Saga Edition: Carrying Concealed

[Prince Atom]

I've been working on several adventures for Saga Edition, and I know that one or both of my players may want to carry their blasters concealed.

I know that it's a Stealth check, opposed by Perception checks, and that blasters impose a -5 size penalty, while holdout blasters are +0 size and +5 equipment. Under the Stealth skill description, it says that drawing a concealed weapon is a move action.

My problem is with the concealed holster. It states that I can draw a weapon from a concealed holster as a move action, not a standard action, and that I take -5 to Stealth to conceal the weapon.

That just doesn't make any sense. If it's designed to help you conceal the weapon, why does it make your Stealth check worse? I thought perhaps the penalty applied to Stealth checks made to draw the weapon covertly, but it clear states "your Stealth check to conceal the weapon."

Plus, drawing a concealed weapon is already a standard action.

I think what I'm going to do is House Rule [del]#4: The Dog Is Not a Toy[/del] this problem, and say that drawing a concealed weapon is a standard action, not a move action, and that you can draw it stealthily with a -5 penalty to your Stealth check. If you succeed, no one notices you draw the weapon.

Is there any official ruling on this problem? I have looked at the WotC Errata thread, but it's not addressed.

Thanks!

TWK

 

[Spatula]

The holster allows you to draw a concealed weapon faster (move instead of standard action), but at the cost of visibility. It's easier to spot a pistol stashed under the armpit (there's a slight bulge where there should not be), but it's easier to get the pistol out than if it were hidden in a more out-of-the-way location.

EDIT: The Stealth skill description of drawing a concealed weapon as a move action is almost certainly an error, since it's already a move action to draw an unconcealed weapon... I don't have the errata handy, though.

 

[Kaffis]

The holster allows you to draw a concealed weapon faster (move instead of standard action), but at the cost of visibility. It's easier to spot a pistol stashed under the armpit (there's a slight bulge where there should not be), but it's easier to get the pistol out than if it were hidden in a more out-of-the-way location.

This. It's a concealed holster as opposed to a hip holster (which is about as unconcealed as you can get). If you conceal a weapon normally, you're stowing it in a boot, or at the small of your back, or in an interior coat pocket, etc. All places that are more inconspicuous because they're not places you expect a gun, but all places that require extra effort to extricate the weapon from.

 

[Klaus]

The concealed holster isn't to help conceal better, but to help reach the weapon faster.