[Saga] Star Wars: Rebels with Style OOC

[FreeXenon]

With a total of -4 to PB/S ranges I am considering it.
Hmmmmm....

Does my last suggestion work for you: extend short range to encompass PB, then the -2 range penalty + -2 to PB and short range for a total of -4?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

AMG, is this about right?

Sorosub Nightstalker (Ltd. Sniper Rifle)
Cost: 4000 Damage: 3d8+2 RoF: S
Weight: 4.5kg Type: Energy Availability Military

Range: PB (0): 0-30 Short (-2): 31-60 Med (-5): 61-150 Long (-10): 150-300 Extreme Range (-15): 301-450


Special:
-Extreme Range: that goes from: 301-450 sq at -15 penalty, however the additional range comes at a cost, the rifle gets only 25 shots per power pack, half of what a normal rifle gets
-Low-light Targeting scope: A standard Low-light Targeting scope, . The Scope may be removed to treat the rifle as a standard blaster rifle. Adding/Removing the scope requires 10 minutes and a DC 10 mechanics check
-Balanced for Range: The rifle is specially balanced for long range granting a +1 Bonus to attack at Medium, Long, and Extreme Range. The balancing and targetting scope also Applies a -5 to hit at Point Blank and Short Range

To Breakdown what you get:
1,000 cr (Standard Blaster Rifle)
1,000 cr (Low light Scope)
2,000 cr (+2 Damage customization)
-5 to hit at Point Blank & Short Range/+1 to hit at Medium-Extreme Range
Extreme Range/ 25 Shots per Power Pack

there is a drawback to every benifit that isn't paid for outright meaning its balanced to the standard guns. Its not clearly better or worse than anything else, just different. Carrying a Heavy Blaster pistol as a side-arm even negates the major downside of the weapon.

I think this is probably the best version, overall. To make more sense, the only thing I'd change would be that it takes 10 minutes to change not JUST the scope, but an extension on the barrel/etc. That would make more sense for the time required and why it can convert into a standard rifle.

The most important thing about it, I think, is exactly what it encourages. That is to use the weapon to its strength, range. Its designed for a sniper, meant to take advantage of unaware targets from distances much farther than normal combat. With the penalties as they are, it means to use it well you NEED that range, so that kind of thing can be sought out. If you DO get forced into combat where it isn't ideal, then it encourages carrying a blaster pistol of some kind.

All of that together just seems to exemplify the sniper type character.

 

[FreeXenon]

So, at rifle's short range which would encompass PB/S/M I would suffer a total of -7 to hit?
A total of -4 isn't enough?

As it stands for my character's level from PB to long range I have a +3 to hit for all ranges.

I had the damage set at 3d8+4 should I reduce that to +2.

To make more sense, the only thing I'd change would be that it takes 10 minutes to change not JUST the scope, but an extension on the barrel/etc. That would make more sense for the time required and why it can convert into a standard rifle.

This I can understand.

 

[drothgery]

All of that together just seems to exemplify the sniper type character.

Eh. The thing is that an extreme-range sniper is really only an effective part of a party if it's entierely made up of other snipers (and possibly heavy weapons people). But no melee or pistol-based combatant is going to willingly start a fight at ranges over 40 squares (i.e. max short range for pistols), which means that a weapon that's pretty much useless at maximum rifle short range or less is effectively useless in a party setting.

 

[FreeXenon]

With a -5 penalty on top of the Range (for PB-M due to scope) penalties makes the rifle completely unusable in any normal SW game, unless I am specifically catered to.

A -4 balances for playability and realism. Right now, I have the same effective bonus to hit from PB all the way to Long Range. Not pretty, but doable If I have to.

This really makes me want to carry a side arm to have any chance to hit in a normal game combat situation, but If I need to, I can use my rifle.

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Here's the thing to consider about the weapon. Obviously, as levels go up that penalty becomes negligible. Beyond that, though, is something else I've looked into over and over for the last twenty odd minutes and can't confirm one way or another. So I'll put this out there and see if any of you guys can set this record straight before I try to dig deeper.

With that kind of range, its very unlikely your targets would be AWARE of you. In other words, its easy to catch opponents Flat-Footed and remove their Dex to Ref Def. Now, my question to this, would the remain through a fight? Say, all of the group is fighting up close EXCEPT our sniper. Would the sniper's shots, if stealth checks succeeded against perception, obviously, CONTINUE to be against a flat footed target even though the enemy would NOT be flat footed to the rest of the group?

My instinct in this one says 'yes', which would, in a sense, give the weapon a bit more of a bonus than it seems initially.

EDIT: Obviously this would require going out of the way to get to keep range while others in the group moved closer, but this could actually fit in fairly well with what I have worked out already. The hard part here is finding the right balance to make this weapon usable but not TOO much. I definitely think this is the closest its reached to that, though I'm a still obviously willing to keep tweaking it.

 

[FreeXenon]

If you follow D&D's rules Shoot and Hide at a -20. I will have to be very high level to pull that off. If we do play long enough so that I can get high enough to do that, then it would be good to be able to pull that off, since that is my specialty, right? That option is there in D&D as well.

Now most games that are played will not allow for this situation to come up. It will be a rare moment that I will be able to pull this off. Pretty much every game will be close quarters fighting, unless put us in a situation that allows otherwise.

 

[FreeXenon]

The book says -10 for sniping. It is a little easier than D&D.

 

[FreeXenon]

Move action to remain hidden at a -10 to hide check. I still have to aim to use the scope, which takes 2 free actions. At most I will be able to fire every other round

Round 1 Hide (Move) Aim (Free/Std)
Round 2 Fire (Std) Hide (Move)

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Now most games that are played will not allow for this situation to come up. It will be a rare moment that I will be able to pull this off. Pretty much every game will be close quarters fighting, unless put us in a situation that allows otherwise.

Lets just say the situation wouldn't be something that would have to be either rare or a special case. So don't concern yourself about that kind of thing.

And yeah, there's the -10 to Stealth for hiding again to snipe...its not as hard as in D&D at all, especially when you consider how trained skills work, and then factor in the range penalty to perception checks that'll be taken.

But my real question is whether you can fire again and your target would still be considered flat footed to your shots. Like I said, my instinct says yes, but I can't find anything to say one way or another on that. I think that could have a great effect on how useful the weapon is.

Still, I think the one thing left with the weapon that likely needs tweaking is the range increments and that kind of fun stuff. So, rather than propose a change myself, I'll ask what you think could be done with it to make this effective? Or at least, so you'd feel it was useful since that's the important part.