I realize this may seem like a dumb question, but I don't see the answer in the core rules, and I want to make sure I'm not missing something.
When an operative succeeds at a trick attack, is the bonus damage of the same type as the base damage for the weapon used?
My operative intends to use trick attack with a pulsecaster pistol, and I want to make sure GMs would agree with my interpretation that the bonus damage would also be E/nonlethal.
This is not in the rulebook, which is immediately apparent when you ask what actually happens if you take an injection pistol (piercing) and a gyrojet pistol (blunt), fit them both with a Grappler (does not do any damage normally), then trick attack with each of them. We can tell you how we'd rule on it if we were GMs, but that's about it.
The nonlethal part I can answer partially. Every other gun in that line has stun, not nonlethal, and stun makes the entire attack nonlethal when you turn it on, so no matter what damage the trick attack deals, stun would force it to be nonlethal if you chose for it to. "Nonlethal", on the other hand, makes the weapon deal nonlethal damage, which is not the same wording, leading to potential disagreement on whether or not nonlethal on your weapon adds nonlethal to your trick attack. However, it would be quite strange for "nonlethal" to work one way and "stun" another, since it's pretty clear stun is supposed to be strictly better than nonlethal.
Contrast with Solarian crystals, which explicitly tell you that the additional damage is type-matched - but the nonlethal question still comes up, because if you put the Merciful fusion on the crystal, the result theoretically makes the crystal's damage nonlethal without making the weapon's damage nonlethal, because we don't actually have a rule anywhere that crystal fusions also apply to the underlying blade. I doubt many GMs will rule that they don't, but we just don't have a rule in the book telling us.
Thank you for the detailed response. That gives me more to think about, especially weapon fusions and solarian crystals. Sounds like this is something that could use official clarification.
Where is a "Grappler" described? By "injection pistol", are you referring to the needler pistol?
Thank you for the detailed response. That gives me more to think about, especially weapon fusions and solarian crystals. Sounds like this is something that could use official clarification.
Where is a "Grappler" described? By "injection pistol", are you referring to the needler pistol?
Sorry, yes, I do mean the needler. Sorry for using the wrong term!
Grapplers are on page 219-220. They can be thrown or fired from any weapon that targets KAC (including a bow), although if I were your GM, I'd certainly also allow them in melee. They grapple, but they don't deal any damage.