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Hi, I have a Vesk Soldier who is about to make 3rd Level. Str 18, he currently is using a ember flame doshko which does 1d8F. After his next adventure he would have enough credits to buy a Greataxe, Tactical from Armory pg 9 which does 1d12S and is Analog. Are there any disadvantages to this?
Also, a second question: Is there a way to store extra/backup gear rather than hauling it all around? I would rather keep the doshko as a backup than just take the 10% as a trade in.
Thanks
The downside is that KAC is usually harder to hit than EAC.
As for storing extra gear in the game, it's the same as storing things in life. Do you have a home, or a ship, or a vehicle with a trunk?
Not quite. The ember flame doshko does fire damage, and therefore targets EAC. The great axe does slashing damage, and therefore targets KAC. KAC is generally higher.
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Effects of that type aren't particularly common. That being said, the possibility of a weapon being disabled is only a very small portion if the reasons that you should always carry backup weapons.
If your primary weapon is an ember flame doshko, for example, you may find it ineffective against any of the following common problems (though a vesk's natural weapons can be very helpful with a few of these) :
1. A monster that is highly resistant or immune to fire
2. A creature that is flying
3. A sniper engaging from extreme range
4. A swarm, which is immune to single target attacks
5. A creature with the grab ability, which has inflicted the grappled condition on you, making it impossible to use a 2 handed weapon
6. A situation where you need to conceal any weapons you plan to use
7. An operative with the Shot on the Run
Feat and Uncanny Mobility, who just keeps running away while trick attacking you
If you chose the great axe instead, the fire-immune enemy would be less of a concern, but an in corporeal foe would be a much bigger issue, if you had no fusions on your axe.
Yes, not carrying weapons, having a non-fire backup and having an option when grappled were some of the things I was referring to when I mentioned that natural weapons would help with some of the backupweapon concerns. I still included them in that little list to try to make it more the general answer than the vesk-specific one.
My -701 in Society play is a 9th level Armor Storm vesk soldier. Here's how I have him geared:
Called Throwing Opportunistic Holy Yellow Star Plasma Lance: My workhorse weapon because it has both Reach (great for Attacks of Opportunity, especially with the Opportunistic fusuion) and strikes EAC. I can also chuck it at enemies with Throwing and bring it back as a swift action with Called, so it basically becomes my ranged alternative, instead of hauling around guns that don't get my Strength bonus to hit or damage.
Throwing Arms Armor Upgrade: Raises the range increment on my thrown lance to 20'.
Natural Weapons: At level 8, a vesk's base damage dice goes up to 2d6 if you have Improved Unarmed Strike (which I do). I also have Unarmed Mauler, so critical hits are extra spicy with the Wound effect, which makes social calls very interesting (I once got swallowed by a moonflower and crit my way out of its tummy... I didn't even know moonflowers had eyes, but I ripped one out of it when making my escape...). At level 11 I intend to take Unarmed Mauler again for Severe Wound, because... ah why not?
That's really it. I had a starknife and a KAC tactical pike for awhile and sometimes I pick up a heavy weapon if we find one in a scenario, but honestly there are very few situations that a reach throwing EAC weapon and vesk natural weapons can't deliver me from. Incorporeal creatures and swarms are still a weakness, and my natural weapons aren't magical in any way, but... I have party members for a reason.
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Perhaps round that all out with a nice Explode weapon mounted to your armor, just in case you need an AoE? I imagine you don't have the dex to be comfy with a gun that targets an enemy directly.
Talking to me? Zoggy actually has Dex 16 and is a reasonable shot; he just spends all his money on melee upgrades. Next on the list is buying Mk. 2 Force Soles so he can Bull Rush people off platforms while walking on thin air.
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Explosive rounds for a projectile weapon are also a good way to cross swarms off the list of things you worry about, without too much specific investment.
Man, you guys are great! Thanks for all the ideas!
Glad to help! Melee is my favorite thing in Starfinder. I have a melee technomancer, and my operative went from ranged to melee after finding a great axe. My plan is to multiclass one of my soldiers into a melee biohacker once COM comes out.
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His lance has a throwing fusion.
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Armory. Page 65.
Okay, so what are advantages of Returning vs Called?
called is a swift action, which in starfinder is a serious chunk of your action economy. Using your swift action prevents you from full attacking, can only be done once unless you want to downrank your move/standard action, and is incompatible with other swift action abilities.
Returning is a free action which is essentially.. well free
Okay, so what are advantages of Returning vs Called?
Returning comes back to the same space you threw from just before your next turn, so if you move after throwing, or if you get moved by an effect (Black Hole from a Solarian or a bull rush/reposition maneuver), you lose control of your weapon and it falls on the ground.
Called weapons, on the other hand, return on your schedule, and you can have them back in hand for AoOs by the end of your turn. You can also use Called in vehicle chases (when you're moving fast and a returning weapon would appear hundreds of feet back), or to scoff at disarms or front door weapons checks.
Returning is good for full round throwing actions (you'll want Quick Draw) because it effectively gives you endless singing disks/starknives, but Called is a drastically more versatile fusion to put on your main weapon.
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So if the scenario has you leave a doshko at the door, you go in to the place and are able to call the weapon to you as long as you are within range, using Called? This would be your first action, then could actually attack in the same turn, correct?
Yes. It is a swift action to call your weapon back. You can call your doshko with a swift action, move to position with a move action, and hit a bouncer in the face with your doshko with a standard action.
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Talking to me? Zoggy actually has Dex 16 and is a reasonable shot; he just spends all his money on melee upgrades. Next on the list is buying Mk. 2 Force Soles so he can Bull Rush people off platforms while walking on thin air.I sure was. I very much enjoy operating on the principle of having a tool for every job, particularly with guns mounted to my armor already being wielded and all.
These days, Dick 'Joosh' Justice does far more damage with a Storm Hammer than his guns, despite having a dex of 20. Love power armor so much. So much!
I just realized that I bought an Explosive ice heavy weapon for Zoggy before playing at Thursty's table at Skalcon a couple months back. I believe that the technical name for it is a "Tactical Ice Cube Shooty."
Returning is good for full round throwing actions (you'll want Quick Draw) because it effectively gives you endless singing disks/starknives, but Called is a drastically more versatile fusion to put on your main weapon.
I don't think quickdraw would help. You could catch/throw as many things as you had arms, but quickdraw won't help you get a free hand. A ysoki soldier is limited at 2 anyway, but an operative with multi attack would need to be a skittermander to make 3 or 4 attacks.
Well, a higher level soldier could make 3 attacks, but a higher level soldier can also buy more arms.
I don't think quickdraw would help. You could catch/throw as many things as you had arms, but quickdraw won't help you get a free hand. A ysoki soldier is limited at 2 anyway, but an operative with multi attack would need to be a skittermander to make 3 or 4 attacks.
Returning is good for full round throwing actions (you'll want Quick Draw) because it effectively gives you endless singing disks/starknives, but Called is a drastically more versatile fusion to put on your main weapon.
Quickdraw is more so you can recover some action economy if your thrown weapon doesn't have the quick draw trait, as you can draw and throw a weapon as part of the same action... meaning you can throw weapons with only one hand, if necessary (I've seen folks using a sword in one hand and draw/throwing with the other), which is cool if you make a full attack and unexpectedly kill the guy next to you with the first swing.
Also, Throwing Returning/Called Storm Hammers to channel your inner Thor.