Sniper Enhanced Exploit

[Thormundr]

As is, the sniper's enhanced exploit is non-functional unless you are level 16 or quickened.

You may ignore unwieldy if you have missed your mark, which means you must have aimed and shot.

You would need to use your 3rd action to reload, so you literally can't take the extra shot without MAP.

[AestheticDialectic]

I genuinely have no idea why any rifle has a magazine side of one. Maybe this is some kind of gameplay consideration, but it makes no sense from the perspective of being in the world. Why would anyone design a gun to be bolt action for any reason but for hobbyists

[ElementalofCuteness]

Not to mention that in a sci-fi/sci-fa setting/universe that if you can make laser weapons you can make sniper rifles with bigger then 1 shot magazine.

[Thormundr]

Thormundr wrote:

As is, the sniper's enhanced exploit is non-functional unless you are level 16 or quickened.

You may ignore unwieldy if you have missed your mark, which means you must have aimed and shot.

You would need to use your 3rd action to reload, so you literally can't take the extra shot without MAP.

It's been brought to my attention that Aim makes a creature your mark for longer than your turn. It's just the damage bonus that lasts for the turn. So in theory, it works if you just don't aim for a turn?

Which just feels terrible.

[AestheticDialectic]

ElementalofCuteness wrote:

Not to mention that in a sci-fi/sci-fa setting/universe that if you can make laser weapons you can make sniper rifles with bigger then 1 shot magazine.

It's not even just that, given every sniper rifle in the game fire projectiles, uses normal ammunition. Guns in real life used as sniper rifles have an actual magazine. I pretty much only see bolt action used for boy scout rifle shooting badges — and those are .22 — or sometimes people use them for hunting. It's usually sentimental attachment or collecting that I see as reasons someone would have a bolt action rifle. It's an archaic design today, it would be beyond archaic in Starfinder. I admit I'm not like, a gun person I don't know a whole hell of a lot about guns, but I grew up with a decent proximity to guns just cuz I lived in a red state until I was 22

[Karmagator]

Aren't bolt action "sniper rifles" still commonly used in the military, certain police units and for hunting?

But yeah, even those have actual magazines. That single shot thing is just too weird.

[AestheticDialectic]

Karmagator wrote:

Aren't bolt action "sniper rifles" still commonly used in the military, certain police units and for hunting?

But yeah, even those have actual magazines. That single shot thing is just too weird.

Sorry I was conflating magazine-less and bolt action for simplicity and I shouldn't have been. The M24 SWS has a bolt action, but also has a magazine

[Thormundr]

Even if you only consider game balance, I'd think that unwieldy would be enough to prevent sniper abuse? The magazine size of 1 doesn't actually prohibit much beyond being an action tax.

There may be some other reason for the 1 magazine size though. Maybe avoiding stuff like double tap?