Crafting for Mad Scientists!

By Guidinglight, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

"Welcome, welcome! I'm glad you stopped by, perhaps one of my inventions has caught your eye!"

Hello FFG community, I have been passively observing the forums for nearly 2 years now, and have decided to cave and make an account so I may weigh in on some topics. :) And I would like to start by submitting my own. I very much liked Special Modifications and the crafting rules it introduced. I may have gotten carried away running the different ideas I had... :ph34r: I wanted to share a few with you here and there, and also wanted to hear about what outrageous devices all of you have came up with, for use in game or during experimentation.

First up, we have: Droid's Bane... it's a magnetically charged rock fired from a sling shot...

Start with a simple projectile weapon template which gives us dam 4, crit 5, range of short, encumbrance 3, 0 hp, and limited ammo 1.

Have a mighty roll (or beefed character) and viola!

Make sure to grab these results:

  • ion quality
  • customizable (after crafting add superior here, we want the best rubber bands and rocks)
  • +1 range
  • destructive
  • Pierce X3
  • accurate X2
  • integral attachment (electronic sighting system from Strongholds of Resistance)

Now, be sure to tinker it to add that Bantha eye sight from Dangerous Covenants and to jury rig that bad boy for 1 extra point of damage (or lower crit to 4).

Fully modded, our finished product has the following stats: dam 7, crit 5, range of medium, encumbrance 3, limited ammo 1, ion, pierce 3, accurate 3, and two automatic advantage on combat checks!

All it took was 25 advantage and 2 triumphs... well it's not that bad if you have the right tools, skilled assistance, and uh, Double or Nothing. :P

Criticism welcome!

"Thanks for coming inside! Although you didn't have much money to spend, I hope to see you again!"

I think that sounds a lot like those energy balls the gungans throw. But not worth the trouble

especially now you can just buy the energy balls from Nexus of Power

Hope you guys don't mind the bump, but I like the spirit of this topic and want to keep it going. Maybe 25 advantages is crazy, but surely we can share some other crazy ideas, no matter how farfetched. I totally hear ya about the fun getting carried away with Special Modifications!

I call mine the "SIDDOWN"... take a Powered Melee Weapon, add Two-Handed, and spend whatever's left on Stun or Destructive. Now attach a Weighted Head, mod it for Concussive, and then Damage if you're lucky. Here's a damage Brawn +5 (or 6), 3 crit weapon with Concussive 1 and at least Stun 3, with 3 hardpoints left over, for only 950 credits 4 rarity, a couple of Daunting checks and just over 2 days of work. And like I said, 3 hp left over! Balanced Hilt and Superior, perhaps?

It's easy to forget the power of that Stun 3 (or more, but I sure don't have that Double or Nothing), especially because it ignores Soak! Concussive is nice too, and this way I got it without having to have 2 triumphs. What do you think?

Quite good Qeyleb! I do like the concussive, and remember, superior is always a good choice! Now, what might I have stashed away, that would be good to play with on a rainy day....? Ah yes!

BURN NOTICE

First we collect 2 regular flame projectors. next, both are tinkered to have 3hp. Now, give them both a pistol grip, so they can be used as ranged light and one handed. Then, pair the weapons so they may be dual wielded and only need 1 advantage to hit with the other weapon. Jury rig both, one to lower burn trigger to 1 instead of 2 and the other's crit rating lowered to 1. finally, give both superior for 2 extra damage and 2 auto advantage.

The final product is damage 9, crit 1 (on one), range of short, only 1 advantage required to trigger burn (on the other), and 2 auto advantage. The potential for at least 18 damage, triggered crits, and triggered burns are very high. "I like my minion groups well done!"

Edited by Guidinglight

Maybe you want something more subtle, but still devious and delicious. How about.... a landmine?

Lovingly crafted w/vicious 5, destructive, and customizable. Customizable, you ask? Why, that's for the gene lock from dangerous covenants. That's silly you say, until you realize that it has the self-destruct mod. :o Which means when unsuspecting mook #43 tries to be smart and disarm the mine, he won't!

This also works more hilariously with grenades: throw, but do not arm the explosive. When confused enemy picks it up... Boom!

What am I thinking? You are a creator! You do not want to destroy. You want tools for creation! Say hello to the artificer's best friend mk II. !

Start with a specialist tool template. Craft like your life depends on it. Select lightweight 7 times, safely features, and supreme craftsmanship. After only 1 easy payment of 10 advantage and 2 triumph for shipping, you receive the item in all its glory!

Encumbrance of 1, 1 auto success, 1 auto advantage, and one skill check upgrade all on mechanics checks. For best results, use in conjunction with the Merr Sonn intelligent toolbox.

Disclaimer: Systems with a heavy Imperial presence may be out of delivery range.

The ABF mkII. Never worry about crafting again!


The ABF mkII. Never worry about crafting again!

Good stuff! Any crafter wants the ABF mkII, heh. Even for now I'm fine with skipping the lightweight and leaving it in the workshop, until I have more skill. 2 Triumphs is hard enough.

Don't forget, the pistol grips add a setback when using them one-handed. And of course you only get the second auto advantage if you actually succeed at firing dual wielded -- unlikely to fail, but something to keep in mind. Not to mention the 12 encumbrance. (Frankly, at 6 encumbrance I'm surprised a flame projector doesn't have Cumbersome 3.) Still, even one of the Burn Notice is a thing of beauty!

I must admit I had never thought of using the Gene-Lock on explosives. Very clever. One of my friends came up with attaching it to a droid chassis and voila, self-propelled spider-mine. A little expensive (especially time-wise) for the intended effect, but a fun concept.

My only complaint about crafting explosives in general is the way Blast works -- if I want a grenade to affect everything in radius with its special qualities like Ion, Stun, Disorient, Ensnare, or Burn, even if I have to spend 4+ advantage, I still have to houserule it. Heck, I want to be able to trade damage for being able to activate those qualities in an area.

I just discovered the Stun Pulse attachment in Force & Destiny. If the above weapons haven't earned some scrutiny from the GM, this one will. Brace for yourself for "HOWmuch":

Power Weapon again, and put all the advantages into Stun. Add the Stun Pulse which adds 2 Stun, and mod it 3 times (if you can!) -- you now have at least Stun 8, probably 10+. And since it's an Active ability it ignores Soak. Plus there's 4 more hardpoints to maximize your ability to activate the Stun, stuff like Balanced Hilt and of course Superior. (Question of course is whether the Power Weapon qualifies as a 'bludgeoning brawl/melee weapon' for the Stun Pulse.)

If you really want to push boundaries, you can try adding an Energy Overclock from Keeping the Peace, which has a mod to give an automatic Advantage. That plus Superior is probably TOO powerful.