Spycraft: Some gear isn't adding up

[nameless]

I'm looking at the gear chapter right now, and I'm not understanding some stuff, particularly between gear and some gadget enhancements. Here are two of the things that stick out at me most:

1. What's the difference between a Tactical Radio and a Headset radio? The tactical costs a lot more, but as far as I can tell, the only difference is you need to have a hand free to use the tactical radio.

2. Service pistols, target pistols, and match-grade gadget guns. Target pistols have a better range increment, and +1 to hit, for the cost of 3-5 budget points over the equivalent service pistol. A match-grade weapon applies to any pistol (as far as I can tell) and gives +1 to hit, at the cost of a whopping 6 GP to apply to your personal gear. Can you apply the match-grade enhancement to a target pistol and get an extra +1 to hit?

3. Clothing gadgets: Do they count as armor and negate your class bonus, even if you don't get an armor enhancement?

4. AF Hush Puppy: This gun is the same as a regular .45 with a silencer, but it costs 3 GP instead of 24 BP. Am I missing anything?

I'm especially concerned with the first one... if there's a way to get better communication between out agents, it's a high priority.

Thanks
-nameless

 

[Micar Sin]

well, starting from the bottom up...

#4: The AF hushpupy cost isGP based, I suspect, on the fact that those are specially made pistols. The weapon has a built in silencer which runs the length of the barrel (which is illegal outside of govt and military agencies) and uses subsonic ammunition (to further reduce noise), thus making it more expensive and much harder to come by than a normal .45. Just MHO, of course.

#3: I would tend to doubt it, but I can't really find any info on it (of course, I'm at work)

#2: Match-grade says that it can be applied to any firearm, and target doesn't say that it can't, so I would say yes.

#1: No difference whatsoever according to the book, your right...

Ack! Spelling daemons!

 

[gustavef]

Here is my take on the questions:

1) Yeah, something seems kind of wonky. IMO, the Tactical radio should have a better base range (like 10 miles) and increment. Or should have better crypto graphic ablitities.

2) I see no problem with a Match Grade Target pistol. The Target pistol is an "enhancement" bonus, and the Mach Grade is "Technicaly" an unnamed bonus (only because of improper bonus tagging, though the book says "This enhancemnet...")

3) Techincaly, if the equipement does not have a defence bonus then you use your class defence bonus. So if you do not have any amour bonus to defence, then you get your class defence. Though if you took the "Standard, liner" as your base then you would loose your class bonus (assuming you loose your class bonus from wearing a Tuxedo Liner)

4) It is slincened and it uses caseless ammo. It is a very nice gun, but it is a gadet and not standard issue. You can not have the AF hushpupy as part of your "Personal Gear" unless you took the "Signiture Gadget" feat. So it may not be availible for every mission (per GC perogitive on any Gadget) and you dont get to keep it.


Keep in mind that GP and BP are two differen animals. You wont have 6 personal Gadget points until level 3, and you are assigned a Code: Red Mission. Gadget points are not that easy to come by at lower levels. It would mean one mission without any other gadgets.

-gustavef

 

[Mal Malenkirk]

The Hush Puppy:

I think it should be much more silent that the -5 to listen check proposed. A standard silencer already offers a -4!

Just fitting a silencer on a normal handgun doesn't reduce the noise to a small puffing sound as in the movies and just applying a -4 to listen check is appropriate. Someone fire a silenced weapon in a house and you'll still easily hear the gunshot no matter where you are in the house but you might not hear it if you are oustide.

But the Hush Puppy (a real gun BTW) IS as silent as those silenced weapon you see in movies. It fires subsonic bullet AND it has a silencer AND it is designed to reduce the mechanical noise produced by the pistol itself as it is fired. It is called Hush Puppy because it was designed to be used by commandos to kill guard dogs before an assault.

It should be at least -10 to listen check and maybe even more if you want the hush puppy to be a worthwile gadget.

 

[nameless]

Is it possible that the -5 from the Hush Puppy is on top of the -4 from a normal silencer? It doesn't make much sense, but it would balance the cost a little more...

-nameless