10 charge capacity items vs battery size

[CrimsonRustbucket]

I'm looking for clarification regarding items that have a listed capacity of 10 and require a battery.

As far as I can tell, there are 4 such items listed in the game.

Brown, Black, and Purple force field armor upgrades and the Frailty Pistol, Rasp-Class. All have a capacity of 10 and a usage of 1. And being technological items, they should require batteries.

Armor Upgrade Capacity entry reads:
"For a technological armor upgrade that requires charges to function, this entry lists the *MAXIMUM SIZE BATTERY* the upgrade can hold. The batteries that upgrades hold can be recharged as normal using either a generator or a recharging station (see page 234). A magic armor upgrade that can be used a certain number of times runs on magical charges; these charges are integral to the construction of the item and can’t be replenished with generators or batteries. Charges for a magic item either refresh each day or never refresh."

Weapons are listed as having a similar battery size restriction.

The smallest battery appears to be the 20 cell / 60 credit battery. But wouldn't it exceed these items capacity threshold?

Are these capacities wrong? Are there smaller batteries? Am I just blind about something??

[Garretmander]

I've always assumed an old edit error, and let them take 20 charge batteries, and up their usage to 2.

[Hawk Kriegsman]

I have ruled it at my table that the Brown, Black and Purple force field armors have an internal 10 charge non-removable battery that is recharged by a generator, power charging station or taking 10 minutes outside of combat and recharging off the armors power supply.

You could also just add a 10 charge battery to the equipment lists for say 20 credits and call it a day.

[morev007]

As I understand battery mechanics, 20 cell /60 credit battery is replaceble battery for weapons, power armors and techlogical items beacause:

Weapons:You can restore a weapon’s charges by attaching it to a generator or a recharging station (see Professional Services on page 234) and thereby recharging its battery, or by swapping out its battery for another fully charged battery.

Power armor: This battery can be recharged as normal using a generator or a recharging station (see page 234), or it can be replaced with a new battery (see Table 7–9: Ammunition).

Technological items: Items with a specified usage use a battery that comes fully charged when purchased. Such batteries can be recharged as normal using generators or recharging stations (see Professional Services on page 234), or they can be replaced (see Table 7–9: Ammunition for battery prices).

Armor upgrades have internal non-removable batteries as Hawk Kriegsman mentioned:

For a technological armor upgrade that requires charges to function, this entry lists the maximum size battery the upgrade can hold. The batteries that upgrades hold can be recharged as normal using either a generator or a recharging station (see page 234).

For technological items replacing batteries is a mistake as I think, because comm-unit for example holdes a battery with 80 charges which is much more expensive than comm-unit itself.

For recharging armor upgrades in the middle of nowhere you can use Inductive Bandolier or maybe Transfer Charge cantrip

[Nefreet]

There is a clarification on this somewhere. I believe it was first brought up regarding the laser sniper rifle with a 10 charge capacity, and then people brought up an apparently common practice of buying 7cr comm units and cannibalizing the 60cr battery inside.

But looking for it now, I am coming up empty handed.

[Belafon]

I remember that too, Nefreet. I thought Joe or Owen addressed it in a post but I can’t find it now. Maybe if fell into that 6-month hole of time where no posts are indexed for searching?

[Belafon]

Random related question that I also thought was answered:

Can you recharge hybrid items with limited uses from a battery?

[C4M3R0N]

Belafon wrote:

Random related question that I also thought was answered:

Can you recharge hybrid items with limited uses from a battery?

Not unless it's one of those few odd "hybrid" items that actually uses battery charges. Like the few powered armors that are hybrid but still use a battery. Otherwise, nope. They're basically just magic items.

But do correct me if I'm wrong cause then there's a lot more potential for silliness...

[Belafon]

Been a while, but I just circled back to the question of recharging hybrid items.

I've been searching and I can't find any definitive statement one way or the other. By one reading it looks like hybrid items recharge automatically every day AND can be instantly recharged by swapping batteries. Let's take a look at the forcepack armor upgrade, a hybrid item with 100 charges. Here's how to recharge armor upgrades:

page 204 - Capacity wrote:

For a technological armor upgrade that requires charges to function, this entry lists the maximum size battery the upgrade can hold. The batteries that upgrades hold can be recharged as normal using either a generator or a recharging station (see page 234). A magic armor upgrade that can be used a certain number of times runs on magical charges; these charges are integral to the construction of the item and can’t be replenished with generators or batteries. Charges for a magic item either refresh each day or never refresh.

OK, got it. For tech items you can swap out or recharge the battery. Magic items refresh automatically each day but can't be replenished with batteries. What about hybrid items?

page 205 - Magic Upgrades wrote:

Some armor upgrades are magic or a hybrid of magic and technology. This is indicated next to the upgrade’s name. If neither magic nor hybrid is listed after an item, it’s a technological item.

Well, that didn't help with this particular question. Let me look elsewhere for info on hybrid items. How about the start of the equipment chapter?

page 167 - Magic and Technology wrote:

Other equipment is listed as being magic, technological, or a hybrid of both (making it subject to effects that target either kind of item).

OK, so that's interesting. A hybrid armor upgrade still counts as technological (so I can swap out batteries) but if it's also magic, does that mean it automatically refreshes as well? That seems crazy good.

Anyway, that's why I was wondering if there had been an official answer. Until I can track one down, I'm going with "Charged hybrid items use swappable batteries and don't automatically recharge unless the item specifies it recharges each day." If it recharges each day, it doesn't use batteries.

To give an example, the attractor field hybrid armor upgrade in the Armory specifically says "An attractor field's charges replenish each day." And it's right next to the absorption shield hybrid armor upgrade, which does not specify that.

[Ixal]

Has there been a official word on 10 charge items?

I think the best way to handle it for now is to assume that all items and weapons have internal batteries which you can supercharge with a standard action from batteries you carry. So you simply deduct the amount of charges from your battery and add it to the item.

Thats not what the book says how it works and it does alter the gameplay a bit by devaluing large capacity batteries, but I can't make sense out 8f the nonstandard capacity items otherwise.

[Utar, Vicar of Pebbles]

I was searching for this exact thing... I see there is no official answer :(

[Joe Pasini]

From page 98 of Starfinder Armory:

Some technological items have a capacity of less than
20 (the smallest-size battery generally available). You can
use batteries to recharge such items at a rate of 1 minute per
charge transferred.