Space Pirate lvl12 Sword & Pistol ability

[Zabraxis]

A disagreement over the Space Pirate theme level 12 Sword and Pistol ability came up in a discussion after my Starfinder game today. I searched the forums w/ Google search and the forum search and didn't find anything. Point me in the right direction if this has been hashed out before.

Starfinder SRD wrote:

Sword and Pistol (12th Level)

You are well trained in a traditional piratical fighting style dating as far back as the antiquated ages before the Gap. When you are wielding at least one one-handed melee weapon and at least one small arm, you can make two attacks against the same target with one of each type of weapon as a standard action. Each attack takes the same –4 penalty as a full attack action.

Given the ambiguity of English this could be read 2 ways, either 2 attacks (1 per type of weapon) or 4 attacks (2 attacks with each type of weapon.)

What is the consensus on how many attacks this ability allows?

[HammerJack]

2 attacks. One with a one handed melee weapon and one with a small arm.

[breithauptclan]

The Sword and Pistol ability takes up a standard action. You only ever get one of those each round. A full attack would also let you attack with both weapons (against different targets even), but that is a different ability.

This falls in line with things like Cleave, which also lets you make two attacks as a standard action.

[breithauptclan]

breithauptclan wrote:

a standard action. You only ever get one of those each round.

Actually, I suppose that could be debated given other abilities and such that may grant additional standard actions. I am not aware of any that do that off the top of my head though. I can think of a couple that give an additional move action during a round. But it wouldn't surprise me if someone could come up with something that would allow an additional standard action in a round to use the Sword and Pistol ability twice.

But still. Each time you use Sword and Pistol it would make two attacks - one with each weapon.

[Garretmander]

breithauptclan wrote:

breithauptclan wrote:

a standard action. You only ever get one of those each round.

Actually, I suppose that could be debated given other abilities and such that may grant additional standard actions. I am not aware of any that do that off the top of my head though. I can think of a couple that give an additional move action during a round. But it wouldn't surprise me if someone could come up with something that would allow an additional standard action in a round to use the Sword and Pistol ability twice.

But still. Each time you use Sword and Pistol it would make two attacks - one with each weapon.

Envoy's hurry eventually can grant a no strings attached standard action.

But also, sword and pistol only gives you two attacks per standard action.

[Xenocrat]

The level 6 technomancer/witchwarper spell Bilocation gives your second body a standard action that can't be used for a second spell, but it would work with sword and pistol (or double unwieldy blast/explode weapons, which is what I'd use it for).