I can understand for laser sword type weapons, but why do some hammers need them? And what happens when they are out of juice?
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
They're rocket hammers. They need batteries to power the rocket. No power no rocket. No rocket, no way to swing fast enough to be a weapon.
Once they're out of fuel, its functionally an improvised weapon.
And this is why devastation blades are the best weapons.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
If you want weapons that don't need power, you're looking for the analog property.
Everything else has energy blades, or rocket power, or something like that.
Now, there *are* melee weapons with batteries that don't use their charges constantly, and work like analog weapons for the stuff that doesn't require power. Thank goodness.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Now, there *are* melee weapons with batteries that don't use their charges constantly, and work like analog weapons for the stuff that doesn't require power. Thank goodness.
I get the fear of running out, but melee weapons use most likely one charge per combat. Buy ten batteries, and you should be golden all the way to the end of a campaign.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Yeah, unlike ranged weapons melee weapons tend to use 1 charge per minute of use. Considering most combats only last 3-5 rounds you're using only a half charge (I'm not actually sure it can be used incrementally like that, so it may be one charge per combat essentially).
Still, on the smallest battery size that's like 10 fights. For a melee weapon 2 or 3 batteries should last you longer than you need, as you're assumed to be able to recharge them during downtime.
It does use a minimum of 1 charge (or 2 with usage 2, etc), yes. Thats still efficient enough to make batteries with fusions a potentially sound investment, though, which is great.
For most of my characters, it's a tradition/wariness of tech experience of things cutting out when they are needed the most that has them using analog weapons instead of all the fancy powered stuff when they have the proficiency for it.
Plus, having one's damage 'locked' to one type of energy can be detrimental if say, one is using a 'flame sword' in melee against fire elementals -- and analog won't have that problem (it may not do as much, but it's not an improvised weapon)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
For most of my characters, it's a tradition/wariness of tech experience of things cutting out when they are needed the most that has them using analog weapons instead of all the fancy powered stuff when they have the proficiency for it.Plus, having one's damage 'locked' to one type of energy can be detrimental if say, one is using a 'flame sword' in melee against fire elementals -- and analog won't have that problem (it may not do as much, but it's not an improvised weapon)
DR and incorporeality exist as well for analog weapons, and like hammerjack said, you could always keep a battery with a frost fusion on it in your pocket if you run into fire immune creatures with your flame sword. That's not even mentioning the differences between EAC and KAC.
With fusions, changing your damage type is relatively easy. And kinetic damage has to deal with DR and incorporeality in a way that energy damage doesn't.
*Energy damage will deal half damage but a kinetic damage weapon that isn't magical (requiring a fusion) will deal 0, if I am remembering the rules correctly.
And as alluded too, KAC is typically about 2 points higher than EAC.
A nonmagical kinetic weapon doesn't work on incorporeal creatures, sure, but when fusions are so cheap and the ones that aren't critical effects are so handy "nonmagical" would be a weird thing to assume when someone says Analog.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Welcome to space mart. Would you like a handy enchantment on your gun? Bob, where's the grenade we use to transfer the fusion? You didn't leave the pin out this time did you?
A nonmagical kinetic weapon doesn't work on incorporeal creatures, sure, but when fusions are so cheap and the ones that aren't critical effects are so handy "nonmagical" would be a weird thing to assume when someone says Analog.
You say that, but honestly very few times have I seen other players in my group bother to spend the credits on Fusions because many of them a rather...blah IMO. And outside of incorporeal creatures, which depending on campaign may not come up much, it can go pretty unnoticed.
What I see most often, fusion-wise, is someone picking up a fusion to convert the energy damage of their energy weapon to another type for resistance/immunity. But if you're rolling with that in the first place you're not worried about DR/incorporeal. And then someone picks up an analog weapon (for some reason...I dunno. I avoid them because of targeting KAC) and forgets about this sort of corner case of an issue.
If nothing else, I usually see some of the low level utility fusions (like called, glammered or merciful) as extremely common purchases, and I think of opportunistic and defending fusions as almost a given on reach and block weapons.
You say that, but honestly very few times have I seen other players in my group bother to spend the credits on Fusions because many of them a rather...blah IMO.
I don't know if i've seen someones second sfs character use a weapon that wasn't infused with something. The crit fusions are meh but called is pretty good for your action economy. Returning thrown weapons, opportunistic reach weapons, accurate on longarms is picking up some steam, merciful for the non murderhobos, limning if you have good sense, spell throwin on a backup weapon...
I mean, I could see throwing something cheap on to have a weapon be magic, but i haven't seen anything that is a standout for your average ranged weapon user that wants to make full attacks.
Melee weapons with throwing/returning are a decent thing, but I feel that it's one of the few nice synergies with Fusions.
I mean, I could see throwing something cheap on to have a weapon be magic, but i haven't seen anything that is a standout for your average ranged weapon user that wants to make full attacks.
Melee weapons with throwing/returning are a decent thing, but I feel that it's one of the few nice synergies with Fusions.
Ranged weapons are a little lacking in options for fusions, kind of like range combat is missing in options for a lot of other things. Most shooting kind of looks the same , as opposed to the incredible plethora of martial arts wrestling, wrassilin and fighting techniques.
Called makes it a swift action to grab. No big deal if you're walking (walk draw shoot) and not helpful if full attacking (cause swift action stops a full action.. its a lot more bottleneck than I think was intended) But it does let you draw aim with a scope and shoot.
Ghost killer is good. Because dealing half damage to starfinders incorporeal critters (which unlike pathfinder have full hit points) Is very niche but VERY deadly when it happens
As mentioned the fire/electric is good to stop plasma weapons from getting resisted twice as often
Conserving is great if you have a limited fire weapon
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Cruel is also a standout if anyone in the party applies shaken (and there are a lot of ways to do that). And having an Entangle stapled to your hit 1/day with a kinetic or cold weapons isn't a bad thing to have already in your hands.
Called also has a lot of side utility for things like smuggling weapons past security.
If nothing else, I usually see some of the low level utility fusions (like called, glammered or merciful) as extremely common purchases, and I think of opportunistic and defending fusions as almost a given on reach and block weapons.
I've seen players want to do this, but decided against it because of the auto-scaling costs.
Are cruels two abilities linked, meaning you have to drop a frightened target to gain the HP, or seperate meaning it does two completely different things? (sickens frightened creatures and grants temp hp for dropping people)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The two abilities of Cruel are not written as linked, no.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Sounds like none of your players have ever gone in hard on the Overcharge mechanic tricks. I've seen people use up charges really fast.
I mean, I require reloading, but I don't bother making my players track batteries beyond having four or so on them. Haven't had a mechanics with overcharge either though.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Sounds like none of your players have ever gone in hard on the Overcharge mechanic tricks. I've seen people use up charges really fast.
I'm taking the Portable Charging Station trick next level on my mechanic just to feed my Overcharge habit (also to make 1/minute power armor viable).
Sounds like none of your players have ever gone in hard on the Overcharge mechanic tricks. I've seen people use up charges really fast.I'm taking thePortable Charging Stationtrick next level on my mechanic just to feed my Overcharge habit (also to make 1/minute power armor viable).
It's the uncle fester lightbulb trick and no amount of text will make it known as anything else :)
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
It's the uncle fester lightbulb trick and no amount of text will make it known as anything else :)Sounds like none of your players have ever gone in hard on the Overcharge mechanic tricks. I've seen people use up charges really fast.I'm taking thePortable Charging Stationtrick next level on my mechanic just to feed my Overcharge habit (also to make 1/minute power armor viable).
WHERE IS THIS 'UNCLE FESTER?' I WILL DESTROY HIM AND TAKE HIS LIGHTBULB TRICK FOR MY OWN!