Can a vesk apply the Raw Lethality gear boost towards unarmed strikes?

[Ravingdork]

Raw Lethality (Starfinder Armory p.154) says "When wielding weapons with the archaic weapon special property..." and "Archaic weapons you wield gain..."

Does this preclude vesks from using it with their unarmed strikes? Does their supposedly advantageous racial trait, natural weapons, penalize them in this instance since it removes the archaic property?

Or is it intended that a vesk could still exhibit raw lethality with its unarmed strikes? Can a vesk still treat its unarmed strikes as archaic, if it is advantageous to do so?

[SirShua]

The full rule:

When wielding weapons with the archaic weapon special
property, the damage you deal is never reduced as a result of
that property. Archaic weapons you wield gain bleed 1d8 as a
critical hit effect (Core Rulebook 182). If the weapon already has
a critical hit effect, when you score a critical hit, you can apply
either the weapon’s normal critical hit effect or this bleed effect.
The bleed damage increases by 1d8 at 11th level and every 4
soldier levels you have beyond 11th (maximum bleed 4d8 at
19th level).

At a first glance I'd rule they cannot use it with their natural weapons since they are not archaic, though i can see a pretty strong case to house rule that away.

[Dracomicron]

Vesk soldiers who want a crit effect on their natural weapons can take the Unarmed Mauler gear boost.

[BigNorseWolf]

Not archaic wouldn t work

[Ravingdork]

If that's the case, then it sure seems like the Starfinder Armory is turning a lot of racial traits into drawbacks. This is but one example I've come across lately.

[Dracomicron]

Ravingdork wrote:

If that's the case, then it sure seems like the Starfinder Armory is turning a lot of racial traits into drawbacks. This is but one example I've come across lately.

?

It's not a drawback for the vesk. They already don't get a penalty for their unarmed attacks. They can still use other archaic weapons without penalty.

Just because other races get more from this particular gear boost doesn't mean that the vesk get screwed. They can already get Unarmed Mauler for a pretty badass crit effect.

[Isaac Zephyr]

Ravingdork wrote:

If that's the case, then it sure seems like the Starfinder Armory is turning a lot of racial traits into drawbacks. This is but one example I've come across lately.

Draco said it right. Whilst they cannot specifically with their unarmed gain the Bleed effect, there are more than enough alternatives they do or can benefit from. 1.5×Specialization > 5% chance for bleed effect.

By the same logic, Raw Lethality makes Armor Storm's Hammer Fist a drawback because it treats their Unarmed as a Battleglove, which also lacks archaic.

Really, the ability simply allows other build paths to use a particular fighting style. It's options to support the idea you can play anything, rather than being locked into a particular option to play a certain way.

[JetSetRadio]

With the release of brand new book filled with weapons and cybernetics I scratch my head at why we are still wanting to attack with claws.

I mean I get that a lizard monster scratching people is cool, but this book has so many options. I'm just perplexed.

[Ravingdork]

I'm just wondering what is stopping a vesk from attacking like a human, and benefiting from Raw Lethality.

[Isaac Zephyr]

Ravingdork wrote:

I'm just wondering what is stopping a vesk from attacking like a human, and benefiting from Raw Lethality.

I guess nothing? In a role playing sense.

From the mechanics standpoint, if they start getting selective, where does it stop? The can give themself archaic to qualify but does that alter the damage type? Does it negate their 1.5×specialization? Etc.

It's easier to say it's always on, no choice, in order to keep it simple.

[Dracomicron]

Beating punks with my vesk's bare claws is one of life's perfect joys.

[JetSetRadio]

Ravingdork wrote:

I'm just wondering what is stopping a vesk from attacking like a human, and benefiting from Raw Lethality.

You are focusing on the 1d8 bleed instead of looking at Unarmed Mauler which does the same thing and more. Take Unarmed Mauler and rip someone's arm off.

[Dracomicron]

JetSetRadio wrote:

Ravingdork wrote:

I'm just wondering what is stopping a vesk from attacking like a human, and benefiting from Raw Lethality.

You are focusing on the 1d8 bleed instead of looking at Unarmed Mauler which does the same thing and more. Take Unarmed Mauler and rip someone's arm off.

"Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to me now."

[Torbyne]

"That's 'cause a droid don't pull people's arms outta their sockets when they lose" might as well be talking about a Vesk with unarmed mauler instead of a wookie.