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I was a bit confused by the Blast Weapons entry, specifically by the "Each attack" clause. The entry states:
Blast
This weapon fires in a cone that extends only to its first range increment. You can’t use it to attack creatures beyond that range. For each attack you make with a weapon with the blast special property, roll one attack against each target in the cone, starting with those closest to you. Each attack takes a –2 penalty in addition to other penalties, such as the penalty to all attacks during a full attack. Roll damage only once for all targets. If you roll one or more critical hits, roll the extra critical damage only once (or any other special effects on a critical hit that require you to roll) and apply it to each creature against which you score a critical hit. You can’t avoid shooting at allies in the cone, nor can you shoot any creature more than once.
Attacks with blast weapons ignore concealment. A blast weapon doesn’t benefit from feats or abilities that increase the damage of a single attack (such as the operative’s trick attack). Ammunition for blast weapons is designed for blast attacks, so you spend the usage amount only once for each cone of attacks.
So let's say I make one attack with a blast weapon (e.g. a vortex scattergun.) There are 5 enemies (A,B,C,D,E) in my weapon's 30 ft. cone firing area; A is 10ft. away, B is 15ft. away, and the rest are at the edge of the cone.
I see three possible readings:
1) I roll a single attack against everyone in the cone at -2.
2) I roll 5 different attacks (one each against A,B,C,D,E) each at -2.
3) I roll one attack against A at -2, then B at -4, C at -6, D at -8, and E at -10.
Could anyone tell me which is right? Or am I off-base and none of them are right? How does this change if I full-attack?
Well C is incorrect for sure. It would be a cumulative penalty if it applied like that.
B is correct, as the sentence fragment "roll one attack against each target in the cone, starting with those closest to you." describes.
The wording described is to ensure you know that the -2 stacks with other penalties, such as those from class abilities, or when full attacking.
So if you had 5 people in that cone, on a full attack (assuming you've no class abilities or frats to alter it) you would take the -2 penalty from the blast weapon, and the -4 penalty for full attacking, totalling to a -6 penalty.
"make a single attack roll and compare it to the relevant Armor Class of all creatures and objects in a line extending to the weapon’s listed range increment. Roll damage only once. The weapon hits all targets with an AC equal to or lower than the attack roll. However, if an attack fails to damage a creature or obstacle hit in the line (typically due to damage reduction or hardness), the path is stopped and the attack doesn’t damage creatures farther away."
Yes. One attack roll, and you go through the line in order until the result missed. Then it stops. So if you had 5 characters, 4 grunts and a boss. The boss has AC 15, and the grunts have 13. If they were lined up two grunts, the boss, two grunts, and you got a 14 total for your attack roll, it would pierce the closest grunt, and the second, but stop at the boss. The last two grunts would be missed by the attack.
Edit: I think I lied. It stops if it fails to damage, not miss. So... I'm not sure. A miss would not damage the target, and thus possibly stop it? But it may be specifically referring to say the boss has ER 10 and your damage roll was for less than 10 damage, thus all targets, the two grunts past him, would be missed.
"make a single attack roll and compare it to the relevant Armor Class of all creatures and objects in a line extending to the weapon’s listed range increment. Roll damage only once. The weapon hits all targets with an AC equal to or lower than the attack roll. However, if an attack fails to damage a creature or obstacle hit in the line (typically due to damage reduction or hardness), the path is stopped and the attack doesn’t damage creatures farther away."
Yes. One attack roll, and you go through the line in order until the result missed. Then it stops. So if you had 5 characters, 4 grunts and a boss. The boss has AC 15, and the grunts have 13. If they were lined up two grunts, the boss, two grunts, and you got a 14 total for your attack roll, it would pierce the closest grunt, and the second, but stop at the boss. The last two grunts would be missed by the attack.
Edit: I think I lied. It stops if it fails to damage, not miss. So... I'm not sure. A miss would not damage the target, and thus possibly stop it? But it may be specifically referring to say the boss has ER 10 and your damage roll was for less than 10 damage, thus all targets, the two grunts past him, would be missed.
Your thinking line weapons not blast weapons Blast hit and damage anything in the area of affect it doesnt stop if it fails to hit or damage they simply were fortunate and avoided the blast were others were not.
You missed the part where blast was clarified then he asked about line
ah so i did.. carry on lol :) its still early morning and a Monday here.
"make a single attack roll and compare it to the relevant Armor Class of all creatures and objects in a line extending to the weapon’s listed range increment. Roll damage only once. The weapon hits all targets with an AC equal to or lower than the attack roll. However, if an attack fails to damage a creature or obstacle hit in the line (typically due to damage reduction or hardness), the path is stopped and the attack doesn’t damage creatures farther away."
Yes. One attack roll, and you go through the line in order until the result missed. Then it stops. So if you had 5 characters, 4 grunts and a boss. The boss has AC 15, and the grunts have 13. If they were lined up two grunts, the boss, two grunts, and you got a 14 total for your attack roll, it would pierce the closest grunt, and the second, but stop at the boss. The last two grunts would be missed by the attack.
Edit: I think I lied. It stops if it fails to damage, not miss. So... I'm not sure. A miss would not damage the target, and thus possibly stop it? But it may be specifically referring to say the boss has ER 10 and your damage roll was for less than 10 damage, thus all targets, the two grunts past him, would be missed.
I have the same questions regarding line weapons and cover, but I often assume in situations like yours that the line continues past the boss unless he has some way of negating the attack besides his AC; line weapons should be rewarded for optimal use IMO.
You can conceptualize it as either:
Not beating AC causes an actual miss, it which case the line can’t possibly strike someone that’s in a line from the missed target, since the line is going somewhere else.
I never thought of it like that, and the wording is pretty clear; thank you!
Really ? That's not how I read it.
The line only stops if you fail to damage something you've actually hit.
The weapon hits all targets with an AC equal to or lower than the attack roll. However, if an attack fails to damage a creature or obstacle hit in the line (typically due to damage reduction or hardness), the path is stopped and the attack doesn’t damage creatures farther away."
The line not beating the AC mostly makes me think that the target managed to dodge out of the way. Or only barely got caught on a resilient enough armor plate. The stream of whatever continues on to the next target in line.
Catching it full-frontal and resisting is more what ER/DR looks like, to me. Stream/beam splashes harmlessly on whoever the lucky winner is, stopped dead in its tracks.Is that not it ?
Starfinder Design Lead
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If it fails to do damage it does not continue regardless if it misses ac or is absorbed by resistance
Pg 181
Not true.
Missing a target in a line does not prevent the line from continuing.
It clearly says that if a line fails to damage a creature or obstacle HIT in the line, it does not continue.
If you miss with a line, that means the target got out of the way (at least enough to not be damaged, it's armor protecting it), and the line continued.
Only a hit target that takes no damage stops a line.
A line is not a 5-foot wide, 5 foot tall perfect square beam that fully fills every square of its area.
A line is not a 5-foot wide, 5 foot tall perfect square beam that fully fills every square of its area.
I kinda want a gun that does do that now, though.
The Gelatinous Cube of plasma weapons.
A line is not a 5-foot wide, 5 foot tall perfect square beam that fully fills every square of its area.I kinda want a gun that does do that now, though.
The Gelatinous Cube of plasma weapons.
*Dusts off my old memes*
Imma firin' ma lazor!
I kinda want a gun that does do that now, though.
A line is not a 5-foot wide, 5 foot tall perfect square beam that fully fills every square of its area.
That sounds like the Gravitational Beam Emitter from "Blame!". It has a nice range too.