I posted this question on reddit before I realized that this forum is currently the official one for Starfinder 2e as well.
The 2 action lead By Example of Get'Em says: You gain a status bonus to the damage roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Regardless of whether the Strike hits, you and your allies gain a +1 status bonus to damage on subsequent Strikes made against the enemy until the start of your next turn. Increase the damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
My specific question is about the last sentence. Most people on reddit has said its clear the intent to only modify the subsequent/ally strike's damage. However, the wording is quite ambiguous. Ambiguous enough that all five of us (the group I play with) are unsure of its intent.
So, the question is. Does the Increase the damage by 1 at 5th, 20th, 15th, and 20th levels mean ONLY the subsequent and ally attacks, or does it also include your initial strike?
In either case, I would also suggest some clarification in Errata. Something like:
Increase both damages by +1 ... OR Increase your subsequent and ally damage by +1 ...
Thank you.
I do think you're right that the rules text as written is ambiguous, so you could rule it either way. Personally, I've ruled it in the same way as others on Reddit, in that the increase would apply only to the status bonus for subsequent Strikes, and so on the assumption that the increase looks like it's trying to have the secondary status bonus remain always just a little bit behind the Envoy's Charisma mod as they get their attribute boosts.
I also have a personal preference to avoid "too good to be true" rulings unless they're confirmed by a developer, though it might be worth seeing how the Envoy performs if you let the main Strike benefit from that status bonus increase as well: if the end result isn't excessive, then you could apply the increase to both status bonuses, but if it leads to the Envoy making significantly meatier Strikes than anyone else, I'd hold back on it.
Seems like the later is the correct reading. So your first get'em boosted strike gives charisma mod and any further strikes you make until the begining of your next turn and your allies strikes in the same time period get the +1.
I don't think they would specify subsequent wording if it effected the initial hit.
I'll also agree to the ambiguity.
I interpret it that the damage increase is to the specified amount of damage listed for the subsequent strikes by you and allies made later. The initial Strike made as part of Get 'em is equal to your Charisma modifier - which has its own way of increasing as you level up and doesn't need a stacking increase from the class ability.
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While I agree that it is ambiguous I am firmly in the camp that BOTH damages increase at the noted levels.
If we assume the Envoy has a Cha of +4 at L1, that is a quite reasonable amount. But +5 at L10 is a much smaller amount relatively speaking. +6 at L17 and +7 at L20 are getting close to no value at all.
Getting a +5 at L15 while your allies are getting a +4 just seems totally and utterly wrong and under powered.
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When something is hard to figure out, I break it down like this.
_______________________
Lead by Example:
If you used two actions,
Strike the target.
You gain a status bonus to the damage roll equal to your Charisma modifier.
Regardless of whether the Strike hits,
you and your allies gain a +1 status bonus to damage on subsequent Strikes made against the enemy until the start of your next turn.
Increase the damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
______________________
The only reference to the damage is in the first strike. But if it was only meant to be added to the first strike, then I think it should have been stated before the part on subsequent Strikes. It also doesn't say the increase is for "first Strike," or "subsequent Strikes." So, I think it applies to both.
If it was intended to work on only one, looking at the physical book, there is only about 2 letters of space left to add "first Strike," or "subsequent Strikes."
One option to clarify subsequent Strikes that would have fit the page is to change.
Increase the damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
to
Increase this damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
or to clarify both damages.
Increase all damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels.
Not perfect solutions, but fits the page.
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In the envoy archetype, Really Get em adds 2 to both the initial and subsequent strikes and is picked up at the same level the main class ability would be getting plus 2 as well. It would be strange if the main class ability was outmoded by the archetype. Definitely ambiguously worded, I lean toward including the bonus to the initial strike for the main class as well.
Good catch.
So the archetype doesn't get Really Get 'Em! until 8th level, so the +2 is consistent for a full Envoy at that level.
Really Get 'Em!
You gain the Lead by Example benefit for your Get ’Em! directive, except you and your allies get a +2 status bonus to damage on both the initial and subsequent Strikes.
So looks like the Envoy, if it had more space in the book, should read.
Increase the damage by 1 at 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th levels on both the initial and subsequent Strikes.