Stunningly Powerful

[dph]

I've always found the stun setting too powerful.

Whilst my players don't abuse it (with the ole stun now kill later trick) it's relatively easy to get a 'wound' and knock out an NPC for an hour.

I was considering something more like standard damage with standard (accumulative) 'stuns' for a stun result and wounded twice or incapacitated required to actually cause the knockout.

How do you all handle the Stun Setting?
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[garhkal]

One of the common options i see is having it limited to short range.. So a blaster pistol is only good out to say 20 meters or so.
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[Naaman]

I've been toying around with the notion that a weapon set to "stun" only knocks out on a result of "killed." All other results are treated as the "stunned" condition.

[shootingwomprats]

[Naaman]

Yeah, that's a good take on it, too.

Reasoning for my idea is simply that the stun setting should (IMO) only be used when the prsevation of the target's life is the top priority... and should therefore be inherently more risky of an option.

This also defeats the "stun--->kill while helpless" tactic.

[garhkal]

That could work.
Another option is possibly to start having enemies who say use drugs (like those Ulan Dhor gathered into his Medical sourcebook) to boost themselves up to resist stun!
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[Merrick]

The short range solution is backed up by the d20 Star Wars rules:

Stun attacks using a ranged weapon are limited to a range of 4 meters; you cant stun a target that is beyone that range. Ouch! This would agree with the only scene in the original Star Wars movies featuring a stun setting where the storm trooper stunned Leia.

Other handy Ideas from D20 (I generally dislike the system but this was good material)

A weapon can only be set to stun in single shot mode. (Fire Rate:1)

Only weapons set on lethal can score critical hits. (Ignore additional roles of the 6 on a wild die for damage)

Implement any combination of the above to neuter stun abuse.

[garhkal]

I like that 'stun only on single shot' rule, but am not sure on the crit only for lethal weapons part.
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[Barrataria]

I've always thought about this and never needed to actually come up with anything. I thought of maybe ruling that the stun takes up an amazing amount of energy so battery packs are drained after 3 stuns or some such.
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[shootingwomprats]

[garhkal]

[Dredwulf60]

In my game:

-Stun mode is single-shot only.
-You have to achieve Incapacitated on the damage chart to knock out, but the other penalties from the chart are applied; 'numbness'.

-You can use full Strength score to resist Stun shots.
(Which is a big deal in my game, because I allow human-sized characters to only roll 2D versus lethal blaster fire..to which they can add armor bonus; I like blaster combat to be really dangerous thus prompting characters to always seek cover in a blaster fight...but I have house-rules cover system as well.)

As a result, Stun setting is only used by my players when they want to take someone alive; ie Bounty Hunting, or when they get into a situation of questionable legality and they don't want to deal with a potential murder charge; ie they work private security at a Cantina near the space port and it's not clear-cut self defense.