Had to look it up.
Also, how have you not seen Firefly?!
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.Wait, what? Some idiot tried firing a gun while inside an oxygen rich suit? How did he not burn to death?I did not know that space suits were 100% oxygen. Had to look it up.
Also, how have you not seen Firefly?!
I have seen it; it's just that, that was 15 years ago...
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1) oxygen doesn't burn
2) Ammo is reasonably air tight and contains its own oxygen source.
Also, how is a spacesuit 100% oxygen? That high is toxic to humans, oxygen narcosis I believe it's called. I can see a regulator injecting small amount of oxygen as needed; scrub out CO2 also.
I was just thinking of that Firefly episode where he had to put his gun in a space suit to fire it.Wait, what? Some idiot tried firing a gun while inside an oxygen rich suit? How did he not burn to death?
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It's a high partial pressure of oxygen that causes health problems. If the pressure in the suit is about 21% that at sea level (or less) then pure oxygen won't cause oxygen narcosis. The reason to do so is that then the suit (or spaceship) doesn't need to carry around large amounts of a neutral gas. Weight is a big concern for RL spaceships. From what I remember of their look that's not true of spaceships in Firefly.
Oxygen doesn't burn, it causes other stuff to burn. There were a lot of fires on the launch pad due to pure oxygen back in the 50s and 60s, some fatal.
Well, I'm hardly an expert on chemical gases OR spacesuits. I just know that oxygen is a concern for fire/explosions in my hospital dramas, and that many firearms have a muzzle flair or possibly a spark from the hammer that could ignite combustible substances (see the first episode of HBO's Spawn, for an example of this happening).
Again, not an expert on the matter (at all). Just a good old plain televised education. :)
However, since many of the things we see in roleplaying games (and games in general) are based on "cinematic reality" rather than "real reality," it still kind of begs the question, don't'cha think?
I just googled it:
The space suit, called the Extravehicular Mobility Unit or EMU, uses 100 percent oxygen instead of air. When a crewmember does a spacewalk, the suit is pressurized to about 1/3 of atmospheric pressure. The amount of oxygen contained in air at this pressure is not adequate, thus requiring the use of pure oxygen.
Just remember that we need not assume the way things are in 21st century Earth spacesuits is the way things are in post-Gap Pact Worlds' spacesuits ;)