| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Hello everyone.
I haven't found any threads on this, so I'll ask: Do you think the mechanic trick "Overcharge" works with a projectile weapon with the "energetic" fusion applied?
A player of mine wants to use it on a breaching gun (uses shells as ammo)
From Aon:
Energetic
Source Starfinder Armory pg. 63
Item Level 5
A projectile weapon with the energetic fusion relies on energy rather than physical ammunition to generate kinetic attacks. Instead of being loaded with darts, rounds, or scattergun shells, the weapon is loaded with a battery. The type of battery the projectile weapon uses depends on its original capacity as follows: 1–20 use batteries, 21–40 use high-capacity batteries, 41–80 use super-capacity batteries, and 81 or more use ultracapacity batteries. The weapon’s usage does not change, but it takes charges from the installed battery, rather than expending physical ammunition. The fusion converts the energy into physical bullets which target KAC and deal damage normally for the weapon. Only weapons in the projectile category that would normally use darts, rounds, or scattergun shells can benefit from the energetic fusion.
Overcharge (Ex)
Source Starfinder Core Rulebook pg. 72
As a standard action, you can use your custom rig to overcharge and attack with a ranged energy weapon or a melee weapon with the powered special property (see page 181) that you’re holding. If you hit, you deal 1d6 additional damage of the same type the weapon normally deals. This attack uses three times as many charges from the battery or power cell as normal and can’t be used if the weapon doesn’t have enough charges. This trick has no effect on a weapon without a battery or power cell. You can instead use this ability as a move action on a touched powered weapon that is unattended or attended by an ally to grant the same effect to that weapon’s next attack before the beginning of your next turn.
So basically when you apply the fusion to a projectile weapon I think you fullfill the "needs to use a battery" requirement for the trick to work, but not the "ranged energy weapon". From a rules standpoint, an energy weapon is one that deals energy damage (fire, cold, electricity, acid, sonic) and usually targets EAC except where noted. The energetic fusion doesn't change the type of AC targeted (KAC) or damage dealt (physical, not energy damage).
Any thoughts? Maybe I'm reading too much into this...
Thanks.
This is a question that applies to several other abilities. Is it now a technological rather than analog weapon for purposes of abilities that only effect tech weapons, like the discharge spell? Can Charging Jolt technomancer hack recharge this battery?
I don't think there's a clear answer or intent here, but I'm inclined to treat it as a tech weapon for all purposes while the fusion and battery are installed.
Interesting. From what you bolded it would not work due to not meeting the first critiea. It is a projectile weapon and thus overcharge would Not work.
Cool idea though :)
Although the core rulebook uses the terms "projectile" and "energy" weapon several times (mostly in the context of class abilities and one reference to ammunition), it never actually defines the term. Just like "power cells" are never defined even though the technomancer rules cite them repeatedly.
Seems legit to me.
At first I was going to say "no" because the damage type doesn't change to an energy type.
But Powered melee weapons don't all do energy damage, and they count for Overcharge.
For Society (and RAW), I'd still say that it doesn't work, because it is still a weapon in the projectile category, not an energy weapon (it wouldn't even lose Analog if it had it), but in a home game I'd allow it on Rule of Cool.