Building with Operative's Arsenal in mind?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Operative's Arsenal allows operatives to use their trick attacks with weapons they're normally not proficient with.

But I'm a bit confused if that's really a useful trade if you're playing an operative to be able to dual-wield better. It doesn't seem to grant the weapons you gain proficiency with the "operative" tag, which is what allows you to use DEX for melee, meaning an operative who uses Operative's Arsenal to get access to advanced melee weapons still has to build for STR, a stat I imagine the average operative treats as a dump stat.

Furthermore, the lack of the "operative" tag means such weapons don't qualify for Multiweapon Fighting either.

Am I interpreting this right? I initially thought Operative's Arsenal might give me a way to wield two plasma swords without sucking at combat, but it looks more and more like the only way to do that is beg a GM to allow me to say plasma kukris are the short-sword length ones rather than the dagger length ones and to try and write up higher level homebrew versions of them since the only one in existence is the basic red one that came in an SFS module.

[HammerJack]

I woukd say its accurate that the average operative has low strength.

Not every operative is that average operative.

Operative's Arsenal is a feature that I see as mainly useful for enabling unusual builds. It has no value to the "standard" operative build, and it has nothing to do with dual wielding, in any way.

It isn't a useless option, but it's not for what you're looking to do.

[Moonwalker]

Operative's Arsenal grants you proficiency as well as specialization for advanced melee weapons, longarms, heavy weapons, or any one special weapon of your choice.

In melee, you could use the Vibrogarrote for silent kills, which is extremely effective against casters (though it's not SFS legal), or the Zero Knife, including Trick Attack damage. Both are examples for advanced melee Operative weapons.

You could also use ranged weapons beyond small arms with Trick Attack (excluding damage) but such would be a situational advantage at best.

[HammerJack]

The vibrogarrote isn't big advantage over a wire garrote, which is basic melee, for an operative.

It also isn't really any better against casters than it is against anyone else, unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike, a third arm with another melee weapon, a bite attack, or one of the other ways of still threatening an AoO while two of your hands are full with the garrote.

[Moonwalker]

HammerJack wrote:

The vibrogarrote isn't big advantage over a wire garrote, which is basic melee, for an operative.

At max. potential, the difference would be:

Damage: 5d8 S; Critical: bleed 2d6 (Garrote, Monowire) vs.
Damage: 10d6 So; Critical: deafen (Vibrogarrote, Ultrasonic).

I find the advantage significant.

HammerJack wrote:

It also isn't really any better against casters than it is against anyone else, unless you have Improved Unarmed Strike, a third arm with another melee weapon, a bite attack, or one of the other ways of still threatening an AoO while two of your hands are full with the garrote.

I wasn't aware that spells no longer have (verbal) components.

If you're going to completely ignore full attack in favour of trick attack anyway, it is a nice-to-have feature.

[HammerJack]

If they had that kind of damage differential across the level range, between equivalent level weapons, it would be ok. Only having a moderately higher top end when you can get your hands on level 20 weapons, if your campaign is one if the rare ones that ever get that high? That's pretty mediocre. The damage type is the main selling point.

Regarding components, not only are verbal components not a thing, spell components aren't a thing at all. Pinning someone doesn't prevent casting, either, though if you have a way to AoO with two hands full it does make it easy to stop the spell with an AoO (except for the few spells that specifically state that they don't provoke).