Entropic Strike and Specialization


Vanguard


"You gain the Weapon Specialization feat as a bonus feat for each weapon type with which this class grants you proficiency. You also gain a special form of weapon specialization for your entropic strike, allowing you add a bonus to your damage equal to your vanguard class level plus half of any other class levels you have."

Maybe this is just me having difficulty parsing the rules here, but is this 'bonus to your damage' intended to apply in addition to normal specialization damage, or in place of it? How does the damage progress for a class which dips into vanguard with Versatile Specialization?

1) A level 4 Vanguard lands a non-critical hit with Entropic Strike. Do they deal:
a) 1d4 + CON + 2 + 4 (Dice + CON + Operative weapon Specialization + Vanguard specialization)
b) 1d4 + CON + 4 (Dice + CON + Vanguard specialization)

2) A level 4 operative / level 1 vanguard with Versatile Specialization lands a non-critical hit with Entropic Strike. Do they deal:
a) 1d3 + CON + 2 (Dice + CON + Operative weapon Specialization)
b) 1d3 + CON (Dice + CON, Advanced Melee specialization does not grant any specialization with Entropic Strike)

Liberty's Edge

1b and none of the above. Operative Weapon Spec doesn't include advanced melee weapons. At Op4/Van3, though, the damage would be 1d4 + Con + 3 (vanguard weapon spec) + 2 (half operative level).


Shisumo wrote:
1b and none of the above. Operative Weapon Spec doesn't include advanced melee weapons. At Op4/Van3, though, the damage would be 1d4 + Con + 3 (vanguard weapon spec) + 2 (half operative level).

But Vanguard does give advanced weapon proficiency, and so Versatile Specialization would mean an Operative 4 / Vanguard 1 would have advanced melee specialization.

Liberty's Edge

Solace of Thorns wrote:
Shisumo wrote:
1b and none of the above. Operative Weapon Spec doesn't include advanced melee weapons. At Op4/Van3, though, the damage would be 1d4 + Con + 3 (vanguard weapon spec) + 2 (half operative level).
But Vanguard does give advanced weapon proficiency, and so Versatile Specialization would mean an Operative 4 / Vanguard 1 would have advanced melee specialization.

Whoops, missed that part of your question. It's 2a then. Entropic Strike is explicitly an advanced melee weapon with the operative quality, so you treat it accordingly.

Scarab Sages Starfinder Design Lead

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Normally anyone with Weapons Specialization with a melee weapon with the operative weapon special feature adds half their class level to the weapon's damage (Weapon Specialization, Core Rulebook, 163).
A vanguard gets to add their full vanguard level, plus half of any other class levels, specifically for their entropic fist (which is a melee weapon that has the operative weapon special feature). This is in place of their normal Weapon Specialization bonus.


Owen K. C. Stephens wrote:

Normally anyone with Weapons Specialization with a melee weapon with the operative weapon special feature adds half their class level to the weapon's damage (Weapon Specialization, Core Rulebook, 163).

A vanguard gets to add their full vanguard level, plus half of any other class levels, specifically for their entropic fist (which is a melee weapon that has the operative weapon special feature). This is in place of their normal Weapon Specialization bonus.

Does the half round up to 1 if it ends up being less than 1? That isn't an issue one normally has to deal with in Specialization because the lowest the number can be is 3 before halving for Operative/Small Arms, and rounding down doesn't ever completely eliminate the bonus.

So does a 4th level Vanguard/1st level Blitz Soldier get:

a) 1d4 + Con + 4 + 1 (round up to 1 because fractions don't reduce a bonus below 1)

or

b) 1d4 + Con + 4 + 0 (round down to zero because the total bonus is still greater than 1)?

If it's a) then there is essentially no penalty for a 1 level dip (somewhat exacerbating the Blitz Soldier epidemic). Needless to say, I recommend b).


You always round down unless it says otherwise.

Scarab Sages Starfinder Design Lead

Xenocrat wrote:
You always round down unless it says otherwise.

Correct.

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