Wookiee Bowcasters

[MA-3PO]

Something I've always wanted to ask about was bowcasters. Their damage listed is 4D. That is the same as a blaster pistol but they only have a fire rate of one. Plus they take some effort to reload. Why would anyone use a bowcaster?

The whole "combination of energy and projectile weapon" thing keeps coming back to me and it gave me a new idea. Forgive me if someone thought of this before.

How about keeping the damage code for the bowcaster at 4D, but give it both energy and physical damage? For example, Bobacca the Wookiee shoots Larry the stormtrooper with his bowcaster. Bobacca rolls two damage rolls. Larry now rolls two Str rolls to resist damage, one at Str+1D and the other Str+2D. (Stormtrooper armor has +1D to resist energy and +2D to resist physical)

By keeping the damage at 4D we avoid the bowcaster becoming just a Wookiee version of a light repeater or blaster rifle. The bowcaster should be powerful but not an anti-tank weapon. By rolling damage twice I think it gives the bowcaster a unique quality. I want to know what you guys think.

[RedFox]

I always thought the bowcaster was kind of goofy, myself. It's a species-specific weapon meant to be only useable by Wookiies (or beings with immense strength), yet it functions as basically a blaster rifle. *shrug*
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[Xzil Maru]

I think that two rolls would slow things down, but I see what your getting at. Maybe instead of doing two soak rolls you could just roll against the weaker of the targets defensives if they have a low energy and a high physical (which is just about everybody) use the energy rating, otherwise use the physical. Besides which it doesn't really change anything anyway, unless you add the damage that got through together which would make it into an anti-personel weapon.

I don't know if it really matters that much. Its a species specific weapon anyway, although I do wonder why wookies prefer the thing to ordinary blaster rifles?

Maybe you could award a free bowcaster speciality to wookies who use the thing. Or if you really must include a reroll, let the wookie player reroll the damage and take the better of the two rolls.
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[RedFox]

According to the official Star Wars Galactic Databank, bowcasters fire energy projectiles with explosive force.

So the advantage could be a mix of things.

First of all, the regular "energy bolt" fired from the bowcaster can be considered an explosive. Simply give it a blast increment and the damage can be done like so: 4D / 3D / 2D / 1D

Considering the weapon, I'm thinking that the blast radius (and increments) should be relatively small and contained. Even smaller than a frag grenade. Perhaps only a meter or two for each increment.

Secondly, the bowcaster can apparently be used to fire regular projectiles (some with explosive tips, or whatever). If the PC wants to use different ammo, then go ahead and let them. Check out the EU entry of the databank for more information on that.

EDIT: Also, it's apparently easy to assemble / disassemble and carry around even in a toolbelt. I'd make it very easy for someone to smuggle a bowcaster in this way basically anywhere. Someone would need to be familiar with wookiies or bowcasters to be able to spot a disassembled one (moderate roll on Alien Cultures: Wookiies or Bowcasters), not counting any normal hide attempts.
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[Hellcat]

Well, the Wookiee bowcaster isn't the only one out there. In some of the Dark Forces/Jedi Knights games you get to take bowcasters from folks who look like Tuskens. These are great cause they have a secondary feature that allows you to shot four shots at once in a horizontal spread. And Wookiees are supposed to each individually make their own bowcaster so whose to say that some aren't made to fire that spread shot? That and what RedFox said about blast incraments would really make them a choice weapon.
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[Akari]

I have another idea for bowcasters in my campaign. I make them rather easy to modify, variable in ammunition and virtually a swiss army knife of a weapon. Our resident wookiee creates grenade-bolts, hook bolts, etc. He also mounted an IR laser-nightvision scope and a gyro-stabilizer on it. Best of all, it can be tuned to be almost completely silent, which blasters can not...

Also, in my campaign, it is allowed on many planets, as it is considered to be more of a natives artifact then a "real" weapon, much like a flintlock pistol would be today.

[Volar the Healer]

[Xzil Maru]

[Volar the Healer]

I've seen a few pictures from episode III. Looks like the Wookies are going to have a blend of high and primitive technologies. Some of them are carrying what appears to be weapons "other than bowcasters".

I can't wait (face on movie theater door: "open, open, open...")
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[Esjs]

[Hellcat]

As long as some of them are carrying something that could be a ryyk blade, I don't care what else the Wookiees are carrying in the movie.

Though there are other Wookiee weapons used in the Republic Commando, according to the game's offical site. Besides the bowcaster (a natural when using Wookiees), they also list under Wookiee weapons a guided rocket launcher.
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[Allembrande]

I dislike one thing about the bowcaster: It is very unlikely that a wookie will become seriously injured by one!

Humans have Str2D and access to 5D Blasters !
Wookies have Str2D+2 and access to 4D Bowcasters?

Apart from that small inconsistancy, I like the fact that it isn't a great weapon, it is there for flavor. If you want a superweapon, just make one and admit that you are a munchkin. If you want flavor, use a bowcaster. I like them, and they help balance wookies...
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[Volar the Healer]

I don't see a problem with this. Humans design weapons to kill humans. Perhaps Wookies don't fight among themselves so they only need a weapon capable of killing critters (hunting).
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[Warhippo]

The other thing to remember is that just because the weapon is favoured by Wookies doesn't make it the best weapon available. The wookies might prefer the weapon due to they way it emulates a more primitive weapon. Sure the damage might not be up with more modern weapons but it suits their own peculiar style of hunting.

Take a look at the worlds military forces. Are the hand weapons they use the best? Rarely. The weapons employed have to be capable of doing the job but at a price which the government can afford. Looking at it this way, I would suggest that player weapons (if they have the credits) could easily exceed the stats quoted for 'standard' weapons. A hand blaster doing 6D? Well possibly that's too much for some campaigns but better doesn't always mean more damage. How about lighter, improved energy use, faster ROF, better ranges, etc.

Personally, unless a weapon gets an honourable mention in a specialist source book (such as Gundarks) or an adventure, then I consider the stats quoted to be for vanilla weapons. If the player wants a blaster that does 5D+1 with improved range then I reckon that's not much of a change over a standard heavy blaster so I allow it (based on funds, availability, etc). Heck, most of Boba Fett's kit seems to exceed the standard stats.....
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[KageRyu]

I have always had a few issues with the way WEG (and other sources) described wookie bowcasters. Especially the bit about needing to reload after each shot. Here's why:

ROTJ-
Scene of two biker scouts sitting on Speeder bikes.
Cuts to Luke pointing them out. Chewie raises his bowcaster.
Cuts back to bikerscouts taking off and several blaster like shots following them in rapid succession (Presumeably Chewbacca fireing).
Cuts back to luke and the gang, only Chewie has a weapon to bear.

Seems like multi fire to me. Sure it could be argued that the other rebels raised their weapons, fired a few shots, and holstered them, and chewie is just slow. But it seems like a discrepancy between Game Mechanics and Movie.