Need help dealing with a melee character in a predominately ranged combat setting...

[Elder-Basilisk]

Sure, Dragonstar has high tech melee options (though ranged options are more noticably effective as is probably fitting since the setting is about drow and half-dragons with blaster rifles and space ships not about jedi with lightsabres). I mentioned a half-dozen of them in my post. Apparently the player doesn't want to use the high-tech options available to him. No jet-packs, no wheeled melee robots, no stealthsuits, etc. So, Jedi blaster deflecting lightsabers are about all there is left if the character wants to do something other than hide in the background in the next time there is a long-range gunbattle.

Seriously, it sounds a lot like a player in a D&D game saying "I want my unarmored, unarmed melee fighter to be worthwhile... but I don't want to play a monk... and sneak attack isn't my thing... the concept is completely non-magical; isn't there some kind of fighter feat that I can take that will make my unarmed strikes as effective as a +1 holy flaming sword and my skin as effective as a +3 mithral breastplate? Oh, and I don't want to take Vow of Poverty. My guy's all about getting money and equipment."

What makes a melee character unviable in Dragonstar? Are there no hi-tech melee options to go along with the hi-tech ranged options?

Melee characters work fine in other gun-heavy fantasy settings, like Shadowrun, for example.

 

[Stalker0]

As others have mentioned, it sounds like he needs more speed.

Give him the run feat, some speed boosting items, etc. Heck if your going AE style give him speed burst from there. The unfettered is a good choice for a nice high AC as a light melee fighter, just need to get him to melee.

Oh, also, maybe allow him a way to deflect arrows. That combined with parry ranged weapons should allow him to do pretty well.

 

[Storyteller01]

:jaw drop:

Holy +5 Nerfbat!

Keeps it on par with the spells. Spell casters don't get auto DC increase. The versatility is still there.

 

[Storyteller01]

Well... It's a gestalt game, so have him pick up the Book of Nine Swords and take Swordsage for one of his classes. He'll have the option of a bunch of nifty powers like concelement and short range teleports to help him stay alive. At 9th level he'll be able to get a power that lets him teleport next to anyone who attacks him as an immediate reaction, in a burst of flame no less.

Thought of that. The power only goes to 100 ft.

 

[Nightfall]

Story,

Whatever floats your boat man. *just doesn't see the point in doing all this.* But hey if it works for you, that's all that should matter.

 

[Storyteller01]

What makes a melee character unviable in Dragonstar? Are there no hi-tech melee options to go along with the hi-tech ranged options?

Melee characters work fine in other gun-heavy fantasy settings, like Shadowrun, for example.

Dragonstar tends to replicate realistic ranges, with the other systems nerfing ranged combat to make melee combat more viable. In d20 Modern, an M-16 has a range inc of 70 ft. That's a max range of 700 ft. It's actually closer to 1500 ft. In Shadowrun, those that make melee viable are races with higher stats (trolls and what not) in corporate buildings and close quarters, or are so wired with cyberware that a DS character might as well go soul mech. Even then, nearly every shadowrunner carries a predator hand gun.

There are methods to improve melee combat. The sunsword and the mono-axe negate armor to a degree. The system allows all three methods of increasing the threat range to stack. Power armor gives a huge AC bonus as well as speed and strength bonuses. But still, as it stands the only DS published characters that can go into melee effectively is a CR 30 yaun-ti with a hugely modified scimitar or power armor using special forces favored by the emporer.

 

[Nightfall]

What about an Assathi fighter/Kensai/Weapon Master with scimtar focus?

 

[Storyteller01]

Oh, also, maybe allow him a way to deflect arrows. That combined with parry ranged weapons should allow him to do pretty well.

DS allows monks to avoid ranged attacks with that feat. I'll see if he'll go for it.

 

[Nightfall]

If not then blamo! Dead PC.

 

[Storyteller01]

Thanks! Which one?

-The Gneech

The Suburban Jungle. If you have more, I'd like some links (I haven't had the change to peruse through the keenspot site completely yet).