[Saga]Am I just missing some errata? Odd feat prereqs...

[Kaffis]

So I was flipping through my new shiny Saga Edition, and I noticed something odd.

Rapid shot requires a minimum strength? Sure enough, that's what it says on both the table and the feat entry itself. The minimum is pegged at 13, same as the dex minimum in standard d20. I shrugged and wrote this off as a typo.

Then I noticed that rapid strike requires a minimum dexterity. Hrm. Interesting, perhaps the two were transposed?

Then I noticed that burst fire has a minimum strength, too, and by this time I'm starting to scratch my head.

So I go dig up the errata summary online -- no mention.

By now, I have to at least examine the mechanics and think. Is this intentional? Is this a check on the ability to use strength as a dump stat in a ranged-attack heavy game?

Further investigation via examining the sample characters and cannon fodder reveals that this is likely not a typo, as they're being internally consistent. The only characters with any of the three are Darth Vader (rapid strike, dex of 16), Han (rapid shot, str of 13), Chewbacca (rapid shot, str of 19), Heavy Stormtrooper (burst fire, str of 15), ARC Trooper (burst fire, str of 15), Assassin (rapid strike, dex of 16), and Bounty Hunter (rapid shot, str of 15).

I can see justification of rapid strike and rapid shot based on the need to have quick strikes and be able to manage recoil (after popping in a movie and determining that recoil is handled inconsistently, at best -- Harrison Ford certainly seems to think there's recoil when firing his DL-44, but the stormtroopers mostly don't seem to), respectively. But extending the recoil justification to burst fire seems problematic: burst fire can be used on rifles, yes -- but it also covers heavy weapons, which are invariably tripod or vehicle mounted -- am I to believe that a strength prerequisite is needed to use burst fire in a starship?

I welcome discussion of this and any insights you all might have on the matter.

 

[drothgery]

You've guessed correctly.

The devs have said on WotC's boards that
1) It's not a mistake.
2) It's supposed to be a check on ranged characters using Str as a dump stat, and melee types using Dex as a dump stat.
3) The metagame explanation is that you need a certain degree of strength to handle recoil, and you need a certain dexterity to be able to swing a melee weaon really fast.
4) Not all heavy weapons are tripod or vehicle mounted, and autofire isn't really all that useful in vehicle/vehicle combat, so the pre-reqs for burst fire are designed around the man-portable varieties.

 

[Kaffis]

autofire isn't really all that useful in vehicle/vehicle combat

This is the only part that's throwing me. As you noted, I eventually came to all the other conclusions. I admit, I haven't gotten to my detail-reading of vehicular combat, but I do see that several vehicle weapons (starfighters, primarily) have autofire capability -- I see the bit about strafing via attack runs, but that doesn't preclude using a burst fire in a dogfight as you're on your opponent's tail.

I'm just pondering whether there should be another avenue for low strength characters to employ burst fire/rapid shot while manning mounted guns (take the turrets in the Falcon during the escape from the Death Star -- the gimbals those are mounted in sure look motorized to me, the way Han and Luke are swooping smoothly around and such). Perhaps as an additional talent in the gunner tree of ace pilot, or merely a house ruled admonition that <13 str characters cannot use autofire modes without bracing... Would the effects of such be more far reaching and dangerous than they seem?

 

[drothgery]

This is the only part that's throwing me. As you noted, I eventually came to all the other conclusions. I admit, I haven't gotten to my detail-reading of vehicular combat, but I do see that several vehicle weapons (starfighters, primarily) have autofire capability -- I see the bit about strafing via attack runs, but that doesn't preclude using a burst fire in a dogfight as you're on your opponent's tail.

Really, I was talking about standard autofire, not Burst Fire; hitting 2x2 squares on character scale is still going to be only 1 vehicle, and pretty much nothing has weapons that can hit more than 1 square at starship scale.

 

[Vigilance]

Why not just a house rule that a tripod or automated turret acts as a virtual burst fire feat?

I wouldnt allow the feat to be taken just by "bracing" though, Id require some specialized equipment.