Multi-Weapon fighting Feat question

[Hijiggy]

Multi-weapon Fighting:

"When you make a full attack with two or more small arms or with two or more operative melee weapons, reduce the penalty for making a full attack by 1."

Now with Solarion's onslaught and soldiers Onslaught they can make 3 attacks in a full attack. Now presuming 4 or more arms, could a soldier or solarion make a full attack, attacking with 2 small arms or operative weapons, and 1 non-small arm non-operative weapon and still gain the bonus for all 3 attacks?

[Torbyne]

Yes, that looks like a valid interpretation. it likely violates the authors intent but doesn't go against any rules. Technically correct is, once again, the best kind of correct. I wonder though, have you done the math on how that would work out vs three shots with a longarm or heavy weapon?

[Jimbles the Mediocre]

Sounds good to me, too. I would be surprised if it gives you much of an advantage, but it totally sounds legal.

[Farlanghn]

It says it reduces it to 3 for small arms or operative weapons. Sneaking an additional weapon in to still get the benefit is gaming the system. This goes against the wording.

[Torbyne]

Farlanghn wrote:

It says it reduces it to 3 for small arms or operative weapons. Sneaking an additional weapon in to still get the benefit is gaming the system. This goes against the wording.

That is not what is says, that is what you infer. it says, "reduce the penalty for making a full attack by 1" so if the penalty was -4 it would be down to -3. If it was at -3 it would reduce it to -2. and it activates so long as at least two qualifying weapons are used.

Interestingly you cant mix up one small arm and one operative melee weapon to get the benefit, though the situations where you would want to mix firing ranged and melee in the same turn seem limited.

mixing two pistols with a plasma canon does not faze me, what is far more likely to come up in the future is if any other abilities that introduce a reduction to the penalties. Say some future feat that also reduces penalties when full attacking against the same enemy or when using the same kind of weapon in each hand.

[Metaphysician]

I would go with, yes, it reduces the penalty, even if you have a four-attack class ability. No, you don't need more than two weapons. And yes, *all* the attacks have to be from two-weapon fighting valid weapons, no using two pistols to get a reduced penalty with that plasma cannon you have in the other hands.

[Hijiggy]

Torbyne wrote:

Yes, that looks like a valid interpretation. it likely violates the authors intent but doesn't go against any rules. Technically correct is, once again, the best kind of correct. I wonder though, have you done the math on how that would work out vs three shots with a longarm or heavy weapon?

I have not done the math, that isn't my strong suit here. I'd be curious if someone wanted to work out if it was damage efficient!

[oldskool]

It wouldn't be damage efficient for solarians or soldiers.

Small arms and operative melee weapons do significantly less damage than longarms, heavy weapons, or advanced melee weapons. The additional +1 to hit for 2 attacks wouldn't offset the damage lost from 2 attacks with superior weapon choices.

The feat doesn't explicitly state "while using such weapons" after "reduce the penalty for making a full attack by 1" but that is apparently the intent.

Either way, doing something like this is gaming the system for little gain. You can do it for flavor and neat use of items with a race with multiple limbs but not for power gaming.