• Registered: 2005-03-31
  • Posts: 54

Topic: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

I think that was answered for S:X but I can't remember what was discussed and I also wonder how this applies to SAE;

I do know that the traits marked by an * cannot be combined together.

But what if I wanted to give a weapon the Slow-Firing trait twice? How would that work out? You only fire once every four turns?

What about a weapon given the Variable DMG trait twice? If that is indeed allowed, how would it work? Take a weapon with DMG-1, do you roll twice before firing to see what will be the final DMG value? Say you're lucky and you roll a '5' and a '6' (one roll per the number of times the weapon has the Var-DMG trait) , then the final DMG value becomes 4. Is that right?

Can you do the same for instance for the Repeating trait? How would that work? If you buy it twice for a weapon do you re-roll 2 hit dice per successful hit?

Same here for a trait like Extra Hull Damage. Say you buy it 3 times (for a really expensive weapon), does that mean that for each successful hit you mark off 3 hull hits automatically (plus of course the given damage)?

and so on ...

  • Registered: 2022-11-15
  • Posts: 1,286

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

Cartman wrote:

I think that was answered for S:X but I can't remember what was discussed and I also wonder how this applies to SAE;

I do know that the traits marked by an * cannot be combined together.

But what if I wanted to give a weapon the Slow-Firing trait twice? How would that work out? You only fire once every four turns?

What about a weapon given the Variable DMG trait twice? If that is indeed allowed, how would it work? Take a weapon with DMG-1, do you roll twice before firing to see what will be the final DMG value? Say you're lucky and you roll a '5' and a '6' (one roll per the number of times the weapon has the Var-DMG trait) , then the final DMG value becomes 4. Is that right?

Can you do the same for instance for the Repeating trait? How would that work? If you buy it twice for a weapon do you re-roll 2 hit dice per successful hit?

Same here for a trait like Extra Hull Damage. Say you buy it 3 times (for a really expensive weapon), does that mean that for each successful hit you mark off 3 hull hits automatically (plus of course the given damage)?

and so on ...

I thought there was a bit that said no trait can be taken more than once.  :?:

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

Cartman wrote:

But what if I wanted to give a weapon the Slow-Firing trait twice? How would that work out? You only fire once every four turns?

The rules do say "in any combination", but the intent is for a weapon to only take a given trait once.

Multiples of the same trait are not allowed. That way lies madness... smile

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-03-31
  • Posts: 54

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

Makes sense - on one hand it somewhat restricts some options I had in mind but as you say it does keep things simple for everyone, and the latter is more important than the former. 

However it should perhaps be specified in the next rules revision.

  • Registered: 2005-03-29
  • Posts: 859

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

Its a pity because one of the weapons I used a while back was a plasma torpedo that had the range-based damage and the inverted range modifiers traits together. The idea was that a finite amount of plasma formed both the warhead and the propulsion unit, with better accuracy at long range but less damage potential, or high damage potential but less accuracy at short range. Was a 5+ weapon as well, I believe.

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

The limitation of only one range-based trait was imposed because many such traits do not combine according to their multipliers -- for example, a weapon with inverted range modifiers and range-based ROF is not necessarily 2.8 times more effective (my math says it should be 2.0)

So, range-based traits can be combined -- but the multiplier has to be determined for each combination separately. For the core rulebook, it was much easier to limit weapons to one such trait.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 811

Re: Using the same weapon trait twice or 3 times

If there's a weapon trait in Starmada that is more filled with cheese than inverted range modifiers, I have yet to see it.

I wish I had spoken louder when the questions about what are essential traits came about, but there you are.