Two Questions: Multiple Actions and Melee Weapons, with FP

[GMT]

Thank you in advance for any guidance or advice.

First question: A PC uses a Force point. They want to take 3 blaster actions. Their blaster is 6D. Which is correct:

- Their blaster is doubled to 12D. They then take their 3 blaster actions, each at a 2D penalty, or 10D for each roll.

- They take their 3 blaster actions, each at a 2D penalty, reducing their blaster to 4D, but which is then doubled to 8D.

The rulebook is not clear on what happens with a Force point and multiple actions. Help?

Second question: A PC uses a Force point. They use a melee weapon that inflicts STR+3D damage. Or, they make a Brawling attack, with a 4D strength.

- Do they roll 8D damage if they hit with their Brawling attack? I have ruled so in the past, simply because the rules as written said yes.

- With their STR+3D melee weapon, do they get to roll double their Strength, and then roll 3D more? IE, if they have a 4D strength, do they now roll 8D+3D? If the answer is no, because the weapon caps out at, say, 7D max damage, then why does a brawling attack not cap out?

[Jamfke]

First, you're welcome!

I would go with the first option on the 3 blaster actions. Simply because that's the magic of a Force Point. It makes your character really shine for one brief moment, so to speak.

As for the second question; yes, the character does 8D damage with the Brawling attack. Yes again on the melee weapon attack. They roll the full 8D and 3D more for the weapon, again because of the nature of a Force Point.

These are merely my opinions, and I'm certain someone else might come along and say differently, but there you go.
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[Gry Sarth]

I think it's quite clear that multiple action penalties should be applied AFTER doubling the skill due to the use of a FP. Doing it the other way around makes little sense.

Strength also doubles with a FP, which applies to melee weapon damage. The rulebook doesn't explicitely talk about how the weapon damage cap applies to the FP, but in the example given it states that a character with STR 3D+2 wielding STR+2D weapon would do 6D+4 plus 2D using a Force Point. This adds to 8D+4, well beyond the weapons' 7D limit, so if the rulebook can ignore the cap in this situation, so can you!
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[Esoomian]

Interesting I thought the cap would apply when using weapons.

I kinda thought the cap represented the most damage you could do with a weapon without any danger of it breaking so perhaps you could do more damage but then you'd have the danger of your weapon shattering. That (in my mind) is why your brawling damage doesn't max out. As you gain the ability to do more damage through higher strength dice you also gain the ability to soak more damage.
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[Gry Sarth]

You're correct on yur assesment of what the die cap means, Esoomian. The only thing is that aooarently the rulebook ignored the dice cap when the character used a FP, so I guess that's what they intend the players should do. I agree with you that it doesn't make much sense to suddenly ignore the dice cap, but then, Force Points make some pretty senseless things happen...
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[Esjs]

Wookiee + Brawling + Berserker Rage + FP

Cap that!
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[Esoomian]

[garhkal]

[Gry Sarth]

It's on the example they give in the Force Point chapter, when a character is attacking with a melee weapon. They say that the character is wielding a vibro-ax (which on the example they say does STR+2D), has a Strength of 3D+2 and therefore they say the damage he would deal with a Force Point would be 6D+4 plus 2D, no mention whatsoever that this would be capped at 7D...
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[jmanski]

2nd Ed. pg 55
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[garhkal]

That is interesting. I have always seen the max as being that, capped unless the person wants to go over and break the item
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[Jamfke]

Well, since rules are merely guidelines, if that's the way you and your players like to do it, then I'd say go for it. It definitely adds more realism to the situation, and there's nothing at all wrong with that.

I personally prefer to keep things moving quickly with as few dice rolls as possible, and don't worry about something like a weapon breaking unless it would make for a dramatic effect. Even then I'll usually go with GM fiat and just say it shattered on impact due to the mighty blow dealt to the target. I mean, a weapon's a weapon. If you break one over the big bad's head in the end of the adventure, that just makes it cooler, and you can always get yourself a new weapon.
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[jmanski]

Personally I don't use the cap. I think the dramatic "breaking the weapon over the badguys head" idea is interesting, though.....
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[GMT]

Maybe if I had been more careful, I could have answered one of my own questions. As has been pointed out by others already, right on page 84 of the SWRPG book, Second Edition Revised and Expanded (which is what we use) it says exactly what to do with melee weapons and Force points.

Roll double the Strength, but do not double the weapon's damage.